Sunday, August 09, 2015
Mr. President, Iran is the enemy, not Israel
It's a shame Obama is making the Iranian nuclear issue personal. Whoever is not with him is against him. Iran is the enemy, Mr. President. Not you. Iran is the enemy -- not Israel. America is still the "Great Satan," Israel is still the "Little Satan" and the ayatollahs still aren't holy. Even the prominent Democratic supporter, Haim Saban, has understood the danger and has joined the opposition.Prof. Phyllis Chesler: Farewell to the Man Who Launched a Blood Libel
It is exceedingly rare for Congress to reject an administration decision related to foreign policy. Too recall an instance of the Senate rejecting an agreement, we must go back to the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 and the 14 Points plan proposed by one of the greatest American presidents, Woodrow Wilson (also a Democrat, also a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize that same year). That was nearly 100 years ago.
Obama needs to understand that this is not personal. All he has to do is peruse the comments made by supporters of the deal in order to understand why people in Israel, and in America, are very worried. Let's take, for example, Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand from New York, who supports the deal. She admits the deal is "not perfect" and believes Iran will continue to lie and continue to get stronger. Could it be that the deal's detractors aren't actually "ignorant," as the president, according to commentators, tried painting them as in his speech at American University? Perhaps they are simply seeing clearly? And if someone is failing to understand why the polls suddenly flipped on Saturday -- it's because people have only just begun discovering the details of the deal. The Americans, for example, were stunned to learn during Secretary of State John Kerry's congressional hearing that he was not versed in the details of the secret deal between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The important thing, however, is that here in Israel there are also those who support the deal. Maybe they know things that Kerry does not?
France’s Channel 2 Television man in Jerusalem, the infamous Charles Enderlin, is finally leaving the Holy Land.The Truth About Susiya
As some might say: Baruch Hashem. However, Charles Enderlin was neither fired nor jailed. He remained at his prestigious post for fifteen years. Enderlin claims that he is not retiring, that he will be devoting himself to other projects. His replacement is Franck Genauzeau, a man with no known track record of anti-Semitism.
With Charles Enderlin's departure, there may now be only 999 reporters and NGO activists—maybe more--left in Jerusalem to spin the news according to the Palestinian narrative. Apparently, there are more foreign, reporters and more foreign NGOS on the ground-- especially German and Scandinavian--than in any other city or country on earth.
As my colleague, Tuvia Tenenbom, might say: I guess the world really cares about the Jews—or is it merely overly eager to “catch” Jews making mistakes so that its ongoing anti-Semitism feels justified; the Germans feel less guilty about the European Holocaust; and Muslims can feel righteous for holding onto to their long-simmering genocidal intentions towards the People of the Book, especially Jewish Israel?
Who, really, is Charles Enderlin?
On September 30, 2000, 'twas Enderlin and his Palestinian camera man, Talal Abu Rahma, who launched the Mohammed Al-Dura Blood Libel against Israel--a libel which justified, fanned, and inflamed Arafat’s long-planned Intifada of 2000 which led to thousands of Israeli civilian and soldier deaths, injuries, and disabilities—and to a frenzy of global anti-Semitism against individual Jews and against the Jewish state.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan once famously stated, “You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.” This rebuke is an appropriate response to Alon Ben-Meir’s post, “The Dismantling of Susiya is an Israeli Injustice.”
In his apparent eagerness to condemn the “inhuman action” of demolishing an illegal Arab encampment, and to attack the “moral decadence” of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government, he has created a fictitious scenario that maligns Israel.
Here is the truth.
Fact: The residents of the illegal encampment, which has come to be called “Ancient Arab Susiya,” illegally and systematically put up most of the structures on that “ancient” encampment between 2011 and 2013.
Fact: This case of illegal building has been before the Supreme Court of Israel for close to 15 years, and the claims of these Palestinian squatters have repeatedly been rejected. Ben-Meir fails to mention the extensive litigation before the High Court of Justice. During all of the litigation, the Arab residents have failed to show any proof of valid ownership of the land and even if they did, all land in that area is zoned agricultural land only and they have no rights to build on it. Instead, illegal construction has taken place for the duration of the judicial process, in blatant defiance of court orders.
Arab residents have joined the Susiya encampment knowing full well of pending court orders. It should also be noted that these residents are being assisted by the NGO Rabbis for Human Rights, which, although registered in Israel, is heavily funded by foreign countries including Germany, Spain, Sweden, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the EU.
