| Time for another open thread Posted: 18 Apr 2012 06:18 PM PDT For two years I've been watching people complain about the Disqus comment system here, and how screwy it acts. From my perspective, though, it had one great feature that I loved -it automatically sends all comments to my email account and allows me to reply to messages (and moderate them) via email. This meant that I did not have to actually go into the Disqus system to administer the comments and it saved me a lot of time. But now that feature just disappeared over the past few days, making it much harder for me to follow threads of conversations here without spending more time than I have. Practically, this means that if you have interesting links to send me, email is probably the best way. The other recent headache is that the scheduling capability in Blogger seems to have broken in the past couple of days. Articles that I thought would have been posted ended up in limbo until I re-edit them. It's just another time-suck that I don't need. Moreover, it looks like my life will not be getting any less hectic. Quite the opposite. Even so, over the next day or two, I will post my 14,000th blog entry. I did notice that the last open thread from Monday night was quite busy, with nearly a hundred comments, so it seems like a good time to start a new one. Venting about these problems is just an excuse for an open thread, anyway. 
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| A cascade of non-trivial trivia from 1912-13 Posted: 18 Apr 2012 02:35 PM PDT The virulently anti-Israel IMEMC says: Israeli soldiers and policemen displaced resident Khaled An-Natsha and his family from their home in Al-Ashqariyya area, in Beit Hanina, north of Israeli controlled East Jerusalem. The eviction came following a court order that granted Israeli settlers ownership over the property.
The Palestinian News and Info Agency, WAFA, reported that the soldiers also detained An-Natsha after "arguing with the soldiers".
The Israeli District Court in Jerusalem previously issued an eviction notice ordering An-Natsha to vacate the property, claiming that the land on which his home is built belonged to a Jewish man since 1936. I was wondering if perhaps there were Jews in Beit Hanina who were forced to flee their homes in the 1936 riots, the way that the Yemeni Jews were chased out of their homes in Kfar HaShiloach (now knowsn as Silwan.) Doing a little digging I came upon this illuminating item, from the American Jewish Yearbook for 1912-1913, under events that occurred in Palestine in October 1912: Dilov and Bet-Hanina, in vicinity of Jerusalem, acquired by Zionist organization. I never heard of Dilov, and the entry does not elaborate if (as implied) the Zionist bought all of Beit Hanina or a portion, but isn't that interesting? In the same yearbook we also see other information that goes against the conventional wisdom of today's revisionist historians: August [1912] At Rapha [Rafah - EoZ], Anglo-Egyptian authorities sanction sale of ten thousand dunams of land to Anglo-Palestine Company, for colonization by Agudath Yisroel (of Jaffa), and group of Bielistock Jews.
January [1913] - Turkish government confirms purchase of land in Samaria and Galilee by Palestine Department of the Zionist Organization. Amount paid, 750,000 francs ($150,000)
JUNE [1913] - Rechid Bey, former Minister of Interior and Governor at Jerusalem, in interview with representative of Budapest paper expresses himself in favor of Jewish activity in Palestine.
June [1913] — Hazim Bey, vali of Beirut, declares that he is in favor of Jewish immigration into Syria, as beneficial to the Empire. Who knew that parts of Rafah were owned by Zionists and earmarked for religious Jews? How often do we hear about Arabs who actively supported Jewish immigration? The things you learn when you just take the time to look... (h/t Dan) 
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| A clear case of - snow-washing Posted: 18 Apr 2012 12:45 PM PDT From Israel's COGAT: 3 Palestinian children went to Mount Hermon in Israel on March 19th, with a group of Israeli children, to enjoy the mountain and the snow.
The children, treated in Schneider Hospital and Sharei Tsedek Hospital were accompanied by soldiers from the Alpine Unit of Tsahal, who enjoyed the day with them.
The event was organized by the Civil Administration and the Israeli NGO "Tikva u'Marpeh". Last year I made a poster and video about this (or possibly a similar) program. To those who look at Israel through their " occupation glasses," this is obviously an attempt by the IDF and Zionist groups to put a human face on their relentlessly evil society and distract the world from Ziocrimes. In fact, doing good things for sick Palestinian Arab kids may even be worse than "occupation" itself - because it makes the job of the Israel-demonizers so much harder, and making them look like the bigoted haters they are is an unforgivable crime. 
