UNESCO funds Hamas’ antisemitic pro-terror university
July 13, 2012 | Allon Lee
Israel has slammed a UNESCO decision to endow a science chair at a university in Gaza which is a Hamas stronghold involved in weapons production and storage, terrorist training and vile anti-Israel and antisemitic indoctrination.
Sanctions and Nuclear Negotiations with Iran
July 13, 2012
Today’s Update features some new, valuable pieces on various aspects of the nuclear negotiations with Iran.
First up, Michael Makovsky and Blaise Misztal of the Bipartisan Policy Institute, a US thinktank, strongly argue against meeting Iran’s demand in the negotiations that its “right to enrich uranium” should be acknowledged. Looking at the text of the Nuclear Non-Proiliferation Treaty, they document that the treaty grants no such right, and moreover, Iran has violate the conditions the treaty sets out in order to receive “the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy”.
The Levy Committee, “Occupation” and Settlements
July 12, 2012
This Update deals with the implications of the Levy Committee report into settlements and outposts set up by Israel’s Netanyahu Government. Its three legal expert members, led by a retired Israeli Supreme Court judge, found that the law of belligerent occupation “as set out in the relevant international conventions cannot be considered applicable to the West Bank” and that therefore settlements are not illegal, as is so often claimed in international discourse. The report has sparked some controversy both in Israel and internationally. (A translation of the conclusions and recommendations of the committee can be downloaded here.)
Media Week – Delusional on Damascus; Major doubts; Holey claptrap
July 11, 2012 | Allon Lee
Joseph Wakim revealed on ABC “Unleashed” (27/6) the true cause of internecine violence that has roiled Syria since February 2011 and blackened the good name of the Assad dictatorship:
There is nothing civil about the war in Syria – it is a proxy war to protect Israel from a nuclear Iran. This was confirmed when Israel’s defence minister Ehud Barak declared that toppling Assad ‘will be a major blow to the radical axis [Iran] … It’s the only kind of outpost of the Iranian influence in the Arab world … and it will weaken dramatically both Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza’.
But this hardly amounts to a smoking gun for proving Israel is fomenting civil war in which more than 13,000 people have been killed; more a desperation to blame shift onto the usual scapegoat.
Palestinians uninterested in Arafat allegations: They already think Israel is “automatically” guilty
July 10, 2012 | Or Avi Guy
As the Arab and Palestinian media went into the usual conspiracy-theory frenzy over yet another attempt to crack the mystery of the death of former PLO head Yasser Arafat, locals in Ramallah, his former city of residence, were not as excited about the “news.”
Iran sanctions/ Strife in the Syrian opposition
July 6, 2012
On Wednesday, there was a “technical” meeting connected with the P5+1/Iran nuclear talks – the upshot of which seems to be that it looks likely high level talks will resume. Meanwhile, Iran has responded to the imposition of new European sanctions by threatening to block the Strait of Hormuz. This Update has some new entries concerning the sanctions regime on Iran. In addition, it includes new analysis of the struggle between Islamists and other forces in the Syrian opposition as the Syrian civil war continues to develop.
Experts: Radioactive residues on Arafat’s clothing no proof of poisoning
July 6, 2012 | Ahron Shapiro
After the media excitement over the allegation polonium poisoning might have caused Yasser Arafat’s death in 2004, some sober and cogent analysis is debunking the thrust of the al-Jazeera report – that the radioactive levels that were reportedly found recently on Arafat’s personal effects, could have come from Arafat himself.
Dr. Ely Karmon, of the Interdisciplinary Centre, Herzliya’s Institute for Counterterrorism, a specialist in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism, told the Jerusalem Post on Thursday that the half-life of the substance would make it impossible for polonium to have been discovered at such high levels after eight years.
IMF denies Israel’s request for loan to help struggling PA
July 5, 2012 | Andrea Nadel
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has denied Israel’s request for a loan to assist the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority (PA). Conflicting numbers have been reported regarding the precise amount of the loan that Israel requested, with some news outlets reporting that it was for US $1 billion and others reporting that it was for US $100 million. Regardless of the exact amount, Israel’s request highlights not only its interest in preventing the collapse of the Palestinian economy but also the precariousness of the funding situation the PA currently faces thanks to a global economic downturn that has decreased the ability of donor countries worldwide to make good on their funding promises.
Romney plans trip to Israel
July 4, 2012 | Ahron Shapiro
Mitt Romney, the presumptive US Republican presidential nominee, will be visiting Israel in the near future, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.
According to the story, Romney is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, the US Ambassador Daniel Shapiro and members of the Israeli Opposition.
Romney’s itinerary does not include a meeting with PA President Mahmoud Abbas, according to the Times.
A visit to Israel is becoming almost customary for US presidential candidates in an election season.
UNESCO bucks own experts to pass Palestinian “emergency measure”
July 4, 2012 | Or Avi Guy
Last Friday at the 36th meeting of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage Committee, held in St. Petersburg, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List as an endangered heritage site, registered under the location “Palestine.”
You may be thinking “Another pro-Palestinian vote at the UN, so what else is new?” But the baffling and telling part of the story is not simply that the motion passed, but that it passed despite the better judgment of UNESCO’s own advisory body and secretariat, and even against the wishes of the church’s own custodians.
