Thursday Links Part 2

From Ian:

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Enough Said: The False Scholarship of Edward Said

Said rolled American racism and European colonialism into one mélange of white oppression of darker-skinned peoples. He was not the only thinker to have forged this amalgam, but his unique further contribution was to represent “Orientals” as the epitome of the dark-skinned; Muslims as the modal Orientals; Arabs as the essential Muslims; and, finally, Palestinians as the ultimate Arabs. Abracadabra—Israel was transformed from a redemptive refuge from two thousand years of persecution to the very embodiment of white supremacy.

WikiLeaks’ Insight Into Arafat The State Department cables show that the Palestinian leader was a key asset to the U.S. during the Kissinger years

It’s not clear if the Israelis entirely understood how close the Americans were to Arafat and his outfit. For instance, Israel long believed that Arafat’s intelligence chief Ali Hassan Salameh, one of the masterminds of the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympic games, was a CIA asset. The truth is that the so-called Red Prince meant much more to the U.S.-Arafat relationship, serving as one of their key intermediaries and a symbol of the nature of their relationship.

Wiesel: Ahmadinejad Should be Arrested and Indicted

Jewish author and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel has said that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should be arrested and indicted for intent to commit a crime against humanity.
In a recent interview with the German-based dpa, the 84-year-old Holocaust survivor said that the Iranian leader is serious when he says Israel should be wiped off the map.
“Ahmadinejad has two goals: one goal is to become nuclear and the second goal is to destroy the State of Israel. The fact is he means it,” Wiesel told dpa.

Ireland Pressed to Affirm Opposition to Israel Boycotts

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has called on the government of Ireland to publicly reiterate its opposition to boycotts of Israel in response to the decision by the Teachers’ Union of Ireland to adopt an academic and cultural boycott of Israel.

Hungarian far-rightists to stage ‘anti-Zionist’ revenge rally

A far-right Hungarian priest said an “anti-Zionist” demonstration will be held in Budapest on the first day of the World Jewish Congress’s General Assembly.

Poland Drops Probe Into Artist Who Used Shoah Victims' Ashes

Prosecutors decided not to charge him with stealing human remains or graves because the statute of limitations had expired, Beata Syk-Jankowska of the prosecutor's office in the eastern city of Lublin told AFP.

Police Apprehend Mezuzah Burning Suspect

According to the New York Times, Rubin Ublies was taken into custody Wednesday in connection with the burning of 11 mezuzahs inside an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish apartment complex in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn on Monday, which was Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Portuguese parliament to vote on citizenship for descendants of expelled Jews

Popular support for the motion stems from a desire to “make amends” for a dark historical chapter in Portugal – a country that Carp describes as being “virtually free of anti-Semitism.” Some also hope the law would attract investments by Jews seeking to settle in Portugal, one of the European Union’s most vulnerable economies.

Petition: Students Against Bigotry

Students and Alumni of North American Colleges call for an end to anti-Israel bullying and bigotry on campuses—and call for honest, constructive dialogue and actions
Video: Stop UCSB Divestment NOW!

Technion named 6th in world for entrepreneurship, innovation

The Technion was one of only two of the top 10 universities worldwide outside the US and Europe. (The other is the National University of Singapore.) The two top schools in the survey were MIT and Stanford University.
The survey also cited the Technion and Imperial College London among the “emerging giants whose reputation had grown considerably in recent years.”

Film documents US comics in Israel
Biannual tours of American comedians are a fish-out-of-water experience that ‘produces the best laughs’

“It’s sort of enough that every movie out of Israel is either negative or about the Israeli-Arab conflict,” said Liberman, a Los-Angeles-based comedian who brings American comedians to Israel twice a year (and who was interviewed by The Times of Israel at length in October). “We wanted to get one more movie out there that shows people having a good time, because that’s what I experience.”
“Caution: Comics Crossing” will offer an insider’s glance at the bi-annual Comedy for Koby tour, joining Liberman and his fellow comics as they tour Israel, discuss jokes, timing and the Israeli audience.