יום שלישי, 23 באוקטובר 2012

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Link to Elder of Ziyon

BDSers celebrate being dicks

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 05:41 PM PDT

Sorry, but I don't know how else to headline this story from TheJC:

A performance by an Israeli dance group in Brighton next month has been cancelled amid security concerns, in a decision that anti-Israel campaigners are hailing as a victory.

The Batsheva Ensemble, the youth company of the internationally acclaimed Batsheva Dance Company, has been invited to perform Deca Dance in Bradford, Salford, Birmingham, Brighton, Plymouth, Leicester and London in a tour organised by Dance Consortium.

But the tour has been targeted by supporters of a cultural boycott of Israel, who disrupted all three of the Batsheva Dance Company's performances at the Edinburgh International Festival earlier this year.

Although two dates were initially announced for the dancers to perform at the Brighton Dome, they will now only be able to be seen on the Friday night.

A spokesman for the Brighton Dome said the reason for the cancellation was to concentrate all security resources on one evening, in order that at least one show would go ahead smoothly with a "higher level of security". He said that the decision had been made following discussions about security with Sussex Police, and with awareness about the disruptions and protests at the Edinburgh shows.

Andrew Comben, the venue's chief executive, said that freedom of expression was vital and that he supported Batsheva's inclusion on the tour. "We support the right to protest and encourage debate but we welcome artists from all over the world and will continue to do so," he said. "However, we have a duty to ensure that our audiences have a safe and enjoyable experience and are disappointed that their enjoyment of this company's work may be disturbed."
To be clear: The BDSers didn't manage to convince management to cancel the show for moral reasons. They didn't convince anyone that their cause is right. On the contrary, the officials in charge are determined that freedom of Israeli artists to express themselves is preserved.

The only reason one performance is being cancelled is because no one wants to deal with the BDSers acting like pricks.

And the BDSers are happy about it!
The cancellation has been greeted with delight by anti-Israel activists. In an item on the Boycott Israel Network website, activists wrote: "It's hats off to Brighton… we are on the way to winning a breakthrough victory for the BDS movement."

Protesters are still planning strategies for the rest of the tour including buying tickets and shouting "Free Palestine" during the performances. "Following this breakthrough in Brighton – thank you, Brighton activists! – we all need to appeal for a big turnout at each protest and internal protests every five minutes during each performance," they said.
If they would decide to shout "I'm an a**hole" at each performance, the result would be exactly the same.

And it would be much more accurate.


(h/ t MS)

Spot the Desecrator!

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 03:45 PM PDT

The Al Aqsa Foundation website has another set of photos of people "desecrating" the Temple Mount.

Here is one of them:


Now, who are the desecrators?

Obviously, only the women who are dressed respectfully. Not the boys who are hanging out their "third holiest site" acting as if it is a soccer stadium.

Because, according to the Muslims, if you are Jewish, then you are by definition desecrating your surroundings with your very presence.

Two items from Asharq al-Awsat English (Zvi)

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 02:00 PM PDT

From Zvi:
Egypt: Sinai jihadists planning attack on Israel
"Egyptian security sources revealed that a number of Sinai-based jihadists had completely disappeared, increasing the likelihood of a retaliatory strike being carried out against Israel following the killing of two prominent Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip last week. The Egyptian security source also informed Asharq Al-Awsat that Cairo was in the possession of information confirming the presence of a terrorist sleeper cell in hiding in the mountains of the Sinai Peninsula, adding this sleeper cell was awaiting "zero hour" to launch their retaliatory attack."
May the terrorist cell be quickly flushed out and cut down before they can hurt anyone on either side of the border. May their fall expose the monsters who stand behind them.

"This is a message from the poet about the tragedy of the Levant, almost one thousand years ago, tears and blood and war! However in the end, the sun will shine over the Levant, long after the invaders have been repelled, whether this is the Crusaders or Moscow, Washington, Tehran and the Southern Suburbs of Beirut!"
If anyone still believes that Israel is the problem in the modern middle east, then they should read this one.
If anyone still believes that President Obama and Hillary Clinton have improved anything at all by abandoning US allies, ignoring the actions of devoted enemies of the US, and disengaging from the region, then they should read this one.
If anyone still believes that the EU deserves a peace prize after its greed-inspired sandbagging of stronger sanctions efforts against the Iranian regime and its refusal to act against Hezbollah, then they should read this one.
The Islamic Republic of Iran isn't just the enemy of Israel; it is - have no doubt - the broadly acknowledged enemy of most of its Arab neighbors. And as they watch the US dance around and restrain all moves against the Iran-Syria axis, as innocent blood continues to flow in the streets of Aleppo and Homs, as Hezbollah proves to the region that it is indeed a branch of the Iranian military and will kill not only its fellow Lebanese but also the citizens of other Arab countries, those who have broadly pinned their hopes on the US are screaming with frustration and anger.
This cannot possibly end well.

