A sampling of articles (3) from the Israeli press showing the internal struggles they are facing from the global pressure to give concessions in the US sponsored peace talks…
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‘US promises are like a poison pill in a candy wrapper’
Worried that his home could be given to the Palestinians, Jordan Valley Regional Council Chairman David Lahiani has asked for an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to clarify the status of his region in any future peace deal.
“I hope I will hear from him,” a concerned Lahiani told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday evening, after waiting for more than two days with no response from the prime minister.
Lahiani first heard of the possibility that giving up the Jordan Valley was part of Israel’s debate with the US, from media reports Thursday night, which speculated that US President Barack Obama had penned a letter to Netanyahu in which he promised to allow Israeli troops to remain in the Jordan Valley after a final-status agreement is reached with the Palestinians.
A denial from the White House that such a letter exists has done little to assuage the fears of settlers like Lahiani, who believe that the substance of the alleged letter was raised with Netanyahu, even if it was never actually set down in writing.
Settlers have continued to heavily lobby ministers to ensure that they do not support any deal that Netanyahu might make with the US in an effort to keep the Palestinians at the negotiating table.
Settlers who last week marked the end of the 10- month moratorium on new construction in the settlements found this week that instead of pushing for permits to allow more building, they are still fighting for the right to execute already authorized construction.
“We are in a critical week,” said Dani Dayan, chairman of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip.
The issue of settlement construction is far from settled, said Dayan, who explained, “This is not like a soccer game in which the referee says the game is over. We have to be on guard 24/7.”
In a statement he issued to the media Sunday, he warned that US pledges to Israel in exchange for a two-month extension of the moratorium were offerings of poisoned candy.
“It is a poison pill wrapped in colorful paper to make it look attractive and appealing,” Dayan said.
Accepting the US proposal would be tantamount to conceding the Jordan Valley even before the negotiations have gotten under way, Dayan said.
“Otherwise why would you need an agreement [with the US] that [Israeli] troops can be stationed there?” he asked.
It’s like announcing that Israel plans to return to the pre-1967 border, which is not defensible, he said.
The incentives offered here are an attempt to strip Israel of its assets before the negotiations, in a way that weakens Israel before it gets to the issues of Jerusalem, refugees and water, Dayan said.
He warned that if this strategy succeeds, Israelis would need a tourist visa to visit the Western Wall.
The council also directly appealed to Obama to allow Israel to act in its own self-interest and to stand true to commitments made by past US administrations.
“Obama is threatening to completely disregarded promises made by the Bush administration, so we cannot count on his new so-called assurances,” Dayan said. “For an ally of Israel to act in such a manner signals a further troubling new direction by the American president and we would urge Prime Minister Netanyahu to stand strong and continue to respect the vital needs of his people.”
The council warned Netanyahu that he “must first serve his own nation, and he cannot choose the American president’s will over that of the Israeli people.”
The council’s director-general, Naftali Bennett, added that it was difficult to trust any letter that Obama might pen, given that he had dismissed the written pledges his predecessor, George W. Bush, had given Israel with regard to the settlement blocs.
“If each president ignores and erases the commitments of the previous one, why should we take on this new promise?” Bennett asked.
He added that if Israel backs down from its pledge to let the moratorium expire, “there will be no more value or meaning to our word, ever.”
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PM urges restraint on US ‘freeze for promises’ offer
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday urged restraint on a deal offered by the US in which Israel would limit West Bank settlement building for 60 days in return for certain US promises.
Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting Netanyahu said “we are in the midst of sensitive diplomatic contacts with the US administration in order to find a solution that will allow the continuation of the talks. Now is not the time for issuing statements.” “We have no interest in causing an uproar. Neither do I have the possibility of denying the baseless media report,” Netanyahu continued.One such report was published by
London-based newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat on Monday which suggested that Netanyahu has already agreed to the US offer.The report went on to say that Netanyahu also called for a US guarantee that the IDF could maintain a presence in the Jordan Valley as part of a final peace deal with the Palestinians.
According to Netanyahu, 15 ministers oppose the extension on settlement building, eight are in favor of it, and ten are undecided. In the event of a tie between those in favor and those opposed to the extension, Netanyahu will make the final decision, the report stated.
At the cabinet meeting Netanyahu said “I do have an interest in responding calmly and responsibly in order to advance the diplomatic process. We will quietly consider the situation and the complex reality away from the spotlights.”
Netanyahu said the settlers in the West Bank were subjected to an unjustified offensive and now it is important to make sure that they live a normal life.
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Pressure mounts on PM to reject US ‘benefits package’
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has begun efforts to persuade Likud cabinet members to support a deal with the US in which Israel would limit construction in Judea and Samaria for 60 days in return for American promises, Likud officials confirmed on Sunday.
While the proposal has not been finalized, Netanyahu’s associates have started making inquiries with the ministers, asking them to be flexible.
The benefits would reportedly include upgrading the IDF, letting the army remain in the Jordan Valley following an Israeli withdrawal from Judea and Samaria, and a promise not to ask Israel for a further moratorium.
