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February 22, 2004
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Israel's Anti-Terror Fence: Upcoming Hearings and the International Court of Justice (Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations)
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 Jerusalem Bus Bombing by Anshel Pfeffer
At least 7 people were killed and at least 60 were wounded Sunday, 11 of them seriously, in a suicide bombing aboard a No. 14 bus in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Rehavia, near Liberty Bell Park.
The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, a militant group associated with Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction, claimed responsibility.
(Ha'aretz)
Israel Ponders Changes in Security Barrier by Joshua Brilliant
According to Lt. Col. Shai Brovendeer, coordinator of the operational aspects of the new security fence, Israel is planning several changes in its barrier through the West Bank to alleviate hardships for Palestinians. "This fence was put up in haste. We couldn't wait," said Major Sharon Feingold, an army spokesperson. "People were dying by the hundreds in this country, so we built the fence and...it saves lives. Today, when we have a better sense of security, we can sit back and relax and look at what we've done and...mistakes will be corrected." (UPI/Washington Post)
Israel Readies for PR Blitz in The Hague by Nina Gilbert
A total of 927 Jewish students from Israel and abroad will represent all the victims of Palestinian terror attacks since September 2000 when they demonstrate outside the International Court of Justice in The Hague this week while arguments are being heard against the security fence. The aim of Israel's program is to "make the Palestinians regret the day they ever sent the matter to the court," explained a Foreign Ministry official. Each of the 927 demonstrators will hold a placard detailing the identity of a terror victim and his life story. (Jerusalem Post)
Arafat Blocking Key Palestinian Reform
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is preventing his prime minister from implementing a financial reform that is a key European and American demand, and has become a condition for much-needed financial aid, cabinet ministers said Tuesday. Qurei's cabinet approved legislation last week allowing the PA to pay security forces directly into their bank accounts, but Arafat refused to implement the cabinet decision. (AP/Los Angeles Times)
Princeton: Powell On Palestinians
We pressed the Palestinian side to abandon all support of terrorist activities, and also to deal with those organizations and individuals who continue to espouse terrorism as a way of solving the problem. Last year the President took a large political step, with political risk, when he put enough pressure on the Palestinian side for them to come forward with somebody who could be seen as a peacemaker, the new Prime Minister Abu Mazen. Unfortunately, it didn't work because the Palestinians were unable - and I put the blame squarely on Mr. Arafat - Arafat was not willing to provide authority to Abu Mazen to take control of the security organizations and to go after terrorism and speak out against terrorism. (State Department)
Avi Chai Foundation to the Rescue: $7 Million Grant Could Save Birthright by Dina Kraft
A new grant of $7 million to birthright israel is breathing new life into the cash-strapped program, allowing birthright to more than double the number of slots available for this summer's tours. With a new "challenge grant" of $7 million from the Avi Chai Foundation, birthright and Avi Chai are hoping the group of 14 Jewish philanthropists who helped launch birthright will match the Avi Chai grant. Already, the group has notified its trip providers that it will now be able to bring 8,200 young Jews to Israel this summer. (JTA)
 From Kalkilya It May Seem Like a Cage, But in Kfar Saba the Fence is a Life-Saver by Dina Kraft
Kalkilya is surrounded on all sides by what Israel calls the separation fence, a barrier the government says it must build to protect its citizens from suicide bombers, snipers and other Palestinian terrorists. Just across the boundary and only a little over a mile away, in the Israeli city of Kfar Saba, the barrier is welcomed. According to the Israeli army spokesman's office, five suicide bombers from Kalkilya have carried out attacks in Israel. (JTA)
See also below Point-Counterpoint: More Viewpoints on Israel's Defense Barrier
Changing the Strategy to Combat Terrorism by Ron Ben-Yishai
Palestinian society as well as PA leadership and security apparatuses are fragmented to the point of collapse. There is not one element or coalition that can bring about a complete cessation of terrorism and strip the armed groups of their weapons and explosive belts. In order to suppress terrorism, the aim should be to separate and if possible create a sharp rift between the terrorism activists and the non-combatant civilian population that supports them. (Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies)
Hawks of Different Feathers by Shlomo Avineri