I don’t intend to lose battle over Iran deal, vows defiant Obama
Israel’s security is “sacrosanct” to Washington, US President Barack Obama said in an interview to CNN aired Sunday, as he pledged to overcome American political opposition to the recently struck deal with Iran over its nuclear program.Obama: Netanyahu only foreign leader ‘I can recall’ forcibly interfering in US policy
“I don’t intend to lose on this,” he said, referring to the battle between the administration and a Republican-dominated Congress over the Iran deal.
The president also repeated his stance that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “wrong” about the nuclear deal with Iran and has failed to offer any viable alternatives.
Opponents to the nuclear agreement — including Netanyahu, Congressional Republicans and some Democrats — have presented no “plausible alternative[s] to Iran attaining a nuclear weapon other than military strikes,” Obama said.
In a clip released ahead of the interview, Zakaria asked Obama a question about Netanyahu's stiff opposition to the deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program that was worked out between Tehran and the six world powers; the US, Russia, China, France, Great Britain and Germany.Obama: Iran nuclear deal is good for Israel
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has injected himself forcefully into this debate on American foreign policy in Washington. Can you recall a time when a foreign head of government has done that. Is it appropriate for a foreign head of government to inject himself into an American debate,” Zakaria asked.
Obama responded, “I do not recall a similar example.”
He added: “Obviously the relationship between the US and Israel is deep. It is profound. It is reflected in my policies. But as I said in the speech yesterday on the substance, the prime minister is wrong on this.
“I can show that basic assumptions he has made are incorrect. If in fact my argument is right, that this is the best way for Iran not to get a nuclear weapon, that is not just good for the United States, that is very good for Israel.”
President Obama says the U.S. shares a "deep" and "profound" relationship with Israel. But when it comes to the Iran nuclear deal, Prime Minister Netanyahu is wrong. Obama spoke with CNN's Fareed Zakaria.
Obama's failed speech
In his speech, Obama said that the sanctions on Iran could not be maintained in the wake of a rejection by Congress of the deal, as other countries in the world would still renew trade with Iran. Indeed, there will be a flow of international trade with Iran, which will give the Iranian regime a cash windfall of billions of dollars, some of which it will use to sow instability throughout the Middle East. Obama might be right that the sanctions will collapse even if Congress rejects the deal, but this is his fault. It was Obama who was determined to capitulate to Iran and get rid of the sanctions, which had been crafted to stop the nuclearization of Iran.Iran: Future US Presidents Can't Cancel Nuclear Deal
Obama warned that if the deal is rejected by Congress, the U.S. will have to boycott China, due to its extensive trade ties with Iran, and this will seriously harm America's interests. But is not Obama himself responsible for China's renewal of trade with Iran? Who created this troubling reality that Obama is warning about? Obama himself.
Obama's hints that opposing the deal meant going against America's interests were a vile attempt to threaten American Jews by letting the "dual loyalty" genie out of the bottle. These statements by Obama were extremely out of line, as was his comparison of American opponents of the deal to hard-liners in Iran. These were gutter rhetorical devices used by a president seeking to market to the American people one of the most shameful diplomatic failures in U.S. history.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi stated on Sunday that the Iran nuclear deal sealed last month with world powers is final, and includes a clause stipulating sanctions cannot be returned in the future by presidents after US President Barack Obama.Iranian Ayatollah Calls for Muslim World to Unite and 'Expel' Jews from the Region
"There is a paragraph in the agreement which requires the US administration to stop implementation of the sanctions constantly, and this means that there won't be a change once Obama leaves the office," Takht Ravanchi said, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.
Possibly fueling the statement were promises made by Republican presidential candidates last Thursday during a televised live debate, in which several vowed to cancel the Iran nuclear deal upon taking office.
Takht Ravanchi's claim of a clause banning the return of sanctions may possibly refer to a classified side deal. It has been revealed the nuclear deal includes such side deals that are not being shown to Congress, and among other things include stipulations that Iran will inspect its own covert nuclear sites where nuclear detonator testing has occurred.
Iran’s Friday Prayers Leader, Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani, a radical Shiite cleric whose position grants him enormous influence in Tehran and who is appointed directly by Iran’s Supreme Leader, called on Friday for the Muslim nations of the world to “unite and expel the Zionists from this region.”US think tank questions Iran alibi for Parchin activity
The prayer leader, who often leads chants of ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel,’ took the time to thank Iran’s negotiators for reaching an agreement he believed was favorable to the regime in Tehran, Iran’s state-run IRIB news service reported.
Kashani told worshippers that Israel will only be satisfied with their position in the world “when all nations have perished and they alone remain in this world.” This is why Israel has “no qualms whatsoever about spilling innocent blood,” the Ayatollah said.
“This regime [Israel] is amongst the vilest, inhuman and bloodthirsty regimes in the world, and Muslim nations must unite and expel the Zionists from this region if they want to live in peace and security,” Kashani added.
