Netanyahu said no to another prisoner release and restarting talks  

Saying “no” is better than saying “yes”, but it is not a strategy. The Arabs keep pushing whether it is to go to the UN or the ICC. They are doing everything they possibly can to get the international community to impose itself on Israel. Israel wants quiet for quiet with Hamas which is a passive stance. She wants to thwart all Arab initiatives but she is not pursuing goals of her own at least not openly in J&S. As far as I can determine Israel is meekly trying to solidify her hold on J&S lands that “everyone knows in a final settlement will stay with Israel”. She should be doing so boldly and aggressively like she has every right to do so.

Secondly she should stake her claim to the balance of J&S in both word and deed. In this regard she should embrace the Levy Report. She should also enforce the terms of Oslo. By this I mean she should protect our sovereignty in Area C and prevent encroachment by the Arabs with the support of the EU and the US. She should also assert her sovereignty over the Bedouin who she allows to live lawlessly in the Negev and to squat on lands that she has no right to.
Ted Belman

By YASSER OKBI/ MAARIV HASHAVUA, JPOST
09/01/2014 11:21

According to Palestinian sources, Kerry cancelled his visit to the region due to lack of progress in talks; Palestinian delegation set to travel to Washington Tuesday to present new initiative to Kerry. 
Kerry phoneUS Secretary of State John Kerry and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone about the possibility of restarting peace talks with the Palestinians and a fourth prisoner release, Palestinian media reported on Monday.

According to a report in the London-based Al-Quds al-Arabi, Netanyahu did not respond positively during the conversation, and therefore Kerry told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that he is cancelling his scheduled visit to the region next week.

A Palestinian source also said that on the heels of the cancelled visit, a Palestinian delegation, including chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and the head of Palestinian Intelligence, Majid Faraj, will travel to Washington on Tuesday to present to Kerry a new Palestinian initiative.
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September 1, 2014 | 12:52 pm | 1 Comment »

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Another Casualty of the Third Gaza War: US-Israel Relations  

INSS Insight No. 600, September 1, 2014

By Oded Eran

The third Gaza war in less than six years has added a new dimension of tension to US-Israel relations, and especially between the leaders. Yet despite the strident friction over the latest conflict in Gaza, Israel must prefer American leadership, even if it is tacit, in the political processes between Israel and the Palestinians. To this end, an Israeli-US summit involving the President and Prime Minister is in order, to address the most urgent regional and bilateral issues as well as possible solutions that meet the new reality in the region. Prime Minister Netanyahu would do well to take the initiative to suggest such a summit, which is necessary if only for the need to prevent the further deterioration of relations between Israel and the United States.
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September 1, 2014 | 9:57 am | 2 Comments »

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US speaks out against Israel’s decision to expand state land in West Bank  

gUSH EtzionGush Etzion is a cluster of Jewish communities that lay to the south west of Jerusalem. Maaleh Adumin is a major Jewish settlement of 40,000 Jews laying to the east of Jerusalem and separated only by E1 which is incorporated in the enclave as shown on the map.

The Jewish settlements in Gush Etzion were destroyed by the Arabs in the ’48 War and they murdered 240 of the Jewish residents there. After the land was recaptured in the ’67 War, Jews returned to Gush Etzion area. This is the area in which the 3 Jewish teenagers were kidnapped and killed. Israel expects to keep both blocks in any future settlement.

When the US admin says that building in Gush Etzion will harm peace negotiations what they mean is that the only way there will be peace is if Israel returns to the ’67 lines. The US position is that the Arabs are entitled to all land east of the ’67 lines but offer no legal justification to substantiate it. Or perhaps it is immaterial to the US what the Arabs are entitled to and the only thing that she considers is that the Arabs want it or demand it. Israel is not seeking peace at any cost. Israel claims all the land based on historical, legal and conquest rights. Israel now is in control of all the land. Israel will offer some of the land for peace but not all of it or even nearly all of it. Somethings are not worth giving up for peace. The only thing that is harmful to the peace process is that both the Arabs and the US demand all the land. Ted Belman

By TOVAH LAZAROFF, HERB KEINON, KHALED ABU TOAMEH, JPOST

State Department official says Israel’s announcement will harm peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

The United States responded on Monday to news that Israel was planning to expand its state land and launch a new building project in the West Bank.

