Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Wednesday links part 1

From Ian:

Hamas Gov’t Demolishes ‘Illegal’ Arab Homes in Gaza
The Hamas government has issued an order to demolish 75 homes belonging to PA Arabs in Gaza City. The UN has made no comment.

“Members of the Abu Amrah family – affected by the order – protested the decision on Tuesday in a demonstration in front of the offices of the Palestinian Legislative Council in Gaza City, the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency reported.
The houses, located in the al-Rimal neighborhood, are scheduled to be destroyed this morning (Wednesday).
Hamas said the houses were being demolished because they were “illegally built on public lands,” Ma’an reported. The families claimed that alternative sites suggested by the PLC were remote areas with no services, a claim Hamas denied.”

Terror Cell from 'Peace Partner' Fatah Nabbed
Shin Bet, IDF arrest terrorists who attacked a soldier and stole his gun.

"The Shin Bet, Israel Police and IDF have exposed and arrested a terror cell whose members infiltrated an IDF base on December 21, 2012, attacked a soldier on sentry duty and stole his weapon, an M-16.
The cell belonged to the Fatah movement, which is headed by Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Its members are residents of the Kalandia and a-Ram neighborhoods of Jerusalem. It is made up of five men aged 25 to 37, one of whom is an Israeli citizen."

Jerusalem terror alert continues into Wednesday
Police and emergency services on high alert after general warning of a possible attack in the capital

"Security forces maintained a state of increased readiness from Tuesday evening and into Wednesday in response to intelligence received by the Shin Bet security service indicating the possibility of a terror attack in the city.
Magen David Adom ambulance service declared a “Level C” alert, the second-highest level of readiness. Later they raised the alert to the highest level. Local firefighters were also on standby."

PMW: Released prisoner: Prisoners who killed Jews are entitled to a PA salary VIDEO

Abu Khaizaran: "Since the day we were released from prison, we have been given [only] half a salary... We killed Jews. I personally killed Jews. I killed settlers and I injured soldiers. My house was destroyed. I have 11 bullets in my body. I served 22 years in Israeli prisons."

Do the Palestinians Really Want U.S. Aid?

“The PA can get the money released by assuring the U.S. that they will (1) not take further steps to change the legal status of the disputed territories outside negotiations with Israel (since the Palestinians promised in the Oslo agreement not to take “any [such] step”); and (2) not reconcile with an organization designated by the U.S. government as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), a Specially Designated Terrorist (SDT), and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) — particularly when the PA promised in the Road Map to dismantle the FTO/SDT/SDGT, which has now waged two rocket wars against Israel and refuses to endorse any of the Quartet requirements for the “peace process.”

Freedom of Expression? Not for Palestinians by Khaled Abu Toameh

"In another story the Western media apparently refuses to cover, any Palestinian who dares to criticize Hamas or the Palestinian Authority risks being arrested or summoned for interrogation. Palestinian journalists are now hoping to bring this to the attention of President Barack Obama when he meets with President Mahmoud Abbas next month.
The journalists say they want United States and the rest of the world to know that the crackdown on freedom of expression in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip is designed to hide the fact that Palestinians are governed by two repressive regimes that have no respect for human rights and democracy.
Over the past few weeks, several Palestinian journalists have been arrested in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for reportedly criticizing the policies and leaders of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas."

Outgoing Justice Minister: Implement Levy Report
Justice Minister Neeman responds to MK Strook’s challenge, agrees that government should implement ‘high-quality, objective’ Levy report.

"Freshman MK Orit Strook challenged outgoing Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman on Tuesday regarding the Levy Report, which stated that the presence of Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria is legal under international law, and proposed a new approach to land disputes between Jews and Arabs in the area.
“As Justice Minister, you signed on the appointment of the Levy Committee,” said Strook, who took advantage of the opportunity to question Neeman during his final speech as Justice Minister."

Pro-Israel Group Responds to Houston Billboard Calling for End to Israel Aid

"The pro-Israel education group StandWithUs will counter a billboard in Houston calling for the end to U.S. military aid to Israel.
StandWithUs is partnering with Bridge Houston, a group representing pro-Israel residents of that city, on an advertisement appearing from Feb. 24-March 25 that will state the following: “Tell Congress Not to Support Palestinian Groups Like Hamas Because They Don’t Want Peace.”

Daphne Anson: Cutting Through The BDS Lies: The Truth About SodaStream (video)

The fiends of the BDS movement and their leftwing NGO abettors have this Israeli company squarely in their sights. Judge for yourself whether it deserves to be demonised.

Huckabee: Obama Should Focus on Iran, Pardon Pollard
President Obama should focus on preventing a nuclear Iran during his upcoming visit to Israel, says former governor Mike Huckabee.

