Media-ocrity of the Week
“Look, the Taliban per se is not our enemy. That’s critical. There is not a single statement that the president has ever made in any of our policy assertions that the Taliban is our enemy because it threatens US interests.”—US Vice President Joe Biden, stating that the Taliban, an al-Qaeda-aligned terrorist group that American forces have been fighting in Afghanistan since 2001, is not considered an enemy of the US by President Barack Obama. (Contentions, December 21.)
Weekly Quotes
“If nothing happens by Jan. 26, we are going back to our international campaign for recognition.”—Senior Palestinian Authority official, Nabil Shaath, announcing the PA will resume its unilateral campaign for statehood recognition at the UN if the quartet is unable to make any breakthroughs in the peace process over the next month. This, despite the Quartet having last week reiterated its call for direct Israel-Palestinian negotiations “without delay or preconditions,” points of reference summarily rejected by the PA. (LA Times, December 22.)
“UNESCO is shocked and dismayed by the content of the February issue, and has requested more detailed information and clarification from the editors of the magazine and the Palestinian Authority. UNESCO strongly deplores and condemns the reproduction of such inflammatory statements in a magazine associated with UNESCO’s name and mission and will not provide any further support to the publication in question.”—Excerpt of a letter written by the Office of UNESCO’s Director-General, Irina Bokova,denouncing an article in the Palestinian Authority-funded Zayzafuna magazine in which Hitler is presented as a role model for Palestinian youth. In November, UNESCO became the first UN organization to grant full membership to “Palestine.” (Independent Media Review and Analysis, December 23.)
“The armed option is the best defense against the Zionists.”—Ali Abufoul, a Palestinian prisoner released in the second stage of the Gilad Shalit deal, affirming that warfare against Israel is the best option for Palestinians to pursue, and calling on Hamas to take more Israeli soldiers hostage. 550 Palestinian prisoners were freed last week, completing the Shalit deal. (Independent Media Review and Analysis, December 25.)
“The aid from Congress is the next level in the strengthening of defense ties between Israel and the US.”—Defense Minister Ehud Barak, commending the US Congress’ approval of an additional $235 million in aid to Israel’s defense establishment—funds that will be directed towards improving the capabilities of anti-missile programs including the Arrow missile and “David’s Sling” projects. (Independent Media Review and Analysis, December 25.)
“The duties of Egypt’s Arab and Islamic nation…[is] to defend the rights of Arab and Islamic peoples, especially our brothers in Palestine.… [It] should be noted that the party stands strongly against the attempts of normalization and dialogue in all its forms and against the establishment of relations with [an] entity that wants to obliterate our identity [and has] occupied our land.…This is the position of the party which is adhered to by all its members and leadership.”—Statement issued by Egypt’s Salafist Al Nour Party, strongly denouncing recent reports claiming the Islamist group would consider normalizing relations with the Jewish state. Al Nour has received approximately 30% of the vote in the first two stages of Egypt’s ongoing Parliamentary elections. (Independent Media Review and Analysis, December 24.)
“The Americans have pulled out without completing the job they should have finished. We have warned them that we don’t have a political process which is inclusive of all Iraqis and we don’t have a full-blown state in Iraq.”—Former Prime Minister of Iraq, Ayad Allawi, attributing the intensifying political crisis as well as the resurgence of violence in Iraq to US President Barack Obama’s decision to withdraw American forces from the country. (Wall Street Journal, December 23.)
“[The bill’s passage] is a clear example of how racism, discrimination and anti-Muslim sentiment have reached new heights in France and in Europe. French President [Nicholas] Sarkozy’s ambition is to win an election based on promoting animosity against Turks and Muslims.”—Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, condemning as “anti-Muslim” the passage by French lawmakers of a bill making it a crime to deny that the 1915-1918 mass killing of 1-1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks constituted genocide. (Washington Post, December 23.)
“There have been substantial new finds of offshore natural gas, which will strengthen the fiscal position, further decrease dependence in imported fuels and improve options regarding energy security.”—Excerpt from a report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), describing the prospect of Israel becoming energy-independent due to the discovery of additional natural gas reserves in its territorial waters. (Independent Media Review and Analysis, December 13.)
