Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Friday, March 22, 2013

Today's joke from Egypt: MB is an "NGO"

Egypt's largest Islamist group, the Muslim Brotherhood, has been officially registered as a non-governmental organisation by the ministry of social security.

The move came after a 'comprehensive' request submitted by the group on Tuesday, Minister of Social Security Nagwa Khalil told state news agency MENA on Thursday.

The Islamist group met all the requirements of law 84/2002 regulating non-governmental organisations, Khalil said.

The ministry would oversee the group's funding now it is officially registered as an NGO, asserted the minister.

Some analysts argue that the abrupt registration is in breach of the law 84/2002 that forbids NGOs from taking part in political activities, raising doubts about the transparency of the process.

So the party that effectively controls the country is an NGO.

Must help them avoid taxes.

Friday Links Part 1

From Ian:

Palestinians: We Hate You, So Please Pay Us More by Khaled Abu Toameh

The answer is simple. Palestinians badly need U.S. money. They know the U.S. will never endorse all of their demands or cut off its ties with Israel. Yet they will continue to ask for U.S. money, largely because their Arab brothers have turned their backs on them and are refusing to help.
The U.S., of course, will continue to shower hundreds of millions of dollars on the Palestinian Authority. In return, Palestinians will continue to harbor hatred for the U.S.

Douglas Murray: Somehow, I’m agreeing with Mehdi Hasan

I won’t often say this, but there is a must-read article at the Huffington Post today. Titled ‘The Sorry Truth Is That the Virus of Anti-Semitism Has Infected the British Muslim Community’ it is a reflection on the recent anti-Semitic outburst by Lord Ahmed of Rotherham. It an admirably honest piece of writing the author says:
‘It pains me to have to admit this but anti-Semitism isn’t just tolerated in some sections of the British Muslim community; it’s routine and commonplace

BBC Watch: Donnison’s ‘woman in the Ramallah street’: professional anti-Israel campaigner

The Friends School in Ramallah is of course associated with the Ramallah Quakers: significant players in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign and other operations designed to delegitimize Israel, and with close connections to Sabeel and PACBI among others. Predictably, Jon Donnison does not trouble his viewers with that information, just as he does not bother to correct or edit the hyperbolic claims made by his interviewee.

BBC glosses over terrorism yet again in Donnison ‘human interest’ puff piece

In other words, what Donnison euphemistically calls “involvement” in “bomb attacks” is actually the organization and overseeing of suicide bombings in which Israeli civilians were brutally murdered during the turbulent seven-year period between the signing of the Oslo Accords and the commencement of the Second Intifada, when rejectionist terror organisations including Hamas tried to derail the peace process.

In Ramallah, an anti-Obama demonstration turns anti-Abbas
‘The American president came here to divide Palestinians,’ a Hamas demonstrator tells The Times of Israel

Europeans and Palestinians stood around, chatting. Near them, the students chanted “O Abbas, what is wrong with you? What has Obama done to you?”
Hamas was modestly represented at the demonstration, too, with four students wearing green scarves around their shoulders.

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood says it rejects violence

Group says it is willing to hand over members to authorities for questioning over a recent assault on activists and reporters
In the incident last weekend, Brotherhood members beat protesters spray-painting graffiti outside the group’s headquarters.
Hussein refused to apologize for the assault, saying the Brotherhood will only do that if the courts find its members guilty of assault. He said the building’s guards were provoked by the protesters.

European Jihadists: The Latest Export

After his release from captivity, Cantlie expressed astonishment at the number of "disenchanted young Britons" fighting in Syria. In an account of his experience published in The Sunday Times on August 5, 2012 (site operates behind a pay wall), Cantlie wrote: "I ended up running for my life, barefoot and handcuffed, while British jihadists -- young men with south London accents -- shot to kill. They were aiming their Kalashnikovs at a British journalist, Londoner against Londoner in a rocky landscape that looked like the Scottish Highlands. Bullets kicking up dirt as I ran. A bullet through my arm, another grazing my ear. And not a Syrian in sight. This wasn't what I had expected."

Major terror attack on scale of 7/7 foiled every year in UK, police reveal
Police and MI5 are foiling a plot as big as the July 7 attacks every year, the country's second most senior terror officer has revealed.

He said the threat is constantly changing with al-Qaeda inspired Islamic extremists now plotting in smaller, harder to detect groups.
The danger is coming from an increasing number of hot spots around the world and there is also a growing threat from republican groups in Northern Ireland, who would attack mainland Britain if they could.

French Jewish Students Step Up Legal Action Against Twitter
A Jewish student group announced it will be taking further legal action against Twitter over failing to comply with court order.

