Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Friday, January 04, 2013

Friday Morning Links

From Ian:

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Barry Rubin: The Ultimate `Settlements are not the Problem’ Article

It must be a new year. The Washington Post has an editorial explaining that Israeli settlements are not the main problem in the Middle East. The Post editorial is amazing since such sanity is so rare. It begins: “Two mistaken but widely held notions regarding Israeli-Palestinian peace are that the settlements are the principal obstacle to a deal and that further construction will make a Palestinian state impossible.”

Douglas Murray: European Court of Justice "Lacking Any Foundation in Law"

"The European Commission in recent years has been funding rabidly anti-Israel and anti-Semitic campaign groups. Parading under the banner-term of "NGOs," they have one concerted aim, which is to manipulate international opinion against Israel: Foreign government-funded subversion of a democracy."

Al-Jazeera's "Alternative Viewpoint" in Qatar's Paradise

"Recently Al-Jazeera seems to have decided to topple the Palestinian Authority [PA], and transfer to Hamas -- Al-Qaeda's ideological and practical brother-in-arms -- the international recognition that the PA received from the UN in September, and to make Hamas sovereign in the West Bank as well as the Gaza Strip. To that end, it airs biased programs that are disproportionately favorable toward Hamas, and covers Hamas's "achievements," such as its "heroism" in firing rockets at Israeli civilians. The PA at least claims it wants to reach an agreement with Israel. Hamas, which uses its citizens, schools and hospitals as human shields during warfare it provokes, publicly proclaims day and night its intention to wipe Israel off the map."

Palestinian internal clashes erupt in Nablus

Government’s decision to only forgive debt for refugees angers citizens "Ramallah: Heavy clashes have erupted between the Palestinian public and their security apparatus in Nablus and the northern areas of the West Bank in protests against the Palestinian government’s decision to delete electricity debts and to financially pardon the residents of the refugee camps."

PMW: Abbas inaugurates housing project for families of terrorist prisoners

"He said that the birth of the housing project is an example and model that should be emulated in all the districts, since it represents cooperation, solidarity, and collective responsibility for confronting the challenges posed to the Palestinian nation. [He noted] that this project demonstrates loyalty to and love for the prisoners, and that they are not alone, for everyone looks forward to their return so that they may live in their homes with their families."

Honest Reporting: Most Popular Content 2012

Egyptian forces capture American-made missiles headed for Gaza Strip

Anti-tank, anti-aircraft and other rockets discovered in secret depot south of el-Arish in Sinai

IDF Blog: 2012: Biggest IDF Events

"The year of 2012 was packed full with events and security issues. Some challenged us, like Operation ‘Pillar of Defense’, and some were devastating, such as the attack in Bulgaria which killed six Israelis. During this year, over 1,400 rockets launched from the Gaza Strip hit Israel. So here are the biggest events for the IDF in 2012"

Apple reportedly looking to buy Israeli map app Waze

iPhone maker may see local startup as solution to mapping woes; company wants $750 million, but Apple offering $400-$500 million, according to reports "Apple is rumored to be looking into buying the Israeli satellite navigation application Waze, which has become a worldwide hit thanks to its melding of crowd sourcing and traffic mapping."

Mahmoud Abbas is a Libertarian?

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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According to Mahmoud Abbas' Facebook page, his political views are "Libertarian." Who knew?

When Was Hamas First Mentioned in the Media by Name?

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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This evening in Kill Khalid, I read that Hamas’ first signed statement was issued on December 14, 1987. Interestingly, according to a LexisNexis search that I completed this evening, it was not until March 4, 1988 that Hamas was mentioned by name in an English media outlet.

That first mention came in an Associated Press article by Nicolas Tatro. The piece was titled, “Palestinians: United In the Street, Divided Over Peacemaking.”

Sheikh Bassam Jarrar stabbed the air with his finger and declared that a political settlement with Israel would be "disastrous." The Moslem religious leader said the Koran, Islam's holy book, "forbids recognition of Israel." He argued against cooperating with peace initiatives aimed at ending the three-month uprising in the Israeli-occupied lands.

