TONER: U.S. accomplishments in the UN Human Rights Council

 
From: Danielle_Borrin@ovp.eop.gov
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:27:01 -0400
Subject: STATEMENT BY MARK TONER: The United Nations Human Rights Council

Friends:

This morning, the State Department released the following statement and fact sheet, which details key U.S. accomplishments at the UN Human Rights Council. Although the fact sheet is broad, it is important to highlight how we have consistently opposed anti-Israeli resolutions in the U.N. Human Rights Council (including the resolutions on the flotilla incident and the follow up to the Goldstone report) and the General Assembly in UNESCO.
Feel free to share this document with those who might be interested.

All the best,

Danielle

 

 

 

For Immediate Release and Posting

 

 

U.S.. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of the Spokesman

For Immediate Release                                                                                                                                        March 30, 2011

2011/494

 

 

STATEMENT BY MARK TONER, ACTING DEPUTY SPOKESMAN

 

The United Nations Human Rights Council

 

The United States is pleased to note the landmark achievements of the most recent session of the UN Human Rights Council.

 

This session included bold, assertive action by the Council to highlight the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran by establishing a new Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in that country, the first country-specific mandate created by the Council since it came into being.  The Council also charted a new course for global efforts to condemn intolerance, discrimination, and violence based on religion or belief while protecting and promoting freedom of expression.  The Council established a Commission of Inquiry to examine serious abuses and violations of human rights in Cote d’Ivoire, and extended the Council’s scrutiny of the ongoing serious human rights abuses in Burma..  And in conjunction with the session, the United States led a ground-breaking effort to get 85 UN member-states to join a statement supporting the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Taken collectively, the actions taken by the 16^th Human Rights Council represent a significant positive change in the Council’s trajectory.

 

However, much work remains to be done to ensure that the Council realizes fully its intended purpose.  In particular, the United States remains determined to take all possible steps to end the Council’s biased and disproportionate focus on Israel.  The United States maintains a vocal, principled stand against this focus, and will continue its robust efforts to end it.  We also will continue to work to thwart the efforts to elect as Council members governments that clearly do not merit membership given their own human rights records.  And the United States remains determined to continue to push the Council to address a broad range of urgent and serious human rights concerns worldwide.  To this end, the United States Government intends to pursue a second term on the Council at the Human Rights Council elections in New York in May 2012.

 

We believe that U.S. engagement in the Human Rights Council has directly resulted in real progress.  In our two years on the Council, we’ve not been happy with every outcome, and have firmly denounced Council actions we disagree with, but the Council has made important strides. Much work remains to be done for the Human Rights Council to sustain the gains of the last two years and to fully realize its potential, and the United States looks forward to continuing our efforts to do so.

 

###

 

 

 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of the Spokesman

For Immediate Release                                                                                                                                             March 30, 2011

2011/495

 

FACT SHEET

 

Key U.S. Accomplishments at the UN Human Rights Council

 

This September will mark the two-year anniversary of U.S. membership on the United Nations Human Rights Council.  U.S. engagement at the Council has led to a number of new mechanisms to spotlight and address serious human rights concerns and focused international attention to some of the world’s most egregious human rights abusers.  Much work remains before the Council can fully realize its mandate as the international community’s focal point for the protection and promotion of human rights.  The United States will continue to work hard to diminish the Council’s biased disproportionate focus on Israel. The United States maintains a vocal, principled stand against this focus, and will continue its robust efforts to end it.

 

Key accomplishments over the past two years include:

 

DEEPENING ENGAGEMENT IN COUNTRY SITUATIONS

 

Iran:  The Council took bold, assertive action to highlight Iran’s deteriorating human rights situation by establishing a Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Iran.  The rapporteur will investigate and report on abuses in Iran and call out the failure of the Iranian government to meet its human rights obligations.

 

Cote d’Ivoire:  U.S. leadership led to a Special Session on the situation in Cote d’Ivoire, sending Laurent Gbagbo a clear message that the world is watching what he does and that atrocities and human rights violations would not go unnoticed.  At its most recent session, the Council established a Commission of Inquiry to investigate these abuses and amplified the international community’s unequivocal message that President Ouattara must be allowed to serve as the elected head of state. 

 

Libya:  The United States played a pivotal role in convening the Council’s Special Session in February 2011 during which the Council condemned the recent human rights violations and other acts of violence committed by the Government of Libya, created an independent Commission of Inquiry to investigate those violations, and recommended to the UN General Assembly that it suspend Libya’s membership rights on the Council.  The UN General Assembly acted on that recommendation several days later.

