יום שבת, 13 ביולי 2013

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Link to Elder of Ziyon

Pakistan Islamists ban men's tight clothes; PA arrests someone for eating on Ramadan

Posted: 12 Jul 2013 03:00 PM PDT

From Al Arabiya:
The Pakistani Taliban has banned men from wearing tight or see-through clothes during the holy month of Ramadan, the Saudi-based al-Riyadh newspaper reported on Thursday, quoting reports from South Waziristan.

The Taliban group also gave local shops written warnings of $500 fine if they are found selling thin clothes that do not "properly" cover the human body.

Tailors were also threatened with kidnapping and beating should they be caught making such "un-Islamic" clothing for men.

No warnings or threats were reportedly issued for women, because most of them wear the traditional full body cover known as the burqa.
But over at the "moderate" Palestinian Authority, Khaled Abu Toameh tweeted:
Tulkarem, West Bank: Palestinian police arrest man for eating in public on 3rd day of #Ramadan.
Not Gaza. Not Hamas. This is the darling of the international community, the PA.

Just so you know what kind of a modern, secular state "Palestine" would be even without Hamas.

7/12 Links Part 2: A New LATMA, Prosor on the UNHRC, Oren on Bibi and Record Tourism to Israel

Posted: 12 Jul 2013 02:00 PM PDT

From Ian:
LATMA: Halil Majnoun comments on the new Egyptian spring


Honor and Compromise in Middle East Leadership
The same condition continues to hold true today. Why Secretary of State Kerry and the Obama administration believe they can persuade Abbas sign an agreement guaranteeing Israel's right to exist in any form is astonishing. These leaders can lead only so long as they are not perceived as a shamed sell-out and traitor.
It is pointless, therefore, for Western and Israeli political leaders to try to provide Middle Eastern leaders with incentives to reach compromises where, in Western eyes all sides win, but in Middle Eastern eyes -- to their fellow Arabs and Muslims -- their side loses. Sadly, in the Middle East, there are only win-lose/lose-win resolutions -- with the winner talking all and the loser losing all. One can hope there might in the future be an Islamic reformation to overturn this cultural demand, but so long as the Islamic Middle East does not truly believe it needs to change, a shift that deeply revolutionary is highly unlikely. (h/t Norman F
'Syria on UN Human Rights Council a new Guinness record'
Diplomats and NGOs greeted with skepticism and incredulity the news that Syria and Iran intend to run for spots on the UN Human Rights Council. The elections, which will be held in November, are for three-year terms running from January 2014 through December 2016.
"A new Guinness record at the UN?" said a sarcastic Ron Prosor, Israel's UN ambassador. "Syria and Iran in the Human Rights Council is like giving organized crime bosses responsibility for the witness protection program."
Oren: Netanyahu 'certainly' capable of handling Iran threat
Oren added, though, that Israel cannot rely on the US to prevent a nuclear Iran. "The question isn't whether or not we believe Obama," he said. "The question is what our responsibility is as a sovereign nation. We cannot outsource our national security… All diplomatic options must be exhausted – but we cannot flee from this responsibility."
Asked whether Netanyahu is capable of handling such a mission, Oren replied: "Certainly… He was the one who succeeded in drawing the world's attention to the threat… Netanyahu truly managed to budge the world. But this success is not enough. Therefore Netanyahu now faces a Ben-Gurion-type dilemma. The question he faces is similar to the question that faced Ben-Gurion in May 1948 and the question that Levi Eshkol faced in May 1967."
In Email to JTA Quinn Says West Bank 'Disputed Territory'
"Chris believes the West Bank is a disputed territory and that the Israelis and Palestinians must sit down and negotiate a solution," said a spokesman for Quinn, the speaker of the New York City Council. "As Mayor, Chris will use the bully pulpit of the office and everything she can to urge the two sides to sit and negotiate a peaceful resolution of the conflict through the establishment of two states for two peoples that ensures safety and security for the State of Israel."
Quinn's position runs counter to that of the U.S. government, which considers the West Bank Israel-occupied territory.
NYC Protest against Jewish Appeasers: 'Like Inviting Hitler'
Dozens of people protested outside the YM-YWHA at 92nd Street in New York City Thursday, against Jewish institutions and philanthropists who give their backing to anti-Israeli speakers.
AFSI Executive Director Helen Freedman told Arutz Sheva that the central Jewish organiations enjoy the generosity of American Jews who are unaware that the money is going toward anti-Israeli activities.
