[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: PMW item about the square follows the White House
announcement]
Thursday, March 11th At 11:30 AM local time (4:30 AM ET) the Vice President
will a deliver a speech at Tel Aviv University entitled "The Enduring
Partnership Between the United States and Israel." Afterwards, the Vice
President will answer questions from university students in the audience.
The Vice President's speech will be streamed LIVE at:
www.justin.tv/shimongx#r=w7MdF4U~
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President
For Immediate Release:
March 7, 2010
VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN AND DR. JILL BIDEN TRAVEL
TO THE MIDDLE EAST
Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden will depart Washington, DC, for
the Middle East on the evening of Sunday, March 7th. They will travel to
Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan to discuss the full range of
bilateral and regional issues. The Vice President's stop to Egypt has been
postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date. President Mubarak will
now be out of the country, and the United States and Egypt mutually agreed
to postpone this visit.
Monday, March 8th - Jerusalem
The Bidens will arrive in Jerusalem. Their arrival is pooled press. There
are no other public events scheduled on this day.
Tuesday, March 9th - Jerusalem
The Vice President:
The Vice President will have meetings with President Shimon Peres, Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Tzipi Livni, Chair of the Kadima Party.
There will be a pool spray of the Vice President's arrival at the Prime
Minister's Residence, and pool sprays at the tops of the meetings with
President Peres and Tzipi Livni. Following the Vice President's meeting with
Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Vice President and the Prime Minister will
each make a statement to the press. This statement will be OPEN PRESS and
will take place at approximately 12:20 PM local time (5:20 AM ET).
Dr. Biden:
In the morning, Dr. Jill Biden will visit teachers and children at the
integrated Peace Pre-school program at the Jerusalem International YMCA.
This visit will be POOLED PRESS.
In the afternoon, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will visit the national
grave sites of Yitzhak Rabin and Theodor Herzl and lay a wreath. Afterwards,
they will visit Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust museum and memorial. Both of
these events will be POOLED PRESS.
In the evening, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will have dinner with the
Prime Minister and Mrs. Netanyahu. There will be a pool spray at the top of
this dinner.
Wednesday March 10th - Ramallah, Palestinian Territories and Bethlehem,
Palestinian Territories
The Vice President:
In the morning, the Vice President will have a breakfast meeting with Tony
Blair, Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East and former Prime Minister of
the United Kingdom. There will a pool spray at the top of this meeting.
Afterwards, the Vice President will travel to Ramallah. The Vice President
will first meet with Palestinian National Authority Prime Minister Salam
Fayyad. There will be a pool spray at the top of this meeting. Afterwards,
the Vice President will meet with President Mahmoud Abbas. Following the
meeting with President Abbas, the Vice President and the President will each
make a statement to the press. This statement will be OPEN PRESS and will
take place at approximately 2:30 PM local time (7:30 AM ET).
The Vice President will then travel to Bethlehem, where he will take a tour
of Nassar Stone Factory, known for its marble, and is an example of a
successful Palestinian industry. Afterwards, the Vice President will attend
a dinner with local civil society leaders. There will be a pool spray at
the top of this dinner.
The Vice President will return to Jerusalem in the evening.
Dr. Biden:
In the morning, Dr. Biden will travel to Augusta Victoria Hospital, where
she will visit with doctors, nurses and patients and take a tour of the
hospital's facilities. Dr. Biden will learn about the hospital's breast
cancer outreach program and will visit the radiotherapy unit. She will also
visit with children and parents in the pediatric cancer care and kidney care
units. This visit will be POOLED PRESS.
In the afternoon, Dr. Biden will visit the Al Kamandjati Music Center in
Ramallah where she will meet with teachers and students, and listen to a
student music performance. Al Kamandjati provides music lessons, workshops
and music programs including concerts for Palestinian children, particularly
those living in refugee camps and in marginalized villages in the West Bank,
Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon.
Thursday, March 11th - Tel Aviv, Israel and Amman, Jordan
The Vice President:
At 11:30 AM local time (4:30 AM ET) the Vice President will a deliver a
speech at Tel Aviv University entitled "The Enduring Partnership Between the
United States and Israel." Afterwards, the Vice President will answer
questions from university students in the audience. The Vice President's
speech and the question-and-answer session are OPEN PRESS, but an RSVP is
required. For media wishing to attend this event, please email
tlvpdp@state.gov with the following information: Full Name; a Valid GPO Card
(Government Press Office credentials for international and local media);
Israel ID or Country Passport Numbers; and Media Affiliation.
Deadline to RSVP: Monday, March 8th, 4:00 PM local (9:00 AM ET). For
additional information please contact US Embassy, Press Section. Tel:
03-510-3822/6.
The Vice President's speech will be streamed LIVE at:
http://www.justin.tv/shimongx#r=w7MdF4U~
Dr. Biden:
In the morning, Dr. Biden will visit Masada, and in the afternoon she will
visit a Bedouin Women Crafts Center in Lakiya. Both of these visits are
POOLED PRESS
In the afternoon, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will depart en route to
Amman, Jordan.
In the evening, the Vice President will meet with King Abdullah. There will
be a pool spray at the top of this meeting. Afterwards, the Vice President
and King Abdullah will have dinner together.
Friday, March 12th - Amman, Jordan
The Vice President and Dr. Biden will visit and tour Petra in the afternoon.
This visit will be POOLED PRESS.
Dr. Biden: Details on Dr. Biden's schedule in Jordan will be released later
in the week.
In the evening, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will depart Jordan en route
Washington, DC.
