יום רביעי, 7 באוגוסט 2013

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Link to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Perfect hypocrisy by the Arab League

Posted: 06 Aug 2013 07:30 PM PDT

Today, the Arab League condemned a demonstration by Jews in Israel to be allowed to freely worship on the Temple Mount. It denounced the idea of Jews visiting the holiest site in Judaism as being "provocative" and "against international law."

They are concerned that these Jewish "extremists" plan to build their own structure on top of the Mount, even though - they say - there is no historical evidence that there was any Jewish Temple on the site.

The League said that Jewish visits to the site were "gravely dangerous."

Immediately afterwards, the League also condemned Israel's practice of limiting access to the Mount for Palestinian Arabs who are under 40 years old. It says that such limitations are "contrary to international law and the right of citizens to worship anywhere, and the occupying power may not violate the freedom of worship guaranteed in the Charter of the United Nations."

The Arab League suddenly fervently believes in freedom to worship - right after saying that Jews have no rights to worship on the Temple Mount!

Hypocrisy in the Arab world is not hard to find, but to see such blatant hypocrisy within the same statement is a bit more notable.
By the way, the UN's International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights has this to say about freedom to worship, in Article 18, paragraph 3:
Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.
So the League is lying yet again - Israel is perfectly within its rights under international law to restrict who can visit the Temple Mount to avoid violence and to ensure reasonably free access to all religions - a goal that the Arab League explicitly does not believe in.

The best news out of Egypt

Posted: 06 Aug 2013 04:00 PM PDT

From Al Ahram:
Egypt's interim president, Adly Mansour, had amended the law regulating the punishment for the crime of insulting the president.

His presidential decree stated that if found guilty, the accused could pay a fine of up to LE30,000 ($4,290) but no less than LE10,000 ($1,430).

This amends Article 170 of the Egyptian penal code, which dictated that an insult to the president lands the offender a minimum of 24 hours in jail but not to exceed three years.

Several activists, political figures and civilians were detained or forced to pay a fine for allegedly offending deposed president Mohamed Morsi.

The number of "insulting the president" lawsuits during Morsi's reign exceeds those filed under all Egyptian rulers since 1892, reveals the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) in a report issued in January.

Furthermore, it says 24 lawsuits for insulting then-president Morsi had been filed against journalists and activists since his inauguration in June 2012. Three of the lawsuits were filed by the president's office with the prosecutor-general.
Not too many national leaders, even interim leaders, would have the humility to pull this off.

Maybe the interim government can throw in laws that give women equal rights and other Western-style liberal laws that would be difficult for subsequent governments to overturn without looking bad.

8/06 Links Part 2: NYT Romanticizes Pal Stone Throwers, Israeli Christian Leader 'We Want to Defend the State'

