New Year's greetings from Housing Minister Uri Ariel on the Temple Mount go awry
Housing Minister Uri Ariel ascended the Temple Mount on Wednesday to give New Year's greetings. This was after the riots about which I reported on in an earlier post.
Let's go to the videotape.
I'll bet that even those of you who speak Hebrew couldn't hear a word he was saying.
Here's why:
Ariel uploaded a video greeting from the holiest site in Judaism, but
his words were somewhat muffled by the background sounds of explosions
and Arab protesters shouting, in epithets targeting him and those
accompanying him.
During his visit, dozens of Arab rioters renewed their fusillade of
fireworks at police forces at the Mughrabi Gate, the sole entrance for
Jews to the site that is under the de facto control of the Jordanian
Waqf (Islamic trust).
"The sovereignty over the Temple Mount is in our hands and we must
strengthen it," said Ariel from the site. "It cannot be that rioters
will time and again take advantage of the sanctity of the site for
riots, disorder and attacks on Jews."
"I wish us that in the coming year - may it be a good year - the
state of Israel will know to strengthen the sovereignty on the Temple
Mount, to prevent the Arab rioting and chaos, and allow free entry to
Jews and all those interested in doing so," added Ariel.
There's a slightly more audible version of the greeting
here.
Meanwhile, our insecurity minister continues to pretend that there are no riots and
there is no terrorism in Jerusalem.
Touring Jerusalem's Old City and Jewish Quarter, Aharonovich
praised the police for dealing with the riots while allowing Jews to
continue accessing the holiest site in Judaism.
"It was important to open the Temple Mount to Jewish traffic.
The Jerusalem district police did everything to allow that, and in truth
many worshippers have arrived," said Aharonovich.
He neglected to note that two Jewish youths were arrested for
prostrating themselves in prayer at the site against the directives of
the de facto ruler of the site, the Jordanian Waqf (Islamic trust),
which contradict Israeli laws on religious freedom.
Aharonovich went on to claim "there has been a great effort by the
district police, they've arrested hundreds of people and there is a 30%
drop in rock throwing, and molotov cocktail throwing has completely
stopped."
The claim is puzzling given that just last Monday five Arab children aged 12 to 13 were arrested for hurling molotov cocktails at Jews in the the mixed Jewish and Arab neighborhood of Abu Tor; they told police they did so because they "hate Jews."
Just last week, a friend in the US told me about another friend who posted to a mailing list that he used Waze to get around Jerusalem in his rented car and that it directed him through an Arab neighborhood in 'east' Jerusalem.
An older man in a white pickup truck suddenly pulled out of his curbside parking spot and stopped his car directly in front of me to block my escape. Just then, An Arab boy in his teens knocked on my window and looked to see if I had a yarmulke and realized I was Jewish. Seconds after I was attacked by a mob of teenagers with boulders the size of bricks (pictures attached).
I'm not sure how the path opened up around the pickup truck but I managed to escape without injury ברוך ה׳ and drove frantically until I saw the walls of הר ציון and called police. The police took pictures of the car (below), made a report (attached), and fingerprinted the entire vehicle.
I have no doubt that if they would have succeeded in breaking the front window, that they would have pounded me personally with stones.
Here are two of the images my friend posted of his car. More after the images.
I posted somewhere else that people who use Waze in Israel should be aware that there is a setting to avoid Arab roads. Someone pointed out - correctly - that setting is not foolproof because it only completely avoids roads in Area A where Israelis are not supposed to go under any circumstances. On the other hand, I have found that my Waze - on which I use that setting - has a marked preference for Route 1 (the main Jerusalem - Tel Aviv highway that does not go through any Arab areas) over
Route 443.
In any event, all is very definitely not quiet, although I would not say that all hell has broken loose either as was the case 12-13 years ago. At least outside of the 'all Jewish' areas of the city, you really should be careful.
Labels: East Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Temple Mount, Uri Ariel
'Unnamed US officials' blame Israel for talks' collapse, green light new intifada
Shavua tov, a good week once again. I have a few minutes before my two hours of sleep before I start my day with a trip to the airport.
An appalling piece in YNet based on interviews by Nahum Barnea with two anonymous officials - most likely Martin Indyk and David Makovsky (
Makovsky did the maps referenced in the interview using Google Earth in 2011) places the blame for the collapse of the 'peace talks' on the 'settlements' and gives a
green light to a new 'Palestinian' intifadeh.
The American version of
why the current round of negotiations between Israel and the
Palestinians failed is fundamentally different to the one presented by
Israeli officials. The list of those to blame for this failure is also
very different. From the US perspective, the issue of the settlements
was largely to blame.
...
The Israeli government made no response to the American plan, and avoided drawing its own border outline.
The criticism against the Israeli government is presented in terms of
wounds inflicted by a friend who could still be trusted: Israel is very
dear to them, but the wounds are deep.
...
"There are a lot of
reasons for the peace effort's failure, but people in Israel shouldn't
ignore the bitter truth - the primary sabotage came from the
settlements. The Palestinians don't believe that Israel really intends
to let them found a state when, at the same time, it is building
settlements on the territory meant for that state. We're talking about
the announcement of 14,000 housing units, no less. Only now, after talks
blew up, did we learn that this is also about expropriating land on a
large scale. That does not reconcile with the agreement.
"At this point, it's very hard to see how the negotiations could be
renewed, let alone lead to an agreement. Towards the end, Abbas demanded
a three-month freeze on settlement construction. His working assumption
was that if an accord is reached, Israel could build along the new
border as it pleases. But the Israelis said no."
...
"There was a massive
effort on our part to pull the wagon out of the deep quicksand it was
stuck in. But the reality here hit us hard. Neither side had a sense of
urgency. Kerry was the only one who felt a sense of urgency, and that
was not enough."
...
Were you surprised when you discovered that the Israelis don't really care what happens in the negotiations?
"Yes, we were surprised. It surprised us all along the way. When
(Moshe) Ya'alon, your defense minister, said that the only thing Kerry
wants is to win a Nobel Prize, the insult was great. We were doing this
for you and for the Palestinians. Of course, there were also American
interests at play.
...
It almost sounds like you wish for an intifada.
"Quite the opposite, it would be a tragedy. The Jewish people
are supposed to be smart; it is true that they're also considered a
stubborn nation. You're supposed to know how to read the map: In the
21st century, the world will not keep tolerating the Israeli occupation.
The occupation threatens Israel's status in the world and threatens
Israel as a Jewish state."
The world is
being self-righteous. It closes its eyes to China's takeover of Tibet,
it stutters at what Russia's doing to Ukraine.
