'Baku granted Israel access to airbases for Iran strike'

By JPOST.COM STAFF

03/29/2012 06:20

'Foreign Policy' report quotes senior US officials as saying "the Israelis have bought an airfield and the airfield is called Azerbaijan"; Obama administration reportedly unhappy about J'lem-Baku relationship.

By Reuters Azerbaijan has granted Israel access to airbases in its territory along Iran's northern border for potential use in a military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, a report published Wednesday in Foreign Policy magazine quoted senior US administration officials as saying. "The Israelis have bought an airfield," an official said, "and the airfield is called Azerbaijan."

Related:

• Qatar says no US strike on Iran from its soil
• Erdogan: No need for strike on civilian nuke program

Even if Israel doesn't use the fields for a direct airstrike on Iran, Azerbaijan could still prove useful for Jerusalem's interests in the region. The bases could be used as a jumping point for IDF search-and-rescue units, the report quoted a US intelligence official as saying. According to the Foreign Policy report, the Obama administration believes the Jerusalem-Baku relationship is raising the risk of an Israeli strike on Iran. Senior US officials have said that Israel's military expansion into Azerbaijan is complicating US efforts to defuse Israeli-Iranian tensions. "We're watching what Israel is doing in Azerbaijan. And we're not happy about it," one official said. This relationship between Israel and the predominantly Muslim country sitting on Iran's northern border is believed to be robust. The Foreign Policy report quoted a 1995 article in The Jerusalem Post as saying that bilateral relations started in 1994 and had blossomed ever since. "Strauss ice cream, cell phones produced by Motorola's Israeli division, Maccabee beer, and other Israeli imports are ubiquitous ," the Jerusalem Post article stated. The unlikely bilateral relationship has taken center stage in the media this year. In January, Azeri authorities implicated an Iranian citizen in a plot to kill Jewish teachers at a Jewish school in Baku. A report published last month in The Times of London stated that Azerbaijan is teeming with Mossad agents working to collect intelligence on the Islamic Republic of Iran, quoting an unnamed agent as saying that Baku was "ground zero for intelligence work." Later in the month, Israeli officials confirmed a $1.6 billion defense deal with Baku that will see Jerusalem supplying the formerly soviet country with unmanned aerial vehicles and missile defense systems. Earlier this month, Azerbaijani police arrested 22 people, including one Iranian citizen, suspected of plotting attacks against US and Israeli targets across the country. Baku tied the plot to Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). State Department Refuses to Say Jerusalem is Israel's Capital

U.S. State Department spokeswoman refuses to outright say that Jerusalem is Israel's capital during daily press briefing.

