יום רביעי, 25 בינואר 2012

Elder of Ziyon Daily Digest

Elder of Ziyon Daily Digest

Hezbollah upset at Arab participation in Herzliya Conference

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 03:54 PM PST

I noted on Sunday that some Arab media were noticing that someone from Qatar would be speaking at the fairly prestigious annual Herzliya Conference in Tel Aviv. Looking at the preliminary agenda, I saw also speakers from Jordan, Egypt and the PLO.

Hezbollah is not happy:

Hezbollah said in a statement it issued that "the information about the intentions of some countries, organizations, and Arab figures to take part in Herzliya conference on "the Zionist national security", which will be held next month, raise concerns due to the negative indications and the normalization signals that this step holds and that signifies the participants' commitment to the Zionist entity's security and their attempts to consolidate it.

"While Hezbollah denounces this dangerous approach by some Arabs, it also warns that this Arab participation in the enemy's security conference comes as the Zionist settlement in the occupied territories is increasing, and as Al-Quds is being Judaized, and tens of Palestinian MPs are being arrested.

..."Moreover, if this participation was the result of personal certainty, than this is a bigger disaster and an indication to their disengagement from the Palestinian cause, and if this participation was a submission to American pressure, than this is an even bigger disaster, since it reveals the participants' submission to the American will, even if that was on the accountability of the nation and its central cause, the Palestinian cause and its holy capital Al-Quds," the Hezbollah concluded.

PalArabs plan pots and pans protest against Hamas, Fatah

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 12:45 PM PST

I wrote this morning that I was astonished that the people in Gaza and the West Bank who protested against Hamas and Fatah selfishness had not caught on to the fact yet that their "unity" has been a sham to shut them up.

Now, Ma'an Arabic reports that 160 Palestinian Arab media figures and intellectuals are calling for a mass protest on February 1 against the PalArab leadership for precisely this reason.

Their document refers to the nearly five years of Palestinian division, their leaders' violations of human rights, the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. It notes the reconciliation agreement signed in Cairo in May "which has not yet become a reality." It calls for a political system that offers a decent living and is "pluralistic and democratic, open to all cultures, a system that respects women and ensure their freedom and equality."

It goes on to say that "the use of methods of peaceful protest organized and sustained and directed clearly against both sides of the split is a key factor to the success of our campaign."

The first phase is to organize a pan-Palestinian Arab protest on February 1 at 7:00 PM where people will go in the streets and bang pots and pans on roofs and from open windows for ten minutes.

The document does not name Fatah or Hamas by name.

The protesters are smart, calling not for people to gather in central squares where they can be harassed by security forces but to protest loudly from their homes.

Last time, Hamas tried to sabotage the popular protests; it will be most interesting to see how they react to this, if it gains traction.

Hebrew/English hip-hop "Shalom Haters"

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 11:30 AM PST

From The Algemeiner:

Israeli/North African MC SHI 360 releases "Shalom Haters" video which received over 30,000 unique views in one week and debuted on Vibe Magazine's All Hip Hop site. This Platinum artist from Israel, has toured all over the world with acts from Subliminal to Killah Priest. The video shares a title with SHI 360′s full length break out English record, 'Shalom Haters' which hit stores world-wide today on Shemspeed/360 Music Records. SHI 360 sat down with one of Shemspeed's Sarah Weiss late last week for an exclusive interview on Algemeiner.

SW: Would you call yourself a zionist rapper?

SHI 360: I don't consider myself a zionist rapper, although many would say otherwise. I rap about social and political issues. In some of the songs I say things that people don't get in the media and it makes people tag me as a zionist – that's their problem. I tell it like it is. If a story is one sided, I will do everything I can to give you the other side as well, just so you can get a balanced picture and not be afraid to think for yourself. The media has put a lot of effort into vilifying the word zionism. Zionism simply supports the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish homeland – Zion. The Jewish people are native to the Middle East and Israel is our home. Many people have a problem with the term "Jewish state". What if it was Muslim or Christian? hmmmm

SW: What's the story behind 'Shalom Haters'? The title and cover art looks aggressive, but also in a way playful, it's definitely catchy, but also controversial. What do you want the world to take away from such a phrase?

SHI 360: Shalom Haters was started by a good friend of mine and an incredible artist called Hebrew Mamita. I really loved it and asked to borrow it and make something of my own with it. With her blessing, this is not only the title track, but the name of the album as well. It is, like you say, very playful. On one hand, haters are real popular in hip hop. But beyond that, the Jewish people have so many haters that you just gotta say "shalom" haha I mean – I throw love at the haters you feel me? It's the only way…I want people to take away that there is no energy to be wasted on haters. Just say "shalom" and wave.