"Israel is not China. It was founded by a UN resolution. Its
prosperity depends on the way it is viewed by the international
community."
...
"Abbas reached the
conclusion that there was nothing for him in such an agreement. He's 79
years old. He has reached the last chapter of his life. He's tired. He
was willing to give the process one final chance, but found, according
to him, that he has no partner on the Israeli side. His legacy won't
include a peace agreement with Israel.
"In February, Abbas arrived at a Paris hotel for a meeting with
Kerry. He had a lingering serious cold. 'I'm under a lot of pressure,'
he complained. 'I'm sick of this.' He rejected all of Kerry's ideas. A
month later, in March, he was invited to the White House. Obama
presented the American-formulated principles verbally - not in writing.
Abbas refused.
"The claim on your side that Abbas was avoiding making decisions is not true. He wasn't running away, he was just stuck."
...
What concessions?
"He agreed to a demilitarized state; he agreed to the border
outline so 80 percent of settlers would continue living in Israeli
territory; he agreed for Israel to keep security sensitive areas (mostly
in the Jordan Valley - NB) for five years, and then the United States
would take over. He accepted the fact that in the Israeli perception,
the Palestinians would never be trustworthy.
"He also agreed that the Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem would
remain under Israeli sovereignty, and agreed that the return of
Palestinians to Israel would depend on Israeli willingness. 'Israel
won't be flooded with refugees,' he promised.
"He told us: 'Tell me if there's another Arab leader that would have
agreed to what I agreed to. I won't make any more concessions until
Israel agrees to the three following terms:
- Outlining the borders would be the first topic under discussion. It would be agreed upon within three months.
- A timeframe would be set for the evacuation of Israelis from
sovereign Palestinian territories (Israel had agreed to complete the
evacuation of Sinai within three years).
- Israel will agree to have East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.
The Israelis would not agree to any of the three demands."
Read the whole thing.
Labels: Abu Mazen, Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, David Makovsky, John Kerry, Martin Indyk, Middle East peace process, Tzipi Livni, Uri Ariel
Oh my: Food fight in the coalition
Yesh Atid's Yaakov Perri is accusing Jewish Home's Naftali Bennett and Uri Ariel of '
killing peace' in what could be the beginning of a reshuffling of the coalition.
The pact
between Jewish Home and Yesh Atid, by which neither agreed to enter
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's coalition government last year
without the other, is over according to Perry, who spoke on Mako's TV show "Meet the Press."
"In recent months there's a gaping chasm in national topics and
topics of religion and state" between the two parties, remarked Perry.
That seemingly was less the case as recently as last December, when Bennett voted for a Yesh Atid law to give same sex couples equal tax breaks while the rest of his party abstained, after a compromise removed
official recognition of such couples in the wording, saving Jewish Home
from being perceived as supporting same sex couples.
The Yesh Atid minister hinting at the possibility that his party would leave following the collapse of talks,
saying sharply "neither Bennett nor Ariel - with all of their
hallucinatory and sabotaging statements - will decide if we sit in the
government."
Netanyahu might want to go into a coalition with the Left, but I doubt that his own party will let him. Unlike Sharon, Netanyahu does not have the support from his MK's to govern using a new party, and would likely have to go to new elections to try to do so.
In the meantime, Jewish Home, which has kept relatively quiet since the 'talks' collapsed, is telling the Left to calm down.
In response to Perry's caustic comments, Jewish Home fired back only a
short reply, saying "the left needs to keep self-restraint even in
times of distress."
Bennett reportedly gave members of his Jewish Home party orders not to soften their tone towards Justice Minister Tzipi Livni following the deal so as not to drive her from the coalition, saying "it's
important not to celebrate too much, and to leave the platform for
explaining the decision to (Finance Minister Yair) Lapid and Livni -
they'll do that excellently."
Actually, he gave orders TO soften their tone. Faster, faster....
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, Jewish Home party, Middle East peace process, Naftali Bennett, Uri Ariel, Yair Lapid, Yesh Atid party
It's come to this: Livni, Lapid questioning 'Palestinian' commitment to peace
They can't admit that it's hopeless yet, because if we want peace so badly, the 'Palestinians' must want it too, but
Tzipi Livni and
Yair Lapid are both questioning the 'Palestinians' commitment to peace. This is from the first link.
"I don't intend to give up the struggle for an accord," the justice minister said on Channel 2's "Meet the Press."
However, she said the Israelis and Palestinians should hold more
direct talks with each other and depend less on third-party mediation by
the United States.
"Part of what happened in the past few months
was more negotiation between us and the United States and less with the
Palestinians," Livni said.
While Livni blasted the Palestinians, calling their application to more than a dozen international organizations and treaties
"a blatant violation," she refrained from placing singular blame on the
current status quo and expressed her interest in salvaging the
floundering talks.
Livni called on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to "prove that he is a partner" for peace.
"We are in a crisis," she said. "What happened in the last week will need to be repaired."
Livni also blasted Jewish Home party MK's and Ministers Naftali Bennett and Uri Ariel whom she accused of sabotaging her efforts. Livni conveniently forgets that Jewish Home has twice as many MK's as the Tzipi Livni party.
Yesh Atid's Yair Lapid also
questioned the 'Palestinian' commitment to peace.
There is great doubt that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
is interested in reaching a peace agreement with Israel, Finance
Minister Yair Lapid said on Friday morning.
...
"When the list of PA demands was published, which appeared more like a
tool to ruin the negotiations, the only people that were happy were the
extreme right wing, who prefer to wait for the Massiah instead of
finding a solution," Lapid said.
"Yesh Atid will continue to support the separation from the
Palestinians, but Abbas needs to know that at this time his demands are
working against him," he added.
The first steps in Israel's Left recognizing reality? We can hope.
Labels: Abu Mazen, Middle East peace process, Naftali Bennett, two-state solution, Tzipi Livni, Uri Ariel, Yair Lapid
US furious at BOTH the 'Palestinians' and Israel
It's been a long day for both the 'negotiations' and for me personally. I was not able to post a lot today. Maybe tomorrow.
I want to return to the
liveblog in the previous post and point out a couple of things that happened while I was out at two Bar Mitzva's tonight - one of them out of town.
7:29 P.M. Lieberman says Israel did what it could to
keep the talks going. He adds that if Palestinians don't want to
negotiate, Israel should not chase after them. Israel's real political
future lies in the moderate Arab world, he says. (Barak Ravid)
Israel Radio reported tonight whom Lieberman considers the 'moderate Arabs.' Egypt. Okay. Our friends the Saudis. WHAT????
