Reportedly, the Hamas demand for 1,000 prisoners  -- including some who perpetrated major attacks -- has not changed, but there are conflicting reports as to whom the Netanyahu government might be willing to release, and where (that is, they might not be permitted to return to Gaza or Judea and Samaria).
 
It chills the heart, and enrages, to imagine that terrorists responsible for the deaths of many innocent Jews might be released.  Not to speak of the fact that it puts us all at increased risk and encourages more kidnappings. (I understand that Hamas is offering a considerable amount of money to any Israeli Arab who captures a soldier.)
 
Netanyahu, referring to the release of these terrorists as a "serious dilemma," told the Likud faction today that a deal is not close. When the time comes, he said, there will be a debate in the Knesset and a vote in the Cabinet.
 
Aside from reports from Arab sources, the rumors have been fueled by a trip by President Shimon Peres to Egypt, at the same time that some Hamas officials were known to enter Egypt, and a visit here by German officials (Germany being involved along with Egypt on negotiations.)
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
Speaking of terrorists in our prisons, there is news about Marwan Barghouti. Serving five life sentences for his involvement in terror attacks, he is frequently touted as a potential savior, who --if he is released from prison-- can unite the Palestinian Arabs and bring a peace deal.  Well, you can scratch that.
 
Barghouti has been quoted in Al Hayat Al Jadida newspaper, via a message carried by his lawyer, as saying that Palestinian factions should lead "popular resistance" (violence) to combat building in settlements and the Judaizing of Jerusalem.

"I have always called for creatively combining negotiations with resistance and political, diplomatic and popular activism," he was quoted as having said. "I warned against relying exclusively on negotiations, but some were late to discover this."

"Creatively combining negotiations with resistance..." (aka, if you don't give me what I demand at the table, I'll come after you and you'll be sorry).  This is pretty much the Palestinian Arab credo and does NOT lead to peace.

~~~~~~~~~~

http://arlenefromisrael.squarespace.com/current-postings/2010/3/3/november-23-2009-one-step-further.html

"Has the president of the United States said anything about this? Has he made any criticism of Syria? Is he ready to break off engagement efforts with the dictatorship? Has he [responded to] Iraqi government requests for backing in demanding Syria stop facilitating such attacks and turn over those Iraqis responsible?

"No, no, no, and again no.

"If the Obama Administration is fighting a war against al-Qaeda why is Syria, today that group‘s main organizational and military base in the Middle East, getting away with allying to the people who murdered 3,000 Americans on September 11?

"If the Obama Administration is fighting a war in Iraq why is it doing nothing about the main ally of the insurgents killing American soldiers and so many Iraqi civilians...?

"...There is an old expression about fighting with one hand tied behind your back. The Obama Administration is waging a foreign policy with both hands tied behind its back, plugs in its ears, and a gag over its mouth." (emphasis added)
 
http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2009/11/obamas-general-says-syria-allied-with.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Rubinreports+%28RubinReports%29
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
My friends, get this information to your Senators and Congresspersons without delay.
 
For your Congresspersons:
 
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
 
For your Senators:
 
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
 
Keep the explanations short, and provide URLs. Act to redeem this situation before it is too late.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
"The Good News Corner"
 
A sophisticated research ship has been launched in Eilat, at the Institute for Marine Sciences. Hebrew University, Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, and a number of other agencies and private donors have cooperatively made this possible.  Profession Aaron Kaplan, who heads the Institute explains, that this will greatly advance Israeli marine research -- especially with regard to unique organisms found in the Gulf of Eilat.  Such research has increased value in recent years as marine biological models are used for medical research.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
Professor Meir Liebergall, chairman of the orthopedics department of Hadassah Medical Center, Ein Kerem campus,and Professor Eithan Galum, have announced a new technique that involves a "breakthrough in concept and overcomes major scientific and logistical problems."
 
For the very first time ever, platelets and adult stem cells from the blood and bone marrow of patients with fractures have been separated and then injected into the patients, causing bones to heal in a quarter to a third of the time it usually takes, and permitting healing to occur that in some instances wouldn't have otherwise been possible at all. 
 
The technique has been developed over the course of years.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
Eye from Zion is an Israeli non-profit that sends volunteers into developing nations to do cataract surgery and restore people's sight.  All money donated to the organization is used to cover expenses; none of the dozens of volunteers surgeons involved takes payment.  The group brings its own equipment, sets up a clinic, and starts operating. Many hundreds of operations have been done in such places as Vietnam, China and Azerbaijan.
 
~~~~~~~~~~

 http://arlenefromisrael.squarespace.com/current-postings/2010/3/3/november-22-2009-deplorable.html

As to whether to recognize this new state once it is declared, each nation would make its own decision.  Recognition of a nascent state by other nations does seem to be an important part of creating the legal reality.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
This new state would then apply to the Security Council for UN membership.  This membership does not create the state, but simply accords the state, which already exists, the rights and protections conferred upon member states. 
 
What's important here, is this, from the International Judicial Monitor (as of this summer):
 
"...the Security Council must decide to submit a state’s application for admission to the General Assembly for a two-thirds majority vote. The two-thirds requirement means that a state may not be granted admission to the UN if it is not recognized by a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly. This is the case for Kosovo which will likely not be able to join the UN in the near future because it is only recognized by sixty-two UN members."
 
And so this new Palestinian state, were it to be declared, might be stopped right there.  Which would render moot the entire discussion about Resolution 242. 
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
This is not what analysts are looking at, however.  For them the real sticking point has to do with borders, which the PA quite obviously intends to set as the Green Line (everything that was not under Israeli control before the Six Day War of 1967). 
 
If the SC were to accept "Palestine" as a member state, does this mean it would be sanctioning or endorsing those borders as unilaterally claimed?
 
If the answer is yes, this would mean setting up a conflict with SC Resolution 242, which, basically, says that Israel does not have to withdraw from all territories acquired in 1967, and is entitled to safe and recognized borders that are arrived at via negotiations.  And Israel does not have to pull out of any territory until this negotiation occurs.  The Green Line is not considered a safe border -- strategic depth is required.  (This sets foolish Obama's statement about settlements not bringing security into conflict with this resolution as well.)   
 
The concern is that the PA is seeking to overturn or override this resolution.
 
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs held a conference on 242 a couple of years ago (I was in attendance and learned a great deal).  For detailed information from that conference see:
 
http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/showpage.asp?DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=84&FID=452&PID=3111
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
http://arlenefromisrael.squarespace.com/current-postings/2010/2/16/november-20-2009-a-different-pa-angle.html

As those of you who read my postings regularly are probably aware, Anne Bayefsky, director of Eye on the UN, is a diligent and responsible critic of the UN, and a reliable source of information on its activities.  I am in communication with her from time to time, and rely on her information.  She is passionate, and dedicated.

Bayefsky -- who holds credentials as a UN observer by virtue of her position as director of the Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust at New York's Touro College (an NGO) -- was present in the UN in New York on November 5, when the General Assembly voted to endorse the Goldstone Report.

