יום רביעי, 13 בנובמבר 2013

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Link to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Kurds declare autonomous government in Syria

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 07:31 PM PST

From Al Arabiya:
Following a series of military gains, Syrian Kurds in the northeast of the country announced on Tuesday the formation of a transitional autonomous government.
The latest declaration comes amid a general strengthening of Kurdish rights in neighboring Turkey, and increasing moves towards independence by Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.

Long oppressed under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his father before him, Kurds view the civil war as an opportunity to gain the kind of autonomy enjoyed by their ethnic kin in neighboring Iraq.

The announcement was made after talks in the mostly-Kurdish town of Qamishli, and comes after Kurdish leaders announced plans to create the temporary government in July.

The transitional autonomous government involves the division of Syria's Kurdish region into three areas, each with its own local assembly, as well as representatives to a regional executive body, AFP reported.

Tuesday's statement detailed the "formation of a transitional civil administration for the area of Western Kurdistan-Syria."
...
Kurdish regions of northern Syria have been administered by local Kurdish councils since forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad withdrew in the middle of 2012.

The redeployment was seen as a tactical move by the regime, one which freed up forces to battle rebels elsewhere, and encouraged the Kurds to avoid allying with the opposition.

More recently, Kurds have battled with jihadist groups keen to secure a wider corridor between Syria and Iraq to ensure more regular supplies and reinforcements.

Last month Kurdish forces seized control of a crucial border point with Iraq.

Fighting between the Kurdish militiamen and jihadists ostensibly battling to topple Assad has added another level of complexity to the civil war, which has claimed an estimated 120,000 lives since 2011.

Kurds represent about 15 percent of the Syrian population, and are mostly concentrated in the northern part of the country.
This is big.

And it can get even bigger if the Syrian Kurds decide to unite with the Iraqi Kurds, who also have an autonomous government. (Turkey's and Iran's Kurds are not in as good a position to make a bid for self-rule.)

11/12 Links Pt2: Anti-BDS Leftists, Kristallnacht’s shadow hangs over Europe, Belarus honors Begin

