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Saturday, October 13, 2012

Saturday night links

From Ian:

Swedish government body funds book on Israeli ‘apartheid’
Member of country’s Art Council praises ‘high quality’ of work that claims Herzl sought to increase Jewish suffering
The book contains a quote attributed to Theodor Herzl which the Stockholm-based Swedish Israel Information Center claims is a forgery: “It is essential that the sufferings of Jews become worse. This will assist in the realization of our plans. I have an excellent idea. I shall induce anti-Semites to liquidate Jewish wealth.”
Lisa Abramowicz, the center’s secretary general, has said the book reminded her of “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”
[The quote in the title of the book has also been proven false - EoZ]

Fake Gaza “Art” at Canadian Public Library
"The unanimous opinion of experts is that these drawings – which depict various scenes of alleged “Israeli brutality” – are far too sophisticated to have been drawn by children. Contrary to CJPME President Thomas Woodley’s claims as published in the Hamilton Spectator, this artwork cannot be considered “authentic”. The symbolism, detail, colouring and motifs all indicate the work of trained artists imitating the style of a child."

[Some of the text from that article was taken from my earlier post on the topic. I assume it was an oversight that they didn't credit me. -EoZ]

The banal realities of Israel’s self-defence
If an enemy state or organised military group sent drones over Russia, or Britain, or France, as part of an openly stated campaign of ultimate destruction, there would not be the smallest word of dissent against the victim’s right to self-defence
"When is an act of war not an act of war? In the Middle East, that is usually when the State of Israel is the target of unprovoked aggression from some group or other hell bent on securing the Jewish state’s destruction. At least, that is how it is seen in the chancelleries of Europe and much of the rest of the world besides.”

Sarah Honig: Another Tack: If only we were Turks
“Obviously one set of rules applies to Turkey and quite another to Israel – without even configuring the incomparably more prolonged, frequent and menacing provocations against
Israel.
That goes for the media too. One Syrian mortar shell that hit just inside Turkish territory last Sunday made headlines worldwide. Over 55 shells and rockets that barraged Israel that same night went largely unmentioned. Israeli pain is clearly not worth wasting airtime for."

Dore Gold: Iran and Turkey Compete for Middle East Power
It will not be so simple to wave the flag of the Palestinian issue in order to cover up their own encroachments on the rest of the Middle East. Many Sunni Arabs understand that "Iranian special forces were involved in the massacres of their people in Syria, which were part of the spreading of Iranian power across the region. Pointing to Israel will not change what Iran did in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East. Ironically, Israel and the Arab states have growing mutual interests in seeing that their region is not dominated by either Turkey or Iran, but whether they can draw together to block these two powers remains to be seen."

US: Russia’s policy on Syria is ‘morally bankrupt’
"The Obama administration on Friday accused Russia of pursuing a “morally bankrupt” policy in Syria, following Turkey’s seizure of alleged Russian military equipment from a Syrian plane headed from Moscow to Damascus."

Secret Israel-Syria Peace Talks Involved Golan Heights Exit
For several months in 2010, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel engaged in secret, American-brokered discussions with Syria for a possible peace treaty based on a full Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights.

Prosecutor: Suspects in Paris store attack linked to Syria
Terror cell called the ‘most dangerous’ uncovered in France in more than 15 years
"Suspects in the recent bombing of a kosher supermarket near Paris belonged to an “extremely dangerous” cell with links to Islamist rebels in Syria, a Paris public prosecutor has said."

Hezbollah claims it sent drone over Israel, but expert calls it 'rinky-dink'
"Israel usually tracks these drones as they come across the border and often doesn't bother to shoot them down," Zenko said. "They just want to see what Hezbollah thinks it can do."
Drones like the one shot down on Saturday cannot even be piloted until someone has "line control" of the device, or is at least within 50 kilometers of it, he said.
"To call them rinky-dink would be polite," he said. "The drones that Iranians display at airshows or that they tout for sale, defense industry press people describe them as crude."
These drones don't have "hard points," or brackets, on which ammunition can be fixed, Zenko said, but they do have the ability to conduct surveillance. It's unclear if the Iranians have drones that can do surveillance in real time, he added.

BBC tunnel vision in Gaza
"The frequent use of the phrase “Israel says” by journalists is a subject for discussion in itself. It implies to the reader that, whilst seemingly presenting multiple viewpoints on a certain subject, the journalist is not entirely convinced of their validity or objectivity.
Of course in this specific case, it is not just Israel which “says” that weapons are smuggled into Gaza through the tunnels.
In May 2012, Major General Warren James Whiting – commander of the Multinational Force and Observers in Sinai – said that advanced Russian-made missiles were being smuggled from Libya, through Egypt, into the Gaza Strip. "

'All the Jews there live in fear that their telephones are tapped'
"Iranian Jews view Iran as their home, and they can practice their religion freely. Most belong to the upper class, so they are not as affected by the economic sanctions. But there is suspicion and fear too, since Big Brother is always watching."

Iron Dome can handle Hamas’s improvised multi-barrel rocket launchers, expert says
Uzi Rubin, chief engineer of the Arrow anti-missile system, says there are ‘no game-changers’ in the ongoing conflict with Gaza.

Rocket hits backyard in Netivot
Gaza terrorists continue to pound southern communities: Explosion heard in city of Netivot on Friday evening as rocket lands in house's yard. No injuries reported; one person suffers from shock

Iranian Diplomat to be Honored at Holocaust Museum
Abdol-Hossein Sardari was the Iranian envoy to France in 1940 when Nazi Germany became the occupying power there, and it was at this time that his efforts led to saving the lives of thousands of his countrymen.


The European Union has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in what can only be described as a travesty and a complete farce

Nobel committee said the award was for 'the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights'
But critics condemn the move at a time when the bloc is gripped by the Eurozone crisis and facing serious questions about its future
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg says it is 'slightly interesting' to give to the award to an 'acronym'
Tory MEPs joke the Nobel committee 'is a little late for an April fools joke' and declare: 'Parody is redundant'
The prize is awarded by a panel of five people from Norway - which is not even a member of the EU


Also,  BBC Radio  looks at Jewish refugees from Arab lands (h/t Yerushalimey)