Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Pakistan official hints they would support Iran in a war

Pakistan's High Commissioner to Britain Wajid Shamsul Hasan told The Sun in an exclusive interview that his country's relations with America are at their lowest ebb....

On Iran, Mr Hasan said: "We would not like Israel to attack any country, irrespective of whether it's Iran or any nuclear country. We wouldn't like to be seen as part of Israel's campaign against any country. If Israel attacks Iran, it will have an impact on Pakistan as well.

"We will have to safeguard our own interests. We also have a Shia population in Pakistan who will not take it lying down."

He warned that India and Gulf countries could also get involved in any conflict.

Edgar Davidson thinks his statement is even worse.

UPDATE: From AP a few days ago:

A European diplomat based in Pakistan, permitted to speak only under condition of anonymity, said that if Israel attacks, Islamabad will have no choice but to support any Iranian retaliation. That raises the specter of putting a nuclear-armed Pakistan at odds with Israel, widely believed to have its own significant nuclear arsenal.

(h/t Yoel)

Book that debunks "Protocols" translated to Farsi

From ITIC:

On February 8, 2012 the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center posted a 400-page Farsi translation of Hadassa Ben-Itto's book The Lie That Wouldn't Die: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. It can be accessed at http://terrorism-info.com/book/ The Introduction includes a section written by the author specifically for Iranians.

Judge Ben-Itto's book has already been translated into ten languages: Hebrew, English, German, Russian, Spanish, Dutch, Romanian, Hungarian, Bulgarian and Arabic. The Arabic translation was issued by Kul Shi Publishers, Haifa, in July 2010 and posted on the ITIC website, and was widely reviewed by the Arab media.

...In Iran, the Protocols were issued several times either by the regime or by institutions affiliated with it. The first was in the summer of 1978 during the events which led to the Islamic Revolution, and they were used as a weapon against the Shah, Israel and the Jews. In 1985 a new edition was printed and widely distributed by the Islamic Propagation Organization of Tehran's department for international relations. A foundation called "The Shrine of the Imam Reza" in Mashhad funded an edition which was published in 1994, and excerpts appeared in the Iranian media. The Islamic Propagation Organization's edition was also displayed at the book fair in Frankfurt in 2005.

One of the versions of The Protocols was translated from Arabic into Farsi by Hamid Reza Sheikhi and published in Iran by the Islamic Research Foundation with the title The Protocols of the Elders of Zion: World Zionism's Work Plan. The third edition of that version was issued in Iran in 2005-6 and catalogued in the Iranian national library (No. 1062209). It was a Farsi translation of a version edited and translated by Ajaj Nuwayhid, a Lebanese Druze (his translation was published in several versions in Beirut and Damascus and circulated throughout the Arab-Muslim world, including the Palestinian Authority).2

Disseminating The Protocols and its themes are part of the Iranian regime's policy of anti-Semitism, which includes Holocaust denial, the call for the destruction of the State of Israel, and hate propaganda directed at Israel and the Jewish people. Iran also exports its anti-Semitism to the West, and example of which was the international book fair held in Frankfurt in 2005, where Iran sold a selection of its anti-Israeli books, some of them in English.

Judge Ben-Itto's book traces the roots of The Protocols and their circulation from Russia to Europe and throughout the world. The book proves that The Protocols were plagiarized.

The translation of Hadassa Ben-Itto's book into Farsi is particularly important. For the first time since the Second World War, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion have been used as a strategic weapon in the hands of a state regime, in this case the Iranian regime as part of its deliberate plan to destroy the State of Israel. Moreover, the existence of "the Jewish conspiracy: to take over the world has been made part of Iranian perception to the point where it is considered absolute, irrefutable truth.

The Farsi translation of The Lie That Wouldn't Die sets a precedent in exposing the Iranian reader to a new perspective on The Protocols, completely different from what he has become accustomed to. The book was written by a judge and involved vast amounts of careful research. It is easy to read and presents every Iranian reader from whom the truth is important with the genuine facts behind The Protocols.

Any Iranians who want to read the book can find the whole thing here.

