Friday, February 20, 2015
Caroline Glick: Netanyahu’s true electoral rival
Obama’s insistence that Islamic State and its ilk attack because of perceived Western misbehavior is completely at odds with observed reality. As The Atlantic’s Graeme Wood demonstrated this week in his in-depth report on Islamic State’s ideology and goals, Islam is central to the group. Islamic State is an apocalyptic movement rooted entirely in Islam.A speech by Caroline Glick (in English) and a promotion for her new book "Annex it Now" (h/t Bob Knot)
Most of the coverage of Netanyahu’s scheduled speech before Congress has centered on his opposition to the deal Obama seeks to conclude with Iran. But it may be that the second half of his speech – which will be devoted to the threat posed by radical Islam – will be no less devastating to Obama. Obama’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge the fact that the greatest looming threats to global security today, including US national security, stem from radical Islam indicates that he is unable to contend with any evidence that jihadist Islam constitutes a unique threat unlike the threat posed by Western chauvinism and racism.
It is hard to understand either Israel’s election or Obama’s hysterical response to Netanyahu’s scheduled speech without recognizing that Obama clearly feels threatened by the message he will deliver. Surrounded by sycophantic aides and advisers, and until recently insulated from criticism by a supportive media, while free to ignore Congress due to his veto power, Obama has never had to seriously explain his policies regarding Iran and Islamic terrorists more generally. He has never endured a direct challenge to those policies.
Today Obama believes that he is in a to-the-death struggle with Netanyahu. If Netanyahu’s speech is a success, Obama’s foreign policy will be indefensible. If Obama is able to delegitimize Netanyahu ahead of his arrival, and bring about his electoral defeat, then with a compliant Israeli government, he will face no obstacles to his plan to appease Iran and blame Islamic terrorism on the West for the remainder of his tenure in office.
Sarah Honig: Variation of the Bird-Jew theme
In his autobiography, legendary Yiddish author Shalom Aleichem recounts a harrowing story his grandfather had told him about “the bird-Jew.”Phillips Warns of 'Civilizational Battle' Between Islam and the West
That was how the grandfather called Noah, a pious Jewish innkeeper who lived in constant dread of his Russian landlord, the village squire. Trembling, Noah headed for the manor to renew his lease. His timing was off, because the courtyard was full of festive guests ready to go hunting.
The squire, in a jovial mood, agreed to extend the agreement if Noah would climb the stable roof and pretend to be a bird – so he can shoot him. Fearful of angering the nobleman, Noah obsequiously did his bidding. He clambered up as ordered, bent forward, flung his arms sideways and assumed a birdlike pose. At that instant the squire fired and Noah fell, as any slain bird would.
Although realizing he’s about to be put to death anyway, the bird-Jew played along with his executioner, still absurdly terrified of what might happen if he didn’t. This is the cringing mentality, the fear of giving offense to one’s mortal enemies, which Zionism was established to eradicate.
But not with full success, it seems.
In a visit to California this week, British journalist and author Melanie Phillips stated the very thing that leaders of the western world have refused to say, and have gone to particularly great lengths to avoid.
In a lecture on “The Paris Massacres and the Freedom of Speech,” Phillips singled out Islam as being the root cause of the violent extremism in the Paris and Copenhagen attacks, and warned that radical ideologies stemming from the interpretation of the religion’s teachings are a direct threat to western values and the civilization as a whole.
“The real point is that the attack on freedom of speech is part of a religious war of conquest being waged against the free world….It’s a civilizational battle,” Phillips said as she addressed a jam-packed audience at the University of Redlands on Monday.
“ISIS has identified itself as Islamic in everything that it does. To say that it is not Islam is just completely absurd….To deny that it is rooted in Islamic thought is a terrible mistake,” Phillips added.
For Victim Adele Biton, Palestinian Rock-Throwing is Murder, Not ‘Resistance’
And there are more such Jewish victims. There was the 2011 murder-by-stoning of Asher Palmer and his 11-month-old son, Yonatan. Ali Sa’ada and his friend Waal al-Arjeh, a member of the Palestinian Authority security forces, carried out that attack in September 2011. They decided to throw rocks from a moving car at an Israeli car traveling in the opposite direction, because the combined speed of the vehicles would significantly increase the damage they could do.Victor Davis Hanson: Our Dangerous Historical Moment
Rock-throwing is not non-violent, despite what New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman and some of his colleagues have written. In an April 2012 column, Friedman endorsed what he called “nonviolent resistance by Palestinians”—and then listed boycotts, hunger strikes, and rock-throwing as examples of such “resistance.” It’s not unarmed resistance. It’s not a “hobby,” a word which conjures up images of playing chess or collecting baseball cards. It’s attempted murder. And in the case of Adele Biton, it’s murder.