“U.S. President Barack Obama should focus on preventing Iran from achieving nuclear weapons during his upcoming visit to Israel, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee told Arutz Sheva during a visit of his own to the Jewish State.
“If he (Obama) asked me for advice, I would tell him to come with assurances that under no circumstances will Iran ever be allowed to have a nuclear device, and to make that very clear so that there’s not any ambiguity whatsoever,” said Huckabee”

Israeli aid group to help North Korean refugees
Humanitarian organization will train local workers in techniques for dealing with post-traumatic stress

"The initiative will mark the start of a yearlong training program that IsraAID will conduct in South Korea during 2013. In addition, IsraAID professionals will provide post-trauma training to local nongovernmental and nonprofit Korean aid agencies that work directly with the North Korean refugee population in the country.
Founded in 2001, IsraAID is an international relief and development aid agency that works alongside local NGOs and government officials to coordinate relief efforts and emotional support in medical emergencies. IsraAID provided trauma relief after the 2011 tsunami that hit Japan, and emergency workers in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake."

David G's NYT Op-Ed Index totals for 2012

From David G:

New York Times op-ed Index summary July - December, 2012

July, 2012 - Anti-Israel - 5 / Pro-Israel - 1

August, 2012 - Anti-Israel - 3 / Pro-Israel - 0

September, 2012 - Anti-Israel - 11 / Pro-Israel - 2

October, 2012 - Anti-Israel - 6 / Pro-Israel - 5

November, 2012 - Anti-Israel - 25 / Pro-Israel - 4 / Neutral - 5

December, 2012 - Anti-Israel - 11 / Pro-Israel - 1

Totals for July - December, 2012 - Anti-Israel - 61 / Pro-Israel - 13 / Neutral - 5

Totals for January - June, 2012 - Anti-Israel - 30 / Pro-Israel - 10

Total for 2012 - Anti-Israel - 91 / Pro-Israel - 23 / Neutral - 5

Since November provided nearly half the op-eds in this period, it's worth considering why so many opinion articles about Israel appeared. The majority of these opinion pieces (including a few cartoons) were either about Pillar of Defense (by my rough count, 13 articles, 10 of which were anti-Israel) or the Palestinian effort to gain statehood at the UN (5 articles, 4 of which were anti-Israel).

In this time, the op-ed that has the distinction of being the worst is Yousef Munnayer's America's failed Palestinian policy. The following sentences are shocking for their extremism:

By constantly condemning Palestinian armed resistance, and failing to condemn Israeli settlement expansion and repression of nonviolent Palestinian dissent, the message the United States is sending the Palestinian people is this: All resistance to occupation is illegitimate. No nation on earth would accept that, nor is it realistic to expect it to.

Munayyer sees nothing wrong with anti-Israel terror. To him it's justified "armed resistance" that ought to be tolerated. This is the level of discourse that is currently allowed on the op-ed pages of the New York Times.

Even when the New York Times got something right, it still got it wrong. An editorial with the promising title, Hamas's Illegitimacy argued:

Israel has a vastly more capable military than Hamas, and its air campaign has resulted in a lopsided casualty count: three Israelis have been killed. The Israelis claim to have done considerable damage to Hamas rocket targets, which should make a ground invasion of Gaza less likely. But military action is no long-term answer. If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel had pursued serious negotiations on a two-state solution with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinians could have hope in a different future and Hamas’s nihilistic vision would have far less appeal. Mr. Abbas shares responsibility for this failure.

In other words, "Hamas's nihilistic vision" is Israel's fault. What's especially troubling about this paragraph is that Hamas has power because of Israel's disengagement from Gaza. Gaza was supposed to have been a laboratory for Palestinian self-government. (Even when Hamas won the 2006 legislative elections, "experts" told us not to worry, the shackles of governing would moderate Hamas.) Rather it became the base of a terrorist organization. To argue that Hamas's appeal is due to Israeli intransigence may be satisfying, but it shows an ignorance of history - recent history, in fact.

What the number (and ratio) of anti-Israel articles suggest is a campaign. When Israel is in the news, the New York Times' editors and columnists weigh in. Activists are recruited to write op-eds. The extreme bias demonstrated by the choice and number of op-eds and editorials reflects a very strong anti-Israel feeling in the editorial department of the New York Times. The op-eds of the second half of 2012 paint a very disturbing picture of what had once been a great and authoritative newspaper.

#BDSFail Roundup

From Zvi:

Israel Showcases Iron Dome for Indians

Because if you actually want to save lives, Israel's worth talking to.

Apple opening 3rd research center in Israel

Because if you need to find that next exciting invention, you probably want to do some of your R&D in Israel.

Cyprus Signs Gas and Oil Deal with Israeli Companies

Because that just makes sense... .

Spanish Author Antonio Molina Accepts Jerusalem Prize, Rebuffs Boycott Calls

This proves that even a left-wing author does not need to be a pawn of a pack of rabid crazies.

Singapore's leading technical university (NTU) partners with Israel's Technion on space research

The universities are adding space projects to a list of existing joint projects that includes materials science, bioengineering, etc.

Also:

Sources inform "Globes" that senior executives from Brainsway Ltd. (TASE:BRIN) are currently in the US holding talks with potential distributors for its product. Last month, Brainsway obtained US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to use the company's Deep TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) device for the treatment of depression in patients who fail to respond to medication during a depression episode.

The company is likely to sign a distribution agreement before it moves ahead with plans for a Nasdaq offering

Oral insulin developer Oramed to list on Nasdaq

Samsung Electronics has unveiled a $100 million seed fund to support innovation in components and subsystems related to its broad product line of TVs, mobile phones, computers and other digital devices. Chief strategy officer Young Sohn said that the fund would be focused on Silicon Valley, Cambridge, Mass., and Israel, but could also fund initiatives elsewhere in the world.

