ARCHIVES

Hamas's Strategy, by Barry Rubin, here

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11/09/08 Syria President: Israel is not genuine about peace...More

11/09/08 Livni: We see the need for a Palestine, if it's not terror state...More

10/02/08 Turnaround in the Austrian policy towards Iran? More

 

Lecture by Prof. Irwin Cotler in Vienna: The Danger of a Genocidal, Nuclear and Rights-Violating Iranian Regime: What Must Be Done?
July 3, 2009 The Danger of a Genocidal, Nuclear and Rights-Violating Iranian Regime: What Must De Done? Lecture by Prof. Irwin Cotler (former Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada) Introductory remarks by MP Dr. Hannes Jarolim (Social-Democrat Party Speaker for Justice) und MP Mag. Albert Steinhauser...

Neo-Nazi idol on University Campus? No! In Vienna, although far-left groups as well as a far-right blog had promoted a lecture of Norman Finkelstein, scheduled on May 27th at the University campus, the spokeswoman of the rectorate denied in an answer to a press release of the below mentioned organizations, that such an event would take place in a lecture room or anyway on the campus. Read the protest note of SPME-Scholars for Peace in the Middle East - Austria, the Federation of Jewish Communities in Austria and the Action against Anti-Semitism in Austria directly and more about the event here. This helped that the organizers had to relocate the speech into a hotel, where the fans stayed among themselves. Read more

Israel voted...Results of the elections for Knesset here

The Austrian-Israel Society invites on Wednesday, February 11 at 7:00 p.m. to Hotel Kaiserhof, Frankenberggasse 10, 1040 Vienna (phone:5051701) for a lecture held by Samson Altmann-Shevitz, Mohamed Ibrahim and Pf. Christian Weber: Breaking the Vicious Circle. More in German

PROF. MICHAEL OREN BRIEFS SPME NETWORK SUBSCRIBERS ON GAZA SITUATION ON CONFERENCE CALL. Read the article on SPME

Gerald Steinberg in Jerusalem Post : Human Rights Watch: White (phosphorous) lies

Reactions and Press Releases on Gaza: Of the Israeli Ambassador in Austria, Dan Ashbel (in German) here Of the Presidium of the Austrian-Israel Society (in German) here Of the German and Austrian Chapter of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East www.spme.net (SPME-Austria und SPME-Germany), in German, here Of the SPME Board of Directors (Scholars for Peace in the Middle East www.spme.net), in English, here Of the Bundesverband der Israelitischen Kultusgemeinden Austria (in German) here Of the Wiesenthal Center (in English) here Of B'nai B'rith Europe here

Hadassah Austria invites to: Talking for Peace – A Karl Kahane Lecture Series .The Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue in co-operation with the Karl Kahane Foundation kindly invites to MEDICAL ETHIC AND TERROR. Raja’l Fouzi George Qumyiseh, Karl Kahane Fellow, Avraham Rivkind, Head of the Department of General Surgery & Shock Trauma Unit at Hadassah. Moderator: Burgl Czeitschner. Welcome address: Patricia Kahane, President of the Karl Kahane Foundation, Member of the Board of the Bruno Kreisky Forum. Wednesday | January 14, 2009 | 19.00 hours. Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue, Armbrustergasse 15 | 1190 Vienna. R.s.v.p. Tel.: 3188260/20 | Fax: 3188260/10 | e-mail: einladung.kreiskyforum@kreisky.org.

FREE GAZA FROM HAMAS - informative events and manifestation Thursday 01/08/09 and Monday 01/12/09 in Vienna - see the details

 

2008

 

 

KARL PFEIFER has provided us with three new articels by his enviable creative power: "Antisemitism and the Austrian Left " http://blog.z-word.com/2008/11/new-on-z-word-antisemitism-and-the-austrian-left/ , "Holocaust Denial and Minister Hegedus" (Hungary) http://blog.z-word.com/2008/12/holocaust-denial-and-minister-hegedus/#more-600 and an article on Amira Hass http://www.adf-berlin.de/wbb2/thread.php?postid=39566 . We are very thankful for his insights and informations.

