Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Sunday, December 18, 2011

A Dead Sea Scrolls vignette

Jordan is complaining to UNESCO about the exhibition of some of the Dead Sea Scrolls currently being shown in US cities (the exhibit is in Times Square at the moment.)

This prompted me to look up what happened when Israeli troops took over the Rockefeller Museum that housed most of the Scrolls in 1967:

During the war, the Jordanians had fortified the Palestine Archaeological Museum and put gun emplacements in its main tower. The museum was strategically located outside the north-east comer of the Old City overlooking vital north-south roads in the Jerusalem area.

On June 6, Israeli paratroopers entered the building and secured it after feeble Jordanian resistance. One lieutenant—like most Israelis keenly interested in archaeology—immediately began to search for the Dead Sea Scrolls, but the display case was empty. Avraham Biran, director of the Israel Department of Antiquities, had received a call that same day from Carmella Yadin, Yigael Yadin's wife. She told him that Yadin had been notified that the museum would soon be in Israeli hands and asked if Biran would go to the museum and make sure that the scrolls and other antiquities were safe.

Biran needed no arm-twisting. He took two other archaeologists with him to the museum, where they were obliged to go in the back door, since the paratroopers were still engaged in a fire -fight in the front with Jordanians on the city walls.

Some of the paratroopers immediately conscripted Biran to give them, during the battle, an impromptu lecture and tour of the antiquities of the museum. The archaeologist was happy to oblige and led a few of the soldiers around the premises, with the sound of shooting and breaking glass coming from the front of the building. The next day, after the entire city had been secured, the paratroopers left. Some of them dutifully signed the guest registry as they filed out, complete with banal comments ("Fantastic," "Very pleasant").

In many ways, the Scrolls serve as a microcosm of the entire Israel/Arab conflict. During the 19 years that Jordan controlled the Scrolls, no Jewish or Israeli scholars were allowed to study them. Likewise, Jordan did not allow Israeli archaeologists to visit the Qumran site. Jordan made the scrolls Judenrein, just like the Old City of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.

More photos from the "open-air prison" of Gaza

Electronic Intifada writers normally spend their time telling the world how Gaza is a war-torn hell on Earth where desperate citizens have lost so much hope that they have no choice but to embrace fully-justified terrorism.

But the blog also wants to tell its regular readers another narrative, that Hamas is not so bad and that things are really quite normal there (despite Israel's crippling siege, naturally.)

If you want to gain sympathy and money from EU-funded NGOs. you stick with the first story. If you want to score points for Hamas among fellow terror supporters, you tell the second.

And you hope that people who believe the first don't see the second, because all those billions of dollars meant to stave off poverty and hunger might very well go *poof!*

Here is an example of the second narrative in photos:

(h/t Omri)

A certain op-ed columnist for a certain prestigious newspaper loves to talk about what he calls "Fayyadism," the notion that a non-elected prime minister for a non-elected government who has virtually no public support is the potential savior of Palestinian Arab nationalism because of his moderate, pragmatic, Western-oriented mindset.

Last week, Fayyad said something that is completely at odds with history as well as religion. He said that Christmas was an opportunity to "celebrate the Palestinian identity of Jesus Christ."

I am no expert on Christianity, but I was under the impression that Christians believe that Jesus had a message for the entire world, not for one narrow set of people who were not going to be invented until some 1900 years later.

If the most moderate and most pragmatic leader in Palestinian Arab history can falsify history and insult hundreds of millions so easily, how can anyone expect that any Palestinian Arab leader would ever be trusted to say anything truthful?

The star-struck columnist would of course pooh-pooh this incident as simply politics, or playing to the crowd, or something. He would never notice the irony that the current government headed by Fayyad would have executed their citizens for selling land to Jesus, the Jew.

I'll give Fayyad credit for one thing, though. He is known for pushing transparency in government - and this lie is about as transparent as one can be.

(h/t Dan)

Ditzy girl loves Saudi Arabia on YouTube

From Al Arabiya:

Corissa Chantelle surprised her Youtube viewers when she donned a green T-shirt, a color similar to that of the Saudi flag, and sung in jubilation for the kingdom’s Independence Day anniversary.

Chantelle, 22, who has a desire to meet King Abdullah, has a channel on YouTube, and nearly every Thursday she posts a video expressing her infatuation with Saudi Arabia and its culture.

On the videos, which so far have attracted more than 2.8 million viewers, she speaks some Arabic words and sentences and tries to throw in some Saudi Arabian vernacular.

...She also an avid supporter of the Saudi Ettihad soccer club and would like to see them play in their stadium, but the kingdom’s conservative rules would not permit her to enter the stadium. However, she says she would not mind standing outside the grounds to support her team.

In one of her YouTube videos, Chanetelle wore a black Abaya, which was a gift from a friend from Saudi.

