יום שבת, 1 בפברואר 2014

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Link to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

01/31 Links Pt2: SodaStream plans to bring Johansson to Israel; Barghouti’s blood libel

Posted: 31 Jan 2014 01:00 PM PST

From Ian:
Why you should be proud Zionists
Zionism's astounding success in building a stable democracy makes it a symbol for democracy, not only in the Middle East, but all around the world.
What do you oppose when opposing Zionism? There are many more values for which Zionism serves as an ambassador. However, these small examples can help give a clear message: Those who support the BDS movement and oppose Zionism should know that when opposing Zionism, they are in fact opposing the principles of justice, freedom and democracy.
Their fight against Israel's right to exist is a fight for a world without these great values.
Those of us who believe in these values should join together and defend Israel against this new strategic threat.
Academic extremism threatens democratic values
It is the obligation of all academics everywhere to recognize and challenge claims that have no basis in fact or logic. Instead of ignoring historical revisionism or common sense gone awry, they should respond vocally and forcefully. Not only can offensive speech and conduct be constitutionally confronted and condemned, but responsible administrators, faculty and students have a moral imperative to do so.
Meanwhile, we must continue to confront those seeking to draw a distinction between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism.
As Martin Luther King famously wrote: "What is anti-Zionist? It is the denial to the Jewish people of a fundamental right that we justly claim for the people of Africa and freely accord all other nations of the globe. It is discrimination against the Jews … because they are Jews. In short, it is anti-Semitism. The times have made it unpopular in the west to proclaim openly a hatred of the Jews. This being the case, the anti-Semite must constantly seek new form and forums for his poison. How he must revel in the new masquerade. He does not hate the Jews, he is just 'anti-Zionist!'"
Barghouti's blood libel
Indeed, it is favorite trope of the Arabs and their supporters to say that Israel deliberately targets civilians and especially children, although careful research based on mortality data [2002] shows that the exact opposite is true.
The lie that Israel targets children is a specialty of anti-Israel 'journalists' like Gideon Levy and Amira Hass of Ha'aretz and anti-Zionists like Alison Weir. It has particular resonance in the West, whose emotional buttons it pushes.
But like most of what comes from the mouths and keyboards of Barghouti, Levy, Hass and Weir, it is a vicious lie. (h/t Bob Knot)



