יום שבת, 8 בדצמבר 2012

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

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The world really needs to understand the Arab mentality

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 11:30 AM PST

Here is an unremarkable article in Assabeel, a Jordanian newspaper. Well, it is unremarkable for Arab media. Westerners who believe that Arabs think just like them might be a little surprised.

The author, Akram Alsoir, says that when he saw footage of Jews scrambling for shelter from Qassam rockets, he held his head high.

Granted, he says, that Jews are cowards. Not just cowards, but the most cowardly of all cowards. This assumption was proven when he saw the footage of Jews running to avoid being hit by rockets - the Jews aren't so powerful as Arabs thought!

Not only that, but in this author's (and most Arabs') mind, Israel's agreeing to a ceasefire is even more evidence of its cowardly nature. Israel, by agreeing to a truce with Hamas, increased Hamas' prestige to be equivalent to Israel, which is a huge defeat for Israel.

Alsoir wonders - if Hamas could force the cowardly Jews to accept a cease fire (i.e., surrender,) imagine what would happen if all the Arab countries shot rockets at Israel! The detested Jews would surrender even more quickly! Why didn't they join in?

The concept that Israel only wanted the rockets to stop is completely foreign to Arabs. Since they live in an honor/shame society, everything is seen through the lens of honor. To have an opportunity at vanquishing the enemy and to choose a truce instead is not considered praiseworthy - but contemptible, and evidence of cowardice. 

 It always comes down to the difference between the Arab "honor/shame" culture and the Western "guilt" culture. The consequences of the honor/shame mentality are huge, for example, by treating women and minorities as inferior in order to boost the fragile ego of the Arab male.

Israel's existence is an affront to the Arab honor/shame mentality, because it is a constant reminder of Arab defeat. No amount of compromise will ever change that. Until Jews are reverted to their proper place as second-class dhimmis paying tribute to their Arab masters, the Arab world will not accept Israel.

Every single move Israel does that is remotely conciliatory, or peaceful, or that shows any attribute that is not naked macho aggression, is not greeted with praise but with derision.


As a result, every time Israel shows restraint, it feeds Arab hopes that the Jews can be defeated - and it encourages them to continue to provoke the Jews and prove their weakness anew.

The irony, of course, is that if Israel felt weaker, it would react with much less restraint. Israel's willingness to take chances for peace is a direct consequence of its security and strength, not of weakness. If Israel felt it was up against a wall, it would not be negotiating a truce with anyone!

The West insists that Israel must act according to Western standards of morality. But the West must realize that in the Middle East, those actions will not be reciprocated - they will be derided.

While real peace is impossible, the only chance for a long-term detente is by maintaining a posture of strength that the Arabs can understand. Unless Arab culture is changed from top to bottom, Israel will always be caught in the middle between the nebulous consequences of acting like Europe insists or the longer-term benefits of acting like the Arabs would if the positions were reversed.

Friday linkdump

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 10:00 AM PST

From Ian:
Latma: Blame Canada The Palestinian Version, and Britain under fire from Israeli media



JCPA: The Palestinian UN Upgrade: Setting Things Straight
"Now it is perhaps the time to place things in their correct proportion and to face the legal and political truths, without misleading exaggeration, imaginative embellishment, wishful thinking, and false predictions."

Europe Prays to Paper Peace, Paper God
"Cavemen prayed to stones and talismans, but Europeans worship paper gods.
Europeans have a bad habit of holding up paper agreements as if they guarantee peace, progress, prosperity."

Melanie Phillips: Jewish students running gauntlet of hate: welcome to 21st century Britain
"The delegitimisation campaign against Israel, comprising the obsessional lies and blood libels promulgated by the media and intelligentsia week in, week out, has produced this result: Jewish students in Britain are being forced to abandon their university courses out of fear."

Honest Reporting: Top 10 Media Fails of the Gaza War (EoZ involved in a few!)

