יום חמישי, 14 בפברואר 2013

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Link to Elder of Ziyon

Kotel plaza panorama

Posted: 13 Feb 2013 04:00 PM PST

Using an iPhone:


It is a great feeling to come back home.

The place I live 95% of the time never feels as permanent or as natural as Israel does.

If you enlarge the photo, you can see two things that Muslims are seething about: the refurbishing of the restrooms and tourist visiting area on the right, and the fence marking off where work is apparently being done under the wooden bridge to the Temple Mount.

Wednesday links part 2

Posted: 13 Feb 2013 01:00 PM PST

Wednesday links part 2


From Ian:
Iran's Fake Super-Stealth Jet Takes to the Fake Skies, Now with Nice Photoshop
"Iran's homegrown, radar-evading stealth fighter jet is flying the very cinematic skies, according to state news agency/Iranian propaganda machine Khouz News, as the nation's defense minister continues to fend off the non-believers as false news/Western propaganda. Well, we've got news for him: The only technological miracle in this alleged flight of the Qahar 313 fighter over Mount Damavand is that someone at the Iranian defense ministry appears to have upgraded to Photoshop CS6 since the last copy-and-paste job went viral.
And how do we know it's Photoshopped? Well, look at this mountain shot from the stock-image site PickyWallpapers, which we found through a Google Image search, then lightened:"

UN envoy urges EU to add Hezbollah to terror list
Be brave like Richard, not blind like Napoleon, Ron Prosor says at UN Security Council
"Israel's ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday called on the European Union to take a bold but simple step and designate Hezbollah a terrorist organization.
Speaking at a UN Security Council debate on the protection of civilians in combat zones, Ambassador Ron Prosor told world leaders that "calling Hezbollah a charity is like calling al-Qaeda an urban-planning organization because of its desire to level tall buildings."
"One does not need the fortitude of Richard the Lionheart to do the right thing here," he said, referring to the legendary English crusader king in an attempt to convince the EU to change its policy."

European-Funded Palestinian News Agency Publishes Article Denying the Holocaust
"Just a day after issuing an apology for an anti-Semitic article published to its website, the European-funded Palestinian news service Ma'an News Agency published an article denying the Holocaust, presenting it as a Jewish lie used by Jews around the world to achieve various goals.
Palestinian Media Watch spotted the article which was published only a few days after Holocaust Remembrance Day. Among its many hateful claims, the article calls the Holocaust a myth. "The Zionists are marking the 68th anniversary of the creation of the 'Holocaust' myth" the article contends. Further claims made are that "there is no basis for [claims about] what happened to the Jews in Germany and that they were cremated in gas chambers."

Local row breaks out over UK council twinning with Palestinian town
Officials and locals in the borough of Pendle, UK, have expressed concern over the twinning of the town with Beit Lid in the West Bank
"But the Pendle-Beit Leed group, represented politically as the Pendle for Palestine Twinning group, also has some explaining to do regarding its links in the UK. On January 28th 2012, the group announced a partnership with the Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association (CADFA), a group led by a man who has expressed support for Khader Adnan - a jailed terrorist leader from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). The PIJ is a banned terrorist organisation under UK law, whose car and suicide bombings have murdered hundreds of Israeli Jews and Arabs.
CADFA stands accused of propagandising for the eradication of the Jewish State, with one screenshot of their presentations showing 'Palestine' as the entirety of Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Munir Nusseibeh, CADFA's Chairman, has also led the group in supporting Hana Shalabi, whom they describe as a "political prisoner". Shalabi is also a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad."

MEMRI: Egyptian Human Rights Activist In Open Letter To President Obama
'Your Administration Ha[s] Given Political Cover To The Current Authoritarian Regime In Egypt'; 'Further American Statements Supporting The Current Egyptian Regime Will Only Lead To More Egyptians Being Beaten, Raped, Tortured, And Killed'
"In his open letter in Al-Ahram Weekly, Hassan requested "that spokespeople and officials in your administration stop commenting on developments in Egypt" and that "as long as they cannot speak the truth about what is happening in Egypt, they keep silent." Their statements, he said, only give "political cover to the current authoritarian regime in Egypt" and to its policy of violent repression of demonstrations, including the tactic of raping women."

