יום שלישי, 11 בדצמבר 2012

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Link to Elder of Ziyon

Bonus Chanukah video 2: The Fountainheads, iHanukkah

Posted: 10 Dec 2012 11:00 PM PST



(h/t Hugo Van Minnebruggen)

Israeli company markets Gaza produce to Europe; BDS hypocrites want to boycott them

Posted: 10 Dec 2012 06:18 PM PST

From FreshPlaza:
Arava, a prominent export company from Israel, has recently declared the commencement of the strawberry season in the Gaza Strip. This unique cooperation between Arava Export Growers Ltd. and the Growers' Societies in the Gaza Strip promote commerce and shared interests. "It goes without saying that we are all committed equally to see this venture through and bring prosperous financial success to both sides as well as strengthen relationships between Israel and the Gaza Strip" claimed Arava.

The season itself it expected to last till mid-February with cumulative amounts of approximately 400 tons of fruit. The variety chosen this year is Tamar, a very well known specimen of strawberry which is best characterized by its sweet flavor, tenderness and, extended shelf life. To add some spice and differentiation, Arava Export Growers Ltd. had taken upon itself the task of branding this year's yield by perfecting the sorting process for better consistency and quality. In addition to that, Arava is introducing a new line of packaging that includes black boxes, designed punnets and attractive stickers. "This action is for the benefit of ensuring superior quality, consistency and, distinctiveness. We want to make sure that European markets will be well aware of the Gaza Strawberries and, consciously, place them on a higher rank than the competition".

In recent months steps had been made by Palestinian Crops to certify all growers with a Global Gap certificate and, at the same time, implement a strict protocol for MRL residue levels.

Omer Kamp, of Arava, said "It is with great pride that we can proclaim to have tested the fields with ZERO tolerance and yet, achieve full success. All growers are now certified and, with no exception, MRL tests came out clean.

"It is essential to point out that many efforts were given for this season to succeed. Aside from the technical issues, the growers and Arava are fully committed to show the benefits of mutual cooperation and how it could make a difference in perceptions."

Fruit is now available in packaging of 10x250 and is available from:

Fruit World NL.
Total Produce Ireland.
Pacific Produce UK.
Garden Frutta Italy.
We have seen that the Israel boycotters have also boycotted exporters of produce from Palestinian Arab farmers - because to these hypocrites, it is more important to hurt Israeli companies than it is to help Palestinian Arabs!

From this article you can see that Arava adds value to the products, and is actively marketing them to European wholesalers. It is a true partnership between Israelis and Gazans, Arava isn't marketing the strawberries as Israeli, but is attempting to help brand Gaza as a source for high-quality produce!  Arava's actions today can help Gazans for decades. It is exactly what people who espouse peace say they want to see.

But Arava is also on the boycotters' lists.

Here we have a list of EU wholesalers that sell Gaza produce, which are marked "Produce of Palestine" and labeled Palestine Crops.

The boycott crowd, that pretends to be pro-Palestinian, wants you to avoid buying anything that says "Produce of Palestine."

Orwell himself couldn't have made this up.

Chanukah video night 3: Shine (Maccabeats)

Posted: 10 Dec 2012 03:18 PM PST

Monday link-dump

Posted: 10 Dec 2012 02:00 PM PST

From Ian:
Michael Oren WSJ OpEd: The Iron Dome Military Revolution
Historically, defensive measures lag behind offensive capabilities. Not so with Israel's new antimissile system. by Michael Oren
"By neutralizing most rockets headed for populated areas, the Iron Dome gives decision makers invaluable time to find diplomatic solutions. If salvos of rockets were pummeling Israeli homes, hospitals and schools, Israeli leaders would be under immense pressure to order ground operations that could yield significant casualties. By denying the terrorists a decisive offensive advantage, Iron Dome will save lives and prevent wars."

Melanie Phillips: A double-standard abstention
"Yet here's the really delusional thing about the UK's peace-process obsession. It is precisely because the Palestinians refuse to co-operate with this supposedly vital process that the UK is ever more desperate to get them on board.So instead of punishing them for not co-operating, it turns a blind eye to every outrage they commit — while blaming Israel, whose own willingness to negotiate they take for granted, for "provoking" them."