CAMERA: New CAMERA Monograph: Indicting Israel: New York Times Coverage of the Palestinian Conflict
"A new monograph about CAMERA's six-month study of The New York Times details how the newspaper treats Israel with a harsher standard, omits context, and shows a clear preference for the Palestinian narrative. The entire booklet will soon be available for purchase on Amazon."

Ten Fake Signatures on Shrinking Soccer Petition?
The following ten "signatories" apparently never signed, and perhaps never even saw, the petition, as their names have been removed from the list of 62 purported signatories:

CIF Watch: Harriet Sherwood gets it right
"While Hoffman's analysis is open for debate, it's refreshing to read a Guardian analysis which gives voice to the overwhelming majority of Israelis who tire of the imperiousness and moral condescension consistently displayed by the European left towards their nation – a hubris which manifests itself in the audacious belief that citizens of the Jewish state continually need to be 'saved from themselves'."

Poll: Majority of Israelis supported Gaza operation
"Peace Index poll finds a majority of Israelis want a return to peace talks, but even larger number doubts their chances of success. Support for Operation Pillar of Defense was not limited to one side of the political map, Israeli Jews from across the political spectrum supported the operation; 74% of people self-identifying with the Left, 86% of centrists and 89% of right-wing Israelis."

Human Rights Organizations Overlook Female Genital Mutilation to Focus on Israel
"It seems that knowledge of that country extends little past the movie Black Hawk Down and occasional pirate attacks on Westerners. This lack of information is due in part to a lack of concern among groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Rather than taking the lead in defending Somali people, these organizations are channeling the majority of their resources to areas that are easier to report on, such as the U.S. and Israel."

Clinton Excludes Israel Again from Counterterror Summit?
"Now Israel has apparently been excluded again, and in announcing the meeting the State Department spokesperson did not think it necessary to inform himself on the issue before meeting the press. The unfortunate effect is to call into question the meaning and effect of the U.S. "commitment," sending a signal to Turkey (the other GCTF co-chair) and other nations that perhaps the word doesn't mean what they think it means. "

If all else fails, US will hit Iran in 2013, say former top advisers to Obama and Bush
At Washington Institute gala, Dennis Ross, Elliott Abrams and outgoing US ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey insist the president will strike next year if diplomacy doesn't succeed
"James Jeffrey, a former deputy national security advisor and, for the past two years, the US ambassador to Iraq, agreed with Ross' assessment.
"I think [Obama's] first choice will be a negotiated settlement. Failing that, I think that we're going to strike," Jeffrey said."

U.S. Secret Weapons Delivery Fell into Hands of Terrorists
A secret arms shipment to Libyan rebels fell into the arms of known terrorist groups. U.S. now concerned that the same can happen in Syria.
"The United States agreed last year to arm Libyan rebels from Qatar, but, as the New York Times reported, American officials grew concerned when intelligence evidence revealed only a few weeks after the deal was agreed to that the rebels were handing weapons over to known terrorist groups."

Kedar: Israel 'Knows How to Deal With Syrian Chemical Threat'
As Syria raises the stakes over its chemical weapons, an Israeli expert says measures are being taken to minimize the threat.
"The aerial chemical weapons threat, however, is one reason Turkey has turned to NATO for assistance, Kedar said. "This is why Turkey is deploying Patriots along the border with Syria," he pointed out.
If an aerial bomb bearing a payload of sarin explodes in mid-air, Kedar said, "it is much less dangerous than if it blows up on your head. Sarin needs to be within a certain range, and at a certain concentration, in order to be effective."

'French media is with the Palestinians'
Israel has a new friend in the French parliament, Avi Assouly: Socialist, proud Jew and former IDF volunteer. Assouly holds an Israeli passport and served a brief stint on the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team. 'The French media are pro-Palestinian,' says Assouly, who describes himself as very popular in France, despite his outspoken pro-Zionist views.