10:36 P.M. The White House and the U.S. State
Department were furious not only at the Palestinians, for taking
unilateral actions, but also by moves in recent days by the Israeli
government. White House deputy spokesman Josh Earnest expressed
disappointment at "unhelpful, unilateral actions both parties have taken
in recent days."
The
Americans blame Housing Minister Uri Ariel, claiming that he tried
deliberately tried to sabotage the peace talks by announcing a tender
for some 700 residential units in East Jeruisalem. A senior U.S.
official suspects that this was an old tender presented by Ariel at this
time in order to harm the peace talks.
In
addition, the Americans believe that Ariel attempted to interfere in
the attempts to extend the talks when he came out publicly against
Pollard's possible release. The housing minister said in interviews with
several media outlets that Pollard himself was not interested in being
released in the deal, which would also include the release of
Palestinian prisoners.
Concurrently,
Kerry phoned both Netanyahu and Abbas. Abbas and Kerry agreed to stay
in touch in the coming days, with the Palestinian president confirming
that he was still committed to the peace process and was willing to
continue negotiations until April 29, the scheduled end of the
negotiations.
Nevertheless,
both Israeli and American officials estimated that the chances of
reaching a breakthrough in the talks were minimal. "We have until the
end of April to attempt to extend the negotiations, but the atmosphere
between the sides is not at all good," a senior American said. (Barak
Ravid)
Note that they were apparently
not furious about Israel refusing to release the fourth tranche of terrorists. This implies one or more of the following:
1. Israel never committed to releasing 'Israeli Arabs.'
2. Israel never committed to release senior terrorists (like Barghouti and Saadat).
3. Israel never committed to any kind of 'settlement freeze' (we know that one is true).
4. The US agrees that the 'Palestinians' have not been negotiating seriously.
I would say it's all of the above. They are seemingly only furious about Uri Ariel talking about it so much. They have a point. I often which that we'd just act instead of talking about it so much.
10:50 P.M. Deputy Foreign Minister Ze'ev Elkin
criticizes the emergency Abbas-Livni meeting, calling it "a disgrace to
the State of Israel." He also adds that "Israel must stop being the
'sucker' of the Middle East." (Barak Ravid)
If this were Facebook, I'd hit "Like." But this is a serious blow to Netanyahu. Elkin was coalition chairman the last time around. He's not someone serving in his first Knesset. Netanyahu should be thinking long and hard about who is on his side and who from the Likud will break off in the event that an agreement is reached.
11:22 P.M. Palestinian officials say that if Israel
releases the fourth group of prisoners scheduled as part of negotiations
over a framework peace agreement, the Palestinian Authority will not
follow-up on its application to join United Nations institutions.
“As
far as we’re concerned, there were understandings to release 104
prisoners in exchange for not applying to UN institutions during the
nine months of the negotiations,” a Palestinian source close to the
negotiations told Haaretz. “The moment the fourth batch of prisoners
wasn’t released, we saw fit to apply to the international organizations,
and all Israel’s claims that the Palestinians bolted the talks are
false."
The
application to the UN “is the first step, but if there’s progress
regarding the prisoners’ release and later on understandings about the
continued negotiations, the Palestinians won’t follow up the application
to the UN institutions and won’t apply to the International Court of
Justice,” he said.
Palestinian
officials said they intend to continue the negotiations with Israel
until April 29. During the month the sides will try to cobble agreements
on extending the talks, they said.
The
Palestinian negotiators vehemently opposed reports that they had agreed
to a partial suspension of settlement construction in the West Bank.
They also object to Israel’s deciding which prisoners will be freed.
“The Palestinian leadership will not agree to this formula,” a senior
PLO official told Haaretz.
The
continued talks must be based on clear principles, such as the
recognition of the ‘67 borders as a basis for continuing the peace
process and suspending settlements, he said. “Beyond that there’s no
chance of reaching an agreement, even if we continue the process for
years to come,” he said. (Jack Khoury)
Sounds like the 'Palestinians' are trying to defend their honor as they start to back down. The problem is that they're unlikely to back down far enough. They're afraid of their own 'people's reactions. Remember
Palileaks?
Labels: Abu Mazen, Avigdor Lieberman, Binyamin Netanyahu, John Kerry, Martin Indyk, Middle East peace process, Palestinian terrorists, Palileaks, Tzipi Livni, United Nations, Uri Ariel, Zeev Elkin
'Palestinians' stone Feiglin on Temple Mount, police bar Jews from site in response - UPDATED WITH VIDEO
This makes 'perfect' sense, doesn't it?
The 'Palestinians' stoned MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud-Beiteinu) and a group of 'right wing activists' on the Temple Mount on Thursday morning, and in response
police banned Jews from the Mount.
Two Arab rioters were arrested Thursday for attempting to
attack MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud Beteinu) as he visited the Temple Mount.
Hundreds of rioters threw stones at Feiglin and several individuals who
accompanied him. Feiglin was forced to leave the site, and police took
steps to break up the riot.
As a result of the riot, the Temple Mount was closed Thursday morning to Jews and to tourists.
You didn't really think they'd clear the Arab rioters from the Mount, did you?
After being forced to leave the site Thursday, Feiglin said that “the
incidents today show more than ever that the Temple Mount is such a
powderkeg specifically because it is clear to the Palestinians that
violence pays off. Israeli weakness encourages this violence.”
Police, Feiglin said, did an admirable job of protecting the Jews and
tourists caught up in the riot and putting down the riot. “But cutting
our visit short and clearing the Mount of Jews on the one hand while
allowing the rioters to remain on the other left the victory in the
hands of those who initiated the violence, and will only encourage more
violence.”
Yes, especially when it's the second time this week that's happened.
On Sunday,
Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) was also
forced to leave the Temple Mount after rioters threw stones at him.
Then, too, police cleared the Mount of non-Muslims.
“A reality in which rioters determine the day's agenda on the Temple
Mount, and prevent Jewish visitors from ascending [to the Mount], is
unacceptable," Ariel stated after the visit. "I went up to the Mount
this morning, I intend to keep on doing so in the future, and I demand
that security forces help keep Jewish sovereignty intact and allow any
Jew to ascend to the Mount freely."
Har HaBayit b'Yadeinu? (The Temple Mount is in our hands)?
UPDATE 1:34 PM
Here's video of Feiglin's visit (sorry, Hebrew only).
Let's go to the videotape.
