Manisnya Pertemuan Medvedev - Ahmadinejad Di Tengah Ambisi Nuklir Iran

Presiden Rusia Dmitry Medvedev (kiri) berjabatan tangan dengan Presiden Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dalam pertemuan mereka di Baku (18 November 2010). Foto : Kremlin.Ru

Dimuat juga di  KATAKAMI.WORDPRESS.COM



(KATAKAMI 19/11/2010) -- Siapa yang tak kenal dengan nama Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ? Pria brewokan kelahiran 28 Oktober 1956 ini adalah Presiden dari Republik Islam Iran.

Saat ini ia sedang menjalankan periode kedua pemerintahannya setelah terpilih kembali pada pemilihan umum kepresidenan tahun 2009 lalu.

Berbicara soal Ahmadinejad, berarti bicara tentang ambisi nuklir Iran yang mnemancing kecurigaan dan kemarahan hampir sebagian besar negara-negara barat.

Terutama Amerika Serikat dan Israel.

Ahmadinejad adalah figur yang sangat semaunya dalam berbicara.

Ia tak pernah punya rasa sungkan atau pakem-pakem diplomasi saat berbicara dalam forum-forum internasional.

Dua bulan lalu (September 2010) dalam forum sidang terbuka Majelis Umum Perserikatan Bangsa Bangsa ( 65th session of the United Nations General Assembly ), Ahmadinejad bisa dengan seenaknya mengatakan bahwa mayoritas orang mempercayai bahwa Amerika Serikatlah yang berada di belakang serangan 11 September 2001.

Pidato yang sangat seenaknya ini menyebabkan sejumlah delegasi dalam sidang Majelis Umum PBB melakukan walkout.

Bahkan Presiden Barack Obama secara reaktif menjawab tudingan ( klaim ? ) dari Presiden Ahmadinejad dengan mengatakan bahwa tuduhan itu adalah "sesuatu yang dapat menimbulkan kebencian". 

Istilah yang digunakan Presiden Obama menjawab klaim itu adalah : "Inexcuseable, offensive" and hateful".

Tapi "kegilaan" Presiden Ahmadinejad pada Amerika tak cuma ini, beberapa bulan sebelumnya Presiden Ahmadinejad juga pernah membuat heboh lewat pernyataannya saat ia mengatakan bahwa sebenarnya Osama Bin Laden berada di Washington.

Kontan saja omongan "asal-asalan" dari Presiden Ahmadinejad ini dibantah secara keras oleh Washington.

Presiden Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad saat ia tiba di kota Qazvin sekitar 90 mil (140 kilometer) barat ibukota Teheran, Iran (Getty Images)

Dan Ahmadinejad seakan tak peduli pada reaksi Obama pasca pidato kontroversial di Sidang Majelis Umum PBB .

Bahkan dalam statusnya pada akun pribadinya di jejaring TWITTER, Ahmadinejad dengan cuek menuliskan sebagai berikut :

"Well, my material bombed at the UN again. This is the last I hire Michael Richards as my head speechwriter" (September 24, 2010).

Di hari yang sama, Ahmadinejad juga menyerang Perdana Menteri Israel Benjamin Netanyahu dalam wawancara di CNN.

Tidak tanggung-tanggung, Ahmadinejad menyebut PM Netanyahu sebagai pembunuh perempuan dan anak-anak.

Dan tuduhan yang sangat berani ini, dipertegas lagi oleh Ahmadinejad.

Dalam akun twitternya yang lain Ahmadinejad menuliskan sebagai berikut :


"I wasn't lying when I told CNN's Larry King that @Plaid_Netanyahu is a dictator"who should be tried for killing women and children." (September 24, 2010)

Berbeda dengan Presiden Obama, PM Netanyahu tidak mau menanggapi serangan terbuka lewat media yang dilakukan Presiden Ahmadinejad.

Bibi (panggilan Netanyahu) bagaikan "gunung es" yang barangkali menganggap omongan Ahmadinejad adalah sesuatu yang bersifat murahan dan tak perlu dijawab secara khusus,

Tetapi dalam sebuah media online di Israel, rakyat disana yang merasa perlu membela pemimpin mereka yang diserang oleh Presiden Iran menuliskan beragam komentar.

Bibi dibela oleh rakyatnya sendiri.

Perdana Menteri Israel Benjamin Netanyahu dalam pertemuannya dengan Sekjen PBB Ban Ki-moon di New York (8 November 2010). Salah satu pernyataan yang disampaikan PM Netanyahu saat ia berkunjung ke Amerika adalah cara terbaik untuk menghadapi dan mengatasi ambisi nuklir Iran adalah dengan melakukan SERANGAN MILITER. (Foto : Getty Images)

Diantaranya adalah menyayangkan CNN yang memberikan kesempatan bagi Ahmadinejad untuk diwawancarai.

Dan ada sebuah komentar berbahasa Inggris yang di muat di media online Israel HAARETZ yang singkat tetapi cukup pedas dari rakyat Israel untuk Ahmadinejad yaitu : "Look who's talking !"

Presiden Ahmadinejad memang termasuk salah seorang pengguna jejaring sosial Twitter yang cukup aktif.

Ia punya beberapa beberapa akun twitter.

Dan dalam akun twitter pribadinya yang manapun, topik yang paling sering disorot untuk diejek, disindir dan dikomentari dengan seribu satu macam "keanehan" adalah soal Amerika, Presiden Obama, Palestina dan Israel.

Tetapi Ahmadinejad juga menunjukkan "kegenitan yang sangat menggelikan" saat ia menjawab di Twitter kritikan dari sesama pemimpin dunia (dari kalangan perempuan) yaitu dari Presiden Argentina Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

"Oh, what's that? YOU'RE A WOMAN, I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I'm not listening, lalalalalalalala"  (October 22, 2010).

Atau pesan Ahmadinejad untuk Mantan Ketua DPR Amerika, Nancy Pelosi yang harus tersingkir dari kursi jabatannya pasca kemenangan Partai Republik yang mengantarkan JOHN BOEHNER sebagai pengganti Nancy Pelosi :


"Ex-speaker Pelosi, you can still "speak" at my house anytime. (wink wink) -M.A." (November 3, 2010).

Ahmadinejad adalah anak dari pasangan Ahmad dan Khanom.

