Egyptian "human rights committee" blames women for being sexually assaulted

From Egypt Independent:

Shura Council’s human rights committee members said on Monday that women taking part in protests bear the responsibility of being sexually harassed, describing what happens in some demonstrators’ tents as “prostitution.”

Major General Adel Afify, member of the committee representing the Salafi Asala Party, criticized female protesters, saying that they “know they are among thugs. They should protect themselves before requesting that the Interior Ministry does so. By getting herself involved in such circumstances, the woman has 100 percent responsibility.”

During the committee meeting on Monday, Afify called for penalizing children, even if it does not conform to international charters to which Egypt is signatory, and criticized foreign-funded organizations, which adopt western thought, he said.

Salah Abdel Salam, a member representing the Salafi Nour Party, said that as long as women protest in places full of thugs, they should take responsibility for the harassment they face.

Mervat Ebeid, member representing Wafd party, said all societal categories are to be blamed for sexual harassment. She also said that knowing there are many thugs present at demonstrations, women should take responsibility when deciding whether to attend protests.

Reda Saleh al-Hefnawy, member representing FJP, demanded penalizing those who incite sexual harassment. He also called on women not to stand among men during protests.

Major General Abdel Fattah Othman, vice-chief of the public security department, said Egyptian law doesn’t include the term ‘sexual harassment,’ but does legislate against indecent assault and rape.

Security presence in Tahrir or in places of protests in sensitive, Othman said, suggesting that security personnel would get attacked if they were present at demonstrations.

The Shura Council is the "upper house" of Egypt's Parliament. And these are members of its human rights committee! 

All these years I thought that Arabs blaming the victim was only in relation to Jews, but now I see they blame women as well for having the audacity of being sexually assaulted.

The Muslim Brotherhood is using the stories of rape as a means to try to suppress anti-government demonstrations:

According to Brotherhood MP and committee deputy chairman Ezzeddin El-Komi, "as many as 24 incidents of rape have been reported in Tahrir Square in recent days."

"No one has made any effort to fight this disturbing trend," El-Komi added, pointing out that one recent rape victim in Tahrir Square had been a female correspondent for Sky News TV.

He went on to wonder "why local media isn't mentioning this phenomenon after focussing so intently on the protester who was beaten and stripped [by security forces] outside the Presidential Palace last week."

Ahmed El-Khatib, deputy chairman of Alexandria's Appeal Court, agreed, asserting that "anti-government rallies have become fertile ground for incidents of sexual harassment and the proliferation of vice."

"The growing phenomenon of sexual harassment puts the onus on the political forces that are calling for these demonstrations," said El-Khatib. "If these forces aren't strong enough to secure their rallies against acts of rape, they should stop calling for them."

He urged the government to expedite the drafting of a new anti-protest law while toughening penalties against convicted sexual offenders.

Abdel-Fattah Othman, deputy interior minister for public security, meanwhile, confirmed that Tahrir Square had become "the scene of collective rape incidents in recent weeks."

According to Othman, the total number of reported acts of rape in Egypt last year stood at 129, while incidents of sexual harassment reached 9,468 for the same period – with Cairo accounting for the lion's share.

Mervat Ebeid, for her part, a female Brotherhood MP, urged women "to think twice" about participating in political demonstrations "so as not to become prey to sexual offenders and armed thugs who commit rape."

However, non-Brotherhood MPs, such as Nabil Azmi, argued that increasing incidents of rape and sexual harassment should not be used as justification for attacking political demonstrations, asking women to refrain from joining them, or issuing draconian anti-protest laws.

"Some MPs are not so concerned with combating rape and sexual harassment as they are with tarnishing the image of anti-regime rallies and scaring women from joining them," argued Azmi.

He added: "I'm afraid that security forces are only concerned with arresting peaceful demonstrators and torturing them rather than rounding up armed thugs who commit rape."

Mona Makram Ebeid, an appointed Coptic member of the Shura Council (the upper house of Egypt's parliament, currently endowed with legislative powers), told Ahram Online that "by engaging in debates on rape and sexual harassment, Muslim Brotherhood MPs are trying to score political gains by tarnishing the image of democratic protests."

