Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, January 07, 2013

Photos from Recent Fatah Rally in Gaza

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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Last Friday, Fatah held a major rally in the Gaza Strip celebrating the anniversary of its first terror attack. Fatah officials said that there was close to a million, if not more than a million people, while Hamas officials say that the crowd was no more than 200,000.

While the rally seemed to be going well, parts of it were forced to be cancelled for what appears to have been an outbreak of scuffles between supporters of former Fatah strongman Mohammed Dahlan and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Yahiya Rabah, a top Fatah official in Gaza, said the rally was cancelled "due to the huge number of participants and logistical failures." But witnesses said one pushing match was between supporters of Abbas and partisans of Fatah's former Gaza security commander Mohammed Dahlan, who was expelled from the party because of conflicts with Abbas. Another Fatah official, who spoke anonymously because he did not want to embarrass the party, said the rally was cancelled because hundreds of Dahlan supporters jumped up on the stage and clashed with Abbas supporters.

Here are a selection of photos from the day.

Fayyad Slams Arab States for Failing to Donate to PA

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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The Palestinian Authority is currently undergoing a serious financial crisis. Abbas and Fayyad have been begging for money for quite some time now in order to alleviate the crisis, however, they are getting nothing beyond pledges.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Salam Fayyad says that the recent financial troubles for the PA have been caused “solely” as a result of the failure of Arab states to fulfill their pledges to the Palestinian Authority.

The Palestinian self-rule government is close to being "completely incapacitated," largely because Arab countries haven't delivered hundreds of millions of dollars in promised aid, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said in an interview with the Associated Press Sunday.

…Fayyad said his budget deficit has widened in recent years, blaming Arab states that broke aid promises.

"The financing problem that we've had in the last few years is solely due to some Arab donors not fulfilling their pledge of support in accordance with Arab League resolutions," Fayyad said. European countries kept all their aid commitments and the U.S. honored most, with the exception of $200 million held up by Congress last year, he added.

While Fayyad is going public (he made similar comments in late December) with the truth, other Palestinian officials will continue to blame the US or try and use blackmail.

Number of Women in Israeli Air Force Doubled in Past 20 Years

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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CHALLAH @ IDF

Pioneering women, whose deeds opened a new world for others to follow in their footsteps, were honored this year at the IAF Association's annual evening. The event, which highlights a different topic relating to the Air Force each year, was dedicated to the stories of the female pioneers of the Air Force from its inception until today.

Among those honored were Zahara Levitov, a fighter in the Palmach and pilot in the Air Force, and her daughter Orni, the IAF's first female navigator. Also honored were some groundbreaking women of the 1990s: Adi Berdshatzki, the first female colonel in the Air Force, and Margalit Tirosh, the first to head the Administration Squadron.

The role of women in the Air Force today was also applauded, with those honored including Maj. G, Deputy Commander of the Air Kings Squadron, and Maj. Revital Ozen, commander of an Iron Dome battery.

"From the day of the IAF's establishment, women have taken part in its work," said IAF Commander Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel. "From a small group, mainly working in support roles, the participation of women throughout the breadth of the Air Force's activities has blossomed, in the air and on the ground. In the [Air] Force, there are thousands of women in career service and around 6,000 [regular service] female soldiers."

Maj. Gen. Eshel also emphasized the increasing representation of women within the IAF. "Their scope has doubled in the past 20 years," he stated. "We are in an ongoing process. And in this field, too, the IAF is a leader. We are still far from having utilized the full potential, the quality and capability that exists inside Israeli society. We must increase our efforts, increase the integration, to strengthen the Air Force and to set an example to the IDF and the entire State of Israel."

Is the 3rd Intifada Here?

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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CHALLAH @ Ynet

The defense establishment has been careful not to overstate the significance of the recent – growing – wave of unrest sweeping the West Bank, but according to IDF Ezion Sector Commander Colonel Yaniv Alaluf, the third intifada has already begun.

