octubre 22, 2008

Shas leaders think Livni can't give them what they want


Shas leaders think Livni can't give them what they want


By Yair Ettinger


The political and rabbinic elite of Shas, nearly everyone from party mentor Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, plus ministers and party leaders and a few city chief rabbis, donned their festival best and turned out at the President's Residence in Jerusalem yesterday.


When the spiritual leader entered, the audience, mostly residents of Sderot, stood up and received him in song, while their host, President Shimon Peres, treated Rabbi Yosef as one would a king.


The Shas ministers strode around the garden of the President's Residence like grooms on their wedding day. Will they meet here again for the group picture of the new Livni cabinet, if and when it is formed?


"The way it looks now, no," Shas chairman Eli Yishai said after the ceremony, sounding more decisive than ever. Shas came to the President's Residence to participate in the presentation to Peres of a new Torah scroll, which was donated to the synagogue at the President's Residence by a well-known Sderot contractor, Moshe Peretz. The scroll was dedicated in the memory of Sderot resident Oshri Oz, who was killed by a Qassam rocket.


Iran's threats are not based on any proven capability

Iran's threats are not based on any proven capability
Even though the senior Iranian official was speaking to a closed forum, it would not be at all surprising if his words were actually intended for an Israeli audience. Alongside the public diplomatic struggle - and Israel's secret military preparations - against the Iranian nuclear projects, there is also a war of threats and oratory going on between the two nations.
The announcements of Ayatollah Seyed G. Safavi look to be another stage in the Iranian attempt to create a balance of fear and deterrence with Israel.
The past two years, whether because of Iranian progress toward acquiring nuclear capability, or because of the absence of Ariel Sharon from the political helm, have seen a gradual escalation in Israeli pronouncements about Iran. The end of the primary season in Kadima may have reined in slightly the enthusiasm for public declarations, but even responsible Israeli statesmen such as Defense Minister Ehud Barak, speaking most recently on the matter last Sunday, take care to emphasize that the military option, as a last resort, is still on the table.
Last week MK Isaac Ben-Israel (Kadima), a former major general and someone very close to prime minister-designate Tzipi Livni, said Israel will not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons, but that there was still time to prevent that eventuality. "It's not like we're going to bomb them in another three months," said Ben-Israel.
When Iranian experts dissect the Israeli declarations, the question is what do they emphasize, the threat ("We will not permit"), or the reservation ("Not now"). The reasonable assumption is that Safawi, similar to the Israeli and international media, does not really know what Israel is planning in the short term. But Teheran is interested in warning Jerusalem that as far as it is concerned, all options are open.

Underground cattle trade thrives in Gaza smuggling tunnels


Underground cattle trade thrives in Gaza smuggling tunnels



By Reuters
14:04 22/10/2008


When the calves were hauled out of the tunnel from Egypt Tuesday they could hardly stand up.


After a terrifying, one-kilometer underground trip into the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, what the young cattle wanted most was a long drink of cool water.


Underground livestock smuggling has increased dramatically ahead of Id Al-Adha, the feast of the sacrifice, due December 10, when Muslims the world over slaughter animals and feed the poor to seek God's forgiveness.


"Even if we brought in animals every day we would not meet the demand for the Id," said a tunnel operator who identified himself as Abu Luqaib. Hundreds of Gaza merchants throng around the border area of Rafah every day to pick up merchandise coming to Gaza from Egypt via subterranean passages that have created a flourishing trade zone.


"It's an industrial zone here," said the 23-year-old tunnel operator as his crew pulled a bawling calf up the deep shaft by a simple rope around its middle. No livestock harness was used.


Gaza has suffered galloping unemployment since Israel tightened its blockade on the territory in 2007 to try to weaken its Palestinian rulers, Hamas, an Islamist group sworn to the destruction of the Jewish state. Goods are scarce in Gaza markets because of Israeli restrictions on what Gaza may and may not import. The tunnel network handles all sorts of readily portable merchandise including fuel, automobile parts, computers and clothes.


Hamas supports Egypt plan for Palestine unity


Hamas supports Egypt plan for Palestine unity


Hamas gave its tentative support Tuesday to an Egyptian plan to reconcile the Islamist movement and the rival Fateh faction of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas amid a looming constitutional crisis.


“We will agree to the draft of the agreement and will not reject it,” Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told AFP, but he added that the plan would require some “modification” before it could be implemented.


“The draft contains positive elements, but also has some points that need modification and some points that need clarification from the Egyptian leadership.”


The two main Palestinian movements have been bitterly divided since Hamas drove Abbas’ security forces from the Gaza Strip in a week of fierce street clashes in June 2007, cleaving the territories into hostile rival camps.


Representatives from both sides have been invited to meet in Cairo on November 9 to discuss the Egyptian plan, which is aimed at restoring unity amid a looming constitutional crisis that threatens to deepen the internal rift.


Hamas has said that Abbas - who was elected in January 2005 - will cease to be president when his constitutionally mandated four-year term ends in January and that a new presidential election will have to be held.


Abbas loyalists, citing a separate clause in the constitution, say that presidential and parliamentary elections must be held at the same time, which would extend his term to 2010.
The Egyptian plan includes Abbas’ proposal for forming a “national consensus government” to lift the international blockade of Gaza and prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections.


The plan also calls for the rehabilitation of independent Palestinian security forces with assistance from Arab states and the incorporation of Hamas and the hardline Islamic Jihad into the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) headed by Abbas, which is responsible for negotiations with Israel.



Lights turn red on Lebanese traffic offences


Lights turn red on Lebanese traffic offences


by Jocelyne Zablit
Published: October 22, 2008


BEIRUT (AFP) Something of a revolution is taking place on Lebanon's notoriously dangerous roads. Drivers are beginning to stop at red lights, to wear seat belts and no longer have their cell phones glued to their ears.


All thanks to a crackdown ordered by the country's new no-holds-barred Interior Minister Ziad Baroud who has unleashed a small army of traffic cops to impose law and order in a country where rules appear made to be broken.


"The laws concerning seat belts, cell phone use, speed, wearing a helmet while driving a motorbike and respecting traffic lights have been on the books for years," said Major Hanna Laham, in charge of traffic in one Beirut district.


"But in view of the high number of accidents we have started applying them more strictly."
According to police figures, some 500 people die and more than 6,000 are injured annually in traffic-related accidents in Lebanon, which has a population of four million.


Ziad Akl, founder of the Youth Association for Social Awareness (YASA), an organisation that lobbies for road safety, said the true fatality rate is closer to 870 a year as authorities don't keep count of people who die of their injuries several days after a car crash.