Short Takes
ABBAS PUTTING EXTREMIST MURDERERS ON PEDESTAL—(Jerusalem) Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is “disappointed” by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ “unfortunate decision” to meet last week with freed Palestinian terrorist Amna Muna. Abbas met with Muna along with ten other Palestinians released and exiled to Turkey as part of the Gilad Shalit deal. Muna, the so-called “Internet Murderer,” was serving a life sentence for luring 16-year-old Ofir Rahum to Ramallah where he was murdered in 2001. The PA president, according to a statement released by his office, “praised the prisoners for remaining steadfast in the face of Israeli wardens’ mastery.” Netanyahu spokesman Mark Regev said that “instead of promoting peace and reconciliation, the Palestinian leadership seems to be putting extremist murderers up on a pedestal.… This raises serious questions as to their commitment…to end the conflict.” (Jerusalem Post, December 21.)
ZAHHAR: HAMAS WILL SWEEP TO VICTORY IN NEXT ELECTIONS—(Cairo) Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar has predicted that the terror organization will win a “sweeping” victory in Palestinian legislative elections tentatively scheduled for May. In an interview with the London based pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Zahar affirmed that Hamas stands to improve on its 2006 election victory, when it won 74 of an available 132 seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council. Zahar’s comments come as Palestinian factions are engaged in reconciliation talks in Cairo. According to reports, Fatah and Hamas leaders took a significant step towards reunification last week when Hamas allegedly agreed to join President Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestine Liberation Organization. At least three senior Palestinian officials have voiced strong reservations over the decision to incorporate Hamas into the PLO, saying the move would empower Hamas to eventually replace Fatah as the dominant party in the body.In this respect, Mohammed Shtayyeh, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, recently said that the Palestinians are considering cancelling the agreements signed between the PLO and the Jewish state, including the “recognition” of Israel.(Independent Media Review and Analysis & Jerusalem Post, December 26.)
IRAN ISSUES SECOND WARNING IN 2 DAYS THAT IT COULD CLOSE STRAIT OF HORMUZ—(Tehran) For the second time in two days, Iran has warned that it will close the strategic Strait of Hormuz—the passageway through which a sixth of the world’s oil flows—if the West imposes sanctions on Iranian oil shipments. Both Vice President Mohamed Reza Rahimi and navy chief Adm. Habibollah Sayyari threatened to close the strait, with Sayyari telling state-run Press TV that “Closing the Strait of Hormuz is very easy for Iranian naval forces” and that “Iran has comprehensive control over the strategic waterway.” The threats belie Iranian concerns that the West is about to impose new sanctions that could target Tehran’s vital oil industry and exports. To reduce the possible ramifications of such a move, a senior Saudi oil official this week confirmed that Gulf Arab nations are prepared to increase oil output to offset any potential loss of Iranian crude in the world markets. Iran’s navy is in the midst of a 10-day drill in international waters near the strategic oil route. (Associated Press, December 28.)
IRAN OPPOSITION LEADER CALLS FOR BOYCOTT OF VOTE—(Beirut) The leader of Iran’s opposition Green Movement, Mehdi Karroubi, has issued a rare statement from house arrest urging Iranians to boycott the upcoming parliamentary election. Karroubi, who has been detained without trial in an undisclosed residence for 10 months, said that Iran’s leaders had no interest in the public’s vote or opinion and would stage “sham elections” to bring loyalists to power. “The authorities want to repeat what they did in the 2009 presidential election by disqualifying the candidates…and filling up the ballot boxes with counterfeit votes and creating an atmosphere of fear in the country,” Karroubi affirmed. The parliamentary election, scheduled for March 2, will be Iran’s first polls since the tumultuous 2009 vote, which sparked nationwide protests over the contested re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. (Wall Street Journal, December 27.)
