Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Worst insult for anti-Israel leftists: "Hasbara activist"

It's been a fun day in the Twittersphere, as my post demolishing the 972mag's attempt to attack me got some play.

It seems to have angered the usual hate-Israel crowd, who have been hurling the biggest insult they can to me - that I engage in hasbara.

The author, Noam Sheizaf, called me a "Hasbara mouthpiece."

Joseph Dana of the same online blog said I was having a "bad hasbara day."

Later he said "@elderofziyon calls his own work 'humorous.' Do his readers understand that he writes humor or Hasbara?"

One of his retweeters wrote "that hasbara means deceit and you are not insulted means to admit to the charge, an honest man who ply's deceit for a living."

And Dana then had a series of tweets for what good, upstanding citizens must look for when dealing with that hasbara crowd.

Wow! The word "Hasbara" is as toxic to these guys as the word "Zionist" is to Arabs! So much so that they assume that bringing out that term automatically means they win the argument!

Well, at the risk of making their heads explode, this blog is dedicated to hasbara. There, I admit it. I even gave a couple of lectures on how to create effective hasbara (and how this blog falls short.)

I wrote eleven hasbara rules in the talk, and one of them was "Truth Above All." If we lose credibility, we lose everything; if one is not comfortable using a specific argument, don’t fake it.

"Hasbara" means, simply, explanation. It refers to public advocacy for Israel. It does not mean deceit, lies, or running away from the truth - quite the opposite. It means telling the truth about Israel and the Arab world in the face of the huge amount of misinformation and lies that exists out there.

So, go ahead, call me a hasbarist. It's a compliment.

Israeli-Palestinian Arab soccer team upsets PalArabs

Earlier this month, the Vancouver International Soccer Festival was held. It included many international teams, including a joint Israeli/Palestinian Arab team. As the Jewish Independent wrote:

The Independent spoke briefly with Noor Daoud and Liraz Cohen, who were visibly eager, having just played a game and done a TV interview, to rejoin their fellow players and enjoy the rest of their night.

Daoud, 21, who is from the West Bank, said she recently completed her studies at Miami University; she has taken a year-long program in criminal justice and two years of fitness training. She is now working at a gym, in addition to playing soccer with an Israeli team. She played on the Palestinian national team, which took her to competitions in places like the United Arab Emirates, Germany and London, but had to change teams because she reached the de facto age-limit of the Palestinian team, which focuses on younger players.

Cohen, 22, is one of the Israelis on the VISF Palestine/Israel team. She said she had just finished a six-month vacation in the United States. She currently lives in Eilat, where she is a bartender, as well as a soccer player.

About the potential impact of VISF, Daoud said, “I think it will really, really help, because we’ve never gone out as both teams [together] like this, we never tried it, it’s our first time, and I’m really enjoying it because it’s been a long time [that] I wished this moment would happen. We’re here now and I’m really happy because we can show the world and everybody here that Israelis and Palestinians can mix and we can become one team. I hope one day we will have huge team in Israel and it will be mixed, Palestinians and Israelis.”

While Daoud was speaking, Cohen put her arm around Daoud’s shoulder in a show of camaraderie. “It’s good for peace, for the future,” said Cohen about VISF. “I think all people are the same and we need peace. That’s it,” she concluded.

This is not sitting well with Hamas.

The Hamas-oriented Felesteen and Palestine Times websites are upset over photos that came out of Canada at the festival:

They are especially upset at how this joint team represents "normalization" with the "Zionist entity" and they note the names of the Arab players and where they are from, in what may be a veiled threat against them.

One comment at the Felesteen site emphasized that "they do not represent the Palestinian people."

Pakistanis killing each other in Karachi - so minister blames Israel

The background:

A wave of deadly political and ethnic violence gripped Pakistan’s largest city for the fourth straight day Friday, and police and paramilitary troops were given orders to shoot suspected assailants on sight.

