Sunday, January 12, 2014
Israel in the Eye of the Hurricane
As upheaval sweeps into country after country of the Middle East, endemic instability has become the order of the day—with no end in sight. Egypt and Tunisia seem permanently on the verge of civil war, Syria in the midst of it; Libya and Yemen are disintegrating, with Lebanon and Iraq seemingly not far behind; unrest is seeping into Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, and Jordan; not even oil-rich Saudi Arabia or the smaller Gulf states seem immune. Long-established certitudes about the regional order are no more, having been supplanted by an Arab “spring” that produced neither a summer of democracy and prosperity nor a return to the winter of past authoritarian immobility but, rather, a prolonged autumn of volatility and baffling uncertainty. And this is not to speak of the impact of events on nominally peripheral powers like Turkey, Ethiopia, and Iran—the last-named of which presents a regional challenge of major proportions—or on such formerly inhibited but now emergent actors as the Kurds, the Christians, the Druze, even the Alawites.
At the eye of this regional hurricane, Israel is eerily quiet, tensely following the turbulence and endeavoring, amid the wreckage, to fathom the shape of the new Middle Eastern reality. Much is still unknown—other than that the old order is gone for good, an epochal shift is under way, and Israel’s three-decades-old strategy for survival may have to be abandoned. Can it be replaced by a better one—even an older one? (h/t Bob Knot)
Ariel Sharon Obituaries
Netanyahu: Sharon will go down as one of Israel's most prominent leaders, courageous commanders
IDF Blog: IDF Remembers Ariel Sharon, 1928-2014
Caroline Glick: Ariel Sharon, Larger than life
Benny Morris: Ariel Sharon: 1928-2014
Times of Israel: Israel’s indomitable protector, Ariel Sharon emblemized military audacity, evolving politics
JPost: Salute to Sharon
Tom Gross: Sharon: Myths, Facts, and Blood Libels (h/t Bob Knot)
Rabbi Abraham Cooper: Ariel Sharon - fearless warrior leaves complicated political legacy
The Tower: Ariel Sharon (1928-2014)
The Tower: Ariel Sharon, the Last Lion of Judaea
Algemeiner: Ariel Sharon: The End of the Romance
CAMERA: Predictably, Sharon-Related Falsehoods Under Way
As anticipated, the passing of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has unearthed many old falsehoods.BBC Watch: BBC exploits Sharon’s death for more promotion of second Intifada falsehood
In New York Magazine, for instance, Caroline Bankoff claims that Israeli soldiers, not the Phalange militia, killed hundreds of Palestinian refugees in Sabra and Shatilla:
Clearly, the BBC is extremely keen to keep the notion alive in the minds of its audiences that the second Intifada began because Ariel Sharon paid a thirty-four minute visit to Temple Mount within regular opening hours which was pre-coordinated with the Palestinian Authority’s security forces. The trouble is, of course, that the version of events being energetically propagated by the BBC on multiple platforms is not accurate. The even bigger problem is that the BBC knows that very well, and yet it continues its opportunistic promotion of it anyway.NGO Monitor: Ariel Sharon and HRW’s anti-Israel obsession
Former Israeli leader Ariel Sharon died on January 11, and within hours, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) launched yet another obsessive attack on Sharon, highlighting this organization’s double standards and irresponsible disregard of both facts and international law.Irish Times environmental editor on women and Sharon
Frank McDonald is the Environmental Editor of the Irish Times and apparently that means he is an expert on Israel, Gaza, World War II, the Holocaust, the Warsaw Ghetto, and the life and times of Ariel Sharon. He’s also, from what I can tell, a rather simple-minded fellow given to absurd conclusions and, if his past is any evidence, a bit of instability when it comes to women. McDonald chose his Twitter account as a method to rant about Sharon and how unfair it is for so many to focus on praising Sharon rather than condemning him.Music Mogul Russell Simmons Confuses Ariel Sharon With Shimon Peres
Hours after Sharon’s passing on Saturday Simmons tweeted a message of condolence only to later retract and apologize saying that he had mixed up the two men.For Palestinians in Gaza, Sharon’s passing is reason to celebrate
“R.I.P. my friend Ariel Sharon great pleasure working with you.. special occasions, your work to promote tolerance was inspiring,” he tweeted.
