Thursday, March 31, 2011

  • Thursday, March 31, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
Palestine Press Agency reports that "well-informed sources" say that Khaled Meshaal, the Damascus-based leader of the political wing of Hamas, traveled to Qatar to pressure Al-Jazeera to tone down its criticism of Syria during the demonstrations there Syria, as well as to pressure the Muslim Brotherhood to take a neutral stance after a sermon by Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi last Friday whee he criticized Syria's President Assad.

According to the sources, the mediation came at the request of the Syrian intelligence service, who assured Meshaal that his mission had succeeded with al-Qaradawi, as well as with Al-Jazeera. Waddah Khanfar, director of Al Jazeera, told Meshaal that he could not ignore the events in Syria but he said he would not interview opponents of the regime on Al Jazeera.

I'm not sure why Qaradawi would tone down his rhetoric against Assad, unless Meshaal brought some serious Syrian threats along with his nice requests.

See? Hamas can be a peacemaker - between brutal Arab regimes, terror supporting Islamists, and vicious media outlets.
  • Thursday, March 31, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
From NY Blueprint, yesterday:
"Do you like sexy panties? Then don't boycott Israel." So say the T-shirts worn by activists canvassing Union Square Park and handing out care packages of Israeli manufactured products including Victoria Secret panties today between 1-4pm in Union Square Park near NYU. It is a humorous way of drawing attention to the serious problems caused by the movement to boycott Israel, says the Birthright Israel Alumni Community who is organizing the "Kiss my BDS" event, problems for both innocent Israelis and American consumers most of whom have no idea of the many links between the two economies. These kind of unreasoning attacks on Israel only hurt America - American companies, American super markets, even in American lingerie drawers.

Today (March 30th) to counter the international anti-Israel "BDS Day" (Boycott, Divest, Sanction), sexy Israel supporters will be handing out Victoria's Secret panties in Union Square Park. (Victoria's Secret is on the boycott list.)
As much as I tried,I could not find photos of this important event. Sorry.

However, a blog called Jewish FAIL claims:
After receiving fabric from Israel, the undergarments are actually made by Palestinian women and foreign workers in Jordan who toil under brutal, intolerable conditions and then sew “Made in Israel” tags onto their work. The underwear is then returned to Israel, which exports it to the U.S. Yay, exploited labor masquerading as economic cooperation!
Damn, she's exploiting poor Jordanians!
The NYT article they point to to prove that the panties are made in Jordan is dated...1996. It seems possible, but not certain, that the lingerie is still being made in Jordan for Israeli companies. Ha'aretz reported more recently about "sweatshops" in Jordanian factories owned and used by Israeli companies.

So BDSers are boycotting Victoria's Secret, but others are complaining that Israel doesn't really make the products. I guess it is a second-level boycott.

Jordan, the nation that actually allows the sweatshops, somehow isn't blamed for any of this by anyone. Because, of course, the enlightened leftists who are so keen to complain about Israel and Victoria's Secret don't have very high moral expectations from mere Arabs.

  • Thursday, March 31, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
The Muqata finds at least one Korean Talmud story that is based on a specific legal issue in the Gemara. (The same Korean site has dozens of English-translated cartoons that claim to be from the Talmud; I don't recognize all the stories. If you are bored, just point your browser to http://www.kidstimes.net/2008/cartoon/324_cartoon.gif and go backwards, changing the 324 to 323 and so on, to read more of these cartoons.)

David Benjamin in JPost finds that the latest UNHRC report on Israel is not as bad as people think. I can't find the report myself, but it is an interesting article.

Forbes' Daniel Freedman talks with Israelis who are hoping to send a robot to the moon.

A New York Post op-ed on the latest Israel hatefest coming to New York: Durban III.

An anti-Israel, but Jewish, Labour MP is caught muttering about those "Jews, again" at the BBC site.

Joseph Puder decries Israel's lack of a satellite channel, a theme we've touched on before.

