Doc's Talk: Prime Minister Netanyahu's Foreign Policy Speech to the Nation

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Prime Minister Netanyahu's Foreign Policy Speech to the Nation

Israeli-Palestinian Economic Cooperation

The Israeli and Palestinian economies are closely interconnected. If both economies are independently stable, peace can be a reality. [1]

A 2009 Israeli government report to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee proposes developing Palestinian infrastructure and creating jobs in conjunction with the removal of Israeli roadblocks in the West Bank to ease Palestinian movement without placing Israeli society at risk. [2] "Economic development does not solve problems, it mitigates them and makes them more accessible for solution, and creates a stronger political base," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in 2008. [3] Netanyahu’s statement is based on the belief that Iran and its terrorist proxies overran Israel’s previous peace initiatives in the form of land withdrawals. The prime minister believes a Palestinian state is possible once the Palestinian economy is strengthened, thereby helping to prevent future Iranian influence in the Palestinian territories. [4]

There is already considerable trade between Israel and the Palestinian territories. A 2007 study by the Palestine International Business Forum (PIBF) states that Israel consumes 90 percent of Palestinian exports and is the source of 74 percent of Palestinian imports, showing a significant tie between Israel to the Palestinian economy. [5]

Another report details economic progress in the West Bank since early 2008. According to the report, economic cooperation and interaction between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority has resulted in [6]:

• A 35 percent increase in trade between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA);
• A 24 percent increase in daily wages in the West Bank;
• Substantial growth in agricultural produce originating from the West Bank;
• An increase in banking sector profits.

There was also significant growth in the West Bank’s tourism industry and a 12.7 percent increase in the number of Palestinians employed by Israeli-owned businesses. [7]

These improvements in the Palestinian economy were not happenstance. Israel took specific steps in 2008 to ensure Palestinian economic growth:

• Eased access and movement by removing roadblocks and checkpoints; [8]
• Increased the number of Palestinians allowed to work in Israel; [9]
• Issued 81 percent more permissions for Palestinians who conduct a large volume of business and conduct business in Israel; [10]
• Supported a number of long-term development projects in the Palestinians towns of Jenin and Tarkumiya and an agro-industrial park in Jericho; [11]
• Built roads, sewage and housing in Ramallah and Nablus, built schools in Jilabun and Jenin, generating many new jobs; [12]
• Improved access to electricity by assisting with the launch of four electricity substations; this connected villages to electricity networks and constructing power grids in Palestinian villages; [13]
• Launched the Jenin Pilot Project, which seeks to strengthen the Palestinian Security Forces, improve the local economy and promote economic projects to improve daily life for Palestinians. [14]

Israel also works with Palestinian customs offices and has established an Israeli-Palestinian Chamber of Commerce and the Palestinian Israeli Business Forum. A joint economic committee between Israel’s Ministry of Finance and its Palestinian counterpart meets regularly to discuss issues such as Palestinian workers in Israel and the transfer of funds to Gaza. [15]

Other joint committees were created under the Oslo Accords and continue to foster cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians in different fields such as tourism, transportation, water, health, welfare and telecommunications, which have all met at least once in 2008. [16]

The PIBF study that dates back to 2007 projected that Israeli and Palestinian economic cooperation could result in $25 billion in exports and income profits, as well as the creation of a million jobs for both Israelis and Palestinians. [17]

The study also stated that the growth could only happen if the Palestinians build a stable economy and that, with economic interdependence, Israelis and Palestinians could not afford to wage war on each other.
Israel also has worked to develop understanding, networking and dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians through organizations such as MASHAV and People to People. [18]
Quotes on Economic Peace by PM Netanyahu

• “There is an important future for the Palestinian economy and the Palestinian-Israeli economic relationship. We intend to invest an enormous amount in this area. The faster it moves, the stronger the Palestinian economy becomes and the stronger the peace between our peoples becomes.” [19]

• “We must weave an economic peace alongside a political process. That means that we have to strengthen the moderate parts of the Palestinian economy by handing rapid growth in those areas, rapid economic growth that gives a stake for peace for the ordinary Palestinians." [20]

Palestinian Culture of Hate

Despite cooperation between the two sides, the Palestinian Authority and Iran-backed Hamas continue to promote a culture of hate that is widespread in Palestinian culture, particularly in Palestinian schools, Gaza’s Hamas-ruled Palestinian government and Palestinian media. For example:

• On May 5, the Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam reported that the PA named its new computer center after Dalal Mughrabi, a female terrorist who in 1978 killed 37 civilians—including 12 children—in a bus hijacking in Israel. American photographer Gail Rubin was among those killed in the attack. [21]

