 |
||
 |
        |
 |
|
||
| MP3 Radio | Website News Briefs: | |||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
1. Report: Peres Held Secret Meeting with Abbas
by Maayana Miskin
President Shimon Peres held a clandestine meeting with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas recently in London, Maariv reported Friday.
According to the report, the two continue to exchange telephone calls and messages, and their close associates have held discussions as well.
Peres took the official position of refusing to respond to “rumors.” However, a close associate of the president quoted in the report expressed dismay that the Peres-Abbas connection might be revealed.
“President Peres is the last Israeli who continues to enjoy a direct channel to the Palestinians, and it is highly unfortunate that this channel will be sealed due to being made public,” he said. The president “is horrified by the leaks regarding the London meeting,” the associate reported. He did not comment on the issue of whether Israel's president is advancing his own policies, rather than the elected government's.
Following his alleged meeting with Abbas, Peres proceeded to the United States, where he held a one-on-one meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama. Sources in both Israel and America have suggested that Obama's recent Middle East policy speech included ideas heard from Peres in that meeting.
Obama's mention of the “1967 lines” echoed statements made by Peres on Independence Day. Peres expressed support for the “1967 territory” and suggested that Israelis living in Judea and Samaria “return home” to pre-67 Israel.
The agenda of Peres' meeting with Abbas remains unknown. Whether Peres hoped to dissuade Abbas from his planned unilateral declaration of a state in September, or prevent the PA leader from embracing Hamas, these did not occur. Sources said it is more likely that he paved the way for Obama to think that he could tell Israel that the 1967 lines are to be the basis for discussion and that Jerusalme is on the negotiating table after the border issue. Both are anthema to Netanyahu.
Peres did slam Abbas' decision to reunite with Hamas – announced after the two reportedly met - as “a fatal mistake” that would doom the chances for a new Arab state led by the PA. He also expressed concern that it would lead to the continuation of rocket attacks – which would now threaten all of Israel.
It remains unclear if Peres met with Abbas independently, or with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's knowledge, let alone approval. While Israel's president, chosen by the Knesset and not the voters, is intended to serve ceremonial functions, Peres has continued his involvement in foreign policy as president and has made statements, possibly to promote events reflecting his own views and not those of the Likud-led, democratically elected government.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
President Shimon Peres held a clandestine meeting with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas recently in London, Maariv reported Friday.
According to the report, the two continue to exchange telephone calls and messages, and their close associates have held discussions as well.
Peres took the official position of refusing to respond to “rumors.” However, a close associate of the president quoted in the report expressed dismay that the Peres-Abbas connection might be revealed.
“President Peres is the last Israeli who continues to enjoy a direct channel to the Palestinians, and it is highly unfortunate that this channel will be sealed due to being made public,” he said. The president “is horrified by the leaks regarding the London meeting,” the associate reported. He did not comment on the issue of whether Israel's president is advancing his own policies, rather than the elected government's.
Following his alleged meeting with Abbas, Peres proceeded to the United States, where he held a one-on-one meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama. Sources in both Israel and America have suggested that Obama's recent Middle East policy speech included ideas heard from Peres in that meeting.
Obama's mention of the “1967 lines” echoed statements made by Peres on Independence Day. Peres expressed support for the “1967 territory” and suggested that Israelis living in Judea and Samaria “return home” to pre-67 Israel.
The agenda of Peres' meeting with Abbas remains unknown. Whether Peres hoped to dissuade Abbas from his planned unilateral declaration of a state in September, or prevent the PA leader from embracing Hamas, these did not occur. Sources said it is more likely that he paved the way for Obama to think that he could tell Israel that the 1967 lines are to be the basis for discussion and that Jerusalme is on the negotiating table after the border issue. Both are anthema to Netanyahu.
Peres did slam Abbas' decision to reunite with Hamas – announced after the two reportedly met - as “a fatal mistake” that would doom the chances for a new Arab state led by the PA. He also expressed concern that it would lead to the continuation of rocket attacks – which would now threaten all of Israel.
It remains unclear if Peres met with Abbas independently, or with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's knowledge, let alone approval. While Israel's president, chosen by the Knesset and not the voters, is intended to serve ceremonial functions, Peres has continued his involvement in foreign policy as president and has made statements, possibly to promote events reflecting his own views and not those of the Likud-led, democratically elected government.
Comment on this story
2. Survey: Israelis Believe Palestine State and Intifada on the Way
by Elad Benari
About two-thirds of the Jewish public in Israel thinks that in September the Palestinian Authority will declare the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and request that the UN General Assembly recognize it, even without an agreement with Israel, according to statistics published by The Peace Index.
The statistics are based on a survey which was conducted by telephone last week by the Dahaf Institute. The survey also found that 56% of the Arab public in Israel sees the chances of this as being low.
Respondents were also asked whether they believe that a General Assembly majority will recognizes the Palestinian state even if Israel opposes the move. The results show that a higher rate (75%) of the Jewish public believes that this will happen, while only 68% of the Arab public foresees a large majority in the General Assembly.
In regards to the question of whether the upcoming declaration of the Palestinian state could have been prevented, the survey found that 55% of the Jews say Israel could not have prevented the declaration even if it had shown greater political flexibility in the past.
Moreover, 60% of them do not think Israel should moderate its positions at this stage so as to prevent the declaration of the Palestinian state. 64% believed that even if Israel significantly moderates its positions, the chances that the PA will not declare an independent state and request UN recognition for it are low. A majority of the Arabs (57%), however, think the declaration could have been prevented if Israeli policy had been more flexible.
Respondents were also asked what they believe will happen after the declaration and the recognition of the Palestinian state. The majority of the Jewish public (64%) believed that the declaration of Palestinian independence and the UN recognition will damage Israeli interests, and an even larger majority (74%) believes that the chances are high that following the recognition, the international community will exert substantial pressures on Israel, such as economic sanctions, in order to force Israel to withdraw from the territories.
The survey also found that 71% of the Jewish public thinks the current Israeli government will not recognize a Palestinian state that is declared unilaterally. A majority of both Jews (57%) and Arabs (60%) believes that, under these circumstances, the U.S. will not recognize the Palestinian state. At the same time, the Jewish public is divided as to whether Israel will or will not be able to allow itself not to recognize an independent Palestinian state: 48% believe it will be able to allow itself to withhold recognition while 47% think it will not. In the Arab public, 53% said Israel will be able to allow itself not to recognize the Palestinian state after it is recognized by the UN.
