Netanyahu, trailing in polls, promises no Palestinian state if elected

Faced with a tight race for his political life, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stepped up the nationalist rhetoric on the eve of parliamentary elections, vowing a Palestinian state will not be established on his watch if he’s re-elected.
In an interview published Monday in the nrg news website, Netahyahu said withdrawing from occupied areas to make way for a Palestinian state would only ensure that territory will be taken over by Islamic extremists. When asked if that means a Palestinian state will not be established if he is elected, Netanyahu said "indeed."
It was the latest -- and clearest -- attempt by Netanyahu to disavow his earlier support for Palestinian independence, which he first laid out in a landmark 2009 speech.
"If we get this guarantee for demilitarization and necessary security arrangements for Israel, and if the Palestinians recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people, we will be willing in a real peace agreement to reach a solution of a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state," he said in 2009.
Despite that pledge, two rounds of peace talks have failed and Netanyahu has continued to expand Jewish settlements.
In a further attempt to appeal to hard-line voters, the Israeli leader also vowed Monday to strengthen construction in east Jerusalem settlements.  Netanyahu tried to shore up support on several campaign stops after the latest polls showed his Likud party trailing behind the centrist Zionist party, the day before Tuesday’s Knesset elections.
Netanyahu is in a close race against the Center-Left Zionist Union party led by Tzipi Livni and Isaac Herzog, who confidently predicted an "upheaval" was imminent.
In recent days, Netanyahu has been on a get-out-the-vote blitz, saying a dovish government would spell disaster for the country and complaining of an international conspiracy to oust him. But Monday’s comments will put him further at odds with the international community, boding poorly for already strained relations with the U.S. and other key allies if he wins a third consecutive term.
There was no immediate comment from U.S. officials.
The international community overwhelmingly supports the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, areas captured by Israel in 1967, and opposes settlement construction. Netanyahu's tough new position is likely to worsen his already strained ties with his western allies if he is re-elected.
Netanyahu has portrayed himself as the only politician capable of confronting Israel's numerous security challenges, while his opponents have focused on the country's high cost of living and presented Netanyahu as imperious and out of touch with the common man.
Netanyahu has also complained of an international conspiracy to oust him, funded by wealthy foreigners who dislike him, and on Sunday night, he addressed an outdoor rally before tens of thousands of hard-line supporters in Tel Aviv.
The strategy is aimed at siphoning off voters from nationalistic rivals, but risks alienating centrist voters who are expected to determine the outcome of the race.
During a last-minute campaign stop in east Jerusalem Monday, Netanyahu visited Har Homa, a Jewish development viewed as an illegal settlement by the Palestinians and the international community. Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005. The Islamic militant group Hamas took over two years later and escalated attacks on Israel.
"We will preserve Jerusalem's unity in all its parts. We will continue to build and fortify Jerusalem so that its division won't be possible and it will stay united forever," Netanyahu said. "Likud's victory is the only thing that can ensure the continuation of a national leadership and will prevent the establishment of a left-wing government."
While Netanyahu could still end up in the best position to cobble together a ruling coalition, the slipping support has rattled Likud -- which began the campaign all but assured that it would stay in office.
"The choice is symbolic: the Likud led by me, that will continue to stand firmly for (Israel's) vital interests, compared with a left-wing government ... ready to accept any dictate," Netanyahu said in his speech at Har Homa Monday, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Herzog has been surging in the polls on a campaign that promises to repair ties with the Palestinians and the international community and also bring relief to the country's struggling middle class.
Visiting his party headquarters, an upbeat Herzog talked about a "crucial" vote for the country and warned against splitting the anti-Netanyahu vote among the various centrist parties, including charismatic leader Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid Party.
"Whoever wants Lapid, whoever wants Yesh Atid, in the government has to vote for us. They have no other choice," he said. "Whoever wants an upheaval has to vote for us."
A majority of Israelis do not believe Netanyahu will form the next government, a Likud source said Monday, citing an internal poll. On March 9, Likud's data showed that 62.3 percent thought Netanyahu would form the coalition and 19.9 percent thought that Herzog and Livni would form the government, the Jerusalem Post reported.
But on Monday, for the first time, the number believing Netanyahu would form the government fell to 49.6 percent, while 30.4 percent thought Herzog would form the coalition. The surprising data marked the first time since the election campaign began that the number slipped below 50 percent. The polls are taken by McLaughlin and associates, the American Republican strategist working for the Netanyahu campaign.
During the Tel Aviv rally Sunday, Netanyahu chided what he called funding "from abroad" of an activist group which has pushed for Netanyahu's ouster. The group, V15, is working with Jeremy Bird, one of President Barack Obama's former campaign strategists. Netanyahu, who has strong links to U.S. billionaire Sheldon Adelson, has attributed his drop in the polls to a "worldwide" conspiracy to oust him.
Under Israel's electoral system, no party has ever won an outright majority in the 120-member parliament. Instead, the party with the best chance of forming a coalition -- usually the largest party -- is given the chance to form a coalition.
Since neither Likud nor the Zionist Union is expected to earn more than a quarter of the votes, the election will likely be followed by a lengthy period of negotiations over the next coalition government.

