"Randi Zuckerberg at Davos: more relatives of the global elite" January 22, 2014
For years, nothing did more to communicate one’s status as a jet-setting global thinker than an invitation to the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland. But over the years, the conference has grown in popularity, and all those CEOs and heads of state now rub elbows with tech innovators and even Hollywood celebrities — to the point that Davos has become a de rigueur stop for new- and old-media stars, or at least the ones who aren’t at Sundance.
This trend, which is inclusionary in its own way, continues this year. In addition to blood relatives of near-powerless European royal families, the guest list also includes the likes of Randi Zuckerberg, the sister of the king of social media.
That's the closest they come to mentioning the name.
Many of this year’s events aren’t obviously about economics: For example, Goldie Hawn will be touting the benefits of meditation, and Matt Damon will be honored for his charitable contributions. In the future, Davos could return to its roots as a getaway for the giants of the financial sector. Or it can embrace a destiny as yet another celebrity orgy. Next year’s keynote: Khloe Kardashian on the investment future of yoga pants?
I suppose they would be a good investment for her.
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Things the Globe overheard at the party:
"Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, was at another Swiss venue, the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he called for a new election in Syria and said his nation would respect the results."
"Russia set to offer Snowden a longer stay" by Michael J. de la Merced | New York Times, January 25, 2014
DAVOS, Switzerland — Russia plans to extend its offer of asylum to Edward J. Snowden beyond August, a Russian lawmaker said Friday at the World Economic Forum here.
And with the crisis in the Crimea the U.S. will never get him back.
Related(?): Snowden Was a Russian Spy
No, but maybe a controlled asset on what he is saying lately (confirming cover story crap?), paired with the fact that he came along just when Wikileaks had been discredited as an Israeli blackmail operation and
The lawmaker, Alexei K. Pushkov, chairman of the foreign affairs committee in Russia’s lower house of Parliament, hinted during a panel discussion that the extension of temporary refugee status for Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor, might be indefinite.
“He will not be sent out of Russia,” Pushkov said. “It will be up to Snowden.”
He added that Snowden’s father believes his son could not get a fair trial in the United States.
Holder said he could come back if he pled guilty.
Pushkov made his comments came against a backdrop of broad criticism of US spying programs that have come to light since the summer. He pointed to the volume of information that US authorities are able to gather.
“The US has created a Big Brother system,” Pushkov said.
It monitored the conference.
US participants on the panel continued to criticize Snowden for leaking data about the surveillance.
Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, argued that Snowden should be convicted. “Mr. Snowden violated an oath, and that is a fact,” he said. “The damage that has been done has been exaggerated, because we’re hearing it from Mr. Snowden.”
You have all violated your oaths, John!
The remark drew criticism from Pushkov, who said that the courts must review the evidence first.
Jane Harman, a Democrat and former House member from California, said Snowden should stand trial. She also defended some of the work that the intelligence community had done, pointing to what has been described as the disruption of 54 potential terrorist plots.
She's as bad as Feinstein!
But she added that some changes to the data-gathering initiatives were warranted.
“Do we need to change the system?” she said. “I think we should.”
She was busted by it!
--more--"
"US committed to engagement in Middle East, Kerry says; Diplomacy, not force, stressed" by Matthew Lee | Associated Press, January 25, 2014
DAVOS, Switzerland — Secretary of State John Kerry hit back Friday at criticism that the Obama administration’s Middle East policy is in disarray, maintaining that the United States is actively engaged in multiple ambitious diplomatic initiatives in the region and elsewhere.
Kerry, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, rejected what he branded the ‘‘myth’’ of US disengagement. He pointed to active and simultaneous Obama administration efforts to end the crisis in Syria, deal with Iran’s nuclear program, and broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Oh, I agree. We are way too engaged in too many wars in too many places.
‘‘The most bewildering version of this disengagement myth is about a supposed US retreat from the Middle East,’’ he said. ‘‘You can’t find another country — not one country — as proactively engaged, or that is partnering with so many Middle Eastern countries as constructively as we are, on so many high-stake fronts.’’
The Obama administration has been chastised for not having a coherent strategy to deal with fast-moving developments in the Middle East since the revolts that rocked the Arab world began three years ago. The conflict in Syria has gotten worse as extremist groups have taken an increasing role in the fighting, Egypt is struggling to restore democratic rule after a coup that the White House never fully acknowledged, Al Qaeda-linked militants have made major gains in parts of Iraq, and an agreement to keep a residual force in Afghanistan after international troops depart at the end of the year is stalled.
While they rushed to acknowledge Ukraine's.
