Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, October 15, 2012

Memorize the Quran to get out of jail

A Saudi father pardoned his son’s killer if he successfully memorized the Holy Quran, a local newspaper reported on Saturday.

The killer, Faisal al-Ameri, kisses the forehead of Rabi’a al-Dousary, the father of the young man he killed.

Rabi’a al-Dousary, father of the slain young man named Abdullah, promised to pardon the convicted felon, Faisal al-Ameri, if he successfully memorized all of the Holy Quran before leaving prison, al-Yawm Saudi newspaper reported.

Ameri was sentenced to death for killing Dousary during a quarrel that erupted in their neighborhood.

The Higher Committee of Correction in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom has persuaded the father to forgive and pardon Ameri.

The father, who refused to receive any blood money, to teach the Ameri a far more valuable lesson, insisted on one condition: the killer to fully memorize the Quran before his acquittal from prison.

A number of Arab countries actually release criminals from prison if they memorize parts or all of the Quran.

Because, apparently, rote memorization of the Islamic holy book (that has been used to justify the deaths of countless innocent people) proves that you are moral enough to re-enter society.

"Egyptian police killed 34, tortured 88" in Morsi's first 100 days

From Al Ahram:

In a recent report published by the Cairo-based Nadim Centre for the Rehabilitation of Torture Victims, 34 cases of death, 88 cases of torture, and seven cases of sexual assault at the hands of Egyptian police were recorded during Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's first 100 days in office.

In the time period cited, the report recorded a total of over 247 cases of alleged police brutality.

The report states that at least 34 people were killed by police in police stations, prisons and in public areas. According to the report, the killings were generally the result of live ammunition used to disperse protesters.

The report also cites 88 cases of torture by police. The seven people that the report alleges were sexually assaulted by police during interrogation include a young man who filed a legal complaint against a police officer and was later threatened and subject to torture.

More than eight cases of the kidnapping of political activists were also recorded, several of whom were also allegedly subject to torture and abuse.

At least ten sit-ins were also reported to have been dispersed by force during Morsi's first 100 days as president, along with several cases of arbitrary arrest as was most recently seen during the 17 September Nile University sit-in.

Approximately ten police raids on homes and private property were also recorded by the centre, the most famous of which was a police raid in early August on shack dwellers behind the Nile Towers in downtown Cairo.

Just for comparison, I estimate that in the past 100 days, the IDF killed about 18 Palestinian Arabs (including the five this past weekend), the vast majority of whom were members of terrorist groups or engaged in attacks against Israelis when they were killed.

Which means that Egypt kills far more Arabs than Israel does!

"Jew-cookies, baked in gas ovens" (updated x2)

Over the weekend a photo that seems to have been taken in a Danish supermarket made the rounds on Twitter:

Jodekager means "Jewish cookie" and is a well known Danish biscuit, especially (ironically) around Christmas.

"Bagt i gasovn" means "baked in gas ovens."

The reaction has been that perhaps the sign was in bad taste but many liked it (and favorited it on Twitter and "Liked" it on Facebook.) Others thought it might be Photoshopped, which is certainly possible. I couldn't find an original image with camera information.

Even if the sign itself is fake, the reaction is troubling, to say the least.

See "Never to Wait" blog.

(h/t Israel Muse)

UPDATE: Commenter Akusia reminds me of this story from 2005:

A group of Danish Muslims refuse to eat traditional “Jewish” cookies because they feel offended by the name.

It all equals out. Jews are offended by gratuitous Holocaust jokes, and Muslims are offended by - Jews.

UPDATE 2: Follow-up at Never to Wait:

Since I wrote the original post, denfri.dk reported that this picture originates from a Dagli’Brugsen in Thorsager, Denmark. Dagli’Brugsen is a the Danish equivalent of a Sainsbury’s Local, and the sign was reportedly put up by a young employee as a joke. As there is only one picture circulating the web, I’m assuming that this sign was taken down immediately, if it ever actually existed in the first place. For this reason, I have not denounced SuperBrugsen in any way.

