|
San
Diego Jewish World
That was above the $5 million which San Diego had sent to
the United Jewish Communities for the emergency campaign.
Working with UJC officials, he said, UJF was able to get a
commitment for $2 million of those funds to be used for
projects in the embattled partnership area in the northern
Negev alongside the Gaza Strip. |
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Bush-Olmert Press Conference Text Olmert proposes regular meetings with Abbas Editor's Note: The following is a transcript provided by the White House of a joint news conference by U.S. President George W. Bush and Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in which they discussed relations between Israel and the Palestinians, Israel and Syria, and Israel and Iran, among other topics. 9:51 A.M. EDT PRESIDENT BUSH: Mr. Prime Minister, thanks for coming. I've been looking forward to this visit. Last time we were together we had a long and serious discussion about what we can do together to keep the peace. This visit comes, obviously, during a period of great concern for the world about what's taking place in Gaza, and so it's a timely visit. I'm looking forward to our discussions about how we can promote a common vision, a vision that speaks to hopes and aspirations of the Palestinian people, and a vision that speaks to the security of Israel.
You also come at an important moment, because there is yet again another moment for the world to see the great challenges we face in the 21st century. We face extremists and radicals who use violence and murder as a tool to achieve objectives. And it's a chance, Mr. Prime Minister, for us to work on our bilateral relations, but also work on a common strategy to fight off those extremists, and to promote a alternative ideology, based upon human liberty and the human condition. And it's a great challenge. It's exciting to be in office during this period. It can be difficult for those of us who have been given the great honor of serving our country, but it's an exciting moment. And I'm looking forward to working with a strong leader, a man committed to the security and prosperity of his country, and at the same time, committed to try to work the conditions necessary for peace. And so I'm glad to welcome a friend back to the Oval Office, and proud you're back. PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: Thank you very much, President. I am honored and delighted, after half a year almost, to be again a guest of yours, Mr. President, in the White House, and to discuss with you some of the kind of issues. As you have said already, this is a very special time. Things happen lately very dramatically. I'm sure that many people in the world were astounded by the brutality and the cruelty and the viciousness of the Hamas murderers that killed so many Palestinians in such a way. We who live in the Middle East, some of us surprised, but not less outraged by these events. (Jump to Continuation)IDF provides humanitarian relief to Gazans JERUSALEM (Press Release) —Despite the volatile security situation in the Gaza Strip and in spite of the constant threat of attacks on the crossings (an example of which was seen yesterday), the IDF has made special efforts to provide a response to humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip. On June 19:
[Note: One Palestinian was killed and at least 10 others were wounded on Monday evening, 18 June, when a gunman attacked a group of Palestinian civilians near the Erez crossing.]
The IDF will continue to assist the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip to
the best of its ability, while taking into consideration the security
constraints.. Anti-Semitic letter writer gets 6 years for threats PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire (WJC)— A New Hampshire man who admitted sending anti-Semitic letters to city officials and clergy has been sentenced to more than six years behind bars. Elijah Wallace, 24, admitted in federal court to mailing eight threatening letters, in which he threatened to either kill or hurt the recipients. They included a pastor, the pastor's daughter and daughter-in-law, and a rabbi. He also threatened city officials in Seabrook, Portsmouth and Brentwood. After Wallace's sentencing on Thursday, June 14, U.S. Attorney Thomas Colantuono said such behavior simply cannot be tolerated. "The fear and trauma that was felt by the victims of this case -- which includes those directly threatened by the letters, members of their families and the Jewish community at large -- is cause for great concern," Colantuono said. In 2003 Wallace pleaded guilty to threatening the US president and was sentenced to three years in a federal medical prison. The foregoing story was provided by the World Jewish Congress
________________________________________ JERUSALEM—Conventional wisdom, widely heard from commentators and politicians in Israel and abroad, is that the government of Ehud Olmert failed greatly in last year's war in Lebanon; and that the government of Palestine (West Bank) headed by Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazan) is the great hope for creating a viable Palestinian state and making peace with Israel. There is something wrong with the conventional wisdom. On the one hand, the war waged by the IDF, under the direction of the Olmert government, did a great deal of damage to Lebanon at the cost of the fewest Israeli casualties of any war in the country's history. The IDF left Lebanon soon after the fighting, without bloodying itself by the occupation of a hostile population. Indications are that the Lebanese government learned a lesson, and for the first time has used its army to defend its country against hostile Palestinians, Lebanese, and others. Since the war the fighters of Hezbollah have done little more than fly their flag near the Israeli border. The international force that came to Lebanon is doing less than promised to keep the Hezbollah from rearming, but Hezbollah has not flexed its muscles, and it has not done all that much to repair the repair the damage suffered by its supporters. It is always too early to talk about preventing the next war, but so far it seems that Israel came out on top in the last war. On the other hand, the regime led by Mahmoud Abbas folded in less than a week of serious fighting in Gaza, despite considerable aid from outside. When he had a monopoly of power, before the electoral success of Hamas, Abbas' 30,000 security personnel in Gaza did nothing to stop the 200 or so Palestinians who fired their homemade rockets from a small area into Israel. Abbas speaks in behalf of peace, but he also recites the litany of Palestinian demands--including the right of refugees to return home--that are the kiss of death for any prospect of an agreement with Israel. The political operators who surround him are known less for building a decent society than for opulent dwellings and otherwise taking care of themselves with the financial aid received from overseas. There is pressure on Israeli authorities, from inside and outside the country, to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, especially for the hundred or so refugees holed up at one of the Gaza-Israeli border crossings. Their women know how to wail for the media. The children look miserable. Most of the men are the failed fighters of Fatah, now afraid of retribution from Hamas. At least some of them had used their weapons against Israel. They do present a sad picture demanding a response from someone. So far Israel has refused to let them pass to the West Bank, partly out of a concern with their background, and partly to avoid triggering a mass flight to Israel from Gaza. Israel offered to transfer this group to Egypt, but the Egyptians refused to accept them. Egypt can also honor its agreement to stop the flow of arms from the Sinai into Gaza, and to keep Sudanese refugees from crossing the Sinai and entering Israel. Those wanting us to accept the refugees with open arms claim that they come from Dafur, but that is seldom true. There are a lot of Africans who would like to live in Israel. Those who worry about the future see the 50 or so who arrive daily as the beginning of yet another strategic threat on the horizon. Uncertainty remains the theme, but the weather is good and the planes are still flying. Visitors welcome.
