Media-o-crity of the Week
“Re[garding] the giant billboard being put up in Los Angeles demanding freedom for Gilad Shalit: Shalit was not kidnapped. He was in a tank crew firing on Gaza and was legitimately captured in a military action designed to protect Gazan civilians to the greatest extent possible under the circumstances. By rights, Hamas had every right to execute Gilad Shalit, and it certainly has the right to keep him incarcerated for the rest of his life. A Gazan tank soldier firing on unarmed civilians on Israeli soil would get much worse punishment than Shalit has gotten from his captors.”—Excerpts from a “Letter to the Editor,” entitled “Shalit is a Legitimate Prisoner,” written by Jerrold Cohen, Seal Beach, Calif. and published by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, validating Hamas’ treatment of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, despite Shalit having been held hostage without visitation, thus in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions and international law, for more than five years,. (JTA, August 11, 2011.)
Weekly Quotes
“The social protests in Israel began 4 weeks ago with a national outcry over the rising price of basics such as cottage cheese. They then snowballed into a full-blown national movement by way of a simple act by a then unknown young woman. The act? Striking a tent in Tel-Aviv’s Rothschild Boulevard in protest of high apartment rental costs.… Small potatoes aside, it’s been four weeks and zero acts of the barbaric, non-discriminatory violence we’ve seen across the middle east, and even in the UK. No shots fired. No stores looted. No form of communication has been shut down. In fact, not only have the Israeli police and army not taken any role other than safeguarding the protests themselves, they have even been applauded, literally, by hundreds of thousands for their efforts. While in neighboring countries regimes are slaughtering the opposition, in Israel we have complete free speech to criticize our politicians and leaders.…”—Excerpts from an article entitled “Hello World: Israel is Out-Classing You in Civil Disobedience,” juxtaposing Israel’s ongoing peaceful demonstrations over a lack of affordable housing against the violent civil upheavals taking place throughout the Arab world, and the urban riots in the UK. (Washington Post, August 14.)
“The viability of an independent Palestinian state will depend less on strictly political factors than on sound and sustainable Palestinian economic capacities, without which any declaration of independence will be rendered empty and imprudent. Is the Palestinian economy ready for statehood?… Not all economic indicators…are…favorable. Unemployment is rising. A June UNRWA report showed that unemployment among Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem rose from 21.7% to 25% during the last year. More to the point, without annual external assistance of some $1b. from donor countries, the Palestinian economy is far from sustainable. At least one-third of the PA budget comes from external aid, including loans and grants from the US, the EU and Arab states. Just a few weeks ago, the PA coffers confronted a severe shortfall when promised donations—including $330m. that Gulf states have pledged to send every six months—failed to appear.… Most significantly, there is the heavy economic dependence on Israel, a country that according to the PA’s Central Bureau of Statistics accounts for nearly 89% of PA exports and 81% of its imports. The PA also depends on Israel to collect and remit tax revenues of about $1.5b. per yearA unilateral declaration of statehood that imperiled cooperation by spurning Israel’s offer of direct negotiations would be not only politically premature, but economically self-destructive, for the PA.”—Excerpts from a Jerusalem Post editorial, entitled “The PA Economy,” describing the fragility of the Palestinian economy and the potentially devastating ramifications should Israel decide to halt economic cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, following the PA’s bid for a unilateral declaration of statehood (which would violate the Oslo Accords) at the UN in September. (Jerusalem Post, August 16.)
“The French Initiative reshaped the issue of the ‘Jewish State,’ a formula that is also unacceptable to us—‘two states for two peoples.’ They can describe Israel as a state for two peoples, but we will be a state for one people. The story of two states for two peoples means that there will be a Jewish people over there and a Palestinian people here. We will never accept this.…”—Fatah foreign relations director Nabil Sha’ath, in an interview with Lebanese TV, reiterating the Palestinian Authority’s unequivocal rejection of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. (Israpundit, August 14.)
“Ask Abu Mazen [Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas] why he refuses to recognize the legitimacy of the Jewish state. I have recognized a Palestinian state, he [Abbas] should be able to recognize a Jewish state.… Ask him, ‘why don’t you come and negotiate with Israel?’ I am willing to immediately start direct negotiations with him without preconditions.”—Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, to a delegation of United States Congressmen currently visiting the Jewish state, reiterating his willingness to resume negotiations with the Palestinians: “I am willing to invite [Abbas] to my house in Jerusalem and I am willing to go to Ramallah,”Netanyahu affirmed. (Jerusalem Post, August 15.)
“Ahead of the gathering of the UN General Assembly in September, I ask you to oppose a unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. Regardless of the path the Palestinians choose, their UN bid is an attempt to avoid negotiations that are based on mutual compromise. It also violates existing agreements between the two sides and places in doubt the option of direct negotiations—which is the only way to solve this conflict.”—Excerpts from a letter, written by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and sent to over 40 heads of state across the globe, urging foreign leaders to oppose the Palestinians’ request for statehood at the UN in September. According to senior Israeli diplomatic officials, “Israel is sending emissaries to all parts of the world with messages from Netanyahu.… Any Israeli minister, ambassador or senior diplomat that travels to another country is asked to take this letter. We are covering all continents.” (Ynet News, August 15.)