Posted: 06 Aug 2013 02:30 PM PDT

From Ian:
The New York Times Romanticizes Palestinian Stone Throwers and Ignores Their Victims
Stones kill, maim, wound and change people's lives forever. Israeli infants have been slain, toddlers critically wounded and adults have sustained severe head injuries or were hospitalized with lighter injuries, all due to Palestinian stone throwers.
But the story of Israeli victims is not the one the New York Times prefers to tell and is certainly not the one Middle East correspondent Jodi Rudoren chose to recount in her latest front page, above-fold article about Palestinian stone throwers, entitled "'My Hobby Is Throwing Stones': In a West Bank Culture of Conflict, Boys Wield the Weapon at Hand."
Quite the contrary, this was a story that romanticized and heroized the Palestinian perpetrators. It is they – not the Israeli dead and injured – who are presented as the victims, "provoked by the situation," forced into this type of "futile" hobby, only to be arrested and incarcerated by fierce, powerful Israeli soldiers.
The Independent's Unbelievable Response to Complaint from Reader
The term "political prisoner" is widely understood to describe a person imprisoned for beliefs, not actions. If someone kills an innocent civilian in the name of a political cause – whether that be animal rights, abortion rights, or Palestinian independence – that person would be jailed because of the act of murder, not the political cause he supports. The distinction is important. Referring to a murder as a political prisoner grants legitimacy to the crime. It is a disservice to genuine political prisoners and to the victims of the violent criminals.
Gore's reference to a "wider political game" is even more bewildering. According to this view, the designation of a political prisoner is not related to either the crime or its motivation. Instead, it is accorded if a third party believes it can gain politically by demanding the prisoners release.
The Guardian or PressTV? Iran's president to export the Islamic Revolution 'peacefully'
And, those genuine peace advocates among us may reasonably believe that it strains credulity to imagine a brave, new 'dovish' Islamist regime which will suddenly cease in its coordinated campaign of antisemitic propaganda, which includes Holocaust denial and incitement to genocide.
So, while continuing to export the Islamic Revolution by providing a military lifeline to the butcher in Damascus and sending sophisticated weapons to terror movements in Lebanon and Gaza, thus helping to destabilize the region, we are being asked to believe that the new President will, nonetheless, emphatically oppose all forms of "foreign intervention".
Iranian imperialism with a 'smiling face', courtesy of the Guardian.
BBC self-conscripts to Peace Now campaigning yet again
As we see once again, the backbone of this BBC report is taken from a press release of the same date put out by the politically motivated NGO 'Peace Now', to which the BBC report also links. This is of course far from the first time that the BBC has rushed to promote the 'Peace Now' campaigning agenda as 'news' – see here, here, here and here. Yet again – and in direct breach of BBC guidelines on impartiality – the BBC fails to inform its audiences of the political agenda of the organization it describes only as a "watchdog".
Clearly the main aim of this article is to persuade audiences of Israeli 'intransigence' and to continue the BBC's already well-entrenched campaign to promote the notion of "settlements" as one of the main obstacles to a Middle East full of sweetness and light. The standard BBC template slogans on that subject are of course included in this article too.
Oliver Stone's Son Says 9/11 Inside Job, Defends Hezbollah, Calls Israelis 'European Settlers'
Sean Stone, son of controversial film director Oliver Stone, delivered a barrage of anti-Israel rhetoric on the Russia Today TV channel August 1st. He referred to Israel as a "crusader state" and repeatedly called Israelis "European settlers." He said these "European settlers" don't feel comfortable in what is "historically Palestine," and they have no ties to Israel. He also referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an "American guy." Stone, who is a convert to Islam, also claimed that the terror attacks on New York of September 11th 2001 were an inside job and were not carried out by Islamic terrorists led by Osama bin Laden. Sean's positions are not entirely surprising, as Oliver Stone himself has a history of making anti-Semitic remarks.
Egyptian soccer player agrees to play match in Israel
Salah, 21, reportedly changed his mind after meeting with team officials. He has been under pressure from his fellow countrymen to boycott the match.
"I will fly to Israel," he said in a statement. "Football is more important than politics and it is my job.
"In my thoughts I am going to play in Palestine and not Israel, and I am also going to score and win there. The Zionist flag won't be shown in the Champions League."
In the first match between the two teams, which Basel won 1-0, Salah avoided shaking hands with members of the Israeli team, which includes Israeli-Arabs. (h/t Zvi)
Rabbi shot in Russia released from Israeli hospital
Isakov was airlifted to Israel after being shot July 24 as he exited his car and headed into his home in Derbent, in the predominantly Muslim Republic of Dagestan, near Chechnya.
Authorities have said it was likely a terrorist attack by Muslim extremists.
Isakov, a father of four, told Israeli media he intends to return to Derbent as soon as he is well.
Panama and Israel: An Unlikely Friendship
