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Quartet Approves EU's Temporary Palestinian Aid Plan

Meeting in New York on Tuesday, representatives of the Quartet, including U.S. Secretary of State Rice, discussed the situation in the Middle East. A statement issued after the meeting said: "The Quartet reiterated its support for assistance directed to help meet the basic human needs of the Palestinian people and promotion of Palestinian democracy and civil society." "The Quartet expressed its willingness to endorse a temporary international mechanism that is limited in scope and duration, operates with full transparency and accountability, and ensures direct delivery of assistance to the Palestinian people." (United Nations)
See also International Plan to Provide Aid in Critical Areas (Washington Post)

Additional Headlines

Israel to Join UN Economic and Social Council

Powerhouse Lineup Vows to Keep Israel Safe

Fulbright Celebrated in Israel

Israel to Transfer $11 Million to Quartet Aid "Mechanism" for Palestinians
by Ronny Sofer

Israel will transfer part of the tax revenues it has collected for the PA for humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni announced Wednesday. The funds will be channeled only through the special mechanism to be set up by the international Quartet. "We are willing to have these funds used for direct humanitarian purposes, such as medicines and healthcare needs. Israel will not allow for this money to go toward paying salaries," she stressed. "By the way," she added, PA Chairman Mahmoud "Abbas also has a lot of money in a Palestinian investment fund, which can be used to pay for all of the government workers' salaries. Abbas refuses to pass the money to the Authority." (Ynet News)

Isolating Hamas
- Editorial

Hamas is not trying to escape its isolation by meeting the demands of the international community. It has made no move toward recognizing Israel's right to exist, accepting previous agreements made with Israel, or committing to, let alone abiding by, the Quartet's road map. What Hamas is doing is hoping that it can use the suffering of the Palestinian people - the same people who presumably chose Hamas because they were so tired of PA corruption and anarchy - to pry open Western coffers without compromising one wit. (Jerusalem Post)

Students Bring the Best of Israel to Campus for Yom Ha'Atzmaut

Jewish students in North America sent their best birthday wishes to the state of Israel last week by hosting numerous Israeli festivals and cultural programs. Though Israelis celebrated Yom Ha'Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) last Wednesday, campus Hillels have been celebrating the country's vibrant culture all semester long with fun and informative events that reach the entire community. As part of the Israel on Campus Coalition's "Israel Starts with i" campaign, many campuses have sponsored iFests, large-scale programs that not only allow students to enjoy Israeli food and music, but also share news about current and historical Israeli events and resources for students to travel and study in Israel. (Hillel)

UC Irvine: Fresh Muslim-Jewish Discord on Campus
by Kimi Yoshino

Controversial events scheduled next week with such provocative titles as "Holocaust in the Holy Land" and "Israel: The Fourth Reich" are sparking outrage among Jewish students who are asking administrators to denounce aspects of the event. Jewish students and community leaders say the program is the latest in a string of offensive incidents at the university. "This is an issue of free speech," said UCI's dean of students, Sally Peterson, adding that it would be illegal to prevent the program. "Hate speech is also protected speech....There's no law against being a jerk, basically." (Los Angeles Times)

New U.K. Bid to Boycott Israeli Universities, Profs
by Tamara Traubman

The largest university and college lecturers union in Britain is likely to decide shortly to recommend that its 67,000 members boycott Israeli lecturers and academic institutions that do not publicly declare their opposition to Israeli policy in the territories. The boycott motion, which was drafted by the southeast region of the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE), will be brought to a vote at its annual national conference, which will be held May 27-29. It comes about a year after the last boycott by British lecturers. (Ha'aretz)

Carnegie Mellon: Contest Held for Peaceful Video Games

"Peacemaker," a cross-cultural game about the Israel-Palestine conflict designed by graduate students from Carnegie Mellon University, won a contest organized by the University of Southern California's Center on Public Diplomacy. "Peacemaker" makes players - Israelis or Palestinians - negotiate dangerous situations. Other finalists included "Exchanging Cultures," in which diplomats explore new countries, and "Hydro Hijinks," a quiz game about international water issues and conflicts over water rights. (MSNBC)

Point-Counterpoint - Should the West Extend Economic Aid to Non-Hamas Palestinians?

Bypassing Hamas
by Danny Rubinstein

It is a very fragile arrangement, and many oppose it. There will be those who challenge it in the United States, Israel and Europe.
Hamas might see the arrangement as humiliating, since it takes powers from the Hamas-led government's hands.
The arrangement is also not convenient for Arab regimes, since in their view, the successful functioning of the Hamas government sends a message of encouragement to opposition groups in their countries, proof that an Islamic government can rule.
The Arab governments have so far taken steps to obstruct the Hamas government, but they are also worrying about its collapse, since it has become evident in recent weeks that the collapse of the Hamas government would mean the collapse of the Palestinian Authority in its entirety.
It is clear to everyone now that whatever Fatah, Israel, the Arab states and the entire world do to undermine the Hamas government will not work.
The Palestinian public is loyal to it. So it is best to look for a way to live with it. (Ha'aretz)

The Mockery of Funding Palestinian Authority (PA) Salaries
by Evelyn Gordon

The goal of these plans is to ensure that most or all PA employees (some of the proposals exclude certain personnel) continue receiving their paychecks as usual, and that the Palestinian government basically continues operating as usual.
Yet that would undermine the boycott's raison d'etre - which was to exact a price from Hamas for its refusal to renounce terrorism and recognize Israel.
From the Palestinians' perspective, as long as the government is functioning, Hamas is doing a fine job, regardless of whether it makes salary payments itself or persuades the international community to make them in its stead.
Thus the EU's claim that such a system would prevent money from being diverted to terrorism is ludicrous: By funding government operations, the EU absolves the Hamas government of the need to use its own revenues to provide basic services, and it thereby makes these revenues available for terror instead.
To say that ordinary Palestinians should not suffer because of the government they themselves elected, and whose objectionable policies they continue to support, is thus to ensure that they have no incentive not to reelect Hamas in the future. (Jerusalem Post)

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Sunday, May 14, 2006

Israel Campus Beat - May 14, 2006

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