By calling for the expulsion of “Zionists,” Kashani specifically singles out the Jews of Israel, and not its Arab population.
A prominent U.S. think tank on Friday questioned Iran's explanation for activity at its Parchin military site visible in satellite imagery, saying the movement of vehicles did not appear related to road work.US 'concerned' by reports Quds Force chief visited Moscow
The U.S.-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said this week that Iran might be sanitizing its Parchin military site, where some countries suspect experiments may have taken place in a possible nuclear weapons program. Iran denied it, saying it was part of road works near the Mamloo Dam.
The think tank issued a fresh analysis on Friday disputing Iran's story.
"Commercial satellite imagery does not support the Iranian explanation," the think tank said in a statement. "ISIS analyzed commercially available satellite imagery taken on July 12, 19, and 26, 2015 but did not find any visible signatures related to road work on the road near the dam."
It said it would make little sense for Iran to "park vehicles three kilometers south of the dam and at the one site that would create intense concern and suspicion about Iran's intentions to comply with the recently negotiated [deal]."
A spokesman for Iran's U.N. mission in New York said Tehran stood by its statement from Thursday and had nothing to add.
The United States is trying to determine whether the commander of the Quds Force in Iran's Revolutionary Guard recently visited Russia in violation of a United Nations travel ban, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power said Friday.IsraellyCool: Iranian Journalist Claims Kerry Negotiated On Iran’s Behalf With Other Members Of P5+1
Power said the travel ban requires all countries deny Maj. Gen. Ghasem Soleimani entry into their borders, and the only exception is if the Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against Iran grants an exemption.
"To our knowledge no such exemption was granted, and we would know," Power told reporters Friday. "So these are very concerning reports but we are still, again, tracking down the facts."
Soleimani has been on the U.N. sanctions blacklist since 2007, which also requires that all countries freeze his overseas assets.
Fox News, citing two Western intelligence sources, reported Thursday that Soleimani arrived in Moscow on July 24 for meetings with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and President Vladimir Putin.
Last week I wrote about Amir Taheri’s report on Ayatollah Khamenei’s magnum opus, describing the method through which Khamenei plans to destroy Israel. Yesterday, Taheri came out with a new, and potentially even more damning report:An Iranian story the BBC chose not to translate
Salehi recalls that when he briefed newly elected President Rouhani on the secret talks, the latter was “astonished” at Obama’s readiness to bend backwards to appease Tehran. For Tehran, Obama and Kerry made an ideal team.
During lengthy negotiations in Geneva, Lausanne and finally Vienna, the Iranian and US teams were often on the same side, fighting to persuade other members of the P5+1 to soften their positions vis-a-vis Iran.
In an off-the-record briefing in Tehran which was nevertheless partly leaked, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi cited a number of occasions when Kerry fought hard to win others to Iran’s position.
One occasion was when the French and the British insisted that Iran formally undertake not to finance and arm the Lebanese branch of Hezbollah. “Naturally, we refused,” Araqchi said. “And it was [John] Kerry who persuaded others to drop the issue.”
. . . .
On another occasion, according to Araqchi, Kerry sided with Iran in rejecting a demand by the European Union foreign policy “tsarina” Federica Mogherini to commit Iran not to help Bashar Al-Assad kill more Syrians. Kerry remained “steadfast” that talks should only focus on the nuclear issue.
The IranWire article details some of the interesting points made by Araghchi in that meeting, including the following:Palestinian Authority seeks to strengthen ties with Iran
“Araghchi confirmed that Iran is arming Lebanese Hezbollah: “We said that we cannot stop giving arms to Hezbollah, and we’re not ready to sacrifice it to our nuclear program. So we will continue doing it.””
Likewise, the independent publishing platform Khodnevis notes that:
“He [Araghchi] also pointed out that the Islamic Republic has been sending arms to Hezbollah, something Iran has publicly denied for years.”
Khodnevis attributes the information in its article to a report published by the BBC Persian service (“Araghchi what was said at the meeting with managers of radio and television?“) and another article concerning the removal of the reports by Persian-language outlets was also produced by BBC Persian.
Curiously though, the BBC apparently did not consider that admission by an official of a UN member state that it is systematically breaching the terms of UN SC resolution 1701 (“no sales or supply of arms and related material to Lebanon except as authorized by its Government”) worthy of translation into English for the benefit of the majority of members of its audience who do not read Farsi.
