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Saturday, July 20, 2013

7/20 Links: Kerry’s Pyrrhic Victory, Haniyeh Loves Zionist Yogurt, Schindler’s List on eBay

From Ian:

The High Price of Kerry’s Pyrrhic Victory
As much as Israel wants and needs peace, the conflict is at a stage when the best can be hoped for is that it be managed in such a way as to minimize violence and encourage Palestinian development. Though Kerry is offering the PA lots of cash, there is little chance it will be used appropriately or get the desired result.
Next week’s talks may be heralded as an unprecedented opportunity for peace, but the odds are, we will look back on this moment the way we do foolhardy efforts such as President Clinton’s Camp David summit in 2000 that set the stage for a bloody intifada that cost the lives of over a thousand Jews and far more Palestinians. The agreement to talk about talking is a pyrrhic victory for Kerry. Those who cheer this effort should think hard about who will bear the responsibility for the bloodshed that could result from Kerry’s folly.
New Palestinian precondition: Airport in Ramallah
The sources added that the Palestinians' bid to increase tourism revenues would also apply to the Dead Sea, meaning that Israel would have to reassign lands under exclusive Israeli control (C) to lands under Israeli military control and Palestinian civil control (B), so as to allow Palestinians to build hotels on coast of the Dead Sea.
In the preliminary talks, the sources reported, the Palestinians further asked that Israel allow them to search for natural gas in front of Gaza shores in the strip's territorial waters.
Regarding additional issues, the Palestinians requested that they be granted more visas into and work permits in Israeli territories.
Hamas: No Negotiating with the 'Occupation'
"Hamas rejects Kerry's announcement of a return to talks and considers the Palestinian Authority's return to negotiations with the occupation to be at odds with the national consensus," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP on Friday, after Kerry announced at a press conference in Amman that negotiators from both sides will be meeting in Washington next week.
Senior Hamas Official: The Resistance Is Entitled To Attack Israel's Embassies, Interests, And Officials Worldwide – And The Interests Of Its Allies, Headed By The U.S.
In an article published July 16, 2013 on Felesteen ps, a website affiliated with Hamas, Hamas Refugee Affairs Department head Dr 'Issam 'Adwan argued that Hamas had the right to attack Israeli embassies and interests as well as senior Israeli officials anywhere in the world. He added that the resistance is also entitled to harm the interests of Israel's allies, headed by the U.S.
In his article, 'Adwan called for opening Hamas liaison offices in the Arab and Islamic countries "in order to recruit support, material and moral assistance, and even manpower assistance." Hinting at the Palestinian Authority, he stated that the resistance "has the right to smite with an iron fist any hand that seeks to rip apart the [Palestinian] people's unity and [cause it to] abandon its rights."
Lapid slams EU funding ban: ‘It will serve extremists’
Lapid went on to state that besides endangering the peace process, The EU’s motion would strengthen factions opposed to the Palestinian Authority and may even serve as a catalyst for terrorist activities against Israel.
“In one fell swoop, they have emboldened the extremists, allowing them to triumphantly claim to Mr. Abbas, ‘You see, we were right all along. You must not negotiate. We don’t have to do anything. The international community will do our job for us’,” the Finance Minister concluded.
Simon Wiesenthal Center Calls on World Trade Organization to Condemn EU ‘Earthquake’ Anti-Israel Directive
In a letter, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre’s Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, called on WTO Director General Pascal Lamy, “to condemn the European Union for these discriminatory and anti free-trade measures against one of your member-states. Our Center urges the WTO to press Brussels to announce their cancellation forthwith.”
Samuels said this “is another building block of an EU discriminatory policy against the State of Israel.”
Danny Ayalon: An open letter to Her Excellency Angela Merkel
The fate of Europe, Israel and other Western democracies are intertwined in the common fight against international terrorism and extremism. We have always viewed Europe as a role model, objective and fair, that can bring both sides together, rather than driving them apart. Europe should encourage a peaceful solution and not perpetuate the conflict.
