Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Thursday, November 04, 2010

Today's PalArab news (11/4/2010)

Egypt discovered 16 more smuggling tunnels to Gaza. They were mostly being used for iron, cement and food, although the article says something about weapons and ammunition (possibly that the smugglers had.)

Israel is sending the eleventh shipment of cars to Gaza.

"The first case of settlement-goods smuggling into West Bank shops was filed in a Bethlehem court on Wednesday, set to test a new Palestinian Authority law prohibiting the sale of settlement-produced products."

"More than a thousand settlers storm Joseph's Tomb in Nablus." They were engaged in "noisy celebrations and religious rituals." And peaceful Palestinian Arabs stoned their bus as they were leaving.

Here's how Palestine Today illustrates a story about the Mossad.

Follow-up on yesterday's assassination in Gaza

More details on what happened:

Israel resumed its targeted assassinations in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday with the killing of a senior al-Qaida-affiliated terrorist by a car bomb in Gaza City.

The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) confirmed Wednesday night that together with the Israel Air Force, it had carried out an operation to kill 27-year-old Mohammed Namnam, a top operative with the Army of Islam, a radical Palestinian terror group affiliated with al-Qaida and involved in the 2006 abduction of Gilad Schalit.

“Earlier today, the Israeli army targeted a ticking bomb,” IDF spokeswoman, Lt.-Col. Avital Leibovitz, told reporters in a conference call.

According to the Shin Bet, Namnam, from the Shati refugee camp, was responsible for a number of attacks against Israel in recent years.

The security agency added that it had obtained intelligence indicating that Namnam was in the midst of planning attacks against American and Israeli targets in the Sinai Peninsula.

Palestine Press Agency, and others note that Namnam was driving one of the new cars that Israel has been allowing into Gaza. Hamas had announced that they were sweeping all the new cars to search for booby traps and tracking devices.

Even though Hamas certainly decides who gets the new cars, this Army of Islam leader - who was said to be at odds with Hamas - managed to obtain one. Hmmmm.

PalPress also mentions that sources say Namnam had married a woman from Afghanistan.

The unreliable but sometimes illuminating Debka says that it was actually a US rocket that killed Namnam, shot from a warship in the Mediterranean. It says that Namnam was involved in a planned second wave of attacks against the US after the package bombs that were discovered en route to the US this week. The report says that Al Qaeda planned to attack US Marines stationed near Sharm el Sheikh, and that Egypt is cooperating with the US in stopping the group.

(h/t Joel)

Britain considers "Palestine" to be a nation already

From the British Consulate-General Jerusalem website:

UK and Palestine sign the first treaty between the two nations

This agreement is the first ever bilateral treaty between the two nations

The UK’s Foreign Secretary, William Hague, visited the Occupied Palestinian Territories today (3 November) for his first visit to Palestine since he assumed office. The Foreign Secretary is visiting the OPTs as part of a regional visit that includes Israel and Egypt.

The Foreign Secretary met Prime Minister Dr. Salaam Fayyad and Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Malki today in Ramallah.

The Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister discussed a wide range of issues, including Gaza, the peace process and the economy. After the meeting the Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister signed the first bilateral treaty between the PLO and the UK Government. This treaty is designed to enhance cooperation in the field of film.

While the text properly says "Palestinian territories" and that the agreement was with the PLO, the headline and subhead were also written by the Consulate.

Al-Ahram: Hamas suppressed poll that made them look bad

Firas Press, quoting Al-Ahram, says Hamas commissioned a public opinion poll in Gaza - and then stopped publication of the results when they were found to be less than complimentary towards the terrorist group.

According to the story, the poll showed a great decline in Hamas' popularity in Gaza across the board, including the performance of its quasi-government ministries and security services.

Gazans had no more confidence in Fatah, however, and blamed Hamas, Fatah and Israel equally for the failure of Hamas and Fatah to reconcile.

