 | | Abbas Sends SOS to Sharon
PA chairman Abbas has agreed to meet Prime Minister Sharon this Tuesday - on the backdrop of an armed police incursion into a PA parliament session on Monday. Talk of civil war abounds.
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| 1. Abbas Sends SOS to Sharon
|  | | By Hillel Fendel
PA chairman Abbas has agreed to meet Prime Minister Sharon this Tuesday - on the backdrop of an armed police incursion into a PA parliament session on Monday. Talk of civil war abounds.
| "We are on the verge of civil war if the situation remains out of control," said Kaddoura Fares, a PA legislator aligned with the Fatah movement headed by Abbas - also known as Abu Mazen.
A PA police commander was killed by Hamas gunmen in a Gaza City street battle on Sunday, and several policemen stormed into the parliament compound the next day, demanding a crackdown on Hamas. Shots were fired outside the building, and one armed policeman entered the chamber and interrupted the session. Shortly afterwards, the PA legislature resolved overwhelmingly to vote Abbas out of office if he does not form a new government within two weeks.
Against this backdrop, King Abdullah II of Jordan announced last night that he had arranged a meeting for next Tuesday between Sharon and Abbas. This, only ten days after the king met with rabbis and Jewish students in the U.S. and delivered a message of tolerance and respect for Judaism.
Middle East expert Prof. Rafi Yisraeli, speaking with Arutz-7 today, said that the Sharon-Abbas meeting is an "SOS call from Abbas to Sharon." Before he elaborated, however, he said that King Abdullah's intervention in arranging it requires explanation:
"When he has problems with Iraq, he doesn't come and ask for our help, so why is he getting involved between us and the Palestinians? In my opinion, this shows the basic flaw in the entire process known as the 'peace process' - including our peace treaty with Jordan. The whole country [Israel] was excited about the 'great' thing we did by signing a peace treaty with Jordan in 1994 - but the fact is that we didn't sign an agreement with Jordan, but rather with the Hashemite Kingdom.
"[The problem is that] the Hashemite family is not a state, nor is it a nation, but is rather a regime that controls a country that is mostly Palestinian. It is well known that King Abdullah is scared to death, just like his father King Hussein was, that one day they will be told that Jordan is really the Palestinian state, or part thereof. Therefore, King Hussein made a very smart move by making peace with Israel, thus having Israel recognize Jordan as a Hashemite country - leaving the Palestinian problem for us [Israel] to deal with all alone. And we fell into this trap, and in fact the Palestinian problem is all ours. In the meantime, Abdullah plays the role of the hero, the mediator, etc.
"But the [Palestinian] problem won't go away, because if the Arabs of Judea and Samaria receive a state, and even if they are fine and perfect, they still only comprise a third of those who see themselves as Palestinian; the 2/3 who are in other countries will still continue to knock on our doors. There is simply no solution to the Palestinian problem if [the area of] Jordan is not involved - and yet Sharon is going along with Abdullah's strategy."
Returning to the immediate problems within the Palestinian Authority, Prof. Yisraeli said, "The PA tries to act like a democracy, and pass itself off as one - but the fact is that the PA police ran into the PA parliament in protest of the PA's lack of action against Hamas. That's a democracy? That's more like Franco's regime in Spain... In addition, Hamas is planning to run in the elections, which are now scheduled for this coming January, and has already announced its intentions if it wins: a Hamas fundamentalist state, outlawing all contacts with Israel, etc."
Given these issues, Yisraeli said, "I think that the purpose of this meeting is for Abu Mazen to ask for Israel's help in postponing the elections [because he does not want to risk a Hamas victory]. But this is also a two-edged sword for the PA, because if the elections are pushed off, this will give an excuse to Hamas to start acting up; also, there are others who want the elections, so that it can be clearly seen how much support the PA has. On the other hand, if the elections are held on time, neither Sharon nor U.S. can prevent Hamas from taking part - and then Abu Mazen will be in trouble. That's why he comes with an SOS to Sharon, whom he previously didn't want to meet at all. And what will Abu Mazen demand? He wants Israel to release more terrorist prisoners, including murderers, so that he can come to his people with this achievement and thus gain their support."
