Israel and the Middle East News Update

Monday, May 1

Headlines:  'We Are All Brothers'—Israel Remembers Fallen Soldiers  Clashes at Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremonies  Netanyahu to Abbas: If You Want Peace, Stop Paying Terrorists  Egypt, PA Coordinate Positions Ahead of Abbas, Trump Meeting  Hamas Accuses Abbas of ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ in Gaza  Hamas to Amend Controversial Charter in Bid to Ease Ties  Survey: Israeli Arabs View Country More Positively Than Jews  Israel, Palestinians Battle for Votes Over Jerusalem Resolution at UNESCO

Commentary:  Jewish Journal: “Even the Experts Are Turning on the WB Occupation”  By Rob Eshman, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, TRIBE Media Corp. / Jewish Journal  WAPO: “If Trump Has a Mideast Peace Strategy, It's Remaining a Secret”  By Josh Rogin, Global Opinions Columnist, Washington Post

S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20004 The Hon. Robert Wexler, President ● Yoni Komorov, Editor ● David Abreu, Associate Editor

News Excerpts May 1, 2017

Ynet News 'We Are All Brothers'—Israel Remembers Fallen Soldiers Israel marked Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of Israel and Victims of Terrorism on Monday morning with a two-minute siren, with people stopping their daily activities. The day also included a state memorial service honoring fallen IDF soldiers at the military plot on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister , IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and Chief Justice Miriam Naor were in attendance, alongside bereaved families of fallen soldiers. See also, “Israel Marks Memorial Day with Siren to Remember 23,544 Fallen” (Forward)

Ha’aretz Clashes at Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremonies Right-wing protesters disrupted, heckled and even forced their way into joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremonies held in and in the north on Sunday night. In Tel Aviv, some 4,000 participated in the event, held to commemorate the lives lost on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and were attacked by members of a counter protest of several dozen right wingers. See also, “Palestinians Barred from Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Service” (Times of Israel)

Ha’aretz Netanyahu to Abbas: If You Want Peace, Stop Paying Terrorists Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during the national Memorial Day service on Monday that Israel's existence is dependent on soldiers' willingness to sacrifice. "It's not only a condition for our existence, but also for the achievement of peace with our neighbors," he added. Netanyahu paid tribute to fallen servicemen, including his brother Yoni Netanyahu, as well as bereaved families. Later, Netanyahu addressed a second memorial, held for victims of terrorism. Addressing PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Netanyahu said: "How can you talk about peace with Israel when you're paying murderers who kill innocent Israelis. If you want peace, cancel payment to murderers."

Jerusalem Post Egypt, PA Coordinate Positions Ahead of Abbas, Trump Meeting Egyptian President Abdul Fatah al-Sisi and PA President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday coordinated their positions ahead of the latter's upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington this week. During a meeting in Cairo, Sisi was also cited as pledging Cairo's continued efforts to help formulate a diplomatic solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Egyptian president's spokesperson Alaa Yousi stated such a peace plan would outline an independent Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital. Fatah Central Committee member Azzam al-Ahmad, Palestinian General Intelligence head Majed Faraj, and Palestinian ambassador to Egypt Jamal al-Shubki accompanied Abbas on the visit. See also, “Abbas Meets with King Abdullah Ahead of White House Visit” (Times of Israel)

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Times of Israel Hamas Accuses Abbas of ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ in Gaza Senior Hamas officials stepped up a war of words with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas over the weekend, accusing him of “crimes against humanity” over his plans to pressure the terror group to cede control of the Gaza Strip. “The criminals in the PA, you cut off power to the innocent people of the Strip, so God will cut off power to your hearts,” he added. On Sunday, Ismail Haniyeh, the former Gaza leader for Hamas who is poised to take over soon as chief of the organization worldwide, called Abbas “delusional.” Last week, the PA informed Israel it would no longer pay for electricity provided by Israel to Gaza, despite the Strip already facing a crippling power shortage. i24 News Hamas to Amend Controversial Charter in Bid to Ease Ties Hamas is to unveil a new version of its controversial founding charter which called for the destruction of Israel in a bid to ease its international isolation, party officials said. Leaders of the Islamist movement have long spoken of the more limited aim of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip without explicitly setting it out in its charter. But after years of internal debate, the party leadership is to publish a supplementary charter at a conference in Qatar on Monday that will formally accept the idea of a state in the territories occupied by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967. See also, “With Eyes on Trump's Peace Efforts, Hamas to Unveil New Charter” (Ha'aretz)

Times of Israel Survey: Israeli Arabs View Country More Positively Than Jews More among Israel’s Arab community than its Jewish population are satisfied with life in Israel and slightly over half are proud to be Israeli citizens, according to a new survey released on Sunday. The results of the poll, conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University Peace Index, were released ahead of Israel’s 69th Independence Day that falls on Tuesday. The survey sought an appraisal of life in Israel, asking the question: “How’s it going?” Among Jewish respondents, 43.9 percent said they see Israel’s situation as “good” or “very good” while among Arabs the figure was nearly two-thirds at 66%. See also, “Poll: Arab Citizens Think Higher of Israel Than Its Jewish Citizens Do” (Jerusalem Post)