"I'm also afraid that these reactionary forces are trying to impose their code of conduct on women in Egypt, which includes intimidating them from participating in political activity," Ebeid added.

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Anti-Assad Syrian child sings song praising 9/11

I forget, which side do we want to win again?

Following are excerpts from a video-clip featuring a Syrian child singing a song of praise for Osama Bin Laden. The clip was posted on the Internet on February 9, 2013.

Syrian child: Allah is what we strive for, and He is our goal.
Our Sheik Jolani has raised the banner.
Our Sheik Jolani has raised the banner.
Our Emir Mullah [Omar] did not renounce his religion.
All the soldiers have pledged their souls to Allah.
All the soldiers have pledged their souls to Allah.
Our leader is Bin Laden, the Americans’ worst nightmare,
with the power of faith, and our weapon, the PK machine-gun,
with the power of faith, and our weapon, the PK machine-gun.
We have destroyed America with a civilian airplane.
The World Trade Center was turned into rubble.
The World Trade Center was turned into rubble.

Just wait, you Alawite police,
we have brought slaughter upon you, and there will be no compromise.
We have brought slaughter upon you, and there will be no compromise.
They call me a terrorist – this is an honor for me.
Our terrorism is blessed, a divine call.
Our terrorism is blessed, a divine call.
Just wait, you Alawite police,
we have brought slaughter upon you, and there will be no compromise.
We have brought slaughter upon you – it is a divine call.
Say: “Allah Akbar.”
Crowd: Allah Akbar.
Syrian child: We will defend this village, we will not sell it out.
We will slaughter the Shiites in the towns of Kfariya and Fu’ah.
We will slaughter the Shiites in the towns of Kfariya and Fu’ah.
We will defend this village, we will not sell out Taftanaz.
We will slaughter the Shiites in the towns of Kfariya and Fu’ah.
We will slaughter the Shiites in the towns of Kfariya and Fu’ah.
Say: “Allah Akbar.”
Crowd: Allah Akbar.
[…]

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Hamas starts its own "news" agency

From Al Arabiya:

The Islamist movement Hamas which rules Gaza has set up its own news agency, called Al Rai (Opinion), the Palestinian territory’s Hamas government announced on Monday.

“The first official news agency of the (Hamas) government has been established under the name of Al-Rai agency...under the supervision of the government information office,” the office’s director Salameh Maaruf told AFP.

“It will be an important source of information on government activities, news releases and letters from the (Gaza) prime minister,” Ismail Haniya, he said.

“The agency is independent in terms of personnel and administration, but the government information office will be responsible for supervising it,” he added.

The Felesteen and Palestine Times sites already adhere to the Hamas line, so this doesn't add too much, except for being an outlet for official Hamas statements.

One of the headlines in the website says that Hamas holds Israel responsible for "desecrating" the Temple Mount. Does that mean that the IDF should be arresting those playing soccer and volleyball on the holy spot?

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Neturei Karta woman awaits the coming of the...Mahdi!

Hezbollah's Al Manar has an interview with some anti-Zionist Neturei Karta nutcase named Hadassah Borreman.

Mostly it goes over the same ground that the publicity-seeking group always uses:

"Muslims and Jews must fight Zionism, injustice and immorality which is a matter of pride in the West, because Zionism - along with its entity and lobbies across the world - delays the arrival of Messiah," she stressed.

Regarding the similarities between the Jewish and Islamic spirituality, Borreman admitted that "there are similarities between Jewish spirituality and Islamic spirituality certainly!"

"Having read about Islam, discussed, worked alongside Muslims, I can say that there are many parallels in our respective times, which themselves are composed of diverse and complementary movements that have their own traditions," she figured out.

But one part shows that to the Neturei Karta nuts, anti-Zionism is now more of a religion than Judaism is. Because they are willing to embrace Islam if that's what it takes!

