Doc's Talk: "Drawing Sense from Confusion"

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

"Drawing Sense from Confusion"

Arlene Kushner

If I could turn myself into a fly on the wall, and be present at key meetings, it would be great. Or if I could read minds. But I have not the power to do either. Yet I sit here at my computer, trying to put together various statements made by government officials (for the most part as filtered through the reportage of various media sources), and various conclusions drawn by knowledgeable persons whose opinions I have sought. And it isn't quite coming together. Yesterday I wrote about a quid pro quo that PM Netanyahu may well believe he will receive from Obama in return for an apparent gesture towards "peace" -- i.e,. the dismantling of some "illegal outposts." Netanyahu, after all, had made an impassioned statement to his Likud faction with regard to this, as reported in several sources. This involves making Obama look good in his bid for "peace," so that he's more amenable on other issues.

Today I picked the brain of a savvy individual who often has inside information, and he reiterated this same perspective. He maintained, in fact, that the coalition was so structured that any major concession would be blocked, and that there was in the end no great need for concern.

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I could go with that perspective. I still may.

But today the problem is conflicting statements and positions that are not coming together coherently. This leads to the almost inevitable conclusion that there is more going on than meets the eye. The "more" is not necessarily bad, but it suggests game playing at some level.

Consider all of the following, keeping in mind that these are media reports, which means that the journalists' own perspectives may have to be factored in.

Reports today that Netanyahu, after having denied any connection, is starting to see it Obama's way: that there is a linkage between progress on the Israeli-Palestinian front and ability to successfully counter Iran. Surely he doesn't believe this. To say this is different from simply buying into a quid pro quo deal. Is this just part of the role he's playing?

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But then Barak made an impassioned statement that it has to be explained to America that there is no connection between taking down outposts and countering Iran. So Barak wasn't playing the same game. Or had a different role. Or what? A good cop-bad cop act with Netanyahu?

One suspects it's a role because of one particular statement he made: "It's not as if the moment the last outpost is dismantled...the Iranians will abandon their nuclear ambitions." Come on! No one ever suggested this would happen. The linkage originally made by the Obama administration was with regard to Arab nations who would be more supportive of our stance against Iran if we made concessions towards the Palestinians. This is also nonsense, but different from what Barak was saying.

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And still we're not done. There are also reports that Barak, who is going to Washington next week for meetings with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and National Security Advisor General James Jones, will propose that we dismantle all 24 illegal outposts within the next few weeks in exchange for US approval on our doing construction for natural growth in major settlement blocs.

In fact, Minister Dan Meridor has gone to London to meet with some US officials there to coordinate plans for Barak's visit.

But if this is true, this is stomach turning. Because we don't need US permission to build in our settlements. We should do what we need to do for our best interest and be done with it. No need to get Obama to sign off on it!

In fact, it was my understanding that our government had already communicated to the US that for the present we intend to continue building in settlements, at least for natural growth. According to a Reuters report, at the Cabinet meeting this week, Netanyahu told the Cabinet, "The demand for a total stop to building is not something that can be justified and I don't think that anyone here at this table accepts it."

Besides which, and this is a major catch, the government is now presenting the dismantling of outposts as a trade off for two different things: Obama's increased cooperation on Iran and Obama's "approval" of our building in our settlements.

They had better get their act together. Or their stories straight.

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But when I encounter communication from horrified readers who see Netanyahu as totally dishonest and a sell-out, I recall other Netanyahu positions:

Say what you will, he sat next to Obama, who was crystal clear about expecting a "two-state solution," and he did not utter that mantra.

And last week, he said very publicly that Jerusalem will remain undivided under Israeli sovereignty forever. Not only that, we will build there without restrictions. That is a proud and appropriate defiance, not a sell-out.

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And so here I'm going to resort to my fall-back position, which is "Wait and See." Being ever watchful and dilgent while doing so, of course.