For seven days, the Biton family will sit shiva for their daughter. Friends, neighbors, and those who do not know them personally will come to sit with them. They will not be celebrating the martyrdom of a child, they will be mourning for their incalculable loss. They will remember the times they held Adele’s hands and told her everything would be alright. And they will bear it as have so many other parents, with rededication to their core beliefs and steadfastness of resolve, that Adele’s short life not be chalked up to a harmless “resistance.”
Meanwhile, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being blamed for stoking Middle Eastern tensions. Who cares that he resides over the region’s only true democracy, one that is stable and protects human rights? Obama-administration aides have called him a coward and worse. President Obama has dismissed the radical Islamists’ targeting of Jews in France merely as “randomly shoot[ing] a bunch of folks in a deli.” Putin, the Islamic State, and Iran at first glance have as little in common as did Germany, Italy, and Japan. But like the old Axis, they are all authoritarians that share a desire to attack their neighbors. And they all hate the West. The grandchildren of those who appeased the dictators of the 1930s once again prefer in the short term to turn a blind eye to the current fascists. And the grandchildren of the survivors of the Holocaust once again get blamed. The 1930s should have taught us that aggressive autocrats do not have to like each other to share hatred of the West. The 1930s should have demonstrated to us that old-time American isolationism and the same old European appeasement will not prevent but only guarantee a war. And the 1930s should have reminded us that Jews are usually among the first — but not the last — to be targeted by terrorists, thugs, and autocrats. (h/t Herb Glatter)Dr. Mordechai Kedar: "First Steps in Defeating Islamic Terror: Understanding the Arab and Muslim World"
EMET was proud to host Dr. Mordechai Kedar on why Islamic terrorists are targeting the free world, and what we need to know about the Muslim and Arab world to win the war on terror.
From ISIS's beheadings, to the tragic terrorist attacks in Paris, including the Charlie Hebdo shootings leaving 13 innocent dead, and the slaughter of four Jews at a Kosher supermarket for the mere fact that they were Jewish, the Western world has been left shocked by an enemy it does not know how to defeat. The Islamic State's campaign of genocide and crimes against humanity has taken on a new level of horror with the recent murder of Jordanian pilot, Moaz al-Kassasbeh, who was burned alive by the radical Islamic terror group. The U.S.'s greatest ally in the Middle East, the State of Israel, was subject to Hamas' launch of 4,000 rockets into many of its major cities, and the State has to fight terrorists, including those from Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, and Hezbollah, on a daily basis to protect its citizens.
Egypt's Most Popular Papers Just Ran A SHOCKING Comic About ISIS, US And Israel
Two of Egypt’s most widely read newspapers have published cartoons indirectly blaming ISIS’ existence or actions on the U.S. and Israel.US Senator Schumer calls on fellow Democrats to attend Netanyahu speech
State-owned Al-Ahram published a cartoon on Wednesday with the phrase, “America after the slaughtering of our sons.” It was referring to the recent beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christians at the hands of ISIS in Libya.
Using somewhat confusing imagery, a hand is panting knives in the shape and style of the American flag. Jewish Stars of David have replaced stars representing U.S. states.
Another Egyptian newspaper, Al-Masry Al-Youm, published the Arabic-language acronym for ISIS in the shape of a Jewish menorah on Feb. 5. On Tuesday, it again published the ISIS acronym but linked to “USA.”
Leading Democratic Senator Charles Schumer called on his fellow Democrats on Thursday to attend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in Congress next month, saying the Israel-US relationship should “transcend” any political differences.Conference of Presidents Releases Statement From Former Chairs Backing New Iran Sanctions
“It’s always been a bipartisan policy,” Schumer said of the US-Israel relationship.
“Democrats and Republicans have always worked together on it, we ought to keep it that way.”
Some Democrats, including Vice President Joe Biden, have said they will not attend the speech.
