Tuesday, May 05, 2015
IDF Blog: Setting the Facts Straight on the Security Fence
The security fence serves one purpose and one purpose only: to prevent terrorists from carrying out deadly attacks on Israeli civilians. Since the construction of the fence began, there has been a significant decrease in the number of attacks originating in Judea and Samaria.Matti Friedman on the Breaking the Silence report
During the Second Intifada (2000-2005), terrorists from Judea and Samaria executed horrific attacks including shootings, suicide attacks, and bombings. The violence proved to be most fatal between 2001 and 2004, when 984 Israelis were murdered. As a direct response to the attacks, the IDF began construction of the security fence.
The security fence proved to be a highly effective measure for reducing terror attacks. The graphs below demonstrate how terror has decreased since its construction.
1. The security fence has reduced suicide attacks to zero.
2. Just 5% of the security fence is made of concrete. The concrete areas, which are built near roads to prevent shooting attacks, have proven very effective.
3. Breaking the Silence is described as an organization of Israeli veterans trying to expose Israelis to the nature of service in the occupied territories, in order to have a political impact on Israeli society. That's what it was a long time ago, and it once had an important role to play. But now it's something else. Today, like B’Tselem and others, it's a group funded in large part by European money which serves mainly to provide international reporters with the lurid examples of Israeli malfeasance that they crave. They are not speaking to Israelis, but are rather exploiting Israelis' uniquely talkative and transparent nature in order to defame them.NGO Monitor: Negative Testimony from ‘Breaking the Silence’ Meets Quota for Grant Makers
There is actually a fairly straightforward solution to this problem. Any group genuinely fighting for the character of Israeli society should do so in Hebrew, which is the language that Israelis speak. If you're expending a great deal of energy and money translating your materials into English and speaking to foreign reporters, as we’re seeing Breaking the Silence do right now, I think it's fair to ask what, exactly, you're up to. How is speaking to the international press supposed to swing Israelis in your direction? Of course it has the opposite effect.
As long as this state of affairs continues, Israelis will be correct in identifying this group and its sister organizations as people paid by foreigners to say things that a lot of foreigners want to hear Israelis say. And Israelis will continue to live without the strong left that we need – one that comes from Israel, is part of Israel, and is concerned with bettering our society, not with posturing for an audience abroad whose hostile obsession with us has nothing to do with us at all.
IDF veterans who provided negative testimony for the leftist NGO “Breaking the Silence” may not realize they are also participating in an effort by the group to fulfill a funding quota for bad stuff against Israel.
According to a report by the NGO Monitor, a number of grant-making agencies who provide funding to leftist organizations in Israel have made their patronage contingent upon the groups’ abilities to obtain a minimum number of negative “testimonies.”
“This contradicts Breaking the Silence” declarations and thus turns it into an organization that represents its foreign donors’ interest, severely damaging the NGO’s reliability and its ability to analyze complicated combat situations,” said the report.
One example is the foreign leftist Oxfam group, which signed an agreement with Breaking the Silence, according to the NGO Monitor watchdog organization.
According to that agreement, the Monitor reported, BTS was to conduct interviews with “as many” soldiers as possible who would testify regarding [Israeli] “immoral actions] that violate human rights.
IDF Tattle-Tales Funded by Arab Foundation, Says Report
Grassroots Zionist students' group Im Tirtzu has responded to a report blaming the IDF of misdeeds in Gaza by pointing to the fact that it was paid for by a Palestinian-Arab fund.Breaking the Silence: A Middleman For Anonymous Sources
The report by Breaking the Silence is based on alleged testimony from 60 officers and soldiers who served in Operation Protective Edge. The “evidence” includes allegations of indiscriminate fire on civilian targets by soldiers who took part in the fighting against terrorist organizations Hamas, Islamic Jihad and others in the summer of 2014.
Now, Im Tirtzu reveals that an Arab-Palestinian Foundation based in Ramallah called the Arab Human Rights Fund (AHRF) ordered and financed Breaking the Silence's report. The AHRF provided Breaking the Silence with US$300,000 to write the report, said Im Tirtzu. “Last August, the fund approved emergency funding at the request of partner organizations who approached the fund regarding this issue,” it added.