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 03:00 PM PST

From Ian:
The BDS movement and the opportunistic exploitation of self-denying Jews
As I have argued elsewhere, there is little doubt that a Greater Palestine is the ultimate political objective of the international Campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel (BDS). Not surprisingly within the BDS movement, the opinions of the small minority of anti-Zionist Jews loom larger than life. For example, Federal Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon has claimed that "many Jewish communities support this work." In fact, no Jewish communities support the BDS. Similarly, the Mayor of Marrickville, Fiona Byrne, proudly cited support from the NSW Jews against the Occupation group which has about 10 members, and also claimed support from "a growing number of Jews from all over the world." In fact, the only organized Jewish community group in Marrickville, the Inner West Jewish Community and Friends Peace Alliance which is left-oriented and strongly supportive of a two-state solution, devoted considerable time and resources to opposing the Marrickville BDS proposal during the 2011 NSW State election campaign.
Similarly, BDS campaigner Professor Jake Lynch, head of Sydney University's Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, has responded to accusations of discrimination against Israeli Jews by citing talks at the Centre by anti-Zionist Jews such as Ilan Pappe and Noam Chomsky as evidence of a non-racist policy. But Lynch is disingenuous in not acknowledging that virtually all the Jews hosted by the Centre have been fanatical anti-Zionists, and that the Centre has specifically excluded any pro-Israel Jews. (h/t Daphne Anson)
Gerald Steinberg - NGO Monitor: A still, small leftwing voice against BDS
The radical anti-Zionist Left also promotes what is euphemistically referred to as a "bi-national solution", and invents legal arguments, such as a "right of return" for millions of Palestinian who claim refugee status. Both concepts have no substantive foundation, and are the equivalent of wiping Israel off the map.
This political warfare goes far beyond criticism of occupation and settlements, and debates on Israel's policies on the complexities of borders, Palestinian terrorism, and security. In launching their campaign to counter the radical Left, Ameinu's leaders recognize that the use of terms like apartheid, accompanied by systematic discrimination against the Jewish homeland, and boycott campaigns (BDS) are designed to roll back the clock to 1948 and delegitimize Israel, regardless of borders. As many Israelis have long known, this means that even with a peace agreement, the hatred and mass terror would continue, nullifying benefits from concessions required for a two-state solution.
Brooklyn College to Play Host to Another Anti-Israel Event
The City University of New York's (CUNY) Brooklyn College is again provoking passions, playing host this week to an anti-Israel activist who many, citing his published writings, believe to be anti-Semitic.
Ben White, who describes himself as a writer, freelance journalist and researcher on his Twitter page, will give a talk Thursday, November 14th called "Israel: Apartheid not Democracy," as part of a mini-tour of college campuses that will also include a stop at John Jay College in Manhattan. The event is to be hosted by the school's chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
Breaking the Facade of Breaking the Silence
The pair hope to spark debate in the Israeli public, so they visit American college campuses? Israelis hoping to find the pairs' book in Hebrew should not waste their time. If the book, Our Harsh Logic, published by the American publisher Picador, exists in Hebrew, it has not left so much as a trace on the Internet. So much for sparking public debate among the Israeli public.
German trade union leader opposes West Bank boycott
German trade union leader Michael Sommer vowed to stand up to unionists who want to boycott goods made in West Bank Jewish settlements.
"As long as I am head of this organization, there will never be a resolution that says 'Don't buy from Jews,' " said Sommer, 61, chair of the Federation of German Trade Unions, accepting the Arno Lustiger Award at the third annual German-Israel Congress on Sunday.
Kristallnacht's Long Shadow Hangs Over Europe
The Nazi Holocaust was the quintessential example of humanity's capacity for evil. Here are three points for gentile and Jew to reflect on this Kristallnacht.
First: If European leaders refuse to protect live Jews, they shouldn't bother attending memorials for 6 million dead Jews.
Second: Stop de-Judaizing the Nazi Holocaust. Evil is not merely an abstract idea. The Nazis murdered Anne Frank and six million of her brethren for death only because she and they were Jews. Public memorials and teaching modules omitting this truth desecrate the dead.
Third:We Jews have to toughen up. Accepting the status quo in Europe is demeaning and only emboldens the bigots on the street and in the halls of Parliaments.
Anonymous fights Zionist 'apartheid' with a Twitter hashtag. Doesn't it know how stupid it looks?
This weekend the hacktivist collective Anonymous launched what it calls #OpBOYCOTTIsrael, a Twitter campaign aimed at encouraging "disinvestment" from Israeli goods. The manifesto for this operation, posted on Pastebin, says "Disinvestment works – the strategy played a potent role in dismantling apartheid in South Africa and it can work to dismantle Israeli apartheid in Palestine, too."
The plan – explained in excellent detail here by The Daily Dot – is to highlight the 729 barcode which identifies Israeli goods, and thus enable a boycott. Facetiously, I could suggest that therefore that Anonymous should stop using Intel processors (invented in Israel), removable hard drives (invented in Israel) and VOIP Internet calls (you guessed it, Israel).
West must stop appeasing efforts to ban criticism of Islam
It is no accident that the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law ...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." It is also no accident that there is no such absolute provision in the Arab and Islamic world.
On the contrary, for at least fifteen years a concerted effort has been made by Islamic organizations, particularly the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to prevent or limit criticism of Islam and the Prophet.
Pat Condell - How gay is Islam?


