LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 17/2010
Bible Of the
Day
6:1 “Be careful that you don’t do your
charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward
from your Father who is in heaven. 6:2 Therefore when you do merciful deeds,
don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues
and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you,
they have received their reward. 6:3 But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let
your left hand know what your right hand does, 6:4 so that your merciful deeds
may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
6:5 “When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand
and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be
seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward. 6:6
But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door,
pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will
reward you openly. 6:7 In praying, don’t use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles
do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. 6:8
Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need, before
you ask him. 6:9 Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept
holy. 6:10 Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on
earth. 6:11 Give us today our daily bread. 6:12 Forgive us our debts, as we also
forgive our debtors. 6:13 Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the
evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’
6:14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also
forgive you. 6:15 But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive your trespasses. 6:16 “Moreover when you fast, don’t be like
the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be
seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their
reward. 6:17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face; 6:18
so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in
secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special
Reports
Asharq Al-Awsat Talks to Israel
Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon/February
16/10
Has the Isolation of Iran Begun?/Asharq
Alawsat/February
16/10
How Syria benefits from the axis of
proliferation/By: Tony Badran, February 16, 10
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for February 16/10
Zoghbi:
Hariri's statement, a continuation of his stable stances/Future News
Crucial Missing Piece of
Ethiopian Plane's 2nd Black Box Found/Naharnet
Siniora: My speech on
February 14 commemoration expresses my convictions/Now
Lebanon
Hamadeh calls for
establishing environment ministerial council/Now Lebanon
Islamic Ruling to Halt Search for More Plane Crash Victims/Naharnet
Ceasefire Halts Gunbattles in Ain el-Hilweh/Naharnet
US Engagement With Iran Shifts to Worldview/New
York Times
At Least 4 Killed in Ain El-Helweh
Clashes between Fatah, Islamist Factions/Naharnet
Raad Meets Hariri, Stresses 'Full
Cooperation for Government's Success'/Naharnet
Jumblat on Sudden Visit to Qatar/Naharnet
Kanaan, Gemayel, Soaid Clarify Circumstances of Hizbullah Jdeideh Ceremony/Naharnet
Aoun from Doha: Qatar Can Support
Lebanon with Major Investments/Naharnet
New Military Exercises for PFLP-GC in Bekaa's Qoussaya/Naharnet
Hezbollah will defend allies, leader says/UPI.com
Bureau reissues terror warning to Israelis going
abroad/Ha'aretz
Five years on, the doubts linger/GulfNews
Does Obama finally understand Bush?/American
Thinker (blog)
4 killed in Palestinian camp clashes in south Lebanon/Ya
Libnan
Group sees Syria as a stepping stone/Financial
Times
Are Lebanon and Israel Headed
for War?/ABC News
Israel's Olmert says Turkey's PM fair mediator in Syria talks/www.worldbulletin.net
Fifth Anniversary Of Al-Hariri Assassination Passes Without Anti-Syria
Accusations/MEMRI (blog)
Crucial Missing Piece of Ethiopian Plane's 2nd Black Box Found
Naharnet/A key piece -- the memory recorder -- missing from the crashed
Ethiopian plane's second black box was recovered Monday, Transportation Minister
Ghazi Aridi announced.
He said the recovered part was handed over to the investigation committee formed
to probe the plane crash. Lebanese army divers had retrieved the second black
box from the Ethiopian jet that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea last month.
The Boeing 737 crashed just minutes after takeoff from Beirut airport during a
fierce thunderstorm, killing all 90 people on board.
Passenger planes carry two black boxes _ a data flight recorder and a cockpit
voice recorder. A Lebanese army statement at the time said only the base for the
second black box was found and not its memory recorder. A statement issued by
the Lebanese army said navy commandos recovered the memory recorder of the
cockpit voice recorder off the coast of Naameh, the site of the plane crash.
Meanwhile, search teams were able to pull more victims on Tuesday. The remains
of 11 more plane crash victims were identified on Monday, raising the number of
Lebanese bodies identified to 41 from 54. Pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat said the body
of an Ethiopian male believed to be one of the crew members was pulled on
Monday.
Odyssey Explorer, a vessel operated by a private U.S. firm that specializes in
underwater recovery, began work Tuesday after the civilian vessel Ocean Alert
left Lebanese territorial waters. Beirut, 16 Feb 10, 12:36
Zoghbi:
Hariri's statement, a continuation of his stable stances
Date: February 16th, 2010
Source: Future News
Member of the March 14 alliance, Elias Zoghbi said Lebanon Premier Saad Hariri’s
speech was a continuation of his stable stances over the past five years,
particularly in terms of its firm commitment to the “Lebanon First” slogan.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Zoghbi rejected some March 8 parties who
considered Hariri’s speech was destined to satisfy the Syrian view points.
He added, Saad Hariri’s speech called in essence for sovereignty, freedom and
independence, and Truth and Justice in the International Tribunal.
The March 14 official also stressed that the speeches of the Lebanese Forces
Bloc Leader MP Samir Geagea and the Kataeb Leader former president Amin Gemayel
did not differ a lot from the speech of former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora who
all stressed that the decision of war or peace should be in the hand of the
Lebanese state only.
“For all those who are trying to show dissimilarities in the four speeches, they
have to re-examine the speeches contents to know they are wrong.”
While he refrained from tackling Hizbullah’s weapons, Lebanon’s Premier Saad
Hariri called Sunday for a new page in Lebanese-Syria ties away from power
struggles between regional axes in order to guarantee Lebanon’s stability as
Lebanese citizens gathered in Beirut’s Liberty square.
Islamic Ruling to Halt Search for More Plane Crash Victims
Naharnet/Shiite Ulamas are likely to issue a Fatwa, or Islamic ruling, to halt
search for the remaining victims of the Ethiopian plane that crashed into the
Mediterranean Sea Jan. 25 killing all 90 people on board.
The daily An-Nahar on Monday said the Ulamas, or Muslim scholars, tend to
support their viewpoints on the basis that the "sea, in itself, is a legitimate
graveyard," and therefore, search operations can stop. It said the Ulamas'
action is likely to gain support of political and Shiite authorities. President
of the Higher Shiite Council Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan, however, did not seem to be
on the same wavelength. In a statement issued late
Monday, Qabalan stressed the need to recover all the bodies from the sea "so
that we can carry out our duty of burying the victims in the soil."
Qabalan particularly called on the Lebanese army and security forces to
carry on efforts to pull all the bodies from the sea off the coast of Naameh
south of Beirut. Beirut, 16 Feb 10, 09:15
Ceasefire Halts Gunbattles in Ain el-Hilweh
Naharnet/An uneasy calm has returned to Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp in southern
Lebanon as a ceasefire halted clashes between Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas's mainstream Fatah faction and the Islamist movement Usbat al-Ansar. At
least two people were killed in the clashes which broke out following the murder
of Fatah officer Mohammed Tamim in Ain el-Hiwleh.