Jarrar's remarks, criticial of the PLO's policy of seeking a settlement, provoked murmurs of disagreement from men sitting cross-legged along the wall of the mosque in this village 10 miles northwest of Jerusalem. The dispute, reflecting deep political divisions of Palestinians despite the unity they have shown in confronting Israeli soldiers, soon grew into a shouting match.

It cut short the gathering of more than 150 men, an informal town hall-type meeting where the heated exchanges continued outside the mosque under a tree despite a drizzle.

The first to challenge Jarrar, a charismatic speaker aligned with the fundamentalist Moslem Brotherhood, was a middle-aged man in a white headdress, who asked if there wasn't a peaceful alternative to street violence. The 39-year-old preacher left no room for compromise and warned that anyone who recognized the Jewish state would be considered an enemy of Islam.

"We don't have any common language with Israel. We have nothing to demand of them. We are in a state or revolt against Israel. The conflict should continue until victory," Jarrar said, his deep, resonant voice cracking with emotion.

A bearded man in his 20s accused Jarrar of breaking ranks with the Palestine Liberation Organization, which has endorsed an international conference to discuss peace with Israel. "The PLO represents all the people. There is no Islamic trend. There are only Moslems who support the PLO," shouted the young man, a supporter of PLO chairman Yasser Arafat's Fatah organization. "I represent the Islamic trend," said Jarrar, whose full black beard signified his fundamentalist allegiance.

A tall, muscular man rose to disagree with Jarrar's criticism of Syria and the Soviet Union. "We are in need of Syria. There is a PLO delegation visiting Damascus now to create a good atmosphere for fighting Israel We should support an alliance with Syria," he said.

The man, whose comments indicated he was a supporter of the pro-Soviet Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine faction, blamed Jarrar for provoking the dispute. "We have differences, it is true. But we are all supporting the uprising and we should not discuss them now," he said.

Jarrar attacked the PLO position, saying Arafat only had agreed to a conference after losing his independent base in Lebanon, being driven out of Beirut by Israel and out of the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli by Syria.

"It's impossible to have a peaceful alternative while we are in a weak position," Jarrar said. "I will not say there is a possibility of a political solution. It would be disastrous under the current conditions."

The infighting was also reflected in graffitti spray-painted on walls near the mosque.

One slogan attacking the peace mission of Secretary of State George Shultz was signed by the Democratic Front and another anti-occupation slogan by "Hamas," which means fervor in Arabic and is used by the Moslem Brothers, a movement founded in Egypt in 1929 by a school teacher named Hassan Al Banna.

Israeli officials, especially those of the right-wing Likud Bloc, have stressed the Islamic influence in the ongoing riots. They have argued that the fundamentalists threaten Western nations as well as Israel.

The influence of the fundamentalists has grown since the violence began Dec. 8. Islamic groups are especially strong in the occupied Gaza Strip, where there are more refugee camps than in the West Bank and poverty is widespread.

But PLO supporters appear to be in the vast majority in the West Bank, which Israel also seized in the 1967 Middle East war, and even Jarrar said the riots were not an "uprising of the mosques," as he said some Israeli leaders had claimed. "Israel wants to frighten the West by saying the fundamentalists are playing an active role. Israel wants to justify its oppression by saying they are fighting fundamentalists," Jarrar said.

He said the riots had damaged Israel's image in the world, hurt the Israeli economy by robbing it of Arab labor and tourism, and prevented the military government in the occupied lands from imposing new and more harsh measures. "They thought we were sleeping or dead," Jarrar said. "If there is no other benefit of the uprising it is to show that we reject oppression."

If anyone knows of an earlier mention of Hamas, by name, leave a comment or send an email.

Israeli Library Unveils Portions of the “Afghan Genizah”

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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CHALLAH @ The Associated Press

A trove of ancient manuscripts in Hebrew characters rescued from caves in a Taliban stronghold in northern Afghanistan is providing the first physical evidence of a Jewish community that thrived there a thousand years ago.

On Thursday Israel's National Library unveiled the cache of recently purchased documents that run the gamut of life experiences, including biblical commentaries, personal letters and financial records.

Researchers say the "Afghan Genizah" marks the greatest such archive found since the "Cairo Genizah" was discovered in an Egyptian synagogue more than 100 years ago, a vast depository of medieval manuscripts considered to be among the most valuable collections of historical documents ever found.

