| Here are the Jewish American "leaders" who fawned over Abbas Posted: 24 Sep 2013 05:47 PM PDT Earlier today I wondered what idiotic Jews were going to a lecture and Q&A with Mahmoud Abbas without challenging him with a single damning question.' The answer is here: The dinner, hosted by Center founder and chairman Dan Abraham and Center president Congressman Robert Wexler at the Plaza Hotel, was organized at the request of Abbas.
Abraham, Wexler and Abbas opened the discussion with brief introductory remarks. Abbas then answered questions from the assembled guests. The event lasted one hour and a half.
Guests included former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger, and former US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer; Professor Alan Dershowitz, the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard University; Wolf Blitzer, host of CNN's The Situation Room; Congresswoman Nita Lowey; Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism; Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center; Nancy Kaufman, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women; Peter Joseph, president of the Israel Policy Forum; Daniel Lubetsky, founder of OneVoice; Eli Broad, founder of the Broad Foundation; Professor Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize recipient; Abby Joseph Cohen, board member of the Jewish Theological Seminary and other American Jewish community leaders and foreign policy scholars. These are not American Jewish leaders. They are prominent American Jews who were handpicked to ensure that it would be a swell evening with the Holocaust minimizing, Olympics massacre-funding, terrorist-supporting, human-rights denying, intransigent dictator of the Palestinian Authority. Instead of asking questions to expose Abbas as the liar and extremist that he is, he was fawned over by these so-called "leaders." Some of their questions are would make anyone cringe: Alan Dershowitz: If only the people at this table were responsible for making peace I think we would have peace. Virtually everyone here is opposed to Israel's settlement policy and wishes it would end. …
My question is this – Bill Clinton once said to me in a conversation, the real problems is, dammit Israel is a democracy and the PA is a democracy. Therefore before you make peace both sides have to persuade their constituents. And sometimes good things produce bad results. Let me give you an example. Many of us in this room were very active in bringing a million Soviet Jews to Israel. That was a great thing but it produced an extreme right wing in Israel which made peace more difficult. My question to you is how do you and we together work to persuade the constituencies on both sides that are opposed to the two state solution that it is in their interest to bring about a two state solution. How can we use democracy to help us rather than serve as a barrier to peace? I could fisk his answer, about how most Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews want a two state solution ( it isn't true) like I have fisked his lies dozens of times, but the problem here isn't the answer - the problem is the question. Here we have Alan Dershowitz, who is a wonderful defender of Israel's right to exist, telling the enemy (and yes, Abbas is the enemy) that Israeli democracy is a problem because so many Israelis aren't as bowled over by Abbas as Dershowitz is. In reality, Russian Jews in particular are attuned to how dictatorships work, what real oppression is, and what anti-semitism is - and they see it all in Abbas' Palestinian Authority. Dershowitz' chutzpah is to say that American Jews know what is best for Israelis and Israelis don't - so he wants to work with a certifiable terror cheerleader to short-circuit Israeli democracy! Not to mention his absurd characterization of the PA as a democracy. Unreal. I met Dershowitz, I like Dershowitz, but this is sickening. And so are practically all of the other sycophantic, deferential questions asked by these prominent liberal Jews. The problem goes even beyond the wishful thinking I've noted many times before that trump any possibility of an honest ability to weigh the facts. The problem is this: just like Arabs tend to project their own violent history and desires onto Jews in Arabic, liberal Jews want to project their own fervent desire for peace onto any Arab dictator who wears a suit and mouths nice things in English. It is closer to psychosis than it is to realism. Right-wing Jews want peace too. Russian Jews want peace. Religious Jews want peace. Likudniks and Naftali Bennett want peace. Practically everyone wants peace - but they are not willing to risk their own families' lives for empty promises. And nothing that the PA has done gives any of them security that real peace is the objective of their Arab neighbors. The Israeli and Western press is filled with talk about peace, plans for peace, methods to achieve peace, references to peace studies, quotes from so-called experts who work at "peace centers" like the one that hosted this talk. But the Arabic press