Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Noam Chomsky, Please Shut Up
The professor of linguistics at MIT loves the attention he gets from his extreme views on a variety of subjects (none of which, oddly enough, is in linguistics, his actual field of expertise.) And for reasons we cannot quite fathom, the mainstream media love giving space to his ridiculous notions. This time, as the world mourns the horrible terrorist attacks in Paris, CNN gives him a stage to voice his opinion that these cold-blooded murders are really no different that Western military actions in Serbia and Iraq.IsraellyCool: What Happens When Two Rabbis Question Anjem Choudry (Updated)
But, as always, his favorite target is Israel. Hence his bizarre comparison of the attacks to Israel’s fight against the terrorist group Hamas.
Did Chomsky somehow see a different conflict from his lofty perch at MIT than the rest of us? Or does he really think that the thousands of rockets, the terror tunnels, the murder of the three Israeli teens, and the other terror attacks endorsed by Hamas are inconsequential?
One wonders how close his “examination” was if somewhere in his convoluted thinking he can compare those who were murdered in Paris with those who support murderers in Gaza.
A few years ago, we posted excerpts of an article by Robin Sheppard on Israel’s ban on Chomsky, and how some in the mainstream media embrace his oddball, ranting views.
Including a wonderful riff on the classic line… what has Islam ever done for us! I love Ari & Jeremy! Stop whatever you’re doing and listen to all of this NOW! (Updated to include the FULL show including the discussion after Anjem leaves).Ryan Bellerose: Ryan’s Ark: Building A Better Boat
Update: I’ve now listened twice, I posted before I even completed the whole show. I’m going to sort out a time to go on the show with Jeremy and Ari because there is so much to say about Anjem Choudry’s Islam. I’ve always felt that it isn’t for us infidels to define Islam. Islam is defined for us by the actions of its followers. If they don’t impact us, that’s great. But where the actions of Muslims impact directly on the lives of those who do not want to follow Islam, that’s where I’m interested.
It’s not for me (or Barak Obama) to say what is or isn’t real Islam. But when someone professes his faith and clearly explains the actions he will take (if given the chance) toward people who DO NOT want to follow his faith, I think we should listen very carefully.
Last night Kasim Hafeez came and spread his message of hope and truth to Calgary. If you haven’t heard him speak, you do not know what you are missing.
I think his message is important: to understand that “muslim Zionists” are not as rare as you may think, but they are often silenced. It is important to support the moderate people who speak up because they are often hit from both sides, and most importantly to reach out to anyone who is willing to talk honestly and openly and to not waste time with those who are not.
I am rarely as impressed with someone as I was with Kaz. We went for supper beforehand and chatted about the state of advocacy in general, and his insights were brilliant. But I’m biased because at some point I felt like I was talking to myself.
Daphne Anson: Stephen Sizer re Article Blaming Jews & Israel For 9/11: "Is This Antisemitic?... It Raises So Many Questions"
On Facebook, the anti-Israel Anglican vicar of Virginia Water continues to sail close to the wind, as far as antisemitism is concerned.Arab Lies, Gullible Jews, Passionate Anti-Semites
We have already seen how the vicar is not above posting links to conspiracy theories regarding Israel and the attack on the Twin Towers (as noted here, for instance, and as discussed here) and now comes this post, which links to a truly vile article that would do Goebbels proud and must have every Jew-hater who reads it reacting orgasmically:
Unabashed, some of the vicar's anti-Israel Facebook friends have already lost little time in reacting positively:
"Is this antisemitic?" indeed.
Does Sizer really have to ask?
Does this man of the cloth not recognise raw Jew-hatred when he sees it?
And if not, why not?
Apart from that excursion into the dunghill, the vicar continues to post obsessively, as always, about Israel, and in the process sometimes has a little dig at da Joos, but the above link surely marks a particularly low point in the long-running Sizer saga.
Edward Said once said that, as a scholar, he had the intellectual responsibility “to speak the truth as plainly, directly, and honestly as possible,” yet his autobiography, replete with fabrications calculated to advance his warped, morally bankrupt agenda, exposes him as nothing more than a skillful liar and a fraud. Said, together with Arafat, stars of the Palestinian cause, illustrate how a lie becomes truth when people have an agenda.
