Lebanon charges 4 with collaborating with Israel By HUSSEIN DAKROUB, Associated Press Writer MAY 30,4:30PM
BEIRUT – Lebanon charged four people with collaborating with Israel on Saturday, raising to 23 the number of suspected spies who have been charged in the last few months, a court official said.Since the recent crackdown began in April, Lebanon has arrested 35 people on suspicion of spying for Israel, the country's archenemy, Lebanese police commander Brig. Gen. Ashraf Rifi told The Associated Press.Lebanon considers itself at war with Israel and bans its citizens from having any contact with the Jewish state. Spying for or collaborating with Israel can be punishable by death.Military prosecutor Saqr Saqr also charged the four men Saturday with providing Israel with information about civilian and military positions and political figures, said a court official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.Israel has refused in the past to comment on the spying allegations.Lebanese army commander Gen. Jean Kahwaji vowed to continue the crackdown against Israeli spies in a speech to troops Saturday, the state news agency reported.Meanwhile, the Lebanese army sent a message to its troops warning them against Israeli attempts to infiltrate the military. Saturday's warning came only days after security officials said authorities detained a Lebanese army colonel on suspicion of spying for Israel in the first case involving a high-ranking military officer.Some of the 23 people who have been charged are still at large. Those in custody have all been accused of providing intelligence to Israel on the militant group Hezbollah, which fought a 34-day war with Israel in 2006 that killed 1,200 people in Lebanon and 159 in Israel.Lebanese officials have said three suspected spies fled across the border to Israel.
Hamas says Fatah arrests 22 of its activists Sat May 30, 8:54 am ET
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – Hamas Islamists said on Saturday Fatah forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrested 22 of their activists in the West Bank.
A Palestinian security official in the city of Ramallah said police rounded up several men across the West Bank involved in hiding weapons, money laundering and incitement to violence but he denied the arrests were politically motivated.
He refused to give the number of men arrested.
Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri said Abbas's Fatah-dominated forces were pursuing a crackdown on the Islamist group in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in an attempt to sabotage Egyptian efforts to reconcile the rival factions.Hamas and Fatah have been accusing each other of arresting rival activists. Tensions have been high between the groups since Hamas Islamists seized the Gaza Strip in June 2007 after routing forces loyal to Abbas.Hamas has also accused Fatah of helping Israel hunt down one of its fugitive militants who was killed on Thursday by soldiers who encircled his house near the West Bank city of Hebron.During unity talks between Hamas and Fatah in Cairo earlier this month, Egypt set a July 7 deadline for a deal to bridge their divisions.
(Reporting by Ali Sawafta; Writing by Joseph Nasr, Editing by Richard Meares)
Israel to attend Americas summit Sat May 30, 4:43 am ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel's deputy foreign minister will attend the annual summit of the Organization of American States next week in a bid to counter Iran's growing influence in Latin America, an official said on Saturday.Danny Ayalon plans to meet representatives of several Latin American states at the summit in Honduras as arch-foe Iran tightens trade and military ties with a number of countries, mainly Venezuela and Bolivia, the official told AFP.Israel sees in the summit a chance to deepen economic and diplomatic ties with Latin America and to match Iran's and (the Lebanese militia) Hezbollah's involvement in the region,said the official, who asked not to be identified.The decision to send a high-ranking Israeli representative to the OAS summit for the first time in years stems from Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's plan to bolster diplomatic ties in regions such as Latin America and Africa.The ultra-nationalist minister is giving top priority to halting the Islamic republic's nuclear programme, which Israel says is aimed at developing an atomic bomb, a claim denied by Tehran.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Iran's ambitions an existential threat after its President Mahmoud Ahmadinajad called for Israel to be wiped off the face of the map.Ayalon will then travel to Washington where he will meet senior State Department and White House officials to discuss US-led efforts to end the Iranian nuclear standoff.Lieberman himself plans to travel to Latin America and Africa in coming months as part of the diplomatic offensive to halt Iran's growing influence,the official said.A foreign ministry document leaked last week said that Israel suspects Venezuela and Bolivia of supplying uranium to Iran to advance its nuclear programme.Israel has also accused Venezuela, which severed diplomatic ties with the Jewish state following its offensive in Gaza earlier this year, of backing Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement.