essentially never mentions peace. Their media has lots of talk about justice, and about rights, and about perceived Israeli violations of both. But the yearning for peace that these prominent Jews take for granted is simply not there. It doesn't exist. Nada. This is the reality. Wishing it away and forcing parties to sign a piece of paper will not change this reality. Right now, the word "normalization" is a dirty word in Egypt, in Jordan and in the PA-controlled territories. Arabs who talk about real peace with Israel are ostracized. I am not exaggerating one bit. Ask Khaled Abu Toameh. I can barely recall every reading any Arabic op-ed or article that talks about real peace with Israel. (Rarely, there are backhanded compliments of Israeli innovations in science, to contrast it with the Arab world. That's the most complimentary I've ever seen in some nine years of reading Arab media.) Ignoring these facts is not just stupid, but potentially deadly. I wish, more than anything, that I was wrong. But giving Abbas a free pass does not serve the cause of peace; it only strengthens the fantasy. Real peace cannot be built on lies and dreams, and it is about time that prominent American Jews woke up to the reality, no matter how unpalatable it might be. (h/t E ben Abuya)  |
| 9/24 Links Part 2: Kenya - Mass murder and moral blindness, Israeli-Chinese Qoros Cars Unveiled Posted: 24 Sep 2013 02:30 PM PDT From Ian:
Douglas Murray: No, Mr Cameron. The Kenyan massacre is all about Islamism I can see why politicians like David Cameron want to make sure that nobody blames Muslims as a whole for attacks like this. But telling the lie that such attacks have nothing whatsoever to do with Islam does no good at all. It lets the extremists off the hook and infuriates everybody else who end up wondering why the Prime Minister cannot see what everybody else can see.
As I have said often in response to this 'noble lie', the only way that Islam is going to get through its current problems is if followers of the religion realise that they have to actively confront the problem. Each provision of an opt-out and excuse delays the day when the religion properly confronts itself and makes the claims of the jihadis a wholly impermissible — instead of plausible and sometimes permissible — response to the religion in whose name they act. Melanie Phillips: Mass murder and moral blindness Mr Cameron's mistake is to articulate the absurd non-sequitur parroted by so many in the British ruling class: that because many Muslims do not endorse Islamic terrorism, ergo such terrorism is not truly perpetrated in the name of Islam. This is as nonsensical as saying that because many Christians were the victims of the Spanish Inquisition, the Spanish Inquisition could not have been truly perpetrated in the name of Christianity; or that because most Jews are not ultra-Orthodox, the ultra-Orthodox are not truly Jews; or even that because most women are not man-hating feminists, man-hating feminists are not really women.
And this confusion is lethal. Those who cannot even bring themselves to call the force that is attacking them by its proper name will be defeated by that force. The Islamists know that; which is why such a reaction guarantees more such attacks. Moral blindness and mass murder are locked in a fatal embrace like a drowning couple in a whirlpool. Terrorist: Nairobi Mall Targeted Because of 'Jewish Shops' As Kenyan military forces moved to liberate Nairobi's Westgate Mall from the hands of Islamist terrorists, a representative of Al-Shabaab, the Somali terror group behind the attack, told Arab satellite network Al Jazeera that the attack was overdue, and that the mall was chosen for the attack because "it is a place where there are Jewish and American shops."
The attack, which began Saturday, was still underway Tuesday, with the terrorists holed up in the building, holding a number of hostages. At least 69 people have been killed so far, as Kenyan soldiers try to remove the Islamists who are occupying the building. CIF Watch: Counter-terror idea by Simon Jenkins in response to Nairobi: Stop building malls. Whilst the passage about the folly of building malls is indeed risible, Jenkins' surrender manifesto also provides some insight into the Guardian's failure to empathize with Israel, a state continually targeted by radical Islamists who use terror in an attempt to bring the state to its knees.
Israel's large measure of success in allowing its citizens to live normal lives, despite the constant threat of rockets, sniper fire and suicide bombs, is a testament to the collective decision to never bow down to terror's relentless onslaughts – fortitude and courage in a democracy under siege that Simon Jenkins evidently cannot fathom. It's time to define Islamism as a crime against humanity The attacks at Nairobi, Kenya's Westgate shopping mall follow a familiar pattern to other attacks that occurred in the last few days: in Pakistan, where 81 were killed in the bombing of a church, and in Nigeria where 159 people were slaughtered by Islamists near Maiduguri.
