יום שלישי, 19 בנובמבר 2013

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Link to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Brandeis cuts ties with Al Quds University

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 07:13 PM PST

Last week we reported this story, where Brandeis University tried to justify the Fascist-style Islamic Jihad rally on the campus of its partner Al Quds University

After another few days of pressure from Tom Gross (who broke the story) and Adam Kredo of the Washington Free Beacon who repeatedly tried to get statements from Brandeis officials, Brandeis finally reacted properly:

Brandeis University President Frederick Lawrence announced today that Brandeis has suspended its partnership with Al-Quds University effective immediately. Brandeis will re-evaluate the relationship as future events may warrant.

The decision stems from recent events at Al-Quds University, including a campus demonstration on Nov. 5 and a statement about the demonstration, which the president of Al-Quds University issued last night.

The Nov. 5 demonstration on the Al-Quds campus involved demonstrators wearing black military gear, armed with fake automatic weapons, and who marched while waving flags and raising the traditional Nazi salute. The demonstration took place in the main square of the Al-Quds campus, which was surrounded by banners depicting images of "martyred" suicide bombers.

Immediately after he received reports of the demonstration, President Lawrence contacted Al-Quds President Sari Nusseibeh and requested that he issue an unequivocal condemnation of the demonstrations. President Lawrence also requested that the condemnation be published in both Arabic and English.

Last night (Nov. 17), President Nusseibeh sent an email to President Lawrence with an English translation of a statement posted in Arabic on the Al-Quds web site.

Unfortunately, the Al-Quds statement is unacceptable and inflammatory. While Brandeis has an unwavering commitment to open dialogue on difficult issues, we are also obliged to recognize intolerance when we see it, and we cannot – and will not – turn a blind eye to intolerance. As a result, Brandeis is suspending its partnership with Al-Quds University effective immediately. We will reevaluate our relationship with Al-Quds based on future events.
The Al Quds letter is something else:

My Dear Students of Al-Quds University,

The university is often subjected to vilification campaigns by Jewish extremists with the purpose of discrediting its reputation as a prestigious academic institution with a unique, humane calling: to strive to instill noble values in its students; to spread the spirit of democracy and openness toward other world cultures; and to present the genuine face of the Palestinian people, calling for peace against the extremism and violence to which we ourselves are subjected as a people denied our rights under occupation.

These extreme elements spare no effort to exploit some rare but nonetheless damaging events or scenes which occur on the campus of Al Quds University, such as fist-fighting between students, or some students making a mock military display. These occurrences allow some people to capitalize on events in ways that misrepresent the university as promoting inhumane, anti-Semitic, fascist, and Nazi ideologies. Without these ideologies, there would not have been the massacre of the Jewish people in Europe; without the massacre, there would not have been the enduring Palestinian catastrophe.

As occurred recently, these opportunists are quick to describe the Palestinians as a people undeserving of freedom and independence, and as a people who must be kept under coercive control and occupation. They cite these events as evidence justifying their efforts to muster broad Jewish and western opinion to support their position. This public opinion, in turn, sustains the occupation, the extension of settlements and the confiscation of land, and prevents Palestinians from achieving our freedom.
This letter is insane. No one said anything close to what is claimed, and the letter downplays the antisemitic and terror supporting march as merely a "mock-military display" which is just as objectionable as fistfights on campus. (And there have been several such Islamic Jihad demonstrations on campus, all done with Al Qud approval. They are hardly "rare" nor are they rogue.)

Notice also how, while Al Quds downplays the Holocaust, calling it a mere "massacre" as if a hundred or so Jews were killed. But that is not the worst outcome of Nazi ideologies; no, the worst is that the genocide of Jews caused the Nakba in the sick minds of the leaders of Al Quds.

The rest of the letter asks students to respect each other and their teachers, but says nothing about respecting other groups or religions.


The "right" to enriching uranium doesn't exist. Even in ALL CAPS.

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 05:00 PM PST

Salon has an article by Patrick L. Smith, called "Chomsky is Right," excoriating the New York Times for its use of scare quotes concerning Iran's "right" to enrich uranium:

Complex story, but we can take care of it simply. Iran wants a nuclear program, and this includes the capacity to enrich uranium. This is Iran's right under international law. Washington and the major European powers do not want Iran to have such a program because they worry Iran will eventually build a nuclear weapon. The talks in Geneva went sour because the U.S. and the Europeans demanded that Iran surrender its right.

