יום שלישי, 3 בדצמבר 2013

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Link to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Outrageous: Former Canadian ambassador says Jews, not Arabs, stoned leftist

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 04:58 PM PST

Michael Bell has been Canada's ambassador to Israel, Jordan and Egypt. He is an adjunct professor of political science at University of Windsor and also teaches at Carleton University.

He is also a complete and total moron.

I don't say things like this lightly. I really don't like to engage in ad hominem attacks. But this is the most charitable way to explain the first paragraph of this article he wrote today for the Globe and Mail, to which he is an occasional contributor.

It is behind a paywall,  but here is what it says:
Two weeks ago, a friend of mine, Danny Seideman, a Jerusalem lawyer who works pro bono on settlement Issues respecting Palestinians threatened by displacement, had his car stoned in East Jerusalem. He himself suffered a concussion. No suspects have been identified.
Given established patterns, however, the likely perpetrators are ultra-nationalist members of the settler movement,  the fulfillment of whose goals would be the displacement of Palestinians and the incorporation of the entire West Bank Into a greater Israel.
Among Israelis, debate on their country's future is, to their credit, universal and wide-ranging. There have been a variety of responses, from a very slim few welcoming the attack to the great majority who see it as a transgression of Zionist ideals. Indeed, Mr. Seideman has received messages of regret and concern from a number of the settlement communities' leadership.

...Mr. Netanyahu - as did his predecessors - has an immediate problem, illustrated by the "Seideman incident." That problem is the willingness of the ultras increasingly to violate Israeli law in pursuit of their vision of a Greater Israel. A kind of theological fervor governs their behavior, albeit a common and pervasive phenomenon elsewhere In the region. For, as they believe, one cannot ignore the will of the Deity?
The only problem is that Seidemann was attacked by Arabs.

He was visiting a Palestinian friend in an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem, Sur Bahir. He admits having been targeted previously for being a Jew in Arab neighborhoods. Representatives of the Arab community visited him and expressed regret. The Jewish doctors that treated him all pretty much asked what he was doing in a neighborhood where Jews are routinely attacked if they step foot.

There are no Jews there.

As far as I know, outside of "ultra" religious idiots in Mea Shearim who hate people driving in their neighborhood on Shabbat, there have been no instances of Jews throwing rocks at moving cars.

There are certainly no "established patterns" of Jews throwing rocks at Arab cars (or cars driven by Israeli leftists.)

However, incidents of Arabs throwing rocks at Israeli cars happen virtually daily. This rock throwing has caused serious injuries and deaths.

Jews (and Arabs who look like Jews) who accidentally enter Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem have been almost lynched and subjected to barrages of rocks thrown by dozens of Arabs, egged on by photographers.



One rock throwing was caught on video just yesterday.

Seidemann freely admits it was Arabs who threw the rock that injured him.

But Bell, a former ambassador to Israel apparently is so obtuse, so suffused in his righteous anger to blame "settlers" for everything wrong in the Middle East, that he seemingly only glanced at the news about his "friend" Seidemann and filled in the blanks in his incredibly biased professorial brain.

There is a double bias here shown by the professor. Not only is he willing to exaggerate events to blame Jews, he is willing to ignore Arab violence that happens every day in Jerusalem.

The charitable explanation is that Bell is a complete and utter moron who cannot be trusted to read simple English sentences. The alternative is that he purposely chose to twist Seidemenn's words to blame his favorite bogeyman, the "ultras."

Bell's grasp of basic facts about Israel are no more accurate:
Such is the conundrum of Zionism today: The mainstream's goal being the establishment of a Jewish democratic national state; the religious nationalists' being the control of the land as the instrument of redemption, in some cases at whatever cost. The seed of defiance stems largely from the latter's drive to settle the densely Palestinian populated Samarian mountain ridge. Largely these high points but not only the ridge. [sic] Mr. Seideman has been most active respecting the Elad settlers' movement in Silwan, a Palestinian neighborhood just outside the Old City's walls, beneath which the earliest foundations of Jewish Jerusalem lie.

This is barely understandable English, further proving that The Globe and Mail's editor was asleep when this came in. Still, anyone who has driven in Judea and Samaria sees that Jewish settlements are generally not near "densely Palestinian populated" areas, the Arabs generally live in valleys while the settlers usually gravitate towards hilltops, and most of the area is quite empty. Well over 95% of Arabs live in Areas A and B where there are few if any Jews.

Also, Silwan was originally a Jewish neighborhood of Yemenite Jews The Jews were driven out, attacked in 1921 and again in 1929.