The media and political reactions also follow a neatly crafted script we have all become accustomed to.
First Islamist terrorists attack civilians, attempting to sort out the Muslims from the non-Muslims so as to kill only one group. There are the condemnations of "senseless acts of violence" and appeals for "calm and unity." Then all is forgotten. Hate speech continues on official PA TV Official Palestinian Authority TV continues its policy of broadcasting and promoting hate speech against Israelis and Jews, as documented by Palestinian Media Watch. Recently a young woman recited a poem including the words: "Our enemy is Satan, Zion with a tail."
The lyrics of the poem, which were written by Egyptian poet Hesham El-Gakh, promote Pan-Arabism and explain that the speaker "has been taught" that "our wars" are religious in nature, being fought "for the Al-Aqsa Mosque" and that the enemy is Jews - "Zion, Satan with a tail." "Our enemy is Satan, Zion with a tail" - girl on PA TV Palestinian Leaks Show Failure of Talks Is Foreordained Nor need one look far to understand why the PA would plan for a breakdown a priori: The talks have zero support among ordinary Palestinians. As the Jerusalem Post's Khaled Abu Toameh reported back in July, not a single Palestinian faction favored resuming the negotiations, and yesterday, several Palestinian groups launched a public campaign to demand an end to the talks while also opposing any Palestinian concessions whatsoever as part of a deal.
So with no support for a deal at home, Abbas has little choice but to plan for how to blame Israel for a breakdown. The only question is whether the U.S. is willing to let him get away with it. Antony Loewenstein's latest dishonest anti-Israel smear at 'Comment is Free' Antony Loewenstein doesn't believe the Jewish state should exist under any circumstances, and in his latest 'Comment Free' commentary he wears this badge proudly by characterizing his identity as a melange of Judaism, atheism, Germanic traditions, Anglo-Saxon-Australian beliefs and anti-Zionism.
When last we posted about the marginal Aussie commentator, we revealed that he flat-out lied when he recounted a conversation in which he evidently told Tony Abbott (before he became Prime Minister) that there were "Jews only roads" in the West Bank. As CAMERA proved definitively quite a few years ago, such roads do not exist. Apple lists Jerusalem without country Apple finally introduced its much-anticipated new operating system, iOS 7, last week after months of working out bugs. Is one omission deliberate or inadvertent?
According to The Blaze, a conservative news site founded by Glenn Beck, the world clock list shows Jerusalem without a country. All other cities in the world, with the exception of Taipei and Vatican City, are listed with their country. Repeat Performance: Jews Banned from the Temple Mount Hundreds of Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount this morning (Tuesday) were turned back upon their arrival, after being informed at the gate that the police had decided to close Judaism's holiest site to Jews.
Scores of Jews from across the country - including participants in a pre-organized ascent of hundreds of Jewish schoolchildren - arrived in cars and buses, after undertaking the necessary preparations to ascend the Mount in accordance with many interpretations of Jewish law, including ritual immersion in a mikveh (ritual pool). Jews urge Greece to crack down on Golden Dawn Greek Jews implored the government to crack down on the ultranationalist Golden Dawn party in the wake of the murder of the anti-fascist rapper known as Killah P.
On Monday, a statement from the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece said the Sept. 18 stabbing death of Pavlos Fyssas again showed the need for the government to take tough action against Golden Dawn. Israeli-Greek millionaire 'tarred' by press gets mea culpa A prominent Greek paper has published a long apology to a Greek-Israeli businessman targeted by neo-Nazis and tarred with claims of financial impropriety, saying it "fell victim to incorrect information."
The influential To Vima published a full-page apology Sunday to Sabby Mionis, a Greek Jew who currently resides in Israel.
In the piece, subtitled, "How an honest capital manager with an international reputation became implicated in the Lagarde list," the paper apologized for falsely reporting that Mionis was on the contentious list, which names people under international suspicion for financial crimes. French Man Jailed for Threatening Toulouse Jewish School A French man was sentenced to a year in prison on Monday for making death threats to a Jewish school in Toulouse by phone, AFP reports.
