(Yoel Marcus-Haaretz)....We have no idea as to how Livni would have performed as prime minister, yet as the head of the opposition her conduct appears, in the words of one politicians, to be "pareve," neither meat nor milk. Bibi with 12 Knesset seats demonstrated a greater presence and made more noise than Tzipi with her legions in the opposition. A disappointed Livni observer claimed that she makes decisions on her own, while to her right sits Naftali Shpitzer (her husband) and to her left Eyal Arad ("the strategist").
She is dragging her former ministers through hell. We have not even mentioned Shaul Mofaz, who declared open war on her this week by characterizing her as "a nice person to sit down and have a drink with, but she cannot withstand pressure." But without an alternative Mofaz is likely to remain stuck in Kadima.
Even though the public wants Kadima in the government, Livni has not proven that she is a worthy alternative to Bibi. It does not appear that the Kadima legions are fully behind her, and the possibility that seven MKs, with or without Mofaz, could quit the party is not to her credit.
Livni also lashes out at Bibi in the parlance of a Middle Eastern bazaar. "Be a man, leave it alone," or "We have a prime minister who is a chameleon." In his three months in office Bibi has not accumulated a critical mass of hostility that justifies this line of attack.
It is hard to guess how she would have conducted herself had she become prime minister. Yet as leader of the opposition the manner in which she addresses the prime minister is not helping her. Calling Bibi a demagogue and other derogatory terms is better suited to disputes between stall-owners in the shuk than relations between two party heads.
Livni often boasts that she authored the Kadima platform. But where is she now, when Bibi's right-wing government does not want to recognize the two-state principle? What's keeping her from tellingus what she would be doing in Bibi's place? Has she fallen asleep on the job?
She has not commented on the Cairo speech of U.S. President Barack Obama, nor has she reacted publicly to Netanyahu's address at Bar-Ilan University. Is she in favor of continued construction in the settlements, whether of high-rise, low-rise or on the diagonal? With her passivity is she not contributing to the squandering of Sharon's legacy?
As opposition leader, Livni has yet to present herself as an alternative. She is too reliant on marketing gurus. While this may be good for local advertising queen G. Yafit, it certainly is not good for someone who views herself as prime ministerial material.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Yoel Marcus:Livni fails even as Opposition Leader - Livni has not proven that she is a worthy alternative to Bibi
Netanyahu adviser: Israel to draw up strategy for PR offensive
(brisbanetimes).THE Israeli Prime Minister's closest adviser and key strategist, Ron Dermer, has admitted that Israel faces a serious public relations problem and needs aggressively to tackle negative perceptions around the world.
In his first media interview since Benjamin Netanyahu took office in March, Mr Dermer, director of policy planning and communications for the Government, told the Herald it was time Israel switched its PR strategy from defence to offence.
"We have to break out of the straitjacket," he said. "We have to defend our own right to defend ourselves. It's not for other people to do it for us."
In a stinging critique of the way foreign media and other organisations report on Israel, he nonetheless acknowledged that successive Israeli governments were also to blame for presenting a narrow argument.
"It is not enough for Israel to say that it wants peace," he said. "You must also say that you are not a thief. We did not steal another people's land. That is the core of this conflict."
Eytan Gilboa of Bar-Ilan University, Israel's leading public diplomacy expert, said Israel would have to spend 10 times its current PR budget to change international perceptions.
"We need to be spending $US100 million [$125 million] a year on information campaigns abroad - primarily in Arab countries and then in Europe, where there is a complete lack of knowledge of what Israel is and what Israel does," he said.
Professor Gilboa said the power to persuade and shape understanding, what he calls soft power, is a concept that Israeli governments have never properly understood.
"In terms of power, a properly organised information campaign can be worth several brigades."
He said modern media tools such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube also have to become part of a properly organised public diplomacy arsenal.
In his first media interview since Benjamin Netanyahu took office in March, Mr Dermer, director of policy planning and communications for the Government, told the Herald it was time Israel switched its PR strategy from defence to offence.
"We have to break out of the straitjacket," he said. "We have to defend our own right to defend ourselves. It's not for other people to do it for us."
In a stinging critique of the way foreign media and other organisations report on Israel, he nonetheless acknowledged that successive Israeli governments were also to blame for presenting a narrow argument.
"It is not enough for Israel to say that it wants peace," he said. "You must also say that you are not a thief. We did not steal another people's land. That is the core of this conflict."
Eytan Gilboa of Bar-Ilan University, Israel's leading public diplomacy expert, said Israel would have to spend 10 times its current PR budget to change international perceptions.
"We need to be spending $US100 million [$125 million] a year on information campaigns abroad - primarily in Arab countries and then in Europe, where there is a complete lack of knowledge of what Israel is and what Israel does," he said.
Professor Gilboa said the power to persuade and shape understanding, what he calls soft power, is a concept that Israeli governments have never properly understood.
"In terms of power, a properly organised information campaign can be worth several brigades."
He said modern media tools such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube also have to become part of a properly organised public diplomacy arsenal.
Rep. Wexler:'Obama and Bibi: best combination in a very long time'
(THEMEDIALINE).United States Representative Robert Wexler, the first Jewish American politician outside Chicago to endorse U.S. President Barack Obama's presidential bid, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week on his third visit to Israel since December.
He argued after the meeting that the Obama-Netanyahu package represents the strongest U.S.-Israeli leadership the world has witnessed in a very long time.
Below is an abridged transcript of the interview. For a full transcript, click here.
The Media Line: American policy towards Israel and the entire Middle east has clearly seen a shift. Is this reflective of a significant change in American interests?
Congressman Wexler: I don't think there's a significant change in interests. We value greatly a robust relationship between the United States and Israel. That's the way it is in the Obama administration.
If you're talking about things like the right of return, President Obama and his administration have been unequivocal in terms of rejecting a right of return. Israel is a Jewish state. Things such as the policy with respect to Hamas are identical under the Obama administration as they were under the Bush administration.
What is different is that President Obama presents for the United States, for Israel, for the Palestinians and for the broader Arab world a different dynamic in which we hopefully will take advantage of the opportunities that are presented: the opportunity for the first legitimate, earnest attempt at getting 22 Arab states to begin in a serious and significant fashion to normalize their relations with the State of Israel.
I happen to think that the combination of President Barak Obama and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is the strongest combination of American Israeli leadership that we have been presented with in a very long time... These two men working together in a collaborative fashion can achieve extraordinary results... Both Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu understand that their individual and collective success is very much tied to one another.
He argued after the meeting that the Obama-Netanyahu package represents the strongest U.S.-Israeli leadership the world has witnessed in a very long time.
Below is an abridged transcript of the interview. For a full transcript, click here.
The Media Line: American policy towards Israel and the entire Middle east has clearly seen a shift. Is this reflective of a significant change in American interests?
Congressman Wexler: I don't think there's a significant change in interests. We value greatly a robust relationship between the United States and Israel. That's the way it is in the Obama administration.
If you're talking about things like the right of return, President Obama and his administration have been unequivocal in terms of rejecting a right of return. Israel is a Jewish state. Things such as the policy with respect to Hamas are identical under the Obama administration as they were under the Bush administration.
What is different is that President Obama presents for the United States, for Israel, for the Palestinians and for the broader Arab world a different dynamic in which we hopefully will take advantage of the opportunities that are presented: the opportunity for the first legitimate, earnest attempt at getting 22 Arab states to begin in a serious and significant fashion to normalize their relations with the State of Israel.
I happen to think that the combination of President Barak Obama and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is the strongest combination of American Israeli leadership that we have been presented with in a very long time... These two men working together in a collaborative fashion can achieve extraordinary results... Both Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu understand that their individual and collective success is very much tied to one another.
Ramon in note to Netanyahu 18 years ago:"You are the only real man in this building".
(from article in Haaretz).On Wednesday the PM cleared his busy agenda to bid farewell to departing Kadima MK Haim Ramon at the Knesset. He sat alone at the government table for a long time, listening to the political eulogies delivered by Rivlin, Kadima MK Dalia Itzik and Labor MK Amir Peretz. Then he got up from his chair and gave Ramon a warm hug. Eleven years ago Ramon almost single-handedly toppled the first Bibi government. Now the former topplee, in a position of power, is tipping his hat to the erstwhile toppler.
In 1991, when Netanyahu voted in favor of the law for direct election of the prime minister - which passed thanks to his vote - Ramon sent him a note: "You are the only real man in this building." On Wednesday, as they canoodled on the Knesset floor, Netanyahu told Ramon that he still has that note. A real, real man.