Scarlett gives a damn
Blinded by the BDS crusade, Oxfam sacrificed an ally devoted to helping starving children to a litmus test that it applies to no other nation.
Companies do business in China, which imprisons dissidents by the thousands. Companies trade with Bangladesh, where workers in dangerous factories have died by the hundreds. Only Israel, which protects basic human and civil and economic rights, is forbidden territory.
With a strong, clear stand — calmly citing "fundamental difference of opinion" — Johansson becomes the highest-profile celebrity to buck the load of BDS bull. Ever more power to her, and to those who may follow her example.
Brendan O'Neill: Three cheers for Scarlett Johansson's stand against the ugly, illiberal Boycott Israel movement
There is nothing remotely progressive in this campaign to boycott everything Israeli, with its double standards about various nations' behaviour and its shrill rhetoric about everything that comes from Israel being covered in Palestinian blood. This movement is not designed to have any kind of positive impact in the Middle East but rather is about making certain Western activists feel righteous and pure through allowing them to advertise how Israeli-free their lives are. It's illiberal, because it effectively demands the censoring of Israeli academics and performers; it's hypocritical, because it is led by people who are only too happy to use iPhones made in undemocratic China and to vote for the Labour Party, which, er, bombed the hell out of Middle Eastern countries for the best part of 10 years; and it has unfortunate ugly echoes of earlier campaigns to boycott Jewish shops and produce. So three cheers for Ms Johansson for taking a very public stand against this right-on pressure to treat Israel as the most evil nation on Earth.' (h/t Herb Glatter)
SodaStream plans to bring Johansson to Israel this year
SodaStream plans to bring its global ambassador, Scarlett Johansson, to Israel this year, the company said on Thursday, the same day that the Hollywood star resigned from her prominent eight-year role as Oxfam's representative due to the controversy over her new connection to a firm with a West Bank factory.
"She has never been to Israel before. We look forward to hosting her later in the year," SodaStream president Yonah Lloyd told The Jerusalem Post, just three days before its ad featuring Johansson was to air at Sunday's Super Bowl.
Scarlett Johansson's Decision to Back SodaStream Over Oxfam Puts Charity's Anti-Israel Activism Into Spotlight
In one "win" for the BDS campaign, Herzberg described a meeting with a senior executive of an Israeli pretzel company called Bagel Bagel that was owned by Dutch multinational Unilever and relocated its factory in Ariel's Barcan Industrial Area, over the Green Line, to open another facility in Galil, on the other side.
"He had to tell 150 weeping men that they were about to lose their jobs, in fact that they had lost their jobs, because they were shutting the factory down," Herzberg said. "Because of a BDS campaign, 150 Palestinian families lost their livelihood. How is that a victory?"
Financial Times Reporter Implies Scarlett Johansson Quit Oxfam for the Money, Then Apologizes
The Financial Times Middle East and North Africa Correspondent, the Cairo and Beirut-based Borzou Daragahi, faced social media talkback on Thursday after implying Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson, who quit Oxfam yesterday, did so for financial reasons.
"Scarlett Johansson picks lucrative #israel @SodaStream deal over @Oxfam charity backing, @FT reports," Daragahi tweeted. (h/t Yenta Press)
Jewish voice for peace gets it wrong. Again.
Poor Jewish Voice for Peace is still trying to come to grips with superstar Scarlett Johansson's decision to remain as the celebrity spokesperson for the Israeli home carbonation device, Sodastream. In a marvelous act of fantasy or perhaps simply delusion the team at Jewish Voice for Peace has declared victory over the same incident they bemoaned as a loss just 12 hours earlier.
Last night , JVP wrote on their facebook page "Oxfam's inaction allows Sodastream shill Scarlet Johansson to quit ambassador role, rather than be held accountable for promoting policies Oxfam staunchly opposes". Its still there.
( Hmmm. Scarlet's been taking about peaceful coexistence and economic cooperation. Why does this upset JVP and Oxfam so much?)
Will ScarJo Pay a Price for Her Principles?
It is possible that Oxfam's decision wasn't entirely based on the anti-Israel bias of its London-based leadership. One of the leading corporate donors to Oxfam just happens to be the Coca Cola Company that has given millions to the group. That tie between a company that can be linked to obesity and bad nutrition and a charity that promotes feeding the hungry is seen as a contradiction by some and only explained by the cash that flows from Coke to Oxfam. But the fact that SodaStream is a competitor that is already eating into Coke's market share could account, at least in part, for Oxfam's speed in denouncing Johansson.
But even if contributions from Coke had nothing to do with Oxfam's decision, the most important conclusion to be drawn from the way this controversy developed is the ease and speed with which a theoretically apolitical charity like Oxfam publicly embraced the BDS stand even though it meant losing the services of such an effective ambassador as Johansson.
BDS in Academia, Politics and Industry
January was an important month for BDS. In the academic sphere, the American Studies Association boycott resolution was followed by a pseudo-debate at the Modern Language Association. Both of these developments produced uniquely high press coverage and political backlash, suggesting that BDS advocates in academia can no longer rely on stealth to advance their goals.
In another sphere, however, the linkage between politics and economics has become ever clearer. As Israeli-Palestinian peace talks (as well as ongoing negotiations with Iran) continue, threats and expressions of concern regarding boycotts of Israel are intensifying, particularly with regard to Europe. The timing and nature of these statements, from both European and Israeli spokesmen, suggest boycotts are being used as a threat to pressure Israel to make concessions specifically regarding the "West Bank."
Football Jihad: who's who in the new battle ground (satire)