Labels: Jerusalem police, Moshe Feiglin, Temple Mount, Uri Ariel, Wakf
Over 15,000 rally for E1 building east of Jerusalem
Over
15,000 people rallied for construction in E1 between Maaleh Adumim and Jerusalem on Thursday (Hat Tip for photo:
Jack W).
Speaking at the event, Housing Minister Uri Ariel said that Israel
would not surrender to pressure “no matter what its source” on halting
Jewish settlement efforts in Judea and Samaria.
“The Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people,” he said, adding
that “there are people who believe that if they follow the dictates of
the rest of the world in these matters we will have peace and quiet.”
Israel already succumbed to pressure and withdrew from Gaza, throwing
10,000 Jews out of their homes, Ariel said, and the results speak for
themselves. “Look at the missiles being fired at Beersheva, Sderot,
Ashkelon, and many other cities,” he said. “We cannot surrender. The
more we back down, the more they pressure us. As Housing Minister, I am
declaring before the Prime Minister that we are here to ensure that you
fulfill your promise to build here,” Ariel added.
Ariel invited leaders and members of the hareidi community to join
the efforts. “Together with the hareidi community we will strengthen the
world of Torah,” he said. “I call on them to settle Judea and Samaria
and strengthen the entire Land of Israel.”
Also speaking at the event was Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin,
who said that “the people have decided – we want building, not building
freezes, in the Land of Israel. We must remain determined, because
justice is with us.
“They are threatening us now with boycotts and demanding that we
accept conditions that will damage our security,” Elkin added. “We want
to create a solid belt of settlement in Jerusalem, from west to east,
and the Palestinians want to create their belt of settlement from north
to south.” E1 was where the showdown would take place, Elkin said.
“Someone will win in the end, and they are not prepared to surrender. We
must overcome the Palestinians and build in E1. Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu said this,” Elkin reminded listeners, referring to past
comments by the PM prior to taking office.
Also speaking at the event was Agriculture Minister Yair Shamir, who
said that the government “is with you. The reason I am in politics is to
be doing exactly this. I joined the government in order to raise my
hand at the right time and to say the right things. We will not lose
faith in the justice of our path, and only with faith will we be able to
complete our vision.”
Let's go to the videotape.
All of this has Zany Zehava
seething.
"The participation of minsters from the government and Knesset MKs
reveals Netanyahu's [Prime Minister Binyamin] two-headed monster,"
Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On said on Friday.
The rally on Thursday
took place at E1, which is an uninhabited area of the West Bank
settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim. Settler leaders and Right-wing politicians
at the rally called for the state to build homes for Jews in the area.
"Today
it is clear that in the framework of a peace deal the city of Ma'aleh
Adumim will remain under Israeli sovereignty," Gal-On said.
Well, clear to everyone except the 'Palestinians' to whom Maaleh Adumim, Jaffa, Jerusalem and the tiniest outpost of Samaria are all the same....
Gal-On said that Katz and Ariel know that building in E1 would divide
east Jerusalem from the Palestinian populated areas of the West Bank and
it would lead to complete Israeli control of the eastern part of the
capital. The building would hinder the possibility for east Jerusalem
to be a capital of a future Palestinian state, would split the West Bank
in two and would prevent the Palestinian state from having any
territorial contiguity, the Meretz leader added.
What a great idea. Let's build now.
Lots of pictures
here.
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, E-1, East Jerusalem, John Kerry, Maaleh Adumim, two-state solution, Uri Ariel, Zehava Gal-On
Meanwhile, there's another civil war going on in Israel
A reminder once again that I am in Boston and therefore, although the Sabbath has started in Jerusalem, it is not yet the Sabbath for me.
Speaking of civil wars, here's one
within the national religious community in Israel.
Housing Minister Uri Ariel went to Hebron on Friday, and his car was pelted with eggs by local Jews who called him a '
sellout.' Ariel is one of the more 'right wing' members of the Jewish Home party, the spiritual heir to the National Religious party.
Here's a picture:
Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel
(Jewish Home) had eggs thrown at his car during a visit to Hevron on
Friday. Once there, Ariel faced severe criticism from right-wing
activists over his party's continued presence in a government that is
discussing withdrawals from 90% of Judea and Samaria.
Hevron resident and activist Baruch Marzel approached Ariel during
his visit, accusing him with the stinging words: "traitor! In order to
be a minister you betrayed the land of Israel, the Torah, and everything
that Uri Ariel believed before he became a minister."
Ariel reportedly was left in shocked silence by the reproach, and proceeded to leave the area.
Right-wing activists said Friday that Ariel "crossed all red lines," and that the protest against him will just increase.
The accusations against Jewish Home follow the criticism leveled on Tuesday by former MK Michael Ben-Ari, who joined forces with Marzel under the Otzma Leyisrael list which didn't get into the Knesset during the last elections.
There are a lot more complaints and some of them have nothing to with the 'peace process.'
Read the whole thing.
Jewish Home ought to leave the government if their principles are what they claim. And much of the Likud would likely leave with them.
Labels: Hebron, Jewish Home party, Uri Ariel
Netanyahu does as he's told
Prime Minister Netanyahu did as he was told by his master in Washington on Tuesday, shelving plans announced by Housing Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) for some
24,000 new housing units in Judea and Samaria.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu directed Housing and Construction
Minister Uri Ariel to "reconsider" plans for preliminary planning of
some 24,0000 housing units beyond the Green Line, saying this would harm
efforts to stop Iran's nuclear program.
He said that the
announcements of the preliminary planning is without any statutory
standing, would do nothing to promote settlement, and only create an
unnecessary conflict with the international community at a time when
intensive efforts are underway to get an improved deal between the world
powers and Iran.
Ariel, according to a statement put out by the PMO, agreed to reconsider all the plans.
State Department Jen Psaki said that the US was "deeply concerned" by the announcement.
That's a lot more 'deeply concerned' than they seem to be over the possibility of a nuclear Iran....
Peace Now revealed Tuesday that the Housing Ministry issued tenders
in the last two weeks for preliminary work to be done on the units,
including hiring an architect to begin drawing up plans for some 1,200
units in E1, between Ma'ale Adumim and Jerusalem.
Government
officials said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, after being informed
on Tuesday of the developments, stepped in immediately and demanded the
ministry freeze the E1 plans, saying this issue was too sensitive and
would detract international attention from Iran.
Israel was
roundly censured in December 2011 when it announced plans to develop E1
following the UN General Assembly's vote to gain non member statehood
status to the Palestinians.
"We think the people in the Housing
Ministry should be more responsible," one government official said,
stopping short of accusing Bayit Yehudi Construction and Housing
Minister Uri Ariel of intentionally trying to sabotage negotiations with
the Palestinians.
