I have mentioned that there are some 'Palestinian' terrorists in Israeli jails who claim to be on a hunger strike.
In a move that's nothing short of brilliant, the National Union (Ichud Leumi) youth group has been holding a massive barbecue outside the Ofer Prison. The Ofer Prison is at the entrance to Ramallah along Route 443 and is the home of many high risk security prisoners. And the barbecue is enhanced by fans.
Let's go to the videotape.
The fumes have the 'Palestinians' fuming. The Wall Street Journal reported widespread Palestinian anger over the barbecue:
Palestinian newspapers on Friday condemned the barbecue as another aggression against the Palestinian people.
“How can anyone barbecue with the smell of meat near political
prisoners fighting for their country?” said Qadura Fares, head of the
Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, which supports the inmates. He spoke at a
demonstration Friday by dozens of Palestinians at Ofer prison, north of
Jerusalem.
Various anti-Israel groups have joined the chorus of condemnation.
The Palestine Information Center, a primary center for anti-Israel propaganda, called the Israelis the “scum of the earth“:
Scum of the earth: Jewish fanatics tease hunger striking Palestinians fighting for human rights by barbecuing next to their prison. #Israelpic.twitter.com/E81MG0vZ7k
Well. Boo. Hoo. (Read the whole thing for a lot more reactions from the Jew haters and the self-hating JINOs).
In the meantime, the funes are having their effect. YNet reported yesterday that 186 hunger strikers have already officially dropped out.
Momentum in a mass hunger strike launched by Palestinian security
prisoners last week suffered a blow on Saturday when all of the 84
prisoners in the Hamas wing at Gilboa Prison, and two prisoners in
Megiddo Prison, ceased to strike.
The break is the second to have taken place since the hunger
strike got underway last week, with 100 prisoners reporting that they
were dropping out just 24 hours after it began.
The latest sign of cracks forming in the unified protest, which
is being led by Marwan Barghouti—a convicted terrorist—comes just days
after 1,187 Palestinian security prisoners announced that they had begun
the hunger strike.
What are the 'Palestinian' demands? You won't believe them....
The demands included a provision that the Prisons Service install
public telephone wings, similar to those installed for criminal
prisoners.
The second demand laid out by the prisoners was that Israel
restore the procedure of two visits per month by prisoners' families.
Nine months ago, the Red Cross, which finances the
transportation of family members on buses from the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip to prisons, reduced the number of family visits from twice a
month to once. ostensibly due to financial problems.
The prisoners also demanded that visits be extended from 45
minutes to 90 minutes and that Israel not prevent immediate and extended
family members with security-related offenses from visiting.
Additionally, prisoners are also demanding that they be allowed to be
photographed with their families once every three months.
Palestinian guards confirmed yesterday that Ahmed Saadat, a leading
militant captured by Israeli troops in the raid, kept birds and flowers
in his quarters. Western officials said that Saadat in effect used other
prisoners as “domestic staff”.
An official told The Times that
Fuad Shobaki, the alleged moneyman behind a 2002 weapons shipment
intercepted by Israel, smoked up to five Cuban cigars a day and was
known as “The Brigadier” to inmates and staff. He was also seized.
“Saadat
and Shobaki were very much in charge,” one prison source said. “These
guys were running the prison. They did what they wanted, when they
wanted.”
But that prison was run by Britain and not by Israel. The Israeli Prison Service apparently still has some notion of punishment.
This was released today by the Prime Minister's Office.
You should share it as much as possible on social media.
Let's go to the videotape.
RETWEET THIS: The Palestinian Authority pays convicted terrorists hundreds of millions of dollars. The more they kill, the more they get. pic.twitter.com/onrhdNDvl6
It goes to the core of the question of whether there CAN be a 'peace process.' Right now, the answer is clearly 'no.'
And the Trump administration - unlike its predecessor - seems to get it:
If you want to stop terrorists, you shouldn’t be rewarding them or their families for their heinous acts.
The White House seems to get that: On Wednesday, Al-Quds
reported that Team Trump will demand the Palestinian Authority end its
practice of paying terrorists and their families and stop funding Hamas.
The demand is part of a White House plan to restart
Israel-PA peace talks — the subject of a May 3 meeting between Trump and
PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
Peace talks or not, Trump is right to demand an end to
rewards for those who slaughter innocents. However fair Palestinians’
political gripes might be, it doesn’t justify terror.
Plus, as we’ve noted before, US taxpayers fund the PA — and they surely don’t want their cash rewarding terrorists.