The criticism has come not only from the administration’s political foes in Congress — alarmed by the outreach to Iran and suggest that the absence of US troops in Iraq and the failure to punish Syrian President Bashar Assad with military strikes for his use of chemical weapons were signs of weakness — and unfriendly foreign countries. But allies like Saudi Arabia and Israel have joined in the sniping, particularly over what they regard as a reckless rapprochement with Iran.
They have soothed things over with the Zaudis, but Israel.... I don't know. They are never happy and always have a complaint.
But Kerry insisted that the administration knew what it was doing when it engaged Iran over its nuclear program. He stressed that the United States remains suspicious of Iran even under its new president, Hassan Rouhani, who told the same audience on Thursday that his country wants good relations with the rest of the world and has no desire to develop nuclear weapons.
‘‘While the message is welcome, my friends, the words themselves are meaningless unless actions are taken to give them meaning,’’ Kerry said. ‘‘Starting now, Iran has the opportunity to prove these words beyond all doubt to the world’’ as it negotiates the nitty-gritty of proving its peaceful intentions with world powers and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
And they have been doing just that.
On Syria, Kerry said ‘‘forceful diplomacy’’ and not military action was responsible for removing chemical weapons from the country.
Meaning he gave credit to the Russians?
And, as UN mediators tried to bring representatives of the Assad government and the opposition together in Geneva, he said continued diplomacy was the best and most responsible way to end the conflict that has killed more than 120,000 people.
Some critics of the administration have suggested that Kerry is spending too much time trying to bring the Israelis and Palestinians together and not enough time dealing with more urgent crises.
Kerry said his efforts — including a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Davos earlier Friday — were well-worth the investment of time and energy.
He's hanging around that guy way too often.
‘‘The reason we’re so devoted to finding a solution is simple: Because the benefits of success and the dangers of failure are enormous for the United States, for the world, for the region and, most importantly of all, for the Israeli and Palestinian people,’’ Kerry said.
--more--"
"Netanyahu offers twist in peace talks; Says Jews should have right to stay in future Palestine" by Aron Heller | Associated Press, January 27, 2014
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes that all Jewish settlers should have the right to remain in their homes in a future Palestine, an official in his office said Sunday, offering a novel approach to one of the stickiest issues in the Mideast peace talks.
The suggestion, however, was immediately rejected by Palestinian leaders and settlers themselves.
In years of negotiations, it has been assumed that any Jewish settlers not inside Israeli territory under a future peace deal would have to be removed. But Netanyahu believes there is no reason for a future Palestinian state to be ‘‘ethnically cleansed,’’ the official said.
The comments expanded upon Netanyahu’s comments during the weekend in Davos, Switzerland, where he told reporters at the World Economic Forum that he did not intend to uproot any Israelis in a peace deal.
More than 500,000 settlers live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories that Israel captured in the 1967 war and which the Palestinians now hope will be part of their future state. East Jerusalem and the West Bank, known to religious Jews as Judea and Samaria, are parts of the biblical land of Israel. Hardline Israelis object to ceding either area on both spiritual and security grounds.
The Palestinians consider settlements built beyond the 1967 borders to be illegal land grabs and rejected the idea of incorporating them in a future state.
‘‘Anyone who says he wants to keep settlers in the Palestinian state is actually saying that he doesn’t want a Palestinian state,’’ Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said. ‘‘No settler will be allowed to stay in the Palestinian state, not even a single one, because settlements are illegal and the presence of the settlers on the occupied lands is illegal.’’
The settlers themselves generally reject the prospect, preferring to stay under Israeli sovereignty. Settler leader Dani Dayan said that Netanyahu’s stance was ‘‘positive, but not sufficient.’’
‘‘Of course every settler should have the right to remain in their home but it should be under Israeli rule,’’ he said. ‘‘I came to this land to live in an Israeli state, not a Palestinian state.’’
Israel has proved before that it can tear down settlements when it thinks the price is worth it, such as in 2005 when it removed all of its 8,500 settlers from the Gaza Strip. But the sight of soldiers dragging families from their homes was a painful one for Israelis and the government is wary of repeating it unless it were guaranteed a final peace accord that would end all hostilities.
Netanyahu himself was opposed to the Gaza withdrawal and remains critical of the settlers’ evacuation.
Given the Palestinians staunch opposition to absorbing Jewish settlers, Netanyahu’s latest condition could pose another obstacle to an agreement in peace talks. Alternatively, it could offer a creative option to one of the major stumbling blocks.
--more--"
"Abbas hints support for transition period; Security calculus a sticking point for peace deal" by Jodi Rudoren | New York Times, January 29, 2014
TEL AVIV — President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority said in an interview aired Tuesday he could accept an Israeli military presence in the West Bank for a three-year transition period as part of a peace deal....
