יום ראשון, 22 בדצמבר 2013

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Link to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Head of HRW partner organization labeled a terrorist by Treasury Dept

Posted: 21 Dec 2013 05:00 PM PST

Last week, the US Treasury Department added two people to their terrorist list:
The U.S. Department of Treasury today imposed sanctions on two al-Qa'ida supporters based in Qatar and Yemen. Abd al-Rahman bin 'Umayr al-Nu'aymi (Nu'aymi) and `Abd al-Wahhab Muhammad `Abd al-Rahman al-Humayqani (Humayqani) were named as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224. Nu'aymi was designated for providing financial support to al-Qa'ida, Asbat al-Ansar, al-Qa'ida in Iraq, and al-Shabaab, and Humayqani was designated for providing financial support to and acting on behalf of al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Nu'aymi is a Qatar-based terrorist financier and facilitator who has provided money and material support and conveyed communications to al-Qa'ida and its affiliates in Syria, Iraq, Somalia and Yemen for more than a decade. He was considered among the most prominent Qatar-based supporters of Iraqi Sunni extremists..... Both Nu'aymi and Humayqani are at the center of global support networks that fund and facilitate terrorism.

In 2013, Nu'aymi ordered the transfer of nearly $600,000 to al-Qa'ida via al-Qa'ida's representative in Syria, Abu-Khalid al-Suri, and intended to transfer nearly $50,000 more.

Nu'aymi has facilitated significant financial support to al-Qa'ida in Iraq, and served as an interlocutor between al-Qa'ida in Iraq leaders and Qatar-based donors. Nu'aymi reportedly oversaw the transfer of over $2 million per month to al-Qa'ida in Iraq for a period of time. He also served as an interlocutor between these Qatari nationals and al-Qa'ida in Iraq leaders. Between 2003 and 2004, Nu'aymi provided support to the Iraqi insurgency more broadly and served as a conduit for their broadcast materials to media outlets.

Nu'aymi as of mid-2012 provided approximately $250,000 to two U.S.-designated al-Shabaab figures, Mukhtar Robow and Sheikh Hassan Aweys Ali, the latter of whom is also designated by the United Nations (UN). Also in 2012, Nuaymi provided financial support to a charity headed by Yemen-based Abd al-Wahhab Muhammad 'Abd al-Rahman al-Humayqani, who channeled funding to AQAP.
But Nu'aymi also had another job - he was the head of a human rights group!

As Eli Lake at The Daily Beast writes:
Most of the world knows Abdul Rahman Omeir al-Naimi as a Qatari history professor and human-rights activist. The Swiss-based organization he founded, known as al-Karama from the Arab word for dignity, has worked closely with the United Nations and American human rights groups, most notably Human Rights Watch.

...Human Rights Watch has joined forces with al-Karama in campaigns to free political prisoners in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.

In an interview Thursday, Mourad Dhina, the executive director of al-Karama, said the news about his group's founder and the head of its board came as a shock. "This is not good news for us," he said.

.... The signs were there for some observers that al-Naimi may be an extremist, particularly when it comes to women. A 2007 U.S. cable first disclosed by WikiLeaks described him as an "Islamist hardliner" who was "critical of women taking up public leadership positions." On Thursday, Gulf News reported al-Naimi was arrested in 2009 for opposing co-education at Qatari universities.
Is anyone surprised? So-called "human rights" organizations do not have any of the transparency or follow any of the methodologies that they demand from others. They are remarkably opaque as to how they write their reports and who they trust for partnering or to give them information.

We know that they decide what they want to say before they bother doing any research. They hire incompetent "experts." They act more like activists than like objective fact-finders. They ignore facts if they contradict their lies.

So why should it be surprising if they sometimes partner with people who share their goals who happen also to be terrorists?