NCR Corporation has completed its $650 million cash acquisition of Israeli retail software developer Retalix Ltd.

Israel trip open thread

I'm traveling to Israel and will be there for the next two weeks.

As a result, I will not be able to post as often. (I have a few posts queued up for Wednesday but so far that's it.)

If things work out, though, I should have some video reports from this trip which I will post as soon as I can edit and upload them.

Meanwhile - open thread time!

Tuesday links part 2

From Ian:

Hamas: Egypt imposed travel restrictions on Gazans

"Hamas government has criticized the Egyptian "restrictions" on the movement of people through Rafah crossing Sunday, which got intensified in the last couple of weeks.
"A security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Egypt banned several government officials and members of Islamic Hamas movement from travelling through its territory."

Israel Allows Turkish Aid Trucks Into Gaza As Gesture of Goodwill

"Israel has allowed the passage of Turkish trucks carrying materials for the construction of the Turkish-Palestine Friendship Hospital into Gaza, Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News reported.
With 150 beds the hospital will be the biggest one in Gaza once completed. Permission for passage came as part of Israel’s decision to soften its embargo against Gaza, aimed at preventing the flow of arms to terror groups, after November’s military operation in the coastal enclave."

Israeli Lighters Cause Scandal in Lebanon
The presence of an Israeli-made lighter has caused a minor scandal at Lebanon’s Beirut International Airport.

"The operator of a store there put the product on display in the duty free area, after removing all evidence that pointed to their Israeli origin, including the Hebrew script on their packaging."

Barry Rubin: My Life’s Work: Free Books and A Look Back at Forty Years of Middle East Analysis
My Life’s Work: Free Books and A Look Back at Forty Years of Middle East Analysis

“Trying to understand the Middle East and U.S. policy for the last forty years has been intellectual challenging and rewarding. On the other hand, watching the same mistakes being made and the refusal to learn the lessons so openly available has been very sad. The tragedy of the Middle East goes on unabated and in some ways it has become the tragedy of the world generally."

Groundbreaking insulin pill nearing market
For 100 years, scientists searched for a way to deliver insulin orally instead of by injection. Now an Israeli team claims it’s found the solution. Phase 2 clinical trials are coming.

"Jerusalem’s Oramed Pharmaceuticals is one step closer to putting a groundbreaking oral insulin capsule on the market for people with Type 2 diabetes. The company is about to begin Phase 2 clinical trials on 147 people at about a dozen medical centers in the United States.
CEO Nadav Kidron tells ISRAEL21c that the company’s flagship product could revolutionize the treatment of diabetes, which now affects more than 371 million people worldwide and is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Most cases are Type 2, where the body does not use the hormone insulin effectively to metabolize sugars."

Also:

Lee Kaplan asks me to link to his latest piece on "Anna Baltzer."

Tuesday links part 1

From Ian:

Hezbollah moves into south Lebanon villages
Analysis: Terror group storing rockets in private homes it sold to poor Shiite families at bargain prices

“At the same time, the Shiite terror group launched a major social/real-estate project that bolstered its political standing: It purchased lands on the outskirts of the villages, built homes on these lands and offered them to poor Shiite families at bargain prices (to rent or buy), one the condition that at least one rocket launcher would be placed in one of the house's rooms or in the basement, along with a number of rockets, which will be fired at predetermined targets in Israel when the order is given.”

There's more to the Arab world's malaise than dictators
The ongoing 'Arab Winter' is showing that there was always more than dictatorships to blame for the Arab world's malaise

"Democracy has never been simply about holding a set of elections. A democratic political culture needs to be matched by appropriate social, cultural and economic changes too. Eastern European states had their western counterparts to look up to and imitate; Arab states lack such role models and instead are at the receiving end of Saudi and Qatari-funded initiatives that favour more regressive forces.
What was termed the 'Arab Spring' was simply the start of a long period of chaos and uncertainty in which anything could happen. What was termed the 'Arab Spring' was simply the start of a long period of chaos and uncertainty in which anything could happen. The region is being pulled in different directions with very little consensus on the best way to move forward. Western powers have not come out in support of liberal and secular forces in the region, instead preferring to watch from the side-lines and focus on realpolitik."

Noam Chomsky Backs MP David Ward’s Attack on “The Jews”

"Last week he dug himself into a deeper hole when it emerged that he had subsequently questioned whether it would be acceptable for him to replace the phrase “the Jews” with “the Jewish community.”
Chomsky said that he believed there was “nothing remotely antisemitic in his remarks, which are in fact familiar in Israeli discussions.”

CIF Watch: What the Guardian didn’t mention about their Palestinian ‘prisoner of the day’

"Al-Sharawna was jailed in Israel because of his involvement in a terrorist attack in in May 2002, in which two Palestinians placed an explosive device near a group of civilians in Beersheba and fled the scene. Eighteen Israelis were injured in the attack. (A technical fault prevented the bomb from exploding fully.)
He was sentenced to 38 years in prison, but released on October 18, 2011 as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal.
On January 31, 2012, the IDF re-arrested Al-Sharawna, resident of a Palestinian town near Hebron, on suspicion of having returned to terror planning with a Hamas cell in the West Bank. He recently began a hunger strike.
Al-Sharawna is a “prisoner” because he tried to murder innocent Israelis, and, after his release, is evidently determined to try to murder again."

