Friday, November 04, 2011

  • Friday, November 04, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
From YNet:
Navy forces boarded two vessels attempting to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip on Friday and towed them to the Ashdod port in Israel. All 27 pro-Palestinian activists onboard the ships will be transferred over to the police and Immigration Authority and later expected to be expelled from the country.

IDF officials remarked that they did not find any weapons or humanitarian aid onboard the ship. The troops boarded the vessels without any resistance and no one was hurt, the military said.
Since the flotidiots have always vastly exaggerated their "humanitarian" cargo, this is no surprise.

It is a spectacularly boring story.
  • Friday, November 04, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
Didn't have a chance to watch it yet, but here it is.
  • Friday, November 04, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
From ANSAMed:
The shapes of the mermaids that embellish the fountain of Zeus in the centre of Alexandria have been deemed "inappropriate" by the Salafist Al Nour (Light) party, which decided to "veil" them completely with a sheet during a meeting yesterday evening.

The incident, which was reported by the website of the Al Masri Al Youm newspaper, has unleashed a wave of comment and disbelief on Twitter, where the paper posted pictures "before and after the niqab" of the fountain of the sirens, upon which an enormous placard carries the words: "Egyptian women devote themselves to their husbands and their nation".

Political leaders of the party, which is at the head of a coalition of Islamist parties that will stand in the forthcoming Egyptian elections from November 28, had recently announced that they were against the statues, deeming them contrary to Islamic tradition, the newspaper reports. "Covering a statue of sirens will certainly lead us to Paradise. I can't wait," was the ironic reaction of one Twitter user.
Here's the before and after picture (right to left :) )

(h/t jzaik)

  • Friday, November 04, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
From Reuters:
The Palestinians will not accept anything less than full U.N. membership and do not want an upgrade to an observer state in the world body, their foreign minister said on Thursday.

Riyad al-Malki's remarks suggested the Palestinians would not seek such an upgrade once their bid for full state membership meets its widely expected fate -- failure due to opposition from the United States and other governments.

"We do not want, after all of these struggles, sacrifices, and efforts by the entire Palestinian people, to accept an observer state in the United Nations. We will not accept less than we deserve: a full member state," he said.
Now, what exactly does that mean?

When a person says that something is unacceptable, there is an implied "or else" clause. It implies that Palestinian Arabs, who frame themselves as having nothing they can bargain with, will do something that will make people regret a decision of not giving them their full demands if they do not get what they want.

What is the "or else"?

Or else they will dissolve the PA? They will start a new intifada? They will ask Iran to start a war on their behalf? They will go back to their 1970s heyday of international airline terror? They will write nasty op-eds in Al Jazeera? Mahmoud Abbas will resign?

For a people who claim they are so desperate, they have no problem speaking as if they hold all the cards. There is a very real contradiction between their twin public positions of "we are helpless" and "you better do what we demand."

What is the implied leverage that Mahmoud Abbas has on the world to act like a mafioso?

Of course, Reuters being Reuters, rather than ask the natural follow up question "or else what?" they find some self-proclaimed "expert" to minimize the threat:
"This reads like a tactical move," said George Giacaman, a political analyst. "It could be directed toward the Americans, the Israelis, to show flexibility, but I would not view it as a final position."
What Reuters doesn't say is that Giacaman is at Bir Zeit University.
  • Friday, November 04, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
An entertaining video that should be up for consideration in the Hasby Awards, from The Land of Israel.com:


(h/t jzaik)

Thursday, November 03, 2011

  • Thursday, November 03, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
I'm still traveling and very busy. Things will still be slow on the blog through the weekend.

So here's another awesome and thrilling open thread!
  • Thursday, November 03, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
A poster based on this post.


The same series of stamps included Jewish and Christian shrines, as the British tried to make them as even-handed as possible. But you will have to look long and hard to find any Palestinian Arab textbook that includes, say, this stamp from the same time period:

Oh, sorry, I forgot: for the past few years the Palestinian Arabs have pretended that Rachel's Tomb is a mosque, not a Jewish holy site.

And the guardians of culture and history at UNESCO have enthusiastically supported this complete fabrication of history.

  • Thursday, November 03, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
This article is subscriber-only from the GeoStrategy Direct page, but here it is via Posterous:
Collapse in Libya, Yemen transforms Sinai into major arms market
TEL AVIV - Egypt's Sinai Peninsula has turned into a huge weapons market. Officials said a range of weapons, including anti-aircraft missiles, could be acquired cheaply. "If you want to buy today a mortar or a machine gun or even a MANPAD [man-portable, air defense system] all you need is a few dollars and you get it," Israeli government counter-insurgency adviser Nitzan Nuriel said.

Nuriel said weapons have flooded Sinai from neighboring Libya as well as Yemen. He said the arms have been used to establish an Al Qaida presence meant to attack Israeli and Western interests in the region.

"The level of the threat is much more dramatic than it was a year ago," Nuriel, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, said.