Outside the General Assembly chamber a microphone is set up for delegates to speak.  After the Goldstone vote, the delegate from Libya and the Palestinian observer both utilized this mike in order to speak in support of the Report.  Bayefsky then approached the empty podium where the mike stood. She did not anticipate problems, she said, as representatives of NGOs have used this mike in the past without incident.

~~~~~~~~~~

Bayefsky spoke for about five minutes, impromptu.  She called the U.N. a "laughingstock" for focusing on Israel and ignoring Hamas human rights violations; she said the lack of balance in the report made it a travesty of justice.

As she finished speaking, she was surrounded by UN guards, who brought her to their office, confiscated her credentials, and escorted her out of the building. Bayefsky reported to Fox news that, as she was brought out of the building, a security officer told her, "the Palestinian ambassador [Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations Riyad Mansour] is very upset at the statement you made." According to Inner City Press, when Mansour, who had walked away, was told that a representative of a pro-Israel NGO had spoken, he asked, "Did we capture them?"

Bayefsky currently awaits either the return of her credentials or a hearing in January or February before the Committee on NGOs.  If she must go before the Committee -- which is chaired by Sudan -- she figures her chances are nil.  Right now she is being prevented from attending significant meetings.  "The frenzy of anti-Israel activity is going on right now," she said. "There's a reason they're keeping me away - this is no accident."

The UN is presenting a very different story, it should be noted. There were claims that her pass had not been revoked, and that there was action against her because she approached the mike without permission and this cannot be permitted.

~~~~~~~~~~

This happened on November 5.  I cannot explain why Eye on the UN, where I secured the bulk of this information, only released it today.  (Perhaps there had been hope of securing a quiet resolution to the matter.)

I also garnered information at http://www.foxnews.com:80/story/0,2933,575666,00.html (put out today) and http://www.innercitypress.com:80/unga3goldstone110509.html (released on Nov. 5).

~~~~~~~~~~

Sometimes matters are not as they seem, and sometimes they surprise us.

Today, for example, I was just a tad surprised when the news reported that French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who is here now, told the Post that our plans to build in Gilo, as regrettable as they might be, did not have to be an obstacle to returning to negotiations.

Kouchner, who has not been a friend, seems to have chosen to refrain from leveling harsh criticism at us and instead to implicitly chastise the Palestinians for refusing to come back to the table. 

Apparently he was unmoved by Ahmed Qurei's designation of the Gilo building plans as the "final nail in the peace process's coffin."  And it seems he was unruffled even though Saeb Erekat called our plans a "provocation against the international community."

Kouchner said he knew this wasn't a political decision.  And he's right. This didn't reach Netanyahu's desk -- it was routinely processed.

Just possibly this time the Palestinians have overplayed their hand, trying the patience even of their supporters.

~~~~~~~~~~

We are still stymied here as to why Gilo, in particular, has made such big news. An American friend tells me that it has made considerable press in the US.  Strange, with all that is going on.

Please know that it's not only the residents of Gilo who are reacting -- Israelis in general are irked.  As analyst Herb Keinon has pointed out, the way Obama has handled this situation indicates a "continued misreading and misunderstanding of the Israeli public."

After all, writes Keinon, this is not about "a far-flung settlement overlooking Nablus, nor even in one of the settlement blocs like Gush Etzion, nor even a Jewish complex in one of the Arab neighborhoods of the capital, but in Gilo, one of the large new neighborhoods built in the city following the Six Day War.

"...many Israelis [are] clearly dismayed that the US - like Europe - now seems to be considering as settlements the post-1967 neighborhoods in Jerusalem."

Obama had called for a complete settlement freeze that included east Jerusalem, which Netanyahu rejected.  "By continuing to press the issue, Obama - who recently showed nascent signs of wanting to engage the Israeli public out of an understanding that if you want to get Israel to make concessions, Israel will need to trust the US president - risks further alienating the Israeli public. According to a Jerusalem Post poll conducted in August, only four percent of Israelis consider him to be pro-Israel." 

Says Keinon, one of the assumptions that Obama made when taking office was that the Israeli public was anti-settlement.

"But [the assumption was] mistaken. The Israeli public does not hate the settlements...the large settlement blocs, such as Ma'aleh Adumim and Gush Etzion...are well within the Israeli consensus. And the public certainly doesn't view the neighborhoods of Jerusalem...as 'settlements.'
"Pressing a construction freeze in those areas was widely viewed by the public as an unreasonable demand, especially when it was not accompanied by any demands on the Arabs or Palestinians.

"Rather than rallying around Obama, Israelis have - according to polls that shows Netanyahu's popularity rising - rallied around Netanyahu. And no issue will make them rally even further around the prime minister than Jerusalem."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1258566462450&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

~~~~~~~~~~

In spite of the focus on Gilo, there actually are a number of matters to report with regard to housing in Jerusalem:

[] A new Jewish housing community -- a private venture on privately owned Jewish land -- is being constructed in Nof Zion, situated adjacent to the Jabel Mukaber neighborhood of eastern Jerusalem, on the Armon Hanatziv ridge.  The first stage of building, close to 100 units, is already complete and residents began to move in some months ago.

 Yesterday, the cornerstone was laid for the second stage of building.  Construction is slated to begin in six months, and will ultimately add 125 apartments to the community.

Some 100 people gathered for the cornerstone ceremony.  MK Danny Danon (Likud) was there. "I have a message for President Obama," he told the crowd.  "Take your hands of Jerusalem. Jerusalem belongs to the Jewish people and we have every right to live and raise our children here."

Participating as well was a group of Americans -- lead by NY State Assemblyman Dov Hikind -- completing a tour of Judea and Samaria, and Jerusalem, with an eye towards coming to live here.

[] Also yesterday, in spite of local resistance -- including rock-throwing -- five illegal housing structures were demolished in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods of Issawiya and Silwan. This is in addition to two demolished just days before and another 14 slated for demolition.  The Municipality of Jerusalem reports that these buildings were all constructed without necessary permits, and at least one was on land designated for a road.  The Arab residents claim they cannot get permits.

[] The Jerusalem Municipality has announced plans for the construction of more than 5,000 new housing units for Arab residents of the city:

Construction of 2,000 housing units in Tel Adasah, in north Jerusalem, and 2,500 units in a-Swahra, near Jabel Mukaber, were to begin following final approval by relevant municipal committees, while construction of 500 new housing units in Dir-al-Amud, near Beit Safafa, were in the advanced stages of planning.

~~~~~~~~~~

An observation here:  Obama has said that "Settlement building does not contribute to Israel's security."

In point of fact there are issues of security -- maintaining strategic depth around Jerusalem and holding on to the high places in Samaria, from which rockets could be shot at our airport, etc.

But what this teaches us is actually a broader and very important lesson:  We should not, we must not, make our case based on security alone.  We have rights to build and live in Judea and Samaria born of our heritage in the land and international law going back to the Mandate.

It is time we spoke in these terms.

~~~~~~~~~~

"The Good News Corner"

I have been wanting to write about the economic miracle of Israel, and the amazing entrepreneurship demonstrated by Israelis.  Here, instead, I provide you with a video clip of an interview of the co-author of a book called Start-Up Nation. We demonstrate some unique characteristics that do us proud.

http://www.cnbc.com:80/id/15840232?video=1311023934&play=1

~~~~~~~~

http://arlenefromisrael.squarespace.com/current-postings/2010/2/16/november-19-2009-un-human-rights-violation.html

Today Saeb Erekat, PA negotiator, declared that Israel was twisting Palestinian words, as they never said they were going to declare a state unilaterally.

No? You could have fooled me.

All they want, he explained, is to preserve the two-state solution, as one state is not an option. And, since negotiations are stalemated (through no fault of theirs, of course), they want the Security Council to endorse the two-state solution, with the border of the new Palestinian state set at the Green (pre-'67) Line.

