Chancellor Merkel of Germany visited Israel for the third annual joint cabinet meeting between the two countries. During discussions, Merkel urged Israel to halt settlement construction and make progress on peace talks with Palestinians. Both leaders expressed concern over the unrest in Egypt and other Arab countries. Merkel also met with Israeli President Peres and opposition leader Livni to discuss regional issues like Iran's nuclear program and the stalled peace process. The article concludes by criticizing Richard Falk, the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian human rights, for endorsing 9/11 conspiracy theories.

1. GERMANY EDITION
February 8, 2010
THE MERKEL VISIT
(This article as is also appears in the American Edition of DD)
Chancellor Merkel visited Israel with members of her cabinet in the third annual
such visit. Israel is the only country outside Europe with which Germany holds
joint cabinet sessions, although it does so regularly with France.
These cabinet “get-togethers” are a visible sign of the closeness of the two
countries even though differences remain between them especially on Middle
East issues. The Chancellor’s visit came at a particularly difficult time – just as
the demonstrations in Egypt had broken out. According to D-W World, “(she)
appealed to Israel to take constructive steps toward reinvigorating the Middle
East peace process.
Afterwards, both sides said the talks were held in a very “businesslike manner”
with Netanyahu outlining how he sees the next steps in the peace process.
Merkel urged Israel to halt its settlement policies in the West Bank, saying these
were a serious problem for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Both leaders agreed that the current situation in Egypt and other parts of the
Arab world was “very difficult” and a concern for Israel. Netanyahu said Israel
was watching the situation with "vigilance" and "worry" and that he feared Egypt
could wind up with a radical Islamic regime, like Iran.
Cabinet ministers from both sides also signed a variety of bilateral agreements to
boost cooperation in the fields of research, environment, climate protection,
energy, development aid and education.
In a private meeting before the session, Netanyahu and Merkel reportedly spent
much of the time discussing the current unrest in Egypt. Merkel also called on
Israel to stop building in West Bank settlements, saying it was hurting the peace
process, Haaretz reported.
Meeting with Peres
Chancellor Merkel also met with Pres. Peres. The President wisely reminded her
that, (Y-Net News) "the world must learn from what happened in Gaza.
Democracy begins with elections – but does not end with elections. Democracy
is a civilization, and if you choose the wrong side you bring about the end of
democracy. We must ensure that human rights are guaranteed in a real
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2. democracy."
Peres reminded Merkel that Hamas took over Gaza following democratic
elections. "The world saw what happened in Gaza when they pushed for
democratic elections and a radical and dangerous movement, which won't give
the Gazans one day of democracy, rose to power.
Merkel said she agreed with Peres' remarks on the Iranian threat, saying that this
was a problem which threatened the entire world and not just Israel.
"Israel's security is a global matter, not a bilateral matter," she said, adding that
"in light of the recent events, it's time to speed up the peace process."
She clarified that the Palestinian Authority's leadership was strong. "I believe I
have arrived in Israel at a very important time. Time is essential to guarantee that
Israel remains an independent state within its borders. The concept of two states
for two people cannot remain a statement – it must be seen on the ground."
Meeting with Livni
The Chancellor also met with Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni. Haaretz
reported, “According to a member of Merkel's entourage, Livni voiced fears to the
German chancellor that Iran may exploit the current instability in the region,
reiterating the oft-repeated Israeli calls for tougher sanctions over Tehran's
nuclear program.
Many Israelis share Livni's fear that a weaker Egypt could mean greater Iranian
influence in the region.
In their meeting, Livni and Merkel also discussed Israel's stalled peace process
with the Palestinians. Livni was quoted saying that negotiations were in Israel's
national interest and not a favor to the Palestinians or Europeans.
SO?
One might be inclined to think that nothing much happened during the two day
discussions. Maybe one might be correct. However, just the fact there were
these meetings and the Israelis were able to voice their point of view on Egypt
and Iran to the leader of the EU (She is that!) has to be of some importance.
In addition, the Israeli cabinet heard a re-statement of the European Union’s
Middle East stance – Stop building settlements, get back to the negotiating table
with the Palestinians and make some sort of peace agreement. What Europe
needs is stability and the current situation is not helping.
