9 may 2014
US National Security Adviser Susan Rice assured Israel at high-level talks on Thursday that Washington remained determined to stop Iran developing nuclear arms, the White House said.
"The US delegation reaffirmed our commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon," said a White House statement released after talks in Jerusalem between Rice, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials from both sides.
"The delegations held thorough consultations on all aspects of the challenge posed by Iran, and pledged to continue the unprecedented coordination between the United States and Israel," it added.
Earlier, Netanyahu said the best defense against a nuclear Iran was to block it from developing such a weapon in the first place and he referred to a new round of talks between Tehran and world powers due to open next week in Vienna.
"The most important thing is that Iran does not attain the ability to develop a nuclear weapon, and that needs to be and must be the ultimate and most important goal of the current negotiations with Iran," he said.
"That needs to be the object of the talks, that is Israel's position, that needs to be the position of everyone who really wants to prevent the renewed threat of mass destruction by a radical regime," Netanyahu said at a ceremony marking the 69th anniversary of the allied defeat of Nazi Germany.
The White House statement said the Israeli-US talks Thursday also dealt with "other critical regional and bilateral issues," without elaborating.
"The delegations shared views candidly and intensively, in the spirit of the extraordinary and unprecedented security cooperation between our two countries," it said.
It was Rice's first trip to Israel since she took office last July and it came shortly after the collapse of US-brokered Middle East peace talks.
The White House is assessing whether to try to salvage its Middle East peace efforts after the collapse in late April of nine months of US-brokered negotiations vigorously promoted by Secretary of State John Kerry.
Netanyahu suspended negotiations after the Palestine Liberation Organisation, dominated by Abbas' Fatah movement, struck a reconciliation deal with Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.
'Catch 22'
"Netanyahu is in a 'Catch 22' situation," senior Palestinian official Nabil Shaath told a convention of the Israeli leftist party Meretz in Tel Aviv on Thursday evening.
"Before the reconciliation with Hamas, (the Israelis) argued that Fatah had no control over Hamas and therefore didn't represent all of the Palestinian people," he said.
"After the agreement with Hamas, they say we made a deal with a terror organisation."
Rice met for dinner late Thursday with President Mahmoud Abbas at his headquarters in Ramallah and said that despite the halt in talks the US remained committed to the process.
"Ambassador Rice underscored that while we have come to a pause in the parties’ talks, the United States believes the only way to achieve lasting peace is through direct negotiations that lead to two viable, independent states living side-by-side in peace and security," another White House statement said after their meeting.
Referring to the Hamas rapprochement: "She reiterated US policy that any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognition of the State of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations between the parties," the statement said.
Abbas told his guest that the Palestinian people's interest was "to seek the unity of land and people through the implementation of the reconciliation agreement and the formation of a government of independents to prepare free and fair elections," his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said in a statement.
"The US delegation reaffirmed our commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon," said a White House statement released after talks in Jerusalem between Rice, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials from both sides.
"The delegations held thorough consultations on all aspects of the challenge posed by Iran, and pledged to continue the unprecedented coordination between the United States and Israel," it added.
Earlier, Netanyahu said the best defense against a nuclear Iran was to block it from developing such a weapon in the first place and he referred to a new round of talks between Tehran and world powers due to open next week in Vienna.
"The most important thing is that Iran does not attain the ability to develop a nuclear weapon, and that needs to be and must be the ultimate and most important goal of the current negotiations with Iran," he said.
"That needs to be the object of the talks, that is Israel's position, that needs to be the position of everyone who really wants to prevent the renewed threat of mass destruction by a radical regime," Netanyahu said at a ceremony marking the 69th anniversary of the allied defeat of Nazi Germany.
The White House statement said the Israeli-US talks Thursday also dealt with "other critical regional and bilateral issues," without elaborating.
"The delegations shared views candidly and intensively, in the spirit of the extraordinary and unprecedented security cooperation between our two countries," it said.
It was Rice's first trip to Israel since she took office last July and it came shortly after the collapse of US-brokered Middle East peace talks.
The White House is assessing whether to try to salvage its Middle East peace efforts after the collapse in late April of nine months of US-brokered negotiations vigorously promoted by Secretary of State John Kerry.
Netanyahu suspended negotiations after the Palestine Liberation Organisation, dominated by Abbas' Fatah movement, struck a reconciliation deal with Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.
'Catch 22'
"Netanyahu is in a 'Catch 22' situation," senior Palestinian official Nabil Shaath told a convention of the Israeli leftist party Meretz in Tel Aviv on Thursday evening.
"Before the reconciliation with Hamas, (the Israelis) argued that Fatah had no control over Hamas and therefore didn't represent all of the Palestinian people," he said.
"After the agreement with Hamas, they say we made a deal with a terror organisation."
Rice met for dinner late Thursday with President Mahmoud Abbas at his headquarters in Ramallah and said that despite the halt in talks the US remained committed to the process.
"Ambassador Rice underscored that while we have come to a pause in the parties’ talks, the United States believes the only way to achieve lasting peace is through direct negotiations that lead to two viable, independent states living side-by-side in peace and security," another White House statement said after their meeting.
Referring to the Hamas rapprochement: "She reiterated US policy that any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognition of the State of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations between the parties," the statement said.
Abbas told his guest that the Palestinian people's interest was "to seek the unity of land and people through the implementation of the reconciliation agreement and the formation of a government of independents to prepare free and fair elections," his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said in a statement.
