Netanyahu has Outmaneuvered Obama, TIME Hints
by Gil Ronen
In his first 18 months in office, U.S. President Barack Obama has succeeded in humiliating Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on occasion and forcing a temporary freeze of construction for Jews in Judea and Samaria - but can he exert any more leverage on Israel now that the November congressional elections are drawing near? Obama's window of opportunity for pressuring Israel has closed, TIME magazine appears to say in an latest piece, and may not reopen until his eighth year in office, should he be re-elected.
While Obama may use his "powers of spin" to "sustain the appearance of progress" in his efforts to restart a "peace process" between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, his chances of success are slim, the article by the magazine's Middle East writer Tony Karon said.
Karon portrayed Israel as having "broadened and deepened" its hold on Judea and Samaria in the past two decades, but did not mention the complete withdrawal from Gaza and northern Samaria which Israel effected five years ago in an attempt to show the PA it was serious about making peace.
Domestic leverage
The magazine expressed doubts that Netanyahu had any serious intention of moving against "the hard-line settlers who claim a biblical duty to colonize" Judea and Samaria. In any case, it says, "with the White House's attention now on a difficult November congressional election - a focus that always works to Israel's advantage, given the far greater domestic political leverage its advocates wield in Washington - the Administration isn't likely to expend political capital on the issue anytime soon."
"Observers on both sides in the Middle East concurred that last week's embrace of Netanyahu by Obama was a domestically driven vindication of the Israeli leader's defiance of Obama's earlier efforts to pressure Israel on the settlements issue," TIME explained. People who hope that U.S. might pressure the sides into accepting a final-status solution dictated by the international community are "forgetting that the 2010 electoral season - followed by the 2012 presidential race - militates against the Administration's trying anything quite so bold in the Middle East."
TIME winds up by hinting that there "may be a political logic to Obama's two predecessors' leaving their Mideast peacemaking efforts to their eighth year in office." The magazine thus implies that the Democratic party's dependence on the pro-Israel lobby in the U.S. will prevent Obama from pressuring Israel any more, any time soon.
PA wants third party
Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority "foreign minister" Riyad Al-Maliki said on Wednesday that direct talks between Israel and the PA would only make sense if the international community were involved, according to AFP. "We have always said we need the presence of a third party. Without a third party intervention, a third party presence, this is a waste of time," Maliki said during an official visit to Bulgaria by PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
(IsraelNationalNews.com)
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US-Turkey tensions at new heights
By HILARY LEILA KRIEGER
07/16/2010 02:36
Erdogan ashes US for inaction following flotilla incident.
WASHINGTON - Turkish media reports have exposed increased tensions between the US and Turkey in recent days, with disagreements flaring over the Gaza flotilla incident and efforts to stop Iran's nuclear program.
Earlier this week, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan bashed the US for not taking more action following the death of a Turkish-American dual citizen in Israel's raid on a Turkish-flagged ship attempting to break the blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
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Turkey denies shift eastward
"It is significant that the US administration has not taken action regarding Furkan Dogan. We expect them to follow this case," Erdogan was quoted as saying. "Are you not defending Furkan's rights because he was Turkish?" In response, US Ambassador to Turkey James Jeffrey told the Turkish newspaper Zaman that the US was concerned about Dogan's case but took umbrage at Erdogan's remarks.
"If the press report is true, we - the United States and I - personally find it deeply disappointing and worrying," he was quoted as saying.
He went on to chide Turkey for not being more helpful with the investigation, and providing the autopsy results on the deaths to the Turkish group IHH, which participated in the flotilla, but not to the United States, according to media accounts.
"We requested it from the Turkish authorities many times, most recently on July 7," he reportedly said. "We find it difficult to understand why we can't have the autopsy report despite our requests while IHH already has been given it."
A State Department official said Thursday that Turkey had subsequently provided the autopsy reports.
The tensions come shortly after US President Barack Obama warmly received Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at the White House last week, a meeting that was originally scheduled for the day after the flotilla incident occurred. Netanyahu cancelled to return to Israel in the wake of the raid.
Israeli analysts have assessed the tense exchange between Erdogan and American officials stems at least in part from ire on the part of the former at Netanyahu's friendly reception while the flotilla incident has yet to be resolved.
Turkish-Israel ties have been in a tailspin since the incident took place in late May, with Turkey recalling its ambassador, cancelling joint military exercises and threatening a full cut off of ties if Israel doesn't apologize for the incident and take other steps Jerusalem has ruled out.
The US has talked to both countries about cooling down the rhetoric and finding a way to mend relations. The issue came up during the Obama-Netanyahu meeting, amidst indications that Turkey was dissatisfied that the US didn't press Israel harder on the issue.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held a 45-minute call with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Monday in which "the Secretary encouraged the foreign minister to continue important dialogue with Israel because that relationship remains a vitally important one to the future of the region," according to State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley.