Monday links

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 12:30 PM PDT

From Ian:
Barry Rubin: They got it right: America is their enemy
One of President Barack Obama's main themes is to convince Middle East Islamists that America is not their enemy. But the reason this strategy never works is that the radicals know better. The United States is their enemy.
"They will never run out of reasons to hate America or ammunition for their efforts to convince others to do so. One conclusion that can be drawn from this assessment is that the traditional arsenal of diplomacy – credibility, deterrence, power – is what's important, not popularity. The same principle applies to allies, of course, who must feel that their friend or patron is strong and reliable."

French FM: Iran appears on track to reach nuclear weapons capability by mid-2013
"Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told Europe-1 radio Sunday that unspecified experts "have established in an absolutely indisputable way" that Iran has compiled a full array of centrifuges that "apparently will allow the ability to go toward possession of the nuclear weapon by the first half of next year, the end of the first half." He did not elaborate."

New Security Council line-up better for Israel
Five new Security Council members considered to be pro-Israel; longtime Israel critic South Africa leaving organization in December – move which could take pressure off Israel
"Rwanda along with Australia, Argentina, Luxembourg and South Korea won a seat on the UN Security Council on Thursday – a move which could improve Israel's status in the organization now that three of the countries to join are considered to be pro-Israel."
PMW: Terrorists who killed 6 labeled "heroes" by PA TV in its annual praise of two terror attacks

BBC Watch: BBC gets facts right – and then backtracks under pressure
"The BBC therefore had it right when it stated in the above article that "Hamas seized control of the coastal sliver in 2007″. Not only did Hamas do so by means of violence, but it also eliminated its political opponents, creating what Dr. Jonathan Spyer has described as "an Islamist one-party statelet" in which democratic elections (which should have taken place in 2010) are nowhere on the horizon. "

Swedes rally behind Jewish community in Malmo
Local police institute hate crimes hotline following increase of attacks on Jews and Muslims

Syria accused of blocking BBC broadcasts
Syria was facing accusations last night that it was using sophisticated satellite "jamming" technology to block BBC broadcasts across the Mediterrean.

Egyptians: We Want Nuclear Bombs and to Break Treaty with Israel
Most Egyptians want their country and Iran to have nuclear bombs. They also favor ties with the Islamic Republic, according to a poll.

'Reopening Egypt's embassy in Israel disgrace to Islamists: Moqtada al- Sadr

Libya Grand Mufti: Remove References to Democracy and Religious Freedom From School Textbooks

3,374 East Jerusalem residents received full Israeli citizenship in past decade

Israel's medical device prowess goes on display in Haifa
A polymer that its maker says can preserve implants in the body longer will be just one of the technologies on display at MDDMI 2012
Also:

The one anti-Israel industry that will never boycott Israel
What is it about Israeli violations that NGO bodies like so much? In part, the answer to that involves another question. What is it about violations in Muslim countries that NGOs have an aversion to? After all, that is where people are beheaded; where choosing the wrong religion is a death sentence; where women are beaten, raped, and enslaved; where gays are strung up on lamp poles. NGOs keep away from that violation-rich environment and favor Israel for some very good reasons.

Among them, risk to life and limb would be paramount. The last thing autocratic rulers want is to have foreigners -- infidels -- poking and prodding around for human rights abuse. Israel, on the other hand, allows operatives to poke, prod, and pry to their hearts' content. Israel is an NGO paradise; the Muslim world an NGO hell.

Then there is the risk-reward trade-off. Who would put up money for an NGO to dig up abuse in Gaza, or Iran? Name a European government or another George Soros who coughs up for a commodity in such abundant supply. But Israel, the stand-alone democracy in the region, dangles a low-risk-for-high-reward carrot. And who could resist? The New Israel Fund gave $200 million to 800 NGOs operating in tiny Israel and the West Bank.

(h/t Sam)

Muslim Brotherhood official resigns over Morsi letter to Peres

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 10:45 AM PDT

Too funny:
Muslim Brotherhood leader Ahmed al-Hamrawy resigned from the group and its Freedom and Justice Party to protest a letter introducing the new Egyptian ambassador to Israel.

The letter was addressed from President Mohamed Morsy to Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Hamrawy, former secretary general of the Lawyers Syndicate in Alexandria, described the letter as "national and religious treason," and added it a waste of the blood of the Egyptian and Palestinian "martyrs" from 1948 until the present day.

The way the letter appointing the new Egyptian ambassador was written has sparked a wave of criticism by opponents of the president because of its intimate phrasing and what they see as an overly friendly tone.

