Doc's Talk: "Egypt"

Wednesday, July 04, 2012

"Egypt"

It has been revealed that at the time Mohamed Morsi was to be sworn in as president of Egypt, PM Netanyahu's envoy, Yitzhak Molho (pictured), was in Egypt. There he met with General Murad Muwafi, the director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate and with Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the commander-in-chief of Egypt’s Armed Forces.

Credit: YNet

Discussions were held on cooperation in fighting terrorism in the Sinai and preventing smuggling of arms from the Sinai into Gaza. Molcho re-stated Israel's position: that the peace treaty, as spelled out in the 1979 Camp David Accords, must be maintained.
At the same time he delivered a personal letter from Netanyahu to Morsi, which emphasized that “the peace treaty is in the interest of both countries and contributes to regional stability.”
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It truly is in Egypt's best interest to maintain peace with Israel: Fiscally, the country is teetering on the brink of disaster Already a very poor country prior to the uprising, Egypt was set back seriously by the unrest, which drove away both tourists and investors.  With increasing deficits and dwindling foreign currency reserves, Morsi faces huge challenges.

Given these parameters, the prospects of war against Israel are just about non-existent.

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This does not mean, however, that an already cold peace might not be sent into the deep freeze.
During his campaign, Morsi declared:
"The true guarantee of the peace treaty is the adherence to its provisions by the two parties. The introduction to the treaty calls for comprehensive and just peace for all of the peoples of the region, and the right of Palestinians to return to their country, and the right of Palestinians to establish an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital [...] Where is all of this in Israel’s behavior?"