US lawmakers urge Obama to push for Mideast peace Fri May 29, 10:45 am ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) – More than 400 US lawmakers have signed letters urging President Barack Obama to step up efforts aimed at achieving Mideast peace, officials said Friday.In the lower House of Representatives, 330 legislators signed a letter sponsored by Democratic majority leader Steny Hoyer and Republican minority leader Eric Cantor.The letter was sent to the White House late Thursday, the same day Obama hosted Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas for their first Oval Office talks since the US president took power in January.In the Senate a similar letter, signed by 76 senators, was sent to Obama last week during a visit here by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.While the obstacles are formidable, we agree with you that every effort should be made to try to realize that peace at the soonest possible time,the House letter reads.It pointed out key priorities for the lawmakers: the parties must negotiate the peace themselves; the United States would work in close cooperation with Israel; it would insist Palestinians renounce violence and build institutions needed for a viable Palestinian state; and the United States should encourage more participation in the process by Arab states.The pro-Israeli lobby AIPAC, which supported the lawmakers' moves, said AIPAC strongly applauds Congress for this important expression of overwhelming bipartisan support for US efforts to help Israel achieve peace with all her Arab neighbors,according to spokesman Josh Block of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Obama meets Abbas, ups pressure on Israel – Fri May 29, 5:19 am ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama Thursday renewed pressure on Israel but rejected a timetable for his peace drive, noting domestic pressures heaped on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.As Obama met Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas for the first time as president, he called for a halt to settlement building on the occupied West Bank, while his administration sparred with Israel over the sensitive issue.Obama vowed an aggressive mediation effort, ahead of his visit to Saudi Arabia and Egypt next week, while Abbas pledged to live up to all previous peace agreements and warned time is of the essence for a two-state solution.Abbas presented the US president with a document outlining ideas about how to take the peace process forward.
The document does not veer from the (US-backed) roadmap and the Arab peace initiative,Abbas told AFP.It contains ideas to introduce implementation mechanisms for these two plans.A top Abbas aide said Obama had promised to study the text.The US president recalled that last week he had been very clear with Netanyahu about the need to stop settlements.Asked by a reporter if he would strong-arm Israel if it did not back down in its refusal to support a Palestinian state, he said: I think it's important not to assume the worst, but to assume the best.Obama, who rejected an opportunity to set a date for the establishment of a viable, potential Palestinian state, added: I don't want to put an artificial timetable.I am confident that we can move this forward if all parties are ready to meet their obligations.On Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had significantly hardened the US position on settlements, prompting a blunt dismissal from Israel.But Obama appeared to give Netanyahu some leeway, noting the fierce pressures imposed on the Israeli leader by his hawkish right-wing coalition.I think that we don't have a moment to lose, but I also don't make decisions based on just a conversation that we had last week.Because obviously Prime Minister Netanyahu has to work through these issues in his own government, in his own coalition,said Obama.The US president also called on Abbas to offer security improvements to Israel and to quell anti-Israel incitement in Palestinian mosques and schools, and took note of challenges Abbas faces with the West Bank ruled by his Palestinian Authority and the Gaza Strip run by Hamas.I very much appreciate that President Abbas has been under enormous pressure to bring about some sort of unity government and to negotiate with Hamas,Obama said.Abbas added that he had shared ideas with Obama based on the roadmap and the 2002 Saudi peace plan backed by the Arab league.The US-backed roadmap calls for a halt to Jewish settlement activity in Palestinian territories and an end to Palestinian attacks against Israel but has made little progress since it was drafted in 2003. Clinton had on Wednesday said Obama wants to see a stop to settlements. Not some settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions.
But Israel on Thursday dismissed the blunt US call.
Normal life will be allowed in settlements in the occupied West Bank, government spokesman Mark Regev said, using a euphemism for continuing construction to accommodate population growth. He added that the fate of settlements will be determined in final status negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and in the interim, normal life must be allowed to continue in those communities.The Palestinian Authority has ruled out restarting peace talks with Israel unless it removes all roadblocks and freezes settlement activity. Netanyahu told Obama last week at their first White House meeting that he was willing to immediately relaunch the peace talks but failed to publicly back the creation of a Palestinian state or to freeze settlement activity.The Abbas meeting represented Obama's latest attempt to revive the stalled Middle East peace process.Next week, Obama will deliver a long-awaited address to the Muslim world in Cairo, but he said he would not lay out his long-awaited peace plan in the speech, which he said was designed to lay out a path for a better US relationship with the Islamic world.
