Elder of Ziyon Daily News |  |
- 10/04 Links Pt 2: Hamas 'Charity' Operating in the UK, NGO Uses Blood Libel to Raise Funds
- Arab columnist describes Israel's nefarious plans to take over - Iraq
- 100 years ago: The Beilis Trial
- 10/04 Links Pt 1: Netanyahu on Charlie Rose, Spike in Terror Attacks, More PA Incitement
- Leftist professor subverts Wikipedia to attack his enemies - and promote himself
- Hamas terrorists to begin "new media" push
- Sometimes you just have to go it alone (Tower)
| 10/04 Links Pt 2: Hamas 'Charity' Operating in the UK, NGO Uses Blood Libel to Raise Funds Posted: 04 Oct 2013 03:00 PM PDT From Ian: UK Charity Commission Permits Hamas Charity We should welcome, then, the promise by Shawcross that pro-terror organizations will no longer be free to employ the moral monopoly afforded by charitable status to shroud their extremist activities.Children's Rights Group Using a Blood Libel Against Israel to Raise Money Clearly, there is some uncertainty over the circumstances surrounding the shot that tragically crippled Atta Sabah. Some reports indicate the shot was fired after Israeli soldiers saw a firebomb, others omit or discount this story.Israel: European stance on circumcision 'intolerable' Israel denounced the Council of Europe for its recent anti-circumcision resolution Friday, calling on it to rescind its statements and warning that the resolution "fosters hate" and racism in Europe.Israel to Run for Security Council Seat in 2019 Israel plans to run for a rotating seat on the UN Security Council for the first time ever for 2019-2020, its envoy said on Thursday.'We are not Arabs. We are Christians who speak Arabic' It was no coincidence that Khalloul chose the Aramaic word for allies to describe his people. In his view, Israeli Christians are not mercenaries, as they might be perceived, but in fact allies. "We want to defend the holy land alongside the Jews," he insisted. He mentioned the Christians' support for the establishment of a national homeland for the Jews in the 1947 UNSCOP Committee. In a letter to the committee at the time, the Maronites rejected any reference to the land of Israel as Arab land.American Analyst 'Grateful' for Dismissal of Libel Case Brought by Son of Mahmoud Abbas American political analyst Jonathan Schanzer said he was "grateful" a judge had dismissed a libel case brought against him by Yasser Abbas, the son of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.Indonesia's last synagogue, an intended heritage site, destroyed Indonesia's last synagogue has been destroyed, a Dutch news site reported.Head of Greece's Golden Dawn party jailed The head of Greece's extremist right-wing Golden Dawn party was jailed early Thursday, pending trial on charges of running a criminal organization in an investigation into his party triggered by the killing of a left-wing rapper.Nazi Hunters Call on Dutch to Dissolve Gov't Advisory Body The Simon Wiesenthal Center has written a letter to the Dutch Prime Minister asking him to disband a statutory government body that has called on the Netherlands to develop closer ties to the terrorist organization Hamas at the expense of Israel.Hobby Lobby Head Likes Jewish Prayer Books, Jewish Holidays Not So Much OK. So the ironically named David Green doesn't like bar mitzvah cards, Hanukkah, women, or the Jews. OR DOES HE? Because the plot thickens, dear readers. Turns out Green is the owner of one of the world's largest collections of rare biblical texts and artifacts, including, most recently, a siddur reportedly dated to 840 C.E. This latest acquisition was announced on September 26 by Green's son, Steve Green, amid much excitement. The younger conjectured that the siddur could be the "earliest connection today's practicing Jews have to the roots of their modern-day rabbinic liturgy."National Library to digitize medieval manuscripts National Library Judaica curator Aviad Stollman said it will be digitizing the Palatina Library's collection of about 1,600 documents dating to the Middle Ages.Variety: Israel's Major Export: TV Know-How For several years, Israel has been at the forefront of countries exporting TV program content to the United States. Keshet, where Showtime's "Homeland" has its roots, holds the lion's share of responsibility.Dexter, Hell on Wheels, Vampire Academy stars in Israel A star-studded group of Hollywood actors and musicians are taking part in a cultural, historical and religious adventure across the Holy Land. America's Voices in Israel is once again hosting a week-long tour of the country for the celebrities.Israeli-backed start-up unveils gas-producing plant Like the alchemists of yore, a US company is seeking to convert a substance the world has a lot of — natural gas — into one it needs more of — gasoline.Repair work to begin at Auschwitz despite deficit An international foundation established to preserve