NOVANEWS
Dear Friends,
I begin this message with the good news. Most of the other 7 items are not.
By good news I refer of course to UNESCO having today voted by a sweeping majority to make Palestine a full fledged member notwithstanding the loss of US financial assistance. Why is this act so important? Is it what the Israeli representative claims: ‘science fiction,’ because ‘there is no Palestine on the ground.’ Does that mean that it doesn’t exist.’ Of course not! It is not science fiction. Palestine exists in the mind of every Palestinian and in the minds of many other people like myself. The recognition today is therefore important. Palestine has disappeared from most maps of the world. UNESCO by admitting Palestine as a full member into the organization recognizes that Palestine exists, notwithstanding loss of its land, stolen by Israel , notwithstanding Israel ’s claiming ownership of the land. Of course this act by UNESCO angers Israel ’s leaders, and also obviously worries them. Even they begin to realize that Israel is becoming more and more isolated in the world. If Israel does not change its ways, it might in the not too distant future find itself looked upon and treated as what it has indeed become : a pariah.
Item 2 warns Israel to take seriously Abbas threat to dismantle the PA. Should he do that, then not only might we once again see violence, but without the PA Israel will revert to the position it was in prior to the Oslo accord, namely of having to supply Palestinians with medical care, and all the other social services needed to sustain a population. So long as there is a Palestinian Authority, it tends (more or less) to these needs. If it goes, Israel as occupier will be obliged to take the load upon itself, an onus it was only too happy to rid itself of via Oslo .
Item 3 is a Haaretz editorial expressing the view that Israel must end the Gaza blockade. Amen.
Item 4 “ No home , no Homeland” is about demolitions in East Jerusalem . Don’t these make you feel proud to be Israeli???? How would Jews feel if they lived under a military occupation that demolished their homes time and again? Ugly. Ugly. UGLY!!! Please step up the pressure on your elected officials to place sanctions on Israel , to boycott its goods. These demolitions MUST STOP!!! Can you imagine what it is like to suddenly find your home—the kitchen that you loved, the bathroom, the bedrooms, the living room and dining room, the family photo albums, the computer and TV and refrigerator and stove and closets full of clothes and all the rest of one’s belongings suddenly turned into a pile of rubble? CAN YOU IMAGINE????
In item 5 Netanyahu tells us that a nuclear Iran endangers Israel . A crazy Netanyahu endangers Israelis even more.
Item 6 relates the degree to which Netanyahu’s Iran compulsion endangers our lives here.
Item 7 reports that more rockets were shot from Gaza into Israel this evening. We can expect that Israel will hit back. That’s the way it operates. Not that I’m happy to have rockets being shot at Israel—I don’t think that Palestinian violence will help people in Gaza. Still, Israel being the more powerful, Netanyahu should remember the fable of the sun and the wind. They argued over who was stronger, and decided to settle the issue via seeing who could most rapidly induce a man walking by dressed in a heavy coat to remove it. The wind blew and blew and blew. But the harder it blew, the tighter the man wrapped himself in his coat. Then the sun came out and shone and warmed the man, who in short order removed the wrap. In other words, trying to lift the siege from Gaza might go a great deal farther to stopping the rockets than does hitting back. But the Palestinians are right. Israel knows only the use of force. Sad.
The final item is ‘Today in Palestine ’ for October 30, which includes at the end a section on the Middle East in general. There are so many items in this collection regarding events in Palestine that are important reading that I hesitate to recommend any. Nevertheless, I will mention 2. One is about a new practice by some soldiers: head butting. The other is about a historic forum in which Sylvia Schwartz tells the gathering that privileging the Jews is racism. Excellent reading. As for the rest, please at the least read the summaries. They give you a broader picture of what is happening here than had you not read them.
Maybe tomorrow will be a better day. Maybe.
Dorothy
1. Haaretz Monday, October 31, 2011
Latest update 15:14 31.10.11
UNESCO grants Palestinians full membership
Cultural body is first UN agency Palestinians have sought to join since opening bid for recognition; Brazil, Russia, China, India, South Africa and France vote in favor; U.S., Canada and Germany oppose, while Britain abstains.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/unesco-grants-palestinians-full-membership-1.392974
[see also BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15518173 ]
[watch it on video—very exciting http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2011/oct/31/palestine-unesco-membership-video]
By Barak Ravid and News Agencies
Tags: Palestinians Palestinian state Mahmoud Abbas
The United Nations’ cultural agency decided on Monday to give the Palestinians full membership of the body, a vote that will boost their bid for recognition as a state at the United Nations.
