Wednesday, May 06, 2009

PALESTINIAN STEALS ISRAELI TEXTS

Israeli police bust Palestinians with ancient text By MATTI FRIEDMAN, Associated Press Writer – Wed May 6, 6:23 pm ET

JERUSALEM – Undercover Israeli officers foiled an attempt by two Palestinian men to sell an ancient, valuable papyrus document on the black market, police said Wednesday. The men were arrested at a Jerusalem hotel Tuesday after a sting operation lasting several weeks, police said. The 1,900-year-old Hebrew document, previously unknown and valued at millions of dollars, was rescued, and police showed it to reporters.It was unclear where the two men obtained it, police and archaeologists said. Similar documents have been found in caves in the Judean Desert near the Dead Sea, where they have been preserved over the centuries by the dry climate, they said.

The most famous of those are the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient holy books and apocalyptic treatises thought to have been collected by an ascetic Jewish sect two millennia ago.

The document, six inches by six inches (15 centimeters by 15 centimeters), contains 15lines of Hebrew characters of a type also used in the Dead Sea Scrolls, but is a legal text apparently unrelated to the more famous scrolls.In this document, a widow named Miriam, daughter of Yaakov, legally transfers property to her late husband's brother, said Amir Ganor, an archaeologist with the government department entrusted with fighting antiquities theft.Dated to the 2nd century A.D., it is unique because it includes the names of Jewish villages and a date — four years from the destruction of the house of Israel.Ganor said that was likely an allusion to a Jewish revolt put down violently by Rome around 135 A.D.Ganor said scholars are 95 percent sure the document is genuine, but it will be tested to make sure it is not a fake like the ones that surface periodically on the lucrative market in Holy Land antiquities.Only few scrolls like this were found in Israel and all of the Middle East, and we hope that the historic situation of discovering this scroll will be helpful to the research about the period,Ganor said.The suspects, ages 48 and 60, are from the West Bank town of Beit Sahour, near Jerusalem, police said.After receiving information on the men and tracking them for several weeks, police caught the two at a Jerusalem hotel where they had arranged to sell the document, Superintendent Eli Cohen said.

They came to a place we chose, and they were arrested there,Cohen said, while refusing to reveal whether police agents posed as buyers.They are suspected of violating Israeli antiquities laws by illegally possessing and trafficking in archaeological artifacts and could face several years in prison if convicted. Police are trying to determine how the document fell into their hands.If authentic, the document could help scholars learn important details about Jewish life two millennia ago, said archaeologist Aren Maeir of Bar Ilan University, near Tel Aviv.It could be important to understanding everything from the geography, the names of people, the type of contracts they used, and the status of women, of weddings and relationships between families,he said.Similar documents belonging to a woman named Bavta, who lived around the same time, were found in the 1950s by the famed Israeli archaeologist Yigael Yadin, Maeir said, and this one could fit in nicely with those findings.

Israel air raid on Gaza tunnels after mortar fire Wed May 6, 1:15 pm ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel launched air raids against smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza on Wednesday, hours after it said Palestinian militants fired mortar rounds at the Jewish state.The air force targeted three smuggling tunnels in the Rafah border area with Egypt in response to the continuous firing of rockets and mortar shells at Israeli southern communities from the Gaza Strip, the military said.Palestinian medical sources said four people were slightly wounded.Earlier this morning, five mortar shells hit a field in the Shaar Hanegev municipal council in the western Negev region of Israel. No casualties or damage were reported, the military said in a statement.Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamist Hamas movement which rules Gaza, said it fired mortar shells at Israeli troops carrying out an incursion in the central Gaza Strip.The Israeli military says more than 200 rockets and mortar shells have been fired at southern Israel from Gaza since it carried out a devastating December-January offensive on the impoverished territory.The armed forces have responded with a series of air strikes, mostly on tunnels which Israel says Hamas uses to smuggle in weapons from Egypt.Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, in an interview published in the New York Times on Tuesday, said his Islamist movement was holding its rocket fire for the time being.Not firing the rockets currently is part of an evaluation of the movement which serves the Palestinian interest,he said.