The IDF on Sunday conferred the status of state land on 4,000 dunams in the Gush Etzion region, thus ending the civil administration’s investigation into the possibility that parcels were private Palestinian property.
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September 1, 2014 | 9:39 am | 20 Comments »

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Melanie Phillips was incredible  

I was there and can tell you that no one else comes close.

BTW, at the beginning Melanie calls for a moment of silence, and points to her left. On the screen which is not shown was a collage of the 68 IDF soldiers who were killed in action.

August 31, 2014 | 11:09 pm | 1 Comment »

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The Trouble Is that Obama DOES Have a Strategy  

By David Goldman,  PJ MEDIA

obama_iran_crossed_fingers_4-20-14-1Obama’s “we-don’t-have-a-strategy” gaffe was so egregious as to distract attention from the fact that he does indeed have a strategy, which has blown up in his face. His strategy is accommodation with Iran at all costs. As I wrote earlier this month, our ISIS problem derives from our Iran problem: Bashar Assad’s ethnic cleansing, which has displaced 4 million Syrians internally and driven 3 million out of the country, was possible because of Iranian backing. The refugee flood in Iraq and Syria gives ISIS an unlimited pool of recruits. Iraqi Sunni support for ISIS, including the participation of some of Saddam Hussein’s best officers, is a response to Iran’s de facto takeover of Iraq.

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August 31, 2014 | 2:37 pm | Comments »

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Defending Israel against Jewish detractors  

by Steve Kramer
One of my readers asked for help in answering friends who have been “awakened” to anti-Zionism by Antony Lerman, who recently wrote, “The End of Liberal Zionism” (8/22/14) in The NY Times Sunday Review.

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Lerman is a British writer who on the subjects of anti-Semitism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, multiculturalism, and the place of religion in society. From 2006 to early 2009, he was Director of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research think tank. Lerman has publicly advocated for pro-Arab/anti-Israel initiatives, often writing op-ed pieces in the notoriously anti-Zionist Guardian newspaper.

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What is Liberal Zionism anyway? Wikipedia defines it as a strong trend in Israeli politics advocating free market principles, democracy and adherence to human rights. If that’s what it is, it doesn’t sound to me what Lerman described in his article. Let me say what I think Lerman is talking about. His “Liberal Zionist” is someone who may live in Israel but probably doesn’t. That person doesn’t want to get his or her hands dirty with the nitty-gritty aspects of life in Israel. Lerman’s Liberal Zionist lives comfortably in some other place, perhaps, Manhattan, Washington, D.C., or London.

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August 31, 2014 | 2:09 pm | 154 Comments »

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4,000 Dunams in Judea and Samaria to Become State Land  

Government announces process that will enable development of Israel’s biblical heartland; meanwhile previous promises still unfulfilled.

By Uzi Baruch, Ari Yashar, INN

 

Ma’ale Adumim in Judea (file)
Flash 90

A government spokesperson announced Sunday morning that following instructions issued by the political echelon after Operation Brother’s Keeper, 4,000 dunams (988 acres) of Judea and Samaria land will be declared state land, opening the possibility of further construction in the region.

The spokesperson for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) stated that “the process was enabled after a thorough examination by the Civil Administration’s zoning crew.”
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August 31, 2014 | 11:30 am | 4 Comments »

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The US is not pushing for demilitarization or disarmament.  

On Sept 29/14, I posted an article from TOI with the title US reportedly pushing Gaza demilitarization at UN This article is erroneous and misleading. The US is not pushing for demilitarization and disarmament.

Aaron Lerner what the US is actually doing and shows how unacceptable it is.

[Dr. Aaron Lerner – IMRA: “any process to resolve the situation in Gaza in
a permanent and meaningful manner must ultimately lead to the establishment
of the Gaza Strip as an area free of any armed or military equipment or
weapons …”

Close but NO CIGAR.

“Ultimately” has no deadline.
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August 31, 2014 | 5:27 am | 1 Comment »

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Anti-Israel Galloway beaten in street attack  

Controversial British MP George Galloway who declared city in UK ‘Israel-free zone’ taken to hospital suffering suspected broken jaw after he was assaulted in a London street; MP’s spokesman says assailant ‘shouted about the Holocaust’ before beating him.

