Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Arab Israeli student speaks out against "Israel Apartheid Week"

From IBA:

(h/t Zvi)

Wikileaks: Hillary asks about Iran's Latin American plans

This Wikileaks cable, from January 2009 and classified as "secret,", shows that the State Department was researching exactly what Iran's plans for Latin America are. It is attributed directly to Hillary Clinton. It is filled with dozens of questions to be researched and answered.

Some of these questions would appear to be more properly answered by the CIA, although it appears that the State Department has a set of "Iran watchers."

Question A4, asking whether Hezbollah and Iran share strategic interests, seems dangerously naive.

I don't know if the "converts" in B1 refer to converts to Shi'a Islam, which would indicate that Iran is using Islam to recruit spies.

In general, the questions being asked are the right ones.

Here is most of the cable:

WASHINGTON ANALYSTS ASSESS THAT TEHRAN IS 
REACHING OUT TO LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES IN ORDER TO REDUCE 
ITS DIPLOMATIC ISOLATION AND INCREASE TIES TO LEFTIST 
COUNTRIES IN THE REGION THAT TEHRAN PERCEIVES MAY SHARE ITS 
ANTI-US AGENDA. PRESIDENT AHMADI-NEJAD APPEARS TO BE THE 
DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THIS POLICY, AND HE HAS RECEIVED 
PERSONAL ASSISTANCE FROM VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ. 
IRAN'S TIES WITH VENEZUELA, WHICH INCLUDE MILITARY 
COOPERATION, ARE THE CLOSEST AND MOST SIGNIFICANT. GIVEN THE 
HIGH-PROFILE IRAN-VENEZUELA RELATIONSHIP, HIZBALLAH-LINKED 
INDIVIDUALS PROBABLY SEE VENEZUELA AS A SAFEHAVEN WHERE THEY 
CAN CONDUCT FUNDRAISING AND SUPPORT ACTIVITIES WITHOUT 
INTERFERENCE. OTHER POPULIST GOVERNMENTS LIKE BOLIVIA, 
ECUADOR, AND NICARAGUA HAVE ALSO SOUGHT TO CREATE CLOSER 
POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC TIES WITH IRAN. IRAN HAS ESTABLISHED 
CULTURAL CENTERS IN 16 COUNTRIES OF THE REGION AND HAS 
EMBASSIES IN 10 COUNTRIES. AS TIME AND RESOURCES PERMIT AND 
AS APPLICABLE TO POST, ANALYSTS AND SENIOR LEVEL POLICYMAKERS 
WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE ANY INFORMATION ON THE FOLLOWING 
TOPICS/QUESTIONS THAT YOU COLLECT DURING THE COURSE OF YOUR 
NORMAL MEETINGS/BUSINESS ACTIVITIES. 

¶A. (U) FOR IRAN WATCHERS AND THE IRAN REGIONAL PRESENCE 
OFFICE (IRPO): 

1) (S/NF) BEYOND IRAN'S OVERT POLICY TO INCREASE ITS 
DIPLOMATIC AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS IN THE REGION, WE LACK 
INFORMATION ON TEHRAN'S STRATEGIC INTENTIONS. WHAT DOES 
TEHRAN SEE AS THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF IRAN'S OUTREACH TO LATIN 
AMERICA? HOW HIGH A PRIORITY IS LATIN AMERICA FOR IRANIAN 
FOREIGN POLICY? DOES TEHRAN ENVISION BECOMING A KEY REGIONAL 
PLAYER IN LATIN AMERICA? WHERE DOES IRAN THINK IT IS IN TERMS 
OF DEVELOPING RELATIONS WITH THE REGION? WHAT SPECIFIC 
COUNTRIES, GROUPS, AND INDIVIDUALS DOES IRAN VIEW AS ENABLERS 
IN THE REGION? WHICH COUNTRIES APPEAR TO BE THE FOCUS OF 
IRANIAN EFFORTS TO MAKE POLITICAL, DIPLOMATIC, AND ECONOMIC 
INROADS IN LATIN AMERICA, AND WHERE IS IT PLANNING TO EXPAND? 
WHAT DOMESTIC, POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, OR SOCIAL ISSUES MIGHT 
IMPACT ITS OUTREACH TO LATIN AMERICA? 

