Friday, March 16, 2012
Elder of Ziyon
Friday, March 16, 2012Elder of Ziyon
BDSStanding in front of Hava Aviv I can sense that I am in the presence of a very bold, ambitious woman. Hava is co-founder of Kitzel’s Deli in Olympia, a Jewish restaurant set to open its doors on Capitol Way next month. Their mission is simple and refreshing. Bring quality food from local sources to your plate while creating an environmentally responsible, employee-empowering atmosphere.
Hava describes herself as an agent of social change. Earning a Masters degree in Environment & Community from Antioch University in Seattle, she is very conscious of the impact a business can have on both the environment and the community they serve. She believes that choices like whether or not to compost, how to treat employees, or where to buy supplies from can not be made from a traditional cost analysis where profits are the only consideration. Taking a big picture approach to cost analysis, she says that even if a program such as composting requires more time or a higher financial cost doesn’t mean it should be tossed out, because the cost to the environment and to the community will be higher as a result.
It is this big picture perspective and the desire to be a positive influence on the world that has driven Hava to tackle some even more challenging social issues.
As Hava delicately explains to me, Kitzel’s Deli was born out of a desire to promote a healthy, positive conversation. Citing the Olympia Food Co-op Board of Directors’ decision to join the BDS movement to boycott Israeli goods, she explains that she saw the local Jewish community being forced into an unenviable corner. “Lines began to be drawn. The conflicts became very black and white in town. You were either for BDS’s stated mission of being pro-Palestinian and pro-humanitarian or you were not. And there was no room for: ‘I love Israel, but I am highly critical of their government and their military actions’, which represents a large percentage of Jews in Olympia,” she says. She describes the resulting feelings as very reactionary. It was those feelings that drove her to facilitate the Jewish community in coming together to develop a dialogue around the issues. “I don’t want to be that person that is always standing up against something. It’s just too much darkness in one’s being. At some point you have to take an internal inventory and say okay, I’m anti all these things, so that means I’m pro…what?”
Hava and her business partner, Irina Gendelman, worked hard to promote an open conversation but found that non-Jews interested in learning more about the issues were reluctant to participate because the only location around town willing and able to accommodate meetings was the local Jewish temple. “We began to look around and noticed there was nowhere around Olympia where there is a sense of Jewish pride outside of religion. There is not a Jewish bookstore, there is not a Jewish cafe, there is nothing that says we are a Jewish something, where the average Joe or Jane feels like they can just walk in and participate.”
Kitzel’s Deli in Olympia is poised to change that. Through food they hope to showcase a proud piece of Jewish culture to the public and remove some of the barriers to understanding and awareness. “Who doesn’t love a good knish?” Hava jokes.
Just this week, anti-Israel intolerance showed its ugly face in Olympia, Washington. For those who don’t know, Olympia, Washington, is a center of anti-Israel activity. It’s a place where college professors don’t speak openly of their support for Israel because they may lose researchand that the college divest its endowment from companies doing business with or in Israel.
Kitzel’s Deli offered to work with StandWithUs to host speakers from Israel who were to talk about their lives, about their community, about the progressive nature of Israel.
Because Kitzel offered to host these Israeli speakers, BDS supporters are attempting to bully the deli. They’ve threatened to protest, boycott and to cause economic damage to stop Israeli voices from being heard in Olympia. Already, Kitzel’s weekly sales have fallen 50 percent and they’ve had to lay off half their staff.
The boycott activists in Olympia call themselves open-minded and liberal. But for people who claim to be liberal, to be open minded, their actions show them to be the most close minded, trying to silencing dialog and deny anyone with whom they disagree the right to speak. Apparently the only perspective that BDS activists will tolerate is their own perspective. Their actions are the most undemocratic – an unbridled, unapologetic attempt to deny Israelis and Israel's supporters the right to speak and be heard.
Thursday, March 15, 2012Elder of ZiyonSyria has planted landmines near its border with Turkey along routes used by refugees fleeing the regime’s deadly crackdown on dissent, the Turkish deputy prime minister said on Thursday.
“The Syrian administration has been planting mines, taking measures not to allow refugees to flee to the other side of the border,” Besir Atalay said in televised remarks.
Up to 500,000 Syrians may cross into Turkey seeking refuge from the deadly year-long crackdown on protests by the Damascus regime, the head of the Turkish Red Crescent warned Thursday.
