Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Wednesday links

From Ian:

Assad's war has claimed four times as many victims in 20 months as have been killed in the Israel-Palestine conflict in the last 20 years.
"Far from criticizing the tyrants of the Middle East, the flotilla crowd often joins hands with them. Just this May, the British activist group Viva Palestina enjoyed the hospitality of Bashar Assad, making a pit stop in Syria on its way to trying to enter Gaza. Around the same time that Assad's thugs were gearing up for their massacre of children in Houla, members of Viva Palestina were proudly tweeting their whereabouts and posting photos on Facebook of themselves next to the regime's representatives.
Instead of dancing with dictators and tangoing with tyrants, what if the flotilla crowd actually set sail in the direction where aid is so desperately needed?"

"Pro-Palestinians" don't seem to be "pro-anyone"

"Had they truly been pro-Palestinian, one would have thought that they would have taken some of this 'unexpected' spare time in Jordan to visit Palestinians refugee camps and meet with some actual Palestinians. They might have learnt about the harsh living conditions the Jordanians impose on the 'refugees' (refugees in a country 60 percent Palestinian); they might have attempted to discuss with Jordanian officials the country's recent decision to revoke the citizenship of many thousands of Palestinians, as well as other Jordanian discrimination against Palestinians that has caused a lot of criticism in the country. They did not do any of these things, they simply went home."

[Actually, they did visit a camp beforehand - EoZ]

Study: Gap grows between Israeli Arabs, Palestinians

60 percent of Israeli Arabs say they would not want their daughter to marry someone from the West Bank in new survey.
“We asked Arabs of ’48 about their narrative, which is that they were loyal to their land when they didn’t desert it and stayed. The ’67 people look at the same issue, and they say the ’48 Arabs stayed on their land because they gave up and succumbed to the occupation without any resistance,” Sagy said."

Hanan Ashrawi’s war on history

The paramount object of Palestinian politics remains the nullification of Jewish statehood.
“SO WHY has Ashrawi chosen to risk looking petulant, dishonest and stone-hearted in refusing to speak the truth about the Jewish refugees? Because the paramount object of Palestinian politics remains the nullification of Jewish statehood. Since World War II, the plight of refugees the world over has been alleviated by resettlement rather than repatriation.”

Who are the Jewish refugees?

"She (Ashrawi) is obviously not aware of, or has chosen to ignore the fact, that on two occasions, in 1957 and again in 1967, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) determined that Jews fleeing from Arab countries were legally refugees who fell within the mandate of the UNHCR."

PMW Conflicting views in the PA about increased Israeli entry permits for Palestinians

"Israel's decision to allow 180,000 Palestinians to enter Israel for the Muslim holiday of Eid El-Fitr has drawn different responses in the Palestinian Authority. While the official PA daily newspaper said that the move was intended to hurt the Palestinian economy, the independent Al-Quds argued that more contact should be encouraged."

Richard Millett: Israel’s Batsheva dances on in Edinburgh despite PSC invasions.

IDF Blog: Israel Defense Forces: August 2012
IDF Veterans on the 2012 Israeli Paralympic Team
IDF Stories: Louis Miller, Paratrooper

Iran: Zionists spread homosexuality to control world

“This is especially ridiculous as in the Middle East, Israel is the only state where the gay community is safe and protected,” she (Saba Farzan) continued. “The Islamic Republic shows with this uncivilized world view how desperate it actually is.”

MEMRI Iranian News Website Fars Publishes Antisemitic, Anti-U.S. Cartoons On Non-Aligned Movement Conference In Tehran

Berlin police probing second anti-Semitic incident in a week

Berlin police said Monday that 13 girls from the Chabad Or Avner primary school were verbally abused with anti-Semitic slogans by four teenage girls fom the neighboring public school before their physical education class was to begin, according to the German news agency dpa. The Jewish school shares the gym with the secular school.

Tashlich on the Brooklyn Bridge, 1919

Antisemitism Alive and Well in Romania Or How the Holocaust Never Happened by Michael Curtis

Cytometric technique could eliminate need for blood samples

Andor Newton camera powers non-invasive probe capable of providing cell concentration and morphological data.

Israel Daily Picture Special Rosh Hashanna feature:

Israelis keep agreement on Cave of Patriarchs; Muslims complain

Ever since 1996, under the Wye River memorandum, Israel and the PA agreed to divide access to the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron.

For most of the year, the Muslims have exclusive access to 81% of the site; the Jews have the other 19%.

For ten days a year, though Jews have exclusive access and for ten days the Muslims have exclusive access. (Jews cannot visit the cenotaphs to Isaac and Rebecca except for those ten days.)

So, naturally, when the Jews have access, the Muslims complain.

For Rosh Hashanah,Yom Kippur and the first days of Chol HaMoed Sukkot, Jews will be able to visit the entire site. This is apparently big news to Egypt's Youm7 site, which has a screaming headline about Israel "closing" the site.

Not only that, but they interview Zaid Jabari, an official in Hebron, who says that "the Ibrahimi Mosque mosque is purely Islamic in its entire area; none of it has any relation to the Jews at all, and all actions taken against it are false. This closure is not the first for the Ibrahimi, but comes within the series of attacks continuing against it. The occupation seeks to impose Israeli hegemony on the Ibrahimi Mosque by force of arms, and turning it into a synagogue."

