WHAT'S NEW IN IPCRI
Dear
Supporters of Peace in the Holy Land,
The Children of Abraham People's Peace awards honoring an Israeli and a
Palestinian peace pioneers were held in Las Vegas on March 19, 08, and by all
accounts, was a major success.
The Award ceremony which included leaders of the Christian, Jewish and Moslem
communities in Las Vegas was chaired by US Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV)
who presented the People's Peace Awards to Dr. Gershon Baskin, an Israeli from
Jerusalem and Mr. Hanna Siniora - A Palestinian, from Jerusalem.
US Senate Majority Leader, Sen.Harry Reid (D-NV) sent a representative who read
a letter from Senator Reid praising the efforts for peace in the Middle East and
commending Dr. S.E.Elia - Founder and President of the Children of Abraham
Coalition for organizing the People's Peace Awards and congratulating the
winners. ( Copy of Sen. H. Reid's Letter attached)
Both award winners who are Co-CEO's of IPCRI ( Israeli Palestinian Center for
Research & Information) have devoted the last 2 decades of their lives to
peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. This is despite living
in Jerusalem, which has witnessed untold violence in the past half a century.
Their belief is that peace is not an option, it is the only solution. This was
echoed by Dr. Elia in his opening remarks by stressing that there are no winners
in war and that there are no losers in peace.
The success of the peace Awards was due in large measure to the participation &
support by all the major religious and ethnic communities in Las Vegas which
included the Arab American Community, The Jewish American Community, The Asian
American Community and the Latino Community. Speakers at the Peace Awards event
included Ms. Karen Boyett - Executive Director of the Interfaith Council in
Southern Nevada, Dr. Aslam Abdullah, Executive Director of the Islamic Society
of Nevada, Rabbi Y. Mintz of the Valley Outreach Synagogue, Dr.Martha Poling-Goldenne,
Pastor of the New Song Lutheran Church, Anthem, and Rabbi S. Akselrad of the Ner
Tamid Congregation in Henderson, NV. In addition to the religious leaders, a
presentation was made by Mr. Matt Taha on behalf of the Palestinian community.
READ
MORE...>>>
Encountering Peace: A long way from the Three Noes
|
Gershon
Baskin , THE JERUSALEM POST |
Mar. 24, 2008 |
Recently I re-examined the September 1967
decision of the Arab League summit in Khartoum - the famous three no's - no
recognition, no negotiations and no peace with Israel.
Here we are 40 years later and instead of
speaking about the Arab-Israeli conflict, we speak about Arab-Israeli
relationships - complex and diverse.
Peace, albeit cold, with Jordan and Egypt.
The Saudis continue to speak about the Arab Peace Initiative (API) and even
Hamas wants a cease-fire agreement with Israel. Syria is calling for direct
negotiations with Israel. The Palestinians claim that Israelis are holding back
on making progress toward peace for the creation of a Palestinian state which is
essentially supported by the government and a majority of Israeli citizens. The
Lebanese government, which also supports the API and managed to kick the Syrians
out of Lebanon, claims that Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon will not be
complete as long as Israel holds on to the Shaba farms.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said that
he would consider opening talks with Damascus, but we all know that his hands
are tied by President George W. Bush. The US has issued preconditions to Syria
that must be met before Washington is willing to loosen the rope around Assad's
neck. The US demands that Syria seal its border to Iraq to prevent insurgents
from killing US soldiers there. The US has also demanded that Syria cease the
flow of Syrian and Iranian money and weapons to Hizbullah. The US further
demands that the Assad regime shut down the offices of Hamas and Islamic Jihad
in Damascus. All of these are quite reasonable demands and something that every
supporter of peace in the Middle East should applaud.
READ MORE...>>>
Encountering Peace: The moral majority for peace
|
Gershon
Baskin , THE JERUSALEM POST |
Mar. 10, 2008 |
Reaching a peace agreement by the end of
the year seems almost impossible. The violence between the sides is once again
in full gear and the rage on the streets of both Israel and Palestine is on the
rise. Israel killed more than 100 Palestinians in the last "operation" in Gaza -
more than half of them civilians, say Palestinian sources. Palestinian
celebrations in Gaza after the murderous attack in Mercaz Harav and crowds of
Israelis calling "death to the Arabs" once again demonstrates that we have not
learned anything. Jews and Arabs have been killing each other over this land for
100 years. The mutual calls for revenge continue to feed this horrific cycle of
death and destruction. Many of our political leaders, on both sides, follow the
mob response calling for more death, more blood, and more revenge. How many more
families on both sides must bury their dear ones before we all wake up and
realize that this must end? Fortunately Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
responded to the recent violence positively stating: "Despite all the
circumstances we're living through and all the attacks we're experiencing, we
insist on peace. There is no other path."
Israeli leaders have been less explicit. This is most unfortunate. The leaders
on both sides should sound a voice of morality recognizing that the violence on
both sides of the conflict will continue as long as there is no political
agreement that will lead us to the end of the conflict.
I find it completely beyond comprehension that people on both sides actually
believe that the way to put and end to the violence of the other side is to hit
them with more force and bring more suffering on them. How can any thinking
person believe that if we kill more of "them" that they will simply surrender?
Would we? If the Palestinians continue to kill us in a wholesale manner would we
consider surrendering our rights? Would we lay down our arms and make
concessions on our rights for liberty, freedom, statehood, and justice because
we suffer losses?
Palestinians are no different than us on matters concerning their national
dignity, dreams of statehood and demands for freedom, liberty and justice. If we
were occupied and denied our freedom would we lay down our arms? Would we adopt
strategies of non-violence? I doubt it.
NO, IT IS not easy to reach a negotiated
end to this 100 year conflict. Both political systems are so weak, divided and
dysfunctional that it is almost impossible for the political leaders to find the
courage to make the leap that is necessary to give each other the minimum
concessions that are needed to produce an agreement.
READ MORE...>>>
Encountering Peace: To save lives - negotiate with the devil
|
Gershon Baskin , THE JERUSALEM POST |
Feb.
25, 2008 |
Israel does not negotiate with
terrorists. This "truism" is one of the biggest spins in the history of
spinning. Israel has always negotiated with terrorists and will continue to
negotiate with them as long as we continue to cherish (Jewish) human lives.
Israel is negotiating with
Hizbullah for information about its two kidnapped soldiers. Israel is
negotiating with the Hamas for the release of Gilad Schalit. If it were possible
Israel would hold direct negotiations with Hassan Nasrallah and Khaled Mashaal
themselves. But the two of them are not willing to conduct direct negotiators
and third-party mediators are carrying Israel's offers back and forth. Almost no
one in Israel criticizes the basic idea of negotiating with these terrorists for
the release of kidnapped soldiers. Most Israelis will be willing to pay a very
high price for their release.
WHY WOULD negotiating with Hamas
for a cease-fire that has the potential to save tens, perhaps hundreds of lives
in Israel be any less legitimate than negotiating with Hamas to save one human
(Jewish) life?
The Hamas leadership in Damascus
and in Gaza have both sent messages that they are interested in a cease-fire
with Israel. In order to be clear, they are speaking about what they call
tahadiyeh or a "calming down," and not what is referred to as a hudna, or a
long-term cease-fire based on Islamic history and teachings.
READ
MORE...>>>
BITTERLEMONS.ORG
http://www.bitterlemons.org/previous/bl180208ed07.html#isr2
February 18, 2008
The war in the south rages on with increased rocket fire from Gaza into
Israel and escalated Israeli responses. The Hamas and Jihad leadership in Gaza
has gone underground in fear that Israel will resume its policy of targeted
killings against them. At the same time, Rabbi Menachem Froman of Tekoa and
Palestinian journalist Khaled Amayreh have worked out a "draft agreement" for a
ceasefire that Amayreh claims has the backing of the Hamas leadership, including
Khaled Meshaal.
I spoke with Hamas leaders in Gaza and received verification that if Israel
would support the agreement, Hamas would declare its support as well. Hamas
leaders have also agreed to the idea of involving the Egyptians in negotiations
if Israel wishes to make changes in the draft agreement. The agreement includes
a call for a full ceasefire between Israel and all of the factions in Gaza. The
document explicitly states that attacks against all Israelis will cease.
During the past several months I conducted a series of talks with several
Hamas leaders in Gaza who approached me to advocate a ceasefire agreement with
the government of Israel. I told those Hamas leaders that I would not take such
a step unless they could deliver a Hamas guarantee that all of the factions in
Gaza would adhere to the ceasefire. I proposed that they either undertake a
commitment to impose the ceasefire on all factions or alternatively that they
secure the agreement of all of them to sign on. I was informed that at least
five meetings with the leaders of all factions took place in the home of PM
Ismail Haniyeh, but until recently neither agreement of all of the factions was
received nor was there a clear decision by Hamas to impose the ceasefire.
READ MORE...>>>
Encountering peace: The way forward
|
Gershon Baskin , THE JERUSALEM POST |
Feb. 11, 2008 |
There is a very curious news
black-out both in Israel and in Palestine regarding what President Bush read in
the Olmert-Abbas joint statement in Annapolis: "We agree to engage in vigorous,
ongoing and continuous negotiations and shall make every effort to conclude an
agreement before the end of 2008."
Are those negotiations taking
place? We don't really know. Not only the politicians aren't talking, most of
the media is not reporting, the international community is silent and I have
even heard that Tony Blair has instructed members of his staff to keep quiet.
Every so often, there is a
statement, usually from the Palestinian side that no progress has been made. The
latest statement came form PA Prime Minister Salam Fayad. Sometimes some of the
politicians on the Left in Israel also state that nothing is happening on the
peace front. Sometimes we hear rumors of exactly the opposite - for instance
this newspaper's headline on Monday: "Coalition crisis looms after Post
reveals secret Jerusalem talks."
A FEW weeks ago several Israeli
news analysts reported that Prime Minister Olmert and Abu Mazen have made
considerable progress toward a framework agreement. We even hear statements from
time-to-time that the end of 2008 deadline is possible to reach, while others
insist that it is impossible. We really have no idea which assessment is
accurate.
READ MORE...>>>
The
prospect of a new Gaza reality
| Gershon Baskin ,
THE JERUSALEM POST |
Jan. 28, 2008 |
Even after the disengagement from Gaza, Israel
remained legally responsible for the welfare of the 1.5 million Palestinians
there. International law considered the Gaza Strip to be under Israeli
occupation even after every single settler and soldier left. The reason for
Israel's continued legal responsibility is mainly based on the fact that Israel
sealed all of Gaza's borders to the outside world and prevented the opening of a
sea or airport in Gaza for the use of the Palestinians. Israel furthermore
continues to control Gaza's territorial water and airspace. After the kidnapping
of Gilad Schalit the Israeli control of Gaza was made even harsher. Following
the Hamas coup d'état in mid-June 2007 Israel's squeeze on Gaza translated into
a policy of complete strangulation.
Because of the continued illegal launching of
rockets and mortars at Israel most of the international community did little
more than voice concern over the Israeli policies and fears of an emerging
humanitarian crises in Gaza. For the people of Gaza, those policies became
intolerable. That led to the decision of the Hamas leadership to bring down the
walls on the Rafah border and to create new facts on the ground.
FOR THE time being, the status quo of complete
Israeli domination and control over Gaza has been broken by the Hamas. Returning
to the previous situation before the forced border opening is probably
impossible. Hamas has been strengthened by its bold actions against the Israeli
strangulation which was aimed at weakening Hamas.
READ
MORE...>>>
Policy Options
vis-ŕ-vis Gaza
January 2008
January 17, 2008
As we are completing this policy
paper, a process of extremely dangerous escalation is taking place on the
ground. The present tension, anger and sense of real urgency to change the
status-quo do not provide the conditions for intelligent strategic decision
making.
The issue of what to do about Gaza is
complex, and there are no good options at hand. Every possible decision has its
negative consequences and pitfalls that may in fact worsen the situation.
The current Israeli domestic
political crisis over the publication of the Winograd report should also not be
used as the “excuse” for military decisions that have very grave consequences –
both in the short and long-term.
Whatever strategic choices are made
at this time, it is paramount that all parties keep in focus the primary common
strategic objectives of Israel and the Palestinian Authority: to continue and to
succeed in the renewed peace process and to create the political and security
possibilities for Gaza to be included in the peace process. All policy decisions
taken must keep these primary strategic objectives in focus.
It is, therefore, of the utmost
urgency that de-escalation of forces and tensions takes place immediately on
both sides of the Gaza border. IPCRI calls on the Government of Israel and the
PA in Ramallah to enter into direct consultations on the emerging situation on
the ground. IPCRI calls on the Hamas political and military leadership in Gaza
and in Damascus to halt all military activities against Israel and to allow for
a period of calm to return so that all parties can reconsider their strategic
options. IPCRI calls on the Government of Israel to respond to any Hamas
de-escalation by de-escalating in parallel its attacks against Gaza.
CLICK
HERE TO READ THE COMPLETE PAPER
Israel/Palestine Center for
Research and Information
IPCRI Co-CEOs to be Ordained
Cavaliere dell”Ordine della Stella Solidarieta Italiana by the Italian Republic
for their peace making efforts
Italian Republic: Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity
Ordine della Stella della
Solidarieta Italiana
Ribbon: Red with narrow green and white edge stripes.
The Order
of the Star of Italian Solidarity was instituted in 1947 to recognize the
achievements of those Italians and foreigners who had played a distinguished
role in the reconstruction of Italy after World War II. It is now bestowed upon
Italians and the foreign nationals who have given a meaningful contribution to
the cultural prestige of Italy.
The Order
of the Star of Italian Solidarity is being bestowed on Gershon Baskin and Hanna
Siniora, the Co-CEOs of IPCRI in recognition of their efforts for making peace
between Israel and Palestine.
The
Ordination Ceremony will take place on Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 12:30 at
the residence of the Mr. Nicola Manduzio, the Italian Consul General in
Jerusalem.
IPCRI NEWS
January
15, 2008
Dear friends
I am using this email with my
regular Jerusalem Post article to provide you with some information about what
is happening in IPCRI and to once again request your assistance.
Upcoming
activities:
1.
The formal launching of the
IPBF- the Israeli-Palestinian Business Forum. We have formally registered the
Israeli Economic Cooperation Council (an Israeli registered NGO) and the
Palestinian Economic Cooperation Council (a Palestinian registered NGO). The
two economic cooperation councils are coming together in a joint venture to
launch the IPBF which will be formally established this week. The IPBF is being
“birthed” by IPCRI but it will be an independent organization providing services
to Israeli, Palestinian and International business concerns that are interested
in conducting cross-boundary Israeli-Palestinian business, commerce, and
investment.
2.
STAT – IPCRI’s Strategic
Thinking and Analysis Teams in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation
will be holding a weekend meeting in the beginning of February to work on issues
in the negotiating process.
READ MORE...>>>
Peek at an
agreement
|
Gershon
Baskin , THE JERUSALEM POST |
Jan.
14, 2008 |
President George W. Bush has given
Israel and the Palestinian Authority until the end of his term to reach an
agreement on the creation of a viable democratic Palestinian state that will
live peace with Israel. The assumption is that the sides will negotiate in
secret and will reach a declaration of principles which will then be brought to
the electorate in Israel and Palestine - either through full elections or
through referenda.
The agreement will set down
principles for permanent status and for the end of the conflict and a finality
of all claims. The implementation of the declaration of principles will be based
first on the full implementation of phase 1 of the road map (Palestinians
dismantling the infrastructure of terrorism and Israel freezing all settlements
and redeploying to the position held in September 2000), and then on the
negotiations of a detailed agreement. Gaza is another issue that will have to be
dealt with before an agreement could be implemented there.
It would safe to state that the
parameters of the Declaration of Principles are more or less known. In the end
it will look something like the following:
Declaration of Principles on
Permanent Status Peace - Preamble The Government of the State of Israel and the
P.L.O., the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, reaffirm
that it is time to put an end to decades of confrontation and conflict,
recognize their mutual legitimate and political rights, and strive to live in
peaceful coexistence and mutual dignity and security and achieve a just, lasting
and comprehensive peace settlement and historic reconciliation based on the
"two-states for two peoples" solution. The two sides fully recognize that each
state has the right to define its own identity which will be respected by both
sides. READ
MORE...>>>
Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program
1528 WALNUT STREET
SUITE 610
PHILADELPHIA,
PA
19102
TEL.
(215) 732-3774
FAX
(610) 519-8040
EMAIL:[email protected]
January 3, 2008
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
I am pleased to send you a
copy of Global"Go-To Think Tanks,
a report that identifies some of the leading public policy research
organizations in the world. This project grew out of never ending
requests from journalists, scholars and government officials who want a
list of the leading think tanks in a particular country or region of the
world. Global"Go-To Think Tanks"
is the culmination of 18 months of polling and surveying to create that
list. I would like to have a panel of experts from the CIS nominate
think tanks form the region next year and would hope that members of the
Pasos network would provide some of the panelist.
The attached report
summarizes the findings of this pilot project and identifies what might
be called the go to think tanks in every region of the world.
Institutions were nominated by a panel of over 50 experts from around
the world. The participants in this project agreed to submit their lists
of high performance think tanks and then rank the combined list so that
the top think tanks might be identified. The panel selected from the 288
think tanks that were nominated as institutions that distinguished
themselves by producing rigorous and relevant research, publications and
programs.
While I have done my best to
be balanced and systematic in my approach to identifying the leading
think tanks in the world, much more work still needs to be done. I view
this report as a starting point and encourage your comments and
suggestions for how I might improve the process. The inclusion of an
institution in the universe of leading think tanks does not indicate a
"seal of approval" or endorsement for the institution, its publications
or programs. Likewise a failure to be nominated does not necessarily
indicate a lack of a quality and effectiveness", or poor performance.
There are 5080 think tanks around the world that are doing exceptional
work to help bridge the gap between knowledge and policy. This report is
simply an effort to highlight some of the leading think tanks around the
world.
I look forward to hearing
your comments and suggestions. All the best, Jim McGann
What
it takes to be Jerusalem's mayor
| Gershon Baskin , THE
JERUSALEM POST |
Dec.
31, 2007 |
If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand
wither, let my tongue cleave to my palate if I do not remember you, if I do not
set Jerusalem above my highest joy." - Psalms: 137, 5-7
O, Jerusalem, how we have forgotten thee. I love Jerusalem. How many Israelis
can honestly say that? How many Israelis really want to live in Jerusalem?
Jerusalem is a hard city, no doubt. It is a city of conflicts - a microcosm of
all of the conflicts that exist in the whole country. In Jerusalem we have
Israelis and Palestinians in conflict. Muslims, Christian and Jews fighting over
sacred spaces and religious visions and values. East and west, which usually
translates into rich and poor. We also have the fight between the religious and
secular. And let's not forget haredim against Reform and Conservative.
JERUSALEM is one of the poorest cities in Israel. It has the largest number of
senior citizens in the country. Jerusalem has one of the highest housing costs
in the country as well. Little or almost no cheap housing for young people is
available. Little or no new investments exist for job-creating ventures for
young people. The downtown area is depressed and depressing, unlike that of most
other large attractive cities, hardly inviting to anyone to enjoy the unique sun
and light of this city.
In Jerusalem there is a sense of being overcrowded
and congested. And one cannot help but being disgusted by the filth on the
streets, in the parks. With the few exceptions of public gardens for the eyes of
tourists, Jerusalem seems neglected and deprived.
It is true that cultural life in the city has grown and its diversity been
enriched over the past years - no thanks to the dwindling municipal and
government budgets for culture. Culinary life in Jerusalem has also improved,
but it still has far less to offer than its big sister, Tel Aviv.
READ
MORE...>>>
Annapolis gains momentum
| Gershon Baskin , THE
JERUSALEM POST |
Dec.
17, 2007 |
There is great public skepticism regarding the
outcome of the Annapolis meeting. Many of the skeptics state that at the end of
the day, it was little more than a photo-op for the principals - Bush, Olmert
and Abbas - and that it produced no real substance.
The failure of the parties to produce a joint
statement that contained any content on the principles for resolving the core
issues for permanent status, for some, points to the Annapolis meeting as a
failure.
In fact, the main strategic aim of Ehud Olmert and
Mahmoud Abbas from Annapolis was to survive the meeting politically. That aim
was achieved. Perhaps too little for some, however there is a new negotiating
process under way, and it is the only game in town.
The meeting did also buy for Olmert and Abbas a
year of domestic political freedom that can now be used to arrive at the
permanent status agreement.
The process did set up a formal mechanism for
carrying out negotiations and has produced an American commitment to monitor,
and for the first time, to judge, the parallel implementation of the road map
phase I obligations of both sides. The negotiating mechanism established
contains two main elements: the continuation of the biweekly Olmert-Abbas
meetings and the establishment of a steering committee that will devise further
mechanisms for negotiating permanent status.
READ
MORE...>>>
Pray for success, because
Israel will pay the price of Annapolis failure
|
Gershon Baskin , THE JERUSALEM POST |
Dec.
3, 2007 |
The Annapolis process is on its
way. This week the permanent status negotiations will formally commence. On
December 17 the international community will be convening in Paris to launch the
second pillar of the process by committing hundreds of millions of dollars to
rebuilding the Palestinian economy and supporting Palestinian institution
development. Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam
Fayed together with Israeli and Palestinian security officials are already
deeply engaged in beginning to implement the Palestinian obligations of the Road
Map. The Israeli side will also have to begin to implement its obligations,
firstly removing unauthorized outposts and redeploying outside of the
Palestinian areas.
Retired Marine Gen. James Jones has
been given his marching orders, and he too, is on the way.
Everyone is skeptical regarding the
possibility of success. Israelis and Palestinians are equally doubtful that
reaching an agreement is possible and even more suspicious that implementing
what is agreed upon and what the parties have already agreed to do in the past
will be implemented.
The level of trust between the
sides remains below the zero point despite the positive dynamics that have
developed between the two leaders. This is completely reasonable - objectively
there is absolutely no reason why Israelis and Palestinians should trust each
other. READ
MORE...>>>
The
Diplomatic Brief Issue #3 November 21, 2007
The Diplomatic Brief
is prepared by IPCRI – the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and
Information. IPCRI is a joint institution of Israelis and Palestinians
dedicated to the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of
“two-states for two peoples” solution. IPCRI recognizes the “two-states for two
peoples” solution as the ultimate fulfillment of the national strategic and
security interests of the two peoples. IPCRI therefore recognizes the rights of
the Jewish people and the Palestinian people to fulfill their national interests
within the framework of achieving national self-determination within their own
states and by establishing peaceful relations between two democratic states
living side-by-side.
Jerusalem in the Annapolis
Process - a Media Review by
Alon C. Ferency
Read more...>>>
The American paper
(November 21, 2007)
At the beginning of the week, an extraordinary group of women and
men stepped out of the elevator on the Middle East floor of the U.S.
State Department. The group included Knesset members Colette Avital
(Labor), Menachem Ben-Sasson, Amira Dotan and Yohanan Plesner of
Kadima, Fatah members Qadura Fares, Sahar Qawasmi, Ziad Abu Zayyad
and independent activist Issa Kassasieh. They had accepted the
invitation of the Israel-Palestine Center for Research and
Information (IPCRI) and the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation to
embark on a joint peace mission to Washington.
The group entered the office of Dr. Robert Danin, one of the key
members of the Middle East peace process team. Her rich diplomatic
experience notwithstanding, Avital was unable to restrain herself.
She reminded Danin that their previous meeting, which took place
more than a year ago, occurred in a less pleasant atmosphere. Like
most of his colleagues at the State Department and the National
Security Council, Danin had argued heatedly that Abbas was a lost
cause and vehemently rejected Avital's pleas to strengthen his
standing. Danin did not argue, and admitted his error.
