Mark Finkelstein's MessageStream

[J-NewsLine] ADL concerned about U.S. policy toward Israel

Mark Finkelstein (jcrc) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 21:16:19 GMT

Administration's Shift In Policy Toward Israel Is A Faulty Strategy

New York, NY, April 15, 2010 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today expressed deep concern about the "significant shift" in U.S. policy toward Israel and the peace process reflected in the comments by President Barack Obama at his press conference on April 13.

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:

The significant shift in U.S. policy toward Israel and the peace process, which has been evident in comments from various members of the Obama Administration and has now been confirmed by the president himself in his press conference at the Nuclear Security Summit, is deeply distressing. Saying that the absence of a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict undermines U.S. interests in the broader Middle East and the larger issue of resolving other conflicts is a faulty strategy. It is an incorrect approach on which to base America's foreign policy in the Middle East and its relationship with its longtime friend and ally, Israel.

ADL has long expressed its concern from the very beginning of the Obama Administration about advisers to the president who see the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a major impediment to achieving the administration's foreign policy and military goals in the wider region. The net effect of this dangerous thinking is to shift responsibility for success of American foreign policy away from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt and directly onto Israel. It is particularly disturbing in light of the blatantly disproportionate number and the nature of statements issued by this administration criticizing Israel as compared to what has been said about the Palestinians.

The best way to move the peace process between the Israelis and Palestinians forward is for all parties to demand that the Palestinians abandon their tactic of "just saying no" and insist that the rest of the Arab world move toward normalization relations with Israel.

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http://www.adl.org/PresRele/IslME_62/5736_62.htm

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Posted By Mark Finkelstein to J-NewsLine at 4/15/2010 04:16:00 PM

[J-NewsLine] World Jewish Congress President Urges Obama To Change Stance On ...

Mark Finkelstein (jcrc) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 22:26:29 GMT

An Open Letter to President Obama, 4/15/2010, from the President of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder.

Dear President Obama:

I write today as a proud American and a proud Jew.

Jews around the world are concerned today. We are concerned about the nuclear ambitions of an Iranian regime that brags about its genocidal intentions against Israel. We are concerned that the Jewish state is being isolated and delegitimized.

Mr. President, we are concerned about the dramatic deterioration of diplomatic relations between the United States and Israel.

The Israeli housing bureaucracy made a poorly timed announcement and your Administration branded it an “insult.” This diplomatic faux pas was over the fourth stage of a seven stage planning permission process – a plan to build homes years from now in a Jewish area of Jerusalem that under any peace agreement would remain an integral part of Israel.

Our concern grows to alarm as we consider some disturbing questions. Why does the thrust of this Administration’s Middle East rhetoric seem to blame Israel for the lack of movement on peace talks? After all, it is the Palestinians, not Israel, who refuse to negotiate.

Israel has made unprecedented concessions. It has enacted the most far reaching West Bank settlement moratorium in Israeli history.

Israel has publicly declared support for a two-state solution. Conversely, many Palestinians continue their refusal to even acknowledge Israel’s right to exist.

The conflict’s root cause has always been the Palestinian refusal to accept Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people. Every American President who has tried to broker a peace agreement has collided with that Palestinian intransigence, sooner or later. Recall President Clinton’s anguish when his peace proposals were bluntly rejected by the Palestinians in 2000. Settlements were not the key issue then.

They are not the key issue now.

Another important question is this: what is the Administration’s position on Israel’s borders in any final status agreement? Ambiguity on this matter has provoked a wave of rumors and anxiety. Can it be true that America is no longer committed to a final status agreement that provides defensible borders for Israel? Is a new course being charted that would leave Israel with the indefensible borders that invited invasion prior to 1967?

There are significant moves from the Palestinian side to use those indefensible borders as the basis for a future unilateral declaration of independence. How would the United States respond to such a reckless course of action?

And what are America’s strategic ambitions in the broader Middle East? The Administration’s desire to improve relations with the Muslim world is well known. But is friction with Israel part of this new strategy? Is it assumed worsening relations with Israel can improve relations with Muslims? History is clear on the matter: appeasement does not work. It can achieve the opposite of what is intended.