Who knows who attacked the Yemenites? Maybe Professor Bell can write an article blaming the settlers. I mean, who else could have attacked Jews when Arabs and Jews lived so peacefully together before "occupation" according to morons like Bell?  It makes just as much sense as what he wrote here.

The idea that such an ignorant person was an ambassador - a job that requires a tiny bit of knowledge about the host country - is nothing less than astonishing.

I've seen a lot of media bias over the past decade, but this is off the charts.

(h/t Daniel)

12/02 Links Pt2: Netanyahu meets the Pope, Arab Rock attack caught on video, Canadian PM to Visit Israel

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 03:00 PM PST

From Ian:
Disturbing imagery
Likewise, it's not unwarranted to assume that had an Israeli head of state described any of Israel's neighbors as subhuman, as vermin deserving extermination, Obama would be beside himself with vehement denunciation.
Had Israel's preeminent ruling party openly and with publicly sanctioned impunity threatened to abduct Palestinians or to rain rockets on peace-partners, the hue-and-cry from the White House would have been deafening and would have been followed by tangible and substantial retaliatory action.
Toddler wounded in Jerusalem rock attack released from hospital
Avigail Ben-Zion, the two-year-old toddler who was moderately wounded last Thursday when a rock was thrown at the car she was traveling in with her mother and siblings in Jerusalem's Armon Hanatziv neighborhood, was released from Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center on Sunday.
The child, who suffered a head wound, spent the weekend receiving treatment in Hadassah's Pediatric Surgery Unit.
Four residents of the neighborhood of Sur Baher in east Jerusalem were arrested early Friday morning in connection to the case.
Caught on Video: Arab Rock Ambush
The event was caught on video by the man's car cam. This may be the first time such an attack is caught on video in real time, although rock attacks are common in Judea and Samaria, and have become regular occurences in Jerusalem as well. A large rock thrown into a car hurtling down a road can easily kill or maim the driver and passengers, or cause the driver to lose control of the car.
PMW:

'Palestinians threaten to end peace talks'
Peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians restarted in late July. Although they have continued out of the media spotlight, reports have mounted that that two sides have reached an impasse.
Last week, senior Palestinian official Nabil Shaath said negotiations with Israel have already failed, and that the prospect of freeing Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails is all that's keeping the talks alive. Top negotiator Saeb Erekat told reporters that the world needs to get tough with Israel over its continued settlement building to ensure the remaining five months of talks won't be wasted.
PA Official: Jews 'Defile' Al-Aqsa (Temple Mount)
Ahmed Qureia, a former "prime minister" of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and a senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organization terrorist organization (PLO), claimed Sunday that "International involvement in Al-Quds (Jerusalem) enables Israel to continue its 'occupation', and for settlers to continue to defile some of Islam's holiest places."
Jews who visit Temple Mount are "monkeys and pigs" - teacher on PA TV Live