"The numbers have been going up steadily because of the chaotic situation in the country for the past three years which is also reflected on the roads," Akl told AFP, referring to political unrest which largely paralysed the government until the election of a new president in May.


octubre 21, 2008

Saudi official presents new Israeli-Palestinian peace plan

Saudi official presents new Israeli-Palestinian peace plan

By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent

Turki al-Faisal, the former Saudi intelligence director and a member of the royal family, presented a proposal for Israeli-Palestinian peace at a conference yesterday. Arab, Palestinian and Israeli political figures attended the conference, organized by the Oxford Research Group, which seeks to promote the Saudi Peace Initiative of 2002. Al-Faisal, who heads the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, expressed the kingdom's support for a comprehensive peace and the rights of the Palestinian people.

Al-Faisal also said that both sides must condemn violence together, and called on Israel to stop targeted assassinations and arrests, the construction of the West Bank security barrier and the expansion of settlements and separate roads. The Palestinians, he said, must stop all suicide bombings and rocket fire at Israel. He also called on Israel to release all Palestinian prisoners, and for captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit to be released from the Gaza Strip. Among the participants in the conference were Nabil Fahmy, Egypt's former ambassador to Washington; Hisham Youssef, the Arab League secretary-general's chief of staff; and former Palestinian national security adviser Jibril Rajoub. The Israeli delegation included Avi Gil, former director general of the Prime Minister's Office and Foreign Ministry, as well as several other former government figures and academics. Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Sunday that Israeli leaders have recently discussed pursuing the Saudi peace plan. Peres to press peace concerns with Egypt President Shimon Peres will meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday to discuss regional peace efforts and Egyptian-mediated contacts to extend a Gaza truce, a government official said on Monday. Mubarak invited Peres by telephone and the two will meet in the Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, the official said. There was no immediate comment from Cairo. The official said Peres wants to explore the possibility of extending a June truce between Israel and Gaza militants that that has largely calmed the volatile border with the Hamas-ruled coastal terrority. Hamas says the deal mediated by Egypt could expire in December. Peres also plans to propose widening the circle of Israel's peace talks beyond the Palestinians and Syria to include other Arab countries, the official said. Peres envisages negotiating a comprehensive deal with Arab countries rather than pursuing separate agreements with either the Palestinians or Syria, with which Israel has held some indirect talks in the past year, the official said. Egypt in 1979 became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, followed by Jordan in 1994. The talks at Sharm el-Sheihk come at a transitional phase for Israel. Outgoing prime minister Ehud Olmert is presently serving in a caretaker capacity since he resigned last month in the shadows of a corruption probe.

Barak: Israel giving serious thought to Saudi peace plan

Barak: Israel giving serious thought to Saudi peace plan

19/10/2008
By Haaretz Service and The Associated Press


Defense Minister and Labor Party Chairman Ehud Barak said Sunday that Israeli leaders have been discussing pursuing a comprehensive Saudi peace plan, an initiative touted by the moderate Arab elements across the Middle East. Barak told Army Radio on Sunday that with individual negotiations with Syria and the Palestinians making little headway, it may be time to pursue an overall peace deal for the region. "There is room in the Israeli coalition for the Saudi initiative," he said. "We have a mutual interest with moderate Arab elements on the issues of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas."

The defense minister President Shimon Peres is in agreement with such consideration and he has spoken about the matter with Prime Minister-designate Tzipi Livni about the matter as well. While outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, has welcomed the Saudi plan, he and other leaders want to keep small parts of the territories captured in the 1967 Six Day War. Israel also objects to language in the Saudi plan that appears to endorse a large-scale return of Palestinian refugees to lands inside Israel. Israel says a massive influx of Palestinians would destroy the country's Jewish character. Peres proposed merging Israel's various peace talks into one track last month at the United Nations. In a speech to the General Assembly, he called on Saudi King Abdullah to further his initiative. He has since been pushing the idea in meeting with Israeli, Arab and Western officials, his office said. In Sunday's interview, Barak said he was in full agreement with Peres, and had discussed the peace plan with Livni as well. "I had the impression that there is indeed an openness to explore any path, including this one," he said of his talks with Livni. Barak said Israel had to tread lightly, though, so as not to appear to be coming from a position of patronage to the entire Arab world. "We are one of the players and it is proper that we introduce an initiative," he said. Livni's office refused to comment on her talks with Barak. The Saudi peace initiative was first proposed in 2002. It offers pan-Arab recognition of Israel in exchange for Israel's withdrawal from Arab lands captured in 1967. Erekat: Plan doesn't necessarily undermine Israel-PA talks Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat noted that pursuing the Saudi peace initiative did not necessarily undermine the direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians and he encouraged Israel to pursue this track. "I think Israel should have done this since 2002. It is the most strategic initiative that came from the Arab world since 1948," he said. "I urge them to revisit this initiative and to go with it because it will shorten the way to peace." Analyst Ghassan Khatib, a former minister in the Palestinian Cabinet, said that although the Israeli interest in the six-year-old plan was a little bit late the plan was still valid and offered the most promising potential way forward. "I strongly believe that the Arab initiative is the best approach to peace between the Arabs and the Israelis," he told The Associated Press. "It fulfills all the legitimate objectives of Israel and those of the Palestinians and at the same time it has this regional dimension and it reflects one of the rare issues on which Arabs have consensus." Yuval Steinitz, an MK from the conservative opposition Likud Party and a member of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said that for Israel the Saudi plan is a non-starter. "It doesn't recognize Israel's right to defensible borders... [and] demands Palestinian refugees settle in the Jewish state as well as the Palestinian state, which is totally unacceptable and contradicts the essence of the two state solution," he told the AP. "That's why I am really surprised that Barak made these remarks, it was strictly an empty political gesture." Arab foreign ministers reendorsed the proposal at an Arab League summit in Damascus in March. The ratification included the declaration that advabcement of the plans would depend on whether Israel fulfill its commitment to international agreements. "The continuation by the Arab side to present the Arab peace initiative is tied to Israel executing its commitments in the framework of international resolutions to achieve peace in the region," a Damascus declaration said. Arab officials have said that withdrawing the peace plan is not an option and in public they have not proposed alternatives.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1029855.html

septiembre 30, 2008

Olmert acusa a ultraderecha de atentado a historiador Zeev Sternhell

Olmert acusa a ultraderecha de atentado a historiador Zeev Sternhell
El jefe del gobierno transitorio de Israel Ehud Olmert acusó el domingo a la ultraderecha por el atentado con bomba contra el historiador Zeev Sternhell, quien resultó levemente herido. En declaraciones a periodistas al iniciarse el Consejo de ministros del domingo, Olmert afirmó que el atentado fue “la acción de un grupo clandestino” de ultraderecha y no de un individuo aislado, relacionando el hecho con el asesinato del primer ministro Yitzhak Rabin, víctima hace trece años de un ultranacionalista religioso judío.“Existe una línea directa entre el asesinato de Emil Grundzweig (un militante anti-ocupacion muerto en febrero de 1983), el asesinato de Rabin y el atentado contra el profesor Sternhell”, declaró.

Olmert anunció que se han dado “consignas a la policía y al servicio de seguridad interior (Shin Beth) para que actúe rápidamente con miras a capturar a los culpables y llevarlos ante los tribunales para que sean castigados con todo el rigor de la ley”.

