Sunday, November 17, 2013
'Hot Mic' Catches UN Disbelief at Anti-Israel Stance
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the mishap on Sunday at a cabinet meeting. "I hope nothing happens to the translator as a result, but I can assure her of a job here in the State of Israel, should it come to that," he stated.Honest Reporting: Vote for the Dishonest Reporter of 2013
"Sometimes someone can rip away at the veil of hypocrisy that exists in the ever-present attacks against us, and this interpreter had the courage to do just that." (h/t Kramerica)
Now’s the time to vote for the Dishonest Reporter of 2013. It’s our annual recognition of the year’s most skewed and biased coverage of Israel and the Mideast conflict. Make your voice heard and we’ll announce the ignoble winners by the end of the year.Canadian parliamentary c'tee calls to recognize Jewish refugees of 1948
A Canadian parliamentary committee has called upon Ottawa to recognize the Jewish refugees of the Arab-Israeli conflict, eliciting praise from the country’s Jewish community.Abbas pleads with Erekat to stay on as top peace negotiator
The committee’s report cited a correlation between spikes in anti-Jewish measures and “crisis moments” in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and said Middle Eastern Jews had faced discrimination, the revocation of citizenship, pogroms and expulsions, resulting in a mass exodus from countries where they had lived for millennia.
Diplomatic sources in Ramallah told Israel Radio that unless Erekat changes his mind, Abbas will name a new team to head up talks with Jerusalem.MK Shaked in DC: Judea Samaria Arabs will be Jordanian Citizens
Nimr Hamad, a top political adviser to Abbas, told Israel Radio that both sides could begin discussions on the refugee issue after the nine-month period originally allotted for negotiations if the parties could come to agreement on the issues of borders and security arrangements.
Hamad told Israel Radio that the PA believes no breakthrough is possible in the negotiations so long as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu avoids altering the composition of his ruling coalition.
Instead of the "failed two state solution," Shaked promoted a different solution of pushing economic growth in Judea and Samaria which supports local Arabs as well.A year after Pillar of Defense, it’s all gone dark in Gaza
She further proposed that "in the distant future most of the Arabs who now live in Judea and Samaria will become citizens of Jordan, and the Gaza strip will be an independent entity or annexed to Egypt." (h/t Yoel)
Though it may be hard to believe, 1.5 million Palestinians have lived without electricity throughout most of the day in 2013. For the past two weeks, residents of the Gaza Strip have endured a cycle of six hours of electricity followed by a 12-hour power outage. Last Wednesday, the power went out at 6:00 am and was finally restored only late that evening.Hamas Tunnels 'Change the Balance of Power'
This current crisis is not the result of a tighter “Israeli siege” or anything of the sort; it is caused by disputes between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority over the price of fuel since the tunnels connecting Gaza and Egypt were shut down or destroyed.
In an interview with Al-Jazeera, Ubaidah claimed that Hamas continues to dig terror tunnels from Gaza to Israel, and that the weapon would be a "strategic" move which could possibly "change the balance of power" in the event of another war.Israel said to be working with Saudi Arabia on Iran strike plan
According to Ubaidah, Palestinian Arabs under Hamas's tutelage are working 24/7 to extend the tunnels in advance of the next Hamas-Israel clash, and that they would present a formidable tactical advantage. He also warned Israel not to "do anything stupid" against the Palestinian Arabs.
According to the Sunday Times, Riyadh has agreed to let Israel use its airspace in a military strike on Iran and cooperate over the use of rescue helicopters, tanker planes and drones.PMO denies report of Obama-Netanyahu rift
“The Saudis are furious and are willing to give Israel all the help it needs,” an unnamed diplomatic source told the paper. (h/t Bob Knot)
The Kuwaiti paper al-Jarida reported Sunday that the rift between Israel and the US has deepened recently, nearly leading to a disconnect between the two governments. Quoting a “knowledgeable source,” the daily reported the Obama has stopped taking Netanyahu’s calls over the past two days, and instead directed him to speak with US Secretary of State John Kerry.US-Iran Ties Bolstered over Cooperation in Syria
The United States and Iran appear likely to come together in an effort, sponsored by the UN, to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Syria, The Cable reported Saturday. It will be the most visible signal sent by the Obama Administration of its willingness to change radically the tone and manner of its relations with the Islamic Republic.'NY Times' and Jerusalem battle over Iran policy
The Times editorial board has long championed an editorial line at great odds with Netanyahu’s policies.Senior Hezbollah Commander Dies in Syria
This situation was not helped when the prime minister, during his speech on Iran to the UN in September, quoted from a 2005 Times editorial that applauded a diplomatic deal that it said would lead North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.