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3. My assumption is that the members and leaders of both delegations are smart,
knowledgeable people. They all know now that the Israel – Palestinian situation
is not the major cause of instability. If it ever was, it is not that any longer. The
Egyptian situation and the one in Tunisia change everything mostly not in Israel’s
favor. So, whatever was said between them must have an Egyptian asterisk
attached to it. Today’s reality, in all likelihood, will not be tomorrow’s.
An immediate question facing Germany and the EU is the upgrading of their
diplomatic relations with the Palestinians as Ireland has already done. Will
Germany follow?
It will take some time for the implications of the tumult in the Arab world to be
figured out. Israel will need the friendship of the EU nations as the drama
unfolds. When that happens the test of Germany’s oft-stated friendship will be
given a real test. I’m sure we’ll all be tuned in to see how it turns out.
THE PALESTINE PAPERS
According to Foreign Policy Magazine, The Palestine Papers -- more than 1,600
internal Palestinian documents summarizing negotiations with Israel over the
past decade. The documents were apparently provided to Al Jazeera by
disgruntled Palestinians who set out to harm the PLO leadership and their
peaceful path toward realizing Palestinian national goals. The Qatar-based
satellite network has played along, insinuating that the documents show that the
Palestinian leadership has proved weak and willing to capitulate to Israeli
desires. On the documents pertaining to Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, it
laments that Palestinian negotiators "gave away almost everything to the Israelis,
without pressuring them for concessions or compromise."
The first batch of documents focuses largely on the 2008 final-status
negotiations between the PLO and Ehud Olmert's government that followed the
Annapolis peace conference in November 2007. They are meant to demonstrate
that Palestinian negotiators are desperate quislings, willing to cooperate
shamelessly with the Israeli occupiers, while selling out sacrosanct Palestinian
positions on the status of Jerusalem and the "right of return."
The Jewish Week noted, “While the Netanyahu government contends that Israel
lacks a partner willing to get into the nitty gritty of a peace deal, the Palestine
Papers seem to undercut that argument. As the Israeli newspaper Haaretz noted
in an editorial, the documents illustrate “the serious and down-to-business
approach of the Palestinians with regards to the central core issues — borders,
Jerusalem and holy places.”
But that also points to a devastating failure by Palestinian leaders: holding fast to
rigid, extreme positions in public while showing latitude for compromise in
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4. private. A public schooled only in the maximalist rhetoric of the PA and the
outright incitement of the PA-sanctioned media and education system can only
create political conditions that make it all but impossible for leaders to take the
final steps toward peace.
The fact that Palestinian leaders are now furiously denying the validity of
documents showing their greater willingness to compromise suggests they have
not learned that lesson.
Frankly, I don’t know what to make of it. First of all, who knows how accurate the
papers are? Second, if they are genuine, how important are they? They record
private conversations and negotiations and not decisions. In such sessions many
things that are said are, indeed, only negotiating positions never expected to turn
into hard and fast positions. Third, on both sides many of these “trial balloons”
have been floated up previously. However, neither side, especially the
Palestinians have never publicly acknowledged to their own people that they
might have to make major concessions. Even if the two sides agreed and signed
on the dotted line, would their populations back them sufficiently to make an
agreement stick?
Fourth, as soon as the Egyptian demonstrations began, the P Papers not only
moved off the front pages, they were dropped completely. In summary, I just
don’t think they’re very important. If, however, you want to read more, try the two
links below.
JTA: http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/01/25/2742703/in-israel-palestine-there-are-
now-maps-but-not-much-else-new
Haaretz: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/pa-negotiator-u-s-british-
citizens-are-responsible-for-leaking-palestine-papers-1.339382
DUAL LOYALTY?
Over the years the enemies of both American Jews and Israel accuse the
Americans of having greater loyalty to Israel than to the United States. History
shows that the charges are bogus. There is no group that has a greater
dedication to the U.S. than American Jews.
