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1. Arab Lawyers Arrested as Agents for Terror Head Abu Hamza
by Gavriel Queenann
Suhir Ayoub, an Arab-Israeli attorney in Akko, was indicted by the Jerusalem District Attorney's office for serving as a go-between for members of the Mahajat El Quds terror organization incarcerated in Israel's prisons and their leader, Abu Hamza, in Gaza.
The Mahajat El Quds organization is closely linked to the Islamic Jihad.
According to the indictment Ayoub was retained by A’amar A’ashur Abu Hamza, a Mahajat El Quds member, to pass on information to the group’s members serving sentences in Israeli prisons.
According to the indictment Suhir gained access to the prisoners on two occasions in February and April under the guise of counsel, representing herself as the inmates' lawyer. During her visits, Suhir is alleged to have taken down messages from the prisoners pertaining to Mahajat El Quds business, and then having distributed them among the other prisoners. She also allegedly transferred messages to Abu Hamza in Gaza.
Suhir is being charged under a section of the Defense (Emergency) Regulations that prohibits giving aid to an illegal association. As a result, prosecutors requested Suhir be remanded for the duration of the proceedings against her, arguing she poses a danger to public and national security.
The judge ordered house arrest for Suhir. Her license to practice law has been suspended.
In a related announcement, the Israel Police Central District said it arrested three other lawyers in northern Israel for passing information to terror organizations. The lawyers, police said, received thousands of shekels in fees for the illicit services.
Avi Cohen of the Jerusalem District Police said the four lawyers were arrested after an undercover investigation spanning several months. The other three lawyers are expected to be indicted shortly.
"We believe they will be indicted within a week," said Cohen. "We also know that this is not a singular case and that Islamic Jihad has other ways of contacting their members in Israeli prisons. Nevertheless, the arrests are likely to increase deterrence to that effect."
Lt.-Col. (ret.) Meir Indor of Almagor, the Terror Victims Association, said of Suhir's arrest, “The frequent visits by lawyers to convicted terrorists has become a national plague.
“These visits have nearly nothing to do with the requirement of legal representation,” Indor observed, “...it has become clear that they are an effective method designed by the terror organizations to enable the relay of messages between organization heads and operatives, many of them having to do with operational orders about terror attacks.”
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
Suhir Ayoub, an Arab-Israeli attorney in Akko, was indicted by the Jerusalem District Attorney's office for serving as a go-between for members of the Mahajat El Quds terror organization incarcerated in Israel's prisons and their leader, Abu Hamza, in Gaza.
The Mahajat El Quds organization is closely linked to the Islamic Jihad.
According to the indictment Ayoub was retained by A’amar A’ashur Abu Hamza, a Mahajat El Quds member, to pass on information to the group’s members serving sentences in Israeli prisons.
According to the indictment Suhir gained access to the prisoners on two occasions in February and April under the guise of counsel, representing herself as the inmates' lawyer. During her visits, Suhir is alleged to have taken down messages from the prisoners pertaining to Mahajat El Quds business, and then having distributed them among the other prisoners. She also allegedly transferred messages to Abu Hamza in Gaza.
Suhir is being charged under a section of the Defense (Emergency) Regulations that prohibits giving aid to an illegal association. As a result, prosecutors requested Suhir be remanded for the duration of the proceedings against her, arguing she poses a danger to public and national security.
The judge ordered house arrest for Suhir. Her license to practice law has been suspended.
In a related announcement, the Israel Police Central District said it arrested three other lawyers in northern Israel for passing information to terror organizations. The lawyers, police said, received thousands of shekels in fees for the illicit services.
Avi Cohen of the Jerusalem District Police said the four lawyers were arrested after an undercover investigation spanning several months. The other three lawyers are expected to be indicted shortly.
"We believe they will be indicted within a week," said Cohen. "We also know that this is not a singular case and that Islamic Jihad has other ways of contacting their members in Israeli prisons. Nevertheless, the arrests are likely to increase deterrence to that effect."
Lt.-Col. (ret.) Meir Indor of Almagor, the Terror Victims Association, said of Suhir's arrest, “The frequent visits by lawyers to convicted terrorists has become a national plague.
