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1. Netanyahu Says He Follows Begin's Lead on Ulpana
by Gil Ronen
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that the principle guiding him in the Givat HaUlpana affair is the one set down by Menachem Begin 64 years ago when fighting nearly broke out between the Etzel militia and the IDF: Civil war must be avoided at all cost.
Netanyahu spoke Sunday at the memorial ceremony for the 16 Etzel members and three IDF soldiers killed in the Altalena debacle 64 on June 22, 1948.
The Altalena was a ship that carried weapons intended for the Etzel (Irgun Tzvai Leumi) and which arrived at Israel's shore a few weeks after Israel declared independence.
A showdown between the ship and the IDF ensued, as Begin and Prime Minister David Ben Gurion could not reach agreement on the precise way in which the weapons would be divided between the Etzel and the IDF. When the IDF began to shell the Altalena, Begin did not allow the men on the ship to use the weapons it carried to fight back.
"Menachem Begin set down a principle – there will be no civil war," Netanyahu said. "The principle he set down at the dawn of our independence has stood for 64 years. It is in force today; it is always in force."
"We have one state, one regime, one law in the state of Israel. The government and only the government determines the policy, and in the state of Israel, the law binds everyone, including the government, including the prime minister," he added.
"The government's policy is clear: We strengthen the settlement enterprise while respecting the law. We strengthen the settlement enterprise in the face of a torrent of pressure from within and without. We strengthen the settlement enterprise and we do so while respecting the law and there is no contradiction between the two. On the contrary, destabilizing the rule of law will hurt the settlement enterprise and weaken it. Respecting the rule of law strengthens it. Menachem Begin understood this during Altalena and afterward, and we understand it well today."
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by Gil Ronen

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that the principle guiding him in the Givat HaUlpana affair is the one set down by Menachem Begin 64 years ago when fighting nearly broke out between the Etzel militia and the IDF: Civil war must be avoided at all cost.
Netanyahu spoke Sunday at the memorial ceremony for the 16 Etzel members and three IDF soldiers killed in the Altalena debacle 64 on June 22, 1948.
The Altalena was a ship that carried weapons intended for the Etzel (Irgun Tzvai Leumi) and which arrived at Israel's shore a few weeks after Israel declared independence.
A showdown between the ship and the IDF ensued, as Begin and Prime Minister David Ben Gurion could not reach agreement on the precise way in which the weapons would be divided between the Etzel and the IDF. When the IDF began to shell the Altalena, Begin did not allow the men on the ship to use the weapons it carried to fight back.
"Menachem Begin set down a principle – there will be no civil war," Netanyahu said. "The principle he set down at the dawn of our independence has stood for 64 years. It is in force today; it is always in force."
"We have one state, one regime, one law in the state of Israel. The government and only the government determines the policy, and in the state of Israel, the law binds everyone, including the government, including the prime minister," he added.
"The government's policy is clear: We strengthen the settlement enterprise while respecting the law. We strengthen the settlement enterprise in the face of a torrent of pressure from within and without. We strengthen the settlement enterprise and we do so while respecting the law and there is no contradiction between the two. On the contrary, destabilizing the rule of law will hurt the settlement enterprise and weaken it. Respecting the rule of law strengthens it. Menachem Begin understood this during Altalena and afterward, and we understand it well today."
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2. US Ousts Israel From Counterterrorism Forum
by Rachel Hirshfeld
The United States blocked Israel's participation in the Global Counterterrorism Forum's (GCTF) first meeting in Istanbul on Friday, despite Israel's having one of the most extensive counterterrorism experiences in the world.
Israel was excluded from the meeting due to fierce objections by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Washington-based source told Globes news.
According the State Department’s website, the GCTF, which was established in September 2011, aims at “strengthening the global counterterrorism (CT) architecture in a manner that complements and reinforces the CT work of existing multilateral bodies.”
Twenty-nine countries are participating in the GCTF, ten of which are Arab and/or Muslim countries.
"The GCTF sought from the outset to bridge old and deep divides in the international community between Western donor nations and Muslim majority nations. And it has, I think, done that quite effectively," a top US official said at the press briefing prior to the opening session.
