Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, March 14, 2011

Ma'an's attempt to pretend Fogels were not killed by Arabs

Ma'an has an Arabic-only article that tries to draw an equivalence between the murder of the Fogels and a brutal October 2009 attack in Rishon LeZion where six members of the Oshrenko family were stabbed to death, including a 3-year old and a three-month old baby. The implication is that Israelis have a knee-jerk reaction to automatically blame Palestinian Arabs for all murders, even though that one was found to have been allegedly done by Israelis (the trial for the accused murderers has not yet taken place.)

However, the Oshrenko case proves the opposite.

At no time was that massacre ever assumed to be terrorism. From the beginning, police knew that the Oshrenkos owned a restaurant and had business dealings that could have, and evidently did, lead them to the murderers.

The Rishon LeZion murders prove that Israelis are not blinded by bias when confronted with evil. And any implication that the Fogels, part of a small, tight-knit religious community, were killed by members of that same community - on a Friday night, no less - is simply the worst example of deflecting the blame for the crime to the victims.

After I wrote this, Ma'an "reported"

Israeli forces on Monday afternoon rounded up all Thai workers employed in the Itamar settlement, site of the murder of five members of the Fogel family, and held them for questioning, informed sources told Ma'an.

Though Palestinians have been forbidden from working in the settlements of the northern West Bank, foreign workers, mostly from Thailand and the Philippines, have been contracted for labor in the area.

Sources close to some of the Thai laborers said that all of the workers had been gathered and taken for questioning in relation to the stabbing deaths of a settler family on Friday night.

So I held off on posting this until I could get confirmation or denial of this story.

And while I cannot give full attribution, security forces in Israel have informed me that the Ma'an story is, and I am unofficially quoting here, "total bullshit." No Thai workers have been arrested in connection with the Itamar murders.

Classic misdirection, times two, courtesy of Ma'an.

Leading Egyptian archaeologist in hot water

From Al Masry al Youm:

Former Minister of State for Antiquities Zahi Hawass said allegations submitted to the attorney general, accusing the former of covering up the theft of antiquities, are unfounded.

Abdel Rahman al-Aidy, chairman of the Central Administration of Middle Egypt Antiquities, and Nour Eddin Abd al-Samad, director general of the Department of Archaeological Sites, had submitted notifications to Egypt’s prosecution, accusing Hawass, the primary official responsible for Egypt’s antiquities since 2002, of covering up thefts of archaeological sites, wasting public funds, and signing an agreement with an American association that threatened the national security of Egypt by allowing the association to conduct studies on certain ancient Egyptian kings.

Hawass is the guy that said that he would not allow any Jew to worship in the restored Maimonides Synagogue in Cairo.

He has also said about Jews:

They went to America and took control of its economy. They have a plan. Although they are few in number, they control the entire world.

So for all of Hawass' new troubles, let's all give a collective "Awwwww."

The real Palestinian Arab reaction to Itamar: honoring terrorism

While the leaders of the PA mouthed their meaningless words of condemnation for the Itamar massacre of the Fogel family, here is is their real reaction:

Palestinians have named a town square after a female terrorist who killed 37 Israelis in 1978.

The official dedication of the Dalal Mughrabi square near Ramallah took place just two days after a Palestinian terrorist group claimed responsibility for the brutal murder of five Israelis from the same family, three of whom were children.

Mughrabi is celebrated by some Palestinians for her role in a bus hijacking on the road between Tel Aviv and Haifa. Thirteen children were among those killed in that attack.

Although there were no government officials in attendance at the ceremony, members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party were present.

Also this weekend a sports contest at a Fatah-run youth centre in the West Bank was named in honour of the first female Palestinian suicide bomber, Wafa Idris.

Idris murdered an 81-year-old man when she blew herself up outside a busy shoe shop in Jerusalem nine years ago. The attack also left 150 people injured.

The New York Times writes perhaps the most inane comment possible about this:

Israel has long contended that Palestinian textbooks and official media preach hatred toward Israel and that the killers of Israelis are often glorified.