Yisrael continued his analysis, relating it to the recent expulsion/abandonment of Gaza:
"This whole process will put the entire disengagement process to a critical test. For if there are elections and Hamas wins, then we really will have accomplished nothing at all [by leaving Gaza] - we'll simply have a very hostile state on our border, with rocket attacks and terrorism, leaving us with no option; we certainly won't fire rockets at a civilian population... But if Abu Mazen succeeds in getting us to free his prisoners, and then he wins the election, Hamas won't take this quietly, and Hamas-PA clashes can be expected. This will mean that the PA is not receiving the public legitimacy it needs, especially in light of the armed police break-in on Monday, etc. In short, the situation is quite volatile, and Israel does not appear to have anything to gain, as usual."
Hamas members have already said that they object to any postponement of the elections. Hamas spokesman Moshir Al-Masri announced that holding the elections on time is a "popular demand and a national necessity," threatening that the "Palestinian nation will not tolerate any further postponement of the elections."
Elections in the Palestinian Authority have only been held once, in January 1996, and have been postponed three times in recent years.
The Hamas concerns are not groundless. At least one PA parliament member, Hatam Abdel Kader from the Jerusalem district, has confirmed that there is high-level talk of pushing off the elections.
Though Prime Minister Sharon has said in the past that Israel would do everything it could to prevent the elections if the Hamas terrorist organization were to take part, Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz has waffled on the issue. He told Army Radio this week that Israel "need not intervene in the PA elections," though he said that Israel is totally within its rights in demanding that Hamas be disarmed first.
Hamas leader Mahmoud A-Zahar said this week that any attempt by the Palestinian Authority to disarm any of the other organizations would be considered "treachery" and could lead to a civil war. He said that the groups' weapons are "clean and pure" and are directed only against the enemy [Israel].
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| | 2. Supreme Court Outlaws Army Tactic
|  | | By Hillel Fendel
The High Court ruled today that the Israel Defense Forces' "neighbor procedure," designed to save lives and facilitate the peaceful arrest of wanted terrorists, is illegal.
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Under the procedure, IDF forces approach a house in which wanted terrorists are suspected to be hiding out, and prepare to arrest him. To avoid a military-style entry, involving the risk of violent escalation and deaths on both sides, including nearby Arab residents, the army orders or asks an Arab living in a neighboring house to knock on the door. The Arab is to inform those inside that the army is seeking their arrest and is demanding that they give themselves up. The operative assumption of the procedure is that Arabs would not open fire or otherwise harm their own compatriots.
The three-justice panel, headed by Chief Justice Aharon Barak, ruled unanimously today that the procedure should not be used, even if the neighbor agrees to take part. The judges agreed with the claim made by a PA civil rights organization - one of seven groups that demanded the outlawing of the procedure - that the neighbor's consent to take part is the result of his fear of the army.
In August 2002, a restraining order was issued against the procedure, just days after one "neighbor" was shot and killed by the wanted suspect - even though the killer was warned via loudspeaker that his neighbor was approaching. Col. (res.) Moshe Hager told Israel Television at the time that the procedure had been used safely many thousands of times, and that "it actually saves Arab lives, because if we cannot catch the suspects, then we have to drop bombs on them, which can accidentally kill neighboring civilians." He also said that Israel's ethical imperative is to do whatever it has to in order to fight terrorists.
The Supreme Court judges do not agree, feeling that the Arab neighbor must not be endangered at all. "In balancing the military and humanitarian considerations," Barak wrote, "the considerations that forbid the army to use local residents have the upper hand."
"There is no way to know for sure in advance if the neighbor will be endangered," Barak wrote in his ruling. He explained that he was referring not only to the "physical danger of gunshots from the house in which the wanted terrorist is hiding, but also the broader risk that a local resident can expect from cooperating with the army."
Deputy Chief Justice Mishael Heshin and Justice Dorit Beinish agreed with Barak, though Heshin was slightly less enthusiastic. "Whatever decision I make, there will come a time when I regret it," he wrote, but in the end sided with Barak.
The organizations that brought the suit against the procedure included the Israeli human rights group B'tzelem, the Adala Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, and Doctors for Human Rights. The suit was brought against Israel's Prime Minister, the Defense Minister, the IDF Chief of Staff, and the IDF Central District Commander.
In January 2003, the Supreme Court relaxed the restraining order it had previously issued, and allowed the army to ask neighbors for their help, but not force them. In today's ruling, however, this was outlawed as well.