Jerusalem Post Israel, Pal. Battle for Votes Over J’lem Resolution at UNESCO Israel is battling to prevent a public-relations victory for the Palestinians at the UNESCO Executive Board in Paris, which is expected to disavow Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem on Independence Day. Such a vote would provide PA President Mahmoud Abbas a boost when he meets with US President Donald Trump at the White House one day later. The United States, one of the 58 UNESCO Executive Board members, is expected to oppose the resolution. The Palestinians have an automatic majority on the board, but the PA and Israel are battling for the support of the 11 EU member states. Their votes have come to represent a “moral” political victory. See also, “US Official Criticizes ‘Delegitimizing’ UNESCO Res. Labeling Israeli Presence in J’lem ‘Illegal’” (Algemeiner)

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Jewish Journal – April 27, 2017 Even the Experts Are Turning on the West Bank Occupation By Rob Eshman  For decades, I’ve been writing about the danger Israel’s occupation of the West Bank — and before that, Gaza — poses to the existence of a democratic State of Israel.  It’s not a position that makes you popular with a vocal minority of American Jews, and perhaps a majority of the Jewish establishment. One of the most frequent critiques I get is that I am a naive non-combatant writing from the safety of the United States who knows nothing about Israeli security, the realities of the Middle East or the true nature of the Palestinians.  So, fine, let’s say I plead no contest to all those charges. But suppose I could find someone who served at the highest ranks of Israel’s army or intelligence services and who holds the same positions on the issues that I do? Would that convince the critics?  Now, what if I could find 270 of them?  Commanders for Israel’s Security (CIS) is a group of former combat commanders, generals and intelligence officials who have undertaken a campaign in Israel to end the occupation.  “We believe in separation as opposed to annexation,” Gen. (Res.) Giora Inbar, a CIS leader, told me. “We understand security comes by agreement, not by fighting.”  Inbar visited the Jewish Journal offices early last month as part of a speaking tour sponsored by Israel Policy Forum. He is, at 64, tall and trim, with close-cropped gray hair and a gravelly close-your-eyes-and-it’s-Yitzhak-Rabin voice. Inbar and other members of the group, including Amnon Reshef, a hero of the , will be back in Los Angeles next weekend, as well.  Like Rabin, they harbor few illusions about whether Hamas loves Jews or whether ISIS doesn’t have its sights set on Ramallah, much less Amman. As the former head of the ’ liaison unit in southern Lebanon, Inbar worked with intelligence-gathering units that likely knew more about what was going on in Syria than Bashar Assad.  “We are combat commanders,” Inbar explained. “Each of us at a point in his career understood the limits of power. We believe the two-state solution is the only solution that guarantees the security of Israel.”  When Israel conquered the West Bank and Gaza in the Six-Day War, 50 years ago this June, it assumed control of the millions of Palestinians who live there, without granting them full democratic rights. Unless it withdraws, the country soon will find itself having to choose between being an apartheid state or a binational state of Jews and Arabs — something the generals and most analysts see as a recipe for a Syria-like disaster.  Commanders for Israel’s Security is dealing with an issue that so far the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to face, or, in some cases, has made worse. The CIS idea is very simple, and emblematic of the fighting ethos of the Israel Defense Forces: Seize the initiative.

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 “We refuse to condition our response on their initiative,” Inbar said. “We are not going to let anyone use the claim of ‘no partner’ as an excuse. No partner? OK, we are strong enough to initiate.”  For CIS, that means a simple three-point plan.  First, Israel can complete the security fence running between the country and the territories, and enforce strict security along the fence. Netanyahu, bowing to a right wing that doesn’t want to acknowledge Israel’s lack of sovereignty over the West Bank, has resisted finishing the fence — a lapse that risks Israeli lives.  Second, say the commanders, work with Palestinians to improve their infrastructure and economy. In Hamas-controlled Gaza, that could mean allowing plans for a seaport to go forward.  “Help them build their economy and lifestyle, so they have something to lose,” Inbar said.  Finally, engage the Palestinians and Israel’s regional neighbors in talks along the lines of the Arab Peace Plan, which Israel has long rejected or ignored.  The peace talks can come last, Inbar said, and whether they bear fruit or not, Israel’s initial two steps will ensure it a safe and secure democratic state.  “The idea is to bridge the stagnation and status quo that now exists with a permanent status agreement in the future,” the general explained.  In Israel, military yichus, or pedigree, matters. When CIS launched a controversial public relations campaign earlier this year that warned Israelis of a one-state inevitability, opinion polls showed that 7 percent of Israelis who didn’t think there was a chance of a two-state solution changed their mind — overnight.  But there is much more work to be done.  I interviewed Inbar the same week members of Netanyahu’s coalition sought to pass a bill that would extend Israeli sovereignty to the Jerusalem-area settlement of Ma’ale Adumim.  “It’s a disaster,” Inbar told me. “It really violates the territorial contiguity of the Palestinians.”  Netanyahu delayed a vote on the bill to avoid a confrontation with the Trump administration, but proponents have vowed to reintroduce it.  Meanwhile, sources in Israel have told me Commanders for Israel have held at least two private meetings with Netanyahu himself.  As Israel celebrates its 69th birthday, these former generals may be just the gift it needs. Rob Eshman is the publisher and editor-in-chief of TRIBE Media Corp. / Jewish Journal.