The peace treaty with Egypt does not commit Israel to allowing Palestinian Arabs to "return" to their country, or to have a state with Jerusalem as its capital. The fact that Morsi now links these issues is not a good sign.
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Nor is it reassuring that Morsi recently said:
"The peace treaty between us and the Israelis has constantly been violated by the Israelis. They must understand that peace is not just words. It is actions on the ground. The aggression on the Egyptian borders, their violence against Egyptian soldiers, and the threats they sometimes made to Egypt are all unacceptable. They should no longer think that the Egyptian president will back down."
It is this issue of tensions at Israel's border with the Sinai -- where lawlessness has increased and more Sinai Bedouin are engaging in terrorism -- that will continue to foment the greatest friction between Israel and Egypt in the short term. Israel, deeming it unwise to attempt further incursions into the Sinai to reach terrorists, is pushing Egypt to assume responsibility.
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There is certainly talk in Egypt about renegotiating the provision of the peace treaty that addresses the restriction on Egyptian troops in the Sinai -- a provision that created an essential demilitarized zone between Israel and Egypt.
The Egyptian rationale now for bringing in more troops (and they can make this case) is that it is necessary if control of the region is to be achieved. But the reality is that the Egyptian populace also sees the limit on their troops in the Sinai as an infringement of their rights in their sovereign territory.
What Israel sees is the potential risk generated by a greater Egyptian military presence so close to the border.
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From the Daily News Egypt website I found a report, "Morsi under pressure to enforce Gaza blockade," dated yesterday, that describes the seizure by Egyptian State Security of the largest cache of weapons it has ever impounded -- including 40 Grad missiles and 40 Grad warheads; all presumed to be from Libya and bound for Gaza. And so, at some level of significance, Egyptian security forces are acting.
The report says the demonstrable escalation in the amount of weaponry being smuggled may give Morsi the cover for closing the crossing at Rafah, which is now wide open, "without losing face among an Egyptian population eager to renegotiate the restrictions on the region."
http://thedailynewsegypt.com/2012/07/02/morsi-under-pressure-to-enforce-gaza-blockade/
Of course, as the article itself points out, the tunnels would still operate.
What it does not explore, and this is the crux of the matter, is why Morsi -- more kindly disposed to Hamas than to Israel -- would feel "pressure" to enforce the Gaza blockade.
A different perspective. The Daily News Egypt is the only English-language independent daily in Egypt and is not government-affiliated but until recently was affiliated with the International Herald Tribune.
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Egyptian media are reporting that Morsi will visit Iran next month. It's not for one-on-one meetings with Iranians, however (at least not as announced) but for participation in an international conference of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Just days ago Morsi said that an alleged interview he had with an Iranian news agency, in which he supposedly declared desire for closer ties with Iran, was a phony. But Iranian leaders are now hoping that this will be the case.
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Update on yesterday's coalition crisis:
Mofaz refused to meet with Netanyahu, but in spite of his bombastic rhetoric has not yet left the coalition. We don't know what's going on behind the scenes.
Netanyahu has referred, not for the first time, to the fact that if no legislation is passed by August 1, which is the Court deadline for discontinuing the Tal law, it falls to the IDF to do drafting at its discretion (and, he trusts, in a manner that will not cause undue divisions in the society).
Last night he met with a number of ministers, and told them that he'll pass legislation that would require everyone who is not drafted to do national (non-military) service.
For the most part, parties have dug in their heels and are continuing to restate their positions.
Eli Yeshai (Shas) told Army Radio: "Most Israelis don't think they're suckers for joining the army. They understand that those who study in yeshivas work very hard. Studying the torah is a legitimate way of serving the state."
Shas Minister Ariel Attias advanced a compromise regarding 60% enlistment of haredim within five to six years, which was apparently in line with Shas parameters agreed upon with the prime minister -- but Kadima shot it down.
Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beitenu) pointed out that while there are 8,000 draft-eligible haredim in Israel, there are 18,000 Arabs eligible for the draft.
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Meanwhile, leader of the Labor party and head of the opposition, Shelly Yachimovich has said that in the face of the current crisis she intends to submit a call for early elections.
She was about to do just that two months ago when Netanyahu announced the unity government, which rather stopped her in her tracks. Don't know what he'll pull out of his hat this time.
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Haim Ramon, who was a founder of Kadima but quit the party in fury when Mofaz joined with Likud, now says he'll start his own centrist party.   Just what this nation needs, another party.
He says Kadima is finished and he may well be correct. But still...
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How low can one man stoop? UN special rapporteur Richard Falk provides a good indication.
He has just submitted a 16 page report on Israel's treatment of the Palestinians to the UN Human Rights Council. Yup, them again.
The Council is meeting in Geneva this week and spent a good part of the day yesterday discussing Israel's actions in Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and the Golan. This discussion was held under "item 7," which allocates a portion of every council session to Israeli actions against Palestinians.
Got that? The rules of the Human Rights Council specify that at every session some time will be spent vilifying Israel. There is no other nation in the world which receives this attention from the Council. How did we get so lucky?
So what did Falk report on?
Well... "Israel continues to rely on excessive or disproportionate use of force in Gaza." Obviously he has no clue as to the legal definition of proportionate force. According to him, military retaliation against rocket fire from Gaza is not justified. "There is a renewed urgency for the international community to respond to these developments." There is no mention by him of the infringement of human rights endured by Israeli civilians who are killed, injured and traumatized by the rockets from Gaza.
Additionally, Falk is worried about Israel's treatment of Palestinian prisoners. He's concerned with lack of visitation rights and transfers to Israeli prisons. I assume he's referring to the same prisoners who struck for cable TV, college degrees and better snacks in the canteen. He wants the International Court of Justice to give an opinion on their situation.
So, that's how low, my friends. The problem is that he makes the news: some people, seeing his report, will take him seriously.
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A far better decision by the UNESCO Heritage Committee than the one I reported on the other day:
Four caves in the Carmel region (near Haifa), which contain astounding archeological finds, have been identified as a World Heritage site.
A committee statement identifies the finds as "a cultural sequence of unparalleled duration, providing an archive of early human life in southwest Asia." The caves, "located in one of the best preserved fossilized reefs of the Mediterranean region" contain artifacts covering 500,000 years of human evolution, from the Lower Paleolithic era till today.
Ninety years of archeological research were devoted to uncovering this information.
Israel's Nature and Parks Authority has administered the site, encompassing 54 hectares (22 acres), since 1971. According to INPA chief archeologist, Dr. Tzvika Tsuk, this is one of the few places in the world where it is possible to see evidence of the transition from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to an agriculture-based, more sedentary community life; it contains relics from the era of the Neanderthals to early anatomically modern humans.
For additional details: http://www.jpost.com/Sci-Tech/Article.aspx?id=275737

Credit: misliyah.haifa.
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Mitt Romney is planning to visit Israel this summer.
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Happy Fourth of July to my many American friends!
A time this year not just for celebration, but for reaching for American values.

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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