New Samaria Road Sign Warns of Rock, Firebomb Attacks

"Drivers through roads in Samaria are likely to come across a new road sign, one that they are unlikely to see on roads in other parts of Israel. The sign, designed by the Samaria Residents Council, warns drivers that they are in danger of being attacked by rocks and firebombs."

US Secy of State Fights for $700 Million in Aid to PA

"U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is fighting to send the Palestinian Authority nearly $700 million in aid, despite major budget cuts and a fierce debate over where existing money should go.
“The Secretary feels extremely strongly that it is time now to get this support to the Palestinian Authority,” said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland."

Israeli sentenced to two years in jail by Egyptian court
Andre Pshenichnikov, an outspoken pro-Palestinian activist, infiltrated Sinai in January

Egypt pumps water into smuggling tunnels from Gaza (h/t Zvi)
Palestinian tunnel owners decry move, which endangers workers’ lives

"Egyptian security forces have pumped water into smuggling tunnels and intensified their patrols along the border with Gaza in a bid to crack down on smuggling activity, Palestinian media reported Monday.
Tunnel owners in Rafah told the Safa news agency that over the past 10 days, Egyptian soldiers have set up checkpoints in Sinai, stopped incoming trucks and confiscated merchandise."

IDF: Hamas Makes a Million a Day in 'Taxes' on Smuggled Goods
Hamas is making at least a million dollars a day in “tax” money from Gaza smugglers, a senior IDF officer said Monday

"3D models of alleged Temple" drive Muslims nuts

This photo is prompting the latest freak-out by the Islamists who hate the idea of Jews on the Temple Mount:

Apparently, in the young man's hand is a tiny reproduction of one of the Jewish temples. He is leading a tour of the Temple Mount, and the Islamists' zoom lenses are looking very closely to see exactly what the Jews are up to.

This photo was also not received well by the haters:

Those Jews are up to something!

As QudsMedia fumes:

The campaign to falsify history pursued by the Israeli occupation in Jerusalem is resorted to by Jewish groups to hugely escalate promoting a lie or a temple through issuing models of a mini alleged structure in the courtyards of the Aqsa Mosque on Thursday morning that was presented to tourists and a group of settlers and provide a detailed explanation of alleged existence of the temple somewhere near the Dome of the Rock.

The Al-Aqsa Foundation considers these promotion campaigns for the alleged Temple led by Jewish groups to be a malignant example of Judaization and falsification of history and facts on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and confirmed its categorical rejection of that idea, stressing that they will not succeed in hiding or suppressing the obvious fact that confirms the right of Muslims alone in every inch of the Al Aqsa, as it reflects the extent of lies and quackery by the occupation on the myth of the alleged temple.

They seem a bit upset, don't they?

Now is a good time to revisit the wonderful pamphlet published by the Islamic Waqf in 1925 for visitors to the Mount, that says that "its identity with the site of Solomon's Temple is beyond dispute." (page 4, paragraph 2.) The descriptions remained in later versions of the pamphlet, but were deleted in 1954.

1925 Wakf Temple Mount Guide

Egyptian "human rights committee" blames women for being sexually assaulted

From Egypt Independent:

Shura Council’s human rights committee members said on Monday that women taking part in protests bear the responsibility of being sexually harassed, describing what happens in some demonstrators’ tents as “prostitution.”

Major General Adel Afify, member of the committee representing the Salafi Asala Party, criticized female protesters, saying that they “know they are among thugs. They should protect themselves before requesting that the Interior Ministry does so. By getting herself involved in such circumstances, the woman has 100 percent responsibility.”

During the committee meeting on Monday, Afify called for penalizing children, even if it does not conform to international charters to which Egypt is signatory, and criticized foreign-funded organizations, which adopt western thought, he said.

Salah Abdel Salam, a member representing the Salafi Nour Party, said that as long as women protest in places full of thugs, they should take responsibility for the harassment they face.

Mervat Ebeid, member representing Wafd party, said all societal categories are to be blamed for sexual harassment. She also said that knowing there are many thugs present at demonstrations, women should take responsibility when deciding whether to attend protests.

Reda Saleh al-Hefnawy, member representing FJP, demanded penalizing those who incite sexual harassment. He also called on women not to stand among men during protests.

Major General Abdel Fattah Othman, vice-chief of the public security department, said Egyptian law doesn’t include the term ‘sexual harassment,’ but does legislate against indecent assault and rape.

Security presence in Tahrir or in places of protests in sensitive, Othman said, suggesting that security personnel would get attacked if they were present at demonstrations.

The Shura Council is the "upper house" of Egypt's Parliament. And these are members of its human rights committee!

All these years I thought that Arabs blaming the victim was only in relation to Jews, but now I see they blame women as well for having the audacity of being sexually assaulted.