Ia adalah anak ke-4 dari 7 bersaudara.

Tak selamanya ia bersikap arogan.

Dalam foto ini diambil pada Selasa, 9 November 2010, Presiden Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, kanan, menyambut Kardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, Presiden Dewan Kepausan untuk Dialog Antar Vatikan, di kantor kepresidenan di Teheran, Iran. (Foto : Getty Images)

Saat Paus Benediktus ke XVI secara tegas mengecam rencana Pendeta Terry Jones untuk membakar Al Quran pada bulan September 2010 lalu, hal ini mendapat pujian dari Presiden Ahmadinejad.

Ia menghargai Tahta Suci Vatican yang mengecam rencana gila yang provokatif tadi.

Ahmadinejad,  tumben-tumbennya bisa menuliskan pesan yang sangat santun pada akun twitternya mengenai hal itu :


"I thank Pope for condemning the Qu'ran burning which was to take place in Florida, USA not long ago. Much, much appreciated" (October 8, 2010).

Mungkin itulah sebabnya tanggal 9 November 2010 lalu, Presiden Ahmadinejad bersedia menerima kunjungan dari Utusan Paus Benediktus yaitu Kardinal Jean-Louis Tauran yang datang untuk menyampaikan surat khusus dari Paus untuk Presiden Iran.

Dan bagi Indonesia, Iran adalah negara sahabat yang selalu mendapat tempat khusus di hati sebab sama-sama memiliki latar belakang sebagai negara Islam.

Indonesia adalah negara yang berpenduduk Islam terbesar di dunia.

Indonesia tak pernah bergeser dari sikapnya jika menyinggung masalah program nuklir Iran yaitu tak setuju jika Iran dijatuhi sanksi yang sangat tidak berkeadilan tetapi Indonesia selalu mendukung secara tegas proses dialog dalam menyelesaikan krisis nuklir di Iran.

Presiden Rusia Dmitry Medvedev (kiri) dalam pertemuannya dengan Presiden Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad di Baku (18 November 2010). Foto : Kremlin.Ru

Dalam kunjungannya ke Baku pada pekan ini, Presiden Ahmadinejad menyerukan kepada negara-negara barat agar berhenti menekan Iran.

Desakan dari Ahmadinejad ini sangat bisa dipahami dengan akal sehat.

Bagaimana efektivitas diplomasi jika untuk menyelesaikan sebuah permasalahan yang sangat rumit semacam nuklir, jurus yang digunakan adalah jurus gertak yang sangat sinis disertai sanksi-sanksi yang sangat memusingkan kepala bagi Iran ?

Itu sebabnya, pertemuan antara Presiden Ahmadinejad dengan Presiden Rusia Dmitry Medvedev di Baku tanggal 8 November lalu sangat menyejukkan hati.

Rusia memainkan peranan yang sangat cantik dalam krisis nuklir Iran yang semakin suram.

Presiden Medvedev menyampaikan langsung kepada Presiden Ahmadinejad tentang pentingnya menjaga program nuklir di Iran sebagai sebuah program nuklir damai ( a peaceful Iranian nuclear programme ).

Pertemuan ini menjadi tolak ukur baru bahwa saat ini ada pemimpin dunia yang bisa melakukan kontak langsung dengan Iran dalam sebuah kerangka dialog yang sehat dan bersahabat.

Sikap saling serang di media-media internasional dari sejumlah pihak kepada Iran ( dan dibalas juga oleh Presiden Ahmadinejad lewat pernyataan-pernyataan yang jauh lebih "bringas" di media ) hanya akan membawa proses perundingan dalam mengatasi ambisi nuklir Iran ke lembah kekelaman.

Rusia membuktikan kemampuan mereka untuk menjadi kekuatan baru yang pantas disegani di dunia.

Lepas dari kepentingan perdagangan antar kedua negara yaitu Rusia dan Iran, tetapi Rusia juga harus selalu mengingat bahwa posisi strategis mereka ini harus tetap diarahkan pada prinsip perdamaian dan keamanan dunia yang berkelanjutan.

Perdana Menteri Rusia Vladimir Putin (kiri) dan Presiden Dmitry Medvedev. (File)

Baik Presiden Medvedev atau Perdana Menteri Putin, keduanya harus senantiasa membawa dan menempatkan Rusia sebagai tonggak yang akan selalu menjamin misi-misi perdamaian dan keamanan dunia terjaga dengan baik.

Rusia harus sangat selektif melakukan perdagangan senjata (misil) ke negara-negara manapun yang dapat menyalah-gunakan kecanggihan persenjataan itu untuk merugikan pihak lain.

Sangat menyejukkan hati saat Rusia ( lewat Presiden Medvedev ) bisa secara langsung bertemu dan berkomunikasi dengan pemimpin seradikal Presiden Ahmadinejad.

Ke depan, Rusia bisa menjadi kekuatan yang bisa mengimbangi dan meminimalisir kerasnya dorongan banyak pihak yang sudah sangat kehabisan kesabaran dan begitu geram pada Iran.

Rusia bisa menjadi pihak yang berperan maksimal untuk ikut menyelesaikan krisis nuklir di Iran, terutama jika semua saluran komunikasi dan lobi-lobi dari berbagai kekuatan diplomasi menjadi tersumbat.

Apalagi setelah bertemu dengan Presiden Ahmadinejad pada bulan November ini, Presiden Medvedev berencana untuk melakukan kunjungan ke Israel pada bulan Januari 2011 mendatang.

Topik soal Iran pastilah akan menjadi topik menarik untuk dibahas bila sudah bertemu dengan Israel.

Paling tidak, Presiden Medvedev bisa menyampaikan pada Presiden Shimon Peres dan Perdana Menteri Netanyahu agar Israel bersedia bersikap lebih "baik hati" dalam menghadapi masalah Iran.

Mau jadi apa dunia ini kalau sedikit-sedikit, serangan militer yang dijadikan langkah utama.

Mau jadi apa dunia ini kalau dalam menyelesaikan sebuah masalah penting seperti krisis nuklir ini, masing-masing negara besar dan kekuatan-kekuatan yang "super power" begitu mudah menjatuhkan sanksi demi sanksi.

Diplomasi seakan sudah tidak membutuhkan proses dialog.

Diplomasi seakan sudah tidak membenarkan proses damai.

