September 2012 ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Chag Sameach!

Another week, another holiday.

Here's wishing my readers a chag sameach!

I will not be blogging until Tuesday night.

Sunday links

From Ian:

Egypt’s Christians, facing the fate of Egyptian Jews

"After the Egyptian military took power in the country 1952, it started its campaign against Egyptian Jews, launching its propaganda against Jews in all the state-owned media. It freed all the terrorists who had committed violence against Jews before the coup, and jailed liberals and seculars instead. It encouraged aggression toward the Egyptian Jewish minority, which led to new terrorist attacks against Jewish individuals and properties in Egypt.
Between 1954 and 1956, 80,000 Egyptian Jews were expelled from Egypt, but not before they were robbed of their property. After that, Egypt revoked their citizenship, forbidding them from returning to their homeland. Of course, before they left, Egyptian authorities forced them to sign papers saying that they had been treated fairly and were leaving of their own will. There are currently around 300 Jews living in Egypt, isolated in an environment that is hostile to them."

Let them call me crazy

Mudar Zahran, a lecturer, publicist and Palestinian blogger attends international seminar on new media and public diplomacy given by the Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Ministry at Ariel University Center in Samaria, speaks to Israel Hayom about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Palestinians mad Israelis included in ‘Bethlehem Walk’ By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

Youth groups express outrage over plans to allow the participation of Israelis in inaugural silent walk in Bethlehem.
"Some activists published on Facebook pictures of Palestinians involved in the planning of the event and called on the Palestinian Authority to take action against them.
“We won’t allow the Israelis to desecrate Bethlehem,” said one of the activists. “We will do our utmost to prevent this disgraceful event from taking place in our holy city.”

At U.N., Muslim world questions Western freedom of speech

Muslim leaders were in unison at the United Nations this week arguing that the West was hiding behind its defense of freedom of speech and ignoring cultural sensitivities in the aftermath of anti-Islam slurs that have raised fears of a widening East-West cultural divide.

First Person: Dinner with Ahmadinejad

"Our meeting is the most important of Ahmadinejad’s visit, Khazaee told us, because, “you are the people who will shape the future of the world and the United States.” That platitude unnerved me only when Ahmadinejad was greeted with a standing ovation by these “future leaders” when he entered the room. Likewise, I cringed when students later addressed him as “Your Excellency” during the question-and- answer session. One even prefaced her remarks by saying it was “a pleasure” to be in his presence. That’s when I felt my dinner beginning to come back up."

Anti-Semitism on the rise in the UK

Anti-Semitism in the UK is on the rise again, especially around the time of the Toulouse massacre
"A report published this week by the Community Security Trust (CST) shows that anti-Semitic incidents in the UK have risen in the months January- June 2012, compared with last year’s figures.
In the first six months of this year, 513 potential incidents of anti-Semitism were reported to the CST; of which the CST deemed 299 cases to be anti-Semitic."

[See also The Guardian acknowledges a degree of anti-semitism by Tom Gross - EoZ]

Retrieving Golan a key priority for Syrians, says Islamist preacher who fled Assad
To prevail over Damascus, rebels need more weapons, says Youssef Zoabi, who took refuge in Jordan last year. ‘Once we’ve won, we want an Islamist regime’

Russia said evacuating its personnel from base in Syria
Moscow pulls military staff and civilians out of Tartus, rebels claim

Germany's Gunter Grass defends Vanunu in new poem
Nobel laureate praises Mordechai Vanunu, who revealed Israeli nuke program, as "hero" because exposed the truth to the public.

3 trucks of Gazan furniture allowed into West Bank
Palestinian Authority orders the 35 tons of furniture from a Gazan factory for their West Bank schools.

Hamas cracks down on Gaza youths’ saggy pants
Several teens arrested for wearing Western-style trousers that expose their underpants

EMA approves MediWound burns treatment
Market sources believe that Teva will begin marketing the treatment in 2013.

“The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended approval of third degree burn treatment NexoBrid, developed by MediWound Ltd. This is a major achievement for the company, as this is the first time the EU has approaved a treatment that consists of an enzyme-based debriding agent for the removal of necrotic tissue from severe burn wounds, instead of surgical intervention.”

From Ethiopia to the Knesset: Shlomo Molla Lives the Israeli Dream

Few can understand the power of immigrants’ transition from life in Ethiopia to the promise and opportunity of Israel as well as Member of Knesset Shlomo Neguese Molla (Kadima). "Growing up in a Jewish village in Ethiopia, where Molla studied at a school sponsored by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), “next year in Jerusalem” was merely a lifelong dream. Now it is a reality, and then some. Many would call his story extraordinary, but Molla says it is simply a story of Israel—typifying what determination, reason and tolerance can accomplish."

Even though the ISM, Free Gaza Movement and others keep refusing to place any blame on Egypt for Gaza's economic isolation, Hamas knows when it makes sense to put some pressure on their fellow Islamists.

This morning, Hamas held a protest rally in Rafah against Egypt's closure of some smuggling tunnels and to try to convince Egypt to allow a free-trade zone in Rafah which would allow goods to enter Gaza more freely. A Hamas spokesperson said that the terror group would be willing to shut the tunnels immediately if the free-trade zone would be established.

Egypt is resisting the idea for a number of reasons: it doesn't want Israel to benefit by making Gaza less dependent on aid from the Israeli side, and it does not want to become responsible for Gaza itself. It also fears that the free trade zone will in effect become part of a de facto expansion of Gaza into the Sinai. Furthermore, Egypt fears that such a zone would make it even harder for Fatah and Hamas to ever reconcile.

For its part, Hamas is trying to shame the Muslim Brotherhood-led Egyptian government to show it really cares about Gaza, and isn't just engaging in lip-service. Banners at the rally feature supposedly suffering Gaza children.

Hamas outsources terror

The Hamas-affiliated Palestine Times has a photo essay of a Saturday parade in Gaza by the Saladin Brigades of the PRC:

The parade was for the 12th anniversary of the terror group.

Even the PRC website doesn't have all photos.

Since no one can march in Gaza without Hamas permission, and no one can import weapons without Hamas permission, the only conclusion is that Hamas has outsourced some of it terror activities to the PRC and other groups like Islamic Jihad which likewise have similar parades.

This way Hamas can try to portray itself as moderate and pragmatic when they publish op-eds in the New York Times and when they present themselves as the legitimate leaders of "Palestine" to Arab nations, but it can ensure that when it decides that rockets should be fired on Jews, rockets will be fired.

Gee, I hope this Palestinian Lebanese cleric doesn't get an aneurysm

From MEMRI:

Following are excerpts from an interview with Sheik Muhammad Zaghmout, head of the Palestinian Islamic Council in Lebanon, which aired on Mayadeen TV on September 7, 2012.

Sheik Muhammad Zaghmout: I say to myself, to the Islamic scholars, to the Muslims themselves, and to the viewers all over the world – from north to south, and from east to west: Oh Muslims, unite! Unite! Unite! Unity is the key to your strength, while disintegration will lead to your death.

Implement the words of Allah: "Prepare for them what force and steeds of war you can, to strike terror in the hearts of the enemies of Allah and your enemies." You shall not regain Al-Aqsa and Palestine without preparations, rockets, and guns. You shall not regain Palestine through negotiations, capitulations, kisses, or hugs.

The one thing that will restore Palestine to you is Jihad, Jihad, and more Jihad. Any nation that forsook Jihad was humiliated by Allah.

Interviewer: What about the sanctity of blood?

