Wednesday, June 18, 2014
The ICRC and 'the law'
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross’s Anton Camen (“Why the law prohibits settlement activities” May 27) Israeli presence in and control of Judea and Samaria are illegal. But what is “the law” to which he refers? Camen says the law defining and governing occupation is the Hague Regulation (1907). He writes that “the law of occupation... is defined by Article 42 of the Hague Regulations....”UNESCO vetoed display on Jewish refugees from Arab lands
That’s a half-truth. Article 42, Section III, Military Authority Over The Territory Of The Hostile State, states: “Territory is considered occupied when it is actually placed under the authority of the hostile army. The occupation extends only to the territory where such authority has been established and can be exercised.”
The title of this section, however, refers to territory belonging legitimately to a sovereign state; that was not the case in 1967.
By what right did the ICRC decide unilaterally and arbitrarily that Israel had “violated international law?” Why are a few anonymous Swiss citizens working for the ICRC accepted as the sole authority to decide what is “the law?” And, on what basis did the ICRC decide that Israel is guilty? “The law,” according to the ICRC, ignores the San Remo Resolutions and League of Nations Mandate which was – and remains – “international law.” It states: “The Mandatory shall be responsible for placing the country [Palestine] under such political, administrative and economic conditions as will secure the establishment of the Jewish National Home....”
The ICRC has never explained why its interpretation of international law and FGC trumps all others. Nor has it explained why it has designated – again unilaterally – Judea and Samaria as “occupied Palestinian territory.”
UNESCO also insisted on the removal of a panel entirely dedicated to the plight of Jewish refugees from Arab states in the 20th century, though it allowed a smaller reference to the issue in another part of the exhibition.Met Cancels Simulcast of Anti-Israel Opera, Proceeds With Live Showings
“It is true that UNESCO officials asked us to drop the panel because they felt certain that Arab nations would protest and block the exhibition,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which organized the exhibition. The removed panel consisted primarily of visuals depicting the Jewish refugees’ absorption in Israel in the 1950s and 60s, he told The Times of Israel. “We reluctantly agreed,” he explained, adding that the exhibition’s author, Hebrew University Professor Robert Wistrich, did insert, in a different panel, “the statistics about Aliyah from Arab nations, which we insisted be included.” (h/t Elder of Lobby)
New York’s Metropolitan Opera (Met) canceled an HD transmission of the anti-Israel opera The Death of Klinghoffer following significant outreach efforts from the Jewish community, but eight live performances of the opera will proceed as scheduled this fall.Thirteen Years After 9/11, NY Taxpayers Funding Terrorist Sympathizing Opera
The opera, about the 1985 hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship and Palestinian terrorists’ murder of one of its Jewish passengers, has been heavily criticized for its sanitization of Palestinian terrorism and invoking of anti-Semitic canards. Klinghoffer’s daughters, Lisa and Ilsa, have written regarding the opera for The New York Times, “We are outraged at the exploitation of our parents and the cold-blooded murder of our father as the centerpiece of a production that appears to us to be anti-Semitic.” (h/t AlexandreM)
Indeed, the play encourages its audience to empathize with the terrorists who shoot Klinghoffer and then push him off of the side of the hijacked cruise ship. The opera also perpetuates libels against the Jewish state and the Jewish people, including accusations that Israel blindly destroys Arab houses and shoots innocent Arab women and children. One scene features a character saying “Wherever poor men / Are gathered they can / Find Jews getting fat.”
While the librettist Alice Goodman is of Jewish decent, she is a member of the Anglican Church. It is nothing more than a new version of the old European anti-Semitic libels — a racist portrayal of Jews as soulless monsters. This same racism and manipulation of the arts by the Nazis led to the Holocaust and the death of 6 million European Jews.
That such hideous propaganda should be portrayed on an American stage is repulsive.