As many as 95 people have been killed in Karachi since Tuesday in assassinations, shooting rampages on buses and arson attacks, according to law enforcement authorities, who were widely faulted for doing little to stop the carnage. The fighting spread from one multiethnic, lower-middle-class district to other parts of the seaside metropolis, and by Friday the city was under near-lockdown as armed men fired from windows and rooftops.

So, naturally, this must all be Israel's fault!

Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said Israel-made weapons have been recovered from trouble-makers in the city which shows that some external hands were involved in the unrest.

“Weapons are being brought to Karachi from abroad,” he said, adding: “Not only weapons even target killers also were coming from outside.” He said steps are being taken to tackle the situation but did not elaborate.

“Over 200 persons have been arrested and Israel-made weapons, including AK-45s, have been recovered from them. This proves that a foreign hand is behind the unrest in Karachi,” he told newsmen here

Some Pakistani editorials ran with this:

Interior Minister Rehman Malik’s disclosure about the use of Israel-made weapons in Karachi that has for long been in the grip of murderous attacks by rival criminal groups might have surprised those who are unaware of the machinations of the Zionists, but to the informed it was no news. They have always believed, not merely suspected, that not only Israel, but also a wider nexus that brings India and the US into the fold, has been at work stirring up trouble in Pakistan as well as, particularly, other Muslim lands, which could serve their strategic designs of the dominance of certain regions of the world to enable them to appropriate their resources for exploitation. In the case of Pakistan, where war-like situation exists, thanks to the invaders of Afghanistan, the nexus has been active not only in Karachi, but also in Balochistan and elsewhere. The links of the attackers on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore can be traced back to Zionists.

Others are dismissive:

WAS the goal to grab headlines? Or simply to shift responsibility? It was the classic Pakistani conspiracy theory of blaming those mysterious `foreign hands`, but coming from a senior government official in charge of domestic security, Interior Minister Rehman Malik`s statement on Sunday only trivialised the horror Karachi has been through over the last two weeks. Israeli weapons have been found in the port city, Mr Rehman claimed, suggesting that this meant a foreign element was behind Karachi`s unrest. Without more direct linkages between the city`s violence and external powers, this claim defies logic.

If Israel didn't exist, who could the Muslims blame for all their problems?

Women raped, abused at Jordan factory that supplies WalMart, Macy's

From the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights:

According to witnesses who work at Classic Fashion, scores of young Sri Lankan women sewing clothing for Wal-Mart and Hanes have suffered routine sexual abuse and repeated rapes, and in some cases even torture. One young rape victim at the Classic factory in Jordan told us her assailant, a manager, bit her, leaving scars all over her body. Women who become pregnant are forcibly deported and returned to Sri Lanka. Women who refuse the sexual advances of Classic's managers are also beaten and deported.

Classic, the largest garment export factory in Jordan, sews clothing for Wal-Mart, Hanes, Kohl's, Target and Macy's. The garments enter the U.S. duty-free under the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement.

On the weekly holiday, the alleged serial rapist general manager, Anil Santha, sends a van to bring four or five young women to his hotel, where he abuses them. The lives of the young Sri Lankan rape victims are completely shattered, as in their culture, virginity is highly prized and critical for a good marriage.

In October 2010, 2,400 Sri Lankan and Indian workers went on strike demanding the removal of the alleged rapist, Anil. Classic's owner, Sanal Kumar, sent Anil away, but he returned after one month.

Through the Institute/National Labor Committee's reports, the Ministry of Labor has been made aware of the sexual abuse as early as 2007, but has done nothing.

The standard shift at Classic is 13 hours a day, six and seven days a week, with some 18 ½ hour shifts before the clothing must be shipped to the U.S. According to witness testimonies, workers are routinely cursed at, hit and shortchanged of their wages for failing to reach their mandatory production goals. To press the women to work faster, managers grope and fondle them.

The workers-who are from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Egypt, earn a take-home wage of just 61 cents an hour.

The workers are housed in primitive dorms lacking heat or hot water, but which are infested with bed bugs. The women have extremely limited freedom of movement and are allowed to leave the factory compound just one day a week for six hours. When they are forced to work through their weekly holiday, they may be allowed out just once or twice a month.

