Monday Links Part 2

From Ian:

---

Al-Dura: a lethal narrative that just won’t die

The utter refusal by France 2′s journalists and editors to examine evidence that contradicted their basic assumptions remains deeply disturbing. Enderlin not only conflated absence of proof with proof of absence, but justified willful blindness to certain facts as grounds to dismiss their very possibility. Even more disturbing, France 2 doubled down when confronted with its error, trying to legally straitjacket Karsenty for having the temerity to call out the al-Dura hoax for what it is. If the French court, for either political or technical reasons, sides with state-owned France 2 against a bold and correct critic, they strike a blow not only against press responsibility, but the very fabric of the civil society they ought to play such a key role in preserving. Such an abject failure on the part of both the media and the courts to correct this penchant for mainstreaming the enemy’s lethal narratives makes the world a much more dangerous place.

Daniel Pipes: On Second Thought, Maybe Israel’s Apology to Turkey was a Good Idea
Now that Israelis humiliated themselves and Erdogan is rampaging ahead, some are awakening to the fact that this apology only made matters worse.

Perhaps after all the apology was a good thing. For a relatively inexpensive price – some words – Israelis and others have gained a better insight into the Turkish leadership’s mentality. It’s not that they suffer from hurt pride but that they are Islamist ideologues with an ambitious agenda. If the misguided apology makes this evident to more observers, it has its compensations and possibly could turn out to be a net plus.

Likud MK demands Turkish apology for Struma sinking

Following Israel's apology to Turkey over the Gaza flotilla incident, Likud MK Moshe Feiglin calls for an apology from Turkey over the February 1942 sinking of the MV Struma in the Black Sea • More than 700 Jews died in the sinking.

Historic Damascus synagogue looted and destroyed

The 2,000-year-old Jobar Synagogue in the Syrian capital of Damascus — the country’s holiest Jewish site — was looted and burned to the ground.
The Syrian army loyal to President Bashar Assad and rebel forces are blaming each other for the destruction of the historic synagogue, according to reports on Sunday.

Richard Falk Bans Free Speech (For Some), Reveals David Singer

Professor Falk needs to understand that attempts by him to ban freedom of expression and free speech on his web site demean himself and his position as a UN Special Rapporteur.
Those in authority at the UN who repeatedly express their support for the protection of human rights must be prepared to act against one of their own by denouncing Professor Falk's actions in the strongest terms with a view to ending his crass attempt to deny the inalienable right of every human being to speak out and be heard.

Easter in Palestine Means Blaming Israel, Not Muslims, for Christian Woes

Yet, as the broadcast throws in as a throwaway line, Israel has granted 95 percent of all requests by West Bank Christians to enter Jerusalem. This is consistent with the fact that the only period in its history in which all faiths have had free access to all of the holy sites has been in the years since Jerusalem was reunited under Israeli rule. That’s a fact that is curiously absent from the discussions in the media of Christians in the Middle East.

Cologne Archeological Dig Revives Ancient Jewish Heritage
An archaeological dig in western Germany has unearthed myriad traces of daily life in one of Europe's oldest and largest Jewish communities.

After long being sidelined for Roman excavations, an archaeological dig in western Germany has unearthed myriad traces of daily life in one of Europe's oldest and largest Jewish communities.
From ceramic dishes and tools to toys, animal bones and jewelry, some 250,000 artifacts have so far shed light on various periods in 2,000 years of the city of Cologne's history, the AFP news agency reported.

IDF Blog: Passover Special: From Anti-Zionist to IDF Soldier

Lakewood, New Jersey. A city that boasts one of the largest yeshivas (religious seminaries) in the world and where half the population is made up of Orthodox Jews. The majority of the community is ultra-Orthodox and anti-Zionist.
But one girl, Hava Pisgosh Shama, decided at very young age not to take what her teachers and her friends told her at face value. At 16, she began a new adventure that brought the anti-Zionist Orthodox community of New Jersey and Division 300 of the IDF’s Northern Command into contact for the very first time.
While Hava’s journey led her to Israel, she hasn’t lost the religious faith she grew up with. Despite her decisions, Hava’s parents continue to support her. Every morning, they look at the photograph of their daughter in uniform on their fridge. They recently bought an apartment in Israel so they could visit her.

IDF - Protecting Freedom in Every Generation