2) (S/NF) WHO IN TEHRAN IS PUSHING IRAN'S OUTREACH TO LATIN 
AMERICA? IF IT IS AHMADI-NEJAD, WHAT IS THE SUPREME LEADER'S 
OPINION ON IRAN'S EFFORTS TO EXPAND ITS PRESENCE IN THE 
REGION? WHO IN TEHRAN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPLEMENTING IRAN'S 
LATIN AMERICA POLICY--THE MFA, THE MOIS, THE IRGC? WHO WITHIN 
THESE ORGANIZATIONS IS INVOLVED IN FORMING IRAN'S POLICY ON 
LATIN AMERICA? HOW DO THESE ORGANIZATIONS COORDINATE THEIR 
ACTIVITIES IN THE REGION? 

3) (S/NF) DOES TEHRAN HAVE ANY INTENTION OF USING THE 
REGION AS A STAGING GROUND FOR POTENTIAL TERRORIST ATTACKS, 
EITHER DIRECTLY OR THROUGH SURROGATES? ARE ANY PERSONS 
AFFILIATED WITH THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT MAKING CONTINGENCY 
PREPARATIONS TO CREATE NETWORKS FOR POTENTIAL TERRORIST 
ACTIVITIES LATER? IF SO, WHAT SORT OF ACTIVITIES? 

4) (S/NF) DO TEHRAN AND HIZBALLAH SHARE SIMILAR OBJECTIVES 
IN THE REGION? IN WHAT WAYS DO THEY WORK 
TOGETHER/INDEPENDENTLY? WHAT, IF ANY, ARE IRAN'S INTENTIONS 
AND CAPABILITIES FOR STRENGTHENING HIZBALLAH OBJECTIVES IN 
LATIN AMERICA? 

¶B. (U) FOR IRAN WATCHERS, IRPO AND LATIN AMERICAN POSTS: 

1) (S/NF) WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF THE MOIS AND IRGC-QODS 
FORCE PRESENCE AND RECRUITMENT IN THE REGION? WHAT HAPPENS TO 
THE POTENTIAL RECRUITS AFTER THEIR TRAINING IN IRAN OR OTHER 
MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES? ARE IRANIAN OFFICIALS ATTEMPTING TO 
ACCESS US TERRITORY OR US PRIVATE FIRMS VIA LATIN AMERICA? DO 
THE IRANIAN CULTURAL CENTERS MAINTAIN CONTACT WITH THE 
CONVERTS? DO IRANIAN DIPLOMATIC OR MILITARY (I.E. IRGC-QODS 
FORCE) OFFICIALS IN THE REGION MAINTAIN ANY CONTACT WITH 
CONVERTS? HOW DOES TEHRAN PROVIDE MONEY TO THE ICCS? 

2) (S/NF) TO WHAT EXTENT ARE IRAN AND ITS LATIN AMERICAN 
ALLIES COOPERATING AGAINST THE U.S.? IN WHAT WAYS HAS IRAN 
BEEN SUCCESSFUL AT FOSTERING GREATER ANTI-AMERICANISM IN THE 
REGION? WHAT KINDS OF COVERT IRANIAN ACTIVITY HAVE BEEN 
IDENTIFIED IN THE REGION? TO WHAT EXTENT DO IRAN AND LATIN 
AMERICA APPEAR TO SHARE INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION? HAS IRAN 
PROVIDED INTELLIGENCE TRAINING WITHIN THE REGION? 

3) (S/NF) IS IRAN SUPPORTING TERRORIST ACTIVITIES IN LATIN 
AMERICA? IS IT RESPONSIBLE FOR SUPPORTING OR TRAINING ILLEGAL 
ARMED GROUPS IN COLOMBIA OR ELSEWHERE? IS IRAN FACILITATING 
LETHAL AID FOR ITS ALLIES OR WORKING TO ESTABLISH NEW 
TERRORIST INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE REGION? 

