Looks like the news that was reported yesterday was purely fiction. Today's post is showing US still stick with his original stand.
EU apologizes for statements against settlements (Ynetnews)
Foreign Ministry says satisfied after EU apologizes for statement made by one of its officials in which he claimed European taxes were paying for damage caused by settlements. Meanwhile US State Department clarifies administration's position remains unchanged
Roni Sofer Published: 07.09.09, 01:27 / Israel News
US: No change in policy
But while the confrontation on the European front has abated – the US on Wednesday reiterated its demand to see a complete freeze on settlement construction.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly dismissed a report on Wednesday that it had agreed to let Israel build about 2,500 housing units already under construction in West Bank settlements.
"That report in that Israeli media outlet is inaccurate," said after the Maariv newspaper reported that Minister Barak and US envoy George Mitchell had struck such a deal.
Under the arrangement reached in London on Monday, Maariv reported, Israel would be allowed to continue work on about 700 buildings already under construction on the occupied West Bank, or about 2,500 units.
But Kelly said "the bottom line" for US President Barack Obama's administration has not changed, "that all parties in the region have to honor their obligations.
"And you know what our position is regarding settlements... This activity has to stop. This is laid out in the roadmap. So the reports are inaccurate," Kelly said.
He added that Mitchell plans to travel to Israel soon to continue his discussions, adding that his talks with Barak on Monday had been "good, productive." He gave no dates for the planned visit.
The European Union Commission apologized to Israel's Ambassador to the Union, Ron Kuriel, over statements it made earlier this week claiming that the settlement policy was stifling the Palestinian economy and increasing Palestinian dependence on foreign aid – and therefore was costing European citizens in taxes.
The apology was issued after EU Ambassador to Israel Ramiro Cibrian-Uzal was reprimanded by Deputy Director of the Foreign Ministry Rafi Barak. A senior Commission official told Ambassador Kuriel that the statement released by the head of Operations at the European Commission's office in east Jerusalem
The Foreign Ministry said in response that it was satisfied was the apology.
Ambassador Kuriel stressed the severity with which Israel sees Dickinson's statement, saying that the issue was not only the lack of diplomatic manners but also the clear deviation from the Commission's stated role, "which is to coordinate aid with the Palestinians, not arrogantly criticize Israel."
Kuriel was assured that an official communiqué had been issued to clarify that the earlier statement did not reflect the Commission's position.
The original statement caused a storm in Israel and Europe after it was released last Monday. According to the statement, the Commission believes Israel's settlement policy is strangling the Palestinian economy and makes the Palestinian government more dependent on foreign aid – the burden of which falls on the European taxpayer. The European Union is one of the largest donors to the Palestinian Authority.
According to the EU, expropriation of fertile land for Israeli settlements, roads that serve only settlers, and West Bank checkpoints help constrain Palestinian economic growth and make the Palestinian government more dependent on aid.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak called the Commission out for ignoring a recent World Bank report indicating an improvement in the Palestinian economy. "The Mideast Quartet (US, Russia, EU and the UN) welcomed Israel's plans to improve the Palestinian economy, and recognizes Israel's right to security," the Defense Ministry said.
"Thanks to the cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, 140 (West Bank) roadblocks have been removed over the past few months. These measures may double the growth rate of the Palestinian economy from 5 to 10%. Unfortunately, all of these details were omitted from the European Commission's statement."
Read more...
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Israeli report: U.S. and Israel strike settlement deal (Reuters)
Will this decision gating the peace process? Will explore Palestinian side of the story in my next post tomorrow...
Israeli report: U.S. and Israel strike settlement deal (Reuters)
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli newspaper said on Wednesday Israel had won agreement from the United States for the continued construction of 2,500 housing units in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, despite U.S. calls for a freeze.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said the United States and Israel have been trying to find common ground on the sensitive settlement issue, but he had no comment on the unsourced front-page report of a deal in the Maariv daily.
A U.S. embassy spokesman in Tel Aviv also had no immediate comment.
The report followed a briefing by Defense Minister Ehud Barak to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his talks in London Monday with U.S. envoy George Mitchell on ending a rift with Washington over its demand for a settlement freeze.
Western officials said the United States was moving in the direction of making allowances so Israel could finish off at least some existing projects which are close to completion or bound by private contracts that cannot be broken.
"This is a concession to avoid causing undue hardships on individuals" who have signed contracts and have already paid for work that cannot be refunded, one of the officials said, adding that discussions were still under way.
