Times of Israel Live Blog: Four hostages said killed in Paris kosher grocery, gunman dead; Charlie Hebdo terrorist brothers also killed
France is facing a terrorist onslaught. Two days after gunmen killed 12 in an assault at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, the suspects were shot dead by French security forces on Friday afternoon and the hostage they were holding was freed. Security forces almost simultaneously stormed the kosher grocery where another gunmen was holding hostages. Initial reports said he was also killed; the fate of the hostages was not immediately clear. The Times of Israel is liveblogging developments:At least 6 people held captive at kosher market in Paris
18:58 At least 4 hostages dead at kosher market in Paris
At least four hostages at the Kosher supermarket siege in northeastern Paris are dead, a police source tells Reuters.
18:45 ‘Charlie Hebdo suspects came out firing on security forces’
The Kouachi brothers, suspected in the Charlie Hebdo attack that killed 12 people, came out of the printing shop north-east of Paris where they were holding one hostage, guns blazing, a source tells AFP.
French commandos killed the two as they stormed the shop.
18:36 Gunman at kosher market killed in police assault
The gunman at the kosher grocery store in Paris is said to have been killed in a police assault to free the hostages, according to Le Monde.
18:34 Charlie Hebdo terrorist brothers dead, hostage freed
A French police official confirms the two suspects in the Charlie Hebdo massacre have been killed.
The hostage they were holding has been freed, the police also say.
The two brothers, Said and Cherif Kouachi, killed 12 people in an assault on the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine on Wednesday, and a massive manhunt had been mounted to catch them.
They were holed up in a building in the Dammartin-en-Goele, north-east of Paris.
Fresh shooting broke out in eastern Paris on Friday, as an armed man took at least six people hostage at a kosher grocery store, among them women and children.Paris shooting: The 12 victims
The gunman has threatened to kill the hostage if French authorities launch an assault on the Charlie Hebdo killers, who were holding at least one person hostage near Paris, police said Friday.
French lawmaker Meyer Habib told Army Radio Friday that the hostages at the grocery store include “a family with kids, there shopping for Shabbat.”
Some reports in the local media indicated earlier that two people were killed in the attack on Hypercacher Alimentation Générale in Paris’s Porte de Vincennes area, but authorities did not confirm the deaths.
The 12 people killed in the terrorist attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo included a prominent economist and some of France’s leading cartoonists. These are the victims:
Stephane Charbonnier, 47, known professionally as Charb
Bernard Maris, 68
Jean Cabut, 76
Georges Wolinski, 80
Cartoonist Bernard Verlhac
Phillipe Honore, or Honore, 73
Michel Renaud, a former journalist who was visiting the office as a guest of Cabut.
Mustapha Ourrad, a copy editor at the magazine.
Elsa Cayat, an analyst and columnist at the magazine.
Frederic Boisseau, a building maintenance worker.
Franck Brinsolaro, a 49-year-old policeman who was head of Charb’s security detail.
Merabet Ahmad, a 42-year-old police officer and French Muslim.
JPost Editorial: We are Charlie
Appeasing the Islamists would also mean not intervening to stop Islamic State or al-Qaida from massacring Shi’ites and Yazidis, or from raping and enslaving women in places like Iraq, Syria, Yemen, or Afghanistan.The ‘forever war’ comes to Paris
To fully appease the Islamist extremists, we would have to take the cowardly and ignoble step of giving up on all of the values that make Western culture so great.
No, caving in to Islamic extortion is not the answer.
We must recognize that Western culture is not an amorphous, relativistic system capable of accommodating any ideology no matter how abhorrent.
We in the West have our own principles and we, too, are offended when these principles are desecrated, not because we fear for our souls or are attempting to bring about an apocalyptic messianic era, but because free inquiry, freedom of expression, the protection of human rights, gender equality and political freedoms create an environment in which all humans regardless of race, religion or creed can realize their full potential in the fields of science and art, business and technology for the benefit of mankind.
“Je suis Charlie” or “I am Charlie” has become the rallying call of those outraged by Wednesday’s massacre in Paris. It can seen on placards and stickers on the streets of Paris, on Facebook, and Twitter. By personalizing the tragedy, those who proclaim themselves to be Charlie are not just articulating empathy for the murdered, they are taking sides in a war of ideas.
French citizens of all persuasions – including thousands of Muslims – are reaffirming their allegiance with the side of enlightenment and freedom against barbarism and terrorism. A line has been crossed and the tide has turned. A new resolve has been born, at a horrible price.
