| Arabs boycotted Einstein lecture in Jerusalem in 1923 Posted: 07 Feb 2012 03:30 PM PST From the JTA Archives, February 9, 1923: A very representative gathering of notables, with the exeption of the Arabs, gathered to hear Professor Albert Einstein lecture on his theory of relativity at the Hebrew University House on Mt. Scopus, Wednesday night. Prominent Arab residents declined the invitation presumably because they did not wish to honor the Jewish scientist.
Speaking in Hebrew, M. Ussishkin welcomed the Professor on behalf of the Jewish community. Prof. Einstein began his speech in Hebrew and continued in French evoking great enthusiasm, as he touched on the phases of his theory. Sir Herbert Samuel, the High Commissioner, thanked the Professor for his work in the interests of humanity. He added: "It is a good sign for the Hebrew University that the first lecture is delivered by the greatest physicist in the world".
Zionism is not only a spiritual movement. Its practical work in Palestine is of equal consequence, Prof. Einstein told a Jewish audience at a reception arranged by leading organization here. The address of welcome was delivered by David Yellin, President of the Council of Jerusalem Jews who handed the Professor an illuminated testimonial with the signatures of the representatives of Palestine Jewry.
"The international recognization of Zionism has strengthened my belief in its success", the Professor said in the course of his address. This was two years before the official opening of Hebrew University in 1925, but it is considered the first lecture ever given there. According to this book, the lecture was attended by "English, French, Americans, etc., Catholics, Protestants, Templars, and the majority: Jews." 
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| Links Posted: 07 Feb 2012 02:10 PM PST |
| No business like "Palestine business" Posted: 07 Feb 2012 12:55 PM PST By Adam Reuter at YNet: The Palestinian Authority recently claimed that Israel gravely harms the PA economy. In fact, Palestinian officials argue that the Israeli occupation exacts a heavy price from their economy, offering a conservative estimate of $7 billion in the past 10 years.
The above estimate includes the frozen economic activity in Gaza as result of the blockade policy, the lost income from natural resources used by Israel given its control of most of the occupied area, additional Palestinian costs as result of restrictions on movement, and further limitations on local production.
Let's forget for a moment why a blockade was imposed on Gaza, why roadblocks have been erected in Judea and Samaria, and why is it that our communities surround themselves with a fence, rather than Palestinian communities. Let's assume that the Palestinian claims are fully accurate, and that the accumulated economic damage they incurred indeed totals $7 billion. As it turns, this is still a good deal for them.
I argue that the Palestinians have turned their misery into an economic strategy that benefits them. As result, they receive more money than all the damage they allegedly incur. Moreover, the current situation is economically beneficial for them, to a great extent.
The Palestinians fail to note that at this time they receive, both directly and indirectly, some $3-4 billion in annual international aid. This is more than double the annual damage to their economy as result of the occupation.
The Palestinians are world champions in per capita aid. On average, each one receives donations of some $1,000 per year. More than 60% of the Palestinian Authority's production originates from global donations. Statistical figures show that in the years 2009 and 2010, the PA received donations totaling some $4 billion per year. The scope of donations more than doubled itself since 2005.
That is, if we count all the funds received by the Palestinians from all sources only in the past 10 years, we reach an amazing sum approaching $25 billion. This is about $18 billion more than their own accumulated damage calculations.
...
The Palestinians claim that the conflict with Israel harms them economically. There is no doubt this is true. Yet on the other hand, it seems they profit much from the conflict. Had it not been for the conflict, the Palestinian would barely receive any global aid. So do they have a genuine economic interest in putting an end to the conflict? Their entire culture is built on the idea that they deserve unlimited amount of Western aid, because - as they said sixty years ago - they blame the West and the UN for their situation, and they won't do anything to fix it themselves. (h/t zozosophie) 
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| Did a Gaza rocket terrorist blow himself up this morning? Posted: 07 Feb 2012 11:45 AM PST GANSO has an intriguing message on its site: I saw nothing about any Israeli airstrike in Gaza last night, so this sounds like a terrorist tried to shoot a rocket to Israel and it blew up on him. 
