Monday, May 12, 2014
Khaled Abu Toameh: Palestinian Authority: Combatants Against Peace
Palestinian peace activists have come under fire for attending a Memorial Day Ceremony in Tel Aviv for Palestinian and Israeli victims of violence. The ceremony was attended by some 2700 people.Oren: Claims the FBI warned Israeli diplomats about spying are baseless
The event was organized last week by Combatants For Peace, a movement that (according to its website) "was started jointly by Palestinians and Israelis who have taken an active part in the cycle of violence; Israelis as soldiers and Palestinians as part of the violent struggle for Palestinian freedom."
Organizers have hailed the ceremony as a great success and "another positive step toward peace and reconciliation" between Israelis and Palestinians.
But the Palestinian Authority [PA] leadership and many Palestinians obviously don't share this view. In fact, they see the participation of Palestinians in an event commemorating Israeli victims of violence as an act of treason.
The PA government in the West Bank -- who do not miss any opportunity to tell Westerners that they remain committed to peace and coexistence with Israel -- even went as far as disbanding the Palestinian branch of Combatants For Peace in June 2013.
Oren told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that Israel’s intelligence relationship with the United States was unparalleled, and that claims of Israelis being scolded by the FBI were baseless.Behind Newsweek’s anti-Israel canard
Oren was responding to the second article in a week that appeared on the Newsweek magazine website Thursday alleging rampant Israeli spying on the US.
Oren, a historian of the US-Israel relationship, said that when it has gone through periods of tension in the past, stories frequently appear in the US media citing anonymous sources leveling stinging criticism of Israel.
The ambassador, who dismissed the Newsweek stories as groundless, said the important questions to ask are about what the motivation is behind them, and why “somebody is making an effort to leak this stuff and give it prominence.”
Last week, Newsweek’s Jeff Stein ran a sensationalist story detailing alleged Israeli spy activities in the United States. Stein, citing dubious sources, claimed that Israeli spies attempted to monitor Al Gore’s bathroom activities (an image too frightening to imagine) while drugs and women are routinely employed by Zionist spies to entice U.S. officials into handing over information of value. The sources for these and other absurd allegations contained in the article were mainly anonymous with one notable exception, an obscure ex-intelligence character and former CIA employee named Paul Pillar.
One look at Pillar’s past articles, publications and speeches puts the Newsweek screed in proper context. Pillar is a rabid Israel basher. In March 2014, he spoke at the so-called “National Summit to Reassess the U.S.-Israel ‘Special Relationship’” where he attacked Israel on everything from its defensive military operations in Gaza to its concern over Iran’s procurement of nuclear weapons. He even attempted to downplay Iran’s threat to wipe Israel off the map claiming that it was a mere mistranslation. Pillar took his place at the summit alongside miscreants such as Cynthia McKinney and Alison Weir, whose radical views on the Jewish state veer uncomfortably into David Duke territory.
A (failed) parody on spy games
It's impossible to dissociate said article from the suspension of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Thirty-nine years ago, after the peace process between Israel and Egypt was suspended and the Sinai Interim Agreement was brokered by Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, a serious crisis developed between Washington and Jerusalem, which included a number of slanderous and harmful articles against Israel in the U.S. press. Today as well, following Kerry's critical remarks on Israel (some of which were published before Newsweek's "investigative" report saw daylight), you can see how the new media campaign has been constructed as part of a extensive U.S. effort to render Israel the scapegoat of U.S. public opinion. Slapping the peace-opponent label on Israel's brow (in addition to its reputation as an unreliable, disloyal and subversive ally) was done in the hope that it would bind the Netanyahu government's maneuverability should the U.S. seek to resume negotiations under Washington's mediation again.David Singer: Obama Betrayal Demands Abbas Boycott
The inevitable collapse of the “two-state solution ” has seen last week’s headline grabbers and attention seekers turned from roosters into feather dusters – their credibility reputation and political judgement torn to shreds. Mahmoud Abbas – unelected PLO Chairman and unconstitutional President of :Israel offers to help Nigeria find abducted girls
1. The non- existent “Palestinian Authority” –
2. The artificially invented “Palestinian people”- and
3. The unilaterally declared “state of Palestine” -
has confounded world leaders by rushing into the welcoming arms of the terrorist organisation Hamas leaving his personal credibility and reputation indelibly and irreparably stained.
