| |  | | | October 2, 2005 | 
|  Secretary Rice: Hamas "Is a Terrorist Group," Will "Eventually Have to Disarm"
Speaking at Princeton University on September 30, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stated: We've been very clear that Hamas is a terrorist group and it has to be disbanded, both for peace and security and in the Middle East and for the proper functioning of the Palestinian Authority (PA). After all, it is a roadmap obligation of the PA to disband militias and armed resistance groups. Hamas stands for one-state solution, not a two-state solution. Hamas, therefore, stands for the destruction of Israel. We do need to give the Palestinians some space to try and reconcile their national politics, but they're going to eventually have to disarm these groups. They can't have it both ways. (State Department) Read More. | |  Israel Requests UN Security Council Seat by Yitzchak Benhorin
Israel's ambassador to the U.N., Dan Gillerman, has submitted a formal request to the U.N. Security Council for Israel to be included as a member. This marks the first time Israel has submitted its candidacy for a seat in the Security Council, and U.N. sources said reactions to the move have been positive. (Ynet News) Read More. | |  Israelis Sneak into New Orleans to Help in Post-Katrina Chaos by Chanan Tigay
Washington may have rebuffed Israeli offers of expert assistance in the days after Hurricane Katrina, but a team of Israeli rescue personnel managed to deploy in some of the worst-hit areas around New Orleans. The 18-member team - which included physicians, mental health professionals, trauma specialists, logistics experts and a special unit of Israeli police divers - arrived on Sept. 10 and spent a week and a half assisting fire department search-and-rescue squads and sitting in on daily planning meetings that included local leadership and a complement of FEMA, police, military and fire representatives, the Israeli team's leader said. (JTA/Jerusalem Post) Read More. | |  Intifada's 5th Year Saw Lowest Death Toll by Sagi Or
The fifth year of the fighting that began on September 29, 2000, was the least violent yet, with fewer incidents and fewer casualties on both sides, according to statistics gathered by Ha'aretz. The reasons for the relative calm include the progress of the separation fence, implementation of the disengagement plan and the "lull" in the violence declared by most of the Palestinian terror organizations. (Ha'aretz) Read More. |
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|  Letter to a Palestinian Neighbor by Yossi Klein Halevi
My journey into Palestinian Islam and Christianity, the faiths of my neighbors, was part of a much broader attempt among Israelis, begun during the first intifada, to understand your narrative, how the conflict looks through your eyes. Your society, on the other hand, has made virtually no effort to understand our narrative. Instead, you have developed what can be called a "culture of denial," that denies the most basic truths of the Jewish story. According to this culture of denial there was no Temple in Jerusalem, no ancient Jewish presence in the land, no Holocaust. The real problem, then, is not terrorism, which is only a symptom for a deeper affront: your assault on my history and identity, your refusal to allow me to define myself, which is a form of intellectual terror. (Jerusalem Post) Read More. | |  If You Lie Down with Missiles by Yoel Marcus
The Palestinians haven't learned a damn thing. They have a morbid knack for making the biggest, most stupid mistakes whenever the door opens a crack and a chance comes their way to establish a state alongside Israel. What prompted them, after the Oslo accords were signed, to send suicide bombers into the heart of Israeli cities? What is the sense in holding a victory parade in Gaza and then firing a massive volley of Kassam rockets into territories that Israel left of its own will? He who goes to bed with Kassams should not be surprised if he wakes up with a boom. (Ha'aretz) Read More. | |  The Loss of a Huge Strategic Asset: Deterrence by Nadav Shragai
The Palestinians were encouraged and made more bold by Israel's hurried withdrawal from South Lebanon, and thus initiated the last intifada, which cost Israel 1,065 lives. Many Palestinians see the future as a vicious circle of terror wars that lead to Israeli withdrawals. Terror sows and diplomacy reaps. One of the main factors that lead to the loss of deterrence was a significant reduction in offensive operations. The IDF, acting on the orders of the political echelon, restrained itself on many occasions for long periods of time, went into a hysteria of installing armor and other means of protection, and above all became a reactive rather than an offensive force. (Ha'aretz) Read More. | |  Interview with Hamas Leader