Israeli ambassador in Austria voted PR man of the year! Austrian Public Relations Association elects Israeli Ambassador Dan Ashbel as man of the year after successful 'Israel' tram project gains much popularity. Austria's PR man of the year for 2008 is no other than Israeli Ambassador, Dan Ashbel.While the Foreign Ministry has been criticized over the years over its representation of Israel, especially regarding the Middle Eastern conflict, Ashbel, the ambassador to Austria has been greatly improving the country's image and has succeeded in creatively marketing a different Israel. (Roy Mendel, ynetnews.com, 10/29/08) Yesterday, November 26, 2008, the PR-Gala 2008 of PVRA honoured H. E. Dan Ashbel as "Communicator of the Year 2008". Congratulations!!!

Mumbai Attacks: Jews Tortured Before Being Executed During Hostage Crisis
Damien McElroy - Telegraph.co.uk - December 2, 2008

Mumbai Terrorists Targeted Jews, Israelis
Ron Kampeas - JTA - December 1, 2008

The Chabad Rabbi in India was Not 'Killed'
Shelomo Alfassa - The Sephardic Perspective - December 1, 2008

Doctors: Terrorist Torture of Jewish Victims 'Beyond Words'
Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu - Israel National News - December 1, 2008

Olmert: Israel, Jewish Symbols Still Motivate Murderous Acts
Haaretz Service - Haaretz - November 30, 2008

They Were In No Hurry. Cool and Composed, They Killed and Killed
Randeep Ramesh, Duncan Campbell and Paul Lewis (Guardian-UK) - Guardian-UK - November 28, 2008

Iran Urges Lebanese to Unite Against Israel
Reuters - November 27, 2008

UNGA Head Accuses Israel of Apartheid
Allison Hoffman, JPost correspondent in New York - The Jerusalem Post - November 27, 2008

Israel Warms to Idea of Talks with Iran
Joshua Mitnick - The Washington Times - November 27, 2008

Syria President: Israel is not genuine about peace
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press
Tags: Syria, Israel news. Syrian President Bashar Assad accused Israel of working toward peace with its Arab neighbors for the sake of internal political gain alone, calling the country's peace efforts "not genuine." Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1035651.html

Livni: We see the need for a Palestine, if it's not terror state
By The Associated Press and Haaretz Service
Tags: Quartet, Palestinian. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, speaking after a meeting Sunday with the Quartet of Mideast peace negotiators in Egypt, said that progress had been achieved in talks with the Palestinian Authority, and that Israel recognizes the need to establish a Palestinian state, on condition that an independent Palestine does not sponsor terrorism. Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1035632.html

Prof. Edward S. Beck, Founder and President Emeritus of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, „Antisemitism in Academia“ (lecture in English) Wednesday, November 5, 2008 7:30 p.m.
University of Vienna, NIG - Neues Institutsgebaeude Hoersaal II. An event of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East Austria, together with Studienvertretung Politikwissenschaft at the University of Vienna.

Alliance of Terror: Iran, Syria and the Hezbollah. Lecture held by BARRY RUBIN, director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center, Herzliya. This event is organized by STOP THE BOMB and co-sponsored by Scholars for Peace in the Middle East – Austria. 10/29/2008, Vienna. Read more.

SPME Austria Announces Lectures at the University of Vienna on the Occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the State of Israel
SPME Chapter News - October 16, 2008. Runs until January 2009!!!!

Livni likely to be tapped by Peres Monday evening to form government. President Shimon Peres is likely to ask Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to try to form a new coalition government, a Peres spokeswoman said on Monday, a day after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert resigned. A statement issued by Peres's office said preparations were under way at the president's residence for a ceremony at 7:30 p.m., during which he would announce his choice....Read more at:http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1023407.html

Israeli Arab charged with spying for Hezbollah. Khaled Kashkush, a 29-year-old Israeli Arab resident of the town of Kalansua, is suspected of spying for Hezbollah, it was revealed Wednesday after the Shin Bet security service lifted a media gag order. Read more at: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1009073.html

IAF: Hezbollah anti-aircraft missiles could threaten Israeli planes. If Hezbollah installs advanced anti-aircraft batteries in Lebanon, the Israel Air Force will have to alter its overflights of Lebanon significantly, a senior IAF officer told Haaretz Tuesday. However, he added that the IAF has successfully coped with similar threats elsewhere, and could do so in Lebanon as well. Read more at: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1008837.html