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations released Thursday a statement from its former chairs Kenneth J. Bialkin, Seymour D. Reich and Richard B. Stone in support of new economic sanctions against Iran.National Iranian American Council Buys Full-Page Ad in NYT Against Netanyahu Speech
Bialkin told The Algemeiner, “Iran is in the business now of leading terror activities over the whole Middle East. And that’s a very dangerous thing . . . I think we need to be as hard on Iran as we possibly can be.” He added that of at least as much concern for him personally as the “potential nuclear quest by Iran” is the “the hegemony Iran is exercising in so many of the hotspots of terrorism,” and fears that “President Obama is playing with fire by trying to make Iran into an ally for a small part of our anti-Islamic-terror effort.”
The statement from the three ex-chairmen comes at a crucial juncture in US-Iran and US-Israel relations. Negotiations between the US government and Tehran about Iran’s nuclear program are reportedly set to resume Friday in Geneva; there is a visible and growing rift between the Obama and Netanyahu administrations over the terms of a putative deal; both governments have engaged in a highly mediatized but indirect grappling match over the talks, the US’s broader Iran policy and charges of electioneering leveled both at Obama and at Netanyahu.
Perhaps most interesting about this statement is the fact that the COP rarely allows former heads to make use of its megaphone in this way — it might attest to the seriousness with which the organization views the issue.
The National Iranian American Council (NIAC), a group long accused of having close ties to the Iranian regime under Ayatollah Khamenei, has taken out a full page ad in the New York Times to oppose Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming speech to a joint session of Congress on March 3.Jen Psaki Heads to White House on Heels of AIPAC Fumble
NIAC President Trita Parsi said of his organization’s advertisement, “The U.S. and its closest allies are on the brink of a historic deal that will both prevent an Iranian bomb and war with Iran, and Congressional hawks are orchestrating political stunts with foreign leaders to try to kill it.”
“The American people do not want another senseless military adventure and certainly don’t consider Benjamin Netanyahu to be their commander in chief,” he added.
The ad asks, “Who is our Commander in Chief?” providing two choices: Barack Obama or Benjamin Netanyahu.
Jen Psaki, shortly after a painful exchange with the AP’s Matt Lee over her boss’s non-attendance at AIPAC, is leaving her post as spokesperson for US Secretary of State John Kerry and heading to the White House to serve as communications director for President Barack Obama, USA Today reported. She replaces Jennifer Palmieri, who is going to work in the press shop of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.The Worst of Jen Psaki - SUPERcuts
Psaki has come in for her share of knocks since heading to State in 2013, often over moments of seeming unpreparedness; the back and forth with Lee and another reporter came Wednesday when Psaki was asked if Kerry had any plans to attend AIPAC — and if his non-attendance had anything to do with the rising tensions between the US and Israeli governments. Psaki stumbled and offered the excuse that Kerry is “probably going” to be out of town. Lee dug in and managed to land several stinging blows. (h/t Yenta Press)
Elliott Abrams: Shouting at Kerry
A remarkable news story on Thursday revealed that throughout the nuclear negotiations, the top Iranian negotiator has been shouting and screaming at U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and that he has sat there and taken the abuse.Harf, Kerry and Obama: ‘The Answer to Violent Extremism is #Jobs4RandomFolk’
Why does this matter? As someone who worked for Secretary of State George Shultz, and for Condoleezza Rice (at the National Security Council), I am absolutely sure that neither of them would have put up with this for a split second. They would have told the Iranian to pipe down, and if he did not they'd have left the room. It undermines the dignity of the individual American negotiator, and of the position of secretary of state, and of our country when such conduct is regularly aimed at us -- and we do nothing. It suggests to the Iranians not only that the individual negotiator will countenance such misconduct, but that in the substance of the negotiations our country will as well -- allowing cheating, for example, because we lack the backbone to call it by its proper name.
