BU Now » Israel

U.S. urges Mideast peace talks

Dick Taffe — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:49:19 +0000

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has asked the Israeli prime minister and Palestinian president to resume peace talks which have been on hold for two years. She said direct negotiations will begin in Washington on Sept. 2. Journalism Professor Bob Zelnick, former ABC News foreign correspondent and author of “Israeli Unilateralism: Beyond Gaza,” says in a Politico commentary that after a recent extended fact-finding visit he found the Palestinians ready to deal.

“While maintaining no stated goal of ‘liberating’ Gaza, the new Palestinian leadership believes that a deal with Israel which establishes an independent Palestinian state will be hard for Hamas to oppose. Do I believe that a deal will be reached within the one-year time-limit the parties have set for themselves? Yes.”

Contact Bob Zelnick, 617-353-5007, bzelnick@bu.edu

Israel-Lebanon border clash

Dick Taffe — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:24:07 +0000

In the first serious clash since their 2006 war, Lebanese and Israeli troops exchanged fire on the border in an exchange that killed four people, including two Lebanese soldiers and an Israeli army officer. It apparently was sparked when Israeli soldiers cut down a tree along the fence dividing the two countries. International relations Professor Augustus Richard Norton, author of “Hezbollah: A Short History,” says it likely was an isolated incident.

“The Lebanon-Israel border has been quiet since the 2006 war, and for that matter it was nearly as quiet between 2000 and 2006. Today’s clash therefore an isolated incident. It is instructive to keep in mind that the Israeli security forces routinely shoot people who encroach on Israeli territory (or even approach it, as in Gaza), and my hunch is that the Lebanese army meted out the same response.”

Contact Augustus Richard Norton, 617-353-7808, arn@bu.edu

Top Israeli aid badmouth’s peace talks

Dick Taffe — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:46:31 +0000

Uzi Arad (r.), Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s national security adviser, says the outlook is bleak for U.S.-mediated Middle East peace talks. International relations and anthropology Professor Augustus Richard Norton, author of “Hezbollah: A Short History,” says the former Mossad agent’s comments offer a window into the strategic calculations of the Israeli government, calculations which continue to confound U.S. policy goals.

“Uzi Arad’s presence in the Israeli government illustrates an underlying contempt for U.S. interests.”

Contact Augustus Richard Norton, 617-353-7808, arn@bu.edu

Israel eases Gaza blockade

Dick Taffe — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:43:12 +0000

Israel announced a relaxation of the 3-year-old blockade of Gaza, promising to ease the importation of some goods by land but not offering to lift its navel embargo. The move came weeks after Israeli commandos killed nine people on an aid flotilla trying to breach the blockade. International relations Professor Augustus Richard Norton, author of “Hezbollah: A Short History” and authority on Middle East politics, says if Israel was serious about improving the living conditions in Gaza, it would stop preventing the exports of agricultural goods and allow the strip’s simple manufacturing sector to resume making and selling everyday essentials.

“This latest decision is an arrogant in-your-face to the U.S. and other concerned members of the international community. Watch the U.S. government spokespersons’ reaction. If they commend Israel, then you may heavily discount Obama’s commitment to Middle East peacemaking.”

Contact Agustus Richard Norton, 617-353-7808, arn@bu.edu

Panel to examine Gaza raid

Dick Taffe — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:04:09 +0000

In an effort to stave off calls for an international inquiry and international criticism, Israel’s cabinet approved a government-appointed commission with foreign participation to investigate the deadly commando raid last month on a flotilla bound for blockaded Gaza. But international relations Professor Augustus Richard Norton, author of “Hezbollah: A Short History,” says the proposed Israeli panel falls well short of impartiality and credulity.

“The board is charged to address the blockade’s legality, but it is noteworthy that the International Committee of the Red Cross, not an organization given to rash judgments, has already noted that Israel’s blockade of Gaza is a violation of the Geneva Convention.”

Contact Augustus Richard Norton, 617-353-7808, arn@bu.edu

BU professor tells Congress

Dick Taffe — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 21:02:39 +0000

International relations Professor Augustus Richard Norton, a former U.N. peacekeeper in Lebanon and author of “Hezbollah: A Short History,” testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs about assessing the strength of Hezbollah. In his testimony, Norton made clear that Hezbollah remains a major influence in Lebanon because it’s the only military force see as capable of repelling the Israeli army.

“One key to reducing Hezbollah’s mass appeal may be to reduce the threat of war, rather than heighten it. So long as the threat prevails, Hezbollah will be a prime beneficiary.”

Contact Augustus Richard Norton, 617-353-7808, arn@bu.edu

Israeli flotilla raid condemned

Dick Taffe — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:49:11 +0000

After the UN Security Council condemned Israel’s open-seas raid on a flotilla headed with humanitarian aid to Gaza, Israel says the 600-plus activists it arrested are being freed and expelled from the country. Law Professor Robert Sloane, an authority on international law, says Israel violated a very basic customary norm of international law: the freedom of the high seas.

“Had Israel waited for the vessels to enter Israeli waters, or at least what’s known as the ‘contiguous zone,’ then it arguably could have seized the vessels to enforce its blockade and prevent what it might characterize as smuggling in violation of Israeli law.”

Contact Robert Sloane, 617-358-4633, rdsloane@bu.edu

Obama cool to Netanyahu

Dick Taffe — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:21:19 +0000

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu got a cool reception from the Obama White House, as a dispute over new housing settlements in East Jerusalem continues to roil U.S.-Israeli relations. International Relations Professor Augustus Richard Norton, a Middle-East authority, says in his blog that Netanyahu operates within an ideology that basically rejects a two-state solution with the Palestinians and more Israelis are getting uncomfortable with that attitude.

“Notwithstanding Netanyahu’s embrace by some congresspeople, one of the promising developments since the Biden slap has been evidence of growing unease in Israel about Netanyahu’s leadership. A wise U.S. President will not do anything to reduce the doubts.”

Contact Augustus Richard Norton, 617-353-7808, arn@bu.edu

Israel/Palestine: If not now, when?

Dick Taffe — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:49:20 +0000

The Foreign Policy Association has issued a new report urging the U.S. to take a more assertive role in pushing for a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. “Israel and Palestine: Two States for Two Peoples — If not now, when?” was co-authored by BU international relations Professor Augustus Richard Norton, who notes that President Obama said in his Cairo speech last year that a two-state solution is in all parties’ best interests.

“Delivering on that vision will lend credibility to his words and cast the United States in the role of peacemaker rather than policeman.”

Contact Augustus Richard Norton, 617-353-7808, arn@bu.edu

EU and Jerusalem

Dick Taffe — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:28:13 +0000

A European Union initiative, to be considered next week, would carve off east Jerusalem as the capital if an independent Palestinian state. Israel rejects the concept. Journalism Professor Bob Zelnick, a former ABC News Middle East correspondent and author of “Israeli Unilateralism: Beyond Gaza,” says the Israel, the Palestinians, and the U.S. all have missed recent chances to make peace in the region.

“We have here a situation where brains and judgment appear to have recused themselves from the peace process.”

Contact Bob Zelnick, 617-353-5007, bzelnick@bu.edu