Martin, a representative from SuperBrugsen, posted the following on their official Facebook page:

We are currently investigating the case, but for now it looks like a tasteless joke. The picture has nothing to do with SuperBrugsen. We would see it as entirely unacceptable for a sign like that to be used in one of our stores.

Nice shooting! Five terrorists, zero civilians killed over weekend

From AFP:

Two men were killed and another two critically wounded on Sunday in an Israeli strike on central Gaza, Palestinian medics said in what was the third deadly raid in 24 hours.

The incident occurred just east of Deir al-Balah, with the Israeli military confirming it had targeted “a terrorist rocket squad.”

Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesman for the Hamas-run health ministry, said the strike had initially killed one man and left three others in critical condition, but one of the wounded died shortly afterwards.

“Two people were killed, one of those who was critically wounded died of his wounds,” he told AFP.

He named the victims as Ezzedine Abu Nasira, 23, and Ahmad Fatayer, 22, both of whom were from Deir al-Balah. Witnesses said the strike targeted a motorcycle, and said that both men were militants.

Qudra said both of those wounded in the strike were civilians.

Qudra and the Gaza health ministry are lying - they were both from the Saladin Brigades of the Popular Resistance Committees, as Ma'an reported.

An Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed there was a “targeting of a terrorist rocket squad” which had just fired a rocket at southern Israel.

“They had just fired a rocket at Israel which hit the area of the Eshkol regional council,” she said. No-one was injured on the Israeli side.

According to the army, more than 500 rockets have hit Israel since the start of 2012, more than 40 of which were fired in the first two weeks of October.

It was the third deadly Israeli raid within 24 hours.

On Saturday night, the air force targeted a motorcycle in the northern town of Jabaliya, killing a top Salafist leader and a fellow militant.

Several hours later, warplanes targeted two militants from the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in the southern city of Khan Yunis, killing one and critically wounding the second.

Again, it is amazing to kill five people from airstrikes in a crowded urban area without killing any civilians.

Not to mention how impressive Israeli intelligence remains in Gaza to pinpoint the right people.

(h/t Challah)

Egyptian human rights organization blames Friday riots on - Hamas!

Egypt's Shorouk News reports that an Egyptian NGO called the "Justice and Development Organization for Human Rights" is claiming that the pro-Morsi rioters in Tahrir Square on Friday were not Egyptian, but Hamas members!

According to their statement, the group claimed that followers of Abu Marzouk, head of the Political Bureau of the Hamas movement, initiated the riots against the liberals and that the masked rioters were not young members of the Muslim Brotherhood as had been assumed.

The group claims that Hamas wants to play a big role in the internal affairs of Egypt.

The claim seems unlikely. Hamas does not want to upset the Egyptian Islamist government. And the NGO gives no evidence, as far as I can tell. This bizarre charge seems more designed to distance Egypt from Gaza - which most Egyptians aren't keen to subsidize - and to reduce intra-Egyptian tensions by taking the Muslim Brotherhood off the hook for the riots.

It just goes to show that Egyptian "human rights" NGOs are just as crazy and prone to conspiracy theories as Egypt's politicians, TV stars and journalists.

Craziness from Egypt 4: "The Pope Is Either a Jew or Has Been 'Judaized'"

MEMRI, again:

Following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian researcher Muhammad Galaa Idris, which aired on Al-Rahma TV on January 26, 2012.

Muhammad Galaa Idris: The current pope – Benedict IV or VII, or whatever – is even more Zionist than Herzl. I follow his statements, and I've already said that if that man is not a Jew, then he has been Judaized.

What he says exceeds what the Jews themselves say. He is more of a Zionist than the Zionists themselves.

Interviewer: Give us some examples...

