יום שבת, 8 בפברואר 2014

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Link to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

02/07 Links Pt2: Israel is...By Natalie Portman; The PA’s Self-Inflicted Financial Wounds

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 02:00 PM PST

From Ian:
Chloe Valdary: Race & politics: From the classroom to the UN
The professor's lesson plans include scholarly documents written by academics who purport to show that every form of inequality is unjust and proof positive of the racial hierarchy plaguing society today. Historical figures like Che Guevara and Lenin are praised; their crimes against humanity obfuscated because they allegedly represent the great fight against "the system"–which is always dominated by the white colonialist capitalist. Terrorists who lob bombs at buses full of children are depicted as freedom fighters who simply wanted to get a break from the white /capitalist man. And that tired line that nonwhites can never be called racists since they are perpetual victims of the system persists in the professor's textbooks and syllabi.
Of all the great disputes that plague the world, the Arab-Israeli conflict is perhaps the one that proponents of this ideology obsess over the most. Incessant fixation on the peoples involved, the politics at play, and the absolute necessity of the destruction of Israel as the only pragmatic solution to the conflict are the factors that are discussed by the academics that promote this ideology. Why?
Richard Millett: A day of anti-Israel hatred and Holocaust minimization in Parliament
This is how Britain's Parliament is sometimes so abused. While innocent Syrians are being murdered and left permanently disabled by barrel bombs dropped out of the sky by Assad's forces certain MPs are offensive about Israel, Israelis and the Holocaust instead.
While Kaufman voted against any intervention in Syria, Qureshi couldn't even be bothered to turn up to that vote last August!
Last night's event launching the "Jerusalem Report" was sold out but due to the strike on the London underground not many people could get there.
It must be galling that when so much effort has been put into producing an evening of hatred, lies and Holocaust minimization so few people are there to appreciate your efforts.
Israel committing Holocaust in UK Parliament
There was a debate in the British Parliament on Wednesday during which Members of Parliament (MPs) took turns to attack Israel. There was a literal barrage of filth heaped upon the Jewish state by MPs from Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats. It must be said that the chair of Conservative Friends of Israel, James Clappison MP was trying to make Israel's case, though no one was interested in listening.
The woes of the people of Gaza were laid squarely at Israel's feet and it was "the occupying power's responsibility" to deal with them. It seems in the British Parliament the IDF never withdrew from the territory. It seems that in the British Parliament the democratically elected government of Hamas cannot be expected to provide any kind of services for Gazans at all. In the British Parliament there is "no greater priority" than dealing with Israel.



Attack on a California Transformer Could Have Been Dress Rehearsal for Terror Attack on Power Grid
An attack on California electrical transformers in April is believed by some to be a practice round for a terrorist attack on the U.S. power grid.
The coordinated attack began outside of Silicon Valley where attackers cut telephone wires at 1 a.m. on April 16, according to the Wall Street Journal.
About half an hour later snipers shot at an electrical substation for about 19 minutes, destroying 17 transformers in the process. The attackers escaped before police arrived and remain at large.
Scarlett Johansson, War Criminal?
No matter what one thinks about the legality or wisdom of these settlements, they are a political reality. Without finding a workable solution for them there will be no sustainable peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. And EU diplomats know perfectly well that the only workable solution will be for Israel to keep certain settlement blocks and Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem in exchange for territory on the Israeli side. The official EU position actually accepts such mutually agreed land swaps.
Yet the EU's absolutist outlook, as expressed in its guidelines, makes finding such a pragmatic solution more difficult. It turns off average Israelis who don't consider Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem to be criminal operations. It helps harden the position of Palestinians, who know they can always walk away without being blamed. And it fuels an anti-Israel boycott movement that is not interested in a peaceful solution, but motivated by enmity toward Israel.
If the EU wants to remain an honest broker in the peace talks, it needs to stand up now and send two clear messages: It must unequivocally reject the boycott of Israel. And it must warn the Palestinians not to use settlements or any other excuse to break up the peace talks.
CEO: SodaStream Promotes Biblical Peace


