One of the most important lesons to be gleaned from the recent Gaza operations is the need for the international legal system to address the military demands of fighting terrorism.  As noted by Daniel Taub, senior legal advisor at Israel’s Foreign Ministry, in yesterday’s Boston Globe, there are certainly wrong ways to fight terrorists.  But there are also right ways to fight people who take advantage of their non-state status (like those undertaken by the IDF) that need to be protected.  An excerpt suffices to explain:

A short while ago I met with a group of eminent jurists who were on a fact-finding mission, examining Israel’s military operation in Gaza. After listening to their concerns and criticisms, I asked them: “Considering the rocket attacks launched against Israel by terrorist groups in Gaza, what in your view would have constituted a lawful response?” The answer was total silence.

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In a hearing today before the US Senate, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau called attention to the disturbing practice by which Iran has been funding its nuclear program through the aid of banks and private individuals. He cited several examples of people helping dodge the international sanctions on Iran by laundering money and falsifying records. You can read more about today’s hearing on FoxNews and Bloomberg.

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Israeli papers announced over the weekend that historian Michael Oren is set to be named Israel’s new ambassador to the United States.  Oren, who moved to Israel from New Jersey in the 1970s, has served Israel in a number of capacities, including as an army spokesman during the Second Lebanon War (2006) and the recent operations in Gaza (2008-9).  (You can find his bio here.)  For some commentary on the appointment, have a look at this Jeffrey Goldberg piece in the Atlantic and at this JPost editorial.  Of course, the appointment is not yet final as it needs parliamentary approval.

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As we stand and celebrate our freedom and our 61 years of independence, I would first and foremost like to share with you my deepest and most sincere desire for security, peace, and the wellbeing of the Jewish people throughout the world.

Sixty-one years ago, the declaration of independence unified the Jewish people, both in Israel and in the entire world, and every other nation that supported the idea of a reborn Jewish state. The spirit of the Jewish people helped us win the War of Independence and establish the State of Israel, and helped us prevail against those who wished to destroy us. continue reading…

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Today, to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Sallai Meridor, took part in a Congressional memorial ceremony. His speech is below:

Mr. President, Madam Speaker, Senators, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and dear, dear Survivors,

Three weeks ago “Yurek”, the “cigarette boy” from Warsaw, passed away. He was “my witness” when I went to Poland. In Warsaw he showed me the place from which the Jews were transported to the gas chambers and the sewer systems in which he survived when his entire family was murdered. At the sites where Jews fought to die with dignity, he did not even mention his own role in the uprising or that only three years after he survived, he fought again, this time to save the survival of Israel. One evening he told me quietly that his son, Eitan, fell in the defense of Israel in 1973. Between Auschwitz, Majdank and Treblinka, he shared with me his dream for peace. continue reading…

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The IDF today made public the summary of its findings from commissions of inquiry studying varying aspects of Operation “Cast Lead.”  The commissions addressed a number of the most serious charges leveled against the IDF’s conduct in Gaza–including the use of white phosphorus and targeting civilians.  Investigators concluded that the Army’s actions had been well within the limits of international law in all operational matters and that there is no grounds for the current accusations of war crimes against Israel.  A further summary of the findings, with some analysis, is available through JPost.

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David Saranga, Consul for Media and Public Affairs at the Israeli Consulate in New York wrote an article to the Jerusalem Post about Holocaust Denial and dialogue.

From the jPost:

The Holocaust is undeniable. Unquestionable. Irrefutable. If the remains of the bodies aren’t enough to prove it, then one could visit a concentration camp, Yad Vashem in Jerusalem or the Holocaust Museum in Washington and see with his own eyes what it means to be deported, humiliated, tortured and slaughtered.

This is history, no matter how one tries to dissect it.

But this article isn’t about whether or not the Holocaust happened. It’s about people who don’t want their children to know about it. It’s about the people who skim over the Holocaust during history lessons. Not surprisingly, these are the same people who make violent threats against anyone in their community who dares to challenge these practices. And they are the same people with whom Israel is trying to negotiate peace. So ironic, so impossible, so tragic.

Read the full article at The Jerusalem Post Online.

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Iran has been in the news once again this week, as world leaders continue their diplomatic efforts to halt the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.  While these talks are an important development, it is no less crucial to recognize the dangers inherent in such a high-stakes diplomatic process.  Michael Rubin notes some of those dangers in an Wall Street Journal op-ed piece this week, in which he dissects how Iran has taken advantage of Western good will in the past.  We excerpt:

On Apr. 9, Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, the head of Iran’s atomic energy agency, announced that the Islamic Republic had installed 7,000 centrifuges in its Natanz uranium enrichment facility. The announcement came one day after the U.S. State Department announced it would engage Iran directly in multilateral nuclear talks.
Proponents of engagement with Tehran say dialogue provides the only way forward. Iran’s progress over the past eight years, they say, is a testament to the failure of Bush administration strategy. President Barack Obama, for example, in his Mar. 21 address to the Iranian government and people, declared that diplomacy “will not be advanced by threats. We seek engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect.”

See here for the full article (subscription required).

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A report in the New York Times todayhighlights the Egyptian accusations that Hizbullah has set up cells in Egypt to provide arms to Gaza and to carry out terrorist attacks.  As the Egyptians realized, this attempt by Hizbullah highlights Iran’s desire to influence regional politics–even to the extent of taking over an Arab country.  While it’s unclear how this will all play out, it does reinforce the regional differences between Iran, Syria, and Hizbullah on one hand and Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other moderates on the other.

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After the comments last week by Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman which referenced the Roadmap for Two States and the Annapolis Declaration, there was a lot of talk about what these two documents are all about.  And while these two plans for Israeli-Palestinian peace have the same goal of a two-state solution, they go about achieving those aims through very different methods.  We present below a short discussion of both plans to aid in understanding the situation.

The Roadmap for Two States was presented by President George W. Bush to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Chairman Yasser Arafat in April of 2003, and the Israeli Government subsequently adopted the document with a number of reservations.  Basically, the document envisioned a bottom-up peace process taking place step-by-step in three stages:

1. Addressing Israeli security demands (namely that Palestinians would end terrorism and incitement against Israel) and the Palestinian desire for a freeze on settlement building
2. Establishing a Palestinian state with temporary boundaries
3. Negotiating the “core issues”  and Arab recognition of the State of Israel.  (Note that negotiations would only begin in the third stage.)

The Annapolis Declaration was the result of a November 2007 summit, and functions as an addendum to the Roadmap.  Essentially, it envisions a top-down process, in which negotiating on the “core issues” would begin immediately (Roadmap Stage 3) and reaching the agreement that would be shelved until such time as the Palestinians can rein in terrorism (Roadmap Stage 1).  At that future date, the agreement reached would be implemented in full.  While Prime Minister Olmert reported to the government on the Declaration, the government was never asked to approve its guidelines.

Note that the result of both the original Roadmap and the modifications introduced by the Annapolis Summit have the same end in mind: a Palestinian state beside the State of Israel.

For more information, please see the table by Itamar Eichner from Yedioth Aharonoth, 07 April 2009.

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