the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial in Poland has fallen short of its fundraising goal, but still plans to begin repair work there.Phone business revolution starts in Israel, says Alcatel-Lucent CEO One of the world's largest telecom companies is relying on Israel to restrategize and reformulate key parts of its business – and the technology developed in Israel by Alcatel-Lucent by its CloudBand team has turned out to be good enough to deploy worldwide.Forbes: For Real Innovation, It's Not Silicon Valley But Silicon Wadi Ask most people what they know about the state of Israel, and you'll get some version of "War, violence, Holy Land, and bus bombs." But amidst all the turmoil, real people are living real lives. They go to work, eat good food, love their children, and talk to their neighbors.Israel in 4K/Ultra HD           |
| Arab columnist describes Israel's nefarious plans to take over - Iraq Posted: 04 Oct 2013 01:00 PM PDT  Columnist Atef in AlAnkabout describes in chilling detail - and no verifiable facts - exactly how Israel is taking over Iraq.Iraqi refugees flooded Jordan and elsewhere, where the Mossad recruited hundreds of them because of their poverty. These people - students, workers and journalists - then return to Iraq to hatch the insidious plan. These spies then spread immorality, prostitution and drugs throughout Iraq, ensnaring more poor Arabs in the Zionist web. The proof is that there is now an alarming spread of drugs and AIDS in large cities in Iraq, so who else could possibly be responsible? Israel has a number of motivations to take over the country. First of all, those Israelis still resent how the Scud missiles from 1991 turned Tel Aviv and Haifa into ghost towns for periods of time over a few weeks, and this is simple revenge. Secondly, of course, is oil. Israel is trying to get its grubby hands on pure Arab oil, and iraq is a perfect place to get it from. It is not apparent whether this part of the plan has been implemented. Thirdly, Israel is trying to force millions of Palestinian Arabs to move to Iraq so they will no longer be wanting to move to Israel. The fact that Iraqis forced tens of thousands of Palestinian Arabs to flee after the gulf wars does not seem to upset this brilliant theory. The Americans here are doing exactly what the British did in Palestine - using their muscle to ensure that Jews get what they want, a "deformed state" as Atef puts it. It makes so much sense as long as you have a profound hatred of Jews and you have no ability to think logically. But I repeat myself.      |
| 100 years ago: The Beilis Trial Posted: 04 Oct 2013 11:00 AM PDT From Wikipedia: Menahem Mendel Beilis, 1874 – July 7, 1934, (sometimes spelled Beiliss;[1] Russian: Менахем Мендель Бейлис, Yiddish: מנחם מענדל בייליס) was a Ukrainian Jew accused of ritual murder (see Blood libel) in Kiev in the Russian Empire in a notorious 1913 trial, known as the "Beilis trial" or "Beilis affair". The process sparked international criticism of the antisemitic policies of the Russian Empire.      |
| 10/04 Links Pt 1: Netanyahu on Charlie Rose, Spike in Terror Attacks, More PA Incitement Posted: 04 Oct 2013 09:00 AM PDT From Ian: Caroline Glick: America and the good psychopaths Obama wants to negotiate for the sake of negotiating. And he has taken the UN and the EU with him on this course.Melanie Phillips: Obama is in la-la land over Iran This was thought to be a warning to the US that Iran speaks with forked tongue. If so, the crudity of such a manoeuvre suggests a measure of desperation in Jerusalem.Kerry: Islamic Terrorists Only Want to Kill Us Because They Have No Jobs… Study after study has shown that jihadis are wealthier and better educated than their peers. But we keep throwing money at the problem. The recipients, however, just think of it as jizya, the money that non-Muslims must pay the Muslims as per Qur'an 9:29, and continue waging jihad.American Islamic Group Hiding Donations From Foreign Governments, Others The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is using a complex web of non-profit and corporate entities to keep millions of dollars in donations from foreign governments and other international donors from public disclosure, Washington's Daily Caller reports.September: Spike in Terror Attacks There was a sharp rise in the number of terror attacks in Israel in September, compared to the previous month, according to the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).Israel Hopes to Avoid Third Intifada Despite Palestinian Rhetoric, Violence The IDF believes it can keep a lid on the violence due its strong presence on the ground in the West Bank, and Israel's tight intelligence grip of the sector.PMW: While Abbas talked peace at the UN During the current peace talks, and on the same day Palestinian Authority Chairman Abbas asserted at the UN the Palestinians' goal