Obama meets Abbas, presses Israel on settlements By Matt Spetalnick – Thu May 28, 7:30 pm ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Thursday ratcheted up pressure on Israel to freeze settlements as he sought to reassure visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of U.S. support for Palestinian statehood.Faced with an Israeli rebuff of Washington's latest appeal to halt settlement building, Obama held talks with Abbas 10 days after hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who remains at odds with the U.S. administration over peacemaking strategy.Seeking to revive stalled peace efforts, Obama made clear he would continue pushing Netanyahu to impose a total freeze on Jewish settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and embrace the goal of Palestinian statehood.We can't continue the drift ... We need to get this thing back on track,Obama told reporters with Abbas, a Western-backed moderate weakened by Hamas Islamists' control of the Gaza Strip, seated at his side in the Oval Office.Obama stressed that Israel's obligations under a 2003 Middle East peace road map include stopping settlements ... and making sure that there is a viable Palestinian state.He said Palestinians had to do more to strengthen their security forces and reduce anti-Israel incitement he said was sometimes spread in schools and mosques.In his first Washington visit since Obama took office in January, Abbas had been expected to make his case for a tougher U.S. approach toward Netanyahu, who heads a new right-leaning Israeli coalition with pro-settler parties at its core.
Netanyahu's government on Thursday spurned U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's blunt assertion that all settlement activity must stop, including the natural growth of existing enclaves that Netanyahu has vowed to continue.Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev responded by reaffirming Netanyahu's intention to allow some further construction to accommodate the expansion of settler families.Even as policy differences have exposed a rare U.S.-Israeli rift, it remains unclear how hard Obama is willing to push the Jewish state to make concessions when his administration has yet to complete its Middle East strategy.
PRELUDE TO OBAMA TRIP
Obama sees engagement in Palestinian-Israeli peacemaking as crucial to repairing America's image in the Muslim world and drawing moderate Arab states into a united front against Iran.Netanyahu's refusal to endorse a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict, long the cornerstone of U.S. policy, has added a new obstacle to Obama's diplomatic efforts.In Thursday's talks, Obama also sought to shore up Abbas, who governs only in the West Bank while Hamas holds sway in Gaza. We are fully committed to all of our obligations under the road map,Abbas said.Palestinians contend that expansion of settlements, deemed illegal by the World Court, are aimed at denying them a viable state. Israel says the Palestinian Authority has not done enough to rein in militant violence.Abbas' visit could be a preview of what Obama can expect next week when he sees Saudi King Abdullah in Riyadh and Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo and then delivers a speech to the Muslim world.Muslims will be looking for signs of how Obama will tackle the Arab-Israeli standoff. His predecessor, George W. Bush, was criticized for neglecting the decades-old conflict and most Muslims believed his policies were biased in favor of Israel.Obama said he would talk about his ideas for Israeli-Palestinian peace in the June 4 address but brushed aside speculation that he would unveil a new peace initiative. It is a critical factor in the minds of many Arabs throughout the region and beyond the region,he said.Obama signaled, however, that he hopes to work toward a broader peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors.Abbas has ruled out restarting peace talks until Israel commits to Palestinian statehood and a settlement freeze.Netanyahu has said he is ready to resume negotiations immediately but wants to exclude tough territorial issues.Abbas said on Thursday there could be no progress unless final-status issues were discussed.Further underscoring the difficult path ahead, Israeli troops killed a fugitive leader of Hamas' military wing in the West Bank on Thursday, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.(Additional reporting by Ori Lewis and Alastair Macdonald in Jerusalem; editing by Mohammad Zargham)
IMF talks with Hezbollah about Lebanon reforms Thu May 28, 12:29 pm ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The International Monetary Fund acknowledged Thursday its mission in Lebanon had spoken with Hezbollah, among other political parties, about the need for economic reforms in the country.An IMF spokesperson downplayed reports in The New York Times and the Financial Times saying that the IMF had discussed a possible loan for Lebanon with Hezbollah, which is vying to oust a pro-Western faction dominating the parliament in June legislative elections.On the latest IMF mission in Lebanon, in February and March, staff met with the main political parties as part of their outreach activities,the spokesperson said in an email to AFP, on condition of anonymity.The objective of these meetings was to explain the role of Fund surveillance and to gather support toward economic reforms,the official said.In response to a question about the reported loan talks, the spokesperson said:The IMF has not negotiated with Hezbollah members