The events that have ensued in France are dreadfully reminiscent of those seen in Israel – with do-it-yourself vehicular attacks, stabbings, and Molotov cocktails followed by well-researched and coordinated strikes.The Muslim occupation of Europe
The slaughter in the 11th Arrondissement in some ways resembles the assassination attempt against Temple Mount activist Yehudah Glick in Jerusalem in late October; in both cases the “offense” was the violation of something holy to Islam and in both cases the target was watched, followed, and eventually ambushed.
Operationally and legislatively Europe may be forced to take measures. Col. (res.) Reuven Ehrlich, the head of the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information center, has closely followed the identities of those who have traveled to fight in Syria against the regime of Bashar Assad. Unwilling to relate specifically to the Charlie Hebdo murders, he said that France and England were at the top of the list of countries that had sent volunteers to fight in Syria, and that, while European countries have taken strides to curb terrorism at home, there was “still a lot to be done in terms of intelligence, legislation, and international cooperation.”
Psychologically, the task of coming to grips with the struggle – one that Hillary Clinton in an interview with The Atlantic saliently likened to the global war against Communism – remains, despite the gruesome evidence, a Herculean endeavor.
The Muslim empire struck again on Wednesday, and it will strike the European community, which it envies, again and again. Millions of Muslims have already occupied a significant part of Europe's countries a long time ago.ABC Australia Interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali
The Muslim invasion of the continent requires every European politician to consider the many voices of the Muslim population. Even a European politician who despises the Muslims, their religion and their lifestyle would be unwilling to risk making harsh comments, although he is expected to make them, at least today.
The Muslims didn't just murder 12 people on Wednesday, but a cultural movement which has developed in France since the student revolt in 1968 and has captured many hearts. Even those who do not belong to the left became fond of the anarchistic, uninhibited style of the popular weekly newspaper.
'Replace indoctrination' calls Al-Qaeda hit-listed Ayaan Hirsi Ali after Charlie Hebdo attack
Megyn Kelly Ayaan Hirsi Ali On Paris, Islam & Violence
Douglas Murray Confronting Asghar Bukhari over Charlie Hebdo (excerpt full debate below)
Watch the eloquent and informed Douglas Murray try and debate Asghar who acts like someone who has tried to memorise too quickly a long list of vague unrelated soundbites to do with racism and the War on Terror and tries to inarticulately ram these into the debate so fast his argument is barely coherent let alone persuasive.
Douglas Murray - Full Debate on Charlie Hebdo [Sky News]
Douglas Murray debating with Asghar Bukhari amongst others about the attack on Charlie Hebdo the day before.
Douglas Murray and Maajid Nawaz - Charlie Hebdo
Douglas Murray and Maajid Nawaz discuss the implications of the attack on Charlie Hebdo the day before.
Paris Attacks Show France’s Appeasement of Radical Islam Has Failed
On Dec. 2, the French parliament voted overwhelmingly to demand that the French government immediately recognize the “State of Palestine.” Not after negotiations. Not with Israel’s agreement. Just do it right away, whether the Israelis like it or not. And the vote wasn’t even close—339 in favor, 151 against.Will we ever learn? Obama White House can't admit Paris attacks 'Islamic terrorism'
Four weeks later, the Palestinian Authority presented a resolution to the United Nations Security Council, setting a timetable for Israel to unilaterally withdraw from all of Judea, Samaria, and most of Jerusalem. That is, back to the pre-1967 armistice lines that Abba Eban said would make Israel so vulnerable that it would set the stage for another Holocaust.
That position is so extreme that even the Obama administration, which has not exactly been Israel’s warmest friend, opposed the resolution. Yet France joined with those stalwarts of reason and democracy, China and Russia, to support the resolution. France’s ambassador to the United Nations, explaining his country’s vote in favor of the resolution, said there was “an urgent need to act.”
One would think—if one subscribed to the Kerry Linkage Theory—that Islamist extremists would have appreciated France’s sense of “urgency” regarding the Palestinian issue. But evidently not.
In the meantime, there was more pro-Palestinian news from France. The city council of Aubervilliers, which is a suburb of Paris, voted to grant honorary citizenship to Marwan Barghouti, a Palestinian terrorist leader who is currently service five consecutive sentences of life imprisonment for carrying out a series of terrorist attacks in Israel.
They shouted in Arabic “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is Greatest) and “We are avenging the Prophet Mohammed” as they sprayed their victims with hundreds of bullets from their semi-automatic weapons.Jeffrey Goldberg: We Are Not All Charlie
Their “victims” were the top editorial cartoonists of the satirical Charlie Hebdo magazine, who had dared to practice their right of free speech. Their offense? Publishing cartoons deemed “offensive” by Muslim leaders around the world. The perpetrators? Islamic terrorists.
Yet in the immediate hours after the murders in Paris, the response from western leaders was scurrilously predictable in their refusal to describe the attack as an “Islamic terrorist attack.”