"We're talking about polishing off things that are basically done," the official said.
Israel estimates that 2,500 units are in the process of being built and cannot be stopped under Israeli law. Maariv reported the units are in 700 buildings in various settlements and that Washington had agreed to their completion.
A report in the Yedioth Ahronoth daily, Israel's most popular newspaper, was more cautious, saying Israel and the United States were "close to an agreement on settlements." It also cited the same housing figures.
NORMALISATION
Barak has been seeking a deal with the United States that would include initial steps by Arab states to normalize relations with Israel in return for limiting settlement activity.
Yedioth Ahronoth quoted unidentified cabinet ministers, who attended Barak's briefing, as saying reports a U.S.-Israeli agreement on settlement had been sealed were wishful thinking on the part of the defense chief.
Palestinian leaders have said U.S.-backed peace negotiations with Israel could not resume unless there was a complete halt to settlement activity in the West Bank, Israeli-occupied territory where they hope to establish a state.
While in London, Barak told reporters that he presented to the Americans "the scope of current construction work, which from a practical point of view can't be stopped."
Netanyahu, under U.S. pressure, has pledged not to build new settlements in the West Bank or expropriate more land. Further discussions are planned between Mitchell and Netanyahu as early as next week.
(Writing by Jeffrey Heller and Ori Lewis; Additional reporting by Adam Entous, Editing by Myra MacDonald)
Read more...
Israeli report: U.S. and Israel strike settlement deal (Reuters)
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli newspaper said on Wednesday Israel had won agreement from the United States for the continued construction of 2,500 housing units in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, despite U.S. calls for a freeze.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said the United States and Israel have been trying to find common ground on the sensitive settlement issue, but he had no comment on the unsourced front-page report of a deal in the Maariv daily.
A U.S. embassy spokesman in Tel Aviv also had no immediate comment.
The report followed a briefing by Defense Minister Ehud Barak to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his talks in London Monday with U.S. envoy George Mitchell on ending a rift with Washington over its demand for a settlement freeze.
Western officials said the United States was moving in the direction of making allowances so Israel could finish off at least some existing projects which are close to completion or bound by private contracts that cannot be broken.
"This is a concession to avoid causing undue hardships on individuals" who have signed contracts and have already paid for work that cannot be refunded, one of the officials said, adding that discussions were still under way.
"We're talking about polishing off things that are basically done," the official said.
Israel estimates that 2,500 units are in the process of being built and cannot be stopped under Israeli law. Maariv reported the units are in 700 buildings in various settlements and that Washington had agreed to their completion.
A report in the Yedioth Ahronoth daily, Israel's most popular newspaper, was more cautious, saying Israel and the United States were "close to an agreement on settlements." It also cited the same housing figures.
NORMALISATION
Barak has been seeking a deal with the United States that would include initial steps by Arab states to normalize relations with Israel in return for limiting settlement activity.
Yedioth Ahronoth quoted unidentified cabinet ministers, who attended Barak's briefing, as saying reports a U.S.-Israeli agreement on settlement had been sealed were wishful thinking on the part of the defense chief.
Palestinian leaders have said U.S.-backed peace negotiations with Israel could not resume unless there was a complete halt to settlement activity in the West Bank, Israeli-occupied territory where they hope to establish a state.
While in London, Barak told reporters that he presented to the Americans "the scope of current construction work, which from a practical point of view can't be stopped."
Netanyahu, under U.S. pressure, has pledged not to build new settlements in the West Bank or expropriate more land. Further discussions are planned between Mitchell and Netanyahu as early as next week.
(Writing by Jeffrey Heller and Ori Lewis; Additional reporting by Adam Entous, Editing by Myra MacDonald)
Read more...
Monday, July 6, 2009
Iran ready for Israel attack on nuclear facilities (Ynetnews)
The situation is getting tense with both sides waiting to offend & defend.
With more burdens draggings from the Palestinian issue, IS is now distracted to a bigger nuclear threat from Iranian. Is this the coming of WW3?
Iran ready for Israel attack on nuclear facilities (Ynetnews)
Head of Islamic republic's parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy responds to US Vice President Biden's signal that Washington will not try to prevent any Israeli assault. 'Both the US and Israel are aware of the consequence of an erroneous decision,' he says
Iran is ready to take "real and decisive" action if Israel attacks its nuclear facilities, a senior Iranian parliamentary official said Monday.
The remarks by Alaeddin Broujerdi, the head of Iran's parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, came after US Vice President Joe Biden signaled that Washington would not try to prevent any such Israeli assault.