4) (S/NF) HOW IS IRAN CIRCUMVENTING ECONOMIC SANCTIONS 
THROUGH ITS TIES IN THE REGION? WHAT KINDS OF COMMERCIAL AND 
FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIPS ARE DEVELOPING BETWEEN IRAN AND THE 
REGION? DO JOINT BUSINESS VENTURES WITH IRAN TURN A PROFIT? 
WHICH COUNTRIES HAVE EXPANDED TRADE RELATIONSHIPS WITH IRAN? 
ARE THESE TRADE AGREEMENTS FOCUSED ON SPECIFIC GOODS OR 
SECTORS? IS THERE ANY INDICATION OF TRADE INCLUDING MATERIALS 
OR TECHNOLOGY WHICH COULD BE USED FOR WEAPONS DEVELOPMENT BY 
IRAN? 

5) (S/NF) HOW SUCCESSFUL HAVE TEHRAN'S EFFORTS TO EXERT 
INFLUENCE IN THE REGION THROUGH CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS 
PROSELYTIZATION BEEN? ARE THERE ANY INDICATIONS THAT THESE 
EFFORTS HAVE EFFECTIVELY FOSTERED EXTREMISM IN LATIN AMERICA? 
WHAT IS THE RELIGIOUS SHIA CONNECTION COUNTRY TO COUNTRY? 

...8) (S/NF) WHAT IS THE STATUS OF IRAN'S EXISTING MILITARY 
AGREEMENTS WITH LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES? WHAT STATE-TO-STATE 
MILITARY AGREEMENTS IS IRAN PURSUING IN LATIN AMERICA? 

9) (S/NF) SPECIFICALLY, REGARDING IRAN'S RELATIONSHIP WITH 
VENEZUELA, WHAT IS THE STATUS OF IRAN'S AGREEMENT WITH 
VENEZUELA TO OVERHAUL VENEZUELAN F-5 AIRCRAFT ENGINES, IRAN'S 
CONTRACT WITH VENEZUELA TO CONSTRUCT MUNITIONS PLANTS, AND 
THE AGREEMENT WITH VENEZUELA TO PROCURE IRANIAN UNMANNED 
AERIAL VEHICLES (UAVS) AND LIGHT IRANIAN AIRCRAFT? WHAT IS 
VENEZUELA'S LEVEL OF SATISFACTION REGARDING THE QUALITY OF 
MILITARY GOODS AND TRAINING IT HAS RECEIVED FROM IRAN? IS 
THERE ANY INFORMATION INDICATING PDVSA PLANES ARE BEING USED 
TO TRANSPORT ARMS FROM TEHRAN TO DAMASCUS AS REPORTED IN OPEN 
SOURCES? IS THERE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE 
CARACAS-BOUND IRANIAN CARGO SEIZED BY TURKEY? WHO OR WHAT 
ENTITY IN THE VENEZUELAN MILITARY OR CAVIM ORDERED IT AND FOR 
WHAT PURPOSE? ARE TEHRAN AND CARACAS ACTIVELY PURSUING ANY 
FORM OF NUCLEAR COOPERATION? AND IF SO, FOR WHAT PURPOSE? 
WHAT IS THE NATURE OF WEEKLY CONVIASA FLIGHTS BETWEEN CARACAS 
AND TEHRAN? DO WE HAVE ANY INFORMATION THAT THESE ARE BEING 
USED FOR TERRORISM PURPOSES? 

¶C. (U) FOR LATIN AMERICAN POSTS: 

1) (S/NF) WHAT DO LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES WANT FROM IRAN? 
HOW ARE REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS, ESPECIALLY BUT NOT LIMITED TO 
VENEZUELA, BOLIVIA, ECUADOR, AND NICARAGUA, CATERING TO 
IRANIAN OVERTURES? TO WHAT EXTENT ARE LATIN AMERICAN LEADERS 
CONCERNED ABOUT IRAN'S HISTORIC TIES TO TERRORISM AND THE 
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF CLOSER TIES TO TEHRAN ON THEIR OWN 
INTERNATIONAL STANDING? 