In 1991, when Netanyahu voted in favor of the law for direct election of the prime minister - which passed thanks to his vote - Ramon sent him a note: "You are the only real man in this building." On Wednesday, as they canoodled on the Knesset floor, Netanyahu told Ramon that he still has that note. A real, real man.
Netanyahu: I didn't get 100 days of benevolence despite great achievements
(Yossi Verter-Haaretz).Benjamin Netanyahu's second cabinet will complete its 100th day in power next week, ending what is known as its 'period of grace.'
In a private discussions with his associates, the prime minister said that not only was he being denied a grace period, but that he had to deal with a 'media onslaught' that began hours into his term.
This onslaught relented only after his address at Bar-Ilan University last month, when he said he accepted the prospect of a future Palestinian state, he said.
In the same private discussion, the premier recounted what he considers his cabinet's achievements over the past 100 days.
During discussions at his bureau about the first 100 days, he told his people: First and foremost, I've brought quiet. Since I entered office, the missiles have almost completely stopped - and not by chance. I determined a policy that every missile would be met with an immediate and sharp response.
In the diplomatic realm, Netanyahu takes pride in his success in stabilizing what he calls "the Israeli consensus": He knows that while Israelis crave a prime minister who will give them a diplomatic horizon, they don't want someone who will make them look like pansies. Netanyahu's formula is that of former prime minister Ariel Sharon - he is prepared for concessions but adamant on security.
In addition to that, Netanyahu is asking: What did Ehud Olmert do in his first 100 days in office? What did Sharon do? Why are the complaints limited to me?
The prime minister is proud that there are no leaks on any of the talks he is holding - whether on Gilad Shalit or on the Iranian issue. In the economic realm, he has passed a two-year budget - and although it shrank to a year and a half, that is still something. And he is forging ahead with reforms at the Israel Lands Administration, the ports and the electricity sector. He defeated the Bank of Israel when he decided that the Finance Ministry will supervise its employees' salaries, and he spearheaded a package deal between the treasury, employers and the Histadrut labor federation. All in all, Netanyahu is saying in private conversations, that's not so bad for the first 100 days.
True, there have been setbacks; true, the budget didn't pass smoothly; true, there have been issues within the Prime Minister's Bureau. But everything is slowly falling into place.
On Monday, Netanyahu arrived at the Likud's Knesset faction meeting in a fighting mood. MK Miri Regev announced her intention to vote against the imposition of value-added tax on fruits and vegetables. MK Tzipi Hotovely announced that she was in favor of a tax break for child-care. "Both of you want to vote against the coalition, so propose an alternative budget," Netanyahu scolded. "I've been in the Knesset for 20 years and I voted against Likud's position only once, in 1991, in favor of the law for the direct election of the prime minister," he told them. "I'll allow you to vote against the party, but only once in 20 years."
In a private discussions with his associates, the prime minister said that not only was he being denied a grace period, but that he had to deal with a 'media onslaught' that began hours into his term.
This onslaught relented only after his address at Bar-Ilan University last month, when he said he accepted the prospect of a future Palestinian state, he said.
In the same private discussion, the premier recounted what he considers his cabinet's achievements over the past 100 days.
During discussions at his bureau about the first 100 days, he told his people: First and foremost, I've brought quiet. Since I entered office, the missiles have almost completely stopped - and not by chance. I determined a policy that every missile would be met with an immediate and sharp response.
In the diplomatic realm, Netanyahu takes pride in his success in stabilizing what he calls "the Israeli consensus": He knows that while Israelis crave a prime minister who will give them a diplomatic horizon, they don't want someone who will make them look like pansies. Netanyahu's formula is that of former prime minister Ariel Sharon - he is prepared for concessions but adamant on security.
In addition to that, Netanyahu is asking: What did Ehud Olmert do in his first 100 days in office? What did Sharon do? Why are the complaints limited to me?
The prime minister is proud that there are no leaks on any of the talks he is holding - whether on Gilad Shalit or on the Iranian issue. In the economic realm, he has passed a two-year budget - and although it shrank to a year and a half, that is still something. And he is forging ahead with reforms at the Israel Lands Administration, the ports and the electricity sector. He defeated the Bank of Israel when he decided that the Finance Ministry will supervise its employees' salaries, and he spearheaded a package deal between the treasury, employers and the Histadrut labor federation. All in all, Netanyahu is saying in private conversations, that's not so bad for the first 100 days.
True, there have been setbacks; true, the budget didn't pass smoothly; true, there have been issues within the Prime Minister's Bureau. But everything is slowly falling into place.
On Monday, Netanyahu arrived at the Likud's Knesset faction meeting in a fighting mood. MK Miri Regev announced her intention to vote against the imposition of value-added tax on fruits and vegetables. MK Tzipi Hotovely announced that she was in favor of a tax break for child-care. "Both of you want to vote against the coalition, so propose an alternative budget," Netanyahu scolded. "I've been in the Knesset for 20 years and I voted against Likud's position only once, in 1991, in favor of the law for the direct election of the prime minister," he told them. "I'll allow you to vote against the party, but only once in 20 years."
Poll: PM's approval rating improves,Likud support increases,Kadima's left support steady
(Haaretz).The survey by Dialog, conducted Thursday under the auspices of Prof. Camil Fuchs of Tel Aviv University, found Netanyahu's approval ratings were 18 percent higher than Tzipi Livni's - a much larger margin than when they were competing for prime minister. Asked who was better suited to be prime minister, 52 percent said Netanyahu, while only 34 said Livni. (25% of kadima voters think Netanyahu is better suited to Be PM, 70% say Kadima should join coalition).Netanyahu's approval ratings may have jumped 5 points since the last Dialog survey, on June 15. In the most recent survey, 49 percent of the 500 respondents said they were satisfied with Netanyahu's performance.
Forty-six percent of respondents said Israel should continue construction in the West Bank even if this causes a confrontation with the U.S., and 44 percent said the opposite.
If elections were held now, Netanyahu's right-wing Likud would win 32 of the 120 parliamentary seats compared with 27 now, Kadima 29 (up from 28) and Lieberman's Yisrael Beitenu 14 (down from 15,) according to the poll.
How does the Netanyahu Government perform as compared to the Olmert
Government before it?
Better 43% Worse 30% Don't know/refuse reply 27%
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Yediot - Netanyahu: Israelis aren't suckers, settlement freeze only in return for Arab states normalizing relations
Bibi's Inner Circle: A Strong Team, Even If a Bit Like-Minded
(Leslie Susser-Jewish Telegraphic Agency).Benjamin Netanyahu's father, the historian Ben Zion Netanyahu, once said that his son's biggest failure as a leader was his inability to pick the right people to advise him.
Now prime minister for a second time and facing major decisions on Iran, the Palestinians and the Arab world -- not to mention ties the United States -- Netanyahu has picked what looks like a strong, but possibly too like-minded, team.
These are the more influential members of the inner circle Netanyahu has put together.
· Uzi Arad, national-security council chief -- Netanyahu's chief adviser on foreign policy during his first term from 1996 to 1999, and a close confidant ever since, Arad is the person whose advice the prime minister values most.
A quick-tempered workaholic who has a doctorate in international relations, Arad joined Netanyahu's team after a long career in the Mossad, where he was director of research. He later became the founding director of the Lauder School of Government at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center.
Although he comes from a left-wing family, Arad is an ideological hawk who sees the neutralization of Iran's drive for nuclear weapons as Israel's top priority. He was highly critical of both the Bush invasion of Iraq, and Ariel Sharon's disengagement from Gaza for diverting efforts and attention from the Iranian threat.
Like Netanyahu, Arad believes that Israel must receive cast-iron security guarantees before a Palestinian state can be established. Strongly security-minded, he has also been active in efforts to upgrade Israel's ties with NATO.
· Ron Dermer, adviser -- Formerly the chief economic officer at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, Dermer is another highly influential foreign policy hawk. For more than a decade, he has been close to Netanyahu,Born and raised in Miami Beach, Fla., where his brother David is mayor, Dermer comes from a Republican family with close ties to Florida's ex-governor, Jeb Bush.
· Yitzhak Molcho, attorney -- A longstanding friend and trusted emissary for special or sensitive negotiating missions, Molcho and foreign-policy adviser Dore Gold were the first Netanyahu people to meet PLO leader Yasser Arafat. Molcho went on to play a leading role in subsequent negotiations with the Palestinians.
Now he has been tasked with helping to frame new understandings with the Obama administration on building restrictions in West Bank settlements. Molcho was part of an Israeli team that met U.S. special Middle East envoy George Mitchell in London in late May; a month later, he was sent to Washington for what was to have been a decisive meeting between Mitchell and Netanyahu in Paris, but failed to find enough common ground.
