Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

PLO conceded Gilo in 2008 negotiations

From the Washington Post (h/t David G):

By his own account, President Mahmoud Abbas’s hard-line stance on the settlement issue is unfounded: He has said more than once that he adopted it only because he felt obliged to match a similar demand by President Obama. Mr. Obama, however, has dropped that condition; and as the Palestinians know, the matter is purely symbolic — both sides agree that Israel will annex the Jerusalem neighborhoods and West Bank settlements where most of the building is going on. For example, during a previous round of negotiations, Mr. Abbas’s negotiators specifically agreed to Israeli annexation of the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo; yet an announcement of new construction there last week prompted theatrical denunciations by those same Palestinian officials, as well as criticism from the Quartet.

Here is one of the parts from a June 2008 meeting where Saeb Erekat said that the PLO was conceding Gilo:

Saeb: Our proposition will allow for the inclusion of 70% of settlers, that is about 310,000 settlers.

Rice: Did you see their proposition?

Livni: We looked at it. There are no Ma’ale Adumim, Ephrat, Ariel, Giv’at Ze’ev or Har Homa (Jabal Abu Ghneim).

Saeb: Why do I not say the opposite, that there are Zakhron Ya’cov, the French Hill, Ramat Eshkol, Ramot Alon, Ramat Shlomo, Gilo, Tal Piot, and the Jewish Quarter in the old city of Jerusalem.

Also, in 2009:

Addressing Israel's controversial plan to build hundreds of housing units in Jerusalem's southeastern Gilo neighborhood, visiting French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Wednesday, "I understand that this is not a political decision, and it should not be an obstacle to resuming negotiations."

Speaking to Israeli reporters at the Jaffa residence of French Ambassador Chritophe Bigot, Kouchner said that while France is opposed to settlement construction in principle, "this case (Gilo) should not be an obstacle."

Long time Arab prisoner "in coma" due to hunger strike

Firas Press reports that there is a week-old hunger strike by Arab prisoners in Ashkelon over prison conditions, including their displeasure at prisoners being searched. (!)

One of the prisoners, Akram Mansour, who Firas says is serving a life sentence and has been held since 1979, is said to be in a coma from his hunger strike. Firas claims he has brain cancer as well.

Middle East Monitor, the UK-based pro-terrorist website, says that Mansour is being held "for his role in seizing an Israeli bus in response to a major Israeli military incursion."

However, Mansour actually was sentenced for murdering a reserve soldier named Yitzchak Trumpeldor in 1979.

In April, a Palestinian Authority TV show praised Mansour and send "greetings of love and loyalty" to him, using his loving nickname "the beast."

UN springs into action, may consider thinking about studying the idea of possible unspecified measures against Syria

From Al Arabiya:

European nations are calling for a vote Tuesday on a U.N. resolution that would consider sanctions if the Syrian government doesn’t immediately halt its military crackdown against civilians.

Diplomats said it was unclear whether Russia, which opposes even mentioning the possibility of sanctions against President Bashar Assad’s regime, will veto or abstain on the resolution, according to The Associated Press.

Early last week, the Europeans presented a new draft resolution that dropped the immediate imposition of sanctions.

Instead, it expressed “determination” to review within 30 days Syria’s compliance with the resolution’s demands.

They include immediately ending all violence, allowing fundamental rights and freedoms including free expression and peaceful assembly, lifting all media restrictions and allowing unhindered access for human rights investigators.

If Syria had not complied, the draft expressed the council’s determination “to consider the adoption of targeted measures, including sanctions.”

After the Russians rejected it, the Europeans came back with a new text on Thursday that watered down the sanctions language further.

The current draft, which is expected to be put to a vote, drops the words “including sanctions,” but leaves in “targeted measures” - which can include sanctions.

The arms embargo in the original draft is gone. Instead, the latest draft calls on all states "to exercise vigilance and restraint over the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to Syria of arms and related materiel."

It expresses deep concern at the deteriorating situation in Syria and the potential for a further escalation of violence and reaffirms the need to resolve the crisis peacefully, calling for “an inclusive Syrian-led political process conducted in an environment free from violence, fear, intimidation, and extremism.” It adds in backing for the Arab League's effort to end the violence and promote a political dialogue.

