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February 20, 2005
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 Ariel Sharon Speaks to Arab Press for the First Time
In his first interview with an Arab newspaper since taking office, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he understood the costs of war and was willing to make painful concessions for peace - though not at the price of his country's security. Sharon told Egypt's daily Al-Ahram that if calm prevailed between the Israelis and Palestinians, the sides could soon begin political negotiations toward a final settlement. "Generals are always seen as people who want wars. The truth is otherwise," Sharon said. "I think it is important...for our generation who lived through it all to really take over the mission of pushing the peace process." (AP/USA Today)
Gallup Poll: More Americans Approve of Israel and Palestinians by Uri Dan
The attitude of Americans toward both Israel and the Palestinians is soaring in the aftermath of last week's Mideast summit and the shaky but continuing truce, a new poll released last week shows. More Americans - 29 percent - have a positive view of the Palestinian Authority than in any previous poll, although 62 percent still have a negative view of it. Also, 69 percent of the U.S. public, the highest level in nearly six years, regard Israel positively, according to the Gallup Poll. (New York Post)
Jordan Will Return Its Envoy to Israel on Sunday
Jordan's ambassador to Israel will return to Tel Aviv on Sunday, more than four years after the country withdrew its envoy following the start of the Palestinian uprising, the foreign minister said Wednesday. "Yes, our ambassador is returning Sunday," Foreign Minister Hani al-Mulki said. (ABC News)
See also Back to Tel Aviv: The Next Egyptian Ambassador to Israel by Nevine Khalil
According to an informed Egyptian source, the candidate under consideration is Mohamed El-Orabi. It is almost certain that both the Jordanian and Egyptian ambassadors will return to Israel by March. (Al Ahram-Egypt)
Palestinian Police Won't Stop Militants by Lara Sukhtian
Palestinian policemen, who have been given the task of restraining militants, say they can't or won't do the job. A tour of four Palestinian security posts near the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis found the policemen are there largely as symbols. "I will never raise my weapons against the fighters," one officer said. "I can only ask them not to fire." (AP/Washington Post)
Israel Ends Demolition of Palestinian Houses
Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz ordered an end Thursday to the policy of demolishing the houses of Palestinians involved in attacks against Israelis, the military said. Mr. Mofaz decided to "stop exercising the legal right to demolish terrorists' houses as a means of deterrence" after a recommendation from army chief of staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Yaalon, the statement said. (Globe and Mail)
 Real Peace for a Real City by James Carroll
Jerusalem means peace, and for once peace is in the air. In my few days here, I have spoken with Israeli and Palestinian friends both, and for the first time in years, they sound alike. "We'll seize any excuse for hope," an Israeli said; "We are all ready for something new," a Palestinian told me. Everyone is attuned to the difficulties that lie ahead, yet no one wants to emphasize those, as if to unleash them. (Boston.com)
Consolidating the Palestinian-Israeli Ceasefire by Michael Herzog
The ceasefire hangs by a very thin thread. The first order of the day for Abbas is to define it clearly, formally, and in terms equally understood and subscribed to by all the militant factions and by Israel, and to avoid setting a debilitating timeframe for it. Abbas can and should draw on Palestinian popular support for his policies, which Hamas is not likely to ignore while striving to establish itself politically in the upcoming parliamentary elections. (Washington Institute for Near East Policy)
The Pale Charm of Sharm by Ehud Ya'ari
Hamas wants to maintain a confrontational cease-fire, studded with occasional incidents, which will provide the constant threat of exploding the entire deal. It sees the cease-fire as a way of stopping, or at least reducing the operations of the Israeli army and the Shin Bet against its members. In Israel there are the usual starry-eyed pundits predicting that Hamas is about to transform itself from a terrorist underground to a political party. But this is a serious mistake. Hamas seeks a political cover for its military movement, not its elimination. (Jerusalem Report)
Bradley: Israeli, Palestinian Climbers Come to Trust Each Other by Amanda Codispoti