Here she is in all her ditzy glory:

Israel will pump its own gas from Tamar field in 2013

From YNet:

The biggest deal in the history of the Israeli economy is underway: The Israel Electric Corporation on Thursday received permission from the company's board of directors to purchase natural gas from the Tamar gas field, located some 90 kilometers (56 miles) west of Haifa.

The deal is estimated at $10-20 billion for the next 15 years.

The Tamar gas field is owned by several partners, led by the Delek Group controlled by businessman Yitzhak Tshuva and American company Noble Energy.

According to estimates, starting in 2013, the Tamar drilling will produce natural gas at a sufficient quantity to meet the State of Israel's energy needs for 15 to 20 years.

And not a minute too soon.

Early this morning, the gas line from Egypt to Israel and Jordan was firebombed for the tenth time this year.

Other, much larger gas fields off Israel's coast should be going live over the next decade, potentially enabling Israel to be an exporter of energy.

Abbas lie #3871: Hamas gives up violence, accepts "1967 borders"

The president of the Palestinian Authority continues to lie, and the media continues to eat it up.

The latest:

Fatah and Hamas agreed that future Palestinian resistance to Israel will utilize popular and peaceful means, rather than military moves, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared Saturday.

In an interview with the Euronews channel in Brussels, Abbas recounted his meeting with Hamas Politburo Chief Khaled Mashaal about a month ago.

"We set the agreement's pillars, and Hamas agreed with us that resistance will be popular and adopt peaceful ways, rather than military resistance," the Palestinian president said. "The solution is the establishment of a state in the 1967 borders, and Hamas agreed to that, as well as to holding the elections on May 5, 2012."

Let's go over some of the things Hamas leaders said at the 24th anniversary rally last week:

"Resistance is the way and it is the strategic choice to liberate Palestine from the (Jordan) river to the (Mediterranean) sea and to remove the invaders from the blessed land of Palestine," Haniyeh told the crowd, which chanted: "We will never recognize Israel."

"Hamas, together with other stubborn resistance factions, will lead the people towards uprising after uprising until all of Palestine is liberated," Haniyeh said, referring to territory that includes the occupied West Bank and what is now Israel.

Denying speculation that Hamas would turn its attention to nonviolent resistance, Mr. Haniya said: “Today we say it clearly. Armed resistance and armed struggle are the strategic way to liberate the Palestinian land from the sea to the river.”

Abbas has floated this idea a few times in recent weeks. The only English-language version I had seen was in Hurriyet in late November - and it is self-contradictory:

The militant Islamic group Hamas is ready to accept a Palestinian state within 1967 and is open to a discussion of recognizing Israel, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday.

“I would wish that Hamas would agree to this,” Abbas told reporters during a visit to Vienna. “Maybe this will be an issue to talk about in our next meeting.”

Abbas also said the group, which runs Gaza, would only conduct “peaceful” resistance.

So is he saying what Meshal really said, or what he hopes Meshal would say at the next meeting?

Since Abbas hasn't met Meshal since then, it looks like Abbas was just trying to massage his lie.

Of course, no Hamas-oriented website has noted this supposedly profound change in policy for the terror group. Because it never happened, it never will happen, and it never could happen.

But Abbas knows that no matter how ridiculous the claim is, he'll manage to snag a few credulous Western reporters to believe him.

Videos of Egyptian police beating women and men

Al Masry al Youm reports:

Internet users are circulating a video that appears to show members of Egypt's army assaulting an older female activist called Khadiga al-Hennawy.

Hennawy was near the cabinet building on Qasr al-Aini Street on Friday when clashes erupted between protesters and security forces.

In the video, two officers are seen dragging Hennawy by the hair. One lets go of her hair to kick her, before other officers join in, beating her with batons and dragging her out of view.

Another video released Saturday shows police mercilessly beating a man and a woman, whose clothes they tear off.

So macho.

(h/t CHA)

Fatah declares "war on normalization" with Israel

Palestine Press Agency quotes Al Quds al Arabi saying that Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah-dominated PA has decided to declare "open war" on all cooperation between Palestinian Arabs and Israelis, formal or informal.

Fatah official Hatem Abdel Qader confirmed the report, saying "Yes...Let it be known to everyone that we will prevent any Israeli-Palestinian meeting in Jerusalem, and will try to thwart any Palestinian-Israeli meeting held in the Palestinian territories, whether in Jerusalem or in Tel Aviv", adding "There is formal approach we have in the Fatah movement to prohibit and prevent the holding of these meetings."

The article says that activists from the Palestinian national factions in Jerusalem on Monday "foiled" the "Conference of the Israeli-Palestinian Confederation" at the Ambassador Hotel in the eastern part of Jerusalem, where the hotel management said that they could not guarantee the safety of the conference attendees because of threats.

Speakers scheduled at the conference included Shlomo Ben-Ami, Sari Nusseibeh and Uri Avnery.