The music of a community When I first came to Israel my uncle, who was a fairly prominent physician, took me to a concert. I was amazed to see him greeting many friends and acquaintances in the audience. Having been to concerts in England and never having bumped into anyone I knew, I found this a somewhat startling experience. I put it down to his elevated position and didn’t give it another thought. But these days, when I go to a concert in Jerusalem, where I have now been living for almost forty years, it is quite unusual not to encounter many familiar faces and to be able to exchange a few words with acquaintances in the interval. The origins of the familiar faces are almost as widely distributed as the population of this country. At one concert series I often bump into a woman who was at school with me in England and is engraved in my memory as the senior who was in charge of Jewish prayers. She sits in the same row as a more recent acquaintance, whom I met at a French language course. I got a shock when I realised that the two women knew one another. Of course, anyone who has lived and worked in Jerusalem for some time is bound to encounter former neighbours and colleagues as well as current friends at cultural events. After bumping into one another at concerts in previous years some of us now meet for a light meal before the concert, or go back to one another’s houses for a nightcap afterwards. Of course, London has much more to offer culturally, but there is a lot to be said for living in a town that provides a more intimate atmosphere in which to enjoy its cultural offerings. The foregoing article was reprinted from the AJR Journal (Association of Jewish Refugees) in England.
U.S. should drop idea of independent Palestine Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs offers advice to Bush, Olmert By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, DC (JINSA)—Mr. President, in the interest of the Palestinian people, please withdraw formal American support for an independent Palestinian state. There are people in the region who have staked everything on you and still look to you for moral clarity. Israel and Jordan are the friends of American interests that the Palestinians never wanted to be, and they need your help to undo the damage the notion of an independent Palestine has done. On 24 June 2002, you offered a creative blueprint for Palestinian nationalism. It was, at least the way you said it, fairly safe for the Israelis and Jordanians who would be most directly affected by it. Yours was an "if-when-then" plan. IF Palestinian leaders created civic space, transparent institutions and consensual government, and "WHEN the Palestinian people have new leaders, new institutions and new security arrangements," THEN the U.S. "will support the creation of a Palestinian state..." You promised, "A Palestinian state will never be created by terror." But you made the unwarranted assumption that Palestinian leaders wanted to create a government in service of their people (which exists exactly where in the Arab world?) and further would be satisfied with rump state next to a strong and prosperous Israel. You were wrong. But instead of calling it off, you - with active Israeli government acquiescence - kept lowering the bar for them. You ignored rampant corruption and offered money and American military training to the corrupt forces of the corrupt Abu Mazen - he should never have been "your guy." To the extent that he was, you were wrong about that too. You ignored Jew-hatred in Palestinian institutions. You knew perfectly well that elections are the last stage of democratic evolution - Natan Sharansky told you so - but you pushed for early elections that included not only corrupt secularist terrorists, but Iranian-sponsored religious terrorists as well. There was no reform, no transparency, and no peace because the Palestinians never wanted peace or clean government—they wanted Palestine in their image, not yours. They got it. The bar can't get any lower. The Palestinians failed to meet a single requirement for American diplomatic, security and financial support. Understand it and move on. Gaza is gone but the West Bank remains crucial. Please don't pretend Salam Fayyad can hold Palestine together. Funding and rearming the remnants of Abu Mazen's army only ensures that they lose that battle as well, and it is further punishment of the Palestinian people to condemn them to more Fatah incompetence and brutality. (Jump to continuation)
*U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the minority opinion in a 7-2 decision dealing with an effort by a British Columbia power company to change the venue of a case brought against it from a California state court to a federal court. The majority, including Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, said once the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided the matter should stay in state courts, that should have ended the matter, without further appeal. However Breyer said the company, Powerex Corp., is an agent of the British Columbia government and therefore jurisdiction over the dispute over energy prices deserved to be heard in federal court. The Associated Press story is in today's Los Angeles Times. *Sara Caplan, former defense attorney for murder defendant Phil Spector, was found in contempt of court by Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler because she refused to answer questions about possible tampering of evidence by a forensic investigator. She said to do so would violate attorney-client privilege. Fidler delayed jailing Caplan pending appeal. The Copley News Service story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. *U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Democrat, Illinois) has recommended that instead of the current "debates" among large groups of presidential candidates seeking their respective party's nomination, one-on-one face offs between a Republican and a Democrat be arranged. David Ignatius of the Washington Post writes about the idea in a column in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. *Cartoonist Steve Breen of the San Diego Union-Tribune pictures Israel surrounded by two Palestinian states—that of tumult and that of instability. Here is a link to the cartoon. *Expressing confidence that San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders did nothing wrong in his dealings with Aaron Feldman, owner of the controversial Sunroad Enterprises building at Montgomery Field, the San Diego Union-Tribune in an editorial urged Sanders to nevertheless lay out his response to City Attorney Michael Aguirre's charge that those dealings were corrupt. *Harvey Levine recently was named to the California's Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame—not bad for a fellow who used to break into a sweat at even the idea of public speaking. The story by Craig D. Rose is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. *General Robert Magnus, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, says people under his command need to be able to set aside their "macho" outlooks on life, and feel comfortable seeking treatment for battle stress. The Copley News Service story by Paul M. Krawzak is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. *Although both built an ark and saved animals, Steve Carrell's character in Evan Almighty is no Noah. For one thing, Evan Almighty is intended for family audiences, and anyone who has read Genesis 9:20-25 know how tough that would be to get past the movie raters. A preview of the film by David Germain of the Associated Press is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. *Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says more than $500 million in frozen tax revenues of the Palestinian Authority will be turned over to the government of Mahmoud Abbas, now that Hamas is no longer part of it. This was included in a Washington Post story by Glenn Kessler in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. *Today was the 54th anniversary of the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg following their conviction for conspiring to pass on atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. The anniversary as marked in an Associated Press feature in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. *U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (Democrat, California) says numerous emails sent by presidential advisor Karl Rove on a back-channel White House email account are missing, and that his committee will continue to press to find them. The MCT News Service story by Ron Hutcheson is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. *Expressing skepticism that money allocated by the Board of Supervisors always is used by the Sheriff's Department for the intended purpose, Supervisors Zev Yaraslovsky and Gloria Molina nevertheless voted to increase that department's budget by $7.2 million to reduce inmate overcrowding. The story by Jack Leonard and Susannah Rosenblatt is in today's Los Angeles Times. (Return to top)
