Showing posts sorted by date for query egypt explosives. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query egypt explosives. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Friday, July 12, 2013

  • Friday, July 12, 2013
From Ian:

Khaled Abu Toameh: Egypt Punishes the Palestinians
In the past, the Palestinians paid a very heavy price for meddling in the internal affairs of Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and other Arab countries, but this price has not deterred them.
That meddling is also the reason most Arab countries have long despised the Palestinians, subjecting them to Apartheid laws and other punitive measures, including travel bans and deprivation of financial aid.
For earning the enmity and contempt of their Arab brethren, the Palestinians have only themselves to blame: they shoot themselves in the foot and then blame others for their misery. They would be better served if instead they would start directing their energies toward solving their own problems and improving their living conditions -- exactly what the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas governments are not doing.
UK Politician Sir Bob Russell Equates ‘Life of Palestinians’ to Holocaust (VIDEO)
Colchester MP Sir Bob Russell was speaking during a debate on the national curriculum in the House of Commons on Monday, when he posed a question to Education Secretary Michael Gove about the status of world history lessons, saying: “On the assumption that the 20th century will include the Holocaust, will he give me an assurance that the life of Palestinians since 1948 will be given equal attention?”
“These remarks are a shocking piece of Holocaust denigration,” said Jewish Leadership Council chief executive Jeremy Newmark. “There is simply no comparison between the two situations. It is worrying that so soon after the David Ward affair another MP thinks it is acceptable to play fast and loose with the language of the Holocaust in this context.”
Raheem Kassam: Call Israel what you like, but don't diminish the Holocaust
When you start invoking blood libels, ancient conspiracy theories, diminish the extermination of 6 million Jews or claim that people who happen to be Jewish run the world, well, that does make you an anti-Semite. It really does. No really, it does. You should embrace it. Now march yourself down to the annals of history and stay there, because the 21st century has no place for race baiters and bigots. And nor should the British Parliament.
Glenn Greenwald’s Anti-Semitism Exposed
The following are quotes from Glenn Greenwald, ‘Comment is Free’ correspondent for the Guardian. (Greenwald joined the Guardian in 2012 after several years of blogging at Salon.com and a personal blog titled ‘Unclaimed Territory‘.)
Experts criticize ‘irresponsible’ Al Jazeera investigation of anti-Morsi activists’ ties to U.S.
Stephen McInerney, Executive Director at the Project on Middle East Democracy, said the article had a “conspiratorial bent,” since there is no evidence the U.S. funded the main anti-Morsi movement called “Tamaroud,” meaning “rebel.” McInerney also noted that both sides in Egypt have accused each other of being backed by the United States.
Congressional Letter to Call on Qatar to Take Another Look at its Hamas Funding
The letter, circulated by Reps. Peter Roskam (R-IL) and John Barrow (D-GA), comes at a time when Qatar is scrambling to maneuver around the removal from power of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. Doha had strongly supported Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood movement, with documents being published this week showing six-figure payments from Qatar to top Brotherhood officials.
Palestinian lies like water
It comes back again and again: The canard that Israel is denying West Bank Palestinians water rights negotiated under the Oslo Accords.
You have to read the fine print to discover that illegal Palestinian tapping into Israel’s water lines and massive Palestinian water wastage are the causes of the problem. You have to study the issue in depth to discover that it is not Israeli “occupation policy” but Palestinian political resistance against joint water management and cooperation that is responsible for the slow development of the Palestinian water sector. The PA considers water and waste as weapons against Israel, not as areas of cooperation with Israel.
Female Arab Soldiers: Zoabi Should Go to Gaza
Two Arab Christian female Israelis who enlisted in the army this week have criticized MK Hanin Zoabi for her strong opposition to having Arabs join the IDF.
The two told Channel 10 News that MK Zoabi, who has in the past told Arutz Sheva that Israel should “prepare the prisons” if a law requiring Arab Israelis to enlist in the army is passed, does not represent them nor, in fact, does she represent many other Israeli Arabs who want to serve in the army.
So who’s blockading Gaza now?
The main point here is that in the wake of Morsi's removal the Egyptian army has closed off her border with Gaza completely, to the dismay of tunnel-traders, terrorists, Hamas and ordinary people trying to get in or out of Gaza. Doubtless the border will remain sealed until Egypt is confident that no more threats to her own security will come from the Hamas-controlled area.
It is now Egypt who is blockading Gaza more than Israel ever has, causing major pain and disruption to trade, construction, fuel and power supplies and travel, but I guess we won't hear that from the Israel-delegitimisers.
US sharpens criticism of Egyptian arrests
While the administration has determined it is not in US national security interests to make any immediate changes to its aid program, officials said the continuing arrests of members of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood and political party are troubling. The criticism is some of the most severe of Egypt’s new leadership since Morsi was toppled last week and came a day after arrest warrants were issued for the Muslim Brotherhood’s spiritual leader and nine other Islamists accused of inciting violence.
Syria: Al-Qaeda Linked Rebels Kill Free Syrian Army Officer
The Syrian rebels are continuing to turn on one another. Syrian rebels linked to Al-Qaeda killed a senior figure in the Western-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) on Thursday, an FSA source told Reuters.
Kamal Hamami, a member of the Free Syrian Army's Supreme Military Council, known by his nom de guerre Abu Bassel al-Ladkani, was meeting with members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the port city of Latakia when they killed him, Qassem Saadeddine, a Free Syrian Army spokesman, told the news agency.
Hezbollah fears attacks from al-Qaeda-linked groups
Fearing suicide attacks against Shi’ite targets in Lebanon, Hezbollah is adopting special security measures. According to Lebanese media reports, the Shi’ite organization has set up both fixed and mobile checkpoints in the heart of Baalbek, a Lebanese city known as a Shi’ite stronghold.
The unusual measures stem from concern about the possibility of bombings, similar to Tuesday’s incident in the Beir el-Abed neighborhood in Beirut’s Dahiyeh quarter during which 53 people were injured when an explosives-laden car exploded.
Irwin Cotler: The Iran-Hezbollah terror connection: What must be done
Simply put, the recent wave of terrorist attacks must serve as a wake-up call for the international community, which must act to combat this culture of incitement, terror and impunity. History teaches us that a sustained and coordinated international response is required to combat such grave threats to international peace and security. We must act now to hold Iran and Hezbollah to account, lest more lives be lost.
Iran: 75 hangings in 22 days
With the execution of 11 inmates in the northwestern city of Arbabil and western city of Qazin from July 6 thru July 8,, the total number of executions following the election of Hassan Rouhani on June 14 has reached 75. One of victims was 15 at the time of his arrest. Six were women.
Hezbollah Spying on Golan Heights from Syria
The IDF is forming a new division to operate in the Golan Heights, which faces a new threat of Hezbollah terrorists and weapons that had been limited to the Lebanese border before Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah sent his army to fight with Assad loyalists against Syrian rebels.
The new Golan division reflects the new situation in the Golan Heights, which now is on the border of clashes between Assad’s army and rebels and has been subject to frequent rifle fire and mortar shelling, usually accidental and sometimes intentional.
IDF Launches New Media Weapon in Information War against Hezbollah
The IDF has launched new interaction media websites on the Hezbollah terrorist network in a pre-emptive strike to expose the rapidly expanding empire for what it is.
The vastly researched sites provide media outlets and, more importantly, the general public with a wealth of information that is designed to help Israel overcome the worldwide media bias in favor its enemies, Operation Cast Lead in Gaza four years ago and the war in Lebanon proved how much foreign media were hell-bent to serve up reportage with a strongly pro-Hezbollah and pro-Hamas viewpoint.