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| Egyptian Mufti visits Jerusalem, causes controversy Posted: 18 Apr 2012 11:30 AM PDT From AFP: Egypt's grand mufti visited Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque on Wednesday, a senior Muslim official said, despite claims by an internationally prominent cleric that such visits are a sop to Israel.
Azzam al-Khatib said Ali Gomaa, Egypt's highest religious authority, "came for a religious visit to Al-Aqsa mosque" along with Jordan's Prince Ghazi bin Mohammed, King Abdullah II's cousin and advisor on religious issues.
It comes after Qatar-based Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian, said in a religious edict (fatwa) last month that Muslims should not visit Jerusalem "because it requires dealing with Zionist embassies to obtain visas."
"Such visits might also give legitimacy to the occupation and could be seen as normalisation," Qaradawi said in March.
His fatwa has drawn the ire of Palestinian awqaf minister Mahmud al-Habbash, saying it was "weird and contradicts the Koran and the Prophet's teachings."
"The fatwa serves Israeli policies that seek to isolate Jerusalem and Palestinians, who should be supported," Habbash said.
Earlier this month, the king's half-brother, Prince Hashim, paid a similar visit to Jerusalem. Also, Jordan's Interior Minister Mohammad Raud went to the Holy City this week.
The kingdom's powerful opposition Islamists have denounced such visits.
"In line with Islamic edicts issued by respected clerics and consultations with Christian religious leaders, we consider these trips as acts of normalisation that serves the schemes of the enemy," said Hamzeh Mansur, chief of the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, on the party's website.
"Mosque preachers, thinkers, intellectuals and journalists should intensify their efforts to warn the public against the dangerous risks behind such visits, which must not continue," added Mansur, who also heads an anti-normalisation committee. There has been much opposition to any such trips within the Muslim world. for example, two years ago an Egyptian soccer team canceled their planned visit to play a friendly game against Palestinian Arabs. Gomaa, however, seems to have avoided the biggest problem from the Muslim perspective. He came through Jordan and went with Jordanian authorities under cover of calling it a diplomatic mission, avoiding any contact with Israeli authorities altogether. Even so, the Mufti is receiving a lot of criticism in Egypt from the Muslim Brotherhood, Salafists and others. Last year Gomaa threatened Israel saying that if the country continues to disregard the feelings of all the Muslims, it would feel the wrath of 1.5 billion people. Meanwhile, here's a new MEMRI video of an Egyptian TV host slamming the Copts who visited Jerusalem earlier this month. 
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| Anti-semitism up, violent incidents down in 2011 Posted: 18 Apr 2012 10:10 AM PDT A great example of spin in three different headlines for the same topic. Ha'aretz: Report: Anti-Semitic incidents down 27 percent in 2011 Arutz-7: Anti-Semitic Incitement and Harassment Up in 2011 YNet: 'Hate crimes against Jews becoming more brutal'
So, which is it?
As of this writing, the report is not available on the website of the Kantor Center that did the study, but Arutz-7 seems to have copied the executive summary, so that is the best we can do for now: The Kantor Center's Program for Study of Anti-Semitism and Racism at Tel Aviv University released their 2011 Anti-Semitism Report on Wednesday.
The report noted both a "continuation and even escalation of harassment and incitement" and a "considerable decline in major violent incidents world wide" targeting Jews during 2011.
"The year 2011 marked a worldwide continuation and even escalation of acts of harassment and incitement, including verbal threats, insults and abusive language and behavior. Such acts have increased dramatically in recent years in various parts of the world, yet the most troubling phenomenon is in-your-face harassment, a daily occurrence, especially in western Europe, as well as in Australia and Canada, mainly against visible Jews, in the street, in public places and in the vicinity of Jewish sites, and against children and youth in schools. These acts are not fully reported due to the lack of proper monitoring in some countries, and cannot be counted," the report summary read.
"The level of major violent incidents (with or without the use of weapons, vandalism and direct threats) decreased in 2011 by 27% compared to 2010 (446 and 614, respectively – the US is only partly included). The decline in the UK (105 cases), France (114) and Canada (68), where 63% of all major violent incidents worldwide were registered, and where large Jewish communities reside, had an impact on the overall statistics. In other countries, such as Australia, Belgium, Ukraine the numbers of these incidents remained almost the same, , and in others such as Lithuania and Belarus it even increased. Still, statistical data shows that physical violence remained on a high level compared to former years, and that attacks turned more brutal and harmful.