Stopping those payments won’t be easy. The PA has dodged
past efforts to halt them, and Abbas himself regularly encourages terror
attacks.
If only American Jews got it half as much as the White House does.
NY Times publishes op-ed by terrorist, 'forgets' to mention his five murder convictions
A group of 'Palestinian' terrorists in Israeli prisons started a hunger strike on Monday. The group is led by mass murderer Marwan Barghouti, the former leader of the Fatah Tanzim terror group, who has been in an Israeli prison for the last 15 years, and who was considered toxic enough not to be released as part of the 'terrorists for Gilad' trade of 2011.
The New York Times considers this such important news that on Saturday - in the middle of the Passover holiday - it posted an op-ed by Barghouti on its web site, which made the print editions on Sunday. Barghouti refers to Israel's 'system of mass arbitrary arrests' as if there was no reason to arrest him. He complains that Israel has 'violated international law' for nearly 70 years, a period which goes back to independence and is clearly not meant to be limited to the post-Six Day War era. He refers to himself and his fellow terrorists as political prisoners.
There's one small part he left out, and which the New York Times did not bother to correct until late Monday, long after almost everyone who wanted to read the op-ed had (except for those who are keeping two days of Passover who would probably not find Barghouti persuasive anyway). On Monday, the Times posted this on its web site to correct the record.
Yes, that would be the same trial that Barghouti refers to in the editorial as a 'political show trial.'
I'm reminded of Gilda Radner's famous line upon being caught in a semantic mistake on Saturday Night Live.... "Never mind...." Too bad the Times took two days to fix the 'mistake.' But then, who would expect any better of them?
'Palestinian' terrorists in Israeli prisons, led by convicted mass murderer Marwan Barghouti, are going on a hunger strike starting Monday.
Prisoners affiliated to the Palestinian People's Party (PPP)
announced they would undertake what has come to be known as the “Freedom
and Dignity” strike, according to jailed PPP leader and member of the
PPP Central Committee Bassem Khandaqji.
"After
consultations with prisoners of various factions, PPP-affiliated
prisoners decided to join the battle for freedom and dignity on April
17, which coincides with Palestinian Prisoner's Day." Khandaqji said in a
statement.
The Palestinian Popular Struggle
Front (PPSF) also said on Sunday that prisoners affiliated to the group
would join the Fatah-led strike.
The PPSF
statement went on to warn of a potential “serious escalation by Israeli
authorities against prisoners after they launch the battle for freedom
and dignity, which will mark a turning point in the life of Palestinian
prisoners.” The group said it "urged the
Palestinian people to organize actions to support the hunger strikers in
their battle, both at popular and official levels."
Hamas
meanwhile confirmed in an official statement on Sunday that prisoners
affiliated to the movement held in Hadarim prison would join the strike.
The
higher leading committee of Hamas-affiliated prisoners in Israeli
custody said it “completely supports the Freedom and Dignity hunger
strike, which an elite group of brave prisoners will start tomorrow in
order to forcibly obtain our stolen rights.”
“We
warn the Israel Prison Service against bringing any harm to the hunger
strikers. Any delay in answering their just demands will explode the
situation inside all prisons. All prisoners will unite in the face of
all those who might harm prisoners and their dignity,” the Hamas
statement said.
In the past, Israel has panicked by releasing terrorists who went on hunger strikes in Israeli prisons to avoid letting them die in prison. But Barghouti may be too big to let go. Until his arrest in 2002, Barghouti was the leader of the Fatah Tanzim terror organization that carried out many of the most murderous attacks of the Second Intifadeh (2000-04). He was convicted of five murders in 2004 and has been in an Israeli prison ever since. Barghouti is also regarded as a rival and possible successor to 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud AbbasAbu Mazen since he is allegedly even popular among Hamas supporters.
But not all the terrorists are going on strike.
It was previously reported that all prisoners in Hadarim and Nafha
prison would join, regardless of their political affiliation, including
those affiliated to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP), the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP),
Hamas, and the Islamic Jihad.
However, the
left-wing PFLP later said that despite its “appreciation” for
Barghouthi, it was not in fact undertaking the hunger strike, because it
was organized by Fatah without coordinating with all other Palestinian
political factions.
Hopefully, this time, Israel will not force feed the 'prisoners' (as it has been forced to do by its 'Supreme Court' at times in the past). If they want to starve themselves to death, let them. This isn't about prison conditions. It's about politics.
UPDATE 5:24 PM
As usual with the 'Palestinians,' things aren't quite what they seem, as you can see in this series of tweets from Israel Radio's Gal Berger (translation follows).