A Palestinian official said the small Islamist movement Usbat al-Ansar ambushed
the Tamim at the main entrance to the camp. He said the killing prompted gun
battles between supporters of the two rival factions who were using
rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons. The other fatality was a woman
identified as Nejmah Ali Younes. Lebanese troops cordoned off all entrances to
Ain el-Hilweh as many residents fled in fear, seeking refuge in a nearby mosque.
The Lebanese army does not enter Palestinian camps, leaving security inside the
shantytowns in Palestinian hands. Beirut, 16 Feb 10, 08:06
Lebanon: Senior
officer suspected of collaborating with Israel
16-02-2010 , ظLebanon's military prosecution has
disclosed the suspected involvement of a senior army officer, in collaborating
with Israel, and providing confidential information that helped the Jewish state
to strike targets in Lebanon during its 2006 war against Lebanon. A Sharq al
Awsat newspaper reported on Tuesday that judge Saqr Saqr, the government
representative at the military court, had charged Army Lt. Col. Ghazwan Shaheen
with "dealing with the Israeli Intelligence" (the Mossad), and providing
information on ilitary and civilian sites during the latest war. Shaheen could
face the death penalty if convicted.
Kataeb Party criticizes Foreign Affairs Ministry’s statements
February 15, 2010
http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=146619
Now Lebanon/Kataeb Party issued a statement on Monday that its alarmed by the
recent Foreign Affairs Ministry announcements that contradict with the
ministry’s standard declarations. The Kataeb did not specify which announcements
it is criticizing.
It is illogical for the ministry to act as if it were a political party, the
Kataeb said, without elaborating further. The statement added that the ministry
should act as a façade that reflects the country’s solidarity.
“It is dangerous [for political parties] to have influence on ministries and
administrative institutions, especially since Lebanon is a non-permanent member
of UN Security Council,” the statement said.
National consensus requires solidarity between the country’s parties over
managing public issues, the Kataeb added.
The statement also said that the party was reassured by the large turnout of
people for the February 14 commemoration of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s
2005 assassination.
The Kataeb also voiced its reassurance from the regional and international
reactions to party leader Amin Gemayel’s speech during the ceremony.
-NOW Lebanon
Jumblat on Sudden Visit to Qatar
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat traveled Monday
afternoon to the Qatari capital Doha on board of a private plane.
Jumblat was accompanied by a delegation consisting of Public Works and
Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi and MP Nehmeh Tohmeh.
In an editorial to his party's Al-Anbaa weekly, Jumblat stressed that sometimes
it is "beneficial" to tackle forgotten issues such as "traditional neighborhoods
and buildings" instead of "politics, its concerns, and daily routine."
Jumblat said that politicians rarely care for such issues "because their
concerns are limited to major international problems and global conflicts."
Jumblat wondered about the reasons of negligence to this "vital" issue which is
related to "Lebanon's collective memory, its cities, and its villages."
He added that there is "an undeclared state of collusion" between some
politicians and contractors "who buy the buildings and demolish them in order to
replace them with skyscrapers and cement towers to achieve commercial profit."
Jumblat called on the municipalities to play their role and "stop this
destructive series and the organized disfiguration of traditional Lebanese
architecture."
"Neglecting the social and demographic, and even sectarian, diversity of some
old neighborhoods implies the absence of a minimum level of awareness to this
mix and its deep meanings on the national, political, and social levels," he
added.
"Can't Lebanon copy European countries and the west except in some bad habits?
Why don't we borrow the experiences of Vienna, Paris, Berlin, and other
historical renowned cities to preserve the collective memory by preserving the
old buildings and neighborhoods and allowing, at the same time, the expansion of
modern buildings and commercial centers."
Beirut, 15 Feb 10, 21:08
Kanaan, Gemayel, Soaid Clarify Circumstances of Hizbullah Jdeideh Ceremony
Naharnet/The decision of Hizbullah to hold its annual ceremony -- to commemorate
Ragheb Harb, Abbas Moussawi, and Imad Mughniyeh -- on Monday afternoon at St.
Joseph-Sagesse-Jdeideh School stirred a wave of tension and questions.
The Central News Agency reported that intensified contacts between Beirut
Maronite Archbishopric and some concerned sides led to containing the
repercussions of the ceremony and limiting some of its activities.
The contacts led to an agreement to limit the ceremony inside the school hall
without any external manifestations such as flags, pictures, or loud speakers.
Change and Reform bloc Secretary MP Ibrahim Kanaan stressed he only knew about
the issue last Saturday when he received a call from Beirut Maronite Archbishop
Boulos Matar.
The archbishop told Kanaan: "The school was surprised that its hall was rented
for something other than the initial purpose, a charity event, as Head of
Jdeideh Municipality Antoine Jbara requested, knowing that there's no problem
between the school and Hizbullah, but the school doesn't lease its halls for
political ceremonies," according to the Central News Agency.
Kanaan stressed that his contacts did not give much outcome due to the short
time interval, adding that efforts were made for the event to take place
"without any clashes."
As to MP Sami Gemayel, he phoned Archbishop Matar to inquire about the issue,
stressing "the need to avoid tensions in this period," according to the Central
News Agency.
Gemayel reportedly asked the residents of the area to practice restraint and
calm and not to ignite any problem that may lead to a tense atmosphere.
In an interview with the Central News Agency, Jbara clarified that some Rowaysat
area local officials contacted him "for the issue of holding a seminar about
Christian-Islamic coexistence, like in every year."
He added: "Since Mar Antonios-Jeideh church hall doesn't fit for the invitees, I
suggested holding the seminar in Sagesse School hall, and I made contacts with
the school administration for that purpose, as my role ended there."
"Can Phalange Party or Lebanese Forces organize a ceremony to commemorate (slain
President) Bashir Gemayel in Rawdat al-Shahedein?" March 14 General-Secretariat
Coordinator Fares Soaid wondered.
He added that the Free Patriotic Movement has to convince its ally, Hizbullah,
to cancel the event, "especially that the church sources stress that Hizbullah
did not inform the school administration of the purpose of the ceremony and its
exact nature." Beirut, 15 Feb 10, 19:17
Aoun from Doha: Qatar Can Support Lebanon with Major Investments
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun said Monday from Doha
that "Qatar can support Lebanon's development through its major investments."
