MFA Newsletter, July 24 - Behind the Headlines: Terrorism in Jerusalem - Incitement of hatred of Israel in general, and of its Jewish population
in particular, is the apparent cause of the disturbing increase in
terror activities involving Arab residents of East Jerusalem………
The involvement of residents of eastern Jerusalem in terrorism is not a
new phenomenon, but this recent wave of attacks - which Hamas has
hailed as the "Jerusalem Intifada" - is a worrying trend. This is
especially disturbing, as some 290,000 Palestinian holders of Israeli
ID cards reside in the greater Jerusalem area, and the number of East
Jerusalem residents involved in terror activities increased
significantly during 2006; 9 arrests in 2005 as opposed 61 arrests in
2006, an increase of 670%.
IDF, FATAH AND HAMAS
Jerusalem Post, August 2 - Israel sent 34 Fatah loyalists back to Gaza on Sunday morning a day
after they escaped from the Strip following fighting with Hamas - 188 Fatah supporters fled Saturday's clashes and all but those wounded
in the fighting were set to be sent back in accordance with the orders
of Defence Minister Ehud Barak, after the Palestinian Authority refused
to accept them into the West Bank.
…Nine Palestinians were killed - including members of Hamas's security
forces - and more than 90 were wounded in the fighting in Gaza City.
New York Times - Eleven Dead in Hamas Raid on Pro-Fatah Clan in Gaza - The worst intra-Palestinian violence in more than a year left 11 people
dead and 90 injured in Gaza on Saturday as Hamas cracked down on a clan
loyal to its rival, Fatah. Israel allowed 180 Fatah men into Israel and
is treating two dozen of its wounded.
A.P - Abbas Denies Asylum to Supporters from Gaza - Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday refused to grant West Bank asylum to Fatah
forces who fled to Israel after factional fighting in Gaza, despite
fears for their safety. Abbas ordered nearly 200 fighters back to Gaza
from Israel. After the Hamas takeover of Gaza last summer, Abbas agreed
to resettle some 250 of his Gaza loyalists in the West Bank.
Reuters - Israel to Send Gazans Who Fled Hamas to West Bank - Israel said on Monday it would transfer to the West Bank dozens of
pro-Fatah Palestinians who fled Gaza after clashes with Hamas,
reversing a decision to send them back to Gaza.
Jerusalem Post, August 4 - Fatah refugees to be sent to Jericho - The Defence Ministry and the Palestinian Authority decided late Monday
morning to transfer to Jericho the Fatah refugees who were still in
Israel after fleeing Saturday's fierce fighting with Hamas.
The announcement was a change to a decision made overnight Sunday to
have them sent to Ramallah, which had marked a reversal of a previous
decision to send them back to Gaza.
The decision to send the Fatah men to the West Bank followed
discussions overnight Sunday between Defence Ministry officials and the
office of PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
Of the 188 Fatah members who entered Israel, 35 were sent back to Gaza
on Sunday at the request of Abbas, who had initially asked Israel to
treat the wounded and only facilitate the transfer to the West Bank of
five members of the Hilles clan, including its leader Ahmed Hilles.
Nevertheless, after the 35 returned Fatah members were immediately
arrested by Hamas, the IDF filed an objection with the Defence Ministry
that sending the remaining refugees back to Gaza would risk their
lives.
Daily Star- Lebanon - Fatah and Hamas Getting Ready for Another Bloodbath? - Editorial - After three deadly bombings and a string of tit-for-tat arrests,
tensions between Fatah and Hamas are once again running dangerously
high.
Over the past few years, the rivalry between Hamas and Fatah has
rapidly made its way up the list of threats to the Palestinians'
existence. In some circles, it is still fashionable to blame Israel for
all of the Palestinians' troubles, but in this instance, the leaders of
Hamas and Fatah have committed crimes of equal magnitude against their
own constituents.