UN Gaza report outrageous, one-sided: Peres Wed May 6, 1:05 pm ET

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – Israeli President Shimon Peres Wednesday blasted as outrageous and one-sided a UN inquiry that blamed Israel for six serious attacks on UN buildings during its Gaza offensive.It's outrageous, we shall never accept it (the report), he told reporters after conferring with UN chief Ban Ki-moon. We don't think we have to apologize because we have the right to defend the lives of our children and women.

Peres said the UN board of enquiry overstepped its authority, noting that it was supposed to probe damage to UN installations but instead decided to investigate the whole situation in Gaza.We don't accept one word,he added, slamming the conclusions as unfair,one-sided.But he appeared to exonerate Ban, saying he had the highest regard for him.The secretary general is not responsible for the report, Peres said. He tried to distinguish between what is necessary in order to be objective and fair and listen to us.The Israeli president insisted that his country has cooperated fully with the UN enquiry team and conceded that we made some mistakes.The UN report was drawn up by an independent panel set up to investigate nine cases in which UN buildings in Gaza were damaged by bombardments or arms fire during the three-week Israeli offensive.The findings laid out the latest criticism of Israel over the war it launched against the Hamas-run enclave on December 27 in response to ongoing rocket fire from Gaza militants. More than 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis died.

In six of the nine incidents, the board concluded that the death, injuries and damage involved were caused by military actions, using munitions launched or dropped from the air or fired from the ground, by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the report said.

A seventh less serious incident was also blamed on Israeli light arms fire during the offensive, while the eighth was attributed to a Palestinian faction, probably Hamas.

The probe by the UN panel, however, could not determine who was to blame for the ninth incident.The report accused Israel of failing to protect UN buildings and the civilians inside them, and recommended that the United Nations seek damages.Peres, meanwhile, was also asked whether the Jewish state under the new government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was still committed to a two-state solution under which a viable Palestinian state would be created alongside a secure Israel.Peres made clear that the current Israeli government announced it would respect the decisions made by the previous government.The previous government of Israel took the decision to accept the roadmap that was introduced by the (Middle East diplomatic) Quartet, he added. In the roadmap, there is a clear reference to the two-state solution and that is my answer.The roadmap, drawn up by the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, foresees the peaceful co-existence of Israel and Palestine, and calls for a halt to Jewish settlement activity in Palestinian territories and an end to Palestinian attacks against Israel.The plan has made little progress since it was drafted in 2003.

No alternative to two-state Mideast solution: Merkel Wed May 6, 10:40 am ET

BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday that a two-state solution was the only path to peace in the Middle East and urged the new Israeli government to move quickly to begin talks with the Palestinians.Merkel was speaking ahead of a visit to Berlin Thursday by ultranationalist Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who has voiced opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.As far as Middle East peace is concerned, we want to continue to focus on a two-state solution, Merkel told reporters at a joint news conference with Jordan's King Abdullah.She described the coming months as decisive and said progress between Israel and the Palestinians was essential for the success of western efforts to reach a deal with Iran over its disputed nuclear program.Abdullah said the goal was to get Israel and the Palestinians to sit down at the negotiating table in the coming months.Lieberman began his tour of European countries Monday in Italy, where he described Iran's nuclear work as a destabilizing factor for the entire world.He is viewed with skepticism by the government in Berlin, where he is due to meet members of the foreign affairs committee of the German parliament and dine with Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier but not make any public statements.(Reporting by Andreas Moeser; Writing by Noah Barkin; editing by Ralph Boulton)

Iran's Ahmadinejad in new tirade against Israel by Roueida Mabardi – Tue May 5, 2:58 pm ET