"Maybe somebody was looking for headlines."
According to the official, Netanyahu specifically instructed that the E1
plans not be worked on "because at this sensitive time the
international focus must be clearly on Iran, and we don't want any issue
to divert the attention of the international community from this
crucial goal."
Asked why, if Netanyahu was concerned about the international
reaction, he did not ask the ministry to shelve all the plans at this
time, the official said because E1 was the most sensitive.
A
Housing Ministry spokesman said that preliminary tenders such as these
are issued by the tens of thousands throughout the year throughout the
country, and that the vast majority – for various reasons ranging from
environmental concerns to objections from various planning bodies -- do
not come to fruition. He said that of the 650,000 units in the country
in various preliminary stages of planning, only some 25,000 will likely
be built, and that only over a period ranging from four to 20 years.
And you wonder why we have a housing shortage that sees young couples living in windowless storage rooms and paying rent of $600-$1,000 per month....
Netanyahu caught wind of the plans after Justice Minister Tzipi
Livni, who was contacted by foreign ambassadors who learned of the
tenders from Peace Now, called cabinet secretary Avichai Mandelblit for
clarifications.
In addition to E1, the plans also include 2,500
units in Ma'aleh Adumim, some 12,000 units throughout the Binyamin
region, including in Shilo, Eli, Mitzpe Yeriho and Shvut Rachel, and the
rest in the Gush Etzion region.
According to Peace Now, the total
number of technical plans are23,786, of which 4,000 are in east
Jerusalem and 19,786 in the West Bank. Peace Now spokesman Lior Amihai
said the level of planning was unusual but cautioned that it would be
years before any building could actually take place.
Netanyahu has all the backbone of a pretzel soaked in warm water overnight....
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, E-1, Jerusalem construction, Judea and Samaria construction, Middle East peace process, Tzipi Livni, Uri Ariel
Israel's Right starts to fight back
MK's from the Likud Beytenu and Bayit Yehudi parties - the two 'right wing' parties in the Prime Minister's coalition - are
stepping up the pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu not to make more concessions to the 'Palestinians.'
MKs on the Right said they were concerned that US Secretary of State
John Kerry would pressure Netanyahu to make more concessions, so they
felt it necessary to counter-act Kerry's demands to Netanyahu with
pressure of their own. To that end, 16 MKs in the coalition wrote the
prime minister as he was meeting with Kerry.
"Tell the secretary of state that Israel has no intention of
returning to the parameters of the Oslo Accords or relinquishing any
more of Israel's homeland to the Palestinian Authority," the MKs wrote
in the letter.
Among the 16 MKs were legislators from Likud
Beytenu and Bayit Yehudi, including deputy ministers Ze'ev Elkin
(Foreign Ministry), Tzipi Hotovely (Transportation), Eli Ben Dahan
(Religious Services), Avraham Wortzman (Education), and Ophir Akunis
(Knesset Liason).
Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon complained
that the Palestinians had upped their demands in the negotiations by
asking for the concessions made by former prime minister Ehud Olmert. In
September 2008 when he was prime minister, Olmert offered the
Palestinians 100 percent of the West Bank with land swaps, the return of
thousands of Palestinians to Israel's final borders, a Palestinian
state with its capital in eastern Jerusalem and the internationalization
of the Holy Basin of Jerusalem's Old City.
That's 16 out of 68 MK's or one shy of a quarter of the coalition. And you will note that the list doesn't include any ministers - only deputy ministers. That's because the ministers probably all fear Sharon treatment (Sharon fired all the ministers who voted against expelling Jews from Gaza in 2005).
But here's one Right wing minister who did not sign on.
Netanyahu receive unexpected defense from the most right-wing
minister in the cabinet, Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel.
"I
am strengthening the prime minister to withstand all the pressure he is
under the best way he can and maintain Israel's clear interests," Ariel
said. "I am sure that 20 years after the Oslo agreement was signed, he
learned the historic lesson to not accept false promises at the expense
of Israel's security."
I wonder what makes Ariel so sure. I'm not so sure.
In the meantime, the Likud's Moshe Feiglin is stirring up a hornet's nest by
questioning the authority of the Muslim Wakf on the Temple Mount.
The Knesset Committee of the Interior will hold a hearing on Monday
regarding preparations for Jewish visitation to the Temple Mount over
the upcoming Succot holiday.
Groups lobbying for Jewish prayer
rights at the site criticized the lack of access afforded to them over
the recent Rosh Hashana festival and are demanding that Jewish visits
over Succot be enabled by the police.
Access was restricted on the first day of Rosh Hashana and the site was
closed on the second day to Jewish and other non-Muslim visitors when
non-Muslims are generally not given access.
The second day of Rosh HaShana was a Friday....
Feiglin also intends to publicly question the legality of the Waqf and its authority to administer the Temple Mount.
He
recently sent a letter to the Israel Police asking for clarifications
regarding the legal authority of the body, and subsequently challenged
the reply that a government decision taken after the Six-Day War of 1967
authorized the Waqf to continue running the site.
“To the best of
my knowledge there is no such decision, and from a reading of the words
of the ministerial committee in 1968 it is clear that they thought
there was no such agreement,” Feiglin wrote to Israel Police Insp.-Gen.
Yohanan Danino.
He then quoted the comments of then Justice
Minister Yaakov Shimshon Shapira from a committee meeting in June 1968
as saying "We never announced that the entirety of the Temple Mount
belongs to the Arabs. We never announced that it is forbidden for Jews
to pray there, we never announced that it is forbidden for Jews to
establish a synagogue there.”
Feiglin wrote that in the absence of
such a decision, “all directives which discriminate between Muslims and
non-Muslims regarding entrance to the [Temple] Mount should be
immediately rescinded, and free entrance from all gates to the Mount be
enabled, in accordance with the law.”
The MK also demanded that
all Waqf stewards be removed from the site and raised questions about
the institutes legal status, questions that he will raise in Monday’s
committee hearing.
In particular, Feiglin claims that the Waqf is
not a registered institute in any state framework, and therefore does
not pay the appropriate taxes and national insurance contributions as
required by law.”
“It seems to me that this a badge of shame for
the Israel Police to cooperate with this criminal organization and for
its police officers to respond to the whims of its officials,” wrote
Feiglin.
It's a pity that it's taken 45 years for anyone to raise this. And that sizzling sound you just heard was
Moshe Dayan rolling over.
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Danny Danon, Jewish Home party, Likud party, Moshe Dayan, Moshe Feiglin, Ofir Akunis, Temple Mount, Tzipi Hotovely, Uri Ariel, Wakf, Zeev Elkin
Can we trust Obama?