Indeed, the responses from our own president, French President Hollande and British Prime Minster David Cameron all spouted the same empty pabulum in asserting that the Paris attack had nothing to do with Islam or any religion for that matter. But the hollow comments coming from our own leaders are steeped in the stench of appeasement and cowardice.
The police are evacuating the Gare du Nord station in Paris as my train from Brussels arrives; a suspicious package, I learned later. The rain is coming down quite hard. I resist the urge to interview my taxi driver about the current mood.Sharansky: Paris massacre shows time running out for Europe
We see a blue “Je Suis Charlie” sign on a lamppost. Very nice. But the sentiment is partially a conceit. We are not all Charlie. Much of Europe, which, as a political entity, is not fully grappling with the totalitarian madness of Islamism, is not Charlie. Certainly much of journalism is not Charlie. Any outlet that censors Charlie Hebdo cartoons out of fear of Islamist reprisal is not Charlie. To publish the cartoons now is a necessary, but only moderately brave, act. Please remember: Even after Charlie Hebdo was firebombed in 2011, it continued to publish rude and funny satires mocking the essential ridiculousness of the Islamist worldview. That represented a genuine display of bravery. CNN, the Associated Press, and the many other media organizations that are cowering before the threat of totalitarian violence represent something other than bravery.
On the day after Islamist terrorists massacred 12 people in the heart of Paris, committing what some called France’s 9/11, Jewish Agency head Natan Sharansky resisted the temptation to use the tragedy to push for upped immigration to Israel from an increasingly dangerous France.Sisi, Charlie Hebdo, and the Search for an Islamic Turning Point
“We’re not building our aliyah strategy on tragic events. We’re building it on the fact that there is this place in the world called Europe, where Jews are feeling increasingly uncomfortable,” he said Thursday.
Sharansky predicted more than 10,000 French Jews will move to Israel in the course of 2015 — breaking 2014’s record number of 7,000 new Francophone immigrants — amid a reported uptick in anti-Semitic incidents there and across Europe.
“We have to make sure that Israel is very attractive choice for them. And that’s already happening,” said Sharansky the former Soviet Prisoner of Zion who was finally allowed to come to Israel in 1986.
On Tuesday, FDD’s Michael Ledeen noticed that the media were not covering what seemed like an important story: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s speech to Cairo’s famed Al-Azhar University on Islam. The speaker and the venue were made all the more significant because of the content of the speech. Sisi castigated the assembled Islamic leaders, and by extension their global co-religionists, for breeding an extreme and intolerant Islam. The tragic events in Paris yesterday only reinforce the substance of Sisi’s message.Can Charlie Hebdo’s Spirit Include Israel?
The lack of coverage of Sisi’s speech was such that Ledeen found himself having lunch “with three gentlemen who are very well read, who follow the news attentively, and who would shudder to think they are victims of ideological censorship. Yet not one of them — and the trio includes a very famous former reporter (a first-class reporter at that) for one of the country’s top newspapers — had heard a word about” the speech. “All three watch TV news and read the leading dailies, so they were surprised that they hadn’t heard about it. They agreed that the story warranted banner headlines. World-wide.”
That lack of coverage–perhaps censorship is too strong a word to describe it, but it comes close–is also given new significance by the attack on Charlie Hebdo’s Paris office in which Islamist terrorists murdered twelve for the sin of insulting Mohammed. The resulting self-censorship, at a time when basic fortitude was called for, is a crucial part of the story. The scourge of political correctness cannot be held blameless for the media’s decision to ignore Sisi’s criticism of Islamic extremism.
The Islamist massacre at Charlie Hebdo has understandably captured global attention because it was a barbaric attack on France and freedom of expression. In a moment of defiant moral clarity, “je suis Charlie” emerged as a popular phrase of solidarity with the victims. Hopefully such clarity persists and extends to those facing similar challenges every day in the Middle East.Har Nof and Charlie Hebdo, a Contrast in Muslim Reaction
Christians and other religious minorities have been beheaded by Islamists for years, but it wasn’t until U.S. journalist James Foley was beheaded that the West cared. ISIS raped and slaughtered thousands of Yazidis — leaving the surviving refugees stranded on Mount Sinjar — before the West took notice. But one Islamist besieging a cafe in Sydney, killing two, dominated global coverage for the entire sixteen-hour incident.
Western leaders and media must realize that religious minorities in the Middle East are the canary in the coalmine for the West when it comes to Islamist threats. And Israel provides the clearest early warning of all, precisely because — despite Israel’s location in a region of Islamists and dictatorships — the Jewish state has free elections, freedom of speech, a vigorous political opposition and independent press, equal rights and protections for minorities and women (who are represented in all parts of civil, legal, political, artistic, and economic life), and a prosperous free market economy.