Four Israelis and four Palestinians sailed to Antarctica and climbed a mountain last year, achieving something their respective leaders had not. "We had total trust between us," said Doron Erel, an Israeli member of the expedition who spoke about his peace mission, "Breaking the Ice," last week to a crowd of 70 at Bradley University. (PJStar)
Brown: Protest Seeks Divestment from Israel by Kim Stickels
Chanting "Palestine must be free, Israel equals white supremacy," approximately 25 people gathered last week demanding that the university divest from the State of Israel, all Israeli corporations, and any U.S. companies doing business with Israel. Passersby reacted negatively to the protesters. "It's immoral, hypocritical, and anti-Semitic," said Paul Savitz '07. "There are more people here than I expected but less than I feared." (Brown Daily Herald)
Columbia: Jewish Alumni Threaten to Stop Contributions by Uriel Heilman
A group of Jewish Columbia alumni are warning Columbia University that it had better remedy the anti-Israel atmosphere in its Middle East studies department - or pay a price. "The film 'Columbia Unbecoming' highlights how MEALAC professors have disregarded the very foundation of academia - objective teaching and research - and inflamed the classroom with personal politics and anti-Israel hate," wrote Yael Lerman Mazar, the former MEALAC major. "This is not the Columbia my husband and I take pride in and not the Columbia we intend to support." (Jerusalem Post)
Johns Hopkins: CHAI Kicks off Israel Week by Sammy Rose Saltzman
The Coalition of Hopkins Activists for Israel began its Israel Week activities on Tuesday with a speech by Eliot Cohen, a professor at Hopkins's School of Advanced International Studies, who spoke on the future of the Middle East. "The goal of the Israel Week is really to offer Hopkins students an opportunity to see and experience the many fascinating facets of Israeli life, while simultaneously giving them an opportunity to contribute to Israel," said junior Ilya Bourtman, president of CHAI. (John Hopkins Newsletter)
Johns Hopkins: Treasure Troves of History Arrive by Glenn Small
Two new collections give a boost to the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences' Jewish Studies program. The first is the archive and library of the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies. The Wyman material provides a rich, early look into Zionism and the founding of Israel. The other is the Collected Papers of Jacob Blaustein, an adviser to four presidents who served as a delegate to the United Nations. He was also president of the American Jewish Congress. (John Hopkins Gazette)
Maryland: Former Israeli Official Questions U.N. Policies by Jessica Olive and Mary Robbins
Dore Gold, former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, discussed his recent book and criticized the United Nations' role in mediating global conflict in a speech on the campus last week. Gold highlighted examples of anti-democratic domination within the United Nations, citing evidence of United Nations officials who shook hands with terrorist leaders and were "unable to distinguish the world aggressors from the defenders," he said. (Diamondback)
Technion: Israel, Doing Just Fine!
Sigal Dornay was in charge of an intelligence unit as a member of the Israel Defense Forces before enrolling as a student at the Technion. She will graduate next year with a degree in Industrial Engineering and Management. Contrary to what many Americans think, people studying, living and working in Israel are doing just fine. Dornay will join fellow Technion student Isaac Garaway and Professor Alfred M. Bruckstein as they tour the United States as part of the American Technion Society's educational outreach effort. (Yahoo News)
Wisconsin: Israel Back on Overseas Study Program by Gabrielle Birkner
The University of Wisconsin last week became the first major public university to reinstate its study abroad program to Israel. UW officials said they decided to re-establish their longstanding presence at Hebrew University's Rothberg School due to heightened security measures at the Jerusalem campus, fewer recent terrorist incidents in and around Jerusalem, and indications that the region's political climate is improving. The school will require students to sign a liability waiver before enrolling in a school-sanctioned program in Israel. (New York Jewish Week)
See also UW Reintroduces Israeli Study Abroad Program by Natalie Rhoads
Al-Awda (Palestine Right to Return Coalition) member Mohammed Abed said his organization stands firmly against the reinstatement of the study abroad program in Israel. He added that all main universities and institutions in Israel should be boycotted. (Badger Herald)
Wharton: Not Just Another Consulting Project by Kavita Baball and John Raezer
