Sunday links

From Ian:

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Abbas’ Suit and Tie Has Same End as Arafat’s Pistol: Violence
Abbas’ unity with Hamas already has spawned violence. Woman hurt by rock before the Sabbath. PA lets Hamas run loose.

“Abbas has cashed in the chips he has been stockpiling ever since he took over after Yasser Arafat died eight years ago last month. Replacing Arafat’s pistol on the hip and his black-and white checkered kefiyah with a suit and tie, he built up an image as a “peace partner,” convincing the United States to force the Sharon, Olmert and Netanyahu governments to make "good will concessions” towards a “final status” solution to PA demands."
"Simultaneously, Abbas ostensibly eschewed violence while the PA education system and Muslim clerics openly preached violence and the establishment of a new Arab state of “Palestine” in place of Israel, from the Lebanese to the Egyptian border and from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.”

Palestine's strangely stubborn state of mind

"The UN vote upgrading the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to a non-member state with observer status has done nothing to move the cause of Palestinian statehood forward. Instead, it repeats the old adage of Palestinian history: rather than seeking compromise with Israel, Palestinian leaders have again put the fate of their cause into the hands of others, foolishly believing that others will deliver what they themselves are not capable of obtaining."

Pundit: Did Haaretz Make Up Crisis with Britain?
Uri Elitzur of Makor Rishon asks if report Britain may cancel trade agreements with Israel was Haaretz's idea.

"Uri Elitzur, a deputy editor and writer at the Hebrew newspaper Makor Rishon whose columns also appear on Maariv, has speculated that reports regarding a possible cancellation of the British-Israeli trade agreement were made up by Haaretz."

Two scenarios in which Syria unleashes the world’s first use of chemical weapons in 30 years
Neither instance is likely — yet both involve civilian massacre and a major escalation of violence

"The first is that President Bashar Assad, in a last-ditch effort to save his regime, would order chemical attacks — either as a limited demonstration to the rebels of his willingness to use the internationally banned weapons, or in a large-scale offensive designed to turn the tide of a conflict that already has killed an estimated 40,000.
The second is that some portion of Assad’s arsenal could be moved to Iran or Lebanon or fall into the hands of foreign fighters with ties to terrorist groups who are helping Syrian rebels."

Syrian rebels claim new video shows victims of chemical attack
Israeli special forces reportedly operating on the ground in Syria, monitoring chemical weapons stockpile



How close did Israel just come to its own Cuban missile crisis?

"Hundreds of Iranian-made, long-range missiles already smuggled into Gaza provided a secret sense of urgency behind Israel's recent campaign against Hamas, and the the Jewish state acted with the Obama administration's full knowledge, intelligence experts told FoxNews"

Iranian warships dock in Sudan for second time, angering Saudis
Presence of vessels is part of ongoing cooperation between the two countries, says Sudanese military spokesman

"Though Saudi Arabia has not officially commented on the warships, the kingdom’s pro-government daily Al-Riyadh warned that Sudan was risking its relationship with Gulf states.
“Sudan is in a state of losing balance as it loses Arab friendship, especially of Gulf Arab states, who know the precise details of its alliance with Iran, politically and militarily,” stated an editorial in the paper on Saturday."

Iran claims Azeri drones are plying its border under Israel’s watchful eye
Israel and Azerbaijan signed a $1.4 billion arms deal in February

"Azerbaijan in October denied reports that it had agreed to allow Israel to use its territory as a staging ground for a possible attack on Iran. Also in October, 22 people were sentenced behind closed doors to lengthy jail-terms in Baku for assisting Iranian agents in plotting terror attacks against US and Israeli targets in Azerbaijan."

Italy Stops Weapons Shipment to Gaza
Following a tip from Israel, Italian police seize a shipment of weapons intended for Egypt with a final destination of Gaza.

"The weapons, which included a rocket launcher among other things, were part of a shipment that was supposed to go on an Egyptian ship which has been detained by local authorities, reported ANSA. The container in which the weapons were found was part of a shipment of five containers, and the four remaining containers are currently being examined by the Italian customs authorities."

Italian deputy calls for EU ban of Hezbollah
Fiamma Nirenstein submits resolution to parliamentary committee calling on Italian FM to urge EU to list Hezbollah as terror group.

"The resolution bases the call to blacklist Hezbollah on a number of factors, including the July 18 bus attack in the seaside resort of Burgas, Bulgaria, which killed five Israeli tourists and their Bulgarian bus driver, and wounded 32 other Israelis. American and Israeli intelligence officials attributed the explosion to a joint Iran-Hezbollah operation."

Navy Prepares to Defend Gas Rig
If Hizbullah carries out threats to attack Israeli rig, it will meet a well-prepared naval force.

UN passes Israeli resolution on ‘entrepreneurship development’
129 states back campaign to promote development and reduce poverty by encouraging entrepreneurship, despite efforts by Arab states to thwart it

"Concerning the Arab states’ opposition to the resolution, Prosor stated that these states had, to his regret, “chosen once again to struggle against a move that was meant to aid them, just because Israel was the one standing behind it.”

Friends of the IDF gala raises $14 million
More than 1,400 FIDF supporters and dignitaries from around the globe gather to express support for the soldiers, citizens of Israel.

"The participants at the gala included Gershon, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison; Guess cofounders Maurice and Paul Marciano; Israeli military attaché to the US and Canada Maj.-Gen. Yaakov Ayash; FIDF National Chairman Nily Falic; FIDF National President Julian Josephson; Hollywood film producer Meir Tepper and his wife, Katya; Israeli actresses Noa Tishby and Moran Atias; and Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren and American actor Robert Forster."

Righteous Gentile Raoul Wallenberg to Have Street Named After Him in Brooklyn

Aboriginal activist's anti-Nazi stand remembered
Members of the Aboriginal and Jewish communities have observed the anniversary of a unique protest in Melbourne.

"Seventy-four years ago Aboriginal activist William Cooper and his colleagues at the Australian Aborigines League tried to hand a resolution to the German consul-general condemning the Nazis' persecution of the Jews."

Study of Holocaust mandated for schools
THE study of the Holocaust will become compulsory for all NSW school students in years 9 and 10 after a lobbying campaign by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies prompted the state government to include it in the syllabus.

With EPOS Purchase, Qualcomm Reveals Growing Presence in Israel

"Qualcomm operates an advanced wireless communications R&D center in Haifa that founder Irwin Jacobs established almost 20 years ago. Qualcomm now has about 270 employees in Israel—which represents a 50 percent increase since 2010."

A ‘vaccine’ to boost global food production

A revolutionary new seed treatment from Morflora could improve the world’s agricultural output, without the need for worrying genetic engineering.
The Israeli company Morflora now has an alternative seed treatment in the works that is so revolutionary it is short-listed for Best Novel Agricultural Biotechnology in the 2012 international AGROW awards, and recently won a Red Herring business award in the Top 100 Europe category.