12/12 Links Pt1: Abbas Awards Mass Murderer the 'Star of Honor', More Animal Cruelty in Gaza

From Ian:

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Abbas decorates terror leader Abu Jihadwith Star of Honor:"He was the model of a true fighter and devoted leader"

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has granted a post-mortem honor to arch-terrorist Abu Jihad, who was responsible for the murder of at least 125 Israelis in numerous terror attacks that he planned, including a bus hijacking in 1978, in which 37 civilians were murdered.
Official PA TV News reported that Abbas, in order "to honor the founding leaders and the first generation of the Palestinian revolution and the PLO, and out of loyalty to their history of struggle," chose to decorate Abu Jihad with "the highest order of the Star of Honor."

'Cruel and vicious' treatment of cattle in Gaza sparks Labor call to ban exports

Labor has called for the suspension of selected animal export licences in the wake of harrowing new footage of “cruel and vicious” treatment of Australian cattle in Gaza.
The footage, filmed by local civilians and uploaded to YouTube, shows cattle tied to poles, trees and vehicles before being stabbed in the neck and eyes. One animal was kneecapped by bullets fired from an assault rifle.
Animals Australia said the footage, filmed during a ritual called the “festival of sacrifice”, was some of the worst seen in a series of animal welfare outrages involving Australian cattle.

Kerry due back in Israel in new push for ‘framework’ peace accord

Palestinian officials briefed on talks last week between Kerry and Abbas said the US is aiming for a framework agreement by the end of January and have asked them to accept a change in the timetable of upcoming releases of Palestinian prisoners by Israel.
Having last week unveiled an American plan for security arrangements between Israel and the Palestinians under a permanent peace deal, Kerry reportedly also intends to set out American proposals in the near future to resolve the other core issues — Jerusalem, the borders of a Palestinian state, and the Palestinian refugees.
Kerry said last week that the two sides were closer to peace “than we have been in years.” And Israel’s chief negotiator said Wednesday there was a real opportunity for progress, and urged more hawkish cabinet colleagues not to block it. “We are facing a window of opportunity for peace and must not miss it,” Justice Minister Tzipi Livni said in Tel Aviv, and warned “those who sit beside me in the cabinet to know there’s a political price for not deciding in time.”

Professor Advocates One-State Solution As Strategic Move

[Eugene] Kontorovich opened his remarks by stating that while “most Israelis now realize that the notion of ‘land for peace’ has almost disappeared,” certain Israeli leaders and Obama administration officials are capitulating to Palestinian threats that if Israel doesn’t give into Palestinian demands, “they [the Arabs] will impose a One State Solution,” which [they threaten] will eliminate the Jewish majority in the Land of Israel.
“This is the argument that Minister [Tzipi] Livni, and [President] Obama make,” said Kontorovich. “They are saying that you have to do this [make land concessions to the Palestinians], and if not they will demand to become citizens of the state of Israel, and that is a disaster. This helps explain why the Palestinian demands are so great.”
Kontorovich stated that the idea of a one-state solution is being exploited by the Arabs “as if it was a nuclear bomb or if guns were being held to our heads. Those who believe [in the threat] are willing to give more, and the greater the extent to which Israeli leaders are willing to make concessions, the demands [of the Arabs] will only increase.”

Dutch Report Blames Israel for PA Failures

A report released Wednesday by Tiny Kox, a Dutch member of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, claims that Palestinians are not "democratic partners" according to the Council of Europe's standards, and further blames Israel for the phenomenon.
In the report Kox, a member of Holland's Socialist Party, attributed the prevention of weapons smuggling to Gaza, Judea and Samaria as well as Gilad Shalit's release as "Palestinian achievements."

PLO complaints against NBC program called ill-founded

Keshet is the creator and producer of the show, which it sold to NBC and will co-produce with the American network.
“There was no plan made to film the series in the City of David National Park or in the village of Silwan,” the statement read. “Furthermore, location scouting and planning will not begin until February 2014, and any decisions regarding possible production sites will be made with respect for all concerned parties.”
Officials with inside knowledge of the program insisted on Wednesday that no such plans have been made and all Jerusalem locations have yet to be decided.

Russia, Hamas leaders break the ice

Hamas government spokesman Taher Nunu said Haniyeh spoke with Lavrov for 35 minutes. He said the men discussed Israel's peace talks with the rival Palestinian government in the West Bank, the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip and "common relations."
Hamas, an Islamic terrorist group committed to Israel's destruction, is largely shunned by the international community. Although Russia has in the past hosted Hamas officials, the phone call was the first high-level conversation in months.

On PRI, Chris McGreal resuscitates his discredited ‘theory’ on Israel-SA nukes

In case you didn’t catch it, McGreal claimed that Israel and South Africa ”worked together on atomic issues, including South Africa’s development of a nuclear weapon.”
However, as we demonstrated in our previous post – and contrary to McGreal’s suggestion during the interview – there is still no credible evidence that Israel helped develop South Africa’s nuclear weapons program. (The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists reported that South Africa’s nuclear program was supported by France, the United States and Germany.)
So, unless McGreal has new evidence we can reasonably conclude that this latest claim represents yet another example of the journalist’s insistence that facts should never get in the way of a desired anti-Zionist conclusion.