"Twitter is playing the indifference card in not respecting the decision of January 24," when a Paris civil court gave the company two weeks to relinquish the requested information, said Jonathan Hayoun, president of France's Union of Jewish Students (UEJF), according to the AFP news agency.

Racist Hungarian Journalist Returns State Prize

A Hungarian television presenter, known for his anti-Semitic remarks, has handed back a prestigious state award after public outcry.

The Day the Secret Service Almost Shot Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

The intelligence brief on the apparent accident was three sentences long, and it scared the hell out of White House officials.
The agent was adjusting the side-mounted shotgun on one of the motorcade’s armored follow-up Suburbans when it discharged. “Everyone just stopped. The Iranians looked at us and we looked at the Iranians. The agent began to apologize. Ahmadinejad just turned his head and got into his car.” And that was it.

Also, Turkey's Erdoğan and the Zenith of Hypocrisy at American Thinker, somewhat relevant to today's news:

Indeed, Israel - and America, for that matter - would do history a great justice if they reminded Turkey in the strongest language possible, of the Turks' bloody crimes against their own minorities, instead of sitting back and allowing Turkey to pontificate about Israel's nonexistent "crimes against humanity." Continued silence will only strengthen bullies and thugs like Erdoğan, lend credence to his outlandish slander, and allow Turkey to continue to rewrite history in its own image.

Israel apologizes to Turkey for "operational errors" on Mavi Marmara (UPDATE)

From WSJ:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized Friday to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a raid on a Turkish flotilla ship, a move that will help restore strained ties between the countries.

The incident was a subject of talks between Mr. Netanyahu and President Barack Obama during the president's trip to Israel this week, officials said.

Senior U.S. administration officials said that Mr. Erdogan accepted the apology, describing the phone call between the two leaders as the "first step toward normalization of relations" between Turkey and Israel.

The 2010 raid killed nine passengers, and Mr. Erdogan has long sought an apology. The incident was a subject of talks between Mr. Netanyahu and President Barack Obama during the president's trip to Israel this week, officials said.

Mr. Netanyahu met Mr. Obama at the airport before he departed Israel Friday, and the Israeli prime minister placed the call to Turkey from a trailer there, speaking to Mr. Erdogan for about 30 minutes. Mr. Obama also spoke to Mr. Erdogan, officials said.

In a statement, Mr. Obama said he welcomed the call between Israeli and Turkish leaders.

"The United States deeply values our close partnerships with both Turkey and Israel, and we attach great importance to the restoration of positive relations between them in order to advance regional peace and security," Mr. Obama said. "I am hopeful that today's exchange between the two leaders will enable them to engage in deeper cooperation on this and a range of other challenges and opportunities."

This sounds like it might have been one of the objectives of the Obama visit.

JTA reports on the Israeli statement:

"The Prime Minister made it clear that the tragic results regarding the Mavi Marmara were unintentional and that Israel expresses regret over injuries and loss of life," said the statement from Netanyahu's office. "In light of the Israeli investigation into the incident, which pointed out several operational errors, Prime Minister Netanyahu apologized to the Turkish people for any errors that could have led to loss of life and agreed to complete the agreement on compensation."

....The statement concluded by saying that "The two leaders agreed to continue to work on improving the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories."

I wonder if the US arm-twisted Erdogan as well as Netanyahu.

Recently, a Turkish Red Crescent aid shipment was allowed into Gaza through Israel, in a story that the media missed.

UPDATE: From Hurriyet Daily News:

The Turkish Prime Ministry issued a statement, saying the two prime ministers had agreed to conclude agreements on compensation and non-liability over the Mavi Marmara flotilla raid, Anatolia news agency has reported.

"Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has issued his apologies on behalf of his state and the Turkish prime minister has accepted his apology in the name of the Turkish people," the statement said.

"Restrictive measures over the entrance of goods into the Palestinian Authority's territories have been lifted starting today, and this position will be maintained as long as tranquility is preserved,” the statement said.

I am not sure what exactly the last paragraph means, as the only restrictions I'm aware of are things that can make bombs and the quantities that can be physically sent through Kerem Shalom every day, something that Israel has been working to increase.

Sheikh Abu Muhammad, a Muslim Brotherhood religious leader in Egypt, today gave an antisemitic sermon.

Noting the anti-Brotherhood protests in recent days, Muhammed blamed the Jews, saying the Jews are behind the strife in Egypt, and he called for the Muslim masses not to respond to this "sedition" which would allow Jews to overthrow Egypt.

He also attacked the media and Iran for encouraging the protests and attempting to overthrow the regime.