The Jewish Communities in Austria mourn for the reservists Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser. Vienna (OTS) - 735 days ago two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped to Lebanon against law of nations. Medical aid for them and a visit of Red Cross International were refused. In a cynical way, their relatives were left in uncertainty about their fate. Five terrorists, thereof a child murderer, undeservedly received freedom to allow a honourable funeral for the dead Israeli soldiers. The dissymmetry of values and moral speaks for Israel. Mag. Raimund Fastenbauer General Secretary of Federal association sekretär des Bundesverbandes of Jewish Communities in Austria (Translated from German by webmaster).

Syria sources to Haaretz: We'll grant no goodwill gestures to weak Olmert Syrian President Bashar Assad senses that he is in a strong position and has no intention of relinquishing his preconditions in the indirect peace talks with Israel, Syrian officials told Haaretz. "The indirect negotiations will continue as long as there is no American partner. Assad will also not make, at this stage, any gesture of goodwill to the Israeli prime minister, not even a handshake, because there is no reason to grant such a gesture to a weak prime minister," a Syrian official said. ...More: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1001636.html

Iran decries contacts between Syria and 'illegitimate' Israel. Iran is unhappy about ongoing indirect talks between Syria and Israel and believes that any ensuing peace agreement would lead to radical changes in Syrian-Iranian relations, an Iranian official said in remarks published Monday...More: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1001938.html

Ahead of Mideast trip, Obama backtracks on 'undivided' Jerusalem. Barack Obama will visit Israel and the West Bank next week, Israeli and Palestinian officials said Monday. The announcement came a day after the Democratic presidential hopeful sought to downplay his recent remarks on the contentious issue of dividing Jerusalem....More: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1001635.html

Report: Israel won't condition Gaza cease-fire on Gilad Shalit's release By Haaretz Service and Reuters http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/992631.html

VIDEO: Palestinian woman films masked men attacking W. Bank farmers.
By Reuters http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/992618.html

Bush 'disappointed' by Iran's rebuff of offer to halt nuke work
By Reuters http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/992625.html

Hezbollah: We have given bodies of fallen IDF soldiers to Red Cross. By Yossi Melman, Haaretz Correspondent http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/988790.html

Libya & Iran are UN-acceptable. By DAN GILLERMAN. Monday, March 31st 2008, 4:00 AM http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/03/31/2008-03-31_libya__iran_are_unacceptable.html

Be Our Guest. Though only three months have passed since Libya joined the Security Council of the United Nations for a two-year term, the verdict already is in. Libya's membership on the Security Council shames the UN, and severely undermines the council's ability to maintain international peace and security. Put most simply, Libya does not deserve its seat. It has already justified terrorism, accused Israel of genocide, and blocked the council's condemnation of the recent murder of eight young Jerusalem students - this in spite of the Security Council's well-established practice of condemning terrorism wherever and whenever it happens. The truth is no self-respecting members club in Manhattan would accept Libya as a member, and no co-op board would even consider renting it an apartment. Yet the United Nations grants it a seat on the one body responsible for maintaining peace and security in the world. When Libya announced its candidacy for a nonpermanent seat on the Security Council last year, many in the international community responded with skepticism and doubt. After all, little time had passed since the North African state made an apparent about-face on its long-standing support for terrorism, and development of missiles and weapons of mass destruction programs. Indeed, Libya was under United Nations sanctions until 2003 for its role in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, among other terrorist attacks and breaches of international law. But the leading nations of the world wanted to show Libya that moderation has its rewards. Libya's behavior on the Security Council, however, suggests that such benevolence was quite premature. Article 23 of the United Nations Charter requires that Security Council members should be selected with "due regard being specially paid, in the first instance to the contribution of members of the United Nations to the maintenance of international peace and security and to the other purposes of the organization." Today, this would surely exclude those who condone terrorism and disrespect human dignity and human rights - sanctions or no sanctions. Some may argue that the damage is done, and the world may as well find a way to deal with Libya for the next two years. But such blind pragmatism misses the point. We need clear and enforceable standards - and we need them now - because coming soon is an even more serious potential threat to the Security Council: Iran. Iran will apparently seek a seat on the Security Council for the 2010-11 term. This is a nation under numerous sanctions, in violation of countless Security Council resolutions, with a proven record of supporting global terrorism - as seen in the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in Argentina and Interpol's recent call for the arrest of senior Iranian officials in connection with the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, campaign of Holocaust denial and violations of human rights are further cause for alarm. As a member of the Security Council, Iran would not only call into question the credibility of the world's most important peace and security body, it would render it impotent. The nations of the world cannot afford more inaction and paralysis. Preventing Iran's accession to the Security Council, though, can only be accomplished through the process of United Nations reform. To date, such reform has generally focused on enlarging the membership of the Security Council. Libya's behavior shows that quality matters as much as, if not more than, quantity. The Security Council must only be comprised of capable and responsible states, and those with substantial and distinguished records of upholding the principles and objectives of the world body. Without robust guidelines, the Security Council may succumb to the fate of so many other UN organs - marred by political interests and moral indifference, hypocrisy and double standards.