BBC changes fraud show trailer amid antisemitism concern
BBC producers have changed a trailer for a series about tax and benefit fraudsters following complaints that it could be seen as antisemitic.
The original trailer for Britain on the Fiddle featured the song "If I Were a Rich Man", from Fiddler on the Roof, the 1960s film about Jews in a Russian shtetl.
Some viewers felt that the choice of music pandered to negative stereotypes about Jews and money.
Report: Jordan vetoes Israeli request to allow Jewish prayer on Temple Mount
The top Jordanian government official responsible for the custodianship of religious holy sites in Jerusalem is quoted in local press on Tuesday as saying that he is "adamantly opposed" to any Jewish worship atop the Temple Mount.
Abd Al-Nasser Nassar, who serves as Amman's top legal adviser for Islamic and Christian property in Jerusalem, is quoted as telling the Jordanian daily al-Rad that his government rejected an Israeli request to allow for Jews to pray in a small, designated area atop the site.
Conference Urges Israel Advocates to Champion Judea and Samaria
US Secretary of State John Kerry drew fire from Israelis late last week, when he slammed Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria as "illegitimate". But an upcoming conference in New York City to challenge Jews in the Diaspora to do more to confront the delegimization of the "settlements" themselves.
Knesset committee discusses attacks on Israelis, others at Mount of Olives
One day after a yeshiva student was hospitalized following a rock-throwing attack while driving near the Mount of Olives – illustrating the ongoing pattern of violence endemic to the area – the Knesset Interior Committee met on Monday to discuss improving security there.
In east Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives is home to Judaism's oldest cemetery, where four prophets, former prime minister Menachem Begin, Hebrew revivalist Eliezer Ben-Yehuda and leaders of revered rabbinical dynasties are buried. It is accessible only by driving through Palestinian neighborhoods.
Rafi Eitan says US told Israel that Pollard would only serve 10 years
Former cabinet minister Rafi Eitan, who was the intelligence officer who operated Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard in the mid-1980s, revealed Monday that he incriminated him because he was told Pollard would serve no more than 10 years in prison.
Speaking to Army Radio to mark Monday's anniversary according to the Hebrew calendar of Pollard's arrest in 1985, Eitan referred to secret understandings reached between the Israeli and US governments.
The truth about anti-Semitism in Germany
Two weeks ago German public television broadcast a film titled Anti-Semitism today – how hostile is Germany? 1.6 million people watched the 50-minute-documentary – not very many in a country of 82 million.
A few newspapers wrote about it, and not a single political leader commented on it.
Public outrage? Not at all.
Amazon's Holocaust shame
In a letter to Amazon CEO Jeffrey Bezos, we appealed to Amazon's sense of corporate responsibility, arguing that "no one should profit from the sale of such vile and offensive hate literature," adding that "many Holocaust survivors are deeply offended by the fact that the world's largest online retailer is making money from selling such material."
Apparently, the company has chosen to ignore our campaign. As of this writing, those titles are still being sold on the site.
Israelis in Odessa: We're attacked by neo-Nazis
"I also know of about 12 Israeli students who were beaten. Yesterday I tried all day to get in contact with the Israeli embassy, and no one answered."
His description of the horror facing foreign students in the city continued: "These gangs threaten Arab-Israelis and Jews both, and in general all foreigners. Around the afternoon it's already dark, and then we can't leave the house anymore. The danger is greater for the girls. I haven't been to the local hospital because I don't feel safe there and I'm afraid." (h/t Zvi)
Neo-Nazis Rally in Kansas City on Kristallnacht Anniversary
A Neo-Nazi group rallied outside of a Kansas City, MO courthouse over the weekend and ripped up a tallit (Jewish prayer shawl) in front of hundreds of booing counter-protestors, Vocativ reports.
The National Socialist Movement allegedly rallied outside the courthouse in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht, a night of systemic pogroms against German Jews by the Nazi government and a historic marker signaling the beginning of the Holocaust. A video clip shows one Neo-Nazi ripping up the tallit behind a police barricade, to a chorus of boos and protests.
Last Jew in Afghanistan faces ruin as kebabs fail to sell
Zabulon Simintov always removes his kippah, the skullcap worn by Jewish men, before entering his cafe in a dilapidated building that also houses Afghanistan's last synagogue.
"Let me take off my cap, otherwise people will think something bad about me," Simintov said cheerfully as he descended grime-caked stairs to the ground-floor cafe.
Ministry: October a Record Month for Tourism
Israel set a tourism record last month, as 339,000 tourists entered the country in October 2013 – 14% more than a year earlier, and the highest single month number of entries in the country's history. This October broke the last record, set in 2010, by 4%, Tourism Ministry officials said Monday.
For the 'start-up nation,' an Arab challenge
The Israeli government has also come to realize the importance of Arab high-tech. The Economics and Trade Ministry, headed by Naftali Bennett, has allocated NIS 414 million ($118 million) to the development of industrial zones in and around Arab cities. The ministry also reimburses employers for 30 percent of the salaries of Arab employees during their first three years of work.
Yet Rasem Natour, head of industry development in the Arab sector at the Ministry of Economy, said that Arab society still lacks an entrepreneurial spirit to match that of the Jewish majority.
"The initiative cannot come from the government," he told The Times of Israel. "We need Arab entrepreneurship, which is sadly lacking." (h/t Zvi)
Belarus Commemorates Former Israeli PM Begin With Statue, Releases Stamps Honoring Zionist Leaders
The statue marks the centenary of his birth and was placed in the town square next to the Jewish school Begin attended as a boy. The square was also the site where hundreds of Jews were rounded up by the Nazis before they were executed on the river Bug, among them his father.
The Belarussian mail service also published a set of stamps with portraits of Zionist leaders born in the country. Among them are: Prime Ministers Begin and Yitzhak Shamir, Presidents Chaim Weizmann, Zalman Shazar, and Shimon Peres.