The minimal efforts of Wal-Mart, Hanes and the other labels to monitor factory conditions at Classic have failed completely. Workers are threatened by management and forced to say that conditions are good.

The full report has a number of interviews with women who were raped; one of them is on YouTube.

It looks like the abusers are not Jordanians either.

Abbas lies in Norway: "Our people eager for freedom and independence"

Palestine Press Agency reports on Mahmoud Abbas's remarks in Norway concerning the unilateral move to have the UN short-circuit negotiations with Israel.

He said, "Our people are eagerly awaiting their freedom and independence."

If that is so, then why does he refuse to negotiate with Israel? If that is so, why does he consistently refuse to compromise on any major issues? If his people are so eager to have a state, then why not accept one of the many that Israel has already offered?

He said, "Our choice is peace, and we continue to strive to achieve this with Israel through negotiations."

Then why did he leave the negotiating table? why did he refuse to negotiate during Israel's ill-advised "settlement freeze"?

He said, "We are involved in the path of building our institutions and the development of our economy."

If so, then why is the Palestinian Arab economy still so dependent on outside aid? Why is paying the families of terrorists, and salaries to the terrorists themselves in prison, a higher priority than paying his own employees?

He said, "We will make every effort possible to reach the unity of our people and end the suffering of our people in Gaza Strip."

If so, then why has he not made any move to re-assert the PA's authority in Gaza? Why has he not yet visited the area? Why is he accepting Hamas' de facto rule?

And why aren't any Norwegian reporters or politicians asking these questions to him?

Leftist magazine: Palestinian Arabs forced to buy Chanukah candy!

Noam Sheizaf, a writer for the leftist 972 Magazine, takes a humorous post of mine way too seriously - and makes an idiot of himself in the process.

I noted that a new, beautiful supermarket in Gaza was selling Israeli items, and said jokingly that the flotilla passengers who might make it to Gaza will be forced to picket that store for not adhering to BDS.

Sheizaf is upset:

Back to planet Earth: Israel controls the economy of the West Bank and Gaza. Israel decides what goods are let in and out, just as it has most of the control over electric power and water in the territories. This is called “the occupation,” something that EOZ and the likes of him have yet to hear about.

He then goes off on an irrelevant tangent about how evil Israeli companies profiteered off of the closure two years ago, before Israel eased the sanctions and allowed all of the products I noted in my piece.

And he concludes:

The BDS call, which EOZ referred to, is a Palestinian request of solidarity from the international community. Palestinians are forced to buy Israeli goods – just as they are forced to work for Israelis in order to survive – but they ask others, who do have a choice, to avoid that.

If I would have highlighted Israeli flour, or cooking oil, or candles, perhaps Sheizaf would have a point.

But let's look at his thesis: that ordinary Palestinian Arabs are the ones who are pushing the boycott of Israeli goods.

If that is true, wouldn't one expect to see a certain reluctance about selling Israeli goods in their supermarkets? Wouldn't one expect that only Israeli staples would be sold, but unnecessary snack items would be eschewed? Wouldn't one expect that outraged Palestinian Arabs would insist that non-essential items be - boycotted?

Yet in this Gaza supermarket, goods from Osem (for example) are not only sold - but the Hebrew logo is prominently displayed! It is almost as if the shopkeepers want to sell Israeli items to their poor, deprived Gaza customers!

The Israeli ice cream is not hidden by the embarrassed store owners in the back of the store. On the contrary, even the Hebrew display graphics are prominently featured:

And, yes, the Chanukah chocolate coins - complete with a menorah prominently stamped - are not being burned in a bonfire at a Gaza square, but are being sold to unsuspecting Arab victims of Israeli hegemony!

There are also pictures that indicate that both Israeli and Arab goods are being sold, side by side - detergents and chocolate bars. But I thought that there was no choice!

So where is the reluctance to buy Israeli products by Gazans - and, indeed, Palestinian Arabs altogether? Where is the shame that we would expect to be seeing? Why are the store-owners buying non-essential goods from Israel for their customers, and why are their customers not starting outraged Facebook pages complaining about it?

