There is a paucity of good news in
this part of the world right now. But this qualifies. As I face down
the bitter truths of what the governments of the Western world (Canada excepted)
want from us, I know there is recourse only to Heaven, and to our own
strength.
What the world demands of us is
neither rational, nor fair, nor benign.
And so, when our prime minister
faces the governments of the US and Britain and France, and refuses to back
down, I feel a gladness. And, as always, I pray that this
strength should continue and grow.
Israel will "continue to stand up
for its vital interests even in the face of international pressure.
"The Palestinian unilateral moves
at the UN are a blatant and fundamental violation of agreements to which the
international community was a guarantor. No one should be surprised that Israel
is not sitting with its arms folded in response to the unilateral Palestinian
steps."
What is more, the source stated
that Israel would take further steps if the Palestinians went ahead with more
unilateral moves.
According to Yisrael Hayom,
Netanyahu said that "those who had voiced their opposition should have
considered the ramifications before allowing Palestinian Authority President
Mahmoud Abbas to embarrass Israel at the United Nations."
All in all, members of the Israel
government do not seem unduly distressed by the international
furor.
~~~~~~~~~~
The foreign ministries of Britain,
France, Spain, Sweden and Denmark, as well as of Brazil and Australia, have
called in their respective ambassadors from Israel to protest what Israel is
doing.
White House spokesman Jay Carny
said that Israel's actions are "counterproductive." "We reiterate our
long-standing opposition to Israeli settlement activity and east Jerusalem
construction."
East Jerusalem? There is
only ONE Jerusalem and the US doesn't get it yet, that it is under full Israeli
sovereignty and will not be divided again.
~~~~~~~~~~
German government spokesman
Steffen Seibert said his government was "very worried...now is the time to make
possible a renewal of the negotiations."
He's smoking something,
right?
Siebert further observed that,
"What Israel is doing sends a negative message [and] undermines faith in
Israel's intention to negotiate."
EXCUSE ME? After Abbas's
vile and inciteful speech in the UN, he dares to talk about losing faith
in ISRAEL's intentions?
~~~~~~~~~~
Alistair Burt, Minister for the
Middle East in Britain's Foreign Office, lamented that (emphasis
added);
"The settlements plan in
particular has the potential to alter the situation on the ground on a scale
that threatens the viability of a two-state
solution."
But the "two-state solution" has
no viability.
~~~~~~~~~~
I think what most enrages these
governments is that Israel is not jumping to their demands. Their
frustrated, angry comments simply underscore what I said above:
What the world demands of us is
neither rational, nor fair, nor benign.
According to one Israeli official
cited in Israel Hayom, the Europeans understood that Israel had to respond, and
had we not responded at all the damage to Israel would have been greater than it
is now (i.e., we would have been seen as weak and vulnerable). That said,
however, they weren't happy with the form our response took.
~~~~~~~~~~
There are rumors floating about
Britain recalling its ambassador to Israel for consultations. And, says
Israel Hayom:
"The British satellite news agency
Sky News reported on Monday that Britain was considering imposing sanctions
against Israel if it went through with the expansion plan...and submitting a
request to the EU to consider postponing commercial agreements with Israel,
which provide Israel access to European markets."
It's important to remember, I
think, that Britain today, in all but name is now a Muslim nation. And
that these are, after all, not "done deals," but rather talk.
The foreign ministers of the 27
nations of the EU will be meeting on Monday and discussing this issue. We
have not heard the last yet.
On Thursday, Netanyahu is meeting
German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. (See below on Germany.) Hold
tight, Bibi!
~~~~~~~~~~
I have the sense that all of the
pressure has simply stiffened Netanyahu's back.
What is more, European attempts to
utilize media in Israel again the prime minister has backfired: The hope
was that the public would get angry about European distress with Israel and that
Netanyahu would then back down because an election is coming.
What the Europeans didn't count on
is that the majority of the electorate totally supports the prime minister on
this. He has probably garnered additional mandates by standing
strong.
~~~~~~~~~~
And there's even more indicating
strength from Netanyahu. Has he turned a corner now?