Ahmet Lutfi Akar said his organisation expected more refugees “to cross into Turkey through the border province of Hatay in the upcoming days, as there is an extreme situation. There are various scenarios that this figure may climb up to 500,000,” the Anatolia news agency quoted him as saying.
Atalay said the Syrian army was militarily intervening in any attempt by the people fleeing the unrest. “Many have lost their lives,” he added.
The number of Syrians arriving at the Turkish border is increasing daily. Around 1,000 Syrian refugees, including a defecting general, flocked into Turkey in the last 24 hours, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
Thursday, March 15, 2012Elder of ZiyonThe fragile armistice between Israel and the Gaza terror groups was stretched further on Thursday night as several rockets were fired at western Negev communities from the Strip.None of the terror groups are taking responsibility for these rockets. So, by the logic of the Western world, they cannot be considered "cease fire" violations.
Gaza terrorists fired a Grad rocket at Ashdod, which was intercepted by a nearby Iron Dome battery. Moments later Qassam rockets hit open areas in Eshkol Regional Council and the outskirts of Ashkelon.
Thursday morning saw a Gaza-launched rocket explode in an open area near Netivot. Several hours later a Grad rocket fired at Beersheba was intercepted by the Iron Dome system.
Thursday, March 15, 2012Elder of ZiyonBDSThe Methodist Pension Board rejected a proposal to divest from companies that supply products to Israel's military.I guess the BDSers better concentrate on tiny Yuppie food co-ops and insecure second-tier pop singers.
The United Methodist General Board of Pension and Health Benefits unanimously approved a resolution earlier this month that would allow the board to continue to invest in Caterpillar, Motorola Solutions and Hewlett-Packard. Petitioners had called for divestment from the three companies, saying that they supply products to Israel that are used to violate the human rights of Palestinians.
The board resolved to continue to urge the companies to protect and respect human rights, as well as to seek a remedy for any human rights violations including, but not limited to, the Palestinians.
“The board of directors strongly believes that divesting of stock in a company where you have a dispute is not an effective tool to impact a company’s policy or practices," said Tim Smith, a member of the board of directors’ United Methodist Church Principles Committee. "If you sell stock as a protest, another investor simply purchases it. As an investor, having a seat at the table with a company has generally proved to be a more powerful means of communicating with a company’s management.”
Thursday, March 15, 2012Elder of ZiyonReally? He was arrested for no reason and sentenced to seven (or four, he says) life terms for "spreading new and strange ideas"? He was tortured mercilessly but still managed to teach other prisoners? The prisons service brought Barghouti to break his will and Barghouti fooled them?The Muslim Judicial Council on Wednesday received Palestinian exchange prisoner, Dr. Abdul Aziz Umar. Dr. Abdul Aziz is a true symbol of hope as he in many ways represents the attitude and strength of the Palestinian people in their continuous struggle for freedom against the Israeli Zionist occupiers. Dr. Abdul Aziz related some of his experiences as a prisoner of the corrupt occupying forces and gave detailed accounts of how he was tortured and how on numerous occations the Zionists tried to break his spirit and his resolve.
“I was used as a guinea pig for Israeli medical experiments in order that they could enjoy and display medical genius, even though I have lost the blessing of sight. However, they could not conquer and overpower my will and desire to turn prison into an educational academy.”
With this introduction the blind deported prisoner, Dr. Ábdul Ázīz Úmar (51 years old) started his discussion with “ar-Risālah Net” talking about his suffering and torture that he experienced in Israeli prisons. The emancipator Úmar (i.e. Dr. Ábdul Ázīz Úmar) is the first blind prisoner that carries a doctorate degree and who received a prison sentence of “7 life sentences and 30 years” when he was imprisoned on 27/09/2004.
Unforgettable Memories
He said about losing his sight: “I lost my sight when I started my university studies (i.e. undergraduate level) but that wasn’t a stumbling block in front of me. I completed my Bachelors Degree at Beir Zayt University thereafter I obtained a PhD. (Doctorate Degree) from the Hebrew University in English Literature.”
The academic Úmar speaks about his “incarceration journey”: “I was excelling in my studies despite my disabilities. The occupation forces tried to involve me in some issues by running some medical tests and exams on me but I disagreed. I was imprisoned in a very barbaric way in 1996 and they accused me of aiding and abetting the brave Mujāhid and Martyr Muḥyiddīn ash-Sharīf. After a while they released my innocense but placed me under house arrest for two years.”
