By Ted Belman

Israel is negotiating with the US rather than  the PA.

World Tibune published Report:Israel moving toward a ‘Plan B’ for unilateral withdrawal from W. Bank. It is vague on details. And it suggests a much greater withdrawal then I am happy with.

But if the US would show some flexibility on its demands for 100^ withdrawal and would accept an 80% withdrawal, they could compensate Israel by formally recognizing Israel’s resulting borders. As a kicker, they would throw in the EU recognition of such borders. Of course Jerusalem would be undivided and Israel’s.

The Arab and Muslim world would howl but couldn’t do anything about it.

There should be no withdrawal without US and EU recognition and an end of conflict agreement with them.

Algemiener

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is covertly seeking out other potential Palestinian Arab peace partners to negotiate with – instead of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli daily Ma’ariv reported on Thursday. The news comes as current Israeli-PA framework agreement talks enter their seventh month.

Netanyahu’s special envoy, Yitzhak Molcho, has met with Abbas rival Mohammed Dahlan on at least one occasion, according to Ma’ariv.

Mohammed Dahlan is a former Fatah Central Committee member who was once a leading Palestinian political figure. At the peak of his power Dahlan was also head of the Preventive Security Authority of the Palestinian Authority. However, he fell from grace when terror group Hamas forcefully took over the Gaza Strip in 2007, a development for which he was held responsible by Abbas.
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Ted Belman

Yaakov Amidror is a former major general and National Security Advisor of Israel, and was also the head of the Research Department of Israeli military intelligence.

When asked by Tablet this week whether he believes Kerry’s efforts will be successful, he made no mention of borders or Jerusalem and said:

“That depends on the details of the final proposal. If the Americans succeed in bringing to the agreement all of the elements that are needed – namely, to make sure that there is a secure buffer between the Palestinian state and the Arab world, that there is not going to be a new Gaza in Ramallah, and that Israel will have satisfactory arrangements to deal with emerging terrorist capabilities within the West Bank – if all of these elements will be in the agreement, and will be part of a clear understanding between us and the Palestinians, and are guaranteed by America, and if we will have the opportunity to keep those security arrangements until it will be understood by us, not by anyone else, when it is time to change them, then I think the agreement will be something that Israel can live with.”

Hopefully he meant in addition to every thing else we want. His requirements sound a lot like what we have now. Of what value is an American guarantee. None that I can see because America has never honoured their guarantees to us.

He also said Israel is responsible for the destruction of Russian arms and missiles before they reach Hezbollah.

By Tova Dvorin,INN

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has promised senior officials in Jewish Home that the US framework for peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority will not be allowed to actualize, Ma’ariv reports Friday.

“We made it clear that we will not stand by this [the US framework] and this was promised to us,” a senior official told the daily. The promise was allegedly made during talks held between Likud and Jewish Home; the official explained that Jewish Home leader and Economics Minister Naftali Bennett has threatened to leave the coalition in the event that Netanyahu agrees to accept the interim agreement, which would see Israel give away land for a Palestinian state. Read more…

Op-ed: So-called ‘peace process’ is an attempt to bully Israel under threat of increased isolation into making risky concessions which will not facilitate peace

Dan Calic, YNET NEWS

After months of discussions and shuttle diplomacy, US Secretary of State John Kerry is reaching a critical point in his attempt to broker a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs. This may be the last opportunity for a negotiated settlement. A quick review puts this in perspective.

One formal agreement was signed with the Palestinians – the Oslo Accords in the mid 1990s. This required them to stop educational, social and religious incitement and redirect it toward peaceful coexistence. They were also obligated to amend the PLO charter calling for Israel’s destruction, shut down terror groups, prevent terror attacks, and protect Jewish holy sites in Judea and Samaria. They did none of these, thus the accord isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.
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By Ted Belman

Secure Freedom Radio with Frank Gaffney in Washington DC is the place where national security policy makers both listen to and contribute to the content. That’s because, like all informed voters, they need depth in national security and foreign policy media that cuts past the sound bites to the heart of consequential issues. Our guests and regular contributors include past and present government officials, lawmakers, military personnel, experts, journalists, commentators and freedom fighters, from here and abroad.

This program is so good you will want to listen to it daily.

I was interviewed yesterday by Frank Gaffney, the Founder and President of the Center for Security Policy for this program.

The interview will be a 10 minute segment in an hour show that will be available today.

Go here to learn where to listen live or in podcast.

By Caroline Glick

It is happening in slow motion, to be sure.

But we are witnessing how a nuclear armed Iran is changing the face of the Middle East.