This is from Der
Speigel:
"The chancellor was particularly
annoyed because Netanyahu had shown himself completely unwilling to make
concessions. On several occasions, Merkel had urged him to at least make a
gesture on the issue of settlement construction in order to send out a signal to
the Palestinians. Doing so would have made it easier for Merkel to campaign for
the Israeli position. But Netanyahu stubbornly ignored her wish.
"...Chancellery officials hope that the shock of Germany's abstention in the UN vote will prompt Netanyahu to think things over. 'Perhaps now he will find himself more willing to give a signal to the Palestinians,' says one member of Merkel's administration, though he admitted that the chances weren't all that great. 'There are few signs of a change of heart.'" (Emphasis added)
http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=59292
~~~~~~~~~~
"...Chancellery officials hope that the shock of Germany's abstention in the UN vote will prompt Netanyahu to think things over. 'Perhaps now he will find himself more willing to give a signal to the Palestinians,' says one member of Merkel's administration, though he admitted that the chances weren't all that great. 'There are few signs of a change of heart.'" (Emphasis added)
http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=59292
~~~~~~~~~~
My friends, let's
give Prime Minister Netanyahu a word of
encouragement:
Send him an e-mail or fax.
In the subject line, put "please carry this message to the prime minister,"
or "please let the prime minister know," or something similar.
A very short message would be
most effective here. No speeches, no history lessons. In your
words, tell him that he's doing great/ or that his standing up for Israel is
absolutely essential / or that you're proud of his strength. Encourage him
to sustain that strength no matter what the pressure. Remind him that
making concessions to unfair demands simply weakens Israel and encourages
further demands.
Fax: 02-670-5369 (From the
US:
011-972-2-670-5369)
~~~~~~~~~~
See, and utilize, Jonathan Tobin's excellent article in
Commentary, "Israel's Building No Obstacle to Peace" (emphasis
added):
"Even those who disapproved of the vote by the General Assembly of the
United Nations to upgrade the Palestinian Authority to a pseudo-state at the
world body damned the housing...The argument is that by allowing building in the
E1 development area...Israel will be foreclosing the possibility of a two-state
solution since this would effectively cut the West Bank in half and forestall
its viability as an independent Palestinian state.
"It sounds logical but it’s absolute nonsense. If the Palestinians
did want a two-state solution, the new project as well as the other ones
announced yesterday for more houses to be built in 40-year-old Jewish
neighborhoods in Jerusalem wouldn’t stop it...But the operative phrase
here is 'if' the Palestinians wanted such a solution. They have refused every
offer of a state they’ve gotten and refused even to negotiate for four years,
not to mention employing the UN gambit specifically in order to avoid talks.
The notion that Israeli building in areas that everyone knows they would
keep if there was a deal in place is stopping peace from breaking out is
ludicrous.
"Nor should the Israeli gesture be viewed as petulant. To the contrary, it is exactly what is needed to start changing the one-sided nature of the argument in international forums about the dispute over territory.
"Though you wouldn’t know if from listening to the UN debate or even to most spokespersons for the Jewish state over the last forty years, the argument about the West Bank is not solely about pitting rights of Palestinians against Israel’s security needs. The West Bank is, after all, part of the area designated by the League of Nations for Jewish settlement under the Mandate of Palestine. It is also the heart of the ancient Jewish homeland to which Jews have historical, legal and religious ties that cannot be erased by a century of Arab hatred.
"...For its pains, Israel has been subjected to even greater vituperation and delegitimization during this period than before. So long as it does not speak of its rights, it will always be treated as a thief who must return stolen property rather than as a party to a conflict with its own justified claims."
"Nor should the Israeli gesture be viewed as petulant. To the contrary, it is exactly what is needed to start changing the one-sided nature of the argument in international forums about the dispute over territory.
"Though you wouldn’t know if from listening to the UN debate or even to most spokespersons for the Jewish state over the last forty years, the argument about the West Bank is not solely about pitting rights of Palestinians against Israel’s security needs. The West Bank is, after all, part of the area designated by the League of Nations for Jewish settlement under the Mandate of Palestine. It is also the heart of the ancient Jewish homeland to which Jews have historical, legal and religious ties that cannot be erased by a century of Arab hatred.