Hat Tip for the cartoon:
MFS - The Other News.
Several American allies
don't trust President Obama to carry out an attack on Syria. And in Israel, there is consternation over the fact that he is framing the attack on Syria in terms of protecting us, and fear of the consequences for Iran of the American decision, whatever it might be.
"If the Hill does not approve this, no one will believe Obama when he
says he will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon," one senior
Arab diplomat said.
"They are opening the Champagne in Iran and probably switching to
higher gear on their way to nuclear weapons," Israeli Housing Minister
Uri Ariel wrote on his Facebook page after Obama's speech on Saturday.
"With the world silent toward the atrocities in Syria, toward 100,000
testimonies buried in the ground, and after the clear use of weapons of
mass destruction, we learn that when the day comes when we face real
danger, no one in the world will stand at our side, and we can only
defend ourselves."
Ariel was one of few Israeli lawmakers ignoring a request from Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who, at his cabinet meeting, asked
government officials to keep silent about the "sensitive and delicate
issues" at stake. Israeli officials said privately Obama's invoking the
need to protect Israel as he discusses Syria put their country in a
difficult position in terms of how to respond.
"We are stuck in an impossible situation," one senior Israeli
official said. "If we endorse Obama's message or publicly encourage him
to act we are seen as weak or trying to drag America into a war it
doesn't need for Israel's sake.
"If we stay on the sidelines, we are not seen as being supportive
enough in calling for action. We totally do believe the international
community, led by the United States, should do something because not
acting is a signal to like-minded dictators they can act with impunity.
But we want them to do it because it is a moral imperative for the
world, not for our sake. We have always said we don't rely on anyone for
our security and can take care of ourselves."
Israeli officials said the delay in acting against Syria is raising
questions about Obama's stated commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring
a nuclear weapon.
"The psychological barrier has been broken, these weapons are being
used on a periodic basis," another senior Israeli official said. "So
what does President Obama do when the information comes that the
Iranians are making a breakout? This is what is on people's minds. Next
time President Obama meets Netanyahu and he says 'I have your back,' how
can you trust what he is saying?"
Read the whole thing.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, chemical weapons, Syria, Uri Ariel
And again: Israeli government minister declares 'two-state solution' dead
For the
second time in three months, an Israeli government minister has officially declared the '
two-state solution' dead.
A two-state solution is an unrealistic resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel said on Sunday evening as
he helped dedicate two new neighborhoods of 160 homes in the West Bank
settlement of Kedumim.
“Those who are here understand why the vision of
two states is unrealistic and will ever happen. Those who think they can force
us to build only within the Auschwitz borders are wrong,” Ariel said.
“I
suggest that one should look for those big criminals against humanity somewhere
else,” he said. “They won’t be found here, they are elsewhere in the Middle
East,” he added.
He also helped helped celebrate the construction of a
new neighborhood called Leshem of 300 homes in the Alei Zahav settlement, of
which 100 have been built.
“I will say very clearly that I am here to
build you an apartment, and we are doing this everywhere in Israel. We are
building 300 homes in Leshem just like we are building thousands in Rosh
Ha’ayin. We are building in Kedumim like we are building in Kiryat Gat and in
Modi’in. We are building in Jerusalem like we are building in the Galilee,”
Ariel said.
Building new homes is a Zionist and economic solution to the
high cost of housing, he said.
Has anyone told the
Prime Minister?
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett, Palestinian state, two-state solution, Uri Ariel
Oh my: Look who's likely to be the swing vote if the government decides to expel Jews from 'settlements'
Gil Hoffman reports that despite the Knesset being split 61-59 in favor of the Right, if a plan to expel Jews from 'settlements' comes to a vote, the Left believes that it will carry the day. The Shas party (and maybe United Torah Judaism as well) are eager for the chance to
take revenge on Naftali Bennett for excluding them from the government.
“The haredi parties will be partners in the peace process,” Hatnua MK
Amram Mitzna told the haredi radio station Kol Chai this week.
“A majority can be created in the Knesset for evacuating settlements.”
Mitzna
said haredi MKs have told him they cannot wait to take revenge against
Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett for blocking their parties from
entering the coalition. He said he could also see a scenario whereby
haredi parties join the current coalition at Bayit Yehudi’s expense when
the diplomatic talks with the Palestinians progress.
“The
priorities of the haredim have changed,” Mitzna said. “They say they
aren’t in anyone’s pocket anymore. They know the Right has always
betrayed them.”
I would not believe everything Mitzna says, but it is known that the Haredim were furious at being
excluded from the coalition and they (correctly) place the
blame for that on the deal between Bennett and Yair Lapid. While they expected that kind of behavior from Lapid, they did not expect it from Bennett, and that's why most of the fury is directed at him and his party (that's also playing out in the current mayoral campaign in Beit Shemesh by the way).
But with respect to Shas, there's another aspect that makes this story plausible. Aryeh Deri (pictured at top), who returned to the party in the last election after a lengthy suspension due to a bribery conviction, has always been a Leftist at heart, and he now has the ear of Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef much more closely than does the more Right-leaning Eli Yishai. It's more than plausible that Deri will convince Rav Yosef to order Shas' MK's to vote in favor of an expulsion.
The Right is trying to hold on to the Haredi vote.
The Right also understands the importance of the haredim and their
votes in the Knesset. Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel (Bayit
Yehudi) said Wednesday that he would advance building projects for the
haredi sector not only in Betar Illit and Modi’in Illit on the Green
Line but also in Tel Zion, a haredi neighborhood of the Kochav Ya’acov
settlement north of Jerusalem that is not considered part of a
settlement bloc.
“It is wrong to look at haredim as second-class citizens,” Ariel said. “They deserve building, too.”
But not, apparently, the same funding for their yeshivoth and schools and other educational institutions that the rest of the country gets, and certainly not special concessions from the army. At least in the view of Ariel and his party. While the Haredim have the advantage that the vast majority of their constituents who live in Judea and Samaria live along the green line, something tells me that their votes won't be sold for housing starts that may never be completed. But they might be sold for something better than has been offered to them on the 'sharing the burden' front.
Labels: Aryeh Deri, Beitar Ilit, Eli Yishai, Haredim, IDF, Israeli Knesset, Kiryat Sefer (Modi'in Illit), Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, settlement blocs, Uri Ariel
Hamas bans terrorist release celebrations
Hamas has
banned in Gaza any celebration of Tuesday night's terrorist release, presumably not wanting to recognize the 'achievement' of '
moderate' '
Palestinian' President
Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen. This is from the first link.