ADL Totally Fine With Anti-Semitic Production in New York
The Anti-Defamation League announced that it approves of the Metropolitan Opera's decision to feature the anti-Semitic opera The Death of Klinghoffer. Though the ADL welcomed the decision of the Met to cancel the live HD broadcast of the show, the ADL said that they were content with the show going on in New York and claimed that it was not anti-Semitic:Time to topple the Palestinian Authority
For over two decades, ever since the signing of the Oslo Accords, Israel has had to endure one atrocity after another at the hands of Palestinian terrorists. Enough already! We were told that patience was in order, even as our ostensible peace partners sent young men strapped with explosive vests to blow up buses in rush hour and dispatched masked militants to fire rockets at Israeli towns and cities.Hillary Clinton Goes Anti-Israel In 'Hard Choices'
Just a few more concessions, it was said, and the Palestinians would forgo violence, finally stop likening Israel to the Nazis and cease calling for attacks in their official media.
Well, I don’t know about you, but my patience ran out a long time ago.
The kidnapping of three Jewish teenagers by Palestinian terrorists last week is a wake-up call to Israeli society.
The Palestinians didn’t want East Jerusalem as their capital until after 1967. Their reason for desiring it is based on the fact that they refuse to recognize any Jewish claim of a historical heritage to Jerusalem or any other part of the Holy land. This despite the fact that there is even a Koranic passage (Koran, Sura 2:145, "The Cow") indicating that Jerusalem is not quite so holy to Muslims, and is passed on to the Jews. The 13th-century Arab biographer and geographer Yakut noted: "Mecca is holy to Muslims, and Jerusalem to the Jews."Miliband's Friends of Israel Speech: Kerry's MidEast Peace Attempt was 'Brilliant
In all probability, Hillary Clinton is running for President. She will campaign on the basis that she is a friend of Israel, just as Barack Obama did in 2008. As TruthRevolt reported last week, as Secretary of State; Hillary Clinton was the architect of the policy for the most anti-Israel president since the rebirth of Israel in 1948. It was a policy that reflected views Hillary Clinton has held her entire life, with the exception of the nine-year period where she ran for and held the office of U.S. Senator from New York State and relied on Jewish voters. Her lifetime of views about Israel is repeated in her book "Hard Choices."
Miliband said: "I am sure all of our thoughts today are with the 3 kidnapped Israeli teenagers, Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaar, and Eyal Yifrach and their families. We all profoundly hope for their speedy and safe return.""The Ottomans Stole Palestine and Sold It To the Israelis"
He went on to call U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's failed peace-brokering attempts "outstanding" and "brilliant", and said of the unfolding situation in Iraq:
"...we are also reminded of the security situation that Israel faces beyond its borders. Iraq is today facing fundamental threats to its integrity, security and stability.
"The Ottomans Stole Palestine and Sold It To the Israelis"Anticipating Gaza Flare-Up, Iron Dome Deployed in Coastal Region
So says Lee Maracle, a member of future former Toronto mayor Olivia Chow's advisory committee, in a talk entitled "From Turtle Island to Palestine." Maracle, who is described as "Author, poet, teacher, elder, cultural reclamation consultant, theatre instructor at University of Toronto, performing artist, environmentalist, feminist, social activist," is one of 28--count 'em, 28--individuals who supposedly "bring broad perspectives to her campaign, from business, labour, the arts, academia, community and public service."
"Broad perspectives," eh? Since each and every one of 'em is a "social justice" lefty, their "perspective" is about as "broad" as a piece of spaghettini.
The IDF prepared to station Iron Dome anti-missile defense units in the coastal region of Ashdod and Tel Aviv on Wednesday, even as an explosive placed on the Gaza security barrier by terrorists was caught and detonated.Fatah Asks Egypt to End Siege of Gaza
IDF forces neutralized the explosive early Wednesday afternoon, on the barrier in the southern part of Gaza. The bomb was detonated on the western side of the barrier, namely inside Gaza, by security forces in a controlled manner, causing no injuries or damage.
