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WEDNESDAY’S “NEWS IN REVIEW” ROUND-UP

Contents:  Weekly Quotes |  Short Takes

 

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On Topic Links

 

 

Search For Jews Of Kaifeng: The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Video, Feb 14, 2013
The Time for a Final Status Agreement Has Passed: Dore Gold, Algemeiner, Feb. 18, 2013

The Hezbollah Connection in Syria and Iran: Bernard Gwertzman, Council on Foreign Relations,  Feb. 15, 2013

 

 

"I am hoping for a peace deal based on two states for two people, as per the parameters I outlined during my speech at Bar Ilan University. Today Israel extends its hand once more for peace. We want a peace process, and we hope that it will yield results."— Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,  at a press conference announcing Tzipi Livini as his first coalition partner.

 

 

"He has blamed the Jews for the scandal surrounding the sexual misconduct of priests toward young parishioners! He has argued that the Jews got even with the Catholic Church for its anti-Israel positions by arranging for the media — which they, of course, control, he said — to give disproportionate attention to the Vatican sex scandal. He then compared the Jewish controlled media with Hitler, because they are 'protagonists of what I do not hesitate to define as a persecution against the church.'”—Alan Dershowitz, Harvard law professor, in a letter to the editor of the Miami Herald responding to a list published last week after the resignation of [Pope] Benedict, which identified Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras as a possible successor to the current pope. (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 18, 2013

“I did not betray my Judaism in the pact with Iran because we are trying to solve the AMIA bombing case [in Buenos Aires]. The move was inspired by the deep humanistic tradition of Judaism and thinking always about the victims and the relatives of the victims.”Argentinean  Foreign Minister Hector Timmerman, responding to criticism over Argentina’s agreement to involve Iran in the investigation of the bombings of the Jewish community and the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, which have been generally attributed to Iran itself. (Jewish Press, Feb. 18, 2013)
 

“These talks [with Iran] can only make progress if the Iranians come to the table determined to make and discuss real offers and engage in a real dialogue. Countries that have peaceful programs do not have problems proving to people that they are peaceful.”—US Secretary of State John Kerry in a joint press conference with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ahead of their meeting at the State Department. (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 14, 2013)

 

"We do not see stability in Lebanon. With regards to the West, from afar they see things from another perspective. European states are saying: 'Let us focus on what is happening in Mali and Syria.' For us, this Arab Spring seems to have become a winter, when we look at what is happening in this troubled region of the world. These conflicts are not confined to Syria and Mali. Tunisia is returning to violence, things have not calmed down in Libya, Egypt is on the verge of a new phase of confrontation and things are still boiling in Iraq. Westerners do not want to see Lebanon in a similar situation, something that would only cause them more headaches."—Lebanese Deputy Speaker Farid Makari, in response to questions concerning the EU’s likelihood of listing Hezbollah as a terrorist organization following Bulgaria’s determination that Hezbollah was responsible for the attack against Israelis on European soil. (Al-Monitor, Feb. 10, 2013)

“The majority of Syrian refugees are pro-revolution, so they go to areas where they are welcome. But now these areas are full and they started to go to other places. We are worried. We cannot cope with the refugees we have here already and if fighting increases in Damascus, we won’t be able to manage. The damage in Syria is so great, it will take years until the refugees can go back. Even though most of them are from my sect, I want them to go. They are creating problems.”—Fadi Chamieh, a member of the Humanitarian Association Collaboration, an umbrella organization that coordinates humanitarian aid to Syrians arriving in southern Lebanon. (Now Lebanon, Feb. 18, 2013

 

“The chemical weapons issue is important. [However] it is tangential to the overall issue of Israel's enemies possessing long range missile capability and other advanced technological weapons systems [such as anti-aircraft missiles]. Stemming the flow and technological upgrade of these rockets and missiles is a top priority for Israel’s military and intelligence community.” —Michael Ross, former Mossad operations officer. (Now Lebanon, Feb. 15, 2013)

