Tikun Olam-תקון עולם: Make the World a Better Place

When I first read this story I got it on a superficial level but didn’t really understand the full significance until Assaf Oron sent me a link to his Daily Kos diary entry. Haaretz reports that deputy prime minister Eli Yishai of the Mizrahi Shas party, broke the government boycott against Carter’s Israel visit and not only met with the former president but asked Carter for a meeting with Hamas representatives in an attempt to free kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. Assaf correctly notes that this is a bombshell not only for Israeli politics, but it also breaks the solid front the Israel lobby has attempted to create here in the U.S. against dealing with Hamas.

It also serves notice on journalists like Mark Perelman of the Jewish Forward, Shmuel Rosner of Haaretz, and strangely Michael Young of Beirut’s Daily Star; and political operatives like Ira Forman’s AIPAC-leaning National Jewish Democratic Council and even all the presidential candidates, who’ve bought the Israel lobby line (clearly Young is following a different political line). They all ignore the fact that a number of liberal Jewish blogs like this one (Jerry Haber and Tony Karon as well) and now a cabinet minister have bucked the “Three No’s” (an ironic reference to the Arab League’s “three no’s” after the 67 war) approach to Hamas. The line on Carter is that he’s a troublemaker who represents no one but himself. Rosner even goes so far as to say that Carter is a washed up has been (which actually describes Rosner himself rather than Carter) whose glory days, if he ever had any, are past.

I’ve already noted here that Israel already negotiates with Hamas though indirectly through Egypt. Further, a recent poll finds that 64% of Israelis are in favor of precisely the kind of approach favored by Yishai–direct negotiations with Hamas. So this Hamas boycott is a charade, a political fiction created to provide cover for a Bush Administration that can’t do anything to promote meaningful negotiations among the warring parties; and an Israeli government which doesn’t have the will to get up and do what’s got to be done regarding talking to the Palestinian parties that really matter.  So how long will it be before this sham policy falls like a house of cards?

I’m not a huge fan of Shas, though they sometimes are quite progressive on issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But on this one issue Yishai is right on the money (or should I say “shekel”?).

tags boycott, gilad-shalit, hamas, Yishai to Carter Tell Meshal that I want to discuss pri

Rabbi Menachem Froman, the iconoclastic settler religious leader who embraces Muslim-Jewish religious dialogue and peace initiatives, reached agreement with a Hamas journalist for an Israeli-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza. Senior Hamas figures have enthusiastically endorsed the proposal. Ehud Olmert is silent:

…[The] recently drafted a cease-fire agreement…includes the release of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, [and] was submitted to the cabinet and to the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip.

Rabbi Menachem Froman of the West Bank settlement of Tekoa has for years been involved in interfaith dialogue toward Israeli-Palestinians peace. For several months he has been working closely with Khaled Amayreh, a Hebron-area journalist who is close to Hamas.

“Our proposal was presented to the highest political echelon in the Hamas government in Gaza and gained 100-percent approval,” Amayreh told Haaretz Sunday, while refusing to name the government officials. Froman said the document was presented to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has yet to respond to it.

Even if the attempt turns out to be merely an academic exercise, say Froman and Amayreh, its elements could be used by the Jerusalem and Gaza governments. It does not, for example, include the recognition by Hamas of the State of Israel, instead “recognizing that there are Jews living in the Holy Land,” according to Froman.

…The proposal calls for Israel to lift its sanctions on the Gaza Strip, permit economic relations between Gaza and the outside world and open all border crossings. The Israel Defense Forces would end “all hostile activities toward the Gaza Strip, including targeted assassinations, the setting of ambushes, aerial bombardments and all penetrations into Gazan territory, in addition to ending the arrest, detention and persecution of Palestinians in the Strip.”

The Palestinians would be obligated “to take all the necessary steps to completely end the attacks against Israel,” including stopping “indefinitely all rocket attacks on Israel,” assaults “on Israeli civilians and soldiers” and “to impose a cease-fire on all groups, factions and individuals operating in the Strip.”

