Sunday, May 13, 2012
Elder of Ziyon
Sunday, May 13, 2012Elder of ZiyonWomen’s rights in Morocco have come under the spotlight recently after a young woman was assaulted in a Rabat market by people she called “Salafists,” or ultra-conservative Islamists. She said she was accosted by the men because of the short dress she was wearing.I don't quite get how stripping a girl is more modest than her wearing a dress, nor how beating a girl is less offensive than her wearing a skirt that reveals her shins.
Other witnesses were reported by the Magharebia news portal as saying the girl was attacked with stones and beaten after the assailants said the dress was “too revealing.”
Human rights and women’s organizations issued statements denouncing the assault on the Moroccan girl, during which she was stripped of her clothes entirely, reports indicated.
Young Moroccan men and women turned to Facebook and online groups to call for protection of individual freedoms in Morocco, including the group “Débardeur and I am fine.”
“Though this incident appeared in the media and gained wider attention, that does not mean it is not repeated on an almost regular or semi-daily basis in all the alleys and streets of our cities. It may not end in stripping the girl of her clothing, but the verbal and physical harassment that women may experience is sometimes more heinous and horrible,” said Nora Al-Fuari, an activist journalist at the Al-Sabah daily and a member of the Facebook group.
Sunday, May 13, 2012Elder of ZiyonThe leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah said his group was capable of striking any target in Israel, saying "the days when we fled and they did not are over."As usual, the fearless Nasrallah made this speech via video from an undisclosed underground location.
"Today we are not only able to hit Tel Aviv as a city but, God willing, we are able to hit specific targets in Tel Aviv and anywhere in occupied Palestine," Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address.
"For every building destroyed in Dahiya, a building will be destroyed in Tel Aviv," he said, referring to Hezbollah's stronghold in a suburb of southern Beirut.
"The days when we were afraid and they were not are over," he said. "And we say to them: The time has come when we will remain and you will be the ones who disappear."
Sunday, May 13, 2012Elder of Ziyon
Sunday, May 13, 2012Elder of ZiyonFollowing are excerpts from an April 25, 2012 interview with Palestinian-American lawyer Lamis Deek, which aired on Egyptian ON TV, a station launched in 2009 by Coptic communications tycoon Naguib Sawiris. In the interview, Deek, who according to her website is a board member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), claimed that the world media and press, and even cartoons such as Bugs Bunny, were perpetuating racist anti-Islamic notions. She also accused the U.S. Department of Defense of financing anti-Islamic propaganda films.Here's a classic Bugs Bunny film that has Arab characters.
Lamis Deek: "People interested in attacking the Arab and Muslim communities, and the people who sympathize with the Arabs... I am not talking only about the U.S., but elsewhere as well. They got an opportunity for coordination. I'm talking about the corporations involved in national security and wars, along with Zionist and Israeli institutions, and people who generally believe... I'm talking about Zionist Christians, who believe in the annihilation and demonization of the Muslims. I also mean the racists in general, who are still afraid of what happened in 9/11.
"So all these things - the industry, along with the Zionists and your run-of-the-mill racists who don't know any better, and who get their information only from the media and the press... I'm not talking only about the news, but also about the cartoons on which we were raised, even before 9/11.
"In Bugs Bunny, which we used to watch, they would sometimes bring a character pretending to be an Arab Muslim Sultan. He has a potbelly, and he spends most of his time sitting around and eating, indulging in women day and night, and killing people.
"This is the general notion, but the use they make of it has become more targeted. The film we just watched... The Department of Defense finances such films in order to increase suspicion towards our community in America and abroad."
Interviewer: "The Department of Defense?!"
Lamis Deek: "Yes, it has happened. The DoD has financed films, showing soldiers in Afghanistan killing some Muslims, and the spectators give them a standing ovation. This happens all the time. This is the goal of the film..."