(h/t Gidon Shaviv)

12/21 Links: The Left against Zion, Mossad trained Mandela, NSA Targeted Bibi, ASA developments

Posted: 21 Dec 2013 02:10 PM PST

From Ian:
Caroline Glick: The Left against Zion
The rejection of Israel is not a natural component of leftist dogma. It's just that for the past decade, the smart money and the rising power on the Left has been with those who oppose Israel's existence as a strong, independent Jewish state.
While the ASA and its comrades are on the fringes of academia, they are not fringe voices on the Left. The Left has embraced the cause of Israel's destruction. And its financial power has made it difficult for pro-Israel Democrats to act on their convictions, and those of their voters.
The combination of an exodus of supporters of Israel – Jews and non-Jews alike – from the Left and from the Democratic Party on the one hand, and generous funding for pro-Israel Democratic candidates on the other, can change the equation.
Dieudonné hacker: 'Jews need to stop turning the other cheek'
In an exclusive interview, man who hacked controversial French comedian's website explains motives
The website of French comedian Dieudonné M'bala M'bala was hacked, in what was dubbed by some as Dieudoleaks. The hacker has posted nearly 10,000 names, emails and postal addresses of subscribers to Dieudonné's newsletter, customers of his online store or "quenelleurs" ["quenelle" is an upside-down Nazi salute, coined by Dieudonné, which has become identified with disaffected youth in the French suburbs]. (h/t Elder of Lobby)
Will Zionist-trained Mandela now fall out of favour with hypocrite Left?
The revelation that Nelson Mandela was trained by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad in 1962 will no doubt bring rise to cognitive dissonance in the most hard-line, anti-Israel campaigners around the world.
But spare a moment to think how hard it will be for them to now urge the boycotting of Israel, and hurl words like "apartheid state" around when indeed it was the Zionists that trained the man who ended apartheid: Mandela.
Will Lefties and self-haters now boycott Madiba? Will his face adorn their placards, branded with the words, "traitor" and "ZioNazi?"
Somehow, I think not.
Holocaust Denial In Iran: Iranian Website Claims Holocaust Photos Are Forgeries
On November 26, 2013, the website Mashregh News, which is close to Iranian security circles, published a post titled "A Taste Of Holocaust Falsity + Photos," while noting that it was originally posted November 19, 2013 on the blog Shonood blog ir, which is written by Iranian journalist and filmmaker Mehran Mozoon, a supporter of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The post presents what it alleges are Holocaust photos that are well known in the West, and says that they are doctored, comparing them to what it claims are the original photos. For example, it shows a photo of men placing an emaciated corpse into a crematorium, and compares it to the alleged original, which does not include the corpse, and which it claims was actually taken in the Soviet Union and has no connection to Jews or Nazi Germany.
Rozen: 'Jewish Senators' Hold Sway on Iran Debate
Rozen, a former reporter for Politico and current reporter for the Middle East news site Al Monitor, got in a Twitter spat Thursday evening with a prominent American Jewish community official after he criticized her for suggesting that the Jewish religious affiliation of some senators influences their policymaking decisions on Iran.
Rozen was criticized for her remarks by a number of Twitter observers, who said they are reminiscent of the longstanding anti-Semitic trope that Jews have dual loyalties.
This is the second time in recent weeks that Rozen has deleted tweets after coming under fire for controversial comments about American Jews and Israel.
US and UK spied on Olmert, Netanyahu and Barak
The New York Times, The Guardian and Der Spiegel reported Friday that Olmert, as well as then-defense minister Ehud Barak, were among more than 1,000 high-profile targets of surveillance in more than 60 countries; the documents were dated between 2008 and 2011. Israel's Ynet added that the surveillance extended to email intercepts at Netanyahu's office when he took over from Olmert as prime minister in March, 2009.
Spy-target Netanyahu uses 'gestures' and 'codes' in sensitive discussions
Netanyahu has no computer in his office, does not use email, and does not maintain a private phone, Channel 2 reported.
More dramatically, when discussing especially sensitive issues even at his home, Netanyahu and guests sometimes resort to "gestures" rather than speech, because of concerns that they are being listened to, Channel 10 reported.
It added that Netanyahu conducts his most sensitive discussions in the offices of the Mossad intelligence service, because only there is he confident that he is safe from listening devices.
Oren calls on US Congress to quell movement to boycott Israel academically
