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1. IDF Stronger by Learning from Mistakes, Says Chief of Staff
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The IDF is stronger than ever because it learns from its mistakes,
outgoing Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said Tuesday in a rare interview
as part of a campaign to raise funds for soldiers.
''We learned from our mistakes and we made some as well. I hope we've
made changes wherever improvements were needed. In my opinion today we
are much more prepared, more equipped - we're stronger',” said Lt. Gen.
Ashkenazi.
Speaking on IDF Army Radio, he added that the Israeli army’s focus “is
all about people, noting that that many of his friends and the soldiers
he trained returned home on “stretchers to be buried.”
The Chief of Staff, who grew up in the ranks from the elite Golani
brigade which he once commanded, emphasized he will continue his army
service in the reserves after his term of office ends this summer.
The fundraising broadcasts, which were supposed to take place last
week, had been postponed to today following the tragic Carmel fires. The
decision was made both by the IDF and the Association for the Wellbeing
of Israel's Soldiers.
Lt. Gen Ashkenazi also referred to the controversy surrounding his
successor, Yoav Galant. Prior to his appointment by Defense Minister
Ehud Barak, an officer leaked a fake document intended to damage Galant
and pressure Barak into extending Ashkenazi’s term of office.
The outgoing Chief of Staff admitted that he should have shredded the
document after receiving it from one of his aides. There was no
suspicion that Ashkenazi was involved in the forgery or the leak.
He also said he fully backs Galant, adding that he “has all of the
skills and experience to take the IDF wherever it needs to go.”
2. EU Affirms Readiness to Recognize a Palestinian State
by Elad Benari
On Monday, the European Union reaffirmed its readiness to recognize a
Palestinian state at an “appropriate” time. However, it stopped short of
an outright recognition.
There has been pressure on the European Union to recognize a
Palestinian state, particularly after the latest talks between the U.S.
and Israel on a new construction freeze of Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria failed.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday urged EU
foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton “to take a step towards
recognition of the state of Palestine based on the 1967 borders,” chief
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP, referring to the lands
occupied by Jordan between 1948 and 1967.
Despite the pressure and after long negotiations, the EU’s foreign
ministers adopted a relatively mild statement with no ultimatums. The
statement expresses “regret” at Israel's rejection of a new freeze,
describing the communities in Judea and Samaria as “illegal” and as an
“obstacle to peace.” The statement also underlines the EU’s support for
“a negotiated solution” between the two sides “within the 12 months set
by the Quartet” of international mediators.
Cyprus Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou said that the recognition of a
Palestinian state had “always been on the table. But at this stage it's
too early.” German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle added that it was
vital to avoid action that could compromise peace talks between Israel
and the PA including what he called “unilateral moves.”
Regarding the so-called “pre-1967 borders” (the lands occupied by
Jordan between 1948 and 1967), the EU will not recognize any border
changes, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than ones agreed to
by the parties.
Finally, the statement demands that a way be found to resolve the
status of Jerusalem “as the future capital of two states” and calls for a
just solution to the refugee problem (the Arab demand that Israel allow
millions of Arabs descended from those who fled during the War of
Independence to “return” to the cities in which their grandparents and
great-grandparents once lived).
The EU’s statement comes on the heels of last week’s announcements by
some South American countries that they recognize a Palestinian state.
Brazil was first,
with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva writing a letter to Abbas in
which he wrote that Brazil recognizes “Palestine” and hopes that the
recognition will help lead to two states, Israel and Palestine, “that
will co-exist peacefully and in security.”
Argentina followed
with an announcement that it recognizes a Palestinian state, calling
Palestine “a free and independent state within its 1967 borders,” an
announcement which Argentina said reflects its frustration at the slow
progress of peace talks with Israel. It was also reported that Uruguay,
Bolivia and Ecuador might also make similar announcements.
Meanwhile on Monday, the German government denied reports that Germany
proposed a resolution for the EU to recognize an independent Palestinian
state within a year if no peace agreement is reached by then.
German Foreign Ministry Spokesman Stefan Bredohl said the report which
appeared in the Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv “is entirely unfounded,” while
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, rejected
the report that German State Secretary Eckhart von Klaeden delivered a
message from the chancellor to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on the
alleged initiative. Seibert called the report “simply false.”
