ISRAEL OPPOSED U.S. LAWMAKERS' OFFER TO MOVE EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM

Israel Opposed US Lawmakers’ Offer to Move Embassy to J’lem (INN)
(IsraelNN.com) Former Israeli Consul General to the US Yoram Ettinger revealed at the Jerusalem Conference Wednesday that Israel prevented a move that would have relocated the US Embassy to Jerusalem.

“The US Senate was ready to do away with the waiver that allows the president to defer the moving of the embassy to Jerusalem,” Ettinger said during a round-table discussion at the Jerusalem Conference. “There were over 80 senators – enough to override any [presidential] veto.”

It was the Israeli government, Ettinger said, who intervened on behalf of leaving the Embassy in Tel Aviv. “The problem is that both houses of congress have been firmer on Jerusalem than any Israeli government since 1993.”

Ettinger did not elaborate which Israeli government it was that told Congress to stand down.

BUSH SIGNS WAIVER ALLOWING PLO TO STAY IN D.C.; U.S. EMBASSY IN TEL AVIV

Bush Signs Waiver Allowing PLO to Remain in Washington (INN)
US President George W. Bush has signed another 6-month waiver allowing the PLO to remain in Washington and the US Embassy remains in Tel Aviv.

FRENCH ENVOY CONDEMNS IRAN STATEMENTS ON ISRAEL

French Envoy Condemns Iran Statements on Israel (AP)
French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Pascale Andreani confirmed Monday that France's ambassador to Iran, Bernard Poletti, had been summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry to protest France's policy toward Iran's nuclear activities.

Andreani said Poletti took advantage of the summons to protest "unacceptable" comments Ahmadinejad made last week during a speech in Bushehr implying that Israel would be destroyed.

Poletti reiterated the French position that "the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Israeli-Lebanese relations cannot serve as a pretext to question Israel's right to exist," Andreani said.

Last week, France's Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador to Paris, Ali Ahani, to protest Ahmadinejad's comments.

ISRAEL RESPONDS TO EGYPT'S THREAT: MA NISH T'NAH

Israeli Official: Egypt Has Been Working Against Us Diplomatically for Years - Herb Keinon
Egypt has worked to thwart Israel diplomatically in various international forums for years, so Egyptian Foreign Minister Gheit's recent threat to turn up the diplomatic heat on Israel is nothing new, Israeli officials said Tuesday. Egypt's foreign minister warned that Cairo would "retaliate" diplomatically against Israel if its complaints against Egyptian inaction on arms smuggling into Gaza hurt U.S.-Egyptian ties. According to one official, Egypt originally led the bloc of countries at the UN General Assembly last month that tried to prevent Israel's resolution on the transfer of agricultural technologies from being accepted. (Jerusalem Post)

EGYPT THREATENS ISRAEL OVER SMUGGLING DISPUTE

Egypt Warns Israel of Diplomatic Reprisals
Egypt's foreign minister warned Israel against trying to undermine Cairo's ties to Washington, the state news agency MENA said. "If they continue to push and try to affect Egypt's relationship with the U.S. and harm Egyptian interests, Egypt will certainly respond and will try to damage their interests," Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Sunday. "We have capabilities in every direction...which may inflict profound damage," he added. Israel last month sent a videotape to Washington that Israeli officials said showed Egyptian security men helping Hamas militants smuggle arms across the border to Gaza. Egyptian President Mubarak accused Israel of fabricating evidence to implicate Egyptian security men in arms smuggling. (Reuters)

BUSH DELAYS U.S. EMBASSY MOVE TO JERUSALEM...AGAIN

Bush delays embassy move (JTA)
President Bush extended a delay on moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem for another six months.

"I hereby determine that it is necessary to protect the national security interests of the United States to suspend for a period of six months" the embassy move mandated in a 1995 law, Bush said Wednesday in a memorandum to Condoleezza Rice, the U.S. secretary of state. "My administration remains committed to beginning the process of moving our embassy to Jerusalem."

Bush and his predecessor, President Clinton, have routinely exercised their prerogative to delay the move, citing the difficulties such an action would impose on Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.

INDIAN DIPLOMATS WITNESS ROCKET ATTACKS IN ISRAEL

Indian Delegation Visiting Israel Witnesses Rocket Attacks (Times of India)
A delegation of Indian Muslim leaders visiting Israel witnessed rocket attacks from Gaza during their visit to the southern city of Sderot and had to be rushed to a shelter.

NORWAY CUTS TIES WITH HAMAS

Norway says it has severed Hamas ties (JPost)
President Shimon Peres had planned to lambaste the Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr-Store over Norway's contacts with Hamas and Hizbullah when the two men met in Jerusalem on Monday.

But he was stopped in his tracks when Gahr-Store told him that Norway had now severed the contacts it had opened with Hamas during the period of the Palestinian unity government.

Nonetheless, Peres did make the point that it was important to clarify to Hamas that no nation (in the free world) would finance terror or the firing of rockets into Sderot and the other residential areas close to Gaza.

