Dems complain to Israel about Netanyahu visit to Congress

Top House Democrats huddled with Israeli officials on Wednesday to push back against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coming speech before Congress.
A group of prominent Jewish Democrats met with Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer in the office of Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) Wednesday morning, while Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein met separately with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) a few hours later.

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The Democrats are up in arms over Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) decision to invite Netanyahu to speak before a rare joint session of Congress on March 3. The lawmakers are angry that Boehner extended the invitation without first consulting President Obama or other Democratic leaders, and because Netanyahu’s address falls just a few weeks before a contentious national election in his own country.The Israeli prime minister has been critical of Obama’s push to delay new sanctions on Iran, while the administration continues multilateral diplomacy efforts to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program — a topic Netanyahu is expected to focus on during his scheduled address.
With that in mind, a number of liberal Democrats are weighing the possibility of boycotting the speech to protest both Boehner’s invitation and Netanyahu’s acceptance of it amid those sensitive negotiations.
Rep. Israel said the purpose of the meeting with Dermer was “to defuse some of the optics over the prime minister’s speech to Congress and find ways to get back to the substance of the issue, rather than the style.”
“The timing of this and the Speaker’s decision not to consult with the president is distracting us from the important substance of the negotiations,” Israel said. “We need to be focusing on these negotiations.”
Also attending the meeting with Dermer were Democratic Reps. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), Sandy Levin (Mich.), Jan Schakowsky (Ill.), Ted Deutch (Fla.), and Nita Lowey (N.Y.).
Pelosi’s meeting with Edelstein was attended by several other top Democrats, including Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.), James Clyburn (S.C.), Eliot Engel (N.Y.) and Adam Schiff (Calif.).
Edelstein’s meeting with top Democrats came just a few hours after the Knesset Speaker huddled with Boehner and Hoyer to discuss the same issues.
Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said afterward that the minority leader “emphasized … the value all members place on the U.S.-Israel relationship in a non-partisan way.”
But Pelosi also “expressed her concern that casting a political apple of discord into the relationship is not the best way forward given the formidable challenges our two countries are facing together,” Hammill said.
The controversy was putting Jewish Democrats in a tough spot.
Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) said he was still “torn” over whether to attend the speech or boycott, saying the conundrum has put lawmakers “in a very difficult position.”
“I always respect the right of a president of a nation to come before us, but I think the time is totally inappropriate, just before the Israeli election. …” Lowenthal said in an interview. “It’s a deliberate attempt to try to influence the Israeli election and done right after the State of the Union address in which the president said foreign policy is getting better, and Mr. Boehner wants to demonstrate that things are not getting better.”
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the first Muslim elected to Congress and the co-chairman of the Progressive Caucus, said he also hadn’t made up his mind. But he minced no words criticizing Boehner for sidestepping Obama in extending the invitation.
“I just think it’s the wrong thing. We shouldn’t be interfering in a foreign election, which we’re doing,” Ellison told reporters Wednesday. “And we certainly shouldn’t be inviting a foreign leader of Canada, Palau, Peru or Israel to rebut our president on a foreign policy matter.”
“Article 2 of the Constitution says the president is the one who conducts foreign policy,” he said. “I think the Speaker overstepped his bounds.”

