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Arutz Sheva Daily News Service
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1. First Lady, Sonia Peres, Passes Away
by Hillel Fendel
Sonya
Peres (nee Gelman), wife of Israel's President Shimon Peres, has passed
away at the age of 87. Despite her husband's lifelong public presence,
she preferred to avoid the limelight and was essentially unknown to the
public.
Mr. and Mrs. Peres were born in Belarus and the Ukraine,
respectively, and met each other after they made Aliyah. They were
married in May 1945 and had three children: Tzvia Valdan, a linguist and
professor at Beit Berl Academic College; Yoni, director of Village
Veterinary Center at Kfar Hayarok near Tel Aviv; and Chemi, director of a
large venture capital fund. The three have given the Peres' eight
grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Not in the best of
health of late, Mrs. Peres preferred not to move to Jerusalem with her
husband when he became president in 2007, and remained in the couple's
northern Tel Aviv home, where she passed away on Thursday.
No funeral or mourning details have yet been announced.
2. US Prevents Sec. Council Vote on "Ilegal Settlements" Proposal
by Elad Benari
The UN Security Council debated a proposed resolution on Wednesday,
submitted by Lebanon, which calls the Jewish communities in Judea and
Samaria illegal, according to a report by The Associated Press.
The proposed resolution demands that Israel halt all construction in
what is described as “Palestinian territory.” It says that any Jewish
communities that were built in the lands occupied by Jordan between 1948
and 1967, including eastern Jerusalem, “are illegal and constitute a
major obstacle to the achievement of a just, lasting and comprehensive
peace.”
The resolution also calls on Israel and the Palestinian Authority to
continue negotiations and wrap up final issues by September of 2011 as
called for by the Quartet of Mideast peacemakers, which consists of the
U.S., the UN, the European Union and Russia.
But while PA diplomats taking part in the debate found international
support for the resolution, the U.S. strongly opposed bringing the
matter up in the UN Security Council and as such the resolution was not
brought to a vote.
The Associated Press reported that it is unclear as of yet when a vote
on the matter (which would not have passed had it been brought up
Wednesday due to the U.S. objections) may be scheduled. Riyad Mansour,
the PA’s observer to the UN, suggested it may not be considered for some
time.
“If it was up to us, we would love to see the Security Council acting
on it immediately,” Mansour was quoted as saying, acknowledging that
U.S. opposition would make it difficult.
Explaining her country’s opposition to the resolution, Deputy U.S.
Representative to the UN Rosemary A. DiCarlo said that key Middle East
peace issues “can be resolved only through negotiations between the
parties — and not by recourse to the Security Council. We therefore
consistently oppose attempts to take these issues to this council.”
She added that the U.S. remains committed to a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict.
Israel did not take part in the debate due to the ongoing labor dispute
with the Foreign Ministry’s employees (which also prevented Medvedev's
Middle East tour from including Israel). Israeli government spokesman
Mark Regev suggested, however, that the proposed resolution was
counterproductive.
PA "Breaking Fundamental Commitments"
“The Palestinians have made a series of commitments that all the issues
of dispute between us and them should be resolved in direct
negotiations,” AP quoted Regev as saying. “By refusing to negotiate,
they are breaking their most fundamental commitments to what the process
is about.”
US Upgrades PA Status
Wednesday’s debate comes following another PA move which was intended for international recognition. On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department announced to
the Palestinian Authority/Palestinian Liberation Organization Mission
representative in the United States that its status will be upgraded
from a "bureau" to that of a "general delegation." This change will
allow the office in which the representation is situated to fly the PLO
flag at its entrance.
The PLO's chief representative in the United States, Maen Areikat, said
that this step makes the PLO's status in the United States equivalent
to its status in Canada and many western European countries.
%InAd1%
3. Netanyahu's Senior Advisor Chides TIME Magazine for Distortion
by Ron Dermer
INN brought our own and CAMERA's responses to the
biased, anti-Israel article that appeared in TIME magazine as soon as
it was published last week. The Prime Minister's Office reacted as we
did with this official rebuttal:
A Response from the Office of Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu by Ron Dermer, Senior Advisor to the Israeli Prime Minister to Time magazine's managing director
Dear Mr. Stengel,
I wanted to bring to your attention a recent article in Time entitled "Israel's Rightward Lurch Scares Some Conservatives."