“The last time the Middle East Quartet met, on July 11, it was unable even to issue a statement about the key issue before it—the Palestinian effort to get the UN General Assembly and Security Council to declare Palestine a state and admit it to membership. Nor has the Quartet been able to issue a statement about the attacks the Assad regime has been carrying out this week against Palestinian refugee camps in Syria, which have led thousands of Palestinians to flee their homes. But it did on August 16 get itself organized to address what it apparently saw as a graver issue and a greater threat to peace, Israel’s announcement of plans to construct additional housing units in Jerusalem and Ariel. Nowadays the Quartet seems able to reach agreement on only one thing: criticism of Israel. This is the lowest common denominator among the United States, EU, United Nations, and Russia, and it is pretty low indeed. If this is the only function of the Quartet, the better path would be to disband it now—for the statements it is making and the statements it seems unable to make combine to bring discredit on all participants.”—Excerpts from an Elliott Abrams article, entitled “Quartet Statements—And Quartet Silences,” criticizing the Quartet’s hypocritical condemnation of Israel’s plans to build 277 additional homes in the Ariel “settlement.” (Council on Foreign Relations, August 16, 2011)
“For six years, Steven Sugar pursued a one-man legal battle against the BBC in an attempt to force it to disclose a secret report. He was trying to get the corporation to publish an internal assessment of its coverage of the Middle East conflict, which he believed would reveal bias against Israel. Mr. Sugar won an appeal for a full court hearing but when he died of cancer in January at the age of 61 it appeared his mission was at an end. Now, his widow, Fiona Paveley, has taken up the fight to reveal the contents of the 20,000-word document and the case is to be heard at the Supreme Court.…”—Excerpts from an article, entitled “Widow takes on BBC over Israel bias,” describing the efforts of the late Steven Sugar, and his wife Fioana Paveley, to reveal the contents of an internal report “written in 2004 by Malcolm Balen, a senior journalist, for Richard Sambrook, then BBC director of news,” which allegedly proves the BBC’s anti-Israel bias, and which “the BBC has spent more than £270,000 on legal fees to prevent the public from seeing.”(Telegraph, August 13.)
Short Takes
PALESTINIANS SET DATE FOR UN STATEHOOD BID—(Jerusalem) According to Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Malki, the Palestinians will present their bid for membership of the United Nations on September 20. “Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas will personally present the request to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon…at the opening of the sixty-sixth session,” Malki confirmed. Also, Abbas “will insist [that] this historic initiative [be referred by] Ban Ki-moon…to the Security Council.” Malki noted that the Palestinian Authority chose September because Lebanon, which will hold the presidency of the Security Council, would be in a strong position to push the bid forward. (Ynet News, August 13.)
ABBAS SAYS SEEKING PALESTINIAN STATE WITHOUT SETTLEMENTS—(Jerusalem) Palestinian news agency WAFA has reported that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is seeking a Palestinian state completely devoid of Israeli settlements. According to the report, Abbas also told visiting US legislators he does not consider seeking recognition of statehood at the UN as conflicting “with the essence of the peace process.” The PA president also gave his vision of security in a future Palestinian state, saying that a third party comprised of NATO forces under US command would take responsibility.(Jerusalem Post, August 12.)
SENATORS PRESS OBAMA ON IRAN’S CENTRAL BANK—(Washington) More than 90 U.S. senators have signed a letter to President Barack Obama pressing him to sanction Iran’s central bank, with some threatening legislation to force the move. According to U.S. officials such a measure, if effectively implemented, could potentially freeze Iran out of the global financial system and make it nearly impossible for Tehran to clear billions of dollars in oil sales every month. Last year, Congress passed legislation barring from the U.S. financial system any foreign firm doing business with sanctioned Iranian banks, Iran’s energy sector, or the businesses of Tehran’s elite military unit, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The law also contains a provision allowing the White House to sanction Iran’s central bank, Bank Markazi, a step that President Obama has so far decided not to take. (Wall Street Journal, August 8.)
UN COMMITTEE ACCUSES IRAN AND HEZBOLLAH OF KILLING SYRIAN SOLDIERS WHO REFUSE TO SHOOT AT PROTESTERS—(Jerusalem) The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) committee has confirmed that Iran and Hezbollah are involved in killing Syrian soldiers who refuse to shoot at anti-regime protesters. The committee said that it will soon publish a detailed report, which will include images and testimonies from refugees and soldiers who defected from the army. The Syrian government has sought to crush the democracy movement with brutal force, killing more than 2000 civilians and arresting thousands of dissenters. The committee said that Syrian soldiers who refused to shoot at protesters were killed after they were detained by Hezbollah or Iranian Revolutionary Guards members, “who are present in Syria to help the regime repress protesters.” Both Iran and Hezbollah have denounced the accusations. (Independent Media Review and Analysis, August 6.)
