27 juin 2009
Unconfirmed report: Schalit release imminent
The London-based Asharq Alawsat reported Saturday significant progress in negotiations to release captive IDF soldier Gilad Schalit, held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip for over three years. According to the report, Israel and Hamas reached a compromise according to which Israel will eventually release 1,100 Palestinian prisoners, of which 400 will be picked by Hamas. Hamas ministers and parliamentarians will also be released according to the reported agreement. Israel will also remove the siege of the Gaza Strip, open the southern Rafah Crossing and return it to the level operation that existed before the Hamas coup two years ago. The paper reported that the plan received the blessing of the United States. (13,35)
Haredi, secular J'lem residents to demonstrate at Carta lot
Thousands of ultra Orthodox Jerusalemites staged a mass rally on Friday, protesting the opening of a municipal parking lot in the capital on the Sabbath. Droves of Haredim flooded Bar Ilan Street, a major throughway in the heart of an ultra-Orthodox district, as well as other sites in the city, where they conducted a mass prayer. Violent riots broke on Saturday three weeks ago, after the municipality passed a resolution to open the Safra parking lot in the city center on the Sabbath. Hoping to appease the protesters, Mayor Nir Barkat decided to open a nearby parking lot instead, but the controversy has not subsided. Numerous Haredi leaders from various factions, including Shas spiritual leader Ovadia Yosef and Rabbi Shalom Elyashiv, joined the call to hold the mass prayer after the protest was initially led by Eda Haredit, an extremist ultra-Orthodox group. Nevertheless, Yosef Rosenfeld, head of the haredi Committee for Sanctity of Shabbat, was dissatisfied with the solution and said that the haredi community would continue to protest. "The situation now is much worse," he said. "Opening the parking lot and charging for its use is a much more severe desecration of the Sabbath. We will continue to go out and demonstrate as we planned. It makes no difference that the parking lot is far away from the haredi neighborhoods - there is a violation of the status quo." (07,33)
Quartet and G8 pressure Israel on settlement expansion/Kol Israel
The Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators is calling on Israel to freeze all settlement activity including "natural growth". The Quarter is also calling to dismantle what they term as "illegal " roadblocks in the territories and especially into the Gaza Strip and also cease house demolitions in East jerusalem The Quartet , the EU, United Nations, Russia and the US, issued a statement after its first formal meeting since US President Obama took office in January. The meeting taking place in Trieste Italy was to try and jumpstart the Middle East peace process. Just hours earlier the Group of 8 Leading world powers also meeting in Trieste, made the same appeal, calling on "both parties to fulfill their obligations under the roadmap, including a freeze on settlement activity." US envoy George Mitchell told a news conference after the Quartet meeting in Italy , that the US hoped Israelis and Palestinians would seen begin "meaningful and productive peace negotiations" United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon told a news conference today " We are urging Israeli authorities to stop settlements including natural growth. This will be the first beginning to make sure all our proposals are implemented" Tony Blair, the Quartet's Middle East envoy, called for "major change in the West Bank.." beyond the easing of access and movement for Palestinains in the territories. Blair noted that investment in West Bank development had already produced positive results, urging a parallel strategy for Gaza. The Quartet also called for an unequivocal end to violence and terrorism, demanding that the Palestinains " continue to make every effort to improve law and order and to fight violent extremism. (07,00)
US-backed Saad al Hariri is likely Lebanon's next prime minister
Political sources in Lebanon said Friday that a large majority of members of parliament will nominate US-backed Saad al Hariri for the post of prime minister, paving the way for his appointment. President Michel Suleiman will consult with parliamentarians later Friday and decide Saturday on the next prime minister. On Saturday, President Suleiman will designate the candidate with most support. (06,00)
26 juin 2009
G8 urges Israel to halt W. Bank settlement construction
Foreign ministers of Group of Eight countries urged Israel to halt all settlement construction in the West Bank Friday, during a meeting in Italy largely focusing on recent events in Iran. They also called on Israelis and Palestinians to renew direct negotiations over all disputed issues. Also meeting Friday on the sidelines of the summit is the Mideast Quartet - the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations - to try to help move the Israeli-Palestinian peace process forward. US Mideast envoy, former Sen. George Mitchell and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon are among the participants. A range of Arab League nations will join in a follow-on session Friday afternoon. Israel was not invited; the Italian Foreign Ministry said that decision was taken by the Quartet, not Italy. On Thursday former deputy national security adviser Elliott Abrams insisted that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was wrong in saying that the Bush administration's tacit agreements with Israel on construction in the settlements did not exist. (20,57)
'Hariri approved as PM by parliament'
The Lebanese parliament has approved the appointment of Sa'ad al-Hariri, son of slain Lebanese opposition leader Rafik Hariri, as prime minister, Reuters reported Friday. Lebanon's March 14 coalition won the majority of votes in national elections held earlier this month. President Michel Suleiman is expected to consult with parliament members later Friday to make a final decision over the future premier's appointment, scheduled for next week. Suleiman will declare which candidate has received the majority of support on Saturday. Soon after results of the elections were known, Hariri announced that his country would not conduct an independent peace track with Israel, and may not even join the Arab peace initiative, should it become the basis for regional negotiations. (11,00)
'Gilad Schalit is begging for his life'