Jewish Ideas Daily discusses the Arab politicization of archaeology, using it to demonize Israel.

An Irish town decides to be twinned with Gaza City.

Yossi Klein Halevi in the WSJ.

Viktor Shikhman notes that Netanyahu acted exactly the opposite that every critic of him takes for granted. Not that Andrew Sullivan notices.

Yaacov Lozowick goes further into the difference between J-Street and real "pro-Israel" groups.

Is Israel planning to build an island off of Gaza?


That should do for now!

(h/t...YM, Dan, Jack, and others. Sorry, I wasn't keeping track.)
  • Thursday, March 31, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
From Stars and Stripes:
The woman and her daughter had been attacked, that much was certain.

They lay on beds in Patrol Base Jaker’s medical tent, calling for “Allah” as a U.S. Navy doctor and corpsman examined them.

Both had been shot. The girl, 12, had a bullet wound to her shoulder. Her mother, in her 20s, about seven months pregnant and with three other children, had been shot in the abdomen.

It had happened overnight, many hours before, while the husband and father, an Afghan policeman, had been at his post. That also seemed pretty straightforward.

But who had done it?

The Taliban,” the Americans were told. And within hours, that’s what the local Afghans were told, too. A squad of Marines and two Army psy-ops soldiers, one wearing a loudspeaker strapped to his back, headed out to the bazaar to tell the people of Nawa that the Taliban had attacked the woman and her daughter.

The only problem with that announcement was that it turned out not to be true.

In the intensive information war that U.S. forces are waging against the Taliban in Helmand province, getting the message out first — before insurgents provide their own version — can trump getting the message out accurately.

Studies done in Afghanistan and the United States have shown that people believe and remember the first reports they hear, not corrected versions, even when clear evidence shows initial reports to be wrong.

“It’s best to be quick and accurate,” said Lt. Col. Dave Hudspeth, commander of 3rd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, headquartered in Marjah. “The enemy — they do info ops, too.”
...
The attackers were not, in fact, Taliban. Two colleagues of the husband, both also police officers, had attacked the women, according to local Afghan authorities. The motive was sexual assault, they said.

This was not good news for the Marines under orders to help connect the people with their government and the Afghan security forces, although the legal officer in civil affairs hoped to persuade the local Afghan prosecutor to press charges against the two Afghans, to show the government working for the people.

But there were no plans to correct the record, no plans to send out another patrol.

“Any chance to exploit the Taliban ...,” McNamara said.

But wouldn’t the Marines lose credibility when people in Nawa learned the Taliban were no longer suspected?

“Not in this environment,” said Gunnery Sgt. Brian Withrow.
I can only imagine the outrage that would accompany an article like this if it was published by an IDF magazine.

I cannot advocate that Israel start to lie when events happen and the details are not yet clear. But this article shows how critical it is to get information out quickly, as well as accurately. It also points out how important the information war is altogether.

If Israel isn't going to start lying, then she has to start doing serious investment in getting the truth out first. Things have improved a little in recent years but countering the massive amount of lies needs a much larger effort than what we have been seeing.

(h/t Silke)
  • Thursday, March 31, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
I am very behind on posting links, but here are three videos sitting in my queue.

Aish Video shows a selection of the anti-Israel hate pages on Facebook, pointing out that they violate FB policy:

They also have a link to a petition to Facebook.

Here is Bibi Netanyahu's YouTube interview:

And here is a video from CNN showing Syrian TV going dark after a woman protester gets close to Bashir Assad:

(h/t Ian, Israeligirl)
  • Thursday, March 31, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
Palestine Press Agency reports that a prisoner's three-week hunger strike has ended after "a majority" of his demands were met.

Abbas Al-Sayyed was allegedly placed in solitary confinement after he spoke to Al Jazeera during a courtroom appeal.

His hunger strike gained him some publicity in the Palestinian Arabic media, A PA minister even visited his family and presented them with an honorary plaque, showing solidarity with his steadfastness and principles.

