Elder of Ziyon Daily News

---

• A side of the IDF you won't see in the news
• Friday Links Part 2
• Diversity, Arab style
• Egypt set to approve anti-NGO law
• Friday Links Part 1
• Olmert's peace offer that Abbas rejected
• Islamic Jihad says Fatah, Hamas unity meetings "a waste of time"
• Lame Muslim hackers say they'll attack Israel again tomorrow
• Church of Scotland overwhelmingly approves anti-Israel report

A side of the IDF you won't see in the news Posted: 24 May 2013 03:00 PM PDT The original song is from the 1930s, but the cup version is a few years old. It was popularized in the film Pitch Perfect and subsequently (I think) made into this nice music video, which I am posting because I am a sucker for long tracking shots:

Friday Links Part 2 Posted: 24 May 2013 01:30 PM PDT From Ian: Latma: Muhammad aDura lives and other PR victories Israel's report on the Al Durrah affair Secondly, in places where Western film crews have to make use of local "fixers", they are vulnerable to the possibility that the fixer will find them situations and incidents that support his agenda, or that of his political chiefs. Sadly, journalists sometimes play along; they risk not being able to work at all if they don't. Add to this locally-appointed photographers, reporters, and editors working for international media agencies and you have a recipe for the potential twisting of news items to suit the agenda of terrorist organisations or anti-West regimes. Arrest the Reporters Behind the al-Dura Hoax This week we continued our demand that those at France 2 responsible for what has now been officially deemed a dangerous hoax, be placed under arrest and charged with all of the murders and damages this fabricated incitement has rendered. France 2 and Enderlin must have their press accreditation revoked and be thrown out of Israel. Issuing the report is a major step forward in the battle for the truth but justice requires that those responsible for this massive blood libel must finally pay. UK's Islamist problem It should come as no surprise that random terrorist attacks have been, and will remain for the foreseeable future, MI5's greatest security threat. "Londonistan" apparently originated as an appellation used in the 1990s by French security officials frustrated at British leaders' failure to confront in their capital the dangers of radical Islam, which, the officials feared, would spill over into France. Steven Simon, a former White House counterterrorism official, referred to London as "the Star Wars bar scene," that caters to all kinds of Islamist recruiters and fund-raisers for, and practitioners of, holy war. Melanie Phillips: Denial is still a river in Londonistan On one thing the British liberal class is certain – the hacking to death of a soldier in a Woolwich street yesterday had absolutely nothing to do with religion. The murderers screamed 'Allahu akhbar' as they tried to decapitate the soldier (a barbaric hallmark of Islamic terror), announced proudly that 'We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you' and quoted the Koran as religious justification. Hand puppet's Holocaust joke on TV riles Chilean Jews A Holocaust joke made on national television by comedian Elias Escobedo while voicing a hand puppet has the Jewish community of Chile considering a lawsuit. Jewish leaders on Wednesday said they were considering the action against Escobedo for saying that "Jews burned better than wood" through the voice of his puppet, Murdock the Lizard. The leaders are expected to take part in a parliamentary meeting on the slur. World Vision: Shurat HaDin responds World Vision's latest attempts to whitewash its continued taxpayer funded support of a Gaza based organisation (the UAWC) with very close links to an illegal terrorist organisation (the PFLP) are episodes straight out of the TV series "Yes Minister". They are characterised by a failure to confront the evidence, misrepresentation of the independence and expertise of "experts", use of straw horse arguments, reliance on hearsay from anonymous and unverifiable sources and attempts to confuse the issue. PMW reports prompt question in Danish parliament about its funding of the PA VIDEO Merkel Honored by EU Rabbis German Chancellor Angela Merkel was honored on Wednesday by the Conference of European Rabbis (CER) for her support to the German Jewish community and her outspoken denunciation of anti-Semitism throughout Europe, the European Jewish Press (EJP) reported. Kosovo unveiling Holocaust memorial "This is the place where the last Synagogue of Kosovo stood until 1963," the plaque reads in Albanian, Hebrew, English and Serbian. "This plaque is raised in memory of Kosovo Jews that perished in Nazi camps during Holocaust. People of Kosovo will never forget them." Muslim clerics visit Nazi death camp Imams from the US and several Muslim countries are touring Poland this week to learn more about European Jewry. Thirteen imams from Indonesia, the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Bosnia and other Muslim lands, along with five American imams, visited the new Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw on Monday. Google mulls buying Waze presaging bidding war Google Inc., maker of the Android operating system, is considering buying Israeli map-software provider Waze Inc., setting up a possible bidding war with Facebook Inc., people familiar with the matter said. Waze is fielding expressions of interest from multiple parties and is seeking more than $1 billion, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. The Palo Alto, California-based startup might also remain independent, instead seeking to raise a round of venture capital financing, the people said. Technion Scientists Develop an Advanced Biological Computer Technion scientists developed and constructed a molecular transducer, which is an advanced computing machine. This molecular computer was built entirely of biomolecules, such as DNA and enzymes that can manipulate genetic codes. This unprecedented device can compute iteratively, namely, it uses the output as a new input for subsequent computations. Furthermore, it produces outputs in the form of biologically meaningful phenomena, such as resistance of bacteria to various antibiotics. Did ancient beams discarded in Old City come from first and second temples? The beams offer a fascinating historical record of Jerusalem, including Byzantine cathedrals, early Muslim houses of prayer and, not inconceivably, the ancient temple complex itself. But though there are signs of renewed interest in them — including an article this month in Biblical Archaeology Review, a US publication — the several hundred existing beams have never been subjected to a comprehensive academic study, and many are in danger of decay and disintegration.