O.K. Here is the lead in the Times report from the City of Diplomacy:

The Iranian government's insistence on formal recognition of its "right" to enrich uranium emerged as a major obstacle, diplomats said Sunday.

Two big problems. Nothing emerged as an obstacle in Geneva other than Secretary of State Kerry's duplicity, given that his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, now charges him with misleading Iran as to demands to be made on the enrichment question. Iran has been quite clear all along: Enrichment under law will never get on the table. Zarif would have skipped the trip had he known Kerry's plans; Kerry knew this.

Then the quotation marks. With them, the Times proposes to deprive Iran of its statutory rights so that Washington can lie to us as well as to the Iranians.
Smith, not quite satisfied that his proof by assertion is adequate to the task of convincing Salon's readers that Iran has the right to enrich uranium, decides to prove it BY USING ALL CAPS:

ONE: IRAN HAS AN UNAMBIGUOUS RIGHT UNDER LAW TO A NUCLEAR PROGRAM, INCLUDING ENRICHMENT, EVEN IF THIS MAKES IT (AS IT WILL) NEARLY CAPABLE OF WEAPONIZING. READ YOUR DAILY NEWS DOSAGE WITH THIS IN MIND.

TWO. THERE IS ZERO EVIDENCE THAT IRAN DESIRES A NUCLEAR WEAPON, AND DECADES OF POLICY TO INDICATE IT PREFERS A NUCLEAR-FREE MIDDLE EAST. THERE IS ONLY ONE REASON IRAN WOULD CHANGE ITS MIND: ISRAEL'S NEVER-MENTIONED ARSENAL OF NUKES. THE MOTIVE WOULD BE DETERRENCE, AND MOST OF US WORSHIPPED AT THE ALTAR OF DETERRENCE WELL ENOUGH DURING THE COLD WAR. IRAN HAS SIGNED THE NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY; ISRAEL DECLINES TO DO SO.
Well, he's really emphatic about it, so it must be true!

So what does international law say about the right to enrich uranium?

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty says
Nothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in conformity with Articles I and II of this Treaty.
Very simply, this means that if a country can get properly enriched fuel for their peaceful nuclear program without enriching it themselves, they don't have the "right" to enrich it. It doesn't mean that they are necessarily barred from doing so, but it is clearly not a "right."

Given that the entire purpose of the NPT is to limit the possibility of nuclear weapons development, and in Iran's case there is a serious concern that enrichment would lead to nuclear weapons, it is even clearer that there is no such "right" to enrich uranium. South Africa, Spain and Mexico each have peaceful nuclear programs without domestic enrichment programs.

That's the plain English interpretation of the NPT. It isn't too difficult to figure out.

As far as Smith's second emphasized statement, it doesn't quite explain why Iran is developing missiles that can carry nuclear warheads. But even without that, in Smith's short screed, he admits that Iran might want to create nuclear weapons to "deter" Israel, as if Israel has been threatening Iran with nuclear weapons. Which means that he admits that Iran may want to build a nuclear weapon!

Sorry, I meant to say PATRICK L. SMITH ADMITS THAT IRAN MAY WANT TO BUILD A NUCLEAR WEAPON!

11/18 Links Pt2: Can we mention the “I” word?, The Iranians behind the Israeli rescue missions