Thursday, July 04, 2013

  • Thursday, July 04, 2013
From Ian:

A ‘P’alestinian Inconvenient Truth
In the ongoing “battle of the narratives” between Israel and the Palestinians, one minor, but telling, detail rarely gets mentioned: the Arabic alphabet, the abjad, lacks the letter “P.” Until the “P”alestinians, no people in history had ever adopted a name for themselves, or for their country, that cannot be written in their own language. By itself, this detail establishes that the “P”alestinian national narrative is a wholly modern invention.
In Arabic, the “P”alestinians call their country “Filastin” and themselves “Filastiniyun,” but this doesn’t validate their narrative; in fact, it underscores the simple truth about “P”alestine that the world ignores.
PM: Palestinian leaders think its possible to destroy Israel
Speaking at a memorial session marking the 73rd anniversary of Jabotinsky’s death, Netanyahu said the Irgun and Betar founder’s realism should be kept in mind today.
“The obstacle to peace between us and the Palestinians is not just fundamentalist terrorist organizations, but the belief that it is possible to destroy the State of Israel,” the prime minister explained.
“These organizations, states and leaders plant hopes in their nations that we can be beaten by sword, gun and bomb. We cannot be defeated by any those means or any others.”
Analysis: Hamas grows stronger in Gaza, again
Eight months after the IDF’s Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza, events in Syria, Egypt and Lebanon have turned the Strip into an arena of secondary importance for many observers.
Despite the relative quiet in the Gazan arena, much is taking place there. Hamas is entrenching itself further as the sovereign, and rearming itself with rockets. It once again has thousands of short-range rockets – around 5,000 of them – and possesses medium-range rockets which can strike greater Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Hamas’s rocket arsenal places 70 percent of Israelis within range.
UN calls for end to Israeli restrictions on Gaza
Israel’s Foreign Ministry brushed aside the criticism and laid the blame at the doorstep of the Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip.
“As soon as Hamas reaches out to Israel and asks to sit with us to coordinate lifting the restrictions, we will be able to say what is possible and what is not,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told The Times of Israel. “As long as Hamas continues to speak about Israel only as the target of rockets, speaking of lifting restrictions sounds particularly hollow.”
Israelly Cool: Hamas Would Rather Their People Suffer Than Benefit From Israeli-Produced Goods
Hamas has closed a gas canister factory in Gaza.
The crime? Selling canisters of the same color as Israeli-produced canisters.
4 Hamas operatives arrested in Cairo
Four Hamas operatives were arrested at their home in a Cairo suburb on suspicion of planning a terror attack, Egypt’s Al-Ahram reported early Wednesday.
Security forces found explosives in the apartment, as well as military and police uniforms.
Barry Rubin: Obama Administration Middle East Policy: See What I've Been Trying to Tell You?
A self-interview
First, I want to apologize that I have often used intemperate language to describe U.S. policy and the people making it in the last 4.5 years. Perhaps I have put off some of you who would otherwise have been persuaded that something is very wrong. Therefore, I have tried to do another version of this approach. Remember, I'm not responsible for the way the questions are phrased here.
A victory for young revolutionaries, but not for democracy
But for Hamas, the news out of Cairo Wednesday night was especially grim. The Palestinian organization is losing its most substantial ally, one that gave it vital political support. The Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas’s parent organization and in many ways its “Godfather,” lost its power to a military establishment that is hostile to the Palestinian group’s goals.
Hamas, which has clashed with Syria and Iran over the course of the last year, now finds itself nearly isolated in the Arab sphere. Perhaps the new reality in which it finds itself will lead the weakened Hamas to conclude its reunification with Fatah.
Morsi’s fall is a blow to Mideast Islamists
Egypt was the centerpiece of the Islamist movement’s vault to power in the Arab world’s sweeping wave of uprisings. Winning election after election here, the Islamists vowed to prove they could govern effectively and implement their vision of political Islam, all while embracing the rules of democracy.
Police raid Brotherhood as new leader calls for inclusion of Islamists
Adly Mansour sworn in as president; Police seeking Muslim Brotherhood head, have already arrested Morsi and 300 other senior party members; ElBaradei heads list to lead interim government
Morsi role at Syria rally seen as tipping point for Egypt army
Mr Morsi himself called for foreign intervention in Syria against Mr Assad, leading to a veiled rebuke from the army, which issued an apparently bland but sharp-edged statement the next day stressing that its only role was guarding Egypt’s borders.
At Pro-Morsi Rally, Supporters Chant Anti-Jewish Slogans Threatening Massacres
Pro-Morsi protesters at Cairo University – which was the scene of bloody clashes overnight – were heard chanting an anti-Semitic slogan threatening massacres against Jews:
“Pro-Morsy protesters at Cairo University chant the anti-Jewish slogan: "Khaybar, Khayber, O Jews, the army of Mohamed will return."
The chant is a reference to the 7th century events around the oasis of Khaybar in modern-day Saudi Arabia, in which Muslims massacred and expelled the town’s Jewish population.
Revenge: Coptic Church Set Aflame for Morsi
True to their vows, pro-Morsi Muslims are attacking Egypt’s Christians for participating in the anti-Morsi protests. The St. George Coptic Christian Church in a village in al-Minya, Egypt, has just been set on fire by “pro-Morsi” forces. Copts are reported to be in a state of “fear and panic.”
Days earlier, a letter was circulated in al-Minya, which has a very large Coptic population, calling on Copts not to join the protests, otherwise their “businesses, cars, homes, schools, and churches” might “catch fire.”
American Islamists Rally Behind MB Amid Egypt Protests
Millions of Egyptians are in the streets demanding the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt for their totalitarian theocratic policies. But many of America's leading Islamists are sticking by Morsi and condemning the protesters on social media.
Syria's Assad says political Islam being defeated in Egypt
Relishing the possible downfall of one of Assad's most vocal critics, Syrian television carried live coverage of the huge street demonstrations in Egypt demanding the departure of President Mohamed Mursi.
Turkey’s Ruling Party, Opposition Unite to Condemn Egypt Coup
In a rare show of unity, both Turkey’s ruling AK Party and its opposition Republican People's Party have condemned Wednesday's overthrow of Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi following protests by millions that led to a military coup d'etat.
AKP spokesperson Huseyin Celik told reporters that the coup was a sign of "backwardness," and accused some Western nations of having supported the overthrow.
Saudi Arabia Congratulates New Egyptian Ruler, West ‘Concerned’
Saudi Arabia’s king has already congratulated Egypt’s new transitional head of state, while Western leaders express concern and call for “dialogue.”
Saudi King Abdullah sent a message of congratulations to Supreme Constitutional Court chief justice Adly el-Mansour on Wednesday immediately following his appointment as the new head of Egypt’s transitional government by Egyptian Army Commander General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in the hours after the overthrow of Muslim Brotherhood-backed President Mohamed Morsi.
Catholic priest NOT among three beheaded on video by Syrian rebels, says head friar
A Catholic priest was not among three men graphically filmed being beheaded in Syria last week a friar overseeing the Franciscans in the Middle East has told CNN.
Father Francois Mourad, a Syrian originally named as victim of a merciless mob, was instead shot eight times on June 23 when a group of rebels stormed his monastery, said Friar Pierbattista Pizzaballa, head of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. He was buried that same day.
Hanging Out With Hezbollah
The intervention—Hezbollah’s first full-scale battle to reinforce Assad in Syria—suggests a new direction in the war and has seemingly prompted the U.S. to rush supplies to the rebels. It has also fanned fears that Hezbollah’s involvement will drag Lebanon deeper into the Syrian quagmire and possibly ignite a sectarian civil war between Sunnis and Shiites within Lebanon itself.
But the idea that this may be treacherous territory isn’t foremost in the mind of the Hezbollah commander. To him this is opportune training ground. “What we are doing in Syria in some ways is a dress rehearsal for Israel,” he says.
Gulf States Slam Hezbollah for Syria Fighting Conducted “Under The Banner” of Iran
Gulf states are again slamming Hezbollah over the Iran-backed terror group’s role in bolstering the regime of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad:
Chechen terror leader calls for attacks on Winter Olympics
A Chechen Islamist leader, described in Russia's media as the country's most wanted man, has issued a dramatic video broadcast threatening "maximum force" to disrupt the Winter Olympic games next year in the Russian resort town of Sochi.
Doku Umarov, leader of the so-called Caucasus Emirate group which has killed dozens in high profile bomb attacks at airports and metro stations, sought to rally his supporters and allies, saying:

Friday, June 14, 2013

  • Friday, June 14, 2013
From Ian:

US Confirms Assad Used Chemical Weapons
U.S. officials said that America will increase the “scope and scale” of its assistance to rebels in Syria in response.
“The President has been clear that the use of chemical weapons – or the transfer of chemical weapons to terrorist groups – is a red line for the United States, as there has long been an established norm within the international community against the use of chemical weapons,” deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said in a statement.
It’s About Time: United Nations Plans Refugee Camps for Syrians in Lebanon
But analysts here believe the biggest long-term fear for Hezbollah is that camps would shift Lebanese demographics. Judging by the estimated 400,000 Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon, some who fled Palestine at the establishment of Israel, camps would likely result in many Syrian Sunni refugees remaining in Lebanon even after the civil war is over—especially if Assad hangs on to power. Shiites would then become significantly out-numbered by Sunnis in a political system that is based on a delicate sectarian system introduced in 1990—at the end of a savage 15-year-long civil war—which allocates guaranteed government roles to the major sects.
Syria Death Count is at 93,000 – UN
Nevertheless, “the killings of at least 6,561 minors, including at least 1,729 children under ten years old – have been documented,” the High Commissioner said. “There are also well-documented cases of individual children being tortured and executed, and entire families, including babies, being massacred – which, along with this devastatingly high death toll, is a terrible reminder of just how vicious this conflict has become.”
Assad plans to open ‘resistance’ front in Golan, says report
According to a Lebanese report on Friday, embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad plans to open a “resistance” front on the Golan Heights and thinks such a move could unify the various factions in Syria.
Assad possesses a detailed plan for the establishment of such a front, reported the Beirut-based Al Akhbar daily, which would in practice be similar to the terrorist group Hezbollah’s activities in southern Lebanon.
Barry Rubin: How to Understand Islamism: Read What its Leaders Really Say
It should be stressed that the key challenge is not to cite passages from original Muslim theology to “prove” that Islam is always unchanging and inflexible—though understanding the roots of the radicals’ ideological appeal is important—or to ignore Islam as a factor completely but to look at the movement’s modern strategy and tactics. Almost thirty years after al-Qaradawi explained the movement's ideas clearly the opponents of Islamism have barely begun their attempt to understand and educate others on this ideology.
Have We Learned Anything From the Boston Attack?
Indeed, as the IBD report concludes: “Before mosques were excluded from the otherwise wide domestic spy net the administration has cast, the FBI launched dozens of successful sting operations against homegrown jihadists — inside mosques — and disrupted dozens of plots against the homeland.” However, the mosque in Boston that the older Tzarnaev brother attended was not monitored by the government, so the FBI was unaware of his increasing radicalization before the attack.
That should be of deep concern to every American. If our security services continue to close their eyes to the threat of Muslim terrorists, more innocent Americans will fall as their victims.
UN Watch: UN's Richard Falk & Truth Jihad's Kevin Barrett on "False Flag" 9/11 & Boston Marathon Attacks (10:20 onwards is insane)


‘Comment is Free’ contributor Abdel al-Bari Atwan sympathizes with Osama Bin Laden
Abdel al-Bari Atwan is the editor-in chief of the London-based Arab newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi, and has been named among the 50 ‘most influential Arabs’ by Middle East Magazine. His pro-Palestinian, anti-Zionist politics can be best summed up by his fanciful boast a few years ago that he would dance in the streets in London’s Trafalgar Square if Iranian nuclear missiles were to hit Tel Aviv.
IDF Foils Terror Attack in Samaria
The man was found to be a member of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.
During the search carried out as part of the arrest, the soldiers found explosives, bullets, pipe bombs and plant fertilizer, which is used as one of the ingredients for making bombs.
Mesika to IDF: Nip 'Third Intifada' in the Bud
The gunfire aimed at an Israeli bus in Samaria Wednesday night was a significant ramping-up of the security deterioration in Judea and Samaria in recent months, said Samaria Council head Gershon Mesika. “This shooting is a worrying development,” said Mesika. “We demand that the IDF develop and utilize the appropriate measures to restore security to residents.”
'Sweden considering reducing aid to Palestinians'
The Swedish government may cut back on financial assistance to the Palestinians following their failure to move forward with peace negotiations with Israel, Swedish news site The Local reported.
The report quoted Development aid minister Gunilla Carlsson as asking: "Is it worth continuing developing the prerequisites for a two-state solution if Israel and the Palestinians themselves do not want to sit down at the negotiating table?"
Poland, Czech Republic balk on blacklisting Hezbollah
Denmark, Sweden, Germany and France support blacklisting Hezbollah, the source said. It has long been believed that France was blocking such a move out of concern that it would diminish European influence in Lebanon, a former French colony.
Lebanese Hezbollah suspects to sue Nigerian gov't
A raid on one of the mens' residences in the main northern city of Kano uncovered a stash of anti-tank weapons, landmines, heavy artillery, rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles, authorities said.
The military said last month that the weapons were to be used in attacks on American and Israeli targets.
Concerns Grow Over Egypt’s Blasphemy Cases Against Christians and the Media
“Slapping criminal charges with steep fines and, in most cases, prison sentences against people for simply speaking their mind or holding different religious beliefs is simply outrageous,” Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Director, said in a statement.
Most of the blasphemy cases in Egypt have been directed against Coptic Christians.
Thousands of Lawyers March in Turkey Anti-Government Protests
Addressing the lawyers, Ümit Kocasakal, head of Istanbul’s Bar Association, slammed the police crackdown. “The use of gas canisters and plastic bullets is illegal and indiscriminately targeting anyone while disregarding citizens’ safety. Turkish protesters are not bugs to be killed by gassing but are human,” said Kocasakal.

Monday, June 03, 2013

  • Monday, June 03, 2013
From Ian:

Professor Robbie Sabel:Manipulating International Law as Part of Anti-Israeli “Lawfare”
Israel has a strong record of complying with international law and its judicial system ensures that it will continue to do so. The essence of any legal system, however, is that law applies equally to all. This principle is being undermined by the attempts of Israel’s foes and detractors to manipulate international law as part of their lawfare against Israel. Devising tailor-made rules of international law for application only where Israel is concerned undermines international law and can have an insidious and corrosive effect on the rule of law in general.
CAMERA: Economist Editors Flout Their "Editors' Code of Practice"
What emerges from this response is not only the contempt the editors hold for their readers, but their clear violation the British Editors' Code of Practice. Far from fulfilling their duty "to maintain highest professional standards," The Economist's editors have stooped to the lowest standards.
PMW: Song misrepresents Israeli cities as "Palestine" at Fatah event


Boy sings song defining Be'er Sheva as part of "Palestine," on PA TV (VIDEO)