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| Sinai Bedouin claim Israel sent them jeans that caused infertility Posted: 07 Feb 2012 10:30 AM PST From MEMRI: Following are excerpts from a debate on the "invasion" of Israeli products into Sinai, which aired on Egyptian Dream2 TV on February 1, 2012:
Muhammad Al-Mane'i, Sinai Bedouin: There was a time when they would bring us jeans. These pants used to have belts. If you looked at these belts from the front, you'd find a secret compartment, and when you opened it, you would find a magnet inside. When we asked what these magnets were, we were told that they cause sterility.
Interviewer: In other words, it causes infertility.
Muhammad Al-Mane'i: Exactly.
Interviewer: There was a time when these jeans with belts would invade us from Israel, and we used to take the magnets out and chuck them away.
[…]
Interviewer: Israeli products contain lethal poison. You might not feel this poison now, but you will in the future. Israel will remain an enemy lying in wait for Egypt, no matter what happens and regardless of the agreements, because Israel has its eye set on Egypt. With all these great Israeli inventions that painlessly cause sterility in men, why do people still get vasectomies? 
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| The Palestinian refugees of 1936 were...Jews Posted: 07 Feb 2012 09:10 AM PST |
| Gaza rumors of new taxes on consumer goods, construction material Posted: 07 Feb 2012 08:20 AM PST Palestine Today reports that Gazans are starting to panic over rumors of new, onerous taxes to be imposed by Hamas on consumer goods and construction materials being smuggled in through the tunnels. Vendors are not raising prices yet but some consumers are starting to buy good now ahead of time. Hamas authorities denied the rumors, saying that they are only imposing taxes on imports of goods that are also locally manufactured, in order to protect the local markets. 
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| Indian authorities arrest Chabad couple for "spying" Posted: 07 Feb 2012 07:00 AM PST From The Times of India: An Israeli couple who came to the city on March 3, 2010, will be deported for "suspicious activities". Shneor Zalman and Yaffa Shenoi came on a multiple-entry visa and rented a house on Rose Street, Fort Kochi, for Rs 50,000 per month, far higher than the market rate.
"Central intelligence got an alert about a covert operation being carried out by suspected Israeli agents after the 26/11 terror attacks in which south Mumbai's Chabad House came under attack and six Jews, including a Rabbi and his pregnant wife, were killed. A communication was sent to all states and it was our wing in Kerala that traced this couple at Fort Kochi," an intelligence officer here said.
Indian agencies will question two suspected Israeli agents before they are deported. "We have traced the couple's financial transactions. Preliminary investigations suggest similar Israelis are camping in various parts of the country," an official said.
In their report, the state intelligence department said a group of people turned up at the couple's rented house regularly and held meetings.
"These meetings lasted for hours in the night. They were under close surveillance".
The deportation order was slapped on Zalman and Shenoi last Monday after undercover Kerala Police officers tracked them for a year, questioned them and filed a report to Ernakulam collector P I Sheik Pareeth.
Fort Kochi is a major hub for foreign tourists next to the neighbourhood of Mattancherry, famous for its Jew Town. This is the historical part of town where Jews set up their first trading outpost centuries ago and built the country's oldest synagogue in 1568.
"A monthly rent of Rs 50,000 is disproportionately high, even in Fort Kochi. This is one of the main factors that made us suspicious," the intelligence source said. "They have been in the country from March 3, 2010. When their visas expired on March 3 last year, they went out and returned on April 1, 2011 on a new visa." From JPost and YNet: Chabad emissaries in the southern Indian city of Kochi on Tuesday vehemently denied a report that appeared in local media earlier in the day accusing them of being part of an Israeli covert operation.
Rabbi Shneor Zalman and Yaffa Shenoi told The Jerusalem Post they were stunned by a story run by the Times of India in which unnamed Indian security officials said they were secret Israeli agents that would soon be deported from the country.
