יום שני, 22 באפריל 2013

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Link to Elder of Ziyon

Kerry asks Erdogan not to go to Gaza - will his refusal be considered an insult?

Posted: 21 Apr 2013 06:48 PM PDT

From the NYT:

Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that he had urged Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey to put off his visit to Gaza to avoid disrupting efforts to revive peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

"We have expressed to the prime minister that we really think that it would be better delayed and that it shouldn't take place at this point in time," Mr. Kerry said in a news conference here.

"The timing of it is really critical with respect to the peace process that we're trying to get off the ground," Mr. Kerry said. "We would like to see the parties begin with as little outside distraction as possible."
Now, if (and when) Erdogan ignores Kerry, will any of the US media describe it as a "slap in the face" to the US?

It seems that Kerry is already giving Erdogan an out, so as not to make it look like the US is, Allah forbid, demanding something from him. The New York Times didn't offer the entire quote:

"We have expressed to [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] that we really think that [the visit] would be better delayed and shouldn't take place at this point for many different reasons. Of course the prime minister will make his own decision on that," Kerry told reporters in Istanbul.
Kerry, already anticipating the refusal, made sure that the issue wouldn't be considered a sticking point.

Which means that the US knows quite well that the request would be spurned.

Which brings up the question - why make such a request to begin with when the only likely result is to make the US look weak?

A belly dancer claims that she humiliated Jewish leaders with her beauty

Posted: 21 Apr 2013 02:30 PM PDT

There is a bizarre interview in El Bashayer Online (Egypt) with veteran Egyptian belly dancer Fifi Abdo.

She claims that she danced for the kings and presidents, and that she managed to beguile Begin. When he complimented her on her dancing she says "I hit former prime minister of Israel Menachem Begin on his brain when he came to woo me, and I demanded that he solve the Palestinian issue instead of extolling my beauty".

She said "I made the Jews drop to their knees begging me to dance for them, as a sort of humiliation - because of my strong love for the Palestinians and my belief in their just cause."

Um, yeah.

Here is what she looked like in better days, and now:


It seems likely that she is trying to spin the history of her career in light of the Islamist takeover of Egypt. After all, scenes like the beginning of this clip cannot endear her much to the Muslim Brotherhood:



(h/t Al Gharqad)

Hezbollah's body count in Syria is rising

Posted: 21 Apr 2013 12:30 PM PDT

From Ya Libnan:
The funeral of four more Hezbollah members that were killed in Syria took place in Lebanon's
Nabatiyeh on Tuesday, Now reported , adding that the bodies of more fighters were being prepared for burial.

The burial ceremony was accompanied by Resistance chants and heavy gunfire, NOW added.

NOW also reported that a large number of corpses of Hezbollah militants who died in combat in Syria are at the Sheikh Ragheb Harb Hospital Nabatiyeh's Jeb Sheet and that the Shiite group is burying them in installments in order not to draw attention to the growing phenomenon of Hezbollah deaths in Syria.

NOW quoted the victims' relatives as saying that some of the Hezbollah fighters killed in Syria were shot in the back of their head, implying that Syrian army troops who were unable to defect might have killed them.
Internally, Hezbollah is getting more strident in defending its actions in Syria:
During the funeral of a Hezbollah fighter who was killed in Syria, a prominent Hezbollah party official addressed the mourners amid their confusion about the deaths that their sons are being driven to.

The official defended Hezbollah's fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria and described it as a duty more important than any other. He described it as a fighting for existence as they are defending places that are important to the Shiite sect and that it is a pre-emptive strike for battles that may target the sect if the Assad regime falls.

It is a battle for life or death. This is how it is presented.

It is the party's new rhetoric towards its audience. The party recruited its officials to adopt this rhetoric to address its people in towns and funerals of the party members killed in Syria..

What attracts attention is that their rhetoric no longer includes any equivocation or evasion about fighting in Syria like what first happened when the party got involved in battles there. The rhetoric has now transferred to a progressive phase of mobilization that is still far from the media.
But it is treading lightly in the rest of Lebanon, knowing that this position is very unpopular and could threaten its political power:
It is clear that Hezbollah is confronting challenges presented in its new task of fighting in Syria. The task goes unannounced in the party's rhetoric. However the silence surrounding it does not exempt the party's fighters from its repercussions. They are the silent funerals of young men from southern and Beqaa towns. The funeral procession passes through these towns quietly and are only attended by some family members and friends.