Virulent, unscrupulous anti-Semites who falsify historical facts will never allow the truth to thwart their plans for denigrating our people. Our journey has taken us to death’s door many times over the millennia, but a remnant has always survived to continue our story. And when a third of our people were in the graveyards of their golden medinah of Europe, as another third cowered in fear of anti-Semitism in America, and the balance scattered in countries ready to finalize a solution for them—when the future appeared hopeless—G-d heard our people and opened the gates to the miracle of the State of Israel, and Jews from around the world rushed to the barren land that nobody else had wanted. From the “displaced persons” camps of Europe, the desert towns in Arab countries, the shtetls of Poland and the gulags of Russia, from all the corners of the world, began an ingathering to a land that had never belonged to any other people…a land that welcomed our people back with an eternal love, inspiring non-Jews to exclaim, “Look what their G-d has done for them! How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, thy dwelling places O Israel!” Our people returned to our land, “Am Chofshi B’Artzeinu”—to be a free Jewish people in our own land… “And I will bring you back to the land that I promised to your forefathers, and there I will make you a great people.”
Our enemies, Hamas and Fatah, may not have won this battle; but because of Israel’s fear of winning the latest war in Gaza (the third war since the deplorable expulsion), it’s only a matter of time before more dead Jews are added to those killed in the last nine years. Quiet-for-quiet is not a strategy, it’s appeasement – hudna – until the next time,when our enemies are better armed. Arab lies, gullible Jews, and a United Nations teeming with virulent, passionate anti-Semites! This year,honor your last words of the Neilah service and make “Next Year in Jerusalem” a reality.
Anti-Zionism And Antisemitism Are One And The Same
First thing’s first, let’s get the definitions out of the way so that we may stymie any possible confusion that might result from this post. Zionism is the belief that Jews have a fundamental legal and moral right for self-determination in Israel, grounded in principles of indigenous rights (Jews being indigenous to Israel), international law, and a firm belief in both national freedom and self-defense for a globally persecuted ethnic minority. Irshad Manji once compared it to affirmative action, due to its favoring of Jewish refugees in a world where Jews are especially vulnerable. More importantly, it elevates us to an equal level of power and autonomy in relation to other ethnic groups, barring those who have not yet achieved independence (e.g. Kurds, Balochi, Yazidis, etc). In contrast, anti-Zionists hold that we have no such rights. In general, they believe that Israel’s re-establishment was a “crime”, and that we are entitled only to full civil rights (and in many cases, not even that) in our diaspora countries of residence, or under a “binational” (read: Arab majority) state of Palestine.A Hostage’s Terrifying Eyewitness Account
So now you might be asking “why is this antisemitic”? There are many reasons, but let’s start with the most obvious one: it is discriminatory. If you maintain that one group should be deprived of fundamental civil rights, while simultaneously accepting that other groups can and should have these rights, that is discrimination. And we have a word for discrimination against Jews: antisemitism. This is pretty basic. For any non-Jewish group (more on Jewish anti-Zionism later) to agitate against Jews having the same political rights that they wouldn’t dare question for any other group is tantamount to an expression of privilege. As a matter of fact, it is pedagogically much more helpful to view the issue of anti-Zionism as antisemitism through the lens of privilege, rather than conscious malice or hatred.
Secondly, anti-Zionism exhibits a callous indifference, if not outright hostility, to the legitimate existential concerns of our people. As a political movement, Zionism arose in the 19th century when it became clear to Jews in diaspora that the post-Enlightenment guarantees of “equality” were little more than empty promises. The declining relevance of Christianity and the prevalence of secular, egalitarian values in the West had, in the end, proven ineffective against antisemitism, which by that point had been so deeply baked into European/Western culture that it no longer needed the incitement and provocations of men to survive. This colossal hatred had taken on a life of its own. (h/t Bob Knot)
Zarie is the 22 year old cashier at the kosher supermarket in Paris that was attacked last week. In an exclusive interview with Aish.fr, Aish.com’s French site, she recounts the nightmare of being held hostage, her terrifying encounter with the terrorist and the steadfast faith that enabled her to get through this tragedy. Here is her riveting and moving interview.Four to face possible charges over Paris attacks
Aish.fr: Zarie, you work as a cashier at the Hypercacher store in Paris. How did the attack begin?
Zarie: It was between 1 PM and 1:30 PM. A father with his two-year- old child was at my counter when I heard the first gunshot. Yohann Cohen, the young man who works with me, was the first to be hit. He shouted our manager’s name who, wounded, managed to leave the store. I did not realize immediately that this was a real gunshot.
