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April 17, 2005
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 Abbas Begins to Unify PA Forces by Khaled Abu Toameh
PA Chairman Abbas on Thursday decided to place all security forces under the jurisdiction of three bodies - the Interior Ministry, the National Security Forces, and the General Intelligence. He also ordered the dozen or so security forces to provide detailed lists of all their members and banned their commanders from holding contacts with foreign countries. This week, at least 80 gunmen belonging to the Aksa Martyrs Brigades were recruited to different branches of the security forces, although they were not required to give up their weapons. (Jerusalem Post)
Israel, PA to Renew Contact on Security Matter by Aluf Benn
Israel wishes to renew dialogue and cooperation with the Palestinian Authority through joint committees which were established after the Sharm al-Sheikh summit two months ago, senior government sources said Saturday. The Israeli and Palestinian committees halted their joint work shortly after they were set up. The joint committees are meant to coordinate security arrangements, the transfer of PA towns to Palestinian hands, the release of Palestinian prisoners and the prevention of incitement. (Ha'aretz)
Israeli and Palestinian Mayors Gather to Declare Civilian Truce
Israeli and Palestinian mayors gathered in the West Bank city of Jericho last week to show support for the cease-fire and encourage a return to the negotiating table. 20 Israeli and 12 Palestinian mayors said they came to Jericho to declare a "civilian truce" between the Israelis and Palestinians represented by the mayors at the gathering. "We know at the end of all wars, we've got to sit together and live together, so let's do it as soon as possible," said Eli Moyal (pictured), the mayor of Sderot, a frequent target of Palestinian rocket fire from the nearby Gaza Strip. (Ha'aretz)
 Trust is Built on Realities by Ehud Barak
Four and a half years have passed since the Camp David talks failed to produce an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. The period that followed was catastrophic for both peoples - thousands were killed, hatred spread and trust collapsed. We all paid a high price, just to return a few years later to essentially the same principles of peace. The cost of Yasser Arafat's insistence on strictly unalterable demands is too high and painful a price to be paid again. Repeating the same scenario is a historic mistake that none of us can afford to make. (Guardian-UK)
A Media Hyped Rift by Richard Baehr
Jewish settlements can be criticized on political grounds, but not legal ones. The official American position has always been that while they may be a political hurdle to a peace agreement, they are not illegal. The Jewish settlement activity that has occurred since 1967 has been in lands that were captured in a defensive war. The settlers who moved into these areas did so voluntarily, not involuntarily, and it is involuntary population transfers which are prohibited in the Geneva Accords. (The American Thinker)
Overtures to the Deaf by David Horovitz
As Mahmoud Abbas was securing election to the chairmanship of the Palestinian Authority, there was considerable optimism in government circles that this would facilitate greater coordination between Israel and the PA on the disengagement from Gaza. Lately, there has been rather less such talk of cooperation. Months of efforts by Israeli officials to foster concrete elements of a partnership with the PA have, they say, led absolutely nowhere. In fact, a whole list of proposals for cooperation have either been rebuffed or ignored. (Jerusalem Post)
Not What We Expected by Sever Plocker
The New Middle East is closer than previously thought, but not exactly what we expected. It's not the brainchild of Shimon Peres, but rather comes from within the Arab world, resting on Arab oil wealth and on the Arab street's desire for change. The seeds of democracy, liberalism and globalism were planted among the Arab masses, seeds that are currently, slowly, starting to bear fruit. (Ynet News)
Alabama: Congressman Aderholt Talks U.S.-Israeli Relations by Malcolm Ifekauche
U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., asserted the importance of American and Israeli relations in a meeting with Alabama Friends for Israel last week. Aderholt ripped into press coverage of Israel when asked when the U.S. and Israel would stop giving up land to the Palestinians. "The media makes it look like Israel is the bad guy, but those that don't understand the situation want to see Israel give up its land and even disappear," he said. (Crimson White)
Arizona: Hillel Poker Tourney Benefits Judaic Charity by Cassie Blombaum
Read it and weep: Last week students at the Hillel Foundation played poker to raise money for the Ethiopian Jewish Community in Israel.
