| The peerless cluelessness of Thomas Friedman Posted: 23 Nov 2013 11:00 PM PST  A reader who commented on my Thomas Friedman article last week at The Algemeiner pointed me to a stupefyingly ludricous passage in Friedman's celebrated book, "From Beirut to Jerusalem," pp 126-127: Ariel Sharon never sent Yasir Arafat flowers.
Whatever one thinks of the former Israeli general and Defense Minister, Sharon did not play games with his enemies. He killed them. After a few years in Beirut, I came to understand a little why the Jews had a state and the Palestinians didn't. The European Jews who built Israel came out of a culture of sharp edges and right angles. They were cold, hard men who always understood the difference between success and failure, and between words and deeds. Because the Jews were always a nation apart, they developed their own autonomous institutions and had to rely on their own deep tribal sense of solidarity. This gave them a certain single-mindedness of purpose. They would never settle for a substitute homeland; life for them was not just another Mediterranean life cycle or fatalistic shrug.
The single-mindedness of the European Zionists also had a certain ruthless aspect to it. They emerged from ghettos in which they were never invited by the outside world to drink coffee. They were never part of a Middle Eastern kaleidoscope, like Lebanon, where today's enemy could be tomorrow's friend. For the Jews coming out of Europe, today's enemy was tomorrow's enemy. The world was divided into two: the Jews and the goyim, or Gentiles. The Arabs, for the Zionists, fell into two subsets of goyim—agents and enemies. Agents you ordered and enemies you killed.
The rhythm of life in the Arab world was always different. Men in Arab societies always tended to bend more; life there always moved in ambiguous semicircles, never right angles. The religious symbols of the West are the cross and the Jewish star—both of which are full of sharp, angled turns. The symbol of the Muslim East is the crescent moon—a wide, soft, ambiguous arc. In Arab society there was always some way to cushion failure with rhetoric and enable the worst of enemies to sit down and have coffee together, maybe even send each other bouquets. This passage is incomprehensibly idiotic on so many levels. Besides the obvious - do I really have to point out how inane his point about religious symbols is? - Friedman is generalizing his experiences in relatively cosmopolitan and liberal Beirut to the Arab world as a whole. Sure, Arabs love to have coffee - but the idea that this means they accept compromise with Jews is the exact inversion of the truth. No one represents Friedman's disgusting characterization of bigoted, menacing, trigger-happy European Jews more than Menachem Begin. You know - the person who traded territory that was double the size of Israel itself for a piece of paper. The real Arab world is a place where antisemitism is mainstream and where rejectionism of Israel is absolute even in countries that have "peace treaties" with Israel. It is the Arabs who have announced boycotts of Jews since the 1920s, Arabs who stated the "three no's" of Khartoum, Arabs who accuse even Hamas terrorists of being too pro-Israel. Even in Friedman's wonderful, tolerant Beirut, we see absolute rejection of anything that tastes remotely Zionist. It is the Arabs who utterly reject normalization with Israel, and those hardheaded European Jews who want to be accepted in the Middle East. (The Jews from the Arab world tend to be more hawkish, because they understand the mentality of the Arabs a lot better than Friedman does.) Oh, I think its also a fair bet that moderate, compromising Arafat never sent Ariel Sharon flowers either. How can anyone take Friedman seriously after reading trash like this? (h/t Gary)  |
| Iranian nuclear deal reached, not many details yet, but looks bad (UPDATE: US factsheet) Posted: 23 Nov 2013 07:45 PM PST A historic deal was struck early Sunday between Iran and six world powers over Tehran's nuclear program, a first step in ending a decades-long standoff over the country's nuclear intentions.
The agreement was expected to be signed within hours, capping days of marathon talks in which diplomats worked to overcome issues surrounding the wording of an initial agreement that reportedly would temporarily freeze Iran's nuclear development program and lift some sanctions while a more formal deal is worked out.
According to a senior U.S. administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, the deal halts Tehran's nuclear program, including halting the development at the Arak reactor and requiring all of the uranium enriched to 20 percent -- close to weapons-grade -- to be diluted so it cannot be converted for military purposes.
But there were conflicting reports about whether Iran's right to enrich uranium had been recognized.
The senior administration official said the deal does not recognize the right, while Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi -- on a Twitter feed commonly attributed to him by Iranian media -- said that "our enrichment program was recognized."
"Congratulation to my nation which stood tall and resisted for the last 10 years," Araghchi said in the post. Iranian media imply that they made practically no concessions: The interim deal allows for Iran to continue its activities in its nuclear sites in the cities of Arak, Fordo, and Natanz.