UNESCO is the first UN agency the Palestinians have sought to join as a full member since President Mahmoud Abbas applied for full membership of the United Nations on Sept. 23.
The motion to admit the Palestinians was passed by UNESCO members meeting in Paris , with 107 votes in favor, 14 against and 52 abstentions.
The United States , Canada and Germany voted against Palestinian membership. Brazil , Russia , China , India , South Africa and France voted in favor. Britain abstained.
U.S. lawmakers had threatened to withhold some $80 million in funding to UNESCO if it approved Palestinian membership.
The U.S. is the biggest contributor to UNESCO, accounting for 22 percent of its $653 million budget.
U.S. officials opposed the Palestinian UNESCO request and say it could harm renewed efforts for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Huge cheers went up in UNESCO after delegates voted to approve the membership on Monday. One shouted “Long Live Palestine!” in French.
Palestinian officials are seeking full membership in the United Nations, but because that effort is expected to take some time, they separately pursued membership at Paris-based UNESCO.
2. Haaretz Monday, October 31, 2011
Latest update 03:21 31.10.11
UN envoy : Israel must take Abbas threats to dismantle PA seriously
Robert Serry tells Haaretz that in the event that the PA crumbles, Israel should not expect the international community to ‘pay the bill’; does not discount possible eruption of
violence in West Bank .
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/un-envoy-israel-must-take-abbas-threats-to-dismantle-pa-seriously-1.392854
By Barak Ravid
Tags: Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas Israel occupation Palestinians Oslo accords Ramallah
Israel must take heed of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ threats to resign and dismantle the PA, a UN official who is close to the PA president told Haaretz, adding that the deadlock between Israel and the Palestinians could cause violence to erupt in the West Bank, and the rest of the world will not bail out Israel if that happens.
“The Palestinians feel growing alienation towards the Oslo process,” said Robert Serry, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process. “I hear many voices in Ramallah that call for the dismantling of the PA and to throw the keys back to Israel .”
“I don’t want to sound apocalyptic – but if things go wrong don’t expect the international community to bail you out,” Serry said in an interview with Haaretz on Friday in his office in the UN headquarters in Jerusalem . “We will not pay the bill.”
Of the foreign diplomats serving in Israel and the PA, Serry, who is from the Netherlands , is considered one of the closest to Abbas. The Mideast envoy, who also serves as the UN secretary-general’s personal representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, meets with Abbas almost every week, and like other diplomats, Serry has heard from Abbas that he intends to resign within a few months if no progress is made in negotiations.
Serry warned that violence could erupt in the West Bank.
” It is a sad and paradoxical situation,” said Serry. “On the one hand the Palestinians made progress in their state-building, but on the other hand, because there are no negotiations, and not only because of Israel’s fault, the Palestinians are starting to wonder if this [two-state solution] should be the direction. This trend should worry the Israeli government and the Israeli public. If things will stay like this – the good security situation [in the West Bank] will not continue.”
At a Fatah Revolutionary Council meeting in Ramallah on Wednesday, Abbas called on the council to consider dismantling the Palestinian Authority. After three days of debate, the Fatah leadership decided to establish a committee to discuss “the future of the PA in light of the continued Israeli occupation.”
Israel should take Abbas’ comments to heart, Serry said.
“Abbas is a wise man and he is committed to non-violence and to the two-state solution, but even he starts to think that it might be impossible,” said the UN official. “You need to take Abbas’ words seriously. Israel must not treat it as empty threats. If there will be no hope, it might turn out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
Time after time during the interview, Serry said he wanted to speak to the Israeli public: “On the surface the Israeli public thinks that the situation is good because there is no violence. But in order for the Palestinian leadership to continue to be committed to the security coordination with Israel , there has to be a political horizon. Otherwise it will be impossible.”
“If people think that now it is just a bad period and that in the future we will renew the negotiations,” he added, “it is an illusion.”