Muhammad Galaa Idris: All his statements are in support of the Jews. He recognized what the Nazis did to the Jews, the Jewish Holocaust. All his statements are hostile to the Arabs and the Muslims. He slandered Islam, the Koran, the Muslims, and the Arabs.

Craziness from Egypt 3: Video of Friday's riots by Muslim Brotherhood supporters

Reading about the riots and seeing them are two completely different things:

Sunday links

From Ian:

The Israel benefit Arab neighbors don’t talk about

“A case in point is the Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) which exist in both Jordan and Israel as a result of the peace agreements we signed with both countries and through the cooperation, as well, of the United States government.”
“This is all a bit less important today than it was when it was implemented as now Jordan also has a free trade agreement with the US. But statistics a year ago showed that fully a third of Jordan’s exports came from the QIZs located there.
A similar situation exists in Egypt, which does nothave a Free Trade Agreement with the US and, thus, needs the QIZ framework to be able to export products to America duty free.”

For jobless Palestinians, Israel offers hope

Amid 17% unemployment in the West Bank, authorities grant 10,000 more permits for work in Israel
"In response to an economic crisis gripping the West Bank, Israel has increased the number of permits for Palestinians to work in Israel. This has drawn large crowds of desperate men to the gray edifice each morning in chaotic scenes of long lines, frustrated faces and heated arguments as they try to secure a coveted permit."

U.S., allies girding for worst-case scenario with Syria's WMD

"During a week that witnessed deadly artillery exchanges between Syria and Turkey and a tense showdown over a plane purportedly ferrying munitions from Russia, the arrival of 150 U.S. troops in Jordan was likely to be viewed as token support for an ally coping with a refugee influx from Syria's civil war.
The deployment, though, may be a response to mounting concerns at the Pentagon and among European and Middle East allies that Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons could fall into the hands of hostile forces if the embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad is eventually toppled."

Rupert Murdoch: “Nightmare for Israel if Obama Wins”

"The Chairman and CEO of global news conglomerate News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch, predicted this morning that a win for President Obama in the upcoming American presidential election would be a “nightmare” for Israel. He also said that Vice President Joe Biden’s comments about his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the vice presidential debate on Thursday night were false."

Jewish group urges White House to cut ties with Cairo

Simon Wiesenthal Center: US can’t conduct ‘business as usual’ as Muslim Brotherhood’s spiritual leader makes anti-Semitic remarks
“The Simon Wiesenthal Center, which monitors anti-Semitic incidents worldwide, also said the US could not pretend to conduct “business as usual” when the Brotherhood made such statements.
“We are not dealing with a YouTube video or a lone extremist imam, but a call to anti-Semitic violence by a man who has tens of millions of followers and leads the organization that controls Egypt’s future,” the center’s rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper were quoted as saying in a statement.”

MEMRI:
Leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel Raed Sallah: Islam Will Save the West from Slavery to Global Zionism and Crusader Hatred

"I say to you who harbor hatred towards the Messenger of Allah that it will not be long before Allah grants us victory over you. Then, when you ask us, terrified and afraid, what we will do to you, we will say to you: You are free to go, because our goal is to shatter the subjugation of your minds to the enterprise of Herzl and David Ben Gurion."

Fear grows as Mali extremists compile list of unmarried mothers
Radical Islamists are compiling a list of unmarried mothers in northern Mali, raising fears of cruel punishments such as stoning, amputations and executions, a senior United Nations official said.

Leaked video raises questions about Tunisian government’s moderateness
Footage shows Ennahda Party leader speaking on how to gradually Islamize society; opposition groups fear radical Islamist agenda

CardioFit gets on your nerves to save your heart
A world’s-first Israeli nerve-stimulation device balances the autonomic nervous system of heart-failure patients.

"It looks like an MP3 player, but the CardioFit device isn’t meant for entertainment. This Israeli innovation from BioControl Medical, now being tested on 200 patients at 50 US medical centers, is an implantable electrical stimulation device designed to improve cardiac function in patients with congestive heart failure (HF)."