3-Year-Old Critically Injured in Arab Rock-Throwing Attack Spends First Weekend at Home
After four months in intensive care units, an Israeli 3-year-old seriously injured in an Arab rock-throwing attack was able to return home, if only for two short days.
Adele Bitton spent this past weekend with her family but returned to her rehabilitation center, where she has been staying since May, for treatment and rehabilitation on Sunday.
Columnist: So They Detained a Boy, So What?
The IDF entered damage control mode Wednesday over an incident in which an Arab child – apparently about six years old – was detained for an hour or two by IDF soldiers after he threw rocks near the Cave of Machpela in Hevron.
A video shot by the leftist B'tselem group shows the soldiers taking the boy, Wadi' Maswada, to his parents' home. The soldiers reportedly waited there until the arrival of the boy's father, Karim Maswada, some 30 minutes later. The boy and his father were then taken to the IDF's command center nearby and handed over to Palestinian Authority police.
Throughout the event, the boy is accompanied by an Arab youth who holds his hand, and who appears to be his relative.
Twitter outs users who posted anti-Semitic content
Twitter announced Friday that it had supplied French authorities with data that would help identity users who post anti-Semitic content. The announcement comes a month after a French court upheld a lower court's ruling that ordered Twitter to divulge details of users who posted anti-Semitic tweets.
Twitter said in a statement that it had relayed to judicial authorities information "enabling the identification of some authors" of anti-Semitic tweets, according to AFP.
Israel an Innovation 'Dynamo'
Israel is the mother of invention. It has more tech startups and more people working in research and development than any other country in the world.
Its advances in medical technology have saved lives around the world, including that of former U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords—an emergency medical team applied a revolutionary elasticized bandage developed in Israel to her head wounds.
Israeli inventions have proliferated and prospered, "from the hospital to the farm, from outer space to your kitchen," said Marcella Rosen at the Jerusalem Press Club on July 3. She was quoting her book, which she presented at the Club, titled, "Tiny Dynamo: How one of the World's Smallest Countries Is Producing Some of Our Most Important Inventions." (h/t Zvi)
Israel is #1 in Preventing Blindness
Professor Michael Belkin, who led the study, said Israel's achievement is unmatched anywhere else in the world.
According to the World Health Organization, 80% of blindness is preventable or treatable — but it remains a severe health concern across the globe, even in industrialized countries.
Israel's secret is to be found not only in the methods of treatment seen in the Jewish State, but also in their universal availability and accessibility, patient compliance with treatment protocols and correct use of prescribed medications, he said. (h/t Zvi)
EMC to acquire server storage software firm ScaleIO
EMC is throwing its weight behind ScaleIO by signing a definitive agreement to buy the firm for an undisclosed amount, it was announced on Thursday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Israeli business site Calcalist said in June that EMC could be paying as much as $200-300 million for the server storage software company.
This will be EMC's second acquisition in Israel over the past year. EMC bought flash storage firm ExtremeIO for $430 million in May 2012. (h/t Zvi)
Israeli and Chicago universities join forces for a thirsty planet
At first glance it doesn't seem that Chicago and Israel have much in common when it comes to water.
"Ben-Gurion is in the desert while the University of Chicago is right on the shoreline of Lake Michigan, one of the best sources of water in the world," admitted Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, on a recent trip to Israel.
Tourism at record high in 1st half of 2013
Tourism to Israel hit a record January-June high this year, reaching 1.7 million visitors, the Central Bureau of Statistics said this week.
The figure was 1% higher than in the same six-month period in 2012, the bureau said. In June, tourism rose 3% to 295,000. (h/t Zvi)
Cliff Richard wows crowd during 'summer holiday' in Israel
Richard seemed genuinely excited to be performing in Israel. As with all big international stars who perform in the Holy Land, Richard addressed the crowd with a heartfelt "Shalom Tel Aviv," which was well received as always. He reminded them how it was exactly 25 years ago since he last performed in Israel and even vowed to try not to leave it so long till the next performance.