In an interview with Sawt al-Mada Radio and OTV, Aoun said he discussed Monday
the general political situations with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa,
praising "Qatari efforts, especially during the Lebanese political crisis."Aoun traveled to Qatar on Saturday to attend the 'U.S. and Islamic World Forum'
upon the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al-Thani.
Beirut, 15 Feb 10, 22:02
West
fears converts who become bombers
Published: Feb. 15, 2010
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- The reported hunt by U.S. authorities for
English-speaking terrorists purportedly planning attacks on American cities
underlines what Western intelligence services fear most: al-Qaida's recruitment
of native Westerners who can slip easily into their societies and become
invisible. Despite the ability of such threats to evade detection, U.S. and
Western intelligence services have caught quite a few of these converts, mainly
dropouts, drug-users and misfits. But since the carnage of Sept. 11, 2001,
hundreds of people born or brought up in Western countries have drifted into the
jihadist orbit. They are highly prized as "clean skins," operatives who can move
around in Western society with a familiarity that Arab and Asian jihadists
cannot. According to a recent report by the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations
Committee on al-Qaida, "as many as three dozen criminals who converted to Islam
in American prisons have moved to Yemen where they could pose a significant
threat to attack the U.S."
"There is very little hard data on conversion to Islam due to the difficulty in
gathering proper statistics, says Milena Uhlman, a Berlin researcher who had
studied the phenomenon in Europe.
"Nevertheless, it appears that both conversions and Islamic outreach to coverts
is increasing." The current alert for English-speaking jihadists purportedly
heading for the United States emerged from the capture of Umar Farouk
Abdulmuttalab, a Nigerian convert to Islam, who has been charged with trying to
blow up a Northwest Airlines jetliner over Detroit on Christmas Day. He was
recruited by al-Qaida in Yemen, where he want to study Arabic, and was
influenced by jihadist ideologue Anwar al-Awlaki, who was also linked to the
Muslim army major who is charged with the deaths of 13 people in the shootings
at Fort Hood, Texas, in November.
Abdulmuttalab's alleged attempt to blow up the Airbus, apparently using
explosives sewn into his underwear was a rerun of another convert, Richard Reid,
a small-time British thief, the "Shoe Bomber." He tried to blow up a U.S.-bound
airliner over the Atlantic in December 2001, using explosives hidden in his shoe
but like Abdulmuttalab fumbled his bid for martyrdom.
Both these attacks displayed innovative planning by al-Qaida, both in the
unusual type of bomb employed and in using recruits who did not arouse
suspicion, to evade tight security at airports. Al-Qaida "planners are adaptive
and innovative," according to analyst Scott Stewart of the U.S. security
consultancy Stratfor.
"They will adjust the operatives they select for a mission in order to
circumvent new security measures.
"In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, when security forces began to focus additional
scrutiny on people with Muslim names, they dispatched Richard Reid on his
show-bombing mission. And it worked -- Reid was able get his device past
security and onto the plane." Using a young Nigerian, whose father is a leading
banker in his homeland, was also "a total paradigm shift" that almost succeeded
in wholesale slaughter, Scott concluded. Operations like these make the
terrorist-profiling programs employed in the United States and Europe redundant.
Among other converts recruited by al-Qaida were:
-- Jack Roche, a 50-year-old Briton sentenced to nine years' imprisonment in
Australia in June 2004 for trying to blow up the Israeli Embassy in Canberra and
for links with al-Qaida and Jemaah Islamiya, an Indonesian jihadist offshoot.
-- Lionel Dumont, a French citizen, was arrested in Germany in December 2003 and
five months later was extradited to France where he had been sentenced to life
imprisonment in absentia in 2001 for belonging to the Roubaix Gang, a band of
Islamic militants, all veterans of the Bosnia war, who robbed banks in France.
-- Germaine Lindsay, a British citizen of Caribbean descent, who was one of the
suicide squad that killed 60 people and wounded more than 700 in a series of
bombings of London's transportation system July 7, 2005.
-- Jose Padilla, the American "Dirty Bomber" who trained in Afghanistan and was
arrested in Chicago in May 2002. He was accused of plotting to detonate a
radiological bomb but that charge was dropped. He was sentenced to 17 years'
imprisonment in January 2008 on terrorism-related charges.
-- David Courtailler, a 29-year-old Frenchman who was sentenced by a Paris court
to two years' imprisonment in May 2004 for links to a terrorist organization in
Afghanistan. His brother Jerome, another convert, was sentenced to six years by
a Dutch court in June 2004 for plotting attacks on U.S. targets in France and
Belgium.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/02/15/West-fears-converts-who-become-bombers/UPI-53431266251352
Hezbollah will defend allies, leader says
Published: Feb. 15, 2010
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/02/15/Hezbollah-will-defend-allies-leader-says/UPI-29241266259246/
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Hezbollah considers an attack on any of its
allies in the region, including Iran, an attack on the entire region, deputy
officials said in an interview.
Hezbollah announced last week that it plans to have demonstrations Tuesday to
correspond with the anniversary of the deaths of its leaders Sheik Ragheb Harb,
Abbas Moussawi and Hajj Imad Moghniyyeh.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is expected to release a video
message to an audience in the southern suburbs of Beirut to mark the occasion.
Hussein Khalil, the political adviser to Nasrallah, told Kuwaiti newspaper
al-Dar that the Shiite resistance movement was prepared to defend its regional
allies.
"Hezbollah considers any attack on any faction of the resistance movements or on
the two supporting nations of Iran or Syria, as an attack on all of them," he
said.
Iranian broadcaster Press TV in its report on the issue said Israel is rattling
its sabers in the region as tensions with Iran escalate over a controversial
decision to enrich uranium to 20 percent.
Lebanese forces during the weekend fired on Israeli jets that had entered their
airspace. Beirut issued several complaints to the United Nations over the
Israeli incursions. Israel, for its part, said it is defending itself against
Hezbollah, now a member of the Lebanese government. "We will respond to any
Israeli aggression on Lebanon," added the Hezbollah leader.
Bureau reissues terror warning to Israelis going abroad
By Barak Ravid/Haaretz
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1149824.html
15/02/10
The Counter-Terrorism Bureau at the Prime Minister's Office yesterday reissued
its warning to Israelis traveling abroad for the Passover holiday. The bureau
stressed that this was not a new warning, but rather up-to-date information
being offered to the public planning to travel abroad. The warning does,
however, remind the public of the recent anniversary of the assassination of top
Hezbollah operative Imad Mughniyeh, along with last month's assassination of an
Iranian nuclear research scientist, which Iran has attributed to Israel.
"Hezbollah keeps accusing Israel of Mughniyeh's death and Iran is now accusing
Israel of assassinating the nuclear scientist in Tehran," the warning said.
