It Worked Well for the Jews

Reported:

Clinton: Closing borders 'unrealistic'         Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton is pushing back on Donald Trump's claim that he could close the nation's borders after a terrorist attack, remarks that follow a series of bombings Tuesday in Brussels.

"It's unrealistic to say that we're going to completely shut down our borders to everyone," Clinton said during an interview on NBC's "Today" show.

Odd.

It worked "well" for the Jews.

^ 

By The Sweat Of Our Brows We Live

The vagaries of political history and semantics.

Back in 2000, you could read this

Middle East peace was given the slimmest of second chances yesterday after President Bill Clinton browbeat Israel and the Palestinians to agree to end the violence.

In 2013, you could read this:

Obama, a Democrat, never enamored himself to the Israeli people, nor to their prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.  The U.S. leader was accused of trying to browbeat Israel into making concessions to the Palestinians, particularly in his efforts to halt settlement-building in the occupied West Bank, and of refusing to impose red lines on Iran's atomic project.

Back in 1992, Bill Clinton told the New York Community Relations Council that he would not

browbeat Israel

Here:

He had accused President Bush Sr. of doing that:

in 1992 candidate Clinton ostentatiously denounced George Bush for coddling dictators and for having "chosen to browbeat Israel, the region's sole democracy, while nurturing ties to Syria's despotic regime." 

Even Tom Friedman of the NYTimes recorded it. The term was pronounced in Clinton's second major foreign policy address of the election campaign a Manhattan hotel five days before the New York primary before the Foreign Policy Association in early April.

Last month, it was Hillary Clinton's turn at browbeating admission:

Clinton has called Netanyahu a “complicated figure” and admitted that, as secretary of state, “I was often the designated yeller,” browbeating Netanyahu as she represented the Obama administration’s insistence that Netanyahu make concessions to Israel’s enemies.

Oh, and the term has been used again to describe President Obama's actions, like here:

...after the Obama administration browbeat Israel into accepting a separate inquiry by a panel appointed by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the HRC investigation continued. That’s what “fair and balanced” means at the U.N.: two panels, one biased, one supposedly not.

And in a phone call to Netanyahu.  A Republican congressman used the term:

Allen West, a Republican running against Democratic Rep. Ron Klein in Florida's 22nd District, said Obama was "browbeating" Israel.

I guess we Israelis are still livining by the sweat of our brows. 

^

Graphic Zionism Portrayal of Hillary Clinton

.

^

What Difference Does It Make?

The problem Israel has with a good part of the world can be highlighted in these remarks made by outgoing US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, attempting to defend herself in the Senate Committee reviewing the Administration's behavior after the Benghazi attack:

“It is, from my perspective, less important today looking backward as to why these militants decided they did it than to find them and bring them to justice,” she said.

Wait, history, background, the past has little or less or perhaps no importance?

“It is, from my perspective, less important today looking backward..."

Well, if Arabs conquered and occupied  the Land of Israel in 638 CE coming from the Arabian Peninsula (and not being the descendants of Canaanites or Jebusites), if the League of Nations decided, due to the Jewish people's historic connection to our homeland that we should reconstitute it, that the Arabs refused all compromises from 1920 on but we yielded up Transjordan and then accepted a further partition, that they ethnically cleansed Jews from locations of residency where they had been for many centuries before 1948, that the PLO was founded in 1964 and it was Israel in its pre-1967 borders that was slated for "liberation", and on and on...that is an impugning immoral philosophical, political, legal and cultural position to take (Peter Whener terms it: "What a perfectly post-modern approach to things").

Of course, for America, I feel sorry.  If it leading politicians and policy makers really don't care about looking backward, I can assure that country's citizens that you'll never know what could be coming at you even if you are looking at it front and forward.

And that has implications for us, too.

______________

Barry Rubin just sent me his thoughts:

...the motive of an attack is always important...the motive is somewhat different and extraordinarily important:

--To promote Islamist revolution by hitting at the United States, thus showing America is weak and can be defeated as a way to inspire more to engage in violence and revolutionary activity...