Is it possible that Sheizaf's thesis is entirely wrong?

In fact, ordinary Palestinian Arabs have no problem buying Israeli goods. The only ones pushing BDS are the so-called "civil society" - and they do not represent nearly as many people as they claim to. When Mahmoud Abbas made a big deal insisting that Palestinian Arabs boycott products by and stores run by Jews who live in Judea and Samaria, he was ignored - and forced to use thuggish methods to try to enforce his rule.

Ordinary Palestinian Arabs just want to live their lives. They want to buy whatever goods they can, getting the best value for the price. They are normal people who don't obsess over politics the way Sheizaf's friends do. Despite decades of incitement, they are not nearly as ideological or as filled with hate towards Israel as Sheizaf pretends they are. The ones who know history probably regard the boycott against Middle East Jews the same way their grandparents did in 1946 - a political power play by so-called "leaders" who are willing to use the people as pawns to make imaginary gains.

Which is, in the end, what BDS is: a modern implementation of using Palestinian Arabs as pawns by people who really hate Israel and Jews.

BDS is not pushed by ordinary Palestinian Arabs, but by Noam Sheizaf's latte-sipping Western friends. The outrage over Israeli products is not centered in Ramallah or Gaza City but in London and Brisbane. If ordinary Palestinian Arabs hated buying Israeli goods, they would be minimizing those purchases; and they would be notably ashamed at the goods they are forced to buy.

Yet they aren't.

So maybe Sheizaf's thesis fits in well with the BDS crowd he hangs out with, but the facts don't support it.

Protest over Muslim prayer in Toronto public school

From the Toronto Sun:

Muslim prayers have no place in a public school.

That's the message the Canadian Hindu Advocacy and the Christian Heritage Party are sending the Toronto District School Board as they prepare to stage a picket outside the board's head office next week.

"Enough's enough, we draw the line here," said G.J. Rancourt of CHP London during a press conference on Monday at the Toronto Zionist Centre. "Our holiest celebration is Christmas and we can no longer celebrate it in public schools. We don't want to make people feel uncomfortable but we don't want you to forget who we are. Why would (Muslims) impose your values on the rest of us when we're accommodating?"

And exactly what happens during these prayer sessions?

Local imams are brought in to lead a 40-minute service with about 400 students in which the boys sit in front of girls in the lunch room. Girls who are said to be menstruating are told to sit at the very back.

Non-Muslims are banned from the room during prayers.

Some reports say that menstruating girls cannot attend the services altogether.

The 40 minute prayer session occurs every Friday.

The student population of the school is said to be 80-90% Muslim.

The school justifies the policy by saying that otherwise the students walk to a nearby mosque during school hours.

It looks pretty clear that this violates Canadian law. Yet this practice has been happening for about three years!

Israeli navy takes over French provocateur yacht (updated x2)

Latest from JPost:

The Israel Navy commandeered and intercepted the Gaza-bound French ship Dignity - Al-Karama after negotiations to persuade pro-Palestinian activists aboard to divert their course away from the Strip's closed naval blockade failed.

IDF soldiers did not encounter any resistance during the interception.

Reports say that it is headed to Ashdod.

Earlier JPost:

IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz ordered the Israel Navy to commandeer and intercept the Gaza-bound French ship Dignity - Al-Karama on Tuesday after negotiation efforts to persuade the yacht to revert its course failed.

The navy warned pro-Palestinian activists aboard the vessel that soldiers are preparing to board the yacht after making initial radio contact with the crew. The navy instructed the crew not to enter the closed naval blockade of the Strip, the IDF Spokesperson said in a statement.

"We are getting ready to board the ship, we'll do it calmly," an official aboard the navy boat's told the captain of the Dignity.

Activists were offered the legal alternative of reaching Gaza through land crossings, the IDF added.

Three navy ships were on the yacht's left side and another on the right side, activists reported.

Communication from the boat was cut a couple of hours ago, so there are few tweets from the floaters.