"...For its pains, Israel has been subjected to even greater vituperation and delegitimization during this period than before. So long as it does not speak of its rights, it will always be treated as a thief who must return stolen property rather than as a party to a conflict with its own justified claims."
~~~~~~~~~~
I shared a JPost
article on the ICC the other day, that had been written by a legal
correspondent who cited other experts. The opinions quoted therein
were seen by a lawyer acquaintance of mine who "deals quite a lot with issues
emanating from the ICC."
His take was a bit different from
that of the article, and he has now given me permission to share,
anonymously, what he said to me. I appreciate this opportunity to
provide a different, informed opinion with my readers.
"They can 'investigate' it
all they want, but in the end, the ICC does not have jurisdiction over Israel or
its leaders, as Israel is not a party to the ICC (much in the same manner that
the US is not a party to the ICC for the same reason). Also, the ICC does
not come after 'Israel' but rather against its individuals because it only has
the mandate for prosecution of individuals. Then you have an issue with
the act of state doctrine, head-of-state immunity, etc. This will be a
difficult proposition.
"On the other side, I
looked at the comments which were intimating that Israel could then pursue
similar claims against Hamas and the PA before the ICC. Here’s the problem
with that approach: Israel is not a member of the ICC, and therefore, as it does
not recognize the ICC's right to adjudicate international crimes, it cannot come
in and try to seek justice against the PA/Hamas on its own behalf without
being willing to accede to the power of the ICC over
it."
~~~~~~~~~~
So, we cannot go after Hamas or
the PA at the ICC (my contact calls this a "catch 22"), but it looks like we
don't have a great deal to worry about, hysterical PA threats
notwithstanding.
~~~~~~~~~~
Members of Fatah who had fled Gaza
during the Hamas coup in 2007 are beginning to return in a spirit of enhanced
good will between the two factions.
One reason for that good
will:
"The Gaza-based chief of
Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades Hanan al-Qassas said Monday that goodwill had
been built between Hamas and Fatah after their military wings fought
side-by-side during the assault."
~~~~~~~~~~
Before closing, I want to share
information about Obama's position on Iran (with thanks to Bernard
F.):
"The White House announced
its opposition to a new round of Iran sanctions that the Senate unanimously
approved Friday, in the latest instance of Congress pushing for more aggressive
punitive measures on Iran than the administration deems prudent. "...National Security Spokesman Tommy Vietor sent The Cable the administration's official position, explaining the White House's view the sanctions aren't needed and aren't helpful at this time.
"...An e-mail from the NSC's legislative affairs office to some Senate Democrats late Thursday evening, obtained by The Cable, went into extensive detail about the administration's concerns about the new sanctions legislation, including that it might get in the way of the administration's efforts to implement the last round of Iran sanctions, the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act (TRA), to which it flatly objected at the time. (Emphasis in the original.)
"...One of the White House's chief concerns is that Congress is not providing the administration enough waivers, which would give the United States the option of negating or postponing applications of the sanctions on a case-by-case basis. (Emphasis added)
"The Obama administration often touts the Iran sanctions it once opposed. In the final presidential debate Oct. 22, President Barack Obama said his administration had 'organized the strongest coalition and the strongest sanctions against Iran in history, and it is crippling their economy.'"
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/11/30/white_house_opposed_new_iran_sanctions#
~~~~~~~~~~
Could the administration's desire for additional "negotiations" with Iran be playing into its position on sanctions. You know the routine: Don't be nasty, act nice, so they'll talk with us.
As recently as a month ago, Secretary of State Clinton put out a call to Iran to engage in negotiations. In fact, she expressed the hope that Iran would begin "serious, good faith negotiations."
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=55202
This of course leads to speculation that she, as well, is smoking something.
Maybe Obama thinks Israel is required to deal with the PA the same way.
~~~~~~~~~~
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Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by Arlene Kushner,
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