Egyptian Sufi leader says Hamas is a satanic arm of the Jews

Posted: 12 Jul 2013 12:30 PM PDT

Sufi leader Mustafa Zayed defended Egypt's closing of the Gaza borders and smuggling tunnels. He expressed support for the Palestinian Arabs who are suffering, he says, under Hamas rule, an organization that seeks to split them into separate sectors.

"Everyone knows" that Hamas is really a satanic arm of the Jews, according to Zayed.

While he expressed sympathy for the Palestinians in Gaza, he also said that the problem is partially their fault, because they have allowed this rotten and demnonic organization to survive in their midst.

Media starting to notice Khaybar's incitement against Jews

Posted: 12 Jul 2013 11:00 AM PDT

Finally!

From The Tower:
According to Yusri al-Gindi, the director of the new series, Jewish "treachery and conspiracies" remain current in contemporary life. He adds that, "These people have not changed one bit."
Since March, the series has been profiled on a number of mainstream Egyptian television channels. Speaking to the station Al-Akhbar Al-Youm, series actor Ahmad Abd Al-Halim says that Jews think exclusively about "accumulating money."
On Rotana Masriya, part of the Arab world's largest entertainment company, the Rotana Group, actor Ahmad Maher says, "These people are oppressors, who do not honor their agreements. History shows that they are the people who disputed Allah. They are the slayers of prophets."
In another preview on Dream TV – a prominent satellite channel on which Google executive Wael Ghonim made his famous plea during the 2011 Egyptian revolution – Maher adds that in the series, "We learn how [the Jews] raise their children… How they teach them to live their lives, in a vile, treacherous, depraved and Machiavellian manner."
Gindi, the director, was even profiled on Al Jazeera Arabic's website, in an article entitled "'Khaybar' reveals the machinations of the Jews."
I'm also mentioned.

From JPost:
Sameh al-Sereity, one of the main actors in the show, plays Muhammad ibn Maslamah, the bodyguard of the prophet Muhammad. Sereity told an Egyptian newspaper the show portrays the evolution of Jews' hatred of others.

"The hostility between us and the Jews still exists. The hatred is ingrained. Neither Egyptians nor Arabs need this show to justify their hatred of Zionism. The existing struggles between us provide the simplest proof of this," he said.

Another actor, Ahmad Abd al-Halim, said, "I play one of the Jewish characters, who demonstrates the behavior of the Jewish human being. All he thinks about is accumulating money."
 HuffPo's Rabbi Ken Cohen gets to the root of the problem:
Major human rights organizations all but ignore this incitement. Although Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued a joint statement in 2003 condemning anti-Semitism and Human Rights Watch has condemned anti-Semitism in the West, both groups are silent about widespread and poisonous anti-Jewish animus that is now commonplace in Muslim countries. But ethno-religious incitement has already cost the lives of thousands. And it undermines peace prospects. It is hardly "confidence building" when Israelis see these hateful programs on their own living rooms broadcast from Jordan, Egypt and Gaza. They remember the "Khaybar" missiles Hezbollah fired at Israeli cities in 2005. They have heard the chant at rallies in Ramallah and Europe: "Khaybar, Khaybar ya Yahud, jaysh-i Muhammad sawf-a ya'ud!-Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews, the army of Muhammad will return."