Brandeis U. sticks its head in the sand on partnering with Al Quds

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 01:30 PM PST



After four days of stonewalling, Brandeis University commented on the Fascist-style display at an Islamic Jihad rally at its partner Al Quds University last week.

The Brandeis University community abhors the actions that took place on the Al-Quds University campus and condemns all acts that incite or encourage senseless violence.

We have been told that the events of November 5 at Al-Quds University were led from people outside the university and this was an unauthorized demonstration. The administration of Al-Quds University assures us that threat of violence implied by the demonstration are not acceptable on their campus and the University administration is conducting a full investigation.

I know that you share my outrage that demonstrations of this nature occur in any part of the world and particularly on a university campus, where they have no place whatsoever.
The only problem is that is not true.

As Tom Gross reports:
Palestinian students at Al-Quds University tell me that the rally was organized and attended by Al-Quds university students belonging to the Islamic Jihad faction of students at Al-Quds University, and held on campus with the full knowledge of the Al-Quds University administration, and the Brandeis statement is incorrect.

In addition, the photos show a very clearly organized event, with a huge printed backdrop with pictures of suicide bombers, a "red carpet" style Israeli flag walkway for all to trample on, seats carefully laid out for the audience, and a sun cover mounted over the seats to shield the audience from the sun.

The statement by the Brandeis president also ignores the previous two similar demonstrations held on campus so far this academic year by the Hamas student faction at Al-Quds. Will the Brandeis president call for the dismantling of the Islamic Jihad faction of students at Al-Quds University? Islamic Jihad, by their own admission, have killed civilians including children and babies and are listed by both the U.S. and EU as a terrorist group.
...
I am told further, having spoken to students at the university, that there is no such thing as an unauthorized demonstration at Al-Quds University, or indeed almost anywhere under Palestinian Authority control. The university has security guards at the gates that monitor everyone that comes into the university. You have to show student ID to get on to the campus. Last Tuesday's student-organized Islamic Jihad rally lasted between two and three hours and at least 1000 students attended or watched the rally, according to students who were there.

And in the Al-Quds demonstration by the Hamas student faction a few weeks ago, vile literature was handed out, including leaflets comparing the Israeli campaign in Gaza to the Hiroshima nuclear bomb, and photos of suicide bombers were displayed.

Another organization designated by the West as a terrorist group, the PFLP, which also has a student faction at the university, also held a student rally a few weeks ago on the campus of Al-Quds.
I guess, to Brandeis, being "liberal" means cozying up to terrorists. It's chic.

PA: "Jews poisoned Arafat just like they poisoned Mohammed"

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 12:00 PM PST

From Palestinian Media Watch:



In a recent sermon broadcast on official PA TV, the Palestinian Authority Minister of Religious Affairs compared Arafat's death to that of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, saying both were poisoned and murdered by Jews.

According to the Hadith (sayings and practices attributed to Islam's Prophet Muhammad), a Jewish woman in the Jewish town of Khaibar served Muhammad poisoned meat. On his deathbed three years later, Muhammad told his wife Aisha that the pain he was experiencing was caused by the poisoned meat that he was given by the Jews.

