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Israel Update Israel and the Middle East News Update Thursday, September 15 Headlines: Touting Aid Deal, Obama Says Israeli Security Requires Palestinian State PM's Former Security Advisor Slams Handling of U.S. Military Aid Deal Peres Remains in Serious, But Stable Condition Hundreds of Israeli Intellectuals: ‘End Occupation for Israel’s Sake’ Lieberman Orders Israeli Defense, Military Officials to Boycott UN Envoy US General: Israel Is Key to Fighting World's Terrorism Problem Gaza Rockets Land in Southern Israel Prompting IDF Targeted Response Saudi Prince Warns Iran Against Using Force to Pursue Rivalry Commentary: Washington Post: “Ehud Barak: Bibi’s Reckless Conduct Endangers Israel” By Ehud Barak, Former Israeli Prime Minister (’99-’01) & Defense Minister (‘99-’01, ’07-’13) Yedioth Ahronoth: “The Secret Commitment” By Nahum Barnea, Leading Israeli Journalist, Yedioth Ahronoth S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20004 www.centerpeace.org ● Yoni Komorov, Editor ● David Abreu, Associate Editor News Excerpts September 15, 2016 Times of Israel Obama: True Israeli Security Requires Palestinian Statehood U.S. President Barack Obama said Wednesday that while the massive new military aid deal for Israel — Washington’s largest defense package to any country in history — would help Israel defend itself, “long-term security” can only be achieved by the creation of “an independent and viable Palestine.” In a statement released shortly after the signing, Obama described the memorandum of understanding as “just the most recent reflection of my steadfast commitment to the security of the State of Israel,” citing billions of dollars provided by his administration over the past eight years. See also, “Obama Prods Netanyahu After Signing US-Israel Aid Deal” (New York Times) Ynet News PM's Former Security Advisor Slams Handling of U.S. Aid Deal Prof. Uzi Arad, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's former national security advisor, criticized his former boss on Thursday for his handling of the negotiations over the US military aid package to Israel, which was signed the previous day in Washington. “Netanyahu gambled and missed a historic opportunity,” Arad told Ynet. “I predicted this half a year ago that he would be wrong, and now I am vindicated. Reality slapped him in the face. Bibi made an error of judgment and as a result, handled matters incorrectly. As usual, the result is a loss compared with what was possible and what should have been. The State of Israel not only lost out by the fact that it received fewer weapons and less funding but also missed an opportunity to achieve significant diplomatic benefits.” See also, “Opposition MKs: PM's Frosty Relations with US Reduced Military Aid” (Times of Israel) See also, “Barak Slams US-Israel Defense Agreement” (Arutz Sheva) Jerusalem Post Peres Remains in Serious, But Stable Condition Former president Shimon Peres remained in serious but stable condition on Thursday morning after suffering a stroke on Tuesday night. Slight improvements in his condition were seen Wednesday night according to Prof. Amit Segev, one of the senior doctors treating the former president. "Peres is showing slight signs of recovery," Segev explained, "He responds to the environment, when given a lower dose of anesthesia he moves his hands and attempts to remove the breathing tube." Times of Israel Hundreds of Israeli Intellectuals: End Occupation for Israels Sake Hundreds of Israeli artists and intellectuals urged world Jewry to challenge Israeli policy toward Palestinians, in a letter released Wednesday: “We call upon Jews around the world to join with Israeli partners for coordinated action to end the occupation and build a new future, for the sake of the State of Israel and the generations to come.” The 470 signatories include 48 winners of Israel’s most prestigious awards (Israel Prize and EMET Prize); 7 high-ranking IDF officers; 20 former Israeli Ambassadors, ministers, senior government officials and Members Knesset. Among the most well- known signatories are authors David Grossman and Amos Oz and Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman. 2 Ha’aretz Lieberman to Defense, Military Officials: Boycott UN Envoy Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has instructed ministry employees and military officials to boycott UN Envoy to the Middle East Nikolay Mladenov. Orders were issued following Mladenov’s criticism of Israeli policies on settlement construction and toward the Palestinians, as well as of Lieberman himself. Two weeks ago Mladenov told the UN Security Council the illegal expansion of settlements and the lack of PA control in Gaza are the primary obstacles to peace. He added there had been “a surge in Israeli settlement-related announcements and continuing demolitions.” See also, “Central Bureau of Statistics: West Bank Settler Housing Starts Up 17% in 2016” (Jerusalem Post) See also, “Lieberman Declares Boycott of United Nations Special Coordinator” (Arutz Sheva) Jerusalem Post US General: Israel Is Key to Fighting World's