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights defines ethno-religious baiting as a crime against humanity: "advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence" (article 20). Human rights groups need to speak out. This is not trivial TV entertainment. It amounts to nothing short of the psychological preparation for a potential genocide. It must be recognized and addressed.

This crude and offensive incitement defies journalistic and media standards observed elsewhere. It harms Jews, but also it undermines the standing of Muslims and the image of Islam.

In a meeting I had last month with the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and OIC's ambassador to the UN, Ukuk Gokcen, both men acknowledged incitement is a significant problem. Professor Ihsanoglu has spoken against anti-Semitism during his tenure. We look to the OIC and others within the Muslim world to take steps to help curtail this disturbing trend. To date major human rights organizations are all but silent.
Again, tell your friends to sign the petition to Amnesty and HRW, and to join the anti-Khaybar Facebook page. And tweet/email to HRW and Amnesty demanding that they address this incitement.

7/12 Links Part 1: UK Lib Dem denigrates the Holocaust, Female Arab Soldiers- Zoabi Go to Gaza

Posted: 12 Jul 2013 09:55 AM PDT

From Ian:
Khaled Abu Toameh: Egypt Punishes the Palestinians
In the past, the Palestinians paid a very heavy price for meddling in the internal affairs of Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and other Arab countries, but this price has not deterred them.
That meddling is also the reason most Arab countries have long despised the Palestinians, subjecting them to Apartheid laws and other punitive measures, including travel bans and deprivation of financial aid.
For earning the enmity and contempt of their Arab brethren, the Palestinians have only themselves to blame: they shoot themselves in the foot and then blame others for their misery. They would be better served if instead they would start directing their energies toward solving their own problems and improving their living conditions -- exactly what the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas governments are not doing.
UK Politician Sir Bob Russell Equates 'Life of Palestinians' to Holocaust (VIDEO)
Colchester MP Sir Bob Russell was speaking during a debate on the national curriculum in the House of Commons on Monday, when he posed a question to Education Secretary Michael Gove about the status of world history lessons, saying: "On the assumption that the 20th century will include the Holocaust, will he give me an assurance that the life of Palestinians since 1948 will be given equal attention?"
"These remarks are a shocking piece of Holocaust denigration," said Jewish Leadership Council chief executive Jeremy Newmark. "There is simply no comparison between the two situations. It is worrying that so soon after the David Ward affair another MP thinks it is acceptable to play fast and loose with the language of the Holocaust in this context."
Raheem Kassam: Call Israel what you like, but don't diminish the Holocaust
When you start invoking blood libels, ancient conspiracy theories, diminish the extermination of 6 million Jews or claim that people who happen to be Jewish run the world, well, that does make you an anti-Semite. It really does. No really, it does. You should embrace it. Now march yourself down to the annals of history and stay there, because the 21st century has no place for race baiters and bigots. And nor should the British Parliament.
Glenn Greenwald's Anti-Semitism Exposed
The following are quotes from Glenn Greenwald, 'Comment is Free' correspondent for the Guardian. (Greenwald joined the Guardian in 2012 after several years of blogging at Salon.com and a personal blog titled 'Unclaimed Territory'.)
Experts criticize 'irresponsible' Al Jazeera investigation of anti-Morsi activists' ties to U.S.
Stephen McInerney, Executive Director at the Project on Middle East Democracy, said the article had a "conspiratorial bent," since there is no evidence the U.S. funded the main anti-Morsi movement called "Tamaroud," meaning "rebel." McInerney also noted that both sides in Egypt have accused each other of being backed by the United States.
Congressional Letter to Call on Qatar to Take Another Look at its Hamas Funding
The letter, circulated by Reps. Peter Roskam (R-IL) and John Barrow (D-GA), comes at a time when Qatar is scrambling to maneuver around the removal from power of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. Doha had strongly supported Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood movement, with documents being published this week showing six-figure payments from Qatar to top Brotherhood officials.
Palestinian lies like water
It comes back again and again: The canard that Israel is denying West Bank Palestinians water rights negotiated under the Oslo Accords.
