Israel Matters!Matters!
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ISRAELISRAEL MATTERS!MATTERS! Publication of the Israel Affairs Committee of Temple Beth Sholom 1809 Whitney Avenue, Hamden, CT 06517-1401 Issue Number 76 February 2014 US Secretary of State Kerry Frustrated by Palestinians’ Refusal to Recognize ‘Jewish’ Israel Arafat Death Investigation: Demands that the Palestinians recognize Isra- el as a Jewish state have become a major Palestinian Leader Did Not Die stumbling block in Secretary of State John From Radioactive Poisoning Kerry’s [photo, at left] search for a settlement to the Middle East’s most enduring conflict. A Russian probe into the death of Palestin- ian leader Yasser Arafat has found no As Secretary Kerry continued a frantic diplo- trace of radioactive poisoning, the chief of matic quest that some have dubbed “mission the government agency that conducted the impossible”, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Pales- study said. Vladimir Uiba, the head of the tinians’ refusal to formally acknowledge the country’s Jewish character Federal Medical and Biological Agency, had become the key topic in his discussions with Mr. Kerry. said the agency had no plans to conduct Palestinian officials admitted that Mr. Kerry has pressed the issue with further tests. “It was a natural death; Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, who has so far there was no impact of radiation,” he said. refused to bend. “The Americans have made it very clear that Teams of scientists from France, Switzer- [recognition of Israel as a Jewish state] is their position,” said one Pales- land, and Russia were asked to determine tinian official. “They talk about it in meetings with our side and make whether polonium, a rare and extremely an issue out of it. We have made it very clear that we are not going to lethal substance, played a role in Arafat’s sign any agreement that recognizes Israel as a Jewish state.” The Pales- death in a French military hospital in tinian leader believes the rights of Israel’s approximately 1.5 million 2004. Palestinians have long suspected Arab citizens would be undermined if he concedes the point. It would Israel of poisoning him, which Israel de- also weaken the claims of around 5 million refugees and their descend- nies. Russia, meanwhile, has had close ties ants claiming a “right of return” to homes that are now in Israel, Pales- with Palestinian authorities since Soviet tinians argue. times. Yasser Arafat, the late Palestinian leader, officially recognized Israel After a 2012 Swiss report which said traces before signing the Oslo accords in1993 in a letter to Yitzhak Rabin, the of radioactive polonium were found on Ara- then Israeli prime minister, but did not mention its status as a Jewish fat’s clothing and that the timeframe of his state. Mr. Kerry met with representatives of Jordan and Saudi Arabia, illness and death was consistent with poi- where he was thought to be seeking support for possible Palestinian con- soning from ingesting polonium, his widow cessions. Mr. Abbas is believed to be unlikely to give way on key issues Suha Arafat filed a legal complaint in without wider Arab support. France seeking an investigation into Mr. Netanyahu, who was reported to have launched an angry tirade of whether he was murdered. As part of that complaints to Mr. Kerry when the pair met recently, linked the issue to probe, French investigators had Arafat’s what he said was a campaign of Palestinian incitement against Israel. remains exhumed and ordered a series of tests on them. “The Palestinians are continuing their campaign of inciting hatred, as we have seen in the last few days with their refusal to recognize Israel Suha Arafat said that the experts found as a state for the Jewish people,” he said at a cabinet meeting. “This is traces of polonium but came to different the main issue that we’re discussing with [Mr. Kerry]. We are not for- conclusions than the Swiss , finding that it eigners in Jerusalem, Beit El, or Hebron. I reiterate that, in my view, was “of natural environmental origin.” this is the root of both the conflict and the incitement - the non- [Huffington Post] recognition of this basic fact.” [The Daily Telegraph] Israeli Officials Point to ‘Incitement’ by tion Organization, noted that weather maps in Israeli newspapers do not demarcate Palestinian territory, just Palestinians as maps cited in Mr. Steinitz’s report do not show the Adolf Hitler is quoted on the Facebook pages of Palestini- land divided. an Authority schools. A young girl appears on Palestini- Incitement is an issue as old as the conflict itself. An un- an television, describ- usually comprehensive recent study of Israeli and Pales- ing Jews as “barbaric tinian Authority