Barry Rubin: Israel Has No Other Alternative But the Alternative it Has is a Good One
"The Palestinian leadership, abetted by many Western governments, has now torn up every agreement it made with Israel. Once the efforts of two decades of negotiations—including irrevocable Israeli compromises in giving the Palestinian Authority control over territory, its own armed forces, dismantling settlements, and permitting billions of dollars of foreign aid to the Palestinians—were destroyed, the world has decided to focus the blame on Israel approving the construction of 3000 apartments."

Oren: Israel will act if Hezbollah gets Syrian WMDs
Ambassador to the US says Israel has "a very clear red line" on Syrian chemical weapons, but also supports Obama's red line.
"Were those weapons to pass into the wrong hands, into Hezbollah's hands for example, that would be a game changer for us." Armed with chemical weapons and a large cache of rockets, Oren said, the terrorist group could kill "thousands of people."

Report: Assad Has Transferred WMDs to Hezbollah
"A report from Israel's Channel 2 says that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has passed chemical weapons along to Hezbollah. Channel 2 cites Syrian media which uses as its source officers that have defected from Assad's army. Channel 2 does, however, maintain that the report is almost impossible to verify."

German spy chief: Signs show Assad regime is in its final phase
Government forces concentrating on holding capital, rebels better coordinated, says Gerhard Schindler

Abbas warns Israel against withholding taxes, says he may turn to ICC
PA president says he wants to continue peace process, but will go to The Hague if Israel violates existing agreements

Abbas calls for economic agreement with Israel to be amended
The PA is 'on the verge of collapse,' says Palestinian president, declaring the need for a constitution

Bibi: Why Doesn't Abbas Condemn Hamas' Threat to Destroy Us?
Mashaal has revealed Hamas' real face, says Netanyahu, while Abbas hides behind him by not condemning remarks to destroy Israel.
"He noted that Abbas, who has fostered an image of a "peace partner" while recently declaring unity with Hamas, "has issued no condemnation, not of the remarks about the destruction of Israel, just as previously he did not condemn the missiles that were fired at Israel."

Hamas leader says Gazans destroyed Barak's home, will target Netanyahu's next
Khaled Mashaal praises attacks on Tel Aviv and calls for Palestinian unity, in speech to Gazan students

IDF: Hamas trying to activate W. Bank sleeper cells
Terror organization is attempting to gradually regroup after its infrastructure was destroyed in 2002 operation.

CIF Watch: Guardian editorial takes the side of Morsi (or Mubarak?)
"The Guardian is not only supporting a racist, antisemitic, anti-Christian, anti-West Islamist movement, but are remaining loyal even when a more liberal alternative is possible.You don't need to agree with our critique of the paper's coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict to acknowledge that the 'Guardian Left' ideology in many ways resembles the reactionary right more than anything truly progressive?

BBC Watch: Compromising public perceptions of BBC impartiality
"Sadly – for both its colleagues in the field in which it operates and the many people around the world in need of the human rights sector – there is nothing novel about the seemingly interminable ability of 'Human Rights Watch' to bring itself into repeated disrepute and compromise its own reputation for impartiality."

PMW: Hamas: Martyrdom death for Allah is ideal
"We love death more than you love life" "You [Israel] scare us with what we love"



Honest Reporting: Crossing the Line? Promoting Petitions Against Israel
"One can't think of the Mount of Olives as real estate. It is important for the three monotheistic religions." (?)

Our man in Cairo
"And let's be honest: The Obama administration has been Morsi's main enabler. U.S. officials have worked closely with him on economic development and regional diplomacy. Visiting Washington last week, Morsi's top aides were touting their boss's close contacts with President Obama and describing phone calls between the two leaders that led to the Gaza cease-fire."

Inside Look at Muslim Brotherhood's Torture Chambers
"The Muslim Brotherhood replaced Mubarak, but torture chambers remain the same despite the US attempt to make Egypt safe for democracy."

Iranian agents reportedly on hand as North Korea prepares to test launch rocket
Long-range launch delayed, though window remains open; Iranian experts believed to be from company that developed Shahab missile

Envoy's sole 'wounds' Ahmadinejad's soul
Swedish ambassador inadvertently offends Iranian president by crossing his legs during meeting, not knowing that in Islam, shoes are considered impure

Syrian Rebels Tied to Al Qaeda Play Key Role in War
"The lone Syrian rebel group with an explicit stamp of approval from Al Qaeda has become one of the uprising's most effective fighting forces, posing a stark challenge to the United States and other countries that want to support the rebels but not Islamic extremists."

