The Deadly Israeli House - by Daniel Greenfield

...UN Chief Ban Ki-moon has declared Israeli houses to be an "almost fatal blow" to the peace process. It is, of course, only an "almost fatal blow" because the peace process, like Dracula, cannot be killed. Israeli houses, fearsome as they may be with their balconies and poor heating in winter, are never quite enough to kill it. Like the monster of a horror movie, the peace process always comes back and no matter how many blows the Israeli house delivers to it, a year later there's a sequel where the Israeli house is being stalked by the peace process monster all over again.

Daniel Greenfield..
Sultan Knish..
05 October '16..

There are few weapons as deadly as the Israeli house. When its bricks and mortar are combined together, the house, whether it is one of those modest one story hilltop affairs or a five floor apartment building complete with hot and cold running water, becomes far more dangerous than anything green and glowing that comes out of the Iranian centrifuges.

Forget the cluster bomb and the mine, the poison gas shell and even tailored viruses. Iran can keep its nuclear bombs. They don't impress anyone in Europe or in Washington D.C. Who can even think about genocide in Africa in the presence of the fearsome weapon of terror that is an Israeli family of four moving into a new apartment.

Sudan may have built a small mountain of African corpses, but it can't expect to command the full and undivided attention of the world until it does something truly outrageous like building a house and filling it with Jews. Since the Sudanese Jews are as gone as the Jews of Egypt, Iraq, Syria and good old Afghanistan, the chances of Bashir the Butcher pulling off that trick are rather slim.

Due to the Muslim world's shortsightedness in driving out its Jews from Cairo, Aleppo and Baghdad to Jerusalem, the ultimate weapon in international affairs is entirely controlled by the Jewish State. The Jewish State's stockpile of Jews should worry the international community far more than its hypothetical stockpiles of nuclear weapons. No one besides Israel, and possibly Saudi Arabia, cares much about the Iranian bomb. But when Israel builds a house, then the international community tears its clothes, wails, threatens to recall its ambassadors and boycott Israeli peaches.

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Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work. 

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Is the State Department calling for the dismantling of one of Jerusalem’s Arab neighborhoods? by Stephen Flatow

...the State Department should stop applying a double standard when talking about home construction for Jews and Arabs in and around Jerusalem. State’s position is not just unfair; it’s an insult to the intelligence of every reasonable person.

Stephen M. Flatow..
JNS.org..
06 July '16..

The U.S. State Department has accused Israel of “undermining” peace by planning to build homes in areas in and around Jerusalem that happen to be beyond the pre-1967 armistice line. Washington considers those areas to be “illegal settlements” that ultimately need to be dismantled to make room for a Palestinian state.

Yet most of the new homes in question will be located in an all-Arab neighborhood, Beit Safafa.

So does that mean the State Department is calling for the dismantling of one of Jerusalem’s Arab neighborhoods? Or is Foggy Bottom simply caught in the web of its own illogical, double-standard rhetoric when it comes to Israel and the disputed territories?

This peculiar situation began on July 5, when State Department spokesman John Kirby denounced Israel’s latest housing construction plans. He expressed “deep concern” at Israel’s plans, warned that they were “counter-productive,” claimed that they “raise serious questions about Israel’s intentions,” and accused Israel of “a systematic process of land seizures, settlement expansions, and legalizations of outposts that is fundamentally undermining the prospects for a two-state solution.”

It’s troubling that State Department officials seem to use their harshest language when they comment on peaceful, legal home-building by Israel. State’s passionate tone was conspicuously absent just a few days earlier, when an American citizen (13 year-old Hallel Ariel) was brutally murdered in her bed by a Palestinian terrorist on July 1. Nor did the State Department seem outraged when three other American citizens (Chava Mark and her two children) were severely wounded in another Palestinian attack the following day.

But back to the Jerusalem construction issue.

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Stephen M. Flatow, an attorney in New Jersey, is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in a Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995.

Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work. 

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Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel: The unrepentant builder

...Housing Minister Uri Ariel is determined to continue building in West Bank despite international pressure and says economic incentives will help the Palestinians much more than construction freezes.

Gil Hoffman..
Frontlines/JPost..
02 October '14..

Going into Yom Kippur, if there is anyone in Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s cabinet that US President Barack Obama’s administration would like to apologize, it’s Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel.

The Obama administration arguably has taken a tougher stance on construction over the pre-1967 borders than any of its predecessors. Its condemnation of the advancement of a building project in Jerusalem’s Givat Hamatos neighborhood was especially fierce.

While some Israeli analysts would say it is Obama’s obsession with settlements and not Israel’s construction in them that has prevented the advancement of a diplomatic process with the Palestinians, there is no doubt that the American president sees Ariel and his policies as a diplomatic obstacle.