Federal agencies made $125B in improper payments last year

Federal agencies made $125 billion in improper payments last year, including tax credits to people who didn't qualify, Medicare payments for treatments that might not be necessary and unemployment benefits for people who were actually working, said a government report released Monday.
The level of improper payments was a new high after several years of declines. In addition to fraud, the errors included overpayments and underpayments, as well payments made without proper documentation.
While the errors were spread among 22 federal agencies, three programs stood out: Medicare, Medicaid and the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Together, the three programs accounted for more than $93 billion in improper payments, according to the report by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.
"This taxpayer money was not spent securing our borders, it was not spent on national defense, and it was not spent contributing to a safety net for those in need," said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. "This is a problem that is going to get worse year after year if we do not get a handle on it now."
Johnson's committee held a hearing Monday on reducing improper payments by improving death records maintained by the Social Security Administration. Social Security has no death record for 6.5 million people who would be at least 112 years old, according to a report by the agency's inspector general.
In reality, only a few could possibly be alive. As of last fall, there were only 42 people known to be that old in the entire world.
Only 13 of the people are still getting Social Security benefits, the report said. But for others, their Social Security numbers are still active, so a number could be used to report wages, open bank accounts, obtain credit cards or claim fraudulent tax refunds.
Social Security maintains a database of people who have died called the Death Master File, or DMF. It helps public agencies and private companies know when Social Security numbers are no longer valid for use.
"Their absence from the DMF could result in erroneous payments made by federal benefit-paying agencies that rely on the DMF to verify recipient eligibility," said Patrick P. O'Carroll Jr., the Social Security inspector general. "It could also hinder state and local government and private industry -- banks, insurance companies, and others -- from identifying identity theft and other types of fraud."
The federal government's increase in improper payments comes after three years of steady declines. The level previously peaked at $121 billion in 2010 before dropping to $106 billion for the 2013 budget year.
The Obama administration says reducing improper payments is a priority.
"While progress has been made over the years, the time has come for a more aggressive strategy to reduce the levels of improper payments we currently are seeing," said David Mader, the controller at President Barack Obama's budget office.
Mader outlined several proposals in Obama's proposed budget for next year. They include programs to reduce fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid, as well as budget increases at the IRS to combat tax fraud.

