Israel Daily News Stream 06/11/2012
June 11, 2012 15:04 by Pesach Benson
International experts undermine PA’s UNESCO bid. Syrian Christians flee village after rebels issue ultimatum. Israeli ambassador appointed vice president of the UN General Assembly.
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Israel and the Palestinians
Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity
• Experts investigating the state of the Church of the Nativity conclude the building is not in any urgent danger and that PA hype to the contrary is hot air. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS — pdf format) — an organization which will advises UNESCO on World Heritage bids like the PA’s — writes:
“[T]he Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage route in Bethlehem, Palestine should not be inscribed on the World Heritage List on an emergency basis. . . ICOMOS does not consider that the conditions required by paragraph 161 of the Operational Guidelines are fully met, concerning damage or serious and specific dangers to the Church of the Nativity that make its condition an emergency that needs to be addressed by the World Heritage Committee with immediate action necessary for the survival of the property.”
UN Watch adds:
The expert evaluation is public and known. Yet does anyone expect the 21-nation UNESCO committee — which includes such great promoters of human rights and culture as Algeria, Cambodia, Iraq, Malaysia, Mali, Qatar, Russia, Senegal, and the United Arab Emirates — to rule based on objective findings?
• Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, was elected one of 20 vice presidents of the UN General Assembly. Israel HaYom explains why it matters:
In his capacity as vice president, the Israeli ambassador will be fully involved in setting the agenda of the U.N. General Assembly for the coming year, and will also be tasked with leading plenary discussions in the absence of the General Assembly president.
The next General Assembly agenda is expected to be turbulent and laden with, among other issues, the worsening situation in Syria, the Iranian nuclear challenge, the implications of the Arab Spring and attempts by the Palestinians to renew their unilateral bid for recognition of statehood.
• Palestine Monetary Authority boss: The PA has reached the maximum limit on money it can borrow from Palestinian banks. Maan News says the PA already owes $1.1 billion in bank loans.
• Haaretz notes new Palestinian-Vatican tensions:
The draft of an economic agreement between Israel and the Vatican contains no distinction between sovereign Israel and the territories occupied in 1967. The lack of a preamble containing such a distinction is at the center of heightened tension between Palestinian Christian denominations and the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Vatican.
Frank Adam
3:56 pm
Jun 11, 2012
Bravo for Ron Prossor.
The last Israeli to be VP of the UN General Assembly was Abba Eban in the 50′s or 60′s.
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
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jeb stuart
4:08 pm
Jun 11, 2012
It is obvious Obama’s failing economics dovetails nicely with his failures in the arena of diplomacy with assists from Hillary and Panetta who continue to downgrade our military when it is most needed to stabilize the deteriorating situation in the region where Islamist aspirations reaching a fever pitch will result in catastrophic crimes against humanity worse than anything Assad, Mubarak or even Qadaffi could have imagined possible. Not only will Non-muslims suffer to greater degree world wide but also the Muslims who are modernists, moderates, or members of the wrong tribe or sect. Obama’s administration is an enabler of evil unparalled by any other Presidency in my memory.
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
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Bill Kelly
6:00 pm
Jun 11, 2012
Israel has in modern times, as well as centuries ago, been out gunned, out manned, and taken by surprise. Yet he prevailed because God defended him. I don’t laud Pres.Obama’s views on homosexuality and abortion. But honestly, I don’t relish a warlike attitude either. And as to his economic policy, being a failure in that is an unproven and overused accusation with partisan motivations. He hasn’t defended the rich and powerful as much as the republicans would have. But i do believe that he will support and defend Israel, even though some of his suggestions about what Israel should do have been wrong.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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brassens
4:37 pm
Jun 11, 2012
A VP at the GA? Did the vote take place on an Arab holy day? Or is the job so meaningless as to be symbolic of the UN’s universality without actually acknowledging Israel’s existence?
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
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Mr. Light-bright
5:05 pm
Jun 11, 2012
“The draft of an economic agreement between Israel and the Vatican contains no distinction between sovereign Israel and the territories occupied in 1967.”
Oops! I think the Vatican FORGOT ^_- [wink] to mention the borders (note: sarcasm). In the end the Catholic church doesn’t care too much about border disputes, but rather the hearts and minds of the people.
P.S. I do not like many aspects of Catholicism, HOWEVER I am not too worried about their current stance toward Israel.
Agree or Disagree:
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Bruce Reichenbach
10:32 pm
Jun 11, 2012
it’s time to take back Israel, dig under the golden palace controled by muslems,
muslems and christians need to be forced out of Israel, then and only then will israel be a jewish state, run by jew, one religion, one people.
the time is now,
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Mr. Light-bright
7:25 pm
Jun 12, 2012
I don’t care how secular you are, for when you read this “Syrian Christians flee village after rebels issue ultimatum;” you think to yourself: hmmm maybe these “rebels” aren’t so much freedom-loving people after all.
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
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