The man is the cousin Mohammed Merah, the terrorist who murdered Rabbi Jonathan Sandler, his sons Aryeh and Gavriel and Miriam Monsonego at the Ohr HaTorah school in 2012. Lithuania Marks 70 Years Since Nazis Wiped Out Vilnius Ghetto Lithuania on Monday marked 70 years since Nazi Germany wiped out the Vilnius ghetto, all but obliterating the vibrant Jewish culture of a capital once known as the "Jerusalem of the North".
State leaders and Holocaust survivors attended a memorial ceremony honoring the tens of thousands who died, while national flags with black ribbons dotted the Vilnius skyline, known as "Vilna" in Yiddish.
"A grim and terrible reality can never be left in the past - it must forever remain in our memory," Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said at the ceremony. She praised those who saved Jews as "icons of humanity to be role models for all of us" and "beacons that we must carry on the path to tomorrow". First US anti-Hitler film discovered in Brussels archive The first US film to warn about the dangers of Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime has been found in a Brussels film archive, having lain unnoticed for some 75 years.
"Hitler's Reign of Terror" was produced by Cornelius Vanderbilt, an heir to the wealthy American industrialist family, who visited Germany as Hitler was voted into power in 1933.
The film revolves around footage that Vanderbilt shot and smuggled out, showing Nazi party rallies, book-burnings and the ransacking of Jewish shops. Evogene reports castor oil biofuel success Evogene Ltd. (TASE:EVGN) subsidiary Evofuel Ltd. has successfully completed three years of field trials in Brazil to develop castor bean as an alternative feedstock for production of biodiesel and other industrial uses. The field trials were jointly conducted with Brazilian agrobusiness SLC Agrícola SA (Bovespa: SLCE3).
The field trials demonstrated strong yield performance of Evofuel's proprietary castor seed varieties under rain-fed conditions in northeast Brazil, and supported the use of castor seed as a competitive biodiesel feedstock. The castor seed varieties could potentially be useful for the lubricant, biopolymer and other industries, which use castor oil and have to cope price instability. Lawmakers Tour Judea and Samaria, Express Solidarity 25 Members of Parliament and Congress from around the world, who are currently visiting Israel as part of the 2013 Chairman's Conference, toured Judea and Samaria on Monday. They expressed their solidarity with the Jewish settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria and said that they oppose the European Union's boycott of Israeli products from these regions.
The lawmakers are the chairmen of Israel Allies Caucuses which represent hundreds of members of Congress and Parliament around the world.
Participants include lawmakers from the U.S., the European Union, Canada, Brazil, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Macedonia, Poland, South Africa, Guatemala, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Uruguay. Israel-Chinese Joint Venture Qoros Unveils Car Model Lineup Qoros Auto Company Ltd., a joint venture between Israel Corporation (TASE: ILCO) and China's Chery Automobile Co. Ltd., unveiled its first models at a dealers convention, ahead of its planned commercial launch in the fourth quarter of 2013, Israel's Globes business daily reported.
At the dealers convention, Qoros unveiled a model line-up planned for the next decade based on four modular car platforms based on the work of Qoros's chief designer, who also was responsible for designing the modern BMW-owned Mini.  |
| Amnesty slams PA for brutality; world media ignores it Posted: 24 Sep 2013 12:30 PM PDT Yesterday, Amnesty International accused the Palestinian Authority of using excessive force to put down protests. A new briefing, published today details how police and security forces have repeatedly carried out unprovoked and unlawful attacks on peaceful protesters. It also accuses the PA authorities of allowing them to do so with impunity.
"Standards during the policing of demonstrations in the West Bank continue to fall woefully short of those prescribed by international law," said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Director of Amnesty International. "As a result, the rights to freedom of expression and assembly are being severely eroded." This news story was almost completely ignored in world media. According to Google News, it was covered in Times of Israel, Ma'an, The Age and associated Australian papers and Ekklesia. And that's it. Media bias isn't always explicit. Often it is evident by what isn't reported. (Amnesty also took over a year to put this report together, referring to events form July 2012. It seems like AI was also trying to bury this story as well.)  |
| Three completely unrelated facts Posted: 24 Sep 2013 10:30 AM PDT 1988: 2011: President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday told his party's young members that the Palestinian Authority never abandoned the national agenda.