One example of such a group being increasingly targeted are footballers, because an anti-Israel message from them can have instant worldwide impact. Hence, there has been a steadily increasing number of footballers taking part in what I call the 'football jihad' - and they are by no means all Muslims. The non-Muslims are typical of the ignorant youngsters you see at any university meeting or rally protesting against Israel - with their Hamas supporting T-shirts and kaffiyas, repeating unquestioningly the same lies told to them.
I have decided to maintain a log of these footballer and (as per my log of anti-Israel charities) I have awarded a number of Arafats (rather than stars) to each (where 5 Arafats is the worse possible). The list - ordered by the fame of the player - is by no means exhaustive but will be updated over time.
Obama's Brother, 'Best Man,' Dons Hamas Regalia
You can say what you want about not being your brother's keeper, but if you are the President of the United States, your closest living relative is fair game for public comment.
So here's the issue: President Obama's brother appears on the website of the Barack H. Obama Foundation – named for their mutual father – in a Hamas keffiya emblazoned with the words, in Arabic, "Jerusalem is ours – we are coming!"
The keffiya also includes a map which purports to be of "Palestine." On the map, the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River are outlined in blue, beneath which is written the Palestinian Arab war cry: "From the River to the Sea!"
No, we're not a normal family, says Obama's Jewish half-brother
It's pretty natural to do a double-take when talking to Mark Okoth Obama Ndesandjo, Jewish half-brother of US President Barack Obama. Even speaking on the phone from China, Ndesandjo's deep tones and Midwestern twang are startlingly similar to those of the president.
That's a familiarity and connection that Obama Ndesandjo is counting on as he makes his way around the newspaper and television circuit, publicizing his self-published book, "Cultures: My Odyssey of Self-Discovery," which deals in large part with his family and his presidential brother. Part of the book proceeds will be dedicated to his foundation, The Mark Obama Ndesandjo Foundation, whose goal is to promote cultural exchange between Asia, Africa and America, with a focus on young and disadvantaged children.
The psychology of anti-Semitism and the link to anti-Zionism
The big "give-away" is the utterly ridiculous lies anti-Semites are willing to believe about the Jewish people.
The anti-Semite relishes in his Jew hatred. It provides an outlet, a gratifying release of pent-up emotion. His fury against the Jew facilitates a catharsis of anger and frustration – it serves as a safety valve of sorts, releasing all kinds of pent-up dissatisfactions, allowing them to run riot with dizzying freedom.
Belgian lawmaker: Zionists bankrolled Holocaust
The president of Belgium's parliament condemned the actions of a lawmaker who said Zionists were responsible for the Holocaust and performed the quasi-Nazi quenelle gesture in parliament.
"I would like to reinforce my condemnation of these hateful acts," Andre Flahaut said on January 23 in reference to the actions of Laurent Louis, who on January 16 said in parliament, "The Holocaust was set up and financed by the pioneers of Zionism."
Man who sent pig heads to Rome synagogue 'found'
A man who allegedly sent pigs' heads to Jewish sites across Rome ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day on Monday has been identified, police said Friday.
The 29-year-old Roman, reportedly linked in the past to far-right party Forza Nuova, is suspected of sending the heads to Rome's Synagogue, the Israeli embassy and a museum hosting a Jewish exhibition in what was dubbed a hate crime. (h/t Bob Knot)
Anti-Semitic fresco causes uproar in Poland
Alicja Kobus, chairwoman of the western city's Jewish community, made the accusation on January 26 in an interview with the Gazeta Wyborcza daily about a fresco which depicts an anti-Semitic blood libel and which adorns Poznan's Sacred Blood of Christ cathedral.
The fresco, which was painted by the 17th-century Franciscan monk Adam Swach, depicts a local blood libel which said Jews desecrated communion bread before its consumption by Christians. The men are seen sticking pins in the bread as a demon watches them approvingly.
Israel's Oramed a step closer in race for first insulin pill
Israel's Oramed, which is racing Novo Nordisk of Denmark to develop the world's first insulin pill, moved a step closer to its goal on Thursday by announcing successful results from a small mid-stage test.
The oral drug delivery specialist said its insulin capsule had met all primary and secondary endpoints in a Phase IIa clinical trial and it now plans to launch a larger mid-stage study in the third quarter.
QualComm founder a fan long before 'Start-Up Nation'
Some multinationals only became aware of the Start-Up Nation after reading the book of that title — at which point they rushed in, feet first, to grab a piece of Israel's tech magic for their companies. But others — call them the "old-timers" — knew the secret of Israel's success years before the country's technology prowess was in vogue.
Among those veterans is Irwin M. Jacobs, a cofounder and former chairman (now chairman emeritus) of QualComm, by far the world's largest cellphone technology company. "In the same way that QualComm was ahead of its time in cell technology development, I was ahead of my time in seeing Israel's potential," Jacobs told The Times of Israel on the sidelines of this year's Innovex event, which brought together some of the leading figures in tech from around the world to discuss new and upcoming technologies.
Despite Decades of Enmity, Israel Quietly Aids Syrian Civilians
About five weeks ago, he recalled, he had been working his land when he learned that his grandchildren had been hurt in a rocket attack. He had heard about the Israeli medical care and, ignoring the political risks, worked to bring his granddaughter here.
"When there is peace, I will raise an Israeli flag on the roof of my house," he said.
The war has eroded once-impervious psychological barriers on both sides. This month, an Israeli aid drive led by volunteers from the Working and Studying Youth movement, Israeli Flying Aid and other local organizations collected about 20,000 items — mainly jackets, blankets and sleeping bags — to be transferred to Syrian refugees. Donors were asked to remove all Israeli labels. Barak Sella of Working and Studying Youth said there were plans to establish a website for dialogue between Israeli and Syrian youths.