The Palestinian Authority is looking forward to developing its relations and strengthening mutual trade with Iran, a senior PLO official said on Sunday.Report: Iran furious at Hamas' warming ties with Saudis, cancels delegation's visit to Tehran
Majdalni said he delivered a letter from PA President Mahmoud Abbas to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
He added that the letter, which was relayed to Zarif, deals with the current situation in the Palestinian territories and “Israeli assaults against our people and their holy sites, as well as bilateral relations between the two sides.”
Majdalni said that the PA leadership was hoping to develop its relations with Iran.
He said he also discussed with the Iranian foreign minister the ongoing dispute between the PA and Hamas. The PA is hoping that Iran would use its influence to end the dispute.
Palestinian sources said that Abbas dispatched the senior PLO official to Iran to also discuss the recent nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers.
Iran has canceled a scheduled visit by a Hamas delegation to the Islamic Republic in response to Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal's visit to Tehran's rival Saudi Arabia last month, the Huffington Post's Arabic edition quoted informed sources as saying Saturday.Iran Has Built an Army of Cyber-Proxies
According to the sources, a senior official in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards met with Hamas representatives in an undisclosed Arab capital to condemn Mashaal's visit to Riyadh, saying that the trip was made against Iran's wishes.
The Iranian official expressed deep anger at the visit, according to the report, and wondered why Mashaal had immediately accepted the Saudi invitation while he had refrained from visiting Tehran for more than four years, despite an open invitation from the Iranian leadership.
Iran’s cyber-breakout was fast and sudden. Within the last few years, Iran has managed to build a cyber-capability that rivals the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Israel, who are the most dominant actors in cyberspace. According to intelligence documents released by Edward Snowden in 2013, Iran has been ramping up its surveillance of the United States government. One of these documents, written by Gen. Keith Alexander, former director of the National Security Agency, describes the threat as serious enough for the U.S. to request Britain’s assistance in containing the damage from “Iran’s discovery of computer network exploitation tools”—a technical term for cyber-weapons.Herzog Panders to Obama, Democrats Over Iran
Iran’s rapid development of its cyber-capabilities stems from the fact that it had an excellent, if inadvertent, teacher named Stuxnet. Stuxnet was a virus allegedly developed in 2007 by the United States and Israel. It was part of Operation Olympic Games, which sought to sabotage Iran’s nuclear weapons program. In another document leaked by Snowden, the NSA stated that Iran “has demonstrated a clear ability to learn from the capabilities and actions of others,” including from “Western attacks against Iran’s nuclear sector.” In other words, Stuxnet taught Iran how to use cyberspace to its advantage.
Ever since then, Iran has invested heavily in developing its own cyber-capability. It has done so in order to protect against threats like Stuxnet and execute attacks of its own. The U.S. Army’s Strategic Studies Institute chronicled the rise of the Iranian cyber force last year:
In late-2011, Iran invested at least $1 billion dollars in cyber technology, infrastructure, and expertise. In March 2012, the IRGC [the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps] claimed it had recruited around 120,000 personnel over the past three years to combat “a soft cyber war against Iran.” In early-2013, an IRGC general publically claimed Iran had the “fourth biggest cyber power among the world’s cyber armies.”
The latter claim has been substantiated by an Israel-based think tank, the Institute for National Security Studies, in its report on the matter.
Opposition leader Yitzhak Herzog (Zionist Union), spoke at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem on Sunday morning, at a conference of Democratic representatives from US Congress.Top US scientists pen letter in support of Iran deal
Herzog attacked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's conduct, saying that "as head of the largest party in the opposition it is important to know that Israel seeks a political alternative to a broad line of national agendas often compatible with your [Democrat Party] agenda."
"I have recently heard the Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, say there is no disagreement between us on the Iranian issue, although I stood up against him in the elections and I want to replace him as prime minister and topple the government on a daily basis," Herzog added. "The truth is that there are clear differences between us on many issues. Even on the subject of dealing with Iran's nuclear program."
"Although we have no difference in the definition of the threat, I have criticized the agreement with Iran and I think there is a great danger," he continued, noting that the deal could disrupt "the balance of power" in the Middle East. "I also believe that the agreement legitimizes the Islamic Republic's nuclear threshold in 10 to 15 years from now in a completely different way. Just look at the positive reactions of [Syrian President Bashar] Assad and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to the agreement to understand what I mean."
Herzog then pandered to US President Barack Obama's opinion that Netanyahu attempts to "interfere" in American politics.
"But - and this is a big but - I have no intention to interfere in American politics," Herzog claimed. "I do not intend to publicly confront the US president or his administration. I have no intention to tell you how to vote."
