October 2014 ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Friday, October 31, 2014

10/31 Links Pt2: The academic intifada; Starvation in Gaza? No, Obesity in Gaza; Rafael unveils C-Dome

From Ian:

Alan Dershowitz: A Challenge to Ed Miliband: Would You Protect Great Britain Against Terrorism?

My challenge to Ed Miliband: What would you have done if you were the Prime Minister of a country that faced comparable threats? It is easy to criticize the British Prime Minister for not having opposed Israel’s incursion into Gaza but, as the New York Times reported, (10/23/14) Miliband “did not outline an alternative security response.” Now he must. Would he have waited for dozens of death squads with hundreds of terrorists to enter Israel and wreak havoc on cities, towns and kibbutzim near the Gaza border? Would he have tried to attack the tunnel entrances from the air, despite the fact that many of them were located in mosques, schools, hospitals, private homes and densely populated civilian areas?
The question British voters should ask is: What would Prime Minister Ed Miliband have done? What would he do if Britain were faced with comparable threats? His country, unlike tiny Israel, is an island separated from its traditional enemies by bodies of water. But one can imagine Scottish independent radicals digging tunnels into northeastern England. Or Irish radicals firing rockets into English cities on the West Coast? As opposition leader would Miliband criticize the current prime minister for trying to stop these attacks against British civilians? As Prime Minister would he do nothing and simply call for a cease fire and the resumption of talks, as he did with regard to the Israeli-Hamas conflict?
Miliband also rebuked Cameron for his “silence on the killing of innocent Palestinian civilians caused by Israel’s military action.” But Miliband himself has remained silent on Hamas’ deliberate use of human shields that has been the main cause for why Palestinian civilians were killed. As British military expert Richard Kemp said,
“No army in the world acts with as much discretion and great care as the IDF in order to minimize damage. The U.S. and the UK are careful, but not as much as Israel.”

Melanie Phillips: The academic intifada

The supposed crucible of knowledge, reason and enlightenment has turned into an incubator of hatred and bigotry, falsehoods and incitement, intellectual terrorism and physical violence. What we are seeing is an academic intifada. Yet in the face of this monstrous onslaught on Jewish students and perversion of scholarship to poison young minds against Israel, the leadership of Diaspora Jewry has done precious little.
Campaigners like Benjamin or groups such as Stand- WithUs (at whose meeting I spoke in Toronto this week) have been doing invaluable work countering the lies and helping support the beleaguered Jewish students. But they are doing it virtually alone and unaided. Given the nature and scale of what is going on, the silence from the Jewish community as a whole is quite astonishing.
Jewish leaders should be shouting from the rafters about what is happening on campus. They should be naming and shaming these bigoted lecturers for the hatred and lies they are spreading. They should be calling to account the university vice chancellors for failing to protect their Jewish students. They should be taking legal action against them for betraying their duty of care or allowing incitement of hatred, intimidation and discrimination on their watch. They should be jumping up and down over the way states such as Qatar or Saudi Arabia have twisted university curricula into hate-fueled or extremist propaganda outlets by pouring funds into university coffers.
But Jewish leaders aren’t doing any of this. Too timid to rock the boat, or maybe because they themselves don’t know enough to realize just how heinous are the lies being told about Israel, their instinct is instead often to try to marginalize, isolate or shut down some of these heroic folk trying to combat the falsehoods and intimidation on campus. This is shameful. A huge effort is needed to counter this evil with the hardest of home truths. Time our leaders woke up and smelled the coffee.

Prominent Saudi scholar Abdul Aziz al-Tarifi tweeted this yesterday:

The Umma (the Islamic nation) will not be victorious as long as it is afraid of the Jews, because Allah described them (i.e. the Jews) as cowards, and whoever is afraid of them (of the Jews) is even more afraid of others. [As the Quran says]: "They will not fight you all except within fortified cities or from behind walls."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think he is talking about "Zionists."

So the entire Muslim world is preparing for a religious war against Jews. Sounds like a useful thing to know.

(h/t Ibn Boutros)

Here's the difference between "moderate Arabs" and "radical right wing Zionists"

The supposedly moderate Fatah party headed by that man of peace Mahmoud Abbas called for a "day of rage" on Friday. It appears that this specific one mostly fizzled out, probably because of rain, but here is what Abbas was inciting his people to do:

Saturday night a rally is being called by those "right wing Jewish extremists" in Jerusalem calling for prayers for the recovery of Rabbi Yehufda Glick:

No rock throwing, no Molotov cocktails, no burning tires, no calls for Jews to riot in Arab neighborhoods, no attempts at forcibly entering the Temple Mount.

Maybe those radical Jews should become more "moderate" in order for people to take them as seriously as they take the Arabs.

10/31 Links Pt1: The redhead who wouldn't give up; Hezbollah targeted Jews, Israelis in Peru

From Ian:

Caroline Glick: Being safe while isolated

Before formulating a strategy for dealing with Obama over the next two years, Israelis need to first take a deep breath and recognize that as bad as things are going to get, nothing that Obama will do to us over the next two years is as dangerous as what he has already done. No anti-Israel Security Council resolution, no Obama map of Israel’s borders will endanger Israel as much as his facilitation of Iran’s nuclear program.
As unpleasant as anti-Israel Security Council resolutions will be, and as unpleasant as an Obama framework for Israel’s final borders will be, given the brevity of his remaining time in power, it is highly unlikely that any of the measures will have lasting impact.
At any rate, no matter how upsetting such resolutions may be, Goldberg’s article made clear that Israel should make no concessions to Obama in exchange for a reversal of his plans. Concessions to Obama merely escalate his contempt for us.
Bearing this in mind, Israel’s required actions in the wake of Goldberg’s sources’ warnings are fairly straightforward.
First, to the extent that Israel does have the capacity to damage Iran’s nuclear installations, Israel should act right away. Its capacity should not be saved for a more propitious political moment.
The only clock Israel should care about is Iran’s nuclear clock.
As for the Palestinians, whether Netanyahu’s willingness to stand up to Obama stems from the growing prospect of national elections or from his own determination that there is no point in trying to appease Obama anymore, the fact is that this is the only pragmatic policy for him to follow.
The proper response to the assassination attempt on Yehudah Glick is to allow Jews freedom of worship on the Temple Mount. The proper response to Obama’s nuclear negotiations is a bomb in Natanz. Obama will be angry with Israel for taking such steps. But he is angry with Israel for standing down. At least if we defend ourselves, we will be safe while isolated, rather than unsafe while isolated.