Kyrgyzstan:  The United States worked with Kyrgyzstan to draft and galvanize support for the first-ever resolution to address human rights violations there in the wake of the killings and abuses that took place in June 2010.  It called for a credible investigation by the Government and international assistance for victims and requested the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide follow-up reporting.  The resolution paved the way for a Commission of Inquiry to investigate these events.

 

Guinea:  The United States led the Council to adopt several resolutions on Guinea.  The Council condemned the September 2009 violence, welcomed the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ decision to open a country office, and requested technical assistance from the international community for the transition to democracy, which produced concrete results on the ground.

 

Tunisia:  The United States worked with the EU and the interim government of Tunisia to adopt a resolution that welcomed the process of political transition that has started in Tunisia, invited the UN to provide technical assistance to the transitional process in Tunisia, and encouraged the government of Tunisia to implement recommendations of the High Commissioner from its report on its mission earlier this year.

 

Burma:  The United States has worked to ensure the continuation of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burma.  The Special Rapporteur plays a critical role in reporting on the ongoing human rights abuses in Burma, including calling for a commission of inquiry into the situation. 

 

North Korea:  The United States has worked to ensure the continuation of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea.  While the government of North Korea strongly opposes this mandate, the number of votes in favor of the resolution increased this year, demonstrating the level of international concern with the situation there.

 

Sudan:  The United States led efforts to renew the mandate of the Independent Expert tasked with monitoring human rights throughout Sudan, including Darfur, over the Sudanese government’s strong opposition. 

 

 

INITIATING CONCRETE ACTION TO DRIVE HUMAN RIGHTS PRIORITIES

 

Protecting Freedom of Assembly and Association:  The U.S. government co-sponsored a resolution to  create the first-ever Special Rapporteur to protect Freedom of Assembly and Association, to monitor crackdowns on civil society groups and advance protection of  the right to free assembly and association through its vigilant exposure of state conduct.

 

Combating Discrimination Against Women:  The United States championed the establishment of a Working Group of Independent Experts to prevent Discrimination Against Women; the five independent experts will address discrimination against women in law and practice.  One of the experts is the first Israeli citizen to be appointed by the Human Rights Council President to a special mechanism.

 

A Strong Statement on LGBT Rights:  The United States led a group of 85 countries to sign a statement entitled “Ending Acts of Violence and Related Human Rights Violations Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.”  It represents a landmark moment in UN efforts to highlight human rights abuses faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people around the world.

 

DEFENDING CORE PRINCIPLES

 

Protecting Freedom of Expression in the Context of Religious Intolerance:  The United States was instrumental in galvanizing support for a consensus resolution that marks a sea change in the global dialogue on countering offensive and hateful speech based upon religion or belief.  The “Combating Discrimination and Violence” resolution underscores the vital importance of protecting freedom of expression and ends the divisive debate over the highly problematic concept of “defamation of religions.”

 

 

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Obama condemns terror against Israel

Obama condemns terror against Israel

Published:  03.24.11,    ynetnews.com

United States President Barack Obama talked to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and condemned the attacks against Israel. The conversation was held during Netanyahu's visit to Moscow Thursday.

 

"This creates a shared condemnation and a broad international identification in the war against terror," Netanyahu said following his conversation with Obama. (Attila Somfalvi)

Hamas missile attacks escalate

Palestinian Grad missiles from Gaza land in Ashdod and Ofakim Thursday – both exploding on empty ground • Four Qassam missiles, one mortar fired from Gaza at additional Israeli locations   [ March 24, 2011]

Podcast of conf. call with Barry Rubin 3/23/11

The podcast of today's [ March 23, 2011] conference call with Dr. Barry Rubin is now available. It was a great call. Dr. Rubin covered virtually every nation in the Middle East and all of the major current events.  The call was conducted by Rabbi David Kaufman.

http://rabbi.mypodcast.com/2011/03/Conference_Call_with_Dr_Barry_Rubin_March_23_2011-345432.html

 

 

 

25 hurt in J'lem bombing

25 hurt in Jerusalem bombing

Terror in capital: Explosive device explodes at phone booth near Jerusalem bus stop Wednesday afternoon; at least three people sustain serious wounds in blast. Police searching for more bombs in area

Omri Efraim

Latest Update:  03.23.11,

Terror in capital: At least 25 people were hurt Wednesday afternoon after an explosive device was detonated in a phone booth near the Jerusalem Convention Center.

 

One person sustained grave wounds in the explosion and three others were seriously hurt. Five other victims were moderately wounded and the rest sustained light injuries. 

