יום שלישי, 25 באוקטובר 2011

Elder of Ziyon Daily Digest

Elder of Ziyon Daily Digest

One of the most important collections of ancient Islamic texts is in Israel

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 11:30 PM PDT

From Ha'aretz:

The National Library in Jerusalem is to begin displaying old Muslim religious texts from its collections, including some that are quite rare. Among the texts to be displayed as part of a special series on the history of Islam, are also two Korans from the ninth century, just 200 years or so after the writing of the first Koran.

In addition, the public will be able to view three Korans from the 11th and 12th centuries that come from Antalya, Andalusia and Persia. Most of the manuscripts are part of the collection of the Jewish scholar Abraham Shalom Yehuda. Upon his death, Shalom Yehuda, a prominent early 20th century Islamic studies researcher, donated his collection to the National Library. The collection includes 1,184 old manuscripts, of which around 100 are Korans, and is deemed one of the Western world's most important collections of ancient Muslim manuscripts.

Several of Shalom Yehuda's are among the most beautiful of the ancient Korans and feature unique decorations. "He had a great eye for books," says Dr. Raquel Ukeles, the curator of the National Library's Islam and Middle East collection and the initiator of the series.

The rare manuscripts will be displayed as part of a series of seminars at the library. Each day of the program will also feature the participation of researchers or Muslim clerics. According to Ukeles, there were no rejections of her invitation to come to the National Library from Arab clerics, only enthusiastic favorable replies. "Most Jewish Israelis, and even the Muslim Israelis, don't know much about Islam. For me, it's an opportunity to create an encounter between the university and other worlds, where they can get acquainted with each other," she said.

The program is part of the library management's relatively new policy which is aimed at opening its collections to the general public and not just to researchers. However, Ukeles also notes that even Muslim scholars are unaware of the Shalom Yehuda collection and its importance. "I discovered that it's a secret of sorts; hardly anyone knows about it. Part of the fun in the series is that we are opening it to the general public," Ukeles said.
Abraham Shalom Yahuda was one of the most important collectors of Islamica in the world before his death in 1951.

If some of those ancient Korans deviate at all from  today's accepted text, this could become very interesting.

Daily Show take on the conflict (video)

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 08:15 PM PDT

I had missed this very funny bit from The Daily Show last month:





(h/t Ruchie)

Egypt, Israel agree on Grapel deal

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 06:36 PM PDT

From Al Arabiya:
Egypt and Israel said Monday they have finalized arrangements to exchange an alleged Israeli spy for 25 Egyptians held in Israeli jails, on the heels of a Hamas-Israel prisoner swap.

"Egypt has agreed to release Ilan Grapel and at Egypt's request Israel has agreed to free 25 Egyptian prisoners," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

According to the statement, the Egyptians lined up for release –including three minors – are not security prisoners. 
Egypt's official MENA news agency said the swap is expected to take place "in the next two days."

The deal is subject to the approval of Israel's 14-member security cabinet which is due to convene on Tuesday, the statement said. But it is highly unlikely to reject the agreement.
Ouda Tarabin is still not being discussed.

Partial list of terrorists released by Israel - and what they did

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 01:30 PM PDT

Here is my quick attempt to put together information from the IDF, Israel's Prison Service and Wikipedia to come up with the most comprehensive list of prisoners released by Israel last week, what they were charged with and any details I could grab about their acts of terror, when available.

I auto-translated the Hebrew for the charges, which is why it sounds a little weird.

List of Prisoners Released by Israel 10-15-11 v1

Taking apart a Guardian idiot

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 12:00 PM PDT

The Guardian published a jaw-droppingly stupid article last week, by Deborah Orr:

It's quite something, the prisoner swap between Hamas and the Israeli government that returns Gilad Shalit to his family, and more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners to theirs. The deal is widely viewed as a victory for Hamas, the radical Islamist group that gained power in Gaza after years of frustration at the intractability of the "peace process". Conversely, it is being seen by some as a sign of weakness in Israel's rightwing prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

All this, I fear, is simply an indication of how inured the world has become to the obscene idea that Israeli lives are more important than Palestinian lives. Netanyahu argues that he acted because he values Shalit's life so greatly.

