06 juillet 2009
Tel Aviv protestors slam intention to expel Israeli children of illegal foreign workers
About 200 foreign workers and social activists demonstrated in Tel Aviv Saturday. The protestors are concerned that a new unit established in order to encourage illegal foreign workers to leave Israel will also expel families with children born in the country, Ynet reported. One of the participants in the rally, a 34-year-old woman who moved to Israel from Columbia 15 years ago, is concerned about the prospect of expulsion. She says that she has two children, aged 5 and 7, who were fathered by an Israeli man. "I feel at home here. I haven't been in Columbia in 15 years," she said. "My children know that I may be expelled and they too are scared. Every time they see a police officer on the street, they become scared." Although the woman, who asked to be identified only as M., no longer lives with her Israeli partner, her children are in regular contact with him. The woman's five-year-old child told Ynet: "I love Israel. I want to stay here, because I like playing with my friends here. My dad is here too, and I want to be here with dad." M. says that if she is forced to leave the country she will take her children with her, even though she realizes they will enjoy a better life in Israel. 'Expelling children an injustice' Meanwhile, director of the Hotline for Migrant Workers, Shevy Korzen, vowed to hold more protests in the future. She said social groups are considering legal measures in a bid to avert the expulsions. "There is no reason for the children to be expelled. These are Israeli children in every way," she said. "I heard warnings that as of August 1 children will no longer constitute a reason for keeping the parents in Israel. This is harassment directed at a very weak community." "Expelling the children is simply an injustice," Korzen said. "We will embark on a public struggle, we will have petitions, and we will organize rallies." (08,02)
Report: Children of immigrants are poorer
The Absorption Ministry and the Israel National Council for the Child announced Sunday that children of immigrants are poorer and stand a greater chance of dropping out of school than Israeli-born children. "Much of the data in the annual report point to very serious problems among children of immigrants, who are often pushed to the margins of society," said Dr. Yitzhak Kadmon, who chairs the Council for the Child. But Immigrant Absorption Minister Sofa Landver took a more moderate tone. "The annual report reflects reality as it is, including its strong and weak points, as well as the challenges that face us as an immigrant absorbing society," she said. According to the report, children of immigrants make up 10% of Israel's child population. Of these, more than 60% were born in Israel to immigrant parents, and the rest were born in other countries. This school year, children of immigrants made up 14.3% of all Israeli students. In all areas mentioned by the report – which includes data on socio-economic status, education, and crime rates – immigrant children fared poorly when compared to Israeli children. In 2007, a quarter of all children living below the poverty line were children of immigrants. They are also more likely to drop out of school, according to the report, which states that 3.8% of immigrant children terminated their studies prematurely last year. The rate among Israeli children is 1.8%. However the report says the crime rate among children of immigrants has declined. Whereas in 2004 20.9% of immigrant children were suspected of a crime, the rate was down to 14.3% in 2007. The rate of incarcerated children was down by 44% last year.(07,55)
Nobel peace laureate jailed in Israel for Gaza activism
A Nobel Peace Prize winner and a former U.S. congresswoman are among eight people to be released today and expelled after having sailed on a protest ship heading to Gaza from Cyprus, the Israeli Interior Ministry says. Mairead Corrigan Maguire, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976 for her peace campaign in Northern Ireland, has been in prison in Israel since Tuesday after being removed from the ship. Israel has imposed a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip, so the ship, which flew a Greek flag, was intercepted by the navy. Among the passengers detained was former U.S. congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. When the crew of the Greek ship failed to respond to the navy's order to stop, the vessel was boarded by Israeli forces, but no weapons were fired. The ship was taken to the port of Ashdod. "Free Gaza," the organization that organized the attempt to sail to Gaza, has said Israel's navy used electronic devices to scramble the ship's navigation equipment. This was not the first foray into Middle East politics for Maguire, who shared her Nobel Prize with Betty Williams for their efforts at conciliation between Catholics and Protestants. In the past, she has also advocated awarding the Nobel Prize to Mordechai Vanunu for his anti-nuclear activities. Vanunu was jailed by Israel for leaking details of Israel's nuclear program to the press. McKinney released a statement contending that the ship was a civilian vessel that was unarmed and carrying humanitarian assistance in international waters.(07,47)
