 Ross named special US envoy on Iran Feb. 24, 2009 Ron Kampeas / JTA , THE JERUSALEM POST Dennis Ross joined the Obama administration in a coordinating role on policy regarding Iran and its neighbors on Tuesday, as US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton named him as a special US envoy in Iran-related capacity. "The secretary is pleased to announce the appointment of Dennis B. Ross to the position of Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for The Gulf and Southwest Asia," said a statement late Monday from Clinton's spokesman Robert Wood. "This is a region in which America is fighting two wars and facing challenges of ongoing conflict, terror, proliferation, access to energy, economic development and strengthening democracy and the rule of law. In this area, we must strive to build support for US goals and policies. To be successful, we will need to be able to integrate our policy development and implementation across a broad range of offices and senior officials in the State Department, and, in his role as Special Advisor to the Secretary, Ambassador Ross will be asked to play that role." The geographical designations and the reference to "two wars" suggest that Ross will focus on Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan - but not necessarily on Israel-area crises, his area of expertise when he was top Middle East negotiator in the first Bush and the Clinton administrations. US President Barack Obama has already appointed former Maine Sen. George Mitchell as US envoy to the Israel-related Middle East peace process. Ross, the statement said, "will provide to the Secretary and senior State Department officials strategic advice and perspective on the region; offer assessments and also act to ensure effective policy integration throughout the region; coordinate with senior officials in the development and formulation of new policy approaches; and participate, at the request of the secretary, in inter-agency activities related to the region." During the campaign, Ross outlined what he said was a "sticks-then-carrots" approach to engaging Iran: Rallying the international community to tighten sanctions and then offering incentives to have the Islamic Republic stand down from its suspected nuclear weapons program. This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1235410696722&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull =========== Freeman Note: Where is the money to rebuild areas of Israel damaged by Hamas?? Baird wants US to reassess aid to Israel Feb. 23, 2009 HILARY LEILA KRIEGER, Jerusalem Post correspondent , THE JERUSALEM POST US Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., left and US Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., right, take photos of the rubble of the American International school in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, Thursday. A US congressman plans to brief fellow members of Congress and the Obama administration about his recent trip to Gaza, saying the US should pressure Israel regarding border closures and reassess its military support for the Jewish state. Rep. Brian Baird, a Democrat from Washington state, visited Gaza last week with fellow Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota and was struck by "the level of destruction, the scope of it, specifically the civilian targets - schools, hospitals, industry." Baird also said Israel had "apparently willfully destroyed any capacity of the Palestinians to rebuild their own infrastructure." The trip to Gaza by Baird and Ellison coincided with a separate visit there by John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Their presence marked the first time members of Congress had visited Gaza since US personnel were killed in a roadside bomb in 2003. Baird maintained that his fellow congressmen would benefit from his first-hand account of the situation in Gaza, as well as from photos and video footage he took. In addition to pictures of physical devastation in Gaza and families living in make-shift shelters there, Baird also has photos of damage from rocket fire on Sderot, which he condemned and planned to share as well. He also indicated he would like to bring in aid and medical workers from Gaza to share their stories. "If our colleagues had seen what we have seen, I think their understanding of the situation would be significantly impacted," he said. "They would care about what happened to the Palestinians." Baird added that he hoped they, as well as members of the Obama administration, would come away with a sense that "the US has a responsibility to insist on a change in the situation in Gaza and the situation in the West Bank." The congressman said he would like to see more humanitarian aid and goods reaching the people of Gaza, accompanied by open border crossings that would allow Palestinians to travel for trade and medical care. He also said he was troubled by the American origin of so much of the IDF weaponry used in Gaza, and suggested that the US should reconsider the military aid it provides and the weapons it sells to Israel. "We need to use every pressure available to make these needed changes happen," he said. Baird said the Congressional briefing could come as early as next week, with administration briefings being more tentative. He has also talked to Ellison about penning op-eds and otherwise raising awareness of the issue. Ellison's office had not responded to queries from The Jerusalem Post by press time. Pro-Israel organizations were chagrined at the message Baird was preparing to deliver to his colleagues but said they weren't concerned that many minds would be changed. "By and large, we continue to see support for Israel and understand why it was necessary for Israel's leaders to do what they did," one official said about Congress, speaking anonymously. "I'm not afraid of these members coming back and giving