Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, November 19, 2012

Monday links

So many links, so little time...

From Ian:

IDF Blog: Pillar Of Defense: Fifth Day Recap VIDEO

IDF Hijacks Hamas Radio, is Broadcasting Warnings to Gaza Population

Fighting wars in a minefield of lawyers

"Former top IDF international law head emphasizes the legal battles the military faces in choosing targets.
Libman said that an international lawyer’s job was to navigate the “gray areas” that characterized many disputed aspects of the law of armed conflict, always striving to be in keeping with the “spirit of the law.”
It was crucial, Libman said, that the IDF adhere to and “guard our [country’s] values,” since success could only be achieved in this and future operations by defending the “value we place on human life.”

An Arab View... by Khaled Abu Toameh

"This hostility is the direct result of years of anti-Israel and anti-Western incitement in the Arab and Muslim world -- not only toward Israel but also toward the United States. In today's world of the Palestinians, anyone who talks about peace with Israel is a traitor and a collaborator; but anyone who calls for the destruction of Israel and fires rockets at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is a hero."

Only disproportionate deterrence will offset Hamas by Isi Leibler
We must recognize that in future conflicts, the terrorists will continue accumulating more effective and lethal weapons to employ against us.

"We must therefore endeavor to resist calls for a cease-fire until such time as Hamas, in conjunction with the Egyptians, undertake to cease their aggression.
There must be a clear understanding that any breach would result in harsh “disproportionate” Israeli responses including the targeted killings of those responsible for initiating attacks. In the absence of such an agreement an enforced cease-fire will be perceived as a major victory for Hamas and our citizens will simply return to the life of terror they endured since the first Kassams were launched a decade ago."

Reflections on Current Hamas-Israel Hostilities by Daniel Pipes

Melanie Phillips: Here is the (real) news

“So with Israel having faced existential attack from the Arab and Muslim world for the six decades of its existence, and having been under intensive rocket, missile and human bomb attack from them for more than a decade, the BBC Any Questions production team selected as the audience question to launch its discussion of the Gaza war whether Israel actually deserved to exist at all.” (inc. an EOZ link)

The Era of Dictators Moves to the Era of Islamists by Douglas Murray

The constant, unabated terrorizing of Israelis does not interest the international community and the media. They only become interested once Israel responds to such attacks.
"The cards may be familiar, but the game has changed: the stakes are higher. A great shift is occurring across the region. We appear to be moving from the era of the dictators to the era of the Islamists.
Whatever is to come, Israel will need her friends abroad, for she has none nearby.”

PMW: Hamas disinformation: Israel's international airport closed, planes redirected to secret base

Hamas video threatening Israelis draws more parody than fear
Due to the video's bad translation and technical problems, it has become one of the hottest parodies on the web.

Fear, rage and resilience in Kiryat Malachi amid the rocket fire
Sirens interrupt rocket victim’s funeral

"While Eitan declares that the terrorists “want to rain fear on us, but they won’t succeed,” the chants of the crowd and the sound of the siren linger in the air. For the roomful of mourners, the next rocket is not far away."

Israeli government websites under mass hacking attack

More than 44 million hacking attempts have been made on Israeli government web sites since Wednesday when Israel began its Gaza air strikes, the government said on Sunday.
Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said just one hacking attempt was successful on a site he did not want to name, but it was up and running after 10 minutes of downtime.

Senator Graham threatens US will cut off Egypt aid unless it reins in Hamas
Joseph Lieberman downplays risk of Israeli ground incursion

J Street calls on Obama to show ‘greater leadership’ on Gaza, peace process
Left-wing Jewish group says it rejects the idea that ‘the US can’t want peace more than the parties themselves’

Lovitz Stands Up for Israel, Slams 'Terrorist' Hamas
"It's also sad to hear Americans defend Hamas, a terrorist organization. Israel has a right to defend its citizens."

Israelis open homes, schools to families from the south
People are opening homes and hearts to residents of Israeli communities seeking respite from the constant missile attacks.

