Sunday, October 12, 2014
JCPA: The Significance of the First Hizbullah Attack against Israeli Forces since 2006
For the first time since the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Hizbullah claimed responsibility for an attack against Israeli forces in the Shabaa Farms region of the Israeli-Syrian-Lebanese border on October 7 in which two IDF soldiers were wounded.JPost Editorial: The Kobani slaughter
Hizbullah’s announcement stated that the action was carried out by the military unit named for the Shaheed Hassan Ali Haydar, a Hizbullah demolition expert killed on September 5 when he tried to defuse several explosive devices attached to the Hizbullah telecommunications network near Adloun in southern Lebanon.
With the attack, Hizbullah sought to transmit the message that it placed its improvised explosive devices (IED) in retaliation for the killing of its demolition expert in Adloun, and it would not permit Israel to act freely in Lebanon in the mistaken belief that Hizbullah was preoccupied in Syria and wouldn’t react. Hizbullah wanted to clarify for Israel and, no less important, for its supporters in Lebanon that it could act on two fronts simultaneously and that Jihad against Israel remains its reason d’être.
Although the US, France and UK did begin limited air strikes on Islamic State, the illusion that they would be effective has been burst with the siege of Kobani. Pentagon spokesman R.-Adm. John Kirby told Fox News on September 8 that Kobani was not a priority for air strikes. “ISIS wants this town, they want territory, you need willing partners on the ground,” he said. “We are in discussions the Turks about what they can or may do, we can’t make the decision for them.”Eugene Kontorovich: Sweden's unprincipled stance on recognition
Kirby added: “There is a limit to air power.... IS wants to hold ground.... Everyone is focused on Kobani and we understand, but we are taking away revenue [from Islamic State] and removing command and control nodes.”
This statement illustrates that protecting civilian life is not a real goal of the US administration or its allies. The technical references to preventing revenue from reaching Islamic State shows that stopping ethnic-cleansing and mass murder is not on the international community’s agenda.
The tragedy unfolding in Kobani is unacceptable.
Nations intone “Never again,” but we are watching a human catastrophe happen as Western powers fail to employ their massive resources.
It is time for the world to wake up and do something to aid the Kurds in their battle with Islamic State before it is too late.
Sweden’s position on Western Sahara also stressed the need that recognition neither proceed nor preempt a process between SADR and Morocco – a process that is not happening, not on the horizon, and has no chance of success given Morocco’s adamant opposition to anything other than a one-state solution.Richard Millett: The blood of Israelis and Palestinians will be on the hands of our politicians.
Thus in recognizing “Palestine,” Sweden violates its own, entirely normal view of international law – that there cannot be recognition before actual independence. On the other hand, perhaps the new government has changed its view on international law, and thinks that recognition as a state no longer requires territorial control by the recognized entity. But in that case, recognizing “Palestine” but not SADR is obviously insincere and hypocritical. Unless the changed policy results in recognizing SADR, it represents nothing but a purely political attack on Israel, rather than an implementation of a coherent policy.
Sweden has framed its recognition move as part of its broader policy of standing up for the underdog, an excuse recently parroted by former MK Rabbi Michael Melchior. But given that the new ruling party has long had a policy of recognizing SADR – and not “Palestine” – the sudden jumping the gun on the other, can only seem to be pandering to faddish European sensibilities, rather than an implementation of their government’s own previously declared sense of justice.
Indeed, the lack of principle gives support to claims that Sweden is primarily motivated by the large number of Arab immigrants rather than high principle. (Presumably, like the Arab League, they would support the Arab regime in Rabat over the self-determination claims of the black African Sawahari.) That is not something that Israel can influence, and thus this would only serve to limit the seriousness with which Swedish positions are taken in Jerusalem.
Of course, if Stockholm were to recognize SADR – or ultimately not recognize “Palestine” – its foreign policy would then satisfy the high pretensions of fairness and integrity to which it strives.
With the British Parliament due to take up six hours of precious debating time on Monday over whether to recognise a “state of Palestine” Vincent Fean’s article in The Guardian sums of the ignorance of those who will vote for such recognition.
Perhaps the most risible part of Fean’s article is this:
“The United States should guarantee the safety of both peoples with US or Nato troops during the full, phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestine, endorsed in a unanimous security council resolution.”
