Michael Lumish: So, Just What is a “Palestinian,” Anyways?
The Philistines, of course, were a seafaring people of the Aegean islands.Syria’s Oldest Synagogue, Destroyed by Assad
They were one of the rivals for regional dominance competing with the ancient Israelites along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea over one thousand years before Jesus of Nazareth walked the land.
They were, needless to say, not a people from the Arabian peninsula and were in no way the forebears of those who conquered the Land of Israel in the seventh century.
This is to say that the ancient enemy of the Jews, the Philistines, are in no way related to the contemporary Arabs who have, for some reason, taken a Latin name that refers to a Greek people.
The Jobar Synagogue was one of the holiest Jewish sites in Syria and contained priceless historical artifacts. Now it’s destroyed—and the opposition says Assad is to blame.US supports case against Arab Bank financing terror, but worries of foreign policy fallout
Syrian Arab Army forces flattened the Eliyahu Hanabi Synagogue in the Jobar neighborhood of Damascus over the weekend. The attack not only wrecked a site that’s at least 400 years old. It may have destroyed thousands of irreplaceable Jewish artifacts contained inside the synagogue, according to opposition leaders and photos obtained at the site.
The area where the synagogue once stood has been under bombardment by the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for months. The Syrian regime is laying siege to the town, one of the few rebel strongholds in the area. It’s all part of what the opposition calls Assad’s “scorched earth” policy, which includes random and violent attacks on civilian populations. (h/t Yenta Press)
In a major decision that will impact the high-profile Arab Bank terror finance case in the US and the future of terror financing cases, the US government late Tuesday told the US Supreme Court that it supports the Arab Bank case going to trial, but also undermined the case's strength.
The context of the decision was Arab Bank's interim appeal to the US Supreme Court to reverse a lower US court decision which could seriously hurt the bank's chances of winning at trial.
The case itself, which has been featured on CBS News's Sunday Morning program, involves allegations that Arab Bank facilitated massive transfer of funds to Hamas leaders and institutions, as well as to the families of imprisoned Hamas members and suicide bombers, via Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah's al-Shahid Foundation, mostly between 1998-2004.
Report: Suspect Arrested in Connection With Brussels Jewish Museum Shooting
A suspect in the Brussels Jewish museum shooting has been arrested, Belgian media is reporting.Analysis: Hezbollah or al-Qaida behind Brussels terror attack?
According to VTM News, a federal prosecutor said a suspect has been arrested in connection to the shooting as well as other crimes.
On the one hand, Norway and the US have in recent years witnessed psycho-terrorists who acted alone and in cold blood.Did a French Comedian Inspire the Killings at the Jewish Museum in Brussels?
And yet, there are of course professional and capable terrorist organizations such Hezbollah or al-Qaida that could be behind this operation.
Since the assassination of Imad Mughneiyeh, Hezbollah’s “defense minister,” in 2008, in Damascus – attributed to the Mossad – the Lebanese Shi’ite organization has committed to avenge his death by attacks against Israeli or Jewish targets anywhere in the world.
It has even had some successes, such as in New Delhi and in Burgas, Bulgaria, where a suicide bomber killed six Israeli tourists.
If Hezbollah is behind the Brussels attack, it is unlikely that it will claim responsibility.
Immediately after an unknown killer walked into the Jewish museum in Brussels and gunned down four people, the president of the Belgian League Against Anti-Semitism, Joël Rubinfeld, made the following statement: “What just happened was foreseeable. It was bound to happen. For the past few years, we witnessed a liberation of anti-Semitic words. It grows up again, most notably through the speeches of both the comedian Dieudonné and the representative Laurent Louis.”Rome Jewish Museum Stays Open to Midnight After Brussels Slayings – ‘We Are Not Afraid’
Three hours later, Laurent Louis answered with a very long statement whose rhetoric calls to mind the Nazi answer after the Reichstag burning. He said in substance that blaming him or Dieudonné for the massacre was “too easy.” He had nothing to do with this “fool deed”—“fool” as in not anti-Semitically motivated—and implied that those responsible were to be found among his fiercest enemies, secret organizations who were trying to weaken his party “Stand up Belges!” on the eve of the European elections—the implication, obvious to those familiar with Louis’ national crusade against Israel, being that the Jewish state itself was behind the museum massacre. (Despite the length of his declaration, Louis had not a word for the victims.)