Over a mere seven days, a lucky group of Wharton students and faculty participating in the Israel Global Consulting Practicum was immersed in an intense learning experience that transcended geographic and temporal boundaries. Cross-cultural teams often have their disagreements; these led us to explore and learn from our differences. Each team managed to successfully complete its consulting proposals for its clients and we said goodbye to our newfound Israeli friends as we headed off to visit the ancient city of Jerusalem. (Wharton Journal)
YU Students Spend Winter Break in Israel by Elyasaf Schwartz
With over 200 Yeshiva students who flew to Israel to spend their winter break, the Yeshiva University Israel Club organized a variety of events for visiting students to enjoy. 25 students interested in making aliyah participated in a session at the Nefesh B'Nefesh Office. Yeshiva student volunteers were placed in three different soup kitchens/warehouses in an effort to help feed Israel's hungry. (Commentator)
UC - Berkeley: Revising History at Berkeley: Israeli 'Occupation 101' by Abraham Miller
At Sharm el Sheik, two states, living side by side, in peace, was the enthusiastic refrain being sung in the diplomatic halls on February 8. On that day, "Students for Justice in Palestine" at the University of California Berkeley campus presented "Occupation 101," illustrating their obliviousness of the events of the day. It was 90 minutes of unrestrained historical revisionism and America and Israel bashing all moving toward one goal: to create a divestiture campaign at Berkeley. (ChronWatch)
UC-Davis: Students Weigh in on Mideast Peace Agreement by Christian Danielsen
After five years of intermittent violence, the conflict in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories may have reached a turning point. According to Tamar Segev, vice president of Aggies for Israel, "The U.S. chose Israel as a partner because Israel is the first democracy in the Middle East, and that's why they see them as a partner and chose to support them. However, I think if they're really is going to be hope for the Palestinians, the U.S. needs to give a lot of aid to them as well - the whole world needs to help." (California Aggie)
UC-Irvine: Muslim Student Union Impedes Peaceful Talks by Adam Cooper
A few weeks ago there were two rallies of note on campus. One was a peace rally, and one was a war rally. One bemoaned the evil of terrorism, and one promoted it. The peace rally took the form of an antiterrorism event sponsored by AFI, the pro-Israeli organization on campus. There were no calls for war or revenge, or to punish the Palestinian people or to continue Israel's untenable occupation of the territories. Just a plea for peace. The war rally took place two days later when the Muslim Student Union brought the now-notorious Amir-Abdel Malik Ali to speak. (New University Paper)
U-Conn: Israel, Palestine Moving Forward - Editorial
Since Mahmoud Abbas took office as president of the Palestinian Authority on Jan. 15, Palestine and Israel have resumed diplomatic talks. Peace between the two leaders could be closer than ever. Of course, there are still many details that need to be worked out, especially the status of Jerusalem, but there is new reason to have hope that this time, peace is possible. (Daily Campus)
Harvard: Democracy, Freedom Always Right Choice by Alvin Powell
Almost as soon as it happened, Western leaders forgot the lesson of the Soviet Union's fall: that freedom, democracy, and human rights go hand in hand with security, according to former Soviet dissident and current Israeli minister Natan Sharansky. Sharansky spoke at the John F. Kennedy School of Government last week. He rejects the course of action, sometimes preferred even by democratic leaders, of propping up friendly dictators rather than supporting the rights of another nation's unpredictable electorate. (Harvard Gazette)
Harvard: A New Hope for Peace - Editorial
The Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, the scene of such disappointment four and a half years ago when talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority failed to stop the second intifada from spiraling out of control, recently played host to the unveiling of a new cease-fire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. We enthusiastically applaud the new cease-fire agreed to by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and fervently hope that it will be strictly obeyed by both sides. (Crimson)
Johns Hopkins: Recent Israeli-Palestinian Efforts Promising by David Rodwin
I recently returned from a three-week CHAI (Coalition of Hopkins Activists for Israel) sponsored trip throughout Israel, and in talking to many different Israelis - Arab and Jewish - it became clear to me that opinions on the disengagement vary all over the spectrum. The overall consensus in the country, however, is that disengagement is a positive step.