Iran reportedly confronts US officials at Geneva nuclear talks over GOP letter

Iranian officials reportedly have confronted their U.S. counterparts twice over an open letter from Republican senators to Tehran that warned any agreement on Iran's nuclear program would be unlikely to last beyond President Barack Obama's term of office.
The Associated Press, citing a senior U.S. official, reported that the letter, which was signed by 47 of  54 GOP members, first came up in negotiations on Sunday and was raised again Monday in discussions led by Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.
Zarif was quoted by Iranian state media after the meeting as saying the topics included the potential speed of a softening of U.S. economic sanctions and the new issue of the letter from the senators. "It is necessary that the stance of the U.S. administration be defined about this move," he was quoted as saying.
Kerry and Zarif met for nearly five hours in Lausanne, the start of several planned days of discussions. Most of the Iranians then departed for Brussels, where they were to meet with European negotiators.
In Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that "we are entering a crucial time, a crucial two weeks." And German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that after "more than 10 years of negotiations, we should seize this opportunity."
"There are areas where we've made progress, areas where we have yet to make any progress," British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said. "But the fact that we're all here talking shows the commitment on both sides to try to reach an agreement."
In Lausanne, the U.S. official wouldn't say how much time the sides spent talking about the letter drafted seven days ago by freshman Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. The Iranians have called the letter a propaganda ploy, and Zarif joked last week that some U.S. legislators didn't understand their own Constitution. The Obama administration has called the letter "ill timed" and "ill advised," coming weeks before the deadline for a preliminary agreement with Iran on its nuclear program.
Cotton isn't backing down. In his maiden speech in the Senate, Cotton reiterated his view that the deal being discussed would pave Iran's path to a nuclear bomb.
"Iran is an outlaw regime. ... Unsurprising, Iran is only growing bolder and more aggressive as America retreats from the Middle East," Cotton said, adding that Iranian leaders continue to call for Israel's elimination and that Iran is meddling in other nations, including Syria and Iraq.
The U.S. official in Lausanne, who wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and briefed reporters only on condition of anonymity, said that in the end, the talks and a potential agreement depend on Iran showing the world that its nuclear program is exclusively peaceful.
The goal for a full agreement is the end of June.
Republicans argue that a deal would be insufficient and unenforceable, allowing Iran to eventually become a nuclear-armed state. To that end, they've delivered a series of proposals to undercut or block an agreement, including ones that would require Senate say-so on a deal and order new sanctions against Iran while negotiations are underway.
Cotton's letter, the administration and congressional Democrats argue, went further, interfering in the president's execution of U.S. foreign policy. The letter, styled as a U.S. civics lesson, warned Iranian leaders that any deal negotiated by the current administration could be tossed by Obama's successor.
Obama and other officials insist they're not going to make any deal that would allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.
The agreement taking shape would limit Iran's uranium enrichment and other nuclear activity for at least a decade, with the restrictions slowly lifted over several years. Washington and other world powers also would gradually scale back sanctions that have crippled the Iranian economy. Tehran says it is only interested in peaceful energy generation and medical research, but much of the world suspects it harbors nuclear weapons ambitions.
Kerry and Zarif plan to regroup in Lausanne on Tuesday. The U.S. secretary of state is to return to Washington by week's end for talks with Afghanistan's leaders, and the Iranians plan to break for the Persian New Year. Officials say talks might restart sometime next week, if necessary. A deal would also require the approval of America's negotiating partners: Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.
With little time remaining before the end of March, some officials have said the persistent differences mean negotiators will likely settle for an announcement that they've made enough progress to justify further talks.
Such a declaration would hardly satisfy U.S. critics of the Obama administration's efforts. But the senior American official said the goal was to determine by the end of March "if we can get to a political framework that addresses the major elements of a comprehensive deal."
Back in Washington, Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said his panel will likely vote on a bill next week that would require a congressional review of any nuclear deal. The measure would require the president to submit the text of any pact to Congress and bar the administration from suspending congressional sanctions on Iran for 60 days. In that time, Congress would hold hearings and have a chance to approve, disapprove or take no action on the agreement.

Clinton camp issues clarification on deleted emails, claims ‘every’ message was reviewed

Hillary Clinton’s camp late Sunday issued a significant clarification about the steps they say were taken to review thousands of personal emails before they were deleted, claiming her team individually read “every email” before discarding those deemed private.
Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill made the clarification in a written statement to Fox News. This comes after the former secretary of state’s office revealed last week that while more than 30,000 “work-related” emails were turned over to the State Department, nearly 32,000 were deemed “private” and deleted.
This admission raised questions over how her team decided to get rid of those messages. Merrill on Sunday clarified an earlier fact sheet that described some of those methods but did not say every email was read.
“We simply took for granted that reading every single email came across as the most important, fundamental and exhaustive step that was performed.  The fact sheet should have been clearer in stating that every email was read,” Merrill said.
Clinton, a likely Democratic presidential candidate, tried to tamp down the controversy over her exclusive use of personal email while secretary of state during a press conference last week. But the admission that she deleted thousands of messages, and her insistence that her personal server remain private, stirred the ire – and curiosity -- of lawmakers who want greater access to her communications as secretary and complain much of it may be gone forever.
Whether the assurance that “every email” was read before being either deleted or turned over eases those concerns remains to be seen.
“I have zero interest in looking at her personal emails,” South Carolina GOP Rep. Trey Gowdy said on “Fox News Sunday.” “But who gets to decide what’s personal and what’s public? And if it’s a mixed-use email, and lots of the emails we get in life are both personal and work, I just can’t trust her lawyers to make the determination that the public’s getting everything they’re entitled to.”

