יום ראשון, 5 בינואר 2014

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Link to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

St. James Church won't let supporters of Israel in

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 11:00 PM PST

Last week when one of the people behind the "Bethlehem Unplugged" anti-Israel stunt wrote in The Guardian:

When we have been challenged about "taking sides" and "politicising the church" – which is a fair discussion to have – we are clear that we are not "pro" one side or another but we are instead campaigning for equal human rights for all people regardless of ethnicity or background.

Well, that isn't true.

From Sussex Friends of Israel:

Historic Lebanese Christian library torched by angry Muslims

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 08:00 PM PST

From RT:
Two-thirds of a historic collection of 80,000 books have gone up in smoke after a library was torched in the Lebanese city of Tripoli amid sectarian tensions. The blaze was started after a pamphlet insulting Islam was reportedly found inside a book.

Firefighters struggled to subdue the flames as the decades-old Al-Saeh library went up in smoke on Friday in the Serail neighborhood of Tripoli. Despite firefighters' best efforts, little of the trove of historic books and manuscripts was recovered from the wreckage.

"Two thirds of some 80,000 books and manuscripts housed there," a security source told Agence France Press, referring to the items destroyed. The source added that the blaze was started after a manuscript insulting the Prophet Mohammed was found hidden in the pages of one of the library books.

A demonstration had been planned in Tripoli after the pamphlet was found but was reportedly called off after the library's Greek Orthodox owner spoke with Muslim leaders. Lebanese news outlet Naharnet also reported that one of the library workers was shot and wounded Thursday night.

"The library owner, Father Ebrahim Surouj, met with Islamic leaders in Tripoli. It became clear the priest had nothing to do with the pamphlet, and a demonstration that had been planned in protest over the incident was called off," the source said.

However, Ashraf Rifi, former head of the Internal Security Forces, told AP the attack had nothing to do with a pamphlet and was, in fact, triggered by speculation that Father Surouj had written a study on the internet that insulted Islam.

"This criminal act poses several questions [about] the party behind it that aims at damaging coexistence in the city and ruining its reputation," Rifi told AFP. The Lebanese police have launched an investigation into the incident.
Naharnet says that the protest was because of rumors that "claimed the father had published a book deemed insulting to Islam."
[T]he Greek Orthodox priest forgave those responsible for the attack, in a statement aired on television on Saturday.
The contrast between how Muslims and Christians act could not be starker.

01/04 Links: Prague Mayor: kick out Palestinian 'embassy', Let there be more Stephen Harpers

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 06:00 PM PST

From Ian:
Douglas Murray: Absolute moral squalor on display at a London church
It is utterly disgraceful that St James' church has presented this partial view of Israel while ignoring the plight of their co-religionists. Here are some festivals we are very unlikely to see taking place at St. James's Piccadilly anytime soon.
A festival set up to highlight the victims of suicide-bombings which murder Christians while leaving church in Pakistan.
An installation — 'Borno Unwrapped' — commemorating the 12 people killed last weekend (whilst 'Bethlehem Unwrapped' was going on) in two Christian villages in northeast Nigeria, including the eight Christians murdered by Islamists at a wedding reception in Tashan-Alede village.
A small event organised to condemn the savagery which led Islamists in Iraq to plant three bombs at churches and other Christian areas in Iraq on Christmas Day, and which murdered 37 people as they were celebrating the birth of Jesus
Where Are the Other Replica Security Walls?
Here, then, is an instructive question: why is there no art installation decrying the EU's 'apartheid' security barriers on the Spain-Morocco border? What about the human rights of impoverished Moroccan and sub-Saharan African illegals, who surely deserve a temporary monument in a major capital city (and an accompanying festival) at least as much as jihadis determined to infiltrate Israel and murder innocent men, women and children, deserve one? Perhaps such a project will be next on the agenda for the baleful coterie of trendy British priests and fading, 'socially conscious' media figures currently assembled at St. James's Church.
A list of security walls, barriers and fences around the world: (h/t Bob Knot)
Human Rights Watch Should Rescind Reports
What is truly reprehensible, however, is that given the questions now surfacing with regard to al-Karama, Human Rights Watch has not rescinded the reports in whose development it had partnered with al-Karama. Take the case of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which last year successfully busted a coup plot by al-Islah, the local affiliation of the Muslim Brotherhood. Human Rights Watch condemned the UAE and accused it of torture in a study that it conducted in conjunction with al-Karama. Now it seems that its partner's leader was committed not only in rhetoric but also fact to advancing al-Qaeda's goals. Can HRW really, in hindsight, take seriously the group's work which castigated a government which has cracked down on al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood? Frankly, it seems plausible that al-Karama's leadership wanted to use HRW's mantle to castigate those it saw as ideological enemies.