Four men will appear before a judge in France on Tuesday to face possible charges of providing support to one of the Paris Islamist attackers, the prosecutors’ office said.Douglas Murray - Can Islam Be Reformed?
The four men, aged 22, 25, 26 and 28, were among 12 people detained in police raids on Friday, a week after the jihadist attacks that left 17 people dead in and around Paris over the space of three days.
Three of the women detained in the raids were freed on Saturday and five people were released overnight Tuesday, the Paris prosecutors’ office said.
The remaining four will later on Tuesday face an anti-terrorist judge who will decide whether to charge them with providing logistical support to one of the Paris attackers, Amedy Coulibaly.
Lord Sacks Reveals British Police Thwarted Terror Plot Against Manchester Jews
Lord Jonathan Sacks, the former British Chief Rabbi, has told the BBC that the greatest threat currently facing British Jews comes from radical Islamists.UK Jews 'Scared to Go to Shops' after Paris Attacks, Says Former Chief Rabbi
“I think so,” Lord Sacks said, when asked whether Islamists presented the greatest security challenge to the community. “Be aware though, just how small a minority that is of the Muslim community.”
Lord Sacks also revealed that a terror plot against the Jewish community in Manchester had been foiled by police.
The plot, he said, “would have targeted synagogues and Jewish schools, and luckily that was thwarted by the police. So this is not just a scare about nothing – this is very real.”
Lord Sacks said Jewish people in Britain were frightened to attend synagogue and shops in the wake of the Paris attacks even though there has been an increase in the number of police and security advisors taking proactive steps to increase security of the Jewish population in the country.Intelligence chief: 'Unbelievable amount of data' coming after Paris attacks
Speaking to Sky News, Lord Sacks said people were now asking questions like: “Will I be safe going to synagogue or going to a Jewish shop? Will my children be safe in a Jewish school?
“And that kind of thing is absolutely inevitable, I hope it will dissipate soon but there can be no doubt that there is an anxiety now among British Jews which is pretty much at a record high within my lifetime,” he said.
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said he expects that data will pour in over the next few months that will provide intelligence to better protect the U.S. and Europe against global terrorism threats.American Academics Steal the Honor of Charlie Hebdo
The new chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said that following the attack in Paris, there will be an “unbelievable amount of data that’s going to tell us what the next step is in defending this country and defending Europe, as well.”
On CNN's "State of the Union," he pointed to a spate of raids and arrests around Europe over the weekend that netted more than a dozen people with suspected ties to the Paris attacks, which left 12 dead at satirical newspaper Charlie Hedbo and another five dead around the city.
He called the recent arrests in Belgium an "intelligence win."
Burr suggested that this is not a war between the East and West and that terrorism "is a concern and a threat to us, to Europe and to every Muslim around the world that is not a fanatic terrorist."
In this vein, I found Jytte Klausen’s reminiscences (TIME, January 7, 2014) about the censorship of her book, The Cartoons that Shook the World, disconcerting.OHPI: Je Suis Humain
Yale University Press published Dr. Klausen’s book about the caricatures of Mohammed that incited violence and bloodshed, but absent the cartoons themselves. Dr. Klausen asserts her status as a victim of censorship, and she wants to remind us that a free society is incompatible with censorship, even self-censorship.
My instincts to applaud these noble sentiments were tempered by the realization that no one compelled Dr. Klausen to keep her manuscript at Yale University Press. Once Yale University Press succumbed to pressure to publish a book about cartoons minus the cartoons, she could have gone elsewhere. Last time I looked, it was still a free country with a lot of publishing houses, some with a reputation for thriving on iconoclasm.
The “Je suis Charlie” motif here just doesn’t work. After all, giving up the prestige that Yale University Press confirms on an academic vita is far less a sacrifice than taking a bullet for what one believes. Dr. Klausen was not faced with Charlie Hebdo’s choice between living on their knees or dying on their feet.
So as academicians all over America embrace Charlie Hebdo and remind us of the virtues of free speech, perhaps, it is time to remind them that Charlie Hebdo could not be distributed on most American campuses. It would run afoul of the unconstitutional speech and decency codes that govern campus behavior.