14 apr 2014
Minister in charge of nuclear affairs believes Israel will not adopt 'any agreement' that keeps Iran within a year of attaining nuclear weaponry.
Israel described as "unacceptable" on Monday remarks by US Secretary of State John Kerry suggesting cautious openness to negotiating a nuclear deal that would keep Iran six to 12 months away from bomb-making capability.
"In the past, and also recently, what we heard from the Americans, including publicly, and from the Europeans and even from the Russians, was that Iran must be distanced years – not months but years – from nuclear weaponry," said Yuval Steinitz, the Israeli cabinet minister in charge of nuclear affairs.
Iran, which denies seeking nuclear arms, is in talks with Washington and five other world powers on rolling back its work on uranium enrichment and a potentially plutonium-yielding reactor.
Briefing US senators last week, Kerry stopped short of saying negotiators would "settle for" a timeline of six to 12 months in which Iran could amass enough fissile material for a nuclear device but said it would be "significantly more" than the current two months it would take.
"The things that Kerry said... are worrying. They are surprising. They are not acceptable," Steinitz told Israel Radio.
The censure of Kerry's remarks follows a cascade of Israeli criticism of the US statesman's mediation of peace talks with the Palestinians, which are now deadlocked.
"We will not be able to adopt and accept any agreement that keeps Iran within a range of months to a year from nuclear weaponry, because such an agreement would not hold water," Steinitz said, reiterating Israel's demand that its arch-enemy be stripped of nuclear capabilities.
"It would also prompt Iran to get nuclear weaponry, and Sunni Arab countries like Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, perhaps also Turkey and the UAE, to seek to launch a nuclear arms race."
Israel described as "unacceptable" on Monday remarks by US Secretary of State John Kerry suggesting cautious openness to negotiating a nuclear deal that would keep Iran six to 12 months away from bomb-making capability.
"In the past, and also recently, what we heard from the Americans, including publicly, and from the Europeans and even from the Russians, was that Iran must be distanced years – not months but years – from nuclear weaponry," said Yuval Steinitz, the Israeli cabinet minister in charge of nuclear affairs.
Iran, which denies seeking nuclear arms, is in talks with Washington and five other world powers on rolling back its work on uranium enrichment and a potentially plutonium-yielding reactor.
Briefing US senators last week, Kerry stopped short of saying negotiators would "settle for" a timeline of six to 12 months in which Iran could amass enough fissile material for a nuclear device but said it would be "significantly more" than the current two months it would take.
"The things that Kerry said... are worrying. They are surprising. They are not acceptable," Steinitz told Israel Radio.
The censure of Kerry's remarks follows a cascade of Israeli criticism of the US statesman's mediation of peace talks with the Palestinians, which are now deadlocked.
"We will not be able to adopt and accept any agreement that keeps Iran within a range of months to a year from nuclear weaponry, because such an agreement would not hold water," Steinitz said, reiterating Israel's demand that its arch-enemy be stripped of nuclear capabilities.
"It would also prompt Iran to get nuclear weaponry, and Sunni Arab countries like Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, perhaps also Turkey and the UAE, to seek to launch a nuclear arms race."
Foreign minister says talks with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait held in attempt to establish diplomatic ties based on common fear from Iran.
Israel is holding secret talks with some Arab states that do not recognise it, looking to establish diplomatic ties based on a common fear of Iran, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Yedioth Ahronot in an interview published on Monday.
Amongst the countries he was in contact with were Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Lieberman said - the first such disclosure by a senior Israeli official. The two nations swiftly denied the existence of any talks with Israel. Both these states, along with most other Arab nations, have traditionally been highly hostile towards Israel, which has only signed peace deals with two neighbours - Egypt and Jordan.
However, anti-Israeli sentiment was being superseded by a growing concern over Iran's nuclear program, Tehran's regional allies, and the menace of Islamist militancy, Lieberman said. "For the first time there is an understanding there that the real threat is not Israel, the Jews or Zionism. It is Iran, global jihad, (Lebanese Shi'ite guerrilla group) Hezbollah and al-Qaeda," the foreign minister said. "There are contacts, there are talks, but we are very close to the stage in which within a year or 18 months it will no longer be secret, it will be conducted openly," added Lieberman, who is a far rightist in the coalition government.
Lieberman said he was in touch with "moderate" Arabs - a term Israelis often use for Sunni states in the Gulf and elsewhere in the Middle East that align with US interests. He also said he would have no problem visiting Saudi Arabia or Kuwait. "I have spent more than a few years of meetings and talks with them. As far as they are concerned, there is only one red rag and that is Iran," he said.
"You have to understand that if in Bahrain outlaws Hamas or Hezbollah, it's not because of Israel. When the presidential candidate in Egypt, General al-Sisi, outlaws the Muslim Brotherhood, it's not because of Zionism. They understand that we are on the same side of the divide," he noted.
A spokesman for Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said: "There are no ties or talks with Israel at any level."
In Kuwait, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Khaled al-Jarallah said: "It is not true, we don't have these kind of talks."
Full relations
Lieberman claimed a peace agreement could be signed with moderate Arab countries within five years, and claimed that some new Israeli-Arab peace accords would be signed in 2019.
"I'm certain that by then we will have a situation in which we have full diplomatic relations with most of the moderate Arab states. And you can count on my word," he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long hinted that Israel and the Gulf states share a similar goal in halting Iran's nuclear program, saying they all saw a mortal threat in its ambitious atomic drive. Iran denies that it is planning to build nuclear weapons. Senior Israeli officials have also said that like themselves, moderate Sunni states are worried that Washington was not taking a tough enough line with Tehran. However, analysts have scoffed at the idea that ties between Israel and much of the Arab world could be normalized while the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remained unresolved.