And what about the most dangerous player in the region? Shouldn’t the United States remain focused on the single biggest threat that confronts the world today? That threat is a nuclear armed Iran. Israel is not only America’s closest ally in the Middle East, it is the one most committed to this Administration’s declared aim of ensuring Iran does not get nuclear weapons.

Mr. President, we embrace your sincerity in your quest to seek a lasting peace. But we urge you to take into consideration the concerns expressed above. Our great country and the tiny State of Israel have long shared the core values of freedom and democracy. It is a bond much treasured by the Jewish people. In that spirit I submit, most respectfully, that it is time to end our public feud with Israel and to confront the real challenges that we face together.

Yours sincerely,

Ronald S. Lauder

President

World Jewish Congress

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Send responses to jxxxx@xxxcom

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Posted By Mark Finkelstein to J-NewsLine at 4/14/2010 05:26:00 PM

[J-NewsLine] ADL condemns West Bank mosque vandalism

Mark Finkelstein (jcrc) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:06:38 GMT

Jerusalem, April 14, 2010, ADL.org. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today condemned the vandalizing of a West Bank mosque. Graffiti -- including a Star of David, the name Mohammad and racist statements in Hebrew -- was sprayed on the mosque in the village of Hawara near Nablus. Israeli officials believe the attack was likely perpetrated by extremist Israeli Jews.

In December 2009, another West Bank mosque was vandalized, apparently by Israeli radicals.

ADL's Israel Office issued the following statement:

We are outraged by the vandalism at the mosque in Hawara. We join with Israeli officials in condemning this act of hate.

We continue to be greatly concerned that these violent acts are believed to be perpetrated by Israeli Jewish extremists. It should be clear that violence and hate are unacceptable ways to express political opposition.

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Posted By Mark Finkelstein to J-NewsLine at 4/14/2010 04:06:00 PM

[J-NewsLine] Yom HaShoah commemorated at Western Galilee College

Mark Finkelstein (jcrc) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:17:24 GMT

Western Galilee College, in our Israel Partnership region, commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day, with remarks delivered by faculty, administration, and students, and song. Western Galilee College participates in a prominent Holocaust Studies program for undergraduates provided by the Ghetto Fighters Kibbutz Museum in Acco. Kol haKavod.

At left, Dean Yehuda Ben Simon

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Posted By Mark Finkelstein to J-NewsLine at 4/12/2010 09:17:00 AM

[J-NewsLine] Statement by the President on Holocaust Remembrance Day

Mark Finkelstein (jcrc) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:05:47 GMT

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 11, 2010

Statement by the President on Holocaust Remembrance Day

I join people here at home, in Israel, and around the world in observing Holocaust Remembrance Day. This year, on the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps, we must recommit ourselves to honoring the memories of all the victims and ensuring that they remain a part of our collective memory. On my visit to Buchenwald last year – and during my visit to Yad Vashem in 2008 – I bore witness to the horrors of anti-Semitism and the capacity for evil represented by the Nazis’ campaign to annihilate the Jewish people and so many others. But even at places like Buchenwald, the dignity and courage of those who endured the horrors of the Holocaust remind us of humanity’s capacity for decency and compassion.

The memories of the victims serve as a constant reminder to honor their legacy by renewing our commitment to prevent genocide, and to confront anti-Semitism and prejudice in all of its forms. We must never tolerate the hateful stereotypes and prejudice against the Jewish people that tragically continues to this day. We must work, instead, on behalf of a world of justice and peace, in which all nations and peoples value the humanity that we share, and the dignity inherent in every human being.

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Posted By Mark Finkelstein to J-NewsLine at 4/12/2010 08:05:00 AM

[J-NewsLine] Lieberman: Omitting 'Islamic' Terrorism From Security Document D...

Mark Finkelstein (jcrc) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 21:01:19 GMT

FOXNews.com, April 11, 2010

Sen. Joe Lieberman slammed the Obama administration Sunday for stripping terms like "Islamic extremism" from a key national security document, calling the move dishonest, wrong-headed and disrespectful to the majority of Muslims who are not terrorists.