 

“OPEC is about to collapse, and they know it. All the political power of the Arab world accumulated since 1973 is about to explode. This is a change in the global rules of the game that goes far beyond the borders of the Middle East. This process creates opportunities for a new energy world and sophisticated gas market with competition between the new oil and the old oil, between the new gas and the old gas. The new rules of the game will be set by the coordination of the economic interests of the US and China, and Israel should start getting ready for that.”Shraga Biran, a Tel Aviv-based lawyer and entrepreneur with diverse energy interests, who heads the Institute for Structural Reforms, a think tank that promotes structural and political reforms based on technological advances. (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 15, 2013)

 

“So in addition to a piece of paper, we need actual security on the ground. This means that when we speak about our Palestinian neighbors, we must have a credibly, thoroughly demilitarized Palestinian state. We have to have that. Otherwise, we'll have a replication of what happened in Lebanon and in Gaza. And this is not a simple task. It requires very, very stringent conditions, and it requires very tough negotiations. And the second thing is: we want to have a peace that is based on mutual recognition. Mutual recognition means not only that we recognize them, but that they recognize us. We have the Jewish nation-state of Israel here. It's high time that the Palestinians recognize that.”Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a speech to the Jewish Agency Board of Governors.(Israel National News, Feb. 19, 2013)

 

“People tend to misunderstand the relationship between Hezbollah and Iran, which has changed over time [and] is now extremely close. The U.S. intelligence community has publicly described this as a “strategic partnership.” But people don’t fully appreciate Hezbollah’s ideological commitment to the concept of “velayat-e faqih,” or guardianship of the jurists, which holds that a Shiite Islamic cleric should also serve as supreme head of government. For Hezbollah, this means the Iranian leadership is also their leader — not for every foot soldier, but for Hezbollah’s senior leaders absolutely.”Matthew Levitt of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. (Council on Foreign Relations, Feb. 15, 2013)
 

“If Hamas takes positions in the [PA] government, it will be very difficult if they do not do what is necessary, including recognizing Israel, renouncing violence, and all of those other things that we regularly state.”Olivia Nuland, U.S. State Department spokesperson, to a reporter who asked if unity between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority would be a positive step following a recent declaration by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ that reconciliation talks with Hamas are progressing and that he will head a new unity government. (Jewish Press, Feb. 19, 2013

 

“I’m here because of the strategic and moral imperative to leave no stone unturned, to exhaust every path and to be in any government that commits itself to bringing peace.”—Tzipi Livni, former Israeli foreign minister, upon being the first to join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new coalition.

 

“Now, really, it’s time — it’s time. We are pressuring the international community to act because it’s time to act.”—Carla del Ponte, a United Nations human rights investigator, and member of the United Nations Human Rights Council commission investigating Syria, which reported that violence in Syria was worsening, “aggravated by increasing sectarianism”. (New York Times, Feb. 19, 2013)

 

“As currently defined and negotiated, a conflict-ending settlement is practically unachievable; even if signed it will not be implemented and even if implemented it will not be sustained.”—Hussein Agha, an adviser to Palestinian leaders over the last two decades, and Robert Malley, a member of President Clinton’s National Security Council, in the New York Review of Books (2009), as quoted by Dore Gold, former advisor to Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon and Benjamin Netanyahu. (Algemeiner, Feb. 18, 2013)
 

 

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LIVNI BECOMES FIRST MEMBER OF NETANYAHU-LED GOV'T—(Jerusalem) Tzipi Livni became Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's first official coalition partner on Tuesday after the two former rivals reached an agreement over outstanding governmental issues for the upcoming Knesset. Livni will be Israel's next justice minister, while her party's number three, Amir Peretz, will be the environmental protection minister. Perhaps most importantly, Netanyahu apparently has allowed Livni to take charge of peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. She will also appoint a special staff for the talks, but as a caveat, Netanyahu's envoy Yitzhak Molcho will be a member of the negotiating team. (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 19, 2013)

