|
Resolve Israel Spat Quietly, Obama Urged
by Hilary Leila Krieger
 Top Congressional leaders express “deep concern” over the recent
U.S.-Israel row and call for the Obama administration to resolve
differences with Israel “quietly” in a letter thousands of American
Israel Public Affairs Committee activists will be urging lawmakers to
sign this coming week. U.S. House of Representatives Majority
Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor
(R-VA), joined by the bipartisan leadership of the House Foreign
Affairs Committee and Middle East subcommittee, acknowledge differences
in U.S. and Israeli policy even as they reaffirm their commitment to
Israel in the letter, addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton. “We recognize that, despite the extraordinary closeness
between our country and Israel, there will be differences over issues
both large and small,” they write. “Our view is that such differences
are best resolved quietly, in trust and confidence, as befits
longstanding strategic allies. (Jerusalem Post)
Both Sides Claim Success as Diplomatic Row Wanes
by Ethan Bronner
  After 10 days of public quarreling over Jewish building in East
Jerusalem, the Israeli government and the Obama administration have
each declared victory and started to make up. The Americans believe
they have extracted important concessions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; the Israelis think they have yielded little. The Israelis say that while Mr. Netanyahu offered
confidence-building measures for Palestinians in the West Bank, he made
no concessions on Jerusalem. According to a senior official, Israel considered itself sovereign in Jerusalem and
that even though the world disagreed, Israel would do nothing to
foster, even tacitly, the de facto division of the city. Said one Netanyahu aide, "Still, there is definitely a desire on both sides to pull back from the brink of confrontation.” (New York Times)
Obama on Israel: Friends Can Disagree
by Josh Gerstein
President Barack Obama is rejecting talk that U.S.-Israel relations are in a
meltdown. Asked in a Fox News interview Wednesday whether the falling out
amounted to a "crisis," Obama said flatly, "No." "Israel's one of our
closest allies and we and the Israeli people have a special bond that's not
going to go away. But friends are going to disagree sometimes," the president
said. "There is a disagreement in terms of how we can move this peace process
forward....[On Tuesday], when there were riots by the Palestinians against a
synagogue that had been reopened, we condemned them in the same way because what
we need right now is both sides to recognize that it is in their interests to
move this peace process forward." (Politico)
Destroyed Jerusalem Synagogue Rededicated
by Abe Selig and Hilary Leila Krieger
 The renowned Hurva synagogue inside the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City has been rebuilt and is again an operational house of prayer after a 62-year hiatus. The synagogue, once the largest in Jerusalem, was destroyed by the Jordanian Arab Legion during the War of Independence in 1948. Meanwhile on Monday, the U.S. State Department criticized Palestinians for stoking tensions at the rededication of the historic synagogue. (Jerusalem Post)
Simpsons' Upcoming Visit to Israel
by Matan Abramovich
 The first images from the upcoming episode of The Simpsons, in which the animated family visits Israel, were released this week after six months of buzz over the special show to be aired in the United States on March 28. The episode, titled "The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed," includes scenes of Homer and Bart at the Western Wall with their Israeli tour guide, who will be voiced by British comedian Sascha Baron Cohen, of Borat and Bruno fame. In the episode, Homer gets "Jerusalem Syndrome" and believes that he is the Messiah. Also, the tour guide bickers and exchanges political barbs with Marge. "This is an episode that people from all three religions will be equally offended by," said Simpsons producer Al Jean. (Ha'aretz)
|
Tell Us What You Think About Israel Campus Beat and Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
 Click here to fill out the survey
U.S. to Send Envoy Back to Mideast as Israel Moves to Smooth Relations
by Glenn Kessler
 In an effort to defuse a bitter spat
with the United States, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
called Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday night to
propose confidence-building measures to get Middle East peace talks
back on track, U.S. and Israeli officials said. Netanyahu's proposals, while not immediately disclosed, were
sufficient for the Obama administration to say that it would send
special envoy George J. Mitchell back to the region on Sunday in a bid
to start indirect talks between Israelis and Palestinians. Officials said that Clinton and President Obama were furious that Israel
announced that 1,600 housing units were being planned in East Jerusalem
as Vice President Biden was on a goodwill trip to Israel. Netanyahu
agreed that the timing of the announcement was poor, but he has
publicly maintained that Israel has a right to build in parts of
Jerusalem that it annexed after the 1967 war. (Washington Post)
AIPAC Conference Comes at Crucial Juncture for U.S.-Israel Relations
by Nathan Guttman
 The best show in town is about to get even better. The
American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual parley is known for
pulling in top names from the administration, Congress and the Israeli
government. But this year, the conference
will put many of the key players in the American-Israeli relationship
onstage, as relations between the two allies are at a rare pitch of
tension. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
will get a chance to explain her views on Israel’s settlement activity. Netanyahu himself will take the
stage later that day, expecting to receive a needed dose of support
before facing President Obama at the White House on March 23. The
conference will host hundreds of lawmakers, many of them torn between
supporting the administration and wishing to show their friendship to
Israel. Some 7,000 AIPAC activists are also expected to attend during
the course of the three-day conference. (Forward)
More Rockets Hit Israel's South
by Shmulik Hadad
 Several Qassam rockets were fired from the
Gaza Strip Saturday, prompting residents in southern Israel to take
cover in secure rooms. On Thursday, a Thai worker was killed in
Netiv Ha'asara, just north of the Gaza border and another 50 Thai
laborers suffered from shock after a Qassam landed in a greenhouse. Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon called on the Palestinians to end rocket attacks from Gaza,
while urging Israel to lift the Gaza blockade. (Ynet News)
|