In a letter to President Barack Obama, 29 leading American scientists expressed support for the nuclear accord reached last month between six world powers and Iran.14 Years on from the Sbarro Attack
The two-page letter, sent Saturday, is intended to boost the White House’s position as it battles to win over at least one-third of either chamber of the US Congress to prevent a veto-proof “no” vote on the deal by skeptical lawmakers.
The deal is “technically sound, stringent and innovative,” with “more stringent constraints than any previously negotiated nonproliferation framework,” claim the signatories, some of whom worked in senior government posts related to security and nuclear policy.
The nuclear deal offers Iran dramatic easing of biting international sanctions in exchange for increased limits and tightened international monitoring of its nuclear program. Critics, including Israeli officials and many US lawmakers, insist it will not, at the end of the day, prevent Tehran from pursuing a nuclear weapons capability.
A father lost his son, children lost their parents, a husband lost his pregnant wife. 14 years ago today, a suicide bomber murdered 15 civilians who were enjoying lunch at the Sbarro pizzeria in the middle of Jerusalem. May their memory be a blessing.
ZOA to Atty. Gen. Lynch: Are you siding with Palestinian terrorists – not American victims?
We were shocked and dismayed by media reports that the Department of Justice may be intervening in these court proceedings to side in some respect with the PLO and the PA. Reportedly, the Department may be asking the judge to consider the economic and national security impact that paying the damages could have on the PLO and the PA.The Glazov Gang - Steve Emerson on “Obama vs. US Victims of Palestinian Terror?”
We strongly urge the Justice Department not to take any position in the case that would in any way undermine the jury’s verdict and the right of the many American victims of terrorism and their families to be compensated – even though there is no amount of money that could ever truly compensate these individuals for their horrific losses, pain and suffering. These American citizens waited 10 long years to have their claims heard by a fair and impartial jury. After a seven-week trial, at which the PLO and the PA had full opportunity to present their evidence, the jury decided that these terrorist entities knowingly planned, funded and carried out the heinous attacks that led to the murder and devastating injuries of many American citizens, and that these victims and their families should be compensated for the damages they suffered. In short, the legal system worked.
In any civil action where damages are assessed against a defendant, the defendant cannot escape responsibility by claiming that the judgment would be hard or inconvenient to satisfy. That the PLO and the PA could even claim economic hardship is ludicrous – particularly since the plaintiffs have agreed to receive their due compensation in small monthly installments. The PLO and the PA plainly have plenty of money to line the pockets of their top officials and to reward terrorism perpetrated against innocent Jews by paying convicted terrorists and the families of dead terrorists. If our government expresses even a hint of interest in showing any leniency toward the PLO and the PA, then we would be sending exactly the wrong message to terrorists and sponsors of terrorism: That we in any way show understanding of the alleged difficulties confronted by murderers of American citizens, instead of holding them fully accountable for their unlawful and criminal behavior.
Swede indicted in Israel on Hezbollah spying charges
A Swedish national recruited by Hezbollah was arrested in Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in July and indicted for spying for the Lebanese terror group, the Shin Bet security agency announced Sunday.2 far-right Jewish activists to be held without charges
Lebanon-born Hassan Khalil Hizran, 55, was recruited by the terror group in 2009 while on a trip to Lebanon with his family. He returned to Lebanon in 2011 and 2013 for meetings with Hezbollah leaders.
Hizran was tasked with recruiting Israelis to the terror group, “with an emphasis on those with ties to Jews, or access to army personnel, the defense establishment, or government officials,” the Shin Bet said in a statement. He was also ordered to gather information about army bases and IDF targets. Hizran also conveyed information to Hezbollah about Ben Gurion Airport security.
Hizran was paid $2,300 in 2009 and $800 in 2011 for his services to Hezbollah.
Following his July 21 arrest, Hizran was indicted for handing over information to the terror group, having contact with a foreign agent, and accepting funds from Hezbollah.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon approved orders Sunday authorizing the detention without trial for six months of two far-right Jewish activists, as security forces upped the pressure on extremist groups with a series of raids on settlement outposts.B'Tselem slams approval of administrative detention for Israelis
Activist Meir Ettinger, the grandson of the late Israeli-American ultranationalist Rabbi Meir Kahane, and Eviatar Slonim were both arrested last week in connection with alleged extremist activity.
In a statement, the Defense Ministry said Ya’alon had signed the order at the recommendation of the Shin Beit security service and that it was effective immediately.
Earlier in the day, police officers and Shin Beit agents raided several homes in settlement outposts in the West Bank and detained at least nine people.