"Liberal" NGOs' blind eye to MidEast women's rights
The NGO Monitor Report discusses the issues concerning discrimination against women. It correctly blames Western human rights organizations, such as Amnesty and Human Rights Watch, for their lack of sustained advocacy on behalf of women's rights and for their refusal to give the question of women's rights the prominence it deserves.
Instead of concentrating on issues of freedom and equality for Arab women, these human rights organizations eagerly pounce on alleged abuses of democratic nations -- the Western countries and the State of Israel.
Human rights activists have painted themselves as concerned with inequality in the Arab countries by focusing on relatively minor issues and bestowing excessive praise when minor reforms are put in place.
BBC silent on 'Fatah Day' celebrations
Notably, that "peace and co-existence" touted by the BBC is reflected neither in the stylised map which erases Israel completely or the gun barrel (for more information on Fatah logos, see here). Rifles also featured in an image chosen by PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat for his Facebook page on December 29th 2013.
And during his speech given at the official 'Fatah Day' event in Ramallah, PA president and head of Fatah Mahmoud Abbas took a leaf out of Ahmadinejad's handbook, calling Israeli communities in Judea & Samaria and Jerusalem neighbourhoods "cancer".
BBC 'tidies up' Fatah celebrations
Among those terror leaders praised by Abbas were Hamas founders Ahmed Yassin and Abed Aziz al Rantissi as well as the founder of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Fathi Shiqaqi.
Notably absent over the past few days has been any BBC coverage of the rallies held by Fatah in PA-controlled areas earlier in the week. On January 3rd a rally was held in Nablus (Schem) and in the Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem, masked armed members of Fatah paraded through the streets undisturbed by PA security forces, as can be seen in this video.
Land/population swap idea is a non-starter
Arabs like Zouabi are infuriated by the idea of land swaps, because it would exclude them from part of their 'patrimony' and keep it for Jews. They are opposed to partition, except as a temporary solution on the road to a unified Arab 'Palestine'. The only acceptable Jewish state for them is no Jewish state.
There is a fundamental asymmetry of objectives in the negotiations between Israel and the Arabs. Israel wants to end the conflict and is willing to give up much (way too much, in my opinion) in order to move toward a solution. The Arabs want to kick the Jews out of the territories, pump hostile 'refugees' into Israel, and replace the Jewish state with an Arab one. (h/t NormanF)
McCain: Netanyahu Has 'Serious Concerns' About Kerry's Plan
McCain is in Israel along with Republican Senators John Barrasso of Wyoming and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. The three met with Netanyahu on Friday afternoon.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu has serious, serious concerns about the plan as has been presented to him, whether it be on the ability of Israel to defend its borders or the reliability of a Palestinian state and their intentions," McCain told reporters after the meeting, according to the AFP news agency.
Hundreds of Palestinians protest Kerry's visit in Ramallah
Palestinian protesters on Friday condemned the latest efforts by US Secretary of State John Kerry to advance peace talks with Israel, using chants evoking the Arab uprisings and telling him to go home.
Thwarted Israeli bus blast similar to Boston bombings
The bomb that tore through a Dan No. 240 bus in the central Israeli city of Bat Yam on December 22 was assembled in a pressure cooker and activated by cellphone, much like the devices that killed three people and wounded hundreds more during the Boston Marathon in April 2013, the Shin Bet investigation has revealed.
The internal security organization, after days of what it termed "intensive intelligence work," managed to break the terror cell, arresting four Islamic Jihad operatives from Bethlehem and 10 other people, including at least one Bedouin citizen of Israel. A news blackout on the arrests was lifted late Thursday.
Bat Yam Driver: What if they Release the Terrorists?
"I was very happy to hear that they were caught, but they'll probably be released in two weeks, because we are constantly releasing murderers," Yoger told Channel 2 News on Friday.
He noted that security forces risk their lives to locate and arrest terrorists, but their efforts are in vain, because soon after the suspects are placed on trial they are released.
"That diminishes the deterrent factor and it gives them a precedent for more attacks," stressed Yoger.