of achieving peace, an Abbas representative and other PA and Fatah officials were busy honoring terrorist Abu Sukkar.PM Netanyahu on Charlie Rose Netanyahu talks Israeli settlements and peace with Palestinians Netanyahu on Iran nuke ambitions evidence: "This is not a guesstimate" The speech I want to hear from Netanyahu Being intellectually honest means laying out the moral asymmetries between Israel and the Palestinians. The fact is that we recognize them, but they're not willing yet to recognize our legitimate, historical rights in the Land of Israel. The fact is that Israel protects religious rights and minority rights in Israel for religions and peoples of the world, while the nascent Palestinian state already in place does not, and could very well be on its way to becoming yet another failed Arab state. The fact is that Israel proudly hosts 1.5 million Arab citizens, while the Palestinians demand a Judenrein, ethnically cleansed state in historic Judea and Samaria.Inaccuracy and distortion in BBC report of Netanyahu's UN speech The article opens with a gross inaccuracy:JPost Editorial Party pooper Not only does Netanyahu have the right to speak the truth in the face of misguided ideas and notions, he has a moral obligation, as leader of the Jewish state, to make this point as clear as possible in every international forum, including the UN General Assembly, even if he ruins the mood of optimism. It is, after all, in large part thanks to Netanyahu's ceaseless diplomatic work – including threats that Israel will act alone militarily if necessary – that the US has been motivated to assemble a broad coalition of nations to adopt crippling sanctions against Iran.Iran's Rouhani Boasts: I Rejected Obama Five Times Iran's President Hassan Rouhani told reporters on Wednesday that he turned down five requests from U.S. President Barack Obama to meet at the United Nations, according to Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency.Bibi Speaks Rouhani's Language in BBC Persian Interview Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu mixed in a couple of expressions in Farsi, in an interview on BBC Persian Thursday aimed at the Iranian people.Avigdor Lieberman: NY Times Editorial on Netanyahu as Delusional as 1938 Story on 'Peace' With Hitler "Today, The New York Times attacked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his speech [Tuesday], saying he was inciting to war and thwarting chances of peace with Iran," Lieberman wrote on his Facebook page. "In 1938 the very same New York Timesreported with excitement at the peace deal between Britain and Nazi Germany, over how Hitler got less than what he demanded. … How did this 'peace deal' sit with the Nazi dictator—we all know. So of course it is preferable to stand up for the State of Israel's crucial interests, and [it is preferable] for The New York Times to attack you than it is to end up like Czechoslovakia in 1938." (h/t Yoel)Poll: Most Israelis Support Iran Strike A majority of Israelis would support unilateral military action against Iran, according to a poll published Friday, after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said his government was ready to act alone.Hamas: We're Avoiding Confrontation With Israel, But... Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for Hamas's military wing the Al-Qassam Brigades, said on Thursday that the terror organization is trying to avoid going to battle with Israel in order to avoid the consequences for Gaza residents.Elie Wiesel: Jewish Response to Syria Gas Attack Not Powerful Enough, Considering Gas Was Used by Nazis to Kill Jews "Here I feel very bad about our own leadership," said Wiesel, responding to a question from the event's moderator Rabbi Shmuley Boteach who asked, "What do you think about Syria? should we punish Assad for gassing children? And for us Jews of course, gas has the worst possible connotation."CIA ramping up covert training program for moderate Syrian rebels The CIA is expanding a clandestine effort to train opposition fighters in Syria amid concern that moderate, U.S.-backed militias are rapidly losing ground in the country's civil war, U.S. officials said.Assad warns Turkey of 'heavy price' for backing Syrian rebels In an interview with Turkey's Halk TV due to be broadcast later on Friday, Assad called Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan "bigoted" and said Turkey was allowing terrorists to cross into Syria to attack the army and Syrian civilians.Assad: If People Object, I Won't Run for Re-election Interviewed by Turkey's Halk TV, Assad stressed that if the Syrian people are not interested in his serving another term, he won't run.Syria: Rebels Seize Hundreds of Tanks Eye witness testimonies and video footage point to a devastating blow for the Syrian army, as rebel forces claim to have captured 300 Syrian army tanks along with huge stores of ammunition.Saudi jails, lashes "naked" dancers, reports say A Saudi court has sentenced four men to up to 10 years in prison and 2,000 lashes for dancing "naked" in public, media reported on Thursday.      |