"The Palestinian leadership is still adherent to the national agenda which was approved by the Palestinian National Council in 1988, and never gave up on any of the inalienable principles as some claim." 2013, in President Obama's UN speech: Friends of Israel, including the United States, must recognize that Israel's security as a Jewish and democratic state depend on the realization of a Palestinian state. And we should say so clearly.  |
| 9/24 Links Part 1: A New Intifada?, MK's to Bibi don't free anymore Terrorists, Egypt Bans MB Posted: 24 Sep 2013 09:00 AM PDT From Ian:
Khaled Abu Toameh: A New Intifada? Although Abbas and some of his aides have been telling Israelis, Americans and Europeans that they are opposed to violence and terror attacks against Israel, they continue to incite Palestinians against Israel on a daily basis.
The Palestinian Authority openly supports an escalation of "popular resistance" against Israel, one where unarmed Palestinian civilians are encouraged to initiate confrontations with the IDF and settlers in the West Bank.
Some Palestinians have obviously interpreted the call for a "popular resistance" as a green light to launch terror attacks against Israelis.
For now, the Palestinian Authority leadership is doing nothing to calm the situation, even as Hamas is calling on its supporters in the West Bank to launch a new intifada against Israel. Some leaders in Ramallah are convinced that a popular uprising would serve their interests and persuade the Israeli public to support any deal with the Palestinian Authority. Abbas in New York condemns soldiers' killings Answering a question posed by former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright at a dinner hosted by the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, Abbas condemned the murders of Sgts. Gal Gabriel Kobi and Tomer Hazan in separate incidents in the West Bank, as well as all instances of violence against citizens.
He added that he expected Israel to condemn the deaths of four young Palestinians at the hands of the IDF in recent weeks. "Two weeks ago, four young people were killed by the Israeli army near Jerusalem," he said. "No one said anything." It was not clear to what Abbas was referring, but on Sept. 17, Israeli forces, believing their lives to be in danger, killed one man and wounded at least one during a raid on a refugee camp near Jerusalem to arrest a fugitive, the IDF said.
Earlier Monday, Fatah central committee member Abbas Zaki claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government were the ones responsible for Kobi's death, in Hebron. The Israeli soldier was shot in the neck by a Palestinian sniper while on patrol on Sunday. What if Abbas Condemns the Murders and No One in the PA Hears It? In any event, even that miserly, self righteous, immoral statement has gotten no mention in Palestinian reports today. WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency, only mentioned the two murders with a quote from Foreign Minister Riyad Malki:
"Malki expressed concern that Israel may use the killing of an Israeli soldier in Hebron on Sunday and another off duty soldier in Qalqilya two days earlier in order to discredit the Palestinian Authority." 30 MKs lobby Netanyahu to cancel Palestinian prisoner release "In light of the horrific murders in recent days, we ask you to cancel the release of terrorists, planned as part of negotiations with the Palestinians," the letter, initiated by Bayit Yehudi faction chairwoman Ayelet Shaked and Yisrael Beytenu faction chairman Robert Ilatov, reads.
Lawmakers from Likud Beytenu, Bayit Yehudi, Shas and United Torah Judaism signed the message to Netanyahu. Terror Victim Families Demand End to Terrorist Releases Several dozen people on Monday protested outside Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tel Aviv, demanding that the government promise to stop freeing terrorists in swap deals or as part of "gestures" to the Palestinian Authority. The protest included many members of families who have lost loved ones in terror attacks. It was organized by the Almagor terror victims' group and the Israel Sheli (My Israel) organization. Riot in PA University Over School's Financial Woes Fistfights and clashes broke out at Bir Zeit University on Ramallah Monday, as staff were prevented from entering the university building by students who are striking in protest of poor management by the university's administration.