During the interview, Mahmoud A-Zahhar revealed his movement's political and economic agendas, reiterating the notion that his movement will never recognize Israel. He also said he expects to see Hamas ministers in the next Palestinian government. In addition, A-Zahhar uncovered in detail Hamas' plan to reconstruct and redefine the Palestine Liberation Organization's responsibilities, according to which it would represent the entire Palestinian nation, inside and outside the Palestinian Authority. (Media Line) Read More. |
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|  Latin American Students Unite for Israel Convention
Last month, Hillel organized the Third Annual Latin American Convention for Israel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with the special support of the Jewish Agency for Israel. More than 60 student leaders from Hillels in Uruguay, Brazil, Chile and Argentina gathered together for this Shabbaton to strengthen their commitment to Israel and share their thoughts about the situation in Israel in this special political context. (Hillel) Read More. | |  Louisville: Ministers' Mideast Tour Fuels Dialogue by Peter Smith
A Jewish activist and Presbyterian minister, both from Louisville, this month joined a group tour of the Middle East aimed at getting people on differing sides talking. Peter Anik, director of Hillel, the Jewish student organization at U of L, also made the trip. Rev. Mark Baridon said the trip strengthened his belief that his Presbyterian denomination is right in its support for an ultimate two-state solution but wrong to consider pulling investments from some companies deemed supportive of the Israeli occupation. (Courier-Journal) Read More. | |  Loyola: Jewish Student Goes From New Orleans to Haifa
Sasha Parsons Solomon of Orinda, California arrived in Israel last week to continue her studies in Biology at Haifa University. She had been at Loyola for just four days when she was ordered to evacuate due to the looming storm - leaving all her belongings. The University of Haifa has now put Solomon up in the student dormitories on campus free of charge and given her a year of study tuition-free. (Israel National News) Read More. | |  Northwestern: Baker Provokes Thought on Fair Coverage of Israel by Sunal Rupani
Biased media reports by a few reporters who cater to sensational journalism present a misleading view of the conflict in Israel, said David Baker, senior foreign press coordinator of the Israeli Prime Minister's office last week. Students for Israel brought Baker to NU for its second event of the year. In his lecture, Baker addressed about 40 students regarding the challenges of promoting fair and balanced media coverage in Israel, a country plagued by conflict and violence. He also discussed his responsibilities of communicating to all foreign press stationed in Israel and abroad. (Daily Northwestern) Read More. | |  Notre Dame: Students Confer with Palestinian Students by Janice Flynn
In a pilot program sponsored by the State Department, nine Notre Dame students participated in an informal video conference with Palestinian university students last week, a conversation that focused on student life but quickly turned to a genial discussion about Jerusalem's political climate and Western and Islamic perceptions of the other. The Notre Dame students are students in professor Alan Dowty's class on the Arab-Israel conflict. Their counterparts were from Al-Quds University in Jerusalem, students who spoke excellent English and - dressed in jeans, T-shirts and sweaters - looked similar to themselves, notwithstanding several headscarves. (Observer) Read More. | |  Penn: Students Act Out Roles of Israelis by Joe Scherban
Seeking to shed new light on the Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip, approximately 40 students assumed the roles of various Israeli citizens last week, allowing the students to better understand Israeli sentiment about the process. The role play was part of a program called "Engaging the Disengagement," an interactive discussion about the recent Israeli disengagement from Gaza. Although the disengagement plan was implemented more than a month ago, the highly controversial event remains an emotionally charged issue. (Daily Pennsylvanian) Read More. | |   South Florida: Motivated by Her Heritage, Student Impacts Lives by Iris Sela
You'd think that Noa Michaeli, a junior, is studying political science so she could one day become a community leader, promoting positive change in society and affecting lives on a personal level. But she achieved all that before she even started college. After seeking a Jewish foundation in her life outside of her family, she started a B'nai B'rith Youth Organization chapter in her city, Coral Springs. In her sophomore year at USF, Michaeli became president and a member of the board of directors for Hillel, USF's Jewish student center. (Oracle) Read More. | |  Stanford: Politics of Terrorism by Molly Cunningham
