Arab League chief warns Mideast peace process may fail
France24
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa says Arab states should prepare for the possibility that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process may ultimately fail and prepare alternatives.
By News Wires (text)
Catherine Nicholson (video)
REUTERS - Arab states should prepare for the possibility that the Palestinian-Israeli peace process may be a total failure and prepare alternatives, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said on Saturday.
He did not specify what the alternatives might be.
The troubled Middle East peace process suffered a fresh setback when the Palestinians warned that indirect talks with the Israelis would not take place unless Israel cancelled a decision to build 1,600 new homes in a settlement near east Jerusalem.
link to complete article
France24
Netanyahu vows policy will not change after US demands for concessions
As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes his cabinet Friday to discuss Israel's response to US pressure on Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem, his office said that there would be "no change in Israel's policy".
By News Wires (text)
AFP - Israel vowed policy on Jerusalem would not change as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet on Friday to craft a response to US demands for peace-promoting concessions.
Netanyahu returned Thursday from a tense visit to Washington that appeared to deepen a bitter row with the administration of President Barack Obama over the building of Jewish settlements, including in annexed Arab east Jerusalem.
"The prime minister's position is that there is no change in Israel's policy on Jerusalem that has been pursued by all governments of Israel for the last 42 years," his office said in a statement.
The Americans have reportedly demanded from Netanyahu a series of steps to help kickstart stalled peace talks with the Palestinians.
The hawkish premier was discussing the US demands with his inner forum of seven senior ministers.
Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser said it was unlikely there would be quick agreement from the seven and denied media reports of a US deadline to supply answers by Saturday night.
"I suggest you wait patiently," he told public radio. "If there is a necessity for further discussions they will happen...link to complete article
It is amazing that the United States has taken so long to actually stand up to Israel. Although some people say that we will ultimately back down, it will be interesting to see what Obama will do with this one.Obama runs out of patience with Israel
Settlement issue provokes 'biggest crisis in relations for 35 years'London Independent
By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem and Hugh MacLeod in Doha
Tuesday, 16 March 2010The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday strongly defended Jewish settlement construction in East Jerusalem in the face of US pressure and what one of his own top diplomats described as the worst crisis in relations with Washington for more than three decades.
A defiant Mr Netanyahu appeared to be digging in despite clear indications that the Obama administration is now demanding the scrapping of plans for 1,600 new Jewish homes, whose announcement overshadowed last week's visit to Israel by the US Vice-President Joe Biden. Mr Netanyahu's stance appeared to guarantee, after a highly charged week, the protraction of a stand-off in which a full-scale diplomatic row blew up at the start of Mr Biden's visit and appeared to abate at the end of it. But it was then reignited by demands from Hillary Clinton and an angry White House that Israel make amends for the "insulting" announcement just as indirect negotiations with the Palestinians had finally been arranged...link to complete article
JERUSALEM -- After spending most of Tuesday celebrating what he called the "unshakable" bond between the United States and Israel, Vice President Biden ended the day strongly condemning the longtime U.S. ally for approving 1,600 new housing units in disputed east Jerusalem -- an awkwardly timed move that threatened to kill a new push for Mideast peace by the Obama administration....link to complete article
UN set to call for investigations into Gaza war by Israel and Palestinians
London Guardian - November 4, 2009 -
Rory McCarthy in RamallahGeneral assembly expected to back resolution endorsing Goldstone report on alleged war crimes
The UN general assembly is expected to approve a resolution this week calling on Israel and the Palestinians to carry out independent investigations into serious allegations of war crimes committed during the Gaza conflict last January.
A debate on a highly critical UN report, written by the South African judge Richard Goldstone, begins today, with a vote on a resolution likely . Negotiations are continuing on the resolution and several European countries are trying to change the wording...link to complete Guardian article
U.S. House backs resolution to reject Goldstone Gaza report - Haaretz - Israel News
U.K., France want Israel, PA to probe Goldstone war crimes claims -Haaretz
"A joint French-British UN initiative would call on Israel and the Palestinians to hold immediate, independent investigations into war crimes allegations stemming from the war in Gaza, as part of a bid to send the Goldstone report back to Geneva and out of the hands of the Security Council or the International Criminal Court at The Hague..."
House Passes Gaza Measure After Dueling Critiques
By Bernie BeckerThe House on Tuesday approved a nonbinding resolution rebuking a United Nations report on last winter’s conflict in Gaza, after architects of both the U.N. report and the House resolution recently criticized the other’s work as inaccurate.