Leading Italian political and cultural figures lined up at Rome’s Jewish Museum, which opened its doors to midnight on Monday to accommodate the thousands who wanted to express solidarity with the Jewish Museum of Brussels after four people, including two Israelis, were shot and killed by a lone gunman on Saturday.Jerusalem to remain united forever, Netanyahu says
Riccardo Pacifici, president of Rome’s Jewish community, said, “It’s time to show these rogues, these murderers, that we are not afraid, they do not intimidate us. We will march together and take them to jail,” according to Italy’s Il Messagero newspaper on Monday.
Speaking at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva, a nationalist-religious Jewish learning institution in the capital, Netanyahu said that in the 47 years since Israel wrested East Jerusalem from Jordanian control, the city has been united: “That’s how it’s been since and that’s how it will always be.”Isi Leibler: From Sydney to Jerusalem: A sermon
“Jerusalem is also Mount Zion, Jerusalem is Mount Moriah (the Temple Mount), Jerusalem is the Western Wall, and Jerusalem is eternally Israel,” the prime minister said, cataloging sites of historical and religious significance to Jews in the areas of the city captured in 1967.
In the spirit of Jerusalem Day, I would like to share with you a remarkable sermon I recently came across that was delivered by my late father-in-law, Rabbi Israel Porush, at the Great Synagogue in Sydney, one year after the Six-Day War. The main message is as relevant today as it was then.Danny Danon: A time to build
"Israel stood alone in that hour of crisis, surrounded by a ring of modern armor of terrible deadliness, and beleaguered by the armies of seven nations who were united in the hate of Israel and in their sinister plot to destroy it. The rest of the world played cynically a waiting game. Is it surprising that we view with a measure of cynicism the advice given us by our friends now?" he said.
"And what of churches? Not a word of comfort in the hour of danger, not a sound of condemnation of the threats to our existence. The so-called ecumenical spirit, or the so-called dialogue between church and synagogue, which was promoted in some quarters, especially in the United States, has suffered a setback from which it will not so easily recover.
Forty-seven years after the historic reunification of Jerusalem it is now time to rid the world of the notion that the future of Jerusalem is up for negotiation. The most practical way of clarifying this important point is for the State of Israel to announce that it intends to build without hesitation in all parts of Jerusalem.Poof, the Magic Settlements!
For far too long we have been on the defensive when it comes to building in Jerusalem. Our quiet acceptance of international condemnation and tepid response to tersely worded statements criticizing our building plans have loosened our hold on Jerusalem. Neighborhoods such as Gilo and Ramat Shlomo, once part of the consensus and indisputably considered part of the State of Israel under any possible future agreement, are now treated by our American allies and the international community in the same manner as illegal outposts in Judea and Samaria. Only by expanding the existing neighborhoods of Jerusalem, while simultaneously planning, building and populating new building projects in all parts of the city can we hope to change international perceptions about our capital. More importantly, enacting such a plan will greatly decrease the chance of future Israeli governments considering to ever again divide the city.
When Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah/Palestinian Authority (PA) signed a reconciliation agreement with Hamas, a recognized terrorist group that calls in its Charter for the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews, the State Department’s spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, observed, “It’s hard to see how Israel can be expected to negotiate with a government that does not believe in its right to exist.”Housing minister: No more settlement freezes
Despite the obvious truth of this statement, Secretary of State John Kerry blamed Israel. As he told the Congress, “700 settlement units were announced in Jerusalem. And poof! That was sort of the moment.”
Housing minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) said Tuesday that there would be no freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank or Jerusalem, according to media reports of an address he made at a Jerusalem Day party.March in Samaria Marks One Year Since Actor's Murder
“There will be just one state between the Jordan River and the sea, and that is the State of Israel,” Ariel stated at the Merkaz HaRav yeshiva in the capital. ”
“Jerusalem will not be divided again,” he added. “There are no [construction] freezes and there will be no more freezes — we won’t allow it.”