DAMASCUS (AFP) – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad slammed Zionism as occupation and aggression Tuesday as he delivered his latest diatribe against the Jewish state on a visit to key Middle East ally Syria.The Zionist occupiers are destructive microbes, because Zionism itself is occupation, aggression, the use of assassination and annihilation, he told a joint news conference with President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian capital.Zionism was created to threaten us. To support the Palestinian resistance is a humanitarian and popular obligation,Ahmadinejad said in remarks in Farsi that were translated into Arabic.Syria and Iran are united in supporting the Palestinian resistance.The Iranian president's comments came barely two weeks after he sparked a European walkout from a UN anti-racism conference in Geneva by equating Zionism with racism.He has gone further in the past, predicting that the Jewish state is doomed to be wiped from the map and describing the Holocaust as a myth.Ahmadinejad asked why it was the Islamist Hamas movement which controls Gaza that is blacklisted by the European Union and the United States, and not Israel after its devastating offensive against the territory at the turn of the year.They've attacked Gaza, killing people in their own land and massacring women and children... and yet it's the Palestinians they accuse of terrorism,he complained.Ahmadinejad, whose visit to Damascus came as Defence Secretary Robert Gates toured US allies in the region to reassure them about overtures to the Tehran regime by President Barack Obama, hit out at the continuing US military presence on Iran's borders.They weren't invited in. They're unwelcome visitors who should leave Afghanistan and the borders of Pakistan, the Iranian president said.We don't want honey from bees that sting us. Efforts must be made to rid the region of the presence of foreigners... and to reform the unjust global political and economic system.Ahmadinejad said Iran and Syria were standing together to resist foreign intervention and the major powers trying to impose their hegemony over the region.

The United States has put pressure on Syria and Iran, but it needs us and wants to develop relations, he said.Circumstances are changing rapidly in our favour. We are on the road to victory.Assad in turn hailed what he called the natural strategic alliance between Syria and Iran, which he said was built on shared principles and interests.We agreed to support reconciliation in Iraq and look forward to the departure of the last foreign soldier,he added.The United States and its key regional ally Israel have long sought to sour the three-decade-old alliance between Iran and Syria, which are the main foreign backers of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah as well as Hamas.The Obama administration has stepped up US contacts with Damascus and the acting assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs Jeffrey Feltman is due to leave for the Syrian capital on Wednesday on his second visit this year. In March, he made the first high-level US trip to Syria since 2005. But on Monday, Washington baulked at calls by the Syrian president for it to open talks with Hamas and Hezbollah, saying the two militant groups had to renounce violence first. We would like to see Syria change the behaviour of these two groups, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said. Ahmadinejad was also due to meet exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal during his Damascus visit.

Israeli PM wants triple track approach to peace Richard Lardner, Associated Press Writer – Mon May 4, 9:27 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Israel's prime minister on Monday outlined a triple track approach to peace with the Palestinians, a strategy that emphasizes political, economic and security planks to resolve the decades-long conflict.Benjamin Netanyahu said his government is ready to resume peace negotiations without any delays or preconditions.

The sooner the better,Netanyahu told a convention of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobby in Washington. Netanyahu's brief remarks were broadcast by satellite from Jerusalem.He also cautioned, however, that Israel never would compromise its own security as it seeks peace.Echoing remarks to the convention made earlier in the day by Shimon Peres, Israel's president, Netanyahu said Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. Netanyahu said Jews and Arabs in the Middle East share that goal and must work together to meet it.For the first time in my lifetime, Arabs and Jews see a common danger,he said. There is a great challenge afoot. But that challenge also presents great opportunities.While the Obama administration supports a two-state solution to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Netanyahu did not mention creation of a Palestinian state during his remarks.Instead, he proposed his three-track strategy, which he called a fresh approach that would improve the quality of life for Palestinians while preserving Israel's security.