Here is IDF video of communications with the boat:

UPDATE: From the IDF:

In accordance with government directives, after all diplomatic channels had been exhausted and continuous calls to the vessel had been ignored, IDF Navy soldiers boarded the Al-Karamein an effort to stop it from breaking the maritime security blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Upon expressing their unwillingness to arrive at the Ashdod port, it was unequivocally necessary to board the vessel and lead it to Ashdod.

The soldiers operated in line with procedures and took every precaution necessary while using all operational tactics determined prior to the operation, and avoid causing harm to the activists on-board while ensuring the safety of the soldiers. Following the boarding, the passengers’ health was examined and they were offered food and beverages.

Upon the arrival of the vessel at the Ashdod port, the relevant security authorities and the Israel Police will begin the process of questioning the passengers, who will then be transferred to the Ministry of Interior and the Immigration authorities.

Any organization or country wishing to transfer supplies to the Gaza Strip can do so through the existing channels at any time via the established land crossings by coordinating with the relevant authorities.

The provocative political yacht is headed towards Gaza

From Reuters/JPost:

A French yacht carrying pro-Palestinian activists sailed for the Gaza Strip on Monday after other ships in a flotilla that had planned to challenge Israel's blockade were prevented from leaving Greece, organizers said.

The 17-passenger "Dignite-Al Karama", having declared an Egyptian port as its official destination, left Greek waters on Sunday and was on course to reach the Palestinian enclave by Tuesday, according to a statement issued by French campaigners aligned with the umbrella Free Gaza Movement.

"It is now the voice of the whole Freedom Flotilla, as all its (other) ships were forbidden to sail by the Greek government thereby fulfilling a clear demand by the Israeli government," the statement said.

Passenger Dror Feiler said the yacht planned to dock in Gaza at around noon on Tuesday. "We don't want to sail at night," he told Reuters via satellite telephone.

"If this boat is on its way to Gaza, which is a breach of international maritime law, and it is trying a provocative act, we will intercept it," Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon told foreign journalists in Jerusalem.

"But I assure you that we will try our best to make all those on board very comfortable."

I think it is very possible that they will try to dock tonight, not tomorrow.

For one thing, they already established themselves as liars. They declared to the Greek authorities that they were going to Alexandria and not Gaza - so why should anyone believe their reported schedule of arriving in mid-day tomorrow?

Moreover, they want to make and post YouTube videos that look as chaotic and violent as possible as the Israeli navy intercepts them, and night time adds that extra dimension of perceived danger - spotlights, flares, disembodied voices on loudspeakers, shaky hand-held shots. They'll probably add some screams and other nice acting for effect.

Also, the Free Gaza posting says "In a few hours, the Dignite - Al Karama will approach Gazan waters."

It will be a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing.

Remember the "Irene" boat that approached Gaza last year and was peacefully intercepted? Neither does anyone else.

EoZ Survey: What kind of posts do you like? (Results)

Every once in a while people comment that they love a post of mine and would love to see more of that type of post. I was wondering how many people agree, so here is a survey to help me understand what you like best about EoZ. (Not that I am promising anything...)

------------------
The survey is over, because I didn't realize that the free survey software I was using was limited to 100 responses.

Assuming that the sample size is representative of the entire EoZ readership, the answers don't help me a whole lot, but it was fun seeing the details:

Type	Rating (1-4)
Stories that didn't get wide play	3.57
Original Analysis	3.48
Fisking	3.45
Scoops from Arab media	3.44
History	3.43
Breaking news	3.33
Sarcastic (Gaza deprivation)	3.08
Legal	3.06
Posters/Comics	3.05
Videos	2.89
Linkdumps	2.86

Sky News blog notices the NGO problem in the PalArab territories

From Tim Marshall in Sky News:

An African UN worker in the West Bank recently remarked to a mutual friend 'When people see me coming they see a walking ATM machine'.

Driving through Ramallah, and then Jericho, the other day I was reminded of that quip as I looked at the smart restaurants, sparkling new hotels, and the scale of building work.

