Wednesday’s “News in Review” Round-Up

 On Topic Links

“The release of terrorists is immoral, weakens Israel, endangers Israeli citizens…Israel has humiliated itself for the last 20 years with terrorist release deals, and it is time to put an end to it…This is due to the injustice that these evil doers are being freed without completing their sentence. My heart is with the bereaved families and the heart hurts,” Naftali Bennett, leader of the Jewish Home Party, wrote on his Facebook page in response to reports of the upcoming release of 26 Palestinian prisoners. (National Post, Oct. 29, 2013)

“My heart is with the bereaved families, and it pains me…This decision is a necessity given the reality in which we live.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing the harsh dissent voiced about the peace-process-related release in recent days of Palestinian prisoners with “blood on their hands” from right-wing members of his government. Mr. Netanyahu said that since the decision had been made, all ministers “must act responsibly, with deliberation, and with a long-term perspective.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (New York Times, Oct. 28, 2013)

“In any other place in the world, if someone murdered a Jew and the government wanted to release him, we would shout that it’s an injustice,” MK Shuli Moalem-Refaeli (Bayit Yehudi) responding to reports of the upcoming release of Palestinian prisoners. (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 29, 2013)

“Unfortunately, Prime Minister Maliki’s mismanagement of Iraqi politics is contributing to the recent surge of violence. By too often pursuing a sectarian and authoritarian agenda, Prime Minister Maliki and his allies are disenfranchising Sunni Iraqis, marginalizing Kurdish Iraqis, and alienating the many Shia Iraqis who have a democratic, inclusive, and pluralistic vision for their country. This failure of governance is driving many Sunni Iraqis into the arms of Al-Qaeda in Iraq and fueling the rise of violence, which in turn is radicalizing Shia Iraqi communities and leading many Shia militant groups to remobilize. These were the same conditions that drove Iraq toward civil war during the last decade, and we fear that fate could befall Iraq once again.” Letter by a bi-partisan group of U.S. senators to President Obama warning that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s “mismanagement” of Iraqi politics had contributed to the surge of violence there. (New York Times, Oct. 29, 2013)

“For any political solution to be successful, it is crucial to halt support for terrorist groups and the countries that sponsor them, facilitate the entry of terrorist mercenaries and offer them money, weapons and logistical support…The Syrian people alone are entitled to draw the future of Syria. Any solution must be approved by them and reflect their wishes away from any foreign intervention. This is paramount to prepare the circumstances for dialogue and put clear mechanisms that achieve this goal,” Syrian President Bashar Assad told the Arab League-U.N. envoy Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013. (Washington Post, Oct. 30, 2013)

“The current charade of international control over Bashar’s chemical arsenal would be funny if it were not so blatantly perfidious, and designed not only to give Mr. Obama an opportunity to back down but also to help Assad to butcher his people,” Prince Turki, a member of the Saudi royal family and a former director of Saudi intelligence. (New York Times, Oct. 23, 2013)

“I will refuse, fiercely and until I die, to choose between the bitterness of the military or manipulators of religion…I will emigrate, because I don’t find that which expresses the spirit of the great revolution between those conflicting interests…Until we meet at the next revolution.” Cairo book publisher Mohamed Hashem, after announcing on Facebook his decision to leave Egypt. “They said, ‘You’re being a coward, and running away,” Hashem said. Other people supported his action. One online comment, by Mohamed Abdel Nasser, stated that Mr. Hashem’s was the only proper response until Egypt’s “madness” was over. (New York Times, Oct. 22, 2013)

“The president’s goal is to avoid having events in the Middle East swallow his foreign policy agenda, as it had those of presidents before him…We can’t just be consumed 24/7 by one region, important as it is,” Rice said, adding, “He thought it was a good time to step back and reassess, in a very critical and kind of no-holds-barred way, how we conceive the region.” Susan Rice, President Obama’s National Security Advisor. (New York Times, Oct. 26, 2013) 

“America’s allies should be grateful for surveillance operations which targeted terrorist threats…I would argue by the way, if the French citizens knew exactly what that was about, they would be applauding and popping champagne corks,” Mike Rogers, the chairman of the intelligence committee in the House of Representatives, responding on CNN’s State of the Union to reports of the NSA’s global eavesdropping operation and its targeting of world leaders. “It’s a good thing. it keeps the French safe. It keeps the US safe. It keeps our European allies safe,” Rogers’ said. (The Daily Telegraph, Oct. 27, 2013)

“I nearly fell off my rickety British chair today when former UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw spoke at the Round Table Global Diplomatic Forum in the British House of Commons. Listing the greatest obstacles to peace, he said “unlimited” funds available to Jewish organizations and AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee] in the US are used to control and divert American policy in the region,” former Member of Knesset Einat Wilf reported on her Facebook page. Straw also blamed “Germany’s ‘obsession’ with defending Israel,” she said, adding, “I guess he neglected to mention Jewish control of the media…”. (Arutz Sheva, Oct. 27, 2013)

Contents

AJC SURVEY: AMERICAN JEW’S SUPPORT FOR US STRIKE ON IRAN DROPS—

(Washington) The annual American Jewish Committee poll of American Jews shows a decrease in support for a US strike on Iran should diplomacy not end its suspected nuclear weapons program.