READ MORE IN ENGLISH AND HEBREW...>>>
My hopes
for Annapolis
| Gershon Baskin , THE
JERUSALEM POST |
Nov.
19, 2007 |
I seem to be one of the few people left in the
country who have any real hopes for Annapolis. I admit that my optimism has been
somewhat lessened by the barrage of negative media reports about the
negotiations. Perhaps I should speak about "annapolis" with a small "a" as it
does seem apparent that the joint declaration will inevitably be less than what
I had hoped for when the negotiations first began.
Under the auspices of the Konrad Adenauer
Foundation, in partnership with our own Israel/Palestine Center for Research and
Information, I spent last week in Washington with a joint team of Israeli and
Palestinian political leaders.
Our group included four members of Knesset, three from Kadima: Menahem Ben
Sasson, Amira Dotan, Yohanan Plesner and Labor's Collette Avital; and four
senior Fatah personalities - Kadura Faris, Ziad Abu Zayaad, Sahar Kawasmi and
Issa Kassassieh.
WE WENT to Washington on a kind of fact-finding mission to see what the
administration was planning and to provide support and encouragement for the
Annapolis process. We brought to Washington a group of responsible leaders who
together voiced support for Annapolis and for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and
President Mahmoud Abbas. The following are our insights and conclusions from our
DC meetings:
There is a shared, deep sense of concern - on both
sides of the ocean - that Annapolis must succeed, failure is not an option, the
consequences of failure are too severe. Annapolis is not going to be a
negotiating forum; everything must be concluded prior to arriving there.
READ
MORE...>>>
IPCRI
Environmental Newsletter – Number 1
November 2007
Note: this is first of a series of newsletters designed to draw attention to
matters of joint concern to Israelis and Palestinians in the field of
environment and water.
When wells and springs run dry
. . .
The plight
of Palestinians and Israelis who do not have access to piped water
For Israelis and Palestinians
knowledgeable about water supply and distribution in their region it comes as no
surprise to hear that there are over 230,000 Palestinians, most of them living
in villages, who do not have access to piped water. This problem, and awareness
of it, has existed for years. It is more surprising to learn that in Israel
there are an estimated 100,000 people, most of whom living in unrecognized
villages, who are similarly deprived.
How is it possible that, in a
region which is not without resources - the Israeli economy is booming and the
Palestinian Authority has had access for over a decade to substantial aid funds
- the basic human right of access to clean and readily available water has not
been extended to such large numbers of Palestinians and Israelis?
Disadvantaged Palestinian and
Israeli villages do have springs and wells providing water. However, in summer
months many of these run dry, and residents are forced to turn to water supplied
by tankers. This water is, as a general rule, expensive (at least three times
the cost of piped water) and is often contaminated. There is no system to
monitor the quality of tanker-supplied water. Contamination, whether it comes
from the source or from oil-infiltration (occurring in the tankers), goes
un-identified. Villagers try to compensate by using as little contaminated water
as possible, but the effects on hygiene and health are evident.
READ
MORE...>>>
Failure isn't an option
| Gershon Baskin , THE
JERUSALEM POST |
Nov. 5,
2007 |
The US-sponsored Annapolis meeting that will
presumably take place is the riskiest step taken by Israeli and Palestinian
leaders since Camp David in July 2000. That summit in the summer of 2000
resulted in the failure that gave birth to the second Palestinian intifada and
the death of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians. With the past seven years
of death and destruction in mind, failure is not an option.
There is currently no alternative to a negotiated
agreement between Israel and Palestine. Neither side enjoys the luxury of
options other than negotiations that will lead to agreements that must lead to
peace. Both Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
will not return home from Annapolis as heroes if they fail to reach positive
agreed upon outcomes.
Abbas will face a very disappointed public that not
only wants an agreement with Israel on the establishment of a Palestinian state
- they are expecting immediate results that will have an impact on the quality
of their lives on the ground. They are expecting not only the removal of
hundreds of checkpoints and road closures, they are also expecting a release of
Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons and a sharp improvement in the
economy. Palestinians do not want their leader to come home from Annapolis with
stories of glory about how he did not cave into Israeli demands while having
nothing positive to show. This very well may be Abbas' last chance to prove his
leadership and his moderation.
READ
MORE...>>>
Peacemaking truths and lies
|
Gershon Baskin , THE
JERUSALEM POST |
Oct. 22, 2007 |
For
60 years Palestinian and Arab leaders have been lying to their people. Creating
and sustaining the lie that the Palestinian refugees of 1948 would return to
their original homes and lands makes it almost impossible for President Mahmoud
Abbas to reach an agreement with Israel on this, the most central issue in the
conflict. Abbas and most of the Palestinian leaders from his Fatah movement have
long realized that there could not be any real return of Palestinian refugees to
Israel proper, but despite the fact that they have acknowledged this in private
discussions with Israelis, they have not yet said it in public. The original
700,000-800,000 Palestinian refugees today number some 4.5 million (no one knows
the exact figure of the refugees and their descendents which have been granted
refugee status by the UN). In the West Bank and Gaza, not including the
Palestinian diaspora, one of every two Palestinians is considered a refugee.
Abbas' largest opposition to any agreement with Israel that includes concessions
on the refugee issue comes from this very large segment of the population.
FOR
40 years, Israeli leaders have been lying to their public. Creating and
sustaining the lie that Jerusalem was united and that all of united Jerusalem
will be the eternal capital of the State of Israel makes it nearly impossible
for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to make the necessary concessions on the
Jerusalem issue to reach an agreement with the Palestinians. It is really quite
amazing that the majority of Israelis continue to hold onto the lie in believing
that Jerusalem is truly united. Jerusalem has not been a united city since the
time of the British Mandate. Most Israelis have never visited (nor do they care
to visit) most of Palestinian east Jerusalem. Areas such as Sur Baher, near
Kibbutz Ramat Rahel; Jabel Mukaber just past East Talpiot; Sawahre, an Area A
Palestinian village near Bethlehem; Walajeh, between Gilo and Bethlehem; and Um
Tuba, which is next to Sur Baher, all have no meaning to Israelis.
READ
MORE...>>>
The test of leadership
|
Gershon
Baskin , THE JERUSALEM POST |
Oct. 8,
2007 |
The public mood regarding the US
sponsored peace summit is quite negative. The leaders of Israel and Palestine
are devoting time and energy to reducing expectations out of fear that the
summit may not produce the agreement necessary to enable a genuine peace process
to ensue. As we get closer to the summit it seems that public opinion on both
sides is hardening with regard to concessions that are necessary to enable
Israeli-Palestinian agreement.
Israeli positions are hardening on
territorial compromises and on the issue of Jerusalem. Palestinian positions are
hardening on the refugee issue. These three issues are the core of any agreement
and failure to find acceptable solutions will mean that an agreement will not be
possible.
Based on everything that we know
from previous negotiations, an Israeli-Palestinian agreement will have to fall
somewhere in between the triangle of the so-called Clinton parameters the Taba
non-paper and the unofficial Geneva Accords. Translated into terms that we can
all understand, the contours of an agreement must include the following
principles:
READ MORE...>>>
Create 'ministries of peace' in every country
|
Gershon Baskin , THE
JERUSALEM POST |
Sep. 25, 2007 |
I am writing from Tokyo, where I am
attending a summit meeting of the "Global Alliance for Ministries and
Departments of Peace." The aim of this global alliance is to foster the creation
of governmental departments or ministries for peace throughout the world. This
is the third Global Summit. In the years since its creation only Nepal has
actually moved forward with the establishment of a Ministry of Peace. There are
about 20 countries being represented at the summit including a representative
from Palestine. In the US Legislation for a Ministry of Peace has been tabled in
the House of Representatives with 64 Members of Congress sponsoring the
legislation.
The basic idea of having a Ministry of
Peace is to work strategically toward the creation and the advancement of a
culture of peace within the country and between a given country and its
neighbors. A Ministry of Peace aims at enlarging the "tool box" of resources at
the disposal of governments for dealing with conflicts, internal and external,
and at enabling governments to develop alternative policies to the use of force.
A Ministry of Peace would also be extremely useful in areas where there are
ongoing peace processes especially when those peace processes emerge into peace
agreements.
MANY OBSERVERS note the difficulty
that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Mahmoud Abbas are facing in their
negotiations for a permanent status declaration of principles. Even once that
declaration is reached and the key issues are bridged into an agreement, the
main challenges lie ahead of us. The most difficult part of any peace process is
the successful and positive implementation of peace agreements. Here we Israelis
and Palestinians have failed miserably.
READ MORE...>>>
End Syria's
isolation
|
Gershon Baskin , THE JERUSALEM POST |
Sep. 15, 2007 |
Throughout the
summer months, the drums of war have been banging on both sides of the Golan
Heights. Military experts assert that neither Israel nor Syria have any real
interest in beginning a war at this time. The main fear has been that some kind
of provocation could make war unavoidable.
The recent Israeli
fly-over of Syrian territory is precisely the kind of event that could ignite a
military escapade no one is interested in. Hopefully, this event will pass
without either side taking further military action. But the incident should
point to the importance of finding an effective way to de-escalate the northern
front. It should also point out the utmost importance of drawing the
Israeli-Syrian front toward dialogue and a genuine peace process.
The upcoming US
peace meeting scheduled for November probably provides the best opportunity for
changing the very dangerous course of Israeli-Syrian relations. A US invitation
to Syria to join the meeting could have the kind of impetus that could lead to a
change of course. The main obstacle to Syrian participation is the position of
the Bush administration and not the position of Israel.
READ
MORE...>>>
Let's
not repeat old mistakes
|
Gershon Baskin , THE
JERUSALEM POST |
Aug. 27, 2007 |
Lesson Learned: Peace
must pay - peace must have a constituency. There were many promises that
peace would pay. Shimon Peres spoke about a new Middle East that would flourish
with the fruits of peace. A lot of money was pumped into the process and
economic development projects and large scale infrastructure development
projects were launched. At the same time, in response to a continuation of
terrorism, various Israeli governments imposed new systems of closures limiting
Palestinian access to Israel and to Israeli markets.
The most effected sector
was that of the export of Palestinian labor to Israel. Economic data point to
the fact that the losses to the Palestinian economy equaled and even surpassed
the total amount of donor funds that were pumped into the process. The result on
the ground was a continual shrinking of the Palestinian economy (with the
exception of 1999-2000). The common Palestinian citizen became poorer and the
Palestinian economy actually suffered significant losses after September 1993.
In short the fruits of peace were never delivered to the plates of the average
Palestinian citizen.
READ MORE...>>>
Why Oslo
really failed (II)
|
Gershon
Baskin, THE JERUSALEM POST |
Aug. 20,
2007 |
With the renewal of the peace
process, it is worthwhile taking a moment to look at some of the lessons that
should have been learned from the failure of the process thus far. This article
is the second of three that will provide some insights into some of those
lessons.
Lesson Learned: Protracted
conflicts in which there is little or no trust and confidence require external
mechanisms for verification of implementation of the agreements, external
mechanisms for insuring compliance, and external mechanisms for external dispute
resolution.
The Israeli-Palestinian
agreements did not have any external mechanisms of verification of
implementation, for ensuring compliance and for dispute resolution.
The DOP stated: "Disputes arising
out of the application or interpretation of this Declaration of Principles, or
any subsequent agreements pertaining to the interim period, shall be resolved by
negotiations through the Joint Liaison Committee (JLC) to be established...
Disputes which cannot be settled by negotiations may be resolved by a mechanism
of conciliation to be agreed upon by the parties."
READ MORE...>>>
Why Oslo really failed
- part 1
|
Gershon
Baskin, THE JERUSALEM POST |
Aug. 13,
2007 |
With the renewal of the peace
process it is worthwhile to look at some of the lessons that should have been
learned from the failure of the process thus far. This article is the first of
three that will provide some insights into some of those lessons.
Lesson Learned: In protracted
conflicts it is not sufficient to only detail the beginning of the process;
it is important, and perhaps essential to reach agreement on at least the
principles of longer-term final or permanent status issues.
The Israeli-Palestinian
Declaration of Principles (DOP) signed on September 13, 1993 provided a
framework for mutual recognition between the State of Israel and the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO). This agreement, it was hoped, would provide the
sides with the framework and the mechanism to begin a process of normalization,
mutual recognition, mutual confidence building, and to lead to future
negotiations. The DOP also listed the main issues in conflict that must be
resolved for the permanent status between the two sides. The DOP dealt with
procedural issues for the short term focusing on temporary status issues,
leaving the core issues of the conflict for later stages.
READ
MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
This Week in Palestine … Behind the News with Hanna
Siniora
Monday, August 13, 2007
Is Peace Possible?
The feverish local, regional, and
international deliberations in preparation to the International meeting in
November in Washington might be the last chance to prevent the demise of the
two-state solution. Yet, the conditions under which the meeting is taking
place, is fraught with pitfalls that the moderate present Palestinian leadership
in Ramallah, should take into consideration for survival.
Internal Division
The Fateh-Hamas rift is widening, a
media campaign is being waged against President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister
Salam Fayyad by Hamas statements led by former Hamas PA Foreign Minister Mahmoud
Zahhar, and by Dr. Ahmad Yousef, the political advisor of former PM Ismaeil
Haniyeh, and Hamas leaders and spokespersons. In return, Ahmad Abdul Rahman and
other leaders in Fateh are quite outspoken in their criticism of Hamas. The
deepening of the rift, doesn't serve the best interest of the Palestinian people
and their quest for independence. Without any doubts the present acrimonious
accusations by both movements, jeopardizes the national aspiration of the
people, and dooms progress to end the occupation.
READ MORE...>>>
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Memo to:
Prime Minister Olmert
President Abbas
Minister of Foreign Affairs Livni
Prime Minister Fayyad
Minister of Defense
Barak Minister of Information
Malki
Re: Three wild "out-of-the-box"
ideas
Dear Leaders,
If the news reports are correct
regarding real progress on talks towards an agreement on principles for
permanent status, you are all worthy of congratulations. Some of the ideas
presented in the press are quite constructive and show real progress through
demonstrated flexibility and a genuine desire to find agreements.
The following are three wild
"out-of-the-box" ideas that could help to translate some of the progress into
concrete steps that can be already implemented and would not only strengthen the
process by translating them into reality, but will also strengthen your
leadership facing your own people and the need to convince the public to support
the process. All three of these ideas are quite wild, but they could be
accepted, advanced and could make a real contribution. Here they are:
READ MORE...>>>
Why I
am a Neo-Zionist
| Gershon
Baskin, THE JERUSALEM POST Jul. 31, 2007 |
|
With the very real possibility of a renewal of
the Israeli-Palestinian peace process comes a revival of the possibility of
polemic politics in Israel. If the peace process does advance, the divisions
between the so-called "left" and the so-called "right" which have been watered
down into Israeli centrism, mainly since the beginning of the second intifada in
2000, will become re-exposed and resurface as an existential debate probing
matters of our raison d'etre as the nation
state of the Jewish people.
A renewed peace process will force Israel to
finally deal with the question of its borders, its relationship to Jewish
history and heritage, and to the very identity of the State vis-ŕ-vis its
Jewishness and it democratic values. The debate will come down to a divide
between those who's minds are focused on the past, roots and traditions versus
those who are searching for a new future which use the past, roots and
traditions as a link to the future but not as shackles to it.
I am a neo-zionist. I adhere to my right, my
responsibility and my vision to the State of Israel as the State of the Jewish
people. I also am a democrat whose values for fairness, equality, dignity,
tolerance, and mutual respect are deeply imbedded in Jewish traditions, texts,
heritage and learning. As a neo-zionist I genuinely understand that the Land of
Israel found within our sacred texts is not Tel Aviv, but in the hills and
valleys of the West Bank. But I also comprehend that Jewish survival in the
Land of Israel is only possible if we give up that part of the Land of Israel so
that our Palestinian neighbors can have a State of the own and live in peace
with us. There is no other way. As a neo-zionist I am more concerned with the
Jewish future than the Jewish past, and as such I recognize that we must come
forth from the passages of Torah into the reality of the 21st century
Middle East and make the necessary concessions now so that our neighbors
can live with the same collective and national dignity that we demand for
ourselves.
READ
MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
This Week in Palestine …
Behind the News with Hanna Siniora
Monday, July 30, 2007
Interesting Future
Developments, Low Threshold of Expectations
TONY BLAIR'S FORMAL
INTRODUCTION INTO THE REGION
The two adversaries, Israel and Palestine, are
wondering about Blair's intentions after the formalities of meeting Blair are
over. Will Blair stick to the limited mandate he has been given by the Quartet
to further the building of Palestinian governmental institutions, help rebuild
the Palestinian economy or is Blair intending to broaden his mandate by
mediating between the Palestinian leadership and Israel? Blair takes pride in
his achievement in helping to end the conflict in Northern Ireland, and in
getting the IRA involved, is that a signal that Blair will engage Hamas and work
toward internal Palestinian reconciliation? All these issues are part of the
expectations, if like Jimmy Carter before him, Tony Blair can help reach a
settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he will be rewarded with the
Noble Peace Prize.
By September, Blair and his team will slowly
reveal his agenda when he returns back to the region, initially active in the
effort to revive the Palestinian economy and in building its institutions.
READ
MORE....>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
This Week in Palestine …
Behind the News with Hanna Siniora
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
We Need a Responsible Hamas
President George W. Bush gave a major address
and called for the holding of an International Conference next autumn in support
of the two-state solution and called on Israel to remove the illegal outposts.
Five years earlier, President Bush presented his vision for a Palestinian State
by 2005, but allowed the date to lapse without doing much.
With Hamas emerging on the scene as a political
and military force in January 2006, the Bush administration galvanized the world
community as well as Israel to declare a siege and an embargo on Hamas. This
led to internal fighting in the PA between Hamas and Fateh loyalists which
eventually led to the military takeover by Hamas of the Gaza Strip. Israel and
the US administration erred in not opening final status talks with the
democratically elected President of the PA, Bush allowed Sharon and then Olmert
to squander precious political opportunities by testing unilateral disengagement
plans that led to the present impasse.
Hamas proved to be an invaluable political
tool, because it forced the USA and Israel to face the moment of truth, that
evading serious negotiations with the PLO and the legitimately elected Abbas is
allowing the region to sink deeper in violence and to squander the possibility
of achieving the two-state solution forever. Now at least a political horizon
is possible, and the next few months until the holding of the International
Conference should be spent in discussing serious final status issues.
READ MORE...>>>
A
promissory note for peace
| Gershon
Baskin, THE JERUSALEM POST Jul. 16, 2007 |
|
Prof. Sari Nusseibeh, the president of al-Quds
University and the co-author of the Ayalon-Nusseibeh plan also known as "the
People's Voice" has proposed a new way to advance the dormant
Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Nusseibeh suggests the following: Ehud Olmert would
issue a promissory note to the Palestinian people in which he would state the
willingness of Israel to accept the six points of the Nusseibeh Ayalon
declaration (see below) as the basis for peace with any Palestinian government
that would be democratically elected.
The idea of this proposal is to enable political
movement that would be acceptable to both sides and would facilitate a process
of dealing with the internal Palestinian situation. Mahmoud Abbas or any other
Palestinian leader who supports peace would present the promissory note to the
Palestinian public as a cashable document waiting in the bank to be claimed by
the Palestinian people. The Palestinian candidate would invite the Palestinian
people to join him in his trip to the bank to cash the note.
READ MORE...>>>
What Israel and the PA need from each other
|
Gershon
Baskin, THE JERUSALEM POST |
Jul. 3,
2007 |
Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam
Fayad has a serious job to do and a limited amount of time in which to do it.
The number-one issue on Fayad's heavy agenda is the stabilization of the
security situation in the West Bank. Fayad's main focus is on building a unified
security apparatus that has an orderly chain of command and is subordinate to
the directives of the political echelon.
Fayad is a strong advocate of the
concept of "one authority - one gun." He is aware that the single biggest
challenge to his government is to ensure that what happened in Gaza does not
happen in the West Bank. He is also keenly aware that any acts of terror that
emanate from the West Bank and penetrate Israel will derail his attempts to
stabilize the West Bank and move forward toward the creation of the political
horizon that Secretary Condoleezza Rice talks about.
Fayad has inherited a mess. The
security forces in the West Bank, never unified, have never been in more
disarray. The failure of the Palestinian Authority's forces in Gaza against the
more-organized, better-armed and motivated Hamas forces has only helped to point
out the disastrous state of affairs within the forces in the West Bank. The
proliferation of forces created during the Arafat era as a way to pay off
political cronies and loyalists is one of the most serious elements of weakness
that Fayad must confront.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
This Week in Palestine … Behind the News with Hanna
Siniora
Wednesday, June 30, 2007
Can the politicians
grab the opportunity?
The Sharm El-Sheikh summit
appeared as a love fest, were all four leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Israel and
Palestine basically agreed that the time is ripe to move forward.
Unfortunately, the local public is skeptical, similar meetings took place,
promises were made, and nothing tangible resulted. Actually this summit urgency
is because the Israeli Palestinian conflict took a dangerous dive into the
unknown, and within the Palestinian camp a serious rift developed with Gaza
falling under the control of Hamas, and the Fateh seemingly in control of the
West Bank.
International pressure,
mainly American-Israeli, led Hamas to preempt Fateh by using its military
strength in Gaza to oust troops loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas and allowed
Hamas to accentuate that the PLO, is not the only political voice of the
Palestinian people. Both Hamas and Fateh emerged from the confrontation in
front of the Palestinian public as losers. Hamas lost public support that the
elections bestowed on the movement. Using force and committing atrocities
against Palestinian brothers not only undermined the democratic process, but
severely questioned Hamas's legitimacy.
The immediate backlash was
an increase in the popularity of President Abbas and backing for the newly
installed emergency government. How long this popular support would last
depends on the ability of the President to demonstrate to the people that he can
extract from the Olmert government actions and not promises. Abbas has
prohibited, even Fateh's al-Aqsa brigades, and all others to carry arms and
ordered the PA security forces to collect all such arms. In return Olmert should
order the IDF and Shin Bet to stop their daily raids, targeted killings, and
arrests in the West Bank and to return to security coordination between the two
sides. Olmert and his aides should understand that the PA and its forces in the
West Bank, are under orders of the legitimately elected President and not
quislings under the beck and call of Israel. So far, Israel and its leaders
have brought more harm than support to Abbas. Olmert has to understand that he
is dealing with the leadership of the Palestinian people and not with lackeys
and employees at his disposal.
READ MORE...>>>
New realities, new
incentives
|
GERSHON
BASKIN, THE JERUSALEM POST |
Jun. 20,
2007 |
The tragic events of last week in Gaza
provide us with a new opportunity to reconsider the future of our region and the
chances for some kind of future accommodations between Israel and the
Palestinians. There is no doubt that many of the readers of the Jerusalem Post
will see the brutality of the Hamas takeover as the final proof that the
Palestinians will never live in peace with Israel. The Hamas victory in Gaza
provides us and the more moderate Palestinian leadership in the West Bank and
the allies of peace around the world to reexamine the current reality and to put
us on a new course that could bring us towards peace and stability.