Related: Palestinian leader ‘won’t kneel’ in peace talks, he says
He just did!
The question of who should be responsible for security, particularly in the Jordan Valley, and for how long, has been central in the US-brokered peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians that started last summer. Israel has long insisted it can only depend on its own soldiers, and not an international force, while Palestinian leaders have stated that not a single Israeli soldier could patrol in their future state.
Although Palestinian negotiators have previously talked about a transition period, Abbas’s comments, in an interview shown at an Israeli security conference here and also published on a Palestinian news site, represented the president’s most specific recent statement on the subject.
“The borders of the Palestinian state will eventually be in the hands of Palestinians, not the Israeli army,” Abbas said in Arabic in the video, which had both English and Hebrew subtitles....
“We are willing to allow a third party to take Israel’s place during and after a withdrawal in order to soothe our concerns and Israel’s,” he added, suggesting NATO as the party.
US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to return to the region in the coming weeks with a proposed ‘‘framework’’ for a final peace deal.
The framework has collapsed; he can't even get a bridging proposal built.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed Tuesday Israel does ‘‘not have to agree’’ to all the US positions.
No, he will tell Kerry which ones he likes and then Kerry will go tell it to Abbas.
Speaking at the same security conference Tuesday evening, Netanyahu said: ‘‘We will soon know if it is possible to continue negotiations with the Palestinians.’’
Based on what I have been seeing in my jew$paper lately, the answer is no.
--more--"
"Netanyahu, coalition partner feud over settlements" by Jodi Rudoren | New York Times, January 30, 2014
TEL AVIV — Simmering tension between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and one of his right-wing political partners boiled into open hostility Wednesday, threatening to reshape Israel’s governing coalition at a critical moment in the US-brokered peace talks with the Palestinians.
The prime minister’s office issued a warning Wednesday morning to Naftali Bennett, the leader of the religious-nationalist Jewish Home Party, that if Bennett did not apologize for his harsh criticism of Netanyahu’s positions in recent days, he could lose his seat in the Cabinet.
“There is an expectation that he will apologize,” said an official in Netanyahu’s office, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters. “The prime minister has coalition alternatives.”
Bennett, 41, had delivered repeated, blistering denunciations during the past few days of a suggestion by the prime minister’s office that some Jews in far-flung settlements might live under Palestinian sovereignty in a future peace deal.
Hours after Netanyahu’s office issued its ultimatum, Bennett said, “If the prime minister was offended, that was not my intention.”
But he stood by the substance of his statements and did not explicitly apologize.
“I respect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his leadership in not-simple conditions,” Bennett said at a conference of religious-nationalist leaders near the Dead Sea. “I support him when it is needed, and I criticize him when it is needed. That is my duty.”
He added, “Imposing Palestinian sovereignty over Israeli citizens is dangerous, and it was my duty to remove this idea immediately from our agenda, and it has been removed.”The prime minister’s office did not respond to inquiries on whether Bennett’s statement would suffice.
But putting the shoe on the other foot is fine! What chutzpah.
The flap highlights political dynamics in Israel that many analysts see as a potentially fatal obstacle to any peace deal.
See:
Palestinians Exact Price Tag
Israel's Christian Soldiers
Purim Perversion
Israel's Tea Party
I've Seen the Hilltop
Where Religious Extremism is the Mainstream
Fortress Israel
Some flap. I think a wall should be built around to keep them away from everyone else.
Netanyahu’s coalition partners have profound ideological differences regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state, and the prime minister’s willingness to compromise on issues like the future of Jerusalem and fate of Palestinian refugees remains an open question.
I love it! They are all Zionists, and yet my Zionist paper tells me they have profound ideological differences.
The cracks in the coalition came as Secretary of State John Kerry prepared a “framework” of principles for continuing the negotiations.
Bennett has said that he will quit the coalition if Israel signs a pact that calls for a Palestinian state to be set up along the 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital, as it is expected to do.
But two other coalition partners — Tzipi Livni, the justice minister, who is leading the talks, and Yair Lapid, the centrist finance minister — are likely to leave the government if Israel does not continue to support Kerry’s initiative.
Netanyahu, whose support of a two-state solution also faces deep opposition from within his own Likud Party, distanced himself from Kerry’s framework on Tuesday, saying, “Israel does not have to agree with everything America presents.”
“The more serious these negotiations get, the more fragile this coalition is,” said Marcus Sheff, of the Israel Project, an advocacy group. “We’re looking at clearly stated and different political viewpoints, and those are going to be articulated more as the process progresses.”
The leader of the Labor Party has promised Netanyahu a “safety net” to pursue peace with the Palestinians, but it is unclear whether, if Bennett were pushed out, the party would agree to join the coalition before a framework was presented or signed.