NUKE EXPERT: TIME TO ATTACK IRAN—(Washington) A former special adviser on Iran policy to the Obama Administration believes that a US-perpetrated strike on the Islamic Republic is the “least bad” option in dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat. Matthew Kroenig, a nuclear security expert who served as a strategist under Defense Secretary Robert Gates, wrote in an article published by Foreign Affairs Magazine that “a military strike intended to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, if managed carefully, could spare the region and the world a very real threat and dramatically improve the long-term national security of the United States.” Kroenig acknowledged that a military operation in Iran is not an “attractive prospect,” but explained that it is within the US’ power to minimize the anticipated effects. Kroenig warned that waging a cold war against Tehran, aimed at containing its nuclear capabilities, is “a costly, decades-long proposition that would likely still result in grave national security threats. The United States should conduct a surgical strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities…and then seek to quickly de-escalate the crisis. Addressing the threat now will spare the United States from confronting a far more dangerous situation in the future,” he concluded. (Ynet News, December 24.)
BAGHDAD EXPLOSIONS KILL AT LEAST 63 IN FIRST MAJOR VIOLENCE SINCE U.S. DEPARTURE—(Baghdad) More than a dozen explosions in Baghdad have killed at least 60 people and injured hundreds more—the first major violence in Iraq since the U.S. completed its troop pullout. The attacks come in the midst of an ongoing governmental emergency in which sectarian rifts and ethnic tension threaten to rip apart the country’s fragile ruling coalition. An Al Qaeda-linked group, The Islamic State of Iraq,claimed responsibility for the bombings, with US officials speculating that the terrorist organization is seeking to capitalize on the ongoing political fight between Shiites and Sunnis to sow greater dissent in the country. Last week, Prime Minister Maliki’s Shiite-controlled government shocked US officials and other observers by announcing that an arrest warrant had been issued for vice president Tariq al-Hashimi, a leading Sunni politician, on charges that Hashimi enlisted personal body guards to run a hit squad. (Washington Post, December 22 & 27.)
IAF MAY BUY JETS USED BY US IN IRAQ—(Jerusalem) Due to the ongoing upheaval in the Middle East and potential delays to existing procurement plans, the IDF is considering purchasing F-15 fighter jets used by the United States military in Iraq. According to a senior IDF officer, Israel’s primary concern is that the delivery of its first batch of US-made F-35 Joint Strike Fighters will be pushed back farther than the scheduled 2017 date. A number of reports recently came out of the Pentagon regarding potential problems with the development of the aircraft and the possibility that production plans will be slowed down. In this event, Israel might be asked to pay more than the $2.75 billion it committed to paying for the 20 F-35s under a 2010 deal, or suffice with less aircraft. Meanwhile, the IDF has been holding marathon talks with Israel’s Treasury in recent weeks in an effort to reach an agreement regarding the size of the defense budget for the coming year. The IDF is claiming that due to the changes in the region—particularly in Egypt—the defense budget should not be cut, but rather increased in order to facilitate the build up new military formations and capabilities needed to counter future threats.(Jerusalem Post, December 26.)
U.S. GENERAL IN AFGHANISTAN SAYS TROOPS MAY STAY PAST 2014—(Kabul)
The senior American commander in Afghanistan has suggested that American forces could remain in the country beyond 2014, despite previous signals from President Obama that the bulk of troops would be withdrawn by then. In an interview with The New York Times, Gen. John R. Allen provided the most emphatic signal to date that the US military intends to secure a long-term presence in Afghanistan, saying negotiations with the government of President Hamid Karzai on a strategic partnership agreement would “almost certainly” include “a discussion with Afghanistan of what a post-2014 force will look like.” The United States ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan C. Crocker, also recently said that the United States was open to keeping forces in the country if the Afghan government requested them. (NY Times, December 20.)
ISRAEL, TURKEY REACTIVATE AIR FORCE TIES—(Jerusalem) According to a senior officer, Israel’s Air Force (IAF) has reestablished a coordination mechanism with Turkey that works to prevent aerial misunderstandings and potential clashes over the Mediterranean Sea. Once long-time friends and training partners, ties between the IAF and the Turkish Air Force were greatly reduced following Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip in 2009, and came to an abrupt end in September when a United Nations commission, established to investigate the 2010 Turkish flotilla incident, determined that Israel’s sea blockade over the Gaza Strip is legitimate and that Israel acted within the law when boarding the Turkish-sponsored Mavi Marmara ship. The resumption in military coordination is being viewed as part of a greater effort to stabilize and improve Israel-Turkey relations. (Jerusalem Post, December 21.)
