Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Egypt easing Gaza visa requirements? Not so fast.

AP reported yesterday:

Egypt is allowing freer temporary entry for Palestinians into the country in an unprecedented move that eases long-imposed travel restrictions, particularly on Gazans, Egyptian and Palestinian officials said Monday.

The decision has caused confusion among the security agencies here -- and appeared to bring some resistance. Some officers at the airport refused to implement the measures, an airport official said, in a sign of how deeply some in the security forces view the Palestinians as a potential threat.

And JPost reported:

Palestinians who arrive in Egypt without a visa will be allowed to stay in the country for 72 hours, the Egyptian envoy in Ramallah, Yasser Othman, announced Monday.

The announcement came as the Egyptian authorities denied that they have lifted restrictions imposed on Palestinian travelers.

But today, Othman is singing a different tune:

Procedures for Palestinians entering Egypt have not changed, despite earlier reports that restrictions had been eased, Cairo's ambassador to the Palestinian Authority said Monday.

Yasser Othman told Ma'an that regulations for Palestinians' entry to Egypt were still applicable, although Palestinians arriving in Egypt would be granted a 48 -72 hour visa to transit the country in limited cases.

"All the news circulated in the media about Palestinians' entry to Egypt are false, however human considerations will be taken into account regarding the deportation of Palestinians from the Egyptian airport to the Gaza Strip," Othman said.

It sounds like there was pushback in Egypt against loosening restrictions against Gazans - who ordinary Egyptians seem to love, as long as that love is expressed purely as anti-Israel demonstrations.

It looks like Egypt is still besieging Gaza.

How dare the world shun Israel on terrorism (Jose Maria Aznar)

This is behind the Times of London's paywall:

How dare the world shun Israel on terrorism

Forty years after Munich, we are wrong to block the country most affected by atrocities

Jose Maria Aznar

When we are about to mark the 40th anniversary of the terrorist attacks at the Olympic Village in Munich, in which 11 Israeli athletes were killed by Palestinian terrorists, it is a real paradox to see Israel excluded from the first meeting of the Global Counter-terrorism Forum.

This initiative, led by the United States and attended by 29 countries and the European Union, took place last month in an effort to improve the co-ordination of counter-terrorism policies at global level. Why wasn't Israel invited? The meeting was held in Istanbul and no one wanted to "provoke" the host, the Islamist Government of the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Worse still, in July, the forum organised its first victims-of-terrorism meeting. Not only was Israel excluded, but Israeli victims had no place in its official speeches. When we see deadly terrorist attacks such as the recent one in Bulgaria, targeting tourists simply because they were Israeli, the marginalisation of Israel is totally unacceptable.

As a terrorism victim myself, who was fortunate to survive a car-bomb attack, I cannot understand or justify the marginalisation of other terrorist victims just for political reasons. If we extrapolate Israel's experience of slaughter to Britain, it would mean that in the past 12 years about 11,000 British citizens would have died and 60,000 would have been injured in terrorist attacks. In the case of the United States, the figures would he 65,000 dead and 300,000 injured. Israel's ordeal is far from insignificant.

It is even more poignant if one considers Israel's willingness to face up to terrorism and the practical experience that it has acquired to defeat it. Israel has much to contribute in this area and everyone else has a lot to learn if we really want to defeat the terrorists.

Fiamma Nirenstein, the vice-president of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Italian Chamber of Deputies (and a member of the Friends of Israel Initiative) has made a proposal that is as fair as it is attractive - to hold a moment of silence at the London Olympics in memory of the 1972 massacre. Remembering is important, first, because of the victims, but also because many Europeans adopted the wrong attitude towards Palestinian terrorism after the Munich attack. The culprits who were arrested were later quietly released for fear of further attacks. And because of that initial fear the terrorists knew hose to take advantage of the situation and to press for more rewards.

I have experienced terrorism at first hand. Many of my friends and some political colleagues have been killed by terrorists whose only merit was to have a hood, a gun or a bomb. Nonetheless, even in the most difficult times, I have always believed that weakness and appeasement are the wrong choices. Terrorism is not a natural phenomenon; it doesn't happen spontaneously; its not something ethereal. It can and must be fought using all the tools provided by the law and democracy - and most importantly, it can be defeated if there is the will to defeat it. Israel has provided ample proof that it possesses that will, since its own existence is at stake.

To marginalise or isolate Israel to avoid irritating Turkey is a big mistake. All of the Middle East, from Morocco to the Gulf, is undergoing profound, although not always peaceful, change, which is yielding very disturbing results. Although the elections in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt are something new and promising for the region, Syria is immersed in civil war and there is a danger that the region's largest arsenal of chemical weapons will spin out of control and become available to anyone - as happened with Libya's portable anti-aircraft missiles, which disappeared after the fall of of Colonel Gaddafi, In Egypt, the rise of Islamism threatens economic and political stability. Hezbollah is still in Lebanon, keeping alive its goal of eliminating Israel -just as members oft Hamas do in Gaza. Despite sanctions, Iran is moving forward with the development of a nuclear bomb in its effort to become the regional leader and to export its Islamist and revolutionaiy ideology as widely as possible. There are also other areas in turmoil that directly affect Europe, such as the Sahel region of Africa, south of the Sahara, which is now becoming dominated by al-Qaeda.

Isolation not only renders Israel weaker against its enemies, but also makes all Westerners weaker. And the practitioners of terrorism know all too well how to exploit our differences.

Remembering Munich 40 years on should be a useful reminder of our successes and failures. It should help us to enhance our collective abilities to light terrorism. Israel is key in this fight. Israel is a part of the West. Israel is not the problem; it is part of the solution. We will become the problem if we continue to cold-shoulder Israel, the country most affected by terrorism and, possibly, the one that knows best how to defeat it.