“These visits have nearly nothing to do with the requirement of legal representation,” Indor observed, “...it has become clear that they are an effective method designed by the terror organizations to enable the relay of messages between organization heads and operatives, many of them having to do with operational orders about terror attacks.”
Comment on this story
2. Givat Ronen Residents Fight Arab Attackers
by Chana Ya'ar
Jewish residents of Givat Ronen successfully beat back an attack on their community Tuesday morning by Palestinian Authority Arabs.
IDF soldiers and police officers were called to the scene by the attackers themselves after residents of the small Samaria community fought back.
The Arabs claimed that one of their number suffered an arm wound from live ammunition.
According to police, however, the attacker was injured when a stone hit him. It was not clear who threw the stone.
One man living in the Samaria Jewish community suffered a head injury in the attack.
“The events at Givat Ronen yesterday are a classic example of Palestinian provocation prearranged with PR efforts to draw the victims as criminals,” said Yaakov David Ha'Ivri, executive director of the Shomron (Samaria) Liaison Office.
“A Jewish shepherd was assaulted by an Arab mob while minding his sheep in the field. That Jewish farmer was hit in the head with a rock and taken to hospital,” he told Israel National News in an emailed statement.
“Claims that an Arab was shot are not true,” Ha'Ivri confirmed.
Some 25 families live in Givat Ronen, located on a hilltop south of Shechem, near Har Bracha. Government forces have repeatedly raided the small community over the past year. There have also been several clashes with Arab villagers from the nearby Palestinian Authority village of Burin.
Just a few weeks ago, the community was violently raided by plainclothes police who came to arrest an IDF reserves officer a few minutes before midnight. When residents demanded to see the officers' identification to ensure they were not terrorists coming to attack, the police responded instead by calling Yassam special forces who brutally beat the residents and forced their way into their homes through the windows.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
Jewish residents of Givat Ronen successfully beat back an attack on their community Tuesday morning by Palestinian Authority Arabs.
IDF soldiers and police officers were called to the scene by the attackers themselves after residents of the small Samaria community fought back.
The Arabs claimed that one of their number suffered an arm wound from live ammunition.
According to police, however, the attacker was injured when a stone hit him. It was not clear who threw the stone.
One man living in the Samaria Jewish community suffered a head injury in the attack.
“The events at Givat Ronen yesterday are a classic example of Palestinian provocation prearranged with PR efforts to draw the victims as criminals,” said Yaakov David Ha'Ivri, executive director of the Shomron (Samaria) Liaison Office.
“A Jewish shepherd was assaulted by an Arab mob while minding his sheep in the field. That Jewish farmer was hit in the head with a rock and taken to hospital,” he told Israel National News in an emailed statement.
“Claims that an Arab was shot are not true,” Ha'Ivri confirmed.
Some 25 families live in Givat Ronen, located on a hilltop south of Shechem, near Har Bracha. Government forces have repeatedly raided the small community over the past year. There have also been several clashes with Arab villagers from the nearby Palestinian Authority village of Burin.
Just a few weeks ago, the community was violently raided by plainclothes police who came to arrest an IDF reserves officer a few minutes before midnight. When residents demanded to see the officers' identification to ensure they were not terrorists coming to attack, the police responded instead by calling Yassam special forces who brutally beat the residents and forced their way into their homes through the windows.
Comment on this story
3. PLO: Israel's Peace Plan is 'Re-occupation'
by Chana Ya'ar
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) -- the greater umbrella organization which preceded and may well survive the Palestinian Authority -- had nothing but scorn in response to the idea of Israel formulating a new plan for peace with its Arab neighbor.
Details of peace initiatives being considered by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu have been recently been leaked in Israeli media.
“Deliberate Israeli leaks of the so-called 'Netanyahu initiative' show it to be little more than a reinvention of Israel's occupation as a system of annexation and control, rather than a genuine attempt to end the occupation and abide by international law and the requirements of peace,” said Hanan Ashrawi, a senior member of the PLO.
Among the ideas allegedly being considered is one involving a further pullback of IDF forces from Judea and Samaria. The plan would effectively turn Area B – until now under IDF military control and PA civil authority – into Area A, under complete PA control.