Amid escalating rumors that captive tank gunner Gilad Schalit is about to be transferred to Egypt, his father, Noam, speaking Thursday at a Tel Aviv rally marking three years since his son's capture, said Gilad was begging for his life. "We are standing here across from the office of the commanders who sent our son on his mission to the Gaza border, a mission from which he has not returned until today. We are standing here this evening to give Gilad a voice," Noam said. To the hundreds who joined him opposite the Kirya military headquarters, under spotlights which lit up the night sky, Noam said it was doubtful his son could see the sun or smile as he endured his 1,095th day in captivity. "He asks only one thing from you - his freedom. As we have become accustomed to saying, Gilad has already paid the price for the failures for which he bore no responsibility," Noam said. Thursday's rally was the latest of dozens of events the family and their supporters have held during the past three years in hopes of pressuring the government into making a deal with Hamas that would secure Gilad's release. As Noam spoke, unconfirmed reports circulated in the media, as they have all week, that Gilad was about to be transferred to Egypt, a move that had been suggested as a preliminary step toward his release in past third-party negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Israel has been willing to meet most of Hamas's demands for the release of hundreds of prisoners in exchange for Gilad, but has balked at freeing some of those charged with killing Israelis in terrorist attacks. (01,34)
'Ahmadinejad win requires primed IDF'
Speaking at a graduation ceremony for new IAF pilots in Hatzerim on Thursday, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi stated that the victory of hardliner president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the Iranian presidential elections requires the IDF to remain primed and prepared. "The reelection of the Iranian president, his remarks on his intention to harm Israel, and his efforts to obtain unconventional weapons, require us to be prepared to deal with every threat, far away and nearby," Ashkenazi said. "As the chief of general staff I know - only a strong and high quality IDF will keep war at bay and if necessary, will subdue the enemy and win." Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who also spoke at the ceremony, stressed that the IAF was prepared for every mission. "Our hope is that this will not be required," Barak said, "but in the Middle East, the threats posed to our security are not theoretical." "The scope of threats against us has widened from Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists to Iran, which is working to attain nuclear capabilities. We will not remove any option from the table and advise others to do the same," the defense minister said, hinting that Israel was prepared to carry out a military strike against Iran if diplomatic efforts to halt the Islamic Republic's nuclear program fail. Regarding the peace process with the Palestinians, Barak expressed support for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel while stating that "peace in the Middle East is made with those who are strong." "We will not make concessions on our security under any circumstances, but we mustn't miss an opportunity to promote a regional peace accord in the spirit of the Road Map, on the basis of two states for two people," the defense minister said. (01,33)
Europeans: Gilad Shalit transfer to Egypt imminent
European diplomatic sources said Thursday that kidnapped Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit will be transferred to Egypt in the coming hours or coming days, Haaretz reported. This information has yet to be confirmed by Israeli officials. According to the European sources, Shalit's transfer is the first stage of an agreement between the various Palestinian factions, assisted by Egyptian mediation and done in coordination with the United States and with the support of Syria. Shalit will be used as a "deposit" toward the completion of a prisoner exchange between the Palestinian factions, the sources said. The agreement will include the exchange of prisoners and the opening of crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip. According to Egyptian officials, a deal will be signed between Fatah, Hamas and other Palestinian factions by July 7 at the latest. The deal would put the Gaza Strip under the leadership of a joint committee subordinate to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and not under the control of the government of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. On Tuesday Palestinian news agency Maan quoted Egyptian sources as saying that Shalit was about to be transferred from the Gaza Strip into Egypt within hours, a report that Israeli sources denied. Shalit was kidnapped in a cross-border raid by Gaza militants on June 25, 2006, exactly three years ago. (01,24)
25 juin 2009
IDF to radically reduce army presence in 5 West Bank cities
Israel has decided to radically reduce its military presence in the West Bank cities of Kalkilya, Ramallah, Jericho, Jenin, and Bethlehem as part of an effort to bolster the Palestinian Authority, defense officials said on Thursday. The decision was announced at a Wednesday meeting between IDF officers and their Palestinians counterparts in Bethlehem. The meeting was attended by the head of the IDF Civil Administration Brig-Gen. Yoav Mordechai. Defense officials said that the move was aimed at giving the Palestinians the ability to enforce law and order and crack down on Hamas and other terror elements independently without Israeli intervention. Nevertheless, the sources said that if there was intelligence regarding planned terror attacks against Israel, the IDF would not hesitate to operate within the cities to thwart those attacks. In addition, the move was also connected to the continued deployment of Palestinian battalions trained by the United States security coordinator Lt.-Gen. Keith Dayton in Jordan. Officials said a battalion of several hundred Palestinian soldiers recently returned from Jordan, and another battalion traveled to the country for training. The officials said that the deployment of Dayton-trained battalions would continue in cooperation with the IDF. Previous to the decision, the IDF would primarily dominate night-time security activities, while Palestinian security forces were permitted to operate almost exclusively during the day. However, following the decision, PA troops will operate during both the night and day, with Israeli troops only operating when urgent threats arise. (17,03)