Gaza is lost, for the time being. The
Palestinians of Gaza, both the supporters of Hamas and their opposition have to
live with this new reality. Gaza will be detached from the world. Israel and
Egypt have both sealed Gaza's borders, but sooner, rather than later, the world,
and Israel, will have to consider how to deliver food and medical supplies in
order to prevent a colossal humanitarian disaster. At the same time, Israel and
the world should consider how to save the West Bank from a similar fate. An
Iranian-Hizbollah supported Hamas entity on Israel's border is a danger to the
stability of the entire region and threatens not only the immediate
neighborhood. Both Jordan and Egypt are threatened by the Hamas victory. Israel
and Palestine are the backyard of Europe and the local threats extend to there
as well.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
This Week in Palestine … Behind the News with Hanna
Siniora
Monday, June 18, 2007
The damage that many Palestinians feared
- took place, no excuses; we all share in the blame. Hamas heavily tarnished
its image, as a democratically elected movement, by resorting to brute force to
resolve the power struggle resulting from its sweeping electoral victory in
January 2006. Up to the military putsch that led Hamas takeover of the Gaza
Strip, the movement had the democratic and moral high ground. The impatience of
its radical elements and its alliance with extremist regional partners might
bring about the possible demise of the first Arab Islamic party that came to
power through the ballot box.
Hamas now, although it has military
supremacy in Gaza, has lost the support of civil society in Palestine. The
public was horrified at the barbaric atrocities committed by the military
militias. Hamas has undermined the democratic process and allowed a combination
of forces, internally and externally, to seek its elimination.
President Mahmoud Abbas was constantly
blamed for indecisiveness, but Abbas knew that whoever resorted to force will
lose legitimacy and the backing of his people, as well as the Arab world and
international community. Hamas radicals have committed political suicide by
allowing civil war and usurping power by force. President Abbas with the backing
of the majority of his people was finally forced into action.
Abbas dismissed PM Ismail Haniyeh and
appointed a new cabinet headed by Dr. Salam Fayyad to repair the damage that
divided the future Palestine into two entities, Gaza under the military
domination of Hamas, and the West Bank under the legitimacy of the presidency
and the PLO. PM Salam Fayyad emergency government, according to the basic laws
of the PLC, have a mandate of 30 days that can be renewed up to 90 days by
avoiding a constitutional showdown with Hamas majority in parliament. Ninety
days are not enough for the emergency government to repair the damage of the
past fifteen months. President Abbas and legal experts have to look for legal
means to extend the mandate of the emergency government, at least, up to the end
of the presidential term in 20 months. This the period necessary for Fayyad to
deal with the political and economic damaged, also in order to repair and
stabilize the internal collapse. PM Fayyad immediate concern and full attention
should be focused on preventing the collapse of the security in the West Bank,
institutionalizing the security force to serve the nation and not individuals
and parties, provide the basic needs and services to the Palestinian people in
Gaza, irrespective of the illegitimate Hamas control, to work on preserving
relations with Gaza despite the political nuances. The Palestinian economy
should receive the primary attention, plans prepared while Fayyad was Finance
minister should be implemented, as international sanctions are being lifted.
READ MORE...>>>
The fall of Gaza and the rise of Palestine
Gershon Baskin*
June 15, 2007
The fall of Gaza to Hamas has thrown the
Palestinian people into its worst crisis since 1967. With every crisis there
are usually new opportunities and those must be investigated and pursued, if
possible. Gaza is lost, for the time being and there is little that the
Palestinian leadership in Ramallah can do to immediately change the course of
events. The present focus must now be on the West Bank and on saving the
Palestinian people from additional unnecessary disasters and nightmares. There
is now an opportunity to contrast the horrors of Gaza with a new reality in the
West Bank that could serve as an example and focal point for positive
Palestinian energies.
The Palestinian leadership in Ramallah
should detach itself from Gaza (for the time being). If, at the same time, the
Palestinian leadership in the West Bank and East Jerusalem would issue the
following ten-point plan, a new future of promise and hope could be turned into
a reality that would be the best possible way to serve the interests of the
Palestinian people. The following is the proposed ten point plan:
READ
MORE...>>>
What if
Palestinians protest for peace?
|
GERSHON
BASKIN, THE JERUSALEM POST |
Jun. 4,
2007 |
Forty years ago, following three
weeks of unimaginable anxiety regarding the continued existence of the State of
Israel, the IDF swept across the Sinai, the Golan Heights and the West Bank, not
only taking the entire world by surprise, but also the people of Israel
themselves.
The amazing military victory also
brought with it renewed hopes for the possibility of peace with our neighbors.
It took yet another full-fledged war in 1973 before the block of Arab resistance
toward peace was broken. Now, 40 years later, and after a peace treaty with
Jordan and a failed peace process with the Palestinians, peace with our
immediate neighbors seems to be even more remote than at any other time in the
past.
New public opinion research
conducted by IPCRI, the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information,
has shown that fear of the Palestinians, lack of trust in their aspirations and
ability to be partners for peace are the greatest obstacles to Israeli
willingness to move ahead toward a peace process and towards making concessions.
Fear and lack of trust may be
greater obstacles to achieving peace than reconciling the compromises Israel
will have to make. But the research also shows that there are ways in which the
Palestinians could change Israeli attitudes. Although similar research on the
Palestinian side has yet to be conducted, from intimate knowledge of Palestinian
public opinion it is easy to assume that similar results would be found
regarding the lack of trust they feel toward Israelis.
Ultimately, Israelis express
willingness for the overall outlines of a peace settlement. Although the
problems of refugees and Jerusalem remain a sticking point, a majority would
still support an agreement based on the Clinton Plan.
READ MORE....>>>
Middle East Times
By Marian Houk
Middle East Times
Published June 1, 2007
The Israeli security deployment - involving the army, police, and Shin Bet
- at the entrance of the Palestinian-owned Ambassador Hotel in East Jerusalem
Wednesday was an unexpected sight.
But it wasn't because of the appearance of Jabril Rajoub, a controversial
Fatah commander who served as Yasser Arafat's former National Security chief.
Instead, as one of the Israeli security officials in a short-sleeved navy jacket
with a communication wire leading to his ear, explained, it was because "our
minister is here."
He was referring to Gideon Ezra, Israel's current minister of environmental
protection, who is perhaps better known, at least among Palestinians, for his
long service in the Israeli General Security Service (Shabak, or Shin Bet) from
1962 to 1995.
During more than half of that time, Rajoub was in jail, after which he was
deported to exile with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), to return
only after the exchange of recognition between Israel and the PLO as part of the
Oslo Accords.
READ MORE...>>>
Who's at
fault?
Israel bemoans absence
of Palestinian partner, but we are partly to blame
Dr. Gershon
Baskin
The State of Israel is on the defensive. Next month,
pro-Palestinian groups across the world will be marking 40 years of occupation
with calls for protests and boycott. The anti-Zionist movement is picking up
speed. The entire world is against the occupation.
The good news is that the State of Israel is also against the
occupation - its people and government seek peace with the Palestinian people on
the basis of "two states for two peoples." Speaking at the United Nations in
September 2005, Prime Minister Sharon said that the Palestinian people are
"entitled to freedom and to national sovereign existence in a state of their
own."
The
Israeli public relations strategy must be premised on this position - the State
of Israel wishes to end the occupation; it seeks peace and is willing to take
risks in order to achieve it.
It is clear that there is no point in signing a peace
agreement when the Palestinian government has no ability to fulfill its
obligations. The Palestinian government is divided and mostly made up of a
radical Islamic movement that seeks Israel's destruction and refuses to meet the
international community's conditions. The Palestinian president wishes to
advance peace, but he is unable to. How can we make any progress with the
Palestinians if they are unable to put their own house in order? After all, we
want to, but there is no partner…
READ
MORE...>>>
Answering my
critics
|
Gershon Baskin, THE JERUSALEM POST
|
May. 21,
2007 |
Since February 2005, I have been
writing this column in the Jerusalem Post every other week. The talkbacks
to my articles which also appear on jpost.com are consistently angry,
aggressive, and opposed to almost everything I write. The responses to my
repeated calls for taking steps toward peace with our neighbors have been
complete rejection.
The basis of opposition comes from
those who question the very existence of the Palestinian people. Others, who
might be willing to recognize that Palestinians do exist, are not wiling to
accept the reality of their presence on any part of the Land of Israel. Others
who might be willing to accept the presence of Palestinians in some part of
Eretz Israel are not willing to accept the possibility of equal rights for them
within the State of Israel or even in areas that are under the control of the
State of Israel.
I have been called everything from
a self-hating Jew to a post-Zionist. I am neither. I am and have always been
very Jewish and very Zionist. The main motivations behind all of what I believe
are in fact both my Jewish identity and my Zionist one. For me the existence of
State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people is the ultimate expression of
the national strategic interests of the Jewish people. It is an expression of
our liberation and our determination to be a free people in our land. But Israel
cannot fulfill the national strategic interests of the Jewish people if it is a
state built on oppression, persecution and denial of the national rights of
another people.
READ MORE...>>>
מי אשם
שאין פרטנר?
האמנם
רק הפלסטינים הרגו את התהליך והביאו הסלמה? במלאות 40 שנה לכיבוש, דרושים צעדים
אמיתיים לסיומו
ד"ר גרשון
בסקין
מדינת ישראל במגננה. בחודש הבא, בהפגנות ובקריאות להטיל עליה חרם,
יציינו ארגונים פרו-פלסטיניים בכל רחבי תבל 40 שנה לכיבוש. התנועה האנטי-ציונית
הולכת וצוברת תאוצה. העולם כולו נגד הכיבוש. החדשות הטובות הן, שגם מדינת ישראל נגד
הכיבוש - עמה וממשלתה רוצים שלום עם העם הפלסטיני, על בסיס "שתי מדינות לשני עמים".
על במת האו"ם בספטמבר 2005, אמר ראש הממשלה שרון: "לעם הפלסטיני זכות לחירות לאומית
במדינה ריבונית משלו". אסטרטגיית ההסברה הישראלית צריכה להישען על העמדה הזו -
מדינת ישראל רוצה לסיים את הכיבוש; היא רוצה שלום ומוכנה לקחת סיכונים על מנת להגיע
אליו.
ברור כי אין טעם לחתום על הסכם שלום, כשאין לממשלה הפלסטינית כל יכולת
לממשו. והממשלה הפלסטינית מפולגת, מורכבת בעיקר מתנועה איסלאמית קיצונית הרוצה
בהשמדת ישראל, ומסרבת למלא אחר תנאיה של הקהילה הבינלאומית. הנשיא הפלסטיני רוצה
להתקדם לשלום, אבל אינו יכול. כיצד אפשר להתקדם עם הפלסטינים, אם הם אינם מסוגלים
להשליט סדר בביתם הם? הרי אנחנו רוצים, אבל אין פרטנר...
המצב הזה של היעדר פרטנר היה מאוד נוח לראשי הממשלה ברק ושרון, שדגלו
בהפרדה מוחלטת שלנו מהפלסטינים. אולם גם היום ממשיכים לומר כי אין פרטנר. אבו-מאזן
אכן חלש, אך במקום לחזור ולומר זאת כאילו ידה של מדינת ישראל לא הייתה בהחלשתו,
רצוי שנבין במהרה כי חולשתו אינה משרתת אותנו, וכי מעשיה של ישראל רק מחלישים עוד
את מעמדו ההולך ונשחק בלא הרף.
קרא עוד
May 19, 2007
Arab
peace plan is key to ending Gaza violence
Arabs, Israel,
should adopt Arab peace initiative to prevent civil war in Gaza, writes Hanna
Siniora
The catastrophic infighting that has so far left scores of dead and hundreds
of wounded by Palestinian hands in the Gaza Strip, is a deadly signal that the
Mecca agreement and national unity government are in the last throes of falling
apart.
Neither Fatah nor Hamas are able to prevent the daily clashes that their
movements are part of. The Palestinian public in Gaza is being terrorized by the
lawlessness, the shootings and killings that are turning Gaza into another
Baghdad. Here it is not Shia against Sunni, but Hamas against Fatah and the
slide toward total chaos is perhaps unstoppable.
The abundance of weapons, militias, clans and warring movements have made it
impossible to bring order and the rule of law; too many parties, internally and
externally, including the occupation, are involved in stirring the rivalries and
drastic action must be applied urgently or the Palestinian people will become
involved in a civil war in Gaza which will eventually spread into the West Bank.
READ
MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
This Week in Palestine … Behind the News with Hanna
Siniora
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Palestinian Political
Partnership
The Palestinian leadership
during the past week was busy in a comprehensive internal dialogue to stabilize
the Unity government. President Abbas and PM Haniyeh and leading political
figures from Fateh and Hamas and other movements and parties, discussed the
internal security issues, the ways and means to implement the security plan of
Interior Minister Hani Kawasmi, the future of the political partnership of Hamas
and Fateh to solidify the working relationship in the cabinet and in the
implementation of the Mecca accord.
A nascent new political
culture is developing, which hardly existed during the days when the late
President Arafat wielded power. In the aftermath of the Hamas election victory
in 2006, and after a year of Hamas rule, it became evident that the Palestinian
political system is gradually moving from the rule of dominant political figure
like Arafat or a movement-Fateh or Hamas- to new political premises, political
partnership and a coalition government. It is early to judge or even predict
that such a process will survive or grow. The past year has shown beyond doubt
that in order to promote the best interest of the Palestinian people, the
political movements and parties that represent the people must forge a political
partnership.
READ MORE...>>>
Burning Issues:
Jerusalem demographics
May 09
2007; 11:05AM
The capital's Arab population has
increased at more than twice the rate of its Jewish inhabitants over the last
decade, a recent survey has found. Another study predicts that if Jerusalem's
borders remain unchanged, only 60% of the capital's residents will be Jews by
2020, with the remaining 40% Arab.
If this indeed is the case,
should something be done to preserve the capital's Jewish majority and if so
what?
Gershon Baskin:
Jerusalem is a divided city. Since 1948 it has been a divided city and it will
always remain a divided city. The political leadership of Israel speaks of a
consensus on the future status of Jerusalem. This consensus, defined as the
Israeli policy, supposedly is as follows: All of Jerusalem is Israel's eternal,
undivided capital. All of Jerusalem must remain under Israeli sovereignty
forever. I maintain that this is not really the consensus of Israeli opinion on
Jerusalem but is in fact a rather narrow view of what should be the future of
this city. The true consensus, as opposed to this mythical consensus, can be
stated as follows:
All Israelis believe and desire
that:
1. Jerusalem must never return to
the status it had prior to June 1967. Jerusalem should never be physically
divided. It must remain an open city with free access throughout its boundaries
for all.
2. Personal security and security
of property must be guaranteed for all in all parts of the city. No one should
have to fear getting a knife in his back in any part of the city and no one
should have to fear getting his car torched or other property damaged in any
part of the city.
READ MORE...>>>
Failure to act is not an
option
|
Gershon Baskin, THE JERUSALEM POST |
May. 7, 2007 |
Whether Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
resigns now or after the final Winograd report is issued is only a question of
time. The political earthquake in Israel is but one more piece of evidence that
Israeli democracy has become dysfunctional. Will this prime minister, who is
already under investigation for multiple cases of alleged fraud and corruption,
be in a position to devote any real time to the challenges that face Israel
today?
The answer is actually not completely
negative. There is a small, albeit unlikely chance that Olmert may suddenly
adopt a more aggressive peace-making platform as a way to divert public
attention from his own decline. It is more likely though, that Olmert will
launch an aggressive ground operation into Gaza in order to achieve the same
shift in public attention.
Olmert will find great legitimacy among
the public to launch that attack as well as support within the army, which is
waiting for a chance to redefine Israeli deterrence in the hearts and minds of
the Arabs. Olmert will claim that "we are cleaning up Gaza" because the
Palestinian Authority is incapable of doing it and the Israeli mission will aim
to remove the military threat and to put an end to the Kassam fire into Israel.
READ
MORE,,,>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
Monday, April 30, 2007
This Week in Palestine … Behind the News
with Hanna Siniora
Political and
Economic Development
President Mahmoud Abbas ended his recent
round of meetings in Europe and some Arab countries in support of the National
Unity government and the urgent need to end the embargo and sanctions that were
imposed when Hamas came to power. Although the Arab countries in the Riyadh
summit allocated $55 million dollars monthly for the PA, which will go to the
PLO account of the Ministry of Finance, this did not bring to an end the PA
shortage of funding. Abbas, and Salam Fayyad, so far were not able to convince
the EU to deal directly with the PA Unity government. The EU declared its
intentions to operate the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM) that pumps
approximately $34 million monthly to pay PA civil servants. The monthly salary
bill is $110 million dollars.
Civil servants threatening to go on
strike, more than $700 million dollars are owed to them from 2006. Minster
Fayyad floated the possibility of the Ministry of Finance borrowing the sum form
local banks and the interest shared by the Ministry and civil servants.
Unfortunately, this plan was dropped, it is necessary to encourage Dr. Fayyad to
re-launch it for it allows the civil servants the ability to withstand the
economic crunch, and the injection of this sum into the economy will help
trigger the economy to rebound. It is the only way to prevent further
disruptions of work. The only other alternative is for the Israeli government
to unfreeze the revenues so far collected on behalf of the PA by Israel.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
Monday, April 30, 2007
This week in
Israel….. Behind the news with Gershon Baskin
The Winograd Commission
In a few hours the interim report of the
Winograd Commission will be issued with the first conclusions regarding the
failed performance of the Government and the army in last summer’s fiasco in
Lebanon. All of the media in Israel and around the world will cover in detail
the findings of the Commission. The interim report is supposed to deal only
with the first days of the war and will probably find great fault with the
behavior and actions of both the Government and the army. The main findings
will likely be against the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister. The report
will hopefully also deal with the failings of past Prime Ministers, Defense
Ministers, chiefs of staff, and others.
In its findings on last summer and prior
to last summer, the report will most likely not deal with the decisions that
were not made by this and past governments that should have been made. For
example, the Commission will most likely not question whether or not Israel
should have gone to war at all this past summer. There is no doubt that
Hezbollah provided Israel with suitable causus belli. The kidnapping and
killing of the Israeli soldiers on Israel’s side of the border was a gross
violation of Israel sovereignty. The shelling of the north prior to Israel’s
military response was a continuation of the unprovoked violence. Israel was
justified in responding militarily. But very quickly it became apparent that
there were serious questions regarding the nature of the response and the
proportionally of that response.
READ MORE...>>>
When will it all end?
|
Gershon
Baskin, THE JERUSALEM POST |
Apr. 24,
2007 |
When the siren sounds I cry. The
world stops and despite the whining scream of the siren - silence is what I
hear. The pain of loss, the weeping of mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons
and daughters - never to touch again, never to kiss, hug or just look at. Killed
in the line of duty. A hero. Serving the homeland. He fell so that others could
live. Cemeteries, unending graves, each year new stones engraved with new names,
new battles, new mourning families. News songs to be song next year in the
Square.
We wake with news each morning of
more death, more killings, more victims, and more bereaved families. Sometimes
ours, more of the time, theirs. Our tears, their tears, our pain, their pain. We
fight for our homeland, they fight for theirs. Our cause is just, we say. They
say that theirs is just. We have the most moral army in the world. They are
bloody murderers, we say. They say we kill innocent women and children much more
than they have ever killed. We cry for our children. They cry for their children
too.
Death pains a Jewish heart as much
as it pains a Palestinian heart. We all carry our traumas with us and each and
everyone one of us, Jew or Arab is a victim of this conflict carrying the trauma
of war with them deep inside. This conflict has left no one without pain. For
100 years we have been killing each other for a piece of this land, for a piece
of peace and quiet. We have been blinded by our pain and they have been blinded
by theirs.
READ MORE...>>>
NEW IMPORTANT BOOK ON ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN WATER
ISSUES
In
Israeli-Palestinian Water Issues - From Conflict
to Cooperation leading Palestinian, Israeli
and international water experts document the importance of mutual understanding,
respect and amity among peoples during a difficult period of stress. This book
demonstrates hope, optimism and belief that people with good will can help
contribute to peace and mutual cooperation in solving shared water problems
essential for their mutual survival and welfare. The present water crisis facing
the Middle East will become even more severe over the next twenty years, unless
dealt with energetically and in good time. This situation requires urgent action
by the countries of the region, the international community and civil society
generally. This book provides valuable source material for water scientists,
engineers, political scientists, specialists in conflict resolution,
environmentalists, economists, lawyers, administrators, managers and policy
makers interested in understanding, developing, managing and protecting the
scarce shared water resources of the Middle East and for the promotion of “Water
for Life” for the benefit of all the nations of the region.
This book contains papers
from an international conference on water issues in the Middle East organized by
the Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information
(
IPCRI )
Hanna Siniora Awarded a Peace Prize of Honor from the
Order of the Knights of Malta
Saturday, April 21, 2007 at
14:00
Bethlehem Room, Tantur
Ecumenical Institute
Today, Saturday April 21, 2007 Mr. Hanna Siniora, the Co-CEO of IPCRI – the
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information was awarded a tribute of
honor for his life time commitment to Palestinian-Israeli peace by the Order of
the Knights of Malta. This tribute has been awarded to Heads of State and world
leaders for peace. The winner of the tribute prior to Mr. Siniora was the
President of Burundi and Nelson Mandela will receive the tribute after Mr.
Siniora.
The Order of St. John also
known as the Knights of Malta has created a federation of Knightly Orders
unifying all of the Holy Orders to work together for World Peace. A group of
the Knights of Malta is now on their first visit to the Holy Land since the
Federation was established. The head of the Delegation, composed of Knights of
the order including two members of the European Parliament from Italy and other
dignitaries, awarded Mr. Siniora a Silver Olive Branch. When the Pope came to
Holy Land in 2000, he took with him a small olive tree plant and planted it in
the garden of the Vatican. The prize is made of a branch of that olive tree
covered with silver.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
This Week in Palestine … Behind the News with Hanna
Siniora
Abbas-Olmert Meeting
The holding of the first series of
bimonthly meetings between President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert arranged by
Secretary of State Dr. Rice during her last shuttle diplomacy in the region took
place with the usual smiles and denial of real progress. To the credit of Condi
Rice goes the institutionalization of the meetings and expanding their content
from deciding day to day issues, to, for the first time, bringing to the table
discussion of final status issues. In a way Dr. Rice succeeded to start the
discourse of developing a political horizon despite the fragile and tense
relations, and the lack of Israeli recognition of the Palestinian Unity
government.
Certainly keeping the expectations low,
the talks mostly focused on discussion of check posts, movement of people and
goods, humanitarian issues, allowed both leaders to avoid creating false
expectations. Yet what is new, and of major important, is that the talks are
going beyond the routine in such meetings to the bold step of creating a
political horizon that will discuss how to arrive to the two states solution,
and how to use the Arab League Peace initiative as the vehicle to end the
Arab-Israeli Conflict.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
This week in Israel….. Behind the news with Gershon Baskin
New hopes old problems
There does seem to be some sense of
renewed hopes mainly because of the Arab Peace Initiative and the positive
comments of Prime Minister Olmert and Foreign Minister Livni. The Abbas-Olmert
summit this week, beginning a round of talks every two weeks between the leaders
also seemed more positive than negative, although expectations are quite low for
any significant breakthrough towards the renewal of a real peace process.
Olmert and Abbas agreed to move forward on plans for implementing mutual
commitments that were made within the framework of the Road Map. They also
spent about 45 minutes alone without aides or other ministers present. I would
hope that they are planning a secret back channel for renewing negotiations.
That is what I would do if I was in that room.
Olmert and Abbas did agree that the
Karni transportation zone will be open from now on until 11 pm each working day
and Olmert promised that no truck will wait on line more than 24 hours. This is
quite important because Karni is the main economic artery for the Gaza Strip.
Until now transport costs for goods going from Tel Aviv to Gaza or from Gaza to
Tel Aviv could be more than what it would cost to send the shipment to Europe
because of the amount of time it would take and the amount of bribes that would
have to be paid.