By the way, Abbas becoming prime minister violates PA law

From the Jerusalem Post:

Palestinians across the political spectrum on Tuesday criticized the Qatar-sponsored Hamas-Fatah reconciliation agreement according to which Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas would also serve as prime minister of an interim unity government.

They pointed out that it was Abbas who in March 2003 called for amending the Palestinian Basic Law so that the PA president would not be in charge of the government.

Backed by the Americans and Europeans, Abbas then sought to limit the powers of his predecessor, Yasser Arafat, who also served as the de facto prime minister.

On March 10, 2003, the Palestinian Legislative Council approved the proposed amendment to the Basic Law, creating the position of a PA prime minister.

The hope back then was that the changes in the Basic Law would lead to the separation of the powers of the president and the prime minister.

By agreeing to be prime minister of a unity government, Abbas is acting in violation of the same amendment to the Basic law that he fought to pass 12 years ago.

Abbas supporters, however, defended the move, arguing that ending the power struggle with Hamas was “more important than respecting any law.”

This is not the first time that Abbas has acted in violation of the Palestinian Basic Law.

In June 2007, following the collapse of the Fatah-Hamas unity government and the Islamist movement’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip, Abbas appointed Salam Fayyad as prime minister, citing “national emergency.”

Fayyad’s government was never approved by the Palestinian legislature in accordance with the Basic law.

Anis al-Qassem, a constitutional lawyer who drafted the Basic law, was among many Palestinians who criticized the appointment of Fayyad as “illegal.”

Palestinian political analyst Hani al-Masri pointed out that the Doha Declaration that was signed on Monday between Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal was in violation of the Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation agreement that was reached in Cairo in May 2011.

The Egyptian deal envisages the establishment of a government that is dominated by independent figures, Masri noted. “That’s why the announcement that President Abbas would head the unity government came as a surprise to many,” the analyst said.

Another political analyst, Khalil Shaheen, said the appointment of Abbas as prime minister meant that the Palestinians were “marching backward.” He added that the move was illegal and in violation of the [Egyptian-brokered] reconciliation pact between Hamas and Fatah.

A top Fatah official in Ramallah said there was “strong opposition” in his faction and the PLO to the Doha Declaration, mainly because of the intention to appoint the 76-year-old Abbas as prime minister.

“This is a scandal not only because it violates the [Palestinian] Basic Law, but also because it turns Abbas into an autocrat with absolute powers. This is unacceptable at a time when the Arab world is witnessing popular uprisings against dictators,” the official said.

Abbas already holds at least four titles: PA president, head of the PLO Executive Committee, chairman of the Fatah Central Committee and Overall Commander of the Palestinian Armed Forces.

Some Palestinians resorted to Facebook to voice their opposition to the appointment of Abbas as prime minister.

In a sarcastic comment, Palestinian activist Ruba al-Najjar wrote: “Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas congratulates the new prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, and invites him to meet with the chairman of the Fatah Central Committee, Mahmoud Abbas, under the auspices of the head of the PLO Executive Committee, Mahmoud Abbas, at the home of the overall commander of the Palestinian Armed Forces, Mahmoud Abbas.”

Hamas media is noting this as well.

This Photoshop is going around of Abbas appointing himself Prime Minister, as the law states the President must do.

Arabs claim photos of a Jew urinating on Temple Mount

The Al Aqsa Heritage Foundation has another series of photos of Jews, and especially IDF soldiers, "storming" the Temple Mount.

Most of it is pretty typical stuff:

One photo, apparently taken inside one of the buildings, is clearly a different set of tourists but meant to make people think that the soldiers barged in:

The Muslims are accusing the Jews of performing "Talmudic rituals" as usual.

But there is a new twist here. They claim to have photos of a man from the group urinating on an outer wall of the compound:

I did not see this man in any of the other photos that would show that he was part of this group. (One man in the group dressed similarly but wore a kippah and glasses and carried a cane, so this wasn't him.)

Obviously, if someone did urinate there (and I cannot find a stain on the wall showing he did,) it would be an outrageous act of sacrilege both for Muslims and for Jews. Needless to say, no religious Jew would ever consider doing such a thing. Even pretending to do so is astonishingly bad taste and poor judgment.