Panama has stood by Israel from the beginning: Panama was one of the many countries to vote for UN Resolution 181, which created the State of Israel. Since then, Panama has consistently voted with Israel, including voting against Palestinian Statehood on November 29, 2012. Only nine countries, including Israel and the United States, voted against UN Resolution 67/19. Some, such as Max Fisher did, have speculated that the vote was more for the United States, because of conomic ties. However, Panama has more reasons than this to support Israel.
Panama has, unfortunately, experienced terror from Hezbollah, just as Israel has. According to Tracy Wilkinson's 1994 Los Angeles Times article, "The day after Buenos Aires' seven-story Jewish community center was reduced to rubble on July 18, a suicide bomber said to be Lebanese and unable to speak Spanish or English boarded a commuter flight in Colon, Panama, near the Atlantic end of the Panama Canal. When he detonated the bomb, all 21 people aboard were killed, including 12 Jewish and Israeli businessmen, and three U.S. citizens." This attack not only devastated Panama, but led to even stronger ties between Israel and Panama.
UK, France to remake Israeli TV show 'Mom and Dadz'
Israeli-made television show, Mom and Dadz, has been bought by British and French production companies and is set for remakes in English and French. The comic drama features a gay couple raising a child with a single woman and the complex dynamics of the characters that goes with this mission.
Although the show may at first sound like the now defunct NBC show, The New Normal, Mom and Dadz stays away from the one-liners that accompanied the American series and instead "focuses on the complex dynamics of the parental triangle, layering their insecurities and complicated emotions with wry humor," according to the New York Times.
Israel Waives US 'Iron Dome' Funding
Despite pledges by US President Barack Obama and key congressional leaders to shield the Israeli Iron Dome from sequestration cuts, Israel has offered to waive funding protection, reports Defense News, which says Israel has been "insisting it should bear its share of the burden."
"Our position is we must bear the burden that our American friends are bearing," Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador in Washington, told the website in an interview to be published in an upcoming edition. Sources from both countries told the website that this is "a painful, yet pragmatic price for the goodwill to be generated among longtime supporters in Washington."
United Hatzalah Head Tells TED Crowd About Israeli Lifesavers
After witnessing a terror attack in Jerusalem as a child, Eli Beer decided that he wanted to be a doctor and help people, the director of United Hatzolah told an audience at a recent TED conference.TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conferences are gatherings where innovative ideas, theories and projects are presented to thousands of viewers, both live and on-line. Beer spoke at a recent TEDMed conference, which concentrates on medical issues. (h/t Zvi)
UN makes Holocaust documents available online
Scholars, campaigners and lawyers can for the first time readily access more than 2,200 documents from a largely unknown archive housed at the United Nations that documents thousands of cases against accused World War II criminals in Europe and Asia.
The unrestricted records of the United Nations War Crimes Commission were put online in early July by the International Criminal Court after an agreement with the UN, a move spurred by British academic Dan Plesch, who has been leading the push for greater access to the archive. The documents relate to more than 10,000 cases.
Across Forbidden Border, Doctors in Israel Quietly Tend to Syria's Wounded
The identity of the patients is closely guarded so they will not be in danger when they return to Syria. Soldiers sit outside the wards where the adults are to protect them from possible threats and prying journalists. But doctors granted access to the children in the closed intensive care wing, on the condition that no details that could compromise their safety were published.
Like many Israeli hospitals, this one serves a mixed population of Jews and Arabs; its staff includes Arabic-speaking doctors, nurses and social workers. In the lobby, a glass display case contains the remnants of a Katyusha rocket that was fired from Lebanon and hit the hospital's eye department during the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. The rocket penetrated four floors but nobody was injured because all the north-facing wards had been moved underground.
With more than 100,000 people estimated to have died in the Syrian civil war, Dr. Barhoum, an Arab Christian citizen of Israel, acknowledged that the Israeli medical assistance was "a drop in the ocean."
But he said he was proud of the level of treatment his teams could provide and proud to be a citizen of a country that allowed him to treat every person equally. He said the cost of the treatment so far had amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars and would be paid for by the Israeli government.
Christian Leader: 'We Want to Defend the State'
In the face of severe opposition – some would say persecution – by the leaders of his church, Father Gabriel Nadaf, a Greek Orthodox priest from Nazareth and spiritual leader of a forum for the enlistment of Christian youth in the IDF, continues to advocate for a strong connection among Arab Christians with the State of Israel.
On Monday, Nadaf met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to discuss issues affecting his community, and ways the state could help him encourage greater participation of Christian Arab youth in Israeli society. (h/t Zvi)

