Today is one of those days when I'm not near a computer for many hours, so that invariably means it is time for an Open Thread.
Be back later.
Be back later.
Elder of ZiyonTo mark International Human Rights Day, NGO Monitor today released an updated monograph, NGO Lawfare – Exploitation of Courts in the Arab-Israeli Conflict. The publication includes groundbreaking research on the central role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), many of which are funded from the European Union, European governments, and major foundations, for the specific purpose of bringing war crimes cases against Israeli officials.
“The Lawfare monograph discloses critical information demonstrating the direct link from foreign governments to NGO exploitation of courts for their own political agendas,” says Prof. Gerald Steinberg, president of Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor. “Lawfare is a sophisticated strategy, developed at the 2001 Durban Conference and now implemented in courts throughout Europe and the U.S. It is the antithesis of human rights, and, as the study outlines, NGOs utilize foreign government funding for this specific purpose. Due to a lack of oversight and transparency, government officials are largely unaware how their money is spent.”
The study provides details about numerous cases brought against Israeli officials. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), for example, has filed for arrest warrants in multiple countries against Israeli officials, primarily for “war crimes” over the 2002 targeted killing of Hamas terrorist Salah Shehade. In 2005, Oxfam NOVIB channeled PCHR a €298,339.08 grant from the EU under the “Abolition of the Death Penalty Project,” a project aimed at “contribut[ing] to the abolition of the death penalty in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, applied by the Palestinian National Authority via judicial death sentences and via extrajudicial executions” by the Israeli military. PCHR used this money for strategy sessions with its attorneys to bolster its “war crimes” lawsuits in Europe and the US.
“The lawsuits brought by PCHR are indicative of the cases we examine in the Lawfare monograph,” notes Anne Herzberg, NGO Monitor legal advisor and the monograph’s author. “The funding that led to these lawsuits was given in a non-transparent manner and was implemented with almost no oversight. These cases and demonization efforts are counterproductive to fostering peace and mutual understanding in the region, and do not align with the official policies of the governments that inadvertently fund them.”
Along with detailing specific cases, Lawfare also discusses NGO involvement in the creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the expansion of the concept of universal jurisdiction – two developments that have been key to NGO strategy. The study also traces the strategy’s development from the 2001 Durban conference to European government and EU-funded conferences on prosecuting Israeli “war criminals” and similar lobbying campaigns. [Click here for image of EU-funded conference]
“Our research shows a clearly defined strategy implemented by NGOs and their funders – to exploit and misuse human rights rhetoric to demonize Israel,” Herzberg continues. “The hundreds of NGOs that claim to pursue human rights have been largely silent regarding Gilad Shalit – the Israeli soldier held captive for nearly four and a half years – and Waleed Hasayin, the Palestinian blogger that was arrested, allegedly tortured, and now faces a life sentence in theWest Bank on charges of expressing blasphemous opinions on his blog and several Facebook pages. These individuals and their specific circumstances do not fit the political paradigm and are therefore ignored by self-proclaimed ‘human rights’ NGOs.”
In marking International Human Rights Day (December 10) many NGOs and the United Nations are continuing the exploitation of these universal values. This year, the UN will “highlight and promote the achievements of human rights defenders, and it will again emphasize the primary role governments must play in enabling and protecting their role.” Based on previous behavior, this activity is likely to continue the use of double standards reflected in Lawfare, while failing to support Mr. Hasayin or other victims of human rights violations in closed regimes.
Adds Prof. Steinberg, “The exploitation of human rights is a key component of Lawfare.” International institutions and NGOs must recognize this strategy and understand that it undermines the work of real human rights defendersthroughout the world. When NGOs allocate time and resources to pursuing these cases, they neglect legitimate human rights grievances in societies such as China, Libya, the Congo, and numerous other countries. International Human Rights Day should turn all of our attention back to individuals in these types of societies that truly warrant our attention and need our help.”
To read the Lawfare Executive Summary in English, click here. [PDF]
To read the Lawfare Executive Summary in Hebrew, click here. [PDF]
To read the PDF of the full report, click here.
See NGO Monitor's Lawfare Essentials page, with more information and updates on NGO lawfare.
