Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, October 24, 2011

US Ambassador Robert Ford leaves Syria (updated)

In June, I presented one argument to recall Syrian ambassador Robert Ford by Tony Badran:

President Obama already lent American prestige to Assad when he decided to recess appoint Ambassador Ford. Awarding normal diplomatic relations with a superpower to a rogue regime is a legitimating act on its own. If the Obama administration is serious about ratcheting up the pressure against Assad, it should first state publicly that it is done dealing with the Syrian dictator, then follow that with a declaration that it is withdrawing the US ambassador from Damascus.

A few days ago, The New Republic gave the opposing argument:

Since the Syrian people began their uprising against the rule of Bashar al-Assad, Americans have been told repeatedly that there is little they can do about the situation. Experts in think tanks, universities, and the halls of U.S. government have been eager to remind us that the conditions in Syria—with its fractured opposition, brutal and loyal military forces, and fragile regional neighborhood—simply didn’t leave much room for Americans to make a difference.

But Robert Ford, our ambassador in Damascus, never seemed to accept this simplistic line of thinking. By bearing witness and speaking out relentlessly from inside the country, Ford has, at great personal risk, kept world attention focused on the crimes of the Syrian government. More so than either President Obama or Secretary of State Clinton, both of whom have been far too tepid in their public pronouncements, Ford has been an exemplary spokesman for liberal values and human rights.

Certainly Ford has not been shy about speaking out against the Assad regime in social media, but that is not the job of an ambassador. An ambassador is supposed to communicate US policy directly to the leaders of his or her host country, and Ford has been unable to meet with anyone important for months.

And the idea that Syrians love Ford may be a bit exaggerated as well:

US ambassador to Syria Robert Ford was hit with eggs and tomatoes Friday while he was going to a mosque in the central al-Midan neighbourhood here, Xinhua reported.

The al-Midan neighborhood has witnessed anti-government protests over the past seven months.

Ford has visited many restive areas in Syria in a show of support to anti-government protesters. But the visits have angered many residents as well as the government.

On earlier occasions too, eggs and potatoes have been hurled at Ford.

Well, it looks like that may have been the last straw, as Al Arabiya is reporting:

The United States has pulled its ambassador out of Syria over security concerns that have arisen during a seven-month-old popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, Western diplomats said on Monday.

Robert Ford left Syria over the weekend, they told Reuters.

As many as 22 people were killed by the fire of security and military forces across Syria on Sunday, Al Arabiya reported on Monday citing the Syrian Local Coordination Committee, as Damascus welcomed to host national dialogue conference under the sponsorship of the Arab League.

The State Department only commented today about it, and made clear it was not for political reasons:

US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford was brought back to Washington because of "credible threats against his personal safety in Syria," the State Department announced Monday.

"At this point, we can't say when he will return to Syria," deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said.

"It will depend on our assessment of Syrian regime-led incitement and the security situation on the ground."

By positioning this as a security concern rather than a strong protest against the Syrian regime, and by essentially burying this story, the White House has wasted another opportunity to convey a strong public message to Damascus. And as TNR noted:

Because he was named to his post via recess appointment, Ford will have to give up his ambassadorship if the Senate does not confirm him by December. The GOP line coming from senators like Marco Rubio and Tom Coburn is that we should punish the Assad regime by removing Ford from Damascus.

If this is Obama's plan on how to get Ford out of Damascus permanently - by citing "security concerns" and then relying on him not being confirmed by the end of the year - it is an example of passive-aggressive politics rather than leadership.

UPDATE: Syria pulled their ambassador as well
(h/t jzaik)

Libya's interim leader acts fast to implement Sharia

From The Telegraph:

Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the chairman of the National Transitional Council and de fact president, had already declared that Libyan laws in future would have Sharia, the Islamic code, as its "basic source".

But that formulation can be interpreted in many ways - it was also the basis of Egypt's largely secular constitution under President Hosni Mubarak, and remains so after his fall.

Mr Abdul-Jalil went further, specifically lifting immediately, by decree, one law from Col. Gaddafi's era that he said was in conflict with Sharia - that banning polygamy.

In a blow to those who hoped to see Libya's economy integrate further into the western world, he announced that in future bank regulations would ban the charging of interest, in line with Sharia. "Interest creates disease and hatred among people," he said.