Tweets and administrivia

Posted: 31 Jan 2014 11:00 AM PST

Sometimes I tweet things that people like, but I don't blog them. Which makes me feel guilty.

Yesterday, I saw posted on CUWI Facebook page an old, great cartoon that I cleaned up and tweeted - and it quickly became very popular:


My SodaStream poster, which The Forward mentioned was going viral, made it to the UK:




The Forward said it was inaccurate, and I answer them in the update to that post.

Today, I retweeted a 2011 post of mine that is relevant again, as the BDSers keep saying that "Palestinian civil society" overwhelmingly supports BDS. It turns out that "Palestinian civil society" doesn't representvery many Palestinians at all.

Yesterday I tweeted this:




Well, now it has about 7 million and counting, much more than the previous SodaStream commercial that was censored in the 2012 Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, the most popular post of mine for past several weeks has not been a recent one, but my "Apartheid?" poster page. Over 1000 hits yesterday alone! I haven't been publicizing them yet this year.

Apparently, a lot of people are preparing for this year's "Apartheid Weeks" on college campuses and they are finding my posters through search engines. It is by far my most popular post ever, with about 50,000 views on this blog alone, and countless others via emails and from people who are taking the posters (often taking off my name!) and posting them to Facebook.

Partially as a result of that (plus a couple of very popular articles this month, not to mention the online Hasby Awards) this is the biggest month for EoZ since Operation Pillar of Defense.

Shabbat Shalom!

01/31 Links Pt1: Kerry, the Palestinians and the Vietnam model; Fatah honors 2 suicide terrorists

Posted: 31 Jan 2014 09:00 AM PST

From Ian:
Kerry, the Palestinians and the Vietnam model
After Yasser Arafat took over the PLO's leadership in 1969, he went to North Vietnam to study the strategy and tactics of guerrilla warfare waged by Ho Chi Minh. This is also when the PLO started translating the writings of North Vietnam's General Nguyen Giap into Arabic. Arafat was particularly impressed by Ho Chi Minh's success in mobilizing sympathizers in Europe and in the United States. Giap explained to Arafat that in order to succeed, he, too, had to conceal his real goal and should use the right vocabulary: "Stop talking about annihilating Israel and instead turn your terror war into a struggle for human rights," Giap told Arafat. "Then you will have the American people eating out of your hand."
What Giap taught Arafat is that, in asymmetric struggles, the militarily weaker side can win thanks to what became an integral part of warfare in the 20th century: the media. Ultimately, Vietnam defeated both France and the United States because Giap knew how to brilliantly manipulate the media in order to convince the French and the Americans that they were sacrificing their sons for an unjust and hopeless war. This is how Giap summarized his strategy: "In 1968 I realized that I could not defeat 500,000 American troops who were deployed in Vietnam. I could not defeat the 7th Fleet, with its hundreds of aircraft, but I could bring pictures home to the Americans which would cause them to want to stop the war." It worked.
Caoline Glick: Trying to scare Israel
Kerry is waiting for Netanyahu to agree to his framework. Until he does, Kerry, his allies and agents will escalate their threats and subversion.
So far, Netanyahu, Bennett and Ya'alon have competently exposed the lies behind the threats.
And they must continue on this course.
As we learned from Oslo and Gaza, nothing good comes from surrendering our rights and our land. And with Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem hanging in the balance, the stakes have never been higher.
American Framework 'A Step in the Right Direction'
Chairman of the Committee for Jewish Refugees from Arab Lands, MK Shimon Ohayon (Yisrael Beytenu), welcomed one issue addressed in the American framework presented by US envoy Martin Indyk. The framework includes a clause granting compensation for the refugees - something Ohayon and other advocates have been waiting for.
"The issue of Jews expelled from Arab lands was never brought to the table [until now] and has been neglected for many years," Ohayon explained to Arutz Sheva Friday. "This is a historical injustice that needs to be fixed."
"I don't know what the agreement says, but I welcome anything that pays attention to the Jewish refugee issue, of course," Ohayon added.