Republican politicians claim that since one third of the GCTF's members are Muslim countries, the Obama administration is trying to deepen ties with the Muslim world at Israel's expense, Globes noted.
"Our idea with the GCTF was to bring together a limited number of traditional donors, front line states, and emerging powers develop a more robust, yet representative, counterterrorism capacity-building platform. A number of our close partners with considerable experience countering and preventing terrorism are not included among the GCTF’s founding members,” a State Department spokesman said in response to questions about Israel's exclusion from the GCTF.
"We have discussed the GCTF and ways to involve Israel in its activities on a number of occasions, and are committed to making this happen," he added.
Pro-Israeli sources say that the Obama administration decided to ignore the fact that Turkey, which has a key role in the GCTF, opposes calling Hamas a terrorist organization, even though the State Department lists it as such.
In May, Turkey blocked Israel's participation in a NATO summit in Chicago and maintained that NATO–Israel relations cannot be restored until Turkey-Israel relations are normalized.
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by Rachel Hirshfeld

The United States blocked Israel's participation in the Global Counterterrorism Forum's (GCTF) first meeting in Istanbul on Friday, despite Israel's having one of the most extensive counterterrorism experiences in the world.
Israel was excluded from the meeting due to fierce objections by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Washington-based source told Globes news.
According the State Department’s website, the GCTF, which was established in September 2011, aims at “strengthening the global counterterrorism (CT) architecture in a manner that complements and reinforces the CT work of existing multilateral bodies.”
Twenty-nine countries are participating in the GCTF, ten of which are Arab and/or Muslim countries.
"The GCTF sought from the outset to bridge old and deep divides in the international community between Western donor nations and Muslim majority nations. And it has, I think, done that quite effectively," a top US official said at the press briefing prior to the opening session.
Republican politicians claim that since one third of the GCTF's members are Muslim countries, the Obama administration is trying to deepen ties with the Muslim world at Israel's expense, Globes noted.
"Our idea with the GCTF was to bring together a limited number of traditional donors, front line states, and emerging powers develop a more robust, yet representative, counterterrorism capacity-building platform. A number of our close partners with considerable experience countering and preventing terrorism are not included among the GCTF’s founding members,” a State Department spokesman said in response to questions about Israel's exclusion from the GCTF.
"We have discussed the GCTF and ways to involve Israel in its activities on a number of occasions, and are committed to making this happen," he added.
Pro-Israeli sources say that the Obama administration decided to ignore the fact that Turkey, which has a key role in the GCTF, opposes calling Hamas a terrorist organization, even though the State Department lists it as such.
In May, Turkey blocked Israel's participation in a NATO summit in Chicago and maintained that NATO–Israel relations cannot be restored until Turkey-Israel relations are normalized.
Tags: Israel ,US ,Turkey ,Counter-terrorism
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3. Obama in 10-Point Drop among Jews
by Gil Ronen
U.S. President Barack Obama currently has the support of 64% of Jewish registered voters, according to the Gallup polling agency. This is 10% less than the percentage of Jews who voted for Obama in 2008, and is similar to the percentage of Jews who voted for Michael Dukakis when he contended for the presidency against George Bush in 1988. Republican Mitt Romney enjoys 29% support among Jews.
Gallup notes the 10-point drop is "five points worse than his decline among all registered voters compared with 2008.”
A recent poll by the liberal Jewish Workman's Circle has shown even worse numbers for Obama, yet how the numbers are to interpreted depends on the interpreters. Some Democrats see the latest Gallup poll as a sign Obama's support among Jews is now rising.
The conservative Hot Air blog points out, however, that since 1988, all Democratic nominees have received more than 64% of the Jewish vote: "…Kerry, Gore, and Clinton all cracked 75 percent, and Jimmy Carter raked in 71 percent when he was elected in 1976. The only nominees who failed to reach 70 percent in the past 35 years were, er, Dukakis, Mondale, and Carter in 1980, the last of whom nearly lost the Jewish vote to Reagan."