The event, hosted by Alpha Epsilon Pi and the Hillel Foundation, cost $10 to enter and was open to everyone. Matt Van Horn, the president of the fraternity and a marketing and entrepreneurship junior, said, "This is a great way to give back to the Jewish community. Poker is the hottest college activity right now." $770 was raised for the charity. (Daily Wildcat)
Arizona: Israeli Soldiers Visit UA by Anthony D. A'vila
Jewish UA students who traveled to Israel over winter break were reunited this week with four Israeli soldiers they befriended while visiting the country. Ze'ev Cohen, 21, Omer Hartung, 20, Limor Bajayo, 19 and Chen Levinstain, 19, arrived in Tucson last week after a 30-hour trip from Israel. Gil Lang, a sophomore who went on the trip to Israel, said reuniting with Cohen and the others was exciting, and it was a great feeling when he first saw them. (Daily Wildcat)
BYU: Classes in Israel in '06? by Tad Walch
Decreasing violence in Israel and Iraq might be increasing the likelihood Brigham Young University students will return to the school's Jerusalem Center for the first time since 2000. With negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians apparently bearing fruit and tourists returning to Jerusalem, faculty and students hope the peace process in Israel moves quickly enough to allow them to use the center by 2006. Before student programs shut down the center had hosted 820 students per year. (Deseret News)
Columbia Revamps Process for Students' Grievances by Karen Arenson
Stung by students' complaints that it had not taken their charges of intimidation in the classroom seriously, Columbia University announced new procedures that offered a variety of ways for students to file grievances. They include taking complaints to a dean or department chairman, to the existing office for complaint-handling known as the ombuds office, or directly to a vice president or to a faculty committee. Students dissatisfied with the resolution of their complaints would also be allowed to appeal to Columbia's provost. (New York Times)
Cornell: Campus Groups Hold Multicultural Shabbat With Basketball Star by Josh Goldman
Cornell's African-American and Jewish communities came together Friday night for a traditional Jewish Shabbat dinner with a twist.
That twist was provided by former basketball star LaVon Mercer, a self-described African-American Israeli who seemed the perfect man to bring the groups together. Mercer spoke and fielded questions about race relations, terrorism, food, culture and basketball in Israel and in the United States, among other issues. He said the friendships he made in Israel were the main reason he stayed for so long and maintains such a strong connection to the country. (Daily Sun)
Harvard: Israel Travel Still Restricted by Jessica A. Berger
Students' hopes were frustrated upon learning that Harvard's current policy denying credit and funding to students who wish to study in countries on the State Department's list, primarily for liability reasons, would not be altered with respect to Israel even with the State Department's reduced travel advisory. Director of the Office of International Programs (OIP) Jane Edwards said, "With the policy as it is and with the warning as it is, even though it has been downgraded, it will not change [Harvard's] policy towards Israel." (Crimson)
Middlebury: Israeli Consul Speaks by Lisie Mehlman
Last week students and faculty heard the Consul-General of Israel to New England, Hillel Newman, speak about post-Cold War relations between the United States and Israel. Newman was asked by a student if he thought it was contradictory for nations who themselves have weapons of mass destruction to demand that other nations do not have them. He responded by saying, "There is a difference between a democratic nation having one and non-democratic nations newly acquiring them. Democracies have checks on their power and on their usage of such weapons." (Middlebury Campus)
NYU: A Major in Israel by Amiram Barkat
Prof. Ronald Zweig of Tel Aviv University was invited last year to accept a chair in Israel studies that had been established at New York University and that was inaugurated this academic year. Today he is supervising NYU doctoral students in Hebrew and Jewish studies. Bachelor's degree students are taking a class with him about the Zionist movement and the State of Israel. At universities all around the U.S., centers for Israel studies are opening and study programs in the field are springing up all over. (Ha'aretz)
Purdue: Birthright Israel Links Students to Past, Brings Clarity by Lisa Poppe
A moment of clarity hit Andrew Lewis as he backed away from the stone and looked up. Then came the tears. Lewis, a Jewish Purdue student, was experiencing the Western Wall in Jerusalem for the first time. All of the uncertainties he had concerning the Jewish faith were resolved as he took in the significance of the historical landmark. "You stand there and think that all Jews are praying to this one spot where you are," he said. "You can almost feel that." (Exponent)
Rutgers University Reinstates Study Abroad Program in Israel by Johanna Ginsberg