Ambassador Gillerman is Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

03/03/08 PM: Peace talks will go on, but so will attacks on Hamas. By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent, and news agencies. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that despite the Palestinian Authority's declared suspension of peace talks over the weekend, negotiations with the Palestinian Authority would continue. At the same time, Olmert said, Israeli forces would continue to strike hard at Hamas....More: Haaretz online

03/03/08 IDF pulls troops out of Gaza, Hamas declares 'victory'.
By Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff and Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondents. The Israel Defense Forces pulled its ground troops out of the Gaza Strip early Monday, and Hamas seized the pullout to declare "victory" in the intensive fighting that has killed more than 100 people in recent days. The pullback followed days of sequential fighting that drew an appeal from Washington to end violence and rescue peace talks with the Palestinians. The withdrawal came after the IDF senior command on Sunday recommended keeping up intensive military pressure on Hamas....more: Haaretz online

03/03/08 MI: 20 Grad-type missiles fired at Israel over course of Gaza op. By Mijal Grinberg, Haaretz Correspondent
A senior official in the Military Intelligence said Monday that militants in the Gaza Strip fired 20 Iranian-made Grad-type missiles at southern Israel over the course of the Israel Defense Forces offensive in recent days. He said that Israel Air Force planes had bombed the largest rocket-making factory in Gaza over the course of the operation, killing the rocket-maker and his family, who lived above the laboratory. He also said that the MI was concerned that Hezbollah was preparing to carry out terror attacks against Israeli targets abroad....more:Haaretz online

2007

 

10/23/07 British PM Gordon Brown says supports tougher Iran sanctions. By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent and News Agencies. LONDON - At a press conference with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday, British premier Gordon Brown said that Britain supports toughening santions on Iran, both through the United Nations Security Council and through a separate European Union channel, to discourage its nuclear amibitions. "We are absolutely clear that we are ready, and will push for, further sanctions against Iran," Brown said at the joint news conference the two leaders held after meeting. "We will work through the United Nations to achieve this. We are prepared also to have tougher European sanctions. We want to make it clear that we do not support the nuclear ambitions of that country," he continued. Olmert endorsed that message but said sanctions weren't enough. "Economic sanctions are effective. They have an important impact already, but they are not sufficient. So there should be more. Up to where? Up until Iran will stop its nuclear program." As the two leaders met in London, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana was to meet in Rome with Saeed Jalili, Iran's newly appointed chief negotiator on the nuclear issue, and his predecessor Ali Larijani. Brown sidestepped a question about when military action might be necessary. "I believe sanctions are working. I believe that we should step them up if it becomes necessary, and they will be shown to be working even more successfully. I believe the combination of our willingness to go through the UN process, which we will do, and our ability to take sanctions as a European Union, sends the strongest possible message to Iran," Brown said. "The pressure will be maintained. The pressure in fact will be stepped up," he said.... (Continued at Haaretz Online, 10/23/07)