Genizah, a Hebrew term that loosely translates as "storage," refers to a storeroom adjacent to a synagogue or Jewish cemetery where Hebrew-language books and papers are kept. Under Jewish law, it is forbidden to throw away writings containing the formal names of God, so they are either buried or stashed away.

The Afghan collection gives an unprecedented look into the lives of Jews in ancient Persia in the 11th century. The paper manuscripts, preserved over the centuries by the dry, shady conditions of the caves, include writings in Hebrew, Aramaic, Judea-Arabic and the unique Judeo-Persian language from that era, which was written in Hebrew letters.

… The documents are believed to have come from caves in the northeast region of modern-day Afghanistan, once at the outer reaches of the Persian empire. In recent years, the same caves have served as hideouts for Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.

It remains unclear how the ancient manuscripts emerged. Ben-Shammai said the library was contacted by various antiquities dealers who got their hands on them

Last month, the library purchased 29 out of hundreds of the documents believed to be floating around the world, after long negotiations with antiquities dealers. The library refused to say how much it paid for the collection, adding that it hoped to purchase more in the future and didn't want to drive up prices. The documents arrived in Israel last week.

I wonder the relation between these documents and those discovered last year.

PA and Hamas Won’t Take in Palestinian Refugees from Syria

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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Just a couple weeks ago, Mahmoud Abbas said that he was prepared to take in Palestinian refugees from Syria.

Abbas said he has asked United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to help in bringing the refugees to the Palestinian territories. This could include the West Bank,where Abbas governs, or the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Yediot Ahronot reports, according to the Times of Israel, that Hamas and the Palestinian Authority are now against the idea.

Hamas and the Palestinian Authority rejected the United Nations’ request that they take in Palestinian refugees who fled Syria during the ongoing brutal civil war, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.

…According to the report, head of Hamas in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh told UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, that the Gaza Strip couldn’t take in Syria’s Palestinian refugees due to an ideological issue: If they take in the refugees from Syria, Israel could use it against them when it comes to the Palestinians’ demand for the “right to return” to villages inside present day Israel, by pointing out that the refugees no longer need to return to Israel because they have been relocated to new homes in the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Authority’s refusal stems from a different reason — a financial one. The PA, which, according to the report, initially inquired about absorbing the Palestinian refugees in Syria, has experienced severe budget cuts and has begged Arab leaders for millions of dollars in loans to solve its debt crisis. The PA’s coffers have been hurt following Israel’s decision not to hand over PA tax revenues and other related payments in the wake of President Mahmoud Abbas’s successful UN bid for nonmember observer status in November.

In related news, Hamas recently began a donation campaign for refugees displaced from Syria.

Morsi in 2010: Zionists are "Descendants of Apes and Pigs"

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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CHALLAH @ MEMRI

Mohamed Morsi: These futile [Israeli-Palestinian] negotiations are a waste of time and opportunities. The Zionists buy time and gain more opportunities, as the Palestinians, the Arabs, and the Muslims lose time and opportunities, and they get nothing out of it. We can see how this dream has dissipated. This dream has always been an illusion. Yet some Palestinians, who erroneously believe that their enemies might give them something... This [Palestinian] Authority was created by the Zionist and American enemies for the sole purpose of opposing the will of the Palestinian people and its interests.

[...]

No reasonable person can expect any progress on this track. Either [you accept] the Zionists and everything they want, or else it is war. This is what these occupiers of the land of Palestine know – these blood-suckers, who attack the Palestinians, these warmongers, the descendants of apes and pigs.

[...]

We should employ all forms of resistance against them. There should be military resistance within the land of Palestine against those criminal Zionists, who attack Palestine and the Palestinians. There should also be political resistance and economic resistance through a boycott, as well as by supporting the resistance fighters. This should be the practice of the Muslims and the Arabs outside Palestine. They should support the resistance fighters and besiege the Zionist wherever they are. None of the Arab or Muslim peoples and regimes should have dealings with them. Pressure should be exerted upon them. They must not be given any opportunity, and must not stand on any Arab or Islamic land. They must be driven out of our countries.

[...]