It is extremely doubtful that Ariel will be granted entrance to the White House any time soon – just like his namesake, Ariel Sharon, was once boycotted in Washington when he had Ariel’s job.

Washington’s assessment of that Ariel ended up being way off course in retrospect. Could the same be true of this Ariel? The No. 2 man in Bayit Yehudi and the head of the Tekuma party that is expected to merge into it will apparently never make a Sharon-like shift. But he does want to reach out to the Palestinians.

In an interview at his office in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah – which for Obama, is on the wrong side of the Green Line – Ariel explains what socioeconomic incentives can be given to the Palestinians which could help them much more than another construction freeze in Judea and Samaria, or linking building to releasing more Palestinian prisoners.

“We don’t have a partner on the other side,” Ariel says.

“The possibility of getting to a deal in the future does not exist any more than in the past or present. The prime minister knows [Bayit Yehudi’s] opinion, and I hope he won’t be pressured by [Yesh Atid leader] Yair Lapid and [Hatnua head] Tzipi Livni to do things that are wrong and unhelpful.”

Ariel says he hopes Operation Protective Edge persuaded Israelis how important it is for the IDF to control all of Judea and Samaria, so they will not become launching pads for missiles like Gaza and Lebanon.

But he clarifies that the regional diplomatic process Lapid was pushing for at the time of the interview and Netanyahu called for at the UN and in the White House this week would not be a casus belli that would cause Bayit Yehudi to quit the coalition.

“There could be dialogue for the sake of dialogue so there won’t be a disconnect, but it will not bring results,” he says. “Talking is not a reason for dismantling the government. The question is what those talks would bring.

A building freeze would be a reason for a crisis.”

Uri Ariel - New housing minister, new possibilities.

Nadav Shragai..
Israel Hayom..
22 March '13..

Uri Ariel, the new housing minister from Habayit Hayehudi, has been a constant fixture of the settlement movement in Judea and Samaria. He has two sayings that have stayed with him for many years. One is taken from the animal world: "We have stopped being part of the insect world and have joined the world of the predators."

This metaphor was coined when Ariel and his colleagues decided to move away from extra-parliamentary activity and go into politics and the Knesset. But when they moved from the opposition into the government, the saying was updated in an attempt to show that Ariel and his colleagues mean business. Once they had to crawl for the sake of the settlement movement in Judea and Samaria and play second fiddle to larger interests. They now intend to lead and shape reality as they see fit.

The second saying that has stayed with Ariel is more conventional: "The tribes of Israel gathered together" (Deuteronomy 33:5). Ariel often quotes this biblical verse when he is asked to explain his total commitment to sectors of the population that are not necessarily close to his heart. Ariel helped everyone, including the ultra-Orthodox. He has no intention of doing differently now that he has been appointed a minister.

His fellow travelers throughout Judea and Samaria think highly of him. People's expectations of him are high, perhaps even too high. Among the settlers, successes or failures will be measured according to his ability to narrow the gap between what they would like to see happen — massive construction in the settlements that turns the Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria into an irreversible reality — and what is likely to happen: a short political leash that, for the moment, will not allow much construction over the Green Line. The more Ariel narrows this gap, the higher the marks he will get from his associates. The more he is reconciled to the powers that be, the more disappointed they will be in him.

Ariel himself has already sketched a broad outline of his policy. He intends to build 40,000 housing units throughout the country (not including Judea and Samaria), mostly in Israel's north and south. He wants to connect the periphery to the center of the country with an improved network of public transportation to make the outlying areas more attractive. He also promises to lower housing prices — less so in areas that are more in demand, and more on the periphery — and believes that this will happen gradually, starting in 2014. He will try to open the cement market to free competition and also shorten the time period in which opposition to construction plans may be submitted.

Amb. Michael Oren makes the correct connection

Calev..
LOTL..
19 February '13..




On the recent 60 Minutes segment Will Israel's "Iron Dome" help bring peace? aired on February 17th, Bob Simons exercises what might be charitably described as a snarky approach in his interchange with Ehud Barak, attempting to create a self- imagined linkage between American Iron Dome support and Israel's continued housing construction in communities lacking his approval.

Bob Simon: While the Americans are helping you so much in your defense. Israel goes on building settlements, which is exactly what the Americans don't want. How does that work, when you're asking America for help and doing exactly what the Americans don't want you to do?

Ehud Barak: You know, Bob, I prefer not to answer this question right now. You know, we are in the height of the election period. I basically think that the relationship, especially between our intelligence communities and our defense establishment, is extreme-- are extremely close.

Bob Simon: You mean, between the Israelis and the Americans?

Ehud Barak: Yeah. Extremely close. And of course, we have certain differences.

Israel Plans J’lem Housing After UN Vote

Alana Goodman..
Commentary/Contentions..
30 November '12..