 --To show that terrorism works in injuring the enemy and thus is superior to what others do, including the political maneuvering and mass base building...

...The Obama Administration wants to bury this analysis because it calls attention to the threat of revolutionary Islamism and, in the last case, to the negative aspects of its own Libya policy...

....apologies and concessions will only persuade the Islamists and a large sector of the local population that the United States is weak, can be defeated, and therefore attacks should be escalated.

 

^

A New Challenge for Hillary

Remember that awkward photo situation with Hillary Clinton and Christina Aguilera?

How will Hillary react to this, the new album cover?

^

Hillary - It's The Hora The Next Time

Hillary Clinton is not doing the Hora in this dance scene:-

Hillary, next time in Israel, we do the Hora!

The clip:

(k/t=RCP)

When Hillary Clinton and I Religiously Agree

We agree on her thoughts, spoken upon the release of the new Religious Freedom Report:

Religious freedom is not just about religion. It’s not just about the right of Roman Catholics to organize a mass, or Muslims to hold a religious funeral, or Baha’is to meet in each others’ homes for prayer, or Jews to celebrate High Holy Days together – as important as those rituals are. Religious freedom is also about the right of people to think what they want, say what they think, and come together in fellowship without the state looking over their shoulder.

That’s why the free exercise of religion is the first freedom enshrined in our First Amendment, along with the freedoms to speak and associate. Because where religious freedom exists, so do the others. It’s also why the Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects freedom of thought, conscience, and religion – all three together – because they all speak to the same capacity within each and every human being to follow our conscience, to make moral choices for ourselves, our families, our communities.

So why can't I enter the Temple Mount without overt restriction?  Cannot pray anywhere therein, as unobtrusively as possible?  Cannot read a Psalter or from Lamentations?  Cannot dig there to excavate archaeological finds from my people's history at the site from two or more millenia ago?

Why is my religion secondary?

From the Report:

The 1967 Protection of Holy Sites Law safeguards the holy sites of all religious groups, including in Jerusalem. All holy sites enjoy certain protections under the penal law, which makes it a criminal offense to damage any holy site, while historic sites are protected by the antiquities law...A government policy since 1967, repeatedly upheld by the Supreme Court and routinely enforced by the police citing security concerns, denies all non-Muslims opportunities to worship at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif. While the government ensured limited access to the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif to everyone regardless of religious beliefs, only Muslims are allowed to pray at the site, although their access has been occasionally restricted due to security concerns. Police regulated traffic in and out of the compound and removed non-Muslim visitors if they appeared to be praying. Since 2000 the Jordanian Waqf that manages the site has restricted non-Muslims from entering the Dome of the Rock shrine and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Non-Muslim religious symbols are not allowed to be worn on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif.

Government authorities prohibit mixed-gender prayer services at Jewish religious sites maintained by the Chief Rabbinate in deference to the belief of most Orthodox Jews that such services violate the precepts of Judaism. At the Western Wall, men and women must use separate areas to visit and pray. According to a policy repeatedly upheld by the Supreme Court, women are not allowed to conduct prayers at the Western Wall while wearing prayer shawls and are not permitted to read from Torah scrolls because this form of prayer by women violates Orthodox interpretations of Jewish law. There is a separate prayer area along the Western Wall, south of the Mughrabi Gate where women may read the Torah and pray wearing prayer shawls.

The signs posted around the Western Wall plaza requesting gender segregation throughout the plaza, rather than just at the prayer areas, were removed in 2010. Official “modesty patrols” occasionally attempted to enforce gender separation and guarded the path designated for “men only” that was installed in 2009 opposite the Western Wall. According to the government-appointed Rabbi of the Western Wall, the path was created for those who asked to be able to get to the Western Wall plaza without having to walk through a mixed-gender area.