Bush-Olmert News Conference
And I gladly share with you, Mr. President, the vision that, even under such circumstances, what we ought to do is to try and find opportunities for the future that align this situation. And I'm absolutely determined that there is an opportunity. And like you, I want to strengthen the moderates, and cooperate with President Abu Mazen, who is President of all Palestinians; is the only person who was widely elected in a democratic manner by all of the Palestinian people. And I am going to make every possible effort to cooperate with him and to move forward to see how to -- can work jointly in order to provide the Palestinians with a real, genuine chance for a state of their own, fulfilling your vision, Mr. President, which I share, of a two-state solution, and at the same time, making sure that there is security for the people of Israel, and the people of Israel deserve security both in the south and in the north and in the east side of our country. I'm sure that we will find some time, also, to discuss other measures, such as the danger of Iran and the threats that come from the President of Iran, who talks time and again about the liquidation of the state of Israel, something that is totally intolerable and unacceptable. And we have to continue the measures taken in order to stop the Iranian efforts to establish unconventional weapons. And again, I thank you for your friendship and for the power that you manifest and your dedication to the principles that you believe in. And I am proud to follow the same route to fight for the principles and to carry on. Thank you. PRESIDENT BUSH: We'll answer a couple of questions, starting with Jennifer. Q Thank you, sir. Will you try to persuade, during the session with the Prime Minister, to reenter peace talks with Mr. Abbas? And to the Prime Minister, what do you think of the offer, and do you think it's possible to have peace with just half the Palestinian people? PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: I didn't hear the first part of the question. PRESIDENT BUSH: Will I try to persuade you to enter talks. First of all, we share a common vision of two states living side-by-side in peace. And the reason why at least I think that's important -- one, I think it's important for the moderate people, the ordinary Palestinians to have something to be for. I also think it's in Israel's interest to have a state. It's a demographic pressure that ultimately is going to make it very difficult for Israel to maintain its Jewishness as a state. So there's a practical reason, as well as a moral reason for there to be discussions about a way forward to achieve a two-state solution. And the Prime Minister has said that he wants -- you can ask him if he's going to talk to Abbas. I'm not going to put words in his mouth. But what I'm trying to say, Jennifer, is that we share a common way forward. And our hope is, is that others in the region understand that this way forward leads to peace. People other than President Abbas and the Palestinians -- we would hope that the Arab world supports such a concept. Inherent in that is Israel's right to exist. There needs to be solid recognition of this state's right to live in peace. At the same time, we want to have a vision for the Palestinians to see that there's a better tomorrow for them. These folks have been denied for a long period of time the right to a normal life, starting with leadership that failed them. And our hope is that President Abbas and that Prime Minister Fayyad, who is a good fellow, will be strengthened to the point where they can lead the Palestinians in a different direction, with a different hope. The Prime Minister has spoken to me, and I have spoken to him about our desire to help suffering Palestinians. Nobody likes suffering on their border, nobody likes to see suffering in the world. So we'll talk about that. We'll also talk about the broader war against extremists and radicals. It's interesting that extremists attack democracies around the Middle East, whether it be the Iraq democracy, the Lebanese democracy, or a potential Palestinian democracy. And what that should say clearly to people all around the world is that we are involved with an ideological conflict that is a monumental conflict. And those of us that believe in liberty and human rights and human decency need to be bound together in common cause to fight off these extremists, and to defeat them. You can only defeat them so much militarily. We have to also defeat them with a better idea. It's a better idea that's being practiced by our friend, Israel. It's called democracy. And that's the fundamental challenge facing this century: Will we have the courage and the resolve necessary to help democracy defeat this ideology. And I will tell the Prime Minister, once again, I'm deeply committed to this cause, whether it be in Iraq, or Lebanon, or the Palestinian Territory, or anywhere else in the Middle East, and around the world. Q Will you enter into talks with Mr. Abbas? PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: Well, naturally, I think at this particular point, I'm sure the President will not have hard work to convince me, because I proposed to meet with President Abbas -- in fact, I initiated the idea that we will meet on a regular basis, bi-weekly, to discuss the matters. And I proposed that I even come to Jericho, something that no Prime Minister before me did. The President was having serious difficulties, some of which we have witnessed lately. And that's perhaps the reason why he had to cancel some of the meetings. But there's no question that I want to talk to the President of the Palestinian community, Mr. Abbas. I will be talking to him. The teams of both sides meet regularly every week and discuss on the matters. And the idea that I have is to talk with him of the current issues that can help upgrade the quality of life of the people and provide them better security in the West Bank, and to share with him the efforts to calm the terror -- this is something that he is absolutely committed to doing, we have to do it, and this is not something that the Palestinians can escape. They will help fight terror in a most effective way -- something that they haven't done, unfortunately, up until now. But this is something that I am sure he understands is a prerequisite for any major development in the future. Of course, we also have to talk about a groundwork that needs to be done in order to allow us rapidly to talk about the creation of a Palestinian state. This is the main vision of my friend, President Bush. This is the vision that we share. This is the ultimate goal, to create the Palestinian state. We have to prepare the groundwork that will allow -- soon, I hope -- to be able to start serious negotiations about the creation of a Palestinian state. In order to achieve peace, we have to fight terror, we have to increase security, we have to upgrade the quality of life for the Palestinians. And, of course, the Palestinians have to establish a much more credible and serious administration that will be able to take care of daily needs in an appropriate manner. (Jump to continuation)________________________________________________ The Jewish Grapevine 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Aleph-Bet in the Magen David Hillel Mazansky forwarded these images to us of the Hebrew alphabet superimposed upon the Magen David. He in turn received it from Elias Leisorek. Our thanks to those gentlemen as well as to the people up the e-chain who have sent this around, but most especially to the unknown illustrator. 