Another involves an interim peace agreement.
“There will be no negotiations without a cessation of all settlement activities, without clear terms of reference in conformity with international law, and without a binding time line,” Ashrawi said Tuesday.
International efforts are also being made to pressure Israel into more concessions.
The Los Angeles Times has suggested the Quartet of peacemaking nations (Russia, the EU, U.S. and the U.N.) lean on Israel by announcing its recognition of a new PA country within the borders of the 1949 armistice agreement (the so-called “1967 borders), and with eastern Jerusalem as its capital.
But Awshrawi observed in response that the Quartet has not yet officially recognized the PA as a sovereign nation. She added with some contempt that Quartet recognition would not be a substitute for United Nations recognition – which the PA has vowed to seek by September.
The PA has categorically refused to negotiate on any point since Netanyahu entered office, with the exception of three brief meetings brokered by the White House. The meetings one month prior to the end of a 10-month freeze on all Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria. They were immediately discontinued by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas when Israel refused to renew the ban on Jewish construction as a precondition for talks.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) -- the greater umbrella organization which preceded and may well survive the Palestinian Authority -- had nothing but scorn in response to the idea of Israel formulating a new plan for peace with its Arab neighbor.
Details of peace initiatives being considered by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu have been recently been leaked in Israeli media.
“Deliberate Israeli leaks of the so-called 'Netanyahu initiative' show it to be little more than a reinvention of Israel's occupation as a system of annexation and control, rather than a genuine attempt to end the occupation and abide by international law and the requirements of peace,” said Hanan Ashrawi, a senior member of the PLO.
Among the ideas allegedly being considered is one involving a further pullback of IDF forces from Judea and Samaria. The plan would effectively turn Area B – until now under IDF military control and PA civil authority – into Area A, under complete PA control.
Another involves an interim peace agreement.
“There will be no negotiations without a cessation of all settlement activities, without clear terms of reference in conformity with international law, and without a binding time line,” Ashrawi said Tuesday.
International efforts are also being made to pressure Israel into more concessions.
The Los Angeles Times has suggested the Quartet of peacemaking nations (Russia, the EU, U.S. and the U.N.) lean on Israel by announcing its recognition of a new PA country within the borders of the 1949 armistice agreement (the so-called “1967 borders), and with eastern Jerusalem as its capital.
But Awshrawi observed in response that the Quartet has not yet officially recognized the PA as a sovereign nation. She added with some contempt that Quartet recognition would not be a substitute for United Nations recognition – which the PA has vowed to seek by September.
The PA has categorically refused to negotiate on any point since Netanyahu entered office, with the exception of three brief meetings brokered by the White House. The meetings one month prior to the end of a 10-month freeze on all Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria. They were immediately discontinued by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas when Israel refused to renew the ban on Jewish construction as a precondition for talks.
Comment on this story
4. PA Gunning For French, German Support
by Gavriel Queenann
The Palestinian Authority is continuing its unilateral track in contravention of the Oslo accords that created it, the Associated Press reports.
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to meet with French President Nicholas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the coming months with the aim of convincing them to recognize a PA state with the 1948 armistice lines as its borders and eastern Jerusalem as its capital.
During Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's recent visit to Germany Merkel rejected the notion of unilateral moves on the part of the PA, but also expressed disappointment when the United States cancelled a resumption of talks by the Quartet saying the time was inopportune.
PA negotiator Nabil Sha’ath said Tuesday the PA is determined to pursue its efforts to ask the UN Security Council to recognize a Palestinian state in September. In that vein, he said, the PA would continue building state institutions while moving to isolate Israel in the international arena.
“By September," Sha'ath predicted for the London-based Asharq Al-Aswat, "We would have won the recognition of two-thirds of the UN members. This will entitle us to go to the Security Council and demand full membership.”
He specifically named France, Sweden, and Ireland as western nations who would recognize the PA's unilateral bid for statehood. Sha’ath simultaneously warned that, if the US were to thwart the PA’s moves through a veto, they would take their case to the UN General Assembly.