Sunday, May 13, 2012Elder of ZiyonThey are even talking about weaponizing it.At first, it seems like something “Q" developed for British superspy James Bond. The artificial butterfly is handheld and is capable of a vertical takeoff, just like a helicopter. Returning to the Bond movie, we will replace the two main characters: "Q" now becomes the IAI and "007" now becomes a Golani Brigade officer. True, the movie may not be a blockbuster, but no one will want to be the target of this metallic bug.
This butterfly does more than just fly around in the air. Just like any self-respecting UAV, it can also take color images and relay them back to ground control in real time. If you ever imagined what it would be like to be a fly on the wall at a critical moment, this butterfly can fulfill your dream. To explain how it works, Dubi Binyamini, head of IAI's mini-robotics department, takes out a helmet with a visor that looks like something from a science fiction movie and says, "When you put this on you are actually inside the butterfly's cockpit. You see what the butterfly sees. You can fly at any altitude and distance and see everything in real time."
"The butterfly's advantage is its ability to fly in an enclosed environment. There is no other aerial vehicle that can do that today," Binaymini said. "The enclosed structure may be an airport terminal or an indoor train station. You can follow a suspect around without them aware of the fact that you are observing everything they do."
Binyamini mentions airport terminals, but in fact his butterfly can function just as well in forests and jungles. This is important because in locations like southern Lebanon, there are quite a few forests with which Israeli soldiers have unfortunately had to become familiar over the years. Aerial vehicles in use today can fly over the forests, but they don't have the ability to observe the goings-on within them. Hezbollah ambush forces can elude UAVs easily, because UAV cameras cannot "see" past the tops of the trees. If the butterfly meets its planned specifications, it will be able to fly among the trees and plants of a forest.
Saturday, May 12, 2012Elder of Ziyon
unrwaThe Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Filippo Grandi, expressed his grave concern about the current medical and health conditions of the thousands of Palestinian political prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli prisons.
The Commissioner-General appealed to the Israeli government to find an acceptable solution, noting that the hunger strikers’ demands are generally related to the basic rights of prisoners, as stipulated in the Geneva Conventions.
Filippo Grandi reiterated the call of the Secretary-General of the United Nations that those under administrative detention be brought to trial or be set free, noting that two of the administrative detainees are in serious condition after more than 74 days, and are in imminent danger of death.
The statement on prisoners on hunger strike has been removed because it contained some inaccuracies, which are being checked.Now it reads:
The Commissioner General of UNRWA, Filippo Grandi, is following with increasing concern the ongoing hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody, in particular, those held as administrative detainees. He echoes the calls of the Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, and Robert Serry, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, to reach a solution without delay.
Friday, May 11, 2012Elder of ZiyonAmnesty International omits, however, all instances of discrimination initiated by Muslims against Christians and others in Europe who have taken them in, and who may well feel dismayed by what might be seen as an escalating procession of Muslim demands, threats and attacks. Nowhere does it call on Muslims to accept responsibility – not only for problems brought about by the refusal of many of them to accept the values of the majority, but also for their efforts to displace these values with their own.A BCF Update on the Canadian Mosque that teaches hate
Friday, May 11, 2012Elder of ZiyonAccording to a new scientific study there is "a strong correlation of birth defects newborns and parent's exposure to attacks with white phosphorus": at the registation at birth 27% of parents with birth defect children declared exposure to white phosphorus while only 1.7% of parents with normal children made the same declaration.And if you read the study itself, it is filled with all kinds of statistics and verbiage that makes it sounds really, really scientific.
The report entitled "Birth Defects in Gaza: Prevalence, Types, Familiarity and Correlation with Environmental Factors", published today by International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, was carried out by a team of Palestinian and Italian researchers at the Al Shifa hospital, where 28% of total births in Gaza Strip occur.
