Washington – United States administration officials have voiced harsh criticism over advertisements in favor of Israel’s position on Jerusalem that appeared in the U.S. press with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s encouragement. The authors of the most recent such advertisements were president of the World Jewish Congress Ronald Lauder and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel. “All these advertisements are not a wise move,” one senior American official told Haaretz.
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In the advertisement, Wiesel said that for him as a Jew, “Jerusalem is above politics,” and that “it is mentioned more than 600 times in Scripture – and not a single time in the Koran.” Wiesel called to postpone discussion on Jerusalem until a later date, when there is an atmosphere of security allowing Israeli and Palestinian communities to find ways to live in peace.
The ongoing confrontation with the U.S. administration over construction in East Jerusalem was present in many of the comments made by senior Israeli officials during Independence Day.
Netanyahu himself said in an interview to ABC that freezing construction in the east of the city was an impossible demand, and refused to answer questions on the Israeli response to demands from Washington. Instead, he called on Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas to return to the negotiating table without preconditions.
Foreign Minister Lieberman, meanwhile, made Jerusalem the focal point of his speech in a festive reception for the diplomatic corps at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem. President Shimon Peres spoke first, calling for progress in the diplomatic process. Lieberman, who took the podium immediately after Peres, made diametrically opposed statements in his speech, stressing that the Palestinian Authority is no partner for peace.
“Jerusalem is our eternal capital and will not be divided,” Lieberman said. Many of the ambassadors in the audience left feeling stunned and confused, some of them told Haaretz. “The gap between Peres and Lieberman is inconceivable,” one of them said. “We couldn’t comprehend how Lieberman can say all that in front of all the international community delegates.”
Speaking at the torch-lighting ceremony on Mount Herzl on Monday, Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin said that there was “an attack on Jerusalem” and that Israel “will not apologize for the building of Jerusalem, our capital.”
The diplomatic freeze and crisis with the Americans fueled a heated meeting of Labor Party ministers on Sunday. Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Isaac Herzog and Avishay Braverman told Defense Minister and party chairman Ehud Barak that unless there was some movement on the diplomatic front within weeks, the Labor Party should consider leaving the government or working to bring in Kadima.
Senior Labor officials, who declined to be named, said this was the first time the diplomatic freeze was being discussed between Labor ministers. “They main message coming from this discussion is that things can’t go on like this,” one senior Labor official told Haaretz. “The Labor ministers told Barak that we will be approaching a moment of political decision within weeks.”
Barak tried to calm the ministers, saying he was concerned by the state of Israeli-American relations and will travel to Washington next week for talks on the peace process. Barak appears to be set to meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, special U.S. envoy George Mitchell and national security advisor General Jim Jones.
Rather, here’s what’s not wise: Encouraging Arabs to sit still while the U.S. takes their side.
Its time to say it as it is.
G-D gave us the land of Israel so is stated in the bible and so is obivus from all the wars Israel won in the last sixty years were through the hand of G-D perfoming great miracles the jews won each and every war.
Most americans belive this. Moreover how can our president force his opinion on another democratic country were the majority of its citizin see jerusalem as their capital.
Who cares what the Muslim led American Government thinks? As long as there are Republican Senators and House Members and a few good Democrats too (unfortunately too few!) the American people and common sense will be protected along with our ally Israel!
How dare they and then they say yah we show solidatary to isreal.
Not surprised, this is a goverment that is trying to undermine the Israeli lobby and anything pro Israel.
Now America wants to controll the press and freedom of speech. what is next on the agenda??? Never again shall we remain silent…
Where is Chuck Schumer on this issue. The man who is never at a loss of words is now nowhere to be found. Does anyone know his phone number so we can all call him?
G-D Bless America! G-D Dam Obama!
Hey it’s a FREE COUNTRY – the last time I checked the constitution. Has it been changed yet?
This demonstrates once again how radical this Administration is. When was the last time a government official criticized an an run by private citizens. This is nothing less than an attempt to suppress free speech. This Administration will not tolerate any opposition because the President is the only one who is correct. How dare we criticize him or his Administration. Say goodbye to the First Amendment.