Family and friends pay tribute to Vidal Sassoon at memorial service
Legendary hairstylist Vidal Sassoon, who died aged 84 in May, was remembered for his extraordinary life and as a 'generous and compassionate man.'

“St Paul's Cathedral was filled with celestial singing this morning as friends and family of the late Vidal Sassoon - including Zandra Rhodes, Anish Kapoor (who created a special contemplative urn for his friend at the cathedral), Michael and Shakira Caine, Nicky Clarke, John Frieda, and Alexandra Shulman - gathered to celebrate his extraordinary life.

As well as going on to become the world's most famous and influential hairdresser, Sassoon was a lifelong campaigner for equality and against anti-Semitism. As a young man after the war, he joined the 43 group, a Jewish association established to campaign against anti-Semitism and fought on the streets of East London against Oswald Mosley.

In 1948, aged 20, Sassoon volunteered to fight for the Israeli army.

Craziness from Egypt 2: "Jews helped Hitler build gas chambers, killed Libyan ambassador"

From MEMRI:

Following are excerpts from an interview with Tareq Hamed, an international arbitrator from Egypt, which aired on Al-Khalijiyya TV on September 19, 2012.

Tareq Hamed: The killing of US ambassador to Libya was done at the urging of the Jews. They sent people to kill him. The reason is that when this ambassador reached Libya... By the way, that ambassador spoke Arabic, loved the Arabs, loved the Muslims, and went there to do actual work. He developed friendly relations between Libya and the US, planning projects and development for the Libyans.

They opposed this. This is the Jewish mentality.
[...]
Interviewer: Israel received millions and millions from Germany because of the Holocaust, or the gas chambers.

Tareq Hamed: Which they themselves did in order to get their own country... Something must be said for the sake of history, so that people will know. Everyone is saying one thing, while the truth is completely different.

The Jews themselves greatly helped Hitler with the gas chambers, at the urging of England, because the Jews at that time were scattered and wanted a country. Something big had to happen to generate the world's sympathy towards them. The Jews were expelled from all countries, so this had to be done, so that the international community would decide to establish their state.

Before colonialism was over, their country was founded in Palestine, on the basis of that Holocaust, which was fabricated, and in which only a few died – not a lot of people, like they claim. All the compensations they got...

Interviewer: They say 3 million were killed.

Tareq Hamed: The Jews in the whole world numbered 2.5 million back then, so how could 3 million have been burned?

Abbas awards himself "keys to Jerusalem" - in Ramallah

A delegation of young Jerusalem Arabs "awarded" Mahmoud Abbas with "seven keys to Jerusalem" in a staged Fatah ceremony - in Ramallah.

Which means that Abbas awarded this fake award to himself!

Here's another photo of Abbas magnanimously accepting this great honor in a ceremony that was staged by his own party in his own headquarters.

Abbas, now in the eighth year of his four year term, used this opportunity to toss around more of his lies, including that "Israel wants war but we want peace" and that Israel is digging under the Al Aqsa Mosque.

Abbas added that he would not accept any Palestinian Arab state without Jerusalem, and also that he insists on the release of every prisoner held by Israel, which would of course include some of the most vicious terrorists whom he considers heroes.

Another speaker at the same fake ceremony, Sheikh Yusuf Adeis, charged Israel with a "racist plan" to demolish the mosque and to built its own Temple there, and that the Jews were working overtime to stop Muslims and Christians from worshiping in Jerusalem.

Craziness: Egyptian Islamist party calls for violent jihad to implement Sharia

Background from Wikipedia:

Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya renounced bloodshed in 2003,[27] and in September 2003 Egypt freed more than 1,000 members, citing what Interior Minister Habib el-Adli called the group's stated "commitment to rejecting violence."[12]

Following the 2011 Revolution, Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya established a political party, the Building and Development Party. In August 2011, it presented 6,700 proxies (signatures) to the Egyptian political parties' committee on behalf of its party. In a statement the Gamaa said that any legislation drafted in Egypt after the revolution must refer to the sharia of God, “who blessed us with this revolution. We believe that the suffering we endured during the past years was due to neglecting religion and putting those who don't fear [God] in power.” It also stated that "Islam can contain everyone and respects the freedom of followers of other religions to refer to their own sharia in private affairs."

