Saturday, October 25, 2014
Something Is Rotten at Foggy Bottom
That’s right, all Psaki would say is that Abbas “has renounced violence and consistently sought a diplomatic and peaceful solution”–an obviously false statement–along with the strident insistence that she doesn’t “have any other analysis for you to offer.”Edgar Davidson: On killing terrorists: the hypocrisy and Obama's viciously anti-Israel regime
It’s worth pointing out that in the very same press briefing Psaki confirmed that the victim of the Palestinian terror attack in Jerusalem was an American citizen. So even Americans not totally inclined to defend Israel from terrorism would, theoretically, be fairly embarrassed by Psaki’s pusillanimous, kowtowing claptrap.
The degree to which this administration will go to avenge perceived slights would make a middle-schooler uncomfortable. While Psaki has nothing to say about deadly anti-Semitic incitement from Abbas even when it’s followed by the murder of an American baby, the State Department reserves its outrage for Israeli officials who disagree on the record with Kerry.
In New York yesterday police shot and killed Zale Thompson a Jihadist convert to Islam who attacked a number of policemen with an axe. Just imagine if, in response to this event, the Government of Israel issued the following statement:Kitchen Nightmares
"Israel expresses its deepest condolences to the family of a US citizen (Zale Thompson) who was killed by the US Police Forces during clashes in New York on October 24. We demand a speedy and transparent investigation into his killing."
Well Israel did not issue such a statement, but on the same day as the Zale Thompson killing, Israeli security forces killed a Palestinian who was throwing Molotov cocktails at them. And the US Government really did issue the following statement:
"The United States expresses its deepest condolences to the family of a US citizen minor (Orwah Hammad) who was killed by the Israeli Defence Forces during clashes in Silwad on October 24. We demand a speedy and transparent investigation into his killing." (h/t Bob Knot)
It recently began serving Palestinian food wrapped in leaflets that include quotes from Palestinians defending terrorism and opposing the existence of Israel.
“How can you compare Israeli F-16s, which are some of the best military planes in the world, to a few hundred homemade rockets?” states one quote on the wrapper, a reference to Hamas rocket attacks against Israelis. “You’re pushing them to the absolute extreme. So what do you expect?”
“Palestinians are not going to just let [Israel] in and drop their arms,” it adds. “No, they’re going to kill and they are going to die.”
The statements on the wrappers were taken from interviews with Palestinians. They are published without quotation marks and do not appear to be edited for accuracy.
Another section of the wrapper refers to the creation of Israel as “an intentional and ongoing offensive.” It also alleges that Israel deliberately blocks Palestinians from obtaining drinking water, opposes non-Jews from becoming citizens, and has assassinated or imprisoned all of the non-corrupt Palestinian leaders.
According to the wrapper, Conflict Kitchen is supported in part by the Heinz Endowment, which is chaired by Kerry’s wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry.
A spokesman for the Heinz Endowment told the Washington Free Beacon that it gave Conflict Kitchen a $50,000 grant last April to support its relocation to another site in Pittsburgh.
He declined to say whether the Heinz Endowment would continue to support the group in the future, but added that, “the opinions of Conflict Kitchen do not represent those of the Heinz Endowment.” (h/t Jewess)
Peace According to Radical Islam
England is debating whether to outlaw the Muslim Brotherhood, the religious, ideological and operative supporter of Hamas. Various political pressures, however, have prevented British security from designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. One can hope that the ISIS execution of American correspondent James Foley, carried out by a British-born Muslim, would be a wake-up call for not only the British, but all the European security services. The chilling similarity between the horror of Foley's execution at the hands of a British-born ISIS operative and the Hamas execution of dozens of Gazans, as well as the ISIS slaughter of hundreds of virtually naked Syrian soldiers, should have sounded alarm bells regarding the dangers inherent in the fermenting Islamic enclaves in America and Europe. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case.Jewish Advocacy Group Criticizes U.S. Snub to Israeli Defense Minister Ya’alon
The West's decades-long apathy toward Hamas' attacks on Israeli civilians turned into shock and horror when the Hamas' sister organization, ISIS, used the same tactics on Yazidis, Christians, Shi'ites, Kurds and anyone else the group classified as "infidel."