"Abbas hints support for transition period; Security calculus a sticking point for peace deal" by Jodi Rudoren | New York Times, January 29, 2014
TEL AVIV — President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority said in an interview aired Tuesday he could accept an Israeli military presence in the West Bank for a three-year transition period as part of a peace deal....
Related: Palestinian leader ‘won’t kneel’ in peace talks, he says
He just did!
The question of who should be responsible for security, particularly in the Jordan Valley, and for how long, has been central in the US-brokered peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians that started last summer. Israel has long insisted it can only depend on its own soldiers, and not an international force, while Palestinian leaders have stated that not a single Israeli soldier could patrol in their future state.
Although Palestinian negotiators have previously talked about a transition period, Abbas’s comments, in an interview shown at an Israeli security conference here and also published on a Palestinian news site, represented the president’s most specific recent statement on the subject.
“The borders of the Palestinian state will eventually be in the hands of Palestinians, not the Israeli army,” Abbas said in Arabic in the video, which had both English and Hebrew subtitles....
“We are willing to allow a third party to take Israel’s place during and after a withdrawal in order to soothe our concerns and Israel’s,” he added, suggesting NATO as the party.
US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to return to the region in the coming weeks with a proposed ‘‘framework’’ for a final peace deal.
The framework has collapsed; he can't even get a bridging proposal built.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed Tuesday Israel does ‘‘not have to agree’’ to all the US positions.
No, he will tell Kerry which ones he likes and then Kerry will go tell it to Abbas.
Speaking at the same security conference Tuesday evening, Netanyahu said: ‘‘We will soon know if it is possible to continue negotiations with the Palestinians.’’
Based on what I have been seeing in my jew$paper lately, the answer is no.
--more--"
"Netanyahu, coalition partner feud over settlements" by Jodi Rudoren | New York Times, January 30, 2014
TEL AVIV — Simmering tension between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and one of his right-wing political partners boiled into open hostility Wednesday, threatening to reshape Israel’s governing coalition at a critical moment in the US-brokered peace talks with the Palestinians.
The prime minister’s office issued a warning Wednesday morning to Naftali Bennett, the leader of the religious-nationalist Jewish Home Party, that if Bennett did not apologize for his harsh criticism of Netanyahu’s positions in recent days, he could lose his seat in the Cabinet.
“There is an expectation that he will apologize,” said an official in Netanyahu’s office, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters. “The prime minister has coalition alternatives.”
Bennett, 41, had delivered repeated, blistering denunciations during the past few days of a suggestion by the prime minister’s office that some Jews in far-flung settlements might live under Palestinian sovereignty in a future peace deal.
Hours after Netanyahu’s office issued its ultimatum, Bennett said, “If the prime minister was offended, that was not my intention.”
But he stood by the substance of his statements and did not explicitly apologize.
“I respect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his leadership in not-simple conditions,” Bennett said at a conference of religious-nationalist leaders near the Dead Sea. “I support him when it is needed, and I criticize him when it is needed. That is my duty.”
He added, “Imposing Palestinian sovereignty over Israeli citizens is dangerous, and it was my duty to remove this idea immediately from our agenda, and it has been removed.”The prime minister’s office did not respond to inquiries on whether Bennett’s statement would suffice.
But putting the shoe on the other foot is fine! What chutzpah.
The flap highlights political dynamics in Israel that many analysts see as a potentially fatal obstacle to any peace deal.
See:
Palestinians Exact Price Tag
Israel's Christian Soldiers
Purim Perversion
Israel's Tea Party
I've Seen the Hilltop
Where Religious Extremism is the Mainstream
Fortress Israel
Some flap. I think a wall should be built around to keep them away from everyone else.
Netanyahu’s coalition partners have profound ideological differences regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state, and the prime minister’s willingness to compromise on issues like the future of Jerusalem and fate of Palestinian refugees remains an open question.
I love it! They are all Zionists, and yet my Zionist paper tells me they have profound ideological differences.
The cracks in the coalition came as Secretary of State John Kerry prepared a “framework” of principles for continuing the negotiations.
Bennett has said that he will quit the coalition if Israel signs a pact that calls for a Palestinian state to be set up along the 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital, as it is expected to do.
But two other coalition partners — Tzipi Livni, the justice minister, who is leading the talks, and Yair Lapid, the centrist finance minister — are likely to leave the government if Israel does not continue to support Kerry’s initiative.
Netanyahu, whose support of a two-state solution also faces deep opposition from within his own Likud Party, distanced himself from Kerry’s framework on Tuesday, saying, “Israel does not have to agree with everything America presents.”
