governmentality

FM Lieberman: Abbas Wanted Israel to Topple Hamas

Just as I thought Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman must be running out of the ways in which he can cause trouble, he brings us a new one.

This time around, he's telling anybody who will listen that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas implored Israel to defeat Hamas in the Gaza war last year, according to a Reuters report filed last night. 

"Over the past year, I witnessed (Abbas) at his best. In Operation Cast Lead, (he) called us personally, applied pressure and demanded that we topple Hamas and remove it from power," he told Israel's Maariv daily.

"A month after the operation ended, he filed a complaint against us with the International Court of Justice at The Hague for war crimes. Is that a partner?"

It's worth pointing out that Lieberman has held on to this "knowledge" and only decided to reveal it when there's talk about peace negotiations.

The Reuters report did include this important bit, though:

Lieberman was not in government during the Gaza war. A spokesman declined to say on what the foreign minister had based his allegations. But a senior Israeli official serving Olmert at the time said Lieberman's account was "essentially accurate".

Read the full Reuters report here.

Four Palestinians Killed, Ban Ki-Moon Visits Gaza

Turkey Airs TV Show Causing Diplomatic Row with Israel

Earlier this year, I posted about Turkey recalling their ambassador to Israel over a Israel's reactions to a Turkish television show. The show, "Farewell," depicts the brutality of the IDF during the invasion of Gaza through a love story between the lead characters.

Well, that controversial prime-time television show is set to be aired starting Saturday, according to a report from al-Arabiya.

Several scenes in the series depict the IDF using firearms against unarmed Palestinians whose only weapon is rocks. A soldier is seen kicking the body of a dead Palestinian boy while his mother runs towards him in tears. Another soldier shoots a Palestinian girl who is seen smiling right before she receives a bullet in her.

And here's what Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman had to say on the matter:

"Broadcasting this series is a serious case of state-sponsored incitement,” said Lieberman. “Such a series, which doesn’t even have a weak connection to reality, and which presents the IDF's soldiers as murderers of innocent children, is unworthy of being broadcast in enemy states, let alone in a country which has full diplomatic relations with Israel.”

Of course, Avigdor Lieberman himself doesn't even have a weak connection to reality. And if anybody knows about state-sponsored incitement...

Read the full report at al-Arabiya.

Israel Closes Off West Bank for 48 Hours

Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak has imposed a closure on the West Bank for the next 48 hours.

The action was taken "for security reasons" including a risk of attacks, the spokesman said Friday. The area was sealed off at midnight on Thursday.

Since the outbreak of the second Palestinian uprising in September 2000, Israel has usually sealed off the West Bank ahead of major holidays, saying the move is necessary to prevent attacks.

This was the first time such a measure was taken outside of a major Jewish occasion.

Barak's decision certainly has nothing to do with Biden's visit since he's already left for Jordan and soon after will  return to the U.S.

Other reports are hinting that the decision has to do with the clashes that have occurred over the last two weeks after Friday prayers, but there's no confirmation of that yet.

Read the full AFP report here.

Israel & Syria Announce They Want Nuclear Energy

How about this for timing? Yesterday, both Israel and Syria announced they wish to develop nuclear energy at the International Conference on Nuclear Energy in Paris.

The announcement raised the prospect that both Syria, which has been investigated by the U.N. nuclear watchdog over its alleged attempt to build a secret nuclear reactor and Israel, which is rumored to have secretive nuclear activities, would could come under the microscope of international inspectors.

Of course, the international community will be compelled to allow Israel to have it. And the international community will also be compelled to keep Syria from having it--especially given its ties Iran. Nonetheless, it was smart for Syria to simultaneously articulate their wishes at an international question because they can now force the question: why them and not us?

But, more importantly, why is Israel choosing this moment for approval when we've "known" they have a nuclear weapon all this time?

And, Israel isn't exactly good with transparency--are they really going to allow inspectors to do the required work? What will the international community be prepared to do if not?

Amos Oz's Book Supposed to Help Palestinians

So, Amos Oz's highly celebrated book, A Tale of Love and Darkness, was translated into Arabic with the help of Elias Khoury, a famous Palestinian lawyer from the notable Khoury Palestinian family.

The book's acclaim comes from its autobiographical portrayal of a Jewish family in the decades leading up to the 1948 creation of Israel.

"The Arab world should read this work, which can help forge links between people," the 70-year-old author told Israeli army radio.

"The book recounts the birth of Israel in circumstances that are not heroic. The country appears as a (Jewish) refugee camp," added Oz, a co-founder of Israel's anti-settlement Peace Now movement.

I've appreciated some of the work Oz has done over the years. I've also been disappointed in his backtracking over the years--a subject for another post.

Now? Now, I think he's just lost his mind if he's under the impression that if Arabs (Palestinians, in particular) just read his book, all will be forgiven or at least understood.

I can't tell if he's just trying to sell books or if he is so far removed from reality that he's under the impression that if Palestinians ascribe to his recollection of the creation of Israel, they will understand the conditions that were necessary to throw Palestinians out of their homes (never mind slaughter). 

Read the full report at al-Arabiya.

Hamas Founder's Son: I Spied for Israel

FMs Support Indirect Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations

In Cairo today, Arab foreign ministers emerged from meetings saying they supported indirect Israeli-Palestinians negotiations for four months.

Chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat:

"The Arab foreign ministers meeting at the Follow-Up Committee have agreed to aid the holding of indirect talks between Palestinians and Israelis," Erekat said.

"This is so that American efforts to revive the peace process will succeed."

Israel is reportedly on board with this, as well. But is that because it favors Israel? Indirect negotiations means more hands on board and it's commonly understood that Israel has more negotiators than Israel many, many times over.

Read the full report at al-Arabiya.

FM Lieberman's Friend, Spy Turns Ambassador?

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is trying to assign his friend and former spy, Reuven Daniel, to the post of ambassador to Turkmenistan. But for months, Turkmenistan is refusing to credential him.

"They are hoping that we'll take the hint and nominate someone else," one senior diplomat told Haaretz.

Behind the rejection may lie an embarrassing episode that has dogged Daniel for more than a decade. In 1996 the Mossad man was expelled from Moscow after Russian security forces caught him accepting classified satellite photographs from senior army officers. 

And it just so happens that Reuven has never held a post as ambassador before.

Oh, and, it borders Iran. 

When is Israel going to remove this clown from the Foreign Ministry?

Read the full report at Haaretz.

Dubai Lists 15 More Suspects in Hamas Assassination

al-Arabiya is reporting that further investigation in Dubai is revealing another 15 suspects in the assassination of the Hamas militia leader, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.

“The extensive investigation has led to a total of 26 suspects so far involved in the crime,” said a press statement released by the Dubai Government Media Office.

“In addition to the previously released list of 11 suspects, Dubai Police has now identified another six suspects who include a woman who used British passports, a man and three women travelling on Irish passports, two men who used French passports, and three people with Australian passports. The Australians included a woman."

Read the full report here.