The activists of the Muslim enclaves in Europe, which bred volunteers for ISIS, are now demonstrating in the streets – not only against Israel – but against their host countries. They are testing the limits to see how far they will be able to go when they decide to organize riots. When that happens, they will not only be inspired by their political sheikhs, they will be supported by mujahedeen, volunteers who fought in Syria and Iraq and returned to the back yards of their home countries as seasoned fighters.
The whole world is slowly becoming aware of the situation, yet American Secretary of State Kerry still tries to promote Qatar and Turkey, which openly support terrorist organizations all over the globe, as "honest brokers" to negotiate peace between Israel and Hamas. State Department Spokesperson Marie Harf still actively defends Qatar, whose Al-Jazeera TV is shamelessly used for propaganda against Israel, Egypt and Jordan, and calls for rioting on the Temple Mount. It accuses Jordan of collaboration with Israel in Israel's so-called attempts to "Judaize" Jerusalem and uses all means at its disposal to foment unrest in Jordan against the king and to dethrone him.
Bilateral relations between the United States and Israel were further bruised this week when it emerged that Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon was prevented by the Obama Administration from meeting with key officials during an official visit to Washington, DC and New York.UN Watch: UN reviews Israel’s human right record
While Ya’alon did meet with his opposite number, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, as well as with Samantha Power, the US Ambassador to the UN, his requests to meet with other top officials, including Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry, and the National Security Adviser Susan Rice, were turned down.
Ya’alon has been regarded with suspicion by the White House ever since an Israeli newspaper reported him saying privately that “the only thing that could save us is Kerry winning a Nobel Peace Prize and leaving us alone.” Ya’alon is also said to have described the Secretary of State as “messianic” and “obsessive.” Ya’alon subsequently issued an apology.
“This kind of public rebuke will be misinterpreted by all of the wrong people for all of the wrong reasons,” Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, told The Algemeiner. “We’re in a time of tremendous uncertainty in the Middle East, and it’s the wrong signal to send to friend and foe.”
Following the introduction, committee experts were given the opportunity to question Israeli actions in a multitude of areas. These included: lack of proportionality regarding Israeli military actions, operation “Protective Edge,” and the settlement policy and subsequent expansion plans as well as the prohibition of torture. There were further reports that a disparity existed between the treatment of Jewish Israeli citizens and the “rest.” This predominantly manifested itself regarding the treatment of the Bedouin people and asylum seekers, specifically those from Eritrea and South Sudan. Additional topics of discussion included: Arab juvenile justice, access to water and sanitation, punitive housing demolitions, Holocaust education and curriculum, and the use of administrative detentions.Riots break out across East Jerusalem
The Israeli delegation responded to the majority of the questions which were raised, albeit the limited time. With regard to operation “Protective Edge,” the delegation stated that more than 600 Palestinians were treated in Israeli field hospitals. Israel ensured the continuous supply of food, medical supplies, fuel and animal feed, facilitating the passage of over 5,600 trucks through the Kerem Shalom border crossing. Moreover, a fact finding mission was underway and a complete assessment would be provided as soon as completed.
Riots resumed in several neighborhoods in East Jerusalem Saturday evening, ahead of the 10:00pm funeral of Abdel Rahman al-Shaludi, the terrorist who ran over pedestrians at a Jerusalem light rail station on Wednesday, killing a 3-month old baby and injuring eight others.Palestinian Teen Shot and Killed While Trying to Throw Firebombs
In Al-Tur on the Mount of Olives, masked Palestinians blocked the road with garbage bins, and threw stones and firebombs, a police statement said. One person was injured in the incident.
Near the Shuafat refugee camp, stones were throne at the Jerusalem light rail, a frequent target. Police said a carriage window was damaged but no one was hurt.
The riots were taking place for the third consecutive day Saturday.
Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian Arab teenager Friday during clashes with rock-throwing protesters near Ramallah, Palestinian medical officials and security sources told AFP.Boston Students and Activists Condemn Racism at Tufts SJP Conference
They named the dead youth as Orwa Hammad, 17, and said he was shot in the village of Silwad.
The IDF said that troops opened fire towards the teenager upon identifying that he was preparing to throw firebombs towards a local road. The troops opened fire in order to prevent him from hitting Israeli vehicles.
"The forces fired immediately to neutralize the danger ... and confirmed a hit," a spokeswoman said, according to AFP.