 

Most victims are young, aged 15-30, said Shaare Zedek Medical Center Deputy Director, Ovadia Shemesh.

Bradley: Egypt vote results shows Islamists' rising sway

Egypt Vote Results Shows Islamists' Rising Sway

By MATT BRADLEY    Wall Street Journal   3/21/2011

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704355304576214611275129754.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

CAIRO—Egyptians' embrace of a set of proposed constitutional amendments in this weekend's referendum is the clearest sign yet that leadership of the country's revolution may be passing from youthful activists to Islamist religious leaders, according to analysts.

Electoral officials said 77% of Egyptians voted to accept a set of proposed amendments to Egypt's constitution that will, among other changes, limit the presidency to two four-year terms and ease restrictions on independent political participation, according to results announced Sunday.

The proposed changes were opposed by protest leaders and by presidential front-runners Mohammed El Baradei and Amr Moussa. Both men urged Egyptians to reject the amendments, written by lawyers and judges nominated by Egypt's military. Protest leaders and opposition politicians instead pushed for an entirely new constitution that would limit expansive presidential powers.

The results from Saturday's referendum signal a shift in Egypt's continuing revolution: The protest leaders, once celebrated as heroes and martyrs, are no longer the leading voice in Egypt's transition to democracy.

In their place are popular religious leaders, whose strong backing of the amendments held sway. These leaders see approval of the amendments as an avenue to political power and a means of preserving the country's Islamic identity. With their influence in what appeared to be Egypt's first free and fair election, these political playmakers show how they are positioned to help define Egypt's democratic future.

The powerful Muslim Brotherhood, a once-illegal Islamist political group, was joined in supporting the amendments by leaders of the Salafi Islamist movement—which follows the ultra-conservative brand of Islam widely practiced in Saudi Arabia—and residual elements of the former ruling National Democratic Party, or NDP.

Opponents of the amendments, which included many in the youth movement, said the Muslim Brotherhood allied with the NDP as part of a cynical power grab: The approval of the amendments has set the stage for parliamentary elections this summer, for which only the Brotherhood and the NDP have the organizational structures to compete.

Posters and leaflets distributed throughout the country said that voting "yes" on the 10 amendments—not one of which made any mention of religion—was a spiritual obligation. Some of the posters bore the Muslim Brotherhood name, but the group denied they put them up and said in general it hadn't used religious rhetoric to promote the amendments.

Prominent Salafi clerics openly championed the amendments, telling satellite television audiences that a "no" result would lead to the drafting of a new constitution that might exclude a controversial article in Egypt's existing constitution that embraces Sharia, or Islamic, law as the root of all legislation in the Egyptian parliament.

The nature of the campaign led some Egyptians to describe their "yes" votes as a religious obligation.

"This is a nightmare for intellectual Egyptians," said Nabil Abdel Fattah, a political analyst for the Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, a government-funded think tank based in Cairo.

"All the youth accepted the results of the referendum as a form of democracy. But at the same time, they felt very deceived by the dangerous role the religious groups played against them," Mr. Abdel Fattah said. "They felt that their revolution is being aborted and there is a huge, huge threat to the unity of the country from using religious campaigns."

Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church—whose adherents account for about 10% of the country's 80 million people—came out against the amendments, which they said amounted to an Islamist power-play.

The youth-led campaign against the amendments revealed the limits of the protest leaders' mass appeal among Egypt's largely impoverished, under-educated population.

For weeks after Mr. Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11, protesters remained in Tahrir Square, where they agitated for concession after concession from Egypt's new military leaders. Among their successes were the dissolution of the country's hated State Security services and the ouster of Mubarak loyalists from the country's cabinet.

As the protests continued well past Mr. Mubarak's resignation, most Egyptians yearned for a return to normalcy. Egypt's military has yet to lift a nightly curfew that has limited business hours and Egypt's stock market still has not reopened nearly two months after it closed on Jan. 27.

Except for the Brotherhood, which played a pivotal role in the protests, the majority of the demonstrators were secular-minded, well-educated liberals who shared little in common with Egypt's conservative majority.

The "yes" campaigners sought to portray the youthful protest movement as rich kids who could afford to perpetuate the political and economic uncertainty that followed Egypt's revolution.

One activist said that with Mr. Mubarak gone, the Egyptian people have multiple political options beyond the protesters.

"The protest leaders, they aren't as effective as we thought," said Bassem Fathi, one of the youth activists. He said Egyptians rallied behind the protesters because they represented the only alternative to Mr. Mubarak. "Now, Egyptians are having a lot of choices," he said.