"Not only soldiers sprang into action the moment Israel’s military launched Operation Pillar of Defense in response to incessant rocket fire from Gaza. Israeli civilians in the center and north of the country also responded by offering Mideast hospitality to families wishing to escape the stress and trauma for a night, a weekend or longer.
“The day everything started, we got families to sign up as hosts,” says Keren Claster, assistant to the mayor of Efrat, south of Jerusalem. “We’re also gathering toys and books to send to shelters in the South.”

Sites like ‘Life Under Fire’ bring home rocket reality
High-tech experts introduce videos, web pages, and other info to help Israelis stay safe, and help the rest of the world understand what is unfolding

Islamic Jihad warns Muslims: Beware, your sexy Facebook friend could be a Mossad agent

Arab youths set up Jew stabbing cell
Arrest of 17-year-old east Jerusalem resident suspected of stabbing Abraham Tau two weeks exposes terror cell
Police suspect that the teenagers' actions were nationalistically motivated and carried out under the auspices of an organization called "Lovers of the Land," which aims to physically harm Jewish residents of the city.

France: Muslim Student Attacks Professor Who Didn't Respect Islam

"Vive Bin Laden! Vive Merah! All Jews to the Ovens!"
These graffiti slogans, along with some swastikas and other symbols, were found on a wall in Caluire, an area of Lyon especially associated with the French resistance to the Nazis.

His mother's from Surbiton but he was blown up near the border with Gaza

"Family of British-Israeli soldier relive the attack that helped trigger the current crisis
Until last week, the British-Israeli soldier Shimon Alankri, 20, was in peak fitness, serving with the army's Sayeret Givati unit on routine patrol along Israel's border fence with Gaza. Then, on 10 November, a cell from the Gaza Popular Resistance Committees fired a guided anti-tank missile at his jeep. The missile blasted straight through the vehicle and out the other side, wounding them all.
It proved to be one of the triggers that led to Israel's Operation Pillar of Defence, a fierce offensive that has divided opinion abroad, but has proved deeply popular in Israel as the country heads towards elections in January."

Also, didn't want to forget this great example of how Israelis take the rockets with humor: (h/t Stan)

And:

Daphne Anson: It's Been A Weekend Of Disproportionate Bias On The BBC

CAMERA: CNN Whitewashes Hamas

Video: CNN's Ashleigh Banfield: Jerusalem 'Is Not The Capital' of Israel

MSNBC downplays danger from Hamas rockets to Michael Oren

Photos of pro-Israel demonstration in LA

(h/t O)

It has been a very busy few days, here from the safety of the US. Two of my posts went viral and I have been getting tens of thousands of hits.

I've been blogging far more than usual and not getting much sleep, as I try to find stories and angles that the many excellent pro-Israel bloggers and journalists might be missing.

I just wanted to take a short time out to thank you for your support.

Thank you to those who are reading the blog.

Thank you to those who are tweeting, re-tweeting, Facebook Like-ing (the "dead child" story was "Liked" over 2300 times!), submitting my stories to Reddit and emailing them around. This is crucial, especially when you send messages to reporters and news outlets who are clearly writing untruths and half-truths. I have been at least partially responsible for three media corrections this week, but it could not have happened without the support of thousands of readers, new and old.

Thank you to those who are sending me stories. I hope I remember to credit all of you. It makes my life a lot easier and it makes this website much, much better for everyone. And apologies if I could not get to your story idea; I simply do not have enough hours in the day.

Thanks to Ian for his daily linkdumps!

Thank you to those who have given me kind words, compliments and great feedback, both publicly in the comments and tweets and privately via email. It really means a lot to me.

Finally, thanks so much to those who chose, on their own, to donate to the blog. When people decide on their own to help me out without prompting, it is especially precious and when a donation comes in while I am running on fumes, it gives me a lot of new energy!

