Bibi Answers Chilean President...

by Hillel Fendel

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu explained succinctly on Sunday why the negotiations with the PA have gone nowhere. He answered a question during the joint press conference he held with visiting Chilean President Sebastián Piñera.

The questioner asked about the lack of direct negotiations between Israel and the PA, implying that Israel could do more to get them going. Netanyahu answered as follows: Well, we've been calling for direct negotiations from day one of this government.

On day one, we called for direct negotiations.

On day two, I made a speech in Bar Ilan University calling for two states for two peoples. 

On day three, we removed about 400 checkpoints, earth barriers, and other things to facilitate the growth of the Palestinian economy. 

On day four, we agreed to a ten-month moratorium on new construction in the settlements, something that no government did for 18 years before that. 

On day five, we agreed to an extension of that moratorium by three months.

Unfortunately, everything that we did, these five things, were met with no response by the Palestinian Authority.  They just placed preconditions and terms, every way to avoid sitting down and discussing peace. They tried to go around the peace negotiations. 

I'll tell you why: It's because peace is hard. It's been hard for me. It will be hard. You have to make concessions and you have to look at the people in the eye and tell them not everything that we'd hoped for would be possible; there have to be compromises on both sides. 

But whereas Israel and I have been willing to move on this road, I've not seen the parallel [Palestinian] willingness to do the same. Because they’re relying on a Pavlovian reflex of the international community. 

Basically they say: We don't have to negotiate, we can sit back, we can teach our children to idolize mass killers – they named a public square in Ramallah ten minutes from here, for a terrorist who murdered 400 innocent Israelis.  They can do that and get away with it.

Well, they can only get away with it if you let them get away with it.  If you tell them clearly, as I think Chileand a few other countries have said: No, come to negotiate, you can't avoid a negation. Come and talk peace.  Talk peace to your own people, not only to foreign diplomats or foreign journalists.  Talk peace to the Palestinian people. 

Tell them they'll have to give up [hoping for Israel’s destruction].  Tell them Israelis here to stay.  Tell them there's going to be a Jewish state next to a Palestinian state forever.  Tell them that Israel will not be swamped by the offspring of Palestinian refugees, because we accepted the offspring of Jewish refugees here, and we've made a life for them, you will make a life for them there. 

Tell them that there will be genuine demilitarization of the Palestinian area, so that what we saw in Lebanon, where we walked out and Iran walked in doesn't happen again. So that what we saw in Gaza, when we walked out and Iran walked in, doesn't happen again.  So that it doesn't happen a third time.

A demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes a Jewish state – that is the solution.  But we cannot get to the solution; we cannot get to the end of the negotiations if we don't get to the beginning of the negotiation.

Israel is prepared to begin this negotiation.  Israelis prepared to end this negotiation.  Therefore the question should be addressed not to me, not to the Prime Minister of Israel. It should be addressed squarely to the Palestinian President and to the Palestinian government.  You have another opportunity. Next time you're there, ask them this question. 
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Abbas reaffirms:Jerusalem Their Capital-Right of Return

Read Abbas' statements HERE

When I read, in the November 12, 2010 edition of The Jerusalem Post, what Abu Mazen (aka Mahmoud Abbas) sees as the bottom-line for ending the conflict with Israel, I wonder why in the world Western leaders and propagators of the decennia-long "peace process" are consistently criticizing Israel's "obstructions to peace." They should be telling the Arabs that, if this really is their "bottom-line" then they, and they alone, are obstructing the realization of peace. For no reasonable person can support Israel committing political suicide in its efforts to reach such a peace with its neighbors.

Why, then, do Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton not call a spade a spade, telling the Palestinian and Arab leadership that if Abu Mazen's reported remarks are really indicative of where the Palestinian Arabs are today, peace will never come to the Middle East.

Statements Abu Mazen is quoted as having said at a rally in Ramallah on November 11, as reported by the Post's Khaled Abu Toameh, include:

"The Palestinian position remains unchanged - a Palestinian state free of settlements with Jerusalem as its capital and the right of refugees to return to their homeland."

Abbas added that he wouldn't recognize Israel as a Jewish state, for fear that such a move would harm the status of Israel's Arab minority and deprive Palestinian refugees of the right to return to their former homes. He said that since 1988 the Palestinians haven't relinquished any of their main demands.

After all the years of negotiating with Israel this, then, remains their final goal: a Palestinian state and the return of all refugees to "Israel proper. No one - unless they support the eradication of the Jewish state - can expect Israel to so dismantle itself and commit national suicide.

The peace proces is dead, therefore, because of Arab, not Israeli, intransigence. How many times has Israel demonstrated - often painfully - a willingness to compromise - to no avail. The Arab side has not budged. As it was in with the founding of the PLO and before, the bottom line for most Muslim Arabs is that the Jewish state will be dismantled piece by piece. This is the "piece process" they believe in in their hearts.

Where is the outcry from this hypocritical world? Where is recognition of the demonstrated historical reality of Israel's readiness to constantly make concessions versus the intransigent unwillingness of the Palestinians to respond in kind?

