Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, December 20, 2010

About that Israeli airstrike in Gaza Saturday...

An Israeli airstrike killed five Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. It was the deadliest attack against the coastal strip in months.

The Israeli military said in a statement that the men were about to launch a rocket attack against southern Israeli communities when they were struck. Palestinian hospital officials confirmed that the five dead were militants.

While initial reports claimed that the dead were from Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees, those groups did not claim responsibility. Newer information seems to point to a smaller Salafist group. It is unclear whether this group adheres to the point of view of Sheikh Yassin al-Astal, who we noted had called afterwards for a stop to rocket attacks.

Notable, however, is that the airstrike - which everyone would admit was purely military - is being slammed by Israel's "peace partners" in Fatah. A Fatah spokesman referred to the event by saying that "Israel committed a horrific massacre against our people in Gaza resulting in five martyrs."

Yes, according to the moderates in Fatah, any attempt by Israel to stop an imminent attack on her territory is a "horrific massacre."

The Arab play for the Internet

From The Lawfare Project:

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the entity responsible for assigning domain names on the Internet, and was established as a non-profit corporation based in California during the Clinton administration so that the Internet's development would be coordinated by a single entity.

ICANN works "in particular to ensure the stable and secure operation of the Internet's unique identifier systems."[1] As part of this mission, ICANN approves Domain Name Registrars, which are organizations that register specific domain names, and assigns IP addresses, the numerical codes by which computers actually connect to each other via the Internet.

From November 25, 1998 until September 30, 2009, ICANN was overseen by the U.S. Commerce Department. The Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Commerce and ICANN was allowed to expire, to be replaced by international, multilateral control.

There are three current and developing issues that are of particular concern relating to ICANN:

I. ICANN's Geographical Region classifications;

II. 'Public Morality' Objections to New Domain Names; and

III. Objections to Terrorism Background Checks.

...3) On August 28, 2010, Amre Moussa, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, sent a letter to ICANN criticizing the body for not recognizing "the Arab region," and cited "the operational precedent of many UN agencies" as authoritative.[3]

4) On September 25, 2010, the ICANN Board of Directors approved the following resolution: "The definition of Continent or UN Regions in the Guidebook should be expanded to include UNESCO's regional classification list which comprises: Africa, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and North America, Latin America and the Caribbean."[4]

9) Should the September 25th Resolution become applicable to ICANN's Board of Directors, it would mean that the "Arab States" Region would be entitled to between one and five directorships, while the collapsed "North American and Europe" Region would have a maximum of five seats. In fact, the director of ICANN's Nominating Committee noted at the workshop that, "This year we'll select one individual from North America, which is 400-500 million people with fairly deep penetration of internet."

10) Further alterations to the geographical makeup of ICANN's Board of Directors would mean a considerable shift in power towards the Arab League, which would presumably vote as a bloc far more than preexisting Geographic Regions.

...12) Should the League of Arab States gain bloc voting power at ICANN, there is every indication that it will seek to replicate its effective takeover of the United Nations General Assembly, likely in conjunction with the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

13) The OIC is extremely interested in developing internet capability, and recently formed a Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) with the following mission statement: "OIC-CERT is to provide a platform for member countries to explore and to develop collaborative initiatives and possible partnerships in matters pertaining to cyber security that shall strengthen their self reliant [sic] in the cyberspace."[7]

14) OIC-CERT's Steering Committee consists of the following countries: Tunisia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.[8]

15) On October 28, 2010, at OIC-CERT's Second Annual General Meeting, OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu noted the following as a core mission of OIC-CERT: "In view of the phenomena of discrimination, stereotyping and defamation targeting Muslims and their religion known as 'Islamophobia,' we invite the OIC-CERT to use its available professional and technical resources (in line with its objectives stated in terms of reference) in order to cooperate with the 'OIC Islamophobia Observatory' to identify the best ways and means including technical, administrative and legal tools to combat anti-Islamic contents on the internet."[9] This issue bears more directly on the ongoing debate regarding 'public morality' objections and will be considered more fully in Point 2 below.

