November 2009 ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Monday, November 30, 2009

Future martyr?

In the continuing series of reader-submitted photos of adorable Palestinian Arab children published daily at Firas Press comes this photo of Sidra Essam al-Harazin:The burning Fatah logo and the use of the smaller, reverse image, along with the obligatory keffiyeh, is very evocative of Palestinian Arab martyr posters and martyr graphics published on terrorist websites.Looks...

Another "mysterious explosion" kills one near Haniyeh's home

Palestine Press Agency reports that a member of Islamic Jihad's Al Quds Brigades was blown up, and three others injured, when a minibus exploded in Gaza City near the home of Ismail Haniyeh.A doctor is speculating that it might have been an Israeli airstrike, but so far it appears to be another of those infamous "work accidents."Islamic Jihad's Saraya.ps website does not yet have the story. I'll wait for the smoke to clear before adding it to the...

Dershowitz on Goldstone (video)

Here is Alan Dershowitz's critique of the Goldstone Report, delivered at Fordham University: From Israelactivism.com (I copied it and placed it on NMA-TV, hopefully that is OK...

Benny Morris on Avi Shlaim

Benny Morris' book reviews are always fascinating, and his review of British historian Avi Shlaim's latest book of essays is no exception. And he is merciless: According to Shlaim, quoting Segev, David Lloyd George, Britain’s prime minister in 1917, pushed the declaration out of “ignorance and prejudice.” Lloyd George “despised the Jews, but he also feared them,” believing in their world-embracing “power and influence.” The people who sired the...

Thanks, Arab boycott!

From Ha'aretz:Thanks to the Arab boycott of Israel, which partially included Dubai, few Israelis have been exposed to the country's financial crisis. Few Israelis export to Dubai, and it seems very few have business connections with the government's Dubai World development arm, which has asked for a six-month moratorium on interest payments on its $59 billion in debt."Anyone involved in the business world has known for six months that Dubai is tottering,"...

This is a screenshot taken from a Flash ad in Palestine Today. Unfortunately, it didn't link anywhere so I cannot tell what organization sponsored it, but it shows very well that the strategy of destroying Israel in "stages," first decribed by the PLO in 1974, is alive and wel...

That Jewish Lobby is really all-encompassing

From the Sunday Times (h/t Backspin): FIGHTING out of New York, with an unbeaten professional record and the Star of David on his trunks, the opponent facing Amir Khan in the first defence of the Briton’s light-welterweight world title has a background and life story that the most shameless promoter or publicist might blush to concoct. Dmitriy Salita is a throwback to the days when young Jews tried to fight their way out of poverty in the East...

Notable articles from you guys

A few articles that people recommended for me:Alan Johnston returns to the Middle East for the first time after being kidnapped by Palestinian Arabs, and shows his impartiality by writing the BBC's umpteenth typical "evil settler" story. Plus, notice how BBC puts "'Biblical' land" in scare quotes, and captions a picture "Settlers say the land is part of ancient Israel." As if either fact is in dispute. (h/t TC)Reb Akiva at Mystical Paths notices...

In recent weeks, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has threatened war with Columbia, promised to personally fly on planes to "zap" clouds to make them rain, urged citizens to stop singing in the shower, said complimentary things about Idi Amin, Carlos the Jackal and Robert Mugabe, and had a warm reception with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad where he labeled Israel "a murderous arm of...

Today's lying PalArab "eyewitnesses"

From Ma'an:Fifteen Israeli settlers from the Yitzhar settlement near Nablus attempted to set fire to a home in the village of Burin, Palestinian sources said Saturday.Wearing white prayer shirts marking the Jewish Sabbath the group stormed the home of Ayman Attalla Safwan carrying flame excellents but were confronted by several villagers who tried to prevent their entry into the home, eyewitnesses described.Not sure what "flame excellents" are but...

"Peaceful" Nil'in protestors throw Molotov cocktails

From Ma'an:Several people were injured after protesters launched an anti-wall rally in the West Bank village of Nil'in on Saturday, Palestinian and Israeli sources said.In a statement, the Nil'in Youth Center said Israeli forces opened fire on locals and international activists with tear gas, rubber-coated bullets and live ammunition.The center also said Israeli soldiers were injured when youths threw stones and Molotov cocktails toward five military...

PalArabs against boycotting Israel

From The JC:The leader of Palestine’s equivalent of the TUC has told a delegation of British trade unionists that they are not interested in general boycotts of Israel. Shaher Saeed, general secretary of the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), told representatives of seven unions that the organisation had so little interest in the subject it had never discussed boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) and therefore had no policy...