“Un viento perjudicial sopla en algunas partes del país, aportando el extremismo y el odio y amenazando a la democracia”, recalcó Olmert.

El historiador israelí Zeev Sternhell, conocido por sus posiciones contra la colonización de los territorios palestinos, resultó herido en la madrugada del jueves en un atentado con bomba en su domicilio de Jerusalén.

Nacido en Polonia y superviviente del Holocausto, Zeev Sternhell, de 73 años, fue hospitalizado en Jerusalén con heridas leves en la pierna derecha por el impacto de fragmentos del artefacto, que estalló cuando estaba cerrando la verja de su casa, aseguraron fuentes policiales.

Atentado en Jerusalem: se identificó al atacante y piden destruir su casa

Atentado en Jerusalem: se identificó al atacante y piden destruir su casa
El atacante era Kasam Al Mugrabi, un joven de 19 años del barrio de Al Faruk, cercano a la rambla de Armon Ha Natzib en Jerusalelm. Según su familia se lo notaba excitado. Poco antes del atentado le había propuesto matrimonio a su prima, pero ella lo rechazó.
Kasam al Mugrabi es el nombre de la persona que cometió el atentado el 22 de Septiembre por la noche en Jerusalem cuando el BMW negro que conducía atropelló a 19 personas. Mugrabi era habitante del barrio de Armon Ha Natzib de la capital israelí.
El terrorista fue muerto por Elad Samar, un teniente de 23 años, comandante de tanques que pasaba por el lugar.El padre del terrorista le contó al diario Ha Haretz que pocos minutos antes habló con su hijo y le dijo que se iba para su casa.El padre aseguró que “finalmente se trata de un accidente de tránsito y fue matado a sangre fría”.Según comentaron Mugrabi no tenía permiso para conducir porque había fracaso en el test hace una semana.Sus familiares comentaron que Mugrabi era un muchacho que le gustaba divertirse y que no estaba relacionado con ninguna organización ya que no le interesaba ningún de política.Poco antes de cometer el atentado le había propuesto matrimonio a su prima, pero ella se negó, lo que enojó mucho a Mugrabi.En el atentado fueron heridas 17 personas, 13 de ellos permanecen todavía internados, una de ellas está en estado grave y está internada en terapia intensiva del hospital Hadassa en Jerusalem.Cerca de las 23 hora israelí un auto BMW negro se precipitó sobre la calle Shibtei Israel en la ciudad vieja de Jersalem y chocó fuerte contra peatones, la mayoría eran soldados del primer año de servicio que estaban en el lugar.El vehículo chocó contra la pared y enseguida Mugrabi fue muerto por el comandante Samar.El comandante de la zona de Jerusalem, Aharón Franco ordenó prohibir levantar una cabaña fúnebre frente al domicilio de Mugrabi. La familia insistió con la idea, pero fue persuadida por los soldados.

Livni pide a Netanyahu que se integre en el nuevo Gobierno israelí

Livni pide a Netanyahu que se integre en el nuevo Gobierno israelí
La ministra de Exteriores, Tzipi Livni, aceptó este lunes el encargo del presidente, Simón Peres, de formar un nuevo Gobierno en Israel, a raíz de la dimisión de Ehud Olmert como jefe del Ejecutivo. Livni israelí pidió expresamente al ex primer ministro y líder del Likud, Benjamín Netanyahu, que integre el nuevo gobierno, que ha pedido elecciones anticipadas y es el favorito en las encuestas.Livni y Peres hicieron este anuncio en una comparecencia ante los medios de comunicación a última hora de la tarde en la residencia del jefe de Estado en Jerusalén. Tras unas breves palabras de Peres, Livni explicó que su prioridad es formar un Ejecutivo que ejerza hasta que acabe la presente legislatura, en 2010.
La nueva líder del Kadima pidió expresamente al ex primer ministro y líder del Likud, Benjamín Netanyahu, que integre el nuevo gobierno. Netanyahu rechaza esta opción y pide elecciones anticipadas, en las que aparece como favorito en la mayoría de encuestas.
Livni, vencedora de las primarias de su partido del pasado miércoles, tiene desde ahora seis semanas para tratar de edificar un nuevo Ejecutivo. La actual coalición gubernamental suma 64 de los 120 escaños del Parlamento israelí: 29 del Kadima, 19 laboristas, 12 del partido ultra-ortodoxo sefardí Shas y cuatro del Partido de los Jubilados.
Si la jefa de la diplomacia israelí no logra constituir un nuevo Ejecutivo en el plazo previsto, Peres puede encargar a otra persona que forme Gobierno o convocar elecciones anticipadas, posiblemente para marzo de 2009.

EN DEUDA CON LOS NAZIS

En deuda con los Nazis
Petra Marquardt-Bigman
Esta cada vez más de moda en algunos círculos acusar a Israel de comportarse como los nazis - y probablemente los nazis no estarían en la raíz de esta especie de “legado”: mataron a un tercio de los judíos del mundo, pero no alcanzaron la “Solución Final” que habían previsto. Los judíos sobrevivieron como pueblo, e incluso lograron construir su propio estado ante la hostilidad de sus vecinos, la mayoría de los cuales nunca se han distanciado claramente del odio predicado por uno de sus dirigentes políticos, Amin al-Husseini, del cual hay buenas razones para que algunos le denominen el “Mufti de Hitler”.Sin embargo, aquellos cuyas opiniones difieren apenas de las manifestadas por al-Husseini, tienen hoy el apoyo de activistas como Lauren Booth, que encontró apropiado dar lecciones a los israelíes en una reciente entrevista desde Gaza: “Ustedes se encontraban en campos de concentración, y no puedo creer que ahora estén permitiendo la creación de otro campo”. En otra entrevista, realizada con un activista político británico afín, en un canal de noticias con sede en Londres, se le preguntó: “¿Por qué se mantiene usted encerrada en ese campo de concentración llamado Gaza?”. A lo que ésta respondió con entusiasmo: “Quiero darle las gracias por utilizar el término campo de concentración porque la palabra la cárcel, que se ha aplicado en los últimos años, es una mentira”.
En el Jerusalem Post, un reportaje de Lauren Stand sobre su estancia en el “campo de concentración” de Gaza, fue acompañado por dos fotos que mostraban a una alegre Miss Booth plantando un árbol en una de ellas, y en la otra asistiendo a una gran reunión de miembros de la Yihad Islámica en Gaza, disfrutando de un rica comida para romper el ayuno del Ramadán (lo que de hecho es, por supuesto, un acontecimiento exclusivamente masculino). Para una aún más drástica ilustración visual, vale la pena visitar el blog
Harry’s Place, en donde aparece Miss Booth realizando algunas compras en un bien surtido supermercado de Gaza, hablando radiante por su móvil ante un muy bien cuidado jardín, reunida con el muy bien alimentado líder del Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, para recibir un especie de pasaporte diplomático de Hamastan, y luego, en un chocante contraste: una foto de Darfur y una foto de un campo de concentración nazi.