textbooks found that each presented the monkeys, wretched other side as the enemy, but that the Palestinian books pigs” and the contained more negative characterizations. David Pol- “murderers of Mu- lock, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East hammad,” the Islam- Policy who in September published a 172-page study of ic prophet. Maps on the issue, said that while incitement had decreased the Facebook page of markedly since the second intifada, or Palestinian upris- the Palestinian presi- ing, a decade ago, it persists. “There are ups and downs, dential guards do not there are exceptions,” Mr. Pollock said in an interview, show Israel. Presi- “but unfortunately I think it is true that the official Pal- dent Mahmoud Abbas himself embraced as “heroes” re- estinian media continue to incite against Israel and to leased Palestinian prisoners who killed Israelis. claim that all of Palestine belongs to the Palestinians. These are among dozens of examples highlighted by Is- There’s almost no positive discussion of peace, two peo- raeli officials in a new presentation documenting nega- ples, any of that sort of favorable or even just moderate tive statements about Israel and Jews in official Palestin- messages about Israel.” On the Israeli side, Mr. Pollock ian Authority media and textbooks. As Secretary of State said, “what you have are unofficial, extremist fringe indi- John Kerry left the area after a recent, intense four-day viduals” whose statements are “disowned and discour- push for a framework agreement outlining prospects for a aged, for the most part,” by government leaders. peace deal, Israeli leaders said that such statements had Mr. Steinitz’s ministry has four people working full time not abated since negotiations began this summer. tracking incitement, and since 2009 it has issued quar- “The general phenomenon is very clear: They are poison- terly reports trying to quantify it. Mr. Steinitz said that ing Palestinian children with deep hatred of Israel and numbers for the fall of 2013 were not yet available, but the Jewish people,” Yuval Steinitz, Israel’s minister of that “amazingly, surprisingly, since the resumption of strategic affairs, said as he showed the presentation to the negotiations we see even more incidents.” international reporters. “At the end of the day, let’s as- On the Nov. 2 anniversary of the Balfour Declaration of sume we’ll be able to resolve all the technical issues, 1917, in which Britain endorsed the establishment of a which are extremely complicated. Are we going to get Jewish homeland in Palestine, the website of Mr. Abbas’s genuine peace, or just a piece of paper?” presidential guards posted a headline, “Palestine Is Not The presentation, which Mr. Steinitz delivered at an Is- to Be Divided,” with a map that did not show Israel. The raeli cabinet meeting, is part of an intensifying campaign presentation also included a picture of a Nazi flag hung in which he, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and in the West Bank village of Beit Ummar. And there was others have emphasized what they call “incitement” as a a video on a website of Mr. Abbas’s Fatah faction in prime obstacle to peace. It underpins their increasing which masked members of its military wing threatened demand for Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish to kidnap Israeli soldiers and showed off weapons, sing- state, which they argue is the only way they will be as- ing, “With these rockets we will liberate Jerusalem, with sured that an agreement will end the conflict. these rockets we will crush the Zionist enemy.” Palestinian leaders dismiss the renewed focus on incite- Mr. Steinitz said that Mr. Netanyahu had shown Mr. ment as a ruse to distract from disagreements over issues Kerry some of these examples during a recent meeting in including borders, the future of Jerusalem, and the rights Rome. The prime minister also complained about incite- of refugees. ment in an August letter to Mr. Kerry, and has frequent- ly raised the issue in his public statements since the ne- Majdi Khaldi, a diplomatic adviser to Mr. Abbas said the gotiations began. problems go both ways. He pointed out that Israel’s for- eign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, has repeatedly ac- “This Palestinian government incitement is rampant,” cused Mr. Abbas of “diplomatic terrorism,” and said he Mr. Netanyahu said at a joint appearance with Mr. Kerry also saw Israel’s continued construction in West Bank when he arrived in Israel recently. “Instead of preparing settlements and military raids on Palestinian cities as Palestinians for peace, Palestinian leaders are teaching forms of incitement. them to hate Israel.” [NY Times] Xavier Abu Eid, a spokesman for the Palestine Libera-.