Librarians visiting "Palestine" show their ignorance

Posted: 06 Aug 2013 12:30 PM PDT

The entire idea of librarians supporting boycotting Israel is an oxymoron. How can people who are dedicated to acquiring, categorizing and disseminating knowledge even consider boycotting an entire nation of people who are so instrumental in creating that same knowledge?

Yet a group of Israel-hating librarians recently visited "Palestine" to drink up and then regurgitate the lies being fed to them by their propaganda-spewing hosts.

It is remarkable that self-described librarians can write a paragraph like this with a straight face:
We are an independent group of librarians and archivists who traveled to Palestine from June 23 – July 4, 2013. We come from the US, Canada, Sweden, Trinidad & Tobago, and Palestine. We bore witness to the destruction and appropriation of information, and the myriad ways access is denied. We were inspired by the many organizations and individuals we visited who resist settler-colonialism in their daily lives. ... In all our travels and work, we respected the Palestinian civil society call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel and did not partner with any organization that violates this call. As librarians and archivists, as people who believe in access to information, we affirm that institutional academic and cultural boycotts are appropriate responses to curtailed freedoms and are effective tools for change.
Librarians who voluntarily censor others' opinions are not librarians.

As a result of their indoctrination during their trip, you can see howlers like this on their blog:
[A]bout 25% of Israelis in pre-67 borders are Palestinians, who are "residents" of Israel, but denied citizenship and legally discriminated against, thus it is important to distinguish between Israelis and Israeli Jews...
These librarians are so brainwashed that they believe that there are no Arab citizens of Israel!

If they had bothered to speak to any Israeli, they could have found out that they were taught and then spread lies, which should bother any real librarian. Actually, if they would have bothered to read any books about Israel they would have known that this was nonsense. However, these "knowledge workers" prefer to work without knowledge. Their BDS overlords told them to boycott any books that tell actual truth about Israel.

The group happily posed with drawings of terrorists:


Another photo they proudly took symbolizes the ethnic cleansing of Jews from their homeland (unless the graffiti is referring to the dog breed.)

This photo of theirs shows a map that erases Israel and helpfully enshrines violence with the PFLP logo along with two rifles:


Support for violence? Spreading lies? Romanticizing terrorism? What kind of "librarians" are these, anyway?

Indeed, these "librarians" have no problem violating their own code of ethics:
The core mission of librarians and other information workers is to ensure access to information for all for personal development, education, cultural enrichment, leisure, economic activity and informed participation in and enhancement of democracy....Librarians and other information workers are strictly committed to neutrality and an unbiased stance regarding collection, access and service. They seek to acquire balanced collections, apply fair service policies, avoid allowing personal convictions to hinder the carrying out of their professional duties, combat corruption and seek the highest standards of professional excellence.
One of the leaders of the group, although she didn't participate in this visit, is "Jenna," who wrote many of the blog posts on behalf of the tourists. Librarians for Fairness fills in the details:
Jenna's father, whom we will refer to as Mitch, is one of the most prominent librarians in the world. He is also a former president of the American Library Association. We doubt that anyone would call Mitch an ardent Zionist, or for that matter, a Zionist. But Mitch accepts Israel's right to exist. We believe Mitch to be a fair-minded man...

