INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS - JANUARY 2001 Jerusalem Regarding
reported incremental concessions being made in negotiations with the
Palestinian Authority, the IPA recently stated that ceding any control of
parts of Jerusalem or endangering its unity as the capital of the Jewish
State is anathema to world Jewry. Denouncing the statement carried in the
New York Times by certain Jewish leaders professing that there is no
religious reason to require exclusive Jewish sovereignty over the Temple
Mount, the IPA, together with the Rabbinical Council of America, said that
any suggestion of shared sovereignty cannot be countenanced. Jewish
tradition clearly states that it is the Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount
that is to be opened to all to worship God, not a temple shared with any
other faith. Rejecting the implication that shrines of other faiths are threatened or that access to holy places by all faiths has not been provided adequately under Israeli sovereignty, the IPA stressed that the only time during the past 2,000 years that religious practices and traditions of every faith community with interests in Jerusalem have been respected and protected has been since Israel liberated the Old City in 1967. This equal access has been true of the Temple Mount, where Islamic shrines were built on Judaism’s most sacred site. In
light of the violence we have witnessed in recent months, beginning with the
Palestinian Authority’s orchestrated attacks on Jewish worshipers at the
Western Wall on Erev Rosh Hashana,
it is quite evident that the Moslem authorities have no desire to grant
freedom of access to Jewish worshipers. Any calls to “share” the Temple
Mount not only fly in the face of Jewish tradition, they also endanger
freedom of access to holy places for all. To strengthen our position, the IPA/OU organized a rally on January 8 that drew over 1,500 participants from the New York area on a day’s notice, timed to support the mass rally in Jerusalem held by Natan Sharansky and Ehud Olmert. It was cosponsored by AMIT, Emunah, National Council of Young Israel, Poalei Agudath Israel, the Rabbinical Council of America, and the Religious Zionists of America. Rabbi Haskell Lookstein, spiritual leader of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, delivered the keynote address. Congressman Gary Ackerman passionately stated his firm belief that “it’s time to let the world know that Jerusalem will never again be divided.” New York City Council Speaker Peter Vallone read a letter to President Bill Clinton calling for a united Jerusalem, emphasizing that nothing should be ceded under the threat of violence. The New York City Council also unanimously passed a resolution calling for an undivided Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty, stating that the Temple Mount belongs to Jerusalem and the people of Israel. Temple
Mount The
IPA/OU reiterated its deep dismay and strong opposition to the illegal
construction that is taking place on Har HaBayit, the Temple Mount. In spite
of strong protests by leading Israeli archeologists, the Antiquities
Authority of Israel, and the Attorney General of Israel, Prime Minister Ehud
Barak decided to take no action
against the digging and destruction taking place under the Temple Mount. The
pace of the work has increased and important archeological artifacts of deep
significance to the Jewish people are being destroyed including artifacts
that date back to the Bayit Rishon and Bayit Sheni. The
remains of the Holy Temples are sacred to the Jewish people and deserve the
utmost protection for religious, theological, historical, cultural and
national reasons. The IPA/OU has repeatedly urged Prime Minister Barak to
stop this deplorable activity threatens to destroy Jewish heritage at Har
HaBayit, our national treasure compound, something that no nation in the
world would tolerate. The IPA/OU
praised Ariel Sharon for re-asserting the right of Jews to visit the Har
HaBayit. Israel has upheld its moral and ethical obligations to the
people of the world by granting access to all religious holy sites of all
faiths. The very fact that threats were made by the Palestinians when an
Israeli official visited the Temple Mount is reason enough to make sure that
the Temple Mount remains under exclusive Jewish sovereignty so that no one
of any faith is denied access to a holy place. The IPA/OU has also deplored any consideration of granting the United Nations Security Council jurisdiction over Har HaBayit. The UN has never accepted Israeli rights and sovereignty in Jerusalem, in keeping with the discriminary treatment that has been demonstrated by the UN towards Israel. Past UN resolutions on Jerusalem have deemed it “occupied territory.” Israel cannot allow Har HaBayit to be under the jurisdiction of a body that has been politicized against Israel for so many years. The IPA/OU has repeatedly reiterated its opposition to this proposal and has stated again and again our firm belief that all of Jerusalem must remain undivided under the sole sovereignty of the State of Israel. Palestinian