You have to read the fine print to discover that illegal Palestinian tapping into Israel's water lines and massive Palestinian water wastage are the causes of the problem. You have to study the issue in depth to discover that it is not Israeli "occupation policy" but Palestinian political resistance against joint water management and cooperation that is responsible for the slow development of the Palestinian water sector. The PA considers water and waste as weapons against Israel, not as areas of cooperation with Israel.
Female Arab Soldiers: Zoabi Should Go to Gaza
Two Arab Christian female Israelis who enlisted in the army this week have criticized MK Hanin Zoabi for her strong opposition to having Arabs join the IDF.
The two told Channel 10 News that MK Zoabi, who has in the past told Arutz Sheva that Israel should "prepare the prisons" if a law requiring Arab Israelis to enlist in the army is passed, does not represent them nor, in fact, does she represent many other Israeli Arabs who want to serve in the army.
So who's blockading Gaza now?
The main point here is that in the wake of Morsi's removal the Egyptian army has closed off her border with Gaza completely, to the dismay of tunnel-traders, terrorists, Hamas and ordinary people trying to get in or out of Gaza. Doubtless the border will remain sealed until Egypt is confident that no more threats to her own security will come from the Hamas-controlled area.
It is now Egypt who is blockading Gaza more than Israel ever has, causing major pain and disruption to trade, construction, fuel and power supplies and travel, but I guess we won't hear that from the Israel-delegitimisers.
US sharpens criticism of Egyptian arrests
While the administration has determined it is not in US national security interests to make any immediate changes to its aid program, officials said the continuing arrests of members of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and political party are troubling. The criticism is some of the most severe of Egypt's new leadership since Morsi was toppled last week and came a day after arrest warrants were issued for the Muslim Brotherhood's spiritual leader and nine other Islamists accused of inciting violence.
Syria: Al-Qaeda Linked Rebels Kill Free Syrian Army Officer
The Syrian rebels are continuing to turn on one another. Syrian rebels linked to Al-Qaeda killed a senior figure in the Western-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) on Thursday, an FSA source told Reuters.
Kamal Hamami, a member of the Free Syrian Army's Supreme Military Council, known by his nom de guerre Abu Bassel al-Ladkani, was meeting with members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the port city of Latakia when they killed him, Qassem Saadeddine, a Free Syrian Army spokesman, told the news agency.
Hezbollah fears attacks from al-Qaeda-linked groups
Fearing suicide attacks against Shi'ite targets in Lebanon, Hezbollah is adopting special security measures. According to Lebanese media reports, the Shi'ite organization has set up both fixed and mobile checkpoints in the heart of Baalbek, a Lebanese city known as a Shi'ite stronghold.
The unusual measures stem from concern about the possibility of bombings, similar to Tuesday's incident in the Beir el-Abed neighborhood in Beirut's Dahiyeh quarter during which 53 people were injured when an explosives-laden car exploded.
Irwin Cotler: The Iran-Hezbollah terror connection: What must be done
Simply put, the recent wave of terrorist attacks must serve as a wake-up call for the international community, which must act to combat this culture of incitement, terror and impunity. History teaches us that a sustained and coordinated international response is required to combat such grave threats to international peace and security. We must act now to hold Iran and Hezbollah to account, lest more lives be lost.
Iran: 75 hangings in 22 days
With the execution of 11 inmates in the northwestern city of Arbabil and western city of Qazin from July 6 thru July 8,, the total number of executions following the election of Hassan Rouhani on June 14 has reached 75. One of victims was 15 at the time of his arrest. Six were women.
Hezbollah Spying on Golan Heights from Syria
The IDF is forming a new division to operate in the Golan Heights, which faces a new threat of Hezbollah terrorists and weapons that had been limited to the Lebanese border before Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah sent his army to fight with Assad loyalists against Syrian rebels.
The new Golan division reflects the new situation in the Golan Heights, which now is on the border of clashes between Assad's army and rebels and has been subject to frequent rifle fire and mortar shelling, usually accidental and sometimes intentional.
IDF Launches New Media Weapon in Information War against Hezbollah
The IDF has launched new interaction media websites on the Hezbollah terrorist network in a pre-emptive strike to expose the rapidly expanding empire for what it is.
The vastly researched sites provide media outlets and, more importantly, the general public with a wealth of information that is designed to help Israel overcome the worldwide media bias in favor its enemies, Operation Cast Lead in Gaza four years ago and the war in Lebanon proved how much foreign media were hell-bent to serve up reportage with a strongly pro-Hezbollah and pro-Hamas viewpoint.