Diplomasi, apakah pantas disebut sebagai diplomasi, jika kekuatan-kekuatan besar yang mempunyai peranan penting didunia ini sudah mengubah citra mereka menjadi singa yang siap menerkam siapa saja yang dianggap membangkang dan tak mau diatur ?

Jangan serang Iran, apalagi lewat serangan militer.

Sebab serangan itu hanya akan membuat rakyat Iran menjadi terancam dan hampir dapat dipastikan akan memakan korban jiwa yang tak berdosa dari kalangan sipil, perempuan dan anak-anak.

Dan janganlah ada arogansi-arogansi yang bersembunyi dibalik prinsip-prinsip keangkuhan sebagai negara atau kekuatan yang penuh superioritas ( super power) sehingga merasa pantas untuk menghajar negara lain.

Untuk apa ada Perserikatan Bangsa Bangsa ( UN ) Di dunia ini jika kekuatan diplomasi sudah kehilangan kekuatan-kekuatan lobi mereka yang berbasiskan perdamaian yang sesungguhnya.

Iran juga harus sangat terbuka pada kepedulian dunia internasional bahwa di zaman kekinian ancaman nuklir sebagai senjata pemusnah atau pembunuh massal adalah sesuatu yang sangat tidak dibenarkan.

Presiden Ahmadinejad juga harus mau bersikap lebih bersahabat kepada media massa asing yang ingin berkontribusi di Iran sebab para jurnalis tidak memiliki agenda-agenda propaganda yang licik.

Percayalah bahwa setiap jurnalis dan setiap media hanya membawa satu kepentingan yaitu pembawa informasi.

Please.


(MS)

PM Netanyahu asks ministers to back 90-day settlement freeze

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Please also visit : KATAKAMI.WORDPRESS.COM

November 14, 2010 (KATAKAMI / YNET) — Netanyahu convenes top government ministers for late-night session on American proposal, asks them to approve construction moratorium in West Bank in exchange for US veto on anti-Israel initiatives in UN.

The forum of top seven government ministers convened Saturday night at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem to discuss the latest American proposal for renewing direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians. 

Just a month after he vowed that construction in the West Bank would continue until the Palestinian Authority recognizes Israel as a Jewish state, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked his ministers to approve a 90-day settlement construction freeze. 

Netanyahu apparently succumbed to the ongoing US pressure following a lengthy meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The US proposal presented to the ministers is premised on a construction moratorium extension for another three months. PM Netanyahu apparently reached an understanding with Washington that the building freeze would not apply to Jerusalem, and that no further moratorium would be sought following the 90-day period. 

Earlier Saturday, a close associate of PM Netanyahu hinted at the proposal, declaring that he wouldn’t “bet on a full freeze” extension to be implemented.

20 advanced fighter jets

In exchange for a freeze extension, the US would object to international attempts to force a diplomatic agreement on Israel in the UN and in other global forums, while utilizing the American veto power in the UN Security Council. 

According to the proposal, the US would also boost its resistance to the de-legitimization campaign against Israel and to attempts by Arab states to deprive Israel’s right to self-defense.

Moreover, the US Administration would ask Congress to approve the sale of another 20 advanced fighter jets to Israel worth some $3 billion. This would supplement a comprehensive future Israeli-American security agreement, to be signed alongside a peace deal, in the aims of addressing Israel’s security needs in any future treaty. (*)

U.K. Foreign Secretary urges Palestinians to rejoin peace talks

Israeli PM Benyamin Netanyau meets British Foreign Minister William Hague on November 4, 2010 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Willian Hague is on a two-day official visit to Israel his first as foreign secretary. Diplomatic tension rose after a high-level security and defence meeting was cancelled on November 3, 2010 due to a row over universal jurisdiction legislation in the UK. (Photo Moshe Milner/GPO/Getty Images)

Please also visit : KATAKAMI.BLOGSPOT.COM

November 13, 2010 (KATAKAMI / HAARETZ) --- Ahead of trip to U.S. next week, William Hague calls on Mahmoud Abbas to return to stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks as soon as possible.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague has urged Palestinians to rejoin Middle East peace talks, before discussions in the U.S. next week. 

Hague said he told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a phone call on Saturday that he was disappointed by Israeli plans to build new Jewish homes in East Jerusalem. 

But he urged Abbas to return to the stalled talks as soon as possible. He said he would discuss the situation with U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton during a visit to Washington next week. 

U.S.-sponsored direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks broke down on September 26 when a 10-month Israeli freeze on West Bank settlement construction expired. Abbas has said he would not conduct peace talks with Israel while settlement construction is taking place. 

Earlier this month, Hague visited Israel and the Palestinian territories in his first visit to the region since taking office in May. (*)

Israel's Netanyahu unveils U.S. plan for new talks

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a Likud party meeting at parliament in Jerusalem October 25, 2010.

Please also visit : KATAKAMI.WORDPRESS.COM
 
November 13, 2010 (KATAKAMI / Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed senior ministers a U.S. plan for resuming peace talks with Palestinians, including a 90-day settlement freeze, a diplomatic source told reporters Saturday.


The plan also includes a pledge not to seek any extension to the settlement freeze after the 90-day period, a vow to veto any attempts at the United Nations to force a unilateral peace deal and an agreement on supplying Israel with more war planes.

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, renewed under Washington's sponsorship on September 2, broke down a few weeks later when Israel balked at renewing a settlement moratorium.

Netanyahu met his top "Forum of Seven" ministers a day after returning from a week-long U.S. tour that included talks on Thursday with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at which she unveiled the plan he showed his cabinet, the source said.

Netanyahu hopes he may win approval for the plan from his pro-settler cabinet later this week, political sources said.

Among the pledges offered to Israel by Washington, was a guarantee to veto any resolutions brought to the United Nations Security Council that seek "to impose a political settlement on Israel," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had no immediate comment. Officials speaking on condition of anonymity said the Palestinian leader was likely to wait to see whether Israel approved the ideas before issuing any comment.

AN ADDITIONAL FREEZE

Under the plan Israel would "declare an additional suspension of construction" in the West Bank, land it captured from Jordan in a 1967 war, for 90 days. Building begun since a moratorium ended in September, would be halted, the source said.

