Last week, it leaked that Israel’s Defense Minister, Moshe Ya’alon, had privately described Secretary of State John Kerry as “obsessive and messianic” in his quest to broker an Israeli/Palestinian peace settlement. The Obama Administration angrily rejected Ya’alon’s words as “offensive and inappropriate,” demanding and receiving an apology. Yet, only weeks earlier, Yasser Abed Rabbo, a close adviser to Fatah/Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas, also excoriated John Kerry as possessed of “dangerous” proposals and seeking to “appease Israel by fulfilling its expansionist demands in the Jordan Valley under the pretext of security. He wants to buy Israeli silence over the Iran deal.” But for these grave, personal PA allegations against Kerry, the Obama Administration has said nothing.
For the full press release, follow the link above.
The Palestinian Authority government was sworn in on Thursday in Ramallah by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, following Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah’s agreement to permanently take office.
Hamdallah was appointed to his post in June, after predecessor Salam Fayyad resigned. Two weeks later, Hamdallah, former president of An-Najah University in Shechem, surprised Abbas by submitting his resignation. Hamdallah decided to quit in protest of the appointment of two deputy prime ministers for political and economic affairs.
The “power struggle” crisis was averted after Abbas asked Hamdallah, on August 13, to take up the post again permanently and form a new government within five weeks, which Hamdallah accepted. Hamdallah apologized to Abbas for the embarrassing resignation.
Hamdallah has been serving as prime minister of a caretaker government after Abbas agreed to keep him in his position. The two deputy prime ministers, Mohamed Mustafa and Ziad Abu Amr, who were the center of his resignation, retained their posts on Thursday.
Following the swearing in ceremony, Abbas chaired a meeting of the new government.
Nowhere in this article is there mention of any possibility of an electoral process. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East.
Below is a petition to stop the cultural boycott of Israel and urge artists not to fall victim to the bullying tactics and misinformed campaign of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel (BDS) movement.
To sign it follow the link above.
Dear Artist,
We, the undersigned, wholeheartedly support your upcoming tour in Israel and your dedication to your fans across the globe.
We know you are hearing falsehoods about Israel being an apartheid state and unfair comparisons of Israel to apartheid South Africa. These messages are filled with distortions and untruths that seek to malign Israel and distort the discourse of those that seek peace.Those who have actually been to Israel know that it is a democratic country with a diverse population, where women, Arabs, Muslims, Christians and all minorities have equal rights; a nation where art and freedom of expression flourish. In fact, Arab-Israeli citizens serve on Israel’s Supreme Court and in its Parliament. The recently crowned Miss Israel was born in Ethiopia and quoted Martin Luther King in her acceptance speech! “There are many different communities of many different colors in Israel, and it’s important to show that to the world,” said the new Miss Israel.
We too wish for a resolution to the complicated Palestinian/Israeli peace process, and we believe that the unique connection between artist and fan is part of the solution. Music is a great tool–one that can be used for building bridges, dialogue and understanding between people. Cultural boycotts drown out freedom and the voices of change. Your voice, your message will touch hearts and minds in a region desperately looking for peace.
We therefore urge you to keep your tour date in Israel, the land Madonna calls “the energy center of the world.” Join the ranks of independent-minded artists who have performed in Israel recently, including Rihanna, Alanis Morissette, Alicia Keys, Macy Gray, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Black Eyed Peas, Missy Elliot, Metallica, Linkin Park, Lady Gaga, Seal, Erykah Badu and many others. Your fans in Israel are looking forward to seeing you and know that you will use the power of your music to help bring hope and peace to the region!
Thank you.
The world of Polish-Jewish relations is confronting a crisis over kosher slaughter of animals. Both kosher and Muslim halal slaughtering rules forbid stunning the animal beforehand. Under Polish law, however, such stunning is mandatory. The Polish Constitutional Court recently struck down an exemption from that law for kosher and halal slaughter on a legal technicality. Last month the Sejm, the lower chamber of the Polish Parliament, failed to reinstate the exemption.
Jews in the United States and Israel reacted quickly to the Sejm vote. Misinformation about the roots of the legislation as well as a negative knee-jerk reaction based on certain perceptions—or misperceptions—of Poland’s history led many to the hasty conclusion that Poland today is no different than it was in the 1930s, when anti-kosher-slaughter legislation was part of a broad assault on Jewish rights.
JERUSALEM — As Egypt is convulsed by a quasi-civil war, Israel is urging the international community—and particularly Washington—to ease its pressures on the military-backed government in Cairo in order to avert chaos.
“The name of the game right now is not democracy,” an Israeli official told the Jerusalem Post yesterday. “After you put Egypt back on track, then talk about restarting the democratic process there.”