Palestinian girl attempts to stab Border Policeman
"Israel is continuing with the diplomatic process as though there's no terror, while the Palestinians are continuing with the terror as though there's no diplomatic process," charged Economy Minister Naftali Bennett last week, on the heels of a thwarted bus bombing and a subsequent, unrelated, stabbing attack. (h/t Bob Knot)
Prague residents look to oust Palestinian embassy
The mayor of the Suchdol district, where the Palestinian embassy complex is based, said he would lodge complaints with Czech authorities.
"We have lost trust in the diplomats," Mayor Petr Hejl told The Associated Press Friday after receiving complaints from neighbors. "We feel deceived by them."
Doctors Without Borders staffers nabbed in Syria
The five staffers were taken "allegedly for questioning" from a Doctors Without Borders house in northern Syria, and have been out of contact since Thursday evening, said Michael Goldfarb, a spokesman for the aid group. He did not say whether the missing staffers had been taken by government forces or rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar Assad, and refused to give further details out of concern for the missing workers' safety.
The Muslim Brotherhood: Wolf not even in sheep's clothing
With the Brotherhood and their supporters turning more violent, staging deadly attacks against the army and security forces as well as civilian targets, the interim regime had no choice but to ban the movement – as King Farouk, Nasser and Mubarak had done in their time – and declare it a terror organization.
But the West is not ready to follow suit. The US and the EU, representing the so-called enlightened world, are turning their back on Egypt, though it is fighting their common enemy, radical Islam – thus tacitly encouraging the Brotherhood to keep up their fight.
Death toll in latest Egypt clashes rises to 17
The death toll from the latest violent clashes in Egypt between Islamist protesters and security forces has risen to 17, a security official said Saturday.
Friday's protests were the deadliest in months, coming less than two weeks ahead of a key referendum on an amended constitution.
Der Spiegel: "Droves of Western Business People Already Flocking to Tehran" in Expectation of Iran Sanctions Relief
Der Spiegel yesterday published analysis - headlined in part "International Investors Flock to Tehran" – describing a scramble by companies and nations to re-enter Iran's market in anticipation of the removal of sanctions. The paper quoted Daniel Bernbeck, head of the German-Iranian Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Tehran, characterizing the financial and economic opportunities potentially opening up as "chance of a century."
Iran Arrests Billionaire Who Helped Skirt Sanctions
The arrest several days ago of Iranian billionaire Babak Zanjani, who reportedly helped Iran skirt oil sanctions over the country's nuclear program, remains shrouded in mystery.
Zanjani, who has a net worth of around $13.8 billion, admitted to using a web of 60 companies in the UAE, Turkey and Malaysia to sell Iranian oil for the regime in a move to sidestep sanctions, reports Al Arabiya.
More than a Gesture Behind Euro Jew-Hate
When people are having their pictures taken performing the quenelle in front of a Jewish school in Toulouse where Jews were massacred by a Muslim shooter, as has reportedly happened, France may have reached the tipping point where it is no longer safe for Jews. If Europe truly wishes to avoid the flight of the remnants of Jewry that has put down new roots there since 1945, it must recognize that its problem is mainstream Jew-hatred, not a rogue comedian. (h/t NormanF)
Cyndi Lauper just wants to have fun…with Israeli music students
Before headlining a concert in Tel Aviv, music mogul Cyndi Lauper traded 1980's pop songs for Middle Eastern vibes at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in Ramat HaSharon.
Led by musician and teacher Yair Dalal, the class ensemble fuses together Middle Eastern and rock music at Israel's largest, independent, professional school for contemporary music. (h/t Bob Knot)
Let there be more Stephen Harpers
If Israel wants more Stephen Harpers in this world, it needs to start studying what it is doing wrong, and understand the framing through which Harper looks at the State of Israel. Only then will we be able to reproduce this framing amongst other world leaders. Only then will we get more Stephen Harpers instead of getting more boycotts and sanctions against Israel.
Ever since the start of the Oslo peace process, the Foreign Affairs Ministry has stopped defending Israel. Instead, it started defending the two-state solution.