He added: “The imprisonment did not stop there. I was arrested again in 2004 in front of my children in a very horrible way and without any charges. This impacted very negatively and adversely on my small children resulting in them having to receive treatment for the traumatic experience.”
He follows up: “Some months after my seizure (imprisonment) I was convicted and given a prison sentence of “4 life sentences and 30 years”.The charge was that I was spreading new and strange ideas in my intellectual and academic works.” " ...ideas are more dangerous than weapons..." this was the message wispered in the ear of Dr. Abdul Aziz, by an Israeli soldier whilst being arrested and with a gun pointed to his chest. Úmar further explained that he didn't abandon the quest to seek knowledge and further studies, despite this severe sentence that was handed to him. He dedicated himself to teach the prisoners English and Arabic in the precincts of the prison, as well as conducting different symposia and seminars.
He specifically said with regards to his “journey of punishments” in the prisons of the occupation forces: “The occupation forces were artists/ masters in torturing me, trying and hoping to breakdown and destroy my mind more than my body. They used truth serums, electric shock instruments as well as sleeping and relaxation tablets on me. They were the ones who always suffered from fatigue in the end, because my mind remained completely awake and alert.
He further relates about certain tortures he had to endure: “One day they tied me up on the confessions chair and they forced a strong electric and painful x-ray apparatus on my head for more than two hours leading to my body suffering from severe limpness. Some hours after that I was moved to another room whilst I was shackled and they threw me down spread out. They then shocked me with electricity that resulted in me suffering from paralysis in my entire skeleton (bone) structure, and a lost the ability to move.” He continued: “The physical torture barely stopped when they started with psychological torture. They brought the prisoner and the freedom fighter Nāil Bharghūti to us, in order to inform us that “your destiny will be like his” seeing that he (Nāil Bharghūti) is the longest serving political prisoner that they have in their prisons. However, he overpowered them when he said to us: Do not despair and loose hope, victory and freedom are near.”
Former Palestinian prisoner Dr Abdul Aziz Umar, who is visiting Cape Town to give a series of lectures, has claimed that he was arrested by the Israelis for “spreading new and strange ideas” in his academic works.
The reality is very different
The real reason why Umar was sentenced to seven life sentences by Israel in 2004 was because of his participation in the Café Hillel bombings in Jerusalem on 9 September 2003. Seven Israeli civilians were killed in this cold-blooded terrorist attack. They included Dr David Appelbaum, head of the emergency room at Shaare Zedek Medical Centre and his daughter Nava, who was to have been married the following day.
Whilst in prison, Umar was allowed to further his academic qualifications by studying through an Israeli university, at the Israeli tax payer’s expense. He was freed last year as part on a prisoner exchange deal, in which hundreds of Palestinian prisoners were released in exchange for a single Israeli one.
Those responsible for bringing Abdul Aziz Umar to South Africa have falsely depicted him as an innocent victim of Israeli oppression and prison brutality. The truth is that he is a convicted terrorist with innocent blood on his hands. He has never expressed any remorse for his murderous actions, and he remains a committed supporter of terrorist violence against Israel.
The South African Zionist Federation questions the motivations and the morality of bringing someone with Umar’s record to South Africa. There can be no place in our country for those who propagate hatred and falsehood and who have chosen the path of violence over that of peace.
Thursday, March 15, 2012Elder of ZiyonA senior Hamas figure in Gaza, Mahmud Zahar, is visiting Tehran for meetings with top Iranian officials, media reported on Thursday.Hamas has reportedly lost a lot of funding over Iran's displeasure at Haniyeh's support of the Syrian revolution. And recently we have seen that Hamas using exorbitant taxes to make up the shortfall, causing Gazans to complain.
Zahar's trip was taking place shortly after Gaza militants and Israel agreed a fragile truce that ended four days of deadly cross-border violence.
Zahar, who serves as Hamas's foreign minister, met his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi, who voiced his country's support for the Palestinians.
Salehi condemned Israeli air strikes on Gaza as "savage attacks by the Zionist regime against the innocent Palestinian population," the official IRNA news agency reported.
"Support for the Palestinian population is part of our principles and religious beliefs and we are certain that the Palestinian people will triumph," he said.
