OBAMA AND NETANYAHU CAN'T AFFORD TO DISAGREE

Below is a portion of an Op-Ed written by David Makovsky that was published by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy on April 13, 2010 about what he thinks needs to be worked on regarding the relationship between President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mr. Makovsky is the Ziegler distinguished fellow and director of The Washington Institute's Project on the Middle East Peace Process. To read the entire Op-Ed, click on the title above.

It is widely known that the poor relationship between U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands at the center of U.S.-Israeli tension.

Yet, it is hard to be hopeful for a variety of reasons. They relate to differences of outlook between them in three key areas: the relationship between vision and trust, different attitudes toward timing and different approaches to the nexus between policy and politics.

First, there is a paradox between vision and trust. For cerebral Obama, who does not bond with foreign leaders instinctively, the one way to build trust is to share a common strategic vision.

This is not unique to the U.S. president. The history of American-Israeli relations illustrates that when the United States and Israel agree on a common strategic vision, as they did during the period of Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert, Washington is less focused on where they differ.

The corollary is when they don't share a common direction, the United States is hard-nosed on the differences, as it was during when George Bush Sr. was opposite Yitzhak Shamir.

MEASURES TAKEN BY ISRAEL IN SUPPORT OF THE PALESTINIAN ECONOMY

The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs published the following news release on April 12, 2010 about Israel’s commitment to economic development in the West Bank. To read the release in its entirety, click on the title above.

As stated by Prime Minister Netanyahu in July 2009, Israel is committed to a two state solution which will be achieved through a negotiable bilateral agreement. Israel considers the development of the Palestinian economy a challenge shared by Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and the international community.

Israel recognizes the importance of international support to projects in the West Bank in the areas of economic development, capacity building and the security and civil sectors and supports efforts by the international community to promote Palestinian development.

This Report presents a series of steps and actions undertaken by Israel during 2009 and the beginning of 2010, which were intended to promote and substantially improve the West Bank's economy, alongside building security and other capacities. These measures were taken in parallel with a broader diplomatic and economic effort led by the international community, and notwithstanding the security risks posed by continued Palestinian terrorist activity.

IT LOOKS LIKE A PEN BUT IT CAN FOIL A BOMB

ISRAEL21c.org published the following article written by Karin Kloosterman on April 15, 2010 about a new weapon in the arsenal shared by airport security personnel and police that resembles a pen but can detect bomb detonators in powder form at as little as five micrograms. A portion of the article is below, to read it in its entirety, click on the title above.

The ACRO-P.E.T resembles a pen and can detect TATP, a peroxide bomb detonator used in many major terror attacks worldwide.

It's a white crystalline powder with a distinctive acrid odor. TATP is a peroxide bomb detonator and an explosive of choice for airport bombers. If it had been detected at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, the underwear bomber en route to Detroit several months ago would have been foiled much sooner.

Would-be bombers have managed to smuggle TATP on board before. In 2001, Richard Reid of al-Qaeda targeted American Airlines Flight 63 with a TATP trigger for a bomb concealed in his shoe. But underwear and shoe bombers beware: A technology developed by Israelis and Americans is now your nightmare.

Collaboration between an American researcher and Prof. Ehud Keinan of the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology has culminated in a new way to foil terrorists carrying TATP-based explosives. Resembling a pen - although you can't write with it - the device is a new weapon in the arsenal shared by airport security personnel, police and environmentalists. Keinan and Prof. Philip Dawson from the Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, recently developed and commercialized the ACRO-P.E.T. (Peroxide Explosives Tester) - a simple and cost-effective device for detecting TATP.

PUTTING THE “ACCENT” ON LANGUAGE PERCEPTION

ISRAEL21c.org published the following article written by Karin Kloosterman on March 7, 2010 about a new study from Israel which shows that it may be easier to learn a foreign language from someone who teaches it in the same accent as your own. A portion of the article is below, to read it in its entirety, click on the title above.

Want to learn French but can't find the perfect teacher who wears a beret, crunches baguettes and speaks authentic Parisian French with just the right roll to her Ls and Rs? Dying to learn a Latino language, but strapped to find a teacher straight off the plane from Barcelona?

Your worries are over, according to a new study from Israel that shows that the French and Spanish teachers who learned their second exotic language on a potato farm in Idaho will do just fine if you are an American-born English speaker.

What's the best way to learn a second language? And how well do students learn when the accents of their teachers are different from theirs, or from those of native speakers of the language they are hoping to acquire? A University of Haifa study has found that understanding a second language is much easier when spoken in the accent of the listener.

If it's true that a second language teacher with your own accent - be it English, Russian, Amharic, Inuit or Hebrew - is just as good, if not better than your authentic, poised Parisian when you want to learn French, then the new study calls into question the efficacy of learning a language, or any subject, in a classroom full of students of different nationalities.