Gazans trying desperately to prove they are Egyptian

The Hamas-leaning Felesteen newspaper reports that hundreds of Palestinian Arabs in Gaza are trying to go through their family histories to prove that they are really Egyptian, not Palestinian, in order to gain citizenship in Egypt.

Not only residents of Rafah, a town divided between the Gaza and Egyptian side, but even Gazans from Khan Younis and other areas are trying to become Egyptian citizens.

One man is interviewed, saying that he went through months of painstaking research, hiring an Egyptian lawyer to help him, before he could prove to Egypt's satisfaction that his grandfather was Egyptian.

Another man said that many members of his family proved their Egyptian origins by finding proof of family assets in Egypt. A third was trying to become an Egyptian citizen because he married an Egyptian woman and crossing the border to visit relatives would be easier if he had Egyptian citizenship.

I would love to see a poll of how many Palestinian Arabs, in the territories and in other Arab countries, would voluntarily become citizens of other Arab countries if given the choice. I'd bet it would be over 75%.

Win a NYC vacation and $3000 for Apple products

Decent prizes, free entry, good cause - and Daughter of Ziyon get a free chance with everyone who enters.

Which means she'd better get me a MacBook Air if she wins.

The NCSY Big Apple Giveaway.

The ancient Jewish keffiyeh - the"sudra"

Since the idea that Jews could "steal" the keffiyeh from Palestinian Arab culture tickled me so much, I looked a little at the history of the keffiyeh.

Starting at Wikipedia, we see that the keffiyeh is of course not "Palestinian" at all, but Arab, meant to shield the head from the sun and sand. PalArabs did make the black-and-white version symbolic, which makes one wonder if they are as aghast at the Jordanian red and white version as they are at the modern Jewish blue and white version.

A paragraph in the Wiki entry, no doubt written by an angry Mizrahi Jew, says:

The tribes of Israel, and their Jewish and Samaritan descendants, have worn variations of the keffiyah since biblical times.[5] This practice was not unique to the Arabs, as the wearing of headgear is a universal practice amongst Semitic peoples and a logical protection against the harsh mid-east sun. From the biblical and rabbinic sources it can be deduced with certainty that the ancient Israelites wore headgear similar, if not identical, to the Kefiyah (كوفية) still worn by Arab and other Semitic peoples.[6] Variations of the Jewish Kefiyah (كوفية اليهود ), also known as a Sudra, were worn by middle-eastern Jews from ancient until modern times. This ancient practice rapidly declined with the founding of the State of Israel and the false association made by some racist European Jews of the keffiyeh (كوفية) as a solely Arab clothing item, rather than being an authentically Jewish practice and custom.

The Talmud does mention the "sudra" a number of times, and Jastrow translates it as a scarf wound around the head and hanging down the neck or a turban. It is clearly a head-covering that one ties on (Berachot 60b). A passage in Kiddushin 29b implies that only married men wore it.

No proof was brought that it was worn in biblical times, although almost certainly some sort of cloth headcovering was. It is possible that more elaborate turbans were reserved for prominent people.

Either way, Jews were wearing a variant of the keffiyeh many centuries before anyone ever heard of "Palestinians." Which makes the claim that Jews are "stealing" parts of Palestinian Arab culture even more absurd than it already was.

International Union of Muslim Scholars calls to destroy Israel

From Iran's ABNA:

The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) has said the only solution for the Arab- Zionist conflict was “comprehensive resistance against the Zionist enemy with the aim of liberating all of the occupied Palestine,” local Arabic newspapers reported.

IUMS chairman Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradawi, who opened the Union’s permanent headquarters in Doha, expressed gratitude to HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani for granting the facility.

The IUMS warned of sectarian and doctrinal conflicts among Muslims, which it said would serve “only the Zionist and American interests”.

The Union described Palestinian issue as the central problem of the Muslim Nation and as the most dangerous against its future, Rohama reported.

Here is the actual statement of the IUMS.

Qaradawi is possibly the most influential Sunni religious figure in the world.