Jose Maria Aznar was Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004 and is chairman of the Friends of Israel Initiative.

(h/t Jason for the JPGs, I OCR'ed them)

Iran's Zionist Olympic Follies

From AP:

Iranian athletes will compete against Israelis at the London Olympics, according to the country's chef de mission.

Iran has been criticized in the past because some of its athletes withdrew from events against Israelis at the 2004 Athens Games and 2008 Beijing Games.

"We will be truthful to sport," said Bahram Afsharzadeh, who is also the secretary general of the Iranian Olympic committee said.

Afsharzadeh, who was at times speaking through a translator, also said his team had no plans to boycott events because of the nationality of opponents.

"We just follow the sportsmanship and play every country," Afsharzadeh said.

From the text of the interview, he did not mention Israel by name.

This is in huge contrast to what Iran's official news agency reported last month:

IRI sports minister said here Friday Iranian athletes will just as always refrain from competing against Zionist regime’s representatives if in drawing lots they would have to do so, as Iranians do not recognize legitimacy of forged Zionist regime.

Islamic Republic of Iran Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Mohammad Abbasi made the comment on the sideline of attending a practice session of the Iranian National Wrestling Teams in an interview with an IRNA Sports Desk reporter.

He added in response to IRNA, “Not competing with the Zionist athletes is one of the values and prides of the Iranian athletes and nation.”

On possibility of deprivation of the Iranian athletes from gaining their deserved medals if they would refrain from competing against Zionist regime representatives, he said, “God willing such a thing will not happen, but if it does we would definitely find a way to solve the problem.”

Then, after world media blared this news, Iran's official news agency denied it. From YNet:

Iranian media on Tuesday denied a report quoting the head of the Iranian Olympic Mission as saying that Iranian athletes will compete against Israelis at the London Games.

"In a satanic step, Zionist media published the words of the head of Iran's Olympic Mission who announced that the Iranian athletes will compete against the Zionist regime's representatives at the Olympics," a Fars news agency report said. The report was quoted by other Iranian media outlets.

Fars claimed the Bahram Afsharzadeh's words were taken out of context. "He said nothing on the matter and did not name Israel," Fars said.

This interview with Israel's Olympics head is the most likely scenario:

The head of Israel’s Olympic committee said Tuesday he didn’t believe the Iranian delegation’s claim that its athletes will play against Israelis during the Games.

Zvi Warshaviak told reporters before boarding a plane to London that athletes from certain countries would fake being sick to get out of competing against Israelis. When game time comes, he said, “someone will have an upset stomach.”

There’s a difference between Iran saying it would face Israeli athletes and actually doing so, Warshaviak stated. “I imagine it won’t happen.”

IOC officials had in the past threatened to send home any player who refused to compete because of political reasons.

Athletes from Iran and a number of other countries have refused in the past to compete against Israeli athletes, faking sickness or forfeiting matches for political reasons.

But there is another reason why Iran can pretend to be sportsmanlike in English: it is highly unlikely that any Iranian athlete will directly compete against any Israeli:

At the London Games there is a slim chance of Iranian athletes meeting Israeli ones. Unlike previous Olympics, the two countries have no judokas in the same weight category, and none of the swimmers race in the same heat.

The field that might pitch a representative of the Jewish state against one from the Islamic republic is the 400-meter dash, and that would happen only if both sprinters compete in the same qualifying round, or if both advance to the next round.

There actually was one additional Iranian athlete that had a chance to compete against an Israeli - but you know how easy it is for athletes in top physical condition to get critically ill a week before the Games:

Despite an Iranian assertion on Monday that its athletes would compete against Israeli ones at the 2012 Games, just hours earlier the Iranian team departed for London, leaving behind the lone athlete who had the possibility of facing an Israeli opponent.

On Sunday authorities had announced that that athlete, Javad Mahjoob, a judo champion, is suffering from a “critical digestive system infection,” forcing him to take antibiotics and not travel to the Games, which begin on Friday.

We all know how dangerous it is to travel while on antibiotics, right? Every athlete who trained for years to get to the Olympics would just shrug and say, "oh, well."

Mahjoob’s absence has led to speculation that Iran is maintaining its long-standing policy of not allowing its athletes to compete with Israeli opponents.

Mahjoob himself has acknowledged going to great lengths to keep from squaring off against an Israeli. In a 2011 interview with the Iranian newspaper Shargh, Mahjoob admitted to throwing a match against a German opponent, saying that, “If I won I would have had to compete with an Israeli athlete. And if I refused to compete with the Israeli, they would have suspended our Judo federation for 4 years.”

Israel’s judoka in the 100-kilogram weight class, Ariel “Arik” Ze’evi, will be competing in his fourth Olympic Games. The 35-year-old won a bronze medal at the 2004 Games in Athens, and is widely considered to hold one of Israel’s best chances of taking home a medal in London.

If any country wants to better their chances to win a medal that has an Iranian favorite, they just need to contribute to Israel's Olympic Committee to ensure that an Israeli athlete will compete in the same category.

One thing is certain: the IOC will do nothing to penalize Iran for this farce.

George Clooney to play Arafat in 3D biopic? Arabic media fall for satire

Arabic language media have fallen for a satirical article that claims that Steven Spielberg will produce a 3D Yasser Arafat biopic starring George Clooney.

Here's where they got it from, a spoof website called the Pan-Arabia Enquirer:

He already has the beard!