The PA's Self-Inflicted Financial Wounds
"In short, with its own two hands, the PA has driven lucrative businesses out of the West Bank–businesses that would have provided it with much-needed jobs and tax revenue. As Khaled said bitterly, any talk about bolstering the Palestinian economy under such circumstances is "nonsense."
"Such self-inflicted disasters have nothing to do with Israel, and ordinary Palestinians are honest enough to admit it: As one of SodaStream's Palestinian employees told the Forward when asked about the claim that "the occupation" thwarts Palestinian development, "I think we have to stop putting all our faults on the Israeli side." (h/t Norman F)
House Bill Would Cut Funding to Backers of Israeli Boycotts
The "Protect Academic Freedom Act," jointly filed by House Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam (R., Ill.) and Rep. Dan Lipinski (D., Ill.) could serve as a deterrent to other groups considering Israeli boycotts.
It would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 "to prohibit an institution that participates in a boycott of Israeli academic institutions or scholars from being eligible" to receive federal funds, according to text of the legislation.
"Attempts to single out Israel for discriminatory boycotts violates the principle of academic freedom guaranteed by the United States," the bill states.
Julie Bishop's stance on the legality of Israeli settlements might be right
Julie Bishop had some sensible things to say in Jerusalem, as she broke ranks from a cosy, normally unexamined international consensus: the idea that, by permitting Jewish residence in the West Bank, Israel is violating international law.
Asked if she agrees Jewish communities located beyond the Arab/Israeli 1949 armistice lines are illegal, Bishop replied: "I would like to see which international law has declared them illegal."
Her reply has drawn attacks from perfervid Palestinian spokesmen - such as Palestinian Authority veteran official Saeb Erekat - who cite Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. But what does Article 49 actually say?
"The Core Agenda of the BDS Movement is anti-Semitic": Aussie Jewish Leftist Philip Mendes nails it
Australian academic Philip Mendes, an associate professor at Monash University in Melbourne, is decidedly not a man of the Right. But he does not share the often treacherous attitude of some Jewish Leftists towards Israel. He is, indeed, an expert on the Jewish Left in Australia, having published widely on that topic. Sometimes he has to suffer the slings and arrows of critics on both the Left and the Right of the Jewish community. Nevertheless, he will not be intimidated and is always true to himself.
And now, on the website of the ABC (Australia's equivalent of the BBC, and just as left-liberal in its inclinations) Philip Mendes delivers a nicely argued attack on the BDS Movement and its advocates, chiefly its Aussie mainstays.
Returning Fire: Dutch Jews Boycott Anti-Israel Firm
The Dutch pension asset manager PGGM, one of the largest in the country, announced in early January that it was divesting from five Israeli banks because they finance "Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories." The firm manages about 153 billion euros ($208 billion dollars) in funds.
In response, a group of young Dutch Jewish professionals called Tradition is Our Future (TOF) have have launched a boycott of their own. The group, whose goal is to defend Jewish life in the Netherlands, decided to take action after the PGGM divestment while noting a recent wave of anti-Israel fomentation.
Friedman's Immoral Intifada
Friedman is right about one thing. The BDS movement must be seen in the same historic context as the previous intifadas and, indeed, all the other Arab wars waged against Israel since its birth in 1948. The purpose of BDS is not to shame Israelis into giving up a bit more land than they've already offered the Palestinians, who refused three offers of an independent state including almost all of the West Bank, Gaza, and a share of Jerusalem in 2000, 2001, and 2008. Like mainstream Palestinian nationalism, BDS seeks Israel's total destruction.
Anti-Semitism isn't merely an aspect of BDS: it is its essence. Those who single out the one Jewish state in the world for moral opprobrium that they choose not to impose on any other country—including those with monstrous rights violations—is nothing but an expression of bigotry. Those who would deny the Jews what they grant to all others—the right to sovereignty in their homeland and the right to self-defense—are bigots, not human-rights activists. To grant such a movement, as Friedman does, the mantle of the late Nelson Mandela, as the cutting edge of human-rights activism isn't merely obtuse; it's an abomination. (h/t Norman F)
