ObamaFreeze Falls, but...

More than anything else, it would appear to me that Israel's (smart) demands to have President Obama's post-Freeze related promises in writing were the real reason the latest ObamaFreeze failed to launch.

Even as Prime Minister Netanyahu tried to push through the latest ObamaFreeze with it dubious and questionable carrots, the Cabinet pushed back and demanded that everything told to Netanyahu verbally be put in writing.

And as Israel waited and waited for the promised letter, none proved to be forthcoming.

After all, there was simply no way that the US (and certainly the Obama administration) would ever put in writing, even a tacit understanding that building in Jerusalem would be allowed or approved, or any construction would be allowed or approved in Judea and Samaria after the retroactive 3 months.

That, more than the typical complete lack of any progress from the PA side, cut this idea down.


US administration officials are trying to save face and are saying that ObamaFreeze wouldn't have worked anyway.

Great. I guess it's good they realized that at some point, but it's a shame they couldn't realize that before their zig, their zag, and simply trying to place all the onus and responsibility on Israel.


Netanyahu is now demanding that issues important to Israel be placed at the forefront of talks - such as Israeli presence in the Jordan Valley for security reasons, and that discussions no longer revolve around only what is singularly important to the PA - for them to unilaterally declare their state (again).


But just because the Obama administration is down, does not mean it is out.

Israeli officials are saying that the Obama administration is already floating new unilateral demands (only) of Israel.


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Palestinian Reject Reflex

Rejected: Acceptance of Israel as the National Homeland of the Jewish People in exchange for settlement freeze.

Senior Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat on Monday stated that the Palestinian Authority unreservedly rejected Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's offer of a renewed building freeze in the West Bank in exchange for PA recognition of Israel as the Jewish national home.

"We forcefully reject all these Israeli games," said Erekat. "The racist demands of Netanyahu cannot be tied to the request to cease building in the settlements for the purpose of establishing a state." (JPost)

Rejected: Phase 1 of Peace Road-Map:

End of Violence - Rejected. ("Palestinian leadership issues unequivocal statement reiterating Israel’s right to exist in peace and security and calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to end armed activity and all acts of violence against Israelis anywhere.")
To date, Fatah and Palestinian Policemen have continued to be involved in terror attacks against Israelies. See here, here, here, here, yawn.

End of Incitement - Rejected. ("All official Palestinian institutions end incitement against Israel.")

You can check out the Palestinian Ministry of Incitement and Hatred, and here's a quick example of ongoing incitement from PA TV.



Visit MEMRI and Palwatch and see Palestinian Authority incitement broadcasts on a daily basis.

Of course, while the PA continues to reject, they still get everything they ask for. They will still get another settlement freeze from Israel, and the PA will have to do nothing to get it.

For a sobering analysis of why there won't be peace with Palestinians for decades, read today's interview with Minister of strategic affairs, Moshe Yaalon in the JPost.

Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe Ya'alon on Tuesday voiced pessimism regarding peace talks with the Palestinians. "There is no chance in the coming years for a peace agreement with the Palestinians," he told Army Radio.

Ya'alon said, "In the eyes of the Palestinians, the occupation started in '48 and not in '67. It is not only Hamas that thinks this way, but also [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas]. They need to be released from this delusion, from not recognizing Israel as the home of the Jewish people, and from from their readiness to agree that an agreement will be the end of all mutual claims, he said in the interview.

He concluded, "They have no interest in having Israel as a neighboring state."

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Fight the Freeze - Build a Shul

To make a long story short (because time is of the essence since no one knows what Bibi will really do after September 26), in the Zayit neighborhood of Efrat some of the neighbors have gathered together to build a shul – despite the freeze, or in other words, to fight the freeze.

After winning the municipal tender for a plot of land to build their shul (twice in fact), they decided that their 100 families could no longer wait for the freeze to end (or not to end) and permanently leave them in limbo and shuless (or is that shul-less).



They’re already digging out the mountain to prepare the foundation and need to raise money to complete that (they need another $5000 for that) as well as hire the architect and of course, build the shul.


If you want to fight the freeze, this is your chance to put your money where your mouth is:

You can donate online at: http://www.zayitjewishcenter.com/donations.htm

And you can see pictures here: http://www.zayitjewishcenter.com/pictures.htm

(A friend of mine is involved in this project, so I can vouch for it)


Gmar Chatima Tova,

Jameel.

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How Settlers Deal with The Building Freeze Inspectors

hat-tip; ER

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Lets help Peace Now!

Despite the explicit statement from the government that existing construction can continue in Yehuda and Shomron, the peace-lovin' organization, Shalom Achshav has decided that the government's edict isn't enough.

They are advertising for people who "see illegal construction" going on, to immediately call the special "illegal construction peace hotline" so they can transfer all the information to Ehud Barak's "inspectors."

