Monday links

From Ian:

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The Guardian Batsheva dance group: my deep shame at this bigoted festival protest

The Israeli contemporary dance company's performance had hundreds of shouting protesters outside and was continually disrupted
“A group of Scottish writers headed by Scotland's national poet Liz Lochhead (who has also taken government money on occasion) even wrote to the press calling for a cultural boycott of all Israeli companies and artists. This was what was effectively being imposed on the rest of us by the pickets outside.
I felt personally deeply ashamed and upset that these renowned international artists who were visiting the EIF were unable to perform their show in peace.“

The Dangers of Accepting Iran as a Nuclear Threshold State by Dore Gold

"For all these reasons, letting Iran reach the status of a nuclear threshold power is a big mistake. In January 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Congress that the U.S. objected to Iranian nuclear weapons capabilities and not just to the production of the weapons themselves. But how is the U.S. translating that position into practical policy, especially when it comes to the use of force, when it becomes clear to the White House that diplomacy has reached a dead end?"

Gantz cautions Iran: IDF can hit any place, anytime

IDF chief of staff responds to threats to "wipe Israel off the map," says IDF ready for any scenario; Barak: Map of Middle East changing before our eyes, Israel must be prepared.

Channel 4 history of Islam sparks flood of complaints and presenter Tom Holland subjected to torrent of abusive tweets

Tom Holland responds to the programme's critics

The history of Islam is not off-limits

For instance, Holland spent a lot of his programme in Jerusalem – a city of relative unimportance in Islam. Many establishing shots were presented of Israel’s security fence and CCTV cameras in the centre of the old city. But what Holland at no point mentioned was why he had not gone to film in another city which – mistakenly or otherwise – is far more important in Islam: Mecca. The reason is that Holland is not a Muslim and so is not only unable to film in Mecca but also is not allowed to go there. I think this is quite an important point and though I waited for it to be made, it never was. Holland simply refrained from saying why, throughout his programme, he was stuck in the countries he could travel in freely (Israel and Jordan).

‘Jumah at the DNC’ Speaker: ‘Muslims Visited America Prior to Columbus’ & ‘It Was a Muslim’ Who Guided Him to the ‘New World’

After a year without an envoy, Morsi’s Egypt sends new ambassador to Israel

Anchor dons hijab for 1st time on Egypt state TV

Concern raised that the move represents a further shift towards Islamism under the newly-empowered Muslim Brotherhood.

Hamas to boost military presence at Sinai border

Gaza government pledges to track down militants

Hamas official says Egypt, not Iran, should mediate unity

Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Denies Comments on Postponing Statehood Bid

For Southern Israel, Start of School is Start of ‘Rocket Season’

“We will not give them the satisfaction of disrupting the new school year,” said Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council Head Alon Schuster. “Most of the education and public buildings in the council are fortified, including the new high school that will be inaugurated today.”

IDF Blog: IDF Veterans on the 2012 Israeli Paralympic Team
Israel Defense Forces on Instagram

FT Field of dreams: Israel’s natural gas

After decades of importing every drop of fuel, Israel has struck it rich, uncovering vast reserves of natural gas in the Mediterranean

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Also:
Bombs stored in Gaza homes explode (CHA)

Egypt's sexual harassment of women 'epidemic' (BBC)

"If the girls were dressed respectably, no-one would touch them," one of them said. "It's the way girls dress that makes guys come on to them. The girls came wanting it - even women in niqab."

One of his friends told me the boys were not to blame, and that there was a difference between women who wore loose niqabs and tight ones.

A woman who wore a tight niqab was up for it, he added.

Anti-semitism in the new Egypt (Telegraph)

The other side of the Torah (TOI)

In January 2011, a pair of unique objects turned up in the ancient university town of Tübingen, Germany, when a Christian theology instructor and his wife bought a new apartment, occupied by an elderly, reclusive man. Shortly after the purchase, the man died, and his possessions fell into the hands of the new owners. Among these possessions were two original oil paintings depicting a uniformed Nazi German soldier and his wife.

On removing the paintings from the walls, the new owners discovered that these likenesses were painted on the back of sections of Torah scrolls. The texts of the scrolls were perfectly legible. One could clearly read from Sefer Shemot, parshiyot Ki Tissa and Vayakhel (Exodus 34:9-35:16), and from parshiyot Vayakhel and Pekudei (Exodus 37:13-39:6).

(h/t Josh)