Students locked the gates of the school's buildings and formed a human chain to prevent anyone from entering. Several staff tried anyway, and were roughed up by students. Among them was the head of the university's science faculty, who was badly injured when he tried to enter the building and students closed a door on his legs. MEMRI: Pakistani Vice Chancellor At Launch Of His Book On 9/11: 'U.S. And British Governments Are Controlled By A High Cabal Of Banking Families Who… Manipulate Each Of Us By Putting Microchips In Our Brains'
"The vice chancellor, who heads one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions in Pakistan, said this here [in Lahore] on Wednesday [September 11, 2013] at the launch of his book – titled 9/11 and the New World Order – at the Al Razi Hall of the Undergraduate Study Centre. On Syria, 4 new worries for Israel This state of affairs has been transformed by the chemical weapons crisis, the American threat to stage a punitive raid against Assad's regime and the rather surprising Russian American agreement to eliminate Syria's arsenal of chemical weapons leading to the practical removal of the US threat to act militarily against Assad's regime. The repercussions for Israel's national security are far reaching. If implemented, the elimination of Syria's chemical weapons would be welcomed by Israel. Whether in the hands of Assad's army or in those of some terrorist group, they represent a serious threat to Israel and their removal would be a net gain. But other aspects of the recent turn of events are far less attractive from an Israeli perspective: Egyptian court bans Muslim Brotherhood The Brotherhood was outlawed for most of its 85 years of existence. But after the 2011 ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, it was allowed to work openly and formed a political party, which and rose to power in elections.
The ruling, which can be appealed, opens door for authorities to track down the group's elaborate network of social services, dealing a deadly blow to its pillars of grassroots support.
Since Morsi's fall in July, the Egyptian military has moved with purpose to weaken the Brotherhood. Last week, English-language spokesman Gehad el-Haddad was arrested with other senior members of the group and charged with inciting violence. The burden of proof is on Iran Iran has concealed, lied and acted in contravention of its obligations.
Moreover, while the pressure of sanctions is pushing Iran to talk to the US, there is no indication this has been enough for Iran to consider backing down from its nuclear goal.
It is not enough for Rohani to act according to Lewis Carroll's immortal lines: "I have said it twice: That alone should encourage the crew… I have said it thrice: What I tell you three times is true."
In this case, words are not enough – it is the deeds that will count. And the deeds must come quickly enough, or the world will know that Iran has been using the time-buying tactic all over again. Iran's Revolutionary Guards Warn Rouhani About Negotiating With Obama While the U.S. expresses a continued willingness for direct negotiations over the Iran nuclear program, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite military force whose role is to protect Iran's Islamic system of governance, issued a cautionary note about diplomacy with America.
"Historical experiences make it necessary for the diplomatic apparatus of our country to carefully and skeptically monitor the behavior of White House officials so that the righteous demands of our nation are recognized and respected by those who favor interaction," the IRGC said in a statement. At UN, Israel likely to stand alone against Iran As diplomacy takes center stage in New York, the US and Great Britain appear willing to thaw ties with the Islamist regime following a charm offensive by Rouhani, who in recent days has been keen to show his regime's ostensible readiness to compromise in the nuclear standoff with the West.
Israel stands alone in its rejection of Rouhani's overtures, arguing that Rouhani merely put a friendlier face on a rogue regime still bent on acquiring nuclear weapons.
"Iran's negotiation strategy is entirely consistent with Rouhani's policy of 'smile and enrich,'" stated an internal Israeli government document which surfaced Tuesday. Netanyahu to compare Iran to North Korea at UN The speech is Netanyahu's bid to emphasize Israeli reservations about any rapprochement with Iran by the United Nations.
"Iran must not be allowed to repeat North Korea's ploy to get nuclear weapons," an Israeli official told The New York Times in a story posted online Sunday describing Netanyahu's planned Oct. 1 speech to the General Assembly.
"Just like North Korea before it, Iran professes to seemingly peaceful intentions," the Times quoted the official as saying. "It talks the talk of nonproliferation while seeking to ease sanctions and buy more time for its nuclear program." UK: Iran's words must be matched by concrete steps "There's a chance, I think, for improved relations with Iran," Hague told reporters after the meeting. "Because if the statements of President Rouhani and Foreign Minister Zarif really mean something, if they really mean what they are saying, then certainly there's a chance for us to improve relations and to work together across a whole range of subjects. But it will be important, as I have stressed before, for those statements to be matched by concrete steps and action." John Kerry to meet Iranian FM at UN The Thursday meeting is to include US Secretary of State John Kerry, and will be the highest level meeting between US and Iranian officials since 1979, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, told reporters after meeting Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that she saw "energy and determination" for talks with the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany to move forward. Foreign ministers of the six nations are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Thursday.  |
| ElderToons: The Ayatollah and Rouhani Show Posted: 24 Sep 2013 07:00 AM PDT |
| Who are the US Jews that Abbas met, and why are they so stupid? Posted: 24 Sep 2013 05:00 AM PDT From WAFA: President Mahmoud Abbas urged leaders of the American Jewish community to support efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.