Sarah Honig: Zissel means sweetie

No squawk was raised anywhere about the fact that Abbas’s Fatah movement officially exalted Zissel’s murderer as a ‘heroic martyr.’
Oftentimes what is barely mentioned – if at all – by the world’s media is (or ought to be) as thought-provoking as what the talking heads focus on with undisguised relish.
The fetching face of three-months-old Chaya Zissel Braun, for example, was missing from front pages around the globe and it was never featured on any foreign TV news outlets. She was murdered (as was 22-year-old student Karen Yemima Mosquera) last week by an Arab terrorist who homicidally rammed his vehicle into a crowd of passengers waiting at a light rail stop in the capital. But to observers abroad this amounted to dog bites man.
Uninteresting. Been there. Heard that before. Jewish whines. Who cares? Newsroom groupthink doesn’t only trickle down to conformist reporters on the scene who quickly figure out what the chiefs want to hear and what they shouldn’t be bothered with. The signals from atop the journalistic hierarchy determine for news consumers what constitutes news and what does not.
Media linchpins put together the current-events agenda and they shape mass awareness. Perforce they dictate public opinion. What doesn’t pass through their selective filter will forever remain esoteric knowledge – even in these days of social networking on the World Wide Web.
The cruel fate of little Zissel – whose name means “sweetie” in Yiddish and who hadn’t yet cut her first tooth – won’t be discussed by most Facebook users or by Twitter addicts. Nothing will make Zissel a cause célèbre in the Land of the Free, not even her American citizenship.
The abduction and coldblooded execution of another American citizen this summer, teenage schoolboy Naftali Fraenkel, equally failed to elicit extraordinary sympathy in the Home of the Brave.

Hezbollah operative targeted Jews, Israelis in Peru

Peruvian authorities arrested a suspected Hezbollah operative in the capital of Lima earlier this week on suspicion of planning attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets.
The man, Mohammed Amadar, a Lebanese citizen, was apprehended in the street by anti-terror police, Haaretz reported Thursday, citing the local La Republica newspaper.
A search of his apartment discovered TNT, detonators and flammable substances.
The suspect had been gathering intelligence on places frequented by Israeli hikers and on Jewish institutions. Authorities said they were questioning Amadar to learn more about his intended targets.

European Antisemitism and the Void of Jewish Leadership (guest post)

A guest post from "Jewish Peoplehood:"

Summer 2014 marked a dramatic increase of anti-Semitic incidents is Europe. In July alone, anti-Semitic attacks rose by 400% in the UK and doubled in France. The atmosphere in Europe could be likened to those of the 1930s. Thousands marched the streets yelling "Hitler was right! Jews to the gas!" Synagogues and Jewish schools were firebombed. Those who appeared to be Jewish were physically assaulted, including rabbis and elder women.

(SOURCE)

Throughout all of these escalating attacks, I was struck by the silence and inaction of European Jewish organizations, the various groups sworn to protect, support, and represent European Jewry. Groups whose primary tasks include combating anti-Semitism, an issue that after thousands of years, prompts a need for preemptive measures.

But the groups' response to anti-Semitism could only be described as lackluster. In a time when the European Jewish community must call on their elected leaders and institutions, little was done in response. Which did in fact lead to grassroots action from younger generations of Jews, but also highlights the shortcomings of diplomatic Jewish groups.

A few examples would be the European Jewish Congress, Coordinating Committee of Jewish Organizations in Belgium (CCOJB), and the Board of Deputies in the UK.

The European Jewish Congress did little more than release very occasional statements of condemnation in response to anti-Semitic attacks, despite their diplomatic status. Although it seems that recently they have been more in touch with their communities.

In Belgium, as Jews were attacked and refused basic services, the primary group CCOJB were either unable or reluctant to become involved in the struggle.

In the UK, which had an extremely high rate of anti-Semitic attacks, the Board of Deputies was able to do little to combat the steady tide of hate. Perhaps they were simply ill prepared, but anti-Semitism is not a novel issue in the UK, preventive planning is expected. The Jewish community took to the internet to speak out against the Board, claiming them to be impotent.

Even people from outside of Europe and heads of Muslim communities came to these events! That's a serious absence on the part of the EJC. They seem to be missing the mark on many fronts,

The scope of Jewish groups' impotency can also be seen on Twitter, where they have few followers and post very occasional tweets that seem quite abstracted from the real world fight Jews are going through.

Twitter is known to be the social media front-line of the anti-Semitic battle. Any engagement referring to Jews or Israel is immediately hijacked into an anti-Semitic rant, and that’s not to mention the countless original posts stating that Jews drink children’s blood…or calling for the gassing of Jews.

It is of grave importance that Jewish groups have a strong presence, and use that presence to combat the ever-present tide of anti-Semitic hate.

Now, on a positive note, we can and should expect these groups to rise to action. Their lack of preparedness this summer serves as a wake-up call. If they don't heed it, they will become obsolete.

Bibi's response to anonymous US official calling him "chickenshit" (video)

I find it striking that even during what so many people want to consider an unprecedented crisis in US-Israel relations, Israeli leaders still go out of their way to emphasize how much they consider the US a friend and how much Israel has in common with America.

I once illustrated this with a series of posters:

The question has to be asked: why has Israel been the recipient of more vitriolic insults from US political leaders than the many nations who hate America? Why have we never heard any such insults of the leaders of Russia or Iran or Saudi Arabia - or France for that matter?

NYT takes four months to issue a simple correction of an Ali Abunimah lie

From CAMERA:

The New York Times yesterday corrected an article by its journalist Robert Mackey, who had approvingly relayed a misquotation by anti-Israel extremist Ali Abunimah.

Shortly after three Israeli teens were kidnapped in the West Bank, Mackey shared on his New York Times blog Abunimah's allegation that a popular Israeli Facebook page called for the arbitrary murder of Palestinians. "Kill a Palestinian ‘every hour,' says new Israeli Facebook page liked by 18,000," Abunimah claimed on Twitter.

...The Facebook page's tagline actually states, in Hebrew rhyme, "Until the boys return — every hour we shoot a terrorist."

After CAMERA informed New York Times editors of the mistranslation, the newspaper published the following correction:

Correction: October 28, 2014
An earlier version of this post referred imprecisely to an Israeli Facebook page demanding retribution for the abduction of the Israeli teenagers that was cited by Ali Abuminah, a Palestinian-American activist, in a Twitter post. The Facebook page urged Israelis to kill a Palestinian prisoner held on terrorism charges every hour; in his tweet, Mr. Abuminah referred to the proposed victims as simply "Palestinian."

It took four months for the New York Times to figure out what the Facebook page actually said?

At the time, I noted that Vanity Fair made the same accusation, and that it also seemed to be sourced to Abunimah. Yet Vanity Fair at least issued a correction within a day or two.

And as I mentioned then, the English-language "About" description of the Facebook page said explicitly that it was referring to terrorists. The NYT didn't even need to find someone in New York City that knows Hebrew to find out that Ali Abunimah's assertion was a lie.

So why did it take four months for the New York Times to get this corrected, way past the time that anyone would read the original article?

Even Haaretz issues its many corrections in a more timely manner than the Times.

It seems likely that Robert Mackey, whose NYT blog this was written on, resisted the change. Because the truth is not exactly what interests him - the story of Jews wanting vigilante justice in killing innocent Arabs was too good to check.