After the call, Turkish media also reported that Clinton had urged Ankara to stop negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program, which Erdogan then denied.
While many countries reacted with outrage and anger at Israel's actions over the flotilla, political figures in the US have been more understanding of Israel's perspective, and several members of Congress have warned Turkey to reassess its behavior.
They have also called for an investigation and potential designation of the IHH, the Turkish aid group whose members were involved in the deadly confrontation with Israel, as a terrorist organization.
The State Department has acknowledged contacts the IHH has had with Hamas, which is on the US terror list, but said no decision had been made about its designation.
"I believe we're looking at the IHH, but it's a long process to designate an organization a Foreign Terrorist Organization and there's nothing to announce on that," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said last week.
Talkback
It's Time for US to Respond
The majority of Americans are fair-minded, intelligent people. It's an outrage that Turkey (NATO member!) was complicit in a terrorist act, but it's even more outrageous for Erdogan to demand the USA supports neo-Ottoman politics b/c one of the dead terrorists was a US citizen. Erdogan's going to discover pretty soon that his brazen demands will produce the opposite result. We supported Turkey when it was part of the West; we won't support an Islamist Republic of Turkey, and we won't be blackmailed by Islamists either. The truth is Turkey needs the USA much more than the USA needs Turkey.
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Poll: Israelis not swayed by Obama
By GIL HOFFMAN
07/16/2010 00:22
Survey finds only 1-point rise in Israelis saying US is pro-Israel.
US President Barack Obama's efforts to reach out to the people of Israel last week - when he hosted Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for a positive meeting at the White House and gave his first interview as president to an Israeli television station - were not very successful, according to a Smith Research poll for The Jerusalem Post.
After Obama's earlier meetings with Netanyahu were portrayed as adversarial, Obama made a point of treating the prime minister with the utmost respect last week, accompanying him to his car and constantly commending him in particular and Israelis in general during his press conference with Netanyahu on Tuesday, and his interview with Channel 2 anchor Yonit Levy two days later.
But what was widely described as a "charm offensive" did not immediately sway many Israelis in his favor, the JPost/Smith poll indicates. There was only a 1 percentage point rise in Israelis who consider the US administration headed by Obama to be more pro-Israel than pro-Palestinian since the last such poll was taken in March.
When asked whether they saw Obama's administration as more pro-Israel, more pro- Palestinian or neutral, just 10 percent of Israeli Jews said more pro-Israel, 46% said more pro-Palestinian, 34% said neutral and 10% did not express an opinion.
The poll of 515 Jewish Israelis, representing a statistical sample of the adult Jewish population, was taken on Monday through Wednesday and had a 4.4 percentage point margin of error.
The question asked was exactly the same as in four previous polls sponsored by this newspaper since May 2009. The first poll, which was taken before the first Netanyahu-Obama meeting in the White House and Obama's landmark speech in Cairo in June 2009, found that 31% considered this presidency more pro- Israel and 14% more pro-Palestinian.
The next poll, taken just one month later, found a huge shift, with the proportion calling the Obama administration more pro-Palestinian rising from 14% to 50% and the proportion calling it more pro-Israel falling from 31% to only 6%.
Those calling the Obama presidency more pro-Israel than pro-Palestinian fell in August 2009 to a nadir of 4% and rose to 9% in March 2010.
Since then, the latest poll shows, the share who consider this White House more pro-Palestinian fell by 2 percentage points, from 48% to 46%, and those saying it is neutral rose from 30% to 34%.
Respondents who consider themselves right-wing or haredi were more likely to call the Obama administration more pro-Palestinian.
Sixty-eight percent of haredi respondents and 63% of right-wingers gave that response, compared to 46% of the general Jewish population.
Among Likud voters, 52% called the administration more pro-Palestinian and 14% said it was more pro-Israel.
The Jewish Israelis who were mostly likely to respond that the Obama administration was more pro-Israel were those who said they intended to vote for Labor or Meretz in the next election, at 25%, compared to 10% of the general population.
When asked last week by interviewer Levy why he felt Israelis did not believe he had a special connection to their country, Obama blamed it on superficial reasons and ruled out it having anything to do with policies or his behavior.
"Some of it may just be the fact that my middle name is Hussein, and that creates suspicion," Obama said. "Some of it may have to do with the fact that I have actively reached out to the Muslim community, and I think that sometimes, particularly in the Middle East, there's the feeling of the friend of my enemy must be my enemy. And the truth of the matter is, is that my outreach to the Muslim community is designed precisely to reduce the antagonism and the dangers posed by a hostile Muslim world to Israel and to the West."