Libya is already the most conservative state in north Africa, banning the sale of alcohol. Mr Abdul-Jalil's decision - made in advance of the introduction of any democratic process - will please the Islamists who have played a strong role in opposition to Col Gaddafi's rule and in the uprising but worry the many young liberal Libyans who, while usually observant Muslims, take their political cues from the West.

Well, that was fast.

Despots or imams - take your pick. Because liberal western-style democracy sure doesn't seem to be on the horizon.

(h/t Weasel Zippers)

Hamas used 19 white Toyota 4x4s to hide Shalit

A video from Hamas showing the motorcade used to obfuscate which truck Gilad Shalit was being transported in:
:

What crushing poverty Gaza suffers.

Second Temple-era ritual bath discovered

From Israel's MFA:

A plastered building, probably a ritual bath (miqve), dating to the Second Temple period (first century BCE-first century CE) was exposed in an archaeological excavation the Israel Antiquities Authority conducted prior to the installation of a water line by the Mekorot Company at an antiquities site, about two kilometers north of Kibbutz Zor'a.

The excavation revealed a square structure that has three walls treated with a thin layer of plaster that facilitated the storage of water. A channel used to drain water into the ritual bath was installed in a corner. In addition, a plaster floor and three stairs that descend from it to the west (toward the hewn openings in the bedrock) were exposed.

According to archaeologist Pablo Betzer, excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, "This is the first time that any remains dating to the Second Temple period have been exposed in this region. We knew from the Talmud and from non-Jewish sources that on this ridge, as in most of the Judean Shephelah, there was an extensive Jewish community 2,000 years ago that existed until the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Yet despite the many surveys and excavations that have been carried out to date no remains from this period have been discovered so far." According to Betzer the name of the Jewish settlement that the ritual bath belonged to is still unknown.

Zora (Tzora) is about 20 km west of Jerusalem.

(h/t Dan)

Iran gives up gold medal in Kurash to avoid facing Israeli

From Iran's PressTV:

Iran's national Kurash team has finished as the runner-up in the 8th World Senior Kurash Championships held in the city of Termez, Uzbekistan.

The Iranian nationals bagged one gold, two silver, and three bronze medals to secure its second place, IRNA reported on Sunday. Uzbekistan and Tajikistan stood on first and third places respectively.

While Hojjat Rahnama snatched gold for the Iranian team in the -90 kg category, Saeed Khosravi refused to face a contestant representing the Zionist regime in the final round of the +100 kg category and earned a valuable silver medal.

Two other Iranian contestants also opted against facing the Zionist representatives.

The four-day long games, held in eight weight categories, began on October 19, 2011.

Kurash is a form of upright jacket wrestling, native to Uzbeks, practiced since ancient times.

The Uzbekistan National News Agency fills in:

The 10th Hakim at-Termizi international tournament in kurash for the prize of the President of Uzbekistan and the 8th international kurash championship among adults completed in Termez, Surkhandarya region.

Athletes from over 40 countries participated in the events, which were devoted to the 20th anniversary of state independence of Uzbekistan.

Grigory Rudelson from Israel, Nojat Rahmajozan from iran and Shuhratjon Arslandov from Uzbekistan won the titles of the world champions among men.

I admit I had never heard of this sport before today, but at the risk of ruffling feathers of the Israeli leftists by acting Zionist....go Israel!

The part of UNGA 194 that the Arabs ignore

Palestinian Arabs and their supporters never cease to point to UN General Assembly Resolution 194 as proof that there is a legal "right to return" for Palestinian Arab refugees of 1948 and their descendants. There are lots of arguments proving that this is invalid - not the least being that UNGA resolutions are not legally binding as well as the conditional nature of the text.

But, astoundingly, the very same paragraph in UNGA 194 also demands the resettlement of Arab refugees in Arab states!

The part of 194 that is always quoted is this one:

Resolves that the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible;

But the second clause of the same paragraph says this:

Instructs the Conciliation Commission to facilitate the repatriation, resettlement and economic and social rehabilitation of the refugees and the payment of compensation, and to maintain close relations with the Director of the United Nations Relief for Palestine Refugees and, through him, with the appropriate organs and agencies of the United Nations;

The Conciliation Commission definitely interpreted this clause as meaning resettlement in Arab countries.