"We must accept and dare say that until Messiah of the Jews or the Mahdi of Muslims arrives, we must learn to live together Intelligently, in accordance with our differences. We must fight the common enemies: Zionism, injustice and immorality which bring chaos in society and are a matter of pride in the West."

A supposed ly ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman who says that the Mahdi might be real?

Doesn't sound very Jewish to me!

(Another article quotes her as talking about the Ayatollah Khomeini "of blessed memory" as she looks forward to the third intifada , "inshallah." )

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Monday links: Iran murdered 20K "enemies," Aussie rally FOR Assad, firebombs thrown at Jewish homes

From Ian:

---

Iran's Srebrenica: How Ayatollah Khomeini sanctioned the deaths of 20,000 'enemies of the state'
A tribunal at The Hague publishes a report illustrating the regime's crimes against humanity

"The horrors visited on tens of thousands of Iranians in the years after the Islamic revolution were spelled out as the Iran Tribunal published its final judgment. Described as “a great achievement... a miracle,” by one of the survivors, the Tribunal found that during the 1980s the Islamic Republic was guilty of the murder of between 15,000 and 20,000 political prisoners."

Hezbollah receives ‘significant state sponsorship’ from Iran and Syria: ‘confidential’ CSIS report

"A “confidential” Canadian intelligence report, written several months before a deadly tour bus bombing in Bulgaria that is being blamed on a Canadian Hezbollah member, said the terrorist group had been receiving “significant state sponsorship” from Iran and Syria.
“Aside from cash, Iran provides military equipment and training to Hezbollah,” said the intelligence assessment by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, released recently under the Access to Information Act."

Hundreds Turn Out in Support of Assad, Hezbollah at Australia Rally (VIDEO)

"Hundreds of Syrians and left-wing activists assembled in Sydney, Australia Sunday in a show of support for beleaguered Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad. Waving Syrian flags, as well as flags of Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, the protestors accused the U.S., the U.K., and Israel of seeking to destabilize Syria. A popular sign at the rally showed the flag of the Syrian revolutionary forces modified with Jewish stars of David replacing the five-pointed Arab stars."

Iranians on revolution day chant ‘death to America’

"In the capital, crowds waving Iranian flags and portraits of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini walked toward the landmark Azadi (Freedom) Square, in a government-sponsored rally which is now a cornerstone of the regime.
Marchers also chanted “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” as they headed for the square, some waving posters of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was expected to make an address."

Iran reportedly setting up loyal militias in Syria
Islamic Republic said to be preparing for a post-Assad era even as it supports the Syrian government in the civil war

"The Iranian government is setting up a network of militias in Syria that will enable the Islamic Republic to maintain its influence in the region even if the Syrian government topples, The Washington Post reported on Sunday.
Citing US and Arab officials, the report stated that Iran may have as many as 50,000 fighters operating in Syria in support of President Bashar Assad’s rule — militias that would remain loyal to the Islamic Republic if Syria disintegrates along ethnic and sectarian lines, a scenario many analysts believe is becoming increasingly plausible."

Bulgaria to brief EU ministers on bus bombing
Burgas assailants ‘spent some time at the seaside’ before carrying out attack, says interior ministry official

Isi Leibler: Candidly Speaking: Argentina’s pact with the devil
That Argentinian leaders could be a part of a cynical whitewashing of the murder of their own
citizens should lead to severe condemnation.

"THAT THE Argentinian leaders could collaborate with such a cynical whitewashing of the murder of their own citizens and create a “truth commission” with a wretched, despotic, Holocaust denying regime should lead to the condemnation of the Argentinian government by the civilized world. It should be viewed as even worse than the Venezuela of Hugo Chavez, known to be one of Argentina’s principal allies and funders."

