Arguing against dead Gazan kids
This is not an “Israeli Palestinian” conflict this is a conflict between extremists and everyone else. This truth is something journalists ignore every time.What my visit to Israel has taught me about the war in Gaza
The demands being made by Hamas right now are the perfect example of this divide. There is nothing extreme about going to war demand freedom of movement for your populace or the free flow of trade and goods into Gaza. But when you take into account the fact that these measures were only imposed after Hamas murdered the members of the ruling Fatah they overthrew and turned Gaza into a giant playground for terrorists you understand their necessity. Israel is dealing with Hamas and has no reason to believe that their demands are coming from anything other than a desire to get as many guns into the Strip as possible.
So while the world has been watching dead Palestinians being brought into the hospital which doubles as Hamas military HQ they are in no mood to hear the rational Israeli worries about a rearmed, re-equipped Hamas shooting into Israel once again in two years time.
The truth is that the extremists have won this round. Rationality has been swept aside. All thoughts for the majority of Israelis and Palestinians who are being dragged along for the Hamas ride are gone, replaced by an image of a dead kid and a hole in a roof.
Israelis have been there before. This is deeply embedded in the national psyche. Sadly I think some of the one-sided nature of the reporting in Europe and the US has strengthened the feeling that they are in this alone.In a hospital under fire from Gaza, we see the best of Israel
My visit to Israel was fascinating and frustrating in equal measure. Britain and Conservative MPs have a choice. We can either defend the right of a democratic nation to defend itself as our Prime Minister has done so well or we can align ourselves with people who pick this conflict, perhaps because of more sinister reasons, while ignoring other conflicts in Iraq or Syria where more people are dying.
Of course we must question Israel, review our arms deals with it and push them to develop a strategy for peace that will relieve them of the horrors of their current existence. What we must not do is yield to those who conveniently forget that it is the terror organisation Hamas that seeks the destruction of an entire people and that uses its own children as shields.
Balance in this debate seems to have been lost. A terrorist network has been made to look like the victim with some asking incredibly why Hamas isn’t allowed a missile defence shield! While Jewish people get attacked in the streets of Western Europe for simply being Jewish, Hamas terrorists are relieved of the responsibility for the plight of their own people.
A general surgeon, Dr. Darawasha has been intimately involved in saving many Israeli soldiers throughout the conflict. “Everyone sees you as a doctor,” says Dr. Darawasha. “But when the war started, I thought soldiers would look at me strangely — that they would be angry with me. But they were so kind and understanding.”
Dr. Darawasha is open about his views. I asked him if treating Israeli soldiers was difficult for him. He replied, “The Hamas do not represent me. The soldiers represent me. I feel like I did something for this country as a doctor.” He added, “Gaza does not represent me. This is my country; my family is here.”
Israel has been good to Dr. Darawasha and his family. He comes from Iksal Village, in the Northern part of Israel. His father and uncle, he says, have always had positive interactions with the Jewish people — both socially and professionally. As an Arab, he has never felt discriminated against or treated as a second-class citizen by Israel.
In fact, he feels he owes his country a great debt. When he graduated from medical school in Romania and returned to Israel, it was Israel that embraced him, gave him money to continue his studies and gave him job opportunities. He has always felt at home in Israel.
Abdulateef Al-Mulhim (fmr Saudi Arabian Admiral): The Arab Spring and the Israeli Enemy
Finally, if many of the Arab states are in such disarray, then what happened to the Arabs’ sworn enemy (Israel)? Israel now has the most advanced research facilities, top universities and advanced infrastructure. Many Arabs don’t know that the life expectancy of the Palestinians living in Israel is far longer than many Arab states and they enjoy far better political and social freedom than many of their Arab brothers.Why Israel is the World’s Best Nation
Even the Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip enjoy more political and social rights than some places in the Arab World. Wasn’t one of the judges who sent a former Israeli president to jail is an Israeli-Palestinian?
The Arab Spring showed the world that the Palestinians are happier and in better situation than their Arab brothers who fought to liberate them from the Israelis.