But had Palestinian gunmen similarly attacked Israel’s most important daily newspaper and then escaped, would the event inspire such constant coverage or international sympathy? Israel has suffered countless massacres followed by a suspenseful manhunt for the Islamist terrorists; in each of these incidents, the world hardly noticed until Israel forcefully responded and Palestinians died (prompting global condemnation of Israel).
However, when there is an attack in Europe, North America, or Australia, there is widespread grief, solidarity, and an acceptance of whatever policy reaction is chosen. But when Israel is targeted, there is almost always a call for “restraint,” as happened last November after fatal stabbings by Palestinian terrorists in Tel Aviv and the West Bank.
During Operation Protective Edge this past summer, France’s Muslims took to the streets and engaged in what could only be described as modern day pogroms. Jewish synagogues were attacked and business ransacked. Jewish children attending school were set upon by mobs of frenzied Muslims out for blood. French Muslim leaders and Imams stoked the flames of hate through malevolent “religious” sermons and speeches, encouraging their flock to do “The Prophet’s” bidding and seek vengeance against the infidel – the Jews and Crusaders.Radical Islam and western values cannot coexist peacefully
French officials watched and waited, and when the violent demonstrations reached the tipping point, issued an emergency declaration banning protests. The very next day, Muslim demonstrators were out in force again chanting “Death to the Jews” as French policemen stood by helpless and impotent.
The Charlie Hebdo and numerous other attacks clearly demonstrate that France’s radicalized Muslim population, now constituting 10% of the French population, feels emboldened. But sometimes their leaders recognize that the flock moves quicker than the shepherd and they must intervene and apply the brakes.
LET’S get one thing straight; every attack perpetrated by Islamic extremists is an attack against freedom of speech, whether they’re terrorising journalists and cartoonists at a satirical magazine in Paris or bystanders having a quiet coffee in Sydney.Wikileaks: ‘Jewish pro-censorship lobby’ legitimized attacks on Charlie Hebdo
These callous cowards seek to silence dissenting voices by waging a war of terror against anyone who dares question their twisted, totalitarian worldview.
The time for weasel words and treading on eggshells is over. We owe it to the growing number of victims to open our eyes and acknowledge the unmistakable reality that radical Islam and Western values cannot coexist peacefully.
These extremists despise our way of life; our freedom, openness and diversity are an affront to their despotic, backward attitudes.
We must stop pretending that these incidents have nothing to do with Islam. They quite clearly have everything to do with extremist Islam and the sooner we admit this truth the better we can work to protect our people and values from this ever-present scourge.
Wikileaks accused the Jewish lobby of legitimizing attacks on the satirical publication Charlie Hebdo, which was assaulted Wednesday by Islamist terrorists in one of the worst such attacks on French soil.Pictured: Female police officer killed in second Paris shooting was '27-year-old rookie who dreamed of serving her country'
The organization, which serves as an online clearinghouse for leaked documents, tweeted on Thursday about "How the Jewish pro-censorship lobby legitimized attacks on Charlie Hebdo for 'offensive' speech," linking to a 2009 article in the magazine perceived by some to be anti-Semitic.
The article to which WikiLeaks linked was from the British newspaper The Telegraph, which details accusations of anti-Semitism leveled against Charlie Hebdo writer Maurice Sinet for commenting on the engagement of then-president Nicolas Sarkozy's son to a Jewish woman amid rumors that the younger Sarkozy planned on converting.
"He'll go a long way in life, that little lad," Sinet wrote.
Sinet was fired after he refused his editor's request to apologize. He was subsequently taken to court by the Ligue Internationale Contre le Racisme et l'Antisémitisme (LICRA), an organization which works to promote racial tolerance.
"Basically what [WikiLeaks is] saying is that an attempt to combat anti-Semitism through the French legal system paved the way for terrorist murder," said Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the head of the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Jerusalem office.
"There is no such thing as a Jewish pro-censorship lobby. There are attempts by Jewish organizations to combat racism and anti-Semitism and thereby fulfill a very important function in society." (h/t Effect)
A French police officer shot and killed in the second horrifying gun attack on Paris's streets in less than 24 hours has been named as a 27-year-old rookie who 'dreamed of serving her country'.Al-Qaeda Hit List Resurfaces on Twitter with Charlie Hebdo Editor Crossed Off
The young policewoman who was gunned down as she attended a routine traffic accident in Montrouge at 8am today is called Clarissa Jean-Philippe, according to the French media.
She was unarmed and had only been in the job for 15 days. Police arrested two men over the killing tonight.
A second victim - a street cleaner who was shot in the face after he confronted the gunman - is said to be in a serious condition.
This shooting came less than 24 hours after the massacre at the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, which left 12 dead - including two police officers. It is not known if the two attacks are linked.