The Online Hate Prevention Institute (OHPI) has produced a report in the wake of events in Paris. ‘Je Suis Humain: Responsible free speech in the shadow of the Charlie Hebdo murders.’ As well as analysis of the free speech issues raised by some responses to the killings, the report offers a series of recommendations.Protestors Attempt to Storm Gaza's French Cultural Center
Whereas some have sidelined the murders of four Jews, OHPI discusses these with specific reference to Muslim antisemitism.
"The targeting of Jews in terrorist attacks is not accidental, but rather ideologically driven. This growth of antisemitism must therefore be tackled to safeguard not only the Jewish community, but society as a whole. The weakening of anti-racism groups’ efforts to tackle antisemitism must be addressed, as must the importation of a culture of antisemitism from the Arab world into France, and Europe more generally. Tackling antisemitism will help to tackle radicalisation more broadly. (p. 4)"
OHPI is alert to the slippage between antizionism and antisemitism and to the dangers of antiracists being drawn into indiscriminate solidarity with ‘recent immigrants some of whom may hold antisemitic views’ (p.4).
This forthright analysis pulls few punches. It’s somewhat unusual (though not unwelcome) to see this informed and honest analysis of antisemitic discourse sit alongside some sharp criticism of anti-Muslim bigotry in the media (mostly social media, a key concern for OHPI).
Two hundred members of the Salafi Jihadism movement of Islam demonstrated violently in front of the French Cultural Center in Gaza on Monday.ISIS Supporters Demonstrate against France in Gaza: We Will Slaughter Whoever Mocks the Prophet Muhammad
The protest in Gaza City was organized as a reaction to the cartoons of Prophet Mohammad published on the front page of the latest issue of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo last week.
Demonstrators waved black flags reminiscent of terror organization Islamic State which controls large swathes of territory in nearby Syria and Iran. Many were also dressed in uniforms that resembled ISIS fighters.
The protestors also carried the pictures of terrorist brothers, Said and Cherif Kouachi, who murdered 12 people during a brutal shooting attack at the offices of Charlie Hebdo.
A French flag was torched by the extremists, who threatened to attack French citizens.
"In the past we confiscated your merchandise, now we will cut off your heads. Leave Gaza, you French, or we will slaughter you by cutting your throats," chanted the protesters.
The radical Islamists also torched a United States flag, while chanting "Allahu Akbar" or "God is greater."
Australia raises terror threat level against police to 'high'
Australia raised the threat level of a terrorist attack against law enforcement officers to "high" on Tuesday, federal police said, citing intelligence, discussions with international partners and recent high-profile attacks in Europe and Canada.Muslim CNN Guest: 'Bigotry And Racism' Behind Criticism Of Islam
The change in the threat level for police officers brings it in line with the current threat level against the general public, which was raised to high in September and has remained so following a hostage crisis in Sydney in December.
"As a result of intelligence information and discussions with our partners, the terrorism threat level against police is assessed as high, which is commensurate with the broader threat level for the community," the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said in a statement.
"Recent events in France, Canada and Australia serve as a sobering reminder of the risks associated with policing," the statement said.
Columbia professor Ahmed Shihab-Eldin said on CNN’s “New Day” Monday that there was an “element of racism and bigotry” behind critiques of Islam, including the criticisms made by HBO host Bill Maher. (VIDEO: Sarah Palin: Obama ‘Chicken’ For Refusing To Say ‘Radical Islam’)J’Accuse: York University Newspaper Compares Orthodox Jews with Charlie Hebdo Terrorists
“It should be said, there’s an element of racism and bigotry when we talk about what Bill Maher says sometimes, or what certain people say when they say this reflects on all Muslims. This happens so much… this is something that has been driven by the fact the media– and not just the news media– for better or worse since 9/11 has kind of adopted this Bush Doctrine painting Muslims as inherently evil. It happens in news, and it happens in entertainment, unfortunately.”
Incredibly, the student newspaper at York University – the Excalibur – chose to frame its coverage of the Charlie Hebdo massacre around the moral failures of a handful of Orthodox Jewish men. The message given to over 55,000 students in Canada’s third largest university is that, somehow, it’s always about the Jews.Iran to Host Holocaust Cartoon Contest
Abdul Malik, the Excalibur’s feature editor, begins his op-ed by citing an example of religious fanaticism. An appropriate example of religion manifested as intolerance would have been the thousands of Yazidi women being raped and killed by ISIS or the decimation of Christian communities in Iraq and Syria, but it seems that because none of these events are connected to the Jews, they aren’t important.