READ MORE...>>>
IPCRI HAS A NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The General Assembly of IPCRI elected a new Board of Directors
that will serve for a period of two years being April 15, 2007. We wish the new
Board a very fruitful two years.
Click here
to view the list of IPCRI's Board.
The lessons of surprise
|
Gershon
Baskin, THE JERUSALEM POST |
Apr. 9,
2007 |
One cannot but imagine the
possibility, perhaps the fantasy, that Hamas will learn the lesson taught by
Ahmadinejad's release of the 15 British navy officers. The entire world breathed
with relief as they left Iranian soil after being sent off by the Iranian
president himself.
If something substantial was "paid"
by Tony Blair to the Iranians, it is not within the domain of public knowledge.
The profit to the Iranian regime, however, was far beyond what could have ever
been prayed for by millions of Iranians worshipers gathering in the mosques of
Teheran to mark the birthday of the Prophet.
Khaled Mashaal and Ismail Haniyeh
and the abductors of Gilad Schalit should be watching carefully. After almost a
year of negotiations the release of Schalit seems no closer than from the first
day after the June 25, 2006 attack on Kerem Shalom. After almost one year, the
only indication of progress - presuming unverified media reports are correct -
is a letter supposedly by Schalit to his family that Hamas gave to the Egyptians
on September 9, 2006.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
April 6, 2007
This Week in Palestine … Behind the News with
Hanna Siniora
Obstacles facing the Unity Government
A month to the formulation of the
National Unity government, the road to full recognition by Europe is still
partially accomplished. The abduction of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston is not
resolved, although the government security forces have pinpointed the Durmosh
family militia as the culprit. Lack of decisive action mainly sprung from the
fear that the abductors might harm Johnston if the security forces use force to
attempt to release the British journalist. But the continued stalemate harms
the image of the Hamas-Fateh alliance and portrays it as ineffective to rein in
lawless elements in Gaza. The prompt release of Johnston and an appropriate
action against the abductors irrespective of how the abduction ends is one of
the priorities of the Unity government.
During the meeting of the Foreign
ministers of France and the PA, the release of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit
in a prisoners exchange came up. This action, if fulfilled will help the
process of full recognition of the Unity government by European countries, and
would lead to improved relations with the USA and Israel. Prime Minister Ismail
Haniyeh should personally get involved to resolve this issue to demonstrate that
the PA is taking control of security as well as law and order.
READ
MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
Friday, April 06, 2007
This week in Israel…..
Behind the news with Gershon Baskin
To recognize or not to recognize?
I have been asked by advisors to several
foreign governments to comment on what I thought should be the policy of their
countries regarding the new Palestinian Authority government. They have also
asked me what I thought Israel should do. This is a very challenging question
and the answer is not simple. How could any government be asked to recognize
another that does not explicitly recognize the right of existence as a nation to
the other side? The new Palestinian Authority Government did not explicitly
meet the Quartet demands of recognition of Israel, renouncement of terrorism and
adherence to agreements already undertaken by the PLO. The new government,
however, is clearly an improvement to its predecessor and has taken more than
one step forward in meeting the international demands.
There are various levels at which one
could relate to the questions surrounding recognition. One level is what is
best for the Israeli interests? One could claim that by withholding recognition
Israel is continuing to pressure the Hamas to made political reforms that may
eventually lead to the full explicit recognition of Israel or, on the other
hand, would continue to demonstrate its non-acceptability in the international
community by continued denial of recognition of Israel’s right to exist.
READ MORE...>>>
Israeli and
Palestinian history
So hard to
reconcile
Mar 15th 2007 | JERUSALEM
From The Economist print edition
Some grown-ups want a
common view, but their kids are kept apart
FEW foundation myths
are as diametrically opposed as those of Jews and Palestinians. In the original
Jewish narrative, the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 meant redemption,
an escape from the genocidal persecution of the Nazis and a return to the land
promised by God (for the religious) or historical precedent (for the secular).
For the Palestinians, it was the nakba, the Disaster: banishment from
their ancestral homes as the innocent victims of aggressive Jewish nationalism.
Time has mollified
both these tales. Most Palestinians, even if they still do not think Israel's
birth at their expense was justified, accept that the place now has to be
allowed to exist. Most Israelis, too, have come to accept the Palestinians' own
right to self-determination, and Israeli “revisionist historians” have rewritten
the academic accounts of the country's birth to reflect its mistreatment of the
native population. What the two sides teach their children, though, are still
quite different things.
Three years ago the Israel-Palestine Centre for Research and Information (IPCRI),
a think-tank in Jerusalem, conducted studies of some school textbooks on both
sides. It found gradual improvements over previous years, but still a lot of
problems. Israeli books sometimes contained stories that promoted pluralism and
co-existence and contained positive images of Arabs. But there were also
portrayals that were paternalistic and played on stereotypes and fears.
Descriptions of the 1948 war tended to suggest that Palestinians either left
their homes voluntarily, selling them to Jews, or were encouraged to leave by
other Arabs—rather than, as sometimes happened, being forced out violently. Maps
of pre-1948 Palestine sometimes underplayed the extent of Arab habitation, while
maps of modern Israel never included the “Green Line”, the pre-1967 border; this
makes the occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank look as if they were an
integral part of Israel.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
March 25, 2007
This week in Israel…..
Behind the news with
Gershon Baskin
We’re Back!
It has been quite some time since my last
column under this title. Events, travel and shortage of staff in IPCRI has made
it almost impossible to find the time to devote to this weekly article. Popular
demand has brought me back to the commitment of writing this column once again.
Diplomatic fury
The new Palestinian government of national
unity and the upcoming summit of the League of Arab States to be held on Tuesday
and Wednesday of this week have sparked a new fury of Middle East diplomatic
energy. On his first foreign journey, the new PA Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Dr. Ziad Abu Amr has met with several high ranking diplomats in Europe and more
are on their way to the region. The Government of Norway recognized the new
government. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is making his first visit to the
region and will be meeting with Palestinian President Abbas and Prime Minister
Olmert, refraining at this point from meeting Hamas ministers. He was received
at Ben Gurion airport by Minister of Defense Amir Peretz. Swedish Foreign
Minister Carl Bildt is on his way and will also meet with both sides. Bildt is
not likely to go as far as his Nordic neighbor, Norway, and grant full
recognition to the new PA Government, but the Swedes, like many other Europeans
will agree to deal directly with the non-Hamas members of the Government,
including (and perhaps) especially with Finance Minister Salam Fayyad. Some of
the Europeans may try to “test the waters” and to meet with some of the Hamas
members as well, since the PA government is no longer defined as a Hamas
government.
American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is also on her way here and she too
will engage with Abbas and Fayyad and perhaps others, but definitely not Hamas
members.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
March 25, 2007
This week in Palestine…..
Behind the news with
Hanna Siniora
The National Unity Government.
It is quite obvious that neither Ehud Olmert nor Mahmoud
Abbas attained their goals as the just formed Unity government took office.
President Abbas in implementing the Mecca agreement, attempted to bring to an
end the isolation of the PA, but only partially succeeded. PM Olmert also
sought to continue the boycott, but also failed to prevail. Only the Israeli
government keeps the blanket embargo and the withholding of revenues. The
foremost ally of Israel, the USA actually sent the American Consul-General in
Jerusalem to meet the recently appointed Palestinian Finance Minister Dr Salam
Fayyad. Russia, Norway and others fully recognized the new Unity government.
Other countries followed the step of the USA, and announced that they will
meet the non-Hamas ministers. The boycott as it was certainly came to an
end, with signs of further erosion.
The release of captured soldier Gilad Shalit will work in favor of the Unity
government, and would most probably allow for the extension of the ceasefire
to the West Bank, and pave the way to better PA-Israel relations. Some
Israeli political figures inside and outside the Israeli cabinet are starting
to discuss the willingness of Israel to consider seriously exploring the
call of Hamas since its election in January 2006 for a long term Hudna as a
valid approach to de-escalate, as many feel that it could lead to further
mutual steps to build confidence.
The budget of the PA government is still in doubt. Israel continue to withhold
the sizable revenues it collects on behalf of the PA, which account to about
60% of the budget. Despite the knowledge that withholding the revenues hurts
the Palestinian people and economy and does not affect the finances of the
Hamas
movement. Saudi Arabia promised to support the PA and break the embargo
by promising to give a billion dollars. However, until now the banking
restrictions imposed by the USA and Israel have prevented the Saudis in
transferring the first installment, $650 million.
READ MORE...>>>
An imaginary
announcement
| Gershon Baskin, THE
JERUSALEM POST
Mar. 19, 2007 |
|
Israeli cabinet statement, March
25, 2007 regarding the Arab summit in Riyadh:
'The government of Israel convened
this morning in regular session. The prime minister presented to the members of
the government a new Israeli peace initiative - "The Ten Points Plan."
"The government debated the
initiative and then voted overwhelmingly in favor, with only the Yisrael
Beitenu faction voting against the decision. Minister Lieberman submitted his
resignation following the vote. His resignation will come into effect in 48
hours.
"The Government of Israel (GOI)
calls for direct face-to-face negotiations with the governments of the
Palestinian Authority, Syria and Lebanon in order to bring an end to the
Israeli-Arab conflict.
"The GOI asserts that a full peace
agreement with diplomatic and normal relations between all states in the region
is the ultimate goal of the Israeli peace initiative.
READ MORE...>>>
Click here to read the article in Hebrew
Click here to read the article in Arabic
Accept the
Saudi initiative
| Gershon Baskin, THE
JERUSALEM POST
Mar. 5, 2007 |
|
Four years after it was first
presented, the Arab peace initiative is finally coming to center stage. Rumors
of behind the scenes meetings and negotiations on the initiative between Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert and Saudi national security advisor Prince Bandar bin
Sultan have been strengthened by reports that the Saudi prince is trying to
modify the initiative so that it will be more acceptable to Israel.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni stated
that Israel cannot accept the initiative in its present form because it mentions
UN Resolution 194 which is the foundation of the Arab claims for the right of
return of refugees from the 1948 war to their homes inside of Israel.
Israel also rejects the direct
reference to the June 4, 1967 lines in the initiative. Israel rightly claims
that in negotiations with the Palestinians on borders, the principle of
territorial exchanges has already been accepted, so why go back to the 1967
lines which ignore any of the new realities on the ground and the very tenuous
nature of those lines for Israel.
READ MORE...>>>
Click
here to read in Hebrew
Click here to read in Arabic
The ball is
in Olmert's court
|
Gershon
Baskin, THE JERUSALEM POST |
Feb. 19,
2007 |
Before her trip to the region this
week, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said her purpose was "to recommit
to existing agreements, but also to begin to explore and probe the political and
diplomatic horizon."
Exploring horizons means defining
the end game - the creation of the Palestinian state alongside Israel as the
main element of a permanent status agreement.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert objects
to moving into permanent status negotiations, while Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni
has spoken about negotiating the establishment of a Palestinian state with
provisional borders, as Phase II of the road map mentions.
The road map mentions a Palestinian
state with provisional borders only as an option, and the Palestinians have made
it quite clear that they reject this approach. President Mahmoud Abbas wants to
move directly into permanent status negotiations and to finally reach the end of
the peace process that began 15 years ago with a full peace agreement with
Israel.
READ MORE...>>>
I
International Support for Israeli-Palestinian Peace
After 40
years - the time has come!
June 5 2007
will mark 40 years since the June 1967 war. On June 5 the
“march for
Israeli-Palestinian peace and justice” will take place in cities
and towns throughout the world in solidarity with the people of Israel and
Palestine who will march, demonstrate and organize for Israeli-Palestinian peace
throughout Israel and Palestine. Several main events will be held in key cities
such as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ramallah, Nablus, Gaza, Washington, New York,
Chicago, Athens, Paris, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, London, Ottawa, Toronto,
Vancouver, Moscow, Rome, Amman, Cairo, Tokyo, and others.
The call for
Israeli-Palestinian peace based on the
“TWO-STATES FOR TWO PEOPLES, ONE
PEACE – PEACE AND JUSTICE” formula and for ending the conflict
will be the uniting force that will bring out millions of people across the
globe.
We are pleased to announce
that the June 5th initiative web page has been launched. It is not
completely functional but we now have an address that we will be updating on a
regular basis. The address is:
http://www.june5thinitiative.org/
A Web blog has also been set up for the initiative – the address is:
http://june5thinitiative-wiki.hss.rpi.edu/index.php?title =Main_Page
READ
MORE...>>>
Now, more than
ever: Strengthen Abbas
| Gershon Baskin, THE
JERUSALEM POST
Feb. 5, 2007 |
|
The battle being waged in Gaza may actually be the
final showdown between the two main elements of the Palestinian national
movement, between those who support compromise and peace with Israel, and the
rejectionists of peace.
The opening chapter in this struggle began at the
onset of the first intifada in early 1989, when the unified leadership of the
intifada, composed of the main factions of the PLO (Fatah, PFLP, DFPL and the
communists) openly called for the end of the occupation of 1967 lands and the
creation of a Palestinian state next to Israel, and not instead of Israel. The
Islamists' response to this was the creation of the Hamas alternative.
Hamas, even then rejected the hegemony of the PLO,
and even then declared its own policies for directing the intifada. The Unified
Leadership declared a general strike on the 9th of every month to mark the
intifada, but Hamas declared its own strike days on the 7th of each month.
When the Palestine National Council met in November
1988 to declare statehood and support a political platform of two states for two
peoples, this too was rejected by Hamas. In September 1993, when Israel and the
PLO signed the Declaration of Principles that launched the Oslo process, once
again Hamas remained outside the process, later boycotted elections, and then
worked to sabotage the peace process through terrorism.
READ
MORE...>>>
The missing agenda
|
GERSHON
BASKIN, THE JERUSALEM POST |
Jan. 22,
2007 |
It has been reported that the chief
of staff of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office, and his chief political
adviser, have been instructed to find an agenda for the upcoming trilateral
summit meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and US Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice. While these two gentlemen are searching for an agenda
for the meeting, perhaps they should spend some time finding an agenda for the
government as well.
In order for Prime Minister Olmert
to survive politically, he should get out of the "survival mode" and get into
the business of leading.
In Israel 2007, leading means
having vision and knowing how to translate it into reality. The government of
Israel has no vision and no direction beyond political survival. In the dearth
of any political horizons and because the government has failed to transmit any
sense of hope to the Israeli people, we have recently been exposed to a variety
of politicians who see themselves as potential leaders busy presenting all kinds
of new peace plans and ideas.
READ MORE...>>>
January 16, 2007/Volume
5.02
Ready for Peace - What
Should We Do?
By Gershon Baskin.
Baskin is the co-CEO of the
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (www.ipcri.org).
This article is another in our series of opinion pieces from Israel on the
contemporary security and diplomatic challenges facing the Jewish State. The
views expressed are Baskin's and do not necessarily represent the position of IPF.
The news published this morning in Haaretz newspaper regarding a secret back
channel of unofficial Israeli-Syrian talks that produced a “non-paper” agreement
for full Israeli-Syrian peace with the full knowledge of both governments joins
together with the formal statements made by the legal advisor of the Syrian
President last week at the “Madrid+15” conference. Syria is ready for real
peace with Israel. The Israeli intelligence chiefs have been reporting the
same thing over the past weeks – albeit catching up with reality quite late, as
the Syrian peace overtures have been coming out of Damascus for at least a full
year (and there are those who even say for two years – so much for
intelligence!).
The same Haaretz newspaper reported
several months ago following the last Arab League Summit in Khartoum in March
2006 that the Arab countries were preparing a “peace offensive.” The story
appeared at the bottom of an inner page of the newspaper. When I saw the
headline about an “Arab peace offensive,” I, as an Israeli, had to clear my eyes
to make sure that I read it correctly. I did, and then I couldn’t comprehend
why this was not the lead story on the front page of the newspaper. In 1967,
the same Arab League in the same capital declared its famous “three no’s” policy
– no recognition (of Israel), no negotiations, and no peace. In 2006, the Arab
League unanimously ratified the Arab League Peace Initiative that was originally
unanimously passed in March 2002 at the height of the intifada. Had the Arab
States issued the same call for peace in 1948, Israelis would have danced in the
streets. They (the Arab League) didn’t do it then, but they are doing it now.
READ
MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
January 18, 2007
This Week in Palestine … Behind the News with
Hanna Siniora
I beg to differ
As a result of the recent visit of US Secretary
of State Dr. Rice to the region and meetings with President Abbas and PM Olmert,
a trilateral summit is being arranged to take place next February. President
Abbas in the press conference with Secretary Rice called for serious talks with
Israel to resolve outstanding issues and negotiate a two-state solution, at the
same time emphasizing his rejection for the call for a Palestinian state with
provisional borders. Abbas like most Palestinians from different political
factions fear that such a state with provisional borders would in the long term
become permanent borders. In taking such a position Abbas will avoid unnecessary
attacks by the opposition, even from within the ranks of his Fateh movement.
However, that means the present political stalemate will not be broken and the
trilateral summit that will take place in February will have no possible major
achievements. Prevailing conditions within the Israeli political scene will not
allow Olmert to negotiate a permanent settlement leading to a two-state solution
with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. Under present circumstances it
means that more similar meetings would not lead to real change, and thus would
allow the occupation to continue and settlement activity to grow.
READ MORE...>>>
JERUSALEM BIBLIOGRAPHY
January 15, 2007
IPCRI is pleased to present an updated version of our
Jerusalem Bibliography. This work was completed recently by an IPCRI
Intern Ramesh "Moon" Prakashvelu.
Click here to view the bibliography
Cut a deal for Shalit
|
GERSHON
BASKIN, THE JERUSALEM POST |
Jan. 8,
2007 |
The Olmert-Mubarak summit last week
was not only a public relations disaster; it was another missed opportunity for
renewing the peace process. On the morning of the summit the main Israeli
newspapers headlines spoke of a proposal by President Hosni Mubarak for a summit
meeting of the leaders of the "mini-quartet" consisting of Israel, Palestine,
Jordan and Egypt.
Mubarak's idea for moving toward a
renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace process based on the support of the
"mini-quartet" is both constructive and practical. Egypt and Jordan have clear
self-interest in renewing the peace process and both are extremely familiar with
the internal political difficulties in both Israel and Palestine. Egyptian and
Jordanian support and encouragement of the Israeli-Palestinian track provides
substantial benefits for both Israel and the Palestinians in their own bilateral
relations with both states.
The Olmert-Mubarak summit was
sidetracked by what is perceived to be the direct intervention of the IDF in its
premeditated attack in the center of Ramallah at midday on the day of the
summit. There was no "ticking bomb" that had to be defused that very minute. It
seemed like another deliberate provocation by the army to derail any chances of
a renewed political process with the Palestinians.
READ
MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
January 2, 2007
This week in Israel….. Behind the news with Gershon Baskin
A new year, new predictions
Over the past years I have attempted to make
some predictions about what we can expect to happen over the next year. I admit
that this is quite risky as I don’t have any real crystal ball to tell me the
future. This could be somewhat compared to reading coffee cups of looking at
the stars. I usually come out better than what sheer luck could provide. I
indulge your patience and request that at least you view this as entertainment
(perhaps not very good entertainment at that).
Prediction #1
– The Olmert Government will survive the year. I don’t expect new elections in
Israel in the coming year. With a majority of some 78 seats in the coalition,
even with the lowest public popularity rating ever held by a Prime Minister in
Israel, Olmert’s government faces no real threats.
Prediction #2
– Amir Peretz will continue to lead the Labour party. Even with Peretz’s all
time low public approval rating, he has no where to go and he will fight to stay
in the Labour leadership position and in the Ministry of Defense. Peretz will
not be found primarily responsible for Israel’s failures in Lebanon. The faulty
military concept employed in Lebanon and the poor performance of the army had
their roots set deep down way before Peretz ever arrived in the Ministry of
Defense. Peretz’s leadership in the Labour party is being challenged by many
candidates – Ami Ayalon, the front runner, Danny Yatom, Matan Vilnai, perhaps
Ephraim Sneh, Avishai Braverman, Ofir Pines – the only Labour Minister to resign
the government when Lieberman was asked to sit at the table and Ehud Barak.
Barak’s chances don’t seem very strong as he still has many more enemies in the
party than allies, yet Barak might still find himself sitting at the Cabinet
table if Olmert could move Peretz out of the Defense Ministry. A deal could be
worked out that in exchange for Barak removing himself from the race for the
Labour leadership, Peretz would move into the position of a Minister for Public
Welfare. In politics anything is possible. Peretz is a fighter when he is
fighting for himself. He has pulled rabbits out of the Labour hat in the past
and I would not put is past him that he has some more rabbits there. I would
most prefer to see Ofir Pines in the leadership, but that is unlikely to happen.
READ MORE...>>>
Serious leaders doing serious
work
|
GERSHON
BASKIN, THE JERUSALEM POST |
Dec. 25,
2006 |
The long-overdue Olmert-Abbas
meeting, which finally took place eight months after Ehud Olmert's government
was sworn in, was a positive step but hardly sufficient to resume a peace
process between Israel and the Palestinians.
Olmert, to his credit, had tried
for months to convene the meeting with Abbas. It has been Abbas who has been
reluctant, both out of concern that he would leave the meeting empty-handed, and
that Olmert would present him with a list of demands he could not deliver.
Abbas cannot release Gilad Shalit,
does not control the Hamas-led government or parliament, and cannot prevent the
Kassam rockets attacks from Gaza.
So why now? Perhaps there was a
sense that since Abbas's calls for early elections there has been a need to
strengthen the position of the moderates.
READ MORE...>>>
Bolster the peace camp
| GERSHON BASKIN , THE JERUSALEM POST |
Dec. 11, 2006 |
Chaos and uncertainty seem to surround us throughout the region. Lebanon may
be on the verge of a new civil war, likewise the Palestinians. Iran is posing a
challenge to the international community that, at least at present, it seems
incapable of confronting. Iraq is disintegrating in sectarian violence and the
White House doesn't seem to have an inkling of what to do, despite the sound
advice received from the Baker-Hamilton team.
The Baker-Hamilton report on Iraq makes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seem
a lot less complex and challenging than what the US is facing in Iraq. The end
game for Iraq seems a lot more illusive than anything the US administration can
seriously imagine possible at this time. Furthermore, the path toward the
desired end game in Iraq is completely unclear, and each policy decision made in
Washington could lead to an entirely different course of outcomes on the ground.
THE SITUATION in Israel/Palestine, in comparison, is much rosier. The current
cease-fire, although not 100% in force, the Olmert speech in Sde Boker, the
change of secretary of defense in Washington and the Baker-Hamilton report have
ignited new hopes for some progress over here. Unlike Iraq, we all know what the
end game to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is, but like Iraq; we have no idea
of what process can lead us toward that end.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
December 3, 2006
This Week in Palestine … Behind the News with
Hanna Siniora
Winds of Change
After months if not years of political
stagnation, suddenly following the U.S. midterm elections, noticeable movement
is taking shape from Afghanistan to Palestine. The ceasefire that was announced
a few days back, although fragile and precarious is still holding. In order for
the ceasefire to take roots, it is imperative even critical that it will be
extended to cover the West Bank. Israel has to stop arrests and targeted
killings in the West Bank to prevent the
collapse of the ceasefire.
In Latvia the NATO command has called for the
withdrawal of NATO forces by 2008. if and when a democratic administration will
succeed the Bush administration, a similar call to withdraw American troops by
2010 if not earlier will be announced by such a new administration. A Democratic
party president in the White House will be obliged to make such an announcement
if he or she seeks a second term. The Baker-Hamilton commission by this week,
might announce similar steps. Even in Somalia, the international community will
have to the local leadership on the ground.