It was essential to emphasize that the international community would not condone terror or the violation of democracy through the use of violence as practiced by Hamas, said Peres, who also noted the Hamas connection with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Hizbullah in Lebanon. There are also indications, he added, that Hamas is affiliated with al-Qaida.

Hamas’s “Developments” by Emanuele Ottolenghi (Contentions)
When Hamas and Fatah established a national unity government in March of 2007, Norway was the first Western country to recognize this new government, ending Hamas’s diplomatic isolation. Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gar Store announced today, during a visit to Jerusalem, that his government has reversed its policy and no longer recognizes Hamas.

Norway’s decision is a welcome one. Still, one cannot help noticing that, as early as April of 2006, Norway had invited Hamas representatives to visit in order “to maintain dialogue,” on the grounds that Hamas plays “an important role in developments in the Middle East.” It’s not clear which kinds of development the Norwegians had in mind. But I’m fairly sure that executing opponents in the streets in front of their families, throwing a tied-up 28-year-old cook off the roof of a fifteen-story building, and forcibly converting a Christian scholar to Islam are not “developments” at all, but war crimes or gross human rights violations.

BRITAIN GETS A JEWISH FOREIGN SECRETARY - WHO IS CRITICAL OF ISRAEL

UK Appoints New Foreign Secretary - Herb Keinon (Jerusalem Post)
David Miliband, 41, who is Jewish, was selected as foreign secretary on Thursday by new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. According to press reports at the time, Miliband was critical in a cabinet meeting last July of Blair's refusal to denounce Israel for its actions during the Second Lebanon War.

The BBC reported that Miliband's appointment could presage a shift "in British foreign policy to one in which criticism of the United States and Israel is not off the agenda - as it was under Tony Blair."

SEE ALSO: Son of Holocaust refugees U.K.'s new foreign secretary (JTA)
Newly instated British Prime Minister Gordon Brown appointed the Jewish son of Holocaust refugees and a critic of Israel to be foreign secretary.

Brown's decision to replace Margaret Beckett with David Miliband came just weeks after Beckett's first visit to Israel in the post, and occurred despite her repeated expressions of interest in continuing in the role.

Miliband previously served under Tony Blair as Britain's environment secretary. Last summer, he crossed Blair by criticizing Israel during the war against Hezbollah .

Miliband is the son of Polish Jews who immigrated to England to escape the Holocaust. His father, Ralph Miliband, arrived in England from Poland via Belgium on one of the last ships across the Channel in 1940, and became a leading Marxist writer.

At 41, David Miliband is the second youngest foreign secretary in British history.

Beckett made her first official visit to Israel earlier this month. After a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Beckett told reporters: "If we proceed carefully, there exists at the moment a possibility to push the peace process forward."

In 2006, during the Hezbollah war, Beckett made a formal complaint to the United States over its use of an airport in Scotland for transporting bombs to Israel.

BLAIR TO BE QUARTET REP?

Bush, Blair Discuss Role as Middle East Envoy (NYSun)
Could Represent the Quarter of Peacemakers

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush has talked with British Prime Minister Blair about taking a role as a Middle East peace envoy after he leaves office next week.

Assistant Secretary of State Welch, the State Department's top diplomat for the Middle East, talked with Mr. Blair in London on Wednesday, while the White House and State Department spoke glowingly about the prime minister's credentials but said there was nothing to announce yet.

Israeli Prime Minister Olmert also expressed support for Mr. Blair playing a role in the Middle East.

"Officials in the prime minister's office are aware of this idea and Prime Minister Olmert is very supportive of Prime Minister Blair and of his continuing involvement in the Middle East and the peace process," Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin said.

Mr. Blair steps down next Wednesday.

BUSH WON'T MOVE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM

Bush extends Jerusalem waiver (JTA)
President Bush extended a waiver on moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem just days before a Congressional vote on whether to urge him to move the embassy.

The White House released the text of the waiver of the 1995 law on Friday night, a "dead" time for news organizations and after the Jewish Sabbath had begun. Waiving the law, the statement said, "is necessary to protect the national security interests of the United States." It adds: "My Administration remains committed to beginning the process of moving our Embassy to Jerusalem."

The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote Tuesday on a non-binding resolution congratulating Israel on 40 years of reunifying the city and urging the president to make good on the 1995 law. The Senate is considering a similar resolution. Bush has consistently waived the law, as did his predecessor, Bill Clinton.

SEE ALSO: RECOGNIZE JERUSALEM AS ISRAEL'S CAPITOL

DID CARTER TRY TO SABOTAGE US-ISRAELI RELATIONS?

Carter failed tell Reagan about Israeli concerns with Osirak by Judith A. Klinghoffer (Political Mavens)
Did Jimmy and his men try to sabotage US - Israeli relations or were they just disorganized incompetents? You choose. One thing is clear, the Reagan administration's harsh response to the Osirak bombing was based on the faulty assumption that Israel failed to inform the US of its concerns. The following passages from his diary tell the story. The italics are mine:

June 7 - Got word Israeli bombing of Iraq - nuclear reactor. I swear Armageddon is near.Returned to W.H. at 3 P.M. More word on bombing. P.M. Begin informed us after the fact.