'US framework deal puts 75-80% of settlers under Israeli rule'
Martin Indyk, the State Department's lead envoy to the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, told the Jewish leaders on Thursday that under the framework agreement about 75-80 percent of settlers would remain in what would become Israeli sovereign territory through land swaps; he added that it was his impression that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was not averse to allowing settlers who want to remain as citizens of the Palestinian state.
Indyk said the framework would be presented to the sides within weeks, and that there will be "no surprises" for the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, according to four people who were on the off the record call.
Khaled Abu Toameh: PLO official: Kerry's proposals offer 'general and vague' formulas about J'lem's future
Tawfik Tirawi, a top Fatah official and former PA security commander, said that Kerry's proposals were completely unacceptable to the Palestinians.
"We don't want framework agreements, but a final solution," Tirawi told reporters in Ramallah. (h/t Serious Black)
PM in 1999: Jews living in Palestinian state is 'absurd'
Makor Rishon's Hagai Segal reported on a 1999 interview he did with the prime minister, then in his first term, in which Netanyahu called the idea of Jewish settlers living in a Palestinian state "absurd."
"Do you know anyone who would support something like that?" Netanyahu asked. "Can you find an Israeli who agree to that? Who would agree to live under Palestinian rule? That's absurd."
"This is another way to say, We will wipe out these settlements by giving them over to the Palestinian Authority. It's absurd."
Khaled Abu Toameh: Fatah official: Palestinians interested in Iranian role in conflict with Israel
The Palestinians have an interest in Tehran playing an increased role in the region, Jibril Rajoub, a senior Fatah official, said on Thursday.
He announced that Fatah has not abandoned the option of "armed resistance" if the peace talks with Israel fail.
Quartet to meet in Munich over stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she would chair the meeting with Kerry, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Quartet envoy Tony Blair, the former British prime minister.
"This meeting takes place in a moment when difficult and bold decisions need to be made. The dividends of peace for Israelis and Palestinians are enormous," Ashton said in a statement.
Reuters Headline Falsely Accuses Israel of Threatening Civilians
In fact, the article makes clear that Israel did not threaten any Lebanese civilians. Rather, Israel's Air Force chief, Major General Amir Eshel called out Hezbollah for establishing thousands of terrorist bases within residential buildings and warned that the Israeli army would not be deterred from retaliating for attacks launched from within these quarters.
UPDATE: CAMERA heard back from a Reuters editor who refuses to change the headline and suggests it is not "misleading" because the warning to Hezbollah does not "exclude" a threat against civilians, so no, this is not merely a sloppy oversight.
BBC Watch: In which BBC News abandons all pretence of fact checking
Obviously the BBC has not bothered to carry out any kind of fact checking before electing to repeat and promote unverified hearsay from unidentified passers-by. Over at the Israellycool blog is a photograph of Mubarak taken shortly after the incident and published by the Ma'an news agency in this article. As can clearly be seen, he is fully clothed and the weapon used lies beside him.
Later in the day, a Facebook posting from an advisor to the PA president described Mubarak as "a Martyr in the battlefield":
IDF Blog: Dramatic Increase in Gaza Terror in January 2014
Since the beginning of 2014, over 28 rockets were launched from Gaza at Israel by Gaza terrorists.
Fourteen of which landed in southern Israel, and five were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, as they were approaching Ashkelon built up areas.
In retaliation to these rocket attacks, IAF aircraft targeted numerous terror sites across the Gaza strip. In addition, at the beginning of January 2014, IAF aircrafts targeted a terror squad during final preparations to launch rockets at southern Israel.
IAF strikes Gaza after rocket fired at Israel
A video uploaded to YouTube claimed to show the Israeli airstrikes hitting the Gaza Strip early Friday morning.
Earlier in the evening, sirens wailed in the southern city of Netivot as a Grad rocket fired from the Gaza Strip exploded in an open area outside town.
There were no injuries or damage reported in the incident. Security forces retrieved the remains of a projectile that landed outside the city, which is home to over 26,000.
Israeli Air Force Commander: 'IAF is Operating Daily Across the Middle East'
Speaking at the Ninth International Space Conference in Herzliya on Wednesday, Israeli Air Force Commander Major General Amir Eshel said the IAF is initiating almost daily defensive or offensive actions across the Middle East, Israel's Ma'ariv reported on Thursday.
Addressing the assembled delegates at the conference, which was organized by the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology, Eshel praised the IAF's operational and intelligence gathering prowess, saying that, "Our offensive actions are both broader and more precise than at any other time [in Israel's history]."
PMW: Fatah honors two suicide terrorists