P.S.  Here is how she kowtows to the Muslim Brotherhood leadership in Egypt:

Now meanwhile, Egypt is grappling with these challenges as it navigates its unprecedented democratic transition. And during my recent visit, I met with members of the new government, including President Morsi, and representatives from Egypt’s Christian communities. Religious freedom was very present behind closed doors and out in the streets. President Morsi has said clearly and repeatedly, in public and private, that he intends to be the president of all the Egyptian people. He has pledged to appoint an inclusive government and put women and Christians in high leadership positions. The Egyptian people and the international community are looking to him to follow through on those commitments.

But I heard from Christians who want to know that they will be accorded the same rights and respect as all Egyptians in a new government led by an Islamist party. They wonder, understandably, will a government looking explicitly to greater reliance on Islamic principles stand up for non-Muslims and Muslims equally? Since this is the first time that Egypt has ever been in this situation, it’s a fair question. Egyptians are building a brand new democracy. What it will look like, how it will work, how it will handle religious pluralism – Egyptians will be writing the answers to those and many other questions for years to come.

As I told the Christians with whom I met, the United States does not take the side of one political party over another. What we do is stand firmly on the side of principles. Yes, we do support democracy – real democracy, where every citizen has the right to live, work, and worship how they choose, whether they be Muslim or Christian or from any other background; where no group or faction can impose their authority or their ideology or their religion on anyone else; where there is healthy competition, and what we call checks and balances, so no one institution or leader gets too powerful and the rights of all citizens are respected and protected.

The Egyptian people will look to their elected leaders to protect the rights of all citizens and to govern in a fair and inclusive manner, and so will we. And if voters make different choices in future elections, then they and we will expect their leaders to respond to the will of the people and give up power. We are prepared to work with the leaders that the Egyptian people choose. But our engagement with those leaders will be based on their commitment to universal human rights and universal democratic principles.

Another important aspect of Egypt’s transition is whether citizens themselves respect each other’s differences. Now we saw that capacity vividly in Tahrir Square, when Christians formed a circle around Muslims in prayer, and Muslims clasped hands to protect Christians celebrating a mass. I think that spirit of unity and fellowship was a very moving part of how Egyptians and all the rest of us responded to what happened in those days in that square. And if, in the years ahead, if Egyptians continue to protect that precious recognition of what every single Egyptian can contribute to the future of their country, where people of different faiths will be standing together in fellowship, then they can bring hope and healing to many communities in Egypt who need that message.

^

Hillary Throws the Key Away on Pollard

At yesterday's press conference in Tel Aviv:-

MS. NULAND: Next question (inaudible) Channel 2, please.

QUESTION: Madam Secretary...On the matter of Jonathan Pollard, we’ve been here for a long time. Don’t you think it’s a matter of justice and even a humanitarian issue that after almost 27 years in jail he should be released?

SECRETARY CLINTON: ...with respect to Mr. Pollard, he was, as you know, convicted of spying in 1987. He was sentenced to life in prison. He is serving that sentence, and I do not have any expectation that that is going to change.

Whose expectations?

^

Hillary's Hand; Bibi's Shoulder

Is a hand on a shoulder any indication with special significance?

Credit: GPO

^

What Hillary Said in Jerusalem Today

Seems US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was at the Consulate General Jerusalem and spoke with, as she does in every country she visits where there is a diplomatic outpost, the staff and families of the Embassy Tel Aviv and Consulate General Jerusalem

A bit of what she said:

Thank you so much. You all are great, a great sight to see. And I am so happy I have this chance to come and thank you personally for everything you do...And I want to thank everyone who brought these young people out to see me. I’m very glad to have that opportunity. And I’m so delighted to be here with Dan and Julie. I got to work with Dan when he was in the White House, and it’s wonderful to see him in action here in Israel.

