Following are statistics gathered from various sources that give a current and wide-ranging picture of the economic growth in the West Bank, of a process of amelioration which Israel has undertaken to support efforts to build and rehabilitate the Palestinian economy, of frameworks for dialogue and cooperation between us and the Palestinians, and of projects that have garnered the support of international community with the goal of rehabilitating the West Bank economy.

Political and religious leaders from around the world gathered yesterday at the United Nations for a conference promoting interfaith dialogue.  President Shimon Peres and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni represented Israel at this august gathering and spoke earnestly about Israel’s desire to live in peace with her neighbors and the steps taken to achieve that goal.  Copies of speeches by Peres and Livni are available as PDFs and more information about the conference is available through the Washington Post.

Among the inspiring rallies yesterday in front of the United Nations was this one by the organization Stop Child Executions calling for Iran to respect the human rights of its citizens. Here is a video of Nazanin Afshin-Jam, the head of the organization, speaking at the protest, with people from many different religions and political views in attendance.

The display of silent children this morning in front of the United Nations building, before Ahmadinejad’s speech. The picture shows 140 figures of blindfolded children holding a black balloon symbolizing the number of minors executed in Iran.

The waves of protest against the address to the United Nations by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran are broadening. The loud cry of hundreds of Jewish protesters, who stood Monday in front of the United Nations building, was replaced yesterday by the profound silence of those who cannot cry out—the youths in Iran who have been condemned to death.
According to data provided by Amnesty International, 140 juveniles have been executed in Iran since 1990—26 of them since Ahmadinejad came to power—with a further 71 on death row. According to the protest organizers, “Stop Child Executions,” these executions violate international law, which establishes prison as the maximum sentence for minors. “I look out at the streets of New York and see Christians, Buddhists, and Baha’is who all openly display their faith; I see women with heads uncovered and people protesting government policies. In Iran, they would already have been imprisoned, tortured, and executed.” The organization’s founder, Iranian expatriate and former Miss Canada Nazanin Afshin-Jam, said, “Change in Iran will not come through war and bombs; that’s exactly what Ahmadinejad wants. Change will only come from a revolt by the Iranian people, backed by the West, which needs to cry out today on behalf of these children and against Iran’s violation of human rights.”
During the past several years, those executed in Iran include not only minors, but also women and men accused of homosexual acts, opposition to the Revolution, corruption of the Earth, and standing in the way of God.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside UN headquarters in New York today to protest the arrival of Iran’s President Ahmadinejad. Speakers criticized Iran’s reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and the regime’s failure to respect its citizens’ basic human rights. Among the speakers was Dalia Itzik, speaker of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, whose comments are featured in the above video.

Last week, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ron Prosor, published an op-ed in the Guardian calling for an honest discussion of the situation in Gaza. In contrast to those challenging Israel’s policies regarding Hamas, Prosor argues that Hamas is a danger not only to Israel but also to its own people. Hamas has retained its hold on power by eliminating rights to speech and expression and by misappropriating the very aid–supplied by Israel–meant to help the Palestinian people. The Western world, he writes, would do well to take Hamas and its threats to its neighbors at face value.

Showboating over Gaza
Israel last Saturday permitted two boats of protesters to land on the shores of Gaza. This disappointed the more aggressive agitators in the party, as they hankered for a confrontation with the Israeli navy that never came. Yvonne Ridley, on board making a documentary for an Iranian state-funded broadcaster, must have been particularly frustrated.
Having thoroughly assessed the security risks, Israel granted the ships safe passage. The protesters came ashore with enough hot air to fill the 5,000 balloons they’d brought for the children of Gaza. They also delivered 200 hearing aids. Yet their silence regarding Hamas’s abuse of its own people, let alone Israeli civilians, has been deafening.

This week marks two years since Michael Levin was killed during the Second Lebanon War. Levin grew up in Pennsylvania and, upon making alyah, joined the IDF paratroopers. Though nearly at the end of his service, he petitioned to join his unit in the fighting in southern Lebanon. Many remembered his determination and his ability to make friends with many different types of people. Some recollections can be found on YouTube and the Washington Post.
Levin’s love for Israel was nourished by his experiences at Camp Ramah in the Poconos which will celebrate his legacy at the Trenton Thunder baseball game on 24 August. More information can be found here.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nation’s, Dan Gillerman, will soon finish his posting in New York. This past weekend, the New York Times Magazine published an interview in which the ambassador analyzed some of his accomplishments and shared some of his diplomativ wisdom. His interview with Newsweek discusses Israel’s position in some of the more delicate Middle East issues, especially regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

As part of the prisoner exchange that will return Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev to Israel, the Israeli government will give up control of Samir Kuntar to Hizbullah. Kuntar was sentenced to five life terms in prison for his role in the murder of Danny and Einat Haran. The full story lay unknown for some time. The following article is translated from an article in Yediot Aharonot:

The Kuntar File, Exposed - Yediot Aharonot - by Nir Gontarz
After almost 30 years of being classified, File No. 578/79 has been granted permission for publication: the murderer’s testimony, the shots in Danny Haran’s back and the death blow to toddler Einat’s head.

For almost 30 years the Samir Kuntar file has sat in the district courthouse archives in Haifa. Its contents were never authorized for publication. Until yesterday. Right before his expected release in two days’ time, the court acceded to Yedioth Aharonot’s request and allowed Kuntar’s testimony, copies of the copious evidence and other testimonies in the file, the indictment and the judges’ verdict, to be perused…

Besides the Pardons Department, no one has ever read the file - which was considered top secret by court administrators. On the few occasions that it was removed from the archives, it was accompanied by an armed security officer. Being a classified security file, the contents of File No. 578/79 had never been released for publication. Due to the obvious public interest, Justice Ron Shapira has permitted publication of everything in the file except one person’s testimony. The judge also asked not to publish the pathological reports or any other detail that could harm the memory of the victims.

In this unprecedented internet address, Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, addresses the Iranian people directly. The video, in English with Arabic and Farsi subtitles, expresses goodwill and friendship towards the Iranian people while emphasizign the serious problems with the government in Tehran.
For more information, see Jerusalem Online.