Thursday, June 26, 2014
Poll: Most Palestinians want to eliminate Israel
Palestinian support for a two-state solution with Israel has dropped to below the 30 percent mark, according to a new poll commissioned by the US-based think tank the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, though most respondents said they were opposed to violent resistance.Khaled Abu Toameh: Hamas Prepares for War as Abbas Talks Peace
Marking a notable shift in Palestinian public opinion, 60 percent of the population surveyed in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (55% and 68%, respectively) said that the five-year goal “should be to work toward reclaiming all of historic Palestine, from the river to the sea,” according to the poll, a position meaning the elimination of Israel. Meanwhile, less than 30% (31% in the West Bank, 22% in Gaza) would like to “end the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza to achieve a two-state solution.”
In contrast, 53% of Palestinians supported the two-state solution in a December 2013 poll conducted
by the Hebrew University.
The Fatah-Hamas reconciliation accord has had no moderating effect on the Islamist movement. On the contrary, Hamas seems headed toward more extremism, and its recent actions and statements show it is preparing for war against Israel, despite Abbas's assurances that the new government would reject violence.Israeli, US terror victims could ‘own’ Iran’s Internet
Former Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh announced this week that, in the West Bank, the intifada against Israel has already begun.
As in previous years, summer camps are being used to give Palestinian schoolchildren training in guerrilla warfare.
Abbas has thus far failed to condemn his Hamas partners for threatening to fire rockets at Israel. Like many in the international community, Abbas is continuing to bury his head in the sand by refusing to see what his Hamas partners are up to.
A United States court on Tuesday effectively awarded a group of American and Israeli victims of Iranian terror the rights to the .ir domain, the suffix used to identify Iranian websites, along with all of Iran’s IP addresses.
As a result, said the group’s attorney, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner of the Shurat Hadin Law Center, Iran could find itself kicked off the Internet by ICANN, a Los Angeles-based organization that manages the web.
The United State District Court decided that the .ir domain name, along with Iran’s IP addresses — without which Iranian websites cannot be included in the World Wide Web — were assets that could be seized to satisfy judgments against the Islamic state of more than a billion dollars, owed by Iran to Israeli and US victims of terror perpetrated by the Hamas and Hezbollah organizations, among others.
As a result, Shurat Hadin, representing those victims, could collect the fees Iran pays to keep its Internet going — or force an auction of Iran’s Internet assets to satisfy the judgment. (h/t Yenta Press )
Antonio Villaraigosa (fmr. LA Mayor): Why we must support Israel
The recent kidnapping of three Israeli teenage boys by terrorists in the West Bank is an appalling reminder of the cruelty guiding radical elements in the Middle East and of the need for vigilance and solidarity by all those who cherish the sanctity of human life and fundamental values of human rights.Massive Ad in Times Square for Missing Israeli Boys
I was in Israel last week when the boys were abducted. In fact, I passed very near the spot where it took place the following day. The stark contrast between the humanity and benevolence visibly on display on my visit to Israel and the open hostility in Gaza and the West Bank is a rude wakeup call to those who too often level criticism against Israel.
The sight of Palestinians in Gaza and Hebron dancing jubilantly in the streets and passing out sweets to celebrate the kidnapping is as depressing as it is concerning. This attitude bodes ill for reconciliation and co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians.
A synagogue in Manhattan's Upper West side purchased a massive billboard advertisement in the heart of New York City which premiered on Tuesday afternoon. The ad, which is featured between 46th and 47th streets, brings attention to the plight of three Israeli teenagers who were abducted by Palestinian terrorists on June 12th. President Obama has yet to comment on the hostage situation. The text of the ad reads as follows:In New York, dancing and drinking for kidnapped teens
On June 12th, 2014, three teenage boys were kidnapped in Israel, one of them an American citizen. These boys are not soldiers. They are not fighters. They are not violent. These boys are our sons. Our brothers. Our grandchildren. Our nephews. Our friends. Please help create global awareness.
Hundreds of young New York professionals gathered at a bar in Manhattan’s Lower East Side for a #BringBackOurBoys fundraiser Wednesday night.A Unified Chicago Implores: 'Bring Back our Boys'
Crowded onto hip The DL’s rooftop lounge, they grabbed some free Pitopia pita, a drink or two, and huddled around for the evening’s program of speeches and club dancing to a backdrop of Israeli flags.
Organizer Uri Turk, a former Israel Defense Forces soldier now living and working in New York, said he searched for a way to be proactive in the international campaign for the three Israeli teens, Eyal Yifrach, Gil-ad Shaar and Naftali Fraenkel, abducted on their way home from school June 12.
A crowd of over 500 didn’t let the rain stop them from peacefully gathering Monday afternoon in the plaza of the James R. Thompson Center for a vigil of support for three Israeli teenagers who were kidnapped nearly two weeks ago.San Francisco Stands in Solidarity with Our Missing Sons
Organized by the Jewish United Fund (JUF) with the support of numerous Chicago area synagogues and Israel advocacy groups, the gathering showcased a unified Jewish community joined by local political and Christian leaders.