| Leftist professor subverts Wikipedia to attack his enemies - and promote himself Posted: 04 Oct 2013 07:30 AM PDT An Israeli student sent this to me. Some of the information is a little dated and Wikipedia's internal attempts to stop abuse seem to have softened some of the specifics noted here over time, but it shows in great detail how people try to use Wikipedia not only as a weapon against those they disagree with, but as an advertising medium for themselves! The Wikipedia editor "Newmanthfc" has made approximately 80 edits to a number of Wikipedia articles since April 2008. As acknowledged by "Newmanthfc," he is David Newman, originally from the UK and today a professor of political geography at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba, Israel. The vast majority of Newman's edits involve self-promotion, particularly regarding his academic career and ideological causes. Despite a warning from an administrator that "You have an obvious conflict of interest with this, suggesting that you are not the best person to write the article," he created his own Wikipedia article. Unsurprisingly, initially it read like a "self-written bio, no sources, in style of a resume." He presented himself as "A noted peace activist in Israel and international expert on borders", and lavished praise on his own work ("The most comprehensive analyses of Gush Emunim have been carried out by David Newman"), celebrating what he claims is activity to counter UK academic boycotts of Israel, and referencing his own academic writings in a number of Wikipedia articles. He even listed himself as amongst the notable alumni of two British schools. He has also vandalized the articles of ideological opponents and academic rivals, copying content that appears repeatedly in his Jerusalem Post column. Newman has focused this activity on the Israeli political advocacy organization Im Tirzu, as well as Gerald Steinberg, a political science professor at Bar Ilan University and head of NGO Monitor. Newman's editing of his personal Wikipedia entry, as well as NGO Monitor's, resulted in an edit war, in which Newman blatantly violated Wikipedia rules, and he was sanctioned with a 48-hour ban. However, he continues to refer to himself in the third-person in his edit summaries (short descriptions of edits that appear in the history pages of articles), suggesting that he is seeking to obscure the clear conflict of interest.This is reminiscent, albeit on a smaller scale, of the Wikipedia behavior of another Israeli professor, Amiram Goldblum. A repeat offender: Edit wars and other Wikipedia troubles Newman was called out for an "obvious conflict of interest" already in September 2008, although no sanctions were administered at that time. In November 2008, it was recommended that the David Newman article be deleted from Wikipedia because, as written by Newman, it read like a "self-written bio, no sources, in style of a resume." During the deletion discussion, the article was changed, and remained on Wikipedia. More egregiously, Newman also engaged in "edit warring" - a serious violation of basic Wikipedia rules and norm of etiquette. The edit war took place on both the David Newman and the NGO Monitor articles on January 8, 2011. The edits included Newman's removal of any factual material that criticized Newman, even though it was sourced to reliable online publications, as per Wikipedia standards and rules. He also added unreferenced editorial comments in order to support his cause. Newman, using the Newmanthfc username, was joined in by an anonymous internet user (194.90.167.222), whose internet address is assigned to Ben-Gurion University, where Newman works. Both Newmanthfc and the anonymous user were warned about their abusive and unproductive edits and were reported to the Wikipedia Administrater's noticeboard on January 10. Administrators decided on a 48-hour ban (though most first time violators receive a 24-hour ban). Edits promoting Newman's academic work The very first edits made by Newmanthfc (April 19, 2008) were to Wikipedia's Gush Emunim article, engaging in self-promotion ("The most comprehensive analyses of Gush Emunim have been carried out by David Newman") and adding references to four of his own publications on the subject. In September 2008, Newman listed himself in the Border article as a "leading scholar in the contemporary study of borders," as part of "a renaissance in the study of borders in the past two decades." In April and June 2009, and then again in February 2011, Newman made edits to the Academic boycotts of Israel article. In April 2009, he first added a reference to an article he wrote in the Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs; seven minutes later, he included a paragraph (with a typo) on the substance on attempts to boycott Israel. On June 20, 2009, Newman added a number of sentences, basically repeating the argument of his Jerusalem Post column of June 6. His February 2011 edits to that page consisted of more self-promoting, adding This was particularly the position taken by the representtaives (sic) of Israel's universities in the UK, Professor David Newman who, while countering the attempts at academic boycott, did not see all such activity as being inherently anti-semitic. Newman, the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Ben-Gurion University in Israel, focused his activities on strengthening scientific and academic links between Israel and the UK, and was influential in creating the BIRAX research and scientiric (sic) cooperation agreement between the two countries - an agreement which was promoted by successive British Ambassadors to Israel, Tom Philips and Matthew Gould, and which has been funded, amongst othersm (sic) by the Pears Foundation in London. Creation of and edits on the "David Newman" article In October 2008, Newman created the article "David Newman (geographer)," subsequently moving it to "David Newman (Professor of Geopolitics)" because it is a "more accurate description of a person who was a geographer but has moved into the field of political science." (Newman's claims of expertise in this field are not supported by any evidence, such as a degree in political science.) It appears that he had tried to create a page about himself in September 2008, but was rebuffed by an administrator because "You have an obvious conflict of interest with this, suggesting that you are not the best person to write the article. This shows in unsourced claims... and non-encyclopaedic non-neutral phrases..." Newman tried again, producing, as noted above, an article that read like a "self-written bio, no sources, in style of a resume." After the deletion controversy, Newman did not edit his article again until July 2009, when he made an insignificant edit related to an academic journal he edits. But, in May 2010, Newman added the following, without providing a reference, "In March 2010, Newman was elected Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences for the period 2010-2013." Newman's next edits involved the abovementioned edit war, when he removed a criticism section from his own article. His latest edits were on July 7, 2013, when he added two paragraphs, again without any citations, on "information about david Newman relating to the past 4-5 years." As with his other Wikipedia editing, his addition included self-promotion and ideological attacks. He writes a weekly oped column in the Jerusalem Post. Many of these articles touch on issues relating to Israeli politics, the Israel-Palestine conflict and the interface of politics and academia. During 2012-2013, Newman was active in defending his University and Department against attempts at right wing political intervention on the part of Israel's Council of Higher Education (the CHE). He represented Israel's universities in the UK. Despite this, he has been subject to attacks by extremist right wing organizations in Israel, such as Isracampus, Academic Monitor, Im Tirzu, and the NGO Monitor, for his founding and leadership of the Department of Politics and Government at the University and for his left of center political positions on the Arab-Israel conflict. This has not prevented him from being elected, almost unanimously, for a second term of Faculty Dean for the period 2013-2016. At the time of his edit, he promised, "references will follow in due course." To date, references have not been added. Attacks against ideological opponents and academic rivals Newman's edits have targeted Im Tirzu repeatedly, and these appear in his Jerusalem Post column as well. For instance, on January 8, 2011, Newman vandalized the Im Tirzu entry, labeling the organization as "ultra right wing anti-Zionist" and claiming that "Its objectives are to impose constraints on the freedom of speech and opinion within the Israeli academic community, through the use of threats against the faculty which do not share their extremist views." He has also attacked NGO Monitor, an organization headed by academic rival Gerald Steinberg, from Bar Ilan University. Newman's violations in these edits resulted in a 48 hour ban (see below). Also on January 8, Newman sought to delegitimize NGO Monitor by labeling the think tank as "an extreme right wing NGO", adding (with no specifics): NGO Monitor has been responsible for indiscriminate attacks on all left wing pro-peace NGO's which support human rights and Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation. They have focused their attacks on NGO's funded by the European Union, but have refused to display a balance