In his sermon, PA Minister of Religious Affairs Al-Habbash preached that Arafat was murdered in the same way as Muhammad, repeating three times that Muhammad died from poison given to him in Khaibar - a town known for being Jewish in Islamic tradition:
Yasser Arafat died a Martyr (Shahid) - we don't have the slightest doubt that they (i.e., the Jews/Israelis) killed him. One way or another, they killed him. Even Allah's Messenger [Muhammad] - they (i.e., the Jews) killed him with poison. When he was dying, he said to his wife Aisha: 'I feel the same pain I felt from the poison that I ate at Khaibar (Jewish village).' Poison that he ate at Khaibar. He continued to feel the pain until he died. 'I feel the same pain I felt from the poison that I ate at Khaibar.'

Be satisfied, oh mighty one, oh Martyr Arafat, that you were killed the same way Allah's Messenger was killed... We have no doubt, and I don't think there is a single one among us who has the slightest doubt that Arafat was killed. Deep inside we all know who killed him."
How can he compare Arafat with Mohammed?

Arafat was into boys, while Mohammed was into girls.

Planned anti-Hamas protests never happened

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 10:30 AM PST

For months, an organization called Tamarod Gaza has promised a massive anti-Hamas rally for November 11. It gathered media attention and Hamas was nervous with some arrests of some of the leaders ahead of time.

November 11 came and went, and nothing happened.

A regular weekly women's protest calling for the end to the division between Hamas and Fatah in a square in Gaza was broken up by Hamas which didn't allow people or vehicles to enter the area.

That was it.

Tamarod Gaza's Facebook page pretends that its non-protest was a success, saying "read between the lines" and it is better to bounce back after a fall  than to lie there and be trampled.

Hamas is weaker than it has been at any time since it took over power in Gaza. It no longer has sponsorship from the Egyptian government. People are upset not only at the continued  division but also at the inability to travel to Egypt and Hamas' holding Gazans hostage to get a better deal on fuel for the power plant. This was the perfect time to kick off a popular anti-Hamas movement  and to put real pressure on the terror movement - and from all appearances, they chickened out.

11/12 Links Pt1: Kerry’s ME dream world, Hamas 2.0, Khamenei the Billionaire, Saudi Camel News

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 09:00 AM PST

From Ian:
John Kerry's Middle East dream world
To those outside the Kerry bubble, Egypt is ruled by a regime more repressive than any in decades, with a muzzled media and thousands of political prisoners. Syria is mired in an anarchic struggle whose most likely winners appear to be Assad and al-Qaeda , with neither inclined to negotiation. Israelis and Palestinians are further apart on the terms for a settlement than they were at the turn of the century. And the emerging conditions for a deal with Iran threaten to drive a wedge between the United States and some of its closest allies.
This raises the question: Does Kerry really believe his rhetoric? In fact, it appears he does, particularly on the Israeli-Palestinian account. Desperate for a legacy at the end of his long career, the former senator has convinced himself that a) the terms for a settlement are readily apparent and b) he has the political skills to convince Netanyahu and Abbas to accept them. Kerry, like President Obama, also is convinced that detente, if not a "grand bargain," has all along been possible between the United States and Iran, if only the right people (like him) are at the table.
The Obama Administration is Spineless in the Middle East
Here, in a nutshell, are the principles driving the Obama Administration's Middle East policy. Screw the Syrians. Don't upset the Iranians. And stop those damn Israelis from wrecking Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations.
We are coming to the end of year marked by shameful climb-downs in the face of our enemies and utterly unreasonable demands made of our allies. In Syria, Obama temporarily toyed with the idea of launching air strikes against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, before being seduced by a Russian proposal to have that same regime dismantle its own weapons of mass destruction. There were lots of good reasons to attack Assad, for example his military reliance on the Iranian regime and the terrorists of Hezbollah, as well as the moral imperative of combating the sheer evil of chemical weapons, but Obama, buoyed by isolationists on right and left, placed his faith in Vladimir Putin instead.
HuffPo Monitor: The Actual Truth about "Palestine"
There's a new video making its way around "debunking" Danny Ayalon's video that came out (wait for it) two years ago. As is usually the case with Palsbara, insults, ridicule, whining, the race card, and strawman arguments take the place of actual arguments. So Matt and I thought we would create a video debunking their debunking. Check it out below:


IsraellyCool: The "Real" Truth About Palestine: Sex Appeal, Lies and Videotape
My point here is not to criticize the women's choice of profession (although their politics leaves a lot to be desired). It is to show that the organization that put together the video hired a couple of attractive actresses – neither of whom are actually "Palestinian" according to the definition of someone born here – in order to increase the appeal of the video. They even had one of them put on a fake accent, presumably to make her more appealing (in my opinion, it worked!)
None of this surprises me, given the level of authenticity of the arguments they put forward in the video.
Stuxnet, gone rogue, hit Russian nuke plant, space station
A Russian nuclear power plant was reportedly "badly infected" by the rogue Stuxnet virus, the same malware that reportedly disrupted Iran's nuclear program several years ago. The virus then spread to the International Space Station via a Stuxnet-infected USB stick transported by Russian cosmonauts.
Speaking to journalists in Canberra, Australia, last week, Eugene Kaspersky, head of the anti-virus and cyber protection firm that bears his name, said he had been tipped off about the damage by a friend who works at the Russian plant.
Police Close Down Fatah Club in Jerusalem Neighborhood
The riot broke out after police attempted to close down a social club operated by the Fatah terror group. Institutions and offices operated by the Palestinian Authority or PA terror groups – of which Fatah is one – are not allowed to operate in Jerusalem, and police close down offices operated by Fatah and Hamas on a regular basis.
Police were alerted to the gathering a large group at the site, which turned out to be a memorial service for Yasser Arafat. As police entered the premises, Arabs began to riot, but police used anti-riot tactics to quell the riot.
Hamas, version 2.0?
While Hamas claims to have renounced suicide bombings, it is still committed to rabid anti-Zionism and to violently attacking the Jewish state and its people. Although the past months have been quiet on the Israel-Gaza border, that does not negate the recent Hamas plan to launch explosive laden drone attacks at Israeli towns and settlements (which was ironically foiled by local Palestinian Authority police officers in Hebron).
Yes, Hamas is changing. But this has more to do with realpolitik and less a reflection of any change in the desires and choices of its leadership. When we see its new "softer" face, turned towards Western media, in be an attempt to suggest more substantial policy changes, this is just a veneer. At its heart, Hamas remains as it always has been, the same violent Islamist group, committed to terror and violence. We would all do well to remember that, and not be taken in when we see the new "moderate" face of Hamas. There is no "Hamas 2.0".
Egypt destroys smuggling tunnels on Gaza border
The closures are also affecting the general population, as the loss of fuel supplies through the tunnel has forced Gaza's only power plant to shut down, causing power outages that last as long as 12 hours.
Egypt also has halted transfers of Qatari-funded fuel and frequently closed the Rafah border crossing because of militant attacks on Egyptian security forces in the lawless Sinai Peninsula.
In Depth: Iran's Khamenei controls vast financial empire worth some $95 billion
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei controls a business empire worth around $95 billion - a sum exceeding the value of his oil-rich nation's current annual petroleum exports - a six-month Reuters investigation shows.
The little-known organization, called Setad, is one of the keys to the Iranian leader's enduring power and now holds stakes in nearly every sector of Iranian industry, including finance, oil, telecommunications, the production of birth-control pills and even ostrich farming.
Setad has built its empire on the systematic seizure of thousands of properties belonging to ordinary Iranians - members of religious minorities, Shi'ite Muslims, business people and Iranians living abroad.
Iran FM snaps back at Kerry about talks' failure
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday took to Twitter to strike back at his American counterpart, Secretary of State John Kerry, placing the blame on the world powers for the failure of nuclear talks to yield an agreement over the weekend.
"Mr. Secretary, was it Iran that gutted over half of US draft Thursday night? and publicly commented against it Friday morning?" he inquired via Twitter.
Human Rights Groups, Lawmakers Blast Iran For Abuse of Christian and Political Prisoners
The statement also described "torture during pre-trial detention and harsh sentences after extremely unfair trials" and stated that "the Iranian authorities are silently preparing the death of prisoners of conscience."
It came on the same day as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that another 12 Iranian prisoners had been executed amid what the outlet described as "a surge in the use of the death penalty there."
Britain revives ties with Iran, two years after embassy attack
Britain said on Monday it had revived diplomatic relations with Iran and appointed a non-resident charge d'affaires, two years after an angry mob ransacked the British embassy in Tehran.
MEMRI: Hizbullah MP: if Iran Continues to Stockpile Uranium, It Will Be Able to Produce a Nuclear Bomb

