Is Rodney Dangerfield running our State Department?

Britain worries about the rise of anti-Semitism on its campuses yet ignores the fact that the Mayor of London is an outright anti-Semite. Perhaps if the Brits acted with some guts in freeing their own captured soldiers it would be easier to take them seriously. (see 1 below.)

Tony Blair could go out in a blaze of "English Bull Doggedness" if he gave Iran the following ultimatum: You have 7 days to return all of the captured British Military and offer an apology. If not, Britain will declare a state of war and proceed accordingly." Wouldn't that be something but it will never happen. Britain will keep dithering and seeking more worthless condemnations from the toothless U.N. Security Council.

No wonder The Saudi Royal Family is quaking in their silken robes. They are about to learn that what goes around comes around. Their funding of terrorism, sponsoring of Wahabbism and financing hatred in Madrassas is going to bite them before too long and then they will have their own 9/11 to deal with and they will have no one to blame but themselves.

What we are witnessing is a pathetic display of abject weakness on the part of virtually every Western democracy and the Democrats in Congress are leading the parade. However,GW is not far behind with his incompetent diplomatic initiatives which have made us the laughing stock of the Arab World while at the same time it has emboldened them.

It is as if Rodney Dangerfield were running our State Department!

And if all of the above isn't sickening enough, another tragic and imbecilic leader, Ehud Olmert, is wandering around the Negev in search of "moderate" Arabs. (See 2 below.)

Olmert also tries to link the Lebanese War by claiming it has given Arabs insight into their own state of affairs. Good try! (See 3 below.)

Israel's foreign ministry issued their own inane diplomatic comment. (See 4 below.)

Not to be outdone by Israel's Foreign Ministry our State Department issues it own dream like message. (See 5 below.)

Dick





1) U.K. gov't worried by growing anti-Semitism on campuses
By Amiram Barkat

The British government has stated its opposition to an academic boycott on Israel and is concerned about the 'rising tide of anti-Semitic discourse and anti-Semitism on university campuses' according to the British government's response to the report of the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into anti-Semitism.

The government's response, released yesterday and presented by Race and Faith Minister Phil Woolas, stated: 'We are specifically concerned about significant indications that, unlike other forms of racism, anti-Semitism is being accepted within parts of society instead of being condemned.'

The report, submitted in response to the recommendations of the all-party committee headed by Labor Member of Parliament John Mann and published in September 2006, contains 35 recommendations on how to deal with rising anti-Semitism.

In specifically noting the problem of anti-Semitism on campus, the report stated: 'We conclude that calls to boycott contact with academics working in Israel are an assault on academic freedom and intellectual exchange.'

The report continued: 'We are aware that current rhetoric about Israel and Zionism (from the far-right, the far-left and Islamic extremists alike) employs anti-Semitic motifs consistent with ancient forms of hatred toward Jews.'

The Board of Deputies of British Jews welcomed the government response. Jon Benjamin, chief executive of the organization, said 'with this robust response, neither anti-Jewish discourse nor more overt forms of anti-Semitism can be brushed aside.'

2) Olmert seeks talks with Saudis, moderate Arab states
By Aluf Benn

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert wants to start a dialogue with Saudi Arabia and other moderate Arab countries after the Riyadh summit again ratified the Saudi peace initiative.

In an interview appearing in the Haaretz supplement Week's End, Olmert said he would be happy to take part in a regional conference that would support direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

"A bloc of states is emerging that understands that they may have been wrong to think that Israel is the world's greatest problem. That is a revolutionary change in outlook," Olmert said.

"There are interesting ideas there, and we are ready to hold discussions and hear from the Saudis about their approach and to tell them about ours," he added.

"We aren't going overboard in this matter, but we are also not discounting it. We will act cautiously and wisely out of a willingness to create a dynamic that will improve and strengthen the process."

"The Riyadh summit is certainly a serious matter. We do not delude ourselves - they want us to go back to the 1967 borders and they also want the right of return. We were not surprised; we understood it would be this way. The content is important, but it is also important to relate to the atmosphere, positioning and direction.

"Saudi Arabia is the country that in the end will determine the ability of the Arabs to reach a compromise with Israel," Olmert said.

Israel's official response, released in a statement by the Foreign Ministry in coordination with the Prime Minister's Bureau, was lukewarm. It ignored the content of the Riyadh resolution and focused on the call by the moderate Arab nations to enter a dialogue with Israel.

"Israel believes in peace, and seeks to establish peaceful and neighborly relations both with the Palestinian people and with all the states of the region," the Foreign Ministry statement said. "Israel is sincerely interested in pursuing a dialogue with those Arab states that desire peace with Israel, this in order to promote a process of normalization and cooperation. Israel hopes that the Riyadh Summit will contribute to this effort.