How admirable Al Sayyed is, standing up to his oppressors!

....

So, why is he in prison to begin with?

Oh, not much. Just for planning the Netanya Passover massacre that killed 30 innocent people. 21 of the victims were over 70 years old.

What a hero.
  • Thursday, March 31, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
From TheJC:
The UK branch of Israeli cosmetics store, Ahava, is moving from its central London shop after years of pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

Protesters claim that the products sold in the store are manufactured in a factory in Israeli settlement, Mitzpe Shalom in the West Bank but are "misleadingly" labelled as produced in Israel.

The owner of the shop, currently in Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, is looking for other sites after owners of neighbouring stores complained to the landlord following protests.

Supporters claim it has been "chased out" of its location by regular "noisy and intimidating" demonstrations.

A spokeswoman for Shaftesbury PLC, which owns the property as well as several others in the Seven Dials area, said: "When Ahava's lease expires in September, we will not offer them a new one."

Pro-Palestinian protesters have been demonstrating fortnightly outside the shop, which opened in April 2007, for more than two years. A counter group of pro-Israeli supporters also demonstrate outside.
The owner of the store next door shows the spinelessness we can expect from much of the UK:
Colin George, manager of clothes shop The Loft, next door to Ahava, said: "I'm pleased Ahava is leaving. It's brought the street down. I've complained to the landlords, as has everyone here. Everyone would like them to leave. I wish they had left two years ago.

"Protesters are just going to follow them around, wherever they go. Maybe they should be an online business instead."
Perhaps it is time to stage noisy protests outside The Loft? Then Mr. George can follow his own advice!

After all, he believes that any group can shut down any shop they want to, just by acting obnoxious.
  • Thursday, March 31, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
Yesterday, the Jerusalem Post reported:
The IDF has released an aerial map of Lebanon revealing the location of some 1,000 different military sites and facilities. The map was published on Wednesday in the Washington Post.

According to the map, which the newspaper said it obtained from the Israeli military, Hezbollah has around 550 underground bunkers throughout Lebanon, around 300 surveillance sites and another 100 or so additional installations.
But the actual report in the Washington Post only mentioned this important story peripherally, buried in a story about how Israel supposedly might prefer Assad stay on as leader of Syria.

Today, after other news outlets picked up on the story, the Washington Post ironically has the story as a headline - but based on an AP report, that was based on the JPost report, that was based on the WaPo report that was buried!

So why is this important? As the AP report states:
Many of the sites on the map are located south of the Litani River in Lebanon, the zone where Hezbollah is banned from keeping weapons under the U.N.-sponsored truce that ended Israel’s summer 2006 war with the guerrilla group.

The map itself:


And to show how Hezbollah has turned virtually the entire population of southern Lebanon into human shields, here are details from the El Khiam village:


This seems like something that the UN, especially UNIFIL, should address, right?

Hey...stop laughing!
  • Thursday, March 31, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
The New York Times has an op-ed about the experience of two pro-Palestinian activists, Katia and Alain Salomon, as they decided to go through the Israeli checkpoint at Kalandia.

We had no trouble reaching Ramallah from Jerusalem by public transportation. But we had problems on our return trip. We reached the Kalandia checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem on Friday, March 11, at 9:30 in the morning. We chose to get off the bus with everyone else, even though as foreigners we could have stayed on.

We were stunned by what we saw: dwarfing cement structures, barbed wire, cameras. As we lined up we could see an Israeli woman soldier inside a multifaceted concrete blockhouse, peering out at us. Ahead of us there was a tunnel of bars just wide enough for one person. At its end a turnstile was blocked electronically from somewhere.

...After that narrow corridor we stepped into a small area, again in front of a metal turnstile. Many of us were wet, as it had rained in the morning, and it was cold. There were not that many people waiting but only one or two people were let through every 10 minutes or so.

