יום רביעי, 7 במרץ 2012

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Link to Elder of Ziyon

An Israeli Arab defends her country in South Africa

Posted: 06 Mar 2012 08:50 PM PST

From Ma'an:
Israel has sent a delegation of 100 students to represent it in the annual Apartheid Week in South Africa, an Israeli newspaper reported Tuesday.

The report in Maariv noted one unusual participant in this year's delegation -- a 25-year-old Muslim Bushra Khalilieh, a member of Israel's Arab minority in the Galilee.

The newspaper said Khalilieh was attending university in one of South Africa's university campuses. Khalilieh, who wears a hijab, came to Israel's defense during activities on campus.

"We toured Johannesburg and Cape Town's campuses and met local students," she said.

"We spoke with them about Israel and I told them about my personal issue as an Arab girl living in Israel. I feel Israel to be my hometown where there's equality and I have all my rights."

"When students hear us, they are surprised as there are some who do not even know there are Arabs living in Israel. I, as an Arab Israeli girl, love my country and believe that it seeks peace and respects all its citizens."

Khalilieh, a masters student at Tel Aviv University, stressed that she represents herself and not the position of the Israeli government.

"I represent myself as a Muslim Arab who lives in Israel as a liberal and free girl unlike other Arab girls who live in Arab countries and do not have the human rights I have like freedom of expression and dignity."

She added: "There are people who are calling to boycott us and say that there is apartheid in Israel, but I try to show Israel as a country that's different from what they think."
A number of Arab sites have picked up on the story, most highlighting the fact that she defines herself as an Arab Israeli - and not a "Palestinian."

(h/t IsReal1948 and Herb)

Translating a Tikkun NYT ad into English

Posted: 06 Mar 2012 06:03 PM PST

I received an email from Tikkun Magazine showing a full-page ad in tomorrow's New York Times urging the US and Israel to abandon any idea of attacking Iran.

Here is what the ad says:
Some of us who signed this ad believe that even a nuclear Iran—faced with the certainty that its first aggressive use of nuclear weapons would engender a massive retaliation sufficient to kill most of the people of Iran—would not dare take a first nuclear strike against Israel or the United States. Americans once perceived the Soviet Union to be equally evil, irrational, and driven by ideological fundamentalism—yet the Soviet Union, armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons, was constrained by the possibility of mutually assured destruction. The same is likely to be true of Iran should its ideologically driven fundamentalist leaders ever decide to develop nuclear weapons.
In other words, we think that we are right. We're not sure, but we are willing to bet every Israeli's life on our certainty of our understanding of the human nature of the mullahs.
Some of us fear that electoral pressures have pushed President Obama and many Democrats in Congress to abandon the strategy of containment used with all the other nuclear powers and instead to coerce Iran into not developing nukes. We agree with the goal of non-proliferation, but believe that the only way to restrain the development of nukes by other states like Iran, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt is for the current nuclear powers—including the U.S., U.K., France, Russia, China, North Korea, India, Pakistan, and Israel—to disarm their own nuclear weapons.
In other words, we think that we are right. We're not sure, so if the last nuclear weapon on the planet belongs to Iran or Pakistan or gets into the hands of Hezbollah or Hamas, and they decide to use it, we will condemn their murder of tens of thousands of people in very strong terms. Tsk, tsk!
Some of us believe that Israel could actually work out peaceful relations with Iran and enhance its own security and U.S. security by ending the Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, helping the Palestinian people create an economically and politically viable state, taking generous steps to alleviate the humiliation and suffering of Palestinian refugees, and supporting Palestinian membership in the United Nations.
In other words, we haven't bothered reading a word of what Iranian leaders say about Israel day in and day out since Khomeini. When they say, repeatedly, that they want to see Israel utterly destroyed, they really mean they want to see an end to the "occupation" of the West Bank and Gaza. If only Israel would make a gesture, then Iran will erupt in lovingkindness and generosity, we think. And we are so convinced of our wisdom that are willing to risk the lives of millions of Jews and the existence of the Jewish state itself. That's how smart we are.
Similarly, if the United States were to apologize for its role in overthrowing the democratically elected government of Iran in 1953 and ushering in the Shah's dictatorial regime, it would strengthen the hands of those in Iran who seek an overthrow of the even worse Islamic fundamentalist regime that now terrorizes the people of Iran.
Yes, an apology will strengthen the people Iran is throwing in jail when they dare to go against the government version of facts. We know this because we know it would work for us, and everyone thinks like we do.

Except for Netanyahu, who is just a warmonger.

The ad goes on to push something called The Global Marshall Plan — a plan developed by Tikkun magazine and the Network of Spiritual Progressives. This plan says that if we would just be nice to everyone, everyone will be nice to us.

This is what happens when aging hippies get hold of enough money to place an ad in the New York Times.