Argentina Jewish leader says Iran probe will lead to third attack
AMIA Jewish center head Guillermo Borger says joint truth commission may take Argentina ‘to the precipice’

Missing Peace: Increasing tensions on Israel Lebanon border after IAF raid on Syria

"At the same time Hezbollah tightened its grip on southern Lebanon. This is done by turning villages into fighting zones but also by harassment of UNIFIL forces that were supposed to stop the flow of arms to Hezbollah.
Last month an Italian UNIFIL patrol was stopped by Hezbollah supporters and robbed of its photo equipment.
Later a Finnish patrol was attacked in the Bint Jebeil area after one of the UN soldiers took photo’s of Hezbollah’s security zone. Last Saturday pretty much the same happened to Belgian peacekeepers in the Sidon area."

PA 'unaware' of Abbas-Netanyahu meet with Obama By Khaled Abu Toameh
Erekat says PA has not been briefed by the US administration on details of possible Abbas-Netanyahu summit.

"Commenting on reports that Abbas and Netanyahu may meet during US President Barak
Obama's visit to the region next month, Erekat said that the US administration still has not briefed the PA leadership on details of Obama's schedule.
Erekat said that the talk about a possible Abbas-Netanyahu summit was nothing but "Israeli analysis and statements." He said that the PA leadership's demands regarding the peace process remained unchanged - Israeli recognition of the pre-1967 lines as the borders of a Palestinian state and a full cessation of construction in settlements."

US accused of foiling Palestinian reconciliation

Hamas daily charges ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro with thwarting Palestinian unity to advance Israeli-Palestinian track
"Amid reports on the failure of reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas in Cairo this weekend, a Palestinian research center accused the United States of colluding with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in stalling Palestinian rapprochement until after US President Barack Obama visits the region next month.
Ibrahim Darawi, head of the the Palestinian Studies Center in Cairo, told Hamas-affiliated daily Al-Resalah on Sunday that US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro held secret meetings with Abbas and other Palestine Liberation Organization officials, requesting that the Palestinians freeze reconciliation talks until after Obama’s visit."

Arabs Target Jerusalem Home with Firebombs
Arabs hurled firebombs at a Jewish building in the Abu Tor neighborhood of Jerusalem, just narrowly missing a gas pipe.

Rock-Proof Windows for Yesha Residents Available Again
The government on Sunday authorized continued funding for the installation of rock-proof windows for vehicles in Judea and Samaria

Kuwaiti lawmaker calls for probe into hiring of Israeli firm

Emirate’s interior minister under fire for reportedly buying security system for Iraqi border from Israeli subsidiary
"A Kuwaiti parliamentarian on Sunday called for an official investigation of the country’s interior minister for business ties with an Israeli company.
MP Faisal al-Duwaisan charged in an official request to parliament that the Interior Ministry purchased a border security system for the country’s Iraqi border from Senstar, a Canadian subsidiary of Israel’s Magal Security Systems.
He said Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad al-Homud al-Sabah violated Kuwait’s Israel boycott laws and committed a “grave mistake” by dealing with Senstar, AFP reported."

Technion, Alpha Szenszor to develop lung cancer diagnostics
They aim is to develop an economically viable, non-invasive, digital tool for the early diagnosis of lung cancer.

"The Technion - Israel Institute of Technology and US carbon nanotube-based sensor developer Alpha Szenszor Inc. have established a joint venture to commercialize advanced lung cancer diagnostics based on Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) detection from human breath. They aim is to develop an economically viable, non-invasive, digital tool for the early diagnosis of lung cancer."

Israel upgrades electricity lines to Gaza

"The upgrading of the underground lines that supply electricity from Israel to Gaza's northern region has significantly increased the capacity of the electricity lines, thereby providing a more stable source of electricity to the residents of northern Gaza."

Israel Puts Conflict Aside To Save Palestinian Lives

"According to a 2012 World Health Organization report, Israel approved 91.5 percent of Palestinian applications from Gaza to receive medical care in Israel proper, while an
additional 7.2 percent were approved pending a security check. additional 7.2 percent were approved pending a security check.In total, 210,469 Palestinians received medical treatment inside Israel proper in 2012. This statistic includes 20 Palestinian children who were in need of marrow transplants, kidney transplants, and other life saving operations that the Palestinian Authority did not have the ability to perform."