It is wonderful and humbling that my hard work is appreciated and being disseminated, even making it to the New York Times, to CNN and to many other media outlets. Naturally, one day I'll be so big that they will be honored to appear on my site :)

Most of all, we cannot forget the big picture. Let us hope for a real, permanent peace, so that this blog is no longer necessary, except for jokes and viral videos...

עוֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו, הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עַלֵינוּ, וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן

Youm7 (Egypt) reports that Saber Abul Fotouh, a member of the High Commission for the ruling Freedom and Justice Party, which is the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, said that their "youth group" are poised to join the jihad in Gaza "with our Palestinian brothers in their war against the brutal Zionist aggression."

Aboul Fotouh told the newspaper that they wish to issue such a decision, adding that if a decision would be made to join the jihad, "there will be hundreds in our community [willing to go to] Palestine to help our brothers there, and stand on their side."

Sources said that a number of young Muslim Brotherhood members already traveled to Gaza in order to support Palestinian Arabs in their war against Israel, but this was denied by Aboul Fotouh, saying they have not received orders from the group so far to travel to Gaza - but they hope so.

However, he stressed that Hamas is not in need of members to support it because it has the best fighters in the world, saying that their first duty to support them is with weapons and money.

Is this an admission that the Muslim Brotherhood is involved in smuggling weapons to Gaza?

Could there have been weapons in the Egyptian convoy that entered Gaza yesterday? The luggage compartment of a tour bus could easily hold several Fajr-5 rockets!

Egypt has still not clarified where it stands on arming Hamas. It is way past time for the US to force them to publicly state their position, and to back it up.

(h/t Lachlan)

Will media groups condemn Islamic Jihad for using them as human shields?

From AFP:

A senior Islamic Jihad militant was killed on Monday in an Israeli strike on a Gaza City building housing Palestinian and international media, the Islamist faction told AFP.

Israel confirmed the attack, with its intelligence services saying the strike had targeted "senior Islamic Jihad officials" who were on the premises.

It was the second time in as many days that Israel had fired on the Shuruq Tower in the city's upscale Rimal neighbourhood which is used by media outlets including Britain's Sky News, the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya network, Russia Today and Iran's Press TV.

Smoke was seen billowing from the lower floors of the tower, also used by Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV whose offices were destroyed in the first strike on Sunday morning, officials said.

"One Palestinian was killed and three others injured in a strike on the Shuruq Tower," an ambulance services statement said.

Islamic Jihad sources named him as Ramez Harb and said he was a senior commander in its armed wing, the Al-Quds Brigades.

"One person was killed and lots of people were injured. Now there's a fire on the second, third and four floors," Saed Swerky, Russia Today's Gaza correspondent told AFP by phone just after the attack.

"The Israelis warned the foreigners to leave this building yesterday because they were going to attack it again," he said, speaking from inside the building.

The IDF had identified four Islamic Jihad leaders in the media building.

After yesterday's attack, Reporters Without Borders (RSF)issued a strong condemnation to Israel:

Reporters Without Borders condemns Israeli air strikes targeting news organizations in Gaza City today and calls for an immediate end to such attacks. At least nine journalists were reportedly injured and several local and international media were prevented from operating.

“These attacks constitute obstruction of freedom of information,” Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. “We remind the Israeli authorities that, under humanitarian law, the news media enjoy the same protection as civilians and cannot be regarded as military targets.

“Even if the targeted media support Hamas, this does not in any way legitimize the attacks. We call for a transparent investigation into the circumstances of these air strikes. Attacks on civilian targets are war crimes and serious violations of the Geneva Conventions. Those responsible must be identified.”

Now that we know that the existence of senior Islamic Jihad officials in that same building, who were clearly using the international media presence as a shield for their own operations, will RSF modify its condemnation? After all, we now see that Israel behaved exactly as they are supposed to under international law: they identified a legitimate target, and warned the civilians to get out of the way so they could attack.

Moreover, will RSF issue an equally strong condemnation of Islamic Jihad for treating journalists as human shields?