2) (S/NF) WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE IRANIAN 
DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS AND THE HOST GOVERNMENTS IN LATIN 
AMERICA? WHAT SORT OF DIPLOMATIC COOPERATION DO LATIN 
AMERICAN GOVERNMENTS ENVISION WITH IRAN? WHAT ARE THE 
GOVERNMENTS' PERCEPTIONS AND DECISION-MAKING REGARDING GAINS 
VS COSTS/RISKS OF INVOLVEMENT WITH IRANIAN OFFICIALS? WHAT 
LIMITATIONS DO LATIN AMERICAN GOVERNMENTS PLACE ON 
COOPERATION WITH IRAN? HOW MUCH DO REGIONAL, US, OR WORLD 
REACTIONS FACTOR INTO LATIN AMERICAN POLICYMAKING TOWARDS 
IRAN? HOW ARE DISAGREEMENTS WITHIN LATIN AMERICAN GOVERNMENTS 
REGARDING INVOLVEMENT WITH IRAN HANDLED? 

3) (S/NF) WHAT IS THE STATUS OF AGREEMENTS OR BUSINESS 
VENTURES SIGNED BETWEEN IRANIAN ENTITIES AND LATIN AMERICAN 
GOVERNMENTS OR PRIVATE FIRMS? WHAT SORT OF FINANCIAL AID OR 
CASH TRANSFERS IS TEHRAN PROVIDING TO LATIN AMERICAN 
GOVERNMENTS? HOW MUCH AID IS DELIVERED AS OPPOSED TO PROMISED? 

4) (S/NF) TO WHAT EXTENT ARE HOST GOVERNMENTS WILLING TO 
ASSIST THE U.S. AGAINST THE IRANIAN TARGET? 

5) (C/NF) WHAT IS THE SIZE OF THE SHIA MUSLIM COMMUNITY? 
WHICH ARE THE KNOWN HIZBALLAH "CLANS?" 

6) (S/NF) WHAT ARE THE ACTIVITIES AT THE IRANIAN DIPLOMATIC 
MISSIONS, NGOS, AND IRANIAN CULTURAL CENTERS IN LATIN AMERICA 
AND HOW ARE THEY BEING USED TO EXPAND INFLUENCE? WHAT DO 
LATIN AMERICAN CONVERTS TO SHIA ISLAM, OR OTHER STUDENTS OF 
IRANIAN INDOCTRINATION, DO UPON RETURN TO THE REGION FROM 
RELIGIOUS TRAINING IN IRAN? WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN 
IRANIAN EMBASSIES AND CULTURAL CENTERS AND KNOWN HIZBALLAH 
MEMBERS OR SUPPORTERS IN THE REGION? 

7) (S/NF) IN ADDITION TO NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS, HAS IRAN 
ESTABLISHED TIES WITH ANY NONGOVERNMENTAL GROUPS OR 
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES? IF SO, WITH WHICH GROUPS/PEOPLES AND WHAT 
IS THE CURRENT STATE OF IRAN'S RELATIONSHIPS WITH THESE 
GROUPS/PEOPLES? HAS IRAN PROVIDED THESE GROUPS/PEOPLES WITH 
MONEY OR OTHER SUPPORT? HAVE THE IRANIANS ESTABLISHED ANY 
TIES WITH OTHER RADICAL OR TERRORIST GROUPS, LIKE THE FARC? 
ARE IRANIAN OFFICIALS OR THEIR SURROGATES INVOLVED IN OTHER 
ILLICIT ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS NARCOTRAFFICKING? 

¶2. (U) PLEASE CITE C-AL8-02836 IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF 
REPORTING IN RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE QUESTIONS. 


CLINTON

Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant at junction of 3 tectonic plates

From Bloomberg last week:

A shattered cooling pump at Iran’s only civilian nuclear-power reactor, forcing a shutdown during its initial start-up phase, has renewed safety concerns about the hybrid Russian-German power plant on the Persian Gulf coast.

The 1000-megawatt power plant at Bushehr combines a German- designed plant begun under the rule of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi in the 1970’s and Russian technology installed over the last decade. Safety questions have raised concern among some nuclear-power experts and in neighboring countries such as Kuwait, which is vulnerable in the event of a radiation leak since it is downwind about 170 miles (275 kilometers).

Nuclear experts cite potential safety issues due to the hybrid design, Iranian nuclear inexperience, the Islamic state’s reluctance to join international safety monitoring programs, and the unknown reliability of some of the original components.