There you have it. Almost everything Israel has wanted from Hamas for as long as anyone can remember. All tied up in a neat package. All there for the taking. Of course, the provision recognizing that Jews live in the Holy Land appears lame as reported by Haaretz since it states the obvious. But I’ve learned that it’s important to see entire original documents before judging them based on how they are reported in Israeli media. It should also be noted that, at least to me, recognition of Israel is an issue that should happen as part of an overall peace agreement and not necessarily before such final status negotiations occur. I expect Hamas to recognize Israel, but not necessarily right now; nor do I think it is critical that it do so right now.

It is characteristic of Israeli government lassitude that Olmert has not responded nor would I expect him to do so. Remember, this is the same Menachem Froman whom the Shin Bet prevented from attending previous negotiations with Hamas. Unfortunately, Israeli politicians don’t want to touch Froman with a ten foot poll. In fact, he’s dangerous to the intelligence establishment since he has a wild card status as a co-founder of Gush Emunim and settler advocate for peace. And it’s a shame since he is a critical voice willing to reach a peace agreement with Israel’s sworn enemy Hamas. To paraphrase Abba Eban, Israelis and Palestinians never seem to miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. This time the onus is on Olmert.

tags gaza-ceasefire, gilad-shalit, hamas, menachem-froman

Haaretz published a report today claiming that Israel is responsible for holding up the release of kidnapped soldier, Gilad Shalit:

Gaza source: Israel delaying deal for Shalit

The source, who is located in the Gaza Strip, said Israel and Hamas have agreed on the principle of exchanging Shalit for Palestinian prisoners, but that the two parties have not yet decided the exact nature of the deal or how it will be carried out.

He said the kidnappers, with whom he is in contact, have made realistic demands. The source would not say how many prisoners Hamas is demanding in the swap, but he did say the number is not in the thousands, as had previously been stated.

“Moreover, Hamas has not completely rejected the Egyptian proposal that Shalit first be transferred to the Egyptians, after which Israel will free prisoners,” the source said. “The problem is that the Egyptian mediation team has no response from Israel, like as to when the prisoners would be released, how many and what type. Only with these responses will the mediators be able to offer something to the kidnappers. But Israel is not clarifying its positions. It is not taking any initiative that indicates its desire to complete the deal. There is no sign of readiness, there are no messages via Israel’s overt channels, and the problem is  there are no messages even via the covert channels.”

It is hard to read into these blasted unnamed sources used by Israeli publications, but it would appear to me that the source must be from Hamas or from someone very close to Hamas. It would also appear that Olmert’s government has been so crippled by the Lebanon war that it cannot make any significant policy decision such as agreeing to a prisoner swap to liberate one of Israel’s most important detainees. Olmert of course denies this:

The Prime Minister’s Office said the charges are incorrect, and would not discuss the talks taking place. Israel would not conduct negotiations with Hamas regarding the release of prisoners, and the country is using all means to bring home the abducted soldiers, it said.

If Olmert won’t negotiate with Hamas then he isn’t “using all means to bring home” Shalit, now is he? And if the charges are incorrect and Israel isn’t stalling–then why hasn’t Shalit been freed? It seems clear that there is some merit, and perhaps a good deal of merit, to the charge against Israel. When will it get off its duff and get this thing done?