I'm not sure if this means that the Shiites and media are Jewish or if we are just conspiring together. Maybe next week he'll explain further.

Syrian jihadists at Israel's border

From AFP:

Syrian rebels have gained ground in the Golan Heights, which is partly occupied by Israel, launching coordinated attacks in the area and in nearby Daraa province, a watchdog said on Thursday.

"It appears that the rebels launched coordinated attacks on multiple parts of the Golan, taking control of areas and villages in the province of Quneitra," Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

Overnight, the Observatory said, "rebels took control of the Mashati al-Khodr and Dawar Khan Arnaba regions, as well as artillery bases" after heavy fighting in Quneitra province.

"Violent clashes have also been underway since this morning in the areas of Sahem and Wadi al-Yarmuk" in Daraa province, in southern Syria, the group said.

Rebels seized an officers' club in Jaline village, "after the withdrawal of soldiers," while regime forces shelled the town of Sahem al-Jolan.

JPost adds:

Israel has long been on high – yet quiet – alert on its border with Syria, as the IDF observes the battles taking place. Contingencies the IDF is prepared to deal with include a permanent withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping force stationed in the Syria- Israel buffer zone; the peacekeepers have already ceased their patrols.

Other scenarios include coming face-to-face with radical jihadi elements across the frontier.

Groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra (“The Salvation Front”), a rebel organization set up by al-Qaida in Iraq, are among the rebels gaining ground.

Keep in mind that under the Assads, the Syrian border had been the quietest border in Israel for decades. When Syria turns jihadist, that seems unlikely to continue.

Why does Obama differentiate between Hamas and Hezbollah?

In President Obama's much-heralded speech in Jerusalem yesterday he briefly talked about both Hamas and Hezbollah - but his remarks about these two terror groups were starkly different:

When I consider Israel’s security, I think about children like Osher Twito, who I met in Sderot – children, the same age as my own daughters, who went to bed at night fearful that a rocket would land in their bedroom simply because of who they are and where they live. That’s why we’ve invested in the Iron Dome system to save countless lives – because those children deserve to sleep better at night. That’s why we have made it clear, time and again, that Israel cannot accept rocket attacks from Gaza, and have stood up for Israel’s right to defend itself. And that’s why Israel has a right to expect Hamas to renounce violence and recognize Israel’s right to exist.

I think about five Israelis who boarded a bus in Bulgaria, who were blown up because of where they came from; who were robbed of the ability to live, and love, and raise families. That’s why every country that values justice should call Hezbollah what it truly is – a terrorist organization. Because the world cannot tolerate an organization that murders innocent civilians, stockpiles rockets to shoot at cities, and supports the massacre of men, women and children in Syria.

The US still officially considers Hamas a terror group. Yet, in this speech, Hamas is considered capable of renouncing violence and recognizing Israel, while Hezbollah is considered irredeemable.

This is even more jarring because on the very same day that Obama made this distinction, the "political arm" of Hamas - not the Al Qassam Brigades, but the "pragmatic" Khaled Meshal - issued a major policy document that re-affirms Hamas' commitment to terrorism and to never accept Israeli sovereignty over a single square inch of land.

Obama is doing no one any favors by being conciliatory towards Hamas. On the contrary, he should have made it clear to Abbas that any unity agreement between Fatah and Hamas would put Fatah in the same terrorist category - because, if Obama was clear-sighted, he would know that Hamas' principles are far stronger than Fatah's quasi-acceptance of Israel is, and it is not possible for Hamas to ever change.

In fact, today is the ninth anniversary of the death of Hamas founder and master terrorist Sheikh Yassin, and the pro-Fatah media is singing his praises. If anyone is going to bend their principles in a unity agreement, it won't be Hamas.

Obama spent a lot of time talking about how important peace is to the Israeli people, as if they don't know that already. Yet his downplaying of Hamas' terrorism, indeed his refusal to call Hamas a terror group and to insist that other countries do the same, is a major reason that peace is impossible.

Evil must be called out and confronted, not accommodated and swept under the rug. Obama's asking Hamas to accept Israel is as absurd as asking Al Qaeda - or Hezbollah - to do the same.

While the president said a lot of good things, this shows that he still doesn't get it.

