Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, April 12, 2010

17,000 still missing in Lebanon

Today there was a rally in central Beirut to demand answers about the estimated 17,000 people who have been missing since the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war.

Almost all of them were abducted by rival Muslim and Christian militias during the war, and some 600 were taken by Syria, which now denies having any of them in custody. Many of the warlords who kidnapped these victims later entered the government and hushed up any information about them.

Correction: Ma'ariv story on nuclear scientists wrong

From Pajamas Media:

On April 8, 2010, I wrote an article in this space implying that the Obama administration had instituted a new policy restricting entry to the United States for Israeli nuclear scientists who worked at the Dimona reactor. I based my article on a report from the Israeli website/newspaper Maariv, which quoted the nuclear engineering professor Zeev Alfassi as its primary source.
This morning (Pacific time) I was able to reach Dr. Alfassi in his office at Ben Gurion University in the Negev. Apparently, my report — and the newspaper’s — was inaccurate. The professor informed me that while it was extremely difficult for scientists who worked at Dimona to obtain U.S. visas, this was not a new policy of the Obama administration. This problem has been going on since 9/11.

Alfassi explained that formerly he and other scientists were able to go through travel agents to obtain visas to the U.S. Now they have to go personally to the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv. He knows of at least one case of a scientist who was not able to attend a conference in this country because of this system. European scientists, he said, did not have this problem.

Shin Bet pretending to be pollsters?

Palestine Today reports that Gazans have been receiving mysterious phone calls, whose origin appears to be from centers of international studies or from Arab groups abroad.

According to the article, the callers pretend to be asking questions for surveys, but they are really an attempt by Israeli security to gather intelligence.

The questions have included asking whether the people being polled witnessed rocket attacks, or how they would react if fighters asked to use their house.

Even though this seems a little heavy-handed, it is plausible. Corporate espionage often uses such techniques to elicit information from competitors, and even if most of the people refuse to answer such questions, you only need a few to get valuable information.

Freedom of assembly, Gaza-style

From the Palestinian Center for Human Rights:

PCHR commemorates the Palestinian Prisoners Day on 17 April each year...

As part of PCHR’s preparations to organize these activities, PCHR’s Public Relations Officer in Khan Yunis, Mr. Abdul Halim Abu Samra, wanted to book the hall of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and make other necessary preparations. However, PCHR was surprised by the PRCS's refusal to book the hall for PCHR without an official permission from security services to organize the planned seminar. ... Abu Samra phoned the PRCS managing director who said that they received verbal orders from the Internal Security Service not to book any of the PRCS's halls to organize any activities without presenting permits issued the chief of police and that they would be held responsible in case of violating these orders.

In other words, no meeting can occur in Gaza for any reason without Hamas' explicit permission. Also, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society happily complies with Hamas' demands not to allow its facilities to be used without police permission.

And this is for a meeting meant to bash Israel!

Will we be hearing condemnations of Hamas from its left-wing, trendy friends for violating the basic principles of freedom and for pressuring the Red Crescent to comply with illegal orders?

The Magic 8-Ball says "highly unlikely."

Egyptian directors create alternate film festival to exclude Israel

I reported last week about how Egyptians were boycotting a French film festival in Cairo that included a non-political film by an Israeli director.

Since then, the number of boycotting Egyptian filmmakers has increased, so they are launching their own alternative film festival just for the purpose of not allowing any Israeli films.

From Gulf News:

Capping a week of protest against screening an Israeli film at a French festival in Cairo, a group of Egyptian filmmakers have said they will organise a concurrent protest festival starting on Sunday.
Last week, 11 Egyptian filmmakers withdrew from Recontres de L'Image a week-long festival organised by the French Cultural Centre in Cairo in protest against showing a film by an Israeli director.

In their protest festival called The First Festival for Free Image, which runs until April 15, the Egyptian filmmakers will show 40 feature, short and documentary films, say organisers.

The festival was approved by Egyptian Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni.

"The Egyptian artists have the right to show their films without pressure from anybody or imposing any conditions on them," added Hosni, who last October lost in a race for the top post of the UN's cultural agency the Unesco.

On Thursday, scores of Egyptian artists and intellectuals protested outside the French Cultural Centre in Cairo against what they called the insistence on showing Almost Normal, a film by Israeli director Karen Ben-Rafael.

How Orwellian is it that artists, usually the first people to protest against censorship, use the word "free" to describe an event specifically designed to exclude others?

News from the "world's largest prison"

Israel's critics love to call Gaza the "world's largest prison." (Some prefer "world's largest concentration camp" or the "world's largest prison camp.")