University of Toulouse Nixes Support Mtg for PFLP Terror Group
A meeting to express support for the PFLP terrorist support organization at the University of Toulouse has been cancelled by administrators.
"The university was the scene of an attack on an Israeli delegation in late April by a group of chanting, shouting protesters calling for the extermination of Jews. The incident took place about a month after the murder of a rabbi and three young children at a Jewish day school in Toulouse. The attackers ripped down the Israeli flag from the delegation's stall at the Le Mirail campus, in the area where Toulouse terrorist Mohamed Merah grew up."

IDF soldiers clash with Palestinian police in Hebron
Initial reports indicate that fray sparked as Israeli patrol tries to arrest policeman
"A group of IDF soldiers on patrol in Hebron clashed with some 250 Palestinians after trying to arrest a Palestinian policeman on Thursday in the West Bank city of Hebron."

Always Watching: The IDF Unmanned Ground Vehicle
"The border with Gaza is one of Israel's most tense regions. Hamas snipers, anti-tank missiles and explosives threaten IDF soldiers whose job it is to patrol the security fence on the border.
To counter these threats, the IDF has introduced the Guardium Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV), which patrols the Gaza fence around the clock. "The most important aspect of the Guardium is that it saves human lives — and money, too," said Lt. Avidav, Head of the Guardium Division."

Israel - The Start-Up & "Heart-Up" Nation
The latest advancements in cardiovascular innovations were introduced at a conference in Tel Aviv this past week.
"The annual "Innovations in Cardiovascular Interventions" (ICI) conference, the leading meeting for interventional cardiologists, innovators, entrepreneurs in the industry took place in Tel Aviv in early December, bringing together the latest in ground breaking medical technology and the leading figures in the world of cardiology. "

Soviet Jewry activists commemorate 'a singular day in Jewish history'
Twenty-five years after chants of 'Let my people go!' rang out in Washington DC, organizers of the fight to free the USSR's Jews recall a landmark triumph
"If you're an American Jew under 30, you might want to sit down. The following piece of information may shock you: There was a day, not too long ago, when Jews calling themselves Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, secular, left-wing, right-wing and everything in between came together in solidarity on a single issue."

Egyptians thought Nasser was a spy for Israel

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 08:30 AM PST

From Israel's Documented Story, the blog of Israel's Archives (by Yaacov Lozowick):

At the first secret high-level Egyptian-Israeli meeting prior to Sadat's visit to Jerusalem in 1977, Egypt's Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Hassan Touhami asked Moshe Dayan for the truth about the previous Egyptian president, Gamal Abdel Nasser. According to the English-language summary of the meeting:
Touhami's opinion of Nasser was of extreme and hateful despise. He asked Moshe dayan if Nasser had been in connivance with him when Nasser sent Abdel Hakim Amer with an airplane on an inspection tour just when our planes attacked at 08:00 on the morning of the 5th of June 1967.
The Mossad report of the meeting added a bit of detail:
The fact that the [Egyptian] Airforce was unprepared and its commanders were sanguine was explained by Touhami by the fact that Nasser was actually in conspiration with the Israelis. "Tell us the truth," Touhami requested seriously, "wasn't Nasser conniving with you at the time? Otherwise, how to explain what happened?" Touhami gave the appearance of rage and despise at Nasser, whom he described as having brought Egypt to the edge of calamity.
When the alternative is believing that your leaders were preening idiots that you worshipped, I guess the "spy" hypothesis is fairly compelling.

By the way, that blog is getting better and better - history tells us a lot.

(h/t Silke)

Terror group deployed to protect Meshal in his visit to Gaza

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 07:00 AM PST

The Al Qassam Brigades is being deployed by Hamas on the streets of Gaza to protect Khaled Meshal in his heralded visit to Gaza today. (Here are some of them in the background of this photo.)



Why is this important?

