Wednesday, August 22, 2012

  • Wednesday, August 22, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
You could swear it was Treblinka if these weren't in color.





  • Wednesday, August 22, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
...and the fading Left:

Many of Israel’s detractors on the left argue that Israel’s democracy is in a state of decline. A closer look shows that Israeli democracy is thriving. A gradual decentralization of power since Likud’s rise to the top in 1977 has given more political groups a chance to share power. The judicial system is strong and independent, and fearless in its prosecution of senior politicians. The end of party-affiliated journalism has allowed greater criticism of the government by the Israeli media. Minority groups enjoy greater rights than ever before. The army has become more professional and plays a smaller role in decision-making than before. When taking these factors into consideration, it is clear that Israeli democracy is doing quite well, despite the assertions of the fading left.

The frustrated Israeli left that failed to garner support in recent elections has adopted a new strategy. Already before shrinking in the 2009 elections to only 16 Knesset members (represented by Labor and Meretz), several leftist figures decided to turn to external forces “to save Israel from itself” rather than struggle for the hearts and minds of the Israeli people. They argued that Israel’s democracy is in danger and tried to mobilize European and American public opinion to pressure Israel in their desired direction. A recent example of this strategy is an opinion piece in The New York Times titled “Israel’s Fading Democracy.”

This op-ed exemplifies the longing for the days when the left was in power, particularly before 1977, a year that ended the Labor party hegemony in Israeli politics. Yet an objective analysis of the traits of Israeli politics shows that Israel’s vibrant democracy is alive and kicking and actually faring much better than it did during the “old days.”

...The post-1977 period was characterized by greater social mobility. The erosion of socialist practices and privatization of a centralized economy contributed to the growth of a non-Ashkenazi middle class.

...The independence of the police and the judicial system in Israel has drastically increased in recent years. The Israel judicial system fearlessly prosecuted a president, prime minister, and cabinet ministers, becoming the subject of envy in many democratic states. The police, due to the prodding of the courts, have also allowed greater freedom of expression by demonstrations than before.

The media – the watchdog of democracy – has been totally transformed after 1977. The mobilized written and electronic press disappeared. Almost all “party” newspapers have vanished. In their place a plethora of media outlets with different agendas emerged. To be sure, Netanyahu was instrumental in the establishment of a right-wing newspaper, Israel Hayom. But most of the written and electronic media, as well as the new social media, is free and fills its duties, sometimes too well, as the watching dog of the politicians.

Additionally, in the area of minority rights Israel fares increasingly etter than many democratic countries. Until 1965 the Israeli Arabs were under a military government and the two all-Arab parties in the Knesset during Labor’s rule were branches of the ruling party. Today there are three Arab parties which represent a variety of views. Gays in Israel successfully gained rights due to the ultra-liberal policies of the Supreme Court. There is definitely greater sensitivity and corresponding legislature for equality among women and disadvantaged groups.
Read the whole thing.

(h/t My Right Word)
  • Wednesday, August 22, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
Even though this only seems to have attracted about a hundred people, this should have been reported in the mainstream media:

Claims of Jewish control of the media and American politics and alleged war-mongering by Israel and America dominated speeches Friday at an Iranian-inspired rally in Washington, D.C.
"If you love America, you love lying, you love rape, you love murder, you love killing," said Abdul Alim Musa, imam of Washington D.C.'s Masjid Al-Islam and head of a separatist movement called As-Sabiqun. "And then, the Zionist, diabolical, sinister Israeli. Nobody in history, they cry about some Holocaust, we had five or ten people get killed."
Resolutions adapted by Quds Day organizers endorse Hamas rule and call for a "one-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The "one-state" idea is a non-violent means of eliminating Israel, because the greater number of Palestinians would eliminate Israel as a Jewish state. "We support a peaceful dismantling of the Zionist State and a referendum with participation from the Christians, Jews and Muslims within the present day borders of the Zionist State, as well as participation from Palestinians within the occupied territories and refugee camps scattered across the region in deciding their fate," a resolution reads.

The resolutions dismiss Palestinian terrorism as "side issues."
"The reality is in this country, the Zionist thugs who manipulate politics and the media as well, they often want us to hide to keep the message of support for the Palestinian people only off to the side," said Eugene Puryear of the leftist ANSWER Coalition. "And I think it's very important to note that we will not hide anymore."
Though Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria continues to slaughter civilians, no speaker mentioned the plight of Syrian citizens. Rather, it is Israel that is responsible for "one of the greatest crimes going on in the world today," Puryear said. "It is "the most divisive force, really one of the most divisive force (sic), along with the U.S. imperialist government, who are their allies, and the entire world, in sowing strife and destruction, everywhere they go."
American politics is held hostage by candidates to Jewish interests, said Code Pink's Medea Benjamin. She said there was no difference between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney on dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian issue or on whether to attack Iran to stop its nuclear weapons program. That's because "both of them [are] pandering for the votes of a very small minority of people in the United States and [are] really looking for money for their campaigns."





