יום חמישי, 21 בפברואר 2013

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

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Hezbollah, Iran continue targeting Jewish civilians

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 08:30 PM PST

From YNet:

While Jerusalem and Washington are trying to convince the European Union to add Hezbollah to terror black list, a Cyprus trial might help bring about this change.

Six months after the arrest of Hossam Taleb Yaacoub, 24-year-old Lebanese who holds both Lebanese and Swedish passports, Yaacoub has admitted in court to membership in the Hezbollah, and gave information regarding his communications with his handler, the use of code words, and European activities of the Shiite organization, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

Upon his arrest, the assumption was that Yaacoub intended to carry out a terror attack against Israeli targets in Cyprus. He denied this, but admitted that his handlers ordered him to look for Kosher restaurants in Limassol. In addition, he said that he was sent by the Hezbollah to other areas in which there were great Israeli and Jewish presences, such as Antalya and Amsterdam.
And from Ha'aretz:
Nigerian security forces uncovered an Iranian terror cell that was allegedly planning to launch attacks against Israeli and American targets in the city of Lagos, Nigerian authorities said Wednesday.

Three members of the cell were arrested by security forces. The leader, Abdullahi Berende, a 50-year-old Shiite Muslim Nigerian citizen, was arrested on December 12, 2012, after six months of surveillance. Two other members - Sulaiman Saka and Saheed Adewumi - were also arrested. The fourth member of the terror cell, Benyamin Yosuf, managed to escape.

The spokeswoman of the Nigerian police said Wednesday that the cell was planning to carry out an attack on the offices of USAID, as well as on the offices of the Israeli container shipping company ZIM, and on the Chabad house in the city of Lagos, which is considered the financial capital of Nigeria.

According to the police spokeswoman, the members of the cell were scouting and collecting information for a future attack. She said that the leader of the cell photographed the Chabad house in Lagos himself and sent the photos to his Iranian handlers.

The investigation by Nigerian security forces revealed that Berende traveled to Iran for the first time in 2006 to study in the university. He returned to Iran in 2011 and underwent training there in assembling explosive devices. Berende received $30 thousand from his Iranian handlers in order to carry out the attacks.

Berende admitted in his interrogation to traveling to Iran on several occasions, in order to meet with Iranians known for their involvement in a worldwide terror network.
Given that Hezbollah is simply one of Iran's military wings, what more does the EU need to know to outlaw the group?

(h/t YM, Benny)

"Settlements are an expression of our connection to this land" - EoZ interview with Yossi Kuperwasser pt. 1

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 01:00 PM PST

Yossi Kuperwasser, the Director of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs in the Prime Minister's Office, says that Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria "are an expression of our connection to this land."

In part one of an exclusive interview with EoZ, Kuperwasser discussed the purpose of his ministry and the importance of fighting attempts to delegitimize Israel.

He described his office as working on topics such as explaining Israel's position to politicians and pundits, and to try to get world leaders to pressure the Palestinian leadership to return to the negotiating table, to give only a couple of examples.

Kuperwasser stated that the top priorities of his ministry are the Iranian threat, the Palestinian issue, and to develop a "national security concept" that extends the idea of national security beyond the old paradigm of military defense to include social aspects of Israel's security.

When asked about how Israel's settlement policy fits in with strategic affairs, Kuperwasser defended them as "another expression of the Jewish people coming back to their ancestral homeland." He also defended them on security grounds, while admitting that not all of the communities help security.

On the other hand, Kuperwasser did admit that there are other people who claim the land and that Israel has shown time and time again a willingness to compromise for peace. Unfortunately, the Palestinian Arab side has not embraced the idea of two states for two peoples living side by side in peace.

I followed up by asking him how to answer the European claim that Israel has no right to continue building homes in the area. He answered that, firstly, the new homes are only being built on land that is already within defined Jewish communities. Secondly, there is a need for natural growth.

"Once we reach an agreement with the Palestinians...the settlements are one of the topics" to be discussed in a final status agreement, he noted, but until then there is no reason to stop building within them - only the legal ones.

Furthermore, during  years of negotiations with the Palestinian Arabs, the idea of a settlement freeze was never a requirement.

Beyond that, Kuperwasser asserts, what he wants to convince the Europeans and other Westerners is that without a Palestinian Arab culture of peace there is nothing to talk about. Peace is not being held up by settlements, but by the inability of Palestinian Arabs to accept the right of Jews to their own land and their continuous incitement against Israel.  This is what he wants the world to understand.

