Mahmoud Abbas rules out ‘presence of a single Israeli’ in future Palestinian state
(JNS.org) While Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations began in Washington, DC, on Monday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking in Cairo, ruled out the “presence of a single Israeli” in a future Palestinian state.
“In a final resolution, we would not see the presence of a single Israeli—civilian or soldier—on our lands,” Abbas said in a press briefing, according to Israel Hayom.
Rather than an Israeli military presence in a Palestinian state, Abbas said the Palestinians supported an “international, multinational presence like in Sinai, Lebanon and Syria,” referring to United Nations peacekeeping forces. But Israel has said it wants to maintain a military presence in the Jordan Valley following the establishment of a Palestinian state, to prevent the influx of weapons that could be used against Israel.
Regarding Israeli-Palestinian territorial disputes, Abbas said the Palestinians have “already made all the necessary concessions.” He said eastern Jerusalem is “the capital of the state of Palestine… if there were and must be some kind of small exchange [of land’ equal in size and value, we are ready to discuss this—no more, no less.”
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Facebook page of Palestinian negotiator has map labeling all of Israel as ‘Palestine’
(JNS.org) As renewed Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations began Monday, the Facebook page of Palestinian negotiator Mohammad Shtayyeh featured a map including all of Israel, Judea and Samaria, and Gaza with “Palestine” written on it in Arabic letters.
Middle East analyst Oren Kessler reported the presence of Shtayyeh’s Facebook page map on Twitter. Last December, the Fatah party marked its 48th anniversary with a similar symbol. The Fatah anniversary logo included a map identifying all of Israel as “Palestine,” along with the slogan “The state and the victory,” Palestinian Media Watch reported.
The logo, published Dec. 10, 2012, in the Palestinian Authority’s Al-Hayat Al-Jadida newspaper, also featured a dove breaking a chain, symbolizing the “freeing of all Palestinian prisoners.” That message turned out to be somewhat prophetic, because for the start of renewed Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations this week, Israel agreed to release 104 Palestinian terrorists who were imprisoned before the 1993 Oslo Accords.
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U.S. broker for peace talks to be Indyk, whose New Israel Fund ties raised concern
(JNS.org) Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday announced that Martin Indyk would be the United States’ broker for the renewed Israeli-Palestinian conflict peace talks. Indyk’s ties to the New Israel Fund (NIF) have raised concern over the long-time Mideast diplomat’s impartiality as a broker.
Kerry on Monday said “the cause of peace” has been Indyk’s life’s mission. He also said Indyk is “realistic” about the difficulties facing all parties in the upcoming Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations, the Associated Press reported.
But in a recent letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who according to the New York Times approved of Indyk’s selection, Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon opposed the choice—before it was made official—due to Indyk’s ties to the NIF.
“The former ambassador, Mr. Martin Indyk, is the Chair of the International Council of the New Israel Fund, which provides funding to anti-Zionist organizations that accuse Israel of war crimes,” Danon in the letter.
“I request that you ask the American administration for an honest broker for these negotiation,” Danon added.
The NIF, a U.S.-based non-profit whose self-described mission is for “advancing democracy and equality for all Israelis,” has been heavily criticized in the past for its alleged funding of groups involved in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, as described in a 2010 report compiled by the pro-Israel group Im Tirtzu. But the NIF denies supporting organizations with BDS programs.
Indyk said of his new role on Monday, “It is a daunting and humbling challenge, but one that I cannot desist from.” Last year, Indyk had said he was “not particularly optimistic” about a peace deal being reached because he thinks “the heart of the matter is that the maximum concession that this government of Israel would be prepared to make, [would] fall far short of the minimum requirements that Abu Mazen will insist on.”
“Though it may be possible to keep the talks going, which is a good thing, I find it very hard to believe that they will reach an agreement,” Indyk said last year, according to Israel National News.
