יום ראשון, 13 באוקטובר 2013

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Link to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Fill out this BDS survey for the Methodist Church UK

Posted: 12 Oct 2013 11:00 PM PDT

The Methodist Church UK is apparently considering whether it should encourage its members to boycott and divest from Israel.
In July 2013 the Methodist Conference passed Notice of Motion 201. The motion requests the production of a briefing on the arguments for and against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The wording of the motion as revised and adopted by Methodist Conference is as follows:

Recognising the call of the prophet Micah to "do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God," the Conference directs the Methodist Council to ensure that the Joint Public Issues Team prepare a briefing document for the Methodist People upon the arguments for and against the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Movement, and for the Methodist Council to bring a report based upon the briefing to the Conference of 2014.

This consultation has been launched to gather a range of perspectives on this topic and is open to all. People are invited to respond either in a personal capacity or as representatives of organisations. Responses will be kept confidential unless specific agreement is made to the contrary.

The briefing commissioned by the Methodist Conference will reflect the range of perspectives on Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions arising from this consultation. It is hoped that this briefing will offer helpful reflection for Methodist people as they consider how to respond to the call of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
There is a 14 question survey that is open to all so you can make your opinion known.

This is not a poll, from what I gather, but an opportunity to make an argument.

Here are the questions:

1. What do you understand to be the motivation/inspiration behind the call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions in relation to Israel?

2. In your view, what would be the essential elements of any peace agreement in Israel/Palestine?

3. Do you support a boycott of products produced within Israeli settlements?

4. Do you support the call for a wider consumer boycott of all Israeli products?

5. If you answer 'Yes' to Question 4, what changes would you need to see to be content to end your boycott?

6. What are the arguments against a consumer boycott of all Israeli products? What are the risks?

7. If you do not support the call for boycott, divestment and sanctions, could you ever see yourself supporting such a call in the future? Under what circumstances?

8. What message does the call for a consumer boycott of Israel communicate to the general public? (please specify whether you are answering with reference to the public in the UK, in Israel, in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, or elsewhere)

9. Do you support an academic boycott of Israel? Please explain your reasoning.

10. Do you support a cultural boycott of Israel? Please explain your reasoning.

11. Under what circumstances, if any, should the Methodist Church divest from companies operating in Israel?

12. Should the UK government or European Union impose trade or other restrictions on economic relationships with Israel or alternatively limited restrictions on economic engagement with settlements? If so what form should such sanctions take?

13. What actions other than BDS might members of the Methodist Church take to encourage a political process that could deliver a just and sustainable resolution in Israel and Palestine?

14. Is there any further theological or other comment that you would like to make in relation to Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions or are there papers or other resources that you would highlight?
In the slight possibility that this is not an exercise in futility, I encourage you to thoughtfully and respectfully answer these questions.

My answers concentrated on the fact that people who push BDS are guilty of the worst double standards and are effectively (if not consciously) acting in an antisemitic manner by singling out the Jewish state for alleged human rights abuses that are no worse than those of any Western nation at war in history, and even those not at war.

I also emphasized that the entire point of BDS is to only place responsibility for action for peace on one side, giving the Palestinian Arabs a free pass for their behavior and demands. They must be pressured at least as much to compromise for peace, an attitude that the West has abandoned.  Incitement, refusal to accept a Jewish state, refusal to compromise, rejection of many previous peace plans, their decision to launch a terror war instead of make peace - all of these should have consequences and should not be rewarded.

Furthermore, I also emphasized that every single Arab nation discriminates against Palestinian Arabs, in not allowing them to become citizens if they so choose (even Jordan no longer allows them to be naturalized anymore.) If anyone cares about the "refugee" issue, this should be their top priority. It is not dependent on a peace agreement. It is simple human rights.

I mentioned that the idea that artists should boycott Israel while playing freely in Lebanon, where there are actual laws discriminating against Palestinians, is the height of hypocrisy.

There are of course many other arguments against BDS, a fundamentally corrupt and immoral concept.

Again, the odds are long that this is anything more than an exercise in getting support for something that is already decided, but better to try now than to complain later.

The deadline is November 4.

(h/t Rosalie)

Rabbi brothers singing "Sounds of Silence" on Israeli talent show (video, updated)

Posted: 12 Oct 2013 07:00 PM PDT

This is very cool, although their accents sometimes get in the way:




Somehow, I don't think that they're going to cover "Ceclia" though...

UPDATE: They are apparently well-known street musicians, called The Breslov Brothers, and have even covered....Pink Floyd!



They don't have to worry about Roger Waters dropping by to listen, though!