The resolution, which passed 344-36, called the investigation of the conflict — led by Richard Goldstone, a South African judge — “to be irredeemably biased and unworthy of further consideration or legitimacy.” Twenty-two House members voted present on the resolution.
As The Times’s Neil MacFarquhar reported in September, the investigation led by Mr. Goldstone found evidence that both Israel and Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups committed war crimes during the conflict, but reserved “its harshest language for Israel’s treatment of the civilian Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, both during the war and through the longer-term blockade of the territory.”
Last week, Mr. Goldstone responded in a letter to two of the driving forces behind the House resolution, telling Representatives Howard Berman and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen — the chairman and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee — that the resolution had misstated some facts and taken statements out of context. The letter then introduces and rebuts a string of the resolution’s clauses.
On Monday, Mr. Berman and Representative Gary L. Ackerman, chairman of the Foreign Affairs panel’s subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, released their own point-by-point rebuttal to Mr. Goldstone.
The report, which has already been endorsed by the U.N. Human Rights Council, is scheduled to be taken up by the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday.
Mr. Goldstone’s mandate in investigating the conflict and whether the report gives a fair description of Hamas’ actions were two of the issues at the center of the back-and-forth.
According to the House resolution, Mr. Goldstone and his team were authorized only to investigate Israeli actions in the conflict, a move which “pre-judged the outcome.”
But, in his recent letter, Mr. Goldstone, who prosecuted war crimes committed in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, writes that the original mandate was rejected because it focused solely on Israel and that investigators worked under a broader authorization that covered the actions of both sides in Gaza.
For their part, Mr. Berman and Mr. Ackerman assert that Mr. Goldstone made “earnest” attempts to change the mandate, but was not completely successful. The final resolution included language that took note of those efforts, according to a spokeswoman for the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The resolution also says the U.N. report “downplayed or cast doubt” on claims that Hamas and other groups used civilians and civilian institutions like mosques as shields.
In his response, Mr. Goldstone termed that a “sweeping and unfair characterization.” He added that, because Israel did not cooperate with the investigation, the report does not include any information the Israelis might have collected on actions by Palestinian groups during the conflict.
Mr. Berman and Mr. Ackerman, however, charge that “the report uncritically attributes numerous statements to ‘Gaza authorities’ (meaning, Hamas), while often casting doubt on information derived from the international and Israeli press and from non-government-affiliated Israelis.”
The White House did not come down either way on the House resolution, although administration officials have called many of the U.N. report’s findings “flawed.” As The Times’s Sharon Otterman reported recently, Mr. Goldstone has asked the White House to clarify “what the flaws in the report that they have identified are.”
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There is something beautiful about this image. I don't usually copy recent newspaper images, but this one was so striking. Congrats to Stephen Crowley for being such a fine artist.Netanyahu cites secret deal with Bush to justify more settlements, London Independent, June 3, 2009
Action must follow Obama's words, London Guardian, June 3, 2009by Tariq Ramadanguardian.co.uk, Wednesday 3 June 2009 13.01 BSTObama's speech to Muslims will mean little if its symbolism is not followed up by concrete measures to restore trust...Barack Obama has this legacy to reverse. In talking to the Muslims, he should talk to the US and the west as well, for the scars of mistrust are deep. Obama has been very smart and cautious in delivering his political messages during the first months of his presidency. He repeatedly expressed his respect towards Islam and Muslims, announcing the closure of Guantanamo and cessation of torture and even becoming tougher towards the Israeli government regarding settlements. These are positive steps one should not deny.Yet, symbolic acts and speeches are not enough. What we expect from the new president is effective and necessary action as well as a change in attitude. Humility is a key factor. In our global age, the United States might still be the most powerful nation in the world, but it does not have the monopoly on what is good and right. Being open to the world starts with being open to all civilisations and by acknowledging the potential positive contribution of every religion and culture. Islam is a great civilisation and Barack Obama should bring a message of true and deep respect by announcing that we all have to learn from each other and that he will commit himself to spreading knowledge of cultural and religious diversity in the United States itself. Humility means we all have to learn from one another and America should be ready to learn from Islam and Muslims as well as from the Hindus or the Buddhists. Paradoxically, how Obama intends to deal with education and religious diversity at home will be the true indicator of his real policy towards Islam and Muslims in the world.No civilisation can claim to have a monopoly on universal values and no one can claim to be always faithful to his own values. President Obama must stress the ideal values and human rights the United States stands for but he has also to acknowledge mistakes, failures and contradictions when it comes to their implementation. Lack of consistency is a weakness shared by all nations. The best way for the president to be heard when he calls for human rights and democratisation and announces the start of a new era in relations with Muslims would be to start by being constructively