By Elad Benari

First Publish: 3/29/2012, 5:42 AM

video http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/154272 U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on Wednesday refused to say that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, according to a report by The Weekly Standard. The report said the exchange took place at the daily State Department press briefing. The questions Nuland was asked were regarding a Washington Free Beacon story that highlighted the State Department's refusal to list Jerusalem as part of Israel. Earlier in the week, the Washington Free Beacon had shown an official State Department communication which labeled Jerusalem and Israel as separate entities. The official press release stated that “Acting Under Secretary Kathleen Stephens Travels to Algeria, Qatar, Jordan, Jerusalem, and Israel.” After the Washington Free Beacon reported on this, the communication was altered to read, “Acting Under Secretary Kathleen Stephens Travels to Algiers, Doha, Amman, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv.” On Wednesday, a reporter asked Nuland about this, saying, “Yesterday there was a bit of a kerfuffle over an announcement that was made by the department about the travel of your boss. Is it the State Department's position that Jerusalem is not part of Israel?” Nuland said in response, according to a transcript quoted by The Weekly Standard, “Well, you know that our position on Jerusalem has not changed. The first media note was issued in error, without appropriate clearances. We reissued the note to make clear that undersecretary, acting undersecretary for -- our -- Kathy Stevens will be travelling to Algiers, Doha, Amman, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. With regard to our Jerusalem policy, it's a permanent-status issue. It's got to be resolved through the negotiations between the parties.” The reporter did not let up and asked Nuland whether it was the view of the United States that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, to which Nuland responded, “We are not going to prejudge the outcome of those negotiations, including the final status of Jerusalem.” The reporter then asked, “Does that -- does that mean that you do not regard Jerusalem as the capital of Israel?” and Nuland responded, “Jerusalem is a permanent-status issue. It's got to be resolved through negotiations.” Q: That seems to suggest that you do not regard Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Is that correct or not? Nuland: I have just spoken to this issue -- and I have nothing further to say on it. Later on during the briefing, the same reporter asked once again, “I want to clarify something, perhaps give you an ‘out’ on your Jerusalem answer. Is it your -- is it your position that all of Jerusalem is a final-status issue, or do you think -- or is it just East Jerusalem?” The irritated Nuland, according to The Weekly Standard, then responded, “Matt, I don't have anything further to what I've said 17 times on that subject. OK?” The issue of Jerusalem being recognized by the U.S. as Israel’s capital has been at the forefront for many years. It is centered on whether Israel has sovereignty over Jerusalem. Attorney Harvey Schwartz, Chair of the American Israeli Action Coalition, explained in an interview with Arutz Sheva several months ago, “United States policy has been consistent since 1948 that Israel is not sovereign over Jerusalem. Rather, the question of Jerusalem’s sovereignty is to be determined, ultimately, by resolution between the parties. That’s been consistent U.S. policy.” The question of Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem is central to the Menachem Zivotofsky v. Hillary Clinton case. The case involves Menachem Zivotofsky, who was born in Jerusalem and whose parents requested that the place of birth on his U.S. passport and Consular Report of Birth Abroad be listed as Israel. The State Department refused the request, leading the Zivotofskys to appeal to the Supreme Court. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court returned the decision on the issue to the lower court. In their decision, the justices wrote, “Congress enacted a statue providing that Americans born in Jerusalem may elect to have “Israel” listed as the place of birth on their passports. The State Department declined to follow that law, citing its longstanding policy of not taking a position on the political status of Jerusalem. When sued by an American who invoked that statute, the Secretary of State argued that the courts lacked authority to decide the case because it presented a political question. The Court of Appeals so held. “We disagree. The courts are fully capable of determining whether this statute may be given effect, or instead must be struck down in light of authority conferred on the Executive by the Constitution.”

Pro-Palestinian activists to hold second 'fly-in'

By TOVAH LAZAROFF

03/29/2012 00:49

Organizers say they expect 1,500- 2,000 people to arrive in Ben-Gurion Airport to protest Israeli policy in Palestine.

By REUTERS

Pro-Palestinian activists plan to hold their second fly-in to Ben-Gurion International Airport just after Passover at staggered times on April 15 and 16. According to one of the organizers, Mazin Qumsiyeh of Bethlehem, anywhere from 1,500 to 2,500 participants, ages 9 to 90, from 15 countries are expected to land in Israel on that day.

Related:

• The unwelcome fly-in

If they are allowed to enter the country, they will participate in a week of educational and volunteer activities in the West Bank, Qumsiyeh said. Last summer in an event labeled “Welcome to Palestine” activists also tried to board planes and land in Ben-Gurion in solidarity with the Palestinians and to protest Israel’s policy of banning such foreign activists. Some 124 activists were detained upon arrival in Israel and deported. Hundreds more were barred, mostly in Europe, from getting on airplanes to Ben-Gurion after Israel passed on their names to the airlines. “The point is to show the world that Israel is preventing people from visiting Palestine,” said Qumsiyeh who is a professor at Bethlehem University. “By entering Palestine through Ben-Gurion airport, hundreds of people over 48 hours will send a message that we want Israel to recognize the basic human right ... of those who want to visit us,” he said. “We call on our elected representatives and our government to ensure that we shall be normally and properly treated on our arrival in Ben- Gurion airport, as are Israeli citizens when they come to our countries,” he said. On Tuesday Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said that Israel was working with other governments and foreign airlines to identify activists and stop them from boarding planes. But Qumsiyeh told The Jerusalem Post that after last summer’s event, judges in France and Germany told the airlines they could not collectively bar people from boarding planes. “I think that this year they will be able to get on the planes,” he said. “The question is, what will Israel do when they land,” he said. “I think that Israel should just let them in. They are not coming to protest. They are coming to see the situation for themselves and to experience what Palestinians experience,” he said. Wikileaks claims Netanyahu was a Stratfor source, disclosed 2 Iranian nukes on missiles in 2009