Hezbollah does not seem to have succeeded in marketing the idea that it is participating in Syria's fighting for the sake of defending religious sites. This formula narrows Hezbollah's margin of movement in Lebanon. It also makes it a guardian of religious sites after it expanded and became an authority that derives its power from what is bigger than its ritual community. Hezbollah's authority in Lebanon has a base where alliances with other sects (the Aounis) mix with the illusions of resistance. It also mixes with a base of customers, like businessmen.

Hezbollah has certainly felt that. Silent funerals indicate the party's incapability to publicize their fight. The absence of a story and where the fighters were "martyred" confirm this. The silence surrounding the story of participation in Syria trespasses Hezbollah towards wider political and media circles. Hezbollah in Lebanon controls the biggest number of media outlets, whether written or audio or visual ones. All of the latter has not participated in the funeral processions. Social media is the only means informing the Lebanese of the events in these southern and Beqaa towns. And people of these towns circulate very brief stories mixed with confusion and hesitation in estimating the cost and the price.
Indeed, Hezbollah's Al Manar has nary a word about martyrdom in Syria.

Clearly, Hezbollah is nervous about the events in Syria. It stands to lose its main weapons route and probably its most direct way of getting cash from its Iranian masters.  And the majority of Lebanese do not want to get involved militarily in Syria, which Hezbollah already is doing itself.

Hamas confiscates fireworks smuggled into Gaza

Posted: 21 Apr 2013 10:15 AM PDT

Arab media is reporting that Hamas confiscated a large amount of fireworks were being sold in a Gaza City
shop.

Hamas officials said that these fireworks were illegally smuggled through tunnels and said that they operate continuously in pursuit of prohibited goods entering Gaza through the tunnels.

Yes, smuggled fireworks are considered dangerous contraband.

Smuggled Katyusha rockets, anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, however - even when they go to non-Hamas terrorists -  are just fine.