The Republican Jewish Coalition notes the 29% of Jewish voters who support Romney, represents the “highest level of Jewish support for a Republican presidential candidate in 24 years.” RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said that if the numbers hold in November, they would spell "a disaster" for Obama and his party.
However, Gallup polls also indicate that Obama held only 62% of the Jewish vote in June of 2008, before the final number rose to 74% in November. A similar dynamic could kick in this year, too.
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by Gil Ronen

U.S. President Barack Obama currently has the support of 64% of Jewish registered voters, according to the Gallup polling agency. This is 10% less than the percentage of Jews who voted for Obama in 2008, and is similar to the percentage of Jews who voted for Michael Dukakis when he contended for the presidency against George Bush in 1988. Republican Mitt Romney enjoys 29% support among Jews.
Gallup notes the 10-point drop is "five points worse than his decline among all registered voters compared with 2008.”
A recent poll by the liberal Jewish Workman's Circle has shown even worse numbers for Obama, yet how the numbers are to interpreted depends on the interpreters. Some Democrats see the latest Gallup poll as a sign Obama's support among Jews is now rising.
The conservative Hot Air blog points out, however, that since 1988, all Democratic nominees have received more than 64% of the Jewish vote: "…Kerry, Gore, and Clinton all cracked 75 percent, and Jimmy Carter raked in 71 percent when he was elected in 1976. The only nominees who failed to reach 70 percent in the past 35 years were, er, Dukakis, Mondale, and Carter in 1980, the last of whom nearly lost the Jewish vote to Reagan."
The Republican Jewish Coalition notes the 29% of Jewish voters who support Romney, represents the “highest level of Jewish support for a Republican presidential candidate in 24 years.” RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said that if the numbers hold in November, they would spell "a disaster" for Obama and his party.
However, Gallup polls also indicate that Obama held only 62% of the Jewish vote in June of 2008, before the final number rose to 74% in November. A similar dynamic could kick in this year, too.
Tags: 2012 presidential elections ,Obama ,Polls
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4. California Pulls 'Palestinian Cultural Day' Proclamation
by Rachel Hirshfeld
A proclamation to declare June 5 “Palestinian Cultural Day” in California’s Alameda County was pulled off the agenda that same day, the Jewish News Week of Northern California reported.
Nate Miley, president of the county’s Board of Supervisors, asked that it be pulled, spurring an onslaught of accusations from pro-‘Palestinian’ groups that “Jewish pressure” was behind the decision.
“He wasn’t aware of it until we got emails opposed,” Seth Kaplan, Miley’s chief of staff, told the newspaper. “He asked to pull it because it is a controversial international issue beyond his expertise.”
The proclamation, noting that there are 20,000 ‘Palestinian’ residents in the county, called for a day to recognize their contributions.
Matt White, campus coordinator for the Israel advocacy group StandWithUs said he and the other pro-Israel speakers did not oppose the day itself but wanted one word changed in the proclamation, which noted that Palestinians “profess either a Christian, Jewish or Muslim faith.” White wanted the word “Jewish” omitted.
“Our argument was, have this day, celebrate Palestinian culture, but have it under the correct definition of ‘Palestinian,’” White said. “I support their right to celebrate Palestinian culture as long as it does not spill over into anti-Israel propaganda.”
That’s the position the Peninsula JCRC has taken on the Palestinian Cultural Day that’s been held in San Jose for more than 10 years, the newspaper noted.
Karen Stiller, the JCRC’s Peninsula director, says some years it is a celebration of culture, and some years — notably in 2008, following Israel’s incursion into Gaza — “it devolved into a forum to disparage Israel.”
“We’ve never said don’t hold Palestinian Cultural Day, we just want them to put the culture back in it,” she said. “That’s consistently been our message over the years.”
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by Rachel Hirshfeld

A proclamation to declare June 5 “Palestinian Cultural Day” in California’s Alameda County was pulled off the agenda that same day, the Jewish News Week of Northern California reported.
Nate Miley, president of the county’s Board of Supervisors, asked that it be pulled, spurring an onslaught of accusations from pro-‘Palestinian’ groups that “Jewish pressure” was behind the decision.