On Sunday, a group of activists from Abbas' Fatah movement dedicated a square in the West Bank city of Ramallah after Dalal Mughrabi, a female militant who carried out a 1978 bus attack that killed 37 Israelis. Aides to Abbas said they tried to stop the ceremony and the move was not officially sanctioned.

Still, Israel has not produced evidence that incitement contributed to the killings.

Evidence? Does israel need to catch the murderer and dissect his brain to prove it to the NYT's satisfaction?

Here's a music video shown this year praising Mughrabi, shown on official PA TV. The type of incitement that the NYT cannot imagine would encourage others to kill Jews.

(h/t YM)

Stephen Walt's disgusting moral equivalence on Itamar

The sickness of the Left:

To say that I am appalled by the brutal murder of an Israeli family in the West Bank settlement of Itamar (near Nablus) is an understatement.

OK, he is appalled. Why?

Israel's occupation of the West Bank is universally recognized as a violation of international law and depends on force, intimidation, and violence, but there is no justification for anyone to take the lives of an entire family in this way. No good can possibly come from such a senseless act -- not for Palestinians, not for Israelis, and not for anyone else -- and it should be universally condemned.

To Walt, the self-styled realist, the massacre of the Fogels is simply a counterproductive method of protest. He cannot bring himself to say that the murders are immoral, or sickening, or reflective of constant Palestinian Arab incitement to hate and murder. He cannot be bothered to mention the names of the victims. He cannot even make a passing mention of a baby girl whose throat was slashed in her crib.

And Walt cannot stop himself from implying that the settlers deserved it for somehow being "illegal" before he even pretends to condemn their murder, which, he implied, might have been justified if they were killed in a less brutal manner. Like maybe a suicide bombing that was a little less personal.

Now that Walt got his perfunctory "condemnation" out of the way, he can get to what he really wants to condemn, and what he cynically uses the Itamar massacre to hang his own sick hate on:

But while we are at it, we should not spare the other parties who have helped create and perpetuate the circumstances where such crimes are likely to occur.

Let us therefore condemn every Israeli government since 1967, for actively promoting the illegal effort to colonize these lands.

Let us condemn those Palestinian leaders who have glorified violence in the past or who continue to do so today.

Let us condemn the settlers themselves, some of whom routinely use violence to intimidate the Palestinians who live in the lands they covet.

Let us condemn Israel's policy of targeted assassinations and the war crimes it has committed in Gaza and Lebanon.

Let us condemn the hypocrisy of governments throughout the Arab world, who mouth solidarity with the Palestinians yet do little to improve their lives or advance the goal of an independent Palestinian state.

Let us condemn the craven passivity of U.S. politicians, whose deference to the Israel lobby has enabled the occupation for more than four decades, squandered the opportunity afforded by the Oslo Accords, and undermined efforts to create a viable Palestinian state.

Let us condemn the misguided fervor of Christian Zionists, who turn a blind eye to injustice against the Palestinians in the belief that it will hasten the "end times" tomorrow.

Let us condemn the cynicism of the Netanyahu government, which used this latest tragedy to announce the construction of 500 more housing units in the Occupied Territories.

Walt is pretending to be even-handed in his condemnations, but in the end you can see that his real priority is to condemn the victims themselves for "perpetuate the circumstances where such crimes are likely to occur."

And the real sickness of Walt can be seen in the original title of his disgusting piece. While it is now called "On the murders at Itamar," from the title bar we can see that he originally titled it "Who is to blame for the killings at Itamar?"

And here is the root of Walt's reprehensible worldview. Because he truly believes that the Israelis and the Jews who voluntarily choose to live in their own historic homeland are to blame for their own deaths, and that Arab terrorism is a natural reaction to Israeli actions. Which is exactly what Islamic Jihad says.

Because not once does he condemn the actual terror groups themselves for their own actions. Not once.

Walt's piece proves beyond any doubt that the left does not have any empathy for the Fogels, and not the least desire to consider them human beings. Their murders are, to Walt and his "blame Israel" compatriots, nothing more than a prop to hang another excuse to bash Israel.