· Dore Gold and Zalman Shoval, influential outside foreign-policy advisers -- Gold, a former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, has been close to Netanyahu for years and accompanied him to two meetings with Obama, when both the U.S. president and the Israeli prime minister had yet to be elected.
Shoval, a former ambassador to Washington, is a key member of the Likud Party's foreign-policy team and was in Washington this week holding high-level meetings on the settlements issue.
· Nir Hefetz, chief media coordinator -- Hefetz, a seasoned journalist and former editor of the Yediot Achronot weekend supplement Seven Days, was drafted hurriedly in mid-June to restore order after complaints of mixed messages emanating from the Prime Minister's Office.
· Eyal Gabai, director general of the Prime Minister's Office -- Another believer in small government, Gabai as the director of the Government Companies' Authority oversaw the privatization of a number of big companies, including the Bezeq phone company, El Al Airlines, Zim Shipping and Israel Railways. Gabai has a reputation for defining targets clearly and getting things done.
· Natan Eshel, bureau chief -- sees himself as a civil servant responsible for the running the prime minister's daily schedule.
Now prime minister for a second time and facing major decisions on Iran, the Palestinians and the Arab world -- not to mention ties the United States -- Netanyahu has picked what looks like a strong, but possibly too like-minded, team.
These are the more influential members of the inner circle Netanyahu has put together.
· Uzi Arad, national-security council chief -- Netanyahu's chief adviser on foreign policy during his first term from 1996 to 1999, and a close confidant ever since, Arad is the person whose advice the prime minister values most.
A quick-tempered workaholic who has a doctorate in international relations, Arad joined Netanyahu's team after a long career in the Mossad, where he was director of research. He later became the founding director of the Lauder School of Government at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center.
Although he comes from a left-wing family, Arad is an ideological hawk who sees the neutralization of Iran's drive for nuclear weapons as Israel's top priority. He was highly critical of both the Bush invasion of Iraq, and Ariel Sharon's disengagement from Gaza for diverting efforts and attention from the Iranian threat.
Like Netanyahu, Arad believes that Israel must receive cast-iron security guarantees before a Palestinian state can be established. Strongly security-minded, he has also been active in efforts to upgrade Israel's ties with NATO.
· Ron Dermer, adviser -- Formerly the chief economic officer at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, Dermer is another highly influential foreign policy hawk. For more than a decade, he has been close to Netanyahu,Born and raised in Miami Beach, Fla., where his brother David is mayor, Dermer comes from a Republican family with close ties to Florida's ex-governor, Jeb Bush.
· Yitzhak Molcho, attorney -- A longstanding friend and trusted emissary for special or sensitive negotiating missions, Molcho and foreign-policy adviser Dore Gold were the first Netanyahu people to meet PLO leader Yasser Arafat. Molcho went on to play a leading role in subsequent negotiations with the Palestinians.
Now he has been tasked with helping to frame new understandings with the Obama administration on building restrictions in West Bank settlements. Molcho was part of an Israeli team that met U.S. special Middle East envoy George Mitchell in London in late May; a month later, he was sent to Washington for what was to have been a decisive meeting between Mitchell and Netanyahu in Paris, but failed to find enough common ground.
· Dore Gold and Zalman Shoval, influential outside foreign-policy advisers -- Gold, a former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, has been close to Netanyahu for years and accompanied him to two meetings with Obama, when both the U.S. president and the Israeli prime minister had yet to be elected.
Shoval, a former ambassador to Washington, is a key member of the Likud Party's foreign-policy team and was in Washington this week holding high-level meetings on the settlements issue.
· Nir Hefetz, chief media coordinator -- Hefetz, a seasoned journalist and former editor of the Yediot Achronot weekend supplement Seven Days, was drafted hurriedly in mid-June to restore order after complaints of mixed messages emanating from the Prime Minister's Office.
· Eyal Gabai, director general of the Prime Minister's Office -- Another believer in small government, Gabai as the director of the Government Companies' Authority oversaw the privatization of a number of big companies, including the Bezeq phone company, El Al Airlines, Zim Shipping and Israel Railways. Gabai has a reputation for defining targets clearly and getting things done.
· Natan Eshel, bureau chief -- sees himself as a civil servant responsible for the running the prime minister's daily schedule.
Netanyahu: Land reform will be growth engine "We must simplify the building process, make homes cheaper to buy."
(Globes).In his remarks closing the Caesarea Forum on National Economic Policy in Eilat, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that what was needed first and foremost was reforms, because they would raise the Israeli economy's competitiveness.
The prime minister said that the greatest economic effort an Israeli family made was to buy a home. "In Israel, that's a very very difficult step. We are 120th in the world for the time it takes to buy a home. It's hard to renovate as well try building a balcony. We must simplify the building process, make homes cheaper to buy, and enable people to afford homes without mortgaging their lives," Netanyahu said.
"We are doing three great things to this end, aimed at the average Israeli, things that will help to close the gaps. The first is the historic reform of the Israel Lands Authority. 800,000 Israelis who lease homes from the Authority will become homeowners. The second thing is reform of the planning and building committees to simplify the bureaucracy which today is simply intolerable, it's hell. The third thing is construction of a network of roads and railways from the Negev to the Galil, which will bring about immediate movement in economic activity. These are very strong growth engines. We have been waiting for these things for many many years."
Netanyahu added, "We must streamline and as far as possible reduce the public sector. This won't happen in one or two years. We are talking about looking further ahead so that we can compete in expenditure and taxation with the global system. Our defense spending will continue to be a main factor in our national budget. Despite what I said about cutting back, the ability to cover our defense expenditure will come only through growth. In the immediate term we have had to stabilize the economy, and we have done that through the budget. If we had not drafted a two-year budget, next month we would be starting again down that Via Dolorosa."
The prime minister said that the greatest economic effort an Israeli family made was to buy a home. "In Israel, that's a very very difficult step. We are 120th in the world for the time it takes to buy a home. It's hard to renovate as well try building a balcony. We must simplify the building process, make homes cheaper to buy, and enable people to afford homes without mortgaging their lives," Netanyahu said.
"We are doing three great things to this end, aimed at the average Israeli, things that will help to close the gaps. The first is the historic reform of the Israel Lands Authority. 800,000 Israelis who lease homes from the Authority will become homeowners. The second thing is reform of the planning and building committees to simplify the bureaucracy which today is simply intolerable, it's hell. The third thing is construction of a network of roads and railways from the Negev to the Galil, which will bring about immediate movement in economic activity. These are very strong growth engines. We have been waiting for these things for many many years."
Netanyahu added, "We must streamline and as far as possible reduce the public sector. This won't happen in one or two years. We are talking about looking further ahead so that we can compete in expenditure and taxation with the global system. Our defense spending will continue to be a main factor in our national budget. Despite what I said about cutting back, the ability to cover our defense expenditure will come only through growth. In the immediate term we have had to stabilize the economy, and we have done that through the budget. If we had not drafted a two-year budget, next month we would be starting again down that Via Dolorosa."
One way street - U.S. can't get Arabs to commit to normal Israel ties
(Haaretz).The U.S. administration has not been successful in securing commitments from Arab countries to take steps toward normalizing relations with Israel, a senior source in Jerusalem said Wednesday.
The source said U.S. President Barack Obama's recent meeting with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia did not produce a commitment to encourage the other Arab states to begin normalization.
"In such a situation, the Americans can't continue demanding gestures only from Israel, such as the demand that Israel freeze settlement construction," the source said.
In response, a senior White House source said talks with the Arab states are continuing with the aim of obtaining a commitment to make gestures toward Israel, and there is still hope for progress.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak returned to Israel on Wednesday from a meeting with U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell. Haaretz has learned that the talks with Mitchell included discussions of a package deal to include a curb on settlement construction. Barak reportedly argued that any steps taken by Israel would have to be accompanied by assurances that the Arab states would also move forward.
The source said U.S. President Barack Obama's recent meeting with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia did not produce a commitment to encourage the other Arab states to begin normalization.
"In such a situation, the Americans can't continue demanding gestures only from Israel, such as the demand that Israel freeze settlement construction," the source said.
In response, a senior White House source said talks with the Arab states are continuing with the aim of obtaining a commitment to make gestures toward Israel, and there is still hope for progress.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak returned to Israel on Wednesday from a meeting with U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell. Haaretz has learned that the talks with Mitchell included discussions of a package deal to include a curb on settlement construction. Barak reportedly argued that any steps taken by Israel would have to be accompanied by assurances that the Arab states would also move forward.
Netanyahu Weighing Possibility of Broadening Government
(israelpolicyforum).Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has angered some of his right-wing coalition parties by his work towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This loss of support from the right, combined with US pressure, may cause Netanyahu to broaden his coalition to include Kadima, as well as open more discussion on the settlement issue.