The proposed construction freeze would not include East Jerusalem, an area Israel has annexed as part of its capital in a move never recognized internationally and which Palestinians want as capital of any future state.

Washington would also undertake to veto resolutions deemed anti-Israel in the U.N. Security Council and other international organizations, the source said, a pledge that could make Israel less vulnerable to threats made by some Palestinians to declare statehood unilaterally in the event that peace talks fail.

The Obama Administration would also ask Congress to approve the supply of $3 billion worth of warplanes to Israel "to maintain its qualitative edge" in the region, the source said.

The United States would further sign a more comprehensive deal to enhance its substantial security aid to Israel as part of any agreement concluded with the Palestinians.

Israeli officials said Netanyahu, who faces a tough political sell within his own coalition on the settlement issue, had pushed Clinton for the broad understandings.

"The chances of reaching a peace agreement will be improved significantly by achieving comprehensive security understandings between Israel and the United States," Netanyahu said in New York before his talks with Clinton began. (*)

Netanyahu associate: Don't bet on full freeze

Israeli PM Benyamin Netanyahu (R) meets U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on November 7, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Netanyahu is on a five day visit to the U.S. to discuss the ongoing Mideast peace process. (Photo Avi Ohayon/GPO via Getty Images)

Please also visit : KATAKAMI.WORDPRESS.COM

Top seven government ministers scheduled to convene Saturday night, hear about PM's meeting with Clinton.

November 13, 2010 (KATAKAMI / YNET) --- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to convene the forum of top seven ministers Saturday night in order to present US proposals and agreements secured during his meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The US is pressing Israel to resume direct talks with the Palestinians and extend the settlement freeze, yet a Netanyahu associate said "I won't bet on a full freeze."  

Following the US midterm elections, Administration officials have renewed the pressure on Israel, but for the time being Netanyahu has refused to extend the building moratorium.

The PM is arguing that recent construction permits issued in the territories would not affect a future peace deal.

Over the weekend, a senior opposition official told Ynet that despite rumors about progress during talks with the Americans, "Netanyahu did not finalize any agreement with us and did not engage in any negotiations in order to ensure the coalition's stability." 

A senior government official closely familiar with peace contacts told Ynet that "it's not at all certain that we'll see a breakthrough vis-à-vis the Americans – the more things progress, the more complex they become."
 
Elsewhere, the Peace Now movement is saying that the pace of construction in the territories since the end of the freeze is higher than previously reported. The group said it registered construction work on 1,649 housing units, with infrastructure already built for 1,126 such units.  

According to Peace Now, in the past month and a half the settlers almost closed the construction gap created by the freeze, and that most construction is being undertaken in isolated, relatively small settlements.   (*)

U.S. offers Israel incentives package in exchange for 3 month settlement freeze

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pose for photographers before their meeting in New York, November 11, 2010. Getty Images / REUTERS / Brendan McDermid

Please also visit : KATAKAMI.WORDPRESS.COM

Security cabinet meets on Saturday night, receives update from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on proposed U.S. incentives package.

November 13, 2010 (KATAKAMI / HAARETZ) --- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's seven-member inner cabinet will discuss Saturday an offer by the United States to reinstate a freeze on West Bank Settlement construction in return for a package of incentives.

Netanyahu presented Saturday the U.S. offer, which was discussed by Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday, to the forum of seven.

According to the offer Israel would stop construction in the West Bank for 90 days. The freeze includes construction that began after the end of the first settlement moratorium on September 26.

The moratorium would not apply to construction in East Jerusalem. The U.S. will not ask Israel to extend the new moratorium when it expires.

In return, the U.S. government would ask Congress to authorize the delivery of 20 F-35 fighter jets to Israel, a deal worth $3 billion. Moreover, if an Israeli-Palestinian agreement is achieved, the U.S. would sign a comprehensive security agreement with Israel. The U.S. and Israel are to discuss the nature of the new security arrangements in the next few weeks.

According to "The Cable" blog, White House Middle East adviser Dan Shapiro told a group of American Jewish leaders on Friday that the incentives package includes commitments to oppose anti-Israel diplomatic efforts in the international arena.

The U.S. incentives package would also include: curbing actions by the United Nations on the Goldstone Report; blocking anti-Israel UN resolutions concerning the Gaza flotilla raid; defeating international resolutions aimed at exposing Israel's nuclear program at the International Atomic Energy Agency; and strengthening pressure on Iran and Syria in regards to their nuclear and proliferation activities.

U.S.-sponsored direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority broke down on September 26 when a 10-month Israeli freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank expired. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said he would not restart negotiations with Israel while settlement construction continues. (*)

PM Netanyahu: Disagreements with US 'temporary'

PM Netanyahu and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Henri Kissinger. November 10, 2010 ( Photo by Avi Ochayon GPO )

November 10, 2010 (KATAKAMI / YNET) --- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu turned down the heat Wednesday and said differences of opinion between the US and Israel were "temporary." On Tuesday, the prime minister responded with unprecedented vigor to US declarations against renewed settlement construction but on Wednesday, during a meeting with senior figures from US media, he spoke in more conciliatory terms.

The "differences" reached a peak when US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said construction in east Jerusalem was not conducive to the negotiations. Netanyahu retorted that Jerusalem is not a settlement.

During the meeting in New York, the prime minister was asked about differences of opinion between the US and Israel. He asserted that such differences were only temporary. He added that in his dealings with the US administration, he concentrated on issues that would have long-term effects on any peace agreement with the Palestinians.

Netanyahu detailed the Israeli government's position on Iran and the peace process. He is expected to meet Clinton on Thursday to discuss the need to reach wide-ranging understandings with the US about Israeli security needs in light of the significant security challenges expected in the coming decade.

He said the chances of achieving a peace deal would be much greater if security understandings could be reached with the US. He is also expected to raise the issue of peace agreements with a wider circle of Arab states in parallel to an agreement with the Palestinians.

(*)

Israel plans 1,300 Housing Units in Jerusalem

A construction site in the Jewish neighborhood of Har Homa in east Jerusalem, Monday, Nov. 8, 2010. The Israeli government is moving ahead with plans to build nearly 1,300 apartments in disputed east Jerusalem, an official said Monday, a move sure to escalate frictions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and American officials during his current visit to the United States. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

November 09, 2010. JERUSALEM (KATAKAMI / IsraelNationalNews.com / Reuters) – The Jerusalem regional planning and building commission published plans over the weekend for building more than 1,300 housing units in the capital.