B'Tselem objects to the use of administrative detention against both Israelis and Palestinians, the human rights organization's spokesperson Sarit Michaeli said Sunday in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. Administrative detention is the practice by which terror suspects are jailed without trial for up to six months, during which security forces work to investigate the wider terrorist cell in which suspects operate.One Arab Life Matters, But No Israeli Lives Do
Reacting to the government's recent move to approve administrative detention for suspected Jewish terrorists -- in the same way that it does for Palestinian terrorists -- Michaeli described the measure as "the worst tool in the toolbox" which she views as unacceptable, regardless of one's nationality.
The government decision was made following the suspected Jewish terror attack in Duma, in the West Bank, which killed a Palestinian toddler and his father, and wounded other family members.
With this in mind, let us look at the official reactions to the Duma arson. The U.S. State Department immediately condemned the attack. The United Nations strongly condemned it, as did Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the world press, and the European Union. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin himself issued an apology.PreOccupied Territory: We’ll Know They’ve Caught The Right Duma Suspects If They’re Jewish by the BBC (satire)
Incredibly, the EU called for “zero tolerance” for Jewish settler terrorism. Really? Compare this to their reaction to the deliberate murder of Adele Biton, injured in a terror attack in 2013 (she eventually died in 2015), or the murder of baby Chaya Braun last year in Jerusalem, both killed by Arabs. What about the cold-blooded slaughter of the three Fogel children – by Arabs? Complete silence. Hardly any world coverage, no condemnation from the U.S. State Department, the UN or the EU, and no international press coverage.
Why? I will tell you. There is a clear double standard at work, both in the world press and in major international political organizations. Arab deaths matter – but only if the fatal shot or blow came from a Jew. And Israeli Jewish lives do not. This is the sad truth.
No “zero tolerance” for Palestinian terrorists, who can continue to kill and maim Jews at their leisure. The EU has a big problem only with one attack by presumed-Jewish terrorists. The entire Jewish nation has been condemned as a result. When was the last time you saw this kind of outrage for the 200,000 Arabs killed in Syria? Is that because they were killed by fellow Arabs, and not Jews?
This tragedy confirms the false narrative promoted the world over: Jews are the killers, Palestinian Arabs are the victims. The world media practically welcomes this kind of news. It rarely happens, but when it does, the media gets euphoric. Here it is – proof that Jewish settler violence is never-ending, that it is the biggest problem in the Middle East, etc. The false narrative of Jewish violence finally has some “proof.”
These extremely rare cases are peddled as the rule, as the systemic problem. It is a slanderous fallacy. Arabs keep attacking Jewish civilians – constantly, repeatedly, systematically. Besides being extremely rare, these Jewish assault cases are roundly condemned by the entire establishment of Israel. From left to right, everyone expresses outrage and condemns violence against Arab civilians. Israeli leaders vow to find and punish the perpetrators.
Our job as one of the world’s most venerable, reputable news organizations is to use our judgement to determine what events our worthy of your attention, and, in the process, to arrive at an assessment of what reports are reliable. For example, in the case of the fatal arson in the Palestinian village of Duma, our audience definitely needs to know if and when suspects are caught, and we will determine whether those suspects are the correct ones if they are Jewish.Khaled Abu Toameh: UNRWA's financial crisis is fabricated and purely political, Palestinian group charges
It is not enough simply to relay to our audience the evidence that has emerged to date. The sheer glut of information precludes such an approach, and our role becomes that of providing a filter, a lens, if you will, on developments, so that a coherent narrative emerges. The narrative, in this case, involves Israeli brutality and perfidy, and we therefore relay only those reports congruent with that narrative. If investigations reveal that the Duma suspects are not Jewish, we will know, based on the narrative, that they have been wrongly accused, and will in all likelihood not deem such reports worthy of passing on to our audience.
Our approach has served us well over the last several decades, and, we assert with some pride, has pervaded other newsrooms in the United Kingdom and beyond. Such august publications as The Guardian and The Times of London have adopted nearly identical editorial policies in this regard, and we believe our influence played no small role in making that possible. Thanks to this method of weighing Israeli-Palestinian developments, the mainstream attitude in British media now automatically features assumptions of Israeli culpability and cruelty contrasted with Arab virtue and default victimhood.
UNRWA says it needs at least $101 million to cover its deficit and its officials have repeatedly appealed to the international community to help solve the financial crisis.Hamas Threatens UNRWA - Again
But some Palestinians are convinced that the UNRWA financial crisis is artificial and part of a conspiracy to eliminate the refugee problem.
The radical Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said in a statement that the financial crisis was “fabricated and purely political.”
The group claimed that the crisis was a “downright attempt to conspire against the rights of the Palestinians, first and foremost the right of return (for refugees).”