Thursday Links Part 2

From Ian:

The UN is objective, the Pope is Jewish and pigs can fly

The official tour of the UN building was highly revealing regarding the UN policy of “balance” and fair play. The UN guide led me through the General Assembly room, complete with its “Palestine” “country sign,” during a session. I was then led to a floor with a display of the results of violence. Some of the highlights included exhibits on landmines, nuclear conflict, and a small display on the Holocaust. The official UN guide did not mention the Holocaust exhibition, but did stop at the display titled “Palestine.” I asked her why she did not talk about the Holocaust exhibition, and she answered that it was “too controversial.” This did not stop her, and every other guide stopping and explaining the “Palestine” exhibition. This large display, on a bright orange background was full of half-truths and misconceptions. It was nothing less than crude Palestinian propaganda, which was lent a veneer of legitimacy by being part of the official UN tour.

Film on Egyptian Jews Cleared For Screening

A documentary on Egyptian Jews that had been blocked by the country's security service will screen in theaters at the end of the month, the film's director said on Wednesday.
"Jews of Egypt on the 27th of March in movie theaters. We won the war against National Security. We got the permit," wrote the director, Amir Ramses, on his Twitter and Facebook accounts.

French philosopher barred from Libya for being a Jew

Bernard-Henri Levy was to join former French president Sarkozy; Tripoli says he could have raised risk of Islamist attacks

Gazan Woman Killed In Suspected Honor Crime

Hiyam, a 23-year-old Palestinian woman, was killed at the hands of her father and brother at dawn on March 8 under the pretext of a so-called honor killing. Her mother Souad, 44, spoke with Al-Monitor at the family's home in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the heart of the Gaza Strip. Looking gray with fatigue, and so worn out she could not even stand, Souad said, “They wronged my daughter Hiyam. She was my eldest daughter and the sweetest of them all. May god avenge her father and brother.”

Tough To Be Female Terrorist Ex-Con in Gaza

PA Arab women terrorists who serve time in Israeli prisons and then attempt to return to Arab society don't have it easy.
The women released from Israeli jails face difficulties in their families and within their villages once reinstated into society and returned to “normal life,” reported Ma’an, a PA news agency based in Bethlehem.
In many cases, the female ex-prisoners either become divorced or, if single, remain that way for the rest of their lives.
According to one, Wafa’a al-Bis, the women face marginalization, exclusion and degrading treatment in return for their so-called sacrifice for holy cause of jihad promoted to them since their youth.

Turkish PM doubles down on Zionism comments

Erdogan says he doesn't take back remarks that Zionism is crime against humanity, but calls uproar a "misunderstanding."
However, Prof. Efraim Inbar, director of the Begin-Sadat (BESA) Center for Strategic Studies, told The Jerusalem Post that the Turkish leader’s comments to the paper were little more than damage control.
“Erdogan’s reaction is part of a concerted effort to minimize the damage of his ‘Zionism equals crime against humanity’ statement that attracted a lot of international criticism,” he said. “He simply tries to tone down his anti-Semitism when it harms his and Turkey’s standing in the world community.”

Why is President Morsi helping Israel, not Hamas?

Washington Watch: Hamas expected Morsi to end Mubarak’s cooperation with Israel’s blockade of Gaza, but if anything the noose has tightened.
“The message Morsi sends to Hamas is ‘if you expected because I am a Muslim Brother I will share in your irresponsibility and I will bring relations with Egypt and Israel to the brink of eruption, I will not play your game,” Schueftan said. “And this message to a large [degree] is responsible for the relative tranquility we have now surrounding Gaza since the fighting.”

Jewish Delegation Receives Special Nod At Pope Francis Installation

Pope Francis opened his speech by saying he was speaking “with the permission of the diplomatic corps, the Jews who are with us and all the rest,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
Many in the Jewish community hope Pope Francis will continue the strong legacy of his predecessors, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, in strengthening Catholic-Jewish relations.

Book by pope and rabbi to be translated to English

A book on topics important to Judaism and Catholicism co-written by Pope Francis and a rabbi from Argentina will be translated into English.
“On Heaven and Earth: Pope Francis on Faith, Family and the Church in the 21st Century,” will be available in the United States and Canada on May 7, according to its publisher, Image Books, Reuters reported.

Bar Refaeli ad aired over army protests

Days after a high-profile row with the IDF over Bar Refaeli’s army service, the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday released a pro-Israel ad starring the international supermodel.
On Sunday, news of Refaeli’s participation in the planned PR campaign spurred IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai to write a letter urging the Foreign Ministry to consider “the negative message sent out to Israeli society by the inclusion of Bar Refaeli, who did not complete national service, as Israel’s representative in a public relations campaign.”

Making water better, molecule by molecule
Israel’s BGU will collaborate with UChicago to solve the world’s water problems using nanotechnology

Israel’s got one of the most advanced water desalination programs in the world and dozens of successful water conservation and reclamation projects. Now, cutting-edge Israeli research on water technology will make its way to American academia, as the University of Chicago and Ben-Gurion University have signed a partnership agreement to create new water production and purification technologies for deployment in regions of the globe where freshwater resources are scarce — based on nanotechnology.