מרוואן ברגותי העביר מסרים בחשאי להנהגת חמאס מחוץ לכלא ובהם הוא קורא ללחוץ על אסירי חמאס בכלא להצטרף לשביתת הרעב שהוא מתכנן להוביל ממחר>>
Marwan Barghouti sent secret messages to the Hamas leadership outside the mail calling on them to pressure Hamas prisoners in jail to join the hunger strike that he plans to lead starting tomorrow.
Hamas announced that it will support the strike and that Hamas prisoners in the Hadarim jail will join it, but did not announce general participation of its prisoners in all prisons in the strike.
Barghouti expects Hamas' leadership to join the strike later after it gathers volume. It's estimated that in the First Phase more than 1,000 prisoners will participate; not all of Fatah's prisoners are participating.
The added emphasis is mine. Note that Hamas is really taking a 'wait and see' attitude, and that not even all of Fatah's terrorists - to whom Barghouti technically belongs - are joining in.
Can someone check this photo on google?Cant do so on phone.Its being circulated as Hamas members under IOF detention pic.twitter.com/2no9zML6iv
— فَـرَحْ Farah (@RoadToPalestine) July 24, 2014
If you were wondering whether US President Hussein Obama or 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud AbbasAbu Mazen would be first to condemn the kidnappings of three Israeli teenagers (one of whom is an American citizen), it only took four days, but Abu Mazen has now won the race. Of course, given that he's Abu Mazen, his 'condemnation' is quite equivocal.
"The Palestinian presidency... condemns the series of events that happened last week, beginning with the kidnapping of three Israeli youths," it said.
Abbas also denounced the massive wave of Israeli
arrests thus far. Over 150 Palestinian Arab terrorists have been
arrested in Judea and Samaria since Friday, most of whom are affiliated
with Hamas.
"We will continue to work intensively for the release of Palestinian prisoners," Abbas continued.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu telephoned Abbas shortly after the statement was released, in the first telephone conversation between the two in months.
Netanyahu said he expected Abbas to help ensure the safe return of three kidnapped teenagers, a statement said.
...
"The Hamas kidnappers went out from territory controlled by the Palestinian Authority and returned to territory controlled by the Palestinian Authority," Netanyahu told him.
"This case reveals the nature of the terrorism we are fighting against," Netanyahu continued. "Terrorists kidnap innocent Israeli children, while our hospitals rescue Palestinian children as patients."
In Arafat's day, the 'Palestinian police' would have 'found' the terrorists, insisted on arresting them and holding them in a 'Palestinian prison,' and then released them at a more opportune moment. Oh wait, Abu Mazen has done that too. As to Obama, well, he's too busy to condemn this sort of thing.
'Palestinian unity government' sworn in; US okays payments to terrorists
The 'Palestinian' unity government was sworn in on Monday after a last minute disagreement over a 'prisoners affairs' minister was sorted out.
At the inauguration ceremony, Abbas said the new government would
abide by commitments made by previous Palestinian administrations and by
agreements ratified by the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization, a
reference to interim accords with Israel.
The unity government
had appeared to be in danger earlier Monday when Hamas informed Fatah it
would not recognize a unity government that did not have a Ministry for
Prisoners Affairs.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said his
movement would consider the Palestinian Authority president's
announcement of the new government a "unilateral" step. Hamas, he
added, "will not recognize this announcement."
But Hamas official
Salah Al-Bardaweel later said it was agreed that the ministry would be
given to Prime Minister Rami Al-Hamdallah, "and the dispute between
Hamas and Fatah has been resolved."
The reason Abu Bluff suddenly didn't want a ministry of 'prisoner affairs' was that he was afraid of how it would look to the West if his new junta was paying monthly 'salaries' to Hamas terrorists. As if they hadn't been paying until now or as if the Fatah terrorists are any better.
Despite the overwhelming evidence, US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Ambassador Anne W. Patterson, defended the PA practice of paying salaries to terrorists in jail before Congress last week, saying "they have to provide for the families."
'Palestinian' terrorist released after 266-day hunger strike
A 'Palestinian' terrorist has been released from an Israeli prison after a 266-day hunger strike, and Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman wants him rearrested.
The terrorist, Samir Issawi, was sentenced to 26 years in prison for terrorism in 2002, and was set free as part of the 'terrorists for Gilad deal' in 2011. He was rearrested for engaging in terrorism again. Now, he has been released again. And Liberman is justifiably furious.