I hope that you will agree that the article's obvious bias and numerous
distortions are not worthy of the standards of your prestigious
magazine.
Israelis depicted in the article as essentially sliding towards
fascism. Your correspondent refers to Israel's Shin Bet (the equivalent
of the FBI) as a "secret police," claims that the Israeli government
"increasingly equates dissent with disloyalty," and accuses the Prime
Minister of "taking a page from neighboring authoritarian states."
The evidence offered for these outrageous allegations includes a
preliminary vote in our parliament that would require naturalized
citizens to make a pledge of allegiance, a proposal to strip citizenship
from Israelis convicted of espionage and terrorism, a motion to
investigate foreign government funding of local NGOs, calls on Jews to
not rent property to Arabs, and demonstrations demanding prohibitions of
Arab boys from dating Jewish girls.
But your correspondent did not find it necessary to inform your readers of a few facts.
Oaths of allegiance are commonplace in most democratic countries,
including the United States. Naturalized citizens in America swear an
oath to its Constitution and to defend the country against "all enemies,
foreign and domestic." Israel's proposed pledge would require
naturalized citizens to swear an oath to Israel as a Jewish and
democratic state, words taken directly from our Declaration of
Independence.
Moreover, Great Britain, France, Germany, and Italy are just some of
the many countries where citizenship can be stripped for various
infractions that are defined as undermining "national interests." Are
these European countries not democratic?
In the United States, Senator Joe Leiberman proposed a bill last year
to "add joining a foreign terrorist organization or engaging in or
supporting hostilities against the United States or its allies to the
list of acts for which United States nationals would lose their
nationality." Is American democracy threatened by such a bill?
As for questioning the legitimacy of foreign government funding of
Israeli NGOs, mentioning America's Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA)
may have presented a more balanced picture.
FARA requires that any organization engaged in lobbying in the U.S.
that receives money from foreign individuals, let alone foreign
governments, must among other things register as a foreign agent with
the Department of Justice and permit the Attorney General to inspect all
of its activities.
It is hard to imagine any democratic country accepting foreign
governments intervening in its domestic affairs by funding domestic
groups engaged not merely in criticism of a particular government's
policy but also attacking the very foundations of the State.
What would Britain do if the French government was actively funding a
British NGO that sought to eliminate the monarchy? What would the United
States do if the Iranian government was funding American NGOs pressing
for a withdrawal of US forces from the Middle East?
There is a vigorous public debate in Israel, including within the Likud
party, over the best means to address the problem of foreign government
funding of local NGOs. Proposals range from launching a parliamentary
investigation to laws banning or restricting such funding to measures to
ensure full transparency. Far from being a sign of Israel's slide
toward fascism, the current debate in Israel is a testament to how
vibrant our democracy truly is.
Finally, contrary to the implication of your correspondent, Prime
Minister Netanyahu has publicly and forcefully condemned the racist
sentiments that were mentioned in the article. For example, this is what
the Prime Minister said at the opening of Israel's annual Bible Quiz to
an audience of mostly observant Jews a few hours after he learned of
the letter calling on Jews not to rent apartments to Arabs:
There are non-Jews among the citizens of this country. How would we
feel if someone said not to sell apartments to Jews? We would have been
outraged, and indeed we are outraged when we hear such things in
neighboring countries or anywhere else. Such statements should not be
made, neither about Jews nor about Arabs. They must not be made in any
democratic country, let alone a Jewish-democratic country that respects
the moral values of the Jewish heritage and the Bible. Therefore, the
State of Israel categorically rejects these things.
Contrast this unequivocal condemnation by the leader of Israel to the
Palestinian Authority law that mandates the death penalty for any one
who sells land to Jews. Such laws are all too common in a Middle East in
which Christians are persecuted, gays are hanged in public squares and
women are stoned for adultery.
In Israel, things are different. Here, we protect the rights of women,
gays and minorities, including the 20% of Israelis who are Arabs, who
enjoy freedom of speech and religion and the protections afforded by
independent courts and the rule of law.