Really? Fean must have not been near a radio or television for the last three years and so not seen what Assad and Islamic State have been doing to their own people while the US, UN and NATO all watched on. Never again? Don’t believe it.
If Monday’s debate ends with a vote in favour of recognising the “state of Palestine” there will be no change on the ground. Israel won’t suddenly give up its security requirements because of our Parliament. That would be suicide.
The recognition will only ratchet up the expectation of the Palestinians and lead to more bloodshed and violence on both sides. This blood will be on the hands of the likes of Fean and our politicians who vote in favour on Monday.
Our politicians should get back to representing their own constituents instead of desperately trying to buy votes by fleeing to foreign fields.
UK Labor Party Rebellion Against 'Palestine' Vote
MP Ed Miliband is head of the Opposition and the Labor party, whose member Grahame Morris proposed the vote. His shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander has told Labor shadow ministers that they must vote in favor of the motion, reports the British Independent.British Parliament debate on recognising Palestine as a state
But numerous Labor party members have expressed outrage at the move, with several of the shadow ministers and senior Labor MPs demanding that Miliband give members a free vote.
"To say that there is a row going on it putting it very mildly," said one senior Labor MP. "People are furious. This is an attempt to rip up 13 years of carefully calibrated policy. It total madness and makes the prospect of peace less rather than more likely."
An open letter to British MP’s who intend to support the vote to recognize Palestine as a State.Abraham Foxman: Sweden’s deteriorating relationship with Israel
Dear MP’s,
Tomorrow, October 13th is your opportunity to debate how British recognition of a Palestinian State could have any benefit to the region, the Palestinian people, the Israeli people and the many other displaced peoples of the world. In order for this resolution to have any impact whatsoever one must consider what it would mean if it was to be successful?
What message this debate tomorrow really sends out to those people without a state is simply this, whatever you do, don’t ever accept any offer of statehood unless those that are giving it are to be made as stateless as you are now? Don’t challenge the World decision makes and their policies through words, challenge with the trigger of a gun or a mortar rocket or a terror attack! In this way eventually you are guaranteed to be rewarded with a seat at the table of Nations.
And here is where the issues of Israeli policies and the anti-Jewish rhetoric and violence in Sweden can get enmeshed. Politicians and journalists who espouse virulently anti-Israel messages contribute to an atmosphere which provides a patina of acceptability and cover for anti-Jewish hate to emerge. While 96 percent of Swedish adults do not harbor strong anti- Semitic attitudes, the small percentage who do are likely among the ones acting on those beliefs and doing it under the guise of expressing opposition to Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians. It is up to Sweden’s political, religious and civic leaders to make clear to the people of Sweden that anti-Semitic rhetoric and violence against the Jewish population are never acceptable expressions of criticism of Israel’s policies. Prime Minister Lovfen should be the one to set an example in this regard, not allowing politics to trump the government’s responsibility to ensure the well-being and security of Sweden’s small but vibrant Jewish community. Sweden’s premature recognition of the State of Palestine will have repercussions far beyond Scandinavia. Sweden is considered a flag-bearer of human rights, and many countries across Europe respond to its cues. The risk is that other countries in the EU may soon want to follow suit. The US, the international community, and the global Jewish community need to convince Sweden that this is the wrong position at the wrong time.Top Hamas Funder Qatar Enjoys Anti-Terror Joke @ UN.
If Sweden is truly concerned about improving the situation for the Palestinian people, they should be working hard to support international efforts to prevent Hamas from replenishing its supply of missiles and rockets and to promote the restoration of housing and infrastructure for the people of Gaza. The time for recognizing a Palestinian state will come when the Palestinian leadership shows it is fully committed to living in peace and security in a state side by side with Israel and the parties reach an agreement through direct bilateral negotiations resolving all the issues between them.
Iran: #1 Terror Sponsor & #2 On UN's Top Legal Committee
Elliott Abrams: Rebuilding Gaza starts very slowly
The Hamas claim of victory in last summer's conflict with Israel was based largely on the associated claim that life in Gaza would now change to the great benefit of the people living there. A vast reconstruction program would commence almost immediately.Egypt's Sisi opens Gaza donor conference, urges Israel to consider Arab peace initiative
But now it's October, and there has been no reconstruction.