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 03:00 PM PST

From Ian:
Can we mention the "I" word?
When Arabs were "incited" to murder in Hebron in 1929, was it hatred for Israel? Or was it perhaps hatred for Jews they were incited with?
Israel has built schools, hospitals, infrastructure and dramatically advanced the living conditions of the Arabs in the disputed territories. This receives no thanks and was delivered in the face of unremitting terror attacks. Without the strong security measures, how many more Jews would have been killed?
But the more Jews do, the more Jews give, the greater the hatred of Jews becomes. It's a kind of jealousy: each one of our successes highlights their failures. Is it time to study, honestly, the contemporary theology that provided the basis for the indoctrination of this young murderer?
We can never surrender enough to placate this foe. We're locked in an endless war. That doesn't mean we have to give up living here or being proud, independent Jews. But we must never let ourselves fall asleep thinking we're safe.
Danon: Stop Funding PA Until it Stops Funding Terrorism
Danon noted that the aid money which the PA receives is being used in large grants to terrorists, saying "the world thinks it's funding peace, but the Palestinians are funding terror."
The Deputy Defense Minister added that "the world needs to stop the money going to the PA until it stops funding terror."
Honest Reporting: New York Times Photo Outrage
For starters, it is ten paragraphs down before we even learn the details of the horrific attack on Atias while he slept on a bus in Afula. The majority of the article is devoted, despite the headline "Attack on Israeli Worsens Tensions With Palestinians," to issues surrounding settlements.
But just to ensure against any notion that an Israeli could be the victim, the NY Times chose this photo to illustrate the story:
Not a photo of Eden Atias. Not a photo of his mother mourning the loss of a son.
We are treated instead to an image of the mother of the terrorist responsible for murdering Eden Atias, presumably mourning the fact that her son is now in Israeli custody.
In the eyes of the New York Times, Israeli victims of terror are mere footnotes to a one-sided narrative of Palestinian suffering and Israeli responsibility for that suffering.
Soldier who arrested Afula terrorist honored
The Israeli soldier who apprehended the terrorist who stabbed to death 19-year-old soldier Eden Atias last Wednesday has been commended for his action.
Kfir infantry brigade commander Col. Asher Ben-Lulu presented 2nd Lt. Yitzhak Maimon with a certificate of merit on Sunday evening for the courage he displayed at the scene of the Afula bus station terror attack.
The Return Of Shirley Temper
Everyone's favorite palestinian propaganda child is back, although she takes a back seat to a smaller child who seems to be reciting a scripted poem (perhaps Temper junior?)
Notice how not frightened the children look (Shirley smiles at the camera at one point). You would think if the IDF soldiers were really the big, bad wolves Shirley and company have in the past tried to portray them as, the girls would not seem so comfortable.