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the agreement also stipulates that no additional sanctions will be imposed on Iran because of its nuclear energy program.
Iran will also receive access to USD 4.2 billion in foreign exchange as part of the nuclear deal.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi, said the agreement recognizes the country's "enrichment program."
Araqchi had earlier emphasized that Tehran could not accept any deal that did not recognize Iran's enrichment right. Farsi media are saying that some specific sanctions on oil, gold and other precious metals are being eased. Early indications make this sound like a joke. The problem with reducing sanctions is that they are not easily reversible, while Iran's promise to only enrich to 3.5% is easily reversible. The key is enrichment (plus the Arak reactor, which could be used to make plutonium.) And from the initial reports, the West received very little in the way of concessions. As expected, it appears that the language is vague enough that Iran can claim that they have a "right" to enrich uranium, while the US can claim there is no such right - all the while allowing Iran to build more centrifuges. It looks like Iran won because the West does not have the backbone to stick to its principles. UPDATE: Here's the US version from a factsheet released by the White House: Iran has committed to halt enrichment above 5%:
· Halt all enrichment above 5% and dismantle the technical connections required to enrich above 5%.
Iran has committed to neutralize its stockpile of near-20% uranium:
· Dilute below 5% or convert to a form not suitable for further enrichment its entire stockpile of near-20% enriched uranium before the end of the initial phase.
Iran has committed to halt progress on its enrichment capacity:
· Not install additional centrifuges of any type.
· Not install or use any next-generation centrifuges to enrich uranium.
· Leave inoperable roughly half of installed centrifuges at Natanz and three-quarters of installed centrifuges at Fordow, so they cannot be used to enrich uranium.
· Limit its centrifuge production to those needed to replace damaged machines, so Iran cannot use the six months to stockpile centrifuges.
· Not construct additional enrichment facilities.
Iran has committed to halt progress on the growth of its 3.5% stockpile:
· Not increase its stockpile of 3.5% low enriched uranium, so that the amount is not greater at the end of the six months than it is at the beginning, and any newly enriched 3.5% enriched uranium is converted into oxide.
Iran has committed to no further advances of its activities at Arak and to halt progress on its plutonium track.
Iran has committed to:
· Not commission the Arak reactor.
· Not fuel the Arak reactor.
· Halt the production of fuel for the Arak reactor.
· No additional testing of fuel for the Arak reactor.
· Not install any additional reactor components at Arak.
· Not transfer fuel and heavy water to the reactor site.
· Not construct a facility capable of reprocessing. Without reprocessing, Iran cannot separate plutonium from spent fuel.
Unprecedented transparency and intrusive monitoring of Iran's nuclear program
Iran has committed to:
Provide daily access by IAEA inspectors at Natanz and Fordow. This daily access will permit inspectors to review surveillance camera footage to ensure comprehensive monitoring. This access will provide even greater transparency into enrichment at these sites and shorten detection time for any non-compliance.
· Provide IAEA access to centrifuge assembly facilities.
· Provide IAEA access to centrifuge rotor component production and storage facilities.
· Provide IAEA access to uranium mines and mills.
· Provide long-sought design information for the Arak reactor. This will provide critical insight into the reactor that has not previously been available.
· Provide more frequent inspector access to the Arak reactor.
· Provide certain key data and information called for in the Additional Protocol to Iran's IAEA Safeguards Agreement and Modified Code 3.1. As far as the easing of sanctions, this is the US spin: [Iran agrees to] Not impose new nuclear-related sanctions for six months, if Iran abides by its commitments under this deal, to the extent permissible within their political systems.
· Suspend certain sanctions on gold and precious metals, Iran's auto sector, and Iran's petrochemical exports, potentially providing Iran approximately $1.5 billion in revenue.
· License safety-related repairs and inspections inside Iran for certain Iranian airlines.
· Allow purchases of Iranian oil to remain at their currently significantly reduced levels – levels that are 60% less than two years ago. $4.2 billion from these sales will be allowed to be transferred in installments if, and as, Iran fulfills its commitments.
· Allow $400 million in governmental tuition assistance to be transferred from restricted Iranian funds directly to recognized educational institutions in third countries to defray the tuition costs of Iranian students. ...Over the next six months, we will determine whether there is a solution that gives us sufficient confidence that the Iranian program is peaceful. If Iran cannot address our concerns, we are prepared to increase sanctions and pressure.  |
| 11/23 Links: Why die for Danzig (Israel)?, BBC invents Israeli Strike, Iran blames Israel for JFK Posted: 23 Nov 2013 06:00 PM PST From Ian:
Caroline Glick: A vastly changed Middle East"As a result of the regional upheavals, tribal, sectarian, and ethnic identities have become more pronounced than ever, which may well lead to a change in the borders drawn by the colonial powers a century ago that have since been preserved by Arab autocrats."