 ------------------------------- ALCOHOL—The San Diego County Health Department sent out a press release that began: "On March 30, 2000, a 15 year-old was drinking beer and vodka in a vacant lot. He then tried to cross the trolley tracks walking between two cars. He never made it across. On April 1, 2007, a 19 year-old college student and track athlete was drinking heavily with his friends. He passed out. He never woke up. Just two weeks ago, four high school students were on a graduation trip. They were drinking and driving. They crashed. They will never get to graduate. This week, the County Medical Examiner confirmed the cause of death of the 19 year-old female who died early last month. The SDSU student died of acute cocaine and alcohol intoxication.The circumstances behind these deaths were all different but they had two things in common: The victims were under 21 and had been drinking before they died. They were not old enough to legally drink, yet they were able to get alcohol." Sometimes, we in the Jewish community like to delude ourselves that alcoholism does not affect us, that it is a problem for others. Don't believe it: the SDSU student who died was a member of our Jewish community. BASEBALL JEWS—Stories, charts and box scores in today's San Diego Union-Tribune are the sources for these accounts of the Jews in baseball: Baseball commissioner Bud Selig reportedly has given Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees a deadline of Thursday to meet with former U.S. Senator George Mitchell concerning the question of steroid use...Kevin Youkilis struck out twice, walked once, and singled as his Boston Red Sox were defeated 9-4 by the Atlanta Braves. His batting average now stands at .331, good for ninth place on the list of the National League's leading hitters... Shawn Green's single and double were just two of the 15 hits the New York Mets compiled in a 8-1 rout of the Minnesota Twins. Green is currently batting .297. ...  LICENSE
PLATES—Melanie Rubin found another one for our Jewish
license plate
collection, although we are not sure whether the owner was thinking in
French or in Yiddish as tante is the word for aunt in both languages.
We'll say this: the owner who received an automobile has a very nice niece or
nephew, that's for sure. IN MEMORY—Robert George Bernath, 57, of Ramona, died June 14, leaving his wife Betty, daughter Amber, three sisters, and a brother. A short obituary is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. POLITICAL SCENE—Bernie Rhinerson and Michael Rosen are among members of the Jewish community who are supporting Carl DeMaio's bid for the 5th District seat on the San Diego City Council. DeMaio formally launches his campaign with a fundraiser Thursday, June 28, at the Town and Country Hotel. (Return to top) 
Tales of two ceremonial occasions, hours apart SAN DIEGO—When Robert Fulghum wrote All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten back in 1986, I had no idea that the concept not only applied to basic forms of good behavior like saying you're sorry, or washing your hands at the appropriate times, but also would prove to be true in the matter of public ceremonials as well.Only a few hours before I attended the annual meeting of the United Jewish Federation, described above, I proudly watched my grandson Shor Masori become a graduate of kindergarten at the Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School.  GRADUATES—Rabbi Simcha Weiser, headmaster of Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School, prepares to read names of kindergarten graduates. Others from left are pupils Shor Masori, Rachel Plascencia, and Gedalya Rosenberg, and faculty members Judith Halpern, Alysa Segal (turned from camera) and Bracha Stone. Principal Harriet Herman called us to order and the children recited the Pledge of Allegiance. I always marvel that 5- and 6-year-olds can pronounce words like "indivisible." Next they led us in singing The Star Spangled Banner—their high voices much better able to negotiate the phrases "and the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air" than those of us well past puberty. They followed with the singing of Ha Tikvah, Israel's national anthem, with equal ease. At the UJF, Chairman Kenneth D. Polin called us to order, and Hillel Rabbi Lisa Goldstein led us in the singing of The Star Spangled Banner and Ha Tikvah. It is not just grandfatherly pride that prompts me to report that the children sounded much better as a choir than the adults did at the UJF meeting at the Lawrence Family JCC. It's also my desire to report to you the truth. During the kindergarten graduation, the Soille headmaster Rabbi Simcha Weiser, pointed out to the children that their fellow students come from different language backgrounds. Some spoke English as a first language, others Spanish, others Hebrew and still others Russian, yet all were friends. The reason, he suggested, was because all of them were studying Torah together. Then he proceeded to read their names and have them come up for their certificates—the action symbolizing their actual graduation During the UJF annual meeting, Rabbi Philip Graubart, as reported above, quoted from Torah to explain to UJF's new officers and board members that an essential ingredient of leadership was believing in one's mission. Of course there were differences in the substance of the two meetings—one dealt with far weightier problems than the other—but so much of the symbolism was the same. At the school, the teachers received flowers from the students, and the students took home a gift bag, including a small book, from the school. The incoming and outgoing UJF officers and directors similarly were given a take-home gift: a coffee table book about the Negev. The kindergartners have no idea how much about our world they already have learned!