Participants were asked what they believe will happen in Judea and Samaria after a Palestinian state is recognized. A large majority of both Jews (70%) and Arabs (62%) responded that they think that following the declaration of an independent Palestinian state, the chances are high that an intifada will erupt in the Judea and Samaria. 58% percent of the Jews also believe that the PA leadership will encourage such an intifada.
Finally, respondents were asked about their thoughts regarding Israel negotiating with the PA’s Hamas-Fatah unity government. Here, the results were surprisingly divided: 38% of the Jewish public supported the claim that negotiations can be held even if Hamas is part of the government. 35% said that the inclusion of Hamas in the PA leadership means that Israel cannot negotiate with the Palestinian Authority, while 24% oppose negotiations with the PA whether or not Hamas is part of their government.
In the Arab public, 78% supported negotiating with a unity government that includes Hamas.
The Peace Index is a project of the Evens Program for Conflict Resolution at Tel Aviv University and the Israel Democracy Institute. The survey was conducted a few days before President Barack Obama’s speech on U.S. policy in the Middle East last Thursday. It included 600 respondents who constitute a representative sample of the adult Jewish population of Israel.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
About two-thirds of the Jewish public in Israel thinks that in September the Palestinian Authority will declare the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and request that the UN General Assembly recognize it, even without an agreement with Israel, according to statistics published by The Peace Index.
The statistics are based on a survey which was conducted by telephone last week by the Dahaf Institute. The survey also found that 56% of the Arab public in Israel sees the chances of this as being low.
Respondents were also asked whether they believe that a General Assembly majority will recognizes the Palestinian state even if Israel opposes the move. The results show that a higher rate (75%) of the Jewish public believes that this will happen, while only 68% of the Arab public foresees a large majority in the General Assembly.
In regards to the question of whether the upcoming declaration of the Palestinian state could have been prevented, the survey found that 55% of the Jews say Israel could not have prevented the declaration even if it had shown greater political flexibility in the past.
Moreover, 60% of them do not think Israel should moderate its positions at this stage so as to prevent the declaration of the Palestinian state. 64% believed that even if Israel significantly moderates its positions, the chances that the PA will not declare an independent state and request UN recognition for it are low. A majority of the Arabs (57%), however, think the declaration could have been prevented if Israeli policy had been more flexible.
Respondents were also asked what they believe will happen after the declaration and the recognition of the Palestinian state. The majority of the Jewish public (64%) believed that the declaration of Palestinian independence and the UN recognition will damage Israeli interests, and an even larger majority (74%) believes that the chances are high that following the recognition, the international community will exert substantial pressures on Israel, such as economic sanctions, in order to force Israel to withdraw from the territories.
The survey also found that 71% of the Jewish public thinks the current Israeli government will not recognize a Palestinian state that is declared unilaterally. A majority of both Jews (57%) and Arabs (60%) believes that, under these circumstances, the U.S. will not recognize the Palestinian state. At the same time, the Jewish public is divided as to whether Israel will or will not be able to allow itself not to recognize an independent Palestinian state: 48% believe it will be able to allow itself to withhold recognition while 47% think it will not. In the Arab public, 53% said Israel will be able to allow itself not to recognize the Palestinian state after it is recognized by the UN.
Participants were asked what they believe will happen in Judea and Samaria after a Palestinian state is recognized. A large majority of both Jews (70%) and Arabs (62%) responded that they think that following the declaration of an independent Palestinian state, the chances are high that an intifada will erupt in the Judea and Samaria. 58% percent of the Jews also believe that the PA leadership will encourage such an intifada.
Finally, respondents were asked about their thoughts regarding Israel negotiating with the PA’s Hamas-Fatah unity government. Here, the results were surprisingly divided: 38% of the Jewish public supported the claim that negotiations can be held even if Hamas is part of the government. 35% said that the inclusion of Hamas in the PA leadership means that Israel cannot negotiate with the Palestinian Authority, while 24% oppose negotiations with the PA whether or not Hamas is part of their government.
In the Arab public, 78% supported negotiating with a unity government that includes Hamas.
The Peace Index is a project of the Evens Program for Conflict Resolution at Tel Aviv University and the Israel Democracy Institute. The survey was conducted a few days before President Barack Obama’s speech on U.S. policy in the Middle East last Thursday. It included 600 respondents who constitute a representative sample of the adult Jewish population of Israel.
Comment on this story
3. Egypt, Tunisia to get Billions in Aid
by Maayana Miskin
The United States, Qatar and the World Bank each pledged to give billions of dollars in aid to Egypt this week, in order to help the country boost its economy following the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak.
U.S. President Barack Obama has promised to relieve Egypt of $1 billion in debt, and has offered an additional $1 billion in loans to improve infrastructure and create new jobs.
The Wold Bank pledged to provide $4.5 billion over the next 24 months, including at least $1 billion in budget support this year and $1 billion next year “dependent on progress.” The other $2.5 billion will be invested in development projects.
Saudi Arabia has pledged $4 billion in aid, and Qatar is considering projects worth more than $10 billion.
The International Monetary Fund sent a delegation to Cairo this week to discuss the possibility of a loan. Egypt is seeking up to $4 billion from the IMF. Once an IMF agreement is signed, the European Union will decide how much aid to give. EU officials are currently considering giving several hundred million euros.
The G8 is expected to approve a package including billions of dollars in aid and debt swaps.
Tunisia will get $1.5 billion from the World Bank, including budget support and money for investments.
The World Bank said in a statement, “Approximately 50-75 million jobs are needed over the next decade to absorb new labor market entrants and to bring down unemployment” in the Mideast and northern Africa. The World Bank warned, “Only 48 million jobs will be created if countries continue to grow as they did over the past decade.”
World Bank President Robert Zoellick said the goal is “to try to stabilize and then modernize the economies of the region.”
The World Bank lowered its economic growth forecast for northern Africa and the Middle East to 3.6% from 5% this week, but has expressed hope that the overthrow of long-term authoritarian rulers in Egypt and Tunisia will lead to economic integration similar to that in eastern Europe in the 1990s.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
The United States, Qatar and the World Bank each pledged to give billions of dollars in aid to Egypt this week, in order to help the country boost its economy following the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak.
U.S. President Barack Obama has promised to relieve Egypt of $1 billion in debt, and has offered an additional $1 billion in loans to improve infrastructure and create new jobs.
The Wold Bank pledged to provide $4.5 billion over the next 24 months, including at least $1 billion in budget support this year and $1 billion next year “dependent on progress.” The other $2.5 billion will be invested in development projects.