Bushehr also sits at the junction of three tectonic plates, raising concerns that an earthquake could damage the plant and crack its containment dome, or disrupt the electrical supply needed to keep it safe, said Dr. Jassem al-Awadi, a geologist at the University of Kuwait. Bushehr was hit with a 4.6 magnitude temblor in 2002.

Winds in the Persian Gulf blow from East to West and coastal currents circle counter-clockwise, meaning Kuwait and the Saudi Arabia would feel the effects of a radiation leak at Bushehr within hours, notes Sami Alfaraj, director of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies. And with the Gulf Arab states reliant for their freshwater on desalination plants that line the coast, long-term contamination of the Gulf could prove fatal.

“What are our concerns -- water and air, and these are the essence of life for everybody,” Alfaraj said in an interview. “The Iranians have said so far ‘trust us,’ and it’s quite difficult to trust them and the next thing is to trust Russian certification and it’s very difficult to trust that.”

Iran is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.

As the Fukushima incident continues to rivet the us with concern about a catastrophic meltdown, who is raising the alarm about Bushehr?

Palestinian Arabs' new meme: "We would never kill children!"

A new meme has emerged from Palestinian Arab leaders in the wake of the massacre of the Fogel family.

From YNet Hebrew:

Riad Al-Malakhi, the Palestinian Foreign minister, visiting Cairo, said that his ministry condemns all violence against civilians. In an interview with the Palestinian official media agency "Wafa", he condemned those responsible for the attack, and said that "There was never a case in the past where a Palestinian killed a baby and slaughtered people in this manner, be it because of nationalistic motives, or those of revenge, which raises a question as to the quick blaming of the Palestinians by the Israeli side".

Hamas has adopted the same line:

Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, denied the movement's involvement in the attack in the settlement of Itamar near Nablus, stressing that Hamas' and Palestinian resistance groups' policy is not to target children.

Given the previous cold-blooded murders of Koby Mandell, Yosef Ishran, infant Shalhevet Pass, the lionization by the PA leaders of Samir Kuntar who bashed in the head of a 4-year old girls and Dalal Mughrabi who killed 13 children, not to mention previous attacks on a bar mitzvah party, a pizza shop and an ice cream shop, these statements are nothing short of baldfaced lies.

The new meme is trying to sell the idea that the Fogels were murdered by - Jews! They are stressing that no major terror group has taken credit for the attack as proof that Arabs couldn't have done it. (The Al Aqsa Brigades seemed to have taken responsibility but they now deny it, and the Imad Mughniyeh group has claimed responsibility but it is unclear if they really exist.)

However ludicrous the idea that Palestinian Arab terrorists don't target children, it is nonetheless significant that (outside of Islamic Jihad) the major groups are implicitly or explicitly condemning the attack. That would not have happened during the height of the intifada. Also, while there is some, I am not seeing too much praise for the attack in Arabic forums.

As far as I can tell, this is the first time that any attack on a settlement was met with anything but full pride and joy by the Palestinian Arab public, no matter who the victims were.

(h/t sshender)

Reuters adopts Arab terminology when referring to IDF

The initial Reuters story on Friday night's slaughter of a family in Itamar uses the terminology used only by Arabs and Israel haters where referring to the IDF:

Only in sites that are virulently anti-Israel is the IDF referred to as the "IOF".

And now we can add Reuters to that list.

Although they changed the text in later versions of the report to "Israeli troops" that initial phraseology shows everything you need to know about Reuters' bias.

(screenshot and h/t from O)

Palestine Today: Stabbing of 3 year old, infant "heroic and courageous"

Islamic Jihad mouthpiece Palestine Today called the slaughter of a Jewish family in Itamar, which included the stabbing deaths of three children, a "heroic and courageous operation."

The terror group blessed the attack, and said it was proud of this "jihad operation."

The Al Qassam Brigades of Hamas called the murderers "mujahadin" and the commenters are ecstatic, with many "Allah hu Akbar"s in the comments and blessings for the attackers.

Horrific slaughter of Jewish family in Itamar

From JPost:

A mother, father and three of their children were stabbed to death late Friday night by at least one suspected terrorist who infiltrated the Itamar settlement southeast of Nablus.