The paper goes on to discuss how this could cause limitations on websites that are offensive to Arab nations (such as pornography and "Islamophobia".) beyond that, it could promote terrorist sites on the Internet:

On September 25, 2010, ICANN's board of directors removed a reference to "terrorism" from the fourth version of its Draft Applicant Guidebook (DAG, or DAGv4), after complaints were received from several Arab individuals and organizations. Failing to retain the ability to investigate applicants for ties to terrorism would significantly hamper ICANN's effectiveness, and could lead to a proliferation of pro-terrorist websites.

1) Until 2009, ICANN necessarily complied with applicable United States Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations regarding terrorism, and had no reason to specify such as the subject of a background check.

2) The term "terrorism" was included without any conceivably objectionable modifiers such as "Islamist."

3) The Chairman of the (Pan Arab) Multilingual Internet Group Khaled Fattal declared that the term "terrorism" itself was objectionable because "it will be seen by millions of Muslims and Arabs as racist, prejudicial and profiling." Fattal requested not only its removal, but an apology from ICANN.[25]

4) NOTE: The Multilingual Group's Mission as stated on its website is in part, "To secure this Multilingual Internet, starting with the Arabic Internet on Pan Arab level."[26] All of its actions to date have been to further an Arabic-language Internet.

5) Abdulaziz H. Al-Zoman of SaudiNIT claimed "the international community is extensibly [sic] divided on who is a terrorist and who is a freedom fighter" as reason to remove the term.[27]

This is not only blatant politicizing of the major authority behind the Internet itself, but it is could conceivably promote censorship of opinions that are deemed "Islamophobic" and otherwise offensive while giving terrorists much freer reign over their own Internet activities.

(h/t Daily Alert via SoccerDad)

Gaza Salafi leader calls for halt to rockets

In general, the Safali Islamic groups in Gaza are considered more hard-line than the de facto Hamas government. But Sheikh Yassin Al-Astal, head of the Salafi Council in Palestine, has just issued a statement for Gazans to stop shooting rockets to Israel, a phenomenon that has been accelerating in recent months.

According to al-Astal, the purpose of jihad is to prevent, deter, or repel aggression, but Palestinian Arab rocket attacks do the opposite: they cause Israel to react with its own attacks. Jihad is not for the purpose of wantonly destroying the enemy's property or lives for no reason.

Al-Astal said that he fears that the violence that is started by Gaza rockets could in fact be a sin, and that people who launch rockets actually get punished by Allah rather than rewarded.

The Salafis are only a small percentage of the Gaza population, but this is a very interesting development.

PMW back up, plus YouTube's problematic practices (JPost op-ed)

It looks like PalWatch is back up on YouTube...thanks for everyone who helped by complaining to YouTube! (h/t Stablehand)

Here is an op-ed in Monday's JPost by Andre Oboler about the recent suspension of Palestinian Media Watch's YouTube channel before it was reinstated:

A few months ago, efforts were made to shut down the YouTube presence of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). The institute provides the English-speaking world with insight into the Mideast media. Some of the exposure is not welcome by those who say one thing in English to a Western audience and another thing at home.

The MEMRI debacle seems to have been resolved, but YouTube is now going after Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) which fulfills a similar role, focused exclusively on the Palestinian media.

PMW monitors, translates and shares examples of incitement. It was PMW that exposed the use of a Mickey Mouse character inciting hate and violence on the Hamas TV children’s show “The Pioneers of Tomorrow.”

That story created shock waves around the world, leading to discussions in the Western mainstream media and at the UN of the link between incitement in the media and terrorism.

PMW’s violation appears to be that it was posting “hate material.”

There is no doubt that it was. However, like MEMRI, that material was not shared for the purpose of incitement, but to expose and counter the spread of hate. Some commentators have speculated that it is not the hate against Jews, Israelis and Americans – as shown in MEMRI and PMW videos – that is the problem, but rather the fact that the videos might cause a backlash against those promoting such hate.

Any argument that uses free speech to prevent the exposure of hate speech is inherently deeply flawed.

YouTube needs to get its act together.