The Palestinian Authority likes to boast about the West Bank' s 8% economic growth, so does the Israeli government, which uses it to suggest that a prosperous Palestine would make an easier negotiating partner. They also know the Palestinians have more lose if a 3rd Intifada breaks out.

What they fail to remind us is that there are well over 200 NGOs in the West Bank and Gaza, and 30% of the GDP here comes from international aid. Palestinians are among the most foreign aid funded people in the world and the place is awash with money.

... Palestine is addicted to aid and as long as you are addicted you are in thrall to your supplier.

The billions that pour in here mean the Palestinian Authority does not need to try very hard to deliver the services expected by voters, it also stifles the private sector, inflates wages and causes an internal 'brain drain'.

The restaurant I went to in Ramallah had a line of expensive cars outside and ranks of NGO workers picking their way through an expensive menu inside. The NGOs do fine work alleviating suffering, helping projects with expertise etc, but they also recruit the best of the local talent and take advantage of their charitable status to get tax breaks.

No Palestinian business can compete with NGOs which routinely triple what a local firm would pay. Many NGOs fork out 'danger money' and even 'hardship payments' to both local and international staff which further undermines the local private businesses. So the NGOs get the brightest and the highest paid, and the private firms get the rest but without the tax exemptions.

“Palestine is the best-kept secret in the aid industry,” a medical NGO worker recently told This Week In Palestine, “People need field experience and Palestine sounds cool and dangerous because it can be described as a war zone, but in reality it’s quite safe and has all the comforts that internationals want.'

...Palestine remains a friendly place, welcoming, hospitable, full of air con, hi-fi, wi-fi and wine. Journalists also take advantage of this state of affairs, writing of the poverty and suffering of Gaza for example, before retiring to very expensive sea front hotels after an excellent dinner in one of the expensive fish restaurants.

(h/t Serious Black)

Malaysian newspaper warns of Jews taking over

From Utustan Online:

Do not let hidden hand colonialize the country

The reminder by former Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Rahim Noor that there exist certain element which ensures any countries that go against the Jews and Israel, will fall, and Malaysia is one of the countries, should not be taken lightly.

This is because at a time when the drumbeats in the name of human rights are getting boisterous, it will give the best opportunity for the pro-Jews group to interfere in any Muslims countries.

In this case, Malaysia is no exception especially when there are too many non-government organisations (NGOs) exist for the so-called struggle of human rights.

[Some] leaders will care for nothing as long as his political aspiration is achieved at whatever cost.

We have seen this happens in our country where a political leader is said to be very close with the Jew leaders and NGOs.

All this should make the people aware especially Muslims on the danger that awaits them.

Muslims and Malaysians should not allow any party especially the Jews to discreetly interfere in the country’s administration.

...The success and prosperity of Malaysia as a model Islamic nation has created jealousy to certain country and this is made worst by Malaysia’s firm stand in fighting against violence by the Jew in Palestine.

The Jews will find ways to destroy our prosperity and well-being.

We probably think that this is a misplace concern but we must not forget the fate of certain countries which have been victims of the hidden hands.

Utustan is the number one Malay-language newspaper in Malaysia.

(h/t JTA)

David Mamet describes anti-Israel behavior as theatre

A fascinating article in Jewish World Review:

David Mamet's understanding of drama unlocked secrets unrelated to the theater.

During a lifetime of creative achievement, the acclaimed playwright, screenwriter, and film director had seen how an audience could surrender part of its rationality for two hours in order to enjoy an illusion. But as he began reading and thinking about politics, he was horrified to learn how people also could surrender themselves into a mob. This epiphany was one factor in moving him from the political left to conservatism, a transition he expounds upon in his new book, "The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture."

Mamet's insights as a dramatist illuminate another puzzle. Why have Israel's efforts at public diplomacy been so ineffective?

Mamet explains how mob psychology nullifies any presentation of the facts in Israel's endeavors to defend itself in the court of public opinion.

"Love of the Victim is an attempt at a non-deist recreation of religious feeling," Mamet writes. News organizations sell the Middle East conflict as entertainment, and "there is something of the sadomasochistic" in the Left's love of the Palestinians, whom audiences are conditioned to see in the role of Woman in Jeopardy (e.g., "The Rape of Jenin").