Not that this is the first time in this conflict that reporters were used in that way. A very interesting video compilation shows reporters noting rocket firings very close to where they were reporting, meaning that the terrorists were banking on the reporters shielding them from reprisals:

As well as tweets indicating the same thing, see here for many.

So now that we know that terror groups use reporters for immunity from attack, will RSF and Israel's Foreign Press Association condemn them within the next couple of hours?

One other point: Al-Aqsa Television, one of the targets yesterday, is designated as a terror organization by the US.

(last point h/t CHA)

Yes, the IDF is the most moral army in the world

It has been difficult to determine the ratio of terrorists to civilians being killed in Gaza. Certainly through Saturday there were more terrorists killed than civilians, it appears that this morning the ratio may be about the same (although this Reuters article uses the more vague term "non-combatants" and the number of dead who are males of military age still seem to be higher than those of women, children and the elderly.)

It is hard to tell; since Gaza authorities are notorious liars and some lists of the dead include those killed by Hamas rockets.

The terrorist websites seem to have all agreed to not identify mujahadeen being killed as they did in the early days of the operation. We saw this in Cast Lead as well, as the public relations advantage of pretending that Israel is perpetrating "massacres" outweighs the normal lionization of brave fighting "martyrs." Some Arab media will say that Israel targeted a "civilian car" without noting that the people inside were leaders of Islamic Jihad.

What we don't know at all, and may never know, is the number of civilians who were killed by errant Hamas rockets and by secondary explosions of terrorist ammunition and weapons caches.

PCHR, notorious for not distinguishing between members of terror groups and civilians but somewhat honest in their descriptions of how people died, has not updated their statistics since Saturday.

It appears though that the ratio of civilians to militants to is still about 1:1, about what it was during Cast Lead. The IDF claims 1:2 this morning.

For all the gruesome photos of dead people and sick photo-ops in Gaza hospitals with babies, it is a remarkable ratio for wartime, especially in urban areas that house legitimate targets. This is far better than the ratio of civilian to militant deaths in Afghanistan, in a far more rural environment. Outside of Cast Lead, it is essentially an unprecedented achievement.

Even more amazing is that there have been over 1000 Israeli strikes in Gaza since Wednesday, and the number of civilian deaths is still less than 50. If anyone needs proof that Israel is not targeting civilians, this is irrefutable.

It needs to be stressed that Israel has zero incentive to kill civilians, and in fact has every reason to avoid killing civilians. The hyperbole about bloodthirsty Israelis and "genocide" and "massacres" is just propaganda.

Unfortunately, the media rarely looks at context, and photos of injured people - real or imagined - is where the ratings are.

It is still notable that the Arab side gleefully shows videos of Israelis panicking during missile strikes and Israelis grieving over their losses. Video clips made by the mainstream media, meant to humanize Israeli victims of rocket attacks, are being shown by Arab websites to gloat. Even the regular Arab audience loves to see terrorized Israelis.

One side sends warnings to save civilians, the other sends warnings to terrorize them. One grieves when the other sides loses innocents, the other cheers.

This is the real difference between the two sides - one side really wants to attack civilians and cause terror, and the other wants to avoid it as much as humanly possible.

Iran denies sending Fajr-5s to Hamas, while Islamic Jihad brags about them

From Iran's Fars News:

Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi strongly rejected the Zionist regime's allegations that Iran has supplied Hamas with 'Fajr 5' (Dawn 5) rockets, saying the resistance does not need Iranian rockets.

The Islamic Republic of Iran's Supreme Leader has always stressed that "Iran withholds no assistance to the resistance", but Iran's support is of "spiritual kind", Boroujerdi told Iran's Arabic-language news channel, Al-Alam on Sunday.

The senior Iranian lawmaker reiterated that the resistance has obtained the required capability, power and self-sufficiency and does not need backup or rockets from other countries.

His remarks came after the Zionist regime and some western experts claimed that rockets launched by the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas, to target Israeli cities were Iranian-made.

