Sent: Tuesday, November 01, 2011 4:50 PM
To: epearlag@earthlink.net
http://www.jewishfederations.org/page.aspx?id=50080
Jewish Life*
*European Poll: Israel Biggest Threat To World Peace*
[image: Simon Wiesenthal Center]
Results of a new poll commissioned by the European Commission show that
Israel is believed by Europeans in 15 countries to be the greatest threat to
world peace, greater than North Korea, Iran or Afghanistan.
While the European Commission will release the full results of the poll on
Monday, the International Herald Tribune reported that the 7,500 people
polled living in the European Union (500 in each of the 15 E.U. member
states) were presented with a list of 15 countries and asked if these
countries present a threat to world peace. Shockingly, Israel was rated
first.
This poll is an indication that Europeans have bought into the vilification
and demonization campaign directed against the State of Israel and her
supporters by European leaders and media.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is voicing its outrage directly to European
Commission President Romano Prodi and asks you to do the
same.<http://www.wiesenthal.com/social/press/pet1.cfm?petid=91&m=12159L15289
122s&src=xxxx>
"These shocking results, that Israel is the greatest threat to world peace,
bigger than North Korea, Iran and Afghanistan, defies logic and is a racist
flight of fancy that only shows that anti-Semitism is deeply embedded within
European society, more now than in any other period since the end of World
War II," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, the Center's dean and founder.
"If the results of this survey are as reported, then Israel should draw the
only conclusion possible: that the European Union and its members should
play no role in any future Middle East peace process," Hier concluded.
Center officials are scheduled to meet with Javier Solana, Secretary General
of the European Union, in November to discuss this and related issues.
-----
From: John Jones [mailto:john@13thfloor.net]
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2011 12:46 AM
To: PEACE
Subject: Israel 'punishes' Palestinians over UNESCO
Israel 'punishes' Palestinians over UNESCO
By Jean-Luc Renaudie:AFP 11/02/2011
JERUSALEM - Palestinian leaders reacted angrily after Israel said it would
build 2,000 settler homes and freeze the transfer of Palestinian tax funds
to punish them for joining UNESCO.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's inner cabinet decided on Tuesday
to speed up construction in east Jerusalem and in nearby settlements, a day
after UNESCO's general assembly voted Palestine in as a full member.
"These measures were agreed... as punishment after the vote at UNESCO," a
senior government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"We will build 2,000 housing units, including 1,650 homes in east Jerusalem
and the rest in the settlements of Maaleh Adumim and Efrat," he added,
referring to a sprawling settlement east of Jerusalem and another between
Bethlehem and the southern city of Hebron.
"It was also decided to temporarily freeze the transfer of funds to the
Palestinian Authority," he added.
Every month, Israel transfers to the Palestinian Authority tens of millions
of dollars in customs duties levied on goods destined for Palestinian
markets that transit through Israeli ports. The money constitutes a large
percentage of the Palestinian budget.
Israel often freezes the transfer of funds as a punitive measure in response
to diplomatic or political developments viewed as harmful.
A statement from Netanyahu's office said the decisions were taken during a
"first discussion" of the UNESCO issue. Further steps would be considered at
the next meeting of the so-called Forum of Eight senior ministers.
The Palestinians' presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina reacted angrily.
He called on the Middle East Quartet and the US administration to "put an
end to this recklessness" which he warned would have "negative consequences"
for the whole region.
"The Israeli decision to speed up settlement construction with the
construction of 2,000 new housing units is an Israeli decision to accelerate
the destruction of the peace process," he told AFP.
"And the freezing of funds is stealing money from the Palestinian people."
The Palestinian request for UNESCO membership was approved by the UN
cultural organisation's general assembly at a vote in Paris on Monday,
despite strong opposition from the United States and Israel.
The move was also likely to cost UNESCO its US funding, which makes up 22
percent of its budget, because US law requires Washington to cut funds to
any UN organisation that admits Palestine as a full member.
And Canada announced Tuesday that it would not contribute any extra money to
UNESCO to make up for any shortfall from the US cut.
"Canada is deeply disappointed by the decision taken by UNESCO," Foreign
Minister John Baird told reporters. "As a result of this decision, Canada
has decided to freeze all further voluntary contributions to UNESCO."
But Canada's regular annual $10 million contribution to UNESCO would not be
withdrawn, he added.
Israel is also reportedly considering withdrawing the special permits
granted to top Palestinian officials that allow them to move between the
West Bank and Israel with relative ease.
And servers providing Internet connections to Palestinians across the West
Bank and Gaza Strip lost all Internet access Tuesday after a cyber-attack.
Palestinian communications minister Mashur Abu Daqqa told AFP he suspected
Israeli involvement.
Netanyahu has denounced the UNESCO decision as yet another Palestinian
attempt to seek "a state without a deal".
"We won't sit around idly in the wake of these moves that harm Israel and
are a crude violation of the most elementary commitment the sides took upon
themselves in the peace process -- to solve the conflict between us through
negotiations only," he said on Monday.
Winning membership in UNESCO will allow the Palestinians, who previously
held observer status at the organisation, to apply to classify natural and
cultural sites as World Heritage Sites.
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