The PFLP accused UNRWA of taking unprecedented measures to cut down its various services to Palestinians in the Palestinian territories and Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. “UNRWA is systematically trying to fabricate a financial crisis for political purposes in order to extort our people and put pressure on them to accept concessions and political solutions aimed at liquidating the refugee issue,” it charged.
Hundreds of UNRWA employees in the Gaza Strip on Sunday staged a protest against the cutbacks and warned against any decision to delay the opening of the academic year. The protesters said they were opposed to any decision by UNRWA that would cause harm to the interests of Palestinian refugees.
The UNRWA is the body tasked with "Palestinian refugees," and recently admitted it's going bankrupt and will have to close schools.'Race against time' to stop ISIS terror attack targeting Queen Elizabeth
Last month, Hamas claimed that UNRWA is "giving up its role" of providing services to "refugees," a status designated to the Arabs who left Israel in the 1948 War of Independence as well as their now roughly five million descendants. That hereditary "Palestinian refugee" status operates in contradiction to all other refugees in the world, who are all handled by the UNHRC.
The terror group responded by then threatening the UN group with violence.
Britain's MI5 Security Service and police are reportedly in a "race against time" to stop Islamic State jihadis from targeting England's Queen Elizabeth and other members of the Royal Family at a parade in London next Saturday.Southampton-style pseudo-academic anti-Israel conference to take place at Exeter
According to a report in British newspaper The Daily Mail on Saturday, intelligence forces have determined that terrorists in Syria are orchestrating a three-pronged attack at London's annual VJ Day — Victory in Japan — parade that commemorates the end of World War II.
Security sources identified the queen as the main target, though other royal family members are said to be possible targets as well, including Prince Charles. The procession is expected to be attended by British Prime Minister David Cameron, as well as a number of dignitaries, soldiers, military veterans and thousands of civilian parade-goers.
Similar to the 2013 Boston Marathon attack, terrorists reportedly are planning to use a pressure cooker bomb to carry out the attack.
Nearly four months after a Southampton University conference questioning Israel’s right to exist was cancelled on public order grounds, the University of Exeter is organizing a “Conference on Settler Colonialism in Palestine & Workshop on the Naqab Bedouin“.IsraellyCool: Latest Blood Libel: Truth Buried Alive Again
Here’s a blurb from the conference website:
The study of settler colonialism as an historical, geographical and political formation is attracting the attention of more and more scholars around the globe. Our effort will be oriented towards the examination of the settler colonial paradigm’s validity in the context of Palestine. The organisers encourage interdisciplinary and comparative approaches to the study of settler colonialism in Palestine, so as to build bridges between settler colonial studies and other disciplines, as well as to challenge Israel’s alleged exceptionality.
Confirmed speakers include:
Prof. Nur Masalha, St Mary’s University, Twickenham, London, UK.
Prof. Ilan Pappe, University of Exeter, UK.
Dr. Marcelo Svirsky, University of Wollogong, Australia.
Prof. Lorenzo Veracini, Swinburne University
In addition to the inclusion of the radical “historian” Ilan Pappe, it’s quite telling that the conference also includes Dr. Marcelo Svirsky, whose book ‘After Israel‘ appears to call for an end to the ‘Zionist project’ in Palestine.
A Facebook group named Non-Televised Truth has post the following video, claiming it shows the IDF burying palestinian children alive.Brazil omits Israel from passports of Jerusalem-born citizens
The first giveaway this is not the IDF are the uniforms., which are clearly not IDF issue. You can even see what looks like the Jordanian insignia at one point.
In fact, this same video is posted elsewhere as a Jordanian military training video.
I suggest you read the Facebook comments to this video; a number of Israel haters implore the poster to delete the video, which they know will be used to show how they lie, while others admit it is not of the IDF but would not be surprised if the IDF did such things.
I fully expect the video will be taken down, but the above screenshot serves as proof of this latest attempted deception.
Brazilian passports of citizens who were born in Jerusalem will no longer name Israel as country of birth, the Foreign Ministry in Brasilia has decided.Protests Over 'Tel Aviv Beach' Event in Paris
The decision to omit Israel from such documents was taken last year, the Brazilian embassy in Tel Aviv told the Folha de Sao Paulo daily, which published an article on the subject on Thursday, but only recently reached Brazilian media, alerted to the change in policy by Brazilian Israelis.
The United States, Canada and France also omit Israel from passports for holders born in Jerusalem, stating only the city’s name.
The number of passport holders affected is estimated at 60 out of approximately 15,000 Brazilian Israelis, according to the daily.
An artificial beach named "Tel Aviv on the Seine" will open in the French capital for a one day celebration on Thursday.Albuquerque man pleads guilty to anti-Semitic threats
Dreamt up by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and her Tel Aviv counterpart Ron Huldai during the former's visit to Israel's second largest city in May, the "beach" party will feature paddle ball games and backgammon, falafel and Israeli music.