The central problem is that Hamas is still running Gaza. The new Palestinian "technocratic" government is not yet functioning, at least in the sense that it, and the PA, are actually in charge. No doubt Hamas would be happy to see lots of money coming into Gaza, and a deal has apparently been struck under which the PA will pay the salaries of Hamas civil servants in Gaza with new Qatari money, as well as continuing to pay its own. This deal is supposed to exclude terrorists, i.e., the so-called Hamas "armed wing," but who will really keep track? No doubt Hamas would be happy to see and take credit for a vast reconstruction program, and to allow PA agents to sit in border posts. But will it disband its own police and military forces? Will anyone in Gaza really believe the PA is in control, including the PA's own agents? Will any Palestinian really raise a challenge when he or she sees diversion of material by Hamas, knowing that death could be the price to pay?
Sisi was opening a conference in Cairo on rebuilding Gaza after a 50-day war between the Hamas and Israel.Western Diplomat Reveals Gaza Facing 'Donor Fatigue'
"We should turn this moment into a real starting point to achieve a peace that secures stability and flourishing and renders the dream of coexistence a reality, and this is the vision of the Arab peace initiative," he said.
The plan, put forward by Saudi Arabia at an Arab League summit in Beirut in 2002, offered full recognition of Israel but only if it gave up all land seized in the 1967 Middle East war and agreed to a "just solution" for Palestinian refugees.
US Secretary of State John Kerry was also expected to use the conference to recommit Washington to a two-state solution and keep the door open to negotiations, officials said, though they offered no specifics and the chances for restarting the peace process soon appear dim.
A conference that aims to raise billions of dollars to "rebuild Gaza" after Hamas's latest terror war on Israel faces "donor fatigue," an insider told AFP on Friday.Qatar pledges $1 billion for Gaza reconstruction
The United Nations' Palestinian Arab "refugee" agency, the UNRWA, has described the financial needs as "unprecedented" ahead of the Cairo meeting, which follows Hamas's third war on Israeli civilians in six years.
But it is unclear how generous the world is willing to be given the intractability of the conflict and other priorities in the region, such as the fight against jihadists in Syria and Iraq.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) unity government has called for more than $4 billion in aid, and UNRWA for $1.6 billion.
“Qatar announces its participation with $1 billion for the reconstruction of Gaza,” said Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah, the foreign minister of the gas-rich country, on Sunday during a pledge conference in Cairo.Meeting in Gaza, Palestinian unity gov’t seeks to signal that aid won’t go to Hamas
US Secretary of State John Kerry announced immediate US assistance of $212 million as the conference began.
The United Arab Emirates also pledged $200 million.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said Gaza needs $4 billion.
British International Development Minister Desmond Swayne pledged $32.1 million in early recovery assistance for Gazans affected by the war. The money will cover disposal of unexploded ordnance, rubble clearing and reconstructive surgery, according to a statement released by the British government.
In establishing a Gaza foothold, the Cabinet also tried to assure the international community that foreign aid for Gaza’s reconstruction will not reach the Islamic militant Hamas, shunned by the West as a terror group.US Praises Hamas-Fatah Unity Meeting as 'Positive Step'
The Cabinet meeting came three days before an international pledging conference in Cairo where Western-backed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is to seek $4 billion for Gaza reconstruction after a 50-day war there this summer between Israel and Hamas.
Still, it remains unclear how much authority the Cabinet will have on the ground. It is made up of independent experts, none of whom are declared members of the two main Palestinian movements, Hamas and Fatah.
The Hamas terrorist group was present as the Palestinian Authority (PA) unity government held its first full cabinet meeting on Thursday in Gaza, and according to the White House it was a "positive step."PA unity government not taking over Gaza crossings yet
"The only way to have a long-term sustainable solution for Gaza is for the Palestinian Authority to assume full authority in Gaza," US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said Thursday. "So we support this interim technocratic government in its efforts and we view this meeting as a positive step in that direction."