The judges ruled that the neighbor procedure violates international law. It was noted, however, that the necessity for the procedure stems from a previous violation of international law, namely, terrorist activity from within populated areas.
A former paratroopers regiment commander, quoted on Ynet, said, "It must be remembered that the terrorists choose purposely to act from within populated areas, with the populace serving as their human shield... Our activities are therefore not carried out under sterile conditions."
Left-wing elements praised the decision. Meretz party leader Yossi Beilin said that the Supreme Court had saved the day, adding, "It's said that the regime in Israel is unable to understand on its own that the neighbor procedure... blackened Israel's face for no reason and harmed its status as the only democracy in the Middle East."
Labor MK Raleb Majadele said, "The Court's decision is another step symbolizing progress in the IDF's relation to Palestinian citizens."
On the other hand, National Religious Party head MK Zevulun Orlev said, "This ruling joins the Court's rulings regarding the security fence and is an indication of a dangerous trend by the Supreme Court justices, who are willing to endanger the lives of IDF soldiers and Israeli citizens in order not to hurt Palestinians."
Shas Party leader MK Eli Yishai said, "The need to present ourselves as refined and 'bleeding hearts' is liable to endanger IDF soldiers."
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Order today to reserve yours! | | 3. Franklin Admits Sharing Info With AIPAC and Israeli Embassy
|  | | By Hillel Fendel
Ex-U.S. Defense Department official Larry Franklin has pleaded guilty, in a plea bargain arrangement, to three counts of passing classified information about Iran to Israeli diplomats and lobbyists.
| Franklin, whose expertise is Middle East affairs, pleaded guilty to passing secret information to Israeli diplomats and to members of the American-Israeli Political Action Committee (AIPAC). He said he was "frustrated" by the U.S. government's policy on a particular issue - apparently its stance on Iran - but that he never intented to harm the United States.
He said that he hoped to influence American policy by sharing military information with the lobbyists, in the hope that they would pass it on to the National Security Council.
Franklin also admitted having met with Naor Gilon, Rafi Barak and a third Israeli diplomat in Washington. He said he shared information with them regarding weapons tests in the Middle East, military activities in Iraq and other matters. During the court hearing yesterday, Franklin said that he assumed the information was already known to Israel, and that he received far more information than he gave.
Franklin will be sentenced on Jan. 20. Though the charges carry maximum sentences of 25 years, Franklin is hoping that his consent to testify in a future trial against the two AIPAC lobbyists - Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman - will gain him some consideration. In addition, the plea agreement calls for Franklin to forfeit his government pension, and not to speak with the press until three years after he leaves prison.
AIPAC, a lobbying organization for the Israeli government, fired the two lobbyists back in April, when the story first broke, and has reportedly cooperated with the government investigation. Rosen and Weissman were indicted this summer on charges of conspiring to receive and transfer classified information, and their trial is set to begin in early January. It is assumed that the plea bargain arrangement with Franklin will make it easier to prosecute them.
This is not certain, though. Franklin is expected to testify that the information he shared with the lobbyists was classified, and that he told them as much. However, at the hearing yesterday, he began detailing one of the documents in question, until he was stopped by lawyers warning him that he was revealing classified information. This would appear to indicate that he was not aware of the level of secrecy of the documents in question.
In any event, a lawyer for Rosen said he does not think the plea bargain will affect his client's case. "The actions of a government worker in dealing with classified information," he said, "is simply not the same as that of a private person, whether he is a reporter or a lobbyist."
At a previous court hearing last month, Rosen's lawyers complained they were not given access to classified documents used by the prosecution.
The Israeli Embassy released this statement in response to Franklin's confession: "We have full confidence in our diplomats, who are dedicated and professional and act in accordance with diplomatic procedure."
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| | 4. U.S. Congressmen Trying to Avert Lulav Crisis
|  | | By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
U.S. legislators and Israeli and American Jewish leaders are trying to convince Egypt to allow at least a partial shipment of lulavim, palm leaves used on the Succoth holiday.
| Egypt announced last month it would prohibit exports of 700,000 lulavim, but New York Congressman Gary Ackerman (Democrat) has raised the issue with the Egyptian ambassador and with a close aide to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Pennsylvania Senator Erick Santorum (Republican) also has contacted the ambassador and urged him to "consider the needs of Jewish communities around the world."
Egypt has agreed to release a limited number of the 700,000 palm leaves it exports every year, according to Aguda Israel director Rabbi Abba Cohen.