Almost a thousand are planned for the Har Homa neighborhood in southern Jerusalem, while 320 are planned for the northern neighborhood of Ramot,  the Interior Ministry said on Monday, despite fierce opposition from Palestinians.

The timing of the announcement could prove an embarrassment for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is in the United States looking for ways to revive Middle East peace talks that have stalled over the issue of Jewish settlement building.

Interior Ministry spokeswoman Efrat Orbach said plans for some 1,300 Jewish housing units in two neighborhoods on land Israel seized in a 1967 war had been made public, passing another procedural stage toward eventual construction.

She said the public could still raise objections to the plans and it could take a long time before building commenced.

"It can take months or years from this point until building can actually begin, or even before tenders for building are issued," Orbach said.

The United States said it was "deeply disappointed" by news of the housing project.

"It is counterproductive to our efforts to resume direct negotiations between the parties," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said, adding that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was expected to bring the matter up in a meeting with Netanyahu in New York on Thursday.

At a meeting in New York with former President Bill Clinton, Netanyahu was asked by reporters to comment on the U.S. criticism.

"You know, President Clinton and I have a lot of things to discuss, but this particular issue I'm going to discuss, I'm sure, with Mrs Clinton on Thursday, so you can ask me then," Netanyahu said.

Earlier, Netanyahu held talks at the United Nations with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who the U.N. press office said "expressed concern at the resumption of settlement activity and recent announcements of further settlement construction in East Jerusalem."


PALESTINIAN REJECTION


Direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in September almost as soon as they had begun, after Netanyahu rebuffed Palestinian demands to extend a partial freeze on West Bank settlement building.

The limited moratorium did not include construction work in areas Israel considers part of Jerusalem.
An aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ruled out any return to negotiations as long as Israel continued to build and called on the United States to act against the Jewish state so that the talks could restart.

"Israel is continuing to create obstacles ... There will be no return to negotiations while Israel pursues settlement activities," Nabil Abu Rdainah told Reuters.

"(Netanyahu) is giving a signal to the Americans that (Israel) will not agree to halt settlements ... We demand that the U.S. administration take practical steps to resume the peace process, there will not be a peace treaty without having East Jerusalem as the capital of (the) state of Palestine," he added.
The State Department's Crowley said the United States was seeking to understand the background to the announcement, and said "it could very well be that somebody in Israel has made this known in order to embarrass the prime minister and to undermine the process."

"This is expressly why we have been encouraging the parties to remain in direct negotiations, to return to direct negotiations and to work through these issues face-to-face," he told a news briefing.

Israel captured East Jerusalem, along with the West Bank, in 1967 and regards all of Jerusalem as its capital. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a state they hope to establish in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

(*)

PM Netanyahu, UN's Ban discuss peace process, Ghajar withdrawal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) meets with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at U.N. headquarters November 8, 2010 in New York City. Israeli media reported that Netanyahu will announce the Israeli withdrawal from Ghajar, a village straddling the Lebanese-Israeli border. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slams UNESCO decision to classify ancient Jewish holy site as mosque, saying 'historical facts should not be distorted in the name of politics.'

November 09, 2010 (KATAKAMI / HAARETZ) --- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon held talks late Monday on the stalled Middle East peace talks and the planned Israeli withdrawal from a site on the Lebanese border.

The two issued a readout of their meeting at UN headquarters in New York, according to which the "secretary general and Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed the ongoing efforts to move the Middle East peace process forward."

"The secretary general emphasized that it was vital to break the current diplomatic stalemate, resume negotiations and produce results," the statement said.

Peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians have been stalled since September, when an Israeli moratorium on settlement activity ended. The Palestinians want the freeze extended to continue talks, and Washington has unsuccessfully tried to convince Netanyahu to do so. US President Barack Obama oversaw the relaunching of the direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in early September, only to see them falter once the settlement freeze expired on the 26th of the month.

Ban said he expressed concern at the resumption of the Israeli settlement activities and recent announcements of further settlement construction in East Jerusalem.

The two leaders also discussed the "current proposals on the issue of Ghajar," a reference to Israel's plan to end its occupation of the village with 2,200 inhabitants on the Lebanon-Israel border.

Haaretz had reported that Netanyahu planned to announce a withdrawal from Ghajar and the return of control of the village to Lebanon. The planned withdrawal would comply with UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ordered a ceasefire in the fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli Defense Forces in 2006.

The two leaders also reportedly "reviewed the regional situation, including Iran," in addition to Ban's urging that Israel "ease the movement of people and goods to and from Gaza."

Netanyahu also referred to a recent controversial ruling by the UN's cultural agency, according to which West Bank heritage sites holy to both Jews and Muslims, such as Rachel's Tomb, would be considered Palestinian.

The ancient tomb, which lies between Jerusalem and the nearby Palestinian-controlled city of Bethlehem, is traditionally regarded as the burial place of a biblical matriarch and is holy to Christians, Muslims and Jews.

Speaking during his meeting with the UN chief, the PM said that the "the profound link between the Jewish people and the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb had existed for close to 4,000 years."
"Over a billion people know of this bond and it is documented in the Bible," Netanyahu said, adding that "historical facts should not be distorted in the name of politics. That would only injure the UN's stature and the way serious people around the world regard it."

Last week, Israel said it would reduce cooperation with the United Nations' cultural watchdog following the classification of Rachel's Tomb as a mosque.

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said Israel would not cooperate with UNESCO – the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - in administering five protected sites in Palestinian territory as a dispute that has escalated in recent weeks came to a head.

Speaking with journalists in Jerusalem, Ayalon blamed the Palestinians for influencing the UN to side against Israel.

"This is another attempt at de-legitimization by the Palestinian Authority," he said.  

(*)

Germany's Foreign Minister called on Hamas to free captured IDF soldier Gilad Schalit, during a visit to the Gaza Strip

Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle (L) stands next to Noam Shalit, father of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, at the start of their meeting in Jerusalem November 7, 2010. Shalit was captured by Palestinian militants who tunnelled from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel in June 2006. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun )

November 08, 2010 (KATAKAMI / Jpost) --- Westerwelle says his country sees speedy return of soldier to his family as humane step; comments come a day after meetings with Noam Schalit, Lieberman, Shimon Peres in J'lem.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Monday called on Hamas to free captured IDF soldier Gilad Schalit, during a visit to the Gaza Strip.