Have a good Shabbos/Shabbat Shalom

Enjoy the rest of the Thanksgiving. and 'Eid, holiday weeken...

Christian girl, 16, gets 50 lashes for knee-length skirt

From Al-Arabiya:A 16-year-old south Sudanese girl was lashed 50 times after a judge ruled her knee-length skirt was indecent, her lawyer and family said in the latest case to push Sudan's Islamic law into the spotlight. The mother of teenager Silva Kashif said on Friday she was planning to sue the police who made the arrest and the judge who imposed the sentence, as her daughter was underage and a Christian.Kashif, whose family comes from the south...

Drive-by shooting attempts in Gaza and the West Bank

Unidentified gunmen opened fire early Thursday on the car of the deputy governor of Nablus, Mrs. Annan Alatyrh Amartij, in the west of Nablus. She was not injured.Also on Thursday, unidentified gunmen in a car opened fire on one of the main leaders of the armed wing of Hamas in the Bureij camp, Ayad Fadhel, and escaped. He also escaped injury.Happy Ei...

Egyptian medical association refuses Israel ties

PalToday reports that the Egyptian Medical Syndicate refuses to have any relationship with Israeli doctors.The issue came up last month when Egyptian authorities barred Israeli doctors from attending a breast cancer conference.Dr. Hamdi Al-Sayyed, head of the Syndicate, said that the general assembly of Egyptian doctors refused to establish relations with Israeli doctors because "they have contributed to the implementation of serious violations against...

"Israel is a murderous arm of the Yankee empire"

From Ma'an:Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez branded Israel a murderous extension of US power on Wednesday during a visit by Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad."We know what the state of Israel stands for - a murderous arm of the Yankee empire," Chavez told joint a news conference, according to Reuters. "What the president of Israel said, we take as a threat."Venezuela is of course a baseball-mad country. Yet out of 205 Venezuelan baseball players...

More pictures of Starving Gazans ®

Pictures taken this week, from Palestine Toda...

Lebanon gives Hezbollah the right to attack Israel

From Al-Arabiya:Lebanon's new cabinet has agreed on a policy statement that acknowledges Hezbollah's right to use its weapons against Israel, despite disagreement by some members of the ruling majority.Information Minister Tarek Mitri said late Wednesday after a cabinet committee set up to draft the statement met for the ninth time that an agreement had been reached.He said the new statement will retain the same clause approved by the previous cabinet...

EoZ Thanksgiving

I would like to thank you for reading my blog, and making this a very successful year.So far in 2009 this blog has had over 625,000 page views, and I am as always humbled and gratified that so many people come here to read what I have to say.And since this is Thanksgiving, here is an exhaustive review of the kosher status of turkey, which is not a simple matter at al...

Arab entertainment company Rotana canceled the production of a comeback music video by a famous Algerian singer, known as Warda (who is 70 years old,) over fears of disturbances because of the still-heated feelings over the football matches between the two countries in recent week...

Abbas ensures he'll be president for life

Remember all those panicky headlines that said that Mahmoud Abbas would resign over his displeasure with the "peace process" that he personally stopped? Remember how the world freaked out, begging him to stay?Well, it turns out that people misunderstood him. When he said he was considering resigning, he really meant that he was staying on in his multiple jobs (chairman and president of the PLO, leader of Fatah, president of the PA) until he drops...

The Great Zionist Bible Conspiracy

Middle East Online has an amazingly paranoid article, written by a Maidhc Ó Cathail, that has to be seen to be believed:The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions for Palestine campaign should widen its scope to target non-Israeli companies who contribute significantly to the oppression of Palestinians. As part of this broader strategy, priority should be given to one of the most egregious offenders, the prestigious British publisher, Oxford University Press....

Sarah Obama in Mecca for Hajj

From Al Arabiya:Sarah Obama, the wife of the American President Barack Obama's grandfather, arrived in Saudi Arabia where she is set to perform the annual Muslim pilgrimage, or Hajj, press reports said Wednesday.Sarah was accompanied by her grandson and Obama's cousins who will all be hosted as guests of the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.Sarah's trip to Saudi, along with 10 villagers from Kogelo Kenya, where she...

Sometimes, even I don't feel like posting anything.Maybe because I spent time earlier today on a post that went nowhere. I thought that this was really interesting (click to enlarge):The thought that there was a building full of yeshiva bochurim fighting Nazis in 1939 was intriguing, but it seems that Nazi newspapers are not very truthful. What a shock.The Nazis did burn the...