Guzansky and Striem explained, "The iron-fisted Arab rulers were an artificial glue of sorts, holding together different, sometimes hostile sects in an attempt to form a single nation state.
Now, the de facto changes in the Middle East map could cause far-reaching geopolitical shifts affecting alliance formations and even the global energy market." Sarah Honig: Why die for Danzig (Israel)?There's every reason to assume that US President Barack Obama has never heard of the pre-WWII demagogic question "Why die for Danzig?" The same can be as safely assumed regarding his Secretary of State John Kerry.
Oddly enough, however, their policy appears to draw inspiration from the same ideological wellspring that gave the world the above rhetorical tease. (h/t Norman F) Melanie Phillip: It's 1938 all over againThe rationale being offered by US officials in background briefings is no less jaw-dropping. This is how it goes. Measures to stop Iran from making the nuclear bomb will make the regime even more determined to make the bomb. So it's smart not actually to stop Iran making the bomb. But not stopping it making the bomb, allowing the centrifuges to spin and enrichment to continue, also means it will make the bomb. So it's win-win for Iran. World loses.
How's that hope'n'change thingy working out for you right now?
We are indeed now facing the unthinkable. Not just that Iran is on the verge of being allowed to proceed to nuclear capability. The really unthinkable reality is that the enemies of the civilised world are not just to be found in Tehran. They are also in London, Brussels and Washington DC. JCPA Dr Jacques Gauthier The Jewish Claim to Jerusalem: The Case Under International Law Open to interpretationAs UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer noted on the group's site, "by the end of its annual legislative session next month, the General Assembly will have adopted a total of 22 resolutions condemning Israel – and only four on the rest of the world combined."
That's not to say that the UN doesn't care about the Jews. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Auschwitz this week, where he paid tribute to the victims of the Holocaust.
Perhaps dead Jews go down better than those alive and kicking. Group: UN Body Bars Jews from Entering Palestinian Meeting"I have been following the U.N. for 30 years and this is the first time that the United Nations secretariat is barring access of a pro-Israel officially accredited U.N. NGO from a publicly-advertised open U.N. meeting," Bayefsky said.
Bayefsky expressed a similar sentiment in follow up letter sent on Wednesday to the U.N.'s Feltman.
"As a senior U.N. official you are announcing that countries which do not recognize the self-determination of the Jewish people, embodied in the state of Israel, have a veto over the attendance at a U.N. meeting of a Jewish organization and its representative that are committed to the self-determination of the Jewish people (and to combating the anti-Semitism inherent in its denial)," she wrote in the letter. BBC correspondent reports Israeli strike on Gaza that never happenedOn November 19th, Rushdi Abu Alouf, a correspondent in the BBC's Gaza office, sent this tweet (below) informing his 3,000+ followers that there had been an "air raid" on Gaza city, in the Gaza strip.
Abu Alouf's Twitter bio lists him as a "#Palestinian journalist based in #Gaza , work for the #BBC".
But BBC Watch reports that unfortunately for Abu Alouf and the BBC, there was no such air strike, and the tweet was either knowing propaganda by the BBC's Palestinian producer, or a heinous violation of the simple principle of fact checking.
The injuries cited by Abu Alouf – and one fatality - were caused by an accidental explosion and had nothing at all to do with Israel, as verified by the Ma'an News Agency. When Palestinians Violate the Boycott of IsraelBut when people are calling for a boycott of a country that is not even being boycotted by those it allegedly oppresses? There is something very very wrong with such a movement. And something even more wrong with promoting only one side of it to impressionable students in the name of academic freedom. Daphne Anson: Stop Hurting Israel: American pro-Israel group opens a petitionWith the slogan "While Israel is negotiating peace ... Europe is hurting Israel," an American pro-Israel organisation has opened a petition, to which as many signatories as possible are obviously sought. Site: Stop Hurting Israel French Left Party adopts BDS policyA small leftist party in France announced that it is aligning itself with the international campaign to boycott Israel and Israeli products.
"The national bureau of the Left Party has convened on Nov. 16 and decided to engage the Left Party in support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign," read a statement placed this week on the party's website. 'If Israel is Forced to Stand Alone, Israel Will Stand Alone'So far, the U.S. statements have not caused Iran to reduce its march to a bomb, and it has flagrantly refused to alter its course. It has treated the U.S. as a paper tiger. So why should anyone think that the direction of present negotiations offers any chance of success? In this posture, the negotiations appear to be a path to war.