On Jerusalem Day (Wednesday), the family and friends of terror victim Evyatar Borovsky Hy''d are to march from the site at Tapuach Junction in Samaria where he was stabbed to death by an Arab terrorist a year ago, to "Evyatar Outpost," a community established in his honor nearby.Temple Mount temporarily shut after rioting by Palestinian crowds
Last Jerusalem Day, Borovsky, who was a popular actor of the Erel Group and father of five, planned to perform for children in Samaria at the Tapuach Junction. His performance was meant to relate the miraculous victory of the 1967 Six Day War that liberated Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.
A week before the planned event, Borovsky was murdered by an Arab terrorist at the Junction. His murderer was sentenced to life in prison plus an extra 20 years last November. Evyatar's widow Tzofia decried the sentence, saying "the only legitimate sentence in my eyes is the death sentence."
Less than 48 hours after Pope Francis beseeched Jerusalem's Grand Mufti to condemn violence on the Temple Mount, rioting ensued there Wednesday morning as thousands of Jews gathered at the Western Wall in observance of Jerusalem Day.Jerusalem Arabs Throw Stones at US Seminary Girls
According to police, upon opening the main gate to the holy site, rocks and bottles were thrown at officers, forcing them to disperse the crowd with stun grenades and temporarily cordon off part of the site to visitors.
Ahuva Schwartz, a resident of Jerusalem, reports that a group of 60 Jews, mostly Israeli high school boys along with some families and American seminary student girls, met at the Kotel (Western Wall) on Tuesday night.Israeli forces arrest 9 terror suspects in West Bank raid
The group made their way to the Lions' Gate to the east of the Temple Mount, following the route that Israeli paratroopers took when they liberated the holiest site in Judaism from Jordanian occupation in the 1967 Six Day War. The group arrived around 11 p.m. on Tuesday night.
Accompanied by four border police, the group stood outside the Lions' Gate, singing and dancing to celebrate Jerusalem Day.
Roughly ten minutes into the celebrating, an American seminary girl was hit in the face by a rock thrown by local Arabs, reports Schwartz.
Israel’s Border Police arrested nine Palestinians suspected of terror activities near Jerusalem Wednesday.Abbas' rep: "Our Martyrs and prisoners will remain the beacon of our magnificent glory"
Border Police said they seized 150 bullets and incitement material from the suspects’ homes in the Palestinian towns of Abu Dis and Al-Eizariya.
The towns are cut off from the northeast of the capital by the security barrier.
At a Fatah ceremony honoring several terrorist murderers, a representative of Palestinian Authority and Fatah Chairman Abbas expressed admiration for the killers of numerous Israeli civilians. He praised suicide bombers and planners of bombings and shooting attacks as "the beacon of our magnificent glory." [WAFA (the official PA news agency), April 14, 2014]PA TV filler presents cities in Israel as "Palestine"
Speaking in Abbas' name, District Governor of Hebron Kamel Hamid also hinted at the destruction of Israel, hoping that "the dream of the Martyr and [Fatah] founder Yasser Arafat, [Hamas founder] Ahmed Yassin and all the [other] Martyrs is fulfilled with the establishment of our Palestinian state." Yassin's terror organization Hamas has stated that Israel's destruction is its goal.
Hizb Al-Tahrir Rally at Al-Aqsa Mosque Calls on Pakistan Army to Liberate Jerusalem from Jews' Filth
Terrorist killed by own bomb in Sinai
Security officials in Egypt say a suspected member of an al-Qaeda-inspired group has been killed by his own roadside bomb in the country’s restive Sinai Peninsula.Terra incognita: Holding Lebanon hostage (again)
The officials say the terrorist’s father lost an arm in the blast Saturday. They say both men are members of Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, which has been blamed for some of the bloodiest attacks in Egypt in recent years. Their assaults increased dramatically after the overthrow of the Islamist President Mohammed Morsi last July.
The officials say the two were trying to plant the bomb on a road frequently used by the army. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief journalists.