Sheik Muhammad Zaghmout: A Muslim is forbidden from harming a fellow Muslim – taking his life, the honor of his women, or his wealth. Allah deems the destruction of the Ka'ba to be less severe than the killing of an innocent Muslim.

In 2007, this same guy said

The Koran says: 'Make ready for them what strength you can...' But we say to Allah: We don't want to, because we're afraid that they will call us terrorists. If killing the Zionist Jews, the Americans, the English, and the French in Palestine, in Iraq, and in Afghanistan is considered terrorism – I am the number one terrorist.
[...]
The Prophet of Allah has promised us that the Jews will gather in Palestine, and that the Muslims will fight them, and totally kill them. Even the stone and the tree will say: 'Oh Muslims, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.' You might tell me that I am relying on supernatural hadiths. I believe this is not supernatural but is the core of our belief.

If he supports the immigration of Jews to Palestine, then doesn't that make him a Zionist?

It's getting easier and easier to be a Hamas "martyr"

The latest Hamas "work accident:"

Ezzedeen Al Qassam Brigades (E.Q.B) the military wing of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas, mourned on Sunday morning, September 30th, 2012, the death of the Qassam member Mohammed Abdullah Hamad,22, from Al Nuseirat Refugee Camp in Central Gaza Strip.

The Brigades confirmed in a press statement released on Sunday morning, that the mujahid Mohammed was martyred during his duty, adding that he was martyred after a long bright path of Jihad, hard work, struggle and sacrifice.

Virtual candy all around!

I've noted before how Hamas "martyrs" no longer have to die while actually doing any fighting. But Hamas is now watering down it's definition of "martyr" to - pretty much anything:

Al Qassam Brigades mourns the death of the mujahed Eyad Barhoum

As Al Aqsa Intifada against the occupation assault on the Gaza Strip continues, Ezzeddeen Al-Qassam Brigades has its best men to be in the playground of death to defend their people from any attack by the enemy ... Today, Al-Qassam Brigades mourn the death of the Mujahed:

Eyad Juma'a Barhoum [39 years old]

Yibna neighborhood – Rafah City

The mujahid Eyad was martyred of heart disease in Egypt. He was martyred at dawn on Wednesday September 26th, 2012. He was martyred after a long bright path of jihad, hard work, struggle and sacrifice.

Now someone can be a martyr when they die of heart disease?

But wait...here's another:

Ezzedeen Al Qassam Brigades (E.Q.B) the military wing of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas, mourned on Wednesday evening, September 26th, 2012, the death of the Qassam member Adham Ali Shahin,28, from Al Nuseirat Refugee Camp in Central Gaza Strip.

The brigades confirmed in a press statement released on Thursday morning, that the mujahid Adham was martyred in car accident several days ago, adding that he was martyred after a long bright path of Jihad, hard work, struggle and sacrifice.

Sounds like Gaza is going through "martyr inflation." Soon every Ahmad, Mahmoud and Hazim will be described as "martyrs" when they drop dead. We'll have cancer martyrs, killed-by-kerosene-heater martyrs, and being-shot-at-wedding martyrs.

If Hamas isn't careful, there will be a shortage of ugly perpetual virgins in Paradise to spend eternity with.

Saturday night links

From Ian:

Anti-Semitism in left-wing online media

Articles critical of Israel are a magnet for anti-Semites and are used as a vehicle to express their Jew-hatred.
"The second factor is the growing social acceptability of anti-Semitism when it is cloaked as anti-Zionism. Support for the Palestinians and opposition to Israel has become a part of the orthodoxy of the contemporary political Left. The Left prides itself on its progressive, anti-racist beliefs and policies, yet when it comes to Israel, left-wing media articles and posted comments frequently cross the line into outright anti-Jewish racism."

Liberman: Abbas is the ‘main obstacle’ to peace
FM blasts PA chairman for UN speech full of ‘slander and incitement’

Poll: 70% of Americans view Israel favorably
Respondents to Foreign Policy Initiative survey list Israel as United State's second best ally in the world, second only to UK.

Video: Rice skipped Netanyahu speech at the UN

"First, the US delegation decides to stick around for one of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speeches at the UN, and then the highest-ranking US diplomat at Turtle Bay takes a powder when Israel’s Prime Minister gets up to speak. Instead, UN Ambassador Susan Rice chose to attend a luncheon in which she wasn’t even the highest-ranking American diplomat."

Barcelona invites three Palestinians to join Gilad Shalit at match against Madrid
Hamas called for a media boycott of the Spanish soccer team following former soldier’s invitation

Border Police arrest Palestinian for attempted attack on soldier
26-year-old suspect bearing large knife admits to trying to attack IDF personnel outside Jerusalem

Video Shows Professors Teaching Anti-Semitism, Anti-Israelism
According to Dr. Charles Jacobs, APT President, one tenured professor in the Boston-based school consistently defamed Israel, and his department of Middle East Center for Peace, Culture and Development “has been built to inculcate students with a hostile and demonized view of the Jewish state, with repeated comparisons to the Nazis.”

Northeastern U's Muslim Chaplain Removed After Video Exposes Support for Terrorists

"This happened just days after we published an expose documenting that Faaruuq is a supporter of convicted Islamist terrorists who is inciting Boston Muslims against the U.S government.”

Panetta: We’ve Lost Track of Some Syrian Chemical Weapons

The U.S. has lost track of some of Syria’s chemical weapons, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Friday, and does not know if any potentially lethal chemicals have fallen into the hands of Syrian rebels or Iranian forces inside the country.

Syrian Rebels Claim to Take Over Chemical Weapons
A statement published by the Syrian rebels says that they have taken over a military base and found missiles with non-conventional warheads.

House lawmaker blocks $450M in US aid for Egypt
The Obama administration's plan to transfer $450 million in cash to Egypt hit a roadblock Friday as a top House committee chairwoman blocked the move, saying it warrants further review.

US Embassy issues terror warning for Americans in Egypt
Citing credible threat to women engaged in missionary activities, diplomats urge citizens to exercise vigilance

Presidency asks Egyptian Consulate to monitor Eltahawy case
Eltahawy was arrested for vandalising a pro-Israel ad in a subway station at Times Square, while another woman who supported the billboard's content, Pamela Hall, was standing against the wall to prevent her from doing so.

Egypt's Copts abandon Sinai after threats, attack

Israeli wave power company to ring India with power plants

SDE will help the country avoid a repeat of last summer’s massive power failure
“Last July, India lived through a modern nightmare — a massive power failure that left some 600 million people in the dark, in the heat and out of work for days. Lesson learned: A country that strives to take its place in the modern world, touting itself as a place for multinationals to set up shop, needs a power insurance policy. And for that, India is turning to an Israeli company, SDE, which will build a series of power plants along the Indian coastline, supplying the country with power from waves.”

Also:
Dispatches From The War That Nobody Wants by Walter Russell Mead

As everybody knows, there is no such thing as a global war on terror anymore. Instead we live in a harmonious world of interfaith comity with only the occasional criminal act that is quickly and competently handled by law enforcement officials. ...We may be tired of the war on terror, but the terrorists aren’t tired of waging war on us. Far from it. They are just warming up.

Egyptian cleric involved in new constitution wants girls to marry at 14

From Bikya Masr:

An Egyptian cleric and member of the Constituent Assembly tasked with drafting Egypt’s new constitution has said that girls 14-years-old are permitted to have sexual relations under Islam and has proposed reducing the marriage age limit as a result.

“It is permissible for the girl at the age of 9 or 10 to marry,” Yassir Barhami said in discussing a woman’s sexual reproduction and his interpretation of Islam.

