Abbas digs in heels on direct talks as Mitchell begins shuttle
Friday, July 16, 2010
By: ICEJ News

News in brief...

As US special Mideast envoy George Mitchell arrived in the region on Thursday, Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas was under heavy pressure from his own Fatah faction to resist American and Israeli calls for the launching of direct peace negotiations. “The lack of credibility and confidence resulting from the Israeli rejection of the indirect talks, which have achieved no progress, will become entrenched as ‘givens and facts’ if there is a transition to direct talks,” AFP reported Fatah as saying in a statement. “That is something the Palestinian leadership has not and will not accept.” Reports on Friday indicate that Abbas is not expected to agree to direct talks anytime soon. US President Barack Obama said recently he hopes direct talks will start “well before” Israel’s settlement moratorium expires in late September. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly under tremendous pressure from his own Likud party not to bow to PA demands to extend the freeze on new housing construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank as a precondition to direct talks.

Poll finds Palestinians still reject peace if no ‘right of return’
The most recent poll of the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion, prepared by Dr. Nabil Kukali and released on July 12 found that more than 80% of Palestinians surveyed would still refuse to renounce the ‘right of return’ refugees to Israel even if it meant a final peace deal or there was compensation provided. Asked whether the present US administration under President Barack Obama would back the plan of recognizing a Palestinian state within the next two years irrespective of its approval or disapproval by Israel? The response was Yes 13%, No 77%. Assuming the negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis would fail, do you expect the outbreak of a third Intifada? Response: Yes 32%, No 51%. Do you think that the Palestinians must renounce their right of return, which Israel will never accept, in exchange for having an independent Palestinian state and the conclusion of a peace deal with Israel? Response: Yes 14%, No 82%. Finally, would you accept it if the Palestinian leadership would waive the right of return in exchange for financial compensation? Response: Yes 13%, No 82%.

‘Only Israel’ music video a hit on YouTube
A 22-year-old Israeli music student from the Gush Etzion settlement of Neveh Daniel has posted a pro-Israel hasbara song on YouTube called “Only Israel” which has received hundreds of thousands of views and sparked a firestorm of on-line debate. Yedida Freilich, a pianist and composition student at Jerusalem’s Rubin Academy of Music and Dance, wrote the song with help from her father, Gabby, and brother Yuval in response to the Mavi Marmara flotilla interception on May 31. “One of Yedida’s projects in school was to compose a musical piece for a political song. As it happened, the assignment fell on the same week as the flotilla,” explained Gabby Freilich. “Yedida, myself and my son Yuval sat around the kitchen table, and I came up with some English lyrics, and they added some Hebrew and we put together what we wanted to say – basically other nations can do what’s in their interest, but only Israel isn’t able to. Then Yedida put it to music.” The main refrain of the song is “Israel has no right to defend itself, because the world cares nothing about Jewish blood.” Her father thinks “it’s a powerful song and a great tune. Yedida sings it from the heart. You can tell she’s involved in the lyrics and the performance, because it’s part of her life – her friends and her family are involved.” Watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaGHUZ-8DWw

Israel among top 20 investing in UK
Anti-Israel activists in Britain have been among the most fervent proponents of the boycott,  divestment and sanctions movement against the Jewish state, but according to the UK Trade & Investment's annual report on foreign direct investment released on Wednesday, Israel is still on the top 20 list for foreign investing in the United Kingdom. "I am delighted that for the second year running, Israel has improved its standing among the top 20 investing countries in the UK, having overtaken Belgium and Hong Kong,” said Richard Salt, director of UK Trade & Investment at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv. “I encourage more Israeli companies to act now to benefit from the huge investment opportunities on offer in the UK. I and my team… will do our utmost to help those companies to succeed.” Israel moved up a slot from number 20 to 19 in the 2009-2010 ranking with the most projects invested. The USA is still number one on investment in terms of the number of business ventures.