3. Israeli Flag Flies at Dubai Sports Complex
by Chana Ya'ar
Israel's flag flew for the first time at a pool in Dubai on Tuesday
afternoon as the national swim team representing the Jewish State
arrived for the opening of a worldwide competition.
Israel's five-member team is competing in the 10th FINA World Short Course Swimming Championship that begins today (Wednesday).
It is also the first time the world swimming competition is being held in an Arab city, according to the website
of the Gulf emirate's Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex,
where the pool is located. The sports complex -- named for the Crown
Prince of Dubai -- was inaugurated on Sunday and opened just in time for
the international swimming competition.
Gal Nevo, the first to walk onto the pool deck Wednesday morning,
competed in the opening heat of the first event, the men's 200-meter
freestyle. He finished 37th in the 78-man field.
Guy Marcos Barnea, another member of the team, competed in the
100-meter backstroke heat competition. Amit Ivri, Alon Mandel and
Johnathan Koplev are also swimming in the competition.
Nevo told a reporter from the Associated Press after finishing his swim
that the team had arrived late because “there was some problem with the
security.” He added, however, that he feels “lucky as an athlete being
here, because the average Israeli guy probably wouldn't visit here.”
The United States and Australia also both sent teams to compete in the Championships.
A crack undercover security unit greeted the team upon landing and
escorted the swimmers to a hotel separate from the rest of the
competitors, according to a report broadcast on Channel 5 Sports TV.
Their equipment was also scrutinized at the airport by security
personnel, who will guard the Israelis around the clock.
Initial reports said the Israeli swimmers were not provided with entry
visas, nor did they receive entry stamps in any of their passports,
although the Dubai government had allegedly guaranteed visas on arrival.
Jordanian Air refused to take the delegation to Dubai without the
visas, causing further delays.
Ultimately, the team did not arrive until the day before competitions
began, giving the swimmers barely a day in which to prepare for the
meet.
Israel's representative to the International Olympic Committee, Alex
Giladi, also was prevented initially from obtaining a visa, according to
a report published on the website of Swimming World Magazine.
The Israel Broadcasting Authority's television division, which has the
broadcast rights to telecast the finals each night, also had difficulty
acquiring visas for its crew until just before the competition began,
according to the report.
According to a source in Dubai quoted by a swimmer, the Israelis were
granted visas late in the evening, 24 hours prior to the start of the
competition.
“There is nothing sinister about it,” the Dubai source claimed. “They
were not the only ones to experience a slight delay in their visas, and
there was never any intention to keep the Israeli team away. They were
granted their visas a matter of hours later than had originally been
expected. This is not about politics but sport, and the Israeli swimmers
are welcome guests.” The source was not identified.
4. ‘The Arabs Are Conducting an Ecological Intifada’
by Elad Benari
According to a newly released report by Israel’s Environment Ministry,
the streams in the Judea and Samaria area have been used as a means of
discharging sewage by PA Arabs. The report cites reasons of a lack of
sewage treatment facilities in the Palestinian Authority as well as the
absence of a cooperation agreement between the PA and Israel as being
the cause for this problem.
Itche Meir, chairman of the Municipal Environmental Association of
Samaria, confirmed in an interview to Arutz Sheva’s daily journal on
Tuesday that the localstreams are contaminated and it is mostly due to
Arab sewage. “The reality is that there is no sewage treatment in those
Arab cities and villages, and sewage flows into streams, seeps into the
ground and pollutes the mountain aquifer. This is damaging both to the
environment as well as to natural sites.”
Meir added that Israel does not have a plan to improve or change the
situation. “One of the most serious problems is the lack of policy
regarding cross-border nuisances,” he said. “We’re not the only case of
two countries next to each other. The U.S. and Mexico agree who will
take care of pollution, but our system is very complicated, especially
since there is no border and everyone lives within each other. In Israel
every citizen has a motivation to prevent pollution for future
generations but for the Arabs this does not exist.”
He expressed hope that the State comes to its senses on this issue. “It
is our responsibility for the next generation to preserve our ground
and water resources and to act to connect the PA cities to Israeli
facilities. Unfortunately, since the Oslo Accords, we have met all our
commitments to provide water and sewage purification, yet they do not do
anything. There ought to be a link between water supply and our demand
from them that they purify the sewage, but for political reasons we do
not require it of them.”