US-brokered peace talks between the two are floundering, with no indication that a resolution is anywhere in sight. "To Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, the cost of open relations with Israel at this time may be higher than the benefit, given the position of the Arab street," Israeli think tank, the Institute for National Security Studies, said in a report in December. Lieberman, who has worked hard in recent months to soften his hardline international image, suggested Arab nations were as eager as Israel to be open about their shared interests.
"I think that they too are stewing in their own juice and reaching an awareness that there will be no choice but to move from the secret stage of the dialogue between us to the open stage of the talks," he said.
Israel is holding secret talks with some Arab states that do not recognise it, looking to establish diplomatic ties based on a common fear of Iran, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Yedioth Ahronot in an interview published on Monday.
Amongst the countries he was in contact with were Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Lieberman said - the first such disclosure by a senior Israeli official. The two nations swiftly denied the existence of any talks with Israel. Both these states, along with most other Arab nations, have traditionally been highly hostile towards Israel, which has only signed peace deals with two neighbours - Egypt and Jordan.
However, anti-Israeli sentiment was being superseded by a growing concern over Iran's nuclear program, Tehran's regional allies, and the menace of Islamist militancy, Lieberman said. "For the first time there is an understanding there that the real threat is not Israel, the Jews or Zionism. It is Iran, global jihad, (Lebanese Shi'ite guerrilla group) Hezbollah and al-Qaeda," the foreign minister said. "There are contacts, there are talks, but we are very close to the stage in which within a year or 18 months it will no longer be secret, it will be conducted openly," added Lieberman, who is a far rightist in the coalition government.
Lieberman said he was in touch with "moderate" Arabs - a term Israelis often use for Sunni states in the Gulf and elsewhere in the Middle East that align with US interests. He also said he would have no problem visiting Saudi Arabia or Kuwait. "I have spent more than a few years of meetings and talks with them. As far as they are concerned, there is only one red rag and that is Iran," he said.
"You have to understand that if in Bahrain outlaws Hamas or Hezbollah, it's not because of Israel. When the presidential candidate in Egypt, General al-Sisi, outlaws the Muslim Brotherhood, it's not because of Zionism. They understand that we are on the same side of the divide," he noted.
A spokesman for Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said: "There are no ties or talks with Israel at any level."
In Kuwait, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Khaled al-Jarallah said: "It is not true, we don't have these kind of talks."
Full relations
Lieberman claimed a peace agreement could be signed with moderate Arab countries within five years, and claimed that some new Israeli-Arab peace accords would be signed in 2019.
"I'm certain that by then we will have a situation in which we have full diplomatic relations with most of the moderate Arab states. And you can count on my word," he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long hinted that Israel and the Gulf states share a similar goal in halting Iran's nuclear program, saying they all saw a mortal threat in its ambitious atomic drive. Iran denies that it is planning to build nuclear weapons. Senior Israeli officials have also said that like themselves, moderate Sunni states are worried that Washington was not taking a tough enough line with Tehran. However, analysts have scoffed at the idea that ties between Israel and much of the Arab world could be normalized while the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remained unresolved.
US-brokered peace talks between the two are floundering, with no indication that a resolution is anywhere in sight. "To Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, the cost of open relations with Israel at this time may be higher than the benefit, given the position of the Arab street," Israeli think tank, the Institute for National Security Studies, said in a report in December. Lieberman, who has worked hard in recent months to soften his hardline international image, suggested Arab nations were as eager as Israel to be open about their shared interests.
"I think that they too are stewing in their own juice and reaching an awareness that there will be no choice but to move from the secret stage of the dialogue between us to the open stage of the talks," he said.
10 apr 2014
New Israeli spy satellite enters orbit
A new Israeli spy satellite entered orbit early Thursday, the defense ministry said, boosting Israel's ability to monitor arch-foe Iran.
The observation remote-sensing Ofek 10 satellite, launched into space on a Shavit rocket late Wednesday, outdoes earlier models with its ability to "skip" from one target to another rather than simply "sweep" areas, ministry officials told reporters.
Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon noted Ofek 10 would "enable the security establishment to better deal with threats near and far, at all hours of the day and in any weather."
Israel, the region's sole if undeclared nuclear power, suspects Iran is covertly pursuing a nuclear weapons capability alongside its civilian program, charges adamantly denied by Tehran.
Ofek 10 joins a number of spy satellites Israel has been deploying since 1988, with the most recent -- Ofek 9 -- launched into space in 2010.
A new Israeli spy satellite entered orbit early Thursday, the defense ministry said, boosting Israel's ability to monitor arch-foe Iran.
The observation remote-sensing Ofek 10 satellite, launched into space on a Shavit rocket late Wednesday, outdoes earlier models with its ability to "skip" from one target to another rather than simply "sweep" areas, ministry officials told reporters.
Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon noted Ofek 10 would "enable the security establishment to better deal with threats near and far, at all hours of the day and in any weather."
Israel, the region's sole if undeclared nuclear power, suspects Iran is covertly pursuing a nuclear weapons capability alongside its civilian program, charges adamantly denied by Tehran.
Ofek 10 joins a number of spy satellites Israel has been deploying since 1988, with the most recent -- Ofek 9 -- launched into space in 2010.
