Friday links

From Ian:

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Latma: The spinmasters finest hour and what truly motivates Obama


The world wants Israel to show restraint. But why should it place its life in the hands of foreign bureaucrats?

“The leaders of Iran have declared many times that they wish to obliterate Israel. Why should Israel not believe this threat? More to the point, why should Israel stay its military response and instead put its trust in the capacity of the bureaucrats in “the international community” to shuffle papers?”

Honing Anti-Semitism in France and Sweden "Blame the Victim"

“In France and Sweden -- and in the UN -- authorities fail to acknowledge that Europe's Jewish communities are under attack by Muslims who have formed insular, radical and often criminal enclaves. They are attacked NOT because of what they do or do not do; NOT because of what Israel does or does not do, and NOT because their tormentors face discrimination in Europe, but because they are Jews.”

Judith Butler: More Palestinian than the Palestinians

“Viewing the two-state solution as a sell-out, Butler attacks the PA application to the United Nations for recognition. The bid’s only value, she argues, is that it allows the left to jump up and down on grave of the “sham of the peace negotiations” and celebrate the “break with the Oslo framework.”

CIF Watch: Following CiF Watch post, Guardian corrects John Pilger’s false casualty figures from Gaza War

What is Abbas' true ideology?

The official PA daily quotes Abbas' Facebook page: "...our land is occupied and not disputed territory, and this applies to all the territories that Israel occupied before June 1967.

(Ma'an says Israeli media misunderstood the Arabic - but Abbas changed the FB text right after it was exposed - EoZ.)

Hamas denying Palestinians energy billions
Hamas’s supremacy is the chief impediment to attaining the life-transforming economic miracle that beckons for Palestinians

“Palestinian Gaza has an offshore natural gas resource worth an estimated $4 billion. While massive gas discoveries off Israel are proving to be world class, Palestinian Gazans should be looking to their own energy miracle and a bright future. Instead, abject poverty and hopelessness prevails – and it’s all self-inflicted.”

Report: Palestinian Authority Involved in Money Laundering

“Israeli political sources say the Palestinian Authority recently asked the Bank of Israel to increase the limit of Palestinian Authority deposits to $2 billion, the Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported Wednesday.
The report said officials of the Bank of Israel were surprised that the PA was asking to allow deposit of such a “mountain” of money while the PA leadership claims to be facing a severe financial crisis. The report highlighted that Israeli officials were starting to have suspicions that the Palestinian Authority “is helping criminal Arab families” inside Israel with money laundering. “

Terror attack against Israeli targets said thwarted in Cyprus
Cypriot newspaper reports security forces seized 100 grams of explosives in resort town

Calorie counting misreporting: Leading Arab daily equates IDF to Nazi army
The only thing left is to send [Palestinians] to the gas chambers, says London-based paper in editorial
See also Honest Reporting: New York Times and The Guardian Starving Readers of Context

Hezbollah jeopardizing regional peace, UN chief says in report

Jewish groups statements on Australia’s success in winning a seat on the UN Security Council for 2013-2014

Anglican Friends of Israel respond to calls for boycott
TALKING POINTS on the so-called "illegal settlements"

Historic Jewish graves desecrated in Auckland

Denmark: MP denied entry to Bahrain over Israel passport stamp

Turkish pianist Fazil Say goes on trial accused of insulting Islam on Twitter

Israel Promotes First Female Christian Arab to Combat Commander

Mona Abdo, 20, grew up in a Christian home in Haifa. She voluntarily enlisted in the IDF when she turned 18 with the encouragement of her family. Upon enlistment Mona was assigned to the Ordnance Corps. However, she quickly realized that she wanted more of an active role and was transferred to the combat unit Caracal—which has both male and female, and Arab and Jewish soldiers fighting alongside each other.