Elder of Ziyon Daily News

IDF Destroys Hundreds of Weapons, Some Pre-48, Found in Dead Sea Area
Israel’s Red-Light Washing
Friday Morning Links
Mahmoud Abbas is a Libertarian?

IDF Destroys Hundreds of Weapons, Some Pre-48, Found in Dead Sea Area

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 10:15 AM PST

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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Hundreds of weapons, some of them predating Israeli independence, were discovered last week in the area of the Dead Sea. The weapons – including mortars, explosives, M1 rifles and Sten guns – were detonated in controlled explosions by forces of the IDF Central Command, so as to prevent hostile forces from making new weapons out of their parts.

Head of the Central Command's Protection Desk Maj. Shahar Keller, who oversaw the IDF's handling of the discovered weapons, noted that this was only the third time in recent years that the IDF has carried out this type of activity. He explained that the weapons were uncovered against the backdrop of shifts in the area, such as the shrinking of the Dead Sea and changes in the terrain. He also noted that the site where the weapons were found is considered a minefield and is closed to the general public.

"We found many items at the site, including mortars, artillery, grenades, explosives, mines, and even radio transmitters, compasses, and different weapons," Maj. Keller said. "Our course of action is to detonate the weapons so that people's lives will not be endangered."

The hypothesis, Maj. Keller explained, is that these weapons are from various periods. A package of bombs was found at the site with a label indicating that it had been produced in November 1960, and it appears that a Jordanian force discarded it into the water during the Six Day War. Other discoveries show that weapons of the British Army from the period of the British Mandate were also discarded in the area. Also found in the area were additional weapons from various groups and armies, such as M1 rifles and Sten guns, which were used during the Second World War.

"We cleaned the surface of all visible items, and we are planning another detonation for the coming year," Maj. Keller stated. "There is a significant challenge here. In contrast to the clearing of minefields – where there are organized lists of how many mines because we were the ones that put them there – with clearing of this kind there is no way to know the number of weapons. We depend on the forces of nature, and according to that, increase the frequency of the cleaning."

Maj. Keller noted that this is the only site in Israel in which weaponry and munitions have been uncovered many years after having been discarded. "The munitions are not in a dangerous location, so the goal is to avoid letting them get into hostile hands," he added. "In the past, items have been stolen from the area and taken for the creation of explosive material, and [we aim] also to avoid a situation in which innocent tourists come across weaponry, even with the likelihood that the munitions will barely function due to long exposure to salt."

The controlled explosion was carried out by a reserve company of graduates of the Yahalom unit, which specializes in bomb disposal. An officer in the Israeli Navy said that the Underwater Missions Unit also takes part in the destruction of weaponry and munitions found in Israel's waters and that they perform operations in the Dead Sea every few years.

Israel’s Red-Light Washing

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 08:15 AM PST

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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CHALLAH @ The New York Times

For 20 years Aviva, 48, flamboyant and transgendered, worked the streets of the business district of this Mediterranean city, as well as the seedy square mile around the central bus station and the Tel Baruch beach, once a notorious hub of Israeli prostitution that has become a spruced up stretch of sandy coast.

Alona, 40, immigrated to Israel with her parents from Ukraine in the early 1990s. Her circumstances quickly degenerated from working in a casino to a life derailed by debts, drugs and prostitution. When she was not in prison, the squalid streets around the bus station became her home.

"In the streets there was no toilet, no toilet paper," Alona said. "I forgot a lot of things, like how to look after myself, to love myself. I learned to survive."

Now, in an endeavor as far removed from their former lives as the gleaming banks and trendy boutiques of Tel Aviv are from the city's sleazy subculture, the two, who asked to be identified only by their first names, recently completed a free course in styling and the retail clothing business. Along with other former prostitutes who have received similar training in dress design and sewing, they are now aiming to find a place in the world of fashion. There is always demand for sales staff in Tel Aviv's bustling stores, and one talented graduate even went on to a professional design school on a scholarship.

"The course gave me a lot of self-confidence and knowledge," Aviva said. "Maybe one day I'll be able to start something of my own. When they gave me the certificate — the first in my life — I was proud of myself. I'd done something positive."

The idea for the program grew up from the underside of Tel Aviv.

Read the whole thing.

Friday Morning Links

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 05:25 AM PST

From Ian:

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Barry Rubin: The Ultimate `Settlements are not the Problem' Article

It must be a new year. The Washington Post has an editorial explaining that Israeli settlements are not the main problem in the Middle East. The Post editorial is amazing since such sanity is so rare. It begins: "Two mistaken but widely held notions regarding Israeli-Palestinian peace are that the settlements are the principal obstacle to a deal and that further construction will make a Palestinian state impossible."

Douglas Murray: European Court of Justice "Lacking Any Foundation in Law"

"The European Commission in recent years has been funding rabidly anti-Israel and anti-Semitic campaign groups. Parading under the banner-term of "NGOs," they have one concerted aim, which is to manipulate international opinion against Israel: Foreign government-funded subversion of a democracy."

Al-Jazeera's "Alternative Viewpoint" in Qatar's Paradise

"Recently Al-Jazeera seems to have decided to topple the Palestinian Authority [PA], and transfer to Hamas -- Al-Qaeda's ideological and practical brother-in-arms -- the international recognition that the PA received from the UN in September, and to make Hamas sovereign in the West Bank as well as the Gaza Strip. To that end, it airs biased programs that are disproportionately favorable toward Hamas, and covers Hamas's "achievements," such as its "heroism" in firing rockets at Israeli civilians. The PA at least claims it wants to reach an agreement with Israel. Hamas, which uses its citizens, schools and hospitals as human shields during warfare it provokes, publicly proclaims day and night its intention to wipe Israel off the map."

Palestinian internal clashes erupt in Nablus

Government's decision to only forgive debt for refugees angers citizens "Ramallah: Heavy clashes have erupted between the Palestinian public and their security apparatus in Nablus and the northern areas of the West Bank in protests against the Palestinian government's decision to delete electricity debts and to financially pardon the residents of the refugee camps."

PMW: Abbas inaugurates housing project for families of terrorist prisoners

"He said that the birth of the housing project is an example and model that should be emulated in all the districts, since it represents cooperation, solidarity, and collective responsibility for confronting the challenges posed to the Palestinian nation. [He noted] that this project demonstrates loyalty to and love for the prisoners, and that they are not alone, for everyone looks forward to their return so that they may live in their homes with their families."

Honest Reporting: Most Popular Content 2012

Egyptian forces capture American-made missiles headed for Gaza Strip

Anti-tank, anti-aircraft and other rockets discovered in secret depot south of el-Arish in Sinai

IDF Blog: 2012: Biggest IDF Events

"The year of 2012 was packed full with events and security issues. Some challenged us, like Operation 'Pillar of Defense', and some were devastating, such as the attack in Bulgaria which killed six Israelis. During this year, over 1,400 rockets launched from the Gaza Strip hit Israel. So here are the biggest events for the IDF in 2012"

Apple reportedly looking to buy Israeli map app Waze

iPhone maker may see local startup as solution to mapping woes; company wants $750 million, but Apple offering $400-$500 million, according to reports "Apple is rumored to be looking into buying the Israeli satellite navigation application Waze, which has become a worldwide hit thanks to its melding of crowd sourcing and traffic mapping."