NYT again downplaying Palestinian Arab rejectionism and embrace of terrorists

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 03:57 PM PST

The New York Times has an editorial about the current negotiations, and as usual it places the blame for poisoning the atmosphere primarily on Israel.

Signs of failure are everywhere. On Thursday, standing beside Mr. Kerry, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a harsh assessment of his Palestinian counterpart, President Mahmoud Abbas, and, implicitly, the prospect of a Middle East peace agreement. Days earlier, Israel let it be known that it would build more settlements in the West Bank, further poisoning the political atmosphere while shrinking the territorial space for a deal. Hard-liners in Mr. Netanyahu's government are pushing a bill that would annex settlements in the Jordan Valley area of the West Bank, where about 6,000 Israeli settlers and 10 times as many Palestinians live.

There are questions about the Palestinian commitment as well. Palestinian leaders have said that any new settlement activity could lead them to seek membership in the International Criminal Court and sue Israel there, a move they had promised not to take when peace talks started in the summer. An official close to Mr. Abbas has dismissed Mr. Kerry's push for a "framework agreement" as biased toward Israel.

In his remarks on Thursday Mr. Netanyahu claimed that members of the Palestinian security force were involved in a recent attack against Israelis. Mr. Abbas should investigate the claim and, if it is true, bring those responsible to justice. He also needs to crack down on the incitement of hatred against Israel in Palestinian schools, textbooks and government-controlled media.
To its credit, the NYT at least mentions incitement, an issue that it has been all but silent on in its news pages. Even so, the bulk of the complaints are against Israel.

It is silent about the daily insistence by the PLO leadership of their "red lines." As I wrote yesterday, here is one recent list given by Saeb Erekat:

First we can not accept Israel as a Jewish state. Secondly we can not accept any Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, without Jerusalem. Thirdly we can not accept any Israeli on Palestinian territory, sea or air, after the completion of the gradual withdrawal. Fourth we can not accept any solution without the exercise of the refugees' right of return according to Resolution 194, the right of return and compensation, and (fifth) the release of all prisoners at the signing of the agreement. This is the Palestinian position.

It doesn't exactly sound like the PA is preparing its people for any compromises whatsoever. The hawkish, absolutist position of the PLO has not changed in over 25 years. Yet the NYT doesn't bother to mention that, as it never does.

Here, though, is where the NYT again shows that it is willing to give Abbas the benefit of the doubt, no matter what he does:

As part of the negotiating process, Mr. Netanyahu agreed to release 104 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails over nine months rather than halt settlement construction. But when Mr. Abbas welcomed the latest group to the West Bank this week, Mr. Netanyahu accused him of embracing terrorists, even though Mr. Abbas never condoned the prisoners' crimes.

He never condoned their crimes? He called them heroes, multiple times! It's not like he was hiding it - Abbas was there, in the middle of the night, to greet them and embrace them personally, one by one, to kiss them and then to speak out about how they were heroic!

It takes a special kind of wishful thinking to look at that scene and then try to minimize it by saying that Abbas didn't condone their murders. The PA is offering these murderers free jobs for life, paid for by Western funding.

 But the NYT, like other mainstream media, has its narrative of a "hawkish" Israeli leadership and a "moderate" Palestinian Arab leadership and it will do everything it can to protect that narrative. Thsi op-ed is a prime example.

(h/t Herb)
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