This may all seem petty but I do not think it is. If the Iranian negotiator can intimidate our negotiator, if decent behavior is not demanded, the lesson we teach Iran is dangerous. (h/t Bob Knot)
The word Islam never appears in Kerry’s 14 paragraph, 938 word op-ed on Countering Violent Extremism.Wiesenthal Center to Obama: You Must Name ‘Islamist Terrorism’ as Key Threat
The word Muslim appears once. It crops up in the category of the biggest victims of this unnamed, orphan, random violent extremism. It comes up in a paragraph in which Islamophobia and anti-Semitism are lined up as equal victims. It is employed to demonstrate that not only is the source of violent extremism random, so are the victims:
A safer and more prosperous future also requires us not to be distracted by divisions grounded in hatred or bias. There is no room in this fight for sectarian division. There is no room for Islamophobia or anti-Semitism. Violent extremism has claimed lives in every corner of the globe, and Muslim lives most of all. Each of us is threatened, regardless of ethnicity, faith or homeland.
The rest of Kerry’s op-ed reads like something an earnest high school disciplinarian might say to teenagers who have been unruly. Kerry uses phrases like “peaceful communities” and “a vision that is positive and proactive,” a world with “concrete alternatives” and “a chance at a better life.”
For one brief, almost shining moment, Kerry stumbles on to a good idea. “The most basic issue is good governance.” But then, he drops the thought and instead goes on to discuss what the rest of the world needs to do in order to make the potential random violent extremists feel better about themselves and so less likely to blow us all to kingdom come.
Once again, as he concludes his statement, Kerry kicks into #jobs4ISIS mode. He channels Mister Rogers and suggests we all need to be ‘tailoring our efforts and targeting our resources’ and training youth so they can become employed and embrace “dignity and self-reliance,” as well as “security and justice.”
Jaw-dropping. Pardon the yawn.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a non-profit that combats anti-Semitism, said on the heels of the White House’s controversial Countering Violent Extremism Summit (CVE) that Obama has failed to clearly label the threat of radical Muslims.First US terrorism trial against PA draws to close
Obama’s White House and State Department has faced regular criticism for refusing to name radical Islam as the top global terrorism threat.
The Wiesenthal Center said in its statement that it is time for Obama to get specific.
“The existential threat that confronts the world today has a name—Islamist fundamentalism—and has addresses—ISIS, al Qaeda, and their ilk,” Rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper, dean and founder and associate dean of the Center, said in a statement.
“We must also be honest in acknowledging the scope of the problem,” they said. “The number of Muslims sympathetic to Jihadists, could, according to a 2013 Pew poll, could far exceed 200 million—more than the total populations of the Axis Powers at the beginning of WWII.”
Yalowitz continued, “If you have a policy that says: ‘If you commit a terrorist act, you keep your job, get a promotion, and get paid while you’re in jail,’ that says something about who you are and what you believe in.”US trial over attacks could hurt Palestinian war crimes push
Regarding whether the PA’s alleged support for the six terrorist attacks met the legal definition of “material support,” Yalowitz said “the biggest support you can give is money and personnel and these guys gave both.”
Shurat Hadin director Nitsana Darshan-Leitner said, ”As both sides have rested and the case is handed over to the jury, the terrorism victim families are optimistic that the defendants will be found guilty of the violent attacks that they perpetrated during the second intifada and which have devastated their lives.”
Darshan-Leitner added, “While the plaintiffs presented numerous expert witnesses and a myriad of documentary evidence, the PLO and Palestinian Authority barely made an effort to rebut the allegations against them.”
The jury could begin deliberations and even reach a verdict as early as Friday or deliberations could run into next week.
Palestinian officials are nervously watching a landmark terrorism trial in the United States, brought by victims of Palestinian suicide bombings and shootings aimed at civilians. They fear a negative verdict could hurt their international image at a time when they are preparing to press war crimes charges against Israel.PA: Don't Blame Us for 'Crazy and Terrible' Attacks in Israel
The $1 billion lawsuit was filed over a series of deadly attacks in or near Jerusalem that killed 33 people and wounded hundreds more during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, a decade ago. The plaintiffs have turned to the US court because some of the victims were American citizens.
Although the cases are not directly linked, a ruling against the Palestinian Authority in New York federal court threatens to undermine Palestinian efforts to rally international support for a brewing battle at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. With American plaintiffs seeking billions of dollars in damages, it could also deliver a tough financial blow to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the West Bank.
The six attacks took place between 2001 and 2004, killing 33 people and injuring more than 390 others, including members of the 11 plaintiff families.Affected by Hamas Rockets on Ben-Gurion? You're Wanted
"It is not the right thing to hold the government liable for some people doing crazy and terrible things," defense attorney Mark Rochon said in his closing argument.