The Muslim Brotherhood is using the stories of rape as a means to try to suppress anti-government demonstrations:

According to Brotherhood MP and committee deputy chairman Ezzeddin El-Komi, "as many as 24 incidents of rape have been reported in Tahrir Square in recent days."

"No one has made any effort to fight this disturbing trend," El-Komi added, pointing out that one recent rape victim in Tahrir Square had been a female correspondent for Sky News TV.

He went on to wonder "why local media isn't mentioning this phenomenon after focussing so intently on the protester who was beaten and stripped [by security forces] outside the Presidential Palace last week."

Ahmed El-Khatib, deputy chairman of Alexandria's Appeal Court, agreed, asserting that "anti-government rallies have become fertile ground for incidents of sexual harassment and the proliferation of vice."

"The growing phenomenon of sexual harassment puts the onus on the political forces that are calling for these demonstrations," said El-Khatib. "If these forces aren't strong enough to secure their rallies against acts of rape, they should stop calling for them."

He urged the government to expedite the drafting of a new anti-protest law while toughening penalties against convicted sexual offenders.

Abdel-Fattah Othman, deputy interior minister for public security, meanwhile, confirmed that Tahrir Square had become "the scene of collective rape incidents in recent weeks."

According to Othman, the total number of reported acts of rape in Egypt last year stood at 129, while incidents of sexual harassment reached 9,468 for the same period – with Cairo accounting for the lion's share.

Mervat Ebeid, for her part, a female Brotherhood MP, urged women "to think twice" about participating in political demonstrations "so as not to become prey to sexual offenders and armed thugs who commit rape."

However, non-Brotherhood MPs, such as Nabil Azmi, argued that increasing incidents of rape and sexual harassment should not be used as justification for attacking political demonstrations, asking women to refrain from joining them, or issuing draconian anti-protest laws.

"Some MPs are not so concerned with combating rape and sexual harassment as they are with tarnishing the image of anti-regime rallies and scaring women from joining them," argued Azmi.

He added: "I'm afraid that security forces are only concerned with arresting peaceful demonstrators and torturing them rather than rounding up armed thugs who commit rape."

Mona Makram Ebeid, an appointed Coptic member of the Shura Council (the upper house of Egypt's parliament, currently endowed with legislative powers), told Ahram Online that "by engaging in debates on rape and sexual harassment, Muslim Brotherhood MPs are trying to score political gains by tarnishing the image of democratic protests."

"I'm also afraid that these reactionary forces are trying to impose their code of conduct on women in Egypt, which includes intimidating them from participating in political activity," Ebeid added.

Anti-Assad Syrian child sings song praising 9/11

I forget, which side do we want to win again?

Following are excerpts from a video-clip featuring a Syrian child singing a song of praise for Osama Bin Laden. The clip was posted on the Internet on February 9, 2013.

Syrian child: Allah is what we strive for, and He is our goal.
Our Sheik Jolani has raised the banner.
Our Sheik Jolani has raised the banner.
Our Emir Mullah [Omar] did not renounce his religion.
All the soldiers have pledged their souls to Allah.
All the soldiers have pledged their souls to Allah.
Our leader is Bin Laden, the Americans’ worst nightmare,
with the power of faith, and our weapon, the PK machine-gun,
with the power of faith, and our weapon, the PK machine-gun.
We have destroyed America with a civilian airplane.
The World Trade Center was turned into rubble.
The World Trade Center was turned into rubble.

Just wait, you Alawite police,
we have brought slaughter upon you, and there will be no compromise.
We have brought slaughter upon you, and there will be no compromise.
They call me a terrorist – this is an honor for me.
Our terrorism is blessed, a divine call.
Our terrorism is blessed, a divine call.
Just wait, you Alawite police,
we have brought slaughter upon you, and there will be no compromise.
We have brought slaughter upon you – it is a divine call.
Say: “Allah Akbar.”
Crowd: Allah Akbar.
Syrian child: We will defend this village, we will not sell it out.
We will slaughter the Shiites in the towns of Kfariya and Fu’ah.
We will slaughter the Shiites in the towns of Kfariya and Fu’ah.
We will defend this village, we will not sell out Taftanaz.
We will slaughter the Shiites in the towns of Kfariya and Fu’ah.
We will slaughter the Shiites in the towns of Kfariya and Fu’ah.
Say: “Allah Akbar.”
Crowd: Allah Akbar.
[…]

Hamas starts its own "news" agency

From Al Arabiya:

The Islamist movement Hamas which rules Gaza has set up its own news agency, called Al Rai (Opinion), the Palestinian territory’s Hamas government announced on Monday.

“The first official news agency of the (Hamas) government has been established under the name of Al-Rai agency...under the supervision of the government information office,” the office’s director Salameh Maaruf told AFP.

“It will be an important source of information on government activities, news releases and letters from the (Gaza) prime minister,” Ismail Haniya, he said.

“The agency is independent in terms of personnel and administration, but the government information office will be responsible for supervising it,” he added.

The Felesteen and Palestine Times sites already adhere to the Hamas line, so this doesn't add too much, except for being an outlet for official Hamas statements.