What it has created is a haven for hate, devoid of sunlight. Its policy seems inconsistent, ineffective and only selectively enforced. It is working against community expectations and the public interest. Ignoring illegal content, while removing the very sunlight needed to expose those spreading hate, creates a volatile environment.

Social media is built on concepts of security and trust. When these start to go, opportunities for competitors are created. It may be too early to call this the beginning of the end for YouTube, but unless it gets its policies right, and properly enforces them, we may well see this megalith begin to slide downhill.

Maldives minister publicly insults Jews

We have discussed the doctors from Israeli NGO "Eye from Zion" have been treating Muslim patients in the Maldives, and that some Muslims there have protested this aid with anti-semitic rhetoric.

This weekend there was more of the same. Here is a report from a sermon given by Minister of State for Islamic Affairs Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed on Friday:

He said that the Jews, who have historically nurtured severe enmity towards Muslims continues to assault the Muslims.

The State Minister warned the Muslims of the notoriety and the betrayal and treachery of the Jews. He said that that yesterday’s Jews are evil predecessors and today’s Jews are worse successors.

History of Jews is full of deception, trickery, rebellion, oppression, evil and corruption. They always seek to cause mischief on the earth and Allah loves not the mischief-makers.

“So it is not it is not acceptable that one who would stab the ummah in the heart could heal the eyes. This philosophy is not acceptable,” he said.

He said that it is not acceptable that we as Muslims are agreeing with the Jews with peace of mind while our Muslim brothers are moaning, while our first Kiblah [Jerusalem] is lamenting because of the tyranny of the Jewish occupation.

Yet Minivan News calls this an "anti-Zionist protest":

Hundreds of people gathered at the protest with some carrying banners in both Dhivehi and English with messages ranging from “Say no to Israeli terrorism” and “Jews said Allah is poor” to “We are with anyone who fights Israel & USA” and “Bloody Zionists”.

But they report on the government's rejoinder to the critics:

In response to the anti-Zionist protests and criticism that the government was engaged in a pro-Israel agenda, Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair said that the government “holds friendly relations with Israel, as it does almost every other nation in the world.”

“We are not at loggerheads with any states, though we have some differences with Burma over the treatment of [formerly arrested dissident] Aung Sun Suu Kyi,” he said. “There is nothing special in terms of agreements with Israel.”

Though Zuhair claimed that the Maldives government has been “consistent on criticising Israel over Palestine and other foreign policy issues it did not agree on”, this was not a barrier to humanitarian cooperation, he said.

Zuhair added that by having bilateral relations with a large number of nations, the Maldives was able to benefit from cooperation based on technical assistance, education and humanitarian aid.

He claimed that the medical expertise offered by Eye from Zion was a strong example of this.

“We ourselves don’t have the means for this type of surgery, which has so far treated 140 patients in Male’ and 40 people across islands in the outer atolls,” Zuhair added. “In this case, the patients that thankful for the treatment they have received, which outweighs the protests against [the doctors].”

No one in the Maldives seems the least bit concerned about the explicitly anti-semitic statements of their minister, however. It looks like he didn't get the memo to always say "Zionists" instead of "Jews."

Dusk open thread

I have lots of social obligations today, not the least of which is the engagement party ("vort") for Daughter of Ziyon, so here is an open thread with the latest photo from my camera phone.

A Kuwaiti-born Jew

From JPost:

The most breathtaking panoramic view of the Old City opens up from the balcony of the Aish HaTorah yeshiva. The building is located almost at the foot of the Western Wall Plaza, which makes it a perfect location for viewing the holy city.

But 15 students, who are sitting right next to the big panoramic window, are not paying any attention to the view. They have completely lost themselves in study, listening carefully to the rabbi’s explanations, holding Gemaras in front of them.

The rabbi speaks in English, the common language among all the students, who make an incredible mix of cultures and origins.

One of the students, a smiling young man with a small beard and a black kippa, is totally focused on the lesson. It’s not the first time that he has confronted a complicated religious text: He did so many times back at school. Only back then the texts were Koranic verses in Arabic, and the school was in Kuwait.

Mark Halawa, 33, who now calls himself Mordechai, was born in Kuwait and grew up as a Muslim in a nonobservant family.