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SOCIAL ACTION/PUBLIC POLICY

STUDY OUTLINES POTENTIAL SAVINGS IF TEXANS FOLLOW ENERGY GUIDELINES

The following is a portion of an article written by Eric Torbenson that was published in the Dallas Morning News on April 12, 2010 about how Texas would avoid having to build 17 power plants by 2020 if it adopts strict energy-efficient guidelines for businesses and homes now. To read the entire article, click on the title above.

Texas would avoid having to build 17 power plants by 2020 if it adopts strict energy-efficient guidelines for businesses and homes now, a new study is expected to reveal today.

Texans could save a combined $13.7 billion on their utility bills and create 96,300 jobs in the next decade if all residents were to use energy-saving appliances and tactics, according to the study by Georgia Tech and Duke University's Nicholas Institute.

"Energy efficiency is the cheapest, most reliable form of new energy. It lowers electricity and transportation costs, and creates jobs and economic development opportunities across Texas," state Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, said in a statement that went with the report set for release today.

Energy-saving measures are least-often used in southern U.S. states, the report noted, presenting the biggest opportunity for energy savings in states such as Texas. With nearly 24 million people, or about 8 percent of the total U.S. population, Texas consumes 11.6 percent of the nation's power.

IMMIGRATION: COULD IT SOLVE SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE WOES?

The following is an blog entry that was written by reporter Robert Reich that was published in The Christian Science Monitor on April 11, 2010 that explains his views on how fixing the immigration problem could fix social security and medicare. Mr. Reich is a Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton. To read the entire blog entry, click on the title above.

I was born in 1946, just when the boomer wave began. Bill Clinton was born that year, too. So was George W. So was Laura Bush. And Ken Starr (remember him?) And then, the next year, Hillary Clinton. And soon Newt Gingrich (known as “Newty” as a boy). And Cher. Why so many of us begin getting born in 1946? Simple. My father was in World War II. He came home. My mother was waiting. Ditto for the others.

Sixty years later, we boomers have a lot to be worried about because most of us plan to retire in a few years and Social Security and Medicare are on the way to going bust. I should know because I used to be a trustee of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds. Those of you who are younger than we early boomers have even more to be worried about because if those funds go bust they won’t be there when you’re ready to retire.

It’s already starting to happen. This year Social Security will pay out more in benefits than it receives in payroll taxes. The tipping point came sooner than anyone expected because the recession has kicked so many people off payrolls. But it was coming anyway. And it adds new urgency to reforming Social Security — a task the president’s commission on the nation’s debt is focusing on. So what’s the answer?

JON BON JOVI TOURS DALLAS HOMELESS SHELTERS AS PART OF CHARITABLE MISSION

On April 13, 2010, The Dallas Morning News published the following article written by Jana Martin about Bon Jovi’s visit to CityWalk and Casa Youth Shelter after his performances in Dallas. To read the article in its entirety, click on the title above.

After two sold-out weekend shows in Dallas at the American Airlines Center, Jon Bon Jovi played to a much smaller crowd on Monday. And it wasn't in typical rock star fashion.

Instead, he continued his education on how communities can combat homelessness, taking tours of CityWalk@Akard and the Casa Youth Emergency Shelter. "It's one soul at a time," Bon Jovi said.

Since Bon Jovi started the nonprofit Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation (formerly the Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation) in 2006, he has built 250 affordable housing units in Philadelphia to the tune of $6 million.

During this concert tour, Bon Jovi has made a commitment to visit as many homeless shelters and foundations as possible in each of the cities he visits – to share ideas about the ongoing fight against homelessness.

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THE IRAN REPORT

September 2007, the JCRC began a special section entitled “The Iran Report”.  Due to the looming serious nature of Iran and its politics within the global world, JCRCs across the country are providing community leaders with updated materials and articles concerning Iran, which will include political matters, divestment information, etc.  Both the United Jewish Communities (UJC) and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) have issued joint statements indicating that the subject of Iran should be on the top of the agenda for local Jewish communities. 

The JCRC will continue to bring the community updates on the situation with Iran and its implications throughout the Middle East and the world.

JCPA RESOLUTION ON IRAN’S NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM

Adopted by the Board of Directors of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) on March 27, 2007.

OFFICIALS SAY IRAN COULD MAKE BOMB FUEL IN A YEAR

The following is a portion of an article written by Neil MacFarquhar that was published by The New York Times on March 31, 2010 that discusses China’s agreement to consider sanctions on Iran. To read the entire article, click on the title above.

Two of the nation’s top military officials said Wednesday that Iran could produce bomb-grade fuel for at least one nuclear weapon within a year, but would most likely need two to five years to manufacture a workable atomic bomb.

The carefully worded testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee provided the most complete recent public assessment of how much time President Obama and his allies have to head off an Iranian nuclear weapons capability.

But the witnesses’ back-and-forth with committee members also raised questions about how deeply the Iranian program had been infiltrated. It came only days after Mr. Obama, in an interview with The New York Times, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates suggested that once Iranians had the capability to assemble a weapon, American intelligence might not be able to determine when they actually produced one.