The other side of the “dual loyalty” coin is the issue of relationship between
American Jews and Israel. The problem can best be understood as “no dual
anything” with American Jewish youngsters having diminished feeling and
connection to their co-religionists in Israel.
Y-Net News recently reported, “The Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish
Future (www.yu.edu/cjf) sent 40 select North American undergraduate students
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5. to Israel last week for a seven-day service learning and experiential education
program entitled “A Place Called Home.”
The objective of the mission… was to explore the complex dual-loyalty felt by
Diaspora Jews for their homes outside of Israel and the Homeland itself.
“We believe it is essential that these future leaders experience the realities of
Israeli life and politics through the lens of individuals and communities who are
trying to build – and rebuild – their homes in Israel,” said Rabbi Kenneth Brander,
the David Mitzner Dean of the Center for the Jewish Future (CJF).
“In this way, they will develop a deeper appreciation for what it means to be a
citizen of the Jewish State and gain a better understanding of how they – and
other Diaspora Jews – should relate to Israel.”
The seminar, which will be run with support from the Jim Joseph Foundation, will
focus on several hot-button issues, including what it means to build a home and
a life in Israel, the price of unity and how our ideologies shape and divide us,
balancing Jewish values with humanism and democracy; the importance of
settling and developing an authentic connection with the land, and the costs and
benefits of establishing a life in Israel versus the Diaspora.
“Like every other CJF initiative, an underlying goal of this program is to inspire
our students to become agents of change in their communities and the world-at-
large,” added Brander. “We hope that this experience encourages them to
consider how they might approach issues like tolerance between religious and
secular Jews and the disparity between Jewish law and democratic values in
their own Jewish communities.”
As I have pointed out previously, the Jewish population of the world is small.
Considering all it has gone through, especially in the last century, it can ill afford
to have its two largest populations become estranged from one another. Just the
matters of distance (miles) and culture (a Jewish nation vs. a secular one) make
for difficult relationships. So, any program that tries to bridge the differences gets
my vote.
Read the entire story by clicking here.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4018733,00.html
CHINA & THE JEWS
In year’s gone bye there hasn’t been much relationship between China and the
Jews with the exception that in the U.S. the Jewish community seems to have a
deep love of Chinese food. Last year when Elena Kagan was being grilled by the
Senate before being approved as a Justice of the Supreme Court, Sen. Lindsey
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6. Graham asked Kagan, in relation to a question about the Christmas Day Bomber,
“Where were you on Christmas day?” Responded Kagan, to a deserved round of
applause: “You know, like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant.”
There is more to the relationship than food these days.
Nathan Jaffay writing in Jewish Ideas Daily notes, “Back in 1991 Chen Yiyi was,
as he puts it, a “bored” law student at Peking University. At the time, China was
in the process of formalizing relations with Israel, and the Chinese Education
Ministry and Israel’s Foreign Ministry selected his university as the site of China’s
first Hebrew course taught by visiting Israeli teachers. When the class fell short
of its eight-student enrollment target, Chen was persuaded to sign up to boost its
numbers.
Little did Chen know at the time that he was embarking on a career in what
would soon be a burgeoning field within Chinese academia: Jewish studies.
Chen, who is now director of Peking University’s Institute of Hebrew and Jewish
Studies, teaches a Bible course at his school that is billed as a class in Tanach,
using the Hebrew word for the Bible and drawing upon Jewish interpretations.
Now in its eighth year, the class can accommodate a maximum of 200 students
each session, but it regularly has 500 students sign up.
“The interest in Jews and Israelis goes way beyond business, way beyond
technology, to a wish to understand what the Jewish nation is all about,” said Ilan
Maor, joint vice president of the Israel-Asia Chamber of Commerce and a former
Israeli consul general in Shanghai.
Israel and some American Jewish groups have been eager to encourage the
Chinese interest in things Jewish. For the visit by the Chinese academics,
Israel’s Foreign Ministry partnered with the Charles and Lynn Schusterman
Family Foundation and the American Jewish Committee’s Project Interchange,
which organized the trip. A few days after the academics returned home, it was
announced that China Central Television has just produced, in cooperation with
Israel’s embassy in Beijing, a 12-part series intended to introduce Chinese
audiences to the history of Israel and the Jewish people.
