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1. 'Hundreds of Civilian Deaths in Next War,' Says IDF
by Gil Ronen
In an apparent attempt to shake the public into greater preparedness,
the Commander of the Home Front's Dan District made a dire prediction
Wednesday regarding the next war between Israel and its enemies.
Speaking on IDF Radio, Col. Dan Zusman, who is in charge of about 1.5
million citizens on the Tel Aviv area, said that "the missiles and
rockets from all fronts will reach Tel Aviv in the next round."
"We are talking about dozens of missiles of different kinds that will
hit Tel Aviv, and therefore the estimate is that there will be hundreds
of dead, destruction of buildings and destruction of infrastructure," he
added.
When he was asked how he expected society to function during the war,
Col. Zusman said: "I am less interested in whether theaters will put on
plays, and more in whether our banks and economy will cease functioning.
An alternative needs to be found as quickly as possible."
Zusman said his intention "is not to scare the citizens, but to
understand that the threat is here and that it is real." He added: "It
is important to us that citizens go and collect the protective kits [gas
masks - ed.] and prepare the secure spaces [relatively sheltered rooms -
ed.] and that the other public and private bodies do what is needed."
"There is no doubt that the first missile to hit Tel Aviv will startle
the people who are used to sitting in cafes, but with our directions and
the good discipline that the citizens have, the estimate is that the
initial shock will pass."
2. Arabs Fear Civil War in Lebanon After Hizbullah Pullout
by Chana Ya'ar
The resignation of 11 Hizbullah-allied ministers from the Lebanese
Cabinet on Wednesday has sparked fears among Arab nations that another
civil war is on the country's horizon.
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa called on Lebanese lawmakers
to put the nation's “supreme interest” ahead of their
differences. According to Israel's Channel 10 television, Moussa urged
the country's politicians to return to the negotiating table to restore
its unity government, saying, “Only national agreement can save Lebanon
from the peril of civil war.”
Israeli officials are monitoring the situation carefully, said a source in the foreign ministry.
Hizbullah pulled out after it was unable to force an urgent Cabinet
meeting over an impending announcement of indictments by United Nations
Special Tribunal in Lebanon (STL). The Tribunal is expected to indict a
number of Hizbullah senior terrorists in connection with the 2005 murder
of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Barack Obama expressed America's solidarity with Lebanese Prime Minister Sa'ad Hariri.
“The efforts by the Hizbullah-led coalition to collapse the Lebanese
government only demonstrate their own fear and determination to block
the government's ability to conduct its business and advance the
aspirations of all the Lebanese people,” the White House said in a
statement.
“The president and prime minister reaffirmed their commitment to
strengthen Lebanon's sovereignty and independence, implementing all
relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions, and continuing a
wide-ranging and long-term partnership between the United States and
Lebanon,” the statement continued.
“The president and prime minister specifically discussed united efforts
with France, Saudi Arabia and other key international and regional
actors to maintain calm in Lebanon and ensure that the work of the
[Special Tribunal in Lebanon] continues unimpeded by third parties. All
parties should avoid threats or actions that could cause instability.”
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the Lebanese coalition
crisis a “transparent attempt to subvert justice.” However, she said,
“The work of the special tribunal must go forward so justice can be
served and impunity ended."
“This is a matter that should be allowed to proceed as previously
agreed to,” she said. “This is not only about the tragic assassination
of former Prime Minister Hariri, but many other people died and were
injured as well.” In addition to the former prime minister, 22 other
people were killed in the 2005 massive truck bombing.
Meanwhile, Hariri left Washington after meeting with Obama, and headed
for Paris for talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The two are
scheduled to meet Thursday at around 7:15 p.m. Israel time.
According to the Reuters news service, Sarkozy sent a message of
support to Lebanese President Michel Sleiman after discussing the
situation with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal meanwhile urged
Hizbullah to rejoin the government. But the Saudis, who back the Sunni
Muslim Hariri government, may not have much clout with the Shiite
Hizbullah terrorists, who are backed by Iran and Syria.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, meanwhile, expressed his support
for the Tribunal's work and called on all parties to continue dialogue, a
spokesman said in a statement.
%InAd1%
3. Israel to Join UN Women's Group
by Chana Ya'ar
The Cabinet is expected this Sunday to approve Israel's acceptance of
membership in the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women.
Membership dues are NIS 3 million.
The Prime Minister's Office will appoint a representative to chair a
professional steering committee that will set policy for Israel's
participation in the organization, according to a statement issued by
the PMO.
MK Gila Gamliel, Deputy Minister for the Advancement of Women, Young
People and Students, who initiated the move, claimed that membership in
the international body would “allow us to block attempts to delegitimize
Israel and enable us to stress our country's positive aspects in the
international arena.”
Both Gamliel and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said in statements
that Israel has a “proven record in the area of gender equality” and is
“among the world's leaders in advancing the status of women.”