Zahar, in return, thanked Iran for its "limitless support."
Mahmoud Zahar, aka Mr. Sunshine, with pals
On Wednesday, Zahar met the head of Iran's supreme national security council, Saeed Jalili, and the leader of Iran's parliament, Ali Larijani, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Zahar's visit followed one by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh last month, who shared the podium with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on February 11 to commemorate the anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Israel and the United States consider Hamas to be an armed proxy of Iran able to strike Israel with Iranian-supplied rockets should the Islamic republic be threatened militarily.
Thursday, March 15, 2012Elder of ZiyonMuslim career women in Britain are choosing to become involved in polygamous relationships because of a lack of suitable men.In the end, is this any different from European men openly having mistresses?
Some of them even choosing to become second or third wives to married men, according to the Islamic Sharia Council.
The charity, based in Britain, gives legal guidance to Muslims and has said it is receiving a high number of queries from women struggling to find suitable partners.
Many of the women have also said they would prefer to hold down high-profile jobs rather than look after their husbands.
Taking more than one wife is illegal in the UK but men marry again in a nikah religious ceremony, allowing them to take up to four wives.
Mizan Raja, 35, who organises Muslim marriages around the world, told the Sunday Times, that he has had hundreds of calls in the past six months from women asking about becoming second wives.
Mr Raja said: 'The demand for these relationships is led by the women, not the men. In one generation women have become educated, entrepreneurial and professional.
'The Muslim community is struggling with this, how do you cope with women who wear trousers?'
He said that many Muslim men just wanted a 'homemaker' and to come home to a clean house and a plate of food on the table.
He added the men didn't want the 'headache' of being in a relationship with a professional woman.
It is thought the Muslim women are also actively seeking out married men because they do not want the hassle of having to cook for their husbands after a hard day at work and are quite happy to have part-time relationships.
Thursday, March 15, 2012Elder of Ziyon
Thursday, March 15, 2012Elder of ZiyonIsraeli aircraft targeted two "terror activity sites" in northern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces said early Wednesday, in another round of tit-for-tat that appeared to end a shaky truce.You get that? When terrorists fire rockets into Israel the truce is still in place; when Israel shoots back, then the truce has ended.
"Direct hits were confirmed," the Israel forces in a statement. The attack was carried out in response to rockets fired at Israel over the past day, the statement said.
...The attack came after a truce between the Israeli military and Palestinian militants appeared to have held much of Tuesday, despite reports of rockets being fired into Israel.
Twenty-five Palestinians were killed in the fighting and hundreds of rockets were fired toward civilian population centers in southern Israel. Fourteen of the Palestinian victims belonged to the Iran-backed Islamic Jihad. At least 80 others were wounded.
Earlier Tuesday, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that the Israeli army opened fire at a funeral east of Jabaliya, north of Gaza, wounding three people, according to witnesses.
"They said the army opened fire at the funeral procession when it reached the Jabaliya cemetery, which is close to the Gaza borders with Israel," the news agency said.
IDF said its soldiers operating along the security fence in Gaza identified approximately 50 Palestinians gathering near a security fence and, in accordance with the rules of engagement, fired warning shots to disperse the group.
Initial reports indicate that there were no injuries to the suspects, said the spokeswoman who, in line with IDF policy, would not identify herself.
Palestinian sources confirmed the fall of three wounded, shot by "the Zionist occupation forces" Tuesday, during the funeral of large crowds of citizens to the bodies of "martyrs" killed in an Israeli air strike on Monday night. The spokesman for the Supreme Committee for Ambulance and Emergency services described the injuries as "moderate."
Thursday, March 15, 2012Elder of ZiyonA U.N. report ridiculed worldwide for lavishing praise on the Qaddafi regime’s human rights record was unanimously adopted today by the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council, with president Laura Dupuy Lasserre overruling the objection made in the plenary by UN Watch. (Click here for video; see text below.)After it was first exposed by UN Watch last year, the report card giving high marks to Qaddafi was mocked by the New York Times, The Economist and other major media worldwide, causing a red-faced UN to postpone the report’s adoption repeatedly — until today.Said the Times:“Until Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s violent suppression of unrest in recent weeks, the United Nations Human Rights Council was kind in its judgment of Libya. In January, it produced a draft report on the country that reads like an international roll call of fulsome praise, when not delicately suggesting improvements. Evidently, within the 47-nation council, some pots are loath to call kettles black, at least until events force their hand. Last week Libya was suspended from the body, and the report was shelved.”