The incident highlights the security threat from the Hamas-enclave of Gaza, which has been the source of a constant stream of rocket fire since the three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped last Thursday.
The Crossing has been closed for months as part of an Egyptian siege on Gaza, which has sealed off the illegal smuggling tunnels that are used to transport fuel and goods from Sinai, but also weapons and terrorists, and has consequently caused an economic collapse in Gaza.Elliott Abrams: Humanitarian disaster and security threat
As part of Egypt's conditions for easing its siege, Abbas would be required to re-open presidential headquarters in Gaza, said the official.
Additionally, the official stipulated that Hamas would have to separate from the Muslim Brotherhood, which it is an offshoot of, and not interfere with Egyptian affairs.
U.S. policy since the start of the rebellion in Syria in 2011 has failed. Regime brutality against the majority-Sunni population of Syria and intervention by foreign Shia forces (Iranian and Hezbollah) have attracted a far larger and more dangerous group of jihadis than ever existed in Afghanistan, one whose threat to U.S. allies and interests keeps growing. That the Iranian and Hezbollah intervention has elicited no serious U.S. response has not only favored the regime's survival, but shaken faith in American reliability among all U.S. allies in the region and beyond.UN Watch: The UN and Syria: Business as usual
That Iran has appeared far more determined to win in Syria, defined as keeping President Bashar Assad in power, than the United States has appeared in achieving its stated goal (that Assad must go) similarly shakes confidence in U.S. power and willpower. The huge and growing refugee burdens threaten stability in Jordan, long a key U.S. ally, and in Lebanon. And the fact that Assad is an Alawite trying to rule a 74 percent Sunni country suggests that with him in power there will never be stability, only more war.
Less tangibly but of equal importance, U.S. willingness to enforce the norms of international conduct has been undermined, as has American moral leadership. The association of the United States with the cause of human rights and democracy, going back at least to Woodrow Wilson, has been weakened by its unwillingness to act in the Syrian case. America's soft power is linked to its reputation for idealism and the defense of human values. The refusal to use hard power in the Syrian case has contributed to a diminution of soft power as well.
Mr. President, what the Commission of Inquiry has just described is a living hell. Faced with continuing reports of Syria’s mass murder, torture, rape, and gassing of civilians by chemical weapons, how is the United Nations responding?Chlorine Gas-Like Chemicals Likely Used in Syrian Conflict
With notable exceptions, this inquiry being one, the UN’s policy toward Syria can be described in three words: business as usual.
Chemical weapons inspectors who came under attack while investigating claims of chlorine gas attacks in Syria last month found information suggesting that similar chemicals had indeed been used, the global chemical weapons watchdog said on Tuesday.Why the Kurds Are a Beacon of Hope in the Middle East
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which is overseeing the destruction of Syria’s chemical stockpile, said inspectors had information pointing to chlorine gas-like chemicals having been used despite having been forced to cut short their mission after the attack.
The results are truly frightening. Terrorist violence has, according to State Department figures, increased by nearly half over the last year. Up to 20,000 foreign jihadis are traveling back and forth from the region; one such was Mehdi Nemmouche, the French citizen accused of carrying out last month’s terrorist atrocity at the Jewish museum in Brussels, who fought with the jihadis in Syria and was arrested carrying a flag with the ISIS symbol in his pocket. Negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program are collapsing, again fueling speculation about an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Tehran’s key nuclear facilities.Hold Turkey and Saudi Arabia Accountable
Most Americans, however, know deep down that the Middle East will interrupt our foreign policy slumber sooner or later. That’s why, more than ever before, we need to be bolstering the only peoples in the region we can truly trust: the Israelis, who have created a model liberal democracy in one of the most reactionary regions on earth, and the Kurds, whose modest wish to join the family of democratic nations is one we should actively be seeking to grant.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is no angel, but to blame Iraq’s Shi’ites or a democratically elected government that includes Arabs and Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites and Christians, men and women is unfair. The current strife in Iraq is not because of Shi’ite intolerance but rather because of intolerance of the Shi’ites. Those who say the uprising could have been averted if only Maliki had given more perks, positions, and goodies to Sunni Arabs misunderstand the fact that what Iraqis are fighting against is a noxious and hateful ideology, not simply grievance.Will Iraq Lead to Retreat on Iran Nukes?