or sympathizers in Lebanon over a possible loan. By no means were future fund arrangements discussed.The June 7 legislative election will pit the current US-backed majority in parliament against a Hezbollah-led coalition supported by Syria and Iran.The current parliamentary session was marked by a war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006, and a political crisis that degenerated into factional clashes in 2008.Hezbollah, considered a terrorist organization by Washington, stands a good chance of winning the vote along with its allies.The IMF spokesperson also said that during the mission visit, staff had met Abed Al Halim Fadlalah, then deputy director of an economic research center that is close to the Hezbollah.In November, the 185-nation institution awarded 37.6 million dollars in financing to Lebanon, on top of the 76.7 million dollars in post-conflict emergency aid awarded a year and a half earlier.In April, in its annual evaluation report, the IMF had praised the remarkable resilience of the Lebanese economy in the face of the global financial crisis.The IMF spokesperson noted that any new aid would require the approval of the institution's executive board.The United States, whose IMF share gives it veto power, has repeatedly said that it will have no dealings with Hezbollah.
IMF denies reports it negotiated with Hezbollah By Lesley Wroughton – Wed May 27, 7:45 pm ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund denied media reports on Wednesday that it had discussed possible loans with Lebanon's Hezbollah before parliamentary elections next month.The Financial Times and New York Times on Wednesday reported that Hezbollah had held talks with the IMF and the European Union to secure financial support for Lebanon if its alliance won the election.The IMF has not negotiated with Hezbollah members or sympathizers in Lebanon over a possible loan,the IMF said in a statement.It said an IMF mission visiting Beirut in March for annual consultations on economic policies met with the country's main political parties as part of standard outreach activities that also include talks with nongovernmental groups.During the talks, it met with Abed Al-Halim Fadlalah, then deputy director of an economic research center that has close ties with Hezbollah, to explain the IMF's visit and gather support toward economic reforms,the IMF said.The IMF conducts annual economic consultations with all of its 185 member countries.The Fund has a long history of meetings with political parties and/or parliamentarians, the IMF said. Many Fund missions do this as part of their outreach activities.
By no means were future Fund arrangements discussed,it added.
Lebanon votes on June 7 in a poll that pits an alliance including Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah, which Washington classifies as a terrorist organization, against an anti-Syrian coalition now holding a majority in parliament.Many experts predict gains for Hezbollah and its allies. Russia on Wednesday said the international community must recognize the result of Lebanon's general election regardless of who wins a majority.Hezbollah is the only Lebanese faction to remain armed after Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war and that has involved itself in domestic politics.In a statement at the end of the visit on April 15, the IMF mission said Lebanon's financial system had so far weathered the global financial crisis and shown a remarkable resilience to the global downturn.The IMF has supported the country under an Emergency Post-conflict Assistance program since 2007.(Editing by Will Dunham)
Netanyahu cites reciprocity on eve of Abbas U.S. trip By Jeffrey Heller – Wed May 27, 4:52 pm ET
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on the eve of a White House visit by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Palestinians must also be pressed to meet commitments under a U.S.-backed peace plan.Pledging to honor Israel's international agreements, which include a 2003 peace road map with the Palestinians, Netanyahu said, We want an end to the conflict and we want reciprocity in the demands made of both sides, and in carrying them out.After meeting Netanyahu on May 18, Obama reaffirmed a main hallmark of the road map -- creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel -- and called for a halt to Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.Netanyahu, who delivered a policy speech in parliament, has not directly endorsed Palestinian statehood and has said construction in existing Jewish settlements would continue to accommodate growing families.In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States wanted Israel to stop expanding Jewish settlements without exception and would push this point with its ally.The president was very clear when Prime Minister Netanyahu was here. He wants to see a stop to settlements -- not some settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions,Clinton said at a news conference with Egypt's foreign minister.That is our position. That is what we have communicated very clearly, not only to the Israelis but to the Palestinians and others, and we intend to press that point.Netanyahu has demanded Abbas' Palestinian Authority meet its commitments under the road map, including a crackdown on militants -- a task complicated by the 2007 takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas Islamists.In Washington Thursday, Abbas intends to urge Obama to press Israel to stop settlement expansion, Palestinian officials said.