Woodside to Invest Up to $2.6 Billion in Israeli Gas Venture
Woodside Petroleum Ltd. (WPL), Australia's second-largest oil producer, plans to buy a quarter of Israel's biggest natural gas field for as much as $2.6 billion under a revised agreement as demand rises in the Middle East.
A deal would put Woodside in the middle of Israel's nascent natural gas industry as the company's proposed projects in Australia face delays. The original 2012 agreement was held up because of uncertainty over Israel's export policy, while the venture partners also shifted the project focus from liquefied natural gas to pipeline shipments.
Israel reduces its carbon footprint with wind, solar and natural gas
The first prime minister of Israel, David Ben-Gurion, once had a vision to "make the desert bloom."
Through innovation, arid regions of this country were successfully turned into bountiful farmland. Now Israelis are harvesting another resource: renewable energy.
Israel to Export Flexible Endoscope for Treatment of Acid Reflux
Israeli medical device-maker Medigus will begin selling its flexible endoscope for the treatment of acid reflux this year. The medical product is expected to garner several million dollars in revenue in 2014 alone.
The Medigus device allows for outpatient treatment without surgical intervention. The endoscope is inserted through the mouth and staples the stomach to the wall of the esophagus to close a gap the allows acid to rise up. Physicians can see the procedure as they perform it through a small video camera on the tip of the device as well as an ultrasound machine.
Lexifone seeks to make foreign languages less foreign
Lexifone deploys its technology in the form of an app which is either offered directly by a phone company for customers, or directly from Lexifone, via a local access number. Users dial into a foreign calling code and start speaking, with the listener having the option of hearing the speaker talk in their native language, or hearing the caller directly. The translation is done automatically by computer, with the system interpreting what the caller is saying and delivering it to the listener in a form "they will understand and comprehend," said Ike Sagie, CEO of Lexifone.
Israeli start-up claims it may be able to stop all viruses
An Israeli start-up claims it may be able to put an end to the viruses, malware, and trojan horses that cost the world economy hundreds of billions of dollars a year. Not only does Cyactive say it can stop viruses that are already "in the wild," currently causing damage, but according to CEO & Co-Founder, Liran Tancman, it can beat them most of them even before they are invented.
The secret? Viruses are overwhelmingly evolutionary, not revolutionary. "Much of the code found in even major attacks is reused over and over again in new attacks," Tancman said. "There has actually never been a virus that did not draw substantially on malware that was already in existence."
Why it's Cheaper to be Healthy in Israel
A study carried out by the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture found that the cost of fruits and vegetables in Israel are lower – sometimes even significantly lower – when compared to prices of fruits and vegetables in the United States and Western European countries including France, Germany, and the U.K.
Eleven fruits and vegetables were surveyed in America and Israel and all fruits except for bananas were found to be cheaper in Israel. In the vegetable department, the study found that the average price of a kilogram of tomatoes in the U.S. was 340% higher than in Israel and the average price of peppers was 116% higher.
What Israel Means To Natalie Portman…A Touching Description Of Her Homeland
Where I was born. Where I ate my first Popsicle and used a proper toilet for the first time. Where some of my 18-year-old friends spend their nights in bunkers sleeping with their helmets on. Where security guards are the only jobs in surplus. Where deserts bloom and pioneer stories are sentimentalized. Where a thorny, sweet cactus is the symbol of the ideal Israeli. Where immigrating to Israel is called "ascending" and emigrating from Israel is called "descending." Where my grandparents were not born, but where they were saved.