Charlie Hebdo editor and cartoonist Stéphane Charbonnier, also known as Charb, appeared on a hit list in the March 2013 issue of al-Qaeda’s Inspire propaganda magazine. Twitter accounts posted the same picture on Wednesday, but with a huge red X over Charbonnier’s picture.Britain's MI5 chief warns al-Qaida in Syria planning mass attacks on West
The resurfacing of the Inspire hit list on social media, particularly in jihadist social media circles, seems to indicate that jihadists are keen on intimidating the other individuals who appeared on the list, as well as implying that this is the first in a string of similar attacks against those who refuse to abide by the fundamentalist Islamist rules that numerous global jihadist groups intend to enforce.
Al-Qaida militants in Syria are plotting attacks to inflict mass casualties in the West, possibly against transport systems or "iconic targets", the head of Britain's MI5 Security Service said on Thursday.Paris Attack Suspect Met Prominent Al Qaeda Preacher in Yemen
Speaking after gunmen killed 12 people in an assault on a French satirical newspaper, MI5 boss Andrew Parker warned a strike on the United Kingdom was highly likely.
"A group of core al-Qaida terrorists in Syria is planning mass casualty attacks against the West," Director General Parker said in a rare public speech at MI5 headquarters in London. His last public speech was in October 2013.
In the speech, planned before the killings in Paris, Parker said seasoned al-Qaida militants in Syria aimed to "cause large-scale loss of life, often by attacking transport systems or iconic targets" in the West.
One of two brothers suspected of carrying out the deadly shooting at a French satirical weekly met leading al Qaeda preacher Anwar al Awlaki during a stay in Yemen in 2011, a senior Yemeni intelligence source told Reuters on Friday.Demonstrators in Jerusalem pay homage to Charlie Hebdo victims
U.S. born and web-savvy, Awlaki was seen as an influential international recruiter to the al Qaeda movement and a prominent figure in Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the group’s most active affiliate. He was killed in September 2011 in a drone strike widely attributed to the CIA.
U.S. and European sources close to the investigation said on Thursday that one of the suspects in the French attack, Said Kouachi, was in Yemen for several months training with AQAP.
The Yemeni source said Kouachi, 34, was among a number of foreigners who entered the country for religious studies.
“We do not have confirmed information that he was trained by al Qaeda but what was confirmed was that he has met with Awlaki in Shabwa,” the source said, noting that he could have been trained in one of the large parts of Yemen not under the control of the authorities back in 2011.
Dozens of Israelis, French, Americans and other demonstrators gathered at the French Consulate in Jerusalem Thursday night to pay homage to the victims of the deadly attack at the Charlie Hebdo offices the day before in Paris.PM to French ambassador: First rule in fighting terror is not to be afraid
About 50 attendees, some who knew some of the victims personally, held two minutes of silence for the victims of the shooting attack that left 12 murdered.
The demonstrators brandished signs in French reading, "I am Charlie" and issues of the weekly publication in solidarity with a campaign in support of free speech following the attack.
The first law in fighting terrorism is to not be afraid, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday, at the start of a meeting with French Ambassador Patrick Maisonnave.Charlie Hebdo Shooting Leads to Jewish Condemnations of Islamist Terror, Self-Censorship
“I know that there are many in France who are asking themselves, how can we fight this dreadful fear-imposing barbarism. Should we continue to publish our views? Should we express our opinions? Should we now cut back? " Netanyahu said.
“My message – in Paris, in Jerusalem, anywhere – is that the first rule in fighting terrorism is to refuse to knuckle down and knuckle under fear and pain of fear, to refuse to be afraid,” he said. Another important point, he said, “is that we have to unite to roll back this tide of fear.”
Netanyahu told the ambassador that Israel is mourning “with our French brothers and sisters” and is committed to joint action “to defeat the enemies of the democratic values we all cherish.”
Global Jewish leaders are weighing in on Wednesday’s shooting at the Paris offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, in which at least 12 people (including Jewish cartoonist Georges Wolinski) were killed, condemning both Islamist terrorism and the mainstream media’s self-censorship of Charlie Hebdo cartoons that reportedly motivated the attack.BDS Leaders Promote Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theory Linking Mossad to Charlie Hebdo Atrocity
Roger Cukierman, president of the French-Jewish umbrella group CRIF and a vice president of the World Jewish Congress, called the shooting a “despicable crime,” adding that “this attack requires a strong and determined response not just by France, but by the European Union as a whole… Islamist terrorism is the main threat to our security and well-being today, and it must be fought vigorously everywhere, because it is a poison for our societies.”
World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder said, “We must not be intimidated by their (Islamists’) campaign [of terrorism] and must uphold and defend our Western values, including that of freedom of expression.”