StandWithUs is deeply concerned about the organizers and speakers of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) National Conference, which is taking place at Boston's Tufts University from October 24th to October 26th.Anti-Israel Resolution Fails in CUNY Doctoral Students’ Vote
It has come to light that Ahmad Aburas, a member of the National SJP Steering Committee which organized the conference, has publicly supported the racist terrorist organization Hamas on social media. Hamas is responsible for murdering and maiming thousands of innocent Israelis, its founding charter infamously calls for the obliteration of Israel, and the group recently aired open calls for the extermination of Jews on Palestinian TV. Furthermore, one of SJP's keynote speakers at the conference, Mohammad Desai, has directly supported racism and incitement to violence against Jews. Desai, who is the National Coordinator of BDS South Africa, publicly backed South African BDS activists after they chanted "shoot the Jew" at a protest.
"I respect the right to freedom of speech, the exchange of academic ideas and dialogue. What I cannot accept is any member of the Tufts Community feeling, physically or emotionally, unsafe and marginalized because of this Conference," said Tufts student Joshua Mintz.
In September, the same resolution was tabled after a vote on the measure had been scheduled for just before the start of Shabbat, leading to the exclusion of a number of pro-Israel individuals who would have otherwise participated in the debate.StandWithUs Applauds CUNY Students for Handing Another Defeat to BDS October 24, 2014
The DSC represents more than 4,700 graduate students from across the CUNY system.
“The resolution’s backers claimed they were promoting justice and human rights, that they were seeking sovereignty and freedom for the Palestinian people, that they are trying to end the ‘occupation.’ Nothing could be further from the truth,” wrote Jacob Baime, executive director of the Israel on Campus Coalition, wrote in an op-ed for JNS.org.
“To be part of the solution, we have to bring together people of different backgrounds and beliefs,” he wrote. “We have to engage in meaningful dialogue. We have to empower the campus community to make a meaningful contribution to peace by promoting constructive efforts toward coexistence. The hate-mongers who want CUNY to boycott Israeli universities are part of the problem. They are an obstacle to peace.”
StandWithUs congratulates graduate students at the City University of New York for defeating a bigoted student government resolution calling for academic boycotts and divestment against Israel. The vote was 31 in favor, 25 against, and 10 abstaining, with the resolution failing because it required 39 votes to pass. This, and the failed anti-Israel motion at McGill University earlier this week, are just the latest in a long line of failed attempts by the BDS Movement to push their bigotry through North American student governments. We hope that students will continue to reject BDS's anti-peace, anti-justice, anti-human rights agenda.Israel-Haters On Campus Twist The Holocaust, Disregard Human Rights
Tufts University Hosting Islamists to Train Students in ‘Direct Action’
Evil is evil, as in the case of SJP. But J Street U’s ambition is also morally dubious, for it is evil to actively work to elevate groups and people, under a guise of legitimacy, that half-heartedly promote a form of global collectivism that curiously enough leaves room for everyone and every state but the Jewish one.
In an Oct. 14 op-ed in the Wall St. Journal, Bret Stephens articulated that “[n]ature abhors a vacuum, and so does power: American retreat means someone else—someone we don’t like—is going to step in.” While Stephens warned of a geopolitical climate absent an active and functioning United States foreign policy, the threat of a vacuum jockeyed by inimical voices looms large on college campuses. If we leave an opportunity for those with misguided and insidious ideologies to take over the narrative, manipulate the truth, and dictate the tone of the atmosphere on campus, they will.
Those aware of this reality have a moral responsibility to speak out and bring a moral compass to their campuses—insisting on the vindication of humanity over barbarism. Are we prepared to handle the reverberations of a generation of college students whose concept of justice is missing a real definition? We shouldn’t test it.
The event, held by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which is run by the American Muslims for Palestine, has raised concerns among students who feel threatened by the group’s highly aggressive—and sometimes violent—tactics.IsraellyCool: More BS From BDSHoles Regarding Macy’s Sodastream Decision?
SJP is known for leading some the most hostile anti-Israel campaigns on campus, including comparisons of the Jewish state to Nazi Germany, promotion of the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and advocacy for the terrorist group Hamas.
SJP affiliates on several U.S. campuses have been banned by school administrators for disseminating materials described by critics as anti-Semitic
This weekend’s conference at Tufts will feature a seminar on “Direct Action” as well as numerous panels on how to promote BDS against Israel on campus.
The Saturday afternoon workshop on “planning effective, powerful and creative direct action” will teach anti-Israel activists in attendance how they can intimidate pro-Israel students using tactics that some say border on violence, and that in past instances have actually crossed the line into violence.
