Il racconto sul Boston Globe del viaggio in Medio Oriente di una delegazione di membri del Congresso USA, a quanto sembra troppo legati a J Street. Una vicinanza che sembra all’origine del boicottaggio da parte del ministero degli esteri israeliano.

Delahunt woke to a headline in Israel’s largest newspaper stating that the Israeli Foreign Ministry was “boycotting’’ his delegation and that some meetings Delahunt hoped to have would not take place. The reason, according to the newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, was that the trip had been sponsored by J Street, a liberal Jewish group that is often critical of Israeli government policies.

The diplomatic imbroglio, which Israeli officials have portrayed as exaggerated by the press, has helped spark a vigorous debate both in Israel and the United States over whether Israel is alienating allies by responding too fiercely to criticism and perceived slights. It has also added fuel to an ongoing debate among American Jews over what it means to be “pro-Israel’’ and how vocal they should be in pushing the Jewish state to make concessions in negotiations with Palestinians over peace.

“This is a moment when I think American politicians need to help Israel help itself,’’ said Jeremy Ben-Ami, executive director of J Street. “For America’s sake, as well as Israel’s sake, we have got to end this conflict.’’

Lunedi 1 Marzo, alle ore 12, c’è la presentazione del libro presso il Patriarcato Latino a Gerusalemme, con don Nandino Capovilla. Interverranno Sua Beatitudine FOUAD TWAL, Patriarca Latino di Gerusalemme, e Sua Ecc.za Mons. GIOVANNI GIUDICI, Vescovo di Pavia e Presidente di Pax Christi Italia

E’ il titolo di un lungo articolo, sul sito di Yediot Ahronot, dedicato – appunto – all’eredità di Baruch Goldstein che, lungi dall’essersi interrotta dopo la strage compiuta dell’esponente del movimento terroristico Kach, continua. Come dimostrano i pellegrinaggi sulla sua tomba e la serie di siti online che inneggiano al suo “gesto”. L’articolo arriva in corrispondenza all’anniversario del massacro compiuto da Goldstein dentro la Mosche Ibrahimi di Hebron. Dopo il massacro, fu consentito dalle autorità il corteo funebre della salma di Goldstein da Gerusalemme alla colonia israeliana di Kiryat Arba.

Dall’articolo su Ynet:

As years went by, his life and death became a myth among radical right-wing circles. “He knew that Jewish blood was about to be shed, and so he protected his own people. Perhaps some were innocent – but war is war,” says Itamar Ben Gvir in an attempt to rationalize the unthinkable act.

“We come here every year to show the Left that suppressing the Right will be met with opposition,” said Michael Ben-Horin, who edited a book about Goldstein titled “Baruch Hagever.” Recently, the book marked a victory when the District Court ruled that “Lauding Goldstein does not constitute incitement” – a decision that was not appealed by the state.

Una delle più fini analiste egiziane, anonima ma credibile. Dopo mesi di silenzio, torna a parlare Baheyya, sul suo blog. E parla di Mohammed el Baradei, della sua possibile candidatura alle presidenziali, e soprattutto della possibilità di creare attorno a lui una constituency che in Italia definiremmo trasversale. Chi vivrà vedrà. Di certo, il rientro di El Baradei al Cairo ha scompaginato le carte, e molto.

At this point, it’s hard to see how ElBaradei can even run in the elections, much less have a real chance at winning. But I think he’s doing more than launching a symbolic campaign. He’s raising the costs of electoral engineering for the Mubarak regime, making 2010 and 2011 the toughest polls yet in Mubarak’s tenure. What’s more, ElBaradei’s entry comes at a time whenthe regime is at its weakest. Mubarak is fast fading, his son is flailing, the bureaucracy is riven with unbelievable corruption and civil servant protests, and all social classes are literally fed up and can’t stand the Mubaraks anymore. None of this means that ElBaradei is going to displace the system, but it does mean that the regime will have to work harder than it ever has to weather the electoral cycle.

Decisione importante da parte della Corte Europea di Giustizia riguardante prodotti originati dalla Cisgiordania ed esportati verso l’Europa. A questi prodotti, provenienti dalle colonie israeliane in Cisgiordania, non vengono applicati i trattamenti preferenziali applicati a Israele secondo gli accordi tra Tel Aviv e Bruxelles

Ecco alcuni passi della decisione della Corte del 25 febbraio:

[...]

to interpret Article 83 of the EC-Israel Association Agreement as meaning that the Israeli customs authorities enjoy competence in respect of products originating in the West Bank would be tantamount to imposing on the Palestinian customs authorities an obligation to refrain from exercising the competence conferred upon them by virtue of the abovementioned provisions of the EC-PLO Protocol. Such an interpretation, the effect of which would be to create an obligation for a third party without its consent, would thus be contrary to the principle of general international law, ‘pacta tertiis nec nocent nec prosunt’, as consolidated in Article 34 of the Vienna Convention.

53 It follows that Article 83 of the EC-Israel Association Agreement must be interpreted as meaning that products originating in the West Bank do not fall within the territorial scope of that agreement and do not therefore qualify for preferential treatment under that agreement.

54 In those circumstances, the German customs authorities could refuse to grant, in respect of the goods at issue, preferential treatment as provided for under the EC-Israel Association Agreement, on the ground that those goods originated in the West Bank.