From Palestine Times:

Usurpers perform Talmudic rituals at Solomon's Pools

A large group of usurpers, under the protection of Israeli soldiers, stormed the Solomon's Pools in al-Khader village, south of Bethlehem. About 70 usurpers accompanied by Israeli soldiers stormed the ponds and settled on the third pool. The usurpers performed the ritual and religious hymns and rituals in the water, which is the fourth time in a row this has occurred.
Solomon's Pools is not an Islamic holy site. It has nothing to do with Islam. And at least one of them was undoubtedly built during Maccabean Jewish rule.

So when Arabs complain about "Talmudic rituals" (meaning, Jewish prayers), for example in the Temple Mount, it is not because they are Jews are desecrating a supposed Islamic holy site.

It is because they are Jews practicing Judaism.

By coincidence, historic photographs of Solomon's Pools were the subject of yesterday's "Israel's Daily Picture" blog.
  • Wednesday, August 22, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
From MEMRI:




Following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian cleric Safwat Higazi, which aired on Al-Kahera Wal-Nas TV on August 14, 2012.

Interviewer: In the era of the Muslim Brotherhood – or the era of the Islamic movements – will new fronts be opened against Israel – including an Egyptian front – in order to make Jerusalem the capital of the "United States of the Arabs"?


Safwat Higazi: Liberating Palestine and restoring the United States of the Arabs does not necessarily have to be done through weapons or war. We Muslims are not warmongers. We seek peace. We want to get what is rightfully ours.


Interviewer: How can you get "what is rightfully yours" from a country like Israel without war?


Safwat Higazi: I did not say that I would take what is mine through peaceful means. I said that this is my first choice. The first choice of the Muslims is peace. If not through peace, there is nothing preventing war. We welcome war.


Interviewer: How can a peace-seeking Muslim like you issue a fatwa stating that anyone who sees an Israeli on the street must kill him?


Safwat Higazi: If that Zionist is fighting me, occupying my country, and killing people who are my brothers in country, religion, and humanity – then it's an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and whoever started it is to blame.


Interviewer: What ever happened to peace-seeking?


Safwat Higazi: We extended our hand in peace, but it was rejected. What else is left to do?


Interviewer: When did you offer peace?


Safwat Higazi: Did Egypt not offer peace throughout all these years?


Interviewer: Are you for or against the Camp David Accords?


Safwat Higazi: I am against them.


Interviewer: Then you are against peace.


Safwat Higazi: Absolutely not. This equation is completely wrong.


Interviewer: Was it not the Camp David Accords that brought peace?


Safwat Higazi: This equation is wrong...


Interviewer: Please, just answer my question. Was it not the Camp David Accords that brought peace to Egypt?


Safwat Higazi: Absolutely not. It was the 1973 war that brought peace. If not for the Egyptian victory in that war, there would be no peace. How come there was no peace before the 1973 war?


Interviewer: How did peace come about?


Safwat Higazi: Through the Egyptian victory in the war.


Interviewer: Through what means?


Safwat Higazi: Peace came through the 1973 war. With the crossing of the Suez Canal, we crossed into peace. Had we not crossed the Canal, there would have been no peace.


[...]


One of the tenets of the Muslim Brotherhood, which they cannot renounce, is the Islamic Caliphate and the ruling of the world. Yes. The day will come when we will be the masters of the world.

It sound like he is saying that the sneak attack on Israel during Yom Kippur, 1973 was a peace offer. And that "Palestine" is not an independent Islamic state but part of the larger 'umma ("my country.")

But the last sentence pretty much sums it all up anyway.
  • Wednesday, August 22, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
From Ha'aretz:
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has sent a letter to the foreign ministers of the Middle East Quartet members, calling on them to press for new elections in the Palestinian Authority to replace PA President Mahmoud Abbas, whom Lieberman described as an obstacle to peace.

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by Haaretz, is dated August 20 and was sent to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

"The Palestinian Authority is a despotic government riddled with corruption," Lieberman wrote. "This pattern of behavior has led to criticism even within his own constituency. Due to Abbas' weak standing and his policy of not renewing the [peace] negotiations, which is an obstacle to peace, the time has come to consider a creative solution, to think 'outside the box,' in order to strengthen the Palestinian leadership."

The creative solution Lieberman suggests is to hold general elections in the PA areas of the West Bank.

"Despite Mr. Abbas' delays, general elections in the PA should be held, and a new, legitimate, hopefully realistic Palestinian leadership should be elected," Lieberman stressed. "The PA elections were due to be held in 2010 and have since been postponed several times. As of today, no new date has been set for elections."

Lieberman noted in his letter that only a new Palestinian leadership is likely to bring progress in the peace process with Israel. "We must maximize the holding of new elections in the PA, alongside the tremendous changes in the Arab world, in order to bring a serious change to the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians."
The response from Abbas' spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina is classic.

He said that Lieberman's letter is "creating a state of violence and instability." He said that the letter is an "incitement to murder and violence, and seen as interference in internal Palestinian affairs."

Furthermore, he called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to take a clear position on these "provocative statements that do not contribute in any way to create a climate that is conducive to peace... his comments are unacceptable and condemnable."

Yes, the office of Mahmoud Abbas - now in his eighth year of a four year term - is condemning the idea of new elections!