Surely if Macy’s caved in to BDSholes, they would respond to them and confirm they are making a “principled” stand.Tory By-Election Candidate Is An Anti-Israeli Activist
Then there’s the fact that CodePink have for years begged Macy’s to boycott AHAVA products. And guess what? Macy’s still sell them.
The BDSholes have a history of falsely claiming victory in cases where decisions were made based solely on profit considerations. I strongly suspect this is the case here.
The Conservative candidate in the Rochester and Strood by-election is an anti-Israeli activist, according to a report in the Jewish Chronicle. Kelly Tolhurst, who was selected to run for the seat in an open primary, has regularly taken to Twitter demanding a boycott of the country and to support Gaza.BBC Complaints defends its use of Hamas supplied casualty figures
Cllr Tolhurst posted a series of messages criticising the actions of the Israeli Defence Force in Gaza. She also retweeted messages from the "Free Gaza Movement" and demanded shoppers refuse to buy products from companies such as SodaStream and Ahava.
Her other campaigning activities includes signing a petition demanding the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister send an RAF hospital ship to the coast of Gaza. She then said she was disappointed that her own party leadership abstained in the vote on statehood for Gaza at the United Nations.
This response from the BBC Complaints department is clearly also unsatisfactory in that it completely fails to acknowledge the very relevant topic of manipulation of civilian casualty figures by Hamas and its supporters as part of their propaganda war aimed at garnering Western public opinion. The BBC’s promotion and amplification of Hamas-supplied figures, its failure to independently verify casualty statistics and civilian/combatant ratios and its documented capitulation to political pressure from interested parties on the topic of casualty figures is all evidence of its adoption of a specific politically motivated narrative.Unsatisfactory comments moderation on BBC’s ‘Echo Chambers’ blog
No wonder, therefore, that complaints have been made on this subject but – as is amply clear from the official response above – the self-regulating BBC is incapable of providing an appropriately impartial response to complaints from its funding public, resorting instead to attempted self-justification of its editorial policies.
Hot on the heels of its previously published article in which the manager of New York’s Metropolitan Opera was given an unchallenged platform from which to defend his presentation of ‘The Death of Klinghoffer’, the BBC’s ‘Echo Chambers’ blog ran a piece by Anthony Zurcher titled “Free speech, ‘psychological rape’ and the Death of Klinghoffer” on October 23rd.The ABC's of Media Spin: The NYT and A Terror Attack
The item was opened to comments and some of them – which have passed moderation and hence can be assumed to have been judged as not breaching ‘House Rules’ (which include defamation) or “BBC editorial policies” (which include accuracy), “relevant to the topic” and not “offensive” – can be seen below.
The ‘ethnic cleansing’ canard passed BBC moderation:
The antisemitic ‘Jews controlling the media’ trope passed BBC moderation:
As was the false claim that any criticism of Israel is branded antisemitism:
The well-worn canard of illegal use of white phosphorous during Operation Cast Lead is promoted using a link to a media outlet associated with the Iranian regime:
The inaccurate claim that all the casualties in this summer’s conflict were ‘innocent’ is promoted:
The following steps are routinely used in New York Times articles, either individually or in combination, to create a skewed, misrepresentative version of events.Egypt declares state of emergency in Sinai after bomb attack
A. Diminish Palestinian culpability for adverse events by casting their incitement, hate rhetoric, violence and terrorism as debatable claims by Israel.
B. Use pejorative labels for Israelis who assert their legal rights to visit their holy sites or reside in areas of Jerusalem that were under Jordanian occupation between 1948-67. Unlike violence by Palestinians, do not present these Jewish actions as debatable. Cast them as clearly illegitimate and unjust actions.
C. Omit the details that most incriminate Palestinian actions. Instead, reduce the story to distribute equal culpability to both sides, or better yet, greater culpability to Israeli Jews.
Egypt declared a three-month state of emergency Friday in the north and center of the Sinai Peninsula after a suicide car bombing killed 30 soldiers, the presidency said.Iran accuses Israel of benefiting from strife in Egypt, after attacks in jihadist-ridden Sinai
The measures will begin on Saturday at 0300 GMT “for a duration of three months”, the presidency said in a statement in the wake of the deadliest attack on the security forces since the army deposed Islamist president Mohammed Morsi last year.
The decision was also taken to close the Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip.