Hundreds of Egyptian police hold protest
Low-ranking law enforcers demonstrate against the way they are being used to suppress opposition voices
"Hundreds of Egypt's low-ranking policemen staged protests on Tuesday demanding they not be used as a tool for political oppression in the country's ongoing turmoil.
Dozens of policemen rallied outside local security administration headquarters in at least 10 provinces. Some of them carried signs reading, "we are innocent of the blood of the martyrs."
Although small, the protests marked a rare instance of dissent by Egypt's police force. The rallies reflect fears among many policemen of a public backlash after weeks of violent crackdowns on anti-government protests."

Analysis: Pyongyang nuke test may also be Iranian
Expert warns Tehran may be bypassing int'l inspections via North Korea, says Iranian scientists may have been present at test.
"North Korea is making progress both in its nuclear weapons capabilities and its ICBM missile research, Dr. Alon Levkowitz, coordinator of Bar-Ilan University's Asian Studies Program and a member of the BESA Center for Strategic Studies, told The Jerusalem Post.
"The most disturbing question is whether the Iranians are using North Korea as a backdoor plan for their own nuclear program. The Iranians didn't carry out a nuclear test in Iran, but they may have done so in North Korea," Levkowitz said. "There is no official information on this... but Iran may have bypassed inspections via North Korea. If true, this is a very worrying development."

Iran Denies its Officials Will be Questioned in Argentina Attack
Iran denies that Iranians facing arrest warrants for their roles in the AMIA bombing will be questioned by an Argentine judge.
"Iran denied on Tuesday that Iranians facing international arrest warrants for their alleged roles in the 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center will be questioned by an Argentine judge, AFP reported.
"The matter of questioning of some of the Iranian officials is a sheer lie," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said at his weekly press conference, after Argentina's foreign minister had indicated the opposite."

What chutzpah!
As convicted anti-Semite John Galliano attempts a comeback at New York Fashion Week, the city's outraged Jewish community still thinks he's a schmuck
"Dior brand ambassador Natalie Portman said at the time, "I am deeply shocked and disgusted by the video of John Galliano . . . In light of this video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way."
The French courts later found him guilty of "public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity," and he was fined $8,400 and enrolled in an Arizona rehab clinic for alcohol addiction. While in Paris, he's been seen regularly at AA meetings held in a church down the block from Dior, according to a source."

Holland seeks EU heritage label for Nazi camp
Step would honor Westerbork's 'key role' in European history
"In total, nearly 100,000 Jews, or 70 percent of Holland's pre-Holocaust Jewish population, were transported from Westerbork to Nazi extermination and concentration camps, including Auschwitz, Sobibor, Bergen-Belsen and Theresienstadt, according to Yad Vashem. The premises of the former Nazi camp have been made a national memorial."

Guess who's demolishing illegal Arab buildings?

Posted: 13 Feb 2013 11:00 AM PST

From Ma'an:
Members of the Abu Amrah family in Gaza City demonstrated Tuesday in front of offices of the Palestinian Legislative Council protesting a decision by the Hamas-run government to demolish 75 houses belonging to the family in the al-Rimal neighborhood.

The government says it decided to demolish the houses because they were illegally built on public lands. The demolition is scheduled to be conducted Wednesday morning.

"We are refugees and we have been living in this area for tens of years," Abu Salah Abu Amra told Ma'an.
We have documented Hamas demolishing Arab homes for about two years now. Some have even involved injuries and deaths.

Yet there are no NGOs dedicated to the defense of these Arabs. No, the European NGO money goes only towards organizations that look at Israel demolishing Arab structures many of them built on public lands or lands owned by others (like Arab Christians.)