PAKISTÁN: EL LUGAR MÁS RIESGOSO DE LA TIERRA

PAKISTÁN: EL LUGAR MÁS RIESGOSO DE LA TIERRA

ESTHER SHABOT CATALEJO
Excélsior, 28 de septiembre, 2008.

El magno bombazo que destruyó el hotel Marriott de Islamabad hace poco más de una semana y que causó al menos 60 víctimas mortales viene a corroborar las conclusiones de 69 de los 100 expertos en seguridad entrevistados para la publicación "Terrorism Index 2008", a saber, que Pakistán tiene muy altas probabilidades de servir como la próxima base operativa de Al-Qaeda, con consecuencias desastrosas para el mundo. Las características propias de este país musulmán, poblado por 170 millones de habitantes, lo dotan de un potencial de peligrosidad ante el cual palidece la amenaza que encarna, por ejemplo, la nación iraní, con su actual proyecto nuclear en marcha y su presidente desafiando a la comunidad internacional en los salones de la ONU donde no ceja de hacer gala de su trasnochada retórica belicosa y su bravuconería.
Y es que, a diferencia de Irán, Pakistán no necesita fanfarronear. Posee un arsenal estimado en 60 cabezas nucleares y misiles balísticos de fabricación norcoreana capaces de ser transportados por los F16 estadounidenses con los que también cuenta. A pesar de que Washington presuntamente ha gastado más de 100 millones de dólares para ayudar a asegurar el arsenal nuclear pakistaní, poco sabe acerca del tamaño y localización de éste. Esta membresía al "club nuclear" de Pakistán se vuelve cada día más ominosa por los siguientes factores:
a) Su gobierno es frágil, inestable y está amenazado desde diversos frentes. Se halla actualmente encabezado por un recién electo presidente, Asif Ali Zardari, viudo de Benazir Bhutto, cuyos antecedentes personales y políticos no son precisamente confiables y dejan mucho que desear.
b) Las prácticas democráticas en el país son embrionarias, con muy pocas perspectivas de poder desarrollarse significativamente en el futuro próximo.
c) Su estructura militar, inclinada al golpe de Estado como mecanismo casi rutinario de vida política, tiene importantes nexos en muchos de sus estratos con el movimiento radical Talibán. Hay también datos reveladores sobre colaboración importante entre los Servicios de Inteligencia Pakistaníes y los grupos islamistas. El presidente afgano, Hamid Karzai, ha acusado repetidamente a tales fuerzas de inteligencia de intentos de llevar a cabo atentados contra su vida.
d) Pakistán ha realizado importantes ventas de tecnología nuclear a países como Irán, Libia y Corea del Norte.
e) En los últimos años, particularmente desde el 11 de septiembre del 2001 y del consecuente sentimiento antiestadounidense que se fortaleció a raíz del descontento con la colaboración entre Musharraf y Washington, se ha registrado una islamización creciente no sólo a nivel popular, sino también en las instituciones públicas, las policías y los cuarteles.
f) La imparable proliferación de madrasas o escuelas coránicas en el país ha sido una fuente de reproducción incesante de jóvenes fanatizados que sirven de carne de cañón a organizaciones como Al Qaeda. De hecho, muchos de los talibanes afganos fueron indoctrinados en escuelas pakistaníes.
g) La porosa frontera entre Pakistán y Afganistán constituye un santuario ideal para estas fuerzas extremistas que han optado por el terrorismo en gran escala a fin de alcanzar sus objetivos teológico-políticos. Se cree que Osma Bin Laden se halla refugiado en algún sitio de esa zona.
h) Existe además una explosividad agregada debido a reclamos étnicos no resueltos. Los pashtunes y los baluchis, por ejemplo, pretenden con frecuencia activar con miras a una secesión que les permita independizarse y formar sus propios Estados nacionales.
Dada la ambivalencia y los juegos dobles que se dan en abundancia en el aparato gubernamental de Pakistán, es muy incierto dónde radican las lealtades verdaderas. La posibilidad cada vez más real de que prospere un golpe de Estado capaz de poner en manos de elementos pro-talibán al arsenal nuclear del país, es con mucho, el reto más formidable que enfrenta no sólo Estados Unidos u Occidente, sino el planeta todo. Y es claro que esta amenaza no ha recibido aún la atención que merece.

Beginning a Fatah Comeback



Beginning a Fatah Comeback

By Yisrael Ne'eman


A little known advance in conflict resolution is taking place in the northern West Bank (Judea and Samaria) as pro-Fatah Palestinian Authority forces attempt to defeat Hamas and terror activities in the Jenin region. Almost forgotten is the evacuation of four Jewish settlements between Jenin and Nablus in August 2005 just a few days after the Gaza Disengagement. Hamas won the Palestinian Legislative elections in January 2006 and overthrew the power sharing arrangement with Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) in the Gaza Strip in June 2007 when their armed uprising defeated a 22,000 strong Palestinian Authority police force. From that moment on the Fatah controlled PLO led by Abbas has been struggling to gain full control over the West Bank. With a sense of urgency the Americans sent Gen. Dayton to train their forces in one last attempt to stave off a Hamas takeover of the West Bank as well. This first test for the PA is to impose law and order while crushing the Hamas. Everyone knows that to come to terms for peace will only be possible if the PA emergency government sitting in Ramallah and led by Abbas and Salam Fayyad will be victorious in its civil conflict against the Hamas Islamists.


Officially Hamas controls 72 out of the 132 seats in the Palestinian Legislature and is revving up for the January 9, 2009 presidential elections to replace Abbas who was elected four years ago. A year later there are to be elections to the parliament once again. But Hamas rules by dictate in Gaza and Abbas rules through emergency decrees throughout the West Bank. The Palestinians have a two-state solution among themselves, Hamastan and Fatahland respectively as noted by many commentators. The legislature does not convene and is of no significance even if it is the legal governing body.


The battle is being fought out on the ground in the northern West Bank where there are very few Israeli settlements east of the fence (there are 4 settlements to the west) where reports are coming in of Palestinian police (Fatah) success against Hamas and in restoring the rule of law between rival gangs and family factions. Crime is said to be receding as well. If a true stabilization process is taking place, one might call it a counter insurgency by the PA (with Israeli and American support) against the Hamas.


Israel would like to hand over all of northern Samaria (east of the fence but not including the Jordan Rift Valley) to the PA and continue that policy to include Nablus and then on to the Bethlehem and Hebron hill region. It is back to the 1990s with Oslo I, Oslo II and the Wye Accords implementation. But the timetable is far too short. At the moment the idea is to solidify PA control in all areas east of the fence but excluding the Jordan Rift Valley as soon as possible. Abbas is considering not having the elections, but postponing them for a year by executive or judicial fiat or possibly emergency decree (or whatever) on the grounds that such elections should be held in tandem with parliamentary balloting scheduled for January 25, 2010. It is hoped that within the 16 months allotted Fatah will gain full control over the Palestinian population in the West Bank and be able to prove the economic, political and social benefits of their rule as opposed to Hamas. Such a move could never be managed by this upcoming January.