“The army and the police will take all necessary measures to tackle the dangers of terrorism and its financing, to preserve the security of the region… and protect the lives of citizens,” the presidential decree said.
Iran has condemned violence in the Sinai Peninsula that left dozens of Egyptian security personnel dead on Friday, accusing Israel of benefiting from insecurity in the volatile region that weakens the government in Cairo.Egyptian Court Sentences 7 Sinai Jihadis to Death
On Friday, security sources said two attacks in the Sinai region killed 33 security personnel, in some of the worst anti-state violence since Islamist President Mohamed Morsi was overthrown last year.
The Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham expressed her hope that Cairo would prevent Tehran's arch-foe Israel from "spreading sedition" among the Egyptian population, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported on Saturday.
An Egyptian military court sentenced to death seven members of an Al Qaeda-inspired jihadist group Tuesday for carrying out deadly attacks on the army, military officials said.Muslim Brotherhood Faces Backlash for Allegedly Supporting ISIS
Two other members of Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (Partisans of Jerusalem) were sentenced to life in prison, which amounts to 25 years in Egypt, AFP reports.
The Sinai-based group has claimed some of the deadliest attacks on security forces since the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi last year as retaliation for a crackdown on Morsi's supporters that has left hundreds dead and thousands jailed.
The military court in Cairo convicted the nine jihadists of killing six soldiers in a March attack on an army outpost Qalubiya province, north of Cairo, army officials said.
The Muslim Brotherhood organization is supporting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), according to various Egyptian sources. These accusations have gained weight in recent days, after senior officials in the organization condemned a new book called Islamic State…The Knife Slaughtering Islam, which is due to be published in Cairo in the near future. The book deals with the preaching of extremist organizations in favor of terrorist activities. “The Muslim Brotherhood defends ISIS fiercely and attacks its critics,” reported Al-Arab newspaper.Pentagon reports first US soldier casualty in fight against ISIS
Egyptian security officials announced a few weeks ago that they found documents linking Muslim Brotherhood activists to ISIS. However, the organization denied any connection.
In Jordan too, there are indications of the solidarity the local Muslim Brotherhood branch has for ISIS. Senior official in the Islamic Action Party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, called for support of ISIS and condemned the Western air strikes in Syria and Iraq.
America has lost its first soldier in its fight against Islamic State from non-combative wounds, the Pentagon announced on Friday night.Kerry says reports IS used chemical weapons ‘extremely serious’
19-year-old Lance Cpl. Sean P. Neal of Riverside, California, died Thursday in Baghdad. The incident is under investigation, the Pentagon said.
Strikes against Islamic State in Syria began last month, after US President Barack Obama vowed to deny the group safe haven "anywhere they exist." Strikes against its assets began in Iraq a month prior.
US Secretary of State John Kerry called allegations that Islamic State militants used chlorine gas in Iraq “extremely serious Friday, but said the US could not confirm the veracity of the claims.Iran hangs woman convicted of killing her rapist
“The use of any chemical weapon is an abhorrent act,” Kerry told reporters at a State Department news conference with the South Korean foreign minister. “It’s against international law. And these recent allegations underscore the importance of the work that we are currently engaged in.”
He said the attacks, if true, “will not change our strategy” in Iraq.
A 26-year-old Iranian woman convicted of murdering a man she accused of trying to rape her as a teenager was hanged on Saturday, the official news agency IRNA said, despite international pleas for her life to be spared.Iran: Prospects for reaching nuke deal by deadline not good
Reyhaneh Jabbari walked to the gallows at dawn on Saturday in Tehran's Evin prison after failing to secure a reprieve from the murder victim's relatives within the 10-day deadline set by sharia law in force since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
In 2007, Jabbari was arrested for killing Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, a former employee of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence. Jabbari claimed that she was defending herself against Sarbandi’s sexual advances.
She was given the death penalty by a Tehran court in 2009. The Iranian supreme court denied her appeals against the sentence.
She was originally scheduled to be put to death last month, but Iranian authorities postponed the move at the last minute, perhaps due to the international attention Jabbari’s case has attracted. (h/t Jewess)
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator and Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Saturday that prospects for reaching a deal on Tehran’s nuclear program by the November 24 deadline were not good, and urged the P5+1 world powers to abandon their “excessive demands.”Iran’s Leaders Come to Verbal Blows over Nukes, ISIS and Iraq
“The negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 are going ahead in a tough path filled with ups and downs and there is no good prospect for the conclusion of the talks by the deadline,” said Araqchi, according to Tasnim news agency. His remarks came in response to statements made Thursday by US undersecretary of state for political affairs Wendy Sherman.
