Trump’s flirtation with Bolton sends shivers through Senate, Politico
“Donald Trump’s selection of ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson as secretary of state threatens to touch off a confirmation fight, but the man in the running to be Tillerson’s deputy could spark an all-out war in the Senate. John Bolton, the mustache-sporting, Iraq War-cheering former United Nations ambassador, is possibly one of the least diplomatic diplomats ever to serve in the U.S. government. He has argued the U.S. should bomb Iran to stop its nuclear program, dismissed the idea of a Palestinian state and called the United Nations a ‘twilight zone.’….The left-leaning Jewish advocacy group J Street is among those urging Trump not to place Bolton at State. ‘We oppose his nomination and believe his confirmation would greatly set back American diplomacy, our country’s national standing and the foreign policy and security interests of the United States and our allies, including Israel,’ the group said in a statement.”
Rex Tillerson Faces New Chorus of Condemnation From Jews as Secretary of State Pick, Forward
“In a Monday evening statement to the Forward, the left-wing pro-Israel group J Street asked senators to vet Tillerson carefully. ‘We expect senators to question him vigorously to determine whether his views are consistent with decades of bipartisan U.S. support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and with upholding our country’s international commitments, such as the successful nuclear agreement with Iran,’ the organization said.”
Netanyahu: Trump’s Idea to Move U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem Is ‘Great’, Haaretz
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is “great.” Speaking to journalists accompanying him during a visit in Azerbaijan, Netanyahu added that Trump supports Israel and appreciates Israel’s desire for peace. According to Netanyahu, Israel appreciates the fact that it’s more widely supported in the U.S. compared to most countries in the worldת adding that the U.S. understands that Israel must decide its own fate and make decisions about its future.
Two Wounded in Stabbing Attack in Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, Haaretz
Two people, a 35-year-old male and a 14-year-old boy, were lightly wounded in a stabbing attack in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City on Wednesday. The assailant, a West Bank resident, was shot at the scene and later died of his wounds.
Major Jewish Groups To Snub Presidents Conference Trump Hotel Hanukkah Party, Forward
“Malcolm Hoenlein may be standing in a largely empty, ornate Trump International Hotel ballroom late Wednesday afternoon during the Conference of Presidents’ now-infamous Hanukkah party. It is well known that eight of the Conference of Presidents’ left-of-center member organizations, including the Union for Reform Judaism and National Council of Jewish Women, pulled out of the event. They cited reasons ranging from the fact that the party is being co-hosted by the embassy of Azerbaijan, a Muslim-led country with a questionable human rights record, to the fact that it is being held in a new hotel property owned by the president-elect, which raises questions about the appearance of trying to curry favor with him. What has not been known, until now, is that several of the Conference’s centrist member groups – core constituents including the ADL, the American Jewish Committee, Hadassah and Jewish Federations of North America – are also refusing to attend the party. Sources at the ADL, AJC and Hadassah confirmed that they will not participate, as did someone close to JFNA.”
Abbas Strips Rivals of Immunity, Clearing Way for Their Arrest, Haaretz
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas stripped five Palestinian legislators of their parliamentary immunity on Monday, with the most prominent being his long-time bitter rival, Mohammed Dahlan. Sources in Abbas’ Fatah party said the decision will enable the five parliamentarians to be arrested and questioned. The sources said all five are suspected of various crimes, including arms dealing, financial crimes and libel. Though Dahlan was recently expelled from Fatah, the other four parliamentarians are all Fatah members.
PLO delegation meets with US officials in Washington, Ma’an
A Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) delegation met with US officials in Washington, D.C. on Monday as a final meeting with President Barack Obama’s administration before the transition to President-Elect Donald Trump in January. A joint statement by the US-Palestinian Political Dialogue said that PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat and US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Stuart E. Jones met to discuss a number of issues related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the broader Middle East.
Ron Kampeas describes the meeting of the third Summit of Greater Washington Imams and Rabbis.
Palestinian Hunger Strikers Say They Will Refuse Water After Israeli Court Denies Petition, Haaretz
Two Palestinian prisoners who have been on a hunger strike for 80 days say they will now refuse water as well after Israel’s High Court of Justice denied a petition to rescind their detention orders. The two, Ahmad Abu Farah and Anas Shadid, are being held in administrative detention − detention without trial. The High Court has already suspended, not rescinded, the detention order due to their poor health.
New York Times Jerusalem Chief Peter Baker To Cover Trump White House, Forward
Peter Baker, the new New York Times’ bureau chief in Jerusalem, announced that he would be leaving the Holy Land after less than six months to return to his veteran beat and cover the White House for Times.
EU ‘deplores’ Israeli demolitions of humanitarian structures in West Bank, Ma’an
Following a spate of demolitions of Palestinian structures in the occupied West Bank last week by Israeli forces, the European Union Representative and the EU Heads of Mission in Jerusalem and Ramallah slammed Israel for violating international humanitarian law.
Sweden Foreign Minister Who Slammed Israel Shunned During Visit, Forward
Top Israeli officials said they are too busy to meet with Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom when she arrives in the country later this week. Wallstrom is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Thursday where she had planned to meet with Israeli officials and officials from the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. But after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials declined to meet with her, Wallstrom reportedly will only meet with Palestinian officials during the visit. Netanyahu currently holds the Foreign Minister’s portfolio and as such is Wallstrom’s counterpart.
Palestinian Hunger Strikers Say They Will Refuse Water After Israeli Court Denies Petition, Haaretz
Two Palestinian prisoners who have been on a hunger strike for 80 days say they will now refuse water as well after Israel’s High Court of Justice denied a petition to rescind their detention orders. The two, Ahmad Abu Farah and Anas Shadid, are being held in administrative detention − detention without trial. The High Court has already suspended, not rescinded, the detention order due to their poor health.
Miniskirt Protesters Blocked From Israel’s Knesset as ‘Modesty’ Spat Rages, Forward
Forty female Israeli parliamentary aides and advisers showed up to work in miniskirts and black leggings on December 14 in protest of new Knesset modesty rules. Their protest was sparked by two incidents in recent weeks when women were either turned away or delayed at the Knesset by guards because of what they were wearing.
How Trump emboldens Netanyahu, Al-Monitor
Ben Caspit writes, “Netanyahu has burned a lot of bridges to large swathes of American Judaism. The enthusiastic seal of approval he gave Trump in the CBS interview together with other declarations aroused great anger among much of American Jewry, which is strongly liberal and Democratic. Trump’s rise to power provoked anti-Semitism. Many American Jews feel that the earth is starting to burn under their feet. While they worriedly follow developments, along comes the prime minister of the Jewish state giving his seal of approval to the new administration while ignoring the emotional turmoil and distress of the American Jewish community. Netanyahu hears the criticism but elegantly ignores it. As far as he is concerned, the yellow brick road to the White House, off limits to him in recent years, is now open, and taking it is in Israel’s supreme interest. Netanyahu said in the CBS interview that he will encourage Trump to revoke the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers. According to the Israeli prime minister, there are several ways that this goal could be accomplished.”
Moving the US Embassy to Jerualem is Still a Bad Idea, J Street Blog
Jeremy Ben-Ami writes, “Ill-advised, short-sighted steps in Jerusalem – like moving the US Embassy – move us further away from the two-state solution – which is actually supported by the majority of American Jews. Moving the embassy would lead to violence, damage US interests and be opposed by the majority of American Jews. Those are ample good reasons not to do it as every president before has recognized.”