Responding to Netanyahu, Abbas aide Nabil Abu Rdainah said the Palestinians had fulfilled their obligations but Israel had not met its commitments to halt settlement building.Rdainah accused Netanyahu of pressing demands to crack down on militants as a pretext to avoid recognizing the two-state solution.Underscoring some common ground with Obama, who is to make a June 4 speech in Egypt to the Muslim world, Netanyahu called in parliament for Arab countries to join the peace effort.The Israeli leader has proposed shifting the focus of currently suspended peace talks with the Palestinians from difficult territorial issues he said have stymied progress to improving economic, security and political relations.Abbas has said Netanyahu must accept the principle of Palestinian statehood before negotiations can resume.We are prepared to take, and we will take, concrete steps toward peace with the Palestinians. We also expect the Palestinians to take concrete steps,Netanyahu said.
A statement issued by the prime minister's office said Netanyahu convened a ministerial committee earlier in the day to discuss ways to improve the situation of Palestinian residents in the West Bank.Netanyahu told the committee it would soon be asked to examine several economic projects that would benefit the Palestinians and that Israel would seek international funding for the initiatives.(Editing by Alastair Macdonald and Doina Chiacu)
Britain urges stronger drive for Mideast peace Wed May 27, 8:15 am ET
ANKARA (AFP) – British Foreign Secretary David Miliband Wednesday urged stronger efforts to revive peace efforts in the Middle East, warning that the current impasse would make a settlement harder to reach.The comprehensive agenda that is set out by the Arab peace initiative is very significant.Now it's time to reinforce that drive because the longer the crisis of Palestinian statelessness and Israeli insecurity carries on, the harder it is to resolve,Miliband, on a visit to Turkey, told a press conference.The UK is very committed to helping the bottom-up as well as the top-down measures to support a settlment,he said.The Arab peace plan offers Israel full normalisation of relations in return for a complete withdrawal from all the territories it occupied in the 1967 Middle East war, a Palestinian state and an equitable solution to the Palestinian refugee problem.But new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to commit his government to a Palestinian state.
Israel rescue services to stage doomsday drill Wed May 27, 5:53 am ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel will stage its largest-ever national exercise next week to test security and emergency responses to potential missile attacks, bombings and natural disasters, an official said on Wednesday.The five-day exercise begins on Sunday and will simulate simultaneous rocket strikes from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon and missile attacks from arch-foes Syria and Iran, Defence Ministry spokesman Shlomo Dror told AFP.We will be exercising the doomsday scenario of simultaneous strikes against Israel on all fronts and by different means,Dror said, stressing that such a scenario is highly unlikely.This will include conventional, chemical and biological strikes against large population centres. It will also simulate a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings.A high point of the drill will be on Tuesday when air-raid sirens sound across the country and citizens must scramble to shelters, in some areas within seconds and others within no more than three minutes.Exercise Turning Point 3 will also simulate rescue and medical services' conduct during earthquakes and epidemics.
And there will be simulated cabinet meetings in which ministers will weigh their response to such attacks and scenarios.This will be the third such exercise since Israel's 2006 war in Lebanon that saw nearly one million citizens in the north of the country coming under heavy rocket fire for more than a month.The Second Lebanon War revealed that the homefront was not well prepared for war and citizens found it hard to adapt to the special situation,Dror said.The army plans to distribute gas masks to all of Israel's 7.2 million citizens in November, he added.The drill comes just two weeks after the air force wrapped up a massive four-day exercise that tested its ability to defend against missile and jet strikes from Syria and Iran.It was the first time the army has simulated strikes from the Islamic republic, located more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) away, he said.