Elder of ZiyonLet me start out by stating the very obvious: This is a piece of political propaganda, aimed – as the bon ton goes today – at de-legitimizing Israel. The viewer must keep sight of the fact that the film was produced by the Arab TV network al-Jazeera. So rather than give a general statement, I wish to demonstrate – point by point – why this is a worthless film, ridden with manipulations, political propaganda, incorrect facts and even lies.Read the whole thing.
1. The creators of the film has no intention of being balanced. The Israeli side is represented only by anti-establishment archaeologists. Not a single scholar with an opposing point of view was interviewed. And while the Palestinian Director of Antiquities speaks in the film, not a single Israeli official (e.g., from the Israel Antiquities Authority) appears. This should come as no surprise; it fits the notion of pluralism and free speech in the Arab World.
2. At times the film, intentionally or unintentionally, resorts to anti-Semitic stereotypes, in which Israelis are shown either as religious settlers or as soldiers carrying guns. Then comes the cliché: The Palestinians are the true people of the land: peace loving farmers riding donkeys in beautiful fields with romantic flute music playing in the background.
3. Let the truth be known: Most of the looting in the West Bank (as well as in Israel!) has been carried out by Palestinians. In addition, the viewer should remember that since the 1993 Oslo agreement about 50% of the West Bank has been administered by the Palestinian Authority. If looting there continues, it is being done under Palestinian rule.
4. From the point of view of international law, the West Bank and Gaza are contested territories. To differ from Israel’s border with Egypt, which is a border between states, the 1967 border with Jordan was a result of war. Jordan tried to annex the West Bank with a motion in the UN in the 1950s and failed. The verdict regarding sites in these territories and antiquities found in them must therefore wait for a final peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. These issues are on the negotiating table. Meanwhile, artifacts from excavations in the West Bank are kept separately from artifacts from Israeli sites. Archaeology in the 50% of the West Bank which is under Israeli administration is administered according to the Jordanian law which prevailed before 1967.
...6. The Dead Sea Scrolls on display in the Israel Museum were bought in the US in the 1940s and 1950s. As such, they are not contested, not even by the Palestinians and Jordanians. The other scrolls were excavated in the 1950s, under Jordanian rule, and were then taken to Jerusalem. Israel had nothing to do with it. They too will be on the negotiating table.
7. Moshe Dayan’s looting of antiquities was scandalous and the sale of the looted antiquities to the Israel Museum a shame. For the record it should be mentioned that Dayan looted sites not only in the Palestinian territories but within the borders of the State of Israel as well. In fact, in 1968 he almost died in an accident in an illicit excavation on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
...9. Also for the record, it must be said that the most devastating damage inflicted on antiquities in Jerusalem was the bulldozing of (mainly Islamic) antiquities from the Temple Mount by the Waqf – the Islamic religious authority which controls the Temple Mount. This was done in the course of constructing a mosque under the el-Aqsa mosque. Work there was carried out savagely, with no inspection by archaeologists.
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Palestine Today (Arabic) has an article on US funding for Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system.
Elder of ZiyonOne person in four worldwide paid a bribe during the past year, according to a study released Thursday to mark International Anti-Corruption Day.The study itself says that 51% of Palestinian Arabs paid a bribe to get services in the past year. They didn't list every Middle Eastern country, so it is unclear how the PA and Hamas compare with Jordan or Egypt, but Lebanon's score was 34%.
The study, by the Berlin-based non-governmental agency Transparency International, focuses on small-scale bribery and was put together from polls conducted among more than 91,000 people in 86 countries and territories.
In the past 12 months, one in four paid a bribe to one of nine institutions, such as health, education or tax authorities, according to the 2010 Global Corruption Barometer.
Countries topping the list for reported bribe payments over the year were Afghanistan, Cambodia, Cameroon, India, Iraq, Liberia, Nigeria, the Palestinian territories, Senegal, Sierre Leone and Uganda, where more than one person out of two said they had handed out financial sweeteners to officials.
Elder of ZiyonThanks very much for making and posting the video - if it weren't for you, those wonderful speeches would disappear into thin air.
(I'm surprised that the Bet El didn't post the official video they made of the event. I will try to make that happen)
Would you have a video of the first 5 min or so of Huckabee's talk? I know it was just warm-up material, but I'd like to include it when showing your videos to people who weren't at the dinner.