(JHU Newsletter)
London's SOAS: Students Against Freedom of Thought by Emanuele Ottolenghi
Universities should be grounds for critical thinking and pluralism of opinion, not brainwashing. Still, when it comes to the Middle East, the difference between should and is can sometimes be as great as the one between night and day. At the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) the student union recently hosted Palestinian politician Hanan Ashrawi, PLO ambassador to London Afif Safieh, and a two-day extravaganza dedicated to boycotting Israel. With such a range of opinions, who needs an additional speaker from the Israeli embassy? (National Review Online)
San Diego State: International Efforts Needed to Bring Peace to Middle East by Paul Escajadillo
Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu is attributed as saying, "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." Both the Israeli and Palestinian governments have taken tentative first steps. Unfortunately, a peace summit is months away at best, and the core issues of Jerusalem, refugee right of return, territorial borders and the newly constructed defensive wall, among many others, have yet to be brought up. However, regardless of these most divisive issues, these leaders must continue walking on the newfound road to peace. (Daily Aztec)
Toronto Student: Extremism "Has Too Loud a Voice" by Daniel Roth
During my time at the University of Toronto, I have worked hard to carve out a place for Jewish students like me. Many of us define ourselves as Zionists, and all of us agree that both Israel and a Palestinian state deserve the right to exist side by side. We are students who would not label ourselves "pro-Israel," or "pro-Palestine," without also labelling ourselves "pro-peace." I, along with many other Jewish students, believe wholeheartedly that both IsraelFEST and "Israeli Apartheid Week" should be allowed at U of T. Free speech is not just an ideal to be brushed away every time it leads to negative things being said about us, or the things that we believe in. (Canadian Jewish News)
Separating the Political Myths From the Facts in Israel Studies by Samuel G. Freedman
While Columbia has attracted international attention in the last several months for allegations by Jewish and Israeli students that they were intimidated by several Middle East studies professors, NYU with rather less limelight hired Professor Ronald Zweig to hold a newly endowed chair in Israel studies. A handful of other universities nationally have established similar positions, at least in part to bring a broader range of academic opinion about the Middle East to their campuses. Even Columbia itself is now conducting a search for an Israel studies professor. (New York Times)
Birthright: Does It Work? by Zack Schwartz
The first prolonged study of birthright's influence on U.S. and Canadian participants suggests that years after their return home, the brief Israel visit may still affect their attitudes on interfaith dating and the importance of raising Jewish children, as well as their personal ties to the Jewish state. Since its inception five years ago, the program, the Taglit or birthright Israel program has sent 70,000 Diaspora Jews in their late teens and early 20s on 10-day trips to Israel, free of charge. (Ha'aretz)
Israeli Hip Hop Violinist Wins Grammy
Universal Records' recording Artist Miri Ben-Ari 'pulled strings' last week at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards. The Israeli native wins her first Grammy for her writing contributions (and virtuoso violin chops) on Kanye West's breakout smash "Jesus Walks" from West's multi-platinum CD The College Dropout. The groundbreaking anthem was awarded the Best Rap Song of the Year. (Rap News Network)
Young Israeli Is a Connection for the Jewish Community in South Bend by May Lee Johnson
For students in Mickey Gitzin's third-level Hebrew class, Israel has seemed a little closer to South Bend since he started teaching. Gitzin, 23, will be working with the Jewish community teaching Hebrew to kids and adults, educating them about the culture of Israel. Gitzin had finished his time working for Israeli military intelligence and wanted to do something different, so he volunteered for the Jewish Agency program. "I want to be the real connection for Jewish people here," Gitzin said. "The reason it is so important for the students and adults to know me, I am what connects them with Israel." (South Bend Tribune)
Ex-49er Is One of "Frozen Chosen" - Israeli Bobsled Team by John Crumpacker
Jamaica had its "Cool Runnings," the film about a group of athletes making an unlikely foray into bobsled racing. Israel may soon have its "Frozen Chosen," as a disparate group of Jewish men embrace the same improbable dream. John Frank (pictured), the former 49ers tight end, is spearheading Israel's bobsled effort. The group includes the 42-year-old Frank, a 49er-turned plastic surgeon; an ex-U.S. fighter pilot; a former Canadian sprinter; and a young Israeli from Jerusalem who represents the country's future in the sport. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Subliminal and The Shadow on U.S. Tour
Subliminal and the Shadow - Israeli HIP-HOP pioneers will kick off their U.S Tour in March 2005. The U.S tour is backed and supported by the Ministry of Israel and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon who crowned the group the Ambassadors of Israel. The mission is to explain and express peace through the international language of Hip-Hop and the collaboration of Hebrew, English, French, and Arabic lyrics. Click on title for concert schedule. (Thug Life Army)
Israel's National Junior Hockey Team Hits California Ice by Helene Elliott