Dozens of residents gathered in the center of the town, chanting “Allahu akbar” as women ululated in joy over Sharon’s death, the agency said.Hours after Sharon’s death, rocket fired from Gaza at Israel
“Participants said they consider the death of Sharon as the beginning of the demise of the Israeli entity, paving the way for liberation,” the report said.
A Kassam rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip at southern Israel Saturday evening, not far from where relatives of late ex-prime minister Ariel Sharon gathered at the family home at Shikmim Farm.Khamenei takes to Twitter for final criticism of Sharon
Red alert sirens sounded in the area near the coastal city of Ashkelon, but no impact was reported, an IDF spokesperson said.
Quoting from previous speeches by the supreme leader, @Khamenei_ir variously called Sharon a “vampire” and a “vulture” and Israel’s “last hope.” While world leaders voiced sorrow at the loss of one of Israel’s greats, Iran stood out in its criticism of the man.Senior Fatah Official Says Ariel Sharon Responsible for ‘Murder’ of Arafat
Jibril Rajoub, a leading voice within the Palestinian Fatah Party, responded to the death Saturday of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon by saying that he welcomed the one-time premier’s demise, according to Israel’s Channel 10.Apartheid in Israel? Hardly.
In an interview with the Saudi Arabian-based Al Arabiya News on Saturday, Rajoub referred to Sharon as, “A criminal who was behind the assassination of [former Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and first President of the Palestinian Authority] Arafat…We hoped to see him [Sharon] tried as a war criminal in the International Criminal Court.”
In the discussion that surrounds the call for a boycott, South African apartheid is almost invariably invoked. Say what you will about the Israeli occupation, but the South Africa analogy is false. The word "apartheid" isn't accurate, but it is emotional and inflammatory.Modern Language Assn split verdict: Adopts watered-down Israel visa resolution, rejects pro-ASA boycott resolution
Of all people, professors should be more precise in their use of language. That they are not, and that they use such freighted language, suggests a goal other than helping the parties get to two states for two peoples.
Let's use an academic tool — a surprise quiz — to examine the intellectual integrity of the apartheid allegation.
The main resolution, asking for the State Department to contest Israeli denials of entry visas to traveling academics: “Be it resolved that the MLA urges the US Dept of State to contest Israel’s denials of entry to the West Bank by US academics….” The language was amended at the last minute to take out the word “arbitrarily” and to delete reference to Gaza.Stand With Us: Statement on Modern Language Association Vote
A House of Delegates vote is NOT a binding resolution that commits the organization to action.
The second resolution was an “Emergency” Resolution asking the MLA to denounce supposed attacks on the supporters of the American Studies Association boycott resolution. That Emergency Motion, which actually was explicitly pro-boycott, was rejected.
StandWithUs applauds the Modern Language Association [MLA] Delegate Assembly for rejecting an emergency resolution that would inhibit free speech, but denounces its passage of resolution 2014-1 calling on the U.S. government to pressure Israel to change its visa policies.Mr Abbas, some words to mark a little-noticed anniversary. You deserve at least this.
“Both resolutions reveal the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of the anti-Israel movement in academia, and how it threatens to undermine basic scholarly and American values,” observed Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs.