###
====
Bulletin
March 7, 2010
Palestinian Media Watch
PA to name square for murderer of 37
on anniversary of her attack
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=1715
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
p:+972 2 625 4140 e: pmw@palwatch.org
f: +972 2 624 2803 w: www.palwatch.org
Another chapter is unfolding in the ongoing confrontation between Israel and
the Palestinian Authority over the naming of a square after the terrorist
Dalal Mughrabi. In December, Palestinian Media Watch publicized that the
Municipality of Ramallah planned to name a public square in honor of the
terrorist Dalal Mughrabi, who led the worst terror attack in Israel's
history when she and other terrorists hijacked a bus and murdered 37
civilians in 1978. Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately protested to the US
and sharply criticized the PA for its intention to name the square in
Ramallah "after a terrorist who killed dozens of Israelis."
The official PA daily newspaper reports today that the PA has chosen to
ignore PM Netanyahu's criticism and protests to the US. Not only does it
still intend to name the square after the terrorist, but the date chosen for
the inaugural ceremony is this Thursday, March 11, the 32nd anniversary of
the terror attack.
Since PMW's exposure of the story, PA leaders have repeatedly rejected PM
Netanyahu's criticism while defending the practice of honoring murderers,
whom they honor as Martyrs (Shahids). PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas also
referred to the terror attack as "military activities."
See the timeline of the ongoing dispute below.
After PMW's exposure of the PA's naming of the square in December, Israeli
PM Netanyahu protested and condemned the intention:
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=1526
"Today, and a week ago, senior officials from the Prime Minister's office
conveyed a protest to the US against Mahmoud Abbas... that the governor of
Ramallah named a square in her [Mughrabi's] honor."
[Israeli News Channel 2, Jan. 7, 2010]
"Whoever sponsors and supports naming a square in Ramallah in honor of a
terrorist who murdered dozens of Israelis on the Coastal Road - encourages
terror."
[Galei Zahal, (IDF radio), Jan. 10, 2010]
Today the official PA daily reports that the Municipality is continuing with
this Thursday's inauguration:
Headline: "Preparations for inauguration of Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi
Square complete"
"The El-Bireh Municipality has completed construction work at the Shahida
(Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi Square in the Um Al-Sharait region, and has
commenced preparations for its inauguration this Thursday, the anniversary
of Mughrabi's Martyrdom. The mayor, Jamal Al-Tawil, said that... this year
the municipality will celebrate the inauguration of the Shahida (Martyr)
Dalal Mughrabi Square in order to commemorate her memory and her sacrifice
as a Palestinian woman who resisted the occupation. City Council member Aida
Abu-Ubeid said that the square is considered a symbol of the sacrifice of
the Palestinian woman. She also noted that flowers and trees will be planted
there, and that a picture of the Shahida Dalal Mughrabi will be placed at
the center of the square."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 7, 2010]
There has been no public comment from the Obama administration about the
PA's honoring of the terrorist.
Timeline on Dalal Mughrabi Square debate:
Dec. 31, 2009: PMW releases story of PA's intention to name square after
Mughrabi
Click to view PMW's release of PA's naming of square after terrorist.
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=1526
Jan. 7, 2010: PM Netanyahu protests PA's honoring Mughrabi to the US
"Today, and a week ago, senior officials from the Prime Minister's office
conveyed a protest to the US against Mahmoud Abbas... that the governor of
Ramallah named a square in her [Mughrabi's] honor."
[Israeli News Channel 2]
Jan. 10: PM Netanyahu opens cabinet meeting with criticism of PA's honoring
Mughrabi
"Whoever sponsors and supports naming a square in Ramallah in honor of a
terrorist who murdered dozens of Israelis on the Coastal Road - encourages
terror."
[Galei Zahal, (IDF radio), Jan. 10, 2010]
Jan. 11: PA Minister of Culture, Siham Barghouti, rejects Netanyahu's
protest
"Honoring them this way [by naming places after Martyrs] is the least we can
give them, and this is our right."
[Al-Ayyam, Jan. 11, 2010]
Jan. 17: PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas rejects Netanyahu's protest
"I do not deny [the naming]. Of course we want to name a square after her
[Mughrabi]... [We] carried out military activities; can I then later
renounce all that we have done? No, I don't renounce it."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 17, 2010]
Feb. 3: Ashraf Ajrami, former PA Minister of Prisoners' Affairs, defends
naming
"[PA] talk about Shahids (Martyrs) is considered, from their [Israel's]
point of view, extremism and support for terror... Likewise, naming a square
after Dalal Mughrabi is [according to Israel] reason for criticism and
attack."
[Al-Ayyam, Feb. 3, 2010]
Feb. 25: Mahmoud Al-Aloul, General Commissioner for Recruitment and
Organization, emphasizes importance of naming
"Mahmoud Al-Aloul, member of the Fatah Central Committee and General
Commissioner for Recruitment and Organization, emphasized that it is
important to continue commemorating the memory of the Shahids (Martyrs) and
the Palestinian acts of heroism, and most importantly the anniversary of the
Martyrdom of Dalal Mughrabi, heroine of the Coastal Road operation [terror
attack], which falls on March 11th each year."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Feb. 25, 2010]
Today, March 7: PA daily announces Thursday's inauguration of square
"The El-Bireh Municipality has completed construction work at the Shahida
(Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi Square ... and has commenced preparations for its
inauguration this Thursday, the anniversary of Mughrabi's Martyrdom... City
Council member Aida Abu-Ubeid said that the square is considered a symbol of
the sacrifice of the Palestinian woman. She also noted that flowers and
trees will be planted there, and that a picture of the Shahida Dalal
Mughrabi will be placed at the center of the square."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 7, 2010]
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