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One thing that continues to be most encouraging is the nationalist strength of the current coalition, including members of Likud. I alluded to some of this yesterday, and there is no doubt in my mind but that it will have a major effect on how matters play out. We're not watching Netanyahu in a vacuum, after all.

Today there was a significant seminar held in the Knesset on the issue of alternatives to a two-state solution, organized by MK Tzipi Hotovely (Likud). Remember that name. She's young (31), she's dynamic, she's sharp, and she has her priorities right. She's up-and-coming for sure.

The fact of such a seminar is cause for hope.

A number of significant people spoke, including: Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe Ya'alon (Likud); Minister of Internal Affairs Eli Yeshai (Shas); Minister of Information Yuli Edelstein (Likud); MK Robert Illatov (Yisrael Beitenu); Former Ambassador Yoram Ettinger; Maj.-Gen. (res) Giora Eiland, former head of the National Security Council; and Moshe Arens, who has served as ambassador to the US, foreign minister and defense minister in various Likud governments.

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The messages of these various speakers varied in details but were consistent in their perspective: A two-state solution would be a disaster were it to happen, it is not viable and won't happen.

As Moshe Ya'alon said:

"We have to free ourselves from this failed approach and its erroneous premise in order to allow for new patterns of thought.

"In handling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict we should not apply terms like 'solution' in the foreseeable future, rather the terms should be 'crisis management' or coping in the long-term. This strategy should maintain and strengthen [our] interests while managing the conflict, and working towards stabilization in the distant future."

While Eli Yeshai observed:

"I am willing to give up the embraces [from the US] and keep the assets. We keep trying to get the Americans to like us when we should be sticking to what we know to be true."
Various alternatives were discussed, such as some form of autonomy within Palestinian cities and cooperation with Jordan on the Palestinians.

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Ahmed Queria, who was PA chief negotiator for Annapolis talks, has given an interview to Haaretz.

One phrase caught my eye, as it tells the truth of their position:

"If they want peace, they should pay the price."

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see my website www.ArlenefromIsrael.info

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The IDF’s Minorities in Numbers and Pictures

In honor of IDF Diversity Week, we present diversity through numbers and pictures. Each year, more and more Muslims, Christians, Druze, Bedouin and immigrants from around the world take on the responsibility of defending Israel.

MUSLIMS:

Muslim Arab Israelis are not required to draft in the IDF, but there are many who volunteer. In 2013, there were over 200 Muslims serving in the IDF and over 300 in the reserves.

Bedouins:

Bedouins are nomadic Muslims who were in Israel when modern borders were set in place and are now considered Israeli citizens. They are not required to draft but a growing number choose to enlist. In 2012, there were over 1,400 Bedouin Muslim soldiers doing regular IDF service and almost 1,500 in the reserves.

Read more:http://www.idfblog.com/2014/02/27/truth-idf-numbers-pictures/#more-34027

Are you aware that in 2013, Middle class taxes go up-significantly?

In January of next year, the federal income tax rate for middle-class taxpayers is scheduled to rise from 25 percent to 28 percent, and the payroll tax is scheduled to rise from 13.3 percent to 15.3 percent… This drives the marginal tax rate based on the aforementioned three taxes to 48.12 percent. Add in state and local property, corporate, excise, and other state and local taxes, and the percentage of each additional dollar that is taxed hovers around 50 percent… When half of each additional dollar earned is taxed away, taxpayers experience a disincentive to start businesses or expand existing ones. This leads to fewer jobs being created.

Why is HAMAS Inside Tampa Schools?

Clare Lopez

Kelly Miliziano, who teaches history classes at Steinbrenner High School in the Tampa, Florida area apparently thinks it’s perfectly OK to invite a senior official of a HAMAS-affiliated organization into her classroom to discuss Islam with her students. According to local media reports, not only has this been going on for years, but in spite of the civil and criminal proceedings that could result from such reckless negligence, the Hillsborough County school superintendent, Mary Ellen Elia, and the chairman of the school board, Candy Olson, also expressed approval for students under their responsibility to be exposed repeatedly to guest speaker, Hassan Shibly, who is the Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in the Tampa area.
More...