Celebrating the anniversary of terrorist Ali Ja'ara's suicide bombing in 2004, in which he killed 11 and wounded dozens, the Fatah movement posted a text on its official Facebook page today, glorifying the killer as the "quiet hero" who "succeeded in breaking the Zionists' security barriers and breaching their fortresses." Photos of the terrorist and the blown up bus accompany the text.
Arab Terrorist 'Wanted to Hurt Jews'
A Palestinian Arab terrorist who broke through a barrier of the southern Hevron Hills community of Beit Haggai Thursday afternoon wanted "to hurt Jews."
The Arab broke through the barrier with his car, causing an accident in which his was the only vehicle involved. He was apprehended by security forces and told them that his intention was to hurt Jews. No weapons were found in his possession, however.
Hezbollah expanding drone use to Syria and Lebanon
Lebanese security sources said that the organization had spotted the vehicle, and obtained information that it had entered the Bekaa
region via the country's eastern border with Syria. "The organization is monitoring and supervising the border using drones at night," the sources said.
Beyond its deployment of drones on the Syria-Lebanon border, it appears that Hezbollah has stepped up its use of them as a tool in its struggle against political foes inside Lebanon itself. Samir Geagea, a veteran Lebanese Christian politician and senior member of the country's anti-Hezbollah March 14 Alliance, said this week that an unmanned aerial vehicle had spent several hours flying above his home in the village of Maarab, an area with many Christian residents.
Syria peace talks end first round in deadlock
After a week of talks at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, the opposing sides in Syria's civil war were still stuck on the question of how to proceed. Friday's closing session was expected to be largely ceremonial, with government and opposition delegates expected to meet again around Feb. 10.
Washington 'deeply concerned' about delay in Syria's removal of chemical arms stockpile
In September, Syria agreed to forfeit its massive chemical weapons stockpile to be destroyed at sea under strict time constraints, under threat of military force from Washington.
But with a major deadline approaching, only 4 percent of those weapons have been delivered to Latakia, and only two cargo shipments have left the port, each carrying away roughly 15 tons of material. According to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, tasked with facilitating the removal of Syria's arms, the Syrian regime has stockpiled at least 1,300 tons of chemicals.
Analysts: Syria Retains 95% of Chemical Arsenal, Can Likely Produce Bio-Weapons
Syria retains the vast majority of its chemical arsenal, can likely weaponize biological agents, and has restored the pace of its missile production to pre-war levels, according to a stream of analysis and reporting published on Tuesday and Wednesday. A written statement by James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, disclosed that U.S. intelligence analysts "judge that some elements of Syria's biological warfare programme might have advanced beyond the research and development stage and might be capable of limited agent production." Reporting on Clapper's disclosure, The Telegraph noted that Syria's program is sufficiently advanced that Syrian scientists may be able to create biological weapons even out of existing viruses, including out of strains of small pox.
Human Rights Watch: Assad Regime Destroyed Neighborhoods Suspected of Supporting Rebels
Over the past two years, the Syrian government has embarked on a systematic campaign to demolish large swaths of urban areas and raze entire neighborhoods in an effort to punish opposition supporters and drive suspected rebels out of strategic areas, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch. The report details the destruction, by explosives and bulldozers, of thousands of residential buildings spread across seven neighborhoods in Damascus and Hama, two of Syria's largest cities.
Former German FM Fischer in Tehran: West Give Up Support for Israel? 'Forget it, Never'
The interaction was reported at the Iran – Israel Observer blog by Iranian-Israeli Meir Javedanfar, who attended Wednesday's 'Security Challenges of the 21st Century' conference at Tel Aviv's Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), where he heard the story.
"Joscha Fisher: 'I was asked in #Iran (Tehran) by students when West will give up its support for #Israel. I told them: forget it. Never'," he tweeted following the event.
Iran Accuses Obama of 'Falsifying History'
Iran on Thursday dismissed as "unrealistic and unconstructive" comments by President Barack Obama that international sanctions linked to its nuclear program had forced Tehran to the negotiating table, AFP reported.
"The delusion of sanctions having an effect on Iran's motivation for nuclear negotiations is based on a false narration of history," foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham was quoted as saying by state broadcaster IRIB.
US will seek death penalty for Boston bomber
The United States will seek a rare federal death penalty for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving young student accused of the Boston Marathon bombings, Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday.
Three people were killed and about 260 wounded on April 15 last year when two bombs made of explosives-packed pressure cookers went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Several of the injured lost limbs.