"These allegations intensify the terrorism threats against Israelis abroad." The
bureau also reiterated its long-standing warning about "attempts to kidnap
Israelis or harm them when abroad, especially businessmen, and particularly
businessmen communicating with colleagues from Arab or Muslim states." The
bureau calls on Israelis to avoid traveling to Arab states like Egypt, including
the Sinai peninsula, and Jordan. It also said there are specific warnings which
lead them to advise avoiding travel to Pakistan, the Ivory Coast, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Togo, Mali and Burkina Faso. Israelis are also advised to postpone
nonessential travels to Bangladesh, Kenya, Tajikistan and Nigeria. Earlier this
week, Egyptian diplomats told the London Times that Israel and Hamas were
engaged in a "covert war," which could be seen by the recent rise in
assassinations. One interviewee accused Israel of trying to "draw us all into a
conflict."
Are Lebanon and Israel Headed for War?
Word on The Streets of Beirut is That The Drums are Beating for Battle
ANALYSIS By SIMON MCGREGOR-WOOD
BEIRUT, Feb. 15, 2010
http://abcnews.go.com/International/lebanon-israel-headed-war/story?id=9817103
To the casual observer, people on the streets of Beirut
show no fear of war. But talk to many Lebanese today, and you'll soon find war
is very much on their minds.
All the people ABC News spoke to say conflict with Israel is looming. It's just
a matter of when. Neither side wants to be guilty of starting the next war, but
people in Lebanon say tension is now so high the smallest incident may provide
the trigger. And the next round of hostilities, they warn, will be much broader
and more terrible than the last war when Hezbollah battled the Israeli army in
2006.
There are old scores to settle. Hezbollah wants to avenge the assassination of
its military mastermind Imad Mugniyeh. Last Friday marked the second anniversary
of his mysterious car bombing death in Damascus. Hezbollah also claims Israel
still occupies a sliver of Lebanese territory in the south. It is ideologically
opposed to Israel's very existence.
The Israelis fear Hezbollah's growing arsenal of long range rockets. They fear
for their biggest cities and strategic targets. They see Hezbollah and Syria as
Iran's proxies, liable to attack from the north if Israel strikes Iran's nuclear
sites. Hezbollah fought the once feared Israeli Defense Force to a standstill in
2006. The Jewish state's reputation and deterrence was severely dented. The
Israelis have unfinished business.
Hezbollah today has somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000 missiles, many more than
in 2006, and many capable of hitting targets deep inside Israel. The U.N.
patrols the south near the Israeli border so Hezbollah has moved north and into
the Bekaa valley. Almost the entire local male population of fighting age has
been through military training. Hezbollah leaders talk of military "surprises."
No one we spoke to knows what they might be.
Many people speak of Hezbollah changing tactics, even of infiltrating northern
Israel. There's talk of plans to take hundreds of Israeli civilians hostage.
Harsh Israeli Response Expected
Everyone ABC News spoke to expects a brutal Israeli response if war breaks out.
Hezbollah is part of the Lebanese government. So, Israel says, all of Lebanon
will be responsible for a Hezbollah attack. To reassert military deterrence
Israel must achieve a tangible victory.
And they believe there is substance to Syria's tough talk too. On the road
between Damascus and Beirut, residents tell of unusual military activity, all
night construction work, army flat bed trucks moving around with their lights
switched off.
Defense analysts report the retraining of the Syrian army. Out of armored
brigades burdened with Soviet era tanks, and into small commando units armed
with hi-tech anti tank rockets used to such deadly effect by Hezbollah fighters
in 2006.
Syrian President Bashar Assadis also showing new confidence. Once thought
unlikely to stay the course, he has now seen three different Israeli prime
ministers. Some say he believes he can survive a war and it may even speed the
recovery of his beloved Golan Heights, occupied by his enemy since 1967.
Israeli, Syrian and Lebanese leaders have all pitched in with some dangerously
intemperate language. Hezbollah's leader Hasan Nasrallah keeps promising to
change the face of the region. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem spoke of
his country striking deep into Israeli territory. His Israeli counterpart
Avigdor Liebermanpromised that Syria would lose the next war and that the ruling
Assad regime would be deposed.
Then there is Iran and its president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, under increasing
pressure over his country's clandestine nuclear project and who has made barely
veiled threats against Israel.
Whether they are western diplomats or analysts from well funded think tanks,
Lebanese newspaper editors or writers with close links to Hezbollah, all say
they hear the drums of war starting to beat.
A deadlocked peace process between Israel and the Palestinians doesn't help
either. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right wing coalition has
resisted U.S. pressure to freeze settlement building. President Obama's hectic
domestic agenda, say our Lebanese sources, means his focus will be elsewhere.
In Israel Netanyahu started a recent cabinet meeting by calling for peace with
Syria but warning Israel knows how to respond to threats.
And this weekend while the unusually warm temperatures and blue skies led many
to the beaches of both Tel Aviv and Beirut Lebanese forces warned Israeli
warplanes out of their airspace with anti-aircraft guns. A sound the people of
Beirut may have to grow used to.
Israel is afraid, Nasrallah says
Published: Jan. 15, 2010
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/01/15/Israel-is-afraid-Nasrallah-says/UPI-75091263591000/
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- The strength of the Lebanese people lies in
resistance and the solidarity of its army and people, Hezbollah
Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said Friday. Nasrallah in a video address to
a pro-resistance conference in Beirut said Israel feared military action in
Beirut for the first time in history.
"For the first time, Israel fears the military option and talks about the
victory guaranteed in any upcoming war," he said in statements published by
Hezbollah's al-Manar news station.
The Lebanese government in defiance of U.N. resolutions passed a measure that
lets Hezbollah maintain an armed resistance in the face of a persistent Israeli
threat.
Lawmakers continue to debate the issue, saying the threat from Israel would
subside if Hezbollah abandoned its weapons. The United Nations, for its part,
complained of repeated Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace. Israel claims
justification based on Hezbollah militancy.
A 2006 U.N.-backed cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah reminds Israel of its
obligation to respect Lebanese sovereignty while calling on Hezbollah to disarm.
Hezbollah secured several positions in the Lebanese government that emerged in
the wake of June parliamentary elections. Nasrallah said he considered this an
endorsement of the resistance."The choice of resistance is a true, logical and
victorious one," he said.
Has the Isolation of Iran Begun?
15/02/2010
By Tariq Alhomayed
Asharq Al-Awsat
Anyone following the latest news on Iran, and particularly the Western – Iranian
dispute regarding the nuclear issue, will notice that features of political
isolation have become evident against Tehran as a result of the western
political attack, and in contrast to this there has also been a clear decline in
Iran's political activity.