Here are some 2009 statistics from this "prison" from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a report on the Palestinian Arab economy:

- In 2009, 738,576 tons (30,576 trucks) of humanitarian commodities were transferred to the Gaza Strip. In January and February 2010, 92,138.1 tons (4,056 trucks) were transferred.

- In 2009, 22,849 Palestinians exited the Strip, among them 10,544 patients and their companions, exiting for medical treatment in Israel.

- In 2009, 21,200 international organization staff members entered the Gaza Strip.

- In 2009, 4,883 tons of medical equipment and medicine entered the Strip, in 572 trucks.

- In the first two months of 2010, 659.1 tons of medical equipment and medications entered the Gaza Strip, in 92 truckloads.

- In 2009, Israel continued to supply electricity to the Gaza Strip. In addition, 41 truckloads of equipment for the maintenance of the electricity networks were transferred.

- Between April and October 2009, maintenance work was conducted on the power station by Siemens. In 2009, over 105,701,740 liters of diesel were delivered to the station.

- In 2009, 45 truckloads of equipment for communication systems entered the Strip, based on PA requests. In January and February 2010, 25 trucks entered the Strip, carrying inter alia 200,000 SIM cards for the Jawwal Cellular Network.

- 77% of the truckloads entering the Gaza Strip in 2009 were coordinated by the private sector.

- In 2009, 257 Palestinian businessmen (holders of BMC cards) exited the Gaza Strip for Israel, the West Bank and destinations abroad. In January and February 2010, this figure amounted to 148.

- In 2009, over 1.1 billion NIS were transferred to the Gaza Strip to cover the salaries and activities of international organizations, in addition to the PA civil service payroll in Gaza.

- 9,782,076 flowers and 54 tons of strawberries have been exported from Gaza (as of the end of February 2010).

- 374 Christians exited the Strip to celebrate Christmas in Israel and Bethlehem. In addition, 100 Christians exited to participate in the papal visit in May 2009.

- 3,607 tons of glass (103 truckloads) were transferred to the Strip. This project is expected to continue in 2010, and approval has been given for the transfer of wood and aluminum to repair windows and doors.

- In 2009, 10,871 cattle entered the Gaza Strip, mainly for Ramadan and Eid al- Edha celebrations.

The MFA laconically adds, "Meanwhile, Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit remains in captivity for almost four years."

Hamas denies any internal divisions

The Hamas leadership in Damascus denied any internal Hamas divisions, as was revealed in the reported internal memo that was sent from a Gaza committee to Khaled Meshal.

The Damascus leadership emphasized that their vision was solid and unified, and that the letter was just planted by enemies of Hamas.

Ironically, one of the recommendations from the letter was for the Hamas leadership to ensure their unity of messages in public.

Meanwhile, a Hamas MP has confirmed that Hamas is facing serious cash-flow problems in Gaza, as Gaza banks refuse to transfer cash from abroad to Hamas because of US pressure.

Islamic Jihad complains that Hamas foiled a terror attack

Islamic Jihad is blaming Hamas for stopping a "quality jihad mission" against Israel.

According to Islamic Jihad, Hamas had arrested the mujahadeen right before they were going to attack, and held them in custody for four hours. They also claim that Hamas asked them to sign a pledge promising no attacks against the Zionist enemy.

Hamas has been under pressure not only from the smaller terror groups in Gaza but also from elements in Fatah not to abandon the resistance, and Hamas has been forced to defend itself against these charges.

Egyptian FM thrilled with Obama

Palestine Press Agency reports on an interview given by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit to a Kuwaiti newspaper.

Abul-Gheit says that the crisis between Israel and Washington is real, and must be given time to "bear fruit." He says that Washington's policies on "East Jerusalem" is more in sync with Arab demands and therefore it is wise to wait for the pressure to build.

Google results for Holocaust in Arabic

A search for the word المحرقة

1. Arabic Wikipedia entry on the Holocaust
2. Article called "The Myth of the Holocaust"
3. Hamas/UK article called "Questions on the Holocaust"
4. Link to joke "Beidipedia" page making fun of the Holocaust
5. Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs page about the Holocaust
6 and 7 mostly irrelevant search results (a passing reference to the Gaza "holocaust")
8. Complaint about UNESCO commemorating the Holocaust
9. Video about a controversy in Morocco about teaching the Holocaust
10. United States Holocaust Museum Arabic page about US indifference to the Holocaust

Adventures in Google News

Sometimes I stumble onto a brilliant gem of absurdity in locations that are indexed by Google News as legitimate news sites. Here's today's fun fact about the famous scientist Nikola Tesla:

Nikola Tesla faced a terrible persecution in the land he had thought as the correct place for leading scientists, unbiased thinkers, and astute intellectuals – all free of involvement in dark centers and hidden organizations whereby the total slavery of the Mankind has been / is being prepared.