Syria: Rebel Prisoners On Their Religious War
"This led to a question about the future of Syria's minorities such as the Christians. Ahmed, Basah, and Hamid Hassan all agreed - Christians could only live there if they either converted, or paid the 'Jizyah' - a special tax levied on non-Muslims in previous centuries in the Middle East. If not said Bahar, they could be killed.
When asked why, the answer was, to them, quite simple - because the Prophet Mohammed said so. I was then invited to become a Muslim."

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces: 2012 FIDF Gala VIDEO



Cancelling cancer cells with new radiation
"It disrupts their activity, although we don't yet know how beyond some speculation regarding the mechanism," says Asher Yahalom, head of Ariel University Center's Free Electron Laser (FEL) Laboratory User Center, who also noted that the rays seem to have no effect on normal cells.

Israeli ambassador visits her Ethiopian hometown
Nearly three decades after immigrating to Israel, Belaynesh Zevadia returns to her village in Ethiopia, this time as Israel's ambassador
"The ambassador arrived at the village with a group of Israeli eye doctors who work with Eye from Zion, an organization that provides medical humanitarian aid across the globe. The doctors set up two clinics where they are to undertake an eye surgery "marathon," aiming to restore the eyesight of some 1,000 Ethiopians, including some who have been blind for many years
Also:

Barry Rubin: A Turning Point in Egypt: Not on Direction But on the Speed of Islamist Transformation

Cool waterfall at Ben Gurion Airport (h/t Alexandre):

Israel drafts "puppies are cute" UN resolution. Arabs oppose it.

Posted: 10 Dec 2012 12:15 PM PST

Israel drafted a General Assembly resolution to promote entrepreneurship.

While it did pass overwhelmingly, 129-31, the Arab countries voted as a bloc against it.

Only because it was submitted by Israel.

The reasons the Arabs gave for opposing it were quite funny:

RABEE JAWHARA ( Syria), making a general statement, said Israel was attempting to monopolize the Second Committee's work by submitting draft resolutions that portrayed it as a peaceful State seeking to work within the United Nations. However, such drafts did not camouflage Israel's human rights violations and occupation, he stressed, pointing out that, even as it submitted the text, Israel restricted any chance of entrepreneurship in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the occupied Syrian Golan. It was guilty of several examples of policies that restricted business and economic growth in Palestine and the occupied Syrian Golan, and had continuously failed to comply with United Nations resolutions. He urged Committee members to vote against the draft so as to send a signal that Israeli must end the occupation.

AMER HIAL AL-HAJRI (Oman), speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, noted that the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) had shown that Israel's occupation continued to undermine the rights of Palestinians, particularly their ability to engage in entrepreneurship. The Arab Group had proposed changes to ensure balance in the text, but had been unable to achieve that, he said. As such, it was obliged to vote against the draft resolution.

MOHAMED KHALIL HUSSEIN (Egypt) also said the text lacked balance, particularly given its focus on national policies for entrepreneurship, and did not take into account the need to create an internationally conducive climate and to establish support in that regard. A multilateral, transparent and open regime was needed, with no barriers in the way of developing countries. Finance, the transfer of technology and capacity-building must also be included, he said.

The draft resolution also failed to take into account the conclusions of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) report on the condition of the Palestinian people, he continued. It showed that Israel's occupation and blockade undermined opportunities for marketing and drained natural resources, meaning that the area lacked necessary land for production. That discouraged private investment and increased risks and production costs.

He said his delegation had tried to address the imbalances mentioned by taking part in discussions, but agreement on implementation had proven impossible because developed countries had changed their position at the last minute. The co-sponsors had ignored the UNCTAD reports, but Egypt was unable to ignore them, especially since the draft sought to promote entrepreneurship internationally, he said. As such, Egypt would vote against the draft.
The fact that the Arabs would vote against it was never in doubt. Their only disagreements were what reason to give for the record.

Ron Prosor gave a zinger to those opposed to the resolution:
RON PROSOR ( Israel) said entrepreneurship offered developing communities the best hope for breaking the cycle of poverty. The actions of entrepreneurs had a ripple effect, unlocking minds and inspiring others to pursue their dreams. By adopting the draft resolution, the Committee was sending a clear and simple message that entrepreneurship was a primary pathway to sustainable economic growth.