by investigating right wing NGO's or organizations funded by American donations, for fear of annoying their own North American right wing supporters. NGO Monitor has been responsible for damaging the image of Israel internationally and raising serious questions concerning Israel's continued comitment (sic) to values of democracy and free speech. Similar statements were made in Newman's January 10, 2011 column in the Jerusalem Post. On January 8, 2011, Newman made a petty edit to the NGO Monitor page, changing the description of Steinberg, NGO Monitor's president. Edits on Newman's personal life Newman's self-promotion extended to articles related to his personal life. He added himself to the list of notable alumni of Dame Alice Owen's school ("Prof [[David Newman]], Professor of Political Geography and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at [[Ben-Gurion University in Israel]], and editor of the International Journal of [[Geopolitics]]. A noted peace activist in Israel and international expert on borders."), as well as the Hasmonean High School. Newman also added a reference in a Wikipedia article to one of his columns on his fandom of Tottenham Hotspurs Football Club (which explains his Wikipedia username).      |
| Hamas terrorists to begin "new media" push Posted: 04 Oct 2013 05:45 AM PDT Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas' Al Qassam Brigades, yesterday met with new media activists to explain how important electronic media is to the terror group's strategy. The conference on new media was organized by Hamas' interior ministry and its national security ministry; the terror arm of Hamas seems to have been invited to speak. Abu Obeida also said that the Brigades is ready to counter any aggression on Gaza. It is interesting to note that Arab media for the previous day talked about rumors that Egypt was prepared to attack Gaza if need be, so it is possible that this was not just one of Hamas' usual blustery warnings to Israel. The conference was held at the five star Commodore beachfront hotel in Gaza City.      |
| Sometimes you just have to go it alone (Tower) Posted: 04 Oct 2013 03:10 AM PDT A long but excellent essay by Benjamin Kerstein: On October 1, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the UN General Assembly. His topic was, unsurprisingly, the Iranian nuclear program and the need for the world to act in order to stop it. "I want there to be no confusion on this point," he told the assembled delegates. "Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone."Read the whole thing. I edited out some caveats and counterexamples to keep this as brief as I could but it is really good. I think that this dovetails with the previous link, about how Israel naturally has better intelligence on Arab matters than the US intel agencies due partially to the ability to have analysts who truly understand Arab language and, by extension, culture. Now, Israel's critics could argue that paranoia can skew one's perspective as well. It can and does. However, as the joke goes, it is not paranoia if the world really is out to get you. Obviously some in the international community are more sympathetic (and, more rarely, empathetic) to Israel's plight than others. The major point that Israel's well-meaning critics need to understand is that for them, being wrong is not an existential issue. For Israelis, it often is. And that is true both when the decision is to act or not to act, whether to react or not, to decide whether a verbal threat is real or rhetoric. Israelis are keenly aware of the downside of going it alone; they have felt the consequences of their unilateral decisions for over six decades. Critics consider Israel a cowboy, itching to pull the trigger, but they choose to forget that the calculus against action - and the international isolation that results - is factored in as part of the decision as well. Israel sometimes has to go it alone because only Israel has to suffer the consequences of choosing not to. Conversely, critics conveniently forget that Israel sometimes chooses not to act, and it has paid the price for inaction as well. That is in Israel's DNA, but it doesn't make it into Western history books. The antisemitic critics of Israel will never be mollified by whatever Israel does. The more friendly nations, along with organizations like J-Street, prefer to infantilize Israel as if Israelis aren't mature enough to understand the consequences of their actions, and therefore need to be pressured to do the right thing. These "friendly" critics choose not to realize that Israelis have thoroughly considered the next twelve chess moves while they are struggling to look past only one. Israel has to think that far ahead in order to survive to the next match. And she can't choose not to play. (h/t Yerushalimey)      |
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