6 apr 2014
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said that his Movement's relations with Iran are still ongoing and developing, despite their different positions towards some regional events, especially in Syria. In a statement to Quds Press, Hamdan highlighted that his Movement's foreign relations with Iran and other countries are based on their supportive positions towards the Palestinian cause.
"Our relationship with Iran has always been ongoing. It is true that it has sustained some damage due to the developments in the regional landscape, especially in Syria, but these relations did not stop and are developing, and we do not need any mediations to bring them back to normal," the Hamas official stated.
Hamdan also stressed that Hamas did not make a mistake when it declared its bias in favor of the oppressed Arab peoples and do not need to reconsider its position in this regard.
"Some people are trying to show that Hamas is in trouble and has probably made a serious mistake it should undo when it decided to side with the Arab peoples' aspirations for freedom and dignity. We believe the mistaken are those who have stood against the peoples and they need to think things over again," he underlined.
"Our relationship with Iran has always been ongoing. It is true that it has sustained some damage due to the developments in the regional landscape, especially in Syria, but these relations did not stop and are developing, and we do not need any mediations to bring them back to normal," the Hamas official stated.
Hamdan also stressed that Hamas did not make a mistake when it declared its bias in favor of the oppressed Arab peoples and do not need to reconsider its position in this regard.
"Some people are trying to show that Hamas is in trouble and has probably made a serious mistake it should undo when it decided to side with the Arab peoples' aspirations for freedom and dignity. We believe the mistaken are those who have stood against the peoples and they need to think things over again," he underlined.
1 apr 2014
Husam Badran, Hamas’s spokesman, denied Iranian news reports that political bureau chairman of Hamas Khaled Mishaal would visit Tehran soon after the end of the Nowruz holiday. Badran, who is based in Doha, told Alquds.com website on Tuesday that what the news media had published in this respect was not accurate.
“There is no talk about a specified date or about an Iranian invitation for Mishaal to visit Iran, the spokesman said, pointing out, in this respect, that Hamas maintains good relations with all Arab and Islamic countries.
Concerning the media report about the visit by Islamic Jihad movement’s secretary general Ramadan Shallah to Doha to meet Mishaal, Badran said Shallah visits Doha every now and then.
“The last such visit was two weeks ago,” he said, adding that it was an ordinary visit that fell in line with the good relations between Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders and coordination between them in all issues and also fell in line with the “strong relations” between Mishaal and Shallah.
Iranian newspaper: Mishaal may visit Tehran soon
An Iranian newspaper said that Khaled Mishaal, head of Hamas' political bureau, might visit Tehran after the end of the Nowruz holiday next Friday. The relations between Hamas and Iran have become strained for some years because of their different positions towards the Syrian crisis.
The Iranian newspaper Economy World said that secretary-general of Islamic Jihad Ramadan Shallah had visited last week Qatar and met with Mishaal to coordinate the latter's visit to Tehran.
It added that Mishaal is waiting for an official invitation to visit Tehran.
“There is no talk about a specified date or about an Iranian invitation for Mishaal to visit Iran, the spokesman said, pointing out, in this respect, that Hamas maintains good relations with all Arab and Islamic countries.
Concerning the media report about the visit by Islamic Jihad movement’s secretary general Ramadan Shallah to Doha to meet Mishaal, Badran said Shallah visits Doha every now and then.
“The last such visit was two weeks ago,” he said, adding that it was an ordinary visit that fell in line with the good relations between Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders and coordination between them in all issues and also fell in line with the “strong relations” between Mishaal and Shallah.
Iranian newspaper: Mishaal may visit Tehran soon
An Iranian newspaper said that Khaled Mishaal, head of Hamas' political bureau, might visit Tehran after the end of the Nowruz holiday next Friday. The relations between Hamas and Iran have become strained for some years because of their different positions towards the Syrian crisis.
The Iranian newspaper Economy World said that secretary-general of Islamic Jihad Ramadan Shallah had visited last week Qatar and met with Mishaal to coordinate the latter's visit to Tehran.
It added that Mishaal is waiting for an official invitation to visit Tehran.
31 mar 2014
Israel Cries holocaust in Vienna While Still Denying the Palestinian Nakba – The zionist state of israel, which criminalizes commemoration of the Nakba and denies the Palestinian Arab minority’s right to free speech and equality with regard to the historical memory of the Nakba, the Palestinian catastrophe in 1948, is still crying the holocaust in Vienna.
On March 22 2011, israeli knesset or “parliament” passed the so-called “Al-Nakba Law” which calls on the government to deny funding to any organization, institution or university, educational institution, municipality in israel that commemorates the ethnic cleansing of historic Palestine during and before the establishment of the so-called “state of israel” in 1947-48.
The Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe) is a term used to describe the suffering of Palestinians and the ethnic cleansing which was perpetrated against hundreds of thousands, who were expelled from their homes by the jewish invaders in 1948.
The “Nakba Law” infringes on the Palestinian Arab minority’s right to free speech and equality with regard to its historical memory. This zionist law also suppresses the memory of the Palestinian people and punishes their feelings.
This past weekend Shimon Peres, the head of the israeli occupation, the so-called “state of israel”, arrived in Vienna where the negotiations on the Iranian nuclear facilities are taking place since two months. Here he cried holocaust at the Judenplatz (jews’ square) in the city in order to dictate the terms of israel regarding the Iranian nuclear facilities on the IAEA and the security organizations in Austria while obstructing of the efforts of ongoing negotiations between Iran and the six countries.
