The French Peace Initiative
May 27, 2016
Next week, the French government plans to convene a meeting of international foreign ministers – not including Israeli and Palestinian representatives – to discuss ideas for advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace. They hope to follow this up with an international conference later in the year that would include Israelis and Palestinians.
Despite visits to Israel by French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and Prime Minister Manuel Valls over recent weeks, Israel has made it clear it is not happy with this initiative, viewing it as providing “a new escape route for [PA President Mahmoud] Abbas to avoid direct talks with Israel” in the words of Israeli PM Netanyahu. Netanyahu proposed to Valls that France instead host a direct meeting of the Israeli PM with his Palestinian counterpart.
Lieberman to be Defence Minister in Israeli coalition shake-up
May 20, 2016
Yesterday saw a major political development in Israeli politics, with PM Netanyahu apparently reaching agreement with former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman for the latter’s Israel Beitenu party to enter the government, and for Lieberman to become Defence Minister, replacing current Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon. The move was a surprise following previous reports that Netanyahu had been about to reach an agreement with Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog for his Zionist Camp party to enter the coalition – a deal which now seems to be off the table. This Update looks at what happened and what it means.
The demise of Hezbollah’s terror chief / Chemical weapon red-lines
May 19, 2016
Last week saw the death in an explosion of Mustafa Amine Badreddine, Hezbollah’s most senior military commander and terrorist organiser, in unclear circumstances, near Damascus. Badreddine was the successor to Imad Mughniyeh, killed near Damascus in 2008, and is believed to have orchestrated the murder of former Lebanese PM Rafiq Hariri in 2005. This Update deals with the implications of Badreddine’s death – but also includes a comment on the growing normalcy of the use of chemical weapons during Syria’s civil war.
The death of a Palestinian activist exposes some brutal realities
May 17, 2016 | Gareth Narunsky
PALESTINIAN activist Baha Nababta was passionate about helping his community in the Shuafat refugee camp in east Jerusalem. In addition to being the head of the local volunteer fire department, he helped to pave roads, remove garbage and set up emergency medical services. For this service to his people, he was brutally murdered last week.
The two faces of Abbas
May 13, 2016 | Ari Wenig
With negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) seemingly at a stand-still, an analysis suggests there are not two parties to the conflict, but three – Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, and two versions of PA President Mahmoud Abbas: the version experienced by the Arab world, and the one witnessed by the West.
French PM Valls repudiates offensive UNESCO resolution on Jerusalem
May 13, 2016 | Allon Lee
Following up on our blog post last week about our disappointment with French Prime Minister Manuel Valls – who has a sterling record on fighting antisemitism, yet presided over France recently backing a vile UNESCO resolution on Jerusalem which effectively denied any Jewish connection to any of the Jewish holy sites in Jerusalem including the Western Wall and Temple Mount – we are happy to report that Mr. Valls has now strongly distanced himself from that vote.
Dilemmas of hopes for a future Palestinian state
May 13, 2016
While a two-state solution remains the only realistic hope for long-term resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this Update features some recent pieces highlighting some of the barriers to creating a Palestinian state that will both be humane toward its inhabitants and able to exist in peace alongside Israel. It also includes a new article highlighting how the Israeli military is shaping Israel’s approach to conflict management until serious peace negotiations can resume.
Questions in Washington over the selling of the Iran Nuclear Deal
May 12, 2016
This Update offers a small taste of a debate occurring in the US about the means by which the Obama Administration sold their nuclear deal with Iran, following a piece in the New York Times focussed on and featuring some quotes from deputy national security advisor for strategic communications Ben Rhodes, the Administration’s point man for public relations on the deal. These seem to imply that the Administration essentially fabricated elements of their narrative to help their public relations campaign.
68 Years Young
May 12, 2016 | Sharyn Mittelman
This year Israel celebrates its 68th birthday – with much to be proud of. Israel’s existence is the realisation of the self-determination of the Jewish people in their ancient homeland. Israel has provided a safe-haven for Jews fleeing antisemitism, including for Jewish survivors of the Holocaust, and those fleeing the repression of the Soviet Union, famine in Ethiopia, and expulsion and exclusion in Arab lands.
Vale to French PM Valls’ efforts to combat French antisemitism?
May 6, 2016 | Allon Lee
This week’s surprise visit to Australia by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls in the wake of his country winning a $50 billion contract to build our next generation of submarines is a sign that the Franco-Australian relationship is at a high watermark.
But sadly, the Franco-Israel relationship is well and truly waterlogged with Valls’ government on April 16 voting for a disgraceful UNESCO resolution omitting any link between Judaism and its holiest sites in Jerusalem.