On Thursday, the same Ali Abunimah who was caught in this lie published a bizarre conspiracy theory to exonerate the shooter of Yehuda Glick. It puts 9/11 conspiracy theorists to shame, but like them, it of course blames Jews for the shooting. Check out this part:

According to “eyewitnesses” quoted in Haaretz’s Hebrew edition, the assailant asked Glick “Are you Yehuda Glick?” before firing three shots.

The four words in Hebrew are “Ha’im ata Yehuda Glick?”

The assailant also reportedly said, “Yehuda, you annoy me” – in Hebrew, “Yehuda, ‘itsbanta oti.”

Except for one instance of the letter ‘ayn, these two phrases do not contain any of the consonants whose pronunciation easily distinguishes a native Arabic speaker of Hebrew.

“If indeed a pharyngeal ‘ayn was pronounced, that could indicate an Arabic accent,” Uri Horesh, linguist and assistant professor of Arabic at Northwestern University, told The Electronic Intifada. “But it could also indicate the accent of a Jewish Israeli of Arab descent.”

Wow! Some Israelis come from Arab countries, and have similar accents, so it could have been an Israeli that shot Glick! What more proof do you need? (The motive, of course, is a false flag attack. Really.)

Yet even though this post is only one among many that prove that Abunimah is an unhinged hater whose grasp of reality is worse than tenuous, reporters who write for the New York Times and Vanity Fair and many others believe him implicitly.

Anyone who swallows Abunimah's idiotic ramblings can only do so if they have a similar bias to begin with. And that, in short, is why it takes four months to get the New York Times to issue a simple correction that anyone who bothered to visit the actual Facebook page could have done in four minutes.

The most heinous crime in the history of history

The latest insanity from Jordan:

Jordan on Thursday accused Israel of "state terrorism" after it closed Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the third holiest site in Islam.

Jordan's Islamic affairs minister, Hayel Daoud, denounced the Jewish state for "closing the gates of Al-Aqsa mosque and preventing the faithful from entering", state news agency Petra reported.

He urged the international community to help Jordan put pressure on Israel "to raise the terrorist blockade" imposed on the compound.

"This is a dangerous escalation by the authorities of the occupation and state terrorism that we can neither accept nor keep silent about," Daoud said.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas called the unprecedented closure tantamount to a "declaration of war".

The constant exaggeration of Arab leaders in coming up with new insults for Israel is a very serious crime and we can no longer remain silent.

Jordan's and Mahmoud Abbas' statements are rhetorical genocide. They are truly a critical case of verbal terrorism which violates all norms of human decency and international law. To trivialize the very meanings of words purely in order to demonize a single state is definitely the worst case of verbicide in recorded history. Words and phrases are being slaughtered en masse, and exaggerations are being expounded by the trillions, in what can only be called a language holocaust, or logocaust if you will. These highly tendentious accusations hurled daily at Israel are truly the worst thing that humanity has ever done, or is ever likely to do, in all recorded time. In the name of all that is decent, human and just, it is well past time to demand that all UN members unanimously declare these discourse criminals to be in direct violation of all international laws, treaties, agreements and customs since the beginning of recorded time.

Without every one of these things being done, many times, decent people cannot be held responsible for the natural, visceral responses they might have to being confronted with the most heinous acts ever done by human beings. And you know I am right, because it says it right here, in words, available for billions to see online.

10/30 Links Pt2: International Law is Not a Suicide Pact; Israeli university to challenge ASA boycott in LA

From Ian:

International Law is Not a Suicide Pact

It is always tempting for those who know absolutely nothing about international law to lash out viscerally at Israel. Yet, trained legal scholars do understand the profound jurisprudential significance of context. Correct judgments under international law are never made in isolation.
It is apparent, then, that any seemingly disproportionate use of force by the Israel Defense Forces during Protective Edge was the outcome of prior perfidy committed by Palestinian terrorist forces in Gaza. Also noteworthy is that in any careful comparison to the current U.S. led war on ISIS terror, Israeli counter-terrorist operations have remained substantially limited.
International law is not a suicide pact. Faced with Palestinian terrorists in Gaza who still make no secret of their genocidal intentions, Israel still displays persistently marked restraint. In contrast to the witting indiscriminacy of Arab terrorists in Gaza, and to undisguised Palestinian perfidy, Israel takes very great care to minimize civilian harms. This self-imposed Israeli limitation on armed force is codified and followed as IDF "Purity of Arms," even when the consequent risks to Israel's soldiers are multiplied and enlarged.
In the manner of every other country in world politics, Israel maintains an unqualified right under international law to protect its citizens. Until now, in exercising this fully "peremptory" right, Jerusalem's use of military force has remained closely measured and controlled. It follows that the international community should finally begin to shift its allegedly jurisprudential concerns from the crudely deceptive mantras of "lawfare," and focus instead on the still-escalating criminality of Palestinian terrorism.

5 Facts That Prove Jerusalem Was NEVER A Muslim Holy City Or An Arab Capital!

Let’s play a game of association.
What is the first thing that comes to mind when I say JERUSALEM?
If your answer was “Holy City”, then you are either Jewish or you believe in the Jewish connection to the city of Jerusalem. If you are Christian, Jerusalem is holy to you because Jesus, who was a Jew, lived there. Therefore, it is holy as the Jewish capital and the home of the two Jewish Temples that stood in Jerusalem.
If you are a Muslim, I am sure you are probably offended by the mere suggestion that Jerusalem was NEVER a Muslim holy city or an Arab capital of any kind, but since you cannot hurt me or blow me up, you’re going to have to face these historical truths and be content with writing violent reactions in the comments section below.

While Threats to Israel Surge, So Does Christian Zionism, Says CUFI’s Hagee

While anti-Semitism in Europe and anti-Zionism on U.S. college campuses are on the upswing, how is American Christian support for Israel trending? Stronger than ever, says the founder of the country’s largest pro-Israel organization.
“I can assure you that the evangelical Christians of America support Israel right now in a more aggressive mood than at any time in my lifetime,” Pastor John Hagee, national chairman of the 1.8-million member Christians United for Israel (CUFI), said in an interview with JNS.org.
Hagee’s assessment of the pulse of Christian Zionism came one day after 5,000 people attended the 33rd annual “A Night to Honor Israel” at Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, TX. CUFI’s goal is to facilitate that same program in every major U.S. city.
“We want to send the message to the world and to the Jewish people that Christians are standing up for the state of Israel and the Jewish people at home and abroad,” Hagee said. “It’s not conversation. It’s action.”

Christian priest tells UN: "Israel is the only Mideast country not persecuting Christians"

Muslim fanaticism rewarded, Again.

It is astonishing how extreme Muslim fanaticism is now simply accepted as mainstream by the world - and it even gets rewarded.

I'm not talking about ISIS or Al Qaeda. The world will offer lip service as to how awful those groups are.