There are two kinds of hawks in Israel: ideological and strategic. The ideological hawks view the territories as an integral part of the historical Land of Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people. For the strategic hawks, given Israel's narrow and vulnerable shape and continuing Arab enmity, controlling the West Bank and Gaza is not an ideological imperative, but one driven by security considerations. For them, Jewish settlements in the territories are security outposts, aimed at preventing or repelling an attack on the Israeli heartland. Ariel Sharon is a strategic hawk. (Jerusalem Post)
Can Israel Get a Fair Trial? by Gerald M. Steinberg
As the International Court of Justice's consideration of Israel's separation fence draws closer, the political and propaganda aspects of this battle are gaining strength. For the Palestinians and their supporters, this is a mega-opportunity to put Israel on trial and a milestone in the demonization process. The fact that this case is being heard at all further erodes any remaining moral authority of the UN and the international court. (National Post-Canada)
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Columbia: All Agree on Israel at Candidate Forum by Julie Carson
During last week's presidential candidates' forum, the speakers largely echoed the concerns and beliefs of the pro-Israel audience. Matthew Mandelberg, the forum organizer as well as LionPAC's political coordinator, introduced the event. "You need to understand why Israel is vitally important to the world as a beacon of democracy and self-determination," he said. A point of unanimous consent among the candidates, was that Yasser Arafat should not be considered a legitimate partner for peace. (Spectator)
Emory: Visiting Prof Discusses Voting Trends in Israel from a Native's Perspective by Tal Kramer
Hebrew University Professor Reuvan Hazan, an expert on the politics of modern Israel and a specialist on parliamentary democracy, said Israel's political shift to the right was "natural" after 40 months of terrorist attacks. He said the growth in right-wing influence and the consistent public opinion supporting peace negotiations was a paradox. "[Israelis] still want peace, are willing to go back to the negotiating table and are willing to give back to the Palestinians, not just what they were willing to offer prior to the violence, but more," Hazan said. (Emory Wheel)
Conference Provides Israel Advocacy Tips by Diane Koven
Fifty-five students from a dozen universities in Ontario and Quebec gathered in Ottawa earlier this month for a three-day Hasbara Fellowships Activism Conference. "One of the biggest issues we are facing," said Patrick Amar, "is how to reach out and make Israel more mainstream, more accepted by more non-Zionist students....We need to reach out to students for their interests - to put what is important to them on our agenda." (Canadian Jewish News)
Alabama: Rep. Davis Discusses Racism with Students by Samantha Hall
U.S. Rep. Artur Davis elaborated on the importance of diversity Monday at an event sponsored by the Alabama Friends of Israel, the SGA Adopt-A-Legislator Committee and UA College Democrats. Davis said some people on the UA campus want to divide individuals based on color, ethnicity, social and economic lines. He said that without the coming together of those differences, there never would have been a civil rights movement. Asked to touch on the situation in Israel and the prospective road map to peace, Davis said it would be difficult to develop a road map to peace until hatred is removed from cultures in the Middle East.
(Crimson White)
Tulane: TIPAC Speaker Gives Talk on Violence in Israel by Evan Korngold
Speaker Neil Lazarus, an English-born Israeli, presented the history of violence within Israel and the country's relationships with its surrounding nations. Lazarus said many college students in America believe that the occupation of Palestinian territories dating back to the war in 1967 is the main issue of contention between the Muslims and Jews in the West Bank area. Lazarus described an incident where he narrowly missed being the victim of a suicide bomber while living outside of Jerusalem. (Hullabaloo)
Hasbara: Israel's Campus PR by Erika Schnieder
This January, Hasbara Fellowships, sponsored by Aish HaTorah, organized a trip to Israel in which over 130 students from campuses across the United States and Canada participated. The trip was designed to help students become more involved and more knowledgeable about the situation in Israel and bring this knowledge back to campus. While the struggle on a quiet campus involves educating apathetic students who don't know all the facts, the battle on a highly active campus involves combating passionate students who challenge Israel's right to exist. (New American Voice)
UMass: Student Activists Launch Campaign Promoting Israel's Image by Morris Singer