James Besser in The Jewish Week questioned different Middle East experts and scholars to discuss the changes that may occur in government due to Netanyahu's political shift towards the left:
With his back to the wall in his dealings with Washington, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly weighing the possibility of broadening his government to give him more flexibility in anticipation of meeting American demands.
The reports are based in part on right-wing elements in Netanyahu's coalition government that are upset with the prime minister's decision to work towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to Yossi Alpher, an Israeli analyst and co-editor of the Israeli-Palestinian Web site bitterlemons.org.
Possible Coalition with Kadima:
"...There are members of the opposition centrist Kadima Party led by Shaul Mofaz, the former defense minister, who are "lobbying Kadima to join the government now that Netanyahu has accepted a two-state solution." [Yossi Alpher]
But Alpher said that because Tzipi Livni, former foreign minister and Kadima Party chair, is not anxious to join the coalition, Mofaz "might take some members with him and move to Likud." Alpher noted that a proposed law in Israel would make it easier for him to do that.
He hastened to add that he does not foresee anyone "leaving the coalition to make room for Kadima, and I don't believe Kadima would reopen discussions about joining the coalition."
Judith Kipper, director of Middle East Programs for the Institute of World Affairs, said a Likud-Kadima coalition "may be what Netanyahu would like to do, but I think Kadima would have a very hard time [joining] such a coalition as long as Lieberman remains part of it."This leak, combined with reports that Netanyahu is considering broadening his right-leaning government, suggests that "Netanyahu is leaving the door open for a shakeup," according to .
He [Gerald Steinberg, a political science professor at Bar-Ilan University] said Netanyahu might opt to broaden his government whether or not the U.S. and Israel reach an agreement on Israeli-Palestinian peace issues. Steinberg said Israel might have to "move to the left" to reach an accord with the U.S., or form a national unity government to withstand American pressure if the two sides failed to agree.
James Besser in The Jewish Week questioned different Middle East experts and scholars to discuss the changes that may occur in government due to Netanyahu's political shift towards the left:
With his back to the wall in his dealings with Washington, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly weighing the possibility of broadening his government to give him more flexibility in anticipation of meeting American demands.
The reports are based in part on right-wing elements in Netanyahu's coalition government that are upset with the prime minister's decision to work towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to Yossi Alpher, an Israeli analyst and co-editor of the Israeli-Palestinian Web site bitterlemons.org.
Possible Coalition with Kadima:
"...There are members of the opposition centrist Kadima Party led by Shaul Mofaz, the former defense minister, who are "lobbying Kadima to join the government now that Netanyahu has accepted a two-state solution." [Yossi Alpher]
But Alpher said that because Tzipi Livni, former foreign minister and Kadima Party chair, is not anxious to join the coalition, Mofaz "might take some members with him and move to Likud." Alpher noted that a proposed law in Israel would make it easier for him to do that.
He hastened to add that he does not foresee anyone "leaving the coalition to make room for Kadima, and I don't believe Kadima would reopen discussions about joining the coalition."
Judith Kipper, director of Middle East Programs for the Institute of World Affairs, said a Likud-Kadima coalition "may be what Netanyahu would like to do, but I think Kadima would have a very hard time [joining] such a coalition as long as Lieberman remains part of it."This leak, combined with reports that Netanyahu is considering broadening his right-leaning government, suggests that "Netanyahu is leaving the door open for a shakeup," according to .
He [Gerald Steinberg, a political science professor at Bar-Ilan University] said Netanyahu might opt to broaden his government whether or not the U.S. and Israel reach an agreement on Israeli-Palestinian peace issues. Steinberg said Israel might have to "move to the left" to reach an accord with the U.S., or form a national unity government to withstand American pressure if the two sides failed to agree.
Greetings by PM Netanyahu Fourth of July Reception
In the year 1776, the world witnessed a new birth of freedom, the birth of the United States of America. The United States, the country that was referred to by its founders as the new Promised Land, the new Zion, became the bastion, defender and champion of freedom. The U.S. was a bastion of freedom in the 19th century as many millions of immigrants flocked to its inviting shores to search for a new life, to search for freedom. Etched on the base of the Statue of Liberty, the immortal words of Emma Lazarus, the American Jewish poet, who was incidentally a Zionist, said it all. They came “yearning to be free”.
The United States was a defender of freedom in the 20th century as it confronted and defeated history’s greatest tyrannies, and above all else, the Nazi tyranny. And over the last 233 years, the United States has been freedom’s greatest champion, all the while insisting that freedom is not something that only a privileged few countries can enjoy, but the birthright of every nation and every people. It’s not surprising therefore that our own birth of freedom would resonate so powerfully with the American people. After all, this was the reemergence of the Jews as a free and independent nation in our ancestral homeland, in the original Promised Land, the original Zion. This was why it took President Harry S. Truman only eleven minutes to recognize the newly born Jewish state, and this is why every American president since then, has expressed the deep friendship between our two countries, a friendship anchored not in transitory interests, but in eternal values and timeless ideals. And these common ideals of liberty and democracy, are the foundation of the deep and enduring bond between the United States and Israel, a bond that President Obama recently declared was unbreakable in his landmark speech in Cairo before the entire Muslim world.
In Israel evidence of this unbreakable bond is here for everyone to see. You can see it as you walk down the streets of Jerusalem, streets named after Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. You can see it if you visit the memorial to the slain U.S. President, John F. Kennedy in the outskirts of Jerusalem. You can see it in the agonized faces of Israelis who shared grief and sorrow with the American people in the terrible events of September 11th. You can see it in the smiling and admiring faces of Israelis every time the United States has an achievement or a success around the world and you can see it Mr. Ambassador, in the faces of all the people who came here to celebrate with you tonight.
So as the Prime Minister of one of the world’s most passionate democracies, let me say that we share a common heritage with the world’s greatest democracy. Throughout history, democracies have ultimately proven more powerful and more resilient than the dictatorships that threaten them. Eventually, the will of free people to defend their values and defend their societies proves unconquerable. Eventually, the will of un-free people to become free and live under democratic societies usually breaks through the concrete of tyranny. But the greatest danger facing our world today is that this historical consistency of the triumph and spread of democracy could change if the world’s worst regimes acquire the world’s more dangerous weapons. For the sake of peace, for the sake of our common security, for the sake of our common values, this must not be allowed to happen.
So Mr. Ambassador, as we celebrate your Independence Day with you, let us reaffirm our commitment to those powerful ideas that were promulgated two hundred and thirty three years ago, and later in Philadelphia, and that are so deeply shared by our two peoples. Let us reaffirm our commitment to roll back those who threaten our lives and our freedoms and let us reaffirm our commitment to advance the cause of peace in our region and throughout the world.
On behalf of the People of Israel, I send our best wishes to President Obama and to the American People. Happy Independence Day America and may G-d continue to bless America and our profound friendship. Chag Sameach. Thank you.
The United States was a defender of freedom in the 20th century as it confronted and defeated history’s greatest tyrannies, and above all else, the Nazi tyranny. And over the last 233 years, the United States has been freedom’s greatest champion, all the while insisting that freedom is not something that only a privileged few countries can enjoy, but the birthright of every nation and every people. It’s not surprising therefore that our own birth of freedom would resonate so powerfully with the American people. After all, this was the reemergence of the Jews as a free and independent nation in our ancestral homeland, in the original Promised Land, the original Zion. This was why it took President Harry S. Truman only eleven minutes to recognize the newly born Jewish state, and this is why every American president since then, has expressed the deep friendship between our two countries, a friendship anchored not in transitory interests, but in eternal values and timeless ideals. And these common ideals of liberty and democracy, are the foundation of the deep and enduring bond between the United States and Israel, a bond that President Obama recently declared was unbreakable in his landmark speech in Cairo before the entire Muslim world.
In Israel evidence of this unbreakable bond is here for everyone to see. You can see it as you walk down the streets of Jerusalem, streets named after Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. You can see it if you visit the memorial to the slain U.S. President, John F. Kennedy in the outskirts of Jerusalem. You can see it in the agonized faces of Israelis who shared grief and sorrow with the American people in the terrible events of September 11th. You can see it in the smiling and admiring faces of Israelis every time the United States has an achievement or a success around the world and you can see it Mr. Ambassador, in the faces of all the people who came here to celebrate with you tonight.