YNET
Galloway following assault in photo posted on Twitter by the Respect party. (Photograph: @ukrespectparty/Twitter/PA)

George Galloway, a British lawmaker known for his anti-Israel positions, was taken to a hospital with a suspected broken jaw after he was assaulted in a London street.
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August 30, 2014 | 8:50 pm | 64 Comments »

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Our world: Embracing the obvious truth  

By Caroline Glick, JPOST

The moral and ideological divide between Israel and Hamas is so self-evident that the only way to ignore it is by embracing and cultivating ignorance.

Ashdod

A BOY stands outside the Ashdod synagogue yesterday, which was hit by a rocket in a direct strike last week Photo: BEN HARTMAN

It isn’t hard to understand the truth about Israel and Hamas.

Four-year-old Daniel Tragerman was murdered on Friday afternoon in his home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz by Hamas terrorists.

They shot him with a mortar launched from a school in Gaza’s Zeitoun neighborhood. At the time of the launch, the school was filled with civilians who had fled to the school for shelter.
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August 30, 2014 | 6:40 pm | 3 Comments »

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Into the fray: Incredible!  

By MARTIN SHERMAN, JPOST

Binyamin Netanyahu is a man of great talent and considerable achievement who hesitated, and missed the moment.

VICTORY Haniyeh in rally, August 27 Photo: REUTERS

I am convinced that the residents of the Gaza-border communities can return to their homes… to a good and quality life here 

  – IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz, August 6 

I have lost my faith in the government of Israel

– Haim Yellin, head of the Eshkol Regional Council in southern Israel, August 27 

I feel a sense of acute discomfort in writing this week’s column.

I served for a number of years in the Prime Minister’s Office and witnessed first-hand the dedication and devotion with which so many in the security establishment discharge their duties. I am well aware of the huge debt the entire country owes them for their tireless and selfless endeavor. Yet despite their splendid and stirring efforts, dark and dangerous storm clouds are gathering on the horizon, and the emerging ramifications of accumulating miscalculation and misjudgment in the directives issued them are too menacing to be swept under the rug.
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August 30, 2014 | 12:56 pm | 2 Comments »

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Latest Big Lie: ‘We Have No Strategy’  

 By Michael Ledeen On August 29, 2014 @ 10:05 am   PJ MEDIA

They DO have a strategy, but they prefer to appear indecisive.  That’s because the strategy would likely provoke even greater criticism than the false confession of endless dithering.

The actual strategy is detente first, and then a full alliance with Iran throughout the Middle East and North Africa.  It has been on display since before the beginning of the Obama administration.  During his first presidential campaign in 2008, Mr. Obama used a secret back channel to Tehran to assure the mullahs that he was a friend of the Islamic Republic, and that they would be very happy with his policies.  The secret channel was Ambassador William G. Miller [1], who served in Iran during the shah’s rule, as chief of staff for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and as ambassador to Ukraine.  Ambassador Miller has confirmed to me his conversations with Iranian leaders during the 2008 campaign.

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August 30, 2014 | 12:01 pm | 5 Comments »

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Israel-Hamas truce: It’s the big picture, stupid  

By J.E. Dyer, LIBERTY YIELDING,  on August 29, 2014 at 1:08 am

UAE F-16 strike-fighter soars. (Image via Wikipedia)

The answer to why Israel has been prepared, since mid-July, to conclude a new truce with Hamas is staring us in the face – if we zoom out from Gaza and look at the whole region.

Make no mistake, as President Obama likes to say.  It’s Hamas that delayed accepting a truce, on the terms proposed by Egypt.  Israel has accepted essentially that same truce for more than a month.  It was Hamas that wouldn’t agree to stop fighting.
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August 29, 2014 | 3:38 pm | 1 Comment »

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The war in the eyes of our leaders  

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ARTICLE. READ IT CAREFULLY. TED BELMAN

Why was it decided not to topple Hamas’ regime in the Gaza Strip? What is Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal’s biggest challenge? My conversations with decision makers.

August 29, 2014 | 2:32 pm | 42 Comments »

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Is time working for or against Israel?  

By Yoram Ettinger, ISRAEL HAYOM

For the first time, Israel’s country default spread (2.48 percent) — which reflects the risk premium on government bonds — is similar to that of the U.S. (2.38 percent).