"Laws could be passed withholding federal or state funding from any academic program that knowingly blacklisted Israeli scholars or institutions or cooperated with associations that did," Oren argued.
"While an organization like ASA might prefer punishing Israel to receiving government funds, other academic bodies—including universities—most likely will not. At the very least, lawmakers on the local and national level can go on record expressing their unequivocal opposition to such boycotts," he added.
Israeli Universities: American Studies Boycott Targets 'Breakthroughs That Benefit Humankind'
In an advertisement appearing in the New York Times on Dec. 20, the American arms of seven Israeli universities said that the American Studies Association's (ASA) boycott of Israel targets an academic community that"achieves breakthroughs that benefit humankind."
"Preventing scholars who live in a pluralistic democracy from participating in the global academic community is reprehensible," the ad said.
The ad noted achievements of Israeli universities including: Hebrew University of Jerusalem's development of the Exelon drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's and dementia; Tel Aviv University's development of BioPetroClean, an environmentally friendly technology for cleaning oil spills in seas; Technion-Israel Institute of Technology's development of Velcade, an new cancer drug; University of Haifa's identification of the gene capable of increasing the protein content of wheat, contributing to the fight against world hunger; the Weizmann Institute of Science's development of the multiple sclerosis drugs, Copaxone and Rebif; and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev's work towards developing a cure for diabetes. The Open University of Israel, meanwhile, "makes it possible for all Israelis from all walks of life to achieve their full potential through higher education," said the ad.
Boycotting the Boycotters
As I sit here in Israel and read about the boycott by the American Studies Association of Israeli academic institutions because of the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians, I wonder if they are referring to the same country in which I currently live. (h/t AlexandreM)
Association of American Universities rejects Israel boycott
The list of universities rejecting and denouncing the anti-Israel boycott resolution of the American Studies Association is growing rapidly.
In a statement signed by its Executive Committee, the Association of American Universities has stated its opposition to the boycott. ASA quickly is becoming a pariah in the academic community.
Boston U. President rejects Israel academic boycott
Robert A. Brown, President of Boston University, will be issing a formal statement rejecting the Amercian Studies Association's anti-Israeli academic boycott. The statement is not yet posted on BU's website, but was obtained by Legal Insurrection and confirmed with the President's office.
President Brown, however, is deferring the decision on withdrawal of Institutional Membership to the American and New England Studies Department on grounds of the academic freedom of that department.
Willamette rejects Israel boycott, denies being Institutional Member of American Studies Assoc
Willamette University joins an increasing number of universities rejecting the anti-Israel academic boycott, but in a twist, denies having any knowledge as to why ASA lists it as an Institutional Member.
Update: Hamilton also denies being Institutional Member // Update No. 2: Northwestern denies being Institutional Member too
US calls for UN's Falk to step down… again
A day after Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird called for the immediate removal of the Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the US condemned Richard Falk's statement that Israel had "genocidal intents."
Although State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki blasted Falk's statements as "despicable and deeply offensive," the US stopped short of echoing Canada's calls for Falk to be fired.
IDF soldiers wound Palestinian trying to plant bomb along Gaza-Israel fence
A Palestinian was wounded on Saturday after he and others approached the Gaza-Israel security barrier in an attempt to plant an explosive device.
An IDF unit was dispatched to the area and soldiers fired at the legs of one of the suspects, striking and injuring him. The suspects then fled the area.The incident occurred on the border with southern Gaza.
PA backtracks on 'don't boycott Israel' comments
The Palestinian diplomatic mission in South Africa released a statement Friday, saying that it does support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, and claiming that PA President Mahmoud Abbas's comments stating the contrary were "taken out of context and misconstrued" by the media and "members of the Israeli lobby."
When will the Western media grasp the self-inflicted Palestinian energy crisis?