self-critical and acknowledging that the US can and will do much better in respecting the values it stands for. It should do so by implementing just policies towards the Muslim world and poor countries. This humble attitude, based on the imperative duty of consistency, is not a position of weakness but the exact opposite: in this way, Obama can remind leaders as well as ordinary Muslims of their own inconsistencies and duties. Only a consistent and self-critical US president can remind Muslims that they have to act against corruption, extremism, dictatorships, lack of educational policies, discrimination towards women and poor people and be heard with a minimum of trust.Muslims are waiting for action and they know from experience (with the US as well as with their own governments) that politicians are good at words. Barack Obama has a very special status today in the world and especially in the Muslim world. He is one of the only US presidents who has had both the background and the capacity to be more than simply a symbol spreading beautiful words. It would be sad to lose this historic opportunity and one must hope he has a vision and an efficient strategy for his country and the world. On domestic issues, when it comes to discrimination, security, immigration and equal opportunities, Barack Obama must help us to forget that he is African-American by promoting promote equal rights and justice. At the international level he should help us forget that his father was a Muslim by refusing to be shy or apologetic and respecting the rights of both individuals and populations in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The message he is to send to Muslims should come from a president positioning himself beyond specific colour and religious belonging with humility, consistency and respect. While delivering his speech he should make it clear that after many years of deafness in Washington, he has begun to listen. for complete article
Obama to tell Israel: Form new peace policy by July Haaretz - Israel, June 3, 2009Obama made a surprise appearance on Tuesday at a meeting Defense Minister Ehud Barak was holding in Washington, shortly before the U.S. leader was set to leave on a five-day trip to the Middle East.
Obama spoke for about 15 minutes with Barak, who was meeting with National Security Adviser General Jim Jones at the time. While Obama's official schedule did not include a meeting with Barak, he has in the past dropped into other officials' meetings with international figures.According to an official Israeli source, Obama wants to complete the formulation of a preliminary six-month plan for progress toward a Middle East peace agreement and to present it in July. link to complete articleObama Plays Down Divide With Israel, New York Times, June 3, 2009
We may not be hearing much about Israel and Gaza these days, but there is still a lot going on...--UN Rebukes Israel Over Gaza Raids, BBC, May 5, 2009Aipac urges Congress members to sign letter to Barack Obama calling for Israel to set pace of negotiations with Palestinians* Chris McGreal in Washington* guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 6 May 2009 13.55 BSTUS congressional leaders and the most powerful pro-Israel lobby group in the US are attempting to forestall a significant shift in the White House's Middle East policy.The move comes amid growing signs that the US president, Barack Obama, intends to press for urgent efforts to be made towards the creation of a Palestinian state.The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, is visiting Washington later this month amid growing expectations that Obama is preparing to take a tougher line over Israel's reluctance to actively seek a two-state solution to its conflict with the Palestinians.It will be the first time that Netanyahu and Obama have met since both were elected.The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) this week sent hundreds of lobbyists to urge members of Congress to sign a letter to Obama.The letter, written by two House of Representatives leaders, calls for Israel to be allowed to set the pace of negotiations.The lobbying came despite critics saying Netanyahu has consistently failed to commit himself to the creation of a Palestinian state.The letter calls for the maintenance of the status quo, with an emphasis on Palestinian institution-building before there can be an end to Israeli occupation.It says the US "must be both a trusted mediator and devoted friend of Israel".Aipac's move to put pressure on members of Congress came at the end of its annual conference in Washington this week.Some of the loudest applause at the gathering came in response to calls for military attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities – something Netanyahu has attempted to portray as a more urgent issue than the Palestinian question.But Aipac delegates were told by the US vice-president, Joe Biden, that the administration favours "mutual respect" in dealing with Iran.Biden said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict strengthened Iran's strategic position and Israel must take concrete steps – including fulfilling often-broken commitments to stop the expansion of Jewish settlements – towards the creation of a Palestinian state.Last week, General James Jones, Obama's national security adviser, told a European foreign minister that the new administration would be "forceful" with Israel, according to a classified Israeli memo reported by the Ha'aretz newspaper.Jones was quoted as saying that Obama believes Washington, the EU and moderate Arab states must define "a satisfactory endgame solution"."The new administration will convince Israel to compromise on the Palestinian question," he was quoted as saying. "We will not push Israel under the wheels of a bus, but we will be more forceful toward Israel than we have been under Bush." link to complete Guardian article
Last update - 00:46 09/04/2009
Obama team readying for confrontation with Netanyahu
By Aluf Benn
Haaretz.com
In an unprecedented move, the Obama administration is readying for a possible confrontation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by briefing Democratic congressmen on the peace process and the positions of the new government in Israel regarding a two-state solution.
