EU Considering 'Sanctions' against Israel over Settlements

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Potential penalties in response to measures that would make a two-state solution impractical are being proposed in a paper prepared in conditons of secrecy

The European Union has set itself on a collision course with Israel after drawing up a list of sanctions to be imposed if the country takes steps that would make the establishment of a Palestinian state impossible.

In what amounts to Europe's toughest-ever line with the Israelis, punishments such as trade restrictions could result if continued settlement building on occupied land is deemed to be at odds with reaching a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict - defined as an independent Palestine alongside Israel.

A catalogue of measures has been set out in a secret document prepared by the European External Action Service and distributed to the EU's 28 member states.

While diplomats are shying away from characterising them as "sanctions", the paper - whose contents are said at the early discussion stage - advocates a "carrot and stick" approach to relations with Israel. » | Robert Tait, Jerusalem | Sunday, November 16, 2014

Palestine UN Vote Reaction: US Calls New Status 'Counterproductive'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: After the UN General Assembly votes overwhelmingly to make Palestine a non-member state, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticises the decision as leaders from the region react.


An historic resolution that enhanced the Palestinians' position at the UN from "permanent observer" to “non-member observer state”, a status also held by the Vatican, passed the General Assembly by a resounding 138 votes to 9, with 41 countries abstaining, including Britain. » | Friday, November 30, 2012

Israel Threatens to Overthrow Abbas Over Palestinian Statehood Bid

THE GUARDIAN: Foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman says alternative would be 'raising a white flag' as cabinet considers action after UN vote

Israel should topple the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, if he presses ahead with a request for recognition of the state of Palestine by the United Nations general assembly in two weeks' time, the hardline foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, has urged. In a draft paper distributed to the media, Lieberman argued that overthrowing the Palestinian leadership was Israel's only viable option, faced with the certainty of an overwhelming vote in support of the Palestinian bid.

"A reality in which the United Nations recognises a Palestinian state according to a unilateral process will destroy all Israeli deterrence and completely harm its credibility," the paper said.

"Although this step is not simple, considering the implications that Israel will have to deal with, the only other option in this case would be the toppling of Abbas's government … The other option, of containment or a softer response, would be seen as raising a white flag."

Lieberman's extreme stance comes as the Israeli cabinet is considering a range of punitive measures it could take in response to the vote, expected on 29 November. These include the full or partial annulment of the 1993 Oslo Accords, financial penalties and an acceleration of settlement expansion. » | Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem | Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Destructive Palestinian State
YNET NEWS: Op-ed: Past experience shows that dreams of utopian Palestinian state will crush and burn

In trying to comprehend the world’s love fest and obsession with a Palestinian state, one must conclude that it is deluding itself into believing that such a state would greatly contribute to the wellbeing of the world.

However, a reality check reveals that such a belief is wishful thinking and has no basis in fact. One should just look at the nature of the autonomous Palestinian entity in the West Bank and Gaza created after the implementation of the 1993 Oslo agreement, with the Palestinian Authority controlling the daily internal affairs of most of the Palestinian people.

According to past evidence the Palestinian state will have the following characteristics: » | Shoula Romano Horing | Friday, September 23, 2011

Netanyahu Says 'No' to 1967 Borders
YNET NEWS: PM expects Obama to reaffirm bush pledges, whereby settlement blocs will remain in Israel

Responding to President Barack Obama’s major Mideast policy speech, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel will not be withdrawing to the 1967 borders as part of a peace deal with the Palestinians.

The PM said that Israel appreciates the president's commitment to peace, but added that he expects Obama to reaffirm US commitments to Israel from 2004. According to the pledges made by then-President George W. Bush, the Jewish state will not be asked to retreat to the 1967 borders and large settlement blocs will remain in Israel's hands.

"Israel believes that in order for peace to prevail, the establishment of a Palestinian state cannot come at the expense of the State of Israel's existence," a statement issued by Netanyahu's office said. "The Palestinians, and not only the United States, must recognize Israel as the Jewish people's nation-state."

The prime minister also stressed that President Bush's pledges were meant to reinforce Israel's Jewish character, by making it clear that Palestinian refugees will be taken in by Palestine and not by Israel.