A lollipop that helps you lose weight
Say goodbye to pills and hello to fortified confectionery. An Israeli company has developed candies with health benefits.

Carmit Candy Industries recently unveiled its original line of fortified confectionery products at the Natural Products Expo West industry event in the United States. The innovative lollipops, wafers and toffees are formulated to help shed pounds, boost the immune system and promote bone health.
“Healthier food, and the importance that diet has on health, is a major consumer trend for many years,” says CEO Steve Grun.

Celebrating Passover with 50,000 dominos
Pyramids came tumbling down in Israel’s record-breaking domino chain, set up in Beersheva.

The Passover story has been told in a myriad of media. Two young Israelis recently gave the holiday narrative a new rendition in the form of a 50,000-strong domino chain.
It took Ben-Gurion University of the Negev mathematics student Yogev Levy and his friend Nissim Lopaz, a manager at a Jerusalem bike shop, 72 hours to set up the enormous Passover tableau in the lobby of the Samuel and Milada Ayrton University Center in Beersheva.

Major report released on anti-semitism in Facebook

The Online Hate Prevention Institute released a major new report into antisemitism on Facebook to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which is today.

There are some stunning examples in the report of truly vile anti-semitic imagery in Facebook. Many have been removed by Facebook but only when they saw an advanced version of this report or saw mention of the offending items in the media, but they had previously responded that it didn't violate their standards. Here is one example that was only deleted after publicity:

Others are still on Facebook:

The report argues that Facebook is using a very narrow definition of anti-semitism, allowing many hateful cartoons and memes to be published there.

Here is the full report:

Recognizing Hate Speech: Antisemitism on Facebook by Andre Oboler

The Elder of Ziyon Haggadah - still free to download!

A few years ago I grabbed a bunch of Haggadah commentaries online, mostly on the theme of redemption and Zionism, and formatted them into this, the Elder of Ziyon Haggadah:

Elder of Ziyon Haggadah 5769

A couple of thousand people had downloaded it but I just put it up on Scribd so you can browse through it without downloading the whole thing. But it looks good printed in color and bound.

Enjoy!

Thursday Links Part 1

From Ian:

Israeli Apartheid Week Project Shows True State of Israel’s Arabs

The Mida information and news site asked its readers to document incidents of discrimination, segregation, humiliation and exclusion of Arabs from Israeli public life.
The findings were staggering and proved that the claims heard internationally against Israel are no more than a farce.

Local Arabs who used the buses have praised the new service. Chaim Levinson, a Haaretz reporter, writes that thanks to this reform, thousands of workers who were previously exploited by private services have finally received professional and orderly services provided by the State of Israel.
Levinson interviewed Halil, a construction worker from Hevron, who was once forced to sleep away from home to get on time to his job. The new bus service enables him to sleep at home and saves him a large sum of money every month.

Jewish Anti-Semites Finally Come Out of the Closet

There you have it, Israel is more evil than the former white South African regime. Is it possible that Israel’s attacks on Gaza had something to do with the fact that Hamas, the ruling party in Gaza, has in its official charter an exhortation to kill Jews and destroy the State of Israel? Did it have anything to do with the fact that Palestinians fired more than 2000 rockets from Gaza into Israel in 2012? When asked about the rocket attacks, Ehrenreich replied: “Rockets? What rockets? I don’t see any rockets. Do you see any rockets?”

My Conversation With J Street’s Jeremy Ben-Ami by Roz Rothstein is the CEO of StandWithUs.

Looking back at the evening’s discussion, I am saddened that Mr. Ben-Ami insists that he and J Street are helping Israel, when in reality the actions of his organization are only hurting Israel and the advancement of peace. While we all wish for a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, J Street’s work only emboldens Palestinians to continue their history of rejectionism and incitement. J Street encourages Palestinian refusal to return to negotiations because it does not require any accountability from them and does not seek to change hateful attitudes towards Israel—both of which are prerequisites for a lasting peace.

Obama in Israel Says He is in ‘Historic Homeland of the Jewish People’

Obama said, “More than 3,000 years ago, the Jewish people lived here, tended the land here, prayed to God here. And after centuries of exile and persecution, unparalleled in the history of man, the founding of the Jewish state of Israel, was a rebirth, a redemption, unlike any in history. Today, the sons of Abraham and the daughters of Sarah are fulfilling the dream of the ages: to be masters of their own fate in their own sovereign state. Just as we have for these past 65 years, the United States is proud to stand with you as your strongest ally and your greatest friend.”