Despite assurances over the weekend that the Palestinian unity government would take over Gaza border crossings on Sunday, Palestinian sources denied that such a plan was in place.Hamas: More War Unless Int'l Community Pressures Israel
Maher Abu Sabha, a Palestinian border official, and Gaza Interior Ministry official Kamil Abu Mahdi said that the unity government would not be taking over the crossings on Sunday, according to the Palestinian Ma’an news agency.
“No changes at all have been made to the Palestinian teams operating border crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip,” one source was quoted as saying.
The same "conditions" that "provoked" Hamas into waging a war on millions of Israeli civilians still apply, spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri claimed Saturday night.Hamas Threatens Jews to Leave Israel - Or Else
"The conditions for the situation in Gaza exploding still exist," Abu Zuhri stated to Al-Jazeera. "On the contrary, they are even tougher now than they were before the Israeli aggression in Gaza."
Abu Zuhri then made some veiled threats to the international community, urging them to put pressure on Israel.
"If the international community wishes that the situation will not blow up again, it must step in and resolve the situation and handle it through a real and serious removal of the siege," Abu Zuhri stated, referring to Israel's travel and import restrictions to prevent terrorism from escalating in the region. It should also be noted that the real blockade in Gaza is from Egypt, which closed border crossings and stopped humanitarian aid after beginning a crackdown on the group more than a year ago.
Hamas leader Khalil al-Haya insisted that Hamas "would not abandon its weapons" on Saturday, boasting that the group is allegedly closer to defeating "the Israeli entity and its leaders" more than ever.The Dehumanization of the Settlers
"We say to those who brought the Jews [to Israel] from all over the world, we are now confident and believe more than ever in the implementation of the promise of Allah - that we will not keep you [Jews] in our country," Al-Haya threatened. "The option available to you is to leave the country for its native residents [Palestinian Arabs]."
Al-Haya added, in this context, that Hamas is "paving the way" for the success of the Palestinian "unity government," noting that Sunday's talks for international aid for Gaza in Cairo legitimizes the terror group politically and proves that war works.
He expressed confidence that the process of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip will be accelerated due to the conference, and that the "armed resistance" is not a burden, but rather a boon to the Palestinian Arab PR war on Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently raised eyebrows with his assertion that the recent protest by the Obama Administration against Jews moving into the Silwan neighborhood in Jerusalem was ‘un-American.’We’ve already forgotten
He is one hundred percent right.
The case of Silwan (which was also home to a community of Yemenite Jews until the Arab Revolt of 1936 forced them to relocate for their own safety) is different from the other times America has expressed displeasure at Israeli settlement activity. This was not a case of land appropriation or of new building announcements, which the American government has long regarded as counterproductive government actions. This was simply the purchasing of already existing houses by a private organization, the Elad Foundation, and then renting out to Jews who want to move into that neighborhood.
By protesting the mere purchasing of property by Jews, the American government is endorsing the position that Jews, irrespective of what the Israeli government does, have no rights to even buy property or live in any place the Palestinians claim for their future state. This position is indeed un-American, If a similar protest was made against Jews, or any other ethnic group, buying property for housing anywhere in America or outside of the Middle East the individuals protesting the buying of the property would rightly be labeled as bigots. Those who protested against the plans to build an Islamic Center near the site of Ground Zero were called ‘un-American’ by the then-Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg. But when it comes to Israel the normal rules regarding what constitutes bigotry and what constitues gross violations of civil rights do not apply.
Only a few weeks have passed since Operation Protective Edge came to an end.IDF Gagged Media from Revealing Depth of Tunnel Threat 5 Months Before War
We’ve only had a few weekends free of explosions and already everything is back to normal.
Everything has calmed down and we’ve forgotten everything that happened.
We forgot that 72 people lost their lives in a war we entered too late, without being properly prepared, as a limited response to Hamas’s incessant rocket fire.
And we also ended the war too quickly before we had completed our task.
The IDF underestimated the tunnel threat and also intentionally did not publicize the extent of the threat that was known before the war in order not to “spark undue concern” in Gaza Belt communities,” Defense News reported Saturday.Kotel Rabbi: 'Temple Mount has Turned into a Terror Base'
Barbara Opall-Rome reported that IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz invited her earlier this year for an on-site briefing with military commanders.
“I reluctantly agreed to demands that the mid-March day trip remain off the record,” she wrote, but the restrictions have seen been lifted.