IDF Blog: Hamas in Comics: Terror and Tyranny in Gaza
Since the day of its creation, Hamas has vilified the Jewish people, indoctrinated Gaza's children and attacked Israel with suicide bombings and rockets. In November 2012, we were left with no choice but to stop Hamas' terror through Operation Pillar of Defense. One year later, we show you the terrorist organization like you've never seen it before.
"Concentration Camp" Gaza Now Manufacturing Its Own Cars
Welcome to Gaza, the world's only "concentration camp" which manufactures its own cars.
The Guardian is forced to correct a second false allegation by Antony Loewenstein
Recently, an alert CiF Watch reader noted a second correction to the same Loewenstein essay. Here's the original passage:
Another front page story in the paper last week claimed that Hebrew University is a bastion of Jewish and Arab co-operation, yet ignored the litany of examples of the institution repressing Palestinian rights.
Now, that passage smearing Hebrew University has been amended,
Six hundred people at a meeting better held back in the Middle East
Hundreds of Muslims attending a community meeting in western Sydney were warned yesterday that they should refuse to co-operate with Australian governments and their agencies, including ASIO and the federal police.
The annual conference of Hizb ut-Tahrir heard speakers say the federal government had a covert plan to marginalise and suppress activist and traditionalist Islam under the guise of engagement and fostering harmony with moderates in the community…
Does Guardian columnist Michael Cohen regularly follow the hate site, Mondoweiss?
Mondoweiss also hosts the musings of Max Blumenthal, author the 'Israel haters guide to the universe' praised by such notable 'activists' as Gilad Atzmon and David Duke.
The politics of Michael Cohen have been revealed in previous 'CiF' essays – where he once suggested that terrorist attacks on Israelis may actually 'help' the peace process – but his legitimization of Mondoweiss suggests an especially troubling dynamic whereby antisemitic commentary typically associated with the extreme right garners increasing respectability by those who consider themselves 'progressive' voices on the Middle East.
BBC perpetuates themes from Operation Pillar of Cloud
Notably, the casualty figures cited above from Hamas and OHCHR sources suggest that fewer combatants – and hence, more civilians – were killed during the conflict than do figures from other sources. Clearly, the Hamas claim that the casualties were "mostly civilians" is not credible information and it is inappropriate for the BBC to promote it without independent verification.
It is evident even from this short introduction that the BBC did not carry out effective post-event examination of its coverage of Operation Pillar of Cloud and hence the same inaccurate themes are still being promoted one year on.
German collector wants his priceless trove of stolen art back
Der Spiegel said a reporter spent several days interviewing the collector while he traveled from his home in Munich to visit a doctor in a nearby city last week.
Officials are investigating whether Gurlitt may have "misappropriated" the pictures or committed tax offenses in connection with them. However, a spokesman for Augsburg prosecutors, who are handling the case, told The Associated Press last week that Germany's 30-year statute of limitations may prove to be a stumbling block.
Simon Weisenthal Center Exposes European anti-Semitism
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, raised the findings of Manfred Gerstenfeld's book, Demonizing Israel and the Jews with Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila on Wednesday.
The Cardinal was an important candidate in the recent Papal election and may become the first Asian Pope.
IDF treats over 300 people a day in the Philippines
On November 17, The IDF team based installed a water cistern on a nearby island that had no access to water.
The field hospital, which is attached to a local hospital, has incubators for the premature babies.
"I am not sure what would have happened if we had not been around," said Lt.-Col. Dr. Ofer Merin, medical manager of the field hospital.
Merin repeatedly told the 148 officers and soldiers, doctors, nurses, lab technicians, psychiatrists, social psychologists, search and rescue workers, that "we are here to answer the call for help."
The Iranians behind the Israeli rescue missions
And just days ago, Colonel Ramtin Sebti another Iranian commander in the IDF, commanded an Israeli rescue mission of a different kind: to the Philippines to help the victims of typhoon Haiyan. The mission consists of 148 specialists, a field hospital, 100 tons of humanitarian and medical aid.
Colonel Sebti, originally from Tehran's Yousef Abad neighborhood, belongs to my generation of Iranian immigrants. He left Iran 26 years ago in 1987 at the age of 15, and was smuggled across the Iranian border to Pakistan, much like many of my school friends. Today he heads one of the most coveted forces in the Israeli army, the National Search and Rescue Unit. This unit is in charge of rescuing victims of missile attacks as well as natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons. It has taken part in rescue operations in places such as Haiti, Kenya, Turkey and now the Philippines.
Name me another country where Iranians have reached such high positions of power.
Apple reportedly buying Israel's PrimeSense for $345 million
Apple is buying Israel's PrimeSense for $345 million, the Calcalist business daily reported Sunday. The deal is expected to be reported officially by both companies within the next two weeks, the report said.
This is the second time a deal, or near-deal, between the two companies has been reported. Last July, it was reported that PrimeSense and Apple were in intense negotiations over a possible Apple acquisition. Sunday's report was not immediately confirmed.
Israel Ranks Second on Global Dynamism Index Science and Technology Sector
Israel has been ranked second in the Global Dynamism Index science and technology sector of one of the world's largest worldwide accountancy firms with a mark of 62.7. Israel moved up one place to second from third, lagging only behind South Korea with a mark of 64.2. Israel was ranked ahead of Finland (62.6), Sweden (58.8), and Japan (58.7).
U.S. Jewish Groups Shifting Resources to New Israeli Market Index Fund
Major Jewish organizations are investing heavily in a recently launched index fund that tracks companies with a significant Israeli presence, prompting speculation that literally billions of dollars may – according to Steven Schoenfeld, the founder and CEO of the BlueStar Israel Global Index fund – "be brought into productive investment in Israel"

NPR correspondent in Jerusalem asks for story ideas. Send her some!

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 01:30 PM PST

From NPR's Emily Harris earlier this month:

Before I moved to Jerusalem to cover Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, I asked friends and acquaintances what they wanted to know about these places.

Everyone knew something about the long-running conflict, the repeat political players, and the ancient religions and the historic significance of the land. But people had plenty of questions, too.

A sixth-grader asked me to find out what had happened to a Palestinian boy he'd seen in a documentary. That led to this story and convinced me that the combined curiosity of many is a lot more powerful than me on my own.

So, I want more questions.

What do you wonder about Israel or the Palestinian territories? About the food, the fun, conflict, changes, history, habits?

I can't promise everything you ask will turn into a story, but if it does I will let you know. (And I might come back and ask you a question about your question.)

Please click here to tell us what you're wondering about. Please include your contact information. Or put your question out on social media with #whatiwonder.
So what stories should we sent Emily?

Should she interview the children who are in official Palestinian Authority TV videos who are calling Jews "barbaric monkeys, wretched pigs"?

Maybe a report on the PA giving high paying jobs to convicted murderers?

Perhaps a followup with the family of Asher and Yonatan Palmer? along with the news that stone throwers can and do kill people?