“Then we could become a member with full rights in the General Assembly," Sha'ath said. "Which means that the independent state of Palestine, which is a UN member, would have its territories occupied by another UN member."
PLO Executive Committee member Wasel Abu Yusef said the PA is also holding consultations with several of Arab and Islamic countries to present to the Security Council another resolution condemning the settlements as illegal, but noted the US had vetoed a similar move a few weeks ago.
Former PLO Chief Negitionator Saeb Erekat said that if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wants peace with the Palestinians, he “must start preparing his people for ending occupation.” A unilateral declaration of statehood circumvents negotiations, compromise and a peace agreement.
Erekat said that Netanyahu must tell his people that Israel will have to withdraw to the pre-1967 lines, recognize the state of Palestine with east Jerusalem as its capital and solve the various final status issues if it wants peace with Arabs in Judea and Samaria.
Erekat also said he hoped the Quartet would immediately recognize the 1948 armistice lines as the basis for the two-state solution. “There is no political or legal justification for the committee not to take such an important step,” Erekat said. “Recognition of the state of Palestine would contribute to the cause of peace and would be regarded as a victory for international law.”
Erekat's reference to Quartet recognition comes as Western diplomats increase pressure on Israel to reach a settlement despite the PA's categorical refusal to come to the negotiating table. One Western diplomat in Israel told the LA Times, "The Israelis are facing a bit of pressure with the way things are proceeding. People are starting to look to the US for some kind of action."
The United States, a key member of the Quartet, has traditionally rejected the 1948 armistice lines as a basis for a peace settlement between the PA and Israel insisting a 'lasting peace' must be based on a negotiated settlement between the two parties and not an externally imposed solution.
According to several international observers the US postponed the latest Quartet meeting due to concerns over an EU peace plan. At the same time, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said "The status quo between Palestinians and Israelis is no more sustainable than the political systems that have crumbled in recent months."
Clinton said she intended to bring pressure on both Israel and the PA to reach a final status agreement.
For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu recently reiterated unilateral moves by the PA would "only unravel the framework of agreements between us and will only bring unilateral steps from Israel's side."
He said Sunday the core issue of the Arab-Israeli conflict is the PA leadership's refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish State even though, as Netanyahu claimed, Israel is ready to recognize a 'Palestinian State.'
Netanyahu recently told his cabinet Sunday he would use his upcoming trip to address the US Congress as, "an opportunity to present Israel's political and security principles, following dramatic changes in the region and in light of our national interest to ensure our peaceful and secure future."
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
The Palestinian Authority is continuing its unilateral track in contravention of the Oslo accords that created it, the Associated Press reports.
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to meet with French President Nicholas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the coming months with the aim of convincing them to recognize a PA state with the 1948 armistice lines as its borders and eastern Jerusalem as its capital.
During Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's recent visit to Germany Merkel rejected the notion of unilateral moves on the part of the PA, but also expressed disappointment when the United States cancelled a resumption of talks by the Quartet saying the time was inopportune.
PA negotiator Nabil Sha’ath said Tuesday the PA is determined to pursue its efforts to ask the UN Security Council to recognize a Palestinian state in September. In that vein, he said, the PA would continue building state institutions while moving to isolate Israel in the international arena.
“By September," Sha'ath predicted for the London-based Asharq Al-Aswat, "We would have won the recognition of two-thirds of the UN members. This will entitle us to go to the Security Council and demand full membership.”
He specifically named France, Sweden, and Ireland as western nations who would recognize the PA's unilateral bid for statehood. Sha’ath simultaneously warned that, if the US were to thwart the PA’s moves through a veto, they would take their case to the UN General Assembly.
“Then we could become a member with full rights in the General Assembly," Sha'ath said. "Which means that the independent state of Palestine, which is a UN member, would have its territories occupied by another UN member."
PLO Executive Committee member Wasel Abu Yusef said the PA is also holding consultations with several of Arab and Islamic countries to present to the Security Council another resolution condemning the settlements as illegal, but noted the US had vetoed a similar move a few weeks ago.