Elder of ZiyonBehind the facade of Wahabi conservatism in the streets, the underground nightlife for Jeddah’s elite youth is thriving and throbbing. The full range of worldly temptations and vices are available -- alcohol, drugs, sex -- but strictly behind closed doors. This freedom to indulge carnal pursuits is possible merely because the religious police keep their distance when parties include the presence or patronage of a Saudi royal and his circle of loyal attendants, such as a Halloween event attended by ConGenOffs on. [DETAIL REMOVED] Over the past few years, the increased conservatism of Saudi Arabia’s external society has pushed the nightlife and party scene in Jeddah even further underground. End summary.It will be very interesting to see if and how the Saudi media reacts to this.
Elite party like the rest of the world,
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just underground
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Along with over 150 young Saudis (men and women mostly in their 20’s and early 30’s), ConGenOffs [officials of the US consulate - EoZ] accepted invitations to an underground Halloween party at PrinceXXXXXXXXXXXX residence in Jeddah on XXXXXXXXXXXX. Inside the gates, past the XXXXXXXXXXXX security guards and after the abaya coat-check, the scene resembled a nightclub anywhere outside the Kingdom: plentiful alcohol, young couples dancing, a DJ at the turntables, and everyone in costume. Funding for the party came from a corporate sponsor, XXXXXXa U.S.-based energy-drink company as well as from the princely host himself.
Royalty, attended by “khawi,” keep religious police at bay
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Religious police/CPVPV (Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice) were nowhere to be seen and while admission was controlled through a strictly-enforced guest list, the partygoers were otherwise not shy about publicizing the affair. According to a young Saudi from a prominent Jeddah merchant family, the Saudis try to throw parties at princes’ houses or with princes in attendance, which serves as sufficient deterrent to interference by the CPVPV. There are over 10,000 princes in the Kingdom, albeit at various levels and gradations -- “Royal Highnesses” (“Saheb Al Sumou Al Maliki”) signified by direct descent from King Abdulaziz, and mere “Highnesses” (“Saheb Al Sumou”) from less direct branches of the Al Saud ruling family. Our host that evening,xxxxxx (protect), traces his roots to Thunayan, a brother of Mohammad, Amir of Diriyyah and Nejd (1725-65), King Abdullah’s direct ancestor, six generations back. Although PrinceXXXXXXXXXXXX is XXXXXXXXXXXX not in line for the throne, he still enjoys the perks of a mansion, luxury car, lifetime stipend, and security entourage. (Note: Most of the prince XXXXXXXXXXXX’s security forces were young XXXXXXXXXXXX men. It is common practice for Saudi princes to grow up with hired bodyguards from Nigeria or other African nations who are of similar age and who remain with the prince well into adulthood. They are called “khawi,” derived from the Arabic word “akh,” meaning “brother.” The lifetime spent together creates an intense bond of loyalty. End note.)
Availability of black market alcohol, prostitutes, and drugs
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Alcohol, though strictly prohibited by Saudi law and custom, was plentiful at the party’s well-stocked bar, well-patronized by Halloween revellers. The hired Filipino bartenders served a cocktail punch using “sadiqi,” a locally-made “moonshine.” While top-shelf liquor bottles were on display throughout the bar area, the original contents were reportedly already consumed and replaced by sadiqi. On the black market, a bottle of Smirnoff can cost 1,500 riyals when available, compared to 100 riyals for the locally-made vodka. It was also learned through word-of-mouth that a number of the guests were in fact “working girls,” not uncommon for such parties.
Additionally, though not witnessed directly at this event, cocaine and hashish use is common in these social circles and has been seen on other occasions.
Comment: Saudi youth get to enjoy relative social freedom and indulge fleshly pursuits, but only behind closed doors -- and only the rich. Parties of this nature and scale are believed to be a relatively recent phenomenon in Jeddah. One contact, a young Saudi male, explained that up to a few years ago, the only weekend activity was “dating” inside the homes of the affluent in small groups. It is not uncommon in Jeddah for the more lavish private residences to include elaborate basement bars, discos, entertainment centers and clubs. As one high society Saudi remarked, “The increased conservatism of our society over these past years has only moved social interaction to the inside of people’s homes.”
Elder of ZiyonArab-American leaders met today with Wayne State University officials, asking them to reverse its decision last week to pull a journalism award named after journalist Helen Thomas after she made controversial remarks. And they defended Helen Thomas against those who say she made anti-Semitic comments Thursday in Dearborn.Which means that the official position of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee - who say with certainty that Helen Thomas only speaks the truth - is that Israeli Jews must leave the country that they were born in and that "Congress, the White House, and Hollywood, Wall Street, are owned by 'the Zionists.'"