DEBKAfile Special Report March 28, 2012, 7:24 PM (GMT+02:00)

Tags: Wikileaks Binyamin Netanyahu Iran nuclear Barack Obama

No comment from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu

Continuing the release of the US Stratfor research site’s e-mails, Wikileaks Wednesday, March 28 issued a batch of mails which indicated that Binyamin Netanyahu may have been a source of the site’s Vice President for intelligence Fred Burton (a former Deputy Chief of the Department of State's counterterrorism division for the Diplomatic Security) from at least May 2007 up until 2010 after he became Prime Minister of Israel. The Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem has not commented on the publication. According to one e-mail from Burton, Netanyahu is said to have revealed in Dec. 2009 that “Iran has two nukes on missiles ready to go.” Burton went on to report that the White House (Barack Obama) was “doing everything possible to block Israel’s next steps. He added the view that “Israel will go it alone. Israeli subs are off Iran's coast.” In answer to a question, Burton replied: “My source is bb (eyes only).” Another Burton e-mail posted in 2009 revealed the shaky relations between Netanyahu and the US president: He wrote: “I also have it on good word that BB trusts Obama about as much as he trusted Arafat or Waddi Haddad [head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in the 70s].” The emails released by Wikileaks indicate that Netanyahu kept Fred Burton abreast of key security and political developments intending his thoughts and information to reach the US intelligence community. At one point, he is quoted as saying: “Thank you Fred for your support of Israel...." Asked when an Israeli strike would occur, Burton replied "I've never asked him. He thinks I'm CIA, which I may be.” In another communication, Burton offers the opinion: “When they their HUMINT coverage they will move. Thus far, elements of their disruption strategy have been working from what I understand. When the window closes, BB knows what he must do. We won't be given any warning.” “A very good source just informed me,” Burton wrote in Nov. 2009, “that extremely quiet discussions are underway between and the FBI on the blowback to the Jewish community, facilities, synagogues, day-cares, et al in the United States, in the event of an Israeli strike on Iran... “ The entire batch released by Wikileaks consists of communications between the Stratfor Vice President and unnamed correspondents, apparently clients he had an interest in impressing about his sources. None were written by Netanyahu. Their “quotes” are therefore based on hearsay and are second hand. IDF to Remain on Full Alert Over Passover

IDF chief Benny Gantz ends the Army's long-customary Passover vacation, orders commanders to cancel leaves and remain at full strength.

By Gabe Kahn

First Publish: 3/29/2012, 12:16 AM

IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz

Flash 90

The IDF on Tuesday broke with Israeli tradition and ordered all units to cancel the long-customary Passover leaves and remain on full alert over the holiday. Over the years, an army-wide break during Passover became a tradition followed by all major military units, including the Air Force, Navy and intelligence corps. But this year soldiers will have to divide their vacation days among themselves in order to ensure that their units remain at full strength. Senior military officials insisted the decision did not stem from any planned military operations set to occur on - or immediately after - the holiday. IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz said Wednesday he gave the order saying he "does not accept" the notion of an army-wide vacation during Passover. According to reports, many soldiers who received the news Tuesday did not believe the timing of the decision was arbitrary and dismissed Gantz's explanation as obfuscation. Military analysts say the decision does not necessarily reflect plans to undertake a major operation, but likely stems from ongoing security concerns originating in Hamas-run Gaza. Israel averted at least one major terror attack intended to be staged from Sinai in recent months, killing the alleged planner in an airstrike. That strike led to a spike in hostilities with Gaza's terror gangs, who fired at least 200 rockets into Israel over a period of four days. Israeli airstrikes on rocket launching cells firing from densely populated civilian killed 26 Gazans, of whom at least 21 were terrorists. Critics say that Israel's airstrikes-for-rockets strategic posture vis-a-vis Gaza has only served to perpetuate the now simmering security situation in Israel's south. A growing cadre of senior security officials and former IDF chiefs have called for a major Gaza incursion to uproot the terror infrastructure there. Gantz himself has described such an operation as "increasingly inevitable." Jewish Groom Attacked on Mount of Olives

Arabs throw rocks at Jewish groom as he visits his grandmother's grave at the Mount of Olives cemetery.