The Connecticut independent revealed that he wrote a letter Friday to top counterterrorism adviser John Brennan urging the administration to "identify accurately the ideological source" of the threat against the United States. He wrote that failing to identify "violent Islamist extremism" as the enemy is "offensive."
The letter was written following reports that the administration was removing religious references from the U.S. National Security Strategy -- the document that had described the "ideological conflict" of the early 21st century as "the struggle against militant Islamic radicalism."

Lieberman told "Fox News Sunday" this isn't the first time the Obama administration has tried to tiptoe around referring to Islam in its security documents and that it's time to "blow the whistle" on the trend.

"This is not honest and, frankly, I think it's hurtful in our relations with the Muslim world," Lieberman said. "We're not in a war against Islam. It's a group of Islamist extremists who have taken the Muslim religion and made it into a political ideology, and I think if we're not clear about that, we disrespect the overwhelming majority of Muslims who are not extremists."
Lieberman, in his letter, noted that prior Department of Homeland Security and Pentagon documents also did not refer to "Islamist extremism." He expressed dismay that the administration's review of the Fort Hood shooting, in which alleged shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan was said to have had contact with a radical cleric beforehand, omitted the term.
"Unless we're honest about that, we're not going to be able to defeat this enemy," Lieberman told "Fox News Sunday." "It's absolutely Orwellian and counterproductive to the fight that we're fighting."

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Posted By Mark Finkelstein to J-NewsLine at 4/11/2010 04:01:00 PM

[J-NewsLine] Anti-Semitism in the world: 2009 was worst in two decades, new s...

Mark Finkelstein (jcrc) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 16:32:06 GMT

Moshe Kantor, President of the European Jewish Congress (L) and Professor Dina Porat, head of the Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Anti-Semitism and Racism at Tel Aviv University, present on Sunday the findings of the new survey on anti-Semitism worldwide.

TEL AVIV (EJP)---According to a new survey, 2009 was the worst since monitoring of anti-Semitic manifestatons began two decades ago, in terms of both major anti-Semitic violence and the hostile atmosphere.

On the eve of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, experts in the field of anti-Semitism presented data demonstrating an increase of over 100% in anti-Semitic attacks and events, with a special emphasis on what they called "the orchestrated and concerted attempt to delegitimize the Jewish People and Israel “ in Europe.

The European Jewish Congress (EJC) and The Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism at Tel Aviv University on Sunday jointly released the survey findings regarding the state of anti-Semitism worldwide.

"These were generated worldwide by the mass demonstrations and verbal and visual expressions against Israel and the Jews. The worst offenders appeared in Western Europe, particularly in the UK and France, followed by Canada," they stated.

The survey also found a disproportionate and pre-planned onslaught of radical activists from the left, the right and from among Muslim immigrant communities against Jews and against Israel as a Jewish state, using anti-Semitism and the Holocaust as political tools.

"When it comes to the Jews or the Jewish State both extremes are almost mirror images in their expressions of hate and their goals to eliminate the Jewish presence and influence," said Moshe Kantor, President of the European Jewish Congress, an umbrella organization for Jewish communities in Europe, at the survey’s presentation.

He added: "Even more astonishingly, some of these organizations, who oppose each other on all other issues, are actually coordinating on the one issue that they can unite on – hatred of Jews and Israel."

Although the extreme-right remains a significant force in perpetrating anti-Smitic attacks, during 2009 most violent cases, especially in Western Europe, where identification was compiled, were determined to have been carried out by individuals of Arab or Muslim background, the study showed.

Kantor enunciated ways to combat the attacks by groups or organizations that are succeeding in politically mainstreaming their message. "This is leading to Jews feeling increasingly unsure of their place in certain cities in Europe, like Malmo, where Jews are increasingly leaving in large numbers," he said.

He called on European leaders to show greater leadership," and said education needs to be a priority. "And law enforcement agencies need to protect the subjects of aggression rather than defending the rights of the aggressors”, he added.