10/19/07 Peres: World has proof that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons. By Barak Ravid , Haaretz Correspondent, and Reuters. President Shimon Peres said Thursday that world intelligence agencies have proof that Tehran is pursuing nuclear weapons. Peres issued a statement ahead of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's surprise visit to Russia saying, "Even if [Russian President Validimir] Putin says he is not convinced that Iran is conducting nuclear development for the purpose of war, everyone knows their true intentions, and many intelligence agencies throughout the world have proof that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons for the purpose of war and death." Putin, awaiting Olmert's arrival earlier Thursday, said that direct dialogue was a better way of easing the diplomatic crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions than the threat of military force or sanctions. Putin, speaking at an annual question-and-answer session, brushed aside a reported plot to assassinate him during his visit to Tehran earlier this week. "Direct dialogue with the leaders of states around which certain problems accumulate is always more productive and is the shortest path to success, rather than a policy of threats, sanctions, and all the more so resolution by using force," he said. Olmert's surprise trip came as Israel was preparing to launch a new diplomatic effort to lobby United Nations Security Council members for tougher sanctions on Iran. On Sunday, Olmert is to travel to Paris, where he will talk with President Nicolas Sarkozy about ways to halt the Iranian nuclear program. Olmert will continue to London on Tuesday and for talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Israel pushes to tighten sanctions on Iran. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Wednesday called for a new Security Council resolution aimed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. She is planning a lightning visit to China - which objects to expanding the sanctions against Iran - to explain Israel's position on the issue.....(continued at Source: Haaretz Online, 10/19/07)

10/15/07 Japan requests permission to participate in Annapolis summit. (By Lior Kodner, Haaretz Correspondent). TOKYO - Japan has recently requested Washington and Jerusalem to allow it to participate in the international peace conference in Annapolis, scheduled to take place next month, senior Japanese diplomats told Haaretz last week. Sources from the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said they were inclined to support Japan's request. Israeli-Japanese relations have seen a significant rapprochement in the past few years, after a long cold spell that stemmed from Japan's fear of an Arab oil embargo because of its relations with Israel. After the 1991 Madrid conference, relations between the two countries started to warm up. Japan is also one of the most generous donor states for the Palestinian Authority. Recently, former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Israel on the first day of the Second Lebanon War. Before that, Japan's foreign minister attempted to promote a regional industrial project for Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians. Japan was willing to put up $150 million to fund the venture. President Shimon Peres and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni have both recently visited Tokyo. Senior officials at the Japanese Foreign Ministry say the government is seeking to show more involvement in the Middle East. One possible incentive, according to these officials, is becoming a veto-wielding member at the United Nations Security Council. "For years, Japan has given money but no one remembered. The lesson is that giving money is not enough, we have to be seen," one senior official told Haaretz. "Stability in the Middle East is important to Japan's stability as well," another official said, acknowledging Japan's reliance on Middle Eastern oil. "During the oil crisis, Tokyo didn't have a choice," the official said. "We had to side with the Arabs because we realized that was the only way to ensure [our receiving] Arab oil. But things have changed since then, and we want to present a balanced approach." (Haaretz Online, 10/15/07)

10/10/07 Abbas lays out precise demand for Palestinian borders. (By The Associated Press). Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday laid out his most specific demands for the borders of a future independent state, calling for a full Israeli withdrawal from all territories captured in the 1967 Six-Day War. Abbas' claim comes as Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams are trying to hammer out a joint vision for a future peace deal in time for a U.S.-hosted conference next month. With Israel seeking to retain parts of the West Bank and east Jerusalem, Abbas' comments appeared to set the stage for tough negotiations, which are expected to include complicated arrangements such as land swaps and shared control over holy sites. In a television interview, Abbas said the Palestinians want to establish a state on 6,205 square kilometers of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It was the first time he has given a precise number for the amount of land he is seeking."We have 6,205 square kilometers in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," Abbas told Palestine TV. "We want it as it is." According to Palestinian negotiating documents obtained by The Associated Press, the Palestinian demands include all of the Gaza Strip, West Bank, east Jerusalem and small areas along the West Bank frontier that were considered no-man's land before the Six-Day War. Abbas said his claim is backed by United Nations resolutions. "This is our vision for the Palestinian independent state with full sovereignty on its borders, water and resources." ....(Continued at source: Haaretz Online, 10/10/07)