Who wants to be a member of the UN? (Daily Show)

Posted: 06 Mar 2012 12:00 PM PST

Inaccurate - the Security Council would have voted down Palestinian Arab membership even without a US veto - but still funny:





(h/t Ian)

Latest crazy Arab rumor: Israel planning artificial earthquake to demolish Al Aqsa

Posted: 06 Mar 2012 10:45 AM PST

Quds Media, one of the major inciters of hate against Jews and Israel, is claiming that Israel is planning to create an artificial earthquake in order to destroy the Al Aqsa Mosque.

The head of the Supreme Council for Islamic courts in the territories, Yousef Adeis, issued a statement saying "The Al-Aqsa mosque had just entered the stage of the extreme danger that is facing during which the fiercest war waged against it by the Government of the Israeli occupation and the settlers who seek to destroy it and build a temple in its place."

Adeis added that there have been more and more covert and overt meetings by the leaders and rabbis of Jewish groups recently, in coordination with the Israeli military establishment, which aim to develop a number of schemes that seek to demolish the Al Aqsa Mosque. One of them is to create an artificial earthquake that would collapse the mosque, after they perform all the excavations underneath the Temple Mount necessary to ensure that it would work.

Adeia is demanding an Arab-Islamic emergency summit meeting of to discuss the implications of these imaginary threats to Al Aqsa Mosque.

There were major, deadly earthquakes in the area in 1759, 1837, and 1927. One can surmise that another one is due in the next few years. People like this want to ensure that when it happens - everyone will blame the Jews.
1927 earthquake damage in Jerusalem

Following a lie from Al Aqsa Foundation to the Arab League to UNESCO and the Security Council

Posted: 06 Mar 2012 09:30 AM PST

I mentioned that the Al Aqsa Foundation was inciting against Israel, blaming the partial collapse of a wall and a small landslide on a hill in Silwan on "Israeli excavations" that are meant to "Judaize" Jerusalem.



This damage has nothing to do with any excavations (which are hundred of meters away anyway.) It is simply a result of heavy rains that have been saturating the ground and making it unstable, and there have been other instances of similar damage. (In Gaza today a man was killed when a well collapsed, for example.)

The Al Aqsa Foundation is a fringe extremist group whose only purpose is to incite hate against Israel. Several times a week it fabricates stories about supposed Israeli plans to demolish the Al Aqsa Mosque. Sometimes, the stories get play and when they are lucky they can cause riots and even deaths with their unfounded rumors.

Yet their repeated lies continue to get coverage in Palestinian Arab media and beyond.

Now, according to the group, the Arab League has lodged a complaint with UNESCO and the Security Council to condemn Israel for its imaginary role in these incidents.

Assuming it is true (perhaps the Aqsa Foundation lies about Arabs too) this shows how irresponsible the Arab League is. It has no problems pushing ridiculous lies up towards world bodies without the least bit of vetting. It fully supports the incitement and hoped-for violence that would result. It reflexively believes - and goes on to take ownership of - the most outrageous claims, as long as Israel and Jews are the target.

Hamas says it will get Egyptian fuel through Rafah

Posted: 06 Mar 2012 08:15 AM PST

From Ma'an:

Gaza's energy authority on Monday announced an agreement with Egypt to import fuel via the Rafah crossing to ease the power crisis.

The Hamas-run authority said Egypt's General Petroleum Authority would initially deliver diesel meant for cars through the terminal until industrial diesel could be transferred.

Pipes, pumps and tanks to receive the fuel will be prepared Tuesday morning, the Gaza authority said in a statement.

The announcement follows weeks of critical power shortages in the Gaza Strip. Since Egypt shut off fuel deliveries via underground tunnels in February, Gaza's power plant has shut down twice and the 1.7 million residents of the coastal strip face up to 18-hour blackouts each day.

Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Friday blamed Cairo for the outages and said Egypt controlled the flow of fuel into the enclave.

Egypt had told Hamas that in future it should import its oil through legal channels -- namely the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom border crossing.

But Haniyeh said he would not import fuel from Israel, which would be more expensive and vulnerable to Israeli sanctions.

"If someone fired a bullet three kilometers away from Kerem Shalom, the Israelis would close the crossing and prevent the entry of fuel," Haniyeh said.
I don't recall any security-related closings of Kerem Shalom although that happened frequently with other crossings when terrorists shot rockets at them. Perhaps they haven't attacked Kerem Shalom for fear that the rocket might hit Egyptian territory, which is just west of Kerem Shalom.

Kerem Shalom has closed for holidays and maintenance. But then again, so has Rafah - for Egyptian holidays, because of computer problems, and because of Palestinian Arab disturbances. Haniyeh doesn't seem to worry about capricious Egyptian closures of Rafah.