George Clooney has been signed up to play the lead in an upcoming biopic of Yasser Arafat, according to an article in The Hollywood Reporter.

Quoting insiders close to the project in Los Angeles, the publication claims that actor has agreed a deal that will see him play the title role in ‘Yasser’, a new multi-million dollar 3D feature being developed as a collaboration between Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks Studios and the Doha Film Institute.

Anne Hathaway is widely expected to join the project as Arafat’s wife, Suha
Anne Hathaway is tipped to play Arafat’s wife Suha, while Chris Hemsworth is already on board as a younger Yasser Arafat. On the other side, Kevin Spacey is the bookie’s favourite to take the role of Yitzhak Rabin while Alan Rickman is reportedly in final contract negotiations stages that should see him become Arafat’s devious latter-day nemesis Benjamin Netanyahu.

Sources closes to Clooney say the A-lister is “over the moon” to be playing Arafat, and has “long dreamed of donning the iconic headdress and army fatigues”. No director has yet been lined up, but many in the industry expect the task to be handed to Peter Jackson, who has previously suggested any film about Arafat should be spread over three separate films.

“Biopics are huge business these days, with movies about the lives of Margaret Thatcher, Marilyn Monroe and Danny Devito having earned millions at the box office,” claimed film expert Jethro Goldstein, speaking to The Pan-Arabia Enquirer. “Yasser Arafat is a character with all the action, drama and emotion to take biopics into the lucrative 3D market, and Clooney – who looks the part as well as being politically minded – is the perfect choice as the lead.”

Syrian army entered DMZ near Israel, UN; fired mortar

From Ha'aretz:

Syrian army forces crossed the demilitarized zone near the border with Israel in the Golan Heights last week, a highly unusual incident, on what is considered a quiet border.

Following the incident, in which 500 soldiers and 50 vehicles crossed into the demilitarized zone, Israel filed a formal complaint to the UN secretary general and to the president of the UN's Security Council, warning that the event may have serious ramifications.

The Syrian soldiers entered the demilitarized zone last Thursday. The Syrian forces entered the area near the Syrian village of Jubata Al Khashab, a few kilometers east of the Israeli Druze village of Mas'ada in the northern part of the Golan Heights.

Israel complained to the UN about the breach.

It didn't seem to help:

A mortar shell exploded on the Syrian side of the Israel- Syria border Monday evening.

The projectile landed within the demilitarized zone's limits, about 400 meters from the border fence.

The mortar shell exploded near the Syrian village of Jubata al-Khahasb, and not far from the Golan Heights Druze village of Massaada.

Residents of the Golan Heights as well as IDF sources said the echoes of the fighting raging in Syria are heard in Israel, with fires and smoke seen clearly from across the border.

This is not the first time Syrian forces pushed close to the border.

In March:

Blue-helmeted United Nations peacekeeping troops patrolling a slice of Syrian territory to maintain a ceasefire with Israel face new risks as violence between Syrian government loyalists and rebels gets closer.

In this tiny corner of Syria where the United Nations has a little-noticed foothold, peacekeepers stayed in their bunkers listening this month as several Syrians were reportedly killed by gunmen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) did not publicise the incident, and there was no report from Israeli forces whose nearby hilltop observation units possibly saw or heard at least one of two gunbattles in the valley below.

The Israel Defence Forces this week declined comment and there was no report of the incident in Croatia, whose president had visited Croat troops in the Golan just two weeks earlier.

This apparent desire to play down the threat reflects the tension gripping a small UN operation that ran successfully for 36 years and now faces a new challenge as a year-long Syrian uprising against Assad turns ever more violent.

I'm not so sure that UNDOF has been that effective in patrolling the border. After all, last year they allowed Syrians - under government control - to infiltrate Israel, violating their own rules.

At any rate, things are heating up very, very close to Israel, and the UN is not going to do anything to stop it.

Israel's unrequited goodwill

How come all of the "goodwill gestures" always come from only one side and are never, ever reciprocated?

From JPost:

Israel, in a “goodwill gesture” to the Palestinian Authority, gave Ramallah over the last few days a NIS 180 million advance on tax money it transfers on a monthly basis, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

The money was transferred before Ramadan, which began Friday, to help the PA – currently in the midst of a severe financial crisis – pay the monthly salaries of public sector employees.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz made the decision, one of a number of gestures made since the beginning of the year in an attempt to improve relations with the PA and encourage its President Mahmoud Abbas to renew some kind of dialogue with Israel.

Senior government officials said that the decision to transfer the funds – an advance on money that is to be transferred in the coming months – was made before US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit last week, and was not the result of a US request.

In addition, the government’s economic cabinet recently decided to increase by approximately 5,000 the number of Palestinian construction workers allowed to work in the country.

From COGAT:

Towards the Month of Ramadan, Israel has approved through COGAT a list of gestures and facilitations for the Palestinians, in order to facilitate, to a certain extent, the adequate and regular routine over the course of the Month of Ramadan, characterized by family visits, arrival at mosques and places of worship and collective and mass crowding until the small hours of the night for prayer and social gathering.

The IDF has approved, through the Central Command and the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria, the removal of several internal crossings and barriers, including: The southern entrance barrier to the city of Jericho and two additional barriers in Northern Samaria. The barrier is located at the southern entrance to Ramallah and shall be open 24 hours a day and enable a more convenient access to the city.

Also the VIP population and the senior businessmen (BMC) in the Palestinian Authority will enjoy this month from significant facilitations, including travels abroad through the Ben Gurion Airport, with a special permit.

