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As a subscriber to this paper for at least 14 years, I obviously like reading the paper and not having to go online or listen to the radio. I, too, have missed the Pulse Line. People have put in interesting entries, informative entries and yes, sometimes nasty entries. At least it proves that people read the paper, and for that reason alone; the Pulse Line should be published. Thank You. As we stated in our response the other day, all entries are published as long as they are respectful. Continue the conversation http://thewestfieldnews.com/pulseline-form
U.S. officials say Israel spied on Iran talks By NICK GASS Politico.com Israel spied on Iran’s nuclear talks with the United States — and used the information to undermine the Obama administration’s position with the GOP-led Congress, according to an explosive report in The Wall Street Journal. Israeli officials are denying the accusations in the story, which quotes anonymous “current and former U.S. officials.” The White House found out about the operation, the Journal reports, when U.S. intelligence agencies intercepted messages among among Israeli officials containing details that U.S. officials believed could only have come from the top-secret negotiations. “It is one thing for the U.S. and Israel to spy on each other. It is another thing for Israel to steal U.S. secrets and play them back to U.S. legislators to undermine U.S. diplomacy,” a senior U.S. official told the Journal. U.S. officials say that classified information, such as the number of centrifuges that Iran might be able to keep operating as part of a final accord, were then shared with lawmakers in a concerted effort to derail the talks. Israeli officials deny that, and told the Journal that they did not spy directly on American negotiators. They say they got their information through other means, such as surveillance of Iran’s leaders or via one of the U.S.’s negotiating partners, such as the French. The report underscores the growing rift between the Obama and Netanyahu administrations, which has deepened in the wake of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s re-election last week. “People feel personally sold out,” a senior White House official told the Journal. “That’s where the Israelis really better be careful because a lot of these people will not only be around for this administration but possibly the next one as well.” A senior official in Netanyahu’s office fired back, calling the allegations “utterly false” in an interview with CNN, adding that “Israel does not conduct espionage against the United States or Israel’s other allies. The false allegations are clearly intended to undermine the strong ties between the United States and Israel and the security and intelligence relationship we share.” The talks over Iran’s nuclear program continue this week in Switzerland, as the March 31 deadline for a framework agreement looms.
POLITICAL NOTEBOOK
Southwick Republican Party annual Family Spaghetti Dinner The Southwick Republican Party would like to invite you to their annual Family Spaghetti Dinner. The Spaghetti Dinner will take place on Friday, April 17, 2015 at 5:30 PM, at the VFW Post 872, 151 Point Grove Road, Southwick Bring the whole Family ! Join us for a full Meal, cash bar, raffle and fun. We will be introducing and showcasing our candidates for the upcoming May Elections. You will be able to meet our candidates to discuss their campaign platforms. Please join us to add your input on the issues at hand and meet other Southwick families. Please RSVP via E-Mail to : oysterjell@comcast.net Any questions, please call : Bob Horacek 569-3616 - Susan Fox 875-5613 Russ Fox 5695962 – Art Pinell 569-6971 Tickets available at The Southwick Florist Suggested Donations $10.00 / $25.00 Family
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Baker blasts Benjamin Netanyahu “His actions have not matched his rhetoric,” says the former secretary of state By EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE Politico.com It’s not just Democrats and White House officials who’ve got problems with Benjamin Netanyahu. Blasting “diplomatic missteps and political gamesmanship,” former Secretary of State James Baker laid in hard to the Israeli prime minister on Monday evening, criticizing him for an insufficient commitment to peace and an absolutist opposition to the Iran nuclear talks. Baker told the gala dinner for the left-leaning Israeli advocacy group J Street that he supported efforts to get a deal with Tehran — but he called for President Barack Obama to bring any agreement before Congress, even though he may not legally be required to do so. Baker, who was the chief diplomat for President George H.W. Bush and is now advising Jeb Bush on his presidential campaign, cited mounting frustrations with Netanyahu over the past six years — but particularly with comments he made in the closing days of last week’s election disavowing his support for a two-state solution and support for settlements strategically placed to attempt to change the borders between Israel and the West Bank. “Frankly, I have been disappointed with the lack of progress regarding a lasting peace — and I have been for some time,” Baker said. And “in the aftermath of Netanyahu’s recent election victory, the chance of a two-state solution seems even slimmer, given his reversal on the issue.” Baker said while Netanyahu has said he’s for peace, “his actions have not matched his rhetoric.” Some Republicans in Congress have claimed Obama has eroded American support of Israel. That’s wrong, too, Baker said. “No one around the entire world should ever doubt America’s commitment to Israel, Not now, or at any point in the future,” he said. Earlier in the day at the conference, White House chief of staff Denis McDonough reiterated Obama’s frustration with Netanyahu, saying that the administration is holding the prime minister to his comments ruling out a two-state solution — even though Netanyahu immediately began to walk those comments back the day after his Likud Party won a resounding number of seats in the Israeli Knesset. Baker said he’s also holding to Netanyahu’s pre-election comments — and pointed out how out of sync he believes the Israeli leader is with his own country, and with Washington. “Although Netanyahu and his right-and-center coalition may