Naturally, Western news media don't give any coverage to the daily statements by even major Islamic figures inciting Muslims to murder a few million Jews. After all, it is a dog-bites-man story.

A nice background article on the group from Asharq al-Awsat discusses how the IUMS uses Israel to mask its internal problems.

UNRWA official caves, apologizes, grovels for telling the truth

We've mentioned Andrew Whitley, the outgoing UNRWA official who said in a speech

If one doesn’t start a discussion soon with the refugees for them to consider what their own future might be – for them to start debating their own role in the societies where they are rather than being left in a state of limbo where they are helpless but preserve rather the cruel illusions that perhaps they will return one day to their homes – then we are storing up trouble for ourselves.

We recognize, as I think most do, although it’s not a position that we publicly articulate, that the right of return is unlikely to be exercised to the territory of Israel to any significant or meaningful extent.

It’s not a politically palatable issue, it’s not one that UNRWA publicly advocates, but nevertheless it’s a known contour to the issue.

He was slammed for this bit of obvious truth by Jordan, the PA and by groups who called for him to be fired.

Instead of standing up and saying that he spoke the truth - he caved.

Ma'an Arabic quotes him as saying "I send my apologies to Palestinian refugees for any pain caused by my remarks. I have spent a lot of my time in the service of the Palestinian refugee issue and I've worked to serve and defend their rights in a professional manner.

"These remarks were wrong and do not represent the view of UNRWA, and I believe that it is not right for the Palestinian refugees to give up their basic rights including the right of return."

By giving in to the pressure, of course, Whitley is contributing to - and extending - the misery of the people that he is claiming to serve and defend.

Way to go, Whitley!

(See also my letter to the UN.)

Edifice of "Palestinian culture" crumbling in the face of a novelty item

I love these stories:

Palestinian Authority Minister of Culture Siham Barghouthi said Tuesday that his ministry was investigating Israel's theft of Palestinian heritage.

Palestinian culture must be preserved by organizing exhibitions and festivals to show that heritage claimed by Israel is actually Palestinian, Bargouthi said in an interview with Ma'an Radio.

A blue version of the keffiyeh, a scarf and a Palestinian national symbol, could be found in markets with a Star of David used instead of the traditional pattern, the minister noted.

Maha Saqa, director of the Heritage Conservation Center in Bethlehem, told Ma'an Radio that a country is an accumulation of its culture, and the theft of heritage should be examined. Israel had stolen Palestine's national food, clothes and the keffiyeh, she said, adding that the modified keffiyeh, bearing the Star of David, was used in European football stadiums.

Earlier this year, even PA prime minister Salam Fayyad got into the keffiyeh kerfuffle, publicly launching a Campaign for the Keffiyeh and the Palestinian Dabka (dance.)

An Arab hip-hop artist made an entire song protesting Israel's supposed stealing the keffiyeh. And they've been complaining about this tiny company that makes the Star of David keffiyeh for years.

How can culture be "stolen?"

And if they are secure in their culture, then how could they be threatened by a novelty product?

If you want to buy one and contribute to the cultural genocide of Palestinian Arabs, the one pictured above can be bought here. A competitor whose keffiyot also say "Am Yisrael Chai" sells their products here.

Mysterious explosion kills terrorist in Gaza (updated)

Ma'an says:

From PalToday

A Palestinian was killed and several others injured in an explosion targeting a car in Gaza City just before noon Tuesday.

Civil defense officials said an Israeli drone targeted the car, which was on the street outside the Palestinian Authority passport office in western Gaza City.

But the truth is a bit more complicated:

A car exploded Wednesday afternoon near a Hamas police station in Gaza City. The al-Arabiya network reported that one person was killed in the blast and another three were injured.

The man killed in the explosion was a senior field commander in the Army of Islam, one of the organizations affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Strip.

Eyewitnesses said the car was travelling on the road parallel to the police headquarters when the explosion occurred. Despite the claims of an airstrike, other residents said the explosion occurred inside the vehicle.