Work accident!

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 12:30 PM PST

On Tuesday, I noted that during a two week period in January, some 37% of rockets from Gaza aimed at Israel fell short or exploded on the launch pad. Over the years a number of Gazans have been killed and injured from these projectiles.

Now, there is a new addition to the list of Gazans killed by their own projectiles, and it is a worthy one.

A mortar exploded, apparently while being launched, on Friday night east of the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, killing one terrorist named Ibrahim Mohammed Saidi and injuring two others.

Shabbat shalom!

Getting harder to tell the difference between Arab and European antisemites

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 11:00 AM PST

From TheJC:

It has emerged that far-right Belgian politician Laurent Louis gave three Nazi-style salutes in parliament.

A supporter of Dieudonné's Anti-Zionist Party, he was filmed performing the quenelles — made famous by the French comedian — in succession in January.

Returning the compliment, Dieudonné called on Belgians to vote for Louis's party, Debout les Belges (Down with Belgians), in May's federal elections.

Louis performed the quenelles after a speech in which he claimed that "the Holocaust was set up and financed by the pioneers of Zionism".

At the same time, an Amman-based Iraqi "independent news" outlet named Mustaqila has an extensive article denying the Holocaust.

That article notes that the word "Holocaust" comes from the Greek word "holokauston" meaning "completely burnt offering." This, the author says, proves how historically predatory Jews have been - because they stole the word from the Greeks.

The article goes on to say that Hitler was the first Western leader to call for a homeland for the Jews in Palestine (note that this was some 15 years after the Balfour Declaration) and that Jews colluded with him to kill the old Jews but allow the young ones to go to Israel.

The Jews, we are told, are smart and managed to deceive the world about their genocide. But there were no gas chambers, according to this article. Not that the Jews don't deserve it - in the Talmud it says that the world is divided into two groups, Jews and the "goyim" who are slaves.

Human rights groups will defend Lauent Louis' right to free speech, and they will ignore Arab antisemitism. Because that's how they roll.

02/07 Links Pt1: The Eve of the Fourth Palestinian “No”; Abbas the “moderate”

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 09:00 AM PST

From Ian:
Sarah Honig: We feel the earth move…
Besides, the aforementioned hostility was exposed during Obama's first term. Israelis have every reason to be ultra-leery of second-term Obama, well after he had waged his last campaign and has become invulnerable to voter backlash.
Obama is anything but an honest broker and he plainly doesn't deserve the benefit of our doubt. If anything, his established predispositions should dispel our timidity – for the sake of our own self-preservation. To paraphrase Carole king's classic:
We must not lose control
Down to our very soul
There is no danger that Israeli steadfastness would turn Obama all the more against us. He, Kerry and crew already are against us. We have nothing to lose by saying "no."
Caroline Glick: Iran's bomb in the basement
Our leaders continue to hope that a proper mix of concessions to the PLO will convince Obama to stand by his empty pledge to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power.
Obama will do no such thing. Concessions to the Palestinians will weaken us militarily and politically. And they will give us no advantage over Iran. While it is important to deal with the administration' hostile insistence on unreciprocated Israeli concessions to the PLO, we cannot ignore Iran.
Iran either has a bomb already or is about to get one. And, having been abandoned by the White House, we face this threat alone.
We must now, immediately and consistently, do whatever we can still do to diminish the Iranian threat.
Khaled Abu Toameh: Fatah and the "Armed Struggle" against Israel
While in English Abbas was voicing his opposition to an armed struggle, in Arabic Palestinian officials were issuing statements in support of "armed resistance" against Israel.
When senior figures of the Fatah urge Palestinians to be prepared for the possibility of "armed struggle"against Israel, they are actually instructing Fatah militiamen to be prepared to launch terrorist attacks.