The AHRF’s goals include a focus on “documenting human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law during the ongoing military assault of the Gaza Strip by Israel,” said Im Tirtzu. “The foundation emphasized the need to coordinate documentation efforts to support current and future documentation and investigation efforts by organizations to assist national and international mechanisms.”
Im Tirtzu's report, which can be downloaded from the group's website, also shows that the AHRF is in direct contact with terrorist organizations, and individuals who have been involved in past and present terrorist activity against Israel, such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Global Jihad.
Too often, when it comes to reporting on Israel and the Palestinians, unverified “eyewitnesses” or unnamed sources are a feature of media stories, especially those that impact negatively on Israel.A troubling picture of UN complicity in Palestinian war crimes
And so it is with a story concerning the Breaking the Silence organization, which has published a collection of soldiers’ testimonies about last year’s Gaza war. It is covered widely by international media outlets, including CNN, BBC, NPR, The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald, The Independent (links one and two), Financial Times (click via Google News), and the London Review of Books (by radical left-wing Israeli Professor Neve Gordon).
But what about the warped journalistic ethics behind the reporting of this story? Clearly the Breaking the Silence story is based entirely on anonymous testimonies. In essence, the media are using Breaking the Silence as a middleman to avoid due diligence on the sources.
Breaking the Silence’s report doesn’t meet the accepted standards that journalists themselves apply to their own reports
Nevertheless, the BOI report, even if unintentionally, clearly refutes the NGO narrative about the Gaza War. The NGOs falsely accuse Israel of deliberately targeting civilians and deny the extent to which Palestinians operated from within civilian areas to launch thousands of deliberate rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, thereby increasing the risk to the population of Gaza.Al-Monitor: UNRWA takes no responsibility for rocket launchers in shelters
The UN routinely stresses that its premises are inviolable. Yet, as is made clear in the BOI report, UN facilities were routinely exploited by Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups to store weapons and to carry out attacks. It also indicates that most if not all the damage is directly attributable to the actions of Hamas (and the Palestinian Authority as the "unity government").
There is no doubt that UN officials and employees turned a blind eye to these blatant violations as they were taking place, and possibly were involved in facilitating such attacks. It is apparent that several UN officials were more interested in disseminating propaganda during the war than acknowledging the reality of what was taking place on the ground.
If the UN wishes to secure its installations and avoid future death and injury, the onus is on the institution to enforce the law it preaches to others and end its highly damaging role in enabling Palestinian war crimes.
The UN summary report blames Israel for hitting seven facilities. It holds it accountable for the death and injury of civilians who had hoped to find shelter in UN facilities that were considered safe. While Ban did express dismay that the facilities that were designed to serve as humanitarian shelters were exploited by militant groups, no conclusions were in fact drawn, no one has taken responsibility, nor has a comprehensive organizational change been implemented in the agency and its deficient management, despite the proven connection between UNRWA employees and the “militant groups.”Report: Iranian General Warns Negotiators Not to Allow Inspections at Military Sites
And there is another point that should be highlighted: Israel, as noted, cooperated with the Board of Inquiry that looked into the strikes at UNRWA facilities. However, it cooperates much less with the larger Board of Inquiry nominated by the UN Human Rights Council that reviews the events of Operation Protective Edge.
Incidentally, Israel adopted a rather similar approach with regard to the committee that was appointed in the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead (2008-09), as a result of which it had to cope with the allegations in the Goldstone Report following its publication.
The fact that Ban appended a letter to the report is unquestionably the result of the Israeli cooperation with the board's investigators and the submission of findings that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that armed Hamas militants treated UNRWA facilities and storerooms as their own. It's a shame that Israel has decided not to cooperate with the “larger board” and will have to deal with the allegations once the report is published.
Major General Hassan Firouzabadi has reportedly written an open letter warning Iranian negotiators not to give Western nations access to Iran’s military sites.Snap Back Iran Sanctions? Don’t Bet on It.
The Tehran Times reports that Gen. Firouzabadi published the letter Sunday to remind negotiators of the guidelines already set by Ayatollah Khamenei. Khamenei’s stated resistance to inspections at military sites has been repeated by several other Iranian leaders over the past month.