So how does a guy who grew up in Kuwait end up in a Jerusalem yeshiva? As a matter of fact, Halawa’s Jewish adventure began in Canada, where he traveled alone to attend university in London, Ontario. His family had wanted him to study nearby, but after a brief stint at a university in Syria, Halawa decided that the environment there did not suit him, and he made the move to Canada in 1998. There, he studied psychology and industrial organization, only realizing he was Jewish toward the end of his time there.

“There was a rabbi at my university, a professor of philosophy. I just felt I wanted to approach him and talk to him,” he says. “Although there is a lot of prejudice against Jews in Kuwait, I never felt that I hated them.

“I told the rabbi about myself and where I come from. Since my early childhood I have known that my grandmother on my maternal side used to pray in Hebrew. Her last name was Mizrahi. He asked me who my father was. I answered that he was a Muslim.

“So you are a Muslim, if your father is a Muslim, I thought to myself. And then he said, ‘Since your Mom is Jewish, you are Jewish.’ I was astonished at his words.”

After some searching and questioning he confirmed that his grandmother was in fact a Jew who married a young Jordanian soldier back in 1946, ran off to Nablus with him and converted to Islam.

Later the family emigrated to Kuwait, where employment opportunities were vast. The Jewish past of the grandmother was never publicly discussed.

Read the whole thing.

The funny thing is I found this story on the Arabic Firas Press site.

Hamas illegally seizes land in Gaza - and sells it

Palestine Press Agency has another article on Hamas corruption.

According to the article, Hamas has been seizing land that is already privately owned, and then sells it - either back to the original owner at an exorbitant price, or to a Hamas member at a fraction of that same price.

Two weeks ago, Hamas announced the sale of public lands, and the PA replied that Hamas has no right to sell that land, warning people against buying land that the PA claims for itself.

IDF sonic booms make crocodiles want to mate

From Ma'an:

Sonic booms created by Israeli warplanes speeding across the sky are having the unintended consequence of launching hibernating crocodiles into mating mode, the daily Maariv reported Sunday.

According to the newspaper, each time warplanes break the sound barrier over a crocodile breeding farm in the Golan Heights, the randy reptiles begin emitting their ritual mating cry.

"The powerful squealing noises, reminiscent of the sound of a car braking, can be heard from hundreds of meters around," David Golan, head of crocodile breeding at the Hamat Gader park, told Maariv.

The calls appeared to be a response to the sonic booms, which seemed to convince the crocodiles that other males had begun making mating signals, the newspaper said.

There are around 100 crocodiles at the park, which is underneath airspace used by the Israeli air force for training runs.

A population boom is not expected, however, because the male crocs are all bark and no bite.

Despite issuing their signature mating calls when the planes break the sound barrier, there has been no uptick in actual breeding -- and the "official" mating season does not begin until the summer.

Um.....okay.

Israeli deal with Cyprus to demarcate maritime borders

From Cyprus Mail:

CYPRUS and Israel yesterday signed a bilateral agreement defining their sea boundaries, which paves the way for hydrocarbon exploration in the area between the two countries.

The agreement, signed in Nicosia, by Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou and Israeli Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau, delimits the exclusive economic zone between the two countries.

“This agreement reflects the close relationship and ongoing cooperation between Israel and Cyprus,” an Israeli embassy statement said.

Kyprianou and Landau did not make any statements and did not take any questions.

The agreement will require ratification by the parliaments of the two countries’.

Cyprus, which says there are encouraging signs of hydrocarbon reserves in its waters, held a first licensing round in 2007, prompting a fierce reaction from Turkey.

Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots claim that Cyprus does not have the right to exploit the island’s natural resources before the political problem is resolved.

Texas-based Noble Energy has exploration rights for hydrocarbons in a Cypriot offshore field, and in an adjacent one on the Israeli side of the sea boundary.

"This agreement essentially provides them (Noble) with a legal safety net, that their rights are legally enshrined," a diplomatic source told Reuters.