"Without a solution to the problem of refugees by settling them outside Israel's borders, no territorial concession would end the conflict," Netanyahu's statement said. » | Attila Somfalvi | Thursday, May 19, 2011

Obama Pushes Mideast Policy Change

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama Middle East speech: Palestinian state should be based on 1967 borders: US President Barack Obama said for the first time on Thursday that the borders of Israel and a future Palestinian state should be based on 1967 lines and be completed with land swaps. » | Thursday, May 19, 2011

Inside Story: Palestinian Reconciliation
After four years of rift and rivalry; the two Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah signed a long awaited reconciliation agreement in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Wednesday.

How did the new regime in Egypt achieve in two months what the previous adminsitration had failed to do in years?

Inside Story, with presenter Nick Clark, discusses with Gamal Abdel Gawad, from the Al Ahram Centre of Strategic Studies; Mustafa Barghouti, head of the Palestinian Initiative; and Yaakov Katz, a military and defence analyst from the Jerusalem Post.

This episode of Inside Story aired from [sic] Thursday, May 5, 2011.

Daniel Barenboim Brings 'Solace and Pleasure' to Gaza with Mozart Concert
THE GUARDIAN: Israeli conductor voices support for non-violence and Palestinian state during performance for schoolchildren and NGO workers

The orchestra arrived with the impact of a presidential motorcade, in armoured cars, with sirens wailing and flanked by dozens of armed men.

It was an unusual overture to a rendition of Mozart. But then, the arrival in Gaza of Daniel Barenboim, the world-famous Israeli conductor and his Orchestra for Gaza – featuring musicians from Paris, Milan, Berlin and Vienna - to play for an audience of schoolchildren and NGO workers was itself far from usual.

The orchestra set off from Berlin on Monday, stopped at Vienna and then landed at El Arish, close to the Egyptian side of the Gaza Strip, on a plane chartered by Barenboim himself.

As an Israeli citizen it is illegal for Barenboim to enter Gaza without a permit, and, as if that wasn't enough, the recent murder of an Italian peace activist and fears that pro-Osama bin Laden groups in Gaza might seek revenge on western targets meant that the UN security team was on high alert.

Barenboim has previously played in Ramallah and holds an honorary Palestinian passport, and is widely praised for his attempts to reach out across the divide. In Israel, meanwhile, he has been attacked for promoting the work of Wagner.

He told his audience on Tuesday that the people of Gaza "have been blockaded for many years and this blockade has affected all of your lives."

The aim of his orchestra, he said, was to bring "solace and pleasure" through music to the people of Gaza and to let them know that people all over the world care for them. » | Conal Urquhart | Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Hamas and Fatah Sign Reconciliation Deal
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Fatah and Hamas signed a reconciliation deal on Wednesday, setting Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, on a collision course with Israel.

In a surprise announcement following secret talks in Cairo, Mr Abbas’s moderate Fatah party and its Islamist arch-rival Hamas said they had put a four-year rift behind them.

The two parties pledged to form an interim unity government with elections in both the West Bank and Gaza in December.

The rapprochement is seen as a vital step towards the creation of a Palestinian state but immediately stoked fears in Israel that the moderate Palestinian Authority, led by Mr Abbas and dominated by Fatah, would swing towards radicalism.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, immediately condemned the deal.

“The Palestinian Authority must choose either peace with Israel or peace with Hamas,” he said. “There is no possibility for peace with both. Hamas aspires to destroy Israel and fire rockets at our cities ... at our children.” » | Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent | Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Carter Wants Obama to Remove Hamas from Terror List
ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS (ARUTZ SHEVA): The Obama Administration should remove Hamas from the terrorist list, former President Jimmy Carter told media following his visit to Gaza today. He said he plans on pushing for the change when he meets with U.S. officials on Thursday to discuss his latest trip to the Middle East.

Carter’s comments came during a joint press conference with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh following their meeting today in Gaza. The former president said he tried to convince Hamas leaders to denounce violence, accept the existing interim agreements and recognize the right of the Jewish state to exist.