He told a group of Jewish community leaders he met in New York Monday evening that this is the time to make peace.
"We have a real opportunity to achieve lasting, just, and comprehensive peace," he said on the eve of the opening sessions of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). "We can do it, make no mistake. No one gains more from reaching an agreement than Palestinians, and no one loses more if we fail to reach an agreement. Failure in not an option for us," he said.
"We need your support to ensure the successful conclusion of the peace negotiations so that the State of Palestine can live side by side with the State of Israel in peace and security on the 1967 borders," said Abbas.
Abbas said that he speaks the same language everywhere in the world, urging the Jewish community leaders to listen to his speech at the UNGA in which he will reiterate the Palestinian position of an independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital along with resolving all final status issues. I cannot find any mention of this meeting in the news media. ( UPDATE: TOI has the story now, h/t Ian.) Which brings up two questions: Who are these "leaders" that are so eager to meet Abbas? And if they are pro-Israel, why are they so ignorant that they cannot ask him any real questions? For example:  - If you are so interested in peace, why did you go out of your way to meet with child-murderer Samir Kuntar?
- Why does the PA name institutions after terrorists who targeted innocent civilians?
- Why is there still daily incitement on PA TV against Israel?
- Do you believe, as Arafat did, that there was never a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem? Do you realize that this position is at odds with what Muslims said openly before 1967?
- Do you agree with many of your people that there should be no "normalization" with Jews in Israel?
- Why did you threaten your citizens who dared to shop in a Jewish-owned supermarket that has low prices?
- Recently you said that you believe that the Holocaust occurred. You wrote a book that claimed that it was exaggerated. Were you lying then, or are you lying now?
- Do you really believe that Jews are raising dogs and wild boars and training them to attack Arab farms, as you have stated?
- Do you really believe that Hamas would accept Israel's existence if you reconcile with them? Do you actually read any of their material?
- Why does the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group still exist, if you are the leader of Fatah? How do they get funded?
- Do you agree with the Fatah platform that terrorism is legal under international law?
- Why does some 6% of the PA budget go towards terrorist prisoners and released terrorists?
- Do you consider the Mufti of Jerusalem who collaborated with Hitler to be a hero?
There are plenty more questions like these that an educated Zionist leadership should know to ask. I have lots of examples of Abbas' lies and outrageous actions through the years. Any Western politician who could be accused of any one of these positions would be mercilessly pilloried if they met with these same "leaders," but Abbas is given a free pass with only perfunctory questions that he knows how to sidestep. So were the "Jewish leaders" simply members of J-Street and writers for Open Zion, or were they clueless heads of local federations, or what? And even if they were J-Streeters or Peter Beinart's gang - shouldn't intellectual honesty force them to ask these questions of Abbas anyway?  |
| A synopsis of Monday's UNHRC hypocrisy Posted: 24 Sep 2013 02:00 AM PDT On Monday, the UNHRC held yet another special session to demonize Israel. The funny part is that the report that they hung this hatefest on also notes violations of human rights by the Palestinian Authority and by Hamas - but not one of the nations commenting on it mentioned this. Neither the report nor any of the nations slamming Israel even mentioned Egypt's near-total blockade of Gaza. Here are some of the worst hypocritical statements from the esteemed UNHRC delegates Monday who deigned to lecture Israel about human rights: Palestine, speaking as a concerned country, said that it would have hoped to see Israel's Ambassador in the Council's room today. His absence showed the arrogance of Israel....The systematic occupation policy was the major cause of the human rights violations that occurred in Palestine. The blockade on occupied Gaza had to be lifted. A Special Procedure mandate should be created to study the effects of unilateral sanctions on human rights.