Rutgers University plans to reinstate study abroad programs in Israel that had been suspended with the onset of the second Intifada. Melanie Andrich, associate director of the study abroad office, confirmed that the program will be up and running for the fall 2005 semester. As in the past, the program will be offered at Haifa University and Ben-Gurion University. More than 500 Rutgers students had already signed petitions to reinstate the study programs in Israel, said Danielle Josephs, a sophomore and Israel committee director at the school's Hillel. (New Jersey Jewish News)
Rutgers: Israeli Diplomat Talks Democracy by Mike New
Gideon Meir - the deputy director general for media and public affairs at the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry - met with students as part of Caravan for Democracy. Meir said that many Americans may not even realize the contributions Israel has made. "One million Americans are walking around with Israeli-made pace-makers in their chests," he said. "American Online messenger was invented there, the first cell phone. Israel was the third country to sell stocks on NASDQ." According to Meir, this is an example of his country "beyond the conflict." (Daily Targum)
USF: Hillel Celebrates Israel Day by Amanda Whitsitt
The first annual Israel Day, hosted by USF's Hillel, was full of food, fellowship and fun. Students who stopped by were treated to two dance performances from Hillel's Israeli Dance Troupe, bracelet making that translated student's names from English to Hebrew, a Wailing Wall replica and an Israeli culture quiz. "I was on my way somewhere else and I thought I'd stop by," said Bijal Chhadva, USF student body president. "I thought it's cool that Hillel is making their presence known." (Oracle)
Stanford: Muslim Leaders Leave Israel Event by Laura Carwile
Three speakers from "Israel at Heart," a group that educates college students about life in Israel, discussed their experiences in Israel. Two leaders in the Stanford Muslim community walked out of the discussion after a heated conversation about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. All three Israeli speakers said that they were disappointed when they saw them leave. "We are here to engage in dialogue," Eytan Schwartz said. "We are regular people with personal experiences who just want to talk about the situation. Our goal is not to lay blame or distort facts. It is to promote peace." (Stanford Daily)
See also "Israel at Heart" Program Went Beyond Political Slogans by Adina Danzig
The Daily's coverage of the "Israel at Heart" program ("Muslim leaders leave Israel event," April 13) does an injustice to the quality of the program that took place. Three Israeli young adults shared their experiences living in Israel as part of a program enabling Stanford students to go beyond political slogans and newspaper headlines by speaking in person with young Israelis. (Stanford Daily)
University of Ulster in Belfast: Jerusalem Partnership Peace Effort
INCORE, the University of Ulster's Magee-based peace and conflict research unit, and Intercomm, a Belfast-based community development organisation, will lead a delegation of practitioners and academics from Northern Ireland on a study tour in Israel next week. The two groups are the Northern Ireland partners in the recently established Belfast-Jerusalem Civil Society Partnership (B-JCSP). (University of Ulster)
UK Chief Rabbi Says Student Group Fails to Fight Anti-Semitism
The Chief Rabbi of the Jewish community in Britain condemned the National Union of Students (NUS) after three of the union's Jewish officials resigned last week over a perceived failure to tackle anti-Semitism on campuses. Jewish students objected to a conference organised by the Palestinian society on the academic boycott of Israel, entitled "Resisting Israeli Apartheid: Strategies and Principles." (Ha'aretz)
See also Why I Had to Resign by Luciana Berger
I was proud to be involved in an NUS that had acknowledged a history of anti-Semitism and rectified it. But the warning signs were there from my first NUS conference, when I was spat at for being Jewish. I, perhaps too readily, dismissed this as an isolated incident. Almost half a year ago, serious complaints were lodged about anti-Semitic comments made by an NUS member in a public meeting. These complaints were ignored, with no official response or action. Furthermore, while the Union of Jewish Students has always preached a two-state solution and peace, time and time again we see others reject it. (Guardian-UK)
Wisconsin-Madison: University Must Cut Ties with Military Outfitter by Amanda Infield
The Teaching Assistant's Association (TAA) passed a resolution last week for the UW System to divest from contractors who have military contracts with regimes around the world, as opposed to the original proposal which focused only on Israel. According to TA Marisa Jacobson, the original resolution was inappropriate for the TAA to even be discussing. "It reported to be on human rights violations but it singled out Israel and failed to focus on any other countries that commit these violations," she said. "This is the only approach if the TAA is concerned about social-justice issues." (Daily Cardinal)
Yeshiva: Aliya Fair Is a Great Success by Sarah Matarasso
Some showed up for the free shwarma, but most students attending the first-ever YU Aliya Fair were there because they were interested. As YC sophomore David Wermuth commented, "It's a great way to get in touch with organizations that will facilitate the fulfillment of your dreams and to meet people with similar aspirations." The aliya fair, which took place last week was organized primarily by SCW junior Rachie Jacobson who was chosen to serve as YU's "aliya ambassador." (Observer)