The full text of the letter is anything but extreme. The text (converted here from Ha'aretz' PDF) should be widely distributed and seen by everyone.
Baroness Ashton,

I appreciated the opportunity to meet with you July 24th in Brussels, on the occasion of the Israel-EU Association Council. We discussed many regional issues of importance; however, I would like to further share some key ideas with you, and hence, this letter.

I would like to update you regarding the current situation of Israel's relationship with the Palestinian Authority (PA). As a preamble, I would like to emphasize that the purpose of this letter is to demonstrate Israel's goodwill, desire to build trust and sincere desire to create a positive atmosphere vis a vis the PA, with the goal of bringing our neighbors back to the table of direct negotiations. Unfortunately, we have encountered repeated Palestinian patterns of refusal and consistent attempts to turn to pointless activity, counterproductive to any constructive efforts.
Madame, it is important to provide this update to you, because in my opinion, the information herein is not properly represented or reflected in the policy of the European Union or the Quartet on this subject.

Israel has in recent months undertaken several significant gestures towards the Palestinians: Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Shteinitz and PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad concluded (July 31) arrangements with respect to the transfer of goods between Israel and the PA and related tax procedures. These steps, which were recommended by the International Monetary Fund, will improve the PA's tax system, increase revenues and bolster the Palestinian economy.

In light of the PA‘s budget crisis, Israel transferred at the beginning of the month of Ramadan (July 27) an advance of NIS 180 million (approximately USD 45 million) of August tax remittances. The money was intended to help the PA pay salaries in time to celebrate the holiday. An agreement was concluded (July 14) to employ an additional 5,000 Palestinian construction workers in Israel; the number of roadblocks was reduced to 10, most of which are normally open; the remains of Palestinian terrorists were returned (May 31). In addition, Israel agreed to develop the gas field off the Gaza shoreline.

Israel is promoting infrastructure projects in Area C, including completion of a master plan. In 2011, 119 infrastructure projects were approved, 58 of them with international financing. Fifteen projects relating to the construction and renovation of infrastructures for schools and clinics have received "fast-track" approval. I won't go into all the details of additional Israeli gestures that were made throughout 2012, all of them with the goal of assisting the Palestinian economy and easing the lives of the residents in the West Bank and Gaza.

Unfortunately, despite these steps, we do not see any willingness or positive attitude on the part of the PA. The opposite is the case: we see a rise in the Palestinian activity against Israel in the diplomatic and legal arenas, with attempts to accelerate illegal construction in Area C (including dragging the EU into this problematic activity), to encourage an economic boycott on the Israeli economy in the territories and to generate repeated negative statements against Israel. In addition, we have encountered a relatively new campaign, blaming Israel for the murder of Yassir Arafat, as well as the ongoing institutionalized incitement in the Palestinian media, attacking Israel and the legitimacy of the State's existence.

Mr. Mahmoud Abbas‘ unfortunate behavior indicates that he apparently is uninterested or unable -- due to his standing in the domestic Palestinian scene vis a vis Hamas, and in light of the regional geopolitical situation -- to reach an agreement which would bring an end to the conflict, including addressing all the core issues. Instead he is creating a culture of blaming Israel for delaying the process, while attempting to achieve advantages without negotiation via blackmailing and ongoing attempts to internationalize the conflict.

The situation as I have described it is supported not only by the facts but also may be corroborated by the Jordanians, who made a great effort to facilitate direct dialogue between Israel and the PA. Unfortunately, because of the attitudes of Mr. Abbas and his partners, these efforts did not lead to any progress. This situation is very clear to the Jordanians.

This pattern of refusal is not new. With the Annapolis process, under the previous Israeli government, former Prime Minister Ehucl Olmert offered the Palestinians far-reaching concessions and gestures of goodwill, more than any other Israeli government, without success. In this light, the relevant chapter on the subject in former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent book of memoirs is most enlightening.

Two additional matters should be taken into account: the historic Bar-Ilan
speech of Prime Minister Netanyahu, which called for a two state solution, and the unprecedented step of the current government, which, in response to Palestinian demands, temporarily froze the construction in the settlements, in order to renew peace negotiations. As part of the Palestinian systematic pattern of avoiding bilateral negotiations, these steps were met with rejection and with unilateral steps by the Palestinians, under Mr. Abbas‘ leadership.

In a calculated manner, Mr. Abbas is focusing his dialogue with the international community on the subject of settlements. Unfortunately, the international community tends to accept this discourse lock, stock and barrel, without criticism or a nuanced approach. This is a damaging attitude, which does not reflect the reality on the ground.

I would like to recall several points on this subject:

The entire area of the settlements constitutes approximately one percent of the area of the West Bank. The last settlement which Israel constructed was in 1991. In the framework of the peace accord with Egypt (1979), Israel took the painful step of evacuating all the settlements and military bases in Sinai. In 2005, Israel evacuated all of our settlements from the Gaza Strip, as well as four settlements in the northern West Bank, but instead of peace and security, we received the Hamas government in Gaza which opposes the existence of Israel, and is unwilling to live in peace with us, as well as 14,000 rockets and missiles which were indiscriminately shot at towns and villages in southern Israel.