One of the headlines in the website says that Hamas holds Israel responsible for "desecrating" the Temple Mount. Does that mean that the IDF should be arresting those playing soccer and volleyball on the holy spot?

Neturei Karta woman awaits the coming of the...Mahdi!

Hezbollah's Al Manar has an interview with some anti-Zionist Neturei Karta nutcase named Hadassah Borreman.

Mostly it goes over the same ground that the publicity-seeking group always uses:

"Muslims and Jews must fight Zionism, injustice and immorality which is a matter of pride in the West, because Zionism - along with its entity and lobbies across the world - delays the arrival of Messiah," she stressed.

Regarding the similarities between the Jewish and Islamic spirituality, Borreman admitted that "there are similarities between Jewish spirituality and Islamic spirituality certainly!"

"Having read about Islam, discussed, worked alongside Muslims, I can say that there are many parallels in our respective times, which themselves are composed of diverse and complementary movements that have their own traditions," she figured out.

But one part shows that to the Neturei Karta nuts, anti-Zionism is now more of a religion than Judaism is. Because they are willing to embrace Islam if that's what it takes!

"We must accept and dare say that until Messiah of the Jews or the Mahdi of Muslims arrives, we must learn to live together Intelligently, in accordance with our differences. We must fight the common enemies: Zionism, injustice and immorality which bring chaos in society and are a matter of pride in the West."

A supposed ly ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman who says that the Mahdi might be real?

Doesn't sound very Jewish to me!

(Another article quotes her as talking about the Ayatollah Khomeini "of blessed memory" as she looks forward to the third intifada , "inshallah." )

Monday links: Iran murdered 20K "enemies," Aussie rally FOR Assad, firebombs thrown at Jewish homes

From Ian:

Iran's Srebrenica: How Ayatollah Khomeini sanctioned the deaths of 20,000 'enemies of the state'
A tribunal at The Hague publishes a report illustrating the regime's crimes against humanity

"The horrors visited on tens of thousands of Iranians in the years after the Islamic revolution were spelled out as the Iran Tribunal published its final judgment. Described as “a great achievement... a miracle,” by one of the survivors, the Tribunal found that during the 1980s the Islamic Republic was guilty of the murder of between 15,000 and 20,000 political prisoners."

Hezbollah receives ‘significant state sponsorship’ from Iran and Syria: ‘confidential’ CSIS report

"A “confidential” Canadian intelligence report, written several months before a deadly tour bus bombing in Bulgaria that is being blamed on a Canadian Hezbollah member, said the terrorist group had been receiving “significant state sponsorship” from Iran and Syria.
“Aside from cash, Iran provides military equipment and training to Hezbollah,” said the intelligence assessment by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, released recently under the Access to Information Act."

Hundreds Turn Out in Support of Assad, Hezbollah at Australia Rally (VIDEO)

"Hundreds of Syrians and left-wing activists assembled in Sydney, Australia Sunday in a show of support for beleaguered Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad. Waving Syrian flags, as well as flags of Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, the protestors accused the U.S., the U.K., and Israel of seeking to destabilize Syria. A popular sign at the rally showed the flag of the Syrian revolutionary forces modified with Jewish stars of David replacing the five-pointed Arab stars."

Iranians on revolution day chant ‘death to America’

"In the capital, crowds waving Iranian flags and portraits of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini walked toward the landmark Azadi (Freedom) Square, in a government-sponsored rally which is now a cornerstone of the regime.
Marchers also chanted “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” as they headed for the square, some waving posters of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was expected to make an address."

Iran reportedly setting up loyal militias in Syria
Islamic Republic said to be preparing for a post-Assad era even as it supports the Syrian government in the civil war

"The Iranian government is setting up a network of militias in Syria that will enable the Islamic Republic to maintain its influence in the region even if the Syrian government topples, The Washington Post reported on Sunday.
Citing US and Arab officials, the report stated that Iran may have as many as 50,000 fighters operating in Syria in support of President Bashar Assad’s rule — militias that would remain loyal to the Islamic Republic if Syria disintegrates along ethnic and sectarian lines, a scenario many analysts believe is becoming increasingly plausible."

Bulgaria to brief EU ministers on bus bombing
Burgas assailants ‘spent some time at the seaside’ before carrying out attack, says interior ministry official

Isi Leibler: Candidly Speaking: Argentina’s pact with the devil
That Argentinian leaders could be a part of a cynical whitewashing of the murder of their own
citizens should lead to severe condemnation.

"THAT THE Argentinian leaders could collaborate with such a cynical whitewashing of the murder of their own citizens and create a “truth commission” with a wretched, despotic, Holocaust denying regime should lead to the condemnation of the Argentinian government by the civilized world. It should be viewed as even worse than the Venezuela of Hugo Chavez, known to be one of Argentina’s principal allies and funders."

Argentina Jewish leader says Iran probe will lead to third attack
AMIA Jewish center head Guillermo Borger says joint truth commission may take Argentina ‘to the precipice’

Missing Peace: Increasing tensions on Israel Lebanon border after IAF raid on Syria

"At the same time Hezbollah tightened its grip on southern Lebanon. This is done by turning villages into fighting zones but also by harassment of UNIFIL forces that were supposed to stop the flow of arms to Hezbollah.
Last month an Italian UNIFIL patrol was stopped by Hezbollah supporters and robbed of its photo equipment.
Later a Finnish patrol was attacked in the Bint Jebeil area after one of the UN soldiers took photo’s of Hezbollah’s security zone. Last Saturday pretty much the same happened to Belgian peacekeepers in the Sidon area."