There is only one way for the U.S. to convince Iran and others it is serious in its statements: that is, the path it followed recently in Syria. After it was established that Syria used chemical weapons in the present civil war, the U.S. issued an ultimatum backed with the threat of immediate attack on Syria with a request for Congressional support of the U.S. threat. Syria backed down and accepted the ultimatum. Iran reportedly claiming world has recognized its 'right to enrich uranium'According to Israel's Channel 2 news, Iranian participants in the talks claim the P5+1 nations have now recognized Iran's "right to enrich uranium" — a major concession that Israel has warned would essentially legitimize the rogue Iranian nuclear program. Rouhani to the West: Ignore Israel, Sign a DealAs world powers and Iran continued talks in Geneva in hopes of reaching a deal about Iran's nuclear program, Iran's president on Friday called on the West to ignore Israel and reach a deal with his country.
"The world powers should reach an independent decision that is disconnected from Israel's position," President Hassan Rouhani tweeted. On 50th Anniversary of JFK Death, Iran's PressTV Blames IsraelAs Israel pushes for the world to halt Iran's nuclear program, Iran's state-controlled PressTV pushed back on Friday, mendaciously linking Israel's efforts to become a nuclear power with the assassination of John F. Kennedy, ahead of the 50th anniversary of his death today.
"Israel and its global Zionist crime syndicate were major players if not THE main player in the JFK assassination," PressTV columnist Dr. Kevin Barrett wrote. Syria's Christians Flee Kidnappings, Rape, ExecutionsRunning from assault, abduction, and assassination at the hands of jihadists and FSA rebels, Syria's ancient Christian community fears a religious pogrom is set to erupt.
Traumatized by what they have endured inside Syria and fearful for their future, Christians fleeing the 32-month-long civil war say the persecution of Christians is worsening in rebel-held territories in the country's north—and that the kidnapping, rape and executions of Christians aren't just being carried out by jihadist groups, but also by other Sunni Muslim rebels, including those affiliated with the Western-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA). Ignoring the biggest massacre of Syrian Christians so farThe worst massacre of Christians in Syria so far -- complete with mass graves, tortured-to-death women and children, and destroyed churches -- recently took place at the hands of the U.S.-supported jihadi "rebels"; and the U.S. government and its "mainstream media" mouthpieces are, as usual, silent (that is, when not actively trying to minimize matters).
The massacre took place in Sadad, an ancient Syriac Orthodox Christian habitation, so old as to be mentioned in the Old Testament. Egypt expels Turkish ambassador, scales back relationsEgypt's Foreign Ministry said the Turkish envoy has been considered persona non grata and is being asked to leave the country because of what it described as Ankara's continued "interference" in Egyptian affairs. It said it will scale back its diplomatic relations with Turkey to the level of charge d'affaires. Pakistani doctor who helped U.S. find bin Laden charged with murderShakil Afridi, hailed as a hero by U.S. officials, was arrested after U.S. soldiers killed bin Laden in May 2011 in a secret raid that outraged Pakistan and plunged relations between the strategic partners to a new low.
Friday's murder charge, relating to the death of a patient eight years ago, dims Afridi's chances of going free and could further sour ties with the United States. Moroccan Jewish leader: Bills to outlaw contact with Israel will failJoel Rubinfeld, a co-chairman of the European Jewish Parliament, condemned the bills as "a threat which could reverse Morocco's extraordinary openness to Israel. The radicalism these bills reflect must not be allowed to gain the upper hand."
Human rights groups this week denounced the planned legislation, including one Moroccan-based organization that called it "inhuman, anti-constitutional and antidemocratic" and suggested it was "influenced by Nazi tendencies." Nuremberg transcript donated to Holocaust MuseumHarold Burson covered the trials in 1945 and 1946 for the American Forces Network. He wrote extensive scripts for on-air announcers who were broadcasting to U.S. soldiers in Europe and to the English-speaking population in Germany during the first Nuremberg trial.
Burson, now 92, delivered his collection of 40 scripts to curators Tuesday. The broadcast recordings have been lost. After the war years, Burson went on to create the large public relations firm Burson-Marsteller. French court bans anti-Semitic book in rare rulingThe court in Bobigny, near Paris, last week handed down a blanket ban on the publication and dissemination of one book, "The Anthology of Quotes against Jews, Judaism and Zionism" by Paul-Eric Blanrue.
