|
U.S. Envoy Mitchell Heads to Israel for Talks
by Herb Keinon
 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled meeting with U.S. envoy George Mitchell on Monday will deal not only with the settlement issue, but also with a timeline and the parameters of talks expected to be launched with the Palestinians on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting later this month. Among the issues expected to be discussed were the gestures that Israel could expect from the Arab world in exchange for a declaration of a temporary settlement construction moratorium. (Jerusalem Post)
U.S. Jewish Leaders Push Obama to Act on Iran
by Hilary Leila Krieger
 Several hundred Jewish leaders and activists lobbied in Washington
Thursday to urge Congress to pass a sanctions bill to pressure Iran to
abandon its pursuit of nuclear capabilities that threaten Israel. The
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and
other groups are part of the advocacy day. "A government that has so
little regard for human life, truth and human rights as does the
current Iranian regime must not be entrusted to possess the most
powerful weapons known to humankind," the organizers said in a
statement. (Jerusalem Post)
Poll Shows Surge of Support for Israel in U.S.
by Herb Keinon
 A recent poll for
The Israel Project shows support for Israel in the U.S. has bounced
back significantly after slipping in the aftermath of President Obama's
Cairo speech. 59% said they were Israel supporters, compared to 8% for the
Palestinians, in the poll conducted Aug. 22-25. In June, Israel's
support was only 49%.
63% said the U.S. should support Israel, while 8% said it should support the Palestinians. As a basis for
peace, 95% of Americans agree that Palestinians need to recognize
Israel's right to exist and acknowledge its standing as a Jewish state. (Jerusalem Post)
U.S. Disappointed by Iran Response to Dialogue Offer
by Barak Ravid and Amir Oren
 The United States is reportedly disappointed by the
Iranian response to the willingness of the Western powers to open
dialogue with it. The Obama administration announced at the end of last week it was ready to begin such a dialogue.
A senior government official in Jerusalem commented
on the Iranian response, "Iran has spat in the face of the United
States and the world." American officials reportedly told Israel they were
disappointed by the document. A senior government official in Jerusalem
said, "The Iranians didn't leave even a shred to move ahead with. There
will be talks, but it seems the time has come to move to paralyzing
sanctions against Iran. (Ha'aretz)
For Top Stars Like Madonna, Israel Gig Becoming More Common
by Dina Kraft
 Madonna managed to sprinkle some of her fairy diva dust on Israel
during her recent tour, calling the Jewish state the world's "energy
center," wrapping herself in the flag on stage and even lighting
Shabbat candles with Sara Netanyahu. September alone is seeing the likes of Madonna, Leonard Cohen, Julio
Iglesias, Dinosaur Jr. and Faith No More performing in Israel. Earlier this
summer, the Pet Shop Boys played, as did the new pop sensation Lady
Gaga. Madonna played two concerts to a total of some 100,000
fans, while Cohen's performance for 47,000 sold out in 17 hours --
faster than his shows anywhere else in the world. (JTA)
See also Madonna Live in Tel Aviv, Sticky & Sweet Tour (YouTube)
|
U.S. Says Iran Has Ability to Expedite a Nuclear Bomb
by William J. Broad, Mark Mazzetti and David E. Sange
 American
intelligence agencies have concluded in recent months that Iran has
created enough nuclear fuel to make a rapid, if risky, sprint for a
nuclear weapon, but has deliberately stopped short of the critical last
steps to make a bomb. Glyn Davies, the American ambassador to the
International Atomic Energy Agency, declared on Wednesday that Iran now
had a "possible breakout capacity" to enrich its stockpile of uranium
to bomb-grade material. Israeli officials
say privately that the Obama administration is deluding itself in
thinking that diplomacy will persuade Iran to give up its nuclear
program. (The New York Times)
Shalit Family Tries to Get Rosh Hashana Package to Gilad
by Tovah Lazaroff
 The family of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit plans
to coordinate their rally at the Gaza border on Wednesday with
relatives of Hamas security prisoners inside the Gaza Strip, in a bid to
pressure Hamas to hand Shalit a Rosh Hashana package from his hometown
of Mitzpe Hila. The families of Hamas prisoners held in Israel
will stage a rally in Gaza. They will then deliver 100 packages to the
Shalit campaign designated for Hamas security prisoners.
Once the campaign is satisfied that Shalit has received his
Rosh Hashana package, it will ensure that the packages from the Hamas
families are delivered to the prisoners.
See also Free Gilad Shalit, 1176 Days Away from Home
Arabs Moving into Jewish Areas in Jerusalem
by Ben Hubbard
 Thousands of Arabs
have crossed the housing lines to Jerusalem neighborhoods such as
Pisgat Zeev. In 2007, the latest year with available statistics, about
1,300 of Pisgat Zeev's 42,000 residents were Arabs. In nearby French
Hill, population 7,000, nearly one-sixth are Arabs, among them students
at the neighboring Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Neve Yaakov, with
20,000 people, had 600 Arabs, according to the Israel Center for
Jerusalem Studies. Netanyahu says Arabs have the right to live anywhere
in the city, and so should Jews. (AP)
See also Ramadan: 100,000 Worshippers Attending Friday Prayers on Temple Mount (Ynet News)
See also Growing Ties between Israeli, PA Police Forces by Yaakov Lappin (Jerusalem Post)
Israel’s ‘Lebanon’ Wins Top Prize at Venice Film Festival
 Lebanon, a war drama by Israeli director Samuel Maoz, Saturday won the Golden Lion for best film at the Venice Film Festival. The film is set during the first day of Israel’s 1982 conflict in
Lebanon. It is shot from the perspective of soldiers holed up in a tank
- a claustrophobic experience audiences are made to share by the way
the film is shot. Speaking at a festival news conference earlier this week, Maoz said
he was so traumatized by his real-life experience as a young soldier
during the Lebanon war that that it took him 25 years to muster the
strength to make the movie. (DPA/Entertainment Daily)
View trailer (YouTube) No subtitles yet.
See Also Filmmakers Speak Out on Toronto Film Festival Protest
A brewing controversy over a Toronto film festival program that puts
the spotlight on Tel Aviv has drawn heated words from a number of stars. A group of Toronto-based filmmakers and activists accuse the spotlight of being part of "the Israeli propaganda machine." Filmmaker Robert Lantos dug into the protesters' accusations. "Their brand of
political censorship is at odds with the most cherished values of
Canadian society: freedom of expression and freedom of choice," Lantos
said. (CP)
|