Mitch communicated to Jenna in December of 2012, during the early planning stages of Librarians and Archivists to Palestine. He asked Jenna if respecting the BDS Movement was a requirement for acceptance in the delegation. Mitch wisely asserted that if it was, that in and of itself would be "oppressive." Well, we in LfF know that supporting the BDS Movement is, indeed, one of the mandates for inclusion in Librarians and Archivists to Palestine. And the BDS Movement (founded by Omar Barghouti, who, ironically, holds a graduate degree from Tel Aviv University) does, in fact, call for the annihilation of Israel. Mitch also expressed his view that the de-legitimization of Israel was "deeply wrong." And he further pointed out that Israeli Arabs are treated a lot better than Jews in Arab lands have been treated, since the 1940's. Moreover, in his criticism of BDS, Mitch noted that he does not see anyone doing a BDS against Saudi Arabia.

Jenna, why haven't you listened more to the wise words of your Abba (Dad)? Jenna, do not your father's admonitions indicate that he may very well feel that Librarians and Archivists to Palestine is more about de-legitimizing Israel, than helping Arab libraries and archives?

The vast majority of real librarians should be ashamed of this group.

(h/t Dan)

Egyptian paper says Iron Man story is from the Quran

Posted: 06 Aug 2013 10:30 AM PDT

In the middle of a rambling article in Egypt's New El Fagr newspaper, we learn that the movie Iron Man was actually inspired by the Quranic story of the Prophet David.

You will recall that Tony Stark created his first Iron Man suit by painstakingly smelting and welding metal in the mountains of Afghanistan. 

This is just like David, who, the Quran informs us, was the first to create armor! As Wikipedia notes:
Islamic belief holds that God taught David the making of armour. the Qur'an says the 'iron was made soft for him', through which David could make instruments for protection against enemies. However, the rule in this story is to use weapons of defense only in true war (e.g., if you are fighting for freedom of worship) and not to simply use weapons for degenerate violence. Later accounts in Muslim literature have references to David's armor-making abilities.God says in the Qur'an:
We favoured David with excellence, (and commanded): "O mountains and birds, glorify the greatness of God with him." And We made iron pliable for him.
"Make long coats of mail," (We said), "and fix their links, and do the right. I surely see whatsoever you do."
—Qur'an, surah 34 (Saba), ayat 10-11[9]
In addition, if i am understanding the article correctly, David was called "lion-hearted" - and Tony Stark replaced his heart with one that is not human either!

It's uncanny!

8/06 Links Part 1: Who Funds UNRWA?, Hamas Accuses Egypt of Turning Gaza into a “Big Prison”