He urged the international community to pressure Israel to give the entire shrine to Muslims.

It's really funny how a shrine that predates Islam and that is the resting place of the founders of the Jewish people is considered Islamic by Muslims.

And not a single Muslim would ever publicly disagree.

Keep in mind that under Muslim rule, non-Muslims were not allowed to enter the shrine at all. And even between 1967 and 1996, Jews who visited were often attacked by Muslims:

In 1968, a special arrangement was made to accommodate Jewish services on the Jewish New Year and Day of Atonement. This led to a hand-grenade being thrown on the stairway leading to the tomb on October 9 in which 47 Israelis were injured, 8 seriously. On November 4, a large explosion went off near the gate to the compound and 6 people, Jews and Arabs, were wounded. On Yom Kippur eve, October 3, 1976, an Arab mob destroyed several Torah scrolls and prayer books at the tomb. In May 1980, an attack on Jewish worshippers returning from prayers at the tomb left 6 dead and 17 wounded.

Sanctions starting to hurt Iran - but is it enough?

The good news:

An apparent classified Iranian intelligence report that has been leaked online warns of an imminent financial crisis in the country that would cause nation-wide upheaval.

Excerpts of the report, posted this week on several Iranian websites, revealed that the government might not be able to pay the full salaries of its employees in the coming three months, which threatens the eruption of massive popular protests across the country.

Large portions of the population might suffer from starvation, the report said, adding that riots are expected to take place in border cities where living conditions are rapidly deteriorating.

According to the report, Iran’s reserve of foreign currency might run out within the coming six month owing to extreme budget deficiency.

Other official reports have stated that Iranian factories are working on only half their capacity, and that a large number of them have declared bankruptcy.

Under international sanctions, inflation in the country has reached 33 percent and prices of meat, chicken, and milk saw an unprecedented hike that reached 80 percent last year.

The European embargo on the purchase of Iranian oil is costing the country an estimated $133 million in daily revenues, and the Iranian riyal has also witnessed an unprecedented drop.

The governor of the Iranian Central Bank, Mahmoud Bahmani, has announced a raising the official rate of the riyal against the dollar over the next 10 days in order to deal with the “international developments.”

But according to Iranian bankers, the official rate – 12,260 riyals to the dollar -- was only a reference. There was a wide gap between the official and actual rates, which reportedly increased the prevalence of corruption within the Iranian government, since purchasing dollars with the official rates has become extremely profitable.

Also, Ahmadinejad admits that Iran is having problems selling some of its oil.

On the other hand, China is trying to buy all the oil it can from Iran, although limits on transportation because of Europe refusing to insure oil tankers is causing delays.

But even if there are riots in the streets of Iran, the one thing that Westerners don't seem to be factoring in is the pride of the mullahs. They have stated that Iran stands tall despite the sanctions and they have instructed their media to relay that message. That obstinacy cannot stop the pressure from mounting but it can delay, for a very long time, any practical change to their nuclear program.

Just look at how tenaciously Assad is holding on in Syria. That is how much Iran will prioritize their nuclear program, no matter what. It is a symbol of Iranian power, and symbolism is a lot more important in the Middle East than in the West.

I hope I'm wrong, and that the Iranian leadership gives in.

But optimistic pundits don't have a great track record in the region.

Photos: Burning Fayyad in effigy

I mentioned the anti-PA economic protests yesterday in Hebron (and there were some in Ramallah as well.)

Here are photos of the protesters burning an image of prime minister Salam Fayyad in effigy.

These aren't Islamists - these are secular Palestinian Arabs (the good guys, according to the media.)

The protesters don't blame Fatah's corruption for their economic woes. They don't blame their Arab brethren for reneging on their pledges for hundreds of millions of dollars. They aren't protesting the split between Hamas and Fatah.

No, they are directing their anger at the one politician who is truly moderate, who untainted by terror, who has a real background in economics and who knows that there is no way for the PA to survive unless it stops acting like a welfare state and the people start acting responsibly.

This is the problem: the Palestinian Arabs have been literally raised on the concept that the world owes them everything and that they have no responsibility for their actions. They are on a psychological par with typical four year olds who have not yet learned that they must brush their teeth before bed. Most would rather fantasize about their culture's superheroes - people like Samir Kuntar and Dalal Mughrabi and Yasir Arafat - than decide to so the work necessary to build a nation. They choose stunts and symbolism over reality, and indeed cannot distinguish between the two. When offered real, long term gains for compromising, they instead choose delusions.

Fayyad isn't the problem. His people are.

Translation of parts of anti-semitic Iranian film "Saturday's Hunter"

I wrote last year about a purely anti-semitic film that was a hit in Iran called "Saturday's Hunter."

In response to complaints, the director said "Judaism is the symbol of evil."