The real lesson the Hezbollah opposition has once again learned is that it can whittle away at Christian power in Lebanon. By having a vacuum the traditional Christian leader is absent. Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai was cognizant of that in mid- May when he devoted energy to finding a compromise candidate, warning President Suleiman that the interests of Christians would be harmed. In the end Rai left the country to attend the Pope’s visit in Jordan and Israel while Hezbollah threatened the Christian cleric with “negative repercussions” for visiting Israel.Canadian terrorist, who was a senior Hezbollah member, killed by Syrian rebels
Currently the discussions on a candidate for president sit with the Christian leaders: Geagea, Gemayel, Aoun and Suleiman Franghieh (the son of Tony Franghieh who was assassinated in 1978 during the Civil War). But the power behind the throne is Hezbollah and the Iranian-Syrian axis. It is an unfortunate story that Lebanon, whose beaches overflow with frolicking beauties (a photo on Facebook this week shows bikini-clad women sitting on top of a classy car careening around Beirut), is home to one of the most reactionary, savage religious-terrorist movements in the world.
And that movement, despite representing a minority of the population, has come to hold the country hostage.
Fawzi Ayoub was a hijacker, international terrorist operative and senior member of Hezbollah. He was also a naturalized Canadian citizen, but on Monday Lebanese media reported he was dead, killed in an ambush by Syrian rebels.Source: Iran Tested Detonators For Nuclear Weapons Unknown To IAEA
The 48-year-old former Toronto supermarket employee, who rose through the ranks of Hezbollah despite his tendency for getting arrested before completing his missions, was declared a “martyr” on a Facebook page filled with photos of him in battle fatigues.
The Lebanese-Canadian had been on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist list since 2009, when he was indicted for using a false American passport to enter Israel “for the purpose of conducting a bombing” for Hezbollah, according to his wanted notice
Iran has conducted several high-explosive tests on detonators designed for its nuclear weapons program, according to a former officer of the regime’s Revolutionary Guards.As American Leverage Tanks, Iranians Violate Export Caps for Sixth Month in a Row
The officer witnessed the detonator tests in the fall of 2007 at the regime’s clandestine TABA Complex (also known as the Tehran Complex), located northwest of Tehran, where centrifuge parts are produced. The source, who cannot be named for security purposes and who is now in asylum in Italy, provided information on the TABA facility and other nuclear activities to the U.S. Embassy in an undisclosed country.
Reuters reported Wednesday that Iran’s crude exports to China in April had more than doubled from where they were a year ago – the final number constituting an all-time record high:Ideological Intoxication of Turkish Politics
"China’s imports, added to India’s shipments of about 225,000 bpd in April and South Korea’s 135,000 bpd, put Asia’s purchases of Iranian crude for last month over the 1 million bpd limit – with Japan still to report its oil import data later in May.
Under the temporary deal that went into effect in January, Iran’s exports are supposed to be held at an average 1 million bpd for the six months to July 20, but shipments arriving in Asia have topped that mark since November, according to customs and ship tracking data."
Once we have reviewed the ruling AKP’s 12-year process, disintegrating and alienating (central axis of the Islamic-rooted AKP’s ideology) ideological reasons constantly played a key role on the authoritarian political agenda of the AKP that came to the fore in Turkey. The AKP produced enemy-oriented policies instead of service-centric which would serve the all citizens regardless of their religion and ethnicity. Within the framework of this policy, Tayyip Erdogan, Primer Minister of Turkey, created a reflex response against certain segments of the population that whom did not share the similar or same Islamic values like him and his party. He has consistently supported his reflex with Islamic ideological arguments. In this respect, almost all the corrupt practices made by the AKP are seen legitimate, justified and valid by the AKP followers. The AKP’s hidden goal was chiefly maintenance and preservation of Islamic ideology by politically affiliated judiciary & the legal system and intelligence & security forces attached to it. Erdogan has polarised the population into two categories as Islamist (those who supports the AKP) and anti-Islamist (those who are on the opposition to the AKP) and evaluated the vital issues of the country within this approach.