The month of Ramadan is observed, beyond the daily fasting, also with mass prayers at mosques and at the temple mount in Jerusalem. Israel has approved, within the framework of holiday gestures, the exit of men and women over the age of 40 (married with children) to prayers in Jerusalem, without needing a special permit. For women and men between the ages of 35-40, a dedicated permit shall be issued for them for prayers at the Temple Mount. Likewise, permits were granted to 5,000 prayers per day to go during week days to prayers at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and permits were given for family visits in Israel during the holidays and for a time period of a month.

From Ma'an:

Israeli authorities would deploy additional personel at the Allenby bridge to facilitate Palestinians traveling for the holiday, while a medical team would be on hand due to the high temperatures.

According to the statement, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Maj.-Gen. Eitan Dangot, met with representatives of the Palestinian Authority and updated them on the plans for Ramadan.

"IDF soldiers have been given orders to show special consideration toward the Palestinian residents of the Judea and Samaria region and, wherever possible, to refrain from eating, drinking and smoking in public, more so at the various crossings so as to demonstrate a high level of respect and understanding."

Now, go and try to find a single good word from any Arab, anywhere, about Israel's bending over backwards to accommodate residents of the territories during Ramadan. Keep in mind that under existing agreements, none of these is obligatory on Israel, and some of them costs the Israeli government some serious money.

After all, goodwill gestures should engender good will, right?

So where is it?

Monday links

From Ian:

Latma Summer series
BSN network has a new solution for the scope of the settlements

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu w-Chris Wallace (FULL INTERVIEW) - Fox News Sunday (Video)

Druze students in Syria: 'Send us back to Israel'

“The students, who reside in the northern Golan Heights, are visiting the Syrian capital as part of their studies. They have asked the Red Cross to return to Israel due to the deteriorating security situation in Syria.“

Israel complains to UN after Syrian troops enter Golan demilitarized zone

"Foreign Ministry source says Israel views the incident as a serious violation, especially given the current instability in Syria "

Arab League calls on Assad to step down

"At emergency meeting in Qatar, ministers agree to provide Syrian president with safe passage, tell rebels to form transitional government"

The warped Tweets of Ali Abunimah: Burgas terror attack conspiracy edition

"Ali Abunimah - contributor to ‘Comment is Free’ from 2006 to 2009, co-founder of Electronic Intifada and an anti-Zionist activist who opposes the existence of the Jewish state within any borders.."
"..his recent conspiratorial – and simply unhinged - Tweets about the terrorist attack in Bulgaria which killed 5 Israelis."

Israeli Settlements an Obstacle to Peace? by Michael Curtis

"For four centuries the West Bank and east Jerusalem, were provinces of the Turkish Ottoman Empire; after that, from 1922 until 1948, they were ruled by Britain under the Mandate given it by the League of Nations. These areas have never been under any Arab sovereignty. The Palestinians have never had a political state of their own; and when offered the opportunity to create one by the United Nations General Assembly in 1947, refused to create one."

Not One Moment to Remember Munich

"While we think Costas’ stand on the moment of silence has added another reason to consider him one of the most thoughtful voices on television, the IOC’s ongoing refusal ought to give the rest of us a reason to skip the globaloney fest altogether."

New York City Funding for Anti-Israel Hate-Fest

"The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS) at the City University of New York (CUNY) has announced a two-day conference which serves no purpose, except to condemn Israel, reflecting a simple double standard."

UN tribunal sets trial date for Hariri assassination

"The trial was tentatively scheduled to start on March 25, 2013, the tribunal said.
The four defendants, members of Hezbollah, remain at large, shielded by the movement’s denial of their involvement and the practical reality that Hezbollah’s armed forces, dominant in Lebanon, can likely prevent their arrest."

Sacha Baron Cohen settles slander suit with Palestinian grocer he labelled a 'terrorist' in Bruno

Cairo airport denies easing entry procedures for Palestinians

"Authorities say three Palestinians are awaiting deportation to Gaza for arriving without a visa"

Also, although a little hard to read, this article is about an anti-Zionist (and honorary Palestinian citizen) Israeli who traveled to Morocco to shake hands with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. This caused much embarrassment to the Islamist party that organized the event,with accusations that they are too pro-Zionist.

Leonard Fein's ignorance - or malice - in discussing the Levy Report

From Leonard Fein in The Forward:

Considerable attention has been focused these last several weeks on the report of Israel’s Levy Commission. No great surprise: The three-person commission, appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to render an advisory opinion regarding Jewish settlement in the West Bank, determined that there is no barrier to such settlement and, indeed, that the legality of all such settlements that may have been thought clouded could and should be retroactively affirmed. Essentially, the Commission asserted, as has been noted in all analyses of its report, that the occupation is not an occupation, not according to its detailed analysis of the relevant international law.

Criticism of the report has been widespread and has focused on the devastating consequences were it to become state policy. But there’s a prior question: Is the report’s analysis correct?

The report tells a detailed history that begins with the Balfour Declaration (1917), goes on to the San Remo Conference (1920), where groundwork was laid for the League of Nations, goes from there to the award to Britain by the League of Nations a mandate for governing Palestine (1922) and thence to Article 80 of the United Nations Charter, which affirms that all mandate arrangements established by the League were in effect inherited, verbatim, by the UN.

All that history is, with two exceptions, quite accurate. The first exception has to do with interpreting the words of the Balfour Declaration: “His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” The Levy Commission, as many observers have over the years, chooses to see “national home” as the equivalent of sovereignty. But the problem with such an interpretation is that the choice of “a national home” (rather than, say, “state” or “the national home of the Jewish people” or, maximally, “the establishment of Palestine as the national home”) was not accidental; it was unambiguously deliberate. Indeed, it was not until 1942, at a conference at the Biltmore Hotel in New York, that the Zionist movement itself formally endorsed Jewish sovereignty — statehood — as it aim.

