Middle East Inside Line: Arab League & Israel-Palestine, British PM on Gaza "Prison Camp", Separation Fence Scandal

Thorny Road to Direct Israel-Palestine Talks: Arab League Foreign Ministers are meeting today in Cairo.

Talking to Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that continuing the construction freeze on West Bank settlements would be impossible politically and would bring down the coalition.

A Palestinian official told Reuters, "Abbas will tell [the Arab League] that, until this moment, there is nothing to convince us to go to direct talks.”

Israel-Palestine: Abbas’ Conditions, Netanyahu’s “Eastern Front” Response

Haaretz claims from Palestinian sources that Abbas will seek unequivocal clarifications from the US that the framework for direct talks will include a declaration that the Palestinian state will be based on the borders of 4 June 1967, with adjustments will be based on agreed exchanges of territory. The PA also wants an Israeli declaration that the construction freeze on settlements will continue and that building in East Jerusalem will stop.

Israeli cabinet minister Isaac Herzog (Labor Party) summarizes the dilemma of a "chicken-and-egg" situation. Talking to Israel Radio, he said:

Abu Mazen (Abbas) says: "I don't want to enter direct negotiations until I know what the final result will be."

Netanyahu says: "Enter direct negatiations and I will also tell you what the final result will be."

Each one looks at it opposite, and we are in a sort of political trap.

Britain's Cameron in Turkey, Comments on Gaza: British Prime Minister David Cameron made his first official visit to Turkey, warning European countries about anti-Muslim prejudice and the slow pace of accession talks with Turkey. He told Turkish businessmen:

When I think about what Turkey has done to defend Europe as a NATO ally and what Turkey is doing now in Afghanistan alongside European allies, it makes me angry that your progress towards EU membership can be frustrated in the way it has been. I believe it's just wrong to say Turkey can guard the camp but not be allowed to sit inside the tent.

Cameron's counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Israel’s raid on the Freedom Flotilla an act of “piracy” and compared Israeli officials to Somali pirates. Cameron said that the incident was “completely unacceptable” and called for a speedy and transparent Israeli inquiry into the incident. Cameron also sharpened his tone on Gaza:

The situation in Gaza has to change. Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp.

The Israeli embassy in the U.K. responded to Cameron quickly:

The people of Gaza are the prisoners of the terrorist organization Hamas. The situation in Gaza is the direct result of Hamas’ rule and priorities.

We know that the Prime Minister would also share our grave concerns about our own prisoner in the Gaza Strip, Gilad Shalit, who has been held hostage there for over four years, without receiving a single Red Cross visit.

Separation Fence Scandal: EA has already reported that Walajeh, a village in the Bethlehem Governorate 8.5 kilometres (5.3 miles) to the southwest of Jerusalem, is in danger of being cut off from the rest of Palestinian lands, leaving 2,000 villagers encircled by Israeli settlements, roads, and security barriers.

In a court hearing on Sunday, it emerged that the order to expropriate village lands for the fence, which enabled the work to begin, had expired a year ago. However, instead of ordering a halt to the work, the court issued an injunction requiring the state to explain within 45 days why construction should not be stopped.

The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and Palestinian villagers say that since the injunction was issued, the Defense Ministry and the contractors have been working much faster than before.

The Cost of an Eye: Emily Henochowicz, an Israeli-American studying at the Bezalel Academy of Art in Jerusalem, lost her left eye when Border Guards fired a tear gas canister during a demonstration following the raid on Freedom Flotilla.

According to Henochowicz, one policeman shot a canister directly at her face. Haaretz says that one of its reporter also witnessed the incident.

Following her treatment in Jerusalem, her father was handed a bill for NIS 14,000 (around $3,600). The Ministry of Defense refused to pay, claiming the tear gas was not fired directly at Henochowicz. The statement accused Henochowicz of putting herself at risk by voluntarily participating in a breach of the peace and accused:

From our reports, we know that the Border Police acted in accordance with the law at the violent demonstration at Qalandia, and that the shooting of tear gas canisters at demonstrators was justified. Of course, we regret that Emily Henochowicz was wounded in her eye. But under such circumstances, the Defense Ministry does not cover the expenses of medical treatment.

Middle East Inside Line: Lieberman-Netanyahu Tension, Syria's "Greatest Hope", Restrictions on Gaza, & Much More

Lieberman-Netanyahu Tension Rises Again: Another problem between Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has broken out. Lieberman has appointed Meiron Reuven, a relatively little-known diplomat, as Israel's Acting Ambassador to the United Nations without Netanyahu's consent.

Sources close to Netanyahu said deterioration has been perceptible for weeks and the Prime Minister intends to ask Lieberman to explain his actions.