“He wasn’t aware of it until we got emails opposed,” Seth Kaplan, Miley’s chief of staff, told the newspaper. “He asked to pull it because it is a controversial international issue beyond his expertise.”
The proclamation, noting that there are 20,000 ‘Palestinian’ residents in the county, called for a day to recognize their contributions.
Matt White, campus coordinator for the Israel advocacy group StandWithUs said he and the other pro-Israel speakers did not oppose the day itself but wanted one word changed in the proclamation, which noted that Palestinians “profess either a Christian, Jewish or Muslim faith.” White wanted the word “Jewish” omitted.
“Our argument was, have this day, celebrate Palestinian culture, but have it under the correct definition of ‘Palestinian,’” White said. “I support their right to celebrate Palestinian culture as long as it does not spill over into anti-Israel propaganda.”
That’s the position the Peninsula JCRC has taken on the Palestinian Cultural Day that’s been held in San Jose for more than 10 years, the newspaper noted.
Karen Stiller, the JCRC’s Peninsula director, says some years it is a celebration of culture, and some years — notably in 2008, following Israel’s incursion into Gaza — “it devolved into a forum to disparage Israel.”
“We’ve never said don’t hold Palestinian Cultural Day, we just want them to put the culture back in it,” she said. “That’s consistently been our message over the years.”
Tags: culture ,Israel ,California
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5. Peres in NY before Meetings at Pentagon, White House
by Chana Ya'ar
President Shimon Peres has arrived in New York, where he will spend the night before traveling to Washington on Monday for meetings at the Pentagon.
On Tuesday, the president is scheduled to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institute.
Wednesday the president is scheduled to meet with President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta as well as with other officials. On Thursday, Peres will be hosted by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren at a reception to be given at his Washington residence.
On the agenda throughout will be strengthening of the strategic ties between the U.S. and Israel, as well as the looming threat of the Iranian nuclear development program.
The president is also expected to update American officials on the galloping developments in the Middle East.
Obama is scheduled to award Peres the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a special dinner Wednesday evening, the White House had already announced last Friday.
"An ardent advocate for Israel's security and for peace, Shimon Peres was elected the ninth President of Israel in 2007,” the White House said in its statement announcing the award. “Through his life and work, he has strengthened the unbreakable bonds between Israel and the United States.”
First Lady Michelle Obama is also expected to attend. The Medal of Freedom, considered the highest civilian honor bestowed by a U.S. President, was also presented to Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel last June.
For his part, Peres has arrived in the U.S. bearing gifts for Obama and his wife as well.
For the American president, the Israeli leader has brought a collection of historic documents, including a letter from Chaim Weizmann urging President Harry Truman to recognize the nascent State of Israel, a short letter signed by Truman in which he recognized Israel's first government, and a letter from Israel's founding Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, thanking Truman for recognizing Israel's provisional government.
For the First Lady, Israel's president has brought a special necklace created by people with disabilities, produced from “uniquely Israeli materials.”
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by Chana Ya'ar

President Shimon Peres has arrived in New York, where he will spend the night before traveling to Washington on Monday for meetings at the Pentagon.
On Tuesday, the president is scheduled to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institute.
Wednesday the president is scheduled to meet with President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta as well as with other officials. On Thursday, Peres will be hosted by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren at a reception to be given at his Washington residence.
On the agenda throughout will be strengthening of the strategic ties between the U.S. and Israel, as well as the looming threat of the Iranian nuclear development program.
The president is also expected to update American officials on the galloping developments in the Middle East.
Obama is scheduled to award Peres the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a special dinner Wednesday evening, the White House had already announced last Friday.
"An ardent advocate for Israel's security and for peace, Shimon Peres was elected the ninth President of Israel in 2007,” the White House said in its statement announcing the award. “Through his life and work, he has strengthened the unbreakable bonds between Israel and the United States.”
First Lady Michelle Obama is also expected to attend. The Medal of Freedom, considered the highest civilian honor bestowed by a U.S. President, was also presented to Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel last June.
For his part, Peres has arrived in the U.S. bearing gifts for Obama and his wife as well.
