ROUNDUP

Abbas Eyes Peace Talks?

Ramallah/JTA — Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly has
agreed in principle to hold indirect peace
negotiations with Israel brokered by the
United States.
An unnamed senior Palestinian official
confirmed the talks, which are expected to
begin Feb. 20, the French news agency AFP
reported Monday.
The official told AFP that the talks
brokered by U.S. Mideast envoy George
Mitchell "will be aimed at creating a better
climate and reaching an understanding on
the borders of the Palestinian state, and
they will begin on Feb. 20."
"They will last three months, with the
Americans negotiating directly with the
two sides after determining a timetable
and agreed-upon mechanisms for imple-
mentation," AFP quoted the source as
saying.
Abbas has not yet given his final
approval to the deal. He will consult with
Arab leaders and get some clarifications
from the United States before responding,
AFP reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu believes the shuttle diplomacy
will lead to direct negotiations, according
to reports.
Also Monday, Abbas' Cabinet announced
plans to hold municipal elections on July
17, according to the Associated Press. They
would be the first Palestinian elections
since Hamas took control of Gaza in June
2007.
The Cabinet statement said elections
also would be held in Gaza, according to
the AP.
Presidential and legislative elections
were supposed to have taken place in
January. They have not been rescheduled.

Clinton referred to the recent revelation
of a second uranium enrichment plant at
Qom and Iran's rejection of a compromise
enrichment offer brokered through the
International Atomic Energy Agency.
Clinton said President Obama's policy
of outreach to Iran and other nations suc-
ceeded in galvanizing international sup-
port for Iran's isolation.
"Engagement was the first stage,' she
said. "We had to change the mind-set of
not just leaders but of their populations.
We are moving toward a new nuclear arms
treaty with Russia, something that has
been a high priority with us. We have reset
our relationship. The Russians have been
very positive in discussions about sanc-
tions on Iran and on many other impor-
tant matters. I'm not sure that would have
been predicted a year age

Descendant Of Marranos
Madrid/JTA — A descendant of forcibly
converted Spanish Jews who immigrated
to Israel and became a rabbi is returning
to Spain.
Rabbi Nissan Ben-Avraham of Shiloh
in the West Bank will serve as emissary
to the Bnei Anousim, or Marranos, for the
Shavei Israel organization.
Shavei Israel is a nonprofit organiza-
tion founded to strengthen ties between
the State of Israel and descendants of
Jews around the world, including the Bnei
Menashe of India, the Bnei Anousim in
Spain, Portugal and South America, the
Subbotnik Jews of Russia, the Jewish
community of Kaifeng in China and
the "Hidden Jews" of Poland from the
Holocaust era.
Ben-Avraham, 52, immigrated to Israel
from his native Spain in 1978 and for-
mally returned to Judaism. He is the father
of 12 children.
He will teach the Bnei Anousim in
America's Gravest Threats
Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante
Washington/ JTA — North Korea and
and Seville more about their Jewish roots.
Iran are the countries posing the gravest
"This is a very moving and historic
threats to U.S. interests, Hillary Rodham
development," said Michael Freund, found-
Clinton said.
er and chairman of Shavei Israel. "It marks
The U.S. secretary of
the first time that a member of the Bnei
state was asked by CNN
Anousim is returning to Spain, where he
on Sunday which coun-
was born and raised, in order to help his
tries she thought posed
fellow Anousim learn more about their
the greatest threats to
Jewish roots."
the United States.
Freund says there are tens of thousands
"In terms of a country,
of Bnei Anousim in Spain who are con-
obviously, a nuclear-
scious of their special connection to the
armed country like
Hillary Clinton
North Korea or Iran pose Jewish people.
both a real or a potential threat," she said,
Israel On Goldstone
immediately clarifying that she did not
believe Iran — unlike North Korea — was Jerusalem/JTA — United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's report
nuclear armed, but was close to it. She
to the General Assembly "reflected accu-
also qualified her response, saying that
non-state terrorist networks pose a greater rately" Israel's response to the Goldstone
report, the Foreign Ministry said.
threat than countries.