This strikes me as patently ridiculous.  Every mention within the international community of the two-state solution or anything akin to it -- Oslo, which was formally signed, the informally agreed-to Road Map, etc., specifies that the details must be determined via negotiations. 

Even SC Resolution 242, which doesn't even mention Palestinians, never mind address a "two-state solution," says Israel's borders must be determined via negotiations.

And let's look back even further than this:  When Israel signed an armistice agreement with Jordan in 1949, it stated explicitly that the armistice line that was being established (which is the Green Line) would not prejudice negotiations in the future to determine the final border for Israel.  The Green Line wasn't it.

~~~~~~~~~~

At least one Israeli government source is cited as saying that the statement by Erekat is an effort to backtrack after it became apparent that the EU and the US were not supportive of a unilaterally declared state.  Slip-sliding...

But I'm seeing something else, as well:  "One state is not an option..." 

Yet not long ago leaders in the PA were saying that if the negotiations weren't going to progress, it was time to think about one state.  Of course, in voicing this threat, they were envisioning a "bi-national state" that would render it impossible for Israel to be a Jewish state -- that would, ultimately, be Arab/Muslim in nature.

But then matters shifted.  WE said, well, if negotiations aren't going to progress, and there are going to be unilateral declarations from the PA, we might unilaterally move to assume full sovereignty over significant parts of Judea and Samaria. That would make the bulk of Judea and Samaria, which the Palestinians covet, very Jewish indeed, and block the very possibility of forming a viable Palestinian state.

So they, slip-sliding, said, uh oh, let's reverse tactics.

What we learn from this is the value of making offensive moves and not appeasing.

~~~~~~~~~~

There might have been some advantage to the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, however. 

MK Uri Ariel, of the right wing Ihud Leumi (National Union), is one of those who sees it this way:
"I pray for Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, to declare a state unilaterally. That is the only way we can finally annul the wretched Oslo accord, which exacted a price in blood and brought the PLO terrorists into the state of Israel.

“A statement of this nature means that the government will have no choice but to annex all of the communities in Judea and Samaria.  In practice, it will have to annex the entire region and formally turn it into a part of the state of Israel.” 

Everything is so much in flux, it's difficult to predict what will come next.  But it remains extremely unlikely that we'll extend sovereignty over even parts of Judea and Samaria except in response to some PA stance that essentially voids Oslo.  More's the pity. 

At very least there has been a paradigm shift of sorts -- as Israel is making it increasingly clear that return to the Green Line is not an option.

~~~~~~~~~~

And, as the PA leaders continue to slip-slide, we must not forget the option of "armed resistance," which they maintain is their right. This past August, Fatah (the major constituent party of the PA) held a congress, its first in 20 years.  This provided the party with an opportunity to genuinely moderate, by adjusting its constitution to eliminate the call for violence.  That, however, is not what happened. They continue to embrace this option.

~~~~~~~~~~

And it happens that I see the following news item as having a connection to their embrace of this option:

The PA is calling an international conference, which will be attended by representatives of such countries as Spain, Canada, Britain, Ireland, South Africa, and Sweden who are involved in international legal systems.

A major goal they intend to advance in the course of the conference: Securing a change in the status of their terrorists in Israeli prisons to "prisoners of war."

According to Israel National News, this will enable them to secure more "rights" for the prisoners under the Geneva Conventions.  But frankly I find it hard to believe that it would be possible to provide them with any more rights. As it is, I'm ashamed that these terrorists are treated as well as they are.  They not only can have family visitations, but also conjugal rights. And they can actually earn a degree from an Israeli university while sitting in our prisons.

I would suggest the possibility that what they really want is to redefine terrorism down. Terrorism, what terrorism?  Our brave soldiers are merely engaging in "resistance against the occupation," which is their right under international law. Watch and see.  

~~~~~~~~~~

Sources in the Netanyahu government are claiming that there is no crisis with the US over our building in Gilo.  Although surprised at the intensity of the US response (with the US saying it is "dismayed" about this), these sources maintain that it is understood that there will be no building freeze in Jerusalem. This reaction, they say, is a show for PA consumption. 

I'm not sure if this take is quite accurate.  Obama has actually given an interview to Fox news, in which he criticized the plans to build in Gilo, saying this makes it more difficult to re-start negotiations and "embitters" the Palestinians. Embitters?  Give me a break.

~~~~~~~~~~

A question occurs to me here:

The statement about how it's understood that there is no freeze in Jerusalem makes it clear that we are abiding by some informal and very quiet agreement regarding a freeze at least in major settlement blocs in Judea and Samaria (whatever the parameters with regard to completing units for which tenders have already been issued). 

This was supposed to be done to make the PA happy, so negotiations could begin.  Obviously, Obama is still hoping -- oi! is he hoping -- this will happen. But if the PA is intransigent, and there are no negotiations, precisely how long do we wait before we say the deal is off?  This is the danger inherent in these open-ended arrangements.

~~~~~~~~~~

The articles about Fort Hood keep coming, and just when I think I've read enough, one appears that is significant enough to merit being shared.  (Thanks, Dick B) 

This powerful piece has a significantly different tone because it is written by an ex-army man.  Lieutenant Colonel Allen B West (US Army, Ret) was actually a Battalion Commander at Fort Hood and is now running for Congress in FL. 

He wrote:

"...A military installation, whether it is Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, or Coast Guard, is supposed to be a safe sanctuary for our Warriors and their families. It is intended to provide a home whereby our "Band of Brothers and Sisters" can find solace and bond beyond just the foxhole, but as family units.

"A military installation is supposed to be a place where our Warriors train for war, to serve and protect our Nation.

"On Thursday, 5 November 2009 Ft Hood became a part of the battlefield in the war against Islamic totalitarianism and state sponsored terrorism.

"There may be those who feel threatened by my words and would even recommend they not be uttered. To those individuals I say step aside because now is not the time for cowardice. Our Country has become so paralyzed by political correctness that we have allowed a vile and determined enemy to breach what should be the safest place in America, an Army post.

"...Saudi Arabia is sponsoring radical Imams who enter into our prisons and convert young men to a virulent Wahabbist ideology….one resulting in four individuals wanting to destroy synagogues in New York with plastic explosives. Thank God the explosives were dummy. They are sponsoring textbooks which present Islamic-centric revisionist history in our schools.

"We must recognize that there is an urgent need to separate the theo-political radical Islamic ideology out of our American society. We must begin to demand surveillance of suspected Imams and mosques that are spreading hate and preaching the overthrow of our Constitutional Republic……that speech is not protected under First Amendment, it is sedition and, if done by an American, treason.

"There should not be some 30 Islamic terrorist training camps in America.  That has nothing to do with First Amendment Freedom of Religion. The Saudis are not our friends and any American political figure who believes such is delusional.

"When tolerance becomes a one way street it certainly leads to cultural suicide. We are on that street. Liberals cannot be trusted to defend our Republic, because their sympathies obviously lie with their perceived victim, Major Nidal Malik Hasan.

"I make no apologies for these words, and anyone angered by them, please, go to Ft Hood and look into the eyes of the real victims. The tragedy at Ft Hood Texas did not have to happen. Consider now the feelings of those there and on every military installation in the world. Consider the feelings of the Warriors deployed into combat zones who now are concerned that their loved ones at home are in a combat zone.

"Ft Hood suffered an Islamic jihadist attack, stop the denial, and realize a simple point.

"The reality of your enemy must become your own."

http://thesilentmajority.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/%E2%80%9Ctragedy-at-ft-hood%E2%80%9D-from-lt-col-allen-b-west-us-army-ret/

Share this man's words broadly, my friends.