So as the Prime Minister of one of the world’s most passionate democracies, let me say that we share a common heritage with the world’s greatest democracy. Throughout history, democracies have ultimately proven more powerful and more resilient than the dictatorships that threaten them. Eventually, the will of free people to defend their values and defend their societies proves unconquerable. Eventually, the will of un-free people to become free and live under democratic societies usually breaks through the concrete of tyranny. But the greatest danger facing our world today is that this historical consistency of the triumph and spread of democracy could change if the world’s worst regimes acquire the world’s more dangerous weapons. For the sake of peace, for the sake of our common security, for the sake of our common values, this must not be allowed to happen.
So Mr. Ambassador, as we celebrate your Independence Day with you, let us reaffirm our commitment to those powerful ideas that were promulgated two hundred and thirty three years ago, and later in Philadelphia, and that are so deeply shared by our two peoples. Let us reaffirm our commitment to roll back those who threaten our lives and our freedoms and let us reaffirm our commitment to advance the cause of peace in our region and throughout the world.
On behalf of the People of Israel, I send our best wishes to President Obama and to the American People. Happy Independence Day America and may G-d continue to bless America and our profound friendship. Chag Sameach. Thank you.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Bibi's weekend looks brighter
(Jpost).After a week in which party discipline within the Likud seemed to be stretching the bounds of unity, fractious MKs seem to be falling into line as the weekend - and budget votes - draws nearer.Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin was first among those returning to the fold; he sent a letter of apology to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday evening. (Read report here).
"In the course of the interview," Rivlin wrote in the letter, "I expressed my principled positions on a number of topics, among them the role and position of the Knesset in Israeli democracy. I am sorry if the things that were said by me in relation to a principled argument could be interpreted as a statement or even an assault on the personal level."
But it was not just at the top of the ranks that Likud discipline seemed to be falling back into place. Dissent among the party's contentious backbenchers regarding specific clauses of the Economic Arrangements Bill grew quieter - with one key exception.
During the party's Monday faction meeting, lawmakers were told that breaking party discipline on the state budget would be rewarded by removal from Knesset committee positions - a warning presumably intended for MKs Miri Regev, Tzipi Hotovely and Danny Danon, all of whom vocally opposed parts of the draft 2009/10 budget.
Although both Danon and Hotovely toned down their dissent , Regev continued to fight on the imposition of VAT on fruit and vegetables. Unlike Danon and Hotovely, Regev does not chair any committee.
MK Peled to US: PM Can't Ignore Coalition Politics
(IsraelNN.com) Cabinet Minister Yossi Peled (Likud) had a meeting on Wednesday with Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Senator John Kerry's aide in Washington, D.C. The two discussed the pressure being placed by the Obama administration on Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Peled said that Israel should not be pressed on the issues of settlements and security-driven restrictions placed on Arab movment in Judea and Samaria.
He added that the United States needs to understand that the prime minister has coalition considerations that he cannot ignore. "Netanyahu made a huge step in his Bar Ilan speech. At this stage, the Palestinians have to make their own step," said Peled.
He added that the United States needs to understand that the prime minister has coalition considerations that he cannot ignore. "Netanyahu made a huge step in his Bar Ilan speech. At this stage, the Palestinians have to make their own step," said Peled.
Netanyahu at US ambassador July 4 celebration : Israel-U.S. bond is unbreakable
(Haaretz). Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended a Fourth of July celebration at the home of American ambassador to Israel James Cunningham on Wednesday, and said that the bond between Israel and the U.S. was still strong.
Amid tension with the long-time ally over West Bank settlement construction, the prime minister declared that the sentiments voiced by U.S. President Barack Obama, who said in Cairo last month that his country's bond with Israel was unbreakable, were true.
The prime minister also warned that the world order could break down if tyrannical regimes were to obtain weapons of mass destruction,However, freedom has usually triumphed over repressive regimes, the prime minister stressed.
"The greatest danger facing our world today is that this historical consistency of the triumph and spread of democracy could change if the world's worst regimes acquire the world's most dangerous weapons," he said.
The prime minister went on to stress that the state of Israel and its citizens deeply appreciate the US, noting that several of Jerusalem's streets are named after former US presidents.
The prime minister ended his speech with the traditional "God bless America."
US Ambassador to Israel James Cunningham also mentioned the strong bond to Israel, and said the US is committed to the security of Israel and to the security of Israel's citizens.Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Social Welfare Minister Yitzhak Herzog, and Opposition chairman and Kadima leader Tzipi Livni attended the reception.
Is a Apology anough? Knesset speaker apologies to PM Netanyahu after harsh attacks in Maariv interview
Knesset speaker Ruby Rivlin, sent today a personal letter to the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and elucidated him that the criticism in the interview to the newspaper Ma'Ariv, are impersonal but idealistic . In the letter Rivlin indicated that he is sorry that the relevant disagreement between the two of them was interpreted as personal, when its all about divisions of opinions between head of authority of the legislator to the head of the authority that execute.
In the interview to Maariv that will be published on Friday, Rivlin attacked the PM with the harshest critique: "The prime minister thinks that the Knesset is unnecessary ,He does not respect the discretion of the Knesset and the public reps that sit there. There is in me great acrimony on Netanyahu. He thinks that the chairman of the Knesset must serve the coalition. I thought that three of the last years that obligated him to be in Knesset when we lost the elections taught him how much power there is to democracy when you play according to the game rules. But when he returned to be prime minister, he again forgot the force to respect the parliament. On account that he was never a legislater, the democratic games doesn't mean to him nothing".
Relations between Rivlin and Netanyahu had steadily declined since Rivlin was voted in as speaker three months ago. The situation reached new proportions last week after Rivlin was said by party members - including Netanyahu - to have caved in to opposition demands on the series of government sponsored bills known as the "governance laws."
After a number of lawmakers criticized and ridiculed Rivlin for his decision - as well as for his own well-known opposition to the legislation - the poor relations reached a crisis point after the speaker blasted the prime minister in an interview with Ma'ariv.
When Netanyahu was called by the paper for a response to Rivlin's statements, he immediately called off a meeting with the Knesset speaker, hours before the two were supposed to meet.
Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz weighed in on the dispute, threatening to crush Rivlin's hopes of becoming the next president by sponsoring legislation that would forbid a serving Knesset speaker from running for the post. Katz did not stop there, but suggested that should the need arise, the Likud would sponsor former foreign minister David Levy or Chief Tel Aviv Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau as its candidate to succeed Shimon Peres.
In the interview to Maariv that will be published on Friday, Rivlin attacked the PM with the harshest critique: "The prime minister thinks that the Knesset is unnecessary ,He does not respect the discretion of the Knesset and the public reps that sit there. There is in me great acrimony on Netanyahu. He thinks that the chairman of the Knesset must serve the coalition. I thought that three of the last years that obligated him to be in Knesset when we lost the elections taught him how much power there is to democracy when you play according to the game rules. But when he returned to be prime minister, he again forgot the force to respect the parliament. On account that he was never a legislater, the democratic games doesn't mean to him nothing".
Relations between Rivlin and Netanyahu had steadily declined since Rivlin was voted in as speaker three months ago. The situation reached new proportions last week after Rivlin was said by party members - including Netanyahu - to have caved in to opposition demands on the series of government sponsored bills known as the "governance laws."
After a number of lawmakers criticized and ridiculed Rivlin for his decision - as well as for his own well-known opposition to the legislation - the poor relations reached a crisis point after the speaker blasted the prime minister in an interview with Ma'ariv.
When Netanyahu was called by the paper for a response to Rivlin's statements, he immediately called off a meeting with the Knesset speaker, hours before the two were supposed to meet.
Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz weighed in on the dispute, threatening to crush Rivlin's hopes of becoming the next president by sponsoring legislation that would forbid a serving Knesset speaker from running for the post. Katz did not stop there, but suggested that should the need arise, the Likud would sponsor former foreign minister David Levy or Chief Tel Aviv Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau as its candidate to succeed Shimon Peres.
Netanyahu’s government is “under assault” by the U.S. and Europe
Aaron Klein, Jerusalem bureau chief for World Net Daily, reports from Tel Aviv:
The composition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s (right) government is “under assault” by the U.S. and Europe, believes a top minister in the Israeli government.
“It seems there is a coordinated assault between the U.S. and some European countries to remove Foreign Minister Avigdor Leiberman and his party and to replace them with the Kadima party,” said the minister.
The minister spoke on condition his name be withheld due to possible political fallout from his comments.
He said he was expressing his belief and does not have any proof of possible U.S.-European collusion to influence the composition of the Israeli government.
The composition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s (right) government is “under assault” by the U.S. and Europe, believes a top minister in the Israeli government.
“It seems there is a coordinated assault between the U.S. and some European countries to remove Foreign Minister Avigdor Leiberman and his party and to replace them with the Kadima party,” said the minister.
The minister spoke on condition his name be withheld due to possible political fallout from his comments.