Do American Jews Live in a Cocoon? Peter Beinart thinks so. He's wrong.
Beinart doesn't stop there. Of Elie Wiesel's statement about Jerusalem that "for the first time in history, Jews, Christians and Muslims all may freely worship at their shrines," he writes bluntly, "Sadly, this is false." On what grounds? Has Israel shut down a mosque or a church? Has it even intervened while the Islamic Waqf carts away archeological treasures from the Jewish Temple? No. The only basis for this claim is travel restrictions into Israel (and according to Israeli law, Jerusalem is in Israel) which affect Muslims coming from outside, particularly from the territories of the Palestinian Authority. Israel has been in control of a united Jerusalem for nearly five decades now. If it were an Israeli policy goal to prevent access to holy sites, this would have been uniformly implemented. For most of this period, however, access has been completely free. (h/t NormanF)
A Month of Horror for Christians under Islam: September 2013
The same month that Obama tried to wage war on behalf of the jihadi rebels in Syria (citing "human rights" concerns), some of the war's worst atrocities were committed against that nation's Christian minority, most notably in Ma'loula, an ancient Christian region where the inhabitants spoke Aramaic, the language of Jesus.
There, al-Qaeda-linked jihadis fired mortars and missiles into at least two ancient churches before looting them; some 80 Christians trying to defend their homes were killed. Others who could not flee were forced, on pain of death, to convert to Islam.
BBC amplification of organised anti-Israel delegitimising campaign
Promotion of the November 30th 'Day of Rage' events outside Israel has also been carried out by known anti-Israel campaigners such as Yael Kahn (no stranger to the BBC), Ben White writing on the Hamas-linked MEMO site and of course the flotilla-participating, Hamas-supporting Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Hence, the BBC's portrayal of these demonstrations as spontaneous protests initiated by Bedouin living in the Negev is – at best – a very partial representation of the facts. However, it can also be viewed as aiding and abetting a political campaign which now exploits the Bedouin issue for a much wider and older agenda of delegitimisation and that perception is reinforced by the fact that the BBC article links to an organised campaigning letter signed (at the click of a mouse on the PSC website) by a collection of known anti-Israel campaigners and former 'celebs' and published – naturally – in the Guardian.
The Guardian once again disguises the reality of unrecognized Bedouin "villages"
Leaving aside the absurd idea that people who had till quite recent times led itinerant lives moving across vast distances of the Middle East with no fixed national identity can be now labeled "Palestinian Bedouin" like politically correct produce in an organic food co-op, the article (and letter) conjure up visions of camel-riding nomads being forced to fold their goat-skin tents and leave from vast stretches of Sahara-like dunes.
The Guardian once again is trying to promote the idea that these are Bedouin living in little villages that are the equivalent of the quaint villages one sees in reruns of "Midsommer Murders". The reality, however, is far different.
Canadian PM affirms support for Israel, announces visit in January
Harper, a staunch supporter of Israel, made the announcement at a JNF-KKL fundraising event in Toronto held in his honor Sunday evening, where it was also revealed that a bird sanctuary in the Hula Valley would be named after the prime minister.
"I am honored by this particular gift…I value it [because] it is where it is. It is in that homeland of the Jewish people and that light of freedom and democracy in what is otherwise a region of darkness — the State of Israel," Harper said in his opening remarks.
"These are dark days," the prime minister went on, explaining that Ottawa and Jerusalem share common values but also common threats. (h/t Bob Knot)
Anti-Israel Demonstrators Target JNF Event in Toronto
Responding to the protests, JNF World Chairman Efi Stenzler said, "This is an incident which is part of a long-standing false campaign of de-legitimization that has targeted the State of Israel and the Jewish National Fund in particular. These and other actions will not deter the Jewish National Fund and its supporters around the world from continuing to represent the State of Israel and working to strengthen it."
Netanyahu gives pope his late father's book on the Inquisition
Netanyahu presented a Spanish translation of the 1995 book, "The Origins of the Inquisition," to Francis during their 25-minute closed-door meeting, as well as a Hanukkah menorah.
Netanyahu's father, Benzion Netanyahu, was an Israeli historian who died last year. A Zionist activist who opposed partitioning Palestine between Arabs and Jews, he was best known in academic circles for his research into the Catholic Church's medieval inquisition against the Jews of Spain.
Lighting up Africa with Israeli technology
Enter Innovation: Africa, an Israeli organization that specializes in bringing power to the power-less in Africa. The group set up a solar energy system for the Kaliro School, which gave the kids not only the gift of light, but that of time as well; with the extra hours of light, the school was able to run evening programs, giving children greater opportunities to learn how to read and write.
It was just another day at the office for Sivan Ya'ari, founder and president of Innovation: Africa, which for the past five years has been bringing not only solar power, but also clean water, food and medical care to more than 500,000 people in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi and Uganda.
Volun-touring in Israel
The Israeli organization GoEco matches socially conscious tourists with ecological programs throughout the country, such as wildlife and desert conservation programs.
Watch how eco-tourists in Israel gain a unique perspective on sustaining the land that is holy to so many people.
Mekorot to improve Mexico's water quality
The first of its kind cooperation agreement between Mekorot Group and CONAGUA (the Mexican national water commission) was signed in the presence of President of Israel Shimon Peres, who is visiting Mexico, and the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto.
"The choice of Mexico inspires pride and respect, and also represents reaffirmation of Mekorot's global mobility in providing solutions for problems and crises, especially in light of the current global water crisis," said CEO of Mekorot, Shimon Ben Hamo.
'Video games are good for kids'
Video games are actually good for children, a new Israeli study has found, much to the dismay of (most) parents who automatically think of the violence inherent in games like Grand Theft Auto, Halo and Call of Duty.
The research, done by The Center for Educational Technology, asserts that video games — even violent ones — are beneficial for children on a scale much bigger than originally thought. The claims are in contradiction to other studies that found that extended gaming led to depression, anxiety and stunted social development, not to mention the physical effects brought on by long hours of sitting. Some studies have also linked between video games and increased violent behavior in children, arguing that simulated violence leads to real-life violence.
SiSense wins 'Take the H.E.L.M.' contest and its $250,000 prize
SiSense, the Big Data Analytics Company, has announced that it is winner of the global "Take the H.E.L.M." competition, along with its $250,000 prize. The win comes just days after SiSense CTO Eldad Farkash won the World Technology Award for his invention of In-Chip big data analytics. SiSense helps business users make sense of big data without the need for a data science team or expensive hardware to deploy. Its unique In-Chip technology can analyze 100X more data at 10x the speed of traditional in-memory solutions.
Former intel agent discovers Jews in mass 'Christian' graves
Kszonzenice in 2004, fledgling guide and former secret service agent Yaki Gantz's two worlds collided when he found a mass grave with 45 anonymous numbers written on a gravestone.
After a short investigation he discovered that following a nearby mass murder in 1945, the local priest had gathered the 45 unidentified bodies and copied the numbers he found on their arms, which were carved on the gravestone.
Gantz turned to Yad Vashem and in a joint effort they were able to identity 19 of the Jewish victims buried in the mass grave.
Rare Century-Old Photos from the Oregon State University Archives, Part 2
We continue with more photos and original captions from the Oregon State University Archives. The captions provide a fascinating commentary on historical understanding of areas in the Holy Land a century ago, including a comment about "Jewish Zionists." The pictures are dated as "circa 1910."