Algeria noted the efforts of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to promote human rights, which reflected the country’s commitment to complying with Human Rights Council resolutions and cooperating with the international community.
Qatar praised the legal framework for the protection of human rights and freedoms, including, inter alia, its criminal code and criminal procedure law, which provided legal guarantees for the implementation of those rights.
The Syrian Arab Republic praised the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for its serious commitment to and interaction with the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms. It commended the country for its democratic regime based on promoting the people’s authority through the holding of public conferences, which enhanced development and respect for human rights, while respecting cultural and religions traditions.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea praised the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for its achievements in the protection of human rights.
Bahrain noted that the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya had adopted various policies aimed at improving human rights.
Palestine commended the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for the consultations held with civil society in the preparation of the national report, which demonstrated its commitment to the improved enjoyment of human rights. Palestine praised the country for the Great Green Document on Human Rights.
Saudi Arabia commended the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya’s achievements in its constitutional, legislative and institutional frameworks, which showed the importance that the country attached to human rights.
Tunisia noted progress made by the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, such as the adoption of the Great Green Charter, which was very comprehensive and enshrined fundamental freedoms and rights as enshrined in international human rights instruments.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela acknowledged the efforts of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to promote economic, social and cultural rights, especially those of children.
Jordan welcomed the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya’s achievements in the promotion and protection of human rights, including the establishment of institutions, particularly in the
judiciary system.
Oman commended the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for its diligent efforts in the field of human rights and for making them its priority.
Egypt commended the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for progress in building a comprehensive national human rights framework of institutions and in drafting legislation and supporting its human resources in that area.
The Islamic Republic of Iran noted that the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya had implemented a number of international human rights instruments and had cooperated with relevant treaty bodies. It noted with appreciation the establishment of the National Human Rights Committee as an independent national human rights institution, and the provision of an enabling environment for non-governmental organizations.
Pakistan praised the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for measures taken both in terms of legislation and in practice, noting with appreciation that it was a party to most of the core human rights treaties.
Viet Nam congratulated the delegation on the quality of the national report. It noted with satisfaction the commitment of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to the protection and promotion of the human rights of its people.
The United States of America supported the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya’s increased engagement with the international community. It called on the country to comply with its human rights treaty obligations. It expressed concern about reports of the torture of prisoners and about the status of freedom of expression and association, including in its legislation, which often resulted in the arrest of people for political reasons.
Canada welcomed improvements made by the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in its respect for human rights, specifically the recent legislation that granted women married to foreigners the right to pass on their Libyan nationality to their children, as well as the acknowledgement of the deaths of hundreds of Abu Salim prisoners in 1996 and the first incountry release of a report by an international non-governmental organization in 2009.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland welcomed visits by Amnesty and Human Rights Watch to the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. It encouraged the country to consider further visits and to issue a standing invitation to the United Nations special procedures. It remained concerned about the enjoyment of the freedoms of expression and association, and asked for further details in that regard, including on the development of a new press law. The United Kingdom encouraged improvements in Libyan prison standards.
France referred to the situation of refugees; allegations concerning arbitrary detention, torture, ill treatment and enforced disappearance; the death penalty, which remained in force for a large number of crimes; the absence of non-governmental organizations with expertise in the field of human rights; and the severe restrictions on freedom of expression and association.
Israel noted that The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya should live up to the membership standards set forth in General Assembly resolution 60/251 and serve as a model in the protection of human rights; while, in reality, its membership in the Council served to cover the ongoing systemic suppression, in law and in practice, of fundamental rights and freedoms.
Thursday, March 15, 2012Elder of Ziyon
Two weeks ago, the mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, urged the international community to boycott the marathon because it passes through east Jerusalem.
“The marathon is one more attempt by Israeli occupation to erase the Arab identity of Jerusalem,” Hussein said in a statement, according to the news website Al-Arabiya.
The route passes next to the Arab neighborhoods of Sheikh Jarrah and Issawiya as it circles the Hebrew University campus on Mount Scopus and threads through the Old City’s Jewish and Armenian Quarters.
Barkat dismissed the mufti’s comments.
“I am the mayor of all of Jerusalem, and the marathon runs in all of the city, period,” he said.
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