Itai, who had studied at Sapir College, said the rocket attacks from Gaza forced a new way of life upon the residents of Sderot and surrounding areas. "For the last seven years we were accustomed to wake up every morning at a quarter to six because we know at six in the morning, the siren will probably go on and we will have to run to a shelter," he said. "For the last seven years, we are driving with the windows open so that we can hear the sirens. For the last seven years we take our shoes with us to the shower in order not to slip when we have to run for the shelter...." He brought lumps to the throats of some attendees when he told them about the impact of the funds raised in the Israel Emergency Campaign: "You have no idea of how good you have done. You were able to take children out of the area for a while to refresh themselves to come back energized. You were able to give scholarships for students. You were able to sent all the gear necessary for shelters. Let me and my community thank you from the bottom of our hearts." In other business, Rabbi Philip Graubart of Congregation Beth El installed the new board members and officers of the United Jewish Federation. Before doing so, he related the well-known story of Moses being forbidden to go to the Promised Land because he struck a stone with a stick, rather than calling forth water from it. He said sages have asked what it was that Moses did that was so wrong that he merited such a punishment. After rejecting alternative explanations, they decided that he was punished because he stopped believing, and in doing so, he stopped being a leader. Belief in the rightness of your mission is a prerequisite of leadership, Graubart told the officers and board members, before symbolically installing those who were present in the Garfield Theatre of the Lawrence Family JCC, JACOBS Family campus. The offices were identified in the program as follows: Kenneth D. Polin, chairman (a new title, as during his last term he was called president); Dr. Steven D. Solomon, immediate past president; Andrea Oster, chair elect; Terri Bignell, vice president and Women's Division president; Brian Miller, vice president-planning and allocations; Gary Kornfeld, vice president-financial resource development; Robert Fink, vice president-annual campaign; Marty Klitzner, treasurer-secretary; Theresa Dupuis, Women's Division Campaign Chair; Michael Flaster, Jewish Community Relations Council Chair; Jessica Effress, Young Adult Division Co-Chair; Sheila Potiker, Jewish Community Foundation Chair, and Michael S. Rassler, Chief Executive Officer. To these were added the following directors-at-large: Betty Byrnes, Richard Effress, Claire Ellman, David Geffen, Ron Marcus, Tammy Moch, Brian Tauber, Jan Tuttleman and Caryn Viterbi.
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Q Thank you. (Speaking Hebrew.) And, Mr. President, the Prime Minister -- PRESIDENT BUSH: What did you just ask him? Q I asked him what -- PRESIDENT BUSH: -- that's unfair. (Laughter.) Q I asked him what he will do with the refugees
coming from Gaza? Will you deliver to the murderers guns, or will they be taken
to a refuge in the West Bank? And I would like to ask you, the Prime Minister
of Israel calls for negotiation with no precondition with Syria; so does
President Assad of Syria, and he asks for U.S. mediation. Will you do it? PRESIDENT BUSH: They can handle their own
negotiations with Syria. If the Prime Minister wants to negotiate with Syria, he
doesn't need me to mediate. Q Do you think it's a good idea? PRESIDENT BUSH: It's up to the Prime Minister. I
haven't had a chance to talk to him about that. I don't know if you're putting
words in his mouth, or not. But I'm looking forward to having a discussion about
Iran and Syria and the neighborhood. But this man is plenty capable of
conducting his own negotiations without mediation. PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: I will answer your
question, right? We have been very, very attentive to the needs of the --
humanitarian needs of Gaza and we will continue to provide everything that is
necessary in order to meet these humanitarian needs. Israel will not be
indifferent to the human suffering in Gaza. Israel will be different from the
Palestinians, themselves, because the reality is that all this suffering is
caused by Palestinians against their own people. What the Hamas was doing in
Gaza is absolutely atrocious and intolerable. And I'm sure that many who had
some hopes that maybe Hamas can be more reasonable and more restrained I think
lost these hopes because of what they have been doing to their own people --
killing innocent civilians, pulling out from hospital beds Fatah people that
were wounded and dropped them off fifth story building to kill them in the
street, and terrible other things. We will not be indifferent. We already are taking
care of many of the Palestinians in Gaza during the last few days, and we will
continue to deal with it as it comes. Of course, they are not interested in
staying in Israel, they want to be amongst Palestinians, and they will be
treated in this manner. Q So you will let them go? PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: So as I said, we will
check every single case and we'll see how we can help them and I'm sure that we
will help them. As for Syria, I'm afraid that you may have not
have understood correctly what the Syrian leader said. The Syrian leader said
that he is against any preconditions from the Israeli side, but he's certainly
for preconditions from the Syrian side. One of the preconditions is that he
wants President Bush to work more than he does already in regional issues and to
be the mediator. And the President said correctly, this is not the -- I think --
the job for the President of the United States. He's got many other things to
do. And I don't think, if someone wants to speak directly, he needs the
involvement of America in order to allow these negotiations to take place. I am not certain that the understanding of the
President of Syria can lay the foundations for immediate discussions between
Syria and Israel. PRESIDENT BUSH: Matt. Q Mr. President, with Hamas's takeover of Gaza,
aren't you effectively accepting a split between the two main Palestinian
territories? And how big of a blow is this to your vision of achieving agreement
before the end of your term for a Palestinian state and Israel living
side-by-side in peace? PRESIDENT BUSH: First of all, we recognize the
President of all the Palestinian people, and that's President Abu Mazen. He was
elected; he's the President. Secondly, we recognize that it was Hamas that
attacked the unity government. They made a choice of violence. It was their
decision that has caused there to be this current situation in the Middle East,
about which we'll be spending some time discussing. Matt, what you're seeing now in this part of the
21st century is going to be played out over time. This is an ideological
struggle. We're looking at the difference between a group of people that want to
represent the Palestinians who believe in peace, that want a better way for
their people, that believe in democracy -- they need help to build the
institutions necessary for democracy to flourish, and they need help to build
security forces so that they can end up enforcing what most of the people want,
which is to live in peace -- and that's versus a group of radicals and
extremists who are willing to use violence, unspeakable violence sometimes, to
achieve a political objective. And the challenge is, for those of us who believe
there's a -- democracy can help yield the peace is to continue to move forward.
And that's what we'll be discussing about today, how to do so. The Prime
Minister said he's willing to have discussions with the forces of moderation in
the Palestinian Territory, laying the groundwork for serious discussions. That's
-- that is a statement that shows that the Prime Minister is willing to move
with a -- to promote an alternative vision. You know, the world is going to be confronted
with these choices: Are you willing to accept the fact that extremism is around
and is willing to promote violence, or should we resist that? Should we not
combine forces and efforts to promote alternatives to this vision? That's
precisely what we're doing in Iraq. We strongly believe it's in the world's
interest to support this young democracy. Al Qaeda, the people that killed
nearly 3,000 of our people here in the United States, are conducting major car
bombs and acts of unspeakable violence in Iraq, trying to drive us out, because
they want to impose their vision on the Iraqi people. And so, Mr. Prime Minister, I'm committed to
helping the Iraqis succeed with a democracy. It's in the interest of the Middle
East that this democracy succeed, as an alternative, because if we were to fail,
then all of a sudden, these extremists would have safe haven. Extremists in the
Middle East would be emboldened by the failure of those of us who live nice,
comfortable existences not help those who are struggling for freedom. So it's the great challenge of our time, Matt.