The Building and Development Party contested the 2011-2012 elections to the People's Council, the lower house of the Egyptian parliament, as part of the Islamic Alliance which was led by the salafi Al-Nour Party. It gained 13 seats: 12 in Upper Egypt and one in Suez.

Egypt Independent reports:

Jama'a al-Islamiya hinted Friday that it may be willing to resort to violence in order to see Sharia adopted in the latest draft of the constitution from the Constituent Assembly.

The group called on Egyptians to collect funds for what it described as a battle against “secularists and liberals.”

Jama'a al-Islamiya leader Mohamed Salah is a member of the Jurisprudence Commission for Rights and Reform, which is comprised of a number of Islamist figures, including Khairat al-Shater, deputy supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Salah said during a conference in the Ain Shams neighborhood that Egyptians should “support Islamic Sharia in the Egyptian constitution,” and that “Jama'a al-Islamiya will fight for the application of God’s law, even if that requires bloodshed.”

He called on Islamist movements to organize mass demonstrations to “trap secularists inside the place where the Constituent Assembly holds its meetings, so that everyone knows that the people want an Islamist [state].”

He also demanded that President Mohamed Morsy issue a decree to “defeat the schemes of liberals to reject the law of God.”

He stressed that the referendum on the constitution in its current form is forbidden by Islam, calling on the Egyptian people to “[wage] jihad and fight in support of Sharia.”

Assem Abdel Meguid, leader of Jama’a al-Islamiya’s political arm, the Construction and Development Party, said that “the conference is the first step to announce the rejection of the second article [of the constitution] in its current form.”

He noted that the next step would be mobilizing millions for jihad with their lives and money in the battle to support Sharia.

Just another day in that liberal democracy known as Egypt.

Iran sanctions and Swedish greed (Zvi)

From Zvi:

Ha'aretz reports:

The Swedish government is trying to prevent the European Union from imposing further sanctions on Iran for fear of losing a lucrative deal for Swedish communications company Ericsson, according to a Foreign Ministry official in Jerusalem.

Why does the EU refuse to take effective action to halt Iran's march toward nuclear weapons? That march will, if not stopped, lead to the slaughter millions of people in an instant. It will allow the IRI to realize its genocidal ambitions. It will allow Iran to terrify its neighbors into submission. It will poison the air, water, land, and of course everything that lives on them. It will destroy any hope of peace in the middle east for decades.

And why does the EU drag its feet? Are EU countries afraid?

No, it's not about fear.

It's all about greed..

The greed of European politicians, who are in the pockets of European corporations.

The greed of European consultants, who are paid water carriers for European corporations and for middle eastern dictators.

The greed of European businessmen, whose companies grow bloated on the profits that they gain by helping dictators to clamp down on their own people and by providing dual-use technology.

It's not just about fear of terrorists, as bad an excuse as that would be.

It's about rampant greed - in this case, centered in Stockholm.

The Swedish government is evidently an ethics-free zone in which the most incredible hypocrisy is king.

Care about peace? Not if it means that Ericsson doesn't score a deal with a pack of thugs.

Care about human rights? Not if it involves losing an Ericsson deal.

Care about the environment? Not if it involves paying a real price.

Care about minorities? Not if they're Jews.

Swedish politicians must evidently check their consciences at the door before they enter government.

Does the Swedish king have anything to say about this? About the terror of Jews in Malmo? About the Swedish government aiding and abetting the regime in Tehran, a regime that stole elections, murdered Nada and her fellows and beat the protesters into the dirt? A regime that sends heavily-armed soldiers to slaughter Syrians and occupies Lebanon?