Noam Shalit to testify before UN committee
Kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit's father, Noam, will testify Monday in Geneva before a United Nations investigation team looking into testimonies from the Israeli offensive in Gaza about half a year ago. The team, headed by Richard Goldstone, is scheduled to submit its report next month. Gilad Shalit was kidnapped into the Gaza Strip three years ago. Goldstone and the other committee members have visited Gaza and collected testimonies there. The delegation head said recently that the testimonies were painful. "As fellow human beings we would like to put on record how deeply moved we were by many of the accounts of profound suffering and grief we have heard," Goldstone stated. Shalit's parents have noted more than once that the Red Cross international relief organization was not allowed to visit their son and bring a sign of life for him, and this issue will likely be included in Noam Shalit's testimony before the Goldstone committee. Officially, Israel has refused to cooperate with the committee, claiming lack of objectivity. Defense Minister Ehud Barak told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last month, "We view with severity the mandate given to this committee to deal with war crimes. I don’t think we will cooperate with this committee, although there is a lot of respect for Goldstone personally all around the world and in Israel as well." Barak clarified that Israel had previous experience with similar investigation committees operating in the region. "They won't check the other side, won't investigate the series of terror incidents throughout the years, including the firing of rockets on Israel's citizens. This is not a committee which will reach an unbiased conclusion, and therefore I don’t think we'll cooperate with this investigation." Last month, Israel marked three years since Gilad Shalit was taken captive. Speaking at a rally held across the road from the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Noam Shalit said he doubts his son is able to see the light of day. "All he asks from you is one thing – his freedom. As we are used to say here, Gilad has already paid the price for failures he was not responsible for. All Gilad wanted was to serve his country in a significant combat unit for three years." Gilad Shalit was kidnapped into the Gaza Strip 1,107 days ago. (05,53)
05 juillet 2009
Israel and U.S. have yet to reach compromise on settlement halt
Defense Minister Ehud Barak will meet on Monday with U.S. special Mideast envoy George Mitchell in an effort to reach a compromise on calls for an Israeli settlement freeze and to seek ways to promote regional peace. Barak and Mitchell, who met in New York last week, have still not reached an understanding on the contentious issue which has caused an unusual rift between Israel and the U.S. "Unfortunately, there are no understandings or agreements [on settlements]," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers at a Likud meeting on Sunday, when asked to elaborate on the matter. "All the reports saying we have agreed to freeze construction in the settlements are the sole responsibility of those who publish them." During his visit to London this week, Barak will also meet with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband. The aim of this round of talks aimed at narrowing a rift with U.S. President Barack Obama, whose administration has demanded a halt to settlement activity. The defense minister told reporters on Sunday he was aiming for a "broader understanding with the United States on diplomatic moves, including a comprehensive regional agreement". Barak said Israel was also seeking "a way to translate" the 2003 road map peace plan into "a path acceptable to us, the United States and others". After last meeting Mitchell, Barak made a link between any Israeli agreement to limit settlement expansion and progress on Arab states "normalizing" relations with Israel. Barak has publicly raised the possibility Israel might temporarily refrain from starting new building projects - while continuing many under way - in settlements in return for initial steps towards a regional peace agreement. (20,40)
Biden: U.S. won't stop Israeli strike on Iran
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Sunday that the Obama administration would not stand in Israel's way should the latter chooses to take military action to eliminate Iran's nuclear threat. Israel has the right to determine its own course of action with regard to the Iranian nuclear threat regardless of what the Obama administration chooses to do, Biden told ABC reporter George Stephanopoulos. When asked whether the Obama administration would restrain Israeli military action against Iran, Biden responded: "Israel can determine for itself - it's a sovereign nation - what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else." Stephanaopoulos posed the question three times, and each time Biden repeated that Israel was free to choose its actions. "If the Netanyahu government decides to take a course of action different than the one being pursued now, that is their sovereign right to do that. That is not our choice." During the interview, Biden hinted that President Barack Obama was looking to take a harder line toward Iran over the latter's contentious nuclear program. He said that Obama's offer for dialogue with Tehran remained on the table, but rejected the notion that the U.S. would make concessions for such negotiation to take place. "The ball's in their court," Biden said. "If they choose to meet with the P-5 under the conditions the P-5 has laid out, it means they begin to change course. And it means that the protestors probably had some impact on the behavior of an administration that they don't like at all." Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday, when asked about Biden's comments, that the U.S. position on Iran and a military strike involves a political decision. "I have been, for some time, concerned about any strike on Iran. I worry about it being very destabilizing, not just in and of itself but unintended consequences of a strike like that," Mullen said on CBS' Face the Nation. "At the same time, I'm one that thinks Iran should not have nuclear weapons. I think that is very destabilizing," he said. (20,39)
03 juillet 2009
Jordanian king names 15-year-old son as heir
Jordan's King Abdullah II named his eldest son as heir to the throne Thursday, ending five years of speculation over his successor. Abdullah's move is aimed at avoiding the uncertainty over succession that dogged his father, King Hussein. In 1999, Jordanians were baffled to see Hussein - on his death bed struggling with cancer - strip his brother, Prince Hassan, of the crown and give it to Abdullah. Hassan had been groomed for the Hashemite throne for more than three decades. By naming Prince Hussein Bin Abdullah crown prince, Abdullah can groom the 15-year-old for the throne from a young age. Hussein's appointment came in a royal decree released by the palace. It said the crown prince will hold the title and "enjoy the rights and privileges of his post" effective immediately. Under the constitution, the crown prince has a largely ceremonial role, representing the monarch in ribbon-cutting ceremonies and carrying out other symbolic functions. He has no official political post. Thursday's move was widely expected once the position became vacant in November 2004, when Abdullah removed the title from his half brother, Prince Hamzah, in a sudden palace shake-up. Hamzah, 29, had held the post when Abdullah first ascended to the throne in February 1999 following the death of their father. At the time, Abdullah said Hamzah's position as crown prince was in line with his father's wishes, but later stripped him of the title because it "restrained his freedom" to study, travel and live a normal life. Under the constitution, the crown is automatically ordained to the king's eldest son, unless the monarch decrees otherwise. Prince Hussein - a high school student in Jordan - is the eldest of King Abdullah and Queen Rania's four children. Like his father and other members of Jordan's ruling Hashemite dynasty, Hussein claims ancestry to Islam's Prophet Muhammad. (21,40)
Arabs shouldn't live with Jews, Shas minister says
Jews and Israeli-Arabs should not live next to one another, Construction and Housing Minister Ariel Attias said on Thursday. He warned of the "expansion of a population that doesn't love the State of Israel, to say the least." Speaking at the Israel Bar Association headquarters in Tel Aviv, the Shas legislator said Israel was in danger of "losing the Galilee" if the Israeli-Arab population continued to "spread" in the North, and mentioned in particular the Wadi Ara area, where he asserted that Harish, a haredi community planned to be built there, was a "mission of national importance" that could help "stop the expansion." "Arabs don't have where to live, so they buy apartments in places with a Jewish nature, which causes unwanted friction," Attias said. "We can all be bleeding-hearts," said the minister, "but I think it is unsuitable [for Jews and Arabs] to live together." Attias used the Jewish-Arab clashes last year in Acre to explain his argument. "The mayor of Acre [Shimon Lankry] met with me yesterday for three hours, and asked how to save the city. He told me to bring a whole lot of haredim to save it," Attias said. The minister quoted Lankry as saying, "I will even lose my political power." "He told me that Arabs living in Jews' buildings chase them away," Attias added. Mayors in the North "are asking me to salvage the Galilee, because this mixture is not feasible for coexistence over time," Attias said. He said that he would push forward the long-planned Harish project in order to "save" the Wadi Ara area - which has seen "illegal Arab expansion" - by populating the region with haredim, "who are the only ones willing to live there." MK Ahmed Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) lashed out at Attias, saying that "relating to Israel's Arab citizens as something threatening and foreign, coming from a minister in a government that should be distributing resources [equally], borders on violating the law against incitement to racism." (21,38)
EU nations summon Iranian envoys