Or an interview with the couple who were attacked with a Molotov cocktail recently?

Maybe a feature on the Temple Mount Sifting Project, with information about how priceless antiquities were destroyed by the Islamic Waqf and UNESCO has nothing bad to say about it?

Maybe a lighthearted piece on how many times Mahmoud Abbas threatened to resign.

Or an interview with Arabs who work happily in Israeli-owned stores in the territories.

Poor Emily seems to be running low on ideas. She needs some help.

(h/t Irene)

Hamas leader's granddaughter in Israel for medical treatment

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 12:00 PM PST

Pal24.net reports that Ismail Haniyeh's one-year old granddaughter is being treated for a serious condition - in an Israeli hospital.

The website quotes Haniyeh's son Abdul Salam Haniyeh on Facebook sharing the news, saying that she suffered from "serious infections in the digestive tract that affected the nervous system."

She was first treated in the "Victory" hospital in Gaza, where Haniyeh visited her.


If I am understanding the article correctly, it may be too late. The girl is apparently in "clinical death" and Abdul said that the "skies were crying for her," a reference to recent rain.

(h/t Spotlighting)

#BDSFail: Lots of BDS sites use Israeli web technology!

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 10:30 AM PST

Wix is an Israeli company that recently went public on NASDAQ. It creates software that makes it easy to create websites.

And the anti-Israel crowd loves it!

Students for Justice in Palestine - Cornell University use it. Also, SJP in Denver. And Houston. And at Loyola.

So does the webpage of the "Museum of  the Palestinian Holocaust." And "Palestine Forever." And "It IS Apartheid". Not to mention "Team Palestina."

Who wants to tell them that they better take down all these sites?


(h/t Zionist Federation, which noticed two of these; I found the rest.)

11/18 Links Pt1: PA claims Jewish medallion artifact is Arab, AQ Bio Expert Held in Israel for 3 yrs

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 09:00 AM PST

From Ian:
David Singer: No Elections, No Solutions
Kerry obviously fails to appreciate that it is Hamas and its backers that will instigate a third intifada – especially if Israel and the PLO look like miraculously agreeing on anything.
Kerry should be focusing on the common denominator that has virtually guaranteed the failure of negotiations during the last seven years – the refusal of both Hamas and the PLO to allow the Palestinian Arabs in Gaza and the West Bank to hold fair and transparent triennial elections to determine who should represent them in final status negotiations with Israel.
Elections will end the culture of political impotency which has proved an impenetrable barrier to the Palestinian Arabs claimed right to self determination.
Without such elections – no final and binding agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs is possible.
Abbas rejects resignation of Palestinian peace negotiator Erekat
A PA official said that Abbas would urge Kerry during their meeting this week to "step up pressure" on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to change his policies regarding settlement construction.
The official said that Abbas would make it clear to Kerry that Netanyahu's policies severely undermine the credibility of the PA and the entire peace process.
In a related development, Hamas called on the PA negotiators to "effectively" resign.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement: "We call on the negotiators to stop playing games and to resign effectively and immediately."
Yaalon: The PA is No Different from Hamas
"I supported Oslo but smartened up when I realized that Arafat considered it to be yet another stage in the negotiations," Yaalon said at an event in memory of former Defense Minister Moshe Dayan.
"To date, I've never heard any Palestinian leader, including Abbas, who was willing to say that a territorial compromise, even along the borders he dreams about, is the end of the conflict and an end to the demands, a recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and a waiver of the right of return," Yaalon added. "Their unwillingness to recognize our right to exist as the national homeland of the Jewish people in some border, this is the obstacle to peace and is the root of the conflict."
PMW: Jewish medallion artifact is Arab, not Jewish - Al-Aqsa Mosque Director on PA TV