New PA music video for kids glorifies terrorism

Posted: 06 Mar 2012 07:00 AM PST

Just a new generation being groomed for careers in terror. No big deal:


Teach the sinners [Israel]... that death for the sake of the country is not terror
Don't cry Palestine -- stand tall for your heroes.
Let the cowards [Israel] see that your kids didn't surrender to fear in the midst of horror.
Oh children of the stones, teach the sinners [Israel] that shooting doesn't scare you,
that your dignity is preserved, and that death for the sake of the country is not terror.
Terror is the occupier and his helpers,
not those who saw and tasted death but were not humiliated,
and not the child who nurses fear and expulsion, yet surrenders not.
He vows that when he grows up, he will follow the same path.
Don't be sad, oh great nation, Allah is with you.
Don't be sad with Allah's help.
[PA TV (Fatah), Feb. 24, 2012]

Isn't it remarkable that self-proclaimed "peace" activists never have anything bad to say about things like this?

(h/t Ian)

An anecdote about - beer

Posted: 06 Mar 2012 05:40 AM PST

I mentioned yesterday that the Palestinian Arab company Taybeh Beer was featured at a major Israeli agriculture exhibition last week.

A resident of Ofra writes:
Taybe is located just a few kilometers from Ofra, and before Oslo, etc. we used to drive through it all the time. I still remember the narrow turn in the road near the school, with huge murals of Santa Claus on its walls along with other classic Christmas decorations. Taybe is a Christian town and consequently, its residents openly drink alcohol.

Before 2000 and the second intifada, the manufacturers of the beer asked the rabbi of Ofra, Rabbi Avi Giesser, to provide kashrut supervision for the beer so that it could be sold in Israeli supermarkets. For a few years, their label clearly stated: "Kosher under the supervision of Rabbi Avraham Geisser."

I kid you not.
The kosher certification happened in 1996, as AP reported:
It's cool, it's Palestinian, and now it's kosher.

Taybeh Beer, the first Palestinian beer, has received a rabbinical stamp of approval, brewer Nadim Khoury said Tuesday.

``It was easy to do it because my beer is kosher, and now it's officially kosher,'' Khoury told The Associated Press.

``The rabbi came and inspected it, and everything was fine.''

Khoury has been brewing in Taybeh, a village near the West Bank city of Ramallah, since last year. It is already sold in many bars and stores in Israel, as well as in the West Bank.

Kosher certification will open up new markets in Israel, where many restaurants, hotels and grocery stores serve only kosher products.

The micro-brewery was inspected by Rabbi Avraham Gisser of the nearby Jewish settlement Ofra, who checked for contamination by any non-kosher ingredients.

Khoury refused to say whether his beer is more popular among Palestinians or Israelis.

``My market is local beer for the local people everywhere,'' he said. ``Beer has nothing to do with politics.''
Well, that is not quite true. Taybeh's slogan is "Drink Palestinian. Taste the Revolution."


And it is not exactly an empty slogan.

Taybeh billboards with the slogan "Drink Palestinian — Taste the Revolution" tower over the main street of Ramallah. "Taybeh beer is our way of struggling," Madees Khoury tells TIME. "This is our resistance to the occupation — just to make beer and make people happy."

But when advertising to Western audiences, Taybeh offers a different message - "Drink to Peace":



Yet at the same time It also manufactures a non-alcoholic version, with only Arabic written on a green bottle, that is colloquially called "Hamas Beer."

Perhaps the biggest indicator that things have gone downhill since the intifada is this:
Up until the year 2000, Taybeh Beer was sold to Jewish residents in the West Bank, and to Israeli soldiers. The beer even used to have a kosher certificate, but Khoury said the license was not renewed after 2000 because it became increasingly difficult for the rabbinate to send supervisors to a brewery in the West Bank. The beer is still kosher, he insists, but it does not have the rabbinate's stamp of approval.
"I don't think any rabbi has the guts to come to the brewery right now," he said.

Gas pipeline from Egypt to Israel, Jordan bombed for 13th time

Posted: 06 Mar 2012 02:56 AM PST

About a week after its latest repairs were completed, it happened again.

Security officials say militants have again blown up a gas pipeline in the Sinai Peninsula that transports fuel to Israel.

The attack on the pipeline is the 13th since the popular uprising that ousted longtime President Hosni Mubarak last year.

Police officials said gunmen attacked the pipeline in the north Sinai city of Arish on Monday. There were no details on the extent of damage. Previous explosions have shut down gas flow for days or weeks.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with police rules.
Six gunmen placed two sets of explosives about 15 meters apart from each other near El Arish.

And Jordan is hurt more by these acts than Israel is, as the kingdom is scrambling to retool their electric generators to run on more expensive oil and diesel.

In a couple of years, Israel should be in a position to export natural gas to Jordan. It will be interesting to see if Jordan will think it is worth it.

According to Wikipedia, the Jordanian gas line also goes to Lebanon and Syria, with planned extensions to Turkey. I have not read anything about how Syria or Lebanon are affected by these repeated explosions; perhaps the amount of gas they get is much smaller.
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