Never again will Iraq be dominated by a small Sunni minority. Nor should it. Shi’ites cannot be expected to sit idly by when Saudi- and Turkish-supported radical groups brag about their plans for genocide against the Shi’ites. It’s important to check Iranian ambitions and to reinforce that Iran does not represent all Shi’ites. If the United States truly wants to encourage peace in Iraq, however, it is time to acknowledge that Shi’ites too have legitimate grievances and face a deadly challenge, one embarrassingly that has a return address in Riyadh and Ankara.
If Washington were to make the leap from irresolute diplomacy to a policy shift that treated the nuclear issue as a sidebar to the more important question of Iraq, the result would make an already unstable Middle East even more dangerous for the U.S. and its allies. While the prospect of letting either parts or the entirety of Iraq fall into the hands of al-Qaeda-allied Islamists is a grim one, American acceptance of Iran’s nuclear dreams would be an even greater calamity. As President Obama has already repeatedly stated, Iranian nuclear weapons would be “a game changer” that would plunge the region into further conflict and instability even if the “rational” rulers of Tehran never used one. Iran’s network of state-sponsored international terrorists would gain a nuclear umbrella. Moderate Arab states would, at best, be endangered and would look to obtain their own nuclear option. The already remote chances of Middle East peace would be finished.Obama Thinks Iran Can Rescue American Interests in the Middle East: He’s Wrong
The president’s defenders may claim that he is capable of working with the ayatollahs in Iraq without abandoning his pledges never to accept an Iranian nuke. There is also no question that the administration must act expeditiously in Iraq and some coordination or at least communication about the struggle with Iran is necessary. But given that the entire thrust of U.S. diplomacy in the last year has been focused not so much on a nuclear compromise as on an effort to foster a new détente with the Islamist regime, it is difficult to imagine how the events of the last week will do anything but diminish his already flagging determination to stop Iran.
The State Department now says that the United States has “shared interests” with Iran in Iraq, and talks are apparently ongoing between the two countries about the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the country that once hosted half a million American troops. However, the White House and Pentagon have rushed to make it clear that the administration would never, ever dream of coordinating military strikes with Tehran. So, the Obama Administration leaks when Israel strikes Iranian missile convoys to Hezbollah and negotiates with Iran about its nuclear weapons program, but it would never coordinate with Iran on Iraq, where Iran is the only actor on the ground with any capacity to stop the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).Dore Gold: Trust, the Weak Link in Nuclear Agreement with Iran
One striking feature appearing in the leading commentaries on the Comprehensive Agreement being negotiated between Iran and the P5+1 is the stress they are placing on the role of inspections in assuring the international community that Tehran will not be permitted to obtain nuclear weapons.Anonymous plans global cyber attacks on energy firms on Friday
Rather than cut deeply into Iran’s stocks of enriched uranium or drastically limit the number and speed of its gas centrifuge machines, these proposals also suggest that an unusually robust inspection system can play a significant role in assuring that Tehran will have a difficult time breaking out of any of future agreement.
Underlying these proposals is an appreciation by the authors that a strategy stressing inspections may have a better chance of being accepted by the Iranian leadership.
AnonGhost, a politically motivated group of hacktivists, is planning to launch cyber attacks on energy companies globally, including Adnoc and Enoc in the UAE, on Friday for using the dollar in oil trades.Israelis Divided Over Which Antisemitic World Cup Team To Root For (satire)
This is according to a YouTube post link tweeted by the AnonGhost team.
“It is a follow-up from the #opPetrol operation in 2013. They [Anonymous] are serious about its political message and they will deliver it,” Nicolai Solling, director of technology services at Help AG, told ‘Gulf News’.