10/06/07 Ahmadinejad calls Israel 'insult to human dignity' on Al-Quds Day (By The Associated Press). Millions of Iranians attended nationwide rallies Friday in support of the Palestinians, while the country's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Israel's continued existence was an insult to human dignity."The creation, continued existence and unlimited (Western) support for this regime is an insult to human dignity," Ahmadinejad said. "The occupation of Palestine is not limited to one land. The Zionist issue is now a global issue." [...] The demonstrations for Al-Quds Day - Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem - also spilled over into anti-American protests because of U.S. support for Israel.In the capital Tehran, hundreds of thousands of people poured into the streets as they chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel". Some protesters also burned American and Israeli flags.[...] The Iranian president once again said Palestinians should not pay any price because Europeans committed crimes against Jews in World War II. He accused Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians and said the West should give a part of its own land in Europe or Alaska so that the Jews can establish their country....(Source: Haaretz-Online, 10-06-2007)

10/03/07 Mideast summit may be delayed to late November WASHINGTON - The Bush administration may delay its planned international peace conference until late November, so that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas will have more time to formulate a joint declaration. Olmert and Abbas will meet Wednesday at the prime minister's official residence in Jerusalem, and for the first time, their negotiating teams will also be present. The two leaders will first hold a private meeting and then brief the negotiating teams on the aims of the joint declaration. This will be the start of the official negotiating process, which to date had been held behind closed doors between Olmert and Abbas. There are significant gaps between the two sides' starting positions, and a particularly bitter dispute revolves around the essence and substance of the joint declaration they are expected to draft.... (Haaretz online, 10/03/2007)

09/30/07 Israel fears PA will harden stance ahead of summit. By Barak Ravid , Avi Issacharoff, Shlomo Shamir and Aluf Benn , Haaretz Correspondents and Agencies. Israel is concerned over a hardening of Palestinian positions ahead of the first meeting, to be held on Tuesday, of the Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams working on a joint statement before November's regional peace conference.
A senior government official close to the talks between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said "the real gaps between the parties will be revealed for the first time" at the meeting. Abbas and Olmert will meet at Olmert's Jerusalem residence, where the PA chairman and his team will be guests in Olmert's sukkah. Since the militant Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in June, Israel has been working to strengthen Abbas' more moderate Fatah faction, whose leadership is now confined to the West Bank. The regional conference, which the U.S. has announced will take place at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is one of the considerations preventing a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip, a senior security source said last week. "If there are five weeks left until the conference, would it be right to be in the midst of a large-scale operation in Gaza at that time? Is that what will bring the Saudis, or even Abbas?" the source said. The remark came in the context of Defense Minister Ehud Barak's recent statement that each day brings the decision on a large-scale operation closer. On Monday, Israel is to release 90 Palestinian prisoners as a gesture for the Muslim holiday Ramadan. The government official noted that no new gestures would be offered at Tuesday's meeting.....(Source: Haaretz Online, 09/30/07)

Hamas forces arrest influential Fatah member in Gaza Strip. By News Agencies. Hamas security forces arrested early Sunday an influential member of the rival Fatah group in the Gaza Strip, the forces and his family said.
Yehiyeh Rabah, a columnist in the Palestinian official daily Al-Hayat
Al-Jadida , was arrested at his home shortly after midnight, the Hamas forces and his family said. Rabah, who is in his 70s, was the Palestinian ambassador to Yemen for more than 20 years. Rabah had been interrogated by Hamas security two days ago and released. Rabah is suspected of accepting bribes from families to get their members recruited into the Fatah-allied Palestinian security forces, a Hamas official said on condition of anonymity since he was not authorized to talk to the press.
Meanwhile, dozens of Palestinians were wounded overnight in clashes between the rival groups in the southern gaza city of Khan Younis....(Source: Haaretz Online, 09/30/07)

09/28/2007: International Advisory Board for Academic Freedom at Bar Ilan University
http://www.biu. ac.il/academic_ freedom/

IAB Press Release, 28/9/07

UK Boycott of Israeli Academics Ruled Illegal

IAB is pleased to announce that the UK based University and College Union (UCU) has declared today, 28/9/07, that an academic boycott of Israel is illegal and cannot be implemented

After receiving legal advice that cleared that “a call to boycott Israeli institutions would run a serious risk of infringing discrimination legislation”… and “is also considered to be outside the aims and objects of the UCU”, the UCU's strategy and finance committee recommended unanimously today, to immediately inform branches and members that:

• A boycott call would be unlawful and cannot be implemented
• UCU members' opinions cannot be tested at local meetings
• The proposed regional tour cannot go ahead under current arrangements and is therefore suspended.