Unfortunately, America was not the country Tesla had thought it was. What becomes now clear to many, Americans and others, about America´s gravely anti-democratic character and hierarchical, pyramidal (and therefore inhuman) nature, was felt by Tesla in the 1910s, and 20s. He felt the pyramid of the criminals advancing against him to irreversibly smash him forever.

The hidden controllers of the academic, social, economic and political life of America did not want an uncontrolled mind to create, through his inventions, postulations and suggestions, dynamics that would contravene their evil plans against America and the entire Mankind.

Tesla was assassinated by the Freemasonic and Zionist mafia lords who impose their dictates onto the US administration (and most of the world´s governments) which is full of their pupils (lower grades´ Freemasons who are lauded enough to be hired or "voted" in power).

Even worse, his papers and inventions have been confiscated by the US secret services, under the pretext of "national security concern"! The true reason is that the Freemasonic – Zionist establishment did not want others to have access to Tesla´s pioneering inventions and great postulations that can help any group of scholars and any government to come up with applications that eclipse the use nuclear weapons of theirs (that the Freemasonic – Zionist establishment and their puppets of scientists were trying to develop at that time).

Such a development would certainly end the global Freemasonic – Zionist tyranny that spreads death and pestilence, starvation and diseases, poverty and misery worldwide.

Needless to say, the person who wrote this styles himself as a scholar and author of many books.

Gaza Salafist group threatens Jews

Al Hayat al Jadida (plagiarized by Firas Press) interviewed a spokesperson of one of the Salafist terror groups in Gaza.

The official, Abu Abdallah al-Ghazzi, is a member of the "Jaysh Al-Ummah" (Army of the Nation) group, one of the organizations that is pressuring Hamas from the religious standpoint. While some of the Salafist groups have apparent ties with Al Qaeda, al-Ghazzi denies that his group takes any money from them - although the group cherishes Bin Laden's activities.

al-Ghazzi said that there will be a war "against the Jews" from Southern Lebanon "at any time," but apparently not from his group. For now, Jaysh al-Ummah will be restricting its activities against Jews from Gaza.

His limiting terror attacks to Jews near Gaza is not ideological, but practical, as the group is too small (about 200 members) to attack Jewish interests worldwide right now. But in the future, he definitely wants to be able to attack Jewish and "Crusader" interests worldwide.

He also said that if there is proof that Mahmoud Abbas helps the "Jews" at all, he should be beheaded.

PalArabs complaining that Jews building too many synagogues

The leader of the "Islamic-Christian Front for Defending Jerusalem and its Holy Places," Hassan Khater, has issued a press release saying that there are now 218 synagogues in Jerusalem, and 70 of them in the Old City alone.

Khater also said that the synagogues are not being built because the Jews need them for religious purposes. He said that this is a clear plan by Israel "to change the image of the holy city, and change the inherent religious nature which distinguished it throughout its long history - the nature of the Arab, Islamic, Christian tradition."

Even assuming his numbers are correct (is he counting tiny "shtiebelach"? Is he counting different minyanim in different rooms in the same synagogue as one or many synagogues?), Khater also doesn't mention that his Arab brethren destroyed between 50 and 60 synagogues in the Old City between 1948 and 1967, so having 70 built in the past 43 years hardly seems excessive.

As usual, Khater and his compatriots are denying the Jewish connection to Jerusalem that predates Islam by more years than Islam has been in existence. This is, simply put, Jew-hatred.

On "moderation" and the Al Asharq al Awsat columnists (Zvi)

From Zvi, in commenting on my last post:

There's an important point to note here. A person can be a moderate or reformer when considering only Saudi local issues or some other topics, and still be an extremist regarding the Israel agenda. But Shobokshi is not a reformer in either sense.

I read Shobokshi's columns, but I don't expect him to penetrate the smoke-screen of anti-Israel incitement or abandon a long-term destroy-Israel agenda. In some cases, Shobokshi starts down a road that leads to some clear-headed analysis, but he always returns to the same old hostile mindset.

Of course, it's possible that Shobokshi really is smarter and wiser than this, but is forced by the constraints of Arab media and society to phrase things in a way that prevents others from labeling him a traitor. Your recent posts about Mira Awad and Ema remind us that Arab media figures who openly take unconventional stances on Israel or Jews are taking a risk.

