Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Sunday, July 15, 2012

My open letter to Henry Clifford, who bankrolled the anti-Israel ads (updated)

Henry Clifford is the person who put up $25,000 to place an anti-Israel ad in Metro-North train stations last week that I reported on.

In his interview with Fox News, he said "“There’s always room for discussion of different sides of every story, but there’s no room for discussion on fact. Anyone who challenges these maps and the content of these ads, it’s their obligation to show that they’re historically wrong. The ball is in their court.”

I received his email address (thanks to reader Greg) so I responded to him:

Dear Mr. Clifford:

In your interview with Fox News, you said:

“There’s always room for discussion of different sides of every story, but there’s no room for discussion on fact,” Clifford said. “Anyone who challenges these maps and the content of these ads, it’s they’re obligation to show that they’re historically wrong. The ball is in their court.”

I agree 100%. There is no room at all in discussion of fact. Which is why I responded to your ad on the basis of facts in my blog.

Here is my response:

I then pasted the contents of two blog posts that addressed the statements on the map (I slightly updated the one from last week to address that his first frame was not the same as the one on the famous anti-Israel map I originally responded to and that his second frame didn't accurately show Jerusalem from the partition plan.)

I then concluded:

So, Mr. Clifford, I've shown how every pixel in your posters is historically wrong.

Will you respond to me, or admit the truth?

This response is being posted on my blog, which receives about 150,000 hits a month. Since you claim that you are interested in facts, I look forward to your fact-based response to this email, or to your admitting that the ads are deceptive at best, and lying at worst. I will be more than happy to post your response on my blog where my thousands of daily readers can see it.

Because, I believe you will agree, facts are the most important thing. And if you can show any of my facts to be wrong, I will be more than happy to correct them publicly. Can I say the same about you?

In your own words, the ball is in your court.

Sincerely,

Eldad Tzioni

I will let everyone know if I receive a response.

I would be very surprised if I get one.

UPDATE: His initial response:

Unfortunately, your email did not contain maps however the text is sufficient for a discussion. I am absolutely flooded with correspondence and have other obligations to attend to but I will retain your email and try to respond. H. Clifford

Saturday night links

From Ian:

Behind the Lines: Serving from the heart

“The Nahal Brigade’s southern base is home to a growing number of lone soldiers, for whom the term ‘armchair Zionists’ is alien.”

Stand with Us Video: International Bloggers Visit Israel - Crazy Awesome Technion

An interesting article on the Levy Report. With a few examples of how land claims are settled, in Judea and Samaria.
The Edmond Levy revolution

“Levy even tackles Jordanian law, which forbids the sale of land to Jews in Judea and Samaria. He proposes that this law be invalidated by dint of a special military decree. If anyone wishes to get a better idea of what is being discussed, they could revisit the issue of the Machpelah House in Hebron, which was purchased by Jews but evicted on the orders of Defense Minister Ehud Barak because the Jewish buyers did not possess transaction permits and other documents, some of which Levy proposes be canceled.”

Islamist Generation Today’s Muslim youth are less Westernized than their parents were. By Mark Steyn

“In the first ever poll of Irish Muslims, 37 percent said they would like Ireland to be governed by Islamic law. When the same question was put to young Irish Muslims, it was 57 percent. In other words, the hope’n’change generation are less Westernized than their parents. Thirty-six percent of young British Muslims think the penalty for apostasy — i.e., leaving Islam — should be death. Had you asked the same question of British Muslims in 1970, I doubt the enthusiasts would have cracked double figures.”

(BTW Mark mentions and so have I, the report that Abd al-Latif al-Mahmoud from Bahrain called for Morsi to “destroy the Pyramids. Apparently this is a hoax from a satirical twitter account. soz.)