Just after his release, Liberman notes that Issawi called for the
kidnapping of IDF soldiers, saying "the release of prisoners will only
be achieved through kidnapping and prisoner exchange deals, nothing will
be achieved without that."
"A prisoner that was released on conditions and calls, the same day,
for the kidnapping of soldiers of the nation that freed him needs to
serve his full sentence in jail without any reductions, and if he wants
to hunger strike let him do that as much as he wants," commented
Liberman.
In 2002 Issawi was sentenced to 26 years in jail for terrorism, going
free after a mere 10 years in the deal to free Gilad Shalit. After
signing a promise not to return to terrorist activities, Issawi promptly
broke those conditions and was rearrested in August 2012.
After 8 months of hunger striking, Issawi was admitted to an Israeli
hospital, and offered an arrangement to stop his hunger strike and go
home after 8 more months of imprisonment. Issawi agreed to the deal, and
was subsequently freed this week to his Jerusalem home.
Liberman, in criticizing the release, referenced the 1981 hunger
strike by Irish prisoners protesting the British decision removing their
special status as political prisoners.
"More than 10 of the protesters died in the hunger strike, among them
a striker that was elected at the time to the British Parliament by one
of the voting regions in North Ireland," remarked the foreign minister.
"Despite all that, the British government under Margaret Thatcher did
not submit to the prisoners' demands. In the end the strike ended
without the conditions of the striking prisoners being met."
"Every normal democratic country that aspires to defend itself, like
the great democracy of Britain that I mentioned... would already
yesterday have returned Issawi to his cell," said Liberman. "Like the
British minister Humphrey Atkins said of the Irish hunger strike, 'if he
persistently wishes to commit suicide, he is welcome to pursue his
intent."
Releasing the likes of Issawi very definitely sends the wrong message.
26 more 'Palestinian' terrorist murderers are to be released on Sunday. Why would any 'Palestinian' think twice about trying to murder a Jew?
In the lap of luxury: What it's like to be a 'Palestinian' in an Israeli prison
Shavua tov, a good week to everyone.
What's it like to be a 'Palestinian' in an Israeli prison? For those who have forgotten, here is a description from 2006:
The Palestinian terrorists apprehended yesterday by the IDF in Jericho were living in luxury, in what was supposed to be a “jail.” (Hat tip: Joel.)
BRITAIN
made a robust defence yesterday of its decision to pull out of Jericho
prison before an Israeli raid, citing fears that its monitors would be
kidnapped, and painting a portrait of a jail controlled by inmates
living in luxury.
Palestinian guards confirmed yesterday that
Ahmed Saadat, a leading militant captured by Israeli troops in the raid,
kept birds and flowers in his quarters. Western officials said that
Saadat in effect used other prisoners as “domestic staff”.
An
official told The Times that Fuad Shobaki, the alleged moneyman behind a
2002 weapons shipment intercepted by Israel, smoked up to five Cuban
cigars a day and was known as “The Brigadier” to inmates and staff. He
was also seized.
“Saadat and Shobaki were very much in charge,”
one prison source said. “These guys were running the prison. They did
what they wanted, when they wanted.”
...
But British
sources spoke of a “credible and specific” warning this year that the
PFLP had planned to free its prisoners, “possibly taking the monitors
hostage”. They also cited warnings last year that militant groups
planned to kidnap monitors.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has
released a letter to Mr Abbas from John Jenkins, the British
Consul-General, and his American counterpart giving final warning that
the monitoring would end unless the Palestinian Authority ensured “full
compliance” with the monitoring agreements and improved the security of
the US and British personnel.
It followed reports by monitors
that the six prisoners had access to computers, mobile phones and were
not “locked down” at night. The monitors said that they were forbidden
to search cells and that mobile phone jammers were switched off.
...
But
Sami Musallam, the Palestinian governor of Jericho and the Jordan
Valley, dismissed concerns over the monitors’ safety as “bullshit”.
He
said that in four years the six inmates had not left jail except to go
to the mosque, dentist and hospital. He added that Shobaki was not
allowed visits from his wife. “We have always depended on the British
and Americans to be the guarantors of agreements between us and the
Israelis,” he said. “We put a lot of trust in them, and now they have
lost our confidence.”
It's seven and a half years later, and things haven't changed too much. Here is an interview with a 'Palestinian' shortly after his release from an Israeli prison.
Serving the interests of the Hussein Obama administration, rather than those of the State of Israel, chief negotiatorbottle washer Tzipi Livni is trying to prevent Israel's cabinet from voting on the second round of terrorist releases.This is from the first link.