Al-Qaeda biological weapons expert held in Israel for three years
According to the report, al-Barq was involved in planning attacks on Jews and Israelis in Jordan and also planned to teach Palestinian terrorists how to manufacture poisons.
"He has great knowledge in the field of unconventional weapons, with a focus on biological [weapons]," the State Attorney wrote in his response to the court against al-Barq's release. "The army command is convinced that his release at this time will be a point of no return for the development of a significant global jihadist infrastructure in the area."
'Abbas Involved in Arafat Poisoning'
Fahmi Shabane, a former officer in the intelligence service of the Palestinian Authority (PA), blames the PA leadership, including its chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, of being complicit in the "murder" of former chairman Yasser Arafat.
Speaking to Hamas's Al Quds channel, Shabane said that the data and evidence point to the involvement of Abbas and other PA leaders in the alleged poisoning of Arafat.
Honest Reporting: New York Times Continues Anti-Israel Crusade
So according to the NY Times, if the Iranians cheat, then the West can impose sanctions after the event. Maybe even after the Iranians have reached nuclear weapons capability. Does the NY Times consider the possibility that imposing more sanctions at that point might be too late?
But worse, the NY Times places all of the blame for any failure of negotiations on Netanyahu. To be clear, the Israeli PM is not opposed to the talks. He is opposed to a bad deal while the NY Times appears to be hell-bent on accepting any deal. If talks do indeed fail, perhaps this may be influenced by Netanyahu's lobbying. Ultimately, however, the results of talks with the Iranians will be down to those sitting around the table and certainly dependent upon the credibility of Iranian intentions.
Guardian propagandist Jonathan Steele egregiously distorts the Israeli position on Iran
The politics of veteran Guardian "journalist" Jonathan Steele are so off-the-charts that he's accused Muslims who opposed Islamist rule in Tunisia of 'Islamophobia', written a spirited defense of the 'tragically misunderstood' Robert Mugabe and has even run interference for Kim Jong Un's totalitarian cult in Pyongyang. And, not surprisingly considering the ideological package he shows fealty towards, he's also warned darkly of the Zionist influence on the U.S. media.
So, whilst nothing he writes anymore can surprise us, it's nonetheless important to note that his Nov. 11 'Comment is Free' essay (Iran: don't let the naysayers prevail) blatantly misrepresented Israel's position on the current talks to reach an interim nuclear deal with Iran.
BBC quietly removes misleading claim on Israel's stance on P5+1 talks
On November 11th we noted here that an article appearing on the BBC News website the previous day included a misrepresentation of Israel's stance on the P5+1 talks with Iran in Geneva, stating:
"Peace talks in Geneva have centred on a proposal to freeze the expansion of Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for relief from tough international sanctions.
Israel, which regards Iran as a security threat, has opposed the talks."
Netanyahu to Hollande: Israel will not be bound by 'bad' agreement on Iran
Israel will not be bound by a "bad agreement" with Iran, and when it says "never again," it means it, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Sunday night at a press conference with French President François Hollande.
The press conference followed a visit Hollande, accompanied by Netanyahu, paid to Yad Vashem, and the prime minister evoked the Holocaust in explaining his thinking on Iran.
French President Francios Hollande and Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu visit Yad Vashem museum, Nov. 17 2013.
"You said when you came out [of Yad Vashem] that the experience of the Holocaust places a very special responsibility on all of us," Netanyahu said. "François, I want to tell you the burden it places on me. It is my duty to prevent anyone who credibly threatens to execute another Holocaust against the Jewish people. This is my obligation, but our common obligation for mankind and for our common future."
Ex-IDF intel chief: Regional war unlikely if Israel strikes Iran
A regional war, coupled with a closure of the Strait of Hormuz and a series of terror attacks — the horror scenario commonly depicted by Western powers if Israel were to launch a limited strike against Iran — is highly unlikely, a former head of military intelligence wrote this week in advance of a third round of nuclear talks between Iran and the six world powers. He also said talk of such a scenario was harmful to global diplomacy and, ironically, increased the likelihood of Israeli military action.
"Those who overestimate the threat of regional escalation damage the credibility of the military option and encourage a situation in which this becomes the only available option for preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon," wrote Maj. Gen. (ret) Amos Yadlin, the director of the INSS think tank, and research assistant Avner Golov in a recent issue of Strategic Assessment.
Israel can strike Iran alone, says PM's former security aide
Speaking to the Financial Times, Amidror said the Israeli Air Force has been conducting "very long-range flights…all around the world" in preparation for a potential strike on Iran, which could set back its nuclear program "for a very long time."
Netanyahu's former national security adviser, who stepped down earlier this month, said that there was "no question" the prime minister would make the unilateral decision to use military force should it become necessary.
Hezbollah Wants Iran Deal Almost as Much as Obama
So we are now confronted with a bizarre situation where Hezbollah and the United States are advocating the same cause and using the same panicky language, while the French, the traditional authority figures on appeasement, are showing some backbone. If that isn't strange enough, the leadership void created by the administration's vacillation and appeasement has generated a peculiar realignment of realpolitik whereby the Saudis, Kuwaitis, Qataris and other Gulf nations are looking to their traditional enemy, the Israelis, to protect their security interests.
Iran unveils what it says is its biggest drone yet
Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said the reconnaissance and combat drone Fotros has a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles). That would cover much of the Middle East including Israel. The earlier Shahed-129 (Witness-129) drone is reported to have a similar range, but can only stay aloft 24 hours.
"This drone is able to carry out reconnaissance missions and carry air-to-surface rockets for combat operations," the official IRNA news agency quoted Dehghan as saying.
Plan okayed to destroy Syrian chemical arms by July 2014
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said its council had approved a plan submitted by Damascus to remove chemical substances and precursors used to make arms by June 30, 2014, with the most dangerous elements taken care of by the end of 2013.
Under the plan, the weapons will be transported for destruction outside Syria to ensure their destruction in the "safest and soonest manner," the group said in a statement.
Gunmen kill senior security officer in Cairo
A statement from the ministry said gunmen opened fire on a car carrying Lt. Col. Mohammed Mabrouk of the national security agency, killing him on the spot near his home in the eastern Cairo suburb of Nasr City. Mabrouk worked in the agency's branch in charge of monitoring Islamist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, a security official familiar with Mabrouk's work said.
Mabrouk is one of the most senior security officers to be targeted and killed in Cairo during the violence that has gripped Egypt since the ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in July.
Nasrallah gets a new security blanket
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, famously on guard against assassination attempts ever since the 2006 Second Lebanon War, made a rare appearance in public last week and was, for the first time, guarded both by an outer ring of Lebanon Army personnel and, within the inner ring of personal bodyguards, a suitcase that can pop open and provide a ballistic shield against gunfire.
The suitcase, he said, "was first seen on Wednesday, at an event in Beirut, and it serves as a sort of shield against gunfire and grenade shrapnel."
Lebanon misspells independence
The 50,000-pound bill, worth almost NIS 117 (or roughly $33), features Arabic and French, but the French word independance is spelled with its English spelling, "independence."
Banque du Liban, the country's central bank, will roll out the banknotes on November 22, Lebanon's Independence Day. The bank blamed the printing company for the error.
Jordan seeks UN Security Council seat after Saudi rejection
Jordan, which closely follows regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia on most foreign policy issues, wants to raise its international profile and win more recognition of its role in accommodating Syrian refugees, the officials said.