Hamantashen - by Pillsbury

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 11:00 AM PST

Only in Israel:

Wednesday Links Part 2

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 09:30 AM PST

From Ian:
Human rights group adopts Hamas' version of Gaza offensive, claims Israel
A total of 14 missile strikes, some seemingly delivered by drones and, including four, according to HRW, that "appeared to involve fixed-wing aircraft dropping aerial bombs," have been highlighted in the investigation as being of concern. But looking at Israel's operation as a whole, the questions still remaining over the 14 strikes -- into one of the most crowded civilian zones on the planet -- suggest that in not less than 1,486 cases Israel did seek to ensure that the overwhelming majority of targets – equating, according to HRW's own figures, to more than 99 percent -- were indeed carefully selected. They suggest, too, that the selection of targets was to ensure there was a minimal loss of Palestinian civilian casualties.

Honest Reporting: PLO Wants to Roll Back the Clock
Good grief: Everything Areikat's asking for now was on the table at Taba 2001.
And what's the progress Areikat refers to? The Palestinians broke off the Taba talks, the second intifada raged on, Yasser Arafat was replaced by Mahmoud Abbas and his do-nothing doctrine. Israel withdrew from Gaza and Hamas simply took over and continued firing rockets. The PLO all but bailed out of Oslo with its unilateral statehood bid.
Progess? What progress?
If Taba is good enough for the Palestinians now, why wasn't it good enough then?

Is territorial discontinuity a real obstacle?
Territorial division between Gaza and the West Bank is not an obstacle to the creation of a Palestinian state.
GEOGRAPHICALLY, THERE are five kinds of states: contiguous, with a homogeneous territory (such as Germany and Brazil); prolonged, with an extended territory in latitude or longitude (like Chile or Mozambique); irregular (like Greece); perforated, with sovereign states within its territory (like Italy with San Marino and South Africa with Lesotho and Swaziland); and fragmented, with a discontinuous territory interrupted by seas or by other states.
Among fragmented states are Russia (with Kaliningrad in European territory), the US (with Alaska), Denmark, Philippines and Japan (with archipelagos), Malaysia and Oman.

Douglas Murray: A model of diversity
There's nothing quite like diversity. Take Manchester. It has a large Muslim population and a lot of gays. What could possibly go wrong?
Last week Manchester University's Student Union played host to the 'Global Aspirations of Women Society'. This appears to be a front group of the extremists of Hizb ut-Tahrir and therefore by no means does what it says on the tin.
Anyhow – as the university's student newspaper puts it:
'A speaker at a Students' Union affiliated society workshop said that homosexuals would be executed in an ideal Islamic state, describing the practice of two men kissing as an "atrocity."
1st year Middle Eastern studies student Colin Cortbus attended a public meeting at the Students' Union last Wednesday 13th February organised by Global Aspirations and asked the chairperson of the meeting whether "in the Islamic society in which you strive for," they would "feel comfortable, personally and morally, to kill a gay man."

Daphne Anson: Demonstration In Melbourne Against Geert Wilders (video)
Organised by Students For Palestine, and with the comrades from Socialist Alliance inevitably participating, here's a demo in the Melbourne suburb of Somerton on 19 February against the appearance of anti-Islamist campaigner Geert Wilders at a public meeting organised by the Q Society.

BBC Watch: "Significant strands of thought" at the BBC
As we have noted here before, Abdel Bari Atwan – the Gaza-born editor of the London-based Arabic language newspaper 'Al Quds Al Arabi'- is a regular guest on several BBC programmes on both radio and television, despite his frequent voicing of often frankly offensive opinions.
Readers will probably not be surprised to learn that Atwan is now promoting the notion that:
"… the French military intervention in Mali is designed not only to protect its own interests in the region but to benefit Israel."

Kerry to bypass Israel in first Middle East trip
Newly instated US secretary of state to visit key American regional allies, but will wait to accompany Obama to Jerusalem
Secretary of State John Kerry will make his first official trip overseas next week, a jam-packed travel agenda that includes meetings in nine nations across Europe and the Middle East.