(Yes, I saw Ian had posted this story earlier...)

Sunnis in Egypt warn of the Shiite/Jewish/Crusader threat

Posted: 13 Feb 2013 09:00 AM PST

Egypt's Al Mesryoon newspaper discusses the threat that Shiite Islam brings to Egypt, and goes through a bizarre history of the sect.

Naturally, since Shiites are evil, Jews must have something to do with it.

According to the article, Sunni scholars are warning against the growing Shiite influence in Egypt. You see, after the Jews killed many of Jesus' apostles - and tried, but failed, to kill Jesus - they decided to create discord and divisiveness in Islam by influencing the creation of the Shiite version of Islam.

After discussing some strange Shiite customs, like temporary marriages only for sexual pleasure, we learn that Iran's seeming success in scientific and cultural endeavors has nothing to do with Persians being smarter than Arabs or anything like that. No, Iran got its smarts from - all together now - the Zionists! (And the Crusaders, by which they mean Christians.)

As far as I can tell, Al Mesryoon is a mainstream newspaper.

Wednesday links part 1

Posted: 13 Feb 2013 07:00 AM PST

Wednesday links part 1


From Ian:
Hamas Gov't Demolishes 'Illegal' Arab Homes in Gaza
The Hamas government has issued an order to demolish 75 homes belonging to PA Arabs in Gaza City. The UN has made no comment.
"Members of the Abu Amrah family – affected by the order – protested the decision on Tuesday in a demonstration in front of the offices of the Palestinian Legislative Council in Gaza City, the Bethlehem-based Ma'an news agency reported.
The houses, located in the al-Rimal neighborhood, are scheduled to be destroyed this morning (Wednesday).
Hamas said the houses were being demolished because they were "illegally built on public lands," Ma'an reported. The families claimed that alternative sites suggested by the PLC were remote areas with no services, a claim Hamas denied."
Terror Cell from 'Peace Partner' Fatah Nabbed
Shin Bet, IDF arrest terrorists who attacked a soldier and stole his gun.
"The Shin Bet, Israel Police and IDF have exposed and arrested a terror cell whose members infiltrated an IDF base on December 21, 2012, attacked a soldier on sentry duty and stole his weapon, an M-16.
The cell belonged to the Fatah movement, which is headed by Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Its members are residents of the Kalandia and a-Ram neighborhoods of Jerusalem. It is made up of five men aged 25 to 37, one of whom is an Israeli citizen."
Jerusalem terror alert continues into Wednesday
Police and emergency services on high alert after general warning of a possible attack in the capital
"Security forces maintained a state of increased readiness from Tuesday evening and into Wednesday in response to intelligence received by the Shin Bet security service indicating the possibility of a terror attack in the city.
Magen David Adom ambulance service declared a "Level C" alert, the second-highest level of readiness. Later they raised the alert to the highest level. Local firefighters were also on standby."
PMW: Released prisoner: Prisoners who killed Jews are entitled to a PA salary VIDEO
Abu Khaizaran: "Since the day we were released from prison, we have been given [only] half a salary... We killed Jews. I personally killed Jews. I killed settlers and I injured soldiers. My house was destroyed. I have 11 bullets in my body. I served 22 years in Israeli prisons."
Do the Palestinians Really Want U.S. Aid?
"The PA can get the money released by assuring the U.S. that they will (1) not take further steps to change the legal status of the disputed territories outside negotiations with Israel (since the Palestinians promised in the Oslo agreement not to take "any [such] step"); and (2) not reconcile with an organization designated by the U.S. government as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), a Specially Designated Terrorist (SDT), and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) — particularly when the PA promised in the Road Map to dismantle the FTO/SDT/SDGT, which has now waged two rocket wars against Israel and refuses to endorse any of the Quartet requirements for the "peace process."
Freedom of Expression? Not for Palestinians by Khaled Abu Toameh
"In another story the Western media apparently refuses to cover, any Palestinian who dares to criticize Hamas or the Palestinian Authority risks being arrested or summoned for interrogation. Palestinian journalists are now hoping to bring this to the attention of President Barack Obama when he meets with President Mahmoud Abbas next month.
