Sunday links

From Ian:

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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."