Now, it is time to stop the hatred and wars and start to create better living conditions for the future Arab generations.
Unfortunately, you will not find Israel’s goodness and superiority in the media (also Israeli), because it doesn’t fit in with the stereotype of the colonialist Zionist occupier.The Sad Case of Henk Zanoli, 'Righteous Gentile'-Turned-Israel-hater
In the world’s consciousness, the word “Israel” must be equated with fear.
Israel just came out of another war against terrorists whose value is less than that of animals. Do you know of any animal species sheltering behind its own children?
But the Jewish State, despite its media, its cynical politicians, establishment, once again showed the world it is the best humanity has to offer.
This hope is impressed in the faces of Israel’s fallen soldiers, its wounded and injured soldiers. In those faces there is joy de vivre, not sadness or hatred.
Terrorists and their Western appeasers want to destroy Israel because it is a light unto the nations.
The only one in the world in which we live.
One is tempted to speculate about the influences to which Zanoli may have been exposed: the relentless anti-Israel bias of European media, perhaps--or, just as likely, the steady pressure of younger, Muslim members of his extended family who could not tolerate that their relative had once accepted an Israeli honor.Gaza war seems to be ending, but who won?
Regardless, Zanoli is wrong on the facts, and the fact that he would use the Holocaust to add weight to a hateful attack that denies the legitimacy of Israeli statehood is an insult to the victims of the Nazis, as well as to those who are suffering the constant terror of the Nazis' would-be successors. If Zanoli had taken the time to study the Hamas charter, he would have found a hatred and madness equal to that of the Third Reich he once resisted.
The New York Times is evidently excited by Zanoli's stunt: reporters Christopher F. Schuetze and Anne Barnard write that his act "crystallizes the moral debate over Israel’s military air and ground assault in the Gaza Strip, in which about 2,000 people, a majority of them civilians [sic], have been killed."
In fact, Zanoli's act sheds light on the sad state of mind of Europe and the Arab world, which can even poison the soul of a man such as he.
I understand that these things are hard for regular people to understand. There are many considerations here that the Israeli government knows about that I don’t. But still…Netanyahu: “If Hamas Thinks That it Can Cover up its Military Loss with a Diplomatic Achievement, it is Mistaken.”
This is what 64 Israeli soldiers died for?
They died so that the security of Israel could be placed in the hands of the hostile UN and EU, not to mention the terrorists of al-Fatah (oh, excuse me, the “Palestinian Authority”)?
What about the rockets possessed by Hamas right now? What about the almost untouched deep military infrastructure in Gaza? What about the fact that international forces such as are proposed here have never in the history of the world deterred aggressors from their path?
Netanyahu said that only if there is a clear response to Israel’s security needs will an agreement be reached: “We are in the midst of a combined military and diplomatic campaign. From the first day, the Israeli delegation to Cairo has worked under clear instructions: Insist on the security needs of the State of Israel. Only if there is a clear response to our security needs will we agree to reach understandings. In the past month Hamas has taken a severe military blow. We destroyed its network of tunnels that it took years to dig. We intercepted the rockets that it had massed in order to carry out thousands of deadly strikes against the Israeli home front. And we foiled the terrorist attacks that it tried to perpetrate against Israeli civilians – by land, sea and air.”IDF Official: Hamas Was Dealt a Fatal Blow
Netanyahu further warned Hamas of: “If Hamas thinks that it can cover up its military loss with a diplomatic achievement, it is mistaken. If Hamas thinks that continued sporadic firing will cause us to make concessions, it is mistaken. As long as quiet is not restored, Hamas will continue to receive very harsh blows. If Hamas thinks that we cannot stand up to it over time, it is mistaken.”
Yom Tov Samia, formerly the head of the IDF’s Southern Command, said on Saturday night that Hamas’s terror tunnels in Gaza should have been taken care of long before Operation Protective Edge.Hamas Rejects 'Final' Ceasefire Proposal: 'Death for Allah is Our Most Exalted Wish'
Nevertheless, Samia told Channel 2 News, Hamas was dealt a huge blow by the IDF during the operation.