 

 

THOUSANDS OF CHRISTIAN ARMENIANS FLEE SYRIA—(Yerevan, Armenia) An estimated 7,000 of Syria's Christian-Armenian community have arrived in Armenia since the start of the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad. Sarkiss Rshdouni escaped the fighting in the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo months ago but cannot shake memories of what he witnessed. "I was with a friend when I heard gunshots," said Rshdouni, who is among hundreds of thousands of people who have fled the war in his country. "It was fast — second by second, the sound was getting closer. I saw mass shooting, people running." Aleppo is home to more than 80% of Syria's Armenian community, and those who are still there remain at the center of the battle for control of the country. (USA Today, Feb. 13, 2013)

 

BULGARIA SEEKS EU ACTION ON HEZBOLLAH (Brussels) Bulgaria's foreign minister, Nickolay Mladenov, called for Hezbollah to face consequences for its link to the July 2012 bus bombing in Burgas, adding momentum to a push by some European countries to isolate the Lebanese group. The Bulgarian government has linked Hezbollah's military wing to the bomb attack last July, which killed five Israelis and a local bus driver. Monday's call for action from the Bulgarians likely will add pressure on holdouts in the EU to take official action against Hezbollah. "We need to take measures to make sure that such activity doesn't go without consequences," Mladenov told reporters Monday on his way into a meeting of European Union foreign ministers. (Wall Street Journal, Feb. 18, 2013)

 

U.S. CALLS ON IRAN TO FREE TWO LEADERS (Washington) The U.S. formally called for the release from house arrest of Iran's two top opposition leaders in a blunt statement that indicated a policy shift regarding Tehran as it approaches national elections. The politicians, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, have been detained by Iranian security services for two years after charging the government of rigging 2009 presidential elections, in which both men were candidates and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner. The White House at the time offered only muted condemnation of Tehran's handling of the presidential vote. Iranian political and human-rights activists charged the U.S. with playing down the Iranian government's abuses. Now, however, the State Department warned Tehran against suppressing its political opponents ahead of Iran's next presidential election, which is scheduled for June. (Wall Street Journal, Feb 14, 2013)

 

IRANIAN REPORTED KILLED NEAR SYRIAN BORDER(Beirut) At least one senior Iranian official was reported killed in an attack while driving from Syria to Lebanon on Wednesday [Feb. 13],  in separate and at times conflicting reports that drew attention to suspicions of Iran’s role in the Syrian civil war. The Iranian Embassy in Lebanon reported that Hossam Khosh Newes, an Iranian development official working in Lebanon, was killed by “armed terrorist groups” — a phrase used by Syria and its allies as a blanket description of opposition forces — in an attack on his car on the Lebanese side of the border with Syria after he had come from Damascus. (New York Times, Feb. 13, 2013)

 

IRAN NUCLEAR FUEL MOVE MAY AVERT MID-YEAR CRISIS (London) Iran appears to have resumed converting small amounts of its higher-grade enriched uranium into reactor fuel, diplomats say, slowing a growth in stockpiles of material that could be used to make weapons. Tehran could otherwise have amassed sufficient stock by June to hit a "red line" set by Israel. Iran averted a potential crisis last year by converting around 100 kg. of its 20%-enriched uranium into fuel – prompting some analysts to believe it was deliberately keeping below the threshold for potential weapons-grade material set by Israel, while still advancing its nuclear technology. (Reuters, Feb. 10, 2013)
 