Chanukah video post #6: Hanukkah rap (Dreidel song) plus Northeastern U "Suf-Ga-Ni-Ya"

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 01:30 PM PST

This is surprisingly good.



This video is a response to vandalism last year of the public menorah at Northeastern University:



(h/t Matti)

Spend Christmas at Al Aqsa Mosque!

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 12:00 PM PST

From Al Omary Hajj and Umrah Tours:


What better way to spend Christmas than to be among those who consider you "the Sunday people," up for ethnic cleansing after those pesky Saturday people are gotten rid of!

(I know, this is really aimed at UK Muslims for their Christmas vacation, but still...)

(h/t Irene)

Why I usually don't waste time arguing with anti-Israel idiots

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 10:30 AM PST

Sometimes, hope springs eternal and I think I can actually convince Israel-haters to accept simple, basic facts that are at odds with the propaganda they happily slurp up from anti-Israel blogs.

I'm usually proven wrong. Luckily, it usually happens quite quickly.

As a follow-up to this post this morning.






I bet you didn't know that saying the truth about what goods Israel allows into Gaza is "racist psychopathy!" When all you believe are lies, the truth is dangerous.

I have no idea who this guy is, but it doesn't matter - he is interchangeable with hundreds of other Israel-hating drones for whom real facts are toxic.

The lesson to be taken is - don't waste time with the idiots. Spread the truth instead to those who still have a capacity to listen.

12/02 Links Pt1: Syrian violence spills into Israel, Ex-CIA Chief: We've Accepted Iranian Enrichment