It would be a good time to construct the Jenin industrial zone whose cornerstone was laid in the summer of 2000 just prior to the explosion of the Palestinian initiated Low Intensity Conflict (often called the Second Intifada). Eight years later the PA might actually stand a chance of rebuilding their shattered economy. With Arafat at the helm until November 2004 one could only expect terrorism and bloodshed. Already in 1993 Shimon Peres and others proposed building seven industrial zones in the Gaza Strip along with major port facilities in Gaza City but the Chairman would have none of it. The dream of a one state solution imposed on Israel through continual war was Arafat’s ultimate goal. It is about time his failure became permanent. Along with security, economic benefits are an imperative. Quick action must be taken if a two-state solution is to take hold.


Since the June 2007 Gaza takeover, the Palestinians have put democracy on a back burner – first Hamas and then Fatah. Palestinians were not ready for such a transition and as is known democracy culminates with elections, it does not commence with them. Sixteen months is a short amount of time to begin reversing Hamas influence by showing the benefits of Fatah cooperation with the US, Europe and Israel.


Should Fatah succeed in securing the Jenin region they may be on the way to success in the remainder of the West Bank Arab populated regions – Areas A’ and B’. The Fatah initiative is just beginning with reports of positive results. Major obstacles still remain, in particular from the Hamas and other Islamists such as the Hezbollah and Iran. But for the first time in quite a while there is some hope for security and development led by Palestinians themselves, even if such optimism is limited.

septiembre 29, 2008

Defense Minister: Violent settlers must be punished

Defense Minister: Violent settlers must be punished

28/09/2008

Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday urged cabinet ministers to adopt a tougher stance on punishing West Bank settlers over violent acts against Palestinians. Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Barak cited the unruly behavior of settlers who he said tended to take the law into their own hands, causing damage to Palestinian property. The defense minister also stressed that settler attacks on Israel Police officers and Israel Defense Forces soldiers stationed near settlements presented a danger to Israeli public service.

He said that of late, IDF officers have arrested a number of settler youth charged with disturbing peace. Although the incidents have been recorded, Barak said, the offenders have rarely been brought to court or tried for their actions. Those who are brought before legal authorities are discussed with light penalties, Barak added. Reiterating his assertion from last week's cabinet meeting, the defense minister said that the government must create an environment in which legal authorities work together to put offenders behind bars. He added that he has raised the issue of late with Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, and asked of him to ensure that punishment be enforced accordingly in West Bank settlements. Meanwhile, the body of a 19-year-old Palestinian shepherd was found with gunshot wounds late Saturday night near a West Bank village south of Nablus, in an attack Palestinians blamed on local settlers.

septiembre 24, 2008

Tzáhal: una guerra con Siria incluiría armas químicas y guerrilla

Tzáhal: una guerra con Siria incluiría armas químicas y guerrilla
Cualquier futuro conflicto militar con Siria incluiría la guerra química y la lucha contra la guerrilla y fuerzas regulares del Ejército, expresó el General israelí Avi Mizrahi. En su intervención en una conferencia sobre maniobras de las fuerzas terrestres en el siglo 21, celebrada en Latrún. Mizrahi destacó que “Siria tiene una gran Ejército regular equipado y entrenado, y últimamente identificamos algunas actividades de guerrilla en sus filas”.Junto con el optimismo en torno a la indirecta ronda de conversaciones mediada por los turcos entre Damasco y Jerusalem, Israel se prepara para un escenario mucho más pesimista, por la estimación de altos oficiales militares que el país se enfrentaría a una gran amenaza de misiles en caso que un conflicto estalle.
En cuanto a la posibilidad de un ataque preventivo, Mizrahi dijo que “si la Fuerza Aérea puede prevenir a las fuerzas sirias de hacer su camino a las líneas del frente, esto ayudará a nuestras fuerzas”.
El General añadió que una futura confrontación militar con Siria puede incluir la guerra química. “Estamos tomando en
cuenta esta posibilidad”, comentó. También señaló que Tzáhal incrementó la capacitación desde el final de la segunda guerra en Líbano, pero insistió en que hay todavía margen de mejora.
“Todavía tenemos un largo camino por recorrer antes de llegar a las capacidades operativas excepcionales; actualmente nuestra situación es razonable”, concluyó.

Will Tzipi Livni Opt for Peace?

Will Tzipi Livni Opt for Peace?
By CLAUDE SALHANI (Editor, Middle East Times)
Published: September 23, 2008
Should Israel's charismatic Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni manage to surmount the odds and succeed within the next 40 days to form a government she will become the next prime minister of the state of Israel.

Livni will also become the second woman in the short history of modern-day Israel to be named prime minister.

Israel's first female prime minister, Golda Meir, held the office from 1969 to 1974. During her tenure she governed the country through a major war against Syria and Egypt -- the 1973 October War, or as it is known in Israel, the Yom Kippur War.

Although she was no longer prime minister, Golda Meir lived long enough to be among the VIPs present at Ben Gurion Airport when Egyptian President Anwar Sadat made his historic voyage to Jerusalem to address the Knesset.

What are the chances of history repeating itself with Israel having its second female prime minister? Could there be a new war in the cards for Israel? Or is Livni more likely to follow the trail of peace?

The current belief among numerous Middle East observers is that Livni will be willing to move forward with the stagnating peace process with the Palestinians, and that she is in favor of a two-state solution. As a matter of fact, Saeb Erakat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, wasted no time congratulating Livni on her victory.

Livni also has indicated that she would be in favor of re-launching peace talks with Syria. However, the reality of a breakthrough remains extremely vague.

Syrian-Israeli Negotiations Pause For Election Outcomes



Syrian-Israeli Negotiations Pause For Election Outcomes


By AMINE AIT-CHAALAL
Published: September 24, 2008


With his characteristic clear-sightedness and knowledge of history, General Charles de Gaulle used to say that "one should not insult the future." He also believed that simple ideas were needed to address "the complicated Middle East." In the immediate future two important events will have an influence on the situation in the Middle East: the change of prime minister in Israel and the U.S. presidential elections in the United States.


It is important to analyze the negotiations in progress between Syria and Israel as part of the peace process in the Middle East. The basic principle of those negotiations consists of returning the Golan Heights to Syria, in exchange for safety guarantees for Israel.


However, in a region where everything is connected, it would be illusory to hope to solve one problem while neglecting others. Palestine-Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran: each situation is specific and, to a great extent, linked to the others. A partial and divided peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will not substitute for a global peace.


The latest set of indirect negotiations between Syria and Israel nevertheless represents significant progress. It indicates the return of a process, negotiated between two rival states. If Tzipi Livni, the current foreign minister and head of the leading Kadima party, becomes leader of Israel's government, will she firmly uphold the process with Syria and the Palestinians that Ehud Olmert put in place? We can hope so, though of course, nothing is certain.