“Undoubtedly, attempting to launch negotiations through media outlets rather than [sitting at the] negotiation table and declaring political demands, once accompanied by illogical excessive demands, will not only help the progress of the talks, but also will make [continuing] the present tough path more difficult or impossible,” the Iranian diplomat said.
On Thursday, Sherman seemed to alternate between skepticism over Iran’s negotiating position and praise for progress made thus far in an address on Thursday.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leaders are embroiled in a war of words over some of the key issues that put Tehran at the top of the West’s agenda.Congressional Democrats Blast White House over Plans to Freeze Congress out of Iran Deal
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is trying to bridge the divide between the parties.
Iranian websites reported that tensions between those in power peaked when military officials hurled curses towards Rouhani, claiming he “sold the Islamic Republic to Americans.”
According to an in-depth report by al-Hayat (Arabic link), Iran faces several crises, contributing to the tension between the leading elites. Schisms have arisen over the expansion of ISIS, the ongoing nuclear negotiations and the possibility of a unilateral declaration of independence by Iraqi Kurdistan. The weakening of Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah in Syria and the battle to become Khamenei’s successor are also contributing to the disharmony.
Top Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday blasted the Obama administration for reportedly planning to circumvent Congress in securing a nuclear deal with Iran that would reduce sanctions on the Islamic republic, after controversy erupted in the wake of a New York Times column assessing that “President Obama will do everything in his power to avoid letting Congress vote on” a nuclear deal between the P5+1 global powers and Iran.Alarm bells ring in France as pro-Vichy book is bestseller
Foreign Policy Magazine conveyed blunt statements from Eliot Engel (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Steve Israel (D-NY), the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee:
“I disagree with the administration’s reported assertion that it does not need to come to Congress at this point during negotiations with Iran,” said New York’s Eliot Engel, the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s top Democrat, in a statement on Tuesday.
“As negotiations continue on a deal to prevent a nuclear Iran, Congress cannot be circumvented,” New York’s Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told Foreign Policy.
Eric Zemmour is, without a doubt, the superstar of right-wing journalism in France.Israel Concludes Long-Delayed Missile Deal with India
The 56-year-old is a columnist for weekly magazine Figaro and a news pundit for RTL, a major private radio station, as well as a frequent guest on political talkshows.
In 2010, when rumours emerged that Figaro was firing him after he allegedly made racist remarks - he had stated on a TV show that "most drugs traffickers are Arabs or blacks" in France - crowds of supporters demonstrated day after day in front of the magazine's office until it became clear that he would keep his job.
Mr Zemmour, who is Jewish, recently published an essay entitled Le Suicide Français ("French Suicide"), a vitriolic attack on both socialists and political conservatives. He turned the piece into a book, and it now tops France's bestseller list, ahead of the latest novel by Patrick Modiano, the winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Literature.
The book is clearly provocative by design, but in one particular assertion Mr Zemmour appears to have gone too far: he writes that the Vichy regime tired to save as many Jews as possible.
A long-delayed missile deal between Israel and India has been completed, according to a report in Ha’aretz yesterday,Israeli firm beats out US in winning lucrative arms deal with India
"The purchase deal was approved by India’s cabinet committee on security matters, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the Times of India.
Under the plan, India will take delivery of 262 Barak 1 missiles over the course of about five years, starting in December of 2015. These will be deployed on the country’s 14 battleships, which have suffered from dwindling missile supplies in recent years, according to the Indian navy."
Ha’aretz describes the deal as “as a significant step by the new government in India; one which could advance diplomatic relations as well as military ties” with Israel. The current deal is estimated to be worth $144 million. Israel is also currently developing the more advanced Barak 8 missile in collaboration with India.
India has opted to buy Israel's Spike anti-tank guided missile, a defense ministry source said on Saturday, rejecting a rival US offer of Javelin missiles that Washington had lobbied hard to win.
India will buy at least 8,000 Spike missiles and more than 300 launchers in a deal worth 32 billion rupees ($525 million), the source said after a meeting of India's Defense Acquisition Council.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's five-month-old government wants to clear a backlog of defense orders and boost India's firepower, amid recent border tensions with China and heavy exchanges of fire with Pakistan across the Kashmiri frontier.