"The Israeli public is not yet fully aware of the damage that Hamas suffered during the operation. Hamas will now agree to arrangements that it has previously not agreed to. The damage to the tunnels was a fatal one," he said.
"The Prime Minister’s instructions to the IDF regarding the tunnels were as clear as ever. We took care of every tunnel we were aware of, but it would not be responsible to say that there are no more tunnels," added Samia.
The armed military wing of Hamas, the Iz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, tweeted the following message on Saturday night, vowing to "continue the struggle."Bennett calls on Israel to immediately halt negotiations with Hamas
We are continuing our struggle. ALLAH IS OUR GOAL, THE PROPHET IS OUR LEADER, JIHAD IS OUR WAY, AND DEATH FOR ALLAH IS OUR MOST EXALTED WISH — Al-Qassam Brigades August 16, 2014Despite the apparent rejection of the proposal by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the Israeli delegation will be in Cairo on Sunday to resume indirect negotiations. The current five-day ceasefire is set to expire at midnight on Monday.
In recent days, Bennett has been pushing a plan in the cabinet by which Israel would take some unilateral steps to provide humanitarian relief for the civilians of Gaza , while ensuring that the Strip's terror organization's are not given an opportunity to rearm.Pictures: IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz Visits Wounded Soldiers
Under Bennett's plan, Israel would open the Gaza crossings to civilian and humanitarian goods and expand the fishing zone around the territory. Any rocket or mortar fire from Hamas would bring a harsh Israeli response, according to the plan, showing them that they will not be rewarded for aggression, in what Bennett refers to as the "political extortion" formula.
"We must immediately stop the negotiations with Hamas and take our own destiny in our hands with a simple formula: humanitarian - yes, terror - no," Bennett said.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.General Benny Gantz visited hospitalized soldiers wounded during Operation Protective Edge late last week at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer Hospital.Families call rights group's position on Hamas 'contemptible'
Apart from meeting and speaking personally with wounded soldiers, Gantz spoke with medical staff and the head of the IDF's Medical Corp and Department for Wounded Soldier.
Gantz praised soldiers for their bravery and effectiveness under difficult conditions, and offered words of comfort and encouragement.
The decision by National Civilian Service Administration Director Sar-Shalom Jerbi to remove human rights group B'Tselem from the list of approved national service organizations, first reported by Israel Hayom, continues to spur public debate and has caused bereaved families to lash out against B'Tselem.Thousands of left-wing protesters stage Tel Aviv rally
Meir Turgeman, whose son Evyatar was killed in a clash with terrorists in Khan Younis, said: "B'Tselem isn't willing to face reality and understand that there are terrorists who killed my son. The fact that they aren't willing to define Hamas as a terrorist organization is contemptible, the lowest of the low. My son went to war for them so they could sit in Tel Aviv and say that the person who killed him isn't a terrorist?"
Nearly a week after major fighting between Israel and Gaza ceased, thousands of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square on Saturday night to urge Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to resume the peace process with a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas.Israeli hurt in Molotov cocktail attack near Jerusalem
Meretz leader MK Zehava Gal-On said Netanyahu should quit because he failed in his attempts to bring quiet to the South, despite having a “blank check” to act for five years. She said Israel would do better to lift the blockade on Gaza, end the occupation of Palestinian territories and return to negotiations that extend beyond a cease-fire.
An Israeli man in his 40s was hospitalized with moderate injuries Saturday night, after his car was hit by a Molotov cocktail in the West Bank south of Jerusalem.Schabas vows to probe Gaza operation even without Israel's cooperation
The IDF dispatched troops to the area — near the Palestinian village of Husan near the Betar Illit settlement.
The driver, whose car was also hit by stones, received treatment from Magen David Adom and was taken to Hadassah Hospital at Ein Kerem for further treatment.
The international jurist who was tapped to head the United Nations Human Rights Council inquiry into Israel’s conduct during Operation Protective Edge defiantly vowed to follow through on his investigation even if the Israeli government refuses to cooperate.Gloves Are Off as UK Jews Demand Action from Silent Leadership
In an interview with Channel 2, Prof. William Schabas said he will proceed with his probe, “and I might even come to Israel to examine things from up close.”