But mostly I wanted to say thank you to all of you for the work that you do every single day here in Jerusalem and in Tel Aviv supporting the extraordinarily important ties between the United States and Israel, working with the Palestinian Authority on so many of the issues that are critically important, assisting a huge number of Americans who visit this area, and of course, continuing our commitment as we seek to support a lasting peace. You are working at the forefront of one of our most important and challenging diplomatic efforts. Here in the Consulate General you are assisting with development and security, helping to build the infrastructure for a future Palestinian state...

...Now, I’m told that the 4^th of July party was a great example of the way that you can bring people together from every walk of life – Americans, Israelis, Palestinians, Christians, Muslims, Jews, you name it. Everybody was here. [I wasn't - YM] And I am very pleased that the diversity of experiences and ideas you bring to work every day is helping us navigate the challenges we face.

But she does have a sense of humor:

I also want to thank the family members who are here. Now, I do love Jerusalem so it’s not like I’m saying that this is a hardship post, because it certainly is challenging but it’s also an extraordinary opportunity. Yet nevertheless I know that you have all to make sacrifices in order to serve in our overseas missions and in one that has as complex an agenda as this does. And you’re not as close to the beach as our mission in Tel Aviv is – (laughter) – so you get the beauty of Jerusalem but without the beach time, so I suppose that’s a fair tradeoff, more or less.

^

Hillary Thinks Me "Illegitimate" But I Am Not Uncouth

This July 10 editorial, today, Monday, July 16, almost a week later, is still, at #4, a most recommended story by the NYTimes' web site crew.

They are really pushing it.

Of course, when you write Wrong Time for New Settlements, it is only logical that there be a "right" time.  But for the NYT, that's is not so.

The editorial writer does not like at all that, not only is "Israel is pushing ahead with new settlements in the West Bank", but that it is

asserting control over new sections of East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim as their capital. Meanwhile, peace talks — the best guarantee of a durable solution — are going nowhere.

Of course, the Pals. can claim a lot of things.  We Israelis do, too. Jerusalem has always been a final-status issue and Israel's governments and even Hillary Clinton herself have been clear of Israel's capital stating in a September 2007 position paper that she believed 'Israel’s right to exist in safety as a Jewish state, with defensible borders and an undivided Jerusalem as its capital, must never be questioned.' Her spokesman even said 'this paper is a reflection of her consistent policy... that hasn’t changed'.”  But why are there no negotiations?  After Netanyahu's Bar-Ilan "two-state" pronouncement and construction moratorium?  It is Israel's fault?

The legal analysis of Israel's rights in and to Judea and Samaria are termed a

potentially disastrous, blow. 

Why?

the commission’s recommendations are bad law, bad policy and bad politics. Most of the world views the West Bank, which was taken by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 war, as occupied territory and all Israeli construction there as a violation of international law. The world court ruled this way in 2004. The Fourth Geneva Convention bars occupying powers from settling their own populations in occupied lands. And United Nations Security Council resolution 242, a core of Middle East policy, calls for the “withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict.” 

Well, dear NYTimes, that's why the Levy Report is important as all that is wrong.

But the NYTimes ups the ante:

If its conclusions are not firmly rejected by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, there is likely to be new international anger at Israel. That could divert attention from Iran just when the world is bearing down with sanctions and negotiations to curb Tehran’s nuclear program.

Also thrown in there is the Beinart Bebop:

It would also draw attention to a dispiriting anomaly: that a state founded as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people is determined to continue ruling 2.5 million Palestinians under an unequal system of laws and rights.

The hope?

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will have a chance to drive that message home when she visits Israel next week.

Well, I for one will not copy what the Egyptian protestors shouted at her.

Hillary may think me "illegitimate" but I am not uncouth.  And I stand firm on political principles and beliefs.

^

Hillary Clinton: Don't Believe...Obama?

Is that she was intimating in this answer at a press conference (Secretary Clinton at Town Hall in Tunis with Tunisian Youth. Palais du Baron d'Erlanger, February 25, 2012)?