This week marks the fifth anniversary of January 9, 2009, the date on which the term of office of Mahmoud Abbas, frequently touted as the democratically-elected president of the Palestinian National Authority and of the self-proclaimed State of Palestine, actually came to an end.In fiery speech, Abbas rejects Jerusalem concessions
January 9, 2009 also happens to be the date on which Mahmoud Abbas unilaterally extended his presidential term, and has continued to extend it ever since. (h/t Bob Knot)
Abbas’ unusually fiery speech highlighted the wide gaps between him and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the outlines of a peace deal. It also raised new doubts about the chances of US Secretary of State John Kerry to bridge those gaps in coming weeks and come up with a framework for an agreement.Ashrawi: Recognizing Israel Like 'Legalizing Racism'
Abbas adopted tough positions in the wide-ranging speech, saying that “there will be no peace” without a Palestinian capital in east Jerusalem and that he would not recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official Hanan Ashrawi said on Saturday that Israel's demand that the PA recognize it as a Jewish state is an attempt to “legalize racism,” reports the Ma’an news agency.50 hurt in West Bank clashes over UN strike
Ashrawi, a member of the PLO’s Executive Committee, said that defining Israel as a Jewish state would signify that any Jewish person would have the right to return to “Palestine”, while Palestinian Arabs would lose that right. (h/t Jewess)
At least 50 people were hurt on Sunday in a clash between Palestinian police and residents of a refugee camp protesting against a strike in a UN aid agency that has paralyzed services, police and an ambulance service said.As sides near deal, Iran lawmakers may force Tehran to up enrichment
The demonstration, in Jalazoun camp in the West Bank, was the most violent in a series of protests over the past week stemming from a more than month-old strike for higher pay by local employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
The Iranian bill, which was drafted as a response to a proposal in Congress to increase sanctions should nuclear talks fail, calls on the country to enrich uranium to 60 percent. The bill has the backing of 218 of the Majlis’s 290 members and if passed could scuttle the nuclear deal and ratchet up tensions with the international community.Anti-Semitic French comic Dieudonne abandons show
A Paris performance Saturday was banned by authorities. Several police vans lined the street outside the Paris theater, and disappointed fans gathered outside.The Price of Anti-Semitism in France
Afterward, the comedian told a news conference he will no longer perform his “Le Mur” (The Wall) act but plans a new show. He insisted he’s not anti-Semitic and said, “I upset a lot of people and I will continue to do so, through laughter.”
According to French media, the cancellation of "The Wall" left Dieudonne with losses to the tune of millions of euros (a million euros is $1.4 million), reports Mako. In addition to the cancellations, Dieudonne's website was breached by anonymous hackers and subsequently shut down.Watch Hitchcock Holocaust Documentary Suppressed by the British
When the great film director Alfred Hitchcock first saw the footage of the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, he couldn’t work for a week. No stranger to the subject of murder and horror, he nevertheless was shocked and appalled by “the real thing,” the Independent reports.Israel’s Cinema City in $825 Million Merger to Become Second Largest in Europe
In 1945, Hitchcock was recruited by his friend Sidney Bernstein to help with a documentary on German wartime atrocities, based on the footage of the camps shot by British and Soviet film units. That documentary has never been seen in full.
Cinema City CEO Mooky Greidinger, whose family opened its first cinema in Haifa, in 1931, on Friday was named to be the CEO of a merged company with UK-based Cineworld Group, valued at £503 million ($825 million), with 201 theaters and 1,852 screens, the London Evening Standard and Variety reported.Scarlett Johansson to star in SodaStream Super Bowl ad
Israel was Cinema City’s sole country of operation until 1997, when it expanded into central and eastern Europe with the launch of operations in Hungary. The combined group will now be the largest player in Poland, Israel, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Slovakia, and second-overall in Europe (including Israel) to Odeon UCI, which has some 2,100 screens.
Scarlett Johansson, named the "Sexiest Woman Alive" by Esquire magazine in 2013, will have another achievement to add to her resume for 2014. The Jewish-American actress has been chosen to be the official spokesperson for Israeli founded brand, SodaStream, and will star in their Super Bowl ad.
The product, which makes regular beverages fizzy, is a favorite of Johansson’s, one she has been using and gifting for many years. According to the company’s website, one Soda Stream bottle is enough to produce the amount of soda beverages the average Israeli family consumes over a period one year, 3833 bottles and cans. "The company's commitment to a healthy body and healthier world is perfect for me,” says the bombshell.
