Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Saturday, March 29, 2014

03/29 Links: Pro-Terror Activism by J Street Campus Leaders; PA Increases Imports from Israel

From Ian: ‘Israel offers to free 400 more prisoners if Abbas extends talks’ Israel has offered to release a new group of 400 Palestinian security prisoners, in addition to the fourth and final group of longtime terrorism convicts who were set to go free this weekend, if the Palestinian Authority agrees to extend peace talks for another six months, The Times of Israel learned from Palestinian sources on Saturday night. The US, anxious to arrange for...

Dershowitz eviscerates Jeremy Ben Ami, who sputters in response

From Haaretz: J Street’s hypocrisy must be exposed J Street’s 'Big Tent’ is open only to one side - the anti-Israel and BDS-supporting hard left of its own position; pro-Israel centrists are censored. By Alan M. Dershowitz | Mar. 27, 2014 | 10:44 PM J Street, the American organization that calls itself pro-Israel and pro peace but that always seems to be taking positions that are anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian, is asking America’s Jewish leadership...

03/28 Links Pt2: Campus brownshirts rising; An Israeli doctor helps his Palestinian neighbors

From Ian: Caroline Glick: Campus brownshirts rising The members of the student government should be applauded for their moral and intellectual courage. Although no democracy can long survive without a citizenry capable of displaying such strength of convictions and basic decency, these characteristics are becoming all too rare on campuses. Indeed it is the rarity of such devotion to truth that makes the council members’ behavior so heartening. But...

The insanity of further prisoner releases (guest post)

From Elihu Stone: I have seen reports that the government decided not to go through with release of prisoners. That seems excellent news. Of course, the Palestinians are painting this as: 1) a failure on our part to abide by our commitments. 2) a slap by us to America. (This seems a particularly ridiculous time to have our foreign ministry on strike…) Israel’s commitments to sacrifice are not made in a vacuum – that there were specific conditions...

03/28 Links Pt1: Arabs No Longer Take Obama Seriously; Another outrageous UN appointment

From Ian: Sarah Honig: Some are more equal Quite clearly, the US president and secretary of state don’t subscribe to George Orwell’s ever-relevant observation that “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” *Therefore, woe to the Quixotic sorts – both on America’s home turf and abroad – who insist on telling Obama and crew precisely what they’re loath to hear. Woe all the more to the recidivists...

A 20-year old Hamas member was accidentally killed by a gunshot, according to the Al Qassam Brigades of Hamas. The English announcement says: Ezzedeen Al Qassam Brigades (E.Q.B) the military wing of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas, mourned on Friday, March 29th, 2014, the death of the Qassam member Hamza Ayman Abu Eid (20), from Al Qarara city – South of Gaza...

Zvi's news roundup

From Zvi: "Evil Rightwing Settler University" Ariel University Plans Muslim Prayer Room Ariel University, located in Samaria and "boycotted" according to EU guidelines for being over the 1949 Armistice line, has started a new initiative: a prayer room for Muslim Arab students.Roughly 600 Arab students are enrolled at the Samaria-based university, which has sustained that number since at least 2011. The Arab students make up roughly a fifth...

I finally got a copy of "Zionism Unsettled," the Presbyterian Church USA's 80-page "study guide" to teach Presbyterians how awful Israel is that was in the news a month ago. Others have done a good job showing how bad it is - and it is very bad. For example: After describing how much pressure Jews are under to not say anything bad about Zionism, it goes on to quote a hundred...

Surprise! U. of Windsor BDSers violated numerous university rules in vote

A few weeks ago, the Students' Alliance at the University of Windsor in Ontario voted to divest from Israel, in a move that involved some serious intimidation and criminal activity. It turns out that the BDSers, as usual, did all they could to rig the voting against university policy. From CTV News Windsor: A controversial referendum at the University of Windsor was not carried out correctly according to an investigation by the school’s lawyer. In...

We've discussed, and taken apart, different versions of The Map That Lies, the ubiquitous and lying set of four maps that purport to show how Israel is taking "Palestinian" land. The official Fatah Facebook page has an even worse version that they tweeted this morning: Mahmoud Abbas is, of course, the leader of Fatah. Every nation has some founding myths. "Palestine"...

03/27 Links Pt2: Professors school anti-Israel divestment forum, and get results

From Ian: Professors school anti-Israel divestment forum, and get results The greatest contrast during the night was that while the pro-divestment speakers lashed out at Israel with great vitriol, the anti-divestment speakers — many of whom were critical of some Israeli policies — were even-tempered and rational. This student rejected attempts to pigeonhole black students into an anti-Israel vote: But the stars of the night were the opening guest...

From the official Facebook page of the Qibya Girls High School: From the official Facebook page of the Al-Zahra Secondary Girls School in Jenin: It sure sounds like they are saying that Israel shouldn't exist. (I looked up about 12 schools, all girls, on FB. Most of the boys' schools did not have FB pages. Of those schools these were the only political posters...

"I am the very model of a BDSbyterian" (Divest This!)

A truly brilliant music parody by Divest This!, to the tune of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Modern Major General:" The Ballad of the BDSbyterians I am the very model of a BDSbyterian I’m open to all points of view (especially if they’re Syrian) Don’t bother me if you’re a Kurd, Tibetan or Nigerian I am the very model of a BDSbyterian Don’t talk to him if you’re a Kurd, Tibetan or Nigerian Because he is the model of a BDSbyterian I’m...

03/27 Links Pt1: PA religious leaders say Jews must not pray at Western Wall; Is it 1947 or 2014?

From Ian: PMW: PA religious leaders: Jews must not pray at Western Wall The Palestinian Authority Minister of Religious Affairs Mahmoud Al-Habbash and the former Chief Justice of the PA's Religious Court both recently declared that the PA's Islamic belief and political position is that Jews are prohibited from praying at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. Palestinian Media Watch has documented that the PA denies Israel's history and rights in...

Today, at the Brookings Institution, a report about early childhood development in the West Bank and Gaza will be discussed. The report was written by the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA.) For the most part, the report is serious and well done. It talks about the importance of early childhood education and nutrition and where children in the territories fall short. Yet...