Hamas has been claiming from the start that the rockets they have sent towards Jerusalem and Tel Aviv were their own design, called M75s.

But Islamic Jihad explicitly says that the rockets they are shooting towards Israeli communities are Fajr-5s.

Note that Iran only said they are not sending Fajr-5s to "Hamas," but nothing about Islamic Jihad.

It is still an open question as to whether the "M75s" are simply painted Fajr-5s or if Hamas - which often sends terrorists to Iran for training - is manufacturing rockets with a 75 km range based on Iranian designs.

Either way, the claim that Iran's support for "the resistance" is of the "spiritual kind" is an obvious lie, since the smuggling routes via Sudan and previous attempts to ship huge amounts of weapons to Gaza via ship are well known.

The Fajr-5 is not accurate but can carry a payload of up to 100 kg of high explosives.

On the webpage of the Nedal Brigades of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades we see an obituary for Hossam Mohammed Hamdan Zini (who has the nom de guerre of Abu Jandal.)

Zini was apparently a rocket launch specialist who worked closely with the Islamic Jihad Al-Quds Brigades. he was killed on Sunday morning together with Islamic Jihad's Ahmed Hussein Agha.

He had, in the words of the memorial, "completed the task of jihad and, in common with the al-Quds Brigades, rained the settlements of the Zionist enemy with missiles of glory and victory."

Fatah goes on to promise that as a result of Israel killing someone trying to kill Israelis, "there will be will be open war and volcanoes from under the feet of the sons of Zion."

And these are the "moderates."

Hamas war crimes poster (1)

I'm thinking of making this a series of posters. And it would be a pretty long series.

I'm basing it on the Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts, 8 June 1977.

There are many, many examples there of Hamas war crimes, as I showed in part in this post.

(While the video is unintentionally hilarious, it is still a direct violation of this international law.)

Let me know what you think.

I just heard CNN retract the story that falsely claimed that an Israeli bomb had killed Mahmoud Sadallah, the child cynically used for a photo-op with Egyptian PM Kandil and Hamas terrorist leader Ismail Haniyeh.

The correction was aired on the Don Lemon program. (Lemon has not been very friendly towards the Israeli narrative from what I can tell).

I had noticed the error yesterday and my research has since been noted in numerous media outlets and websites.

The post went viral with some 16,000 hits so far.

The CNN story is still online, however, without any correction as of yet. Neither has the reporter, Sara Sidner, commented about it on her Twitter timeline, although she has not updated it at all since the story.

As far as I know, the Daily Mirror has not issued a correction.

Earlier, Reuters likewise issued a correction for the many photo captions they had that falsely accused Israel.

Let's hope that the media will be more attuned to the fact that Hamas is endangering the lives of Gazans, not only by using them as human shields but also more directly by exposing them to literally hundreds of rockets that fall short - some 20-30% by some estimates. The knee-jerk assumption that every civilian death in Gaza is the result of an Israeli airstrike will hopefully be significantly impacted by this.

Thanks to all who pushed this story on Facebook and Twitter!

UPDATE: CNN's online retraction is as watered down as possible, buried in the middle of an article:

Israel also said Sunday that it was not to blame for the death of a Palestinian child last week -- a 4-year-old boy whose lifeless body was kissed by Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Kandil during his visit to a Gaza hospital Friday.

CNN visited the child's home, which neighbors said had been bombed five hours previously. Neighbors and family members told CNN they heard an aircraft before the explosion.

But the Israeli military told CNN on Sunday it did not carry out any airstrikes at the time of the child's death. The IDF said had stopped its attacks for Kandil's visit, raising questions about what caused the fatal blast. One possibility could be the misfire of a Hamas rocket intended for Israel, since CNN's crew in Gaza said it saw two such rockets passing overhead -- apparently fired not far from where the boy lived.

CNN here does not admit that they reported the accusation as fact and still pretends that there is still a good chance that the child and neighbor were killed by an Israeli airstrike. Slightly more accurate; but no indication of regret for a slander.

