Saturday, November 02, 2013
Anne Bayefsky: Anti-Semitism to Blame for Double Standard on Israel
On October 29, 2013, Israel ended 18-months of non-participation with U.N. human rights mechanisms that are dedicated to its demonization and defeat.Samantha Power Vows to ‘Oppose Every Example of Anti-Israeli Bias in the UN System’
The surrender spawned victory laps by the U.N., the State Department and bigots in foreign ministries across Europe.
Leading the campaign to bring the Jewish state to its knees was none other than Germany. The diplomatic blackmail reached its apex in a letter of October 25, 2013 sent from German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Germany threatened that it “would be hard-pressed to help” Israel respond to the “severe diplomatic damage” which would allegedly have occurred if Israel failed to attend one more Israel-bashing session engineered by the U.N. Human Rights Council.
Appointed to the position by U.S. President Barack Obama in June, she took office three months ago.Merkel: Kristallnacht ‘one of darkest moments in German history’
“I have made it a priority – in the spirit of the remarkable lineage that I am now part of, the spirit of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the spirit of Richard Holbrooke and the spirit of my recent predecessor Susan Rice, among others — to oppose every example of anti-Israeli bias in the UN system,” Power said.
Speaking in her weekly podcast, Merkel called the violence of November 9, 1938 — “The Night of Broken Glass” as it’s known in English — “one of the darkest moments in German history,” AFP reported.My street, your street and J Street
Merkel entreated all Germans “to show their civil courage and ensure that no form of anti-Semitism is tolerated.” She added that it was “almost inexplicable but also the reality that no Jewish institution can be left without police protection.”
Daniel Levy, co-founder of J Street, said it clearly: “If a collective Jewish presence in the Middle East can only survive by the sword, it cannot be accepted.”Swap Islam for Jesus: Hoax story riles Muslims
So let me get this straight: If we Jews dare to defend ourselves from our enemies, it makes the Jewish state untenable? After the Holocaust, I actually thought that was one of the reasons for Zionism, a homeland where Jews could defend themselves from their enemies? Not a very pro-Zionist or pro-peace statement, wouldn’t you agree? Dr. Charles Jacobs sent me a link to a very interesting, balanced and factual film he has been involved in creating about J Street. When it’s ready for distribution, I hope everyone will screen it before succumbing to the rhetoric of this dangerous organization, which is making so many converts in synagogues and on college campuses across America.
The road to J Street might be paved with good intentions. But as we saw with Oslo, this kind of delusional thinking inevitably ends up covering our streets in Israel with blood.
A satirical news piece claiming Spanish citizenship would be granted to Moroccan citizens who gave up Islam and converted to Christianity has been taken seriously by the North African country’s media. The 'news' has not gone down well in Morocco.Dutch PM: We Have No Control Over Anti-Israel Report
The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s letter to Prime Minister Mark Rutte condemned a report by the Advisory Council on International Affairs, which calls for the Netherlands to distance itself from Israel and develop closer ties with Hamas.Arab MK: Thank Me for Allowing Jews to Live in Israel
In his response, dated October 20, Rutte said that the government has no control over the Advisory Council’s reports, noting it is a body which is independent from the Dutch government.
“The Dutch government has taken note on the views of the Council, which is an independent body that advises the government and parliament on foreign policy,” wrote Rutte.
On Tuesday, Arab MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad) appeared on the Knesset TV Channel, and made a provocative statement that she should be thanked for "allowing Jews to stay in my homeland."Hamas Brags It Taught Israel “Painful Lesson” After Five Israeli Soldiers Wounded, Four Hamas Fighters Killed
A team of Israeli soldiers working to destroy one of those tunnels overnight yesterday came under attack from Hamas. Five Israeli soldiers were wounded, with one being serious wounded. Israeli military forces responded to the attack, killing one gunman, and Israeli pilots subsequently struck another Hamas tunnel, killing three more Hamas members.Experts: Hamas Lash Out Regarding Power Plant Shut Down “Insane”
Hamas declared the day a win:
Hamas, the Islamist movement which governs the Gaza Strip, said all four militants belonged to its armed wing, the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri “blessed” the attack on the troops, saying it taught Israel a “painful lesson”, the Associated Press reported. “Gaza will be the land of hell” for Israel, Mr Abu Zuhri said.
Hamas has for the better part of a decade been regularly blasted for manufacturing humanitarian crises by shutting down the single power plant in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. In 2008 the terror group plunged Gaza into darkness and claimed that Israel was preventing sufficient fuel from reaching the territory. Israeli officials pointed out that electricity was still flowing into the territory from Israeli plants and explained that Hamas deliberately causing the blackout.Davutoglu: Turkey will never cooperate with Israel against a Muslim country
Hamas has also at times simply refused to accept fuel shipments necessary to run the power plant. Other times the group’s operatives have stolen fuel for terror operations, including from hospitals.