On Wednesday, Serry, who has served in his UN posts since 2007, participated in Quartet meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s adviser Isaac Molho and the head of the Palestinian negotiating team, Saeb Erekat. The meetings were a last-ditch attempt to restart the peace process and stop the Palestinians from seeking statehood through the United Nations.
Serry said he feels the Israeli public and the Netanyahu government are not paying enough attention to the despair coming from Ramallah.
“I think that the Israeli public has complicity in the situation,” said the UN official. “You think that this can go on. I doubt it. Israel ‘s character as a Jewish state is in danger. I am here four years and I see how you are continuing to build the settlements. You and the Palestinians are becoming Siamese twins. It will be impossible to separate you. Only separation will make the vision of a Jewish state for the Jewish people possible.”
Abbas was greatly hurt by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s comments calling him the “greatest obstacle” to regional order and statement that it would be a “blessing” if the Palestinian leader were to resign, Serry said.
“We spoke to both sides about the need to refrain from provocations – you can make your own conclusions,” he said.
The Quartet’s most recent efforts to conduct talks with Israel and the Palestinians separately, based on a preset schedule, is more significant than it looks, said Serry.
“I am involved in those talks,” he said. “We made clear to both sides that the next 90 days are for preparing serious proposals on borders and security. The clock is ticking. I hope both sides understand that the stakes are high.”
Despite the deep lack of trust between Netanyahu and Abbas, the Quartet’s talks with the two sides could allow them to hold “quiet talks” of their own.
“I am aware of the obstacles that exist,” said Serry. “I hope both sides will use the situation to start quiet talks. We shouldn’t expect immediate progress. We didn’t hear new things from the parties in the meetings with the Quartet. But both sides said they are committed to the process and to the timetable. Maybe now we will be able to get to direct talks – even on a quiet track.”
Serry spoke of how he and his staff have played a behind-the-scenes role in recent years in the contacts for the release of Gilad Shalit: “When the German negotiator came to Gaza for the first time, we were the ones that introduced him to Hamas.”
He called the Shalit deal a positive development, but said now Israel must act to strengthen Abbas and should consider handing over additional parts of the West Bank to be placed under Palestinian control.
“The Israeli government should consider transferring parts of Area C to Palestinian control and to plan the second phase of the Shalit deal prisoner release in favor of Abu Mazen,” said Serry, referring to Abbas.
“I have good contacts in the Israeli defense establishment and they understand the bad consequences,” he said. “They understand that after the Shalit deal they need to reach out to Ramallah. There has to be concrete steps regardless of negotiations.”
Serry and his staff also warned of the “price tag” revenge attacks on Arabs carried out by some West Bank settlers.
“Price tag is very concerning,” he said. “The Israeli government distanced itself from those actions and condemned them, but often those who commit them are not caught and are not brought to justice, and this is worrying.”
3. Haaretz Editorial Monday, October 31, 2011
Israel must end the Gaza blockade
The blockade of Gaza and the boycott of Hamas, have not led to quiet for the inhabitants of the south. At the same time, the isolation of Gaza has augmented the international isolation of Israel and has contributed to a crisis in relations with Turkey .
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/israel-must-end-the-gaza-blockade-1.392890
Haaretz Editorial
Tags: Gaza aid Gaza Hamas
This weekend the bloody ritual in the south exacted the life of a resident of Ashkelon , interfered with the lives of thousands of citizens and caused extensive damage to property. As in previous rounds, after the inhabitants of the region – on both sides of the border – paid the price of the violence a truce was declared, which was violated in short order. The spokesman of the military arm of Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip announced that “the organization reserves the right to react to any aggression from the Israeli side,” and boasted that ” it is the enemy who will beg for a cease-fire .”
For his part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited the Talmud at the government meetingm, saying: “If someone comes to kill you, kill him first” – and threatened that anyone who harms us will pay with his blood.
Presumably, Islamic Jihad would not succeed in operating the Grad launchers and firing dozens of rockets without the help of Hamas, the organization that controls the Strip, or at least without it intentionally turning a blind eye. Like any political power seeking to shore itself up, Hamas is interested in improving the living standards of the inhabitants of Gaza . To that end, it should bring about the lifting of Israel ‘s continuing blockade, which among other things includes arbitrary restrictions on the entry of consumer goods, and a situation of being almost totally cutoff from the outside world – even from the Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem .
Long years of the blockade of Gaza and the boycott of Hamas, as well as Operation Cast Lead, have not led to quiet for the inhabitants of the south. At the same time, the isolation of the Gaza Strip has augmented the international isolation of Israel and has contributed to a profound crisis in relations with Turkey .
In addition to the danger to lives of Israeli civilians, the hostilities in the south are damaging the small chance that remains for renewal of the diplomatic process with the Palestinian Authority leadership in Ramallah.
The time has come for the government of Israel to reexamine the Gaza blockade policy, the total boycott of Hamas, the assassinations and the aerial attacks. The Shalit deal shows that even though the Hamas ideology does not enable it to recognize Israel ‘s existence or contribute to negotiating a solution to the Israeli-Palestinians conflict – with Egypt ‘s help, the organization can be an interlocutor which will help to manage it in nonviolent ways.
4. No Home , No Homeland: East Jerusalem Ethnic Displacement 14:09 , 31-10-11
No Home , No Homeland: East Jerusalem Ethnic Displacement
http://www.icahd.org/?p=7845
The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) will submit complaints to the UN’s Special Rapporteurs – claiming that Israel ‘s policy in East Jerusalem violates international law and may constitute a war crime.
In a press conference held this morning (Monday, October 31st) ICAHD launched its latest report on illegal Israeli practices in East Jerusalem: ‘ No Home , No Homeland : A New Normative Framework for Examining the Practice of Administrative Home Demolitions in East Jerusalem “. Speaking at the press conference were ICAHD Co-Founder and Director, Dr. Jeff Halper ; Co-Director Itay Epshtain, Advocate Michael Sfard , and Advocate Emily Schaeffer. Following the press conference, Dr. Halper led a tour of Ea st Jerusalem , to highlight report findings.
‘ No Home , No Homeland: East Jerusalem Ethnic Displacement’ Press Conference.
ICAHD submitted three complaints this morning to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights of IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons), the Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, and the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Occupied Palestinian Territories . ICAHD demanded to open an investigation into the legality of Israeli policy in East Jerusalem .
The complaints are based on a report that states that Israel is committing severe violations of international law in East Jerusalem . The report, written by Advocate Emily Schaeffer and edited by Advocate Michael Sfard , analyzes Israeli policy and practice in East Jerusalem under international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The report concludes that Israel is perpetrating serious violations of these laws by denying the right to adequate housing, development, and self-determination, as well as violating the prohibition on residency revocation.
Furthermore, the report states that demolition of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem is, in the majority of cases, a war crime of destruction of property. By destroying homes, limiting the possibility to build legally, and denying permanent residency status of Palestinians in East Jerusalem , Israel is forcing the migration process on the basis of ethnicity – which violates international law, and is possibly a war crime.
The report also states that there is evidence that the actions and policies implemented by Israel in East Jerusalem are designed to preserve a demographic balance in the city of a Jewish majority – a motive that is forbidden by international law.
The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions is setting a precedent by turning to the UN. This is the first time that an Israeli organization has requested the opening of an investigation into Israeli practices.
“Seeking justice, we appeal to the international community. UN bodies are better equipped to investigate and rule on Israeli profane policies.” Said Itay Epshtain, Co-Director of ICAHD in the press conference this morning. “Unfortunately, the Israeli High Court disregards Palestinians’ human rights, in particular their right to adequate, safe and permanent housing, development and national self-determination.”
Advocate Emily Schaeffer, author of the report, warned about the consequences of Israeli policies. “The Israeli practices toward East Jerusalem have set in motion a process of displacement of the Palestinians from the city, a process which can only be expected to increase should these policies and practices remain”.
East Jerusalem House Demolitions – Background Information
The pretext for home demolitions in East Jerusalem is solely administrative. Administrative home demolitions entail the demolition of homes and structures built without Israeli authorization.
While Palestinians represent about 30% of Jerusalem ‘s population, they live in an area that comprises only 9% of the city. The state of Israel is spearheading a policy for the Jewish population of Jerusalem to be a majority of 70%, while keeping the Palestinian population at 30%.