By Elad Benari

First Publish: 3/29/2012, 1:16 AM

Rock throwing by PA Arabs

Flash 90

The man who was hurt in a rock attack in the Mount of Olives cemetery on Wednesday, was a groom about to get married and who was visiting his grandmother's grave at the cemetery. The groom said that a mob made up of young local Arabs threw stones at him and his friend who accompanied him and poured paint on their vehicle. The two managed to drive off and escaped with only minor injuries. The two were lightly injured and were taken to the Shaare Tzedek in Jerusalem. Luckily, they were released in time so the groom could make his wedding. Police are investigating the incident. Jews who visit the Mount of Olives have been regularly targeted by Arabs for quite some time now. A group of U.S. law enforcement professionals were recently witnesses to a rock attack on two Jewish men who came to visit the cemetery. The two men had been attacked by dozens of Arab youths as they were driving up to the cemetery. United States Democratic Congressmen Elliot Engel and Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents Malcolm Hoenlein were recently attacked by Arab rock throwers as they visited the cemetery on the Mount of Olives. Last week over 150 people gathered at the Lincoln Park Jewish Center in Yonkers, New York, for an evening of discussions about the security threat on the Mount of Olives. MK Aryeh Eldad criticized Jerusalem District Commander Niso Shaham on Wednesday for his failure to take action over the continued Arab violence on the Mount of Olives. “Acts of lynching take place every day on the Mount of Olives,” said Eldad. “Today once again, a Jew on his wedding day was wounded by stones and his car was smashed. A few days ago torched a vehicle was torched, but the police fails to defend Jews on the Mount of Olives.”

The worrying anti-Semitic aftermath of the Toulouse murders

Dienstag, 27. März 2012 | Ryan Jones

The brutal and merciless slaughter of a Jewish man and three Jewish children in southern France last week shone a spotlight back onto a problem many had been doing their best to downplay - the escalating anti-Semitism in Europe. The the Toulouse shooting itself was an anti-Semitic act driven by the killer Mohammed Merah's irrational hatred of Jews is without question. And yet, there are many coming to his posthumous defense. Merah's older brothers, Abdelkader Merah, is now suspected of assisting in the attack on the Ozar Hatorah Jewish school, and told French investigators that he was "very proud" of what Mohammed had done. "I regret nothing for him and approve of what he did," said Abdelkader. Merah's father, Mohammed Benalel Merah, told French media that he intends to sue the French government for killing his murderous son. Mohammed Merah was eventually killed after a 32-hour standoff during which he shot and wounded several French police officers. "France is a big country that had the means to take my son alive,” the elder Merah told the AFP. “They could have knocked him out with gas and taken him in. They preferred to kill him. ...I will sue France for killing my son." The remarks made by Abdelkader Merah and his father will be quickly dismissed by many as being the rantings of distraught family members. Unfortunately, their sentiments are shared by many. Most schools in France last week marked one minute of silence for the victims of the Toulouse shooting. But at the Gustave Flaubert High School in Rouen, Normandy an English teacher had her class mark a minute of silence for the deceased murderer. Many of teacher Lorraine Collin's students reportedly walked out in protest, but some remained and were quoted as saying the Jewish victims "deserved" what happened to them. Back in Toulouse, a large group of women held a public gathering to honor the memory of Merah. The leader of the group told participants, "What we ask today is that we stop demonizing Mohamed... We share the pain and suffering of the families because it is the same pain for us here." It is the same argument used by the families of Palestinian terrorists, who insist that their own hardships put them on equal footing with the families of Israeli Jews killed in terrorist attacks. Also around Toulouse, French authorities found and cleaned up graffiti reading "Viva Merah" and "F**k the kippa." [via Elder of Ziyon] On the Internet, a French Facebook page was set up to in "Homage to Mohamed Merah," and received many favorable comments before being shut down at the request of the French government. Meanwhile, the Palestinian-run propaganda website Electronic Intifada accused Israel of trying to cover up alleged abuses of Palestinians by focusing so much attention on the Toulouse murders. Some print media employed the tactic of turning the aggressor into the victim, suggesting that Merah's actions were a natural result of social and economic hardships. Le Figaro wrote that it had "no doubt" that Merah's killing of four innocent Jews was incited by the "Islamophobia" of so many in France. The New York Times similarly noted that in France "Muslims complain widely of feeling vilified by some political elements, on the right in particular." Neither newspaper explained how Merah's emotional state, even if the result of real discrimination, could possibly justify the heartless slaughter of innocent children. The French government has responded to all this with a firm hand, demanding that media outlets not broadcast footage Merah took of his murders, banning the entry of radical Islamists, and suspending the teacher who tried to get her class to honor the killer of innocent Jews. But it is clear that a new wave of anti-Semitism is rising, this time fueled by Europe's exploding Muslim populations. And once those Muslim anti-Semites reinvigorate the Jew-hating European ultra-nationalists, the situation could quickly spiral out of control. It may already be happening. In a conference call hosted by the French Jewish publication Le P'tit Hebdo, a recent French Jewish immigrant to Israel painted a picture of modern-day Europe that Israel National News described as looking a lot like pre-Holocaust Europe, at least as far as Jews are concerned. "Jews are being attacked all the time," said Liora Zachary. "Children, in the buses, in the Metro, going to school, coming from school, couples in the street – this is just an unbearable situation." Jordan to Allow Global March to Jerusalem

