| |
|
January 23, 2005
|
 |
On Tu B'Shevat, the Trees' Birthday,
It's Good to Remember Our Interdependence
Click here to Plant a Tree
Visit the ICC Website
|
Palestinian Security Forces Deploy in Gaza by Nidal al-Mughrabi
Palestinian security forces took up positions across northern Gaza on Friday to curb militant attacks against Israel as part of Mahmoud Abbas's plan to halt violence and revive peace talks. Palestinian security sources said 2,000 paramilitary police were assigned to the border towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya and other parts of northern Gaza to prevent militants firing rockets and mortars at Jewish settlements and Israel. (Reuters)
Quiet in Gaza Has IDF Cautiously Optimistic by Margot Dudkevitch
The drastic decrease in violence over the weekend was met with cautious optimism by officers in the Israeli army. The deployment of armed Palestinian policemen in Beit Hanun, Beit Lahiya and Khan Yunis is encouraging and so far running smoothly, the officers said - but the real test will be if Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas tries and manages to disarm Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Tanzim, and thus halt attacks against Israelis. (Jerusalem Post)
Three Palestinian Children Transferred to Israeli Hospitals by Tsahar Rotem
Three children, two of them babies, were transferred from Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip to the children's hospital in Sheba Medical Center over the weekend. A special Magen David Adom vehicle equipped with an incubator transferred a week-old baby and a 9-day-old baby from the Erez Crossing to the hospital. Both babies suffer from heart malfunctions and are awaiting heart surgery. (Ha'aretz)
White House Takes a Page Out of Sharansky's Democracy Playbook by Hilary Leila Kreiger
During her opening remarks at the Senate confirmation hearing last week, Secretary of State nominee Condoleezza Rice said, "The world should apply what Natan Sharansky calls the 'town square test': if a person cannot walk into the middle of the town square and express his or her views without fear of arrest, imprisonment, or physical harm, then that person is living in a fear society, not a free society. We cannot rest until every person living in a 'fear society' has finally won their freedom." (Jerusalem Post)
Israel Continues to Aid Tsunami-Stricken Areas by Judy Siegel-Itzkovich
Magen David Adom's medical relief team in the tsunami-hit regions has been attending to 300 patients daily, several of which are children suffering from infected wounds and respiratory infections caused by ingesting polluted water. The team has set up an advanced field clinic camp in Sri Lanka near the coastal town of Balapitiay some 100 kilometers southeast of the capital Colombo. (Jerusalem Post)
See alsoSummary of Israeli Assistance to the Tsunami Disaster Victims (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
 No Shortcuts on This Peace Road by Jonathan Rynhold
Since the death of Yasser Arafat and the election of Abu Mazen, many in the European Union and on the Israeli left favor a speedy return to permanent status negotiations with the Palestinians that would seek to resolve all outstanding elements of the conflict. This would be a serious mistake because core emotive issues, especially that of refugees, remain "unripe" for resolution. (Ha'aretz)
Abbas Surprised Israel by Aluf Benn
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has surprised Israel with his rapid move to stop rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza by deploying PA policemen in the area. He "surpassed our expectations," an official said. Abbas's recent actions against terrorism prove that his predecessor, Yasser Arafat, indeed led the armed intifada and supported attacks against Israel. Arafat never took even the minimal steps that Abbas has now taken. (Ha'aretz)
New College Exhibit Transforms Hasbara by Chanan Weissman
Beginning in early February, a traveling exhibit featuring the positive influence of Israeli developed technology will be showcased on a number of college campuses such as Harvard, MIT, Brandeis and Tufts. "College students today have only seen Israel as a place of conflict and war," Amir Gissin, of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said. "This exhibit shows them that there's another Israel that exists - one of medical advancements, technological breakthroughs, and scientific discoveries that are helping each one of us." (Jerusalem Post)
Columbia: Mideast Tensions Are Getting Personal on Campus by N. R. Kleinfeld
The Columbia contretemps is perhaps the most public expression of a polarization that also festers at other campuses. Indeed, the David Project intends to do films elsewhere, and said that early interviews have already been shot. A somewhat similar dispute happened in 2002 at the University of Chicago. Some Columbia accusations are quite specific, though hard to evaluate stripped of fuller context, but several faculty members say they feel something is there. (New York Times)
See also Intimidated Classrooms by Nat Hentoff (Village Voice)
Drake/Iowa State: Students Find Mideast Trip "Eye-Opening" by Megan Hawkins