Israel withdrew first from big parts of it own biblical homeland - Gaza and Jericho in 1993/94; then 99 percent of the Palestinian-occupied parts of Judea and Samaria. Israel withdrew, unilaterally, without any Arab quid pro quo from South Lebanon. Then Israel uprooted 10,000 of its own people and pulled out of the Gaza Strip. Again no quid pro quo. Instead, thousands of rockets were rained down on Israel from Lebanon and Gaza - both of which have become bastions of terror in the hands of a modern-day Hitler called Ahmadinejad.

And now? Now Israel again has to do this - under the direction of self-deluded and blind-to-the-facts politicians, both inside and outside Israel - by giving these fanatic Islamic forces the opportunity to set up a third terrorist-directed Arab entity (a Palestinian state) 20 kilometers away from Ben Gurion airport and Tel Aviv; from there able to use Iran-supplied shoulder-launched rockets to bring down every incoming plane to Israel?

Even Israeli Arabs, with all the rights afforded to them by the Israeli government and Knesset - of which they themselves are a part - slam Abu Mazen as a stooge of the Americans and Israelis because of any hinted willingness on his part to make even the slightest concession. If this is in the hearts of these Arab citizens - who are often inclined to support the more extreme views and goals of Hamas, Hizbollah and Syria despite all the rights they enjoy in this democracy - then there is no chance at this moment for peace with the Palestinians.

Jan Willem van der Hoeven, Director

International Christian Zionist Center

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

The Diplomatic Chess Game of "Peace" Continues...

Diplomatic Tide Turns Against Abbas as He ‘Freezes’ Talks
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

The constantly changing sands in the Middle East have left Abbas roasting under diplomatic heat as he faces blame for “freezing” talks with Israel.

He has frozen discussions with Israel while giving Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu five days to reinstate the building freeze on Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria. If Israel does not comply, Abbas said he will turn to the Arab League to consider the next step.

However, Prime Minister Netanyahu apparently has checked Abbas in what has become a diplomatic game of chess.

U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell hurriedly returns to Israel Tuesday in a frantic attempt to save the Obama administration’s diplomatic “momentum” effort from falling into a ditch that seems to get deeper by the day.

Mitchell and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been hoping to expand a proposed Palestinian Authority-Israeli agreement to a regional peace accord. Mitchell last week visited Lebanon and Syria, which also hosts the headquarters of the Hamas terrorist organization.

The U.S. envoy said that Syria and Lebanon, where Damascus and the Hizbullah terrorist party increasingly influence the country’s affairs, are keys to a regional peace.

American expectations that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu would find a way to overcome PA demands for a building freeze are fizzling out. The administration publicly said it was "disappointed” that Israel did not extend the 10-month moratorium on building, a move that was made under American pressure to satisfy Abbas’ condition for direct talks.

Despite the verbal criticism of Israel by the United States as well as the European Union and the United Nations, Abbas is increasingly viewed by media and analysts as the reason for the failure to sit down with Israel.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has “managed to leave the dead cat [of prospective blame] at the doorstep of both the Obama administration and Mahmoud Abbas,” Aaron David Miller, a former U.S. peace negotiator, told Politico’s Ben Smith.

“Last summer, Israel owned the dead cat,” Smith wrote. “Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made plain their view that Netanyahu’s failure to stop all settlement construction on the West Bank was the obstacle to resumed talks, and after an ill-timed construction announcement, Clinton’s office released details of the unusual 43-minute tongue lashing she delivered to the Israelis.”

“There are people on both sides who have no confidence [in the peace process] and so the name of the game is who gets blamed," pro-PA think tank expert Hussein Ibish told Smith. “[That] is why the Palestinians can say a million times that they’ll walk out — but they can’t.”

Any doubt about support for Israel from Washington was removed on Monday when 87 senators—almost the entire U.S. Senate—signed a letter that effectively praised Prime Minister Netanyahu and blamed Abbes for the latest impasse. 
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

A Modest Win for Bibi...for Now

After a year and a half of political stagnation and Israel's increasing international isolation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can claim his first diplomatic achievement - even if it is a modest one.

Direct peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, which are set to re-launch on September 2 in Washington, will begin in accordance with the conditions on which Netanyahu insisted. However, the talks themselves will be Netanyahu's real challenge, when he will be required to make decisions regarding core issues.

Netanyahu's big achievement of the past few months has been his ability to re-direct American pressure: After more than a year of President Barack Obama leveraging heavy pressure on Netanyahu, the U.S. president has begun to apply pressure on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to submit to direct peace talks.

With the help of this pressure from Obama, who has been desperate to achieve a diplomatic victory in the Middle East, Netanyahu got his wish – an American declaration of direct talks with no preconditions. This declaration, as announced by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, put an end to the Palestinian demand that negotiations be conducted on the condition that a Palestinian state would be established with 1967 borders.

Senior officials in Jerusalem said Netanyahu had clarified to the Americans that his demand for negotiations without preconditions wasn’t only a political stance; it was also a political necessity that would enable him to keep his coalition government intact. Netanyahu had previously agreed with his partners on the right – Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, as well as Minister Benny Begin and Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon – that negotiations would restart with no preconditions. Netanyahu even reiterated this stance in the decision from the forum of seven senior cabinet ministers earlier this week regarding the resumption of peace talks.