Freedom of Speech is a Constitutional Right. So said our Founding Fathers over 230 years ago. Yet, an unnamed Obama Administration official disagrees because they know better. Maybe he or she should go to Iran or Syria and learn to appreciate our Constitution. Shame is the hypocrisy will continue until our liberal Jews learn the mistake they made in the last election is correctable. But will they learn? Probably not.
Perhaps what private citizens could do is to run an add saying something like we are in middle of negotiations, even though abbas doesn’t want to sit with us , but we are in middle of negotiations with the USA government, that is taking sides. the truth is that if abbas doesn’t want to sit with us, why should be any pressure on the State of Israel. since they don’t want to talk to us, lets tell them good bye, and not as a threat to get them to come back to any kind of negotiations, but to rectify the fact that we should have never spoken to them about anything to begin with.
we must say thing clear and unequivocally, the land of Israel in its entirety belongs to the Jews and it is a gift from the Al-mighty Himself.
Best joke I saw recently: Why did President Obama choke during the White Hose Passover Seder? He had to say Next year in Jerusalem.
Tell Obama and his co-conspirators – mind your own business! The moment Obama began to meddle in the Middle East, he has done nothing but harm.
Israel finally made it clear that there will be only negotiations, no more concessions. So what do the Muslims do? Simple, and with brochos from Obama. Simply make demands for mandatory gestures – only for Israel to give, not for the Palestinians. And the clowns in Washington believe that they are playing fair! If this were not about world safety, and about our survival, such moronics might be comical.
Obama – get your hands off Jerusalem. Leave Israel alone. She is the friend and ally of United States. Stop demonizing Israel. Demand something from the Arab countries – like recognizing Israel, complete abandoning of terror, etc. Then we’ll talk. Not a pre-requisite – just making sure we have a negotiating partner.
Hillary – You, too.
New law. When women and children are attacked on the street, DONT SCREAM. The Administration doesn’t like when you protest pain. First file a request to complain and scream for help. Wait 4 weeks and if approved scream as precribed.
i always wondered pshat in the first rashi in chumasdh,rashi explaining why the torah starts with bereishes ,and after his pshat he brings the posuk ” koach masuv hikid leamo ” why tell “amo” the jews, tell it to the goyim, the answer is clear, especially now, the main issue is, we jews should be sure israel is ours, then the goyim are not a problem
One of the reasons I voted for obama because of his promise not to divide jerusalem and to stand on the side on isreal
Now that he lied and takes the arab side its time to vote him out
We need a One Jerusalem movement with advertisements,parades and a Washington lobby .The Obama admin must understand that Jerusalem is off the table and Israel will not have the will of Obama imposed on it .
reply to # 41
no duh?! next time maybe consider voting for the cantidate that our gedolim say will be the one that would be best for Israel and the Jewish pple. This was so predictable.
I realize this is just the kind of fodder that people look for to express their anger, but why can’t I find this story anywhere else? Why are there no sources listed? I’m sorry, but I don’t believe this story for one second. Only Haaretz and some Palestinian paper have ANYTHING on this story.
No facts + No source = Bogus story
there will be a rally in support of israel this sunday in manhatten. be there
Comment # 45 is an absolutely brilliant comment on what our Hashkafa should be towards Israel. It certainly trumps slogans, based on various perspectives, which might have been relevant 70 ot 100 years ago, but in no way relate to the actual situation that exists today in our land . Yasher Koach!
thisw is not a simple matter these were americans that sponsored this add and under the FIRST ADMENDMENT they have that right what obama and company are doing is stiffling free speach and american’s rights this is a major problem npt something to laugh at
REply ; to # 35 . You. talk differently on Wednesday than you did on Tuesday. Your (conscious ) bothering you?
No. 63. You mean ( conscience ) .
Well NYS senator Schumer, Gillibrand Congress person Clark, Nadler etc. WHERE ARE YOU???
Of course our “askanim” including the Agudah attend a fund raiser for Schumer. Why aren’t you, “our leaders” demanding them to speak out like Koch did?
Still more still comments. Where is the source for this article? Not a single US news source (yes, even FOX) picked this up. Why is everyone just believing this story to be true? Only 2 papers have ran this story Haaretz and a Palestinian paper (who probably got the story from Haaretz).
Don’t be so easily fooled. This story is a big load of crap.