For while the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen,
and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are visiting the region, we are also
witnessing the emergence of Russian political positions that are closer to the
US position against Iran which calls for the imposing of sanctions. There was
also the statement by US Vice President Biden who said that his country expects
to obtain Chinese support for the US position of imposing sanctions on Tehran.
All of these positions and movements are met with inertia and confusion in Iran,
especially as the US activity in the region indicates that Washington is
following the carrot-and-stick policy. Therefore we see Hillary Clinton visiting
the region at the same time as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael
Mullen, who famously said that he wants to persuade Israel to restrain its
desire to take military action against Iran, and this statement is significant,
of course.
Here some might say that perhaps Iran and its politicians are busy with the
celebrations of the anniversary of the Khomeini Revolution, and it is true that
they were busy suppressing half the people of Iran, rather than celebrating,
which is something that reveals the internal crisis in the country. We must also
remember that the outbreak of [political] demonstrations in Tehran during the
recent presidential elections did not stop the politicians at the time from
undertaking [political] activity, and this was led by Ahmadinejad himself who
visited foreign countries whilst this was taking place.
There is a small – but important – piece of news that reveals the Iranian
confusion and anxiety as a result of the western political deluge which is
attacking Tehran from all directions, including Israel, after it was announced
that Netanyahu is visiting Russia for three days. This small news item which was
announced by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting [IRIB] and reported by the
Syrian-News website is that Ahmadinejad telephoned President Bashar al-Assad on
Thursday and that "Ahmadinejad informed al-Assad that should Israel launch an
attack on the region it [Israel] must be confronted and eliminated." The news
went on to reveal that Ahmadinejad told al-Assad "we have reliable
information…that the Zionist regime is seeking compensation for its ridiculous
defeats from the people of Gaza and Lebanon's Hezbollah." Ahmadinejad added that
"Iran will remain on the side of the regional countries, whether this is Syria,
Lebanon, or Palestine" and that "if the Zionist regime repeats its mistake and
initiates a military operation, then it must be resisted with full force to put
an end to it once and for all."
However we know that Iran did not fire one bullet to help Hezbollah in 2006, and
Tehran failed to come to the aid of Gaza when it was facing Israeli aggression,
and it failed to do anything when Israel attacked Deir ez-Zor in Syria.
Ahmadinejad has called for the Syrians to intervene in the event of a war
breaking out [between Iran and Israel] and looking at Ahmadinejad's words to
al-Assad it is clear that this is something that Tehran expects to happen.
Therefore from here we say that it is clear that Tehran has begun to feel
politically isolated, and this is something that has begun to surround the
country from all directions.
How Syria
benefits from the axis of proliferation
Tony Badran, February 16, 2010
Now Lebanon/
An undated image released during a briefing by senior US officials on April 24,
2008 in Washington DC showing what US intelligence officials said was a Syrian
nuclear reactor built with North Korean help. (AFP photo/US government)
Two weeks ago, a report appeared on the Japanese news site Nikkei quoting
Western intelligence sources as saying that North Korea was once again providing
“sensitive military technology” to Syria. The report got little coverage in the
Western media and came shortly before US the under secretary of state for
political affairs, William Burns, is scheduled to visit Syria. The purpose of
his trip has been described as being about Iran as well as Syria’s ongoing
smuggling of weapons to Hezbollah.
A day after the Nikkei report, the US director of national intelligence, Dennis
Blair, briefed the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence about his team’s
annual threat assessment (pdf). The assessment mentioned North Korea’s
cooperation with Syria in building the clandestine nuclear reactor at Al-Kibar
that Israel destroyed in September 2007. It also noted that US intelligence
“remain[s] alert to the possibility North Korea could again export nuclear
technology.”
Indeed, the Nikkei story claimed that North Korea was helping Syria build a
production line for maraging steel “that can be used in missile skins, chemical
warheads and gas centrifuges, a vital component in the uranium enrichment
process.” Maraging steel is an alloy possessing strength and malleability that,
among other things, “allow it to be formed into thinner rocket and missile skins
that can carry heavier payloads.”
The brazenness of this development was remarkable, even by North Korean and
Syrian standards. It showed just how much of a gambler Bashar al-Assad really is
and has been since he inherited power in Damascus. Yet the Syrian president has
grown accustomed to calculating that he can beat the odds against Syria’s paying
a serious political price for his actions. For instance, Syria still has not
cooperated with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s inquiry into its Al-Kibar
nuclear site. Instead, Assad may be continuing to push his quest for nukes.
This comes against the background of a recent war of words between Israel and
Damascus, and amid public concerns by the Obama administration that the
continued Syrian supply of weapons to Hezbollah – especially surface-to-surface
and surface-to-air missiles directly from Syrian army stockpiles – might lead to
a war in Lebanon that would also involve Syria.
To be sure, the North Korean-Syrian military relationship has not been confined
to nuclear cooperation. Rather, as the Nikkei report notes, it also extends to
ballistics and chemical weapons. Iran appears to be involved in the
collaboration as well – as it may have been in Syria’s aborted nuclear program,
reportedly financed by Tehran. According to several reports in Jane’s Defence
Weekly, Der Spiegel, and Sankei Shimbun, a July 2007 explosion at a facility
near Aleppo killed both Iranian and North Korean scientists working on fitting
warheads filled with chemical agents.
Since the days of Hafez al-Assad, the Syrian regime has unsuccessfully sought to
achieve “strategic parity” with Israel. Bashar al-Assad has evidently not given
up on that quest, hence his wager on nuclear cooperation with North Korea.
Moreover, in light of Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallem’s threat that a
war with Israel would be fought “inside [Israel’s] cities,” Syria may be
attempting to upgrade its missile arsenal in the hope of projecting its
deterrence power. Both Hamas and Hezbollah openly argue that any future conflict
between them and Israel will not be restricted, but instead will be “regional.”
As if renewed military cooperation with Syria weren’t bad enough, in December
Thailand’s authorities seized a large North Korean weapons shipment bound for
Iran. This was not the first such intercepted cargo. For example, Emirati
authorities stopped a shipment in Dubai last August. Iran operates a complex,
region-wide network through which it redistributes these arms to its regional
clients.
George W. Bush’s warning of an “axis of evil” involving Iran, Syria and North
Korea was dismissed as the ramblings of a cowboy president. However, the
Iranian-Syrian-North Korean triangle is very real. Although the US annual threat
assessment recalled how North Korea signed an agreement in October 2007
“reaffirm[ing] its commitment not to transfer nuclear materials,” the evidence
suggests otherwise. Its weapons smuggling, additionally, violates the United
Nations arms embargo laid out in Security Council Resolution 1874.