On the Eve of the Fourth Palestinian "No"
Rather than twisting Netanyahu's arm to do what it his country has already tried to accomplish in the past—trade land for the non-credible promise of peace—Israel's critics should be thinking about how they will react to the fourth Palestinian "no." Unfortunately, the odds are that most will barely notice it when it happens and will simply continue blaming Israel. Indeed, that's exactly what the Palestinians—who know that's what happened the first three times they rejected Israeli offers of peace—are counting on. (h/t Norman F)
The threatening stage has begun
From the onset of the latest round of talks, the goal became the talks themselves and not an agreement that would be reached as a result of them. Washington was excited to brag about the fact that the Israeli and Palestinians had agreed to get back to the negotiating table. They prepped negotiators Tzipi Livni and Saeb Erekat for photo-ops and sent out excited news releases around the globe. Kerry would really like to be able to boast about his success in reaching a signed agreement, and not just for getting them to the table.
Now that he has realized that the window of opportunity might be closing soon, Kerry has resorted to threatening Israeli with a global economic boycott. Since he has no leverage with the Palestinians (they don't have an economy that's worth protecting), he's chosen to focus all of his negative energy on Israel.
70% of Israelis don't trust US on security, says poll
When the pollsters asked respondents whether they trusted the US under President Barack Obama to maintain Israel's interests in a deal, 23% said definitely no, 25% said no, 22% said not completely, 17% said yes, 8% said definitely yes and 5% had no opinion.
Asked whether they agreed with recent criticism of US Secretary of State John Kerry by top Israeli officials, 67% said yes and only 32% said no.
The Administration's Tangled Web on Jerusalem
Firstly, it's far from true that the State Department opposes unilateral moves by both sides. When it comes to claims in Jerusalem, they only condemn one side, the Jewish side. The municipality issues housing permits in east Jerusalem all the time, for both Jewish and Arab neighborhoods. Yet, it is only the permits for the Jewish neighborhoods that provoke any kind of reaction from the Obama administration. Furthermore, illegal Arab building is rife throughout many parts of Jerusalem. As in any municipality, the law must be upheld and construction without planning permission cannot go on unabated. Yet, in the past when the law has been enforced and illegal structures have been demolished, the State Department has protested Israel's right to uphold the law. In this way the same State Department that claims to oppose unilateral actions by both sides has actively supported unilateral building by the Arab side, while opposing building homes for Jews–in Jerusalem. (h/t Norman F)
PA TV - Tzipi Livni murdered nuclear scientist
Palestinian spokespeople have been presenting Israeli MP Tzipi Livni's statements that Abbas will have to pay the price for the peace talks' failure if he doesn't moderate his positions, as actual, personal threats to Abbas
Muhammad Abu Saada, a lecturer in International Law at the University of Palestine in Gaza was interviewed by PA TV. He asserted that Livni's threats should be taken seriously since she murdered "an Iraqi nuclear scientist and poisoned him to death," and therefore, may commit murder again.