Another glimpse into delusional British attitudes to Israel

"A recent speech given by the British Ambassador to the Knesset reveals yet more about the FCO's underlying attitudes towards Israel"
“The FCO appears to be determined to proceed along its well-trodden route of failed policies based upon willfully blind misinterpretations of the Middle East tailored to protect its own perceived interests. Whether or not those interests are identical to those of a government purportedly seeking (for all too obvious reasons) to strengthen economic ties with Israel is another question. How the FCO's policies tie in with the current government's past statements regarding its commitment to Israel's security – as well as its own domestic struggles against extremism - is yet another. “

Cyprus detains Lebanese terrorist suspected of targeting ‘Israeli interests’

"Suspect carried Saudi passport; foreign governments helped thwart attack by sharing intel with Cyprus"

Quebec Muslim activist becomes first woman charged under 9/11 terror laws over Hezbollah gun-running plot

A Quebec activist who fought the stereotyping of Muslims was charged with supporting terrorism on Friday after an RCMP investigation linked her to an alleged scheme to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Mouna Diab, 26, was charged with committing a crime “for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a terrorist group,” the RCMP said in a statement. She faces a possible life
sentence if convicted.

Bedouin captor holding 2 Americans vows more abductions

Turkey: Erdogan's party wants to limit press freedom,

Also, an in-depth report about the anti-Zionism (and occasional anti-semitism) of the uber-Leftist in Olympia, Washington.

The Atlantic on how anti-semitism has no place in debates over Israel.

Former Iranian general confirms nuclear weapons program

From The Guardian:

A former general of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards has accused the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of having blood on his hands over the brutal crackdown on the opposition, and described government claims that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful as a "sheer lie".

In a letter to prominent opposition activist Mohammad Nourizad (website in Farsi), the former officer gives a rare glimpse of political dissent within the ranks of the elite force in charge of the nuclear programme and Khamenei's personal security.

Identified only by his initials, the general says that he and a number of his colleagues were threatened with execution for disloyalty and then – after a series of secret courts-martial – dismissed "because we refused to participate in the betrayals and the crimes committed by our seniors".

"I'm writing this letter to you to tell our people that there are still many generals and members of staff within the Revolutionary Guards who are opposed to these crimes and are waiting to join the people," the letter reads.

Speaking to the Guardian by telephone from Tehran, Nourizad – who published the general's letter on his website – said he was convinced of its authenticity because it was handed to him in person by the former general.

"This is one of the many such letters written by senior figures within the Sepah [Revolutionary Guards] that I have received. I have refrained from publishing many of them because I was worried they might pose security problems," said Nourizad.

...The general also accuses Khamenei of lying about Iran's nuclear programme, which is now subject to an international dispute, the general casts doubt on what the regime officials claim to be "peaceful" activities, describing them as the country's "nuclear gamble".

"The inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency are fooling themselves if they believe that the nuclear facilities on and under the ground are only for peaceful purposes," he writes. "The leader said [in a fatwa] that Iran has only peaceful intentions with its nuclear activities. This is a sheer lie."

Wow, two confirmations that Iran has a nuclear weapons program in one day. Will this make the world wake up and take the threat seriously?

(h/t @IsraelActivism)

Best EoZ posts this week

Popular:
Debunking "The Map That Lies"
A very short essay on Zionism

Unearthing reference material:
Fourth Geneva Conventions, Article 49 - the Travaux Préparatoires
English translation of the legal arguments in the Levy Report

Irony alert:
Hamas demolishing homes of pre-1948 Arabs

Arabs rewriting history:
Jordanian official calls Jewish refugees from Arab countries "fabrications"

Most under-reported story:
Iran promises not to send athletes against Israelis in London. Will the IOC sanction them?

Media bias:
Israel welcoming black Jews as citizens, so AP reports "racism"

Book review (and interview):
"David & Goliath: The explosive inside story of media bias in the Mideast conflict"

Best linked article:
Europe's new anti-semitism (Rabbi Jonathan Sacks)

Best photo post:
Central Park 7/11

Also, this week I head about an Israeli company named Uppsite that automatically turns blogs into phone apps. There are some glitches they are working through so my blog is not a full-blown app yet, but you can see it as a "sub-app" if you download the Uppsite app from the Apple App Store and then search for "Elder of Ziyon."