"I was invited here by the Jewish community of Kochi with the full knowledge of local authorities," said Zalman, a 27-year-old rabbi from Jerusalem. "I have no idea how they got the impression I was part of a Mossad operation."
He said he and Shenoi ran an outreach center catering to Jewish travelers in the popular tourist destination as well as to the city's remaining 50 Jews, part of a once much larger community whose origins date back to the 16th century. Zalman insisted their sole motivation for being in the country was to provide religious services to local members of the Jewish community and had nothing to do with Israel.
Shenoi speculated the report might be related to an upcoming hearing on their visa status but said she was unaware of claims they were Israeli agents before the story appeared.
The report said the couple also aroused suspicions when people arrived at their home for late-night meetings. "It's pretty strange," Yaffa said, "apparently the report is talking about Shabbat dinners with Israelis and local Jews."
Addressing the high rent, the Israeli woman said, "This is a large house that is designated for Chabad activities. It only costs $1,000 a month – not an insane amount. Local police spoke to us a few times and asked that we do not hold large gathering in the house; nothing out of the ordinary. Of course, any Jew who knows the slightest bit about the religion would know that someone named "Shneor Zalman" is from Chabad. 
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| Syria update: Assad interview notes hacked; wife defends him; hundreds more dead (UPDATE) Posted: 07 Feb 2012 05:15 AM PST From Ha'aretz: Hundreds of emails from Syrian President Bashar Assad's office were leaked on Monday after an attack by the hacker group Anonymous. One of the email files, which Haaretz has obtained, was a document preparing Assad for his December 2011 interview with ABC's Barbara Walters.
Assad's TV interview with Walters was memorable for his repeated denials that Syrian citizens were being killed. "We don't kill our people ... no government in the world kills its people, unless it's led by a crazy person," Assad told Walters.
About 10 days before the interview, Sheherazad Jaafari - a press attache at the Syrian mission to the United Nations - sent a long email to former Al Jazeera journalist Luna Chebel, who now works in Assad's bureau. She also sent the email to an aide of Shaaban's. Jaafari, who was involved in arranging the interview with Walters, also happens to be the daughter of the Syrian ambassador to the UN, Dr. Bashar Jaafari.
Jaafari Jr. wrote: "The major points and dimensions that have been mentioned a lot in the American media are: The idea of violence has been one of the major subjects brought up in every article. They use the phrases 'The Syrian government is killing its own people,' 'Tanks have been used in many cities,' 'Airplanes have been used to suppress the peaceful demonstrations,' and 'Security forces are criminals and bloody.'"
She advised: "It is hugely important and worth mentioning that 'mistakes' have been done in the beginning of the crises because we did not have a well-organized 'police force.' American psyche can be easily manipulated when they hear that there are 'mistakes' done and now we are 'fixing it.' It's worth mentioning also what is happening now in Wall Street and the way the demonstrations are been suppressed by policemen, police dogs and beatings."
Jaafari also recommended that Assad say: "Syria doesn't have a policy to torture people, unlike the USA, where there are courses and schools that specialize in teaching policemen and officers how to torture."She advised using Abu Ghraib in Iraq or execution via electric chair as more examples.
She added that that mentioning the talkbacks on articles in the American media are a useful tool, saying that "the Americans are asking their government to stop interfering in other countries' business and sovereignty and to start taking care of American internal issues."
"It is worth mentioning that when Obama asked H.E. to step down he himself have had a 70% decrease of his popularity in the States," Jaafari wrote.
"It would be worth mentioning how your personality has been attacked and praised in the last decade according to the media. At one point H.E. was viewed as a hero and in other times H.E. was the 'bad guy'. Americans love these kinds of things get convinced by it."
Jaafari also stressed that Facebook and YouTube are important to "the American mindset" and advised to mention that "the face that Facebook and YouTube are open now – especially during the crisis – is important." Assad's wife, who was famously profiled along with her wonderful dictator husband in the Vogue puff-piece a year ago, has now come out publicly in support of the regime: The British-born wife of Syria's president has spoken in support of her husband for the first time since the 11-month uprising against his regime began, a British newspaper reported Tuesday.