During the Paris Conference in 1951 (UN document A/1985), the Commission emphasized that taking the "return" portion of UNGA 194 in isolation is not what the resolution intended:

In the Chairman's statement it was noted that experience had shown that concentration on one or the other isolated paragraph of the resolution out of context had not helped in the promotion of peace in Palestine. All the elements were necessary, but they were useful only if linked together according to an over-all plan. For example, the resolution instructed the Commission to facilitate the repatriation, resettlement and rehabilitation of refugees, and that instruction had not been forgotten by the Commission when it drafted the proposals for the conference.

And what was meant by "resettlement"?

The solution of the refugee problem proposed by the Commission envisaged the repatriation and integration of some of the refugees in Israel and the resettlement of others in Arab countries.

Keep in mind that Israel offered to accept a portion of the refugees at the time, in full compliance with the resolution, but in context of the other parts of the resolution that were necessary to ensure a full peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

So while it is true that UNGA 194 has no relevance today, those who insist that it is still the basis for the "right of return" need to explain why Arab states have been ignoring its other requirement, that Palestinian Arab refugees who desire to live in Arab countries be allowed to be resettled there.

Their failure to do so is yet another example of Arab hypocrisy.

Will Turkey accept Israeli offer for earthquake aid?

From YNet:

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit near Van in southeastern Turkey on Sunday near the border with Iran, Turkey's Kandilli Observatory and Research Institute said. Between 500 and 1,000 are feared dead.

The institute said the earthquake struck at 10:41 am GMT and was 5 kilometers (three miles) deep. The US Geological Survey earlier reported that the magnitude was 7.6.

State-run news agency Anatolian said some buildings had collapsed. After shocks continued after the initial quake, Anatolian said.

IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz has instructed the army to get ready to aid Turkey in coping with the powerful quake. Gantz said that an IDF delegation will head to Turkey once it receives approval from the government.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak asked the head of the Political-Military Affairs section at the ministry, Amos Gilad to offer Turkey "all the help in needs".

Israel has helped Turkey after other quakes, but that was before the current chill in relations between the two countries.

The question is, has Turkey become so antagonistic towards Israel that they will spurn Israel's offer to help, the way Iran habitually does? If Turkey's rulers hate Israel more than they care about the lives of their people, that would tell us a mot about how important it is to try to bridge that diplomatic gap.

Arab League leader: If Egyptians don't want peace with Israel, rip up Camp David

Egypt should cut ties with Israel if the Egyptian people want it, according to the leader of the Arab League.

Nabil al-Arabi, secretary general of the League of Arab States, said at a economic conference yesterday that "if the Egyptian people request to break off relations with Israel, the government should accept."

He added that he personally doesn't think it is a good idea, but he said that the peace treaty must be "balanced" and not favor one side or the other.

Perhaps he is right. Israel should demand half of the Sinai back so that the peace deal is more balanced. After all, isn't it rather one-sided when only Egypt gained anything concrete while Israel received nothing but promises - promises that could be canceled on the whim of the Egyptian people?

Islamist party expected to win Tunisian elections

From AP:

Tunisians began voting Sunday in their first truly free elections, the culmination of a popular uprising that ended decades of authoritarian rule and set off similar rebellions across the Middle East.

Voters — women with headscarves and without, former political prisoners, young people whose Facebook posts helped fuel the revolution — are electing members of an assembly that will appoint a new government and then write a new constitution. They're definitively turning the page on the 23-year presidency of Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, who was overthrown by a monthlong uprising on Jan. 14 stirred by anger at unemployment, corruption and repression.

The party expected to come out on top, Ennahda, is a moderate Islamic party whose victory, especially in a comparatively secular society like Tunisia, could have wide implications for similar religious parties in the region.

In May, The New York Times reported that a lot of Tunisians were frightened of this "moderate" Islamic party:

Mistrust of the party remains widespread. “They’re doing doublespeak, and everyone knows it,” said Ibrahim Letaief, a radio host at Mosaique FM, a popular station where he offers withering criticism of the Islamists. Ennahda, he said, has only tempered its rhetoric in a bid to win votes, but in power would impose strict Islamic law.