To preserve this ethnic ratio, the Israeli government has applied a discriminatory policy against Palestinians in East Jerusalem . One of the expressions of that policy is the extreme difficulty in planning and building new homes. Applications to rezone or increase density are regularly denied, as are applications to build in the small areas that are allocated for residential construction. Palestinians therefore have no opportunity to lawfully meet the housing needs of a growing population.
Palestinians in East Jerusalem hold permanent resident status, and it can be lost if they do not permanently reside in East Jerusalem . Therefore they struggle to stay in the area, but Israeli administrative policy poses a bureaucratic wall that makes it almost impossible for Palestinians to legally build homes.
Israeli policy leaves Palestinians nothing but two choices: stay in the area, build irregularly, and risk a demolition and forced displacement from their homes, or leave East Jerusalem , and endanger their residency status that includes losing the right to return to their homes.
If Palestinians have their residency revoked, they are rendered stateless and residency-less. That violates the right to practice self-determination, and the right to citizenship, residency and nationality, enshrined in international human rights law. This forced deportation, on the basis of ethnicity, is a violation of international law and may constitute a war crime under international humanitarian law.
Demolition of houses in and of itself is a denial of Palestinians’ right to adequate housing. Demolitions have major implications for the victims : the families whose homes are destroyed are not given alternative housing or compensation. A significant number of them spend months in makeshift tents or in the streets following the demolition of their homes. In addition to the loss of value of the home , and the destroyed property, owners are expected to pay heavy fines of tens of thousands of ILS.
Since 1967, Israel has demolished more than 2,000 homes in East Jerusalem . Between 2000 and 2011, 771 homes were demolished. The number of demolition orders issued to homes in the area currently stands at about 1,500.
For a presentation highlighting the report findings, press here…
To download the ICAHD publication ‘ No Home , No Homeland : A New Normative Framework for Examining the Practice of Administrative Home Demolitions in East Jerusalem ‘, press here…< /p>
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Nowhere Left to Go: Arab al-Jahalin Bedouin Ethnic Displacement
ICAHD launches new publication to highlight growing risk of displacement for Jerusalem periphery Bedouin.
The Palestinian-Bedouin communities living in the hills to the east of Jerusalem are at an exceedingly growing risk of forced ethnic displacement. The communities have been informed by the Israeli authorities that they have no option but to leave the area, as part of a larger plan (to begin as early as January 2012) to relocate Bedouin communities living in Area C (Jerusalem periphery, Jordan Valley, and south Hebron Hills), where Israel retains control over security as well as planning and zoning.
The Bedouin homes are currently located in an area that holds strategic significance for further expansion of illegal Israeli settlements. This includes the E1 plan, which foresees the expansion of Ma’ale Adumim, an illegal Israeli settlement, and its linkage to Judaized East Jerusalem and Jordan Valley settlements. If implemented, these plans, along with Barrier construction in the area, risk preventing Palestinian growth and development and disrupting the territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian state. The forced displacement of the Bedouin would also be detrimental to their semi-nomadic way of life. As available land shrinks, Bedouin refugees are faced with nowhere to go.
Meanwhile, the Arab al-Jahalin Bedouin are seeking ways to improve their general living conditions. Communities living in the area have appealed to local and international organizations to support projects that will contribute to improving their conditions, projects designed help the Bedouin to build sustainable livelihoods and resist forced ethnic displacement and the Israeli Occupation.
To download the ICAHD publication Nowhere Left to Go: Arab al-Jahalin Bedouin Ethnic Displacement, press here…
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Khan al-Ahmar Homes Demolished
Five family homes were demolished this morning (Monday, October 31st) in the Jerusalem periphery Palestinian-Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar.
15 army jeeps and a bulldozer showed up at the rural community, in the hills east of Jerusalem this morning, and demolished five family homes, displacing 71 people, including some 60 children.
ICAHD staff arrived at the community a few short hours after the demolition to find family members mourning the loss of their homes and property. Abu Khamis, a Khan al-Ahmar community activist told ICAHD staff: ‘We will not be forced off our land, if Israel demolishes, we will rebuild’.