READ MORE...>>>
PRESS RELEASE
On November 19-23, 2006 270 Israelis,
Palestinians and international participants from some 20 countries participated
in an International Conference on Education for Peace and Democracy held in
Antalya, Turkey. The conference was organized by IPCRI
– the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information. During the four days
of the conference some 150 workshops, lectures, presentations and films were
held.
The Conference
brought together peace and democracy educators, curricula writers, encounter
facilitators, peace studies practitioners, conflict resolution practitioners,
human rights educators, mediators, and activists from academia, research sector,
governmental and community organizations and others from Israel, Palestine and
beyond, with a special emphasis on other crisis regions. The conference was a
tremendous opportunity for dialogue, debate and visioning with collaboration and
cooperation between the body of theory and practice. The conference meeting was
grounds for dialogue and mutual learning from the field of peace and democracy
education from the viewpoint of academia and from the field of practioners. The
conference raised critical issues new insights into the profound peace and
democracy education developments in Israel, Palestine
and around the world. Furthermore, the Conference provided an excellent
opportunity to build connections across multi-disciplinary sectors.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
November 28, 2006
This week in
Israel….. Behind the news with Gershon Baskin
The Cease fire
Suddenly out of no where Israel and the
Palestinians declared a bilateral cease fire. Even though, for the time being,
the cease fire is limited to Gaza, it is a blanket cessation of hostilities
covering all acts of aggression from both sides. This idea was presented to
Prime Minister Olmert in the beginning of June 2006 by IPCRI but was summarily
rejected by him for two reasons: (1) Israel would have nothing to do with an
agreement that involved Hamas, and (2) because, he said, the Palestinians could
not be trusted to enforce a cease fire. Olmert, at the time did say that if the
Palestinians ceased their aggressive acts, Israel would have no reason to fire
back. But then came the attack on Kerem Shalom and the kidnapping of Gilead
Shalit and the sharp increase of Israeli aggression in Gaza leaving more than
350 Palestinians dead in the past months.
Some of the explanations for the sudden
change in policy might be:
READ MORE...>>>
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b i t
t e r l e m
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November 27, 2006 Edition 44
|
AN
ISRAELI VIEW
Time for
the public to stand up |
|
by
Gershon Baskin |
To a great extent, the Israeli and Palestinian publics have been passive
observers in the single most important issue affecting their lives--the
continuation of the conflict. During the summer of 2006, the Israeli public in
its silence supported the government in its war against Lebanon. More than one
million Israelis fled from their homes in the face of katyusha rockets falling
in the north and still the public was silent. Last week we saw the same thing in
Sderot, and who can blame the Sderot residents? In both cases we have not
witnessed the masses taking to the streets calling for an end to the violence
and a return to a peace process.
But perhaps there are some changes sprouting. For the first time that I
recall, Israeli television and radio channels gave space to voices in Sderot
calling for an end of the violence, including a call not to avenge the Qassam
rockets. Perhaps there is the beginning of public understanding that the army
has run out of tricks and that the only way to end the violence is by returning
to the table. Even two Kadima ministers expressed something new, one saying that
the time had come for the prime minister to meet with Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas--"either you make history or you will become history"
(Meir Sheetrit)--and another calling for an immediate unilateral ceasefire with
the Palestinians (Gideon Ezra).
The Palestinian public in recent weeks also demonstrated new behavior
patterns that point to new possibilities for public action. In Beit Hanoun we
saw Palestinian women face Israeli tanks, and even though soldiers opened fire
on the crowds, the following week we witnessed hundreds of civilians serving as
human shields in order to prevent the bombing of a house by the Israel Air
Force.
READ
MORE...>>>
No
revenge, compassion
| Gershon Baskin, THE
JERUSALEM POST |
Nov. 22,
2006 |
The families and survivors of the
victims of the tragic killings in Beit Hanun have stated that they are not
interested in revenge. Noam Shalit, the father of kidnapped Cpl. Gilad Shalit,
visited the Beit Hanun families in a Tel Aviv hospital and voiced his sympathy
for their suffering and mourning.
How unusual is this demonstration
of common compassion. How powerful is this emotion, yet so lacking from our two
societies. When did we all become so numb to the suffering of others? Has our
own suffering so overpowered our hearts that we are not capable of showing
compassion for others?
In Israeli society the term for showing compassion is referred to as yefeh
nefesh - literally a beautiful soul. This term is thrown at various leftists
and others as a derogatory belittlement of their abilities in the field of logic
and reason by those who think that they have a better understanding of human
nature and of the world.
The behavior of Noam Shalit and the
people of Beit Hanun are so unusual in our political environment and so
unexpected that they have been criticized for being too soft or for capitulating
in the face of the enemy.
READ
MORE...>>>
No agenda, no hope, not so difficult to
change
Gershon Baskin
November 10, 2006
Prime Minister Olmert is about to leave
for Washington. If by some small chance President Bush should ask him what he is
doing to advance peace, Olmert will not be able to answer. He could challenge
Bush by asking him the same question. He could look Bush in the eye and say
“George, you know very well that neither of us is really interested in talking
to them Arabs. So why don’t we go out to the press and make some nice speeches
about the grand new middle east, bringing democracy to the natives, fighting
global terrorism. You know the routine; in fact you have a patent on it.”
George would probably say, “Ehud you are 100% correct, but listen bud, when you
kill the Arabs, you’ve got to keep it out of the television. Can’t you learn
from us?”
Ehud will come back from Washington all
smiles and hand shakes. He will have met with some of the new Members of
Congress and some of his old buddies there and have had a great time. After
all, the government of Israel has more support in Congress than it does in the
Knesset.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
November
9, 2006
This week in Palestine….. Behind the news with
Hanna Siniora
Disaster Strikes Again
Palestinians from Beit Hanoun, Gaza hardly
breathed relief from six cruel days of an Israeli military operation that caused
51 deaths and more than 250 wounded when a barrage of tank shells hit a civilian
compound that caused 20 civilian deaths among them ten children and seven women,
and an additional 40 wounded. This latest massacre of innocent civilians
demonstrated again that the excessive use of power usually leads to killing the
innocents and inflames the public. Only 24 hours earlier the newly installed
operations are unable to stop Gazans from launching rockets.
Brute force has never been the mechanism to
subdue people, it has failed in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, even in Nicaragua
people in defiance of Bush policies reelected Ortega for a new term as
president.
Israel and the USA should desist from pursuing
absolute force to subdue people. In Palestine, dialogue with Hamas, would have
prevented the calamities of the post nine months, would have succeeded in
moderating Hamas, would have allowed the possibility of opening a new chapter of
relations, at least it would have led to diminishing violence and counter
violence.
READ
MORE...>>>
[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
November 8, 2006
This week in Israel….. Behind the news with Gershon Baskin
Mr. Peretz, Go Home!
We woke up this morning with the tragic news of
a bloodbath in Beit Hanoun. Israeli tanks opened fire on houses killing 19
Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children. The IDF commander of the
operation stated that they were aiming at a cell of people about to launch
Qassam rockets. Minister of Defense Peretz ordered an investigation and a halt
to all artillery fire. You’re too late Mr. Peretz. You have once again proven
beyond the shadow of any doubt that you are not fit to be Defense Minister. You
are not fit to lead the Labour party and you do not deserve to be called a man
of peace.
Over 350 Palestinians have been killed by the
IDF under your leadership Mr. Peretz, since June 25, 2006. More than 1/3 of them
have been civilians including more than 57 minors. Concluding a six day raid of
destruction and killing in Beit Hanoun in the northern part of the Gaza strip.
You, Mr. Peretz said that the operation was a success and that the residents of
the western Negev could sleep sound knowing that the IDF had done everything
possible to end the Qassam rocket shootings from Gaza. Mr. Peretz, you still
call yourself a “man of peace”? Men of peace don’t celebrate the death of
innocent people.
READ MORE...>>>
The energy
to lead
| GERSHON BASKIN, THE
JERUSALEM POST Nov. 6, 2006 |
|
Since the mid-1970s most of the world has been held
hostage by the oil-rich nations, many of which do not share their political
world view. In order to maintain energy
security most of these oil-dependent nations have capitulated for decades to
the whims and wills of the oil-rich ones.
Most of these oil-rich nations have not used their wealth to really benefit
their people. It has instead aided their families and tribes to stay in power,
usually against the will of their own people. The global political power of
these nations far outweighs their real contribution to humanity; indeed, it is
solely based on their ability to control the flow of oil, and its price.
Israel of course stands firmly in the category of
the oil-dependent nations; but more importantly, most of the nations of Europe,
Japan and even the United States have also allowed themselves to cater to the
regimes of the oil-wealthy nations, even at times when this has seemed to go
against their direct political interests, or even national security.
It is time for this state of affairs to end.
THE 1970S brought about the first major effort by
the oil-poorer nations to conserve oil and use alternative forms of energy. But
this effort was short-lived and widely controlled by the overwhelming power and
interests of oil producers, companies and countries. Many alternative fuels were
tried and tested and conservation was widely practiced until the entry of the
4x-drive jeeps, vans and other fuel-eating monsters of the late 1990s.
READ MORE...>>>
Respecting Palestinian Democracy and the way to avoid civil war
Gershon Baskin*
October 17, 2006
Many Palestinians, especially those who
voted for Hamas feel that the West has treated them with double standards. The
West, in particular the United States demanded from the Palestinians democracy.
The Palestinians responded by holding the most democratic elections in the Arab
world. I observed those elections and they were exemplary. There is no question
any where in the world that the Palestinian elections were free, open, safe and
democratic. The problem is that the international community didn’t like the
results. Hamas was not supposed to win the elections and when Hamas did, the
international community was shocked and refused to recognize the outcome of the
Palestinian people’s democratic choice. Since the elections the international
community refuses to recognize the new government and has demanded that it
fulfill three conditions laid down by the Quartet which the Hamas government
does not wish to fulfill.
There are many arguments within
Palestinian society regarding the Hamas victory. Many observers and analysts,
local and international, claim that the Hamas victory was a technical victory
mainly because of the failure of Fatah to organize itself and present one list
in the districts. The division of the Fatah votes in the districts, confronting
Hamas which presented single lists with the exact number of candidates in each
district that can be elected, enabled the large victory of Hamas in the district
elections. These analysts claim that the Palestinian people did not vote for
the Hamas political platform. A large number of those who supported Hamas were
protesting against the failures of Fatah and against corruption. These analysts
claim that the Palestinian people were not voting against the recognition of
Israel or the desire to return to the peace process.
READ MORE...>>>
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN ARABIC
The visit of Condoleezza Rice,
the US secretary of state, to the region comes at a moment were the Israeli
Palestinian issue is ready for a break through and conditions are ripe to end
the conflict and the suffering of the people of the region.
Dr. Rice must, like the local
leaders of the region, develop a fresh approach as the Road Map process is full
of contradictions and is inapplicable. For past few years neither Israel nor
Palestine have the ability to fulfill in parallel the dismantling of illegal
outposts or the disarming of militias. As a result, the settlements are being
expanded; the separation wall is almost done, and the peace process is in
shambles. War, violence, destruction and hatred have flourished instead.
Dr. Rice if as being announced
has returned to the area to propose “creative means” to strengthen president
Abbas and weaken Hamas, will instead fuel the internal differences within the
Palestinian political arena, and lead the Palestinian people toward destruction
and civil war.
Even President Mahmoud Abbas in
reacting to recent internal violence in Gaza and the West Bank that resulted in
death and destruction said: “Let us be frank here, the United States has imposed
a political, economic and social siege on us after Hamas has won the recent
legislative elections.”
היהודים
מבינים רק כוח
איך
זינקנו למלחמה מוצדקת אך מיותרת, האם נשקלו חלופות מקוריות - ועוד שאלות שלא
יעלו בוועדות החקירה
גרשון
בסקין
28 באוגוסט 2006
ועדות החקירה שיבדקו את מהלכי המלחמה, תפקוד הצבא
ודרכי קבלת ההחלטות בממשלה ובקבינט ייכנסו לקרביים של מה שקרה כאן מאז 12 ביולי
2006. הדבר היחיד שלא ייבדק כלל הוא - האם היה ניתן למנוע את המלחמה ולהשיג
בדרך אחרת את היעדים האסטרטגיים של ישראל, כולל החזרת החיילים החטופים, דחיקת
כוחות חיזבאללה צפונה ופריסת צבא לבנון בדרום. אין כל ספק כי חיזבאללה נתן
לישראל קאוזוס באלי: השגת גבול, הריגת שמונה חיילים וחטיפה של שניים נוספים
וירי טילים על יישובים הם יותר מקריאת תיגר על כל מדינה ריבונית. לפיכך, זכתה
ישראל בתמיכה בינלאומית די גורפת בצאתה להשיב מלחמה שערה. מיד לאחר קבלת הידיעה
על ההתקפה של חיזבאללה החלו לנוע גלגלי המלחמה, ואף אחד לא עצר לרגע כדי לשאול
- האם אכן אין דרך אחרת?
למרות שכבודנו הלאומי נרמס ברגל גסה על-ידי
הקיצוניים שבאויבינו, כל מהלך מדיני-דיפלומטי עדיף על כל מהלך צבאי - אלו
מילותיו של השר אבי דיכטר, ראש השב"כ לשעבר. אם כך, מדוע איש לא הציע לחפש דרך
מדינית כדי להשיג את מה שהוצג על-ידי אולמרט כיעדי המלחמה? מדוע ראש הממשלה לא
הרים טלפון לעמיתו הלבנוני, והציע לו להיפגש בחשאי כדי לחפש יחד דרך מוצא
למשבר? אילו היה מציע דרך מדינית לסניורה, יש להניח שמנהיגים ודמויות מפתח מכל
העדות בלבנון היו חוברים למהלך פנימי, שמטרתו לקצץ את כנפי חיזבאללה. בכך הייתה
ישראל משיגה את יעדיה האסטרטגיים מבלי לירות אפילו פגז אחד. במקום זאת, יצאנו
למלחמה מוצדקת אך מיותרת, אשר איחדה נגדנו את מרבית אזרחי לבנון חיזקה את אהדת
העולם הערבי והמוסלמי לנסראללה והביאה להרג המוני של ישראלים ולבנונים ולהרס
פיזי רב בשתי המדינות.
READ
MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
August 27, 2006
This week in Palestine….. Behind the news with Hanna
Siniora
Fateh Central
Committee
All last week
Mahmoud Abbas and his associates in the Fateh central committee met in
Amman, Jordan to review the situation within Fateh, arrangements for holding
the Sixth Fateh Congress to elect a new leadership for the movement, no firm
date was set, and the old guard seems unwilling to relinquish their
dominance of the movement.
A thorough
discussion of the internal Palestinian political impasse took place, and
Mahmoud Abbas was authorized to negotiate with Hamas the formation of a
national unity government and accepting Hamas heading the cabinet. The basis
of cooperation in such a coalition that includes all the Palestinian
factions should be the National Reconciliation Document that was initialed
by Hamas and Fateh, with no other conditions attached, such as the release
of Hamas ministers and legislators that might delay the formation of such
cabinet, as the Palestinian side has no leverage on the Israeli government,
and would not jeopardize such formation on the whims of the Israeli
authorities.
President Abbas
is in favor of holding a sequel to the Madrid conference, based on the
Clinton parameters and the Arab league peace initiative to cover on a
parallel basis the Israeli-Palestinian, Israeli-Syrian and Lebanese-Israeli
tracks (Madrid II).
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
August 27,
2006
This week in Israel….. Behind the news with Gershon
Baskin
The fight is on
The public
protests against the government for the failures of the war in Lebanon are
compelling but they are far from massive public outcries. It seems that
there is suspicion that the demonstrators have been infiltrated by people
and movements with different political agendas and they are exploiting the
current public anti-government sentiment to bring about the end of the
Olmert government. There are two main streams of messages from the
demonstrators – one led by the Movement for Clean Government that is calling
for the establishment of a national investigation commission appointed by
the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court that would have the widest mandate to
investigate the political and military echelons. The second message is
coming mostly from reserve soldiers who fought in Lebanon and the families
of fallen soldiers from this last war. These people are calling for the
immediate resignation of Olmert, Peretz and Chief of Staff Halutz. It is
this group that seems to have been infiltrated by right-wing activists, some
of whom were very involved in the demonstrations last year against the
disengagement from Gaza. For this reason, member of left-wing parties and
non-parliamentary groups like Peace Now have remained away from the
demonstrations in the Rose Garden across from the Prime Minister’s office.
Nonetheless, Olmert is clearly under a lot of pressure to make a decision of
what kind of committee will investigate the war and what kind of mandate it
will have.
It has been
reported that Olmert has already decided that he reluctantly favors a
national investigation commission to be appointed by Chief Justice Barak but
he did not bring the issue to the Government for its approval. Olmert would
clearly prefer an investigation committee appointed by the Government which
would give him a lot more control in determining its mandate and the
publication of the findings of the investigation. Politically, Olmert
understands that he must go for the larger and wider investigation.
READ MORE...>>>
תיקון
1701 – הזדמנות לקידום אינטרסים!
ד"ר יוסי בן ארי
(כותרת משנה:
פתיחת 1701 לתיקונים מזמינה נכונות ישראלית להחזרת האסירים
הלבנונים וחוות שבעא,
בתמורה להחזרת החיילים החטופים ופרוק חזבאללה מנשקו)
23/8/06
התבטאויות קברניטי המדינה הדגישו לאורך המלחמה סירוב מוחלט לשחרר את מעט
האסירים הלבנונים המוחזקים בישראל, כמו גם להחזיר את שטחי חוות שבעא לאחזקת
האו"ם ולא משנה מה תהייה תמורת הצד השני לכך. זאת, שמא יתפרשו ויתורים אלה
כניצחון של חזבאללה או יתרמו לדימוי שכזה.
גם אם נתעלם מהשיקול המדיני-ביטחוני (תוצאות המלחמה במבחן מטרותיה), בלתי מובן
לחלוטין כיצד הנהגת ישראל הסכינה לסיים את המערכה מבלי שסוגית השבויים תסוכם
בחלק האופרטיבי של החלטה 1701. מעבר להשלכות הפוליטיות-פנימיות של כשל זה, תמוה
כיצד יכול היה אולמרט להישיר מבט בפני משפחות החטופים, מבלי שראה הכרח לפתרון
בעייתם כנקודה בעדיפות גבוהה (אם לא מוחלטת) בכל הסדר שיושג. בהיותם אנשים
מתונים ואצילי נפש, הם כנראה לא הכבידו עליו יתר על המידה.
אפשר אולי להבין את ההיגיון ברצון למנוע מחזבאללה הישג, אך ממש לא ברור איך
תפיסת ישראל תואמת את הגדרת שחרור שבויינו, כאחת משתי המטרות המרכזיות של המהלך
הצבאי. זאת, שעה שלאורך הלחימה כולה לא הסתמנה אפשרות להחזרת החטופים אגב שימוש
בכוח, ובעת שנסראללה קרא, כבר מאז יום החטיפה עצמו, לבצע חילופי שבויים-אסירים!
READ
MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
August 20, 2006
This week in Israel….. Behind the news with Gershon
Baskin
The war is over, the in-fight is beginning
With the passing of UN Security Council
Resolution 1701, the cease fire came into effect and the Israeli troops
began heading home. The last 30 hours of the war that the government
implemented while the Security Council was already in session brought about
no military achievement and only led to more than 30 additional, unnecessary
casualties. It has been reported that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was against
launching the expanded ground operation up to the Litani, yet he gave in to
the pressure of the military and of Minister of Defense Amir Peretz..
Olmert, as Prime Minister, as he himself stated in his last Knesset address,
bears full responsibility for the decisions made by the government. This
was one of the most foolish and costly decisions taken by his government.
The investigation committee established by
Peretz to assess the operational aspects of the war (headed by former Chief
of Staff Amnon Lipkin-Shakhak) has no authority to judge the decisions made
by the politicians. Olmert and Peretz should also have to answer to the
public for leading the country into a war without achievable goals, with
faulty tactical plans, and without taking into account the huge price that
the home front would have to pay. Olmert’s taking responsibility has to be
more than just words. Peretz must also stand before a real investigation so
that the public can understand how and why he made the decisions that he did
that cost so many human lives, so much physical damage in Israel and in
Lebanon, and so much suffering.
READ MORE...>>>
"קרש-ההצלה" הפוליטי של אולמרט: אימוץ יוזמת השלום הסעודית
ד"ר יוסי בן ארי
17 באוגוסט 2006
נאום ראש הממשלה בכנסת בתחילת השבוע, ביטא באופן מאד מוחשי את
הדרך הצפויה ביותר להתנהלותו "ביום שאחרי". לא, אף לא אחד ציפה שהנגעים הקשים
בהם לקתה המלחמה, יגרמו לאולמרט לעמוד על בימת הכנסת ולהחזיר מרצון את המנדט
שניתן לו לנהל את המדינה. מבלי להפתיע, רוה"ם הדגיש את התפוקות החיוביות של
החודש האחרון, הרעיף מחמאות שיבח וחיבק, חיבוק דב, את כל שותפיו למאבק (צה"ל
ומפקדיו; חברי הממשלה; חברי הכנסת; הציבור הרחב), אולי בתקווה שאם כולם יישבו
בסירת הצלה אחת, לאף גורם לא יהיה אינטרס להטביע אותה. אבל, אם זו האסטרטגיה בה
ינקוט אולמרט גם מעבר ליממה הראשונה של הפסקת האש, הוא יגלוש מהר מאד במדרון
פוליטי תלול וישבור את שיא מינימום אורך הקדנציה של ממשלה מכהנת.
אולמרט עשה בתבונה משלא רמז אפילו בנאומו על תקפות תכנית
התכנסות. נכון, בכדי לעשות כך הוא צריך היה להתנהל כ"פיל בחנות חרסינה", ודאי
לאחר ה"פדיחה" שליוותה את התבטאותו בנושא בעיצומה של המלחמה. קשה להאמין שאפילו
הוא עדיין אוחז בתכנית זו כאסטרטגיה שתלווה אותו בתקופת כהונת ממשלתו. יותר מכך
- לא צריכה להיות לו שום בעיה להצהיר על נטישתה במפורש, גם משום שרוב העם התנגד
לה עוד טרם תחילת העימות בצפון (על רקע לקחי ההתנתקות), גם משום ש"ועדת
אברמוביץ" זיהתה ביישום התכנית קשיים רבים, אך בעיקר כיוון שלגיטימי לחלוטין
לשנות תכנית מדינית בעקבות מלחמה, שתוצאותיה ואחריתה עדיין רחוקים מלהיות
ברורים.
אך בכדי לעשות זאת ולשרוד את קרבות הסכינאות הפנימיים שכבר
התחילו, חייב רוה"ם לנקוט מהלך ספקטקולארי שיקהה את הטעם המר שהותירה הרפתקת
הצפון בציבור לגביו. אולמרט זקוק בדחיפות להצלחה או שינוי כיוון דרמטי.
תיאורטית, הוא יכול לנקוט יוזמה במספר כיוונים:
READ MORE...>>>
TALK TO LEBANON
GERSHON BASKIN
Tuesday August 15,
2006
Israel hoped for victory that would be
clean, clear and decisive. The modern battlefield and complexities of
international relations do not seem able to provide the good old fashion total
victory, like against Nazi Germany or Japan in 1945. Even the successful
American campaign in Iraq with the fall of Saddam is far from clear victory.