Victoire pour Israël

Le responsable de l’enquête diligentée par l’ONU pour enquêter sur les crimes de guerre présumés durant l’offensive militaire israélienne à Gaza a présenté sa démission “à effet immédiat”.
L’universitaire canadien William Schabas a été nommé en Août dernier par le chef du Conseil des Droits de l’homme des Nations Unies à la tête d’un groupe de trois membres.  Il avait, à plusieurs reprises, exprimé des positions très tranchées à propos d’Israël. Il avait par exemple, estimé que le plus grand danger pour Israël était …Binyamin Netanyahou.
Mais ce qui a précipité sa démission, c’est une nouvelle révélation sur sa connivence avec l’Autorité palestinienne. En 2012, il avait été payé 1300 dollars pour avoir rédigé un conseil juridique pour le Fatah en tant que consultant de l’Organisation de libération de la Palestine.
Son impartialité étant difficile à démontrer dans cette affaire, Schabbas  a fini par quitter le navire. « Afin de ne pas gêner la rédaction du rapport d’enquête, j’ai décidé d’annoncer ma démission immédiate » a-t-il annoncé sans autre sorte de commentaire.
Le rapport auquel Schabbas a évidemment beaucoup contribué, sera publié au mois de mars prochain. Dans ce contexte, il sera bien compliqué de lui accorder la moindre crédibilité. Israël a d’ores et déjà annoncé qu’elle ne prêterait aucun intérêt aux conclusions des enquêteurs « membres d’un tribunal fantoche » : « Cela fait des années que le Conseil des Droits de l’homme de l’ONU s’est transformé en un Conseil des Droits des terroristes dont les pseudo-investigations sont déterminées par avance”, avait averti Yigal Palmor, porte-parole du ministère des Affaires étrangères à Jérusalem.
Réactions en Israël
Le Premier ministre a réagi  à la démission de William Schabbas. « Après sa démission, il faut enterrer ce rapport rédigé à l’initiative du Conseil des droits de l’Homme, un organisme anti-israélien qui a démontré qu’il n’avait aucun rapport réel avec les droits de l’Homme. Ce sont les organisations terroristes et les régimes qui s’en réclament qu’il faut juger », a estimé Binyamin Netanyahou.
Le ministre des Affaires étrangères Avigdor Lieberman a déclaré à son tour, que la démission de William Schabbas ne changera pas les conclusions du rapport de la Commission d’enquête de l’ONU , “qui sont orientées à l’avance et déterminées par un organisme dont le seul but est de porter des coups à Israël.” Cependant, Lieberman a noté qu’il s’agit d’un succès pour la diplomatie israélienne “car la démission de Schabbas prouve que même les plus grands hypocrites dans la plupart des institutions internationales ne peuvent pas ignorer le fait que sa désignation équivalait à la nomination de Caïn pour enquêter sur la mort d’Abel.

Netanyahu critique les Casques bleus

Le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu a vivement critiqué l’action des casques bleus de l’ONU déployés dans le sud du Liban, a indiqué dans la nuit de dimanche à lundi le bureau du Premier ministre.
Lors d’un entretien téléphonique avec le secrétaire général de l’ONU Ban Ki-moon, le dirigeant israélien a fustigé l’absence de condamnation de la communauté internationale sur l’implication de l’Iran dans l’attaque mercredi qui a coûté la vie à deux soldats israéliens.
D’autre part, selon le Premier ministre, la Finul, chargée de surveiller la frontière israélo-libanaise, n’applique pas la résolution 1701 du Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU, adoptée à la suite de la guerre menée par Israël contre le Hezbollah libanais en 2006, en ne rendant pas compte du « trafic d’armes dans le sud du Liban » dans leurs rapports.
Le groupe terroriste chiite libanaise Hezbollah, allié de Téhéran, a lancé son attaque de mercredi en réaction à un raid dans le Golan syrien le 18 janvier, attribué à Israël. Lors de cette opération, six membres du Hezbollah, ainsi qu’un général des Gardiens de la révolution iraniens avaient été tués.

Obama is Treating Israel like An Enemy- this Can’t End Well

Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) did something this past week that was likely a purposeful attempt at “tweaking” the White House and making some in the Obama administration a little upset. (It worked.) Without consulting the White House (or any Democrats), he chose to invite the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to come and speak before a joint session of Congress. Netanyahu gladly accepted (even knowing that their could be backlash since the White House was left out of the loop) saying “As prime minister of Israel, I am obligated to make every effort in order to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear weapons that would be aimed at the State of Israel. This effort is worldwide and I will go anywhere I am invited in order to enunciate the State of Israel’s position and in order to defend its future and its existence.”
But bigger than the idea that Boehner somehow broke protocol by not consulting President Obama first is the odd way that the White House has handled the controversy. Instead of simply saying ‘Boehner broke protocol – but of course, we’ll meet with Netanyahu who is our friend and ally,’ they threw a hissy fit and said they couldn’t meet with him while he was here!
It’s a strange way to treat a friend as close to us as Israel, no? I’m not the only one who thinks so – Charles Krauthammer at Fox News said that, “Obama is treating Israel the way you would treat either a child or an enemy.“
Yikes! Those should be fighting words… except that everyone seems to agree.

Portugal okays law of return for Sephardic Jews

The Portuguese government on Thursday approved modifications to a law that regulates nationality rights to the descendants of Sephardic Jews who were expelled from the Iberian nation five centuries ago, local media reported.

"I would not say that it is a historical reparation, because I believe that in this regard there is no possibility of repairing what has been done. I would say that it is the granting of a right," Portuguese RPT news quoted Justice Minister Paula Teixeira da Cruz as saying at the conclusion of a cabinet meeting.

Portugal’s law on naturalizing descendants of Sephardic Jews was passed by parliament in 2013.

“We expect the law to be effective by mid-February or the beginning of March 2015,” said the president of Lisbon’s Jewish community Oulman Carp.