Gen. Firouzabadi was particularly concerned about language that appeared in the U.S. fact sheet, which stated that Iran had agreed to inspections “anywhere in the country.” He writes that such wide open snap inspections would expose Iran’s military to intelligence and security threats.
Last week as part of the administration’s latest feeble attempt at a Jewish charm offensive, Vice President Biden gave a speech to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy where he told the audience not to worry about the nuclear deal President Obama had struck with Iran. Biden’s bombastic reassurances lacked credibility. But just as important was a private talk given by Treasury Secretary Jack Lew in which he sought to allay fears about the way the president planned on lifting economic sanctions on Iran once the deal is finalized. Lew promised that if Iran was found to be cheating on its nuclear promises, those sanctions could easily be snapped back into place. But as Josh Rogin reports at BloombergView today, it appears Lew’s promises are not much more reliable than those made by Tehran. As it turns out the process by which sanctions could be reimposed will be anything but a snap. Nor is the administration prepared to treat the vast industries controlled by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as tied to that group’s record of terrorism.Lawmakers look to salvage Iran bill amid showdown threat
As Rogin reports, Lew left out a lot of details when he claimed last week that sanctions could be snapped back.
The first problem is that despite the administration’s claims, the Iranians have vowed not to sign anything that would not lift all sanctions immediately and permanently. President Obama’s track record on negotiations with Iran has been a steady series of concessions while Tehran stands its ground. That makes it difficult to imagine that Washington’s version of what the final draft will look like will be closer to reality than that of Tehran. But even if we assume that the final deal will conform to Lew’s promises about sanctions, there are clear problems with the way any such deal will be implemented.
Senate Republicans labored Monday to salvage bipartisan legislation granting lawmakers the right to review or even reject any agreement the Obama administration makes to ease sanctions on Iran in exchange for concessions on nuclear research and development.France, Saudi Arabia unite in vision for region, say Iran deal must be verifiable
Officials said Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hoped to avoid staging a showdown vote to limit debate on the measure, a move that could split his own party’s rank and file.
Democrats urged him to go ahead anyway, as a way to avoid votes on proposed changes they opposed. “It’s the only path forward to pass this meritorious legislation,” said the party’s leader, Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada.
The legislation was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on a unanimous vote last month, and supporters easily turned back a pair of proposed changes in early skirmishes on the Senate floor.
France and Saudi Arabia believe that any future nuclear accord between Iran and six major powers must be robust, verifiable and no threat to Tehran's neighbors, the two countries said ahead of a summit in Riyadh on Tuesday.In assuring Israel on Iran, Kerry references upgraded bunker-buster
Saudi Arabia invited French President Francois Hollande, whose country is deemed to have the toughest stance among the six world powers negotiating with Iran, to Riyadh to discuss regional issues with Gulf Arab leaders who fear a rapprochement with Tehran could further inflame the region.
"France and Saudi Arabia confirmed the necessity to reach a robust, lasting, verifiable, undisputed and binding deal with Iran," Hollande and the new Saudi King Salman said in a statement after meeting on Monday.
"This agreement must not destabilize the security and stability of the region nor threaten the security and stability of Iran's neighbors," the statement said.
Secretary of State John Kerry raised the specter of using a 30,000-pound (13,600-kg) bunker-buster bomb against Iran’s nuclear program in an interview aired this week, during an attempt to reassure Israelis that America had its back against Tehran, even if it means preemptive military action.State Department Questions Iranian Report of US Oil Delegation Visiting Iran
People in Israel should have some confidence in an “administration that designed and deployed the weapon that has the ability to deal with Iran’s nuclear program,” Kerry told Channel 10, adding that his is “an administration, a government, a country that will stand by Israel way into the future.”
The weapon he was referring to, the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP, is a 30,000-pound bomb that was made operational in 2011 and recently redesigned in terms of guidance and penetration. The massive weapon has not been offered to Israel for purchase.
The US Department of Defense invested $330 million to develop 20 of the bombs and requested an additional $82 million to enhance their efficacy, the Wall Street Journal reported in 2012.
