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Thursday, April 18, 2013

Thursday Links Part 1

From Ian:

Why a Palestinian state needs Israel
The Palestinians, badly treated by the Arab world, must turn to Israel to build a lasting future. As a people, they simple have no friends in the Arab world. They are to some states pawns, to others parasites, and even the "untouchables" of the Arab world in some quarters.
Across the Middle East the so called 'refugees' are denied passports and citizenship by the countries they, their fathers, and their grandfathers were born in. The aim, aside from clear racism and lack of basic humanity, has remained the same since 1948 – the politicization of the Palestinians
PMW: Members of US Congress protest to Abbas about PA TV hate speech that PMW had exposed
Palestinian Media Watch recently exposed the PA TV broadcast of a girl reciting a poem that referred to Jews as "enemies of Allah, descendants of pigs." Three members of the US Congress, Doug Lamborn, Eliot L. Engel, and Trent Franks responded by writing a public letter to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Indy blogger Matt Hill engages in reckless smear about “forced sterilisation” in Israel
As Elder of Ziyon argued, though “some women may have misunderstood the use of the drug or the options they have for birth control”, there was never any plot by Israeli doctors to sterilize Ethiopian women.
Whilst other publications have engaged in sloppy reporting over the Ethiopian birth control story, Hill’s charge at the Indy leads the pack by engaging in a reckless, hysterical smear that has absolutely no basis in fact.
One-dimensional BBC reports on Fayyad resignation
Whilst BBC journalists debate whether Fayyad will stay or go and what effect that might have on the peace process, they – like many of Fayyad’s supporters in the West – apparently fail to realize that peace is about a lot more than one particular personality. Given the BBC’s default placing of blame for the failure of the peace process on a variety of exclusively Israeli causes (be they ‘settlements’ or the perceived disinterest of the Israeli government), it is hardly surprising that it fails to provide its audiences with comprehensive explanations of the long-existing fault lines within the PA which Fayyad’s resignation exposes. That leaves BBC audiences with a one-dimensional view of the peace process and the reasons for its failure to bear fruit.
Israeli Skunk Spray Effectively Dispersing Violent Arabs (2 Videos)
The “aromatic” spray is shot from a water cannon, soaking the target in gut wrenching, putrid smell. But, believe it or not, as smelly as it is, the Skunk is environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and so harmless you can drink it without fear of harm. Except, according to reporters who caught a whiff of it, it kind of immediately makes you wretch.
Three men deported from Saudi for being 'too handsome'
I've checked and the following story does not trace back to The Onion. I can only assume therefore that it is based on truth. And when you learn that it comes out of Saudi Arabia, you will probably be inclined to believe it too.
Poland’s lawmakers honor Warsaw ghetto fighters
Poland’s lawmakers have paid homage to the victims and fighters of the Warsaw ghetto uprising against the Nazis, days before the 70th anniversary of the ill-fated revolt.
Herzliya college opens Daniel Pearl journalism center
The Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya launched the Daniel Pearl International Journalism Institute on Wednesday.
Pearl was on his way to an interview in Pakistan in 2002 when he was abducted and later beheaded. His last words were, “I am Jewish.”
Umoove operates your mobile through head movements alone
Newsgeek chose Israel’s Umoove as one of the three most promising Israeli startups for 2013.
What the Kinect motion-sensing device did for the Xbox game console, Israeli startup Umoove proposes to do for your mobile. You won’t have to move your whole body – only the parts from the chin up — to play games, scroll down a page or dial your mother.