Violence The
IPA/OU strongly supported the passage of H. Con. Res. 426 in the U.S. House
of Representatives, a resolution condemning Palestinian leadership for
encouraging the horrendous violence that has been taking place in Israel in
recent months. The resolution demands that the Palestinian leadership cease
all violence, calls on them to respect all holy sites in accordance to the
agreements that they signed, and to stop and prevent all forms of public
incitement. It also urges the U.S. Administration to use its veto power at
the UN to ensure that the Security Council does not again pass biased
resolutions against Israel regarding P.A.-orchestrated violence. The IPA/OU
praised the House leadership that was instrumental in the passage of this
resolution, including Representatives Ben Gilman (R-NY), Dick Armey (R-TX),
Dick Gephart (D-MO), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), and Tom Reynolds (R-NY). Israel
and the United Nations The IPA/OU denounced UN Security Council Resolution 1322 that unilaterally condemned Israel for the recent Middle East violence. Deeply disappointed by the failure of the United States to veto this resolution, we also rejected the reference to the visit of Ariel Sharon to the Temple Mount as a cause of the violence since the Waqf was notified and approved of it a week in advance while preparations for the Palestinian attacks were made at least a month prior to the visit. The IPA condemned the Palestinian Authority’s cynical placement of children in harm’s way in order to advance their political agenda, noting that neither the UN Committee on Human Rights nor the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child protested this horrendous behavior. Israel has the right to defend and protect itself and the obligation to restore order for all its citizens. One-sided UN resolutions that distort the truth further encourage the Palestinians to use violence as a means to achieve their goals. The IPA/OU also rejected a Palestinian proposal to send in an international observer force to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. We applauded the Security Council decision to reject this initiative, underscoring the understanding that this was a thinly veiled ploy by the Palestinian Authority to bring the UN into the conflict rather than living up to its commitment to stop the violence. This resolution was strongly opposed by the United States and Israel and was defeated with eight countries in favor and seven countries abstaining. We praised the rejection of this resolution, noting that “peacekeeping” forces had not only proved ineffective in conflict situations, but have usually had a negative effect in the Middle East, since UN troops have historically been used as a cover for continued attacks against Israelis. Unilateral
Declaration of a Palestinian State The IPA/OU strongly supported legislation recently passed in the House and under consideration in the Senate that would terminate U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority if the Palestinians unilaterally declare a state. The legislation also prohibits the expenditure of any funds to extend recognition to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state and would mandate that the President instruct the U.S. ambassador to the UN to oppose the admission of such a state into the world body. The unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state by the PA would be a fundamental violation of the Oslo accords and would inevitably lead to even more Middle East violence. The IPA/OU applauded the passage of this legislation in the House and is urging Senators to also pass this legislation that underscores that the determination of the outcome of any peace negotiations can be made only through direct negotiations between both parties. Since the Palestinian National Council had recently declared its intention to take “the necessary measures to establish the state of Palestine and enforce its sovereignty on the occupied Palestine with holy Jerusalem as its capital” and urged Palestinian leaders to begin work on an application for admission to the UN, this legislation is vital. We praised Senators Ashcroft, Brownback, Schumer, and others who have co-sponsored this legislation. If you have not already written to your senator to support and help pass S.2938, opposing the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, please do so immediately. Kindly call (212) 613-8123 if you need assistance. Israeli