Saudi Arabia has pledged $4 billion in aid, and Qatar is considering projects worth more than $10 billion.
The International Monetary Fund sent a delegation to Cairo this week to discuss the possibility of a loan. Egypt is seeking up to $4 billion from the IMF. Once an IMF agreement is signed, the European Union will decide how much aid to give. EU officials are currently considering giving several hundred million euros.
The G8 is expected to approve a package including billions of dollars in aid and debt swaps.
Tunisia will get $1.5 billion from the World Bank, including budget support and money for investments.
The World Bank said in a statement, “Approximately 50-75 million jobs are needed over the next decade to absorb new labor market entrants and to bring down unemployment” in the Mideast and northern Africa. The World Bank warned, “Only 48 million jobs will be created if countries continue to grow as they did over the past decade.”
World Bank President Robert Zoellick said the goal is “to try to stabilize and then modernize the economies of the region.”
The World Bank lowered its economic growth forecast for northern Africa and the Middle East to 3.6% from 5% this week, but has expressed hope that the overthrow of long-term authoritarian rulers in Egypt and Tunisia will lead to economic integration similar to that in eastern Europe in the 1990s.
Comment on this story
4. Rebuttal to AP's Unprecedented Rebuttal of Netanyahu's Speech
by Hillel Fendel
Someone named Josef Federman has written a rebuttal for the Associated Press - said to be an unbiased, international news source - to points made by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in his speech before the U.S. Congress this week.
Federman wrote that the Prime Minister's address reflected only the world view of "Israel's nationalistic right wing" - though a full 47% of Israelis said they were pleased with the speech.
The points with which Federman/AP wished to take issue appear below, followed by Federman/AP's rebuttals, followed by Israel National News commentary.
NETANYAHU: "In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers. We are not the British in India. We are not the Belgians in the Congo."
The rest of the quote (not provided by Federman/AP): “This is the land of our forefathers, the Land of Israel, to which Abraham brought the idea of one God, where David set out to confront Goliath, and where Isaiah saw a vision of eternal peace. No distortion of history can deny the four thousand year old bond between the Jewish people and the Jewish land.”
Federman/AP: While the West Bank, or Judea and Samaria, is promised to the Jewish people in the Bible, the international community considers the West Bank occupied territory. Israel captured the area in the 1967 Mideast war but has never annexed it. Its occupied status is underscored by the presence of tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers who protect Israeli settlements and control the movement of Palestinian residents in the name of security.
INN: Some in the international community do consider this land occupied, but in fact, the last nation in history to be both sovereign in Judea/Samaria and inhabit it was the Jewish People – in the year 68 C.E. Since then, the area has been under occupation a number of times, with Israel ultimately reclaiming it during the Six Day War from Jordan - the country that illegally invaded the area in 1948, and followed this up with an occupation and annexation recognized by no one in the world other than Britain and Pakistan.
Israel's legal claim to these areas, on the other hand, stems not from illegal invasion, but rather from its victory in a defensive war.
In fact, jurist and international law expert Stephen Schwebel - later the president of the International Court of Justice in The Hague - wrote in 1970 that "Israel has better title in the territory of what was Palestine, including the whole of Jerusalem, than do Jordan and Egypt."
NETANYAHU: "You don't need to send American troops to Israel. We defend ourselves."
Federman/AP: Israel is a leading recipient of American foreign aid, including more than $1 billion in military assistance each year.
INN: Netanyahu meant to contrast Israel and its independent defense forces to the countries where US Army troops are deployed and risk their lives to help the local armed forces, such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
His statement was made in the context of a comparison to other Arab states, and was followed by an expression of deep thanks.
Here is the full quote: “In an unstable Middle East, Israel is the one anchor of stability. In a region of shifting alliances, Israel is America’s unwavering ally. Israel has always been pro-American. Israel will always be pro-American. My friends, you don’t need to do nation-building in Israel. We’re already built. You don’t need to export democracy to Israel. We’ve already got it. You don’t need to send American troops to defend Israel. We defend ourselves. You’ve been very generous in giving us tools to do the job of defending Israel on our own. Thank you all, and thank you President Obama, for your steadfast commitment to Israel’s security. I know economic times are tough. I deeply appreciate this."
Federman/AP also did not mention that ahead of Israel in U.S. foreign aid are Afghanistan and Pakistan, and that in fourth place is Egypt.
NETANYAHU: "You don't need to export democracy to Israel. We've already got it."
Federman/AP: Israel does give its Arab minority full civil rights, including participation in elections. But Israeli Arabs suffer from systematic discrimination in housing and the workplace. Also, more than 2 million Palestinians living in the West Bank do not have Israeli citizenship and therefore cannot vote in Israeli elections.
INN: Yes, Israel does give its Arab minority full civil rights, including participation in elections and Arab MK's, precisely as Netanyahu said, and in sharp contrast with minorities in many Arab countries. The claim of systematic discrimination is groundless, as is evidenced by the number of Arab judges, lawyers, doctors, as compared to their population figures. The number of Arabs living in Judea and Samaria is nowhere near 2 million, and is in fact closer to 1.3 million; unlike their brethren in Israel, they do not have Israeli citizenship and do not vote because they are citizens of the Palestinian Authority.
NETANYAHU: "Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by the Palestinian version of al-Qaeda."
Federman/AP: While Hamas and Al-Qaeda have killed hundreds of people in religious holy wars, they have no connection, and Hamas has in fact come under criticism from the global terror network for being too moderate. Al-Qaeda preaches global jihad. Hamas says its struggle is solely against Israel, not the West at large. In its Gaza stronghold, Hamas has violently clashed with smaller armed groups that claim inspiration from Al-Qaeda.
INN: Yes, Hamas and Al-Qaeda sometimes differ and even clash; does this mean that Hamas is not a murderous organization bent on Israel's destruction, just as Al-Qaeda is? And if Hamas wishes to concentrate its murderous intentions on Israeli Jews, or on Jews in general, and not on other Westerners, does that make Hamas an acceptable negotiating partner for Israel – or for any country?
NETANYAHU: "The vast majority of the 650,000 Israelis who live beyond the 1967 lines reside in neighborhoods and suburbs of Jerusalem and greater Tel Aviv."
Federman/AP: Nearly all of these communities were built in the face of overwhelming international opposition and are considered illegal settlements by the world, including the U.S. There are 300,000 Israelis living in the West Bank and 200,000 in east Jerusalem, making a total of 500,000.