The junior national teams of Israel and Mexico began a four-game series last week in El Segundo, practice for the Israelis before next month's World Under-18 championship in Sofia, Bulgaria. The tour is part of a fundraising effort for the Israelis, whose home rink in Metulla was built with donations from Canadian Jews. The Israelis are coached by Jean Perron, who led the Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup in 1986. (Los Angeles Times)
Socially Conscious Idan Raichal Rocks Montreal by Chloe Markowicz
Israeli Idan Raichel delivers a message of respecting other cultures through his music. Raichel and his band entranced the crowd with an eclectic mix of Hebrew, Ethiopian and Yemeni music at a recent sold-out show sponsored by Hillel Montreal. Hillel took advantage of Raichel's multicultural philosophy and musical ties to Africa to partner with the McGill African Student Society. Despite Raichel's apolitical attitude, the Sudanese cause resonates deeply with him and the band. One of his Ethiopian singers was born in a Sudanese refugee camp. The band contributed a significant percentage of its album sales from the concert to Sudanese aid. (Canadian Jewish News)
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 - How Quickly Should Israel Move Ahead in Negotiations with the Palestinians? | To Push for Peace Negotiations Prematurely is to Guarantee Another Disastrous Failure
by Yossi Alpher
- Some 19 months before last week's Sharm al-Sheikh meeting, in late June 2003, a somewhat similar summit meeting designed to launch an Israeli-Palestinian stabilization and peace process was held in Aqaba, Jordan. It proved abortive; the roadmap that it launched went nowhere, Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas soon resigned, and the violence resumed after a brief and partial ceasefire.
- Last week's meeting at Sharm al-Sheikh has a better chance of success than the June 2003 meeting, for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Yasser Arafat is no longer around to sabotage Abbas' efforts. It is increasingly obvious that Arafat was indeed a major obstacle to progress. Secondly, in the interim between the two meetings Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon launched the disengagement plan.
- In the present case, Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice apparently understand that the current status of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict requires mainly security and reform measures, and is not ripe for a roadmap-based political process.
- Hence Rice avoided Sharm in order not to inadvertently send a deceptive political message, and sufficed with the appointment of Lt. Gen. William Ward to look after security issues.
- This points the way forward. If Israelis and Palestinians are to succeed in the immediate aftermath of Sharm, and Americans and Egyptians are to provide effective support, we must all concentrate on a measured confidence-building process that focuses on mutual security, Palestinian reform, and cooperation to make disengagement work.
- We must postpone any move toward renewing a peace process. In other words, we must work on those aspects of roadmap phase I that both sides can handle, plus disengagement, and avoid getting into phases II or III.
- If Sharm provides the momentum for a successful effort by both sides in the course of the coming 6-9 months - to disengage, end the violence, hold a series of Palestinian elections and carry out vital internal Palestinian reforms - then the stage could be set for a more substantive process to begin sometime in 2006. (bitterlemons.org)
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Israelis and Palestinians Must Come to Terms on Outstanding Issues Now by Naomi Chazan
- The new and promising chapter in Israeli-Palestinian relations that has just commenced is all about reaching a permanent settlement to the conflict. Those who have banded together to disparage the Geneva Accord and its drafters will - if all goes well - soon have to engage in precisely the same type of exercise themselves: the formulation of a detailed agreement on a viable two-state solution.
- Yet most Israelis understand full well that debate (over the disengagement plan) is just a prelude to the real discussion that should take place if anything lasting is to emerge from the present diplomatic moment.
- Many proponents, as well as opponents, of the disengagement scheme have a vested interest in prolonging the virtually obsessive preoccupation with this policy. All agree, whether they are willing to acknowledge it or not, that disengagement is just a first, albeit crucial, step on the road to a full peace treaty and all it entails.
- The longer, however, the Israeli body politic remains enmeshed in this sideshow of its own making, the more it risks repeating the mistakes of yesteryear and severely endangering its future.
- Unless Israelis and Palestinians come to terms with the five outstanding issues on the Israeli-Palestinian agenda now, they will squander what may very well be the last chance to bring a peaceful end to the longest festering dispute of the last half-century. It is absolutely vital that all Israelis - either alone or with Palestinian counterparts - engage in a Geneva-like exercise to bring an end to the conflict in its entirety.
- Whether it is called the Oslo, Geneva, or perhaps the Zion accord, the time has come to define, in exceedingly graphic detail, the essence of a lasting two-state solution. Once the precise objective is accepted and there is agreement on where one is going, it should be possible to implement the various interim provisions (including the Gaza withdrawal) by mutual consent in the forthcoming months. (Jerusalem Post)
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