Saturday night links

From Ian:

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UN Legitimizes Palestinian Terror Regimes in Judea/Samaria/Gaza

"Abbas insisted, citing UNGA’s 1949 resolution 194 (rejected by all Arab states at the time), on the legally baseless so-called ‘right of return’ of Palestinian refugees of the 1948-9 war and their millions of descendants to Israel, which would end Israel as a Jewish state.
The horrid irony is that Abbas’ cause fits the lurid description he applied to Israel. His Fatah party still calls in its Constitution for the destruction of Israel (Article 13) and the use of terrorism as an essential element in the struggle to achieve that goal (Article 19). Indeed, Fatah’s emblem depicts the whole of Israel re-labelled ‘Palestine,’ flanked by images of a Kalashnikov rifle and arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat. Hamas, which controls Gaza, a portion of the territory Abbas is claiming or statehood, calls in its Charter for the destruction of Israel (Article 15) and the murder of Jews (Article 7)."

Dore Gold: The United Nations Does Not Create States

“... Abbas has not created a state. He has not yet changed the legal status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. If he actually declared a state and sought to place the entire West Bank under Palestinian jurisdiction, then Israel would have to respond forcefully and immediately annex vital areas like IDF security zones, settlement blocs, and points of national-religious significance to the Jewish people. For now, Israel will have to take measured steps to deter Abbas from going further down the path of unilateralism.”

European Nations 'Capitulated' in Approving PA Bid at UN
ADL: European nations acted “without courage" and "capitulat[ed] to Arab intimidation" during PA's bid for upgraded UN status.

CNN Ron Prosor: I heard a speech 'full of hate' VIDEO (warning Piers Morgan also appears.)

John Bolton says Obama failed to take Palestinian UN vote seriously, also Israel making big mistakes too VIDEO

What U.N. Recognition of Palestine Really Means By Anne Bayefsky

"No wonder the outcome was met by the loud applause of a room full of the representatives of dictators and thugs (the majority of U.N. members are not full democracies), and NGO/“civil society” hacks who had been brought in by the U.N. Division for Palestinian Rights. (A letter of Division Director Wolfgang Grieger states that he had personally reserved at least 100 spots in the gallery.) Sitting in the gallery myself, I noticed that during Abbas’s lengthy speech the outbursts of clapping across the gallery would commence before the translation of Arabic sentences into other languages had finished. It was an exercise in what one might call Benghazi-style spontaneity.
The only question that remains, therefore, is this. Now that decades of Palestinian intransigence and belligerence have been richly rewarded by the U.N. majority, how soon will Palestinians start targeting and harming Israeli Jews with impunity again?"

Palestinians Still Embrace Spirit of 1947

"So long as Palestinian nationalism is based on the negation of Israel rather than a positive vision for themselves, peace is impossible. While the UN vote won’t change much of anything on the ground, there should be no mistake about the basic continuity between the Arab positions of 1947 and today."

Abbas Wastes No Time Humiliating His Western Supporters

"...Abbas is threatening not to come back to the negotiating table, which would debunk these supporters’ claims that the UN move would be good for the peace process. They may be tempted to push Netanyahu to accept Abbas’s preconditions–but that is the reason for the impasse in the first place. And they shouldn’t forget the can of worms they opened when they supported preconditions last time: every time Netanyahu appeared willing to consider preconditions, Abbas added to them, because the preconditions are designed to disrupt and prevent negotiations, not enable them."

Abbas says Palestine now ‘a country under occupation’
PA president says he’s not ready to turn to the ICC yet

"He told Ramallah-based media outlet Al-Ayyam that Palestinian rights to the land on pre-1967 borders was proven at the UN General Assembly on Thursday, and that nobody can build on that land at will."

In Ramallah, UN vote brings little jubilation
‘We don’t want ’67,’ says a young university graduate. ‘We want all of Palestine’

'Canada will not let the Jews or Israel stand alone'
Canadian foreign minister says Abbas should have used the support he received to reach out to Israel for peace talks.

On Why the Czechs Voted With Israel Examining the unlikely alliance

"That the Czechs sided with Israel and the United States demonstrates the importance that Prague attaches to the transatlantic alliance, as it was willing to buck its fellow EU members and side with Washington on a controversial issue. The vote also shows the affinity that the Czech Republic has long felt for Israel, an affinity that dates at least from the visit that Tomas Masaryk, the first President of independent Czechoslovakia, made to Palestine in 1927, "

Sarah Honig: Another Tack: Murdoch’s cogent question
Murdoch essentially wasn’t far off the mark, even if he didn’t word his Tweet carefully enough.