Ceren: UN Women's Rights Commission singles out Israel

UN Women’s Rights Commission Singles Out Israel for Condemnation, Ignores Iran
Omri Ceren 03.20.2011

This is reaching the level of self-caricature. No sooner does Iran get a seat on the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women than it uses it with tragicomic predictability:

[The] U.N. policy-making body dedicated to “gender equality and the advancement of women” adopted a resolution accusing Israel of holding back the advancement of Palestinian women, but it took no action on the emergency in Libya or the legally enshrined discrimination faced by women in Iran. The only country-specific resolution passed by the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at its recent session in New York was one condemning Israel over the Palestinian issue.

Iranian prison guards rape female dissidents before executing them, lest their victims go to heaven as virgins. Iranian men get to avail themselves of temporary marriages, de facto legalizing the institutionalized slavery and rape of prepubescent girls. Iranian women are consigned to the backs of buses, have to shroud their bodies from head to toe, and can’t wear anything bright or shiny.

That’s just what’s happening in a single CSW member state.

The greater hypocrisy is what was ignored globally so that the Commission could spend time demonizing Israel. It’s not necessary to belabor the second-class status that women are consigned to throughout the Muslim world, except maybe to note two things that diverge from the quotidian misery.

First, it’s worth noting what’s happening to women in ostensibly egalitarian Turkey, and for that Michael Rubin’s recent post is mandatory reading. Second, not calling out what’s happening to women in Egypt right now is simply unconscionable. A body charged with promoting women’s freedom can’t ignore when freedom in general comes at the expense of women’s physical security, even if horrific gender apartheid has been woven into Egyptian society for centuries. Nina Burleigh is instructive on that last part.

Turkey and Egypt have horrific records on women’s rights. Iran, a CSW member state, is worse than both of them. And yet again Israel got singled out for condemnation, because it’s the UN so why not?

Source: http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/03/20/un-womens-rights-commission-singles-out-israel-for-condemnation-ignores-iran/

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Israeli PM Netanyahu: "We recognize the rights of the Palestinians for a state of their own."

Netanyahu: "We recognize the rights of the Palestinians for a state of their own. Even though they're sitting in part of our ancestral homeland, it's very painful to do that. But I've been doing it. I've been saying it. But they refuse to say that they recognize a Jewish state, a nation statefor the Jewish people."

From: Piers Morgan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – Full Transcript

Source: http://bit.ly/fPsgsn

Netanyahu interviewed by Piers: transcript

Transcript of @PiersMorgan interview w/#Israel PM #Netanyahu http://bit.ly/fPsgsn


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Hoenlein denounces lack of U.S. officials outrage after murders in Itamar

Hoenlein denounces lack of U.S. officials outrage after murders

March 17, 2011 JTA

NEW YORK (JTA) -- Malcolm Hoenlein, speaking for the foreign policy umbrella for U.S. Jewish groups, denounced governments including the Obama administration for lacking outrage after parents and three children were slaughtered in a West Bank settlement [Itamar, near Nablus -- MF.]

"If governments, even our own, do not stand up" then the Jewish people must "shriek and condemn and take action," Hoenlein, the executive vice president of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said Thursday at a memorial service for the Fogels.

He decried responses that are "a balanced statement or at most a lip-service condemnation."  

"Where is the outrage? Where is the indignation?" he said.

The initial White House response, which condemned the murders as "terrorism" and said "there is no possible justification for the killing of parents and children in their home," was issued in the name of a relatively low-level National Security Council staffer.

President Obama has yet to pronounce on the killings, although Hillary Rodham Clinton, the secretary of state, condemned what she called the "inhuman" killings "in the strongest possible terms."

Hoenlein's anger also appeared aimed at the White House's relatively muted response to the naming of a square in a West Bank town after a terrorist, just two days after the murders.

In that case, relatively low-level officials said they were seeking clarification on the matter and denounced incitement by "all parties."

Hoenlein, addressing the memorial at congregation Kehilat Jeshurun in Manhattan decried the naming of the square as a failure of the Palestinians to show accountability.

Pro-Israel officials, speaking on background, have also said they were irked by the State Department's expression of "deep concern" after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced 500 new housing starts in West Bank settlement as a response to the murders.  

Ruth and Udi Fogel and three of their six children -- Yoav, 11; Elad, 4; and Hadas, 3 months -- were stabbed to death as they slept in their Itamar home. Israeli and Palestinian forces are still searching for the perpetrators.

Mainstream Palestinian leaders have condemned the act.