The court said the book contained "incitement to racial hatred" and "denials of genocide," which are illegal in France. Blanrue's 321-page book contains "hundreds of anti-Semitic statements by well-known figures throughout the ages," according to the news agency AFP. Mapi Pharma patents new MS, pain-relief drugsOnly three years after going into business in Ness Ziona, Israel, Mapi Pharma has won US patents for two promising drugs in its pipeline – a slow-release form of glatiramer acetate for treating multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms just once a month; and a new pill, Tapentadol, for relief of moderate-to-severe acute pain.
"We believe in two to three years they could be in the final stage of development, and about three years to market," says Mapi Pharma president and CEO Ehud Marom. 'Innovation Index' puts a number to Israel's tech prowessThe project has something for everybody, said Ann Liebschutz, one of the index's architects. It will show Israeli entrepreneurs, American investors, and government officials from both countries that the US is still the best destination (for partnering, sales, or exits) for an Israeli start-up to set its sights on, despite very tempting offers from the Far East and Europe. For American companies, especially mid-size and smaller ones, the index will highlight Israel's strength as a tech partner, seeking to encourage US businesses to further embrace Israeli tech companies and to partner with them.  |
| Anti-Israel PalChristian organization accuses Zionists of "weaponizing the Bible" Posted: 23 Nov 2013 03:43 PM PST From Ma'an:"Anti-Palestinianism" has become a theological issue, Palestinian Bible scholar Yohanna Katanacho said at an international conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
Hundreds of participants from all over the world gathered this week for Sabeel's ninth international conference, where theologians spoke about the Bible's role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The conference marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of Sabeel, an ecumenical Christian community center that promotes Palestinian liberation theology.
"How do we really deal with the Bible when people are using it to justify the oppression of the Palestinians?" Sabeel founder Naim Ateek asks.
"One bad (theological) interpreter is worse than 100 terrorists," Katanacho said during a panel discussion.
He said that some Israeli theologians "strive to establish a particular reading of biblical history in order to gain political advantage."
"Such reading strategies put (Palestinians) at a disadvantage. They are perceived as the Canaanites or Philistines," he said, referring to enemies of the biblical Israelites. First of all, it is Palestinian Arabs themselves who claim (laughably) to be descended from Canaanites. Second, and more importantly, it is Sabeel that weaponizes the Bible, especially the Christian scriptures. Here's one egregious example: [Sabeel publication] "Contemporary Way of the Cross – A Liturgical Journey along the Palestinian Via Dolorosa."..., which draws straight-line comparisons between Israeli policies and the Stations of the Cross – a Christian liturgical meditation on the suffering and crucifixion of Christ – cannot be found on Sabeel's website or anywhere else on the Internet, but can only be obtained from the organization's Jerusalem office.
..The introduction of the liturgy states:
This 'Contemporary Way of the Cross' has been developed as an act of worship rooted in the land where Jesus was born, lived, and died, linking the original events of Good Friday with the continuing suffering of the occupied people who live in that land today. It seeks to help others to understand something of the events which have shaped this troubled place over the last century and draw attention to the very real and constant suffering of the Palestinian people. It strives to provide an honest account of the situation, and simply asks those who take part in this act of worship to listen, to pray for us and to pray with us as we look towards a just, comprehensive and enduring peace.
The un-named author(s) of the document then offer(s) several suggestions as to how it can be used in worship – "three or four stations a week throughout the whole of lent"; "two or three stations a day during Holy Week"; during Sunday school classes or "as a personal devotional tool."
The structure of each "station" is the same: A pseudo-historical introduction that leaves out important information is followed by an "opening meditation" which compares an aspect of the current conflict to the suffering of Christ during his last day on earth. For example, Christ's condemnation is equated with "The Nakba of 1948" and his death on the cross is compared to "devastation in Gaza." These opening meditations are then followed by a mixture of scripture, first-hand testimony, prayers, poems and finally, a closing reflection. The overall effect is to portray Israel as a Christ-killing nation, and the Palestinians as innocent lambs of God who suffer for the sins of both Israel and for the failings of the international community.
...[T]he liturgy publishes a poem by Rima Nasir Tarazi which includes the following passage:
They defiled our holy places and violated our sanctuaries.
They crucified our humanity and trampled our aspirations.
They shut down our universities and surrounded our schools
To silence our young and to usurp our rights.
The message of this passage is obvious: Israelis have crucified the Palestinians, who have done no wrong. Sabeel has been using the Christian Bible not only to demonize Israel but by implication to justify Jew-hatred.  |
A reader who commented on my Thomas Friedman article last week at The Algemeiner pointed me to a stupefyingly ludricous passage in Friedman's celebrated book, "From Beirut to Jerusalem," pp 126-127:
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