Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Iraq News Agency spouting pure anti-semitism

I've been seeing more and more pure anti-semitic drivel from the Iraq News Agency lately, much of it reproduced elsewhere.

But this sentence is a classic distillation of hate, the type that is never reported in the West:

There is no harmful insect on the planet more dangerous than the Jews, and there is no incurable disease eating away at the human body is the worse than the Jews; and there is not any book since the inception of the world to warn nations and peoples of the psychological and intellectual epidemics of the Jews like the Koran.

Abbas Commemorates 'Martyrs,' Including Hajj Amin Al-Husseini

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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CHALLAH @ MEMRI

Mahmoud 'Abbas: "On the anniversary of Fatah, we renew the pledge to our fortunate martyrs. We pledge to continue on the path of the martyr brother Abu Ammar, and his comrades and brothers, the leaders from all the fighting factions – all the martyrs. "Let me mention the martyr Abu Jihad, Khalil Al-Wazir, the martyr Abu Iyad, Salah Khalaf, the martyr Abd Al-Fattah Hamoud, the martyr Abu Ali Iyad, the martyr Abu Sabri Saydam, the martyr Abu Yousuf Al-Najjar, the martyr Kamal Adwan, the martyr Kamal Nasser, the martyr Abu Al-Waleed Saad Sael, the martyr Faysal Al-Husseini, the martyr Abu Al-Hol, the martyr Abu Al-Mundhir, the martyr Khaled Al-Hassan, the martyr Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, the martyr Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rantissi, the martyr Ismail Abu Shanab, the martyr Fathi Shiqaqi, the martyr George Habash, the martyr Omar A-Qassem, the martyr Sakhr Habash, the martyr Suleiman Al-Najjar, the martyr Bashir Al-Barghouthi, the martyr Hani Al-Hassan, the martyr Abu Ali Mustafa, the martyr Abu Al-'Abbas, the martyr Samir Ghosheh, and today's martyr, the martyr of the Intifada, Abu Al-Abd Khattab. Allah's mercy upon them all. "In addition, there were tens of thousands of martyrs and heroes. Here we must remember the pioneers – the Grand Mufti of Palestine, Hajj Muhammad Amin Al-Husseini, as well as Ahmad Al-Shukeiri, the founder of the PLO, and Yahya Hamouda, the head of the PLO Executive Committee. Let us not forget the martyr Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam, who sparked the 1936 revolution." [...]

Thank you

My shiva ended this morning, and I'm easing into getting back into the swing of things at work and for the blog. Things might remain slow on the blog for the next few days, though.

Thanks so much for the many messages of condolence sent to me, in the comments, email, Twitter and Facebook. I really do appreciate it.

Thanks also to Challah Hu Akbar for agreeing to pinch-hit for me. Please add his excellent blog to your bookmarks.

Special thanks to the two bloggers who attended the funeral in Israel, Aussie Dave of Israellycool and "Caleb ben Yefuneh" of Love of the Land.

While I generally do not talk about my personal life on my blog, I will make a brief exception here.

My father was a remarkable man. He was a Holocaust survivor who witnessed unspeakable horrors and the loss of family members when he was only a teenager. Yet he still managed to survive, marry a fellow survivor and raise a family in America, sacrificing much to allow his children to receive a Jewish education at a time that many of his fellow survivors abandoned Judaism altogether. He built a small business, literally starting it in our garage. He, and lehavdil bein chaim lechaim, my mother, tried very hard to ensure that their kids would be raised normally despite what they went through. As Dad stated on the videotape he made for the USC Shoah Foundation, he just wanted his children to be good Jews - and not to ever have to go through one percent of what he went through.

Is Iran After A Syrian Uranium Stockpile?

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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CHALLAH @ Ynet

Nuclear experts in the US and Middle East have raised concerns about the security of up to 50 metric tons of unenriched uranium in Syria, the Financial Times reported Tuesday. Such a stockpile could be a vital resource to building a nuclear bomb and could have disastrous implications if seized by Iran.

Not much is known about the Syrian nuclear program, and the country denied ever having had one. But intelligence data collected at the time indicated that President Bashar Assad regime’s was close to completing a nuclear reactor at Al-Kibar, in the east of the country, when it was reportedly destroyed by Israeli jets in September 2007.