Forget Palestine? Surely You Jest.


Forget Palestine? Surely You Jest.


By CLAUDE SALHANI (Editor, Middle East Times )
Published: September 24, 2008


Okay. The Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are getting nowhere fast. Some experts are starting to say that maybe it's time to look at the future of Palestine with a completely set of new lenses. The paradox in the comatose peace negotiations is that although the details calling for a two-state solution are generally accepted by all sides, a solution is not truly desired by either the Palestinians or the Israelis for various reasons.


One such expert looking into innovative approaches to the long-standing problem is a former adviser to Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon, who offered what could certainly be considered a revolutionary approach to the Israeli-Palestinian debacle:


Forget about Palestine!


What?


That's right, forget about Palestine. Give the land back to the Jordanians.


Major General Giora Eiland, a retired officer of Israel's general staff, presented his view on how to solve the current dilemma in the Middle East at a conference in Washington, Tuesday.
Hold on. Before you smash your keyboard in anger (or delight), depending on which side of the separation barrier you find yourself, read on. The idea, at least part of it, has merit. Not the part about forgetting about Palestine, but the part about enlarging parts of it. Yes, this is not a mistake, enlarging part of Palestine. Well, sort of.


Eiland argues that much has changed in the last eight years when U.S. President Bill Clinton attempted to push through a last minute peace deal between Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. If at that time a deal could have been obtained, the reality of the ground today is very different.


Para seguir leyendo:

Livni: Ahmadinejad speech makes mockery of UN vow of 'never again'

Livni: Ahmadinejad speech makes mockery of UN vow of 'never again'
12:29 24/09/2008
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and News Agencies
The head of the ruling Kadima party, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, blasted the United Nations on Wednesday for granting Iran's president a platform to deliver an address against "Zionist murderers" that contradicted its vow to prevent another Holocaust.
"[Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad's speech makes the situation absurd for an organization that raised the banner of 'Never Again' upon its establishment," said Livni. After winning a Kadima leadership primary, she was invited by President Shimon Peres on Monday to form the next coalition government.
Ahmadinejad, in an address that opened with a long discourse on God, justice and morality, told the 192-nation UN General Assembly on Tuesday that a few "deceitful" Zionists were manipulating Americans and Europeans and controlled the world's financial and monetary systems.
Livni continued: "The ultimate [challenge] is still ahead of us as Iran requests to join the UN Security Council. The significance would be to let a criminal become his own judge. "It is absurd that a state unparalleled in threatening the security of its neighbors and calling for the destruction of another state should be a member of a body whose goal is to further global security."

East Jerusalem cell charged over killing of two Border Policemen

East Jerusalem cell charged over killing of two Border Policemen
By Jonathan Lis, Yuval Azoulay and Ofra Edelman, Haaretz Correspondents
15:49 24/09/2008
Three East Jerusalem residents have been charged with orchestrating two recent terror attacks in the capital in which two Border Policemen were killed, it emerged on Wednesday. The lifting of a gag order on the affair Wednesday allowed publication of the suspects' arrest and indictment. Prosecutors filed the indictment ten days ago at Jerusalem District Court. According to the indictment, the cell was responsible for the murder of Border Policeman Rami Zuari in a January shooting attack at the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem. A Border Policewoman was also wounded in the attack.
The suspects were also accused of perpetrating the shooting attack in July at the Lion's Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem, where Border Policeman David Shriki suffered wounds to which he later succumbed some two weeks later. In that attack too, another Border Policeman was hurt. Following the attacks, the Shin Bet security service and Jerusalem police launched an investigation that led to the arrest of the cell's leader, Mohammed Khalil Adnan Abu-Sneina.
A search of the 21-year-old's home in the Anata neighborhood of Jerusalem revealed three handguns, knives and electric stunguns. The investigation also revealed that Abu-Sneina planned the attacks while touring the city on breaks from manning a market stall. News of the indictment came two days after the most recent in a spate of attacks by East Jerusalem residents, in which a Palestinian plowed his car into pedestrians at a busy Jerusalem intersection, wounding more than a dozen soldiers.

septiembre 23, 2008

Ahmadineyad vaticina el fin del "imperio americano" y el derrumbe de Israel


Ahmadineyad vaticina el fin del "imperio americano" y el derrumbe de Israel


AGENCIAS - Nueva York - 24/09/2008


El presidente de Irán, Mahmoud Ahmadineyad, ha aprovechado su intervención ante la 63ª Asamblea General de la ONU para apostar por el diálogo con las potencias occidentales pero sin renunciar a su programa nuclear, por "el inalienable derecho de todas las naciones a producir energía nuclear para fines pacíficos". Irán "no aceptará demandas ilegales sobre su programa nuclear", ha dicho el mandatario iraní. Poco después, el presidente de Bolivia, Evo Morales, también ha arremetido contra Occidente, sobre todo, contra su sistema económico.


Ahmadineyad ha expresado que cree que "ha llegado el momento para que la Agencia Internacional de la Energía Atómica (OIEA) presente a la comunidad internacional un informe claro de su control del desarme de los poderes nucleares y actividades de otras naciones poderosas".


El dirigente iraní también ha tenido palabras muy duras contra sus dos enemigos declarados, Estados Unidos e Israel. Del primero ha dicho que "el imperio americano está llegando al final de su carrera", en referencia a la crisis que azota las estructuras del capitalismo estadounidense y que el líder iraní considera una señal de lo que traerán los nuevos tiempos. Sobre el sucesor de George W. Bush al frente de la presidencia de EE UU, Ahmadineyad ha dicho que, sea quien sea, no deberá "interferir en el extranjero".


De Israel, objeto constante de amenazas por parte del régimen de los ayatolás, el presidente iraní ha dicho que está "en la pendiente definitiva hacia su desplome". "Los asesinos sionistas", ha dicho, están manipulando a europeos y estadounidenses.



septiembre 22, 2008

Un palestino arrolla con un coche a 19 personas en Jerusalén

Un palestino arrolla con un coche a 19 personas en Jerusalén

Un palestino ha sido abatido a tiros tras herir al menos a 19 personas con un coche en el centro de Jerusalén la tarde de este lunes, en lo que las autoridades califican de "ataque terrorista". Dos de los heridos, entre los que se cuentan 15 soldados israelíes y cuatro civiles, permanecen en estado crítico, mientras que el resto presenta heridas leves o moderadas. El conductor del vehículo, que embistió intencionadamente contra una unidad militar, murió por los disparos de uno de los soldados que formaban el grupo atacado.
El suceso se ha producido en la céntrica plaza Tsahal, una concurrida zona de bares y restaurantes, situada justo en medio de la denominada línea verde, la frontera imaginaria que dividía Jerusalén hasta la Guerra de los Seis Días de 1967. El autor del ataque es un palestino de Jerusalén oriental que conducía un BMW negro con matrícula israelí, a la que tienen acceso todos los residentes de la ciudad, según el portavoz policial israelí, Micky Rosenfeld.
Según la televisión israelí, el coche del agresor está registrado en Yabel Mukaber, un poblado árabe de Jerusalén Oriental del que también provenía el palestino que el pasado marzo entró en una escuela talmúdica de la ciudad y mató a tiros a ocho judíos. El ministro de Defensa, Ehud Barak, ha pedido en un comunicado que se aceleren los trámites para demoler la vivienda familiar del atacante, una práctica retomada hace unos meses pese a que la cúpula militar pidió su fin hace años por estimar que carece de efecto disuasorio.