When Netanyahu was asked why Israelis disliked Obama, in an interview with CBS news anchor Katie Couric last week, Netanyahu said that Israelis did not have all the facts before them like he did.
"Maybe they don't have the opportunity to have the kind of conversations that I had," he said. "And maybe they're not aware also of the ongoing cooperation between Israel and the United States. In the fields of security, intelligence - the fact that the Iron Dome program to protect against missiles is something that has been bolstered by this administration and by this president. We have a common goal to achieve a secure peace. I'm looking forward to working with him to achieve it."
When Couric followed up by asking why he did not advocate more strongly on Obama's behalf, Netanyahu replied that he had invited the US president to Israel and that he hoped he would find an appropriate time to come. He predicted that Israelis would start liking Obama "when people get to know him."
Opposition leader Tzipi Livni this week praised Obama for talking directly to Israelis in the interview with Levy. She blamed the antagonism between Israelis and Obama on Netanyahu, for not taking steps to advance the diplomatic process.
"What has to happen is progress on essential matters, not just a nice photo-op," Livni told The Jerusalem Post, in her first comments on the meeting. "The US and Israel have the same interests. What Obama said was honest, and I am sure the message reached Israelis, despite what the poll says."
Talkback
Obama in a STATE of Denial
Unbelievably, he has the gaul to say "Some of it may just be the fact that my middle name is Hussein, and that creates suspicion." ABSOLUTE NONSENSE. For Israelis and anyone with intelligence, it has EVERYTHING TO DO with Obama's behavior towards Israel and NOTHING whatsoever to his name. This is yet another way this devious president attempts to take ZERO responsibility for his destruction of a former ally. He will soon be GONE and it will be up to the next American administration to repair the huge, huge amount of damage he has done not only to what was an alliance with Israel, with a whole number of other former allies he also trashed. He is, at his core, a manipulator. Suddenly he loves the Jewish people!! Just in time for an election campaign.
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Only US Jew Are Swayed by Obama
But not all are fooled! Takyyah (sp?), suspect it from the get go. If everything was"OK," we wouldn't be questioning obama's actions and motives! Too good to be true.... it is! Too late obama. It's good to forgive, but never forget! The Jews in the U.S. who believe all is now well are the jews who helped get us into this muslim mess!
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Israeli Firm Develops 'Stealth Paint' for Aircraft
by Hana Levi Julian
Shades of Star Trek's Romulan cloaking device: The Israel Air Force may soon be flying under the radar - even when it isn't - thanks to a new "stealth paint" developed with nanotechnology.
The science of the material is, in fact, not so far a stretch from the famed classic American sci-fi television series, in which the cloaking device caused spaceships to become invisible to parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.
The Israel-based Nanoflight firm has just completed trials on a special paint that can make an aerial vehicle nearly undetectable by radar. It won't make it impossible, but it will certainly make the task infinitely more difficult, due to the qualities of the paint, which makes it appear as if the aircraft is some other object in the surrounding environment.
The cost-benefit ratio is also a major plus: a U.S.-made Stealth plane costs in the vicinity of $5 billion. "Stealth paint" costs considerably less.
A successful test run of the technology was completed this week, with a thin layer of the paint spread over dummy missiles. Radar waves aimed at the "missiles" had a tough time finding them, and could not identify them as missiles.
This is how it works. Any object coated with the paint is enveloped by the nanotechnology used to produce the material. When electromagnetic waves are sent out by radar to sense whatever is entering its defense field, those radio waves are absorbed by the painted object, and then subsequently released back into the atmosphere as heat energy.
The changed electromagnetic waves return to their source, which would normally register the distance of the object, as with sonar in a medical ultrasound test, but there aren't enough of them to make an identification on a radar screen.
"Stealth paint" can also be used for other purposes according to the firm, which is also working on an application that will work with infrared, so that soldiers won't be visible on night-vision goggles.
The technology is useful for civilian applications as well. The material might in future be used to prevent pollution through its absorption and transformation properties, said Nanoflight CEO Ricardo Burstein. Guardrails along the main streets of Ramat Gan are being painted with the material in an experiment to see whether it will help eliminate air pollution generated by passing vehicles, he said. Another application of the technology might be to prevent the radiation emitted by electrical transformers from reaching homes and schools.
(IsraelNationalNews.com)
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Israeli Knesset fights back against Palestinian boycott
Israel's Knesset on Wednesday passed the first reading of a new bill that would prevent the transfer of funds to the Palestinian Authority if the latter maintains its current boycott of Jewish-made goods and services.
