President Trump recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital

[Skyweir]

Yep a mandate, a protectorate but not a British colony.

It wasnt as you rightly say British sovereign territory. Never was.

It was a nasty state of affairs prior to it becoming a protectorate, a nasty mess during that time and its still a nasty mess.

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+

Israeli envoy to Vatican: 'We want peace as much as His Holiness'

In this Monday, Dec. 11, 2017 file photo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a media conference with European Union High Representative Federica Mogherini at the EU Council building in Brussels. (Credit: AP Photo/Virginia Mayo.)


[Editor's Note: On Monday, Pope Francis delivered his annual address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Vatican, in what's generally considered his most important foreign policy speech of the year. It was a typically wide-ranging overview of the global scene, from nuclear disarmament and the dangers of anti-immigrant rhetoric to the pro-life cause and "ideological colonization."

Crux spoke with Ambassador Oren David of Israel, a veteran diplomat who's served in Canada, the United States, Romania, and as a non-resident ambassador to Moldova and Malta prior to taking up his current post in 2016.]

[…]

Among other global situations the pope touched on, he discussed the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Largely, he reiterated the Vatican's long-standing support for a two-state solution within internationally recognized borders, and also for the status quo in Jerusalem, which was upset recently by President Donald Trump's decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

What did you make of what the pope had to say on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict?

As you said, he mentioned many conflicts, as well as other issues of importance in the international arena today. I'd just like to avail myself of this opportunity to reaffirm that Israel wants peace as much as His Holiness wants it, peace for its citizens and peace for its neighbors.

As for Jerusalem, which indeed the pope mentioned, Israel acknowledges the importance of Jerusalem to all three monotheistic religions. Therefore, Israel guarantees, and we've always guaranteed, freedom of access and worship in the holy sites to all believers equally.

We also join the pope's call for dialogue and the resumption of negotiations, which was part of his reference to the Israel/Palestinian conflict.

Did you have anything that would mark a new position from the Vatican?

No. It was a confirmation of their long-standing concerns.

[…]


Ambassador Oren David. (Credit: Israeli Foreign Ministry.)


[…]

---------------------------------------------------

Is Trump widening a rift between the evangelicals and Mideast Christians?

A view of the Dome of the Rock and Jerusalem's Old City seen from Mount of Olives, on Dec. 6, 2017. President Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Dec. 6, and instructed the State Department to begin the multi-year process of moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city. (AP/Oded Balilty)


[…]

Meanwhile, Palestinian Christians and their advocates remain publicly critical of the [Trump's Jerusalem] decision. James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute who served on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom from 2013 to early 2017, argued that the outrage stems from a sense of solidarity among Palestinians irrespective of faith.

"Palestinian Christians have always seen themselves as part of a Palestinian community — not separate from, but tied to, the fate of the rest of the Palestinian community," said Zogby, the son of Lebanese Christian parents. "They have also felt that they have been ignored, slighted, and maybe at times treated as less-than-Christian by their co-religionists in the West."

Zogby's criticism was echoed by Wadie Abu Nassar, a Catholic political analyst and adviser to the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land who spoke to Religion News Service on behalf of the International Center for Consultations — his think tank in Haifa, Israel.

"Christians in the Middle East, the vast majority of them, believe American evangelicals have crocodile tears," Abu Nassar said in a phone interview. "The American evangelicals, if they really care about Christians (in the region), should boost better understanding between the U.S. and its Arab neighbors — not become part of the problem."

Spats between Middle Eastern Christians and prominent American evangelicals over Israel have flared up before.

In 2014, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas — an evangelical Christian — spoke before a group of Middle Eastern Christians during an IDC summit in Washington, D.C. The crowd applauded when the senator condemned groups such as ISIS, al-Qaida, and Hamas, but things took a sharp turn when he declared "today, Christians have no greater ally than the Jewish state."

As attendees began to shout in frustration, Cruz accused some of being "consumed with hate." The hall erupted in a chorus of boos before he promptly ended his speech, saying, "If you will not stand with the Jews, then I will not stand with you."

[…]

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+

Shin Bet reveal terror attacks tripled in December after Trump Jerusalem move

Israel's Shin Bet domestic security agency abuses Palestinians under interrogation in a manner so systematic it points to official endorsement, two Israeli NGOs say in a report
Jack Guez (AFP/File)


In December there were 249 terror attacks, up from 84 in November and 71 in October


The number of terror attacks across Israel and the West Bank tripled following United States President Donald Trump's Jerusalem recognition, the Shin Bet revealed in new statistics reported the Times of Israel on Thursday.

Since Trump's widely-contested decision to declare the much-coveted holy city as the capital of Israel on December 6, it ignited a barrage of violent protests and demonstrations by Palestinians residing in the West Bank as well as on the Gaza border.

According to the Shin Bet report, throughout the month of December there were 249 terror attacks in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Israel which has almost tripled from the months before when in November there were 84 incidents recorded and in October 71 attacks.