Sunday Links

Posted: 21 Apr 2013 09:00 AM PDT

From Ian:
Elliott Abrams: Why Europe can't bring peace to the Middle East
This letter is a useful reminder of European attitudes, at least at the level of the Eminent: Blame Israel, treat the Palestinians as children, wring your hands over the terrible way the Americans conduct diplomacy. The Israelis will treat this letter with the derision it deserves, and the Palestinians will understand that because this kind of thing reduces European influence with Israel, the EU just can't deliver much. Indeed it cannot, and the bias, poor reasoning, and refusal to face facts in this letter all suggest that this won't be changing any time soon.
Blaming the victim for anti-Semitism
Of late we have witnessed a new methodology used to suppress those who speak out against anti- Semitism in academia. Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, a Hebrew lecturer at UC Santa Cruz, and Ronnie Fraser, a lecturer in mathematics in London, have respectively taken on their schools and unions with regard to how anti-Semitism has infected their organizations and caused an uncomfortable, even hostile, environment based on the politics of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Blazing Cat Fur: NBC, Juan Cole Both Cite Crazy Jihadi Web Site As Reliable Source For Info On Terrorist Tsarnaev Brothers
NBC and Juan Cole have each cited the KavKaz Center, a Chechen Jihadi web portal, in stories about the Tsarnaev bothers. NBC did so in a story which claims the Chechen jihadi insurgents disavow any links to the Tsarnaev's. Similarly Juan Cole, a notorious apologist for militant Islam, cites the center in a report also denying the Tsarnaev's connections to the Chechen Jihadis.
IDF produces film to counter allegations raised in documentary 'Jenin, Jenin'
The Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson's Unit is hard at work producing a film meant to counter allegations raised in the 2002 documentary film "Jenin, Jenin." The 2002 film was a Palestinian account of events during an April 2002 Israeli operation in a refugee camp in the West Bank city of Jenin, during Operation Defensive Shield.
The film currently in production aims to "tell the true story of the battle waged by the IDF."
UN Watch: Times of London: Hamas razes historic site for 'terror training camp'
EU is asked to act as ancient ruins in the Gaza Strip proposed as World Heritage Site are bulldozed by militants, writes Sheera Frenkel
BBC's Donnison promotes Bethlehem Marathon as non-political event
Donnison makes no attempt to verify the accuracy of the claim that the event (due to take place on April 21st) has "nothing to do with politics" for his readers. A quick perusal of the marathon's website would have been enough to inform him of the fact that the reality is quite different.
Police: Muslim Women Arrested for Anti-Jewish Provocation
Several of the Muslim women who repeatedly attempted to physically block Jews from visiting the Temple Mount were arrested, police have said.
Police commander Avi Biton reported the arrests in a letter to Michael Puah, who had sent a letter of complaint over the women's provocative actions.
Morsi says he won't visit or warm ties with Israel
Egyptian leader dismisses talk of increased cooperation with Jerusalem, noting, 'Even enemy states coordinate on security matters'
Why US-Israel mission to thwart Iran could mean a leading role for China on North Korea
Defense Secretary Hagel's Mideast visit this week will focus on Iran and Syria, but those crises should also be viewed through the lens of Beijing and Pyongyang
'Israel seeks Turkish airbase to enable Iran strike'
Netanyahu's national security adviser travels to Ankara offering advanced defense technology in exchange for an airstrike launching platform, the Sunday Times reports
European Jewish Congress Welcomes Report that Says Greece Could Ban Neo-Nazi Political Party
The European Jewish Congress (EJC) welcomed Thursday a report by the commissioner for human rights of the Council of Europe, which stated that Greece has the legal right to ban the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party.
Pope Francis visited Israel in 1973, just as Yom Kippur War broke out
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, then in his mid-30s, spent six days confined to his Jerusalem hotel, studying the Letters of Saint Paul to the Corinthians
Ominous clouds hover once again over Europe
This speech was delivered on April 21, 2013, at Bergen-Belsen, Germany, marking the 68th anniversary of that concentration camp's liberation.
We come here every year to assure the dead of Belsen that we have not abandoned them, that we will never abandon them. But equally important, we must recommit ourselves once again in this sacred place to do everything in our collective power not to allow the spiritual and ideological heirs of the National Socialist regime to arise anywhere in the world as a new scourge of humankind.

Ramallah "Human Rights" NGO supports terror, has strange definition of "tolerance"

Posted: 21 Apr 2013 06:00 AM PDT

The Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies is yet another little-known NGOs that get funding from the West for their seemingly pro-democracy, pro-human rights agenda.

And looking at their English-language website you can see that they seem to prioritize the values of "tolerance". They even give out an annual Arab Tolerance Award.

The RCRHS Arabic website, however, has articles not translated into the English website.

One talks about a workshop held in January about the "dialectical relationship between resistance and negotiations." One of the speakers stated flatly that negotiations cannot provide the objectives that Palestinian Arabs want without keeping the option of terrorism ("armed resistance.") All forms of "resistance" are considered legitimate and the specific circumstances dictate which ones should be used at any time.

In other words, this "human rights' NGO cannot condemn terrorism, and in fact thinks that it has its place.

Another interesting document is a 300-page report on "Tolerance Values in Arab School Curriculums [sic]." It looks at school curricula in the Arab world, ostensibly to remark on how well they integrate values of tolerance.

Some of the report does that, for example about tolerance of the Christian minority in the Arab world (nothing about Jews, though.) But the reports also emphasize nationalism and patriotism, which are very different concepts, and  in some cases are antithetical to tolerance.

For example, on page 47, under the Palestinian Arab curricula, it says that the 8th grade curriculum is "introducing (the student) to the Palestinian cities, which are: Jerusalem... Akko... Tiberias... Ramle" - all cities in Israel.

On page 48, another of the values that the RCHRS highlights in the textbooks is "freedom," including romantic depictions of the intifadas and the importance of "resistance against the occupier."

On page 51, it describes the importance of tolerance in the Islamic Studies curriculum, and discusses "Teaching the student the importance of jihad for Allah's sake, for a noble goal, for defending religion, homeland, and holy places/sanctities..."

The section that critiques how the Palestinian Arab schools are teaching students does not mention any of these issues as being problematic.

According to NGO Monitor, RCRHS gets funding from the Government of Sweden, the British Government's Department for International Development, the US-based National Endowment for Democracy, and other sources.