Which side wants peace again? From reading the media, it is so hard to tell.

Hundreds of hours of the Adolf Eichmann trial are available on YouTube.

I just randomly chose a part where he is being cross-examined. It is chilling.

Meanwhile, an exhibit showing artifacts from his abduction is going on display this month in Israel.

(h/t Yoel)

Egyptians demanding Israelis goods from Gaza tunnels!

Israeli financial newspaper Calcalist quotes Egyptian media as saying that the demand for Israeli products is growing in the northern Sinai.

According to the article, Gazans have been smuggling Israeli goods outbound from the Gaza tunnels and into Egypt, where customers are demanding higher-quality Israeli goods - even when they are more expensive than local products.

Israeli cream is in high demand, but smugglers are also selling milk powder, shampoo, biscuits, chocolate, halvah - and even Israeli hummous!

Vendors say that the Israeli products are in high demand. In the past they would erase the "Made in Israel" logos, but they no longer do, as it is a selling point.

The chairman of the Sinai Chamber of Commerce is concerned, saying that the influx of Israeli products is worrying him, as it is hurting local manufacturers.

(h/t Nadav)

BDS Fail: Apple to open development center in Israel

From Globes:

Sources inform "Globes" that Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) has decided to open a development center in Israel focusing on semiconductors. The decision was taken even before the company entered into talks to acquire Herzliya-based flash storage solutions provider Anobit Ltd..

Apple has hired Aharon Aharon, a veteran player in Israel's high tech industry, to lead the new development center.

Although Apple is a global innovation leader, the company is a relatively small investor in R&D. The producer of the iPad and iPhone invested $2.4 billion in R&D in 2010, which was only 2% of its revenue, much less proportionately than other high-tech companies.

Apple's deployment of R&D activities is in line with this policy and the company has only one technology development center, which is at company headquarters in Cupertino, California. All activities outside of company headquarters revolve around marketing, sales and support. Strategic development is carried out at home. The planned Israel center will therefore be the company's first such center outside of its California headquarters.

The planned Anobit acquisition is a big deal as well.

Sorry, BDSers, but you have to give away your iPhones and iPads now.

(h/t Ian)

A love song to an AK-47 on PA TV

From Palestinian Media Watch:

A new Palestinian Authority TV music video honoring Arafat glorifies Fatah use of violence and venerates the rifle. Last month it was broadcast 7 times on official PA TV.

The song speaks of Arafat's life and idolizes him as a model of violence, revolution, and war. It celebrates through words and visuals the violence of the rifle: "Boom out loud, oh voice of the machine gun... Oh AK-47, make sounds of joy."

The lyrics are, frankly, hilarious.

It starts off with a faily predictable paean to Arafat, with a shout-out to his wonderfully moderate successor Abbas, or as they say, "Abu Mazen," his nom de guerre.

Engrave on the rifle butt the symbol of Fatah's Al-Asifa [unit]
My trigger makes sounds of joy to the Elder (Arafat)
while the rifle sounds aloud
Boom out loud, oh voice of the machine gun,
Yasser [Arafat] lives inside us
[Despite] the day (of his death) on Nov. 11,
the [Palestinian] cause has not died
He is present inside us as an idea and as light,
a fire burning in [our] chest
He [Arafat] taught the whole world how to revolt.
Yasser - symbol of freedom
Oh Elder, I swear by [your] uniform and your keffiya

Oh bullets of the defiant, [your] shot fights 100 [men]
He lived and died in an atmosphere of war,
he crossed the world from east to west
Mahmoud Abbas is on the same path
when it comes to [our] state and identity
We fired the rifle, we faced the storm
We responded to the cannon with a pistol
Using stones, we ignited a revolution and wrote [history], oh Fatah men

It would have been wonderful if they had pulled old footage of airplane hijackings, the Munich Olympics and other highlights of Arafat's life while they sing "He taught the whole world how to revolt."

But then the song turns a bit fetishist.

The song lovingly goes over ever single part of the AK-47 body, ending with, well, a climax:

On the rifle butt, we have engraved [Fatah's] symbol
On the grip, we have engraved "Arafat"
On the top cover we have inscribed the history of the free
On the barrel - the name of the homeland
The flash-suppressor ignited and burst
Here it is, oh rifle sight
The state is only a few meters away
Oh action-spring, receive and shoot [bullets] continuously
Change the magazine - there are hundreds [of them]
Load it into the chamber
Oh AK-47, make sounds of joy and salute the Elder (Arafat)"

I didn't know Arafat was an "Elder," but I guess it makes sense - he would have fit right in with some of the other so-called "Elders."

Here's the video:

Israelis saving the world, again

From AFP:

Israeli medical researchers say they have developed a new technique for blasting cancer tumours from the inside out which reduces the risk of the disease returning after treatment.