Wikipedians most likely to war over ‘Israel,’ ‘God’
‘Israel” and “God,” along with “Adolf Hitler” and “Holocaust,” are among the most contested and controversial topics on Wikipedia, a new study has found.
A chapter in a book set for release in 2014, “The most controversial topics in Wikipedia: A multilingual and geographical analysis,” collates data on the number of edits each articles received on the user-written online encyclopedia across a variety of languages, according to a report in Wired.
Barry Rubin: Palestinian Authority Finds Perfect Prime Minister
Hamdullah is sort of the perfect compromise. He is a nobody, a technocrat, lacking all political experience so he won’t try to challenge the party bosses and cannot do so. Hamdullah will do what he is told.
But also Hamdullah, dean at al-Najah University, is a Fatah party member (plus 1), is British-educated (plus 2), and an English professor (plus 3). In other words, he knows how to deal with the West and will hopefully keep the money rolling in but cannot do anything and won’t try.
Khaled Abu Toameh: Palestinians: Why Abbas Chose This Prime Minister
As long as Fayyad was prime minister, it was almost impossible for Abbas and Fatah to lay their hands on the hundreds of millions of dollars of international aid. Unlike Fayyad, Hamdallah will serve as the obedient and faithful servant of Abbas, as well as the Fatah and PLO leadership. On the political arena, the appointment will have no impact whatsoever.
Why Iranian Elections Won’t Matter this Time (Thanks to Obama)
The only silver lining is that there will be no reformist candidate to serve as a fig leaf for Iranian nukes. Scholars may debate whether Mir Mousavi could have ultimately effected any serious change on the Iranian nuclear issue, but no candidate running this time will leave an already timid West confused about Iran’s nuclear intentions.
Irwin Cotler: Why I’m ‘Adopting’ an Iranian Prisoner
The week coincides with the fifth anniversary of the imprisonment of the Baha’i leadership in Iran, known as the Yaran; the 25th anniversary of the 1988 massacre of thousands of Iranian political dissidents; and a recent report of 2,600 political prisoners in Iran, including women, ethnic and religious leaders, journalists, bloggers, students, artists, and trade union leaders — simply put, the leadership of Iranian civil society. Indeed, the regime has only been ramping up its crackdown on dissent in advance of presidential elections next month, and many of those detained are under threat of execution.
The Dhimma Returns to Syria
In his report Janssen tells of his experience of a prayer walk in Amman, held on May 21 2013 for the two abducted Syrian clergy, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Paul Yazigi and Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim. These Archbishops have been captured by Syrian rebels.
After the prayer walk Janssen had the opportunity to meet with Syrian Christian refugees, who told him how they came to flee their homes and villages. Their village was occupied by rebel forces, who proceeded to announce that they were now under an Islamic emirate, and were subject to sharia law.
Al-Qaeda Sets Up 'Complaints Department' in Syria
Al-Qaeda has set up a complaints department after taking control of parts of the civilian administration in northern Syria, The Telegraph reported on Monday.
The group’s Arabian Peninsula offshoot posted a public notice in the the north-eastern Syrian city of Raqqa this week stating that it was open to receiving public complaints.
Barry Rubin: Massive Demonstrations Shake Turkey
Erdogan is very arrogant, has a strong base of support, and enjoys the full support of the Obama Administration. The Turkish economy is generally considered to be strong. Erdogan will have to decide whether to slow down the Islamization process—he has been clever at being patient—or perhaps will, on the contrary, speed it up claiming his regime is facing sabotage.
Analysis: Arab uprising spirit comes to Turkey
Have the Arab uprisings made their way to Turkey? It seems the Turkish people took a page out of the Arab peoples’ playbook, with large numbers demonstrating in the streets in order to bring about political change. The protesters seem to be made up of more secular Turks affiliated with the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1924.
War-torn Syria issues travel warning for Turkey
‘Deteriorating security situation’ prompts Damascus to caution against visiting country where 370,000 Syrian refugees have found refuge
Egypt Seizes Explosives Meant for Sinai Smugglers
Egyptian authorities seized a ton of explosives destined for smugglers in the Sinai on Saturday, local police told the Bethlehem-based Ma'an news agency.
The explosives were earmarked for the destruction of rocky mountains to facilitate building smuggling tunnels into Gaza, police said.
Red Sea ‘porn stars’ released
Ten Georgian nationals who were arrested in Egypt on suspicion that they were conducting a porn shoot near a Red Sea resort town have been released, with authorities saying the incident was due to a misunderstanding.
Accused ex-Hezbollah member referred to as “god of death”
In the defense's version, Wissam Allouche was a former linguist for the U.S. Army who ran a gas station in Northeast San Antonio as he became an American citizen.
But to counterterrorism officials, Allouche, 44, belonged to Hezbollah, falsely claimed to be a U.S. special forces officer during visits to Fort Sam Houston, and even tried to hook up with women at the post, possibly to gain access to sensitive information.
Boston Bombings: Al Qaeda Chief In New Warning
Al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen has said the Boston blasts revealed America's fragile security and showed making bombs was within "everyone's reach".
Qassim al Rimi, the military chief of the group, urged Muslims in America to "carry on with this way" and defend their religion in an audio message posted online.

Sunday, June 02, 2013

  • Sunday, June 02, 2013
From Ian:

Sarah Honig: The light from London
Already then, in Israel’s scariest neonatal hours, Britain played a proactive role in Arab plans to throw us into the sea.
The best-trained Arab army, the Jordanian Arab Legion, was established and organized on official orders from London by Maj.-Gen. Frederick G. Peake (a.k.a. Peake Pasha). In 1939, Peake was replaced by Lancashire-born Lt.-Gen. John Bagot Glubb (a.k.a. Glubb Pasha), who remained the legion’s commander until 1956. Glubb led the 1948 Arab Legion’s invasion of Israel and engineered the legion’s conquest of east Jerusalem, in direct contravention of the UN Partition Resolution.
British aircraft bombed and strafed Israel’s underdog fledgling forces. We won’t mention Britain’s pre-state refusal of asylum to desperate Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Europe nor Britain’s hunt on the high seas postwar for Holocaust survivors and their incarceration for years under appalling conditions in Cyprus prison camps.
A story the BBC will not tell
On June 10th 1948 Mishmar HaYarden finally fell to the Syrian army. Fourteen of its defenders had been killed and the twenty-nine men and women who remained were taken prisoner by the Syrians. They remained prisoners of war for thirteen months until the Armistice Agreement was signed in 1949. Once released, they found that they had nowhere to return to: their village of 58 years had been razed to the ground by the Syrians.
Mishmar HaYarden was eventually re-established as a moshav, some 2 km to the south-west of its original site. Tens of other communities were also depopulated during the War of Independence due to attacks by the invading armies from surrounding Arab countries, including those in Gush Etzion, some in the Negev and the Jordan Valley and several Jerusalem neighbourhoods. That aspect of the War of Independence is not mentioned in the BBC’s narrative of events.
Saudis, Gulf states ‘unnerved by US pivot away from Middle East’
The concern: America’s regional allies are reading clear signs of the superpower’s desire to disentangle itself from the region. Despite criticism, the US has done little to affect the course of battle in the Syrian civil war. And despite repeated requests from allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia, the Obama administration has declined to order military action to curtail Iran’s nuclear program, instead opting for continued diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis. Middle Eastern allies have also noted the administration’s much-discussed strategic “pivot” away from what many administration officials view as the distractions of the Middle East to the more geopolitically weighty issues related to the growing influence of China.
Iran's Arak reactor looms in Israeli, Western view
Iran aims to start a reactor next year which the West fears could arm an atomic bomb. Israel, which has bombed such construction sites around the Middle East before, may try to stop the plant being completed.
Boston, London, Paris attacks highlight al Qaeda shift in tactics
Intelligence agencies that have succeeded in thwarting many of al Qaeda's plans for spectacular attacks are struggling to combat the terror network's strategy of encouraging followers to keep to themselves, use off-the-shelf weapons and strike when they see an opportunity.
In recent weeks — at the Boston marathon, in the streets of London and in the shadow of one of Paris' most recognizable monuments — young men allegedly carried out attacks with little help, using inexpensive, widely available knives and explosives from everyday ingredients. In each of the attacks, suspects had previously been flagged to law enforcement and deemed not to be a priority.
Iraq uncovers al-Qaeda 'chemical weapons plot'
The authorities in Iraq say they have uncovered an al-Qaeda plot to use chemical weapons, as well as to smuggle them to Europe and North America.
Defence ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said five men had been arrested after military intelligence monitored their activities for three months.
PMW: Israeli cities misrepresented as "Palestine" in song on Arab Idol


Cities in Israel misrepresented as "Palestine" in PA TV - VIDEO

Iran Slashing Hamas Funding
The British Daily Telegraph reports that Hamas, which rules Gaza, is paying a heavy price in lost aid over its assistance to the rebels fighting Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Iran has made a meaningful cut in its aid to Hamas, which had previously reached amounts as large as 15 million Australian dollars per month.
Russia Blocks Security Council Statement on Syria
Russia on Saturday blocked a United Nations Security Council declaration of alarm over the bloody siege of the Syrian town of al-Qusayr by Syrian troops and Hizbullah terrorists.
Radical Qaradawi Calls for 'Jihad' Against Syria and Hizbullah
Radical Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi has called on Sunni Muslims to join the rebels fighting the Syrian regime, AFP reported on Saturday.
Qaradawi lashed out at the Shiite terror group Hizbullah for sending its men to fight the mostly-Sunni insurgents in Syria.
MEMRI: Deputy Leader of Hizbullah Naim Qassem: Hizbullah Is Ready to Participate in Fighting in Golan VIDEO

Lawlessness, Blackouts Roil Egypt As U.S. Warns Against Pyramids Tourism
Lawlessness has become so endemic in Egypt that the U.S. Embassy this week warned Americans away from visiting the country’s famed pyramids. A academic teaching at the American University in Cairo received an email from the embassy warning of “aggressiveness [that] in some cases is closer to criminal conduct… with angry groups of individuals surrounding and pounding on [vehicles]… and in some cases attempting to open the vehicle’s doors.” The warning lined up with the professor’s observations:
Egyptian legislature illegally elected, court rules
Egypt’s highest court ruled on Sunday that the nation’s Islamist-dominated legislature and constitutional panel were illegally elected, dealing a serious blow to the legal basis of the Islamists’ hold on power.
Unprovoked Attack on Jews in Lyon
Anti-Semitism continues to plague France. According to local media outlets in Lyon, two Jewish residents of the city were attacked Saturday as they walked to a local synagogue.
The two were attacked by three men of Arab origin in an unprovoked, sudden assault.
Netafim Wins 2013 Stockholm Industry Water Award
Netafim, the pioneer and global leader in drip and micro-irrigation technology and the world’s largest irrigation company, announced today it has been named the 2013 Stockholm Industry Water Award laureate. Netafim will receive the prestigious award at a World Water Week ceremony in Stockholm on September 3.
The Israeli “Old Macdonald” carrot starring in Moscow markets
Russians fell in love with the Israeli big carrot “Uncle Moses”, which is the Hebrew term “Old Macdonald” the old farmer figure from the Israeli western Negev.