Or, it could be a set-up, in order to enrage Muslims against Jews, something the Al Aqsa Foundation tries to do literally every day.

The annual festival of hate towards Israel, absurdly called "Israel Apartheid Week," is coming up. The schedule as I understand it is:

Europe February 20 – March 10
West Bank March 12-19
United States February 26 – March 3
Canada March 5-9
Arab World March 5-11
South Africa March 5-11

Yes, it is a month long "week." Because you just can't fit all that vitriol into a measly seven days.

So, just a reminder that you can get lots of posters here to use in your own communities for pro-Israel rallies and counterprotests.

And here is a spoof of this year's poster:

(h/t 5 Minutes for Israel)

Israelis broadcasting messages of peace to Iranians

From Israel HaYom/AP:

While Israeli leaders are increasingly sounding belligerent warnings of a potential military strike against Iran’s nuclear installations, a group of Iranian-Israelis are transmitting a different message.

Radio RADISIN, a private Persian-language station based in Tel Aviv, airs Iranian music, poetry and current affairs shows aiming to spread peace between the Israeli and Iranian people - regardless of who is in power in Tehran.

“We, the people in Israel, are a peaceful nation and not an enemy, or the ‘little Satan’ as we are described by the Iranian regime,” said Shay Amir, the station’s 42-year-old CEO, who left Iran for Israel after the 1979 Islamic revolution. “For 32 years, the regime has poisoned its people against Israel. We are here to tell the truth.”

RADISIN broadcasts 24 hours a day via the Internet, satellite and cable TV. It says 100,000 listeners tune in daily, including an undisclosed number from Iran, where Internet speeds are slow and many sites, including those of political opposition groups, are blocked.

It is not the only Israeli media directed toward Iran. Israel’s state-run radio station has been broadcasting in Persian for 50 years from a spartan studio off a narrow Jerusalem alleyway.

It also chats with Iranians via a switchboard in Germany to get around a ban on calls from Iran to the Jewish state. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has even named the “Zionist broadcast” as among those behind civilian unrest in his country.

RADISIN relies mainly on anonymous sponsors and donations and it airs some commercials. It takes calls from Iranian listeners who often criticize the regime in Tehran and express affection for Israel.

For fear of exposing these callers - and having them branded as collaborators by the Iranian regime - the station asked The Associated Press not to record the conversations.

Others in Iran have been less enamored by the Israeli broadcast. “Twice from Iran, they hacked our website and caused damage, and because of this we decided to switch and air via satellite,” Amir said.

Hezbollah improbably claims not to take orders from Iran

From Reuters:

Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah acknowledged on Tuesday for the first time that his armed movement received financial and material support from Iran, but denied it took instructions from the Islamic Republic.

Nasrallah said Hezbollah previously only confirmed Iranian political and moral backing because it did not want “to embarrass our brothers in Iran”, but had changed policy because Iran’s leadership had announced its support in public.

“Yes, we received moral, and political and material support in all possible forms from the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1982,” Nasrallah told supporters by videolink in a speech marking the anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Mohammed.

“In the past we used to tell half the story and stay silent on the other half ... When they asked us about the material and financial and military support we were silent.”

Nasrallah said Iran had not issued orders to Hezbollah since the movement was founded 30 years ago, adding that if Israel attacked Iran's nuclear sites, the leadership in Iran “would not ask anything of Hezbollah.”

He said if that were to happen, Hezbollah’s own leadership would “sit down, think and decide what to do.”

Sure.

Some vintage posters for Tu B'Shevat

Today is Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish New Year for trees.

Here are some vintage Zionist posters with the theme of fruit:

Hebrew Watermelons!

Sometimes, no one cares when Palestinian Arab homes are demolished

30 homes were destroyed in the territories yesterday - and there is no outcry.

The reason, of course, is that the homes were in Gaza City and it is Hamas doing the destruction.