MEMRI has now translated some 20 minutes of the film, and it is even worse than the reports said:

Following are excerpts from an Iranian movie titled "Saturday Hunter." The movie was broadcast on Channel 1, Iranian TV, on August 17, 2012.
-----

A young boy, Benjamin, is brought to Israel by his mother, to be raised by his "blind" grandfather Hanan. He is awaited by a group consisting mainly of ultra-Orthodox Jews and armed uniformed soldiers.
The group exchanges greetings with Hanan:
Hanan: Shalom.
Man: Shalom.
Hanan: Shalom.
Man: Shalom.
An Arab man called Matin holds out a box with a pair of scissors to Hanan
Matin: It is ready, sir.
Hanan: Take this, Benjamin.
Benjamin takes the pair of scissors.
Hanan: When a person lives outside his homeland, he faces the energies and filth of evil Satanic spirits. In order to mark your magnificent return to your home and state of cleanliness, your soul must be purified.
Go and cut the ribbon.
Benjamin cuts a ceremonial ribbon, and immediately is showered with water from all sides as a sign of celebration.
Against the background sounds of Hasidic music, the crowd claps and celebrates.
Hanan: This is the beginning of the purification of the soul of a young Jewish man. Clothe him in the garments of the righteous believers.
Hanan removes Benjamin's baseball cap, and his jeans, red T-shirt, and sneakers are replaced by the black garments of the ultra-Orthodox. Hanan places a black hat on Benjamin's head.
[...]

The scene takes place in Hanan's home. Voices are heard from a room outside which Hanan stands.
Hanan: He is absolved.
Benjamin to Jacqueline the nurse: What are they doing?
Jacqueline: The sinners come here to be absolved of their sins.
Benjamin: How are they absolved?
Jacqueline: They pay indulgences. They pay money to your grandfather.
Benjamin: Can they be absolved of any sin?
Jacqueline: Yes, your grandfather can cleanse them of any sin.
Benjamin: Does my grandfather penalize them?
Jacqueline: No. He collects their money as a representative of God.
Inssde the room, Hanan and two other men sit at a table, and several people await their turn to be judged.
Hanan: This is the penalty for those who ridicule the laws of Moses. You have to pay these indulgences. In order to escape the law of God, you must pay this money.
The God of the Jews is too lenient with you. If I were in His shoes, I would take your lives, not just your money.
Hanan holds up some money in one hand and rings a bell with his other hand.
Hanan: Absolved!
A man comes to the table to be judged.
Hanan: What has this one done wrong?
One of the men on the committee whispers in his ear: He skipped some of his prayers, didn't fast, and drank alcohol. He went to the Temple of Solomon and cursed the rabbis.
Hanan: He's done wrong! He's done wrong!
Hanan holds up some money in one hand and rings a bell with his other hand.
Hanan: Absolved!
Next idiot!
[...]

Matin is teaching Benjamin how to fire a gun. Hanan, Jacqueline, and others sit nearby.
Benjamin: This way?
Matin nods, and Benjamin takes aim at targets in the shape of women and children.
Benjamin: should I shoot now?
Martin nods
Benjamin shoots and falls backward from the force of the recoil. Matin runs to inspect the targets.
Matin: It didn't hit the target. Never mind. Better luck next time! Never mind.
Matin returns running to Benjamin's side, and hands him another gun.
Now shoot with this one. Hold it tight.
Benjamin shoots, and Matin runs toward the targets.
Matin: It hit the target.
Hanan: Very good. There you go.
Benjamin: Grandfather, I'm tired.
Hanan: You will get used to it, my child. Shoot again. Shoot.
Benjamin: I don't like it.
Hanan: That doesn't matter. God will be pleased. Shoot, my son. Shoot.
Matin! Come and load the gun.
Benjamin shoots again, and Matin runs toward the targets. Benjamin shoots again and again and again, hitting the targets.
[...]

Hanan stands at the head of a table of ultra-Orthodox Jews.
Hanan: This is good soil. How much of this land can you give to God?
Man: As much as He wants.
Hanan: God is not strict with the Jews. How about going 50-50?
Man: We thank God for blessing us with Hanan's kindness.
Men: Amen.
Hanan: Amen.
Men: Amen.
Hanan: Amen.
Benjamin walks in carrying cups of coffee.
Benjamin: Shalom.
Men: Shalom.
Benjamin: Shalom.
Men: Shalom.
Benjamin: Shalom, Grandfather.
Hanan: Shalom, Benjamin. Jacqueline, bring the Book of God. Benjamin, take care of your eyes. Watching God's military campaign is very enjoyable.
Jacqueline: Here is the Book of God.
Jacqueline hands it over to Hanan.
Today is Saturday.
Hanan: Yes, that's right. Indeed, today is Saturday, but in order to satisfy God, we are permitted to exert efforts even on the Saturday.
[...]

Scene takes place in a field. Hanan is riding in a car and taking shots at the Arabs, who are fleeing for cover.
Hanan: I spit on the terrorists! Damn the infidels! I spit on them! Damn you terrorists! I will destroy you all. I will kill you all. I will destroy all of you.
[...]

Outside a house, Hanan and Benjamin stand together with several Arabs.
Hanan to the Arabs: You have three minutes to leave.
Matin!
Matin: Yes, sir?
He takes Hanan's arm and leads him to the vehicle
Old man: We will never leave our land.
Hanan to Benjamin: Never look back.
Hanan's car careens through the land, and Arabs flee. Soldiers shoot at everybody.
Hanan to Matin: Drive through their land.
Fire rages through the home and the land.
[...]