Former PLO Chief Negitionator Saeb Erekat said that if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wants peace with the Palestinians, he “must start preparing his people for ending occupation.” A unilateral declaration of statehood circumvents negotiations, compromise and a peace agreement.
Erekat said that Netanyahu must tell his people that Israel will have to withdraw to the pre-1967 lines, recognize the state of Palestine with east Jerusalem as its capital and solve the various final status issues if it wants peace with Arabs in Judea and Samaria.
Erekat also said he hoped the Quartet would immediately recognize the 1948 armistice lines as the basis for the two-state solution. “There is no political or legal justification for the committee not to take such an important step,” Erekat said. “Recognition of the state of Palestine would contribute to the cause of peace and would be regarded as a victory for international law.”
Erekat's reference to Quartet recognition comes as Western diplomats increase pressure on Israel to reach a settlement despite the PA's categorical refusal to come to the negotiating table. One Western diplomat in Israel told the LA Times, "The Israelis are facing a bit of pressure with the way things are proceeding. People are starting to look to the US for some kind of action."
The United States, a key member of the Quartet, has traditionally rejected the 1948 armistice lines as a basis for a peace settlement between the PA and Israel insisting a 'lasting peace' must be based on a negotiated settlement between the two parties and not an externally imposed solution.
According to several international observers the US postponed the latest Quartet meeting due to concerns over an EU peace plan. At the same time, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said "The status quo between Palestinians and Israelis is no more sustainable than the political systems that have crumbled in recent months."
Clinton said she intended to bring pressure on both Israel and the PA to reach a final status agreement.
For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu recently reiterated unilateral moves by the PA would "only unravel the framework of agreements between us and will only bring unilateral steps from Israel's side."
He said Sunday the core issue of the Arab-Israeli conflict is the PA leadership's refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish State even though, as Netanyahu claimed, Israel is ready to recognize a 'Palestinian State.'
Netanyahu recently told his cabinet Sunday he would use his upcoming trip to address the US Congress as, "an opportunity to present Israel's political and security principles, following dramatic changes in the region and in light of our national interest to ensure our peaceful and secure future."
Comment on this story
5. US Congress Demands UN Rescind Goldstone Report
by Chana Ya'ar
The U.S. Congress has formally passed a bill demanding the United Nations rescind its 2009 anti-Israel Goldstone Report.
The report contains findings of the Goldstone commission's fact-finding mission to probe Israel's 3-week counter terrorism war against the Hamas rulers of Gaza in the winter of 2008-2009.
The Congress voted unanimously for the bill, which passed Tuesday. It calls on U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to prevent the U.N. Human Rights Council from accusing Israel of committing war crimes by making changes to the current structure of the Council. Such a move would prevent the Council from using the Goldstone Report to cause further damage to the Jewish State in the international arena.
Recently the author of the report, retired South African Judge Richard Goldstone admitted in an op-ed piece that his conclusions had been seriously mistaken. He wrote that had he known at the time what he knows today, he would not have accused Israel of deliberately targeting Gaza civilians.
The report accused Israel of committing possible war crimes and barely mentioned the role of Hamas in targeting Israel's civilians with constant rocket and mortar attacks.
PLO Denounces US Congress
The Palestine Liberation Organization announced in a news release that it considered the U.S. position to be an encouragement to Israel's settlement policy.
As such, the PLO said bill legitimized Israeli killing of Palestinian Authority civilians under U.S. cover, according to the WAFA news agency.
The PLO called on U.S. President Barack Obama not to approve the bill due to its pro-Israel nature, which it claimed was in violation of international law. The PLO also demanded international protection for PA Arab civilians.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
The U.S. Congress has formally passed a bill demanding the United Nations rescind its 2009 anti-Israel Goldstone Report.
The report contains findings of the Goldstone commission's fact-finding mission to probe Israel's 3-week counter terrorism war against the Hamas rulers of Gaza in the winter of 2008-2009.
The Congress voted unanimously for the bill, which passed Tuesday. It calls on U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to prevent the U.N. Human Rights Council from accusing Israel of committing war crimes by making changes to the current structure of the Council. Such a move would prevent the Council from using the Goldstone Report to cause further damage to the Jewish State in the international arena.