He urged the terror group to "finally free this young man, after so many years in captivity."

He urged the terror group to "finally free this young man, after so many years in captivity." 

Westerwelle stressed that Germany views the speedy return of Schalit to his family as the humane step.

His comments came a day after a meeting with the soldier's father, Noam Schalit, as well as President Shimon Peres, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat in Jerusalem.

During a press conference after their Sunday meeting, Lieberman said that the biggest threat to the Middle East is Iran.

"Not only Iran with its nuclear problem, but Iran through its proxies in its terrorist activity in all our regions. We see Iranian activities through proxies in Lebanon through Hizbullah, in the Palestinian Authority through Hamas, their deep involvement in Iraq, in Yemen, in Somalia and, of course, this threat may be the biggest threat that we are facing as a Western society, as a free society in the modern world," Lieberman told his German counterpart.

He also said that while Israel has a "political dispute" with the Palestinians, it also has "very good cooperation with the Palestinians on the security level and on economy."

Westerwelle referred to Schalit, saying that Germany has an "abolultely clear position" that the soldier be "released very soon."

"We think that our Israeli friends know that they can count on us. And I do not want to comment any further because it is very important that we help the family, that we help this poor young man and that we see him as soon as possible, safe and healthy, back in the arms of his family," the German foreign minister said.  (*)

Photostream : Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman visits Israel

Israeli President Shimon Peres, left, shakes hands with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman during their meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010. Suleiman met with Israeli officials Thursday, among them Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to discuss ways to boost stalled Mideast peace talks with the Palestinians. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Debbie Hill, Pool)

Israeli President Shimon Peres, left, shakes speaks with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman during their meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010. Suleiman met with Israeli officials Thursday, among them Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to discuss ways to boost stalled Mideast peace talks with the Palestinians. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Debbie Hill, Pool)

Israeli PM Benyamin Netanyau (R) meets with Omar Suleiman, head of Egyptian Inteligence on November 04, 2010 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman visits Israel to meet with President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to discuss the possibility of renewing negotiations with the Palestinians. (Photo by Moshe Milner /GPO/Getty IMages)

Gaza rocket hits Israel, no casualties: army

File photo : An Israeli soldier keeps watch on the border between southern Israel and the Hamas-controlled Palestinian coastal territory in July. Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have fired a rocket into southern Israel but caused no casualties or damage, the Israeli army said.

November 06, 2010 (KATAKAMI / FRANCE 24 / AFP ) - Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket into southern Israel on Saturday but caused no casualties or damage, the Israeli army said.
The rocket exploded in an open field near the Gaza border, a military spokeswoman said.

Since the start of this year, Palestinians have fired more than 165 rockets or mortar rounds at Israel from the Hamas-controlled coastal strip, according to the military. (*)

PM Benjamin Netanyahu: Palestinians not ready for peace

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a session of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem November 3, 2010. Netanyahu said on Wednesday he would meet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a U.S. visit next week in addition to previously announced talks with Vice President Joe Biden. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Ammar Awad )

November 03, 2010 (KATAKAMI / YNET) --- During debate titled 'The world against Israel – how the Netanyahu administration isolated Israel in the international arena,' PM says, 'Rejecting Israel's right to exist doesn't advance reconciliation.' MK Bar-On: Bold decision required.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended a special Knesset debate titled "The world against Israel – how the Netanyahu administration isolated the State of Israel in the international arena." A request to hold a discussion on the matter was signed by 40 Knesset members, including Amir Peretz, Eitan Cabel and Daniel Ben-Simon.

First to speak was MK Ronnie Bar-On (Kadima), who slammed Netanyahu. "Before you go off to a visit in the US you should sit down and read Thomas Friedman, the most prominent US commentator. 

Maybe this time the sound of danger suggested in his articles will sound clearer. In the first round he called our leadership 'drunk drivers.' In the second round, he claimed the cabinet was inhabited by lunatics. Friedman's words point to bad times of changes in Israel's relations with the US and it's not because of any particular president."

Bar-On repeated President Shimon Peres' statements calling for an immediate political decision. "Do you need a clearer warning sign? You know, it's never too late to fix things. Make a bold, uncompromising decision and go for it. We'll be there for you and for ourselves."

MK Yohanan Plesner (Kadima) said, "You've been running the country for a year and eight months, what decision have you made except create one committee after the other. Shunning responsibility is not leadership; it's a weak, indulgent and irresponsible government."

Freeze on hold

Addressing the stalled peace talks with the Palestinians, Netanyahu said, "Rejecting Israel's right to exist certainly doesn't advance reconciliation between the nations and our desire to bring about a peace agreement. The Palestinians made an official commitment in this regard – as part of the Wye agreement and other agreements. I promise to discuss this commitment during the process, but for now I want the process to move forward without preconditions.

"If (the process) fails, it will be because the Palestinian Authority is trying to bypass the negotiations and move the process to the international track," he said.

As for the public uproar surrounding the yeshiva student bill, Netanyahu said, "We are doing exactly what has been done for the past 30 years. The haredim are part of our nation, and should be treated as such. This public should be encouraged to work."   


Likud MK Ofir Akonis responded to the Kadima claims and said, "Your Alzheimer's is really advanced. You decided to take a cynical, political ride on the backs of Israeli students," he said. "Have you no shame – to insinuate that Israel is to blame for the Marmara flotilla?"


Akonis noted that substantial stipends were given to haredim during the Kadima administration and presented a newspaper with the title: "Livni to Shas: Receive NIS 1 billion (about $280 million)." He was then escorted from the podium by security guards for violating Knesset protocol. Later, Kadima's Yoel Hasson was also removed from the hall after verbally attacking MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beiteinu).

MK Nissim Zeev (Shas) addressed the Labor MKs and said: "You can’t crush the coalition from the inside because of problems with your party chairman. I have unresolved business with the defense minister. I think he made a fool of himself, with the Galant document, with his foreign worker…they caught the most dangerous terrorist in the world – Virginia." 

Earlier this week, Netanyahu addressed the peace process during a Likud faction hearing at the Knesset. When asked about the possibility of the resumption of settlement construction freeze he replied there was no concrete US proposal and that the matter was on hold.