Source:

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/03/17/3086471/hoenlein-denounces-lack-of-us-govt-outrage-after-murders

Haaretz: Egypt intercepts arms headed to Gaza via truck

• Published 22:57 15.03.11
• Egypt intercepts vehicles carrying weapons from Sudan to Gaza

Security forces say they seized trucks with large quantities of mortars, rocket propelled grenades, rifles, and explosives apparently headed to Hamas-ruled Gaza through smuggling tunnels.

By The Associated Press

http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/egypt-intercepts-vehicles-carrying-weapons-from-sudan-to-gaza-1.349431

Egyptian security officials said Tuesday that Egypt's armed forces have seized five vehicles carrying weapons into the country from Sudan, apparently headed for Gaza.

The officials say the vehicles were intercepted inside Egypt Sunday near the border with Sudan, following a shootout during which the truck drivers fled. They said the trucks were carrying large quantities of mortars, rocket propelled grenades, rifles and explosives.

They said they were headed to Hamas-ruled Gaza through smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border.

The officials spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity under government regulations.

Israeli intelligence officials say Sudan is a major route for Hamas weapons.

Last year Sudan accused Israel of carrying out airstrikes on smugglers inside Sudan. Israel did not comment on that report.

Earlier Tuesday, the Israel Navy seized a ship which was apparently carrying anti-ship missiles and other weapons meant from Gaza, believed to be sent from Iran.

So you think Israel practices apartheid?

Here are some specific examples of how horribly Israel treats its Arab citizens.

Prepare to be outraged!

Based on http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/p/eoz-posters-for-apartheid-week.html




Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2IGJzfAYbk

IDF seizes freighter with weapons headed to Gaza

IDF seizes freighter of Iranian weapons headed to Gaza

By YAAKOV KATZ AND JPOST.COM STAFF  03/15/2011 12:25

'Victoria' docks at same port in Syria as 2 Iranian vessels that transited Suez; IDF says weapons on board from Iran intended to be smuggled to Hamas; ship boarded by Naval Commando 13, arrives in Ashdod.

 

The IDF seized a freighter ship with dozens of tons of weaponry from Iran headed for Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

The ship, known as Victoria, was flying a Liberian flag, and was seized by the navy in the Mediterranean Sea, 200 miles off of Israel's coast.

The Victoria was boarded by commandos from the Israeli Navy's Flotilla 13, also known as the Shayetet, arrived in the Ashdod port on Tuesday evening.

An initial inspection of the cargo revealed the ship was carrying weapons. The exact amount is to be determined.

The crew, questioned by the Navy Commando, was not aware that the cargo contained weaponry.

The ship set sail Monday night from the port of Lattakai in Syria and from there it traveled to Turkey. There, it was supposed to unload the weapons, which would travel by land to Gaza. The IDF's assessment is that the weapons did not originate in Turkey, but that the containers were unloaded there and transferred onto the Victoria.

The port of Lattakai is the same port where two Iranian war ships docked in February on their way to the Suez Canal. At the time, IDF officials raised concerns of the possibility that they were carrying weapons intended for terrorists organizations, but there was no confirmation.

"The operation was approved as necessary in accordance with government directives in light of Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz's recommendations," an IDF statement read.

Gantz updated Defense Minister Ehud Barak about the findings on-board the vessel earlier in the morning.

"The IDF and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs alerted German authorities about the interception of the "Victoria" due to the German ownership of the ship," the statement said.

In addition, the government of Liberia, whose flag it was flying under, was notified, as well as France, due to the French shipping company.

The Israeli Navy has conducted numerous operations over the years against Iranian smuggling to Hamas and Hezbollah.

Foreign reports attribute bombings of truck convoys in Sudan as well as arms ships in the Red Sea in recent years to the IDF.

In November 2009, the Israeli Navy seized the Francop cargo ship, which was carrying 500 tons of weaponry from Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon, including Katyusha rockets and grenades. At the time, IDF officers said the amount was enough to sustain Hezbollah for several weeks of war.

Source:  http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=212234

JFNA opens Japan,Hawaii, and Pacific Relief Fund

Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines

Japan-Hawaii-Pacific Earthquake and Tsunami resource page

www.jewishfederations.org

Give to the Jewish Federations of North America's "Japan, Hawaii and the Pacific Relief Fund" to help victims of the earthquake + tsunami.

