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Friday, July 26, 2013

7/26 Links Part 2: A New Latma, Retaliation Against the EU and Like IDF Soldiers On FaceBook.

From Ian:

Latma: Palestinian prisoners are concerned and Bibi's plan B


For Europe, Greed and Cowardice Trump Security and Justice
The EU’s willful blindness towards jihadist organizations, be they Sunni or Shia, is nothing new and seems to be motivated largely by greed. Buying Iranian oil and gas and selling Iran “dual use” products, which are sanctioned by the U.S., has always taken a priority over security. The Europeans accepted Hezbollah for more than 30 years. Only after last year’s bombing in Bulgaria, and a plot to assassinate Israeli and other diplomats in Cyprus, when the danger seemed closer to home, have they decided to send a message to the Iranian sponsored jihadi organization by designating Hezbollah’s “military wing” as terrorists.
'Ya'alon orders freeze in permits for EU projects in West Bank'
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon ordered the IDF’s civil administration to cease cooperation in joint projects with the EU, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
This means that the IDF will refuse to grant new permits or renew existing permits for EU construction projects in Area C, which is territory under Israeli civil and military control. It also will not issue or renew any documents that EU personnel might need for travel in the West Bank or into Gaza from Israel.
In addition, IDF offices in the West Bank, such as the civil administration and the office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, will no longer hold work meetings with EU officials or personnel.
Israel announces plans for West Bank train network
Since the planned routes of the network extend throughout the West Bank, including into areas A and B, which are governed by the Palestinian Authority, construction cannot begin without Palestinian cooperation, a Transportation Ministry official told The Times of Israel Thursday.
Palestinian officials have refused to cooperate publicly with the proposal, but the official insisted that Palestinian Authority officials quietly acknowledge that the plans, if implemented, would bring enormous economic benefits to PA-controlled areas.
“They support keeping the lands available for the trains,” the official said.
Telegraph reporter lazily asserts that “settler” Jews violate Geneva Convention
Jews have lived in Judea and Samaria—the West Bank—since ancient times, and, in fact, the only time Jews have been prohibited from living in these territories in recent decades was during Jordanian rule from 1948 to 1967.
Whilst reasonable people can of course disagree with Israeli settlement policy – in the context of efforts to reach a final status agreement with the Palestinians – lazy assertions that such settlements are “illegal” at best has a questionable basis in international law, and should certainly not be presented as an incontrovertible fact by a serious newspaper.
800,000 missing Jews: Guardian ‘refugee’ history includes glaring omission.
It’s one thing to parrot the Palestinian narrative of the “Nakba”, but what the Guardian did was to completely erase from the historical record the well-documented (and completely undisputed) forced expulsion of hundreds of thousands of innocent Jews.
The Guardian’s ideologically inspired animosity towards the Jewish state has crossed a line, and the paper’s editors need to be held accountable for such completely ahistorical propaganda.
Shot Dagestan rabbi in stable condition after flight to Israel
A Chabad rabbi shot by a suspected terrorist in Russia Thursday was in serious but stable condition after being flown to Israel for treatment.
Ovadia Isakov, 40, the chief rabbi of Derbent, in the Republic of Dagestan, was returning from performing ritual slaughter for kosher meat when a gunman opened fire on him. Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement that Isakov’s overt Jewish identity “is among the possible motives investigators are considering for the attack.”
Christian Students Without ‘Obvious Self-Interest,’ Seek to Legitimize Israel on Campus
Founded in 2009, CUFI on Campus has 120 chapters and has trained 2,000 students to advocate for Israel, officials say. Some chapters, such as Mukha’s, draw only a handful of members, if that many. “What you want them to do is try to do events that are well attended,” Brog said.
Sometimes the lack of interest is due to apathy, both Bain and Brog say. “At a lot of Christian schools, Israel is not a value that’s taught; we’re trying to change that,” Brog said. At other schools, where anti-Israel sentiment might be strong, people are afraid to support Israel publicly. “Not a lot of students, Jewish or not, have the guts to do it.”
That the CUFI activists aren’t Jewish can give them credibility that Jewish students, who some assume automatically will defend Israel, don’t always have. People “may wonder ‘what is this black guy from a small town in Dayton, Ohio, doing supporting Israel?” Bain said. That can help legitimize his message, he said, “because I don’t have an obvious self-interest, other than the fact I love the Jewish people.”
Report: Al Jazeera Reporter in Violent Confrontation with D.C. Police
A reporter claiming to work for Al Jazeera was involved in a violent confrontation with Washington, D.C., police on Tuesday evening after he was ejected from a pro-Israel conference for surreptitiously videotaping attendees and events, according to eyewitnesses.
Reporters identified as Matthew Cassel and Micah Garen were ejected from the Christians United for Israel’s (CUFI) annual D.C. gathering after they were caught infiltrating and clandestinely filming events closed to the press.
Global startups vie to learn in Tel Aviv
High-tech companies from 14 countries are taking part in the Start Tel Aviv international competition whose top prize includes learning the secrets of Israel’s startup ecosystem.
Start Tel Aviv is sponsored by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel Aviv Global & Tourism and Campus Tel Aviv, powered by Google.
One company from each of the participating countries – United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Latvia, India, China, Korea, Mexico,Sweden and Colombia – will win a five-day paid trip to Israel.
Bynet Expo: Israel’s best high-tech secret
For the past 10 years, Israeli high-tech icons and brothers Yehuda and Zohar Zisapel have brought their family of companies together for a showcase: the Bynet Expo in Tel Aviv.
Selling services and products for telecom, IT security, wireless mobility, finance, defense, computing and networking, the Zisapel brothers formed RAD Bynet Group in the 1970s. Last year, its 16 different companies — which together form the mother of all high-tech firms in Israel — saw more than $1 billion in sales.
Stand With Us: UN Turns to Israel for Advice on Including People With Disabilities in Society
Representatives from across the world including Estonia, Colombia, New Zealand, the Vatican - and even from countries that don't have diplomatic relations with Israel - approached Judes to learn more from Beit Issie Shapiro and for cooperation in the field of disabilities. "Israel is a country with a wealth of talent and a big heart,” says Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor. “Beit Issie Shapiro shows all that can be accomplished with Israeli innovation, professionalism and leadership. We are very happy to have them as a partner at the United Nations, sharing their expertise to improve life for the 780 million people who live with disabilities around the world."
IDF Blog: Looking Back: IDF’s First Operation Against Hezbollah
In late June 1993, after an escalation in Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israel's north, the IDF launched Operation Accountability. Although the IDF initially reacted with restraint, Hezbollah’s relentless attacks forced the military to act to protect Israel’s civilians.
On June 28, 1993 - exactly 20 years ago - the Hezbollah terrorist organization began firing rockets from Southern Lebanon onto Israel’s northern communities. The attacks injured Israeli civilians and brought normal life to a halt in northern Israel. Several days later, terrorists from Hezbollah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine launched attacks on IDF outposts – killing five IDF soldiers.
Increasing number of Israeli Arabs signing up for national service
In recent weeks the activity of the forum to recruit Israeli Christians to the Israel Defense Forces has made headlines. Israeli Arab public figures, both Muslim and Christian, have spoken out against the increasing numbers of young Christians who are interested in enlisting and want to share the burden along with other minorities such as the Bedouin and Druze.
IDF Officer Makes Sure Muslims Can Get To Jerusalem for Ramadan
During holidays such as Ramadan and Christmas, the crossing becomes much busier. Open hours at the crossings are extended and many people are able to cross without a permit.
2nd Lt. Dotan is responsible for a team of 12 soldiers “Our goal and the IDF’s goal is to do the best job possible,” says Lt. Dotan, a 20-year-old who began her service in an Intelligence unit and eventually transferred to her current position at the Bethlehem crossing, where she decided to become an officer. “Even though we are required to carry weapons, we do not use them. Our role is simply to assist each person going through the crossing.”
IDF Soldiers Invite You to "Like" us on Facebook