INN: Much of what Israel does, and even its very existence, is not applauded by all “the world.” The Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria were and are built not only in strict accordance with Israeli law, but in accordance with the British Mandate that recognized the right of the Jewish people to "close settlement" in the whole of the Mandated territory. As Eugene Rostow has written, “That right has never been terminated and cannot be terminated except by a recognized peace between Israel and its neighbors. And perhaps not even then, in view of Article 80 of the U.N. Charter, the 'Palestine' article, which provides that 'nothing in the Charter shall be construed... to alter in any manner the rights whatsoever of any states or any peoples or the terms of existing international instruments...'"
In addition, though some governments interpret the Geneva Convention of 1949 as forbidding Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, for one, did not agree, and specifically said that though the settlements pose a psychological obstacle to the peace process, they are legal.
For the record, over 300,000 Israelis live in Judea/Samaria and another 300,000-plus live in the Jerusalem areas liberated in 1967.
NETANYAHU: " The Palestinian economy is booming. It's growing by more than 10 percent a year."
Federman/AP: The West Bank economy is indeed growing rapidly. But the World Bank has noted that the growth comes after years of contraction during fighting with Israel and has been fueled by huge amounts of foreign aid. It warns the growth is unsustainable unless Israel does more to encourage the Palestinian private sector.
INN: Netanyahu actually followed the above by saying, “Palestinian cities … have shopping malls, movie theaters, restaurants, banks. They even have e-businesses. This is all happening without peace. Imagine what could happen with peace. Peace would herald a new day for both peoples. It would make the dream of a broader Arab-Israeli peace a realistic possibility. So now here is the question. You have to ask it. If the benefits of peace with the Palestinians are so clear, why has peace eluded us? … Because so far, the Palestinians have been unwilling to accept a Palestinian state if it meant accepting a Jewish state alongside it.” [emphasis added]
Comment on this story
by Hillel Fendel
Someone named Josef Federman has written a rebuttal for the Associated Press - said to be an unbiased, international news source - to points made by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in his speech before the U.S. Congress this week.
Federman wrote that the Prime Minister's address reflected only the world view of "Israel's nationalistic right wing" - though a full 47% of Israelis said they were pleased with the speech.
The points with which Federman/AP wished to take issue appear below, followed by Federman/AP's rebuttals, followed by Israel National News commentary.
NETANYAHU: "In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers. We are not the British in India. We are not the Belgians in the Congo."
The rest of the quote (not provided by Federman/AP): “This is the land of our forefathers, the Land of Israel, to which Abraham brought the idea of one God, where David set out to confront Goliath, and where Isaiah saw a vision of eternal peace. No distortion of history can deny the four thousand year old bond between the Jewish people and the Jewish land.”
Federman/AP: While the West Bank, or Judea and Samaria, is promised to the Jewish people in the Bible, the international community considers the West Bank occupied territory. Israel captured the area in the 1967 Mideast war but has never annexed it. Its occupied status is underscored by the presence of tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers who protect Israeli settlements and control the movement of Palestinian residents in the name of security.
INN: Some in the international community do consider this land occupied, but in fact, the last nation in history to be both sovereign in Judea/Samaria and inhabit it was the Jewish People – in the year 68 C.E. Since then, the area has been under occupation a number of times, with Israel ultimately reclaiming it during the Six Day War from Jordan - the country that illegally invaded the area in 1948, and followed this up with an occupation and annexation recognized by no one in the world other than Britain and Pakistan.
Israel's legal claim to these areas, on the other hand, stems not from illegal invasion, but rather from its victory in a defensive war.
In fact, jurist and international law expert Stephen Schwebel - later the president of the International Court of Justice in The Hague - wrote in 1970 that "Israel has better title in the territory of what was Palestine, including the whole of Jerusalem, than do Jordan and Egypt."
NETANYAHU: "You don't need to send American troops to Israel. We defend ourselves."
Federman/AP: Israel is a leading recipient of American foreign aid, including more than $1 billion in military assistance each year.
INN: Netanyahu meant to contrast Israel and its independent defense forces to the countries where US Army troops are deployed and risk their lives to help the local armed forces, such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
His statement was made in the context of a comparison to other Arab states, and was followed by an expression of deep thanks.
Here is the full quote: “In an unstable Middle East, Israel is the one anchor of stability. In a region of shifting alliances, Israel is America’s unwavering ally. Israel has always been pro-American. Israel will always be pro-American. My friends, you don’t need to do nation-building in Israel. We’re already built. You don’t need to export democracy to Israel. We’ve already got it. You don’t need to send American troops to defend Israel. We defend ourselves. You’ve been very generous in giving us tools to do the job of defending Israel on our own. Thank you all, and thank you President Obama, for your steadfast commitment to Israel’s security. I know economic times are tough. I deeply appreciate this."
Federman/AP also did not mention that ahead of Israel in U.S. foreign aid are Afghanistan and Pakistan, and that in fourth place is Egypt.
NETANYAHU: "You don't need to export democracy to Israel. We've already got it."
Federman/AP: Israel does give its Arab minority full civil rights, including participation in elections. But Israeli Arabs suffer from systematic discrimination in housing and the workplace. Also, more than 2 million Palestinians living in the West Bank do not have Israeli citizenship and therefore cannot vote in Israeli elections.
INN: Yes, Israel does give its Arab minority full civil rights, including participation in elections and Arab MK's, precisely as Netanyahu said, and in sharp contrast with minorities in many Arab countries. The claim of systematic discrimination is groundless, as is evidenced by the number of Arab judges, lawyers, doctors, as compared to their population figures. The number of Arabs living in Judea and Samaria is nowhere near 2 million, and is in fact closer to 1.3 million; unlike their brethren in Israel, they do not have Israeli citizenship and do not vote because they are citizens of the Palestinian Authority.
NETANYAHU: "Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by the Palestinian version of al-Qaeda."
Federman/AP: While Hamas and Al-Qaeda have killed hundreds of people in religious holy wars, they have no connection, and Hamas has in fact come under criticism from the global terror network for being too moderate. Al-Qaeda preaches global jihad. Hamas says its struggle is solely against Israel, not the West at large. In its Gaza stronghold, Hamas has violently clashed with smaller armed groups that claim inspiration from Al-Qaeda.
INN: Yes, Hamas and Al-Qaeda sometimes differ and even clash; does this mean that Hamas is not a murderous organization bent on Israel's destruction, just as Al-Qaeda is? And if Hamas wishes to concentrate its murderous intentions on Israeli Jews, or on Jews in general, and not on other Westerners, does that make Hamas an acceptable negotiating partner for Israel – or for any country?