Diversity, Arab style Posted: 24 May 2013 12:00 PM PDT Saudi Arabia's al-Yaum newspaper has a brief article about the Jewish quarter of Cairo, as a model of diversity and tolerance. The author marvels at the juxtaposition of synagogues and mosques there. Well, the paper does admit: While the Jewish Quarter is empty of its indigenous population, but you can still find the Star of David on the doors of houses there, in addition to some Jewish inscriptions that indicate the homeowners and date of construction... About 20,000 Jews lived in this famous neighborhood, until the revolution of July 1952... it seems the Arab definition of "diversity" can include ethnic cleansing - as long as you leave up some architectural features from the people you forced out.

Egypt set to approve anti-NGO law Posted: 24 May 2013 10:30 AM PDT From Al Ahram: Following Egypt's January 2011 revolution, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had hoped for greater autonomy and freedom of association. These hopes, however, have been largely dashed by a new draft law set to be passed imminently by Egypt's Shura Council, the upper house of parliament that currently holds legislative powers. The proposed legislation – which, drafted by the Islamist-led council's human development committee, is aimed at regulating the activities of NGOs operating in Egypt – is perceived by many to be more repressive than its Mubarak-era predecessor: Law 84 of 2002. As it currently stands, the bill will allow Egypt's social solidarity ministry to scrutinise every decision issued by the boards of civil society organisations. What's more, the draft law stipulates that membership in or cooperation with international associations must be approved by the Egyptian authorities. "They would even recquire NGOs to keep visitor logs – providing details about when meetings are held, the topics discussed and visitors' identities – to which they would have access," said Abu-Saeda. Raising further alarm, Egypt's State Security apparatus will have a seat in a new interagency committee tasked with scrutinising every aspect of the projects carried out by civil society groups, giving it direct influence over the authorisation process and funding. "How can security agencies be involved in monitoring the work of civil society, which itself seeks to observe and expose violations and abuses committed by those same security agencies?" asked Mohamed Zaree, Egypt programme director at the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies. This is far, far more restrictive than any Israeli laws concerning NGOs. So it will be interesting to see if the reaction to this will be as furious as that towards Israel.