A group of blind ultra-Orthodox Jews, led by Hanan with his hand on Benjamin's shoulder, goes down underground, whether ancient books are being forged.
Hanan to Benjamin: Now we are inside the luminous rock. Here God talks to me and reveals all the secrets and the new laws. He reveals them all here. The kohanim have the duty to write, and they fulfill this duty.
This new book will be the latest book written by God and myself, and it will contain all the laws and principles for the new Israel. Nothing will be left out. Very soon, you will be the new prophet.
Devout believers have the duty... for those still seeking old and dilapidated papers, our new book will be made to look old through and through. It will be as old as Creation itself.
Benjamin, do you know the latest good news from God?
Benjamin: No.
Hanan: "God and sow corruption among them, until men become women, and women become men." Then, no more children will be born, and the lineage of Jesus and Muhammad will cease to exist.
[...]

Scene takes place outside, where Hanan is driving through the land.
Hanan: I spit on the infidels. I spit on you infidels. Damn the terrorists. I spit on you. I spit on the damned infidels. Get lost. This is the Jewish homeland.
Elderly Arab man: Hanan, for many years you have been serving the children of Satan, not the children of Abraham.
Hanan slits the man's throat.
Hanan: "I will make the people who have been cruel to you eat their own flesh, and I will make them drunk on their own blood. At that moment, humanity in its entirety will know that I am the God who will set you free."
Hanan raises the Book of God high.
Carry out the law of God.
As Hanan and Benjamin leave, soldiers and ultra-Orthodox Jews fire at the house and then set fire to it.
[...]

Benjamin, dressed in army fatigues, is shooting his gun.
Hanan: Shoot, shoot. Don't be afraid. Shoot. Don't be a stupid idiot. You stupid idiot, shoot again. Shoot.
Benjamin: Grandfather, I can't do it.
Hanan: Don't be afraid. If god didn't want you to shoot, He would stop you right now. Shoot. Shoot.
Benjamin: The Torah says that murder is forbidden.
Hanan: You idiot. Only the murder of a Jew is forbidden. Nothing will happen to a Jew, even if he does not follow the laws of the Torah and the Talmud, and does not adhere to the Ten Commandments of Moses, or to the laws of God Himself. So shoot!
Benjamin shoots
Benjamin: I can't do it, Grandfather. In the name of God, let me go.
Hanan: Benjamin, are you shooting into the air? The whole world is waiting for you in silence. God Himself waits for you in silence, and you go and shoot into the air? Kill! Kill them before they kill you. Kill them, Benjamin!
Benjamin, crying, runs away
Hanan: In the name of God, I beg you...
Benjamin obeys his grandfather, and shoots again and again
[...]

An Arab boy, formerly a friend of Benjamin, approaches him
Arab boy: Benjamin, what are you doing here?
Benjamin slowly raises his head and shoots him.
[...]

Scene takes place within the ruins of a house
Benjamin to Hanan: I've killed them all.
Hanan: Well done.
I could see that my grandson would be able to do it.
Benjamin: So you are able to see, right?
Hanan: I can see much better than anyone with eyes can see. When people face somebody who is blind, they show their true colors more clearly, because they think that he cannot see them.
Sometimes you should let people think that you are deaf. Sometimes you should let them think that you are crazy. Then they reveal their true nature. You watch, you listen, and you understand.
These people are in a slumber, believing in what was promised to them.
Hanan throws the Book of God down into the water, then removes his hat, and his coat and throws them away too
One day, you will get rid of all of this, but you must never reveal what's within you to anyone, not even to me.
Trample on anything – even on me. As long as I live, you cannot be me.
Benjamin takes aim at his grandfather
Hanan: So trample on me too.
Benjamin hesitates
Hanan: Go ahead!
Benjamin shoots Hanan
Cut to the dead bodies lying outside the house

Hamas cracking down on Salafists in Gaza, and other news

From Ma'an:

Hamas security forces have detained 20 Salafi fighters in the Gaza Strip in a move to prevent rocket fire into Israel, a Salafi jihadist group said Tuesday.

The Salifist Jihadist Groups in the Environs of Jerusalem said 20 fighters were detained, and that security forces confiscated homemade projectiles and light weapons belonging to Salafi militants.

"Families of the fighters were assaulted by security forces during the arrests," the groups said in a statement, adding that several Salafi activists and leaders had been summoned by security services in Gaza.

The groups said Hamas security forces were seeking information about fighters affiliated to the Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem, which has claimed responsibility for firing cross-border rockets and a June attack on Israel from Sinai. Israeli forces have assassinated several Salafi leaders.

Salifist Jihadist Groups in the Environs of Jerusalem warned Hamas there would be consequences for targeting their militants and said Salafi leaders "will not turn themselves in at any price."

Hamas has come under mounting pressure to crack down on Salafi fighters since 16 Egyptian officers were killed in an attack in Sinai. Egypt said Palestinian militants were involved in the operation.