Instead, Malik crafts his response to the Paris terror attacks by condemning the “ultra-Orthodox Jewish men who refuse to sit next to women on airplanes as per their beliefs…”. Never mind that Judaism does not forbid men from sitting next to women on airplanes whereas Islam certainly does condone the murder of those who blaspheme their prophet. According to the Excalibur, refusing a seat on an airplane is analogous to murdering journalists in the name of Allah.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shocked the world with his virulent Holocaust denial, a position he later characterized as his major achievement. In reality, of course, Ahmadinejad did not introduce Holocaust revisionism into the Iranian political sphere. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei argued that the Jews “exaggerated” the Holocaust, and former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, labelled a “pragmatist” and moderate by many in the United States, dismissed the Holocaust as “Zionist propaganda.” Ahmadinejad’s predecessor Mohammad Khatami, lionized as a reformist in the West for his calls for “dialogue of civilizations,” also promoted Holocaust denial, just more quietly.Anti-Charlie Hebdo rally mistakenly burns Italian flag (h/t Bob Knot)
When Hassan Rouhani became Iran’s president, President Obama and many other Western officials treated him like a breath of fresh air. Perhaps this reflects the superficiality that infuses the personalities of Western politicians. After all, they drew their conclusions based on Rouhani’s carefully staged pronouncements and press conferences, rather than on the reality of his record. If Holocaust denial is the canary in the coalmine, then it’s apparent that Obama’s assessment of Rouhani’s commitment to change is wrong. From the Mehr News Agency comes this announcement of a new contest to draw Holocaust caricatures. The logic expressed by the Iranian government is that if Charlie Hebdo is allowed to insult the Prophet Muhammad, then the Iranians and anti-Semites worldwide should gave the right to ridicule Jews and victims of genocide.
Shmuley Boteach: Martin Luther King Jr. brought the Hebrew prophets to life
Martin Luther King Day is this week and to any American it should mean a rebirth of the principles enumerated on the Fourth of July. The latter commemorates the formation of our country upon the values of freedom and equality. When we remember Martin Luther King, however, we commemorate the man who brought America to conform to those founding principles, which were being violated. But to Jews, too, this day is one of unique importance.Ambassador Prosor addresses UNSC on Inclusive Development
As protests raged through Ferguson and New York City these past few months, anti-Israel activists pounced on the opportunity to hijack the tragedies to serve their own ends. Mixed in with the “Black Lives Matter” billboards were a handful of other signs reading “Palestinian Lives Matter.” What the Israel haters are trying to do is drive a wedge between the Jewish and black communities.
The relationship between blacks and Jews is one of true depth, one which goes to the core of both peoples. It was not built on a shared oppression, but on a shared faith, not upon a common history, but upon a common destiny.
Not on shared interests, but on shared values. Not upon a mutual alienation from the mainstream, but upon a mutual commitment to social justice.
"It’s fitting that the Security Council chose to discuss the topic of inclusive development on Martin Luther King day. Dr. King was a champion of human rights and human dignity. He taught the world that strong societies don’t succumb to division; they teach tolerance and embrace diversity. He said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge.”
We must create an enabling environment for inclusive and peaceful societies by promoting good governance, strong institutions, and rule of law at both the national and international levels.”
Temple Mount Tourists Unknowingly Featured in Palestinian Propaganda
An innocent photo of a group of young Canadians and Americans visiting the Temple Mount was used in a false accusatory article on a Palestinian website, indicating that the visitors had stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque.It’s a Syrian child!
Geoffrey Zalter, 23, came to Israel on a MASA teaching fellows program (a joint project of the Israeli government and the Jewish Agency that brings young Jews to Israel) to teach English for a year. He went to the Temple Mount last week and was photographed there with a group of his friends from the program by several Palestinians.
On Jan. 18, the picture appeared on the “Palestinian Information Center” website alongside an article containing a slew of false information, including that a group of Jews had stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque and tried to fly a drone over it twice.
“Palestinian men and women were praising Allah (directed at us, with the intent to make us feel uncomfortable), yelling at us and taking pictures,” Zalter wrote on Facebook regarding the Temple Mount visit.
I’m waiting until the Palestinian DisInformation Center gets sufficiently embarrassed and replaces the cover on their Facebook page. No link because I don’t want even for a second to boost its place in search engines but I’m sure you can find it and ridicule.Anti-Israel activists block San Mateo Bridge
She’s brave and bloody and Syrian – not Palestinian at all.