The writer asked INN editor Rochel Sylvetsky, former head of Israel
Emunah, whether there was any real chance for legitimate dialogue in the
new entity. Sylvetsky spent a week as the only religious member of
Israel's delegation to the U.N. Conference on Women's Rights several
years ago.
"What we found during the week I spent at the U.N. with Dalia Itzik,
Tzippy Livni (then a Likud MK), Yael Dayan, and other Israeli women from
the entire political spectrum," she said, "was that every session
became the stage for an anti-Zionist diatribe. Israel, which may have a
way to go in certain aspects of equal opportunity for women, was bashed
by representatives of countries where women are victims and virtual
prisoners. When a delegate rose and introduced herself as a Palestinian
living in the occupied town of Nazareth, only the Israelis, leftists and
rightists, reacted.
"I hope that those chosen by the Prime Minister's Office to chair
and sit on the steering committee will reflect the varied opinions and
affiliations of women in Israeli society," Sylvetsky continued. "And if
we are given the chance to accomplish what MK Gamliel, as a living
example of women's empowerment in Israel would like to do, I will be
pleasantly surprised.
"I would be even more pleasantly surprised if the U.N. entity put
womens' rights in Muslim countries, or more exactly, the lack thereof,
on the agenda," she said.
4. After Lebanon, Tunisia Next? Ben Ali Attempts to Cling to Power
by Amiel Ungar
Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, who has ruled Tunisia since 1987, has
apparently decided to adapt a carrot-and-stick approach in an attempt to
quell the rioting that has now gone on for three weeks.
On the carrot side, the Tunisian leader promised to create 300,000 new
jobs for college graduates. The Ben Ali regime has invested a great deal
in education but must now cope with the vocational expectations of the
students and their desire for political participation. It was the
self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old student a month ago
in protest over high unemployment and inflation that triggered the
current unrest.
A gesture to the demonstrators is the sacking of the minister of
interior, Rafik Belhaj Kacem and the appointment of an investigation
committee that is to study both the recent violence and official
corruption. Another conciliatory gesture was the release of some of the
protesters who were arrested.
At the same time the Tunisian government has blamed both Islamic and
leftist groups for inflaming the protests and this is why the government
has taken stern measures such as shutting down schools and universities
across the country. The government has also brought in military
reinforcements including tanks and they are deployed around the ruling
party headquarters and the radio station.
While the opposition remains disorganized and leaderless, it could
derive encouragement from the fact that it was gathering support from
various sectors of the Tunisian population as well as from the
geographic breadth of the protests – from the capital Tunis to towns in
the periphery.
As the situation deteriorates, comment on the situation is coming in
cautiously from the outside. The most outspoken person has been the
European Union's head diplomat Catherine Ashton. Her spokesperson
denounced "the disproportionate use of force by police against peaceful
demonstrations".
France, the former colonial power, while refusing to play the role of
the preceptor, said it hoped that the authorities in Tunis could meet
the "expectations of their people". European Mediterranean countries
close to Tunisia such as France, Italy and Spain would like to see the
situation resolved. The last possible thing they would like to see is a
collapse that could swell the number of Tunisian migrants in their
countries.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was also cautious in calling for a
peaceful resolution. The State Department voiced its concern over "the
use of excessive force", but balanced that by praising the very positive
aspects of our relationship with Tunisia." Ben Ali may be a problem
but what will succeed him could conceivably be much worse.
It may be that Ben Ali has overstayed his welcome. He had in effect
offered Tunisians a promise of stability and prosperity in exchange for
political quiescence. He is not the first authoritarian leader to go
down that road. Franco tried it in Spain. But this strategy is hostage
to economic performance. When the economy falters, the population feels
shortchanged. It is also a treadmill because the creation of a larger
middle class triggers both economic and political aspirations that the
regime can satisfy with increasing difficulty.
%InAd2%
5. Min. Landau Calls to Revisit Israel-PA Agreements
by Maayana Miskin
In light of the Palestinian Authority's calls to boycott Israel,
Israeli leaders should reconsider their allegiance to past Israel-PA
economic treaties, says Minister of National Infrastructure Uzi Landau.
In an interview with Arutz Sheva's Hebrew-language news service, Landau
noted that Israel continues to abide by agreements calling for trade
without borders between Israel and the PA, despite the PA's violation of
the same agreements.
The government has decided to issue an additional 5,000 work permits
for PA Arabs, Landau said. He announced that he plans to appeal the
decision. Eleven percent of PA Arabs who are employed are currently
working for Israelis.
“Not only are we not insisting on separation between us, we are turning
the other cheek and putting up with boycotts,” Landau said.
The PA boycott is in violation of the part of the Oslo Accords called
the Protocol on Economic Relations between the Government and the PLO
Representing the Palestinian Nation [sic], and also known as the Paris
Agreement of 1994.
Israel continues to abide by the agreements by trading with the PA,
giving PA merchants access to the Israeli market, allowing PA Arabs to
work in Israel, and promoting initiatives to boost the PA economy.