A letter to the editorial team of Charlie Hebdo by the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s French president, Richard Odier, and its director of international relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, called Wednesday a “black day for freedom of expression, tolerance, and respect in France as the very values of the republic are under attack.”
“Jihadi fanaticism and terrorism are the same reality for its victims, whether in France, Israel, or beyond,” stated the letter.
Leading the charge was Greta Berlin, a spokesperson for the Free Gaza movement, an organization that has been closely involved with attempts to break Israel’s blockade against the Hamas regime in Gaza. In a Facebook posting, Berlin declared, “MOSSAD just hit the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo in a clumsy false flag designed to damage the accord between Palestine and France…Here’s hoping the French police will be able to tell a well executed hit by a well trained Israeli intelligence service and not assume the Muslims would be likely to attack France when France is their freind (sic.) Israel did tell France there would be grave consequences if they voted with Palestine. A four year old could see who is responsible for this terrible attack.”IsraellyCool: Greta Berlin Thinks It Might Be Time For A Crusade, And “Will Be On The Side Of The Muslims”
Berlin’s colleague, Free Gaza co-founder Mary-Hughes Thompson, echoed those same views in a posting on Twitter. “#Hebdo killings indefensible. Can’t help thinking #JSIL Mossad false flag though. Killers spoke with perfect French accents. Time will tell,” she wrote. Even the International Business Times, a more mainstream publication, explicitly asked, “Charlie Hebdo Attack and Mossad Link: Is Israel Venting Its Fury for France’s Recognition of a Palestinian State?” although the offending item was quickly removed by an editor at the publication.
The term “JSIL,” which stands for “Jewish State in the Levant,” is a derogatory term for the State of Israel coined by the American anti-Semitic propagandist Max Blumenthal, which seeks to compare the Jewish state with the Islamic State terrorist organization. A number of individuals who objected to Thompson’s use of the term, as well as her endorsement of the Charlie Hebdo conspiracy theory, received a volley of abuse from her in response, including such choice phrases as “Zionist trash.”
Evil plastic surgery specimen-gone-wrong Greta Berlin has followed up her post blaming the Mossad for the horrendous terror attack in France with another one regarding the attack.Comedian Louis C.K. Wears 'Charlie Hebdo' Shirt at NYC Performance
But it’s less the post itself which is interesting; it’s her comments under it, where, amongst other things, she repeats the Mossad accusation, justifies terrorism, bashes Christians, agrees perhaps it is time for a Crusade, and says if that does happen, she will side with the Muslims.
Stand up comic and FX star Louis C.K. wore his support for the victims of Wednesday’s tragedy at Paris-based satire paper Charlie Hebdo across his chest Wednesday evening, at a performance in New York City.Bill Maher on Jimmy Kimmel - January 7th 2015 - Full Interview (h/t Alexi)
The comedian entered his set at Madison Square Garden wearing a pair of blue jeans and a red T-shirt that simply said, “Charlie Hebdo.” The hand-written words, seemingly a gesture of solidarity, were in support of the satirical French satire newspaper, whose 12 editorial staff members were murdered earlier in the day by extremists for printing cartoon images of the Prophet Mohammed
Pope Francis: 'Without Liberty Of Expression, The World Is In Danger'
On Thursday, Pope Francis celebrated Mass by commemorating the victims in the terrorist attacks on Charlie Hebdo and defending the importance of free speech.Quebec Muslim Leader: Islam 'Not a Threat,' Charlie Hebdo 'Fundamentalist'
“The terror attack in Paris brings to mind so much cruelty, human cruelty, so much terrorism, both isolated terrorism and of state terrorism,” the 78-year-old pontiff said, according to Vatican radio.
“We pray for the victims of this cruelty, so many of them. And we pray also for the perpetrators of such cruelty, that the Lord might change their hearts,” he said.
In a letter to the Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, Francis said he was “united in prayer (with)… the sadness of all French people.”
The President of the Quebec Muslim Association accused the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo of inciting the Islamist terrorist attack that led to the killing of at least 12 people at the publication’s offices in Paris.Editor of UK Equivalent to Charlie Hebdo: 'Very Little Seems Funny Today'
“Islam is not a threat. The threat is organizations like Charlie Hebdo themselves fomenting the division and intolerance,” said Genevieve LePage, President of the Quebec Muslim Association, Le Journal De Montreal reports in French.
LePage stressed that Charlie Hebdo has pushed “a form of fundamentalism that is very disrespectful of the beliefs of others and diversity,” adding that speech should be more tolerant.
The association leader also said that the “Islamaphobic ideologues” will use the attack in Paris to feed Islamophobia in Quebec.