Schabas has come under a torrent of criticism here in Israel for prior statements regarding the need to bring Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu before an international tribunal for war crimes. Those remarks have prompted Israeli government officials to dismiss him as an impartial investigator, and that his opinions render the panel which he heads “a kangaroo court.”
In July alone more than 200 anti-Semitic incidents were reported, many of them at political demonstrations – a staggering spike considering that the previous six months combined saw a total of 304 incidents. And when you add the fact that police sources say a significant number – perhaps even a majority – of anti-Semitic crimes go unreported, the picture looks grimmer still.Jewish Chronicle's loathesome decision leads inevitably to yet more antisemitism and delegitimization of Israel
Against that backdrop, discontent by British Jews towards their community’s establishment leadership has itself hit record levels. A full-page ad in the Jewish Chronicle, published at the end of last week and addressed to the “elected” Board of Deputies of British Jews and "self-appointed" Jewish Leadership Council, demanded action after months of silence and bland assurances of "work behind the scenes" which few are buying.
"What are you actually doing about this situation? Apart from issuing the odd press release," asked the ad, which was sponsored anonymously and called for direct action such as large-scale demos protesting anti-Semitism.
The Jewish Chronicle's decision to allow a full page advert for the DEC Gaza appeal (which is effectively screaming out "look what you Jews have done") was wrong for the simple reason that the whole appeal is wrong as explained here and also here. The fact that somebody actually paid for the ad to appear in the JC is very convincing evidence that the appeal has little to do with raising money for the children of Gaza and everything to do with shaming Israel and the Jews. By accepting the ad the JC was tricked into a lose-lose situation that would always lead to further antisemitism and deligitimization of Israel; the media has now picked up on the inevitable Jewish backlash against the JC and, with the JC's apology for running the advert the media is spinning the story as one of how the heartless Jews resent humanitarian aid going to the poor children of Gaza. The individuals who have now been 'exposed' in these media reports as having tweeted criticism of the JC's decision are being bombarded with antisemitic and anti-Israel abuse. (Update: The JC's facebook apology is also being bombarded by antisemites and anti-Israel trolls).Jewish Chronicle responds to outcry over Gaza ad
I have reported many times on this blog about the serial incompetence of the Jewish Chronicle and its increasingly ambivalent attitude to Israel This time they have sunk to a new low.
In response to controversy over its decision to run the ad, The Jewish Chronicle’s editor, Stephen Pollard, issued a statement explaining that the ad was not an expression of the newspaper’s editorial view, which he said is separate from its commercial operations.BBC amends article on DEC Gaza appeal concerns
“The ad was approved by the chairman of the JC, who has no involvement in editorial decisions, as an ad for humanitarian aid which nowhere makes political or partisan points,” Pollard wrote.
The ad featured an image of a Palestinian child and stated, “Thousands of children in Gaza … are injured, homeless and living in fear. They desperately need medical supplies, shelter, food and water right away.
However despite quoting that statement, the article makes no attempt to inform readers that several of the organisations which make up the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) do indeed have a history of using their charitable status for anti-Israel political campaigning – among them Oxfam, Christian Aid, World Vision and Save the Children.Copenhagen “Yarmulke March” held with minor disruptions
Moreover, the original version of the BBC’s report failed to inform readers of concerns raised with regard to the destination of contributions made to the appeal in light of the fact that another DEC member organization – Islamic Relief – has known ties to Hamas, as Saleh Saeed is no doubt well aware seeing as he was employed by that charity until 2012.
Several days ago we wrote about the “Yarmulke March” planned for Copenhagen to protest anti-Semitic violence, after numerous anti-Semitic incidents and attacks, including a confrontation with a Jewish man initiated by this precious lady:Hamas -- the heavy gambler
The march, organized by conservative politician Rasmus Jarlov, was held today.
There were about 500 participants, according to BT. A different news report said 1000.