"The reasons for the decline in the number of major violent incidents are not clear cut: they may include the absence of a major confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians, such as Operation Cast Lead in 2009 and the Marmara flotilla in 2010, which had sparked violent action against Jews; the fact that much of the far right violent activity was directed in 2011 against Muslim, Roma and other immigrant minorities; the "Arab Spring" which perhaps attracted much attention among Muslim youth in Europe; the growing number of complaints and litigations successfully filed by Jewish individuals and organizations against perpetrators and inciters; and the intensified efforts of Governmental agencies and NGOs to promote legislative and public tools against racism, anti-Semitism included.
"Reasons for the continuing high level of harassment and incitement may include: radicalization among young Muslims mostly from immigrant families and growing acceptance of anti-Semitic allegations; escalated animosity among militant extreme rightists whose activity intensified probably because of the economic crisis and the problems posed by multiculturalism; the growing use of the cyberspace, with its websites, blogs and social networks, which readily disseminates anti-Semitic messages, and anti-Zionist and anti-Israeli incitement often expressed in anti-Semitic terms. These messages are loudly heard in university and college campuses as well as in mosques, and are carried by the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanction) campaigners; and the atmosphere created by the radical left's rhetoric and by expressions and accusations used and leveled in the mainstream discourse.
"The main allegations against the Jewish communities and Israel, perceived as a Jewish state, continue to be the holding of global power, including control over world economy, and constant conspiring according to Israel's interests, thus being responsible for economic and political crises, including incitement for and against the revolutions in the Arab world. These allegations are coupled with the labeling of Israel as a racist, Nazi-like illegitimate state, and its supporters as accomplices to an evil entity," the summary concluded. It looks like Ha'aretz' headline is the least accurate because only violent incidents have decreased, not all incidents. When the report is available we can see if there is anything interesting that the news media is missing. 
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| Birthright now has an Israeli fellowship program Posted: 18 Apr 2012 08:50 AM PDT From The Jewish Week: A Zionist and junior at Cornell University, Rebecca Haft had a life-changing experience in Israel last summer — she learned to like cottage cheese.
Haft, a policy analysis and management major, spent 10 weeks working as an intern in the business development department of Tnuva, Israel's largest dairy company, under the auspices of Birthright Israel Excel. She was among 20 college students from the United States chosen, from more than 200 applicants, to take part in the pilot version of Birthright's elite fellowship program.
Think Birthright, business class.
Earlier this month, most of the 20 met here for a four-day retreat, to review last year's experiences and suggest changes.
Haft's fellow Excel colleagues, college juniors and seniors who participated in internships at high-powered Israeli companies in such fields as technology, business, venture capital and social media, were mentored directly by each company's CEO, receiving backstage passes to the world of high-tech, corporate Israeli culture.
This year, more than 600 students applied; 36 made the final cut.
"This program, more than anything, is an investment in Israel's future," said Sharon Prince, U.S. coordinator of Birthright Excel. "We are pulling students from the top echelon of American society. We have high hopes that these students will go on to become leaders in their various fields. Creating this formative connection to Israel early on in their careers is key."
"Compared to previous internships I've had in the States, the internship I received as a Birthright Excel fellow was completely different," said Ben Goldhaber, a senior at Georgetown University majoring in science, technology and international affairs. Goldhaber interned at Pitango Venture Capital, Israel's leading Venture Capital fund, under the mentorship of Chemi J. Peres, managing general partner and co-founder of Pitango, and son of President Shimon Peres.
"In Israel, they are much quicker to trust young people," Goldhaber said. "When I arrived at my internship, I was given real responsibilities, and fast. This is no American, feel-good resumé booster. This was a job — a real job — and a chance to experience, firsthand, how Israeli corporate culture functions and operates." As an afterthought he added, "I mean, I barely operated the copy machine once!"
"This trip shouldn't be called 'Birthright' — it should be called 'Birth responsibility,'" said Brett Levine, gesticulating as he spoke, a senior at University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business with a major in finance. "As Jews, we have a certain sense of entitlement when it comes to Israel, and when it comes to our heritage. But what this trip taught me is that feeling entitled is not enough — we have a responsibility to our Jewish identity. We have a responsibility to Israel." His words were met by hearty nods and exclamations of assent around the table. Ha'aretz followed some of the interns last year and recorded their experiences. 
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| Iranian diplomat accused of molesting girls in Brazil; has diplomatic immunity Posted: 18 Apr 2012 07:35 AM PDT Brazilian news sources are reporting: Iranian diplomat in Brasília, Hekmatollah Ghorbani, is accused of abusing minors in a pool club in Brasilia on Saturday.