Of the 249 attacks, 219 were firebombings whilst the rest of the incidents were either stabbings, shootings or improved explosive attacks which includes rocket barrages launched from the Gaza Strip.

Head of the Shin Bet Nadav Argman speaking to the Knesset last month said he predicted it would be, "a highly unstable period for the next six months at least."

[…]

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+

Israeli Army Warns: Danger of Violence Escalating Into War Is Growing [In-Depth]

An Israeli soldier walks near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, in Israel, October 30, 2017. Credit: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS


[…]

[T]he danger of deterioration – perhaps even to the point of war – has grown significantly, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot stated. The intelligence branch and the chief of staff, who is beginning his fourth and final year at the helm of the army, are concerned about two possible scenarios.

The first would be the result of a reaction by one of Israel's enemies to an Israeli show of force. The second would stem from a flare-up on the Palestinian front. When the terrorism genie gets out of the Palestinian bottle, it takes many months or even years to put it back.

The first scenario, which the army terms "the campaign between the wars," might happen when Israel tries to prevent rivals from obtaining advance weaponry they might want to use during a future war, according to Eisenkot.

Most of these operations occur under the radar, far from Israel's borders. Usually, such operations draw little media attention and Israel invariably dodges the question of responsibility. The previous Israel Air Force commander, Gen. Amir Eshel, told Haaretz last August there were nearly 100 such attacks under his five-year command, mostly on Syrian and Hezbollah arms convoys on the northern front.

However, the more Israel carries out such attacks, and the more it does so on increasingly sophisticated systems (according to foreign media reports), the higher the chances of a confrontation with other countries and organizations, increasing the danger of a significant retaliation.

A similar thing is happening on the Gaza border. Work on the defense barrier against cross-border attack tunnels is advancing, while Israel is simultaneously developing and implementing more sophisticated methods to locate these tunnels.

At least three tunnels were seemingly located and destroyed near the Gaza border in recent months. However, this success could exact a price if Hamas or Islamic Jihad decide to try and use the remaining attack tunnels before they are completely destroyed or redundant.

[…]

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+

Palestinian leaders urge PLO to suspend recognition of Israel

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas speaking in the West Bank city of Ramallah on January 14, 2018
ABBAS MOMANI (AFP)


Palestinians have been deeply angered by Trump's Jerusalem declaration


Palestinian leaders voted on Monday to call for the suspension of recognition of Israel as they met in response to US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The vote ordered the Palestine Liberation Organisation to suspend its recognition of Israel until it "recognizes the state of Palestine", cancels its annexation of east Jerusalem and stops settlement activity, a statement said.

It was unclear if the vote by the Palestinian Central Council, a high-ranking arm of the PLO, was binding. A previous vote by the council in 2015 to suspend security coordination with Israel was never implemented.

[…]

While the Palestinians have been deeply angered by Trump's Jerusalem declaration, they also risk facing an international backlash if they follow through on the call to suspend recognition of Israel.

[Avatar]

Sorta had the feeling for a while that the PLO is a bit of a has-been these days...

Not sure I knew that they recognised Israel, but not sure what weight (if any) such recognition carries with Palestinians in general...

--A

[Skyweir]

Indeed

[Hashi Lebwohl]

The Palestinians still don't know how to accept the fact that they lost.

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+

Turkish President Erdogan to visit Pope Francis on February 5

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Photo | AP)


VATICAN CITY: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Pope Francis at the Vatican next month for talks likely to focus on the controversial US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The Turkish leader and head of the Roman Catholic Church both strongly opposed the bitterly-contested move announced by US President Donald Trump at the end of last year.

Erdogan's first trip to the tiny state will be on February 5, the Vatican said. It follows phone calls between the two leaders who share concerns over the crisis and agree the status quo should remain.

[…]

Francis has repeatedly praised Turkey's efforts to welcome Syrian refugees and has said the country can be a "great peacemaker", while also warning against "fanaticism and fundamentalism".

But the relationship has not always been plain sailing: tensions flared in 2016 when the pope denounced the World War I killing of Armenians as a genocide, enraging Turkey.

[…]

[Avatar]

Yeah, his recent purges etc. have not exactly made me positive about the new Turkish pres...

--A

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+

Trump admin settles on facility for Jerusalem embassy, plans to move as early as next year

(CNN) — The Trump administration has settled on a location for the new US embassy in Jerusalem and plans to move into the facility by 2019, two senior administration officials tell CNN.

Rather than design and build a new embassy compound, which officials say could take several years and cost as much as a billion dollars, the State Department has decided to retrofit an existing US consular facility in the West Jerusalem neighborhood of Arnona, which sits near the Green Line, the de facto border of Israel before the 1967 war.

The scaled-down plan for the embassy will cut costs and allow Ambassador David Friedman and his staff to move there as early as next year after some security enhancements are made.

[…]

The timing of the move has caused tensions between Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and US Ambassador Friedman. Officials said Friedman had pushed to move the embassy this year, with support from Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior White House aide who is leading attempts to revive the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians.