Though the majority of the 26 Palestinian prisoners
released on Tuesday night were transferred to Gaza Strip, the biggest
celebrations were expected in Ramallah. Analysts believe that Hamas,
which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, seeks to minimize the
achievement marked by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
...
Hamas... ignored the
celebratory atmosphere in Ramallah, banning citizens from organizing
celebrations despite the two Hamas operatives who were among the 26
prisoners released on Tuesday. While activists organized a festive tent
in Khan Younis to celebrate the first phase of the deal, Hamas ordered
it taken down, in addition to banning placards, posters or other printed
material celebrating the event. The administration seized banners from
families celebrating the return of their relatives to the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas Interior Ministry denied reports that it had
banned celebrations, saying an official team had been formed to organize
a welcome for the returning Palestinians.
Meanwhile, Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) complained that the government lied to Israelis (what a shock!) by releasing terrorists who murdered after Oslo was signed.
Ariel called
for the government to stop the prisoner release, pointing out that several of
the terrorist attacks they perpetrated took place after the Oslo Accords were
signed on September 9, 1993.
“In the ministers’ meeting, we were told
that all the terrorists being released this week only murdered before the Oslo
Accords, but it turns out that this isn’t true,” Ariel stated. “I demand that
the prisoner release be stopped and brought back to a government
vote.”
Some of the victims of terrorists being released Tuesday night
that were killed after the Oslo Accords were signed are Isaac Rottenberg,
murdered on March 29, 1994, David and Chaim Weizman, murdered on December 31,
1993 and Moshe Becker, murdered on January 21, 1994.
Back in the '90's, the 'Palestinians' insisted on the release of terrorists who murdered before Oslo, and the government agreed because, after all, now we were going to have 'peace' and these people were essentially 'prisoners of war.'
Morons.
Labels: Oslo accords, Palestinian terrorists, Uri Ariel, Yitzchak Rabin
Minister calls for Third Temple to be built
This ought to get the chattering classes going. Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel of the Jewish Home party has
called for the Third Temple to be built on the Temple Mount.
Speaking at an archaeological conference next
to the West Bank settlement of Shilo and quoted by Maariv, Ariel called
for a third Temple to be built on the site, which today is home to the
Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque and is considered Judaism’s
holiest site and Islam’s third holiest.
“We’ve built many little, little temples,”
Ariel said, referring to synagogues, “but we need to build a real Temple
on the Temple Mount.”
The Jerusalem site was home to Judaism’s first
and second Temples, both of which were destroyed, the second one in 70
CE. The idea of building a third Temple, while popular among some
religious and right-wing Jews, is considered outside mainstream Israeli
discourse by most.
Last year, Jewish Home MK Zevulun Orlev also
called for the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple, saying that removing the
Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque would mean that the
“billion-strong Muslim world would surely launch a world war.” However,
he added, “everything political is temporary and there is no stability.”
I'll tell you all a secret: I call for the Third Temple to be built three times a day. It's part of our daily prayers. But according to the Prophet Ezekiel, it's going to descend from Heaven all built when God decides that we're ready for it. And there are a lot of things we need to fix before then....
Labels: al-Aqsa mosque, Jerusalem, Jewish Home party, Temple Mount, Third Temple, Uri Ariel
Confirmed: De facto building freeze in 'east' Jerusalem
Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel (Bayit Yehudi - Jewish Home), who was in the opposition to the last government as a member of a 'far right' party, has confirmed that there is a
de facto building freeze for Jews only in 'east' Jerusalem.
“This is very problematic,” Ariel told Army Radio.
“The facts speak for themselves. This is something that needs to be
taken up with the prime minister’s bureau.”
Army Radio reported
earlier this week that political figures and technocrats in a number of
government agencies accuse Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his
aides of stymieing efforts to populate the predominantly Arab portion of
the capital city, which was captured in the 1967 Six-Day War, with
Jews.
Critics of the prime minister, including officials in the
Israel Land Administration, the Jerusalem municipality, and the Yesha
Council, say Netanyahu is fearful of international criticism. It is this
fear, they say, that is driving him to break a campaign promise to
continue Jewish construction beyond the Green Line.
According to
Housing Ministry statistics cited by Army Radio, the government
green-lighted the sale of 200 apartments over the course of 2010 and
2011. Last year, the government authorized the sale of 1,500 apartments
in eastern Jerusalem. ILA officials say officials in the prime
minister’s bureau have directly intervened to prevent the marketing of
available land to the public.
Our 'eternal, indivisible capital'? What the....
And PS to Minister Ariel, you and your party are propping up this wicked government by sitting in it, and you are dictating and are responsible for its policies through your partnership with Yair Lapid. You have known this for weeks, and neither you nor your so-called leader has said a word about it until now. Were it not for the city bureaucrats and people outside government, you would likely still be playing along with Netanyahu's game. 'Nuff said.
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, East Jerusalem, Jerusalem construction, Naftali Bennett, Uri Ariel, Yair Lapid
Deja vu all over again: Netanyahu orders 'settlement freeze,' National Religious Party Jewish Home to stay in government
The more things change the more they stay the same. Mr. Flip Flop himself, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to a 'settlement freeze.' (His father, who had a
highway interchange named after him on Sunday, must be flip-flopping in his grave over his son's fecklessness.
Vinegar the son of wine indeed).
The 'Jewish Home' party, the successor to the 'National, Religious and Must be in the Government' party, is not only going to stay in the government, but
one of its ministers is going to carry out Netanyahu's orders.
And all this just a day after the 'Palestinians' made clear to their fellow Arabs that
they aren't budging one inch regardless of what Netanyahu does.
This is from the third link.
The reported freeze came as the country is under international
pressure not to advance West Bank settlement projects, including those
that were direct responses to unilateral Palestinian statehood efforts
at the United Nations, such as the unbuilt area of Ma’aleh Adumim known
as E1.
Army Radio quoted a government clerk as saying "most of the tenders are prepared and ready to be issued at any minute."
While
neither Netanyahu nor Ariel immediately responded to the report, Bayit
Yehudi MK Ayelet Shaked was quoted by Army Radio as saying that "the
Housing and Construction Ministry has prepared tenders that it is
interested in issuing in the West Bank settlement blocs. They require
the prime minister's signature, and for some reason that is not
happening. It's a shame, there are many housing units ready to be
tendered."
Last week, Ariel warned
that Bayit Yehudi would not support the 2013 budget in the Knesset
unless construction projects in West Bank settlements are fully funded.