You can compare it with how it looks under Google Currents, another app (Android and Apple, tablet and phone) that turns any blog into a very attractive magazine, optimizing it for size.

Elder posters at Pride Parade in Toronto

On July 1st, Toronto held a Pride Parade.

One pro-Israel group, Kulanu Toronto, marched in the parade - and they featured some of my "Real Liberals Love Israel" posters:

Thanks to Justine for setting this up!

Friday links

From Ian:

IDF Blog: Our Heroes: IDF Soldiers in Action

"At every hour of every Day, IDF soldiers are protecting the borders of Israel's, doing everything they can to keeping our citizens safe."

Caroline Glick: Obama's spectacular failure

“By calling for Abdel-Rahman's release, Mursi has aligned himself and his government with the US's worst enemies. By calling for Abdel-Rahman's release during his unofficial inauguration ceremony, Mursi signaled that he cares more about winning the acclaim of the most violent,
America-hating jihadists in the world than with cultivating good relations with America.
And in response to Mursi's supreme act of unfriendliness, US President Barack Obama invited Mursi to visit him at the White House.” (also covers Levy Report)

Walsh Withdraw Egypt Aid

“Thirty-five Republican members of Congress are calling on House leadership to “withhold all U.S. aid to the Egyptian government” until its new Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated president agrees to abide by “Egypt’s treaties, promote peace with Israel, and continue to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.”

Former Mossad Chief: Israel Must Prepare for Possible Military Action in Syria, Cites Bio-Chemical Threat

“The reports yield a bleak prognosis that is difficult to strategize against. Syria’s weapons are excessive in number, pervade the entire region, and are heavily defended by the Syrian army which is said to number 100,000 troops. According to a Pentagon study, uprooting Syria’s arsenal would require troops numbering 75,000.

Lifestyles of the Rich and Palestinian

“Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has allegedly deposited nearly $13 million in U.S. taxpayer aid into a secret bank account, and routinely uses his political connections to profit from the stagnant peace process, according to testimony presented to Congress Tuesday by several Middle East experts.”

Iran warns media against reporting impact of sanctions

Genocidal Sudan to Win Seat on U.N.’s top human rights body

Echoes of Roman Legion style decimation orders.
Syrian troops ordered to kill 5% of participants at all protests, ‘ex-commander’ tells The Times of Israel

The Attacks on Israelis You Won’t Read About Anywhere Else, July 10-12

French Synagogue Vandalized For Third Time in Ten Days

Federal complaint alleges hostile environment against Jewish students at UC Berkeley

Alleging that "Jewish students have been subjected to a pervasive hostile environment and that the university has failed to take effective measure to cure the situation."

MEMRI French “Comic” Dieudonne: 'Muslims and Christians Should Unite' Against The Jews

"Together We Will Be Able To Fight This Satanic Spirit Which Now Heads The Highest International Institutions"

Jordan refuses entry to Israeli Islamist official

"Sheikh Kamal Hatib, deputy leader of radical Islamic Movement, had been invited to conference by Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood"

Turkey: Oldest Christian monastery at risk

"The lawsuit also claimed that the sanctuary was built over the ruins of a mosque, forgetting that Mohammed was born 170 years after its foundation."

'I was forced to hunt Jews', claims terror trial wife

Slain Terrorist Plotted Attack on London Jews

“Documents detailing a plot to attack Jewish neighborhoods in London were found on the
body of an African leader of al-Qaida.”

One more:
Born on the Fourth of June (Brett Stephens)

Latma short on Levy report

While exaggerated, this is a funny take on how critics of Israel refuse to actually answer the arguments given in the Levy report:

Days after the report was produced, no news organization or NGO felt it necessary to translate it into English. I had to get one of my Israeli readers to do it.