The journalists say they want United States and the rest of the world to know that the crackdown on freedom of expression in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip is designed to hide the fact that Palestinians are governed by two repressive regimes that have no respect for human rights and democracy.
Over the past few weeks, several Palestinian journalists have been arrested in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for reportedly criticizing the policies and leaders of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas."
Outgoing Justice Minister: Implement Levy Report
Justice Minister Neeman responds to MK Strook's challenge, agrees that government should implement 'high-quality, objective' Levy report.
"Freshman MK Orit Strook challenged outgoing Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman on Tuesday regarding the Levy Report, which stated that the presence of Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria is legal under international law, and proposed a new approach to land disputes between Jews and Arabs in the area.
"As Justice Minister, you signed on the appointment of the Levy Committee," said Strook, who took advantage of the opportunity to question Neeman during his final speech as Justice Minister."
Pro-Israel Group Responds to Houston Billboard Calling for End to Israel Aid
"The pro-Israel education group StandWithUs will counter a billboard in Houston calling for the end to U.S. military aid to Israel.
StandWithUs is partnering with Bridge Houston, a group representing pro-Israel residents of that city, on an advertisement appearing from Feb. 24-March 25 that will state the following: "Tell Congress Not to Support Palestinian Groups Like Hamas Because They Don't Want Peace."
Daphne Anson: Cutting Through The BDS Lies: The Truth About SodaStream (video)
The fiends of the BDS movement and their leftwing NGO abettors have this Israeli company squarely in their sights. Judge for yourself whether it deserves to be demonised.
Huckabee: Obama Should Focus on Iran, Pardon Pollard
President Obama should focus on preventing a nuclear Iran during his upcoming visit to Israel, says former governor Mike Huckabee.
"U.S. President Barack Obama should focus on preventing Iran from achieving nuclear weapons during his upcoming visit to Israel, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee told Arutz Sheva during a visit of his own to the Jewish State.
"If he (Obama) asked me for advice, I would tell him to come with assurances that under no circumstances will Iran ever be allowed to have a nuclear device, and to make that very clear so that there's not any ambiguity whatsoever," said Huckabee"
Israeli aid group to help North Korean refugees
Humanitarian organization will train local workers in techniques for dealing with post-traumatic stress
"The initiative will mark the start of a yearlong training program that IsraAID will conduct in South Korea during 2013. In addition, IsraAID professionals will provide post-trauma training to local nongovernmental and nonprofit Korean aid agencies that work directly with the North Korean refugee population in the country.
Founded in 2001, IsraAID is an international relief and development aid agency that works alongside local NGOs and government officials to coordinate relief efforts and emotional support in medical emergencies. IsraAID provided trauma relief after the 2011 tsunami that hit Japan, and emergency workers in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake."

David G's NYT Op-Ed Index totals for 2012

Posted: 13 Feb 2013 05:00 AM PST

From David G:
New York Times op-ed Index summary July - December, 2012

July, 2012 - Anti-Israel - 5 / Pro-Israel - 1
August, 2012 - Anti-Israel - 3 / Pro-Israel - 0
September, 2012 - Anti-Israel - 11 / Pro-Israel - 2
October, 2012 - Anti-Israel - 6 / Pro-Israel - 5
November, 2012 - Anti-Israel - 25 / Pro-Israel - 4 / Neutral - 5
December, 2012 - Anti-Israel - 11 / Pro-Israel - 1

Totals for July - December, 2012 - Anti-Israel - 61 / Pro-Israel - 13 / Neutral - 5
Totals for January - June, 2012 - Anti-Israel - 30 / Pro-Israel - 10
Total for 2012 - Anti-Israel - 91 / Pro-Israel - 23 / Neutral - 5

Since November provided nearly half the op-eds in this period, it's worth considering why so many opinion articles about Israel appeared. The majority of these opinion pieces (including a few cartoons) were either about Pillar of Defense (by my rough count, 13 articles, 10 of which were anti-Israel) or the Palestinian effort to gain statehood at the UN (5 articles, 4 of which were anti-Israel).