In April the Journal reported that the upgraded bomb was tested in mid-January, when it was dropped from a B-2 bomber that took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
The US State Department questioned on Monday a report from Iranian state-run news agencies claiming that a “delegation of oil dealers and investors from the US” were scheduled to arrive in Iran this week to meet with local counterparts.JCPA: Toward a Regional Escalation?
The report, initiated with Mehr, was also carried by Press TV‘s and even made its way into Al-Jazeera and Reuters.
Questioned on the matter at the State Department’s daily press briefing, acting spokesperson Jeff Rathke said he wouldn’t “speculate about a visit” which “has not even been confirmed and the nature of which is completely obscure right now.”
“It’s hard to verify whether these reports are accurate at all,” he said, “but also we’ve been quite clear that we don’t consider Iran to be open for business yet, and that if there is any sanctionable activity happening, then we will take action.”
According to Mehr, the Deputy Petroleum Minister of Iran, Abbas Sheri-Moghaddam, “confirmed the news and predicted more cooperation with US big companies and refineries on Iran’s oil and gas projects after the removal of sanctions.”
In the aftermath of the incident on April 28 in which five Iranian warships intercepted the Marshall Islands-flagged container ship Maersk Tigris and forced it to sail to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, American destroyers have moved into position to protect American-flagged container ships crossing through the Strait of Hormuz. Although Iran claims that the April 28 incident stemmed from a commercial conflict over a financial debt, the Pentagon has issued a statement calling the incident a “provocation.”US Navy Begins Escorting UK Ships in Strait of Hormuz
It appears that Iran took this step in response to USS Sterett destroyer searching a Panamanian-flagged ship Saisaban on April 1 in waters near Yemen, suspecting it was carrying Iranian weapons for the rebels in Yemen.
To this one should add an aerial incident that occurred in Yemen on April 28, 2014 after an Iranian “relief” plane entered Yemeni airspace and tried to land at Sana’a’s airport, on the claim that it was Yemeni rather than Saudi airspace. To prevent the plane from landing, Saudi air force pilots bombed the runway at the Sana’a airport.
Where Is All this Leading?
Iran will not allow itself to lose the strategic strongholds it has gained in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, nor its de facto control over four Arab capitals (Baghdad, Damascus, Sana’a, and Beirut).
It appears, then, that on those fronts where its allies are losing strength, Iran will have to ramp up its direct military involvement so as to safeguard its gains.
The United States has added vessels from Britain to the list of ships to be given protection in the Strait of Hormuz.Zarif stop lying, the Islamic Iranian Regime did not save Jews!
U.S. Navy warships have already begun to provide an escort to UK-flagged vessels as they sail through the Strait, said Army Col. Steven Warren, a Pentagon spokesperson.
Warren told reporters at a briefing on Monday the Navy has escorted one British ship through the strait so far.
The decision followed a discussion between London and Washington over the security status in the Persian Gulf.
U.S. vessels have been under escort protection of the Navy since April 28, 2015, when Iran seized the M/V Maersk Tigris. The Maersk, a Danish ship, was flagged under the Marshall Islands at the time it was captured.
This past March, Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif went on NBC news and said that “Iran saved the Jews three times in its history” in his typical efforts to do public relations damage control for the Iranian regime. During his interview with NBC journalist Anne Curry, Zarif shamefully tried to spin history in favor of the radical and brutal Islamic regime in Iran by trying to take credit for the Jews being saved during the story of Purim thousands of years, for the ancient Persian king Cyrus who freed the Jews from Babylonian captivity and for Abdol Hussein Sardari, an Iranian diplomat based in Nazi-occupied France who saved Jews during World War II.Uzi Dayan to ‘Post’: Hamas, Hezbollah likely have ‘unfinished business’ with us
From the perspective of Iranian American journalists like myself who are all too familiar with the current Iranian regime, I thought Zarif’s comments were nothing short of hilarious! The Iranian regime since 1979 has done everything in their power to distance themselves from the ancient Zoroastrian Persian Empire and also from the activities of the Pahlavi kings during the 20th century. So it is downright funny to see Zarif rushing to take credit for the past good deeds of two dynasties from Iran’s past that the regime totally abhors! Yet what is truly pathetic about Zarif’s recent comments is that he totally ignores the heinous record of executions, assassinations, imprisonment and persecution of Jews carried out since 1979 by the same radical Islamic regime in Iran which he proudly services under. What Curry and most Western journalists typically fail to ask and press Zarif on are the specific questions of human rights violations and irrefutable facts of the current Iranian regime’s horrible history when it comes to the Jews of Iran during the last 36 years.
Terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah likely have “unfinished business” with Israel, former national security adviser and ex-deputy chief of staff Maj.-Gen. (res.) Uzi Dayan told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.Court Allows Glick on Temple Mount – without Cell Phone
Dayan, who will be addressing the Jerusalem Post Annual Conference in New York on June 7, warned that both Hamas and Hezbollah can be expected to attack Israel again, as “they are terror organizations – terrorism is what they do for a living.”
Although Israeli deterrence can work to some degree, it will probably, at some point, run out, he said, as it did last summer with Hamas.
Israel should not be going to war every year or two, but, rather, if attacked again, it should seek to eliminate terrorist leaderships, and push hostile organizations out of their territorial bases, said Dayan.
“If no one attacks us from Lebanon, Gaza or Syria, then there will be no war,” he stressed. “But if war is forced on us again, we have to defeat the terror organizations.”
Both Hezbollah and Hamas would profit if Iran joins the nuclear club, Dayan, who is currently chairman of the National Lottery of Israel, said. They would be able to operate under a nuclear umbrella provided by Tehran, if Iran broke through to the weaponization stage.
The Jerusalem Court ruled Tuesday morning that Rabbi Yehuda Glick can ascend the Temple Mount once a month on condition that he does not take a mobile cell phone with him.Defense Ministry carries out test of new rocket propulsion system
Judge Miraim Kasklasi rejected demands from the police that Glick be barred from the Temple Mount because he is a “dangerous man.”
Glick, who has recovered from critical bullet wounds from an assassination attempt last year, said last week he would be willing to visit the site in a wheelchair and with his hands tied. His lawyer told the court that if he is so dangerous, the police should not even let him out of his house.
The judge said Tuesday that Glick cannot take his cell phone with him in order not “to aggravate Muslims.”
The Defense Ministry carried out a test of a new rocket propulsion system from a base in central Israel on Tuesday morning, but released few details.UN Peacekeepers Wounded by Syrian Shelling — Will UN Probe This One?
"The test was planned by the defense establishment long in advance, and was carried out as planned," it said, delcining to elaborate.
In February, officials from the ministry said they identified and repaired a weakness in the Arrow 2 missile defense system that was discovered during a test last September.
The need for the repair became apparent after a test against “a future threat that does not currently exist in the arsenal of Israel’s enemies” resulted in a miss, said officials from HOMA, part of the Defense Ministry’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure.
“Intercepting such a threat requires a significant broadening of the limits of the system,” the officials said. “The interceptor passed very close to the target but did not directly strike it. Hence, we could not assess the overall result.”
Thus far, we have yet to hear any suggestion that the United Nations might investigate the culpability of Syria – or Iran — in the cross-border mortar and missile fire that regularly “spills over” these days into Israeli territory.IDF Uncovers Weapons Factory in Hebron
Now barely three months later, two UN peacekeepers – one of them a woman – have been wounded, and yet not a peep is being heard from the international community. Information about their nationality has yet to be released, let alone whether the UN intends to probe the incident.
Where is all the outrage, all the screaming and righteous opining heard by journalists from world leaders when a UNIFIL soldier was hit by gunfire in a “spillover” incident in Lebanon?
Silence… could it have something to do with the delicate U.S.-led P5+1 talks over Iran’s nuclear technology program?
Police (Shin Bet) and IDF have uncovered a weapons manufacturing laboratory in Hebron, where Hamas has a large presence.Israeli dentist indicted for suspected money transfers to Hamas
The factory made guns and ammunition, and Israeli forces confiscated a large number of weapons, including Gustav handguns, M-16 rifles, bullets and tools for repairing guns.
