Weekly Quotes
“I would like to express my deep outrage, outrage which is certainly felt by every Israeli over the murder of a young family—father, mother, eleven-year-old boy, four-year-old-boy and four-month-old girl. Three orphaned children have been left in this family. One of the girls saw her parents and siblings stabbed to death.… I expect the international community to sharply and unequivocally condemn th[ese] murder[s].… I have noticed that several countries that always hasten to the UN Security Council in order to condemn Israel, the state of the Jews, for planning a house in some locality, or for laying some tiles somewhere have been dilatory in sharply condemning the murder of Jewish infants. I expect them to issue such condemnations immediately, without balances, without understandings, without justifications.…”—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing the horrific massacre in Itamar of five innocent Israelis by Palestinian terrorists affiliated with the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Fatah movement, and calling upon the international community to unequivocally condemn the tragedy. Mr. Netanyahu also slammed the Palestinian Authority for its role in inciting violence against Israelis, as well as its tepid response to the murders: “I am disappointed by the [Palestinian Authority’s] weak and mumbled statements. This is not how one condemns terrorism.… I demand that the Palestinian Authority stop the incitement that is conducted on a daily basis in their schools, mosques and the media under their control. The time has come to stop this double-talk in which the Palestinian Authority outwardly talks peace, and allows—and sometimes leads—incitement at home. The time has come to…begin educating their people for peace.” In response, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas suggested that the Itamar carnage was an example of “[Israeli] violence produc[ing Palestinian] violence,” whereas the militant wing of his Fatah Party released a statement praising the “heroic” operation, which was a “natural response to massacres committed by the occupation against our people.” (Independent Media Review and Analysis, March 12 & 13.)
“Whatever else one might say about President Obama’s Libya policy, it has succeeded brilliantly in achieving its oft-stated goal of not leading the world. No one can any longer doubt the U.S. determination not to act before the Italians do, or until the Saudis approve, or without a U.N. resolution.… That message couldn’t be clearer to Moammar Gadhafi and his sons, who are busy bombing and killing their way to victory against the Libyan opposition. As the U.S. defers to the world, the world can’t decide what to do, and the vacuum is filled by a dictator and his hard men who have concluded that no one will stop them.… Three weeks into the Libyan uprising, here are some of the live action highlights from what Mr. Obama likes to call ‘the international community’:
• The United Nations Security Council has imposed an arms embargo, but with enough ambiguity that no one knows whether it applies only to Gadhafi or also to the opposition. Even the U.S. State Department and White House don’t agree.
• The U.N. has referred events to the International Criminal Court for a war crimes investigation. Mr. Obama said this sent a message to Gadhafi that ‘the world is watching,’ as if Gadhafi didn’t know. But it also sends a message [to Gadhafi ] that leaving Libya without bloodshed is not an option, because he and his sons will still be pursued for war crimes.…
• France has recognized the opposition National Council in Benghazi, though the U.S. is only now sending envoys to meet with the opposition for the first time. Dozens of Western reporters can get rebel leaders on the phone, an opposition delegation has visited French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris, but the U.S. is still trying to figure out who these people are.…
• The French want a no-fly zone, but the Italians and Germans object. NATO is having ‘a series of conversations about a wide range of options,’ as President Obama put it, but NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen [recently] emerged from a meeting of defense ministers…saying that ‘We considered…initial options regarding a possible no-fly zone in case NATO were to receive a clear U.N. mandate.…’ No doubt NATO will keep conversing about the ‘range of options’ next week.
• Even as opposition leaders were asking for help, U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told the world…that Gadhafi is likely to win in the long-term. The Administration scrambled to say this was merely a factual judgment about the balance of military power, but the message couldn’t be clearer to any of Gadhafi’s generals who might consider defecting: Do so at your peril because you will join the losing side.…
If Gadhafi survives after Mr. Obama has told him to go, the blow to U.S. prestige and world order would be enormous. Dictators will learn that the way to keep America from acting is to keep its diplomats and citizens around, while mowing down your opponents as the world debates contingencies.… This is a dangerous message to send at any time, but especially with a Middle East in the throes of revolution.”—Excerpts from a Wall Street Journal editorial, entitled The Obama Doctrine, criticizing U.S. president Obama’s gross diplomatic failure to adequately support Libya’s opposition movement, despite its ongoing subjection to a concerted murder campaign waged by Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. (Wall Street Journal, March 12.)
“Israel is the only country the United States discriminates against in this regard. The people of Israel have designated Jerusalem as their capital. Yet the United States retains its embassy in Tel Aviv. A more peaceful Middle East will not come through confused signals, mixed messages, and extravagant but unrealizable hopes. Making it clear that we respect the rights of the people of the only long-term democracy in the Middle East and making clear that it is their right to negotiate the future of their Capital will strengthen the framework within which peace could be negotiated.”—Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and potential Republican presidential candidate in 2012, calling on the next U.S. leader to move the country’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and adeptly realizing that firm U.S. recognition of Israel’s legitimate sovereign rights and territorial claims would serve as a precursor to forging a lasting peace in the Middle East. (JTA, March 9.)