oppose a two-state solution, a land-for-peace approach has long been supported by a substantial portion of the Israeli body politic, by every American [administration] since 1967 — Republican and Democratic alike — and a vast majority of nations around the world,” Baker said. As to Netanyahu’s opposition on Iran, Baker warned against seeking only a perfect deal. “If the only agreement is one in which there is no enrichment, then there will be no agreement,” Baker said. After all, Baker said, no military solution could work in his assessment: an American strike would only generate more support among Iranians for the fundamentalist government, and an Israeli strike would neither be as effective nor carry American support. This isn’t the only tough moment in U.S.-Israeli relations, Baker said, recounting some of his own head-butting in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In those days, the administration was dealing with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, a hardliner who referred to Netanyahu as “too soft,” according to Baker. The danger now, Baker said, is the personalization and politicization of the disputes between the governments in Washington and Jerusalem. “This is of course a delicate moment in the Middle East, and will require clear thinking from leaders,” Baker said. “That clear thinking should not be muddled by partisan politics.”
As to Netanyahu’s opposition on Iran, Baker warned against seeking only a perfect deal. (Getty images)
Net neutrality legal war has begun By BROOKS BOLIEK and ALEX BYERS Politico.com A tiny Texas-based broadband provider and a major telecom trade group fired the first shots in what’s expected to be a drawn-out legal war over the FCC’s new net neutrality rules. Alamo Broadband, which serves about 700 customers south of San Antonio, on Monday asked the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to “hold unlawful, vacate, enjoin, and set aside” the net neutrality order, telling the court that the commission overstepped its authority. USTelecom, which represents industry giants like AT&T and Verizon, took a similar action Monday in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Other parts of the telecom industry are expected to challenge the FCC’s order, and the documents filed today are likely just the first steps. But they do signal the official start of the legal war over net neutrality, which is expected to drag on for months, if not years — entangling one of the agency’s most important policies. “The focus of our legal appeal will be on the FCC’s decision to reclassify broadband Internet access service as a public utility service after a decade of amazing innovation and investment under the FCC’s previous light-touch approach,” USTelecom Senior Vice President Jon Banks said in a statement. “As our industry has said many times, we do not block or throttle traffic and FCC rules prohibiting blocking or throttling will not be the focus of our appeal.” Monday’s legal moves may represent early venue shopping by opponents of the FCC’s rules. Both the New Orleans court and the D.C. Circuit are considered conservative courts, although some public interest groups say the D.C. Circuit is
not necessarily unfriendly to their views. The FCC rules were proposed by Chairman Tom Wheeler and approved by the commission’s Democratic majority in a 3-2 party line vote on Feb. 26. They will regulate broadband like a utility under Title II of the Communications Act to ensure providers treat all Internet traffic equally. Major ISPs AT&T, Verizon and Comcast, along with Republicans, have called the order heavy-handed and warned it will dampen innovation and investment. The conventional wisdom in Washington has been that the rules have to be published in the Federal Register — a step that hasn’t occurred yet — before they can be challenged. The FCC contends that the petitions to the courts came too early from a procedural perspective. “The Commission was served today with two challenges to the Open Internet Order,” an FCC spokeswoman said in a statement. “We believe that the petitions for review filed today are premature and subject to dismissal.” Alamo President Joe Portman has been a vocal critic of the FCC’s order, saying it uses regulations designed for 1930s telephone monopolies that will stifle the development of nextgeneration broadband networks. He testified at an October forum held by Republican GOP Commissioner Ajit Pai at Texas A&M University. Portman directed questions Monday to an attorney, Brett Shumate of Wiley Rein, who declined to comment. The telecom industry has a track record in overturning the FCC’s net neutrality efforts. A lawsuit by Verizon succeeded in scuttling the agency’s previous 2010 Open Internet order. ——— Tony Romm and Alex Byers contributed to this report.