EU must step up Mideast engagement: Portugal Wed May 27, 5:16 am ET
LISBON (AFP) – The European Union needs to step up its engagement in the Middle East and actively cooperate with the United States to resolve crises in the region, Portugal's foreign minister said Wednesday.More than ever, Europeans and Americans must work together ... on a global security agenda for the Middle East, Foreign Minister Luis Amado wrote in the daily Diario de Noticias, calling for greater EU engagement.The two Western powers must actively cooperate for the stabilisation of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, prevent a military nuclear programme in Iran and resolve the long Israeli-Arab conflict,he wrote.On the eve of Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas's first meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House, Amado said there can be no turning back on the goal of creating a Palestinian state.The EU and US must find a durable solution to the Palestinian question,the cornerstone of peace and security in the Middle East and the stability of the international system in the next few years.
Israel claims Venezuela sending uranium to Iran Mon May 25, 4:24 pm ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel suspects Venezuela and Bolivia of supplying uranium to Iran, according to a foreign ministry document leaked to media.We have information according to which Venezuela provides uranium to Iran for its nuclear programme, the document says.It seems that Bolivia is also a supplier of uranium to the Iranian nuclear programme,the document said, adding that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has played a key role in boosting Iran's ties with Bolivia.The document said Venezuela is helping Iran dodge UN imposed sanctions.It further claimed Iran is establishing cells of the Hezbollah militia in northern Venezuela and on Venezuela's Margarita Island.
Iran denies Western and Israeli suspicions that it is developing nuclear weapons, asserting that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only. It is defying a UN demand to halt uranium enrichment.Chavez has voiced support for Iran's nuclear programme.The release of the document came one week before Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon is due to travel to Honduras to attend the Organization of American States (OAS) general assembly in what the ministry said would be an opportunity to challenge the penetration of Iran and Hezbollah into the region.
Israel's ultra-nationalists table loyalty bill Mon May 25, 7:49 am ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's ultra-nationalist party has submitted a bill to parliament to require Israelis to take a loyalty oath, in a move aimed mainly at the large Arab minority.A parliamentary committee is expected to debate the bill on Sunday, said David Rotem, an MP with Lieberman's Yisrael Beitenu party who wrote the proposal.If the committee approves the bill, it will then go before the full Knesset, where it has to be approved in three votes in order to become law.The pledge of allegiance was a key element in Yisrael Beitenu's campaigning for the February general election.The proposed pledge is: I pledge loyalty to the state of Israel as a Jewish, Zionist and democratic state, to its symbols and values, to serve the state as much as I am required in military service or alternative service, as decided by law.Under the proposed law, the interior ministry will be able to revoke the citizenship of anyone who does not perform his military service or other civil service.The bill by the secular nationalist party is aimed mostly at Arab citizens -- some 20 percent of Israel's population -- and also at the ultra-Orthodox community. Neither group does the military service mandatory for most Israelis.The Israeli government on Sunday approved a draft law aiming to ban marking the Naqba, the catastrophe the 1948 creation of Israel represented for many Palestinians, raising a storm of protest from Arab and left-wing politicians.
Yisrael Beitenu, Israel's third biggest party with 15 of the 120 seats in parliament, targeted Israel's Arab minority during the election campaign, adopting the slogan No Citizenship Without Loyalty.The Israeli Arab community comprises around 1.2 million people of the country's total population of about seven million.They are descended from 160,000 Palestinians who remained on their land after the establishment of Israel in 1948.Israeli Arabs have voting rights and enjoy a better standard of living than Palestinians in the West Bank or Gaza Strip, but they still face widespread discrimination.
Sarkozy says Palestinian state vital to Mideast peace Mon May 25, 3:30 am ET
DUBAI, (AFP) – Creating their own state is a legitimate right for Palestinians and necessary for Middle East peace and Israeli security, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has told the UAE state news agency WAM.No one would think seriously about peace in the Middle East without giving the Palestinians a state they have been persevering for years. It is their legitimate right,he said ahead of a formal visit to the United Arab Emirates.The best guarantee for security of Israel is setting up an independent, democratic, modern and viable Palestinian state.Sarkozy said that the construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank should stop as it is an obstacle to peace, adding that he would not compromise Israel's right to live in peace.He who knows me is aware I'm a true friend of Israel and will not compromise the right of Israel to live in peace and security,he told WAM.Sarkozy's comments come ahead of an expected meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on June 3 in Paris, the first such encounter since the right-winger became Israeli premier in March.France last week denounced Netanyahu's statement that Jerusalem would remain Israel's undivided capital for ever.The French president will arrive in the oil-rich Gulf state of the UAE later on Monday for an official visit during which he will inaugurate France's first permanent military base in the Middle East.
