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ISRAEL

The Two-step Solution to The Palestinian Problem By Ted Belman

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/02/the_twostep_solution_to_the_palestinian_problem_.html

Last week, the Trump team tabled  “Peace to Prosperity” otherwise known as The Deal of the Century, in which they set out their vision for achieving peace. It includes the creation of a Palestinian “state.”  The Palestinian leadership was quick to reject it as did the Arab League and many others, including many Israelis.

Nobody believes the “state” will come to be.

Surely the Trump team knows this. So, why did they table the vision?

In my opinion, the Trump team wanted to present a new vision to replace the old vision. During the next four years they will advance their vision and negate the old vision.

The old vision was based on the Oslo Accords signed in 1993 and 1995, and the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, which demanded 100% withdrawal by Israel.  In addition, it demanded the right of return for all Palestinian refugees and the division of Jerusalem. 

This vision was premised on the Palestinian narrative that presented the Palestinians as indigenous and the Israelis as interlopers, oppressors and occupiers.

According to Peace to Prosperity,

“The Oslo Accords, however, left numerous key issues unresolved pending the completion of permanent status negotiations, including, among other items, borders, security, refugees and Jerusalem. Those agreements did not create an effective path for neutralizing the kinds of crises that emerged during the implementation of Oslo, including waves of terror and violence.”

The Accords became a permanent constitution articulating the division of powers between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) over Parts A, B and C as delineated by the Accords.

The United Nations Once Again Proves Its Anti-Semitism By David Harsanyi

https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/02/the-united-nations-once-again-proves-its-anti-semitism/

The U.N. Human Rights Council disproportionately focuses on Israel.

The depraved totalitarians, nefarious barbarians, two-bit gangsters, odious scoundrels, and bigoted scum who run the United Nations recently set up a new “database” to help anti-Semites around the world target Jewish businesses in the disputed territories of Judaea and Samaria — businesses that offer economic opportunities for Palestinians that pay higher than most other jobs in the West Bank.

In no other international dispute — and there are hundreds of them — does the United Nations target peaceful civilians or institutions. Certainly in no place do they work to destroy the businesses of noncombatants based on their ethnicity or religion. The 112 companies on the U.N.’s list are run and staffed, no doubt, by people with diverse viewpoints, at least some of whom likely support the creation of a Palestinian state. All of them create jobs, products, and services that foster cooperation.

None of this matters to the U.N. The “boycott, divestment, and sanctions” (BDS) campaign, now supported by the U.N., is a coordinated international effort committed to the elimination of the Jewish state, bringing together dictators, theocrats, terrorist organizations, Communists, the “international community,” and at least one of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’s top surrogates. The movement targets Jews under the guise of anti-Zionism, which remains the predominant justification for violence, murder, and hatred against Jews in Europe and the Middle East.

The real source of Abbas’s ‘Swiss cheese’ revulsion Former prime minister Ehud Olmert praised the very Palestinian leader who had snubbed his own generous-to-the-point-of-suicidal offer. By Ruthie Blum

https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Right-from-Wrong-The-real-source-of-Abbass-Swiss-cheese-revulsion-617528

At a session of the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas held up the map of US President Donald Trump’s “Peace to Prosperity” plan and referred to the proposed borders of the state he has spent his career pretending to seek as “Swiss cheese.”

Abbas was altogether out of sorts that day, since he was forced to withdraw a resolution, introduced by Indonesia and Tunisia, to reject the “Deal of the Century” unveiled at the White House exactly two weeks earlier. Unfortunately for PA chief, who had grown accustomed to an American administration that bought his lies about Israel being to blame for his people’s plight, Team Trump entered the picture three years ago with an entirely different outlook.Suddenly, Abbas’s usual tricks were met with scorn from Washington. Even the new State Department was not engaging in diplomacy at all costs with the aging terror-master-in-a-tie. And when he made a public point of refusing to meet with Trump staffers, their response was not to coax and kowtow, but to shrug at his petulance and get on with the business of bolstering relations with Israel.