"The President is the President of Syria, not a faction of Syrians, and the First Lady supports him in that role," The Times quoted Asma al-Assad as saying in an email sent via an intermediary from her office.
The email is her first communication with the international media since the uprising against Bashar al-Assad's regime began, The Times said.
"The First Lady's very busy agenda is still focused on supporting the various charities she has long been involved with and rural development as well as supporting the President as needed," the email reportedly continued.
"These days she is equally involved in bridging gaps and encouraging dialogue. She listens to and comforts the families of the victims of the violence." it added.
Stylish and charismatic and with a degree from King's College in London where she was raised, the former investment banker had helped promote the soft side of an iron-fisted regime. Meanwhile: Heavy bombardment of the Syrian city of Homs resumed on Tuesday after violence in Syria killed as many as 128 people as Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov started a visit to Damascus.
"The bombardment is again concentrating on Bab Amro. A doctor tried to get in there this morning but I heard he was wounded," Mohammad al-Hassan, an activist in Homs, told Reuters by satellite phone.
"There is no electricity and all communications with the neighborhood has been cut," he added.
Monday's deaths included 19 children and 15 women. At least 61 people have been killed in Homs alone, as the neighborhoods of Bayyada, Ensha'at and Bab Amro are still bombarded by all kinds of rockets and mortar shells, Al Arabiya reported citing Syrian activists.
A member of the main opposition Syrian National Council said Assad's forces killed scores of people people in a sustained bombardment of Homs, a center of armed opposition to his rule, two days after activists reported more than 200 people were killed in shelling.
A resident of Homs told AFP the latest assault began shortly after 0400 GMT Monday, with unprecedented barrages of rockets, mortar rounds and artillery shells.
"What is happening is horrible, it's beyond belief," said activist Omar Shaker, reached by telephone as loud detonations were heard in the background.
"There is nowhere to take shelter, nowhere to hide," he said. "We are running short of medical supplies and we are only able to provide basic treatment to the injured."
One video posted on YouTube apparently showed a field hospital hit by shelling in the Baba Amro district and wounded patients lying on stretchers on the floor amid pools of blood and shattered glass.
Footage shot by a BBC undercover team in Homs showed buildings ablaze in rebel neighborhoods as they were pounded with heavy weapons. UPDATE: Speaking of Asma Assad, you can check out her hypocrisy here: http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2012/02/07/asma-assad-stand-by-your-man/ (h/t Yair) 
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| Fatah Facebook page glorifies 1975 Savoy Hotel terrorists Posted: 07 Feb 2012 02:34 AM PST From Palestinian Media Watch: Fatah has chosen to use its official Facebook page to glorify terrorists.
Fatah's page currently displays a poster with the pictures of 8 terrorists who carried out a terror attack on the Savoy Hotel in Tel Aviv in 1975, that was posted by the Fatah administrator.
8 Israeli civilians and 3 soldiers were killed in the attack.
Text on poster:
"The Tel Aviv operation, March 6, 1975 ; The Palestinian passage to the homeland"
The text under each terrorist's picture reads:
"The heroic Shahid (Martyr)" followed by the terrorist's name. This is the official Fatah Facebook page as announced in PalArab media on February 1. The Fatah terrorists arrived by sea from Lebanon. They had intended to attack a different target, but they got lost and chose this hotel because it was the only building lit up on the street. The dead included two Swiss, a German, a Somali and a teenage boy from the Netherlands. The Fatah terrorists set off explosive charges when Israeli forces raided the hotel; one Fatah member survived and initially claimed to have come from Egypt (in order to frustrate any peace agreement between Israel and Egypt) before admitting that they came from Lebanon. Fatah took responsibility, saying that they wanted Israel to release some 10 terrorists from prison. These are the heroes of today's "moderate" Fatah. 
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