It is a common refrain here, despite having first been popularized by the reviled Mr. Ben Ali. Opponents have made similar claims, anti-Ennahda Facebook groups have drawn tens of thousands of supporters, and protesters have denounced the party throughout Tunisia. Some of the fear seems to stem from uncertainty about who, exactly, will lead the party; the group’s longtime leader, Rachid Ghannouchi, has said he will not seek office.

A democratic Tunisia depends on the banning of Ennahda, Mr. Letaief said, though he acknowledged, “I’m not going to seem democratic, here.” Still, he said, “Islam is very much anchored in society.”

The first article of the now-suspended Tunisian Constitution decreed Islam the national faith, and 98 percent of the country’s 10.6 million inhabitants are Muslim. Public schools dispense religious instruction. Yet religious leaders have never played a role in government.

Ennahda's leader acknowledged that the party may attempt to ban alcohol in the future.

Tunisia is in the vanguard of the Arab Spring and it is more unified and tolerant than most other Arab nations. If it falls to Islamism, it would be a very bad sign as to what may happen in other Arab states.

At this time, Ennahda is expected to win a plurality but not the majority of votes, forcing it to create a coalition.

Grapel may be in Egyptian prison for two more months

From Ma'an/AFP:

Egypt and Israel are adding the "final touches" to a deal to swap an Israel-American detained in Cairo for Egyptian prisoners detained in Israel, the official MENA news agency said on Saturday.

"MENA has learned that the final touches are currently being made for a deal to swap Israeli spy Ilan Grapel, accused of spying on Egypt for Israel, for about 16 Egyptian prisoners and three detained children," MENA reported.

Later Saturday, Egyptian state-owned daily Al Ahram reported that Egypt had secured agreement for 20 - 30 Egyptian prisoners be returned in exchanged for Grapel, citing a MENA report.

Al Ahram said the deal is likely to take place after a prisoner swap between Hamas and Israel concludes in two months, citing an Egyptian diplomatic source.

This is in contrast with earlier reports that the Grapel deal was imminent.

It sounds like Hamas pressured Egypt to link the Grapel deal with the Shalit deal. There is no logical relationship between the two.

And, again, no word about whether Israeli Bedouin Ouda Tarabin, who is also unjustly accused of being an Israeli spy, will be included in the deal. It would be tragic if Israel is ignoring Tarabin's plight.

Palestine Today talked with one of the terrorists released in the Shalit deal, Khaled Gaidi.

Gaidi was sentenced to two life terms in Israel in 1986. (The article says he was sentenced to 4 life terms.)

He claims to have been behind the murders of three Israelis. I could only confirm two of the victims.

One was Haim Azran, 32, a resident of Ashkelon who was stabbed as he shopped in a market in Gaza in September 1986. Yasir Arafat's Force 17 took credit at the time for that attack.

Yisrael Kitaro was a 43-year old taxi driver also from Ashkelon, was similarly stabbed to death in Gaza in October 1986 as he took his car to a garage for repairs.

Gaidi, who is now a member of Islamic Jihad, claims to also have killed another man, Abraham Abu Ghosh.

Gaidi now brags that it only cost three shekels to buy the knife that killed three Israelis.

He called on Fatah to stop negotiations, saying the "the enemy only understands the language of force and Jihad."

"Hawkish" Netanyahu offers partial building freeze, "moderate" PLO rejects it

From Ma'an:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ready to partially freeze West Bank settlement building if it will bring the PLO back to direct talks, an Israeli newspaper reported on Friday.

But the PLO said it was unaware of any such offer, and said that anything short of a full freeze would not be acceptable.

According to Haaretz, Netanyahu's offer was made on Wednesday in talks with Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin.

During the meeting, which came a day after she held talks with President Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah, Holguin told Netanyahu that Abbas desperately needed a symbolic gesture on settlements if he was to return to negotiations, a senior Israeli official told the paper.

In response, Netanyahu said he would be "ready to make such a gesture if it would return Abbas to the negotiating table" and agreed to freeze all government-sponsored construction and all building on state land.

But he said he would not agree to freeze settlement activity by private developers on privately owned land -- which, according to a recent Palestinian study, constitutes around 80 percent of settlement activity.

The official said the offer would test whether or not Abbas was serious about returning to direct negotiations.

