Thursday links

From Ian:

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Barry Rubin: The Schoolmarms Tell the Terrorists to Play Nice

“The entertainment director on the ship of fools that constitutes so much mainstream analysis of the Middle East—I refer, of course, to Thomas Friedman—has produced a wonderful paragraph that beautifully characterizes the problem, exquisitely expressing a Western mentality that not only makes it impossible to understand the Middle East but even to set up the question in a way people that could help people even begin to confront the truth. So perhaps it is worth disassembling. Sound like fun? Let’s go!”

Egyptians want peace, says blogger visiting Israel
Maikel Nabil Sanad, an Egyptian blogger hosted by Hebrew University in Jerusalem says 'There is a peace-seeking community in Egypt'

"Egyptian blogger Maikel Nabil Sanad, 27, carried an unusual speech at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and was interrupted by pro-Palestinian activists who broke into the hall and shouted at him "Shame on you, this is Palestine."
Sanad has been known to express views about Israel, which caused him to be heavily criticized in Egypt."

In Israel-US relations, settlements are entirely beside the point

"Most American legislators and policy makers understand that the strategic cooperation between Israel and the U.S. does not hinge on the Palestinian issue nor on the settlement issue not even on the overall conflict between Israel and the Arab nations. Rather, it is based on mutual and common interests in the Middle East and the world over such as Iran’s nuclear threat, counter- terrorism, missile defense, intelligence-sharing, battle tactics, defense and commercial industrial research, where Israel has a competitive edge over any other country in the world.”

With eye on Sinai, IDF establishes brigade to defend Eilat
Southern Command head says soldiers represent final piece of security puzzle for Red Sea resort town

"In recent years, several attacks on Israel originated from the neighboring Sinai peninsula, targeting the large desert region to the north of Eilat. Rockets have also been fired at the town from Egypt, though most have landed in Jordan or in the sea."

Smugglers Galore
How Iran arms its allies.

"Israel’s next war with Hamas—a further confrontation is almost inevitable—may well feature not only Iranian missiles smuggled through Sudan, but NATO-quality small arms and shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles that come by way of Hamas’s most recent weapons supplier, post-Qaddafi Libya."

PMW "Jesus is a Palestinian par excellence" - PA Mufti Muhammad Hussein

"The Palestinian leadership’s falsification of history by presenting Jesus as an ancient Palestinian increased in regularity as Christmas approached this year. In the last month alone, the PA media has transmitted six additional PA misrepresentations of Jesus as a Palestinian"

Barghouti predicts he’ll be president of Palestine, says right of return is ‘sacred’

Most popular West Bank leader, serving multiple life terms for murder, tells Israeli TV Abbas would have been ‘finished’ had he not pressed ahead with UN membership move

Israel not renewing VIP cards of PA officials By Khaled Abu Toameh
Palestinian official tells 'Post' move a response to Ramallah's successful bid to upgrade UN status to non-member state.

"One of the PA officials affected by the new policy is Nabil Sha’ath, a member of the Fatah Central Committee and a former negotiator with Israel.
Sha’ath’s card was revoked after he visited the Gaza Strip to participate in Hamas’s “victory” celebrations in the aftermath of Operation Pillar of Defense."

Israel to boost Gaza imports under truce deal
Israel to begin allowing 20 trucks with construction materials enter Gaza daily; blockade easing part of ongoing ceasefire dialogue.

"Guy Inbar, of the Defense Ministry’s civil administration, said the changes came as a result of Egyptian mediation, and the ongoing calm in the South.
“As long as the quiet will remain in the South, our civilian policy and assistance to Gaza’s residents will continue,” he said."

US preparing attack option in Syria, top minister implies
Moshe Ya’alon says Washington would interfere to keep chemical weapons from falling into ‘irresponsible hands,’ hails Israeli cooperation with Jordan

Netanyahu visited Jordan with plans to destroy Syrian chemical weapons
Senior officials confirm visit; Israel’s neighbor said to oppose air strike or ground assault

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently held top-secret talks in Jordan regarding possible methods for destroying Syria’s sizable chemical weapons stockpiles, including air strikes or a ground assault, but so far Amman is reluctant to put its weight behind such action."

Syrian minister flees Beirut for fear of arrest
Meanwhile, top general in Assad regime switches sides, says he has joined ‘the people’s revolution’

"Syria’s wounded interior minister cut short his treatment at a Beirut hospital Wednesday and returned home for fear of being arrested by Lebanese authorities, while Syria’s chief of military police defected to the opposition, becoming one of the highest-ranking officers to switch sides.
The twin developments reflected the deepening isolation of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, which has suffered a number of setbacks on the battlefield as well."

SWC Issues Travel Advisory for Copenhagen Amid Warnings
The Simon Wiesenthal Center issued a travel advisory for Denmark in wake of warnings by Israel’s ambassador.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center issued a travel advisory last week for Denmark in wake of warnings by Israel’s ambassador advising Jews and Israelis to refrain from wearing kippot, religious symbols, and speaking Hebrew on the streets of Copenhagen.

The Redacted Iraqi Jews
"Despite the uncivilized methods used in attempting to suppress my presentation, the audience responded with full support and a standing ovation The address apparently caused considerable embarrassment to the conference's organizing committee, which then was forced to take the topic seriously.
Results were achieved when three paragraphs were adopted in the text of the final communique: The seventh paragraph states the importance of correcting the constitution to add Judaism as an official religion alongside Islam, Christianity and others, and restoring the Jews' citizenship. The ninth paragraph consists of ten points, of which article nine recognizes the rights of Jews in nationality and national belonging. Article five recognizes the crime of expulsion and its effects, and article five calls for Jewish heritage sites to be cared for, without tampering."

Walking on Heroes’ Ground in Poland

WARSAW—“Zegota,” the official unit of the Polish Underground Army tasked with helping Jews in German-occupied Poland from 1942-1945, was commemorated on the occasion of its 70th anniversary earlier this month in Warsaw.