Allanan oficinas de Hamas en Cisjordania

Allanan oficinas de Hamas en Cisjordania
Las divisiones entre palestinos se han profundizado en momentos en que Abbas busca un amplio acuerdo de paz con Israel, a lo que Hamas se opone
Reuters
Hebrón, Cisjordania (22 de septiembre de 2008).-
Agentes de seguridad de la Autoridad Palestina allanaron el lunes las oficinas de una legisladora de Hamas en la ocupada Cisjordania, como parte de una campaña contra los grupos islamistas.Samira al-Halayka, del bloque Cambio y Reforma de Hamas, dijo que los agentes se habían llevado computadoras y documentos, además de arrestar a su guardia. El hombre fue liberado poco después.Un funcionario de seguridad en Hebrón dijo que los agentes habían confiscado panfletos y otros documentos que, según dijo, incitaban a la violencia contra la Autoridad Palestina del Presidente, Mahmoud Abbas.Abbas ha reforzado su campaña en contra de los islamistas de Hamas en la ciudad cisjordana, arrestando a unos 15 activistas y cerrando cuatro organizaciones que, según la organización, eran sólo de caridad.Fuerzas de Fatah, partidarias de Abbas, mantienen el control de Cisjordania, aunque el año pasado perdieron el dominio de la Franja de Gaza ante Hamas.Las divisiones entre los palestinos se han profundizado en momentos en que Abbas busca un amplio acuerdo de paz con Israel, a lo cual Hamas se opone.Los esfuerzos egipcios por reconciliar a las dos facciones palestinas no han mostrado hasta el momento señales de avance.

A legitimate election, and how

A legitimate election, and how

By Yehuda Ben-Meir


A proper culture of governance is a hallmark of a healthy democracy and well-run country. The obligation to respect democratic decisions made in accordance with accepted constitutional rules in that country, internalize them and accept them is one of the most basic foundations of a proper culture of governance. But in the last few years, this quality has seriously eroded here - an erosion that causes deep concern among everyone interested in the welfare of the State of Israel. A striking example of this dangerous erosion can be seen in the current flood of discussion, reports and chatter about Tzipi Livni's lack of legitimacy - "moral legitimacy" or "public legitimacy" - as prime minister. The arguments attempting to undermine the legitimacy of Livni's election and her moral authority to head a government that will receive the Knesset's vote of confidence are unfounded, and the reasons backing the arguments are vacuous. The inability to respect a decision made at the polls - even by a single vote, not to mention 431 votes - as well as the pointless arguments, bordering on absurdity, that the prime minister was chosen by "0.54 percent of the country" or that this is a "substitute for a substitute" indicate either a basic lack of understanding of our government's foundations or a deep moral flaw. These arguments don't have an ounce of truth and have no factual or ethical basis.
No one questioned the legitimacy of Moshe Sharett or Levi Eshkol when they were elected to replace David Ben-Gurion, after his resignation, by a few hundred Mapai Central Committee votes, and no one questioned Golda Meir's legitimacy after the central committee chose her to replace Eshkol when he died. We heard no demands for new elections, and rightly so, when Yitzhak Rabin was chosen by the Labor Party's central committee to replace Meir as prime minister by a few dozen votes in his race against Shimon Peres. Kadima, led by Ehud Olmert, won the Knesset election, and Olmert formed a government that still has the Knesset's vote of confidence. Olmert, who is not anybody's substitute, announced his intention to resign, and Tzipi Livni was chosen to replace him in elections in which all Kadima members were eligible to vote. There can be no process more democratic, and more legitimate, than that.

Olmert's term

Olmert's term
By Haaretz Editorial
The State of Israel has known many governments in its 60 years of existence, yet it is doubtful whether it has ever known a worse one than that of Ehud Olmert, which came to its end yesterday. Its balance sheet, after two years and nine months, comes very close to zero. Olmert was not elected to his post; he inherited the job from Ariel Sharon when Sharon fell ill. As Sharon's successor at the head of Kadima, a party that was concocted from members of Likud and Labor, Olmert led the faction to a humble achievement, winning less than one-fourth of all Knesset seats, though that sufficed to form a government. In filling the most senior posts, Olmert acted bizarrely: He named Abraham Hirchson to the Finance Ministry, Amir Peretz as defense minister and Haim Ramon as justice minister. The results were not long in coming. Hirchson resigned after being suspected of corruption, while Peretz failed in his job as defense minister, particularly in his handling of the war in Lebanon. He also lost the leadership of the Labor Party. Ramon chose to duel with the Supreme Court and, after being convicted of an indecent sexual act against a female soldier, was removed from his post, only to be promoted to the job of vice premier.
In Ramon's stead, Olmert named Prof. Daniel Friedmann, who served as a battering ram against the judicial system which he was supposed to defend. It is difficult to determine the extent of the damage Friedmann will leave behind, but his contribution to the public's loss of faith in the justice system and the rule of law is clear even now.

Olmert formally submits his resignation to Peres

Olmert formally submits his resignation to Peres
By Mazal Mualem, Shahar Ilan and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents, and The Associated Press
Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert arrived at the President's residence in Jerusalem Sunday evening to formally submit his resignation to President Shimon Peres after almost 33 months in office. Olmert earlier announced his decision to step down at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, held in Jerusalem. Following the formal resignation, Olmert's cabinet becomes an interim government, and Peres was to begin a round of consultations with all the Knesset factions later Sunday in efforts to establish a new coalition.
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Peres was scheduled to meet with Kadima faction chair Yoel Hasson, Labor's Eitan Cabel, Likud's Gideon Sa'ar and Shas' Yakov Margi. Each MK will be given 45 minutes to recommend to the president a candidate who would be best suited to establish a coalition. Though it is not certain, Peres is expected to task Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who succeeded Olmert in his post as Kadima Party chair in a primary held last week, with establishing the coalition. Peres convened a press conference at his residence following Olmert's visit, and thanked the outgoing premier for his "contribution to the people and the sate during so many years of public service ? as mayor of Jerusalem, a minister in Israel's government and as prime minister."

septiembre 18, 2008

Don't envy the winner

Don't envy the winner
The immediate political goal of the winner of the Kadima primary must be to form a coalition and rapidly take charge of the new government, in an effort to get the party and its leader firmly in place ahead of the race between Kadima (and ideally Labor, in a unified bloc) and Likud in the next general election. This cannot be done just by putting out fires, managing crises and searching for opportunities. For this, you need a strategy. The basis of every successful strategy - whether in the military, politics or the business world - is focusing on the essential and concentrating one's efforts. All leaders need a central task with which they are identified, according to which they prioritize their timetable and for which they win public and international support. The message must be simple, understandable and consistent, and it must present a solution to an important national problem. New prime ministers are at risk of two immediate dangers. One is their tendency to get involved in the nonsense that steals the energy they need as well as political power. That's what happened to Ehud Barak with the transportation of a turbine superheater on Shabbat, which destabilized his coalition, and to Benjamin Netanyahu in his struggle against the "old elites," which set strong forces against him.