"We're no longer on the verge of a third intifada – it's already here. We anticipate many more (clashes) from now on," he said. Speaking to troops and reservists assigned to the sector, Alaluf qualified his daunting prediction, saying that "We may not be facing thousands of demonstrators storming border fences with AK-47s, but that doesn’t diminish the seriousness of the situation."

…Alaluf's assessment of the situation was a pessimistic one: "The process lead by Abu Mazen is over, replaced by the attitude promoted by Hamas. Abu Mazen is trying to survive the Arab Spring and he understands that the path of negotiations with Israel is over. "The question is – what will follow? We may see regional anarchy along a military campaign of our own."

…But not all is bleak: Alaluf was optimistic as to the IDF's ability to deal with terrorist threats, saying he does not foresee a string of suicide attacks, which became the gruesome hallmark of the al-Aqsa Intifada. "The third intifada won't be like the second one, which surprised us. We're ahead of the game now and terror won't be able to slither up to central Israel because we're better prepared."

…The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that, "The military does not comment on remarks made in closed forums."

Meanwhile:

The chances that a full-scale armed Intifada erupting in the West Bank are slim, but the chances for popular, simmering unrest with mass demonstrations are much higher, Shin Bet Chief Yoram Cohen was quoted as saying by Yedioth Ahronoth.

2012 Gaza Rocket & Mortar Count

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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Month	Shin Bet Rocket and Mortar Count	Shin Bet Count of Attacks
January	16	14
February	37	28
March*	208	156
April**	8	8
May	6	6
June	218	94
July	27	19
August	24	16
September	25	25
October	171	92
November***	1814	633
December	2	1
Total	2556	1092

* There appears to be a discrepancy in some places with regard to the amount fired in March. In some places the Shin Bet puts the total at 208, however, in other places the total is listed as 192.

** I do not count the rockets that originated in the Sinai

*** I do not count the rockets that originated in the Sinai

Sunday Morning Links

From Ian:

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‘Illegal Settlement’ Approved as Legitimate, Thanks to the Left

A lawsuit against the “unauthorized settlement” Rachelim has led to it becoming a legal Israeli town. "Deputy council head Yossi Dagan chose to send a tongue-in-cheek “thank you” to Yesh Din for its lawsuit. “In the name of Rachelim, I am grateful to the extreme-left group Yesh Din for its contrarian lawsuit, which caused the Israeli government to come to a decision, to grab the bull by the horns and right a wrong that had lasted for years,” he said. “They came to curse,” he added, “but in the end, as in the [Biblical] story of Bilaam, they gave a blessing.”

IDF: 200 Palestinians attack Esh Kodesh vineyards

Palestinians cut through vineyard fence; 12 outpost residents were injured in the incident, one of which was taken to hospital. “Some 200 Palestinians attacked the vineyards of the West Bank Esh Kodesh outpost on Saturday afternoon, according to the IDF. Esh Kodesh spokesman Aron Katsof said 12 outpost residents were injured as a result, including one who was treated in the hospital and then released.”

UN Watch: UNESCO booklet still lists Assad’s Syria as human rights judge

"It’s high time for UNESCO to stop legitimizing a government that mercilessly murders its own people. UNESCO is allowing the Assad regime to strut in Paris as a U.N. human rights arbiter, an indefensible insult to Syria’s victims."

U.S. Concerned by Assad's Use of Iranian-Made Missiles

The United States is becoming increasingly worried about Syria’s use of ballistic missiles supplied by Iran.

Anti-Semitic rhetoric increasing in Tunisia under MB

Analysis: Muslim clerics believe regime will let them intensify their incitement against Jews. "The process of exile which had started in the early ’50s accelerated. There were more than 100,000 Jews living in Tunisia in 1948. Today there are an estimated 2,000 left, many of them living on the island of Jerba."