“The fact that J Street fought against the sanctions that the United States wants to place against Iran is very, very serious in my eyes, as is the fact that they acted against the American veto [of a biased, anti-Israel UN Security Council resolution that would have designated West Bank ‘settlements’ as ‘illegal’]. If they say that if Israel accepts our radical left-wing diplomatic positions, then we love Israel—it is a conditional love. If you don’t accept our ideas, then we will support Iran or the Palestinian Authority. I don’t want love like that. Don’t love me at all. I asked for the hearing not because of the content of J Street’s beliefs, but because I want to look into the commitment of Jewish love and support for Israel. If they don’t love and support Israel, then they should not present themselves as pro-Israel.…”—Kadima MK Otniel Schneller, explaining his motivation for having introduced a bill into the Knesset to initiate a probe into the activities of the American lobby group J Street. The Knesset plenum voted to adopt the proposal, and a second hearing will be conducted by The Immigration, Absorption and Public Diplomacy Committee as early as next week. (Jerusalem Post, March 10.)
“The big sting last week was aimed at National Public Radio. Conservative prankster James O’Keefe and his colleagues created a fake organization, the Muslim Education Action Center, complete with a bogus website identifying the group as part of the Muslim Brotherhood. They invited NPR executives to lunch at a restaurant in Georgetown, offering a $5 million donation. A secret camera caught NPR fund-raising Vice President Ron Schiller coddling what he thought were extremist donors. The 11-minute video is riveting. Mr. Schiller is on a sales mission with potential donors whose fictional website said the group’s mission was to ‘spread the Sharia across the world.…’ The lunch group chuckled over what the supposed Muslim extremists approvingly called ‘National Palestinian Radio.’ Mr. Schiller denied that Jews influenced NPR coverage, though they ‘own newspapers obviously.…’ The video provided unfiltered proof of the worst nightmares of NPR’s critics.”—Excerpts from a Wall Street Journal article, entitled The Season of the Political Sting, describing the recent scandal that led to the resignation of NPR boss Vivian Schiller. Long-criticized for its overtly left-wing, liberal bias, NPR now risks losing its federal funding. (Wall Street Journal, March 14.)
“For the past five years, the entire nation has been united in its hearts in the hope that Gilad Schalit will be here with us, healthy and whole. Schalit family, we feel like a part of your family. Gilad is a soldier in the IDF, and the entire country will not rest until he comes home. The negotiations for his release are difficult and painful. We are fighting an organization that has no law and no heart, but we will not give up.”—Israeli President Shimon Peres, describing the ongoing, painful struggle to free Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, held in captivity by Hamas militants for more than five years. On March 15, at 11:00AM, citizens throughout Israel observed five minutes of silence in honor of Gilad. (Jerusalem Post, March 15.)
Short Takes
ABBAS OFFERS HAMAS AN OLIVE BRANCH—(Ramallah) Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas has agreed to visit the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip for the first time in four years in a bid to reunite the rival Palestinian governments. Abbas declared that he is prepared “to end the split and form a new government so [as to] end this dark and dishonorable chapter of division.” Abbas has not been to Gaza since Hamas militants overran the territory during a five-day civil war in June 2007. According to reports Abbas’s unity plan includes a call for parliamentary and presidential elections within six months.
Abbas also confirmed that he would not run for President again. (Wall Street Journal, March 16.)
IDF SEIZES FREIGHTER OF IRANIAN WEAPONS HEADED TO GAZA—(Jerusalem) The Israeli Defense Force has seized a freighter ship containing 50 of tons of Iranian-made weaponry headed for Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Deputy Navy Commander Rear Admiral Rani Ben-Yehuda confirmed that an initial inspection of the cargo revealed a cache of weapons, including anti-ship missiles, radar control systems, and mortar shells. Ben-Yehuda added that the weapons were smuggled through Iran, Syria and Turkey. He also asserted that the two Iranian warships that crossed the Suez Canal a few weeks ago are connected to the arms smuggling attempt. (Ynet News, March 15.)
BAHRAIN DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY; SAUDI SOLDIERS DEPLOY—(Dammam, Saudi Arabia)The king of Bahrain has declared a state of emergency, a day after approximately 1000 Saudi troops entered the country to help prop up the nation’s Sunni monarchy.The “State of National Safety,” which officials said is one level below martial law, will last three months, and is intended to subdue weeks of Shiite-led protests that have unnerved kingdoms and emirates throughout the Persian Gulf region. Iran, a Shiite-dominated country which neighbors Bahrain, has voiced its disapproval over the attempt to suppress Bahrain’s protestors; an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman affirmed that “The presence of foreign forces and interference in Bahrain’s internal affairs is unacceptable,” and warned of “dangerous consequences.” Further exacerbating the situation is the White House’s reported dissatisfaction over Saudi military intervention in the region. (Washington Post & MSNBC, March 15.)