The political track is focused on resuming peace negotiations. The security track would strengthen what he called the security apparatus of the Palestinians, Netanyahu said. On the economic track, Netanyahu said Israel is prepared to remove as many obstacles as possible to advance the Palestinian economy.I want to see Palestinian youngsters know that they have a future, he said.I want them not to be hostage to a cult of death, and despair and hate.But Netanyahu's pitch for peace was tempered by what he called two provisos.First, if Israel abandons its own security,we'll have neither security nor peace,he said. Second, for any peace settlement to be achieved, the Palestinians must recognize Israel as the Jewish state, Netanyahu said.On the Net:
American Israel Public Affairs Committee: http://www.aipac.org/

Abbas to press Obama for two-state deal Sun May 3, 9:51 am ETAMMAN

(AFP) – Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas said on Sunday he will tell US President Barack Obama this month that resuming peace talks with Israel hinges on its approval of a two-state solution.We will go the Washington on May 28 to talk with the US administration about our conditions to resume peace negotiations with Israel in the future, Abbas was quoted in a palace statement after meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II.Our conditions and demands are based on the two-state solution and Israel's halt of settlement building as well as house demolitions. These are our demands and the demands of the Americans themselves to resume the talks.Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory -- supported by the largely right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- are one of the main stumbling blocks in the troubled Middle East peace process.Netanyahu has so far failed to publicly endorse the creation of a Palestinian state, a principle strongly backed by the White House.The Palestinians are demanding that Netanyahu back a two-state solution -- to which Israel committed itself under the roadmap peace plan launched by the international community in 2003 -- before the two sides resume talks.

Israel's firebrand FM kicks off first tour abroad Sat May 2, 11:20 am ET

ROME (AFP) – Israel's firebrand Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman arrives in Italy Monday on his first trip abroad, the Italian foreign ministry said Saturday.He will have talks with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Foreign Minister Franco Frattini during his two-day stay in Rome, and will give a press conference Monday with Frattini.His office said Thursday the controversial Lieberman would also be visiting the Czech Republic, France and Germany on his first foreign tour since being sworn in with the rest of the largely right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on March 31.Lieberman is known for controversial statements and has been called a racist by critics over his anti-Arab diatribes.Immediately after taking office, he sparked criticism by saying that the new Israeli cabinet was not bound by the decision that the previous government took at a conference in Annapolis, Maryland in November 2007 to restart negotiations with the Palestinians.He has also lashed out at Iran, saying it is a key obstacle to resolving the Middle East conflict and has come out against resuming indirect talks with Syria.His trip to European Union countries follows a warning from Israel to the EU limit its criticism of Netanyahu's cabinet or risk losing involvement in the Middle East peace process.An Israeli official said Thursday the warning was issued in a series of phone conversations in recent days between the deputy director of the Israeli foreign ministry's European desk Rafi Barak and the ambassadors of Britain, France and Germany.Israel asks the European Union to keep a low profile and conduct a quiet dialogue... But if these declarations continue, Europe will not be able to have involvement in the peace process and both sides will lose,the senior official quoted Barak as telling the ambassadors.

Israel earlier rapped the EU after its commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said that a planned upgrade of bilateral relations would not be implemented until Netanyahu commits to the peace talks with the Palestinians.The former speaker of the Israeli parliament, Avraham Burg, called Lieberman a clear threat to Israeli democracy in an interview published Saturday in the Spanish daily El Mundo.Lieberman is racist and xenophobic, Burg said, expressing disquiet at the support his Yisrael Beiteinu party gained in the elections.Israel is heading for a clash between the concept of democracy and that of Jewish theocracy, he warned.

Friday, May 01, 2009

ISRAELIS WANT NATO TROOPS IN WESTBANK

JERUSALEM DIVIDED

ZECHARIAH 12:1-5 King James Bible
1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
4 In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.

JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

ZECHARIAH 14:1-9 King James Bible
1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADE BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Jordan's King: All roads lead to Jerusalem - Israel faces all out war in 18 months if it does not cede to Jerusalem to Palestinian state MAY 1,09
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/


Israel faces all-out war within 18 months if it does not come to terms with the Arab world and allow the establishment of a new Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem, according to Jordan’s King Abdullah II. The Hashemite monarch also declared on America's Meet the Press television program that threats from Iran and Al Qaeda will fade away once Jerusalem is divided.His position basically echoed the Palestinian Authority (PA) stand that its demands are a condition for peace and are not a matter for negotiation, despite diplomatic and media language about Israel and the PA each making concessions.The king responded to virtually every question concerning the Middle East by pointing to Jerusalem. In Arab and Muslim minds, the most emotional aspect is the Palestinian cause and that of Jerusalem. And from there leads all the other problems,he argued.When program host David Gregory asked if it’s not a fantasy to think that the problem of Al Qaeda will disappear so easily, the Jordanian monarch answered, What -- what is Al Qaeda’s platform is -- is the plight of the Palestinians in Jerusalem under occupation.Gregory challenged him that the terrorist organization may not believe what it says, but King Abdullah II was unmoved. You can’t really take them that seriously when the core issue, the major grievance in the Arab and Muslim world is solved,he explained.

He followed the same track concerning Iran and any crisis you want to talk about…. All roads lead back to Jerusalem.Any crisis you want to talk about…. All roads lead back to Jerusalem.The king, who visited U.S. President Barack Obama during his visit to the United States, was equally emphatic and simplistic concerning the Iranian nuclear threat, which worries the Arab world as well as Israel.Asked by Gregory what is the best way for the U.S. to persuade Iran to retreat from its nuclear program, King Abdullah II responded, Solving the Israeli-Palestinian problem. Gregory asked, That’s it? and the king explained, That allows us to then solve the Israeli-Arab-Muslim problem.He continued, Let me go back to saying I think that the challenge we have here in America is connecting the dots. If you have an issue of the threat that Iran poses to Israel, which is what Netanyahu was saying, the best way of solving that problem is solving the core issue, which is the Palestinian problem and that of Jerusalem.There’s more of an incentive for the Iranians to continue down that path when there’s an argument that they want to use in front of their people that Palestinians are under occupation.The Jordanian monarch held out the chance for Israel to make peace with 57 countries that do not recognize Israel today. Look, Israel, if you solve the Palestinian problem, if you allow us to solve the problems of Jerusalem, we all want to have peace with you.He warned that if Israel does not deal with the Arab demands over Jerusalem within the next 18 months, there will be another conflict between Israel and another protagonist. He charged that outside interference, meaning the U.S., is a requirement to force a peace agreement.America is providing a new image of what and how things should be done. And I think that the world has a belief in the president, a lot of faith in what he has to say. Obviously the pressure on the president is to deliver,he added.So Israel has to decide, does it want to make a relationship with 57 nations or does it want to stay Fortress Israel?

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)

DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.

DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.

REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)

Majority of Israelis would like to join EU, see NATO in West Bank
http://www.jpost.com/ MAY 1,09


