Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, January 07, 2013

90-year-old Saudi Weds 15-year-old Girl

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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CHALLAH @ Al Arabiya

The recent marriage of a 90-year-old Saudi man to a 15-year-old girl has sparked condemnation from human rights and social media activists in the kingdom. On Twitter especially, activists criticized the parents of the girl for giving her to a man decades older than her. In an interview, the groom insisted that his marriage was “legal and correct,” and that he paid a $17,500 (SAR 65,000) dowry to marry the girl, who is the daughter of a Yemeni father and Saudi mother.

The 90-year-old told the story of his first night with the bride. He said she entered the bedroom before him, and she locked the door from inside so he could not enter. This, he said, made him “suspicious about some kind of conspiracy” by the girl and her mother. He vowed to sue his in-laws to give him back the girl or return him the expensive dowry.

Close friends of the bride’s family said she was frightened on the wedding night, and locked herself in the room for two successive days before fleeing back to her parents’ home. The member of the Saudi National Association for Human Rights (NSHR), Suhaila Zein al-Abedin, urged authorities to intervene “as soon as possible to save this child from tragedy.”

Abedin noted that marriage in Islam must be based on mutual consent, and this was not satisfied, as demonstrated by the girl’s move to lock herself in the room. She said the girl’s parents were also to be held responsible for marrying their daughter to a man the age of her great grandfather.

Abedin urged the establishment of a minimum age of 18 for marrying girls, saying this would pave the way for punishing violators, according to a report by al-Hayat newspaper. Jamal al-Toueiki, a psychologist, said forced marriage may subject girls to abuse and violence, and this could lead to their suicide if nothing is done to save them.

Anti-Semitic Incidents Up in Austria

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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CHALLAH @ Israel Hayom

The leader of Vienna's Jewish community says the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Austria reported to his office have doubled over the past year and adds that Jews feel threatened elsewhere in the EU as well. Jewish community president Oskar Deutsch tells the Kurier newspaper that the Jewish community registered 135 such incidents last year, compared to 71 in 2011.

In comments published Monday, he named Hungary, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France and Greece as the EU countries where Jews are most under threat, adding that fearful Jewish families in Hungary have recently started to immigrate to Austria.

Burgas Bombing Investigator Sacked over Leak

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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CHALLAH @ Sofia News Agency

The Prosecutor's Office has dismissed investigator Staneliya Karadzhova as member of the team investigating the July 18 terror act in Bulgaria's Black city of Burgas.

Karadzhova has been dismissed on January 3 by the Burgas Regional Prosecutor on grounds the investigator leaked in the media classified information about latest developments in the probe.

On the same day, Karadzhova told the 24 Chasa (24 Hours) daily that Bulgarian police authorities have learned the real identity of one of the accomplices of the Burgas bus bomber.

The Interior Ministry declined refuting officially the above statement, with Kalin Georgiev, Chief Secretary of the Interior, only saying that any comments on the subject would be detrimental for the investigation.

For a rundown of basically everything related to the Burgas attack and the ongoing investigation go here.

Monday Morning Links

From Ian

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The Legal Case for Israel Video by Professor Eugene Kontorovich VIDEO

JPost Editorial: Palestinian irresponsibility

"Instead of choosing a path of self-empowerment and accepting responsibility for their own fate, Fayyad and other Palestinian leaders have opted yet again for the well-traversed road of self-victimization. Apparently, Palestinian leaders in the West Bank believe they will succeed in deflecting growing anger and frustration on the Palestinian street and redirect toward Israel. We hope they are wrong."

Barry Rubin: Al Gore Sells Out (to al-Jazeera)

"What would you call it if a former vice-president of the United States had sold his television network to a fascist or Communist front group at a time when such forces threatened America? Nothing very nice. But now Al Gore has sold out his admittedly obscure channel to al-Jazeera and taken a position on its board. Here's an interview of myself on this issue."

MEMRI: Chief Islamic Judge of PA: We Want to File Suit against Britain for Balfour Declaration “Crime” VIDEO and Wife of Hamas MP Al-Hayya: A Woman's Role Is to Instill Love of Jihad and Martyrdom in Her Children VIDEO

Supporting our Own Demise: Part 1 Terror Finance

"Successive British Governments continue to tolerate the existence of large charities that encourage and provide for Islamist terror groups. By failing to separate British Muslims from the Islamist charities that exploit them, we flatter and legitimize supporters of terrorism as humanitarians and community leaders. In the US, the charity Interpal is a proscribed organization: when you help terror groups build homes, you are also helping terror groups build bombs."

Egypt: Bahais cannot enroll in public schools, education minister says

"The education minister has repeated remarks that Bahais cannot enroll in public schools, saying it violates the Constitution. "The Constitution only recognizes the three Abrahamic religions,” Ibrahim Ghoneim told Akbar Al-Youm newspaper Saturday. “And as religion is a subject taught in schools, they do not meet the requirements for enrollment.”

Egypt’s Morsi remakes cabinet, increasing Islamist presence

"Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi rebuilt his cabinet Sunday, replacing 10 ministers and amplifying the Islamist presence in the government. The move, in which at least three Islamists were appointed to head major economic ministries, comes a day ahead of a planned visit by a top International Monetary Fund official to discuss an impending $4.8 billion loan."

Chavez and the Jews: A sorry tale

"Before Chavez came to power in 1999, there were 30,000 Jews in Venezuela. Now, the community has dwindled to just less than 9,000. Having experienced virtually no anti-Semitism in their history, the Chavez years ushered in a set of new and frightening experiences for Venezuela’s Jews, from cartoons in the press that could have been lifted from the notorious Nazi newspaper, Der Sturmer, to the vandalism of the main synagogue in Caracas in 2009. As a depressing summary by Tel Aviv University’s Kantor Center for the Study of Anti-Semitism noted last September, “Recent years have witnessed a rise in anti-Semitic manifestations, including vandalism, media attacks, caricatures, and physical attacks on Venezuelan Jewish institutions.”

Israelis to design San Diego-area desalination plant

IDE Americas Inc., a subsidiary of Israel’s IDE Technologies Ltd, to design project - the largest of its kind in western hemisphere. "The Israeli desalination giant that is already responsible for the brunt of Israel’s salty-to-fresh water transformation is now taking on San Diego, in the biggest desalination project to hit the western hemisphere."

GPS for brain surgeons

A line of products trusted by neurosurgeons and neuroscience researchers on six continents was developed by a Christian-Arab couple in Nazareth, Israel. "The company’s recording and stimulation tools, which have both FDA (US) and CE (Europe) approvals, are helpful in two realms. Neuroscientists use them in the lab to understand more about the human brain, and neurosurgeons use them for treating patients with a variety of neural disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and dystonia, a nervous system disorder that causes involuntary muscles contractions and spasms."

Drillers herald new Israeli gas find

"Israeli and Norwegian energy companies said they encountered a significant amount of natural gas in an offshore Israeli field. Norwegian energy company AGR said it encountered "significant signs of natural gas" during drilling operations in the Aphrodite-2 exploration well in the offshore Ishai license block. The well encountered a gas layer of 49 feet, the Platts news service reports."

A herbal remedy for the ‘bug crisis’

Farmers nowadays are using more pesticides than ever. An innovation based on Negev herbs may be even more effective. "Herbs are for more than just tea — they may be the next big thing in the fight against pests. Particularly one herb that grows in Israel’s Negev desert, whose medicinal properties have been known to the Bedouin for generations. Yaniv Kitron of Israel’s EdenShield has discovered that it works pretty well as a natural “pesticide,” too."

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.”