He said he was expressing his belief and does not have any proof of possible U.S.-European collusion to influence the composition of the Israeli government.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
No US agreement reached at Barak Mitchell meeting;Barak is Optimistic: I'm smiling because it's free
Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who, upon entering his meeting with US special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell in New York, was asked whether the smiles on his face and on Mitchell's face meant they were close to reaching an agreement, said, "The meaning of this is that smiles don't cost money."However, Barak added, "We are more optimistic than ever.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak and U.S. special Mideast envoy George Mitchell agreed during their talks in New York this week that Israel must take action toward easing access for Palestinians in the West Bank and halting settlement activity.
Their four-hour discussion brought Israel and the United States closer to ending its dispute over settlement construction, a source close to Barak said.
Mitchell did not explicitly tell Barak that Israel must impose a complete freeze on settlements - as the U.S. has been demanding - but rather emphasized that Jerusalem must take "action" on the matter, according to a Defense Ministry statement following the talks.
Asked whether Israel would declare a temporary settlement
building freeze, Barak told reporters following the meeting: "I think that it's a little bit too early to predict.
"We are considering every positive contribution Israel can make towards the taking off of a significant important peace effort," he said.
While significant progress was made in the talks, said the source close to Barak, differences remain over a number of subjects.
"There is still disagreement, but the direction is positive and there is a good dialogue," a source close to the defense minister said.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak and U.S. special Mideast envoy George Mitchell agreed during their talks in New York this week that Israel must take action toward easing access for Palestinians in the West Bank and halting settlement activity.
Their four-hour discussion brought Israel and the United States closer to ending its dispute over settlement construction, a source close to Barak said.
Mitchell did not explicitly tell Barak that Israel must impose a complete freeze on settlements - as the U.S. has been demanding - but rather emphasized that Jerusalem must take "action" on the matter, according to a Defense Ministry statement following the talks.
Asked whether Israel would declare a temporary settlement
building freeze, Barak told reporters following the meeting: "I think that it's a little bit too early to predict.
"We are considering every positive contribution Israel can make towards the taking off of a significant important peace effort," he said.
While significant progress was made in the talks, said the source close to Barak, differences remain over a number of subjects.
"There is still disagreement, but the direction is positive and there is a good dialogue," a source close to the defense minister said.
My Partner for Peace - Netanyahu reaffirms support for Lieberman after Sarkozy remarks
(Haaretz).Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he has complete confidence in Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, a day after Channel 2 reported that French President Nicolas Sarkozy had told him to "get rid" of Lieberman.
"[He] is fully committed to peace and security," said Netanyahu. "Lieberman constitutes an important part of the elected government of the democratic State of Israel."
The premier made the comments before a group of over 20 European ambassadors at Jerusalem's King David hotel. Netanyahu noted that he had consulted with Lieberman prior to a major foreign policy speech he delivered two weeks ago, in which he declared support for a demilitarized Palestinian state.
"Foreign Minister Lieberman will play an important role in implementing the policy presented in the speech," he said.
The second-in-command of Lieberman's Yisrael Beteinu party said Netanyahu should have "banged on the table" in response to Sarkozy's attack on Lieberman.
"If I was the prime minister, and those statements were made in my presence, I would have banged on the table and protested," Landau told Army Radio. "That is how a prime minister who preserves his country's dignity should behave."
"[He] is fully committed to peace and security," said Netanyahu. "Lieberman constitutes an important part of the elected government of the democratic State of Israel."
The premier made the comments before a group of over 20 European ambassadors at Jerusalem's King David hotel. Netanyahu noted that he had consulted with Lieberman prior to a major foreign policy speech he delivered two weeks ago, in which he declared support for a demilitarized Palestinian state.
"Foreign Minister Lieberman will play an important role in implementing the policy presented in the speech," he said.
The second-in-command of Lieberman's Yisrael Beteinu party said Netanyahu should have "banged on the table" in response to Sarkozy's attack on Lieberman.
"If I was the prime minister, and those statements were made in my presence, I would have banged on the table and protested," Landau told Army Radio. "That is how a prime minister who preserves his country's dignity should behave."
Monday, June 29, 2009
PM Netanyahu Hosts Representatives of Orphaned Bar Mitzvah Boys from Around Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today, in his Jerusalem office, hosted six 13-year-old boys, representatives of 107 bar mitzvah youths, orphans from all parts of Israel, who prayed together this morning at the Western Wall and who will celebrate their bar mitzvah banquet at Binyanei Hauma in Jerusalem. The bar mitzvah project is sponsored by Chabad in Israel.Prime Minister Netanyahu told the youths: "This is a very moving moment in the life of any Jewish boy. The values that you absorb now will accompany you throughout your lives." The Prime Minister invited the boys into the Cabinet room in order to see the place where the most important decisions in the country are made.
The fathers of two of the six boys were murdered by Palestinian terrorists. Yonatan Shok's father, Yosef, was shot and killed on 16.12.05. Neriah Cohen's father David, was shot and killed on 14.7.01
Knesset Brushes Off No-Confidence Motions
(IsraelNN.com) The Knesset easily defeated two motions of no-confidence in the government on Monday.
One by the Kadima party, accusing the government of leading Israel into international isolation, only got 31 votes, compared to 52 votes against and one abstention.
The other, proposed by the predominantly Arab parties over what they called continued construction in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, was defeated by a margin of 55-11, with 16 abstentions.
One by the Kadima party, accusing the government of leading Israel into international isolation, only got 31 votes, compared to 52 votes against and one abstention.
The other, proposed by the predominantly Arab parties over what they called continued construction in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, was defeated by a margin of 55-11, with 16 abstentions.
Sarkozy to Netanyahu:Replace Lieberman with Livni; Lieberman responds: replace Carla
(Haaretz).French President Nicolas Sarkozy has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "get rid" of hard-line Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Channel Two reported on Monday.The Foreign Ministry responded to the report by lambasting the French leader for his "intolerable intervention in internal Israeli affairs."
French Love - Sarkozy with Livni?
Sarkozy spent a good portion of his meeting with Netanyahu last Wednesday discussing the composition of the Israeli official, according to the report.
The French president reportedly told Netanyahu that while he usually scheduled talks with Israel's top foreign envoys on visit to Paris he could not bring himself to meet with Lieberman."I have always accepted Israeli foreign ministers, and I loved to have Tzipi Livni here at the Elysee, but with (Lieberman) I can't," he was reported as saying with a wave of his hand. According to Channel Two, this statement was accompanied by disparaging hand gestures.
Sarkozy then advised Netanyahu to fire Lieberman and bring former foreign minister Tzipi Livni back into the coalition, according to the report. Netanyahu reportedly told Sarkozy that Lieberman came across differently in private than his public appearances would suggest.
French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen also comes across as a nice person in private, Sarkozy reportedly responded, to which Netanyahu replied that Lieberman was not Le Pen and that there was no basis for comparison. Sarkozy then responded that he did not intend to compare.
The prime minister's bureau did not respond to Sarkozy's remarks nor deny them, but the office of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman did respond with a strong condemnation.
"If the words attributed to the president of France are correct, the interference of a president of a respected democratic state in the matters of another democratic state is a grave and intolerable thing. We expect that that regardless of political stance, every political body in Israel will condemn this callous attack by a foreign state in our domestic affairs."
Washingtonpost Editorial: End the Spat With Israel
(Jackson Diehl-WashingtonPost).The upheaval in Iran offers the Obama administration a host of fresh foreign policy opportunities. Not the least of them is a chance to creep away from the corner into which it has painted itself in the Arab-Israeli peace process.
President Obama began with a broad strategy of simultaneously pressing Israel, the Palestinians and Arab states to take concrete steps toward peace. By the time Iranians took to the streets, it had allowed that broad front to be narrowed to a single point: a standoff with the Israeli government of Binyamin Netanyahu over whether "natural growth" would be allowed in Jewish settlements outside Israel's 1967 borders.
Pressuring Israel made sense, at first. The administration correctly understood that Netanyahu, a right-winger who took office with the clear intention of indefinitely postponing any Israeli-Palestinian settlement, needed to feel some public heat from Washington to change his position -- and that the show of muscle would add credibility to the administration's demands that Arab leaders offer their own gestures. But, starting with a statement by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in May, the administration made the mistake of insisting that an Israeli settlement "freeze" -- a term the past three administrations agreed to define loosely -- must mean a total stop to all construction in the West Bank and even East Jerusalem.
This absolutist position is a loser for three reasons. First, it has allowed Palestinian and Arab leaders to withhold the steps they were asked for; they claim to be waiting for the settlement "freeze" even as they quietly savor a rare public battle between Israel and the United States. Second, the administration's objective -- whatever its merits -- is unobtainable. No Israeli government has ever agreed to an unconditional freeze, and no coalition could be assembled from the current parliament to impose one.