Friday Links Part 1 Posted: 24 May 2013 09:00 AM PDT From Ian: Khaled Abu Toameh: Why Doesn't the EU Condemn Palestinian Torture? More than half of the 306 complaints about torture that were received last year came from Palestinians who had been detained or imprisoned by Abbas's security forces in the West Bank, the report revealed. Altogether, 11 detainees died in Palestinian Authority and Hamas prisons last year, according to the report. Still, the EU did not see any need to refer to these cases. Nor did the EU comment on the report's accusations that Abbas's security forces are continuing to crack down on journalists and academics and ignore court rulings. Expressing "concern" over serious human rights violations will not deter the Palestinian Authority or Hamas from pursuing their anti-democratic practices against their own people. Genesis of an Anti-Semitic State This week, a Global Forum Against Anti-Semitism will gather in Jerusalem. The time has come for the Global Forum to consider the fact that a new anti-semitic state is in formation. UN Watch: UN circulates NGO resolution to fire Richard Falk For the first time, the United Nations has circulated as an official UN document a draft resolution calling for the firing of Richard Falk, A/HRC/23/NGO/27. UN Watch submitted the draft text in the form of a NGO written statement to the UN Human Rights Council. BBC article on rising bigotry hosts anti-Semitic comments Unfortunately, the BBC's own record on combating antisemitism is by no means as good as it could – and should – be. In addition to whitewashing and downplaying antisemitic remarks made by certain public figures in the UK, it has on occasion furthered the spread of anti-Semitic discourse by, for example, allowing the unhindered promotion of antisemitic tropes by interviewees as well as the airbrushing of a known antisemitic hate preacher, the promotion of a film company which uses antisemitic imagery and the hosting of an openly antisemitic guest on more than one occasion. PMW: Raise Palestinian flags over Israeli cities "so it will be clear... that this is Palestine" - PA TV Israel replaced by "Palestine" in PA TV VIDEO 'The Intifada is Here, Even if Media Hasn't Said So' Israeli woman's message: the Intifada has started – take steps to protect yourselves. More and more Israelis living in Judea and Samaria (Shomron) have come under attack as Palestinian Authority terrorist groups increase the frequency of assaults on drivers in the region. One of the victims is Michal Weisel, who shared her post-attack thoughts with Arutz Sheva. Arab Mob Pelts Firefighters With Rocks as They Put Out Blaze An Israeli firefighter was injured in an Arab riot while putting a fire out in an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem Christians Beatify Their Palestinian Nightmare The movie "The Stones Cry Out" by the Italian filmaker Yasmine Perni "gives a detailed account of the historical, cultural, and political place occupied by Christians in the recent history of the Palestinian nation, and in its struggle against colonialism". The movie is one of the most powerful propaganda tools of the Palestinian Arab Christians. The documentary is supported by Sabeel, the Christian organization based in Jerusalem which foments anti-Semitism through the Scriptures, while Catholic authories and PLO propagandista such as Hanan Ashrawi "blessed" the movie. Hamas in Gaza Sending Out Tentacles to the West Bank Several factors are driving Hamas's efforts to step up terrorism launched from the West Bank. Hamas would like to 'cash in' on recent developments that boosted its credibility in the court of Palestinian public opinion at Fatah's expense. These events include Hamas's conflict with Israel last year, and its success in securing the release of 1,200 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons. Additionally, it is unable to directly launch attacks from Gaza now due to its commitment to the truce with Israel. Two Sentenced to Death in Gaza, Accused of Collaborating with Israel A court in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Thursday sentenced two people to death and a third to hard labor after they were found guilty of "collaboration" with Israel. Hizbullah Has Lost 75 Terrorists in Syria So Far 75 terrorists (often called fighters in Western media outlets) from the Lebanon-based Hizbullah have been killed in Syria since they first became involved in the country's war months ago, a source close to the Shiite group said on Thursday. Hezbollah Convoy Takes a Beating (Graphic) An Hezbollah convoy, on its way to assist the Assad government side in the intense fighting in Qusair, was attacked by Syrian rebels on Thursday. The video shows several bodies of killed Hezbollah soldiers, in addition to trucks that appear to have been hit by mortar and rocket fire. Turkey passes law restricting alcohol sales Turkey's parliament has passed legislation to ban all advertising of alcohol and tighten restrictions on sales in the mainly Muslim but secular country. The legislation, adopted on Friday, bans the sale of alcoholic drinks between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. It also prohibits alcohol sales anywhere close to mosques and educational centers.