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 09:00 AM PST

From Ian:
Violence from Syria spills over into Israel
The Syrian civil war was felt in Israel on Monday as, in two separate incidents, a mortar shell hit the town of Majdal Shams and an IDF unit came under fire in the southern Golan Heights, according to the army.
The unit that came under fire incurred no casualties and returned fire toward the source of the attack. The IDF said it believes the shooting was an inadvertent spillover from violence in Syria, not an intentional attack on Israeli forces.
The Israeli soldiers returned fire and reported that they hit at least one Syrian soldier, Israel Radio reported.
Navy Expects 'Reverse Gaza Flotilla'
The IDF estimates that dozens of Arab and European activists will be on the flotilla, and that it will include several boats.
The flotilla is the initiative of a group that is calld Shabab al-Intifada and was planned to take place Friday, but was postponed. The group said on its Facebook page that its intent is to "break the naval siege of Gaza," and that the participants will be young people from Gaza and other countries, who do not belong to any political movement.
IDF sources told Israel Hayom that it is too early to say how "serious" the flotilla will be.
The Partition Plan, the Negev and the Next Accusation
Today, Israel's sovereignty over the Negev is being challenged by European NGOs and elected officials, who deny Israel's sovereign right to implement the Prawer Plan dealing with the resettlement of the region's Bedouin population. In July 2012, the European Parliament passed a bill calling upon Israel to stop the Prawer Plan. On October 17, 2013, the "Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats" in the European Parliament took part in a seminar in Brussels on the Bedouins in the Negev. The event displayed a large poster that read: "Stop Prawer-Begin Plan, no ethnic cleansing of Palestinian Bedouins."
When Chaim Weizman finally obtained the Negev's inclusion into the proposed Jewish state, he did not imagine that Israel's sovereignty over that desert would be challenged six decades later. And today's Israeli leaders, who seem to believe that Israel will be left alone once it retreats to the 1949 armistice lines, would be well-advised to take note of the fact that Israel is being accused of "occupation" within its pre-1967 borders. (h/t Bob Knot)
Bayit Yehudi: Probe Arab MKs over Beduin protests
Bayit Yehudi called for Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein to investigate Arab MKs for incitement Sunday, following their participation in protests against the Prawer-Begin Plan for land in the Negev that turned violent Saturday night.
MK Orit Struck (Bayit Yehudi) wrote a letter to Weinstein in the name of her party, extensively quoting speeches Arab lawmakers gave about the Prawer-Begin Bill in the Knesset on June 24 of this year, which she said incited to violence.
"MKs incited in the plenum and clearly called for violence if there is progress in legislating and implementing the Prawer Bill," Struck explained. "We can see a direct connection between their calls for violent protests and the events in the south Saturday, which endangered the lives of police and citizens in a way that is unacceptable in a democracy."
Video: Arab MK Aids Rioters
Radical Arab Knesset Member Ahmed Tibi, a former advisor to Yasser Arafat, played a part in the large-scale violent Muslim riot in the Negev Saturday. A video aired by an Arab television channel – and proudly posted by Tibi on Facebook – shows him trying to prevent the detainment of a boy who had taken part in the violence. Tibi can be heard shouting at police, "He's a boy... you are inflaming the atmosphere... you should be ashemed of yourselves."
Other rioters shout "you are racist!", a very popular refrain among Arabs engaged in confrontations with Israeli law enforcement. (h/t Jewess)
Tel Aviv bus bomber convicted in plea bargain
Muhammad Mafarji, 18 years old at the time of the attack, was found guilty of attempted murder and aiding the enemy during wartime. This was an apparent reference to Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip.
Mafarji's lawyer reached a plea bargain with the prosecution, under which the state will not seek a sentence of more than 25 years in prison for the act.
He confessed to the Shin Bet security service that he placed an explosive device on bus No. 142 on November 21, at the time of Israel's Operation Pillar of Defense against Gaza rocket fire. The bomb detonated near the Israeli military's headquarters in the center of Tel Aviv, injuring 28 people.
PMW: Released prisoner, murderer: "We will not regret what we did"


PA Security Forces Arrest 20 Salafists
Palestinian Authority security forces arrested 20 Salafists on Sunday, AFP reported, citing a senior source.
The report of the arrests came hours after a Gaza-based group affiliated with Al-Qaeda confirmed it has infiltrated Judea and Samaria as part of its war against "the Jews," Christians, infidels and the Palestinian Authority.
Hamas Cancels 26th Anniversary Celebrations Due to Lack of Funds
2 weeks after Hamas marked the 1-year anniversary of "Operation Pillar of Defense," the terrorist regime in Gaza has been forced to cancel its 26th anniversary celebrations, Channel 10 reports.
"The smart thing for us to do right now is to cancel the festivities and spend the money on other projects to alleviate the suffering of the residents. we do not have the money for it now," said Ashraf Abu Zaid.
According to the report, the terror organization encountered budgetary difficulties due to restrictions imposed by Egypt's siege on the rogue territory, as well as Israel repeatedly destroying its arms and supplies smuggling tunnels.
Paramilitary Training in Gaza High Schools