Noble was given exploration rights for one of 11 Cypriot plots up for grabs in 2008, about 65 km away from Israel's Tamar prospect, the world's biggest gas find in 2009.

“In light of the recent discovery of a wealth of natural resources in the Mediterranean Sea, the delimitation of Israel's borders will play an important role in securing Israel's vital economic interests, by providing certainty to investors and offering clarity to Israel's neighbours as to the precise location of Israel's maritime borders and its right to natural resources at sea,” the embassy statement said.

Cyprus has also signed similar bilateral agreements with Egypt. One is also pending ratification by Lebanon.

Zvi comments:

What's the difference between the PA and Cyprus? Why does the Israel-Cyprus agreement get delineated so easily, while the so-called "peace process" continues to grind on?

The Cypriots are pursuing self-interest - not genocide. They want a slice of the pie; they are not out to destroy Israel.

It's that simple.

UPDATE on Palestinian Media Watch suspension from YouTube

More details on this story from Itamar Marcus of PMW:

YouTube closed PMW's main account - PALWATCH - for "violating YouTube terms of use" by propagating hate speech and they specified the videos listed below:
1. "Hamas TV teaches kids to kill Jews" formerly at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwN2M6ZIIRU
Removed for violating our Terms of Use on 10/02/2009.

2. "Jews are a virus like Aids" formerly at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYaGl3KjPUw
Removed for violating our Terms of Use on 01/18/2010.

3. "Farewell video before suicide attack of Hamas suicide bomber Adham Ahmad Hujyla Abu Jandal" formerly athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYdTudQhWM4
Removed for violating our Terms of Use on 06/10/2010.

4. "Hamas suicide farewell video: Jews monkeys and pigs; Maidens reward for killing Jews" formerly athttp ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryc7RqXlVdE
Removed for violating our Terms of Use on 08/14/2010.

5. "PA cleric: Kill Jews, Allah will make Muslims masters over Jews" formerly at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjuDTO8fgqM
Removed for violating our Terms of Use on 12/12/2010.
Please see http://www.youtube.com/t/terms and http://www.youtube.com/t/community_guidelines

6. "Hamas suicide terrorist farewell video: Palestinians drink the blood of Jews" formerly athttp ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSftYIGH6-w
Removed for violating our Terms of Use on 12/15/2010.

The claim is that our videos, which expose the hate speech propagated by the Palestinian leadership and controlled media, themselves represent hate speech.
YouTube stated that the account was henceforth terminated "due to repeated or severe violations of our Terms of Use".
Since 2009 they have been deleting specified videos - those mentioned above - but now "terminated" the entire account due to no 6 above:

The main PMW You Tube account called : palwatch was "terminated".
The older account pmwvideos from a few years ago is functioning.

I emailed him the information posted here by StabelHand on how to best contact YouTube to complain:

@YouTube & @hunterwalk on Twitter

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/youtube/thread?tid=2a20b0a0786950b4&hl=en

- Official YouTube blog: http://www.youtube.com/blog

- Twitter: http://twitter.com/youtube

- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/youtube

- Meetup: http://www.meetup.com/YouTube

- Creator's Corner: http://www.youtube.com/creatorscorner

- News, politics & activism: http://www.citizentube.com/

Guys, start writing! And if you have blogs, start publicizing! This is really outrageous. The irony that YouTube allows thousands of Jihadi videos but suspends a whistleblowing group from publicizing them is way to thick. And, as was pointed out, much of PMW's content - including one that is listed above by YT - is from PA TV, which is funded by the EU!

Hamas slams Holocaust education

From YNet:

Hamas condemned on Saturday the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees for its intention to take excelling Gazan students on a visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.

The terror group called the plan "suspicious", and demanded that the initiative be dropped. It also called on the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank to "take a national stand for halting the moral corruption of superior Palestinian youth".

"The tours on human rights which UNRWA is organizing abroad, especially in New York, include visits to the Holocaust Museum and the site on which the twin towers stood," says a statement issued by Hamas.

"UNRWA clerks have offered explanations of the Holocaust, and expressed in them empathy for the
Jewish people for what it underwent. UNRWA must focus on materials regarding the rights of the Palestinian refugees without dealing with persecution in other areas of the world," the statement adds.