He went on to say that while he had hoped for consensus, the Arab Group had been committed to voting against it even before negotiations had ended. Recalling that people in the Arab world had risen against their Governments precisely because they wanted better conditions, he said that by failing to respond, Arab Governments had "turned their backs on their own people" and sent a clear message that they cared far more about "petty politics than human prosperity". Israel's achievements were the result of close collaboration between business and Government, he said, adding that stability required people's empowerment.

(While there is no written record of what changes the Arabs wanted to make to the resolution to make it more "balanced," almost certainly they wanted to hijack it and turn it into an resolution bashing Israel.)

(h/t Margie)

Jordan pushes Jerusalem as "eternal capital of Arab culture"

Posted: 10 Dec 2012 10:45 AM PST

Qudsmedia reports that Jordan is pushing an initiative to declare Jerusalem as the "eternal capital of Arab culture."

Officials are pushing the idea of Jerusalem cultural festivals "to affirm the importance of the city and its holy sites."

During Jordan's illegal occupation of Jerusalem, while it did encourage pilgrims to visit to gain tourist dollars, the nation did little to actually improve the city. King Abdullah II's father famously never visited Jerusalem after his own grandfather, Abdullah I, was assassinated in the Al Aqsa mosque.

Jordan did attempt to Islamicize Jerusalem. Not only did it destroy over 50 synagogues in the city and thousands of Jewish graves in the Mount of Olives, and deny Jews from visiting holy places there, but it also placed restrictions on Christian land ownership and schools in the city.

In 2009, Jerusalem was named the Capital of Arab Culture. The half-built website still exists where pains are taken to deny any Jewish connection to the city. Interestingly, most Arab nations all but ignored the initiative.

As usual, Arabs are using the word "culture"  as cover for politics.

David N. Myers, the historian who doesn't know history

Posted: 10 Dec 2012 09:00 AM PST

From the chair of the UCLA History department, David N. Myers, at The Daily Beast/Open Zion:
Sixty-five years ago, the Zionist movement scored the greatest success in its history—recognition on November 29, 1947, by the United Nations General Assembly, of the idea of a Jewish state in Palestine. U.N. General Assembly resolution 181 called for the creation of a Jewish state alongside an Arab State, with Jerusalem as an international protectorate. It was this diplomatic act that brought the State of Israel into existence.
Myers then draws a tendentious analogy between the 1947 UN partition vote and the recent UNGA vote upgrading the PLO's status to a non-member state.

Given that Myers is a historian, the bolded statement is astonishing.

Myers no doubt knows that General Assembly resolutions do not create states, and UNGA 181 in 1947 was no exception. UNGA resolutions have no force in international law.

Israel was not created by that resolution. It was created because Zionists fought for a state in the vacuum left by the departing British in May of 1948, against combined Arab armies, and survived. In 1949 the Security Council then admitted Israel as a member, but its existence as a state was established beforehand - by the Zionists winning a defensive war.

If Myers were correct, then Arab Palestine was also "brought into existence" in 1947. Obviously it wasn't, and there was essentially no call for an Arab Palestinian state at the time, even from Palestinian Arabs themselves. Palestinian Arab nationalism - both the original variety before 1948 and the post 1967 variety -  is entirely a reaction to Zionism and Israel, as opposed to an movement for self-determination of a people. This weakness of Palestinian Arab nationalism, and the frantic attempts to manufacture a retroactive history  and culture of Palestinian Arab peoplehood, is perhaps a fascinating topic for historians who are not blinded by ideology.

(Bizarrely, Myers also says "As a result of that armed conflict, the State of Israel came into existence." But his basic thesis in the article is the analogy between the 1947 partition vote and Abbas' stunt as both being momentously important.)

Myers also lies when he says "It is the Palestinians who, through their request for recognition by the U.N. General Assembly affirmed the long-standing principle of partition. By seeking sovereignty in territories currently occupied by Israel, they are affirming the ideal of two states, Jewish and Palestine, dwelling side by side."

Of course, the Palestinian Arabs do not accept the idea of a Jewish state, and have made that very clear. In fact, they are willing to actively disregard history itself if it contradicts their goals. They are as insistent that Israel be the home of hundreds of thousands of so-called "refugees," destroying the Jewish state, as they are on the 1949 armistice lines. Myers no doubt knows this as well.