Because the Goldstone Report took pains to distinguish between the supposedly "civilian" Gaza police and the Al Qassam Brigades. My argument at the time was to point out that Hamas itself did not distinguish between the two, as well as the fact that some 75% of the "police" killed in Cast Lead were also member of the Qassam Brigades, a terror ("militant") group even according to Goldstone.

But now we are seeing that not only are Hamas police tightly integrated with the Qassam Brigades, but that the Qassam Brigades are being deployed as police!

To Hamas, every person in uniform is a mujahid, and part of their military, even if they sometimes do routine police duties. Goldstone's idea, and theinsistence of some other groups, to distinguish the two is a complete fiction (and came from virulently anti-Israel NGOs), and does not reflect reality.

Just ask Hamas.

Iranian ships impersonating others' satellite signals

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 05:30 AM PST

Some real reporting from Reuters:
Iranian oil tankers are sending incorrect satellite signals that confuse global tracking systems and appear to conceal voyages made by other ships to Syria, which, like Iran, is subject to international sanctions.

The two countries are close allies and have helped each other deal with shortages by swapping badly needed fuels such as gasoline for diesel.

Sanctions imposed on Iran to hamper its nuclear program have blocked sales of its oil to the West and made it increasingly difficult for Iran's fleet to obtain insurance and financing for deals with Asian buyers in China, India and South Korea.

Western sanctions have also isolated Syria, preventing it from exporting oil, while blocking fuel and weapons imports.

Large vessels must transmit their identity and location to other ships and coastal authorities using an automatic satellite communication system, but in the last month Iranian vessels sailing in Asian seas have sent signals that took over the identity of other vessels, so the same ship appeared to be in two places at once.

"It is of course possible to manipulate or falsify information in these messages," said Richard Hurley, a senior analyst at IHS Fairplay, a maritime intelligence publisher.

At least three Iranian oil tankers are transmitting such false signals, effectively taking over the identity of Syrian-owned vessels travelling between Syria, Libya and Turkey.

All the vessels in question were registered in Tanzania.

"In the past months we witness a recurring pattern of vessels sailing the Tanzanian flag that transmit the same MMSI number [a satellite signal that provides information on a ship's identity and position], said Windward, a firm that provides maritime analytics technology.

"This way, if one of the two vessels is engaged in legitimate maritime activities, it might be used as a 'cloaking' for the other vessel and its activities."

Iranian oil tanker Millionaire sent messages that doubled over a voyage made by a Syrian-owned ship, the Lady Rasha.

In a separate instance, the satellite tracks of Iranian oil tanker Pioneer were mixed up with a Tanzania-flagged cargo ship called the Talavera, recently renamed Chief Ahmed, and travelling from the Mediterranean into the Red Sea.
Read the whole thing.

Look who supports including Maaleh Adumim in Israel

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 03:32 AM PST

What radical organization published this map showing that Israel would hold  on to Maaleh Adumim through much of E1, supposedly splitting "Palestine" in two and making a two-state solution "impossible"?


Yes, it came from the far-left Geneva Initiative, which includes the most dovish of Israelis and a significant number of prominent Palestinian Arabs.

The Geneva Initiative is officially endorsed by the ultra-Left Americans for Peace Now, Meretz USA and even the Carter Center. Some of the GI's  members are also members of the PLO.

While Saeb Erekat is fuming about how the E1 corridor would destroy any chances for a two-state solution, this map was there for all to see when he made a video for the Geneva Initiative.

Beyond this, CAMERA noticed that the Clinton peace plan included much more land than the Geneva Initiative shown here. I guess Bill Clinton is also a far-right warmonger hell-bent on destroying any chance of a Palestinian Arab state, judging from the reactions we are seeing to the E1 announcement.

The uproar in Europe, the US and Arab nations over the planned building of houses in the E1 corridor is manufactured outrage - and the best evidence comes from this map, which shows the minimum that most Israelis believe must remain in Israel in any possible two-state solution.

(h/t also to TIP)
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