Finally, the extraction of a freeze from Netanyahu is, as a practical matter, unnecessary. While further settlement expansion needs to be curbed, both the Palestinian Authority and Arab governments have gone along with previous U.S.-Israeli deals by which construction was to be limited to inside the periphery of settlements near Israel -- since everyone knows those areas will be annexed to Israel in a final settlement. Before the 2007 Annapolis peace conference organized by the Bush administration, Saudi Arabia and other Arab participants agreed to what one former senior official called "the Google Earth test"; if the settlements did not visibly expand, that was good enough.
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Netanyahu, whose poor relations with Washington contributed to his ouster from office during a previous stint as prime minister, has been relatively quick to come around. In recent weeks he has delivered a speech in which he agreed for the first time to Palestinian statehood. In the West Bank Israel is removing military roadblocks, turning four more towns over to Palestinian security forces and taking the first steps to remove settlements it deems illegal.
President Obama began with a broad strategy of simultaneously pressing Israel, the Palestinians and Arab states to take concrete steps toward peace. By the time Iranians took to the streets, it had allowed that broad front to be narrowed to a single point: a standoff with the Israeli government of Binyamin Netanyahu over whether "natural growth" would be allowed in Jewish settlements outside Israel's 1967 borders.
Pressuring Israel made sense, at first. The administration correctly understood that Netanyahu, a right-winger who took office with the clear intention of indefinitely postponing any Israeli-Palestinian settlement, needed to feel some public heat from Washington to change his position -- and that the show of muscle would add credibility to the administration's demands that Arab leaders offer their own gestures. But, starting with a statement by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in May, the administration made the mistake of insisting that an Israeli settlement "freeze" -- a term the past three administrations agreed to define loosely -- must mean a total stop to all construction in the West Bank and even East Jerusalem.
This absolutist position is a loser for three reasons. First, it has allowed Palestinian and Arab leaders to withhold the steps they were asked for; they claim to be waiting for the settlement "freeze" even as they quietly savor a rare public battle between Israel and the United States. Second, the administration's objective -- whatever its merits -- is unobtainable. No Israeli government has ever agreed to an unconditional freeze, and no coalition could be assembled from the current parliament to impose one.
Finally, the extraction of a freeze from Netanyahu is, as a practical matter, unnecessary. While further settlement expansion needs to be curbed, both the Palestinian Authority and Arab governments have gone along with previous U.S.-Israeli deals by which construction was to be limited to inside the periphery of settlements near Israel -- since everyone knows those areas will be annexed to Israel in a final settlement. Before the 2007 Annapolis peace conference organized by the Bush administration, Saudi Arabia and other Arab participants agreed to what one former senior official called "the Google Earth test"; if the settlements did not visibly expand, that was good enough.
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Netanyahu, whose poor relations with Washington contributed to his ouster from office during a previous stint as prime minister, has been relatively quick to come around. In recent weeks he has delivered a speech in which he agreed for the first time to Palestinian statehood. In the West Bank Israel is removing military roadblocks, turning four more towns over to Palestinian security forces and taking the first steps to remove settlements it deems illegal.
Poll: Hamas popularity falls in both West Bank and Gaza
(Haaretz).Discontent with Hamas over slow-moving Palestinian unity talks and Israel's ban on Gaza reconstruction aid have led to a sharp decline in the Islamist group's popularity, an opinion poll showed on Monday.
The survey by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Centre (JMCC) put public support for Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip at 18.8 percent, compared with 27.7 percent in its previous poll in January.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction is now more popular than Hamas with a 34.9 percent rating, up from 26 percent in January, according to the poll of 1,199 people.
According to the poll, 26.5 percent of those surveyed blamed Israel for the deadlock in the Hamas-Fatah dialogue while 23.5 percent pointed a finger at Hamas and 15.5 percent said Fatah was responsible.
The survey by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Centre (JMCC) put public support for Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip at 18.8 percent, compared with 27.7 percent in its previous poll in January.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction is now more popular than Hamas with a 34.9 percent rating, up from 26 percent in January, according to the poll of 1,199 people.
According to the poll, 26.5 percent of those surveyed blamed Israel for the deadlock in the Hamas-Fatah dialogue while 23.5 percent pointed a finger at Hamas and 15.5 percent said Fatah was responsible.
Netanyahu, Rivlin to meet to end legislation row
(Haaretz).Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin for the first time in a few weeks, after the two former allies fell out over several bills Netanyahu wanted to submit to the Knesset.
The two were supposed to meet last week, but Netanyahu cancelled the meeting allegedly due to his imminent trip to Europe. Likud sources, however, said that the meeting was cancelled since Netanyahu was annoyed that Rivlin had postponed the vote on several bills proposed by the coalition, to which Rivlin was opposed since he saw them as strengthening the executive at the expense of the legislative.
The sources also said that the formerly cordial relationship between the two has suffered a destructive blow to the extent that they have not exchanged a word over the past few weeks. It is believed that Netanyahu's policy speech two weeks ago, in which he endorsed the two-state solution, let Rivlin down.
It is believed Netanyahu and Rivlin will try to re-establish their relationship.
The two were supposed to meet last week, but Netanyahu cancelled the meeting allegedly due to his imminent trip to Europe. Likud sources, however, said that the meeting was cancelled since Netanyahu was annoyed that Rivlin had postponed the vote on several bills proposed by the coalition, to which Rivlin was opposed since he saw them as strengthening the executive at the expense of the legislative.
The sources also said that the formerly cordial relationship between the two has suffered a destructive blow to the extent that they have not exchanged a word over the past few weeks. It is believed that Netanyahu's policy speech two weeks ago, in which he endorsed the two-state solution, let Rivlin down.
It is believed Netanyahu and Rivlin will try to re-establish their relationship.
Netanyahu, Livni meet for security briefing
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday with Opposition Leader MK Tzipi Livni (Kadima). The two reportedly discussed various security issues.
French President Sarkozy: Livni made mistake not joining Netanyahu Gov't
(Yisrael Hayom).In his meeting with Netanyahu and political figures from Israel last week ,President Sarkozy deviated from diplomatic language and claimed:"Livni did a major Mistake remaining outside the government, I was looking out for Unity".
"Livni did a severe mistake and I do not understand her decision. We are talking about a state and what is good for it, not everything needs to be political balancings".
Sarkozy added: "that after the Bar Ilan speech that was made by Netanyahu ,its on to Livni to be harnessed to this course. She had to do this before but now for sure".
Sarkozy emphasized that during Livni's next visit to Paris he intends to tell it to her directly.
"Livni did a severe mistake and I do not understand her decision. We are talking about a state and what is good for it, not everything needs to be political balancings".
Sarkozy added: "that after the Bar Ilan speech that was made by Netanyahu ,its on to Livni to be harnessed to this course. She had to do this before but now for sure".
Sarkozy emphasized that during Livni's next visit to Paris he intends to tell it to her directly.
Netanyahu to Putin: Stop selling missiles to Iran
(Haaretz).Relations between Israel and Russia have grown tense over a significant change in Moscow's attitude regarding the possible sale of S-300 air defense missiles to Iran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and asked him to prevent the arms deal from going through.
The deal between Russia and Iran for the sale of the air defense system was signed more than a year ago, but external pressure, primarily from the United States and Israel, led the Russian political leadership to delay its implementation.
The Russian response to Israeli inquiries on the matter had been that they do not intend to complete the deal. The same message was reiterated during Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to Israel last month.
A senior political source in Jerusalem said that in recent weeks there has been noticeable change in Russia's position on the matter of the arms sale.
The deterioration was first noticed during the visit of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to Moscow several weeks ago. Lieberman, who prides himself on his close ties with the Russian leadership, was surprised to hear the Russians presenting a position on the missile deal contrary to their earlier stance.
Medvedev told Lieberman that Russia has a signed contract with Iran and some payments had already been made.
"It is a lot of money," Medvedev told Lieberman. "There is an economic crisis at this time and we are having a very difficult time," the Russian president explained to the Israeli minister.
According to a report in the daily Maariv, Medvedev had even suggested to Lieberman that Israel purchase the defense system instead, or convince a third country to buy them.
The deal between Russia and Iran for the sale of the air defense system was signed more than a year ago, but external pressure, primarily from the United States and Israel, led the Russian political leadership to delay its implementation.
The Russian response to Israeli inquiries on the matter had been that they do not intend to complete the deal. The same message was reiterated during Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to Israel last month.