Year In Israel Is Priceless by Gil Troy
Law school, medical school, or pre-graduate school anxiety can wait. The year after college is a perfect opportunity to live in Israel, the Jewish people's homeland. To those of us disgusted with the demonization of Israel, the Nazification of Zionism, the politicization of all things Israeli, the Arafatian oversimplification reducing all discussions of Israel to the Palestinian problem, there is nothing more healing than visiting Israel. Those of us who experienced Israel during this formative phase in our lives know how enriching and fun the year can be - the lifelong friendships formed, the broadened perspectives, the intensified Jewish consciousness, the expanded universe of Jewish living possibilities. (New York Jewish Week)
Wisconsin: Divestment Wrong for Teaching Assistants' Association to Entertain by Mark Goldberg, Yoav Sivan, Ryan Tvedt, Marisa Jacobson, Liz Herman
As Teaching Assistants' Association members, we are puzzled why our Union would take up a resolution calling for the Board of Regents to divest trust fund holdings from companies doing business with the Israeli military. In the Middle East, we are witnessing a unique historical opportunity for peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. So why is this resolution before us now? And whose interests does it promote? Certainly not the TAA's. And definitely not advocates for peace. (Badger Herald, letter to the editor)
Becoming Columbia by Dr. Charles Jacobs
No one should have been surprised that a biased committee produced a biased report that ignored the facts and protected its own. The Columbia report is deeply flawed. It considered only three incidents of professors' harassing students, yet we know of many, many more. Yes, it found that students have no effective way to register complaints. But the committee reduced what is a major academic scandal - the use of podium as pulpit for an exclusive viewpoint - to only these narrow bureaucratic foul-ups. Jacobs is president of The David Project. (Columbia Spectator)
See also Columbia: Jewish Students Split by Liel Leibovitz (New York Jewish Week)
Columbia University Report : A Methodological Paradigm for Obscuring Structural Flaws by Noah Liben
The university's administration appointed a faculty committee, compromised by personal and professional relationships with the accused professors, then instructed it to deal only with some of the problems. The, only partly published, committee report shows that Columbia's administration has developed a detailed methodology for ignoring unpleasant facts. This raises many questions as to universities' capability, and Columbia's in particular, to reform themselves. (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)
Nebraska: Israeli Champion Hammer Thrower at Nebraska by Evan Bland
Coming from Israel, Issar Yazhbin is the only current Cornhusker to have any experience in the hammer throw coming into college, and he took advantage of it last year by winning the 2004 Big 12 Conference outdoor hammer throw championship with a heave of 203-8. Yazhbin, who started throwing when he was 15, said the distinctive event drew him in. "You need a unique combination of talents and abilities," Yazhbin said. "Other throws involve more strength and power, but this is a lot more graceful, and you need agility." (Daily Nebraskan)
St. Louis: Ohanon Named Billikens' MVP
Saint Louis University senior forward Izik Ohanon (Tel Aviv) was named the Billikens' Most Valuable Player at the annual men's basketball banquet. Ohanon tied for the team lead in rebounding at 5.4 rpg, was second in scoring at 11.8 ppg and third in steals with 29. He topped the club in field goal percentage at .527. Ohanon posted the Bills only double-doubles of the year with 10 points and a career-high 16 rebounds against Hawaii, 12 points with 14 boards against Marquette and a career-high 26 points with 10 caroms against Memphis. (College Sports)
Soccer Phenom on Peace Mission
Brazilian soccer superstar Ronaldo is scheduled to visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority at the beginning of May, according to the Peres Center for Peace. Ronaldo, who heads the squad of Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid, received updates regarding the Center's Twinned Soccer Schools project, in which some 800 Israeli and Palestinian children from low economic status participate in an educational program that promotes peace and cooperation through sports, the Peres Center said. (Ynet News)
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 - The Bush-Sharon Meeting in Crawford: Two Views | The Borders Were Marked at Texas - "Sharon Has Adopted Bush's Territorial Vision" - Editorial
- In Texas on Monday, George W. Bush and Ariel Sharon marked out the furthest borders that any Israeli prime minister can dream of: at most - and even that is not without conditions and not necessarily so - they will be the eastern line around the major Israeli population centers (settlement blocs) in the territories, including - by implication - the post-1967 Jerusalem neighborhoods.