Political sources who spoke to Arutz Sheva on Friday morning revealed
that Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who heads Israel’s negotiations with
the Palestinian Authority, has been working to bury a bill that would ban the release of terrorists as a “good-will gesture” to the PA.
Livni apparently fears that the bill would make it harder for her to
appease PA leaders, who have repeatedly threatened that there will be no
peace agreement with Israel without the release of every terrorist from Israel’s prisons.
A representative from the government secretary’s office reportedly
called one of the MKs who initiated the bill and said it would be taken
off the table of the ministerial committee for legislation.
Livni is reportedly pressuring Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to
join her in trying to put a stop to the bill before it comes to a vote.
Sources in the Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home) party expressed outrage at
the reports. “If Livni is so eager to free murderers, she’ll have to put
it to a democratic vote,” they insisted.
A statement released by the party on Thursday night argued that it is
more important to keep terrorist murderers in jail than to keep Livni
in the government.
Hey guys - you all knew she was in the government when you went into it, and you should have made Netanyahu choose between you and her.... oh... wait... Master Lapid would never have agreed to that.
For those of you who voted Bayit Yehudi, please tell me you won't make that mistake again.
"The attempt to harm innocent children shows that the Palestinian
Authority doesn't want to talk peace; it wants to make war," Deputy
Education Minister Avi Wortzman (Bayit Yehudi) said.
Wortzman
called on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to "do the right thing" and
vote for the Bayit Yehudi's bill against prisoner releases.
The
deputy minister's remarks came after an improvised explosive device was
thrown at an Israeli school bus transporting students Friday morning
near the village of Yaabud, not far from Jenin. No injuries or damage
were reported.
Similarly, MK Motti Yogev (Bayit Yehudi) said
"incitement against Israel in the Palestinian Authority is increasing,
as are terror attacks."
"There is no good reason to free
terrorists and murderers with blood on their hands. It's immoral and
hurts Israel's security," Yogev added.
On Sunday, The Ministerial
Committee for Legislation is scheduled to vote on a bill proposed by the
Bayit Yehudi and coalition chairman Yariv Levine (Likud Beytenu)
prohibiting prisoner releases.
Jewish Home (Bayit Yehudi) and the Likud MK's who claim to oppose the 'two-state solution' (which is most of them) were to threaten to leave the coalition, and be willing to act on that threat, there's a good chance that Netanyahu would stop this collective suicide.
But don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen. Our 'elected representatives' are far more concerned with their seats, and with their cars and other perks, than they are about actually doing what's best for the country. And besides, Obama and Kerry would cry if Israel didn't release the terrorists.
Seven years ago, I wrote a post describing the conditions under which Ahmed Saadat and his fellow assassins (of Israeli Minister of Tourism Rechavam Zeevi) were being held. My post was based on an article from the Times of London (before the paywall):
Palestinian guards confirmed yesterday that Ahmed Saadat, a leading
militant captured by Israeli troops in the raid, kept birds and flowers
in his quarters. Western officials said that Saadat in effect used other
prisoners as “domestic staff”.
An official told The Times that
Fuad Shobaki, the alleged moneyman behind a 2002 weapons shipment
intercepted by Israel, smoked up to five Cuban cigars a day and was
known as “The Brigadier” to inmates and staff. He was also seized.
“Saadat
and Shobaki were very much in charge,” one prison source said. “These
guys were running the prison. They did what they wanted, when they
wanted.”
The fact that the three terrorists at the top of this post (Saadat, Marwan Barghouti and Samir al-Kuntar) met in an Israeli prison ought to tell you all you need to know about the conditions under which 'Palestinian' terrorists are held.
But that was then (2006 and 2008) and this is now. Anat Berko reports that it's only gotten worse.
The conditions of the security prisoners are the
responsibility of the Israeli government, which wants peace and quiet
within the prison walls because every hunger strike ignites the
Palestinian street. Between the abduction of soldiers and the peace
process, the security prisoners are certain they will not serve their
full terms. That certainty makes them stronger and gives them hope that
they will be released fairly shortly even if they were sentenced to
consecutive life terms. In the meantime, most of them are busy with
their studies, planning what they will do when they are released. They
often told me that the next time we met it would be in their homes in
the Gaza Strip, I was invited, I had nothing to fear, they would watch
over me, after all, we had drunk coffee together in prison.