IDF officers showed her a tunnel that was dug from central Gaza to the vicinity of near Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha. A few days earlier, the IDF announced it extended 300 yards into Israeli territory.
“It became immediately clear: The IDF had grossly misrepresented the severity of the underground breach, which extended perilously close to the kibbutz perimeter,” Opall-Rome wrote.
Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the rabbi of the Kotel (Western Wall) and Holy Sites, decried the Arab attempts to wreck the week-long Sukkot holiday by launching violent riots against police and Jewish visitors on the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism.MK Feiglin: 'Hamas and ISIS Control the Temple Mount'
Speaking to Arutz Sheva, the rabbi argued that the Arab rioters are intentionally trying to prevent Jews from reaching the site on Sukkot, one of the three Jewish pilgrimage holidays that in ancient times required Jews to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem, a practice maintained by many.
"The Arab leadership's feigned ignorance in the face of these acts of violence by young rioters is shocking," said Rabbi Rabinowitz. "How can they deny the reality that the Temple Mount and the (Al-Aqsa) mosque has been turned into a terror base?"
Deputy Knesset Speaker Moshe Feiglin (Likud) attacked the Israeli police's decision to close the Temple Mount to Jewish worshipers on Sukkot. Sukkot is one of the three Jewish pilgrimage holidays that in ancient times required Jews to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem - a practice maintained today.40% of light rail trains damaged in E. Jerusalem riots
The decision to bar Jewish worshippers comes following an onslaught of violent Arab riots against police and Jewish visitors to the mount.
"Hamas and ISIS have taken control of the Temple Mount for the fourth day [of Sukkot]. The Prime Minister's words claiming victory over Hamas and sending a message of deterrence to Hezbollah are crashing into a rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem" Feiglin said Sunday morning.
"Hamas representatives and ISIS members have been able to barricade themselves at the mount. Meanwhile, (Yitzhak) Aharonovich (Minister of Internal Security - ed.) prevents police from arresting terrorists in the heart of the capital, which would free the mount from their hands and allow Jews to ascend to the Temple during Sukkot."
Nine of the 23 light rail trains in Jerusalem have been damaged by rock-throwers in the eastern part of the city and are no longer operational, the transportation company responsible for the trains announced Sunday.Denmark Sermon: There Can be No Division of Palestine with the Offspring of Apes and Pigs
In light of the damage to some 40 percent of its trains, delays are expected throughout the city, CityPass said in a statement.
Moreover, passengers will not be able to purchase tickets at the Es-Sahl Shuafat rail stop, a flashpoint for much of the violence, until further notice.
PA leaders: Palestinian weapons are for future wars with Israel
Palestinian Authority and Fatah leaders continue to assure Palestinians that participating in a peace process does not mean the end of Palestinian warfare against Israel, but only that the use of violence is on hold. This is the official position of the PA leadership.Fatah leader: "The weapon of the Resistance is sacred... we will all fight together"
Palestinian Media Watch has documented that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas himself has said a number of times that he opposes violence against Israel only because it is not currently in the Palestinian interest. He has given two main reasons for this. First, Palestinians are not prepared militarily, and second, a war would heavily damage the infrastructure in the Palestinian areas.
Abbas advisor: Fatah and Hamas unity "is our weapon against the Israeli enemy"
UN warns of looming ‘massacre’ in Kobani
Kurdish fighters halted a thrust by Islamic State jihadists toward the heart of the Syrian border town of Kobani Saturday, after the UN warned thousands of civilians risked massacre if it falls.Report: Photographs of Kurdish fighters' bodies suggest chemical weapons use by ISIS
The pre-dawn attack came after the IS militants captured the defenders’ headquarters Friday, sparking fears they would cut off the last escape route to neighboring Turkey.
Meanwhile, US officials warned that while attention is focused on Kobani, the jihadists have been piling on pressure in Iraq.
Photographs obtained by the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA Journal) which were published on Sunday appear to support claims that the Islamic State used chemical weapons against Kurdish fighters in the Kobani enclave on at least one occasion in the past.ISIS Threatens Twitter CEO and Employees
The Syrian town near the Turkish border is currently under siege and in danger of falling under Islamic State control, bringing on fears of a potential massacre.