EGYPT BLOCKING SMUGGLING ROUTES IN SINAI(Rafah) Over the past 10 days, Egyptian soldiers have set up checkpoints in Sinai, stopped incoming trucks, and confiscated merchandise headed for Gaza through the smuggling tunnels, the Safa news agency reported Monday [Feb. 17]. Tunnel owners said the Egyptians have dug a well opposite the border with Gaza and installed hoses leading into the tunnels. Some tunnel owners have begun employing pumps to empty the water. Egyptian forces have discovered over 225 smuggling tunnels under the border with Gaza, military spokesperson Col. Ahmed Mohamed Ali said Sunday. "Each tunnel has several exits, including inside Egyptian houses." (Times of Israel, & Ma'an News-PA, Feb. 11, 2013)

 

ISRAEL PERMITS CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS FROM TURKEY INTO GAZA(Ankara) In a move described as a gesture of goodwill toward Turkey, Israel has authorized the passage of Turkish trucks through Gaza carrying materials for the construction of the Turkish-Palestine Friendship Hospital. Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan is expected to visit Gaza to inaugurate the hospital within a year. Permission for passage came as part of Israel’s decision to soften its embargo over Gaza after terminating military operations into the enclave last fall and starting a fresh round of talks between Israelis and Palestinians over a gradual lifting of sanctions under Egyptian mediation. (Hurriyet Daily News, Feb. 11, 2013 )
 

ARAB COUNTRIES WITHHELD DONOR MONEY BECAUSE OF P.A. REFUSAL TO NEGOTIATE WITH ISRAEL(Ramallah) According to Palestinian Al Quds media, several ‘heavyweight’ Arab countries have [reportedly] been pressuring PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas to step down because of his firm stance towards negotiations with Israel. Abbas and other PA officials have criticized Arab countries who pledged to donate $100.000.000 a month to alleviate the severe financial crisis in the Palestinian Authority. Until now that money has not arrived. Palestinian sources now reveal that the refusal to transfer these funds to the PA is connected to Abbas’ refusal to enter negotiations with Israel. (Missing Peace, Feb. 9, 2013)

 

METEOR SMASHED RUSSIAN SYNAGOGUE’S STAINED WINDOWS(Chelyabinsk)

The Russian meteor shower that caused widespread damage Friday [Feb. 15] smashed the stained glass windows of a synagogue in Siberia Friday morning. Yechiel Michel Levitin, director of the Or Avner Jewish day school in Chelyabinsk, located 1,000 miles east of Moscow, said a miracle saved one congregant from injury when he left his seat to find out the cause of blasts that were heard seconds before. When he returned, he found a piece of a stained glass window on his seat. (Jewish Press, Feb. 17, 2013)

 

ISRAEL TO AWARD OBAMA PRESTIGIOUS MEDAL DURING VISIT—(Jerusalem) Israel will award President Barack Obama the country's Presidential Medal of Distinction during his upcoming visit. Israeli President Shimon Peres' office said Monday that Obama will be recognized for his "unique and significant contribution to strengthening the State of Israel and the security of its citizens." Obama has often had a tense relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Jewish state's West Bank settlement policies and the lack of peace process with the Palestinians. But Peres and the committee behind the award noted Obama's overall friendship and backing of the Iron Dome missile defense system. Israel's Presidential Medal of Distinction is comparable to the France's "Legion of Honor" or the "Order of Canada." (Newsmax, Feb. 18, 2013)

ISRAEL: NORTH KOREA NUCLEAR TEST SHOWS SANCTIONS ALONE WON'T STOP IRAN'S ATOMIC PROGRAM—(Jerusalem) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that North Korea's recent nuclear test shows that "sanctions alone will not stop" Iran's atomic program. He said Western sanctions against Tehran "have to be coupled with a robust, credible, military threat. If they are not, then there is no chance to stop them." He says Iran will top his agenda when President Barack Obama visits Israel next month. (Washington Post, Feb. 18, 2013)

 