Abbas has been miraculously transformed from being Obama’s buddy, Livni and Indyk’s photo opportunity, Kerry’s dinner guest and Peres’ “partner for peace “within just one week. -
He now identifies with and openly espouses the following “humanitarian” Hamas principles adopted by the terrorist group – whom he assures people he will kiss and make up with in just four weeks time:
Israel on Sunday offered assistance to Nigeria in locating 276 high-school girls still held after being abducted four weeks ago by the Boko Haram terrorist network.Muslim Men Checking E-Bay For Kidnapped Nigerian Schoolgirls (satire)
The offer came as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke from Japan Sunday to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.
“Israel expresses its deep shock at the crime committed against the girls,” he said.
“We are willing to help assist in locating the girls and fighting the terror that is afflicting you.”
With virgin brides at a premium in this bustling region, many Muslim men realized that the abduction by Islamic militants of 276 schoolgirls in Nigeria presented a rare opportunity to obtain a pristine new bride, and have been scouring the internet and other sources in hopes of obtaining one or more of the schoolgirls to marry.Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Warns: ‘Next Major Conflict Could be Sparked by Rockets Being Smuggled Across the Middle East’
Boko Haram militants abducted hundreds of girls in mid-April during an attack on a school in Chibok, Nigeria; a leader of the Islamist militia announced that his group intended to sell the girls into slavery or as wives, effectively synonymous fates. While intelligence agencies and other governmental institutions try to locate the captives in order to free them, the men of Mali, Niger, Chad, Guinea, and Niger have been conducting equally desperate searches to secure a good deal on the same merchandise.
Additionally, many of the girls are approaching the age of 18, and their market appeal will fade once they reach adulthood, and the skills and attitudes the girls picked up while being educated may make them unappealing to men accustomed to seeing their women as illiterate chattel.
The debate took place on the tenth anniversary of UN Security Council resolution 1540 to enforce measures against the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery to terrorists.Shin Bet foils plot to kidnap Israeli soldier
Ambassador Prosor said: “The world must do more to prevent dangers resulting from transferring weapons of mass destruction into the hands of terrorists, especially in the Middle East.”
Prosor discussed the Israeli Defense Forces recent interception of the Klos-C vessel, which was carrying Iranian and Syrian-made weapons to Gaza: “This isn’t the first time that Iran – the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism – has been caught red-handed.”
The Shin Bet thwarted a plan to kidnap an Israeli soldier by a Nablus-based terror cell headed by a Palestinian imprisoned in Israel, the security agency announced Sunday.Tel Aviv woman caught trying to smuggle Palestinians into Israel in trunk
Indictments against the Palestinian prisoner and five of his family members were filed with the Samaria military court. According to the charge sheet, Abdel Rahman Othman, a Fatah member, and his family members plotted to kidnap an IDF soldier, hide him in a secret location, and bargain for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
The woman, whose three daughters were also in the vehicle, is believed to have been attempting to smuggle the men into Israel in exchange for money.Hamas Tells Muslims Not to Visit Jerusalem
Security personnel at the crossing noticed that the car's back half was suspiciously weighed down and ordered the driver to stop the vehicle. She failed to heed the order, continuing to drive past the crossing.
The officers succeeded in stopping the vehicle, discovering that the woman had her three children in the car - a 23-year-old, a seven-year-old and a one-year-old baby. (h/t Bob Knott)
Hamas, the terrorist organization ruling Gaza, rejected the "fatwa" (religious edict) made two weeks ago by Muslim leaders in Jordan, which ended a ban on visits to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque despite it being "under Israeli occupation."Egyptian Pop Star Chaaboula to Sing ‘I Hate Israel’ at Morocco World Music Festival Featuring Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake
Evidently the edict was too lenient for Hamas, in that it let "Palestinians...regardless of their nationalities" and "Muslims with passports from countries outside the Muslim World" visit Jerusalem, as long as they didn't financially aid the "occupation."