OBAMA, CHINA DISCUSS IRAN AT NUCLEAR SUMMIT

On April 12, 2010, Reuters published the following article written by Steve Holland and David Storey about President Obama’s 90 minute discussion with Chinese officials that included talk of Iran and its nuclear capabilities. To read the article in its entirety, click on the title above.

Their 90-minute encounter came at the start of a two-day nuclear security summit of nearly 50 countries aimed at finding ways to prevent terrorists from getting their hands on weapons-grade nuclear material.

Ukraine provided the first example by agreeing to give up its highly enriched uranium.

Iran's nuclear program, which the West fears is a cover to build an atomic bomb, is not on the agenda of the summit, but the presence of so many world leaders in one place gave Obama an opportunity to again make his case for fresh sanctions to be imposed on Tehran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment.

U.S. and Chinese officials who briefed reporters after the talks described a positive, constructive atmosphere on Iran. China, which has close economic ties with Iran, has been reluctant to sign on to tougher sanctions.

IRAN BARS EX-PRESIDENT KHATAMI FROM TRAVEL

Below is a portion of an article published by The Washington Post on April 15, 2010 about a new travel ban placed on the former Iranian President Khatami. To read the entire article, click on the title above.

Moderate former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has been barred from traveling abroad, the pro-reform Parlemannews website reported on Thursday.

"Mohammad Khatami was barred from leaving Iran to attend a conference in Japan," an unnamed source told the website. The source did not give details.

"Khatami was supposed to leave Tehran for Japan Thursday night ... to take part in a conference on nuclear disarmament in Japan."

There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities, or from Khatami's allies.

Khatami publicly backed moderate defeated candidate Mirhossein Mousavi during the country's disputed June presidential election, which reformists said was rigged to secure hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election.

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CRISIS IN DARFUR

February 2009 marked the sixth anniversary of the beginning of the violence in Darfur, Sudan.  For six years a government-backed militia known as Janjaweed (which in Arabic means, “evil men on horseback”) has continued to engage in a systematic program of expulsion, rape and murderous violence in Darfur, Sudan.  Millions of people now live in displacement camps lacking adequate food, water, shelter, healthcare, and sanitation. Attacks on \civilians continue.  As Jews, we have a particular moral responsibility to speak out and take action against genocide.  

The JCRC remains committed in its fight to end this battle and will continue to bring you facts and articles about this ongoing genocide. (For further information on Darfur, visit the JCRC web site “International” section at www.jcrcdallas.org.)

SUDAN IN CRISIS

Explore the history, people and politics behind one of the world's bloodiest conflicts in this interactive web site by The Washington Post.  Click the title above to be connected to this site.

HALF HORRID, HALF HOPEFUL

The Economist published the following article on April 15, 2010 about the varied results from Sudan’s recent national elections. To read the entire article, click the title above.

It has been a tale of two Sudans. In the north the election has been marred by rigging, intimidation and boycotts, with the near-certain result that President Omar Bashir and his ruling National Congress Party (NCP) will remain firmly in charge. But in the south the former rebels of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), which rules a vast semi-autonomous region, are sure to win handsomely—and pretty fairly. The nationwide voting was extended by two days. Results will not be declared until around April 20th.

The upshot is that most of the world is likely, with varying degrees of cynicism, to accept Mr Bashir as Sudan’s rightful ruler, though he has been indicted by the International Criminal Court at The Hague for alleged war crimes in the western region of Darfur. Just as crucially for Sudan’s future, the SPLM’s entrenchment in the south will mark a big step on the region’s road to complete independence, provided that Mr Bashir co-operates in holding a referendum promised for early next year.

So the elections will have endorsed the status quo. But the manner of the two victories was markedly different. Many northern opposition parties withdrew before the poll. Fiddling the voters’ register, boycotts and blatant rigging all boosted Mr Bashir. Parties backed by the rebels in Darfur, for which several million refugees would have voted, never even entered the race. The Umma party, the strongest northern opposition group, boycotted the polls.

ELECTIONS SPARK NEW FEARS IN DARFUR CAMPS

The New York Times published the following news release from Reuters on April 14, 2010 about how residents at the refugee camps think the election results will make the situation worse in Darfur. To read the release in its entirety, click on the title above.

In Zamzam refugee camp in Sudan's Darfur region, optimism that national elections will bring an end to years of conflict and deprivation is in short supply, just like water, food, and everything else.

The elections taking place across Sudan this week seemed a distant notion in Zamzam, a sprawling makeshift city crowded with bony livestock and dust-coated children who are among the 2.5 million people forced from their homes since 2003 by fighting between rebels and state-backed militias.

Even though the vote has already been marred by allegations of fraud and widespread voting problems, it is hoped that Sudan's first competitive vote in 24 years will maintain a semblance of stability as the country heads toward a 2011 referendum that could split the Christian and traditionalist south from the Muslim north.

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JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL
Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas
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