(h/t YM)

Israel details some PA incitement to terror

While those of us who follow Palestinian Media Watch know about a lot of the incitement that comes out of PA media and actions, it is significant that Israel's Prime Minister's office is releasing this information:

Incitement against Israel, which frequently turns into genuine anti-Semitic incitement, is an inseparable part of the fabric of life in the Palestinian Authority. Thus, anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic messages are regularly heard in both the private and official media and in mosque sermons, and are studied in school textbooks.

Terrorists are given an honored status and become models for emulation in Palestinian society, both in the media and via ceremonies held by insitutions affiliated with the PA. Institutionalized and systematic incitement against Israel has never ceased in the PA,even during the height of the diplomatic process in the 1990s. Examples from Recent Months
On 9.3.11, Abu Mazen's advisor Sabri Saidam, delivered a speech in which he emphasized that Palestinian weapons must be turned towards Israel. He demanded that the Palestinian people be attentive to the living conditions of martyrs' families and said that the anniversary of the death of Dalal Mughrabi (one of the perpetrators of 1978 coastal highway massacre) should be marked by inaugurating a square in her name in the city of El-Bireh. On 6.3.11, the PA's official newspaper, Al Hayat Al-Jadida, published an item to the effect that the management of a youth club in Ramallah planned to hold a soccer tournament in memory of Wafa Idris, a suicide bomber.
On 9.2.11, the official Palestinian television station broadcast a clip from a campaign entitled "Women as Exemplars", during which Dalal Mughrabi (see above) was extolled. In the summer of 2010, several children's summer camps were named after her.
On 24.1.11, the Governor of Jenin issued a Presidential Grant worth $2,000 to the family of Palestinian terrorist, Khaldoun Samoudi, who was killed while trying to detonate two bombs against IDF soldiers at the Beka'ot Crossing.
On 2.1.11, Al Hayat Al-Jadida reported that Azzam Al-Ahmed, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, attended a gathering on the 46th anniversary of the establishment of Fatah, held in the village of Turah, south-west of Jenin, during which models of settlement buildings were blown up. He reviewed terrorist attacks that had been perpetrated by Fatah and said that, " Fatah is a mass movement which believed in popular revolution and wrested its right to use all means of resistance in order to achieve its aim."
On 30.12.10, Al Hayat Al-Jadida reported that Israel aspired to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to build the Third Temple on its ruins.
On 26.10.10, Palestinian television broadcast a documentary about the work of Palestinian medical teams including a fictitious scene in which an Israeli soldier shoots a Palestinian in the head.
On 6.10.10, Al Hayat Al-Jadida carried an interview with Palestinian Minister Amr Aloul in which the latter said that Israel is, "An apartheid state that carries out state terrorism against the Palestinians.
On 10.9.10, official Palestinian television broadcast a short film in which it was said that Jewish prayer at the Western Wall is, "a sin and impurity."
On 21.6.10, official Palestinian television broadcast a children's program in which it was saoid that, "The Jews are our enemies," and that, "Israeli soldiers are wild animals."
On 28.5.10, official Palestinian television broadcast a report on the family of a Palestinian security prisoner, during which her nieces were interviewed and said that they wanted to bear arms against Israel.
The "History of the Arabs and the World in the 20th Century" 12th-grade textbook, used in the PA, teaches about World War II. It includes Nazi ideology but does not mention the Holocaust at all.
On 10.3.10, Al Hayat Al-Jadida reported that the Palestinian Authority had postponed the inauguration of the Dalal Mughrabi Square in Ramallah following an official Israeli protest. This did not prevent dozens of young people from unofficially dedicating the square.A spokesman for the Palestinian security services said that the dedication of the Square had been postponed, "for technical reasons and not at Israel's request." He added that, "Neither israel nor anyone else is capable of preventing us from being proud of our history." PA Minister of Culture Saham Al-Barghouti said that, "It is our right to honor our martyrs and name a street after the martyr Dalal Mughrabi on the anniversary of her martyrdom. It is the right of the Palestinian people. However, the Israelis' interference with this right indicates how the Israelis violate our rights."
On 27.12.09, official Palestinian television reported that President's Office Director-General Tayib Abd A-Rahim presented condolences, on behalf of PA Chairman Abu Mazen, to the families of the three terrorists who were killed by the IDF after murdering Rabbi Meir Avshalom Chai. He gave the families condolence telegrams from Abu Mazen and told them to acknowledge them as martyrs of the Palestinian revolution. He said, on Abu Mazen's behalf, that "The occupation authorities perpetrated an action that had been planned for some time and was the cold-blooded assassination of Fatah activists, which contravenes morality and the repeated, false claims about the apparent morality of the IDF. Without doubt, the occupation authorities perpetrated a wild and barbaric assassination, maliciously and in cold blood."