Terrorism Problem “Israel is a key piece in the puzzle” to solving the world’s growing terrorism problem, US Brig. Gen. (ret.) Russell Howard said Wednesday at the IDC Herzliya Conference on Counter-Terrorism on the university’s campus. Howard made the comment as part of a panel on learning lessons from recent major terror attacks around the world. He expressed confidence about the US ability’s to cope with the ongoing terror threat, but serious concern that Europe was not up to the job. BICOM Gaza Rockets Land in Israel Prompting IDF Targeted Response A rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel last night, prompting Israel to strike three strategic Gaza targets in response. The rocket landed in an open field in the Eshkol region. There were no injuries or damage reported. Warning sirens were not sounded as Israel’s alert system determined that the projectile was heading for an unpopulated area. Several hours after the incident, Israeli Air Force jets struck a number of strategic Hamas targets in the northern Gaza Strip. See also, “IAF Attacks Hamas Infrastructures Following Rocket Fire” (Arutz Sheva) See also, “IDF Hits Hamas Targets in Gaza” (Ynet News) Reuters Saudi Prince Warns Iran Against Using Force to Pursue Rivalry A senior Saudi official, responding to Iranian criticism of Riyadh's management of the haj pilgrimage, urged Iran to end what he called wrong attitudes toward Arabs and warned it against any use of force in its rivalry with the kingdom. Mecca province governor Prince Khaled al-Faisal, in remarks likely to be seen as a reference to Iran, added that the orderly conduct of the pilgrimage this year "is a response to all the lies and slanders made against the kingdom". The remarks carried by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Wednesday evening follow an escalating war of words between Shi'ite Muslim Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia since a crush at the annual haj pilgrimage a year ago in which hundreds of pilgrims, many of them Iranians, died. See also, “Saudi Arabia to Iran: Attack Us at Your Own Risk” (Jerusalem Post) 3 Washington Post – September 14, 2016 Ehud Barak: Netanyahu's Reckless Conduct Endangers Israel By Ehud Barak During the past two years, a sense of gloom has taken over my country, as pride in Israel’s accomplishments and self-confidence grounded in reality have given way to fear-mongering, victimhood and internal quarrels. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enabled a militant, nationalist minority to carry out a hostile takeover of his party, Likud; to form a majority in his cabinet; and thus to hijack our national agenda in the service of a messianic drive toward, as it’s often put, “a single Jewish state, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.” This overarching ambition is bound to culminate in either a single, binational state, which, within a generation, may have a Jewish minority and likely a Bosnia-like civil war, or else an apartheid reality if Palestinian residents are deprived of the right to vote. Both spell doom for the Zionist dream. Netanyahu’s reckless conduct has also undermined Israel’s security. Israel has reached a new military-aid agreement for the next decade with the United States. The damage produced by Netanyahu’s irresponsible management of the relations with the White House is now fully manifest. Israel will receive $3.8 billion a year — an important contribution to our security but far less than what could have been obtained before the prime minister chose to blatantly interfere with U.S. politics. Moreover, given the more than 20 percent cumulative rise in the cost of arms since the last 10- year agreement entered into force (in 2007), the newly agreed-upon amount represents no greater purchasing power — and even these funds will be conditioned on Israel refraining from requesting additional funding from Congress. Accentuating the degree of mistrust, according to new details reported Wednesday, the administration secured an Israeli written commitment to return any additional money that Congress might provide. In the past, Congress has added — with White House consent — $600 million to $700 million every year for Iron Dome and other defense systems. Additionally, Israel will have to accept a gradual reduction of more than $750 million a year in funds for our defense industries. Consequently, either vital security projects will be canceled or the same amount will be reduced from important domestic programs. Expressing our opposition to the Iran nuclear deal was certainly legitimate. But instead of holding a candid dialogue behind closed doors with President Obama, Netanyahu went behind his back to deliver a speech to Congress, shaking the foundations of bipartisan support for Israel and dividing Jewish opinion. Likewise at home, Netanyahu has consistently nourished fear of existential threats and unleashed ghosts of enemies from within, when domestic realities called for unity and confidence and regional developments required a sober assessment and steady hand.
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