TV2 had a live blog of the event, and posted this entry on Facebook showing organizer Jarlov:
Hamas in its present state is like a heavy gambler. It is drowning in debt, has just lost its last shekel, and has no recourse but to bet the house. Its leaders, therefore, are demanding the maximum -- beginning with a deep water sea port and international airport, while footnoting each demand with the threat of initiating a long war of attrition for which Israel's southern residents will pay the price, along with residents of Gaza, of course -- the ones living above ground instead of in underground bunkers like the Hamas leaders.
Hamas' problem, however, does not lie only in the difficulty of getting Israel to meet its demands. Its problem lies in the fact that it must conduct several negotiations simultaneously. It is sitting at one negotiation table with the Egyptians, which makes no effort to conceal its disdain for Hamas. As far as the Egyptians are concerned, Hamas can continue to stew in its own juices. At another table it is negotiating with the Palestinian Authority, whose representatives have joined the Palestinian delegation currently in Cairo and are working hard to hamper Hamas to ensure that any credit for a future deal goes to PA President Mahmoud Abbas instead of Khaled Mashaal.
Deep underground, Mohammed Deif shapes Hamas war with Israel
Israeli assassination attempts may have left him badly hurt and driven him deep underground, but Mohammed Deif, the shadowy leader of Hamas' armed wing in the Gaza Strip, has emerged as a mastermind of the war with Israel.The numbers game
As chief strategist behind a network of tunnels under Israel's border, Deif caught his powerful enemy off guard with surprise attacks that caused heavy casualties. Despite punishing Israeli strikes in the month-old conflict, Hamas kept up its rocket fire, even against business capital Tel Aviv.
Deif's command position also gives him a voice among the Islamist movement's leaders in steering it toward war or truce - a five-day ceasefire went into effect on Thursday. But he is said to prefer his military role to internal politics.
Few people know what Deif, believed to be in his 50s, looks like today, after at least four Israeli attempts to kill him. Past images are scarce.
Footage from the emergency room at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City was rerun continually as if chronicling new incidents. Patients brought in due to disease, accidents and domestic violence were exhibited as casualties of deliberate Israeli barbarity.Hundreds of Fatah members under Hamas house arrest in Gaza
But none of this rivaled the numbers game.
Practically all “martyr statistics” depended on the word of one man – Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Ashraf al-Kudra. Unchallenged, he could raise numbers capriciously and exponentially.
His assertions became gospel, parroted religiously by most media organizations, and he could finagle the ratios of combatants versus noncombatants, of children versus adults, of men versus women. The “Israel disproportionality” canard, smacking of the medieval blood libel, was thus crucially underpinned.
The upshot was that Hamas provided the so-called “objective data” with which Israel was walloped. It was Hamas that told foreign onlookers that Israel targeted small children and elderly women.
Moloch Unimpressed By Hamas Sacrifice Of Children (satire)While Palestinian negotiators in Cairo strained to present a unified front in ceasefire talks with Egypt and Israel Sunday, Fatah continues to showcase stories of intimidation and physical assault against its members in Hamas-controlled Gaza.One Fatah official, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal against his party members in Gaza, told The Times of Israel on Sunday that as many as 250 Fatah members in the Strip have been told by Hamas to stay home throughout Operation Protective Edge, and as many as 125 were shot at by Hamas operatives when they refused to comply. Ten victims of gunshots to the legs have been transferred to hospitals in Ramallah and Nablus in the West Bank, he added.
The ancient Near-Eastern god most notoriously known for receiving child sacrifice remarked today that he remains unmoved by Palestinian tactics that often result in the death of children, stating that a display of true devotion would be marked by more courageous, direct killing of children, and not murdering them by proxy.20,000 march in Kolkata in show of support for Israel
“If they were real men they would offer me their own children by their own hand,” seethed the ancient god. “But they apparently wish to reap the benefits of child sacrifice without the necessary display of fealty to me, which displeases me.” Moloch said he was now considering sending the prosperity and success to Hamas’s enemies instead.