Yet who is surprised really, to learn that Netanyahu sees one Israeli's freedom as a fair exchange for the freedom of so many Palestinians? Likewise, Hamas wished to use their human bargaining chip to gain release for as many Palestinians as they could. They don't have much to bargain with.

At the same time, however, there is something abject in their eagerness to accept a transfer that tacitly acknowledges what so many Zionists believe – that the lives of the chosen are of hugely greater consequence than those of their unfortunate neighbours.
I don't know, but I think that Israel would have accepted a deal where they only release one mid-level Hamas militant in exchange for Shalit, which would be a 1:1 exchange and might make Deborah Orr much happier that the lives of "chosen" aren't worth so much.

But rather than fully fisk her here, you can read the many articles that destroy her imbecilic piece:

Honest Reporting
Pro-PalArab Simian Ovoid
CiFWatch
Professor Alan Johnson
Normblog
Jeffrey Goldberg
Alan A at Harry's Place

BBC publishes article by Hamas terrorist cheerleader

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 10:55 AM PDT

The depths of disgusting at the BBC:
Palestinian Nasser Ziad explains why he thinks the [Shalit] deal was right.

Among the hundreds of Palestinian prisoners released by Israel in the first stage of their exchange for Gilad Shalit, there was my close friend's father, Omar al-Ghoul.

I was very happy for all the prisoners and their families as they were reunited after years of unlawful separation and inhumane treatment, but especially for the al-Ghouls who live in Mughraga, central Gaza, close to the former Israeli settlement of Netzarim.

Omar al-Ghoul was a member of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. He received a triple life sentence from an Israeli court 24 years ago for his role in attacks on Israeli targets in Gaza and for joining a secret cell of fighters.

My friend, Ibrahim al-Ghoul, was born six months after his father was detained. Until this week, he had not seen him for 10 years, since a prison visit in 2001.

Since talk of a possible prisoner exchange with Israel began five years ago, following the capture of Cpl Shalit, I have seen his face light up with hope only to turn to sadness each time a deal appeared imminent but then fell through.

It has been difficult to grow up without getting to know his dad. "It's like you are told you have a father but you have never seen him," Ibrahim told me.

There is so much catching up to do that he still does not know what stories he and his father will be able to share. "Let's see if I will get used to him quickly," he says.

Ibrahim's mother, Suheir al-Ghoul, has done her best to raise her children and look after 18 grandchildren in her husband's absence. For a long time, she depended on intermittent visits to the prison to see him and allow him to assume some fatherly duties. However the Israelis suddenly blocked these for the whole family 10 years ago.

Suheir has always said that her husband Omar is not a murderer, but a hero. He was fighting for our freedom and our dignity. He never wanted to fight anyone but living under the Israeli occupation is very tough.

She turned up at Rafah to meet her husband with her two sons, both wearing the uniform of the al-Qassam brigade.

As a Palestinian, I also perceive Omar and all the Palestinian prisoners as national heroes. They have sacrificed themselves for the Palestinian struggle.

I also believe Gilad Shalit was a legitimate target for capture.
I don't know the specific attacks that al Ghoul participated in. A triple life sentence indicates that at least three Israelis were killed as a result of his attacks.

Omar al-Ghoul's father Mahmoud and uncle were terrorists ("majahadeen") in 1948, and his brother Adnan was one of the founders of the al-Qassam Brigades terror group, a top bombmaker and one of the developers of the Qassam terror missile. Omar founded a Hamas cell with Adnan.

Omar, according to Hamas' website, was involved in various attacks against "Zionist forces" as well as helping to kill "collaborators." A Hamas forum post brags about how his cell killed many Jews and collaborators.

Omar's sons also followed him in terror; one was killed by the IDF and another imprisoned.

The entire family has been involved in three generations of attacks against Jews. The idea that Omar "never wanted to fight anyone" is a transparent lie - he was raised to become a terrorist and in turn he raised a new generation of terrorists.