PA 'unaware' of Abbas-Netanyahu meet with Obama By Khaled Abu Toameh
Erekat says PA has not been briefed by the US administration on details of possible Abbas-Netanyahu summit.

"Commenting on reports that Abbas and Netanyahu may meet during US President Barak
Obama's visit to the region next month, Erekat said that the US administration still has not briefed the PA leadership on details of Obama's schedule.
Erekat said that the talk about a possible Abbas-Netanyahu summit was nothing but "Israeli analysis and statements." He said that the PA leadership's demands regarding the peace process remained unchanged - Israeli recognition of the pre-1967 lines as the borders of a Palestinian state and a full cessation of construction in settlements."

US accused of foiling Palestinian reconciliation

Hamas daily charges ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro with thwarting Palestinian unity to advance Israeli-Palestinian track
"Amid reports on the failure of reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas in Cairo this weekend, a Palestinian research center accused the United States of colluding with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in stalling Palestinian rapprochement until after US President Barack Obama visits the region next month.
Ibrahim Darawi, head of the the Palestinian Studies Center in Cairo, told Hamas-affiliated daily Al-Resalah on Sunday that US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro held secret meetings with Abbas and other Palestine Liberation Organization officials, requesting that the Palestinians freeze reconciliation talks until after Obama’s visit."

Arabs Target Jerusalem Home with Firebombs
Arabs hurled firebombs at a Jewish building in the Abu Tor neighborhood of Jerusalem, just narrowly missing a gas pipe.

Rock-Proof Windows for Yesha Residents Available Again
The government on Sunday authorized continued funding for the installation of rock-proof windows for vehicles in Judea and Samaria

Kuwaiti lawmaker calls for probe into hiring of Israeli firm

Emirate’s interior minister under fire for reportedly buying security system for Iraqi border from Israeli subsidiary
"A Kuwaiti parliamentarian on Sunday called for an official investigation of the country’s interior minister for business ties with an Israeli company.
MP Faisal al-Duwaisan charged in an official request to parliament that the Interior Ministry purchased a border security system for the country’s Iraqi border from Senstar, a Canadian subsidiary of Israel’s Magal Security Systems.
He said Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad al-Homud al-Sabah violated Kuwait’s Israel boycott laws and committed a “grave mistake” by dealing with Senstar, AFP reported."

Technion, Alpha Szenszor to develop lung cancer diagnostics
They aim is to develop an economically viable, non-invasive, digital tool for the early diagnosis of lung cancer.

"The Technion - Israel Institute of Technology and US carbon nanotube-based sensor developer Alpha Szenszor Inc. have established a joint venture to commercialize advanced lung cancer diagnostics based on Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) detection from human breath. They aim is to develop an economically viable, non-invasive, digital tool for the early diagnosis of lung cancer."

Israel upgrades electricity lines to Gaza

"The upgrading of the underground lines that supply electricity from Israel to Gaza's northern region has significantly increased the capacity of the electricity lines, thereby providing a more stable source of electricity to the residents of northern Gaza."

Israel Puts Conflict Aside To Save Palestinian Lives

"According to a 2012 World Health Organization report, Israel approved 91.5 percent of Palestinian applications from Gaza to receive medical care in Israel proper, while an
additional 7.2 percent were approved pending a security check. additional 7.2 percent were approved pending a security check.In total, 210,469 Palestinians received medical treatment inside Israel proper in 2012. This statistic includes 20 Palestinian children who were in need of marrow transplants, kidney transplants, and other life saving operations that the Palestinian Authority did not have the ability to perform."

Egypt's economy quickly going downhill

From Egypt Independent yesterday:

As the country’s economic crisis continues to administer its blistering effects on businesses and consumers, industry insiders and experts are saying the country still has yet to bear the brunt of an economic downturn that has no real relief in sight.

If the government continues down its current path, and hopes for loans from international foreign institutions remain unattainable, such as Egypt’s US$4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, experts have repeatedly warned that the situation will become drastically worse. When it does, they predict the real effect of the crisis will come in a tsunami of price increases that could spark social unrest.

A net importer of food and consumer goods, Egypt relies heavily on foreign supplies imports to feed its growing population.

But retail and import sources are warning that the ongoing devaluation of the pound will lead to large price raises in the immediate future, especially those of imported products. These price raises, experts say, will shock the Egyptian economy and drive it into further crisis.

A source from a leading mass retailer told Egypt Independent that the company had already started to feel the impact on its supply prices. The source predicted that consumers will see an up to 20 percent price increase on imported products.

Local products are likely to have their prices increase as well, but to a lesser extent than the imported ones.

Egyptian products will directly be impacted, as most of them contain imported components such as raw materials, packaging and additives, experts say.

And this general surge in prices, they say, will put inflationary pressure on all production costs.

