Olmert Resists Calls to Quit Over Bribery Probe

by Avida Landau (Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert faced a barrage of calls to resign on Friday after he admitted taking cash from an U.S. businessman at the center of a police investigation into suspected bribery.

But Olmert, whose departure could disrupt U.S.-sponsored peace negotiations with the Palestinians, continued with his duties after telling the nation in a late-night televised address on Thursday that he would resign only if the attorney general could produce sufficient evidence to indict.

Posted on: 05/09/08

Nakba Rally Ends with Riot

by Sharon Roffe-Ofir (Ynet)

While Israel was busy celebrating its 60 years of independence, Israeli Arabs chose to mark the 60th year of the Nakba in a mass rally attended by all Arab Knesset members, as well as public figures such as the Head of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Ra’ad Salah, and Shawki Khatib, Head of Higher Arab Monitoring Committee.

The march, traditionally marking the expulsion of Palestinian refugees from their land during the War of Independence, led protestors from Nazareth towards the deserted ruins of the village of Suffurriye—today’s Zippori.

Posted on: 05/09/08

FM Livni: Israel Ready to Make Sacrifices for Peace

by Haaretz

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Monday that Israel’s leadership must make difficult decisions during its negotiations with the Palestinians, adding that "Israel is prepared to make sacrifices to reach peace."

During celebrations marking Israel 60th anniversary at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, Livni said the state’s leadership need to "look in the eyes of Israelis and tell them that this is the right thing to do."

Posted on: 05/09/08

Court Orders State to Explain Why Citizenship Law Won

by Tomer Zarchin (Haaretz)

The High Court of Justice issued an order Tuesday requiring the state to explain within 60 days why it refuses to overturn the citizenship law, which prevents Palestinians married to Israeli Arabs from gaining Israeli citizenship. …

The state of Israel generally grants citizenship to spouses of Israelis in a gradual process. In the spirit of this process, a similar process was instituted for the naturalization of spouses of permanent residents … A 2002 temporary order excluded Palestinian spouses from these processes and barred them from becoming Israeli citizens. In May 2006, the High Court rejected numerous petitions asking to overturn the citizenship law. However, most of the justices wrote that the law constitutes a violation of basic rights, mainly the right to a family life.

Posted on: 05/09/08

A Realistic View of the Conflict

“The enemies of Israel divide into two main camps: the left and the Muslims, with the far right a minor third element. … In the final analysis, however, the Left serves less as a force in its own right than as an auxiliary for the primary anti-Zionist actor, which is the Muslim population. … Israel having survived countless threats to its existence over the past six decades, and it having done so with its honor intact, offers a reason for its population to celebrate. But the rejoicing cannot last long, for it’s right back to the barricades to defend against the next threat.”
–Daniel Pipes, National Post, May 6, 2008

VS.

“At the end of the decade, the traditional disagreements between left and right have lost much of their relevance, as a majority of Israelis support the end of occupation and the creation of a Palestinian state. … Unilateralism is largely discredited as an option. Our negotiating partner is our partner, however imperfect. Israelis may be less hopeful than they were, but they are more realistic in their demands. They know the limits of military power. What’s more, they know that time is running out. It may just be that sense of urgency that will make an agreement possible at the end of 2008.”
–MK Colette Avital (Labor), Jewish Daily Forward, May 1, 2008