Portugal's "Law of Return" - for Jews

Posted: 12 Jul 2013 08:30 AM PDT

From JTA:
Until 2009, right-wing Portuguese politician Jose Ribeiro e Castro didn't have much interest in the expulsion of his country's Jewish community in the 16th century. That changed once Ribeiro e Castro opened a Facebook account.

Online, the 60-year-old lawmaker and journalist connected to several Sephardic Jews, descendants of a once robust Jewish community numbering in the hundreds of thousands, many of whom were forced into exile in 1536 during the Portuguese Inquisition. Eventually the encounters morphed into a commitment to rectify a historic injustice.

For Ribeiro e Castro, correcting the injustice meant spearheading a bill to naturalize the Jewish descendants of expelled Jews, a measure that unanimously passed the Portuguese parliament in April and went on the books last week, making Portugal the only country besides Israel with a Jewish law of return.

"The law is a commendable initiative," said Nuno Wahnon Martins, the Lisbon-born director of European affairs for B'nai B'rith International. "It has economic considerations as well, which do not subtract from parliament's worthy decision."

Portugal's initiative comes as countries across Europe continue to invest millions to develop Jewish heritage sites -- an effort they say is rooted in their belated recognition of the continent's vibrant Jewish history, but often is also an acknowledged attempt to attract tourist dollars at a time of economic stagnation.
There is more than a little irony of countries with a history of Jew-hatred, often based on using Jews as an economic scapegoat, now trying to capitalize on Jewish tourist dollars.

Fortunately, there have been some Portuguese who are truly righteous, as Ian noted yesterday in the linkdump:
When Aristides de Sousa Mendes died in 1954 he was broke and shamed, this despite his heroic activities during the Second World War to save Jews and other "enemies" of the Third Reich, The New York Times writes.

Sousa Mendes, Portugal's consul in Bordeaux when Germany invaded France, provided about 30,000 people with Portuguese visas to escape Nazi persecution, according to the Sousa Mendes Foundation, but when Portuguese authorities found out about his activities he was dismissed from the diplomatic service and stripped of his pension rights.

(h/t many including CiFWatch and Capt Bill)

ADL condemns "Khaybar" miniseries; HRW, Amnesty remain silent

Posted: 12 Jul 2013 07:00 AM PDT

The ADL has condemned the "Khaybar" miniseries that started broadcasting this week throughout the Arab world.

From The Algemeiner:

The Anti Defamation League (ADL) Thursday condemned as "vehemently anti-Semitic" the TV miniseries "Khaybar" currently being aired in the Middle East and across the Arab World.
"With Syria, Egypt and other countries in the Middle East going through historical upheavals, it is absurd and outrageous that the entertainment of the Ramadan season promotes the Muslim subjugation of caricatured Jews," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.
"The uprisings in the Arab and Muslim world have revealed a hunger among much of the Middle East for democracy, accountability and the development of effective civil and pluralistic society.  Khaiber and other productions of its ilk represent the old detrimental approach of promoting Muslim societal unity through focusing hatred on Jews and Israel," Foxman said.
The multi-million dol­lar tele­vi­sion series produced by Echo Media Qatar dramatizes the ancient battle between Muslims and the Jews of the town of Khaybar in Arabia and depicts Jews as the enemy of Islam.
Earlier this week  the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) released a video of the stars of "Khaybar," that captures them making inflammatory and anti-Semitic remarks. One actor says that all Jews think about "is making money," while another says that Jews "have no moral values."
Last month anonymous blogger Elder of Ziyon oversaw the delivery of a petition, urging mainstream human rights groups to condemn "Khaybar," to the New York City headquarters of both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Thus far he says that both organizations have failed to respond to his overtures.
Neither Human Rights Watch nor Amnesty International responded to detailed requests from The Algemeiner for comment.
Khaybar is airing throughout Ramadan, a holy month of fasting in Islam and the prime television season in the Muslim world.
Today, pro­test­ers at anti-Israel ral­lies around the world often evoke the bat­tle of the town of Khaybar in their chants to gal­va­nize supporters.
"Those who are rallying for a new society across the region must reject the anti-Semitism promoted in this television series," Foxman said. "Faith leaders in the Muslim world should also unite in rejecting attempts to revive age-old hatreds."
And so should "human rights" organizations.

In this case, the ADL condemnation is on its website, so at least the Jewish media should pick up on this pretty soon; with luck the mainstream media will as well.

The petition to HRW and Amnesty is here. Every signature triggers emails to the appropriate HRW and Amnesty official.

The Facebook page where I post all my Khaybar updates is here.

Report: Egyptian helicopter over Gaza this morning (update)

Posted: 12 Jul 2013 05:32 AM PDT

Palestine Press Agency reports that an Egyptian army helicopter flew at low altitude over Khan Younis and Rafah in Gaza at 2:30 this morning.

It hovered over the Gaza neighborhoods for nearly an hour, before it returned to Egyptian territory.

It appears that this was in conjunction with an operation to destroy tunnels under the border between Egypt and Gaza.

A security source said the helicopter was said to have come from the eastern region of the border with Egypt and entered Rafah where it flew for about half an hour, before it went to Khan Younis, without being approached by Israeli aircraft.

Ma'an seems to be the one that broke the story, and it is being picked up by many Palestinian and Egyptian Arabic media.

UPDATE: Times of Israel confirms it but says it was inadvertant and only for a few minutes.

Video of Muslims intimidating peaceful Jewish visitors to Temple Mount

Posted: 12 Jul 2013 04:00 AM PDT

These are videos that accompanied another article from the Al Aqsa Foundation, reproduced in many Arabic news outlets, that claim that Jews "desecrated" the Al Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday morning.

You can see, in the Islamists' own videos, that the Jews are peacefully and respectfully walking in their holiest site.



Then you can see the Muslims angrily chanting to them, "Bil-ruh, bil-damm, nafdik ya aqsa" which means "With our souls and blood we shall redeem you, oh Al-Aqsa."


Who are the desecrators?

(h/t Ibn Botrous)

British comedian wants to be an Elder of Zion (video) (updated)

Posted: 12 Jul 2013 02:30 AM PDT

Sorry, but if you have to ask....

From Hayden Cohen:



Unlike Cohen, Rav Shmuel has what it takes, in this classic 2006 video which people still send me:



UPDATE: I was trying to figure out why I was bothered by Cohen's video.

The reason is that it isn't self-deprecating - it is self-loathing.

Compare it with his video about being a geek. In that one he is making fun of himself for liking comic books and Star Trek. He is embracing his geekiness.

But in this one, he is using humor to distance himself from Jews, winking at his audience that he is only kidding - he is not really one of those kinds of Jews.

Gefilte fish jokes are easy, but in the end you know that Cohen doesn't identify with any of the things he mentions, and instead is placing himself with the audience against those weird, religious, settler-loving, tank-driving Jews.
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