The Salafist – ultra-conservative – preacher claimed that under Islam when a girl begins to ovulate she is ready for marriage.

He added during a television debate on Dream TV last Tuesday that “marriage of a girl would not be a supplement for education,” but added that it “was better” to marry a girl young “than falling into sin with customary marriage.”

The cleric cited the Qur’an in arguing that any girl who is menstruating should be married and begin having children.

Manal al-Taibi, a now resigned member of the Constituent Assembly, said that this call is the promotion of child marriage and is akin to rape.

She has resigned her position on the assembly in protest to the overuse of Sharia law, or Islamic law, permeating the drafting process.

Actually, in some ways this is much worse than rape. A rape victim has legal recourse, but a girl forced into an marriage is almost always imprisoned and forced to have sex against her will for life.

Note also that Barhami is really saying that girls should be allowed to marry at 9 or 10, but he is - for now - only favoring reducing the marriage age to 14. If that effort succeeds, look to a new lowering of the age of "consent" in coming years.

(h/t Ian)

Report: Syria murdered downed Turkish pilots on Russian advice

From Al Arabiya:

As political tensions mount between neighboring Syria and Turkey, newly-leaked Syrian intelligence documents obtained by Al Arabiya disclose shocking claims shedding light on the dreadful fate of two Turkish Air Force pilots.

Contrary to what was publically claimed, the documents reveal that the pilots survived the crash, but were later executed by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad!

On June 22, a Turkish military jet was shot down by a Syrian missile in international airspace, Ankara’s official report said; a claim Damascus has refuted.

Assad’s regime said the country’s defense forces shot down the two-seater F-4 Phantom as it was in the Syrian airspace.

However, after investigating the leaked documents it obtained, Al Arabiya can now reveal for the first time an alternative narrative of what might have happened to the two Turkish pilots.

One highly confidential document was sent directly from the presidential office of President Assad to brigadier Hassan Abdel Rahman (who Al Arabiya’s sources identify as the chief of the Syrian Special Operations Unit) states the following:

“Two Turkish pilots were captured by the Syrian Air Force Intelligence after their jet was shot down in coordination with the Russian naval base in (the Syrian city of) Tartus.”

The file therefore reveals two critical reports. First, the pilots were still alive after the plane had crashed. And second, that Russia held its share of involvement in this secretive mission.

The same document orders the concerned parties to treat both Turkish pilots according to the protocol of war prisoners, as instructed by the president.

It also requests that both men be investigated about Turkey’s role in supporting the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the country’s main armed opposition group.

The report also suggests the possibility of transferring the pilots into the neighboring Lebanese territory, leaving them in the custody of Assad’s ally, Hezbollah.

However, if the Turkish air commanders were not killed upon the crash of their F-4 Phantom, further leaked documents confirm that their death was inevitable.

A subsequently leaked file, also sent from the presidential palace and addressed to all heads of units of the Syrian foreign intelligence, reads: “Based on information and guidance from the Russian leadership comes a need to eliminate the two Turkish pilots detained by the Special Operations Unit in a natural way and their bodies need to be returned to the crash site in international waters.”

The document also suggests the Syrian government sends a “menacing” message to the Turkish government, insinuating Syria’s capability of mobilizing Kurdistan’s Workers Party (PKK) on the Turkish borders, notifying Ankara from the danger it might face in case of any hostile move.

The report insists that the Syrian leadership should hasten and make a formal apology to the Turkish government for bringing down the plane, which would embarrass the Turks and win the support of international public opinion. As such, the Syrian Regime did apologize.

The reaction from the talkbacks at the English Hurriyet paper in Turkey are mostly skeptical about the report. (The Turkish version has no talkbacks, and neither does Zaman, another Turkish paper.)

Al Arabiya claims to have received via the Syrian opposition hundreds of classified Syrian government documents which it plans to publicize in the coming days.

Administrivia - I hit my 15,000th post

I wasn't keeping track, but this "Work accident!" post from Wednesday was my 15,000th post on this blog.

Which is sort of...crazy. Cool, but crazy.

My 10,000th post was in February 2011; my 5000th in November 2008.

I have had dozens of other "work accident' posts documenting Arab terrorists blowing themselves up over the years. In 2007 and 2008 I even had the annual Splodie Awards for the best examples of terrorists dying spectacularly by their own hands or the hands of their much beloved brethren.

The amount of text I've posted is about 70 megabytes. To compare, I am told that the 26-volume 1911 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica was only 25 MB of text.

Thanks to my readers, commenters, contributors and especially thanks to those who have been sending in donations. (It's not too late....)

Weekend links

From Ian:

LATMA: The media's math and Egypt's honor

Hamas announces boycott of Barcelona FC following Shalit invite

Despite mounting pressure, soccer team invites one-time prisoner to October match against Real Madrid
“Hamas on Thursday announced a media boycott of Barcelona after the leader of the Spanish soccer league gave a complimentary ticket for an upcoming match to Gilad Shalit, the former Israeli soldier who was held captive by militants in the Gaza Strip.”

The Palestinian Authority's Policy of Duplicity by Khaled Abu Toameh

“Abbas is trying to show the US and the EU that he is serious about fighting the Hamas in the West Bank, and that is why he deserves a state and more funding. What the Americans and Europeans do not know is that many of these detainees are released within hours or days.”

The U.S. Should Throw its Support Behind an Israeli Strike by John Bolton

The odds are long, time is short, and the choice is stark. But since a nuclear-armed Iran will change the world forever, America should support an Israeli attack as the least-worst option.

No Surprise: America Under Attack Again in the Mideast by John Bolton

“President Obama’s highest priority, namely his re-election, is obviously foremost in his calculations. His “success” in Libya, overthrowing Gadhafi without U.S. casualties, now lies in tragic ruins in Benghazi. His narrative that the global war on terror is essentially over is revealed as a sham. And his claim that he could reverse decades of anti-American feelings through “outreach,” concessions and apologies, is shattered irretrievably.”

The "Obama administration and the diplomatic tsunami By DANNY DANON

Canada PM Sees Iran as “Clear and Present Danger”

Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, said the government of Iran constitutes, “unambiguously, a clear and present danger and thus demands a very sober assessment.”

Oh Canada!

Canada might very well be Israel’s best friend in the world. Many signs have been pointing in that direction for a while now.

Palestine: End the Jew Hatred – End the Conflict by David Singer

Netanyahu’s cartoon bomb wasn’t meant for world leaders, and not even for Obama

PM is hoping to convince American voters Iran is an immediate threat. Perhaps that way, the president will get the message.

AP, Reuters Reportedly Post Bibi “Heil” Photos

The Weekly Standard’s Daniel Halper flags two photos of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the UN, which were reportedly pushed out on the AP and Reuters wires.

ADL slams Ahmadinejad, Farrakhan for NYC meeting

"In a press release, the ADL said the meeting of “two leading purveyors of anti-Semitism” was “yet another example of the extreme views of the Iranian government toward Jews and Israel and their attempt to promote those hateful views before an American audience by consorting with like-minded bigots."

Tunisia rape victim accused of 'indecency'

Civil society groups express outrage after woman was accused of "immoral behaviour" by policemen jailed for raping her.

State Dept. commemorates refusal to shelter Jewish refugees
Pre-Yom Kippur program focused on the St. Louis, ship sent back to Germany in 1939

How UK Can Learn From Israel's Tech Success

While it may be desirable to try to replicate the success of Israel's tech firms, it may be better to learn through collaboration.
“Israel can boast more tech start-ups per capital than any other country in the world. So what can the UK learn from the country?
Israel has listed more companies on the Nasdaq than the UK and numerous tech firms are basing their research and development centres there.”

