UPDATES 11 am Israel time, Monday, September 16 2013:
**The latest from Syria this morning is a declaration of victory. Speaking to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Syrian Minister of State Ali Haidar said: [The deal] is a victory for Syria. On one hand, it helps the Syrians emerge from the crisis and on the other it has allowed for averting war against Syria. It’s a victory for Syria that was achieved thanks to our Russian friends.”
Meanwhile the Syrian army has resumed full-scale assaults of different civilian populations across Syria, most notably in Latakia–where the clouds of smoke caused by bombing and artillery shells is visible on this blurry satellite imagery:
**One of the more predictable and pathetic outcomes of the cave-in to Syria is renewed pressure on Israel this morning to “follow Syria’s lead” and sign the Chemical Weapons Convention and to allow international inspectors into the country to examine facilities such as Dimona. No less than Iran is demanding such and no doubt Tzipi Livni and Shimon Peres will soon join the chorus. Once again, Israel is being lumped into the same category with a rogue Arab state that is gassing its own people.
**John Kerry’s whirlwind visit to Israel finished late yesterday afternoon, but not before Kerry had held a joint news conference in which he ranted on and on about the fact that all of the “negotiators” only have one thing in mind: two states living side by side in confidence and security.” Even PM Netanyahu was somewhat taken aback by Kerry’s remarks and commented, “That was one hell of a sound bite.”
Meanwhile, 16 Knesset members sent a letter to Netanyahu yesterday demanding that he not engage in any more concessions with the Palestinians that involve giving up Israeli land.
TODAY’S BLOG:
Northern Samaria. Note the location of Homesh.
First a little context this morning.
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It has been forgotten by most people that back in 2005 when Ariel Sharon ordered the eviction of some 8500 Jews from Gaza, he also ordered the eviction of another 500 Jews from four Jewish communities in northern Samaria: Kadim, Ganim, Sa-Nur, and Homesh.
These five communities are all part of Area C, meaning they are under complete Israeli civilian and military control. Since being emptied of all Jews in 2005, the communities have remained empty–despite repeated pleas over the last eight years from their residents that they be allowed to return. In particular, the 163 residents of Homesh have attempted on numerous times to recover their property.
But the communities have just been sitting there, empty.
Until yesterday. Now in an astonishing move that is completely unfathomable, the office of the Israeli government’s legal advisor has published a ruling that is transferring Homesh to the PLO/Palestinian Authority.
Specifically and unbelievably, the advisor declared that the Israeli government no longer opposes the entry of Palestinians into Homesh–but that the movement of Jews back into Homesh remains strictly prohibited.
Can you even believe this?
Mahmoud Abbas, who has declared that Judea and Samaria must be “Jew-free” is being supported in his anti-Semitic quest by the Israeli government itself.
Simply incomprehensible–and a prelude, no doubt, of what is to come as the Netanyahu-Livni-Peres government concedes more and more to the Palestinians.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.