a briefing." A representative from a dovish Israeli group welcomed Baird's efforts to publicize his experience in Gaza, noting that it was unusual to hold Congressional briefings presenting this perfect, but also didn't expect members' attitudes towards Israel to change. "To expect that that would bring about a sharp change in Congress's attitude toward Israel is a reach," he said. Meanwhile, the State Department said Monday that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would pledge a "substantial" amount of aid for Gaza and the Palestinian Authority at a donors' meeting in Egypt next week. The conference, to take place in Sharm e-Sheikh on March 2, was called to raise funds for the reconstruction of Gaza. "The United States will announce a substantial pledge of humanitarian assistance and support for the Palestinian Authority," an official said. The official declined to give a figure because Congress had yet to approve the sum, but said it could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars. Preliminary estimates have put the damage in the Gaza Strip following Operation Cast Lead at nearly $2 billion. News agencies contributed to this report. This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1235410695275&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull ====================== The Region: America, look behind you! Turn around! Turn around! Feb. 23, 2009 Barry Rubin , THE JERUSALEM POST
Or perhaps it is like a horror film in which the killer sneaks up behind the hapless victim while the movie audience yells: "Turn around! Turn around!" And then blood spatters the screen. Unfortunately, in this case, it might be our blood, and it won't be produced by a special effects department. Today, US policy and the dominant thinking are not based on realpolitik but on international affairs as a popularity contest. Its motto might be, "The nice will inherit the Earth," as the Obama administration tries to prove that it's not like that mean old Bush. Before we get to the oncoming train, consider two small but indicative examples. Scene 1: The UN committee planning the Durban-2 pro-racism - I mean "anti-racism" - conference. Libya chairs the committee, Iran is the vice-chair, Cuba, the rapporteur, and Russia is presiding. The plan is designed to ensure that the conference limits free speech, bashes Israel and enshrines Muslims as the world's only and perpetual victims. The US representative stands to propose amendments. Is the speech a thunderous denunciation of dictatorship and a defense of liberty? Not exactly. Here is the key sentence: "I hate to be the cause of unhappiness in the room... I have to suggest [amendments] and I offer my sincere apologies." How's that for speaking softly and carrying a big pillow? (US president Theodore Roosevelt a century ago famously described diplomacy as "speaking softly and carrying a big stick.") Scene 2: The camera pans and the screen fills with an invitation to a conference being held by the Brookings Institution in Washington. The purpose is defined as asking, "How should Europe engage Russia to put relations between the West and Russia on a more positive and sustainable basis?" There is no room for pressure, opposition or criticism as part of the package; no hint of the need for flexibility to be accompanied by toughness. Russia invaded Georgia, fought a surrogate war against Azerbaijan, blackmailed Ukraine and Lithuania. It has opposed sanctions on Iran, sold huge amounts of arms to Syria and committed real human rights' violations in Chechnya. It is the dawning of the age not of Aquarius (as the film Hair once said of the utopia predicted in the 1960s) but of Aquarium, in which the sharks are put in charge. US policy is putting the emphasis on conciliation with Iran and Syria, and a soft line toward Pakistan, despite its lack of cooperation on fighting terrorism against India or in Afghanistan. The only thing you can do with a strategy of carrots without sticks is to make carrot cake. Now consider what is sneaking up on the US government as it hands out candy: On March 29, local elections will be held in Turkey. If the current government wins these municipal races, especially in Ankara and Istanbul, the country will be encouraged to go even further down the road toward Islamic extremism. Whatever happens internally (where the nature of Turkish society forces it to go more slowly), Ankara's foreign policy is increasingly aligned with that of the radicals in the region - not only Hamas but also Syria and Iran. Turkey's many friends are hoping that moderation and its traditional political virtues win out. But what's happening there may well be the most important political event in the Middle East since the Iranian revolution 30 years ago. Think of what it means if, in whole or even in part, Turkey goes from the Western to the radical camp; clearly this is a world-changing event. Then on June 7 come the Lebanese elections. Given the vast amounts of money they have spent, their use of violent intimidation and demoralization due to the Western abandonment of the moderates, it is likely that Iran's Syrian clients will take over Lebanon's government. This does not mean domination by Hizbullah but by four allied forces: pro-Syrian Sunni politicians; Michel Aoun's Christian forces; and the two Shi'ite groups, Hizbullah and Amal. Already, Lebanon's president and former armed forces' commander Michel Suleiman is very close to the Iran-Syrian orbit. This doesn't mean that Lebanon will be annexed or militarily reoccupied by Syria, or that Lebanon will become an Islamist state internally. But it does mean that Lebanon will become a reliable ally of what Syrian President Bashar Assad calls "the resistance front." In the region, these two developments will be perceived as two big victories for Teheran, and a sign that the Islamist-radical side is the wave of the future. And