The prisoners' conditions are monitored and improved by
the various Palestinian prisoners' clubs, depending on their
organizational affiliation. They receive money for the prison canteen
and their families receive monthly allowances. The canteen overflows
with food, beverages and all the popular brands. The prisoners
especially like American merchandise. Timberland hiking boots are the
latest fad. By way of comparison, the canteens used by IDF soldiers have
less variety. According to the prison authorities, the prisoners have
the same rations as IDF soldiers. In reality, the prisoners' menu is
superior to that of front-line soldiers. If they like, the prisoners can
cook for themselves and improve the food with additions from the
canteen, and once even managed to post pictures on Facebook.
It is almost impossible to enumerate the benefits of
being a security prisoner. Terrorists can finish their studies, and the
younger ones get fictitious matriculation certificates certified by
examiners paid by the Palestinian Authority. Until recently, adult
terrorists were allowed for bachelors', masters' and doctoral degrees in
the Open University, taking courses in Jewish studies, Zionism, etc.,
and perfecting their Hebrew.
Security prisoners also have extensive medical benefits,
including advanced dental work and complex operations, as noted,
courtesy of the Israeli taxpayer. They refuse to work while in prison,
even though they would be paid, because they do not want to serve the
"Zionist enemy." They prefer to spend their time planning terrorist
attacks to be carried out by their organizations, propagandizing and
paving the way for less-hardened terrorists to follow in their footsteps
in a life of anti-Israeli terrorism. Many leave prison healthier,
better educated, and better connected – both socially and professionally
– than when they entered. With their release they can add the important
note "former security prisoner in an Israeli jail" to their resumés,
enabling them to advance more quickly through the ranks of their various
organizations. By imprisoning Palestinian terrorist murderers, the
State of Israel does not achieve deterrence; no attempt can be made to
rehabilitate or reeducate them because they reject the idea and do not
cooperate. They simply stew in their own juices and become more
dangerous.
Depriving a person of his freedom is the worst possible
punishment that can be imposed, but society deserves justice, its
victims have to be avenged, and that is also part of the philosophy of
punishment. In the saga of the Palestinian terrorist prisoners in
Israeli jails, the trials and tribulations of imprisonment, represented
as overwhelming, are actually minor. The Israeli jails have turned into
hothouses for breeding terrorists; they are laboratories which turn
petty terrorists into specialists, and often with diplomas.
What benefit do we get by holding these people in prison? Do we keep them off the streets? That's not much of a benefit if we continue to let them command terror operations and train terrorists from their jail cells.
What we should do is impose a death penalty on terrorists who murder Jews. Any terrorist released should be sent abroad. We can drop them by helicopter in Syria or Lebanon without much danger to our pilots. The current situation is intolerable and cannot be allowed to continue.
A senior aide to 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud AbbasAbu Mazen is claiming that the 'Palestinians' have not yet agreed to sit down with the Israelis, and that they are awaiting 'clarifications' from US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Palestinians have not yet agreed to resume talks with Israel, await US clarifications - @MahmoudAbbas aide Abed Rabbo to Voice of Palestine
— Dan Williams (@DanWilliams) July 21, 2013
Interior Minister Gideon Saar, who may not know a whole lot more about what was agreed than I do, is claiming that Israel did not agree to negotiations based on the 1967 borders1949 armistice lines, nor did it agree to a 'settlement freeze.'
But the 'Palestinians' are claiming that they received a written commitment from Kerry to negotiations based on the 1949 armistice lines. Of course, Saar's claim and the 'Palestinian' claim are not contradictory.
Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to resume peace talks with Israel only
after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gave him a letter guaranteeing
that the basis of the negotiations will be Israel's pre-1967 borders,
two senior Palestinian officials told the Associated Press on Saturday.
A Western official, however, later denied that the '67 lines would be the basis of negotiations.
The Palestinian officials, both of whom are
close to the Palestinian leader and privy to internal discussions, said
the U.S. letter also stipulated that both sides are to refrain from
taking any steps that would jeopardize the outcome of the talks. Israel
is not to issue new tenders for Jewish settlements in the West Bank,
while the Palestinians are not to pursue diplomatic action against
Israel at any international organizations, the officials said on
condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief the
media.
The talks with Kerry were about to collapse,
and the letter came as a lifeline in the last-minute bargaining," one of
the Palestinian officials said.
But other PA officials were not so sure Abbas had received such a written guarantee.
"Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
is going to resume negotiations based on verbal promises. He has no
guarantees that a Palestinian state will be formed on the basis of the
1967 borders, that there will be a settlement freeze or that our
prisoners will be released," a senior official in Ramallah told Israel
Hayom on Saturday.
Arab media outlets meanwhile quoted an
official in the Palestinian Authority president's inner circle, who said
the return to peace talks was made possible only thanks to a plan,
delineated in a personal letter from Kerry to Abbas, which had Abbas and
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu make significant concessions
regarding their preconditions, without having to announce them publicly.