Also:
Mordechai Kedar: The End of Oslo - and a Glimmer of Hope (h/t Akusia)

Blast targets Jewish community in Sweden

Iran's FARS "news" agency falls for a satirical Onion article:

Challah Hu Akbar on the PA's attempts to cover up a sexual harassment scandal

Elliot Abrams: Riots, Rage, Videos, Politics, and Free Speech

Just today, to take another example, I came across the most recent Palestinian Media Watch report on the defamation of Judaism in official broadcasts of the Palestinian Authority. Every religion is defamed, yet apologies appear to be expected and to be offered only in one case: Islam. The explanation is clear: only in that case is there fear of violence.

And a reader sent this in:

Saudi women defend polygamy

Saudi logic!

In Saudi Arabia, polygamy appears to be a solution for women increasingly worried about spinsterhood which is seen as associated with a “shortage” of men.

“Saudi men travel a lot and live abroad for long times. This makes them forget about marriage altogether,” Professor of sociology Ibrahim al-Anzi was quoted as saying by al-Sharq newspaper.

Left with few options, girls increasingly accept to be second wives, he said.

“When a girl reaches 30 in Saudi Arabia, she is automatically considered a spinster and that is when she accepts marrying a man that would only give her part of his time rather than not marry at all.”

According to Anzi, polygamy not only solves the problem of spinsterhood, but also curb sexual relations outside the institution of marriage.

...For Noha Ahmed, if a man decides to remarry he would do that whether his wife likes it or not.

“I would talk to him and know why he wants to remarry, then I would choose his second wife myself and even accompany him when he proposes to her.”

According to Fatima al-Ahmari, if a man wants to remarry and his wife refuses, he will start picking fights until their life together becomes unbearable.

“And then he would get married anyway. That is why women should not object to polygamy.”

...Omm Rakan argued that the prevalence of spinsterhood is mainly because neither men nor women want to take responsibilities.

“The most suitable form of relationship for them is convenience, or mesyar, marriages, but this is not feasible in our present time.”

Once you get past the brainwashing, what they are saying is that since Islam discriminates against women by allowing polygamy, women must suck it up and happily accept their second-class status.

The idea that Saudi women should be allowed to "travel a lot and live abroad for long times" just like the men is simply inconceivable.

Today's Arab media anti-semitism

Iraqi newspaper Nasiriyah has an article by someone named Osama Mubarak that reflects how many, many Arabs (and anti-semitic Westerners) think:

The world community competes to find new scientific inventions to benefit mankind, and help us in everyday life. Not surprisingly, Israel is the only entity in the world that invented things that worry and haunt the rest of the world.

In the past they invented the so-called Holocaust and physically blackmailed the world, especially Germany.

Then came the invention of Zionism and the Promised Land, which is a fake Talmudic political movement, its main objective the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, and by encouraging immigration of Jews around the world with the unlimited support of Western countries. This was not out of love of Zionism, but to get rid of the Jews and throw them amidst the Arabs.

Another invention is that of Jewish nationalism. The Jews are not a nation, as we know, but a religion, not a race or breed, but ethnic mixtures; nationalism in its true sense is the belief that one people are bound by language and culture, history, geography and interests.

And afterwards came the invention of "the state of the Jewish people," and they tell the world, especially the Arabs, that no solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict can occur without such recognition.

Among these strange and weird and deplorable inventions, a new invention is now unveled and unparalleled in world history - the so-called "Jewish refugees."

But he never explicitly said that it was Jews who faked their deaths in the Holocaust, or that Jews created the idea that they were a nation, or that Jews claim to have been expelled from Arab countries. He doesn't even say that it was Jews who invented the fake Zionist movement. No, Osama Mubarak only says that it was "them."

Morsi accused of corruption

From Egypt Independent:

A report was referred to the Public Funds Prosecution on Thursday accusing President Mohamed Morsy of profiting from his position and giving unfair advantage to business figures who are members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Saeed Mohamed Abdullah, founder of the Independent Association to Fight Corruption, filed a report to the public prosecutor accusing Morsy of reaping profits to repay the money spent on his election campaign. Abdullah claims this amounts to LE2 billion.

According to the allegations, Morsy has still not made public the funding sources of his election campaign. The Freedom and Justice Party would not have legally been able to raise those funds.

The report also highlighted the appointment of Hassan Malek, a businessman and member of the Muslim Brotherhood, as head of the businessmen delegation. The report accuses Malek of extracting and exporting phosphate without paying any charges or taxes to the state.

This will be an interesting test to see how different the new Egypt is from the old.

Many Egyptians already see little difference:

“We changed a leader but not the regime,” said Negad Borai, a prominent lawyer and rights activist. “It is difficult to accurately assess his performance after he spent only three months in office, but he clearly has no vision and is going about governance haphazardly.”

Underscoring those fears, lawyers representing Morsi obtained a court ruling to shut down a private television station whose owner ranted against the president and the Muslim Brotherhood on air. The station’s owner and a newspaper editor are facing criminal charges.

Morsi also did not object to the imprisonment of a Christian for “insulting the president” — a seldom-used charge.

An insider at the presidential palace, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information, says Morsi was not involved personally in a flurry of court cases against his critics, but the proceedings were initiated by lawyers from the Brotherhood or closely linked to the group.

He also said that decision-making is restricted to Morsi and a small group of senior Brotherhood leaders who meet at the president’s home in an upscale suburb in eastern Cairo.

Alaa al-Aswani, a bestselling novelist and rights activist, wrote Tuesday in the independent newspaper Al Masry Al Youm that the time has come to take Morsi to task.

He pointed to a series of cases in which police were accused of abusing suspects, which although nothing on the scale of the torture under Mubarak’s regime. He also noted Morsi has secured the support of the powerful state-owned media. He also charged that Morsi is suppressing freedom of expression and has failed to deliver on his promises of inclusion by allowing Islamists to dominate the drafting of a new constitution.

“The picture is now worrying,” he wrote. “It’s like nothing has changed in Egypt after the revolution except for the identity of the president — Mubarak is gone and Morsi has come.”

(h/t RK)

Arab "intellectual" says ancient Jews never lived in Israel - but in Yemen

From Ad Dostour (Jordan):

Dr. Fadel al-Rubaie denied any relationship of any kind between the Torah and Palestine, stressing that the names, places and events that came in the Torah are Yemeni names and locations, and some still exist even today.

He denies strongly that Joshua Ben-Nun had crossed the Jordan River to Jericho, and inscriptions and figures available indicate that Joshua Ben-Nun actually traveled to the land of Yemen.

This was all said in a lecture given by Dr. Rubaie on Tuesday evening in the Jordanian Writers Association Forum moderated by Dr.. Hisham Ghassib.

..Al-Rubaie in his lecture spoke of the need to re-correct the region's history, and on top of that the history of Palestine, which requires corrections to the historical narrative promoted by Orientalists that are based in their stories of the Torah that they read misleadingly. He stressed that Jerusalem is not Jerusalem, and Jews have no trace in the Palestinian territories, and if there is a housing in Palestine from the Jews it is from the sons of the Arab tribes that migrated from Arabian Peninsula.

...Israel went to revive the Hebrew language, originally a Yemeni dialect.

The lecture included a heavy presence of intellectuals and other interested members.