While the BBC allows a cheerleader for terrorists to weep over how Omar's mother missed her son, it doesn't bother to spend any time explaining exactly why he might have been sentenced to three life sentences. Apparently Omar's mother deserves more sympathy for knowing her son was in prison than his victims' families do for never having a chance to see their loved ones again.

(h/t hakunamatata)

Your tax dollars at work: PA to pay released murderers

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 09:50 AM PDT

From JPost:
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has decided to honor Palestinian prisoners who were released in last week's Gilad Schalit exchange deal by rewarding them financially, Prisoners Affairs Minister Issa Qaraqi announced over the weekend.

Hamas representatives, meanwhile, called for kidnapping more IDF soldiers so they could be traded for the remaining Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

Qaraqi said that all prisoners would benefit from the grants, including those who were deported to the Gaza Strip, a number of Arab countries or Turkey.

PA governors and some "national institutions" have begun distributing the money to the released prisoners in accordance with PA regulations and laws, he said.

Qaraqi did not say how much each prisoner would get from the PA government.

Abbas's decision follows a similar move by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who decided to give each prisoner a $2,000 grant.

Meanwhile, the prisoners who were deported to the Gaza Strip are staying at a five-star hotel at the expense of the Hamas government.
And here they are at their luxury Gaza hotel in a photo series at Palestine Times:




See also Jonathan Tobin.

Natural gas pipeline from Egypt to Israel re-opens

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 08:44 AM PDT

From Ma'an:
The flow of natural gas from Egypt to Israel has resumed after a cut of several months due to repeated militant attacks, Israel's National Infrastructure Ministry said on Sunday.

It said gas began to flow in reduced quantities on Thursday night to test the system, before a resumption of full levels.

Egypt's Sinai desert pipeline which connects to Israel has been attacked by militants six times this year, and an Israeli official said the state has not received gas through the pipeline since a bombing in July.

Egypt supplies 43 percent of Israel's natural gas, which generates 40 percent of Israeli electricity.

National Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau said in April that his country would have to find alternatives if the Egyptian gas exports did not resume.
I think it is a safe bet that there will be more attacks on the pipeline in the near future.

Israel seems to be fast-tracking the use of gas fields in the Mediterranean, which are still a couple of years away.

Abbas, the failed leader (video)

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 08:00 AM PDT

Free Middle East made another very nice video, attacking Mahmoud Abbas for his cozying up to Hamas at the expense of his people:

Turkey refuses Israeli quake aid - but accepts it from Iran

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 06:51 AM PDT

Yesterday I wondered whether Turkey would accept any offers by Israel to help after the devastating earthquake in Van.

Initial reports said that Turkey declined aid from all nations that offered, including Israel.

From Reuters yesterday:
Turkey declined an offer of aid from its former strategic ally Israel Sunday after a powerful earthquake struck southeast Turkey, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said.

"I am under the impression the Turks do not want our help," Barak told Channel 2 News. "Right now (their answer) is negative but if they see they need more aid and don't have it, or if they rethink it, we have made the offer and remain prepared (to help)," he said.

A Turkish foreign ministry official said later that Turkey had received offers of help from dozens of countries after the magnitude 7.2 quake, and had so far declined assistance from all of them.
This is stupid, of course. When lives are in the balance it is ridiculous to act macho at the expense of human lives. But if Turkey decided that it can do it alone, that is their right.

Unless...they say they declined all help in order to avoid being indebted to Israel as well as Armenia.

Because here is what Al Arabiya is reporting:

Iran's Red Crescent has sent rescue teams, ambulances and a field hospital to Turkey to help out in the wake of a devastating quake there, the state news agency IRNA reported Monday.

Mahmoud Mozafar, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, was quoted as saying that "Turkish officials have defined an area in the Van region for Iranian rescuers to bring medical assistance to the injured."

Iran has sent 20 rescuers, 20 ambulances, a field hospital, food supplies and 50 tents for emergency shelter to the quake-hit region in Turkey, which lies just over the border with Iran, Mozafar said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi telephoned his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu, to express his condolences over the loss of life suffered in the disaster.