Mondoweiss seems to prefer dead Filipinos to Israelis saving them

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 07:00 AM PST

The US is sending aid to the Philippines.  Isn't that sickening?

I mean, how can the US army and navy, responsible for so many deaths in Asia since the Korean war, dare show their faces in that part of the world and dare to help people?

Even worse, the US Department of Defense and the Stars and Stripes news and other government agencies are publicizing what they are doing! It is all a huge PR stunt, as even the media admits that it helps the US image! The sheep-like reporters go along with this charade, putting out positive stories about what the US is doing without even once mentioning Agent Orange or the My Lai massacre or extrajudicial killings by drones in Pakistan.

Aren't you outraged?

OK, how about this: Other nations are using their media to publicize their typhoon relief efforts. Reporters are putting out positive stories! Countries are issuing statements! This is happening in countries that have wiped out their indigenous peoples like Australia and Canada, and even in the colonialist UK!

Even worse, Coca Cola publicized the $2.5 million they gave in aid to the ravaged country. They didn't bother to mention how much their products also contribute to obesity and heart disease worldwide. No, it was pure public relations.

Now, are you outraged yet?

No? You aren't????

Congratulations. You are not as filled with frothing-at-the-mouth hate that Philip Weiss of Mondoweiss and his many fans are consumed by.

He saw a positive piece on NBC News about Israelis helping hundreds of Filipinos and he couldn't stand it:
Nancy Snyderman is NBC's medical correspondent. She's been in the Philippines and tweeted this photo yesterday.



The Israeli army's spox for international media was also tweeting about the Israeli army's achievement.



Snyderman got out a story fast, on the Today Show. She puffed the Israeli army:

We've heard a lot of sad stories. Now we're starting to talk about hope. Today the Israelis opened up shop in an area that has had very little attention… Quietly with no fanfare, the Israeli Defense Forces arrived too. The Israelis are known for security, top notch medicine and moving quickly. Dealing with a disaster is no exception…

One hour after their doors were opened, the first baby was born… The baby boy's name? Israel of course.