My guess is that Olmert is petrified at the threat from his right regarding the failure of the war. He is afraid that by releasing Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit that he will leave himself open to a frontal attack from the Netanyahu types. And this is true. They will go after him. But if it were Sharon he would laugh in their faces and dare them to land a blow on his reputation. Unfortunately, we’re dealing with a far more fragile political figure than Sharon. And it seems a shame that a young soldier’s fate is held hostage not only to Hamas, but also to Ehud Olmert’s perhaps waning political career.

tags ehud-olmert, gilad-shalit, haaretz, hamas, israel-delays-release-of-kidnapped-soldier

Latest news: Haaretz reports that an Israeli grandmother and her five-year old grandson were killed and four others injured by Hezbollah rockets which landed in Moshav Meron on Friday evening. Ha-makom yinachem etchem–May God comfort their families. I have a five year old son and my heart grieves for their loss. Israel’s chief of staff is now warning that Hezbollah has rockets that can penetrate 70km into Israel, far deeper than the 18 mile distance to Haifa, which was rocketed yesterday. Two Israelis died in rocket fire yesterday.

The news gets bleaker and bleaker…

Israel has launched its much anticipated counter-offensive against Hezbollah and the entire Lebanese people in retaliation for the killing of eight IDF soldiers and kidnap of two others. The IDF’s response has been massive and chilling. And it has been “disproportionate” to use the clinical terms of diplomacy. For “disproportionate” read “collective punishment,” which is a violation of the Geneva Conventions. How else may we describe an operation which blockades sea, air and roads and murders 63 Lebanese civilians (as of this date)? What can Israel possibly gain from this madness?

Let’s examine Israel’s statements about the Lebanon offensive. Yesterday, Olmert said that Hezbollah had violated “every rule” and brought the “Middle East to the abyss.” Yes, Hezbollah has violated every rule. But it did not bring the Middle East to the abyss because by itself it does not have the capacity to do so. However, Israel, with its massive firepower has more than the capacity to do so and it has through its actions in Lebanon. And one must not forget that Israel played a key role in initiating the escalation with a month of mostly failed attacks and targeted assassinations which killed 20 Palestinian civilians. This in turn led to the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit which in turn led to the Gaza invasion which in turn led to the Hezbollah attack on IDF positions in northern Israel. Of course, the concatenation of events is a bit more complicated than what I’ve made out–but that summarizes it in a nutshell. So all of Israel’s claims that it is the victim here ring false. Yes, in losing its troops to killing and kidnapping it is the victim, but not the innocent victim it makes itself out to be.

I also found this piece of reasoning absolutely ridiculous:

Israeli officials say they believe that their campaign against Hezbollah is popular with many Lebanese…

I’m sure an Israeli policy which threatens to turn the country into a smoking ruins will find much favor among the inhabitants. Do they stop for even half a second to think how they would feel if an Arab nation bombed Tel Aviv to gain the upper hand on some Israeli political/military faction?

And here is further demented reasoning from the Israelis:

Until now, the Israeli officials said, the Lebanese campaign, largely limited to airstrikes and naval shelling, has been largely limited “to infrastructure, not too dramatic, and the Hezbollah neighborhood” in southern Beirut, which was leafleted first to ask residents to leave. Airstrikes, the most intense over Lebanon since the 1982 war, have been carried out against Hezbollah rocket and ammunition stores, launching sites, barracks and buildings.

Israel expected Mr. Nasrallah in response to order a cooling off period

Surely, they must be joking. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that whoever said that to the NY Times reporter didn’t even believe what he or she was saying. Israel couldn’t have expected a “cooling off.” I’m certain it expected retaliation. Perhaps it even welcomes it because it allows the IDF to further penetrate and obliterate Lebanese/Hezbollah targets. But again, it will not matter how many targets it obliterates. Hezbollah will remain standing probably stronger than ever. It will reinforce its image within Lebanon and the Arab world as one of the few forces which stood up to Israel and fought back.

Chief of Staff Dan Halutz has further revealed the cluelessness of the military/political strategy:

Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, said: “Our intention is to hurt Hezbollah and cause the Lebanese government to take responsibility for what is going on within its borders and somehow create conditions which will enable our prisoners of war to come home.”

“Somehow create conditions which will enable our prisoners to come home.” In other words, “this is what we’d like to happen but we have no idea how to actually make it happen.”