In what is being called by organizers the biggest pro-Israel, anti-terrorist rally in recent years, an estimated 20,000 gathered in India on Saturday in a show of solidarity with Israel.Islamic-driven violence drives another nail in a civil British society.
Protesters holding pro-Israel banners marched through the streets of Kolkata, while community heads delivered speeches proclaiming Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas.
“The destiny of both India and Israel as thriving democracies are intertwined. We both share the same values,” said rally organizer Tapan Ghosh.
The August 16 event was organized by a political movement known as Hindu Samhati in memory of Gopal Mukhopadhyay, who, according to press material, is “a local hero who saved many innocent lives during the Great Calcutta Killing in 1946.”.
A measly crowd in London of 100 anti-Israeli rioters, most of them of Asian descent, protested outside a Tesco store that sells Israeli products while others barged inside and attacked nearly two dozen police officers Saturday.Not Kosher: Sainsburys in Holborn
“A group of Asian men holding Palestinian flags came walking in and starting to push products over and getting aggressive with staff and shoppers. Police officers tried to stop them but I ran out,” one shopper told the London Telegraph.
Only one person was arrested for assaulting a police officer.
The Birmingham, England’s store’s sin that drew the protest was its selling Israeli products. Rioters grabbed merchandise off the shelves and smashed them on the floor and yelled at shoppers and workers, many of who fled in fear.
A Sainsburys store in Holborn removed all its Kosher products yesterday. Apparently this was due to a fear of attacks – perhaps prompted by disgraceful scenes in a Birmingham Tesco. However it’s concerning that at least one member of staff gave the impression they thought the decision was political, motivated by opposition to Israel.Anti-Israel BDS Protesters Target Kedem Cosmetics in Manchester
British as well as Israeli products were removed. Although staff may not have deliberately set out to remove all Kosher lines, even those from the UK, it’s certainly the case that not all boycotters seem much concerned by these distinctions. The CST’s Mark Gardner, responding to the violence in Birmingham, reported on the antisemitism infecting such protests.
Pro-‘Palestine’ demonstrators – some of whom could easily be called rioters – have abused and shoved the store’s staff. Others block customers from entering the shop, a source said. At least one “protester” was arrested last month on charges of disturbing the public order, according to the Manchester Evening News. Riot police were required to maintain order on several occasions.Anti-Israel Activists miss the boat. Block the Boat fail.
A counter protest group also appeared to support Israel in front of the shop, a British-registered company.
A protester from ‘Palestine Solidarity,’ John Nicholson of Longsight, told MEN he had been demonstrating in front of the shop for ‘six days running to try and close down Kedem, a shop selling Israeli goods.”
In 2010, anti-Israel activists at the Port of Oakland sought to block a Zim cargo ship from docking. They issued press-releases declaring victory well before the targeted Zim ship had even steamed through the Golden Gate. Mainstream media was complicit in spreading their lies.Students for Justice in Palestine: What’s in a Name?
Fast forward.
Its deja vu all over again.
The same activists, spearheaded by the extremist Arab Resource and Organizing center planned a similar action for this weekend, organizing largely via social media. Originally calling for activists to meet at the West Oakland BART station at 5 am, they inexplicably changed direction, re-issuing a call for action at 3pm.
There is some speculation that they knew they would be unable to achieve critical mass at 5am, while most of the local anarchists were still sleeping off their beer hang-overs, and that was the primary reason for the change.