But the activities in Israel and the territories over the past day have shown that fanaticism by the "good Muslims" is simply accepted without question, while the only vitriolic words are about the man who was marked for murder because he wanted Jews to have equal rights.

Only Yehuda Glick is being called "right-wing activist" and "ultranationalist" and "hardline rabbi" The person who attempted to murder him is more sympathetically portrayed as a former prisoner who was shot and killed in a hail of bullets.

Glick never called to kill anyone. He did not call for Muslims to be banned from Judaism's holiest spot. Al he demanded was that Jews have the same rights on the Mount as Muslims do. But you will be hard pressed to find any media outlet that bothers to point out that Glick is on the side of basic human rights - and rights that are enshrined in international law.

No, that narrative is forbidden. Jews asserting their rights are right wing fanatics.

Meanwhile, Muslims are raging - because Israeli police killed a real fanatic, a man who seemingly in response to the incitement by Mahmoud Abbas decided to attack a symbol of Jewish equal rights. I have not found one Arab voice condemning the assassination attempt on Rabbi Glick's life.

But Mahmoud Abbas' "moderate" Fatah party is calling for a "day of rage" at the killing of the would-be assassin, Mu’atez Hijazi.

Think about that. These "moderates" are calling for riots to support a terrorist.

The Temple Mount has been a source for riots by Muslims incensed at the idea of Jews having any human rights. Israeli police are needed to protect the Jews from murderous Muslim "worshippers." It was natural for Israel to close down the site to head off more riots - but, of course, that just became another excuse for more threats, more violence and more incitement.

The State Department didn't express confidence that Israeli authorities were doing their best to handle the situation. It didn't come out with a public statement that the holy site should be open to all, without any threats or intimidation. It didn't condemn the calls for violence and incitement by murderous Muslim Arabs.

No, the State Department rewarded the violence and threats by calling on Israel to open the Temple Mount for Muslim prayer. Not all prayer - Muslim prayer.

Anyone who looks at the situation objectively can see who are the fanatics and who are the levelheaded, who cares about rights and who tramples on them. But the adjectives that accompany the media stories on the topic indicate the exact opposite. The public statements by politicians indicate the exact opposite.

Israel truly is a Bizarro universe where the truth gets twisted into lies as a matter of course, and practically no one on the planet has the tools to step back and look at the situation objectively. Human rights" NGOs disregard the human rights of Jews; Israel's greatest friend ignores the facts and backs the actions of the people who support would-be assassins.

Insanity has become the norm when it comes to Jewish rights.

Hamas has announced that it is continuing to build terror tunnels despite the restrictions on cement being imported into Gaza being earmarked for specific projects.

The group triumphantly reported that it has managed to create a domestic brick manufacturing industry. Its testing found that red bricks, fired in local kilns from clay that is easily available in Gaza, have similar strength properties as the cement that had previously been used to build terror tunnels.

This new development is being hailed by Hamas media as a "big blow" to international efforts to ensure that tunnel materials aren't being diverted to the terror group.

Think about this for a minute. Hamas has come up with a way to build without cement, with bricks that are completely locally manufactured - and it is using this method exclusively for terror.

People use bricks in Sudan and Egypt, so there is no reason at all that Gaza houses cannot be built out of brick. (For that matter, I never understood why wood frame houses are not considered viable for Gaza.)

The thousands of houses that need to be repaired or rebuilt can use the bricks Hamas is firing, today, but instead part of the "unity government" chooses to prioritize rebuilding a terror infrastructure.

Moreover, UNRWA and the many other NGOs in Gaza could have been using their large budgets to create this local industry to alleviate housing problems - and they are not doing that. (UNRWA once had a pilot program to build mud houses that coudl last 100 years. While they were limited to one story they were quite beautiful, but I haven't heard anything about that since 2010.)

Could it be that UNRWA and the other NGOs want to keep Gazans dependent on them? After all, independent Gazans mean less need for UNRWA - and fewer opportunities for fundraising.

10/30 Links Pt1: Obama is seeking a confrontation with Israel; PLO submits resolution to UNSC

From Ian:

Isi Leibler: Obama is seeking a confrontation with Israel

Yes, there is constant tension and endless recriminations bouncing between the US administration and Israel. And according to Goldberg, there is now even the threat that the US “may actually withdraw diplomatic cover for Israel at the United Nations.”
The government has made every effort to avoid aggravating the situation, but Israel is a sovereign democratic nation and there are occasions when it must reject unrealistic or dangerous demands from the US.
Netanyahu should be commended for his extraordinary diplomatic balancing act in withstanding the unreasonable pressure from Obama and Kerry, avoiding outright confrontations and in so doing, retaining the support of American public opinion and Congress.
Israel is a small country and its people are aware that the US is crucial to their survival. But does that oblige us to forfeit our self-respect or sovereignty and fawn on an administration that repeatedly displays its contempt for us and humiliates us? We should display unity by supporting our prime minister’s policy of rejecting further territorial concessions until the Palestinian leaders separate from Hamas, engage in negotiations and display flexibility to enable us to achieve our security requirements. We will not be denied the right to construct homes in our capital or in the major settlement blocs, which will remain within Israel. We seek the support of the US but we must retain our sovereignty.

David Horovitz: Obama and Netanyahu: A fractured alliance becomes open conflict

Netanyahu hopes to outlast Obama’s second term, and hopes the administration will be somewhat constrained in the aftermath of the midterm elections — which may be a major calculation since, while Obama might become something of a lame duck president, that could also mean he would have nothing to lose. The Obama administration hopes (however implausibly) that Israelis will sober up and rid themselves of a leadership it deems to have ducked the “very difficult choices” that Obama urged on Netanyahu in a nastily timed interview with Goldberg in March. (That piece appeared as the prime minister was on a plane headed to meet the president at the White House. Notably, there was no similar Obama interview focused on Abbas’s failures when the PA president visited Washington soon after.)
Two leaderships, each interested in seeing the back of the other. Two leaderships of nations that certainly still have shared interests, but no longer consistently find common cause in advancing and protecting those interests. Two leaderships of nations that also used to highlight their shared common values, but with a US administration now making crystal clear that it feels Israel under Netanyahu is moving away from those shared democratic, human rights-upholding, peace-loving values.
Truly a dismal state of affairs, with potentially dire repercussions — most especially for Israel, which needs the US far more (diplomatically, militarily, economically, existentially) than the US needs Israel. Truly a fractured alliance.