Hamas negated the ruling, saying it gives the appearance of recognizing the rule of the "occupation," and constitutes a de facto normalization with Israel.
Egyptian singer Shaaban Abdel Rahim, known as Chaaboula, plans to sing I Hate Israel, the infamous song that ended his contract for McDonald’s in 2008, at Morocco’s Mawazine world music festival, which is also featuring international stars Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake, Ricky Martin and Kool and the Gang.Sisi: If Needed, We'll Amend Peace Treaty with Israel
Egypt’s Youm7 news site reported on Saturday that Rahim said he will open his concert with I Hate Israel.
Arabic entertainment news site FilFan cited Rahim as saying that he’ll be wearing a costume with the colors of the Egyptian flag and will also sing his ode to former Egyptian defense minister and now presidential candidate Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, We Love Sisi.
Egypt’s former army chief and leading presidential candidate, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, said Sunday that, if elected, he would be willing to consider making changes to the peace agreement with Israel.House of Cards' Frank Underwood for President of Egypt?
"If we are asked to make amendments to the peace treaty with Israel, we will do it," Sisi said in an interview with Sky News, his first interview with foreign media since announcing his candidacy.
The comments by Sisi are in contrast to ones he made just last week, when he told local media that he would “respect all international treaties and contracts, including the peace treaty with Israel.”
In the same breath, however, Sisi also said that if Israel won't recognize the "state of Palestine," with its capital in Jerusalem, he will never visit Israel.
A campaign on social media networks in Egypt has been promoting the popular TV drama House of Cards' star, Kevin Spacey, as the next president of Egypt. Spacey played the character Frank Underwood on the television series about an American congressman who uses ruthless tactics to maintain a position of power and contribute to the 'greater good.'Libya: Islamist Group Forms to Destabilize Egypt
The now viral campaign on media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter advertised "al-Spacey" as a challenger to Egypt's former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is expected by many to win the elections this month in a landslide.
Pictures and promotional media have even circulated online promoting the Hollywood star with phrases like, "Long live Egypt. Kevin al-Spacey for President of Egypt."
Egypt seems to be becoming increasingly worried about the growth of Islamist movements in its neighboring Libya. Recently, Egypt's military leader and presidential candidate, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, said that U.S. military aid was needed to help rid Libya of jihadi training camps near Egypt's border. Sisi stated that unless the U.S. helps Cairo to contain civil chaos in Libya, it is likely to become "fertile ground for religious extremism." He added that such an eventuality would have a "disastrous" outcome for the U.S.Egyptian Cleric: U.S. Trying to Divide Islamic World, in Keeping with a Bernard Lewis Plan
Sisi further said that by refusing to deploy Western forces to help stabilize Libya after Western militaries overthrew dictator Muammar Gaddafi in late 2011, the U.S. and other NATO members had created a political vacuum that had left Libya at the mercy of "extremists, assassins, and murderers". "History will judge you severely," Sisi said.
This man, my brothers, is a British national. He is Jewish by religion, the son of two Jewish parents.
He is ideologically Zionist, and he is an American citizen. He combines all that is evil. He was born in 1916. This man was an advisor to U.S. Presidents Bush Sr. and Bush Jr.
He is responsible for the most dangerous enterprise in history – the plan to divide the Islamic world into mini-states. All you need to do is to type on the Internet: "Bernard Lewis, the plot to divide the Islamic world." This is not, my brothers in faith, what some people call "a conspiracy theory." This is what we believe according to our religion.
This plot was published in the journal of the U.S. Department of Defense. Furthermore, U.S. Congress unanimously ratified this man's plan in 1993.
Syrian Plane Attacks Turkish Aid Convoy Near Aleppo, Killing 1
Agence France-Presse reports:Israel: Iran Nuclear Deal Unacceptable
"Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) said that trucks carrying flour and blankets were caught in the middle of an air campaign late Thursday by the Syrian Air Force targeting rebel strongholds in the divided city.
“A Syrian citizen became a martyr while two others were wounded in the attack,” the IHH said in a statement."