It's been tough for Drew Gulley and Sophia Magill to return to American college life. For 9 days during winter break, the student body presidents from Drake University and Iowa State University debated with Israelis and Palestinians about ongoing political clashes. The travel seminar was sponsored by Project Interchange. "The media images of Israel we get show a nation in turmoil, where people are afraid to leave the house. Suicide bombers everywhere. That's not what we experienced at all," Gulley said. "Certainly there's heightened security, but it is a country that's really moving forward economically and socially." (Des Moines Register)
Duke: Naomi Chazan Speaks on Campus by Emily Rotberg
Naomi Chazan, a member of the far-left Israeli political party Meretz, is an 11-year veteran of the Knesset and current professor of political science at the Hebrew University. "This is the last opportunity we will have to cement a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Chazan said. "It will not happen by itself." Abbas represents a departure from earlier Palestinian leadership due to his nonviolent platform. But Chazan clarified that as a contemporary of Arafat and a co-founder of the PLO, Abbas still represents the Palestinian old guard. Chazan predicted that Abbas would have a problem with new generations of Palestinian leadership. (The Chronicle)
Nevada LV: Israeli Ambassador Visits by Marek Biernacinski
Israel desires only peace in the Middle East, said Israel's Ambassador to the United States Daniel Ayalon in a speech last week. "We are not expecting Abbas to perform miracles," the ambassador said. "We do expect him to exert 100 percent efforts in order to stop the terror. As of today, we do not see him even doing 1 percent." But Ayalon was much more optimistic when discussing the future prospects of peace. He spoke positively, for the most part, about Abbas. (The Rebel Yell)
Oxford: Jewish Student Targeted by Rachel Cornwell
Arabic and Hebrew finalist Daniel Lowe returned from studying in Israel at the start of term to find his room peppered with glass after a brick was hurled through double glazing and landed on his bed. An Israeli flag was displayed behind the window, which Lowe believes may have been the motive for the attack. Lowe said he didn't feel college was taking the issue seriously enough. Dean Fraser Thompson said: "Personal safety of both the student and his colleagues is paramount and as such I recommended that he should not display the flag so prominently. It is abhorrent that anyone should have their freedom of expression curtailed in such a way." (Oxford Student-UK)
Pitt: Israel's Consul General Shows Optimism About Future, Looks to Strengthen U.S. ties by Bilal Muhammad
Last week, Israeli diplomat Uriel Palti discussed the Israeli disengagement plan for the Gaza Strip, Israeli international relations, and the current relationship between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. On the whole, Palti felt that Israel is beginning to witness significant changes toward the stability of the nation, from President George W. Bush's second term and the disappearance of Yasser Arafat to Sharon's disengagement plan for the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. (Pitt News)
See also Carnegie Mellon: Israeli Consul Leads Hillel Discussion by Ali Kilduff (The Tartan)
Toronto: Anti-Israel Event in Toronto Blasted
Activists in Toronto are protesting plans by a coalition of Arab groups to hold Israeli Apartheid Week on the University of Toronto campus. The Canadian Coalition for Democracies is urging university donors and others to complain to the school’s governing council. "Those who fund universities, including taxpayers and private donors, generally expect their hard-earned dollars will support open debate on major issues," said Alastair Gordon, a spokesperson for the Canadian Coalition. "The title of this conference appears to be a conclusion, not a call for debate, and the roster of speakers is almost laughably one-sided." (JTA)
Yale: Little Bias in Near East Department, Students Say by Sarah Mishkin
Though a controversial documentary made by Columbia University students alleges that professors at the university discriminated against pro-Israel students, professors and students studying in Yale's Near Eastern Department said they have not seen bias in classrooms here. "I haven't heard any serious complaints or any type of intimidation," Yale Friends of Israel President Richard Leiter '06 said. Other students agreed that Yale professors steer clear of judging students based on their political beliefs. (Yale Daily News)
UC-Irvine: Abbas Needs to be Watched by Loren S. Casuto
It is important to watch Mahmoud Abbas carefully and make sure he follows through on his promises so he does not become like his mentor, Yasser Arafat. If the world does not want a repeat of Arafat, it must police and ensure that both sides keep their word in this endeavor or the Palestinians will once again suffer the after effects of more bad leadership. (New University)
Rochester IT: Students Slam Pro-Israel Speaker, But Welcome Professor with 'Terror Ties' by Aaron Klein
Students at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) have been protesting an upcoming lecture, mandatory for some seniors, by pro-Israel Middle East expert Daniel Pipes, while public concerns have not be voiced over another speech, part of the same series, by Ali Mazrui, a professor accused of ties to organizations supporting terrorism. Mazrui recently wrote a paper, "The State of Israel as Cause for Anti-Semitism." (WorldNetDaily)
Texas: Thoughts on Jerusalem by Daniel P. Rubenstein
