Elder of Ziyon Daily News

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Friday Links Part 2 Posted: 15 Feb 2013 08:30 AM PST From Ian: LATMA: The Tribal Update discusses Obama's travel plans and the EU's Hezbollah problem The dishonesty of 'The Gatekeepers' The film sends a 'simplistic political message,' implying that Israel's occupation of the West Bank stands between terrorism and peace. Dror Moreh's documentary, The Gatekeepers, could have been a profound film. Instead, Moreh uses his interviews with six former directors of Israel's top security services to send a simplistic and deeply partisan political message: If Israel withdraws from the West Bank, terrorism will subside and peace will break out. To promote this message, the documentary engages in intellectual dishonesty and omits critical context. While most Israelis know the wider context, the average viewer probably does not, and therefore is vulnerable to the filmmaker's biased version of the facts. Though the film tries to portray Israel's antiterrorism policies as counterproductive and cruel, the interviews inadvertently tell a different story. The six directors are well-spoken, deeply thoughtful, and genuinely self-critical." The Palestinians Never Wanted Fayyadism The Palestinians are choosing, as they have always chosen, to refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the Jewish state no matter where its borders are drawn. Having come into existence solely in order to oppose the return of the Jews to the country, Palestinian nationalism appears incapable of redefining itself in such a way as to give Fayyad a chance. The example of the independent Palestinian state in all but name in Gaza — which has become a platform for terrorism — makes it impossible for Israel to consider further withdrawals that would duplicate that situation in the West Bank. Were it in the power of either the United States or Israel to make Fayyad the leader of the Palestinians they would do so. But his constituency has always been in Washington, Jerusalem and the international media not among Palestinians. Someday they may be ready for a Fayyad, but that day is not in the foreseeable future. PMW:Is the PA lying to European governments in order to receive European funding? European and US money donated to the PA's general budget is paying salaries not only to all Palestinian terrorists in Israeli prisons but also to 4,000 former security and terrorist prisoners Palestinian Media Watch has seen statements by both the British and Norwegian governments defending their payments to the Palestinian Authority's general budget for salaries. These statements came in response to two PMW reports documenting that thousands of imprisoned terrorists are among the recipients of PA salaries. In their statements, both the British and Norwegian governments say that the PA has informed them that the PA does not pay "salaries" to terrorists in Israeli prisons, but social "assistance" payments to the prisoners' families. Minister of State Alan Duncan on behalf of Britain's Department for International Development (DfID) said: "The second [PA] payment scheme [to prisoners] is intended to assist families in need of assistance." Both governments have written that this information was received from the PA. 4,000 former prisoners receive full monthly salaries - PA Minister of Prisoners Affairs VIDEO How US Military Aid to Fatah Actually Bolsters Hamas Now there is evidence of Fatah-Hamas coordination in parts of the West Bank. The PA has lifted the ban against Hamas rallies, and Hamas has gained control of many West Bank mosques. Israel's intelligence community has determined that Hamas politburo Chief Khaled Masha'al has ordered the establishment of military cells to take over the West Bank. What Israel now faces is a worst-case scenario: PA security forces have a history of turning on Israelis. With the increased cooperation between the PA and Hamas, the likelihood of this happening again grows more likely. Statements of late by PA officials suggest such cooperation. Former PA Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath, for example, has called for unity with Hamas that would "win further victories for us." With Hamas cooperation, he said the PA would escalate "the struggle against Israel" in 2013. However, should there be a repeat of prior attacks by PA forces, bolstered by cooperation with Hamas, dealing with the situation will be far more difficult than it has been previously. Now those PA forces are far better equipped and trained, thanks to a US policy that may have been ill-advised from the outset. Watchdog says Iran upgraded centrifuges for nuke program Installation represents a dramatic upgrade in the country's controversial uranium enrichment program VIENNA (AP) — Adding weight to its announcement of a nuclear upgrade, Tehran has shown high-level UN officials high-tech equipment positioned at its main uranium enrichment site meant to vastly accelerate output of material that can be used for both reactor fuel and atomic arms, a senior diplomat said Thursday. The diplomat spoke to The Associated Press shortly after the officials returned from Tehran, acknowledging that their latest in a series of trips to the Iranian capital that began over a year ago again failed to reach a deal to restart an investigation into suspicions that Iran is pursuing nuclear arms. Herman Naeckerts, who headed the International Atomic Energy Agency team that visited Iran, said "remaining differences" scuttled attempts to finalize an agreement on how such an investigation should be conducted. He declined to say whether there was progress. Zygier was granted all his rights, and was no 'Prisoner X,' says legal official Justice Ministry source says negligence charges may be filed against those who failed to prevent Mossad spy's suicide in jail Ben Zygier, the Melbourne-born Mossad agent who committed suicide in his cell at Ramle's Ayalon Prison in 2010, had been granted all the rights and protections due to him under Israeli law, a top Justice Ministry official told reporters on Thursday. Even the unusual fact that his identity was kept secret was a security measure to which Zygier himself consented, the official said, recognizing that this was beneficial to national security and to his own and his family's protection. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not provide details of why Zygier was arrested, and what charges had been leveled against him. Avigdor Feldman, a defense lawyer who met with Zygier a day or two before he died, said the 34-year-old father of two had been charged with "serious criminal" offenses and faced long years in prison. Israel Daily Picture: The Jews of Tiberias Revealed in 100-Year Old "Medical" Photos David Torrance arrived in a very poor, economic backwater town in the 1880s. Under Ottoman rule, Tiberias had little in the way of employment opportunities or basic hygienic infrastructure. Tiberias was nonetheless a center of Jewish life over the centuries, particularly after the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans. It emerged as one of Judaism's holy cities after Jerusalem, Hebron and Safed. Rabbis of the Talmud and Maimonides are buried in Tiberias. And over the last few centuries pious Jewish families and scholars made it their home. Airport debris detector tops Israeli innovation list XSight bids bye-bye to junk on runways Israel's XSight Systems, which detects runway debris that can endanger planes and passengers, has been called one of Israel's most innovative companies by US tech magazine Fast Company. "Foreign Object Debris (FOD) costs the aviation industry around $13 billion per year," and is a major safety risk, Fast Company wrote about XSight, naming it one of the top 10 Israeli innovators for 2013. The XSight system "has emerged as one of the leading solutions, using hybrid radar and electro-optical technology to detect junk on runways," the magazine wrote.

Friday Links Part 1 Posted: 15 Feb 2013 07:00 AM PST From Ian: Bulgaria security forces raid, expel Hamas delegation Raid on residences of visiting Hamas delegation allegedly prompted by Israeli, US, British pressure; Bulgarian government denies meeting with Hamas, says Palestinians were in Sofia on "private visitation." Bulgarian security forces on Friday raided the temporary residences of a visiting Hamas delegation in Sofia, and then expelled the officials from the country, Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported. The Hamas delegation arrived in Bulgaria on Wednesday to present the "Palestinian narrative and expose the false Israeli narrative on the Palestinians and Hamas." The visit was the first of its kind by Hamas officials to a member of the EU. MEP to Ashton: Make Efforts to Name Hizbullah a Terror Group Polish MEP Michal Tomasz Kaminski on Thursday called on EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to step up Europe's efforts to designate Hizbullah a terrorist organization after last week's Bulgarian's report that the Lebanese group was behind the terror attack on Israeli tourists in Burgas in July 2012. The European Jewish Press (EJP) reported that in a written question to Ashton, ahead of Monday's meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers where the issue is likely to come under discussion, Kaminski asked why the EU remains "reluctant to call Hizbulllah by its proper name", after Ashton's official response to the Burgas findings expressed "the need for a reflection over the outcome of the investigation. Cruel joke: an Iranian on UNICEF's board Khazayee's election to the governing body of UNICEF is a moral scandal. Iran, as reported frequently by international organizations, executes more people than any other country in the world, per capita. In 2011, 676 people were executed in Iran. During the first half of January that year, 47 prisoners were hanged; that is, an average of a prisoner every eight hours. In 2012, 480 people were executed, 12 women included. Fifty-five executions were held in public. UK Charity Commission Whitewashes Questionable Charities The UK's Charity Commission works on a premise that undermines any investigation before it starts. If members of a charity openly associate with extremists or terrorists, for example, instead of challenging the charity's status, the Commission defends the trustees, thereby legitimizing the charity's misconduct. As a consequence, government bodies empower extremist groups by presenting them as honest actors. Well, that worked out well: 92% of Pakistanis now dislike America After four years of Barack Obama's diplomatic 'leadership' and billions of dollars in attempted friendship aid, a new public opinion poll reveals that 92% of Pakistanis now disapprove of the United States. The results could have been worse. Not much. But a little. Fully four Pakistanis out of 100 do approve of the United States, President Obama and his policies. They, however, seem to keep kind of quiet about their views in that rowdy land. That's the lowest favorable rating Pakistan's citizens have ever given their ostensible North American ally. The new Gallup Poll, out this morning, reports that the recent high point of Pakistani approval of the United States came in the spring of 2011 when 27% approved. But then public opinion went south on North America. CIF Watch: Peter Beaumont's absurd political analogy regarding Israel and 'Prisoner X' Though Prisoner X likely represented a serious security risk for Israel, he was afforded due process in a manner which certainly seems consistent with democratic norms. To evoke a comparison with the USSR – where, for