QUESTION:

My name is Ivan. After the electoral campaign starts in the United States – it started some time ago – we noticed here in Tunisia that most of the candidates from the both sides run towards the Zionist lobbies to get their support in the States. And afterwards, once they are elected, they come to show their support for countries like Tunisia and Egypt for a common Tunisian or a common Arab citizen. How would you reassure and gain his trust again once given the fact that you are supporting his enemy as well at the same time?

SECRETARY CLINTON:

Well, first, let me say you will learn as your democracy develops that a lot of things are said in political campaigns that should not bear a lot of attention. There are comments made that certainly don’t reflect the United States, don’t reflect our foreign policy, don’t reflect who we are as a people. I mean, if you go to the United States, you see mosques everywhere, you see Muslim Americans everywhere. That’s the fact. So I would not pay attention to the rhetoric.

Secondly, I would say watch what President Obama says and does. He’s our President. He represents all of the United States, and he will be reelected President, so I think that that will be a very clear signal to the entire world as to what our values are and what our President believes. So I think it’s a fair question because I know that – I sometimes am a little surprised that people around the world pay more attention to what is said in our political campaigns than most Americans, say, are paying attention. So I think you have to shut out some of the rhetoric and just focus on what we’re doing and what we stand for, and particularly what our President represents.

Well, since President Obama hasn't really managed to do much on the Iran issue of any effectiveness, what do you think Clinton was intimating?

(k/t=ChallahHuAkbar)

Clinton Pressed Hard, Opts Defense

No, not Bill.

Hillary:-

Clinton defends administration record on Israel

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is dismissing Republican criticism of President Barack Obama's record in supporting Israel and says U.S. aid would be the highest ever.

Pressed at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing...

I like it.

^

Obama/Clinton - "Palestine Firsters"?

After all the noise about the latent antisemitism at CAP and the use of "Israel Firster", and all the apologetica, I guess calling President Obama and Sec'y of State Clinton "Palestine Firsters" would be acceptable to those progressive radical liberal forces who can't stand Israel?

And why?

Well, at the end of December we had this:

The US State Department said Congress has released $40 million in aid to the Palestinians, part of the nearly $200 million that was frozen over their bid for full UN recognition.

"We have been working with Congress for some time, because we don't think it's in US national interests to keep this money frozen," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters, saying US diplomats were "gratified" by the move. The monies, provided through the Economic Support Fund, are targeted for economic and humanitarian support.

What could "Palestine First" about this, in a negative sense?  Well, read this from January 3:-

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Obama State Department proudly announced an initial contribution of $55 million [above was $40 - YM] for Palestinians living in the West Bank, Gaza and other parts of the Middle East. President Barack Obama and the State Department claim the $55 million contribution will provide critical health, education, and humanitarian services to five million Palestinian refugees in the region.

...What the State Department neglected to mention regarding the Palestinians in Lebanon is that they are undergoing training by the Lebanese-based terrorist group Hezbollah, say many counterterrorism experts.

The State Department's press release claims that United States recognizes the critical role the Agency plays in assisting Palestinian refugees and maintaining regional stability and calls upon other donors to enhance their support for UNRWA. Sadly, Israeli intelligence sources say some of the aid money is used to purchase weapons such as fully-automatic firearms, rockets, and explosives.

In 2011, the United States provided $75 million to the United Nations West Bank/Gaza emergency programs, $15 million to emergency programs in Lebanon, and $10 million for the construction of five new schools in Gaza, which will serve an estimated 10,000 schoolchildren. However, the U.S. is not allowed input into the school curriculum which is notoriously anti-Israeli. [it incites, delegitimizes and urges violence against Jews, see next sentence]

In fact, the Law Enforcement Examiner in 2011 ran stories regarding the indoctrination of children and the terrorist training provided by Hamas to youngsters living in Gaza.

In December 2011, the Law Enforcement Examiner reported that members of Palestinian groups, including terrorists from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, met with representatives from President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party on Tuesday in Cairo, Egypt. Egypt's representatives at the meeting included members of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists.