2 Gazans injured...by a Qassam

Palestine Press Agency reports that two Gazans were injured when a Qassam rocket that was aimed at Israel went awry and landed inside a house at the Nuseirat camp.This is not that rare an event; perhaps 5-10% of rockets fall short in Gaza, and there have been many injuries and fatalities as a result. Last December, in the days before Operation Cast Lead, no fewer than four Qassam rockets caused injuries and deaths in Gaza.For some reason, PCHR and...

Arab League finds a mediator for Algeria/Egypt

Remember when the Arab League was ticked off at the joking suggestion that Israel mediate between Algeria and Egypt in their simmering dispute over football? Well, maybe they do have a sense of humor after all. Al Arabiya (Arabic) reports that the Arab League has asked a prominent, honorable Arab to mediate the dispute. His name? Moammar Qaddafi! The Libyan news agency reported that the Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Mussa, called...

Abbas lashes out at Obama

From Al Arabiya:American President Barack Obama is "doing nothing" to restart the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview published on Tuesday. "I hope he'll take a more important role in the future," Abbas told the Argentine daily Clarin during a visit to Buenos Aires. The Palestinians "are waiting for the United States to put pressure on Israel so it respects international...

Free Gaza: "We are against humanitarian aid"

From the Free Gaza mailing list:On November 7 and 8, The Free Gaza interim board of directors met in London to plan our strategy for 2010 as well as to schedule the next mission to Gaza....Israel’s use of force to stop our last 3 voyages has made it imperative to revise our strategy. Instead of sending one vessel to Gaza, we are working on a flotilla, or mini fleet with more boats, including at least one cargo ship, more people, more supplies, and...

Send IDF soldiers sufganiot!

National Donut Week is coming up, where you can send IDF soldiers sufganiot for Chanukah and brighten their day!Details here.For those who are more into fine Italian cuisine, you can also send pizza to the people who dedicate their lives to defending Israel (the same organization also sends donuts and burgers...

Today's PalArab news 11/24/09

Egyptian authorities seized a car full of explosives and weapons near the Rafah crossing on Tuesday. The explosives were already packaged in plastic bags to make it easier to smuggle them through the tunnels to Gaza terrorists. This is in addition to the ton of explosives caught yesterday in a pickup truck.Israel today allowed the final shipment of calves into Gaza for the Eid al Adha holiday. A total of 7000 calves have been imported into Gaza in...

Millions of your tax dollars going to terrorists

Ma'an reports:Palestinian prisoners will receive 550 New Israeli Shekels for the Eid Al-Adha holiday and for October and November, according to a statement released by Palestinian Minister of Prisoners and Ex-Detainees Issa Qaraqe on Monday.Qaraqe added that the ministry was successful in raising prisoners’ canteen allowance to 50 NIS to allow detainees to purchase sweets during the Muslim Feast starting on Friday.Qaraqi’ further stated that 35,000...

Work accident!

Hamas' Al Qassam website reports that two commanders were killed in an explosion while performing a "jihad mission" in eastern Gaza.Palestine Press Agency mentions a huge explosion that also wounded four. One of the commenters who says he witnessed the blast said that one of the bodies was hurled 200 meters from the blast, headless.A toast to "martyrs" who turn to toast!The 2009 PalArab self-death count is at 21...

Israel offered to mediate between Egypt and Algeria?

From Al-Arabiya: The Arab League is currently mulling several proposals after it was forced to step in, rebuffing a provocative Israeli offer, to end a bitter tit-for-tat spat between Egypt and Algeria following their 2010 World Cup qualifier playoff match in Sudan. An Arab League spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that since the tension has been rising Secretary General Amr Moussa h+as been receiving several phone calls from...

On Saturday night, Israel struck a number of targets in Gaza in retaliation for a rocket attack. Wire services described the target in Jabalya as "a metal foundry" which Israel claimed was a weapons factory.Pictures from Palestine Today might shed light on the matter. First they show the usual staged pictures of dejected people sitting in the rubble for no reason except to...

Hamas rocket deal a myth

As I reported yesterday, Islamic Jihad and the PFLP denied that they signed onto any Hamas deal to stop rocket attacks into Israel.Palestine Press Agency reports that the DFLP and Fatah Al Aqsa Brigades have also said that they have not agreed to any deal that stops them from firing rockets towards Israel.The Hamas Al Qassam website itself is also strenuously denying that any such agreement was made, quoting Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida as saying...