~~~~~~~~~~

"The Good News Corner"

From many places on the earth, there are Jews who come home to Israel.  In some cases, individuals whose ancestors were Jews come here to reclaim their heritage and join with us.

See this video of descendants of the Jews of Kaifeng, China, come to Israel to re-connect with their Jewish roots and convert formally to Judaism.

http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=edhtdoPukk0  (Thanks, Cheryl)

~~~~~~~~~~

http://arlenefromisrael.squarespace.com/current-postings/2010/2/3/november-18-2009-slip-sliding-in-the-pa.html

The PA had appealed to the EU for support in their efforts to unilaterally declare a state.  I was certain that the response would be encouraging and enthusiastic.  After all, the EU has been deeply enamored of the Palestinians for years, exhibiting a political bias in their favor and lavishing upon them huge sums of money for which they demand insufficient accountability.

But no!  I was wrong.  This is what Carl Bildt -- the foreign minister of Sweden, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency -- said today:

"The conditions are not there as of yet...I would hope that we would be in a position to recognize a Palestinian state, but there has to be one first, so I think that is somewhat premature."

Forgive me if I take a moment to savor this.  "There has to be one first..."  Chickens coming home to roost.  All these years in which the PA leaders did zilch to build the solid basis for a state has perhaps caught up with them. They imagined, perhaps, that they could coast forever -- constructing a virtual state diplomatically without actually producing one. 

Methinks that the response was a self-protective one, at bottom.  Ultimately the EU would look silly if it backed a state that doesn't have its act together and would fail to function.

But oh, the disappointment in Ramallah must be huge right now.  (Although Abbas, predictably, says he'll keep at it.)

~~~~~~~~~~

In point of fact, the Palestinians have been there, and done that, before. 

In 1988, the Palestinian National Council (the legislative body of the PLO, which at that time met in Algeria) proclaimed an independent state, which was endorsed by the UN General Assembly.  This was via Resolution 43/177, which  "acknowledged the proclamation of the State of Palestine by the Palestine National Council...and affirmed the need to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their sovereignty over their territory occupied since 1967."

What happened subsequent to this was nothing. Because there was no state.  You will note, please, that there is no representative from Palestine in the General Assembly, only a Palestinian with observer (non-voting) status.

~~~~~~~~~~

To declare a state unilaterally a second time would not be terribly smart.  In fact, right now it seems that this whole gambit is likely to weaken the PA, and diminish whatever respect it has in the street and internationally.  Abbas has backed himself out on a limb and cannot climb down without looking foolish. 

Ultimately this may strengthen Hamas, which will have a field day with the failure of the PA to garner international support.

The State Department has come out solidly for formation of a Palestinian state only via negotiations, and the EU has declared itself prepared to help get the PA back to the table.  But if the PA does return to the negotiating table -- even though we haven't, in line with absolute PA demands, frozen all building activity in Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem -- its position will be diminished by virtue of the fact that it was coerced. 

Arabs, culturally, are very big on issues of pride and face.  On at least two occasions already, Abbas has been upset with Obama for pushing him to take positions he didn't want to.  Once in September, when Abbas met with Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN, after swearing he wouldn't.  And a second time weeks later, when Abbas, at US prompting, withdrew a motion in the UN Human Rights Council on the Goldstone Report, which caused him considerable flack in the Arab world and prompted a quick reversal.  He's barely recovered from that.

If the PA refuses to come back to the negotiating table, there would be stalemate, which would not sit well at all in a number of Western capitals, most notably Washington DC.  What I wonder at this point is whether Abbas is willing, or able, to be coerced into backing down.

~~~~~~~~~~

You might be interested in seeing a piece by Jonathan Schnazer of the Jewish Policy Center, regarding ways in which a unilateral declaration of statehood could backfire on the PA.

www.jewishpolicycenter.org/1502/unilaterally-declaring-a-state-could-backfire-on

~~~~~~~~~~

Now as to a decision, or policy statement, that does not reflect a whole lot of reason.  (Can't expect too much reason in one day, I guess.) 

US Envoy Mitchell, acting on behalf of his government, has brought pressure to bear on us to stop building in the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo.  Gilo?  It seems strange that the US should focus on this neighborhood in particular (but see more below).

 Gilo is fully within the municipal borders of Jerusalem and is constructed on land that had been Jewishly purchased (there is no suggestion that it rests on Arab land).  It made news repeatedly some eight years ago when there was shooting at residential housing along its southern periphery by terrorists in adjacent Beit Jala.

While it is beyond the Green Line, so are numerous other neighborhoods of Jerusalem -- Ramat Eshkol, French Hill, Pisgat Zeev, etc.  From our perspective, this is irrelevant as it falls within full Israeli sovereignty and is an integral part of the city.

~~~~~~~~~~

The pressure from Mitchell in this regard has had no effect on Israeli policy.  Just today Jerusalem's Construction and Planning Committee approved the building of 850 new housing units, and Interior Minister Eli Yeshai signed the approval.

Said Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat, in a statement released by his office:

"Israeli law does not discriminate between Arabs and Jews, or between east and west of the city. The demand to cease construction just for Jews is illegal, also in the US and any other enlightened place in the world.

"It is inconceivable that the US government would demand a construction freeze in the US based on race, religion or sex, and the attempt to demand this from Jerusalem constitutes a double standard and is unacceptable. The Jerusalem Municipality will continue to enable construction in every part of the city for Jews and Arabs alike."

Bravo!

~~~~~~~~~~

And here we have a PA response to this, from Saeb Erekat:

"We condemn this in the strongest possible terms. It shows that it is meaningless to resume negotiations when this goes on."

Meaningless, huh?  Does this provide a clue regarding whether the PA will ultimately back down and come to the negotiating table?

I want to get this straight:  If they can't get Gilo, there's no point negotiating a Palestinian state?

~~~~~~~~~~

The British government also objected, saying:

"The Foreign Secretary has been very clear that a credible deal involves Jerusalem as a shared capital. Expanding settlements on occupied land in east Jerusalem makes that deal much harder. So this decision on Gilo is wrong and we oppose it."

So let's take a look at a map.  (The Green Line is yellow here.)  Gilo is not even in the east of Jerusalem.  It is, as I said, beyond the Green Line to the south.  Everything that was not in Israeli possession before '67 is being called "east Jerusalem."  And the presumption being made is that it all belongs to the Arabs. 

In their dreams.

~~~~~~~~~~

"In their dreams" is pretty much what Gilo residents have to say about this, as well.  YNet is reporting that people in the neighborhood are furious about the US demands, which they see as totally out of line.

Most interesting was this quote from Meir Turgeman, a Jerusalem council member, who blames what's happening on  "collaborators who went and leaked it out."

He explained:

"I don't believe that the Americans are up to date on the construction situation in Gilo and they aren't interested in it either. This came from within. There are people in this country and on the city council who are collaborating with external bodies who don't have Jerusalem's best interests at heart.

"There hasn't been construction in the Gilo neighborhood in over 10 years. What brought it on the agenda now all of a sudden? This is a good and diverse neighborhood. An example of Arabs and Jews living together in peace for many years.

"If anyone supports this and freezes construction in Gilo, the neighborhood's residents will go out and fight. We will not sit quietly and we will not allow any government to hurt Gilo."

So, Bravo! a second time.

~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday I wrote about the way in which former president Clinton misused demographic data to make the case that we must give the Palestinians a state before our Jewish state is swallowed up.  That argument has been thoroughly debunked.  To begin with, there was an over-estimation in the number of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria, and Gaza. An over-estimation to the tune of about 1 million people.  In addition, Palestinian birthrates have either stabilized or dropped (during various time periods), while Jewish birthrates have increased.

To see details and have access to various articles on the subject, see:

http://www.israeldemography.com:80/  (Thank you Michael W.)

