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Prepared for the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in association with Access/Middle East by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
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To contact the Presidents Conference: [email protected]
In-Depth Issue:
Islamic Jihad: "Attacks Will Resume" - Matthew Gutman (Jerusalem Post)
Iran's Millionaire Mullahs - Sadeq Saba
(BBC)
Pressures on the Cease-Fire - Sa'id Ghazali (Independent-UK)
Half of Baghdadis Say the War Was Right - Anton La Guardia (Telegraph-UK)
Russian-Jewish Immigrants in U.S. Have Israel Connection - Shlomo Shamir (Ha'aretz)
E-Groups Abused by Jihadists - Rita Katz and Josh Devon (National Review)
Dizzying Growth in Haredi Town on West Bank - Nadav Shragai (Ha'aretz)
Israeli Food Exports to U.S. Up 33% - Hadas Manor (Globes)
Indian IT Delegation Signs 22 Deals in Israel (Sify News-India)
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News Resources - North America and Europe:
The government of Iran must pay $313 million to the children of Leah Stern, an American woman killed in a 1997 suicide bombing that tore apart a Jerusalem market where she had been shopping, U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled Thursday. Judge Lamberth said he found the evidence "overwhelming" that Iran's military had trained the commanders of the Islamic Resistance Movement, also known as Hamas, and that these commanders arranged the 1997 market bombing. The judge said there is also clear evidence that Iran's government had paid millions of dollars to sponsor the group's attacks and the purchase of sophisticated bombing supplies. The Iranian government did not contest the suit. Lamberth said in his 30-page ruling that Iran began to bankroll and train Hamas for terrorist missions in the early 1990s, and even rewarded the group after a suicide bombing. "By bolstering Hamas, and turning it into a deadly and effective leader in the fight against Israel, Iran boosted popular support for the Islamic movement among Palestinians," Lamberth wrote. "Likewise...Iran was and is interested in using Hamas terrorist attacks to disrupt peace negotiations between Israel and the Arabs." (Washington Post) See also U.S. Suspects Hizballah in Argentina Attack State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said, "Hizballah, the Iranian-sponsored terrorist group, is strongly suspected of responsibility for the attack" on the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires on July 18th, 1994, which killed 85 people. Friday is the 9th anniversary of the bombing. The Government of Argentina earlier this year announced indictments of four Iranian government officials in connection with the attack. (U.S. State Department/JTA) Seven hundred people will go on trial in Morocco next week in connection with the suicide bomb attacks that killed 44 people two months ago, the government said Thursday. The trials, the scale of which astonished human rights groups, will take place in Rabat and in Casablanca, where 12 suicide bombers blew themselves up in five almost simultaneous blasts on May 16. "The trials will involve 700 suspects...some are directly linked to the attacks...others belonged to groups which have been preparing acts of violence in the country," Mohamed Bouzoubaa, the justice minister, said on state television. (Telegraph-UK) The European Union has shelved moves to outlaw the political wing of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, despite pressure from the U.S. and Israel, after it accepted a ceasefire, diplomats disclosed on Thursday. Adding Hamas to the bloc's blacklist of banned terrorist organizations would have led to the freezing of its assets and possible prosecution of its activists. "In the circumstances, we agreed not to take any immediate action," a senior EU diplomat said. "We agreed to keep the issue under review (and) return to it if there is a breach in the ceasefire caused by a Hamas return to terrorism." (Reuters) About 500 people rallied in downtown Nablus, demanding an end to the virtual immunity of gunmen from prosecution or punishment for crimes ranging from robbery to murder. On Wednesday, 3 gunmen went into a pharmacy to abduct another man. On the way out, witnesses said, one of the gunmen fired randomly on the street, killing Amnah Abu Hiljah, 36, who was holding her 2-month-old baby. In a second incident, a 14-year-old boy was killed when a bomb he was playing with exploded, security officials said, adding that the device was like those planted on West Bank roads against Israeli vehicles. (AP) High-ranking diplomats who sat in on Wednesday's meeting between Norwegian Prime Minister Bondevik and Israeli Prime Minister Sharon said that the Norwegians now view Abbas as a stronger player in the peace process than Arafat. Sharon wants Norway, along with the rest of the world, to completely ignore Arafat, but that request was rejected. Norway will continue to recognize Arafat as the Palestinians' elected leader, Bondevik said, but he'll also seek out Abbas. "Arafat mustn't weaken Abbas's position," Bondevik added. (Aftenposten-Norway) News Resources - Israel, the Mideast, and Asia:
Between 40 to 60 Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists are now included on the list of some 400 Palestinian prisoners Israel is considering releasing, government sources said Thursday. The Hamas prisoners to be released will be those who were active in the civilian services section and not the military wing. Prime Minister Sharon is due to meet with Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas early next week. Abbas will meet with President Bush in Washington on July 25, and Sharon is to meet with Bush on July 29. Following the meeting with Abbas, Sharon is to begin the prisoner releases. But government sources said they might be delayed until Abbas returns from Washington, so the prisoners don't appear to be delivered to Arafat. Practically speaking, there are questions about whether Abbas can actually implement the steps he has announced he wants to take, including accepting security responsibility for more Palestinian cities in the West Bank. The Preventive Security force and the civilian police were supposed to be under Abbas's command in the West Bank, as they are in Gaza, but in effect, Arafat controls them. Arafat also seems to control the agenda for the Palestinian negotiations with Israel and the U.S. The Palestinians, who received $20 million in special aid this week from the Americans, will be asking for U.S. help in packaging a $450 million aid grant from donor countries to cover PA deficits and help create jobs. If that aid goes through, the Palestinians will be seeking a $1 billion package for a host of rehabilitation, construction, and social service projects. (Ha'aretz) Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and two Fatah-affiliated groups on Thursday urged PA Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas to call off a planned visit to Washington and warned him against "succumbing to American pressure." Islamic Jihad leader Muhammad al-Hindi said any aid Abbas receives from Washington would be considered "a bribe to stop the intifada." (Jerusalem Post) Palestinian incitement against Israel needs to end not only on PA television and radio, but also on CNN and in the UN General Assembly, senior foreign ministry official David Granit said Thursday. Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom is expected to tell EU foreign ministers next Monday that if the EU views itself as an active partner in the road map process, it is incumbent upon it to take action against anti-Israel resolutions in UN bodies, both by voting against them, and ensuring that the Palestinians and Arab states tone down the rhetoric. Many of these resolutions can be characterized as the type of incitement the PA has obligated itself to put an end to under the road map, Granit said. "One resolution may not be important," Granit said, "But 30 or 40 creates an impact in many countries which, because of these resolutions, treat you like a leper." There is a growing understanding, especially among the central and eastern European countries who are slated to join the EU next year, that this is a phenomenon that needs to end, Granit said. (Jerusalem Post) Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
We know there are states in the Middle East now actively funding and helping people who regard it as God's will in the act of suicide to take as many innocent lives with them on their way to God's judgment. Some of these states are desperately trying to acquire nuclear weapons. Can we be sure that terrorism and weapons of mass destruction will join together? If we are wrong, we will have destroyed a threat that, at its least, is responsible for inhuman carnage and suffering. But if we are right, and we do not act, then we will have hesitated in the face of this menace when we should have given leadership. That is something history will not forgive. We must never compromise the security of the state of Israel. The state of Israel should be recognized by the entire Arab world, and the vile propaganda used to indoctrinate children not just against Israel but against Jews must cease. You cannot teach people hate and then ask them to practice peace. (Wall Street Journal) Between November 2000 and December 2002 the EU granted nearly €250m ($280m) to keep the PA alive and to sustain the most basic of public services. Thanks to conditions that the EU imposed, the PA now has a credible and transparent internal accounting system, and recruitment of staff has ceased to be a covert form of social security. The EU has launched a €30m emergency program to help Palestinian municipalities carry out urgent repairs - starting with northern Gaza and Bethlehem. In addition, we have made a first payment of €40m to the Ministry of Finance to help pay off arrears to the private sector. A further payment of €40m this year is conditional on continuing financial management reform. In addition, the European Commission is making available €30m