The UMass. Student Alliance for Israel recently organized a semester-long flyer distribution effort to promote Israel's image on the University campus. "When people think of Israel, they tend to think of it as a far away place that doesn't affect them, but here we are trying to show them that Israel affects them everyday and that it shouldn't be thought of as a distant place," said sophomore Steven M. Spiegel. "There are technologies that were either invented, or significant portions of [their invention] were the results of Israeli technological advances," said sophomore Meir L. Dashevsky. (Daily Collegian)
Arizona: Student Anti-Terror Resolution Won't Get Sen. Kyl's Signature by Jeff Sklar
Sen. Jon Kyl declined yesterday to sign a student senate resolution opposing terrorism, though he expressed support for pro-Israel causes during a meeting with leaders of a campus Israeli activist group. Kyl said Israel won't be able to make peace until it is able to defend itself and the United States can eliminate terrorism throughout the region, including in Saudi Arabia. Kyl said Palestinians are suffering under their current leadership, and said their plight would continue until moderates have a "fair fight to take over." (Daily Wildcat)
Illinois Urbana: Makovsky Sparks Discussion on Middle East by Winyan Soo Hoo
David Makovsky, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, gave a lecture last week with a focus on Arab-Israeli relations. Makovsky said he thinks the fence is a realistic solution because the countries could not negotiate a partition. "There was no fence before three years of suicide bombs. If there was no terror, there would be no fence." (Daily Illini)
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Washington, St. Louis: Emotions Were High When Shapiro Appeared by Julia Hennenberg
Adam Shapiro, a Washington University graduate and founder of International Solidarity, spoke about "core issues of the Middle East conflict" and his experiences in the Middle East. When questioned after presenting heart-wrenching details which focused solely on victims of the Israeli army and failing to mention victims of forces fighting in the name of Palestine, Mr. Shapiro responded, "I was simply telling about my experiences." Shapiro failed to inform the audience of all of the violence against Jews in (present day) Israel that was occurring before the 1967 settlements were ever erected. What is really at the heart of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict are not settlements, but hatred and persecution. (StudentLife)
Brown: Buttu Should Stop Wailing About the Wall by Joshua Samson Marcus
Legal adviser to the Palestinian negotiating team Diana Buttu does not mention the myriad statements by the Palestinian leadership that an Israeli withdrawal will be used as a springboard for the annihilation of the Jewish State. Buttu asserts that the wall Israel is building to keep out Palestinian terrorists is a roadblock to peace. I would think that terrorist attacks themselves, not efforts to thwart them, would merit that criticism. (Daily Herald letter to the editor)
Illinois Urbana: Israel Needs Less Press by Dahlia Weinberg
The Daily Illini has demonstrated an agenda by giving space to anti-Israeli writers and only printing countering letters as responses. DI columnists bring up Israel regularly and say negative things that are usually untrue. Daily Illini columnists and letter writers quote terrorist sources in efforts to bring forth lies and hate upon Israelis and the Jewish people. (Daily Illini letter to the editor)
New Mexico: West Bank Wall Stands for Safety by Dan Knecht
Rarely does the ink on the obituary page of the Jerusalem Post dry before another round of terrorism claims more victims. The fence could quite possibly end the four years of the intifada's senseless violence. Yes, the fence is a sad reality of the Middle East, but, if it will lead to a reduction of violence, I say go for it. A fence already surrounds the Gaza Strip. Since its construction, not a single suicide bomber has successfully entered Israel to detonate. (Daily Lobo)
Wisconsin: Bombing in Jerusalem Surprises No One by David Breau
Palestinian security forces are either unwilling or unable to deliver security to Jewish Israelis in Gaza. In either case Israel has every right, as all nations do, to protect its citizens from future terrorist attacks. In contrast, Palestinians have no right to target civilians. Israel's preventing and responding to terrorist attacks is a moral imperative that cannot be legitimately compared to the Palestinians' deliberate targeting of innocent Israelis traveling on a bus. (Badger Herald letter to the editor)
Embrace Honest Debate by Gil Troy
The casual bigotry of the politically correct imposes unfair burdens on pro-Jewish politics and on Israel itself. It demands Israel and its supporters act unnaturally nobly. It forces Jewish students to apologize for doing what their non-Jewish peers do naturally; it inhibits many pro-Israel professors from standing up, especially if they are untenured. Tragically, Israel gets little credit on campus, the UN or elsewhere, for the added expense and risk it incurs worrying about Palestinian quality of life. (Jerusalem Post)
Pitt: Responses to One-Sided Column by Hillel Center
The blood indeed flows on both sides, but while Israelis are targeting military combatants and terrorists, the Palestinians are almost exclusively targeting Jewish civilians. What should be learned from Mr. Funk's article is there is a lot of bad information out there, and a lot of newspapers willing to publish it. (Pitt News letter to the editor)