- The far-reaching implication of the statements made at the president's ranch was that now Sharon has adopted Bush's territorial vision.
- Bush followed reality and successive Israeli governments since Yitzhak Rabin, who recognized that a Palestinian state will succeed the Jordanian kingdom as the authority in the West Bank. He also referred to another element of reality, the population centers, but with a significant reservation: there is an American position, but any changes to the 1967 lines require agreement by both sides.
- Another important message - and a welcome one at that - which was clearly enunciated in what the president said, was his determination to continue efforts to fulfill his Middle East vision.
- Bush reiterated and emphasized his support for his guest's plan to disengage from Gaza. However, he made clear that he will regard completion of that move - which he rightly called daring - as Israeli progress on the road map, which is supposed to lead the parties toward fulfillment of his vision.
- Bush made sure to note that Sharon is going to conduct the disengagement "in coordination with the Palestinian Authority or without it." He called on the PA to coordinate with the Israelis. In their working session, it has been reported, much of the time was spent examining ways to fortify the PA and strengthen the position of Abu Mazen.
- From Bush's statement it is clear that there is a connection between tactic and strategy in American policy. The final goal is to achieve an agreement between the sides, and movement toward that goal will proceed according to the road map.
- Bush dictated to Sharon some commandments of the "thou shalt not" variety: do not expand settlements, do not leave the outposts in place and do not beef up existing settlements. (Ha'aretz)
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Sharon Gets the Ranch Treatment - "Agreeing to Disagree" - Editorial
- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's first visit to U.S. President George W. Bush's ranch was picturesque, as expected, but the diplomatic picture was of two leaders dancing around areas of disagreement. The question is whether underlying this somewhat awkward result lies a meeting of the minds at the deeper strategic level.
- The press conference, outdoors at Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, seemed dominated by the exact subject that neither leader wanted to talk about: Israeli settlements.
- Sharon stated that all the settlement blocs, clearly including the largest settlements, Ariel and Ma'ale Adumim, would remain in Israel's hands in any conceivable final-status agreement.
- Bush's position, in turn, was to say that he "told the prime minister not to undertake any activity that contravenes the road map or prejudices final status obligations....I've been very clear about Israel's obligation under the road map. That's no expansion of settlements."
- Taken together, these statements can be seen as a classic example of agreeing to disagree, or put in a slightly more positive sense, of constructive ambiguity. All Israeli settlements, after all, were founded in opposition to American policy.
- The U.S. is clearly trying to square the circle of supporting Sharon, which entails taking positions that impinge on final-status issues, such as borders and refugees, and not "prejudicing negotiations."
- The more important goal is for Israel and the US to be on the same strategic page. This means staying true to the logic of Bush's June 2002 vision and of the road map: dismantle terrorist infrastructure and democratize first, final-status talks later.
- It seems that neither Sharon nor Bush is willing to use the real leverage that the international community has to force Abbas's hand, namely withholding further financial and diplomatic support pending his using the ample forces under his command to take concrete actions.
- It is also encouraging that Bush repeatedly said that the "focus" must shift to Gaza, thereby repeating the idea that the true key to progress remains in Palestinian hands. (Jerusalem Post)
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