But I don't see any evidence that Shobokshi thinks in this manner. Rather, he's deeply entrenched in the hatred of Israel and accepts without reservation the flagrant nonsense that is broadcast about it in the Arab media (examples).

I can laud Shobokshi's call to stop letting pursuit of "the Palestinian Cause" become the fig leaf that allows the leaders of the Arab world to run everything else into the ground. But he's no moderate.

At the end of the piece, Shobokshi shows that what affects him most deeply Shobokshi is Arab victory, not a better life for his people.

I do recommend reading several of the columnists on the English site. This is not because they agree with me on very much (I doubt that they do), but rather because I find that they have interesting opinions. I don't expect them to be friends of Israel or to support its point of view.

* Mshari al-Zaydi: I often find his columns to be very interesting, even when I don't agree with them (except that his most recent one embraces an easily-debunked myth - oh, well).
* Abdul Rahman al-Rashed is the general manager of Al Arabiya. Mr. al-Rashed sometimes gets muddled, and sometimes he does things for the wrong reasons, but regardless of my own opinion on a topic, his comments are often worth reading.
* Tariq Alhomayed is the Editor in Chief of Asharq al Awsat. Along with other sources, his comments can help to paint a picture about the regional hopes and concerns of modernist members of the Saudi elite. You do have to take what he says on some topics with a grain of salt, especially where the Saudi monarchy is involved.

As I said, don't expect these guys to be pro-Israel. I don't even expect them to be neutral; you'll just be disappointed. What I expect from them is that even when Israel is involved, they tend to have interesting analyses rather than engaging in knee-jerk ranting, bizarre flights of fancy or simplistic naivete. That's not true of some of the other columnists.

The most openly liberal commentator on the Asharq English site used to be Mona Eltahawy. But Ms. Eltahawy says that she was banned by the paper after she penned columns openly slamming the Egyptian government.

At least, with the Saudis and the Syrian/Iranian axis embroiled in a regional cold war, the paper seems to have stopped accepting regular contributions from the Syrian Minister of Expatriates and Paranoid Drivel, Bouthaina Shaaban.

Another Arab "moderate" who really isn't

An op-ed by Hussein Shobokshi at Asharq al-Awsat starts off this way:

In the Arab world, can we discuss any topic without mentioning Palestine? Though it is an odd question it is a perfectly legitimate one. It seems that raising important and complex issues such as education, health, public services, the judicial system, infrastructure and fighting corruption always comes to a dead end because of “the Palestinian cause excuse,” and because the battle must always comes “first,” as well other slogans that have been raised for a long time that aim to suspend any practical or positive action towards ultra-sensitive issues.

Under the Palestine umbrella, and with the calls for liberation and struggle, anything goes. Corruption has spread dramatically in all circles and in most fields. Educational backwardness has become a [distinguishing] attribute and a widespread phenomenon, not an exception. The deteriorating and deplorable infrastructure has become the butt of the joke and the source of mockery. Domination, despotism and the erosion of freedoms have become a way of life. The lack of an effective judicial system to guarantee people’s rights has turned into a painful reality in which people live without any real hope of changing it. Without exception, everything is being “postponed” because there is a more important battle that has now turned into a battle of tilting at windmills and because of this, despotism and tyranny have been further consolidated.

Forget about changing priorities! For that you would be labelled a traitor or regarded as one who seeks to divide the nation; a nation with a deteriorating education system, a broken judiciary and one with no agricultural or industrial potential and no sewage or electricity networks, etc.

Sounds like he has a clear vision of what Arab priorities should be, right?

But the irony is that he spends the rest of the article trying to convince his readers that the very reason they should be spending time on education, health, the judicial system and fighting corruption is...because they are prerequisites to "liberating Palestine:"

A nation with such “achievements” under its belt cannot by any means liberate Palestine. Most importantly, the correlation between deterioration and liberating Palestine is one that cannot be denied.

Yes, improving the education system, the judiciary and infrastructure will lead to “spontaneously” liberating Palestine. Yes, it’s that simple. If you liberate yourself, you will liberate your land. ... Crying and wailing in the name of Palestine has turned into a permanent state of mourning instead of aiming towards the “final” target with a continuous series of numerous, small victories and achievements within the country and within one’s self. Though it is such a long journey, it is one of utmost importance.

Which means that even the most moderate Arabs consider "Palestine" to be the most important issue; just that they differ on how to get to the point of "liberating Palestine" (which means, of course, destroying Israel.)