"Israel's position with regard to the peace process with the Palestinians is founded upon fundamental principles, the most central of which is the existence of two nation-states, with each state addressing the national aspirations of its own people - Israel for the Jewish people and Palestine for the Palestinian people - and with both states coexisting in peace, free from the threat of terrorism and violence. For this purpose, a direct dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians is necessary." The statement added: "Israel also believes that moderate Arab states can fill a positive role by encouraging regional cooperation, and supporting the Israel-Palestinian track. A dialogue between these states and Israel can contribute to this end."

Defense Minister Amir Peretz said on Thursday during a meeting called to discuss the Riyadh summit that Israel should derive satisfaction that the Arab consensus adopted the principle of ending the conflict and normalization with Israel.

According to Peretz, Israel will make a mistake if it ignores the Arab initiative, which should be seen as a basis for negotiations on a permanent status agreement with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Participants at the meeting warned that a lack of response by Israel to the Riyadh conference might ratchet up international pressure and lead to the blaming of Israel for a freeze in the diplomatic process, which might deny it the freedom to act diplomatically and militarily.

Deputy Premier Shimon Peres called on the Arab states "to sit together with Israel and achieve an agreement, as we did with Egypt and Jordan. Unilateral declarations, in which each side presents its positions, will not achieve anything," Peres said.




3) War created revolutionary change in region, Olmert says

‘Influential Arab countries are beginning to understand that Israel is not their greatest concern; this marks a revolutionary change in their outlook,’ prime minister tells Kadima members in Jerusalem; adds that Palestinians are ‘nearing the point where they must make a decision’


Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Thursday that the Arab summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is part of a process that was facilitated by the Second Lebanon War.


“The influential Arab countries are beginning to understand that Israel is not their greatest concern; this marks a revolutionary change in their outlook,” the prime minister told fellow Kadima members during a Passover toast held at his official residence in Jerusalem.


Olmert continued to say that the Arab summit is “definitely a serious matter.”


“We are not deluding ourselves; they want us to return to the 1967 borders and implement the right of return,” he said. “This did not surprise us. The summit's content is important, but we must also pay attention to its atmosphere and direction.


“Saudi Arabia is the country that will eventually determine that Arabs’ ability to reach a compromise with Israel. Its willingness to lead and intervene is very interesting. We are not exaggerating the importance of this issue, but we are not dismissing it either.”


Turning his attention to the Palestinians, Olmert said they are “nearing the point where they must make a decision. When this time will come, a breakthrough will be made that will allow us to implement historic processes.”

4) Israel believes in peace, and seeks to establish peaceful and neighborly
relations both with the Palestinian people and with all the states of the
region.

Israel is sincerely interested in pursuing a dialogue with those Arab states
that desire peace with Israel, this in order to promote a process of
normalization and cooperation. Israel hopes that the Riyadh Summit will
contribute to this effort.

Israel's position with regard to the peace process with the Palestinians is
founded upon fundamental principles, the most central of which is the
existence of two nation-states, with each state addressing the national
aspirations of its own people - Israel for the Jewish people and Palestine
for the Palestinian people - and with both states coexisting in peace, free
of the threat of terrorism and violence.

For this purpose, a direct dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians is
necessary.

Israel also believes that moderate Arab states can fill a positive role by
encouraging regional cooperation, and supporting the Israel-Palestinian
track. A dialogue between these states and Israel can contribute to this
end.

5) US welcomes Arab stand on Middle East

State Department welcomes Arab League’s reaffirmation of its 2002 land for peace proposal for settling Israeli-Palestinian conflict; ‘that is something we view as very positive’ spokesman Sean McCormack says.

The State Department on Thursday welcomed the Arab League’s reaffirmation of its 2002 land for peace proposal for settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Call for Peace
Rejecting peace plan is like asking for war, say Saudis / Ynet
Saudi foreign minister says that Israel will put its fate in the hands of war mongers if it turns down peace initiative; Both sides must want peace equally, he says
Full Story


“That is something we view as very positive,” spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.


He noted that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had urged during her recent trip to the region that the Arabs consider using the initiative as a “point of active diplomacy.”


The Arab reaffirmation came at a summit meeting in Saudi Arabia.



'Our forces are there only to help'

The spokesman said the United States has no interest in seeking revisions to the initiative. He recalled that Rice had said recently that it is an Arab initiative. “We are not and have not asked them to amend it,” he said.


McCormack brushed aside criticism by Saudi King Abdullah that the American military presence in Iraq is an “illegitimate foreign occupation.”


He characterized Saudi Arabia as a good friend and ally and said the monarch has good relations with President Bush and Rice.


McCormack said the multinational forces are in Iraq under a mandate from the UN Security Council. “They are there at the invitation of the Iraqi government. Our forces are there only to help support the Iraqi people and government as they try to build a different kind of Iraq,” he said.