And, back in November, there was this:

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton phoned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday night and demanded that he release Palestinian tax revenue that Israel has frozen for more than a month after UNESCO accepted the Palestinians as a member. A senior U.S. official and an Israeli source familiar with details of the conversation say Clinton called Netanyahu after messages relayed to him in recent weeks on the tax money were not answered positively.

and you can hear her earlier giving money).

Well, if Hillary wants Netanyahu to fund Israel's own demise, that surely could qualify as a definition of a "Palestine Firster".
If that isn't "Palestine First", I don't know what is.

PS  Mairav Zonszein calls Obama an "Israel Firster".

^

Hillary Clinton - The Lady of the Dragon Year

Hillary Rodham Clinton's remarks on the opccasion of the Lunar New Year:

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes for peace, prosperity, and good health to everyone celebrating the Lunar New Year. Around the world, people will welcome the Year of the Dragon with rich and varied traditions...President Obama and I are committed to our 21st century partnership with the people of the Asia-Pacific region, and we will continue to deepen ties with our allies and partners, while strengthening lasting bonds of friendship and cooperation...

Almost

but not quite.

^

Hillary Heaps On Israel

From Steve Plaut:-

...Hillary Clinton recently decided to speak out against the mistreatment of Middle Eastern women, she singled out Israel for condemnation, and then turned around to welcome a delegation of Saudi
feudalists with cordiality. If Hillary considers Israel a force of anti-feminine darkness and repression, just imagine how awful she must regard Scandinavia...

...The treatment of women in Arab and Moslem countries is so atrocious that space here would not allow for even a superficial survey. In the very same week that Iran announced that a woman convicted of adultery would be mercifully hanged to death instead of stoned to death, the Obama team could find nothing more deserving of condemnation than the treatment of women in the only country in the Middle East in which women are treated as humans deserving of equal rights.

^

After Clinton, Obama Gets Himself Involved

Hillary Clinton saw fit to comment on "modesty" issues here in Israel* and President Obama had followed her lead.

From his speech at the Reform Convention:

Now, since my daughter Malia has reached the age where it seems like there’s always a Bar or Bat Mitzvah -- {laughter) -- every weekend, and there is quite a bit of negotiations around the skirts that she wears at these Bat
Mitzvahs -- (laughter) -- do you guys have these conversations as well? (Laughter.) All right. I just wanted to be clear it wasn’t just me.

Well, is there a Jewish chatan in her future?

__________

*

Clinton said gender segregation on some Israeli buses reminded her of Rosa Parks; that proposed legislation in Israel to control the funding of left-leaning groups worries her; and that the attitudes of a growing and increasingly powerful ultra-Orthodox community, particularly its attitudes toward women, are reminiscent of Iran.

and

Clinton caused a furor in some circles over remarks she reportedly made in a closed-door session over the weekend expressing concerns over Israel’s democracy. According to Israeli media, Clinton was also appalled by the segregation of women by some elements in the ultra-Orthodox community.

P.S.

statement from William Kristol, chairman of the Emergency Committee for Israel, in response to President Obama's speech today at the convention of the Union for Reform Judaism:

"President Obama protests too much. It is not a fact that his administration has been strong in support of Israel. It is a fact that in the past month alone, Obama administration officials have blamed Israel for the failure of the peace process, blamed Israel for fraying relations with the increasingly Islamist governments in Egypt and Turkey, compared Israel to Iran, and blamed Israel for Muslim anti-Semitism in Europe. The president hasn't clarified or repudiated any of these remarks. Israel's security doesn’t come from campaign-season platitudes delivered to Jewish audiences. Israel’s security depends on an American president who stands with Israel all the time, in public and private, before audiences foreign and domestic -- and whose administration's first instinct isn't to blame Israel first. The president's wishes to the contrary notwithstanding, the Emergency Committee for Israel will continue to tell it like it is."

-- William Kristol

"I am proud to say that no U.S. administration has done more in support of Israel's security than ours. None. Don't let anybody else tell you otherwise. It is a fact."