• In Palestinian classrooms, schoolchildren are taught that Israelis are the enemy and Palestinian TV regularly airs programs geared towards children that encourage them to kill Israelis and thus achieve martyrdom. [22]

• Hamas’s own charter calls for killing Jews. It states, “The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews (and kill them); until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!” [23] “The indoctrination campaign must involve ulama, educators, teachers and information and media experts, as well as all intellectuals, especially the young people and the sheikhs of Islamic movements. It is [also] necessary to introduce essential changes in the curricula, in order to eliminate the influences of the intellectual invasion which were inflicted upon them by the Orientalists and the missionaries.” [24]

Just last month, Abbas rejected the idea of a Jewish state and recently met with Palestinian youth leaders where he held up a framed map of Palestine – clearly labeled in English - that covered all of Israel. “I say this clearly: I do not accept the Jewish State, call it what you will," Abbas said during the meeting in Ramallah. The photo of Abbas holding the map appeared on the front pages of both Palestinian Authority daily newspapers. [25]

Recent Palestinian Terrorist Activities in 2009

• June 8: Ten gunmen approach the Nahal Oz border crossing between Gaza and Israel, with a large quantity of explosives loaded on horses, seeking to infiltrate Israel’s border and kidnap IDF soldiers. The gunmen opened fire on an IDF force by the crossing, which returned fire, killing four militants. [26]

• May 22: Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) operatives open fire at IDF soldiers by the Kerem Shalom goods crossing along the Israel-Gaza border. The soldiers return fire and kill the terrorists. [27]

• May 22: An IED (Improvised Explosive Device), targeting an IDF patrol, explodes near the Karni crossing. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed responsibility for the attack, although it did not result in any casualties. [28]

• May 19: Iran-backed Hamas fires a Qassam rocket, hitting a Sderot home. Two victims were treated for shock and the home was moderately damaged. [29]

• May 3: An Israeli soldier is stabbed in the neck and moderately injured when getting off a bus in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv. The Arab attacker fled the scene, but was caught the next day. [30]

• April 29: An IED device explodes by the Erez Crossing in the Gaza Strip. There were no casualties. Members of PIJ and the Fatah-affiliated Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claimed responsibility for the attack. [31]

• April 13: The Israeli Navy discovers an unmanned vessel off the coast of the Gaza Strip. Upon approaching the boat, it exploded but caused no damage. The navy suspected that hundreds of tons of explosives were aboard the boat and the target was a navy ship. [32]

• April 7: A resident of Jabal Mukaber in East Jerusalem tries to run over three policemen in Sur Baher (another neighborhood in East Jerusalem) with his vehicle. The policemen, who sustained minor injuries, shot and killed the terrorist. [33]

• April 4: Basma Awad al-Nabari, 15, opens fire on Israeli Border Police at the Shoket Junction in southern Israel. The police try to persuade al-Nabari to turn herself in, but fail. When she continues to shoot they return fire and kill her. [34]

• April 2: An axe-wielding terrorist enters the settlement of Bat Ayin in the West Bank and murders 16 year-old Shlomo Nativ, and attempts to murder a 7-year-old child. Another resident scuffles with the terrorist but he manages to flee the scene. [35]

• March 31: IDF soldiers discover four terrorists placing an IED near the Gaza Strip security fence. Two terrorists were killed in the ensuing gun battle and large quantities of explosives are found. [36]

• March 21: Police foil a terrorist attack in Haifa. A private vehicle wired with explosives is found outside the entrance of the Lev HaMifratz shopping mall. Approximately 100 pounds (45kg) of explosives are found in the vehicle. [37]

• March 7: An Israeli civilian sustains minor injuries when stones are thrown at him near the city of Hebron in the West Bank. [38]

• March 5: A Palestinian drives a bulldozer into a police patrol car in Jerusalem. The bulldozer crosses the intersection, plows into the car a number of times, overturning it, jamming the car against a street light and a bus on the other side of the street. A policeman sustains light injuries. [39]

• March 5: An anti-tank missile is fired at an IDF patrol on the Israeli side of the Gaza border security fence. [40]

• March 1: Nine rockets hit towns and communities in the Western Negev. One rocket hits a house in the city of Sderot. In a separate incident, an Israeli civilian sustains injuries when stones are thrown at his car, north of Ramallah. [41]

Experts for Comment

Israeli-Palestinian Economic Cooperation

Ofir Gendelman (Arabic and English)
CEO of the Israel-Palestinian Chamber of Commerce
Tel.: 972-3-609-9901
Cell: 972-54-254-5800
Website: http://ipcc.org.il