Olmert's peace offer that Abbas rejected Posted: 24 May 2013 07:35 AM PDT The Tower has an amazing interview with Ehud Olmert giving the details of his final offer for peace and of Abbas' stonewalling afterwards. It is essential reading. "In the last meeting I brought a big map, like the size of this whole table," recalls Olmert. "With colors for all the regions that go over to us and the reverse. We would receive 6.3%, they would get 5.8%, but they also get a safe passage in a tunnel between Gaza and the West Bank that was the equivalent in territory of the remaining half percent. Territories that were considered no-man's-land before 1967 would be divided 50-50. Ariel would stay with us, and a network of tunnels would go under the Trans Samaria Highway to ease the passage of Palestinians in that area. Similarly for the areas of A-Zaim and Hizmeh, since I was insisting on E-1. There would be a tunnel that would enable Palestinians to have quick passage between Bethlehem and Ramallah, despite our control over the territory, and so their territorial contiguity would not be impaired." "At the same time, I gave Abbas territories in the Beit Sh'ean Valley, next to Tirat Zvi, not far from Afula, in the area of Lachish, in the area of Katna (next to Har Adar), the northern Judean desert and the area around the Gaza Strip. I completely gave up on having an Israeli presence in the Jordan Valley. That was because I could protect the line of the Jordan River through an international military force on the other side of the Jordan RIver. There was no opposition on the Palestinian side to our having a presence in warning stations along the mountain range." TheTower.org: But you essentially gave up on Israeli sovereignty on the Temple Mount? Olmert: "Correct, I proposed a compromise on sovereignty over the Temple Mount. There would be no sovereignty for anyone else. There would be the joint administration of the five states."... TheTower.org: So what did Abu Mazen say about that proposal? Did he accept your ideas? Olmert: "[In the meeting] he didn't say he opposed my idea. It was clear to me that he agreed. He said to me, 'Listen, it makes a very serious impression.' I said to him, 'Come on, let's initial the map. In a day or two we'll fly to the U.S. [for the annual UN General Assembly meetings which were taking place the following week] and convene the U.N. Security Council and tell them that it's a peace deal between us. The whole Security Council will approve it, and then we will go the General Assembly and ask for a vote. About 190 out of the 193 states will vote for it, maybe except for Iran and Syria. After that we'll convene a joint session of Congress and we'll appear everywhere together. We'll gather a summit of all the world's leaders at the connecting point of the Holy Basin. They will all come.' He said to me again, 'It's serious, it's serious, but I have to be sure. I want the map experts from both sides to sit together because I'm not an expert. We called over Turjeman and Saeb, I said to Shalom that he should call Danny Tirza, our map expert, so they should sit together the next day." But the next morning came the fateful call from Abbas' top aide, Saab Erekat, saying there would be no meeting to finalize the peace deal because the Palestinians "had forgotten that Abbas had to go to Amman," Olmert recalled. Erekat said they would meet the following week. "I've been waiting ever since." Asked this week to explain why Abbas would not have accepted such a sweeping offer, a senior Palestinian official told TheTower.org that Olmert's proposal was not acceptable to Abbas, who has been quoted elsewhere saying, "the gaps were wide." I think that Olmert's offer was irresponsible in how far it went, going way beyond even Ehud Barak's offer, but this proves that the Palestinian Arab leadership has never been seriously interested in peace. Of course, now that these details have been published, it will be regarded as a floor, not a ceiling, in any future negotiations (or negotiation pretenses.) Olmert thinks that the reason Abbas rejected it was: In the end they thought that maybe after the American elections they would get more from President Obama.

Islamic Jihad says Fatah, Hamas unity meetings "a waste of time" Posted: 24 May 2013 06:00 AM PDT Ma'an reports: Talks between Fatah and Hamas on Tuesday and Wednesday accomplished little as the parties failed to reach any agreement, a top Islamic Jihad official said Thursday. Abu Imad al-Rifaei, the Islamist group's representative in a committee preparing for national elections, told Ma'an that the talks focused on the makeup of the Palestinian Legislative Council and the Palestinian National Council. But he said neither Fatah nor Hamas seemed serious about ending the division and implementing a reconciliation deal signed in 2011. Al-Rifaei, who also serves as Islamic Jihad's representative in Lebanon, blasted the talks as a "waste of time." It is worthwhile to remember that the group that is most interested in Hamas/Fatah unity is an Islamist terror group that is more extreme than Hamas. This part is illuminating: Asked about the situation in Syria, al-Rifaei denounced Israel's bombing in early May of a regime facility in Damascus. He says Islamic Jihad stands by any country facing Israeli attacks and will respond as it sees fit. Yes, Islamic Jihad is threatening to attack Israel for attacking the regime that is murdering its fellow Islamists by the thousands. No matter how much Arabs and Muslims hate each other, they will always hate Israel and Jews more.