Geneva: A Historic and Dangerous Agreement
Furthermore, this interim arrangement leads to a profound reconfiguration of the entire region according to the new U.S. orientation to advance a comprehensive dialogue with Iran, which leaves Israel and Saudi Arabia behind — America's traditional allies in the region. Obama apparently wants to restore good relations with Teheran and nothing else matters as long as it's achieved, even if this requires turning a blind eye to Syria, accepting a pro-Iranian government in Iraq, reaching a tacit understanding with the Hezbollah terrorists, and allowing Iran to become virtually a nuclear state — that is, with the capability to produce a nuclear bomb in no time. The problem is that the U.S. Administration just doesn't seem to understand the Middle East: that no one in the region is going to sit idly. The nuclear proliferation that America didn't want is going to be the only thing it will get, due to its rushed desire to sign a deal with Iran.
This agreement is based on a double delusion: That we can trust Iran and that, if Iranians don't honor the deal, we will be able to impose new sanctions. And yet, what it actually does is to put an end to the sanctions regime without the ayatollahs putting an end to their stated ambitions. In six months, Iran will not be further from a nuclear bomb but we will be further from the capacity to impose more sanctions.
Ex-CIA Chief: Face It, We've Accepted Iranian Enrichment
The United States' former CIA and NSA Director, Gen. Michael Hayden, said Sunday that the deal made with Iran at Geneva means that Iran will be allowed to enrich uranium and be a nuclear threshold state.
"Let's be honest with ourselves," Hayden told Fox News Sunday. "We have accepted Iranian uranium enrichment. There's no question about that. That's a different red line than we used to have."
"It says in the agreement that we will come to an agreement with regard to their right to enrich, which is very different from the UN Security Council resolutions to date, which say that they do not have a right to enrich."
Obama's Iran optimism will fade
However, it is likely that this wave of optimism will soon fade away and become etched into the collective memory as another Obama-created illusion that, like those that preceded it, crashed in the face of pesky reality. Let's bear in mind that the interim deal with Iran is open to various interpretations, which may make things more difficult for President Barack Obama as he tries to mobilize public and congressional support for his conciliatory policy toward Iran. For example, America's willingness to allow Iran to continue construction work at the Arak plutonium reactor site could enable Iran to nibble away at the prohibition that the interim deal imposed on the operation of the reactor.
Netanyahu: I will not 'shut up' when Israel's interests are at stake
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his predecessor Ehud Olmert battled over Israel's Iran policy Sunday, with Olmert slamming Netanyahu for "waging war" against the US administration and Netanyahu responding that he would speak out loudly when Israel's security is at stake.
"As opposed to others, when I see that interests vital to the security of Israel's citizens are in danger, I will not be quiet," Netanyahu said in Rome in a clear reference to comments Olmert made earlier in the day.
'Olmert Thinks Israel is America's Slave'
MK Tzahi Hanegbi ('Likud Beytenu') fired back at former prime minister Ehud Olmert Monday after Olmert attacked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for publicly airing differences with the White House.
"He spoke only about one thing, as if we have one enemy, Prime Minister Netanyahu," Hanegbi said. "It is too bad that he wasted such an important and meaningful event on personal matters against the prime minister."
"His belief is not new," added Hanegbi. "He believes that Israel should be the lowly slave of the United States."
Iran: Quran has marked Israelis as 'rabid dogs and pigs'
In the wake of news that Israel will send a delegation to Washington, D.C. to influence the Obama administration's international negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, the Islamic Republic is stepping up its attacks on the Jewish state.
"This vicious temperament of dogs and pigs is you (Israel)," said Ayatollah Mohammad Imami Kashani, a member of the Assembly of Experts, the body that appoints the supreme leader, at Tehran's interim Friday prayer. "The Quran has marked on your foreheads that you will be humiliated. The Zionist officials are like animals, and truly as rogue thugs they do whatever they want, killing people, creating bloodshed and destroying whatever they want."
Syrian opposition splintered ahead of peace talks
The Geneva talks have raised the possibility of a negotiated end to a conflict activists say has killed more than 120,000 people. But with a fractured opposition, many have little hope for strong negotiations with emissaries of President Bashar Assad.
"Each of them represents himself and maybe his wife," said an anti-government activist in the central Homs province, who uses the pseudonym Abul Hoda. "Nobody here pays any attention to what they say."
Unconfirmed Report: Nasrallah Injured
Syrian rebel forces claim that they have succeeded in injuring Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, a Lebanese website reported this morning, citing a Facebook message. No other source has confirmed the report.
The Lebanese report was cited by JerusalemOnLine, which did not name the website that carried the news.
According to the report, a commander of the Free Syrian Army announced that members of Jabhat Al-Nusra, an Islamist Sunni rebel group linked to Al Qaeda, succeeded in the early morning hours in blowing up the headquarters where Nasrallah lives in Bint Jbeil, Lebanon.
The Lebanese report relies on a Facebook message published by one of the rebel organizations, according to which 22 Hezbollah members guarding Nasrallah were killed during the blast while Nasrallah himself was injured.
Saudi Arabia's foreign labour crackdown drives out 2m migrants
More than eight million migrant workers in Saudi Arabia – more than half the entire workforce – fill manual, clerical, and service jobs. "Many suffer abuses and labour exploitation, sometimes amounting to slavery-like conditions," says Human Rights Watch.
The kafala system ties foreign workers' residency permits to sponsoring employers whose consent is required for workers to change jobs or leave the country. A Pakistani man employed as a driver, for example, needs permission to work in a shop. Employers often abuse this power in violation of Saudi law to confiscate passports, withhold wages and force migrants to work against their will or on exploitative terms.
Saudi Offers "Castrated African Slave" for Sale on Facebook
No it's not a joke. Saudi Arabia had an estimated 300,000 slaves in 1960. Slavery was then officially abolished, but unofficially continues to exist.
Saudis who travel outside their country sometimes bring their slaves with them, leading to run-ins with the law. One of the ugliest such incidents was the murder of a slave by a Saudi prince in London.
Saudi preacher: It's OK if you accidentally kill Muslim women & children when murdering Infidels VIDEO
A Saudi Wahhabi preacher who appeared on Saudi "al-Thaminah" TV stated that the killing of Muslim women and children is permissible according to his sources when it's done as collateral damage resulting from the "lawful" aim of killing infidels. These Wahhabi preachers are the ones providing fatwas to combatants in Syria regarding what they view as religiously approved rules of war. Civilians in Syria have been indiscriminately targeted by Wahhabi terrorists supported by Saudi Arabia, all done under the justification of fighting an "infidel regime".