Israel to ban Naqba commemoration Sun May 24, 3:40 pm ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – The Israeli cabinet on Sunday approved a draft law aiming to ban marking the Naqba, the catastrophe the 1948 creation of Israel represented for many Palestinians, a government official said.The draft law is scheduled to be submitted for parliamentary approval next week and will propose punishment of up to three years in prison for breaches of the prohibition, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.The government's legal commission brought forward the law at the instigation of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party.Israeli Arab MPs immediately slammed the proposal, branding it the act of an apartheid regime.The civil rights association also attacked the draft law.For the past year we have witnessed a worrying deterioration in Israel of the right to expression and other democratic rights,association chairman Sammy Michael said in a statement.Commemoration of the Naqba does not threaten Israel at all. It is a legitimate expression of the feelings of individuals and an entire people,he said.
Yisrael Beitenu, Israel's third biggest party with 15 of the 120 seats in parliament, targeted Israel's Arab minority during this year's election campaign, adopting the slogan No Citizenship Without Loyalty.The Israeli Arab community comprises around 1.2 million people of the country's total population of about seven million.They are descended from 160,000 Palestinians who remained on their land after the establishment of Israel in 1948.They have voting rights and enjoy a better standard of living than Palestinians in the West Bank or Gaza Strip, but are still the target of discrimination.
Israel to keep expanding settlements: Netanyahu by Ron Bousso – Sun May 24, 12:59 pm ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said Israel will continue to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank despite calls by main ally the United States to stop.The hawk also referred to a Palestinian state for the first time since re-assuming his post on March 31, but stopped short of backing the principle that is the cornerstone of international Middle East peace making efforts.I have no intention to construct new settlements, but it makes no sense to ask us not to answer to the needs of natural growth and to stop all construction,a senior official quoted him as telling the cabinet.During Netanyahu's first official visit to key ally Washington last week, US President Barack Obama told him that settlements must be stopped,a call echoed by other senior administration officials and on Capitol Hill.Israeli settlements in the West Bank are one of the major stumbling blocks in the halting Middle East peace process, which Obama has vowed to push forward despite a new largely right-wing government in Israel that backs settlements.Briefing the ministers on his Washington trip, Netanyahu said that clearly we need to have some reservations about a Palestinian state in a final status agreement... when we reach an agreement on substance, we will reach agreement on terminology.It was the first time since he returned to the prime minister's post that Netanyahu publicly said the words Palestinian state.But he stopped short of endorsing the concept, backed by Washington, to which Israel committed under the 2003 roadmap Middle East peace plan.
If we talk about a Palestinian state, we have to first and foremost verify what kind of sovereignty and rights this state will have,a senior official quoted Netanyahu as saying.We have to make sure that we are not threatened,Netanyahu was quoted as saying, referring to previous Israeli demands that such a state be demilitarised.
Netanyahu also vowed to deal with settlement outposts in the West Bank, those that the Israeli government itself considers illegal but that most ministers in the government do not want to dismantle.We will take care of them,he said.If possible by dialogue. There is no doubt that we have committed ourselves to deal with them.
Earlier on Sunday ultra-nationalist Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman ruled out a return to Israel's pre-1967 borders, saying such a move would not end the conflict, would not guarantee peace or security. It would simply move the conflict to within the 67 borders,he said, referring to Israel.Israel seized the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and east Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War and, except for Gaza, continues to occupy the territories that today are home to about half a million Jewish settlers.The new Israeli cabinet largely opposes dismantling the settlement outposts, an idea to which the Jewish state committed itself under the roadmap.
Defence Minister Ehud Barak, whose Labour party is the most liberal member of the Netanyahu cabinet, backed the idea of removing outposts, but spoke of 22 such structures -- a number several times lower than that of watchdog groups.We should deal with the remaining 22 (outposts) in a responsible and correct way,he said. First by talking and if that doesn't work then unilaterally.Under the roadmap plan, Israel undertook to dismantle all outposts in the West Bank constructed after March 2001, with an Israeli commission later determining there were 26 such structures.The Peace Now anti-settlement group, however, says that more than 50 outposts have been erected since March 2001 and that at present the West Bank has more than 100 outposts. The international community considers all Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal.The main settler organisation Yesha blasted Netanyahu's statements, saying that he should respect the wishes of voters who voted en masse for parties that are in favour of continuing construction in Judea and Samaria,the Israeli name for the West Bank.