For the American president, the Israeli leader has brought a collection of historic documents, including a letter from Chaim Weizmann urging President Harry Truman to recognize the nascent State of Israel, a short letter signed by Truman in which he recognized Israel's first government, and a letter from Israel's founding Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, thanking Truman for recognizing Israel's provisional government.
For the First Lady, Israel's president has brought a special necklace created by people with disabilities, produced from “uniquely Israeli materials.”
Tags: Medal of Freedom ,Shimon Peres
More on this topic
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6. Abbas: Free Terrorists, Allow Weapons Imports – Then We’ll Talk
by Maayana Miskin
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has added to his pre-negotiations demands. After telling Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to choose “between peace and settlements,” he has reiterated his demand for a full construction freeze, but has added demands that Israel release terrorists and add arms to the PA police force.
“We recently told them that if Israel accepted to free prisoners and allow us to re-arm the police then we would again sit at the same table as Netanyahu,” Abbas said at a press conference in France.
Abbas also defended his demand for a complete construction freeze, saying it was not a true precondition. Most of the world considers Israeli construction in Judea (Yehuda) and Samaria (Shomron) illegal, he said.
If his demands are met, the path to true negotiations is not yet over. “If Mr. Netanyahu agrees…. Then we will establish a dialogue, but that doesn’t mean a negotiation,” Abbas clarified.
Israeli spokesman Mark Regev said in response, “Israel remains ready for the immediate resumption of peace talks without any preconditions.”
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has added to his pre-negotiations demands. After telling Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to choose “between peace and settlements,” he has reiterated his demand for a full construction freeze, but has added demands that Israel release terrorists and add arms to the PA police force.
“We recently told them that if Israel accepted to free prisoners and allow us to re-arm the police then we would again sit at the same table as Netanyahu,” Abbas said at a press conference in France.
Abbas also defended his demand for a complete construction freeze, saying it was not a true precondition. Most of the world considers Israeli construction in Judea (Yehuda) and Samaria (Shomron) illegal, he said.
If his demands are met, the path to true negotiations is not yet over. “If Mr. Netanyahu agrees…. Then we will establish a dialogue, but that doesn’t mean a negotiation,” Abbas clarified.
Israeli spokesman Mark Regev said in response, “Israel remains ready for the immediate resumption of peace talks without any preconditions.”
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7. Arson Suspected in Chain of Jerusalem Fires
by Chana Ya'ar
Arson is suspected in a chain of fires that erupted Sunday in at least five neighborhoods around the city of Jerusalem.
All of the blazes were in the southeastern areas of the city that were restored to the capital in the 1967 Six-Day War. Flames were seen in the neighborhoods of Armon HaNatziv, Har Homa, and Jabel Mukabar, among others.
By Sunday afternoon, firefighters had been called out to extinguish seven simultaneous brush fires in open fields around the Armon HaNatziv neighborhood alone.
Officials said there have been similar incidents in the area over the past week.
An initial probe has led investigators to believe the individuals fires are connected and have all been ignited been an arsonist – or several.
An investigation has been launched.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar

Arson is suspected in a chain of fires that erupted Sunday in at least five neighborhoods around the city of Jerusalem.
All of the blazes were in the southeastern areas of the city that were restored to the capital in the 1967 Six-Day War. Flames were seen in the neighborhoods of Armon HaNatziv, Har Homa, and Jabel Mukabar, among others.
By Sunday afternoon, firefighters had been called out to extinguish seven simultaneous brush fires in open fields around the Armon HaNatziv neighborhood alone.
Officials said there have been similar incidents in the area over the past week.
An initial probe has led investigators to believe the individuals fires are connected and have all been ignited been an arsonist – or several.
An investigation has been launched.
Tags: Fire Fighting ,arson ,Jerusalem ,Armon Hanatziv
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8. Shalom: Barak's Disengagement Suggestion 'Foolish'
by Elad Benari
Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Regional Development Silvan Shalom visited Toronto, New York and Washington this past week. While in Toronto, Shalom participated in an event at the local Chabad Israeli Community Center which held a fundraiser to complete construction of its new building north of the city.