Ten girls, aged 9 and 15, were swimming in a neighborhood club, the South Wing, and four of them reported that Ghorbani, swimming, approached to touch the private parts of the girls while diving.
According to a report of those responsible for the minors, one of the girls, aged 14, realized that the Iranian had touched other girls and asked him to stop. She went to tell the lifeguard of the club, who ordered the closure of the pool. The father of one of the girls, Fernandes José Roberto Rodrigues, returned to the pool and tried to attack Ghorbani.
Deputy Police Chief Johnson Miller, who took the complaint, confirmed the reports, but despite the clear facts, Ghorbani was released for having diplomatic immunity.
"We note that this gentleman is part of the diplomatic mission of Iran in Brasilia. In this position, he was under the cloak of diplomatic immunity. We made a record of the occurrence. We will forward it to the Foreign Ministry. If he were an ordinary person, he would be charged under Article 217 A, for rape of minors, with a penalty of 8 to 15 years in prison. "
Ghorbani, who is over 50 years old, is the third in the hierarchy of the Iranian embassy in Brasilia. The embassy confirms that he is a member of the diplomatic corps, and has been in Brazil for nearly two years. The club also declined to comment on the incident. The Foreign Ministry, according to its press office says that it has not been notified about the occurrence, but confirms that the families of the girls asked for an audience with the General Coordination of Privileges and Immunities, in charge of diplomatic missions. The meeting was still scheduled for this week. According to the delegate, the occurrence record is forwarded to the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday. While this is not my normal kind of posting, it is interesting that no English-language news source has covered this story yet. (ht Oren) 
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| Hamas calls for more terror attacks and abductions Posted: 18 Apr 2012 06:15 AM PDT On the occasion of "Prisoners Day," Hamas together with Islamic Jihad and other terror groups publicly called for more terror attacks against Israel, purportedly in order to help gain the release of the prisoners. The group of "resistance factions" unanimously declared that that the most effective way to free the prisoners is "resistance by the sword," a euphemism for terror attacks and Shalit-style soldier abductions. Abu Obaida, a spokesman for Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades, released a statement today calling the prisoner issue an "absolute priority of the resistance. I do not say this as a mere slogan, but we have proved it with our pure blood." He promised the prisoners and their families that "the walls of the prison will shatter ...with the permission of God, and may that say come soon." Spokesman Abu Ahmed of Islamic Jihad's al-Quds Brigades also stated that that the issue of prisoners has become a top priority for the terror groups. He said "The complete liberation of prisoners is what the Palestinian factions seek, and the best way to free our prisoners will be resistance and abducting soldiers." 
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| The absurdity of giving credence to Iran's "fatwa" against nukes Posted: 18 Apr 2012 04:22 AM PDT From Emanuele Ottolenghi at Commentary: Speaking to reporters about Iran's nuclear program before the weekend talks in Istanbul, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "We're looking for concrete results," and continued, "They assert that their program is purely peaceful. They point to a fatwa that the supreme leader has issued against the pursuit of nuclear weapons. We want them to demonstrate clearly in the actions they propose that they have truly abandoned any nuclear weapons ambition." Secretary Clinton must take this argument seriously, because she has been looking into the fatwa very closely. According to the Daily Telegraph, Clinton revealed that she has been studying Khamenei's fatwa, saying that she has discussed it with religious scholars, other experts and with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "If it is indeed a statement of principle, of values, then it is a starting point for being operationalized," Clinton said. EU diplomats also took notice of Iranian emphasis on the fatwa: "One of the diplomats, who demanded anonymity because he was sharing information from a closed session, said the Iranians appeared to be moving toward that goal, engaging in discussion about the peaceful use of nuclear energy and the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. He said the Iranian team had mentioned supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's fatwa, or prohibition, of nuclear weapons for Iran, in the course of the plenary discussions." As Jonathan Tobin discussed yesterday, a delegation of 12 Iranian nuclear scientists attended the North Korea's failed missile test at the same time that the chief nuclear negotiator in Istanbul was proclaiming Iran's religious commitment to non-proliferation. So what were they doing there? Verifying how compatible is their leader's fatwa with a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead? Secretary Clinton and all other parties involved should judge the Iranians by their actions. They speak for themselves. The fatwa is a ruse – one that clearly