See the following email which explains it all.

Shalom,

Peace Now (Shalom Achshav) had a press meeting yesterday where they advertised a phone number so that anyone seeing any illegal building in Yehuda and Shomrom can call and report it. We would like to fill up the voice mail to this number with as many phone calls as possible by leaving long messages which report illegal building the nearby Palestinian villages.

Whoever can please record the message and forward this message to as many people as possible. The phone number to leave messages is 1-700-701-967

Good Luck!

Secretariat – Yishuv Neriya

Note, in order that you do not receive a call back, dial *43 before dialing the above number. When you hear a new dial tone dial the above number. This will prevent the voice mail from identifying the caller – in the event and you don't want to be identified by Shalom Achshav.

hat-tip: FC

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Thoughts on the Freeze

Tonight marked the "Anti-Freeze settlement" demonstration in Jerusalem, and it brought over 10,000 demonstrators to it (10,000 according to the JPost, 15,000 according to YNET)

I wasn't there -- since I'm in London this week on business, yet I probably wouldn't have gone to the demonstration even if I was home.

The settlement freeze has multiple aspects to it. Netanyahu believes that freezing the settlements will give him the political maneuverability needed for Israel's strategic interest of attacking Iran's nuclear program. He has managed to convince many of the senior Likud ministers, even the most right-wing among them, such as Moshe "Bogie" Yaalon and Benny Begin, that the while ideologically abhorrent, its a necessary evil. That's from a strategic point of view.

And then there's the tactical aspect -- or more specifically, the small minded politics that hurt people for the sake of moving to the top, at the expense of others.

That's Ehud Barak.

While the inner cabinet decided on the freezing of "new" buildings, Barak let loose his inspectors on anything being constructed, despite "legal" within the framework of the cabinet decision. Barak wants to appear as heavy handed against the settlers, not because he believes it will help Israel's security, but because it will increase his standing among the more leftist elements within the Labor party. Border policemen beating up settlers is good press for Ehud Barak.

While the rest of the government ministries refused to cooperate by providing "inspectors" to help the Defense Ministry in its quest to freeze settlements (under the leadership of Ehud Barak), only one ministry agreed to help. The Agricultural Ministry...not surprisingly under the control of MK Shalom Simhon...also from the Labor party.

So the over-zealous inspectors show up, accompanied by brutal Yassam policemen, to settlements throughout the West Bank/Yehuda v'Shomron. My 13 year old daughter recounted to me when the inspectors showed up at the settlement where she goes to high school.

"The inspectors didn't come through the front gate, they came through a back gate to the settlement. Our principal shouted at us to run to that direction, and we scrambled through yards to get there. He got there first, and was assaulted immediately by policemen -- even though he didn't actually do anything. They grabbed him, ripped his shirt, threw him to the ground. One high school girl ran to film what was happening with her video camera -- the police grabbed her, and yanked her to the ground by her hair, and grabbed her video camera.

It was terrible."

This is exactly the type of press that Barak wants to help him continue leading the Labor party.

I don't think that Netanyahu wants to see this sort of press, and probably had much more modest ideas about the housing freeze -- but with Barak around, the situation will always lean towards violence against settlers.

Tonight's demonstration is good for Netanyahu to prove to the US Administration that a freeze in really in the works.

So what should we do?

1. There's no reason (in my opinion) to put up any fight against the stupid inspectors coming to issue official "freeze" orders. Rather, every settlement should have an electric paper shredder available -- and as the orders are dispensed, they should immediately go straight to the shredder. I doubt the police will beat anyone up for that (though with Barak at the helm, its hard to say).

2. Why help Netanyahu with a demonstration? We should continue to build, and wherever possible, challenge the government in court.

3. Continue to pressure government representatives and make the feel the pain of a settlement freeze -- and how people didn't vote Likud to enact policies of Ehud barak and the Labor party.

4. Here's an idea -- have a demonstration at a Tel Aviv building site to prevent building THERE. Let people know that its racist to prevent building in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, simply because we're Jews.

And then -- this happens. Its not enough to Ehud Barak to freeze our buildings -- he tries to demoralize us as well.

The Pesagot community near El-Bireh was just informed that the IDF unit guarding it -- will be leaving, with no replacement. YNET reports:

Residents of the settlement of Psagot have been living in relative calm for years now. In the early years of the al-Aqsa intifada, the community, which is located next to Ramallah, suffered from attacks from Palestinians living in the area. In order to restore peace to the area, the IDF decided to station a company of reserves soldiers to secure the community. Psagot residents now fear deterioration in the security situation in their community, following an announcement by Binyamin Division Commander Colonel Aviv Reshef, that the company would leave the site in a week's time, without having any other body take its place.