Some reports even quoted senior Palestinian officials as saying that
the letter contained a guarantee from Kerry that the peace talks will be
based on the 1967 lines, something which Jerusalem has denied.
A senior Palestinian source also told i24News
that Kerry threatened to suspend aid unless the Palestinians agreed to
renewed talks with Israel.
And then there are the terrorists being held in Israeli prisons. Israeli media is reporting that 85 'Palestinians' will be released starting in 4-6 weeks. That includes all of the 'Palestinian' terrorists being held in Israeli prisons since before the 1993 Oslo Accords (the 119 number you hear bandied about includes Israeli Arabs and common criminals). These are people with lots of blood on their hands, most of whom are serving multiple life sentences.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday briefed members of the Fatah
Central Committee on the latest developments surrounding Kerry's
efforts.
Following the meeting the committee affirmed its
opposition to "all forms of pressure on President Abbas and the
Palestinian leadership."
A Fatah official who attended the meeting
said that Abbas complained that the US Administration has been putting
heavy pressure on him to return to the talks with Israel
unconditionally.
The committee vowed its full and firm support
for Abbas's demand for a cessation of settlement construction, the
release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and Israeli
recognition of the two-state solution on the basis of the pre-1967 lines
before resuming the peace process.
The Fatah leaders called on
Kerry to exert pressure on Israel to "fulfill its obligations" towards
agreements signed with the Palestinians in order to resume a
"meaningful" peace process.
Surprise: Vast majority of Israeli Jews opposes terror release
I have mentioned a number of times that 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud AbbasAbu Mazen is demanding the unilateral release by Israel of some 100-120 'Palestinian' terrorists being held in Israeli prisons for terror attacks in the years leading up to the Oslo Accords. A new poll finds that a huge majority of Israeli Jews is opposed to that demand. 85% of Israeli Jews say that the 'Palestinian' terrorists should not go free in exchange for a resumption of the 'peace talks.' I didn't think 85% of us could agree on anything.
Asked whether they would support releasing terrorists as a
gesture to bring the Palestinians to the negotiating table, 57% said they would
strongly oppose it, 28% said were against it, 13% said they supported it and
just 2% said they were strongly in favor of such a move.
The poll of 407
respondents representing a sample of the Jewish population of Israel was taken
last week and has a 5% margin of error.
The survey also asked how
withdrawing from Judea and Samaria would impact the security situation in
Israel. It found that 68% of Israelis believe it would harm Israeli security and
21% believe it would improve it.
The poll was taken in honor of the
[Knesset Land of Israel] caucus’s launch on Tuesday.
It is to consist of 35 MKs plus the outside
support of several cabinet ministers who cannot join caucuses.
That's a huge majority. But the reality is that if the government were to release terrorists and withdraw from Judea and Samaria, it's unlikely that would cause anyone to vote differently in the next election.
Netanyahu offered 50 pre-Oslo terrorists for resuming negotiations, Abu Mazen demanded all in exchange for a meeting
This is going to make it even harder for US Secretary of State John FN Kerry to blame Israel when there are no talks with the 'Palestinians.' As if that won't stop him from trying.... A year ago, Prime Minister Netanyahu offered to release 50 of the 100-120 (I've now seen 107, 118 and 120) 'Palestinians' being held for pre-Oslo terrorism, mostly from the late '80's and early '90's. 'Moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud AbbasAbu Mazen turned it down and demanded that all of the terrorists be released in exchange for him agreeing to meet with Netanyahu once to present his demands.
Today, a senior Palestinian official told The
Times of Israel, the Palestinians might agree to renew talks with Israel
if Netanyahu releases all 107 of the pre-Oslo veterans still in jail,
most of whom have blood on their hands.
The Prime Minister’s Office had no comment on the matter.
...
The Palestinian official, who asked not to be
named, is one of Abbas’s close associates. He said that the release of
all the pre-Oslo “veterans” is a “strategic” requirement for the PA.
Choosing his words carefully, he said their release could prove
sufficient to bring the PA back to the peace table, but he refused to
say so explicitly, and could not rule out additional Palestinian
conditions. In the past, Abbas has indicated that he would not return to
the talks while Israel continued building new settlement homes, and figures released on Sunday showed a sharp rise in building starts at settlements in the first three months of this year.
