Tag Archives: Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister to Visit U.S. to Discuss Various Political Matters with President Obama

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to visit President Obama on Monday to discuss various issues including the nuclear deal with Iran, peace between Israel and Palestine, and a new 10-year security cooperation agreement.

While the two world leaders have had disagreements in the past, Monday’s meeting will focus on making progress on security issues regarding Syria, Iran, and the Palestinian conflict, according to USA Today. Voice of America News states that they will also be discussing the fight against the Islamic State.

“The president looks forward to discussing with the prime minister regional security issues, including implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to peacefully and verifiably prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and countering Tehran’s destabilizing activities in the region, “ White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu has previously described the level of security cooperation that’s been offered by the Obama administration as ‘unprecedented.’ That, I think, is an indication of the president’s personal commitment to the security of Israel and to the unshakeable bond between our two countries,” he noted in September when announcing the visit.

President Obama will also likely encourage Prime Minister Netanyahu to take steps in order to find a peaceful two-state solution between Israel and Palestine as administration officials stated on Thursday that a peace deal between the two countries would not happen during President Obama’s term, according to the Washington Post. U.S. officials told the Washington Post that Obama would like to hear Netanyahu’s ideas of what can be done to achieve peace “in the absence of negotiations.”

Bloomberg reports that while in the United States, Netanyahu will also speak at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. He will also speak at the Center for American Progress, a Washington-based institution with strong ties to liberal Democratic groups. Analysts say that this may be his way of rebuilding a relationship with American Democrats.

“He understands the need to reach out,” said Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. and a member of the Knesset from the Kulanu party, part of Netanyahu’s coalition government. “It’s Israel’s duty to reach out to progressives and liberals, and I don’t think we’ve done a very good job.”

Monday’s meeting comes after Netanyahu’s newly appointed spokesman, Ran Baratz, insulted President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry. In one of Baratz’s Facebook posts, he called Obama anti-semitic and insulted the intelligence of Kerry. Since then, Baratz has issued an official apology. Prime Minister Netanyahu had this to say on the matter:

“I have just read Dr. Ran Baratz’s posts on the Internet, including those relating to the president of the state of Israel, the president of the United States and other public figures in Israel and the United States,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “Those posts are totally unacceptable and in no way reflect my positions or the policies of the government of Israel. Dr. Baratz has apologized and has asked to meet me to clarify the matter following my return to Israel.”

Netanyahu Vows to Control Violence Day before “Day of Rage” Attacks

Hours after a teenage Israeli boy was stabbed and in critical condition on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed parliament and angrily accused Israel’s Arab lawmakers for helping incite the weeks of violence.

In past meetings, lawmakers from the Joint (Arab) list have walked out when Netanyahu has stood at the podium. Netanyahu has called for an investigation of several members of the Joint (Arab) list, including MK Hanin Zoabi. Netanyahu claims that she, among others, supports Palestinian acts of terror against Israelis.

“She said to a Hamas magazine just two days ago that the actions of individuals isn’t enough and there needs to be a real intifada,” he went on. “This is unbelievable, honored colleagues. A member of Knesset in Israel calls for wholesale terror attacks against Israeli citizens, and there’s nothing more justified than opening a criminal investigation against her.”

Netanyahu called out to the Arab citizens of Israel, asking them to “kick out the extremists among you.”

While Netanyahu did take action in parliament, many are putting Israel’s Prime Minister under heavy criticism for failing to stop the violence. An opinion poll this week showed that 70% of the public is unhappy with his handling of the situation.

The escalation of violence in Israel began a month ago with a rumor that Israel planned on taking over the Temple Mount, a holy site to both Muslims and Jews. Since then, the violence has spread from the Temple Mount to the Old City, West Bank, and Gaza Strip.

Despite the increase in security, the random nature of the stabbings have made it difficult for Israeli police to stop the attacks. Many of the attackers have been teenagers who are not affiliated with militant groups. Seven Israelis have been killed in stabbings, a shooting, and a stoning attack, while 27 Palestinians have been killed. Out of the 25, 10 were attackers.

It doesn’t seem the violence will stop any time soon. Reports say that on Tuesday, a Palestinian man armed with knives and a gun killed at least three people and wounded others in a wave of attacks in Jerusalem. Palestinian groups declared Tuesday a “Day of Rage.” Within an hour, another Palestinian man stabbed and wounded four other people in Raanana according to Israeli police.

The increased stabbings has raised speculation that Palestinians may be attempting another uprising intifada, showing how the citizens are frustrated over their leadership’s failure of achieving statehood.

Police reported that Netanyahu has scheduled a meeting at 3:00 p.m. to discuss new operational plans.

Spreading Violence in Israel Forces Netanyahu to Cancel German Visit

A rise in street violence has prompted the Prime Minister to cancel his visit to Germany planned for Thursday.