Jordanian authorities confirmed they will permit a planned march in the Jordan Valley “in support of Jerusalem.”

By Elad Benari

First Publish: 3/28/2012, 4:15 AM

Jordan Valley Checkpoint

Flash 90

Jordanian authorities confirmed on Tuesday that they will permit a planned Global March to Jerusalem in the Jordan Valley on Friday. The Iranian news agency Fars quoted the Jordanian Public Security Department (PSD) as having confirmed authorities will allow Islamist activists to lead a march as part of global demonstrations “in support of Jerusalem.” PSD Spokesperson Lt. Col. Mohammed Khatib told Fars a “heavy” security presence will be deployed to maintain order during Friday's march. The Global March is being staged in Lebanon and Jordan as another ploy to drum up international supports for the Palestinian Authority (PA) demand for unilateral recognition of PA territorial and political demands following the demise of the Oslo Accords and of the ensuing diplomatic process towards negotiations with Israel for the establishment of the PA as an independent entity. Previous “million-man” marches have fizzled with few participants, but the Jordanian and Lebanese governments have offered more support this time around. Israel has warned them not to try cross the international borders. According to the report in Fars, the Islamist movement stressed that the march will be “peaceful and well organized,” dismissing fears of participants attempting to storm the border as “baseless.” Kathem Ayesh, a Muslim Brotherhood member and march organizer, told Fars that participants will not stray from the designated rally site, pointing out that Islamists held a similar rally in the Jordan Valley last November without incident. “This will be a peaceful rally in support of Jerusalem, not a call to storm Jerusalem,” Ayesh was quoted in the report as having told The Jordan Times. The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC) has presented information that the Iranian regime is behind the initiative and openly supports it. The march has also been endorsed by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who was U.S. President Barack Obama's pastor for 20 years at the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Iran flies thousands of pro-Palestinian activists to Syria. IDF fortifies borders

DEBKAfile Special Report March 27, 2012, 5:28 PM (GMT+02:00)

Tags: Iran Syria Hizballah Palestinians riots IDF

IDF Golan border unit

Israel boosted its Syrian and Lebanese border units as special flights carrying thousands of pro-Palestinian activists from Tehran touched down in Damascus Tuesday, March 27 for the international Global March to Jerusalem Friday, March 30. Before taking off, they were split into small groups and tutored by Iranian Al Qods Brigades officers in tactics for breaching Israeli border barriers, bursting through and challenging the Israeli military forces defending the border. On arrival in Damascus, one group of activists was sent by special bus to Lebanon, where Hizballah officers stood by to lead them to villages close to the Israeli frontier; a second is assigned to face Israeli lines on the Golan. These anti-Israeli activists from several countries are being planted at strategic points to carry out the plan hatched together by Iran, Syria and Hizballah to ignite Israel’s two northern borders in solidarity with the annual Israeli-Arab Earth Day next Friday. Earlier reports from Damascus that the demonstrators would keep the Quneitra sector of the Golan and the Lebanese Beaufort were meant to put the Israeli command off its stroke by disguising the real scope of their plans and their objective: a mass assault on Israeli borders. They are programmed to coincide with the outbreaks the Palestinian Authority is preparing for Jerusalem and the West Bank and Israeli-Arab disturbances inside Israel – all on the same day, as debkafile reported earlier Tuesday. The Palestinian extremists of the Gaza Strip will certainly not stand aloof.