 

Source:  http://www.jewishfederations.org/pacific-relief.aspx

Op Ed: PMW: Cessation of Palestinian incitement is a pre-req for peace process

Let's stop pretending

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

from Palestinian Media Watch, online at http://palwatch.org

 

March 14, 2011  Opinion Editorial in the Jerusalem Post   [excerpt]

 

The Palestinian Authority and its leaders share the blame for the murders of the five Israelis from Itamar on Friday - including two children and an infant - along with the terrorists who committed them. It is the PA and its leaders who have prepared the ground for these murders with the incessant incitement to hatred and the glorification of violence and terror.

In spite of its conciliatory statements in English, the PA continues to use all the structures it controls to demonize Israelis and to promote violence. Terrorists are presented as heroes and role models for Palestinians, teaching that killing Israelis is a way to earn eternal fame.

It is incumbent on the international community to inform the Palestinian Authority that a condition for "working" with it, as Clinton stated, is that it erases the messages of hate and replaces them with peace promotion.

 

For the entire op ed see http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=4802

For examples of Palestinian Authority incitement see:  http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Communication/Spokesman/2011/03/spokeincitement130311.htm

Israeli Gov't: Stop Palestinian incitement against Jews, Israel

Palestinian incitement: Jews receive 'Der Stürmer' depiction

Horrific Itamar terror attack leads Jerusalem to launch efforts to counter Palestinian Authority incitement against Jews, Israelis. 'Events of Friday night express way Palestinian Authority presents attitude of hatred, demonization towards Israelis,' says Strategic Affairs Ministry chairman

Attila Somfalvi http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4041358,00.html

Published:  03.13.11Israel News

Jerusalem will launch efforts to explain how Palestinian incitement against Israel eventually led to the shocking terror attack in which five members of the Fogel family from the settlement of Itamar – Rabbi Udi Fogel (36), his wife Ruth (35) and three of their children – Yoav (11), Elad (4) and Hadas (3 months) were brutally murdered.

Terror Attack

Netanyahu: Incitement led to murder of children / Attila Somfalvi PM slams Palestinians in wake of West Bank massacre of five family members; 'society that permits such wild incitement ends up prompting the murder of children,' he says. PA minister: Israel rushing to accuse us of murder Full Story

 

Chairman of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs Brigadier General (Res.) Yossi Kuperwasser will present data on Palestinian Authority incitement against Israel at Sunday's government meeting. According to Kuperwasser, the Israelis are "depicted in caricatures like eastern European Jews in 'Der Stürmer' (a Nazi propaganda newspaper), that you can justifiably attack. Hence, the struggle against them is legitimate."

 

Kuperwasser said that the Palestinian Authority incitement against Israel has been going on for over a year: "The events of Friday night are, in a way, an expression of the way the Palestinian Authority presents an attitude of hatred and demonization towards Israelis in general and especially towards settlers. These phenomena create a situation where it occurs to someone to carry out an attack like the appalling events in Itamar."

 

He said that even today the Palestinian Authority clearly states that an armed struggle is the preferable method to 'liberating' Palestine. This was approved by the last Fatah convention which was held in Bethlehem, there has been no change on that issue."

 

Kuperwasser also presented an example of the Palestinian incitement. "For example, over the last few months a song by an Egyptian singer calling for people to carry out terror attacks has been aired in the Palestinian media.

 

"The song justifies carrying out acts of Jihad. This also comes up in songs studied in schools in the eighth grade. Palestinian girls sing songs filled with promises of give Israel a severe beating. These are then praised and glorified by the Palestinian Authority," he said. 

 

Kuperwasser also mentioned statements made by senior Palestinian officials: "While the victims' blood was still congealing, (Palestinian President) Mahmoud Abbas was meeting with a young Palestinian taking part in a competition. His sole talent is reciting far from peaceful songs about Palestinians – focusing on suicide bombers and martyrs.

 

"It can also be seen in the way the Palestinians addressed this shocking terror attack. There isn't even one expression of true aversion and deep disgust from this incident. Even when they upon occasion condemn terror attacks, they do so by saying that they impede the progress of the Palestinian issue."

 

Another area of incitement being reviewed is the attitude to peace: "They say that Jews have no right to be in this region, Jews have no right to be here. This is especially noticeable in school text books, where Israeli presence isn't even mentioned. There are no maps with Israel.

Jewish caricature - 'Der Stürmer' style (archives)

 

"One famous incident which occurred recently involved the Palestinian information ministry publishing an article written by one of its deputy ministers claiming that the Western Wall and the Jews had no historical connection."

 

According to Kuperwasser, "The bottom line is that the Palestinians through this incitement send a message that terror and an armed struggle are legitimate, even if there is no need for it at the moment because it isn't beneficial. Jews and Israelis, especially settlers, but not limited to them, are subhuman."

