I World ROUND Palestinian Investment JerusalemlJTA — Diaspora Jews should join Arabs in investing in the Palestinian economy, Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. Jewish leaders. The Israeli prime minister listed pros- perity for the Palestinians among six conditions for lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace in a call on July 21 with members of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Netanyahu outlined steps he was taking to facilitate commerce in the West Bank and spur the Palestinian economy, which he said could flourish with the coopera- tion of the Palestinian Authority and with the help of Jews and Arabs overseas. Netanyahu's other conditions for peace were Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state; resolving the Palestinian refugee issue outside Israel's borders; a peace treaty that unequivocally ends the conflict; effective demilitarization of the Palestinian state, and arrangements for the international community, led by the United States, to guarantee the peace. Netanyahu said demilitarization would include Israeli control of air space, Palestinian forces limited to light arms and no military pacts with other coun- tries. The Israeli prime minister said he was skeptical of Syria's intentions to make peace, given its continued relationship with Iran and with terrorist groups. NEB 200 9 C300 Netanyahu added, however, that he is ready for an unconditional return to peace talks and would not make an end to Syrian support for groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah a precondition. Netanyahu also emphasized that the Obama administration is not linking the containment of Iran to progress on Israeli-Palestinian peace. President Obama "never" conditioned cooperation with Israel on strategies to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear device to U.S. efforts to advance the peace process, he said. But Netanyahu did say that he perceived causal links between the two issues that go both ways: A nuclear Iran would greatly enhance its spoiler status when it comes to peacemaking, and achieving peace with the Palestinians would score a success for moderates in the region who hope to tamp down Iranian influence. Diversity In Jerusalem Jerusalem/JTA — Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said members of all faiths should be allowed to own and develop property in the city. Barkat, in New York for a private visit, was reacting to the diplomatic row between Israel and the United States over Jewish construction in eastern Jerusalem during a July 22 news conference. "If Jews want to build at Shepherd Hotel ... then I believe it is unacceptable" to prohibit them from doing so, Barkat said, referring to the site of a controversial S IGN Jewish-owned housing project in eastern Jerusalem, which is largely Arab. "It would be wrong and discriminating to allow to build or not to build for any person based on his religion." Barkat reiterated his support for full Israeli sovereignty over the city, which the Palestinians claim as the capital of their future state. "I agree with [President] Obama that Jerusalem needs to be open to all religions:' he said, adding that "it is not practical to divide a city, certainly not the eternal city of Jerusalem:' Barkat also spoke about his vision for the future of the city, noting his goal of increasing the number of tourists from 2 million to 10 million a year by 2019. On the matter of recent Sabbath riots by fervently Orthodox residents on a scale not seen in more than a decade, Barkat sounded an unapologetic tone, saying the decision to open a parking lot in central Jerusalem, which sparked the violence, was made in accordance with police advice. Asked if he would have done any- thing different, Barkat replied, "Probably not." Nakba And Textbooks Jerusalem/JTA — "Nakba," the Arabic term meaning "catastrophe" used to describe the creation of the state of Israel, will be removed from school textbooks. The announcement was made by Israel's Education Ministry. The term was approved for use in a textbook for Arab-Israeli schools in 2007. "After studying the matter with educa- tion experts, it was decided that the term nakba should be removed," Yisrael Twito, a spokesman for Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar, told Ha'aretz."It is inconceivable that in Israel we would talk about the estab- lishment of the state as a catastrophe." Answering Israel's Critics The Charge Alison Weir, a longtime American critic of Israel, said this month that U.S. aid to Israel causes poverty and a humani- tarian crisis for Palestinians. The Answer Weir solely blames Israel for Palestinian suffering, ignoring evidence that implicates Palestinian leadership, neighboring Arab regimes and indif- ference from much of the rest of the world. - Allan Gale, Jewish Community Relations Council of Metropolitan Detroit Jewish Renaissance Media, July 30, 2009 DRIVE1 Yom NEW 2009 AUD I A4 9 r IMO) GSM •ercedes-Benz ALAN (PNVEEVERS ofsYmgma t7 contact Ricitzernep 824 2 4 5570 Monroe Street • Sylvania, Oil • wwvisindeverccom. _ 48 mo. lease, 10,000 mi/yr. allowed with 250 over limit. $0 down. 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