'Next escalation in Gaza will be more violent'

By YAAKOV LAPPIN

03/27/2012 15:15

Aharonovitch says the solution to Hamas rocket fire is "to be more aggressive," addresses plans for "aerial flotilla."

By REUTERS

The next confrontation between Israel and Palestinian terror organizations in the Gaza Strip will be "more violent" than previous rounds, Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch warned Tuesday. Aharonovitch made the comments during a visit to Israel Police's southern district, which dealt with five consecutive days of rocket fire on southern cities, towns and villages earlier this month. While acknowledging the undesirability of being dragged in to battles in Gaza, the minister said Hamas and other groups are firing rockets into Israel "every day or two days, and the solution to that is to be more aggressive," according to Israel Radio. Ahronovitch also addressed plans by pro-Palestinian activists to land at Ben-Gurion Airport next month as part of an "aerial flotilla," and said Israel is working with other governments and foreign airlines to identify activists and stop them from boarding planes to Israel. Police would not allow any disturbances at the airport, he vowed. Last year, only a small number of activists managed to circumvent measures put in place by Israel. Most of the activists were stopped at their points of origin, or detained at Ben-Gurion and deported.

Obama Denies Secret Russian 'Nuclear Agenda'

US president Barack Obama sought to allay damage from his second high profile open mic gaffe saying he was not hatching secret plots.

By Gavriel Queenann

First Publish: 3/27/2012, 7:44 PM

Barack Obama

Reuters

US president Barack Obama on Tuesday told America he has no hidden agenda with Russia for his second term, after a revealing gaffe. Obama was caught on tape Monday telling Russian President Dmitry Medvedev he would have more room to negotiate on missile defense after getting through a November election. Obama's Republican rivals immediately went on the offensive – accusing him of making secret deals that would affect national security behind America's back. Mitt Romney, the leading Republican contender likely to face Obama this fall, told a San Diego audience the open mic gaffe was "an alarming and troubling development." "This is no time for our president to be pulling his punches with the American people, and not telling us what he's intending to do with regards to our missile defense system, with regards to our military might and with regards to our commitment to Israel," Romney said. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, also issued a statement saying Obama "needs to level with the American public about his real agenda." Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich also questioned Obama's motives. "I'm curious, how many other countries has the president promised that he'd have a lot more flexibility the morning he doesn't have to answer to the American people?" Gingrich said on CNN. According to Obama, he merely wants to "work with Russia on the deeply divisive issue of a missile defense shield in Europe," knowing that only by building trust first on that matter can he make gains on another goal of nuclear arms reductions. "This is not a matter of hiding the ball," Obama said, well aware of criticism erupting at home. "I'm on record." Still, Obama – now in his second open mic faux pax after having insulting Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu alongside French president Nicolas Sarkozy – had not meant for his initial political assessment to be heard. "This is my last election," Obama was heard telling outgoing Russian president Medvedev. "After my election, I have more flexibility." For Russia, the issues of nuclear weapons reduction and the proposed missile shield are related. Russian fears of new U.S. missiles at its doorstep in Europe have helped to stymie further progress on nuclear arms reductions after a breakthrough agreement two years ago. Obama said he wants to spend the rest of this year working through technical issues with the Russians, and said it was not surprising that a deal couldn't be completed quickly – not before 2013. "I don't think it's any surprise that you can't start that a few months before presidential and congressional elections in the United States, and at a time when they just completed elections in Russia, and they're in the process of a presidential transition," Obama told reporters.

 

Barghouti calls for new revolt against Israel

By REUTERS

03/27/2012 00:16

"Launch of large-scale resistance at this stage serves cause of our people," Bargouti says on 10th year in jail.