~~~~~~~~~~

One more article (of the probably dozens I've seen) on the Fort Hood jihad massacre. This by Charles Krauthammer, who speaks of "Medicalizing mass murder." 

"...Presto! Secondary post-traumatic stress disorder, a handy invention to allow one to ignore the obvious.

"And the perfect moral finesse. Medicalizing mass murder not only exonerates. It turns the murderer into a victim, indeed a sympathetic one. After all, secondary PTSD, for those who believe in it (you won't find it in DSM-IV-TR, psychiatry's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), is known as 'compassion fatigue.' The poor man -- pushed over the edge by an excess of sensitivity."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/12/AR2009111209824.html

~~~~~~~~~~

Then you might want to see what was put out on this by Caroline Glick's "Latma" website of satirical video clips:

http://www.carolineglick.com/e/2009/11/video---latma-on-ft-hood-attac.php

~~~~~~~~~~

Iran, Iran, Iran.  The story that was horrendous gets more horrendous, as IAEA inspectors conclude Iran may have more hidden nuclear plants. And still Obama waivers.

~~~~~~~~~~

http://arlenefromisrael.squarespace.com/current-postings/2010/2/3/november-17-2009-an-eruption-of-reason.html

They're preparing their state for unilateral independence. Abbas has already spoken to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.  PA leaders have already approached the EU and they plan to take the issue to the Security Council. Etc. etc.

~~~~~~~~~~

But now we're starting to see our government's response to these threats.  At yesterday morning's Cabinet meeting there was a stiffening of positions.

Silvan Shalom (Likud), Deputy Prime Minister, who's been singing a less conciliatory song of late, said:

"I think the Palestinians need to know that unilateral moves will not yield the results they hope for. Every action will receive an appropriate Israeli response."

While Minister of Infrastructure Uzi Landau (Yisrael Beitenu) declared:

"The unilateral Palestinian move is a hostile initiative. I think it is brazen. The initiative is meant to torpedo any chance for negotiations. It must be made clear that any unilateral declaration on their part that is meant to deteriorate the chances for negotiations needs to be accompanied from our side with annexation of territories in Judea and Samaria." 

~~~~~~~~~~

Broadly, what he was referring to were the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria -- not all of Judea and Samaria, which would include areas that are heavily Arab-populated.  Within Jewish-populated Judea and Samaria are some major community blocs, a few cities, a scattering of smaller villages, and that small part of Hevron that we control, with Kiryat Arba immediately adjacent.

Caroline Glick, in her column last Friday, made a similar suggestion.  She said that -- in response to the various pressures and attempts to diminish us that we currently endure -- it's time to incorporate into Israel all Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, plus the Jordan Valley, which is crucial for our security.

Technically, the process would not be one of annexation, for these areas are part of unclaimed Mandate land.  All we need to do is claim them, by extending Israel's civil law to these regions -- just as we extended civil law to eastern Jerusalem and the Golan. (Communities in Judea and Samaria today are administered under Israeli military law.)

While ALL of the land is ours from the river to the sea, extending Israeli civil law to areas such as Ramallah would be a "tad" difficult now.  This could have, and should have, been done in 1967.

But how marvelous it would be if we made it clear to the world that Gush Etzion, and Ma'aleh Adumim, Ariel, and Shilo, and Beit El, and Jewish Hevron (see below) and Kiryat Arba, etc. etc. are all fully under Israeli sovereignty.  That there could be no expectation, ever, of our returning to pre-67 lines.  And how wonderful for the residents of these areas, finally and at long last, to be governed under the same laws that govern residents of Tel Aviv.

What Landau was suggesting was something that would be done only in response to a unilateral Palestinian action. 

But to have this mentioned in a Cabinet meeting... a move in the right (double entendre intended) direction.

~~~~~~~~~~

That Prime Minister Netanyahu was thinking roughly along the same lines was made clear later in the day yesterday.

For the past two days a major Forum has been held here in Jerusalem, run by the Saban Center for Middle East Policy (which is part of the Brookings Institute in Washington DC and is directed by Martin Indyk). 

Last night Netanyahu addressed the Forum.  His talk included this:

"There is no substitute for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and any unilateral attempts outside that framework will unravel the existing agreements between us and could entail unilateral steps by Israel."

~~~~~~~~~~

Today, Landau, in cooperation with Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, has carried this one step further, proposing legislation with regard to extending our sovereignty.  The full content of that proposed legislation has not been spelled out (if indeed it is even worked out), but what seems clear is that it is conceptualized as a response to a Palestinian unilateral move.

But now Landau was a bit more specific, and a great deal more expansive, in terms of what areas he is talking about:  "Israeli sovereignty over all of area C."  (Citation from to the Post.)

This refers to the division of Judea and Samaria agreed upon with the Oslo Accords:  Area A = full PA control, Area B = PA civic control and Israeli military control, and Area C = full Israeli control.  This encompasses an area far greater than that of all the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria combined -- which comprise less than 5% of the whole.

Designed as it would be to counter Palestinian unilateral action, it would render a Palestinian state an impossibility.

I hasten to caution, however, that unless we're pushed a whole lot harder, something like this is not likely to go very far in the Knesset.  In fact, it's most likely to go nowhere.  More's the pity.

But I like it that this is entering the political discourse. 

~~~~~~~~~~

I would like here, in this context, to recommend an article by Timna Katz, "Love of the Land: The Testing Ground of Shdema":

"The lesson of Oslo is tragic but profound. Oslo turned the 'peace process' into the country’s supreme value and goal. To keep this process going, the Israeli leadership was prepared to sacrifice almost every Jewish and Zionist truth. It exchanged the old values and ideals for a realpolitik that served the enemy’s narrative and goals. Even when the results of Oslo proved to be the polar opposites of its intended goals -- war instead of peace, increased Arab rejectionism instead of increased Arab acceptance, international isolation instead of international normalization – Israel continued down the same disastrous path. The one and only justification against total capitulation to Arab demands that Israel mustered was the ‘security’ card: Israel can’t immediately relinquish all of Yesha because she has no choice but to defend herself against ‘terrorism’.

"While the damage of the above approach has been great, its bankruptcy has become so evident that even current leaders who continue to dance to the Oslo tune have started to pay lip service to the old values and truths: that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish People and Jews cannot be ‘occupiers’ in the Biblical heartland and cradle of their civilization."

http://rickscafamerican.blogspot.com/2009/11/love-of-land-testing-ground-of-shdema.html

~~~~~~~~~~

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has predicted that the chances that a unilaterally-declared Palestinian state would receive Security Council sanction are very low.  In addressing the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee today, he said:

"...the Americans also understand that unilateralism buries any chance for peace. They will be very uncomfortable with such a move."  And indeed, US senators visiting here today expressed displeasure with PA intimations of unilateralism and the expectation that the US would veto this.

Leiberman then reiterated the government position:

"Any unilateral move will be met with a unilateral move on our part. We have a lot to do in response."

And he made a very significant point:

"Unilaterally declaring a state is a violation of the agreements [the PLO] signed with Israel, and Israel will also be freed of its obligations."