The court Arabs

The court Arabs
When a distinguished foreign delegation would come to Israel, Shimon Peres would ask us, his aides, to make sure also to invite sheikhs Jabr Moade and Hamad Abu-Rabiah. Peres wanted his guests "to see some kaffiyehs in the audience." That was a long time ago. Many words and much blood, too, has flowed since them. Abu-Rabiah was murdered by Moade's sons over a Knesset seat and Israel's Arabs established their own nationalist parties. Nevertheless, 13,000 Israeli Arabs joined Kadima - entire clans - who yesterday chose the country's next prime minister. Like the court Jews of the Diaspora, they are our court Arabs. They give a bad name to opportunism and a worse name to their own people. A good Arab is not an Arab who joins Kadima, Likud or even Labor. Most of Kadima's Arab voters have already been in all of them; such is the relationship between national minorities and the government. A good Arab cannot support those parties that are directly responsible for discrimination, occupation and the killing of their people. However, it turns out that distress leads to disgrace: election corruption instead of struggle, collaboration instead of national pride. One can believe in coexistence without being ingratiating; one can promote the issues of the community without acting in a corrupt manner, and one can even work toward equal rights without ridiculous photo ops with Shaul Mofaz and Avi Dichter.

How Israel caused the Oslo Accords to fail

How Israel caused the Oslo Accords to fail
By Israel Harel
Politicians like to glorify events in which they starred. And even more so the extroverted people who cooked up the Oslo Accords exactly 15 years ago. But Shimon Peres, Yossi Beilin and their partners from the academic world and media have chosen to remain silent in recent days, or to make vague statements that even they themselves don't seem to believe about the Oslo Accords remaining the only outline for peace. Even they, the wizards of propaganda, cannot explain, beyond the spin of the "only outline," how an initiative that ignited a war of terror that killed thousands of Jews and Arabs, turned Hamas into the main force in the Palestinian community and brought nationalistic fervor in the Israeli Palestinian community to new heights, is the "only outline for peace." After all, the truth is just the opposite: The "outline" gave rise to despair among both Jews and Arabs of the possibility of ever living in peace in this country, even within the Green Line. The Oslo Accords were doomed from the start, for one because the enthusiastic Israeli negotiators accepted the refusal of the Palestinians to recognize - and today, as it says in their "vision papers," even Israeli Arabs refuse to recognize - the State of Israel as a Jewish state and the national homeland of the Jewish people. But the impatient improvisers, who made light of the national ambitions of the Arabs and deluded themselves and us that this recognition, as Peres said, is not important, ignored the depth of the Arabs' nationalistic feelings while allowing them to waive their commitment to end the violence.

septiembre 17, 2008

Crece discriminación religiosa en Europa


Crece discriminación religiosa en Europa
Reforma
En muchos países predominantemente musulmanes ha disminuido el apoyo desde 2002 Reuters
Chicago, Estados Unidos (17 de septiembre de 2008).-
Los sentimientos antimusulmanes y antijudíos están aumentando en varios países europeos, de acuerdo a un sondeo mundial dado a conocer el miércoles.El sondeo mundial, del Pew Research Center con base en Washington, descubrió que 46 por ciento de españoles, 36 por ciento de polacos y 34 por ciento de rusos ven a los judíos de manera desfavorable, al igual que 25 por ciento de alemanes, y 20 por ciento de franceses.España no ha tenido una gran población de judíos desde que expulsó a sus residentes judíos en 1492. Los otros cuatro países tienen una larga historia de antisemitismo que culminó en el Holocausto.Las cifras son más altas que en otros sondeos comparables de Pew realizados durante los últimos años, dijo el reporte. "En varios países el aumento ha sido especialmente notorio entre 2006 y 2008".Las opiniones sobre musulmanes también han empeorado en comparación a años anteriores. El sentimiento negativo hacia ellos alcanzó 52 por ciento en España, 50 por ciento en Alemania, 46 por ciento en Polonia y 38 por ciento en Francia.Richard Wike, director asociado del proyecto de actitudes, dijo en una entrevista que el sondeo no intentaba descubrir por qué el comportamiento había cambiado pero otros datos indican que actitudes negativas hacia Israel podrían estar generando sentimientos antisemitas.También señaló que las preocupaciones por el extremismo y la inmigración podían ser un factor en percepciones negativas hacia los musulmanes.Gran Bretaña fue el único país europeo sin un aumento sustancial en actitudes antisemitas, dijo el reporte, con sólo un 9 por ciento evaluando desfavorablemente a los judíos.Diferentes tendenciasEn Estados Unidos, 7 por ciento tenía percepciones negativas sobre los judíos al igual que un 11 por ciento en Australia.Sin embargo, cerca de una de cada cuatro personas en Estados Unidos y Gran Bretaña tenía una mala opinión de los musulmanes."Hay una clara relación entre las actitudes antijudías y antimusulmanas", dijo el reporte. "(Aquellos) que ven a los judíos desfavorablemente también tienden a ver a los musulmanes bajo un prisma negativo".Los resultados se basaron en entrevistas con 24 mil 717 personas en 24 países a comienzos de este año. El sondeo tenía márgenes de error de más/menos 2 a 4 puntos porcentuales, variando según el país.Los sentimientos antijudíos más extremistas, según la encuesta, fueron encontrados predominantemente en naciones musulmanas, donde las actitudes favorables sólo llegaban a números de un sólo dígito entre turcos, egipcios, jordanos, libaneses, y paquistaníes.Menos apoyo a ataques suicidas Pero en muchos países predominantemente musulmanes ha disminuido el apoyo desde los ataques suicidas de 2002 y otras formas de violencia contra civiles en el nombre del Islam.En 2002 cerca de tres de cada cuatro libaneses musulmanes dijeron que esos ataques a menudo o a veces podían estar justificados, pero la cifra cayó a cerca de uno de cada tres en el más reciente sondeo. El entonces Primer Ministro libanés, Rafiq Hariri, fue asesinado en una gran explosión en febrero del 2004, desencadenando una ola de asesinatos políticos.El sondeo también reveló que las actitudes positivas hacia Osama Bin Laden han disminuido en varios países pero que el líder de Al-Qaeda todavía goza de alto apoyo en Nigeria, Indonesia y Paquistán.