"This Israeli document expresses
Israel's full commitment to carry out
credible independent investigations that
meet the standards of international law:'
the Foreign Ministry said in a state-
ment released shortly after the General
Assembly's meeting last Friday on the
status of the implementation of the
Goldstone report's recommendations.
The statement continued: "Despite
the difficult combat conditions against
Hamas terrorism in Gaza, Israel took
care to respect international norms and
will continue to do so in the future while
maintaining its foremost commitment to
protecting the security and well-being of
its own citizens:'
In his report submitted to the General
Assembly last Friday, Ban said Israel
had responded to every allegation made
against it. He said it was too early to deter-
mine whether Israel and the Palestinian
Authority had implemented the recom-
mendations, since investigations were
ongoing.
Ban did not offer his opinion on wheth-
er the investigations were independent
and conformed to international standards,
as required by Goldstone.
Hamas responded to Goldstone by
saying it did not target Israeli civilians,
according to reports.
The Israeli military conducted an in-
depth investigation into its conduct and
last week provided Ban with a response
that included a point-by-point refutation
of Goldstone's charges.

Disciplined Over Gaza
Jerusalem/JTA — Two senior Israeli mili-
tary officials were disciplined for "exceed-
ing their authority" during the Gaza war, a
government report found.
The official 46-page Israeli government
response to the Goldstone Commission
report that was given to the United
Nations last Friday said that a brigadier
general and a colonel had "jeopardized
the lives of others" by ordering the firing
of artillery shells near a United Nations
Relief and Works Agency compound in
Gaza "in violation of the rules of engage-
ment prohibiting use of such artillery near
populated areas."
The report also says that the shells
were white phosphorus smoke munitions,
which are permitted only in unpopulated
areas and cause severe burns, though the
army on Monday disputed this claim.
Ynet said the punishments for Gaza
Division Commander Brig.-Gen. Ayal
Eisenberg and former Givati Brigade
Commander Col. Ilan Malka were not
disclosed.
There were no casualties in the incident,
the Israel Defense Forces said.

Meanwhile, the IDF announced Monday
that a sixth team was appointed to investi-
gate the treatment of Palestinian detainees
during Operation Cast Lead last winter
and look into individual incidents. Five
other teams completed their investigations
about six months ago.

Obama's 'God's Grace'

Washington/JTA — President Obama
cited the American Jewish World Service
among groups that exemplify "God's grace,
and the compassion and decency of the
American people."
Obama, addressing
the National Prayer
Breakfast on Feb. 4,
spoke of recent efforts to
bring relief to Haitians
after the island nation's
devastating earthquake.
God's grace, he said,
President
was expressed in Haiti
Obama
"through multiple faith-
based efforts. By evan-
gelicals at World Relief. By the American
Jewish World Service. By Hindu temples,
and mainline Protestants, Catholic Relief
Services, African-American churches, the
United Sikhs. By Americans of every faith,
and no faith, uniting around a common
purpose, a higher purpose."

French Anti-Semitism
Paris/JTA — Anti-Semitic crimes in
France coinciding with the Gaza war drove
the number of anti-Semitic incidents in
2009 to nearly double over the previous
year, according to a new report.
The Jewish Community Protection
Service counted 832 anti-Semitic acts
committed in France last year, compared
to 474 in 2008, according to a report made
public on Feb. 4. Some 42 percent of the
incidents, 354, took place in January, dur-
ing Israel's military operation in Gaza.
By February, the number of monthly
anti-Semitic acts was down to 62 and by
the summer, the number had dropped
below those of 2008 for the most part.
The Protection Service said that 43
percent of the anti-Semitic incidents in
2009 involved written statements such
as graffiti, 28 percent spoken comments
and threats, 10 percent violence, 9 percent
vandalism, 2 percent arson or attempt at
arson, and 8 percent distributed printed
material.
Thousands joined in pro-Palestinian
protests across France during the Gaza
war in late December 2008 and January
2009. Several of those protests turned riot-
ous, and many anti-Semitic crimes were
reported in connection with the marches.

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