Palestine Press Agency (seemingly now only on Facebook as a result of hackers) reports that Hamas bulldozers destroyed 30 homes and displaced dozens of families last night, because they built them on government land, sending the families into the cold without notice.

It will be interesting to see if Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch issue any reports about this.

Even more so, I look forward to seeing the condemnations from all those supposedly "pro-Palestinian" organizations who issue mountains of press releases on behalf of their beloved oppressed pets when they perceive any injustice against them.

Any injustice, that is, as long as they can blame Jews.

Did Iran send 15,000 troops into Syria?

From Ha'aretz:

A top Iranian military official is activily aiding the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad in suppressing popular unrest throughout the country, a top member of the National Syrian Council said on Monday.

According to the Syrian official, Kassam Salimani, commander of the Quds Force, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard special forces unit, has arrived in Syria recently and has taken up a spot in the war room which manages army maneuvers against opposition forces.

The war room is also reportedly populated by Assad himself, as well as his brother Maher, brother-in-law Assaf Shaukat and cousin Rami Makhlouf, with the Syrian chief of staff's authority reportedly restricted and divided up between other military commanders.

The Quds Force includes 15,000 elite soldiers who operated, among other locations, in Iraq during the war, and the specialty of which is engaging in unconventional warfare on foreign soil. Among other duties, the Quds Force is in charge of traning and funding Hezbollah.

Turkey's Sabah, however, reports that all 15,000 Quds Force troops are being sent to Syria.

Al-Arabiya picked up on it:

Media sources said that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard recently sent 15,000 troops of its elite Qods Force, armed to the teeth, to Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad, who is facing a popular revolt spread throughout the country to force him to step aside and make way for the establishment of a democratic, pluralistic system, instead of one-party system which ruled Syria for more than four decades.

I don't know how reliable Sabah is, and I wonder whether it simply misunderstood Ha'aretz' description of the Qods Forces. That story was datelined a half hour after Ha'aretz'.

Too often I see that reporters playing the children's game "Telephone." This might be one of those cases.

I think if 15,000 Iranian troops were in Syria, the opposition would be noticing it and publicizing it directly.

The Al Arabiya story does quote another source saying that 65 Iranian military specialists were sent to Syria along with four planeloads of weapons and ammunition hidden in normal civilian aircraft traffic. That seems more likely.

(h/t Yoel)

Arabs boycotted Einstein lecture in Jerusalem in 1923

From the JTA Archives, February 9, 1923:

A very representative gathering of notables, with the exeption of the Arabs, gathered to hear Professor Albert Einstein lecture on his theory of relativity at the Hebrew University House on Mt. Scopus, Wednesday night. Prominent Arab residents declined the invitation presumably because they did not wish to honor the Jewish scientist.

Speaking in Hebrew, M. Ussishkin welcomed the Professor on behalf of the Jewish community. Prof. Einstein began his speech in Hebrew and continued in French evoking great enthusiasm, as he touched on the phases of his theory. Sir Herbert Samuel, the High Commissioner, thanked the Professor for his work in the interests of humanity. He added: "It is a good sign for the Hebrew University that the first lecture is delivered by the greatest physicist in the world".

Zionism is not only a spiritual movement. Its practical work in Palestine is of equal consequence, Prof. Einstein told a Jewish audience at a reception arranged by leading organization here. The address of welcome was delivered by David Yellin, President of the Council of Jerusalem Jews who handed the Professor an illuminated testimonial with the signatures of the representatives of Palestine Jewry.

"The international recognization of Zionism has strengthened my belief in its success", the Professor said in the course of his address.

This was two years before the official opening of Hebrew University in 1925, but it is considered the first lecture ever given there.

According to this book, the lecture was attended by "English, French, Americans, etc., Catholics, Protestants, Templars, and the majority: Jews."

Links

I am not as optimistic as this paper, but the Institute for Middle Eastern Democracy thinks that if Assad falls, Hezbollah might give up their weapons.

"The Jew is a Satan in human form" says a Palestinian Arab scholar in Lebanon.

Egypt's parliament to boycott all events with Israeli officials?

Hacked emails showing George Galloway sucking up to Assad.