The lulav is one of the four species used on the Jewish holiday of Succoth (Feast of Tabernacles), which is celebrated seven days (eight days outside Israel) starting the night of October 17. Prices for the lulavim will skyrocket if none come from Egypt, the prime supplier.
The Egyptian Agriculture Ministry has insisted that cutting the palm leaves damages the trees' growth, a similar complaint among Israel environmentalists who have protested against people taking the leaf from the center of palm trees.
Other major suppliers are in the western United States and Israel, but distributors have began contacting Jordanian officials following Egypt's ban on exporting lulavim.
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Click Here! | | 5. Arabs Stab and Shoot at Soldiers in Shechem Region
|  | | By Hillel Fendel
Four attacks, including three attempted stabbings, over the past several days brought the total number of attacks against Israeli soldiers in the Shechem (Nablus) area over the past two weeks to 16.
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The latest incident occurred on Wednesday, the second day of the Rosh HaShanah holiday. An 18-year-old Arab attempted to stab a female military police officer at the Beit Furik checkpoint, near Shechem in the central Shomron (Samaria). An alert IDF soldier shot at the terrorist, injuring only an Arab bystander instead. The injured man was taken to an Israeli medical facility, while the attacker was arrested.
The day before, an Arab mother of six stabbed a female IDF soldier, inflicting light-to-moderate wounds in her neck, at the Hawara checkpoint south of Shechem and Yitzhar. IDF soldiers on the site shot the attacker dead. The Yasser Arafat Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claimed responsibility for the attack.
This past Sunday, at a checkpoint east of Shechem, an armed terrorist broke out into a run towards the soldiers, yelling, "Allahu Akbar!" The commanding officer shot at his legs, inflicting light-to-moderate injuries. The terrorist, who had planned to stab Israeli soldiers, was treated on the spot, and was then taken to an Israeli hospital.
An Arab shooting at an army checkpoint in the area last night brought the number of local terrorist shootings to 13 over the past two weeks.
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| | 6. PA Wants to Release Killer of Israeli Tourist Minister
|  | | By Scott Shiloh
Crossings into and out of Gaza are not the only items on the agenda for next week's Sharon-Abbas meeting. The PA wants to free the man resposible for killing Rehavam Ze'evi.
| In preliminary talks scheduled for Friday between Palestinian Authority negotiator Saib Erekat and Sharon advisor Dov Wiesglass, Erekat will demand that Israel begin releasing Arab terrorists who murdered Israelis.
In addition, Erekat will announce the PA's intention to release Ahmed Sa’adat, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who was responsible for the murder of Rehavam Ze’evi, Israel’s former tourist minister. Ze’evi was gunned down in a Jerusalem hotel in October, 2001. Under a U.S. brokered agreement, Sa’adat remains under custody in a PA jail in Jericho.
Erekat and Weisglass will be meeting in order to prepare Sharon and PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) for a meeting scheduled to take place next week.
Responding to the PA’s demands, Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ehud Olmert said on Israel radio Thurday morning, “I don’t think he [Abbas] can expect the release of prisoners with blood on their hands.”
Aside from freeing terrorist killers, Erekat is expected to demand that Israel cease all construction and expansion of Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria and stop work on the security barrier going up around Jerusalem and roughly along the pre-1967 armistice lines.
Already on the agenda for the Sharon-Abbas meeting are a number of matters that have yet to be resolved following Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza area in August. These issues include the management of crossings for people and goods between Gaza and Israel, and Gaza and Egypt.
Also on the table are measures negotiated last February between the two men in Sharm e-Sheik providing for an Israeli pullback of IDF troops from Arab-populated cities in Judea and Samaria. A pullback from the city of Tulkarem was carried out earlier this year, but an upsurge of terrorism halted further planned withdrawals from Shechem and Ramallah.
Olmert said that Israel would consider taking measures to ease the day-to-day life of Arabs living in Judea and Samaria.
"Anything that can ease the plight of residents in Judea and Samaria and protect Israel from danger is something that should be legitimately considered," Olmert told Israel radio.
Despite recent attempts to ease relations between Israel and the PA, the PA’s legislative council has decided to estabish an investigatory committee to determine whether Israel was responsible for Yassir Arafat’s death. Many PA Arabs are convinced that Israel had a role in bringing about Arafat’s demise.
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