Hamrawy told Al-Masry Al-Youm, "I handed in my resignation because of the letter that neither the [Brotherhood] nor the [FJP] rejected or disowned, which confirms the presence of secret ties and agreements between the Muslim Brotherhood and Israel that are conducted away from the people and Brotherhood youth, and I reject them, therefore I announced my withdrawal from the group."
You need not worry that al-Hamrawy will decide to join the more extreme Nour party.
Essam Zahran, former MP for the Salafi-oriented Nour Party, described the writing style of Morsy's letter to Peres as similar to the letters sent by Prophet Mohamed to Byzantine Emperor Heraclius.

Zahran told Aswat Masriya, a political website, that what Morsy did "has its origin in Islam."

He described the letter as "following the example of Prophet Mohamed, when he addressed the Byzantine leader, saying 'from Mohamed the Prophet of Islam to Heraclius the Byzantine greatest,' and the relations between Muslims and Byzantines then were very similar to our relationship with the Israelis now."

"The way of writing the letter," Zahran continued, "does not mean at all satisfaction of the presidency or the Islamic current with the Israeli policies toward our brothers in Palestine. We still see it as a usurper entity that has established their state on the ruins of another state."
I'm not sure exactly what that other state was.


Israel works with Gaza farmers to export spices

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 09:00 AM PDT

From COGAT:
The ICLA Gaza Assists Farmers with the First Ever Gaza Spice Export

In addition to the usual exported agricultural goods- peppers, a variety of tomatoes, strawberries and flowers, for the very first time, Gaza farmers are exporting spices.

This represents a significant accomplishment for Gaza farmers and merchants, as the average revenue per spice truck is roughly 40,000 NIS, compared with approximately 25,000 NIS per truck with other produce.

The entire project was initiated by the ICLA Gaza [Israeli Coordination and Liaison Adminstration for the Gaza Strip] and coordinated with the Khan Younis Association and the Arava Export Growers as part of the continuous support for agricultural development in the Gaza Strip.

Farmers in Gaza were given tutorials on how to grow spices and they were then provided the seedlings from Israel. This morning, Sunday, 21 October 2012, the inaugural export through Kerem Shalom proved a success. Special arrangements at the crossing were made to accommodate the needs of the exported spices, including capabilities to perform refrigerated quality and security inspections.

Even though this is only one truck, (carrying 9 packages, roughly one ton) it holds a significant amount of product. Furthermore, the spice export via Kerem Shalom will continue throughout the season. Last year agricultural exports from Gaza totaled some 460 tons of strawberry, 160 tons of tomatoes, 58 tons of peppers and 8.8 million units of flowers. The spices will be exported to the European market.
Not only is Israel steadily increasing the amounts of goods that can be exported from Gaza, but Israel even gave Gaza farmers the seeds and worked with them throughout the entire growing process.

Here is more proof that no one in Israel wants to "collectively punish" Gazans, just that they do not want to help the terrorists who run the sector. Given the chance, Israel will work directly with Gazan farmers, furniture and clothing manufacturers to help them export their goods.

Understandably, Israel doesn't want to import the goods themselves; "Made in Gaza" is not exactly a selling point to a nation that sees regular incitement and promises to destroy it. Somehow the world doesn't quite get that Israelis aren't keen to indirectly fund the next rocket that flies towards a Sderot kindergarten. But at the same time, Israelis are not anti-Arab as the haters like to pretend.

Which is why you won't see this story in the anti-Israel far left websites, unless they somehow find a way to twist it .

By the way, we're coming up to one full year since Juan Cole claimed that Israel allows "zero" exports from Gaza - and one full year since he has refused to correct his lie.

(h/t Omri)

Islamists trying to spread Syrian war into Jordan

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 07:15 AM PDT

There have been two very important stories from Jordan in the last day. In the first, Al Qaeda-inspired Jordanian nationals came from Syria to perform a major terror attack:

The Jordanian General Intelligence Department (GID) announced on Sunday foiling a major terrorist attack that was in the planning stages by a group of 11 Jordanian nationals.

"Jordan is targeted by a number of fronts that want to spread chaos in the country," Minister of State for Media Affairs Samih Maaytah said.

Maaytah commended during a press conference held at the Prime Ministry the role of the intelligence department in protecting the country, adding that foiling this attempt reveals the strength of the nation and its agencies in defending itself and protecting its citizens.

The Minister said that the 11 individuals who were arrested as part of this operation are all Jordanian nationals who came from Syria and follow the ideology of Al Qaeda, adding that the group was identified and monitored since they entered Jordan from Syria.
And in the other, a Jordanian guard was killed at the border - again, by Islamists in Syria:
An official source at the Jordanian General Armed Forces announced Monday that Corporal Mohammed Abdullah Manaseer al-Abbadi was killed during Sunday night clashes between Jordanian armed forces and an armed group entering from Syria through the northern border, Petra News Agency reported on Monday.

The source said that a group of eight armed people tried to illegally cross the Syrian-Jordanian border and clashed with the Jordanian soldiers at 22:30 local time. The group was arrested with eight Kalashnikov rifles and a 3G rifle .