Not only have scores of people died at the hands of their armed
forces, the fighting has also served to greatly undermine the
Palestinian cause. It has become increasingly difficult for the
international community to feel sympathy for the Palestinian people
when their own leaders provide so much media ammunition to distract the
world from their plight.
The image of lawlessness and internecine
warfare conveys the image of a people who are simply not ready for
self-governance or an independent state.
International mediators will soon grow tired of helping those who show no interest whatsoever in helping themselves.
Washington Post - Arab Aid to Palestinians Often Doesn't Fulfill Pledges - Glenn Kessler - Despite pledges of support for the Palestinian Authority by nearly two
dozen Arab nations, only a handful of Arab countries are sending even a
small portion of the money they promised.
Only Algeria, Saudi Arabia
and the United Arab Emirates have contributed funds this year, while
oil-rich countries such as Libya, Kuwait and Qatar have sent nothing
and still owe the Palestinian government more than $700 million in
past-due pledges.
European governments, the World Bank and the U.S. have provided
more than three times as much money as Arab countries this year to keep
the PA afloat. After the collapse of a unity government that had
included Hamas in June 2007, the PA received only $73 million from Arab
countries in the second half of 2007, compared with $371 million given
by the Arabs to the unity government in the first half of the year.
Arab diplomats said there is little trust that the PA will use their
contributions wisely.
Jerusalem Post July 29 - IDF starts using lasers near Gaza - Alongside production of the Iron Dome interceptor, Rafael is also in
the midst of developing a solid-based laser system that is believed to
be the future in short-range missile interception. The Jerusalem Post
has learned that a prototype of the model is already used by the IDF
Southern Command to detonate explosive devices planted alongside the
border fence.
"With the laser, there is no need to send troops across the border to destroy the bomb," one official explained.
The Defence Ministry is also closely following the development of a
Star Wars-like laser beam system recently ordered by the United States
government to help defend troops operating in Iraq and Afghanistan
under the threat of short-range rockets and mortar shells.
Called the Laser Air Defence System (LADS), the platform is under
development by Raytheon in the US and was put on display earlier this
month at the Farnborough defence expo in England.
SYRIA
Syrians See an Economic Side to Peace, July 29 - Damascus, Syria - Like most Syrians, Samer Zayat has no love for
Israel. He was a little uneasy when Syria announced in late May that it
was holding indirect talks on a peace settlement with its old nemesis.
Yet Mr. Zayat, a 35-year-old television cinematographer, says he views
a peace deal with Israel as necessary and inevitable — not just for
political reasons, but because Syria’s vulnerable economy needs all the
help it can get.
“We are tired, the country is suffocating…. “Poverty is increasing,
inequality is increasing, and I believe the street is frustrated,” Mr.
Deeb said. “They need peace with all our neighbours.”
EUROPE
Jerusalem Post, August 3 - German government blasted for Iran gas deal - There is mounting political criticism being directed at German
Economics Minister Michael Glos for his failure to clamp down on
economic cronyism at his ministry involving trade with Iran,
particularly a deal to supply Iran with €100 million of liquefied
natural gas, first reported in The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
Obama's whirlwind tour - The Triumph of the Anti- Bush - A crowd of 200,000 in Berlin and an enthusiastic welcome in Jerusalem
and Paris: Barack Obama's whirlwind tour of the Middle East and Europe
has fascinated the crowds and impressed politicians. Will it be enough
to overcome doubts about his foreign policy expertise?
Spiegel, July 30 - Serbian Warlord transferred - Karadzic Extradited to The Hague - The Double Life of Radovan Karadzic - For over a decade former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic was one
of the world's most wanted men. But instead of going underground, he
sought a very public life -- even giving a talk on TV -- until the new
government in Belgrade finally put an end to his strange new life. ….
TURKEY
Terror in Istanbul - Why Sunday's Bombings Could Help Erdogan - Sunday's terror attack in Istanbul hit Turkey at a particularly
critical juncture. The country's highest court is expected to rule soon
on the legality of the prime minister's Islamist-rooted AKP party. But
Erdogan himself stands to profit if the bloodbath leads the judges to
issue a ruling that fosters national unity.