Al Akhbar interviewed him last year and he spouted pseudo-intellectual garbage like this:

“Give me one example in which old Jerusalem is mentioned in the Torah.” He notes that the city used to be called Ilia not Jerusalem. Therefore, there is no narrative text on Jerusalem prior to the Islamic conquest.

Um...even if you forget the entire Tanach, which mentions Jerusalem about 700 times, what about Josephus and the Christian scriptures? Not to mention the Dead Sea Scrolls?

The Torah, according to what al-Rubai has documented, refers to old Jerusalem as located in Yemen and not in Palestine. He explains, “This is what the Assyrian and Babylonian inscriptions have proven, for they refer to nine enslavement campaigns that took place in Yemen, not Palestine.” But why have historical narratives documented that the Babylonian enslavement incident as having occurred in Palestine?

Al-Rubai, who authored The Truth Behind the Babylonian Enslavement, says, “The reason lies in the monopoly over this tragic story, which was later used in the Holocaust narrative as a continuation of the historical persecution of the Jews, thus reinforcing their role as historical victims. All we need to do is to go back to the history of al-Tabari, which clearly mentions that Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion was of Yemen and not Palestine.”

Based on these controversial revelations, al-Rubai solidly concludes in his thesis that Judaism is an old Arabic religion, and the Torah is a Yemeni book. He also concludes that old Jerusalem is not present-day Jerusalem. It is located in Yemen and not Asir, as the late intellectual Kamal al-Salibi concluded in his book The Bible Came from Arabia.

Al-Rubai says, “I am not under the illusion that these ideas will prevail soon, given the presence of an enormous media power that dominates the historical narrative. It is enough to seek the documentation of our history from a critical perspective, away from the Orientalist lie. Perhaps what Edward Said has accomplished in that regard has shaken this perception to a great extent.”

Yes, this is the state of Arab intellectualism. The Jews are so powerful that they have managed to retroactively change history itself in order to profit from the Holocaust!

The question is, when will the anti-Israel Left embrace this exercise in historical revisionism themselves?

A video to make Israel-haters' heads explode

And one that makes Israel-lovers' feet tap:

(h/t Richard)

PalArabs underwhelmed by Abbas' lackluster hate speech

Mahmoud Abbas' speech at the UN yesterday was notable for being - boring.

Filled with the usual lies and hate, the speech was an extended fact-challenged rant about the evils of Israel with barely a passing mention about Hamas, which controls 40% of his supposed people.

Some lines were almost laughable for their obvious hypocrisy:

Our people will continue to build the institutions of their State and will continue to strive to achieve national reconciliation to restore the unity of our nation, people and institutions via resorting to the ballot boxes, which will confirm our people’s pluralistic democratic choice.

Given that the last election results were overturned by Abbas himself and that he is now in the eighth year of his "final" four year term, his support of democracy is more than suspect.

He also invoked "historic Palestine" again - an area that included Jordan and didn't include the Negev.

And even his much-ballyhooed promise to mention the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel, given to Alan Dershowitz, was watered down so much that no Muslim would even recognize it as such:

The Security Council is called upon to urgently adopt a resolution comprising the basis and foundations for a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that would serve as a binding reference and guide for all if the vision of two-States, Israel and Palestine, is to survive and if peace is to prevail in the land of peace, the birthplace of Jesus (peace be upon him), and ascension of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and the final resting place of Abraham (peace be upon him), the land of the three monotheistic religions.

Abbas couldn't even bring himself to say "Judaism." In fact, this absurd formulation is also consistent with the idea that today's Jews aren't the Jews of the Bible, a consistent formula in Palestinian Arab media.

Abbas' speech did nothing to improve his standing with his own people:

Palestinians who were galvanized a year ago by the launch of a campaign for statehood in the United Nations were left cold on Thursday by a watered-down bid from their leader President Mahmoud Abbas.

Citizens seemed wary of investing hope in the new plan.

"To tell the truth, we see it as all talk, and we know it will have no concrete results," said Hussein Izzat, a construction contractor, lighting a cigarette as cars and pedestrians clogged squares which last year hosted euphoric rallies and a live broadcast of Abbas's address.

"The last time around, there was real attention to the speech. But in the time since we have gotten bored and depressed by the lack of action. I have no confidence in the president's words," he said.

..Waiting for a fare beside his taxi, with the presidential speech at top volume on the radio, Mohammad Hammad questioned whether the president's rhetoric matched his people's reality.

"He sounds eloquent and knowledgeable of all the facts, but it seems to me that he has lost touch with what truly matters to the Palestinians," he said.

Abbas and the Fatah leadership keep thinking that they can repeat the same lies and the same gimmicks over and over again and get the same results. They are utterly clueless that the international community is sick and tired of a fake, corrupt leadership that has thrown away every single chance for peace in favor of more demands and more intransigence.

UPDATE: If you missed the speech and want to see the gist of it, this music video shown on official PA TV pretty much describes 80% of Abbas' speech - and his "peace" plan.

And as we've seen from Abbas' censorship efforts in the past, nothing goes on his official TV station unless it reflects the actual positions of the PA. This one was broadcast on September 6.

Report: 16 year old Egyptian girl shot dead after resisting groping

From Egypt Independent:

It is a sordid tale: A 16-year-old girl is groped while walking along the street. She responds by spitting in her attacker’s face, vowing to take back her rights. He, in turn, guns her down with an automatic weapon.

That is what is alleged to have happened to Eman Mostafa two weeks ago in a small village in Upper Egypt’s Assiut Governorate. While details of the incident have only slowly trickled out, the monstrosity of the alleged crime suggests a frightening increase in gendered violence following a spate of well-publicized cases of harassment and assault in recent months.

The suspect, Ramadan Nasser Salem, is now in police custody after having fled for more than a week. In an interview on Al-Hayat TV channel Saturday, he denied the version of events offered by witnesses.

“I was riding my motorbike and I saw her,” he said. “I said hello, and she thought I was harassing her and started cursing at me and spat in my face. I mistakenly fired my gun, and a passer-by told me the bullet hit a wall. We thought the girl was afraid and fell on the ground, but then people told us that the bullet hit her. I never meant to kill her.”

Salem’s denial notwithstanding, Dalia Abd El-Hameed, a researcher at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, warns that the reported circumstances surrounding Mostafa’s death reflect a disturbing trend in sexual abuse against women.

“It’s becoming more violent, and this Assiut incident is a very vivid example of this,” she says. “He killed her. He killed her just because she defended herself. The mere fact was that she just didn’t accept what’s very accepted in society. When you don’t accept the norm, society punishes you. And he punished her.”

Why should Juan Cole do research when he can just make facts up?

A classic example of how third-rate academics do their work:

One of the few contemporary examples of settler colonialism is that of Israelis in the Palestinian West Bank. The number of Palestinians who have died from infant mortality, poor health conditions and lack of sanitation, loss of farms and other property and attendant penury, and other ill effects of the Israeli expulsion of their families in 1948 and 1967 and then occupation and colonization since 1967 is surely in the hundreds of thousands at least, though this toll is seldom considered.

Cole could have taken the time to look up population statistics, infant mortality rates, population growth rates, life expectancy figures and so forth to prove his thesis. You know...research.

But actual research is so tedious and time consuming. Worse yet, it might prove the opposite to what this pseudo-intellectual wants to convey. That won't do at all! Honesty is only a virtue when it supports Dr. Cole's bias, dontcha know.

Much better for this joke of a professor to just make up fake statistics. After all, it isn't as if his cheerleading anti-Zionist fans would actually call him on making up numbers out of thin air, would they?