MIA’s After Israel withdrew its forces from South Lebanon in full compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 425, receiving confirmation of this compliance from both Secretary General Kofi Anan and the Security Council, we have witnessed an increase in violent incidents at the border including terrorist incursions into Israel, grenade and gunfire attacks, and the kidnapping of three Israeli soldiers by members of Hitzbollah. These three Israeli soldiers, Sergeant Adi Avitan of Tiberias, Sergeant Binymamin Avraham of B’nei Brak, and Staff Sergeant Omar Souad of Salma, were abducted by Hitzbollah while on operational duty along the Lebanese border and are believed to have been wounded during the incident. Israel has embarked on intensive diplomatic efforts to bring about the release of the soldiers in cooperation with the United Nations, the United States, Russia, Germany and others. Requests have been made to UN Secretary General Kofi Anan and to leaders of the International Red Cross to help obtain information about their condition and whereabouts and to assist in their timely release. The IPA/OU has mounted a full-scale advocacy campaign to help bring about an end to the inhumanity of this captivity. We are urging our members to immediately write to Secretary General Kofi Anan, United Nations Secretariat, New York, New York 10017 to urge him to do all he can to help secure the immediate release of these soldiers. Since Israel has fully complied with the U.N resolution and these soldiers were kidnapped in a blatant violation of that resolution, the UN bears special responsibility now for assisting in this urgent humanitarian issue. Counter-Terrorism The
IPA/OU praised a recent decision by the U.S. Department of Justice to
recognize the 1994 attack on the van carrying yeshiva students on the
Brooklyn Bridge as an act of terrorism. This heinous attack took place on
March 1, 1994, and resulted in the mortal wounding of Ari Halberstam and
left Nachum Sasonkin brain-injured for life. Although Rashid Baz was
convicted of murder in the second degree and was sentenced to 141 years in
prison, this attack had been classified as a case of “road rage.” The
IPA/OU has long worked to raise the awareness of the U.S. Administration and
the United States Congress and to act to reclassify this crime as an act of
terrorism in the interest of protecting the Jewish community from being a
target of wide-raging terrorism. As the threat of terrorism is global and is
not isolated anymore to the Middle East or Europe but has reached our region
of the world, this decision has important ramifications for the safety and
well being of the Jewish community as well as for the broader American
community and all those who cherish freedom. Soviet Jewry As
members of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry, the IPA/OU closely
follows issues regarding anti-Semitism in Jewish community life in the
former Soviet Union. The situation appears to be uneven as outbreaks of
anti-Semitic events have taken place in Russia during the past few months,
and the Kremlin has done little to counteract them. The IPA/OU has been on
record calling for increased protection for the Russian Jewish community and
its synagogues in light of these attacks. In spite of the fact that Russian
Jewish leaders point out that there is no longer official anti-Semitism in
Russia today, there are manifestations of popular anti-Semitism in several
areas, including the espousement of anti-Semitic views by some officials and
regional governors. In early December 2000, the State Duma decided not to
hold debate on recent acts of anti-Semitism and there has been little
repudiation of politicians’ anti-Semitic rhetoric. This is inconsistent
with President Putin’s public behavior toward the Russian Jewish
Community, and his recent meeting with Natan Sharansky. President Putin also
made a high profile visit to Moscow’s Maryna Roscha Synagogue this past
Chanukah and also met with former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. We have
protested the government’s campaign against Vladmir Goussinsky, leader of
the Russian Jewish Congress; anti-Semitic attacks in government-controlled
media, and an illegal search of the Moscow Choral Synagogue, an attempt to
undermine the leaders of the Russian Jewish Congress. The raid occurred
during the Jewish holiday week of Sukkot, when many of the community’s
leaders were away from Moscow. The Russian government must do more to counteract anti-Semitic attacks and demonstrate a greater willingness to protect the rights of Jews. Putin’s public behavior towards the Russian Jewish community should be weighed against his actually doing things to fight anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism has not been banished from the FSU. Much effort on the part of Russian Jewry and world Jewry are still necessary to effect the necessary transformation. The IPA/OU will continue to closely monitor events and advocate the interests of Jews in the FSU.
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