Peres Prays in Vienna Under Watch of his Bodyguards
Peres arrived at the jews’ square or “Judenplatz” in the city centre under tight security measures in which Austrian police helicopters flew at a low altitude, special forces of the police occupied a number of surrounding buildings balconies, windows and rooftops, and some coffee houses were forced to close their doors for clients.
The old man, who looked weak and unhealthy, was forced to lean on his bodyguard instead of a stick, was wearing a small black hat (“Kippa”) and surrounded by dozens of security people when he arrived at the “Judenplatz” where Austrian President Dr. Heinz Fischer and the ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs, as well as a few dozens members of the jewish community in Vienna were present, among them chief Rabbi Paul Chaim Eisenberg and the current and former presidents of the jewish community awaited for Peres to participate in a ceremony of “Shoah” for the Austrian victims of the holocaust. During the ceremony President Fischer and his guest President Peres laid a wreath for the country’s holocaust victims, delivered speeches and held a joint prayer.
President Fischer said that the jews’ space reflects a particularly tragic part of Austrian history and that the Judenplatz witnessed a dark chapter in Austria’s history. He added: “we must confess that the way Austria dealt with the Nazi period was followed by a harsh silence for a long time. In the past twenty five years, Austria underwent a deep process in historic awareness of the holocaust. He criticized Austria’s dealing with National Socialism and acknowledged that Austria today accepts common responsibility for Nazi crimes.
For his part, Mr. old man Peres, cried in his speech for the victims of the Holocaust in front of the audience so as to charge the feelings of those present and so guarantee the kindness of others. I was moved by the speech of the old President Peres and I felt the size of the horrific pain left by the Europeans to the jews.
I thanked God that the Palestinians were not together with the Europeans perpetrators of the Holocaust, despite my painful feeling as a Palestinian for our tragic history, for all the massacres and the ethnic cleansing which were perpetrated against us by gangs of European jews like Palmach, Irgun and Hagana in Palestine, before and after 1948.
I felt proud to the Republic of Austria after I listened to the speech of President Fischer, who spoke boldly about the tragedy of the Holocaust that took place in Austria and apologized for this to the Jews.
I wondered why Mr. Peres, the president of israel and his “state” do not follow the recognition of the Austrian republic, which apologized hundred million time to Israel and recognize the Palestinian Nakba and all the wrongs that he and the other the jewish terrorist invaders visited upon us Palestinians, the people of that time who were murdered, subject to ethnic cleansing and expelled from our homeland as well as upon later generations, who are to this day victims of a process of slow genocide by the israel of which Peres is a President??
Certainly, there is a vast difference between Austrian President, who spoke freely about the the Austrian responsibility for its history, and the head of jewish “state of Israel”, who together with his country does not recognize the Palestinian Nakba and suffering which since decades he and his “state” inflict upon us, while his “state” went so far to pass in March of 2011 the so-called “Nakba law” which criminalizes Palestinians who want to express their feeling and sorrows and commemorate the Nakba and their history, all so that Peres and many other jews can avoid being confronted with their own crimes and their historic guilt.
Adalah: Nakba Law Violates Rights of Arab Minority to Preserve its History and Culture
The Knesset enacted the Nakba Law (PDF) on 22 March 2011. The law authorizes the Minister of Finance to reduce funding or support provided by the state to an institution if it holds an activity that contradicts the definition of the State of Israel as a “Jewish and democratic” state, or that commemorates “Israel’s Independence Day or the day on which the state was established as a day of mourning.” In Adalah’s view, the Nakba Law is another link in a chain of racist laws that target Arab citizens of Israel, violate their rights, and restrict their freedom to express their opinion. The law will also cause substantial harm to cultural and educational institutions and further entrench discrimination against Arab citizens.
Adalah previously sent an urgent letter (Letter as PDF) to the Chair of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, MK David Rotem, requesting that the Committee reject the legislation. In the letter, Adalah Attorneys Orna Kohn and Sawsan Zaher argued that the law threatened to cut funding to many institutions, including educational and cultural organizations, thereby compromising their ability to provide important services to the public. These funding cuts are tantamount to the collective punishment of the public that receives these services, despite the fact that such persons are unable to intervene in the decisions of these institutions over whether to conduct a certain activity or not.
Adalah stressed in the letter that the law stood to cause major harm to the principle of equality and to the rights of Arab citizens to preserve their history and culture. The law deprives Arab citizens of their right to commemorate the Nabka, which is an integral part of their history. It also grossly violates the right to freedom of expression, a fundamental constitutional right. It may be applied to an institution simply because it held a seminar or study day on a political issue that addresses the definition of the state, or that discusses the future vision of Arab citizens, for example, or a cultural organization that screened a film or held a play that discusses the Nakba. According to the law, such activities are viewed as a threat to the existence of the State of Israel as a “Jewish and democratic” state.
Adalah further emphasized in the letter Israel is a signatory to all international human rights conventions, according to which the state should undertake, inter alia, to preserve and protect the unique culture and history of the Arab national minority. This legislation does just the opposite: the purpose of the law is to prevent members of the Arab minority in Israel from exercising their democratic right to commemorate a seminal event in their history.
On March 22 2011, israeli knesset or “parliament” passed the so-called “Al-Nakba Law” which calls on the government to deny funding to any organization, institution or university, educational institution, municipality in israel that commemorates the ethnic cleansing of historic Palestine during and before the establishment of the so-called “state of israel” in 1947-48.
The Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe) is a term used to describe the suffering of Palestinians and the ethnic cleansing which was perpetrated against hundreds of thousands, who were expelled from their homes by the jewish invaders in 1948.
The “Nakba Law” infringes on the Palestinian Arab minority’s right to free speech and equality with regard to its historical memory. This zionist law also suppresses the memory of the Palestinian people and punishes their feelings.
This past weekend Shimon Peres, the head of the israeli occupation, the so-called “state of israel”, arrived in Vienna where the negotiations on the Iranian nuclear facilities are taking place since two months. Here he cried holocaust at the Judenplatz (jews’ square) in the city in order to dictate the terms of israel regarding the Iranian nuclear facilities on the IAEA and the security organizations in Austria while obstructing of the efforts of ongoing negotiations between Iran and the six countries.
Peres Prays in Vienna Under Watch of his Bodyguards
Peres arrived at the jews’ square or “Judenplatz” in the city centre under tight security measures in which Austrian police helicopters flew at a low altitude, special forces of the police occupied a number of surrounding buildings balconies, windows and rooftops, and some coffee houses were forced to close their doors for clients.
The old man, who looked weak and unhealthy, was forced to lean on his bodyguard instead of a stick, was wearing a small black hat (“Kippa”) and surrounded by dozens of security people when he arrived at the “Judenplatz” where Austrian President Dr. Heinz Fischer and the ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs, as well as a few dozens members of the jewish community in Vienna were present, among them chief Rabbi Paul Chaim Eisenberg and the current and former presidents of the jewish community awaited for Peres to participate in a ceremony of “Shoah” for the Austrian victims of the holocaust. During the ceremony President Fischer and his guest President Peres laid a wreath for the country’s holocaust victims, delivered speeches and held a joint prayer.
President Fischer said that the jews’ space reflects a particularly tragic part of Austrian history and that the Judenplatz witnessed a dark chapter in Austria’s history. He added: “we must confess that the way Austria dealt with the Nazi period was followed by a harsh silence for a long time. In the past twenty five years, Austria underwent a deep process in historic awareness of the holocaust. He criticized Austria’s dealing with National Socialism and acknowledged that Austria today accepts common responsibility for Nazi crimes.
For his part, Mr. old man Peres, cried in his speech for the victims of the Holocaust in front of the audience so as to charge the feelings of those present and so guarantee the kindness of others. I was moved by the speech of the old President Peres and I felt the size of the horrific pain left by the Europeans to the jews.
I thanked God that the Palestinians were not together with the Europeans perpetrators of the Holocaust, despite my painful feeling as a Palestinian for our tragic history, for all the massacres and the ethnic cleansing which were perpetrated against us by gangs of European jews like Palmach, Irgun and Hagana in Palestine, before and after 1948.
I felt proud to the Republic of Austria after I listened to the speech of President Fischer, who spoke boldly about the tragedy of the Holocaust that took place in Austria and apologized for this to the Jews.
I wondered why Mr. Peres, the president of israel and his “state” do not follow the recognition of the Austrian republic, which apologized hundred million time to Israel and recognize the Palestinian Nakba and all the wrongs that he and the other the jewish terrorist invaders visited upon us Palestinians, the people of that time who were murdered, subject to ethnic cleansing and expelled from our homeland as well as upon later generations, who are to this day victims of a process of slow genocide by the israel of which Peres is a President??
Certainly, there is a vast difference between Austrian President, who spoke freely about the the Austrian responsibility for its history, and the head of jewish “state of Israel”, who together with his country does not recognize the Palestinian Nakba and suffering which since decades he and his “state” inflict upon us, while his “state” went so far to pass in March of 2011 the so-called “Nakba law” which criminalizes Palestinians who want to express their feeling and sorrows and commemorate the Nakba and their history, all so that Peres and many other jews can avoid being confronted with their own crimes and their historic guilt.
Adalah: Nakba Law Violates Rights of Arab Minority to Preserve its History and Culture
The Knesset enacted the Nakba Law (PDF) on 22 March 2011. The law authorizes the Minister of Finance to reduce funding or support provided by the state to an institution if it holds an activity that contradicts the definition of the State of Israel as a “Jewish and democratic” state, or that commemorates “Israel’s Independence Day or the day on which the state was established as a day of mourning.” In Adalah’s view, the Nakba Law is another link in a chain of racist laws that target Arab citizens of Israel, violate their rights, and restrict their freedom to express their opinion. The law will also cause substantial harm to cultural and educational institutions and further entrench discrimination against Arab citizens.
Adalah previously sent an urgent letter (Letter as PDF) to the Chair of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, MK David Rotem, requesting that the Committee reject the legislation. In the letter, Adalah Attorneys Orna Kohn and Sawsan Zaher argued that the law threatened to cut funding to many institutions, including educational and cultural organizations, thereby compromising their ability to provide important services to the public. These funding cuts are tantamount to the collective punishment of the public that receives these services, despite the fact that such persons are unable to intervene in the decisions of these institutions over whether to conduct a certain activity or not.
Adalah stressed in the letter that the law stood to cause major harm to the principle of equality and to the rights of Arab citizens to preserve their history and culture. The law deprives Arab citizens of their right to commemorate the Nabka, which is an integral part of their history. It also grossly violates the right to freedom of expression, a fundamental constitutional right. It may be applied to an institution simply because it held a seminar or study day on a political issue that addresses the definition of the state, or that discusses the future vision of Arab citizens, for example, or a cultural organization that screened a film or held a play that discusses the Nakba. According to the law, such activities are viewed as a threat to the existence of the State of Israel as a “Jewish and democratic” state.