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Posted By Mark Finkelstein to J-NewsLine at 4/11/2010 11:31:00 AM

[J-NewsLine] Iran Displays New Centrifuge For Nuclear Work

Mark Finkelstein (jcrc) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 17:42:12 GMT

TEHRAN (Reuters) 4/9/2010 excerpt - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, taunting the United States for trying to halt Iran's nuclear programme, unveiled a new centrifuge on Friday which officials said would enrich uranium much faster then existing models.

U.S. President Barack Obama, who is seeking tougher U.N. sanctions against Tehran, acknowledged that such measures would not necessarily work, but said sustained world pressure could over time prompt Iran to revise its nuclear calculations.

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Posted By Mark Finkelstein to J-NewsLine at 4/09/2010 12:42:00 PM

[J-NewsLine] Pro-Israel analysis on radio. 4/8/2010

Mark Finkelstein (jcrc) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 17:01:22 GMT

Discussion of current issues effecting Israel.

Thursday, 04/08/10 - John Batchelor Show

GUESTS: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents; David Makovsky, The Washington Institute; Professor Orde Kittie, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Listen or Download this show as a podcast

Link: WABC-Radio

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Posted By Mark Finkelstein to J-NewsLine at 4/09/2010 12:01:00 PM

[J-NewsLine] Israeli Stocks Climb to Record as Growth Accelerates

Mark Finkelstein (jcrc) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:29:29 GMT

Israeli Stocks Climb to Record as Growth Accelerates (Update3)

By Ronit Goodman

April 6, 2010 (Bloomberg) -- Israel’s benchmark stock index advanced to a record high on speculation accelerating economic growth will lead to rising corporate earnings.

The TA-25 Index climbed 0.4 percent to close at 1,237.85 in Tel Aviv, surpassing the previous record of 1,237.13 on Oct. 31, 2007. The gauge reached an intraday high of 1,242.39. The benchmark’s record intraday level was 1,248.8 on Nov. 1, 2007.

“The economy will remain strong and continue to positively impact companies’ results and, therefore, positively impact the equity market,” said Yaron Fridman, equity strategist at Bank Hapoalim Ltd. in Tel Aviv.

The gauge of Israel’s 25 largest companies has more than doubled from a 2008 low, driven by energy shares such as Delek Group Ltd. Benchmark indexes in Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Indonesia and Turkey also have bounced back to all-time highs since the global bear market ended in March 2009.

Aggregate revenue of companies in the TA-25 index grew about 20 percent in the fourth quarter while profit soared 1,230 percent, Fridman wrote in a March 25 report.

Perrigo Co., a manufacturer of store brand over-the-counter pharmaceuticals that carries a 9.5 percent weighting in the index, gained 2.3 percent today. The company received U.S. Food & Drug Administration approval to market a generic version of a topical acne vulgaris antibiotic marketed by Steifel Laboratories Inc. NICE Systems Ltd., the manufacturer of digital-recording surveillance products that makes up 4.9 percent of the gauge, increased 2.8 percent.

Growing Economy

Israel’s economic growth was 0.7 percent in 2009, compared with a 2.4 percent contraction in the U.S. The Bank of Israel on Jan. 11 raised its 2010 growth forecast to 3.5 percent from 2.5 percent, citing “positive” information on the global and local economies. Bank Leumi Le-Israel Ltd., the country’s largest lender on March 25 increased its forecast for economic expansion to 3.8 percent from 3.5 percent. The unemployment rate fell to 7.4 percent in the fourth quarter, the lowest level in a year, as growth accelerated.

Energy stocks soared after the country’s largest discovery of natural gas was reported in January 2009. Delek Drilling LP and Avner Oil & Gas Ltd., partners in the find in the Mediterranean Sea off Israel’s coast, are up about five-fold since the announcement.

Delek Group, Isaac Tshuva’s holding company that controls about 32 percent of Tamar through Avner and Delek Drilling, has surged more than six-fold.

--With assistance from Michael Patterson in London. Editors: Susan Lerner, Claudia Maedler.

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Posted By Mark Finkelstein to J-NewsLine at 4/08/2010 03:29:00 PM