Syria Criticised but Aligned with Turkey: On Friday, Human Rights Watch said that Syria's President Bashar Assad failed to bring reforms on behalf of democracy following the Damascus Spring, a short period during which Assad allowed political groups to have small gatherings when he came to power in 2000.

Gaza Latest: European Union Calls on Israel to Open Border Crossings
Israel: Government Budget Cuts Defense and Welfare

Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said:

Whether President Assad wanted to be a reformer but was hampered by an entrenched old guard or has been just another Arab ruler unwilling to listen to criticism, the outcome for Syria's people is the same: no freedom, no rights.

A day later, Assad told Turkish journalists that Ankara is most qualified to serve as mediator between Israel and Syria. Assad that Israel's raid on the Turkish-funded Freedom Flotilla was a “terrorist act” and called Turkey "Syria's greatest hope":

The position of mediator in the indirect talks belongs to Turkey. We are completely confident in Ankara’s ability to successfully carry out this duty.

Restrictions on Movement in Gaza: Following President  Obama's praise of Israel for easing restrictions on goods coming in and going out of Gaza, Israel's judiciary has rejected the application of lawyer Fatma Sharif to leave Gaza to undertake a masters programme on human rights at Birzeit University in the West Bank.

Justices Miriam Naor, Hanan Melce,r and Isaac Amit declared:

We are not convinced that under the present political and security situation, the personal circumstances [of the petitioner] justify intervention in the decision of the respondent [the Defense Minister].

More Flotillas and Land Convoys on the Way?: According to Israel's Channel 2, the organiser of the Flotilla Freedom, IHH, announced on Saturday that the group will not only continue efforts to bring supplies to Gaza but "land convoys will head for Gaza" as well.

Turkish Hackers on Mission: Haaretz reports that an Israeli blogger, Erez Wolf, has discovered from a Turkish online forum that tens of thousands of e-mail addresses, passwords, and personal details of Israeli web surfers are in the hands of Turkish hackers.

MENA House: Was Egyptian Billionaire Marwan (Suicide? Murdered?) an Israeli Spy?

On 27 June 2007, Ashraf Marwan --- leading industrialist, aide to one Egyptian President, married to the daughter of another --- died, allegedly in a fall from a balcony.

The initial coroner's report stated that Marwan had jumped and committed suicide. However, Mona Abdel Nasser, Marwan’s wife and the daughter of former President Gamal Abdel Nasser, alleged that her husband was killed by Mossad, the Israeli secret service. Nine days before his death, Marawan supposedly told his wife that he felt he was being watched by Mossad agents and could be assassinated at any moment.

Mona Abdel Nasser also claimed that Marawan could not have thrown himself off the balcony, since he suffered from joint problems and struggled in walking, let alone climbing. In addition, Marawan’s shoes were not found at the crime scene, even though he supposedly always wore special support footwear for his condition.

Was Marwan murdered?  If so, why and by whom?

To consider this, let's take a look at the man.

Ashraf Marwan came from a financially stable family, a parallel to the aristocrats of Egypt prior to the 1952 revolution.  His father was one of the highes- ranking officers in the Egyptian military.  Later Ashraf Marawan served as the chief of staff and personal secretary to 'the Pharaoh' President, Anwar Sadat, and married the daughter of former President Gamal Abdel Nasser.

A trusted patriot and a leading industrialist could not betray his motherland. Or could he? 

Allegations of Marwan's allegiance surfaced in September of 2002.  A London-based Israeli historian, Ahron Bregman, published a book claiming that Marwan was Israel's "master spy" in Cairo.

The next year Howard Blum, citing the head of Israeli military intelligence during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, General Eli Zeira, claimed that Marwan had communicated with the Israelis since a meeting in London in 1969.  The Israeli intelligence service, Mossad,would pay Marwan £50,000 each visit. Marwan often met directly with Zvi Zamir, the head of Mossad, and Marwan's conversations were taped and transcribed for the Israeli Prime Minister.

Was Ashraf Marwan an Israeli spy?  Discussing the matter on Al Taba'a il Oola (The FirstPrint), Ahmed el Meslemani argued that the suggestion was ludicrous, pointing to Marwan's financial stability and patriotic background. The Egyptian intelligence services also were far from completely oblivious to Marwan's movements. Even President Hosni Mubarak had openly stated that Marwan was a patriot and trustworthy.

Still, El Meslemani's response runs up against the widespread theme in Egyptian television soap operas and films, based on true stories, that Mossad "sometimes" recruited Egyptian spies: During tsummer school holidays, Egyptian students would travel to Europe to work, earn some money, and gain some experience. During this time that Mossad would target the students and lure them into liaising with them.