And today:

Saying that "Egypt's numbers paint a bleak picture," US Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson said that the country must focus on its citizens' economic needs.

Patterson said that currency reserves are “at a critical level, roughly US$14 billion, or three months’ worth of imports." She added that the number has held steady since July only as a result of regular cash infusions into the economy from Qatar and Turkey.

“These numbers do not take into account the billions that the government is in arrears to oil companies," she added. "And more importantly, they don’t highlight what Egypt is importing – basic food items and refined energy products, key determinants of social stability. If Egypt cannot pay its import bill, her people will not be missing out on television sets and cars, but on electricity, gasoline and food."

And if that isn't bad enough - how about adding a plague of locusts?

Egypt's southeast is currently facing the spectre of a major locust infestation following recent heavy rainfall and the start of a new breeding season, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned last week.

On Sunday, Egyptian state news agency MENA reported that vast numbers of locusts had appeared in several areas of Upper Egypt, where they threatened the wellbeing of local crops.

According to the FAO, the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture last month managed to clear roughly 11,000 hectares of land of locusts with the use of pesticides.

Yet despite these efforts, locust numbers increased significantly in January, especially along the Red Sea coast between Egypt and Sudan, the FAO has reported.

Spengler has been predicting the economic meltdown of Egypt for over a year, and apparently it hasn't happened yet only because of the emergency cash payments.

Meanwhile, riots continue throughout the doomed country.

(h/t Missing Peace)

Like Morsi, Erdogan also has a history of anti-semitic comments (update)

From Gatestone Institute:

In November 1998, the Institute for Jewish Policy Research released its annual report on current trends in anti-Semitism across the world. In the section for Turkey, the journal quoted the then-mayor of Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in June 1997, at a meeting organized by the municipality to celebrate the city's conquest by the Ottoman Turks, remarking: "The Jews have begun to crush the Muslims of Palestine, in the name of Zionism," the mayor said, "Today, the image of the Jews is no different from that of the Nazis."

Erdogan later became, and still is, the Prime Minister of Turkey, a man whom President Obama describes as a personal friend, in a country that is a member of NATO, and head of a government that is regarded as moderate, and, as the London Times recently reflected, an example of how Islamism and democracy do not have to be mutually exclusive.

Birikim, a Turkish socialist culture magazine, also attributes the quote to Erdogan. A search through Western newspaper records, however, shows no mention at all of these comments.

That remark is not the only example of Erdogan's hostility in this regard. Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak has reported Erdogan commenting that the media does not fully report Israel's "murder of innocent children" because the "world's media is under the control of Israel, and this needs to be emphasised."

In 2009 another Turkish newspaper, Taraf, reported that Erdogan, while attending the opening of a university, stated, "wherever Jews settle, they make money. They are not property owners, as being tenants suits them best. On the other hand, whatever we have or do not have, we will invest in our houses."

In early January, when the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) produced a video of Morsi describing Zionists as "the descendants of apes and pigs," it took almost two weeks and a barrage of criticism for a leading newspaper, the New York Times, finally to report the comments. The eventual action led to worldwide denunciation of Morsi's remarks and even a condemnatory statement from the White House. Now that we know that Erdogan, Prime Minister of a country considered to be a leading ally of the West, made comments similar to Morsi's, will the media do its best to avoid reporting those, too?

The thing is, calling Jews "Nazis" is not news nowadays. "Children of apes and pigs" is more unusual and therefore potentially worth reporting. So the answer is, no, no one will act upset over Erdogan's anti-semitism.

(h/t Sam)

UPDATE: Reader AF pointed me to a footnote in a MEMRI report that shows that Erdogan has been espousing pure anti-semitism since the 1970s.

On December 28, 2002, columnist Y. Bayer of the mainstream, high circulation Turkish daily Hurriyet wrote: "Did you know that: In 1974, when [Turkish Prime Minister] Tayyip Erdogan was president of the Beyoglu [Istanbul] Youth Group of the [Islamist] MSP [National Salvation Party], he wrote and directed a theatrical play called Maskomya and also played the lead role of the 'bad son?' And that the role of Erdogan's grandmother was performed by a girl from a CHP [the secular, Kemalist Republican People's Party] family, and that the play was staged 10 times despite the complaints of a board member to Erbakan?"

The historian/researcher Rifat N. Bali also commented on Erdogan's play: "Maskomya, or in its correct form Mas-kom-Ya, was a theatrical play that was staged everywhere in the 1970s, as part of the 'cultural' activities of MSP Youth Branches. The unabbreviated version of Mas-kom-Ya is Mason-Komunist-Yahudi [Mason-Communist-Jew]. It is known that the play was built on the 'evil' nature of these three concepts, and the hatred towards them."

Erdogan, some forty years ago, wrote an anti-semitic play. How did that little piece of information fly under the radar?

Video: Man gets electrocuted after tearing down Morsi poster

This video is causing a minor sensation in the Arab world.

It shows a man who climbs a light pole to tear down an image of Egypt's president Mohamed Morsi to the cheers of the crowd. Then, he apparently gets electrocuted and falls down (it is unclear if he is dead.)

Muslim Brotherhood supporters are pointing to the video as proof that any opponents of Morsi are acting against the wishes of Allah.