The Middle East dominates American foreign policy discussion. Despite the University's suspension of study abroad programs to Israel, I am spending my junior year at the Middle East's best university, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Surely there is no better way to study the Middle East than to actually be in this fascinating region. I do not equate being in Israel with being in harm's way. I feel safe here. Because of soldier-citizens like my roommate, Israel remains vigilant against external and internal threats while continuing to thrive as an open and democratic society. (The Daily Texan)
Preventing Study Abroad Comes with its Own Set of Dangers by Charles Hill
The State Department warning list is having a deleterious cascade effect on American student involvement with the world in general, not just with Israel. Americans are at some risk everywhere in the world, but hardly more in Israel than in the United States. (Yale Daily News)
Protesting an Anti-Terror Rally? Only in Berkeley by Cinnamon Stillwell and Lee Kaplan
As centerpiece for the Rally Against Global Terrorism and to bring the reality of terrorism closer to home, the wreckage of Jerusalem Bus #19, destroyed last year in a suicide bombing that killed 11 and wounded 45 passengers, was on display in Berkeley last week to show the horrors of terrorism up close. Around 40 pro-Palestinian college students waved Palestinian flags and used bullhorns to chant "Down with Israel!" and " Down with the U.S.A!." One has to wonder at the logic of people who would protest a protest against world terrorism in the name of "humanity." (FrontPage Magazine)
Yale: Professor Foster Urges Hands-Off Foreign Relations by Samantha Xiao
According to Benjamin Foster, Professor on the Council on Middle East Studies, "The difference between Israel and Palestine has to be solved by the parties themselves and not by any foreign power....We have to have both sides saying that what we are looking for is a decent life and to recognize that each side of us is human and wants the same things that other human beings want. (The Yale Herald)
A Meeting of the Minds Across the Miles by Douglas J. Guth
In the summer of 2002, Jerusalem-born Shlomit Zuckerman spent her entire life savings to come to Case Western Reserve University from Israel and pursue a master's degree in bioethics. Zuckerman might not be able to recoup that money, but the exchange program she is fostering between Case and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) could pay big dividends for students from both institutions. (Cleveland Jewish News)
Raichel Kicks Off Hillel’s Israeli Festival by Sheri Shefa
In an attempt to kick off the week-long Israeli Cultural Festival with a bang, Hillel has teamed up with one of the hottest musicians out of Israel. Idan Raichel, of the Idan Raichel Project, whose music is a marriage of Ethiopian and Israeli influences, performs at Hillel’s annual fundraiser at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto on Jan. 27, which begins his North American tour. (Canadian Jewish News)
See also Bringing Israeli Soul to the U.S. by Viva Sarah Press
The Idan Raichel Project will play to American college campuses next month in New York, Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Miami, Milwaukee and Washington. (Jerusalem Post)
Click to hear a selection of the Idan Raichel Project (Israel Music)
Guy Melamed Selected in Fourth Round of MLS SuperDraft
Boston College men's soccer senior co-captain Guy Melamed from Nofit, Israel was drafted in the fourth round of the Major League Soccer SuperDraft by the Colorado Rapids on last week. The three-time team captain has already finished his undergraduate degree and is currently pursuing his master's. (CSTV Collegesports.com)
Joint Israel-Jordan Biological Field Survey Launched by Judy Siegel-Itzkovich
Scientists from Israel and Jordan began the first joint biological field survey on both sides of the border in the Dead Sea region last week. The two-day survey - the first of its kind in the Middle East - inaugurates field-level activities of the Bridging the Rift (BTR) project. The scientists launched the first phase of a long-term study of the biology of the region, together with U.S. scientists from Stanford, Cornell and Harvard universities. (Jerusalem Post)
|
 - Israel's Disengagement Plan: An Opportunity for Peace or a Disaster? | | The Unilateral Withdrawal: A Security Error of Historical Magnitude by Yaakov Amidror
- Virtually all the experts agree that an expectation of improvement in the quality of Palestinian life is totally unfounded, since disengagement will prove disastrous to the Palestinian economy.
- Furthermore, the claim that "the process of disengagement will serve to dispel claims regarding Israel's responsibility for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip" is unfounded from both the legal and diplomatic aspects. Clearly, as long as Israel guards the external perimeter of the Gaza Strip, and no one is permitted to enter or leave without inspection and approval, it will continue to be regarded as responsible for the fate of the residents there.
- The departure of IDF forces from Gaza may be disastrous at the tactical level. It may bring today's Qassam rockets to the heart of Ashkelon, whose fate will become that of Sderot. If the range of the rockets increases, other towns will become additional targets.