In recent weeks, Israeli political and national security figures have been publicly outlining what they would find intolerable in a final agreement, and hinting that a bad deal could force Israel to take military action.Rouhani: Iran Won't Accept 'Nuclear Apartheid'
“If there is a deal, [the Israelis] will have to decide whether to campaign against it, or urge Congress to demand that it be toughened before sanctions are lifted, or remain quiet,” said Elliott Abrams, former deputy national security adviser to President George W. Bush. “I doubt they will remain quiet, and why should they: their national existence is on the line, and they don’t owe Obama many favors.”
“Any criticisms they offer will I think be adopted by many Republicans, and the open question is what Democrats will do. Stick with Obama? Fully? Or distance themselves a bit,” said Abrams. “The problem for [the Israelis] will be a big White House campaign saying that it’s this deal or war.”
The six-month deadline for reaching a long-term nuclear agreement is July 20.
Iran and the P5+1 group of nations will start hammering out a draft accord Tuesday aimed at ending a decade-long standoff over suspicions that the Islamic republic is concealing military objectives.
"We have nothing to put on the table and offer to them but transparency. That's it. Our nuclear technology is not up for negotiation," Rouhani, referring to the West, said in remarks broadcast on state television.
"Iran will not retreat one step in the field of nuclear technology... we will not accept nuclear apartheid," he said.
Iran says it could go back to 20% enrichment
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country will go back to producing 20 percent enriched uranium “whenever necessary” and won’t back down from achieving its nuclear goals, Iran’s Mehr News agency reported on Sunday.Iranian Oil Minister: We Will Continue to Ignore JPA Energy Export Caps
He added that Iran will not limit its ballistic missile program as the United States, Israel and some European countries have demanded.
“The US and European countries call for Iran to limit its ballistic program while continually making military threats. Such an expectation is therefore stupid,” he said.
Tehran has developed an extensive ballistic missile program, with some weapons capable of hitting targets 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) away, putting Israel and US regional bases within range.
The Wall Street Journal on Thursday conveyed commitments from Iran’s oil minister vowing to boost the country’s crude exports despite what the outlet described as “a cap agreed upon with the international community.”Turkey and Israel have substantially overcome problems, Turkish FM says
The interim Joint Plan of Action (JPA) – which Iran and the P5+1 global powers had agreed upon last November – eased energy sanctions on the Islamic republic, permitting Tehran to export one million barrels per day (bpd). Iran has busted through that limit every month for six straight months, generating fears that the inflow in foreign currency and capital would erode the leverage of Western negotiators seeking to extract concessions regarding the country’s atomic program.
The dynamic had also seemed to align with the predictions of JPA critics, who had worried that the JPA’s partial erosion of the international sanctions regime would spiral into broader economic gains for Iran. The Obama administration had pushed back against those critics by insisting that so-called core sanctions remained robust. Energy-driven economic stabilization has nonetheless long been identified as a particular vulnerability in the White House’s gambit.
Compensation talks between Turkey and Israel have reached “a certain level” and “problems have been substantially overcome,” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, referring to negotiations between the two countries over the Mavi Marmara incident in which Israeli soldiers killed nine Turks in 2010.'Humiliate Christians Until They Convert'
“Our colleagues are continuing the talks. I’d like to underline that we have seen positive developments,” Davutoglu said on May 8, speaking during a press conference with Tanzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Membe.
Citing Turkey’s preconditions for normalization of relations with Israel, he mentioned “lifting restrictions on the whole of Palestine, including Gaza,” an apology for the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, and compensation for the victims of the incident.
Abu Walid, an Islamist affiliated with the hardline Salafi stream, cited sources in the hadith (Islamic teachings outside of the Koran, based on the words of Mohammed's companions) which detailed how the "People of the Book" - referring to Jews and Christians - were to be treated as second-class citizens, or dhimmis, if they chose not to convert to Islam.
Those measures include, among other things: being forced to walk on the narrower side of the street to Muslims, shaving their foreheads, wearing red belts around their necks, being forced to wear odd shoes and only being allowed to travel sideways on donkeys.
The aim is essentially to bully them into accepting Islam - or at the very least to encourage their children and wives to leave them to escape humiliation.
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