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Pope Francis considering first trip to Israel as pontiff next year
(JNS.org) Pope Francis is considering making his first trip to Israel as pontiff next year.
The head of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics said that he might travel to Israel to mark the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s visit to Jerusalem in 1964, according to the Times of Israel. It would be the second visit to Israel by Pope Francis. His first came in 1973 as a young Jesuit priest, while the Yom Kippur War broke out.
During a visit in April, the first by a head of state to the newly elected Pope, Israeli President Shimon Peres formally invited Pope Francis to visit Israel. The Pope reportedly accepted the invitation “with willingness and joy,” a Vatican spokesman said, Reuters reported.
Despite confronting a wide array of internal Catholic issues, Pope Francis has made Christian-Jewish relations and Middle East peace top priorities in his young papacy.
Both of Pope Francis’s two immediate predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, presided over a deepening of relations between the Vatican and Israel. Both pontiffs also visited Israel during their tenures.
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‘Start-up nation’ Israel’s latest invention: Camera helping the blind recognize objects
(JNS.org) A new invention from Israel which falls in line with the Jewish state’s reputation as a “start-up nation,” potentially revolutionizing life for the blind and the visually impaired, will go on sale in the U.S. in September.
The device, called OrCam, works via a 5-megapixel camera that attaches to glasses and can recognize text. With the help of the user, the camera can be taught to recognize objects and faces, said computer sciences professor and the co-founder of OrCam Technologies Amnon Shashua, who is also the co-founder of the more well-known Israeli start-up MobileEye, Haaretz and Reuters reported.
The camera uses audio feedback to relay visual information, and has a memory library in which it can store previously recognized objects. While the device still has difficulty handling light and non-flat surfaces, it will sell for $2,500 in the U.S. beginning in September.
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The Animals’ Eric Burdon Israel show back on despite threats
(JNS.org) Legendary 1960s band The Animals’ musician Eric Burdon will perform in Israel after initially canceling the performance due to threatening anti-Israel emails, his manager said. The former lead singer of the band will perform alongside the Israeli band T-Slam.
Though Burdon originally told T-Slam musicians that “everyone needs music and there’s no connection to current politics” and that “everyone has the right to be entertained,” Burdon’s manager later told the Israeli band that the show was off because he “wouldn’t want to put Eric in any danger” amid “increasing pressure” to cancel.
The show, however, is now back on and was re-posted on Burdon’s website, without an explanation, the Times of Israel reported.
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Irish politician condemned for calling for another Palestinian intifada
(JNS.org) The Zionist Federation (ZF) of Great Britain and Ireland, a major London-based umbrella organization founded in 1899, has condemned recent remarks by Irish Member of European Parliament Paul Murphy for calling for another Palestinian intifada.
“You’ve seen significant protest, significant movement, the potential to redevelop a struggle along the lines of the first Intifada,” Murphy, who belongs to the Socialist Party, said during an interview last week on the Russian government-funded news network Russia Today.
ZF Chairman Paul Charney in a statement condemned Murphy’s remarks and called on the Irish Socialist Party to distance itself from his comments.
“Mr. Murphy’s remarks glorifying the Intifada and justifying it as an alternative to peace talks is disgraceful and highly irresponsible. It dangerously incites the masses to violence, at a time in the Middle East where war and terror is all too common,” Charney said. “I call on the Irish Socialist Party to deal swiftly with this issue by publicly confirming that they support peace and further condemn Mr. Murphy by stating that his comments are unacceptable.”
Murphy has a history of controversy in regards to Israel. In November 2011, Murphy was detained by the Israel Defense Forces for attempting to sail to Gaza to protest Israel’s blockade of the terrorist group Hamas, which controls Gaza.
Other Irish leaders have also condemned Israel. Irish Foreign Affairs Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore said in May that he wants a create a campaign to urge fellow EU states to label Israeli products from the West Bank as “settler” products, and to eventually encourage a boycott Israel as well.
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