The current siege of Kobani is not the first attempt by Islamic State to capture the town. It has been suggested that during a previous attempt, in July, IS unleashed a chemical agent on Kurdish fighters.
Kurdish activists had previously claimed that the chemical attack occurred on July 12, in the village of Avdiko in Kobani. According to health minister of the Kurdish authority in Kobani, Nisan Ahmed, the bodies of three Kurdish fighters killed in battles with IS were not damaged by bullets, but instead were marked by "burns and white spots...without any visible wounds or external bleeding.”
Twitter CEO Dick Costolo and his staff have received death threats from the “Islamic State” (ISIS) group, Costolo told Vanity Fair’s New Establishment Summit on Friday.US Incentives Prompt ISIS To Join Coalition Against ISIS (satire)
According to the Vanity Fair magazine, after shutting down some of the group’s Twitter accounts, Twitter management dealt with calls for their “assassination.”
“That’s a jarring thing for anyone to deal with,” Costolo was quoted as having said at the summit.
“We take a lot of heat on both sides of the debate,” Costolo added, referring to the tension between those who believe all speech should be allowed and those who believe that Twitter should block some material such as ISIS videos showing the beheading of journalists.
Experts agreed, noting that including the Islamic State in the coalition against the Islamic State could carry major pitfalls vis-à-vis other coalition members. “Saudi Arabia, for example, would have a hard time working alongside the Islamic State – the two simply don’t get along,” said Tautolla Jee, who writes about the Middle East for the journal Obvious. “The same is true of non-members who are tacitly condoning the effort, such as Syria. I hope no one expects Assad to suddenly become lovey-dovey with ISIS just because they’re both trying to destroy ISIS.”City Famous For Beheadings Horrified At Beheading Plot (satire)
Diplomats and analysts differ widely over what incentives the Obama administration could offer the Islamic State to make its cooperation against the Islamic State worth its while. The proto-state already enjoys hefty profits from the sale of its oil, but the Administration has the option of offering American arms and equipment, a proposition the Islamic State would be hard-pressed to ignore.
The newest beheading plot departs from the precedents in that it does not specifically involve royalty, or evidence of wrongdoing on the part of those to be killed. Other differences involve the method: whereas the beheadings for which London is known were carried out with a single stroke of the sword or ax, the suspects in the current plot are not known to have intended that the executions follow the same more or less humane insistence. However, as a beheading produces the same result regardless of the number of strokes, historians and social commentators find curious the current London expressions of shock and horror at the plot.US threatens to end aid to Lebanon if Iran sends arms
“It’s something we should be proud of, really,” says Sir Cephal Ectomy, who has written extensively on the executions of Anne and Catherine. “We English should really be reveling in this legacy, not shying away from it. Embrace what Henry made us famous for.”
Others were more circumspect. “I understand that appropriateness of making London the centerpiece of a beheading campaign in the West, considering the city’s contribution to the history of the behavior,” says Gil O’Teen, a social critic. “However, if justice is really what the plotters are after, Paris would be a far more fitting venue.”
The US threatened to cut off all aid to Lebanon should Beirut accept an Iranian offer of military aid, a Lebanese newspaper reported Friday.Iranian Official: Nuclear Talks May be Extended - Again
Citing an anonymous official, Al Akhbar reported that Washington warned Lebanon against accepting a small arms shipment from Tehran, which the US said would breach sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Iran says the arms are meant to help Beirut combat Sunni extremists.
According to Al Akhbar, Iran offered to send the Lebanese army TOW (anti-tank) missiles and launchers, night goggles, 120mm and 60mm mortar shells, ammunition for T55 and T62 tanks, and Doshka machine-guns and ammunition.
The negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, was quoted by the semi-official Fars news agency late on Friday as saying that an extension is under consideration and that it's "possible."Iran Warns U.S. of Risk to Israel if Assad Overthrown
Araqchi was quoted as having said that if existing differences between Tehran and the six world powers — the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany — are not resolved in the upcoming round of talks next week in Vienna, a deal by the November deadline would not be possible.