Western officials agreed. They said Al Qaida has been bolstered by both Bedouins as well as hundreds of Islamist insurgents who escaped prison during the revolt against the regime of President Hosni Mubarak in February.

"The common wisdom is that Al Qaida has been weakened by the Arab Spring when you make a global assessment, on an ideological basis," Lorenzo Vidino, a researcher at Switzerland's Center for Security Studies, said. "But I would have to concur that on a tactical level they have benefited in places like the Sinai."

The officials, who attended a conference by Israel's Institute for Counter-Terrorism in September, said their assessment was shared by new military regime in Egypt. They said the Egyptian military was concerned over the power vacuum in Sinai amid the collapse of Mubarak's security forces.

"They left spaces where there is no government authority and it is pretty hard for us to know what is going on," Dutch Foreign Ministry counter-insurgency director Frank Van Beuningen said.

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon asserted that Iran was helping the insurgency network in Sinai. Ya'alon said Teheran was preparing for the fall of the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and wanted to bolster other proxies in the region.

"Realizing that Assad's regime might not last for a long time they are already busy developing alternative channels to deliver arms to their allies," Ya'alon said. "They consider these surrogates not only as a tool for threatening Israel on a daily basis but also an integral component in their effort to deter Israel and the free world from taking harsher measures to make sure that they don't have the capability to develop nuclear weapons."

Israel has already approved an Egyptian plan to deploy thousands of soldiers, special forces as well as hundreds of main battle tanks in Sinai. But officials said Egypt has not shown the determination to eliminate Al Qaida and other insurgents.

"International cooperation can reduce the threat a little bit," Nuriel said. "At the end of the day you need strong response forces along the borders."


  • Thursday, November 03, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
Lately there has been a lot of chatter about possible Israeli, or even UK and US, actions against Iran's nuclear program. I don't like reporting on rumors; there are reasons to be skeptical and there are plenty of others who are discussing this, not the least the Israeli media.

Beyond that, an Israeli missile test has been framed as a provocative act meant to send a message to Iran.

However, among all the arguments about whether Israel is being reckless and irresponsible, no one is noticing that Iran has ratcheted up tensions on their own - and the media ignored it.

From Tehran Times:
Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi confirmed on Monday that Iran plans to deploy naval vessels in the Atlantic Ocean.

“The Navy has a strong presence in the Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf, Sea of Oman, Indian Ocean and international waters and soon it will be present in the Atlantic Ocean,” Vahidi said as he visited the manufacturing of a destroyer in Anzali port on the coasts of the Caspian Sea.

From PressTV:
Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari says Iran will seeks to increase presence in international waters is in accordance with international law.

International waters belong to all countries and Iran's naval presence in the waters is in compliance with the international law, said Sayyari on Monday.

The commander pointed to the Iranian Navy's three-year presence in international waters and said that Iran's 16th fleet of warships is currently present in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, IRNA reported.

On October 9, the fleet of warships, which includes the domestically-built Jamaran destroyer and the Bandar Abbas frigate, left for the Gulf of Aden in line with efforts to provide security for Iranian trade vessels in the pirate-infested area.

Sayyari emphasized that as stated by the commander-in-chief, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Iran has no intention of carrying out acts of aggression against any country and Iranian naval presence in international waters displays the might of the nation.

He highlighted the significance of Iran's naval presence to provide food, energy and sea trade security and said it would prepare the grounds for the country's development.

The Iranian commander questioned US presence in the region and stressed that regional countries are fully capable of establishing regional security.

Sayyari's remarks came as Iran's domestically-manufactured Jamaran destroyer docked at Oman's port of Salalah on Monday.
Sending ships to NATO territory? Sure sounds like a provocation.

(h/t Yoel)
  • Thursday, November 03, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
One of the weird consequences of running a popular blog is that I get emails that are, um, interesting.

A couple of days ago Al Jazeera English asked me to record a short video message about my opinions on the lightweight Assad interview at the Telegraph.
I am writing as we are doing a report on the protests in Syria and the media angle to this story. One angle we want to look at is President Assad's interview with the British newspaper the Sunday Telegraph.

During one part of our report we open up the floor to people who may have an opinion on the report we are working on. These people are called our Global Village Voices. I came across your blog online and your knowledge of the subject would strengthen the analysis of our report. I am writing to see if you would be interested in recording a comment for us for our show.

If so, you could consider one of the questions below to help you frame your answer:

1) President Assad hasn't been talking to Western media, but he broke that rule when he gave an interview to the Sunday Telegraph. What was the significance of the interview and Assad's message?

2) What has the Syrian government's media strategy been like? How has it evolved through the protests in the country?

3) How effective has the campaign of repression against Syrian media activists been?

Alternatively, feel free to formulate your own statement, our only request is that you stay to the media angle of the story. All you would need to do is a record a 30-40 second video clip of your answers.
The downside is that I would throw away my anonymity for 30 seconds of quasi-fame that would help an anti-Israel propaganda channel.