Private Eye editor Ian Hislop said the victims of the Charlie Hebdo shooting had ‘paid a very high price for exercising their comic liberty’.The left rushes to sympathize with Paris terrorist after he claims Abu Ghraib radicalized him
The satirical magazine targeted by three masked gunmen is widely seen as France’s answer to Private Eye and prides itself on a mixture of tongue-in-cheek reporting and investigative journalism.
In a statement, journalist and writer Mr Hislop said: ‘I am appalled and shocked by this horrific attack – a murderous attack on free speech in the heart of Europe.
‘I offer my condolences to the families and friends of those killed – the cartoonists, journalists and those who were trying to protect them.
‘They paid a very high price for exercising their comic liberty.’
Here we go.‘Essential Background’
It has always been difficult for Westerners to understand a murderous, illiberal ideology of Islamist extremism. The torturous course of self-examination in which liberals engage in the wake of this kind of a terrorist attack has become a familiar ritual. This customary practice following the deadly assault on the offices of Charlie Hebdo began just 24 hours after the bloody attack.
In a profile published in the French center-left paper Le Monde, one of the two French brothers responsible for the massacre of 12 and the injury of 11 others on Wednesday reportedly cited the abuse of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison facility in 2004 as the impetus for his radicalism.
Indeed, Sharif Kouachi was no stranger to Islamist militancy. He was tried in 2008 for assisting in the recruiting and funneling of French fighters into Iraq to aid in the insurgency.
“It was everything I saw on the television, the torture at Abu Ghraib prison, all that, which motivated me,” said Kouachi, according to an associate’s recollection.
And we were off to the races.
Socialist Worker knows who shares the blame for yesterday’s Paris shootings:Syria says Paris attack underlines threat of radical Islamism (not satire)
"The media present Charlie Hebdo as simply a “satirical magazine”. But it is not the French equivalent of Private Eye as some commentators have suggested. It may have been once, but it has become a specialist in presenting provocative and racist attacks on Islam. That does not justify the killings, but it is essential background."
Wow. Just wow.
The Syrian government said Thursday the deadly attack on a magazine in Paris showed the danger of the kind of Islamist militancy espoused by insurgent groups fighting in the Syrian civil war.Breitbart: CNN Reporter in Full Meltdown: Those Who Disagree With Me on Muhammad Cartoons Are Agents for Israel
A government statement blamed "short-sighted European policies" for such incidents in Europe and bloodshed in Syria. Western states including France have backed the rebellion against President Bashar Assad.
"This terrorist act makes clear without doubt the dangers posed by the spread of the phenomenon of takfiri terrorism, which poses a threat to stability and security across the world," the statement, carried by the Syrian state news agency, said.
"Takfiri terrorism" is a reference to the radical Sunni Islamism of groups like al-Qaida and Islamic State, now the most powerful insurgent group in Syria after seizing seized wide areas of Syria and Iraq.
When Oren Kessler of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies called out Clancy on his shoddy analysis, the CNN reporter responded, “Hasbara?”–a word affiliated with public diplomacy but defined by Israel’s critics as Jewish and Israeli propaganda.Jim Clancy and the Freedom to Speak
Pro-Israel blogger Elder Of Ziyon then posted several of Charlie Hebdo‘s prior cartoons, displaying to Clancy that the magazine did indeed mock the prophet, not those who had insulted the religion of Islam. Even after acknowledging that he had seen the evidence (which disproved his initial remark), Clancy would not be deterred from expressing his conspiratorial views.
He then went on an ad-hominem and conspiracy-laden tirade, falsely accusing “Pro-Israel” voices of trying to “convince us that cartoonists were really anti Muslim.” In another tweet, he added, “These accounts are part of a campaign to do PR for Israel.” In a third tweet, he again accused several Twitter accounts of being “part of” an Israeli “PR campaign that is anti-Muslim.”
Jim Clancy may have 50,000 followers on twitter, but what he lacks is a sense of honesty and a willingness to apologize when proven wrong. Several bloggers have written about this – each offers a glimpse of a man who no longer commits himself to honor in journalism.New York Times Hit With Fresh Double Standards Accusation Over Prophet Muhammed Cartoons
What does it say about a man and a journalist when his efforts are spent more on trying to defend his error, rather than in admitting it? When he feels his best defense is to take the offensive against people who simply challenged his error?
And how can such a man be allowed to think that spewing lies and accusations against Israel by bringing up settlements as a means of discrediting people, is acceptable in a discussion that centers on a terror attack by Islamic extremists in Paris? And if this is how Jim Clancy behaves, how can anyone think he can report news and truth with any semblance of balance – at least when it comes to Israel and Jews?