for a new loan fund for small Palestinian businesses. I do not pretend that it is possible to buy stability in the Palestinian territories. But we cannot expect peace to take root unless ordinary people see the benefits of change. (Financial Times-UK) The Ba'ath party in Syria is launching a public relations campaign to persuade the U.S. public that Syria's Ba'athists are not the same as Saddam's Ba'athists. There are those in the Ba'ath party who support Saddam's resurgence, betting that the U.S. does not have the latitude or the will to wage another military campaign on the heels of one that, in the minds of many Syrians, has not been won yet. There are also those who hope that the storm will simply blow over and Syria will return to the normalcy of yesterday. The PR campaign's aim is to soften the image of Syria in the American public eye and to reverse the almost imminent vote in Congress in favor of the Syria Accountability Act, that will paralyze Syria economically and punish the government for its 27-year occupation of Lebanon. Syria has been finding it hard to contract with any reputable PR firm in the U.S. to handle the rebuilding of its image. Most companies are concerned that their more stable customers will find it offensive to be part of that club. (Washington Times) From field research in Arab countries over the last few years, it's clear that people in the Middle East want democracy. Thousands of courageous Muslims have paid dearly for speaking out against state oppression and religious fanaticism and for demanding political enfranchisement. These democrats hold the key to the Arab world's future and deserve America's support. It's also clear that Arab autocrats - even those who woo the West with democratic language - won't do anything unless they're nudged and pushed. President Bush and his senior aides spent most of their meeting last month with the leaders of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia pressing them to fight terrorism. What they should have been talking about was the importance of promoting democracy and reform. If America wants to end terrorism, it needs to understand that, ultimately, democracy and respect for human rights and the rule of law are the most effective ways to undermine extremism. (New York Times) Iraq under Faisal I, who became its king in 1921, was a country whose citizens participated in building the nation, no matter one's denomination or affiliation, whether Shiite or Sunni, Chaldean or Sabaean, Arab or Kurd, Circassian or Turkman. Iraq was the first Arab country to join the League of Nations, and became a model for other emerging nation-states in the Middle East and beyond. The current situation, with an increasingly nervous American and British military force, is a classic example of bad governance. Not only is it being interpreted in Iraq and abroad as a blatant and unnecessary form of neocolonialism, it also threatens to reap a bitter harvest of anti-Americanism. It will further destabilize an already volatile region. My friend Shimon Shamir, the Israeli scholar and former ambassador to Jordan, has wisely urged us to "turn our attention from the threat projected by the extremists to the promise implied by the moderates." (New York Times) The only chance the road map has of success is if one key condition is fulfilled: The vast majority on both sides, Jews and Arabs, have to want it. The majority of the Jewish people does want the road map. The vast majority of the Arab people living in the Land of Israel, however, has not at any stage reconciled itself to Jewish sovereignty over even a small part of the land. It accepts the map as just one stage in the "plan of stages," not as a peace agreement. (Ha'aretz) Iran has enjoyed a substantial windfall from oil prices, which has more than matched its additional budgetary expenses and has enabled it to establish a special "fund for future generations." The attitude of the clerical regime was largely to be blamed for the steady decline in Iran's oil output from 6 million b/d in the late 1970s to 3.5 million b/d in 2002. Iran's Ministry of Petroleum is concerned that international oil companies will prefer to invest in the development of new pro-Western Iraq's resources rather than in restrictive, clergy-dominated Iran. As far as the Pentagon is concerned, there is hardly any difference between the radical Iranian clergy who control Iran's policy and President Muhammad Khatami's "so-called reformist government." (Institute for Contemporary Affairs/Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) For the first time in modern history, Saudi Arabia is having to confront the unfamiliar concept of poverty and the emergence of a growing underclass. In Qarantina most of the streets are unpaved and many live in tiny concrete hovels without running water. Groups of women sift through plastic bags full of clothes and other items donated by wealthier Saudis. While according to official figures the unemployment rate is 10%, others estimate that it may be as high as 27%. By far the hardest hit is the country's