Posted: 06 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT

From Ian:
John Kerry: Flying Everywhere, Getting Nowhere
The PLO and the Palestinians have nothing to do with problems facing the world. Kerry and Obama think otherwise.
Kerry got off the plane and apparently concluded: a. Syria's war—the Palestinians; b. Iran's bomb—the Israelis; c. Egypt's unrest—the Zionists; d. problems with North Korea — the Israelis; e. trade crisis withChina—the Palestinians; and so on.
Before assuming Kerry bumped his head, like Hillary Clinton, we must recall that Obama sent Kerry abroad and also thinks "Palestine" is the center of the universe.
Report: Al-Qaida affiliate possesses highly undetectable liquid explosive
Al-Qaida, or one of its affiliates, may use a new liquid explosive in a possible attack in the near future, according to an ABC News report citing two unnamed senior US officials.
According to the report, clothes may be dipped into the liquid explosives, and become explosive themselves once the liquid dries.
This type of "ingenious" explosive is particularly worrying to security agencies because it would be very difficult, perhaps impossible, to detect, the officials warned.
US orders citizens out of Yemen due to 'extremely high' threat
Earlier Tuesday, US drones targeted members of the international Sunni terror group in Yemen, reportedly killing four operatives.
It was unclear whether or not the rash of strikes was connected to a recent heightened security alert that has included the temporary closure of 19 US embassies in the Middle East and four additional American missions in Africa.
On Monday, Yemeni authorities released the names of 25 wanted al-Qaeda suspects, saying they were planning terrorist attacks in the capital, Sanaa, and other cities across the country.
Israel formulating response to EU settlement guidelines before start of Horizon 2020
The EU threw a wrench into Israel's participation in the 80 billion euro program when it published guidelines last month prohibiting any EU funds in the form of grants, prizes and financial instruments from going to Israeli entities beyond the pre-1967 lines, and also mandating that any future agreements between Israel and the EU incorporate a territorial clause stipulating that the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights are not part of Israel.
Horizon 2020 is the EU's innovation flagship program, meant to create jobs and fuel economic growth.
Israel is the only non-EU country that has been asked to join as a full partner, and is expected to pay some 600 million euros over the next seven years to take part. This is considered a worthwhile investment, because for every shekel Israel contributes, it is expected to get back NIS 1.5 in research funds and other inbound investments.
63% of Israeli Jews oppose major West Bank pullout, poll finds
Most Israeli Jews would oppose a peace agreement with the Palestinians if it included a full West Bank pullout with land swaps to let Israel retain major settlement population centers, according to a new poll that appears to contradict the conclusions of other recent surveys.
The poll, released Tuesday by the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University, found that 63 percent of Jews in Israel oppose a withdrawal to the 1967 lines with land swaps as part of any peace arrangement with the Palestinian Authority, even if it meant Israel would hold onto the Etzion Bloc, directly south of Jerusalem; Ma'aleh Adumim, east of the capital; and Ariel in the central West Bank about 34 kilometers (21 miles) east of Tel Aviv.
Whose taxpayers fund UNRWA?
The total UNRWA budget for 2012 was $907,907,371. The permanent and hysterically supportive rhetoric for the "Palestinian cause" from the Muslim world might lead one to expect that UNWRA is mainly funded by Muslim countries. The truth, however, is that UNRWA is almost entirely funded by Western taxpayers. With a total of $644,701,999 in contributions, the US, EU, UK, Sweden, Norway, Germany, The Netherlands and Japan pay 71 percent of the annual UNRWA budget.
And don't forget that the funds from the second-largest donor, the EU, are of course already composed of EU taxation of member states.
So where do the Muslim states rank? First in, at No. 15, is Saudi Arabia.
Israel allows 285 trucks with goods to enter Gaza
Hamas, meanwhile, accused the Egyptians of turning the Gaza Strip into a "big prison" because of the continued closure of the Rafah border crossing and the destruction of most of the smuggling tunnels.
Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas representative, said that Egyptian restrictions and security measures have reduced the number of travelers through the Rafah terminal from 1,200 to fewer than 200 per day.
'Voice of Donald Duck in Arabic' Calls for Israel to be 'Demolished'