Facts and history, as opposed to the simplistic stereotypes and political bias, contradict the idea that somehow the settlement enterprise is the main obstacle to renewing the negotiations. This premise simply does not stand up to the test of reality or the historic precedent of the peace process between Israel and our neighbors. Both peace accords, with Egypt and Jordan, were signed when settlements existed; the claim that settlements are the obstacle to peace is unfounded.
In recent years, we have seen that Mr. Abbas speaks with a moderate and pleasant voice to the international community, but in fact, has been personally acting to undermine attempts to renew the peace process, despite Israeli gestures and confidence building measures. He has continued in damaging behavior towards Israel, including extreme cases of encouraging a culture of hatred, praising terrorists, encouraging sanctions and boycotts, and calling into question the legitimacy of the existence of the state, as can be seen for example in his last speech at the General Assembly of the U.N. In my view, in his deeds and his behavior, Mr. Abbas does not represent the general Palestinian interest (for example, he has repeatedly postponed the democratic process of elections in the PA), nor even the interest of his constituents in the West Bank.

The Palestinian Authority is a despotic government riddled with corruption. This pattern of behavior has led to criticism even within his own constituency. Due to Abbas‘ weak standing, and his policy of not renewing the negotiations, which is an obstacle to peace, the time has come to consider a creative solution, to think "outside the box," in order to strengthen the Palestinian leadership. This is crucial, so that the Israeli gestures to strengthen the economy, stability and strength of the PA will not be turned into a boomerang against Israel.
Despite Mr. Abbas‘ delays, general elections in the PA should be held, and a new, legitimate, hopefully realistic Palestinian leadership should be elected. The PA elections were due to be held in 2010 and have since been postponed several times. As of today, no new date has been set for elections.

Only such a leadership can bring progress with Israel. We must maximize the holding of new elections in the PA, alongside the tremendous changes in the Arab world, in order to bring a serious change to the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians.

I would like to thank you for the ongoing open dialogue between us.

Please accept, Baroness Ashton, the assurances of my deep consideration.

Sincerely,

Avigdor Liberman


Tuesday, August 21, 2012

  • Tuesday, August 21, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
Here's an interesting item in the Palestine Post from 65 years ago, August 22, 1947:


As far as I can tell, the question (which appears to have been asked on August 8) was never answered. 


  • Tuesday, August 21, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
Human rights!

From The Telegraph:

In a move that has prompted a demand for a UN investigation by Iran's most celebrated human rights campaigner, the Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, 36 universities have announced that 77 BA and BSc courses in the coming academic year will be "single gender" and effectively exclusive to men.

It follows years in which Iranian women students have outperformed men, a trend at odds with the traditional male-dominated outlook of the country's religious leaders. Women outnumbered men by three to two in passing this year's university entrance exam.

Senior clerics in Iran's theocratic regime have become concerned about the social side-effects of rising educational standards among women, including declining birth and marriage rates.

Under the new policy, women undergraduates will be excluded from a broad range of studies in some of the country's leading institutions, including English literature, English translation, hotel management, archaeology, nuclear physics, computer science, electrical engineering, industrial engineering and business management.

The Oil Industry University, which has several campuses across the country, says it will no longer accept female students at all, citing a lack of employer demand. Isfahan University provided a similar rationale for excluding women from its mining engineering degree, claiming 98% of female graduates ended up jobless.

Iran has highest ratio of female to male undergraduates in the world, according to UNESCO. Female students have become prominent in traditionally male-dominated courses like applied physics and some engineering disciplines.

The science and higher education minister, Kamran Daneshjoo, dismissed the controversy, saying that 90% of degrees remain open to both sexes and that single-gender courses were needed to create "balance".

(h/t Ian)
  • Tuesday, August 21, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
From Ian:

‘Condemn Iranian hate speech,’ Israeli diplomat urges Security Council
Member of UN mission cites string of recent statements that he says express ‘the vile anti-Semitism’ at the core of the Islamic Republic’s ideology
"For the international community and the United Nations, “silence is not an option” in the face of Iranian anti-Semitic statements and calls to destroy Israel, an Israeli diplomat has written in a letter to Gérard Araud, the president of the United Nations Security Council."

Dempsey: Israel, US differ on seriousness of Iran
Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff US, Israel "clocks ticking at different paces" on Iran's nuclear threat.

UN envoy says burden of proof on Iran to show nuke program is not military
Robert Serry also urges Israel to look at situation in Syria as opportunity to shape a better future for region.

US seizes $150 million in Hezbollah-linked cash
"Terror group laundered money from West African drug trade, authorities claim Authorities had said that, since 2007, more than $300 million was wired from Lebanon to the United States to buy used cars for resale in West Africa. Prosecutors said they had evidence Hezbollah used back channels to wire cash from the cars and drug-dealing proceeds back to Lebanon."

Justice for the Kurds by Michael Curtis and Fred Gottheil
"Much ink has been spilled about the desirability or even the inevitability of a separate State for Palestinians, whose identity stems from the middle of the 20th century, but what has been much less discussed by the international community -- and for the most part ignored -- is a similar claim by the Kurds, a people with a truly separate ethnic identity as well as a long history,"

Palestinian Authority Security Forces Threatened to Kill Palestinian Journalism Student
They threatened him by saying, “We will hang you and say that you committed suicide.”

