| |  | | | September 11, 2005 | 
|  IDF Evacuates Remaining Facilities in Gaza by Aluf Benn
Israel Defense Forces troops completed the evacuation of remaining military facilities in the Gaza Strip on Friday morning, ahead of the withdrawal from the Strip expected by Tuesday. All military equipment was removed from the Strip, and the army's liaison office at the Erez border crossing was demolished in controlled detonations. (Ha'aretz) Read More. | |  Gaza-West Bank 'Safe Passage' to Open by Diana Bahur-Nir
Israel has committed itself to allowing guarded convoys to travel between Gaza and the West Bank, as an interim solution to the transport problem between the Palestinian territories. The commitment was made to Quartet Special Envoy for Disengagement, James D. Wolfensohn. Speaking at a joint press conference with Wolfensohn, Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres said, "We are working to ensure that this won't allow terrorists and weaponry to be smuggled to Gaza." (Ynet News) Read More. | |  New Orleans Students May Study in Israel
Thousands of students, including 2,000 Jewish students, from disaster-stricken New Orleans would be able to continue their studies in Israel as part of an initiative of the Jewish Agency for them to study in English in programs for overseas students offered by Israeli universities. Tulane University, for instance, has been flooded, and courses are canceled. All Israeli universities - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, Haifa University, Bar-Ilan University, and Ben-Gurion University, responded positively to the request of the Jewish Agency to expedite registration of students from New Orleans wishing to study in Israel. Click for more information (Ynet News) Read More. |
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|  New Disorder in Gaza - Editorial
There is something that cannot be denied: Israel is giving. What is less clear is the other side of the equation: whether the Palestinians are taking. The Palestinians have never controlled territory of their own. The state that refused to allow itself to be established under the 1947 United Nations partition resolution, and that then lost the subsequent war, was split between Jordanian annexation and Egyptian military rule. The Palestinians received their first opportunity at self-government from the Oslo process. The results were disappointing. This week's murder of Moussa Arafat indicates that Gaza is liable to degenerate into chaos if Mahmoud Abbas (pictured) and his security services do not pull themselves together and firmly hold the reins of government. (Ha'aretz) Read More. | |  The Golden Path after Gaza by Ami Ayalon
The Gaza pullout is behind us, but the Jewish people still faces questions of enormous importance. Before we take another step toward securing a democratic Jewish state, we should draw on the lessons of the disengagement, a process devoid of a clear diplomatic objective and whose slapdash implementation did not satisfy all democratic standards. We should now be much the wiser when it comes to consolidating a new initiative with regards to the Palestinians. (Ha'aretz) Read More. | |  With the Israelis Gone, What is Gaza's New Legal Status? by Ruth Lapidoth
The legal and economic status of Gaza after Israel's withdrawal presents difficult questions with various possible answers. The drastic restriction of Israel's powers in the Gaza Strip will terminate the application of the rules on occupation. According to international law, specifically Article 42 of the 1907 Hague Regulations Respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land: "Territory is considered occupied when it is actually placed under the authority of the hostile army. The occupation extends only to the territory where such authority has been established and can be exercised." In view of this definition, Israel should not be considered as an occupier after the withdrawal. (Daily Star-Lebanon) Read More. | |  Legal Acrobatics: The Palestinian Claim that Gaza Is Still "Occupied" Even after Israel Withdraws by Dore Gold
The Palestinians may not like the limitations that have been maintained on Gaza airspace or territorial waters by Israel. But even Egypt has limitations on its sovereignty in Sinai that are the result of security arrangements created by the 1979 Treaty of Peace. No one would argue that limitations on Egyptian authority constitute a form of "occupation." Beyond the propaganda war between the two sides, there are serious issues that Israel will have to resolve regarding the Gaza Strip. Israel may not have formal humanitarian responsibilities toward the civilian population of Gaza any longer, but it might nonetheless seek to exercise some of them, if requested by the Palestinians themselves. (JCPA) Read More. |
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|   Black Hills State & South Dakota State: Two Student Presidents Visit Israel by Heather Mangan