Report: Hagel Said Israel Headed Toward Apartheid, Netanyahu a 'Radical'
"I am sitting in a lecture by Chuck Hagel at Rutgers," Wagner wrote in the email. "He basically said that Israel has violated every UN resolution since 1967, that Israel has violated its agreements with the quartet, that it was risking becoming an apartheid state if it didn't allow the Palestinians to form a state. He said that the settlements were getting close to the point where a contiguous Palestinian state would be impossible."
"He said that he [thought] that Netanyahu was a radical and that even [former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi] Livni, who was hard nosed thought he was too radical and so wouldn't join in a coalition [government] with him. … He said that Hamas has to be brought in to any peace negotiation," Wagner wrote.

Supporter of Iranian dictatorship brought Chuck Hagel to Rutgers University for 2007 speech
A pro-Hezbollah, pro-Hamas candidate for the Iranian presidency, a man linked to Iranian-controlled front groups, brought former Republican Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel to speak at Rutgers University in 2007, according to another professor on campus.
Hooshang Amirahmadi, who led Rutgers' Center for Middle Eastern Studies when Hagel came to campus, is the founder and president of the American-Iranian Council. He arranged for Hagel's speech on March 2, 2007, the faculty source told The Daily Caller.

Study finds sharp rise in anti-Semitic attacks in France
614 incidents in 2012 represent a 58 percent increase over the previous year says SPCJ report
"2012 has been a year of unprecedented violence against Jews in France," according to the report, which referenced the shooting murders of a rabbi and three Jewish children on March 19 by an Islamist radical at a Jewish school in Toulouse.

Why Jews should stand against Christian oppression
Of all the countries in the Middle East, only in Israel is the Christian population growing and flourishing.
So why should I as a Jew care about the fate of Christians? Firstly, having been victims for thousands of years it is our obligation to care and reach out to victims of discrimination, religious intolerance and extremism. Secondly, it is our responsibility to stand up for religious freedom and specially for those moderate and tolerant values promoted by most of these Christian minority groups. Moreover, Christians are rediscovering their Hebraic roots and are strong supporters of Israel, as they see its rebirth as the actualization of the biblical prophesies and of their divine mission to assist with the return of Jews to their promised land.
It is incumbent on my people to ensure that at least in the area where there is Jewish suzerainty, discrimination against Christians does not occur, and I have satisfied myself that of all the countries in the Middle East, only in Israel is the Christian population growing and flourishing.
(The writer is the chairman of the South African Zionist Foundation)

American superstar Alicia Keys to make Israel debut
One of the leading musical artists of the last 10 years will arrive in Israel for the 1st time on the birthday of her country.
American superstar Alicia Keys, one of the leading musical artists of the last 10 years, will be arriving in Israel for the first time on the birthday of her country – July 4th.
The winner of 14 Grammys will perform at the Nokia Center as part of her Set the World on Fire tour in support of her new album, Girl on Fire. Keys most recent highprofile appearances were at last month's Super Bowl where she sang the National Anthem, and at this month's Grammy Awards where she performed a duet with Maroon 5's Adam Levine.

Wednesday Links Part 1

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 07:30 AM PST

From Ian:
Michael Oren blasts 60 Minutes' Iron Dome segment
On his personal Facebook page, Israel's ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, blasted the segment.
60 Minutes was right: The Iron Dome missile defense system does not take lives, it saves lives. But 60 Minutes missed the true connection between Iron Dome and settlements: Israel was compelled to build Iron Dome after it uprooted 21 Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip and Hamas took over Gaza and used it to launch thousands of rockets at Israeli civilians. Israel and the Obama Administration, together, call for the immediate resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians, without preconditions, to discuss all the core issues–borders, security, mutual recognition – leading to a solution based on two states for two peoples. We deeply appreciate American support for the Iron Dome system, which gives Israel the time and space to make peace, if the Palestinians wish to do so.

The Truth About Hamas' Smuggling Tunnels
A senior Israeli Defense Force officer, speaking exclusively to the Investigative Project on Terrorism on condition of anonymity, explained why that continues.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Paul Hirschson suggested that the idea that the tunnels were kept open for tax collection doesn't necessarily make sense. "Hamas runs the Gaza Strip," he said. "They could quite easily impose a tax system on goods coming across the border with Egypt. If Hamas were to get a deal with the Egyptians to pass goods on top of the border rather than under it, they could tax the goods as much as they want. But there are things going through the tunnels that wouldn't be allowed by the Egyptians anyway, such as drugs trafficking, human trafficking, and of course, arms trafficking."
Gerald Steinberg, president of the Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor and a professor of political studies at Israel's Bar Ilan University is the author of 'NGOs, Human Rights, and Political Warfare in the Arab-Israel Conflict.' Steinberg has no doubt as to what is behind Hamas' tunnel strategy.
"The Hamas leadership thrives on conflict and of portraying the situation in Gaza as one of Palestinian suffering. It is created for the Palestinian leadership by playing the victim card strongly and has been assisted in that by the NGO network and by the UN human rights frameworks all working together. They will always exaggerate claims that they cannot import basic materials, while at the same time seeking to downplay changes that will actually benefit the population. There is always a careful play off that Hamas does between allowing materials in [to Gaza] and playing the victim card."