After buildup, Israel tells Egypt to remove tanks from Sinai
Stern message sent via the White House to Cairo warning that military presence in peninsula contravenes terms of peace agreement
"Israeli officials are concerned that Egypt may use its anti-terrorist operation as a way of building its military strength in Sinai. Having gained access, Cairo may leave the tanks and armored carriers in place while taking little more than symbolic action to curb the terrorist threat."

German far-right lawmaker convicted of defamation
Deputy chief of National Democratic Party guilty of defamation for calling Holocaust memorial ‘theater’

Austrian Jewish leader calls out politician for anti-Semitic cartoon
Right-wing politician shares picture of banker with Star of David cuff links enjoying the European financial crisis

Eight killed in huge blast in southern Turkey

Turkish firm gets Israeli loan for power production
"Despite strained relations between Turkey and Israel following the flotilla incident in May 2010, Turkish and Israeli business ventures continue full steam ahead as witnessed by Zorlu Enerji’s $277 mln natural gas investments in Israel"

Israeli Refrigerator Part of Equipment on Mars Curiosity Rover
The Curiosity rover, currently on Mars after recently landing in a tricky operation controlled by National Space and Aeronautics Administration (NASA) technicians, includes a refrigerator manufactured in Israel. The refrigerator was developed in the northern Israeli kibbutz Ein Harod (Ihud), Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

Israel Daily Picture: The Cliffs in Judea Overlooking Solomon's Pools
The early photographers in the Holy Land were enchanted by "Solomon's Pools," an elaborate water system from the Maccabean or Roman times located between Bethlehem and Hebron that brought water all the way to the Temple in Jerusalem.


Also:

German Circumcision Ban Bags First Victim (Tobin/Commentary)

Notes from a Ward Yud Hospital Bed (Barry Rubin)

Don’t Know Much ’bout Orthodoxy (Yair Rosenberg/Tablet)

Fatah football tournament named after three terrorists (PalWatch)

  • Tuesday, August 21, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
On Friday, Egypt Independent reported:
A local activist group is organizing an initiative to counter sexual harassment, a trend that has become associated with Eid al-Fitr celebrations in recent years.

Imprint Movement, which defines itself as a social, volunteer-based group aiming to change harmful elements of society, plans to organize popular patrols made up of its members and other volunteers to roam metro stations to stop harassers during Eid.

Eid became a “season for harassment,” movement member Abdel Fattah Mahmoud said, explaining that this is why the movement decided to launch the patrols during all of Eid.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be working:
Vice police have detected numerous instances of sexual harassment on the first two days of the Islamic Eid al-Fitr holiday at several public areas in Cairo, the state-run news agency MENA reported.

At the Giza Zoo, young people who formed groups to protect females from harassment were assaulted by the harassers, which caused violence to break out between both sides. Police arrested several and referred them to prosecution.

The website of the independent daily Al-Tahrir said Tuesday that several women were heard yelling on the Nile Corniche in front of the State TV building. It added that the same area on Monday had witnessed fights as some youth, and even children, allegedly molested female passers-by.

Fustat Garden also saw tussles as hundreds of young men encircled a number of girls and attempted to assault them before others managed to free them.

Eyewitnesses said that motorbike riders on Gameat al-Dawal al-Arabiya, a popular gathering place, harassed girls amid a total absence of police.
From Ma'an:
President Mahmoud Abbas stressed Tuesday the need to protect Jerusalem's Islamic and Christian holy sites, speaking on the anniversary of an attempted arson of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Abbas said the fire, which was set by an Australian in 1969, was "the first (attack) in a series that aimed to demolish the Al-Aqsa Mosque to make way to build the (third) temple."

The president's office said in a statement that Israeli excavation work in Jerusalem and tunnels underneath the holy site would not undermine the fact that the city has an Arab identity.
Exactly which Muslim holy sites are in danger under Jewish rule? Can Abu Mazen name one?

Besides the single example discovered earlier this year - of an ancient Muslim school accidentally demolished in 1967 - Israel has treated Muslim and Christian holy sites with respect and even helped discover new ones.

The contrast with how disgustingly the Muslims have treated ancient Jewish holy sites - most egregiously, the Jewish artifacts on the Temple Mount itself, wantonly destroyed with heavy equipment, or the recent desecration of graves at the Mount of Olives, not to mention and  destruction of dozens of Jerusalem synagogues under Jordanian rule - cannot be starker.

The simple fact is that Abbas is inciting his people against Israel, period. He knows quite well that the 1969 attack was not done by any Jews or by Israeli authorities, but by a deranged Christian from Australia. Israel is hardly responsible for the actions of a crazed Australian.

Abbas, on the other hand, is directly responsible for the terror that occurs because of the lies and incitement that he directly pushes as well as that which comes from his official PA newspapers, schools and announcements.

The man is not an honored peace partner. He is a thoroughly despicable human being.

  • Tuesday, August 21, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
From The Daily Star (Lebanon):

Supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad fought gunbattles in Lebanon's second largest city which left two dead and wounded 40 in another alarming sign that the fragile country is being sucked into the Syrian crisis.

At least 10 Lebanese soldiers were among those wounded in the fighting that broke out Monday night in the port city of Tripoli.