Intelligence officials have long believed that the reactor was familiar in its design to the Yongbyon facility in North Korea, which aided Syria with its program. By comparing the two reactors, experts have concluded that Al-Kibar would have required about 50 tonnes of natural uranium fuel to become operational.

Government officials and nuclear experts have recently told the Financial Times that there were legitimate concerns about a uranium stockpile of such magnitude which may have remained in Syria. According to experts, such a stockpile would be enough to provide weapons grade fuel for five atomic devices.

… An IAEA inspection team visited the destroyed Al-Kibar site in May 2008 and only found traces of uranium, adding to the mystery of where the stockpile might be. According to the report, some government officials have expressed fears that Iran, which is closely allied to Syria and needs uranium for its nuclear program, might be trying to seize the uranium.

These concerns have been brought upon by signs of movement at what they allege is a secret uranium conversion facility that the Syrian regime built at the town of Marj al-Sultan near Damascus. “You could draw the conclusion that there may be something at this site that the Syrian authorities are keen to defend from opposition forces,” said Albright, an expert on the Iranian nuclear program. “It would be interesting to know what it is.”

While the officials were unable to unequivocally determine whether uranium was in fact stored at the site, they said that Syria is almost certainly in possession of the element urgently sought by Iran. "It would certainly be possible to transfer this from Syria to Iran by air,” one official said.

Wednesday Morning Links

From Ian:

Academic: Israeli-Arab pols fomenting extremism

"An article published this month argues, based on economic and other data, that Israeli Arabs’ standard of living has risen dramatically, while Israeli Arab leaders have increasingly radicalized their community." "Entitled “Israel’s Arabs: Deprived or Radicalized?” the article cites statistical evidence demonstrating that Israeli Arabs have had an increasingly better quality of life since the Jews began settling in large numbers in British Mandate-era Palestine. For this reason, Arabs continued to move to Jewish population centers in order to improve their socioeconomic living conditions."

IDF Blog: Terror Attacks in 2012: The Ones You’ve Heard About and the Ones You Haven’t

In 2012, Israel suffered terror attacks on all fronts. Some made headline news around the world. Most of the others you’ve probably never heard about. Here’s our rundown of the major terror attacks in 2012.

Missing Peace: Swiss graduate in thesis : PA uses water as a political weapon

"A thesis titled ‘The politicization of the Oslo water agreement’ written by Lauro Burkart a Swiss graduate of the Institute of International and Development studies in Geneva gives a more accurate and impartial picture of the topic of the scarcity of water in the Palestinian Authority."

Richard Millet: Palestine Solidarity Campaign activist says he wants to kill Israelis.

"I did have a polite discussion with a 23 year old who had just finished studying accountancy. We talked about the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Needless to say we disagreed on everything but he did tell me of his future plans. He wanted to leave his family and head to Pakistan to start up a political party that would “bomb the whole of Israel”.

MEMRI: PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas Commemorates "Martyrs" from Fatah, Hamas, and Other Factions

PMW: PA mayor: Israeli army shapes explosives like toys to target Palestinian children

"Palestinian Media Watch has reported how similar libels were voiced by the PA during the PA's terror campaign (the Intifada). In 2003, PA TV viewers were told that Israelis "drop objects from jet planes that attract children to play with them and then they blow up. These are bombs and mines designed as toys."

Daphne Anson: A Mondoweiss Contributor Reports On Gaza For The BBC

"The website article in question is the work of a woman who appears to be a seasoned anti-Israel campaigner."

Iran Takes Off the Mask, Admits Sanctions Hit Oil Exports

"An Iranian minister breaks ranks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and admits US-backed sanctions have sliced oil exports by 45 percent – but says the nuclear weapon program continues."

Syria: 5 Dead as Fighting Returns to 'Palestinian' Camp

Syrian fighting has returned to an area of Damascus which serves as a camp for people registered as "Palestinian refugees."

Poland probes artist’s claim that he used Holocaust victims’ ash to ‘paint’ a picture

Ghoulish work was displayed in a Swedish gallery and later pulled following protests from Jewish groups

UEFA Launches Disciplinary Proceedings Against Lazio for “Alleged Racist Behavior” Towards Tottenham’s Jewish Fans

"UEFA has begun disciplinary proceedings against Rome, Italy’s Lazio football club for its fan’s “alleged racist behavior” toward British club Tottenham’s fans during a match in Rome in November. The Lazio fans chanted “Juden Tottenham” and held up signs that read “Free Palestine” in an effort to taunt Tottenham’s fans. Tottenham is an historically Jewish neighborhood in London and has a large Jewish fan base."