According to the legislation, “the government will give nationality … to Sephardic Jews of Portuguese ancestry who belong to a tradition of a Portuguese-descended Sephardic community, based on objective prerequisites proving a connection to Portugal through names, language and ancestry.”

Oulman Carp said it also will apply to non-Jewish descendants of Sephardim, Oulman Carp said.

Existing legislation on the naturalization of Sephardim has not been applied because it still does not contain regulations for bureaucrats, which may be published along with the final letter of the law.

The authors described the legislation as an act of atonement for the expulsion of Portuguese Jewry in 1536 during the Portuguese Inquisition. Similar legislation is underway in Spain, where it awaits a final vote in Congress. Hundreds of thousands of Jews fled Iberia from 1492 on because of Church-led persecution.

In both countries, legislators and government officials said Jewish communities would be consulted and perhaps made partially in charge of screening applicants. The Jewish community of Lisbon, where the vast majority of Portugal’s 800 Jews live, has rejected applications because the final letter of the law has not yet been published, Oulman Carp said.

Netanyahu and Iran

Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments come amid a public spat with the Obama administration over how to counter Iran and a contentious invitation from House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner for the Israeli prime minister to address the U.S. Congress. The Obama administration has said the invitation is a breach of diplomatic protocol and has warned against issuing new sanctions at this time.
The scheduled speech would also come just weeks before March elections in Israel and has sparked outrage from Netanyahu’s domestic opponents.
Netanyahu made the comments Sunday. He also said it was his duty to do everything possible to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

German judge convicts man for shouting ‘Death to Zionists’ at march

A judge in Essen ruled on Friday that an anti-Israel activist incited hatred against Jews because of his calls to kill Zionists.

“‘Zionist’ in the language of anti-Semites is a code for Jew,” Judge Gauri Sastry said in a groundbreaking legal decision.

German Turk Taylan Can, 24, yelled “death and hate to Zionists” at an anti-Israel rally in Essen in July.

The daily Die Welt first reported on the decision. According to the paper, a video showed Can screaming for Zionists to be killed and stoked the crowd to follow his outbursts. Germany has strict antihate incitement laws.

The Left Party organized a rally against Israel in July and an “anti-Semitic mob” marched through the downtown area of Essen, the newspaper wrote. After the protest, anti-Israel demonstrators attacked pro-Israel supporters in the main train station. Salutes to Hitler and cries of “shitty Jews” were seen and heard. The explosion of hate resulted in 49 criminal complaints, 45 of which the Essen authorities dismissed in December.

The authorities pursued criminal action against Can. According to German media reports, he played a key role in many anti-Israel demonstrations over the summer.

The Jerusalem Post was not able to reach a court spokesman on Saturday familiar with the decision.

Nathan Gelbart, a managing partner at the international law firm FPS, told the Post on Saturday that the Essen court “has delivered a very brave judgment, though legally contestable. The judge has applied sociological and political arguments which are evident: those who say Zionists mean Jews as an ethnic entity.”

Gelbart added, “Due to German criminal procedure law the court must acquit the defendant in a case even where the slightest doubt of his guilt exists. We will have to see whether the defendant will appeal the verdict and how the magistrate’s court will confirm that there is only one interpretation of the wording ‘Zionist’ in connection with hate speech against Israel.”

In a police decision that prompted controversy at an anti-Israel rally in Hagen, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Can was allowed to use a police megaphone to chant, “Child killer Israel.” The police defended lending the megaphone to Can as a means to deescalate the crowd.

According to media reports, the crowd yelled “Hamas, Hamas – Jews to the gas!” Die Welt reported that Can said at the Friday legal proceeding “I don’t have anything against Jews, I only have something against Zionists.”

He told Sastry that because there is no group in Germany called Zionists, he had done nothing wrong.

He argued that he certainly hates Zionists and wished their death but that is only a punishment of God.

“We can agree that is a punishment of God, right?” asked Can.

Sastry replied, “No.”

Sastry said “When in the past year you called for the death of, and hate to Zionists, you mean the State of Israel and Jews. It was the State of Israel that found itself at war.”

The judge accepted the prosecutor’s recommendation and fined Can €200 and sentenced him to three months’ probation. Can has been convicted of previous crimes.

Sastry’s legal understanding of contemporary anti-Semitism appears to conform to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s and French Prime Minister Manuel Valls’s recent statements.

Merkel said at a September rally against anti-Semitism that “pretend criticism of Israel,” is an “expression of Jew-hatred at pro-Palestinian demonstrations.”

Valls said classical anti-Semitism has transformed itself, and “feeds off hate for Israel. It feeds off anti-Zionism because anti-Zionism is an invitation to anti-Semitism.”