Palestine Press Agency says that Hamas had arrested him a few days ago to stop his group from firing rockets into Israel. His car exploded as it was approaching Hamas police headquarters.

It quotes other Hamas supporters as saying that it might have been an Israeli booby-trap.

Israel has not commented on whether it was an airstrike.

So, intriguingly, there are at least five possible scenarios:

* Israeli airstrike - not likely in the middle of Gaza City with non-combatants around
* Israeli booby trap - also not likely because, frankly, it is easier to shoot from the air
* Hamas car bomb - possible, although the timing is strange
* Army of Islam attempt to attack Hamas that went wrong - given the arrest and their ideology, this is a possibility
* A generic work accident

UPDATE: It was the IDF.

Gratuitous photo meant to gain more readers

My post that mentioned Pamela Anderson yesterday got lots of attention and probably a couple of thousand hits.

Yet there is more to say about her that illuminates the huge inconsistency of how people on the far left treat Israel.

Israel is the first (and, as far as I know, only) country in the world to have even seriously considered a ban on fur across the board. Certainly, politics has stalled the bill from passing in Knesset, but the fact that it went as far as it did indicates that Israel is, in some respects, a far more liberal country than any other in the world, regardless of the outcome of the bill.

Does this mean that leftists will be more sympathetic to Israel? On the contrary. Here is how the Anti-Fur Coalition reported the political roadblock to the bill:

This situation put Israel in a very negative light as the world watches the dirty political games that are played between the religious parties and the fur lobbyists; instead of taking the opportunity to take a moral and ethical historical step.

More negative than the 192 countries that didn't even consider the issue seriously enough to talk about it?

There's another connection of Pamela Anderson to Israel's liberalism.

Anderson is a guest judge on Israel's version of "Dancing with the Stars."

And, for the first time in any edition of the show worldwide, it will feature a same-sex couple competing.

Again, will any anti-Israel activist, pretending to hate Zionism for liberal reasons, even consider the fact that Israel is acting more liberal than any European country? Will "Queers for Palestine" put out a statement of support for this groundbreaking move?

Not quite.

Comparing news coverage of Iraq and Israel

I noticed that wire service coverage of the recent bloody events in Baghdad almost invariably use the word "insurgents" or "assailants" or "gunmen" or "attackers" or "militants" to describe the Al Qaeda terrorists.

Almost never are the terrorists referred to as "extremists," although a few background pieces refer to Al Qaeda as being an extremist group.

When the word "extremist" is used in the Middle East to refer to an actual person, more often than not it refers to Jews who are alleged to have harassed Palestinian Arabs.

The word "extremist" has a far more pejorative connotation that "insurgent" or any of the other terms used to describe terrorists in Iraq. "Insurgent" or "gunmen" or "militants" are value-neutral words. "Extremist" is far more pejorative, as it carries with it a judgment of the character of the person who did the act. Such judgment is absent when AFP or AP or the New York Times or CNN report about attacks that are orders of magnitude worse, by every conceivable measure, that the worst thing that Israeli settlers have ever done or been accused of doing.

So why do they consistently use a word that connotes something far worse when referring to Jews in the West Bank than they do to refer to mass-murdering Muslim terrorists in Iraq?

The cumulative effect of years of such biased reporting is that news readers, subconsciously, start to believe that the actions of Israelis are objectively worse than the actions of real terrorists who kill thousands of people. Years of such subtle bias have a huge effect on a large number of people who rely on the mainstream media to form their opinions.

To the mainstream news media, the word "terrorist" is unsuitable to refer to people who blow themselves up in a church, but the word "extremist" is perfectly acceptable to refer to people who are accused of cutting down trees.

This is one reason why it is difficult to believe that the media is unbiased when it comes to reporting from Israel.

Meanwhile, in Baghdad... (Zvi)

From Zvi:

Iraqi hospital and police officials say blasts ripping through Baghdad's mostly Shiite neighborhoods have killed at least 76 people and wounded some 200.

The blasts took place in at least 10 neighborhoods across the capital Tuesday evening.