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Egypt's economy quickly going downhill

From Egypt Independent yesterday:

As the country’s economic crisis continues to administer its blistering effects on businesses and consumers, industry insiders and experts are saying the country still has yet to bear the brunt of an economic downturn that has no real relief in sight.

If the government continues down its current path, and hopes for loans from international foreign institutions remain unattainable, such as Egypt’s US$4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, experts have repeatedly warned that the situation will become drastically worse. When it does, they predict the real effect of the crisis will come in a tsunami of price increases that could spark social unrest.

A net importer of food and consumer goods, Egypt relies heavily on foreign supplies imports to feed its growing population.

But retail and import sources are warning that the ongoing devaluation of the pound will lead to large price raises in the immediate future, especially those of imported products. These price raises, experts say, will shock the Egyptian economy and drive it into further crisis.

A source from a leading mass retailer told Egypt Independent that the company had already started to feel the impact on its supply prices. The source predicted that consumers will see an up to 20 percent price increase on imported products.

Local products are likely to have their prices increase as well, but to a lesser extent than the imported ones.

Egyptian products will directly be impacted, as most of them contain imported components such as raw materials, packaging and additives, experts say.

And this general surge in prices, they say, will put inflationary pressure on all production costs.

And today:

Saying that "Egypt's numbers paint a bleak picture," US Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson said that the country must focus on its citizens' economic needs.

Patterson said that currency reserves are “at a critical level, roughly US$14 billion, or three months’ worth of imports." She added that the number has held steady since July only as a result of regular cash infusions into the economy from Qatar and Turkey.

“These numbers do not take into account the billions that the government is in arrears to oil companies," she added. "And more importantly, they don’t highlight what Egypt is importing – basic food items and refined energy products, key determinants of social stability. If Egypt cannot pay its import bill, her people will not be missing out on television sets and cars, but on electricity, gasoline and food."

And if that isn't bad enough - how about adding a plague of locusts?

Egypt's southeast is currently facing the spectre of a major locust infestation following recent heavy rainfall and the start of a new breeding season, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned last week.

On Sunday, Egyptian state news agency MENA reported that vast numbers of locusts had appeared in several areas of Upper Egypt, where they threatened the wellbeing of local crops.

According to the FAO, the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture last month managed to clear roughly 11,000 hectares of land of locusts with the use of pesticides.

Yet despite these efforts, locust numbers increased significantly in January, especially along the Red Sea coast between Egypt and Sudan, the FAO has reported.

Spengler has been predicting the economic meltdown of Egypt for over a year, and apparently it hasn't happened yet only because of the emergency cash payments.

Meanwhile, riots continue throughout the doomed country.

(h/t Missing Peace)

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Like Morsi, Erdogan also has a history of anti-semitic comments (update)

From Gatestone Institute:

In November 1998, the Institute for Jewish Policy Research released its annual report on current trends in anti-Semitism across the world. In the section for Turkey, the journal quoted the then-mayor of Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in June 1997, at a meeting organized by the municipality to celebrate the city's conquest by the Ottoman Turks, remarking: "The Jews have begun to crush the Muslims of Palestine, in the name of Zionism," the mayor said, "Today, the image of the Jews is no different from that of the Nazis."

Erdogan later became, and still is, the Prime Minister of Turkey, a man whom President Obama describes as a personal friend, in a country that is a member of NATO, and head of a government that is regarded as moderate, and, as the London Times recently reflected, an example of how Islamism and democracy do not have to be mutually exclusive.

Birikim, a Turkish socialist culture magazine, also attributes the quote to Erdogan. A search through Western newspaper records, however, shows no mention at all of these comments.

That remark is not the only example of Erdogan's hostility in this regard. Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak has reported Erdogan commenting that the media does not fully report Israel's "murder of innocent children" because the "world's media is under the control of Israel, and this needs to be emphasised."

In 2009 another Turkish newspaper, Taraf, reported that Erdogan, while attending the opening of a university, stated, "wherever Jews settle, they make money. They are not property owners, as being tenants suits them best. On the other hand, whatever we have or do not have, we will invest in our houses."

