Weekly Quotes
“A recent Zogby poll asked Arabs their view of President Obama and the United States, and guess what? They’re not crazy about either one. America’s approval in the Arab world has plummeted in the past two years. Just 5 percent of Egyptians view the US favorably, down from 30 percent in 2009. ‘In most countries, they are lower than at the end of the Bush administration, and lower than Iran’s favorable ratings,’ wrote pollster James Zogby. It wasn’t supposed to be that way. In his Cairo speech two years ago, Obama promised a ‘new beginning,’ touted the ‘generations of Muslims’ in his family tree and praised the ‘dignity and peace’ of the Islamic faith. But Obama himself is even more unpopular than Uncle Sam: Just 4 percent of Egyptians, 6 percent of Jordanians and 10 percent of Saudis say he’s lived up to expectations. A stunning 99 percent of Lebanese think he’s a failure.… Whatever Obama sets his hand to seems to crumble, Zogby suggested.… And ‘the two issues on which the administration has invested considerable energy—the Palestinian issue and engagement with the Muslim world—receive the lowest approval ratings—less than 9 percent across the board.’ There’s a lesson there: Even as Obama pushed Israel to the brink, it didn’t buy him any new friends—it just alienated an old one.… At least America’s next president can take solace: It’ll be hard to do worse than Obama.”—Excerpts from a NY Post editorial entitled, “More Hated Than Dubya?”, describing the findings of a recent Zogby poll which show that Obama’s approval rating in the Muslim world, despite investing an unparalleled amount of political capital in a failed policy of “engagement”, is lower than that of George W. Bush’s during his last year in Office. (NY Post, July 16.)
“With this video, the Israeli government has left no doubt on its pro-conflict agenda. Now, the international community knows the Israeli government is committed to denying the Palestinian people their inalienable right to self-determination and on continuing their illegal and colonial enterprise in the occupied Palestinian territory.… The international community works to find a way out of the current impasse, which was caused by Israel’s intransigence and illegal settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The Israeli government has now responded by stating clearly that it is not a partner for peace.”—Chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erakat, criticizing an Israeli-made educational video featuring deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon, which provides an accurate historical account of Israel’s legal acquisition of territories in Judea and Samaria during its defensive war of 1967. Erakat, on the other hand, claims the movie comprises “an official representing the State of Israel present[ing] a cynical and falsified account of history and international law.” [Ed.—The video can be viewed by referring to the On Topics section below.] (Independent Media Review and Analysis, July 20.)
“The Committee decided to go to the United Nations to call on the member states to recognize a Palestinian state and to apply for a full membership in the General Assembly and in the Security Council.…[We will] take all necessary measures and to rally [the] support of all world countries, starting with members of the security council.”—Excerpts of a statement released by Arab League Foreign Ministers, announcing the body’s decision to back the Palestinian Authority’s plan to seek a unilateral declaration of “Palestine” at the UN in September. U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner denounced the Arab League’s approach, affirming that “We’ve [the U.S.] been clear in our conviction that unilateral approaches to try to seek statehood via the United Nations will not lead to a comprehensive settlement. That will only come via the hard give and take of negotiations and mutual agreement, and we are committed to working with the parties to pursue it that way.”(Associated Press & Independent Media Review and Analysis, July 14 & Jerusalem Post, July 15.)
“The Egyptian nation supports and welcomes Iran’s anti-Zionist stance because the two nations view formation of the Zionist regime on the Palestinian territories as a brutal act and against the interests of the regional nations and Muslims. Both nations underline the necessity for Muslim nations to maintain solidarity and unity to annihilate this cancerous tumor [Israel].”—Senior member of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, Kamal al-Halbawi, alleging that the US and Israel are pressuring Cairo into giving up resumption of ties with Iran, and calling on Iran and Egypt “to take the necessary steps” to rid themselves of such problems. (Fars News, July 13.)
“Death to all Tunisians attempting to normalize relations with Israel. We will denounce them and publish their names. We can no longer trust this body’s members, which includes academics who support normalization with Israel and have had ties themselves.”—Ahmed Kahlaoui, who chairs a Tunisian committee opposing the restoration of diplomatic ties with Israel, condemning “moderate” members of the committee in charge of drafting a new constitution who favor leaving out an existing provision prohibiting diplomatic relations with the Jewish state. A constitutional draft completed earlier this month expressly prohibits normalization with Israel, while upholding support of the Palestinians as state policy and enshrining Islam as the country’s official religion. (Jerusalem Post, July 17.)
“Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries in general realize that they must rely on themselves to defend themselves during this critical period marked by the beginning of a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. The kingdom is looking for weapons in Germany and even in Russia, knowing that with the vacuum left by the Americans in Iraq, Iran might begin to extend its influence to the Levant reaching out to the Mediterranean sea.”—Anwar Eshki, director of the Middle East Institute for Strategic Studies, describing Saudi Arabia’s growing “hunger” for weapons, which has been enhanced due to the upcoming U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and instability in Kuwait and Bahrain, countries which constitute “Saudi Arabia’s last lines of defense” against Iran. Saudi Arabia, which traditionally purchases weaponry from the U.S., is currently negotiating a $2.8 billion purchase of 200 Leopard tanks from Germany, a deal analysts say evidences the growing U.S.-Saudi Arabian rift. (Defense News, July 14.)
“The State of Israel is a democracy that defends itself against attempts to delegitimize it in the international sphere. This is the reason that we passed the law against boycotts against the State of Israel and its citizens.… I think that by this restrained conduct [we] are also preventing the continuation of the delegitimization campaign that is defaming Israel.”—Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, at the weekly Cabinet meeting, praising the Knesset’s adoption of legislation that “allows citizens to bring civil suits against people and organizations that call for economic, cultural, or academic boycotts against Israel, Israeli institutions, or regions under Israeli control,” including West Bank “settlements.” (Jerusalem Post, July 15 & Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs Website, July 17.)
“The verdict flies in the face of all the evidence, all logic, and the understanding of events as they occurred. It’s an outrage, this verdict; I’m in shock. It’s a sad day for Hungary. It’s a sad day for the victims and for people who understand the importance of bringing such people to justice, even so many years after the crime.”—Efraim Zuroff, chief Nazi hunter for the Simon Wiesenthal Center, condemning the acquittal by a court in Hungary of 97-year-old Sandor Kepiro, accused of taking part in a massacre during World War II. Kepiro had been convicted twice before of taking part in the massacre—known as the Racija, the Serbian word for raid—in which 1,200 civilians, mostly Jews, were killed. The Wiesenthal Center previously declared Kepiro the world’s most-wanted Nazi war criminal. (NY Times, July 18.)
“The New York Supreme Court has just handed down a monumental ruling, holding that a lawsuit brought by Israeli victims of Hamas rocket attacks and suicide bombings can proceed against the Bank of China (“BOC”) in the United States. The civil action brought on behalf of over 80 victims…of attacks perpetrated between 2004 and 2007 in Israel alleges that starting in 2003, the BOC executed dozens of wire transfers for the Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad (“PIJ”) totalling several million dollars.… The funds were…used to carry out terrorist attacks. The families are seeking both compensatory and punitive damages.…”—Excerpts from a statement released by the Israel Law Center, announcing a New York Supreme Court decision to allow a lawsuit against the Bank of China, brought by victims of Palestinian terrorism in Israel, to proceed in the U.S. (Israel Law Center, July 14.)
Short Takes
REPORT: HEZBOLLAH TRIED TO KILL ISRAELI CONSUL—(Jerusalem) Italian newspaper Corierre della Sera has reported that a terror attack in Istanbul last May was carried out by Hezbollah, whose target was Israeli consul in Turkey Moshe Kimchi. Turkish intelligence first attributed the attack, days before national elections, to the Kurdish resistance, but have since concluded that Hezbollah, working on behalf of Iran, organized it. According to the report, three Hezbollah operatives plotted Kimchi’s daily route from his home to the consulate, and then placed explosives along the way. On the day of the attack the consul’s driver drove particularly slow and therefore saved Kimchi’s life. (Ynet News, July 18.)
EX-CIA OFFICER: ISRAEL LIKELY TO ATTACK IRAN IN SEPTEMBER—(Jerusalem) According to Robert Baer, a former CIA officer who spent 21 years in the Middle East, Israel is likely to attack Iran in September. Baer told KPFK Radio in Los Angeles that recent comments made by former Mossad chief Meir Dagan—that an Israeli attack on Iran could lead to a regional war—“tell us with near certainty that [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu is planning an attack, and…it’s probably going to be in September, before a [UN General Assembly] vote on the Palestinian state.” The retired senior CIA officer predicted that Israel would target the Natanz nuclear facility, as well as “a couple of others to degrade [Iran’s] capabilities.” Baer, however, said a regional war was unlikely. (Jerusalem Post, July 15.)
6 IN 10 PALESTINIANS REJECT 2-STATE SOLUTION, SURVEY FINDS—(Jerusalem) According to an intensive, face-to-face survey in Arabic of 1,010 Palestinian adults in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip completed this week by American pollster Stanley Greenberg, only one in three Palestinians (34 percent) accepts two states for two peoples as the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with 61% rejecting it outright. When asked about the fate of Jerusalem, 92% of respondents said that the city should be the capital of Palestine only; a mere 3 % believe Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel as well. The study also found that 62% of Palestinians support kidnapping IDF soldiers and holding them hostage, and 53% are in favor or teaching songs about hating Jews in Palestinian schools. When given a quote from the Hamas Charter, 73% agreed about the need to kill Jews hiding behind stones and trees. The poll was conducted by the Israel Project in partnership with the Beit Sahour-based Palestinian Center for Public Opinion. (Jerusalem Post, July 15.)