ADL slams German 'Spiegel' author for anti-Semitism

Exclusive: Anti-Defamation League tells 'Post': Augstein's statement "crosses the line into anti-Semitic conspiracy thinking." "The Simon Wiesenthal Center included Augstein in its list of 2012’s top-ten anti-Semites. Jacobson cited the following Augstein quote, which appeared in his column, as being contaminated with conspiratorial anti-Semitism: “With backing from the US, where the president must secure the support of Jewish lobby groups, and in Germany, where coping with history, in the meantime, has a military component, the [Binyamin] Netanyahu government keeps the world on a leash with an ever-swelling war chant.”

National Society of Film Critics awards top honors to Israeli documentary ‘The Gatekeepers’

Film featuring interviews with former heads of Israel’s covert Shin Bet security agency already shortlisted for Academy Award

Professor Nayef Jarrous appointed Advisor for Minority Affairs to Hebrew University President

Will lead university efforts to increase minorities’ access to higher education

Israel bans cosmetics tested on animals

Import, marketing of cosmetics, detergents tested on animals officially barred by law. MK Cabel: This is a revolutionary step in animal welfare

Queen honors Israeli professor

Oranim teacher Penny Ur will receive the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for her contribution to promoting English language-teaching methodologies. "Prof. Penny Ur may live relatively anonymously in a small community in the North of Israel but even Queen Elizabeth II knows about her. Buckingham Palace announced over the weekend that the English teacher from Moshav Amnon will be honored with the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for her outstanding work in teaching English and for promoting collaboration between Israel and Britain."

Caption Contest - Ali Khamenei

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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CHALLAH @ Fars News

If your caption is good enough, I will add it to the post. Either send me an email, leave a comment or a tweet.

Here are a couple starters.

@challahhuakbar "Ahmadinejad did the gay shtick again?!"
— Michael Ross (@mrossletters) January 6, 2013

@challahhuakbar "Oy that cholent is giving me gas!"
— Michael Ross (@mrossletters) January 6, 2013

UPDATE: Here are a few good ones that I have seen in the comments.

"My grandmother was a Jew? Oiy." – Relpo Miraculous

“Damn these new glasses, Assad is as incompetent at optometry as he is being a dictator.” - Ian

“"GET OUT OF MY HEAD YOU ZIONIST THING" – RK

“Dammit, I forgot to call on Nasrallah's birthday" - SerJew

Saturday Night Links

From Ian:

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LATMA: 'A Day will Come', and terrorists in the Knesset have their day in court

Pat Condell: Patronising the Palestinians VIDEO

European settlements and double standards by Dore Gold (h/t EoL)

Is there any basis for comparing Northern Cyprus to the situation with the West Bank? "A number of glaring differences stand out. First, Israel entered the West Bank in a war of self-defense in 1967 when it faced an Arab war coalition that was massing forces along its borders. In contrast, the circumstances of the Turkish invasion were very different. Turkey did not face imminent attack from Cyprus, but rather was concerned with intercommunal tensions in Cyprus. Second, there was no established sovereignty in the West Bank in 1967 that Israel violated; there was no Palestinian state while Jordan's claim to sovereignty was rejected by most of the international community except for Britain and Pakistan. Moreover, there were earlier Jewish rights under the British Mandate, which never expired. Looking at the Cypriot case, prior to the Turkish invasion in 1974, the Republic of Cyprus was the undisputed sovereign over the entire island, including the area of Northern Cyprus."

Setting things straight

'The UN upgrade resolution has neither created a Palestinian state nor granted any kind of statehood to the Palestinians "Thus, any references in all of the many UN resolutions to “occupied Palestinian territories” are nothing more than an irresponsible prejudgment of an issue that has been agreed between the Palestinians and Israel to be settled in negotiations between the two nations. It is indicative of nothing more than wishful thinking on the part of those states voting in favor of it. Such resolutions have not determined and cannot determine the sovereignty of the areas in question or the state or authority to which such areas belong."