For years, US leaders, including President Barack Obama, warned that a nuclear armed Iran would spark a regional arms race.

And this is happening.

As the Wall Street Journal’s Bret Stephens (a former Jerusalem Post editor in chief) noted this week, Turkey signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with Japan that includes “a provision allowing Turkey to enrich uranium and extract polonium, a potential material for nuclear weapons.”
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Lawrence Solomon, Financial Post

By Prof Efriam Inbar, ISRAEL HAYOM

Israel Hayom reports:

The U.S. condemned the approval of construction permits across the Green Line and called for both Israel and the Palestinians to refrain from taking unilateral steps that could hurt the ongoing peace talks.

“Our position on Jerusalem is clear,” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Wednesday. “We oppose any unilateral actions by either party that attempt to prejudge final status issues, including the status of Jerusalem. We’ve called on both sides to take steps to create a positive atmosphere for the negotiations.”

Read more…

PM reportedly willing to expel roughly 90,000 Jews from the region.
By Maayana Miskin, INN

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has offered to give the Palestinian Authority full control over 90% of Judea and Samaria,Walla! news reports. The report is based on testimony from sourcesclose to the secret Israel-PA talks.

Netanyahu’s reported offer still falls short of the PA’s demand to receive at least 97% of territory in the region.
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Uri Ariel: There is no hope coalition will sign peace treaty with Palestinians

Haaretz seems to be presenting more balanced analysis from time to time, but they still want to end the occupation because it is morally wrong. Not so. Its up to the Palestinians to end the occupation by making a deal with Israel, giving her far more land than presently discussed. After all, that was the basis that the PLO and Arafat were allowed back into the territories. Res 242 and Oslo require a negotiated settlement, not a dictated one. According to Haaretz, we’re the bad guy for expecting such a settlement. Ted Belman

By Anshel Pfeffer, HAARETZ

Here’s a plausible scenario. Some would call it optimistic. The decision of Scandinavian investment funds to divest themselves from Israeli banks and companies working in the settlements, and the American and European warnings of international isolation sow panic among the government ministers. Read more…

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report February 5, 2014, 7:55 PM (IST)

The problem with this is that no one in Moscow, Tehran or Damascus has any doubt that the nuclear deals with the big powers will not turn out much differently from the agreement for destroying Syria’s chemical weapons.

The second round of the Geneva II conference on the Syrian conflict opens Monday, Feb. 10 – this time with a seat at the table for the Iranian delegation provided by Washington, DEBKAfile reports exclusively. Washington relayed this abrupt turnabout from its ban last week on Iranian representatives to the Tehran delegates quietly attending the secret alternative conference taking place unannounced in Bern.
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Israel fails to implement dozens of laws
By not drawing up relevant regulations ministries are ‘thwarting Knesset legislation’ charges Edelstein.

By TEd Belman

The left is in a tizzy because Israel just issued recently-announced decision to construct 550 housing units in Jerusalem Wednesday.

The newly-issued building permits include 386 units in Har Homa, 136 units in Neve Yaakov and 36 units in Pisgat Zeev, according to AFP.

INN informs us:
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By Ted Belman

What’s so scary about a one-state solution.

Gideon Levy in Haaretz entertains it positively:

If Israelis truly want to maintain the settlements they established, and to remain in the Jordan Valley and on the mountain ridge, in Gush Etzion and in Maale Adumim, in East Jerusalem and leading in Beit El – let them do so, but then there won’t be two states. If there are no two states, there is only one state. If there is one state, then the discourse must change: equal rights for everyone.

The problems are many and complicated, and like them so are the solutions: division into districts, federation, joint or separate governance. But there will be no demographic change here – because the state has long been binational – but rather just a democratic and conscious change. And then the question will arise in full force: Why is it so scary to live in an egalitarian state? Indeed, all other possibilities are much scarier.

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Right-wing MEP provokes anger after reiterating call for Muslims to renounce parts of the Koran calling for jihad.

By Ari Soffer, INN

A controversial British Member of the European Parliament has renewed his calls for Muslims in the UK to sign up to a special “code of conduct”, which would include rejecting aspects of the Koran which advocate “violent physical Jihad”.

Gerrard Batten, a senior member of the right-wing UK Independence Party (UKIP) – which calls for Britain to leave the European Union and advocates for strict immigration controls in the UK – first published the “Proposed Charter of Muslim Understanding” in 2006. At the time, he urged Muslims to sign up to the five-point pledge to accept equality, reject violence in the name of religion, and to “reexamine and address the meaning and application of certain Islamic texts and doctrines”.
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