~~~~~~~~~~

What irks me the most is the way in which the PA continues its eternal role as victim -- in this instance painting itself as the negotiating partner ever-eager for peace that has had to confront an intransigent Israel.

Consider this statement today by Ahmed Qurei, member of the PLO Executive Committee and former PA prime minister:

"So far we have made negotiations our top priority, but this has led nowhere apart from additional settlements, creating facts on the ground and reinforcing the process of Judaizing Jerusalem."

"...as people living under occupation, we are committed to looking into other options. Diplomacy is an option, turning to the UN is an option, the popular struggle is an option. All options are available and we have many possibilities."

~~~~~~~~~~

I will remind one and all that:

[] The PLO is still committed to Israel's destruction, having never amended its charter.

[] The PA during the entire period of Oslo has supported terrorism in one guise or another.

[] The PA textbooks are still rife with incitement.

[] The PA idea of negotiations is to make intractable demands without conceding anything.  They are still seeking return to pre-67 lines (including in Jerusalem) and return of "refugees."

[] The PA was twice offered a state in negotiations and twice turned it down.

[] Since the formation of the PA via Oslo over 15 years ago, this authority has neither built proper infrastructure nor  established the civic underpinnings for a responsible and self-sufficient state.

Note: The PLO is the over-arching umbrella organization that ostensibly speaks for all Palestinians; it negotiated the Oslo Accords. The PA is the (theoretically interim) administrative entity established by Oslo.  In reality the two are broadly overlapping.

~~~~~~~~~~

Former president Bill Clinton also spoke at the Saban Forum. He talked turkey to the Palestinians, telling them, "Take where we are and the reformulation of the settlement issue and find a way [to move forward]," by which he meant it was time for them to stop making a federal case about the fact that Obama had insisted on a settlement freeze and then backed off on that.

But he also threw statements at us -- in an attempt to push us along -- that were either inaccurate or unreasonable.  First, he used the demographic card, telling us that because Palestinians are having children at a faster rate, our Jewish state is at risk.  But this argument has been disproved by statistics in recent years.

And then he said that it was only a matter of time before Hamas would be able to put a GPS system on its rockets launched into Israel.  "The trajectory of technology is not your friend, … you need to get this done and you do have partners."

This facile warning, this attempt to frighten us into an agreement, on the face of it is nonsense, because we're currently supposed to be negotiating with the PA in Judea and Samaria, and Hamas in Gaza is outside the loop in any event. 

Why do ostensible leaders (or former leaders) persist in ignoring this elephant in the room?

~~~~~~~~~~

"The Good News Corner"

This past Shabbat we read "Chaye Sarah" as our Torah portion.  It tells of the death of Sarah and the purchase by Avraham of a field, which held a cave, for Sarah's burial.  This was in Hevron, and Avraham paid Ephron the Hittite 400 silver shekels for it.  (Bresheit 23:16) All of our patriarchs and matriarchs, with the exception of Rachel, are buried there, in the Ma'arat HaMachpela.  (The original double cave is hidden way beneath the current structure.)

It is customary in recent years to visit Hevron during the Shabbat of this reading.  But this year was incredible:  20,000 people came.  They were hosted by families in Hevron and in adjacent Kiryat Arba.  They slept in yeshiva buildings and in tents. 

Surely this is something akin to a miracle, and echoes the theme of the awakening of our people that is emerging slowly now.

For more about the Machpela:  http://www.machpela.com/.  Enter the site, take the tours.

~~~~~~~~~~

http://arlenefromisrael.squarespace.com/current-postings/2010/1/21/november-16-2009-responding-with-strength.html 

From Washington, PM Netanyahu flew to Paris, where he met with President Sarkozy.  News reports today have it that Netanyahu delivered a message to Syrian president Bashar Assad that he would be willing to resume negotiations with Syria at any time and any place, without preconditions.  Assad is supposed to be in Paris to meet with Sarkozy today and presumably will get this message.

Huh? you may be asking.  What?

Assad is the one who has been putting out feelers regarding seeking "peace" in recent days, but has explained that achieving peace doesn't come only via negotiations, it also involves "resistance."  

Syria was the destination point for the horrendous collection of weapons confiscated on the arms ship Francop.  Just as Syria has fostered the smuggling of weapons across its border to Hezbollah in Lebanon, in violations of the embargo on arms to Hezbollah. And Assad has declared how solid is his nation's relationship with Iran.

Does Netanyahu really see it as constructive to have peace negotiations with Syria now?  Does he think there may be the opportunity to reach an honest agreement that is beneficial to us?

~~~~~~~~~~

I may be one of the last hold-outs on the right.   It's possible that Netanyahu has flipped.  It's possible he has sold out.  (I know I'm likely to hear from people who tell me it's obvious he has.)  But I'm going to say what I said the other day:  I don't know.  I am nervous as hell, but will not yet judge because my information is insufficient.

I remain ever mindful of the broader context -- including the need for support with regard to Iran -- that must be factored into the equation.  It's a big step from selling Israel out to playing a game in order to position Israel better at a very threatening time. That game is dangerous, but Netanyahu may be proceeding with appropriate intent. May.  We have not yet heard about anything that he has actually conceded or caved on.  No concessions he has made. It's all worried speculation. And a lot of secrecy.

Consider this: Assad's unequivocal demand is to have the Golan Heights returned to Syria. Matter of national pride and all that.  He always says there will be no peace with Israel without that.

Netanyahu knows this very well.  He knows that this is a pre-condition that Assad insists upon, whether formally or not. Yet he says he is willing to enter negotiations with Syria if there are no pre-conditions.  Does he expect at the get-go that his offer will be rejected by Assad? Is he planning a "pretend" negotiation that will lead nowhere?

Or...is he prepared to relinquish the Golan under the "right" circumstances?

According to the newspaper al-Arabiya , Netanyahu said in Paris that he would relinquish the Golan in return for peace.  The prime minister's office absolutely denies this.

~~~~~~~~~~

The Golan is legally part of Israel proper, governed under Israeli civil law.  That makes its status different legally from that of Judea and Samaria.  Netanyahu cannot simply sign away the Golan -- the process would be stringent.

I will not review here in detail all of the many reasons why we should never, ever give up the Golan. But if this issue becomes serious, you can bet I'll come back to it.

~~~~~~~~~~

Let us, for the moment, return to our other headache, the Palestinians:

A senior official in Fatah announced today that the PA Central Elections Committee is going to recommend that the elections (for president and the legislature), scheduled for January 24, be postponed because it would not be possible for Palestinians in Gaza to vote.

Gee, what a surprise.

~~~~~~~~~~

Understand please that Abbas has not resigned.  He simply declared with great drama that he was weary and would not run in the next elections.  So... if the elections are postponed until who-knows-when, for the interim he is still PA president.

And factor this in, as well:  According to the newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat in London (as cited in IMRA), the Fatah Central Committee has declared itself firmly in favor of Abbas as the candidate for the presidency.  (Abbas has been pumping for this sort of endorsement.)