“A year later, North Korea exploded its first nuclear weapons device,” Netanyahu said.
A senior Hezbollah commander died on Saturday after he was wounded in Syria several days ago, Al Arabiya reported, citing a pro-Hezbollah website.Syria: Islamists Seize Kurdish Village
“The Islamic resistance in Hezbollah proudly weds a new Knight...Ali Shabeeb (Abu Trab al-Rweis) who died as he was performing his sacred religious duty,” the website was quoted as having said. (h/t MtTB)
An Islamist Syrian rebel brigade has uploaded a video to Youtube documenting the conquest of a Kurdish village, and demanding that Kurdish Muslims participate in "jihad".Thousands of Syrians flee fighting for Lebanon
The documentary captures the seizure of Kurdish village al-Mursifeh by the Islamist "Champions Brigade", and reveals some of the military tactics used by rebels in the fight for control of the country.
Thousands of Syrians are fleeing from border towns where a high-stakes battle is raging, walking across valleys and ridges to reach safety in neighboring Lebanon, witnesses and the UN said on Sunday.Libya Making Its Laws 'More Islamic'
The new 16 member committee will be nominated by the supreme court and the Mufti (Sharia legal expert) to make sure existing and new laws do not contradict Sharia law, reports Al Arabiya.Possible anti-Semitism in Boston Area Schools; ADL Silent?
The move comes as Libya is embroiled in ongoing clashes between rival militia factions and government security forces, with some anticipating that the committee is meant to satisfy Islamist demands.
APT also provides evidence that the Newton, MA school district is being influenced by the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestments, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, which seeks to delegitimize Israel and use a variety of means to exert pressure on Israel to acquiesce to pro-Palestinian pressures from the international community.Brooklyn: Anti-Semitic Attacks Continue in 'Game' to Hurt Jews
BDS involvement with Newton, MA is through Paul Beran, the director of the Harvard Center for Middle East Studies Outreach Center (CMESOC), a noted BDS supporter. In 2010, Beran instructed 80 history teachers from the Newton school district on how to teach their K-12 students about the Middle East.
Anti-semitic violence has been rising in Brooklyn, NY since the middle of September, a Brooklyn rabbi reported to CBS News. The culprit: a systemic "game", by local gangs, to "knock out" Jews.NBC’s Dr. Snyderman Visits IDF Medics in Philippines, Leaves ‘in Awe’ (VIDEO)
Brooklyn police say that over 8 attacks against local Jews have been reported within the past 2.5 months. Many of them appear to be similar to the September 29th attack of Tzvika Tzuker: a barrage of punches to the face and torso.
The base was set up in Bogo, a small village on the northern island of Mactan, a location the Israelis selected because the locals “were poor and their needs were great”, according to the IDF Surgeon General in charge.The Opening of the IDF Field Hospital in the Philippines
“As I left, I walked away in awe of this group of doctors: physician humanitarians, and medicine at its very best,” Dr. Snyderman wrote for NBC. (h/t MtTB)
IDF aid mission treats 370 patients in Philippines field hospital
The IDF announced Saturday evening that its aid mission to the Philippines has so far treated some 370 Filipinos, including 150 children, in the field hospital set up in the country on Friday morning.Israeli Ambucycles In New York City (h/t Israellycool)
The IDF humanitarian mission completed the set up of the hospital early Friday, after departing for the storm-ravaged city of Daanbantayan, in the northern province of Cebu, late Wednesday with about 100 tons of supplies.