Meir said that he believes that there is also some damage deliberately
being done by Arabs to nature. “This is a type of ecological Intifada,”
he said. “They found out that this hurts us so they exploit it.”
5. Hamas Exploits Open Egypt Border to Launder Money, Says Fatah
by Maayana Miskin
The Fatah-linked website Al-Kufiyeh Faras has accused Hamas of using
imports into Gaza from Egypt to conceal money laundering. In addition,
Hamas has deliberately imported counterfeit money and is using it to
pay its workers, the site charged.
The Rafiah crossing between Gaza and Egypt was re-opened this past June
after three years in which it had been closed following the Hamas
militia war that ousted the rival Fatah movement. The crossing has been
used for additional imports, beyond those that enter Gaza via
Israeli-controlled crossings in the Negev.
According to Al-Kufiyeh, the imports coming through Egypt are used as a
cover. Hamas makes deals with importers under which it pays for goods
purchased in China, and the importers reimburse it using "clean" money.
The site reported that Hamas has also imported millions of counterfeit
United States dollars from Iran in order to get around its currency
shortage. The fake dollars have been used to pay government employees,
the site said. Hamas is reportedly planning to use the fake money as
valid currency within Gaza.
Gaza is facing a currency shortage because most international banks
refuse to deal with the terrorist movement. Hamas receives cash from
Iran.
Hamas also makes money from the Rafiah crossing by imposing a 14.5
percent tax on imports. Some Gaza businessmen have charged the terrorist
group with profiting from restrictions on Gaza trade – imposed in
response to Hamas attacks – by upping taxes and using the earnings to
buy Gaza property and compete with private businesses.
6. Israeli PR Offensive in US Media
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Senior Israeli minister Moshe Ya'alon and Deputy Foreign Minister Danny
Ayalon published articles in major American media this week as part of a
diplomatic offense to prove the Palestinian Authority is the obstacle
to peace.
The effort is part of a recent campaign
to counter libel and massive anti-Israel sentiment in the media, which
has provided an open vehicle for Palestinian Authority op-eds that often
include historically incorrect information, particularly the theme
that ”Palestinians” have an ancient claim to the Land of Israel. Arabs
in Israel previously never distinguished themselves as separate from
other Arabs and generally did not begin to use the term until after the
Six-Day War in 1967.
Ya'alon, Minister of Strategic Affairs and former IDF Chief of Staff,
wrote on the Foreign Policy magazine’s website Tuesday under the
headline, “The Palestinians Are the Real Obstacle to Peace.”
Ayalon, a former ambassador to the United States, wrote one day earlier
an op-ed in The Los Angeles Times entitled “Who's Stopping the Peace
Process?”
“The fundamental problem is that the Palestinians continue to reject
these inherent rights of the Jewish people.” Ya'alon wrote in Foreign
Policy. “The Palestinians remain steadfast in their refusal to accept
that there even exists a Jewish nation that lays legitimate claim to its
land. They reject the entire premise of a state for the Jewish people —
not only beyond the pre-1967 lines of the State of Israel, but even
within its original 1948 boundaries. This, of course, explains why the
Palestinians did not pursue independence prior to 1967, when Israel was
within the 1949 Armistice lines.”
He also noted that the PA not only has showed “a total unwillingness to
compromise,” it also often favors terrorism, “as witnessed in the
barrage of terrorist attacks that followed the Camp David negotiations
of 2000. Is it any wonder Israelis find it ever more difficult to trust
the Palestinians?”
Ya'alon also noted PA incitement, often reported by Israel National News, that appears in Arab media and in its school system.
“The language of hate is the vernacular of choice for the official
Palestinian media, which indoctrinates its audience with the narrative
that Jews have usurped their land and have no business being here — and
not just in Hevron or Ariel, but even in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv,” the
minister wrote. “Palestinian television is notorious for broadcasting
what amounts to classic incitement — parading about children who glorify
the use of weapons to destroy Israel and accusing Jews of “stealing”
cities such as Haifa, which even the United Nations Partition Plan of
1947 included as part of the Jewish state.”
He also noted that despite complaints by the Palestinian Authority of
continued development of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria,
“Israel has committed not to authorize any construction outside these
neighborhoods in the areas under its control since 1967.”