When reporters and pundits twist history for their purposes, it is despicable, But when historians choose to elevate their own political viewpoints above history and well-known facts, it is unconscionable.

Meshal's speech - the one that the media wouldn't quote

Posted: 10 Dec 2012 07:15 AM PST

Some media outlets selectively quoted Khaled Meshal's speech on Saturday. However, their quotes don't even hint at  the amount of fanaticism from Hamas' supposedly "moderate" leader.(The Guardian was actually pretty good this time.)

From MEMRI:



Khaled Mash'al: First of all, Palestine – from the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea, from its north to its south – is our land, our right, and our homeland. There will be no relinquishing or forsaking even an inch or small part of it.


Second, Palestine was, continues to be, and will remain Arab and Islamic. It belongs to the Arab and the Islamic world. Palestine belongs to us and to nobody else. This is the Palestine which we know and in which we believe.


Third, since Palestine belongs to us, and is the land of Arabism and Islam, we must never recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli occupation of it. The occupation is illegitimate, and therefore, Israel is illegitimate, and will remain so throughout the passage of time. Palestine belongs to us, not to the Zionists.
[...]
The liberation of Palestine – all of Palestine – is a duty, a right, a goal, and a purpose. It is the responsibility of the Palestinian people, as well as of the Arab and Islamic nation.


Fifth, Jihad and armed resistance are the proper and true path to liberation and to the restoration of our rights, along with all other forms of struggle – through politics, through diplomacy, through the masses, and through legal channels. All these forms of struggle, however, are worthless without resistance.
[...]
Politics are born from the womb of resistance. The true statesman is born from the womb of the rifle and the missile.


Announcer: Say: "Allah Akbar."


Song: Oh Abu Al-Walid, oh Mash'al, prepare the way, come on.


Our journey must be completed. Allah is with you.


Khaled Mash'al: May Allah bless you.


Oh Palestinian statesmen, oh Arab and Muslim statesmen, learn your lesson from Gaza. Anyone who wishes to take the path of diplomacy must take a missile along with him. He must rely upon the infrastructure of the resistance. Your value, oh statesman, is derived from the value of resistance.


I, along with my dear brother Abu Al-Abd Haniya, the entire Hamas leadership, both here and abroad, our comrades, the leaders of the resistance, in Gaza, in the West Bank, here and abroad – by Allah, we are indebted to the leadership of the Palestinian military wings. If not for the great commanders of the military wings, we would have no statesmen. This is thanks first to Allah, and then to the heroes of the resistance.


How wonderful was your shelling of Tel Aviv. May your hands be blessed. May your hands be blessed. We are proud of what you have done.


Jihad and resistance are the path. This is not mere rhetoric. Events have shown us that Jihad and resistance are the most advantageous and reliable option. This option is not a delusion or a mirage. By no means. The resistance is a palpable, visible, and envisioned thing. It marches on the ground, spreading light to its people, and unleashing fire upon its enemies. That is the resistance.
[…]
For us, resistance is the means, not the end. I say to the entire world, through the media: If the world finds a way other than through resistance and bloodshed to restore Palestine and Jerusalem to us, to implement the Right of Return, and to put an end to the loathsome Zionist occupation – we will welcome it. But we gave you a chance for 64 years, and you did not do a thing. That is why we opted for resistance. Don't reproach us. If we had found another way – one that did not involve war and battle – we would have proceeded upon it, but history and the laws of Allah tell us that victory and liberation cannot be achieved without resistance, battle, and sacrifice.
[…]
Jerusalem is our soul, our history, our collective memory, our past, our present, and our future. It is our eternal capital, to which we hold fast and which we will liberate, inch by inch, neighborhood by neighborhood, stone by stone, every place sacred to Islam, and every place sacred to Christianity. Israel has no right to Jerusalem.
[…]
The Right of Return means the return of all the refugees, the displaced, and the exiled to the land of Palestine – to its cities and its villages, to the neighborhoods of Gaza, the West Bank, and within the 1948 borders. We own every inch of our land. Our fathers and our forefathers were born there. We lived there. It retains our memory and our history. The Right of Return is sacred to us, and it cannot be depreciated.