The First Intervention Force Regiment, an army unit comprising jeeps, trucks and armored personnel carriers was forced to retreat Tuesday afternoon after coming under a hail of machinegun fire and rocket-propelled grenade attacks after it had tried to intervene to subdue the violence, security sources told The Daily Star.

Clashes then intensified between the anti-Assad Sunni stronghold of Bab al-Tabbaneh and the Alawite-dominated pro-Assad Jabal Mohsen neighborhoods after the army battalion's pullout. The army maintained a scarce presence in the vicinity, according to security sources.

The violence came less than a week after Lebanon was jolted by a wave of kidnappings of scores of Syrians and two Turkish nationals by the Meqdad clan and other groups in a bid to exchange them for 12 Lebanese held hostage by rebels in Syria. One Meqdad member was recently kidnapped by Syrian rebels in Damascus and 11 Lebanese pilgrims were abducted in May.
If Syria falls, it is quite possible that Hezbollah will point to incidents like this as an excuse to completely take over Lebanon - in the name of "security."
  • Tuesday, August 21, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
From Harriet Sherwood in The Guardian on August 19:

Violence by Jewish settlers has been cited for the first time in a US state department list of "terrorist incidents", as Israeli political leaders condemned a string of recent attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Where did she get this from? Why, not from her own research - but from Barak Ravid in Ha'aretz on August 18:
For the first time, the U.S. State Department has cited violence by settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank under the heading "terrorist incidents" in its annual Country Report on Terrorism.

And how do I know that Sherwood simply copied Ravid's reporting?

Because it is wrong!

As the Mostly Kosher blog reports:


Under listing of terrorist attacks:
  • On October 4, arson was committed by Israeli citizens against a mosque southwest of Bethlehem in the village of Beit Fajjar, which is under Israeli security control. In addition to fire damage, the mosque was vandalized with Hebrew-language graffiti "revenge" and "price tag."
  • On October 20, arson was committed against a Palestinian girls' school building south of Nablus in the village of As Sawiya, which is under Israeli security control. The damaged building also had Hebrew-language graffiti: "regards from the hilltops," suggesting the attack was conducted by Israeli settlers.

A high-profile case raised awareness regarding settler violence and acts of terrorism. On October 7, Israeli security services arrested American-born settler Yaacov “Jack” Teitel in connection with a number of crimes and terrorist attacks over the past 12 years. Teitel was arrested for posting anti-homosexual flyers, and later confessed to a number of crimes, including the murder of two Palestinians in 1997. He also claimed responsibility for several attempted bombings, including sending a parcel bomb to a Messianic Jewish family in Ariel in which a 15-year old Israeli-American boy was injured, and placing a pipe-bomb that injured Israel Prize laureate and peace activist Professor Zeev Sternhell in September 2008.

Under listing of terror attacks:
On June 1 and 20, Israeli settlers fired three rockets toward the Palestinian town of Burin. In late July, settlers threw a Molotov cocktail into a home in Burin as well. No injuries were reported from either attack. On September 25, a prominent Hebrew University professor and critic of Jewish settlements in the West Bank was wounded when a pipe bomb, allegedly planted by radical members of the settlement movement, exploded as he opened the door of his home in West Jerusalem. After the attack, police found flyers near the academic’s home calling for the establishment of a new state in the West Bank based on Jewish religious law. The flyers, signed by a Jewish extremist group called the Army of the State Liberators, also offered USD 314,000 to anyone who killed a member of the non-governmental organization, Peace Now. Israeli Security Services continued to investigate the attack. 

2004 - The very first US State Department report.

In December, Israel convicted and sentenced an Israeli man for membership in the "New Jewish Underground," a terrorist organization that aimed to carry out attacks on Arab civilians. On September 29, a group of five Israeli settlers attacked and seriously wounded two US citizens, members of an NGO, who were escorting Palestinian children to school near Hebron. As of the end of 2004, the Israeli police had not arrested those responsible.
 The post concludes:
Those reading Barak Ravid's article get a false impression that until 2011 there have been different standards applied to Israeli and Palestinian actions. However, the truth is that the US State Department has been naming terror - Jewish or otherwise - on an equal basis since 2004.
As the events of this past week show, there has always been a tiny percentage of Jews who have terrorized Arabs. Of course, those with an agenda want to show that these reprehensible acts have been increasing, so we will see false articles like this one in Ha'aretz - slavishly copied by The Guardian - designed not to reflect the truth but to embarrass the right wing and implicate them in these attacks.

In the 1980s there were actually murders of Arabs by Jewish terrorists, as well as other very serious attacks. To give the impression that somehow Jewish violence today is an epidemic is simply a lie. By any yardstick, it is very small - and it is minuscule compared to the attacks that Arabs carry out on Jews, today. Ha'aretz, like most centrist and left-wing Israeli media, completely ignores the daily Molotov cocktail attacks by Arabs against Jews in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. And, of course, so does The Guardian and many other media who in turn copy their reports without checking the facts for themselves.

The media, dedicated more to themes than to facts, eagerly pushes any shred of evidence that things are worse today than they were in years past.

Even when they have to make that evidence up.
  • Tuesday, August 21, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt remains closed today, ostensibly because of the 'Eid al-Fitr holiday.