Syria, speaking as a concerned country, said that the continued culture of impunity in Israel had been attested to in many international commissions, and amounted to the recognition of war crimes. The defence, supported by the United States, was that Israel had a status that was somehow above the law; this did not enjoy any legitimacy. The treatment of prisoners, the abuse of the rights of those living in the Golan, and the destruction of the wealth of the occupied lands should all be ended. Syria called for a boycott of Israeli products made as a result of the occupation.
Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, said that it was deeply concerned by the illegal conduct of Israel which was not consistent with its obligations under international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention. Israel's blockade of the occupied Gaza Strip, an integral part of Palestine, was an unlawful act of collective punishment. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation demanded an end to the illegal occupation of Syrian land, and violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.
Iran, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, said that it appreciated the report of the Secretary-General and deeply shared his concerns on the recurrence of violations already highlighted in previous reports. The Non-Aligned Movement also condemned the persistent non-cooperation of Israel and its blatant disregard of its international obligations.
Venezuela said the rights of the Palestinian people to their land were age-old and Venezuela once again lamented the actions of Israel, as well as the impunity it was seemingly granted, which had caused so much suffering. The leaders of Israel must be held accountable for these acts. Venezuela called on Israel and its accomplices in the international community to uphold the right of resettlement for the Palestinian people and respect the 1967 borders.
Qatar condemned continuing Israeli violations of the human rights of the Palestinian people and called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to compel it to abide by international humanitarian law. Israel had to understand that the question of settlements was a major obstacle to negotiation efforts to ensure a just and comprehensive peace.
Kuwait reiterated its condemnation of Israeli violations of human rights and of the principles and rules of international humanitarian law as well as relevant Geneva Conventions on occupied Palestinian territory and other occupied Arab territories. There was a need to respect the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to address the issue of Palestinian refugees.
Libya said that for over six decades the peaceful people of Palestine had suffered untold assaults on their rights. These crimes had been committed as a result of the complacency of the international community. The continued "Judification" of East Jerusalem was among these crimes.
Egypt said that in spite of progress achieved since the establishment of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the international community seemed unable to achieve full compliance of the principle of equality, particularly the right to self-determination. There was no doubt that the continuation of the occupation of Palestinian land and the denial of their right to self-determination continued to be a violation of human rights. Israel bragged that it was the only democracy in the Middle East, yet it continued to occupy the lands of others.
Turkey said the Secretary-General's report once again registered grave violations against the Palestinian people. The restrictions placed on Gaza were counterproductive and constituted collective punishment. The expansionist policy of settlements was a threat to the two-State solution and the impunity conferred to the settlers had to end. There was a compelling moral case to highlight the agonies suffered by Palestinian prisoners in particular.
Tunisia said the discriminatory laws enforced systematically by Israel against the Palestinians were reminiscent of South African apartheid.
Algeria said that the discussion of the situation of human rights in Palestine and the occupied territories was ever ongoing. In this respect the international community had to step up its efforts to urge Israel to live up to its obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law. Its colonial aims with respect to the blockade of Gaza were to be deplored.
China said it supported the Council's continued attention to the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem.
Iraq said that the report documented grave and systematic human rights violations carried out by the occupying power, Israel. Those were punitive measures imposed by the occupying power on the Palestinian population, including the destruction of homes and the forcible transfers of Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
Iran shared the concerns expressed in the Secretary-General's report, including the forced evictions and destruction of homes. Iran regretted the non-cooperation of Israel with the Council and its mechanisms. The detention of children was a flagrant violation of international law. The continued occupation remained the main obstacle to the full enjoyment of human rights of the Palestinian people. The only solution was to put an end to the occupation.
Cuba said that the Israeli authorities continued to commit grave human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Oman said that the Palestinian cause continued to be a living image which embodied flagrant violations of human rights.
Saudi Arabia said that the continuation of Israeli occupation despite all United Nations resolutions was a scar on humanity's conscience. Palestinians had the inalienable right to self-determination. Israel was a "heinous and racist entity" that had built an "apartheid wall".
Yemen said that the situation of the Palestinian people under occupation was tragic. Murders and arbitrary detentions were committed every day and illegal settlements were built. The absurd anti-Israel focus of the UNHRC has been documented many times, but it is worthwhile to actually read the garbage spewed in its name to understand the phoniness that has been allowed to not only fester there, but to thrive.  |
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