U.S. RECOGNIZES LIBYAN REBEL GROUP—(Istanbul) The U.S. and some 30 other countries have officially recognized Libya’s opposition National Transitional Council as the nation’s “legitimate governing authority”, opening the way for more than 30 billion dollars in frozen Libyan assets to be released to the country’s rebels. Diplomats described the move as a boost for opposition forces that have been fighting to topple Col. Moammar Gadhafi, as well as a clear message to the Libyan strongman to step aside. In rebel-held areas of Libya, fighters and officials called the U.S. decision a decisive defeat for Col. Gadhafi. (Wall Street Journal, July 16.)
AL QAEDA SEEN AIMING AT TARGETS OUTSIDE U.S.—(Washington) According to U.S. officials, Al Qaeda is expected to shift strategy under new leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, placing a higher priority on attacking the U.S. and Western targets overseas. As a result, the U.S. is considering altering its approach to counterterrorism operations, especially if al Qaeda’s Yemen and North African branches try to seek out U.S. or other Western targets in Europe or Africa. The Obama administration said last month it still considered al Qaeda and its acolytes to be the “pre-eminent security threat to the United States” even after former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s killing by U.S. forces in May. U.S. officials believe Zawahiri is hiding in the tribal areas of Pakistan. (Wall Street Journal, July 19.)
ISRAEL STOPS FRENCH BOAT HEADED TO GAZA—(Jerusalem) The Israeli navy has intercepted a French boat carrying pro-Palestinian activists, as the vessel attempted to breach Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. An army spokeswoman said that naval commandos seized control of the French-flagged yacht Dignite/Al Karama without resistance, boarding it after the captain ignored radio calls to change course. Sixteen people were reported to be aboard, including three crew members and three journalists. The French yacht was the lone remnant of a planned flotilla to the Gaza Strip, whose boats were mostly blocked in Greek ports after authorities banned their departure to Gaza. (Washington Post, July 19.)
US CONGRESSIONAL C’TEE TO CONSIDER CUTTING PA, LEBANESE AID—(Washington) A key U.S. Congressional committee is considering a foreign aid bill that could threaten funding to the Palestinian Authority and Lebanon and would codify in law the George W. Bush letter to Ariel Sharon, which endorsed the notion of Israel retaining major settlement blocs and indicated that the Palestinian right of return wouldn’t materialize. The bill would condition aid to the PA on its recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and ending all anti-Israel incitement in state-owned media, while aid to Lebanon would be stipulated on the exclusion of Hezbollah from government. The bill, drawn up by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida), would also end by 2014 the president’s ability to waive the law that requires him to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as well as mandate that official American documents list Jerusalem as part of Israel. (Jerusalem Post, July 19.)
US SPY DRONE SHOT DOWN BY IRAN—(Tehran) A senior Iranian legislator has confirmed that a US drone was shot down by Iran in the Central Qom province. Ali Aqazadeh Dafsari, a member of the Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said that the unmanned spy plane was flying near the Fordo nuclear enrichment plant when the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’Air Defense units brought it down. The official stated that the US drone was on a mission to identify the location of the plant and gather information about the nuclear facility for the CIA. (Fars News Agency, July 20.)
EGYPT CONSIDERS VOTE DELAY—(Cairo) Egypt’s military leadership is considering delaying parliamentary elections now planned for September to give new political parties more time to organize, a move that could benefit secular Egyptian politicians. “It’s highly possible they will postpone elections from one to three months “ said Ret. General Ahmed Wahdan, a former member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that assumed authority over Egypt following the overthrow of the former regime in February. If the council does postpone elections, Egypt could follow a path first set by Tunisia, whose government decided last month to push back its first parliamentary vote to Oct. 23 from July 24. (Wall Street Journal, July 5.)
PA FACING FINANCIAL CRISIS—(Jerusalem) Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas has revealed that the PA is encountering a serious financial crisis and might not be able to pay civil servant salaries next month. Abbas warned against any negative reactions such as strikes or protests, especially by trade unions: “We will immediately sue anyone who attempts to bring down what we have built.… This is unacceptable,” Abbas stated. The Palestinian president pointed out that a number of leaders from Arab countries had been contacted, but despite positive overtures, no money had been received. (Independent Media Review and Analysis, July 9.)