Moscow on the Nile
It appears el-Sissi's announcement was meant to lay the groundwork for the high-ranking Russian delegation set to arrive in Cairo this weekend. Russia and Egypt have been holding secret talks in recent months, with the goal of establishing a new strategic alliance in the area. Such an alliance would further weaken the U.S.'s sway in the area and give Russia a foothold in Egypt for the first time in 40 years.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy visited Moscow last month, and now the Russian foreign and defense minister will be arriving in Cairo. The Russian visit is historically significant; it is the first time high-ranking Russian officials will visit Cairo in official capacity since Former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat kicked out his Soviet advisers in the early 1970s.
Egypt Turning to Russia? Don't Count On It
Saudi Prince Faisal al-Turki, in an interview in the Washington Post, decried the ineffectual nature of the American administration, but asked whether Russia could fill the gap, replied, "I don't think Russia will ever fill the gap. [Russia's support of Syria] is costing the Russians the rest of the Muslim world. They are fighting on the wrong side."
It is better to be the "ineffectual" United States than to be Russia "fighting on the wrong side." The U.S. has more room to maneuver. This may be what prompted Secretary Kerry's hasty and flowery addition of Cairo to his itinerary, but Arab skepticism about American intentions will not be overcome with mere words.
Egypt 'worst for women' out of 22 countries in Arab world
Iraq ranked second-worst after Egypt, followed by Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen.
The Comoros, where women hold 20% of ministerial positions, is followed at the top of the rankings by Oman, Kuwait, Jordan and Qatar.
The poll asked experts to assess factors such as violence against women, reproductive rights, treatment of women within the family and women's role in politics and the economy. (h/t NormanF)
Two Killed as Saudi Government Cracks Down on Illegal Workers
The latest deaths follow the killing of an Ethiopian immigrant on Wednesday. According to reports the man was shot dead by Saudi police as they moved in to clear illegal encampments set up by immigrants.
According to the BBC nearly one million foreigners are believed to have left the Gulf state in the last three months, from countries including Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, Nepal, Pakistan and Yemen.
Saudi Science Discovers Cancer Cure in Camel Urine Nano-Particles
While the Zionists sneer about all the Nobel Prizes won by Jews, Muslim science founded on the unerring Koran and Hadiths transmitted by the Angel Gabriel and occasionally Satan, to an illiterate desert bandit, is about to yield the greatest prize of them all.
A cure for the most dreaded of diseases where you might least expect it, but exactly where a Koran-literate Muslim would expect to find it. (h/t Elder of Lobby)
Covered by EoZ in 2009
Saudi Says First Camel Tests Positive for MERS Virus
The Saudi government said Monday that a camel has tested positive for MERS, in the first case of an animal infected with the coronavirus that has killed 64 people worldwide.
A camel owned by a person diagnosed with the disease had "tested positive in preliminary laboratory checks," the health ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.

Arafat circus continues as Abbas wants to go to the UN

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 07:00 AM PST

Tawfiq Tirawi, head of the PA's "National Commission to Investigate the Assassination of President Yasser Arafatt there are 100 people working in the organization.

It is unclear what exactly this commission does, even though Tirawi says that it employs the hundred people distributed in committees including security and medical research, investigation, and other components.

The funding for this farce is seemingly coming from Western aid to the PA.

Meanwhile, PA president for life Mahmoud Abbas agreed with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States to "internationalize" the investigation into the "killing" of former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, either to the Security Council or the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Abbas said during a TV interview that he formed three committees to follow up on the inconclusive forensics reports, in the areas of security, medical and legal, saying that he had asked the international investigators to examine the body, including Russia, Switzerland and France. (A recent report showed that the PA and Suha Arafat paid for the Swiss investigation, in another misuse of international funds.)

Abbas, known by his nom de guerre Abu Mazen, did point out "We can not charge Israel until the investigation is completed." How big of him.