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Summary: Commanders for Israel’s Security is dealing with an issue that so far the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to face, or, in some cases, has made worse. The CIS idea is very simple, and emblematic of the fighting ethos of the Israel Defense Forces: Seize the initiative. “We refuse to condition our response on their initiative,” Inbar said. “We are not going to let anyone use the claim of ‘no partner’ as an excuse. No partner? OK, we are strong enough to initiate.”

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Washington Post – April 30, 2017 If Trump Has a Mideast Peace Strategy, It's Remaining a Secret By Josh Rogin  If President Trump has a real strategy to make progress on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, it’s such a tightly held secret that even the parties involved don’t seem to know what it is. When Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visits the White House this week, that mystery will be on full display.  “I want to see peace with Israel and the Palestinians,” Trump said last week. “There is no reason there’s not peace between Israel and the Palestinians — none whatsoever.”  Setting aside the patent absurdity of that statement, what’s clear is that the White House is willing to devote time and attention to new Middle East negotiations and the president wants to be personally involved.  The problem is, there’s a glaring gap between Trump’s high-flying rhetoric and his still- unexplained strategy. As the Abbas visit approaches, there’s no clarity in sight.  Last week, a high-level Palestinian delegation led by chief negotiator Saeb Erekat traveled to Washington to prepare for the visit. The group met with Trump’s envoy on Middle East peace, Jason Greenblatt, as well as with White House and State Department officials.  Both sides are keeping expectations for the Trump-Abbas meeting low. Palestinian officials tell me the Trump team doesn’t seem to know exactly what Trump wants to discuss or propose. White House staff declined to say anything at all about their goals for the meeting. Some experts think that’s because there’s no depth to Trump’s approach.  “How you deal with Abbas is directly related to a broader strategy, which unless they haven’t announced it, they simply don’t have,” said former Middle East negotiator Aaron David Miller. “It’s hard to see that this is going to turn out to be much more than a stage visit.”  In truth, there really isn’t much Trump and Abbas can agree to. There’s little hope that Abbas will give Trump what the U.S. side wants, namely a promise to address the issue of incitement in the Palestinian territories or a pledge to curb the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s policy of paying families of terrorists who have attacked Israelis and Americans.  Likewise, there’s no prospect that Trump will deliver what Abbas wants — a commitment to press the Israelis into a freeze of settlement-building that would meet Palestinian standards. The United States has secured an informal agreement with the government of Benjamin Netanyahu to place some limits on building new settlements, a version of the “build up, not out” framework from the George W. Bush administration. But that falls short of what Abbas says is needed before negotiations can begin.  The meeting could be significant by itself, if Trump and Abbas can establish a personal rapport to build on in the future. But therein also lies a risk.

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 “The president has never met Abbas and that makes it an important meeting,” said former White House and State Department official Elliott Abrams. “But if he forms the opinion that Abbas is not strong enough to do a deal and then implement it, that will have a real impact on American policy.”  Sure to be present at the meeting is Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is overseeing Greenblatt’s work. Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, will reportedly join Donald Trump for a trip to Israel in late May, one that may also include a stop in Saudi Arabia.  Administration officials sometimes talk about an “outside-in” approach whereby a framework for peace negotiations would be arranged with Arab states and then folded into the Israeli- Palestinian dynamic. Details of that plan are hazy, and the Trump team has yet to explain how it plans to incentivize Arab states to buy in.  Martin Indyk, who served as President Barack Obama’s special envoy on this issue, said Trump’s approach of trying to find avenues to pursue is positive but cannot overcome the inability of Israeli and Palestinian leaders to make the political compromises necessary for real progress.  “Based on experience, there’s one principle that I operate on. By American willpower alone, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be resolved,” he said.  There are things the Trump team can do constructively, including bolstering Abbas by promoting economic development in the West Bank, Indyk said. Making small progress on the margins could improve the chances for peace down the line.  But by going for headlines, not trend lines, Trump is raising expectations and putting his administration’s already-thin credibility at risk. There can be dangerous consequences in the Middle East when high-stakes diplomacy fails. The new administration would be better off recognizing that peace is not in the offing. Josh Rogin is a columnist for the Global Opinions section of the Washington Post. He writes about foreign policy and national security.

Summary: Both sides are keeping expectations for the Trump-Abbas meeting low. Palestinian officials tell me the Trump team doesn’t seem to know exactly what Trump wants to discuss or propose. White House staff declined to say anything at all about their goals for the meeting. Some experts think that’s because there’s no depth to Trump’s approach. “How you deal with Abbas is directly related to a broader strategy, which unless they haven’t announced it, they simply don’t have,” said former Middle East negotiator Aaron David Miller.

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