Recently the author of the report, retired South African Judge Richard Goldstone admitted in an op-ed piece that his conclusions had been seriously mistaken. He wrote that had he known at the time what he knows today, he would not have accused Israel of deliberately targeting Gaza civilians.
The report accused Israel of committing possible war crimes and barely mentioned the role of Hamas in targeting Israel's civilians with constant rocket and mortar attacks.
PLO Denounces US Congress
The Palestine Liberation Organization announced in a news release that it considered the U.S. position to be an encouragement to Israel's settlement policy.
As such, the PLO said bill legitimized Israeli killing of Palestinian Authority civilians under U.S. cover, according to the WAFA news agency.
The PLO called on U.S. President Barack Obama not to approve the bill due to its pro-Israel nature, which it claimed was in violation of international law. The PLO also demanded international protection for PA Arab civilians.
Comment on this story
6. Israel and Colombia Sign Open Skies Agreement
by Elad Benari
Israel and Colombia signed a bilateral Open Skies agreement last week, according to a report on the Port2Port website.
The agreement was signed between Avi Ben Hur, Deputy Director of International Relations in Israel’s National Civil Aviation Administration (NCAA) and Dr. Santiago Castro Gómez, Director General at UAEAC, Civil Aeronautics of Colombia.
According to the report, the newly signed agreement will expand air traffic between Israel and Colombia, by allowing airlines of both countries to offer direct flights between Bogota and Tel Aviv and to code-share flight between Israel and Colombia.
Israel and Colombia will benefit from the agreement since it will allow flexibility and easy transport of passengers between the two countries.
Colombia has close diplomatic ties with both Israel and the United States. Israel is a prime exporter of weaponry to Columbia and the two countries cooperate in the fields of security and technology.
Several weeks ago Colombia announced that it will not join the parade of Latin American nations that have recently recognized the Palestinian Authority as a sovereign country.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Calderon told the World Jewish Congress on that as a “matter of principle” his government would not recognize any unilateral declaration of statehood by the PA.
Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos Calderon visited Israel in the summer of 2009, where he met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman, President Shimon Peres, and other government officials.
The governments of Israel and Colombia must ratify the Open Skies agreement before it goes into effect.
Meanwhile, Port2Port also reported that the first three months of 2011 saw an impressive recovery of Israel’s Diamond Industry.
The website cited a report released last week by Israel Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor’s Diamond Controller Shmuel Mordechai, who noted that “The first quarter of 2011, compared to 2010, indicates a large increase in exports of polished diamonds and rough diamonds and in imports of polished and rough diamonds to Israel.”
Mordechai states in the report that net polished diamond exports in the three months stood at $2.1 billion US, which is up 45.7% from $1.4 billion US in the first quarter of 2010. Net rough diamond exports were valued at $1.2 billion US, up 39.6% from the first quarter of 2010.
The United States accounted for 45% of total exports, said the report, with Hong Kong behind it at 26%, Switzerland at 9%, Belgium at 8%, China at 2% and the rest of the world at 10%.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
Israel and Colombia signed a bilateral Open Skies agreement last week, according to a report on the Port2Port website.
The agreement was signed between Avi Ben Hur, Deputy Director of International Relations in Israel’s National Civil Aviation Administration (NCAA) and Dr. Santiago Castro Gómez, Director General at UAEAC, Civil Aeronautics of Colombia.
According to the report, the newly signed agreement will expand air traffic between Israel and Colombia, by allowing airlines of both countries to offer direct flights between Bogota and Tel Aviv and to code-share flight between Israel and Colombia.
Israel and Colombia will benefit from the agreement since it will allow flexibility and easy transport of passengers between the two countries.
Colombia has close diplomatic ties with both Israel and the United States. Israel is a prime exporter of weaponry to Columbia and the two countries cooperate in the fields of security and technology.
Several weeks ago Colombia announced that it will not join the parade of Latin American nations that have recently recognized the Palestinian Authority as a sovereign country.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Calderon told the World Jewish Congress on that as a “matter of principle” his government would not recognize any unilateral declaration of statehood by the PA.
Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos Calderon visited Israel in the summer of 2009, where he met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman, President Shimon Peres, and other government officials.