Israel was hoping for another “Six-day war” in Lebanon. In the end, the IDF
understood that military campaigns are determined by capturing the next hill. In
the modern battle field where armies face guerilla warriors, capturing the next
hill is a lot easier than holding on to it. Israel’s biggest casualties in this
war were battles for the same hills that were already captured only a day or two
before. Decisive military victories are not so easy to achieve anymore, and in
the end, it is the use of other items in the international relations “tool box”
that determine whether or not military campaigns pay off.
War is only one part of the battle for
changing the political realities on the ground. Wars often create new political
and diplomatic opportunities. In the aftermath of the “six-day war” Israel
announced that it was waiting for a phone call from the Arab leaders to exchange
territories for peace. King Hussein did call, but he demanded everything,
including East Jerusalem and Israel said no. Sadat’s attempts to reach out
diplomatically were also rejected stating that “Sharm el Sheikh without peace is
preferable to peace without Sharm el Sheikh” and we ended up with the “Yom
Kippur war”. In the end, the Yom Kippur war was a huge military victory, but
the price paid, economically and in blood, was much too heavy to bear. The
political opportunity created then war was the Sadat visit to Jerusalem and the
Israeli-Egyptian peace.
READ MORE...>>>
The
Syrian option: The moment of truth
The rules of the game in the
Middle East will only be changed when some of the currently persona no-grata
are invited to the table
Gershon Baskin
It seems that we are approaching the beginning of the end of the current
round of Middle East fighting. Putting an end to the “war without a name” in
the north should create opportunities for reaching long term agreements that
would put the Middle East on a new course of peace making.
Prime Minister
Olmert
spoke
about changing the rules of region as an end-game political consequence of
the war. That goal will not be achieved through the military campaign. The
rules of the game in the Middle East will only be changed when some of the
currently persona no-grata are invited to the table.
While the fire is burning out of control it is difficult for politicians
to see beyond the smoke, but the test of true leadership and statesmanship
is in the ability to turn disaster into opportunities and to change
hard-fast positions often voiced with great self conviction.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
August 6, 2006
This week in Israel….. Behind the news with Gershon
Baskin
The beginning of the end
At least 10 more military casualties are
being reported as I write these lines. At the beginning of the war, I wrote
that we know we will be coming to the end of the war when the Israeli
generals and politicians begin speaking about victory and when the United
States decides that it is enough. Both of these conditions are beginning to
appear. The generals are beginning to speak about their victories against
Hizbollah and the politicians are beginning to speak about the creation of
new realities in Lebanon. The United States has been working behind the
scenes, mainly with France, in the Security Council to produce a resolution
that will be acceptable to Israel.
The military goals of this war without a
name were to decimate the military capabilities of Hizbollah, to push them
north, to kills as many Hizbollah soldiers and leaders as possible,
including Hassan Nasrallah. The political goals of Israel were to make the
Government of Lebanon take responsibility for its sovereignty, to bring
about the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1559 with an
emphasis on the disarming of Hizbollah and to make the Government of Lebanon
and the people of Lebanon understand that they will pay a very heavy price
for supporting Hizbollah and violations of Israel’s sovereignty. (It is
interesting to note Israel’s sudden commitment to UN Security Council
Resolutions!)
READ MORE...>>>
America's honey trap
Israel has
never signed a strategic agreement with the US, but America acts like Israel
is its proxy
Yossi
Ben-Ari
Israel has never enjoyed such broad American support for
both its policies and military actions as it does today. It began with an
explicit presidential objection to international calls for an immediate
cease fire that could disrupt the attaining of certain goals (with Bush's
call in the background 'to do battle with an organization that initiated
terror attacks and with the countries that support it'); all the way to the
emergency shipment of "smart bombs" meant to help the effort that refuses to
end.
It may be a comfortable feeling to have US backing, but
we must be careful of this "honey trap." It's a strange paradox.
No treaty
Israel has always refused to sign a strategic agreement
with the United States, for fear that such a treaty could inhibit Israel's
freedom of action. But even though no such agreement exists, America has
hinted at expectations that Israel act as an active partner in America's
campaign against world-wide terror.
READ MORE...>>>
הזדמנות נדירה למזרח תיכון חדש...
יוסי בן ארי
המציאות ההולכת ומסתבכת בצפון,
מחייבת את הדרג המדיני לקחת נשימה עמוקה, ולבחון בתבונה כיצד ניתן להיחלץ
מהמיצר אליה נקלענו. כפי שהדברים נראים כעת, ניתן לעשות זאת באחת משתי דרכים:
לקדם הסדר שעיקרו הכנסת כוח רב לאומי אפקטיבי ללבנון (ולעזה?); או לחתור לפתרון
בעיית היסוד האמיתית, ממנה העולם החופשי עדיין מתחמק – איראן. אפשר אולי גם
לשלב בין השתיים.
את הדרך האחת נזכיר בקצרה,
כיוון שדשו בה רבות בשבוע החולף: אם ישראל מסתפקת רק בפתרון הבעיה המיידית,
השיטה היחידה לממש את המטרות שהציבה למלחמה, היא להכניס ללבנון גוף ביטחוני זר
משמעותי, חד או רב-לאומי. אסור שיהיה זה "כפיל של יוניפיל" (יבוטל לאלתר!), אלא
כוח משימה שמקור סמכותו יהיה האו"ם, בפיקוד נאט"ו, בגיבוי ההחלטות הצפויות של
פסגת רומא ומועצת הביטחון. הגוף יורכב מיחידות איכות של אחד/כמה מטובי הצבאות
הזרים, דוגמת צרפת, בריטניה, גרמניה, איטליה, תורכיה, אוסטרליה, קנדה וכו'
(עדיף ללא ארה"ב, וטוב שקונדי כך מעדיפה).
לצערנו, "קיצוץ" "חזבאללה"
לגובה שרשי הדשא יצטרך עדיין להתבצע ע"י צה"ל, בעוד משימת כוח זה תהיה ללוות את
דחיקת הארגון צפונית לליטאני; לפרקו מנשקו; למנוע הזרמת אמל"ח חדש עבורו מבחוץ,
בדרכי אויר, ים יבשה; להפסיק לחלוטין את פעילותו הצבאית; לסייע בפריסת צבא
לבנון לאורך הגבול; ולחזק את ממשלת לבנון באופן שאכן תוכל לממש ריבונותה על של
שטחה.
READ MORE...>>>
New IPCRI Policy
Paper
A Comprehensive Approach to the Current Crises
JULY 25, 2006
General Comprehensive Approach
It has been said that wars create
opportunities for political changes. The current Middle East crisis should
be used by decisions makers to create opportunities to bring the region into
a new era of regional and bilateral negotiations aimed at dealing with the
Israeli-Arab conflict in a comprehensive fashion.
Some of the opportunities which
could be created by the crises include:
-
Greater will of all parties
involved to replace the paradigm of violence with one of political
dialogue and negotiations.
-
The implementation of UN
Resolution 1559 and other relevant UN Resolutions.
-
Creating a peace process between
Israel and Lebanon.
-
Creating a peace process between
Israel and Syria.
-
Stabilizing a long-term
Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire leading to the renewal of the
Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
-
The utilization of international
forces in various effective peacekeeping roles.
-
The integration of several of the
regional actors in the international forces in various effective peace
keeping roles.
This paper outlines several new
directions that seek to exploit and to materialize the opportunities created
by the current crises. These opportunities include several bilateral tracks
with specific steps that should be taken to resolve the current immediate
crisis and to bring the region back to the peace track. The comprehensive
approach of dealing with bilateral tracks in parallel enables the entire
process to be concluded by addressing the root causes of the conflict. The
comprehensive approach detailed below could lead to the development of
peaceful relations between Israel and all of its neighbors in accordance
with the vision of the Arab League Peace Initiative from March 2002. That
initiative takes the most comprehensive approach which includes the end of
the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza, the establishment of an
independent Palestinian State along the 1967 borders and a just and agreed
upon solution to the Palestinian refugee problem. Together with the
advancing of an Israeli-Lebanese Track and an Israeli-Syrian Track, the end
result could be the establishment of peace and normalized relations with all
of the countries of the Arab world.
The following describes in brief the
measures that we believe must be taken in order to return the region to a
political process.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
July 24, 2006
This week in Israel….. Behind the news with Gershon
Baskin
The scorecard
When I was a young boy growing up in the
States I remember watching the evening news reports on casualties in
Vietnam. I joined the anti-war movement when I was 10 years old in 1966. One
of the reasons that brought me to drag my parents to an anti-war
demonstration was the nonchalant way in which the newscasters read the
evening scorecard of how many Vietcong and US soldiers were killed. It was
as if there was nothing behind the numbers. There were no faces, no
families, and no stories of suffering. Something was very wrong.
I have a similar feeling when I watch the
news on all three Israeli news programs. While the Israeli channels do put
faces and stories of suffering behind the dry figures on the Israeli side,
the faces on the other side are almost completely absent. I know that that
is the nature of war. Our society is drafted into the war effort and any
sign of “identifying” with the enemy is viewed as treason. The best example
of this is the tremendous anger that Arab Members of Knesset are receiving
from their fellow politicians and from the media for raising serious
questions about the legitimacy of the war.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
July 24, 2006
This week in Palestine... Behind the news with Hanna
Siniora
A War of Attrition
Both the Gaza front and the
Lebanese fronts do not see any signs of a ceasefire soon. Even the arrival
of US Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice this coming Monday to the
region does not mean that a ceasefire is imminent. The Israeli air campaign
all over Lebanon did not achieve its purpose to create a “sanitary” zone in
Southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, nor limit Hezbollah’s ability to
fire rockets (last Saturday around 180 rockets were fired). The USA vetoed a
Security Council resolution last week. In the eyes of the Arab world, even
moderate Arab governments like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, and many
experts, Washington’s refusal so far to rein in Israel, which began massing
thousands of soldiers along its northern border in preparation for a ground
invasion, marks a serious set back in its long-term efforts to win Arab and
Muslim “hearts and minds” in the war on terror.
Thus, instead of a limited
campaign, justified to free the captured soldiers, Israel really hopes to
destroy Hamas and Hezbollah in the process. Prolonging the military aspects
of the present flare-up might lead to a protracted war of attrition that
does not serve the interests of the governments and the peoples of the
region.
READ MORE...>>>
Naivety or Insanity
Khaled Duzdar*
Sunday, July 23, 2006
The Secretary General of the Arab League
last week declared that the peace process is dead. Mr. Mousa was wrong, the
peace process died a long time ago. The latest escalation in the region’s
deteriorating situation is but another indication of the death of the peace
process. This round of escalation is the result of wrong strategies by all
of the countries involved and ending it will require the adoption of new
policies and that change the strategic balance in the region. Those
policies will have to be based on the mutual respect of sovereign borders,
the complete fulfillment on United Nations Security Council Resolutions and
negotiations towards peace between all of the parties.
The reality that developed in southern
Lebanon following the unilateral withdrawal of Israel strengthen Hezbollah
and limited the ability of the Government of Lebanon to subsequently fully
implement UN Resolution 1559 which should have brought about the disarming
of Hezbollah and its integration into the army of Lebanon which was required
to deploy along the border with Israel. While the other Lebanese factional
militia were disbanded and integrated into the Lebanese army, Hezbollah,
strengthened by its achievement of bringing about an Israeli abandonment of
its Lebanese conquest, strengthened itself military and spent the last six
years arming itself with Iranian supplied missiles all throughout the south.
Despite the fact that the majority of Lebanese citizens succeeded in forcing
Syria out of Lebanon, they were incapable of removing the Iranian and Syrian
backed Hizbollah from southern Lebanon and when the outside players – Iran
and Syria decided that the timing was right, Hezbollah launched its attack
against Israel. Israel fell into the trap planted by Nasrallah and
Ahmednijad and launched a bloody confrontation that regardless of its
military impact will provide Hezbollah with a victory politically in Lebanon
and throughout the Muslim world.
READ MORE...>>>
Perception and deception
| GERSHON BASKIN, THE
JERUSALEM POST
Jul. 18, 2006 |
|
It never ceases to
amaze me how Israelis and Palestinians perceive the same developments in
such opposite ways. It is clear they will never agree on the narrative of
1948. It is equally clear that the two sides cannot even agree on the
narrative of Camp David II of July 2000 and on what brought about the end of
the peace process and ignited the second intifada.
Israeli perceptions of the current crises are that in both Gaza and the
northern border, Israel completely withdrew to the international line and
that the international community recognized the Israeli withdrawal in both
cases. As such, Israel expected quiet on those borders from the other side.
Instead, on both fronts Israel was attacked, without provocation and for no
good cause.
Israel has repeatedly said that it has no conflict with Lebanon and that
there are no reasons why the state of war between the two countries should
continue. Israel expected that with the full withdrawal from Gaza the
southern front would be calm and the main attention of the Palestinian
struggle would be transferred to the West Bank.
PALESTINIANS, OF course, have a completely different view of this reality.
With regard to Gaza, they say that the occupation of Gaza has continued
because Israel remains in control of the airspace, the coastal waters and
all of the passages.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
July 16, 2006
This Week in Palestine…behind the news with Hanna
Siniora
The Arab League
Amer
Moussa, The Arab League Secretary-General declared after the emergency
meeting in Cairo of the Arab Foreign Ministers that the peace process is
dead, the present initiatives reached a dead end, and that the Arab League
will ask the UN Security Council to deal anew with the process.
For the
first time ever open criticism was heard from countries like Saudi Arabia,
Egypt and Jordan against the unilateral actions carried by radical
organizations especially Hizbollah of Lebanon. The Saudi Arabian declaration
a day before the meeting in Cairo did not mince words, and was openly
critical of Hizbollah’s recent activities that led to the devastation of
Lebanon’s infrastructure. A similar position was declared at the end of the
Egyptian-Jordanian meeting of head of states in Cairo by President Mubarak
and King Abdullah. In Kuwait similar sentiments were announced during the
visit of Saad Hariri, the leader of the ruling coalition in Lebanon.
It
became clear and beyond doubt that the most important Arab countries did not
allow their emotions to rule their judgment. In times of distress, during
attacks, usually the Arab leaders join their masses in an emotional reaction
supporting the radical elements in their midst. Despite overwhelming public
support to the capture of Israeli soldiers, the Arab governments put their
feet down and went against the tide. This caused dismay by the Arab public
at large. How could the Arab leaders rebuke the actions of radical elements
in Lebanon and Palestine? These Arab leaders must react by closing rank and
support fully the actions carried by Hizbollah and Hamas. It was not an easy
decision by those Arab leaders who publicly blamed Hizbollah for the latest
outbreak of hostilities. For the man in the street, it looked like the Arab
leaders are collaborating with the enemy, and supportive of the enemy’s
retaliation against their own kin.
READ MORE...>>>
[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
July 16, 2006
This week in Israel….. Behind the news with Gershon
Baskin
Lebanon summer 2006
The strategic goals of Israel in the war which was launched by Hizbollah
with its attack in the north on Wednesday are somewhat confused. It is
clear that Israel wants to push Hizbollah back away from the border where
they have become entrenched since the Israeli withdrawal in May 2000. It is
clear that Israel is interested in pushing the government of Lebanon to
implement UN Resolution 1310 from July 27, 2000 following the Israeli
withdrawal. That resolution stated:
Endorses the understanding, mentioned in the report of the
Secretary-General of 20 July 2000, that the Force will deploy and function
fully throughout its area of operations and that the Government of Lebanon
will strengthen its presence in this area, by deploying additional troops
and internal security forces; 2. Decides, in this context, to extend the
present mandate of UNIFIL for a further period of 6 months, until 31 January
2001;
3. Reiterates its strong support for the territorial integrity,
sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally
recognized boundaries;
4. Welcomes the statement in the Secretary-General’s letter to the
President of the Security Council of 24 July 2000 (S/2000/731) that, as of
that date, the Government of Israel had removed all violations of the
withdrawal line;
5. Calls on the parties to respect that line, to exercise utmost
restraint and to cooperate fully with the United Nations and with UNIFIL;
6. Calls on the Government of Lebanon to ensure the return of its
effective authority and presence in the south, and in particular to proceed
with a significant deployment of the Lebanese armed forces as soon as
possible;
7. Welcomes the establishment of checkpoints by the Government of Lebanon
in the vacated area, and encourages the Government of Lebanon to ensure a
calm environment throughout the south, including through the control of all
checkpoints;
READ MORE...>>>
IPCRI POLICY PAPER
Ending the crisis without killing anyone
Gershon
Baskin, Hanna Siniora, Khaled Duzdar, Yossi Ben Ari
Thursday, July 13, 2006
The most desired end of the current crisis would be a
return of the Israeli kidnapped soldiers from Lebanon and Gaza, the release
of prisoners in Israeli jails, an end to cross border attacks, including
rockets – in both directions – on the Israeli-Gaza border and the
Israeli-Lebanese border, and the strengthening of moderates and the
weakening of extremists.
The current strategy to end the crisis employs extreme
long-term violence and escalating threats against civilians that may or may
not end with the release of the kidnapped soldiers and prisoners in Israeli
jails. It may or may not end the cross border attacks; it will most likely
strengthen extremists and weaken moderates and will cause vast damage and
human suffering.
At times when anger rules, it is difficult to think
logically, nevertheless; there is a more rational course that could be
advanced that might have a better chance of achieving the desired results
written above. Our proposal is as follows:
Prime Minister Olmert will immediately meet publicly
with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and tell him the following:
1. Once Corporal Gilead Shalit is released from Gaza,
Israel will immediately release all of the women and children prisoners in
Israeli jails (without blood on their hands).
READ MORE IN ENGLISH
READ MORE IN HEBREW
READ MORE IN ARABIC
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
July 9, 2006
This week in Israel….. behind the news with Gershon
Baskin
Ceasefire now
On June 15, I published a call for a
bilateral ceasefire that was aimed at preventing the escalation that we are
witnessing now. The call was published in Ynet in English on June 15, 2006
(http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3263177,00.html)
. I decided to go public with the call after becoming increasingly
frustrated by the lack of progress of behind the scenes attempts to get the
sides, with the assistance of Egypt, to agree to the terms which included a
full Israeli cessation of shelling Gaza, a cessation of all targeted
killings and a cessation of the massive arrest campaigns in the West Bank
which often lead to deaths. According to the initiative, the Palestinians
would have been required to enforce a cessation of all Qassam rockets and
all other acts of aggression – to be enforced by the Palestinian President
and the Prime Minister together on all factions. The call for the ceasefire
was made prior to the attack on the Kerem Shalom base and the kidnapping of
Gilead Shalit. The responses that I received from all sides were hesitant.
The mutual suspicions of all sides prevented the initiative from making
progress and without the active role of Egypt using diplomatic finesse it
was not possible to reach an agreement, although all sides indicated
interest in the initiative.
After the Kerem Shalom attack and the
kidnapping of the soldier, Ynet decided to publish the call for the
ceasefire in Hebrew on the day of the attack (http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3267143,00.html)
– even though they had the piece two weeks before. After the kidnapping it
seemed to me that linking a prisoner release to a ceasefire was the best way
to find a rapid end to the kidnapping crisis. Rather than releasing
Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the kidnapped soldier, prisoners would
be released in the framework of a bilateral ceasefire. The number of
Palestinian prisoners released could be linked to the degree that the
ceasefire is enforced.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
July 9, 2006
This Week in
Palestine…behind the News with Hanna Siniora
The
Case of Palestinian Prisoners
The
ongoing war in Gaza, that was ignited by the capture of Corporal Gilad
Shalit, has two important causes. For the Palestinian people, the failure of
the Palestinian political leadership, be it Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) or
Ismail Haniyeh (Abu Al Abed), to impress on the Israeli leadership the
importance of releasing political prisoners incarcerated in Israeli prisons.
For the past six months, on the average, twenty people are being arrested on
a daily basis, more than 3,000 political activists have been put in jail by
the IDF in 2006.
President Abbas have twice been the victim of lack of reciprocation on this
and many other issues, first during the tenure of the bed stricken Ariel
Sharon, and now during the tenure of Ehud Olmert. Abu Mazen, despite being
the most moderate Palestinian leader in the history of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has so far come empty handed and this has
taken much of his credibility with his people. It seems it is too late to
repair the damage, Mahmoud Abbas, has shown reluctance to seek a second
term, and has to a certain extent, become a lame-duck president, in
transition to whoever will succeed him.
The
capture of Shalit by the combined effort of three militias headed by Izzedin
Al-Qassam, Hamas military wing, accentuated beyond doubt for the world at
large and the Israeli leadership that Israel has to look for a serious
solution to the Palestinian prisoners issue. Past exchanges, especially the
last one that was done with Abbas, had not dealt with prisoners with long
term sentences, including the leaders who drafted the prisoners document.
The document helped Hamas descend from its political ladder to face reality
on the ground, but the reoccupation of Gaza by the IDF does not give the
local Hamas leadership the opportunity to implement the changes, including
the creation of the much coveted and needed unity government, a coalition of
all the political forces on the ground, mainly the Hamas and Fateh
movements.
READ MORE...>>>
What comes after Hamas?
| GERSHON BASKIN , THE
JERUSALEM POST
Jul. 4, 2006 |
|
Most analysts of Israel's military
campaign in Gaza mention the ultimate goal of bringing down the Hamas
government, beyond, of course, releasing the kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.
The arrests of more than 80 Hamas
activists, parliamentarians and members of the Palestinian Authority
government, together with pushing much of its Gaza leadership underground,
is aimed at making the PA government non-existent and non-functional.
Israel's media has even suggested that Fatah leaders support these moves to
dismount the Hamas leadership. Israel has also announced that no one
"involved in terrorism" has immunity and that even the Prime Minister Ismail
Haniyeh could be a legitimate target.
The reactions of the international
community to the arrests have been muted. Attempts to condemn Israel in the
Security Council failed; the US and most EU countries have expressed
displeasure with Israel's Gaza moves, but little more than that. That is not
to suggest that the same limited response would be given if Israel were to
assassinate Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders.
While the Foreign Ministry claims
there is no separation between the political and military wings of Hamas,
IDF intelligence and the Shin Bet all speak of separate wings with separate
commanders. They say Haniyeh has no influence over the military wing of
Hamas. There are those who even question whether the Damascus-based Hamas
political leader Khaled Mashaal has control over the military wing. Mashaal
claims he does not.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
July 2, 2006
This week in Israel….. Behind the news with Gershon
Baskin
Kidnapped and trapped
This is the beginning of
the second week of the hostage crisis in Gaza. At this moment, Israeli
troops of stationed in northern and southern Gaza waiting for the for the
green light to launch the ground operation that was postponed on Friday by
Prime Minister Olmert. According to reports, Olmert postponed the attack in
order to give Egyptian diplomatic efforts a last chance of freeing the
kidnapped soldier. In statements released by the Prime Minister’s office, it
was reported that Olmert was not satisfied with the plans for the ground
operation. The IDF wasn’t too happy about the public criticism but they
understood the real reason behind the delay. The aim of the mission is
officially to bring about the release of Corporal Gilead Shilat being held
by a coalition of Palestinian forces led by Hamas that attacked the Kerem
Shalom base last week. The unofficial aim of the missions is to bring down
the Hamas government.
If the IDF knew the exact
location of where Shilat was being held, a military operation would be
launched to try to rescue him. The discipline of Shilat’s captors is
apparently much better than at any other similar time before and apparently,
at least until now, the IDF has not been able to discover the hideaway.