(MS)

PM Netanyahu says he will meet Clinton during U.S. visit

File photo : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton September 15, 2010 in Jerusalem, Israel. Israeli and Palestinian leaders are deadlocked in peace negotiations over Israeli settlement building. (Photo by Amos Ben Gershom / GPO via Getty Images)

November 03, 2010 (KATAKAMI / HAARETZ) --- PM will arrive in New Orleans on Sunday to address a conference of the U.S. Jewish community, where Joe Biden will also speak. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he would meet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a U.S. visit next week in addition to previously announced talks with Vice President Joe Biden. 

In a speech to parliament, Netanyahu again voiced strong criticism of the Palestinian Authority, which has suspended peace talks over his refusal to resume a partial freeze of construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank. 

"The truth is, there is great readiness in Israel for a real peace process," he said. "The truth is, we have not found a corresponding readiness within the Palestinian Authority." 

Netanyahu has resisted U.S., Palestinian and international calls to impose a new building moratorium in settlements after a 10-month freeze expired in late September, some three weeks after the U.S.-brokered negotiations began. 

Palestinian officials have accused Netanyahu of destroying prospects for peace by allowing settlement building to continue on land that Palestinians want for a future state. 

Netanyahu arrives in New Orleans on Sunday to speak at a conference of U.S. Jewish leaders that Biden also will address. President Barack Obama will be visiting Asia during Netanyahu's U.S. trip, which also includes a four-day stay in New York. 

"I will, of course, meet with the senior leaders of the United States, with Vice President Biden and subsequently with Hillary Clinton," Netanyahu told parliament. 

He gave no date or venue for the meeting with Clinton, but Israeli officials said it was likely to take place in New York. 

"I greatly appreciate the efforts of the Obama administration -- the president and his people -- to find a way to advance the peace process," Netanyahu said in his speech, giving no sign of bending in the settlement impasse.

(MS)

Photostream : British Foreign Secretary William Hague in Israel

Israeli President Shimon Peres (R) shakes hands with British Foreign Secretary William Hague at the presidential compound in Jerusalem, on November 3, 2010. Hague is on an official two day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories. (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Israeli President Shimon Peres (R) meets with British Foreign Secretary William Hague at the presidential compound in Jerusalem, on November 3, 2010. Hague is on an official two day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories. (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

British Foreign Secretary William Hague, right, meets with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman as they prepare to sign an agreement which will increase cooperation between the two countries' film industries, in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010. Israel announced Wednesday that it has suspended a special strategic dialogue with Britain to protest repeated attempts by pro-Palestinian activists to arrest Israeli dignitaries on war crimes charges during visits to the United Kingdom. The announcement came as Hague was meeting with senior Israeli officials in Jerusalem and senior Palestinian officials in Ramallah on Wednesday. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (2nd L) and British Foreign Secretary William Hague (2nd R) sign a co-production film treaty after their meeting in Jerusalem November 3, 2010. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun )

Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (L) and British Foreign Secretary William Hague shake hands after signing a co-production film treaty after their meeting in Jerusalem November 3, 2010. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun )

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak: Negotiations to resume after US elections

File Photo : Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak (R) shakes hands with U.S. President Barack Obama's Middle East envoy George Mitchell during their meeting in Tel Aviv January 21, 2010 (Getty Images / REUTERS/Matty Stern/U.S. Embassy/Handout )

November 02, 2010 (KATAKAMI / YNET) --- Defense minister says stalemate in negotiations with Palestinian Authority coming to an end, addresses religious-secular tensions.

The peace talks with the Palestinian Authority will move forward after the midterm elections in the US,  Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday.

"There are elections in the US today, and I suppose that it will take them a few weeks after the elections to settle in," he said during a visit to a high school in Emek Hamaayanot Regional Council in northern Israel. "I hope and believe that we can see real progress in the negotiations in the next few months."

Barak also addressed the escalating tension within Israel between ultra-Orthodox and secular citizens. He told the high school students about a visit he paid to the IDF's Menashe Regional Brigade, where a haredi combat unit serves.

"In the past, 10 years ago, an entire unit of haredi soldiers would have been considered impossible," he said.

"The haredim, whose incorporation in the job market – especially the haredi men, similarly to the incorporation of women of the Arab sector into the job market – requires attention from the State, as well as the creation of a foundation and a training system. But we must also recognize equality and the need for inclusion," he said.

In response to the yeshiva funding bill, which has provoked demonstrations and arguments in recent days, Barak said that Israel must level the playing field between religious and secular students.

"The State, which has been giving different forms of support to yeshiva students, must find the way to give secular students and young people the same things, in an equal manner," he said.


(MS)

Netanyahu says no realistic US proposals to freeze settlements

File photo : U.S. President Barack Obama and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) walk from the podium after delivering statements to the press from the Colonnade outside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington September 1, 2010. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Jason Reed )

November 02, 2010 (KATAKAMI / Rantburg.Com / KUNA) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday there were no American proposals to freeze settlement construction in the West Bank, noting that the political situation was in a stalemate status.

"The American administration is busy with the Congress elections so they will not discuss the settlement freeze now, and until now there is no realistic American proposal to end this crisis," Netanyahu said during a session of the Likud bloc members at the Knesset.

Netanyahu, quoted by the Yediot Ahronot website, said "The Paleostinians' taking a unilateral step to declare the Paleostinian state will make the two parties pay high prices and these steps will not solve the dispute." Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas said last Thursday the Paleostinians could submit a request to the UN and the US to recognize a Paleostinian state on the pre-1967 war borders if the direct peace talks with the Israelis failed to resume.

(MS)

British Foreign Secretary William Hague planning secret Iran talks during Israel trip

British Foreign Secretary William Hague

November 02, 2010 (KATAKAMI / HAARETZ) --- William Hague arrives in Israel on Tuesday for his first visit since being appointed foreign secretary in Britain's recently elected Conservative government.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Tuesday evening, will hold a secret roundtable discussion on the Iranian nuclear program on Wednesday morning with a long list of senior Israeli officials involved in this issue. 

This is Hague's first visit to Israel since being appointed foreign secretary in the recently elected Tory government, and the roundtable discussion is being held at his request. His goal is both to gain an in-depth understanding of the Israeli government's positions on this issue and to hear assessments of Iran's nuclear program firsthand from senior Israeli defense and intelligence officials. 