After visiting the quake zone, Erdogan returned to Ankara, where he is expected to chair a cabinet meeting to discuss the response to the disaster.

He said Turkey was able to meet the challenge itself, but thanked countries that had offered help, including Armenia and Israel, two governments that have strained relations with Ankara, Reuters reported.

CNN adds:

Tents and rescue teams have come from as far away as Iran and Azerbaijan.

So Turkey is accepting aid.

Just not from countries it doesn't want to be associated with.

How many prisoners signed an anti-terror pledge? Not many.

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 05:45 AM PDT

I noted last week that IMRA reported the text that released Arab prisoners signed, pledging not to join terror groups or incite against Israel,and that if they do they can be forced to resume their prison sentences.

There is concern among the Palestinian Arabs that this would allow Israel to re-arrest released terrorists for things like traffic violations or building without a permit, not to mention participating in anti-Israel demonstrations.

A lawyer for at least one prisoner is trying to get Egypt to force Israel to cancel the pledges.

However, Hamas spokesman Mushir al Masri claims that most prisoners refused to sign the pledge to begin with, except for the few that live in Israel itself. The Egyptian ambassador in Tel Aviv also claims that Egypt did not pressure prisoners to sign any declarations, and that the pledges were not part of the deal.

The Christian Science Monitor seems to confirm this, reporting that a mere 5% of the released prisoners signed any sort of pledge:
Fifty-five of the detainees were required to sign documents promising not to return to terrorist activities and to obey the security conditions of their release. The security restrictions vary based on a risk assessment completed by the Israel Prison System, with some barred from leaving their village or city.

Those Israel is less concerned about will only be required to present themselves every two or three months at the nearest office of the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, says spokesman Maj. Guy Inbar.

For Nael Barghouti – who served 34 years in an Israeli prison, making him the longest held Palestinian detainee – that will mean visiting the Israeli settlement of Beit El.

Mr. Barghouti returned to his village of Kobar, near Ramallah, on Tuesday, and will not be allowed to leave the area again for three years. If he violates these conditions, Barghouti will have to return to jail to finish the life sentence he was given for his role in the death of an Israeli soldier in the West Bank in 1978.

Some say the restrictions are unfair, and that if the prisoners are truly freed, they should not be so tightly controlled.

"It's not fair to make special conditions for some prisoners," says Ziad Abu Ein, Palestinian Authority Deputy Minister of Prisoners' Affairs, pointing out that many prisoners will not even be able to travel to neighboring cities for work. "You released him, so you should give him all the opportunity to live like other people, to be married and have a house."

Those with special security arrangements will essentially remain under direct monitoring of Israeli authorities, says Mr. Abu Ein. Israeli forces, who patrol the West Bank, will decide if prisoners broke the conditions of their release, he says.

But Israel says these restrictions are necessary to protect its citizens because, left alone, some of the former prisoners may soon begin plotting attacks again.
Today's Maariv also confirms that most prisoners refused to sign the release form. The story is that one of the prisoners told Israeli security that he has no problem scuttling the entire Shalit deal by refusing to sign, and word got around to the other prisoners about his refusal, so they followed suit, some saying "we will free ourselves anyway." The Prime Minister's office, somewhat defensively, said that signing the form was never part of the agreement.

US Ambassador Robert Ford leaves Syria (updated)

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 04:44 AM PDT

In June, I presented one argument to recall Syrian ambassador Robert Ford by Tony Badran:
President Obama already lent American prestige to Assad when he decided to recess appoint Ambassador Ford. Awarding normal diplomatic relations with a superpower to a rogue regime is a legitimating act on its own. If the Obama administration is serious about ratcheting up the pressure against Assad, it should first state publicly that it is done dealing with the Syrian dictator, then follow that with a declaration that it is withdrawing the US ambassador from Damascus.

A few days ago, The New Republic gave the opposing argument:
Since the Syrian people began their uprising against the rule of Bashar al-Assad, Americans have been told repeatedly that there is little they can do about the situation. Experts in think tanks, universities, and the halls of U.S. government have been eager to remind us that the conditions in Syria—with its fractured opposition, brutal and loyal military forces, and fragile regional neighborhood—simply didn't leave much room for Americans to make a difference.