Yet those same TV programmes and films, from the famous Abla Kamil'to soaps "Ra'afat il Hagan" and "Harb il Gawasees" (The War Between Secret Agents), put up an alternative story. In some cases, the Egyptian Intelligence services would be aware of the Israeli manoeuvres and use the students as double agents. Encouraging the students to gain the trust of Mossad, Egyptian intelligence would give the students supposedly vital information on topics such as military activity to pass to Mossad, tracking and sometimes deceiving the Israelis.

So Ashraf Marwan, a suicide or murder victim? An Israeli spy or Egyptian double agent?

Gaza Latest: Aid Ship Docks in Egypt but 3 International Investigations on the Way

The Amalthea, carrying aid, entered Egypt's el-Arish port on Wednesday despite the call of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to break the siege of Gaza, "The sea and land convoys must continue. We hope we can depend on Islamic nations to help us lift the blockade."

Following the Amalthea's docking in el-Arish, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor restated:

Gaza Latest: Is Aid Ship On Its Way or Going Back to Egypt?

Anyone who wants to bring materials there which are not dangerous materials - munitions, etcetera - can bring them through El Arish, can bring them through the [Israeli] port of Ashdod.

What we want is to set the arrangement for inspections, so we can always check and not allow them to bust their way in.

Then Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon announced that Israel can consider itself "victorious" in the Libyan ship incident. He said that calls by the European Union and the US for the ship to follow Israel's instructions and not sail to Gaza are a good sign.

However, West Jerusalem's problems may just be starting. Haaretz reports that there will be several meetings amongst high-ranked officials this week Israel's official response to the United Nations' enquiries. Following the Goldstone Report on the Gaza War, Israel faces three new international investigations. Some officials described the situation  as a "barrage".

The most significant enquiry is that of the UN committee charged with examining the credibility of Israel's court system in the wake of the Goldstone Report . Haaretz's Barak Ravid reports:

The inquiry into the Israeli court system was decided on at a March meeting of the UNHRC [UN Human Rights Commission] in Geneva as part of its continuing effort to monitor Israel's response to the Goldstone report. The panel is charged with examining the efficiency, independence, and professionalism of Israel's court system and its adherence to internationally accepted standards. Some Israeli officials have already begun describing it as "a second Goldstone committee."

The committee headed by the German jurist Christian Tomuschat is tasked with monitoring any legal steps taken by the Israeli or Palestinian authorities to implement the Goldstone Report's recommendations. It should begin its work in the next few weeks and submit a final report in October.

Israel's official response to the Goldstone report has been negative, labelling it as "one-sided, legitimizing terrorism". So, if the Netanyahu government decides to cooperate with the Tomuschat committee, it will be a change in strategy.

Two other international committees, one appointed by the UN Secretary General and the other by the UN Human Rights Council, are set to begin work over Israel's May raid on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla.

Palestine Analysis: What is Ramallah's Strategy on Israel Talks? (Yenidunya)

Although some Palestinian Authority officials do not rule out the possibility of moving to direct talks as long as Israel give certain pledges regarding the agenda and the timetable, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat is not seeing eye-to-eye with them.

Speaking to the Turkish state television channel TRT on Tuesday, Erekat said:

Our option is a two-state solution. We have recognized the state of Israel and its right to exist on the 1967 borders. Now it's up to the international community to stand firm and recognize Palestine on the 1967 lines with Jerusalem as its capital.

Our position is that the key to direct negotiations is in the hand of Mr. Netanyahu. The minute he stops settlement activities including natural growth in Jerusalem, the minute he agrees to go to permanent status talks, where we left them in December 2008, we'll have direct talks.

The Israelis have a choice, settlements or peace. They can't have both.

Erekat also added that a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state is "not on the agenda".

In contrast, pointing to a possible consensus on the transfer of security in some West Bank cities to Palestinian forces as a confidence-building measure, Haaretz reports that Shin Bet security service head Yuval Diskin recently spent a day in the West Bank city of Jenin as a guest of Palestinian Authority counterparts.

Shin Bet chose not to respond to the report. Senior Palestinian officials, however, confirmed yesterday that Diskin had visited last week.

So, given that some Palestinian officials like Erekat are putting conditions on talks but others like Yasser Abed Rabbo are hinting at a possible deal to get to the negotiating table, what is Ramallah's strategy?

It had been reported, following President Obama's telephone call to the PA leader Mahmoud Abbas, that Abbas rejected direct talks before a settlement freeze in both the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. However, Haaretz adds this crucial paragraph:

According to knowledgeable sources in Ramallah, the day after meeting with Netanyahu, US President Barack Obama promised PA President Mahmoud Abbas that if, by this coming winter, [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu doesn't place a reasonable map on the negotiating table, which includes the division of Jerusalem, Obama will place his own map on the table.

Thus, the answer to the Palestinian riddle tseems to lie in Washington.