Penn: Israeli Author Finds Fodder in Personal Experience by Julia Barmeier
Orly Castel Bloom was awarded the Tel Aviv Prize for Literature in 1990 for her book "Where I Am". What distinguishes her prose - and is the reason she has been pointed to as revolutionary among writers of her generation - is her juxtaposition of common and slang Hebrew with more academic Hebrew. Living in Israel, Bloom said that the current political situation has impacted her life. While talk of bombings has become common conversation with her youngest daughter, Bloom no longer prohibits her oldest daughter from riding the public buses. (Daily Pennsylvanian.com)
Roy Goldstein is Fulfilling His Dream by Melissa Radler
After completing his service in the IDF last year, Roy Goldstein had two wishes: He wanted to go to college in the U.S., and he wanted to get there on a basketball scholarship. As the second-highest scorer on the team in Maine, Goldstein, a business major who says he hopes to experience life in a big U.S. city after graduation, is certainly living up to expectations. (Jerusalem Post)
Seeing the Forest for the Trees by Mark Schulman
Planting trees is practically a national past time in Israel, especially during the Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shvat - Jewish Arbor Day. U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth rolled up his sleeves with Israeli President Moshe Katsav to plant the first tree - an olive tree - of a newly dedicated forest in Jerusalem. In recent years, the U.S. Forest Service has started a tradition of celebrating Tu B'Shvat in America, together with the Jewish National Fund (JNF), Israel's lead agency for forest management and land development. (Israel21c)
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 - More Viewpoints on Israel's Defense Barrier | | Good Fences Make Good Neighbors by Peter Berkowitz
- Almost every Israeli knows somebody who has been wounded, maimed, or blown to bits by a suicide bomber. For Israelis, the front line is now at home, and it is this transformation of their struggle with the Palestinians that has produced an overwhelming majority - perhaps two thirds of the citizenry - in favor of the security fence.
- The case for Israel's security fence is clear and compelling and accounts for the dramatic convergence of Israeli opinion in support of it.
- More than 900 Israelis have been killed and more than 6,000 have been wounded. In a country of about 6.4 million, that is the equivalent of almost 40,000 dead and a quarter of a million wounded in the United States.
- Although critics casually refer to it as a wall, in fact more than 95 percent of the barrier that Israel is building around the West Bank is made out of chain-link fence. Not ordinary chain-link fence, to be sure. It is electrified so that when an intruder touches it, Israeli forces are alerted.
- Meanwhile, the U.N. General Assembly, in the eyes of many thoughtful Israelis, has played into the hands of the extremists. When it placed the matter before the International Court of Justice, the General Assembly took the issue away from the Israeli and Palestinian negotiators charged with it under several U.N. Security Council Resolutions and agreements among the parties, including the U.S.-backed "road map." (Weekly Standard)
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The Israeli Barrier Doesn't Belong in Court - Editorial
- Whatever the rights or wrongs of the controversial barrier, the court is not the proper forum to examine the issue - and not merely because the odds are stacked against Israel from the outset.
- 30 countries, including Canada, the United States, Russia and the members of the European Union, all rightly agree with Israel's position that this is a political issue that needs to be addressed through political means.
- It is well recognized in international law that countries have a right to protect their borders, including building high walls, if they so desire. And it is understandable that Israel would want to create as large an impediment as possible to the suicide bombers who have often roamed freely into Israel from occupied territory.
- The fence juts deeply into the West Bank to include many Jewish settlements, isolating Palestinian towns and in some cases cutting off people's access to hospitals, schools, workplaces and sources of water.
- The court's task is to provide a non-binding advisory opinion to the United Nations General Assembly, which asked the judges to take up the matter urgently. The assembly, which has never failed to embrace an anti-Israel resolution, has already made up its mind that the fence is indefensible.
- Israel has the right to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks, but ultimately its best hope of doing that lies in a negotiated peace. No matter what the court decides - and it may yet choose not to offer any opinion - it will not help to get that process back on track.
(Toronto Globe and Mail)
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