By the way, I once estimated that there might be as many as 1.6 million more Palestinian Arabs alive today because of Israeli policies than there would be otherwise. While my numbers are fuzzy, I at least gave sources as to where I got them from, and anyone who wants can check my work or improve on it.

Which just goes to show what a sucker I am. I should have acted like Juan Cole and just make up facts instead of actually looking up hard data. Maybe I can get tenure somewhere!

Obviously, requiring professors to do actual research before they spout their half-baked opinions as fact is way over the line. They have inherent knowledge that doesn't require something as messy as data.

Then again, this isn't the first time Cole made up facts. Nor is it the first time that he accused Zionists of indirect mass murder by making up "facts" out of thin air.

Apparently, the normal rules of scholarship can be suspended - for certain "scholars."

(h/t Dan)

Bibi's speech to the UN (video and text)

Here is the text of Binyamin Netanyahu's speech to the UN today:

It's a pleasure to see the General Assembly presided by the Ambassador from Israel, and it's good to see all of you, distinguished delegates.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Three thousand years ago, King David reigned over the Jewish state in our eternal capital, Jerusalem. I say that to all those who proclaim that the Jewish state has no roots in our region and that it will soon disappear.
Throughout our history, the Jewish people have overcome all the tyrants who have sought our destruction. It's their ideologies that have been discarded by history.
The people of Israel live on. We say in Hebrew Am Yisrael Chai, and the Jewish state will live forever.
The Jewish people have lived in the land of Israel for thousands of years. Even after most of our people were exiled from it, Jews continued to live in the land of Israel throughout the ages. The masses of our people never gave up the dreamed of returning to our ancient homeland.
Defying the laws of history, we did just that. We ingathered the exiles, restored our independence and rebuilt our national life. The Jewish people have come home.
We will never be uprooted again.

Yesterday was Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year.
Every year, for over three millennia, we have come together on this day of reflection and atonement. We take stock of our past. We pray for our future. We remember the sorrows of our persecution; we remember the great travails of our dispersion; we mourn the extermination of a third of our people, six million, in the Holocaust.
But at the end of Yom Kippur, we celebrate.
We celebrate the rebirth of Israel. We celebrate the heroism of our young men and women who have defended our people with the indomitable courage of Joshua, David, and the Maccabees of old. We celebrate the marvel of the flourishing modern Jewish state.
In Israel, we walk the same paths tread by our patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But we blaze new trails in science, technology, medicine, agriculture.
In Israel, the past and the future find common ground.

Unfortunately, that is not the case in many other countries. For today, a great battle is being waged between the modern and the medieval.
The forces of modernity seek a bright future in which the rights of all are protected, in which an ever-expanding digital library is available in the palm of every child, in which every life is sacred.
The forces of medievalism seek a world in which women and minorities are subjugated, in which knowledge is suppressed, in which not life but death is glorified.
These forces clash around the globe, but nowhere more starkly than in the Middle East.
Israel stands proudly with the forces of modernity. We protect the rights of all our citizens: men and women, Jews and Arabs, Muslims and Christians – all are equal before the law.

Israel is also making the world a better place: our scientists win Nobel Prizes. Our know-how is in every cell-phone and computer that you're using. We prevent hunger by irrigating arid lands in Africa and Asia.
Recently, I was deeply moved when I visited Technion, one of our technological institutes in Haifa, and I saw a man paralyzed from the waist down climb up a flight of stairs, quite easily, with the aid of an Israeli invention.
And Israel's exceptional creativity is matched by our people's remarkable compassion. When disaster strikes anywhere in the world – in Haiti, Japan, India, Turkey Indonesia and elsewhere – Israeli doctors are among the first on the scene, performing life-saving surgeries.

In the past year, I lost both my father and my father-in-law. In the same hospital wards where they were treated, Israeli doctors were treating Palestinian Arabs. In fact, every year, thousands of Arabs from the Palestinian territories and Arabs from throughout the Middle East come to Israel to be treated in Israeli hospitals by Israeli doctors.
I know you're not going to hear that from speakers around this podium, but that's the truth. It's important that you are aware of this truth.
It’s because Israel cherishes life, that Israel cherishes peace and seeks peace.

We seek to preserve our historic ties and our historic peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. We seek to forge a durable peace with the Palestinians.

President Abbas just spoke here.
I say to him and I say to you:
We won't solve our conflict with libelous speeches at the UN. That's not the way to solve it. We won't solve our conflict with unilateral declarations of statehood.
We have to sit together, negotiate together, and reach a mutual compromise, in which a demilitarized Palestinian state recognizes the one and only Jewish State.
Israel wants to see a Middle East of progress and peace. We want to see the three great religions that sprang forth from our region – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – coexist in peace and in mutual respect.

Yet the medieval forces of radical Islam, whom you just saw storming the American embassies throughout the Middle East, they oppose this.
They seek supremacy over all Muslims. They are bent on world conquest. They want to destroy Israel, Europe, America. They want to extinguish freedom. They want to end the modern world.
Militant Islam has many branches – from the rulers of Iran with their Revolutionary Guards to Al Qaeda terrorists to the radical cells lurking in every part of the globe.
But despite their differences, they are all rooted in the same bitter soil of intolerance. That intolerance is directed first at their fellow Muslims, and then to Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, secular people, anyone who doesn't submit to their unforgiving creed.
They want to drag humanity back to an age of unquestioning dogma and unrelenting conflict.
I am sure of one thing. Ultimately they will fail. Ultimately, light will penetrate the darkness.
We've seen that happen before.
Some five hundred years ago, the printing press helped pry a cloistered Europe out of a dark age. Eventually, ignorance gave way to enlightenment.
So too, a cloistered Middle East will eventually yield to the irresistible power of freedom and technology. When this happens, our region will be guided not by fanaticism and conspiracy, but by reason and curiosity.

I think the relevant question is this: it's not whether this fanaticism will be defeated. It's how many lives will be lost before it's defeated.
We've seen that happen before too.
Some 70 years ago, the world saw another fanatic ideology bent on world conquest. It went down in flames. But not before it took millions of people with it. Those who opposed that fanaticism waited too long to act. In the end they triumphed, but at an horrific cost.
My friends, we cannot let that happen again.
At stake is not merely the future of my own country. At stake is the future of the world. Nothing could imperil our common future more than the arming of Iran with nuclear weapons.
To understand what the world would be like with a nuclear-armed Iran, just imagine the world with a nuclear-armed Al-Qaeda.
It makes no difference whether these lethal weapons are in the hands of the world's most dangerous terrorist regime or the world's most dangerous terrorist organization. They're both fired by the same hatred; they're both driven by the same lust for violence.
Just look at what the Iranian regime has done up till now, without nuclear weapons.
In 2009, they brutally put down mass protests for democracy in their own country. Today, their henchmen are participating in the slaughter of tens of thousands of Syrian civilians, including thousands of children, directly participating in this murder.
They abetted the killing of American soldiers in Iraq and continue to do so in Afghanistan. Before that, Iranian proxies killed hundreds of American troops in Beirut and in Saudi Arabia. They've turned Lebanon and Gaza into terror strongholds, embedding nearly 100,000 missiles and rockets in civilian areas. Thousands of these rockets and missiles have already been fired at Israeli communities by their terrorist proxies.
In the last year, they've spread their international terror networks to two dozen countries across five continents – from India and Thailand to Kenya and Bulgaria. They've even plotted to blow up a restaurant a few blocks from the White House in order to kill a diplomat.
And of course, Iran's rulers repeatedly deny the Holocaust and call for Israel's destruction almost on a daily basis, as they did again this week from the United Nations.

