‘Ariqat: No Talks As Long As Post-1967 Building Continues

Palestinian chief negotiator Sa’ib ‘Ariqat told the Palestinian newspaper Al Ayyam that the Palestinian refusal to return to talks with Israel until all building in communities located on land acquired in the 1967 war is an “Israeli commitment” and not a “precondition.” ‘Ariqat arrived in Washington for talks with senior Obama administration officials on Tuesday. He told the newspaper that the Palestinians want President Obama to declare that a state along the 1967 borders will be a given outcome of negotiations. ‘Ariqat said the Palestinians are continuing talks with the U.S. administration, but remain steadfast in their refusal to talk with Israel as long as the demand for a building freeze is not met. He said “the Americans and other members of the quartet have a responsibility to tell the international community about the side that's implementing its commitments and complying with its commitments and the side that's refusing to comply with its commitments." On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu issued a plea to Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud ‘Abbas to return to the negotiating table. Speaking at a Jerusalem conference, Netanyahu asked ‘Abbas to tell his people “the time has come for two nations to live side-by-side in peace and security." 

“Juniper Cobra” – Joint U.S.-Israel Military Exercise – is Underway

The joint American – Israeli military maneuvers dubbed “Juniper Cobra” are underway. The main thrust of the two week exercise will be to simulate Iranian missile attacks and test the readiness and defensive capabilities of several combined defense systems. The Patriot, THAAD, Aegis and Arrow II will all be tested, each from its respective land- or sea-based platforms. Israel’s Home Front Command will participate in the activities, responding to an imitated attack by unconventional weapons on an Israeli population center.  

Netanyahu Cabinet Rejects Call for Domestic Probe into Gaza Operation

The Israeli cabinet has rejected calls for Jerusalem to launch a domestic probe into accusations appearing in the Goldstone report of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Instead, it is embarking on an aggressive campaign to lobby the international community to end the matter where it began: in the Council. Calls for the probe came from such allies as the United States, France and the United Kingdom. In a resolution embracing the report, the Council threatened to send it to the International Criminal Court at The Hague for prosecution if a “serious and credible” investigation is not launched within six months. The decision was not unanimous. Defense Minister Ehud Barak is said to have led the move to refuse to conduct an investigation, while Dan Meridor, a minister who is also deputy Prime Minister, was quoted by the newspaper Haaretz as favoring a probe, saying the most effective way to protect the army is “serious self-examination.”  

Israel Refuses to Allow French Foreign Minister to Enter the Gaza Strip

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner’s request to visit the Gaza Strip has been rejected by Israel. Kouchner wanted to view the progress of a hospital building project backed by his government. But the Israelis acted to prevent Hamas from benefiting from windfall publicity attacking Israel. It required Israeli permission for the French to become involved in the rebuilding of the Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City, which was heavily damaged during Israel’s military operation last January. Other international diplomats have similarly been denied permission to visit Gaza. But Jerusalem is particularly annoyed with the Sarkozy government at the moment because of its abstention in the U.N. Human Rights Council vote to embrace the Goldstone report that accuses Israel of committing war crimes during the January offensive.  

White House Condemns 15-year Sentence for Iranian-American Scholar in Tehran

The White House “regrets” and “objects” to a 15-year jail term handed out to an American-Iranian dual citizen in Tehran for his role in anti-government protests following last June’s election. Kian Tajbakhsh, who was one of 100 defendants on trial for protesting alleged irregularities in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election, received the longest sentence meted out so far. Tajbakhsh is a social scientist and urban planner and the only American arrested during the melees that followed the disputed balloting. In a statement read by White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, the Iranian government was accused of denying Tajbakhsh his right to legal counsel and urged for his release “as soon as possible.” 

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