Dan Catarivas
Director of Foreign Trade and International Relations for the Manufacturers Association of Israel
Tel.: 972-3-519-8814
E-mail: trade@industry.org.il
Website: http://www.industry.org.il/Eng/

U.S.-Israel Relations, Diplomacy

Zalman Shoval
Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., former member of Knesset
Tel.: Assistant, Tammi: 972-3-517-3310

Israeli Security

Yehuda Ben-Meir
Former deputy minister of foreign affairs; former member of Knesset;
Principal Research Fellow and Director of the National Security and Public Opinion Project at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv; author of “National Security Decision making: The Israeli Case”
Tel.: 972-3-640-0400 ext. 469
Tel.: 972-50-380-8849
E-mail: benmeir@inss.org.il

Daniel Diker
Director of Institute for Contemporary Affairs at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs; serves as Knesset Affairs correspondent for Israel Broadcasting Authority’s English news.
Field: Contemporary Middle Eastern affairs, Internal Palestinian conflict in Gaza, freedom of press in Palestinian territories
Contact via Adam Shay, JCPA Project Coordinator
Tel.: 972-2-561-9112

Professor Ephraim Inbar
Director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies; professor of political science at Bar-Ilan University
Field: Arab-Israeli conflict, strategic developments in the Middle-East
Cell: 972-54-660-3409
Tel.: 972-3-535-9198
E-mail: inbare@mail.biu.ac.il

Dr. Jonathan Rynhold
Affiliation: Lecturer in political science at Bar Ilan University
Field: Specializes in Israeli policy, regarding the separation barrier and the, disengagement plan, in U.S.-Israel relations, and in Middle East-Far East relations. Affiliation: Bar Ilan University
Cell: 972-54-577-5817
Tel.: 972-3-531-8873
E-mail: rynhold@mail.biu.ac.il

Zalman Shoval
Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., former member of Knesset
Tel.: Assistant, Tammi: 972-3-517-3310

Ephraim Sneh
Former Israeli Deputy Defense Minister
Contact via Eve: 972-52-871-4642

Footnotes:

[1] “Israel-Palestinian Economic Relations,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nov. 22, 1998, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace%20Process/Guide%20to%20the%20Peace%20Process/Israeli-Palestinian%20Economic%20Relations

[2] “Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee,” Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, June 7-8, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/1FFAE064-4230-41EA-A6A7-50EF5760556D/0/AdHocLiaisonJune2009.pdfe

[3] “Israel’s Netanyahu pushes economic peace plan,” Agence France-Presse via GoogleNews, Nov. 19, 2008, http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gyv0VpRA4kI7sR9BN0KpQh-2RbuA

[4] “Israel’s Netanyahu pushes economic peace plan,” Agence France-Presse via GoogleNews, Nov. 19, 2008, http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gyv0VpRA4kI7sR9BN0KpQh-2RbuA

[5] “Future economic relations between the Palestinian and Israeli economies,” Palestine International Business Forum, December 2007, http://www.pibf.net/pdf/research.pdf

[6] “Positive trend in economic indicators for the West Bank,” Ministry of Defense: Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, November 2008.

[7] “Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee,” Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, June 7-8, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/1FFAE064-4230-41EA-A6A7-50EF5760556D/0/AdHocLiaisonJune2009.pdfe

[8] “Positive trend in economic indicators for the West Bank,” Ministry of Defense: Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, November 2008.

[9] “Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee,” Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, June 7-8, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/1FFAE064-4230-41EA-A6A7-50EF5760556D/0/AdHocLiaisonJune2009.pdfe

[10] “Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee,” Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, June 7-8, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/1FFAE064-4230-41EA-A6A7-50EF5760556D/0/AdHocLiaisonJune2009.pdfe

[11] “Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee,” Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, June 7-8, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/1FFAE064-4230-41EA-A6A7-50EF5760556D/0/AdHocLiaisonJune2009.pdfe

[12] “Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee,” Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, June 7-8, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/1FFAE064-4230-41EA-A6A7-50EF5760556D/0/AdHocLiaisonJune2009.pdfe

[13] “Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee,” Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, June 7-8, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/1FFAE064-4230-41EA-A6A7-50EF5760556D/0/AdHocLiaisonJune2009.pdfe

[14] “Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee,” Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, June 7-8, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/1FFAE064-4230-41EA-A6A7-50EF5760556D/0/AdHocLiaisonJune2009.pdfe

[15] “Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee,” Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, June 7-8, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/1FFAE064-4230-41EA-A6A7-50EF5760556D/0/AdHocLiaisonJune2009.pdfe