Hebron has replaced Jenin in Samaria as one of the centers of terror in Judea and Samaria.
The Hamas terrorists who kidnapped and murdered three yeshiva youth last summer are from the Hebron area.
A dentist from the northern Arab Israeli town of Kafr Kanna was indicted Tuesday at the Nazareth District Court on suspicion he had aided Palestinian terrorist group Hamas by transferring large sums of money to members of the organization in the West Bank.Baltimore ‘riot mom’ needed in Jerusalem
Malik Jamil Mubarak Khatib, 31, was apprehended last month in a joint operation by the Shin Bet security service and police while on his way to the Palestinian West Bank city of Ramallah, allegedly for the purpose of transferring funds to Hamas officials, the Shin Bet said in a statement released Tuesday.
The security agency said it had specifically warned Khatib not to engage in such activity several weeks prior to his arrest.
A sum of NIS 170,000 (about $43,700) in cash was found in Khatib’s possessions at the time of the arrest, the Shin Bit stated, adding that the dentist had been taken to a security facility for questioning.
One of the most enduring images from the Baltimore riots was that of the irate mother of a rioter vigorously admonishing and slapping her law-breaking teenage son. Millions of frustrated Americans, watching the televised images of mobs of young people burning and looting at will, no doubt wondered, “Where are their parents?” Toya Graham, dubbed “the Baltimore Riot Mom” by the media, was one parent who refused to stand idly by any longer.PA sports present terrorist murderers as role models
Some Israelis are probably wishing there were a few “riot moms” in the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem. The New York Times on May 1 published a lengthy, sympathetic report about two Arab boys, ages 12 and 7, who were arrested for throwing rocks at a bus in Jerusalem. The newspaper’s correspondent, Diaa Hadid, reported that human rights groups claim that by arresting young rock-throwers, Israel is unfairly “traumatizing the children.”
The article did note that a 4-year-old Israeli girl, Adele Biton, recently died from injuries caused by Arab rock-throwers. Although the New York Times did not mention it, at least 14 Israelis have been killed in rock-throwing attacks. Three of them were Israeli Arabs who were attacked because they were mistaken for Israeli Jews.
At Fatah's "Prisoners of Freedom Marathon and Rally," marking the anniversary of arch-terrorist Abu Jihad's "Martyrdom-death," Fatah official and Secretary of the organization's Salfit branch Abd Al-Sattar Awwad said that the terrorist remains a role model for Palestinian youth:Khaled Abu Toameh: Hamas, Saudi rapprochement worries Fatah
"We must continue on the path of struggle out of commitment to the heroic prisoners and loyalty to the blood of the Martyrs, who turned the suffering of our people and nation into the fuel of the revolution that ignited within our souls the [willingness to] give and sacrifice. Abu Jihad will continue to serve as a school for the revolution from which the Palestinian youth will learn. Walk on this path, armed with faith in the revolution, the struggle, and the justness of the Palestinian cause." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 22, 2015]
Abu Jihad was a founder of Fatah and deputy to Yasser Arafat. He headed the PLO terror organization's military wing and planned many deadly Fatah terror attacks. These attacks, which killed a total of 125 Israelis, included the most lethal in Israeli history - the hijacking of a bus and killing of 37 civilians, 12 of them children.
At the tournament, Fatah official Abd Al-Hamid Al-Dik conveyed greetings from PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Fatah officials in the West Bank have expressed concern over reports about the rapprochement between Hamas and Saudi Arabia.Khaled Abu Toameh: Salafi jihadi group: 'Gangs of Hamas regime destroyed Gaza mosque'
Reports in a number of Arab media outlets claimed recently that Hamas and Saudi Arabia were working to restore their relations. Tensions between the two sides increased following Saudi Arabia’s support for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi in his confrontation with the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is an offshoot.
Last week, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh appealed to Saudi Arabia to replace Egypt as the main mediator between the Islamist movement and Fatah.
Other Hamas officials were quoted as saying that Saudi Arabia’s new monarch has indicated his desire to improve the kingdom’s ties with their movement.