By Oleg Popov / Reuters

From his cell in an Israeli prison, one of the Palestinians' most revered figures Marwan Barghouti called on Monday for a new wave of civil resistance in their decades-long quest for statehood and for severing all ties with Israel.

Barghouti is a leading figure in the Fatah movement, who was seen as a driving force behind the Palestinians' last intifada launched in late 2000.

Related:

• Abbas: Olmert promised us release of more prisoners
• Hamas officials criticize prisoner list in Schalit deal

"The launch of large-scale popular resistance at this stage serves the cause of our people," Barghouti said in a statement commemorating the tenth year of his imprisonment by Israel.

"Stop marketing the illusion that there is a possibility of ending the occupation and achieving a state through negotiations after this vision has failed miserably," he said in a message read to a crowd of supporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Despite his multiple life sentences on charges of orchestrating lethal attacks and suicide bombings, Barghouti is viewed as a potential successor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who is also Fatah's leader.

The call to action comes at a combustible period in the West Bank as economic malaise, moribund diplomacy, and simmering popular discontent bode ill for any peaceful breakthroughs.

Some fear that planned Palestinian commemorations of an annual protest against Israeli land confiscations on Friday, including marches to Jerusalem, could erupt in violence.

A 40-day long hunger strike by a female detainee and a similar campaign by dozens of other Palestinians in Israeli custody are also firing popular anger.

In his address, Barghouti called for "stopping all forms of security and economic coordination in all areas immediately," which would upend years of often volatile but persistent coexistence between Israel and the PA.

The Palestinian leadership in the West Bank, while lending rhetorical support to protests and pursuing recognition in various bodies of the United Nations, has until now cleaved to a more moderate and non-confrontational policy.

After Abbas's government scored a minor victory in persuading the UN's Human Rights Council in Geneva to investigate Israel's settlement policy, Barghouti argued for more drastic action.

He called for "a renewal of efforts" to achieve recognition of Palestinian statehood at the UN Security Council, an effort which failed last year when Washington backed Israel's rejection of the resolution as a unilateral move to sidestep negotiations.

Barghouti said that the Palestinians should take their statehood case to the General Assembly or other agencies as an alternative, alluding to forums in which the Palestians have wider support.

Israeli Flag Burned, Diplomat Rushed Out of Morocco

Thousands of protesters burned Israeli flags in Morocco and protested the presence of an Israeli diplomat, threatening his safety.

By Chana Ya'ar

First Publish: 3/26/2012, 5:57 PM

 

Protester in Rabat burns Israeli flag

Reuters

Thousands of protesters marched in the Moroccan capital of Rabat on Monday, torching Israeli flags and protesting the presence of diplomat David Saranga. The Israeli official was in town to attend a meeting of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EUROMED) at the Moroccan parliament.

However, he was quietly escorted out a side door of the building for his own safety after the meeting, when protesters stormed the building. He was swiftly placed in a car and taken to the airport under heavy security, Hebrew-language media reported. The country's ruling party had publicly boycotted the meeting, whipping lawmakers and the populace into frenzy of hate.

Israel's leadership has been preparing for the possibility that it may become necessary to evacuate Jewish residents of neighboring Arab nations to safety. The decision has come in the wake of escalating anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiment in some of those countries over the course of the past year's Arab Spring uprisings, during which numerous secular governments -- albeit dictatorships -- were replaced with far more Islamist regimes.

In the streets of the Moroccan capital, Palestinian Authority flags were flown by demonstrators who massed around the parliament building for the rally, a lead-up to the Global March to Jerusalem set for this coming Friday.

Some 100,000 protesters participated in the demonstration, according to organizers who are hoping to multiply that number by 10 for the upcoming “Global March to Jerusalem.” Protesters at the rally chanted, “The people want to free Al Aqsa! A million martyrs are going to Jerusalem!”

Jew Beaten to Death with Hammer in Morocco

An elderly Jewish man was murdered by an unknown attacker with a hammer Monday in the city of Fez.

By Chana Ya'ar

First Publish: 3/26/2012, 10:57 PM

 

Moroccans protest Israeli presence in Rabat

Reuters

An elderly Jewish man was murdered by an unknown attacker with a hammer Monday in the city of Fez.