Both the US and Israel are aware of the consequence of an erroneous decision," Broujerdi told reporters at the Iranian Embassy in Tokyo.
"I believe our response will be real and decisive," Broujerdi said. He declined to elaborate.
Israel fears Iran is developing nuclear weapons to target the Jewish state. Iran denies it is pursuing an atomic arsenal, saying it only wants to produce nuclear power.
Israel's government has said it would prefer to see Iran's nuclear program stopped through diplomacy, but that it cannot rule out a military strike.
In an interview on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, Biden was asked whether the US would stand in the way if Israel – viewing the prospect of an Iranian nuclear bomb as a threat to the existence of the Jewish state – decided to launch a military attack.
"Look, we cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do," he said.
Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, said neither the United States nor Israel could allow Iran to gain a nuclear weapon.
"The US, like Israel ... has determined unequivocally that Iran must not have nuclear military capability," Ayalon told Israel's Army Radio.
"A military operation in Iran is something difficult and complex and perhaps would have severe consequences and there could be serious damage, but this is much less dangerous and complicated than to allow a nuclear Iran," he said.
'Totally peaceful situation in Iran'
Broujerdi also defended a recent crackdown on protesters following Iran's presidential election.
Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi has said the June 12 election, in which incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared winner, was illegitimate and marred with fraud. Riots and protests have followed, although Iran's restrictions on media coverage have made it difficult to confirm some reports.
Broujerdi said Iranian police had merely acted to restore order, and accused Mousavi of instigating the protests.
"There is no confusion. It is (now) a totally peaceful situation in Iran," he said. Broujerdi is visiting Japan as chairman of the Iran-Japan Parliamentary Friendship League.
The Guardian Council, Iran's top electoral oversight body, pronounced the election results valid last week. Ahmadinejad is set to be sworn in later this month for a second four-year term.
Reuters contributed to this report
Read more...
With more burdens draggings from the Palestinian issue, IS is now distracted to a bigger nuclear threat from Iranian. Is this the coming of WW3?
Iran ready for Israel attack on nuclear facilities (Ynetnews)
Head of Islamic republic's parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy responds to US Vice President Biden's signal that Washington will not try to prevent any Israeli assault. 'Both the US and Israel are aware of the consequence of an erroneous decision,' he says
Iran is ready to take "real and decisive" action if Israel attacks its nuclear facilities, a senior Iranian parliamentary official said Monday.
The remarks by Alaeddin Broujerdi, the head of Iran's parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, came after US Vice President Joe Biden signaled that Washington would not try to prevent any such Israeli assault.
Both the US and Israel are aware of the consequence of an erroneous decision," Broujerdi told reporters at the Iranian Embassy in Tokyo.
"I believe our response will be real and decisive," Broujerdi said. He declined to elaborate.
Israel fears Iran is developing nuclear weapons to target the Jewish state. Iran denies it is pursuing an atomic arsenal, saying it only wants to produce nuclear power.
Israel's government has said it would prefer to see Iran's nuclear program stopped through diplomacy, but that it cannot rule out a military strike.
In an interview on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, Biden was asked whether the US would stand in the way if Israel – viewing the prospect of an Iranian nuclear bomb as a threat to the existence of the Jewish state – decided to launch a military attack.
"Look, we cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do," he said.
Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, said neither the United States nor Israel could allow Iran to gain a nuclear weapon.
"The US, like Israel ... has determined unequivocally that Iran must not have nuclear military capability," Ayalon told Israel's Army Radio.
"A military operation in Iran is something difficult and complex and perhaps would have severe consequences and there could be serious damage, but this is much less dangerous and complicated than to allow a nuclear Iran," he said.
'Totally peaceful situation in Iran'
Broujerdi also defended a recent crackdown on protesters following Iran's presidential election.
Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi has said the June 12 election, in which incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared winner, was illegitimate and marred with fraud. Riots and protests have followed, although Iran's restrictions on media coverage have made it difficult to confirm some reports.
Broujerdi said Iranian police had merely acted to restore order, and accused Mousavi of instigating the protests.
"There is no confusion. It is (now) a totally peaceful situation in Iran," he said. Broujerdi is visiting Japan as chairman of the Iran-Japan Parliamentary Friendship League.
The Guardian Council, Iran's top electoral oversight body, pronounced the election results valid last week. Ahmadinejad is set to be sworn in later this month for a second four-year term.
Reuters contributed to this report
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