Bill to grant Christian Arabs independent status raises ire
"The legislation would give separate representation and separate consideration to the Christian population, that will separate them from Muslim Arabs," Levin told Maariv a few months ago. "It's a historic and important step that could balance the State of Israel and connect us to the Christians, and I am careful not to refer to them as Arabs, because they are not Arabs."
The Christian Arabs, "our natural allies," differ from the Muslims "who want to destroy the state from within," Levin said.
Israeli-Arabs MKs panned the bill, and said it underlies a desire to advance the legal status of Christian Arabs in Israel, at the expense of Muslims.
IDF Blog: Terror in 2014: The Nonstop Threats to Israel
2014 has barely begun, but terrorists haven't wasted a moment in attacking Israel. In January alone, terrorists from Gaza fired rockets at Israel 28 times, a dramatic increase from previous months.
The threat of terror does not cease, and the IDF is always ready, 24/7, to prevent terror attacks.
Share the true story of the terror threats we face with your friends and family. This article will be updated throughout the year whenever a terror attack or attempt occurs and is made public.
The fabricated Palestinian history
Perhaps an examination of the colors of the Palestinian national flag will tell the real story. Bartal notes that "the flag is missing its own uniqueness."
"The white symbolizes the Umayyad caliphate (650-750 A.D.), the black represents the Abbasid dynasty, and the green represents Islam as well as the Shiite Fatimid caliphate, while the red is the color of the Hashemites, the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad," Bartal said.
"Many Arab countries have identical or nearly identical flags," he said. "Jordan, Iraq up to 1958, the countries of western Sahara, Kuwait, and Sudan [all had the same or almost the same designs]. The similarity stems from the fact that this flag represents Arab nationalism, and there is nothing there that links the Palestinians with the biblical Canaanites."
Abbas the "moderate"
Abbas was present and seated in the front row during a sermon given by PA Religious Endowments Minister, Mahmoud al-Habbash. Habbash compared the current negotiations with Israel to a medieval pact signed between Muhammad and his rivals, the Quraysh, which Muhammad subsequently violated once achieving military parity. Abbas offered no rebuke or condemnation of his minister. On the contrary, the views expressed by Habbash are consistent with those of his boss.
John Kerry and many of his allies on the hard left are placing enormous pressures on Israel to engage in mammoth concessions and vacate strategic areas vital to Israel's security. Moreover, they are asking Israel to surrender land to those sworn to her destruction. Abbas has proven to be a duplicitous, forked-tongue leader, slightly more polished than his predecessor but sharing the same ideology and genocidal aims. The cause of peace is noble and just but should not come at the cost of national suicide.
After Abbas: It's battle stations for the men who would be president
Officially, leaders in the PA and Fatah don't talk about it. It's almost taboo. But Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who is also chairman of both the PLO and Fatah, has no clearly mandated successor for any of these positions.
Unofficially, however, there is now a steady and growing buzz from Fatah officials who are trying to position themselves as Abbas's potential heirs. Not a young man — he will celebrate his 79th birthday next month — he is a heavy smoker, with a history of health problems.
Czech Police: Weapons in PA Embassy Were Decades Old
Czech police said on Thursday that the weapons and explosives discovered at the Palestinian Authority's Embassy in Prague, where a possibly booby-trapped safe killed the ambassador, were decades old.
In a statement quoted by The Associated Press (AP), police said that ballistic and other tests showed that 12 illegal weapons and explosives found following the explosion that killed Ambassador Jamal al-Jamal on January 1 date back to the 1970s and 80s.
Palestinian UNRWA workers end two-month strike
The settlement, brokered by Interim Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, will compensate workers for strike days, according to PA official news organ Wafa.
Palestinian UNRWA workers went on strike in December, after the organization introduced a new policy under which Palestinians who have served sentences in Israeli prisons could not be employed by the UN agency, and subsequently laid off 55 workers.
Gaza man sentenced to death for collaboration with Israel
A Gaza military court on Thursday morning sentenced a man convicted of collaborating with Israel to death and another to life in prison on the same charge.
The court did not determine a date for his execution. It said the evidence proved the defendant was guilty. (h/t Bob Knot)
Rouhani accuses foes of seeking to spread 'Iranaphobia'
Iran does not pose a threat to the world despite attempts by the Islamic Republic's enemies to conjure a worldwide conspiracy of "Iranaphobia," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has claimed.
"Our enemies want to establish 'Iranophobia' across the world; to tell the world that Iran is a threat," he said in an interview Wednesday with state television in Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Swats Down Suggestions Tehran Would Recognize Israel Under Peace Deal
Iran's foreign ministry this week "categorically denied" widely-broadcast reports which had Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hinting to German TV that Tehran might be willing to recognize Israel should the Jewish state secure a peace agreement with Palestinians. A foreign ministry official declared instead that Zarif had been misquoted and the top Iranian diplomatic "completely rejected the remarks attributed to him."
Report: Iran's Rouhani Donates $400,000 to Tehran Jewish Hospital
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has reportedly donated $400,000 to Tehran's Jewish hospital, according to Thomas Erdbrink, The New York Times's correspondent in Tehran.
Tehran claims that the 25,000 to 35,000 Persian Jews living in the Islamic Republic enjoy full rights, with Iran's Jewish community officially recognized as a religious minority group by the government, and, like the Zoroastrians, allocated one seat in the Iranian Parliament.
Saudi Arabia Overtakes UK as 4th Largest Military Spender
Military Balance 2014, produced by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) think-tank, has revealed that in 2013, the United Kingdom slipped into fifth place in the world rankings behind the United States, China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia.
While Britain has been shrinking its defense budget in recent years in line with "government austerity" measures, Saudi Arabia's military spending was burnished by U.S. Foreign Military Assistance, meaning that in 2013, the UK spent just $57 billion against Saudi Arabia's $59.6 billion.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have all bought, or are buying, Western missile and air defense and strike systems, which may explain the sudden uptick in spending in the region.
Death of Saudi female student stirs uproar
Thousands of Saudis vented their anger online over a report Thursday that staff at a Riyadh university had barred male paramedics from entering a women's-only campus to assist a student who had suffered a heart attack and later died.
The Okaz newspaper said administrators at the King Saud University impeded efforts by the paramedics to save the student's life because of rules banning men from being onsite. According to the paper, the incident took place on Wednesday and the university staff took an hour before allowing the paramedics in.