Meanwhile, a Salafist group in Egypt denied rumors that they were negotiating with the Egyptian security authorities on avoiding fighting; while they denied having anything to do with the murder of 16 Egyptian troops they refused to condemn the attack and want to keep the option open of doing whatever they want in Egypt.

In other news, a local Jenin politician was murdered:

The head of a popular committee for public services was shot dead near Jenin refugee camp on Wednesday, Jenin officials said.

Hisham al-Rakh was shot several times by unidentified gunmen while driving his car in a mountainous area near the refugee camp, Jenin governor Talal Dweikat told Ma'an.

And a man was killed, and another seriously injured, by a tunnel collapse in Rafah.

Side-by-side: Democratic and Republican platforms on Middle East

I made this as fair as I could, trying to find the best correspondence between respective statements and taking out some of the partisan rhetoric.

Democratic Platform	Republican Platform
*Israel*
President Obama and the Democratic Party maintain an unshakable commitment to Israel’s security. A strong and secure Israel is vital to the United States not simply because we share strategic interests, but also because we share common values.	Israel and the United States are part of the great fellowship of democracies who speak the same language of freedom and justice, and the right of every person to live in peace. The security of Israel is in the vital national security interest of the United States; our alliance is based not only on shared interests, but also shared values.
Despite budgetary constraints, the President has worked with Congress to increase security assistance to Israel every single year since taking office, providing nearly $10 billion in the past three years. The administration has also worked to ensure Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region…. We have deepened defense cooperation – including funding the Iron Dome system – to help Israel address its most pressing threats, including the growing danger posed by rockets and missiles emanating from the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran.	We affirm our unequivocal commitment to Israel’s security and will ensure that it maintains a qualitative edge in military technology over any potential adversaries.
President Obama and the Democratic Party seek peace between Israelis and Palestinians.	The U.S. seeks a comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East, negotiated between the parties themselves with the assistance of the U.S., without the imposition of an artificial timetable. Essential to that process will be a just, fair, and realistic framework for dealing with the issues that can be settled on the basis of mutually agreed changes reflecting today’s realities as well as tomorrow’s hopes.
A just and lasting Israeli-Palestinian accord, producing two states for two peoples, would contribute to regional stability and help sustain Israel’s identity as a Jewish and democratic state.	We support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state with secure, defensible borders; and we envision two democratic states – Israel with Jerusalem as its capital and Palestine – living in peace and security,
There will be no lasting peace unless Israel’s security concerns are met….We will insist that any Palestinian partner must recognize Israel’s right to exist, reject violence, and adhere to existing agreements.	The Palestinian people must support leaders who reject terror, embrace the institutions and ethos of democracy, and respect the rule of law. Israel should not be expected to negotiate with entities pledged to her destruction.
*Iran*
The President is committed to using all instruments of national power to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.	Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons capability threatens America, Israel, and the world. … America must lead the effort to prevent Iran from building and possessing nuclear weapons capability.
President Obama believes that a diplomatic outcome remains the best and most enduring solution [for Iran.]. At the same time, he has also made clear that the window for diplomacy will not remain open indefinitely and that all options – including military force – remain on the table. But we have an obligation to use the time and space that exists now to put increasing pressure on the Iranian regime to live up to its obligations and rejoin the community of nations, or face the consequences.	We express our respect for the people of Iran, who seek peace and aspire to freedom. Their current regime is unworthy of them. We urge the next Republican President to unequivocally assert his support for the Iranian people as they protest their despotic regime. We must retain all options in dealing with a situation that gravely threatens our security, our interests, and the safety of our friends.
*Other Middle East topics*
President Obama is committed to maintaining robust security cooperation with Gulf Cooperation Council states and our other partners aimed at deterring aggression, checking Iran’s destabilizing activities, ensuring the free flow of commerce essential to the global economy, and building a regional security architecture to counter terrorism, proliferation, ballistic missiles, piracy, and other common threats.	We recognize the historic nature of the events of the past two years – the Arab Spring – that have unleashed democratic movements leading to the overthrow of dictators who have been menaces to global security for decades. In a season of upheaval, it is necessary to be prepared for anything. We welcome the aspirations of the Arab peoples and others for greater freedom, and we hope that greater liberty – and with it, a greater chance for peace – will result from the recent turmoil. Radical elements like Hamas and Hezbollah must be isolated because they do not meet the standards of peace and diplomacy of the international community. We call for the restoration of Lebanon’s independence, which those groups have virtually destroyed. We support the transition to a post-Assad Syrian government that is representative of its people, protects the rights of all minorities and religions, respects the territorial integrity of its neighbors, and contributes to peace and stability in the region. We offer a continuing partnership with the people of Iraq, who have endured extremist terror to now have a chance to build their own security and democracy. We urge special efforts to preserve and protect the ethnic and religious diversity of their nation.

FJP lawyer sues heavy metal at for "Satanism" in Egypt

From Al Ahram:

Controversy erupted in Egypt's cultural scene after Ismail El-Weshahy, a lawyer for the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), filed a complaint Saturday to the interior ministry against El-Sawy Culturewheel, the prominent cultural centre in Cairo's upscale Zamalek district, accusing it of hosting "Satanist" rock bands and events.