Ofir Frankel , Executive Director of the International Advisory Board for Academic Freedom (IAB), welcomed UCU's decision and said that “the UCU has realized at last that an academic boycott is not a legitimate means of political protest”.

The IAB believes, as Dr. Sari Nusseibah, President of Al-Quds University, stated at IAB's first conference, “that an international academic boycott of Israel, on pro-Palestinian grounds, is self- defeating as it would only succeed in weakening that strategically important bridge through which the state of war between Israelis and Palestinians could be ended, and Palestinian rights could there for be restored.”

“Although we congratulate this decision, we have much work ahead of us”, said Frankel. “We plan to significantly expand the scientific cooperation between the two countries; and between the UCU and their Israeli and Palestinian counterparts, in order to harness cooperation and engagement as academicians were always the vanguard of change and bringing about of peace.”

You may read the UCU statement “Israel boycott illegal and cannot be implemented UCU tells members”, 28 September 2007 at: http://www.ucu. org.uk/index. cfm?articleid= 2829

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09/24/2007 Iranian President stirs protests, counter-moves at Columbia

By Sandra Cariglio

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - Over the past week, the Columbia University campus has been living in a state of marked restlessness in preparation for Monday's highly controversial scheduled speaking appearance of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Last year, Columbia canceled a planned visit by Ahmadinejad, citing security challenges and logistical issues. This year, Columbia President Lee Bollinger turned aside demands that the event be cancelled again. He has promised to personally introduce Ahmadinejad's talk, beginning with a list of what he said would be tough questions focusing on such issues as Holocaust denial, a call for Israel to be "wiped off the map" and charges that Iran supports terrorism.

Although many students applaud Bollinger's initiative for an open debate, especially with a figure with whom they they so strongly disagree, voices of dissent have emerged in broad sectors of the student body. Columbia Sophomore Jordan Hirsh said he views the invitation of Ahmadinejad as a vast farce and "an unsophisticated way of bringing debate on campus, for a sheer controversy devoid of substance." Others fear that Columbia's having invited Ahmadinejad might act to further legitimize him in Iran and provide a platform for values they see as fanatical. Bollinger responded to this criticism by stating that "It should never be thought that merely to listen to ideas we deplore in any way implies our endorsement of those ideas." "It is a critical premise of freedom of speech that we do not honor the dishonorable when we open the public forum to their voices. To hold otherwise would make vigorous debate impossible." Many students criticize Bollinger's last minute announcement of the event. According to student leaders Josh Rosner, president of Columbia Hillel, and Jonathan Siegel, "For effective discourse and debate to occur, adequate preparation time is necessary - thoughtful questions must be thoroughly researched, counter-speakers must be arranged, protests and rallies must be organized. Four days is simply insufficient." The Columbia Coalition Forum protest against Ahmadinejad will begin on Monday at 11:30 A.M. local on Low Plaza on the Manhattan campus. The various members of the Coalition, which include Global Justice, CU democrats, EAAH CISA, ACLU, Hillel, Gender Youth, LionPac, Jester , GAYA Baha'I, Amnesty International, Progressive Jewish Alliance, CQA, and Hillel Culture, will be speaking in ten minute intervals. Meanwhile, counter-protesters have methodically covered over Hillel-placed posters depicting allegations of Iranian government brutality against homosexuals and women, juxtaposed against Ahmadinejad quotes such as "everyone who recognizes Israel will burn in the fury of Islam." ....(Continued at source: Haaretz.com, online edition, 9/24/2007)

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09/19/2007: Ministers declare Gaza 'hostile entity', vote to disrupt power, fuel

The security cabinet on Wednesday voted to declare the Gaza Strip an "hostile entity," approving among other things the disruption of power and fuel supplies to the Strip, as a response to the ongoing Qassam rocket fire at Israeli communities. The ministers decided, however, not to disrupt Gaza's water supply. Hamas said in response that Israel had effectively declared war on Gaza.