Adalah further emphasized in the letter Israel is a signatory to all international human rights conventions, according to which the state should undertake, inter alia, to preserve and protect the unique culture and history of the Arab national minority. This legislation does just the opposite: the purpose of the law is to prevent members of the Arab minority in Israel from exercising their democratic right to commemorate a seminal event in their history.
30 mar 2014
Chairman of the U.S Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey is scheduled to visit Israel on Sunday, where he will meet the Israeli military minister Moshe Ya’alon. According to the Israeli media, Dempsey and Ya’alon will meet in the city of Jerusalem amid of tension that hangs over the relations between America and Israel due to the latest criticism by Ya’lon to America’s policy concerning the Iranian nuclear issue.”
Israeli military source expected that the visit will last for three days, but the American embassy did not state a full schedule for the visit.
Israeli military source expected that the visit will last for three days, but the American embassy did not state a full schedule for the visit.
28 mar 2014
Israeli President Shimon Peres flies to Vienna on Sunday for talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency head, the pan-European security watchdog OSCE and Austrian leaders, his office said.
Peres and Yukiya Amano, director general of the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, will discuss its "role as the professional body leading the effort to put the brakes on Iran's nuclear program," his office said in a statement Thursday.
The meeting in Vienna, where the IAEA is based, comes after the latest round of negotiations between Iran and world powers earlier this month aimed at curtailing Tehran's nuclear activities.
Western powers and Israel suspect Iran is covertly pursuing a nuclear weapons capability alongside its civilian program, charges adamantly denied by Tehran.
Israel has expressed deep skepticism over an interim deal struck by Tehran and world powers in November and said a final agreement must include a complete dismantling of all Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
Peres's office said he will also meet in Vienna with the head of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Lamberto Zanier, and with Austria's President Heinz Fischer and Chancellor Werner Faymann.
Peres and Yukiya Amano, director general of the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, will discuss its "role as the professional body leading the effort to put the brakes on Iran's nuclear program," his office said in a statement Thursday.
The meeting in Vienna, where the IAEA is based, comes after the latest round of negotiations between Iran and world powers earlier this month aimed at curtailing Tehran's nuclear activities.
Western powers and Israel suspect Iran is covertly pursuing a nuclear weapons capability alongside its civilian program, charges adamantly denied by Tehran.
Israel has expressed deep skepticism over an interim deal struck by Tehran and world powers in November and said a final agreement must include a complete dismantling of all Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
Peres's office said he will also meet in Vienna with the head of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Lamberto Zanier, and with Austria's President Heinz Fischer and Chancellor Werner Faymann.
20 mar 2014
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, ordered the army to be ready for a potential strike on Iran this year.
Israeli daily Haaretz has reported that the attack would target what was described as “Iran’s nuclear facilities”, and that the strike would cost Israel more than 10 Billion Israeli Shekels ($2.8 Billion).
Haaretz said the budget carries the same amount allocated last year for a possible war on Iran.
Israeli military officials stated that senior commanders of the Israeli military received a clear message from Ya’alon regarding readiness for a possible unilateral Israeli strike against Iran, regardless of the outcome of international talks with Iran concerning its nuclear program.
Speaking at the Tel Aviv University, Ya’alon said the military option against Iran is still valid.
Israeli daily Haaretz has reported that the attack would target what was described as “Iran’s nuclear facilities”, and that the strike would cost Israel more than 10 Billion Israeli Shekels ($2.8 Billion).
Haaretz said the budget carries the same amount allocated last year for a possible war on Iran.
Israeli military officials stated that senior commanders of the Israeli military received a clear message from Ya’alon regarding readiness for a possible unilateral Israeli strike against Iran, regardless of the outcome of international talks with Iran concerning its nuclear program.
Speaking at the Tel Aviv University, Ya’alon said the military option against Iran is still valid.
19 mar 2014
Moshe Ya'alon looks into Syria on tour of Golan Heights
By MICHAEL WILNER
WASHINGTON -- The United States is using unprecedented language to condemn Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon after he continued weeks of criticism of US President Barack Obama, and members of his foreign policy team, on Tuesday.
“We were shocked by Moshe Ya’alon’s comments, which seriously call into question his commitment to Israel’s relationship with the United States," a senior administration official told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday night. "Moreover, this is part of a disturbing pattern in which the Defense Minister disparages the US Administration, and insults its most senior officials."
Ya'alon said on Tuesday that, in light of developments on crises in the Middle East, relations with China and with Russia over the annexation of Crimea, Obama's "image in the world is feebleness."
Ya'alon sensed "disappointment" in the world community, he said at Tel Aviv University.
"Given the unprecedented commitment that this administration has made to Israel’s security, we are mystified why the Defense Minister seems intent on undermining the relationship," the official continued.
The defense minister also implied that US policy on Iran was pushing Israel to plan for war, should talks over its nuclear program fail in Vienna.
"At some stage the United States entered into negotiations with [the Iranians], and unhappily, when it comes to negotiating at a Persian bazaar, the Iranians were better," Ya'alon said.
Ya'alon's criticism of the US administration was extensive: he suggested the White House "come to its senses," or else risk new terrorist threats from around the world.
"Look what's happening in Ukraine, where the United States is demonstrating weakness, unfortunately," he continued.
The comments come just weeks after Ya'alon was criticized for calling US Secretary of State John Kerry "messianic" for his fervent pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The State Department demanded an apology for those comments, which he delivered at the time at the insistence of Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu.