Special Achievement Hasby Award for outstanding grassroots activism

Posted: 31 Jan 2014 07:00 AM PST

This is a Special Achievement Hasby Award, given outside the normal nominations process, since I didn't have a category for this - and I should have.

The Special Achievement Hasby Award for grassroots activism goes to....


SUSSEX FRIENDS OF ISRAEL

I've mentioned Sussex Friends of Israel before. They are a group of people who, on their own, decided to counter-protest the haters who were intimidating a shop in Brighton that was selling SodaStream every Saturday.

The greatness of SFI isn't that they are counter-protesting. Their brilliance is in how they do it. 

Every week, they come up with a different gimmick - handing out cookies or cake to passersby. They mercilessly videotape and try to interview the haters, exposing their ignorance and how little they really care about Palestinian Arabs. The contrast between the laughing, happy Zionists and the angry, clueless BDSers shows every passerby who is right. Indeed, it looks like a party every week where the pro-Israel crowd gets together to have a good time - and exposing the haters is just one of the fun activities. They have effectively nullified and turned the tables on the anti-Israel protesters.

SFI also went to protest the obscene "wall" at St. James church earlier this month.

Moreover, on their Facebook page you can see that they generate a huge number of pro-Israel posters, often with a great sense of humor.

As far as I can tell, this is a completely grassroots effort. There is no help from the organized British Jewish or Zionist community, and one gets the impression that the lack of an organized response is what helped create SFI. 

There have been other examples of Zionists deciding to create their own grassroots organizations - Calgary United With Israel is worth mentioning - but as far as I can tell, no one else has the creativity, energy and effectiveness of Sussex Friends of Israel. Their model should be replicated around the world. 
This will be the last Hasby for the year; the other categories were simply not compelling enough for me to give out awards. I will create a post to wrap up all the winners on Sunday.

Arab SodaStream workers say they are against BDS

Posted: 31 Jan 2014 05:11 AM PST

From the Christian Science Monitor:

[T]hose most familiar with the factory – Palestinians who work there – largely side with Ms. Johansson.

"Before boycotting, they should think of the workers who are going to suffer," says a young man shivering in the pre-dawn darkness in Azzariah, a West Bank town cut off from work opportunities in Jerusalem by the concrete Israeli separation wall. Previously, he earned 20 shekels ($6) a day plucking and cleaning chickens; now he makes nearly 10 times that at SodaStream, which also provides transportation, breakfast, and lunch.

As a few dozen men in hoodies and work coats trickle out of the alleys to the makeshift bus stop where they wait for their ride to the factory, another adds, "If SodaStream closes, we would be sitting in the streets doing nothing."

Speaking anonymously on a largely deserted street, with no Israeli SodaStream employees present, all but one of those interviewed said they opposed the boycott, given the lack of alternative job opportunities in the West Bank. That underscores Israeli claims that a boycott would be counterproductive, undermining the cooperation and prosperity that could boost peace prospects in the region.

Omar Jibarat of Azzariah, the father of a newborn, is one of those who works in Israel, leaving home well before 6 a.m. for a construction job in Tel Aviv. Though he makes good money, he spends four hours in transit every day and would rather work at the SodaStream factory 15 minutes away.

"I would love to work for SodaStream. They're quite privileged. People look up to them," Mr. Jibarat says. "It's not the people who want to boycott, it's the officials."