“The more serious these negotiations get, the more fragile this coalition is,” said Marcus Sheff, of the Israel Project, an advocacy group. “We’re looking at clearly stated and different political viewpoints, and those are going to be articulated more as the process progresses.”
The leader of the Labor Party has promised Netanyahu a “safety net” to pursue peace with the Palestinians, but it is unclear whether, if Bennett were pushed out, the party would agree to join the coalition before a framework was presented or signed.
--more--"
"Netanyahu criticizes Kerry over boycott remarks; Later, US officials clarify remarks" by Isabel Kershner | New York Times, February 03, 2014
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and some of his senior ministers on Sunday strongly criticized those who are threatening a boycott of Israel over its policies toward the Palestinians. It was a sharp retort to Secretary of State John Kerry, who warned a day earlier that the risk of boycotts would intensify if the current peace effort fails.
I don't even like Kerry, but I like seeing him treated this way by Israel even less.
In a swift response to the Israeli criticism, the State Department said Kerry had always opposed calls for boycotts and expected “all parties to accurately portray his record and statements.”
Oh, he always opposes sanctions, 'er, boycotts here, huh?
The heated exchange comes as the Obama administration prepares to complete and present a “framework” accord in the coming weeks, which would be a first step toward a comprehensive agreement and serve as a basis for a continuation of negotiations.
“Attempts to impose a boycott on the State of Israel are immoral and unjust,” Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting here.
But blockades on Palestinians are just fine.
Related: Judea Declares War On Germany
What say about boycotts?
“Moreover,” he continued, “they will not achieve their goal. First, they cause the Palestinians to adhere to their intransigent positions and thus push peace further away. Second, no pressure will cause me to concede the vital interests of the State of Israel, especially the security of Israel’s citizens. For both of these reasons, threats to boycott the State of Israel will not achieve their goal.”
Israel’s minister of strategic affairs, Yuval Steinitz, was more direct in his criticism of Kerry. He told Israel Radio on Sunday that Kerry’s remarks were “hurtful,” “unfair,” and “intolerable” and said, “Israel cannot be expected to negotiate with a gun to its head.”
Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah!
The dispute clearly touched raw nerves on both sides.
Israeli crying and complaining does it to me.
Soon after the Israeli remarks were broadcast, Jen Psaki, a State Department spokeswoman, issued an unusually pointed statement.
“Secretary Kerry has a proud record of over three decades of steadfast support for Israel’s security and well-being, including staunch opposition to boycotts,” she said.
I would not be too proud of that.
“At the Munich Security Conference yesterday, he spoke forcefully in defense of Israel’s interests, as he consistently has throughout his public life,’’ Psaki said “In response to a question about the peace process, he also described some well-known and previously stated facts about what is at stake for both sides if this process fails, including the consequences for the Palestinians.’’
Probably more than in America's, and I noticed Palestinians were mentioned last.
“His only reference to a boycott was a description of actions undertaken by others that he has always opposed,” she added.
Speaking Saturday at the Munich Security Conference about the risks of a failure of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Kerry said: “Today’s status quo absolutely, to a certainty, I promise you 100 percent, cannot be maintained. It’s not sustainable. It’s illusionary.”
He added, “You see for Israel, there’s an increasing delegitimization campaign that has been building up. People are very sensitive to it. There are talks of boycotts and other kinds of things.”
Concern is growing in Israel about a growing boycott movement against its companies. Some European supermarket chains are already shunning agricultural produce from Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
PGGM, a large Dutch pension fund management company, recently decided to withdraw all its investments from Israel’s five largest banks because they have branches in West Bank settlements or are involved in financing settlement construction.
It doe$ get their attention, doesn't it?
--more--"
But not for long:
"Israel issues permits for East Jerusalem housing" by Daniel Estrin | Associated Press, February 06, 2014
JERUSALEM — Israeli planners gave final approval Wednesday for 558 apartments in Jewish settlements in war-won East Jerusalem, which is sought by the Palestinians as a capital, officials said.
Palestinian officials said the decision undermines fragile US-brokered negotiations with Israel on setting up a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Also Wednesday, Israel’s chief peace negotiator rebuked fellow government ministers who have criticized Secretary of State John F. Kerry for his mediation efforts, pointing to widening divisions in Israel’s center-right governing coalition....
Brachie Sprung, a municipality spokeswoman, said the building projects received initial approval a few years ago, and that new building in Arab areas of Jerusalem was also approved Wednesday.
At the same time, the municipality carried out a court order Wednesday and demolished three Arab houses in East Jerusalem that were built without permits, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Arab protesters hurled stones at police guarding the area, and three people were arrested, he added.
Related: Brazil Bests Israel in Evicic Games
China came in third.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Israel is undermining Kerry’s efforts. ‘‘The international community must hold Israel accountable for this policy,’’ he said.