The governments of Israel and Colombia must ratify the Open Skies agreement before it goes into effect.
Meanwhile, Port2Port also reported that the first three months of 2011 saw an impressive recovery of Israel’s Diamond Industry.
The website cited a report released last week by Israel Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor’s Diamond Controller Shmuel Mordechai, who noted that “The first quarter of 2011, compared to 2010, indicates a large increase in exports of polished diamonds and rough diamonds and in imports of polished and rough diamonds to Israel.”
Mordechai states in the report that net polished diamond exports in the three months stood at $2.1 billion US, which is up 45.7% from $1.4 billion US in the first quarter of 2010. Net rough diamond exports were valued at $1.2 billion US, up 39.6% from the first quarter of 2010.
The United States accounted for 45% of total exports, said the report, with Hong Kong behind it at 26%, Switzerland at 9%, Belgium at 8%, China at 2% and the rest of the world at 10%.
Comment on this story
7. Obama, the Interpreter of the Message of Passover
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Passover recalls the bondage and suffering of Jews in Egypt and the miracle of the Exodus, but U.S. President Barack Obama says its message is reflected in Muslim uprisings.
In his annual message, prior to his third straight participation in the Passover Seder, President Obama stated, “The story of Passover…instructs each generation to remember its past, while appreciating the beauty of freedom and the responsibility it entails. This year that ancient instruction is reflected in the daily headlines as we see modern stories of social transformation and liberation unfolding in the Middle East and North Africa.”
Having constructed a link between the Arab uprisings and Chosen People's experiencing the miracles of the Creator that led them out of Egypt and towards the receiving of the Ten Commandments, the President concluded, "As Jewish families gather for this joyous celebration of freedom, let us all be thankful for the gifts that have been bestowed upon us, and let us work to alleviate the suffering, poverty, injustice, and hunger of those who are not yet free.”
For good measure, he also added the Hebrew term “Chag Samayach,” which means “Have a happy holiday.”
President Obama chanced into a Seder during his presidential campaign in 2008, when the polls were not in his favor. At the end of the Seder, when Jews chanted, "Next year in Jerusalem,” Obama responded, “Next year in the White House.”
His attendance at the Seder resulted in his meeting with Eric Lesser, one of his Jewish backers, according to Lauren Salkeld, writing for the epicurious.com website. Despite the heavy campaign schedule, Lesser and two friends organized a makeshift Seder in a hotel basement. As they began, Obama popped in and asked, “Is this a Seder? Can I join?”
After having made it the White House, President Obama held another Seder last year, complete with all of the Jewish customs, and plans to do so again this year in the White House’s Old Family Dining Room.
The phenomenon of non-Jews arranging and participating in Seders in the United States has spread so much that Diane Cole wrote in The Wall Street Journal this week, “Is Passover the new Christmas,” referring to the dilution of Hanukah by detached Jews and non-Jews who try to mix the two holidays together as part of “brotherhood.”
Cole wrote that even many churches today hold their own Seders, despite the exclusive Jewish concept of remembering slavery and Exodus.
“What makes Christians' embrace of Passover all the more unusual is that for centuries—even into the 20th—the holiday's proximity to Good Friday and Easter routinely sparked violent anti-Jewish riots and pogroms, especially in Europe,” she wrote.
However, the fight for the end of segregation in the United States in the 1950s led to the black community’s adaptation of “Let my people go.” The slogan now is a favorite banner of leftists, who twist it around to apply it to Palestinian Authority Arabs.
Cole also noted that the high rate of intermarriage in the United States has led to a dilution of Passover customs at the Seder, which is held at home and gives intermarried families an opportunity to mix their faiths and sometimes even Christianize the Seder, particularly at churches.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Passover recalls the bondage and suffering of Jews in Egypt and the miracle of the Exodus, but U.S. President Barack Obama says its message is reflected in Muslim uprisings.
In his annual message, prior to his third straight participation in the Passover Seder, President Obama stated, “The story of Passover…instructs each generation to remember its past, while appreciating the beauty of freedom and the responsibility it entails. This year that ancient instruction is reflected in the daily headlines as we see modern stories of social transformation and liberation unfolding in the Middle East and North Africa.”