The man who "voices Donald Duck in the Middle East" got all "quacked up" over Israel Sunday, taking to his Twitter account to call for the Jewish state to be "demolished," and insulting its inhabitants as "a bunch of Polish/ Ethiopian immigrants roughly 70 years old."
"I truly wish #Israel is demolished, I hate Zionism, I have so much hate inside me with every single child they murder or land they seize!" Wael Mansour, who identifies himself as the voice of Disney's Donald Duck character in the Middle East, posted to his Twitter account.
Egyptian Brotherhood leaders to face trial for inciting murder
Egypt's army-installed government said on Sunday it would give a chance for mediation to resolve the crisis brought on by the overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, but warned that time was limited.
At the same time, a Cairo court announced that the leader of Morsi 's Muslim Brotherhood and his deputy will face trial in three weeks' time for crimes including incitement to murder during protests in the days before he was toppled.
Egypt Independent: Exclusive: Obama agrees to meeting with Brotherhood, sources say
Obama would reportedly meet with Brotherhood officials to "hear their opinion" on developments in Egypt, in the presence of Turkish diplomats.
Egypt Independent heard from sources inside the Muslim Brotherhood that Islamist-linked billionaire Hassen Malek requested a meeting through Obama's office manager.
The meeting with Turkish officials is expected to take place this month.
Turkish diplomats are expected to push for Mohamed Morsy's reinstatement as Egyptian president, sources said, if not that the Muslim Brotherhood would be assured of political survival following a month-long violent stand-off with the armed forces in the wake of Morsy's overthrow.
Turkey Jails 275 High-Profile Opposition Leaders for Allegedly Plotting Overthrow of Erdogan
Turkey jailed 275 opposition leaders today, including army and police officers, journalists, writers and lawyers, for allegedly plotting a military coup to overthrow Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Israel's Walla News reported.
Tear gas was used to disperse hundreds of protesters outside a special court set up at the Silibri prison, west of Istanbul, Walla News said.
The two main defendants in the case were Army General Lee Kuzuk and journalist Tonz'ai Aosekan, both sentenced to life imprisonment for heading this underground movement.
Fleeing Syria, Palestinians find little support from their brethren in Lebanon
But only 7 percent of Palestinian refugees from Syria have regular income, and almost all of them are living with host families whose employment prospects are equally dismal because Palestinians in Lebanon are banned from working in the public sector and in many professional fields, says Yasser Daoud, executive director of the child advocacy nonprofit Naba'a, which works in eight Palestinian refugee camps, including Ain al-Halwah.
Damascus suburbs report chemical attack by regime
Syrian activists accused the Assad regime of using a potentially lethal gas against two Damascus suburbs on Monday morning, injuring at least 30 civilians, Arab media reported.
Report: Syrian Army Gunship Fires Rockets into Lebanon
A Syrian army helicopter fired several rockets Monday at an illegal border crossing in northeast Lebanon, Lebanese security sources told The Daily Star.
At least three rockets were fired by the Syrian aircraft into Khirbet Daoud, sources told the newspaper.
Official: Israel capable of unilateral strike on Iran, if US not committed
Although, such a strike would render less effective than one conducted by America, the unidentified official said.
The diplomatic official doubted US intentions to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons at all costs.
American conduct regarding Syria, contrary to declarations by President Barack Obama, shows Israel that it cannot rely on US assurances, the Israeli source said.
Rouhani's facade
The mullahs who run Iran and a large percentage of the masses that support them truly do see the West's secular culture as an imminent danger to their fundamentalist version of Shi'ite Islam. And they are right. Western ideals that value human dignity for both men and women, protect against religious persecution and uphold freedom of expression are an obstacle to the implementation of the mullahs' reactionary dream of creating caliphates throughout the Middle East and beyond.
No surprise that in his books on foreign policy, Rouhani belittles the Christians in the West for caving in to secularism without a fight; sees the Islamic Republic and the US as countries locked in a permanent conflict; and views Israel as "the axis of all anti-Iranian activities," according to the above mentioned Times profile.