So I ask you, given this record of Iranian aggression without nuclear weapons, just imagine Iranian aggression with nuclear weapons. Imagine their long range missiles tipped with nuclear warheads, their terror networks armed with atomic bombs.
Who among you would feel safe in the Middle East? Who would be safe in Europe? Who would be safe in America? Who would be safe anywhere?

There are those who believe that a nuclear-armed Iran can be deterred like the Soviet Union.
That's a very dangerous assumption.
Militant Jihadists behave very differently from secular Marxists. There were no Soviet suicide bombers. Yet Iran produces hordes of them.
Deterrence worked with the Soviets, because every time the Soviets faced a choice between their ideology and their survival, they chose their survival.
But deterrence may not work with the Iranians once they get nuclear weapons.

There's a great scholar of the Middle East, Prof. Bernard Lewis, who put it best. He said that for the Ayatollahs of Iran, mutually assured destruction is not a deterrent, it's an inducement.
Iran's apocalyptic leaders believe that a medieval holy man will reappear in the wake of a devastating Holy War, thereby ensuring that their brand of radical Islam will rule the earth.
That's not just what they believe. That's what is actually guiding their policies and their actions.
Just listen to Ayatollah Rafsanjani who said, I quote: "The use of even one nuclear bomb inside Israel will destroy everything, however it would only harm the Islamic world."
Rafsanjani said: "It is not irrational to contemplate such an eventuality."
Not irrational…
And that's coming from one of the so-called moderates of Iran.

Shockingly, some people have begun to peddle the absurd notion that a nuclear-armed Iran would actually stabilize the Middle East.
Yeah, right…
That's like saying a nuclear-armed Al-Qaeda would usher in an era of universal peace.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
I've been speaking about the need to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons for over 15 years.
I spoke about it in my first term in office as Prime Minister, and then I spoke about it when I left office. I spoke about it when it was fashionable, and I spoke about it when it wasn't fashionable.
I speak about it now because the hour is getting late, very late. I speak about it now because the Iranian nuclear calendar doesn't take time out for anyone or for anything. I speak about it now because when it comes to the survival of my country, it's not only my right to speak; it's my duty to speak. And I believe that this is the duty of every responsible leader who wants to preserve world peace.
For nearly a decade, the international community has tried to stop the Iranian nuclear program with diplomacy.
That hasn't worked.
Iran uses diplomatic negotiations as a means to buy time to advance its nuclear program.

For over seven years, the international community has tried sanctions with Iran. Under the leadership of President Obama, the international community has passed some of the strongest sanctions to date.
I want to thank the governments represented here that have joined in this effort. It's had an effect. Oil exports have been curbed and the Iranian economy has been hit hard.
It's had an effect on the economy, but we must face the truth. Sanctions have not stopped Iran's nuclear program either.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, during the last year alone, Iran has doubled the number of centrifuges in its underground nuclear facility in Qom.
At this late hour, there is only one way to peacefully prevent Iran from getting atomic bombs. That's by placing a clear red line on Iran's nuclear weapons program.
Red lines don't lead to war; red lines prevent war.
Look at NATO's charter: it made clear that an attack on one member country would be considered an attack on all. NATO's red line helped keep the peace in Europe for nearly half a century.
President Kennedy set a red line during the Cuban Missile Crisis. That red line also prevented war and helped preserve the peace for decades.
In fact, it's the failure to place red lines that has often invited aggression.

If the Western powers had drawn clear red lines during the 1930s, I believe they would have stopped Nazi aggression and World War II might have been avoided.
In 1990, if Saddam Hussein had been clearly told that his conquest of Kuwait would cross a red line, the first Gulf War might have been avoided.
Clear red lines have also worked with Iran.
Earlier this year, Iran threatened to close the Straits of Hormouz. The United States drew a clear red line and Iran backed off.
Red lines could be drawn in different parts of Iran's nuclear weapons program. But to be credible, a red line must be drawn first and foremost in one vital part of their program: on Iran's efforts to enrich uranium. Now let me explain why:
Basically, any bomb consists of explosive material and a mechanism to ignite it.
The simplest example is gunpowder and a fuse. That is, you light the fuse and set off the gunpowder.
In the case of Iran's plans to build a nuclear weapon, the gunpowder is enriched uranium. The fuse is a nuclear detonator.
For Iran, amassing enough enriched uranium is far more difficult than producing the nuclear fuse.
For a country like Iran, it takes many, many years to enrich uranium for a bomb. That requires thousands of centrifuges spinning in tandem in very big industrial plants. Those Iranian plants are visible and they're still vulnerable.
In contrast, Iran could produce the nuclear detonator – the fuse – in a lot less time, maybe under a year, maybe only a few months.
The detonator can be made in a small workshop the size of a classroom. It may be very difficult to find and target that workshop, especially in Iran. That's a country that's bigger than France, Germany, Italy and Britain combined.
The same is true for the small facility in which they could assemble a warhead or a nuclear device that could be placed in a container ship. Chances are you won't find that facility either.
So in fact the only way that you can credibly prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, is to prevent Iran from amassing enough enriched uranium for a bomb.
So, how much enriched uranium do you need for a bomb? And how close is Iran to getting it?
Let me show you. I brought a diagram for you. Here's the diagram.

**************

This is a bomb; this is a fuse.
In the case of Iran's nuclear plans to build a bomb, this bomb has to be filled with enough enriched uranium. And Iran has to go through three stages.
The first stage: they have to enrich enough of low enriched uranium.
The second stage: they have to enrich enough medium enriched uranium.
And the third stage and final stage: they have to enrich enough high enriched uranium for the first bomb.
Where's Iran? Iran's completed the first stage. It took them many years, but they completed it and they're 70% of the way there.
Now they are well into the second stage. By next spring, at most by next summer at current enrichment rates, they will have finished the medium enrichment and move on to the final stage.
From there, it's only a few months, possibly a few weeks before they get enough enriched uranium for the first bomb.

*****************

Ladies and Gentlemen,
What I told you now is not based on secret information. It's not based on military intelligence. It's based on public reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Anybody can read them. They're online.
So if these are the facts, and they are, where should the red line be drawn?

The red line should be drawn right here
…………..

Before Iran completes the second stage of nuclear enrichment necessary to make a bomb.
Before Iran gets to a point where it's a few months away or a few weeks away from amassing enough enriched uranium to make a nuclear weapon.
Each day, that point is getting closer. That's why I speak today with such a sense of urgency. And that's why everyone should have a sense of urgency.
Some who claim that even if Iran completes the enrichment process, even if it crosses that red line that I just drew, our intelligence agencies will know when and where Iran will make the fuse, assemble the bomb, and prepare the warhead.
Look, no one appreciates our intelligence agencies more than the Prime Minister of Israel. All these leading intelligence agencies are superb, including ours. They've foiled many attacks. They've saved many lives.
But they are not foolproof.
For over two years, our intelligence agencies didn't know that Iran was building a huge nuclear enrichment plant under a mountain.
Do we want to risk the security of the world on the assumption that we would find in time a small workshop in a country half the size of Europe?

Ladies and Gentlemen,
The relevant question is not when Iran will get the bomb. The relevant question is at what stage can we no longer stop Iran from getting the bomb.
The red line must be drawn on Iran's nuclear enrichment program because these enrichment facilities are the only nuclear installations that we can definitely see and credibly target.
I believe that faced with a clear red line, Iran will back down.
This will give more time for sanctions and diplomacy to convince Iran to dismantle its nuclear weapons program altogether.