Friday, May 03, 2013

  • Friday, May 03, 2013
From Ian:

UN sponsors "terrorist tournament"
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has sponsored an event named after a Palestinian terrorist who was responsible for the deaths of 125 people.
The event, a football tournament, was financially supported by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and sponsored by the United Nations agency. Palestinian news outlets reported, "The draw for the 19th Prince of Martyrs Khalil Al-Wazir Abu Jihad Football Tournament for youth born in 1996, took place in the Al-Ansar Club offices in Jerusalem. The tournament is organized by the Ansar Al-Quds Club, sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme and funded by the Islamic Development Bank."
PMW: Abu Jihad glorified for planning "operations" that killed dozens of Israelis - on PA TV



Arab March to Jerusalem Planned in Cairo
A Global March to Jerusalem was planned last year as well. Counter-terror experts found that Iran was backing the event.
The march drew only a few thousand people, far from the two million supporters organizers had hoped for.
Analysis: Egypt, Iran in power struggle over Gaza
Egypt and Iran are locked in a power struggle over their influence and conflicting aims in the Gaza Strip, and Egypt appears to have the upper hand.
While Tehran is dissatisfied with the relative durability of the cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, and is pushing Palestinian armed factions to violate the truce, Cairo is doing its utmost to reinforce the calm, which it views as serving Egypt’s national interest.
Iran Brings Back Stoning As “Islamic Punishment”
The controversial “Islamic Punishment” law that was rejected by the Guardians Council returned and eventually was passed last week. To the disappointment of human rights activists and the promises of some Majlis representatives, not only stoning is not negated in the law, it is in fact emphasized.
Kenya Finds Iranians Guilty of Plotting Attacks Against Israelis
Two Iranians were found guilty by a Kenyan court Thursday for possessing explosives allegedly for use in bomb attacks.
Erdogan: There's No Doubt Assad Used Chemical Weapons
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that there is no doubt that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has used chemical weapons against rebels.
Erdogan added that he would discuss the issue with U.S. President Barack Obama during his upcoming visit to Washington.
Federal Agents Raid Saudi Diplomatic Compound, Free Slaves
Saudi Arabia officially abolished slavery, but its labor practices are largely indistinguishable from slavery. High-ranking Saudis in America have been charged with slavery before.
But now a Saudi diplomatic compound in Virginia has run afoul of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Pakistanis remember bin Laden as 'Islamic hero'
Al-Qaida supporters gather in Pakistan, chanting, carrying photos of 9/11 mastermind bin Laden on 2nd anniversary of his death.
UK Political Candidate Making ‘Nazi Salute’ Claims He Was Just Reaching For Phone
However, to their detractors the group’s anti-EU drive comes not from economic sensibility but from nationalism, xenophobia, and even outright racism.
Case in point: this week 22-year-old UKIP candidate Alex Wood was suspended after a Facebook photo that appeared to show him making a “Nazi salute” was published by left wing tabloid the Daily Mirror.
Neo-Nazi trial highlights latent racism in Germany
Surviving member of National Socialist Underground to be tried for complicity in murder of 8 Turks and a Greek
Dutch Turk Volunteer Harassed for Opposing Holocaust Supporters
He said, “The Sahin Affair, even if it concerns a single victim, well illustrates three major negative aspects of contemporary Dutch society. The first issue is, as Sahin relates, the immoral attitudes held by significant parts of Dutch Turkish society. The second aspect is the failure of the Dutch major media which only started to give substantial publicity to the scandal of the young Hitler admirers on mainstream TV after several weeks had passed, when the Simon Wiesenthal Center wrote a protest letter to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
The third more recent failure is that of the Dutch police and prosecution. The net result of the death threats and hatred against Sahin coming out of the Turkish community is that one of the youths receives some superficial “educational training,” while the victim is warned that he will be brought before a court if he insults his aggressors again.

Monday, April 29, 2013

  • Monday, April 29, 2013
From Ian:

Boston bombers and 'liberal' cringe
Obviously, neither the Jews nor the American far right were responsible for the Boston marathon bombings, as some Middle-Eastern media outlets have hilariously claimed. In the West, blaming the Jews can be a sign of paranoia, but coming from the Middle-East, it’s usually a cynical tactic to appeal to those same Western paranoid types.
Judging by some British reporting of the Boston terrorist attack, one might get the impression that the British liberal media establishment wished it could blame anyone but those involved – Chechen jihadists.
Multiculturalism and the Decline of American Values
Liberal academia has always displayed a notoriously poor track record of anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism. So it should come as no surprise then that professor emeritus of international law and practice at Princeton University and United Nations Human Rights “expert” on Palestine, Richard Falk, declared moral bankruptcy on Tuesday, when he blamed the Boston terrorist attack on America.
Barry Rubin: The Truths About Terrorism Whose Names They Dare Not Speak
The current conventional wisdom about terrorism, Islamism, and the Middle East is being bent, but not broken, by two events. On one hand, there is the Boston bombing; on the other hand, developments in Syria and to a lesser extent Egypt. What’s happening?
In the Middle East, the misbehavior of Islamist movements is becoming more apparent. In Egypt, there is the repression of the Muslim Brotherhood regime, which may actually intend to create a non-democratic Sharia state! Parallel behavior in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Turkey is under-reported but occasionally surfaces.
Harriet Sherwood and Phoebe Greenwood take steps towards understanding Palestinian incitement
As such, it was encouraging to read a recent story by the Guardian’s Harriet Sherwood, entitled ’Gaza schoolboys being trained to use Kalashnikovs‘, April 28, which reports on news that Hamas is now providing Gaza schools with military training for young boys. The program, which includes the use of firearms and explosives, will likely be extended to girls next year.
BBC discovers the word antisemitism
In the ‘Sussex’ category of the ‘England’ section of the UK page on the BBC News website we find a report entitled “Crowborough UKIP candidate Anna-Marie Crampton suspended” dated April 25th. Somewhat surprisingly – given its record when reporting similar recent cases of antisemitic remarks made by other politicians and public figures in the UK – this time the BBC has found itself able to accurately describe the nature of the statements made.
Polish politician to receive Elie Wiesel Award
Bartoszewski was a former Auschwitz concentration camp prisoner, the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs and an honorary citizen of Israel. He is currently the Secretary of State in the Prime Minister’s Office. During the World War II, Bartoszewski was involved in the rescue of Jews for which he received the Righteous Among the Nations medal from Yad Vashem in Israel.
Israeli startup powers the sensors that power agriculture
Sensor-based innovations are helping farmers grow more food, and Sol-Chip’s technology is helping them do it more efficiently
Int'l Company Brings Optic Solution for Bandwidth Challenges
The Ciena company has announced the launch of its new network architecture, aimed at bringing a solution to bandwidth challenges.
What Israel Did for IBM and What IBM Did for Israel
An interview with Meir Nissensohn, former general manager of IBM in Israel.
Doug interviews Meir Nissensohn, former general manager of IBM in Israel. Mr. Nissensohn explains why IBM came to Israel, what investment opportunities Israel offers to large, multinational companies and what these companies can give to Israel in return. Also find out why Israel has so many startup companies and why businesses and the Israeli economy continue to prosper on the second part of this week’s Goldstein on Gelt podcast.