The Palestinian boycott, which has made it illegal for average Palestinians to shop at Israeli grocery stores in Judea and Samaria, for instance, has already caused an increase in economic hardship for the Palestinians.
But Israeli lawmakers said it is hurting Jewish businesses in those areas, too. In order to convince the Palestinian Authority to reverse its policy, the Knesset agreed that Israel should stop transferring tax revenues and other funds to the Palestinian government.
The transfer of such funds is part of Israel's commitment under its signed peace agreements with the Palestinians. But, so are regular, undisturbed economic relations between Israel and the Palestinians. The Israelis argue that they are under no obligation to honor their commitments if the Palestinians first violate theirs.
The new bill would also provide compensation to businesses hurt by the Palestinian boycott or other boycotts regularly imposed on Israel by foreign elements.
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Germany Bans Pro-Hamas Aid Organization
JERUSALEM, Israel - Germany's Interior Ministry banned the International Humanitarian Relief Organization (IHH) on Wednesday for providing $8.3 million to organizations that either belong to or support Hamas.
Germany considers Hamas, the Palestinian faction ruling the Gaza Strip, a terror group. The country bans any organizations that support Hamas because its charter denies Israel's right to exist and calls for the destruction of the Jewish state.
In 2004, Germany's high court ruled against providing any funding to Hamas, stating that even money designated for humanitarian aid could be used for terror activities.
IHH, which was established in 1992 and formally registered in 1995 in Istanbul, has branches in several European countries, including Germany.
The group's German leader, Dr. Mustafa Yoldas, refuted the Interior Ministry's claim and said IHH is a humanitarian, not a political organization. Yoldas accused the government of bowing to Israeli pressure and said he will appeal the ban in court.
"I swear had they been suffering hunger, thirst or hardship, we would have also helped the Jews," Yoldas said. "Otherwise, you would have to let people starve or die to make sure not to support Hamas," he said.
Yoldas, 39, a resident of Hamburg, is also an active member of Milli Gorus, an Islamic group suspected of supporting fundamental Islamic activities. Several other IHH leaders are also actively involved with Milli Gorus.
Among its humanitarian aid projects, IHH supports orphanages, vocational education programs, hospitals and clinics, builds mosques and monitors human rights violations in Islamic areas.
Global Jihadist Networks
But in addition to its humanitarian aid work, IHH provides funding and logistical support to global jihadist terror networks, such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center describes IHH as a "radical Islamic organization."
IHH recruited and arranged passage for more than two dozen radical Islamic activists on the Mavi Mamara, the Turkish-owned flagship in the six-vessel flotilla that intended to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
These passengers were provided with a variety of paraphernalia, including chains, knives, stun grenades, and metal pipes, to use against the Israeli soldiers who boarded the ship.
U.S. State Department
Following the incident, the U.S. State Department confirmed that IHH has had close ties to Hamas.
"We know that IHH representatives have met with senior Hamas officials in Turkey, Syria and Gaza over the past three years. That is obviously of great concern to us," Assistant Secretary of State P.J. Crowley told reporters a few days after the confrontation aboard the Mavi Mamara in which nine activists were killed and 10 soldiers wounded.
French intelligence expert Jean Louis-Bruguiere agreed that "IHH had a role in the organization that led to the plot ."
During a raid against IHH headquarters in Istanbul in 1998, Bruguiere said "it was clearly proven that some of the NGO's work was not charity. It was to provide a façade for moving funds, weapons and mujahedeen to and from Bosnia and Afghanistan."
"It seemed clear at the time that it was thanks to a measure of political backing within the Turkish government that it could continue to operate," Bruguiere said.
That political backing has strengthened under Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who told IHH leaders he would support their efforts "to break the oppressive siege on the Gaza Strip."
In a related matter, the U.S. State Department is considering adding IHH to its list of foreign terrorist groups, Fox News reported on Thursday.
"I believe we are looking at the IHH, but it's a long process to designate something a foreign terrorist organization," Fox News quoted State Department spokesman Mark Toner as having said.
U.S. Treasury Investigation
According to the report, the U.S. Treasury Department, which has expressed concerns about IHH in the past, is actively investigating the group despite some resistance within the Obama administration.
A group of 87 senators signed a letter to President Obama shortly after the confrontation aboard the Mavi Mamara.
"We are deeply concerned about the IHH's role in this incident and have additional questions about Turkey and any connections to Hamas," the letter stated.
"The IHH is a member of a group of Muslim charities, the Union of Good, which was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department as a terrorist organization. The Union of Good was created by, and strongly supports Hamas, which has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department," the letter read.
"We recommend that your administration consider whether the IHH should be put on the list of foreign terrorist organizations, after an examination by the intelligence community, the State Department and the Treasury Department," the letter to the president stated.