NETANYAHU: "The vast majority of the 650,000 Israelis who live beyond the 1967 lines reside in neighborhoods and suburbs of Jerusalem and greater Tel Aviv."
Federman/AP: Nearly all of these communities were built in the face of overwhelming international opposition and are considered illegal settlements by the world, including the U.S. There are 300,000 Israelis living in the West Bank and 200,000 in east Jerusalem, making a total of 500,000.
INN: Much of what Israel does, and even its very existence, is not applauded by all “the world.” The Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria were and are built not only in strict accordance with Israeli law, but in accordance with the British Mandate that recognized the right of the Jewish people to "close settlement" in the whole of the Mandated territory. As Eugene Rostow has written, “That right has never been terminated and cannot be terminated except by a recognized peace between Israel and its neighbors. And perhaps not even then, in view of Article 80 of the U.N. Charter, the 'Palestine' article, which provides that 'nothing in the Charter shall be construed... to alter in any manner the rights whatsoever of any states or any peoples or the terms of existing international instruments...'"
In addition, though some governments interpret the Geneva Convention of 1949 as forbidding Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, for one, did not agree, and specifically said that though the settlements pose a psychological obstacle to the peace process, they are legal.
For the record, over 300,000 Israelis live in Judea/Samaria and another 300,000-plus live in the Jerusalem areas liberated in 1967.
NETANYAHU: " The Palestinian economy is booming. It's growing by more than 10 percent a year."
Federman/AP: The West Bank economy is indeed growing rapidly. But the World Bank has noted that the growth comes after years of contraction during fighting with Israel and has been fueled by huge amounts of foreign aid. It warns the growth is unsustainable unless Israel does more to encourage the Palestinian private sector.
INN: Netanyahu actually followed the above by saying, “Palestinian cities … have shopping malls, movie theaters, restaurants, banks. They even have e-businesses. This is all happening without peace. Imagine what could happen with peace. Peace would herald a new day for both peoples. It would make the dream of a broader Arab-Israeli peace a realistic possibility. So now here is the question. You have to ask it. If the benefits of peace with the Palestinians are so clear, why has peace eluded us? … Because so far, the Palestinians have been unwilling to accept a Palestinian state if it meant accepting a Jewish state alongside it.” [emphasis added]
Comment on this story
5. NYT’s Tom Friedman Wants to Bring Tahrir Square to Jerusalem
by Prof. Phyllis Chesler
This week, Tom Friedman more than earned his keep at The New York Times by essentially calling for the “non-violent” destruction of the Jewish State. I am not exaggerating. Wait until you read exactly what he’s written in his column: “Lessons From Tahrir Square.”
First, Friedman calls for a “Tahrir Square alternative” in terms of the 'Israel-Palestine'” impasse.
Tahrir Square? Did the man sleep through journalist Lara Logan’s gang rape there? Does he view such a mob as “peaceful” or “non-violent?” Does he not understand that the young Egyptian Wael Gonim has, perhaps unintentionally, paved the way for the far more organized Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists to assume power? Does Friedman actually believe that the Islamist factions at war with each other and with their overlords, chieftains, and dictators, are all engaged in “non-violent” social change?
Friedman does not focus on Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh, Libya’s Moammar Qaddafi or Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa —all of whom have been shooting down their own people in cold blood in the streets. He does not call for people of good will to “nonviolently” go and face these evil men down. No. Instead, listen to Friedman’s clarion call. He suggests that we should:
Announce that every Friday from today forward will be ‘Peace Day,’ and have thousands of West Bank Palestinians march nonviolently to Jerusalem, carrying two things — an olive branch in one hand and a sign in Hebrew and Arabic in the other. The sign should say: ‘Two states for two peoples. We, the Palestinian people, offer the Jewish people a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders — with mutually agreed adjustments — including Jerusalem, where the Arabs will control their neighborhoods and the Jews theirs.”
If Palestinians peacefully march to Jerusalem by the thousands every Friday with a clear peace message, it would become a global news event. Every network in the world would be there. Trust me, it would stimulate a real peace debate within Israel — especially if Palestinians invited youth delegations from around the Arab world to join the marches, carrying the Saudi peace initiative in Hebrew and Arabic. Israeli Jews and Arabs should be invited to march as well. Together, the marchers could draw up their own peace maps and upload them onto YouTube as a way of telling their leaders what Egyptian youth said to President Hosni Mubarak: “We’re not going to let you waste another day of our lives with your tired mantras and maneuvering.”
Alright, the man’s a regular Gandhi, hand him his dhoti (loincloth). However, why doesn’t Friedman also call for an international delegation to march to Sderot to serve as human shields against Hamas rockets? Why did he never call for thousands of peaceniks to “nonviolently” board Israeli buses during the heart of the Second Intifada — a new group of Freedom Riders to give innocent Israelis freedom from savage, bloody death?
Why doesn’t Friedman call for Western supporters of the Arab Spring to swarm over Syria’s or Libya’s borders holding signs calling for Assad’s and Qaddafi’s ouster? Thomas Friedman and Hosni Mubarak both came to power in 1981 (Friedman joined the Times that year).
Mubarak is now on trial for murder. Friedman should be on trial for murdering the truth. Alas, we live in America and in times in which the Big Lie is granted every academic and free speech right and the truth goes begging.
No one is less qualified to speak in support of the “Arab Spring” than Friedman who, on September 9, 2009, argued that America’s “one-party democracy” is worse than China’s “one-party autocracy.” As Martin Peretz has recently described him: “He wishes America were China, almost the way some native fascists like Charles Lindbergh wanted America to be like Germany and the way ignorant but ‘idealistic’ oodles of American intellectuals and radical Jewish immigrants wanted the country to be like Soviet Russia.”
Friedman views Israel as having “all the leverage,” as somehow capable of turning the tsunami of global Jew hatred right around. He scorns Netanyahu for refusing to use the “leverage” he now presumably has to strike a peace deal with the Palestinians. Has Friedman talked to Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, lately, or, for that matter, to his paymaster, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Has Friedman found them trustworthy, flexible, “non-violent?”