- It is impossible to predict the ramifications of evacuating northern Samaria and whether a threat of rocket attacks against the center of the State of Israel will result. This will depend on the extent of the freedom of action given to the IDF in the region.
- The disengagement will cause a significant reduction in Israel's ability to respond locally - both in Gaza and northern Samaria - to developments such as rocket attacks. This reduction will inevitably result from the expected deterioration of the level of intelligence and even more from the restricted freedom of action of the operational forces. The IDF will lose its capability of combating the chain of production and firing of the Qaasam rockets.
- It will be more difficult to defend the line of the Gaza fence when on the other side there is no Israeli force capable of creating a real buffer zone.
- If over the course of time Israeli control of the Philadelphi route becomes more tenuous, or if a sea port is constructed in Gaza or the Gaza airport becomes operational again, as promised in the Oslo agreements, then rockets that can reach Kiryat Gat and the southern outskirts of Ashdod can be smuggled in. Furthermore, surface-to-air missiles will also likely be smuggled in, curtailing the Israeli Air Force's freedom of action above Gaza or even in Israeli skies near the fence.
- After the unilateral withdrawal, which will be heralded by the Palestinians as flight (even if Israel proclaims that the decision was not caused by terror but by other reasons), it will be difficult to persuade anyone in the world in general and in the Middle East in particular that terrorism did not defeat the State of Israel.
- The victory of terror will become a myth that will influence the future, even if Palestinian diplomatic or tactical considerations dictate a lull in the terror after the IDF withdrawal. There will perhaps be a large internal struggle among the Palestinians for domination and booty, but it will be clear who fled and who left the booty behind. (Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies)
| |
The Disengagement Plan: Political and Security Ramifications by Shlomo Brom
- After almost four years of violent confrontation and upon the current deadlock in Israeli-Palestinian relations, the disengagement plan offers an opportunity for the creation of a positive dynamic in these relations.
- The plan contains a message to the Palestinians and the international community that Prime Minister Sharon is serious in his intention of achieving a two-state solution, as per his declarations of readiness for the establishment of a Palestinian state at the high price of evacuating settlements.
- In the modified disengagement plan, Sharon persisted in including a section on Judea and Samaria - specifically, the evacuation of four settlements in northern Samaria - because it is important for him to send the message to the Palestinians and the international community that Judea and Samaria are likewise part of the larger design, even though the cancellation of this part of his package would have made it easier for him to obtain support for the plan.
- The "partner" deemed by most Israelis as glaringly absent will be created if the Palestinians, with the aid of the international community, exploit this opportunity and demonstrate seriousness in their intent to implement the first stage of the roadmap, which should cause a reduction in the level of violence and a return to normal life by both populations.
- If some settlements are evacuated, even as part of a very limited plan, this will set a precedent of tremendous importance within the country and demonstrate the seriousness of Israel's intentions to the outside world.
- Improvement of the economic situation in the territories from which Israel will withdraw will serve its interest for stability and peace. Economic improvement requires investing extensive resources in security measures and in enhancing Israel's cooperation. There is readiness in the international community to invest the required resources in order not to miss the opportunity latent in the disengagement plan.
- In any case, if the plan fails and the vicious cycle of violence revives in full, Israel will take all the measures required for its security as it sees fit, even if there will be an international presence in the Gaza Strip, just as it did in Lebanon for many years.
- From this aspect a window of opportunity has been created, in which there is both a need for a major contribution by the international community, and a readiness within this community for an important role to contribute to the success of the disengagement plan. Israel should exploit this moment of grace. (Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies)
|
The Israel on Campus Coalition is a partnership of the Charles and
Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish
Campus Life, in cooperation with a network of national organizations committed
to promoting Israel education and advocacy on campus.
To contact the Israel on Campus Coalition: info@israeloncampuscoalition.org
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations speaks for organized American Jewry on vital issues of international and national concern. Representing 52 national Jewish organizations, the Conference provides a common voice for affiliated American Jews from across the political and religious spectrum, forging diverse groups into a powerful, unified force for Israel's survival, and for protecting and enhancing the security and dignity of Jews abroad.
To contact the Conference of Presidents: info@conferenceofpresidents.org
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs is an independent, non-profit institute for policy research and education serving Israel and the Jewish people since 1976.
To contact the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs: jcenter@jcpa.org
For Daily News Updates, see the Daily Alert
See Israel HighWay, a weekly email newsletter for high school students
To subscribe to Israel Campus Beat, click here.
To manage your subscription to the Israel Campus Beat, click here.
To unsubscribe to Israel Campus Beat, click here.
|
|
|