"Another armed Takfiri group using Kalashnikov rifles and guns tried to cross the border at 24:00 local time and clashed with the Jordanian forces but all of the group was arrested and one of them was critically injured", the source added.
While defeating Iranian-backed Assad should still be the priority, the longer that his fall is delayed makes it more likely that the Syrian revolution will be completely hijacked by Islamists - and not even Muslim Brotherhood-type Islamists, but Al Qaeda terrorists.

And their goal is not just to take over Syria, but the entire Middle East.

The West has bungled Syria, badly, and things are only getting worse because of the endless foot-dragging.

Nice shooting

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 05:30 AM PDT

From YNet:
Israeli aircraft attacked Palestinians who launched mortars toward IDF soldiers near Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip Monday morning.

The soldiers were operating near the security fence separating Israel from the Hamas-ruled enclave when mortar shells were fired in their direction. The soldiers set off smoke bombs, and an Israeli pilot fired a missile at the terrorists. The pilot identified a hit.

Palestinian sources said one person was killed and three others were wounded. Another aerial attack carried out a short while later killed an armed Palestinian who belonged to a terror cell that was operating in Beit Hanoun.
Palestine Today verifies that both of the dead were terrorists, one from Hamas and the other from the PRC. It adds that the injured were also "resistance fighters." The PRC adds that one of the injured terrorists is expected to die at any moment.

Great intel and nice shooting! Virtual candy all around!

How anti-Israel bias creeps into the mainstream media

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 02:55 AM PDT

The Harvard Crimson had an article on October 16 about how Palestinian Arabs who wanted to take the SATs were cruelly blocked by a heartless Israel:

As countless students around the world took the SAT a week ago, Palestinians from the West Bank could not join their ranks. The October SAT exam was cancelled for students in the West Bank: The Israeli authorities held the exams sent by the College Board for weeks, not releasing the tests to AMIDEAST's office in Ramallah.

This SAT cancellation has been devastating for high school seniors across the West Bank who were planning to apply to college in the United States—including those from the Ramallah Friends School. As alumni of the school, we are proud of its emphasis on global citizenship. RFS has a rich history in Palestine. It was established in 1869 by American Quakers and has since been certified by the International Baccalaureate Organization in Switzerland. About half of RFS students are Palestinian Muslims and the other half are Palestinian Christians—the latter are descendants of the very first Christian community. We have been nurtured by values of peace, nonviolence, social justice, and equality—principles to which many Palestinian families are deeply committed.

The College Board has announced that it will attempt to schedule a make-up test for those students who were supposed to take the October SAT. AMIDEAST suggested in an email that the tests were held because of an "administrative delay." According to Michael Madormo, English teacher and Director of the College Preparatory Academy at RFS, "the SAT cancellation has been disheartening since it seems that the Israelis had the exams for weeks and despite efforts by UPS, ETS [Educational Testing Service], and AMIDEAST, the tests were not passed through customs."

Palestinians have suffered from such profound lack of sovereignty for decades now. This latest SAT episode is merely a symptom of systematic attacks on Palestinian education.
There's lots more hate there.

It would not be such a big deal, but Judi Rudoren of the New York Times linked to it on her Facebook account:


At least she decided to wait until after October 20th to write an anti-Israel article, because the truth is much different than how the Harvard Palestinian Arabs characterized it. From AP:
The US State Department said dozens of Palestinian students whose SAT exams were delayed because of Israeli customs will take the test this Saturday.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Wednesday that about 100 students in the West Bank will sit the exam this weekend.

"I'm happy to say that we have learned that this issue has now been resolved," Nuland said.

Mahmoud Amara, a Palestinian principal of the Friends School, said the rare two-week delay affected his students' ability to apply for American universities. He said US officials told them the delay was because the exams arrived during a series of Jewish holidays, when Israeli customs offices were closed.

The SAT college admissions exams are administered in the West Bank by Amideast, an American non-profit.

A Harvard University publication had reported that the non-profit cancelled the exams in the West Bank.
While Rudoren - a reporter - was "waiting" to see what would happen, AP actually reported it - the tests really were delayed for only two weeks, not "cancelled" after Israel sat on it for "weeks" as the Crimson article accused.

Rudoren might have been impressed with the history of the Ramallah Friends School based on the Crimson article, but perhaps she didn't realize that the school apparently teaches that it is OK to lie about Israel. It must be part of those values that the RFS teaches, as a teacher is quoted in the Crimson as well.

Her willingness to believe the Crimson slander and the queue up an article in her head about it without first even making a phone call says a bit about how some journalists' minds work. In this case, another news agency did the work and Rudoren lost out on a sensational anti-Israel piece that was handed to her by Israel haters at Harvard.

(h/t Adam L., Anne)
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