My friend and colleague, Chloé Simone Valdary wrote a brilliant article exposing the hypocrisy and the brazen appropriation of black culture and history by Students for Justice in Palestine. Chloé’s piece was (is) so effective, that Huffington Post Live asked her to appear and debate SJP representative, Kristian Davis Bailey. SJP’s “media wing”, Mondoweiss also responded to Chloé in their usual manner: attack the person, change the subject, but don’t actually respond to the issues. Those who’ve dealt with SJP and their cohorts know this tactic well. So, since SJP is still trying to figure out how best to deal with Ms. Valdary, I thought I’d give them a few more things to which they can reply. I hope you won’t mind if I speak to them directly.General Who Created Modern Kurdish Army: “The Israelis Are the Only Ones They Trust”
Students for Justice in Palestine, your name suggests that there is, in fact, injustice in Palestine. I could not agree more. ‘Palestine’ (Gaza and Judea and Samaria aka the ‘West Bank’) is awash in injustice – committed by Palestinians on Palestinians. Yet, in my personal observations of your work on college campuses across the country, I never hear you mentioning it. SJP, your entire focus seems to be Israel’s alleged ill-treatment of the Palestinian people and/or Israeli Arabs. I’ve experienced your ‘Apartheid Week’, seen your ‘Apartheid Wall’, read your BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) resolutions, watched your ‘die-ins’, and heard your chants (“from the river to the sea” is a call for the genocide of all Israelis, by the way). No doubt your plate is full. So I thought I’d help you by listing a few ‘justice in Palestine’ matters that could use your urgent attention. For our readers who are unaware, I apologize in advance for some of the graphic content.
A few weeks ago Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced his support for Kurdish independence. This week saw pro-Israel and pro-Kurdish demonstrators teaming up in both Washington D. C. and Tel Aviv.Germany against Kurds forming independent state
In Say it Again. Kurdish Independence Now that was published in the September 2013 issue of The Tower Magazine, Jonathan Spyer commented on the shared political values of Israel and the Kurds:
Indeed, other than Israel, the KRG in northern Iraq is the most pro-Western of all the non-monarchical governments in the region. The ruling KDP is openly and outspokenly pro-Western and pro-American. And unlike the Arab monarchies, its pro-Western orientation is deeply rooted in popular sentiment.
Germany is opposed to the formation of an independent state by Iraq’s Kurds, who are currently battling Islamic State jihadists with Western help, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Sunday.Davis Cup match moved from Israel to Florida
“An independent Kurdish state would further destabilize the region and trigger new tensions, maybe with the neighboring Iraqi state as well,” he told the Bild newspaper in an interview.
The aim, he added, “was to manage to preserve Iraq’s territorial integrity”.
Israel’s Davis Cup playoff with Argentina will be held next month in Sunrise, Florida.Islamic State executes 700 Syrian tribesmen, kills scores of Yazidis
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The Israel-hosted September 12-14 match was ordered moved out of the country earlier this month by the International Tennis Federation, at the request of the Argentine Tennis Association, due to the conflict in Gaza.
The city has large Argentine and Jewish communities.
The Islamic State group executed 700 members of a tribe it has been battling in eastern Syria during the past two weeks, the majority of them civilians, a human rights monitoring group and activists said on Saturday.Yazidis Commit Mass-Suicide After Rape by Islamic State Fighters
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has tracked violence on all sides of the three-year-old conflict, said reliable sources reported beheadings were used to execute many of the al-Sheitaat tribe, which is from Deir al-Zor province.
In yet another harrowing chapter in the tragic plight of Iraq's Kurdish Yazidi population, eyewitnesses have described how girls raped by Muslim fighters from the "Islamic State" (formerly ISIS) committed suicide en-masse after returning to their families, as evidence of systematic rape by Islamists against non-Muslims continue to surface.Islamic State: "We Will Take Spain Back"
Among the tens of thousands of Yazidi refugees trapped in the Shingal mountains while fleeing IS's deadly advance through Iraq, several survivors told Kurdish Rudaw TV how a group of three girls were returned after being abducted and raped - only to hurl themselves off a cliff after being traumatized by their ordeal.
Radical Muslims in Spain have launched a social media campaign aimed at generating support for the jihadist group Islamic State [IS].Yesterday’s anti-ISIS demonstration
The campaign involves posters that include images of famous Spanish landmarks and monuments emblazoned with Arabic slogans such as, "We are all the Islamic State" and "Long Live the Islamic State."
One poster includes an image of the medieval Islamic Aljafería Palace in the Spanish city of Zaragoza and the black flag associated with the IS. Another uses an image of the famous La Concha beach in the Basque city of San Sebastián. Yet another includes an image of the statue of Jesus Christ on Monte Urgull in San Sebastián, with the Arabic words "Al-Andalus Country" instead of "Basque Country."