Netanyahu to Ambassadors: Palestinians Must Declare Conflict Over for Peace Accord

“Hamas could take over the Palestinian Authority any day, which is why we need solidified defense agreements and a diplomatic accord that ensures the recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, and a [Palestinian] declaration of the end of the conflict,” Netanyahu said Jan. 3.

Discarding history

The Temple Mount is not in our hands. The Muslim wakf continues to damage antiquities and archeological artifacts as authorities remain helpless to prevent it. Entire Jewish, Muslim and Christian histories are being brutally dumped in garbage sites.

‘Our mission is to save Jerusalem,’ Abbas tells Fatah supporters in TV address to huge Gaza rally

100,000 join anniversary celebration in Hamas-controlled Strip, signaling growing detente between Palestinian rivals

Israeli Priest Hounded for His Support of Israel

"Father Nadaf believes Israel serves as an anchor for its Christian minority and cares for its security, and from this he derives his commitment towards Israel. Since his excommunication from the Council, which is headed by Dr. Azmi Hakim, a member of the Israeli Communist party, he has been forced to move around with bodyguards."

CAMERA: 13 for '13: New Year's Resolutions We'd Like the Media to Make

"Every January, people around the world take stock of themselves and resolve to improve in the new year, vowing to break bad habits and form good ones. In 2013, CAMERA would like news media to do the same and we suggest the following 13 for '13..."

Egypt's Islamic Jihad: Jews Deserve to be Killed

The Islamic Jihad terrorist group vows to fight Jews if they return to Egypt in the wake of remarks by Muslim Brotherhood official. "The Islamic Jihad terrorist group has vowed to fight Jews if they return to Egypt, saying they deserve to be killed, the Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reported Thursday."

Leading Chinese firms eye Israeli technology investments

Bilateral trade between China and Israel totalled $8 billion (5 billion pounds) in 2011, according to Israel's Foreign Ministry. "Chinese have invested $3 billion in Israeli companies to date. The biggest investment was the $1.4 billion acquisition of 60 percent of MA Industries, the world's largest maker of generic crop protection chemicals, by China National Chemical Corp (ChemChina) in late 2011."

Sergeant in Saudi Air Force Faces Child Rape Charges in Vegas

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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CHALLAH @ The Associated Press

A sergeant in Saudi Arabia's air force was jailed in Las Vegas on charges that he pulled a young boy into a hotel room and sexually assaulted him the morning of Sin City's big New Year's Eve fireworks extravaganza. Mazen Alotaibi, 23, faces charges including kidnapping, sexual assault with a minor and felony coercion that could get him decades in state prison, according to police and charging documents obtained Friday.

Mazen Alotaibi

The boy, who is younger than 14, told police the man forced him into a room at the Circus Circus hotel on the Las Vegas Strip and raped him. Police arrested Alotaibi after being called to the hotel before 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 31. "There was a kidnapping and sexual assault with force," Las Vegas police Lt. Dan McGrath said. "The victim said he was forced into the room and sexually assaulted. We have a strong case based on the evidence."

…McGrath said Alotaibi produced a Saudi Arabian military identification and said he was stationed at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland near San Antonio, Texas. U.S. federal authorities and Saudi military officials were notified, the police lieutenant said.

Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland spokesman Brent Boller told The Associated Press that records showed Alotaibi is currently stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. Boller said he could not immediately verify if Alotaibi had been at Lackland, but noted that international military students attend a Defense Language Institute English Language Center on the base to improve their English-language skills.

Alotaibi's lawyer, Don Chairez of Newport Beach, California, said Friday he had been in contact with U.S. military authorities at both air force bases and with the Saudi government. He said Alotaibi had come to Las Vegas for the New Year's celebration, and will plead not guilty.

