The Israel-Arab Conflict Should be the Last Item on John Kerry’s To-Do-List
Events in Egypt, Turkey, Syria and beyond have shown that an agreement with any autocrat whose time in power is likely to be short-lived would not be sustainable. PA Chairman Abbas is an autocrat and therefore can’t be propped up in any sustainable way with all the will in the world.Kerry’s peace plan includes ‘settlement freeze outside major blocs’
George W. Bush was right. If America wishes to export peace, it must first export democracy. And if it is progress that Kerry seeks, this is where he must begin.
US Secretary of State John Kerry’s much-anticipated formula for peace talks progress will include the release of 103 Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel before the 1993 Oslo Accords and a freeze on all settlement construction outside the major blocs, the London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayat reported Saturday.The Baker Paper: Kerry's guide to Mideast peacemaking
The plan is predicated on the relaunching of direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians; the talks, aimed at a permanent accord, would last between six to nine months and include several phases.
This principle is the direct opposite of the approach taken in the past: that nothing is agreed upon until everything is agreed upon. The idea behind immediately implementing agreed-upon steps is, as the Baker paper put it, to “transform the economic, social, and security environment on the ground while working concurrently to achieve breakthroughs on permanent status issues.”BBC gets one of its facts on “Palestine” right
In other words, create visible, positive momentum on the ground that people can see, which – at least in theory – could create an incentive for the sides to crack the hard nut issues: such as Jerusalem and the refugees.
At least in theory.
But imagine my shock when I heard – amid this feast of West-bashing and pandering to Arab grudges – the mention, en passant, of the non-existence of any “Palestine” prior to the 1920s. So unlike the Beeb to let this one slip. At roughly 6 minutes 20 seconds into the programme, the presenter and historian are perusing a pre-World War I map of the Middle East:Disgraced Former British MP Blames ‘Zionist Lobby’ for Iran Satellite TV Ban
Presenter: What was this area called at that time?
Historian: Well, it wasn’t called any of the names we know it as today. It wasn’t Syria and it wasn’t Palestine, particularly. These were Western names, and Roman names sometimes, we used to refer to this part of the world, but at that time it was all just part of the Ottoman Empire.
Disgraced British politician Lord Nazir Ahmed blamed the “Zionist lobby” for a U.S. decision to extend sanctions against Iran to international satellite television companies, which will drop all Iranian programming, regime television channel Press TV reported, quoting Ahmed.DM Digital fined £105,000 over speech that condoned murder for blasphemy
A British TV channel has been fined £105,000 after it aired a live lecture by an Islamic scholar who allegedly advocated killing people who insult the prophet Muhammad.Investigation Approved on Arab Incitement Against Pro-IDF Christian Leader
Manchester-based station DM Digital, which describes itself as Britain's most-watched Asian channel, broadcast the one-hour programme in Urdu in October 2011.
Israeli Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein has signed off on a secret investigation of Arab members of the Israeli Knesset over their alleged incitement against pro-IDF Christian leader Father Gabriel Nadaf, the Knesset’s Internal Affairs and Environment Committee said in a statement on Wednesday.Richard Millett: Faithless guitarist Dave Randall suggests Israelis could feel “liberated” after Palestinians have exercised “right of return”.
At one stage there was a surreal discussion about the size of the anti-Iraq war march through London and the size of the crowds in Tahrir Square. Wiles said that although BDS wasn’t as big they would, instead, be more “strategic”.Mark Steyn: The Princess and the Brotherhood
Just as well because with only 30 people in the audience Wiles, Ziadah, Randall and War On Want are embarrassing themselves. And now you can understand more fully why even arch-critic of Israel Norman Finkelstein felt compelled to call the BDS lot “a cult of dishonesty” with no other desire than to destroy Israel.