"It all starts with education," says sophomore Michele Goldman, referring to the challenge involved in stopping terrorism. Goldman's own education entailed traveling to Israel, a country often afflicted by suicide bombings, where she learned to fire M16s and conversed with convicted terrorists. Goldman, along with Nashonme Johnson, a senior, traveled to Israel this August on the first leg of a year-long fellowship with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), a nonprofit, nonpartisan think-tank dedicated to fighting terrorism through education and research. (Stanford Daily) Read More. | |  Stanford: Student Senate Debates Overseas Studies Program Bill by Sal Umberto Bonaccorso
The Undergraduate Senate convened for the first time in the 2005-2006 academic year to discuss overseas studies for undergraduate students among other topics. Two bills co-authored by sophomore Senator Danny Arbeiter and senior Senator Andrew Hendel were brought before the Senate for consideration. The first bill specifically resolved to support an overseas seminar in Israel. Currently, a curriculum for a seminar course in Israel has been created by the Stanford Overseas Studies Program, but is not being offered because undergraduate students are prohibited from traveling in countries where a State Department Travel Warning has been issued. (Stanford Daily) Read More. | |  Tufts: History Splits Modern Holy Land Politics by Aaron Schumacher
The stories Israelis and Palestinian children learn from their parents, in school, and from their friends play a key role in peace negotiations between the two sides, Paul Scham said last week. Scham, an adjunct scholar at the Middle East Institute, discussed the importance of historical narratives with about 40 students. History, Scham said, is the reason for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "You have two completely different versions of reality," he said. "They have very different versions of themselves, and their narratives exclude the other side." (Tufts Daily) Read More. | |  Vermont: Israelis Speak to Students by Paul Damon
On September 21, Hillel held a public forum about modern day Israel. Hillel invited three young, unmarried and professional Israelis, Mr. Shabi Michaeli, Ms. Michal Goral, and Ms. Yael Mevorach, who were representative of a variation of Israeli political and cultural views and backgrounds. Their aim in traveling to America is not to promote an agenda, but to foster the gaining of knowledge about the complexity of the Israeli situation and to open up discourse with Americans and the Jewish Diaspora here in the U.S. (Vermont Cynic) Read More. | |  Wisconsin-Madison: Israeli Television Star Discusses Diversity by Melissa Brown
Israeli reality television star Eytan Schwartz brought together leaders from prominent University of Wisconsin student organizations last week to discuss negative images the United States media disseminates to the public about cultural diversity in the Middle East. "Basically, the media says they only want something involving conflict regarding Israel, and [we Israelis] need to show a different face of Israel that never...comes across," Schwartz said, adding his job is to create better public relations for Israel. (Badger Herald) Read More. |
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|  Arkansas: Pop Culture a Factor in Israel/Palestine Conflict, Says Professor by Maysa Gayyusi
Politics can easily create borders between people that may lead to confusion and misunderstanding, said Ted Swedenburg, a professor of anthropology at the UA. Swedenburg's book "Palestine, Israel, and The Politics of Popular Culture," examines public culture of Palestinians and Israelis through different stages in history. The book is divided into four sections in order to approach several different subjects such as: historical articulations, cinemas and cyberspaces, the politics of music, and regional and global circuits. (Arkansas Traveler) Read More. | |  Boston University: United Nothing Irresponsible on Israel by Jonah Kaplan
Even under the new leadership of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, the ineptitude for stopping terror led Israel to take matters into its own hands. After much discussion and unsuccessful calls for a cease-fire, Israel decided to act on its own to try to stop the terrorist infiltration from the territories. In August, Israel pulled 8,000 settlers and soldiers out of the Gaza Strip. Israel's fence creates a barrier between Israel and the West Bank, stopping terrorist infiltration and illegal entry into Israel. I think the international community can allow a country to build a wall that saves its citizens from terrorism. (Daily Free Press) Read More. | |  Campus Doves by Gabrielle Birkner