Friday, April 12, 2013

  • Friday, April 12, 2013
From Ian:

Latma asks to bring back the country we know and Tawil Fadiha compares Israel to the Nazis



Kerry’s quest: Who really wants peace?
What was John Kerry thinking when he asked Turkey’s viscerally anti-Israel and anti-Jewish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to be “a partner” in brokering peace between Israel and the Palestinians? Does he honestly think Hamas’ loyal and enthusiastic supporter, a man who has called Zionism a crime against humanity, could be an honest broker? The State Department spokeswoman confirmed a Turkish newspaper report that Kerry wants Erdogan to play an active role in the peace process, and said Kerry asked Turkey to use its “significant influence with the Palestinians” to encourage Hamas to accept the demands of the International Quartet.
MPs: Erdogan's son doing business in Israel
Turkish opposition members have embarrassed Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan by revealing that in the past three years, while the relations between Ankara and Jerusalem were at an all-time low, his son continued doing business with Israel.
The son, Ahmet Burak Erdogan, is the owner of the MB Shipping company, which holds two cargo vessels. One of them, Safran-1, has sailed between Turkish and Israeli ports several times, transferring goods back and forth.
Turkey says terrorists planned to bomb US Embassy, synagogue
Al-Qaeda-linked operatives planned to bomb the US Embassy in Ankara, a synagogue in Istanbul and other sites, Turkish police said on Thursday.
Turkish officials uncovered the plot and arrested 12 people — two Chechens, two Azeris and eight Turks — in February.
The police seized 50 pounds of plastic explosives with detonation systems attached, as well as six laptops and other evidence during a raid on two terrorist cells in Istanbul and Corlu, reported The New York Times.
Caroline Glick: Column One: Moral relativism and jihad
The danger exposed by the cancellation of Geller’s speech and the conferral of honors on the likes of Carter and Waters by mainstream Jewish institutions is daunting. If moral relativism remains the dominant dogma of the American Jewish establishment, the already weakly defended, but still strongly rooted, support for Israel among the rank and file of the American Jewish community will dissipate.
IDF: Mideast being Redrawn along Sunni-Shiite Fault Line
He added that regional shifts have deteriorated governance in areas bordering Israel, noting, "For the first time in decades, Israel has four active borders which could open up from terror attacks."
Kochavi also discussed the changing role of religion in shaping regional alliances. "Today, the Middle East is being redefined into Shiite and Sunni camps," he explained, "which explains things like why Hamas has distanced itself from Iran in recent months and is moving closer to Egypt and Turkey, or why Iran is arming the Shiite minority in Yemen."
23,085 soldiers have fallen protecting Israel
The Defense Ministry released its annual figures of fallen soldiers on Friday morning ahead of Remembrance Day, stating that 92 soldiers had fallen this year and a total of 23,085 have fallen in Israel's wars since 1860.
UC Santa Barbara, in Marathon Hearing, Becomes Latest School to Reject Israel Divestment
“The argument against the bill was pretty multi-faceted, but essentially rested on the fact that there were a bunch of claims in the resolution that were either false, taken out of context, or disputed by independent experts, and so the effect of passing the resolution would be to declare Israel guilty of all these accusations despite all the conflicting evidence,” Samarov said.
Pallies File UN Complaint Against Canada
I bet we're still taken for suckers & Baird gives them another 300 Million
"In a move that could greatly impact the actions of third-party states and companies currently profiting from Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise in the West Bank, the Palestinian village of Bil’in recently filed a complaint against Canada with the United Nations."
South Africa: Labels for Products from 'Occupied Territories'
The new rules stipulate that goods will no longer carry "Made in Israel" labels but instead will have to be specific about the exact origin of the goods.
Medupe explained that goods coming from Gaza will be labeled Gaza-Israel goods, those made in Judea and Samaria will be labeled West Bank-Israeli goods and imports from eastern Jerusalem will be tagged East Jerusalem-Israeli goods.
Avago buys Israel's CyOptics for $400m
CyOptics is developing next-generation optical components for high-speed transmission of video content. Customers include governments and some of the world's biggest companies. The company is growing rapidly, tripling its sales in the past three years to $210 million in 2012.
Israel set to bag another mega Indian defence deal
Israel seems all set to bag yet another mega defence deal to equip all the 356 infantry battalions of the Indian Army with third-generation anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). While Russia is far ahead in the lead, Israel is trying to stave off a strong challenge from the US to remain the second largest arms supplier to India.
The Rs 15,000-crore ($2.76 billion USD) project will involve an initial direct acquisition of the man-portable "tank killers", with a strike range of 2.5-km, followed by transfer of technology (ToT) to defence PSU, Bharat Dynamics, for large-scale indigenous manufacture.

Monday, April 08, 2013

  • Monday, April 08, 2013
From Ian:

Enlisting child stone throwers, soldiers is a war crime
As stone-throwing Palestinian children have been in the news lately it is relevant to observe that enlistment of children to carry out these violent acts is in effect no different than enlisting child soldiers, which is a war crime in terms of Article 8(2)(b)(xxvi) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The time has come to recognize that encouraging children to hurl stones and firebombs, as well as using them as human shields, as practiced by Hamas, cannot be described as anything but enlisting them to participate actively in hostilities and therefore a war crime.
The sinister syntax of stone throwing
According to Hass, my son Koby’s murder by stones is not only an act but a metaphor. Koby’s teenage body was bludgeoned to death. Was that a simile or a metaphor? Was a beating with stones like cruelty? Or was it cruelty? Are you, Amira, condoning his murder? Or is it like you are condoning his murder?
Perhaps Asher Palmer and his son Jonathan were killed because of a synechdoche, the rock as a symbol of a whole people’s arm, Palestinian rage?
And the child who is still in the hospital because his mother’s car was in an accident because Arabs threw stones – an act of resistance?
Activists Demonstrate Outside Haaretz Offices Against Hass
Activists demonstrated outside the Tel Aviv offices of the Haaretz newspaper over column which encouraged terrorist rock-throwing attacks.
PMW: YouTube restores PMW video that was blocked after exposing hate speech
Yesterday, Palestinian Media Watch reported that YouTube had blocked a PMW video, defining it as a "violation of YouTube's policy prohibiting hate speech." Within 24 hours, YouTube removed the block on the video. PMW thanks all our readers who contacted YouTube about the issue.
Syria: One More Case of Land-for-War
Consider Syria. From 1948 to 1967, the Syrians regularly fired artillery shells from their dominant positions on the Golan Heights down at Israeli border communities and Fatah used the territory to launch terrorist raids into Israel, until Israel captured it in 1967. But since the US-brokered talks between Israel and Syria began in 1999, peaceniks have posited that a full withdrawal by Israel from the strategic plateau in exchange for peace with Syria involved a risk worth taking.
Kerry tries to woo Abbas with land-for-talks deal
United States Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday offered Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas a package of Israeli concessions, including the transfer of land from Israeli to Palestinian control, in return for agreeing to return to the negotiating table.
Abbas to Kerry: Israel Should Release Terrorists Before Talks
The “free the terrorists” precondition comes just two days after Abbas demanded that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu present a map for a future Palestinian state before any peace talks can resume.
Soldiers Arrest Terrorist With Firebombs, Explosives
Soldiers from the IDF’s Kfir Brigade arrested a Palestinian Authority Arab terrorist, who was carrying four firebombs and three improvised explosive devices, at the Hawara checkpoint near Shechem on Sunday night.
After rockets, Israel closes Gaza crossings
Israel said Monday it would close one of the main commercial crossings into Gaza, and partially close another one, in response to rockets fired from the Strip the day before.
Egypt: Clashes outside Copt cathedral leave one dead
Christians angered by the killing of four Christians in weekend sectarian violence clashed Sunday with a mob throwing rocks and firebombs, killing one and turning Cairo’s main Coptic cathedral into a battleground.
Egyptians demand an end to ties with Iran and 'Shia Islam'
The protestors demanded cutting off all relations between Egypt and the “Iranian entity” and declared that Shia Muslims were not welcome in Egypt. They also demanded the expulsion of all Iranian tourists from the country.
The Salafi protestors also chanted against the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohamed Morsi for “normalizing” relations with Iran and “aiding the spread of Shia Islam”.
Claim of Turkish ‘sensitivity’ astonishes Israelis
Israeli officials expressed astonishment on Sunday that US Secretary of State John Kerry praised Turkey for responding “sensitively” and without triumphalism to Israel’s apology for the Mavi Marmara incident.
“They have taken steps to try to prevent any sense of triumphalism,” Kerry said at a press conference on Sunday with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. “It has not come from the government. In fact, there has been limited response by the government itself and I think it’s important for everybody to take note of that.”
“What country is he talking about?” one Israeli official responded. “I’m afraid the State Department did not show the secretary of state the press reports from Turkey following the apology.”