 

Kuperwasser added: "We have repeatedly demanded that the Palestinians put a stop to this phenomenon. The Palestinian PR machine is funded by the international community. The school textbooks are funded by the Europeans, the media outlets by international sources. This is essential to the promotion of regional peace.

 

Atmosphere for terror

"The world must call on the Palestinians to put a stop to the incitement. When Abbas chooses a band calling for the annihilation of Jews to play at festivals, then how can you even dream of reaching an agreement?"

 

In response to the question – is the Palestinian Authority responsible for the terror attack in Itamar, Kuperwasser said: "I don't think the Palestinian Authority sent the terrorist, that's not the issue. But by creating an atmosphere calling on Palestinians to rise against the right of Jews to be here, by presenting Jews as cruel creatures with no legitimization – this allows Palestinian terror to exist.

 

"The Palestinian Authority isn't interested in carrying out terror attacks, but at the same time does nothing to stop the incitement. Thus, various people think they have the message right and decide to carry out attacks. The fact that someone can stand in front of a three month old baby and slit her throat – that's unimaginable. The brainwashing of the Palestinian public has been going on since Oslo, this must be stopped."

 

A website with an index measuring Palestinian incitement will be launched soon to counter the Palestinian Authority incitement.

Family killed in attack

Ha'aretz: Family of five killed in alleged terrorist attack in their home in settlement Itamar http://bit.ly/gQQfm4


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Jewish Genetic Testing in May in Omaha. Free of charge

 PRESS RELEASE

From: Greater Omaha Committee for Jewish Genetic Testing

Contact: Joanie Jacobson  812 North 66 Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68132

402-554-0500  ohjoan413@aol.com

 

Jewish Genetic Testing Returns to Omaha in May - Free of Charge!

[Registration required.  See the link below for more information]

By Joanie Jacobson

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a “carrier.”

FACT: Jewish genetic diseases can be prevented through Jewish genetic testing.

See:  http://mfnklst.blogspot.com/2011/03/jewish-genetic-testing-returns-to-omaha.html

Jewish orgs respond to needs in Japan

#Jewish groups (including @JFederations) mobilizing response to #JapanEQ & #Tsunami http://bit.ly/f4Qok3 (@JTAnews)

TIP: Israel Pushes for Peace Talks without Preconditions

From The Israel Project 

 http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=hsJPK0PIJpH&b=689705&ct=9169747

Israel Pushes for Peace Talks without Preconditions

• Israel ready to talk anytime, anywhere
• Palestinians preparing push for unilateral independence
• Peace envoy meets Quartet in Jerusalem

Tony Blair and Benjamin Netanyahu discuss peace talks and announce economic initiatives for the Palestinians in Jerusalem in February.

Jerusalem, March 10 - In an effort to kick-start stalled peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s envoy Isaac Molho met with representatives of the “Quartet” on the Middle East in Jerusalem on Thursday.

“Israel has repeatedly called on the Palestinian Authority to resume direct talks without any preconditions and without further delay,” Ashley Perry, a spokesman in Israel’s Foreign Ministry told The Israel Project.

“Unfortunately, the Palestinians prefer diplomatic maneuvers in the dark to direct dialogue. This only stalls the peace process and will delay even more a much needed peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians,” he added.

The Quartet, which groups the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia, had tried meeting with Israeli and Palestinian envoys in Brussels, but Netanyahu decided not to send Molho because Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian negotiator, refused to meet with his Israeli counterpart and demanded only separate meetings with the mediators.

At its last meeting with the Quartet in February, Israel announced a series of economic measures to boost the economies of both the West Bank and Gaza, both of which have shown impressive growth in recent months.

The Palestinians walked out of the last direct peace talks with Israel last September and are refusing to return to the table unless Israel halts all building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Instead, the Palestinians are trying to isolate Israel at the United Nations and laying the groundwork for a resolution to declare an independent Palestine on all territory captured by Israel in 1967 including East Jerusalem without a peace agreement.

“Unilateral efforts at the United Nations are not helpful and undermine trust," said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton late last year. She urged the parties “not to undermine good faith efforts to resolve final status issues.”

 

Hirschfield: Pete King's Hearings

Pete King's Hearings on Radical Islam in America

By Rabbi Brad Hirschfield                             Wednesday March 9, 2011

With Rep. Peter King beginning hearings tomorrow, March 10 -- hearings which will examine the issue of radicalization within the American Muslim community, two things should be stated very clearly: Islamic terror is real and so is Islamophobia. Denying the former is a deadly error, but addressing that real and pressing problem in no way necessitates or justifies the latter.