Source: THE JERUSALEM POST
By MICHAEL WILNER
WASHINGTON -- The United States is using unprecedented language to condemn Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon after he continued weeks of criticism of US President Barack Obama, and members of his foreign policy team, on Tuesday.
“We were shocked by Moshe Ya’alon’s comments, which seriously call into question his commitment to Israel’s relationship with the United States," a senior administration official told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday night. "Moreover, this is part of a disturbing pattern in which the Defense Minister disparages the US Administration, and insults its most senior officials."
Ya'alon said on Tuesday that, in light of developments on crises in the Middle East, relations with China and with Russia over the annexation of Crimea, Obama's "image in the world is feebleness."
Ya'alon sensed "disappointment" in the world community, he said at Tel Aviv University.
"Given the unprecedented commitment that this administration has made to Israel’s security, we are mystified why the Defense Minister seems intent on undermining the relationship," the official continued.
The defense minister also implied that US policy on Iran was pushing Israel to plan for war, should talks over its nuclear program fail in Vienna.
"At some stage the United States entered into negotiations with [the Iranians], and unhappily, when it comes to negotiating at a Persian bazaar, the Iranians were better," Ya'alon said.
Ya'alon's criticism of the US administration was extensive: he suggested the White House "come to its senses," or else risk new terrorist threats from around the world.
"Look what's happening in Ukraine, where the United States is demonstrating weakness, unfortunately," he continued.
The comments come just weeks after Ya'alon was criticized for calling US Secretary of State John Kerry "messianic" for his fervent pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The State Department demanded an apology for those comments, which he delivered at the time at the insistence of Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu.
Source: THE JERUSALEM POST
18 mar 2014
(AP) — Israel cannot depend on the United States to lead any action against Iran's nuclear program and can only rely on itself, the country's defense minister said in remarks published Tuesday. The comments by Moshe Yaalon came as world powers and Iran were about to start a new round of talks over Iran's contested nuclear program.
The West fears the program could be used to make a nuclear weapon and seeks to scale it back. Tehran denies the program has a military dimension and insists it is for peaceful purposes only, such as power generation. If a deal with world powers is reached, sanctions imposed on Iran over the nuclear program could be lifted.
Israel has criticized the ongoing talks with Tehran, saying an interim nuclear deal, struck last November, has left Iran's military nuclear capabilities largely intact while giving it relief from some economic sanctions.
At the same time, Israel's strongest piece of leverage, the threat of a military strike on Iran, has taken a back stage to the talks despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's insistence it remains on the table.
Yaalon's remarks seemed to underscore that insistence.
"We thought that the one who needs to lead the campaign against Iran is the U.S.," Yaalon was quoted by the daily Haaretz as saying during a lecture at Tel Aviv University on Monday.
Instead, Yaalon said, the U.S. began negotiations with Iran and Iran gained the upper hand in the talks.
"If we wished others would do the work for us, it wouldn't be done soon, and therefore in this matter, we have to behave as if we can only rely on ourselves," Yaalon said.
Yaalon's office confirmed his remarks but refused to comment whether he was advocating an Israeli strike on Iran. Netanyahu's office also declined to comment.
Yaalon criticized the West, saying its leaders prefer to avoid confrontation with Iran. As for the U.S., the defense minister alleged American influence is waning in other parts of the world, such as Ukraine over the crisis there.
"Weakness certainly does not pay in the world," he said. "No one can replace the U.S. as the world's policeman. I hope the U.S. will come to its senses."
Yaalon has made controversial comments about Washington in the past. In January, he was quoted as saying that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was "obsessive" and "messianic" over his Mideast peace efforts. The comments triggered an angry response from the U.S., Israel's most important ally.
The West fears the program could be used to make a nuclear weapon and seeks to scale it back. Tehran denies the program has a military dimension and insists it is for peaceful purposes only, such as power generation. If a deal with world powers is reached, sanctions imposed on Iran over the nuclear program could be lifted.
Israel has criticized the ongoing talks with Tehran, saying an interim nuclear deal, struck last November, has left Iran's military nuclear capabilities largely intact while giving it relief from some economic sanctions.
At the same time, Israel's strongest piece of leverage, the threat of a military strike on Iran, has taken a back stage to the talks despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's insistence it remains on the table.
Yaalon's remarks seemed to underscore that insistence.
"We thought that the one who needs to lead the campaign against Iran is the U.S.," Yaalon was quoted by the daily Haaretz as saying during a lecture at Tel Aviv University on Monday.
Instead, Yaalon said, the U.S. began negotiations with Iran and Iran gained the upper hand in the talks.
"If we wished others would do the work for us, it wouldn't be done soon, and therefore in this matter, we have to behave as if we can only rely on ourselves," Yaalon said.
Yaalon's office confirmed his remarks but refused to comment whether he was advocating an Israeli strike on Iran. Netanyahu's office also declined to comment.
Yaalon criticized the West, saying its leaders prefer to avoid confrontation with Iran. As for the U.S., the defense minister alleged American influence is waning in other parts of the world, such as Ukraine over the crisis there.
"Weakness certainly does not pay in the world," he said. "No one can replace the U.S. as the world's policeman. I hope the U.S. will come to its senses."
Yaalon has made controversial comments about Washington in the past. In January, he was quoted as saying that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was "obsessive" and "messianic" over his Mideast peace efforts. The comments triggered an angry response from the U.S., Israel's most important ally.