At 12:10 it was finally our turn. We could see the people controlling the turnstile. There were several young Israeli soldiers inside. They seemed to be having a very good time, laughing, horsing around, like all youths. We want to believe that they had no clue as to the moral and physical suffering they were inflicting with their very slow control process.
I have never been to Kalandia so I cannot comment on why there are no benches, or why the process is slow. But the authors of the article - who inform us twice that they are Jewish - know one thing:
We are Jewish, and began to weep. How was it possible that our own people, who have gone through such suffering, can inflict this ordeal, intended to humiliate and intimidate another people?
Here is all you need to know about the Salomons. Yes, they tell us, they are Jewish - but they do not for a second believe that the checkpoints, which have saved countless lives, serve any purpose besides humiliation and intimidation. Nay - their very intent is to humiliate Arabs! Some Israeli architect decided when he designed the building that it must humiliate and degrade people. Because that's how Israelis are.

Later on, they again explain more of what they "know:"
One can easily imagine the feelings of resentment that are born from this experience. This treatment is unwarranted from the perspective of legitimate security imperatives; it is degrading and inhumane and not understandable coming from a nation that wants to be perceived as democratic, a nation among nations.
Here's what this awful, humiliating checkpoint at Kalandia looks like:

What fair minded person can believe that this was designed to humiliate people? All I see is "security." Narrow passageways assures that only one person - potential terrorists included - can go through at a time, limiting damage he or she can do. The bars are no more intimidating than those that are adjacent to New York City subway turnstiles. The cameras are necessary so that individual Israeli soldiers aren't attacked with knives, as they have been. The area is clean.

The Salomons emphasize that they are Jewish in order to find reasons to insult the Jewish state. Instead of researching the reasons why Kalandia was designed as it was, they ascribe evil intent to Israel and insist - without any background in physical security as far as I can tell - that these measures are unnecessary.

It is a shame that so many Jews like the Salomons don't give their co-religionists the benefit of the doubt as to why they might possibly want to build such a checkpoint. Checkpoints are specifically designed to stop suicide bombers, shooters, people smuggling in pipe bombs, and people with knives who want to attack the first Israeli they see including the guards.  Unlike what these Israel-bashers who love to say they are Jewish claim, there are legitimate reasons for every decision made when designing Kalandia - all one has to do is pend a little time researching it.

It is almost sickening that people can write an article like this without once mentioning the challenges that Israel faces and the years of terrorism Israel that forced Israel to build structures like these. If they are as committed to Judaism as they claim, perhaps they can give a little benefit of the doubt Israelis who are trying to avoid being blown up.

Because giving the benefit of the doubt is also a Jewish concept.


UPDATE: I received an email from JB:
I served in the area for months, been to the checkpoint itself a few times and the article is BS. Sure, at certain days there are holdups, but usually the traffic is going just fine - both pedestrian and vehicular. Cases where one person goes through every few minutes are very rare and are usually a result of some kind of brawl the Palestinians started with soldiers. When I served there, our batcom received reports of a fight breaking out with the locals at least one or twice a week. The MPs got it particularly hard, as they were the ones in direct contact with the populations. The guys - and the girls - often got hit, spat on and abused in various ways. That is not to say this is an every day occurence, but it happens. The gals there got to use their pepper sprays quite often.

(h/t YM)
  • Thursday, March 31, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
...which is why nobody cares.

Palestine Press Agency reports that a group of protesters walking from Al Azhar University to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were beaten and arrested by Hamas police.

Not only that, but Hamas called and warned journalists ahead of time not to cover the Land Day protests, and instructed them to instead cover a Hamas march at the same time.

Hamas also arrested some of the leaders of the March 15th "unity" rallies last night.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

  • Wednesday, March 30, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
From AFP:
The United States consulate in Jerusalem said Wednesday that its consular annex would be closed the next day because of a mystery package that was discovered at the building.

Israel police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said a package containing an unidentified powder had been discovered by consular staff around midday local time.