The recent house demolitions are part of an ongoing policy designed to forcefully transfer Bedouin of the Jerusalem periphery, as highlighted in the ICAHD publication ‘Nowhere Left to Go: Arab al-Jahalin Bedouin Ethnic Displacement’.
5. Haaretz Monday, October 31, 2011
Netanyahu : A nuclear Iran poses a serious, direct threat to Israel
PM warns of dangers threatening the world and Israel if Tehran obtains nuclear weapons; Netanyahu also speaks about recent escalation in south, promises to retaliate those who harm Israel .
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-a-nuclear-iran-poses-a-serious-direct-threat-to-israel-1.392991
By Haaretz
Tags : Benjamin Netanyahu Iran Iran nuclear
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Monday that a nuclear Iran would be a serious and direct threat to Israel .
“A nuclear Iran poses a heavy threat to the entire world – and to Israel in particular,” Netanyahu said during the opening of the Knesset’s winter session, warning that the regime Tehran is continuing its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons.
Netanyahu also spoke about the recent escalation with Palestinian militants along the Gaza border, saying Israel will position more Iron Dome anti-missile defense system batteries throughout Israeli cities in hope to intercept more missiles from Gaza .
“We will continue to act against those who try to harm us,” he said.
קראו כתבה זו בעברית: נתניהו: ישראל לא תשב בחיבוק ידיים מול הצעדים החד צדדיים של הפלסטינים
6. Haaretz Monday, October 31, 2011
Latest update 03:21 31.10.11
Israel ‘s radical leaders tempted to drag us into war
U.S. presence in Iraq might tempt the Israeli radical leaders to drag Washington into a war in Iran against its will, as the object of an attack. In the face of history, the forces of reason must step on the brakes.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/israel-s-radical-leaders-tempted-to-drag-us-into-war-1.392891
By Sefi Rachlevsky
Tags: Iran Palestinians Palestinian Authority Benjamin Netanyahu Ehud Olmert Iran nuclear Iraq
Under normal circumstances, the military establishment is to the right of the political establishment. The reason is obvious : The singer wants to sing, the writer wants to write, and the division commander wants to mobilize divisions. When Moshe Dayan said he would rather restrain galloping horses than prod lazy mules, he was not referring only to his generals. It is a common pattern on the world stage. Only rarely are the roles reversed for the military to find itself to be more moderate and circumspect than the political leadership. The vast majority of such cases – all of them, practically speaking, and not only in the 1930s – ended in disaster. The cause is simple : The military is not built to act as a brake on an extremist leadership over time.
Unfortunately, Israel , on the cusp of the winter of 2011, is in this rare and dangerous situation. This holds true with regard to the Palestinian Authority : The entire military establishment, including past and present leaders, recommends meeting PA President Mahmoud Abbas halfway. It recognizes the “miracle” of the past few years, with a government in the West Bank that enjoys a majority and takes firm action against terror. Israel’s political establishment, in contrast, is consciously going along with the declarations of settler Avigdor Lieberman and doing all it can to hurt our moderate Palestinian partner. It knows that the only way to hold onto the settlements and their messianic world is by buttressing the extremist Palestinian leadership, with which “dialogue is impossible.”
This holds, only more so, when it comes to Iran . All of the heads of the armed forces – the chief of staff, the heads of the Mossad, of Military Intelligence and of the Shin Bet security service, and the head of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, both incumbent and a few generations back – are fiercely opposed to striking Iran now. But two people, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak see themselves capable of dragging the entire nation into a long war with many casualties on their own.
Last week’s image of the week was Netanyahu’s post-midnight meeting last Sunday with the radical-religious Shas party’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, party leader and Interior Minister Eli Yishai and Housing and Construction Minister Ariel Atias. The cellphones were put away, as befits a classified meeting, and senior Netanyahu aide Natan Eshel, from the national-religious camp, was temporarily put out of his hiding place next to the library. It wasn’t the nonagenarian extremist rabbi that Netanyahu had to convince of the necessity of attacking Iran now, but rather the country’s top brass, serving and retired, as well as the majority of Israeli citizens and Israel ‘s friends in the West.