Turkey on Saturday denied reports of its involvement in an alleged Israeli air strike on a military base in Latakia, Syria on Wednesday, which allegedly targeted “missiles and related equipment” meant for Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.The shadow war against the Iranian-Hezbollah armament program
Turkish Foreign Minister Agmet Davutoglu said Saturday: “There is an attempt to give the impression that Turkey has coordinated with Israel. We have issues with Syria, an issue based on a principle. But let me say it clearly: The Turkish government has never cooperated with Israel against any Muslim country, and it never will.”
Iran continues to try to supply Hezbollah with advanced weapons for use against Israel, and the Assad regime, which owes its survival to Tehran and Hezbollah, has never been more compliant with Iranian requests to transfer or provide weapons to the Shi’ite terror organization in Lebanon.Hagel: US ‘clear-eyed’ on Iran’s support for terror
With Hezbollah already in possession of 80,000 rockets and missiles, some of which can strike any target in Israel, Jerusalem faces a daily dilemma on when to intervene to stop the armament program – a step that could trigger a wider conflict – and when to step back and allow the force buildup to continue.
The United States is testing Iran’s diplomatic intentions but remains “clear-eyed” on Iran’s role as a state-sponsor of terror and exporter of extremism, said US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.ADL chief: US seen as ‘weak and retreating’ on world stage
“But foreign policy is not a zero-sum game,” he said. “If we can find ways to resolve disputes peacefully, we are wise to explore them.”
American wariness of foreign military involvement is making it seem “weak and retreating,” warned the Anti-Defamation League’s Abraham Foxman.Cheney blasts Obama administration's Mideast policy
“Make no mistake about it. If what we are seeing now is the beginning of a deep change in American foreign policy, it will be bad for the Jews,” said Foxman, the ADL’s national director, at a conference Thursday marking the group’s 100th anniversary.
Cheney, speaking about energy and international security issues at the conference, said he had a “worrisome concern” regarding current threats of terrorism in the world.Pro-Israel Organization Pushing for Tougher Iran Sanctions
“I used to believe that was a major threat. I still believe it is a major threat today,” Cheney said. “If anything it’s worse today than it was on 9/11. We’ve seen in the Middle East especially a set of developments in recent months… of the reassertion or reenergizing of al-Qaida.”
The nation’s largest pro-Israel organization is ramping up its push for tougher Iran sanctions, vowing that lawmakers will “pay the price” if they cave to White House pressure and delay a new round of penalties against the Iranian regime.Egypt TV station cuts popular political satire show
Christians United for Israel (CUFI) said its supporters have sent over 10,000 emails to senators since Wednesday, calling on them to support new sanctions on Iran’s oil industry. The emails were sent in response to an “action alert” distributed by the pro-Israel group.
A private Egyptian TV station stopped the airing of the latest episode of a widely popular political satire program Friday after it came under fire for mocking the ultranationalist, pro-military fervor gripping the country.British Grocery Store Kicks Out Man Wearing Nazi SS Uniform
CBC announced the program by Bassem Youssef, often compared to US comedian Jon Stewart, would not be shown because the satirist and his producer violated its editorial policies.The announcement came just minutes before Youssef’s show “El-Bernameg,” or “The Program” in Arabic, was to air Friday night.
Paul Dutton, 48, of Cambridge was kicked out of his local Asda supermarket after fellow shoppers spotted him browsing the aisles wearing a black SS outfit, complete with cap and red armband emblazoned with a swastika.Tunisia suspended from Davis Cup for preventing match against Israeli
Dutton later took to Twitter to claim responsibility and to complain about the treatment he received.
Tunisia was suspended from the Davis Cup for a year on Saturday for preventing one of its tennis players from competing against an Israeli last month.Cancer-resistant mole rat may yield ultimate cure clue
The International Tennis Federation ruled unanimously that the Tunisian Tennis Federation (TTF) was in breach of the ITF’s constitution.
Last month, the Tunisian federation ordered the country’s top player to withdraw from a match against an Israeli at a tournament in Uzbekistan.
Now picture the cancer research lab of the future – white coats, test tubes, and, if Prof. Aaron Avivi at Haifa University has his way — cages of mole rats.Israeli Company Ices Tumors, Now Aims for Lung Cancer
Pioneering studies in Israel appear to demonstrate that the subterranean Israeli blind mole rat, Spalax, is far superior to lab mice for the purpose of cracking the mystery of human cancer.
These wild rodents are extremely resistant to cancer and live 10 times as long as mice, according to Avivi, head of the Laboratory of Subterranean Mammals Biology in the Evolution Institute of Haifa University, and senior researchers Imad Shams, PhD, and Dr. Irena Manov.
Israeli company IceCure, developer of a treatment for breast tumors by freezing them into ice, is currently attempting to expand its technique into the treatment of lung cancer.
The site NoCamels reported Wednesday that the biomedical company specializing in cryoablation, a process of destroying diseased cells by freezing, will soon conduct its first clinical trials in Japan using the same technology on lung tumors.