Why not?

Why NOT?

Reports that Emir of Qatar to visit Gaza this week

Palestinian Arabic media is reporting that the Emir of Qatar plans to make an official visit to Gaza before the end of the week.

If true, this would be the first visit by a national leader to Hamas-controlled Gaza. It would be an unprecedented boost for Hamas' legitimacy and a slap in the face of the PA, even if he doesn't officially meet with Hamas officials.

The reports say that the Qatari ambassador is arriving ahead of time to arrange the logistics.

Gaza's Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh had already met with the Emir in Qatar earlier this year.

Some Jordanians still claim the West Bank as theirs

MEMRI reports:

In a meeting with Palestinian citizens in Jordan, Prince Hassan bin Talal, Jordanian crown prince between 1965 and 1999, made an unusual statement, saying that the territories of the West Bank are actually part of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The Jordanian website Almustaqbal-a.com reported that the speech by the Jordanian prince took place at an October 9 meeting with Palestinians from Nablus, members of the Ebal charity organization. The meeting was organized by Jordanian Senate President Taher Al-Masri, who is himself a Palestinian from Nablus. During his speech, Prince Hassan said that he intends to visit other organizations in Jordan that represent West Bank residents.

The report stated that "Prince Hassan stressed that the West Bank is part of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which included both banks of the [Jordan] River" and added that Hassan "did not personally oppose the two state solution, but that this solution is irrelevant at the current stage."[2] He later added that even if the two state solution does not materialize, there are other options. According to Hassan, "both sides, Arab and Israeli, no longer speak of a political solution to the Palestinian problem." He implied that even the Oslo Accords had met their end, and said that Arab losses from the Accords are estimated at $12 billion. The report added: "The attendees understood that Prince [Hassan] is working to reunite both banks of the [Jordan] River, and commended him for it."

Prince Hassan later added: "The unity that existed between the west and east banks for 17 years... was arguably one of the best attempts at unity that ever occurred in the Arab [world]... I hope that I do not live to see the day when Jordan, or the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, relinquishes the land occupied in 1967 by the IDF, since it would bring us all to witness the humiliating end... These lands, which were occupied as part of the 1967 lands, including East Jerusalem, were promised to us, and nowadays we speak of them as Area C..."

Prince Hassan tried to clarify his statements and said that in terms of sovereignty and law, the West Bank was occupied by Jordan in 1948, and that everyone, including the Palestinians, agrees that Jordanian law is the basis for the demand to reclaim them from Israel. However, he added, Jordan ceased negotiating for these lands with Israel following a request by the Palestinian Authority. Hassan said: "If, God forbid, we were to recognize the Jordan River as a border with Israel, then every element hostile to Jordan – and there are many – could claim that Jordan has failed in its demand [to restore] Arab rights."

Perhaps more significant, a number of Jordanian media outlets published Saturday a lengthy article about Jordan's legal rights to the West Bank. Some Jordanians, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, are claiming that King Hussein's 1988 declaration cutting off the West Bank from Jordan (and revoking Jordanian citizenship from West Bank Palestinian Arabs) was illegal.

After the PLO was recognized by the UN and even the West as the "sole representative of the Palestinian people," Hussein relented and "disengaged" from the West Bank, taking away citizenship from them "not to give Israel the opportunity to drive them across the bridges and use their land for the benefit of the settlers." But the pressure to do so came from Arafat and the Arab League, according to the article.

Mamoun Al-Tamimi, a Palestinian National Council member who lives in Amman, says that the 1988 decision was flawed and should not have been done while Israel still was physically in the West Bank. He notes that "the consequences were serious for the Palestinian people, as it caused migration of thousands to Europe and Canada to become citizens there after they were deprived of Jordanian nationality, and so it does not contribute to the permanency of the Palestinians in the occupied territories, but reduces them."