THOUSANDS IN BEIRUT DEMAND HEZBOLLAH DISARM—(Beirut) Tens of thousands of supporters of Lebanon’s opposition held a mass demonstration in downtown Beirut, demanding that the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah disarm. The rally was a powerful show of support for Lebanon’s toppled Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who moved into the opposition after Hezbollah and its allies forced his government to collapse in January. Mr. Hariri has taken a far stronger public stance against Hezbollah in recent weeks, and has accused the militant group of using its weapons as political leverage. (Wall Street Journal, March 14.)
AFGHAN CIVILIAN DEATHS ROSE IN 2010, U.N. SAYS—(Kabul) According to the U.N.’s Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, conflict-related civilian deaths rose by 15% in 2010 to 2,777. Of those deaths, the Mission claims that insurgents were responsible for 2,080, with coalition forces accounting for 697. A total of 4,343 additional people were wounded. The increase in loss of life reflects an escalation in battles between international forces and insurgents, as the U.S.-led coalition tries to uproot the Taliban from traditional strongholds, and establish government control over remote parts of Afghanistan. (Wall Street Journal, March 9.)
POLL: NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF AMERICANS SAY AFGHAN WAR NOT WORTH FIGHTING—(Washington) According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, nearly two-thirds of Americans believe the war in Afghanistan is no longer worth fighting, the highest-ever proportion to oppose the conflict. The finding comes at a critical juncture for U.S. President Obama, as he decides how quickly to pull U.S. forces from Afghanistan beginning this summer. The pressure to withdraw American troops peaked last week, as U.S. and NATO forces were sharply criticized by Afghan President Hamid Karzai after a NATO bombing killed nine children. Karzai demanded that international troops “stop their operations in our land.” (Washington Post, March 15.)
NEARLY HALF OF GERMANY THINKS ISRAEL EXTERMINATING PALESTINIANS—(Berlin) A shocking new study released by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation reveals a “remarkable” level of anti-semitism in Germany. According to the report, there is a strong presence of “anti-Semitism [in Germany] that is linked with Israel and is hidden behind criticism of Israel.” When researchers asked participants to respond to the statement “Israel is conducting a war of extermination against the Palestinians,” 47.7 percent of the study’s participants in Germany expressed agreement. 48.9% percent of Germans also believe that “Jews try to take advantage of having been victims during the Nazi era.” (Jerusalem Post, March 16.)
CANADIAN GOVERNMENT TO HELP FUND JEWISH CAMPUS—(Toronto) Canadian Minister Julian Fantino has confirmed that Canada’s federal government will contribute up to $15 million towards the building of a massive Jewish community campus in the Toronto suburb of Vaughan. The federal funds will support the third phase of the Joseph and Wolf Lebovic Jewish Community Campus project, whose services are to be phased in from 2012 to 2016. The Lebovic campus is one of three Jewish community centers in the Toronto area being funded by the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto’s $225-million Tomorrow Campaign. To date, approximately $180 million has been raised for the campaign. (JTA, March 16.)
IRAN WILL ATTEND 2012 OLYMPICS DESPITE ‘REVOLTING’ LOGO—(New York) Iran has confirmed it will attend the 2012 Olympics in London despite its protest of the Games’ logo, which it says spells the word Zion. The head of Iran’s National Olympic Committee had previously threatened to boycott the Games due to “racism”, and wrote a letter to International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge stating that “The use of the word Zion by the designer of Olympics logo in the emblem of the Olympics Games 2012 is a very revolting act.” The IOC rejected the erroneous claim and British Prime Minister David Cameron stated that Iran is “completely paranoid,” and that “If the Iranians don’t want to come, don’t come; we won’t miss you.” (JTA, March 13.)
WHITE HOUSE SLAMS 15-YEAR SENTENCE FOR ALAN GROSS—(Washington) The Obama administration has condemned the 15-year sentence handed down by a Cuban court to Jewish-American Alan Gross for crimes against the state. Gross, 61, was detained in Cuba in December 2009, and accused of spying for the U.S. The U.S. Agency for International Development maintains that Gross is a government contractor who went to Cuba to develop an Internet project for the island’s small Jewish community. Gross’ U.S. lawyer, Peter Kahn, said in a statement: “We will continue to work with Alan’s Cuban attorney in exploring any and all options available to him, including the possibility of an appeal.” (JTA, March 13.)
HEBREW UNIVERSITY’S EINSTEIN ARCHIVES TO GO ONLINE—(Jerusalem) Israel’s Hebrew University will soon commence a project to digitize Albert Einstein’s archives. The process is expected to take approximately one year, at which point more than 80,000 documents will be available to the public on the Albert Einstein Archives website. Einstein was one of the founders of Hebrew University in 1918, and sat on its first board of governors. He bequeathed his archives to the university in his will. (Jerusalem Post, March 14.)