They haven't for 65 years. Why would they start now?
Lior Amihai of the Israeli settlement watchdog group Peace Now said the new approvals are shameful when negotiations are in a sensitive stage. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev had no comment....
Tzipi Livni, the chief Israeli negotiator, told Israel Radio on Wednesday that some members of the governing coalition are opposed to any kind of peace agreement and that recent verbal attacks on Kerry by hardliners are shocking.
‘‘Ministers and others are speaking in a way that upset me as an Israeli,’’ said Livni....
And if Tzipi is upset.... oh!
While Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signaled flexibility in recent comments, a number of Israeli ministers have voiced hostility to Kerry’s peacemaking efforts....
I take that as not only disrespectful, but as a threat! Nothing better happen to him.
Earlier in the week, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said if Israel does not reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians, ‘‘we’ll be fine.’’
Yeah, they will just continue taking more Palestinian land.
And Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party said Israel cannot be expected ‘‘to conduct negotiations with a gun pointed to its head.’’
That type of over-the-top-hyperbole is discrediting.
US officials have rebuffed the Israeli jabs at Kerry. National Security Advisor Susan Rice wrote on Twitter that personal attacks in Israel directed at Kerry were ‘‘totally unfounded and unacceptable.’’
A group of five Israeli rabbis also criticized Kerry’s efforts, warning him in a letter published Wednesday that he could face divine retribution if his efforts lead to a partition deal. None of the rabbis holds a prominent position.
Because his father converted to Catholicism?
Jewish settlement groups have released a series of YouTube videos in recent weeks mocking Kerry’s peace efforts.
Also on Wednesday, an Israeli court indicted three radical West Bank settlers for vandalizing Palestinian property.
OH, really!
In recent years, a fringe of extremist settlers have carried out acts of vandalism in retaliation for Palestinian attacks and to protest what they perceive as the Israeli government’s pro-Palestinian policies. Mosques, churches, dovish Israeli groups, and even Israeli military bases have been targeted in these ‘‘price tag’’ assaults. The attacks have been widely condemned in Israel.
That contradicts the Zionist image I'm given by my Zionist paper!
Notice the land-stealing, militant insurgents and terrorists are nothing more than vandals?
--more--"
Related:
"ISRAELI OFFICERS, PROTESTERS SCUFFLE -- Israeli border police tried to calm ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters during a demonstration Thursday in Jerusalem. Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews blocked highways and clashed with police to protest a government decision to cut funds to seminary students who avoid military service (Boston Globe February 7 2014)."
Globe noted those protests, and we all know who supports them:
"John Kerry vows to forge ahead on Mideast; Says the naysayers won’t distract him" by Aron Heller | Associated Press, February 21, 2014
JERUSALEM — Secretary of State John Kerry said he remains ‘‘committed’’ and ‘‘determined’’ to reaching a Middle East peace deal, but said in an interview aired Thursday that he understands Israeli fears and skepticism of its outcome.
Kerry told Israeli Channel 2 TV’s flagship investigative program, ‘‘Uvda,’’ that he was not distracted by naysayers and has not given up hope.
“I’m an optimist and I am a believer in possibilities,’’ he said. ‘‘People who know me know that when I sink my teeth into something, if I get the bit between my teeth, I try to get it done.’’
Kerry held a second day of talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris on Thursday, as he continues to press for an agreement on a framework for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
A day after a more than two-hour meeting, Kerry and Abbas sat down for another two-hour session.
The Israelis and Palestinians agreed to resume long-stalled talks last summer with a nine-month target for a peace deal. But there have been few tangible signs of progress, so the goal has been scaled back to getting consensus on an outline for negotiations.
There was no immediate comment on any results from Kerry’s two days of meetings in the French capital.
‘‘We will not accept any agreement, whether a framework or a final deal, unless it includes the firm Palestinian and Arab positions that are based on international resolutions,’’ said Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a top aide to Abbas. He repeated demands that East Jerusalem be the capital of a future Palestinian state whose borders are based in the 1967 lines and said that Israeli settlements are illegal, Palestinian prisoners must be released, and there must be a ‘‘just solution’’ to the issue of Palestinian refugees.
Abu Rdeneh also restated Palestinian opposition to recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, which is a key Israeli demand.
On Wednesday, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the Obama administration was concerned by recent derogatory comments about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and that Kerry would be raising the matter with Abbas.
He really is nothing more than a step-and-fetch it for the Israelis!
In Israel, Kerry has come under fire from West Bank Jewish settlers who fear he is pushing Israel to make dangerous territorial concessions. Some Israeli ministers have criticized what they consider to be his overzealous drive for an accord, despite a Palestinian refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and past terrorist attacks.