Usually in the past, the IDF could rely on mistakes by the kidnappers or by
squealers from amongst the Palestinian population. Over 80% of the
Palestinian public has supported the kidnapping of the Israeli soldier with
the hopes that it would lead to a prisoner release. Israel is holding close
to 10,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons. Added to that number this week
was more than 80 Hamas activists and leaders. Some one-third of the
Palestinian Parliament members are now under lock and key including about
half of the Hamas Ministers from the West Bank. Israel has begun targeting
the Hamas Ministers in Gaza as well, and they have apparently taken to the
underground. Israeli rockets hit the office of Prime Minister Haniyeh last
night with reports that the entire building has been burnt to the ground.
Rockets also hit the office of Palestinian Minister of Interior Said Siam
causing significant damage there as well. So far, since the kidnapping, more
than 40 attacks have been undertaken by the Israeli air force in Gaza, in
addition to more than 500 rounds of artillery fire over the weekend alone.
READ MORE...>>>
התרברבות של גנרלים
האיומים בכניסה קרקעית נרחבת לעזה הם דיבורי סרק. עכשיו יותר מתמיד נחוצה הפסקת
אש דו-צדדית
גרשון בסקין
26.6.06
אלוף פיקוד הדרום יואב
גלנט התרברב לאחרונה, שבעתיד הקרוב ייפסק ירי הקסאמים לעבר ישראל מעזה. האלוף
הנכבד משוכנע כי הירי המסיבי של פגזי צה"ל לעבר עזה והגברת פעולות הסיכול הקרוי
"ממוקד" יביאו להבנה פלסטינית, כי המחיר שהם משלמים גבוה מדי - ועקב כך יפסיקו
את הירי. בכך מפגין האלוף גלנט את הבורות הגמורה שלו הן בתרבות הפוליטית של
הפלסטינים והן בפסיכולוגיה הקולקטיבית של החברה הפלסטינית.
נוכח הפעולות הצבאיות
של ישראל בשטחים הפלסטיניים, הציבור שם נחוש יותר מאי-פעם להמשיך בניסיונות
לגבות מחיר דמים כבד מישראל, ולא להיפך.
המתקפה במוצב
והמשך ירי הרקטות הם דוגמאות לכך. אנחנו נמצאים במסלול תלול של הידרדרות
ביטחונית חמורה, ובמקום ניסיונות שווא להכריע את הפלסטינים - מוטב לאלוף הנכבד
ולחבריו לחפש דרך למנוע גלישה מעבר לתהום.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
June 26, 2006
This week in Israel….. behind the news with Gershon
Baskin
We are linked together
The Palestinian attack on a base near
Kerem Shalom yesterday causing the deaths of two soldiers and the kidnapping
of another has brought us closer to the brink of a new round of tragic
escalation that will lead us to nowhere politically. It should not surprise
anyone that the timing of the attack was very close to the beginning of the
recognition that the internal Palestinian national dialogue was about to
fail. The divisions within the Palestinian camp are once again taking their
toll on the lives of Israelis.
It is true that from the Palestinian
perspective there is no shortage of reasons, in the past weeks, to feel the
need to take revenge against Israel, however; in the backdrop of the
internal Palestinian national dialogue, there was at least an attempt to
rebuild consensus for the continuation of the tahdiya. It seems that the
Hamas leadership, at least that part of the leadership represented by Prime
Minister Ismail Haniyeh was not interested in the attack. He probably had
no early information about the attack, but his hands are also tied in terms
of his ability to prevent it and probably very limited in his ability to
bring about the release of Gilead Shalit – the kidnapped soldier. A few
short hours after Ismail Haniyeh had called for putting an end to the
shooting of Qassam rockets into Israel, Sami Abu Zuhri, the Hamas spokesman
representing Khaled Mashal, denied that there had been an agreement to stop
the Qassams and called for Palestinian fighters to continue their actions. Haniyeh’s
position is severely compromised by the attack, perhaps one of the reasons
why it took place at this time.
READ MORE...>>>
Empower the peacemakers
|
Gershon Baskin, THE JERUSALEM POST
Jun. 22, 2006 |
|
This
coming weekend the representatives of a new forum of more than 100 Israeli
and Palestinian peace and dialogue groups will be meeting in Jordan to
advance our conviction that there is no alternative to bilateral
negotiations.
The
new forum coordinated by the Peres Center for Peace and the Palestinian
democracy organization Panorama has been created in order to impress upon
decision makers and the public in Israel and Palestine that there are
partners for peacemaking on both sides.
The
Israeli peace and dialogue forum, numbering more than 60 organizations, has
been meeting regularly since the beginning of the second intifada in 2000.
The Palestinian forum of peace and dialogue groups was launched this year
with some 35 member organizations. Together they constitute a significant
lobby and advocacy body for advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace.
The
Israeli, Palestinian and joint Israeli and Palestinian peace building and
dialogue NGOs are calling on the international community, donor nations and
foundations to renew their commitment to support Israelis and Palestinian
civil society organizations working together for Israeli-Palestinian peace.
This new alliance is strengthening the work for peace, dialogue and human
rights in Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
READ MORE...>>>
Turkish water –
economic, efficient and environmentally safe
Gershon Baskin*
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
The dry season has arrived together with
the daily reports of the decline of the water level in the Kinneret (the Sea
of Galilee). Every year at this time we are called to raise our awareness to
the lack of water in the Holy Land. We should also not forget that the
shortages experienced by Palestinians are far greater than those in Israel,
as Israel continues to control almost all of the water resources.
Palestinians still receive an unequal share of the joint water resources
falling short of even the quantities set within the original Oslo agreement
on water.
Israeli water experts have become “gurus”
of desalination as the price of desalination continues to decline. There
are emotion filled arguments amongst water experts on the real costs of
desalination, ranging from about $0.50 per cubic meter (1000 liters) all the
way up to almost $1.00. The advocates of desalination quote the cheaper
price with the antagonists quoting the higher prices. But even with cheaper
prices, desalination will have until now, insufficiently research negative
environmental impacts including:
-
Salinity
rise: The leftover
concentrated salt water is injected back into the ocean, causing the local
salinity to rise, which can create problems for some ocean creatures.
-
If the
brine water is not re-pumped into the sea, the mountains of salts will
have to be deposed of somewhere else, but where?
-
Chemical
pollution: Chemicals must
still be used to pre-treat the source water, and de-fouling chemicals must
be used to clean and remove organisms from the reverse-osmosis system.
-
Energy
use: Desalination is
energy-intensive—much more so than pumping available fresh water—so more
electricity is needed, causing more pollution from electric power plants.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
June
18, 2006
This Week in Palestine…behind the News
with Hanna Siniora
The Good News
Fateh and Hamas according
to several sources, including the PA Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahhar are on
the verge of a national accord that will avert civil war and the need to
hold a referendum on July 26. Cooler heads have so far found ground for
agreement on 15 of the 18 clauses of the Prisoner’s Document. It might be
possible to expect an agreement by Monday the 19th of June, if
not a day earlier, by those who have been charged to bridge the differences
between the various Palestinians movements. It is a major achievement that
will allow most probably the creation of a National Unity government and
would lead to the restructuring of the PLO to include all the Palestinian
factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
The Bad News
The vicious cycle of
violence has escalated. Scores of innocent civilians have been killed, and
if unchecked, the growing violence will undermine all efforts to go back to
the negotiating table. The Hamas government, through its spokesperson Ghazi
Hamed, speaking in Hebrew so that the message will be heard, has called for
a return to a bilateral “Tahdi’a”- calm- lull- where all violence, qassams
and targeted killings will stop as a new beginning. The political advisor of
Ismail Haniyeh, American educated Ahmed Youssef, has repeatedly called for a
50 to 60 years Hudna (truce, ceasefire) and if the Israeli government is
unwilling to probe this issue, certainly in Israel, people close to the
government should. In sixty years, the Palestinian state will hold 15
Parliamentary elections; does anyone expect Hamas to win all of them? It is
not high time to stop shooting, in both camps, and start talking?
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
June 18, 2006
This week in Israel…..
Behind the news with Gershon Baskin
The Gaza beach
investigation
Israel has spent
considerable time, energy, money, and political collateral in an internal
IDF investigation of the cause of death of the Ghaliya family on Beit Lahia
beach. The investigation headed by
Major-General Meir Klifi, issued a report that said late last week that
Israel was not responsible for the tragic deaths and that it is likely the
blast stemmed from a bomb placed by the Palestinians at the site or "some
form of unexploded ordnance." He added that the probe on the latter point
was continuing. It was quite clear from the outset that the Palestinians
would not believe the IDF report, even before the investigation began.
Strengthened by the report of a U.S. Human Rights Watch bomb expert who
happened to be in Gaza at the say time, the Palestinians still claim that
Israel is responsible and they demand an international independent
commission to explore what led to the deaths of the seven members of the
family.
I watched Major-General Klifi on Israel television and I
have read the reports in the Israeli newspapers. I too am suspicious about
the findings of the report – I was not convinced, although I admit, I would
like to be convinced by the Israeli claims. The Israeli report documented
the exact times that Israeli artillery fired at Gaza and Klifi claimed to
have tested some shrapnel taken from some of the wounded now treated in
Israel, and on the basis of those two main elements, have concluded that
Israel is not responsible. I have a natural sense of suspicion at any time
an institution being investigated is essentially investigating itself. I
don’t think that Israel has scored any points at all in the international
community from its own self acquittal of charges in this case. If Israel is
so confident of the findings, it would be wise to invite a truly independent
commission of inquiry to come and examine the IDF’s findings and compare
them with findings found by others in Gaza. Until that happens, I am
afraid, very few people in the world will accept the IDF findings.
READ MORE...>>>
Bilateral ceasefire
- June 15, 2006
The use of force has not
proven itself effective. We must try other solutions, to save Israeli and
Palestinian lives
Gershon Baskin
The current temporary calm in the shooting of qassams ordered by Hamas Prime
Minister Ismail Haniyeh is a convenient opportunity to re-evaluate Israel’s
tactics in dealing with this acute problem. The reality of the heavy toll
that the Palestinians have paid in the past week has hit home and the
conclusions and lessons learned should point in the direction of the
possibility of reaching a longer-term bilateral ceasefire.
Down the slope
Without
reaching this kind of bilateral ceasefire, there are real chances that we
are may continue to slide rapidly down the slippery slope to total security
deterioration and instead of self deceiving attempts that we are defeating
the Palestinians; it would be preferable if the Minister of Defense and the
generals would find a way to prevent us from going over the edge. The
leaders of Hamas, including Prime Minister Haniyeh, have expressed their
readiness to reach a ceasefire, but unlike the tahdiya – the calm reached 16
months ago, which was one-sided and Israel continued its military campaigns
against the Palestinians, this time it must be bilateral.
From Israel’s
side there must be a commitment to stop all of the artillery fire on Gaza,
to end all of the so-called “targeted killings”, and to stop the massive
arrest campaigns in the West Bank, because all too often these end with
people being killed. The Palestinians, Abbas and Haniyeh together, must
agree to stop all of the Qassams and all other attacks against Israel,
including those done by all of the factions – not only Hamas and Fateh. In
the past the Islamic Jihad refused to be part of the tahdiya because it was
one-sided while Israel continued its military actions against the Jihad.
Through a bilateral ceasefire it becomes possible to demand from the
Palestinians leadership that they reach an internal understandings with all
of the factions and forces and that they will fully enforce those
understandings.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
June 11, 2006
This week
in Israel….. Behind the news with Gershon Baskin
It was
inevitable
The picture of
Huda Ghaliya, seven years old, kneeling over
the bloody body of her father is now engraved in the collective memory of every
Palestinian. Seven members of her family were killed from an explosion
apparently from an Israeli missile fired from the sea. Prime Minister Olmert and
Defense Minister Olmert ordered a temporary halt to artillery fire on north Gaza
until the IDF completes its investigation to determine the exact cause of the
Gaza beach explosion. Palestinians are calling the explosion a war crime
against humanity and will never believe that the killing of the innocent family
on the beach was not intentional. No Israeli will ever believe that it was
intentional and many Israelis are hoping that the investigation will find that
Israel had no hand in the tragedy. No evidence brought by Israel will ever
convince Palestinians that Israel does not hold full responsibility for the
deaths of the Ghaliya family.
Artillery fire is not a
precise weapon and an artillery shell can always miss its target and fall short
of where it was intended to fall. A tragedy, such as the one that happened this
weekend is inevitable. It happened in 1996 in Kafr Qana in
Lebanon, and it
apparently happened this weekend in Gaza. It seems that we engaged in a war of
attrition that no one has any real answers of how to end. The result of the war
will inevitably be the continued suffering of a lot of innocent people on both
sides.
READ MORE...>>>
שיקול
נגד הסיכול
תא"ל (מיל) ד"ר יוסי בן ארי
הקסאם
אינו איום אסטרטגי ואין להפריז בנזק שהוא גורם. שיטת החיסולים לא עובדת במאמצים
למגרו
חמדי אמן איבד את אימו, אשתו ובנו ב"סיכול ממוקד" בעזה, שגם דן אותו
לטפל כל חייו בילדה משותקת (יבורך השר פרץ על החלטתו לממן את הטיפול הרפואי בה)
ובילד קטן פצוע, שישאל תמיד - למה? מטרת הפעולה הייתה לפגוע
במוחמד דחדוח , שצה"ל הגדירו כ"פעיל בכיר בג'יהאד האיסלאמי שהיה מעורב בירי
תלול מסלול, כולל שיגור רקטות". האם מקרה זה עומד בקריטריונים המצדיקים סיכול? גם
אם פורמאלית-טכנית אולי כן, מהותית סבורני שלא.
כל אימת שהסיכולים גורמים לפגיעה בחפים מפשע, אני נזכר במסקנות אחת
מוועדות החקירה הפנימיות שהוקמו לאחר ההתנקשות הכושלת בחאלד משעל בירדן. זו קבעה כי
פעולת חיסול אינה לגיטימית אם היא נעשית ממניעים של נקם, ענישה או הרתעה, לא כל שכן
מטעמים של "שחרור לחצים" ופריקת תסכול. רק אם האובייקט שהוגדר כיעד מהווה סכנה
ברורה ומיידית לביטחון אזרחי ישראל, הומלץ אז ב-97', ניתן לבצע את הפעולה.
מהנדסי הרקטות, המפקדים ומשגרי הטילים משמרים אמנם את עוטף הרצועה
כגזרה קרבית "חמה" ומקשים מאוד את חיי תושבי האזור, אך האם באמת צריך להתייחס אליהם
כאל "פצצות מתקתקות", היוצרות איום שווה נזק להתפוצצות מחבל מתאבד בסביבה עירונית?
מבלי להמעיט חלילה בקורבנם של תושבי שדרות והסביבה, האסטרטגיה הנוכחית מחייבת מחשבה
נוספת.
READ MORE...>>>
Vote yes, but on the
right plan
Gershon Baskin*
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
With the possibility of a Palestinian
referendum on the agenda, I would urge Palestinian President Abbas to reconsider
the document that he plans to present to the public for its approval. The
so-called “Prisoners’ document” may have some appeal at the level of the
internal Palestinian national dialogue, but is a complete non-starter as far as
Israel is concerned. None of the international and Israeli demands are met
within the “prisoners’ document”, although there may be implicit recognition of
Israel by calling for a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. Without
explicit recognition of Israel’s right to exist, a clear denouncement of
terrorism and an explicit agreement to adhere to all of the Israel-PLO signed
agreements, there is nothing positive that can be achieved by a Palestinian
referendum on a document which emphasizes the right of return of the refugees to
Israel and recognizes and calls for resistance (violence) against the Israeli
occupation in the West Bank.
President Abbas has one shot at a
referendum and he cannot afford to waste it on a document that will not leverage
the renewal of the political process with Israel. It would be much more
valuable for Abbas to put his weight behind the Arab peace Initiative which
received the unanimous support of the Arab League in 2002 and then once again
ratified in 2006. This initiative came out at the height of the intifada and
was largely dismissed by Prime Minister Sharon. It is an important document that
for the first time places a “welcome mat” to the State of Israel in exchange for
peace full peace with the State of Palestine. The Arab League peace initiative
makes many precedents by stating: “The Arab countries … consider the
Arab-Israeli conflict ended, and enter into a peace agreement with
Israel,
and provide security for all the states of the region; Establish normal
relations with Israel
in the context of this
comprehensive peace”. Never before has the entire Arab world offered Israel
peace and an end to the conflict. This initiative needs to be revisited by the
Israeli and Palestinian peoples.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
June 4, 2006
This week in Palestine….. Behind the news with Hanna
Siniora
Three days Remain for the
National Dialogue
President Abbas returned from his trip to Tunis and a meeting of the Central
Committee of Fatah that led to reconciliation between Mahmoud Abbas and
Farouk Kaddoumi, the General Secretary of Fatah and the PLO Foreign
Minister.
Before
the January elections that Hamas won, the relations between Abbas and
Kaddoumi soured as a result of President Abbas taking away from Kaddoumi the
authority of running the diplomatic offices of the PLO and transferring it
to the PA Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nasser Al-Qidwa. Abbas now, in
order to gain the support of Kaddoumi for the referendum, returned to
Kaddoumi the right to run the diplomatic prerogatives by taking it away from
the present PA Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahmoud Zahhar.
Abbas
chaired in Ramallah on his return from Tunis, in the presence of the speaker
of the PLC Aziz Dweik, and the members of the National Dialogue Committee,
but in the absence of the Hamas representative Adnan Asfour, a crucial
meeting in which Abbas clarified that the ten day period for the dialogue
will end Tuesday morning June 6, 2006. Abbas further stated that until the
Interior Minister Said Siam withdraws from the streets of Gaza, the Hamas
militia that was called the “support brigade”, Abbas will not travel to
Gaza. The meeting also authorized a committee of three, the speaker Dweik,
Abbas special representative former Fatah speaker of the PLC Rawhi Fattouh,
and the prominent representative of the private sector Mounib Masri, to
contact Hamas and PM Ismail Haniyeh, to gauge the possibility for arriving
to an agreed upon common position or else to go ahead with the referendum on
the prisoners document.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
June 4, 2006
This week in Israel…..
Behind the news with Gershon Baskin
Olmert continues making the rounds
Prime Minister Olmert is off this afternoon
to meet with Egyptian President Husni Mubarak. The Sharm el Sheikh meeting
is Olmert’s opportunity to explain to the Egyptians what Olmert already
explained in Washington. He will tell Mubarak that Israel is ready to open
up a dialogue with Palestinian President Abbas, but only on issues
concerning the Road Map. Mubarak is well aware of the fact that Abbas has
no ability to fulfill the obligations of the Road Map and therefore, he is
likely to push Olmert to make it appear that Israel is coordinating the
unilateral realignment plan with Abbas.
With the Palestinian National Dialogue
coming to a close on Tuesday morning, after receiving an extension from
Abbas, Olmert and Mubarak are aware that the Palestinian territories are
nearing total chaos and perhaps civil war. The Palestinian Authority is
about to pay some of the three months late salaries of some 40,000 civil
servants (out of more than170,000) which will leave most of the Authority’s
employees with no money whatsoever. Mubarak is likely to pressure Olmert to
have Israel release some of the funds it is holding back from collected
customs and VAT clearances. Olmert’s answer to Mubarak will be plain and
simple – if the Palestinians want their money, they must accept the
international demands. Israel will not compromise on this, but there is a
chance that Israel will search for ways to legitimize payments to the
Israeli private and governmental sector for electricity, water, fuel,
hospital bills, etc.
READ MORE...>>>
The Prisoners’ document and Abbas’s tactical error
Gershon Baskin
May 28, 2006
Mahmoud Abbas has made a courageous
decision by issuing an ultimatum to the Hamas government to recognize the
Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. A referendum on that issue could
empower the Palestinian national movement in its calls to Israel to
re-launch permanent status negotiations. The problem with Abbas’ initiative
is that he has tied it to the Prisoners’ document. The document, written by
Barghouthi and Natshe in the Hadarim prison is perhaps a good starting point
for the internal Palestinian national dialogue, but it is a non-starter
vis-ŕ-vis Israel. From Israel’s point of view, the Prisoners’ document
provides no acceptable point of entry for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
The document falls far too short on meeting each one of the international
demands. Even on the issue of Palestinian statehood within the 1967 borders,
the document contains no explicit recognition of Israel.
The prisoners’ document also legitimizes
the continued use of violence against Israel, although limiting the violence
to areas within the West Bank. This is something that no Israeli can agree
to. Furthermore, the document emphasizes over and over again the right of
return for Palestinian refugees. While this may completely reasonable for
Palestinians, no Israeli government can agree to this. It is certainly
legitimate for Palestinians to raise the right of return of refugees in
negotiations, but if the Prisoners’ document is aimed at encouraging Israel
to renew negotiations; it will not achieve those results.
READ MORE...>>>
Behind the Veils of Hamas
Khaled Duzdar*
June 1, 2006
Once again, the domestic Palestinian Internal chaos and anarchy has hit the
headlines and the hearts of the Palestinian public. The possibility of the
coming Palestinian civil war has become the focal concern and worry of all
analysts and the Palestinian public. This internal confrontation and
challenges to authorities and powers in Gaza might eventually lead the
Palestinians to the worst future they ever envisaged.
The Palestinian public’s stand should be taken seriously in any dialogue
between the confronting parties, particularly when all public sectors have
taken the initiative and presented their vision for a unified Palestinian
position. All of these initiatives followed the same framework: rejecting
the deterioration of the situation and calling all parties to adopt a joint
political agenda that will achieve a viable, secure, and sustainable
Palestinian state, thus averting civil war.
Various Palestinian individuals, factions and organizations claim that the
two states solution is the only possible acceptable solution and that
the Palestinian National Declaration of Independence from November 1988 is
the best basis for any government. These initiatives are a clear call to the
Hamas government to adopt this Palestinian National vision and nothing else.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
May 29, 2006
This week in Palestine…..
Behind the news with Hanna Siniora
Surprise Referendum
Last thursday President Mahmoud Abbas
opened the national dialogue conference at his headquarters in Al- Mouqata’a
in Ramallah in the presence of the speaker of the PLC and numerous members
of all the national and Islamic parties as well as representatives of the
private sector. Simultaneously in Gaza PM Haniyeh, from the Shawwa Centre,
liaised with Ramallah by video conference facilities. As expected all the
speakers including Abbas called for national unity and forbade the spilling
of Palestinian blood.
The surprise was forthcoming in the last
part of the President’s address in which Abbas gave the conference ten days
to come out with an agreed upon national program. Abbas boldly announced
that if no such outcome is forthcoming, then a national referendum will take
place in forty days based on the national reconciliation document ratified
by Palestinian political prisoners.
Abbas, showed rare signs of leadership and
boldness. The Palestinian public at large fully supported his initiative,
which put pressure on the parties to the dialogue to come out with an agreed
upon national unity plan.
READ MORE...>>>
[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
May 29, 2006
This week in Israel…..
Behind the news with Gershon Baskin
This week’s column will begin with a
vocabulary lesson. New terms keep appearing to describe the plans of the
Prime Minister – initially they spoke about convergence, then containment,
and in Washington we heard, for the first time “re-alignment”. We’ll make
use of the Merriam-Webster online dictionary to help us understand the
differences (if there are any) and then we can try and guess why the Prime
Minister wants us to learn new words. In Hebrew, the name of the plans has
not changed – it remains hit-can-suit.
Merriam-Webster Online
Dictionary
Convergence:
Function:
noun
1 : the act of
converging
and especially moving toward union or uniformity;
especially : coordinated movement of the two eyes so that the
image of a single point is formed on corresponding retinal areas
2 : the state or property of being
convergent
3 : independent development of similar characters (as of
bodily structure or cultural traits) often associated with similarity of
habits or environment.