The Obama administration is expecting a clash with Netanyahu over his refusal to support the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
In recent weeks, American officials have briefed senior Democratic congressmen and prepared the ground for the possibility of disagreements with Israel over the peace process, according to information recently received. The administration's efforts are focused on President Barack Obama's Democratic Party, which now holds a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The preemptive briefing is meant to foil the possibility that Netanyahu may try to bypass the administration by rallying support in Congress.
The message that administration officials have relayed to the congressmen is that President Obama is committed to the security of Israel and intends to continue the military assistance agreement that was signed by his predecessor, George W. Bush.
However, Obama considers the two-state solution central to his Middle East policy, as he reiterated during a speech in Turkey on Monday, and he intends to ask that Netanyahu fulfill all the commitments made by previous governments in Israel: accepting the principle of a Palestinian state; freezing settlement activity; evacuating illegal outposts; and providing economic and security assistance to the Palestinian Authority.
Administration officials made it clear to congressmen that the Palestinians will also be required to fulfill their obligations in line with the road map and the Annapolis process.
According to the reports received in Israel, the U.S. administration is not concerned about recent statements by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman calling for a rejection of the Annapolis process or overtures made by Netanyahu during the election campaign.
U.S. officials say they will wait and hear Netanyahu's position from the prime minister himself when he meets Obama in Washington next month.
No hurry to play mediator
The Obama administration is also not opposed to the resumption of negotiations between Israel and Syria but will insist that the Syrian track not be used in Jerusalem as a way of evading obligations undertaken by Israel as part of the Annapolis process.
Obama is in no hurry to bring the U.S. in as lead mediator between Israel and Syria. American involvement, which both Israel and Syria consider essential for substantive progress, will remain conditional on progress in the dialogue between Washington and Damascus.
Regarding Iran, the Obama administration is preparing the ground for a policy distinguishing between Iran's right to have nuclear technology, including uranium enrichment done under international supervision, and the actual building of a nuclear weapon...link
Land of Ruins: A Special Report on Gaza’s Economy
April 6, 2009
Democracy Now! producer Anjali Kamat files a report on the state of the Gazan economy, where unemployment and poverty rates are among the highest in the world. Despite international pledges of over 5.2 billion dollars to rebuild Gaza, in the four months since Israel"s assault, the siege has not been lifted and only one truck carrying cement and other construction materials has been allowed entry into the Gaza Strip.
Israeli military in PR offensive to explain civilian deaths in Gaza
Senior officers have met reporters to insist offensive was 'moral and ethical'
By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem
London Independent
Monday, 30 March 2009
The Israeli military has moved to deflect a mounting barrage of criticism over the deaths of hundreds of civilians during its 22-day offensive in Gaza.
The public relations drive by the Israeli Defence Force has been given impetus by allegations made by some soldiers that permissive rules of engagement failed to protect civilians.
The allegations – currently being investigated by military police – have generated widespread publicity and led senior officers to meet reporters. At these meetings, they have sought to reinforce the military's assertion that, in the words of the Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazy, "the IDF acted morally and ethically. If there were incidents like these, they were isolated." The move also follows a series of reports from groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch documenting civilian deaths which they say violated international law.
The latest was last week's detailed Human Rights Watch report which said the IDF's "deliberate" and "reckless" use of white phosphorus was "evidence of war crimes".
Israeli military intelligence last week released new figures indicating 1,166 Palestinians had been killed in the conflict. Of these, it said 295 were "uninvolved citizens" while 162 were "without an identified affiliation".
Both the military and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, have lists of names which PCHR – but so far not the IDF – has published. PCHR says 1,417 Palestinians were killed, and of these 926 were civilians, and 236 combatants.
Part of the discrepancy – though only part – is a matter of definition. PCHR includes as civilians both civil policemen – many of whom were new graduates killed in the bombing of a passing out parade on the offensive's first day on 27 December – and unarmed political activists. It argues, like Human Rights Watch, that this is supported by international law. The IDF however defines them all as among 709 Hamas "terror operatives". link to complete article