Ya'alon concluded, “Israel remains committed to the cause of peace. We
have no desire to govern the affairs of another people. But our
acceptance of a viable Palestinian state awaits a similar Palestinian
acceptance of the rights of the Jewish people in the land of Israel.
[Saeb] Erekat, the Palestinian negotiator, recently wrote that such a
step would require a modification of the Palestinian narrative. He’s
absolutely right. But until this happens, there can be no chance for
peace.”
In his op-ed in the Times, Ayalon countered the mainstream media
impression that ”the breakdown of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks has
predictably resulted in blame laid almost exclusively on Israel.” He
also noted that PA leaders have refused to negotiate any issues and
instead insist that the PA become a new Arab country based on all of its
demands.
He noted that ever since the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993, the
Palestinian Authority has rejected offers of almost all of Judea and
Samaria “without further discussion or counter offer.”
“The Palestinians have been extremely successful at presenting Israel
as the obstructionist party, even as they have been engaged in a
consistent cycle of evasion and rejectionism that has replicated itself
many times over almost two decades,” the deputy minister declared.
“The cycle begins with the Palestinians looking for any excuse not to
arrive at negotiations. They run away from an open and honest process,
and yet place the onus on Israel for the breakdown of peace talks.
“Moreover, settlements are a red herring. According to previously
signed agreements, settlements and borders are a final-status issue. The
Palestinians turned them into a precondition for talks.”
He noted that “the built-up areas of the settlements constitute less than 1.7% of the total area” demanded by the PA.
“Unfortunately, the Palestinian position during these 17 years has not
moved one inch from its maximalist demands,” Ayalon continued. “Isn't it
time that the Palestinians are asked directly and openly if they are
prepared to make any concessions? Are they prepared to recognize Israel
as a Jewish state and the Jewish connection to the Western Wall and
Temple Mount? Are they prepared to recognize that there are Jewish
refugees in Arab states, and that Israel has very real security
concerns?
“Uncritically adopting Palestinian positions prevents peace. The
international community should break the Palestinian cycle of evasion
and rejectionism.”
7. Austria: Judge Rules That Yodeling Offends Muslims
by Elad Benari
It seems as though in Austria, the popular yodel is an insult to Muslims.
An Austrian court has recently fined a citizen for yodeling while
mowing his lawn, according to a report in The Kronen Zeitung newspaper.
The citizen, 63-year-old Helmut G., was told by the court that his
yodeling offended his next-door Muslim neighbors, who accused him of
trying to mock and imitate the call of the Muezzin.
In Muslim tradition, the Muezzin is the chosen person at a mosque who
leads the call to prayer at Friday services and the five daily times for
prayer from one of the mosque's minarets.
The yodel is a song which is sung with an extended note which rapidly
and repeatedly changes in pitch and makes a high-low-high-low sound.
Developed in the Central Alps as a method of communication between
alpine mountaineers or between alpine villages, the yodel later became
part of the region's traditional lore and musical expression. The
technique is used in many cultures throughout the world and Austria is
one of the countries where it is most popular.
Unfortunately for Helmut G., his neighbors were in the middle of a
prayer when he started to yodel. The Kronen Zeitung reported that he was
fined 800 Euros after judges ruled that he could have tried to offend
his neighbors and ridicule their belief.
Helmut G. clarified that “It was not my intention to imitate or insult
them. I simply started to yodel a few tunes because I was in such a good
mood.”
8. Two Suicide Bomb Attacks Kill 38 in Iran
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Two suicide attacks killed at least 38 people and injured dozens of
others in the southeastern Iranian coastal city of Chabahar Wednesday
morning, according to Iranian sources.
The explosions took place outside a mosque and inside a crowd of Muslim
worshipers, according to the semi-official Iran News Agency. It said
that 60 people were rushed to hospitals.
The attacks targeted pilgrims on "Ashura," marking a Shi’ite day of
mourning for the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed. No information was
immediately available about the perpetrators, nor has any terrorist
group claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Chabahar region includes a large Sunni Muslim population, whose
leaders face discrimination by the regime of Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad. It is the headquarters of the Jundullah terrorist group,
which previously has carried out attacks on Shi'ite Muslims.
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