(h/t O)

Overnight mazel tov open thread

Well, Daughter of Ziyon got married Sunday, in what I can honestly and objectively say was a beautiful, lively wedding.

Still lots to do this week as the couple celebrates with family and friends. I also have hundreds of comments and emails to go through, so blogging will still be sporadic for the next day or two.

So here's an open thread, dedicated to the happy couple!

Extremists disrupt Riyadh International Book Fair

From Asharq al-Awsat, March 4:

Dozens of Saudi extremists descended on the Riyadh International Book Fair late Wednesday night denouncing the sale of books "contrary to Islam," witnesses said.

Turki al-Shalil, a spokesman for the powerful Saudi religious police, told reporters that his men were not involved in the incident.

According to one witness, dozens of bearded young men entered the venue in the capital as the Saudi information minister, Abdel Aziz Khoja, was touring the fair on the first day it was open to the public.

They asked Khoja "how he could allow such a fair," and said that certain books on display were the work "of infidels who would go to hell," the witness said.

Another witness said that the men went around the fair harassing women, a number of whom then departed, and also prevented a female television presenter from doing her job.

Reuters hails first "Palestine" soccer home game. But was it?

From Reuters:

Palestine celebrated their first official match on home soil on Wednesday during a bittersweet evening when their Under-21 side lost an Olympic Games qualifier to Thailand 6-5 on penalties.

The fixture was viewed by Palestinians as another symbolic step towards confirming their credentials for the state they intend to establish in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

"This is another occasion on which we can show we are a state, every time I come here it makes me proud," Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told Reuters at the Faisal Husseini stadium.

But in fact, Palestine had played at home over seventy years ago - and in a World Cup qualifying match, no less. It was between Greece and Palestine, and officiated by an Egyptian official.

From the Palestine Post, January 1938:

I guess Reuters needs to have better fact-checkers.

(Greece handily won that game.)

Amusing paranoia, with a dash of hypocrisy, from Iran's PressTV:

In his first interview with a Jewish media, David Cameron described himself and his crew as sincere supporter of Israel, saying: "William Hague is a strong supporter of Israel, as am I, and we greatly value the longstanding friendship between our two countries. We also want to get the peace process back on track so that it doesn't lose momentum."

He evidently put Zionist lobby in practice by attacking Iran's threat to stay away from London Olympic Games, since the British officials were using a racist logo.

Last month, Iran's National Olympic Committee wrote to International Olympic Committee, protesting the 2012 Olympic logo as it spells the word Zion, which is a biblical word for Israel.

In a non-diplomatic response to the issue, British Prime Minister said: "It's completely paranoid. If the Iranians don't want to come, don't come - we won't miss you.”

"It would be a crazy reason for not coming," David Cameron added.

David Cameron's surprising declaration was against Olympic resolution, in which they try to “build a peaceful and better world through sport” away from all the political issues.

Claiming Britain does not identify “unilaterally declared Palestinian state”, UK Prime Minister said the athletes who do not want to compete against Israelis would not be welcomed in London 2012.

"They can't come if they're going to behave like that.

"You shouldn't have that approach to sport. If you were going to come to the Olympic Games, you take part against everybody and if you're going to behave like that you're not welcome," he said.

Here's a new Facebook group calling for everyone to boycott the Olympics because of the logo.

And here is a hilarious, if anti-semitic, YouTube video that tries to make the case for the logo heralding a Zionist takeover of the world in 2012. it already has over 50,000 views.

You can still purchase your 2012 Zionist Games T-shirts and other items from the Elder of Ziyon store! Do it just to give the haters a reason to believe...

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.