The security cabinet unanimously approved a number of sanctions to be imposed on the Gaza Strip should the rocket fire on southern Israel continue. The steps are designed to create "civilian levers" that will pressure Gaza's Hamas rulers to bring the rocket fire to a halt. A statement released by the Prime Minister's Office after the meeting said that Hamas bore responsibility for the "hostile activity" emanating from the territory where the Islamic movement had seized power in June. "Hamas is a terrorist organization that has taken control of the Gaza Strip and turned it into hostile territory," the statement said. "This organization engages in hostile activity against the State of Israel and its citizens and bears responsibility for this activity." (Source: Haaretz.com, online-editition, 09/19/2007

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UN General Assembly adopts resolution condemning Holocaust denial 01/27/07

Source: Haaretz Online-Edition, 01/27, By Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondent and Reuters

NEW YORK - The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution Friday condemning the denial of the Holocaust, with only Iran rejecting it as an attempt by the United States and Israel to exploit the atrocity for their political interests. The resolution, co-sponsored by 103 countries, was approved by consensus, without a vote. At the General Assembly, Iran stood by its stance that the Holocaust should be closely examined to determine its scope..... Read more at http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/818221.html

 

Source: Haaretz Online-edition, 01/27/07: Report: Iran almost ready to launch spy satellite into space

By Reuters

Iran has converted a 30-ton ballistic missile into a satellite launch vehicle that will soon be used to send a reconaissance satellite into space, a move that could have wide security implications, Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine reported on its Web site on Thursday. Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, spoke about the upcoming launch to religious students and clerics in Qom, the industry trade publication said. The launcher is a version of the Shahab-3 missile that has a range of 800 to 1,000 miles (1,285-1,600 kilometers), the magazine said, citing unidentified U.S. agencies. A missile of its kind could reach Saudi Arabia and as far west as Turkey, the report said. Read more at: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/818236.html

 

FORMER NEWS FROM ISRAEL: Suicide bomber kills three in attack on Eilat bakery (01/29/07)   By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Staff and Agencies   A suicide bomber killed at least three people Monday morning, when he blew himself up in a bakery in the southern resort city of Eilat. Authorities said that another person was wounded, but not seriously, in the attack at a shopping center in a residential neighborhood. This was the first ever suicide bombing in the city. "This was a suicide bombing and the bomber is one of the dead. He apparently entered with a bag or an explosives belt and blew himself up inside the shop," Eilat police told Army Radio. "Three people and the bomber were killed," confirmed police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. Police cordoned off the area, and Eilat police chief Bruno Stein said they believed there could be more bombers in the city. "Our assumption is that it's not one bomber, and there might be more bombers in Eilat right now," Stein said. The emergency services raised their alert level to the highest. Read more at: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/819015.html "Halutz assures General Staff of orderly transition to successor IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz announces his resignation 01/17/07 By Amos Harel and Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondents, Haaretz Service and Agencies Hours after announcing his resignation as Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, Lieutenant-General Dan Halutz on Wednesday morning told members of the General Staff that he would guarantee a smooth transfer of power to his successor. "I have no intention of taking my possessions and leaving in haste," he said. "I will carry out an orderly transition with my replacement." He said that the members of the General Staff should remember that they are also under scrutiny and that they must radiate stability...." (Source: Haaretz online, Wednesday, 01/17/2007 Read more at http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/814310.html

 

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For actual reasons and concerning the debate on sensibility for religious values, you can find here a (not yet published) letter to the editor by author Chava Gurion, sent to the daily newspaper Der Standard .

SPME Secretary and Board Member, Dr. Ruth Contreras of the University of Vienna and Vienna Natural History Museum wrote the following letter to the editor, published on December 19^th, 2005 in the Austrian Newspaper “Der Standard”, in response to a piece by John Bunzl entitle "Tactical Rhetoric." This was published in the Austrian Newspaper "Der Standard" which reaches more than 400 000 readers - the English translation is to be found here. You also can read Dr. Contreras' letter in German.

Another letter to "Der Standard", responding to the very same piece, was not published there, but put to our disposal by the author here, translated to English. Please also read this letter in German.

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2006