The trend of Israel’s economy from 1948 until today has reaffirmed that time has been working for, not against, Israel. Moreover, the ongoing war, terrorism, international pressure and boycotts, which have challenged Israel since its establishment in 1948, have been exposed — in retrospect — as bumps and hurdles on the road to unprecedented economic growth.

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August 29, 2014 | 1:55 pm | 1 Comment »

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US reportedly pushing Gaza demilitarization at UN  

Proposal calls for destruction of tunnels between Strip and Israel; will be presented to Security Council after Cairo next month

BY ADIV STERMAN, TOI August 29, 2014, 1:00 pm

The US government is reportedly working toward presenting to the UN Security Council a comprehensive proposal for the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, according to Lebanese media.

Palestinian gunmen from the military wing of Hamas during a victory rally amid the debris of destroyed houses in Shejaiya, a Hamas stronghold of Gaza City, Wednesday, August 27, 2014. An open-ended ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian terror group was holding Wednesday. (photo credit: AP/Adel Hana)

Diplomatic sources in the UN told reporters from the Lebanese newspaper an-Nahar that the proposal calls for the disarmament of all militant and terror groups in the Hamas-controlled enclave, leaving the Palestinian Authority the only armed force. Under the terms of the proposal, all tunnels between the Gaza Strip and both Israel and Egypt will be destroyed as well, Israel Radio reported.

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August 29, 2014 | 12:23 pm | 5 Comments »

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CIA expert: Obama switched sides in war on terror  

I KNOW AND HAVE WORKED WITH CLARE LOPEZ IN FIGHTING THE MB AND OBAMA AND IN SUPPORTING KURDISH INDEPENDENCE. TED BELMAN

By Garth Kant, WND

August 29, 2014

President Obama appears to bow to Saudi King Abdullah, on April 1, 2009, in London

WASHINGTON – It’s an explosive charge, one that practically accuses the president of treason.

A former CIA agent bluntly told WND, America has switched sides in the war on terror under President Obama.

Clare Lopez was willing to say what a few members of Congress have confided to WND in private, but declined to say on-the-record.

She said the global war on terror had been an effort to “stay free of Shariah,” or repressive Islamic law, until the Obama administration began siding with such jihadist groups as the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates.

Why the switch?

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August 29, 2014 | 11:23 am | 1 Comment »

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Making a weakened Israel into a political powerhouse  

Abbas Says US Agreed to ‘Palestine’ Along ’67 Borders’

IT MAY WELL BE THAT IF WE AGREED TO ’67 PLUS SWAPS, SUCH A DEAL IS AVAILABLE. EVEN IF ISRAEL WOULD BECOME A “POLITICAL POWERHOUSE”, IT NOT WORTH IT. I SEE NO REASON TO GIVE UP ON AREA C. TED BELMAN

Only by shrugging off its inertia and going full steam ahead on a diplomatic solution with the Palestinians can Israel rescue itself from the disaster of the recent fighting in Gaza.

Yuval Diskin, YNET

Nevertheless, even now Hamas has the power to threaten our communities all the way up to the outskirts of Haifa. The Israeli public, which bore the burden and granted large license to the political and military echelons, expected a different ending. What we got was disappointing and leaves what some may even call a sour taste in the mouth.

John Kerry and Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Motti Milrod)

John Kerry and Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Motti Milrod)

In the coming days we will probably all be subject to a massive campaign. We will hear explanations that the IDF dealt a fatal blow to Hamas; they will try to convince us of miracles and wonders and that – in the words of Defense Minister Ya’alon – “we seared the consciousness” of Hamas. According to this logic, Hamas will be too scared to enter into any future entanglements with the IDF, given the brutal punishment we just meted out.
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August 29, 2014 | 9:32 am | 4 Comments »

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Israeli forces caught up in Al Qaeda’s complex toils in both Golan and Gaza  

DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis August 28, 2014, 11:26 AM (IDT)

The cross-border incident on the Golan Wednesday, Aug. 27, in which an Israeli officer was injured by stray fire from the fighting between Syrian army and rebel forces near Quneitra, put this battle zone on the front pages. However,DEBKAfile’s military sources report that this incident, fought by only 300 combatants on each side backed by 10 tanks, had no real military importance for the Syrian conflict at large. The Syrian army, helped by Iran and Hizballah, is winning and the rebel side is crumbling.
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August 29, 2014 | 9:16 am | 2 Comments »

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