FIFA punishes Bulgaria, Hungary for racist, anti-Semitic incidents

Both national teams to pay fines, play in empty stadiums as a disciplinary measure

France Jews seek names of anti-Semites on Twitter

Jewish students' union takes issue of anti-Semitic tweets to Paris court after Twitter refuses to hand over details of account holders.

In tense Swedish city, young Muslim crusades against anti-Semitism

The son of immigrants from Iran, Siavosh Derakhti recently won an award for his efforts to promote tolerance and educate about the Holocaust

Top exporters get award from Peres

In 2011 an amazing 40% of Israel’s GDP was based on exports, and the president recognized some of the country’s biggest exporters at a ceremony

Israeli 2012 Tech Exits Top $5.5 Billion

"Israeli tech startups were bought out for a record total of $5.5 billion in 2012, according to a report published Monday. The report also suggests a maturity in the Israeli sector with fewer, but larger, deals transacted. The report by analysts Pricewaterhouse Coopers showed 2012 had 50 deals with an average deal size of $111 million, compared with 63 deals with an average size of $81 million in 2011. The report didn’t cover IPOs."

Iran Behind Hacking of American Banks

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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CHALLAH @ New York Times

The attackers hit one American bank after the next. As in so many previous attacks, dozens of online banking sites slowed, hiccupped or ground to a halt before recovering several minutes later.

But there was something disturbingly different about the wave of online attacks on American banks in recent weeks. Security researchers say that instead of exploiting individual computers, the attackers engineered networks of computers in data centers, transforming the online equivalent of a few yapping Chihuahuas into a pack of fire-breathing Godzillas. The skill required to carry out attacks on this scale has convinced United States government officials and security researchers that they are the work of Iran, most likely in retaliation for economic sanctions and online attacks by the United States.

“There is no doubt within the U.S. government that Iran is behind these attacks,” said James A. Lewis, a former official in the State and Commerce Departments and a computer security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

...Since September, intruders have caused major disruptions to the online banking sites of Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bancorp, PNC, Capital One, Fifth Third Bank, BB&T and HSBC. They employed DDoS attacks, or distributed denial of service attacks, named because hackers deny customers service by directing large volumes of traffic to a site until it collapses. No bank accounts were breached and no customers’ money was taken.

By using data centers, the attackers are simply keeping up with the times. Companies and consumers are increasingly conducting their business over large-scale “clouds” of hundreds, even thousands, of networked computer servers

...A hacker group calling itself Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Cyber Fighters has claimed in online posts that it was responsible for the attacks.

...But American intelligence officials say the group is actually a cover for Iran. They claim Iran is waging the attacks in retaliation for Western economic sanctions and for a series of cyberattacks on its own systems.

Wife of Hamas MP: A Woman's Role Is to Instill Love of Jihad and Martyrdom in Her Children

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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CHALLAH @ MEMRI

Umm Osama: Women in Palestine play a great role in raising their children and in encouraging them to wage Jihad for the sake of Allah. This is absolutely the most glorious thing a woman can do. Women play their role and are not inferior to men. When a man goes to wage Jihad, his wife does not say "Don't go" or try to stop him. She encourages and supports him. She is the one who prepares his equipment, bids him farewell, and welcomes [his Jihad]. She instills in her children the love of Jihad and martyrdom for the sake of Allah. If every mother were to prevent her son from waging Jihad for the sake of Allah, who would wage Jihad? Who would support Palestine? Palestine is dear to us, and its price is paid with our body remains and our lifeblood. Is not Allah's reward precious? Allah's reward is Paradise. Paradise requires from us our blood, our body remains, and our efforts for its sake.

[...] Sister, Jihad is ordained for us. It is our duty to wage Jihad, because either we wage Jihad or...

Interviewer: We want to die as martyrs.

Umm Osama: Indeed we do. I am constantly praying: "Allah, make the end of our days be in martyrdom." I pray for this even for my husband and my children. None of us want to die in our beds. We pray that Allah will grant us Paradise. [...]