Zaki Bani Irsheid, Deputy Comptroller General of the Muslim Brotherhood, says the position of the Islamic movement said "we must differentiate between the Palestinian Authority on the one hand, and the struggle for identity and Palestinian statehood. The PA created by the Oslo agreement came to save the Zionist entity's security and achieve the purpose of the President to abort the Palestinian militant project, which includes the Liberation of Palestine and the establishment of a Palestinian state. The rejection of disengagement is not a rejection on the basis of who governs the West Bank, but on the basis of unity and cohesion." (The Muslim Brotherhood regards all Arab territories as part of a great Muslim Ummah, and wants to erase the boundaries to recreate a caliphate.)

Dr. Asad Rahman, a researcher of Palestinian affairs, said "The decision [to disengage] was from the first moment a divisive issue in the emotions and opinions, and still is today. Some say that the decision is unconstitutional under Jordanian law... but the silent majority was against the resolution. Some say that the decision came without basis in any reference in the political entity of Jordan, but actually came just like the decision which granted Jordanian citizenship to Palestinians in the West Bank in April 1950, meaning that both resolutions came without parliamentary or legal justification."

Hopefully MEMRI will translate the entire article, because while it discusses many different viewpoints it upends the conventional wisdom that all Jordanians supported King Hussein's decision.

Which means that the idea of a confederation between Jordan and the Palestinian Arabs on the west bank of the river is not as far fetched as many say it is. Obviously the intent of all the people interviewed is to take as much territory out of Jewish control as possible, and the failure of the PLO to do so is what seems to be the incentive behind this new set of articles.

Saturday night links

From Ian:

Swedish government body funds book on Israeli ‘apartheid’

Member of country’s Art Council praises ‘high quality’ of work that claims Herzl sought to increase Jewish suffering
The book contains a quote attributed to Theodor Herzl which the Stockholm-based Swedish Israel Information Center claims is a forgery: “It is essential that the sufferings of Jews become worse. This will assist in the realization of our plans. I have an excellent idea. I shall induce anti-Semites to liquidate Jewish wealth.”
Lisa Abramowicz, the center’s secretary general, has said the book reminded her of “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”

[The quote in the title of the book has also been proven false - EoZ]

Fake Gaza “Art” at Canadian Public Library
"The unanimous opinion of experts is that these drawings – which depict various scenes of alleged “Israeli brutality” – are far too sophisticated to have been drawn by children. Contrary to CJPME President Thomas Woodley’s claims as published in the Hamilton Spectator, this artwork cannot be considered “authentic”. The symbolism, detail, colouring and motifs all indicate the work of trained artists imitating the style of a child."

[Some of the text from that article was taken from my earlier post on the topic. I assume it was an oversight that they didn't credit me. -EoZ]

The banal realities of Israel’s self-defence

If an enemy state or organised military group sent drones over Russia, or Britain, or France, as part of an openly stated campaign of ultimate destruction, there would not be the smallest word of dissent against the victim’s right to self-defence
"When is an act of war not an act of war? In the Middle East, that is usually when the State of Israel is the target of unprovoked aggression from some group or other hell bent on securing the Jewish state’s destruction. At least, that is how it is seen in the chancelleries of Europe and much of the rest of the world besides.”

Sarah Honig: Another Tack: If only we were Turks

“Obviously one set of rules applies to Turkey and quite another to Israel – without even configuring the incomparably more prolonged, frequent and menacing provocations against
Israel.
That goes for the media too. One Syrian mortar shell that hit just inside Turkish territory last Sunday made headlines worldwide. Over 55 shells and rockets that barraged Israel that same night went largely unmentioned. Israeli pain is clearly not worth wasting airtime for."

Dore Gold: Iran and Turkey Compete for Middle East Power

It will not be so simple to wave the flag of the Palestinian issue in order to cover up their own encroachments on the rest of the Middle East. Many Sunni Arabs understand that "Iranian special forces were involved in the massacres of their people in Syria, which were part of the spreading of Iranian power across the region. Pointing to Israel will not change what Iran did in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East. Ironically, Israel and the Arab states have growing mutual interests in seeing that their region is not dominated by either Turkey or Iran, but whether they can draw together to block these two powers remains to be seen."