I find it chilling that Friedman calls for these “non-violent” marchers to do so “every Friday.” Is he unaware that violent jihad is often waged right after Friday Muslim religious services? Equally troubling is Friedman’s failure to understand how vulnerable Israel is geographically. Does the man even own a map of the region? Israel is vulnerable in the north (Lebanon, Hezbollah/Iran and Syria/Iran); Israel is vulnerable in the south (Gaza/Hamas/Iran and a potentially Islamist Egypt); Israel is vulnerable in the east given the “Palestinian” launching of suicide bombers from the West Bank. If, in addition, Jordan turns hostile, Israel is rendered further vulnerable and absolutely must command the Jordan Valley in order to protect Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion International airport.
What is Friedman really doing? Like Tony Kushner and many other Jews, Friedman also wants to be ahead of the curve when they come for the Jews. He wants to be the Jew who is spared because he is known for having condemned “Israeli apartheid” and the “Jewish apartheid state.” The burden of defending Israel merely by telling the truth is simply too much for the Friedmans and the Kushners to bear.
They refuse to condemn real apartheid—as it is practiced among Muslims and in Arab lands. It is far safer to condemn the Jewish State and to call for activists to “nonviolently” march against it. These marchers can be certain that Jewish soldiers will not shoot them down like dogs. They can be sure that the world and the wind will be at their backs. Were they to surge into Syria or Libya, they would be dead.
This way, they hope to avoid being beheaded, and in fact, decorated as heroes. They are not self-hating Jews. They are rank opportunists, mere conformists, extreme cowards.
Comment on this story
by Prof. Phyllis Chesler
This week, Tom Friedman more than earned his keep at The New York Times by essentially calling for the “non-violent” destruction of the Jewish State. I am not exaggerating. Wait until you read exactly what he’s written in his column: “Lessons From Tahrir Square.”
First, Friedman calls for a “Tahrir Square alternative” in terms of the 'Israel-Palestine'” impasse.
Tahrir Square? Did the man sleep through journalist Lara Logan’s gang rape there? Does he view such a mob as “peaceful” or “non-violent?” Does he not understand that the young Egyptian Wael Gonim has, perhaps unintentionally, paved the way for the far more organized Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists to assume power? Does Friedman actually believe that the Islamist factions at war with each other and with their overlords, chieftains, and dictators, are all engaged in “non-violent” social change?
Friedman does not focus on Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh, Libya’s Moammar Qaddafi or Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa —all of whom have been shooting down their own people in cold blood in the streets. He does not call for people of good will to “nonviolently” go and face these evil men down. No. Instead, listen to Friedman’s clarion call. He suggests that we should:
Announce that every Friday from today forward will be ‘Peace Day,’ and have thousands of West Bank Palestinians march nonviolently to Jerusalem, carrying two things — an olive branch in one hand and a sign in Hebrew and Arabic in the other. The sign should say: ‘Two states for two peoples. We, the Palestinian people, offer the Jewish people a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders — with mutually agreed adjustments — including Jerusalem, where the Arabs will control their neighborhoods and the Jews theirs.”
If Palestinians peacefully march to Jerusalem by the thousands every Friday with a clear peace message, it would become a global news event. Every network in the world would be there. Trust me, it would stimulate a real peace debate within Israel — especially if Palestinians invited youth delegations from around the Arab world to join the marches, carrying the Saudi peace initiative in Hebrew and Arabic. Israeli Jews and Arabs should be invited to march as well. Together, the marchers could draw up their own peace maps and upload them onto YouTube as a way of telling their leaders what Egyptian youth said to President Hosni Mubarak: “We’re not going to let you waste another day of our lives with your tired mantras and maneuvering.”
Alright, the man’s a regular Gandhi, hand him his dhoti (loincloth). However, why doesn’t Friedman also call for an international delegation to march to Sderot to serve as human shields against Hamas rockets? Why did he never call for thousands of peaceniks to “nonviolently” board Israeli buses during the heart of the Second Intifada — a new group of Freedom Riders to give innocent Israelis freedom from savage, bloody death?
Why doesn’t Friedman call for Western supporters of the Arab Spring to swarm over Syria’s or Libya’s borders holding signs calling for Assad’s and Qaddafi’s ouster? Thomas Friedman and Hosni Mubarak both came to power in 1981 (Friedman joined the Times that year).
Mubarak is now on trial for murder. Friedman should be on trial for murdering the truth. Alas, we live in America and in times in which the Big Lie is granted every academic and free speech right and the truth goes begging.
No one is less qualified to speak in support of the “Arab Spring” than Friedman who, on September 9, 2009, argued that America’s “one-party democracy” is worse than China’s “one-party autocracy.” As Martin Peretz has recently described him: “He wishes America were China, almost the way some native fascists like Charles Lindbergh wanted America to be like Germany and the way ignorant but ‘idealistic’ oodles of American intellectuals and radical Jewish immigrants wanted the country to be like Soviet Russia.”
Friedman views Israel as having “all the leverage,” as somehow capable of turning the tsunami of global Jew hatred right around. He scorns Netanyahu for refusing to use the “leverage” he now presumably has to strike a peace deal with the Palestinians. Has Friedman talked to Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, lately, or, for that matter, to his paymaster, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Has Friedman found them trustworthy, flexible, “non-violent?”
I find it chilling that Friedman calls for these “non-violent” marchers to do so “every Friday.” Is he unaware that violent jihad is often waged right after Friday Muslim religious services? Equally troubling is Friedman’s failure to understand how vulnerable Israel is geographically. Does the man even own a map of the region? Israel is vulnerable in the north (Lebanon, Hezbollah/Iran and Syria/Iran); Israel is vulnerable in the south (Gaza/Hamas/Iran and a potentially Islamist Egypt); Israel is vulnerable in the east given the “Palestinian” launching of suicide bombers from the West Bank. If, in addition, Jordan turns hostile, Israel is rendered further vulnerable and absolutely must command the Jordan Valley in order to protect Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion International airport.
What is Friedman really doing? Like Tony Kushner and many other Jews, Friedman also wants to be ahead of the curve when they come for the Jews. He wants to be the Jew who is spared because he is known for having condemned “Israeli apartheid” and the “Jewish apartheid state.” The burden of defending Israel merely by telling the truth is simply too much for the Friedmans and the Kushners to bear.
They refuse to condemn real apartheid—as it is practiced among Muslims and in Arab lands. It is far safer to condemn the Jewish State and to call for activists to “nonviolently” march against it. These marchers can be certain that Jewish soldiers will not shoot them down like dogs. They can be sure that the world and the wind will be at their backs. Were they to surge into Syria or Libya, they would be dead.
This way, they hope to avoid being beheaded, and in fact, decorated as heroes. They are not self-hating Jews. They are rank opportunists, mere conformists, extreme cowards.