And there will be forward movement and there will be setbacks. The fundamental
question facing those of us who have offices, is do we have the determination
and the will and the vision to present an alternative to these people, and I
believe we do. And I believe that's the calling of our time. And so that's why I'm excited to be talking about
it with a man who shares the vision that there is a better way than to
accommodate and accept extremism and radicalism. Q Mr. President, question. Regarding the ongoing
attempts by Iran to acquire nuclear capability of atom bomb, would you -- are
you willing to say at this time that a military action against Iran is no longer
an option in light of the situation? PRESIDENT BUSH: I will tell you this, that my
position hasn't changed, and that is all options are on the table. I would hope
that we could solve this diplomatically. And that's why the United States --
first of all, we take the threat very seriously. And I fully understand the
concerns of any Israeli when they hear the voice of the man in Iran saying, on
the one hand, we want to acquire the technologies and know-how to build a --
enrich uranium, which could then be converted into a nuclear weapon, and on the
other hand, we want to destroy Israel. Look, if I were an Israeli citizen I
would view that as a serious threat to my security. And as a strong ally of
Israel, I view that as a serious threat to its security -- not only the security
of Israel, but the security of the Middle East. That's why we are constantly working to remind
our European friends, as well as Russia and other members of the U.N., we have
an obligation to see if we can't work together to solve this issue
diplomatically. That means to provide consequences to the Iranian government if
they continue to pursue a nuclear weapon, such as financial sanctions, or
economic sanctions. We want there to be a choice. We want people to see there's
-- in isolation there's got a consequence to it, that there's a price that's
paid for this kind of intransigence and these threatening tones. And it's difficult work to keep the nations bound
together to help deal with this issue diplomatically, but we have done a pretty
good job so far. Now, whether or not they abandon their nuclear weapons program,
we'll see. But at least we got unanimity so far, speaking -- at the U.N.
Security Council -- speaking pretty clearly that there will be consequences. And
there are being consequences, economic consequences beginning to affect the
economy. Look, the Iranian people don't need to live under
this kind of conditions. These are proud people with a great tradition. Their
government can do better for them. And threatening the world has caused there to
be isolation. And these good folks could have leadership that enables them to
have a better economy and a better way of life, an economy and a way of life
that enriches their families, that gives them a better chance to succeed. But,
no, this group of people have made a different alternative, and now our job is
to make sure that we continue to keep the pressure on. Listen, thank you all very much. END 10:19 A.M. EDT
Q Okay. Abbas has 60 days to either hold
a new election or do something else. What does the United States hope
that he will do? MR. SNOW: Well, we're certainly not going to
advise the Prime Minister in terms of how he would proceed. What's next is we
continue to speak with Prime Minister Abbas and -- President Abbas -- I'm sorry,
Prime Minister Olmert -- on the way forward, because this is a government that
we want to support. We want to support their democratic aspirations and their
working with the Israeli government. As the President noted before the session today,
as I told you yesterday, he was sharing with the Prime Minister some of
President Abbas's thoughts about reinvigorating the political process and trying
to work again toward what everybody should want, which is a two-state solution
that preserves the rights and the freedoms of the Palestinians. Second question. Q How do you respond to critics who say that the
United States should have done a lot more for Abbas a lot sooner? And do you
think the administration feels any responsibility at all for the split,
Palestinian split? MR. SNOW: I think what you really need to be
thinking about is the President of the United States did not bind people's hands
behind their back and throw them from rooftops. The President of the United
States did not mascarade around with masks pulled over the face and slay people
who disagreed with Hamas. It's important to realize the terrorists
represent a force of radicalism and extremism that continually tries to bring
down democracies. And the President certainly has made note of that. What we
have tried to do constantly is to provide real support for those who have
democratic aspirations and are moving in the direction of democracy. And we will
continue to do that. The one thing that is clear in conversations both
with the Prime Minister of Israel and also with the President of the Palestinian
Authority is that they understand not only the dedication and commitment of this
President, but also the importance of bringing in people throughout the region.
It is not as if the United States is the hegemon. What we are trying to do both
in Iraq and also within the Middle East is to figure out ways to empower those
who are pursuing democracy. And we certainly have come to their aid when we can
and when is necessary. You saw very swift action in terms of supporting
President Abbas in just the last couple of days. The Secretary of State laid
that out yesterday. Q Some people are saying that the administration
could have done more, earlier. MR. SNOW: I can't -- "more, earlier," what does
that mean? I cannot respond to a vague criticism that sounds like backseat
driving. I think what you really want at this point is to realize that the
President has maintained a real commitment -- the first President in American
history to say that we should have a Palestinian state; a President who has
worked aggressively on the diplomatic fronts to try to bring in people
throughout the region not only to exert influence on those who are trying to
destabilize, but also to create a larger partnership, so that it does become
possible for the Israelis and the Palestinians to live peacefully, side-by-side.
This is an administration that has been constantly involved in this activity.