This is disingenuous. For political reasons, the mainstream Zionist leadership felt it was best to cooperate with Great Britain and as such did not want to publicly go beyond the purposefully ambiguous language of San Remo that said "Recognition had thereby been given to the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine and to the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country." Anyone with any knowledge of the Zionist movement in the 1930s and 1940s know that the Zionists were building the institutions of a full-fledged state in Palestine. (To give a relevant example for today, the Palestine Olympic Committee, founded by Jews [although it included Arabs,] was established in 1934.)

The reason that Biltmore went beyond the minimalist interpretation of San Remo was because the British were violating San Remo's provision to "facilitate Jewish immigration under suitable conditions and shall encourage, in co-operation with the Jewish agency referred to in Article 4, close settlement by Jews, on the land..." The British White Paper of 1939 shut the door on immigration of millions of doomed Jews in Europe and Biltmore reflected the Zionist leaders' political break with Great Britain's betrayal. Fein's neo-minimalist interpretation of San Remo ignores all these facts (actually, he essentially ignores San Remo altogether to concentrate on the Balfour Declaration, which does not have the same legal weight. Levy's arguments were based on San Remo, not Balfour.)

Fein barrels on:

But set that exception to the side, because the next is the pill that fatally poisons the Levy Commission report. If you’re going to review a dense history, there’s something of an obligation not to end your review in midstream. Here’s what’s missing in Levi: In September of 1947, the British announced their intention to relinquish the Mandate; two months later, on November 29, 1947, the UN, in its Resolution 181, voted to approve the partition of Palestine (by then, the area from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River); the British Mandate formally concluded on May 14, 1948, and within hours, David Ben Gurion and his colleagues announced the establishment of a Jewish state.

Thus, had the Commission told the whole story, it would have had to acknowledge that UN 181 — to which it makes no reference at all — in fact and in law rendered all the earlier history irrelevant. In its place, a decision by the UN that Palestine be divided into two, that there be established side-by-side two states, one with a Jewish majority, the other with an Arab majority.

But, it will be said, UN 181 was legally only a recommendation by the General Assembly; it did not have the force of international law.

Look farther: Much happened in the aftermath of the Partition Resolution and the declaration of Israel’s sovereign independence. A war happened, and was terminated only with cease-fire agreements (not peace treaties). And, critically, in May 1949, after the cease-fire agreements were in place, the UN admitted Israel to membership, making explicit reference to the Partition Resolution and de facto accepting that Israel’s borders had been “amended” by the cease-fire lines (i.e, the “Green Line”). And that was no longer merely a recommendation; it was a binding act.

Really? UNGA 273, that admitted Israel to the UN, says nothing about borders. The word "amended" that Fein puts into quotes as if part of the resolution defines Israel's borders does not exist in 273. Nor does it exist in the UNSC recommendation for Israel to be admitted as a state. In fact, the only UN document referred to in UNGA 273 that even mentions the word "boundaries" is its reference to Israel's declarations and explanations spoken by Abba Eban, which among other things states explicitly that the question of boundaries had not yet been solved.

Fein made this claim up.

Admittedly, UNGA 273 "recalls" the earlier partition resolution in the preamble, but that has no legal weight. (It also "recalls" UNGA 194, which among other things calls for Jerusalem and Bethlehem to be under UN control. Does Fein consider that international law?) The fact is, as Fein notes and then discards, that UNGA 181 has no status in international law because the Arab states did not accept it. (If they would have, it would be considered an agreement between Israel and the Arab states and would then have legal validity, like a treaty.) But the UN never established borders for Israel, and Israel only had arbitrary armistice lines between 1949 and 1967.

Surely Fein knows this, and yet he says:

The fact that the Arabs opposed 181 and never established a state within its proposed parameters roils the waters but does not change the law: According to Israel’s birth certificate, it is not the sovereign authority in the West Bank. The Zionist movement was Israel’s father; the United Nations was its mother.

Israel exists not because the UN created it - it exists because the Jewish state survived and won a war of annihilation against them. The borders of that state were not defined by the UN - to say it was is simply a lie.

The legal status of Judea and Samaria was not set by the UN either. It certainly never declared it part of a Palestinian state, nor did the UN recognize it as part of Jordan. And Fein knows that as well.

Fein's analysis, in the end, is not only flawed - it is purposefully misleading.

Fein's attempt to find that the Levy report is in error only proves that it is Fein himself who not only omits relevant facts - but he makes them up when it suits him.

His zeal to discredit Levy only ends up discrediting Fein himself.

(h/t EBoZ)

UNDP builds school named after Hamas terrorist

From the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center:

On July 8 a new elementary school was opened in the Gaza Strip, named for arch-terrorist Adnan al-Ghoul. It is located near the former Netzarim junction in the northwest Gaza Strip, a region from which Israel withdrew during the unilateral disengagement in 2005. The opening ceremony was attended by Ismail Haniya, head of the de-facto Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip, and Osama al-Muzeini, the administration's minister of education. Construction of the school was financed by Libya and implemented by the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) in the Gaza Strip, a UN agency dealing with helping poor and developing countries.