SPANISH ENVOY OFFERS SYRIAN PRESIDENT ASYLUM—(Jerusalem) According to Spanish newspaper El Pais, Spain has offered Syrian President Bashar Assad political asylum should he relinquish power in Syria. The report alleges that Spanish President Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero sent Secretary General of the Prime Minister Bernadino Leon to Syria in order to hold meetings with top Syrian officials. The envoy purportedly told an aide close to Assad that the government in Madrid would be willing to provide Assad asylum should Assad stop the bloody crackdown on Syrian protesters; engage with Spain in organizing a national conference in Madrid; and formulate with Spain a timetable for a transitional government with members of the Syrian opposition to help implement reform. Leon, El Pais reported, did not report much willingness from the government in Damascus, saying that he was under “the impression that [Assad] is not going to compromise on anything substantial.” (Jerusalem Post, August 15.)
‘DAHLAN INVOLVED IN POISONING OF YASSER ARAFAT’—(Jerusalem) A Palestinian commission of inquiry has concluded that ousted Fatah Central Committee member Mohammed Dahlan was involved in the “poisoning” of former Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat. According to the commission’s 118-page report, published by a number of Arab news web sites, including Al-Jazeera, the deposed Fatah official was involved in sending poisoned medicine to Arafat before the latter’s death. This marks the first time that the Palestinian leadership has accused a Palestinian of being behind the “assassination” of Arafat; until now, the PA had held Israel fully responsible for the mysterious death of Arafat of an unknown disease in November 2004. (Jerusalem Post, August 7.)
FAMILIES OF PALESTINIAN SUICIDE BOMBERS GIVEN £5M IN BRITISH AID CASH—(London) The Palestinian Authority, which receives £86million of British aid a year, has authorised payments of almost £5million to the families of ‘martyrs,” and another £3million has been allocated to 5,500 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. According to the official Palestinian daily newspaper, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, payments to the families of ‘martyrs’—those killed fighting Israel, including suicide bombers—total 3.5 per cent of the entire Palestinian Authority budget. The payments to families and prisoners are on a sliding scale, from £250 a month for prisoners sentenced to less than three years, to a maximum of £2,140 a month for anyone serving more than 30 years. The payments compare with salaries of £515 for a regular Palestinian civil servant and £480 for officers in the Palestinian security forces. (Daily Mail-UK, August 8.)
COORDINATED BLASTS KILL SCORES ACROSS IRAQ—(New York) Iraqi insurgents have launched a bombing spree across Iraq, killing at least 60 and wreaking havoc in more than a dozen cities in the worst attack so far this year. The furious pace of the bombings throughout the day appeared designed to create havoc and undermine the ability of the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to maintain security in the country. The attacks come as Iraqi leaders have been discussing whether to allow some U.S. troops to remain in the country after Dec. 31, when U.S. forces are scheduled to withdraw. U.S. officials have told Mr. Maliki that without a formal invitation soon the U.S. will not be able to prepare to leave even a small number of troops behind to provide training and assistance after the bulk of U.S. forced depart at the end of the year. (Wall Street Journal, August 16.)
ISRAEL WILL NOT TO APOLOGIZE TO TURKEY—(Jerusalem) An official has confirmed that Israel will not apologize to Turkey for last year’s Mavi Marmara incident, dampening any prospects for reconciliation between the former allies. The decision, which the official said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu conveyed to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a telephone call, was made days before the publication of the findings of a UN inquiry into the seizure of the Mavi Marmara. The so-called Palmer report has been repeatedly delayed to allow for Israeli-Turkish rapprochement talks amid concern in Washington that a rift between two countries, previously strategic partners, would increase the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East. Citing advance copies of the report, officials say that Israel’s blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip will be vindicated, a finding that Turkey will not accept. The Palmer report is scheduled for release August 22. (Reuters, August 17.)
HAMAS REFUSING TO HAND OVER EL-ARISH TERRORIST SUSPECTS—(Jerusalem) According to the Egyptian daily al-Masry al-Youm, the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip has refused several Egyptian requests to hand over Palestinian terrorists alleged to have participated in a recent attack on a police station in the Sinai city of El-Arish. Citing a “well-placed Egyptian source,” the report said that Egyptian authorities have provided evidence to Hamas implicating the men who Egypt says escaped back into Gaza via tunnels. Egypt recently launched a large military operation, deploying 1,000 soldiers and hundreds of armored personnel carriers, to rein in armed Islamic elements operating in the Sinai and Gaza Strip, including al-Qaida affiliated terrorists. The operation required Israeli approval as the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries limits the number of troops Egypt may move into the Sinai. An Egyptian security official said that the operation is expected to last a number of months. (Jerusalem Post, August 16.)
U.S. SAYS IT KILLED TALIBAN WHO HIT COPTER—(Kabul) Gen. John Allen, the top international commander in Afghanistan, has confirmed that coalition forces killed the Taliban fighters responsible for shooting down a U.S. CH-47 Chinook, an attack that claimed the lives of 30 American service members and eight Afghans. According to Allen, after tracking the Taliban insurgents, F-16 fighter planes killed the insurgents, as well as Mullah Mohibullah, a Taliban leader. The aircraft downing caused the largest number of U.S. casualties of any single incident in the decade-long Afghan war. (Wall Street Journal, August 11.)