Israeli and Palestinian leaders have been attempting to calm the fueled confrontations that have been surrounding Jerusalem’s al Aqsa mosque complex, Islam’s third holiest site which is considered as a holy place called the Temple Mount by Jews and the site of their two ancient temples.

The prospect that Israel is trying to expand the Jewish presence at the hilltop compound has led to ongoing clashes, including Palestinians barricading themselves inside the mosque and throwing stones and firebombs at Israeli forces.

Several incidents throughout Israel including a Palestinian man was shot dead in southern Israel on Wednesday after he stabbed an Israeli soldier and attempted to grab his weapon.

Earlier Wednesday, a Palestinian woman stabbed an Israeli man who then shot and wounded her in Jerusalem’s Old City and a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli man outside a mall in central Israel, police said. The attacker was arrested.

Four Israelis have been killed in stabbings in Jerusalem and a drive-by shooting in the occupied West Bank since Thursday, and two Palestinians have been shot dead and scores injured in clashes with security services, triggering fears of an escalation.

Palestinians fear increasing visits by Jewish groups to al-Aqsa are eroding longtime Muslim religious control there. Netanyahu has said he is committed to maintaining the status quo.

Netanyahu’s Powerful Address to U.N.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stayed firm on Israel’s stance on the Iran nuclear deal with a powerful speech to the U.N. Thursday. The power came with his words but was intensified by his silence.

“Seventy years after the murder of six million Jews, Iran’s rulers promise to destroy my country, murder my people,” Netanyahu said. “And the response from this body— the response from nearly every one of the governments represented here— has been absolutely nothing. Utter silence. Deafening silence.”

What followed was a stone cold silence delivered by the Prime minister as he stared down the assembly. No one spoke or stirred as Netanyahu remained quiet for nearly a minute.

“The days when the Jewish people remained passive in the face of genocidal enemies— those days are over.”

The speech was Netanyahu’s first major address since the Iran nuclear deal survived a debate in the U.S. Congress. Netanyahu also reached out to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

“I am prepared to immediately resume direct negotiations with the Palestinian Authority without any preconditions whatsoever,” Netanyahu said. “Unfortunately, President Abbas said yesterday that he is not prepared to do this. I hope he changes his mind.”

Abbas stated in his own address to the U.N, “Israel has destroyed the foundations upon which the political and security agreements are based. We therefore declare that we cannot continue to be bound by these agreements and that Israel must assume all its responsibilities as an occupying power.”

Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with President Obama in November.

Israel Asks Britain to Help Stop Militant Islam

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in London visiting with British Prime Minister David Cameron and is asking him to bring the weight of the British military to the Middle East to stop ISIS.

“The Middle East is disintegrating under the twin forces of militant Islam: The militant Sunnis led by ISIS and the militant Shiites led by Iran,” said Netanyahu.

“And I believe that we can cooperate in practical ways to roll back the tide of militant Islam both in the Middle East and in Africa altogether.”

Cameron told reporters after the meeting that Britain “remains staunch in our defense of Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself.”

Netanyahu spoke with leaders of Britain’s Jewish community and told them despite any anti-Semitic comments or actions that may come against them, they should never apologize for defending Israel.

“This is an important struggle for public opinion and it has to be done with determination while saying in a clear voice that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, and is standing at the front in the struggle against radical Islam,” he said.

The meetings came as anti-Israeli protesters tracked Netanyahu’s every move and presented the British government with a petition demanding Netanyahu be arrested as a war criminal.

Netanyahu Says He Will Immediately Negotiate with Palestinians

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surprised many observers during his trip to London when he announced he would be willing to have immediate peace talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

“I want to say here in 10 Downing Street, and reaffirm again, that I am ready to resume direct negotiations with the Palestinians with no conditions whatsoever to enter negotiations, and I’m willing to do so immediately,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu said he would meet and enter negotiations “without any preconditions, any preconditions whatsoever, to sit down with President Abbas and negotiate this peace.”

The talks between Israel and Palestinian officials have been essentially stagnant since April 2014.

The statement by Netanyahu comes as rumors are getting persistent that Abbas is considering stepping down from his position because of the lack of movement in the peace talks and the path for Palestinian statehood.

Several members of the British parliament used the visit by Netanyahu to call for the nation to put immediate sanctions on Israel, citing the stalled peace process.

President Reportedly Offers Israel Military Aid

In what one media outlet termed an attempt to “soften the blow of the Iran nuclear deal”, sources in the White House say President Obama has offered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an increase in U.S. military aid.

The reports say that President Obama called Netanyahu after the announcement of the Iran deal and said he wanted to hold “intensive discussions” on what more could be done by the U.S. to help bolster Israel’s defenses.  No specifics were being mentioned by the President.

A White House aide suggested in a phone call with Jewish and pro-Israel groups Netanyahu refused to discuss the possibility with the President because he did not want to be seen as blessing the nuclear deal in any way, according to the New York Times.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is scheduled to visit Israel next week in an attempt to reinforce the relationship between the two nations.  However, no negotiations on additional aid are expected to take place during the visit.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Israel would not accept any nuclear deal in a discussion with the British Parliament.