Every decision in Israel is put under the microscope by one of world's
largest foreign press contingents, the hundreds of human rights
organizations and NGOs that operate freely here, a famously adversarial
local press and most critically, by a vociferous parliamentary
opposition.
Israelhas upheld its democratic values despite being threatened like no
country on earth. In defending itself against wars of aggression,
unparalleled terror campaigns and continuous promises to annihilate it,
Israel has a track record on the protection of rights that would compare
favorably to the record of any democracy, much less democracies under
threat.
Even in peacetime, other democracies enact laws that would be
inconceivable in Israel. The Swiss ban on minarets and the French
restrictions on headscarves passed in Europe, not Israel.
One final point regarding media coverage in the Middle East. In 2000,
after an Italian television station (RAI) was threatened by the
Palestinian Authority for broadcasting the film of a Palestinian mob
lynching two Israeli soldiers, RAI issued a shameful apology. Similarly,
in 2003, CNN admitted to burying negative coverage about Sadaam's
regime so that its personnel could continue working safely in Baghdad.
I can assure you that no matter how biased and unbalanced your
correspondents' coverage of Israel, they will always be free here to
write whatever they want. Of course, Time is also free not to print it.
Ron Dermer
Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister
Published first by TIME magazine, January 18, 2011
4. Analysis: Say It Aint So, Joe
by Dr. Amiel Ungar
The announcement by Senator Joseph Lieberman that he will not seek a
5th term in 2012 elicited divergent comments about the man who nearly
became vice president running on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in
the controversial 2000 presidential election. The political left
celebrated and the Daily Kos' Markos Moulitsas actually exulted that
"America and Connecticut will soon be rid of this useless sack of crap."
The left did not forgive Lieberman for his strong backing of the war in
Iraq and for being a throwback to the Democratic senators of the 1960s
and 1970s who combined a liberal approach in domestic politics,
particularly on civil rights issues, with the demand for a strong
defense posture and an interventionist foreign policy. These forces
nearly succeeded in getting rid of Lieberman in the 2006 elections when
he was beaten in the Democratic primaries by Ned Lamont, but Lieberman
recouped his fortunes by running as an independent, picking up votes
from both Republicans and Democrats. Lieberman retaliated against the
Democrats by backing Republican John McCain in the 2008 elections
against Barack Obama.
Lieberman, however, is well appreciated in the Senate as someone who
could reach out to both sides. During the filibuster debate over Bush
appointments to the judiciary, Lieberman was one of the leaders of a
centrist bloc of senators from both parties who tried to forge a
compromise. In recognition of his long and distinguished service in the
Senate, the victorious Democrats did not punish him for his support of
McCain, and he continued to head the Homeland Security Committee in the
Senate focusing on "homegrown terrorism".
Lieberman's critics scoff at his protestations that 24 years in the
Senate were enough and claimed that the polls that at best give him 34%
popularity amongst Connecticut voters dissuaded him from making another
try.
Lieberman, however, is known as someone who does not shrink from
a fight. What the polls do show, however, is that the Lieberman model of
an independent senator who does not follow a strict party line is
becoming an endangered species in American politics.
While the 2006 elections showed that voters in a general election could
still appreciate this type of politician; such a posture now means
political suicide in a primary race. Primaries are dominated by
committed partisan voters and they tend to vote with their ideologies. A
more liberal Democrat and a more conservative Republican start out with
a tremendous advantage; a man in the middle must work hard to catch up.
Lieberman was able to overcome this liability in 2006 because the
Republican candidate was a nonentity and the Republicans from George W.
Bush on down tacitly backed Lieberman. There is no chance that this
would recur in today's climate. A final change that has occurred is that
incumbency, once considered a major asset, was proven in the last
election cycle to be an albatross.
%InAd2%
5. Israelis are Warned to Prepare for Earthquake
by Hillel Fendel
Given
that Israel has not had a major earthquake in nearly 84 years, the
Ministry of National Infrastructures is waging a campaign for earthquake
preparedness. Films of bookshelves crashing down atop baby cribs and
detailed instructions are part of it.