Apparently, the media and the NGOs are more interested in pushing their narratives rather than allowing people to read the source materials to make up their own minds.

MI6 chief: 'We foiled Iranian nuclear weapons bid in 2008'

Lots of people have been trying to claim that Iran's nuclear weapons drive is some Zionist fantasy.

Well, now they'll probably think the MI6 is Zionist.

From the Daily Telegraph:

Sir John Sawers said that covert operations by British spies had prevented the Iranians from developing nuclear weapons as early as 2008.

However, the MI6 chief said it was now likely they would achieve their goal by 2014, making a military strike from the US and Israel increasingly likely.

Sir John gave a secret briefing to the Cabinet in March about Iran’s growing military threat but this is the first time his views on the issue have been made public.

It is extremely rare for the head of MI6 to disclose details of operations by the intelligence service.

Sir John made the remarks at a meeting of around 100 senior civil servants in London last week in only his second public speech since he was appointed to the post in 2009.

Sir John said that without MI6’s work dealing with the threat, “you’d have Iran as a nuclear weapons state in 2008 rather than still being two years away in 2012.”

Sir John said it was up to MI6 to “delay that awful moment when the politicians may have to take a decision between accepting a nuclear-armed Iran or launching a military strike against Iran.”

Juan Cole will not be pleased. He was so sure that the Ayatollah's "nuclear fatwa" was proof that Iran would never, ever, ever even consider thinking about the possibility of perhaps one day starting down the path of anything remotely approaching a semblance of a nuclear weapons program.

(h/t Josh)

Hamas brags of its achievements: "The Gaza beach is Islamic"

Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh spoke at the inauguration of a new mosque in Gaza today. Here are the highlights of his speech:

Even though nothing has been said officially, he is certain that Egypt's new leader Mohamed Morsi will "lift the siege on Gaza."
Since Hamas took over Gaza, it closed cabarets, cafes and casinos where people could drink wine.
Hamas opened numerous mosques.
"We made the Gaza beach an Islamic beach we can be proud of."
The religious ministry also opened up Islamic chapels for vacationers.

The mosque that was opened was named after Said Seyam, former interior minister of the Gaza government, a major Hamas leader - and a former UNRWA teacher.

Israeli prisoner Tarabin plans to sue Egypt

We've discussed the plight of Israeli citizen Ouda Tarabin before, but he is hoping that the new Egyptian regime might treat him better than the last.

From Egypt Independent:

Ouda Tarabin, a dual Egyptian-Israeli citizen [sic] currently serving time for espionage, plans to file a lawsuit against the Egyptian government at the International Criminal Court for unlawful arrest. He demands to be released and to receive compensation of US$100 million.

Tarabin was found guilty of spying for Israel and sentenced to 15 years in prison at the Ismailia Military Court in 2000. He has been imprisoned in Egypt ever since.

In April, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that Israel and Egypt were allegedly in talks to release Tarabin in exchange for the release of 60 Egyptian prisoners held in Israel, but the deal fell through.

According to an Israeli television channel, a team from the United Nations Commission of Human Rights has investigated Tarabin’s case, and recently stated that Tarabin was subjected to arbitrary arrest and had not received a fair trial.

The channel added that Tarabin’s lawyers are planning to use that recommendation to support their case against the Egyptian government.

Tarabin’s defense team sent a letter to President Mohamed Morsy demanding his release during Ramadan, or at least a retrial, the TV station claimed.

The channel reported that a delegation from the Israeli Embassy in Cairo has visited Tarabin twice in prison. They quoted the detainee as saying, “I lay all the hopes of my release on the new regime, and I am sure they will realize that my arrest was not fair.”

As far as I know, he is an Israeli Arab but he is not a dual Egyptian-Israeli citizen. (I don't think that is even possible.)