This weapons proliferation should make those who advocate “containing” Iran
pause. If proliferation has been a feature of North Korea’s behavior, then
supporting militant groups has been Iran’s path to center stage in regional
politics, and Syria’s means of remaining relevant. For all the talk of threats
by non-state actors, the basic fact remains that they are being offered and
supplied deterrence umbrellas only by states.
The ongoing strong military cooperation between North Korea, Iran and Syria
should also put to rest the vacuous notion that Damascus can somehow be
“distanced” from Iran. The Syrians continue to make it crystal clear that they
have no intention of dropping their alliances. As a weak regional actor, Syria
needs the alliance to strengthen its leverage. It shouldn’t take another Syrian
nuclear reactor, chemical warheads or advanced weapons systems passed on to
Hezbollah to figure this out.
**Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Ottawa
Minister: An Attack on Israel is an Attack on Canada
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Arutz Sheva
An Iranian attack on Israel would be considered an attack on Canada, according
to Peter Kent, Canada's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Americas
and a legislator from an Ontario community with a large Jewish population.
He told Shalomlife.com, “Canada has been concerned for some time not only about
brutal repression of civil rights in Iran but also about the nuclear adventurism
and the proclaimed quest of nuclear weaponry by President [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad.”
Canada has been one of Israel's staunchest allies, and Canadian Prime Minister
Stephen Harper last week called for a coordinated international effort to halt
"the grave danger" of Iran's pursuit of nuclear capability. Both Harper and Kent
condemned Iran for human rights abuses.
Kent told Shalomlife that the Iranian regime’s announcement that it is producing
high-grade uranium brings “Iran considerably closer to possessing weapons-grade
material.
“Prime Minister Harper has made it quite clear for some time now and has
regularly stated that an attack on Israel would be considered an attack on
Canada,” said Kent. “We work with our allies. We regularly convey our concern in
a variety of ways, at the United Nations, as well as one on one... We certainly
share information and views with the government of Israel and with other
democracies.” Kent also favors placing sanctions
before resorting to a a military attack on Iran, which he said “is the last
”possible option but remains in the broad range of options and unfortunate
possibilities.”Concerning sanctions, Kent pointed out that they should be put
into effect so that they punish the Iranian regime and not the citizens.
“Unilateral sanctions tend to be much less effective than when we impose
sanctions in concert with other countries,” explained Kent. “We have had some
sanctions for some time on equipment and materials related to the making of
nuclear weapons, but it may soon be time to intensify the sanctions and to
broaden those sanctions into other areas, such as economic areas which we hope
would discourage Iran from its current course. “Very
often the people who suffer when sanctions are imposed are the most innocent in
any society and that is always a consideration.”
Netanyahu Asks Russia for Tougher Sanctions on Iran
by Hana Levi Julian ظArutz Sheva
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu lobbied Moscow on Monday for “very tough
sanctions” to be imposed on Iran in order to convince the Islamic Republic to
end its nuclear development program. The move came during a two-day visit to
Russia that began late Sunday, in response to an announcement by Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last Thursday that the Natanz nuclear facility had
begun to enrich uranium up to 20 percent.
The stepped-up uranium enrichment program is part of continued Iranian defiance
of a U.N. Security Council ban on its unsupervised nuclear development
activities. Israel, the United States and other Western nations believe Iran is
intent on using its nuclear technology to build an atomic weapon, possibly to
annihilate the Jewish State.
“What is needed now are very tough sanctions that can influence this regime and
severe sanctions that will considerably and convincingly harm the import and
export of oil,” Netanyahu said.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev expressed a willingness to listen to Israel's
appeal, telling journalists at the start of his meeting with Netanyahu that
Israel is no “ordinary partner” with Russia, but rather a country with whom
there are long-term ties. He also referred to the population ties between the
two nations, an apparent nod to Russian Jewry.
Following their talks, Netanyahu said he had told Medvedev about the need for
“sanctions with teeth. They can bite only if they have teeth. Diluted sanctions
don't work,” he said pointedly.
A spokeswoman from the Kremlin who accompanied Netanyahu at the news conference
declined to comment on his remarks.
Until recently, Russia has had close ties with Tehran and has helped the Islamic
Republic build its nuclear power station at Bushehr. Russia had also rejected
Israel's request to freeze its sale to Iran of the advanced S-300 anti-missile
air defense system that could be used to defend its nuclear facilities from
attack.
However, Moscow recently was disappointed with Iran's rejection of an IAEA deal
to send its uranium abroad – specifically to Russia – for enrichment, choosing
instead to retain its ability to enhance the nuclear fuel at home.
That rejection may inspire Moscow, which has veto power in the U.N. Security
Council, to support the United States in its bid to impose sanctions on the
Islamic Republic.
In an apparent change of heart, Medvedev also reportedly told Netanyahu on
Monday that he would delay the sale of the S-300 system to Iran. However, he did
not say the sale would be canceled. A senior governement minister said hours
before Netanyahu's arrival that the sale of the missiles would continue.
Asharq
Al-Awsat Talks to Israel Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon
14/02/2010
Interview by Ali El-Saleh
London, Asharq Al-Awsat- Perhaps for security reasons, the meeting with Israeli
Deputy Foreign Minister David Ayalon was at the Israeli Embassy in a
neighborhood across the affluent High Kensington Street in central London. One
feels the security measures even before arriving at the big gate to this
exclusive area near Kensington Palace, the private residence of the late
Princess Diana. You are watched from a distance by a number of British policemen
in their traditional uniform, but the untraditional part of the scene is the
machine guns they are carrying. As soon as you cross the gate, policemen receive
you by asking you where you are going. Once that is done, you wait for an
Israeli security man who comes and searches you as you undergo security measures
similar to those that you go through at Tel Aviv Airport, if not more stringent.
The searching does not end until you arrive at the place of the meeting from the
embassy to Royal Gardens Hotel next to Kensington Palace Gardens. The interview
with Ayalon began in one corner of the hotel's halls and was attended by one of
his aides and the media affairs consul at the embassy.
The text of the interview is as follows:
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Let us begin by what Israeli media outlets have reported about
a letter from the British Foreign Office that you carry in your pocket to
protect you from arrest by the judicial prosecution in Britain concerning the
war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
[Ayalon] It is not a letter in the literal sense.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] But your media outlets affirm that it is a letter signed by
British Foreign Affairs Secretary David Miliband that you as well as the members
of the delegation accompanying you carry in your pockets.