Friday, May 11, 2012Elder of ZiyonI would add that there are countless incidents of Molotov cocktails and large rocks being hurled at cars and buses, which could have fatal results. Those are barely reported by even the right-wing Israeli press because there are so many of them. (Here's a firebomb attack from just today.)Very little of what actually goes on in Israel is reported by mainstream media. A lot of incidents are never published–though they’re very significant. Here’s a brief recap of the incidents which were just short of the next big terror attack, but which you probably never heard of:
- January 2: IDF force captured 2 Palestinian men carrying illegal guns. The two were taken in for investigation near Nablus while the M-16 rifle, an Uzi, and matching ammunition they carried were confiscated by security forces.
- January 15: IDF force uncovered a hunting rifle and a shotgun in a Palestinian’s house in the village of Dahariya, near Hebron. The man was known to the police on previous charges of criminal violence.
- February 21: A powerful explosive device was uncovered along the Israel-Egypt border. Israeli forces saw a man hurling a suspicious bag and immediately fleeing the scene. The explosive was detonated in a controlled manner. No one was hurt.
- April 11: IDF forces stopped a would-be bomber over Passover at a checkpoint east of Nablus, northern Samaria. The terrorist was carrying improvised explosive devices, three knives and 50 bullets.
- April 21: 2 Palestinian teens carrying bombs and guns were nabbed by Israeli forces. They were apprehended near Tapuach junction with 5 pipe bombs, a gun, and ammo.
- April 24: IDF forces uncovered 4 improvised bombs on two Palestinians at a crossing north of Jericho. The bombs were found in the men’s bags and detonated safely.
- April 28: IDF forces nabbed 2 terrorists with 4 pipe bombs as they were trying to smuggle explosives through a checkpoint in northern Samaria.
- May 7: Israeli forces arrested 17-year-old Palestinian for carrying 3 pipe bombs. The teen was detained near Tapuach junction, a known hotspot for terror attacks.
- May 10: Israeli forces arrested 2 Palestinians carrying 2 explosive devices and 3 prepped firebombs near Tapuach Junction, again.
Friday, May 11, 2012Elder of ZiyonImad is a manufacturer of soap and detergents in Bethlehem. His products used to be labeled in Hebrew but in a fit of patriotism he replaced all the labels with Arabic-only labels.Once again we see the huge disconnect between how the Israel-haters claim that Palestinian Arabs support boycotting Israeli goods - and how actual, real Palestinian Arabs act in the exact opposite way.
And his sales plummeted.
Imad says: "I get frustrated when a customer comes to me, asking: 'Where's the Israeli soap?' All this time they are thinking the producers and manufacturers of these products they consume in their homes are Israelil this is really frustrating."
Imad says his products are much less expensive than their Israeli counterparts.
"I am surprised of the Palestinian consumer, who deals with the products only by their source, and is ready to buy expensive Israeli products but does not even consider our own national product that is sold at reasonable prices."
Some Palestinians prefer Israeli products, thinking they are the best. People say there are clear distinctions between the Israeli and Palestinian products in terms of quality. Many say that they buy Israeli because Israeli factories are subject to strict quality control by the government, so they trust them more than the Palestinian products.
Economic analyst Khalil Assali says that despite the growing awareness among the Palestinian public of the importance of relying on domestic products during the past few years, some prefer Israeli products mostly because consumers have gotten used to the idea that the Palestinian goods are not as high quality. They also are skeptical of the lower-priced Arab goods, thinking they must be inferior.
The economic ministry has over the past years launched several campaigns to boycott Israeli products and to choose local goods instead.
The estimated proportion of Israeli goods in the Palestinian market, according to the latest survey of the Ministry of the Economy, is about eighty per cent compared to eight to ten percent for local products in Palestinian markets.