The siege on Palestinian Arabs that the world ignores

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST

The Lebanon Daily Star reported last month:
BEIRUT: Residents and fighters fear they may be starved out of the Damascus suburb of Yarmouk as the siege of the Palestinian area approaches its fifth month, mirroring the increasingly desperate humanitarian situation in many of the capital's suburbs. The relatively new practice of blockading neighborhoods reflects a shifting strategy among rebel and government forces, analysts say, as both sides hunker down for what is expected to be a long war of attrition.

Yarmouk was originally a camp for Syria's Palestinian refugees but has since expanded into a sprawling neighborhood in Damascus' rebel-held southern belt. It has been encircled by troops loyal to President Bashar Assad since February.

On the second day of Ramadan, July 10, government forces tightened their grip on the area and sealed off a checkpoint that was the area's only gateway to the capital, which was previously only sporadically open to allow through aid and fleeing residents.

The movement of food, medicine and people came to a complete halt.

"Civilians are totally forbidden from going out of the camp. At the same time, no food is coming in. They [the soldiers] have refused to let in vaccines for polio, measles, chickenpox and flu," said Abdullah, an activist who has been stuck inside the neighborhood for over a year.
That siege is now 139 days old.

While the world constantly hears about a "siege" on Gaza where there are no restrictions by Israel on fuel, medicine,food or hundreds of other items,and where hundreds of people enter and leave every week, no one is talking about the real siege of tens of thousands of people in Yarmouk which is now on day 139.

Similarly, the death toll of Palestinians in Syria has now reached 1781, the vast majority of whom are civilians. But there is no Goldstone Report about this. No UN resolutions about Palestinians in Syria. No special sessions of the Security Council, nothing at the UN Human Rights Council, and very little in the media. No political Christmas carols being sung outside Syrian embassies.

I'm sure there is a rational explanation for why the "pro-Palestinian" crowd is exerting so much little effort on helping Palestinians literally starving to death.

And it probably has to do with the fact that they aren't "pro-Palestinian" at all.

(h/t Yerushalimey on caroling)

Independent (UK) publishes article about Gaza woes without mentioning who runs Gaza

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 05:00 AM PST

Sometimes, anti-Israel propaganda is subtle.

The Independent (UK) publishes a first-person account of living in Gaza from Sally Idwedar. The headline already shows how the newspaper wants to spin the piece.

Life in Gaza: 'We wake up to terrifying sonic booms and try to sleep while Israelis are shelling'

I was thinking about how I would start to write about life in Gaza – how I would lay the words out with eloquence – when suddenly an explosion boomed close by and those thoughts fled my mind.

I didn't know the source; maybe it was internal training or perhaps another air strike. Movement and horns stopped on the street below, a brief pause to make sure it wasn't anyone close that was hit, then movement resumed. My heart is still pounding and my mind racing and, like every other woman in Gaza, I say a quick prayer of thanks that my family is near and safe and hope no one was hurt.

My husband lights a cigarette in the next room while reports come in that it was an "internal" explosion from training. Either way I guess it doesn't really matter, it is just enough to remind us nothing in Gaza is ever normal....

The UN issued a report last week saying Gaza is becoming uninhabitable and the humanitarian conditions are deteriorating – sadly that is true.