(h/t Al Gharqad)

The creation of an anti-Israel conspiracy theory

Posted: 21 Apr 2013 03:41 AM PDT

The wildly anti-Israel Veteran's Today has a scoop:

Were Israeli false-flag terror experts – maybe even some who helped pull off 9/11, the operation that Mossad operative Mike Harari bragged about – flown in to Boston to set up a shoot-out as dénouement to the Boston Marathon bombing?

At this point it's just a hypothesis. But suspicions were aroused two days ago, when Israeli Police Chief Yohanan Danino announced that his officers had flown to Boston to "meet with Federal Bureau of Investigation agents and other authorities" to participate in the investigation of the Boston bombing. As RT reported, Danino dispatched police officers to participate in discussions that "will center on the Boston Marathon bombings and deepening professional cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of both countries."

But wait a minute…why would American police need Israelis, or other foreigners, to investigate an American crime? And more pertinently: How did Danino know that there would be any Boston Marathon bombings for his team to investigate? According to RT, "Israeli law enforcement planned the trip before the deadly pair of bombings on Monday that has so far claimed three lives."

When government agents pre-plan their trip to a crime scene, it means they – or their governments – had foreknowledge of the crime.
Let's go backwards through the links and see how this conspiracy theory started.

The RT article says:
The investigation into Monday's deadly bombing at the Boston Marathon has officially gone international: law enforcement officials from Israel have been sent to the United States to assist in the probe.

Israel Police Chief Yohanan Danino says he has dispatched officials to Boston, Massachusetts, where they will meet with Federal Bureau of Investigation agents and other authorities, the Times of Israel Reports.

Citing an earlier report published by the newspaper Maariv, Times of Israel writes that Danino has dispatched police officers to participate in discussions that "will center on the Boston Marathon bombings and deepening professional cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of both countries."

The paper reports that Israeli law enforcement planned the trip before the deadly pair of bombings on Monday that has so far claimed three lives, but the discussions will now shift focus in order to see how help from abroad can expand the investigation.
OK, let's now go to the Times of Israel article:
Israel Police chief Yohanan Danino and other senior police officers left Israel late Tuesday night, heading to the US to meet with FBI officials and other law enforcement officials in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings.

Discussions will center on the Boston bombings and deepening professional cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of both countries, Maariv reported.

At least three other senior officers are accompanying the police chief, in what the paper described as the highest-ranking police delegation Israel sends overseas. The trip had been planned before the Boston blasts, but was refocused in the light of the bombings, the report said, without elaboration.
Note what TOI doesn't say: Nowhere does it say that the Israelis are going to Boston. Also, nowhere does it say that Israelis are part of the investigation. Those were RT additions, and the major parts of the conspiracy theory - planning to go to a crime scene before the crime.

What did Maariv say?
In the shadow of the attack on the Boston Marathon, the Chief of Police, Commander Yohanan Danino, the head of the Lahav 433, Commander Manny Isaac, and two other senior police officers went to the U.S. to meet with the heads of the FBI and law enforcement officials in New York and Washington.

Police say that the visit has been planned long ago, but some meetings will engage in strengthening cooperation between Israeli police and police units in the U.S. and the FBI in fighting terrorism.
My Hebrew isn't perfect, but I do not see Maariv saying that the meetings are being "refocused" because of Boston - although obviously the topic will come up. Nowhere does it say that Israeli officials are helping in the investigation, as RT added.

The New York Daily News reports on Danino's visit to New York, confirming he did not visit Boston and the trip was planned long in advance.

So the timeline of the smear is:

4/16: Israel sending top cops to the US to hold meetings in a trip planned long before Boston bombings
4/17: Israeli trip to US being refocused to also discuss Boston bombings
4/17: Israeli investigators going to Boston to help investigate bombings
4/19: Israeli trip to Boston, planned before bombings, proves Israeli involvement in the attack

The VT article goes on to accuse Israel of masterminding 9/11 - and the Haiti earthquakes!

So while VT is a fringe site, we know that the author Kevin Barrett also writes for Iran's PressTV, This meme is already starting to spread in tin-foil hat circles.

And now you can see how the haters find their material.
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