Two days ago, from this podium, President Obama reiterated that the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran cannot be contained.
I very much appreciate the President's position as does everyone in my country. We share the goal of stopping Iran's nuclear weapons program. This goal unites the people of Israel. It unites Americans, Democrats and Republicans alike and it is shared by important leaders throughout the world.
What I have said today will help ensure that this common goal is achieved.
Israel is in discussions with the United States over this issue, and I am confident that we can chart a path forward together.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
The clash between modernity and medievalism need not be a clash between progress and tradition.
The traditions of the Jewish people go back thousands of years. They are the source of our collective values and the foundation of our national strength.
At the same time, the Jewish people have always looked towards the future. Throughout history, we have been at the forefront of efforts to expand liberty, promote equality, and advance human rights.
We champion these principles not despite of our traditions but because of them.
We heed the words of the Jewish prophets Isaiah, Amos, and Jeremiah to treat all with dignity and compassion, to pursue justice and cherish life and to pray and strive for peace.
These are the timeless values of my people and these are the Jewish people's greatest gift to mankind.
Let us commit ourselves today to defend these values so that we can defend our freedom and protect our common civilization.

Thank you.

Thursday links

From Ian:

It won't be the end of the world if Israel strikes Iran

“Whatever view we take of a nuclear-armed Iran and Israel’s right to self-defence, the alarmist argument constantly invoked – fear of a wider conflagration – simply isn’t credible
We point out once again that the current crisis amounts merely to a theoretic armchair discussion for most Western commentators. For Israel, however, the bellicose threats (and words must have consequences) of extinction by an ideologically-driven totalitarian regime bent on a final solution to what they openly view as the ‘Jewish problem’ has very clear precedence. “

PM slams Ahmadinejad’s speech, heads to UN to deliver his response

Netanyahu condemns those who stayed in hall to hear Iranian president; rebuffed by Obama, Israeli leader will meet Clinton, Ban, Ashton on whirlwind trip

Ahmadinejad to UN: ‘Uncivilized Zionists’ threaten Iran
Iranian president, at General Assembly, protests ‘intimidation’; US, Israel boycott speech

Canada boycotts Iran leader's UN speech

Ahmadinejad's vision of 'new world order' doesn't include travel to Canada
The state-run news agency IRNA said the ministry has deemed there is growing "Islamophobia and Iranophobia" in Canada.

Jordan’s king urges Israel to accept Arab Peace Initiative

Abdullah II, in UN speech, condemns attempts to ‘Judaize’ Jerusalem
Abdullah also criticized what he described as Israel’s attempts to eradicate the Muslim and Christian aspects of Jerusalem.
“The international community must make it clear to Israel that any attempt to erase the Arab, Muslim and Christian identities of Jerusalem is intolerable,” the monarch said.

Fundamentally Freund: Let the Palestinian Authority collapse By MICHAEL FREUND
If the PA insists on treating Israel like an enemy, then there is no reason why the Jewish state should not return the favor.

American court orders BBC to hand over Yasser Arafat documentary footage

Ruling raises questions about the ability of the American justice system to seize material held by media outside the United States
“The victims believe that the BBC interviews with a leader of Fatah, the political movement founded by Arafat, and an alleged terrorist in the Al Aqsa Brigades in the West Bank city of Jenin, contain statements which will help prove a link between the bombings and the PA and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).”

Sex scandal hits PA on eve of statehood bid By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

Abbas instructs PA security forces to put on hold investigation into sex scandal involving Palestinian minister until he returns from NY.

MEMRI: Swedish-Algerian Journalist Yahya Abu Zakariya Promotes the Cause of Holocaust Denial

Egypt Shoots Down Hamas Request for Free Trade Zone

French police search home of Toulouse terrorist's brother

Argentina and Iran to discuss 1990s bombings

Vandals desecrate Jewish cemetery south of Prague
Tombstones broken into pieces

Barcelona FC confirms Shalit invite despite pro-Palestinian protests

Former Hamas captive will attend October match against Real Madrid as club’s guest
“Barcelona is a place of unity not divisions,” club vice president Carles Vilarrubí told reporters. “This invitation does not indicate in any way that Barca takes a position in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
According to the Palestinian advocacy website the electronic intifada, more than 650 people have signed a petition addressed to Barcelona president Sandro Rosell, opposing the invitation.

'AgroTech 2012' - promoting business between Sri Lanka and Israel

"This year in May Sri Lanka Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Yapa Abeywardhana visited Israel and signed a MoU with the Israel government in terms of promoting agriculture business and technology between the two countries. The outcome of it was our first AgroTech 2012 get-together last week which could light up hopes of the agricultural trade between the two countries," Minister Yahel said.

EdenShield puts a ‘nose plug’ on bugs

Extract from a hardy Holy Land species of bush forms the basis of a new natural insect repellent being tested in Israeli greenhouses.
“In a parallel direction, he is testing the potency of the product for a humanitarian project: If it works against thrips that attack tomatoes, why couldn’t it protect people against malaria-carrying mosquitoes or kissing bugs (Triatominae)? The kissing bug transmits chagas, a parasite that can cause organ damage and eventually death. It kills 20,000 people a year, and Forbes has called it the new AIDS of the developing world.”

Boy's death ignites rare anti-Hamas protests in Gaza

At least 500 call to overthrow Hamas rule, claiming it is incompetent; fire boy died in fire caused by candles during power outage.

Also Morsi needs a map
Egypt's Morsi Slams Free Speech at Clinton Forum

"While we must acknowledge the importance of freedom of expression, we must also recognize that such a freedom comes with responsibilities especially when it has serious implications for international peace and security," he said. [a subtle threat - Ian]He also challenged the international community to develop a new model of global governance that would aid the world's needy and promote dignity."I simply cannot watch the blood that's shed in Syria or the children that are starving in Gaza and claim that our model of global governance works," Morsi said.

Also:
An anti-Israel website admits:

In a story published last week, Reuters reported about Hamas’s efforts to prevent Egypt from closing down the tunnels in the Sinai desert. The story includes quotes from “tunnel owners” who say that “80 percent of food sold in Gaza comes through the tunnels”. Since the reporter did not qualify these statements, we wish to clarify the facts, and it won’t be the first time.

Most of the food that enters the Gaza Strip actually arrives via Israel. For example, in the month of June, 1,327 truckloads of food entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing. Only about a quarter of this quantity entered through the tunnels.

Saving children from Gaza

Against the background of tensions in the south, four children from Gaza are receiving treatment at Rambam Medical Center without which they might die. Medicine across borders.

Insidious "medwashing" - Israel saves Arab lives to hide their, um, taking Arab lives.

We are all proud savages now!

On Tuesday, the prominent Egyptian-American writer Mona Eltahawy informed her almost 160000 Twitter followers in no uncertain terms that she was incensed by an advertisement that had been placed in some New York City subways stations. Quoting a Reuters report about the ad, Eltahawy referred to it as “‘Savage’ jihad ad,” and, by adding the hashtag #ProudSavage, presumably declared her solidarity with maligned jihadists who see themselves in a war against Israel and (western) civilization.

The teddy bear in Norway: A new threat for Jews (h/t Josh)

For the first time, I encountered an official in a Western democracy whose personal contempt for a 3,000-year-old religious ritual she admits she never witnessed leads her to castigate a core Judaic rite as “barbaric” and “immoral.” Indeed, even as I described the transcendent moments I experienced as a grandfather who has been blessed to hold his four grandsons during their circumcision ceremonies, it was clear that the doctor views me and Jewish parents circumcising their infant boys in the same league as child molesters.