The killings occurred shortly after 10 p.m., when one or two attackers jumped the fence that surrounds Itamar and broke into the home of Ruth and Udi Fogel, aged 35 and 36, respectively. The attackers went room to room, stabbing the parents, a three-month-old girl, Hadas, and two boys, Elad, three, and Yoav, 11.

Two other children – aged two and eight – were in a side room but were not attacked.
The family’s oldest child, 12- year-old Tamar, was out of the house at the time.

The IDF immediately launched searches in nearby Arab villages as Palestinians reported that a faction of Fatah’s al-Aksa Martyrs Brigade had claimed responsibility.

Israel Peace Week at Berkeley

Nice to see some pro-active Israel advocacy in the belly of the beast:

Busy weekend open thread

I doubt I'll have much access to a computer this weekend, but I have a few posts queued up for Saturday night and Sunday so you'll at least have something to read.

Posting will probably be pretty light on Monday as well.

Have a Shabbat Shalom and a great weekend!

Egypt and Syria make nice

From People's Daily Online:

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad voiced readiness to work with Egypt to maintain cooperation relations between the two countries, Syria's official SANA news agency reported Thursday.

In a message sent to head of the Supreme Council of Egypt's armed forces, Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, Assad expressed his hopes that Egypt would restore its normal role in the common Arab work, expressing Syria's readiness to consult and closely cooperate with Egypt in all fields.

The message, SANA said, came in reply to that sent by Tantawi to Assad, in which Tantawi has confirmed the solid relations between the two countries and the imperative to open a new page based on the well-known, aspired-for firm principles.

With all this goodwill, it is probably only a matter of time before Iran offers to build uranium-enrichment facilities in Egypt...

Where's the outrage at Arab apartheid? (Khaled Abu Toameh)

From Hudson NY:

Mohammed Nabil Taha, an 11-year-old Palestinian boy, died this week at the entrance to a Lebanese hospital after doctors refused to help him because his family could not afford to pay for medical treatment.

The tragic case of Taha highlights the plight of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who live in impoverished refugee camps in Lebanon and who are the victims of an Apartheid system that denies them access to work, education and medical care.

Ironically, the boy's death at the entrance to the hospital coincided with Israel Apartheid Week, a festival of hatred and incitement organized by anti-Israel activists on university campuses in the US, Canada and other countries.

It is highly unlikely that the folks behind the festival have heard about the case of Taha. Judging from past experiences, it is also highly unlikely that they would publicize the case after they heard about it.

Why should anyone care about a Palestinian boy who is denied medical treatment by an Arab hospital? This is a story that does not have an anti-Israel angle to it.

Can anyone imagine what would have happened if an Israeli hospital had abandoned a boy to die in its parking lot because his father did not have $1,500 to pay for his treatment?

The UN Security Council would hold an emergency session and Israel would be strongly condemned and held responsible for the death of the boy.

All this is happening at a time when tens of thousands of Palestinian patients continue to benefit from treatments in Israeli hospitals.

Last year alone, some 180,000 Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip entered Israel to receive medical treatment. Many were treated despite the fact that they did not have enough money to cover the bill. In Israel, even a suicide bomber who is -- only! -- wounded while trying to kill Jews is entitled to the finest medical treatment. And there have been many instances where Palestinians who were injured in attacks on Israel later ended up in some of Israel's best hospitals.

Lebanon, by the way, is not the only Arab country that officially applies Apartheid laws against Palestinians, denying them the right to receive proper medical treatment and own property.

Just last week it was announced that a medical center in Jordan has decided to stop treating Palestinian cancer patients because the Palestinian Authority has failed to pay its debts to the center.

Other Arab countries have also been giving the Palestinians a very hard time when it comes to receiving medical treatment.

It is disgraceful that while Israel admits Palestinian patients to its hospitals, Arab hospitals are denying them medical treatment for various reasons, including money. But then one is reminded that Arab dictators do not care about their own people, so why should they pay attention to an 11-year-old boy who is dying at the entrance to a hospital because his father was not carrying $1,500?

But as the death took place in an Arab country – and as the victim is an Arab – why should anyone care about him? Where is the outcry against Arab Apartheid?