Speaking before the audience at the opening ceremony, Ismail Haniya said that the school had been built a few meters from the site of the death of Muhammad Durrah, who, he said "ignited the second intifada."2 Haniya made a point of saying that Adnan al-Ghoul had been a prominent figure in the history of the "resistance" [i.e., anti-Israeli terrorism], noting that "he was not an ordinary jihad fighter or shaheed [martyr for the sake of Allah]" (Ma'an News Agency, Dunya al-Watan, the Hamas forum and Al-Quds, July 10, 2012)

Adnan al-Ghoul, for whom the school was named, was not an "ordinary rank-and-file" terrorist operative but rather a top-ranking terrorist of Hamas' military-terrorist apparatus in the Gaza Strip. He specialized in the preparation of IEDs and developed the Qassam rocket system for Hamas (earning him the nickname "father of the Qassam"). He was the right-hand man of Muhammad Deif, head of Hamas' military-terrorist wing, and had an important role in Hamas' plot to sabotage the Oslo Accords. For example, Al- Ghoul was involved in manufacturing the bombs used in the double attack at the Beit Lid junction in the center of Israel on January 22, 1995, in which 22 Israelis were killed. He also prepared the explosive belt for the 1996 Purim suicide bombing at Dizengoff Center in the heart of Tel Aviv, in which ten Israeli civilian were killed. He died in an Israeli Air Force targeted killing on October 21, 2004.

The UNDP issued a press release defending itself:

As part of its mandate, UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People supports a wide range of development initiatives, including education projects such as building schools.

UNDP implemented the construction of this school that was upon completion, handed over to the Ministry of Education.

The implementation was done under the “direct execution modality” without any involvement of the de-facto authorities in Gaza.

UNDP was also not involved or present at the opening ceremony and has no role whatsoever in naming or in any other activity related to the school.

Through its work, UNDP and the UN system at-large aims to build lasting peace and prosperity throughout the region.

This is disingenuous. The Ministry of Education in Gaza is Hamas. It is separate from the Ministry of Education for the Palestinian Authority (although it does still use the PA logo, their websites are distinct and don't link to each other.) There is no way that the UNDP didn't know that this school would be run by Hamas or that the "Ministry of Education" is essentially Hamas.

For example, here is a photo from a ceremony from a previous event in Gaza sponsored by this Ministry:

Not much subtlety there.

UNDP's "see no evil" policy is what allows Hamas to gain legitimacy.

(h/t Daniel)

Today's horrible photos of Jews on the Temple Mount

Palestine Today reports about how Jews are brazenly ascending to their holiest spot during the nine days of commemoration for the destruction of the Temples.

According to the article, "extremist groups have today been performing Talmudic rituals and prayers in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa under the protection and escort of special occupation police units."

Qudsmedia says that they expect more Jews to "storm" the courtyards of the Mount as the upcoming Tisha B'Av fast day approaches next Sunday.

Fatah's Palestine Press Agency also covered this, as did Hamas' Palestine Times, which captioned the photo "Al Aqsa is in Danger." All of them emphasized the heebie-jeebie "Talmudic prayers" supposedly said by the visitors.

Because everyone knows that Talmudic prayers are especially heinous.

Since this is Ramadan, this essentially daily occurrence of Jews peacefully visiting the Temple Mount is being published far and wide in Arabic media, from Egypt to Jordan to the UAE. You see, they are upset that Jews, by breathing holy Al Aqsa air, are disregarding the feelings of a billion Muslims as they play soccer on Judaism's most holy site.

The new Egypt tightens up anti-alcohol rules

From Egypt Independent:

Tourism Minister Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour Tourism has modified the rules for tourist facilities, such as restaurants, nightclubs and hotels, by banning the sale of alcohol beverages to Egyptians on all religious occasions and not just during Ramadan, in respect for Muslims.

Those occasions include the month of Ramadan, Islamic New Year's Eve, the night of the prophet’s Night Journey, the prophet's birthday and the day of Arafat during the pilgrimage.

Facilities violating that decision would be suspended. Previously, alcohol was only banned in Ramadan, but the minister immediately agreed to a proposal by Sherif Ismail, his legal adviser, to extend the ban to other occasions.

This is of course a law aimed at Egyptian Christians.

But that's nothing. Saudi Arabia takes the gold medal in religious coercion:

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior urged non-Muslims residing in the kingdom to respect Muslims, who are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, by not eating openly or else face serious consequences that include deportation.

“The non-Muslim expatriates in this country should respect the sentiments of Muslims by not eating, drinking and smoking in public places, including roads and workplaces,” stated an Interior Ministry statement issued by the Saudi Press Agency, adding that violators will be either deported or sacked.

The ministry said that eating and drinking openly are seen as an embarrassment to Muslims, as abstaining from food and drinks from sunrise till sunset are one of the visible features of Ramadan that must be respected.

“Being a non-believer of Islam does not exempt an expatriate from being inconsiderate of the feelings of Muslims and the Islamic symbols of this country.”

Egypt's new government has something to shoot for.

Egyptian actors freak out, turn violent when told they are on Israeli TV (updated x2)

Here is a brilliant MEMRI video of a "Candid Camera"- type TV show in Egypt, where famous actors are told they would be interviewed by a German TV station but then they "discover" during the show that it is really Israeli.

A female hostess and "producer" get physically attacked, furniture gets overturned, actors say "I hate the Jews to death," and a great laugh is had by all as the program proudly shows off what they call Egyptian "patriotism."

UPDATE: Here is the transcript:

Following are excerpts from pranks played by Al-Nahar TV on several Egyptian actors, which aired on July 20 and 22, 2012.

July 20, 2012:

Interviewer Iman Mubarak: We have a phone call… Hello…

Voice: Mr. Tuhami, we love and respect you. We love your works and enjoy your movies, but I cannot believe what I am seeing. We used to love you, but when we see you on such a TV channel – a dubious Israeli TV channel… Shame on you!