Honest Reporting: Five Media Spins to Watch for During Obama Visit

While most media reports ahead of the visit noted the Obama administration’s desire to “reboot” relations between the US and Israel, there are a number of issues that often come up whenever some of media report on Israel in the diplomatic arena.
The following are five of the main media spins to watch for in coverage of the Obama visit.

Large Arab Anti-Obama Protest as President Goes to Ramallah

As U.S. President Obama arrived in Ramallah for talks with PA officials, Arabs staged a large anti-Obama demonstration.
Israel Television reporter Yoram Cohen said that the demonstrators shouts could be heard at the site where PA chief Mahmoud Abbas greeted Obama and his entourage, who had arrived from Jerusalem by helicopter.

PA Official: 'Obama Not Wanted in Ramallah'

PA Arabs are not happy that U.S. President Barack H. Obama is paying Ramallah a visit Thursday
“Obama is not wanted here,” said Rassam al-Massry, a top PA official and an organizer of protests against the President's visit. “He declared that he will not pressure Israel to return to negotiations, and he thwarts every attempt by the Palestinians to condemn Israel in the UN,” he said.

BBC opens comments on Obama visit article, quotes flotilla organiser

Sharp-eyed readers will also notice that the BBC’s article quotes Huwaida Arraf, describing her as a “demonstrator”.
The article fails to point out to BBC audiences that Huwaida Arraf is one of the founders and leaders of the ‘International Solidarity Movement’ (ISM) and the flotilla-organising ‘Free Gaza Movement’, both of which provide support to Hamas, and who was an active participant in the ISM support group to the Palestinian terrorists who took over the Church of the Nativity in 2002.

While Obama’s on Tour, Congress Sends Tough Love to PA

This proposed legislation requires several things of the Palestinian Authority without which it will not receive certain U.S. benefits including significant financial aid and the privilege of being referred to as anything other than "the areas controlled by the Palestinian
Those actions which the PA will be expected to do and to cease doing include: end government corruption, regularly condemn terrorism, confiscate unauthorized weapons, bring terrorists to justice, end incitement to violence and hatred in PA media, schools, mosques, cease all boycotts of Israel, conducts diplomatic relations with Israel just as it does with any other country, and refuse to co-govern with Hamas. The Accountability Act also directs that “no United States document may refer to the areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority as ‘Palestine’ until the secretary of state has certified to congress” that the foregoing conditions have been met.

Egyptian leaders fear ‘Muslim Brotherhoodization'

Egyptian military academy director Maj.-Gen Esmat Murad revealed that students affiliated with Islamist political factions have been accepted into the academy, according to a report on Wednesday in the London-based daily Asharq al-Awsat. This includes Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s nephew.
Murad told a press conference on Tuesday that the academy’s graduating class includes 109 members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Egypt judges recommend dissolution of Brotherhood

Legality of President Morsi’s party has been the subject of a lengthy dispute

Ex-Hezbollah member leads movement against terror group

Hezbollah's Shiite policies and involvement in Syrian crisis raises outcry in Lebanon; new movement from group's stronghold presents national alternative

Cyprus criminal court convicts Hezbollah member

His conviction is the first time that a Hezbollah member has been found guilty of criminal activity with respect to the targeting of Israeli citizens in a European court.
Yaacoub faces eight charges in the criminal court in the city of Limassol. The court is slated to sentence him on March 28.

From Al Arabiya:

Iran will “annihilate” the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa if it comes under attack by the Jewish state, the Islamic republic's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Thursday.

“Every now and then the leaders of the Zionist regime threaten Iran with a military attack,” Khamenei said in a live televised speech from the northeastern holy city of Mashhad, referring to Israel.

“They should know that if they commit such a blunder, the Islamic republic will annihilate Tel Aviv and Haifa,” he said.

Inevitably, apologists like fourth-rate academic and self-declared Iran expert Juan Cole will note that Iran's threats are only in response to an Israeli military attack.

He won't note that any Israeli action would only threaten military targets. Khamanei just said he would happily murder millions of Israeli citizens (about four million live in the metropolitan areas of Tel Aviv and Haifa.)

Also, notice that while Khamanei just said he'd murder millions of innocents, this is supposedly against Islamic law. Yet idiots like Cole always say that since nuclear weapons are "forbidden" in Islamic law, then Iran would never deploy them. Apparently Islamic law is more flexible than Iran apologists pretend it is.

Finally, there is only one way to "annihilate" Tel Aviv - and that is through weapons of mass destruction.