But reports about ministers who were considering voting in favor of the deal forced the reportedly wavering ministers to issue flat denials on Sunday. Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz already expressed opposition to restarting the construction freeze in a 7 a.m. radio interview and Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz and Communications Minister Moshe Kahlon later followed suit.
Following those pledges, Netanyahu would have little to no chance of passing a proposal that would limit construction in the cabinet, security cabinet or septet. No votes have been scheduled ahead of this weekend’s key Arab League summit in any forum of ministers.
A strong majority of Israelis support continuing West Bank construction, a Dahaf Institute poll broadcast on Channel 2 Sunday night found.
Fifty-four percent of respondents said the government should be building in Judea and Samaria and only 39% support a further moratorium.
The poll also found that if an election were held today, Labor would fall to six Knesset seats from the current 13.
National Union MK Arye Eldad responded to the poll by saying that “Netanyahu must stop being afraid and stop giving into the extortion of [Labor chairman Ehud] Barak, who has no influence in the Knesset.”
Eldad warned the prime minister that “if he gives into pressure and American enticements, he will lose the support of the public and share Barak’s fate.”
Peace Now reacted by lamenting that “the public has been brainwashed by the government and the settlers and has not internalized the price Israel is paying for the settlements.”
“They have bought the stories about the freeze harming average Israelis instead of helping Israel diplomatically,” Peace Now director-general Yariv Oppenheimer said.
“I am a bit pessimistic,” Oppenheimer said. “I think it is pretty clear that Netanyahu is not serious [about peace].”
Should the direct talks with the Palestinians collapse, he said, Peace Now plans to stage a massive rally on behalf of a negotiated solution.
“We hope it will be big enough to have an effect,” Oppenheimer said.
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Photo by: Courtesy
‘US promises are like a poison pill in a candy wrapper’
By TOVAH LAZAROFF
10/04/2010 02:29
Talkbacks (13)
“I hope I will hear from him,” a concerned Lahiani told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday evening, after waiting for more than two days with no response from the prime minister.
RELATED:
Pressure mounts on PM to reject US ‘benefits package’
Mitchell: Neither side wants to stop direct talks
Lahiani first heard of the possibility that giving up the Jordan Valley was part of Israel’s debate with the US, from media reports Thursday night, which speculated that US President Barack Obama had penned a letter to Netanyahu in which he promised to allow Israeli troops to remain in the Jordan Valley after a final-status agreement is reached with the Palestinians.
A denial from the White House that such a letter exists has done little to assuage the fears of settlers like Lahiani, who believe that the substance of the alleged letter was raised with Netanyahu, even if it was never actually set down in writing.
Settlers have continued to heavily lobby ministers to ensure that they do not support any deal that Netanyahu might make with the US in an effort to keep the Palestinians at the negotiating table.
Settlers who last week marked the end of the 10- month moratorium on new construction in the settlements found this week that instead of pushing for permits to allow more building, they are still fighting for the right to execute already authorized construction.
“We are in a critical week,” said Dani Dayan, chairman of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip.
The issue of settlement construction is far from settled, said Dayan, who explained, “This is not like a soccer game in which the referee says the game is over. We have to be on guard 24/7.”
In a statement he issued to the media Sunday, he warned that US pledges to Israel in exchange for a two-month extension of the moratorium were offerings of poisoned candy.
“It is a poison pill wrapped in colorful paper to make it look attractive and appealing,” Dayan said.
Accepting the US proposal would be tantamount to conceding the Jordan Valley even before the negotiations have gotten under way, Dayan said.
“Otherwise why would you need an agreement [with the US] that [Israeli] troops can be stationed there?” he asked.
It’s like announcing that Israel plans to return to the pre-1967 border, which is not defensible, he said.
The incentives offered here are an attempt to strip Israel of its assets before the negotiations, in a way that weakens Israel before it gets to the issues of Jerusalem, refugees and water, Dayan said.
He warned that if this strategy succeeds, Israelis would need a tourist visa to visit the Western Wall.
The council also directly appealed to Obama to allow Israel to act in its own self-interest and to stand true to commitments made by past US administrations.
“Obama is threatening to completely disregarded promises made by the Bush administration, so we cannot count on his new so-called assurances,” Dayan said. “For an ally of Israel to act in such a manner signals a further troubling new direction by the American president and we would urge Prime Minister Netanyahu to stand strong and continue to respect the vital needs of his people.”
The council warned Netanyahu that he “must first serve his own nation, and he cannot choose the American president’s will over that of the Israeli people.”
The council’s director-general, Naftali Bennett, added that it was difficult to trust any letter that Obama might pen, given that he had dismissed the written pledges his predecessor, George W. Bush, had given Israel with regard to the settlement blocs.
“If each president ignores and erases the commitments of the previous one, why should we take on this new promise?” Bennett asked.
He added that if Israel backs down from its pledge to let the moratorium expire, “there will be no more value or meaning to our word, ever.”