Comment on this story
6. Israeli Leftists Call On EU to Back PA Moves
by Gavriel Queenann
A group of radical Israelis have called on European leaders to support the Palestinian Authority's bid for a the recognition of a PA state based on the 1967 lines when the United Nations General Assembly convenes in September.
Some 20 public figures in Israel signed the letter as Israel finds itself in a diplomatic imbroglio with US President Barack Obama about the basis for negotiations with the PA.
Among the signatories were former Knesset speaker Avraham Burg, former Foriegn Ministry director general Alon Leil, former civil service commissioner Isaac Galnor, former Ambassador Ilan Baruch, Nobel laureate Professor Daniel Kahneman, former president of the Israel Academy of Sciences Menahem Yaari, and several others.
"The failure of the international community - headed by the United States - to restart political negotiations do not allow us to deny the grim reality that peace was taken hostage," the letter said. "Continued settlement construction in East Jerusalem, and resistance to freezing construction in favor of negotiations, the current Israeli leadership is using distraction to derail the peace process and achieving a solution."
The signatories argue in the letter that a United Nations declaration of PA statehood would be a "positive and constructive step for both parties."
"Israeli citizens," read another letter by the signatories, "We believe that if and when the Palestinians will declare independence in a sovereign state alongside Israel in peace and security... we will support announcement and recognize a Palestinian state whose borders are based on the 1967 lines, with agreed upon land swaps."
A unilateral declaration of PA statehood based on 1967 lines by the UN would render bilateral negotiations on borders with "agreed upon land swaps" moot.
The letter comes as secret talks between Israeli President Shimon Perez and PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas in London were revealed Thursday. Similar talks in Oslo in 1993, conducted behind then Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin's back by Peres and Yassir Arafat, resulted in the disastrous Oslo Accords. Israeli Presidents, who are expected to promote consensus and avoid partisan politics, fill a ceremonial role.
Some fifteen hundred Israelis have been killed in two Intifadas and numerous terror attacks since 1993.
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
A group of radical Israelis have called on European leaders to support the Palestinian Authority's bid for a the recognition of a PA state based on the 1967 lines when the United Nations General Assembly convenes in September.
Some 20 public figures in Israel signed the letter as Israel finds itself in a diplomatic imbroglio with US President Barack Obama about the basis for negotiations with the PA.
Among the signatories were former Knesset speaker Avraham Burg, former Foriegn Ministry director general Alon Leil, former civil service commissioner Isaac Galnor, former Ambassador Ilan Baruch, Nobel laureate Professor Daniel Kahneman, former president of the Israel Academy of Sciences Menahem Yaari, and several others.
"The failure of the international community - headed by the United States - to restart political negotiations do not allow us to deny the grim reality that peace was taken hostage," the letter said. "Continued settlement construction in East Jerusalem, and resistance to freezing construction in favor of negotiations, the current Israeli leadership is using distraction to derail the peace process and achieving a solution."
The signatories argue in the letter that a United Nations declaration of PA statehood would be a "positive and constructive step for both parties."
"Israeli citizens," read another letter by the signatories, "We believe that if and when the Palestinians will declare independence in a sovereign state alongside Israel in peace and security... we will support announcement and recognize a Palestinian state whose borders are based on the 1967 lines, with agreed upon land swaps."
A unilateral declaration of PA statehood based on 1967 lines by the UN would render bilateral negotiations on borders with "agreed upon land swaps" moot.
The letter comes as secret talks between Israeli President Shimon Perez and PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas in London were revealed Thursday. Similar talks in Oslo in 1993, conducted behind then Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin's back by Peres and Yassir Arafat, resulted in the disastrous Oslo Accords. Israeli Presidents, who are expected to promote consensus and avoid partisan politics, fill a ceremonial role.
Some fifteen hundred Israelis have been killed in two Intifadas and numerous terror attacks since 1993.
Comment on this story
7. Lebanese Businessman: Send ‘Filthy Jews’ to their True Countries
by Elad Benari
A Lebanese businessman has called to throw the Jews “back to their true countries.”
In a recent interview on the Hizbullah terror group's Al-Manar television network which was translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Yasser Qashlaq, a journalist who also heads the Free Palestine Movement, said: “The natural place for [Ehud] Barak is Poland, and the natural place for that idiot, Netanyahu, is Moscow, while the natural place for me is Safed [Tzfat -ed.].”
Qashlaq goes on to say, “I would like to say to Ben-Gurion: You little boy, tomorrow, my little son will stomp on your grave. He will deport your remains to your true country in Europe, and we will return.
“Like Imam Khomeini said, back in the day, if each of us were to spit, we would drown out all five million of them,” he continues. “The number of Jews – those human pieces of filth – in my land equals one third of the people of the Nasr City neighborhood in Cairo.”
Qashlaq concludes by saying, “Netanyahu, who says that the Right of Return should be resolved outside Israel, should resolve his own problem by returning to his homeland, Moscow. These are human pieces of filth. Even Balfour, when he got carried away, and gave my land to those Jews, said that he was doing so to get rid of them. They brought us those pieces of filth, and we should throw them back to their countries.”
Qashlaq provided the main funding to a Lebanese flotilla which had planned last June to set sail towards Gaza and break the Israeli naval blockade on the Strip.
It was later reported that the flotilla had been delayed or even canceled, possibly due to warnings from Israel and the United States against the attempts to break the blockade on the Hamas terror group which governs in Gaza.
Qashlaq’s latest statements are not the first time he has called Israelis to leave Israel. In a June, 2010 interview, also on Al-Manar TV, he said, “Board the ship we are sending you, and return to your countries. Don’t be misled by the Arab leaders or the moderate camp. You will never be able to make peace with us. Our children will return [to Palestine]. There is no reason for coexistence. Even if some of our leaders or regimes sign [peace] with you – we will never sign. Do not be misled by these regimes. Return to your countries.”
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
A Lebanese businessman has called to throw the Jews “back to their true countries.”
In a recent interview on the Hizbullah terror group's Al-Manar television network which was translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Yasser Qashlaq, a journalist who also heads the Free Palestine Movement, said: “The natural place for [Ehud] Barak is Poland, and the natural place for that idiot, Netanyahu, is Moscow, while the natural place for me is Safed [Tzfat -ed.].”
Qashlaq goes on to say, “I would like to say to Ben-Gurion: You little boy, tomorrow, my little son will stomp on your grave. He will deport your remains to your true country in Europe, and we will return.