US: Russia’s policy on Syria is ‘morally bankrupt’

"The Obama administration on Friday accused Russia of pursuing a “morally bankrupt” policy in Syria, following Turkey’s seizure of alleged Russian military equipment from a Syrian plane headed from Moscow to Damascus."

Secret Israel-Syria Peace Talks Involved Golan Heights Exit

For several months in 2010, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel engaged in secret, American-brokered discussions with Syria for a possible peace treaty based on a full Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights.

Prosecutor: Suspects in Paris store attack linked to Syria

Terror cell called the ‘most dangerous’ uncovered in France in more than 15 years
"Suspects in the recent bombing of a kosher supermarket near Paris belonged to an “extremely dangerous” cell with links to Islamist rebels in Syria, a Paris public prosecutor has said."

Hezbollah claims it sent drone over Israel, but expert calls it 'rinky-dink'

"Israel usually tracks these drones as they come across the border and often doesn't bother to shoot them down," Zenko said. "They just want to see what Hezbollah thinks it can do."
Drones like the one shot down on Saturday cannot even be piloted until someone has "line control" of the device, or is at least within 50 kilometers of it, he said.
"To call them rinky-dink would be polite," he said. "The drones that Iranians display at airshows or that they tout for sale, defense industry press people describe them as crude."
These drones don't have "hard points," or brackets, on which ammunition can be fixed, Zenko said, but they do have the ability to conduct surveillance. It's unclear if the Iranians have drones that can do surveillance in real time, he added.

BBC tunnel vision in Gaza

"The frequent use of the phrase “Israel says” by journalists is a subject for discussion in itself. It implies to the reader that, whilst seemingly presenting multiple viewpoints on a certain subject, the journalist is not entirely convinced of their validity or objectivity.
Of course in this specific case, it is not just Israel which “says” that weapons are smuggled into Gaza through the tunnels.
In May 2012, Major General Warren James Whiting – commander of the Multinational Force and Observers in Sinai – said that advanced Russian-made missiles were being smuggled from Libya, through Egypt, into the Gaza Strip. "

'All the Jews there live in fear that their telephones are tapped'

"Iranian Jews view Iran as their home, and they can practice their religion freely. Most belong to the upper class, so they are not as affected by the economic sanctions. But there is suspicion and fear too, since Big Brother is always watching."

Iron Dome can handle Hamas’s improvised multi-barrel rocket launchers, expert says

Uzi Rubin, chief engineer of the Arrow anti-missile system, says there are ‘no game-changers’ in the ongoing conflict with Gaza.

Rocket hits backyard in Netivot
Gaza terrorists continue to pound southern communities: Explosion heard in city of Netivot on Friday evening as rocket lands in house's yard. No injuries reported; one person suffers from shock

Iranian Diplomat to be Honored at Holocaust Museum
Abdol-Hossein Sardari was the Iranian envoy to France in 1940 when Nazi Germany became the occupying power there, and it was at this time that his efforts led to saving the lives of thousands of his countrymen.

EU Nobel Peace Prize is more farcical than Obama's

The European Union has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in what can only be described as a travesty and a complete farce

It's got a collapsing currency and rioting on the streets but the European Union wins the Nobel PEACE Prize

Nobel committee said the award was for 'the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights'
But critics condemn the move at a time when the bloc is gripped by the Eurozone crisis and facing serious questions about its future
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg says it is 'slightly interesting' to give to the award to an 'acronym'
Tory MEPs joke the Nobel committee 'is a little late for an April fools joke' and declare: 'Parody is redundant'
The prize is awarded by a panel of five people from Norway - which is not even a member of the EU

Also, BBC Radio looks at Jewish refugees from Arab lands (h/t Yerushalimey)