"Ten cars exploded with bombs inside them. There were also four roadside bombs and two sticky bombs," Baghdad security spokesman Major General Qassim al-Moussawi said. "(They were) all in Shiite neighborhoods."

One of the biggest explosions appeared to target restaurants and cafes in the Shiite slum of Sadr City. Earlier, a police source in the area said 15 people had been killed and another 23 wounded.

The blasts come just two days after gunmen in Baghdad held a Christian congregation hostage in a siege that ended with 58 people dead.

This is horrible. It is horrible that Baghdadis should live in fear of this kind of purposeful, evil, savage and unlimited violence.

The bodies will be buried, and life will go on, and people - even most Iraqis, unless they lost loved ones or saw it happen in front of them - will forget these terrorist attacks. It is just not convenient to remember them. There won't be a movement to memorialize the civilian victims of 2 November, who were going about their daily shopping or chatting in restaurants when they were all murdered together. There won't be a demonstration in London, or Tehran, or Oslo, and Muslim leaders will not call on their communities to denounce the jihadis who evidently committed these atrocities.

Iraq Body Count identifies 3205 non-combatant deaths in 2010 alone. And in fact, NEARLY EVERY MONTH for the last 7 years, the number of Muslims deliberately slaughtered by Islamist terrorists, Baathists, Iranian-allied militias and related thugs in Iraq vastly exceeds the number of civilians killed in a mostly accidental fashion during Cast Lead.

I'm still waiting for the commentators, who blame global anti-Semitism on Cast Lead, the Hizballah war or "extremist settlers" (who have killed how many Bank Arab in the last 5 years? As far as I know, ZERO) to explain why European and Middle Eastern Muslims are NOT holding riots to denounce al Qaeda for slaughtering SO MANY INNOCENT PEOPLE. So many innocent Muslims. I'm still waiting for Middle Eastern journalists to use the same blood-soaked terms to describe mass-murdering Islamists that they use to describe Israeli settlers who have not killed anyone.

I'm still waiting for an indication that the hysterical rage nurtured and aimed at Israel is anything other than a supreme act of hypocrisy.

The changing threats to Israel (Giora Eiland)

Zvi pointed to a must-read article in the Jerusalem Post (originally in the JCPA) by Maj.-Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland, who knows a thing or two about security.

Here is the synopsis from JCPA (which, by the way, is one of the great things about all JCPA articles - the fact that they put the important points as bullet items):

How do we resolve the dilemma of a peace agreement that includes handing over the Golan Heights to the Syrians, while facing the fact that Israel cannot be defended without the Golan Heights? The way around this was supposed to be the inclusion in any peace agreement of specific security arrangements. Yet this approach was based on a number of assumptions, all of them misguided.

Events over the past ten years have also revealed a marked change in the types of threats to be expected from a Palestinian state or from the existing Palestinian entity. This involves a switch to three types of weaponry that all fundamentally contradict the guidelines discussed for security arrangements.

Rockets and missiles positioned throughout the West Bank would easily cover the entire State of Israel. Advanced anti-aircraft missiles would be capable of shooting down not only large passenger aircraft flying into Ben-Gurion International Airport, but also helicopters and even fighter planes. Anti-tank missiles that are highly effective up to a range of 5 km. can easily cover not only strategic positions such as Israel's north-south Highway 6, but well beyond.

The common denominator among all of these is the ease of smuggling and clandestine manufacture, as is taking place today in Gaza. No monitoring system that may be established will be able to prevent this. Only effective control of the Jordan Valley along the Israeli-Jordanian border can prevent the smuggling of these types of weapons.

In addition, if Israel were to withdraw to the 1949 armistice lines, then the area to the east of the Israel-Palestine border would be home not only to the Palestinian Authority, but to other potential enemies too, including Hizbullah and Syria. This means that in determining security arrangements in the West Bank, the approach must be broader, beyond Israel's needs vis-à-vis only the Palestinians.

Seriously, read the whole thing.