Mordechai Kedar: Behind the Attempt to Assassinate Yehuda Glick

Why did Islamists target Yehuda Glick? And what does it tell us about Israeli Arab plans for Israel and Jerusalem?
The plan for the attempted assassination of Yehuda Glick is just one phase of the long term struggle for Jerusalem between an Islam that sees itself as the true religion on the one hand, and the very existence of Judaism (and Christianity) - false religions in Islamic eyes - on the other.
In its own eyes, Islam came into the world not in order to stand alongside Judaism and Christianity, but to supplant them, and empty them of substance, assets and founding figures so that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Jesus and John are all Muslims in Islamic discourse. The Temple Mount has turned into a mosque, and several hundred churches (in Ramle, Damascus, Istanbul, Spain and more) were changed into mosques by Muslim conquerors.
In the view of radical Islamists, several setbacks occurred during the twentieth century: in 1948 the Jews, using military might and aided by the Christians (British) conquered the holy land of Palestine and in1967 they won Jerusalem, and we know the next step, they claim - they will build their temple and Judaism will again become a viable religion. That poses a theological danger to radical Islamists whose raison d'être is the destruction of Judaism (and Christianity). Therefore, the radical Islamist struggle for Jerusalem in general and the Temple Mount in particular is a theological one more than it is a political, nationalist or territorial struggle. He who does not - or will not - understand this, is hiding his head in the sand.

PA says closure of Temple Mount (to Muslims) a "war crime".and a "declaration of war" )(update)

Israeli police closed the Temple Mount altogether today for the first time, perhaps the first time in history.

It looks a lot better than usual

The Palestinian Authority is condemning the closure.

The head of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas said that Jerusalem and the Islamic and Christian holy sites are a red line whose compromise will not be accepted.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the official spokesman for the presidency, said "we hold the Israeli government responsible for the dangerous escalation in the occupied city of Jerusalem, which peaked with the close the Al-Aqsa Mosque, on Thursday morning."

He said that this decision by Israel to close the Al-Aqsa Mosque for the first time is is a blatant challenge and grave act, which will lead to more tension and instability and the creation of a negative and dangerous atmosphere.

Abu Rudainah said that the state of Palestine will take all legal measures to hold Israel accountable, and to stop these repeated attacks.

He called for the international community to take immediate action to stop this aggression, because the continuation of the Israeli aggression and dangerous escalation is tantamount to a declaration of war on the Palestinian people and their sanctities and the Arab and Islamic nations.

A separate article from the official PA Wafa news agency says that the closing of the Mount is a war crime!

Professor of International Law, Dr. Hanna Issa said that the closure of the occupation forces of the Al-Aqsa Mosque to the entire congregation on Thursday is a war crime.

Issa, who also serves as the Secretary General of the Islamic Christian support of Jerusalem and holy sites, said in a press statement: "this occupation's actions are contrary to the principles and rules of international humanitarian law, as the Al-Aqsa Mosque falls under the provisions of the Hague Agreement of 1899, and 1907, as they apply the provisions of the fourth Geneva Conventions of 1949, and its protocols, as part of East Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967, in addition to the applicability of the Hague Convention for the protection of cultural property during armed conflicts of 1954."

As usual, these are lies. In fact, the Muslims' firing small rockets from within the Al Aqsa Mosque is the only violation of international law I could find:

1. The High Contracting Parties undertake to respect cultural property situated within their own territory as well as within the territory of other High Contracting Parties by refraining from any use of the property and its immediate surroundings or of the appliances in use for its protection for purposes which are likely to expose it to destruction or damage in the event of armed conflict; and by refraining from any act of hostility, directed against such property.

2. The obligations mentioned in paragraph 1 of the present Article may be waived only in cases where military necessity imperatively requires such a waiver.

It sounds more like Israel is obligated to stop Muslims from using the mosque as a headquarters to incite and fight from.

So to sum it up:

Jews who want to worship on their holiest site are "extremist storming settlers" who must be stopped in the interests of peace.
Muslims who use the Al Aqsa Mosque to praise terror and to stockpile incendiary devices are peaceful worshippers who must have free access.
A Muslim-only Temple Mount is desirable.
Keeping it open it to all faiths is a declaration of war.
Blocking Jews from worshipping there is necessary for peace.
Blocking Muslims from worshipping there is a war crime.

Virtually the entire world agrees with every single one of these contradictory bullet points. Then again, these points aren't inconsistent if you believe that Muslims have religious rights and Jews do not.

UPDATE: Here we see Mahmoud Abbas' incitement that led to the shooting of Yehuda Glick:

(h/t Yoel)

Fatah celebrates "hero" who shot Glick (update)

Here are several Fatah posters celebrating the "martyrdom" of the "hero" who shot Yehuda Glick.

It is very clear that the terrorist is considered as if he was doing exactly what Fatah leaders and PA president Mahmoud Abbas instructed his people on October 17, when he said that Palestinians must "defend" Al Aqsa "by all means."

A Fatah group released a statement:

"Of the believers are men true to their covenant with Allah; Some died and some of them waiting for the same path."
We proudly mourn hero martyr. Shahid in Jerusalem son of Palestine. And the son of Fatah Moataz Ibrahim Hijazi

(As usual, the posters don't depict the Al Aqsa Mosque but the Dome of the Rock. Most Muslims do not know the difference, which is strange if it is the "third holiest spot in Islam.")

UPDATE: Islamic Jihad said that Glick "got what he deserved," and posted this image praising the attack:

The caption says "Yehuda Glick is in danger and all 'Israelis' after him" a variant on the constant Arab refrain "Al Aqsa is in danger."

They also reported that Jerusalemites handed out candy and shot fireworks upon hearing the news. (I had heard rumors about that but had not seen it reported before.)

(h/t Bob K, Ibn Boutros)

From AFP:

Egypt began setting up a buffer zone along its border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday following a wave of deadly attacks.

The move, which will see about 800 homes demolished, comes in the wake of a suicide bombing in the Sinai Peninsula Friday that killed at least 30 soldiers.

800 homes demolished in the next few days? Israel has never demolished so many in so little time.

Yet over the years there have been numerous NGOs and reports about Israel's home demolitions - and no one cares about Egypt's. There are no groups popping up where young idealistic moronic college students volunteer to act as human shields to protect these homes.

Indeed, no one cares about Egypt's demolishing homes for security purposes.

Egypt is offering compensation, not that owners have much choice:

North Sinai Governor Abdel Fattah Harhour said that 802 houses on the border were evacuated, adding that 65 percent of the residents agreed to leave in return for material compensation and 29 percent in return for alternative land plots in the Medicinal Plants area in Rafah, while the rest will be given social housing units.

“Each family will be given LE300 to rent other places for a temporary period of three months,” he said, adding that they would also be compensated with LE1,200 per square meter for concrete buildings, LE700 per square meter for buildings bearing walls and LE100 per square meter of the land on which those buildings were erected.

“But 78 buildings will not be compensated because they have tunnels concealed underneath them,” he said.

Here we now are given statistics for acceptable collective punishment when Egypt does it. Less than 10% of the homes being demolished were used for tunnel activities, and over 90% have to pay!

Then again, Egypt is also punishing 1.7 million Gazans for the terror activities of only a few thousand. SO perhaps that's the acceptable figure for these sorts of calculations.

Has there ever been a nation in history judged by as many double standards as Israel?