Yet despite the rebuffs – and proud “pay for slay” policy – Trump and his advisers were working arduously to craft a blueprint for a viable Palestinian state. That Abbas rejected the plan before having a clue what it contained was to be expected, which is why few people in Israel had faith in it either. Most Israelis were stunned, however, by Trump’s many measures to strengthen the security of the Jewish state and embrace its historical rights to its ancient homeland.

Beware of a Palestinian state – the Kuwait lesson Ambassador (Ret.) Yoram Ettinger

The Palestinian track record

In the Arab Middle East, unlike Western democracies, historical memory is very long. Nothing is forgotten, nothing is forgiven.

Therefore, Arabs are aware of the direct correlation between the scope of Palestinian freedom of action in Arab countries, on the one hand, and the level of anti-Arab Palestinian terrorism, on the other hand.  

This harsh correlation was demonstrated in Egypt and Syria during the mid-1950s and mid-1960s, as well as in Jordan.  The latter experienced the 1970 civil war as a result of the unprecedented self-rule provided to Mahmoud Abbas’ PLO in Jordan. It was manifested in Lebanon, which was plagued by a series of civil wars during the 1970s and early 1980s, ignited by the extraordinary autonomy accorded to Mahmoud Abbas’ PLO in Lebanon.  

Also, in 1993/94, the establishment of a ground-breaking Palestinian Authority in Judea & Samaria triggered a massive Christian flight from Bethlehem, Beit Jallah and Beit Sahour.  Consequently, this Christian dominated area was transformed into a tiny enclave of a 12% Christian minority.

Simultaneously, notwithstanding Palestinian verbal commitments to desist from incitement and violence, Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority embarked on an unprecedented wave of anti-Jewish hate education and terrorism.   

From Harlem to Tel Aviv: Aulcie Perry’s Basketball Journey by Gary Shapiro

https://www.algemeiner.com/2020/01/16/from-harlem-to-tel-aviv-aulcie-perrys-basketball-journey/

Legendary basketball player Aulcie Perry’s life has been remarkable on and off the court. 

This African-American athlete’s life changed dramatically after playing basketball on a court in Harlem in 1976. A scout from Israel saw him there and recruited him to join the team Maccabi Tel Aviv. Within a year, Perry catapulted the team to a European championship, a feat repeated four years later. 

Israeli director Dani Menkin’s documentary “Aulcie” follows the arc of Perry’s remarkable life and career. It premiered this week at the New York Jewish Film Festival, which is sponsored by the Jewish Museum and Film at Lincoln Center.  It has upcoming screenings in Las Vegas and Palm Beach, among other locations.  

“It is a love story,” said Menkin. He noted that Perry embraced Israel and the feeling was mutual. Perry converted to Judaism, became an Israeli citizen and adopted a Hebrew name, Elisha Ben Avraham. And Israel rescued his career when he was released by the New York Knicks before ever playing game in the NBA.

“In return, he put Israeli basketball on the map,” said Menkin.

The film describes Perry’s early life growing up in Newark, New Jersey, in the 1960s. Born in Newark Beth Israel Hospital, Perry was already 6’5” at the age of 13. The violence of the period was striking. Perry said that around 20 of his fellow high school students were dead before they graduated. “Basketball was my way out. I knew it was going to be a way out of a bad situation,” said Perry.

Maccabi Tel Aviv gave him his start. In the film, the team is described as becoming part of “the in thing” in the 1970s. For example, Moshe Dayan could be seen shaking hands with players on the court. Perry became the equivalent of a pop star. 

“He was Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar rolled into one,” said Sports Illustrated writer Alexander Wolff. “He turned himself and his team into the kings of Europe.”

He and Israeli model Tami Ben Ami became an item. They were a power couple, like “Brangelina,” said Wolff of Sports Illustrated, referring to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. 

While Perry’s life story has ups and downs, the latter has much to do with drugs. What started as an addiction to pain killers for his knee “became my downfall,” acknowledged Perry. “It’s when everything began to collapse for me.” 