[Ayalon] We hope Britain would solve this problem as soon as possible, as did
Spain, Belgium, and other western countries. We have been made promises
concerning this. The laws in Spain and Belgium have been amended and we are
confident the same thing will happen in Britain so that we would forestall the
terrorists that are trying to exploit these laws in the democratic countries.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] But who is leading the campaign against the Israeli leaders
responsible for the war in Gaza? It is not the terrorists; it is renowned
lawyers, including Jewish lawyers like Daniel Machover. I do not think it is
your opinion that Machover is a terrorist.
[Ayalon] There are those that are trying to exploit the democracies; we should
deter them.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] You have recently been quoted as saying that peace with the
Palestinians is the first priority of the current Israeli government. Are you
really convinced of this or are these mere statements to the media? Is this is
indeed the case, why is Israel stalling in reaching an agreement?
[Ayalon] Yes, we are convinced of peace with the Palestinians on the basis of
the two-state solution as enunciated in Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's
speech in June. However, everything should take place through unconditional
negotiations.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] But you are asking for a return to square one, or rather
square zero, rather than a return to the point where the negotiations between
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in
December 2008. Is this not a precondition?
[Ayalon] Olmert was not authorized to hold negotiations, especially in the last
months of his government. He did not even involve his Foreign Minister Tzipi
Livni (the leader of the Kadima Party and currently in the opposition) in the
negotiations. Furthermore, they were not serious negotiations; Olmert could not
have signed anything in his last days as prime minister. I am saying that we as
a rightist government or a right of center government can carry out what we sign
on. History attests to this fact. The presence of such a government that
includes the Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu (Russian Jews), the Labor Party, and Shas
(of the religious eastern Jews) is an opportunity that must not be missed to
reach an agreement.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you as a government and Yisrael Beiteinu Party accept to
discuss all the essential and major issues, including Jerusalem, the refugees,
water, the border, and other such issues without setting conditions?
[Ayalon] We do not set conditions as long as the Palestinians do not set
conditions, such as ceasing settlement building activities.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Regarding the issue of settlement building activities, why do
you not stop it as a sign of good intentions to resume the negotiations if you
are concerned for peace? This is especially true since the assumption is that
the settlements or most of them will be removed as part of peace agreement.
[Ayalon] This is unfair.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] How is it unfair?
[Ayalon] Asking Israel to stop settlement building activities is like saying why
do the Palestinians not say that they will concede the right of return of the
refugees. [It is unfair] because it is untrue and unrealistic.
[Al-Salih] But there is no room for comparison. In accordance with international
law, these are settling in occupied lands, but the refugees were expelled from
their homes and the United Nations and UN resolutions admit this fact.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] I believe that considering the settlements as an obstacle to
peace is exaggerated. We have shown in the past that settlements do not
influence results. Examples of this are the withdrawal from the Sinai Desert;
the dismantling of the Yamit settlement that was carried out by Sharon himself;
and the decision made by Sharon's Likud government to withdraw from the Gaza
Strip and dismantle the settlements. This decision was made in August 2005.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are you saying that the settlements will not be an obstacle
and can be dismantled within the framework of peace process as happened in Gaza
and the Sinai?
[Ayalon] They will not be a problem if there is a good settlement.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] What do you mean by a good settlement?
[Ayalon] I mean a settlement by which the two states (Israel and Palestine)
enjoy security and stability and live side by side in security, harmony,
cooperation, and coordination.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Is not the issue of Israel's security exaggerated? Are you
really convinced that the Palestinians pose a security and military danger to
Israel that may lead to its destruction?
[Ayalon] Look at Gaza. We left it completely in 2005 and the Jewish complexes
there were dismantled. Then came Hamas with guns and rockets and began to shell
us. Imagine such a situation in the West Bank, God forbid.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] But even the rocket shelling from Gaza does not constitute a
danger to Israel's security and existence. Why exaggerate?
[Ayalon] We do not wish to give any side the chance to return to such events or
even to contemplate such events. We want to reach an agreement to end the
problem completely and irreversibly, including the historic demands (the
Palestinian demands for a return to historic Palestine).
[Asharq Al-Awsat] In the most recent interview held with Palestinian President
Mahmud Abbas in December, he literally said and in English: We will drop all the
historic demands in Palestine and we will end the conflict completely.
[Ayalon] I am glad to hear that because he will find that we understand and we
will make concessions.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Some are saying that the statements being made show that the
Israeli Foreign Ministry is exchanging roles with the Defense Ministry. Fiery
statements are being made by the foreign minister while calm statements are
being made by the Defense minister. In other words, the Foreign Ministry has
become more radical and militaristic than the Defense Ministry.
[Ayalon] No, no, no; this is not true.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's statements on war with
Syria and overthrowing the Syrian regime attest to my words. Meanwhile, Defense
Minister Ehud Barak is focusing on the need to negotiate with Syria.
[Ayalon] You should Read Mr. Lieberman's statement in context; it was in
response to radical and provocative statements made by Syrian Foreign Minister
Walid al-Muallem. Al-Muallem said: "Do not test Syria's resolve, O Israelis. You
know that at this time a war will reach your cities. Go back to reason and
follow the road to peace that is clear and abide by the requirements of a just
and comprehensive peace."
[Asharq Al-Awsat] But Lieberman is known for his radical statements even before
he became foreign minister. I recall his threats to destroy the Aswan Dam in
Upper Egypt and to bomb Tehran.
[Ayalon] That was many years ago.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] But people do not forget and statements cannot be forgotten.
It is also said that Danny Ayalon is "the least radical" in the ministry and is
an acceptable figure on the international level; that is why he is the one, not
Lieberman, that makes these visits abroad.
[Ayalon] (Laughs) No, no, no; that is not true at all; he travels more than I
do. He has visited Germany and Poland. We work well together. I would like to
quote his words: I am prepared to leave my home (in Nokdim settlement near
Bethlehem, south of the West Bank) if genuine peace is achieved. He is a man
that keeps his word.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Will you - as Yisrael Beiteinu Party - accept the outcome of
negotiations regardless of what they are and will work to implement them?
[Ayalon] Yes.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] You are saying that the Israeli government is committed to
peace?
[Ayalon] Yes.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Peace that includes withdrawal from the West Bank and
Jerusalem with the possible of exchange of land?
[Ayalon] I do not wish to talk about specific points because I do not want to
pre-judge the Israeli position. At the same time, our position depends on the
Palestinian stand also.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] But the Palestinian side has nothing to offer more than it is
has already offered.
[Ayalon] Let me tell you: In its final statement, the Fatah sixth congress -
that we helped convene last summer - talked about resistance (he pronounced it
in Arabic) and the culture of resistance. Such words are not compatible with the
spirit of peace. We wanted to a clear voice calling for peace, but this did not
happen. Moreover, Fatah's constitution still includes the paragraph on Israel's
removal. There is also the issue of incitement in the books and the mosques.
