Israel Matters!

Israel Begins Peace Negotiations; Demands Palestinians Recognize Israel as Jewish StateIn remarks at the September relaunch of peace negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened bysaying, “I began with a Hebrew word for peace, “shalom.” Our goal is shalom. Our goal is to forge a secure and durablepeace between Israelis and Palestinians. We don’t seek a brief interlude between two wars. We don’t seek a temporaryrespite between outbursts of terror. We seek a peace that will end the conflict between us once and for all. Weseek a peace that will last for generations -- our generation, our children’s generation, and the next.” click Israel Matters! 40 to read the complete issue.

House Republicans Give Green Light for Israeli Strike on IranNearly one third of the Republican congressmen in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a resolution that would support Israel’s right to use “all means necessary to confront and eliminate nuclear threats posed by Iran”, including military force. The resolution was introduced by Rep. Louie Gohmert [RTexas] and 46 co-sponsors. click Israel Matters! 39 to read the complete issue.

Netanyahu: “The Truth is Slowly Spreading Around the World”According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he addressed his Cabinet, the truth about the flotilla clash was slowing sinking in to people’s minds around the world. As he was speaking, a leading Turkish newspaper published photos of brutal beatings of Israeli Naval commandos by Turkish terror activists.click Israel Matters! 38 to read the complete issue.

U.S., Israel: Syria Arming Hezbollah with MissilesU.S. and Israeli defense ministers recently accused Syria of arming Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas with increasingly powerful missiles, but Israel said it did not intend to provoke a conflict over the buildup. The comments by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Israel’s Ehud Barak stopped short of identifying what type of missiles were being supplied to Hezbollah, after reports that the group had obtained long-range Scud missiles capable of hitting targets across Israel.click Israel Matters! 37 to read the complete issue.

Pelosi: Congress Stands by IsraelIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a warmer public reception from Congress than from the Obama administration, with a top Democrat and Republican welcoming the leader who has refused to back down in a disagreement with the White House over Israeli housing expansion in a disputed part of Jerusalem. “We in Congress stand by Israel,” the leader of the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, assured Netanyahu at an all-smiles appearance before the cameras. “In Congress we speak with one voice on the subject of Israel.”click Israel Matters! 36 to read the complete issue.

Biden Urges Israel to Take Risks for PeaceThe U.S. will back those willing to “take risks for peace,” U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said during the highest-level visit to Israel by an Obama administration official. Biden said he was pleased that Israelis and Palestinians had agreed to resume indirect peace negotiations with U.S. mediation. His two-day visit to Israel seemed clearly aimed at assuaging Israeli concerns that President Obama has been less friendly to Israel than his predecessors, and Biden offered effusive praise.click Israel Matters! 35 to read the complete issue.

Berlusconi Vows Italy's Firm Support for Israel During his visit to Israel in February, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi pledged his country’s firm support for Israel, urging “effective sanctions” against its archfoe Iran and speaking out against a damning UN report on the Gaza war. In a speech before a special session of the Knesset, Berlusconi said Israel “is not only the biggest example of democracy and liberty in the Middle East, but the only example.” Moreover, that “the security of Israel ... is for us Italians an ethical and moral imperative.”click Israel Matters! 34 to read the complete issue.

IDF Military Delegation Cancels UK Trip for Fear of “Lawfare” Arrest An Israeli military delegation recently canceled an official visit to Britain, Israeli officials announced. The Israelis called off the trip because their British army hosts could not guarantee they would not be arrested, the officials said. Neither the Israeli military nor the British government would comment.click Israel Matters! 33 to read the complete issue.

Knesset Proposal: Peace Talks Must Include Jewish Refugee DemandsThe Knesset has passed an initial reading of a proposal stipulating that negotiations on Arab refugees must include demands for compensation of Jewish refugees from Arab countries. Hundreds of thousands of Jews from Arab countries made Aliyah [immigration] to Israel in its early years after being banished and forced to leave behind property andassets worth billions of dollars.click Israel Matters! 32 to read the complete issue.

House of Representatives Condemns “Biased” United Nations Report on Gaza Fighting The US House of Representatives has condemned the UN Goldstone report as unfairly accusing Israel of committing war crimes in its 22-day war against militants in Gaza. By a margin of 344-36, lawmakers approved a non-binding resolution that calls the report “irredeemably biased and unworthy of further consideration or legitimacy.” click Israel Matters! 31 to read the complete issue.