Olmert and Abbas: Laughing and Crying By Moshe Phillips

https://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/olmert-and-abbas-laughing-and-crying/2020/02/12/

“Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas will hold a joint press conference in opposition to US President Donald Trump’s peace plan,” according to Channel 12 News. Unbelievable, right? A former Israeli prime minister and a one-time star of the Likud party allied with Yasser Arafat’s heir and protégé? It must be fake news. But, alas, it is not.

Perhaps more than any other leader in the State of Israel’s history Olmert believes that his personal opinion of what Israel’s borders should be set as is always correct.

When he was a hawk and advocated the retention of all of the lands liberated in 1967 and later, when as a dove when he showed a full desire to retreat from all of those same exact lands. The one thing that Olmert never wavered on was that his view of what to do with Judea and Samaria was the right way. Olmert’s political journey from one camp to the other had been the story that dominated the public view of him at least until he was convicted of corruption in 2015.

At the time it was happening, Olmert’s political metamorphosis was given nearly the same intense news coverage as former PM Ariel Sharon’s was at the time. Was Olmert’s story as straight forward as the media portrayed or was there something that the news outlets missed?

Israeli Sovereignty and the Fate of the Trump Plan How the ‘Deal of the Century’ will influence upcoming Israeli elections. Caroline Glick

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/02/israeli-sovereignty-and-fate-trump-plan-caroline-glick/

On Wednesday morning, NeverTrump propagandist Bill Kristol told his MSNBC audience that Democratic chances of victory over US President Donald Trump will rise if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is defeated in Israel’s elections on March 2.

Along the same lines, if Netanyahu fails to apply Israeli sovereignty to the Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria before the election, not only will he almost certainly lose those elections, his defeat will bury Trump’s peace plan and harm Trump’s reelection chances.

To understand why this is the case it is first necessary to understand the nature of the Blue and White party and its relationship to Trump and his peace plan.

After Trump’s peace plan was published, Israelis discovered significant problems with the map attached to the plan. Among other things, the map places large sections of Highway 60, which crosses Judea and Samaria from south to north outside Israeli jurisdiction. If left uncorrected, the designation will endanger the security of tens of thousands of Israelis whose communities will be rendered isolated enclaves. Since ensuring Israel’s ability to defend itself and its citizens on a permanent basis is a major goal of the plan, this omission was obviously an oversight. Netanyahu announced this week that he has assembled a team to work on the map.

The Israeli left vs. Palestinian and Arab-world pragmatists Ruthie Blum

https://www.jns.org/opinion/the-israeli-left-vs-palestinian-and-arab-world-pragmatists/

Hearts that bleed for the enemies of Western democracy who subjugate their own people and terrorize everybody else are attached to heads in need of psychiatric examination.

In an attempt to downplay the role played by U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the attitudinal Arab-world shift—due mainly, but not exclusively, to a shared mission to halt Iran’s race to obtain nuclear weapons—the Israeli left had a gleeful “we told you so” moment at the beginning of the month, when the Arab League unanimously rejected the “deal of the century.”

At an emergency meeting held in Cairo on Feb. 1 at the behest of Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, the pan-Arab bloc declared that Trump’s “Peace to Prosperity” plan “does not meet the minimum rights and aspirations of Palestinian people,” and vowed not to cooperate with the United States to implement it. Among the nay-saying countries at the summit were the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain, each of which had sent representatives to Trump’s joint press conference with Netanyahu at the White House on Jan. 28.

To clarify the above about-face, an anonymous Arab diplomat told the left-wing Israeli daily, Haaretz, that Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Manama had been misled by Washington with a document stating that the plan included the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital as the basis for peace negotiations.

In other words, they were duped into accepting an invitation by the White House. Yeah, right.

Palestinians: The Dangers of Singing by Khaled Abu Toameh

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15555/palestinians-danger-singing

The only songs Hamas and its followers want are those that promote hate and violence…. “I will eat you alive, tastes best without salt, Zionist – Yes, yes, you.”

The members of Sol Band did not call for “scattering the body parts” of Jews; that is probably why they are being targeted by Hamas and its allies in the Gaza Strip.