Mateh Binyamin Regional Council security officer Avigdor Shatz told Ynet the move constitutes a real threat to the lives of the residents. "The meaning of such a move is that a community which is located at a very serious point of friction with the hostile Palestinian population of Ramallah is left without a significant military force meant to separate between it and the residents of the settlement. Despite the relative calm of recent years, shooting incidents at the town are recorded each day."

The residents of the community were enraged by the decision and claim they are being picked on by Defense Minister Ehud Barak. "While he finds a budget to pay for inspectors to enforce the construction freeze in settlements, he can't find the money to preserve the safety of the residents and is abandoning us," a Psagot source said.

The next ten months are going to be difficult for the settlers.

Yet the upcoming preemptive IDF strike on Iran is going to make all our lives even more challenging.

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Settlement Antifreeze

Throughout Yehuda, Shomron, and the Jordan Valley (West Bank), Jews have decided to not take the "settlement freeze" lying down.

Plans have been established, the action has started -- creating facts on the ground. This time its not just the "Noar Hagva'ot" (Hilltop Youth), but mayors and regional leaders that have decided to take action.

We were just sent pictures from one such "illegal" construction site in what was once a legal, law-abiding town.

Seen "illegally" pouring, mixing concrete, and building at this site are various heads of Judea and Samaria municipalities, elected officials and regional leaders from Yehuda, Shomron, Gush Etzion, as well as mayors from various towns in Israel. Rabbi Riskin was there (which should give you a hint that it happened in Efrat, since R' Riskin is the Chief Rabbi there).

The clear message was sent out to Bibi and Barack, "You will have to arrest every single Jewish leader in this country for illegal construction, because we don't accept your illegal, undemocratic freeze."

Update: I was told that Rabbi Riskin said that when the police, army, and inspectors come, no one is to raise their hands or voices against them, but to lie down in front of their vehicles -- so I guess he is saying we should take it lying down!



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Obama Freezes the Muqata

I go away for a week, and JoeSettler can't even manage to hold down the fort.

A short vacation...that's it...and I come back to find out that under tremendous pressure from US President Obama, Israel's government has been forced into freezing all (Jewish) building activity in Yehuda vShomron(WestBank), my own home included.



As a law abiding citizen and taxpayer, as an IDF soldier in the reserves, as an active volunteer medic, I find it abhorrent that US President Obama has forced Israel into freezing all building activity, to the point that I can't even add on to my home. Not even enclose a porch, or add a room.

It's not zoning that's the issue -- rather the government has banned all construction, expansion, and extension -- at the behest of US President Obama, making everything, "illegal."

US citizen tax money was hard at work this past Thursday and Friday, as US personnel drove around settlements throughout the West Bank videoing the current status of buildings so as to help enforce the "freeze."

Defense Minister Ehud Barak added his share of wasted tax money, by sending IAF jets on Friday to scour the settlements from the sky taking detailed high quality photographs of settlements, to ensure not a room, garage or shed is built, no roads or driveways are paved, and not even a patio is poured.

It continued today (JPOST)

The Civil Administration moved swiftly over the weekend to distribute injunctions to settler leaders which immediately suspended for 10 months all new Jewish construction projects in the West Bank that have not broken ground.

According to the Civil Administration, the injunctions were handed out to 22 out of the 24 local and regional council heads in Judea and Samaria. The remaining two will be given out on Sunday.

In protest, Beit El Local Council head Moshe Rosenbaum on Friday ripped up the injunction as he stood in front of the Civil Administration official and said that it was an "illegal document."

Ariel Mayor Ron Nachman plans to file a petition before the High Court of Justice early this week questioning the injunction's legality.

When he received a call from the Civil Administration Friday an hour before the start of Shabbat asking where they could find him to deliver the injunction, a startled Nachman responded, "What is the rush?"

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post Nachman ridiculed the haste with which the injunctions were delivered. "What is this, the start of the Yom Kippur War?" he said.

Actually, this was far quicker than Israel's response to the Yom Kippur War.

Obama must have really turned the thumbscrews on Israel's government for them to implement such a racist, anti-Zionist policy -- and he most probably threatened Israel's very survival via our ability to attack Iran's nuclear program, conditioned on a "goodwill" gesture to Palestinians -- hence the "freeze."

We've survived previous freezes before, and we'll survive this one, Obama, and even Netanyahu as well.

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Kick-a-Jew Day

Netanyahu orders settlement freeze.
The ONLY (Security) Cabinet member to vote against was Uzi Landau.
Benny Begin, Avigdor Lieberman, and Moshe Ya'alon voted for the freeze.
Shas ministers excused themselves from the vote (cowards).

Meanwhile Obama is sending representatives to Settlements to inspect and make sure that no new Jews are moving in, and to finally learn where Gilo is.

It was also Kick-a-Jew day in Florida schools.

Seems to be a theme here.

More on this in the coming days.

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