IDF TO SET UP FIELD HOSPITAL ON SYRIAN BORDER—(Golan Heights) The Israel Defense Forces is preparing to erect a field hospital near Israel's border with Syria on the Golan Heights in order to treat wounded Syrian nationals. The decision was taken after Israeli troops evacuated seven wounded Syrians to an Israeli hospital after they had approached the border and appealed for help. The field hospital will enable Israel to provide further medical assistance without having to bring the Syrians into Israel for treatment. (Times of Israel, Feb. 19, 2013)

ISRAEL SUPPLIES TURKEY WITH NEW MILITARY EQUIPMENT—(Tel Aviv) Israel has supplied advanced electronic warfare systems to the Turkish Air Force, marking the first transfer of military equipment since relations between the two countries deteriorated in the wake of the Mavi Marmara incident in May 2010. The deal was confirmed on Monday by a senior Israeli defense source who said it was approved due to American pressure as well as Israeli attempts to improve relations with Turkey. Boeing, which supplied Turkey with four new Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, ordered electronic warfare systems for the Turkish aircraft from ELTA, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries. (Ha'aretz, Feb. 18, 2013)

 

ISRAEL PROPOSING ALTERNATIVE TO SUEZ CANAL—(Ashdod)  Israel is close to finalizing the route of a rail alternative to the Suez Canal as instability in Egypt has added to the urgency of a project to connect the Mediterranean with the Red Sea. Last month 40 people were killed in protests in the three big Egyptian cities lining the canal, and some shipping groups had to suspend work for several days. President Morsi has warned of a “collapse of the State” if protests continue. Fees for using the canal are Egypt’s only reliable source of foreign currency, bringing in about $5 billion (£3.22 billion) of revenue a year. (Times of London, Feb. 16 2013)

ASSAD REGIME FIRES SCUDS AT CITIES, FSA THREATENS HEZBOLLAH IN LEBANON—(Demascus)  While Syrian oppositionists are reporting the use of Scud missiles by the Assad regime against population centers held by rebel forces, the Free Syrian Army is threatening to attack Hezbollah within Lebanese territory if it does not desist from aiding the Assad regime. On Tuesday, the Free Syrian Army gave Hezbollah a 48-hour time-frame to stop shelling Syrian villages from within Lebanon before “returning fire” toward Hezbollah-held villages in eastern Lebanon. Hezbollah denied direct involvement in fighting within Syria, but a member of the FSA speaking to A-Sharq Al-Awsat said the Lebanese Shiite movement was assisting local Shiites in Syria with training, supplies and fire cover from positions within Lebanon. (Times of Israel, Feb. 20, 2013)

 

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The Time for a Final Status Agreement Has Passed: Dore Gold, Algemeiner, Feb. 18, 2013In light of developments over the last few years, there has been a growing realization in Israel that the chances of reaching a complete final status agreement with the Palestinians are presently extremely small. This is not just an ideological position coming out of certain quarters in Israel, but it is also the professional view of practitioners who have been involved in the political process itself.

 

 

Search For Jews Of Kaifeng: The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Video, Feb 14, 2013 A wave of interest in old traditions in China has had a major effect on the descendants of the ancient Jewish community of Kaifeng. This talk by scholar Gideon Elazar is based on a visit with the community in Kaifeng under the auspices of the organization "Shavei Yisrael" during the holiday of Sukkot, and an analysis of their history and current situation in the context of contemporary China.

 

The Hezbollah Connection in Syria and Iran: Bernard Gwertzman, Council on Foreign Relations,  February 15, 2013In recent days, U.S. and Mideast officials have reported that Iran and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite group, are making military preparations for the sectarian chaos likely to engulf a post-Assad Syria. Counterterrorism expert Matthew Levitt says that Hezbollah has closely aligned itself with Iran's Quds Force, an elite paramilitary group linked directly to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while fighting alongside the Assad regime.

 

 

Ber Lazarus
, Publications Editor
 Canadian Institute for Jewish Research
/L'institut Canadien de recherches sur le Judaïsme   www.isranet.org  Tel: (514) 486-5544 Fax: (514) 486-82843

 

 

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