What is disturbing, however, is the silence of the international community, specifically the EU partners of Islamic University in Gaza, where Farra serves as a lecturer. Do the Europeans working with the university condone threats against musicians?… The EU countries and educational institutions are most likely ignoring such threats because they were not made by Israel.

The silence of the international community emboldens Hamas… and allows them to continue their repressive measures against Palestinians. It also allows Hamas and terror groups to continue calling for blowing up the skulls of Jews and eating them alive.

Palestinian musicians in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip are facing death threats after a Muslim scholar, Sheikh Mohammed Sliman al-Farra, published a fatwa (a legal opinion or ruling issued by an Islamic scholar) prohibiting a local band from performing.

Farra works for Islamic University of Gaza, a member of four regional and international associations of higher education, and has project partnerships with more than 130 European universities and research centers located in 21 EU countries.

Published on November 23, 2019, the fatwa targets Sol Band, a Palestinian music group established in the Gaza Strip eight years ago:

“The music group Sol Band, which has been roaming the streets of the Gaza Strip, has been violating God’s sanctities by promoting tabarruj (women dressing up immodestly in violation of Islamic teachings) and the mixing of the sexes… Their actions weaken the young men and encourage sinners. Indulging it leads to great corruption and evil and results in behavioral and intellectual deviation among young people. It is not permissible to promote or meet with them or listen to their songs, even if they are patriotic.”

Palestinians: After Inciting Violence, Abbas Comes to New York To Fight a Peace Plan by Bassam Tawil

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15560/palestinians-abbas-inciting-violence

“Other stateless people can only dream of being offered independence and $50bn by the US president…. If only the Yazidis or Baluchis or Kurds or Rohingya Muslims were so lucky.” – Tom Gross, January 29, 2020.

The plan… offers the Palestinians most of the land captured by Israel in 1967 that more than doubles their territory; a government with realized human rights and institutions of democracy, such as a free press, and $50 billion — all as part of an extraordinary opportunity to build a flourishing Palestinian State.

Incredibly, Palestinian leaders seem to believe that no one understands that it is their own incitement that is instigating violence, not a peace plan yet to be implemented.

Abbas has no peace plan. That is probably why he is now hoping that the violence he incited will force Israel and the US to surrender even greater concessions to the Palestinians.

It now remains to be seen whether the Security Council and the international community will demand an end to continued Palestinian terrorism and rejection. Failure to do so will only allow Abbas and Hamas to proceed with their long-standing scheme of inciting their people to pursue terrorism every time they are offered a plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is on his way to the United Nations Security Council to speak against US President Donald Trump’s plan for Middle East peace — “Peace to Prosperity” — after having incited his people, yet again, against Israel and the US.

Abbas’s non-stop incitement has resulted so far in the deaths of three young Palestinian men in the West Bank — Nidal Ahmed Nafleh, 19, Yazan Munther Abu Tabeekh, 19, and Mohammed Salman Haddad, 17 — who were killed by the Israel Defense Forces while attacking soldiers with firebombs.

Why did the three men take to the streets to attack IDF soldiers? Because Abbas called on his people to step up “popular resistance activities” to protest the ostensible Trump “conspiracy.”

Such incitement is seen by Palestinians in the West Bank as a green light to attack Israeli soldiers and Jewish settlers with rocks, knives, car-rammings, explosive devices and firebombs.

Nafleh, Abu Tabeekh and Haddad most likely never even read the 180-page peace plan against which they were they were protesting. They undoubtedly went out to attack IDF soldiers because they were informed by their leaders, including Abbas, that Trump’s plan is an “American-Zionist plot to liquidate the Palestinian cause.” The plan, on the contrary, offers the Palestinians most of the land captured by Israel in 1967 that more than doubles their territory; a government with realized human rights and institutions of democracy, such as a free press, and $50 billion — all as part of an extraordinary opportunity to build a flourishing Palestinian State.

As the journalist, Tom Gross, observed:

“Other stateless people can only dream of being offered independence and $50bn by the US president…. If only the Yazidis or Baluchis or Kurds or Rohingya Muslims were so lucky.”