Therefore, these negotiations must stop once and for all. Everybody must turn to the support of the resistance, which is the option chosen by the Palestinians and by us all – the Arabs and the Muslims, Palestinians and others. We must all realize that resistance is the only way to liberate the land of Palestine.

[...]

Al-Quds TV (Lebanon) March 20, 2010, via the Internet

The Zionists have no right to the land of Palestine. There is no place for them on the land of Palestine. What they took before 1947-8 constitutes plundering, and what they are doing now is a continuation of this plundering. By no means do we recognize their Green Line. The land of Palestine belongs to the Palestinians, not to the Zionists.

[...]

We must confront this Zionist entity. All ties of all kinds must be severed with this plundering criminal entity, which is supported by America and its weapons, as well as by its own nuclear weapons, the existence of which is well known. It will bring about their own destruction. The peoples must boycott this entity and avoid normalization of relations with it. All products from countries supporting this entity – from the U.S. and others – must be boycotted.

[...]

We want a country for the Palestinians on the entire land of Palestine, on the basis of [Palestinian] citizenship. All the talk about a two-state solution and about peace is nothing but an illusion, which the Arabs have been chasing for a long time now. They will not get from the Zionists anything but this illusion.

[...]

They have been fanning the flames of civil strife wherever they were throughout history. They are hostile by nature.

[...]

The Zionists understood nothing but the language of force.

[...]

Thursday Morning Links

From Ian

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The Palestinian Authority's Inconvenient Truths by Khaled Abu Toameh

"These are only some of the inconvenient truths that the Palestinian Authority does not want the outside world to know. Palestinian journalists often avoid reporting about such issues out of concern for their safety or for "ideological" reasons. These journalists have been taught that it is forbidden to hang out the dirty laundry. Western journalists, funders and decision-makers who deal with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict need to know that there are many truths being completely ignored or hidden from their eyes and ears."

Who are the extremists? Op-ed:

Norwegian citizen says it's time to confront anti-Israel activists with some tough questions "Who are the extremists? Those who believe Israel should tolerate thousands of missiles raining down on its citizens or those who believe that Israel (like any other country) has the right to defend its citizens and stop the rockets? Who are the extremists? Those who don't want Jews to live in certain areas of Jerusalem or those who want both Arabs and Jews to live freely in all of Jerusalem? And yet we, who are pro-Israel, are painted as the extremists. Has the world turned upside down?"

British 'anti-Israel' textbook is not British at all

The firm that produced the textbook which replaced Israel with 'Occupied Palestine' is in fact owned by the Lebanese 'Tahseen Khayat Group' "The firm owns various outlets, including Garnet's 'sister group' Ithaca Press and firms named All Prints and The International Press. While Garnet Education focuses on educational material, Ithaca Press decribes itself as a ‘leading publisher of academic books on Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies’, most recently featuring the ‘Great Books of Islamic Civilisation’ and books such as ‘Through the Wall of Fire’ which documents, “the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians beginning in 1948”.

Study: Gaza Rockets Worse for Bedouin Kids than Jewish Kids

"Bedouin youth were angrier and more psychologically distressed than their Jewish counterparts by the rocket fire in November, according to a new Ben-Gurion University of the Negev study. It is the first follow-up study after the two weeks of rocket fire and subsequent Operation Pillar of Defense."

Cash-strapped PA seeks emergency funds from China and Russia, lambastes Arab states for lack of aid

PA has billion-dollar deficit; Algeria transfers $26 million to Palestinian coffers

FIFA asks Israel to restore VIP status of Palestinian soccer chief

Jibril Rajoub’s privileges rescinded last month due to ‘incitement to violence’ against Israel

Lebanese Intelligence Chief Says Israel is His Country’s Only Enemy

"A leading figure in Lebanese intelligence said Wednesday that the only enemy of his country is Israel. According to the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, Abbas Ibrahim, director-general of the General Security Department, said, “Lebanon’s one and only enemy is Israel.”

Jordanian minister accuses Israel of planning to erect the third Temple

Islamic Endowments Minister Abdul Salam Abadi says Israel wants to partition the Temple Mount

'Iranian Jew murdered, was dating IRGC's daughter'

Channel 2 reports that 24-year-old Daniel Magrufta murdered last week; Jewish community suspects girlfriend involved in murder.