instance, several million Soviet "enemies of the state" died (due to overwork, starvation, torture or summary executions) after being sent, without trial, to Gulag camps spread out across the entire country – is beyond parody. Indeed, it's likely that the true identity of Beaumont's unnamed commentators comparing Israel's handling of the spy case to that of the most repressive totalitarian regimes of the 20th century will prove to be far more elusive and mysterious than the identity of Prisoner X himself. What Harriet Sherwood missed while in Gaza: Hamas to demolish 75 'illegal' Palestinian homes I guess it's safe to say that some Palestinian victims of home demolitions are more deserving of sympathy than others, at least according to the Guardian correspondent covering Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. Russia fights Islamists at home, backs them abroad Analysis: Moscow's influence abroad continues to erode, despite its attempts to ally itself with forces opposed to the West. Moscow's influence abroad continues to erode, despite its attempts to ally itself with forces opposed to the West and it is this game that could become costly in the long-run. The Sunni insurgents on Russian soil hold an ideological affinity with Sunni Islamists, such as those fighting the Russian-backed Syrian regime as well as al-Qaida-linked groups active throughout the region and beyond. Thus, Russia has set itself up to be opposed by the rising Sunni Islamists in the region, led by the increasingly influential Muslim Brotherhood movement and its offshoots. Israeli delegation visits Cairo for security talks Defense officials reportedly hold brief meeting with Egyptian counterparts while their aircraft waits on the runway An Israeli delegation of defense officials reportedly visited Cairo on Thursday to meet with Egyptian counterparts and discuss regional security issues, including terrorist activities in the Sinai Peninsula and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. According to a report in Egypt's Al-Masry al-Youm, the delegation arrived in Cairo in a military aircraft that waited for them on the runway. The delegation reportedly numbered four Israeli officials. Health Crisis Building in Jordan Due to Syrian Refugees Jordan's health system is beginning to crack under the strain of caring for 340,000 Syrian refugees. Amman is seeking help with the effort. The pressure is beyond the health sector's strength to continue providing services for the refugees," Jordanian Health Minister Abdul Latif Wreikat said bluntly on Thursday, according to Bernama, the Malaysian national news agency. Chronic diseases have been discovered among a large number of the Syrians who fled across the border to safety in Jordan as well, Wreikat said. This has led to a drop in supplies of medicines in some of the hospitals and health care centers, he warned. "We welcome any assistance to help enhance our capability to provide services to the Syrian refugees," Wreikat said. Israeli Officials Concerned Over Fate of Tunisian Jews Israeli officials have expressed serious concerns over the safety of the Jewish community in Tunisia, in the wake of unrest in the country Israeli officials have expressed serious concerns over the safety of the Jewish community in Tunisia. Some 2,000 Jews still live in the country, and the Foreign Ministry's office for fighting anti-Semitism said that instability in the country could have serious negative effects on the country's Jews. Saudis arrest 53 Christians at private worship service Saudi authorities have continued to persecute christians in the country, in a stark example of the lack of freedom of worship in the Kingdom Saudi Arabian authorities have arrested 53 Christians, mostly women, who were attending a worship service in the private home of an Ethiopian in Dammam, the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The Christians, 46 women and six men, including three church leaders, were arrested at ten in the morning last Friday, a close relative of one of those arrested told the WEA. The three church leaders were produced in an Islamic court in Dammam the same day when authorities alleged they were converting Muslims to Christianity. France to Return Stolen Art to Jewish Owners France will return seven paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries to the heirs of two Jewish families whose artworks were stolen during World War II, the French culture ministry told AFP on Thursday. Six paintings by Italian and German artists will be returned to Thomas Selldorff, the octogenarian grandson of Austrian textile magnate Richard Neumann, who was forced to flee his country in 1938. Morocco Restores Ancient Synagogue in Nod to Jewish Heritage Morocco held a ceremony on Wednesday to inaugurate the completion of renovations to an ancient Jewish synagogue in the historic city of Fez. The two-year restoration of the Slat al-Fassiyine (Prayer of the Fesians) synagogue was part-financed by Germany. The ceremony included Morocco's Islamist prime minister, Abdelilah Benkirane, as well as German parliament speaker Norbert Lammert, according to Global Post. The restoration of the ancient synagogue in Fez, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is part of a larger effort by Morocco to come to terms with its Jewish community. The new constitution that was adopted in 2011 amid the Arab Spring recognized Morocco's Jewish heritage. IDF Blog: Did You Know? Last week, 42,898 Tons of Goods Entered Gaza The IDF coordinates the delivery of a variety of humanitarian aid and development assistance to the population of the Gaza Strip. During the last week alone, 42,898 tons of goods and gas entered Gaza from Israel in 1,445 truckloads. Think Gaza is under siege? Think again.

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