About 400 people attended yesterday’s demonstration against ISIS in London. The majority appeared to be Kurds and, although their anger and concern is fully understandable, it was a pity not to see more, and more varied, support. It was surprising to see activists selling socialist papers – but these turned out to be members of the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty (a party which bucks the far left trend by supporting a two state solution and being highly critical of radical Islam). ‘It’s nice not to see any badly drawn pictures of Netanyahu eating babies’ remarked one demonstrator. Although one or two demonstrators thought they’d denounce Zionism for good measureSorry, We Can Only Ignore So Many Atrocities At A Time (satire)
Some achievements are by nature beyond us. ISIS is beheading, raping, mass-murdering, force-converting, and generally oppressing people throughout eastern Syrian and northwestern Iraq, but the vagaries of bureaucracy and our own human limitations mean we simply haven’t had the opportunity to properly dismiss that barbarity, and perhaps we never will. We – and the world – will simply have to accept that. We are only human.Campaign Posters of New Zealand PM With Jewish Roots Defaced With Anti-Semitic Graffiti
As for Israel and its treatment of the Palestinians, well, we have to focus on something. With so many barbaric violations of human rights taking place all the time – Sudan, Congo, Libya, Egypt, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Burma, Syria, Lebanon, and now even Ferguson, Missouri – it takes all the effort we can muster to rivet our attention on this small patch of land surrounded by other, larger lands where more egregious violations are routine. Would our critics prefer a council without focus?
Campaign posters for New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key, who has Jewish roots, were defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti in an incident that has startled the country’s small Jewish community.Tiny Israeli ‘Martian’ camera powers NASA repair robot
One of the defaced campaign posters featured a picture of John Key was that spray painted to resemble an observant Jew with a black hat and peyot. Spray painted next to the picture was the words “Lying Jew ****sucker.”
Key, who was born to an Austrian Jewish mother and has family members who died in the Holocaust, has served as New Zealand’s prime minister from the center-right National Party since 2008.
NASA has adopted Israeli “Martian”-style technology for a robot to inspect equipment in deep space. The Visual Inspection Poseable Invertebrate Robot, or VIPIR, is an articulating borescope tool designed to deliver near and midrange inspection capabilities in space to enable repairs of equipment using robots on unmanned spaceships — and a tiny camera from Israeli medical device company Medigus will be giving VIPIR its power of vision, allowing technicians on Earth to get a close-up look at equipment.Riding a bus has never been so easy
It’s like “War of the Worlds,” where Martians send machines down to Earth with roving “eyes,” cameras attached to the end of a flexible tube, nearly a meter (3 feet) long, to report back to the Martians on what is going on Earth. In the films (1953 and 2005) and in the original 1898 Wells book, the aliens use machines with cameras to peer around, under, and into any and everything, seeking out humans to destroy.
In any city in the world, we have all had the experience of catching a bus, subway or train only to find we don’t the right change. An Israeli startup is stepping in and solving this problem by collecting fares automatically.Apple taps Israeli Arab to lead Hardware Technologies unit
HopOn, based in Tel Aviv, is a company of 12 people who plan to change the way people use public transport by offering a smart mobile payment and ticketing platform.
In Israel, HopOn has inserted beacons in 2,000 buses and soon at bike stations and other transportation hubs. Some 10,000 users have installed the app, allowing them to hop on a bus or bike without worrying about how to pay.
Electronics giant Apple revealed over the weekend that it had appointed its first Israeli vice president.
The company's website officially announced Friday that Johny Srouji, a former Haifa resident who has held senior positions at the company, had become its vice president of Hardware Technologies. According to his LinkedIn account, Srouji has held this position since August 2013.
"Johny leads all custom silicon architecture and development, covering a wide range of devices and technologies," reads his online biography on the site. In his new capacity as vice president of Hardware Technologies, Srouji will oversee "breakthrough custom silicon and hardware technologies, including application processors, storage controllers, touch and sensors, display silicon, connectivity, and other chipsets powering many of Apple's industry-leading devices," the company said.