Friday, March 15, 2013

  • Friday, March 15, 2013
From Ian:

Israeli lawyer goes after Abbas, Hamas in ICC
Files request to prosecute "Palestine," as a state; allege crimes by Palestinians against Israelis and Palestinians alike.
An Israeli law firm on Thursday formally announced its request to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensada, to open a criminal investigation into violations by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and nine members of Hamas for war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of aggression.
The allegations include alleged war crimes against Israeli civilians and by the Palestinians against rival Palestinian groups, such as Fatah’s forces against Hamas’s sympathizers during rounds of in-fighting.
Israeli Director of Military Intelligence warns Iran and Hezbollah have established 50,000 strong army operating in Syria
Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, the Israeli Director of Military Intelligence, today gave his analysis of the deteriorating situation in Syria, saying that “the damages of the imminent fall of Syria are very high for both Iran and Hezbollah.” Speaking at the annual Herzliya security conference held in Israel, he highlighted that Iran is losing its sole ally in the region surrounding Israel, and thus also the ability to transfer weaponry through Syria to Hezbollah.
UN says it’s worried about arms flow from Syria to Lebanon
Security Council ‘encouraged’ by calm along Israeli-Lebanese Blue Line, but says attempts being made to undermine Lebanese stability
The UN Security Council underscored its grave concern Thursday at the arms trafficking and repeated weapons fire across the Lebanon-Syria border, but said it was happy that arms had not been used against Israel.
IDF Blog: Two Years On: The “Victoria” Weapon-Smuggling Interception
Two years ago today, the Victoria set sail from a port in Syria, loaded with Iranian-made weapons bound for Gaza and the terrorist group Hamas.
Stone Throwing Arabs Cause Car Crash, Critically Injuring 3 Year Old Girl, 3 Others
Palestinian Arab stone throwing at a road near the Jewish community of Ariel in Judea and Samaria led to a car crash that critically injured a 3-year-old girl and moderately injured her mother and her two other daughters, ages 4 and 6.
Soldiers Shoot Terrorist, Discover Huge Cache of Firebombs
IDF soldiers shot a Palestinian Authority Arab terrorist on Thursday evening, after he threw a firebomb at them near Nitzanei Oz in the Sharon region.
The terrorist sustained moderate to severe wounds and was taken by a Red Crescent ambulance to a hospital in the PA city of Tulkarm.
After the terrorist was shot, the soldiers searched the area and discovered a huge cache of ready-to-use firebombs. It is believed that the terrorist had been planning to throw more firebombs at the soldiers, but his plan was foiled when he was shot by them.
CAMERA: Human Rights Watch Goes to Bat for Hamas's Al Aqsa TV
Are the activities of Al Aqsa TV as innocuous Whitson claims? And who is responsible for blurring the distinction between civilian and combatant, Israel or Hamas? Whitson blames Israel, relieving Hamas of accountability. HRW criticized the Israelis for failing to produce evidence of the station's direct support of Hamas's violent activities. However, Al Aqsa programs are well documented.
Hamas accuses Egyptian media of anti-Palestinian incitement
Press had reported that seven Palestinians detained in Cairo were planning to target local installations
Hamas leaders on Thursday attacked the Egyptian press for attempting “to sow strife between Egypt and Gaza” by reporting that seven Palestinians detained at the Cairo airport were planning to target vital infrastructures in the country.
Egyptian media reported the arrest of the seven, who arrived in Cairo on a flight from Damascus early Wednesday morning, after they were found carrying maps of installations and documents specifying ways of manufacturing explosives.
Saudi Arabia may stop beheading due to swordsmen shortages
Oil-rich kingdom mulls abolition of beheading in favour of firing squads for capital punishments due to reported shortages of government swordsmen, Saudi daily reports
University College London bans hard-line Islamic group which tried to segregate men and women at a debate held on university premises
A Muslim group has been banned from a university after segregating men and women during a debate.
Visitors to the event at University College London were told to use men’s or women’s entrances.
Organisers Islamic Education and Research Academy (iERA) told women to sit at the back, while men and couples were sent to the front. Three people who objected were ordered to leave.
Jewish group lodges complaint against South African minister
Deputy FM in hot water over ‘inflammatory remarks’ alleging foul play in awarding of building contracts to Jewish developers
The South African Jewish Board of Deputies lodged a complaint with the country’s Human Rights Commission over ”inflammatory remarks” made by Deputy Foreign Minister Marius Fransman.
In a radio interview last month, Fransman claimed that Jewish businessmen in the Western Cape region have benefited from contracts previously held by members of the local Muslim community. “We saw that the DA [Democratic Alliance party] had given over building contracts… that historically were in the hands of Muslim participants and now they have given it to people from the Jewish community,” Fransman said.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

  • Thursday, March 14, 2013
  • Elder of Ziyon
Al Ahram published the names of three Hamas members that, it says, are behind the massacre of 16 Egyptian soldiers last August in the Sinai.

The terrorists then stole an APC and a truck filled with explosives, and they entered Israel where the IDF stopped them.

Egyptian security blamed Gaza terrorists at the time, but more recently the news out of Egypt has been that the terrorists were specifically Hamas members.

Al Ahram identifies three of them as:

1. Ayman Nofal, "a leading Qassam Brigades member and fugitive from Marg prison during the revolution of January 25"
2. Mohamed Ibrahim Salah Abu Shamala known as "Abu Khalil" and a high ranking Hamas member
3. Raed Al-Attar, nicknamed "the Hamas head of the snake" and supposedly a planner of the Gilad Shalit kidnapping

Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri condemned the article saying it was a "pure fabrication."

Whatever the truth is, Egyptians are not happy with Hamas.

In related news, the Egyptian operations to destroy Hamas smuggling tunnels continue. The impression I am getting is that while one reason is to crack down on jihadists who are using the tunnels to smuggle weapons and hide out, another factor is that Egypt itself is short of fuel and construction materials, and the subsidized fuel that gets smuggled to Gaza causes Egypt increases social unrest (not to mention it costs Egypt a lot of money.)

UPDATE: The Al Qassam Brigades held a press conference to denounce the accusations, saying that Al Ahram is only serving the Zionists and that the Hamas resistance is a good thing for Egypt.

Here they are at the press conference:

Don't they look trustworthy?

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

  • Tuesday, March 12, 2013
From Ian:

Douglas Murray: Will Owen Jones apologise?
Last November, during another exchange between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza, the left-wing columnist Owen Jones appeared on BBC Question Time. Invited to comment on recent events, what he read out (or so it appears from the tape) was a catalogue of errors about Israel. Among them were big, sweeping incorrect allegations – such as the claim that Israel is enforcing ‘a siege which stops basic supplies’ getting into Gaza.
But there were also some new and more specific errors. Take his striking and emotive claim that Israel’s ‘onslaught’ included ‘targeted strikes’ which killed children.
Following UN Report, Major Jewish Groups Call for Media Outlets to be Held Accountable
For his part, the BBC’s Jon Donnison, who covers the West Bank and Gaza and attributed blame to Israel at the time of the incident, offered his version of a mea culpa, writing in an article on the BBC’s website that “‘The son of a BBC journalist and two relatives killed in last November’s war in Gaza may have been hit by a misfired Palestinian rocket,’ a UN agency says.’”
Donnison attempted to defend himself, writing that at the time “The family, and human rights groups, said that the house was hit in an Israeli attack” and that “The Israeli military made no comment at the time of the incident but never denied carrying out the strike.”
Donnison also reported that the boy’s father dismissed the UN report as “rubbish,” saying that Palestinian Arab terror groups would have apologized if they were responsible.
Hamas Working on Being Removed from EU, U.S. Terror Lists
Hamas says its removal from the U.S. and European lists of terrorism organizations is “a matter of time.”
Ahmed Youssef, one of Hamas’s leaders, told the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency, “There are contacts [being] made by the movement, with the help of Arab and Islamic countries such as Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, to convince major and European countries to take Hamas’s name out of the terrorism list.”
Hamas attacks Islamic tourism to Jerusalem
Gaza government slams Israeli, PA initiatives; calls on Arab League and clerics to bar religious pilgrimages to the city
The Hamas government in Gaza attacked an Israeli bid to encourage tourism to Jerusalem from Islamic countries, calling it a “dangerous Zionist plot.”
In a statement published by Hamas on its official website, the government of Gaza blasted the initiative, espoused by Israeli tourism companies and supported by the Tourism Ministry, to encourage religious visits by Muslim tourists from countries in Africa and East Asia.
UN says troops in Golan Heights came under Syrian fire
Following attack and kidnappings, UN launches ‘very active review’ into safety of peacekeepers on Israel-Syria border
Syria rebels vow to 'liberate Golan Heights' after Assad falls
In online video, Syrian rebels operating near Israeli border criticize Assad regime for not fighting Israel in recent decades. Israel: The ‘Somalization’ of Syria is a great concern. Red Cross told Israel: Syrian refugees refused aid from Jewish state.
Newspaper Adds New Obstacle to Tribunal Investigating Lebanese Official’s Death
The first shock came when a leading Lebanese newspaper published a confidential list of 17 witnesses who may testify in the murder trial of a former prime minister — showing their names, passport pictures, dates of birth and where they work.
A spokesman for the United Nations-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon quickly condemned the publication, in January, as a serious breach of court rules that put the lives of those named at risk.
Germany, Turkey bust Iranian nuclear smuggling ring
German and Turkish authorities detain smugglers suspected of illegally shipping nuclear materials purchased in India and Germany to an Iranian nuclear facility in city of Arak, Turkish newspaper Haberturk reports. Turkish customs forces raid home of Iranian couple, but they were not there and a search for them is now underway.
UN Reports an Increase in Iran's Human Rights Violations
Human rights violations in Iran spiralled in 2012, a United Nations monitor said Monday, spotlighting abuses including repression of freedom of speech, torture and secret executions.
"The prevailing situation of human rights in Iran continues to warrant serious concern," Ahmed Shaheed told the UN Human Rights Council, according to a report by AFP.
Iran puts five Christians on trial for their faith
The five men were among seven arrested in October when security forces raided an underground house church in the city of Shiraz during a prayer session. They will be tried at the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz’s Fars Province on charges of disturbing public order, evangelizing, threatening national security and engaging in Internet activity that threatens the government, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a religious persecution watchdog group.
France Arrests Three Islamists Suspected of Planning Attack on Toulouse Shooting Anniversary
According to French prosecutors, police found weapons and explosives in one of the suspect’s homes in a town near Marseille. Police also intercepted communications between the men suggesting they were planning on going into action.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

  • Saturday, February 16, 2013
From Ian:

Missing Peace: Haniyeh: Palestinian reconciliation dependent on non recognition of Israel
On Thursday Gaza’s Prime Minister Ishmael Haniyeh made clear that for Hamas Palestinian reconciliation is dependent on non recognition of Israel. Haniyeh said that Hamas wants reconciliation that ‘does not concede national constants and will not serve policies that have proven failed’. A clear reference to the Oslo peace accords.
Meanwhile Fatah Central Committee Azzam Al Ahmad called upon the international community to support the Palestinian reconciliation which he called a ‘stabilizing factor’.
It is hard to phantom how this reconciles with Haniyeh’s demand for non recognition of Israel.

Israel and Hamas said to hold indirect talks in Cairo
Senior Israeli officials negotiate easing of Gaza blockade with Islamist group’s officials, working through Egyptian intermediaries
Israel and Hamas have been engaged in indirect negotiations in Egypt, most recently on Thursday, to resolve the remaining details of the ceasefire agreement that ended November’s Operation Pillar of Defense.
Senior Israeli defense officials have met in Cairo over the past several weeks to negotiate, indirectly with Hamas, the reopening of the Rafah Border Crossing with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip to construction materials and basic commodities such as gasoline, Channel 10 reported Friday night. Egyptian defense officials have served as the intermediaries in the contacts.

Hamas Slams Bulgaria for Expelling its Delegation
"Zionist pressure" led to a Hamas delegation being expelled from Bulgaria, claims the terror group.
The Hamas government in Gaza on Friday condemned Bulgaria's expulsion of a delegation on its behalf that was visiting the country, the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency reported.
The terror group reportedly blamed Israeli pressure for Bulgaria’s move.
Bulgarian security forces on Friday raided the hotel rooms of a visiting Hamas delegation, ordering them to leave the country, a party statement quoted by Ma’an said.
"We condemn this act, which reflects the scale of compliance with Zionist pressures," Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nunu said, according to Ma’an.
Hamas leader and MP Yahya al-Abadseh said the Bulgarian government's actions were contrary to all diplomatic norms.

Hundreds protest joint Iran-Argentina bombing probe
Legislators in Buenos Aires scheduled to ratify establishment of ‘truth commission’ in late February
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (JTA) — Some 300 people attended a protest rally against Argentine-Iranian cooperation in investigating the deadly 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center.
Among the protestors on Feb. 14 in the Argentine capital were relatives of the survivors of the bombing of the AMIA center. Israeli and Argentinean justice authorities blame Iran for the attack.
“We ask Argentine society’s forgiveness for wasting a great privilege that democracy gave us,” Sergio Bergman, a lawmaker and Reform rabbi, said in a speech at the rally. “We had the first Jewish foreign minister and that is why we say sorry.”

Bulgaria’s Interior Minister Certain Hizbullah was Behind Attack
Bulgaria’s Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov: We know the real name of the Burgas terrorists.
Bulgaria’s Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov reiterated on Friday his belief that two of the attackers in the July 2012 bombing in Burgas are part of the Hizbullah terror group, the Sofia News Agency reports.
"The Burgas bombers were maintaining part of Hizbullah’s structures in Canada and Australia and had contacts with other representatives of this organization," Tsvetanov said in an interview with the local TV7 network.
The Bulgarian Interior Minister first announced he had "grounded reasons to believe" that "Hizbullah’s military wing" is involved in the Burgas bus bombing on February 5, stirring international controversy.

Not even the Nazis did what Assad’s doing, says ex-Syrian PM
Defected leader claims Iran is ‘actively running’ Syria days after reports surfaced that Islamic Republic, Hezbollah are building networks of militias there
The former prime minister of Syria delivered a harsh critique of the country’s president during an interview with al-Arabiya Friday, claiming that “not even the Nazis did what Bashar Assad’s doing in Syria.”
Riad Hijab, who defected from his post in Damascus six months ago, also told the Arabic-language news outlet that Iran is “actively running” Syria.
“Syria is occupied by the Iranian regime,” he said. “Who runs the country isn’t Bashar Assad but Kassem Suleimani, the head of Iran’s al-Quds Brigades [within the Revolutionary Guards].”

Iran calls allegations it transferred weapons to Somali militants an 'absurd fabrication'
Iran's U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee said in a letter to the U.N. Security Council obtained Thursday by The Associated Press that the allegations in a report by experts monitoring sanctions against Somalia and Eritrea were part of a "malicious campaign."
According to a U.N. diplomat, the report links Iran and Yemen to the supply of weapons to al-Shabab militants. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because the report has not been publicly released.

Iran temporarily bans exports of pistachios to control prices on home market
Iran has ordered a six-month ban on pistachio exports to try to control the price of the nut, which doubled in the past month.
Pistachios are among Iran's top non-oil exports and widely consumed at home, bringing in an average of $1.5 billion a year and providing work for hundreds of thousands of people. Iran was long the world's largest pistachio exporter, with over 200,000 tons a year, but was surpassed last year by the United States.

Egypt foils smuggling attempt of 2 tons of explosives, weapons
In separate incident, undercover Israeli border guards seize 250 kg of hashish heading from Sinai to Israel
Egyptian forces foiled a smuggling attempt that included two tons of explosives and weapons in the Sinai Peninsula Friday.
Police forces intercepted a truck that was carrying the objects, Ynet reported. An unnamed Egyptian senior security official told local media that the police were tipped off about the attempt and that the weapons were to be used by terror groups in Sinai or smuggled into the Gaza Strip.

Turkey arrests 8 ex-officers over ouster of Islamic government in 1990s; more questioned
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s state-run news agency says authorities have arrested eight more retired officers over their alleged involvement in the ousting of an Islamic-led government in the late 1990s.
Anadolu Agency reports say the eight, including seven retired generals, were detained on Wednesday and late Thursday pending a trial over a military campaign that forced former Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan to resign. No trial date has been set.

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