In early January, when the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) produced a video of Morsi describing Zionists as "the descendants of apes and pigs," it took almost two weeks and a barrage of criticism for a leading newspaper, the New York Times, finally to report the comments. The eventual action led to worldwide denunciation of Morsi's remarks and even a condemnatory statement from the White House. Now that we know that Erdogan, Prime Minister of a country considered to be a leading ally of the West, made comments similar to Morsi's, will the media do its best to avoid reporting those, too?

The thing is, calling Jews "Nazis" is not news nowadays. "Children of apes and pigs" is more unusual and therefore potentially worth reporting. So the answer is, no, no one will act upset over Erdogan's anti-semitism.

(h/t Sam)

UPDATE: Reader AF pointed me to a footnote in a MEMRI report that shows that Erdogan has been espousing pure anti-semitism since the 1970s.

On December 28, 2002, columnist Y. Bayer of the mainstream, high circulation Turkish daily Hurriyet wrote: "Did you know that: In 1974, when [Turkish Prime Minister] Tayyip Erdogan was president of the Beyoglu [Istanbul] Youth Group of the [Islamist] MSP [National Salvation Party], he wrote and directed a theatrical play called Maskomya and also played the lead role of the 'bad son?' And that the role of Erdogan's grandmother was performed by a girl from a CHP [the secular, Kemalist Republican People's Party] family, and that the play was staged 10 times despite the complaints of a board member to Erbakan?"

The historian/researcher Rifat N. Bali also commented on Erdogan's play: "Maskomya, or in its correct form Mas-kom-Ya, was a theatrical play that was staged everywhere in the 1970s, as part of the 'cultural' activities of MSP Youth Branches. The unabbreviated version of Mas-kom-Ya is Mason-Komunist-Yahudi [Mason-Communist-Jew]. It is known that the play was built on the 'evil' nature of these three concepts, and the hatred towards them."

Erdogan, some forty years ago, wrote an anti-semitic play. How did that little piece of information fly under the radar?

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Video: Man gets electrocuted after tearing down Morsi poster

This video is causing a minor sensation in the Arab world.

It shows a man who climbs a light pole to tear down an image of Egypt's president Mohamed Morsi to the cheers of the crowd. Then, he apparently gets electrocuted and falls down (it is unclear if he is dead.)



Muslim Brotherhood supporters are pointing to the video as proof that any opponents of Morsi are acting against the wishes of Allah.

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Egypt is also pushing "forced consumerism" on Gaza!

Right as Al Monitor published a truly absurd anti-Israel screed blaming Israel for providing Gazan merchants with high-quality Israeli goods that some Gazans cannot afford, Palestine Times published a photo essay of a new "mall" in Rafah.

I wouldn't call it a mall; it seems more like a well-=stocked warehouse store where smuggled Egyptian goods are sold to Gazans. I couldn't find a single Hebrew word on any of the many, many goods pictured.

The goods being sold seem to be the same types of things sold at other Gaza stores that are sourced in Israel - candy and cosmetics and packaged food.

So is Egypt forcing Gazans in Rafah to buy consumer goods from them? Are Egyptians profiting from their "occupation" of Rafah? (Since the definition of "occupation" means, in the Israel-haters' minds, "enforcing a border with Gaza....", then Egypt is an illegal occupier of Gaza as well.)

Ah,  I forgot the first two rules of journalism in the territories:

Israel is always guilty, and only Israel is guilty.

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Eleven minutes of pure Pallywood

This video of "crying" children and angry adults, as their home is being demolished by Israel, is making the rounds:



Only one problem: There is not one tear being shed.

The video makes it blindingly obvious that all of the children's screaming is staged for the media.

The boy and two girls are clearly playing to the cameras, and turning on and off their wailing when the reporters shove their gear in their faces.

From the volume of the fake screams, one would think that the residents lived there for hundreds of years, or at least since Jordanian occupation. Actually, the house was newer than most houses.