I find it ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING that the great pushers of inclusion and diversity would be demanding the world acknowledge and approve their apartheid state of Jewish supremacism.
--more--"
"Netanyahu criticizes Kerry over boycott remarks; Later, US officials clarify remarks" by Isabel Kershner | New York Times, February 03, 2014
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and some of his senior ministers on Sunday strongly criticized those who are threatening a boycott of Israel over its policies toward the Palestinians. It was a sharp retort to Secretary of State John Kerry, who warned a day earlier that the risk of boycotts would intensify if the current peace effort fails.
I don't even like Kerry, but I like seeing him treated this way by Israel even less.
In a swift response to the Israeli criticism, the State Department said Kerry had always opposed calls for boycotts and expected “all parties to accurately portray his record and statements.”
Oh, he always opposes sanctions, 'er, boycotts here, huh?
The heated exchange comes as the Obama administration prepares to complete and present a “framework” accord in the coming weeks, which would be a first step toward a comprehensive agreement and serve as a basis for a continuation of negotiations.
“Attempts to impose a boycott on the State of Israel are immoral and unjust,” Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting here.
But blockades on Palestinians are just fine.
Related: Judea Declares War On Germany
What say about boycotts?
“Moreover,” he continued, “they will not achieve their goal. First, they cause the Palestinians to adhere to their intransigent positions and thus push peace further away. Second, no pressure will cause me to concede the vital interests of the State of Israel, especially the security of Israel’s citizens. For both of these reasons, threats to boycott the State of Israel will not achieve their goal.”
Israel’s minister of strategic affairs, Yuval Steinitz, was more direct in his criticism of Kerry. He told Israel Radio on Sunday that Kerry’s remarks were “hurtful,” “unfair,” and “intolerable” and said, “Israel cannot be expected to negotiate with a gun to its head.”
Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah!
The dispute clearly touched raw nerves on both sides.
Israeli crying and complaining does it to me.
Soon after the Israeli remarks were broadcast, Jen Psaki, a State Department spokeswoman, issued an unusually pointed statement.
“Secretary Kerry has a proud record of over three decades of steadfast support for Israel’s security and well-being, including staunch opposition to boycotts,” she said.
I would not be too proud of that.
“At the Munich Security Conference yesterday, he spoke forcefully in defense of Israel’s interests, as he consistently has throughout his public life,’’ Psaki said “In response to a question about the peace process, he also described some well-known and previously stated facts about what is at stake for both sides if this process fails, including the consequences for the Palestinians.’’
Probably more than in America's, and I noticed Palestinians were mentioned last.
“His only reference to a boycott was a description of actions undertaken by others that he has always opposed,” she added.
Speaking Saturday at the Munich Security Conference about the risks of a failure of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Kerry said: “Today’s status quo absolutely, to a certainty, I promise you 100 percent, cannot be maintained. It’s not sustainable. It’s illusionary.”
He added, “You see for Israel, there’s an increasing delegitimization campaign that has been building up. People are very sensitive to it. There are talks of boycotts and other kinds of things.”
Concern is growing in Israel about a growing boycott movement against its companies. Some European supermarket chains are already shunning agricultural produce from Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
PGGM, a large Dutch pension fund management company, recently decided to withdraw all its investments from Israel’s five largest banks because they have branches in West Bank settlements or are involved in financing settlement construction.
It doe$ get their attention, doesn't it?
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But not for long:
"Israel issues permits for East Jerusalem housing" by Daniel Estrin | Associated Press, February 06, 2014
JERUSALEM — Israeli planners gave final approval Wednesday for 558 apartments in Jewish settlements in war-won East Jerusalem, which is sought by the Palestinians as a capital, officials said.
Palestinian officials said the decision undermines fragile US-brokered negotiations with Israel on setting up a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Also Wednesday, Israel’s chief peace negotiator rebuked fellow government ministers who have criticized Secretary of State John F. Kerry for his mediation efforts, pointing to widening divisions in Israel’s center-right governing coalition....
Brachie Sprung, a municipality spokeswoman, said the building projects received initial approval a few years ago, and that new building in Arab areas of Jerusalem was also approved Wednesday.
At the same time, the municipality carried out a court order Wednesday and demolished three Arab houses in East Jerusalem that were built without permits, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Arab protesters hurled stones at police guarding the area, and three people were arrested, he added.
Related: Brazil Bests Israel in Evicic Games
China came in third.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Israel is undermining Kerry’s efforts. ‘‘The international community must hold Israel accountable for this policy,’’ he said.
They haven't for 65 years. Why would they start now?
Lior Amihai of the Israeli settlement watchdog group Peace Now said the new approvals are shameful when negotiations are in a sensitive stage. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev had no comment....