Having constructed a link between the Arab uprisings and Chosen People's experiencing the miracles of the Creator that led them out of Egypt and towards the receiving of the Ten Commandments, the President concluded, "As Jewish families gather for this joyous celebration of freedom, let us all be thankful for the gifts that have been bestowed upon us, and let us work to alleviate the suffering, poverty, injustice, and hunger of those who are not yet free.”
For good measure, he also added the Hebrew term “Chag Samayach,” which means “Have a happy holiday.”
President Obama chanced into a Seder during his presidential campaign in 2008, when the polls were not in his favor. At the end of the Seder, when Jews chanted, "Next year in Jerusalem,” Obama responded, “Next year in the White House.”
His attendance at the Seder resulted in his meeting with Eric Lesser, one of his Jewish backers, according to Lauren Salkeld, writing for the epicurious.com website. Despite the heavy campaign schedule, Lesser and two friends organized a makeshift Seder in a hotel basement. As they began, Obama popped in and asked, “Is this a Seder? Can I join?”
After having made it the White House, President Obama held another Seder last year, complete with all of the Jewish customs, and plans to do so again this year in the White House’s Old Family Dining Room.
The phenomenon of non-Jews arranging and participating in Seders in the United States has spread so much that Diane Cole wrote in The Wall Street Journal this week, “Is Passover the new Christmas,” referring to the dilution of Hanukah by detached Jews and non-Jews who try to mix the two holidays together as part of “brotherhood.”
Cole wrote that even many churches today hold their own Seders, despite the exclusive Jewish concept of remembering slavery and Exodus.
“What makes Christians' embrace of Passover all the more unusual is that for centuries—even into the 20th—the holiday's proximity to Good Friday and Easter routinely sparked violent anti-Jewish riots and pogroms, especially in Europe,” she wrote.
However, the fight for the end of segregation in the United States in the 1950s led to the black community’s adaptation of “Let my people go.” The slogan now is a favorite banner of leftists, who twist it around to apply it to Palestinian Authority Arabs.
Cole also noted that the high rate of intermarriage in the United States has led to a dilution of Passover customs at the Seder, which is held at home and gives intermarried families an opportunity to mix their faiths and sometimes even Christianize the Seder, particularly at churches.
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8. Australian National Indicted as Hamas Spy
by Chana Ya'ar
An Australian national stopped by security at Ben Gurion International Airport has been indicted in the Petach Tikva District Court as a spy for the Gaza-based Hamas terrorist organization.
The alleged spy, Iyad Rashid Abu Arja, holds Jordanian and Saudi Arabian passports. He was arrested at the airport last month, according to a report broadcast Tuesday night on Channel 2 television news.
According to the indictment displayed during the report, Arja is a computer expert trained in Syria. He was asked by the Iran-backed terrorist organization to acquire technology for encryption, photography and missile guidance.
Arja was testing his ability to enter and exit the country when he arrived at Ben Gurion airport.
There are at least 308,000 Australian nationals with Arab ancestry, most originating from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Algeria and the Palestinian Authority. The majority are Muslim; all are officially classified as North African and Middle Eastern by government agencies, including the Australian Census Bureau.
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by Chana Ya'ar
An Australian national stopped by security at Ben Gurion International Airport has been indicted in the Petach Tikva District Court as a spy for the Gaza-based Hamas terrorist organization.
The alleged spy, Iyad Rashid Abu Arja, holds Jordanian and Saudi Arabian passports. He was arrested at the airport last month, according to a report broadcast Tuesday night on Channel 2 television news.
According to the indictment displayed during the report, Arja is a computer expert trained in Syria. He was asked by the Iran-backed terrorist organization to acquire technology for encryption, photography and missile guidance.
Arja was testing his ability to enter and exit the country when he arrived at Ben Gurion airport.
There are at least 308,000 Australian nationals with Arab ancestry, most originating from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Algeria and the Palestinian Authority. The majority are Muslim; all are officially classified as North African and Middle Eastern by government agencies, including the Australian Census Bureau.
Comment on this story
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