A summer trip to Israel changed two South Dakota students' outlook on the world. The Project Interchange trip convinced Megan Wyett (pictured left), Black Hills State University Student Senate president, to pursue a career overseas, such as working in a defense program or teaching. Ryan Brunner (pictured right), South Dakota State University Students' Association president, said he now is more interested in international news. Wyett, a fifth-year senior from Casper, Wyo., said she was surprised at how modern Israel was. Brunner, a senior from Nisland, said he didn't realize how strongly the Israelis supported America until he saw the numerous U.S. flags and products. (Argus News) Read More. | |  Indiana: Gaza Pullout Hits Home for Campus by Shaan Joshi
In Israel, leading up to the pullout of the Gaza Strip, they wore their feelings on the clothes. "Everywhere there were ribbons showing how people felt," said IU freshman Inna Kolesnikovna, who visited Israel this summer. The country became inundated with a mass of conflicting orange and blue ribbons. "I think ultimately the people who are against this saw it as bending to the will of terrorism," said IU graduate Steve Werman, who spent time Israel this summer visiting. "Most people in favor thought that it was a necessary step for peace," he said. (IDS News) Read More. | |  Michigan State: Students, Staff Reflect on Recent Gaza Strip Pullout by Maggie Lillis
Kenneth Waltzer, Jewish Studies Program director, said the withdrawal played out differently than most had expected. "The resistance was less - both in amount and trouble - than what people expected, and that is good," he said. "It was hard for the people being evacuated, but no lives were lost and there were no serious injuries....I would very much like to see students of all backgrounds increase their interest in Israel - this is important," Waltzer said. (State News) Read More. | |  Oklahoma: Learning Leaders by Kelly Ann McColm
Chelsea Render (pictured), UOSA president and international business and marketing senior, traveled through Israel for seven days with Project Interchange's 12th annual Student Body Presidents' Seminar in early August. She learned about Israel's Gaza disengagement, Arab-Jewish coexistence, the Middle East peace process, education and immigrant absorption. Render said she keeps up with the Israeli news now and is still in touch with students and friends she met in Israel. (Oklahoma Daily) Read More. | |  Yale: Pipes Talk Sees Less Ire by Sarah Mishkin
In front of a crowded audience of over 300 students, Daniel Pipes, the director of the Middle East Forum, argued the topic "Resolved: The Arab-Israeli conflict will only end when one side is defeated," making the case that diplomacy in the Middle East has failed. Pipes argued during his speech that the Oslo Accords of 1993, which led to the creation of the Palestinian Authority, were "deeply counter-productive" and that the recent Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip would encourage further Palestinian terrorism. (Yale Daily News) Read More. |
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|  Pepperdine: Israelis Evacuate Strip by Kelly Davies
Peace - is it possible for the Middle East? The region is rife with hate and deep-seated passion for beliefs that grow stronger in the face of turmoil. For now, the settlers will move to greater Israel. Palestinians will get their state. The settlers will find new homes and new lives. I think peace is possible. I have to believe that if I believe in the power of humankind to overcome religious, political and other dividing differences. It will not come without sacrifice; it may not come without violence. Time will tell. (Graphic Weekly) Read More. | |  Tufts: Disengagement Demonstrates Flaws in Unilateralism by Scott Weiner
Ultimately, it is joint efforts, and joint efforts alone, that can lead to sustainable peace in the Middle East. One-sided efforts, be they positive initiatives like disengagement or negative initiatives like divestment, cannot force the joint action required by both sides to achieve sustainable Israeli-Palestinian peace. Sustainable peace is not a state to be forced upon two entities, like war or colonialism. Rather, it must be the fruits of the efforts of all parties involved. (Tufts Daily) Read More. | |  Yeshiva: Red, White, and Orange? by Eitan Kastner
American Jews are not Israeli. American Jews do not vote in Israeli elections. They do not pay the exorbitant Israeli taxes. Nor are they drafted for the (mostly) mandatory military service. And, most importantly, American Jews do not live on the front lines of a war zone in day-to-day fear for their loved ones, as Israelis do. Have American Jews earned the right to publicly criticize the State of Israel? And what kind of message does it send to the American gentiles if American Jews do not support the government of the State of Israel? Why should they support the little Jewish state if American Jews do not? (Commentator) Read More. |