“I
turned to the prime minister today and warned him that if the 2013
budget doesn’t include full funding for building projects in Judea and
Samaria, including those decided upon in reaction to the Palestinians’
unilateral statehood bid at the United Nations [this past fall] and
additional projects, Bayit Yehudi will consider its coalition agreement
as having been violated, and it won’t support the budget unless a
solution is found for the promised funds,” Ariel said.
International
pressure to freeze settlement building has only grown stronger now that
the Arab League has modified its 2002 peace plan to include minor land
swaps – a move that is seen as a possible prelude to renewed
negotiations.
Palestinians have also told the US that they won’t
attempt to pursue Israel at the International Criminal Court as long as
Israel refrains from moving forward on the E1 project of 3,500 new
Jewish homes.
In other words, the 'Palestinians' are determined to bide their time until some point in the future where they believe that they are strong enough to defeat us, and in the meantime they are attempting the 46-year freeze on the status of the territories liberated from Jordan 46 years ago this week.
So is Netanyahu 'calling their bluff'? How many times does it have to be called before it's enough? What could go wrong?
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Jewish Home party, Naftali Bennett, National Religious, settlement freeze, Uri Ariel
Obama's true face revealed: Knesset Speaker leads charge blasting Obama
No, not every Israeli politician is willing to praise President Obama's 'closest cooperation ever' with Israel. In fact,
Knesset Speaker Ruby Rivlin blasted Obama and the Democrats on Wednesday in unusually harsh terms due to the changes in the Democratic party platform.
US President Barack Obama's administration does not understand the realities of the Middle East, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said Wednesday, amid ongoing speculation of a rift in US-Israel relations.
"The fact that the Democrats removed a united Jerusalem as Israel's capital from their platform is more worrying than the argument over Iran," Rivlin told The Jerusalem Post. "The change may have far-reaching consequences."
...
According to Rivlin, anyone who thinks that dividing Jerusalem will bring peace is mistaken, and does not understand the Middle East. "A united Jerusalem will help bring peace and stability," he stated.
National Union party leader Uri Ariel, who is in opposition, was even harsher.
MK Uri Ariel (National Union), chairman of the Knesset Caucus for Jerusalem, said Wednesday that "finally, Obama's true face is revealed."
According to Ariel, Obama previously acted against Jerusalem via surrogates and messengers, but now his actions show his intentions. "We must not worry. With or without Obama, Jerusalem will stay united under Israeli sovereignty forever," the National Union MK added.
Someone had better call Dumb Dumb Debbie to do damage control immediately. Otherwise some of those Jooz might decide it's more important to vote for Israel than for unrestricted abortions.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Campaign 2012, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, National Democratic Party, Ruby Rivlin, Uri Ariel
Ruh Roh... What are Netanyahu and Mofaz not telling us?
The Knesset has now stopped deliberations on Shaul Mofaz's nomination to be Deputy Prime Minister twice due to
suspicions of oral agreements between Mofaz and Netanyahu that have not been disclosed. Under Knesset rules, all agreements relating to the makeup of the coalition must be placed before the Knesset before it decides to vote its confidence in the coalition.
Minutes before the Knesset was meant to vote on installing Mofaz as a minister in the new unity government, National Union MK Uri Ariel demanded that any other stipulations to the deal, that may have been reached orally, be clarified, including whether other ministries were offered to Kadima.
Ariel asked Netanyahu if there was an "appendix" to the coalition agreement which offered Kadima ministerial positions.
In a letter he sent to Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin, Ariel wrote "Unfortunately, there is a great fear that the coalition agreement between Kadima and Likud as it was submitted on the Knesset table does not reveal all the agreements and understandings concerning appointments that were promised to the [Kadima] faction."
Labor MK Isaac Herzog, speaking just after Ariel, demanded that the vote be postponed, asking the prime minister directly if any additional "oral agreements" had been made that were not included in the written deal.
Netanyahu said such items had been discussed, but nothing was signed, understanding that only written and signed agreements needed to be presented at the Knesset on Wednesday.
Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin suspended the vote, asking the prime minister and any relevant parties to present any such agreements.
National Union is a right-wing party that is part of the opposition. Labor is a center-left party whose leader, Shelly Yachimovich, is about to become opposition leader.
UPDATE 6:44 PMMofaz has now been
installed by a vote of 71-23. With a coalition of 94 members....
The Knesset installed MK Shual Mofaz as Vice Premier Wednesday by a vote of 71 to 23 following an hour-long break, in which the revelation of a secret oral coalition agreement threatened to derail the deal.
...
Netanyahu said such items had been discussed, but nothing was signed, understanding that only written and signed agreements needed to be presented at the Knesset on Wednesday.
"In negotiations, there are talks about things that might happen in the future," Netanyahu said. "They also involved possibility of ministers."
Speaking after the vote, Ariel said "It turns out that the prime minister speaks the truth, and may God bless him."
"I brought this up because I was told, and I know that Kadima was promised [other] ministries."
Does anyone actually believe there were no backroom deals?
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Israeli Knesset, Shaul Mofaz, Uri Ariel
Creeping annexation?
A bill that has been introduced in the Knesset to put museums located in Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria is not just intended to provide a funding vehicle says sponsor
Uri Ariel (National Union). It's also meant to be the beginning of a process that will
annex the Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria to the State of Israel.
On the surface of it, the bill is about museum funding and allows those institutions to apply for government money on an equal footing with museums within the pre-Six Day War armistice line.
But the bill’s author, MK Uri Ariel (National Union), has been blunt about his plan to annex Judea and Samaria through a de facto legislative process, by which each Israeli law would be amended to apply to West Bank settlements. At present, they are under military law.
On Wednesday, the Knesset Education Committee, during a meeting in which only three members were present, Ariel and Israel Beiteinu MKs Robert Ilatov and Alex Miller unanimously approved the museum bill for its first reading by the legislature. It becomes law only after a third reading passes.
“It could be voted on in the Knesset plenum [for a first reading] as early as next week or the week after,” said Miller, who chairs the Education Committee.
...
As a resident of the Ariel settlement in Samaria, Miller told The Jerusalem Post he sees how the problem with the region’s museums are part and parcel of the larger issue of living in an area of the country which is under military law.
Currently, he said, an “absurd situation” exists in which Israel is a democratic country, and yet in Judea and Samaria its citizens do not have the same rights as other Israelis.
Waiting to hear howls of protest from Obama, the EU, the 'Palestinians' and the UN.... But this is a direct consequence of the 'Palestinian' refusal to come to the table. Actions have consequences.
Labels: annexation, Uri Ariel