The allegations, observers say, are reminiscent of Egypt's infamous "Satan worshipers case" of the mid-1990s.

According to El-Weshahy, one of his clients attended a recent event at El-Sawy Culturewheel at which he claims to have seen young people wearing t-shirts adorned with what he described as satanic shapes and symbols. The lawyer said that his client had also filmed a group of people who he said were performing satanic rituals in the centre.

El-Weshahy insists that he does not represent the FJP in the case, but rather his two clients, both of whom are members of an independent anti-corruption NGO called 'We're Watching You."

For its part, the Culturewheel issued a statement regarding the 31 August heavy metal concert in which it denied claims by El-Weshahy and his clients.

"In our ten years of activity, the Culturewheel has not hosted any kind of practice that could be called Satanic," the statement asserted, going on to express doubt that Satanism in Egypt existed at all.

The Culturewheel also stressed in its statement that the centre's administration did not allow any kind of violation during its concerts, be it smoking or any other kind of unacceptable behaviour.

El-Sawy Culturewheel was founded in 2003 by Mohamed El-Sawy, an engineer and founder of Egypt's moderate-Islamist Hadara (Civilisation) Party. El-Sawy was appointed culture minister in the government of Ahmed Shafiq (ousted president Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister) over the objections of many intellectuals who considered him too conservative.

On 30 and 31 August, the centre hosted several Egyptian heavy metal and rock bands.

Nour Ayman Nour, the revolutionary activist and rock band member (and son of prominent reform activist Ayman Nour), slammed El-Weshahy on Twitter, demanding that the FJP declare that it was not responsible for the case against the culture centre.

Nour told Ahram Online that the issue reminded him of the State Security campaigns of the 1990s, in which, he said, the authorities would contrive fake controversies in an effort to distract the public from more pressing issues.

"Instead of filing complaints against metal bands and El-Sawy Culturewheel, why don't the FJP's lawyers focus on corruption cases that really matter?" Nour asked. He went on to call on the lawyers to refrain from judging young people based merely on their appearance.

Time for the formation of the Egyptian branch of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

Arabs rushing to marry Syrian refugee children

From Albawaba:

It began with rumors of the Muslim Brotherhood’s influence in Jordan and has spread across the Arab world. Syrian refugees, particularly those of the young and female variety, are becoming a commodity for Arab men, with many offering to marry those in need.

But don’t be fooled: this is not a purely altruistic gesture. Syrian women are known as the beauties of the region and having run away from the massacres of their own country they are left vulnerable and needy. Men who would otherwise have no chance with these highly sought after ladies have been opportunistically taking their chances.

The Egyptian Chronicles blog says:

Among the huge challenges and problems facing hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees are in the Arab countries especially in Jordan and Gulf , a very nasty problem : Rich old men from Gulf offer to marry poor refugee minor girls for money.

At first it started as rumors some thought that were spread by El Assad regime regarding how men marry poor Syrian refugee minor girls using their families’ need for small amount of money but sadly enough it was confirmed by Jordanian Press. It seems that men from the Gulf head now to Jordan to find young cheap brides at the refugees camps. A Saudi writer called Mohamed El Assamy wrote about that disgusting practice in a Saudi newspaper angrily revealing that there are prices for the girls range between 500 SR and 1000 SR !!!!!!

These men are using the poverty and extreme need of those Syrian families mainly from working class seeking refugee in the worst conditions ever.

IRIN reports that many parents are marrying their children off to other Syrians:

Some Syrian refugees arriving in Jordan are opting to marry off their daughters at a young age believing that marital status offers a form of protection and insurance.

"In Maraq, we have come across around 50 cases of early marriages since the day we started helping out Syrians. Most of them are married to Syrians, especially cousins," said Khaled Ghanem, from the Islamic Society Centre (ISC).

Hana Ghadban, a volunteer with the Syrian Women Association (SWA), told IRIN that in the Syrian cities of Homs and Dera'a many girls are married at the age of 13 or 14. "We know of so many girls who got married after moving to Jordan. Most of them were engaged in Syria."

Difficult living conditions for Syrians in Jordan are also pushing families to marry their daughters off at a young age. Um Sarah, a Syrian refugee mother, arranged marriages for her daughters aged 15 and 14, because she could not support them.

"As a single mother, I cannot support them. I cannot feed them. I wanted to make sure they are OK, so I asked around if people know of good Syrian men they could marry," she told IRIN.

"They rape girls who are as young as her in Syria now. If they raped a nine-year-old girl, they can do anything. I will not feel OK if I do not see her married to a decent man who can protect her," said the father of Hanadi, a pregnant child bride in Jordan aged 14.

There is a backlash and organizations are springing up to protect the young Syrian refugees.

Tuesday links

From Ian:

Desmond Tutu’s Selective Moral Outrage

"Tutu conveniently did not mention that most of the casualties in Iraq since 2003 have been inflicted by Islamic extremists killing other Muslims, and he has not requested that the leaders of the radical Islamic groups responsible for most of the carnage in Iraq be brought before the ICC. Furthermore, Tutu was silent when Saddam Hussein committed the crimes mentioned above in Mr Blair’s statement."