The Israel Project, a Washington-based advocacy group, has proposed building
on this interest to create a strong base of support for Israel in China. Last year it
conducted a focus group on opinions toward Israel in Shanghai.
“Because China’s interests in the Middle East are relatively recent, and Israel is
still largely a blank slate to most Chinese, we have a real opportunity to make a
significant impact on its decision-making and views concerning us and the wider
Middle East,” Laura Kam, the group’s executive director for global affairs, wrote
recently in The Jerusalem Post
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7. Considering the importance of China today it certainly pays to invest in trying to
get the Chinese to understand more about Israel and Judaism. Without question,
the more people know about you the less chance there is of misunderstanding
and hostility. AJC’s investment in opening an office in Berlin is based on the
same philosophy.
There is more to Mr. Jaffay’s piece. You can read it by clicking here.
http://www.jidaily.com/XeOYp/e
RICHARD FALK
Who is Richard Falk and why is he important?
Well, Richard Anderson Falk (born 1930) (according to Wikipedia) is an
American professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University, writer
(the author or co-author of 20 books and the editor or co-editor of another 20
books), speaker, activist on world affairs, and an appointee to two United Nations
positions on the Palestinian territories. A 9/11 “truther”, Falk has been
condemned by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and others for
suggesting that the George W. Bush administration, rather than al-Qaeda, was
responsible for the September 11 attacks. To make things a little clearer he has
been very anti-Israel.
You can always count on the UN Human Rights Council to put people with an
anti-Israel bent into important positions. On March 26, 2008, the United Nations
Human Rights Council (UNHRC) appointed Falk to a six-year term as a United
Nations Special Rapporteur on "the situation of human rights in the Palestinian
territories occupied since 1967”. Not exactly what I would call a fair minded,
impartial person to fulfill this important position.
Recently (press release), AJC called on the UN to immediately dismiss Richard
Falk after he publicly endorsed 9/11 conspiracy theorists. Falk is the United
Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian
Territories.
In his blog this month, Falk endorsed the slander of conspiracy theorists who
claim that the terrorist attacks, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed, were
perpetrated and then covered up by the U.S. government and media.
“We agree wholeheartedly with the U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN,
Ambassador Susan Rice, who stated that Mr. Falk’s comments are ‘despicable
and offensive’ and, like her, urge the UN to remove him from his position,” said
AJC Executive Director David Harris. “Falk has long been a conspiracy-ridden
and harmful figure who surely does not serve the best interests of the UN.”
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8. AJC expressed outrage when Falk was first appointed Special Rapporteur in
2008, saying that his selection underscored the innate bias of the Human Rights
Council, the UN organ that appointed him to examine a situation involving Israel.
"His longstanding record of hostility toward Israel, as well as his support of
boycotts and sanctions against the Jewish state, should have disqualified him
from consideration, but then again, tellingly, the world body was not looking for
an objective and disinterested individual," Harris said.
“The UN must now, at long last, do the right thing and fire Richard Falk,” said
Harris.
My guess is, considering who he works for, Mr. Falk will have long employment
with the UNHRC. He doesn’t even have to do their bidding. He is, at least, as
anti-Israel as their most anti-Israel members. No change needed.
The matter of Prof. Falk’s employment would be laughable if it wasn’t so tragic.
ZIONISM, REV. HECHLER & THE GERMAN CONNECTION
Thedor Herzl, the father of Zionism, the freedom movement of the Jewish people,
which resulted in the establishment of the State of Israel had significant Christian
help.
The Jerusalem Post reported, “The contribution of a Christian chaplain to
Theodor Herzl’s work and to the Zionist cause was commemorated in London on
Monday with a tombstone dedication at his unmarked grave.
Rev. William Henry Hechler was pivotal to Herzl’s diplomatic successes, allying
himself with him and emerging Zionist movement and providing Herzl with key
introductions to German royal society.
Hechler had been a close friend of Archduke Frederick I of Baden and a tutor to
his children.