When my brothers and I entered the Gaza Strip yesterday, we began the fulfillment of the Right of Return, Allah willing.
[…]
Hamas has a clear-cut principle: no to resettlement of refugees and no to an alternative homeland. There is no substitute for Palestine.
[…]
The unity of Palestinian land refers to Gaza, the West Bank, and the land within the 1948 borders. That is the land of Palestine – it is all Palestine, every part of it is Palestine.


No part of it will be separated from the other parts. Anyone who believes that Gaza can be kept far from the West Bank is delusional. Gaza, the West Bank, and the land within the 1948 borders are all beloved parts of the great Palestinian homeland.


Isn't that so, Abu Al-Abd [Haniya]?


Announcer: Say: "Allah Akbar."
Crowds: Allah Akbar.
Announcer: Say: "Allah Akbar."
Crowds: Allah Akbar.
Announcer: Say: "Allah Akbar."
Crowds: Allah Akbar.
Khaled Mash'al: The West Bank is inseparable from Gaza, Gaza is inseparable from the West Bank, and they are both inseparable from Haifa, Jaffa, Beersheba… and Safed.
[…]
Man: Oh Mash'al, our beloved...
Crowds: Oh Mash'al, our beloved…
Man: Your army shelled Tel Aviv…
Crowds: Your army shelled Tel Aviv…
Man: Your army struck Tel Aviv…
Crowds: Your army struck Tel Aviv…
Man: Oh Qassam, do it again…
Crowds: Oh Qassam, do it again…
Man: But this time, strike Haifa…
Crowds: But this time, strike Haifa…
Man: But this time, strike Jaffa…
Khaled Mash'al: Allah willing…
Man: Say: "Allah Akbar."
Crowds: Allah Akbar.
Khaled Mash'al: Hear me well, my comrades in the various factions. Liberation will precede statehood. A real state will be the fruit of liberation, not of negotiations.


There is no alternative to a free Palestinian state with real sovereignty on the entire land of Palestine.

Hamas planning to kidnap more Israelis?

Posted: 10 Dec 2012 05:30 AM PST

Hamas' Palestine Today reports that Hamas leader Khaled Mashal promised a "surprise" where all Palestinian Arab terrorists in Israeli prisons will go free.

The father of the imprisoned terrorist Abdullah Barghouti says that that his son told him that the Khaled Meshaal plans a "surprise" on the issue of prisoners in Israeli jails, without giving further details.

The father said in an interview with Al-Quds TV morning this morning that his son told him the surprise will be revealed at the right time. According to him, Meshal told the mother of another prisoner, Hassan Salameh, during a meeting with families of prisoners on Sunday: "I swear to God, I swear to God, I swear to God, a plan to free all the prisoners in safety."

This sounds very similar to the promise that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah made in the beginning of 2006 that Samir Kuntar would be freed by Israel - as he was planning the abduction of Israeli soldiers for a prisoner swap.

Since the IDF has been very careful not to let that happen again, what could Meshal have up his sleeve?

If I had to guess what Meshal was saying, it would be that Hamas plans to kidnap Israeli civilians, perhaps in Judea and Samaria or maybe from an Israeli community at the Gaza border, for a prisoner swap. There are probably a number of hidden tunnels being readied now.

"Moderate" Abbas to allow Hamas terror rally in Ramallah

Posted: 10 Dec 2012 02:37 AM PST

From Ma'an:
The Palestinian Authority has officially agreed to allow a Hamas festival commemorating the movement's 25th anniversary in the West Bank, an independent politician said Monday.

Khalil Assaf, who heads a Palestinian forum of independent figures, said Hamas would organize a festival in Nablus on Thursday.

Hamas leaders will deliver speeches, with the sanction of the Fatah-dominated West Bank government.

Hamas has already approved a Fatah festival in Gaza commemorating its 48th anniversary, Assaf noted.
And so the Hamas takeover of the West Bank accelerates, using the excuse of "unity." Remember that Hamas won the legislative elections in nearly every district in the West Bank the last time they were held. in 2006.

For some reason, Western diplomats and pundits believe that that Hamas' ascendancy is a reason for Israel to give yet more concessions, as if the Palestinian Arabs will suddenly have a flood of good-will feelings and decide to support Israeli liberalism instead of Hamas terrorism.

"Time is running out," they say.

Indeed.

UPDATE: Hamas denies that the PA gave permission for the festival.
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