In other Arafat circus news, David Barclay - the forensics expert who Al Jazeera hired to interpret the Swiss report in ways that the Swiss never intended - wrote an article for Al Jazeera about why he believes Arafat was poisoned. Al Jazeera doesn't mention that he is being paid by them. There's ethical journalism for you.

To PalArabs, education is only meant for "resistance"

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 05:00 AM PST

There are two tracks to the Palestinian "Right to Education" week: the lies that they tell local students and the lies that they tell international students.

From Ma'an:
Right to Education Week at Birzeit University commenced Monday with a workshop on the education of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation jails.

Events will be held on campus throughout the week highlighting the obstacles faced by Palestinians under occupation in their pursuit of education.

Sundos Hammad, coordinator of the campaign at Birzeit, stressed the importance of education for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation.

"Education is our tool to resist occupation. It is important to keep our Palestinian heritage and to resist the narrative of the occupier."
Let's look at the history of this initiative:
"Initially, Right to Education Week was only on the international level," explained Hammad, who has been an active organizer in the campaign for more than two years.

"The campaign started during the Intifada, when every Palestinian was living under occupation and was always aware of the violations taking place."

"We wanted the international community to be in solidarity with our cause."

However, in the last five years, as Israeli troops have withdrawn from West Bank city centers, campaign organizers realized the need for the campaign to have a local dimension to help educate the public about ongoing violations of the right to education.

"Now, there are violations that are not visible. Occupying the minds of Palestinians, changing the history of Palestine in textbooks, giving the narrative of the occupier- there [sic!] systematic violations changing how we think about Palestine."
Did you catch that? The very organizer of this campaign is admitting that there are no barriers to education in the West Bank and Gaza. And he is saying that there is not even occupation in areas under PA (and Hamas) control!

But Israel's existence, which ensures that there will be no Palestinian Arab state from the river to the sea, is an "occupation of the mind."

However, the message sent to universities worldwide is quite different:
The week of events at Birzeit University is part of a global movement supporting the Palestinian Right to Education. Events will take place on at least 25 campuses in the UK, USA, Norway, Netherlands, South Africa, Canada, and Ireland.

As part of the week, Birzeit University students will participate in events that help students abroad see the obstacles Palestinian students face under occupation, including video conferences.

At the 25 campuses around the world that are celebrating this "right to education" week, the "education" being offered is propaganda - even according to the organizers of the event! There, the college students are being lied to and told that Israel is still stopping Palestinian Arabs from attending university, even though Palestinian Arabs know that it isn't true and adjust the local message accordingly.

The local initiatives, however, stress the "right" to teach Palestinians that Israel is illegal, that terror is legitimate and that resistance is the purpose of education. (Read the whole article if you don't believe me.)

The most successful export under PLO rule is lies. 

The NYT christens a new axis of evil: Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Congress

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 02:25 AM PST

An editorial from the New York Times:
The inconclusive negotiations over the weekend on Iran's nuclear program were disappointing, but two critical points have mostly been ignored. First, diplomacy takes work, and agreements rarely flow seamlessly from beginning to end. Second, if all those inveighing against any deal — namely members of Congress, Israel and Saudi Arabia — see the weekend results as a new opportunity to sabotage it, what is the alternative?

No one has proposed a better path than negotiations, and getting the best deal possible should remain the goal for Iran and the major powers — the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany — as they look to another round of talks later this month...

Unfortunately, the inconclusive negotiations have given an opening to the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who excoriated the proposed agreement as the "deal of the century" for Iran before it is made public, to generate more hysterical opposition. It would be Let's be realistic, we are told. if Iran could be persuaded to completely dismantle its nuclear program, as Mr. Netanyahu has demanded, but that is unlikely to ever happen.

...The opponents of a deal are energized and determined. The United States and its allies have to be united and smart.
See? The United States and its allies must be united against their enemies: Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the US Congress.  Russia is now more on our (e.g., the New York Times')  side than  our very own elected representatives!

These enemies aren't motivated by serious concern about the their security and the future of the world. No, according to the NYT, their motivation is "hysteria."

Serious thinking from the "paper of record."
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