The sides are seeking to settle a dispute over Tehran's nuclear work by a November 24 deadline, which was set after the sides failed to meet an earlier July 20 target date for an agreement.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister reportedly said on Saturday that his country has exchanged messages with the US about the fight against Islamic State (Isis) militants in Syria and Iraq.Shouts and stink bombs at Israeli film festival in France
Hossein Amir Abdollahian was quoted by Iranian media, in what would be a rare confirmation of Iran-US discussions over Isis, as saying Iran had warned Washington that Israel would be at risk should the US and its allies seek to topple the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, while fighting the extremist group.
Award-winning Israeli filmmaker Hilla Medalia is used to her films provoking heated discussion and debate, but she had never before experienced what happened at a screening of her film “Dancing in Jaffa,” at an Israeli film festival in Carpentras, France on October 6.Anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli preacher invited to speak at Muslim fair in Brussels
Just as Medalia and Israeli Consul General in Marseille Barnea Hassid finished making introductory remarks, some twenty audience members stood up and began shouting anti-Israel slogans. Then they threw stink bombs.
“The police had to remove them by force,” Medalia told The Times of Israel upon her return to Israel on October 8.
The screening of the acclaimed film about Pierre Dulaine, four-time ballroom dancing world champion, returning to his hometown of Jaffa to bring Jewish and Palestinian children together through dance, was moved to another of the theater’s auditoriums.
A Koweiti preacher who has reportedly made anti-Semitic statements and called for Israel’s eradication is scheduled to be one the speakers at a Muslim Fair in Brussels next month.Nazi hunter pans musical about Latvian death squad leader
Tareq Al-Suwaidan is a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait and is considered to be close to Hamas, the Islamist group in the Gaza Strip.
In an April 2012 interview for Al-Quds, a TV station affiliated with Hamas, he claimed that since politicians were controlled by money and the media by the Jews, only "armed resistance" and not Western aid or Western popular sympathy could change the situation in Palestine and Jerusalem.
A top Nazi hunter has condemned Latvian plans to stage a musical about a notorious wartime commander of a death squad that killed Jews.'Hero' Nurse Honored for Transmitting STD to Nazi Soldiers
Efraim Zuroff, director of the Jerusalem office of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said on Twitter he was “utterly disgusted.”
Titled “Cukurs. Herberts Cukurs” after the Latvian commander, it is due to premiere Saturday in the western coastal city of Liepaja.
Five prominent Latvians have also signed an open letter calling on the government to condemn the performance.
The Daily Mail is reporting that an unnamed Czechoslovakian nurse who allegedly slept with Nazi soldiers in her charge and infected them with a sexually transmitted disease has been honored with a plaque outside her former residence.Israeli Cyber Security Company Sells for an Estimated $100 Million
The home's current resident, former lawyer Karei Friml, 79, erected the plaque on the outside of his home to honor the nurse he considers a hero:
"Unfortunately, we don't know her exact name because time and memories have failed to preserve it. But we know that she was assigned to look after wounded German soldiers and began affairs with them.
I am really sorry that she died anonymously, I think she was a hero and that's why we have made this memorial plaque to her and placed it on the wall of the house."
Pulse Secure recently acquired MobileSpaces, the Israel-based leading provider of mobile security for the app-centric enterprise, in a deal reported to be worth over $100 million. MobileSpaces is a specialist in the BYOD (bring your own device) market, meaning it helps organizations guard sensitive information even when employees bring their private laptop computers, smartphones or tablets from home to the office. The company offers a BYOD policy-managed workspace that protects mobile enterprise apps and data against loss and leakage.The Israeli Quiz Factory That's Outbuzzing BuzzFeed on Facebook
“The MobileSpaces BYOD solution helps complete Pulse Secure’s leading solutions to provide seamless, secure access from anywhere and any device,” according to a press release. “In two years, 71 percent of US companies will allow more than half of their employees to access corporate data on a mobile device,” says Chris Hazelton, research director for enterprise mobility at 451 Research. “These companies will need mobility management tools to secure corporate data in motion and on devices. With widespread support for BYOD in the enterprise, there is growing traction for Android. Increasing levels of access to corporate data means there is a real need to secure corporate apps on Android devices.”