Also check out their Tears in Heaven.



(h/t Malca)

10/12 Links: Leftist Enablers of Hezbollah and Hamas, Iran Arrests ‘Homosexuals and Satanists’

Posted: 12 Oct 2013 05:30 PM PDT

From Ian:
The Leftist Enablers of Hezbollah and Hamas
Chomsky and his comrades on the Left couldn't care less what happens to real people as a result of the actions of terrorist groups like Hezbollah. Any group that hates the "Great Satan" has got to be alright for the Chomskyites, who meanwhile seek comfort and security in the land they so glibly condemn.
Such willful moral inversion is not confined to academia, of course. For example, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq and Gaza flotilla spokesman Edward Peck said after meeting with a group of Hamas leaders, including Hamas's leader, Khaled Mashaal: "These guys were entirely rational." Peck added that he found Mashaal to be "moderate in many senses."
Syrian Attacks on Lebanon and Global Terrorism Shake Hezbollah Branding, "Western Apologists"
The damage has been compounded by a series of recent terrorism convictions, across multiple continents, in which Hezbollah operatives were linked to potential or actual attacks. Reviewing Washington Institute fellow Matthew Levitt's book "Hezbollah" this week, Michael Totten described the effect on Hezbollah:
And yet Hezbollah is still often described, by itself and by its Western apologists, as an indigenous Lebanese "resistance" movement in a twilight struggle against the Jewish state. It is, in fact, a multinational terror operation with Iran as its funder and controller. "Hezbollah's role in Iran's shadow war . . . has cast the group as a dangerous terrorist network capable of operating everywhere from Europe to Africa and Asia and to the Americas," Mr. Levitt writes.
Richard Millett: War On Want event: "Palestinians live in apartheid ghettos."
Last night 200 students crammed into Room G2 at SOAS where they heard a new phrase employed in order to accuse Israel; "apartheid ghettos". "Apartheid ghettos" neatly combines the horrors of Nazi Germany and apartheid South Africa. But this time, in sick role reversal, it's Jews who are the Nazis (see photo above).
Meanwhile, Daniel Machover, a solicitor, called for "the destruction of the political system in Israel" and for "an end to the Zionist project". All obvious code for the destruction of Israel, although he wouldn't admit it.
Tunisia orders tennis player to withdraw from match against Israeli
Tunisia's tennis federation ordered the country's top player to withdraw from a match against an Israeli at a tournament in Uzbekistan.
Malek Jaziri had been scheduled to play Israel's Amir Weintraub on Friday in the quarterfinals of an ATP Challenger tournament in Tashkent. He withdrew before the match and Weintraub advanced to the semifinals of the lower-tier event.
Caroline Glick: Israel's blind watchmen
Intellectual reliance on the leftist-dominated media; blind trust rather than critical analysis of statements by foreign sources and colleagues; lawyerization of military operations; over-dependence on technology; politicization of the senior ranks; and discrimination against religious officers have all been pointed to as factors that have contributed to Israel's senior defense officials' failure to foresee any major development and insistent blindness to their significance.
Certainly all have played a role in bringing about this dismal state of affairs.
But whatever the cause of our military and intelligence leadership's insistence on getting everything wrong, the fact is that they are Israel's Achilles' heel. Until steps are taken to rectify this situation, Israel's technological prowess and tactical brilliance will remain of limited value for securing the country and our interests.
Abbas blames Israel for Palestinian fiscal crisis
"The economic situation is very difficult and the central reason for this is the Israeli occupation," Abbas said in an interview with Palestinian government television. "Israel exploits our resources and lands which directly leads to an increase in the deficit which we must contend with."
According to Abbas, Palestinian Finance Minister Shukri Bishara informed him that the PA won't be able to pay government salaries unless it receives international aid. The Palestinian government employs approximately 150,000 of the nearly two million Palestinians living in the West Bank.
Report warns of loose missile threat in Syria
The Syrian government's shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles and launchers could imperil civil aviation if they fall into the hands of terror groups, according to an independent report examining the global proliferation of portable missiles.
The report released Friday by the Federation of American Scientists, a prominent Washington group that focuses on issues of science and security, warns that some opposition factions inside Syria are already wielding small numbers of anti-aircraft systems in combat against Syrian government forces. Citing video and photo evidence from opposition forces, media and official accounts, the FAS study says some portable launchers and missiles have been seized by opposition forces during battles with Syrian troops, while others have been smuggled in to rebel fighters from neighboring countries.
Al-Qaeda leader urges unity among Syrian jihadis
Ayman al-Zawahiri said fighters must "rise above organizational loyalties and party partisanship" and unite behind the goal of setting up an Islamic state.