Media double standards concerning items deemed offensive to Muslims and those deemed offensive to Jews and Christians were graphically on display on Thursday, as the executive editor of the New York Times offered further justification for the paper’s refusal to publish the controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed that appeared in Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical magazine attacked by Islamist terrorists in Paris yesterday.Iranian Regime Prevents Local Journalists From Showing Solidarity With Charlie Hebdo Attack Victims
However, as POLITICO pointed out, “in August 2010, the Times published this item about a Holocaust-denying Iranian cartoonist with an image of a cartoon that featured, in the Times’ words, ‘anti-Jewish caricatures.’ Four years earlier, in 2006, the Times published this article about an Iranian exhibition of ‘anti-Jewish art,’ which featured a photograph of three anti-Semitic cartoons, one of which included a swastika.”
POLITICO also noted that in 1999, “the Times ran a report with a photo of Chris Ofili’s ‘The Holy Virgin Mary,’ a 1996 painting of a black Madonna ‘with a clump of elephant dung on one breast and cutouts of genitalia from pornographic magazines in the background.’ Per the report, John Cardinal O’Connor called the show an attack on religion itself. The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights said it found Ofili’s painting offensive, too.”
Iranian journalists who attempted to stage a demonstration in solidarity with the victims of the terrorist attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo were prevented from doing so by security forces in Tehran.Apology for Article Linking Mossad to Paris Massacre
The demonstration was attempted on January 8 near the building which had housed the Association of Iranian Journalists before it was shut down by former President Mahmud Ahmadinejad’s government in August 2009, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
A journalist, who did not want to be identified by name told RFE/RL that there was a heavy police presence on the streets leading to the Association of Iranian Journalists before the scheduled demonstration.
George Pitcher, editor-in-chief of the International Business Times (IBT), has apologized for an article that linked Israel's Mossad spy agency to the murderous terrorist attack at the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine on Wednesday that left 12 dead.NYT ‘Sensitive’ to Paris Massacre (Israel Another Story)
The IBT's India news site carries the following notice:
A story reporting on conspiracy theorists who allege a link between Israeli intelligence and the Paris shootings should never have been published and we have therefore removed it from our site. The story was beneath our standards and we apologize for this basic lapse in judgement.
Here is more from Baquet: “We have a standard that is long held and that serves us well; that there is a line between gratuitous insult and satire.”Danish Mohammed Row Paper Won't Publish Charlie Hebdo Cartoons
So The New York Times chooses sensitivity against “gratuitous insult.” Remember those words.
Remember those words when once again The New York Times curses Israel both on its front pages in its opinion pages.
Apparently such sensitivities do not extend to the Jewish State or to the paper’s Jewish readers who support the Jewish State.
Remember those words the next time notorious blasphemers like Tom Friedman and Nicholas Kristof and Roger Cohen and Max Blumenthal smear Israel up and down without regard for “gratuitous insult.” Besides those four, from one columnist to the next, week after week, Israel is gratuitously insulted and never given the benefit of the doubt.
Remember those words when you consider the Times’ choice to represent all child deaths in war for 2014. The paper did not choose the reckless tribal killings of thousands in Iraq and Syria, nor did it choose the thousands enslaved and murdered by Boko Haram in Nigeria, nor did it choose the 132 schoolchildren murdered by Islamists in a single day in Pakistan.
Instead, the Times chose a Gaza child to illustrate universal suffering when in fact it was Israel that was suffering from ceaseless Hamas bombardments. Israel wished no harm on anyone, child or adult. Israel was defending itself, but in its obsessive/compulsive derangement against the Jewish State, for the Times Israel is always to be blamed.
Remember now, which group of people gets “sensibilities” from The New York Times, and which group gets scorn.
The Danish newspaper that caused global controversy by publishing cartoons of the Muslim prophet Mohammed was the only major Danish daily Thursday not to carry any illustrations from the French weekly Charlie Hebdo.Should the media show the Charlie Hebdo cartoons?
Muslim extremists protested and rioted throughout the world - in some case carrying out deadly attacks - after Aarhus-based Jyllands-Posten's 2005 publication of 12 cartoons that included a picture of the Islamic prophet wearing a bomb in a turban.
They were reprinted in Charlie Hebdo - where 12 died in a jihadist attack on its Paris offices Wednesday - in February 2006 in solidarity with Jyllands-Posten, sparking further anger and threats by radical Islamists.
"I maintain the right as an editor to be able to print all types of drawings again at some point. Just not right now," Jyllands-Posten editor Joern Mikkelsen told his own newspaper.
"The same debate has been going on now for 10 years, for or against the drawings and so on. We must move on," he added.
The Paris terror attack against satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has some questioning the cost of freedom of speech. CNN's Brian Stelter and Carl Bernstein discuss. (h/t dabney and Alexi)