Tzipi Livni, the chief Israeli negotiator, told Israel Radio on Wednesday that some members of the governing coalition are opposed to any kind of peace agreement and that recent verbal attacks on Kerry by hardliners are shocking.
‘‘Ministers and others are speaking in a way that upset me as an Israeli,’’ said Livni....
And if Tzipi is upset.... oh!
While Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signaled flexibility in recent comments, a number of Israeli ministers have voiced hostility to Kerry’s peacemaking efforts....
I take that as not only disrespectful, but as a threat! Nothing better happen to him.
Earlier in the week, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said if Israel does not reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians, ‘‘we’ll be fine.’’
Yeah, they will just continue taking more Palestinian land.
And Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party said Israel cannot be expected ‘‘to conduct negotiations with a gun pointed to its head.’’
That type of over-the-top-hyperbole is discrediting.
US officials have rebuffed the Israeli jabs at Kerry. National Security Advisor Susan Rice wrote on Twitter that personal attacks in Israel directed at Kerry were ‘‘totally unfounded and unacceptable.’’
A group of five Israeli rabbis also criticized Kerry’s efforts, warning him in a letter published Wednesday that he could face divine retribution if his efforts lead to a partition deal. None of the rabbis holds a prominent position.
Because his father converted to Catholicism?
Jewish settlement groups have released a series of YouTube videos in recent weeks mocking Kerry’s peace efforts.
Also on Wednesday, an Israeli court indicted three radical West Bank settlers for vandalizing Palestinian property.
OH, really!
In recent years, a fringe of extremist settlers have carried out acts of vandalism in retaliation for Palestinian attacks and to protest what they perceive as the Israeli government’s pro-Palestinian policies. Mosques, churches, dovish Israeli groups, and even Israeli military bases have been targeted in these ‘‘price tag’’ assaults. The attacks have been widely condemned in Israel.
That contradicts the Zionist image I'm given by my Zionist paper!
Notice the land-stealing, militant insurgents and terrorists are nothing more than vandals?
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Related:
"ISRAELI OFFICERS, PROTESTERS SCUFFLE -- Israeli border police tried to calm ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters during a demonstration Thursday in Jerusalem. Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews blocked highways and clashed with police to protest a government decision to cut funds to seminary students who avoid military service (Boston Globe February 7 2014)."
Globe noted those protests, and we all know who supports them:
"John Kerry vows to forge ahead on Mideast; Says the naysayers won’t distract him" by Aron Heller | Associated Press, February 21, 2014
JERUSALEM — Secretary of State John Kerry said he remains ‘‘committed’’ and ‘‘determined’’ to reaching a Middle East peace deal, but said in an interview aired Thursday that he understands Israeli fears and skepticism of its outcome.
Kerry told Israeli Channel 2 TV’s flagship investigative program, ‘‘Uvda,’’ that he was not distracted by naysayers and has not given up hope.
“I’m an optimist and I am a believer in possibilities,’’ he said. ‘‘People who know me know that when I sink my teeth into something, if I get the bit between my teeth, I try to get it done.’’
Kerry held a second day of talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris on Thursday, as he continues to press for an agreement on a framework for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
A day after a more than two-hour meeting, Kerry and Abbas sat down for another two-hour session.
The Israelis and Palestinians agreed to resume long-stalled talks last summer with a nine-month target for a peace deal. But there have been few tangible signs of progress, so the goal has been scaled back to getting consensus on an outline for negotiations.
There was no immediate comment on any results from Kerry’s two days of meetings in the French capital.
‘‘We will not accept any agreement, whether a framework or a final deal, unless it includes the firm Palestinian and Arab positions that are based on international resolutions,’’ said Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a top aide to Abbas. He repeated demands that East Jerusalem be the capital of a future Palestinian state whose borders are based in the 1967 lines and said that Israeli settlements are illegal, Palestinian prisoners must be released, and there must be a ‘‘just solution’’ to the issue of Palestinian refugees.
Abu Rdeneh also restated Palestinian opposition to recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, which is a key Israeli demand.
On Wednesday, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the Obama administration was concerned by recent derogatory comments about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and that Kerry would be raising the matter with Abbas.
He really is nothing more than a step-and-fetch it for the Israelis!
In Israel, Kerry has come under fire from West Bank Jewish settlers who fear he is pushing Israel to make dangerous territorial concessions. Some Israeli ministers have criticized what they consider to be his overzealous drive for an accord, despite a Palestinian refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and past terrorist attacks.
I find it ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING that the great pushers of inclusion and diversity would be demanding the world acknowledge and approve their apartheid state of Jewish supremacism.
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