Plus:

Algerian MB official blames everything on the Jews

Posted: 06 Aug 2013 07:00 AM PDT

The head of Algeria's Guidance Bureau of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mustafa Belmehdi, came out with an entertaining rant about who is behind all of the problems.


He accused the Jews of trying to undermine national stability, stressing that "Jews look at Algeria as an enemy," adding that "their fingers are planted" in the country with Jewish involvement in the arms trade, drug trafficking and corruption.

Belmehdi said, during a seminar on Palestine yesterday in the capital, that what is happening in the countries of the Arab Spring are an "anti-democratic revolution" aimed at striking the stability of these countries, which is the result of a global Jewish conspiracy.

I'm glad that the MB in Algeria hasn't yet figured out that Belmehdi is in fact on our payroll.

Jordanian columnist: "How to destroy Israel without war"

Posted: 06 Aug 2013 05:01 AM PDT

An op-ed in Jordanzad discusses how to get rid of Israel without defeating it militarily.

You see, the Arabs need to do to the Jews what the Arabs think the Jews did to put the Arab nations in disarray.

So, according to writer M. Mamedabid, the Arabs should secretly create and fund an extremist Jewish organization that would make Al Qaeda look like Girl Scouts. This organization should openly advocate the murder of all Arabs, Christians and Muslims in the Middle East. Using secret Arab funding, it will go on terror sprees and murder gentiles all over the region.

Meanwhile, the Arab states would publicly declare their support for the "moderate" Israeli parties, therefore adding to the power of the Jewish terrorist groups.The Jewish extremists will start killing the secular and leftist Jews, causing a civil war. Eventually the extremist Jews will take over the country, thanks to the secret Arab petrodollars funding them, and the West will turn against Israel, which will have been revealed to be a disgusting racist state, and it will then disappear in a cloud of infighting and civil war.

I can't wait for the first checks to be surreptitiously sent from Amman to the zealots of the Temple Mount Faithful to implement this brilliant scheme.

Another Palestinian Arab hero

Posted: 06 Aug 2013 02:41 AM PDT

From Ma'an:
The Palestinian minister of prisoners' affairs on Tuesday warned of possible deaths among hunger-striking prisoners and highlighted that their health had seriously deteriorated.

Issa Qaraqe said any tragic results at this stage would result in serious escalation amid prisoners and lead to negative consequences which could affect US efforts to restart peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel.

Hanan al-Khatib, a lawyer from the ministry of prisoners' affairs, who visited the Jordanian hunger striker Abdullah Barghouthi in hospital, confirmed he was in real danger after 95 days on hunger strike.

According to al-Khatib, Barghouthi "can't feel his left hand and can't stand up."

He also suffers from spells of dizziness, she added, highlighting that he also has symptoms of kidney and liver troubles and could face kidney failure if he continues with the strike.

Barghouthi has already lost 30 kilograms, according to al-Khatib quoting his doctors.

He has been hospitalized at Haemek Medical Center in Afula in northern Israel since shortly after he started a hunger strike on May 2.

Al-Khatib had noted earlier that he was chained to his hospital bed by his legs and his left hand.
Poor Abdallah Bargouthi! He must be a good guy for the Palestinian minister of prisoners' affairs to be so concerned for his well-being.

An earlier Ma'an article, from July 20, gives slightly more details:
A lawyer for the PA ministry of prisoners' affairs said Barghouthi, a Jordanian citizen, could go into a coma at any moment.

"I saw him breathing very heavily and he began to have fainting spells," Hanan al-Khatib said Friday after visiting him in Afula Hospital.

...Barghouthi is serving 67 life terms, the highest sentence ever handed down by an Israeli military court. He has been detained since March 2003.

A Hamas leader, Barghouthi was convicted of involvement in multiple attacks in Israel.
Oh, you mean he was a terrorist? Who would've guessed?

I wonder what attacks he was involved with?

Nothing big. He just built the bombs for the Sbarro pizza shop bombing, the Moment Cafe bombing, the Hebrew University bombing, the Zion Square refrigerator bombing, and the Rishon LeZion nightclub bombing. In other words, he was Hamas' chief bombmaker and responsible for the deaths of 66 Israelis.

Note also how the PA is working so hard on behalf of a Hamas bomber. There's unity for you!

One more detail:
He has been on hungers strike since May 2 and is demanding to serve the remainder of his sentence in a Jordanian jail, under the Wadi Araba agreement between Jordan and Israel.
I can find nothing in the Wadi Araba agreement that mandates prisoner exchanges.

It is a shame that Barghouti is starving himself to death. He deserves a much more painful demise.

 Luckily, the media has grown tired of the prisoner hunger strikes (especially when none of them ever seem to actually die, since these are "modified" hunger strikes, whatever that means) and no one really cares any more about these publicity stunts.

UPDATE: Ma'an has an adoring profile of Barghouti and his terror attacks in Arabic.
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