Almost two-thirds of Israeli Jews support sending NATO troops to the West Bank in a peacekeeping capacity, according to a poll conducted by Jerusalem-based KEEVOON Research. Israeli Jews supported the presence of NATO peacekeepers in Palestinian areas by 62 percent to 34%, the study found. But that support was not shared among Israeli Arabs, who opposed the idea by 44% to 24% - though a third said they did not know or refused to answer the question. We are seeing a change in the readiness for third-party intervention in the conflict,according to Dr. Lars Hansel, head of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung office in Jerusalem, which commissioned the study. Three or four years back, there was no readiness for international involvement, but I think this changed because of the EU monitoring mission in Rafah, which was seen positively, and the German marines deployed on the Lebanese coast, who are seen [by Israelis] as a welcome development. We are clearly sensing a shift in discourse in Israel about this,Hansel said. Indeed, a majority of respondents (54%) supported outright Israeli membership in NATO (33% did not). Support rose to 60% when only Jewish responses were counted.This high support was almost identical among Jerusalem and Tel Aviv residents - 65% and 64%, respectively - suggesting that this view cut across social, religious and political divisions. A similar majority was maintained among the voters of all major parties, including Labor (70%), Israel Beiteinu (67%), Kadima (63%) and the Likud (59%).The study also found that more than two-thirds of Israelis (69%) would like to join the European Union, with just 18% opposing the idea. Support was higher among Jews (75%, with 15% opposing) than among Arabs (40% vs 30% opposing). To test the strength of this support, the survey presented a hypothetical situation in which Israelis would be able to live or work anywhere in Europe, the shekel would have to be replaced eventually with the euro, and the Law of Return might be amended.Even then, support for joining the EU narrowly defeated opposition by 44% to 43%.According to Hansel, there is a general attraction to the EU, which is interesting because it is based not only on economic issues, but also on values. The study showed that Israelis liked the EU in part because it promotes democracy and pluralism. For Israelis, the EU stands for certain values and a certain kind of prosperity.

Nearly half of Israelis welcomed EU aid to the Palestinians.

After being told that the European Union is the largest donor to the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza and is committed to improving their humanitarian and economic situation,47% of Israelis said this caused their support for the European organization to increase, while 37% said it diminished their support. Similarly, 54% said the EU's support for a two-state solution encouraged them to support the EU, while 34% said it hurt their support. Israelis were less forgiving on the question of a potential EU dialogue with Hamas, however, as 59% said it would reduce their support for the EU. And though they generally held a high opinion of the European organization (63% favorable), Israelis were evenly split (36% to 34%) on whether it had advanced or impeded the peace process in recent years. Unlike with NATO, opinion on the European Union seemed to depend heavily on political and religious belief and age. Large majorities of Kadima, Labor and Meretz voters and most Israelis over 51 said they liked the European umbrella organization, while much of the opposition came from large segments of the young Israeli population, the Orthodox, and voters for Arab parties.The study asked Israelis to rate their opinions of several well-known foreign leaders. The results showed that Israelis were as susceptible to the charisma of the new American president as people from any European country: Barack Obama was the most popular of the world leaders, with a favorability rating of 74% and just 11% saying they had an unfavorable view of him.The high figures indicate that Obama's popularity is widespread even among Israel's political Right.After Obama, Middle East negotiator and former British prime minister Tony Blair is the next-most popular foreign leader, with 68% favorable to 14% unfavorable.French President Nicolas Sarkozy came third with 64%. That marks a doubling of support for the French presidency compared to Sarkozy's predecessor Jacques Chirac. In 2007, Chirac had 29% approval and 63% disapproval among Israelis. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana came in last among foreign leaders mentioned in the poll, with 26% approval and 28% disapproval.The study put a particular focus on Israelis' views of Germany, finding that two-thirds had a favorable opinion of the country. Fully 62% of Israelis believe Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany's first female chancellor, improves the country's image abroad.

The survey included a battery of other questions.

Asked about their main concern vis-a-vis their government, Israelis said they were overwhelmingly more concerned about the economy than foreign policy by a margin of 61%to 12%. In the wake of February's election (the study was conducted from April 1 to 5), the poll found a significant swing toward optimism among Israelis compared with the last poll from 2007. Two years ago, fully 77% of respondents said the country was going in the wrong direction. By 2009, that figure had dropped to 50%. However, Israelis' views of Turkey took a sharp turn for the worse, in the wake of the bitter diplomatic dispute between the two countries over Operation Cast Lead in January. Approval for Turkey dropped from 65% in 2007 to just 34% in the current study. The survey also questioned Hebrew-speaking respondents about the countries from which their grandparents had come, concluding that 40% of Israeli Jews had European origins and were likely eligible for European citizenship. The 2007 poll found a similar figure of 36%.