The 74-year-old victim, whose name has not yet been released, worked in property management for rentals owned by other Jews.

According to reports in Moroccan media, the elderly victim was seen being hit repeatedly by a man wielding a hammer.

The murderer fled the scene. Police are investigating to determine whether the attack was nationalist or criminal in nature.

Critically injured, he died as he was being rushed to King Hassan II University Hospital.

Earlier Monday, thousands of demonstrators stormed the parliament building in the capital city of Rabat. The protesters torched Israeli flags and expressed anger at the presence of Israeli envoy David Saranga, who was in the city to attend a meeting of the Euro-Mediterreanean Partnership (EUROMED), in advance of the Global March to Jerusalem set for this Friday, an event scheduled for the Arabs' annual "Land Day" protest.

Saranga, who was expected to remain in the country until nightfall before flying to Brussels, instead was quietly escorted through a side door from the building. He was taken to the airport and immediately boarded a flight for Paris instead.

Israel Decides to Sever Ties with UNHRC

Decision follows Council's decision to appoint Goldstone-type committee to look into construction in Judea and Samaria.

By Gil Ronen

First Publish: 3/26/2012, 3:49 PM

 

Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Reuters

A senior diplomatic source said Monday that the Foreign Ministry management has decided to sever its ties with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The decision was reached after the UNHRC decided to appoint a committee of inquiry to look into construction of Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria.

The source said that the decision stems from a series of unilateral moves that the "Palestinians" are trying to lead against Israel.

According to Monday's decision, Israel's UN Ambassador, Ron Prosor, will not appear before the Council and will not reply to requests by the UNHRC for materials and for the coordination of visits in Israel.

The source added that while thousands are being murdered in Syria and a massacre takes place in France, the UNHRC lends equal importance to construction in Judea and Samaria.

Regarding the High Court decision on Migron, the senior source said that the verdict must be honored. "Everyone accepts the High Court's decision," he said. "The test is in the alternatives that the government offers the residents."

The source said that Yisrael Beitenu's threat to leave the government over Migron referred to a situation in which the government decides to carry out a forcible eviction. At present, he said, there is no threat to leave the government because of the High Court decision.

'Global March to Jerusalem' nears Israel's borders

Montag, 26. März 2012 | Ryan Jones

Israeli forces this week are gearing up for the annual "Land Day" marches by Arabs inside Israel and outside its borders. The event, scheduled for this Friday, promises to be a more severe challenge this year after regional powers like Iran, Hizballah, the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas became actively involved in planning the march.

Thousands of people from the Middle East and other parts of Asia have reportedly arrived in Syria and will begin their trek to the Israeli border in the coming days. Similar marches are planned from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and from within the Palestinian Authority-controlled territories.

Israel has called on neighboring governments, particularly Jordan and the PA, to help prevent an escalation of violence by not allowing the marchers to storm Israel's borders. Just in case the mobs do manage to penetrate the borders, Israeli forces are being outfitted with a variety of non-lethal crowd control tools.

Israel is concerned about a repeat of last year's "Nakba Day" marches from Syria into northern Israel. Hundreds of Arab rioters protesting the "catastrophe" of Israel's rebirth as a nation-state managed last May to infiltrate northern Israel and clash with Israeli soldiers, leading to the deaths of 13 demonstrators and harsh international criticism of Israel.

The Land Day marches are a protest of Israel's sovereignty over lands the Arabs claim as their own. This year, the international effort is focusing on Jerusalem amid claims that Israel is increasingly trying to "Judaize" the city. Most Arabs deny the Jews' historical and religious connections to Jerusalem.

"Our aim is to end the Zionist policies of apartheid, ethnic cleansing and Judaization, which all harm the people, land and sanctity of Jerusalem," read a statement on the official Global March to Jerusalem website. "The GMJ is comprised of a diverse coalition of Palestinian, Arab and international activists who are united in the struggle to liberate the holy city of Jerusalem (the city of peace) from illegal Zionist occupation."

The Muslim Brotherhood and other Arab groups have promised that the demonstrations will be non-violent, but these things have a way of quickly spiraling out of control. And, of course, there is no way Israel can allow the huge number of foreign marchers to actually reach Jerusalem.