NO KEYSTONE PIPELINE, NO PROBLEM—(Ottawa) Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has announced that Canada will consider selling its oil to China and other overseas markets with or without approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline in the United States. In a year-end television interview with CTV National News, Mr. Harper doubted the $7-billion pipeline would receive political approval from US President Barack Obama, and said that Canada is “very serious about selling [its] oil off this continent, selling our energy products off to Asia. I think we have to do that.”Mr. Harper’s comments came a day after the White House sent signals it might kill TransCanada’s oil sands pipeline if it is forced to make a decision on the project within 60 days, saying there was insufficient time to complete an environmental review. The Obama administration has spent three years reviewing the Keystone XL pipeline. (National Post, December 19.)
HOW TO CONTROL LIBYA MISSILES? BUY THEM UP—(Tripoli) The United States is currently discussing with the Libyan interim government the creation of a program to purchase shoulder-fired, heat-seeking missiles from militia members who acquired them during the war. The talks are the latest step in a multinational effort to contain the risks posed by the thousands of portable antiaircraft weapons that are unaccounted for after rebel fighters overran government weapons depots during the battle against Col. Muommar Qaddafi’s forces. Western security officials worry that terrorists could use the missiles, which are lightweight and relatively easy to fire, to target civilian passenger planes. The United States has thus far committed $40 million to secure Libya’s arms stockpiles. (NY Times, December 22.)
UN HONORS NORTH KOREA’S KIM JONG-IL—(United Nations) The UN General Assembly has granted a request from North Korea to hold a moment of silence for Kim Jong-il, the country’s former leader who died two weeks ago. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, president of the 193-nation General Assembly, cited “protocol” as the reason for agreeing to the request. Pyongyang is currently under Security Council sanctions due to Kim Jong-il’s nuclear weapons program, which Western officials say ate up huge sums of money that could have been used to help feed North Korea’s starving population. North Korea’s UN mission made a similar request to the Security Council, though Western diplomats said it was rejected. (Reuters, December 22.)
JEWISH LEADERS IN BELGIUM SPLIT OVER LIBEL SUIT—(Brussels) A former leader of Belgian Jewry has resigned from the country’s Jewish board in protest of a decision to honor a prominent politician who previously equated Israel with Nazism and sued the board for libel. Joel Rubinfeld, ex-president of the Umbrella Organization of Jewish Institutions of Belgium (CCOJB), says his resignation was in response to the organization’s decision to host André Flahaut, president of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, as a guest of honor at a gala dinner in September. “Honoring Flahaut was inappropriate and absurd in light of his statement and the lawsuit he filed against the CCOJB,” Rubinfeld said. Flahaut sued both the CCOJB and Rubinfeld individually in 2008 for libel, claiming they called him “an anti-Semite.” Flahaut has been documented leading anti-Israel demonstrations in which protestors were seen holding signs reading “Jew Nazi,” “Gaza worse than Auschwitz” and “Protocols of Zion, final stage?” (Jerusalem Post, December 26.)
CUBA TO RELEASE 2,900 PRISONERS; GROSS NOT INCLUDED—(Havana) According to government officials, Cuba will release 2,900 prisoners in the coming days ahead of a visit next spring by Pope Benedict XVI. However, Jewish American Alan Gross, who is serving 15 years in prison for setting up internet equipment on the island under a US program, is not included amongst those to be pardoned. The US State Department declined to comment on the amnesty and its failure to include Gross, but has repeatedly said in the past that he was only providing internet access for Jewish groups in Cuba and should be released immediately. Gross’ arrest halted a brief warming in US-Cuba relations that have been hostile since Fidel Castro embraced Soviet Communism after his 1959 revolution. (Reuters, December 24.)