“Of course they care. Passionately. They are, if anything, political creatures. Did they not kick a god-awful fuss over news magnate Rupert Murdoch’s stirring defense of Israel during the latest Gazan round?
Did they not let him have it? Is that apathy? Did they not rush to pillory Murdoch for asking on Twitter: “Why is Jewish owned press so consistently anti-Israel in every crisis?”
Wow, they came out punching! It wasn’t the actual negligible matter of Israel’s ongoing struggle which stirred them. Siding with Israel or welcoming Murdoch’s warm support of Israel wasn’t what aroused their emotions. Nor were they moved by the issue of anti-Israeli media bias. Far from it. This is just the sort of preoccupation that leaves them cold and consistently condescending."

CAMERA: Memo to the Media: Check Those Civilian Casualty Claims

"This time around, the media has been more circumspect about civilian casualty claims. Nevertheless there are still examples where the figures provided by PCHR and others are simply reported without qualification. Just like in 2009, it will take time for the terrorist connections to emerge of some of those described as civilians or not labeled. And similar to what happened in the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead, when an accurate picture of the fatalities finally does emerge, the media will mostly have moved on. Still, it is important to establish accurate casualty figures for the historical record to rebut future accusations."

West Bank and Gaza Residents Experience Among the Longest Life Spans in the Middle East

"Palestinians in the West Bank have greater longevity (and other favorable health metrics) than the majority of the world's population and yet have been among the largest recipients of humanitarian aid in the world for two decades."

Hanan Ashrawi lies at ‘Comment is Free’ about homes for ‘Jews only’ in Jerusalem

“In fact, the Muslim population of Jerusalem increased roughly 5 fold from 1967 (when Israel unified the city) to 2009, from 58,000 to over 278,000, while the Jewish population increased by a factor of only 2.8, from 196,000 to 480,000.”

Denmark: Pro-Hamas demonstration erupts in violence

"Pro-palestinian "Allah-u-Akbar" Christmas choir, Leftists demonstrating for "Global intifada", t-shirts promoting sharia 'Only God can judge me', flags with machine guns and hand grenade and red socialist flags -- and stoning of secular law's representatives. As usual: No arrests..."

New Islamist Constitution Brings Back Slavery to Egypt

"Omissions of certain articles, such as bans on slavery or promises to adhere to international rights treaties, were equally worrying to critics of the new draft, who pulled out from the panel before the vote.
Isn’t it ironic, that the first black man in the Oval Office has helped bring to an end the ban on trading African slaves in Egypt?"

Report says Egypt denied Iranian official entry to Gaza
Ali Larijani, Iran’s speaker of parliament wasn’t allowed through the Rafah crossing; country’s FM also awaiting permission from Cairo

Pat Condell: Ha Ha Islamophobia

With ‘a heavy heart,’ Stevie Wonder pulls out of Friends of the IDF concert
Singer says UN recommended he cancel because he is an official ‘Messenger for Peace’; he received online petitions from pro-Palestinian groups

Boycotters target Alanis Morissette over Israel show

"The singer, who is touring to promote her new album "Havoc and Bright Lights," is also being targeted by followers on Facebook and Twitter. One fan, responding to the comments about her Israel performance, wrote: "Please don't be bullied by the anti Israel sentiment. Go to Israel and see for yourself."

Poles release first film admitting responsibility for infamous anti-Jewish massacre
‘Aftermath,’ a drama inspired by the mass killings at Jedwabne, elicits praise and anger by examining Poles’ role in the bloodshed

"KRAKOW — The first Polish film to portray the country’s gentiles committing crimes against their Jewish neighbors has hit movie theaters, generating both enthusiastic praise and threats of violence against one of the stars."

'Shoah' Director to be Honored at International Berlin Film Fest
French filmmaker, known for 1985 documentary "Shoah", will be honored with lifetime achievement award at Berlin International Film Festival.

Israel Daily Picture: A Collection of 150-Year-Old Pictures of Jerusalem
"Many of the photos were taken from the British Ordinance Survey of Jerusalem of 1865 led by Captain Charles W. Wilson. He and Captain Charles Warren led extensive archaeological excavations near the Temple Mount ("Wilson's Arch" and "Warren's Shaft" are well-known to visitors to Jerusalem)."