Father of three "martyrs" dies in Gaza

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:00 AM PST

Islamic Jihad offers condolences to whatever family is remaining of Deeb Osman Alersaana of northern Gaza.

Alersaana, 72, died of a heart attack after evening prayers last night.

He was celebrated by the terrorist organization because three of his sons - Ayman, Mohammed and Osman - have all been "martyred."

At least he was old enough to see his children die, which is a positive thing in the Palestinian Arab culture of death.

Here he is, showing the overabundance of love and kindness that he was known for and that he successfully taught his children.

Huge Yiddish cultural mural defaced in LA (updated x2)

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:00 AM PST




This is a 60 foot wide mural in Los Angeles put up in 1998 for the Arbeter Ring/Workmen's Circle Southern California campus, a secular (and socialist) Jewish organization.

Recently, it was defaced:


From The Jewish Journal:

A mural on the south side of the Arbeter Ring/Workmen's Circle Southern California campus at 1525 S. Robertson Blvd was defaced with graffiti that reads "Free Palestine!!!!"

It was not immediately clear when the graffiti was spray-painted onto the building, as phones at the center were not answered on Thursday morning, Jan. 6 [sic - should be February], the day the Journal learned about the vandalism.

The wall-sized mural itslef – titled, "A shenere un besere velt," according to the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles (a Yiddish phrase meaning, "A more beautiful and better world) – depicts cultural, biblical and historical imagery. The imagery includes a menorah, Israelites wandering in the desert, a young girl waving Israeli and American flags, and more.

Artist Elisio Art Silva completed the mural in 1998, according to the conservancy organization.

Photos obtained by the Journal on Thursday morning by a Pico-Robertson resident who was driving by and spotted the defaced building show the graffiti spaning nearly the entire length of the building, which, according to the conservancy group, measures 60-feet-long and 15-feet-high.

Robert Adler-Peckerar, executive director of the L.A.-based organization Yiddishkayt, which is a frequent collaborator with the national office and local branch of Workmen's Circle, said the message of the graffiti reflects an ignorance about the mission of the victimized group. He described Workmen's Circle as being historically committed to ideas of "social progress, equality, human rights, civil rights and the general pursuit of human dignity," which includes promoting a "progressive, peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," he said.

"I feel like this [the graffiti] indicates something much more about thoughtlessness than about an actual commitment to a free Palestine," Adler-Peckerar said in an interview. "And a tremendous amount of cultural illiteracy [on the vandal(s)' part]."
The Arbeter Ring/Workmen's Circle has traditionally been a socialist movement, anti-religious but very committed to Jewish/Yiddish culture and what it calls "social justice." It would not be called a Zionist organization.

In its statement, it said:
"It is ironic that the slogan defaced the mural of an organization whose observance of kol nidre, a major Jewish holiday, includes an Arabic American singer leading the hymn, 'Peace, Shalom, Salaam,' and that includes the aspirations of the Palestinian people in our other secular Jewish observances," the statement continues.

"We invite those responsible for the slogan-painting to meet with us to discuss far more effective ways of encouraging progress toward a lasting peace between the Israeli and Palestinian states and their peoples," said Ruth Judkowitz, Chairmentsh (chair person) of SoCal Arbeter Ring/Workmen's Circle.

This graffiti shows that to many supposedly "pro-Palestinian" activists, their target isn't Israel but Jews. It isn't "thoughtlessness" - it is hate.

It is a shame that an organization that says it pursues justice cannot recognize a hate crime and instead ascribes it to "cultural illiteracy." Even worse is its painful naivete thinking that more cowtowing can remove hate.