"There is no conclusive evidence that the senior leadership of the PA or PLO were involved in planning or approving specific acts of violence," he added, according to AFP.
The attackers killed the victims "for their own reasons," Rochon said, complaining about the plaintiffs' "exaggerated testimonies to make the Palestinian Authority look bad," based in part on Israeli intelligence.
The lawyer previously claimed that the terrorists who carried out the attacks in question were "acting on their own angry, crazy reasons."
Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, director of the Shurat Hadin legal center, is currently gathering information about American citizens who were personally affected by the closure of Ben-Gurion International Airport for a day during Operation Protective Edge.White House 'Concerned' That PA May Disappear Soon
The reason? So that the center can use the information to sue Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal for war crimes, and can turn to US Attorney General Eric Holder to demand action against the terrorist organization.
Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Darshan-Leitner explained "we are trying to find a way to put Khaled Mashaal on trial in the US. The war crimes that he conducted against Israel and its citizens can be heard also in other courts aside from the criminal court in the Hague," where Shurat Hadin is already pushing a suit against him.
That suit is made possible by the fact that Mashaal holds Jordanian citizenship, and also because the Palestinian Authority (PA) has requested to join the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The United States voiced fears Thursday that the Palestinian Authority (PA) may be about to collapse due to a lack of funding, as years of massive debt have piled up, Israel withholds taxes in response to unilateral PA breaches, and donor aid stalls.'US, EU to test Israel's sincerity on Palestine after elections'
Washington has been in urgent talks with regional leaders as well as other stakeholders in the frozen Middle East peace process in a bid to try to release more funds, reports AFP.
"It's true we're very concerned about the continued viability of the Palestinian Authority if they do not receive funds soon," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.
Psaki warned that if the PA ceased security cooperation with Israel "or even decides to disband, as they have said they may do as early as the first week of March," it could trigger a dire situation.
"We could be faced with a crisis that could gravely impact both the Palestinians and the Israelis, with potentially serious ripple effects," she said.
Peace talks have stalled since Kerry's bid for a treaty collapsed spectacularly last April, when the PA torpedoed talks by forming a unity deal with the Hamas terrorist organization.
Psaki acknowledged that given the recent Republican victory in mid-term elections and stalled talks, it "would not seem possible to get further assistance to the Palestinian Authority through Congress in the near future."
The honeymoon period for any new Israeli government will be short, and neither the EU nor the US will have much patience for promises of developing new policies toward the Palestinians, according to Western diplomatic officials.Grover Norquist’s Alleged Islamist Ties Threaten Reelection to NRA Board of Directors
Israel will need an initiative to convince both the EU and US of its seriousness in working toward a two-state solution, the officials said.
This sentiment was also articulated earlier this week by former US peace negotiator Martin Indyk, who said at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv that after the election the prime minister, “whoever it is, needs to come to Washington immediately and recruit the American president to a serious, substantive, viable initiative – an Israeli initiative, which the Americans can get behind.”
European officials also want to hear more positive reaction from Israel regarding the Special Privileged Partnership that the EU offered both Israel and the Palestinians in 2013 if they complete a peace deal. Many in Brussels see the failure of the Netanyahu government to jump at the offer as a “missed opportunity,” even though – according to the officials – the government is more interested in a closer relationship with the EU than it wants to let on.
According to the officials, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is saving “for a strategic moment” the implementation of measures based on conclusions of the EU Council in 2012 regarding EU-wide labeling of settlement products.
[Majed] Tomeh purportedly writes of himself: “In 1998, he co-founded the Islamic Institute in Washington, D.C., which has been at the forefront of President Bush’s interaction with America’s Muslim community.”Watch: Waqf Guard Assaults Jew on Temple Mount, Isn't Arrested
“Why has Majed Tomeh never been mentioned as a co-founder of the Islamic Institute?” Stranahan asked. “That’s a question that becomes much more interesting when you learn that Majed Tomeh is also Grover Norquist’s brother-in-law, who was married to Norquist’s sister years prior to the founding of the Islamic Institute in 1998. This means that the unrevealed connection between Norquist and anti-Israel Palestinian activism goes much deeper than anyone had previously suspected.”
Norquist’s sister Loraine and her husband Majed Tomeh attended Harvard Business School together in the mid-1980s. Stranahan reports that Tomeh has publicly sided with Hamas in many separate acts of activism, including a petition he signed criticizing the Palestinian Authority for jailing Palestinian citizens who criticized the government as being too weak against Israel in the Oslo Accords.
