Saturday night links

From Ian:

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What's behind Abbas' new tone? By Dore Gold

"What happened to Mahmoud Abbas? Hasn't he been regarded by Israeli leaders for the last twenty years as a moderate who was interested in reaching a peace agreement? What is important is not the vapid debate over whether Abbas can still be regarded as a partner for peacemaking, but rather understanding the hard fact that conditions have changed influencing the declared intentions of leaders."

Palestinians occupy E1 area of Jerusalem
Palestinians have begun to occupy areas of the disputed E1 zone - a move which should bring as much condemnation as the Israeli plans - but likely won't

"Over 200 Palestinians, reportedly backed by foreign activists, have occupied an area of the disputed E1 zone. The action began in the early hours of Friday morning, as reported by Ynet."

Israel’s jihad is mine

"Israel’s eight-day operation “Pillar of Defense” sought to dismantle the Hamas apparatus from within Gaza. The predictably seamless alignment of the Muslim world against Israel was even more breathtaking than usual in the face of Syria’s 22 months of systematic genocide, one which has consistently failed to trigger unanimous Muslim protest. What does this say about us as Muslims?
We are hypocrites."

Kerry comments on Assad may draw scrutiny
Secretary of state candidate’s alleged ‘bromance’ with Syrian dictator could come up in confirmation hearings

"Conservative websites have mocked the relationship as a Kerry-Assad “bromance,” seizing on comments the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman has made in speeches and during his six visits to Syria."

Hate-Crime Stats Deflate ‘Islamophobia’ Myth

"Many Americans take a critical view of Islam, but virtually all restrict their negative sentiments to the domain of words and ideas, as civilized human beings should. People are free to have opinions, including anti-Islamic ones, regardless of how Islamists long to muzzle them. Islamists, in turn, are entitled to their own opinions about life in America. But they are not entitled to their own facts."

BBC Watch: Stop press! BBC uses word ‘terrorist’!

"No need to get excited, though: this is about Europe, where apparently – unlike the Middle East – people convicted of terrorism in a court of law can be described by the BBC as terrorists rather than ‘militants’ and their actions described as terrorism rather than ‘resistance’. "

885 Palestinians killed in Syria civil war
Beirut-based 'Daily Star' also reports that at least 20,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria remain trapped in Lebanon.

UN nuclear chief not optimistic on Iran negotiations
Regarding attempts to gain access to Iran's Parchin facility, IAEA's Amano says talks with Iran go "1 step forward, 3 steps back."

Spain seizes materials bound for Iran nuke program
Truck carrying highly corrosion-resistant valves seized by Spanish police; company used false companies in UAE for deliveries.

A Trail of Bullet Casings Leads From Africa’s Wars Back to Iran

“In terms of prescription, if it was clear that there were repeated violations by Iran, I think we could come down more strongly about it,” he said. “But a good portion of this, and in perhaps the majority of these cases, the ammunition was transferred around Africa by African states.”
He added that while the original source of the ammunitions was now clear, many questions remained unanswered, including who organized the delivery to regions under embargo or enmeshed in ethnic conflicts."

Scientific American magazine satirized claims in a Turkish children's book that Charles Darwin was Jewish.

"The Jan. 8 article was written in response to reports in October about a series of books aimed at Turkish schoolchildren which describe Darwin as a hook-nosed Jew who kept the company of monkies."

Plan to free Lebanon terrorist sparks US concern

French appeals court grants conditional release to terrorist who killed Israeli diplomat, American in Paris; US objects decision.
"The United States objected on Friday to a French court's planned release of a Lebanese leftist terrorist, saying he may still be a threat after he was convicted of killing an American and an Israeli diplomat in 1982.”

Hungarian Jews speak up for Roma
Community leadership condemns op-ed by politician likening another minority to ‘animals’

MEMRI: Fatwa By Saudi Sheikh: Soccer Players Are Infidels

On December 23, 2012, in response to a question posed by a Saudi youth, Al-'Alwan said that soccer was a form of heresy: "Soccer is a Masonic game meant to distance Muslims from their religion and faith, and most of the public that follows [soccer games] is loyal to the infidels."
Al-'Alwan called soccer players criminals and infidels: "[When] a man watches a [soccer] game, God forbid, he is watching deviant criminals and sinful infidels, even if they are Muslims." He added: "There is a serious problem with [soccer] games, which is the refereeing, which follows manmade laws, not Allah's laws."

Israeli Soccer Star Target of Antisemitic Attacks
Israeli soccer star Tal Ben Haim, who joined the Queens Park Rangers of the English Premier League last week, was the recent target of antisemitic attacks on the club’s Facebook page.

New Film About Hannah Arendt Explores Controversy Surrounding Her “Banality of Evil” Theory

"In refusing to demonize Eichmann, many people felt that Arendt was trivializing his heinous crimes. She answered her critics as a philosopher, a thinker, as she had been all her life. Her position was highly controversial. Even old friends and followers distanced themselves from her."