In July 1927, the
northern Dead Sea area – Israel’s major earthquake-prone area – suffered
a major quake that left nearly 300 people dead. Prior to that, the city
of Tzfat, in the Galilee, was largely wiped out in 1837 when an
earthquake rocked the area; 5,000 people were killed there, and another
several hundred in Tiberias.
Earthquake researchers say that
statistically, another big quake should be feared in Israel within the
coming years – including now. In recent years, the northern Dead Sea
region was hit by a 4.4 quake in November 2007, and a 5.3 rocker in
February 2004. In terms of statistics and probabilities, however, a
larger one is still expected.
The Infrastructures Ministry
information campaign is currently running on the internet and other
media. “Don’t let an earthquake catch you unready,” it warns
threateningly. “Home is not always a safe place. A strong earthquake in
Israel is just a question of time, and it is liable to cause the
destruction of many homes in Israel. Make sure today that your home
meets earthquake readiness standards, and that all family members know
how to behave when one hits.”
The Ministry’s website explains
that though earthquakes cannot be forecast in advance, “there are a
number of ways in which we can prepare for them, prevent loss of life
and to significantly reduce property damage.” One way is to make sure
that one’s house or apartment building meets earthquake construction
standards. In general, buildings built before 1980 do not – and these
include, of course, a large number of buildings in many cities and towns
throughout Israel. These can be strengthened and fortified, “and the
responsibility for such is primarily upon us, the citizens.”
In Judea and Samaria, where most homes have been built since 1980, this particular problem is not acute.
In
addition, precautions should be taken to ensure that even homes that do
not collapse are earthquake-safe. The Ministry’s website states that
one should not have shelves or heavy objects above beds; bookcases, air
conditioners and the like should be properly fastened to walls, heavy
objects should not be stored high up, and the like. “It is also
advisable to have on hand a supply of food and water for emergencies, a
first-aid kit, a radio, emergency lighting and baby equipment, as well
as copies of essential documents.”
The Ministry also has ideas
for family earthquake-drills: “Decide in advance, together with all
immediate family members… where your ‘safe place’ during an earthquake
is going to be. In an apartment building a safe place could be the
Protected Space ("Mamad") or the staircase, and in a one-story home it
could be outdoors. Agree on a specific place outdoors where the family
should gather after the quake. Make sure that all family members know
where the main switches are for electricity, gas and water so that they
can turn them off after an earthquake.”
6. INN Photo Essay: Tu B'Shvat Celebrates New Year of Trees
by Hana Levi Julian and Michelle Baruch
The Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shvat, the “New Year for Trees,” is marked
each year at Israel National News with a photo essay celebrating the
beauty that grows in the Holy Land. Our featured photographer, Michelle
Baruch, is a certified Israel tour guide (Apricot Tours)
with a background in environmental sciences and international water
management issues who enjoys nature photography. (all Israel news
photos: Michelle Baruch, with the exception of Carmel Forest)
Large Ziziphus tree growing on Tel
Titura, probable site of ancient Modi'in, home of the Hashmonaim. Fifty
cisterns and mikvahs were found nearby
It is on this day that we remember that “Man is a tree of the field,”
(Deuteronomy 20:19) reaching out to connect with our brethren around the
world through special holiday exports and events.
Olive trees and winter wheat growing in the northern Negev
The holiday, which falls on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Sh'vat
in the Jewish calendar, falls this year on Thursday, January 20.
Lemon tree growing in a private garden in Givat Ze'ev
The day that marks the start of the “New Year for Trees,” Tu B'Shvat
celebrates the season in which the Land of Israel's earliest-blossoming
trees awaken from their winter slumber to begin a new fruit-bearing
cycle.
Pomegranates growing at Hebrew University of Jerusalem
A budding fruit is considered to belong to the new, or next year of a
cycle beginning with the 15th of Sh'vat – an important consideration
when calculating the seven-year Shemittah cycle in which the Land rests.
Dates growing at Kibbutz Negba
The day is marked by specifically eating the kinds of fruit that are
specified by the Torah as indigenous to the Land of Israel – grapes,
figs, pomegranates, olives and dates. Often “date honey” is used as
well, also known as silwan.