But Palestine Today reports that the Taba crossing between Egypt and Israel is open, and some 6087 tourists have poured into the Sinai from Israel in recent days.

According to the article, the larger Egyptian army presence in the Sinai has prompted Israelis (including many Israeli Arabs celebrating 'Eid) to decide to vacation in Egypt, and the Egyptian border is being staffed adequately for that purpose.

Not so the Gaza border.

So who's besieging Gaza again?

There is one other fact that is worth mentioning: Israel has not sent any goods into Gaza since the holiday started.

Is it because Jews started celebrating 'Eid?

No, not quite.

The COGAT webpage says "At the request of the Palestinians, the Kerem Shalom crossing will be closed during the Eid al-Fitr celebrations (19 to 21.8)."

Isn't it interesting that the Gazans, who we are constantly told are so desperate for goods and fuel, can afford to cut themselves off from all aid for three entire days?

Monday, August 20, 2012

  • Monday, August 20, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
Reader jzaik came across a community newspaper called The Halal Post while shopping:


You can find the entire paper here.

The cover story was ten tips for Ramadan. Here is tip #6:


I had no idea that the "settlers" had such power to be able to enslave Arabs! This is news!

So I was wondering, exactly how do those evil Jews enslave the poor Palestinian Arabs? Do they use whips? Guns? Do the Zionists threaten to rape their daughters if they don't do their bidding?

Then I remembered - the Palestinian Authority answered that question only last week!

You see, the Jews enslave the Palestinian Arabs by paying them roughly double the salary they would make by being employed by other Palestinian Arabs.

So when you buy Israeli dates, you might be contributing to the pain of the comparably well-compensated Muslim Ummah.. Because, of course, it is painful to be able to buy new cars and computers for your family that your neighbors cannot afford.
  • Monday, August 20, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
Yesterday I showed some photos of little kids in Gaza handing out holiday candy and cakes to Islamic Jihad terrorists.

Now it is the turn of the hot girls of Gaza to do the same.

(And when I say "hot," I mean that literally. August in a burqa in the desert cannot be fun.)

"Hey there, big guy! I have some more sugar for you under this burqa!" "Ewww!"

"Damn! I think her thumb brushed against me! Now I have to kill myself!

"Hey! I want the AK-47, not this crappy rifle!"

Right before the square dance



  • Monday, August 20, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
From Ian:

Egypt Fully Rearming Sinai - with US Help by Shoshana Bryen
"Secretary Panetta is talking about helping Egypt to do something forbidden by the Camp David Accords -- bring large-scale forces into Sinai. Israel's long term concern is whether Egypt will at some point remove the additional forces. Recent comments by Egyptian government officials suggest they will not."

Egypt Reportedly Sets up Anti-Aircraft Missiles in Sinai Desert

Days after rocket attack, army deploys Iron Dome to Eilat
IDF says placement part of program to test anti-missile battery in different cities

Shin Bet: PA security guard involved in terror plot
"Four Palestinians arrested in Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine terror plot One suspect worked as guard in Palestinian National Security Forces and cell planned to use weapons he could access as part of his duties with the Palestinian force."
"The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) has apprehended a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist cell that was planning to carry out shooting attacks and abduct Israelis for use in future prisoner exchange deals, the agency announced on Monday."

‘Obama Should Visit Israel, Show Muscle to Iran’
Obama should show Iran his muscle and visit Israel as a clear sign of support for a military strike, says ex-IDF Intelligence Chief Yadlin.

United Church of Canada approves boycott of settlement goods
Church votes to abstain from consuming products originating in West Bank
"Other resolutions relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict singled out the settlements as a principal obstacle to peace in the region; called on Israel to suspend settlement expansion; and expressed regret for previously asking Palestinians to acknowledge Israel as a Jewish state as a precondition to peace."

Ex-CIA spy says Hezbollah has been active in Bulgaria for decades
Robert Baer tells Bulgarian TV he personally investigated a Hezbollah cell in Bulgaria in the 1990s

US 'concerned' about media freedom in Egypt
The United States said on Thursday it was "very concerned" about freedom of the press in Egypt after authorities moved to put on trial two critics of new President Mohamed Morsi.

Toronto: Jewish Man Told Israeli Flag 'Incites Riots'
A Jewish high school teacher from Toronto warned by local police that he is inciting a riot by carrying an Israeli flag.


Israel Haters Chant in Toronto: From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free

Al-Quds rally in Sydney – we want the lot
The speaker then clarified their overseas goal. He stated: “When we say Free Palestine, we don’t mean the (the little that is left). We want every square centimetre that has been occupied since the beginning. We want the removal of the entire Zionist regime from the land of Palestine. We don’t want the little dots on the map. We want the entire land. We want the removal of every single Zionist.