The price of admission to the extravaganza is indictment of the State of Israel, which is condemned and scorned regardless of the facts of history, the exercise of reason, or the recognition of cultural affinity. In the West's abandonment of Israel, Mamet charges, the audience does not care that Palestinian claims are insoluble, exaggerated, unjust, or skewed. To care would require audience members to do something, which would end their enjoyable position as viewers.

"Just as in the movies we would resent the fellow in the next seat explaining the effects," Mamet writes, "so actual information about the Middle East conflict is considered an intrusion and a distraction from the spectacle. One has made one's choice (bought one's tickets) and would like to be left in peace to enjoy the show."

So it doesn't matter if Israel factually proves that Jenin wasn't "raped" in 2002 and that Israel allowed its young soldiers to be killed in the twisted alleyways of that Samarian town rather than level the terror nests with artillery or airpower. The insights of Mamet the master entertainer, the communicator par excellence, reinforces this reviewer's belief that in the end it's not about facts, or even about right or wrong, but rather about emotional engagement. It's about who you love and who you don't. It's about whose side you're on.

"The Liberal West would like the citizens of Israel to take the only course which would bring about the end of the disturbing 'cycle of violence' which they hear of in the Liberal press. That course is abandoning their homes and country, leaving, with their lives, if possible, but leaving in any case.

"Is this desire anti-Semitism?" Mamet asks rhetorically.

"You bet your life it is."

(h/t GS)

Gaza again faces blackouts - not because of Israel

From Ma'an:

The sole operating power plant in the Gaza Strip is having a difficult time collecting revenue as the finance ministry in Ramallah is refusing to transfer funds, an official in Gaza said Sunday.

Head of the energy authority Kanan Ubeid said "we have a deficit of 50 percent from the total procurement [of funds] via various sources, either through loss or failure of residents to pay."

The crisis stems from collecting electricity revenues from the salaries of government employees because the finance ministry in Ramallah is refusing to transfer the revenues to the electricity company, he said.

The authority has managed to collect about 30 million shekels but is owed 60 million, he said.

There will be blackouts every couple of days in Gaza this summer - because no one is paying the bills.

Has Syria recognized Israel?

From the Syrian SANA news agency:

Foreign Ministry: Syria Recognizes State of Palestine on July 4th 1967 Lines with East Jerusalem as Its Capital

Jul 18, 2011
DAMASCUS, (SANA) – An official source at the Foreign Ministry on Monday issued the following statement: The Syrian Arab Republic recognizes the state of Palestine on the lines of July 4th 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital on the basis of preserving the legitimate Palestinian rights.

The statement also says that Syria will view the office of the Palestinian Liberation Organization in Damascus as an embassy as of the date of issuing this statement.

The Six Day War was in June, 1967, not July.

So there were no July 4, 1967 lines, and hence - no "Palestine!"

OK, it was a mistake. In Arabic, they do say June 4, 1967, not July. But this brings up another question:

By recognizing that "Palestine" does not extend "from the river to the sea," does this mean that they are acknowledging Israel's existence?

The Western press is keen on interpreting Hamas' comments as accepting a Palestinian Arab state in those lines as meaning that they accept a two-state solution. Of course that is nonsense, but Hamas makes it clear that it is meant to be a temporary land grab until all of Israel would be destroyed. Here, Syria is explicitly recognizing "Palestine" within borders that have nothing to do with British Mandate Palestine. Was this a gaffe?

It is also sloppy for Syria to make such a statement - people like Noam Chomsky would interpret it as meaning that the Golan Heights is part of "Palestine'!

One other point: Syria has historically considered "Palestine" to be part of Southern Syria. They certainly believed that as of 1948. When did this change, and is this significant from that perspective?

It will be interesting to see if Assad gets any criticism from the supposedly non-existent people who want to see Israel destroyed for this recognition of a "Palestine" on only about a quarter the area of what they claim is "Historic Palestine."

(h/t YMedad, EG)