Female Drivers Escape Arab Ambush
Jewish women escape PA gang's carjacking attempts.
Palestinian Authority resident criminal gangs continue to target Israeli drivers for theft, and women travelling alone in particular. Two women escaped attempted carjackings at the last minute on Monday evening.

Man suspected of throwing acid on 15-year-old girl
Nazareth resident charged with attacking teen, who refused a relative's marriage proposal
The Nazareth Magistrate's Court on Tuesday remanded into custody a 50-year-old resident of the northern city who is suspected of throwing acid in the face of a 15-year-old girl.

Fatah official warns of violence if prisoners aren't freed
Kadoura Fares says no one wants a third intifada, but events may 'get out of hand' if a Palestinian held in Israeli jail dies

IDF trains for potential clashes with Hezbollah
Engineering Corps reconnaissance soldiers train in subterranean warfare as preparation for possible clash with Hezbollah.
Reconnaissance soldiers from the the IDF's Engineering Corps recently completed an intensive series of subterranean warfare drills to prepare them for a potential clash with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah has placed its command and control centers in underground bunkers, and dug a maze of tunnels where commanders, fighters and weaponry can be placed out of sight of the Israel Air Force.
Soldiers from the reconnaissance platoon of the Assaf Engineering Brigade underwent month-long exercises simulating complex terrain fighting, much of which involved dense forests. A week of training was dedicated to combat in tunnels.

The Triple Threat to Egyptian Press Freedom
The Muslim Brotherhood, an intrusive state bureaucracy, and a dangerously deflated economy all endanger the country's newly-open media environment.
As the Arab uprisings continue, war and state repression aren't the only threats to free expression. Egypt in the last week saw two other factors impinging on the independent media: bad finances and malignant bureaucracy. They pose a potent threat that could drastically worsen the dimming prospects for a transition away from authoritarianism.
Meanwhile, the dismal values of the Muslim Brotherhood's media commissioners have driven out the editor of Al Ahram Online, an odd bright spot of breaking news and dissenting journalism that thrived, in English, within the otherwise moribund state publishing conglomerate. Ahram Online's editor Hani Shukrallah is a secular leftist with Christian origins. He was forced into early retirement by the new Ahram supervisors put in place by the Muslim Brotherhood. Shukrallah believes it's a purely political decision, and spoke out only after his salary was cut and his chosen successor passed over. "The object of course is humiliation," he wrote in a Facebook note. "Fools! I have something immeasurably more precious: my dignity and self-respect. What do you have?" So far, his successor hasn't been named and his staff continues its impressive work. A Muslim Brotherhood loyalist has already been put in charge of Ahram's daily Arabic edition, and prospects don't look good for the independent editorial line of Ahram Online in English.

99% of Americans consider Iranian nukes a threat
North Korean nuclear program also widely preceived as 'critical threat,' poll finds; Republicans fear Islamism more than do Democrats
The Gallup poll found that 99 percent of Americans believe the Islamic Republic's nuclear program is a threat "to the vital interests of the United States in the next 10 years," with 83% saying it was a "critical threat" and another 16% saying it was an "important, [but] not critical" one. Just 1% declined to say it was at least an important threat.

Ahmadinejad threat to cancel Iranian poll
IRANIAN President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned that he could scrap this year's presidential election, threatening to drag the Islamic Republic into a constitutional crisis as he attempts to retain power.
With months to go until Iranians vote for his successor in June, Mr Ahmadinejad has reignited his bitter power struggle with Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader.

Syria 'mulled killing Vatican ambassador'
Intelligence chief said to have proposed assassination after Archbishop Zenari criticized international silence on civil war
A top Syrian intelligence official planned to assassinate the Vatican's ambassador to Syria following his outspoken criticism of the Bashar Assad regime late last week, a Saudi news website reported on Tuesday.
Archbishop Mario Zenari told Vatican radio on February 15 that he was saddened by the silence of the international community in the face of the bloodshed in Syria.
"We are walking over the blood of the victims," said Zenari, while the international community has "washed its hands of the Syrian conflict."