June 9 - Ended the day with an N.S.C. meeting re the bombing of Iraq. P.M. Begin insists the plant was preparing to produce nuclear weapons for use on Israel. If he waited ’til the French shipment of “hot” Uranium arrived he couldn’t order the bombing because to the radiation that would be loosed over Baghdad. I can understand his fear but feel he took the wrong option. He should have told us & the French, we could have done something to remove the threat.

June 11 - Then after lunch the U.N. phase started; 5 Arab St. Ambassadors, followed by the Israeli Amb. The 5 of course protested we hadn’t been hard enough on Israel. The Israeli deplored the harsh action we’d taken. I told all of them out goal was peace in the Middle East. The bombing was the result of the suspicions & hostilities that exist there. We are going to keep on trying to keep on trying to bring peace to Lebanon & then Between Arabs & Israelis.

The truth is the Arab indignation on behalf of Iraq is a waste. Saddam Hussein is a “no good nut” and I think he is trying to build a nuclear weapon. He has called for the destruction of Israel & he wants to be the leader of the Arab world - that’s why he invade Iran.

June 16 - We have just learned that Israel & the previous admin. did communicate about Iraq & the nuclear threat & the U.S. agreed it was a threat. There was never a mention of this to us by the outgoing admin. Amb. Lewis cabled word to us after the Israeli attack on Iraq & now we find there was a stack of cables & memos tucked away in St. Dept. files.

POWELL, KISSINGER AND SCHULTZ ON MID-EAST

Statecraft and Stagecraft - Excerpts from Interviews with Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, and George Shultz - David Samuels (Atlantic Monthly)

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell: Is it our fault that the [Palestinians and Israelis] haven't gotten a peace agreement? I don't think so. I mean, believe me, I worked hard for a year and a half on Arafat before I had to give up, he was hopeless. And I found out just what Clinton had told me the last day in office, when he said to me, "Colin, he almost drove me crazy. And it's his fault."

Former Secretary of State George Shultz: What is going on at our universities about the world of Islam right now? Damn little. What there is is sort of a romanticized version of Palestinian interest.

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger: It's very easy to criticize Saudi Arabia, until you begin to think of the alternatives. And I have not heard anyone come up with what they would like to see in Riyadh that would be better for us than what's there. The part about Saudi Arabia that bothers me is the continued acquiescence in the financing of the Madrassas, and my inclination would be to crack down much harder on them.

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL SAYS POLLARD COULD HAVE BEEN EXECUTED

'Pollard alive because of US mercy' (JPost)
US Ambassador Richard Jones said on Monday it is unlikely that convicted Pentagon spy Jonathan Pollard will ever be released and that the fact that the US did not execute him should be seen as an act of clemency.

Responding to audience questions during an academic conference at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Jones said Pollard's crimes appear especially heinous to many Americans because he was caught spying for a friendly power.

"It came out in the trial very clearly, Jonathan Pollard took money for what he did, he sold out his country," Jones said. "The fact that he wasn't executed is the [only] mercy that Jonathan Pollard will receive."

Pollard, a US Navy civilian intelligence analyst, sold military secrets to Israel while working at the Pentagon. He was arrested in 1985 and pleaded guilty at his trial. He is serving a life sentence in a US federal prison.

"This is a very emotional issue in the United States," Jones said. "I know he was helping a friend, but that's what makes it even more emotional for Americans, if a friend would cooperate in aiding and abetting someone who is committing treason against his own country."

Pollard's wife, Esther, slammed the ambassador's remarks as "malicious incitement" and "gross slander" and urged Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to send Jones home for his "lies and slander."

"Jones's declaration that Pollard 'got off easy' because he deserved to be shot is wantonly malicious, especially since he knows that Jonathan did not commit treason, which is the only crime which carries a death penalty," Esther Pollard said in a statement.

"In point of fact, Jonathan was charged with the least serious of the espionage statutes: one count of passing classified information to an ally. The median sentence for this offense is two to four years," she said.

Esther Pollard also said that Jones's claim that her husband took money and sold out his country was baseless.

"Jonathan's indictment specifies that he was not charged with harming the United States, and his sentencing transcript clearly shows that the court recognized this fact. Consequently, the court did not impose a monetary fine as it would have if he he had spied for money.

"Most important of all, Israel formally admitted in 1998 that Jonathan Pollard was a bona fide Israeli agent. The formal recognition of Jonathan as an Israeli agent puts the lie to any claims that Jonathan spied out of mercenary motives," she said.

Jones's assertion that the US was acting within standard international norms with regard to the Pollard case is "laughable," Esther Pollard said, adding that no one else in the history of the United States has every received a life sentence for spying for an ally.

She said former US special envoy to the Middle East Dennis Ross wrote in his book The Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace that Pollard is being held by the US as a bargaining chip to be used against Israel.