Assad discusses Mideast summit with Russia's Lavrov Sun May 24, 8:24 am ET
DAMASCUS (AFP) – Russia's planned international conference on the Middle East must be well-prepared if it is to succeed, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday.The official SANA news agency said Lavrov briefed Assad on Moscow's wish to organise a conference on the Middle East in order to discuss the peace process.It said the Syrian president responded that the conference must be well-prepared and set out objectives as well as the positions of those parties concerned in the Israeli-Arab conflict.Assad also said it was important to know the extent of Israel's commitment to achieve a just and comprehensive peace, SANA reported.On Saturday, he branded Israel as the major obstacle to peace in the Middle East and backed the right of resistance to recover occupied land.Addressing a ministerial gathering in Damascus of the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference, Assad said the current state of Middle East peacemaking had exposed the true nature of this aggressive state.
The OIC represents 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide.
Russia announced in January its intention to stage a Middle East conference in the first half of this year, but the idea has not been received with enthusiasm in either Israel or its key ally, the United States.The Palestinians, who have had good relations with Russia since the Soviet era, welcomed it.Russia, with the European Union, the United Nations and the United States, is a member of the international quartet for Middle East peace.On Saturday night, Lavrov met Khaled Meshaal, the Damascus-based leader of Hamas, a spokesman for the Palestinian Islamist movement said without providing further details.On Monday, Lavrov will visit Lebanon.
Israel's Lieberman rules out return to 67 borders by Ron Bousso – Sun May 24, 6:08 am ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday ruled out a return to Israel's 1967 borders, as its largely right-wing cabinet rebuffed calls to remove Jewish settlements built on Palestinian land.A return to the borders of 67 today, as we are being pressured to do, would not end the conflict, would not guarantee peace or security,Lieberman told reporters ahead of a government meeting.It would simply move the conflict to within the 67 borders,he said, referring to Israel, as the cabinet met for the first time since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's talks with US President Barack Obama in Washington.During his trip, the hawkish Israeli premier was told repeatedly by the administration and Congressional leaders that the Jewish state must stop settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, one of the main stumbling blocks in the halting Middle East peace process.But on Sunday, most ministers in the right-leaning cabinet criticised the idea of dismantling any settlements, including so-called outposts -- those the Israeli government itself considers illegal.Lieberman said that dismantling the outposts should come in the framework of the international 2003 roadmap for Middle East peace, a step-by-step plan that foresees the creation of a Palestinian state.Under its first phase, Israel committed to removing outposts and the Palestinians undertook to halt violence.But Lieberman, known for controversial statements, said the plan may have to be re-examined.Removing outposts should be part of an overall policy and cannot be patchwork,Lieberman said, referring to Israeli settlements in the West Bank that were not authorised by the Israeli government.The correct outline is the roadmap, which we might have to re-adopt on all its stages,he said.And if it is necessary within the framework of the roadmap to remove outposts, we will do so.His position was largely echoed by other ministers in Netanyahu's hardline cabinet that was sworn in on March 31.We shouldn't accept diktats and we shouldn't dismantle (settlement) outposts, said Interior Minister Eli Yishai of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party.
I don't see any reason to dismantle outposts before we decide on a unified policy. Nevertheless we should not get into a clash with the Americans.Defence Minister Ehud Barak, whose Labour party is the most liberal member of the Netanyahu cabinet, backed the idea of removing outposts, but spoke of 22 such structures -- a number several times lower than that of watchdog groups.We should deal with the remaining 22 (outposts) in a responsible and correct way,Barak said.First by talking and if that doesn't work then unilaterally.Under the roadmap plan, Israel undertook to dismantle all outposts in the West Bank constructed after March 2001. An Israeli commission later determined there were 26 such structures.The Peace Now anti-settlement group, however, says that more than 50 outposts were put up since March 2001 and that at present the West Bank has more than 100 outposts.The international community considers all Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal.