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White House delivers new warning to Senate on Iran legislation

The White House sent a new warning to the Senate late Saturday saying to stay out of negotiations with Iran over the country’s nuclear program, asserting that potential legislation would have a “profoundly negative impact” on current negotiations.
President Obama’s chief of staff Dennis McDonough told Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker in a letter that legislation sponsored by Corker would go beyond ensuring a role for Congress in a deal with Iran.
"Instead, the legislation would potentially prevent any deal from succeeding by suggesting that Congress must vote to 'approve' any deal," McDonough said. He criticized a provision that would eliminate Obama's authority to lift some sanctions on Iran as part of any agreement.
Talks are set to resume Sunday in Switzerland with the U.S. and other world leaders facing a looming March deadline to reach a framework deal.
"The administration's request to Congress is simple: Let us complete the negotiations before the Congress acts on legislation," McDonough said, adding that he does expect a robust congressional debate if a final deal is struck by the end of June.
McDonough echoed Obama’s threats to veto the legislation should Congress pass it.
Corker and other senators in both parties believe Congress should be able to vote on any agreement to block Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
"On this issue where Congress has played such a vital role, I believe it is very important that Congress appropriately weigh in before any final agreement is implemented," Corker said in a statement late Saturday.
McDonough’s letter follows one this week that was signed by 47 Republican senators and addressed to Iran’s leaders warning that any agreement with the U.S. could expire once Obama leaves office.
The White House slammed the letter saying it was politically motivated and an attempt to undermine the president’s ability to conduct foreign policy and advance U.S. national security interests.
The GOP letter follows a controversial March 3 speech to a joint meeting of Congress by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he warned that the emerging nuclear agreement would all but guarantee that Iran gets nuclear weapons. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, invited the prime minister to speak without input from the White House and State Department, in what the White House said was a departure from protocol.

US Embassy in Saudi Arabia halts operations amid 'heightened security concerns'

U.S. officials said Sunday they will halt operations at the embassy and consulates in Saudi Arabia for the next couple of days, in response to “heightened security concerns.”
Embassy officials in Riyadh issued the statement, saying telephone lines at the facilities will be down Sunday and Monday and encouraging U.S. citizens in Saudi Arabia to “be aware of their surroundings and take extra precautions when travelling throughout the country.”
The message did not cite a specific security concern or threat nor call for the evacuation of the facilities.
However, an intelligence source told Fox News that it was a car bomb threat that triggered the measures, and was serious enough that the facilities will have only essential staff over the next two days.
The U.S. Consulate Generals in Saudi Arabia are in the cities of Dhahran and Jeddah.
In addition to the embassy directive, the State Department is urging U.S. citizens to “carefully consider the risks of traveling to Saudi Arabia and limit non-essential travel within the country.”
The agency also warned: “Regardless of where you are, it is always advisable to keep your security and situational awareness levels high.”

Muslim college co-founded by anti-Israel firebrand receives accreditation

A California school co-founded by a firebrand who once called for an "intifada" in the U.S. has become the nation's first accredited Muslim college.
Zaytuna College, which operates out of two rented buildings in Berkeley, Calif., and had an enrollment of 30 in 2013, was officially accredited earlier this week by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges—one of the six academic organizations responsible for authorizing public and private colleges and universities in the United States. The certification means the school can apply for various federal and private grants, issue visas to international students and allow students to transfer credits to or from other accredited schools.
“Five years ago, we introduced an undergraduate liberal arts program inspired by the idea of restoring the holistic education that had been offered in the great teaching centers of Islamic civilization,” co-founder and President Hamza Yusuf stated in an open letter on the school’s website on Monday. “Today, Zaytuna’s accreditation roots this vision in a reality recognized within American higher education. It gives our community its first accredited academic address in the United States. And we hope, God willing, that there will be more such Muslim colleges and universities to come.”