Did You Know... Ignoring the Call to Islam will Bring Jihad

‘Conquest through Da’wa [proselytizing] that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Da’wa.’
-- Yousef al-Qaradawi , Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader The Arabic word ‘Da’wa’ means the “call to Islam.” But do not think that Da’wa is the same thing as an invitation to an optional holiday event. The classical Islamic doctrine of jihad mandates that enemies must be given the opportunity to convert to Islam or pay the jizya tax before it is permissible to attack them.
Clare M. Lopez

Who is being discriminated-facts tell the truth

Religious bias

Hate crimes motivated by religious bias accounted for 1,409 offenses reported by law enforcement. A breakdown of the bias motivation of religious-bias offenses showed:

65.4 percent were anti-Jewish.
13.2 percent were anti-Islamic.
9.5 percent were anti-other religion, i.e., those not specified.
4.3 percent were anti-Catholic.
3.8 percent were anti-multiple religions, group.
3.3 percent were anti-Protestant.
0.5 percent were anti-Atheism/Agnosticism/etc.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2010/narratives/hate-crime-2010-incidents-and-offenses.

On March 31, 1977, the Dutch newspaper Trouw published an interview

with PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein. Here's what he said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

In March 1977, Zahir Muhsein, a PLO executive, said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism."

"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

The Arab Apartheid

Ben-Dror Yemini
In 1948, the Arab countries refused to accept the UN partition proposal and they launched a war of annihilation against the State of Israel which had barely been established. All precedents in this matter showed that the party that starts the war - and with a declaration of annihilation, yet - pays a price for it. Between 550,000 and 710,000 Arabs fled because of the war and a larger number of 850,000 Jews were expelled or fled from Arab countries (the "Jewish nakba").
Population exchanges and expulsions were the norm at that time, occurring in dozens of other conflict points and affecting about 52 million people. In all the population exchange precedents that occurred during or at the end of an armed conflict, there was no return of refugees to the previous region, which had turned into a new national state.
Only the Arab states acted completely differently from the rest of the world. Instead of assimilating the refugees, they crushed them despite the fact that they were their coreligionists and members of the Arab nation - instituting a regime of apartheid. So the "nakba" was not caused by the actual dispossession, which had also been experienced by tens of millions of others. The "nakba" is the story of the apartheid, oppression, abuse and denial of rights suffered by the Arab refugees at the hands of the Arab countries. (Maariv)

International Law and Military Operations in Practice - Col. Richard Kemp

"Islamist fighting groups study the international laws of armed conflict carefully and they understand it well. They know that a British or Israeli commander and his men are bound by international law and the rules of engagement that flow from it. They then do their utmost to exploit what they view as one of their enemy's main weaknesses. Their very modus operandi is built on the correct assumption that Western armies will normally abide by the rules, while these insurgents employ a deliberate policy of operating consistently outside international law. "

Lost Historical Moments

What Rabin’s last Knesset speech really said:repudiation of a Palestinian state

Rabin ruled out a fully sovereign Palestinian state :

“We view the permanent solution in the framework of State of Israel which will include most of the area of the Land of Israel as it was under the rule of the British Mandate, and alongside it a Palestinian entity which will be a home to most of the Palestinian residents living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We would like this to be an entity which is less than a state, and which will independently run the lives of the Palestinians under its authority.”

Rabin ruled out a total withdrawal from Judea and Samaria and thus a return to the pre-June 1967 borders :

“The borders of the State of Israel, during the permanent solution, will be beyond the lines which existed before the Six Day War. We will not return to the 4 June 1967 lines.”

Rabin ruled out withdrawing form the Jordan Valley:

“The security border of the State of Israel will be located in the Jordan Valley, in the broadest meaning of that term.”

Rabin ruled out uprooting settlement blocs, like the Gush Katif bloc in Gaza (which was subsequently uprooted by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon):

“The establishment of blocs of settlements in Judea and Samaria, like the one in Gush Katif.