But Robert Ford, our ambassador in Damascus, never seemed to accept this simplistic line of thinking. By bearing witness and speaking out relentlessly from inside the country, Ford has, at great personal risk, kept world attention focused on the crimes of the Syrian government. More so than either President Obama or Secretary of State Clinton, both of whom have been far too tepid in their public pronouncements, Ford has been an exemplary spokesman for liberal values and human rights.

Certainly Ford has not been shy about speaking out against the Assad regime in social media, but that is not the job of an ambassador. An ambassador is supposed to communicate US policy directly to the leaders of his or her host country, and Ford has been unable to meet with anyone important for months.

And the idea that Syrians love Ford may be a bit exaggerated as well:
US ambassador to Syria Robert Ford was hit with eggs and tomatoes Friday while he was going to a mosque in the central al-Midan neighbourhood here, Xinhua reported.

The al-Midan neighborhood has witnessed anti-government protests over the past seven months.

Ford has visited many restive areas in Syria in a show of support to anti-government protesters. But the visits have angered many residents as well as the government.

On earlier occasions too, eggs and potatoes have been hurled at Ford.
Well, it looks like that may have been the last straw, as Al Arabiya is reporting:
The United States has pulled its ambassador out of Syria over security concerns that have arisen during a seven-month-old popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, Western diplomats said on Monday.

Robert Ford left Syria over the weekend, they told Reuters.

As many as 22 people were killed by the fire of security and military forces across Syria on Sunday, Al Arabiya reported on Monday citing the Syrian Local Coordination Committee, as Damascus welcomed to host national dialogue conference under the sponsorship of the Arab League.

The State Department only commented today about it, and made clear it was not for political reasons:

US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford was brought back to Washington because of "credible threats against his personal safety in Syria," the State Department announced Monday.

"At this point, we can't say when he will return to Syria," deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said.

"It will depend on our assessment of Syrian regime-led incitement and the security situation on the ground."

By positioning this as a security concern rather than a strong protest against the Syrian regime, and by essentially burying this story, the White House has wasted another opportunity to convey a strong public message to Damascus. And as TNR noted:

Because he was named to his post via recess appointment, Ford will have to give up his ambassadorship if the Senate does not confirm him by December. The GOP line coming from senators like Marco Rubio and Tom Coburn is that we should punish the Assad regime by removing Ford from Damascus.
If this is Obama's plan on how to get Ford out of Damascus permanently - by citing "security concerns" and then relying on him not being confirmed by the end of the year - it is an example of passive-aggressive politics rather than leadership.

UPDATE: Syria pulled their ambassador as well
(h/t jzaik)

Libya's interim leader acts fast to implement Sharia

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 02:24 AM PDT

From The Telegraph:

Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the chairman of the National Transitional Council and de fact president, had already declared that Libyan laws in future would have Sharia, the Islamic code, as its "basic source".

But that formulation can be interpreted in many ways - it was also the basis of Egypt's largely secular constitution under President Hosni Mubarak, and remains so after his fall.

Mr Abdul-Jalil went further, specifically lifting immediately, by decree, one law from Col. Gaddafi's era that he said was in conflict with Sharia - that banning polygamy.

In a blow to those who hoped to see Libya's economy integrate further into the western world, he announced that in future bank regulations would ban the charging of interest, in line with Sharia. "Interest creates disease and hatred among people," he said.

Libya is already the most conservative state in north Africa, banning the sale of alcohol. Mr Abdul-Jalil's decision - made in advance of the introduction of any democratic process - will please the Islamists who have played a strong role in opposition to Col Gaddafi's rule and in the uprising but worry the many young liberal Libyans who, while usually observant Muslims, take their political cues from the West.
Well, that was fast.

Despots or imams - take your pick. Because liberal western-style democracy sure doesn't seem to be on the horizon.

(h/t Weasel Zippers)
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