Al-Zawaihri also urged Syrian regime opponents not cut deals with Western-backed and secular groups. Islamist rebels have battled with secular and Kurdish rebel groups over Syria's border crossings with Turkey for several weeks, leaving dozens dead.
Once again from Nobel, a prize for the prospect of peace
Once again this year, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded not to an extraordinary individual, but to an organization tasked with a great challenge well before positive outcomes from its work have materialized.
The Nobel committee, by awarding it the peace prize, has cast the OPCW as a practical and powerful tool for the execution of peace. And yet the ability of the OPCW to deliver is far from assured.
Hollande to Netanyahu: We'll Remain Tough on Iran
French President Francois Hollande reassured Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Friday that France will remain "tough" with Iran on its controversial nuclear program, reports AFP.
Hollande told Netanyahu in a telephone call that France would wait to see if the more moderate politics of Iran's new leader Hassan Rouhani, who replaced hardline Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June, would translate in his "actions", the Elysee palace said, according to the news agency.
Iran Arrests Network of 'Homosexuals and Satanists'
The website of Iran's Revolutionary Guards reported the arrest of "a network of homosexuals and satanists" in the western Iranian city of Kermanshah, close to the country's border with Iraq, on Thursday, The Guardian reported.
A source told The Guardian "the raid took place on Tuesday night when some 80 people, including both straight and gay Iranians, had gathered for a birthday party in Kermanshah. At least 17 people who had tattoos, make-up, or were wearing rainbow bracelets were blindfolded and taken to an unknown location, according to a local source. Partygoers were filmed by the elite forces and had their mobile phones confiscated."
Coptic Leaders Condemn Obama Adviser's Anti-Coptic Tweets
Major Coptic leaders are condemning Mohamed Elibiary, an Obama administration Homeland Security adviser, for suggesting that Copts who raise awareness of anti-Christian violence in Egypt promote "Islamophobic" bigotry.
Elibiary sent out a series of tweets that Coptic leaders found offensive last month. The tweets appeared to chastise the Coptic community for lobbying on behalf of their relatives in Egypt. He targeted them because they had aligned themselves with conservative groups that he called "Islamophobic."
Egypt to renew nuclear program in another setback for the West
In reports from the Egypt that have thus far eluded the Western media, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is reporting Friday that senior figures in the Egyptian government are now pledging to restart their once mothballed nuclear programme.
Analysts and diplomats consulted in Europe by The Commentator say that American and European officials have been aware of such rumblings for several weeks, but have not yet worked out a clear policy position. They add, under condition of anonymity, that this is no longer a Left-Right issue, but a policy matter dominated by confusion.
Car Bomb Damages Swedish Consulate in Benghazi
A car bomb exploded outside the Swedish consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, Friday, causing serious damage to the embassy and damaging adjacent buildings.
No casualties were reported from the explosion.
Argentina refuses to accept late Nazi's remains
Argentina on Friday refused accept the remains of Erich Priebke, a former Nazi SS captain sentenced to life in prison for his role in one of the worst atrocities by German occupiers in Italy during World War II.
Priebke, who died in Italy earlier Friday, was to have been buried beside his wife in Argentina, where he fled in the aftermath of the war, according to an AFP report.
Pope warns of anti-Semitism as Rome commemorates Holocaust
Pope Francis urged vigilance against any resurgence of anti-Semitism ahead of the 70th anniversary of the deportation of Rome's Jews to Auschwitz.
Pope Francis made the warning Friday during a meeting at the Vatican with Italian Jewish leaders, including Riccardo Di Segni, the chief rabbi of Rome.
Evangelicals and Israel
At a time when the state of Israel lies under existential threat from jihadist Islam, and under ideological and diplomatic assault in foreign ministries, international organizations, churches, universities, editorial offices, and other circles of advanced Western opinion—and when even some Jews in the Diaspora seem to be growing disenchanted with the Zionist cause—millions of evangelical Christians unabashedly continue their outspoken, wholehearted, stalwart defense of both the Jewish state and the Jewish people.
Israel Daily Picture: Holy Sites in the Holy Land -- More Pictures from the Emory University Collection, Part 2
The original photos are "stereographic," but we present just "one" of the nearly identical images to save space.
Many of the photos, taken between 1895- 1905, are accompanied by a travelogue describing the sites written by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut (1843 - 1930), an American Methodist clergyman. It was published in 1913.
Stand With Us: I Love Israel Because...

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