Friday linkdump

From Ian:

---

Latma: Blame Canada The Palestinian Version, and Britain under fire from Israeli media



JCPA: The Palestinian UN Upgrade: Setting Things Straight

"Now it is perhaps the time to place things in their correct proportion and to face the legal and political truths, without misleading exaggeration, imaginative embellishment, wishful thinking, and false predictions."

Europe Prays to Paper Peace, Paper God

"Cavemen prayed to stones and talismans, but Europeans worship paper gods.
Europeans have a bad habit of holding up paper agreements as if they guarantee peace, progress, prosperity."

Melanie Phillips: Jewish students running gauntlet of hate: welcome to 21st century Britain

"The delegitimisation campaign against Israel, comprising the obsessional lies and blood libels promulgated by the media and intelligentsia week in, week out, has produced this result: Jewish students in Britain are being forced to abandon their university courses out of fear."

Honest Reporting: Top 10 Media Fails of the Gaza War (EoZ involved in a few!)

CAMERA: New CAMERA Monograph: Indicting Israel: New York Times Coverage of the Palestinian Conflict

“A new monograph about CAMERA's six-month study of The New York Times details how the newspaper treats Israel with a harsher standard, omits context, and shows a clear preference for the Palestinian narrative. The entire booklet will soon be available for purchase on Amazon.”

Ten Fake Signatures on Shrinking Soccer Petition?
The following ten "signatories" apparently never signed, and perhaps never even saw, the petition, as their names have been removed from the list of 62 purported signatories:

CIF Watch: Harriet Sherwood gets it right

"While Hoffman’s analysis is open for debate, it’s refreshing to read a Guardian analysis which gives voice to the overwhelming majority of Israelis who tire of the imperiousness and moral condescension consistently displayed by the European left towards their nation – a hubris which manifests itself in the audacious belief that citizens of the Jewish state continually need to be ‘saved from themselves’."

Poll: Majority of Israelis supported Gaza operation

"Peace Index poll finds a majority of Israelis want a return to peace talks, but even larger number doubts their chances of success. Support for Operation Pillar of Defense was not limited to one side of the political map, Israeli Jews from across the political spectrum supported the operation; 74% of people self-identifying with the Left, 86% of centrists and 89% of right-wing Israelis."

Human Rights Organizations Overlook Female Genital Mutilation to Focus on Israel

“It seems that knowledge of that country extends little past the movie Black Hawk Down and occasional pirate attacks on Westerners. This lack of information is due in part to a lack of concern among groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Rather than taking the lead in defending Somali people, these organizations are channeling the majority of their resources to areas that are easier to report on, such as the U.S. and Israel.”

Clinton Excludes Israel Again from Counterterror Summit?

"Now Israel has apparently been excluded again, and in announcing the meeting the State Department spokesperson did not think it necessary to inform himself on the issue before meeting the press. The unfortunate effect is to call into question the meaning and effect of the U.S. “commitment,” sending a signal to Turkey (the other GCTF co-chair) and other nations that perhaps the word doesn’t mean what they think it means. "

If all else fails, US will hit Iran in 2013, say former top advisers to Obama and Bush

At Washington Institute gala, Dennis Ross, Elliott Abrams and outgoing US ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey insist the president will strike next year if diplomacy doesn’t succeed
"James Jeffrey, a former deputy national security advisor and, for the past two years, the US ambassador to Iraq, agreed with Ross’ assessment.
“I think [Obama’s] first choice will be a negotiated settlement. Failing that, I think that we’re going to strike,” Jeffrey said."

U.S. Secret Weapons Delivery Fell into Hands of Terrorists
A secret arms shipment to Libyan rebels fell into the arms of known terrorist groups. U.S. now concerned that the same can happen in Syria.

"The United States agreed last year to arm Libyan rebels from Qatar, but, as the New York Times reported, American officials grew concerned when intelligence evidence revealed only a few weeks after the deal was agreed to that the rebels were handing weapons over to known terrorist groups."

Kedar: Israel 'Knows How to Deal With Syrian Chemical Threat'
As Syria raises the stakes over its chemical weapons, an Israeli expert says measures are being taken to minimize the threat.

"The aerial chemical weapons threat, however, is one reason Turkey has turned to NATO for assistance, Kedar said. “This is why Turkey is deploying Patriots along the border with Syria,” he pointed out.
If an aerial bomb bearing a payload of sarin explodes in mid-air, Kedar said, “it is much less dangerous than if it blows up on your head. Sarin needs to be within a certain range, and at a certain concentration, in order to be effective.”

'French media is with the Palestinians'

Israel has a new friend in the French parliament, Avi Assouly: Socialist, proud Jew and former IDF volunteer. Assouly holds an Israeli passport and served a brief stint on the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team. 'The French media are pro-Palestinian,' says Assouly, who describes himself as very popular in France, despite his outspoken pro-Zionist views.

University of Toulouse Nixes Support Mtg for PFLP Terror Group

A meeting to express support for the PFLP terrorist support organization at the University of Toulouse has been cancelled by administrators.
"The university was the scene of an attack on an Israeli delegation in late April by a group of chanting, shouting protesters calling for the extermination of Jews. The incident took place about a month after the murder of a rabbi and three young children at a Jewish day school in Toulouse. The attackers ripped down the Israeli flag from the delegation's stall at the Le Mirail campus, in the area where Toulouse terrorist Mohamed Merah grew up."

IDF soldiers clash with Palestinian police in Hebron
Initial reports indicate that fray sparked as Israeli patrol tries to arrest policeman

"A group of IDF soldiers on patrol in Hebron clashed with some 250 Palestinians after trying to arrest a Palestinian policeman on Thursday in the West Bank city of Hebron."

Always Watching: The IDF Unmanned Ground Vehicle

"The border with Gaza is one of Israel’s most tense regions. Hamas snipers, anti-tank missiles and explosives threaten IDF soldiers whose job it is to patrol the security fence on the border.
To counter these threats, the IDF has introduced the Guardium Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV), which patrols the Gaza fence around the clock. “The most important aspect of the Guardium is that it saves human lives — and money, too,” said Lt. Avidav, Head of the Guardium Division."

Israel - The Start-Up & "Heart-Up" Nation
The latest advancements in cardiovascular innovations were introduced at a conference in Tel Aviv this past week.

"The annual "Innovations in Cardiovascular Interventions" (ICI) conference, the leading meeting for interventional cardiologists, innovators, entrepreneurs in the industry took place in Tel Aviv in early December, bringing together the latest in ground breaking medical technology and the leading figures in the world of cardiology. "

Soviet Jewry activists commemorate ‘a singular day in Jewish history’
Twenty-five years after chants of ‘Let my people go!’ rang out in Washington DC, organizers of the fight to free the USSR’s Jews recall a landmark triumph

"If you’re an American Jew under 30, you might want to sit down. The following piece of information may shock you: There was a day, not too long ago, when Jews calling themselves Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, secular, left-wing, right-wing and everything in between came together in solidarity on a single issue."