Iman Mubarak: The call has been cut off. You may call again…

Dear viewers, let’s take a short break, before we resume our show, “With the Other,” from Cairo.

[Turning to Ayman Kandeel] What?

Ayman Kandeel “Tuhami”: Was that sister Palestinian, Egyptian, or what?

Iman Mubarak: I can’t tell her nationality, but the call was cut off.

Ayman Kandeel: I heard her say that this is an Israeli channel. Is this an Israeli channel?

Iman Mubarak: The production didn’t tell you that this is an Israeli channel?

Ayman Kandeel: No.

[…]

Production member Amr ‘Alaa enters

Amr ‘Alaa: What is the problem?

Ayman Kandeel: May I ask who you are?

Amr ‘Alaa: I am an Israeli. You are talking about weapons… You are a comedian. You ought to be talking about comedy, not about weapons.

Ayman Kandeel: Fine, fine.

Amr ‘Alaa: Am I standing here, pointing a gun at your face?

Ayman Kandeel: No, you didn’t point a gun at me, and you can’t. You are trying to provoke me, but I am calm.

Amr ‘Alaa: I’m trying to make peace, so how can you say that I’m provoking you?

Ayman Kandeel: Peace was decided on by the governments, but we, the people, have different criteria. You are feeling so mad that you…

Amr ‘Alaa: That’s because I understand that you do not want to reach a solution…

Ayman Kandeel: Man, nobody can provoke me.

Amr ‘Alaa: I don’t want to provoke you. I want to reach a solution with you.

Ayman Kandeel: The solution, my dear boy, is that you go to the doctor to get treatment…

Iman Mubarak: What does that mean?

Ayman Kandeel: It means that you are all sick. It’s better that we talk about it on the air.

Amr ‘Alaa: We are off the air now.

Ayman Kandeel: No, I’d like to talk on the air.

Amr ‘Alaa: Are the sick people those who try to make peace, or those who go around carrying guns? Are you denying that you have a gun in your pocket?

Ayman Kandeel: Yes, I have a gun.

Amr ‘Alaa: Why? What are you afraid of?

Ayman Kandeel: I’ll tell you what I’m afraid of. Of some scumbag trying to attack me.

Amr ‘Alaa: What scumbag?

Ayman Kandeel: Any scumbag. A thief, a robber.

[…]

Iman Mubarak: We’re back with our guest, Egyptian actor Ayman Kandeel. Hello, once again.

Ayman Kandeel: May God grant us good fortune. There was a phone call, which everybody heard, in which it was claimed that this show is being aired on Israeli TV. It doesn’t matter to me what TV station this is, but I came to a show that is being filmed in Egypt, on a TV channel that you said was German…

Iman Mubarak: We never said that this was a German channel.

Ayman Kandeel: When the producer called me…

Iman Mubarak: I’m sure you didn’t hear it properly…

Ayman Kandeel: No, my hearing is just fine. You people deceive and lie…

Iman Mubarak: Sir, you cannot level such accusations against us. Sir, the reactions on Israeli social media pages…

Ayman Kandeel [losing his temper]: F$@# the social media pages! I cam to an interview on an Egyptian TV channel. Then it turns out that this is an Israeli TV channel, and you bring in someone who got on my nerves. He is standing right there, let’s see him come in and talk to me.

Amr ‘Alaa enters the studio

Amr ‘Alaa: This is my channel. I am never afraid. It is you who are afraid, and that is why you are carrying a gun.

Ayman Kandeel: I don’t have a gun.

Amr ‘Alaa: You don’t have a gun?!

Ayman Kandeel: In order to use my gun against you, I need to feel that you are worth something. But let me tell you what I can do. You stand right here. Relax.

Ayman Kandeel slaps Amr ‘Alaa and shoves him

You son-of-a-@$#! You’re making fun of me?

Ayman Kandeel slaps Iman Mubarak

You b#@ch! What, you sons-of-b#!@&$? To hell with #%$, you sons-of-b#!@&$!

You sons-of-b#!@&$!

Production member: Stop! We’re just kidding with you.

Ayman Kandeel: You say you are Egyptians?! Are you kidding me?! F%@$ you!

Production member: Ayman, please… It’s a prank. Shame on you for hitting a woman.

Production member: Get her a chair.

Ayman Kandeel is handed Iman Mubarak’s ID card

Ayman Kandeel: I can’t get it out…

Turns the card to the light and looks at it

She’s Egyptian?

Production member: Let’s have a round of applause, please.

You brought it upon yourself. Why did you fall so quickly?

Iman Mubarak: You hit me so hard.

Ayman Kandeel: It was just one slap.

Iman Mubarak: You see what can happen to the interviewer?

Amr ‘Alaa: People, let’s have a round of applause for Iman.

Ayman Kandeel [to Iman Mubarak]: After the show, come to my car with me. I’ll put some lotion on your back.

Iman Mubarak: I don’t want anything.

[…]

Iman Mubarak: Dear viewers, we’ll take a short break, before we return with [actress] Mayar Al-Beblawi.

[…]

Mayar Al-Beblawi: In that country [Israel], they are all liars. You wouldn’t believe it. They are real liars. They keep whining all the time about the Holocaust, or whatever it’s called. With all the Palestinians that you have killed, you are still whining about the Holocaust and its lousy figures?!

[…]

These people sawed off [the head] of John the Baptist. They are the slayers of the prophets, what else can we say about them?

Iman Mubarak: You’ve got it wrong, They are the Chosen People…

Mayar Al-Beblawi: The Chosen People?! Allah did not curse the worm and the moth as much as he cursed the Jews.

[…]

[The caller] said that this was an Israeli channel?!