[16] “Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee,” Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, June 7-8, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/1FFAE064-4230-41EA-A6A7-50EF5760556D/0/AdHocLiaisonJune2009.pdfe

[17] “Future economic relations between the Palestinian and Israeli economies,” Palestine International Business Forum, December 2007, http://www.pibf.net/pdf/research.pdf

[18] “Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee,” Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, June 7-8, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/1FFAE064-4230-41EA-A6A7-50EF5760556D/0/AdHocLiaisonJune2009.pdfe

[19] Ackerman, Gwen, “Netanyahu Push for ‘Economic Peace’ Hits Roadblocks,” Bloomberg, March 31, 2009, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a7xPS9LqBGwQ

[20] Ahren, Raphael, “Netanyahu: Economics, not politics, is the key to peace,” Haaretz, Nov. 21, 2008, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1038970.html

[21] Marcus, Itamar and Crook, Barbara, “Will the US follow its laws and suspend funding to Abbas?,” The Jerusalem Post, May 25, 2009, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1243259515568&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull

[22] Marcus, Itamar and Crook, Barbara, "Hamas TV Mickey Mouse beaten to death by Israeli - becomes Martyr in final episode," Palestinian Media Watch, July 1, 2007,
http://pmw.org.il/bulletins_jul2007.htm#b010707; “PMW Video Archives: Hamas in its Own Words,” Palestinian Media Watch, January 2006-2007, http://www.pmw.org.il/tv-hamas.htm ; Groiss, Arnon, "Jews, Israel and Peace in the Palestinian Authority Textbooks: The New Textbooks for Grades 5 and 10," Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace, June 2005

[23] "Hamas Charter (1988)," The Jerusalem Fund, accessed May 13, 2009, http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/www.thejerusalemfund.org/carryover/documents/charter.html

[24] “The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas,” MEMRI.org, Special Dispatch - No. 1092, Feb. 14. 2006, http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD109206

[25] Marcus, Itamar and Crook, Barbara, “Mahmoud Abbas: ‘I do not accept
the Jewish State, call it what you will’,” Palestinian Media Watch, April 28, 2009, http://www.pmw.org.il/Bulletins_Apr2009.htm#b280409

[26] Pfeffer, Anshel and Harel, Amos,“IDF kills four Gaza militants, thwarting apparent kidnap bid,” Haaretz, June 8, 2009, http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1091197.html

[27] Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center, News of Terrorism and the Israeli – Palestinian Conflict May 18-26, 2009,
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ipc_e032.htm

[28] Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center, News of Terrorism and the Israeli – Palestinian Conflict May 18-26, 2009,
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ipc_e032.htm

[29] Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center, News of Terrorism and the Israeli – Palestinian Conflict May 18-26, 2009,
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ipc_e032.htm

[30] Goren, Yuval, “Police arrest suspect in IDF soldier stabbing in Ramat Gan,” Haaretz, May 4, 2009
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1082934.html

[31] Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center, News of Terrorism and the Israeli – Palestinian Conflict April 28 – May 5, 2009,
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ipc_e027.htm

[32] Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center, News of Terrorism and the Israeli – Palestinian Conflict April 7 – April 14, 2009,
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ipc_e023.htm

[33] Lis, Jonathan, “East J’lem man killed trying to run down police,” Haaretz, April 10, 2008.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1077215.html

[34] Lis, Jonathan, “Shoket Junction gunwoman identified as 15-year-old Bedouin,” Haaretz, April 4, 2009, http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1076296.html

[35] Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center, News of Terrorism and the Israeli – Palestinian Conflict March 31 – April 7, 2009.
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ipc_e022.htm

[36] Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center, News of Terrorism and the Israeli – Palestinian Conflict March 24 – 31, 2009.
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ipc_e020.htm

[37] Einav, Hagai, “Police dismantle bomb near shopping mall,” YnetNews, March 22, 2009, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3689908,00.html

[38] Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center. News of the Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, March 3-9, 2009, http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ipc_e016.htm

[39] Fendel, Hillel and Julian, Hana Levi, “Jerusalem terror: Bulldozer terrorist plows into police car,” Arutz 7, March 5, 2009, http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/130282

[40] Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center. News of the Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict March 3-9, 2009, http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ipc_e016.htm

[41] Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center. News of the Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict February 4 – March 3, 2009, http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ipc_e015.htm

The Israel Project is an international non-profit organization devoted to educating the press and the public about Israel while promoting security, freedom and peace. The Israel Project provides journalists, leaders and opinion-makers accurate information about Israel. The Israel Project is not related to any government or government agency.

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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