The closed meeting is scheduled to take place at the British ambassador's residence in Ramat Gan, and those invited include Mossad chief Meir Dagan and the director general of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, Shaul Chorev. Other Israelis on the guest list include Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon, Intelligence and Atomic Energy Minister Dan Meridor and Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon. 

But it seems that at least some of the ministers will skip the roundtable, because it apparently will conflict with a cabinet meeting. 

The British embassy said Britain shares Israel's concern about the threat posed by nuclear weapons in Iran's hands and holds regular discussions with Israel about this issue, but cannot at this stage discuss the details of the secretary's schedule for the visit. 

Britain and France have spearheaded the battle against Iran's nuclear program in the European Union. After the UN Security Council approved a fourth round of sanctions against Tehran in June, London and Paris worked hard to get the EU to approve additional sanctions of its own against Iran, which it did in late July. 

Israel and Britain cooperate very closely on Iran in both the intelligence and the diplomatic spheres. This cooperation is particularly noteworthy given the two countries' deep differences on the Palestinian issue.
And Britain's new ambassador to Israel, Matthew Gould, is an expert on the Iranian nuclear issue. He dealt with it both when he served as deputy head of mission in Britain's embassy in Tehran a few years back and in his most recent post before coming to Israel, as principal private secretary to then-foreign secretary David Miliband. 

One thing Hague will be looking for at Wednesday's roundtable is Israel's assessment of how effective the new sanctions against Iran have been. 

Two weeks ago, Ayalon and a group of senior Israeli intelligence and defense officials were in Washington for a strategic dialogue that dealt solely with the Iranian issue. At that meeting, the Americans opined that the sanctions had succeeded beyond their expectations, thanks to widespread cooperation by many countries worldwide. 

The Israelis agreed that the sanctions had been more effective than anticipated and were causing economic hardship in Iran that had increased political pressure on its government. 

Nevertheless, the Israelis stressed, there is no evidence so far that the sanctions are causing Tehran to rethink its nuclear program, and they certainly have not caused it to stop enriching uranium. That is undoubtedly the assessment they will repeat to Hague tomorrow. 

(MS)

PM Benjamin Netanyahu instructed security forces not to allow the Palestinian Authority to hold events in Jerusalem Territory

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo : JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

November 01, 2010 (KATAKAMI / YNET) --- PM's instruction follows order signed byInternal Security Minister Aharonovitch stating PA officials forbidden from taking part in political activities within Israeli territory without permit. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the security establishment on Monday to prevent the Palestinian Authority from conducting ceremonies and organizing events anywhere within the limits of the Jerusalem Municipality.

About a year-and-a-half ago police succeeded in dispersing a number of small events held in east Jerusalem as part of the Palestinian Culture Festival, meant to declare the city "the capital of Arabic culture for 2009." More than 20 people were arrested, including Sheikh Raed Salah, the head of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel. 


The instruction followed an order signed by Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch stating that Israeli law prohibits Palestinian Authority officials from taking part in political activities within Israeli territory without first obtaining special permission.

Aharonovitch's order came following reports that Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad was due to arrive in east Jerusalem on Tuesday to attend dedication ceremonies for two schools as well as a new road project. 

Then-Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter signed a number of injunctions banning a series of events that were scheduled to be held in Jerusalem, Nazareth and in other parts of the country under the auspices of the PA.

Dichter instructed Israel Police to "suppress any attempts by the PA to hold events in Jerusalem and throughout the rest of the country." According to the minister, the events would constitute a violation of the interim agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, which includes a clause that forbids the PA from organizing events in Israeli territory.

(MS)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Will Attend 2010 General Assembly in New Orleans

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet in Jerusalem, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010. Netanyahu says he is heading to the U.S. next week to discuss Mideast peace efforts with Vice President Joe Biden. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Jim Hollander, Pool)

NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Jewish Federations of North America will host Netanyahu at their annual conference running Nov. 7-10, along with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, other leading political figures

The Jewish Federations of North America is pleased to announce that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will attend the 2010 General Assembly in New Orleans.

Prime Minister Netanyahu will headline a roster of major global figures at the 2010 General Assembly (GA) and the 2010 International Lion of Judah Conference (ILOJC), which run Nov. 7-10 in New Orleans. Along with Prime Minister Netanyahu, GA speakers will include Vice President Joe Biden, Israel's Defense and Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Israel's Ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren.

Also speaking at the GA and the ILOJC is Israel's Leader of the Opposition, Tzipi Livni. Joining Livni at the ILOJC are Israel's former ambassador to the U.N. Gabriela Shalev and other VIPs.

Global Jewish leaders at the GA include Jewish Agency Chair and legendary Soviet Jewish activist Natan Sharansky and his wife Avital, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee CEO Steven Schwager, and others.

"The entire Jewish Federation movement is thrilled to have Prime Minister Netanyahu joining us," said JFNA's President and CEO Jerry Silverman. "The Prime Minister will be joining an array of inspiring world leaders who will help make this a powerful and memorable GA."

Prime Minister Netanyahu has been a frequent participant at the largest annual gathering in the Jewish communal world, both as prime minister and minister in previous Israeli governments. Most recently he attended the 2009 GA in Washington, DC.

The General Assembly is the largest annual gathering of the North American Jewish community. The International Lion of Judah Conference occurs every other year in conjunction with the GA and is an event for leaders in women's philanthropy.

This year, the GA and ILOJC will attract more than 4,100 participants from around the world. The GA will feature cutting-edge programs such as the Jewish Futures Conference, a Global Day of Jewish Learning, a first-time day of service in partnership with Repair the World, and other top speakers including David Simon, creator of HBO's "The Wire" and National Jewish Book Award winner Rebecca Goldstein.

The ILOJC will also include a first-time service project – a literacy program in local schools in partnership with The PJ Library, Harold Grinspoon Foundation and Repair the World – and features leading women entertainers and speakers including singer Neshama Carlebach and comedian Judy Gold.

The Jewish Federation movement is the largest Jewish philanthropy collective in the world and the Jewish Federations of North America are dedicated to promoting awareness and involvement among the Jewish community in the United States and Canada.




SOURCE Jewish Federations of North America