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|  Yeshiva: Raving in Israel by Ben Levy
It's midnight in Jerusalem's industrial zone and I'm casually smoking my last cigarette in an abandoned warehouse. The air is dry and dusty, yet conducive to a subterranean ambience for which people will soon be paying. Jerusalem, the holiest city on earth, has a whole underground scene that is about to erupt once again, tonight. Rave parties are thrown at secret locations every other week. Techno music, which most people consider cacophonous or pointless, seems to provide a soothing influence in times of financial hardship and political turmoil. (Commentator) Read More. | |  Israeli Band Takes the "Matzav" Abroad by Viva Sarah Press
Settlers, suicide bombings, and politics are among the topics that Amir Neubach, Ofer Korichoner, and Orr Kahlon deal with as the Tel Aviv rock trio, The Genders. At home, Neubach identifies himself as very left-wing. "But in America," he says, "when people ask 'are you guys Zionists', hell ya, we're Zionists. They don't know it just means that Jewish people have a right to live in their land. They think Zionism is racism." This is not an album for children. In addition to the serious topics, there's also a good dose of sleaze and sexual connotations in their lyrics. Click for U.S. tour dates. (Jerusalem Post) Read More. |
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|  Cornell & Tel Aviv U: Profs' New Software 'Learns' Languages by Ben Birnbaum
Think a language-learning robot sounds like science fiction? The day may not be as far off as it seems, in light of new software, developed by Prof. Shimon Edelman, psychology, with colleagues from Tel Aviv University in Israel. The soon-to-be-patented program - "Automatic Distillation of Structure," or "ADIOS," for short - can derive a language's rules of grammar, and then produce sentences of its own, simply from blocks of text in that language. (Daily Sun) Read More. |
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|   Alaska: Women's Hoops Signs Israeli
The Seawolves women's basketball team solidified its backcourt Wednesday, signing Limor Pelleg. Pelleg, a California resident who is originally from Rishon LeZion, Israel, was the starting point guard for the Israeli Under-21 national team last season. The 5-foot-5 guard averaged 15 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals per game. (Anchorage Daily News) Read More. | |   Binghamton: Greenberg Up for a Challenge by Lior Klinger
Bess Greenberg is not your typical straight-outta-college American player that most Israeli teams usually sign. She didn't go to a big caliber college, didn't spend any time on a WNBA draft board or roster and so even though she's Jewish, not many people have heard of her. Greenberg attended Binghamton University in New York, where her father Mickey played and was inducted into the Binghamton Athletic Hall of Fame. (Safsal) Read More. | |  North Carolina: Velez Dazzles World in Maccabiah Games by Andrew Tanker
Far away from the safety of the normal relaxing summer vacation spots, Israel was torn with war and suicide bombings on a regular basis. To voluntarily go into the fire may seem out of the ordinary to some, but to succeed in those circumstances and set world records is exactly what swimmer Dan Velez did this summer. Velez represented the United States, traveling to Israel to swim against some of the world's best competition in the Maccabiah Games. (Technician) Read More. | |  Blind Israeli Golfer Erases Handicap by Paul Lungen
Israeli golfer Zohar Sharon drills balls far into the distance. An Israeli army veteran who was wounded in action, Sharon has been totally blind for more than 25 years. But despite his disability, he manages to strike the ball solidly and with remarkable accuracy, proving that in golf, it's all about the swing. At the par 4, 387-yard third hole at Maple Downs near Toronto, Sharon registered a stunning achievement when he drained his second shot to record his first ever eagle (two strokes under par), something most sighted golfers would give their eye teeth to do. (Canadian Jewish News) Read More. |
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|  Cordon Bleu and White by Michal Palti
Which part of cooking school is more tempting? The white uniform, the ability to arrange a plate in exemplary fashion, or taking command as the diners await their meals, with the knowledge that you can take the pressure? In the past two years, says Avishai Yonah, culinary director of Israel's Tadmor School of Culinary Arts and Hotelkeeping, there has been a perceptible and constant increase in the number of young people who have chosen to study cooking. Click for list of Israeli culinary schools. (Ha'aretz) Read More. |
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Sharon and Abbas: What Comes after the Disengagement?
