Special Report

DETROIT RESPONDS

Obama On Flotilla
NEW YORK (JTA) --
President Obama reiter-
ated his call for an inves-
tigation into the flotilla
confrontation and urged
parties in the Middle East
to transform the situation
President
into a chance to advance
Obama
the peace process.
In a June 3 interview
with Larry King on CNN, Obama called
the loss of life on the boat "unnecessary"
and predicted that the Israelis would
agree to an "investigation of international
standards" because they recognize that the
current situation "can't be good for Israel's
long-term security"
Obama said that Israel has "legitimate
security concerns when they've got missiles
raining down on cities along the Israel-
Gaza border:' At the same time, he added,
"you've got a blockage up that is preventing
people in Palestinian Gaza from having
job opportunities and being able to create
businesses and engage in trade and have
opportunity for the future."
The president said,"I think what's impor-

tant right now is that we break out of the
current impasse, use this tragedy as an
opportunity so that we figure out, how can
we meet Israel's security concerns, but at the
same time start opening up opportunity for
Palestinians, work with all parties concerned
— the Palestinian Authority, the Israelis, the
Egyptians and others — and I think Turkey
can have a positive voice in this whole pro-
cess once we've worked through this tragedy.
And bring everybody together to figure out
how can we get a two-state solution where
the Palestinians and Israelis can live side by
side in peace and security.
Obama said that "we need to know what
all the facts" are before assigning blame for
the confrontation.
"But it's not premature to say to the
Israelis and to say to the Palestinians, and
to say to all the parties in the region that
the status quo is unsustainable he said.
"We have been trying to do this piece-
meal for decades now. It just doesn't work.
You've got to have a situation in which the
Palestinians have real opportunity and
Israel's neighbors recognize Israel's legiti-
mate security concerns and are committed
to peace."

Amnesty Report Slams Israel
JERUSALEM (JTA) – Israel's blockade of
Gaza has resulted in a humanitarian crisis,
Amnesty International's annual report said.
"Mass unemployment, extreme poverty,
food insecurity and food price rises caused
by shortages left four in five Gazans depen-
dent on humanitarian aid',' said the 2010
report, released on May 25. "The scope
of the blockade and statements made by
Israeli officials about its purpose showed
that it was being imposed as a form of col-
lective punishment of Gazans, a flagrant
violation of international law."
The report also accused Israel of "war
crimes and other serious breaches of
international law" during the Gaza war
that ended on Jan. 18, 2009. Amnesty
International criticized Israel for not coop-
erating with the Goldstone Commission's
investigation of the conflict and said, "The
Israeli authorities did not establish any
independent or impartial investigation into
the conduct of its forces during Operation
`Cast Lead, although there were a number
of internal investigations.
In criticizing Israel's treatment of
Palestinians in the West Bank, the report

cited unlawful detentions, house demoli-
tions and expansion of Jewish settlements.
The United States and some European
Union countries were accused of thwarting
the imposition of international justice by
vetoing U.N. Security Council resolutions
taking Israel to task for alleged war crimes
committed during the Gaza war.
Responding to the report, the U.S. State
Department said it supported accountabil-
ity for international violations committed
during the Gaza war.
As we have said, the responsibility to
address alleged abuses during the Gaza
conflict lies with the Israelis and the
Palestinians," the State Department said.
Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO
Monitor, told the Jerusalem Post that the
Amnesty report "repeated discredited alle-
gations and distorted human rights rhetoric
used to target Israel:'
"Accusations of `war crimes,"indiscrimi-
nate and disproportionate attacks against
civilians' and 'target [ing] and kill[ing]
medical staff' are made without any
credible evidence and reflect the ideologi-
cal bias that determines the content of
Amnesty publications on Israel."

o

p.m. a petizers
S 3 p.m. picnic dinner
7:30 p.m. - Kabballat Shabbat service
Dessert Reception
and program will follow

Congregation Beth Shalom
$12 adults • $6 kids • $30 max per family
14601 W. Lincoln Rd.
RSVP by June 15. For more information
Oak Park, MI 48237
contact the synagogue office 248.547.7970
248.547.7970
www.congbethshalom.org

14 June 10 • 2010