NewsWhip, a business that tracks how content moves through social networks, published its monthly analysis of the top publishers on Facebook (FB). Not surprisingly, the Huffington Post, a social media stalwart, topped the rankings, having accumulated more than 9.4 million shares on Facebook in September.Earliest video images of Italian Jews screened
The runner-up was a bit more unexpected. Coming in second was a site called PlayBuzz, which racked up more than 7.5 million Facebook shares, good enough to top the industrious meme-behemoth BuzzFeed (which finished third with 6.2 million shares), as well as Fox News (4.1 million), NBC News (3.0 million), and the Guardian (2.8 million). “Seven of the 10 biggest Facebook stories of last month (likes + shares + comments) were PlayBuzz quizzes,” reported NewsWhip.
These days so many newfangled sites are cranking out Facebook-friendly photo lists, stunning walrus pics, and celebrity quizzes that it can be difficult to keep track of the distinctions between, say, Viral Forest and Viral Circus, or Slightly Viral and Absolutely Viral, or Upworthy and Distractify. Perhaps as a result, PlayBuzz’s No. 2 finish left many observers of the viral media rat race scratching their heads.
Brief film clips from 1923 made public this month are believed to be the earliest video images of Italian Jews and among the oldest home movies produced in Italy.Al-Ahram carries 'Jews of Egypt' piece
The nine minutes of film were screened in Rome Oct. 5 after being restored and digitized by Italy’s Central Institute for the Restoration and Conservation of Library and Archival Heritage.
Shot in 35 mm by industrialist Salvatore Di Segni, the clips show scenes from the life of two Jewish families — the Di Segnis and the Della Setas – and were brought to light by Italian TV journalist Claudio Della Seta.
The clips show the wedding of Della Seta’s grandparents, Silvio Della Seta and Iole Campagnano, in the central Italian city of Perugia on Oct. 14, 1923; as well as family outings that year to the beach at Anzio – where one man is seen wearing a suit and tie on the sand, and to the mountains, where they are shown cross-country skiing.
Magda Haroun, the last community leader, will not be returning communal registers to exiled Jews from Egypt, according to this very interesting feature article on the last Jews of Egypt by Dina Darwich in Al-Ahram Hebdo (French). Otherwise, Darwich pulls no punches: Jews, even those who converted to other religions, were oppressed in Egypt simply for being Jews, or of Jewish origin, in a society that cannot conceive of equal rights for minority religions. Some of these abuse victims have already told their stories in Amir Ramses's controversial film, Jews of Egypt.Mizrahi Nation
Magda is one of nine Egyptian Jews still alive. This community has experienced its heyday in the early twentieth century. According to the census conducted in 1947- one year before the outbreak of the Arab-Israeli conflict broke out there were 64,165 Jews in Egypt. This community has contributed to the development of modern Egypt. It is thanks to the great Jewish families as Mosseiri, Quatawi, Rolo and Sawarès that the first Egyptian banks (Egyptian Land Bank, Egyptian National Bank, Egyptian Commercial Bank) emerged. This community left a significant footprint in areas such as fashion, design, etc. We must not forget that the Jews were a fundamental pillar of the film industry and have contributed to the prosperity of cultural life in Egypt in the early twentieth century.
The construction of the state of Israel, in which Mizrahi Jews have been partners of numeric equality (if not other forms of equality) for over 66 years, provided the stateless Jews of the Middle East with self-determination in their native region and turned them from an endangered minority into half of a majority. Other religious minorities under Muslim rule—the Zoroastrians, Baha’i, and Christians come to mind—are in danger of extinction. Because the Jews have a country, they have been spared that fate and shielded from the savagery now unfolding in places like Aleppo, which would have made them one of its first targets had not an earlier and comparatively milder incarnation of the same savagery driven them out long ago. Whatever its faults, the country they helped build has given them, and the rest of us, a prosperous home, and within two or three generations has catapulted them far beyond the condition of the people they left behind.
The form that the Jewish presence in this region has taken—national sovereignty—is unprecedented. But if we place the story of the Jews of Islamic countries at the center rather than at the margins of our consciousness, we see that Israel represents a continuation of the past as much as it does a break with it. We Israelis are Jews in the Middle East. That we are free, safe from persecution, and in charge of ourselves—these things are new. But that we are here? There is nothing new about that at all.
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