The IDF spokesman hopped on the news.

..It seems to have made Fox, too.

...The IDF can't stop kvelling over the baby.

Snyderman now has a blog up at NBC, "in awe" of Israeli medics, "medicine at its very best" and humanitarianism of the highest order:

I've always been fascinated by how well the Israeli Defense Force, otherwise known as the IDF, delivers emergency response medical care in extremely poor conditions. My first experience with the IDF was in Haiti after the devastation of the earthquake there. They were remarkable then, triaging and treating patients in the midst of the devastation.

I wondered if they had found their way here — so we set off to find them. And when we did, it was in a place we least expected…

Smart. Sophisticated. Secure. This was what I had experienced with the IDF before. But now I was impressed with something else: the place they had selected. …

I asked the IDF Surgeon General in charge why they chose Bogo. He said it was because they were poor and their needs were great. As I left, I walked away in awe of this group of doctors: physician humanitarians, and medicine at its very best.

P.S. This is called hasbara, getting out the Israeli story for the world. I wonder when was the last time Snyderman did a report from the West Bank or Gaza.
Horrors! Not only is the IDF daring to save lives of non-Jews, but it is tweeting about it! Without mentioning the occupation!

This is only a tiny indication of the deep psychotic problems that the Mondoweiss writers, and most of its readers, suffer. Read the comments on that piece - you can almost feel the spittle that sprayed onto their keyboards and screens as the Mondo crowd vented their rage because Israel is saving lives, and they are forced to read about it.

This is all the proof you need to see that Israel-bashers aren't motivated by morality or rationality. They simply hate, and they build their entire lives around that hate. Their revulsion for everything remotely Zionist is indistinguishable from the hatred of racists and bigots throughout history.

Their hate is their defining quality.

(h/t Max)

UPDATE: Not surprisingly, Ali Abuminah and Max Blumenthal have the exact same mindset. (h/t Ian)

The heroes of Brighton

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 05:00 AM PST

Thanks to a Hasby Awards nomination from Harvela, I saw this short video showing how many ordinary people come out every Saturday to counterprotest the BDSers in Brighton who are boycotting a Jewish owned shop that happens to sell Sodastream.



There are lots of videos there, definitely worth checking out.

The best way to get a job in the PA? Just murder a Jew!

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 02:32 AM PST

From Times of Israel:
Palestinian prisoners, who were convicted of killing Israelis and then released by Israel as a goodwill gesture to grease peace talks, were given at least $50,000 apiece as well as a comfortable monthly salary from the Palestinian Authority.

Depending on the length of their jail term, the prisoners received more cash. Those who were held for over 25 years were entitled to $50,000, in addition to a position as a deputy minister or a promotion to the rank of major-general in the security forces, both of which earn them monthly wages of NIS 14,000 (nearly $4,000), Walla reported late Sunday.

Those who spent less than 25 years in Israeli prisons received a similar bonus as well as promotion to a deputy directorship in a government ministry or to the rank of brigadier-general, with a monthly wage of NIS 10,000 ($2,800) on the PA's payroll, the report said.

Issa Abd Rabbo, the most veteran of the prisoners released, received a $60,000 bonus, with the PA reportedly also offering to foot the bill for a wedding should he choose to marry. He was convicted of murdering two Israeli hikers south of Jerusalem in 1984, after tying them up at gunpoint and placing bags over their heads.
We already knew that some 6% of the PA budget - a budget that is largely coming from Western aid - goes towards terrorists and their families.

But this is far more heinous. These released prisoners were the worst of the worst; in the last batch every single one was convicted of murder. The very fact that they murdered Jews is enough to give them not just a job, but a prestigious job - either a deputy minister in the government or a major-general in the army!

The PA may be the only government in the world where putting "murdered a Jew" on your resume guarantees you a job.

The idea of making peace with a government that openly lionizes  those who murdered your brothers, sisters, parents and children is reprehensible. For all of Mahmoud Abbas' assertions that he is against terrorism and that he accepts Israel's existence, this shows it to be all a lie.

He'll say whatever he can to put his people in a position to continue in the heroic ways of these newest employees of the PA.




One other thing we know: Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International will not condemn this. 


(h/t Bob K)
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