The campus wars, which grew increasingly bitter as the intifada intensified, created a quandary for left-wing Zionist groups on campus, said Wayne Firestone, the executive director of the Israel on Campus Coalition, a 29-member consortium of pro-Israel campus groups including the Union of Progressive Zionists. Mairav Zonszein, UPZ's executive director, said progressive Zionist groups "show people that there's a third way, one that is both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian because it is pro-peace, which means supporting the rights of both Jews and Palestinians to a secure state of their own." (New York Jewish Week) Read More. | |  Columbia: Academic Boycotts Bad for Israel by Abraham Spector
A few weeks ago, there was a remarkable international meeting in Tel Aviv which brought scientists, ophthalmologists, social scientists and administrators together to discuss the latest findings in vision research, the academic boycott of Israel and the politics of communication. Primarily because of a strong antipathy toward Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, the academic boycott of Israel has become increasingly effective, demoralizing the Israeli vision community. For these reasons, an international group of scientists decided to organize a vision biology meeting in Israel. The writer is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Ophthalmology at Columbia. (Jerusalem Post) Read More. | |  Dartmouth: Sharon's Great Opportunity by Michael Belinsky
If Sharon maintains his hold on the center, he will succeed in shifting the Likud party away from its destructive anti-compromise ideology. His victory in his party last week indicates that he might have a chance. Thomas Friedman recently wrote that without Sharon, the Likud party would "become a fringe party and drive over a cliff." But it looks like Sharon is here to stay. Friedman thought that Sharon's actions would alienate him from his party. Yet, instead, the party followed their leader down this new road and his actions brought him closer to the people of Israel. The only thing that could upset the molding of this New Likud is terrorism. (Dartmouth) Read More. | |  King's College: Dealing with Hamas by Rory Miller
The week before Israel's unilateral disengagement from Gaza, I argued that following the withdrawal the onus would be on the international community, and especially the EU, to acknowledge the huge political and personal risks that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had taken by implementing this plan. I wrote that it should begin pressuring Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the governing Fatah party to try harder to re-establish control over Gaza before the parliamentary elections to the Palestinian National Council scheduled for January. The author is a senior lecturer in Mediterranean Studies at King's College, London (Tech Central Station) Read More. | |  UMass: Is Israel in Our Thoughts? by Bonnie Solomon
The news that has affected me most is the pullout from the Gaza Strip. Many people, including Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Bush, thought that pulling out of Gaza would facilitate the peace process between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The entire day that the news covered the evacuations, I was sitting on my couch at home watching attentively and crying. I'm just worried that rather than moving towards peace, Israel is just giving and giving for nothing in return - and eventually there will be nothing left. (Daily Collegian) Read More. | |  Mississippi: Peace in the Middle East? - Editorial
If we are to see peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis, it must come from a position of mutual understanding. A majority of Israelis, and, according to some polls, a majority of Palestinians, support a definitive peace. However, because of a small number of radicals (Hamas, among others), the tenuous peace is now under attack. Over the weekend, Hamas fired missiles into Israel, and Israel reciprocated by launching attacks into the Gaza Strip to eliminate terrorist threats. (Daily Mississippian) Read More. | |  Rutgers: Why the Academic Boycott Hurts Palestinians by Mark Gluck
There are three reasons why believe this boycott is counter to the long-term interests of the Palestinians: (1). The academic boycott is misdirected within Israel. The boycott targets the wrong subset of Israelis, namely those who are already most likely to support Palestinian-favorable policies. (2). The boycott is inconsistent in targeting Israel. How do you justify targeting Israeli scientists for boycott while still promoting and accepting engagement with scientists from other countries whose policies you surely also disagree with. (3). The boycott hurts Palestinians more than Israelis. The boycott directly and indirectly minimizes the potential for Israelis to work with, interact with, and get to know Palestinians. The writer is Professor of Neuroscience at Rutgers. (Israel21c) Read More. | |  Simon Fraser: Hillel Will Alter History - Editorial