It is a disgrace that Tarabin's plight has not been publicized more. He should have been released as part of the Ilan Grapel deal last year. In fact, I have much more sympathy for Tarabin than for Grapel, whose naivete was reckless and ultimately dangerous.

UPDATED: The document above states he was born in the Sinai in 1981, Israel handed over control of the area in 1982 but it is unclear how or when his family ended up in Israel. (h/t Prof Ginzburg)

Debunking "The Map that Lies"

From Fox News:

Advertisements at train stations in suburban New York depicting shrinking Palestinian territory in Israel are riling some critics who say they are “deliberately misleading and inaccurate,” FoxNews.com has learned.

The ads, which were purchased by The Committee for Peace in Israel and Palestine, show the “Palestinian Loss of Land” from 1946 to 2010. An accompanying headline reads: "4.7 million Palestinians are classified by the U.N. as Refugees."

Henry Clifford, co-chairman of the group, told FoxNews.com he paid $25,000 to display posters at 50 Metro-North Railroad stations for 30 days. They are to “educate and inform people” on the proper historical context of the region, he said.

“There’s always room for discussion of different sides of every story, but there’s no room for discussion on fact,” Clifford said. “Anyone who challenges these maps and the content of these ads, it’s they’re obligation to show that they’re historically wrong. The ball is in their court.”

Excellent! This gives me the chance to repost this:

This map is a lie.

The first panel of the traditional version of this map has the biggest lie:

While I presume that the white sections are indeed the land that was privately owned by Jews, the land in green was not privately owned by Arabs.

Only a tiny percentage of land in Palestine was privately owned. The various categories of land ownership included:

Mulk: privately owned in the Western sense.

Miri: Land owned by the government (originally the Ottoman crown) and suitable for agricultural use. Individuals could purchase a deed to cultivate this land and pay a tithe to the government. Ownership could be transferred only with the approval of the state. Miri rights could be transferred to heirs, and the land could be sub-let to tenants. If the owner died without an heir or the land was not cultivated for three years, the land would revert to the state.

Mahlul: Uncultivated Miri lands that would revert to the state, in theory after three years.

Mawat (or Mewat): So-called “dead”, unreclaimed land. It constituted about 50 to 60% of the land in Palestine. It belonged to the government. ...If the land had been cultivated with permission, it would be registered, at least under the Mandate, free of charge.

By the early 1940s Jews owned about one third of Mulk land in Palestine and Arabs about two-thirds. The vast majority of the total land, however, belonged to the government, meaning that when the state of Israel was established, it became legally Israel's. (I believe that about 77% of the land was owned by the government, assuming 6 million dunams of private land as shown in this invaluable webpage on the topic from which I got much of this information.)

To say that the green areas were "Palestinian" land is simply a lie.

In the case of this version of the map, the lie is even worse, as the implication is that pre-1948 Palestine was an entirely Arab country with no Jews and no Jewish land ownership. Of course, before 1948 the word "Palestinian" more often than not referred to Palestinian Jews, not Palestinian Arabs. For example, the Palestine exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair was entirely Jewish, the Palestine Orchestra was entirely Jewish, the Palestine soccer team was almost entirely Jewish, and so forth.

Now the next one:

While this is a somewhat accurate representation of the partition plan (with the notable exception of Jerusalem, which was meant to be an international city,), it has nothing to do with land ownership. The entire purpose of this map is to make it appear that Israel has been grabbing Arab land consistently, to serve as a bridge between maps 1 and 3. What is not said, of course, is that Israel accepted the partition and the Arabs did not, so as a result Israel in 1949 looked like it does in map 3.

Map 3 is still a lie, however, because in no way was the green land "Palestinian" at that time. Gaza was administered by Egypt and the West Bank annexed by Jordan. No one at the time spoke about a Palestinian Arab state on the areas controlled by Arab states - only in Israel.

In other words, this progression of maps is a series of lies meant to push a bigger lie, and it is tragic that a lot of people believe them to be the truth.

