Saturday night links

From Ian:

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Why is the Jewish and Israeli Left so Extreme?

"While many of Meir’s views on economic policy would differ from those of today’s Prime Minister, as she was a member of the left-wing Mapai political party, her views on security coincide with the leaders of the Israeli government today."
"Whether one defines themselves as a Revisionist Zionist like Jabotinsky, or a Liberal Zionist like Meir, Zionists must be concerned with the security of the Jewish state more than “peace” with an enemy who wants to destroy Israel piece by piece."

On Middle East Peace, Obama Will be More Realistic in Second Term by Dore Gold

"Presently, there are a host of Israeli commentators who foresee a difficult period for Israel because, as they argue, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bet on the wrong horse. Never mind, as David Makovsky writes in Foreign Policy, the Israeli leader never came out and endorsed President Obama’s opponent, Governor Romney, they still are trying to paint baseless scenarios of doom and gloom. Over the last four years, there is no escaping the fact that the U.S. and Israel had real differences over policy. But at the end of the day, the U.S.-Israeli relationship is based on common interests and shared values and those will continue to form the fabric of the ties between the two countries in the years ahead."

Abbas ‘seriously considering’ pushing off UN statehood bid to January
Palestinian sources cite Obama’s victory in the US elections and his need for time to organize a second term agenda

Levy Distorts, Haaretz Supports

"How absurd for Haaretz to be so named for the Land of Israel when it is quite unworthy of the title. Through the years, Haaretz has been known to produce “news” that has been called “unconscionable,” “unacceptable,” and “slanderous,” yet the editors fail to properly correct serious factual errors. They employ journalists who, with malicious intent, villify and cast Israel as racist, oppressive and unjust to its Arab population. Gideon Levy is a pathetic example of a Jew who is afflicted with pathological tenderness or traumatic bonding, a form of Oslo Syndrome, as he cringes at Israel’s successes and defines himself by reproaching his own people and aligning himself with their enemy. It is also ludicrous to realize that if Israel were what Levy and Haaretz claim her to be – unjust, unfair, and totalitarian in nature – the paper would have long been closed down. It exists and Levy continues his lies and invectives precisely because Israel is a democracy."

BBC Watch: Upcoming Radio 4 programme on “The BBC and the Hungarian Holocaust”

"Mike Thomson investigates documents which suggest that the BBC was directed not to broadcast crucial information and examines claims that it could have saved thousands of lives.”

Toronto Islamic School Caught Teaching Anti-Semitic Material Will Not Face Criminal Charges

"A Toronto Islamic school whose teaching materials disparaged Jews and encouraged boys to keep fit for jihad will not face criminal charges but police did issue a warning and said they had identified passages in school materials that were of concern."

Girl, 9 forced to marry older man as 'compensation' in Pakistani rape case
Pakistani elders have ruled a nine-year-old girl must marry a 22-year-old man as compensation to settle the case of the rape and abduction of another young girl.

More than 5,000 child brides in Saudi Arabia
More than 5,000 girls below the age of 14 are married off in Saudi Arabia, according to media reports.

Bahrain: Sunni leadership strips 31 Shiite lawyers, activists of citizenship
US rebukes Gulf kingdom for policy barring all protest rallies

Pakistan's minority Hindus feel under attack

"They came after dusk and chanted into the night sky "Kill the Hindus, kill the children of the Hindus," as they smashed religious icons, ripped golden bangles off women's arms and flashed pistols. It wasn't the first time that the Hindu temple on the outskirts of Pakistan's largest city was attacked, and residents here fear it will not be the last."

Security and Defense: Night raid
The ‘Post’ joins the Kfir Brigade in a search for terror suspects in the West Bank village of Azun.

"The village of Azun has long stood out on the IDF’s radar as a hotbed of security threats, due to the frequent Molotov cocktail attacks, rock throwing, and more ominously, two shooting attacks on Israeli vehicles in the northern West Bank area this year, the most recent of which occurred on September 30. (No one was injured but a car was damaged by bullets.)"

Israeli researcher among three winners of EU's new Marie Curie prize

“An Israeli researcher is one of the three winners of the European Commission's new Marie Curie Prize for outstanding achievement in research, announced today at a ceremony in Nicosia.
Dr Sarit Sivan, a senior research fellow in the department of biomedical engineering at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, won the prize in the 'Innovation and Entrepreneurship' category. She has developed an innovative treatment for lower back pain resulting from the degeneration of discs in the spinal column.”