Lame Muslim hackers say they'll attack Israel again tomorrow Posted: 24 May 2013 05:45 AM PDT Their earlier video for "OpIsrael Reloaded" was even funnier: Hello World , Hello Human Rights Deffenders , Hello Israel .. We Are Anonymous . Israel ... This is an official message. The 7th day of april was an inforgettable day for you , all the world knew that we are the Power. you was afraid but you choosed to continue your violence , you promess to answer to our attacks and this was an insult for anonymous , but we gave you the time to answer it ... and what you wanted to do is making trouble in muslim people relationships , a lot of experiences was failed . Yesterday , Israelien people desecrated al aqsa mosque , This is an unauthorized action, it's a violence for the human rights ! this is a violence to the freedom of doctrine ! ... For that reason , we loaded the Israelien operation Phase 2 , Operation Israel 2 will be your nightmare , if you support Zionism , secure your website. Finally , we ask all free people of the world to join us this is a serious call . Today they attacked al aqsa mosque , tommorrow they'll attack your country ... they maybe attack you , they may censure your freedom . It's a dangerous case . Join us the 25 of May. We Are Anonymous We Are A Legion We Do Not Forget We Do Not Forgive Expect-us Of course the earlier #OpIsrael fizzled, and this one doesn't have the massive publicity that the previous one did. Meanwhile, while I can't confirm it, Israeli hackers claim to have outed the people behind #Opisrael. Here's the video on their website. Not that its production quality is much better:

Church of Scotland overwhelmingly approves anti-Israel report Posted: 24 May 2013 03:20 AM PDT From The Scotsman: THE General Assembly has ignored calls by Scottish Jews to rethink a controversial report on the Israel-Palestine situation. The Church and Society Council's Inheritance of Abraham? A report on the Promised Land document prompted a storm of controversy around the world when it was first published. Although primarily about the treatment of Palestinian people by the Israeli government, it was interpreted by Jewish groups as questioning the assumption that the Bible supported the existence of Israel as the Promised Land for Jews. The report was criticised by the Israeli government as playing into "extremist political positions" and that it had damaged inter-faith relations. In the wake of the row, the Kirk entered talks with Jewish groups and revised the report, changing some of the language and adding a preface giving context to the document. Despite these amendments, the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities (SCoJeC) said that the report's "unacceptable underlying message remains unaltered," and hoped that "rather than adopting the report, the General Assembly will refer it back in order to permit a serious and sustained dialogue that will bring our communities together rather than driving us apart". During the debate on the report yesterday, the Rev David Randall echoed the SCoJeC's call and brought a motion for the council to continue its work on the paper to find out "what is troubling the Jewish community" and report back in 2014. Although she agreed that talks with Jewish communities should continue, the council convener, the Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, rejected the motion, stating that council had been in "good dialogue" with them and had addressed their concerns. But she said that it was "a report for the General Assembly to discuss and debate" and that the central message "was robust". A standing vote was taken and Mr Randall's motion was overwhelmingly rejected, and the report was accepted by the Assembly. Speaking outside the hall, Mrs Foster-Fulton said: "This is primarily a report highlighting the continued occupation by the state of Israel and the injustices faced by the Palestinian people as a consequence. It is not a report criticising the Jewish people. Opposing the unjust policies of the state of Israel cannot be equated to antisemitism." The revised report itself addresses none of the actual problems with the original report. It simply adds an introduction that emphasizes that some Jews weren't thrilled with the ideas in the report, that this wasn't their intention, and that dialogue is a really great thing. And, also: [T]he country of Israel is a recognised State and has the right to exist in peace and security However, the report itself makes crystal clear that the Church of Scotland does not recognize that there is a right for a Jewish state to exist. Saying that Israel has a right to exist, without saying that the Jewish people have a right to self-determination, is not an indication of flexibility - it is an exercise in doublespeak. The main thrust of the report, and the part that is offensive, remains the same: the Church of Scotland is radically re-interpreting the Jewish Bible to mean something diametrically opposed to what it actually says, multiple times, in very plain language. Fundamentally, the Church is saying that the Jewish people have no right to their historic land. This means either that the Jews are either the only nation who do not have the right to self-determination, or that the Jews aren't a nation. The Old Testament is nothing if not the story of Jewish nationhood, so either the Church is changing the very essence of its foundational text or it is claiming that it is proper to deny Jews a basic human right. No amount of hand waving about respect for dialogue is going to blunt the pure malice behind that message. Beyond its obvious offensiveness to Jews, the report should be offensive to anyone who takes religion seriously. It is true, as I have shown, that logic used in the report is (to say the least) tendentious. Even worse, however, is that the underlying theme of the report is that the foundation of the religion itself, in this case the Bible, is fungible and must be altered in order to accommodate the current politically correct thinking. If religion's message isn't timeless, then it has no value. This is not to say that religions cannot and should not evolve to address contemporary issues, but these changes should not be flippant - and the idea that Israel's actions are so abhorrent that the Bible itself must be re-interpreted every couple of years should be offensive not only to Jews but to any believer.

You are subscribed to email updates from Elder of Ziyon To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610