In the course of previous efforts to get the
asides back to the table, The Times of Israel has learned, Netanyahu
expressed willingness to release 50 of the long-serving prisoners
arrested before the Oslo Accords. The Israeli proposal was to free the
50 in three stages: 25 prisoners, then 15, then 10. These releases were
contingent on a resumption not merely of talks between the two sides,
but of direct meetings by Abbas with Netanyahu.
However, the Palestinians rejected the
idea. According to senior Palestinian sources, the release of only 50
prisoners of the pre-Oslo security prisoners was unacceptable, and all
had to go free.
On Monday evening,, Prime Minister Netanyahu accused the 'Palestinians' of setting preconditions to avoid talks, while Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Avigdor Lieberman said that even Jordan's King Abdullah blames the 'Palestinians' for the lack of talks.
"The Palestinians are intentionally insisting on preconditions that
we cannot abide in order to prevent the start of negotiations,"
Netanyahu said. "As far as I'm concerned, setting preconditions is an
obstacle that cannot be passed."
Every time the government gave
the Palestinians what they demanded as preconditions for talks, they
made additional demands, the prime minister stated.
...
The real question, according to Netanyahu, is whether or not the Palestinians are willing to accept a state.
Later
Monday, Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Avigdor Liberman
(Likud Beytenu) expressed skepticism that there will be any
negotiations in the near future.
"There were attempts [to renew
talks] in the last government that didn't work. First, there was a
building freeze [in the settlements], and then King Abdullah of Jordan
made an effort," Liberman recounted.
"King Abdullah said how he
felt. I think he was very honest. He pointed a finger and said who is to
blame for lack of talks," the Yisrael Beytenu leader added, referring
to the Palestinians.
When Kerry leaves here with his tail between his legs, you can bet that Israel will be blamed anyway.
'Palestinian' prisoners' wives to be artificially inseminated?
The 'Palestinians' fatwa council has approved the artificial insemination of the wives of 'Palestinians' in Israeli prisons. Yes, of course, only with the terrorist husbands' sperm.
The Razan Medical Center for Infertility, which has clinics in Ramallah
and Nablus, has offered free insemination treatment to the wives of
political prisoners who manage to smuggle sperm out of Israeli jails.
In February, the clinic announced that four prisoners' wives were pregnant as a result of artificial insemination.
The
clinic's director-general, Salim Abu al-Khayzaran, explained the
insemination process to the Fatwa council, which issued a decision
approving the treatment on Wednesday.
The council set over a dozen conditions to make the process religiously acceptable.
The couple must be married, and the pregnancy must be agreed by both
partners and preferably their families, the council ruled. Several of
the couple's next-of-kin relatives must witness the insemination, and
the process must be made public.
The council also ruled that
artificial insemination must be the only possible option for pregnancy.
It said the couple must have consummated their marriage, ruling out
marriages entered into in prison, as unconsummated marriages are
considered engagements.
It must be the prisoner's first child
to qualify as an emergency, and the detainee must be serving a long
sentence which would prohibit childbearing upon his release.
Either the 'Palestinians' are able to smuggle semen out of Israeli prisons within an hour (where are the Israeli prison authorities?), or the 'Palestinians' have discovered the secret of immaculate conception, or this story is a lie in one of two ways.
I leave the intellectual exercise to figure out the two ways in which this story could be a lie to the reader .
Norway and UK foreign ministries lied: Wife of imprisoned 'Palestinian' terrorist confirms 'Palestinian Authority' pays salaries
In an interview with 'Palestinian Authority' Television, the wife of a 'Palestinian' terrorist has confirmed that the 'Palestinian Authority' pays salaries to terrorists imprisoned in Israel, and that the foreign ministries of Norway and the United Kingdom lied to their respective governments, when they claimed that the money was going to support the terrorists' families on the outside.
Yet for nearly two years, the British and Norwegian Foreign Ministries
have told their MPs that PMW's documentation was incorrect. They argued
that the PA does not pay salaries to security prisoners, which would be a
reward for terror, but gives "social aid to the families" like other PA
social welfare programs. This, they have now explained, was what the PA
assured them.
In spite of all PMW's documentation, Norway and the UK have justified
their continued funding of the PA, saying that none of their support
money was going into a funding program specifically for terrorists, but
was going to the wives and children. (See quotes below.)
PMW is now releasing a recent interview with a wife of a Palestinian
prisoner that verifies the accuracy of PMW's reports. In the interview,
the prisoner's wife and mother of five children complains repeatedly
that the prisoner, her husband, has not given her and their children control of his salary, but instead gave it to his brother.
Let's go to the videotape.
If that's not rewarding terrorism, I don't know what is.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