| Mahmoud Abbas: Cooperation with Hamas Is the Safe Way - Interviewed by Lally Weymouth
When the Israeli army departs, will the Palestinian Authority take control and prevent Hamas from entering what previously were settlements?
Abbas: We are ready to control the whole security situation. We will not allow anybody to rush into the settlements. We have to preserve the establishments. Only the private houses were destroyed [during Israel's evacuation of the settlers]. We want them to remove all the synagogues. You've talked about cooperating with Hamas and letting them become a political party rather than confronting them. Why don't you tackle them?
We prefer the safe way - to cooperate with them in order that they will be diverted into a political party. In the beginning, they accepted the truce. After that they participated in local elections. Now they're aiming to participate in the legislative elections. I hope after that, they will become a political party. This is the safest way. But they have an army of 5,000 here in Gaza. How can you have an election with an army of that size?
They have an army. When we say there should be one law, one authority, we mean it. When we are strong enough, we will say one law for everybody. We aren't going to confront Hamas because...we aren't ready for a civil war. What should the next step be in the peace process?
To return to the roadmap and implement the Sharm el-Sheikh understandings. There was an agreement that the Israelis would evacuate [some West Bank] cities....This was not implemented....Of course, we want them to freeze [West Bank] settlement activities and [stop building] the wall. Reportedly, you warned Chairman Arafat once that violence was a mistake.
Many times. This was my conviction from the very beginning. The day after the beginning of the intifada, I told Chairman Arafat, "Please, stop, enough is enough. We are going to hell." During my election campaign, I said it openly. I believe that the people are with me. (Washington Post) Read More. | | Sharon: Disengagement Was a Fateful Step -Interviewed by Lally Weymouth
Why did you decide that disengagement is the right thing to do?
Sharon: I saw that it was very important to take this decision. I never thought there would be any possibility that a small Jewish minority in Gaza - seven or eight thousand Israelis, [living] among 1.2 million Palestinians whose numbers double every generation - might become a majority or [establish] a place that could be an integral part of the state of Israel. What is next in the peace process?
No one can impose upon Israel any plan, only what has been agreed upon, such as the road map [put forth by the Bush administration in 2002]. The only plan that exists is the road map. We are not in the road map yet. We are in the pre-road map phase now. To enter the road map, there should be a full cessation of terror, hostilities and incitement. The Palestinian Authority should dismantle the terrorist organizations, collect their weapons and implement serious reforms in [the] security [services]. Once they take these steps, we will be able to start negotiations along the road map plan. The U.S. wants you to dismantle illegal outposts [on the West Bank]. Are you going to do that?
We'll do that. We call them unauthorized outposts. Will some settlements go, or will all of them stay?
The major blocs will stay as part of Israel. As to others, according to the road map, that is the last thing we have to negotiate. You asked if we are building - yes, we have small-scale construction within the [settlement] lines. So you'll strengthen the settlement blocks?
Yes. There are altogether about a quarter of a million people living in these areas. And there are big families. Generally speaking, the places where we are building are in the major blocs of population. How will the U.S. react?
I don't think they'll be too happy, but they are the major blocs, and we must build. We don't have an agreement with the United States about this, but these areas are going to be part of Israel. You've started building?
Even now there is construction. Will there be a big peace dividend from Gaza, from the withdrawal?
We didn't do it for that reason, but I think the position of Israel in the world is much better right now. It's important to settle our relations with other countries and with the Muslim world....I would like to make a major effort to solve the problems between us and the Arabs. What do you mean by a major effort?
To talk and negotiate... And give up some of the West Bank in exchange for their concessions?
We're not going to have another disengagement. (Washington Post) Read More. |
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