Egyptian minister: "Israel is the #1 enemy of Egypt and Arabs"

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 10:11 AM PST

Dr. Gouda Abdel-Khalek, Egyptian Minister of Supply and Internal Trade, has said that the calls by some Egyptians to dismantle the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is "absurd."

He said that the Egyptian military is "the only coherent military institution in the Arab world, capable of facing any external force."

Abdel-Khalek told Al Masry al Youm, "I ask the revolutionaries to cease the demand for dropping SCAF, if they consider that Israel remains the number one enemy of Egypt and the Arabs."

Abdel-Khalek was, unsurprisingly, appointed by the military council. And the Egyptian military owns a lot of Egypt's internal trade, even of non-military items.


PalArab leader: "May elections impossible"

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 08:55 AM PST

From AFP:
It is "impossible" for the Palestinians to hold presidential and legislative elections in May as planned, a senior Palestinian MP warned on Monday.

Mustafa Barghuti, who heads the Freedom Committee set up to help implement a reconciliation deal between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas, said the preparations necessary for holding a vote in May had not been made.

"According to the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC), it has become impossible to hold the elections this May, and we will have to work fast to hold the elections this year," Barghuti told AFP.
.
"This requires the commission to begin its work in Gaza," he said.

Under the terms of the reconciliation deal inked by Hamas and Fatah in Cairo on May 3, presidential and legislative elections are to be held within a year of the signing of the accord.

But the last Palestinian elections were held in 2006, and the electoral register in Gaza has not been updated since, with the CEC yet to begin work in the territory, which is under Hamas control.

CEC head Hanna Nasser confirmed the commission had not yet been able to start work in Gaza, in a statement released on Monday.

"Hanna Nasser confirmed today the continuation of the closure of CEC headquarters in the Gaza Strip despite a statement issued two weeks ago indicating the re-opening of district offices," it said.

"Nasser indicated that recent communication with officials in Gaza resulted in a promise to tackle this issue soon."

The commission's failure to begin preparations for the scheduled elections comes as Hamas and Fatah struggle to make progress towards the formation of the interim government of independents called for by the reconciliation deal.

Under the accord, a caretaker government was to have been formed to help oversee preparations for the elections, but disagreements over its make-up and who would head it have yet to be resolved.

Barghuti said it was crucial that progress be made towards forming the interim government.

"Discussions on forming the government haven't started yet, giving the impression that the deadlines don't matter," he warned.

"We must work quickly to implement what was agreed upon, including the formation of the consensus government."
In an honor/shame culture, appearances are more important than facts.

So Hamas and Fatah have been concentrating on making it appear as if they are reconciling - and doing essentially nothing.

The entire impetus for their paper "unity" was protests in Gaza and the West Bank last year in the wake of the Arab Spring from discontented young people fed up with the division and the poor leadership. Although the protests were not huge, they did make Fatah and Hamas very nervous.

What is amazing is that these same protesters have not yet seemed to have caught on to the fact that the entire past year has been a shell game by their leaders meant to shut them up, not to make any real change.

About "Arab Jews" (Point of No Return guest post)

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 07:45 AM PST

Al Arabiya has an op-ed by Naava Mashiah asking "Are 'Arab Jews" extinct?"

Is it an oxymoron to be an Arab Jew? An Arab Jew refers either to a Jew living in the Arab world or whose ancestors came from Arab countries. This term flourished once in the Middle East but is not widely known today. Not long ago there were Jews living in the cities of the Middle East who were integrated into their societies and held influential roles in their communities and economies.

My grandfather, Baba Yona Mashiah, was such a figure in Baghdad. He was, I would say, an Arab Jew. My childhood was sprinkled with stories of his grand personality, power and business acumen. He was a prominent land and real-estate developer and in the 1940s contributed to building "Baghdad el Jedidah", a chic neighborhood in the Baghdad suburbs. His partners were mostly Muslim and some were prominent government officials.

In the 1950s the Jews of Baghdad experienced an exodus from Iraq. A reluctant exodus, I would claim, which was brought about by a combination of increasing Zionism, anti-Semitic propaganda, envy of the privileged life Jews had when Iraq was under British control and the creation of Israel. The displacement of thousands of Palestinians and the humiliating defeat of the Arab armies were the final blow.

Life had become unbearable for the Jews and even those who had wanted to stay were compelled to leave. Jews were assumed to be a fifth column and turned into scapegoats following the defeat of Arab armies by the Israeli Defense Forces. Baba Yona watched his empire crumble. His peer and neighbor, Mr. Addas, another influential Jew, was hung in the square. He himself was imprisoned for three months, accused of having Zionist connections.

At a certain point the Iraqi government offered a deal for Jews, inviting them to escape to Israel if they would renounce their citizenship and relinquish their property. Baba Yona was forced to leave Baghdad with over 100,000 other Jews to the one country that would accept them at the time – Israel. Ironically, the Zionists, whose movement played a part in alienating Muslims from their Jewish compatriots, were there to save them.