Hamas Sentences Fatah Terrorist to 15 Years in Jail

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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CHALLAH @ Ma’an News Agency

A military court in Gaza City on Tuesday sentenced a Fatah military leader to 15 years in jail. Muhammad al-Sakani told Ma’an that his brother Zaki was accused of terrorism and illegally possessing explosives and weapons.

Muhammad condemned the verdict as unjust and vowed to appeal the decision. Zaki, from Gaza City’s Shujaiyya neighborhood, was detained four years ago and held in a Gaza jail.

Fatah denounced the verdict in a statement, describing it as "unjust because it was issued by an illegitimate court, and because the motive behind the verdict was merely political." "The man was a prominent leader of Fatah’s al-Aqsa Brigades and one of its best fighters."

What exactly did al-Sakani do?

Al-Sakani, born in 1965, was once wanted by Israeli authorities for his role in explosives-manufacturing, according to Fatah-affiliated websites.

As the second Palestinian intifada entered its second year, according to Fatah sources, al-Sakani along with late Fatah leader Abdul-Muti al-Sabaawi designed the first homemade mortar shell and went on to produce hundreds of shells.

As a result, the Israeli intelligence tried to hunt him down through several targeted assassinations, including one which injured him in Gaza City while he was launching mortar shells at an Israeli settlement, before Israeli forces disengaged from the coastal enclave.

After Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in July 2008, the security services of Hamas stormed his home in the Zaytoun neighborhood, but he escaped, Fatah sources said. Hamas forces confiscated his handgun, a homemade projectile and several mortar shells and explosives, as well as a computer. On July 25, 2008 five high profile leaders of the Hamas' military wing were killed in an explosion near the beach in Gaza City and about 40 civilians were injured. Hamas then accused al-Sakani of being behind that explosion.

In August 2008, the Hamas-affiliated website Palestine Today quoted sources privy to the details as saying that security services in Gaza detained four suspects including Zaki al-Sakani, a Fatah-affiliated explosives expert. Al-Sakani was in al-Shifa hospital when he was arrested and jailed, having survived an assassination attempt a day earlier. A group of gunmen had opened fire on al-Sakani and he underwent a surgery before he was jailed by Hamas' security.

Photos of Robert Levinson Released, Iran Seen as Responsible

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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CHALLAH @ The Associated Press

Two years after a hostage video and photographs of retired FBI agent Robert Levinson raised the possibility that the missing American was being held by terrorists, U.S. officials now see the government of Iran behind the images, intelligence officials told The Associated Press.

Levinson, a private investigator, disappeared in 2007 on the Iranian island of Kish. The Iranian government has repeatedly denied knowing anything about his disappearance, and the disturbing video and photos that Levinson's family received in late 2010 and early 2011 seemed to give credence to the idea.

The extraordinary photos — showing Levinson's hair wild and gray, his beard long and unkempt — are being seen for the first time publicly after the family provided copies to the AP. The video has been previously released.

In response to Iran's repeated denials, and amid secret conversations with Iran's government, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement in March 2011 that Levinson was being held somewhere in South Asia. The implication was that Levinson might be in the hands of terrorist group or criminal organization somewhere in Pakistan or Afghanistan.

The statement was a goodwill gesture to Iran, one that the U.S. hoped would prod Tehran to help bring him home.

But nothing happened.

Two years later, with the investigation stalled, the consensus now among some U.S. officials involved in the case is that despite years of denials, Iran's intelligence service was almost certainly behind the 54-second video and five photographs of Levinson that were emailed anonymously to his family. The tradecraft used to send those items was too good, indicating professional spies were behind them, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk publicly. While everything dealing with Iran is murky, their conclusion is based on the U.S. government's best intelligence analysis....

Levinson's family runs this website.

Israeli Intelligence Likely Saved Thousands of Syrian Lives

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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CHALLAH @ New York Times

In the last days of November, Israel’s top military commanders called the Pentagon to discuss troubling intelligence that was showing up on satellite imagery: Syrian troops appeared to be mixing chemicals at two storage sites, probably the deadly nerve gas sarin, and filling dozens of 500-pounds bombs that could be loaded on airplanes.