These hearings, if conducted properly, could surface both of those realities, which are rarely acknowledged in the same places and at the same time. Too often, in my own experience with both religious and communal leaders in the American Muslim community, those who are prepared to deal with the problem of Islamic terror, minimize or altogether ignore the ugliness of Islamophobia, while those who would have us focus on combating hatred of Muslims, downplay the linkage between Islam and terror in the world today.
What we need are people who have the bravery, honesty and compassion to address both at the same time. At the very least, it would be helpful if those lining up on both sides of these hearings would focus our attention on that challenge rather than simply defending King, who has said any number of outrageous things about Muslims and Islam, or suggesting that these hearings are simply an excuse for whipping up hatred against Muslims.

While it's certainly true that these hearings could become the "witch hunt" which some are concerned about. The claim that merely holding the hearings constitutes such an islamophobic hunt is inappropriate.
Raising questions, however uncomfortable, does not constitute bias against the group to whom those questions are addressed, but it does make demands upon those who raise the questions. They will have to prove that their interest lies not in showing how a particular faith community is inherently dangerous or problematic. They will have to demonstrate a willingness not only to see radicalization about which they are concerned, but also to see where it is absent and the extent to which the fight against it from inside the Muslim community has been successful.

If these hearing proceed as they should, many people whose knee-jerk reaction is to defend Islam and Muslims as a group, will find themselves uncomfortable, and so will those people who believe that to see any Muslim is to see a threat, rather than simply seeing a fellow American who happens to be Muslim. If the overly simplistic picture typically portrayed by one side or the other is simply confirmed, then Rep. King will have failed and should be held accountable for his failure.

Ultimately, if these hearings are successful, America will be safer and there will actually be greater understanding of American Muslims and a deeper appreciation of the wide range of beliefs within the American Muslim community.

Source: http://blog.beliefnet.com/windowsanddoors/2011/03/kings-hearings-on-radical-isla.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20windowsanddoors%20%28Beliefnet%3A%20Windows%20%26%20Doors%29#ixzz1G8DuULGS

PA working to remove Hamas from US, EU terror lists

PA working to remove Hamas from US, EU terror lists By KHALED ABU TOAMEH 07/03/2011 http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=211149 Shaath says he raised the issue with EU leaders, he wants European countries to recognize Palestinian unity gov't including Hamas.

The Palestinian Authority is working toward removing Hamas from the US and EU list of terror organizations so as to pave the way for the Islamist movement to join a Palestinian unity government, PA negotiator Nabil Shaath revealed on Monday. Shaath, who was speaking to reporters after meeting in Cairo with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, said he raised the issue with a number of governments during a recent tour of EU capitals. “We are seeking to have Hamas removed from the list of terror organizations,” he said. “We want EU countries to recognize a Palestinian unity government that would include Hamas and other factions.” Shaath said that his Fatah faction was keen on ending the dispute with Hamas. “The current circumstances require us to reorganize our Palestinian home,” he added. “I have announced several times that we have accepted the Egyptian [reconciliation] initiative. We have agreed to a national unity government [with Hamas] that would implement the Egyptian document and prepare for elections.” Shaath was referring to an Egyptian reconciliation plan that was presented to Fatah and Hamas in 2009. He said that Fatah has accepted Hamas’s reservations about the plan, adding that he did not know why the movement was delaying its response. “This is a question that every Palestinian and Arab should be asking,” he stressed. “My fear is that Hamas’s calculations about the Arab revolts are different than ours. We see that these revolutions’ main demand is unity and support for Palestinian rights.” Shaath, a former PA foreign minister, said that a Fatah-Hamas reconciliation would embolden Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation.” Last week PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad came under attack from Fatah for offering to establish a unity government with Hamas. Fayyad's initiative was strongly criticized by Fatah because it allows Hamas to retain security control over the Gaza Strip after joining the government.

Why the Jews?

By Alan Dershowitz

http://m.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/why_the_jews_teWE8CHBVvNn5zoEVD2pzL

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Constraints alleged

Ynet: Officials: US wants dramatic statements http://bit.ly/exdZTb


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JTA: What has Arab Gulf money purchased?

From JTA:

 

Between 1995 and 2008, Arab Gulf states gave $234 million in contracts and about $88 million in gifts to American universities. What has their money purchased?

 

Read more:

http://www.jewishideasdaily.com/content/module/2011/3/2/main-feature/1/follow-the-money/r