Peace Now is calling this a “deal breaker for the two-state solution,” which is a great joke after yesterday’s UN debacle. This is Israel’s reply to the Palestinian Authority’s resolution, and why not? You’d think shredding the 17-year-old Oslo framework might merit some sort of response.

The New York Times reports:

As the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to upgrade the Palestinians’ status Thursday night, Israel took steps toward building housing in a controversial area of East Jerusalem known as E1, where Jewish settlements have long been seen as the death knell for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A senior Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said on Friday that the decision was made late Thursday night to move forward on “preliminary zoning and planning preparations” for housing units in E1, which would connect the large settlement of Maale Adumim to Jerusalem and therefore make it impossible to connect the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem to Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem. Israel also authorized the construction of 3,000 housing units in other parts of East Jerusalem and the West Bank, the official said.

Whatever your thoughts on the settlements, this is hardly an eye-for-an-eye retribution. It’s not an explicit violation of any agreements by Israel. Compare that to the PA’s UN bid, which violates article XXXI, sec. 7 of the Oslo accords, which states “Neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip pending the outcome of the permanent status negotiations.” (It’s not as if the PA was unaware of that — a member of the Fatah Central Committee said earlier this month that the day after the vote, Oslo would be null and void).

IMRA - Living in a Gray World

Dr. Aaron Lerner..
IMRA Weekly Commentary..
07 June '12..




Events this week serve to illustrate the problem with trying to impose a “black-white” approach to a gray world.

A “black-white” approach would take Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s successful defeat of the proposed law (to compensate owners of property occupied by third parties for many years without a legal challenge rather than forcing the third parties to leave) this week as reason enough to walk away from the table.

A “gray” approach also takes into account that Mr. Netanyahu didn’t defeat the bill simply by threatening to fire any minister who dared to vote for it – he provided an ample list of actions to offset or compensate for the stopping the legislation.

This was important on two counts:

#1 There a genuine potential for a significant increase in ongoing Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria thanks to the moves (including transferring some critical decisions relating to construction from DM Barak to a ministerial committee).

#2 The offsetting actions serve to signal the world that despite his enormous ruling coalition, Mr. Netanyahu still is engaged in a very serious balancing act. This “weakness” is his “strength”, as it reduces the world’s expectations with regard to Israeli activities and concessions.

What now?

Letter to PM from 29 MKs to expedite paperwork for building permit process in Judea and Samaria

Dr.Aaron Lerner
IMRA
02 January '10

[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: The 10 month freeze on new housing construction in Judea and Samaria is specifically on construction activity and puts absolutely no restrictions on the handling of paperwork required to issue building permits. By the same token, there is absolutely no Israeli commitment - formal or otherwise - to halt the paperwork during this period.]

Letter to PM from 29 MKs re urgency of construction in Judea and Samaria --
Translation:(Provided by Susie Dym)

28 December, 2009

Mr. Prime Minister,

Re: Bolstering the Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria

We beg to approach you on the above matter as follows:

1. Our position supporting strengthening the Jewish community of Judea and Samaria is familiar to you

2. As you stated, the Government's intention is to renew building in Judea and Samaria as part of its commitment to the settlement enterprise. In light of this, and to enable construction to be renewed, design and local planning processes need to be completed, to allow building permits to be granted in accordance with your policy.

3. Under these circumstances, we ask that you instruct the relevant authorities to complete authorization of the local plans in the Judea and Samaria communities, to allow construction to be renewed there without planning delays. We would point out that many plans are stuck on the desks of the relevant authorities, and are not being signed for reasons unrelated to any planning consideration.

4. Attached please find a partial list of local plans of great important and urgency, which can be processed immediately.

5.We thank you in advance for your kind acquiescence to this request

Letter was signed by 29 MKs a couple of days ago and is now released for publication:

LIKUD: Haim Katz , Zion Pinian, Yariv Levin, Ofir Akunis, Miri Regev, Zeev
Elkin, Dany Danon, Ayoub Kara, Zipi Hotovely

YISRAEL BEYTENU - LIBERMAN'S PARTY: Motz, Anastasia, Lia ShemTov, Dudu
Rotem, Hamed Amar, Orly Levi-Abekasis, Faina Kirshenbaum, Alex Miller,

SHAS: David Azulay, Avraham Michaeli, Yizhak Vaknin, Haim Amsalem, Nissim Zeev,

NU: Ketzaleh, Aryeh Eldad, Uri Ariel, Michael Ben-Ary,

NATL HOME: Uri Orbach, Zevulun Orlev

UTJ: Uri Maklev

Signatories -- are from all 6 parties (Likud, Yisrael Beytenu, Shas and UTJ, Natl Home and Natl Union) -- other than Kadima, Labor, Meretz, and Arabs. 29
MKs means almost ALL coalition Knesset Members who do not hold ministerial
positions.
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