Amin Makbul, a senior Fatah official in the West Bank, accused Hamas of seeking to “neutralize” the Egyptians by inviting Saudi intervention in internal Palestinian affairs.
A Salafi jihadist group on Monday accused Hamas of demolishing a mosque in the Gaza Strip.Watch Hamas Film Banned by Gaza U. because of Fears of Losing Funding [video]
The group, which is affiliated with the Islamic State terrorist organization, said that the demolition of the mosque in Deir el-Balah took place on Sunday night.
The mosque had been frequented by supporters of the Salafi jihadi group, which is called Ansar al-Dawleh al-Islamiyeh (Supporters of the Islamic State).
“The gangs of the Hamas regime destroyed the Mutahabin Mosque in a way similar to what the Jewish and American occupation do,” the group said in a statement.
It said that three bulldozers took part in the demolition of the small mosque.
“In the face of this new Hamas encroachment, we renew our allegiance to (Islamic State) Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, may Allah protect him,” the group said.
Arab media reported Tuesday that the university banned students Sunday night from screening the film that shows terrorists in action and clashes with Israeli soldiers.After Barely Surviving Latest Assassination, Hamas Leader Now Just an Eyeball (satire)
An expose in 2008 revealed that the U.S. government authorized almost $1 million in foreign aid to the Islamic University of Gaza despite multiple vetting of the school for ties to terrorism.
The prime minister of Hamas at the time sat on the Islamic University’s board of trustees.
Previous donors to the university have included the Union of Good, a worldwide collection of charities collecting money for Hamas and headed by global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi.
Other world donors have been the World Bank, Arab Student Aid International, United Palestinian Appeal, Islamic Relief, British Council, Islamic Development Bank and Human Appeal International.
After reports came out that the head of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, was still alive and active after a fifth assassination attempt, it was confirmed, that no longer able to take physical form, Deif is now just a large fiery eye ball that sits atop a residential building in Gaza. The Hamas military wing commander was previously confined to a wheelchair and in some reports even missing limbs after previous unsuccessful attempts.ISIS Sends Congratulatory Note to Turkish Leader on Anniversary of Armenian Genocide (satire)
After being horribly mangled and twisted beyond recognition in the latest Israeli assassination attempt during last summer’s Gaza war, turning into a quasi-spirit being was the only option left if he wanted to remain alive and in power.
According to reports, the Hamas leader just spends his days obsessively scanning the Gaza strip for Israeli infiltrators. Though he has been hailed as a military mastermind, the commanders and strategists in his inner cabinet simply have no idea what he means about “defeating Minas Tirith” or “killing Aragorn.”
The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan received an unexpected show of support from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria on the centennial of the massacres that killed an estimated 1.5 million Armenians.Iran bans 'devil worshipping' spiky haircuts
“Your modesty about Turkey’s involvement is endearing. Your people have showed generations of young, insecure Jihadists everywhere that, with just a bit of stick-to-itiveness, it is in fact possible to obliterate crusader armies. The devil worshippers have been looking over their shoulders ever since the Ottoman Empire went apeshit in 1915. Thank you,” ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi wrote to Erdogan.
In response, the Turkish leader said during a television interview, “The Western world supports Armenian lies and sides with hatred. We continue to maintain that almost two-million Armenians perished as a result of a curiously undocumented 8.5 magnitude earthquake during World War I. Still, we are proud of our growing relationship with ISIS and look forward to meeting all the organization’s future ransom demands.”
Hairstyles of a spiky and unorthodox nature have reportedly been banned in Iran because they imply devil-worship, while tattoos and other male bodily adornments also being outlawed.
Jagged haircuts have become fashionable among all strata of Iran's youthful population in recent years, but have divided opinion and been deemed by the authorities as western and un-Islamic.
"Devil worshipping hairstyles are now forbidden," said Mostafa Govahi, the head of Iran's Barbers Union, cited by the ISNA news agency.
"Any shop that cuts hair in the devil worshipping style will be harshly dealt with and their licence revoked," he said, noting that if a business cut hair in such a style this will "violate the Islamic system's regulations".
As well as tattoos being banned, solarium treatments and the plucking of eyebrows – another rising trend among young Iranian males – will not be tolerated, the report said.