This unilateral and brutal move planned by the European Commission is not only morally unjust and politically illogical, but it undermines the trust and confidence of Israel in its allies in Europe.
Prominent Black Feminist Author Compares George Zimmerman to Che Guevara’s Killer
Walker posits that “if we are dealing with descendants of the Chitauri (See Credo Mutwa’s informative teaching on the subject of cold blooded reptilian ancestry of some humans) then we can expect more of what we are experiencing.”
To arrive at the suggestion that Zimmerman could potentially be grouped with the “cold blooded reptilian ancestry of some humans,” Walker points to Credo Mutwa, a South African shaman who claimed to be abducted by “reptile-like” alien creatures when he was looking for herbs in Zimbabwe.
The Christians who do not fit into the BBC’s Middle East narrative
Notably, the BBC only seems to recognize the existence of one genre of Palestinian Christian – the type involved in anti-Israel campaigning. The others – the ones who are persecuted by their fellow Palestinians – cannot rely on the BBC to tell their stories or grant exposure to their point of view. And there are other Middle East Christians ignored by the BBC too.
In the only country in the Middle East in which the Christian population is growing and thriving, a months-long story of persecution has been completely overlooked. A Greek Orthodox priest from Yafia, near Nazareth, has been threatened by his own church and subjected to incitement by Arab members of the ‘Balad’ party for supporting service in the Israeli army by Christian Israelis.
Alleged Islamic Jihad Terrorist Charged with Attempted Murder of Dozens of IDF Soldiers
Wael Abu Rida, accused of being a member of terror organization Islamic Jihad, was charged in a court in the southern Israeli town of Beersheba with scores of offenses, including attempted murder, belonging to a terrorist group and liaising with hostile foreign agents.
According to Channel 2, court documents also revealed Abu Rida is charged with attempted murder of dozens of IDF soldiers, training Palestinians to carry out suicide attacks, and obtaining anti-aircraft missiles he planned to use to shoot down IDF aircraft.
Israelly Cool: BDS Fail Of The Day
Chief Hamashole Ismail Haniyeh caught helping feed kids eating Zionist yogurt
Saudi Arabian Airlines Defends Discrimination Against Israelis
Two years ago, the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) asked Delta Air Lines to end a 'Sky Team' alliance with Saudi Arabian Airlines, saying it would lead to discriminatory practices against Jewish travelers. The request was made after it was reported that Jews and Israelis or passengers carrying any non-Islamic article of faith would not be able to fly code-share flights from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia under the partnership.
Delta later issued an official statement saying that it does not support discriminatory policies based on race, religion, gender, nationality, or age.
Atheist Group Seeks to Block Star of David on Holocaust Memorial
In a June 14 letter to Richard H. Finan, chairman of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board, two FFRF officials said they have no objections to a Holocaust memorial at the statehouse, but claimed that the cut-out version of the six-pointed Star of David would be a violation of the separation of church and state as provided for in the Constitution.
Interview: The French ambassador who loves Israel
After seven years and two separate tours of duty in Israel – including four years as ambassador – Christophe Bigot will be returning to Paris next month to take up a senior appointment in his country’s Foreign Ministry.
For Bigot, Israel has been more than just another assignment. He has genuinely taken Israel into his heart.
Speaking of the relationship between France and Israel, he said: “Sometimes it can be passionate, but there is no indifference.
For First Time, Maccabiah Games Welcomes Cuban Delegation
In fact, there are 21 countries participating for the first time in this 19th Maccabiah, including newcomers such as Mongolia, Curaçao and Ecuador. But Cuba is especially notable because of previous restrictions set by the Communist regime running the small Caribbean island on citizens traveling abroad.
56 Jewish Cuban athletes and coaches from the nation’s roughly 1,500 Jews marched Thursday night in the Maccabiah’s opening ceremony, The Times reports.
Original Schindler’s List to be sold on eBay for $3 million
A list of names of 801 Jews rescued by German industrialist Oskar Schindler are set to be auctioned off on eBay.
The New York Post on Friday reported that the 14 pages containing the original Schindler’s List will be auctioned off Friday by California collectors Gary Zimet and Eric Gazin, who set the reserve price at $3 million but are hoping to sell it for $5 million.