Sabras growing at Kibbutz Gat
In a comment on this year's essay, the photographer notes that Israel
spans three main botanical regions – Mediterranean, Irano-Turanian and
Saharo-Sindian parts. “As a result, the Land is blessed with a
tremendous variety of trees,” she says.
Small bird drinking water from an irrigation pipe under a fig tree at Hebrew University in Jerusalem
“A 100 years ago, three of the most abundant species in Israel were the
Aleppo Pine – also known as the Jerusalem Pine – and the Kermes and
Tabor Oak trees,” Baruch adds.
Old carob trees near Pardes Hanna
Dates, figs, carobs and pomegranates were, and continue to be common as
well. “These trees are all featured in my photos this year,” she says.
Carmel Forest (Israel news photo: Hippobear)
The photographer adds that the recent tragic fire in the Carmel forest,
which claimed the lives of 43 people, also destroyed “something on the
order of four million trees. This photo essay is dedicated to the brave
people who gave up their lives there,” she says.
%InAd3%
7. It's Proven: Bilin Woman Died of Overdose, not IDF Gas
by Maayana Miskin
An IDF investigation has found that Jawaher Abu Rahma, who PA leaders accused Israel of killing,
actually died due to a doctor's mistake. The PA had claimed that Abu
Rahma died after inhaling tear gas as PA rioters clashed with Israeli
soldiers near the Samaria separation/security barrier.
The investigation found that Rahma was not at the demonstration, but
was in a house nearby. Initial PA reports had implied that she was at
the demonstration; however, when pictures of the protest did not show
her presence, it was then reported that she had been overcome by tear
gas at home.
However, the IDF found that Rahma was not taken to a hospital during or
immediately after the protest, but only later in the day.
Once in the Ramallah hospital, Rahma was given unusually high doses of
Atropine, a drug whose uses include countering nerve gas or speeding up a
dangerously slow pulse. The drug apparently caused her death,
investigators said.
Documents received by the IDF also provided additional evidence for the theory that Rahma had been seriously ill prior to the demonstration, possibly with cancer.
IDF commanders planned to meet last week with PA officials to brief
them on the ongoing investigation. However, the PA canceled the meeting.
PA leaders continue to claim that the IDF caused Abu Rahma's death, and
to label the death a war crime.
8. IDF: Discharged Soldier Fired Justifiably but Unprofessionally
by Hillel Fendel
The Commander Officer of the IDF Central Command, Maj.-Gen. Avi
Mizrahi, has decided to end the military career of a soldier involved in
the accidental death of a suspicious Arab during the course of a wave
of arrests of terrorists.
The incident occurred in Hevron this past January 7. The Palestinian
Authority had just announced that it had released from prison, after
several months, five Hamas terrorists, including one named Wael Bitar
who was involved in a suicide bombing in which a woman was murdered in
Dimona.
Just hours later, a special squad from the IDF "Duvdevan"
counter-terrorism elite unit was called in to re-arrest the freed
terrorists in Hevron. During the course of the special operation, which
ended successfully with the arrest of all five terrorists, two soldiers
shot and killed an Arab civilian, fearing that he was an accomplice of
Bitar and endangering their lives.
Maj.-Gen.Mizrahi, after investigating the matter, concluded that the
first soldier who fired did so justifiably; the firing "followed
suspicious movements that caused the soldier to feel that his life was
threatened, especially having known about Bitar’s actions of Wael
Bitar." However, Mizrahi concluded that when a second soldier began
firing as well, he acted “unprofessionally.” Though the second soldier,
too, felt threatened, Mizrahi concluded, his term in the army must not
be extended.
Wael Bitar collaborated with Shehab Natshe, the executor of the double
suicide bombing in Dimona in February 2008. This attack resulted in the
death of an Israeli woman and the wounding of ten other Israeli
civilians. Subsequently, Bitar led the planning of additional suicide
bombings that were thwarted by the IDF.
Security sources report that "Duvdevan" is a professional, elite unit
specializing in close combat, camouflage and assimilation into hostile
territory in order to capture terror operatives in complex areas and
thwart terror attacks before they are executed. During 2010, it was
announced, the unit executed 64 such operations, this with no casualties
or injury to uninvolved civilians.
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