youth. "Young people feel they have no future. They are bored and disillusioned. That is why...it is easy for religious fanatics to recruit young Saudis and to brainwash them into becoming Islamic militants," said Abdulhai, a Saudi businessman. (London Times) Israel cannot be expected to negotiate and strike deals with a Palestinian entity whose leader, Arafat, uses his puppet prime minister to mouth peaceful words while simultaneously conducting terrorist operations. Arafat is a terrorist plain and simple, and no amount of dressing will change that - not a new prime minister, not continued meetings with the European foreign ministers. Arafat deserves nothing short of being erased from the scene. (National Review) It's a good thing that Harry Truman did not express his feelings to someone like me, because - had the Secret Service not been around - I would have decked him. For him to liken Jews to Hitler - the victim to the murderer - was a breathtaking expression of bad taste and ignorance. But the president who recorded those ugly sentiments was the very same president who bucked the State Department and recognized the State of Israel. Now, with Truman, we have a man who set down his supposed anti-Semitism on paper. But where is the comparable behavior? Nowhere to be found. (Washington Post) Weekend Features:
By all appearances, Camp Koby seems like what you'd expect from the sleepaway camp experience. But all of the kids at the free 10-day camp have had their childhood marred by the loss of parents and siblings in terrorist attacks. Here, the personal nightmares of loss become a meeting point for the campers rather than a terrible secret to be concealed. As the Palestinian violence grinds on, the children here are part of a growing subset of Israelis who must figure out how to continue on after family members become the victims of terrorism. "In Israel, the people continue but the grief is covered up," said Sherri Mandell, who helped her husband, Seth, found the camp as a memorial to their eldest son, Koby, after he was murdered by terrorists two years ago. From their grief came the realization that by creating communities of survivors, they could help others grapple with mourning. Ensuring that relatives of terror victims do not remain isolated became the Koby Mandell Foundation's mission. It also sponsors midyear retreats for children and adult women survivors. (New York Jewish Week) The Jewish National Fund is mining for Internet gold with new online features expected to raise $1 million by year's end. The JNF raised $325,000 online in 2001 and $663,000 online in 2002. The JNF site raised $450,000 in the first five months of the year, or between $3,000 and $4,000 daily. In a June 2002 Chronicle of Philanthropy study, the online fund-raising of 124 charities shot up to $123 million in 2002, from only $41 million a year earlier. Others on the list were the Jewish Federation/Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, which raised $605,598 in 2002; the United Jewish Communities, $511,000; and UJA-Federation of New York, $207,902. The Jewish Funders Network, an umbrella group of Jewish family foundations, recently launched I-Fund, a kind of Web matchmaker for Jewish foundations and grant seekers. (JTA) The death last month of writer Leon Uris has revived interest in Exodus, his 1958 novel about the establishment of Israel, if only to recall its extraordinary impact. Exodus is a prime example of the argument that popular works influence history far more than highly regarded literary creations. It was a best-seller in the U.S. for over a year, selling 20 million copies, and was translated into 50 languages. But the work's real impact lay beyond literature. Uris popularized Israel as a place of righteous refuge, solidifying a link between the Holocaust and Israel. (Beirut Daily Star/AlJazeerah). People frequently ask why we live in Hebron, a so-called Arab city in the heart of the "West Bank." Why are 800 Jews - men, women, and children - so stubbornly willing to risk their lives to remain in Hebron? Why am I living in a place where more than 40 of my Jewish neighbors and friends have been killed or wounded since I moved here in 1981? The answer is that Hebron is the first Jewish city in the Land of Israel, home of our patriarchs and matriarchs - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and Sarah, Rebecca and Leah. King David ruled from Hebron for more than seven years before moving the capital to Jerusalem. Jews have lived in Hebron almost continuously for thousands of years. When Israel returned to Hebron in 1967, Jews did not occupy a foreign city; rather, they came back home. Eviction from Hebron would be tantamount to the removal of Americans from Boston or Philadelphia upon terrorist demands. Except, of course, that American history is less than 250 years old; Jewish history in Hebron is more than 3,700 years old. (Los Angeles Times) Observations: What Happened to the German Right of Return? - Shlomo Avineri (Jerusalem Post)
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