What is more, according to this paper, in the event that Abbas does decide not to run when the election is finally held, there is no support within the Central Committee for the candidacy of Marwan Barghouti, who is a member of the Central Committee now, but serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison.  (The assumption is made, repeatedly, that he'll get out in the course of a trade, and thus be able to function politically within the PA.)  

This is interesting, as Barghouti is frequently touted as a possible successor to Abbas and the man best able to make things happen.  There are even left-wing Israelis who have -- ludicrously -- pumped for this.

~~~~~~~~~~

Lastly we have this: According to the Palestinian news agency Maan, Hamas leader Dr Aziz Ad-Dweik has announced that by the end of this month Hamas will sign the reconciliation agreement brokered by Egypt.  Egypt has penciled into the margins of the agreement some reservations voiced by Hamas -- what, specifically, was not explained, but we know that attending to Hamas reservations can only lead to greater radicalism.  At any rate, Hamas now feels its concerns have been attended to.

Declared Dweik, "By the end of the month you'll hear what will delight your hearts."

The PA already signed the Egyptian proposal, but will have to sign, or initial, the new, adjusted agreement.  No problem is anticipated on this score (but who knows).  The signing would signal the beginning of the process of establishing a unity coalition. 

Then there would be a whole new drama to attend to, with a different dynamic in place. 

There are all sorts of heavy implications, regarding the "peace process," establishment of a state, and the training by the US of PA security forces (a big concern).  I will visit each of these issues as the situation unfolds. 

I am particularly interested in seeing how those supporting a Palestinian state will respond to a Fatah-Hamas coalition (should it evolve), and what sorts of pretzels they'll turn themselves into as they seek to justify it. I hope that the Hamas reservations are sufficiently blatant in their radical perspective so that it will be impossible to claim that Hamas has "moderated."

~~~~~~~~~~

Thank Heaven for Shabbat, especially after this upside-down week.  Next posting will be early next week.

~~~~~~~~~~

 http://arlenefromisrael.squarespace.com/current-postings/2010/1/21/november-12-2009-no-closer.html

~~~~~~~~~~
 
But here we sit, and there is the sense of going round, of spinning with the rumors and the game-playing.  Not being able to tell quite what is the truth of our situation or where we'll end up.
 
One piece of information I received today -- off the record -- may be encouraging.  And while I cannot share the information, I can certainly pass on my tentative sense that it's not all bad.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
However, there is absolutely nothing optimistic about the declaration by Fatah Central Committee member Mohammad Dahlan that the PA may seek a resolution by the Security Council that would recognize the borders of a Palestinian state. I shared here just days ago the comment by former law professor Ruth Lapidot that there is no agency that recognizes nations, so whether the Palestinians could pull this off at all is debatable. 
 
But at the end of the day, we must hope that Obama, committed to the negotiation process, would veto this as inappropriate. 
 
Abbas -- in a talk he gave at his Mukata headquarters in Ramallah in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of Arafat's death -- echoed Dahlan's theme:
 
"A Palestinian state is a truth recognized by the world, and we are now leading a battle to have its border recognized."
 
Sounds like this is the tactic they've settled on for now.
 
~~~~~~~~~~ 
 
But even this is complicated.   Khaled Abu Toameh, in a piece today, reported that Al-Quds al-Arabi in London is saying that some members of Fatah are criticizing Fayyad's plan for a state in two years, because they had not been consulted in advance.  So their power struggle might at some level undercut plans to advance their state. (Nothing new in that.)
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
Returning to Abbas and his talk at the Mukata:  Assuring the crowd that the Palestinian people will not give up, he declared that "our revolution is the most difficult and the longest revolution in history."   
 
He didn't explain why the "revolution" continues, when the people could have had a state in 2000, and again in 2008.  His mentor, Arafat, turned down the first offer, and he, the second.
 
Instead, he delivered the inevitable accusations:

"Israel is violating international law. Israel is behaving like a country above law. The international community must force Israel to stop its violations and end its occupation of the Palestinian territories, including east Jerusalem.

"We gave peace a precious chance, but we see that Israel is continuing to steal land and 'Judaize' Jerusalem. This is in addition to excavation under al-Aksa mosque."

"Judaizing Jerusalem"  One of my favorite of the accusations coming from the PA.  Is this not an oxymoron, as Jerusalem IS Jewish?

But with the oxymoron, came the libel -- that blatant and ubiquitous lie -- regarding excavations under the mosque.  They never quit.

~~~~~~~~~~

Could this, just possibly, be enough to move Obama with regard to his position on Iran?

According to official Iranian media sources, last night, at a meeting of the Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Ahmadinejad placed a challenge before Obama.  It's time, he said, for the American president to make good on his promise of "Change."

"The support of both Israel and Iran can't go hand in hand. No change is made unless great choices are made.

"We would welcome the changes, and wait for big and correct decisions to be made… We will clasp any hand that is extended sincerely toward us, but changes should be made in practice."

Put plainly, Ahmadinejad was saying, "Obama, old buddy, it's us or Israel, you can't have both."

Now, it's something of an understatement to say that Obama has bent over backwards overlooking and justifying unacceptable behavior from Muslim nations.  But this sort of audacious challenge might be too much for even him.  

~~~~~~~~~~

The Security Council held a closed-door debate yesterday about implementation of resolution 1701, which brought our 2006 war in Lebanon to a close.  In the course of the discussion, according to one participant, the US accused Iran of violating a UN arms embargo by secretly sending weapons to Syria via the arms ship the Francop.

US deputy ambassador Alejandro Wolff told the council that the concealed arms shipment, "clearly manifested from Iran to Syria" -- in violation of a March 2007 arms embargo -- provides "unambiguous evidence of the destabilizing proliferation of arms in the region."

Israel has released documents -- such as a customs form from the Iranian Armed Forces -- and photos to substantiate the fact that the origin of the arms cache was Iran and that its destination was Syria.

What I want to know is, now that the closed door session is over and the accusation has been made -- what? Where do we see follow-through, penalties, restriction on Iranian activities, or plans for increased sanctions?

Where do we even see a public statement on this by the US?

~~~~~~~~~~

I recommend Daniel Pipe's comments on the events at Fort Hood.  Identifying himself as "a charter member of the jihad school of interpretation," which "perceives Hasan's attack as one of many Muslim efforts to vanquish infidels and impose Islamic law," he rejects other explanations of Hasan's actions as "weak, obfuscatory, and apologetic."

What makes his piece stand out is that he lists a number of other jihadist attacks and the lame explanations that were offered with regard to them. For example: "His recent, arranged marriage may have made him stressed" (killing with an SUV in northern California).

Pipes concludes:

"If the jihad explanation is overwhelmingly more persuasive than the victim one, it's also far more awkward to articulate. Everyone finds blaming road rage, Accutane, or an arranged marriage easier than discussing Islamic doctrines. And so, a prediction: what Ralph Peters calls the army's 'unforgivable political correctness' will officially ascribe Hasan's assault to his victimization and will leave jihad unmentioned.