[…]

Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during an official visit to India that the United States would move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by the end of the year. But he was quickly rebuffed by Trump, who said in an interview with Reuters that the move would take longer.

"By the end of the year? We're talking about different scenarios," Trump told the news agency. "I mean obviously that would be on a temporary basis. We're not really looking at that. That's no."

[…]

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+

Mike Pence visits Middle East but US role as peace broker may be over

Under Trump, relations between the Palestinian leadership and Washington have soured - and Pence's trip is expected to confirm the enmity


It's not the trip to the Holy Land that Mike Pence might have imagined. For a start, the US vice-president – an evangelical Christian – is no longer welcome in Jesus's birthplace of Bethlehem.

[…]

Recent statements from the vice-president's office have not even mentioned peace talks, saying instead that the trip will focus on security issues.

Press secretary Alyssa Farah said Pence – who will also meet the Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi on Saturday and Jordan's King Abdullah on Sunday – will "discuss ways to work together to fight terrorism and improve our national security".

Next week, the former congressman and governor of Indiana will hold meetings with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and deliver an address to the country's parliament, the Knesset. He will visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and the Western Wall, the holiest Jewish site where worshippers can pray.

[…]

[Skyweir]

Dont envy him this trip

[Avatar]

Yeah, fact is, the number of people who actually want peace is probably quite reduced...now too many people (in positions to do something) don't want peace, they just want to win.

--A

[Skyweir]

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+

Pence Says U.S. Must Play 'Preeminent' Role as Peace Broker

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in Jerusalem on Jan. 23. Photographer: Ronen Zvulun/AFP via Getty Images 23.


→ Comments come after EU raises idea of joint diplomatic effort

→ U.S. VP says it's up to Palestinians to come back to table


U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the U.S. should retain its dominant role as mediator of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, rebuffing Palestinian appeals to the European Union to take the reins.

"The United States has played a historic role in this region to pursue and promote peace, and I think the United States should continue to play a preeminent role," Pence said Tuesday in an interview in Jerusalem. "But it's going to require the Palestinians to return to the table."

[…]

————————————————————

In Israel, Pence says US aims to pull out of Iran nuke deal

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, right, shakes hands with Israel President Reuven Rivlin during a formal reception ceremony at the President's residence in Jerusalem, Tuesday Jan. 23, 2018. (Ronen Zvulun/Pool via AP) ( /Associated Press)


JERUSALEM — Vice President Mike Pence reiterated to Israeli leaders on Tuesday that the Trump administration plans to pull out of the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal unless the pact is amended.

The remarks came as Pence wrapped up his visit to Israel. On Monday, he repeatedly referred to Jerusalem as Israel's capital, speaking alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also used a high-profile speech to the parliament to announce plans to speed up the timing of the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem — moving it from Tel Aviv — by the end of 2019.

On Tuesday, Pence met with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and vowed the United States would counter the Iranian nuclear threat. He then headed to the most emotional part of his visit — a tribute to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and a visit to the Western Wall. He was to depart the Holy Land later in the day.

[…]

"We are sending a signal to our European allies that the time has come for changes in the Iran nuclear deal," Pence said, sitting alongside Rivlin. "Punitive sanctions will be available for many years to come to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and you have our commitment to work closely with our allies around the world to achieve that."

[…]

[Avatar]

Thing is, I'm not sure I find it credible that the US are necessarily interested in peace in the region as much as an Israeli victory...

--A

[Cail]

Thing is, I'm not sure I find it credible that the US are necessarily interested in peace in the region as much as an Israeli victory...

That's what peace in the ME looks like. The Palestinians have proven time and time again that they're not interested in peace, nor are the other Arab nations. There's no point negotiating with unreasonable, irrational states. For decades we gave lip service to NK and tried appeasement. Didn't work. Trump tried something radically different, now the two Koreas are competing in the Olympics together.

I'm willing to see this played out.

[Hashi Lebwohl]

Agreed. If its Arab neighbors were not ultimately seeking Israel's destruction, Israel wouldn't have a problem with its neighbors and there wouldn't be any fighting. Also, the way those Arab nations treat the Palestinians as unwanted troublemakers, refusing to take them in, defies at least one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

Moving an embassy isn't as easy as moving houses or even a small business--absolutely no pieces of paper or equipment may be left behind. Israel may be our friend but that doesn't mean they won't look through our stuff if given half a chance.

[Rawedge Rim]

Agreed. If its Arab neighbors were not ultimately seeking Israel's destruction, Israel wouldn't have a problem with its neighbors and there wouldn't be any fighting. Also, the way those Arab nations treat the Palestinians as unwanted troublemakers, refusing to take them in, defies at least one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

Moving an embassy isn't as easy as moving houses or even a small business--absolutely no pieces of paper or equipment may be left behind. Israel may be our friend but that doesn't mean they won't look through our stuff if given half a chance.

Hell, they have on more than a few occasions. In the spycraft world nobody is really your friend, just potential future enemies.