Friday, May 11, 2012Elder of Ziyon[A]t approximately 17:00 on Wednesday, 09 May 2012, the concluding colloquium of the Palestine Festival of Literature was initiated in the ancient al-Bashal Castle in the east of Gaza City, with a number of Arab poets and writers in attendance. The colloquium was opened with a speech by ‘Amru ‘Izzat, an Egyptian blogger, who talked about liberty. Following the opening of the colloquium, a security officer wearing civilian clothes arrived at the place and introduced himself as a member of the Palestinian police investigation department. He cut off the electricity and requested the attendees to leave the place. Shortly after this occurred, a number of security officers were deployed to the place when attendees refused to leave. They confiscated cameras that had filmed the colloquium, chaos spread and the colloquium was broken up.Ma'an adds:
Security forces cut off electricity and forbade the audience from taking photos on their mobiles [the PJS] said. They also "attacked" Hazem Shahin, a member of an Egyptian band, the syndicate said.The Hamas chief of police apologized saying it was an "individual error." But the fear that even the foreign participants have to speak about what happened says volumes about how the Gaza leadership is pretty much the same as any other Arab dictatorship.
It was not immediately possible to contact visiting members of the festival because they were afraid to discuss the incident until their departure. The event will conclude in Cairo.
Thursday, May 10, 2012Elder of ZiyonYousef Shayeb, 37, a Palestinian journalist from Ramallah, published an article in a Jordanian newspaper this year charging officials at the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Paris with corruption and espionage. In an interview here last week, he said that he had imagined people might thank him for his exposé. Instead, he spent eight days in a Palestinian Authority jail.But if you read past the initial paragraphs, you see something a little jarring:
Jamal Abu Raihan, a Palestinian blogger, has been in prison for three weeks, after he posted a satirical column lampooning the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, as a donkey on a Facebook page he ran titled, “The people want an end to corruption.”
And in recent months, on the orders of the attorney general, the authorities have tried to block Palestinians’ access to a number of Web sites that officials said were supportive of Muhammad Dahlan, a onetime Gaza security chief and now a rival of Mr. Abbas.
As Palestinian journalists and activists, imbued with the spirit of the Arab Spring, become more daring and enamored with the possibilities of new media and social networking sites, the primary instinct of some in the Palestinian Authority has been to crack down.
Now Palestinian officials, journalists and bloggers are struggling to define the principles of freedom of expression and its boundaries, and to distinguish between legitimate criticism and defamation.Isn't it a little unusual for a journalists' syndicate to talk about how their own people might be crossing the line into "defamation"? Usually they will argue for absolute (or nearly absolute) freedom of expression and let others advocate for limits on such freedoms.
“We understand that we have a constructive power,” said Nabhan Khraishi, the communications officer for the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, “and on the other hand we have a destructive power that can be a catastrophe.”
Any Palestinian journalists who meet with Israeli colleagues will be expelled from the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate in the West Bank, the group warned on Thursday.So in the end the leaders of the journalists themselves are the ones who are the most against freedom of expression! In fact, they are acting in ways that are indistinguishable from how the Arab dictators and despots they pretend to despise act.
The warning followed a meeting that took place last week between Israeli and Palestinian journalists on the occasion of World Free Press Day.
“We are opposed to such meetings because they are designed to achieve normalization with Israel,” said a senior member of the journalists syndicate in Ramallah. “Any member who meets with Israeli journalists will be fired.”
Thursday, May 10, 2012Elder of ZiyonA poll on the popularity of presidential candidates conducted by the Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC), a think-tank associated with the Egyptian Cabinet, showed that Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh led the presidential field, although nearly 40 percent said they were undecided.Fotouh is a former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, and who has garnered support from both secularists and from Salafists.
According to the poll, Abouel Fotouh’s 9 percent support was followed by Ahmed Shafiq who garnered 8 percent. Shafiq rose one rank as compared to a poll conducted by the IDSC in April.
The results of the poll, which was published Thursday said that Amr Moussa stood at 7 percent support, falling into third place. The Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate Mohamed Morsy came fourth with 4 percent, while Hamdeen Sabbahi was fifth with 2 percent.
The poll said that the 39 percent are yet to decide on a candidate, down from 42 percent in April. Eight percent of people, meanwhile, said they would not participate in the election and 6 percent refused to name their candidate.
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