“The question you have to ask yourself is what kind of a deal would have been welcomed in Tel Aviv. The answer of course is that Israel doesn’t want any deal with Iran,” Hammond told lawmakers. “Israel wants a permanent state of standoff, and I don’t believe that’s in the interests of the region. I don’t believe it’s in our interest.”

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu almost immediately responded by saying the British F.M. had no idea what the Israeli government would accept.

“[We would accept a deal that would] compel Iran to choose between a path to the bomb and sanctions relief.   That’s the kind of deal that would be welcomed in Tel Aviv and here in Israel’s capital, Jerusalem,” Netanyahu said.

“The alternative to this bad deal is not war,” Netanyahu went on to say, alluding to remarks by President Barack Obama on Wednesday. “The alternative is a better deal that would roll back Iran’s military nuclear program and tie the easing of restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program to changes in Iran’s behavior.”

Israeli President, Prime Minister Mark Anniversary of Operation Protective Edge

Israeli leaders held an official ceremony marking a year since the beginning of the 50 day war with Gaza.

Both Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid tribute to the 67 soldiers who died during Operation Protective Edge and warned that the next battle could be even more difficult and costly to the nation of Israel.

“The next conflict will be even more difficult than the last. It is clear that such a conflict will require a decisive and difficult decision,” Rivlin said. “When there is no fire towards Sderot, Nahal Oz, Nir Banim, Ashdod or Ashkelon — then there will be no fire towards the Gaza Strip.”

“We are not a people of war, but if forced to take up arms to defend our borders and our existence, we will not hesitate to do so,” the president added.

The remembrance comes as the United Nation’s Human Rights Council voted to condemn Israel for alleged war crimes during the conflict.

Netanyahu, however, appeared to be unmoved the opinion of the United Nations in his comments.

“I say to all enemies of Israel — Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and the Islamic State, too — whoever tries to harm us, their blood is upon their heads,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu also spoke directly to the families of those who perished saying that each one saved lives.

“There isn’t any remedy for your pain,” Netanyahu said. “But with all that pain, you truly understand that your loved ones saved lives… for the sake of Israel.”

“Life is a flowing river that takes us forward and you will eventually know days of hope and happiness,” he continued. “There will always be pain, but your loved ones died as heroes.”

Netanyahu’s brother Yoni died during a 1976 Israeli military action.

Israeli Minister Tells Jews To “Come Home”

In the wake of three terrorist attacks timed to celebrate Ramadan, an Israeli official is giving a simple messages to Jews in France.

Come home.

“I call on the Jews of France – come home! Anti-Semitism is rising, terror is increasing,” said Immigration and Absorption Minister Ze’ev Elkin, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.

“We are prepared to receive with open arms the Jews of France,” Elkin wrote in a post on Facebook.

The message comes on the heels of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying they were engaged in a battle against “dark forces.”

“The brutal murders in France, Tunisia and Kuwait again underscore that the enlightened world is struggling against dark forces. The fight against the murderous terrorism of extremist Islam requires unity, the beginning of which is the unequivocal condemnation of the murderers and those who support them,” Netanyahu said in a statement released to the media.

Immigration to Israel from France is already at an all-time high.  In 2014, for the first time since Israel became a state, France topped the list of countries of permanent immigrants.  That year, 7,000 made the move.   Officials estimate that 10,000 could move by the end of 2015.

Netanyahu has called for Jews to “come home” in the past following French attacks.  At the funeral of four French Jews killed in a Paris kosher grocery store, Netanyahu said “More than ever, today.  Israel is the Jewish homeland,” and the more Jews there are here, “the stronger we will be in our homeland.”

Arson Attack On Israeli Christian Church

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is vowing to capture and punish whoever is behind the arson attack on a Christian church near the See of Galilee.

“This outrageous arson attack against the church is an attack on all of us,” he said. “Freedom of worship in Israel is one of our core values and is guaranteed under the law. We will bring to justice those responsible for this crime. Hate and intolerance have no place in our society.”

The Church of Loaves and Fishes was burned around 3:30 a.m. causing extensive damage to the church both inside and out.  Hebrew graffiti was painted on the church leading officials to believe the incident was an arson attack.

“I am sure that the police force will do everything in its power to arrest those responsible, and to prevent similar attacks in the future,” Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said.  “The State of Israel safeguards the freedom of worship of all faiths and completely rejects any and all attempts to harm it.”

“I strongly condemn the attack and any types of violence against representatives of religious institutions or the institutions themselves. It is necessary to ensure that these institutions will remain protected in Israel, as well as in Germany and Europe. Incidents such as these must not be allowed to be repeated,” German Ambassador Andreas Michaelis said at the site of the attack.

The church was built in the 1980s on the site of 4th and 5th century churches.  It is the location where Jesus is believed to have performed the miracle of multiplying the loaves and fishes.