In an interview with a Toronto-based Jewish website on Friday, Shalom criticized Defense Minister Ehud Barak who recently suggested that Israel consider a unilateral disengagement from Judea and Samaria (Yehuda and Shomron), similar to that carried out by the Israeli government in the Gush Katif region of Gaza in August of 2005.
Minister Shalom expressed his unequivocal support for further construction in Judea and Samaria, and rejected the idea of a disengagement, saying, “I think it would be a catastrophe. The disengagement from Gaza failed and its results are very bad. It brought missiles on Israeli cities: Be'er Sheva, Ashdod, Ashkelon and maybe even Tel Aviv. I think it would be a foolish move to do something similar in Judea and Samaria.”
He also placed the responsibility for the stalemate in the peace process on the Palestinian Authority, whose chairman Mahmoud Abbas has continued to insist on pre-conditions for negotiations. Shalom rejected Abbas’ demands that Israel accept the indefensible pre-1967 borders as a precondition for negotiations, and claimed that Abbas did not want to start negotiations all along, in the hope he would be able to achieve recognition for “Palestine” within the United Nations.
Abbas warned on Friday that he may seek non-member status for a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly, if peace talks with Israel do not resume.
The UN Security Council blocked Abbas’ bid to become a full member last September, after he failed to get the required support of nine of the Security Council’s 15 members.
In the interview, Shalom also addressed the Arab Spring, saying it created an anti-Israeli situation in the Middle East, but expressing hope that the public in these countries will recognize its mistake and try to turn back the clock.
“It does not look good,” said Shalom. “I believe that people in the countries where there was an uprising that changed the nature of the regime will realize the mistake they made and try to find ways how to change the regime again. Unfortunately, in every country that has experienced an uprising and in which new elections took place, the extremists were brought into power rather than those groups who believe in good relations with Israel.”
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari

Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Regional Development Silvan Shalom visited Toronto, New York and Washington this past week. While in Toronto, Shalom participated in an event at the local Chabad Israeli Community Center which held a fundraiser to complete construction of its new building north of the city.
In an interview with a Toronto-based Jewish website on Friday, Shalom criticized Defense Minister Ehud Barak who recently suggested that Israel consider a unilateral disengagement from Judea and Samaria (Yehuda and Shomron), similar to that carried out by the Israeli government in the Gush Katif region of Gaza in August of 2005.
Minister Shalom expressed his unequivocal support for further construction in Judea and Samaria, and rejected the idea of a disengagement, saying, “I think it would be a catastrophe. The disengagement from Gaza failed and its results are very bad. It brought missiles on Israeli cities: Be'er Sheva, Ashdod, Ashkelon and maybe even Tel Aviv. I think it would be a foolish move to do something similar in Judea and Samaria.”
He also placed the responsibility for the stalemate in the peace process on the Palestinian Authority, whose chairman Mahmoud Abbas has continued to insist on pre-conditions for negotiations. Shalom rejected Abbas’ demands that Israel accept the indefensible pre-1967 borders as a precondition for negotiations, and claimed that Abbas did not want to start negotiations all along, in the hope he would be able to achieve recognition for “Palestine” within the United Nations.
Abbas warned on Friday that he may seek non-member status for a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly, if peace talks with Israel do not resume.
The UN Security Council blocked Abbas’ bid to become a full member last September, after he failed to get the required support of nine of the Security Council’s 15 members.
In the interview, Shalom also addressed the Arab Spring, saying it created an anti-Israeli situation in the Middle East, but expressing hope that the public in these countries will recognize its mistake and try to turn back the clock.
“It does not look good,” said Shalom. “I believe that people in the countries where there was an uprising that changed the nature of the regime will realize the mistake they made and try to find ways how to change the regime again. Unfortunately, in every country that has experienced an uprising and in which new elections took place, the extremists were brought into power rather than those groups who believe in good relations with Israel.”
Tags: silvan shalom ,Judea-Samaria ,Ehud Barak
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Activists Appeal to Ministers, PM Fears World Reaction
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