Opponents of the Jewish state have, however, reacted strongly against the planned celebration, Walla! News reported Sunday.
Pro-Palestinian activists and members of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement are already planning protests and riots against the event, which they claim amounts to Paris's sponsorship of the state of Israel.
"A year after Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, less than a month after the Knesset's decision to pass a law force-feeding prisoners, and a week after the burning of the Dawabshe family in Duma in the occupied West Bank - the penetration of the Tel Aviv beach in Paris is a real provocation," BDS France said in a statement.
Calling on residents to demand a cancellation of the event by flooding Paris's city hall with emails and telephone calls, BDS France claimed that "Tel Aviv is a not like other cities. It was built on the ruins of seven Palestinian villages."
An Albuquerque, New Mexico man who made anti-Semitic threats against the Jewish owner of a local Jewish deli pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor hate crime.Scottish Man to Serve Six Months for Anti-Semitic Facebook Post
John W. Ng, 58, pleaded guilty Thursday and was sentenced to four years probation, according to a news release issued by the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.
The FBI arrested Ng in March 2014 for posting threatening, anti-Semitic notes on the door of the Nosh Jewish Delicatessen and Bakery on Jan. 22, 2014 and Feb. 8, 2014.
He was charged with “interfering with the victim’s federally protected rights by threatening her and interfering with her business because of her religion and because she owned a Jewish restaurant.”
Among the notes were: “FROM: The one you scarred for life scumbags; TO: The [anti-Semitic slur] who will die like rats.”
His trial was delayed almost a year, however, because of “competency” issues, according to the news release.
A 23 year-old Scottish man was sentenced to six months in prison last week, after he sent a photo of himself with a Nazi flag to a Jewish woman deliberately to provoke her.Dutch chief rabbi calls on PM to apologize for Nazi-era complicity
Nicholas Goodwin and friend Callum Cochrane sent the photo to Elissa Wilson on Facebook on January 29 - just two days after the seventieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz - after Wilson prevented Goodwin from contacting her son.
Goodwin will serve the sentence consecutively along with another he received for racist behavior, according to the Daily Record, after he threatened to stab a 15 year-old boy in December 2014 as he walked home for school.
Wilson welcomed the sentence on Saturday.
“When I saw that picture I felt instantly sick," she said. "I felt it was a threat and I was frightened. It’s disgusting."
Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs called on the prime minister of the Netherlands to apologize officially for authorities’ collaboration with Nazi Germany in the murder of Jews during the Holocaust.X-Men director heads new film on Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Weighing in on a polarizing debate over this issue in the kingdom – whose neighbors have all offered such apologies – Jacobs said in an interview with JTA last week that, following expressions of regret of certain army and police units and other institutions, “it is time that the Dutch head of state offer a comprehensive apology.”
Some 75 percent of the 140,000 Jews who lived in the Netherlands before the Holocaust were murdered by German Nazis and their local collaborators in the genocide – the highest death rate in all of Nazi-occupied Western Europe. The Dutch police under Nazi occupation and the national railway company were widely complicit in hunting down Jews and transporting them to death and concentration camps.
Director and producer Bryan Singer, of “X-Men” fame, is working on a documentary exploring the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Variety reported over the weekend.WATCH: When the last British troops left Palestine
Singer is collaborating with Guy Shalem, an Israeli writer, director and producer working mostly in television. He created the TV show “Lovespring International” and worked as a director and writer on several other shows.
According to the report, the documentary, with the working title “In the Middle of the Middle East,” will be told from the vantage point of an Arab-Israeli activist.
It will follow the man as he looks for peace in the Middle East as well as inner peace, combining his political agenda with his personal struggles.
Variety reported that another co-producer of the project is Yariv Horowitz, who wrote and directed the successful Israeli feature film “Rock the Casbah” in 2012.
The Associated Press and Movietone News recently released their vast video archives on YouTube, allowing the public to freely access a million minutes worth of historical news clips dating back to 1895 — including many iconic scenes from Israel’s history.
In the summer of 1948, moviegoers in the United Kingdom would have seen this newsreel as they settled in for the feature film. In it, British tanks roll aboard transports at the port of Haifa, and Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion speaks to Israeli crowds as Israel’s flag is hoisted over the city.
The announcer, clearly sympathizing with the departing rank and file soldiers, says “the thought that a difficult and thankless job had been well-done must have mattered much less than the prospect of going home.”
As the troops march across the screen, the newscaster adds: “The Union Jack was hauled down, and the doors closed for good on the British Mandate.”