Tel Aviv University professors Yona Keisari and Itzhak Kelson are about to start clinical trials of a pin-sized radioactive implant that beams short-range alpha radiation from within the tumour.

Unlike conventional radiation therapy, which bombards the body with gamma rays from outside, the alpha particles "diffuse inside the tumour, spreading further and further before disintegrating," a university statement quoted Keisari as saying.

"It's like a cluster bomb -- instead of detonating at one point, the atoms continuously disperse and emit alpha particles at increasing distances."

The university said that the process takes about 10 days and leaves behind only non-radioactive and non-toxic amounts of lead.

"Not only are cancerous cells more reliably destroyed, but in the majority of cases the body develops immunity against the return of the tumour," the statement said.

The wire implant, inserted into the tumour by hypodermic needle, "decays harmlessly in the body," it added.

It went on to say that in pre-clinical trials on mice, one group had tumours removed surgically while another was treated with the radioactive wire.

"When cells from the tumour were reinjected into the subject, 100 percent of those treated surgically redeveloped their tumour, compared to only 50 percent of those treated with the radioactive wire," it said.

"The researchers have had excellent results with many types of cancer models, including lung, pancreatic, colon, breast, and brain tumours."

It added that the procedure would begin clinical trials at Beilinson hospital, near Tel Aviv, "soon."

Something new to put on the list of items for BDSers to boycott.

(h/t Mike)

Bibi advisor's letter to the New York Times

From JPost:

Dear Sasha, I received your email requesting that Prime Minister Netanyahu submit an op-ed to the New York Times. Unfortunately, we must respectfully decline. On matters relating to Israel, the op-ed page of the “paper of record” has failed to heed the late Senator Moynihan's admonition that everyone is entitled to their own opinion but that no one is entitled to their own facts. A case in point was your decision last May to publish the following bit of historical revision by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas:

It is important to note that the last time the question of Palestinian statehood took center stage at the General Assembly, the question posed to the international community was whether our homeland should be partitioned into two states. In November 1947, the General Assembly made its recommendation and answered in the affirmative. Shortly thereafter, Zionist forces expelled Palestinian Arabs to ensure a decisive Jewish majority in the future state of Israel, and Arab armies intervened. War and further expulsions ensued.

This paragraph effectively turns on its head an event within living memory in which the Palestinians rejected the UN partition plan accepted by the Jews and then joined five Arab states in launching a war to annihilate the embryonic Jewish state. It should not have made it past the most rudimentary fact-checking. The opinions of some of your regular columnists regarding Israel are well known. They consistently distort the positions of our government and ignore the steps it has taken to advance peace. They cavalierly defame our country by suggesting that marginal phenomena condemned by Prime Minister Netanyahu and virtually every Israeli official somehow reflects government policy or Israeli society as a whole. Worse, one columnist even stooped to suggesting that the strong expressions of support for Prime Minister Netanyahu during his speech this year to Congress was "bought and paid for by the Israel lobby" rather than a reflection of the broad support for Israel among the American people. Yet instead of trying to balance these views with a different opinion, it would seem as if the surest way to get an op-ed published in the New York Times these days, no matter how obscure the writer or the viewpoint, is to attack Israel. Even so, the recent piece on “Pinkwashing,” in which Israel is vilified for having the temerity to champion its record on gay-rights, set a new bar that will be hard for you to lower in the future. Not to be accused of cherry-picking to prove a point, I discovered that during the last three months (September through November) you published 20 op-eds about Israel in the New York Times and International Herald Tribune. After dividing the op-eds into two categories, “positive” and “negative,” with “negative” meaning an attack against the State of Israel or the policies of its democratically elected government, I found that 19 out of 20 columns were “negative.” The only "positive" piece was penned by Richard Goldstone (of the infamous Goldstone Report), in which he defended Israel against the slanderous charge of Apartheid. Yet your decision to publish that op-ed came a few months after your paper reportedly rejected Goldstone's previous submission. In that earlier piece, which was ultimately published in the Washington Post, the man who was quoted the world over for alleging that Israel had committed war crimes in Gaza, fundamentally changed his position. According to the New York Times op-ed page, that was apparently news unfit to print. Your refusal to publish “positive” pieces about Israel apparently does not stem from a shortage of supply. It was brought to my attention that the Majority Leader and Minority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives jointly submitted an op-ed to your paper in September opposing the Palestinian action at the United Nations and supporting the call of both Israel and the Obama administration for direct negotiations without preconditions. In an age of intense partisanship, one would have thought that strong bipartisan support for Israel on such a timely issue would have made your cut. So with all due respect to your prestigious paper, you will forgive us for declining your offer. We wouldn't want to be seen as "Bibiwashing" the op-ed page of the New York Times. Sincerely, Ron Dermer Senior advisor to Prime Minister Netanyahu