Here is a small attempt on my side to show a more accurate picture of Israel's giving land it controlled up for peace since 1967:

This map shows that Israel gave up control of the Sinai, Gaza, Southern Lebanon and much of the West Bank over the years. Rather than falsely accusing Israel as a land-grabbing rogue state, it accurately shows Israel as perhaps the only state in history that has voluntarily given up more than two-thirds of the areas it controls in exchange for nothing more than a paper agreement - or sometimes not even that. All at the risk of serious security concerns for her people, no less.

This is all because Israel wants, desperately, to live in real peace with her neighbors. This desire is not reciprocated by those neighbors, unfortunately.

The real map shows the truth of Israel's incredible concessions in the often vain hope for peace.

Now, as far as the right-hand side of the ad goes, I have debunked that as well; my most recent one was this post from less than a month ago.

So, Mr. Clifford, I've shown how every pixel in your posters are historically wrong.

Will you answer me, or admit the truth?

The ball is in your court.

(By the way, as of two days ago, the webpage for the organization named in these ads has received fewer hits total in its history than I receive an hour.)

Israelis saving the world, again

From Israel21C:

Sepsis, a blood infection, causes more than 200,000 deaths in US hospitals every year. A non-invasive monitoring device from Israel is changing that.

“Sepsis is a huge issue — one of the top killers, often as a complication of pneumonia or urinary tract infection and at times due to an infection acquired in the hospital,” says Dr. Yoav Avidor, CEO of Tel Aviv-based Cheetah Medical. “It progresses rapidly and is difficult to treat. In advanced sepsis, all the body’s organs start to fail. Septic shock sets in and the mortality rate is about 40 percent.”

Doctors can reduce mortality up to 40 percent by treating each case of sepsis right away with exactly the amount of intravenous fluids needed to correct imbalances of oxygen and other nutrients being delivered to the organs through the bloodstream.

“The physician must stabilize the hemodynamic system so that all the organs get exactly what they need — not too much and not too little,” explains Avidor, a urologist by training.

But until Cheetah’s NICOM device came along, the only way to determine the right amount was through an expensive and invasive procedure that can itself cause infection. Since doctors prefer not to do this, a better way was clearly needed.

As soon as NICOM’s uniquely non-invasive system received FDA and CE Mark approval four years ago, it was bought by hundreds of hospitals in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, South Korea, Israel and France for ICU and anesthesia units. Just by sticking four sensors to the skin on the patient’s chest or back, the staff can continuously collect all the data needed to determine how much fluid to administer.

Now, trials at a dozen US hospital emergency departments are testing the assumption that using NICOM earlier would keep more patients from the ICU. This would save both lives and money, since one in four hospital deaths is caused by sepsis, and it’s the reason for about half of the admissions to medical ICUs.

...The COMMIT (Cardiac Output Monitoring Managing Intravenous Therapy) study begun in February could significantly enhance Cheetah’s marketing position.

“NICOM provides an effective method of optimizing fluid treatment in the emergency department, a vital step in the management of sepsis,” says Avidor.

In 12 leading US hospital emergency departments for the next year or two, half of the sepsis patients will randomly get the standard of care (no hemodynamic monitoring), while the other half get the protocol based on NICOM. The Israeli system will help determine whether the patient can handle the large amounts of fluids that can prevent progression of sepsis. If not, extra fluids would dangerously overwhelm the heart the way a car engine gets flooded.

Avidor expects that COMMIT will show a reduction in deterioration of sepsis; the number of admissions to the ICU; intubations; and kidney and liver failure that are common complications of sepsis.

“In general, I hope to see significant reductions in the cost of treatment for these patients, as well as mortality and complications,” he says.

Cheetah is based in Tel Aviv, but I wonder, if some of these companies making life-saving medical equipment o rmedicines happened to be headquartered on the other side of the Green line, whether they would be boycotted....