"Police and officials of the environmental protection ministry examined the components, a white powder," he said, adding that the material had been taken away for specialist examination.

He did not know if the package was delivered by post or other means. "That's part of the investigation," he said.

The consular department, which handles passport and other matters for US citizens and visa applications for others, is housed in a new, purpose-built building in a quiet residential neighborhood of west Jerusalem.
  • Wednesday, March 30, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
As I mentioned recently, one of my extraordinarily generous readers liked my posters so much, he offered to pay for them to be placed in ads in a few newspapers this weekend - along with my blog URL.

After I put together the ad, I realized that anyone who goes to my ElderOfZiyon.com URL after reading the ad will be very confused - because it would redirect to the Blogger page, and this is just a blog, not an organized Israel advocacy page that people might expect.

Since the ads are running this weekend, I just created a very basic webpage that ElderOfZiyon.com points to, with links to a few of my "greatest hits" as well as the blog. This way, I hope that people typing in the URL won't get too confused when they come to my page.

I did not spend too much time on the new landing page, and I created it using a free webpage design service, but hopefully it will do its job. For those who have bookmarked by Blogger page, this is not an issue at all.

Hopefully, when I get the time, I'll make the ElderOfZiyon.com page more useful.
  • Wednesday, March 30, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
From JPost:
On a normal day, Shimshon Moshe – owner of the food stand Pitzutz Shel Kiosk, across from the Jerusalem International Convention Center (Binyenei Ha’uma) – talks to thousands of people. He acts as an informal information booth, directing tourists and native-born Israelis to the correct buses, and as an unofficial policeman, keeping his eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

Between selling cans of Coke and bags of Bisli, Moshe has spent much of the last two days pointing out the holes in his kiosk that were created when a duffel bag exploded just two feet away last Wednesday, killing one woman, UK national Mary Jean Gardner, and wounding 39.

Almost everyone who passes by stops to ask about the bombing, or about Moshe’s brother-in-law, David Amoyal, who was working in the kiosk at the time of the explosion and was wounded in the attack.

This isn’t the first time that Moshe’s kiosk has been a terrorist target. It was totally destroyed in a bombing on December 25, 1994.

Following the bombing, Moshe, who has owned the kiosk for more than 20 years, ironically renamed it Pitzutz Shel Kiosk (“A blast of a kiosk”).

After last week’s bombing, he is considering renaming the kiosk again, Moshe told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

“I might name it, ‘Third Time, Ice Cream,’” [pa’am shlishit, glida] he said, laughing, referring to the popular Israeli expression used when something happens by chance twice in a row.

When people passing by hear this suggestion, they laugh as well. It’s the best way to react to this situation, explained Moshe.
This story should be translated into Arabic.

Because the terrorists need to know that the Jews aren't going anywhere.

(h/t CHA)
  • Wednesday, March 30, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
I was asked to make some posters to counter some planned BDS flashmobs and other protests happening today ("Land Day.")

I just made some generic signs that can be used effectively at any anti-Israel protest. as always, click on it to get the larger size and then you can print them or send them to a copy shop:



  • Wednesday, March 30, 2011
  • Elder of Ziyon
From DPA:
Egypt's military unveiled an interim constitution on Wednesday, in the wake of the ousting of president Hosny Mubarak, outlining the government's powers and replacing the country's 1971 constitution.

The declaration from Supreme Council of the Armed Forces asserts that Egypt is a democratic country and ensures freedom of religion and opinion, spokesperson Mamdouh Shahin said in a press conference.
Well, sort of.

In fact, Al Arabiya reports that the part of the constitution that has been most problematic - Article 2 - has remained intact:
(Article 2): Islam is the Religion of the State. Arabic is its official language, and the principal source of legislation is Islamic Jurisprudence (Sharia).
Coptic Christians in Egypt had objected to the part about Sharia. The Muslim Brotherhood was adamant it remain in place.

We see who won that battle.

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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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