Q The policy of isolating and cutting off Hamas
has seemed to make it stronger in the past. Is there an indication now that it's
going to work differently this time? MR. SNOW: I can't imagine that killing people in
the streets is going to be a big vote getter. The fact is that what people now
have seen is that Hamas remains a terrorist organization. It had run on an
anti-corruption campaign and it had made promises of bringing to people food and
medical attention and social services, precisely the things that are being
deprived because of this act of terror. We've seen that in the case of Hamas,
Palestinians turning against fellow Palestinians. And what the United States has
always said is that Hamas is a terrorist group, and that it is important to
realize that you do have -- the only person who is elected by all the
Palestinians is the President, President Abbas. We have been dealing with him,
and we will continue to deal with him, and we'll continue to deal with his new
Prime Minister as they work through the very difficult issues not only of
continuing to try to build greater strength and prosperity and democracy within
the West Bank, but also to provide relief to those in Gaza. Q We heard from the President and the Prime
Minister before their meeting and their lunch meeting. Can you give us any other
readout about how the meeting went, or specifics of it? MR. SNOW: I can't give you a lot of specifics. I
did talk to the President afterward. I was in the lunch, and I spoke to him
afterward. The President and the Prime Minister met privately for nearly an hour
and a half, with nobody else in the room. After that, there was a brief interval
where the National Security Advisor and the chief NSC -- Elliot Abrams were in
the room with him, and their Israeli counterparts, but that was just a couple of
minutes. And then afterward there was a general discussion
at lunch about many of the issues that the President outlined. He told me,
again, what you had was a -- first you had a conversation about an ideological
conflict, forces of radicalism and extremism trying to destabilize democracies,
and how important it is to find the best way of supporting those democracies.
They talked about Lebanon, they talked about Syria, they talked about Iran, they
talked about Gaza, they talked about regional relations, and they also talked
about a host of bilateral issues that are subjects of normal conversation. Q On Hamas again, and back to Bret's point -- if
you've got a population isolated there, isn't that a recipe to make extremism
grow? How do you counter that? I mean, they certainly viewed Fatah as corrupt --
some of the Hamas people did. So you throw out this corruption, and what's
happening there right now, but if you isolate them, it could make them more
extreme. MR. SNOW: Well, I don't think you isolate them
when you devote -- when you dedicate $40 million to humanitarian aid. Again, I
think -- Martha, also you have to ask yourself, here in Gaza -- and you have
seen people who pretend to be "liberators and governors" slaughtering people in
the streets -- it's probably going to change your view of them. The real point
here is that there is an effort on our part, and there are parallel efforts with
our allies, to provide humanitarian aid and to try to deal with this crisis. Q Okay, but look at Iraq. People are slaughtering
people in Iraq, and it's only getting worse and worse. And why in Hamas, if
they're looking at -- I don't see how you can't be concerned that that is going
to be -- MR. SNOW: Of course, we're concerned about
radicalism, and that's why we're doing what we can to stanch it. When you talk
about Iraq, just today, you have seen yet other evidence that we continue to
have -- as General Petraeus was pointing out the other day, we now have some
data points pulling together -- and we've discussed this before -- where, in
fact, the blanket statement "it's getting worse" doesn't quite fit. It's not
getting worse in Baghdad neighborhoods, where, in fact, locals are cooperating.
It's certainly not getting worse in Anbar. Now you are seeing focused activities
elsewhere, including areas outside of Baghdad and Diyala, going directly after
al Qaeda. One of the reasons why there is more precision
and effectiveness in this particular case is that the Iraqi people themselves
are beginning to provide evidence at levels that they haven't done before. So
the point here is that, again, what you try to do -- Q They've been doing that for years, and for year
after year, people say they're providing more, they're providing more. But
Diyala is an example. I mean, it's a mess right now, and you have to do these
large-scale operations because it has gone downhill, because people from Baghdad
have moved up there. MR. SNOW: Well, in some cases, also you've had a
number of apprehensions and you've taken out bad guys. Martha, they're
terrorists. We understand that. They're not simply going to lay down arms
easily. But simply to say a problem is difficult is not the same as arguing that
it should not be confronted. Similarly with Hamas, we are dedicated and
devoted to the cause of Palestinian democracy and defending the human rights of
people who are being deprived their rights right now. It is a difficult chore,
but you simply do not embrace a kind of neologism. Instead what you do is you
demonstrate steadfastness by supporting those who are allies in the fight. >> Q Prime Minister Olmert said that he would do everything possible to cooperate with President Abbas. Specifically, the only concrete action he seems to be taking is releasing Palestinian tax revenues that have been frozen. Did the President press him for any further concrete steps, such as releasing Palestinian prisoners, dismantling Jewish settlements, or removing roadblocks? MR. SNOW: They've had discussions, and I will let Prime Minister Olmert make whatever -- the fact is that, again, a free-flowing conversation. The President does not go in and press. I think that's a -- for one thing, if you're a head of state, you treat a fellow head of state, especially a colleague, with respect. You don't issue orders. What the -- and the President and Prime Minister Olmert have a very good and very candid relationship, and it's one where they're very relaxed about being candid with one another. So I can assure you -- Q Did he ask him to take -- MR. SNOW: No, I'm not going to tell you. But the point is that they are looking for ways to strengthen the government of Prime Minister Abbas, and to be supportive of him and to look for ways forward. And they discussed a whole host of different ways in which that might be accomplished. Q What did they discuss specifically that the Israelis could do -- MR. SNOW: I'm not going to do that. That's for the government -- the government of Israel may make whatever announcements about its specific intentions. Helen. Q Did the President ask Olmert to release the 11,000 Palestinian prisoners and the one-third of the legislature -- all lawmakers who are in prison? MR. SNOW: Again, I am not going to tell you what the President may or may not -- Q You're interested in humanity and democracy. Why don't you make a plea for some of these people? MR. SNOW: We'll also plea for the end of slaughter in Gaza. Can we agree on that? Q I say that you haven't opened your mouth about people being kidnapped and taken prisoner in Israel. MR. SNOW: There are conversations ongoing. Q I'm wondering, when Hamas won the initial legislative victories, they were viewed with some degree of surprise here. And the explanations given were that the garbage is being picked up now and essential services are being provided for the first time. Is there a view inside the White House that perhaps what this does is vindicate an administration position, and that perhaps the initial positive was a fundamental misread and wishful thinking on the parts of others? MR. SNOW: A couple of things. First, I'm not sure that there was that much surprise about the Hamas parliamentary victories, the winning. That was an election that was close all along, according to the polls. I don't think you ever look