Wow! What strong language, showing "determination" to consider perhaps making a recommendation of doing unspecified "measures" in thirty days after further study and committees and meetings meant to determine if Syria has changed!

Assad must be trembling in fear.

Conflicting reports in Egyptian media on Grapel deal

From JPost:

US Defense Secretary was making his way to Cairo on Tuesday in attempts to help free imprisoned US-Israeli Ilan Grapel, who was being held in Egypt on charges of espionage for Israel, AFP reported.

Speaking to the press in Tel Aviv on Monday, Panetta failed to confirm reports that Grapel would be released in the coming days, or during the US defense secretary's visit to Cairo.

Egyptian media sources speculated Tuesday that Israel may release a number of Egyptian prisoners in exchange for the release of Grapel, A-Shams reported, but that report could not be confirmed.

Al Masry al-Youm quotes Egypt's El Shorouk as confirming that there were negotiations on a prisoner swap with Israel, as well as demands by an Islamist group that the US release the "blind sheikh" terrorist Omar Abdel Rahman who was involved in the 1993 World Trade Center attacks as well as in planning numerous other attacks in the US.

However, the newspaper also quoted Egypt's Dostour newspaper quoted other Egyptian sources as denying that there was any plan to release Grapel and that the rumors of a swap were unfounded.

Palestine Press Agency reports that a member of Hamas' Al Qassam Brigades, Osama Awad, died in "mysterious circumstances" last night.

Ma'an says it happened during Hamas training exercises.

Apparently, he was a member of Hamas' relatively unknown "1970's camouflage" unit.

Exclusive: EoZ interview with Alan Dershowitz

Tonight in Manhattan, Professor Alan Dershowitz gave a talk to nearly a thousand people at the Park Avenue Synagogue to help kick off a new initiative called Step Up for Israel.

The official video of his talk should be up in a couple of days.

But meanwhile, I was hoping to score an interview with him for the blog. The only problem was that he was surrounded by fans the entire time, and then he went to a private reception. I crashed the reception - hey, I had a camera - but he disappeared on me.

Dejected, I started to go home....and there he was waiting for his ride outside.

So here is a four-minute interview I managed to get, asking him questions about issues where we seem to disagree.

Donate to EoZ! Open thread

Autumn has arrived, and that means it is time for me to ask you for money.

If you believe that this blog is valuable - and I hope you do - please consider a donation or a subscription to help out. Nowhere else can you find such a comprehensive combination of news scoops, original analysis, links to important articles, unique videos, posters and even the occasional cartoon.

At this time, I am ranked #5 of all world politics blogs by Technorati, the only blog in the top five run by one person. I am also ranked #39 among all politics blogs altogether.

In the past quarter I passed the 12,000 post mark. In the last twelve months I have had over 1.5 million page loads and over a million unique visitors. A lot of people are reading this blog and relying on it to get information that is not available anywhere else.

So please consider clicking on the Donate button and paying to help compensate me for the thousands of hours I spend blogging. (It's not exactly like I have NGOs to fund me the way some anti-Israel sites do!)

Also, try to get in the habit of looking at and clicking on any ads in the sidebars that interest you. Some of these ads pay as much as a dollar per click, and it definitely adds up! So every time you read a post that has educated or amused you, please click on an ad or two that have products you may want to find out more about.

As always, thanks for your support! I am continuously surprised that EoZ is as popular as it is, and it is all thanks to you.

UPDATE: Some people do not like using PayPal, so if you prefer, you can send me an Amazon gift card via email. It is much appreciated!

Idealistic Libyan Jew meets the reality of the "Arab Spring"

From Reuters on Sunday:

In the walled old city of Tripoli, Libya's independence flag pokes through crumbling buildings and a gang of children wielding toy pistols tear through dusty alleyways.

In these run-down streets stands the empty, faded peach-colored Dar Bishi synagogue.

The interior can only be seen by climbing up the rubble of a collapsed house and the ark, which would normally shelter the Torah scroll, is instead stuffed with a mattress.

The Hebrew inscription above it "Hear, O Israel" is barely perceptible from wear, and empty paint cans are strewn across the floor. The site of the mikve baths, used once for ritual cleansing, is now a trash dump where stray cats scour for food next to a discarded washing machine as veiled women look on.