“We come together in solidarity with the families of the kidnapped teens, Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaar, Eyal Yifrah,” said David T. Brown, area chairman of the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation. “This kidnapping, as shocking as it is, is also the latest episode of a campaign of terror against Israel and the Jewish people.”
An Evening of Solidarity for Naftali Fraenkel, Gilad Shaar, and Eyal YifrahUS President Obama expresses well wishes for the three kidnapped teens to Peres
Thursday, June 26, 2014
5:30pm - 6:30pm
Congregation Beth Sholom, 301 14th Ave, San Francisco
As we continue to await the speedy and safe return of the three Israeli young men who were kidnapped, we ask our community members to come together for a gathering of prayer and support.
The evening will include remarks from Israeli Consul General Dr. Andy David and community leaders, as well as a moving musical performance.
US President Obama expresses his well wishes for the three kidnapped teens to Shimon Peres on the latter's final presidential visit to the US.IDF Blog: Sky Riders: the Eyes of Operation Brother’s Keeper
“Our hearts are with the kidnapped teens and the nation of Israel. From the moment the abduction occurred, there has been coordination between the US and Israel. The US will continue to help and to do whatever it can together with the the State of Israel in order to return the kidnapped teens to their homes.”
Peres also updated Obama about Israel’s search for the teenagers.
Aerial drones are enhancing Israel’s search for three kidnapped teens in Judea and Samaria. Soldiers who control the aircraft help forces locate Hamas terrorists and other suspects.Skylark UAV Tracks Terrorist Suspects in Judea and Samaria
Soldiers in the IDF’s elite Skylark unit, nicknamed the “Sky Riders,” usually begin their missions the same way. The forces march toward a meeting point while some members carry large bags of equipment. Moments later, the troops set up a hidden position and fill it with television screens
The Scorpions at the UN
As much as Neuer is to be lauded for his amazing and thankless job in general and for his summoning of Frenkel in particular, we frogs should not get our hopes up about receiving any assistance from the scorpions at the U.N. They don’t even bother pretending that they will give the Jewish state a fair shake before dealing it a lethal sting. Economist is latest media outlet to falsely claim the 3 kidnapped teens are ‘settlers’
Indeed, since the June 12 abduction of the Israeli teenagers, the U.N. has been focusing solely on the response of the Israeli government to the kidnapping.
Considering that time is of the essence when searching for captives — who might be wounded or undergoing torture — the behavior of the Israel Defense Forces and the public at large has been exemplary, if not mild. This is particularly the case since Operation Brother’s Keeper has uncovered an extensive network of tunnels and explosives labs throughout the West Bank.
An article in the print edition of the Economist on June 21 titled ‘Stirring Bad Blood‘ included false claims in the opening and final sentences.BBC World News’ Maryam Moshiri amplifies PA spin
Here’s the first sentence of the anonymous report:
THE abduction of three young Jewish settlers on June 12th near the city of Hebron, in the south of the West Bank, has stirred Israeli emotions as viscerally as the kidnapping of a young Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, by militants of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement, eight years ago.
As readers will see in the video below, Dr Gold provided robust responses to Moshiri’s baseless assertions, but nevertheless it is of considerable interest that the statements and questions of a BBC World news presenter dove-tail so seamlessly with the PA propaganda messaging put out in the day or so beforehand.
BBC Radio 4′s ‘Today’ programme continues template coverage of teens’ abduction
As has been the case in all BBC coverage of the Palestinian unity government, Knell fails to inform audiences of its obligation under the terms of existing agreements to take action against just such instances of terrorist acts, instead promoting the notion that it will be Israel’s fault if the PUG collapses. She also neglects yet again to accurately define Hamas’ terrorist designation or to inform audiences of inflammatory (if not downright delusional) statements made by that “technocrat” government’s foreign minister – a man with prior links to the PFLP.Shhh Don’t Mention The Terrorist Kidnapping
Between June 12th and June 17 there are no posts.Third Terror Group Says it Kidnapped Israeli Teens
In fact, the first mention of the terrorist kidnapping of our three children (Eyal, Gilad and Naftali) appears on June 23 with the following:
British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, expressed his concern over the deaths of Palestinians in the West Bank. The Foreign Secretary said:
“… I was therefore deeply concerned to hear of the death of two Palestinians in the West Bank over the weekend, in addition to three deaths last week, tragically including children…”
So, as usual, for the UK when talking to their Arabic fans, they lead with the deaths of rioting Arabs trying to hinder the IDF search and the terrorist kidnap didn’t happen until Israel “retaliated” (by searching for three kidnapped children).
A new, previously unmentioned group says it is responsible for kidnapping three Israeli teens on June 12.Jordanian Political Analyst on Kidnapped Israeli Teens: No Children in Israel, They Are All Soldiers
Identifying itself as the Hezbollah Brigades, this is the third such group to say it abducted the boys while hitchhiking home from yeshiva in Gush Etzion on June 12.