People in deep denial, or without a mirror, complained about the situation in Tunisia , where a moderate Islamic party won 41 percent of the parliamentary seats and formed a coalition with liberal and leftist parties. But more than 45 percent of Israel ‘s Knesset members hold radical-religious, messianic, antidemocratic or racist worldviews. Take the 23 combined seats of Shas, United Torah Judaism, Habayit Hayehudi and the National Union; take Yisrael Beiteinu and half of the Likud MKs, such as Danny Danon, Yariv Levin and company. And in contrast to Tunisia , there are no liberal elements in the coalition. There’s a reason why Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman declared that he was working to make Jewish religious law Israeli law, and why most of the prime minister’s aides are from the settlement-supporting, messianism-marred radical religious world.
Barak likes talking about the one-third of Israelis who serve in the military, work and pay taxes. That one-third now faces the missiles and Home Front Defense Minister Matan Vilnai’s forecasts of thousands of casualties. The enormous, expensive nuclear shelter that will protect all of the cabinet ministers and perhaps their families and cronies too is not an option for ordinary citizens. Neither is the protection being readied in the settlements that are not expected to be missile targets. The sites that have been spied out in central Israel as emergency mass burial grounds, in order to prevent the spread of disease, are not exactly a cheery option.
There is a slim chance that the reports raining down from on high about the possibility of an operation before the winter are just spin, aimed at putting the world in a panic. But they also get us accustomed to the idea of an attack. Even worse: It is tempting to get around the military establishment’s opposition through an urgent, precipitous and biased deliberation, “at the last moment before the clouds roll in” – like the discussion with Rabbi Yosef. Meanwhile, the U.S. presence in Iraq might tempt the Israeli radical leaders to drag Washington into a war against its will, as the object of an attack. In the face of history, the forces of reason must step on the brakes.
7. Ynet Monday, October 31, 2011
Latest Update: 21:17 , 10.31.11
Under Fire
Rocket attack on Ashdod Photo : Avi Rokach
Rockets fired at greater Beersheba area
Southern sector on high alert once more as Gaza-fired projectiles land near Beersheba , outskirts of Ashkelon , Sderot. Iron Dome system intercepts one Grad rocket; major cities in south suspend schools
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4142040,00.html
Ilana Curiel
The fragile ceasefire with Gaza ‘s militant groups was breached on Monday, as several rockets were fired at Israel following a relatively calm morning.
The Iron Dome defense system intercepted at least one Grad rocket fired at Beersheba . Shortly afterwards, a rocket was fired at the city of Sderot . Residents of the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council reported hearing an explosion within the council’s limit.
No injuries or damages were reported and security forces are canvassing the area for the projectiles.
Related stories:
Netanyahu: No ceasefire, no negotiations
Lieberman: Consider severing ties with PA
2 terrorists killed in IDF strike
Monday afternoon saw rocket fire at the southern city of Ashkelon , as well. The projectile hit an open area and no injuries or damage were reported.
The cities of Beersheba , Ashkelon and Ashdod have decided to suspend all school activities on Tuesday, in light of the security situation.
Earlier in the day , the Home Front Command announced that the school system in the area will resume normal activity.
The French Foreign Office issued a statement Monday denouncing the weekend’s rocket fire at Israel , which claimed one life and left dozens of others injured.
Grad damage in Ashkelon (Photo : Shai Ben-Yishai)
” France is concerned about a possible escalation in the area and urges both parties to exercise restraint and respect the ceasefire,” the statement said.
Monday’s rocket fire followed the overnight landing of six Gaza-fired projectiles within the western Negev ‘s limits. No injuries or damage were reported.
The security situation in the southern sector escalated over the weekend, when Gaza militants fired dozens of Qassam and Grad rockets at Israel ‘s southern communities. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the majority of the rockets.
The IAF struck several Gaza targets following the fire, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that the IDF will not cease its operations in the Strip until the Gaza groups hold their fire.
Palestinian sources reported that nine militants were killed in the IDF’s strikes.
Meanwhile, Military Intelligence sources told Ynet that the Islamic Jihad did not use a multiple-rocket launcher to fire at Israel on Saturday and that the video showing its use – as aired on Palestinian television – was a fake.
The video depicted the simultaneous fire of four rockets, but no simultaneous landing was recorded by Israeli security forces.
Shmulik Hadad , Yoav Zitun and Ronen Medzini contributed to this report