(h/t Doris, Bob K.)

UPDATE: New graffiti artists changed "Free" to another four letter word:

The Workmen's Circle response was that "this new defacement proves 'that there are idiots on both sides.'"

I think there are idiots on three sides here.

(h/t Rebbe Yell)

Fatah insists it never abandoned terror

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 02:30 AM PST

I've mentioned a number of times that the Fatah platform that is in force today supports the continued use of terror.

I even found an English version:

Struggle emanates from the right of the Palestinian people to resist the occupation‭, ‭to struggle against settlement‭, ‭expulsion‭, ‭displacement and racial discrimination‭; ‭a right guaranteed by international law‭. ‭Our revolutionary struggle was launched by armed struggle against the military usurpation of our land ‭, ‭but it was never confined to it ‭. ‭Its tools and methods were diverse and included peaceful resistance as was practiced by the first Intifada ‭; ‭demonstrations‭,‭ sit-ins‭, ‭civil disobedience‭, ‭confronting settler gangs‭, ‭political‭, media‭, ‭legal‭, ‭and diplomatic struggle including negotiations with the occupation authority‭. ‭Consequently‭, ‭the‭ Palestinian‭ people's right to practice armed resistance against the military occupation of their land remains a constant right confirmed by international law and international legality‭.‭ However‭, ‭the selection of struggle methods‭, ‭in time and space depends on the capabilities of our people and our Movement‭. ‭
(Disingenuously, it claims that "‭Fatah always rejected targeting civilians anywhere" which is so laughably ridiculous that one can only say that they regard no Israeli Jews as being civilians.)

Even more interesting is that while the platform insists that killing Jews in Israel is a legal right, they mention in their strategy that they want to have closer ties with Israel's "peace camp." Amazingly, no one in the "peace camp" has anything bad to say about their being manipulated by a party that justifies murdering them.

Just in case you don't believe the actual text written and disseminated by Fatah, here's new video from MEMRI reiterating their position:



During a recent visit to Iran, Fatah central committee member Jibril Rajoub said: "The resistance is still a strategic option, and armed resistance is on the table." He said that he wanted all components of Palestinian society "to maintain the state of conflict between Palestine and the occupation." The interview was broadcast by the Iranian Al-Alam TV network on February 3, 2014.

Following is an excerpt:

Jibril Rajoub: Either a Palestinian state will be established – and this is a condition for stability, peace, and security for everyone – or else the Israelis will not enjoy security, while continuing settlement activity.

TV host: Will you take up arms again?

Jibril Rajoub: We have never given up our arms. We have never left the battlefield, and we have never raised a white flag. No one can lecture Fatah or its leadership in this regard.

The resistance is still a strategic option, and armed resistance is on the table. We consider resistance to be a means to an end, not the goal itself. If negotiations fail, we will reexamine things, with our Arab and Islamic allies.

As I've told you, we want to maintain the state of conflict between Palestine and the occupation. This applies to all components of the Palestinian people, because we want all the Palestinians to participate in the resistance. We want the Palestinians within the 1948 borders to demand equality, the Palestinians within the 1967 borders to demand independence and liberty, and the Palestinians in the diaspora to demand the Right of Return. We want our Arab supporters in the region to be able to embrace this resistance, and we want the world to accept our methods.

I believe that by international law, we have the right to conduct any form of resistance, in the occupied lands and against the occupation, in order to put an end to the occupation.

I'm telling you that there will not be any bus bombings, and there must not be bus bombings in Tel Aviv. But we have 400,000 settlers. What are these people doing among us? According to international law, these [settlements] are illegal. These people will not enjoy security, peace, or stability, as long as occupation and Judaization continue.

Fatah remains Fatah, and in keeping with its goals and values, it still considers resistance to be an option.
So bus bombings in most of Jerusalem are OK. And, sometime in the future, they might be OK for Tel Aviv as well, but just not quite now.

Now, who is the leader of Fatah again? Oh, yeah - Mahmoud Abbas. This is his organization, and he has never contradicted these words.
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