With the help of American pressure, Netanyahu also succeeded in rendering essentially meaningless the announcement Friday from the Quartet, which reaffirmed its support for the resolution of all final-status issues. The Palestinians had hoped the European Union, the UN and Russia would be able to hand them a victory by calling for a complete Israeli settlement freeze, but that also did not happen in the end.

The Americans vetoed that demand and clarified that such an announcement would back Netanyahu into a corner and torpedo the negotiations. In the end, the Quartet announcement turned into another international document that lacked bite.

Netanyahu agreed to compromise on one issue – the timetable for negotiations – which also gave the Palestinians something of an achievement. They had demanded a certain timetable in order to bridge their lack of trust regarding Netanyahu's intentions for the peace process. The Israeli premier, who for a year and a half has been trying to prove to the international community that he is a partner for peace, himself recently told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York that he believes peace can be achieved within one year. As such, Netanyahu had no problem compromising on the timetable.

Netanyahu's diplomatic victory, however, is a temporary one. U.S. envoy George Mitchell acquiesced to another of Netanyahu's requests – that talks take place with no American mediator in the room – but the administration plans to be especially active in the process. If Mitchell sees that talks stagnating or foot-dragging on Netanyahu's part, he won't hesitate to put American proposals on the table.

In addition, after the celebratory ceremony in Washington, when the essential and Sisyphean talks begin, Netanyahu will be forced to present his first stances on such issues as borders for a future Palestinian state, the status of Jerusalem and the future of the settlements. Until now, no Likud prime minister has conducted peace talks to reach a final-status agreement with the Palestinian Authority and has, therefore, never been required to seriously deal with these issues. When this moment arrives, the internal differences of opinion, in all their might, and the tension with the American administration will bubble up to the surface and may even intensify. That moment will be Netanyahu's true test.
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

"Peace" talks hit snag before getting started....

So, get this...Our illustrious VP flies to Israel to "talk" about Iran and the threat it imposes on Israel and the US, and, oh, by the way, to try to coerce Bibi into giving up the Golan and half of Jerusalem (East), and before his plane lands, work begins on new apartment complexes in the so-called freeze zone... Read about it HERE:

(picture:AMIR COHEN/REUTERS)
Anyone care to speculate as to Who, exactly, is in charge of the situation there??? I'll give you a hint: Psalm 125 from the Complete Jewish Bible: "Those who trust in Adonai, are like Mt. Tziyon, which cannot be moved but remains forever. Yerushalayim! Mountains all around it! Thus Adonai is around His people henceforth and forever. For the scepter of wickedness will not rule the inheritance of the righteous so that the righteous will not themselves turn their hands to evil. Do good, Adonai, to the good, to those upright in their hearts. But as for those who turn aside to their own crooked ways, may Adonai turn them away along with those who do evil."


Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Palestinian Memo: Hopes in Obama Evaporated

Psalm 130:7,8

Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

                                                                     Judean Hills

Taken from the Associated Press 10.13.2009

An internal document circulated among members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' political party says any hopes in the Obama administration "have evaporated."

The Fatah Party document accuses the U.S. of backing off from its demands that Israel freeze settlement construction and failing to set a clear agenda for new Mideast peace talks.

The memorandum was obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday. It wasn't immediately clear whether the memo reflects Abbas' views or was intended to pressure President Barack Obama to bear down harder on Israel.

The document says the Palestinians have lost hope in Obama, and accuses the American leader of caving in to pressure from pro-Israel lobbyists in Washington.

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Peace at what Price??? Tripartite Meeting on Tuesday, September 22nd

 From the Jerusalem Post
US President Barack Obama will host a meeting Tuesday with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in an effort to lay the groundwork for renewed peace negotiations, the White House announced Saturday night.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the three-way meeting would take place after Obama meets separately with each of the two leaders.

"These meetings will continue the efforts of President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Special Envoy George Mitchell to lay the groundwork for the relaunch of negotiations, and to create a positive context for those negotiations so that they can succeed," the statement said.

The announcement of the meeting came as something of a surprise, as earlier this week Mitchell failed to make progress in talks with the two leaders. Hours before the Saturday night's announcement, Israel and the PA continued to squabble over which side was to blame for the current stall in peace talks.

On Thursday several PA officials hinted that such a meeting might take place, but stressed that the Palestinians would not drop their demand that Israel halt all construction in settlements before the resumption of peace talks. A PA official said that under the current circumstances, a decision by Abbas to meet with Netanyahu would only be because of the heavy pressure the Americans have been exerting on him in recent weeks.

In Saturday's statement, Mitchell said "It is another sign of the president's deep commitment to comprehensive peace that he wants to personally engage at this juncture."

The meetings will take place in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting.

No announcement is expected at the meeting of the three leaders, according to an administration official. But Obama scheduled the meeting to show his personal commitment to making progress, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the discussions.


Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua