IDF soldier Tomer Hazan, kidnapped and killed in West Bank
An IDF soldier was murdered by a Palestinian acquaintance who lured him to a village near Qalqilya in the West Bank, Israeli authorities said Saturday. The soldier was named Saturday night as 20-year-old Bat Yam native Sgt. Tomer Hazan.UN shoots down Arab push to condemn Israeli nuclear policy
Hazan was lured on Friday to the village of Beit Amin, south of Qalqilya, by a 42-year-old Palestinian resident of the village, Nidal Amar. Amar worked at an Israeli restaurant, in Bat Yam, where Hazan also worked part-time. (h/t Jewess)
The bid, against which the US spoke out this week, reflects mounting frustration in the Arab world over the deferment of an international conference on the banning of atomic arms in the region, Reuters reported Friday.Khaled Abu Toameh: Does Jordan Want Palestinians In Control of The Border?
The International Atomic Energy Agency rejected the initiative by a vote of 51 to 43 at its annual meeting in Vienna. 32 nations abstained.
Although the Jordanians are not part of the ongoing peace talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, they are hoping that Israel will not rush to abandon security control over its long border with the kingdom. Understandably, the Jordanian monarchy cannot go public with its stance for fear of being accused by Arabs and Muslims of treason and collaboration with the "Zionist enemy."Europe: Anti-Israel or Anti-Semitic?
The Egyptians today know what the Jordanians have been aware of for a long time -- that a shared border with Fatah or Hamas or any other Palestinian group is a recipe for instability and anarchy. The Egyptians surely miss the days when the Israel Defense Forces were sitting along the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
Member of the Knesset for the Jewish Home Party, Ayelet Shaked, told the European politicians attending the conference that she feared the evacuation of West Bank settlements and the creation of a Palestinian state would only lead to increased missile attacks against Israel:Caroline Glick: Syria, Iran and the North Korean model
Europe's forcing us to cede land, in order to achieve the type of agreement it sees fit for the Middle East, will only mean that these missiles will continue to rain down on Israel not only from Gaza, but from Qalqilya and Ramallah [Palestinian cities in the West Bank] as well.
If Europe thinks Jews will return to the days where we were forced to mark our products, you can forget it. Delegitimization of parts of Israel by Europe is the new anti-Semitism. The old anti-Semitism led to the destruction of our people in gas chambers. We will not allow the new anti-Semitism to hurt us.
Like North Korea, Iran will negotiate until it is ready to vacate its signature on the NPT and test its first nuclear weapon.EU diplomats say IDF manhandled them in West Bank, violated humanitarian law
The critics are correct. And the danger posed by Obama’s decision to seek a false compromise rather than accept an unwanted confrontation following Syria’s use of chemical weapons will only be removed when the US recognizes the folly of seeking to wish away the dangers of weapons of mass destruction through negotiations. Those talks lead only to the diminishment of US power and the endangerment of US national security as more US enemies develop and deploy weapons of mass destruction with the sure knowledge that the US would rather negotiate fecklessly than contend responsibly with the dangers they pose.
IDF soldiers clashed with Palestinians and foreign activists attempting to raise a makeshift tent encampment near Hamdat in the northern Jordan Valley in the West Bank on Friday.Israel to Double Supply of Water to Thirsty Gaza Strip
The IDF called the incident a "disturbance of the peace," and a provocation," while European diplomats said they were "manhandled" and illegally prevented from delivering humanitarian aid to Palestinians by the IDF. (h/t Jewess)
Israel will build a pipeline that doubles the amount of water sold to the Palestinian Authority for Gaza Strip residents, a Defense Ministry spokesman said.U.N. Nominee Given 72 Hours to Confess Lies on Qaddafi Prize
The new pipeline will increase supplies to the Gaza Strip to 10 million cubic meters, spokesman Guy Inbar said today in a phone interview. The West Bank water allotment will rise by 4 million cubic meters to 57 million.(h/t Zvi)
Controversial U.N. Human Rights Council nominee Jean Ziegler was today given a 72-hour ultimatum to confess that for the past month he has been engaged in a massive cover-up by lying to the Swiss media over his ties to the Qaddafi Prize, and to withdraw his nomination for the election to be held next week. See below the UN Watch letter sent today to Jean Ziegler.CNN Update: Some Errors Fixed, Some Remain in “10 Things” Feature
Still, factual errors and distortions remain, including the false claim that the Western Wall is "the last structure remaining from the Jewish Temple," the anachronistic claim that the Al Aqsa mosque, a structure that was built after the Quran was written, is mentioned in the Quran, the reference to "biblical Palestine," and the assertion that "the international community deems Israel's presence in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as an illegal occupation."Anthony Bourdain's "Parts Unknown - Jerusalem" Serves up Palestinian Propaganda
Did Bourdain and his producers intend the show to transform into Palestinian grievance theater? It’s possible that Bourdain was easily manipulated in an unfamiliar environment. But it is more likely that Bourdain felt compelled to play to the perceived political orientation and pro-Palestinian sympathies of his audience. It is an approach that can’t be bothered with the facts, especially when they don’t support emotion-laden preconceptions. Bourdain should apologize to his audience for allowing his show to be hijacked by a political agenda. But don’t hold your breath. As he said at the outset, "Here goes nothing."Assad calm, comfortable and clearly delusional in Fox News interview
Assad’s performance was chilling considering he so easily and comfortably lied about his government’s actions and intentions. And yet, his demeanor was so measured that he appeared to be anything but angry about the chaos around him. He is clearly feeling empowered by the Russians’ diplomatic success.Syria's Real Threat: Biological Weapons
Chemical weapons are calculated, while biological weapons are living organisms and do not distinguish national boundaries. Monitoring Assad's chemical-weapons stockpiles is far more transparent than locating biological programs, which are run out of both military and civilian facilities, in Syria's veterinary labs, its pharmaceutical industry, agroindustries and public-health institutes.Key facts link Assad regime to chemical attacks
The trajectory of the rockets that delivered the nerve agent sarin in last month’s deadly attack is among the key evidence linking elite Syrian troops based in the mountains overlooking Damascus to the strike that killed hundreds of people, diplomats and human rights officials said Wednesday.McCain answers Putin’s New York Times broadside
Republican Sen. John McCain is accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of corruption, repression and self-serving rule in an opinion piece for Pravda that answers the Russian leader’s broadside published last week in an American newspaper.Putin: I’m not 100% sure Syria will comply with US-Russia deal
Russian president says Damascus WMD cache built in response to ‘Israel’s nuclear capabilities,’ calls Aug. 21 attack ‘sly rebel provocation’UN Hits Back at Russia on Syria's Chemical Weapons
"The terrible facts speak for themselves," AFP quoted UN spokesman Martin Nesirky as having told reporters.Syria Confident UN Won't Adopt Chapter VII Resolution
Syria is confident the United Nations will not adopt a resolution on its chemical weapons under Chapter VII, which could allow the use of force, its deputy foreign minister said Wednesday.Military option on Syria must remain open: NATO chief
Anders Rasmussen welcomed a U.S.-Russian agreement on the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons, but said it was essential for keeping momentum in the diplomatic and political process that the military option remained on the table.Germany Admits Exporting Chemicals to Syria
Germany said on Wednesday that it exported 111 tons of chemicals to Syria between 2002 and 2006 that could be used in the production of sarin gas, according to a government document cited by Reuters.Egyptian General killed as Army Retakes Islamist-Held Town
The raid on the town follows the killing of 11 police officers in Kerdassa last month. Police said that 55 suspected terrorists were arrested in today's raid.Netanyahu: Iran continues to deceive while centrifuges spin
According to local reports, General Nabeel Farrag was killed when gunmen opened fire from the rooftops of schools and mosques they had seized.Forces were then drawn into a gunfight within a built up area of the town.
“The Iranians are continuing to deceive so that the centrifuges continue spinning. The real test lies in the Iranian regime’s actions, not words,” said Netanyahu in a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office...Iranian president brags about deceiving the West VIDEO
In response to Rouhani’s vague answer to his interviewer about Holocaust denial, in which he said he was “not a historian, but a politician,” Netanyahu said that Rouhani, “like Ahmadinejad, was not prepared to recognize the existence of the Holocaust. You don’t have to be a historian to recognize the existence of the Holocaust; you have to be human.”
Despite the recent charm offensive in the American media, a recently revealed video of an interview prior to the June Iranian election shows him bragging how he, in his role as Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, deceived the West during negotiations on Iran’s illicit nuclear program even as Iran expanded its nuclear power. At the same time, Rouhani managed to relieve pressure by the West, especially in convincing the Europeans to avert possible military aggression by the Bush administration.Rouhani: Iran will never develop a nuclear weapon
In NBC interview, Iranian president says he has full authority to make deal with West; cites ‘positive’ letter from Obama‘Israel brought instability to the region,’ says Iranian president
In second portion of NBC interview, Rouhani accuses Jewish state of ‘war-mongering policies’ but says he ‘does not seek war with any country’Rouhani casts “moderate” degree of doubt on whether the Holocaust happened
The journalist’s omission isn’t an isolated mistake but, rather, part of a broader pattern at the Guardian (which we’ve posted about previously) of running interference for the Iranian leadership, and attempting to impute moderation to a regime which is among the world’s leaders in exporting terrorism, and has repeatedly called for Israel’s destruction.Iranian President Dodges Questions on Whether Holocaust Happened
Would a genuine political “moderate” ever deny or in any manner cast doubt upon the Nazis’ extermination of six million Jews?
Sukkah City Film Captures Competition that Explored New Twists on an Ancient Structure
When author Joshua Foer conjured up the idea to hold the world’s first international Sukkah design competition, Sukkah City, in 2010, the prospect of 650 people from more than 40 countries, many of them non-Jews, jumping at the chance to enter, or real luminaries in the field of architecture and design, people such as Thom Mayne and Ron Arad, eagerly joining the jury responsible for picking the participants, seemed as equally preposterous as the contest itself.Israel Daily Picture: Celebrating Sukkot in Jerusalem 100 Years Ago
The photographers of the American Colony Photographic Department took photos of sukkot structures over a 40 year period, preserving pictures of Bukharan, Yemenite and Ashkenazi sukkot.
Even though the sukka is a temporary structure, some families moved their furniture and finery into the sukka, as is evident in some of the pictures.
Bukhari Jews, shown in pictures from around 1900, were part of an ancient community from what is today the Central Asian country Uzbekistan. They started moving to the Holy Land in the mid-1800s.