Hollywood producer setting up a "content incubator" in Israel.

UNRWA, and the EU by funding it, are the real obstacles to peace.

Arguing against the arguments against attacking Iran.

In the wake of the historical revisionism we've seen in recent years pretending that Israel was at fault for the failure of the Clinton parameters, here is a nice video with Bill Clinton explaining in his own words how Arafat destroyed chances for peace:

Seen in Ramallah (via email, not confirmed):

(h/t Yoel, CHA, EG, Ian)

No business like "Palestine business"

By Adam Reuter at YNet:

The Palestinian Authority recently claimed that Israel gravely harms the PA economy. In fact, Palestinian officials argue that the Israeli occupation exacts a heavy price from their economy, offering a conservative estimate of $7 billion in the past 10 years.

The above estimate includes the frozen economic activity in Gaza as result of the blockade policy, the lost income from natural resources used by Israel given its control of most of the occupied area, additional Palestinian costs as result of restrictions on movement, and further limitations on local production.

Let's forget for a moment why a blockade was imposed on Gaza, why roadblocks have been erected in Judea and Samaria, and why is it that our communities surround themselves with a fence, rather than Palestinian communities. Let's assume that the Palestinian claims are fully accurate, and that the accumulated economic damage they incurred indeed totals $7 billion. As it turns, this is still a good deal for them.

I argue that the Palestinians have turned their misery into an economic strategy that benefits them. As result, they receive more money than all the damage they allegedly incur. Moreover, the current situation is economically beneficial for them, to a great extent.

The Palestinians fail to note that at this time they receive, both directly and indirectly, some $3-4 billion in annual international aid. This is more than double the annual damage to their economy as result of the occupation.

The Palestinians are world champions in per capita aid. On average, each one receives donations of some $1,000 per year. More than 60% of the Palestinian Authority's production originates from global donations. Statistical figures show that in the years 2009 and 2010, the PA received donations totaling some $4 billion per year. The scope of donations more than doubled itself since 2005.

That is, if we count all the funds received by the Palestinians from all sources only in the past 10 years, we reach an amazing sum approaching $25 billion. This is about $18 billion more than their own accumulated damage calculations.
...
The Palestinians claim that the conflict with Israel harms them economically. There is no doubt this is true. Yet on the other hand, it seems they profit much from the conflict. Had it not been for the conflict, the Palestinian would barely receive any global aid. So do they have a genuine economic interest in putting an end to the conflict?

Their entire culture is built on the idea that they deserve unlimited amount of Western aid, because - as they said sixty years ago - they blame the West and the UN for their situation, and they won't do anything to fix it themselves.

(h/t zozosophie)

Did a Gaza rocket terrorist blow himself up this morning?

GANSO has an intriguing message on its site:

I saw nothing about any Israeli airstrike in Gaza last night, so this sounds like a terrorist tried to shoot a rocket to Israel and it blew up on him.

UPDATE: The Arabic version indicates two separate incidents; the "operative" was killed by an unknown gunman in Rafah. (h/t GH)

Sinai Bedouin claim Israel sent them jeans that caused infertility

From MEMRI:

Following are excerpts from a debate on the "invasion" of Israeli products into Sinai, which aired on Egyptian Dream2 TV on February 1, 2012:

Muhammad Al-Mane'i, Sinai Bedouin: There was a time when they would bring us jeans. These pants used to have belts. If you looked at these belts from the front, you'd find a secret compartment, and when you opened it, you would find a magnet inside. When we asked what these magnets were, we were told that they cause sterility.

Interviewer: In other words, it causes infertility.

Muhammad Al-Mane'i: Exactly.

Interviewer: There was a time when these jeans with belts would invade us from Israel, and we used to take the magnets out and chuck them away.

[…]

Interviewer: Israeli products contain lethal poison. You might not feel this poison now, but you will in the future. Israel will remain an enemy lying in wait for Egypt, no matter what happens and regardless of the agreements, because Israel has its eye set on Egypt.

With all these great Israeli inventions that painlessly cause sterility in men, why do people still get vasectomies?