Doc's Talk: State Department: US opposes unilateral moves by PA

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

State Department: US opposes unilateral moves by PA

Tovah Lazaroff and gil hoffman , THE JERUSALEM POST

The US is opposed to the Palestinian plan to pursue unilateral statehood at the UN, a State Department official said Monday night.

"We support the creation of a Palestinian state," spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters, but "we are convinced that has to be achieved through negotiations between two parties." On Monday a visiting delegation of US lawmakers slammed the idea as a "waste of time" and said America would likely veto such a proposal should it come before the Security Council.

They called on the leaders of the Arab world not to support the measure, and to get behind the United States in its call for both Israelis and Palestinians to return to the bargaining table.

"I presume the American delegation to the Security Council would veto such a resolution," Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Connecticut) told reporters in Jerusalem, at a press event organized by the Saban Forum.

"The proposal is dead on arrival, it is going nowhere," said Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-Delaware).

Lieberman added, "I call on our allies in the Arab world to stop this now. It is going be a destructive waste of time. Let us do everything we can to get Israel and the Palestinian Authority back to the negotiating table; that is the way to make progress here."

He spoke as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas started lobbying abroad this week for recognition of an independent Palestinian state at the United Nations, his adviser Saeb Erekat said.

Abbas will consult in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday and then travel across Latin America to pitch a bid for UN acceptance of Palestinian statehood, Erekat said at a news conference in Ramallah. He plans to visit Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.

"The Palestinian leadership calls on the world to support this step," Erekat said, adding that letters had been sent seeking support from members of the European Union.

Abbas has turned to the UN after Israel and the US failed to heed his demand that Israel freeze settlement construction as a precondition to restarting the negotiations, which have been stalled since Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu took office in March.

Netanyahu has said that he is prepared to begin talks immediately, without preconditions. It was a statement he repeated at the Saban Forum on Sunday night. He threatened that should the Palestinians unilaterally declare statehood, Israel would know how to respond.

At the Likud faction meeting on Monday in the Knesset, the prime minister ducked a question by MK Danny Danon on what unilateral moves he might be planning in response to a Palestinian declaration, and instead repeated his objection to it.

"A unilateral Palestinian declaration establishing a state would have no significance and would be an additional mistake on the part of the Palestinian leadership, who never miss an opportunity to make a mistake," Netanyahu said.

"Israel is not obligated to respond to irrelevant declarations, but it is clear that it breaks all ground rules, and it would open to Israel a whole range of possible responses."

A source in the Prime Minister's Office said that Netanyahu has been deliberately vague in his statements about unilateral countermeasures, because at this point he just wanted the Palestinians to know that he would respond.

Also on Monday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said "Israel has an interest in making an agreement with the Palestinians" that would end the conflict, and the "occupation" that began in 1967, "so that Israel will not control another people."

He added that, "Israel is strong enough to make tough decisions, even if they are not easy."

Sen. Lieberman, who along with other US lawmakers met with Netanyahu on Monday, said the prime minister, "seemed forward-leaning about wanting to get back to the negotiations."

Rep. Howard Berman (D-California), who also chairs the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, said that the Palestinians' pursuit of unilateral statehood gives the impression that they have given up.

Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-South Carolina) said there is a "window of opportunity, if people would step up to the plate and exercise leadership."

He added that a state, so necessary to ensure a better life for the Palestinian people, would not be secured by a unilateral resolution "that would take a desperate situation and make it more chaotic than it already is."

As they spoke, Jordan's King Abdullah affirmed his support for a two-state vision, according to the Monsters and Critics news blog.

He told a visiting delegation from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that Israel should choose between peace and continuing to live with a "fortress mentality," according to a royal court statement.

"The king underscored the importance of support by all parties, including the US Jewish organizations, for current efforts aimed at accomplishing the two-state solution which represents the cornerstone for peace and guarantees the rights of all parties in the region," the statement said.

"Israel should choose between peace that ensures its security and recognition in accordance with the Arab peace initiative, and sticking to the fortress mentality in a region that faces the potential of continuous conflicts," the monarch was quoted as telling the AIPAC delegation.

Lieberman also said that Iran has "failed the test" for positive engagement with the West. He called for the US to impose stiffer economic sanctions on Iran at the start of 2010 and to move away from diplomatic overtures.

Lieberman is a strong backer of a bill before the US Congress that seeks to block Iran's ability to import refined petroleum.

He said he had supported US President Barack Obama's attempts to use diplomacy to thwart Iran's push for nuclear weapons.

Iran has responded to the US "with a clenched fist" and has continued to enrich uranium, Lieberman said.

The time had come to move onto "phase 2," in America's approach to Iran, Lieberman said.

Phase 2 is "more pressure on Iran quickly. My own conclusion is that the only thing that Iran's regime wants more than nuclear weapons is the survival of its regime. I hope through economic sanctions we can bring them to the table," said Lieberman.

Graham said that there is a "short time clock" with which to act and that the Obama administration takes the issue very seriously.

He added that, "we understand pretty clearly that [Iran] is cheating," in its reporting of its nuclear capability.

From the perspective of American security, this is very serious, said Lieberman.

"If Iran gets nuclear weapons it will be world-transforming. It will destabilize the Middle East," he said.

"It will start a nuclear arms race in the Middle East because it will end the non-proliferation regime globally. It will be a tremendous boost to Islamic terrorism. So trust me, take this matter very seriously," said Lieberman.

AP contributed to this report.
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1258027304563&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull

Comment: Do not get too excited if you are Israeli. This may be part of a larger scheme to amp up the pressure on Israel to offer more concessions. The USA knows that the PA cannot simply declare itself a state-it violates Oslo and this would make Israel respond in kind-the "peace process" would effectively be pushed back for the remainder of Obama's term. Everyone knew that Abbas' threat to quite was again his ploy to increase US and/Western pressure on Israel to return to talks from a position of diminished gravitas. Watch what happens in the next 72 hours. We are in a crucial time period.

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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.

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