IDF Destroys Hundreds of Weapons, Some Pre-48, Found in Dead Sea Area

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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CHALLAH @ IDF

Hundreds of weapons, some of them predating Israeli independence, were discovered last week in the area of the Dead Sea. The weapons – including mortars, explosives, M1 rifles and Sten guns – were detonated in controlled explosions by forces of the IDF Central Command, so as to prevent hostile forces from making new weapons out of their parts.

Head of the Central Command's Protection Desk Maj. Shahar Keller, who oversaw the IDF's handling of the discovered weapons, noted that this was only the third time in recent years that the IDF has carried out this type of activity. He explained that the weapons were uncovered against the backdrop of shifts in the area, such as the shrinking of the Dead Sea and changes in the terrain. He also noted that the site where the weapons were found is considered a minefield and is closed to the general public.

"We found many items at the site, including mortars, artillery, grenades, explosives, mines, and even radio transmitters, compasses, and different weapons," Maj. Keller said. "Our course of action is to detonate the weapons so that people's lives will not be endangered."

The hypothesis, Maj. Keller explained, is that these weapons are from various periods. A package of bombs was found at the site with a label indicating that it had been produced in November 1960, and it appears that a Jordanian force discarded it into the water during the Six Day War. Other discoveries show that weapons of the British Army from the period of the British Mandate were also discarded in the area. Also found in the area were additional weapons from various groups and armies, such as M1 rifles and Sten guns, which were used during the Second World War.

“We cleaned the surface of all visible items, and we are planning another detonation for the coming year,” Maj. Keller stated. “There is a significant challenge here. In contrast to the clearing of minefields – where there are organized lists of how many mines because we were the ones that put them there – with clearing of this kind there is no way to know the number of weapons. We depend on the forces of nature, and according to that, increase the frequency of the cleaning."

Maj. Keller noted that this is the only site in Israel in which weaponry and munitions have been uncovered many years after having been discarded. “The munitions are not in a dangerous location, so the goal is to avoid letting them get into hostile hands,” he added. “In the past, items have been stolen from the area and taken for the creation of explosive material, and [we aim] also to avoid a situation in which innocent tourists come across weaponry, even with the likelihood that the munitions will barely function due to long exposure to salt."

The controlled explosion was carried out by a reserve company of graduates of the Yahalom unit, which specializes in bomb disposal. An officer in the Israeli Navy said that the Underwater Missions Unit also takes part in the destruction of weaponry and munitions found in Israel's waters and that they perform operations in the Dead Sea every few years.

Israel’s Red-Light Washing

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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CHALLAH @ The New York Times

For 20 years Aviva, 48, flamboyant and transgendered, worked the streets of the business district of this Mediterranean city, as well as the seedy square mile around the central bus station and the Tel Baruch beach, once a notorious hub of Israeli prostitution that has become a spruced up stretch of sandy coast.

Alona, 40, immigrated to Israel with her parents from Ukraine in the early 1990s. Her circumstances quickly degenerated from working in a casino to a life derailed by debts, drugs and prostitution. When she was not in prison, the squalid streets around the bus station became her home.

“In the streets there was no toilet, no toilet paper,” Alona said. “I forgot a lot of things, like how to look after myself, to love myself. I learned to survive.”

Now, in an endeavor as far removed from their former lives as the gleaming banks and trendy boutiques of Tel Aviv are from the city’s sleazy subculture, the two, who asked to be identified only by their first names, recently completed a free course in styling and the retail clothing business. Along with other former prostitutes who have received similar training in dress design and sewing, they are now aiming to find a place in the world of fashion. There is always demand for sales staff in Tel Aviv’s bustling stores, and one talented graduate even went on to a professional design school on a scholarship.

“The course gave me a lot of self-confidence and knowledge,” Aviva said. “Maybe one day I’ll be able to start something of my own. When they gave me the certificate — the first in my life — I was proud of myself. I’d done something positive.”

The idea for the program grew up from the underside of Tel Aviv.

Read the whole thing.

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.