On the other hand, I could end up getting a few new readers - the types that watch Al Jazeera to begin with.

What a dilemma!
  • Thursday, November 03, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
Another Israeli industry doing quite well.
Israel’s net exports of polished diamonds totaled $5.83 billion from January through September—up 37.1 percent from last year—according to figures published by the Israel Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor.

The country’s net rough diamond exports increased 31.8 percent to $2.98 billion. Israel’s net imports of polished diamonds rose 48.8 percent to $4.17 billion in the first three quarters of 2011. Net rough diamond imports totaled $3.52 billion, an increase of 35 percent.

“The impressive recovery of the Israeli diamond industry is the result of very hard work on the part of the industry,” said Moti Ganz, chairman of the Israel Diamond Institute Group of Companies, in a statement. “Despite the current uncertainty I am very hopeful that the full year figures will continue this positive trend.”
(h/t Dan)
  • Thursday, November 03, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
From Palestinian Media Watch:


Transcript:
PA TV host: "We are outside the home of the patient, heroic fighter who is resolute, overcoming his chains, desiring freedom - Abbas Al-Sayid, the lion of the prison cells."
PA TV host interviews released prisoner in the house of Al-Sayid:
Host: "[What is] your feeling now in the home of Abbas Al-Sayid - the leader, hero, defeater of the enemies, defeater of the dungeons, and lion under interrogation?"
Released female terrorist, Du'a Al-Jayousi: "He was an example and role model for us, we wanted very much to meet him."
Released male terrorist, Muayyad Al-Jallad: "I do not forget our neighbor and brother, Abbas Al-Sayid. He is the crown on our heads. Allah willing, we will soon rejoice for him over his release... He is honor to the nation, and there is no doubt that he makes us proud. Allah willing, he has enough patience and will... We are all familiar with his manly qualities of heroism and strength."
[PA TV (Fatah), Oct. 25, 2011]

Ah yes, those manly qualities of heroism and strength were powerful enough to manage to murder the mighty and strong Chanah Rogen, a 90 year old woman from Netanya, who had dedicated a couple of rooms at the Laniada Hospital in Netanya.

Even more impressive, this macho hero of Palestinian Arabs everywhere massacred a spry 86-year old, Frieda Britvich:



In fact, the Netanya Passover Massacre claimed 30 victims, whose average age was 68, and of whom 20 were over 70 years old. The victims, from the MFA site:


Shula Abramovitch, 63, of Holon- David Anichovitch, 70, of Netanya- Sgt.-Maj. Avraham Beckerman, 25, of Ashdod- Shimon Ben-Aroya, 42, of Netanya- Alter Britvich, 88, of Netanya- Frieda Britvich, 86, of Netanya- Andre Fried, 47, of Netanya- Idit Fried, 47, of Netanya- Miriam Gutenzgan, 82, Ramat Gan- Amiram Hamami, 44, of Netanya- Perla Hermele, 79, of Sweden- Dvora Karim, 73, of Netanya- Michael Karim, 78, of Netanya- Eliezer Korman, 74, of Ramat Hasharon- Yehudit Korman, 70, of Ramat Hasharon- Marianne Myriam Lehmann Zaoui, 77, of Netanya- Lola Levkovitch, 70, of Jerusalem- Sarah Levy-Hoffman, 89, of Tel-Aviv- Furuk Na'imi, 62, of Netanya- Eliahu Nakash, 85, of Tel-Aviv- Chanah Rogan, 90, of Netanya- Irit Rashel, 45, of Moshav Herev La'et- Clara Rosenberger, 77, of Jerusalem- Yulia Talmi, 87, of Tel-Aviv- St.-Sgt. Sivan Vider, 20, of Bekaot- Zee'v Vider, 50, of Moshav Bekaot- Ernest Weiss, 80, of Petah Tikva- Eva Weiss, 75, of Petah Tikva- Anna Yakobovitch, 78, of Holon- George Yakobovitch, 76, of Holon.

S.Abramovitch

D.Anichovitch

A.Beckerman

S.Ben-Aroya

A.Britvich

F.Britvich

Andre Fried

Idit Fried

M.Gutenzgan

A.Hamami

P.Hermele

M.Lehmann

Dvora Karim

M.Karim

E.Korman

Y.Korman

L.Levkovitch

S.Levy-Hoff.

Furuk Na'imi

E.Nakash

Irit Rashel

C.Rogan

C.Rosenberger

Y.Talmi

Sivan Vider

Z.Vider

Ernest Weiss

Eva Weiss

G.Yakobovitch

A.Yakobovitch


Out of millions of Palestinian Arabs in the territories, can we find 30 people - one for each victim - who are willing to publicly proclaim that  al Sayid is a monster?

Everyone, from right to left, knows the answer. It would be very difficult to find those thirty people.

And that difficulty is a core issue in the entire conflict.

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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 14 years and 30,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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