There was another hacking campaign that took place last week. The attack was on Fifa World Cup sponsors and Brazilian government websites to protest against the huge money spent on the tournament when massive social inequality still exists in the country.
“Petrol is sold in US dollars and Saudi Arabia has betrayed Muslims with their cooperation. So why isn’t petrol sold with the currency of the country which exports it? Because the Zionists own us like that,” AnonGhost said on the YouTube post.
Thirty-two teams will vie over the next several weeks for supremacy, first within their groups of four, and then, for the top two in in each group, in an elimination tournament among the remaining sixteen. Each group features countries distinguished for their antisemitic rhetoric or historic mistreatment of Jews, in some cases both.Rock bands Pixies, Hives put on show for ages in Tel Aviv
Defending champion Spain is known as the country that expelled its Jews in 1492 amid centuries of forcing conversion on them, but faces stiff competition for Most Antisemitic Country even in its own geographic conference, where powerhouses such as Germany, France, Russia, and Croatia each boast robust histories of expelling, massacring, pillaging, and otherwise abusing the Jews under their control. Even England, not generally perceived as an antisemitic country, was actually the first European state, back in 1290, to expel all Jews; they were only allowed to return in limited numbers under Oliver Cromwell in the seventeenth century.
There is no doubt that the highest moment of the night was The Pixies’s first show in Israel. The diversity in age among the audience illustrated how many generations of Israelis were deeply influenced by the band and their music. But after canceling their concert only two days before they were due to arrive in the Jewish state in 2010, in light of the Mavi Marmara crisis, and given the tense situation in Israel over the past few days, many fans expressed fear of a second cancellation. However, The Pixies arrived in Tel Aviv as scheduled – and gave an unforgettable show.A two-inch computer for $55
Almost as a contrast to The Hives, The Pixies were dressed in black and looked much older than the lively opening act. The band came on stage without saying a word to the crowd, not even a hello; they just walked on and started playing. After an hour and a half of purely electrifying hits like “Bone Machine,” “U-Mass” and “Hey” through “Velouria,” “Caribou,” “Here Comes Your Man” and many more, they then sealed the evening with the unofficial international indie anthem, “Where Is My Mind.”
The 2x2x2-inch CuBox-i is the smallest computer in the world. It sells for just $55 and is made in Israel by SolidRun, a 10-person company cofounded by two Arab-Israeli electrical engineers with a background in the high-tech industry.Israel’s Phinergy Tests 1,100-Mile Range Electric Car; Aluminum-Air Battery System (VIDEO)
CuBox-i is the newest model from SolidRun, which launched its first CuBox low-power, miniature micro-PC and media center at the end of 2011, just a year after going into business. The tiny, yet powerful computer is not designed for tasks like word processing or photo manipulation. It’s mainly meant for the Internet of Things (IoT), among other uses.
Weighing only about three ounces (91 grams) with a built-in operating system and WiFi, CuBox can be your Android TV box, multimedia streamer, networked storage solution and pocket-size personal computer, running Lite Desktop and infinite open-source applications. If you need more juice, you can scale up to the CuBox-i2 ($80) or CuBox-i4 Pro ($140) without scaling up in size.
Israeli start-up Phinergy Ltd. is road testing a 1,100-mile range electric car based on a hybrid lithium-ion and aluminum-air battery system based on technology originating at Bar Ilan University and produced in Canada in collaboration with Alcoa Canada, Israel’s Globes business daily reported on Tuesday.Phinergy drives car by metal, air, and water
Founded by CEO Aviv Tzidon, Phinergy‘s battery solution offers greater capacity than Tesla Motors Inc.’s Model S electric car, which can go for 300 miles between charges, and less expensive alternatives, with ranges of about 160 miles.
Phinergy’s prototype uses the lithium-ion battery for short trips and the aluminium-air battery for longer hauls.