- Istanbul Blasts: Arrests Made as PKK Denies Involvement
-
Terror Attack on US Consulate: Six Dead in Gun Battle in Istanbul
-
The Battle for Turkey: Coup Plot Intensifies Ankara's Power Struggle
New York Times, July 29 - After Bombing, Turkish Leader Urges Unity - The attack was the most deadly in Istanbul in five years. In 2003,
an obscure group linked to Al Qaeda carried out four suicide attacks in
Istanbul against British and Jewish targets, killing more than 60
people and wounding hundreds. This month, gunmen opened fire outside
the United States Consulate in Istanbul, and three police officers and
three attackers were killed. The authorities said the attackers had
ties to Al Qaeda.
CHINA
New York Times, July 31 - China to Limit Web Access During Olympic Games - Beijing - The International Olympic Committee failed to press China to
allow fully unfettered access to the Internet for the thousands of
journalists arriving here to cover the Olympics, despite promising
repeatedly that the foreign news media could “report freely” during the
Games, Olympic officials acknowledged
July 30 - China Unveils Emergency Pollution Plans for Games, By Reuters - Beijing, July 31 (Reuters) - China has announced a slew of emergency
measures in and around Beijing in case air pollution remains poor
during the Olympics, including taking more cars off the roads and
slashing production at more than 220 factories.
ANTI-SEMITISM
CFCA - Ukraine – Anti-Semitism project debuts in Ukraine - The Ukrainian Jewish Committee and a group of young Ukrainians launched a project targeting xenophobia and anti-Semitism.
Using the slogans “Say no to xenophobia,” and “Anti-Semitism - No!"
more than 30 members of the Youth, Europe, Future organization with the
Ukrainian Jewish Committee protested in Kiev against racist attacks and
other forms of intolerance.
The project will monitor and counteract intolerance in the media, as
well as at events, demonstrations and speeches. It also will maintain a
database of the neo-Nazi centers, push authorities to intensify the
struggle against anti-Semitism, race discrimination, xenophobia and
other forms of intolerance; and expand the initiatives against neo-Nazi
propaganda and xenophobia in Ukraine.
Aleksandra Feldman, the leader of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee and a
Ukrainian lawmaker, said his organization is especially concerned about
the lack or absence of official statistics regarding racial and
xenophobic attacks.
“The racial and anti-Semitic motivation as a rule is not taken into
account, and Ukrainian courts identify them as hooliganism" Feldman
said.
Jerusalem Post, Aug.2 - UK anti-Semitic incidents on the rise - There was an increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the UK in the first
half of 2008, with a significant increase involving students of higher
education, the Community Security Trust reported on Thursday.
The CST, which provides security for British Jews and represents the
community to police, government and media on anti-Semitism and security
issues, recorded 266 anti-Semitic incidents in the first six months of
the year.
That represents a 9 percent rise from the 244 incidents recorded in the
same period last year. The increase was primarily found in smaller
Jewish communities beyond the main centres of London and Manchester,
and CST said it might reflect improved reporting of incidents in urban
areas.
July 24, 2008 - Infolive.tv Exclusive - Israel Faces Its Worst Water Crisis Ever - As the dry months of summer sweep through the Middle East, Israel is
faced with its worst water crisis ever. The water levels in Israel's
three main water sources - the Sea of Galilee, the Coastal Aquifer and
the Mountain Aquifer - have now receded to the lowest levels in
recorded history.
All three have already dropped below the red line -
the line at which it is recommended to stop pumping from the water
source. Faced with increased consumption due to population growth, land
development and water commitments to Jordan and Palestine, Israel has
no choice but to continue pumping from its water sources. Yet if Israel
continues, water levels will soon drop under the black line - the point
of no return, where continued pumping will cause severe, irreversible
damage to the Israel's water sources. With many more rainless months to
go, Israel is already dangerously close.