The Times quotes an Israeli analyst whose rhetoric that would be worthy of any neocon think tank (and just as delusional–I’ve noted those portions in italics):

Guy Bechor, an analyst who heads the Mideast Division of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, said that Hezbollah, having made a series of errors, “is coming closer to its defeat,” and that Israel is likely to continue to carry out most of the campaign from the air to avoid being bogged down in Lebanon.

“Facing this aerial machine, Nasrallah can do little,” Mr. Bechor said. “And it will lead to its defeat. Israel is not going for an understanding with Hezbollah, but for a victory.”

Israel needs a few more days, Mr. Bechor said, to get the message across, and it will echo in Gaza, he said. “New parameters in Lebanon will make it easier for Israel with the Palestinians,” he suggested.

Four Israelis are now dead from Katyusha rocket strikes in northern Israel. Are these deaths worth the cost of this futile invasion? Is even a single Israeli life worth the cost of these adventures? I’m calling it an invasion even though ground troops are not yet involved. It is everything an invasion is but that.

Impotent U.S. Policy

U.S. reaction to the crisis continues to be shamefully, and perhaps purposely ineffectual. Lebanon has asked President Bush to push Israel for a ceasefire which he has refused:

White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters that Mr. Bush had spoken with Lebanon’s prime minister, Fouad Siniora, but would not press Israel for a cease-fire.

Mr. Bush “believes the Israelis have the right to protect themselves, and that in doing so they should limit as much as possible so-called collateral damage, not only to facilities but also to human lives,’’ Mr. Snow said.

Asked specifically if Mr. Bush would call for a cease-fire, Mr. Snow said, “No. The president is not going to make military decisions for Israel.’’

Yes, certainly Israel has the right to ‘protect itself.’ But how in heaven’s name is blockading an entire country either defensive or ‘protective’? As to “limiting collateral damage,” they’ve got to be kidding. This is just more doublespeak coming from an Administration which perfected the art with its prevarication regarding the war in Iraq. The U.S. has become a hopeless aider and abettor of Israel’s grandiose vision of “changing the rules” regarding its relations with the Palestinians and Lebanese. Which makes perfect sense because that is precisely what Bush himself tried to do in invading Iraq. Is there any doubt that the latter policy has failed just as the former is doomed to failure?

Israeli officials…said that the Israeli strategy is to diminish or destroy the power of Hezbollah, which has created “a state within a state” in southern Lebanon, and to ensure that the Lebanese army replaces Hezbollah on the border with Israel, as demanded by the United Nations.

In response to a new barrage of rockets today, said Isaac Herzog, a member of the Israeli security cabinet, “We’ve decided to put an end to this saga and to change the rules of the game whereby a terrorist organization that is part of the Lebanese government can push the region to the abyss.”

Brig. Gen. Ido Nehushtan, a member of the general staff, said: “We want to put Hezbollah out of business. We want to force the Lebanese government to take responsibility and deploy along the border and dismantle Hezbollah, which if it is allowed, will prevent any stabilization and peace process in the Middle East.”

tags dan-halutz, gilad-shalit, haaretz, idf-lebanon-invasion, lebanon-ceasefire, new-york-times, olmert, syrian-iranian-support-for-hezbollah, u.s.-mideast-policy

Noam Shalit, father of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, has spoken to the press almost every day since his son’s capture by Hamas militants. Yet he has never questioned the government’s position that it will not negotiate with the kidnappers for fear of encouraging more such kidnappings. Shalit pere has basically been a good solider like his own son. Until today.

Ynetnews reports that Mr. Shalit has blasted the government for its refusal to negotiate a deal to save his son’s life:

“Everything has a price,” he responded. “I don’t believe there can be any process to gain Gilad’s release that won’t cost a price. That’s not how things work in the Middle East. The question is only – why are they still waiting? I want to believe that negotiations are being held, in some secret channel, that we just haven’t been told about.”