A senior political source in Jerusalem said that in recent weeks there has been noticeable change in Russia's position on the matter of the arms sale.
The deterioration was first noticed during the visit of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to Moscow several weeks ago. Lieberman, who prides himself on his close ties with the Russian leadership, was surprised to hear the Russians presenting a position on the missile deal contrary to their earlier stance.
Medvedev told Lieberman that Russia has a signed contract with Iran and some payments had already been made.
"It is a lot of money," Medvedev told Lieberman. "There is an economic crisis at this time and we are having a very difficult time," the Russian president explained to the Israeli minister.
According to a report in the daily Maariv, Medvedev had even suggested to Lieberman that Israel purchase the defense system instead, or convince a third country to buy them.
Meridor: 'Natural Growth' was part of Road Map agreement with US
(Ynet)."We never had a deal with the Republican administration, we had an agreement with the United States," Minister of Intelligence Services and Israel's Atomic Energy Commission Dan Meridor said Monday, during a foreign press briefing in Jerusalem.
Speaking of the Road Map agreement, struck between the US and former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government, Meridor said that "the relations between the two countries are based in mutual agreements, and agreements must be upheld.
"In 2003, Israel accepted the Road Map plan and the government voted in favor of it, while filing 14 reservations. It is part of a larger agreement, some of which was in writing and some of it was oral, that has been implemented for the past six years.
"We never had a deal with the Republican administration; we had an agreement with the United States. Yes, it entailed halting settlement expansion, including for "natural growth," and it was in writing, but there were understandings as to the nature and the interpretation of the suspension.
"These understandings were a part of the agreement. Its written part and its oral part compliment each other."
Speaking of the Road Map agreement, struck between the US and former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government, Meridor said that "the relations between the two countries are based in mutual agreements, and agreements must be upheld.
"In 2003, Israel accepted the Road Map plan and the government voted in favor of it, while filing 14 reservations. It is part of a larger agreement, some of which was in writing and some of it was oral, that has been implemented for the past six years.
"We never had a deal with the Republican administration; we had an agreement with the United States. Yes, it entailed halting settlement expansion, including for "natural growth," and it was in writing, but there were understandings as to the nature and the interpretation of the suspension.
"These understandings were a part of the agreement. Its written part and its oral part compliment each other."
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Mofaz:'Livni can't make tough decisions'
(Jpost)."She's a nice person, you can sit and have a drink with her, but we're not in a club; she just doesn't have the ability to make tough decisions," Kadima No. 2 Shaul Mofaz told Army Radio Sunday morning, referring to party leader Tzipi Livni who, heading the largest opposition party, also serves as head of the opposition.
"An absurd situation has arisen," Mofaz continued. "The voter wanted Labor in the opposition and Kadima in the government, but Livni sent Kadima to the opposition and Labor into the government."
"One the one hand, [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu was dragged along by pressure from [US President Barack] Obama and [French President Nicholas] Sarkozy, but on the other hand she [Livni] is stuck on the whole Annapolis issue - a conference whose main significance was in the sheer fact that it took place."
He called on Livni to agree to join a unity government if it accepts the principle of "two states for two peoples," although he said that currently the government was "avoiding a diplomatic solution."
"An absurd situation has arisen," Mofaz continued. "The voter wanted Labor in the opposition and Kadima in the government, but Livni sent Kadima to the opposition and Labor into the government."
"One the one hand, [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu was dragged along by pressure from [US President Barack] Obama and [French President Nicholas] Sarkozy, but on the other hand she [Livni] is stuck on the whole Annapolis issue - a conference whose main significance was in the sheer fact that it took place."
He called on Livni to agree to join a unity government if it accepts the principle of "two states for two peoples," although he said that currently the government was "avoiding a diplomatic solution."
Blow to Kadima - Chaim Ramon to resign from Knesset
(Ynet).After a long career in politics, Knesset Member Haim Ramon (Kadima) will tender his formal resignation on Monday, ahead of taking on the business world. As required, Ramon will submit his resignation to Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin.
Ramon will also bid farewell to his Kadima fellows on Monday, and is expected to address the Knesset for the last time on Wednesday.
Nevertheless, Ramon is not abandoning politics altogether and will be named head of the Kadima Council, as Chairwoman Tzipi Livni still wishes to lean on his expertise.
A source in the centrist party said that "Ramon will still be in the picture, and it is clear that in the future, after the political situation changes, he will be able to be a minister if he wants to."
Rumors of Ramon's nearing retirement from politics have been circling for years, especially since he kept saying he intended to do so.
Considered a shrewd politician, Ramon nearly hung up his political boots right before the Kadima primaries, but Livni was able to get him to change his mind and seek a place on the party's Knesset roster. Ramon agreed, but when Benjamin Netanyahu was tasked with forming the government, and with Kadima's subsequent move into the Opposition, he made up his mind to quit.
Ramon will also bid farewell to his Kadima fellows on Monday, and is expected to address the Knesset for the last time on Wednesday.
Nevertheless, Ramon is not abandoning politics altogether and will be named head of the Kadima Council, as Chairwoman Tzipi Livni still wishes to lean on his expertise.
A source in the centrist party said that "Ramon will still be in the picture, and it is clear that in the future, after the political situation changes, he will be able to be a minister if he wants to."
Rumors of Ramon's nearing retirement from politics have been circling for years, especially since he kept saying he intended to do so.
Considered a shrewd politician, Ramon nearly hung up his political boots right before the Kadima primaries, but Livni was able to get him to change his mind and seek a place on the party's Knesset roster. Ramon agreed, but when Benjamin Netanyahu was tasked with forming the government, and with Kadima's subsequent move into the Opposition, he made up his mind to quit.
PM urges Opposition to support peace principles
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used Sunday's cabinet meeting to urge the Opposition to "act responsibly", calling on its members to show their support for the political principles he detailed during his visit to Europe last week, principles he said were given "due attention".
These principles, Netanyahu said, include the need for a recognition of Israel as the Jewish state, international defense guarantees, a demilitarized Palestinian state, the need to find a solution to the refugee problem outside of Israel and declaring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Within the Opposition, the prime minister already has the support of Knesset Member Otniel Schneller (Kadima), which called on his fellow parliamentarians to support "The government's struggle with the Americans and the world over the matter of natural growth."
PM Netanyahu's Remarks at the Start of the Weekly Cabinet Meeting
Following are excerpts from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting today (Sunday), 28.6.09:
"Last Thursday, I returned from an important and successful round of talks with Italian and French leaders. The goal of the visit was to brief them on our principles for a peaceful solution as I expressed them in my Bar-Ilan University speech, and persuade them that this is the correct, just and practical path to achieve an agreement between us and the Palestinians.
Over three days, I met with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon and French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, as well as with leading Italian and French opinion-makers and commentators, and I found that my interlocutors were attentive. Regarding the principles that we presented, I saw that there was a genuine international willingness to accept them as foundations for peace.
The first principle is the need for explicit Palestinian recognition of the State of Israel as the national state of the Jewish People. The second need is the demilitarization of a Palestinian state in such a manner that all of Israel's security needs will be met. The third item is that there must be international backing of these security arrangements in the form of explicit international guarantees. The fourth item is that the problem of refugees must be resolved outside the borders of Israel. The fifth item is the need that the agreement be an end to the conflict. This is to say that the Palestinians will not be able to raise additional claims following the signing of a peace agreement.
These principles are very solid and were raised very clearly by myself and by those in my delegation, which included Finance Minister Dr. Yuval Steinitz and Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan, and I think, I know, that they expressed a very broad national consensus."
"Last Thursday, I returned from an important and successful round of talks with Italian and French leaders. The goal of the visit was to brief them on our principles for a peaceful solution as I expressed them in my Bar-Ilan University speech, and persuade them that this is the correct, just and practical path to achieve an agreement between us and the Palestinians.
Over three days, I met with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon and French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, as well as with leading Italian and French opinion-makers and commentators, and I found that my interlocutors were attentive. Regarding the principles that we presented, I saw that there was a genuine international willingness to accept them as foundations for peace.
The first principle is the need for explicit Palestinian recognition of the State of Israel as the national state of the Jewish People. The second need is the demilitarization of a Palestinian state in such a manner that all of Israel's security needs will be met. The third item is that there must be international backing of these security arrangements in the form of explicit international guarantees. The fourth item is that the problem of refugees must be resolved outside the borders of Israel. The fifth item is the need that the agreement be an end to the conflict. This is to say that the Palestinians will not be able to raise additional claims following the signing of a peace agreement.
These principles are very solid and were raised very clearly by myself and by those in my delegation, which included Finance Minister Dr. Yuval Steinitz and Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan, and I think, I know, that they expressed a very broad national consensus."
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