"Netanyahu said he was ready to test Abbas by making the gesture regarding settlements. 'If Abbas is serious about negotiations, he will renew direct talks,' Netanyahu said."

The Israeli official said the new proposal was relayed to Abbas on Wednesday, but PLO official Saeb Erekat on Friday said it was the first they had heard of it, and insisted that only a full halt to settlement, including in annexed East Jerusalem, would suffice.

"We want to hear officially from the Israeli government that they accept to stop settlement on all Palestinian lands, including in Jerusalem and natural growth, and to recognize the 1967 borders," Erekat told AFP.

Notice the precondition that has been added, almost unnoticed by the Western media, that Israel accept the so-called 1967 borders.

And, sure enough, Erekat showed his intransigence and unwillingless to compromise when the offer became official:

PLO official Saeb Erekat has rejected the distinction between government and private construction in Israeli settlements, the premise of Israel's "offer" for a partial building freeze reported by Israeli media on Friday.

Notice how Ma'an put the word "offer" iin scare quotes, as if Netanyahu isn't serious. Of course, there is an easy way to find out if he is - by accepting negotiations.

Will we be seeing any NYT editorials excoriating the PLO for their refusal to go back to the negotiating table?

Ha!

Egyptian Spring: Man jailed for insulting Islam on Facebook

From AFP:

An Egyptian court has sentenced a man to three years in jail with hard labour for insulting Islam in postings on Facebook, the official MENA news agency reported.

A Cairo court found that Ayman Yusef Mansur "intentionally insulted the dignity of the Islamic religion and attacked it with insults and ridicule online".

The court said his insults were "aimed at the Noble Koran, the true Islamic religion, the Prophet of Islam and his family and Muslims, in a scurrilous manner," the agency reported.

He was arrested in August after police tracked him down through his internet address.

Egyptian law bans insults to religion. The law has been used in the past to try Shiite Muslims.

The specific law states:

Whoever exploits religion in order to promote extremist ideologies by word of mouth, in writing or in any other manner, with a view to stirring up sedition, disparaging or holding in contempt any divine religion or its adherents, or endangering national unity, shall be punished with imprisonment for between six months and five years or a fine of at least LE500.

Do you think that any Egyptian has ever been prosecuted for anti-semitism. which this law would ostensibly make illegal?

Chag Sameach part 2

Because of the final leg of this month's never-ending Jewish holidays, I will not be blogging until at least Saturday night.

Have a great remainder of the "yuntif"!

(h/t Bronfman Center at NYU via email)

BDS organizers get sued by Lebanese businessman!

From Al Akhbar:

Lebanese anti-Israel activists are being sued by a concert promoter for their boycott campaign against a popular British rock group.

Samah Idriss, director of Dar al-Adab publishing house, received a court summons this Thursday from Beirut's commerce court. Idriss is implicated in a lawsuit for his involvement in a Lebanese boycott campaign against the British rock group Placebo last year. Jihad el-Murr, who heads the company that organized the event, filed the suit on 10 July 2011.

El-Murr is suing Idriss, as well as three other groups involved in the campaign: the Aidoun Refugee Rights Center, the Campaign to Boycott the Supporters of Israel in Lebanon, and the Global BDS Campaign in Lebanon. El-Murr, a self-described famous businessman from a prominent family, is demanding US$180,000 compensation for his company’s financial losses allegedly caused by the boycott campaign.

Lebanese activists called for the boycott in protest of Placebo's performance in Tel Aviv four days before their concert in Beirut, that was scheduled for 9 June 2010 at the Forum de Beirut. Only in July 2011, a year after the event took place, did el-Murr notice the ‘financial losses’ he claims were caused by the campaign. He called the campaign against cultural normalization with Israel both “malicious and deceptive.” El-Murr argues that the 1955 Lebanese law supporting a limited boycott of Israel does not apply to the Placebo concert. “The famous rock band does not even deal with politics,” he added.

El Murr described the boycotts as "ridiculous" last year.

Placebo played in Israel on June 5th, and they did play in Beirut on June 9

It does not appear that the boycott effort in Lebanon had any effect because the concert hall in Beirut looks pretty full to me:

Which is a win-win - the Lebanese roundly ignored the BDSers and the only way for the BDSers to counter the lawsuit would be for them to admit that their efforts were fruitless!

(h/t Dan)