Israel also sends water, electricity, and gas to Gaza and continued to
do so even after the Hamas takeover of the region. Fear of the political
backlash Israel could face for violating the accords appears to be the
reason for the continued aid to Gaza, Landau said.
In addition to requiring PA Arabs to boycott Israel – or face arrest –
the PA says it plans to require Israeli companies that sign contracts
with it to boycott all Israeli products made east of the 1949 armistice
line.
Any companies that give in to the PA's demands will find themselves cut
off by the National Infrastructure Ministry, Landau warned. Minister of
Science Daniel Hershkowitz issued a similar warning on Tuesday.
6. Gaza Girl Granted Resident Status for Medical Treatment
by Chana Ya'ar
Israel has granted “temporary resident” status to a 9-year-old
Palestinian Authority Arab girl from Gaza in order to enable her to
receive medical care. Her father and brother have also been granted the
status, deemed a “special humanitarian case” in a letter signed by
Interior Minister Eli Yishai.
The girl, Marya Amen, was wounded in a 2006 IAF air strike on Islamic
Jihad terrorists in Gaza City. Her mother, brother and grandmother were
all killed, and Marya was paralyzed from the neck down – a condition
that doctors expect will be life-long.
The new status allows Marya, who has been in a Jerusalem hospital for
the past four years and who requires a respirator to breathe, to receive
government-paid health insurance and compensation.
Until now, Israel's Defense Ministry has covered all of her medical and
other expenses, and has rented the family an apartment near Jerusalem,
her attorney, Adi Lustigman told the Associated Press.
The government has up to this point been trying to transfer the young
girl to a Palestinian Authority medical facility. However, the family
has claimed the PA facility cannot treat her condition.
%InAd3%
7. Netanyahu, Barak 'Trying' to Save Hero's Home
by Gil Ronen
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that he is working to
find a legal solution that would spare the Peretz family in Eli's Yovel
neighborhood any further suffering. Defense Minister Ehud Barak
reportedly voiced a similar intent in a closed forum.
The head of the Peretz family, Major Eliraz Peretz, was killed in the
course of an IDF operation in Gaza in March of 2010. He became a symbol
of heroism and sacrifice, and a source of special pride to the
Zionist-religious community.
Netanyahu told his ministers Wednesday that he opposed the demolition of the Peretz home.
On Tuesday, it became known that the state has submitted an opinion to
the High Court according to which the Peretz's home should be torn down,
along with another home in the neighborhood. A motion by pro-Arab group
Peace Now claimed that all the homes in the neighborhood were built on
land that was confiscated from its Arab owners in an improper manner.
This was disproved in the court and only two homes were found to be on
land that was not state-owned. The court left the decision about what to do with the two homes to the state.
The two plots on which these homes were built not proven to be
Arab-owned, and no Arab came forward to claim the land was his. Only an
aerial photo taken tens of years ago showed that the plots had once been
tilled, which could mean that a local Arab had illegally grown crops on
them.
Elyasaf Peretz, Eliraz's younger brother, said Wednesday that the
family has "full confidence in the Prime Minister, the State and the
government."
"We have always believed and we still believe that the people who are
supposed to decide in this matter will show sensitivity, be they the
Defense Minister, the Prime Minister or the Supreme Court. We have full
trust in the government and its head, and with G-d's help the decision
that needs to be taken, will be taken," Elyasaf Peretz said.
Minister Limor Livnat (Likud) asked Defense Minister Barak to avoid
demolishing the structure. "I turn to you," she wrote, "as an officer
who led soldiers in battle, as a defense minister who is supposed to
take care of the needs of citizens and IDF soldiers - it is your duty to
reach a courageous decision and protect Eliraz's family."
Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon told Arutz Sheva: "This is a tough fight but we will succeed. The home will not be razed."
Eliraz Peretz's neigbor in Eli, Major Roi Klein, was killed in the
Second Lebanon War in an act of heroism. Peretz was a father figure to
Klein's orphan children until he, too, was killed. The Klein family home
is apprently safe from the threat of demolition, after the state found
that it was built on propely acquired state-owned land.
8. Government Payout for Employing Arabs
by Maayana Miskin
The government has revealed a new plan to help Arab academics integrate
in the workplace by offering 9,000 shekels to anyone who employs an
Arab academic for at least nine months. The plan will be put into action
in the upcoming days.
The initiative was the brainchild of officials in the Economic
Development in Minority Sectors department of the Prime Minister's
Office and in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor.
Ayman Sayif, manager of the Economic Development in Minority Sectors
department, explained that many Arabs with advanced degrees “encounter
difficulties when they try to join the workforce in the private sector.”
“The new plan is meant to increase their chances of finding work,” he said.
Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said Tuesday that he plans to work to
increase the number of Arab workers in government ministries.
“Integrating Arabs in the Israeli economy is a mission of national
importance,” he declared.
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