That's a common refrain among the SodaStream workers who show up after Jibarat catches his ride.

Leaning up against the cement half-walls of the bus stop, jackets pulled up over their cold hands and faces and cigarette butts glowing in the dark, they blame the PA for failing to create jobs while taking a political stand against Israeli business that do.

"The PA can say anything it wants and no one will listen because it's not providing an alternative," says one man, a 2006 political science graduate of Al Quds University bundled in a jacket bearing the SodaStream logo. As for reports that the company doesn't honor labor rights, that's "propaganda," he says. "Daniel [Birnbaum, the CEO of SodaStream,] is a peacemaker."
The writer did find one disgruntled employee, bolstering my thesis of the interview bias employed by Reuters' Noah Browning and Electronic Intifada's "reporter" who found possibly that same disgruntled employee (his statement sounds a lot like what EI's employee said):

One of the workers waiting for the SodaStream bus this morning says he hates the fact that he's working in an Israeli settlement, and lies to people when they inquire about his work.

"I'm ashamed I'm working there," he says. "I feel this is our land, there should be no [Israeli] factory on this land."

He feels like a "slave," working 12 hours a day assembling parts – drilling in 12,000 screws a day, he adds.
The Christian Science Monitor is hardly pro-settlement, and plenty of the article explains the viewpoint of the Israel-haters, which gives this account far more credibility.

My update to my previous post about this showed that NPR also found employees at the plant were happy. Which means that JTA, NPR, CSM and The Forward all agree that workers at SodaStream are happy, and the only ones who disagree are Reuters' Noah Browning and EI - both of which have records of, frankly, lying.

Again we see the difference between how real journalists work and how dishonest, advocacy "journalists" work. Electronic Intifada and Reuters' Noah Browning should not be trusted as being honest about anything in the Middle East.

(h/t Benny)

Israel returning bodies of suicide bombers to its "peace partner" (updated)

Posted: 31 Jan 2014 03:01 AM PST

Over the past few days, Israel has been returning the remains of terrorists, including suicide bombers, to their Arab families.

Here's how Ma'an reported the latest announcement:

Israeli authorities will return next Sunday the remains of a young Palestinian woman held in a "numbered graves" cemetery for twelve years, Palestinian officials said Wednesday.

A committee tasked with retrieving "martyrs' bodies" confirmed Wednesday that remains of Ayat Muhammad Lutfi al-Akhras from Duheisha refugee camp near Bethlehem will be delivered to her family at Tarqumia checkpoint to the southwest of Hebron on Sunday evening.

Six bodies have been returned recently out of 36 Israel pledged it would return.

According to the committee, freeing al-Akhras' body brings the overall number of dead Palestinians retrieved from Israel to 100. On the other hand, remains of 281 Palestinians killed in confrontations with the Israeli forces are still held in "numbered graves" in Israel, the committee believes.

In addition, 65 others are considered missing.

Al-Akhras was killed on March 29, 2002 after she detonated an explosive belt in west Jerusalem killing two Israelis. She was 18 years old.

Why is Israel returning the bodies?

It appears that an Israeli "human rights" organization took the case to the Supreme Court - and won:

Salim Khillah, a spokesman for a committee to retrieve Palestinian remains from Israeli custody, told Ma'an on Jan. 17 that Israeli authorities had decided to return the remains of 36 Palestinians held in Israeli "numbered graves."

Khallah said Israel had agreed to return the remains as a gesture to encourage the PLO to continue with peace negotiations.

But a spokesman for an Israeli human rights group told Ma'an Thursday that the delivery of the remains was the result of a Supreme Court decision.

A spokesman for HaMoked said that the decision came in response to the organization's demands for the release of the remains of every Palestinian currently held in Israel's custody.
Reuters also says that this was a Supreme Court decision. However, commenter Yenta Press points out that there has been no such decision. Apparently, the Israeli government just decided to give the bodies back, and it is unclear if they received anything in return. 

This is not how things are done in the Middle East.

Dead people don't have human rights, so presumably HaMoked sued to return the bodies to help eliminate the anguish of the relatives of the terrorists. This way they can get the honor and glory for the terror acts all over again, as is traditional.

The human rights of the relatives of the Israelis blown up by terrorists, who have to relive the attacks, don't seem to be on HaMoked's radar.

(UPDATE: Blue text.)
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