Here is the Ma'an story about the demolition:

Israeli forces demolished a two-story Palestinian home in East Jerusalem on Tuesday, making 30 people homeless, official news agency Wafa reported.

Muhammad Castero, 52, a resident of the building, told Wafa that Israel issued a demolition order for the home 50 days ago on the pretext that it was built without a permit.

"We are refugees now, we don't have any shelter. Where should we, our children and elderly people go after our house was demolished?" he said.

Four families lived in the Beit Hanina home, which was constructed six years ago. The families had hired a lawyer to prevent the demolition.

"This is our land and we will not leave it despite the practices of the occupation," Castero added.

UPDATE: Those visiting from HuffPo should also check out this video of the girl in Picture #11, known as "Shirley Temper."



Isn't "spontaneous" anger photogenic?

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Alternate reality: Syria congratulates Iran on anniversary

From Syria's SANA news agency:

President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday sent a congratulatory cable to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran on the anniversary of the Victory of the Iranian Islamic Revolution.

In his cable, President al-Assad expressed, on behalf of the Syrian people and on his own behalf, heartfelt and best wishes to President Ahmadinejad and the friendly people of Iran.

Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Dr. Fayssal Mikdad said that the Iranian revolution was a great event in the region.

The remarks came during the celebration of the victory of the Iranian Islamic Revolution held in the Iranian Embassy in Damascus.

The event was attended by the Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi, Speaker of the People's Assembly Mohammad Jihad al-Lahham, in addition to ministers and partisan figures.

Mikdad stressed that the Iranian revolution converted all equations in the region as the USA and other countries were trying to make it a servant to Israel and the Shah of Iran.

He stressed that the bright image of the Iranian revolution is embodied in its support to the Arab issues, hailing the Iranian political and economic support to Syria.

He said that Syria is fighting a war on behalf of all honest Muslims against the enemies of Arabism and Islam.

Dr. Mikdad highlighted that the Syrian-Iranian relations will remain strong despite all plots, stressing that the political program symbolize the ambition of the Syrian leadership to reach a solution to the crisis in Syria through dialogue and reconciliation.

For his part, Iranian Ambassador in Damascus Mohammad Riza Shebani stressed that Syria's enemies were broken in front of the resistant Syria.

He stressed that solving the crisis in Syria can be achieved only through ending violence and preventing gunmen from receiving funds and weapons.

This must be what reading Pravda was like in the 1970s.

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Latest horror: Israel provides too many high quality goods to Gaza!

First, everyone used to complain about that "siege" that Israel supposedly had on Gaza? And how somehow Gazans managed to still get lots of consumer items anyway? And how the media tried to spin it?

Then they moved the goalposts, saying that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza that had been a media meme since at least 1993 was not really a humanitarian crisis per se, but more a crisis of "dignity."

Now that Gaza has far more consumer goods, exports are going up dramatically and the tunnel trade has been hurting because of the amount of aid coming from Israel, the Israel-haters need to find another theme - another reason to hate Israel. After all, we all know Israel is evil, so they must be guilty of something.

Al Monitor uncovers the latest nefarious Israeli crime:

Walking into a supermarket in Gaza might come as a great surprise for a person visiting the coastal enclave for the first time. At first glance, the visitor would be amazed by the level to which the shelves are packed with all kinds of products, ranging from basic food supplies to expensive chocolates and Coca-Cola. A father pushing a heaped stroller, or a toddler restlessly pulling her mother's hand and pointing at a lollipop, are scenes one is likely to encounter.

A closer look into the shelves, however, reveals a paradox that finds a manifestation in almost every aspect of life in Gaza. On the surface, everyone seems to be normally going about their daily lives, but even purchasing behaviors are controlled by Israel. The Israeli government brags about the truckloads it allows into the Strip through the Karem Abu Salem commercial crossing point, but it always forgets, deliberately or not, to mention that the products that enter the Strip through this very crossing are mostly marked with 729, the made-in-Israel barcode.