“I am curious to know what level degrees Zaytuna will be allowed to offer, since its course catalog is limited and does not encompass the breadth of a standard liberal arts education.”- Stephen Suleyman Schwartz, Center for Islamic Pluralism

The school offers one Bachelor of Arts, in Islamic Law and Theology. Course offerings include various courses on Islamic law, Introduction to the Koran, Ethics, Mathematics and History of the United States.
Yusuf, an Islamic Studies advisor at both Stanford University and University of California Berkeley, is known for being an outspoken critic of extremism. He drew a death decree from ISIS earlier this year for condemning the Charlie Hebdo massacre, in which workers at a French satirical magazine were killed by Islamist fanatics for publishing caricatures of Prophet Mohammad.
But the school's other co-founder, Hatem Bazian, who serves as the school’s chairman of academic affairs, has been accused of whipping up anti-Semitism on campuses across the nation through another organization he helped establish, the anti-Israel Students for Justice in Palestine. And at an April, 2004, rally in San Francisco in support of the Iraqi insurgency, Bazian appeared to call for an uprising in the U.S.
"Are you angry?" Bazian shouted to protesters. "Well, we've been watching intifada in Palestine, we've been watching an uprising in Iraq, and the question is that what are we doing? How come we don't have an intifada in this country? …and it's about time that we have an intifada in this country that change[s] fundamentally the political dynamics in here. And we know every — they’re gonna say some Palestinian being too radical — well, you haven't seen radicalism yet!"
Critics say any school associated with Bazian, who is a senior lecturer at University of California Berkeley, is suspect.
“He’s an anti-Israel activist and he uses academia to further his agenda,” Nonie Darwish, founder of Arabs for Israel and a human rights advocate, told FoxNews.com.

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 (Zaytuna College Facebook Page)

Neither Bazian nor other Zaytuna officials responded to multiple requests for comment.
Some critics who monitor higher education say the idea of a Muslim-centric school is fine in principle. But they are wary of Bazian's links to Students for Justice in Palestine.
"The blend between education and religion is nothing new, Caleb Bonham, editor-in-chief of higher education blog CampusReform.Org, told FoxNews.com. “College is supposed to be a time where the free exchange of ideas is explored. America, throughout our history, has encouraged diversity of thought and the freedom to worship as one desires.
"But Students for Justice in Palestine has proven itself to be an anti-Semitic, anti-Israeli organization since its founding," he added. "Our campuses must remain bastions of freedom of expression. I hope the founders uphold the principles of freedom that are inherent to all men and women."
The school, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2008, received more than $11 million in contributions and grants from 2011 to 2012. However, specific donors were not listed on 990 forms filed with the IRS and the school's website only mentions 12,000 donors without any further detail.

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Officials for Zaytuna recently purchased this building in the Holy Hill neighborhood of Berkeley as part of a $7 million campus expansion program.

The Zaytuna College website details a $7 million plan to build a new campus, a project that includes the recent purchase of a new building, but was put on hold until the accreditation came. According to officials for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, any academic institution that gains accreditation becomes qualified to distribute federal aid to its students.
“Zaytuna may elect to do this, though they are also seeking for their students to graduate without owing debt,” Richard Winn, senior vice president of the WASC Senior College and University Commission said in a statement to FoxNews.com.
While Zaytuna and its students may benefit from the accreditation, the fact that the school offers only one degree program has some questioning the decision.
“I am surprised that Zaytuna College has received accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges,” Stephen Suleyman Schwartz, executive director of the Center for Islamic Pluralism, said in a statement to FoxNews.com. “I am curious to know what level degrees Zaytuna will be allowed to offer, since its course catalog is limited and does not encompass the breadth of a standard liberal arts education.”