Syria and Hezbollah won’t join the fight if Israel strikes Iran, top-level report predicts

Foreign Ministry says Assad can’t help Tehran for fear of losing power, Israel would launch massive ground operation in Lebanon if attacked

'Bulgaria police ID Burgas bombing accomplice'

Authorities seeking man who helped suicide bomber behind deaths of 5 Israeli tourists in July, Bulgarian media reports.

Swastika, anti-Semitic slogans spray-painted on Toulouse building

French city was the site of March 2012 attack that killed Jewish teacher and three school-children

German pol quits race over poems seen as anti-Semitic

Green Party welcomes withdrawal of candidate over ‘derogatory’ attack on ritual circumcision

No Joke: Al Jazeera Buying Al Gore’s Current TV

"If the deal is completed, Current will provide the pan-Arab news giant with something it has sought for years: a pathway into American living rooms. Current is available in about 60 million of the 100 million homes in the United States with cable or satellite service."

Jewish Life in Israel 1913 Footage

"The rule of law is a component of national security"

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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The following is an excerpt from Combating Terrorism With Intelligence: The Normative Debate in Israel by Daphna Sharfman and Ephraim Kahana.

The normative and legal struggles in a country facing almost constant terrorism constitute the elements of the core debate in defining the morals and normative aspirations of Israeli society and maintaining the nation’s heterogenic character as manifested in its political culture. Nevertheless, the Israeli Supreme Court has managed to define and protect the young democracy’s normative standing since its inception, and it continues to do so even under the political and public criticisms expressed especially by right-of-center groups.

The Court’s leading voice was its president, Aharon Barak, who discussed the problem of a democracy facing terrorism over the years. He noted that terrorism creates much tension among the different elements of the state: While the elected representatives may wish to take all effective steps to fight terrorism, even if harmful to human rights, the democratic pillar of human rights may encourage the protection of the rights of every individual, including the terrorist, even at the cost of undermining the fight against terrorism. But even if struggling with this tension is primarily the task of the legislature and the executive, which are accountable to the people, they must justify their decision to the judges who are judicially responsible for protecting the principles of democracy, as Judge Barak put it:

We, the judges in modern democracies, are responsible for protecting democracy both from terrorism and from the means the state wants to use to fight terrorism. . . judges meet their supreme test in situations of war and terrorism . . . If we fail our role in times of war and terrorism, we will be unable to fulfill our role in times of peace and security . . . I must take human rights seriously during times of both peace and conflict. I must not make do with the mistaken belief that, at the end of the conflict, I can turn back the clock.

As to the centrality of judicial intervention, much debated in Israel, Barak wrote that the protection of human rights would be bankrupt if, during armed conflicts, the courts delayed the review of executive branch behavior until the period of emergency had ended. Instead, the judicial ruling must convey guidance and direction in the specific case before it.

In Israel, petitions from suspected terrorists reach the HCJ in real time, while the events being reviewed are still taking place, as in the question of interrogation by the security services. In general, as long as the security measures are applied within the alleged framework of the ‘‘zone of reasonableness,’’ no basis is present for judicial intervention. But ‘‘security considerations’’ are not magic words; the Court must be convinced that the security consideration was the dominant one and the measures used were proportional to the terrorist act. Justice Barak described the process:

In exercising judicial review . . . we do not make ourselves into security experts. We do not replace the military commander’s security considerations with our own. We take no position on the way security issues are handled. Our job is to maintain boundaries . . .We insist upon the legality of the military commander’s exercise of discretion and that it fall into the range of reasonableness, determined by the relevant legal norms applicable to the issue.

Barak viewed arguments against judicial review from both the left and right as unacceptable. Judicial review of the legality of the war on terrorism might make waging the conflict more difficult in the short term, but it could fortify society in the long term. Barak referred to his dissenting opinion in the case of the pardon given to the heads of the Security Service (ISA) by Israel’s then-President Chaim Herzog in the 1984 Bus 300 affair. Barak emphasized the centrality of the rule of law and its power over everyone, including the state’s security apparatus:

There is no security without law. The rule of law is a component of national security . . . the strength of the Service lies in the public’s confidence in it. Its strength lies in the court’s confidence in it. If security considerations tip the scales, neither the public nor the court will have confidence in the Security Service and the lawfulness of its interrogations.