Turn this Vile Claim on its Head

"Except… there is still one anti-Israel argument that makes my jaw drop. And it is one that is made with unfortunate frequency. It is the “they-of-all-people” argument: the suggestion that the Jews, having faced extraordinary persecution, should know better than anyone not to be oppressors."

UN Watch Hillel Neuer in U.N. Debate: Iran, Antisemitism, and the Non Aligned Movement

Witnesses: Palestinian camp in Syria shelled, killing 2

Around 400 Palestinians have been killed in Syria so far, mostly by snipers, Palestinian official Mohammad Shtayyeh said in early August.

Palestinian throws bag of bombs at checkpoint

Man hurls bag containing four pipe bombs at security forces after being denied entrance to Israel; none injured

No cats in America for Hanan Ashrawi

Denial is a river in Egypt, but it’s also, sadly, the default position of many Arabs and Muslims when it comes to facts they would rather not acknowledge. The Holocaust? It didn’t happen. Israel? It doesn’t exist — not on Arab maps, anyway. Jewish refugees from Arab countries? They left willingly. Arab and Muslim anti-Semitism? A fabrication. (Arabs and Jews have always lived in harmony, haven’t they?)“There are no cats in America“, sang the delusional mice migrants.

Hanan Ashrawi Is to Truth What Smoking Is to Health

Jordan's King Abdullah Declares War on Internet by Khaled Abu Toameh

King Abdullah needs to know that in light of the calls for freedom and democracy, there is no room for such harsh measures against freedom of the media in the Arab world.

Militants from Asia, Russia and Europe outnumber Arab jihadists in Pakistan

ISNA’s Anti-Semitic, Anti-Bahai Speaker

The Muslim Brotherhood has many differences with the Islamic Republic of Iran and Shi’ites in general. However, their invitation of Nasr shows that for ISNA, anti-Semitism and anti-Baha’i sentiment can be the ties that bind. So much for a moral society, but nevertheless insight into the values ISNA promotes in practice.

Israeli technology could presage a world without batteries

Sol-Chip’s embedded photovoltaic energy systems will power a plethora of devices, from the sun

Israel Daily Picture: The Sabbath Walk to the Western Wall -- An Ancient Custom Interrupted for 19 Years

“Under Muslim-Turkish rule of Jerusalem, Jewish access to the Western Wall was often curtailed. After Britain's capture of Jerusalem in 1917, Arab terrorists led by Haj Amin el

Husseini frequently attacked Jews in the Old City. And in the period of the Jordanian occupation of the Old City (1948-1967) it was outright impossible to visit the retaining wall of the Second Temple.”

Comparison of Democratic platform on Israel from 2008 and 2012

The stuff that's missing this year is telling.

Here is the section on Israel this year:

President Obama and the Democratic Party maintain an unshakable commitment to Israel’s security. A strong and secure Israel is vital to the United States not simply because we share strategic interests, but also because we share common values. For this reason, despite budgetary constraints, the President has worked with Congress to increase security assistance to Israel every single year since taking office, providing nearly $10 billion in the past three years. The administration has also worked to ensure Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region. And we have deepened defense cooperation – including funding the Iron Dome system – to help Israel address its most pressing threats, including the growing danger posed by rockets and missiles emanating from the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. The President’s consistent support for Israel’s right to defend itself and his steadfast opposition to any attempt to delegitimize Israel on the world stage are further evidence of our enduring commitment to Israel’s security.

It is precisely because of this commitment that President Obama and the Democratic Party seek peace between Israelis and Palestinians. A just and lasting Israeli-Palestinian accord, producing two states for two peoples, would contribute to regional stability and help sustain Israel’s identity as a Jewish and democratic state. At the same time, the President has made clear that there will be no lasting peace unless Israel’s security concerns are met. President Obama will continue to press Arab states to reach out to Israel. We will continue to support Israel’s peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, which have been pillars of peace and stability in the region for many years. And even as the President and the Democratic Party continue to encourage all parties to be resolute in the pursuit of peace, we will insist that any Palestinian partner must recognize Israel’s right to exist, reject violence, and adhere to existing agreements.

Here it was in 2008, highlighting some phrases that have been deleted in 2012:

For more than three decades, Israelis, Palestinians, Arab leaders, and the rest of the world have looked to America to lead the effort to build the road to a secure and lasting peace. Our starting point must always be our special relationship with Israel, grounded in shared interests and shared values, and a clear, strong, fundamental commitment to the security of Israel, our strongest ally in the region and its only established democracy. That commitment, which requires us to ensure that Israel retains a qualitative edge for its national security and its right to self defense, is all the more important as we contend with growing threats in the region–a strengthened Iran, a chaotic Iraq, the resurgence of Al Qaeda, the reinvigoration of Hamas and Hezbollah. We support the implementation of the memorandum of understanding that pledges $30 billion in assistance to Israel over the next decade to enhance and ensure its security.