Even the EU's own auditors recognise it is a scandal that cannot go on. According to a BBC report, the European Union (EU) still funds Gaza's non-working civil servants – a full seven years after Hamas won power and placed them on 'gardening leave'. Needless to say, the pro-Palestinian BBC report makes much of the poverty and hardship being suffered in Gaza today, and thus the on-going need for foreign aid. What the report doesn't say however is that the misery of the Gaza Palestinians is entirely self-inflicted. Not least as billions in natural gas revenue lies just offshore.
It is estimated that Gaza has an offshore natural gas energy resource worth around $4 billion.
While the massive gas discoveries off Israel are proving to be world class, Gazans could well be looking to their own energy good fortune and a bright future. Yet abject poverty and hopelessness prevails. The standard explanation by many Arabs and the liberal Western media is to depict the Palestinians as in a permanent state of Israeli-inflicted victimhood. The truth is that Gaza is the poster child for all that is wrong with Islamism, as exemplified by Gaza's governing party, Hamas.
Nasrallah Vows to 'Punish' Israel Over Death of Top Operative
Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's secretary-general, blamed Israel for the assassination of his top operative Hassan al-Laqqis last month and vowed to "punish" Israel for the killing.
"All evidence indicates that Israel is behind the assassination," Nasrallah said Friday in a televised tribute to al-Laqqis, the Jerusalem Post reported.
"If the Israelis think… that Hezbollah is busy and that Israel will not pay the price, I say to them today, 'You are wrong,'" Nasrallah added.
2 Egyptian soldiers killed in clashes with 'Supporters of Jerusalem' terror group
The two soldiers, both conscripts, died when a gunbattle broke out after the troops came under fire, the army said in a statement. It said the operation was continuing and armed helicopters had been deployed.
Security sources said the militants involved in the gunbattle were members of Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, which means "Supporters of Jerusalem".
Vienna Philharmonic strips ex-Nazis of honors
The famed Vienna Philharmonic orchestra has quietly stripped six former senior Nazi officials of honors awarded them — a late act of contrition for its embrace of the Hitler era that included purging Jewish members from its ranks.
The decision was divulged to The Associated Press by an orchestra member on Friday and confirmed by historian Oliver Rathkolb.
US Senate c'tee passes bipartisan US-Israel energy bill
The United States Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday passed a bipartisan bill that aims to bolster collaborations between Israel and the US on energy issues.
Led by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana), alongside Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), the United States-Israel Energy Cooperation Enhancement Bill hopes to foster partnerships on developing resources such as natural gas and alternative fuels, on academic, business and governmental levels.
Landrieu and her colleagues introduced the bill in September, at which time she argued that the US is "uniquely qualified to lead the effort to help Israel develop" its new-found hydrocarbon resources. Her region of America – the Gulf Coast – has one of the most advanced offshore drilling industries in the world.
'Bubble tech' start-up closes deal with huge UK water concern
Israel's Mapal Green Energy this week closed a deal with Britain's largest water provider, Thames Water, to provide its bubble aeration technology water purification system for use in municipal and regional water supply systems. In the first stage of the deal, Mapal will set up a purification system in the city of Chesham, north of London. Later on, Thames Water will have the option of adding more Mapal systems to its network, as the water provider moves forward in its long-term project of replacing old and outmoded purification systems.
1000 French teens arrive for weeklong tour
Amid an unprecedented rise in French immigration to Israel, 1,000 French high school seniors on Thursday arrived in Israel to take part in a weeklong tour of the country organized by the Jewish Agency.
During a gala celebration held Thursday night in Jerusalem's International Convention Center, agency Chairman Natan Sharansky told the French Jewish teens participating in Bac Bleu Blanc ("Seniors in Blue and White") that France's roughly half a million Jews are "leading a new wave of aliyah [immigration] to Israel."

Israel hates Christmas? Not quite.

Posted: 21 Dec 2013 08:49 AM PST

On Friday I showed that an article in the Independent, by Mira Bar Hillel, was filled with lies and misinformation.

She pretended that Israelis wanted to ban Christmas trees, based on a year-old news story where a single person made such a call.

Indeed, the Jerusalem municipality distributes free Christmas trees to anyone who wants one.

And this weekend I saw this on the cover of an Israeli entertainment magazine, noting where anyone can find notable Christmas activities in Jerusalem this week:
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