I asked the blogger from Point of No Return to comment, and she kindly responded with a full post:
Naava Mashiah's article is doing the rounds of the Arab media, gaining prominence in Arab News. Much of what she writes is only partially true, and is designed to ingratiate herself with her Arab Muslim readership.

Is there such a creature as an Arab Jew? Even Naava's own father says there is no such thing. We agree.

Very few Jews from Arab countries self-define as 'Arab Jews', unless they are far-leftists. The 'Arab world' is itself a modern false construct, defining identity by language and culture. It's like saying that a Spaniard and a Peruvian are both bound by a 'Hispanic' identity. But whereas a Spaniard and a Peruvian might have the same ancestry, religious communities in the Middle East always kept apart from each other; there was limited social interaction and almost no intermarriage.

Moreover - If you scratch away at an 'Arab''s identity, you will often find that he or she is not Arab at all. The region is a kaleidoscope of sects, religions and ethnicities. There is no such thing as 'Arab' culture. The famous singer Farid al-Atrash was not Arab but Druze, and many of the stars of Egyptian 20th century cinema were Jews or Copts. The roots of 20th popular 'Arab' musical culture in Iraq - the Jewish al-Kuwaity brothers had a powerful influence – could be said to be Jewish.

When she tries to explain why Jews left Arab countries, Na'ava Mashia assigns equal blame to Zionism and antisemitic propaganda. In fact antisemitism alienated Muslims from Jews. Miss Mashiah makes no mention of the 1941 Farhud pogrom, seven years before Israel was established, and the rise of pro-Nazi feeling in the 1930s. Zionist activity in Iraq was a response to the Farhud, not the other way around.

Miss Mashiah's allegation that Israel 'effaced' the identity of Jews from Arab countries is a charge commonly levelled by radical leftists and anti-Zionists. It is true that in its zeal to create a new Israeli, the establishment disparaged 'Arab culture', in the same way as it did 'Yiddish culture'. But whatever the situation in the 1950s – and there was real discrimination then – Mizrahi culture has come back with a vengeance in Israel today.

In the final paragraph, Miss Mashiah herself gives the reason for writing her article: 'my interest in my Arab roots grew about 10 years ago when I established my business which focuses on economic cooperation between Israel and the Middle East."

So now we know. Being an 'Arab Jew', and downplaying the impact of Arab antisemitism, is good for business.

4 Iranian Revolutionary Guards leaders died in four days

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 06:35 AM PST

From YNet:
An Iranian opposition website reported Tuesday that four former Revolutionary Guards commanders have mysteriously died in the past four days after suffering strokes and heart attacks.

The website did not point any fingers but hinted that other elements may have been involved in the deaths.
The Hebrew YNet article gives details.

The four are Wafa Afrian (52), Abbas Mahari(52), Ahmad Siafzada (55) and Mansur Torkan (50).

Afrian was the head of Iran Telecommunication Company and previously was a senior commander in the field of electronic warfare. He was reported ill for months.

Mahari, who died of a stroke, worked at the University of Imam Hussein in Tehran, and he had been linked in the past with developing non-conventional weapons.

Siafzada, who died of a heart attack, was high up in the Revolutionary Guards.

Torkan was one of the the senior commanders of the Revolutionary Guards during the Iran - Iraq war, between the years 1980 to 1988. He died of a stroke.

An Iranian army officer was killed in a motorcycle attack on Saturday.

Hmmmm.....

(h/t Yoel)

Animals smuggled into Gaza for zoo (photos)

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 05:35 AM PST

Hamas' Palestine Times website shows a bunch of exotic animals that have been smuggled into Gaza for a zoo:







A few years ago, Hamas found another use for a zoo in Gaza:

Reports that Syria arrested members of Meshal's family

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 02:07 AM PST

Last week reports began to filter out of Syria that members of Khaled Meshal's family, including his daughter Fatima and her husband, had been arrested by Syrian forces on the pretext of having property registered under fictitious names.

Hamas denied the report, but now Arab newspaper Elaph confirms it. Fatima and her husband were arrested on January 11.

According to the report, Meshal's wife and other children were also summoned by Syrian police on the 15th, and Fatima and her husband were released on 50,000 pounds bail (about $900.)

The harassment is allegedly to show Syria's displeasure at Hamas not supporting the Assad regime more strongly. Meshal has been trying to straddle the fence between supporting the Syrian revolution and not upsetting the regime.

Elaph's sources claim that Meshal's announcement that he will step down as Hamas' political leader is related to this pressure from Syria. Elaph says that Syria prefers that he be replaced with his current deputy, Mousa Abu Marzouk.
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