Libyan Jewish exile David Gerbi said he has dreamed of restoring this synagogue for 10 years, when smoke from New York's burning Twin Towers evoked one of the most powerful memories of his Libyan childhood.

Gerbi says he is the first Jew to return to Libya since the revolt that ousted Gadhafi in August.

Now that Gadhafi is gone, Gerbi wants to help interim Libyan leaders rebuild the lost Libya of his childhood and foster the type of religious tolerance between Jews and Muslims that exists in other parts of the Maghreb such as Morocco.

And he wants the Dar Bishi synagogue to be the symbol of reconciliation between Jewish and Muslim Libyans.

Talking over the Muslim call to prayer one evening last week, he told Reuters: "Some tell me I need to accept it's over. I say no, it's our shop, it's our synagogue and it's not over."

At first it looked like things were going well. From WSJ early today:

Wearing prayer tassels, a yarmulke and Star of David pendant, the man who says he is the first Libyan Jew to return to the country since Moammar Gadhafi's ouster on Sunday reopened the city's lone synagogue for the first time in 44 years.

Reopening the Dar Bishi Synagogue stands as a bold challenge to the country's new leaders to prove their commitment to the pluralistic democratic values they espouse, said David Gerbi, who fled to Rome in 1967 at the age of 12.

In Libya, as in much of the Arab world, animosity toward Israel has often translated into vehement anti-Semitism. One of the more common swipes at Col. Gadhafi in recent months by Libyans was the widely believed allegation that he had Jewish grandparents.

The country's new leadership has tread carefully around the issue. NTC Chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil met with Mr. Gerbi in Benghazi late last month. Libya's Berber minority have emerged as vocal advocates of Libyan Jews, with some prominent Berber leaders backing Mr. Gerbi's bid to secure a seat on the country's governing council.

Still, Mr. Gerbi said his request for formal permission to reopen the synagogue was totally ignored. NTC officials responded coolly to the news of the synagogue's reopening, calling it premature to tackle such a sensitive issue. It was unclear whether they would allow Mr. Gerbi to go forward with his plans to renovate and restore the synagogue or would move to stop it.

Today, however, Gerbi received the answer as he experienced a dose of "Arab Spring" reality. From AFP:

A Libyan Jew who returned from exile as Moamer Kadhafi's regime fell said on Monday he is facing death threats over his attempts to restore Tripoli's abandoned and crumbling main synagogue.

David Gerbi, a 56-year-old psychoanalyst who fled with his family to Italy at the age of 12, said he was facing discrimination and being ignored by Libya's new authorities in his efforts to reopen the Dar Bishi synagogue and gain recognition for Jews who fled Libya during Kadhafi's rule.

"This already happened 44 years ago and now it's happening again," Gerbi, wearing a yarmulke on his head and Star of David pendant, said.

"They think they can make threats, that they are going to kill me, but I'm not going to give up. Like they did not give up to Kadhafi, I'm not going to give up to them."

Gerbi said he was told on Monday when he showed up to work at the synagogue that he would have to leave for his own safety.

A man claiming to represent the authorities told him his efforts were provoking anger in the country and that death threats had been made.

"He said 'there are many coming now, they are coming with guns, if they come you will be killed'," Gerbi said, adding that he had been told that a major demonstration against his efforts was being organised in Tripoli for Friday.

He left after four men armed with assault rifles showed up at the synagogue and its door was locked.

A Libyan Jew who is not an Israeli citizen is being threatened and forcibly barred from re-opening a synagogue in the new, free Libya.

Now, what would you call that?

Hamas brags about eleven years of terrorism

The Palestine Times website published an article today listing Hamas' terrorist accomplishments since the beginning of the terror war that began in September 2000.

They brag about three specific acts of terror:

The massacre at the Mercaz Harav yeshiva killing 8 students
The attack by a laser-guided anti-tank missile against a schoolbus, killing a child (that they claim was a "soldier")
The Park Hotel Passover massacre killing 30, mostly elderly, Jews. (Hamas inflates the number of victims to 36.)

The article says that in the past eleven years Hamas has committed:

4303 terror attacks
61 suicide attacks
24 attempts to capture Israelis
423 bombings
90 sniper attacks
146 ambushes

In addition, they claim 8085 projectiles fired from Gaza, of which 2627 were Qassam rockets and 303 were Grad rockets.