It is in the best interests of all parties, including the United States, that we take an active role to help secure a lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a democratic, viable Palestinian state dedicated to living in peace and security side by side with the Jewish State of Israel. To do so, we must help Israel identify and strengthen those partners who are truly committed to peace, while isolating those who seek conflict and instability, and stand with Israel against those who seek its destruction. The United States and its Quartet partners should continue to isolate Hamas until it renounces terrorism, recognizes Israel’s right to exist, and abides by past agreements. Sustained American leadership for peace and security will require patient efforts and the personal commitment of the President of the United States. The creation of a Palestinian state through final status negotiations, together with an international compensation mechanism, should resolve the issue of Palestinian refugees by allowing them to settle there, rather than in Israel. All understand that it is unrealistic to expect the outcome of final status negotiations to be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949. Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths.

(h/t Jennifer Rubin via CJL)

Morsi advisor says Egyptians want strict Shari'a law

From Egypt Independent:

Bassam al-Zarqa, one of the advisors to President Mohamed Morsy, said the Egyptian people have "an overwhelming desire to implement Islamic Sharia, and not only its principles."

Zarqa, who is the secretary of the Salafi Nour Party in Alexandria and a member of the constitution-writing assembly, told London-based Asharq Al-Awsat that while the majority of Egyptians want Islamic Sharia implemented, Article 2 of the Constitution states that only the principles of Sharia represent the main source of legislation. He said that the word "principles" may have several interpretations, including one from the Constitutional Court saying principles need conclusive evidence, which could lead to a disregard of some authentic prophetic traditions, jurisprudential rulings and even a part of the Quran.

Zarqa added that he rejected "loose descriptions."

Say goodbye to the remaining Christians in Egypt.

Except those who enjoy paying jizya to their Muslim overlords for "protection." Which works great until a kid falls down a well or something; then they get slaughtered anyway.

Palestine Times (Hamas) has a photo essay on a protest against high prices in the PA today.

Trucks blocked the streets as hundreds came out to protest economic conditions. They say the cost of building materials and fuel is unacceptably high and are demanding that the PA do something about it.

As of this writing, there is no mention of this protest in the Fatah-linked press.

Also in Hebron, a man attempted to set himself on fire because he was having trouble making ends meet for his two wives and children.

Meanwhile, Hamas added a 25% tax for all cars imported into Gaza.

6% of PA budget pays terrorists and their families

I've been reporting this for years, but finally Israeli journalists have added up the numbers.

Despite the Palestinian Authority’s financial hardships, it spends tens of millions of shekels each month paying salaries to prisoners held in Israeli jails for security offenses and acts of terrorism against Israel — including mass murderers — and last year Prime Minister Salam Fayyad tripled their monthly pay. The PA also pays monthly stipends to the families of suicide bombers.

Payments are made not only to members of Fatah, the political faction of PA President Mahmoud Abbas, but also to those of his bitter Islamist rivals from Hamas, and other factions.

As of May 2011, the PA spent NIS 18 million ($4.5 million) per month on compensating Palestinian inmates in Israeli prisons and a further NIS 26 million ($6.5 million) on payments to families of suicide bombers. In all, such payments cost the PA some 6 percent of its overall budget, Israel’s Channel 2 news reported on Monday night, citing documentation signed by Fayyad.

The PA also makes payments to Israeli Arabs jailed for security offenses against Israel, the report said.

Starting in 2003, Palestinian law mandated the dispensation of a monthly salary of NIS 1,000 ($250) to security detainees sentenced to up to five years in prison. The longer the sentence, the higher the pay. An inmate serving a life sentence was paid NIS 4,000 ($1,000) per month.

An amendment of the law in January 2011 enacted by Fayyad increased the salaries by up to 300%, Channel 2 reported.

A prisoner sentenced up to three years in prison now receives a base salary of NIS 1,400 per month, and for 3-5 years that rate increases to NIS 2,000, the report said. A NIS 300 bonus is added for a wife, and NIS 50 per child.

According to the Channel 2 report, the PA-funded salaries are an equal opportunity benefit; members of Fatah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad all receive them.

Prisoners’ salaries also increase based on how many years they have served. Abdullah Barghouti, a Hamas bomb-maker who was sentenced in 2004 to 67 life terms for orchestrating the killings of 67 Israelis, receives a monthly stipend of NIS 4,000. In less than a year that figure will rise to NIS 6,000 ($1,500).

Another major Hamas terrorist figure, Abbas al-Sayyeed, convicted of planning the 2002 Park Hotel massacre, in which 30 Israeli civilians were killed as they sat down for a Passover meal, is paid NIS 12,000 ($3,000) per month.

Prisoners who have sat more than 30 years in Israeli prison receive NIS 12,000 per month.

The original Channel 2 report adds that prisoners who are married get an extra 300 shekels every month, plus 50 shekels per month per child.

Again, this has been known for years, but I have never seen the Western donors to the PA - who claim that their funds are being spent transparently - ever ask a single question about this. Even when the PA is sliding deeper and deeper into debt and asking for more and more money.

Perhaps it is time to send this article to members of the EU parliament and US members of Congress.

And while people are looking, I once found evidence that as much as $600 million of the PA budget actually goes to pay for security in Gaza - meaning Hamas terrorist salaries. This dwarfs the amount paid to prisoners and terrorist families. Where's the transparency there?