10/29 Links Pt2: UNRWA Goes to War; Israel and the war of words; Hamas' mafia tactics

From Ian:

UNRWA-Hamas Symbiosis Detailed in New Film

In a new documentary video entitled UNRWA Goes to War, journalist David Bedein builds a seemingly incontestable case against UNRWA, showing the close symbiotic relations between it and the terror group Hamas.
The video shows that not only did UNRWA schools serve as repositories for rockets in the last Gaza war, and not only were rockets launched from places adjacent to UNRWA institutions – the students at the schools are themselves educated to hate Israel and aspire to destroy it.
Bedein launched a scathing attack on UNRWA in a video he produced and published three years ago, earning a furious rebuttal from the UN group.
“While the UNRWA slogan is 'Peace Starts Here,' a more appropriate slogan would be 'War Starts with UNRWA,'” the film charges. It shows footage of what it says are UNRWA elementary school students participating in military-style displays in plain sight of their teachers, in afterschool activities organized by Hamas.

UNRWA Goes to War

Vote for the Dishonest Reporter of 2014

Now’s the time to vote for the Dishonest Reporter of 2014. It’s our annual recognition of the year’s most skewed and biased coverage of Israel and the Mideast conflict. Make your voice heard and we’ll announce the ignoble winners by the end of the year.
Vote for one reporter or news service, along with a brief reason for your choice. This year’s nominees are:
1. The Lancet: for publishing an open letter about Gaza by avowed anti-Semites.
2. Channel 4: for Jon Snow’s over-the-top Gaza video.
3. New York Times: for turning Gaza’s casualty count into a game of numbers.
4. Washington Post: for publishing an op-ed — on the Jewish new year — calling for the end of the Jewish state.
5. Haaretz: for using its politicized agenda as a marketing tool.

Elliott Abrams:Liberty and the Palestinian Authority

Even Human Rights Watch, whose bias against Israel is notorious, had to acknowledge basic facts about the PA:
"Complaints of torture and ill-treatment by West Bank PA security services persisted. ... PA security services and men in civilian clothes identified as security employees violently dispersed peaceful protests and arbitrarily detained protesters and journalists. ... Palestinian courts did not find any West Bank security officers responsible for torture, arbitrary detention, or prior cases of unlawful deaths in custody."
Donors to the PA do not like to acknowledge and discuss these violation of human rights by the PA, because they do not fit into the usual narrative that Palestinians want and deserve self-government, but are denied it by Israel, and the only problem for the cause of liberty is the Israeli occupation.
Simple, but wrong. The PA itself is an increasingly repressive entity, with Abbas abusing the powers of his office to fight political enemies (and protect corruption). This is not exactly news, but until it is recognized and fought by donors it will continue and expand. It's ironic that all those groups, especially in Europe, who consider themselves champions of Palestinian rights wish only to condemn Israel -- while they continue to ignore the threat to Palestinians that emerges from their own officials and government bodies.

Jennifer Rubin: Forget the ‘peace process,’ Palestinians need reform

First, decades of anti-Semitic propaganda and enticement to violence have had predictable results. A large segment of the Palestinian population’s world view is at odds with reality. Thanks to ceaseless propaganda and censorship of outside news, they continue to subsume facts (Hamas’s defeat) to propaganda. Attitudes toward Israel have hardened, making compromise virtually impossible.
Second, insisting the Palestinians want and are prepared for peace does not help. In fact it cements the notion that their current mindset is sufficient for a peaceful resolution. It is not. The emphasis from the West should be on institution-building and civil society in Palestinian communities, including one would hope, a free media.

The bottom line is that peace will be the result of a successful process of replacing the toxic political environment created by Abbas and Hamas with a functioning society with a free flow of ideas. Political and economic improvements can change Palestinian attitudes about their own future and about Israel. Mindlessly returning to the same failed “peace process” makes things worse, which is what you can say for just about every feature of the Middle East policy of the Obama administration.

From JPost:

Rabbi Yehuda Glick, spokesman for the Joint Committee of Temple Organizations – is in serious condition after being shot in front of the capital’s Menachem Begin Heritage Center Wednesday night.

According to police, the shooting took place at approximately 10:30 p.m. outside the memorial center, located near the Old City, by a suspect riding a motor bike who fled the scene.

Glick, who has a long history of advocating for Jewish prayer rights at the Temple Mount, spoke Wednesday evening at the Begin Center alongside MKs Eliyahu Ben-Dahan, Moshe Feiglin and Miri Regev at an event titled “Israel Returns to the Temple Mount.”

TOI adds:

Glick had finished a speech at a conference at the Begin Center, entitled “Israel returns to the Temple Mount.” Eyewitnesses said that after the event a man with an Arabic accent approached Glick and asked him for his identity. The man then shot the victim, got on the motorcycle and fled.

Glick was taken to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center in serious condition. After undergoing surgery, a hospital official said Glick was in serious but condition and his life remained in danger

Rabbi Glick often tours the Temple Mount, and Arabic media hate him more than anyone since Ariel Sharon. People who read only the English-language media have no idea how much he is loathed, because he asserts Jewish rights to their holiest spot - and Muslims want to deny Jews that right. This desire is more important to them than land or peace. The hysterical Muslim reactions to Jews visiting, and occasionally praying, on the Temple Mount is not logical - it is based purely on hatred of Jews. This basic fact is ignored by the media because it just doesn't sound good. But especially if you read the Arabic media, this is clear.

Less than two weeks ago, "Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas on Friday called on his people to prevent Israeli settlers from entering Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque and use 'all means' to protect the site." The progressive community scoffed at Israelis who claimed that this was incitement to violence.

As usual, the Israelis were right. Abbas literally called on his people to do what was done tonight.

His name for prayers is Yehuda Yehoshua ben Rivka Ita Breindel.

This Twitter thread explains the NYT opinion page well

This would be remarkable, if we haven't seen this bizarre NYT bias for years.

The original tweet by Matt Seaton, staff editor for the NY Times Opinion page, refers back to the absurdly biased and inaccurate op-ed I wrote about yesterday. Tamar Sternthal works for CAMERA.

Even Human Rights Watch pretends that Palestinian Arabs have responsibilities and not only rights. The New York Times can't even stomach that.

Egypt To Create Buffer Zone Between Its UN Delegation And Ecuador’s (PreOccupied Territory)

Our weekly column from the humor site PreOccupied Territory.

Check out their Facebook page.

New York, October 29 - Banking on the success of an initiative in the Rafah area to shield Egypt from the unpleasantness emanating from a neighboring entity, the country's delegation to the United Nations plans to create a similar zone between its representatives and those of Ecuador, which occupies the position adjacent to Egypt in the General Assembly hall.

The move comes on the heels of an announcement that Egypt will force residents out of their homes and raze the structures to create an area through which terrorist organizations will be hard-pressed to move fighters and materiel. Egypt has been battling Islamist militants in the Sinai Peninsula and directly accuses the Palestinian movement Hamas of participating in or supporting attacks on Egyptian security personnel that have killed hundreds. With the buffer zone project expected to sharply curtail Islamist movement into Egypt from the Gaza Strip, the Sisi government turned its attention to the General Assembly, where the UN delegation's staff have been complaining of inconsiderate or unpleasant behavior emanating from the neighboring delegation.