Israel sends aid to Gaza - while Egypt sends human shields

COGAT, the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories that is a part of the IDF, allowed 70 truckfuls of medical supplies, cooking gas, food and other goods to enter Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing today.

Notably, Kerem Shalom was itself under attack only a couple of days ago.

I simply cannot recall another instance of the target of hundreds of rockets allowing the enemy to receive food and medicine through its own territory, especially when there is a perfectly good crossing available from an ally.

Egypt did send some medical supplies - not as actual aid, but as propaganda as they allowed hundreds of anti-Israel activists - really, human shields - into Gaza to show solidarity with the terrorists.

Egyptian border authorities have allowed 400 political activists to cross into the Gaza Strip to express solidarity with Palestinians, as Israeli airstrikes pounded the coastal enclave for a fifth day, organizers said.

“We want the free world to stop the onslaught on defenseless civilians,” said Mahmoud Ali of the Constitution Party, according to state-owned news agency MENA. “We want to relay to the steadfast Palestinian people the support of all Egyptians.”

“We brought them medical supplies in coordination with the Egyptian Red Crescent,” said activist Amira Sheaishaa.

A five-bus convoy transporting members of several Egyptian parties and political movements arrived at the country's Rafah border crossing with Gaza, officials said.

400 people in five buses would not leave much room for "medical supplies." (Another source said 550 "activists" and eight buses.)

Does anyone think that if Israel was indiscriminately bombing Gaza buildings, the way that the Arab and leftist media portray them, that hundreds of Egyptians would be pouring in to "show solidarity"? No, these "activists" want to do what anti-Israel groups always do in the name of "human rights" - protect terrorist infrastructure from being attacked. They know that the IDF won't target civilians the way Hamas and other Gaza groups do.

The idea of leftist activists traveling to Israel's beleaguered communities in Beersheva, Ashkelon, Ashdod and Kiryat Malachi to "show solidarity" is simply too absurd to imagine.

Israel also allowed patients to travel through the Erez crossing into Israel itself:

It is also notable that Hamas was preventing journalists and other internationals from leaving Gaza for several hours today, as well as last Friday, and Israel freely allowed them to travel.

Arab writers more willing to show their anti-semitism during conflict

One of the interesting consequences of the current fighting is that the carefully-cultivated Arab and Muslim mask of pretending not to be anti-semitic is falling off, and fast.

While usually Arab writers are careful to say that they are only against "Zionists," the amount of naked Jew-hatred has been exploding in the Arabic media in the past couple of days.

Al Watan Voice, which already had a problem distinguishing Jews from Israelis in recent months, went all-out in an article today, calling Israel "the Jewish entity" and even claiming that the emir of Qatar said that the aggression of the Jews "must not go unpunished." (The Emir actually didn't say "Jews.") It ends off with a Quranic entreaty to "fight the Jews."

Ma'an, which tries so hard to appear to be a sober, even-handed news source, has an Arabic op-ed that goes off the rails. The author says that the Jews are too cowardly to fight face-to-face, and that even in 1948 the Jews of Tel Aviv cowered in front of brave Arabs. (Apparently, shooting rockets towards Israeli civilians is the height of bravery.) The writer adds that historically, Jews have felt inferior to others, and have brought strife everywhere they lived.

The theme of Jewish cowardice is further displayed in this Palestine News Network article extolling the "hundred" Hamas rocket experts who are forcing millions of Jews to cower in bomb shelters. They claim that the rockets are "shaking the throne of Israel." The author goes on to say that most of the fighters are waiting in their tunnels to kill the Jews who dare to enter Gaza while the mere hundred rocket launchers are causing so much trouble in Israel.

Islam Today also goes to the Koran to find justification for their anti-Jewish hate.

The Sinai jihadist group that claims to have fired missiles into Israel from Egypt also explicitly notes that their enemy is "the Jews."