The opening of the new Hillel House on the Simon Fraser University (SFU) campus was an occasion of historic importance. SFU has been one of Canada's most activist-driven institutions. In recent years, its radicalism has manifested itself in the challenging attitudes of some on campus to the existence and security of Israel. Jewish students at SFU have been at the front line of defending not only Israel's right to exist, but the larger right of Jews and others to express dissenting opinions at Canadian universities. (Vancouver Jewish Independent) Read More. |
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|  Rapper Remedy Offers Lessons in Jewish History, Holocaust by Leslie Palma-Simoncek
Remedy, born Ross Filler, is making a name for himself around the globe with his unique Jewish rap. His "Never Again," tells in graphic lyrics the story of the Holocaust. His "The Story of the Jews" covers the whole of Jewish history in about four minutes. Remedy spent all last summer living in Tel Aviv and now has embarked on a program to reach college students. A CD, "Remedy Presents New York to Israel," which he recorded in Israel with other Jewish rappers, should be released after the High Holidays. (Staten Island Advance) Read More. | |   Israeli Brings Jazz to Kansas by Rick Helman
Since he moved to New York to take a bite of the Big Apple's jazz scene in the early 1990s, bassist Avishai Cohen has worked with some of the biggest names in contemporary jazz, including a stint in Chick Corea's band. He comes to Kansas on the strength of his sixth compact disc as a leader, "At Home," which is Cohen's second release on his own Razdaz label. Cohen returned to live in Israel earlier this year, after more than a decade in America. "It's a little village called Shoeva," Cohen said. "I grew up in this area most of my life, and it's a great area to live." (Kansas City Jewish Chronicle) Read More. | |   Indiana: Balkan Beat Box
If you think you'll hear something akin to Rahzel and his vocal boom-bap acrobatics when you listen to Balkan Beat Box, think again. Ori Kaplan and Tamir Muskrat are a pair of Israeli-born musical masterminds who have stirred up their own concoction of Bulgarian, Turkish, Spanish, Israeli and Moroccan sounds into an eclectic multimedia dance party. They combine the sounds of traditional Jewish hymns, belly dancing rhythms and hip-hop production. (Indiana Digital Student) Read More. |
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|  Israeli Doctor Shares Trauma Experience with Florida Hospital by Cherie Black
When bombs were exploding weekly in Jerusalem, Hadassah University Medical Center saw as many as 30 severely wounded patients in its trauma unit. The mass casualties Israeli physicians occasionally see are far beyond what Jacksonville doctors confront. But being prepared for the possibility of treating large numbers of trauma patients at one time is one of the most important factors when running a hospital, said Yuval Weiss, deputy director of Jerusalem's medical center. Weiss visited physicians at Shands Jacksonville last week to share his experiences at his country's first Level 1 trauma unit, which means it is equipped to treat the most severe injuries. (Jacksonville Times-Union) Read More. | |  HU: Israeli Scientists Solve Mystery of "Dark Matter" by Judy Siegel-Itzkovich
A group of Israeli scientists have cracked a riddle of the universe that has been vexing researchers for years. Dark matter - the stuff that seems to comprise most of the matter in the universe - is very mysterious because it appears to be absent from some galaxies. But it is there after all, according to Hebrew University physicists. (Jerusalem Post) Read More. |
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|   Arizona: Wildcat Women Open Fall Schedule with New Israeli by Allison Hamila
The Arizona women's tennis team will make its fall debut this weekend at the Cissie Leary Invitational in Philadelphia. The women's team introduces two freshmen to the team; Danielle Steinberg (pictured) of Tel Aviv, Israel, and Tina Razloznik of Idrija, Slovenia. (Arizona Daily Wildcat) Read More. |
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|  Queens: This Land to Me: A Conflict Expressed through Art by Lauren Talerman
Last year, Queens College was spotlighted on CBS News due to a groundbreaking class focusing on the Middle East conducted by Professor Mark Rosenblum. The class consisted of students with ties to the region who were challenged to defend the argument of the group they opposed. This classroom experiment is part of a larger project entitled "America in the Middle East: Meeting of Minds vs. A Clash of Civilizations." The exhibition "This Land to Me: Some Call It Palestine, Others Israel" which opened recently in the Godwin-Ternbach Museum, is an outgrowth of this project. (Knight News) Read More. |
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Last month the Pakistani and Israeli foreign ministers met publicly in Turkey. On September 17, Pakistan's Prime Minister Musharraf spoke before the American Jewish Congress in New York.