First-time visitors are usually lured by this façade of normalcy. Many wonder how a territory under siege can have all that it has, and the supermarket example is often cited to prove that the blockade is not as bad as is often publicized in the media.

This simplistic view of the terms "siege" and "occupation" make it necessary to clear out some of the common misrepresentations of what it means to force a population of 1.6 million to live under a military siege and occupation for more than five and sixty years respectively.

First, it is important to note that life under siege does not mean that the population in question is necessarily starving. However, it necessarily means that this population constitutes a huge consumer market to its jailer — Israel in this case.

The Palestinian people in Gaza are forced to import and buy Israeli goods. With Israel's restrictions on local production and its more-than-once bombardment of Palestinian factories, it has become almost impossible for the besieged population to use available resources for local production.

Prior to Israel's deadly assault on the Turkish aid flotilla in late May 2010, Israeli products barely reached the Strip. But after a massive wave of criticism that was hailed on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he vowed to "ease" the blockade. Netanyahu fulfilled his promises. What followed was a tremendous inflow of Israeli goods that continues to be pumped in to this day.

The problem associated with consuming the goods of the occupying authority has two faces at least. Israeli products are high-priced, and, with few alternatives in place, Palestinians are forced to pay more for products that could be much cheaper if produced locally....

This means that 38.8% of Gazan people cannot afford the prices charged for the goods. [Yes, the author, a student of Business Administration in Gaza, claims that people classified as "poor" in Gaza cannot afford Coke. - EoZ] For them, the siege is more than whether the supermarket shelves are crammed; it is the fact that it makes them poor and causes difficult life conditions.

Due to the higher quality of Israel's exports to Gaza, combined with restrictions on domestic production, local businesses can hardly compete and rapidly lose market share to their Israeli counterparts. With limited amounts of money going for domestic production, Palestinian factory owners do little to enhance the quality of their output.

Notice the theme of Israel somehow restricting local Gaza businesses from producing locally sourced products. How exactly Israel controls local Gaza businesses is unexplained.

The more complex face of the problem lies in that Palestinians not only boost Israel's economy, but also make the occupation less costly. Israel, which denies the Palestinian people in the occupied territories the right to vote in the country's elections, controls what they eat and how they furnish their houses. Palestinians are made to fund the illegal settlements in the West Bank and deadly assaults such as that waged against Gaza in November, to name only two.

Gaza has a number of furniture factories that have, this season, exported goods. which means they are in business. Which means that they are selling in Gaza as well. Which means that the author is, simply, lying.

Living under siege does not result in a famine such as that in Somalia and other parts in Africa. It results in deteriorated living conditions and forced consumerism of the besieged population. 

Today's Gaza crisis: is now "forced consumerism." Not quite as sexy as "starvation" but when you hate Israel, you take what you can get.

This is similar to the laughable argument that Noam Sheizaf of 972 once made about a post of mine noting Israeli goods in Gaza markets, saying that Gazans were "forced" to buy them. I wondered if that included Chanukah coins, ice cream and snacks that were prominently displayed in these supermarkets, complete with Hebrew signage. Somehow, people who are "forced" to buy Israeli - whom Sheizaf claimed demanded that the world boycotts Israeli goods - couldn't find it in themselves to boycott non-essential snacks.

He never answered, of course.

By the way, outside of the flooding, nothing is stopping the tunnel trade from resuming and bringing quality, low cost Egyptian goods into Gaza to tap that huge market of people who cannot afford the expensive Israeli items. The free market is a powerful force, and the tunnel trade proved that Gazans can get what they want despite Israeli restrictions.

The entire article is a jumbled set of pseudo-facts intended to push the "Israel is bad" theme, without making a coherent argument. Of course, the fact that Gaza is run by a government sworn to utterly destroy Israel remains unmentioned in this nonsensical screed demanding, well, I'm not sure what. Cheaper potato chips? Unlimited imports and exports through Israel without any charge?

Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza, is also remarkably absent in this article.

And no wonder. The writer is also a contributor to Electronic Intifada, where truth is a far lower priority than anti-Israel propaganda.

(h/t Arnold)

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