In this time, the op-ed that has the distinction of being the worst is Yousef Munnayer's America's failed Palestinian policy. The following sentences are shocking for their extremism:
By constantly condemning Palestinian armed resistance, and failing to condemn Israeli settlement expansion and repression of nonviolent Palestinian dissent, the message the United States is sending the Palestinian people is this: All resistance to occupation is illegitimate. No nation on earth would accept that, nor is it realistic to expect it to.
Munayyer sees nothing wrong with anti-Israel terror. To him it's justified "armed resistance" that ought to be tolerated. This is the level of discourse that is currently allowed on the op-ed pages of the New York Times.

Even when the New York Times got something right, it still got it wrong. An editorial with the promising title, Hamas's Illegitimacy argued:
Israel has a vastly more capable military than Hamas, and its air campaign has resulted in a lopsided casualty count: three Israelis have been killed. The Israelis claim to have done considerable damage to Hamas rocket targets, which should make a ground invasion of Gaza less likely. But military action is no long-term answer. If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel had pursued serious negotiations on a two-state solution with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinians could have hope in a different future and Hamas's nihilistic vision would have far less appeal. Mr. Abbas shares responsibility for this failure.
In other words, "Hamas's nihilistic vision" is Israel's fault. What's especially troubling about this paragraph is that Hamas has power because of Israel's disengagement from Gaza. Gaza was supposed to have been a laboratory for Palestinian self-government. (Even when Hamas won the 2006 legislative elections, "experts" told us not to worry, the shackles of governing would moderate Hamas.) Rather it became the base of a terrorist organization. To argue that Hamas's appeal is due to Israeli intransigence may be satisfying, but it shows an ignorance of history - recent history, in fact.

What the number (and ratio) of anti-Israel articles suggest is a campaign. When Israel is in the news, the New York Times' editors and columnists weigh in. Activists are recruited to write op-eds. The extreme bias demonstrated by the choice and number of op-eds and editorials reflects a very strong anti-Israel feeling in the editorial department of the New York Times. The op-eds of the second half of 2012 paint a very disturbing picture of what had once been a great and authoritative newspaper.

#BDSFail Roundup

Posted: 13 Feb 2013 02:00 AM PST

From Zvi:
Israel Showcases Iron Dome for Indians
Because if you actually want to save lives, Israel's worth talking to.
Because if you need to find that next exciting invention, you probably want to do some of your R&D in Israel.
Because that just makes sense... .
This proves that even a left-wing author does not need to be a pawn of a pack of rabid crazies.
The universities are adding space projects to a list of existing joint projects that includes materials science, bioengineering, etc.
Also:
Sources inform "Globes" that senior executives from Brainsway Ltd. (TASE:BRIN) are currently in the US holding talks with potential distributors for its product. Last month, Brainsway obtained US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to use the company's Deep TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) device for the treatment of depression in patients who fail to respond to medication during a depression episode.

The company is likely to sign a distribution agreement before it moves ahead with plans for a Nasdaq offering
Oral insulin developer Oramed to list on Nasdaq

Samsung Electronics has unveiled a $100 million seed fund to support innovation in components and subsystems related to its broad product line of TVs, mobile phones, computers and other digital devices. Chief strategy officer Young Sohn said that the fund would be focused on Silicon Valley, Cambridge, Mass., and Israel, but could also fund initiatives elsewhere in the world.

NCR Corporation has completed its $650 million cash acquisition of Israeli retail software developer Retalix Ltd.
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