Jews March against Anti-Semitism in Sweden

MEMRI:
Nasrallah Threatens Hundreds of Thousands Dead, Turning Israelis' Lives into Living Hell


Israeli singer tops German charts
Asaf Avidan’s ‘One Day/Reckoning Song’ was remixed by a German DJ, and is now the most downloaded song in several European countries

The other Queen mother: A new documentary explores the unconventional life of the Queen’s mother-in-law, Princess Alice
"...for more than a year, she hid a Jewish family on the top floor of her house, only yards from Gestapo headquarters. When the Gestapo became suspicious, Alice made her deafness an excuse for not answering their questions.
When she was posthumously honoured as Righteous Among The Nations – the highest Israeli honour to non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust – Prince Philip said, ‘She would have considered it a natural reaction to fellow beings in distress.”

Also:

The Christian girl with Down's Syndrome facing a death penalty in Pakistan.

Syrians turn a captured tank into a children's swing for Eid celebrations:



A letter from an IDF officer to Olympic Gold Medalist Aly Reisman:

There was nothing apologetic about what you did. For so long we've had to apologize for who we are: for how wedress, for our beliefs, for the way we look. It seems like the International Olympic Committeewanted to keep that tradition. Quiet, Jews. Keep your tragedy on the sidelines. Don't disturb our party.

They didn't count on an 18 year-old girl in a leotard.

Thank you for standing up against an injustice that was done to our people. As I was walking back to my machine at the gym, I caught one of the officers give a long salute to your image ontelevision. I think that says it all.

Clueless in Cleveland about Jewish refugees

Ha'aretz sloppiness prompts worldwide headlines that State Dept. never labeled Jews "terrorists" before

Lord Sacks resigns from interfaith charity after they embark on anti-Israel campaign (h/t Ishai)
  • Monday, August 20, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
A strange article in Egypt Independent:
Head of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip Ismail Haniyeh said on Sunday that Palestinians do not intend to leave their country nor intend to settle in Sinai.

During his Eid sermon, Haniyeh said that the Palestinians will hold on to Gaza. “We will not settle in Sinai or anywhere East or West,” he said. “Gaza is an integral part of Palestine. No to an alternative homeland, migration or resettlement.”

Concerns that Gaza Palestinians would be resettled in Sinai to repopulate the deserted peninsula, which has housed pockets of radical militancy, have been coupled with both Egyptians and Palestinians repeatedly expressing their lack of interest in such a solution.
What are they talking about?

The answer can be seen in an Al Ahram article from a couple of days ago reported by Firas Press.

Ever since Egypt started allowing children of Egyptian mothers and Palestinian Arab fathers to become citizens, many Gazans have married Egyptian women and moved out of Gaza to live in new houses built, often, with profits from illegal smuggling tunnels.

This is alarming the residents of the Sinai, who are fearing a mini-invasion of their land by Gazans. They demanded that new laws be passed to ensure that the Sinai remain "Egyptian," raising fears that Egypt might allow Gaza to annex parts of the Sinai which would become an "alternative homeland" for Palestinian Arabs.

Despite all the rhetoric about how much solidarity Egyptians feel with Gazans, when it comes down to it they hate and fear Palestinian Arabs as much as every other Arab nation does. This Arab antipathy towards Palestinians is truly one of the most under-reported stories of the Middle East.
  • Monday, August 20, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
From MEMRI:




Following are excerpts from a sermon delivered by Deputy Speaker of the Hamas Parliament Ahmad Bahr, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on Aug 10, 2012.
Ahmad Bahr: If the enemy sets foot on a single square inch of Islamic land, Jihad becomes an individual duty, incumbent on every Muslim, male or female. A woman may set out [on Jihad] without her husband's permission, and a servant without his master's permission. Why? In order to annihilate those Jews.
[...]
Oh Allah, destroy the Jews and their supporters. Oh Allah, destroy the Americans and their supporters. Oh Allah, count them one by one, and kill them all, without leaving a single one.
Maybe he should write an op-ed for The Guardian or The New York Times.  I'm sure this can be justified somehow as a legitimate position that should be debated.

  • Monday, August 20, 2012
  • Elder of Ziyon
In February, I noted a story about a French-Jewish woman who had a daughter with a Saudi prince, who then kidnapped the child and is raising her in a Saudi palace as a Muslim. The mother, Candice Cohen-Ahnine, had won a French custody case but the prince refused to give up the girl, who was seen on Facebook in full niqab and playing with her father's guns.

Cohen-Ahnine had even written a book about her battle for her daughter.

It now seems possible that her dedication to her daughter has cost her life:

A French-Jewish mother in a high-profile custody battle with a Saudi prince has died after falling from a fourth-storey apartment, amid suspicions of foul play.
Police are investigating the death of Candice Cohen-Ahnine, 35, who fell from her Paris apartment on Thursday night.

Investigators had initially seen it as an accident, but by yesterday (Sunday) reports in the French media suggested that Ms Cohen-Ahnine had slipped and fallen to her death "as if she was escaping something dangerous".

Police refused to confirm the reports when contacted by The Daily Telegraph.

Ms Cohen-Ahnine's lawyer, Laurence Tarquiny-Charpentier, said the death "seemed to be some sort of accident", and did not know whether foul play was involved. She said there were witnesses, and more information is expected today.

"What I can tell you is that it wasn't a suicide," Ms Tarquiny-Charpentier said.

"She was a woman who was a real fighter and a very positive person, and plus, there were plans to see [her daughter] Aya in mid-September. That was her greatest motivation of all."
(h/t Ian)

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