Within hours President Obama was notified, and the alarm grew over the weekend, as the munitions were loaded onto vehicles near Syrian air bases. In briefings, administration officials were told that if Syria’s increasingly desperate president, Bashar al-Assad, ordered the weapons to be used, they could be airborne in less than two hours — too fast for the United States to act, in all likelihood.

What followed next, officials said, was a remarkable show of international cooperation over a civil war in which the United States, Arab states, Russia and China have almost never agreed on a common course of action.

Read the rest.

Egypt’s Constitution May Prevent Bahais from Enrolling in Public Schools

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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CHALLAH @ Egypt Independent

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.”

Ghoneim had told Al-Sabah newspaper the same statement in November, when he was asked, “What is the position of the ministry concerning the children of Bahais? Do they have the right to enroll in a [ministry-affiliated] school?” The minister responded by saying, “The state only recognizes three religions, and the Bahai faith is not among them. Thus their children do not have the right to register in government schools.”

And

An Egyptian official admitted on Monday that Bahai children will face major problems enrolling in state-run schools as a result of the new Constitution. Mohamed al-Sorougy, the Education Minister's media adviser, told Ona news agency that Egyptian Bahais will face problems enrolling because the new Constitution only recognizes three religions: Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

Sorougy didn’t confirm or deny statements by Education Minister Ibrahim Ghoneim saying that Bahais are forbidden from enrolling in public schools because of the Constitution. He said, however, that 2 million children enroll annually in the schools and that creating a problem for a few of them is not right.

The problems facing Bahai children are further complicated by Article 60 of the new Constitution, which mandates religious education in state schools. Muslims and Christians study their own religions, but the government is unsure how to offer Bahais religious instruction if they enroll in schools.

Head of Iran's Quds Force Met with Morsi Advisors

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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Around a week ago reports started appearing in the Arabic press, sometimes quoting the Israeli media, suggesting that the head of Iran’s Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, recently met with an adviser to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.

The Times now confirms the reports.

Egypt’s Islamist Government has enlisted covert help from Iran to strengthen its grip on power, dealing another blow to Cairo’s fragile relationship with the West. Qassem Suleimani, Iran’s spy chief, visited the Egyptian capital just after Christmas for two days of talks with senior officials close to President Mohamed Morsi, The Times has learnt.

Mr Suleimani, who oversees Iran’s proxy militias across the region, including Hezbollah and Hamas, travelled at the invitation of Mr Morsi’s Government and his powerful backers in the Muslim Brotherhood.

The spy chief met Essam al-Haddad, foreign affairs adviser to Mr Morsi, and officials from the Brotherhood to advise the government on building its security and intelligence apparatus independent of the national intelligence services, which are controlled by Egypt's military.

… Two members of the Muslim Brotherhood's "guidance office" Maktab al-Irshad confirmed details of Mr Suleimani's visit. "The government requested a high-level meeting with Iranian officials. Iran sent Suleimani," said one official.

"The meeting was intended to send a message to America, which is putting pressure on the Egyptian government, that we should be allowed to have other alliances with anyone we please."

Soleimani was recently deemed the “World’s Most Dangerous Person.”

Tuesday Morning Links

From Ian:

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David Frum: Where is the Palestinian state-in-embryo?

"Palestinian nationalism often seems a mirror-image of the Zionist project, but with this one crucial difference: Over the half century before the foundation of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement pre-built the institutions of a state. The Zionist movement built not only a proto-government and the elements of an army, but charitable institutions, educational institutions, even artistic institutions.The Jewish state, when it came, was voted by the UN. But it was in no sense a gift from anybody, let alone an international organization."

PLO Officials: No 'Palestine' Passport for Now

Abbas will not rush to issue "State of Palestine" passports, fearing a conflict with Israel, PLO officials claim.

Alan Dershowitz: President's Nomination of Hagel May Encourage Iran's Nuclear Ambitions

"President Obama's nomination of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense risks increasing the likelihood that Iran will develop nuclear weapons. It poses that risk because Hagel is well known for his opposition both to sanctions against Iran and to employing the military option if necessary. These views are inconsistent with the very different views expressed by President Obama. The President has emphasized on numerous occasions that he will never allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons and will use military force if necessary to prevent that "game changer."