And as I posted earlier today, Yusuf Qaradawi explicitly called on Allah to punish the Jews at Al Azhar mosque last Friday.

Sunday links

From Ian:

MFA: Hamas detains foreign journalists in the Gaza Strip

"Hamas is not allowing at least 22 foreign nationals who wish to exit the Gaza Strip for Israel to do so. Among the foreigners being detained are nine Italian citizens, one Canadian, one South Korean, a French national and six journalists from Japan. In addition, two Turkish Red Crescent members have been refused exit.
This violation of the human rights of neutral foreigners is yet another example ofHamas’ attempts to manipulate and pressure the press.
For its part, Israel is keeping the Erez crossing into Gaza open, allowing passage to the foreign press, diplomats and humanitarian workers."

[I want to add that this is not the only way that journalists are effectively being human shields. This great video compilation shows how many of the journalists in Gaza say that they hear rocket launches very nearby where they are reporting from:

-EoZ]

IDF Blog: Pillar Of Defense: Fourth Day Recap VIDEO

Israeli patrol fires back at Syrian troops after being hit by bullet on the Golan
No Israeli troops injured in latest spillover of civil war
[Reports that Syrian soldiers may have been killed - EoZ]

Rupert Murdoch Tweets: “Why Is Jewish Owned Press so Consistently Anti-Israel In Every Crisis?”
He also tweeted: “Can’t Obama stop his friends in Egypt shelling Israel”

UK Prime Minister: Hamas ‘Bears the Principal Responsibility’ for Gaza Conflict

Washington defends Israel, blames Hamas for escalation
‘Israelis have endured far too much of a threat from these rockets for far too long,’ White House spokesman says

HuffPo: Jimmy Carter: "Israelis' Policy Is to Confiscate Palestinian Territory"

Arab MKs honor Gazan victims of IDF operation

“Israel is breaking international law in Gaza, all for the sake of Netanyahu’s election campaign,” MK Zoabi charges.
"Not to be outdone, MK Taleb a-Sanaa’s Arab Democratic Party was addressed by one of the leaders of Hamas via video-conference at a party meeting Saturday. Sanaa was reelected as the party’s representative on United Arab List-Ta’al."

Palestinian Authority warns of chaos in West Bank By Khaled Abu Toameh
Protesters throughout the West Bank call on Hamas's Izzadin Kassam Brigades to "destroy Tel Aviv."

In Hebrew Video Hamas Threatens Renewal of Suicide Bombings Against Israeli Civilians (VIDEO)

“We have missed the suicide [bombs]… wait for us soon in stores, buses and cafes,” promises the video according to a translation from the Jerusalem Post.

[Some of the video is hilarious, with Hebrew being displayed backwards or in reverse order. Israelis are openly laughing at it on YouTube. - EoZ]

Hamas warns Gazans against ‘spreading rumors’ that help Israel
Interior Ministry says government is providing the media with all ‘needed information’

Gaza PM goes into hiding, as several key Hamas military commanders killed
Haniyeh heads underground after command center housing his office is bombed; 11 Hamas activists said killed on Saturday

Russia Today Presenter Accuses Israel of “Terrorism” and “Apartheid” (VIDEO)

CIFWatch: ‘Comment is Free’ contributor: Israeli leaders murder Palestinian children to score electoral points

"The enormity of this smear – a staggering moral inversion which evidently was unchallenged by Guardian editors – is difficult to even fathom."

CAMERA: On U.S. Radio, BBC Reporter Misinforms to Defend Hamas Use of Human Shields

"Danahar then quickly pivots to say that "the key factor here" is the accuracy of Israel’s counter strikes. In other words, according to the BBC journalist, the key factor is not the use of human shields by Palestinian terrorists, nor is the indiscriminate rockets that they fire into Israel, but rather the accuracy of Israeli tank shells."

The "Diversity" of New York Times Op-Ed Page

"It's possible that the newspaper might publish an Op-Ed focused on Hamas's war crimes, or on Israel's need to defend its citizens from incessant rocket attacks. But history shows that if you're waiting for anything coming close to balance on the opinion pages, you'll be waiting in vain."