Critics of Syria disappear - in Lebanon

From Babylon and Beyond:

Human-rights groups are becoming increasingly concerned about the fate and whereabouts of three Syrian brothers who disappeared in the Lebanese capital about two weeks ago after they distributed fliers calling for demonstrations for democratic change in Syria.

On Thursday, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch called on Lebanon in a statement to immediately launch an independent probe into the matter.

The circumstances of the brothers' disappearance are murky. According to Human Rights Watch research, agents from Lebanon's Military Intelligence took at least six members of the Jasem family into custody on Feb. 23 and 24 after they handed out pamphlets calling for more democracy in Syria, a country ruled by the Assad family for decades.

One of them, construction worker Jasem Mer`i Jasem, then disappeared in the early hours of Feb. 25 along with his two brothers, who had gone to pick him up from a police station in Beirut's Baabda district, according to the rights group.

Family members worry that the brothers might have been sent back to Syria, where, rights groups say, authorities regularly arrest political and human-rights activists, block websites and detain bloggers.

I haven't checked lately, but I'm sure that college campuses worldwide have lots of programs calling on Syria to embrace freedom and liberal ideals, and to stop interfering with its neighbors.

(h/t David G)

My "Apartheid?" posters have officially gone viral (updated)

My "Apartheid?" poster page has now gotten over 5000 pageviews, with links to that page coming from all over the world and many emails from people who appreciated them, or have made suggestions for more.

It received over 250 Facebook "Likes."

Other websites have reproduced the posters on their pages, adding thousands more views.

The YouTube video I threw together with some of the posters has done OK, with over 2200 views itself.

I'm still waiting for more people to send photos of how the posters have been used on college campuses. I hear that some turned them into postcard-sized handouts.

UPDATE: A Google search of "Apartheid week posters" shows many of mine towards the top. Nice!

Israel saving the world, again

From Dore Gold in the Jerusalem Post:

The British-based World Energy Council reported in November 2010 that Israel had oil shale from which it is possible to extract the equivalent of 4 billion barrels of oil. Yet these numbers are currently undergoing a major revision internationally.

A new assessment was released late last year by Dr. Yuval Bartov, chief geologist for Israel Energy Initiatives, at the yearly symposium of the prestigious Colorado School of Mines. He presented data that our oil shale reserves are actually the equivalent of 250 billion barrels (that compares with 260 billion barrels in the proven reserves of Saudi Arabia).

Independent oil industry analysts have been carefully looking at the shale, and have not refuted these findings. As a consequence of these new estimates, we may emerge as the third largest deposit of oil shale, after the US and China.

OIL SHALE mining used to be a dirty business that used up tremendous amounts of water and energy.

Yet new technologies, being developed for Israeli shale, seek to separate the oil from the shale rock 300 meters underground; these techniques actually produce water, rather than use it up.

The technology will be tested in a pilot project followed by a demonstration stage. It will be critical to demonstrate that the underground separation of oil from shale is environmentally sound before going to full-scale production. The present goal is to produce commercial quantities of shale oil by the end of the decade.

This particular project has global significance.

For if Israel develops a unique method for separating oil from shale deep underground, that has none of the negative ecological side-effects of earlier oil shale efforts, that technology can be made available to the whole world, changing the entire global oil market. The effect of the spread of this technology would be to shift the center of gravity of world oil away from Iran, Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf to more stable states that have no history of backing terrorism or radical Islamic causes. (In the Arab world, Jordan and Morocco have the most significant oil shale deposits.)

WHEN WILL the West begin to treat Israel as a powerful energy giant and not as a weak client state that must be pressured? In the case of the Saudis, when the US realized the true extent of their oil reserves, after America’s reserves in Texas and Oklahoma were depleted by World War II, it sought to upgrade its military and diplomatic ties with the Saudi kingdom even before its production capacity was fully exploited. The US-Saudi connection grew as massive infrastructure investments for moving Saudi oil to Western markets were made, like the Trans-Arabian Pipeline (TAPLINE).

It is a little premature to celebrate, but if all the "ifs" get worked out, but this could be the most important news for the next fifty years.

(h/t The Muqata)