READ MORE...>>>
מסמך
האסירים רע ליהודים
האולטימטום שהציב אבו-מאזן לחמאס הוא מהלך אמיץ אך מסוכן, הן עבורו והן עבור
ישראל
יוסי
בן-ארי
הסירוב המשתמע של החמאס לקבל את
האולטימטום
של אבו-מאזן (אמצו את "מסמך ההתפייסות הלאומית" תוך עשרה ימים, ולא - הוא
יובא למשאל עם), רק החריף את המתח בין הצדדים, אשר קיוו דווקא להורידו
באמצעות "הדיאלוג הלאומי". קשה לדעת כיצד יתפתח הקונפליקט הזה. בין אם
אבו-מאזן ימצמץ אחרון, או שהחמאס יעשה זאת, ראוי לבחון ביתר דקדקנות מהו אותו
"מסמך האסירים", ובעיקר - איזו משמעויות יש לו לגבי ישראל.
ובכן, אין כמובן להתעלם מכך שיש בטקסט המדובר היבטים חיובים
לישראל: בולטת במיוחד השאיפה להקים מדינה עצמאית, שירושלים בירתה, על כל השטח
שנכבש ב-1967 (אם כי גם בהגדרה זו אין הכרה מפורשת בישראל, אותה ישות מדינית
המצויה מהעבר השני של גבולות 1967). ערך ניתן לייחס לקריאה לכבד את החלטות
הפסגות הערביות (במשתמע - גם את זו של פסגת ביירות 2002, שכללה נכונות להכרה
בישראל בגבולות 1967), ולמחויבות פלסטינית לקונצנזוס הערבי ולפעולה הערבית
המאוחדת.
READ MORE...>>>
Right of
Return to Palestine
Gershon Baskin*
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
If the Palestinians have begun a national
dialogue on the goals of their national liberation movement, the time has
come for them to also readdress the refugee issue. Recently the Palestinian
people marked the beginning of the 59th year since the Naqba. In
November 1947 the United Nations passed UN Resolution 181 which called for
the establishment of two States – a Jewish State and a Palestinian State -
in the territory under the control of the British Mandate. The Jewish
people overwhelmingly accepted the partition resolution, even though
Jerusalem was not to be included in the new Jewish State. With the
exception of the Palestinian Communist Party, all Palestinian parties and
leaders rejected the resolution of the UN. That Resolution would have
granted the Palestinians a State on 49% of historic Palestine including all
of the West Bank, the Galilee and the Gaza Strip. Jerusalem and Bethlehem
were to be placed under International Control in what was called the Corpus
Separatum. But the Palestinian people and leadership believed that there
was no need to compromise and that all of Palestine belonged to the
Palestinian people and to no one else.
Now, 58 years later, the Palestinians are
still without a state of their own under the best case scenario the
prospects for creating the State would be on only 22% of the land.
Palestinians continue to suffer and the end of the conflict seems to be far
from sight. According to UNRWA statistics, there are about 5 million
Palestinians who are refugees and descendents of refugees. About 1.5
million of them are living in refugee camps throughout the region. About 1
of every 2 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are refugees. The refugee
problem remains the open sore of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the
most difficult problem to resolve.
READ MORE...>>>
UN must
intervene in territories
Only an Arab-manned UN force
could restore order in the PA
Yossi Ben-Ari
In light of the recent events in Gaza and the ongoing economic crisis there,
it would be a miracle if the massive tensions currently swirling amongst the
Palestinians did not lead to all-out civil war. The Palestinian "national
dialogue" scheduled for this weekend appears to be little more than an
outdated aspirin for a patient desperately in need of a surgeon's knife. And
if the summit does fail, the situation could potentially get worse.
The international community must stop
watching indifferently from the side, waiting for the Palestinian government
to change its policies vis-ŕ-vis Israel as a condition for re-engaging. Such
re-engagement is crucial now, not only in order to head off the coming
humanitarian crisis, but also in order to shore up the foundations of the
crumbling Palestinian Authority before Lebanonization takes control, and
establishes a no man's land for years to come.
READ MORE...>>>
דרוש:
מנדט מצרי-ירדני בשטחים 23.5.06
רק כוח משימה ערבי, שישוגר לאזור תחת מטריית האו"ם, יוכל להשיב את הסדר ולתת
לרשות זמן להתארגן מחדש
היה זה נס אם המתח העצום
השורר בקרב הפלסטינים, על רקע האירועים האחרונים בעזה והמציאות הכלכלית הבלתי
נסבלת, לא יוליך להתפרצות מלחמת אחים של הכל בכל. "הדיאלוג הלאומי" הפלסטיני,
האמור להיפתח בסוף השבוע, נראה כגלולת אספירין שתוקפה פג מזמן ושסיכויה להביא
מזור לחולה האנוש, הזקוק להתערבות כירורגית מיידית, שואפים לאפס. בכישלונה, יש
גם פוטנציאל להחמרת המצב. על הקהילה הבינלאומית להפסיק לשבת על הגדר ולהתבונן
בנעשה כאן בשוויון נפש, תוך המתנה לשינוי במדיניות הממשלה הפלסטינית כלפי ישראל
כתנאי להתגייסות מחדש. התגייסות שכזו נדרשת לא רק כדי לפתור את האסון
ההומניטארי הקרב; היא דרושה כדי לשקם מן היסוד את הרשות המתפוררת, רגע לפני
הלבנוניזציה משתלטת מעבר לגדר ומקבעת מציאות של
no man's land
לשנים.
READ MORE...>>>
Time to
get beyond the road map
|
Gershon Baskin, THE JERUSALEM POST
May. 23, 2006 |
|
It is now apparent that even
before his meeting with US President George W. Bush, Ehud Olmert has toned
down his determination to press ahead with further unilateral steps.
The prime minister, warned by
his advisers, has heard clear European voices saying that the international
community wants the new government of Israel to take Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas more seriously.
Politicians close to Olmert,
like Minister of Interior Roni Bar-On, have been emphasizing in the local
media that Israel is committed to the words of Olmert from his victory
speech and from the speech in the Knesset, when he presented his government,
that Israel would prefer negotiations with the Palestinians.
The meeting of Foreign Minister
Tzipi Livni and Vice Premier Shimon Peres with Abbas and an Olmert-Abbas
meeting expected next week are a clear indication that Israel is at least
demonstrating a willingness to engage Abbas.
Until now, the prime minister's
men have been stating that, in the eyes of Israel, there is no two-headed
Palestinian Authority and that in order to engage Abbas, the Hamas-led
government must first accept the three by now well-known international
conditions.
READ MORE...>>>
[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
May
22, 2006
This Week in Palestine…behind the News with Hanna
Siniora
On the Verge of
Civil War
Despite all efforts to contain the
rivalry between Hamas and Fateh, several confrontations are taking place
almost on a daily basis, often leading to killing and wounding persons from
both sides. The latest was the attempt to assassinate the head of the
intelligence service General Tarek Abu Rajab who is also known as General
Ahmed Shiniore. The attempt took place in the headquarters of the
intelligence service in Gaza, in the shaft of the lift, this indicates that
an inside connection in the intelligence service, aided the assassination
attempt. The body guard of Abu Rajab, who is related to him, was killed; the
General was severely injured as was several of his entourage.
The deployment of the special brigade,
3000 in strength, by the Interior Minister Said Siam in Gaza, and the
counter march by the Presidential Guards also raised tensions all over the
Gaza strip.
An explosive device, of around sixty
kilos was discovered in front of the residence of Rashid Abu Shback, the
head of internal security and police. The device was removed in time.
President Abbas appointed General Abu Shback to head the police in the PA.
The Interior Minister did not accept the appointment and this resulted in
the creation of the special force by the Minister in contradiction to the
orders of the President.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
May 22, 2006
This week in Israel….. Behind the news with Gershon
Baskin
Will he or won’t he?
Prime Minister Olmert is in Washington
waiting for his five hour meeting with President Bush and the White House
senior staff. The Prime Minister’s team that went to DC last week to
prepare the visit obviously returned to Jerusalem with instructions to turn
down the rhetoric on future Israeli unilateral steps. The team, headed by
the PM’s Chief of Staff new-comer Yoram Turbowicz,
consisted of former
Sharon chief of staff Dov
Weissglass and special advisor Shalom Turgeman, met with the White House and
State Department top officials to prepare the Olmert-Bush meetings.
Weissglass held a private meeting with Secretary of State Rice in which the
Secretary urged the Israelis to take Palestinian Prime Minister more
seriously. After returning from Washington, the messages coming from the
PM’s Office were much more directed at Olmert’s commitment to meet Abbas
upon his return from DC and the decision was made for Tzipi Livni and Shimon
Peres to meet with Abbas at the World Economic Forum Meeting in Sharm el
Sheikh.
In the past days, Olmert’s
allies in Kadima have been much more upbeat about negotiations with the
Palestinians than at any time since Olmert took over the PM’s office. But
during an interview with CNN from
Washington, Prime Minister Olmert said that Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas was unable to speak on behalf the Palestinian people. ''Abbas is weak
and has no support'', he said. Shimon Peres today rebutted Olmert stating:
“Abbas is the only address for negotiations”,
Peres told Army Radio, "There is no one else. It is either Hamas or him.
Since Hamas is out of the question, Abu Mazen is the only one that can be
considered," he continued.
READ MORE...>>>
IPCRI POLICY PAPER
Dialogue and
Convergence: Not sequenced – only in Parallel
May 16, 2006
Executive Summary
-
The negotiations should include the
possibilities of normalizing daily life in the West Bank and Gaza
including mutual confidence building measures;
coordination of the convergence plans, dealing with the threats facing the
implementation of the plan and the possibilities for coordinating the
convergence plan with the Palestinians, and the impacts of the convergence
plans on permanent status negotiations. The most important focus of
the negotiations should be on the permanent status issues.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
May 15, 2006
This Week in Palestine…behind the News with Hanna
Siniora
Commemoration of the
Nakba
On the fifteenth of May
every year, the Palestinian people are reminded of the catastrophe that
befell them before 58 years. This year the commemoration arrives at one of
the worst junctures of the Nakba. The policy of closure pursued since 2000
has taken its toll on the people and the economy. Israel, for the past few
years has been arresting nightly about 15 activists daily from the various
Palestinian organizations. Gaza, despite the disengagement, is on the verge
of starvation, the West Bank is dismembered into cantons and Jerusalem is
totally isolated from the rest of the country. Unemployment is rising and
more people are under the poverty level warns a new study by the World Bank.
In Palestine, the executive
authority is shared between Hamas which controls the parliament (PLC) and
the Cabinet, and the office of the president which is the last bastion of
Fateh. On the ground, the rivalry between the two largest Palestinian
movements Fateh and Hamas has led to pitch battles in Khan Younes that led
to several Palestinians killed and scores wounded.
The sanctions initiated by
Israel, the USA and most of the international community, as Hamas formed the
PA cabinet, led to the inability of the PA to pay salaries to 165,000
employees for the past 2.5 months, and the repercussions are felt throughout
the Palestinian economy.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
May 15, 2006
This week in
Israel….. behind the news with Gershon Baskin
This column is a little late getting out
this week, my apologies (GB).
We have a government?
The new government was off to a very
shaky start this past week. The first test of the new coalition was in
getting the 2006 budget passed. According to Israeli law, the budget is
supposed to be past by the end of December each year. If it is not passed
then, they are allowed another three months to try to get an approved
budget. This year, due to the elections, there was an additional extension
awarded until the end of May. The coalition agreement between the various
parties stipulated that all coalition members would vote for the first
reading of the budget and then changes, according to the coalition
agreement, would be made in committee before going back to the plenary for
the second and final readings. The Labor party and the Government
experienced their first rebellion when social activists Shelly Yechimovitch
and Yoram Martziano – representing the poor neighborhoods and Nadia Hilo,
representing the Arab sector, said that they could allow themselves to vote
for a budget prepared by Bibi Netanyahu. They had good reason not to vote
for that budget, but all three, newcomers to the Knesset, should have also
understood that there are rules to coalition politics. In the end, Nadia
Hilo voted with her party and Yechimovitch and Martziano didn’t show up to
vote.
Questions were raised whether or not
party leader, Amir Peretz allowed these new comers to rebel because he
cannot or if they acted on their own. Yechimovitzh is considered one of the
closed allies of Peretz and it seems unlikely that she would act on this
without the approval of Peretz. The budget did of course pass the first
reading and now will be debated and argued about in the Finance Committee.
READ MORE...>>>
May 11, 2006
What the Palestinian
people need to tell their leaders
By: Gershon Baskin *
Palestinian public
opinion polls consistently show that the overwhelming majority of
Palestinian citizens want peace with Israel. The polls show that the public
wants the peace process to be renewed and that the solution must be the
creation of a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as
its capital. The public also wants to achieve a just solution to the
refugee problem based on UN Resolution 194. The majority of Palestinians do
not support attacks against Israeli citizens as they have come to understand
that killing innocent Israelis is both morally wrong and strategically works
against finding a just solution to the conflict.
The Hamas victory in the
last elections was not a referendum on the political platform of no
recognition and no negotiations, as some people would like to think. The
Palestinian people are wiser than that; they understand that Israel cannot
be wiped off the face of the planet as the Iranian President has argued. But
Palestinians are proud people and they do not wish to see their elected
government humiliated. In fact, the attempts by the international community
to humiliate the elected government have boomeranged in terms of public
support for the government. The most recent opinion polls show an increase
in support for the government in the face of the international pressure.
There is a contradiction
in Palestinian public opinion. The public wants negotiations and peace with
Israel while their government is opposed to this. International pressure may
be successful in creating an impossible situation whereby the PA Government
will not be able to govern. The suffering that has already been caused to
the public will only increase if there is no change in the position of the
Hamas government. The international community may find ways to transfer
funds directly to Palestinians for health and education services, but the
international boycott of the PA Government will remain firm until the
Hamas-led Palestinian Authority accepts the international conditions for
recognition.
READ MORE...>>>
By Amelia Thomas
Middle East Times
Published May 11, 2006
On Sunday, May 7, at around nine in the morning, Palestinian farmer
Hassan Shafii was going about his usual day's work on the outskirts of the
town of Beit Lahia on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip.
The 55-year-old farmer was busy in one of his fields, close to an area
from which Qassam missiles have recently been launched by militant
Palestinian groups into Israel, tending to the irrigation of a recently
planted watermelon patch.
As he worked, he talked with a fellow Gazan farmer on his mobile phone.
"You have to remember the $250 for your certificate," his friend was in the
process of reminding him, "You have to pay it soon."
Then, disaster struck. An Israeli military shell, one of the many fired
into the region to deter terrorists from launching more attacks against
Israel, hit Shafii. On the other end of the line, his colleague feared the
worst as the line went dead, and Shafii was killed instantly by shrapnel
peppering his body.
Such occurrences are not rare in an area where daily violence from both
sides of the border is increasingly commonplace.
Indeed, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights states that in just the
last fortnight, six Palestinian civilians, including two children, have been
killed and over 60 wounded by IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) shelling, while a
further two deaths occurred last week after Palestinian national security
force members attempted to deactivate an unexploded shell.
In the past week alone, six civilians have been wounded in the Beit
Lahia area, a number of homes damaged, and, along with Shafii, a second
civilian, 65-year-old Moussa Al Sawarka, was killed.
Sawarka had been grazing camels in the Khousa area, to the north of Beit
Lahia town, when he was killed by shell shrapnel to the head on May 6, just
500 meters from the spot where, the next day, Shafii, too, would die.
Currently, the Jerusalem-based Israel/Palestinian Center for Research
and Information (IPCRI) is in the twofold process of dealing with the direct
aftermath of Shafii's death. First, says director Gershon Baskin, the center
will be petitioning both the Israeli ministry of defense and the ministry of
justice over compensation for the family of the deceased.
READ MORE...>>>
No
Palestinian support for convergence
|
Gershon
Baskin, THE JERUSALEM POST |
May. 8, 2006 |
For months the Israeli government has
been planning its unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank. Ariel Sharon
appointed a team to plan for the big disengagement - aka "convergence" -from
most of the West Bank settlements that are east of the separation barrier.
The team has been trying to learn the
lessons from the Gaza withdrawal. Those lessons concerning the settlers are
mostly understood. Far less is known about what has transpired on the other
side.
What lessons should be learned from the impact of disengagement on the
Palestinians?
The most important effect for the
Palestinians was the sharp increase in the popularity of Hamas. Their
narrative of disengagement shows that the overwhelming majority of
Palestinians are convinced that what led Sharon to withdraw from Gaza was
what they call resistance (and what we call terrorism).
Palestinians deeply believe that
Israel was chased out of Gaza, mainly by Hamas. Most Palestinians believe
that Israel lost a golden opportunity to strengthen the cause of peace by
not turning Gaza over to Mahmoud Abbas as part of a process of dialogue and
negotiations.
READ MORE...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times: Opinion]]
May 8, 2006
This Week in Palestine…behind the News with Hanna
Siniora
PA Salaries
The number of PA government
employees has mushroomed since Hamas won the elections, now close to
170,000, have entered the third month with promises that soon they will be
able to receive their salaries, yet a concrete answer has not yet been
found.
In the meeting that took
place last Saturday May 6, between President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime
Minister Ismail Haniyeh, the issue of how to channel available funds from
the account of the Arab League to pay the salaries was at the top of issues
discussed for more than four hours. The talks will be resumed Sunday after
top officials from both sides try to put recommendations for the night
meeting between Abbas and Haniyeh.
Russia relayed to Abbas ten
million dollars in assistance that the Presidency distributed in accordance
to a protocol accepted by the PA Finance Ministry, two million went to cope
with the repercussions of the avian flu, three million to support holding
the tawjihi high school examinations, three million four hundred thousand to
pay part of the bills of the Ministry of Health, 850 thousand to the Red
Crescent, 380 thousand to Al-Makassed Hospital and the remaining 370 to
other hospitals. Abbas and Haniyyeh are discussing the President’s
suggestion to put such a mechanism on the agenda of the Quartet meeting next
Tuesday, May 9, at the UN.
READ MORE...>>>
דף
חדש בירושלים וברמאללה
המדיניות הישראלית
מובילה לתוהו ובוהו. השבעת הממשלה החדשה היא הזדמנות פז לפרוץ את החרם ולחזור
לדבר
גרשון בסקין
הקמת הממשלה החדשה בירושלים מאפשרת לישראל לפתוח דף חדש גם אל מול
הפלסטינים. אחרי עשרות שנים של סכסוך קיומי, היום מבינה ישראל כי הפתרון טמון
בהקמתה של מדינה פלסטינית דמוקרטית, שתחיה לצדה בשכנות טובה.
הסכסוך עם הפלסטינים כבר אינו קיומי, אך הוא מכשול ענק בפני
יכולתה של ישראל להגיע לשגשוג ושלווה אמיתיים. העולם כולו מבין כי המדיניות
הננקטת עתה בירושלים, בוושינגטון ואפילו בבריסל תוביל למשבר הומניטארי קשה
בשטחים הפלסטיניים. כבר עתה הסבל ניכר, כאשר אין לרשות כסף לשלם משכורות לכ-160
אלף עובדיה. עקב כך יתווספו יותר ממיליון איש לשורות העוני וגם הסקטור הפרטי
ייפגע אנושות, עד כי לא יהיה די כסף אפילו לקנייה של מוצרי יסוד. אין ספק כי
העמקת המצוקה לא תוביל לאהבת ציון בקרב הפלסטינים, וספק רב אם תביא אותם לקרוא
לממשלתם לקבל את דרישותיה של ישראל להכרה.
רוב הציבור הפלסטיני סבור כי על ממשלת החמאס למתן את עמדותיה
ולפחות לאמץ את היוזמה הסעודית, שעיקריה: הכרה בישראל ואף נורמליזציה עמה
בתמורה לנסיגה מלאה לגבולות 1967 ומציאת פתרון מוסכם לבעיית הפליטים. רוב
הציבור הפלסטיני היה שמח מאוד לראות את ראש הממשלה איסמעיל הנייה מתארח בלשכתו
של אהוד אולמרט לשיחות על הסדר הקבע. אך גם אם הנייה וחמאס לא יתמתנו, הנשיא
הפלסטיני מחמוד עבאס מגבש כבר עתה תחת סמכותו ממשל צללים, המסוגל לנהל מו"מ עם
ממשלת ישראל. עבאס הגיש למדינות התורמות בקשה למימון לשכתו, הכוללת יותר מ-900
עובדים חדשים הכפופים לו ישירות. הוא מדבר בלשון מפויסת כלפי החמאס, אך פועל
במרץ לגרור אליו את עיקר סמכויות השלטון. וחמאס מצידו מכיר בכך שלעבאס סמכות
לנהל מו"מ עם ישראל.
קרא עוד...>>>
[[Jerusalem
Times:
Opinion]]
May 7, 2006
This week in Israel….. Behind the news
with Gershon Baskin
We have a government
Ehud Olmert presented his government.
Olmert’s speech was balanced and calm as opposed to his evening speech prior
to the vote of confidence which was cocky, angry and arrogant. Olmert
presented his vision for the coming years: “I,
like many others, also dreamed and yearned that we would be able to keep the
entire land of Israel, and that the day would never come when we would have
to relinquish parts of our land. Only those who have the land of Israel
burning in their souls know the pain of relinquishing and parting with the
land of our forefathers. I personally continue to
advocate the idea of the
entire land of Israel as a heart's desire. I believe with all my heart in
the people of Israel's eternal historic right to the entire land of Israel.
However, dreams and recognition of this right do not constitute a political
program. Even if the Jewish eye cries, and even if our hearts are broken,
we must preserve the essence. We must preserve a stable and solid Jewish
majority in our State.”
Olmert, once again, just as in his
victory speech turned to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and declared
his readiness to negotiate: “From this podium, I again address the
elected President of the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas. The
Government of Israel under my leadership prefers negotiations with a
Palestinian Authority committed to the principles of the Roadmap, which
fights terror, dismantles terrorist organizations, abides by the rules of
democracy and upholds, practically and thoroughly, all agreements which have
thus far been signed with the State of Israel. Negotiation with such an
Authority is the most stable and desired basis for the political process,
which can lead to an agreement which will bring peace. This is what we
desire.” READ
MORE...>>>
Logical direction
for new government
Abbas is the best channel to
promise Israel’s survival as Jewish, democratic state
Gershon Baskin
May 4, 2006
The establishment of a new government in Jerusalem enables the turning of a
new page vis-ŕ-vis the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Following decades of an
existential conflict, today the State of Israel and the people of Israel
understand that the solution to the conflict rests in the establishment of
an independent democratic Palestinian state next to Israel that will live in
good neighborly relations.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is no longer
an existential conflict; however, it is a continuing obstacle preventing
Israel from fulfilling its full potential to reach prosperity and true
serenity.
The entire world is fully aware that the
policies being implemented in Jerusalem, Washington and even Brussels will
inevitably lead to a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories,
suffering there is already on a steep incline. With the Palestinian
Authority unable to pay the more than 160,000 salaries of its employees,
more than 1 million additional people will be added to those living under
the poverty line of having less than USD 2 a day per person.
The increase of poverty by such extreme
dimensions will lead to a devastating blow to the private sector when people
will have no money even to purchase basic goods. There is no doubt that such
an increase in poverty will not lead to a love of Zion amongst Palestinians,
and there should be large doubts whether or not these policies will lead to
the Palestinian people to call upon their new government to accept the
Israeli demands for recognition.
READ
MORE...>>>
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