The European Union decided Friday to summon Iranian ambassadors across the 27-nation bloc in a joint protest against the detentions of staff at the British Embassy in Teheran. The EU called Iran's decision to put detained British Embassy staff on trial "not acceptable." Britain had proposed recalling all EU ambassadors from Teheran as a powerful signal of unity, but the 27-nation bloc settled for a gradual escalation of pressure, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said. In a statement, Bildt said the EU's "escalatory approach to Iran was working" and noted that seven of nine embassy employees had been released. The Europeans would review the situation next week unless the remaining staffers are released, said Bildt, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency. French President Nicolas Sarkozy indicated he supported the British request to turn up the heat on the Iranian regime. "France has always wanted to strengthen the sanctions, so that Iranian leaders will really understand that the path that they have chosen will be a dead end," he said in a joint news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. "Now it's up to the British to tell us what they need, what help they need." Sarkozy added that "our solidarity with our English friends is total." The issue poses a difficult challenge for the EU. Recalling diplomats from Teheran would be an extraordinary move and a powerful signal of unity in the wake of Teheran's post-election crackdown. But punishing the regime too harshly also risks spoiling chances of making headway on the critical issue of Iran's disputed nuclear program. "It's not acceptable to file charges against the ones released or to the ones still in custody," Bildt said. On Friday, the head of Iran's powerful Guardians Council said that the British embassy staff, accused of inciting violence in post-election protests, would face trial. Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, who is close to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, made the announcement during Friday prayers in Teheran. "Naturally they will be put on trial, they have made confessions," Jannati said. "In these incidents, their embassy had a presence, some people were arrested." Jannati told the thousands of worshippers Friday that the British "had designed a velvet revolution ... In March, they said [in their Foreign Ministry] that street riots were possible during June elections. These are signs ... revealed by themselves." He also said those involved in protests "need to repent and ask God to forgive them." The British foreign office said it was very concerned and urgently seeking an explanation from Iran on the matter. "We are very concerned at these reports and are investigating them," a foreign office spokesperson said. "The allegations that embassy staff were involved in instigating the recent demonstrations are wholly without foundation." Protests were widespread across Iran following last month's presidential election amid claims the vote had been rigged in favor of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. At least 20 people were killed in the disturbances and many more arrested by the authorities. On June 27, nine embassy staff were arrested in Teheran accused of playing a role in post-election protests. All except two were eventually released. Teheran has repeatedly accused foreign powers - especially Britain and the US - of meddling and stoking the unrest after the June 12 election. Last month Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, described Britain as the "most evil" of its enemies. (21,35)
Report: Israel mulling easing Gaza siege (16,56)
The Defense Ministry has recommended a partial lifting of the embargo on the Gaza Strip as a goodwill gesture toward the Palestinians to spur talks to free a long-held captive soldier, Israeli media reported Friday. Israel has been linking the opening of Gaza's borders to the release of captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held by Hamas militants for over three years. Hamas has been pushing for a deal to trade him for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners currently held in Israeli jails. Israel imposed a near-total embargo of the Gaza Strip in 2007 after Hamas militants violently took control of the territory. Ynet reported that the proposal had been drafted by defense officials and awaits the approval of Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The Defense Ministry would not officially comment on the report. Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Friday that if there was any truth to the report, it would represent a righting of a previous wrong. "The Palestinian people have one single, clear demand - the siege must be lifted and all the crossings have to be open and life to get back to normal in the Gaza Strip," he told reporters outside a Gaza mosque after Friday prayers. The idea behind the plan, according to Ynet, was to lift the embargo gradually and link it to progress on Egyptian-mediated talks aimed at releasing Shalit from captivity. The plan does not include transferring products such as steel and concrete, which are needed to rebuild the battered territory but could also help Hamas improve its military capabilities. Hamas and other militants have fired thousands of missiles at Israeli border towns and communities in recent years. Israel has come under heavy pressure from the international community - including the Obama administration - to lift its embargo, which has crippled the Gaza economy. Gaza has survived largely thanks to a booming underground smuggling trade between Gaza and Egypt. (16,57)