-- President Obama, Friday, Dec. 16
^

Hillary Clinton Has No Concept of Time

Reported:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that "for months the world had borne witness to the Assad regime's contempt for its own people," saying the regime had responded to protests with "empty promises and horrific violence.  The people of Syria deserve a government that respects their dignity, protects their rights, and lives up to their aspirations. Assad is standing in their way. For the sake of the Syrian people, the time has come for him to step aside and leave this transition to the Syrians themselves," she said.

Oh, sorry.  That was last August.

Ah, here she is this week:

In an interview with CBS News chief White House correspondent Norah O'Donnell today, Clinton added bluntly, "Assad's going to be gone, it's just a question of time."

I guess Hillary will be gone too, at some time, but in the meantime, Arabs are being killed (and not by Israel).  Do Syrians have time?

^

Hillary Leaves No Hope

Remarks of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in two interviews on Oct. 13 that relate to Israel which I wish to highlight - with my comments intersperesed in the text in brackets.

Reuters:

...QUESTION: Let me turn to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Toria today told us that the Department is very hopeful that the Israelis and the Palestinians will agree to this preliminary meeting in Jordan on the 23rd.

MS. NULAND: Did I say very hopeful? I don’t think I said very hopeful.

QUESTION: Indeed. Two tape recorders and a transcript. (Laughter.) Why are you very hopeful?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well –

[well?  if Clinton, Mrs., is not quite "hoeful", how should I feel?]

...SECRETARY CLINTON: – ...we hope to have a meeting, or we hope to have a preparatory meeting between the parties by the end of this month. Some have said one date, some have said other dates, but the important thing is that the meeting happened, because part of the problem with the schedule was that we had some – we lost a number of days to the Jewish holidays, which – you couldn’t deal with the Israeli Government because, for obvious reasons, they were not available.

[thatnk God for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur]

...We are always hopeful, Arshad...Otherwise, it’s too depressing to contemplate...

[you're depressed? imagine me.]

...the Israelis have accepted without preconditions a return to negotiations. The Palestinians, as you know well, are reluctant because of the settlement freeze issue...

[note: Israel agreed without preconditions; Pals. - no]

...Now get back into negotiations where you can actually start talking about borders. What’s the best way to end the dispute about settlements? Start talking about borders...

[so, even Hillary agrees that no Jews can reside in this new state of "Palestine" which is the logical conclusion to what she just said.  Just call Jewish communities "settlements" and they have to be on the other side of the border]

 

and

the Associated Press
 
...President Abbas, as you know, is on a road tour, so to speak, and has been in a number of countries seeking support for his UN position. But we have made clear that he’s lodged his request in the UN; there is no route whatsoever for a state being formed through the UN; it can only be formed through negotiations...you have to return to negotiations and there has to be a way to work out your demand for a settlement freeze and the Israeli demand for no preconditions if you really want to make progress toward a Palestinian state.
 
[well, it seems fairly straightfoward for the Pals. - drop the demand for a freeze of Jewish life]
 
...I think that the situation has changed from a total paralysis or stagnation between the parties, because you do have the Israelis saying that they’re willing, ready, and able to go into negotiations; you do have President Abbas knowing that he cannot get a state through the United Nations even though he was able to express the aspirations of the Palestinian people by lodging his request at the Security Council.
 
[funny but he seems not quite accepting that Mrs. Clinton]

...But as I’ve told the Palestinians, and as I think the Quartet is now telling the Palestinians, what’s the best way to end settlement development? Negotiate borders. Come up with a process where what is yours is yours, what is theirs is theirs, and then it becomes moot. The Israelis, if they were sitting on this side of the table, would say to you everybody knows Gilo is going to be in whatever we negotiate. Everybody knows that. So what’s the big fuss? It’s not like we’re building in Ramallah; we’re building in Gilo. And there’s a certain logic to that because, in fact, I don’t know any map that doesn’t have Gilo in it. There are other places that are more controversial, but Gilo is pretty much assumed.