In 1896, while serving as the chaplain for the British Embassy in Vienna, he read
Herzl's newly written The Jewish State and immediately understood the centrality
and vital importance of Herzl's work as complimentary to his belief in the
prophetic biblical restoration of the Jews.
In 1893, Hechler published his own broadsheet, The Restoration of the Jews to
Palestine according to the Prophecy and anticipated that the days of the Jewish
salvation would begin in 1897-1898.
With Hechler's and the Archduke's assistance, Herzl met the Sultan of Turkey
Abdul Hamid II in 1896 and German Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1898.
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9. “Rev. Hechler played a vital role in advancing the Zionist cause at the crucial,
early stage of the movement's emergence,” said Dr. David Breakstone, vice
chairman of the World Zionist Organization (WZO), who attended the
commemoration. “In honoring him as we did this week, we not only paid him the
respect that was long overdue, making good on an historical debt of gratitude,
but also publicly recognized the vital role that so many Christians have played -
first in the establishment of the Jewish state, and since then, in support of it.
“It is very important to Israel and the Jewish people to recognize the incredible
efforts and friendships made by our friends and supporters in the Christian
world,” said Alan Aziz, director of the Zionist Federation of the UK. “The ZF has
very strong links to the Christian community which we value enormously.
The placing of an appropriate gravestone on Rev. Hechler’s grave even after 80
years since his death is the right thing to do. Theodor Herzl spent the entire latter
part of his life trying to get support for a Jewish homeland. He was unsuccessful
in getting the Kaiser’s help and after his death (1904) and the end of World War I,
the British issued the Balfour Declaration that served as the legal basis for the
establishment of Israel after World War II
The story of Christian assistance to Jews seeking a homeland is not known well
enough. Perhaps sometime in the future I’ll write more about it. In the meantime,
if you want to read the entire Hechler story click here.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=206349
BUSINESS & BACK CHANNELS
ABC News ran a piece in December which merits attention by those interested in
Israel/American Jewish relations with Arab countries. In spite of the surface
hostilities and political distance person to person contacts are continuing
especially with Arab businessmen in the Gulf States.
The story quotes my AJC colleague Jason Isaacson who has spent a great deal
of time and energy in the last number of years maintaining these relationships.
The ABC reporter notes, “‘Little by little there have been signs of progress,’ said
Jason Isaacson of the American Jewish Committee. Jason and I met on the
sidelines of the Manama Dialogue, a regional security conference where he was
invited by the Bahraini government. Isaacson told me he’s been to the Gulf
‘frequently,’ leading AJC delegations to meet with Gulf officials and public
figures. ‘I cannot believe that relations forged over many years die when offices
are closed. Because the common interests are there and the common threats
don't go away,’ he said in a phone interview days after the Manama meeting.
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10. ‘We talk with their diplomats in Washington a lot. We have similar concerns
about the region, and about moving the peace process forward.’
Isaacson said there’s reason to believe that Gulf-Israeli relations are getting a
rethink, and there were signs of it in Bahrain. Speakers advanced the idea that
Arab states need to recognize Israeli security needs and opportunities for
economic integration. In a sit-down interview, Sheikh Khalid al Khalifa, the
Foreign Minister of Bahrain, told me Arab states need to reach out more to Israeli
people.
‘We’re not talking about normalization here...we’re talking about communication,’
said Sheikh Khalifa. ‘You need to go to them through their own TV channels,
through their own newspapers, and tell them that we are here in the Arab world
and we want peace. We don’t want to throw you in the sea.’
You can read the whole story by clicking here.
http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?
c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=6161209&ct=8976651
My point in writing about this story is that no matter how dark political matters
seem there are always people who seek stability because it serves the purpose
of bettering trade and business. It seems to me that we do not credit “business”
enough as a major factor in the solution of political problems. Relationships and
stability are a great aid to increased trade and, therefore, more attention should
be paid and encouragement given to those who keep the lines of communication
open in an effort to not only make profit but to help move their societies toward
peace. Particular kudos should go to people like Jason who make no profit out of
their efforts other than knowing that they are making a contribution to world
peace.
.
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