"And thus will the army blind itself and not prepare for its next jihadi attack."

http://www.radicalislam.org/news/sudden-jihad-or-inordinate-stress-ft-hood 

Pipes is director of the Middle East Forum.

~~~~~~~~~~

"The Good News Corner"

"Wing of Love" is a wild life park situated in Kibbutz Kfar Menahem in central Israel.  But it's a very special park, with a unique mission.  Fourteen to 18 year olds with police records live on the premises, and work there, on court order. In the main, they assist with the rehabilitation of protected species of fowl and assist with park maintenance. The goal is for the boys to bond with the animals and each other, in an atmosphere of hope.

Michele Klein, spokeswoman of the park, explained the park's philosophy to ISRAEL21c:

"The boys are under our wing - one wing - because they are also supposed to develop their own wing...they are participating in the process that will allow them to fly the rest of the way on two wings. And this place is meant to be a garden of love for people and animals..."

Volunteers from a variety of fields -- from air force cadets to persons in hi-tech -- work with the boys, providing them with contacts they would not otherwise have.

~~~~~~~~~~

When there is heart disease, blood vessels around the heart either become clogged or die. Now Israeli researchers -- Dr. Britta Hardy and Prof. Alexander Battler of Tel Aviv University -- have developed a protein that can be injected straight into the muscles of the body to stimulate regrowth of tiny blood vessels in just weeks.

"The biotechnology behind our human-based protein therapy is very complicated, but the goal is simple and the solution is straightforward," says Hardy. "We intend to inject our drug locally to heal any oxygen-starved tissue."

Where damaged vessels around the heart are concerned, the hope is to reduce the need for by-pass surgery. But this work was begun in an effort to prevent limb amputation.

~~~~~~~~~~

http://arlenefromisrael.squarespace.com/current-postings/2010/1/21/november11-2009-round-we-go.html

~~~~~~~~~~

A sum-up:

Netanyahu's speech to the GA during the day yesterday was replete with comments (painful to read) about how he really truly wants to achieve a peace deal with the Palestinians -- how he'll go to the negotiating table any time, and encourages Abbas to join him there, etc. etc.

The big question, to which I still have no answer, is whether he really truly means it, or is doing damage control -- confident that the Palestinians won't bite.

From a reliable source I today learned that there are people within the administration (although no names were named)pushing Obama to abandon the "peace process" and recognize a Palestinian state . 

That might motivate Netanyahu to seek ways to keep the process alive -- or at least to keep it from appearing  moribund. 

~~~~~~~~~~

While he says he will go to the negotiating table without preconditions, he does stipulate red lines with regard to achieving an agreement.  Yesterday he spoke about end of conflict, the need for the Palestinians to recognize us as a Jewish state, and the fact that we will never accept Palestinian "refugees": "The Palestinians must recognize that the fantasy of flooding Israel with refugees is gone.”  

And he spoke as well about the need for the Palestinian state to be demilitarized:  “We cannot permit another Gaza in the heart of our country.”  I mention here, however, that there are serious analysts who claim this would not be possible, that once a sovereign state (again, G-d forbid) were to be established, we could not deny it an army.  At any rate, he makes security a priority and if he is serious about this, it is an absolute given that we need high places in Samaria, and the Jordan Valley, and strategic depth provided by communities adjacent to the Green Line -- Ma'aleh Adumim, Gush Etzion, etc.

All of this, as fair and reasonable as it is in terms of our needs and rights (yes, I know we have more rights than these!), is unacceptable to the Palestinians. Thus, as long as these are Netanyahu's red lines, no matter how he protests that he's working hard for a final settlement, and no matter how much he may mean it, the simple unalterable truth is that there will not be one.

~~~~~~~~~~

Netanyahu and Obama met last night for almost two hours.  But there was a black-out on the meeting and the standard joint press conference and photo op never materialized.  All we can say with some certainty is that Iran and the "peace process" were both discussed. 

There was some speculation that the silence either meant that there was no meeting of the minds during discussions and thus nothing positive to report, or that Netanyahu caved in some substantial way and didn't want to make it public.  But we don't know this. (See below)

From the White House came a statement about how the president remains committed to our security. That gave me an uneasy feeling (never mind that his concept of Israeli security is not the same as mine), for I've observed that this is a throw-away line -- intended to mollify and reassure -- that frequently accompanies an Israeli concession. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Netanyahu even cancelled his routine meeting with Israeli reporters.  Clearly he did not want to be questioned.  Responding later to comments that the meeting must have gone badly, he said:

"The atmosphere during the meeting with President Obama was very open and very warm. The importance of the visit will be ascertained in the future."

The meeting, he added, had been "positive and to the point," and that it had dealt with the peace process and Israel's security.  "We discussed these issues in detail, practically, and out of friendship."

Which tells us what, exactly? 

This business of the meeting's importance being "ascertained in the future" leads me full circle to my opening comment about the possibility that we're on the cusp of changes. SOMETHING was decided or agreed upon.  The silence did not simply reflect dissension.

While security is an issue raised in the context of forming a Palestinian state, we must remember that it applies as well to Iran -- about which Netanyahu was mum here.

~~~~~~~~~~

Already the Palestinians are backing off with some of their threats.  Today PA negotiator Saeb Erekat denied that he ever called for the PA to be dismantled: "I didn't say that. Nobody said that."

Right...

~~~~~~~~~~

You might want to see this incisive article by Elliott Abrams about the complete and total failure of Obama's Middle East policy.  While I don't agree with all of it (we shouldn't be too complacent about PA security forces taking on terrorism -- a subject I must return to), he makes several excellent points. At the end of the day we could say that Obama is an equal opportunity president -- he and his secretary of state alienate all parties equally.

Abrams, who is now senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, has served in a number of positions in government, most recently as Deputy National Security Advisor for George Bush.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/017/187pwixc.asp  (Thanks, Cheryl)

~~~~~~~~~~

Netanyahu is now on his way to France, where he will meet with President Sarkozy tomorrow.  Not likely to be an easy trip.  Today French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said this:
"What really hurts me, and this shocks us, is that before there used to be a great peace movement in Israel. There was a left that made itself heard and a real desire for peace.

"It seems to me, and I hope that I am completely wrong, that this desire has completely vanished, as though people no longer believe in it."

A fairly vile but not atypical statement.  Being ready to make major concessions and surrender Israeli rights is what qualifies one as "for peace."

While Sarkozy has been a disappointment in several respects, his relationship with us is far better than Kouchner's.

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From one savvy reader has come this comment with regard to the Fort Hood jihad massacre:

"The biggest question of all, and one NO ONE is asking: How many more traitors have infiltrated our military and how demoralizing will it be for our brave young men and women in uniform to be looking over their shoulders in fear of their comrades in arms?"

I thought this worth repeating, and thank you, Micki.

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In this very regard, David Horowitz (publisher of Front Page Magazine, don't confuse him with the editor of the Jerusalem Post) has provided a no-holds barred analysis of the situation:

"The Ft. Hood killings are the chickens of the left coming home to roost...The fifth column formed out of the unholy alliance between radical Islam and the American left is now entrenched in the White House and throughout our government."

http://frontpagemag.com/2009/11/09/our-brain-dead-country-by-david-horowitz/

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I also heard from a former associate of mine, who used to do undercover work (in a hijab) in places of Muslim radicalism.  She picked up on what I wrote yesterday regarding Anwar al-Awlaki, who served as imam in a mosque in VA that both Hasan and three of the 9/11 terrorists attended. She identified the mosque as the Dar al-Hijrah Mosque in Falls Church, Virginia, which, she said was and is one of the most radical mosques in the US.  She found going there scary.  (Not, she says, that the one in Silver Spring he was reported to have attended is much better.)

(This lady knows I appreciate her comments, and I won't identify her even by first name.)

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 http://arlenefromisrael.squarespace.com/current-postings/2010/1/14/november-10-2009-now-what.html