“Like Imam Khomeini said, back in the day, if each of us were to spit, we would drown out all five million of them,” he continues. “The number of Jews – those human pieces of filth – in my land equals one third of the people of the Nasr City neighborhood in Cairo.”
Qashlaq concludes by saying, “Netanyahu, who says that the Right of Return should be resolved outside Israel, should resolve his own problem by returning to his homeland, Moscow. These are human pieces of filth. Even Balfour, when he got carried away, and gave my land to those Jews, said that he was doing so to get rid of them. They brought us those pieces of filth, and we should throw them back to their countries.”
Qashlaq provided the main funding to a Lebanese flotilla which had planned last June to set sail towards Gaza and break the Israeli naval blockade on the Strip.
It was later reported that the flotilla had been delayed or even canceled, possibly due to warnings from Israel and the United States against the attempts to break the blockade on the Hamas terror group which governs in Gaza.
Qashlaq’s latest statements are not the first time he has called Israelis to leave Israel. In a June, 2010 interview, also on Al-Manar TV, he said, “Board the ship we are sending you, and return to your countries. Don’t be misled by the Arab leaders or the moderate camp. You will never be able to make peace with us. Our children will return [to Palestine]. There is no reason for coexistence. Even if some of our leaders or regimes sign [peace] with you – we will never sign. Do not be misled by these regimes. Return to your countries.”
Comment on this story
8. IDF Wounded Tour America
by Gavriel Queenann
Friday June 21, 2002 was an ordinary day for Kfir Levy. At 05:00 Levy, a sniper in the Givati brigade, ascended to his post, a battalion guard post on the roof of a building in Netzarim. A few minutes later he suffered a direct hit to the head with an RPG losing one eye, the hearing in both ears, his lower lip, and most of his teeth. Levy suffers from paralysis of the right leg and both hands.
Levi, who is considered "very seriously injured" by the IDF, is representative of hundreds of disabled soldiers who risked their lives on the battlefield to defend the Jewish homeland. These wounded soldiers heal and recover, but adjusting to their new reality can be painful. They live on government battle subsidies, often forgotten by a busy media.
For the second time this year a group of disabled soldiers wounded during their service in Gaza, Lebanon, and assorted terror attacks landed in New York for a ten day journey across the eastern seaboard of the United States. The disabled IDF veterans trip is a part of the One Heart venture, which is financed by Rabbi Uriel Vigler, who manages the Chabad Center for Israelis in Manhattan's Upper East Side, in collaboration with Rabbi Menachem Kutner's Chabad for Victims of Terror organization.
"These soldiers gave us more than we can ever give them," Rabbi Vigler said, noting the Chabad Center for Israelis that raised $ 100,000 to cover the expenses of the ten days of the journey. "We do everything to make them smile, give them a reason to feel a little happiness. "
"The idea is to give back to those soldiers who gave us so much, a chance to forget about the routine agenda of pain treatments," said Rabbi Kutner, who personally gets to know the soldiers and accompanies them on their outings.
During the trip the soldiers visited major tourist sites in New York and attended a reception hosted by Israel's UN ambassador at the Israeli consulate in New York. After New York the soldiers visited Washington DC where they saw Capitol Hill, the Holocaust Museum, the Aviation Museum, and visited the Israeli Embassy.
Returning to New York from their journey the soldiers celebrated the Sabbath with more than 1,000 Jews in Manhattan. Then, Sunday after the Yankees game, the soldiers joined together with hundreds of Jewish young people cruise on the Hudson River.
A farewell event held last Tuesday of the soldiers. Amichai Mumberam, one of the soldiers, told attendees, "In Israel we are treated like everyone else. We are used to the fact that we are wounded for life. Here in New York you give us a special feeling - we understand that people care about us - and for us it means everything. "
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
Friday June 21, 2002 was an ordinary day for Kfir Levy. At 05:00 Levy, a sniper in the Givati brigade, ascended to his post, a battalion guard post on the roof of a building in Netzarim. A few minutes later he suffered a direct hit to the head with an RPG losing one eye, the hearing in both ears, his lower lip, and most of his teeth. Levy suffers from paralysis of the right leg and both hands.
Levi, who is considered "very seriously injured" by the IDF, is representative of hundreds of disabled soldiers who risked their lives on the battlefield to defend the Jewish homeland. These wounded soldiers heal and recover, but adjusting to their new reality can be painful. They live on government battle subsidies, often forgotten by a busy media.
For the second time this year a group of disabled soldiers wounded during their service in Gaza, Lebanon, and assorted terror attacks landed in New York for a ten day journey across the eastern seaboard of the United States. The disabled IDF veterans trip is a part of the One Heart venture, which is financed by Rabbi Uriel Vigler, who manages the Chabad Center for Israelis in Manhattan's Upper East Side, in collaboration with Rabbi Menachem Kutner's Chabad for Victims of Terror organization.
"These soldiers gave us more than we can ever give them," Rabbi Vigler said, noting the Chabad Center for Israelis that raised $ 100,000 to cover the expenses of the ten days of the journey. "We do everything to make them smile, give them a reason to feel a little happiness. "
"The idea is to give back to those soldiers who gave us so much, a chance to forget about the routine agenda of pain treatments," said Rabbi Kutner, who personally gets to know the soldiers and accompanies them on their outings.
During the trip the soldiers visited major tourist sites in New York and attended a reception hosted by Israel's UN ambassador at the Israeli consulate in New York. After New York the soldiers visited Washington DC where they saw Capitol Hill, the Holocaust Museum, the Aviation Museum, and visited the Israeli Embassy.
Returning to New York from their journey the soldiers celebrated the Sabbath with more than 1,000 Jews in Manhattan. Then, Sunday after the Yankees game, the soldiers joined together with hundreds of Jewish young people cruise on the Hudson River.
A farewell event held last Tuesday of the soldiers. Amichai Mumberam, one of the soldiers, told attendees, "In Israel we are treated like everyone else. We are used to the fact that we are wounded for life. Here in New York you give us a special feeling - we understand that people care about us - and for us it means everything. "
Comment on this story
More Website News:
 |
US Congress Approves Jewish Chaplains Memorial at Arlington  |
|
Campaign Against NYT’s Friedman: ‘Out of Our Lives!’ |
|
After 150 Years: Jerusalem Home Becomes Jewish Again  |
|
PA Police Officially a Hostile Organization |
|
Syrian Experts Claim: Sanctions Are ‘Illegal’ |