Iman Mubarak: You are indeed on an Israeli channel. This is Channel 2 from Israel.

Mayar Al-Beblawi: No, I came for an interview with a German channel.

Iman Mubarak: No. The producer told you that this was an Israeli channel, and you agreed.

Amr ‘Alaa: There’s no problem. Let’s move on.

Mayar Al-Beblawi: What do you mean, “no problem”? What do you mean, “Let’s move on”?

Iman Mubarak: Let’s complete the interview.

Mayar Al-Beblawi: I’d like to know what channel this is.

Iman Mubarak: You knew right from the beginning that this was Channel 2… Shalom, shalom…

Mayar Al-Beblawi: You’re kidding me, right? I won’t allow something like this.

Iman Mubarak: Kidding? Why?

Mayar Al-Beblawi: No, I won’t allow it.

[…]

July 21, 2012 [via Youtube]

Actor Mahmoud Abd Al-Ghaffar: Who are you? Are you Egyptian, or what?

[shaking Amr ‘Alaa] What country are you from?

Amr ‘Alaa: Where I come from is not the issue. You were being interviewed, and I wasn’t talking to you. Let’s complete the interview.

Actor Mahmoud Abd Al-Ghaffar [attacking Amr ‘Alaa]: We’re completing nothing. Who are you? Who are you?

Iman Mubarak: Mahmoud… Mahmoud…

Mahmoud Abd Al-Ghaffar: You are a Jew!

Iman Mubarak: Mahmoud… Mahmoud…

Mahmoud Abd Al-Ghaffar: Mahmoud what?!

Iman Mubarak: Mahmoud, this is a candid camera show.

Mahmoud Abd Al-Ghaffar [pulling Amr ‘Alaa by the hair]: Who are you? Tell me who you are.

Iman Mubarak: Mahmoud, this is a candid camera show.

Applause

Iman Mubarak: Mahmoud, this is a candid camera show. We are all Egyptians. Long live Egypt! I’m an Egyptian – Iman Mubarak. This is Amr ‘Alaa, and this is Amr Sallah.

Mahmoud Abd Al-Ghaffar: You brought me someone who looks like a Jew…

Al-Ghaffar hugs Amr ‘Alaah

[to Iman Mubarak]: If you weren’t a girl, the moment you told me you were Jewish… I hate the Jews to death.

[…]

Iman Mubarak: I’d like to tell you that I enjoyed today’s episode with Mahmoud. I didn’t know that there could be such patriotism, but it exists in every Egyptian who breathes the air of this country.

UPDATE 2: A number of commenters noticed the huge disconnect between how Egyptians think of Jews in this show and how Israeli Jews think of Arabs, in a very different hidden camera show from last year:

PA TV shows painting of Jew impaling and eating children

From Palestinian Media Watch:

PA TV host: "Artist Abd Al-Hai Msallam has been dealing with the Palestinian nation's problems, such as the Gaza massacres. What have you been working on lately? This painting is about the Gaza massacre."
Artist Abd Al-Hai Msallam: "Here I show the people, the children, and the Zionist enemy's cruelty and savagery."

[The painting shows a monster impaling children on his bayonet and eating them one by one. On the lower right, dead children are piled up to be eaten and two baby monsters are also shown eating children. The three monsters wear skull caps with a Star of David. The scene takes place in the monster's underground lair, just under cacti that are growing on the surface. A Star of David is also painted on the lock of the lair.]

Here's a slightly higher resolution image of a detail from the picture:

The "USA" on the bayonet is a nice touch.

Gaza patients in danger because of Hamas/Fatah bickering (UPDATE: First death)

Unity!

A dispute between the two rival Palestinian governments is preventing hundreds of patients in Gaza from receiving urgent medical care abroad, officials said Sunday.

One Gaza man said he has tried unsuccessfully for the past week to get his wife transferred out of Gaza for the removal of a brain tumor. Salman Tawfik said his wife Rasha, 50, lapsed into a coma two days ago, while he was caught in a bureaucratic maze.

"No one wants to help. No one wants to hear," Iyad Alami of the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights said of the politicians involved in the dispute. He said several patients are in danger of dying if they are not moved quickly.

Alami's group has been trying to mediate between the Hamas government in Gaza and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority of internationally backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Gaza hospitals offer only basic medical care, and patients seeking treatment abroad need a referral from a medical committee in Gaza before they can cross into Israel or Egypt.

The committee technically reports to the West Bank government, but it operates with the tacit approval of the Hamas authorities in Gaza.

Last week, the West Bank's health minister appointed a new committee, replacing one that was set up in 2009. Rival health officials in the West Bank and Gaza offered conflicting explanations of why the committee then stopped working.

Omar Nasser, a spokesman for the Health Ministry in the West Bank, said that after the new appointments, Hamas police entered the offices of the committee and expelled those working there. Ashraf al-Kidra, a spokesman for the Health Ministry in Gaza, denied there was a raid. He said local employees refused to work with the newly appointed committee members.

The committee handled about 18,000 patient cases last year, and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank paid about US$42 million for their treatment in hospitals in the West Bank, Israel, Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab world, said Nasser.

It was not immediately clear why the West Bank health minister replaced all committee members. A similar dispute between the rival governments in 2009 was blamed for the death of nine patients, including a cancer-stricken child.

"We are the victims of selfish political factions who don't care about people's health," said Tawfik, 55, the husband of the patient with the brain tumor. Tawfik said he was bounced from Hamas-loyal officials to those linked to Abbas for the past week.

Israeli officials said they have not received any requests from the Gaza committee for transferring patients since Wednesday.