AND

Rabin ruled out removing any settlement before coming to a full peace agreement with the Palestinians:

“I want to remind you: we committed ourselves, that is, we came to an agreement, and committed ourselves before the Knesset, not to uproot a single settlement in the framework of the interim agreement, and not to hinder building for natural growth.”

Rabin insisted on Israel retaining full security control of the borders with Egypt and Jordan, contrary to Israel’s relinquishment of the Philadelphia Corridor on the border with Egypt:

“The responsibility for external security along the borders with Egypt and Jordan, as well as control over the airspace above all of the territories and Gaza Strip maritime zone, remains in our hands.”

Correcting Oslo Myths-Part 2

3) Kuttab laments that the post-1993 Oslo process resulted in a Palestinian Authority "whose ministers and legislators are not guaranteed passage between Gaza and the West Bank ...."

Before free passage or other perquisites, PA leaders were obligated, among other things, to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, end anti-Israeli, antisemitic incitement in schools, mosques, and communications media, and resolve all outstanding issues through peaceful negotiations. They met none of these commitments, sometimes bolstering terrorism and greatly increasing incitement.

4) Kuttab complains that under Oslo the PA got "lightly armed police ---- but no real sovereignty over the land or contiguity between our communities in Gaza and the West Bank."

Oslo agreements repeatedly were revised, regardless of Palestinian non-compliance, until the authorized number of police grew from 8,000 to 40,000. Though they were to be the only armed forces in the territories, Israeli estimates early in the second intifada put the number of gunmen - police, "security services," terrorists, and armed gangs - at 85,000. Their armament reportedly included not only heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, but also anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.

Sovereignty was to be negotiated in the envisioned 1998 "final status" talks - after a five-year period of confidence-building. Palestinian leadership chronically undermined the process. Palestinian terrorism made the 1993 - 1998 Oslo period more deadly for Israelis than the 15 years preceding it.

The United States doesn't have contiguity between the lower 48 states and Alaska and Hawaii; territorial contiguity between the West Bank and Gaza Strip - that is, through the 20 miles of Israeli territory between them - was never promised and would destroy Israeli contiguity.

5) "Palestinians have been made to endure hundreds of checkpoints in the West Bank, an eight-foot wall deep in our territories, and tight Israeli control over borders."

The security barrier is not "deep in Palestinian territories," but rather encompasses less than 8 percent of Judea and Samaria, and is mostly a fence, rarely a wall; the land in question is not "our [Palestinian] territories" but disputed territory to which, according to the authors of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, Jews as well as Arabs have claims; and there are no international borders, only the 1949 armistice lines with Jordan. Under 242, borders remain to be negotiated. As for checkpoints - like the security barrier and "tight Israeli control" - Palestinian Arabs precipitated these measures themselves. No terrorism and there would be no fence or tight Israeli control and few checkpoints - like before the first intifada.

Correcting Some Oslo Myths

1) In Oslo "Israeli, Palestinian and other world leaders promised that ... Palestinian sovereignty would be solidified."

No, they didn't. The 1993 Declaration of Principles and subsequent Oslo agreements outlined a process by which final status negotiations about the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be reached. The process required an end to anti-Israel terrorism and incitement and a commitment to peaceful negotiations. The PA, Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other terrorist groups, sabotaged the process from the start.

2) "The reality is that, in defiance of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, which states that it is inadmissible to occupy land by force, Palestinian territories are still under foreign military occupation."
Wrong again. Resolution 242 (1967) does note "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war." It also affirms the right of every state in the area "to live in peace with secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force." There were no "Palestinian territories." Jordan occupied the West Bank, Egypt controlled Gaza. Israel did not have "secure and recognized boundaries," so retention of some of those territories was possible under 242. Israel is not a "foreign" military occupier in the West Bank but, pending final negotiations, the lawful military administrator as a result of a successful war of self-defense.

Doc's Talk