Insomnia open thread - TV spinoff edition

I woke up wondering what American prime-time scripted TV show was the most successful in history, if you include not only the number of seasons it ran but also the number of seasons its spinoffs ran.My initial guess was Law and Order, but I figured that someone on the Internet must have done the research already.So far, I have not found it.Looking at the Wikipedia entry for TV spinoffs, which includes many non-American and non-prime time shows, my...

Saudi envoys walks out of terror conference

From The Hindu:The former Union Law Minister and senior lawyer, Ram Jethmalani, caused a flutter at an international conference on terrorism here on Saturday by alleging that Wahabism was responsible for terrorism, provoking a walkout by Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to India Faisal-al-Trad. In his address, Mr. Jethmalani, who is president of the All-India Senior Advocates Association, said: “Unfortunately in the 17th century, they produced an evil man...

Zionist human rights activist barred from UN

From Fox News: The United Nations detained an outspoken critic and booted her from its New York headquarters in what the woman, a human rights watchdog, is calling an effort to silence her opposition to the world body. Anne Bayefsky claims that as retaliation for giving a two-minute impromptu speech defending Israel, her 25-year career of monitoring the U.N. is now in jeopardy — likely to be placed in the hands of a...

Did Gaza terror groups agree to stop rockets?

Al Arabiya, AFP and others have reported that Hamas announced that it reached an agreement with other armed groups in Gaza to stop rocket attacks on Israel:"The agreement between (Ezzedine) Al-Qassam (Brigades) and other factions to stop rocket (fire) is not a sign of weakness," the group said in a statement.The agreement is "aimed at keeping together the internal front and the supreme national interest of the Palestinian people."It warned, however,...

Book review: "Fromms: How Julius Fromm's Condom Empire Fell to the Nazis"

(I was sent this book for review.) Julius Fromm was Germany's condom king between the two world wars. He innovated the manufacture and quality control of the product and became fabulously successful. But, he was Jewish. The book, "Fromms: How Julius Fromm's Condom Empire Fell to the Nazis" is an English translation of a book published two years ago in Germany. It is a quick read, less than 200 pages of actual text. Even at this short length, it...

German leftists scream "Jewish pigs!"

From JPost:Prominent French Jewish filmmaker Claude Lanzmann expressed "shock" last week that German leftists in Hamburg had violently prevented the showing of his debut documentary film, Why Israel, about the role of the Jewish state as a homeland for refugees.In late October, the 1973-produced film was scheduled to be shown at the B-Movie cinema, but roughly 50 left-wing activists from diverse anti-Israel groups affiliated with the anti-Zionist...

Saturday night open thread

Not in the mood to post, so I leave it to you to find interesting items to shar...

Iran admits ties to anti-semitism

From the Tehran Times:French actor and political activist Dieudonné M’bala M’bala met with Deputy Culture Minister for Cinematic Affairs Javad Shamaqdari here on Thursday.Dieudonné M’bala M’bala was a jury member of the 26th edition of Tehran International Short Film Festival which concluded here last Monday.They both held talks in Shamaqdari’s office and both agreed to make a joint production with the French actor. The project centers on a storyline...

From Daylife/AP:Palestinian supporters of the Fatah movement loyal to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a march in the west bank city of Nablus. Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009.The "moderate" PA pretended to outlaw public displays of weapons in 2005 outside of their security forces. Apparently, that doesn't apply to Fatah.These sorts of organized rallies, together with...

Good news Friday: Israeli breakthrough in bone repair

From JPost:A team at Jerusalem's Hadassah University Medical Center has managed for the first time in the world to separate platelets and adult stem cells from the blood and bone marrow of patients with fractures and inject them - causing the bones to meld in a quarter to third of the time it usually takes to repair bones, and repairing some breaks that without the therapy would fail to heal at all.Prof. Meir Liebergall, chairman of the orthopedics...

Mahmoud Abbas was interviewed in Arabic by the BBC last night, and he proved yet again that the oft-used appellation "moderate" is a misnomer.The Israeli press is reporting on some of his more outrageous statements."Those who have to resist are the people, and there are different types of resistance, like in (West Bank villages of) Bilin and Naalin, where people are injured...

Root causes of media bias against Israel

Tonight, Dr. Richard Landes spoke at Rutgers University. He is the author of The Augean Stables blog, The Second Draft blog documenting media manipulation by Palestinian Arabs and their supporters, and the driving force behind the Understanding the Goldstone Report blog. Somehow, he also manages to be a professor of history at Boston University and the author of numerous books and articles on topics I cannot begin to understand. His topics...