Israeli News: A Daily Analysis Meetings in Cairo and Damascus

A Daily Analysis

May 6, 2009-Talk of Peace Plans, Steve Rosens Talks to Israeli TV

Talk of new peace plans dominated the airwaves, internet sites and newspapers in the Middle East today. Rumors circulated of a new Arab peace plan, as well as a new peace plan from the American administration. The Arab peace plan is reportedly going to include changes in the section that deals with refugees and may include options of resettling them in other areas. The American plan is supposedly going to be based on a report by Senator Mitchell.

In reaction to all this talk there was an interesting discussion on London and Kirshenbaum where the Palestinian representative, who was a member of the Palestinian Authority government, made an interesting point. He said he believes that any agreement had to be based on the Arab peace plan and that the Palestinians could not come to an agreement without it. He stated that on both Jerusalem and the refugee issues, the Palestinians could not reach an agreement without the rest of the Arab world. He stated that the Palestinian Authority could not agree on behalf Jordan to allow more Palestinians to settle there. He also stated that in any agreement the one place that refugees would not remain is Lebanon. It was interesting that he was clearly stating that refugees would be resettled in Arab countries and not saying they had to return to Israel.

Where there is smoke there is always a little fire. There is a plan coming and we will find out more about it over the course of the coming month.

Israeli television ran a long interview with Steve Rosen, the former employee of AIPAC against whom charges were dropped. Rosen, who is now free to speak his mind, warned that there are many people in the FBI and other places in the government who are straight out anti-Semites, and said that only thing that separated him from Dreyfus is that he was to afforded a public trial and had the ability to defend himself. Finally, he explained how the government managed to convince Lawrence Franklin to plead guilty and be used to set up Rosen and Weisman. Once they found classified material in his home they had him (a technical violation but chargeable just the same). He has a wheelchair bound wife and 5 kids and they offered to allow him to keep his pension if he cooperates. He cooperated and pled guilty and the poor guy received a 15 year sentence. Rosen spent the last few years chronicling the events and has written a book that he is submitting to his publisher tomorrow. I look forward to reading it. On a personal note I last saw Rosen over 20 years ago when he interviewed me for a job. Seeing him now after this ordeal certainly makes me wonder where the years have gone.