This is not the first time, nor the second and won’t be the last that the Palestinians have taken a photograph from somewhere other than Gaza, Judea or Samaria and claimed it was Palestine.
They are not trying to make a case in a court of law — not even the ICC. They are trying to blacken Israel by make false allegations — and they are largely succeeding.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you about how anti-Israel activists have set on a deliberate course to hijack the Ferguson and #BlackLivesMatters protests to their own anti-Israel agenda:Ferguson Protestors Travel to Palestinian Territories
It started in Ferguson, then the Eric Garner protests, and is being pushed by the anti-Israel Students for Justice in Palestine through groups like Dream Defenders, which carries a Tides Foundation logo on it’s website. Dream Defenders was responsible for Marc Lamont Hill’s trip to “Palestine” in which he recorded a video supporting “Revolutionary Struggle” against Israel.
A key player in the effort to turn the #BlackLivesMatter movement into an anti-Israel movement is recently graduated Stanford student and SJP activist Kristian Davis Bailey, who writes not only for the anti-Zionist Mondoweiss website, but also has been promoting the effort in Ebony Magazine.
Organizers of the protests against police officers in Ferguson, Mo., spent 10 days in Palestine recently, where they “sought to forge connections with Palestinian activists,” alternate news website Color Lines: News for Action reported.Ferguson live-streamer afraid hackers trying to brainwash someone into executing him
The protest leaders and members of groups Dream Defenders and Black Lives Matter spent their time in the Palestinian territories activists that hate Israel.
Ferguson activist/agitator Bassam Masri has emerged as one of the more recognizable names in the #BlackLivesMatter movement with his extensive and frankly exhausting live-streaming of protests and riots. As Legal Insurrection noted, as an activist in the #Palestine2Ferguson movement, Masri’s techniques “are not mere protest, but pushing the confrontations with police into dangerous territory.”Wow, Marc Lamont Hill drank the anti-Israel Kool-Aid
He also achieved some viral fame on YouTube when his phone was stolen live on camera on the night of the grand jury announcement regarding Officer Darren Wilson. Marsi believes “a police agitator” was responsible.
Lately, though, he has complained of imposter accounts on Twitter and more — much more. Will he call the police, or simply forge ahead with his “hardcore investigative journalism” and track down the culprit himself?
This is all part of a larger effort, particularly on U.S. campuses, to use “intersectional” theory to tie domestic race issues into Palestinian complaints about Israel, among other ways, through exaggeration and in some cases fabrication of alleged Israeli training of U.S. police. That way, any use of excessive force by a U.S. policeman is cause for anti-Israel activists to blame Israel and try to stoke hatred of Israel in domestic communities.Honest Reporting: HonestReporting Radio: How — Anti Israel Bias — Works
It’s a sick tactic, but it is one deeply ingrained in the anti-Israel movement in the U.S., which has sought to foment and exploit racial tensions long before Ferguson.
One of the groups spearheading the attempt to co-opt the #BlackLivesMatter movement is Dream Defenders, which carries a Tides Foundation logo on its website. The Tides Foundation is a major funder of left-wing activist groups, including groups exploiting the Ferguson riots and conflict.
I’ll have more on its efforts in the future, but for now it’s worth focusing on a trip the group organized to tie Ferguson into the Palestinian dispute. The #DDPalestine hashtag is used for the event.
The group produced a video (embedded at bottom of post) of a “flash mob” it organized in Nazareth in Israel (which they referred to as being in “Palestine”):
HonestReporting.com’s Yarden Frankl takes the New York Times to task for quoting unnamed Al-Qaeda members as reliable sources in their coverage of jihadi terror. He also thanks HonestReporting members for contacting CNN to challenge the bizarre tweets of former anchor Jim Clancy claiming a ‘hasbara’ conspiracy. Clancy has since left the network after 34 years. Frankl concludes with the “Ugly” example of bias in a kids science magazineHuff Post Corrects Claim that Israel Killed 2,269 innocent (Palestinian) men, women and children
On January 15, Huffington Post Canada published a commentary by Corey Levine who claimed that Israel killed “2,269 innocent (Palestinian) men, women and children” in its war with Hamas last summer.The Times Delineates a “Jewish Border”
Levine wrote the following: “Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Israel, Binyamin Netanyahu, the architect of last year’s 51-day bombing campaign on the besieged people of Gaza in which 2,269 innocent men, women and children were killed, was front and centre at last weekend’s rally in Paris; offering burial in Israel to the Jewish victims of the attacks and encouraging France’s half-million-strong Jewish community to make aliyah (literally the ‘act of going up’, or in this case, immigrating to Israel), telling them France was no longer safe for them.”