The Christian Aid Conference on Peace and Justice in the Holy Land

Something has gone badly wrong when a conference of Christians praises the side most prone to violence and least disposed to peace; presents falsehoods as facts, and even denies that there is serious persecution of their own brethren in the Palestinian territories. "Do Christian hearts not grieve for Jewish children forced to cower in bomb shelters, day in and day out? But none of these facts was mentioned by any of the speakers. Not one speaker at any point, in fact, had the honesty to say one word about the several wars started by Arab armies invading Israel, nor the thousands of Israelis killed and injured in terrorist attacks, including suicide bombings."

PMW: Fatah’s Facebook: Glorifying terror, inciting hatred, and erasing Israel

Fatah’s heroes: Saddam Hussein, Dalal Mughrabi and the rifle

BBC Watch: BBC: Al Jazeera in US market to promote football tournament

"It is well known that Al Jazeera’s English language operation (launched in 2006) tones down its coverage in comparison to its less subtle Arabic department, which has fawned over the terrorist child-murderer Samir Kuntar and features as its most popular programme the weekly rantings of Qatari-based Yusuf Qaradawi – spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and a virulent homophobe and antisemite. Nevertheless, Al Jazeera English remains firmly on target as the vector of the Qatari regime’s agenda, as some of its former employees have disclosed."

Egypt Pres To Obama: Free Terrorist Blind Sheikh

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: I asked the Egyptian President about the blind Egyptian cleric who was convicted here in the United States in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Omar Abdel-Rahman is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison.

Egypt Seeks $500B from Israel for Sinai Damage

"Israel stole just under $50 billion worth of sand"

This was reported by EOZ on January 07 2012 Report: Egypt demanding $500 billion from Israel for Sinai damage

Egyptian Who 'Invited' Jews 'Back Home' Resigns Post (h/t Zvi)

Essam el-Erian, a top advisor to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, has resigned from his position, Egyptian media reported Sunday. "Although the report said that el-Arian had willingly made the decision because he was “occupied with other work,” analysts said that there was no doubt that he was pressure to quit – after inviting back to Egypt the descendants of Jews who were thrown out of the country, or who fled due to anti-Semitic violence."

Egypt foils bomb plot near Gaza border

On Monday, Egyptian authorities foiled a car bomb plot in the city of Rafah, near Gaza….Those behind the plot are currently unknown, though Al Arabiya quoted an Egyptian security source as saying that it was "probably radical Islamists whom security forces have been tracking for months." According to the Associated Press, "[t]he military said it suspects the gunmen preparing the car bomb are from the Gaza Strip and entered Egypt illegally through underground tunnels." Following the seizure of the explosives and weapons, Egyptian authorities announced a security alert. A military source has told Ma'an News Agency that "intelligence services have received information in the last few hours about planned attacks by groups in the Sinai."

Report: Hezbollah Sends 5,000 Fighters to Syria to Help Assad

"Some 5,000 Hezbollah fighters crossed from Lebanon into Syria last month to fight on the side of Bashar al-Assad’s forces the Al Watan newspaper reported on Monday. According to the paper, nearly 300 of those fighters have been killed in the last several days."

Atlanta’s medical technology industry getting shot in the arm

"EndoChoice, an Alpharetta-based company that sells endoscopy devices, said Friday it plans to merge with an Israeli-based medical firm in a deal that would create 200 new jobs, mostly in metro Atlanta. The company also announced it raised $43 million from a well-known Silicon Valley venture capital firm, Sequoia Capital, to fuel its growth."

Iran's Press TV Acts Like Iran's Press TV

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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Iran's Press TV is known for being well...Iran's Press TV.

Here are the latest examples.

West Bank Terror Jumps in November & December

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

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Throughout the Israeli media today there have been a number of reports based off the latest monthly report (I used it already for a post on Sunday) from the Shin Bet. For example, Ynet has a story titled, “West Bank sees rise in terror attacks,” while the Times of Israel has one titled, “Terror attacks in West Bank, Jerusalem on the rise.”

Below is the data straight up. While most of the other reports have combined the number of attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem, I have only included the number of attacks counted in the West Bank.

Month	# of Attacks in West Bank
January	27
February	42
March	43
April	36
May	50
June	48
July	30
August	19
September	39
October	39
November	122
December	81
Total	576