Under a continuous state of emergency since its establishment, Israel is always a target of terrorist organizations. The need to deal with security emergencies led the HCJ to realize the importance of preserving fundamental democratic principles in times of war. Over the years, it has handed down rulings concerning security issues that restricted the force that the executive branch could apply, including interrogation methods used against security detainees or administrative detention.

In Israel, as in other democracies, the ISA’s role in obtaining intelligence in the struggle against terrorism is far from being a neutral, professional issue. Society and its institutions are involved, and they largely direct that sensitive process. The legal tension is always there. As Michael Ignatieff has pointed out, the secret services and the defense forces regularly conduct a controversial ‘‘relentless and brutal campaign’’ against terrorists, but inside the country, the campaign must remain under democratic authorization and judicial review:

Generals publicly question its effectiveness, pilots express moral and tactical qualms about certain operations, columnists insist these operations make Israel less, not more, secure, and so on, yet through it all Israeli democracy is surviving the ordeal

3,000 Trees to be Planted in Israel for Newtown Victims

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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CHALLAH @ JTA

More than 2,000 people have donated funds to plant a grove of more than 3,000 trees in Israel in memory of the victims of the Newtown shooting. Hadassah has raised more than $61,000 toward the planting of trees honoring the 26 victims of the Dec. 14 massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The trees will be part of the Beersheva River Park, a 1,700-acre water, environmental and commercial area being constructed by the Jewish National Fund in Israel’s desert city.

The idea for the Newtown grove grew from a request made by Veronique Pozner, whose son, Noah, was the only Jewish victim of the shooting at the Connecticut school. Pozner said memorial contributions could be directed toward the planting of trees in Israel.

Analysis of Al Qaeda Cells in Israel

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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The following are excerpts from Israeli Intelligence and al-Qaeda by Shlomo Shpiro.

Analysis of all al-Qaeda cells arrested in Israel so far shows four common characteristics which made them vulnerable to Israeli intelligence detection and interception: their young age; the influence of Internet propaganda and their reliance on Internet communication; their financial and technical limitations; and their separation from mainstream secular Palestinian terror groups. Almost all members of the various cells were young men in their twenties, who had become increasingly religious, and were known as extremists within their communities. Most were very influenced by al-Qaeda’s online Internet propaganda and spent much time online, reading the preachings of radical clerics, and accumulating knowledge about bombmaking. But their enthusiasm for terrorism was not matched by technical or financial abilities. Most cells did not possess the financial means of acquiring arms or explosives on the black market, and thus expended much of their energies improvising weapons and primitive bombs. They received no support, whether money or weapons, from the secular Palestinian terror groups, which reject al-Qaeda’s ideology and the independence of its cells. These vulnerabilities gave the Israeli intelligence community powerful tools to use in preventing al-Qaeda attacks inside Israel. Through the use of human sources within Arab communities and extensive monitoring of Internet activities, some cells were discovered and their members arrested. Faced with Israeli intelligence successes, and unable to carry out effective attacks inside Israel, al-Qaeda operatives increasingly turned to launching cross-border attacks into Israel from the neighboring Arab states, where they enjoyed a wider operational freedom.

And

Three lessons can be learned from a decade of confrontation between Israeli intelligence and al-Qaeda, lessons which are applicable to many other countries as well. The first is the vulnerability of local al-Qaeda cells due to their reliance on the Internet and other forms of digital communication. Extensive intelligence monitoring of radical jihadist Websites and communications is a powerful tool in the counterterrorism arsenal against al-Qaeda. The second lesson is the crucial importance of ‘‘tactical’’ intelligence cooperation between countries, not only in sharing information but also in ensuring that such an exchange of information is rapid enough to be relevant. The al-Qaeda threats can be managed only by constant and effective intelligence exchange, which must be adapted to fit the changes in threat levels and types. Rapid information exchange enables the prevention of terror attacks, while slower exchange often brings only outdated information of little operational value. The third lesson is the growing danger of home-grown al-Qaeda cells, young people who are attracted by al-Qaeda’s online propaganda to such an extent that they form small, independent cells and are willing to commit terror attacks. While effective intelligence work can often intercept and prevent large attacks, preventing the formation of such small cells with little or no active footprint until they actually begin violent action is almost impossible. But, over time, increased Internet monitoring and human sources inside Muslim religious communities do provide effective, though imperfect, solutions to this threat.

Political changes in Egypt and the ousting of the Mubarak regime in early 2011 resulted in a general weakening of the Egyptian government’s authority in the Sinai Peninsula. Bedouin tribes in this lawless region, already making millions of dollars from smuggling weapons across the border into Gaza, have now become arms suppliers of the whole region. In the Sinai, the black market in arms is expanding rapidly and the weapons offered for sale include not only assault rifles and ammunition but also heavy rockets, explosives, anti-tank weapons, mortars, and even ground-to-air missiles which disappeared from Libya during the anti-Gaddafi revolution. In July 2011, the former Head of the Shabak, Avi Dichter, warned that the Sinai had turned from a region of arms smuggling to a region of arms transfers, since the lack of any effective Egyptian police presence makes it unnecessary for the Bedouins to even bother hiding the shipments of heavy weapons being sold to any terror group with enough cash and a truck to carry them out. Israeli intelligence has been able to monitor some of the arms smuggled out of Libya and warn the Egyptians. In late August 2011, Egyptian border guards intercepted a large shipment of heavy weapons near the border with Libya, which may have included SA-7 anti-aircraft missiles. In the hands of an al-Qaeda cell, such missiles would create a severe threat to Israeli civilian and military aircraft flying over the entire region. This threat prompted the Israeli government to speed up the construction of a border fence with Egypt along the entire Israeli–Egyptian border. That border remains the most vulnerable region for future al-Qaeda attacks against Israel. How the revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya, and the uprising in Syria, will impact the presence and activities of al-Qaeda in the Middle East and on the level of support they gain within the populations of the region remains to be seen.

Channel 2 Report on Hamas in the West Bank

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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Earlier today I mentioned a recent Fatah march near Bethlehem, where Fatah members were seen wielding axes, knives, rifles and mock-rockets.

Here is a recent Channel 2 report with English subtitles that looks at Hamas in the West Bank.

Video: Rockets, Rifles and Axes in Fatah Rally

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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CHALLAH @ Ynet

A video posted online shows dozens of veiled men taking part in a march marking 48 years since Fatah's inception. The men are seen marching at the Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem carrying knives, axes, clubs and rifles.

Two men were also seen carrying a rocket model. Palestinian security forces were not present at the scene. The march was a rare sight in the West Bank which has seen very few Fatah rallies in the past few years.

It is possible that the Palestinian security forces were aware of the march but decided to "turn a blind eye." In the past, the forces prevented similar rallies both by Fatah and Hamas.

Meanwhile, according to a new report from Palestinian Media Watch, Fatah Facebook pages are inciting terror against Israel and its citizens. The report only appears in Hebrew as of now, but Israel Hayom has an English summary.

UN: Over 60,000 Dead in Syria Conflict

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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CHALLAH @ Reuters

At least 60,000 people have died in Syria's conflict, U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay said on Wednesday, citing an "exhaustive" U.N.-commissioned study.

Over five months of analysis, researchers cross-referenced seven sources to compile a list of 59,648 individuals reported killed between March 15, 2011, and Nov. 30, 2012.

"Given there has been no let-up in the conflict since the end of November, we can assume that more than 60,000 people have been killed by the beginning of 2013," Pillay said. "The number of casualties is much higher than we expected, and is truly shocking."

The average death toll per day, based upon this data, between March 15, 2011, and November 30, 2012, would be approximately 95 people per day.

UPDATE: The full report can be read here.

Wednesday Morning Links

From Ian:

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Expert: Israel Has an Historic Right to Judea and Samaria

"Dr. Alan Baker, an expert on international law and a member of the committee headed by Judge Edmond Levi recommending the extension of Israeli law to Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria, said at a conference discussing the matter Tuesday night that Israel would be fully in its rights to do so.”