We just learned a lot from this little threat.

Hamas' official position paper on the destruction of Israel

Khaled Meshal, Hamas' "political" leader who is touted as being more moderate than his colleagues in Gaza, has published a major position paper for Hamas to explain its political positions.

It adds very little to what we already knew.

The paper lists nineteen positions, which include:

1. Palestine from the river to the sea, and from north to south, is a land of the Palestinian people and its homeland and its legitimate right, we may not a waiver an inch or any part thereof, no matter what the reasons and circumstances and pressures.

2. Palestine - all of Palestine - is a land of Islamic and Arab affiliation, a blessed sacred land, that has a major portion in the heart of every Arab and Muslim

3. No recognition of the legitimacy of the occupation whatever; this is a principled position, political and moral, and therefore do not recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and recognition of "Israel" and the legitimacy of its presence on any part of Palestine no matter how long; nand it will not be long, God willing.

4. Liberation of Palestine is a national duty; it is the responsibility of the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic nation, it is also a humanitarian responsibility in accordance with the requirements of truth and justice.

5. Jihad and the armed resistance is the right and real method for the liberation of Palestine, and the restoration of all the rights, together with, of course, all forms of political and diplomatic struggle including in the media, public and legal [spheres]; with the need to mobilize all the energies of the nation in the battle

6. Resistance is a means and not an end, if we have another way without blood and painful sacrifices to liberate the land and ending the occupation and the restoration of rights we would take it, but history proves that there is no option to expel the occupiers and restore the land and rights without using all forms of resistance, led by armed resistance.

7. We are not fighting Jews because they are Jews, but are fighting the Zionist Jews occupiers, the aggressors, and we will fight anyone who tries to attack us or usurp our rights or occupy our land, regardless of religion or affiliation, race or nationality.

8. The Zionist project is a racist project based on murder and terrorism, and so it is the enemy of the Palestinian people and the nation, and is a real threat to them, and a huge threat to its security and interests, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a danger to the security of the humanitarian community and the interests and stability.

9. Jerusalem is an Islamic and Christian [holy place], we many not give it up not relinquish any part of it, it is our right and our spirit, our history, our present and our future, which is the capital of Palestine, and dearest to the hearts of Arabs and Muslims.... Israel has no legitimacy and no right to to Jerusalem at all, nor any legitimacy nor right to all of Palestine. And all actions of Israel in Jerusalem to Judaize and settle and falsification of facts and attempts to fabricate history are void.

10. Upholding the right of return of Palestinian refugees and displaced persons to their homes from which they were expelled, or were prevented from returning, both in the occupied territories in 1948 or 1967, to all of Palestine; we refuse to compromise in any way for this right. At the same time reject all settlement projects or alternative homelands.... [some detail on how people proposed Lebanon or Jordan or the Sinai as alternate homelands]

11. The unity of the Palestinian land: The West Bank (including Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip and the occupied land of 1948, one land with all its geography, it is one unit, not part separated from the other, which is a whole nation of the Palestinian people. The situation in Gaza now is exceptional and imposed on us, and not a natural situation, we can not accept that Gaza is separate...

12. And the unity of the Palestinian people Muslims and Christians, and all its intellectual, political and ideological components, and with all the strength and factions, militant and political.

13. The unity of the Palestinian political system and its institutions, and national unity of his authority through the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which needs to be rebuilt on valid grounds, to include all the Palestinian forces and components. ...

14. ...The state is the real first fruit of liberation; there is no alternative to the establishment of a Palestinian state, with real sovereignty over the entire territory.

15. [True] Palestinian national independence: a principle which is based on the non-dependence on any country or party in the world; friend or an ally or an enemy or opponent. But that does not mean that we ...are weakening the Arab and Islamic role, Palestine was and will remain Arab and Islamic, but also a humanitarian issue.

16. Institution-building and the Palestinian National authorities should always be on the basis of democracy, and in the forefront of free and fair elections, equal opportunities....

17. Non-interference in the affairs of other countries, and not to engage in themes and conflicts and alignments between nations....

18. The unity of the nation with all its components, ethnic and religious, we are one nation...

19. Any position or a political programs or tactical initiatives or must be in line with the Palestinian national principle that we have mentioned....therefore we reject any draft agreements or settlements that diminish those principles, principles affecting Palestinian national rights.

There's more, including more about "resistance," but the point is that these principles have been clearly communicated before - the utter rejection of Israel or Jewish rights to any land now and forever and the decision never to abandon terrorism.