Pakistan's Overture to Israel - Why Now and What's Missing?
| Pakistan and Israel: Why, and Why Now? by Shmuel Bar
The Israeli-Pakistani meeting culminates decades of contacts between the two countries that span changing circumstances and administrations on both sides. Since the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty--and more so since the Oslo accords--the constraints on Israeli-Pakistani relations have diminished. Pakistani diplomats have met with Israelis, and hundreds of Pakistani businessmen and academics visited Israel and met with Israelis in the government and economic sectors. Pakistan was a pro-western country and like Israel found itself aligned with pro-western conservative countries in the Arab world and against pro-Soviet paradigms of Arab nationalism and radicalism with close ties with India. After the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington and the subsequent "War on Terror," Pakistan found itself on the wrong side of all the campaigns declared by the United States and its western allies. Pakistan could have improved clandestine relations through intelligence channels, but such a step would not have provided the public diplomacy profits that it needed. By holding open contacts, Pakistan could open the doors to the Jewish lobby in the United States (where Musharaf spoke before the American Jewish Congress) and place itself on the "right side" of the peace process. Pakistan hopes that this may counterbalance the criticism of its leniency toward domestic supporters of terrorism and its behavior in the area of proliferation. Israel's gains from relations with Islamabad, however, may remain modest; the constraints of the Pakistani domestic theater will not allow much further progress in the near future. Prospects for further rapprochement will depend mainly on internal Pakistani developments and on continued progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. (Bitterlemons-International) Read More. | | Musharraf's Missed Opportunity by Judea Pearl
Formally speaking, Musharraf's address to the American Jewish Congress was unprecedented in that it was it was the first time that a leader of a Muslim nation, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel, held a public dialogue with Jewish leaders. However, the signals radiating from that meeting need to be evaluated on their individual merits. Make no mistake about it, the symbolic gestures produced at the Saturday meeting will have a significant impact on the Pakistani public, to whom organized world Jewry is generally presented as a hostile force with an anti-Islamic agenda. Musharraf's very appearance, his prayer with rabbis and imams, the conciliatory words that he expressed and his portrayal of Jews as champions of humanity, even fighters for Muslim's rights, were all broadcast back to Pakistan with full media fanfare. Musharraf missed a golden opportunity to make a constructive contribution to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He knows quite well that the major obstacle to peace in the Middle East is not Israel's presence in the West Bark nor the final status of Jerusalem but the issue of Palestinian refugees and the continuing Arab rejection of the historical legitimacy of Israel. He could have made a bold historical move by declaring Israel the legitimate historical homeland of the Jewish people. In his speech to the UN that same week, he had said: "Almost everyone has recognized that Israel is there now to stay" - namely, Israel is a necessary evil that others have been forced to recognize, not an asset to the region that I, Musharraf, am prepared to recognize. Musharraf has thus missed the historic opportunity of being the first Muslim leader to jolt his countrymen from the pit of rejectionism to the height of mutual acceptance. I requested that Musharraf consider the establishment of a Muslim-Jewish Dialogue Center in Karachi named after my late son, Daniel Pearl, who was murdered in Karachi and who came to symbolize the very idea of East-West dialogue. I was disappointed that Musharraf did not respond to my request. (Jerusalem Post) Read More. |
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