upon the slaughter of innocents as vindication in any way, shape, or form. It is a sad confirmation of the way in which terrorists operate. Q The degree to which those Palestinians are isolated now by Hamas, what is the administration's confidence that aid can actually get to them, and that they -- if they are so terrorized and afraid, will be able to respond in a way that would be unhelpful to Hamas? MR. SNOW: Well, unfortunately, I can't pose as an expert on how you get the money through NGOs. But I do know that we're very serious about working through international organizations to get aid to them. It's been done before; we're presuming it can be done. I will -- we'll try to do some inquiries. I honestly don't know precisely how you would do that. It is obviously an immensely important practical question, and it's one that our people do -- are thinking about very seriously -- and also the international organizations, because, again, you're working through the United Nations and others to try to make sure -- they have long experience in dealing with this in areas that are quite often amid the ravages of war. And we're counting on them to make sure that the aid gets to innocents and not to those who are victimizing them. Q Tony, President Abbas has called for fresh peace talks. Today the President and the Prime Minister referred to Abbas repeatedly as the only representative of the Palestinians, the real representative of the Palestinian people. Is there any point to peace talks so long as he effectively controls, or is the government of half the Palestinian people? MR. SNOW: Well, I'm not -- what you're doing is you're -- the point is, yes, there is a point of talking to the person who has been elected. There is also a point of trying to restore a semblance of democracy throughout the Palestinian areas. This is not a time to try to write off Gaza. It is important, once again, to make sure that the rights of those in Gaza are honored. Q I guess I'm specifically asking about peace negotiations with Israel, with the goal of the President's two-state solution. If Hamas effectively controls Gaza, is the two-state solution effectively shelved? MR. SNOW: No. We are going to continue -- look, I think what you -- there are a whole series of things that have to happen before you get to the two-state solution. Among them is making sure that you have acceptance of the Quartet principles; it is that you have a way of addressing those who are trying to destabilize -- those whose ideology of destroying democracy has certainly reared itself in Gaza. But on the other hand, you continue to work with those who are committed to it, understanding that you do not want the status quo to remain in effect in Gaza, but you want to create conditions in which democracy can survive there. Q Could that two-state solution involve a state that's just comprised of the West Bank? MR. SNOW: There's no conversation about that. Q Tony, we're seeing some stories about the rather dire circumstances of people trying to leave Gaza. Does the administration believe Israel should allow this to happen more freely?
MR. SNOW: Again, that's a
question for the Israelis to answer. Q Can I just clarify, going back to Hamas, basically, the administration view is that Hamas essentially forfeited any right, democratic right to govern or lead by engaging in this violent takeover -- MR. SNOW: Do you call that "governing"? Q I'm asking you. MR. SNOW: I mean, when people are being slaughtered that's not governing, that is, in fact, an assault on their rights. What we have always done is we have dealt with the sovereign head of government, which we tend to do, and we continue to deal with the elected head of government, President Abbas. Q These violent tactics, though, you're saying -- MR. SNOW: "Violent tactics"? It's murder. Q -- the Palestinian people, you're saying, are just now seeing the true face of Hamas? Is that your contention?
MR. SNOW: I don't know about that. I think that
there's -- look, there has been -- Hamas had an opportunity to step up. We
issued -- we made it clear the conditions under which we would deal with them,
which were the Quartet conditions, and, furthermore, encouraged Hamas to enter
the democratic mainstream and to work peaceably. And that hasn't happened,
unfortunately. Please use the visit of Prime Minister Olmert to discuss how to save the West Bank - because Hamastan there threatens not only Israel, but your friends in Jordan as well. The King of Jordan has done everything you could have asked of a small, poor country wedged between Iraq and the West Bank. Israeli and Jordanian security forces have worked in concert to protect both countries. Make it official.
The last, best hope for West Bank Palestinians now is some form of confederation
of territory, people and security forces between Israel and Jordan. Talk to
Prime Minister Olmert about that. * * Mr. Prime Minister, the pattern of non-state actors filling vacuums left in weak states has created havoc for Israel and for the United States. Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and Gaza created terrorist entities on your borders, and chaos in Iraq has allowed Iranian and al-Qaeda-supported forces to undermine the elected government's ability to provide services and security to the people. You and President Bush must foreclose that possibility on the West Bank even as you deal with the consequences in other theaters. This is the crisis and it should sidetrack any discussion of Syria. Surely neither of you believes Abu Mazen and Salam Fayyed can manage security control of the West Bank, even if you continue to funnel arms and money to them. It only ensures that Hamas will move the fight to a new venue. Hamas wants it all and has already been enriched by 50,000 rifles and pistols, plus ammunition and thousands of mortars and rocket propelled grenades captured from Fatah in Gaza, according to The Jerusalem Post. Surely neither of you thinks the future stability of the region will be improved if you talk about political horizons and peace processes. The West Bank has not descended (yet?) into the chaos of Gaza in part because Israeli security services have remained fully engaged and in part because there are still family, business and other connections to Jordan. Jordan and Israel have an equal interest in controlling the land and the people - even though Jordan is reluctant to admit it. But if the King can't say it, you can, and the President might listen to you if you make the case plain: The U.S. and Israel should agree to formal withdrawal from the failed Oslo Accords with their unsustainable promise of a one-day independent Palestinian State. What is left is Israeli and Jordanian control of the assets, the territory and the people with the promise of the restoration of security, and the civil and human rights subverted and denied under the PA. Smart Palestinians should look upon it as a lifeline. Mr. Olmert - you wisely decided not to have the IDF involved in the Hamas-Fatah civil war in Gaza. Israel was gone and couldn't come back. You are, however, in the West Bank. You have to ensure that everyone believes Israel will stay there to defend the interests of the Israeli public, and to work with Jordan - your security partner - to defend the interests of the King as well. People who blame us for everything are already blaming Israel and the U.S. for the war in Gaza. "If only Israel had ... If only the U.S. hadn't ... ," they say. Whatever. It isn't our fault that the Palestinians threw away the generosity of the world on a combination of venality and international Islamic fervor. Knowing what we know today, to allow Hamas to conquer the West Bank because we couldn't admit our failures and act on our admission, future disaster will indeed be our fault. No comfort there. There is a lot to do, but planning for new political conversation with Syria while Gaza burns and the West Bank trembles would be a mistake of enormous proportions.
The foregoing commentary was provided by the Jewish Institute for National
Security Affairs. |
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