The Times of London (subscription only) reports on the death of an Iranian general on Syrian territory, allegedly in an Israeli drone strike. But the story gets off to a strange start:Telegraph: Israel Still Occupying South Lebanon
A state’s border, of course, cannot be defined by religion nor can they be religious. On the assumption that this is nothing more than a editorial error, we expect The Times, having been notified by HonestReporting, to correct its misleading terminology.
We do, however, wish to thank The Times for recognizing Israel’s border with Syria.
A ‘selfie’ photo of Miss Israel posing next to Miss Lebanon at a Miss Universe competition has made international news thanks to Miss Lebanon’s sour reaction and that of many of her countrymen. To be fair we didn’t expect HonestReporting to be covering this story. However, the Daily Telegraph has published an article looking at the deeper issues behind the selfie spat.CNN’s “unreliable” criticism of Israel
It includes comment from George Asseily, chairman of the Center for Lebanese Studies who says:
"The reason is that Lebanon has accused Israel, and still is, of waging a war against civilians in Lebanon. In 2006 there was lots of destruction and since then there’s been no improvement in the relationship, because Israel still occupies part of the south and they’re refusing to withdraw although this is Lebanese territory."
The Daily Telegraph fails to elaborate on or explain Asseily’s charge, leaving the casual reader to believe that Israel is occupying Lebanese territory.
When Scahil suggested that the U.S. also was hard on journalists, Stelter quickly countered that he did not see a comparison between other repressive countries and the United States. Stelter’s counter to Scahil applies equally to Israel.CNN Distorts Facts on Settler Violence, Smears All Israelis
In its analysis of Israel’s overall commitment to the press, Reporters Without Borders carefully describes the general condition of Israeli journalists as “enjoying real freedom of expression despite the existence of military censorship.” This statement alone should have prevented CNN from adding Israel to its hypocrisy list.
Reporters Without Borders’ secretary general Christophe Deloire makes a very important general statement about the kinds of countries which promote free speech, saying:
“…democratic countries occupy the top of the index while dictatorial countries occupy the last three positions….it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information than countries where human rights are flouted.”
For the third consecutive year, Finland, the Netherlands and Norway were leaders in press freedom with Canada ranking 20th and the United States ranking 32nd. China, Iran, Syria and North Korea were among those ranking lowest on the list. The Palestinians ranked 146th.
As the only legitimate democracy in the Middle East, Israel embodies the western commitment to press freedom which CNN should celebrate. To suggest that Israel restricts freedom of the press in ways similar to Saudi Arabia, Russia, Turkey and Egypt is an affront to all those who support the principle of Freedom of the Press and a profound journalistic irresponsibility that causes one to wonder what kind of anti-Israel bias is at the heart of CNN news analysis.
Sadly, it reflects the height of journalistic unreliability.
Recently, a film crew from CNN’s Middle-East Bureau paid a visit to Caliber 3, the Israeli Counter Terrorism and Security Academy – a privately owned enterprise located in the industrial area of Gush Etzion. The visit was pre-arranged with the management, who were told that CNN was running a piece on settlers who, in the wake of the surge of recent terrorist attacks against them, feel the need for personal defensive training. CNN called the item “Israelis Learn Self-Defense.” It was uploaded to the CNN website on January 2.In Time of Need, Christian Group Shows Support for Israel
The CNN team filmed a class of ten adult men and women. That day’s lesson focused on warding off knife attacks. The report included a few seconds of footage of an actual fatal stabbing attack captured by security cameras at the entrance to the nearby community of Alon Shvut, with this voiceover: “Last November, a Palestinian man went on a rampage with a knife in a nearby settlement bloc. He’s taken down eventually, but not before killing one person and injuring three others.”
The knife wielding murderer is deemed by the CNN editor to be “a man,” not a terrorist, not even the usual “militant.” The nameless “one person,” neither man nor woman, who was “killed” that day (maybe by a falling rock, but not murdered in cold blood), had a name. She was Dalia Lemkus.