just won Tehran another five weeks of quiet. Juan Cole, who famously managed to convince the wishful thinkers of the world that Iranian leaders never said they wanted to destroy Israel even when official Iranian translations of their speech said they did, has been particularly strident in pretending that Khamanei's fatwa somehow proves Iran's peaceful intentions, and not its willingness to lie. The problem is, as I have noted before, that Khamanei was on the record as supporting nuclear weapons development before his more recent pretend conversion to the cause of pacifism. He said in 1984 that " A nuclear arsenal would serve Iran as a deterrent in the hands of God's soldiers." Moreover, despite his beard, Khamanei is not considered a major Islamic scholar. He is a politician first and foremost. And he slavishly follows the words of his predecessor, Ayatollah Khamanei, who was also on the record as supporting the development of nuclear weapons. Finally, even Arabic media are deriding the idea that Khamanei's fatwa is anything but a political ruse. As Asharq al-Awsat's Tariq Hamid notes, The problem with the administration of U.S. President Obama that it wants to pursue policies that may be acceptable to the dreaming cultural elites, but that would not be effective with the systems that are filled with cunning and deception, such as the Iranian regime. That regime does not prioritize openness, human values, nor the well being of its citizens, or even tolerance. Instead, the Iranian regime and its ideology is based on expansion and penetration into other countries, and sectarian motives. International laws, conventions and norms, and self-interests atre what rules the world and it is absurd to talk about an Iranian fatwa when negotiating with Tehran. States, like individuals, have a reputation and history that can not be ignored. The reputation of a rogue state, like the reputation of an individual villain, cannot be judged by words, or fatwas, but with deeds. When Hillary talks about the Iranian fatwa surely they have not heard of a "pious" Iran! Instead Iran has a history of promises and agreements, which it did not comply with, and the simplest example here is the Iranian president's visit to the UAE island of Abu Musa that is occupied by Iran, despite all the agreements between the UAE and Iran for negotiations and dialogue. Tehran did not respect those promises. If the The head of state does not abide by a promise, how trustworthy is his advisory fatwa?
If this opinion is one of the merits of dialogue with Iran, I swear we are going to a real disaster in this region of the world. One does not have to use the argument of "taqiyya" to prove that Iran's Supreme Leader is a liar. His own actions and words prove that quite well without resorting to Islamic law or history. He is a politician, and he has already proven that he is not above using religion to push his own political agenda. Believing in the righteousness of a proven liar, as Juan Cole and his acolytes clearly do, is in itself far worse than any real or alleged taqiyya being practiced here. 
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| Why couldn't Flytilla idiots come via Jordan? Posted: 18 Apr 2012 01:30 AM PDT Here's a typical article critical of Israeli policy concerning the planned airport protests on Sunday, this one from the World Socialist website: There is nothing democratic, let alone legal, in the Interior Ministry's refusal of entry to people landing at Ben-Gurion airport to visit the West Bank via Israel. Since the territory is under Israeli military control, there is no option but to travel through Israel to enter Palestine, a stance upheld by an Israeli court only last year. The article implies that there is no evidence that the protesters actually planned to protest at the airport or elsewhere. This claim is just another lie. The ISM website has a wonderful little guide for how anti-Israel activists can get into the territories. They say: Arriving via Amman, Jordan
If you decide to come via Amman, Jordan, you will be questioned by Israeli authorities when you arrive at the border. They will ask you about why you are coming to Israel via Jordan. If you go from the Queen Alia airport in Amman to the border on the same day, they will ask you why you did not fly directly to Tel Aviv if you're not spending time in Jordan.
If you are denied entry coming via Jordan or Egypt, the Israeli border authorities merely send you back to Jordan or Egypt. You are not forced onto an airplane, but are rather free in Jordan or Egypt to decide on your next steps. Which way you decide to come is your decision. Meaning that it is pretty much just as easy to get into the territories from Jordan as it is from Ben Gurion Airport. At worst you spend a day or two sightseeing before you cross the Allenby bridge. And if they don't want you, you don't lose your airfare. But there aren't hundreds of reporters waiting at the Allenby Bridge to see you arrive. As far as I can tell, none of the protesters chose to come via Amman, even though their own "activist" leaders know very well how to use that option. Which proves that they wanted to make a scene at Ben Gurion and had little intention to actually go and meet real Palestinian Arabs. So why exactly should Israel allow people into the country when their only real goal is to disrupt airport operations? 
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