Richard Millett: BBC News at 10 advertises Israel hate organisation from Mandela memorial event in Johannesburg

Instead, for part of her piece to camera, a BBC reporter stood directly in front of a banner advertising the Palestine Solidarity Alliance. Underneath that name and their logo was Nelson Mandela’s quote “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians”. The reporter then walked away to give a clear view of the banner:
The piece in front of the banner lasted for some 15 seconds, which would have commanded a fair return in terms of advertising revenue. This is some of what those lovely folk at the Palestine Solidarity Alliance desire:

BBC: AIDS ribbon not allowed, PSC t-shirt fine

Readers may remember that last February the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s Tony Greenstein appeared on the BBC programme ‘The Big Questions’ wearing a PSC t-shirt and badge. A member of the public who complained was told by the BBC that:

“Tony Greenstein was expressing his views on Israel and the Palestinians, as were other contributors, so his clothing was another form of expression in this regard.”

So to sum up, a ribbon in support of a disease-battling campaign which has a worldwide consensus and is promoted by the UN cannot be worn by a BBC presenter, but a t-shirt and badge promoting a terrorist supporting, opaquely-funded political campaign can be worn by an invited guest on a BBC programme.
Those are very bizarre interpretations of the BBC’s guidelines.

Politico: “Rare Display of House Unity” in Rejecting Kerry Assurances on Iran

Politico reports that testimony given today by Secretary of State John Kerry to the House Foreign Affairs Committee fell far short of convincing lawmakers to adopt the administration’s perspective on Iran, with Kerry not only stumbling in answering questions regarding the consistency of the White House’s read on Iranian calculations – administration officials have sought to simultaneously insist that sanctions coerced Iran into coming to the table and that new sanctions will push Tehran away – but failing more broadly to convince lawmakers that Iran’s nuclear program can be checked with the leverage that the U.S. currently has at its disposal. The outlet described “a rare display of House unity” with “all the members of the committee who questioned Kerry essentially [telling] him no.”

White House: Iranian Ballistic Missile Test Not a Deal Killer

The White House says that an Iranian ballistic missile test would not invalidate a recently signed nuclear accord meant to temporarily halt some of Iran’s most controversial nuclear work.
The White House clarified its stance just days before Iran is scheduled to launch another ballistic missile some 75 miles into the atmosphere.

Report: Iran May Receive $20 Billion in Sanctions Relief, Tripling Stated Figures

Senior Obama Administration officials are admitting that the interim nuclear deal between Iran and world powers may give the Islamic Republic sanctions relief that is three times as large as figures announced in official statements, Haaretz reported Wednesday.
While the U.S. has said Iran will receive about $7 billion in sanctions relief, Haaretz cited security sources in Israel who said the relief could actually amount to $20 billion.

As sanctions ease, Iran sees oil exports jump

Iranian oil exports rose 10 percent in November after sanctions against the Islamic Republic were eased as part of an interim deal with world powers, the International Energy Agency reported Wednesday.
Defending the deal, though, Washington’s sanctions czar said Wednesday that pressure on Iran will continue to mount over the coming six months.

Royal Bank of Scotland settles Iran sanctions claim

Royal Bank of Scotland has agreed to pay $100 million to settle claims by US and New York state regulators that it violated US sanctions against Iran and other countries.
The Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve and the office of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the settlement Wednesday with the bank, which is 80 percent owned by the British government.
It covers alleged violations of US sanctions against Iran, Sudan, Burma and Cuba from 2005 to 2009. The regulators said RBS channeled about $523 million in transactions to other banks for clients from those countries and concealed the clients’ identities in the paperwork.

Congress Looks to Derail Turkey’s Plan to Purchase, Integrate Chinese Missile Systems

Foreign Policy Magazine’s The Complex yesterday outlined legislative efforts, written by Congress into the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), to respond to Turkey’s controversial decision to purchase missile defense assets from a Chinese company blacklisted by Washington.

Muslim Countries Top List of State-Persecution of Atheists

Islamic countries top the list of states which routinely discriminate against and persecute atheists and agnostics as well as members of other religions, according to a newly-released report.
The 2013 Freethought Report was published by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) - an organization of religious skeptics, agnostics, and atheists. The study was released ahead of International Human Rights day Tuesday, The Huffington Post reported.

Two Saudi Women Detained for Driving

Saudi activists said on Wednesday that police have detained two women in Riyadh caught breaking an official ban on females driving.
The activists told The Associated Press (AP) that the women were stopped Wednesday afternoon and taken to a local police station where their male relatives were also called in.

A personal warning over women in Islamic countries

The book is important in two respects. Chesler reprimands the politically correct individuals, pro cultural relativists who are not only unwilling to criticize but actually defend traditional practices such as honor killings and also the wearing of niqab (face masks) and burqas (veil), which she calls “a sensory deprivation chamber.”
These masks and veils are now seen in the US; Afghanistan has thus landed in the West while the West is still deployed in hostilities in Afghanistan.