[If she thinks that, why didn't she make it clear 10 days ago or so when the affair flared up over that Gilo construction?]

...QUESTION: ...things are only going to get worse from here, is one [claim] that Ariel Sharon made five years ago. And now we’re five years down the road and, arguably, things are worse. I mean, are you worried that this just keeps getting moved along in some sort of weird middle-muddle and it never gets fixed?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Anne, I think that’s a possibility. And who knows? Look, who knows what would’ve happened if Rabin hadn’t been assassinated? Who knows what would’ve happened if Sharon hadn’t had a stroke?

[but why are things worse? if Israel under Sharon handed over territory, greenhouses and emptied out over two dozen communities with some 8000 Jews and we still are suffering terror and Hamas got elected and the PA continues its incitement and the idea of a responsible state is a joke but Hillary and Co. keep playing games on our account, ever "hopeful" but leaving Israel no hope of security, of even peace]

...You had Netanyahu, who doesn’t – who often it’s not written about this way – who embraced the two-state solution, which had not been something he had done before. And as I remind the Palestinians, Bibi Netanyahu agreed to a 10-month settlement freeze. I dragged you all to Jerusalem and stood on the stage with him and said look, this is a big deal, never been done before. There was never a settlement freeze when Rabin was there, Barak was there, Sharon was there. Ten months, and then for a confluence of events, the Palestinians didn’t come to the negotiating table until the ninth month, one week.

[and that says what?]

...I think we are building a good, strong case for international support for negotiations. We just have to convince the parties of that...

[oh?]

And the official statement:

Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
Question Taken at the October 12, 2011 Daily Press Briefing


Question: What is the State Department’s reaction to reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu seeks to legalize outposts on private Palestinian land?

Answer: Our position on this issue remains unchanged. The United States has a clear policy – we do not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity. We oppose any effort to legalize settlement outposts, which is unhelpful to our peace efforts and would contradict Israeli commitments and obligations.

We call again on both parties to take constructive actions to promote peace and avoid actions that complicate this process or undermine trust. We urge both parties to take advantage of the Quartet proposal and return to direct talks.

God save us.

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Hillary Gets It Right; EU Too; Norway Sucks

At least Hillary didn't mention "settlements" nor Jerusalem:

Secretary's Remarks: Bus Attack in Southern IsraelPress Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of StateWashington, DC
August 18, 2011

The United States condemns today’s attacks in southern Israel and all acts of terrorism in the strongest terms. These brutal and cowardly attacks appear to be premeditated acts of terrorism against innocent civilians. Our deepest condolences go out to the victims, their families and loved ones.

This violence only underscores our strong concerns about the security situation in the Sinai Peninsula. Recent commitments by the Egyptian Government to address the security situation in the Sinai are important and we urge the Egyptian Government to find a lasting resolution.
The United States and Israel are united in the fight against terror. We hope that those involved in the planning of these gruesome attacks will be brought to swift justice. We stand by Israel as our friend, partner, and ally -- now and always.

The EU's Ashton also came out well.
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UPDATE

With the assistance of friends, consider this:

Norway's statement:

“I strongly condemn the terrorist attacks carried out in Israel today. Our thoughts go to those who have been affected and their families,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre following a series of terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Thursday morning.  "Such violence is absolutely unacceptable, and Norway condemns all use of terror. Those responsible must be brought to justice. At the same time an effort must be made to prevent a general escalation of the conflict in the area,” said Mr Støre.

Can we presume that that means Israel's on his s**t (and that isn't short) list for wiping out the PRC leadership tonight?

Can we assume that, in contrast to Hillary and Ashton, he actually is attempting to include Israeli "state terrorism" in that statement?  Is that the implication?  "All"?  Well,, that isn't what happened in Norway, is it?

And you'll note that he immediately places the onus of halting terror not on those that perpetrate terror but those who respond, seeking to punish eveil and prevent its continuation.


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