“The release of prisoners was on the agenda before the incident, as a goodwill gesture, so there is no reason to remove it from the agenda after it with the aim of releasing a soldier sent by the country to the frontlines,” Shalit said.

He added, “I’m ready to speak with the kidnappers if it were possible. I have nothing to offer or give them, but we could talk. In the end, we will have to speak with these organizations directly or indirectly.”

The concerned father called on Hamas to make a concrete offer to the Egyptian mediators, and not via their Internet sites or their associates. “It has to be a serious offer that Israel can agree to, not a humiliating offer,” Shalit said.

In response to a question from a Ynet reporter on the effect of the IDF operation in Gaza on Gilad’s situation, Shalit said he was not familiar with the intricate details of the operation, but as far as he knew, the operation intended to combat Qassam fire and not solve the kidnapping affair. “But every additional factor causes concern for further endangerment. Of course we are more and more concerned about Gilad’s fate,” he added.

So there you have it. The human being who has the most to lose and is suffering the most from the kidnapping (after his son and wife, of course) tells Israel to get up off their asses and do what needs to be done to free him. The outline of a deal has been on the table for days (written about at least twice here). The only thing holding Israel back seems to be its cloud cuckoo land stance that we won’t negotiate with terrorists; plus their wish to take care of unfinished business regarding suppressing Qassam rocket fire (which may be delaying a resolution). It is interesting to note Shalit’s implicit criticism of that aspect of the miltary plan as a distraction that might impair the chances of his son being released. He is of course right. The entire Gaza incursion is a laundry list of IDF strategic objectives all mixed together in a hash of an operation making it much more likely to drop in failure like a lead balloon.

My fond hope is that Shalit’s powerful statement will resonate in Israel and put added pressure on the decision-makers to do the right thing instead of dithering. For if, God forbid, anything bad happens to Gilad Shalit the Olmert government will have Hell to pay for ignoring the express wishes of the boy’s father to avoid a bloodbath by negotiating in good faith.

tags gilad-shalit, idf, kidnapped-israeli-soldier, negotiating-with-hamas, noam-shalit, ynetnews

Some new, potentially hopeful news from Gaza. Haaretz reports that a deal may be taking shape between Palestinian kidnappers and Israel that would result in the freeing of IDF solider, Gilad Shalit. Here are the outlines of the deal: According to the London-based publication [Al-Hayat], the Islamic militant group is now willing to free Shalit in return for the release of all Palestinian women detained in Israelis jails, estimated at some 100 prisoners, and a further 30 male inmates who have served terms of over 20 years. Israel has tentatively agreed to the offer, the newspaper claimed, but has yet discussed when or how many prisoners it would release. Haled Meshal met with a Turkish official and expressed his willingness ...

Right off the bat, let me say that I'm not about the argue that Israel's invasion of Gaza is precisely like its 1982 invasion of Lebanon (known then as Operation Peace for Galilee). But there are important and interesting similarities. Today's Haaretz already notes that Ariel Sharon used the attempted assassination of Shlomo Argov, Israel's ambassador to England as a pretext to launch the attack. The kidnapping of Gilad Shalit serves the same purpose today. Military strategists note that the most important guarantee of success on the battlefield is having a carefully considered and precise plan. Knowing what you do not want to do is as important as knowing what you do. If you ...

Kidnapped Israeli settler, Eliyahu Osheri (photo: Haaretz) Things just became a whole lot more complicated for the Israeli government as the Popular Resistance Committee, involved in the attack which captured IDF officer Gilad Shalit, also kidnapped a young settler near Ramallah possibly on Sunday. There are unconfirmed reports that the boy may already be dead; though if this is so, it hasn't stopped the PRC from trying to use the victim as leverage to stop the IDF incursion into Gaza. Though Ehud Olmert issued an especially harsh, 'dogs of war' statement yesterday promising vengeance on anyone involved in the IDF kidnapping (and also on the Hamas political echelon which appears to ...