"Helen Thomas is not now and never has been anti-Semitic," Imad Hamad, regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said tonight. "She has worked her entire career, 60 years, to bring truth to the American public and she is simply continuing to do that."
The Arab-American group said in a statement that unless the situation "is properly addressed and corrected, this hastily-made decision will negatively impact relations between the university and the Arab American community for many years."In other words, the group is threatening Wayne State University for exercising its right for free expression - to distance itself from a person now widely recognized as a bigot and an anti-semite, not just by Jews.
Elder of Ziyon
Elder of ZiyonThe Israeli Air Force (IAF) has planned to establish a fire-fighting squadron that would operate under its command after a wild bushfire that raged through the Carmel Forest in northern Israel last week, local Ma'ariv daily reported Tuesday.According to a story in Firas Press, Netanyahu wants to make this a regional effort, asking Turkey, Jordan, Egypt and possibly other countries to join in a joint squadron. He discussed the idea with the prime minister of Greece who was enthusiastic about the idea and promised to bring it up to the EU.
IAF Chief Maj.-Gen. Ido Nechushtan has directed military attaches abroad to inquire about various models of fire-fighting aircraft and costs, the report said.
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At the Daphne Anson blog, a thorough survey of how Palestinian Arabs and Israel-haters are destroying history to demonize Israel around Christmas-time.The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign offers a ten-card set depicting the madonna in Palestinian colours, holding her infant; I think she’s intended to convey the impression that she and her son – no introductions are required – were Palestinian rather than Jewish. The same PSC also offers a ten-card set depicting the Three Wise Men unable to get into Bethlehem owing to Israel’s “Wall”.I cannot possibly do this piece justice by excerpting it. Read the whole thing.
Elder of ZiyonSaudi Arabia proposed creating an Arab force backed by US and Nato air and sea power to intervene in Lebanon two years ago and destroy Iranian-backed Hezbollah, according to a US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks.This happened during Hezbollah's siege of Beirut in 2008.
The plan would have sparked a proxy battle between the US and its allies against Iran, fought in one of the most volatile regions of the world.
The Saudi plan was never enacted but reflects the anxiety of Saudi Arabia – as well as the US – about growing Iranian influence in Lebanon and elsewhere in the Middle East.
The proposal was made by the veteran Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, to the US special adviser to Iraq, David Satterfield. The US responded by expressing scepticism about the military feasibility of the plan.Here is what the cable said:
Opening a discussion with S/I Satterfield focused largely on Iraq, Saud first turned to Lebanon and stated that the effort by "Hizballah and Iran" to take over Beirut was the first step in a process that would lead to the overthrow of the Siniora government and an "Iranian takeover of all Lebanon." Such a victory, combined with Iranian actions in Iraq and on the Palestinian front, would be a disaster for the US and the entire region. Saud argued that the present situation in Beirut was "entirely military" and that the solution must be military as well. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) were too fragile to bear more pressure; they needed urgent backing to secure Beirut from Hizballah's assault. What was needed was an "Arab force" drawn from Arab "periphery" states to deploy to Beirut under the "cover of the UN" and with a significant presence drawn from UNIFIL in south Lebanon "which is sitting doing nothing." The US and NATO would be asked to provide equipment for such a force as well as logistics, movement support, and "naval and air cover."
Elder of Ziyon“Our missiles can track any ship heading toward Israel and destroy it,” an unnamed Hezbollah source said in an interview published on Wednesday.And, of course, these cruise missiles are coming via Syria - and Russia is selling cruise missiles to Syria.
“Any ship heading toward Israel can be destroyed by a rocket carrying 514 kilograms of highly explosive material,” the source told Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai.
The source added that Hezbollah “is not in need” of P-800 Yakhont anti-ship missiles “because it has enough cruise missiles for an upcoming war.”
Elder of ZiyonOnly days after it was removed from the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Information website, a “study” denying Jews’ rights to the Western Wall has resurfaced, this time on the official website of the PA’s news agency, Wafa.The article can be found here. I had talked about it here.
By publishing the document on Wafa’s website, the official mouthpiece of the PLO and the PA, the authority has sent a message that its has officially endorsed its findings.
Elder of Ziyon