Workers begin digging up Arafat’s grave ahead of exhumation
Job expected to take two weeks before remains of Palestinian leader can be tested for poisoning

Egypt churches pull out of constitution panel
The Coptic Orthodox church's new pope, Tawadros II, said after his election last week that he would reject a constitution if it imposed a religious state in the Muslim-majority country.

10 Years on, Victim of Arab Terror Coulter Remembered Through NY Street

"She was eating lunch with the students in the cafeteria on Hebrew University’s Mount Scopus campus on July 31, 2002, when the Palestinian bomber struck. Nine people, including Janis, were killed in the blast. More than 80 others were wounded."

Former VP Henry Wallace, Forgotten Zionist, Stars in Oliver Stone’s New TV Series

"After a public outcry, Stone expressed “regret” that he “made a clumsy association about the Holocaust” and acknowledged that “Jews obviously do not control media or any other industry.” He did not, however, withdraw his slur about Israel—a statement which, ironically, would have appalled the hero of his new TV series, Henry Wallace."

The Scattered Tribe: Discovering Remote Jewish Communities

"In his new book, The Scattered Tribe, Frank first embarks on a quest to uncover his familial roots in Russia but then discovers a remote Jewish community on the exotic island of Tahiti. Later travels to India, Vietnam, and Morocco reveal intricate histories of Jewish achievement, tragic purges, and a diverse people’s stubborn endurance throughout the centuries. Frank even manages to infiltrate the communist regime in Cuba, where a suppressed Jewish community struggles to revive in the face of politically imposed atheism."

From The Guardian Teacher Network:

Israel's assassination of Hamas' top military commander this week has triggered fears of a whole new surge of violence in Gaza and the Middle East. The Israeli air strike on the Ahmed al-Jabari's car – which also killed a six-year-old girl and an 11-month old baby – was just the first step in a new Israeli military operation to eliminate militants and weapon sites in the Gaza Strip.

So, this is what UK teachers are telling their students?

Of course, the Jaabari hit not only caused little collateral damage, it was an amazingly little amount of collateral damage. As the rival Telegraph reported:

It was a remarkably successful operation even for Israel's security forces, who pride themselves on their skill at despatching their enemies. Grainy black and white footage taken from a drone showed a minibus full of passengers drive past the target's car to a safe distance, seconds before the missile exploded. A piece of chassis is seen spinning into the air, as the vehicle, in flames, continues drunkenly for a few yards.

Unlike targeted killings in the past, there was no collateral damage except for some minor injuries from flying glass. Israel has learnt the hard way that accidentally killing civilians carries a damaging political cost.

I tweeted to the Guardian and to the columnist about the error many hours ago, but they have yet to correct their slander.

The page also has a set of resources for UK teachers to teach about the Middle East. From the descriptions, they seem to be as biased against Israel as the Guardian itself is, by constructing a framework of history that begins around 1920, disregarding the millennia-old attachment that Jews have to the Land of Israel. When your narrative starts at a time when Jews appear to be new colonialists rather than people returning to their national home, everything else cannot possibly be taught accurately. The next generation of British schoolchildren will grow up with an incorrect understanding of the conflict.

It seems entirely possible that this is exactly what the Guardian wants.

See also CiFWatch.

UPDATE: The page was finally corrected. Another small victory for truth.

Hamas' hilarious video "proof" of shooting down plane

Terror sites have been pushing this video all over the place, claiming that it shows Hamas downing an Israeli plane:

Conveniently, they say that the wreckage fell into the Mediterranean, so they cannot recover it.

Their slow-motion sections show an explosion about one second after launch, so either the plane was really, really low - or their claimed Stinger (really, Strela) missile exploded a few feet above ground.

(Although the explosion seems to occur beneath the missile, so perhaps they just faked an explosion to coincide with the launch.)

(h/t Judge Dan for missile ID)