According to the 2013 poll released Monday, 52 percent of American Jews favor such a strike — 24 percent strongly and 28 percent somewhat. In last year’s poll, 64.1 percent of respondents said they would support such a strike — 36.1 percent somewhat and 28 percent strongly. (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 29, 2013)

EU SHIFTS TACTICS TO BOLSTER IRAN SANCTIONS—(Brussels) The European Union is moving to a new approach in reinforcing its Iran sanctions regime in a bid to prevent legal challenges by companies from undermining the West’s efforts to counter Tehran’s nuclear program. In recent weeks, the EU has informed more than a dozen companies with ties to Iran that have won rulings against previous restrictions that it plans to target them with new sanctions, an EU official said. The notices to the companies mark the first attempt in a broader effort to shore up economic sanctions against Iran after a raft of defeats in European courts last month…Western diplomats have credited the tighter EU restrictions on Iran’s financial, energy and shipping industries since 2010 as playing a key role in forcing Tehran back to the negotiating table over its nuclear activities. (Wall Street Journal, Oct. 27, 2013)

SLOWDOWN OR SHOWDOWN EN ROUTE TO NEW IRAN SANCTIONS BILL—(Washington) Concerned about a lack of support in the Senate for the administration’s plan to delay a new Iran sanctions bill, starting Wednesday the Obama administration is dispatching top-tier advocates to press the president’s cause on Capitol Hill. The push is expected to culminate in a closed-door meeting of the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday during which Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew are slated to make the administration’s case to delay any additional sanctions legislation. (The Times of Israel, Oct. 30, 2013)

OBAMA UNAWARE AS U.S. SPIED ON WORLD LEADERS: OFFICIALS— (Washington) President Barack Obama went nearly five years without knowing his own spies were bugging the phones of world leaders. Officials said the NSA has so many eavesdropping operations under way that it wouldn’t have been practical to brief him on all of them. They added that the president was briefed on and approved of broader intelligence-collection “priorities,” but that those below him make decisions about specific intelligence targets. (Wall Street Journal, Oct. 27, 2013)

IAF ATTACKS GAZA TARGETS IN RESPONSE TO ROCKET FIRE ON SOUTH ISRAEL— (Tel Aviv) The Israel Air Force attacked the Gaza Strip on Monday morning, shortly after Palestinian militants fired two rockets at southern Israel. The Israel Defense Forces said it identified precise hits on two rocket launching squads and that the IAF aircraft returned safely to their bases. “The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm the citizens of the State of Israel or its soldiers and will continue to operate against any element that uses terror against the State of Israel,” the IDF spokesperson said in a statement. The IDF added that it holds the Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip responsible for the rocket fire: “The Hamas terrorist organization is the address and holds responsibility,” the spokesperson said. The rockets, fired early Monday morning toward Israel, caused no injuries or damage . The Iron Dome system intercepted one of the rockets over Ashkelon. (Ha’aretz, Oct. 28, 2013)

ENDING A 1.5 YEAR BOYCOTT, ISRAEL IS RESUMING COOPERATION WITH UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL— (Jerusalem) Israel will renew its cooperation with the United Nations’ Human Rights Council after a year and a half of boycott, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided on Sunday. In light of the decision, Israel will take part in the Council’s periodical hearings regarding human rights in Geneva on Tuesday, a senior Israeli official said…Over the last few weeks, the Foreign Ministry has been preparing a special report regarding human rights in Israel and the measures taken by the Israel Defense Forces to prevent harm to innocent civilians in the West Bank.The prime minster decided to renew ties with the UN Human Rights Council in light of pressure applied by the governments of the U.S. and Germany. (Ha’aretz, Oct. 27, 2013)

SYRIAN OFFICIAL SACKED OVER PEACE PUSH— (Damascus) — Syria’s president sacked a deputy prime minister who met U.S. officials over the weekend for acting without permission, the official government news agency said Tuesday. Qadri Jamil held talks with U.S. officials in Geneva over the weekend to discuss the possibility of holding a peace conference for Syria in that city, according to a U.N. official. No breakthroughs were reported to have come out of the talks. The U.N. official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.

NOBELS AND NATIONAL GREATNESS—(New York) Regarding the number of Israeli Nobel Prize winners, the Jewish state should be a Nobel powerhouse. Jews, 0.2% of the world’s population, have won 20% of all Nobels, including six prizes this year alone. But while Israel can claim nine living laureates, three of them live and teach mainly in the U.S. Why? “There are a lot of smart people in Israel and at the same time there was not a job, so he left,” Benny Shalev, brother of this year’s chemistry winner, Arieh Warshel, explained to the newspaper Ha’aretz. Brett Stephens in the Wall Street Journal, Oct. 14, 2013

“NO WOMAN, NO DRIVE”: BEHIND THE VIRAL VIDEO— (Washington) The idea behind the viral video ”No Woman, No Drive,” came to Saudi comedian Hisham Fageeh in the shower. He was singing Bob Marley to himself and the idea started turning around in his head. A couple of months later, when Twitter was abuzz with talk that Saudi Arabian women would defy the ban on driving by mounting a demonstration on October 26, Fageeh and his two friends, Saudi musicians Fahad Albutairi and Alaa Wardi, decided to produce a video to coincide with the day of protest. In the end, some 60 women defiantly took the wheel in the ultra-conservative Kingdom of Saudi of Arabia, but around the world almost 3 million (and counting) have watched Fageeh’s politically charged reggae spoof mocking the ban. (The Daily Beast, Oct. 28, 2013)

Rob Coles, Publications Editor, Canadian Institute for Jewish Research/L’institut Canadien de recherches sur le Judaïsme,   www.isranet.org Tel: (514) 486-5544 – Fax:(514) 486-8284. mailto:ber@isranet.wpsitie.com