Sunday Links

From Ian:

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Irwin Cotler: Universal lessons of the Holocaust

Finally, we must remember – and celebrate – the survivors of the Holocaust – the true heroes of humanity. For they witnessed and endured the worst of inhumanity, but somehow found, in the depths of their own humanity, the courage to go on, to rebuild their lives as they helped build our communities.
And so, together with them we must remember – and pledge – that never again will we be indifferent to incitement and hate; never again will we be silent in the face of evil; never again will we indulge racism and anti-Semitism; never again will we ignore the plight of the vulnerable; and never again will we be indifferent in the face of mass atrocity and impunity.

Hunting Nazis is still relevant

On the eve of Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Day in Israel, the Simon Wiesenthal Center has released its latest list of the “Most Wanted Nazi War Criminals” and the primary findings of its twelfth annual report on the “Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals.” This report chronicles the efforts all over the world during the previous year to facilitate the punishment of the perpetrators of Nazi crimes and assess and give grades to all the countries that are actively involved – or should be – in bringing these criminals to justice.

2 SS chiefs who fled to US on new Wiesenthal list of 10 most-wanted Nazis

United States receives top marks for bringing war criminals to justice; Australia, Lithuania, Denmark, Russia among those to receive lowest grade
The Simon Wiesenthal Center released on Sunday the findings of its 12th annual report on the investigation and prosecution of Nazi criminals around the world.

Germany to prosecute 50 former Auschwitz guards
Former guards in their 90s to stand trial for accessory to murder; Demjanjuk case formed a precedent

About 50 men in their 90s are to stand trial for their service as guards in the Auschwitz Nazi death camp during World War II.
The WAZ German news website reported that legal proceedings will be opened against the suspects who will be charged with accessory to murder,

30% increase in anti-Semitic incidents worldwide in 2012
Hungary showing gravest trends; report links surge to Europe’s economic troubles, rise of extreme right parties and Toulouse school shooting

“It appears that rather than the Toulouse attacks being a shock to the system, they had the opposite effect and perhaps allowed terrorist groups in Europe to become more emboldened,” EJC President Moshe Kantor said at an anti-Semitism press conference Sunday at Tel Aviv University, pointing to attempted terror attacks across the continent against Jewish targets.

Is the Iron Dome effective?
The claim that Israel has not provided the US with accurate data on the Iron Dome’s performance is ridiculous.

“Postol’s “analysis” of these public video clips and his underestimation of the Iron Dome’s effectiveness are meaningless and his conclusions are completely baseless.
In those clips, only the Iron Dome’s trail of smoke can be seen. The Grad rocket that it is about to intercept, however, cannot be seen.
To assess whether the Iron Dome’s missile successfully hit the Grad rocket, the trajectories of both must be observed, which is possible only through a full sky image obtained from sophisticated security sensors in which both projectiles can be observed simultaneously. This information is never released to the public since it would reveal the IDF’s discovery and tracking capabilities.”

Israel Nabs Temple Mount Terrorists

Terrorists attacked police in revenge for dropped Koran, used child to smuggle in bomb materials.
The Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, revealed Sunday that its operatives exposed a Hamas-linked terrorist cell in March. Members of the cell have been arrested.
The terror cell was behind recent violence on the Temple Mount. Among the attacks it carried out was a firebomb attack on police officers in which nine were injured.

Hamas cracks down on low-cut jeans

The Hamas government in the Gaza Strip is getting flack from rival lawmakers and rights groups over a ban on “Western garments and stylish haircuts.”
According to a report from the Chinese Xinhua news agency Saturday, Gazan parents have recently been complaining that police are detaining their sons and grilling them for hours on end for the crime of wearing low-rise jeans and rocking spiky hairstyles.

Barry Rubin: Where is Egypt's Crisis Heading? Possibly Directly Toward Us

Obviously, this presents serious challenges to Israel. On one hand, Israel has no influence on what happens in Egypt or Syria. Does anyone really believe that “solving the Israel-Palestinian conflict” will fix these issues? Well, yes, all too many people say they believe that, especially in Western policymaking circles. But the difference is that far fewer believe that any longer.

Thousands of Egyptians across country protest Morsi

Thousands of Egyptian activists took to the streets Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the founding of a leading opposition group, the April 6 Youth Movement, and to push a long list of demands, including the formation of a more inclusive government amid a worsening economy.

EU: Nuclear talks with Iran have failed

Iran and six world powers failed to reach agreement Saturday on how to reduce fears that Tehran might use its nuclear technology to make weapons, extending a series of inconclusive talks and adding to concerns the diplomatic window on reaching a deal with Tehran may soon close.

Khamenei’s Ever-Changing Nuclear Fatwa

The key take-away is that while Ali Khamenei—like many Shi’ite religious figures—maintains a website that lists all of his fatwas, the nuclear fatwa is not among them. How convenient.
Over at “Arms Control and Regional Security for the Middle East,” Ariane Tabatabai has gone further and has shown how when Iranian officials cite the alleged fatwa, they constantly change its meaning and contents:

Irish Teachers Call For Academic Boycott of Israel

“Four consecutive Israeli prime ministers have called for a two-state accord with the Palestinians, only to be rebuffed time and again. It does take two to make peace,” Harris continued. “Meanwhile, we trust that the leaders of the Irish campaign, to be consistent, will seek to ensure that they do not benefit from any life-saving Israeli medical advance, technology in their computers, innovations in their cell phones, or other Israeli contributions to the world’s well-being.”

Israelis discover gene responsible for liver disease

After years of hunting, Dr. Rifaat Safadi and his team of Hadassah medical researchers in Jerusalem have found the gene that causes liver disease. This groundbreaking discovery paves the way for potential new treatments.
Safadi, an Arab-Israeli physician who heads the Liver Unit at Hadassah University Hospital in Ein-Karem, tells ISRAEL21c that while the gene, Neuroligin 4 (NLGN4), was already known to be involved in brain neuron communication, his team was the first in the world to identify NLGN4 in the immune system and liver

SpongeBob SquarePants takes over the Middle East

Even if he isn’t a revolutionary icon, SpongeBob is huge in the Middle East. Ignoring conflicts and national borders, he skips happily across the Arab world and is popular with almost everyone. At the moment the British foreign office advises against all travel to Syria, Yemen, Gaza, Somalia and parts of Libya. But a quick internet search reveals SpongeBob dressed in Yemeni clothes, SpongeBob on t-shirts in Somalia and SpongeBob gifts for sale in Gaza. In Syria, he has popped up on the wall of a bombed-out building, next to graffiti that says, “tomorrow will be better.” This sponge does not respect national boundaries. That is his revolutionary act. (h/t Silke)