Israel: Non-Jews Seeking Citizenship Must Sign Loyalty Oath (Lis)

EA's Ali Yenidunya predicted earlier this week that the domestic dynamic over direct Israel-Palestine talks would see Cabinet approval of a loyalty oath for non-Jews, a key demand of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's Israel Beiteinu party and Minister of Internal Affairs Eli Yishai's Shas.

So it has come to pass. Jonathan Lis of Haaretz reports:

Cabinet ministers on Sunday approved by a majority vote a controversial proposal which would require every non-Jew wishing to become a citizen of Israel would have to vow loyalty to "the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state."

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Israel-Palestine Analysis: Obama Has Failed --- It's Back to Indirect Talks

On Friday, Arab League ministers endorsed the call of Palestinian Authority leader Mamoud Abbas' call to end direct talks unless Israel agrees to another freeze on West Bank settlements. 

The Arab ministers said they would meet again in a month to study alternatives and decide on next steps, giving the Obama Administration more time to broker a compromise on renewal of the talks. The Arab delegates want to see a clear path forward after the November Congressional elections in the US.

The Palestinian Authority has still not made a commitment, despite Mahmoud Abbas' declaration that he is ready to leave the negotiating table; given the Arab League outcome, the PA may not do so until November. However, the position seems clear. Unless Israel agrees to a two-month extension on the settlement freeze, we are back to indirect talks.

For the moment, the Arab representatives have saved Barack Obama's face. But Washington, rather than just sending out another set of envoys, needs to spend some time in serious consideration of major steps. Abbas told Arab leaders that he may seek US recognition for a Palestinian state if Israel does not offer a response on settlements. Alternatively, according to sources close to the PA leadership, Abbas told U.S. envoy George Mitchell that he will resign if there is no movement.

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Israel-Palestine: Arab League Gives Talks One More Month (Sanders)

Looks like EA's Ali Yenidunya was spot-on in his prediction. Arab League ministers did not set down an immediate ultimatum on Friday over the Israel-Palestine talks, even though West Jerusalem has not agreed to extend the moratorium on settlement expansion in the West Bank, but delayed a decision for a month.

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Israel-Palestine: Abbas to Mitchell "If Settlement Expansion Continues, I Resign" (Eldar)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas informed U.S. envoy George Mitchell last week that the renewal of settlement construction will not only bring about the collapse of peace talks but it will also induce his resignation from the post of Palestinian Authority president.

According to Palestinian sources close to the PA leadership, Abbas told Mitchell of his plans during their last meeting together.

Abbas's resignation means the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority, since it was agreed inside the government that no one from the leadership of Fatah will step up to replace Abbas as president, and no new elections will be held.

In a conversation he held last week in his plane with a reporter, Abbas said "this is the last time that you will fly with me while I am president of the PA."

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Israel-Palestine Analysis: It's "Win-Win" in West Jerusalem....but Who Won?

The US approach to Netanyahu, pleading for an extension of the settlement freeze, was that it was a "win-win" proposition: the Prime Minister maintained his flexibility in the talks, which would continue, and Israel also received guarantees and money from Washington. The only problem is that this is not the only "win-win" in town. Away from the formal negotiations, other Israeli politicians were setting out a different "win-win" to the Prime Minister. Bibi, you get to maintain the role of leader in the discussions with the Palestinians but we get the measures inside Israel --- defining who is "proper Israeli" and who is not --- that we want.

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Israel-Palestine: Netanyahu Seeks Cabinet Agreement to 2-Month Extension of Settlements Freeze

While Washington has denied that President Obama sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu giving assurances in return for an extension of the moratorium on settlement expansion in the West Bank, the London-based newspaper Asharq al-Awsat quoted Israeli officials on Monday that Netanyahu has agreed to extend Israel's freeze for 60 days. 

According to rumours, Obama's offer included a continued Israel Defense Forces presence in the Jordan Valley, continued US political and military support with an annual increase of $3 billion, a commitment to veto any anti-Israel UN Security Council resolution in the next year, an agreement not to ask for any more extensions of the freeze, with that the fate of the settlements dealt with only as part of a final status agreement with the Palestinians, a series of guarantees to prevent the smuggling of weapons and missiles into a Palestinian state, and a comprehensive regional defense pact for protection from Iran. 

At a meeting of Likud ministers, Netanyahu hinted at a freeze extension, saying there were "a lot of reports on the subject, most of which are wrong, and we can't deny or correct everything".  He added: "Now there is interest in continuing the peace negotiations... Peace is a vital interest for the State of Israel."

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Video: The Belly-Dancing Israeli Soldier and the Bound Palestinian Woman

UPDATE 5 October: There is also media attention this morning to the vandalism and burning of a mosque by Jewish settlers in the West Bank village of Beit Fajjar. Korans were also set on fire in the incident.

I was in two minds about whether to post this clip, which came out on YouTube, was picked up by an Israeli television station --- which has just broadcast a programme on the incident --- and has been reported by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

The episode occurs in the context of other recent cases, including pictures posted by a former Israeli soldier in which she posed beside a bound and blindfolded Palestinian prisoner and the arrest of three soldiers for taking photographs of themselves alongside cuffed and blindfolded Palestinian detainees.

The Israel Defense Forces have ordered an investigation of the most recent incident.

In the end, I decided to post this not as a specific indictment of the Israeli military --- that can be debated amongst readers --- but as a reminder of what happens when one group, in its occupation, wields power over another, such as the Abu Ghraib case in Iraq.

Watch the video (Warning: May be disturbing to some viewers)....

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Inside the Israel-Palestine Talks: Going Nowhere? (Haaretz)

The three meetings held so far between Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the current round of peace talks have addressed nothing of substance, diplomatic sources say.

American mediators are still trying to save the talks from collapsing in the crisis following the resumption of construction in settlements.

Netanyahu refused to hold a serious discussion on any of the core issues apart from security, Abbas reportedly told diplomats he met at the UN General Assembly. Israeli and foreign sources say the main problem is that Netanyahu refuses to present fundamental positions or discuss the borders of the Palestinian state.

"I heard nothing from Netanyahu but niceties," Abbas reportedly told foreign diplomats.

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Dissecting Israeli Foreign Minister Lieberman: His Latest Speech on the Palestine Question

A classic and unsurprising statement from Lieberman, which displays without apology his flawed, wishful thinking.

Let me ask a simple question: how can this "emotional problem" be overcome, bringing mutual trust, if the land on which illegal settlements are onstructed is claimed as the birthright of every Israeli Jew, if the West Bank is called Judea and Samaria, if the solution is for your "vital interests" but not for theirs?

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Gaza Blockade: Israel Intercepts Jewish Aid Yacht "Irene"

This morning Israel Defense Forces intercepted the "Irene", a Jewish aid boat attempting to break the naval blockade on Gaza. There were no casualties. 

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement: "IDF naval forces recently boarded the yacht "Irene", and it is currently being led to the Ashdod seaport along with its passengers."

IDF chief spokesman Avi Benayahu said:

[The aid boat's] entire intention was to generate media attention and [stage] a provocation. This matter is especially regrettable as we are talking about a group of Jews and of Israeli citizens, and even someone who has worn an IDF officer's uniform.