They claim to have killed 910 "Zionists" in that time period, while losing 1697 of their members. Not civilians - 1697 dead Hamas terrorists. This doesn't include members of other terror groups like Fatah and Islamic Jihad.

It is clear from the article that Hamas considers the second intifada to still be going on.

The BDS theme song video!

This is very unintentionally hilarious:

It is hard to say what my favorite part is.

Is it where they thank the Marrickville Council within the song for voting to boycott Israel?

Is it the part where one of them wants to emphasize that she is not against Israel's right to exist right after she sang that "Palestine" runs from the "desert to the sea?"

Is it where they decide that the best illustration of the Jewish claim to the area is a photo of a synagogue that is less than 40 years old?

Or is it their classic use of the Map that Lies?

Perhaps their line "As the world watches silently, my people become refugees"?

Each of this BDS trio has their own charms. The violin player who doesn't know where to look; the earnest guitarist whose voice would cause small animals to cry out in pain, or the center ringleader whose keffiyeh pretty much excludes two of those three great religions that they mention in the song.

(h/t Tim Blair via Ian)

Unclear on the concept, Erekat accuses US of "blackmail"

From Ma'an:

Senior PLO official Saeb Erekat said on Sunday that US threats to withdraw aid to Palestinians over the bid for UN membership were "unacceptable".

...Erekat told reporters in Cairo "we appreciate US aid, but to be blackmailed and bargained with over our right to self-determination, on Jerusalem, and on our Arab and Islamic identity is unacceptable."

Blackmail?

Erekat is telling the US that the hundreds of millions of dollars that are paid by US taxpayers to the PA every year are not negotiable - that the PA deserves it, period. The US, according to Erekat, has no right to put any conditions on the money it pays the PA whatsoever. And if, Allah forbid, the US tries to influence the PA in any way, it is guilty of "blackmail."

The definition of blackmail, of course, has nothing to do with this scenario in any universe outside Saeb Erekat's fevered imagination. The closest one can come to that term in the Middle East is how the Palestinian Arabs regularly threaten the US and the world with terrorism if they don't get their way - not blackmail, but a Mafia-type protection racket.

Notice also how Erekat, who regularly rails against the very idea of Israel being considered the Jewish state, has no compunction to say that the supposedly democratic Palestinian Arab state would have an "Arab and Islamic identity."

Erekat's hypocrisy shines through yet again.

Polish soccer fans wave massive "Jihad" banner at Israeli team

From Australia's news.com.au:

ANTI-racism groups are outraged after Polish soccer fans waved a "Jihad" banner at an Israeli team.

Anti-racism groups have called on European football's governing body UEFA to punish Polish club Legia Warsaw after fans brandished a "Jihad" banner during a Europa League match against Israeli side Hapoel Tel Aviv.

"This is yet another case of anti-Semitic behaviour by extremist groups active in Polish football stadiums, and it could have been predicted," said Rafal Pankowski of the campaign group Never Again.

At the start of Thursday night's Group C home game in Warsaw - which Legia won 3-2 - a group of fans unfurled a huge banner stretching across three blocks of a stand.

Written in Arabic-style letters, it read "Jihad Legia". The banner was green, which is one of Legia's colours but also that of Islamist groups.

"Some Legia fans have been known for anti-Semitic and extreme-right behaviour for years and they had a chance to express their hatred of Jews again when Legia played an Israeli team, this time adopting a pseudo-Islamist guise," added Mr Pankowski, who runs the UEFA-backed Football Against Racism in Europe network.

Miroslaw Starczewski, deputy head of security at Poland's PZPN football association, said Legia could be hit hard by UEFA.

"Legia should pay the price for this," Mr Starczewski told the daily Gazeta Wyborcza.

"A fine is the most likely penalty. And UEFA may even ban Legia fans from the second leg in Tel Aviv."

Legia's away game in the Israeli city is scheduled for December 15.

Under its disciplinary rules, UEFA could levy a fine of up to a million euros ($1.4 million).

Far-right and anti-Semitic banners and slogans are notably shocking given Poland's World War II history, when millions perished at the hands of occupying Nazi Germany, including the overwhelming majority of Europe's Jews.