We wake up to terrifying sonic booms and try to sleep while the Israeli navy is shelling. Simple things like daily running water and a full day of electricity have now become luxuries. Nearly four weeks ago the sole power generator in Gaza stopped working due to lack of fuel. We had become used to the eight hours of electricity we were allotted but now we are down to four to six hours at a time and lengthy 12-14 hour blackouts.

...Two weeks ago the sewage pumping stations stopped working in many areas – they simply did not have the fuel to work. Raw sewage leaks into the streets. Fathers carry their children to get to school and most cars won't venture into it. The sludge reeks and brings mosquitoes in swarms.

There is fear it will end up in the water supply as well. The Al-Shati refugee camp, also known as Beach camp, has reported foul smelling and discoloured water this week and many have fallen ill with stomach maladies already. My area has been lucky so far, no sewage in the streets but unfortunately we don't have any water at all.

...This is life in Gaza now: a constant struggle to find the bare necessities. Gaza life is about always being prepared for the worst case scenario because normally that is what happens. It has been a year since the last major Israeli aggression here and we are trying to pick up the pieces. Constructions materials are now refused entry so repairs have ground to a halt.

Our life lines – the tunnels from Egypt – have been severed. Without them we don't have a consistent flow of food, medicine and fuel. The border with Israel is often closed and only half of the needed trucks of aid are allowed in when it is open. The items on the market shelves are withering away and prices are getting higher and higher.
Most of the article is about the fuel shortages and resulting problems. Egypt is briefly mentioned but the real culprit is clearly Israel, even if she is smart enough not to say it directly.

Even the anecdote in the beginning of the explosion she heard had nothing to do with Israel - but the readers are primed to hate Israel because of the headline.

And what is missing from the article?

Hamas.

Hamas is not mentioned once. Hamas, which takes the bulk of fuel and concrete for itself, not to mention medicine and other crucial goods. Hamas, who was probably responsible for the explosion that so terrified Idwedar. Hamas, which has money for building terror tunnels but can't pay market prices for fuel to help Gazans. Hamas, which is deliberately causing Gazans to suffer so it can pressure the PA and Qatar and other Arabs to give it fuel for free or at an extreme discount. Hamas, whose history of terrorism and refusal to accept Israel's very existence is the reason that there are restrictions on Gaza to begin with. Hamas, whose support of the Muslim Brotherhood is the reason Egypt is hemming in Gaza.

Whether Idwedar is protecting Hamas or is afraid of repercussions of mentioning Hamas while she lives in Gaza is irrelevant. For the Independent to publish an article about how Gaza's infrastructure is falling apart without once mentioning who is in charge of that infrastructure and the history behind it is irresponsible. Adding an anti-Israel headline is just icing on the cake.

Not to mention that there was clearly no fact checking either - Israel doesn't block trucks from entering Gaza; the reason some trucks don't show up is from disputes between Gazans and their suppliers. Israel does stop dual use items - but again, that is Hamas' fault for using cement for terror instead of building Gaza.

But you wouldn't know that from reading this first-person account.

Politicizing Christmas in Bethlehem

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 02:00 AM PST

In 2005,  the official lighting of the Christmas Tree in Bethlehem took place on December 15.

In 2009, the official lighting of the tree in Bethlehem took place on December 22.

In 2011, it happened on December 15.

In 2012, it happened on December 14.

This year, it happened on November 30.

Press coverage of the lighting ceremony in previous years was scant. This year, it was more extensive, and the speeches were political:
Among the speakers at the night's events was Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, who said in his remarks that "Palestine has preserved the values of peace and tolerance by celebrating Christmas for centuries."

He marked the ceremony by saying that, "the Christmas celebrations commence from the city which has always been an authentic part of history, human heritage, and national identity."
Palestine Press Agency adds that Hamdallah said that the values of "peace and tolerance" will bring tidings of "freedom and dignity and complete salvation from the occupation and freedom from the settlements, ending the unjust siege on our people in the Gaza Strip , and upholding the principles of justice and law, in the independent state of Palestine on the whole land occupied since 1967, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with Jerusalem as its capital."

The Bethlehem mayor's speech was just as political.

It looks like the PLO has decided that they can get a couple of extra weeks of Israel bashing in under the banner of "peace and tolerance."

I also can't shake the idea that this year's lighting ceremony was intended to coincide with Chanukah, to try to divert attention away from a holiday that celebrates Jewish nationhood thousands of years before Palestinian Arab nationalism existed.
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