"Hamas leaders want peace and they want to have reconciliation not only with their Fatah brothers but also eventually with Israelis to live side by side, with two nations, both sovereign nations recognized by each other and living in peace," Carter said.

Haniyeh told Carter that he supported any plan that aims at preserving Arab rights and leads to the establishment of a sovereign Arab state on all the territories that were occupied by Israel in 1967 "with Jerusalem as its capital." He urged Carter to pressure Israel to lift the security blockade which was imposed on Gaza’s border crossings to prevent weapons smuggling. >>> Zalman Nelson | Friday, March 26, 2010

HT: IBA

Bibi, Wake Up
YNET NEWS: Obama’s speech in Cairo presents Netanyahu with unequivocal dilemma

President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo is supposed to be no less than a terribly loud bell ringing through the corridors of Israel’s political establishment. For those who thus far did not understand – or did not wish to understand – the winds blowing from Washington, Obama left no room for doubt: The United States supports Israel, yet the era of trickery, promises, and the gradual annexation in Judea and Samaria is over. The time has come for action; the time has come for moving towards a resolution of the Palestinian problem. And in Obama’s view, there is only one solution: A Palestinian state.

Beyond its expected effect within the Muslim world, the Cairo speech is no less than an effort to outline a path for Israel’s political establishment; a clear signal where things are headed. Ever since Obama’s election, officials in Jerusalem have sought ways to explain, interpret, and circumvent what has been obvious for a while now. With arrogance and contempt, officials here attempted to downplay the tension vis-à-vis the Americans, blur the disagreements, and hide behind various “natural growth” arguments. Now, Obama has made it clear: Wasting time and continued settlement construction are out; negotiations on the establishment of a Palestinian state are in. This message will affect Israel’s public and political discourse in the near future.

For Netanyahu, this is a major junction that offers only two directions: A collision course with the world’s greatest power, which will lead to Israel’s isolation and ostracism in the international arena – or a dramatic policy shift [e] that will exact difficult political prices. In other words: The prime minister must decide whether he’s going with Likud’s more rightist members, or with Obama.

When these are the options, Netanyahu has reason for concern in political terms. Wherever he turns, he will be hurt: If he folds in the face of the American pressure and modifies the narrative that has been accompanying him since he took office, he will encounter domestic resistance and an “Intifada” on the part of the Right and the settlers. Yet if he insists on going along with the conservative line that characterizes him and his government, in the face of the American pressure, he will quickly lose the Israeli public’s support, and possibly also the support of the Labor party, which is committed to the two-state solution. In both cases, Bibi’s current coalition may be shaken up. >>> Attila Somfalvi | Saturday, June 06, 2009

Barack Obama Hints at Tougher Line on Israel
TIMESONLINE: The Obama Administration has signalled a tougher approach towards Israel ahead of fresh talks on the Middle East peace process by insisting it must endorse the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

“Israel has to work toward a two-state solution,” declared Vice-President Joe Biden today in a speech to the annual conference of a powerful pro-Israel lobby group in Washington.

“You’re not going to like my saying this,” he warned the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) before adding that the Jewish state should not build any more settlements on Palestinian territory, and should “dismantle existing outposts and allow Palestinians freedom of movement”.

President Obama later held a White House meeting with Shimon Peres, his Israeli counterpart, who holds a largely ceremonial position. But the US Administration’s message appeared to be addressed to the new right-wing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who is due to visit the White House on May 18.

Mr Netanyahu has dismayed American, Arab and European officials by pointedly refusing to back Palestinian statehood since taking office on March 31. In his own speech to Aipac, sent via satellite link, he said: “We are prepared to resume peace negotiations without any delay and without any preconditions — the sooner the better.” Saeb Erekat, the senior Palestinian negotiator, however, criticised Mr Netanyahu’s speech for its “vagueness” on core issues such as the status of Jerusalem and refugees, as well as its failure to commit to a two-state solution. >>> Tom Baldwin, Washington | Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Sarkozy Urges Palestinian State
BBC: French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said the creation of a Palestinian state is in the best interests of Israel and its citizens.

On the first French state visit to Israel in 12 years, he said a peace agreement would allow the two peoples to live in peace and security. Sarkozy Urges Palestinian State >>> | June 22, 2008

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