According to Egyptian representatives, the objectionable conduct includes shooting spitballs, making armpit farts, derogatory wisecracks about the Egyptians under their breath, and on at least two occasions, leaving thumbtacks lying point-up on the Egyptians' seats.

The delegates say they have repeatedly attempted to resolve the situation with the Ecuadorean representatives, to no avail. A petition to the Undersecretary General, under whose aegis such matters fall, accomplished nothing, the Egyptians claim, other than prompting the Ecuador delegation to increase the intensity of their objectionable behavior. In the wake of the formal petition the Egyptians report whoopie cushions left on their seats and a lit joint flicked in their direction. None of the Egyptian delegates saw the joint being flung, but it came from the direction of the Ecuador delegation, and the only other nation in that direction is the Dominican Republic across the next aisle, whose representatives have not been known to compromise the Assembly's dignity in such a manner.

The plan calls for Egypt to evict one of its representatives from the innermost seat, abutting the Ecuadoreans, and construct a double chain-link and barbed-wire fence all the way to the ceiling. The two fences will be separated by almost a meter of space, and between them Egypt intends to place sensors and conduct several patrols daily.

The episode recalls earlier tensions between the United States and Tanzania, who sit across an aisle from each other. In the 1980's each of the delegations tried to stain the others' suits with strategically directed squirts from Caprisun and Hawaiian Punch drink packages. Delegates from the nearby sections assigned to Algeria and Andorra submitted repeated requests to be moved after suffering from errant volleys and running up significant dry cleaning bills, but the Assembly president refused to deviate from the alphabetical arrangement that governs seating.

10/29 Links Pt1: Palestinians: Stop the Children's Intifada!; Obama, Not Bibi, Created U.S.-Israel Crisis

From Ian:

Khaled Abu Toameh: Palestinians: Stop the Children's Intifada!

The exploitation of children in the fight against Israel has attracted little attention from the international community and the media. Human rights groups and the UN have chosen to turn a blind eye to this human rights abuse. Instead of condemning it, these groups are busy denouncing Israel for targeting minors.
This strategy works out well for Hamas and Fatah, who can always blame Israel for "deliberately targeting" Palestinian children — an allegation the media in the West often endorses without asking questions.
Even more worrying is that the Palestinian groups often reward the families, who then become less motivated to stop their children from risking their lives.
Adult activists who encourage and send children to take part in violence should be held accountable, not only by Israel but by their own people. If these adults want an intifada, they should be the first to go out and confront Israeli policemen and soldiers.

Jeffrey Goldberg: The Crisis in U.S.-Israel Relations Is Officially Here

The other day I was talking to a senior Obama administration official about the foreign leader who seems to frustrate the White House and the State Department the most. “The thing about Bibi is, he’s a chickenshit,” this official said, referring to the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, by his nickname.
This comment is representative of the gloves-off manner in which American and Israeli officials now talk about each other behind closed doors, and is yet another sign that relations between the Obama and Netanyahu governments have moved toward a full-blown crisis. The relationship between these two administrations— dual guarantors of the putatively “unbreakable” bond between the U.S. and Israel—is now the worst it's ever been, and it stands to get significantly worse after the November midterm elections. By next year, the Obama administration may actually withdraw diplomatic cover for Israel at the United Nations, but even before that, both sides are expecting a showdown over Iran, should an agreement be reached about the future of its nuclear program.
The fault for this breakdown in relations can be assigned in good part to the junior partner in the relationship, Netanyahu, and in particular, to the behavior of his cabinet. Netanyahu has told several people I’ve spoken to in recent days that he has “written off” the Obama administration, and plans to speak directly to Congress and to the American people should an Iran nuclear deal be reached. For their part, Obama administration officials express, in the words of one official, a “red-hot anger” at Netanyahu for pursuing settlement policies on the West Bank, and building policies in Jerusalem, that they believe have fatally undermined Secretary of State John Kerry’s peace process.

Obama, Not Bibi, Created U.S.-Israel Crisis

The real reason to target Netanyahu is that it is easier to scapegoat the Israelis than to own up to the administration’s mistakes. Rather than usher in a new era of good feelings with the Arab world in keeping with his 2009 Cairo speech, Obama has been the author of policies that have left an already messy Middle East far more dangerous. Rather than ending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, his decision to withdraw U.S. troops and to dither over the crisis in Syria led to more conflict and the rise of ISIS. Instead of ending the Iranian nuclear threat, Obama is on the road to enabling it. And rather than manage an Israeli-Palestinian standoff that no serious person thought was on the verge of resolution, Obama made things worse with his and Kerry’s hubristic initiatives and constant bickering with Israel.
Despite the administration’s insults, it is not Netanyahu who is weak. He has shown great courage and good judgment in defending his country’s interests even as Obama has encouraged the Palestinians to believe they can hold out for even more unrealistic terms while denying Israel the ammunition it needed to fight Hamas terrorists. While we don’t know whether, as Goldberg believes, it is too late for Israel to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, it is Obama that Iran considers weak as it plays U.S. negotiators for suckers in the firm belief that the U.S. is a paper tiger that is not to be feared any longer.
If there is a crisis, it is one that was created by Obama’s failures and inability to grasp that his ideological prejudices were out of touch with Middle East realities. (h/t Bob Knot)

Islamists call Judaism "source of terrorism" while calling for terror against Jews

Hamas newspaper Felesteen has another of a series of articles by Professor Saleh Alrqub attacking Judaism (see previous post about him.)

In this edition, Alrqub says that Judaism provides a religious basis for violence and terrorism, which prompts Jews to murder, destruction and brutality.

At the same time, Felesteen has another article quoting the Palestinian Islamist leader Sheikh Tayseer Tamimi calling for a "second Al Aqsa intifada" terror spree to stop Jews from walking around a holy site.

Even though there have been hundreds of articles in the Arab press about every time a Jew takes a quiet stroll on the Temple Mount, Tamimi said that the Muslim world has ignored the danger and must mount a new uprising against Israel.

Tamimi even called on Christians to rise up against Israel during his 10-minute tirade in front of the Pope.

It is apparently impossible for an Islamic cleric to be too extreme to lose his followers. But if one would say anything conciliatory about Jews or Israel, that would mark the immediate end of his career.

I reported that a new music video called Love Monkeys was released by Egyptian band Malaleem, telling Egyptians not to trust Jews.

Although I have not yet found the full set of lyrics, commenter Ali noted that after the Pharoah-monkey discovers that the Jewish monkey has been cheating on him he says "This is the fate of any Egyptian that trusts the Jews".