With a growing number of Christian groups supporting or considering endorsing the anti-Israel and often regarded as anti-Semitic Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against the Jewish State, welcome news comes from Christians United for Israel (CUFI).Kodak CEO in Israel Looking to Buy Startups
Last week CUFI announced its membership has surpassed “the two million members mark.” Established in 2006, the San Antonio-based organization describes itself as “the nation’s largest pro-Israel organization.”
“We’ve come a long way since we began CUFI with 400 Christian leaders back in 2006. And I can say without hesitation that while reaching two million members is no small accomplishment, we’ve only just begun. We will continue to grow and to speak out with an ever-louder voice for Zion’s sake,” said CUFI founder and chairman Pastor John Hagee.
Jeff Clarke, the CEO of venerable camera-maker Kodak, is in Israel looking to acquire tech startups that can help rebuild his company as a leader in digital printing, Ha’aretz reported Monday.China’s Alibaba makes first foray into Israeli tech
“One of the reasons I’m in Israel is because I’m looking at the technology here – the technology landscape – and looking for acquisitions,” he says.
“There are 4,800 startups in Israel, second-largest technology environment for technology startups after Silicon Valley. In the printing industry, there’s significant history here, everything from Indigo to Scitex, really very strong, historic positions. So I’m here to look for companies that we can use to make Kodak bigger. I’m meeting with over 10 companies, all of which are very interesting, in areas like 3-D printing, in areas like material science, in inkjet technology, in specialized inks, all of which are critical to the printing industry. We’re also looking at a couple of software companies.”
The world’s biggest online commerce company, Alibaba, announced Tuesday that it was making its first-ever investment in an Israeli company. The Chinese giant has invested an unspecified amount in Tel Aviv-based Visualead, which develops “designer” QR (Quick Response) codes.Asian army buys Israeli system to protect its craft
Visualead will use the money “to develop next-generation O2O (offline to online) technology,” the companies said in a statement.
Besides being the biggest company in China, Alibaba is also the biggest company on Wall Street. Last September, Alibaba proffered a $25 billion IPO, the biggest ever anywhere.
The announcement did not specify how much Alibaba would invest in the Israeli firm, but a source close to the deal said it was under $10 million, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Elbit announced Monday that it had reached a deal to outfit the Blackhawk helicopters of the air force of an unnamed Asian country with its aerial laser defense system.PreOccupied Territory: Biblical Zoo Acquires Leviathan; Seeks Larger Site (satire)
With its purchase of the MUSIC system, that army will protect its aircraft from attacks using shoulder-launched missiles and RPGs, like the one featured in the 2001 film Black Hawk Down, as well as from real-life attacks, like the one that brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine last summer, killing nearly 300 people
While there was speculation that the country in question was Japan – given that a large delegation of Japanese business and government officials were in Israel this week accompanying Prime Minister Shinzo Abe – a spokesperson for the company said otherwise.
“These matters are very sensitive, and we respect the privacy of our customers. But I can definitively tell you that the customer is not Japan,” the spokesperson said.
One of Israel’s small, niche zoos has put itself on the map by becoming the first such establishment in the world to house the legendary Leviathan.
The Biblical Museum of Natural History in the Northern Industrial Zone of this town west of Jerusalem specializes in showcasing the creatures mentioned by name in Scripture, from the lowly creeping animals of Leviticus whose corpses render a person unclean to the majestic horned beasts that came to symbolize pride and glory in Psalms. Other zoos, notably one in Jerusalem, have styled themselves “Biblical,” with signs near the animal displays featuring verses that mention the beast in question. But the Jerusalem Zoo long ago abandoned its exclusively Biblical flavor, choosing to attract visitors and their cash with kangaroos, elephants, penguins, and all manner of African safari staples such as rhinoceroses and zebras. The scale and selection of creatures at larger zoos has relegated the smaller establishments to niche status, but this week, the BMNH trumped even worldwide zoological powerhouses by landing the largest sea creature known to man.
The Leviathan in this zoo is male, since a female specimen remains unavailable. Dubbed Jumbo by the staff, the massive marine creature inhabits an entire valley that has been damned to hold the water pumped in from the Mediterranean. Leviathan Lake measures eighteen square miles, with a single hilltop protruding in the middle to serve as an observation post. Two farming communities were relocated to make room for Jumbo’s aquarium, their residents reimbursed with monies donated by American evangelical philanthropists.