Greece's Golden Dawn: Holocaust Memorial Day 'Unacceptable'
Greece's neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party has denounced the country's decision to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, calling it "unacceptable."
Golden Dawn MP Ioannis Lagos lashed out at the country's education and interior ministers over new regulations requiring state institutions and schools to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, in commemoration of the over six million murdered at the hands of the Nazis.

Swiss mayoral candidate 'pro-Hamas, pro-Iran'
Media in Switzerland accuse Green Party politician of anti-Semitism, denying Israel's right to exist.
Swiss Jewish leaders and the Simon Wiesenthal Center sharply criticized MP Geri Müller, a Green Party politician running for mayor of Baden, because he supports close ties with Hamas and engages in pro-Iranian regime activities.

The importance of the lexicographic war (Zvi)

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 06:00 AM PST

From Zvi, commenting on my post about the bizarre word "spacio-cide" where I wrote that "Creating a ridiculous anti-Israel word (much like "pinkwashing" or "homonationalism") is apparently the newest trend among pseudo-academics":
In each of these areas, Israelis have actually made a compelling case, and these attempts to create buzzwords are part of a frantic defensive play by Israel-haters. The latter are "throwing things against the wall in the hope that something will stick."

On the other hand, advocates for Israel need to understand what these people are doing. Terminology is important. Simply giving something a name can make it appear real, even if it's 100% nonsense. "Pinkwashing" is 100% crap, but the fact that a name has been created allows Israel-haters to talk about it as though it were a real phenomenon. This is one of the reasons why it is very important to stop blindly using the terminology created by Israel's enemies; that terminology was created in order to instill hatred.

On the other hand, very real phenomena that have no name are hard to talk about, requiring lots and lots of words. It is important to name concepts so that they can be more readily communicated.< br />

It is also important to prevent anti-Semites from hijacking terminology (such as "anti-Semitism") and trying to either destroy its meaning or hijack its emotional impact for their own malicious purposes.

Terminology matters. If a person is a terrorist, call them a terrorist, not a militant or an activist. If a person publishes anti-Semitic screeds, call him an anti-Semite and be prepared to defend your claim vigorously. If nonsense terms are made up ("pinkwashing", "spacio-cide"), then respond with mocking derision (but always be 100% truthful). When bigoted morons write pseudoacademic papers that wrap ludicrous claims in pseudoacademic terminology, they should be exposed as the third-rate hacks and frauds that they are.

90 days since the last rocket from Gaza to Israel

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 02:00 AM PST

It has now been 90 days since any rocket has been shot from Gaza into Israel,which is unprecedented.

Guess what happens to the lives of Gazans when Hamas prevents rocket fire?

From Ma'an:
Israel has informed the Palestinian borders and crossings department in Ramallah that more improvements will be introduced on Gaza borders, says official.

Nathmi Muhanna, chief of the borders and crossings department told Ma'an Tuesday that Israel decided to allow entry of new empty domestic gas cylinders into the Gaza Strip. He highlighted that since several years shipping new gas cylinders to Gaza was banned. He also mentioned that 125 new cars would be allowed every week instead of 100.

The Israeli authorities agreed as well to install a new phone and internet line from Israel to the Gaza Strip.

According to Muhanna, four new fuel trucks and two new gas trucks will be shipped to Gaza.

The European Union will fund expansion of Gaza's Kerem Shalom crossing increasing its capacity to 500 truckloads per day, chief of the Palestinian borders and crossings department Nathmi Muhanna said Tuesday.

Speaking to a Ma'an, Muhanna explained that new gates, new roads would be built as well as a waiting parking near the crossing.
I'm sure that the two stories are completely unrelated. After all, we know from the media and NGOs that Israel is only interested in collective punishment against poor starving Gazans, and the Palestinian Arab media has told us for years that "resistance" is the only way for anything to be accomplished.

It must be one of those evil Zionist plots.

By the way, Egypt had announced it would be expanding the Rafah crossing to permanently allow imports and exports to Gaza a while back. I haven't heard anything about that lately. Weird how the Islamist allies of Hamas have been so reluctant to help out their fellow Islamists.
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