“In 2009, Majed Tomeh wrote a letter to the Nation magazine that said in part, ‘it is time for Americans to wake up to the crimes being committed with our political and military support and our money,’” Stranahan said, quoting from Tomeh’s letter. “Grover Norquist’s business associate and brother-in-law was referring to United States support for Israel,” he stated.
Majed’s and Loraine’s daughter, Alina Tomeh, Stranahan said, attends Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. “She’s continued the family tradition of Palestinian activism,” Stranahan claimed. “Alina Tomeh is the president and chairperson of Students for Justice In Palestine. The daughter of the co-founder of the Islamic Institute—and Grover Norquist’s niece—Alina Tomeh has been an active coordinator of events at the Massachusetts women’s college, such as their annual Israel Apartheid Week, where she spoke about the three months she spent on the West Bank and in Gaza.”
As Jewish visitors ascended the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, for the new month of Adar on Thursday, they were met by the now-routine heckling by Muslims along with a new low: one Jew was assaulted by a member of the Jordanian Waqf (Islamic trust) that has de facto control over the site.Khaled Abu Toameh: Palestinian Authority arrests Dahlan activists in Ramallah for shooting attacks
During the visit by members of the "Returning to the Mount" movement, the Waqf guard kicked and punched the Jew after he didn't comply with a demand to rush through his visit and leave the holy site.
The movement claims police officers who accompanied the group were witnesses to the assault, and yet the Waqf member was not arrested. Video from the shocking incident (filmed sideways) can be seen here:
Rafael Morris of the movement said "violence by Waqf members against Jewish visitors is a red line for us."
"An American police officer who comes to Israel has no authority and if he struck an Israeli citizen next to officers and in front of cameras he would be arrested, and he certainly would have an indictment submitted against him," remarked Morris.
Palestinian Authority security forces have arrested a number of Fatah activists on suspicion of involvement in a series of shooting attacks and torching of cars in Ramallah.PA Arabs Call On Abbas To Kill Israeli Gas Deal, Saying It Will Cement A Future Without Statehood
The activists are affiliated with ousted Fatah official Mohamed Dahlan, who is based in the United Arab Emirates.
The PA security forces seized various documents and computers belonging to the suspects, according to a senior Palestinian official in Ramallah. The official said that some of the seized documents show that the suspects were responsible for “incitement” against the PA leadership.
Some of the suspects worked for Fatah legislators Majed Abu Shamaleh and Ala Yaghi, who are closely associated with Dahlan. Three of them were identified as Wael Afaneh, Ziad al-Kurdi and Hazem al-Tatar.
Them suspects are being interrogated in connection with recent attacks targeting top Fatah and PA security officials in Ramallah.
Palestinian Authority Arab civil society leaders and politicians are calling on Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to pull its backing from a $1.2 billion deal providing Israeli gas to the PA for the next 20 years, Middle East Eye reports.A Palestinian Jesus for Palestinian Victimhood
Opposition to the deal comes a month after Jordanian officials have suspended talks over a $15 billion gas deal with U.S.-based Noble Energy and Israel’s Delek Group, which are partners in Israel’s largest offshore gas field, Leviathan.
The PA deal was signed last month by the same two companies, with the privately-owned Palestine Power Generation Company (PPGC).
The gas will fuel a $300 million electric power plant PPGC says it is developing in Jenin, which will be the first Palestinian Authority power plant in the Judea and Samaria.
But on Tuesday, PA politicians and activists at a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions press conference in Ramallah, said the deal is lacking in consideration for alternative providers—e.g. not the Jews.
"We celebrate the birth of Jesus, a Palestinian messenger of love, justice and peace."Threat from ISIS Leads to Calls For Political Unity in North Africa
These are the words of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, spoken in recognition of Christmas 2014, and reported in a Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) bulletin titled “PA: Jesus was a Palestinian” published on 12/28/14.
The claim that Jesus was a Palestinian is certainly startling news to traditional Christians who read the Scriptural account of Jesus' birth every Christmas, but for Palestinians, this biblical revisionism is nothing new. Every year at Christmas time, Fatah and Palestinian Authority (PA) officials identify with Jesus as a Palestinian.