Yet Western analysts continue to believe that Hamas is moderating - because it says that if the Jews can be forced out of their land without blood, Hamas would happily allow them to leave.

The amount of self-deception (or, sometimes, just deception) about Hamas in the West is unconscionable. Their policy is right here, multi-layered, in black and white, and it leaves no room for Jewish national rights.

Anyone who says that Israel must make temporary accommodations with a Hamas that is sworn to utterly destroy Israel simply helps Hamas achieve its goal.

There is one interesting omission here, though. In the past Hamas was more upfront about the ultimate goal - an Islamic caliphate that encompasses the entire Middle East. But in a manifesto meant to destroy Israel, emphasizing that goal would water down the message. Save that for phase 2 of the strategy.

It is worth emphasizing that the Islamists think in terms of centuries, not election cycles. This is a true strategy, and they are patient. To them, the Crusades were a century-long blip, and the existence of Israel is even less permanent than that. This is why all concessions are welcomed by Hamas without their giving up anything - because every little bit adds up over time.

Did President Obama bow to the flag of "Palestine"? (UPDATE)

According to Palestine Press Agency, this was the first time that a US president heard the Palestinian National anthem - and the first time a president bowed to the flag of "Palestine."

If so, this would appear to be a breach of presidential protocol. Presidents aren't supposed to bow, period.

Ma'an also reports that the band that greeted Obama botched the US National Anthem.

Waiting to find the video....

UPDATE: Don't see any bowing in this video. The band plays very poorly but I'm not sure I would say "botched."

Rockets from Gaza to greet Obama

From YNet:

Five Qassam rockets were fired at southern Israel from Gaza on Thursday morning, on the second day of US President Barack Obama's visit to the Middle East.

After a long period of calm following Operation Pillar of Defense, a Color Red alert sounded in the city of Sderot at around 7:15 am, followed by additional air raid sirens, one of them in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council.

One of the rockets hit the backyard of a house in Sderot, while another landed in an open area. There were no reports of injuries, but the yard sustained slight damage. Two additional rockets are believed to have landed on Palestinian territory.

According to initial estimates, the rockets were fired from the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun.

JPost adds:

Israel will be watching "very closely" to see if Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will condemn Thursday's Kassam rocket fire on Sderot in his public comments with US President Barack Obama later today, a senior government official said.

During Operation Pillar of Defense, the official said, Abbas "stubbornly refused to do so. He even refused to disassociate himself from those attacks."

The official said Israel will also be watching whether Abbas will cease Fatah's unity talks with Hamas. "These rockets were launched from territory controlled by Hamas, and Hamas refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist and support peace," he said.

GANSO confirms that the rockets came from Beit Hanoun.

Islamic Jihad's Palestine Today says that one of the rockets ignited a "huge" fire near a kibbutz.

As usual, no one claimed responsibility.

The last rocket was on February 26.

It is notable that Hamas' Khaled Meshal just issued a major paper detailing the political positions of Hamas, and it includes the statement that "Jihad and armed resistance is the right way for the Liberation of Palestine, and the restoration of all our rights, and with it, of course, all forms of political and diplomatic struggle, including in the media, public relations and legal spheres."

Terror leaders insist Obama's Nobel Peace Prize be rescinded

Palestinian Arab terror groups whined Wednesday about President Obama having the audacity to say that Jews have a 3000-year old connection to their land.

These are nothing but "Zionist lies," said the groups.

The leader of the Islamic Jihad terror group, Sheikh Khader Habib, that Obama's statements about the history of the "Palestinian territory" and the existence of Israel 3 thousand years ago is "clear evidence of the American bias to the Zionist entity and marketing of its claims to the Western world and internationally."

He said that Israel is the greatest achievement of Western nations whose existence is meant to destabilize the Middle East.

Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq wrote on his Facebook page that Obama's statements "express blatant bias by the U.S. administration to the Israeli occupation."

He said: "The statements and attitudes of U.S. President did not and will not change the facts of history, which emphasizes the absurdity of betting on the U.S. administration or others to achieve the rights of our people, and that these rights can only be gained through steadfastness and resistance."

A Fatah leader, Dr. Faisal Abu Shahla, said that Obama's remarks are clear evidence that he is "captive" to Israeli pressures as he seeks to achieve and maintain the security "of Israel."

Abu Shahla stressed that the presence of Obama is hopeless to achieve peace and giving the Nobel Peace Prize to him was offensive and it should be withdrawn.

Not that I agree that Obama deserved the prize, but there is something absurd about a leader of a terror group lecturing the US president on morality and peace.

But then again, the former leader of that same terror group actually received that same Nobel Peace Prize, so the perversity goes full circle.