Ninety years ago, Fuad I’s kingdom was a ramshackle Arab approximation of a Westminster constitutional monarchy: Even in its flaws and corruptions, it knew at least what respectable societies were supposed to aspire to. Nasser’s one-party state was worse, Mubarak’s one-man klepto-state worse still, and Morsi’s antidote to his predecessors worst of all — so far. You can measure the decay in a tale of two consorts. After she left the shah, Princess Fawzia served as the principal hostess of the Egyptian court. In tiara and off-the-shoulder gowns, she looks like a screen siren from Hollywood’s golden age — Hedy Lamarr, say, in Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945). Sixty years later, no Egyptian woman could walk through Cairo with bare shoulders without risking assault. President Morsi’s wife, Naglaa Ali Mahmoud, is his first cousin, and covered from head to toe. If you were a visiting foreign minister, you were instructed not to shake hands, or even look at her. If you did, you’d notice that the abaya-clad crone bore an odd resemblance to the mom of the incendiary Tsarnaev brothers. Eschewing the title first lady, she preferred to be known as “first servant.” Egypt’s first couple embodied only the parochial, inbred dead end of Islamic imperialism — what remains when all else is dead or fled.Jeffrey Goldberg: Good Riddance to Brotherhood’s Fake Democrats
A few months ago, King Abdullah II of Jordan told me about his meetings with Mohamed Mursi, the now-deposed president of Egypt. The king wasn’t fond of Mursi, both because the Egyptian was a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, and because Abdullah found Mursi exceedingly stupid.Barry Rubin: Egypt: A Teachable Moment in World History”
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 4, 2013Egypt on edge after clashes and Islamist pushback
What has just happened in Egypt is an amazing story and its meaning for the region is earthshaking. The apparent tidal wave of advance for revolutionary Islamism has been flicked aside by the courage of millions of Egyptians but—let’s remember—it would have been futile if the army had not taken their side. Just as on this spot 150 years ago to the day, another such great battle ended in the preservation of the United States.
Egyptians were on edge Saturday morning after supporters and opponents of ousted President Mohammed Morsi fought overnight street battles that left at least 30 dead across the increasingly divided country.Security forces raid Al Jazeera Egyptian TV channel
Cairo’s emblematic Tahrir Square and nearby approaches to the River Nile were largely empty but left strewn with debris. Thousands of Morsi’s Islamist supporters had marched to the area demanding his reinstatement but ended up fleeing under a hail of stones, fireworks and sometimes gunfire.
CAIRO (Reuters) - Security forces raided the Cairo offices of Al Jazeera's Egyptian television channel on Wednesday and detailed at least five staff, hours after the army toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, a journalist at the station said.Former Israeli Ambassador: Destiny of Middle East Determined by Egypt Stability
Yehuda Avner, a former Israeli ambassador and adviser to five prime ministers, told Facebook followers on Thursday that the destiny of the Middle East would be determined by Egypt’s stability.Pope Francis to meet relatives of AMIA bombing victims
“What is now happening in Egypt is proof that elections in and of themselves do not a democracy make,” Ambassador Avner wrote.
Pope Francis is scheduled to meet Friday at the Vatican with a delegation of relatives of victims of the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community building in Buenos Aires.Indo-Israel trade has touched USD 6 billion: Israeli diplomat
The meeting between the Argentinean pope and the relatives takes place two weeks before the anniversary of the attack that killed 85 people. Among those meeting the pope are relatives Sergio Burstein, Olga Degtiar and Graciela Furman y Rosa Barrerio. Daniel Komarovsky a member of the group called Relatives and Friends of the Victims, also is among them.
The bilateral trade which was at USD 200 million in 1992, the trade diversified and reached USD 5.15 billion in 2011 and USD 6 billion in 2012-13, Zaken said.Oren announces ending term as US envoy in fall
Several new areas of cooperation have been identified by the two countries, including agriculture, farm research, science, public health, information technology, telecom, and co-operation in space, he said.
According to the diplomat, Israeli industry is keen to take advantage of synergies with India in areas like water Technologies, infotech and sectors where Israel is strong. (h/t Zvi)
Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren announced Friday that he would conclude his term as envoy to Washington in the fall, after four years on the job.
Oren wrote on his Facebook page Friday, "I am grateful for the opportunity to represent the State of Israel and its Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to the United States, President Barack Obama, the Congress, and the American people."