"The memory of the children of Gaza cannot withstand the suffering of all of the persecuted people around the world. The suffering caused by the Jewish occupiers is enough. Besides, the United States has no claim to human rights, as it violates them every day around the world and in its own territory."

YNet is actually underplaying what Hamas said. The Hamas-oriented newspaper Palestine Times quotes Palestinian Minister of Culture Dr. M. Osama Abdel Halim al-Issawi as saying that "such visits are a travesty of reality and try to brainwash the minds of the best Palestinian students, and they come within the framework of the invasion of intellectual and cultural exposeure to Palestinian society, culture, and nationalism."

Sounds like Hamas is afraid what would happen when their kids learn that their lives - with access to water parks, museums, restaurants, and all sorts of consumer goods - are not nearly as bad as they claim they are.

(h/t Emet)

"The Present State of the Jews": Muslim anti-semitism in 1676

I just found this gem in Google Books: "The Present State of the Jews," by Lancelot Addison, written in 1676:

He starts off with a description of how the Jews live in the Barbary States:

When I looked into the great number of Jews in Barbary, and saw how they were lorded over by the imperious and haughty Moor, I could not but resent their Condition, and wish their Deliverance from that direful imprecation, His Blood be upon us and our Children. One effect whereof may be seen in their present Condition under the Moresco Government, which is no other than a better sort of Slavery. For even in those places where they have permission to inhabit, they are not only Tributary, but upon every small disgust, in danger of Ejectment. Insomuch that they cannot promise to themselves either any durable Settlement or Security. Indeed their calmest state is sufficiently stormy, and when they seem to enjoy the greatest peace, they are vilely Hector'd by the Moors, against whom they dare.not move a finger, or wag a tongue in their own defence and vindication , but with a Stoical Patience support all the Injuries and Contumelies to which they are dayly exposed. For in the midst of the greatest abuses, you shall never see a Jew with an angry countenance, or appearing concerned, which cannot be imputed to any Heroick Temper in this People, but rather to their customary suffering, being born and Educated in this kind of Slavery. By reason whereof, they were never acquainted wich the Sentiments of an ingenuous and manly Usage. It is very common with the Morisco-Boys to rally together, and by way of pastime and divertisement, to beat the Jewish Children: which later, though they should far exceed the former in numbers and age, yet dare not give them the least resistance or opposition.

Addison is hardly philosemitic, as he describes the Jews harshly for not accepting Christianity. He claims that their methods of defending their religion in disputations forced upon them by Christians is flawed and that the Rabbinic tradition has skewed their understanding of the Bible.

He then goes into detail on Maimonides' Thirteen Principles of Faith, viewing it as not much more than an attempt to impugn Christianity. This is followed by a lengthy, and relatively comprehensive, look at Jewish customs and laws.

The author then concludes with practical advice on how to convert Jews to Christianity.

Nothing's Changed: The Video

Last year I posted a fantastic Swiss cartoon from 1956 that described Israel's relations with its neighbors perfectly.

I just made it into a video:

URGENT: Write to YouTube to reinstate Palestinian Media Watch channel

I received this email from Itamar Marcus, director of the essential site Palestinian Media Watch:

For years there have been PA backers trying to get You Tube to close down the PMW video account by complaining that we are involved in hate speech. Now they succeeded. They complained to the administrators about a farewell video of a suicide terrorist from a few years ago who boasted he would drink the blood of Jews. You Tube sent us notice that this video is "violation of terms" by promoting hate speech and closed our entire account. Most of the hundreds of videos on our web site are not running.

PMW has been excellent at revealing the truth about incitement in the Palestinian Arab media, thoroughly documenting literally hundreds of examples of hate broadcasts and publication in recent years.

It is not easy to find a good email address for YouTube, but I think that the best way to contact them might be "service@youtube.com". You can also try some of their on-line contact information.

Please write to them and let them know how important this resource has been to you and asking that they should reinstate it. Pro-terrorist cyber-bullies should not be able to censor valuable educational resources like PMW.