what is the United States doing to fight, stop or manage this visible crisis? Nothing. FINALLY, ON June 12, presidential elections will take place in Iran itself. The likelihood is the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, either fairly or through manipulation of the ballot. The Iranian ruling establishment, which might have been persuaded to endorse a less extreme candidate if there had been enough Western pressure to make the incumbent look bad, has backed an openly aggressive anti-Semite. Even though Ahmadinejad is not the real ruler of Iran, he and his allies are working to make him so. And of course his reelection means not only that Iran is waging a campaign to get nuclear weapons, it will mean that it is moving at the fastest possible speed, with the least likelihood of compromising and the most probability of using such a weapon (or forcing Israel to act militarily to stop the process). By years' end, or shortly after, Iran might have an atom bomb. In short, 2009 is looking like a year of massive defeat for the US and its friends in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Washington is blind to this trend, pursuing a futile attempt to conciliate its enemies, losing time and not adopting the policies desperately needed. Instead, the US should make itself leader of a broad coalition of Arab and European states, along with Israel, to resist Islamism and Iranian ambitions. Alas, the new administration is fooling around while the region burns. Turn around! Turn around! The writer is director of the Global Research in International Affairs Center at IDC Herzliya and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs Journal. This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1235410694225&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull  EU Leaders Push Fatah-Hamas Unity(Freeman Note: Yes they should unite to destroy Israel. Typical EU thinking. I pray for an Israeli government that will tell them to got hell.) Shevat 29, 5769, 23 February 09 07:52 by Maayana Miskin(IsraelNN.com) Several senior European Union officials have recently come out in support of joint Fatah-Hamas control of the Palestinian Authority. They were joined Monday by temporary EU president Vaclav Klaus, the president of the Czech Republic, who said unity among the various PA factions was key to meaningful talks between the PA and Israel. Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg made similar statements last month, saying, “We believe that Palestinian reconciliation behind president Mahmoud Abbas is fundamental to progress.” Another senior official who has promoted Fatah-Hamas reunification is British Foreign Secretary David Miliband. “The reunification of the Palestinian people with a single voice to speak for them, to speak for the West Bank and for Gaza is absolutely essential,” Miliband said following the Cast Lead Operation in Gaza. EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana has called for Hamas to rejoin Fatah as well. Solana qualified his statement by saying that a unified Fatah-Hamas PA “has to be a team of people that will continue trying to obtain what is the desperation of so many people, which is two states, and two states that can live together.” Solana and other senior EU diplomats agreed in January to “give some room to Abbas” by loosening the EU's conditions for negotiations between the PA and Israel, allowing Abbas to accept Hamas into his coalition. The EU insists that the PA recognize Israel and respect previous agreements signed with the Jewish state, two conditions that Hamas violates in its charter, in which it rejects the presence of Israel in any form and calls to obliterate the state through armed force. Hamas-Fatah Talks in Trouble? While the EU increasingly switches to support PA “unity,” talks between Fatah and Hamas have hit another rough patch due to Hamas' statements this week accusing Fatah members of running a spy ring and assisting the IDF during Operation Cast Lead. Hamas released a tape purportedly documenting Fatah terrorists' confessions to having helped Israel during the campaign. Fatah leaders dismissed the claim as an attempt to sabotage unity talks. Another potential stumbling block is the position held by senior Fatah member Samir Mashharawi. Mashharawi is a member of Fatah's delegation in talks with Hamas, and is considered by Hamas to be among its senior opponents in Gaza. His appointment sparked angry reactions from Hamas leaders. Mashharawi expressed willingness to bow out of the delegation if necessary, but criticized Hamas for interfering in Fatah's affairs. The two rival terrorist groups have also been torn apart by rumors of detention, torture and slayings on both sides. Hamas has accused Fatah of killing at least one of its members in Samaria recently, as well as torturing Hamas terrorists last year, and Fatah has accused Hamas of using recent IDF operations in Gaza as an excuse to target Fatah, killing and maiming dozens. © Copyright IsraelNationalNews.com Subscribe to the free Daily Israel Report - sub.israelnn.com US to Pledge $900 Million to Gaza (and to Israel $0.00)Shevat 30, 5769, 24 February 09 05:31 (IsraelNN.com) A senior official in the Obama administration said late Monday evening that the U.S. would transfer 900 million dollars to Gaza as part of a renovation effort following Operation Cast Lead. The money will pass through the hands of the UN and non-governmental organizations and not Hamas. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to announce the aid next week when she travels to a donors conference in Egypt. The assistance will have to be approved by Congress before the aid can be transferred. © Copyright IsraelNationalNews.com Subscribe to the free Daily Israel Report - sub.israelnn.com |
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
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