When peace becomes immoral
Reconciliation implies that there has been a personal transgression committed against another party and by asking for forgiveness from that particular person – and by accepting appropriate restitution – rapprochement is achieved. I am unaware that anyone in the Parents Circle Families Forum are directly responsible for murderous terrorism or a military response that has caused (in civilian terms) ‘manslaughter’ of a loved one. I therefore fail to see what ‘respect for the dignity of the “other,”’ has to do with reconciliation.MILLER: Making Americans complicit in terrorism
Robi Damelin begs for the cessation of hostilities by citing the en-vogue phrase, ‘cycle of violence.’ It is that same, overused cliché adopted by western media. It directly implies that Israel and the Palestinians are equally and ethically responsible for the current escalation in violence.
Etched into the American psyche is the carnage of terrorism. From the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the Boston Marathon bombing to images seen almost daily from the Middle East and Africa, reasonable people agree there is no place for such brutality in the civilized world.The Tragic Farce of Israeli ‘Confidence-Building Measures’
If you’re with the Obama administration, though, you’ve redefined terrorism and are rewarding and funding the terrorist mindset with taxpayer dollars.
Get used to hearing about the Palestinian Unity Government, a “technocratic” government, which Dictionary.com defines as “a theory or system of society according to which government is controlled by scientists, engineers and other experts.” Christians United for Israel offers a more realistic description: “bureaucrats with (supposedly) no blood on their hands.”
The recent kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers near Hebron, who are now the subject of a massive Israeli military-security search, should give pause. Israel says it has evidence of involvement by Hamas, the U.S. and EU-listed terrorist group that calls in its Charter for the worldwide murder of Jews. Hamas, which was recently incorporated into the Fatah/Palestinian Authority (PA) regime, is still receiving U.S taxpayer funding.Liberman urges ‘regional agreement’ with moderate Arabs
Given these circumstances, Israel needs to put an end to its concessionary policy of ‘confidence-building measures:’ removing security checkpoints and roadblocks, freeing convicted and jailed Palestinian terrorists as demanded by the PA, and so on — especially if it emerges that the absence of checkpoints enabled the terrorists to carry out the kidnappings.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman called on Thursday for a “new political structure in the Middle East” that would entail a coalition of Israel and the moderate Arab states uniting to face the common threat of the “extremists of the Arab world.”PA minister: "We have been on this land for 5,000 years"
Current circumstances in the Middle East make a separate peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians impossible, Liberman told US Secretary of State John Kerry during a meeting in Paris. Rather, “we must reach an overall regional agreement,” Liberman said. “Israel’s longstanding conflict is not only with the Palestinians but with the Arab world of which the Palestinians are a part. Therefore, we must reach an agreement that will include the moderate Arab states, the Palestinians and the Israeli Arabs.”
This is the first time that “a strategic consensus of interests has been created between the moderate elements in the Arab world and Israel,” the foreign minister said, “as both must contend with the Iranian threats, worldwide jihad and al-Qaeda, as well as the overflow of the conflict in Syria and Iraq to neighboring states.”
PA confirms ploy to continue paying salaries to terrorists
PA government spokesman Ehab Bessaiso has since confirmed this ploy in an interview on official PA TV. Bessaiso explained that the change of "the Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs" under the PA into "the Authority of Prisoners' Affairs" under the PLO would "provide political and legal cover" and "eliminate arguments ... that [foreign] aid money [to the PA] is going to the prisoners." Furthermore, when the PA TV host summarized the change by saying, "The [prisoners'] salaries will continue to flow... nothing will harm the prisoners; their rights - under a ministry that became an authority - will remain the same," the government spokesman confirmed that this was correct. [Official PA TV, June 5, 2014] (See longer excerpt below)PA pays prisoners over 12 million dollars a month
Gaza in Crisis: The Strong Female Voice of Hamas
She studied communications at the Islamic University and was a host at a local religious TV station. Hamas asked her twice before if she would work for the movement, and she said no both times. Neither Mudallal nor her parents are members of a political party. "Then I thought, why not?" Challenges are there to be accepted, she says. That was in November 2013. She emphasizes that she speaks for the government, not for Hamas. When Mudallal mentions her employers, she never says "we."Hamas Official: Agreement Reached to “Unify Weapons of Resistance” with Islamic Jihad
After the committee meeting, she carries her sleeping daughter to a taxi for the trip home to Rafah, at the southern end of the Gaza Strip. During the winter, the Egyptians closed the border crossing for 48 consecutive days and thousands of Palestinians were forced to wait for weeks before they could leave. This collective punishment, Isra al-Mudallal says, is a human rights abuse -- the kinds of angry words that used to be directed solely at Israel. But now, some people -- even if quietly -- reminisce about the time when the Israelis controlled the Gaza Strip. Back then, there was still freedom of movement and wages were paid. (h/t Yoel)
In the wake of increased rocket attacks from Gaza against Israel’s southern population centers, Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar announced an agreement with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) on Tuesday night.
The Jerusalem Post reports:
“There will be no security for the Zionists over and under the land,” Zahar said in a speech in the Gaza Strip as the rockets were being fired at Israel.
“We are prepared to sacrifice our blood for the sake of Palestine, and we advise the Zionist enemy not to play with us.”
Zahar said Hamas and Islamic Jihad had reached an agreement to “unify the weapons of resistance” against Israel.
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