For example, Abbas's adviser on religious and Islamic affairs and PA Supreme Sharia Judge Mahmoud Al-Habbash states: "Christmas is also a Palestinian holiday, because Jesus, peace be upon him, was Palestinian. He was born in Palestine; lived and was sent (as prophet) to Palestine. Therefore, Christmas has a special Palestinian flavor."
This outrageous assertion is made in spite of the fact that the biblical text identifies Jesus as the son of a Jewish mother and as a Jewish resident of Judea, who together with his parents celebrated Jewish festivals annually in Jerusalem.
Established in February 1989, the Arab Maghreb Union was a a trade and political agreement signed by five Arab countries in the Maghreb region in northwest Africa —Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia—which later became essentially inoperative after squabbles over the leadership and direction of the union. Now, though, some analysts and diplomats are expressing hope that the current war against jihadist organizations—specifically the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)—might lead to greater unity between these rival countries.Hundreds of savage ISIS supporters swarm over Syrian prisoners as they kick them to death before their corpses are dragged through the streets
Unity among the Maghreb countries has been limited to two periods in the 20th century. The first was during the 1950’s, which included a series of revolutions in North Africa, from Egypt to Morocco. This period witnessed a spread of pan-Arab unity, as expressed in the 1958 establishment of federal unions between Iraq and Jordan, and between Egypt and Syria. The second period was the end of the 1980’s, when the the Arab Maghreb Union was formed.
Currently, however, there is no unity among the Maghreb countries. There is almost no freedom of movement of people and goods between them, the security coordination is negligible and there is very little economic cooperation.
In recent years, the Maghreb countries have been subjected to a growing wave of Islamist extremism and attacks by jihadi groups. In addition, Libya and Tunisia experienced revolutions against the oppressive regimes there, and there have been ongoing protests in Algeria and Mauritania. This unrest has allowed ISIS-affiliated terrorist organizations to metastasize.How Islamic State Uses Anti-Semitism
A number of Algerian, Tunisian and Libyan terrorist groups have pledged allegiance to ISIS. On September 2014, many extremist elements split from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and declared they would be joining ISIS, swearing allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. More recently, the Uqba bin Nafi Brigade in Tunisia has also declared allegiance to ISIS. In Libya, there is a massive presence of ISIS militants, who recently beheaded 21 Coptic Egyptians.
These declarations of allegiance indicate that the ISIS ideology is becoming entrenched across the Maghreb.
Due to the spread of extremist organizations in the Maghreb, and especially in Libya, there are growing calls in this area to revive and intensify the activities of the Arab Maghreb Union. According to the Al-Arab article, the war against terrorism may provide the impetus to lead to a rapprochement and cooperation between these countries.
The ADL's report also provided examples of how anti-Semitism continues to be one of the fundamental components of terrorist propaganda online.Israel 'crucial and loyal ally in fight against Boko Haram,' says Nigerian gov't spokesperson
They listed ISIS, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and Al Qaeda Central as all using anti-Semitic and/or anti-Israel propaganda, as a means of furthering their own mission and rallying foreign recruits.
This propaganda often includes "explicit calls for violence against distinctly Jewish targets around the world."
Oren Segal, Director of ADL’s Center on Extremism, said that, “A terrorist-free internet may not be possible, but understanding how terrorist networks exploit internet platforms and who is responding to such propaganda is the first step in mitigating the threat.”
A Nigerian government spokesman told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that Israel has been a crucial and loyal ally in the fight against the radical Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram.
“Israel has been a crucial and loyal ally in our fight against Boko Haram. It is a sad reality that Israel has a great deal of experience confronting terrorism,” Mike Omeri, the chief coordinating spokesman of the National Information Center, based in Abuja said. “Our Israeli partners have used that experience, and the unique expertise gained over years of fighting terror within its own borders, to assist us.”
Omeri said they have been incredibly supportive with the training and the tools required to defeat Boko Haram.
Asked what role the US government has in the fight against the terrorist group, he responded that “the American and Nigerian militaries have a long history of close cooperation, strategic alliance, and shared values.”
Nigerian warplanes bombed training camps and equipment belonging to Boko Haram in the northeast’s Sambisa forest on Thursday, the military said, adding momentum to an assault meant to crush the rebels also involving neighbors Chad, Cameroon and Niger.