Extremism unchecked in schools, secret briefing reveals

More than 100 independent faith schools may be radicalising students, the Department of Education has warned in a secret memo which admits that officials are struggling to tackle extremism in state and private schools. "The strategy also reported that a minority of independent faith schools had been “actively promoting views that are contrary to British values, such as intolerance of other cultures and gender inequality” and had “allowed extremist views to be expressed by staff, visitors or pupils.” The document said there had been concerns that madrassahs – after-school religious classes attached to mosques - were promoting a highly conservative version of Islam and spreading extremist views, particularly against non-Muslims. It estimated that 100,000 Muslim children attended such schools."

IDF Blog: 5 Remarkable Stories of 2012, As Told By IDF Soldiers

This past year was full of many challenges for the IDF. Our soldiers faced many threats, from terrorist agents on Israel’s borders to rocket fire targeting civilians. Here are some of most remarkable stories of 2012, as reflected upon by our soldiers.

Arab soldier hides service from neighbours

Samir, a Muslim Arab, hides his uniform and weapon from his neighbors, but says he's proud to be an IDF combat soldier "Samir joined the Tavor Battalion nine months ago. "To my delight my commanding officers understood me and my situation and let me go on leave on weekends," he told Yedioth Ahronoth. His comrades were equally supportive. "Even though they are only kids, 18 years old, we have developed a true friendship," Samir says. He stresses he has never encountered racism."

West Bank village erupts after undercover soldiers arrest Islamic Jihad activists

Rubber bullets and tear gas reportedly used in clashes; army says operation carried out to stop terror attack "A raid by Israeli soldiers disguised as vegetable vendors to seize members of a terror group sparked intense clashes in the northern West Bank Tuesday. Residents in the town of Tamoun said youths tossed stones and bottles at Israeli troops, while the soldiers responded with rubber bullets."

2012's Top Ten on The Commentator

This year's top ten articles on The Commentator include topics such as atheism in Pakistan, the Leveson Inquiry, the BBC and Israel in the media

CIF Watch: CiF attacks anti-Hagel war agitators: Israel lobby, bond dealers & arms manufacturers

"Hagel, a far-right Republican hostile to abortion rights, gay rights and civil rights, and who has come under fire for his views on Israel, the Middle East and the Islamist regime in Tehran, has strangely become a progressive cause celeb among the Guardian-style left."

CAMERA: Prompts AP Correction on Construction Materials for Gaza

MEMRI: Egyptian Cleric Mahmoud Al-Masri: When the Mahdi Comes, There Will Not be a single Jew left VIDEO & Egyptian DePaul University Professor Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni Supports Camp David Accords and Says: The Palestinians Always Miss Historic Opportunities VIDEO

Israeli vets formulate new vaccine for dogs

A serendipitous lab discovery led to a breakthrough vaccine for a fatal tick-borne disease. Now investors are sought to take it commercial. "Dr. Shimon Harrus did not intend to find the world’s first vaccine against canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CMT), a sometimes fatal tick-borne disease in dogs. Instead, he was attempting to determine how long ticks must be attached to a dog’s fur in order to transmit CMT."

Intel offers a million bucks for app ‘game-changers,’ using tech developed in Haifa

A ‘perceptual computing’ platform will utilize cameras, sensors, and microphones to enable devices to learn what you need and give it to you "The new approach, called “perceptual computing,” refers to equipping PCs, laptops, and other Intel-branded and partnered devices to become “context aware.” Instead of passively waiting for you to enter data and “teach” the device, a perceptual computing-equipped device will use its built in hardware and software to “learn” ways that make users’ lives easier.”

Israeli Laws Banning Underweight Models & Sale of Animal-Tested Products Take Effect

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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Back in March, Israel’s Knesset “passed a law banning the use of underweight models in advertising.”

On Tuesday, the law went into effect.

Israel's new law banning skinny models has again brought up an uncomfortable topic to the table for the fashion industry, which has long been criticized for seeming to promote unnatural thinness as beauty standard. And once again, countries are divided as to how to deal with the issue of too-skinny models, by law or with other means.

Israel's law, which went into effect Tuesday, bans models with a body-mass index—a calculation based on height and weight—of less than 18.5 from appearing in advertisements. According to that BMI standard, a female model who is 5 feet, 8 inches tall can weigh no less than 119 pounds. The law also requires publications to disclose when they use altered images of models to make the women and men appear even thinner than they really are.