More important than this, if we are to accept the Palestinians' right to
self-determination, they should accept our right to self-determination in a
Jewish state.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] What do you mean when you talk about a Jewish state? What is
the form of such a state? Do you mean expelling the Arabs?
[Ayalon] People should understand that Judaism is not only a religion; it is a
national and ethnic identity and a way of life.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] You cannot convince me that the way of life of a European Jew
is similar to that of a Yemeni Jew or an Ethiopian Jew or an Iraqi Jew.
[Ayalon] It is almost the same way of life.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] I have personally visited Jewish homes, including eastern
Jews. I saw that the way of life is different.
[Ayalon] We have the same traditions. If you were to go to Shabat prayers and
rites you will see that they are one.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] But these are religious matters. The same religious rites
exist in Pakistan as in any other Arab Muslim country, but one cannot say that a
Pakistani or a Bengali has an Arab identity.
(One of Ayalon's aides intervenes, saying we all speak the same language)
[Asharq Al-Awsat] That is not true; the language of the Falasha is different
from the language of European Jews. That is why an immigrant to Israel goes
through intensive language courses.
[Ayalon] Israel's Jewishness does not mean that non-Jews cannot live in Israel
and enjoy all rights and opportunities that are available to everyone.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] But your party says that the Arabs in Israel should swear
allegiance to Israel or else they have no rights.
[Ayalon] We say that we expect national solidarity like Israelis, Jews or
non-Jews. They should also serve in the army. This applies not only on the
Israeli Arabs but also on orthodox Jews. We shall not try to compel them using
force. But we are saying if you enlist in the army you will enjoy the privileges
of enlisting, perhaps a plot of land or free education. This applies to
everybody, Arabs, Jews, and others, but if you do not do so you will not receive
these privileges.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Will this also apply on the orthodox Jews?
[Ayalon] This is what we are demanding; it is a draft decision that we will
raise in the Knesset. We respect the Arabs as much as we want them to respect
us. We have nothing against the Arabs. There is another thing that makes people
call us all sorts of things, which are untrue. We are talking about the exchange
of lands. We are saying why should we give the Arabs barren lands in the Negev
Desert? Why do we not give them fertile land that is populated? The people will
not be forced to leave their lands.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] You are talking about the [Galilee] Triangle, the border strip
adjoining the Green Line [Israel proper] that includes Arab villages, towns, and
cities.
(In his interview, Abu-Mazin said that he it made clear to the Israelis that he
totally rejects this idea and that if land is to be exchanged - the settlements
in the West Bank - the lands that the [Palestinian] Authority [PA) should
receive should not be distant from these areas)
[Ayalon] Yes, why not? If the Arabs in Israel say they are proud of their
Palestinian identity, why are they not proud to be part of the Palestinian
state? They do not lose anything by joining the Palestinian state. Moreover,
this will be in the interest of the Palestinian state.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Why?
[Ayalon] Because they are advanced economically and socially and can put their
expertise to building the state.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Your call includes Umm al-Fahm, of course. But does it also
include the city of Nazareth, the largest Arab city?
[Ayalon] No.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] And why not? If you want to get rid of the Arabs in Israel,
let this include all the Arabs.
[Ayalon] I am talking about the areas where there is the logic of geographic
contiguity. Any area close to the border can be included in this plan.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] And the city of Nazareth is close to the city of Janin (north
of the West Bank).
[Ayalon] We do not wish to go into surgical procedures. What is more important
is that the acceptance of this idea would send to the Jews messages of good
intentions regarding peace. The result will be that the majority of the Jews
would live in Israel and the majority of the Palestinians would live in
Palestine. This is logical. I am saying this not because we want to get rid of
them. We know that states become fragmented and divided on the basis of
demographic division. Look what happened to the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and
Czechoslovakia. I believe that such a measure will reassure the Israelis about
the demographic situation. It will also help the Palestinians without anyone
being subjected to harassment. This is something to think about outside what is
familiar. As I said, this will help the Palestinian state on the economic level.
So, why not?
[Asharq Al-Awsat] I do not believe that the Palestinian state will have a
shortage in population if the refugees are to return to it.
[Ayalon] Tell me, why do the people of Umm al-Fahm, the biggest Arab town in the
Triangle, not want to vote in a Palestinian state?
[Asharq Al-Awsat] If you are prepared, let your generosity stretch to Nazareth
in the northeast and even the city of Lod where there are Arabs.
[Ayalon] In Israel, about 18 percent of the population is Arab. Why does not the
Palestinian state accept 18 percent of its population to be Jews?
[Asharq Al-Awsat] The Arabs are living on their land or on what is left of their
lands on which Israel was established. As for the Jews in the Palestinian lands,
they are living on lands that do not belong to them. They have no right there.
They should leave these lands in accordance with the United Nations that
established Israel. Let us move to your undiplomatic treatment of the Turkish
ambassador in Tel Aviv. Do you not think that that behavior reflected some sort
of arrogance and ingratitude?
[Ayalon] That is not true; but I did not mean to be arrogant and there was no
intention to insult the Turkish ambassador. When I felt what I had done and the
pain I had caused, I apologized personally to him in writing.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] But the pictures were clear and identical to the words. You
were sitting on a chair higher than that of the Turkish ambassador. You did not
offer him any soft drinks and you did not raise the Turkish flag in accordance
with diplomatic protocol. Not only that, but you also called in the press to see
the insult with their own eyes.
[Ayalon] What happened with the Turkish ambassador was a technical mistake. It
was not meant as an insult.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] If you do not characterize this kind of behavior as an insult,
what is your understanding of an insult?
[Ayalon] I invite you to visit my office in the Knesset. You will find that
there are two chairs in the office and in the other offices. One is higher than
the other that is designed for guests. What happened was at a moment of
expressing a protest. It was not intended as an insult and it was not supposed
to be for publication.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] But it was you that invited the media outlets to see your
insult of the Turkish ambassador.
[Ayalon] This is not true. We brought in the cameras to take pictures for the
occasion and the tape recorders were supposed to be off. But they were not so. I
personally when I make a mistake I bear full responsibility and apologize. I am
not afraid of admitting a mistake and I believe that others should apologize and
bear the responsibility when they make a mistake.
(Ayalon has been cited as telling Television Channel 10 on 6 February: Israel
refuses to be kicked around and attacked by any state without retaliating. If a
state harms Israel, we will keep all our options open, including the expulsion
of ambassadors. We do not wish to attack anyone or argue with anyone, but we
will not be like a leaf blown in the wind.) The crisis erupted as a result of a
Turkish Television show that showed men from Israel's Mosad killing Palestinian
children.