The founder and lead singer of the band, Kareem El-Sabahy, works for ExxonMobil as the Cairo Operations Supervisor. This fact was noted on both his Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

But since yesterday, he has deleted any reference to his position at both sites. But employees at ExxonMobil can find him in the company directory.

It appears that El Sahaby has realized a little too late that major multinational corporations might not appreciate being associated with bigotry.

(h/t Bob K)

UPDATE: MEMRI translated it.

Reports: Egyptians beating Rafah residents who refuse to leave (graphic video)

This very graphic video has surfaced, showing what appears to be Egyptian soldiers beating and torturing people in the Sinai:

According to this blog post, this is happening as Egypt is clearing areas of the Sinai close to the Gaza border to create a buffer zone. The victims, according to the report, are citizens who refuse to leave their homes.

This other video from anti-Sisi activists show photos of people allegedly killed by the Egyptian army during this operation.

(Update:)A Facebook post says that these videos were actually taken during anti-terror operations elsewhere in the Sinai, in al-Jura near el-Arish. Since that seems to be the source of the video, this may be more accurate. Egypt never admits to killing any civilians in its many anti-terror operations in the Sinai.)

Egypt is clearing out a kilometer-wide buffer zone on the border in reaction to the attack last Friday that killed over 30 soldiers.

There are independent reports of residents that refuse to leave. Some 10,000 residents in 900 homes have been ordered to evacuate immediately, and they will be given a choice of monetary compensation, new homes further away or land near El Arish.

Reports further say that the Egyptians will dig a huge trench, 50 meters deep and 20 meters wide, on the border to discourage tunnels from being built between Gaza and Egypt.

Egypt's propaganda campaign against Hamas and Rafah residents on the border intensified, with this video showing an interview on Egyptian TV with a man who claims that he has the names of 251 people involved in the tunnel trade, and has evidence of many tunnel entrances being built in schools and mosques.

Naturally, no reporters are trying to go to the Sinai to figure out the truth. They are all poolside a short distance away where they can write new articles every day about the horrors of Israeli giving permits for houses to be built.

(h/t Bob Knot)

Egyptian court to decide whether to shut down Jewish pilgrimage site

CNN Arabic reports that an Egyptian court set November 24 as the date for a hearing on the issue of the annual pilgrimage by Jews to to the burial place of Rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira, a prominent Jewish leader in the 19th century.

The administrative court in Alexandria will pass judgment in the lawsuit demanding an end to the Jewish celebration of Rabbi Abuhatzeira.

The lawsuit demands the removal of the shrine from the official list of Egyptian antiquities, and the transfer of his remains to Israel.

Lawyer Ahmed Attia said that "the Jews make this a new Wailing Wall for them in Egypt," charging that the celebration "includes acts contrary to the ethics of the Egyptian countryside and the Arab."

The Alexandria Court had ruled in 2001 to stop the celebration when villagers from around Damanhour complained. However, the Egyptian government overrode the court order and the celebrations continued up until the fall of the Mubarak government.

I'm sure that there isn't a grain of antisemitism behind this lawsuit.

More in this 2010 Al Arabiya article about the protests at the time.

10/28 Links Pt2: Why liberals downplay terrorism; In BDS, B is For Blacklist, Not Boycott

From Ian:

Amb. Alan Baker: Parliamentary Recognition of Palestine – Legally, Historically and Politically Questionable

Official political bodies in the UK, Ireland and Sweden have called for the recognition of Palestine, claiming that such recognition would “contribute to securing a two-state solution.”
These actions, whether by votes in the UK parliament and in the Irish Upper House, or in a parliamentary speech by the prime minister of Sweden, are based on questionable legal, historic and political premises since no Palestinian state exists, and the issue of the status of the territories is subject to negotiation.
These actions actually hinder progress to a negotiated agreement since they attempt to prejudge the outcome of the very negotiation they purport to support.
It would be legally and politically prudent were the UK House of Commons and the Irish Upper House, as well as the prime minister of Sweden, to reconsider their ill-advised resolutions or statements.

Why liberals downplay terrorism

After any terrorist attack, why is the first instinct of liberals to downplay it?
Their first reflex is to deny that it’s terrorism at all. Nidal Hasan, a Muslim U.S. soldier, shot 13 fellow soldiers to death at Fort Hood while shouting, “Allahu Akbar.” Yet the Pentagon declared the attack “workplace violence,” not terrorism.
The next liberal reflex is to deny that an attacker is Muslim. Last month there was a terrorist-style beheading in Oklahoma City. Media reports called the suspect “Alton Nolen.” Which was the name his mother gave him. As opposed to the name he took for himself after he converted to Islam: Jah'Keem Yisrael. Media showed old pictures of him dressed as a factory worker, rather than his own Facebook pictures showing him in flowing Muslim robes and head-coverings.
The third liberal reflex is to say a terrorist attack was just the act of a madman. That was the early spin in Canada for last week’s terrorist murders. Clearly Michael Zehaf-Bibeau was insane, they said.
The fourth liberal line of defence is to say the attacker is a lone wolf. And indeed, the terrorists listed above committed their murders by themselves. But Nidal was in e-mail contact with al-Qaida; the Canadian terrorists communicated with other extremists, including by Twitter. This weekend the RCMP announced Zehaf-Bibeau had “numerous” other interactions that they are investigating.
The attacking terrorist may have been a lone wolf. But each was part of a larger wolf pack.

In BDS, B is For Blacklist, Not Boycott

The BDS movement’s boycott against Israel is, for all practical purposes, a blacklist designed to remove Israel from the world stage.
It’s well documented that the movement is primarily a tool for spreading anti-Israel propaganda. It’s time to use language about the movement that reflects its true nature.
The calls for boycott of Israel economically, culturally, and academically have virtually no effect in those areas other than to blacken Israel’s name. But the use of the term “boycott” grants the movement an aura of righteousness it does not deserve.
As one student group said when it was discovered using Israeli web technology to promote a boycott of Israel, “BDS is a tactic, not a principle.” It is a tactic for spreading hate, not for promoting peace and reconciliation.
Indeed, if it were a principle, standing for human rights or for justice, its supporters would fight for those values everywhere. But only Israel is subject to BDS campaigns, demonstrating that it is, in fact, a blacklist, not a boycott in the name of justice.

Anti-Israel Speaker Uses Racial Slur to Describe Palestinians

SJP is widely known for leading hostile anti-Israel campaigns on college campuses. It has compared the Jewish state to Nazi Germany and promoted the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The keynote speaker on Friday evening, the Reverend Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou, received applause from the audience when he drew an elaborate comparison between Palestinians and African Americans.
“One of the fundamental things that was revealed to me when I was in Palestine in 2012 was a simple truth,” said Sekou, a self-described author and public intellectual. “I was there for about 15 minutes and I got it: Y’all are n—. That’s part of what it means to be a Palestinian in the context of Israeli apartheid.”
Sekou went on to explain how, in his view, Palestinians and black Americans share a cultural status as refugees. (h/t Alexi)