Hotels will be closed if staff are found to have sexually harassed tourists, Egyptian Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou has said.
“Foreign travel agents have complained about the inappropriate behavior of some hotel staff towards tourists,” Zaazou told Al-Hayat 2 private satellite channel on Saturday. “They threaten to remove Egypt from their list of tourist destinations.”
Zaazou told Ahram Online on Sunday that he would meet with members of the Egyptian Hotels Association to discuss the move.
“I am determined to close hotels where sexual harassment has taken place because this behavior has an impact on the country's reputation,” Zaazou asserted.
The tourism ministry has recorded 150 cases of sexual harassment against tourists over the last two years. There have also been three recorded rapes in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.
Sunday, May 05, 2013
- Sunday, May 05, 2013
- Elder of Ziyon
Given that an overwhelming majority of Egyptian women, and foreign women in Egypt, report being sexually harassed, this isn't too surprising:
- Sunday, May 05, 2013
- Elder of Ziyon
Iraqi media is reporting that Israel, the US and Qatar have agreed to allow Israel to expand to take over all Arab lands from the Nile to the Euphrates.
Qatar has been under much criticism in the Arab world for trying to position itself as a player in negotiations between Israel and Palestinian Arabs. It has also been criticized for helping send fuel and construction material to Gaza, which has been making Egyptians nervous and jealous.
The PA has also been critical of Qatar; at one point master liar Saeb Erekat promised to reveal documents proving that Qatar invested in Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria! (Of course, he never followed through.)
An Egyptian "human rights" official this week described Qatari as the "Jews of the Gulf," apparently because of the interest it is charging Egypt for a loan.
There is only one logical explanation:
The Qatari leaders really are Jews.
Qatar has been under much criticism in the Arab world for trying to position itself as a player in negotiations between Israel and Palestinian Arabs. It has also been criticized for helping send fuel and construction material to Gaza, which has been making Egyptians nervous and jealous.
The PA has also been critical of Qatar; at one point master liar Saeb Erekat promised to reveal documents proving that Qatar invested in Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria! (Of course, he never followed through.)
An Egyptian "human rights" official this week described Qatari as the "Jews of the Gulf," apparently because of the interest it is charging Egypt for a loan.
There is only one logical explanation:
The Qatari leaders really are Jews.
Sanity is not a prominent feature of Arabic media, leaders or spokespeople.Following are excerpts from an interview with Swedish-Algerian TV host Yahya Abu Zakariya, which aired on Syrian TV on April 28, 2013:
Interviewer: Today, an Israeli newspaper leaked the news that the Emir of Qatar would be visiting Israel in the near future, in order to strengthen trade relations between the two countries. Will we have to get used to ties between Israel and some Arab countries?
Yahya Abu Zakariya: Let me say – and this is not propaganda - that the Qataris are Jews. The Thani clan is the clan of Ben-Gurion. The Qataris have Jewish roots, because in the Arab national fabric, no Arab, unless he is Jewish, can harbor such vicious hatred toward another Arab. We know this from our Arab history, and we see it in the present. Hamad Bin-Gurion Al-Thani is a Jew.
[…]
The person in charge of building Solomon’s Temple in occupied Palestine, to replace the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is on the verge of collapse, said that Qatar is the country financing the temple. He said, in plain English, that Qatar is helping to finance the building of Solomon’s Temple. The secret ties between Qatar and the Hebrew entity are as warm and as strong as can be. From this we understand the role that Qatar has been given in the systematic destruction of Syria.
It is no coincidence, therefore, that the Zionists mobilized their kinfolk in the Arab world. Hamad Bin-Gurion dreams of being Lord of the Arabs – according to the Arab-Jewish legends, a Jewish king will rule the Arabs, and he believes that he is the one… By Allah, his moustache will be shaved off before he is allowed to be mayor of Jaffa or Haifa.
[…]
If the Gulf States were deprived of oil, perhaps they would put their minds, their culture, and their poetry to good use. They have nothing but sword dances – and even their sword they gave to George Bush. They have sold even their Arabian horses to America.
Did you know that all the Arabian horses were purchased from the Gulf emirs? Only two or three thoroughbred Arabian horses are left in the Arab world. They have even sold our horses.
We cannot rule out the possibility that these Arabian horses will be crossbred with Jewish horses, and will become, I’m said to say, Hebrew – so that one day, it will be said that the Arabs did not breed horses or have swords, and that they do nothing but fornicate, act with treachery, and collude against their fellow Arabs.
[…]
Believe me, the ears of every Gulf emir are red from being pulled by the Americans, who say to them: “Come here, you empty vessel, you lackey, give me your money and buy a hundred million…”
The [emirs] buy airplanes from them, without knowing how to use them. They ride up to the airplane on a camel’s back. They have an F-25 here and a camel race there. What is this?
[…]
I would like to say to Saudi Arabia: Beware of the Emir of Qatar. By Allah, he will pulverize Saudi Arabia and turn it into mini-states. No reactionary can be safe from another. You will end up fighting one another. The Saudis must realize and reveal to the people that the American intelligence assassinated Prince Naif with special rays. Let them have the courage to tell the people that the American intelligence killed Prince Naif.
They know full well that Abdallah is the last king of Saudi Arabia. [I say to the Saudis]: Re-embrace Arab nationalism. Re-embrace the Arab realm that protects your lands. Do not place your trust in America, for it is a bastard state. You cannot rely upon it for anything.
[…]
One day, a friend of mine, Robert Fisk, wrote an article about the establishment of Palestine [sic]. He wrote that Europe was afraid of Zionist treachery, and so it quickly helped to establish a Jewish homeland, in order to rid itself of the Jews, because the [Jews] were behind many conspiracies, and behind economic speculation and bankruptcy in Europe. Therefore, they drove the [Jews] to occupied Palestine.
Today, Europe is afraid of terrorism, and facilitates the departure of those terrorists. By the way, they were all under security surveillance. Some of them did not have passports, because they came from Peshawar, Pakistan, and when they reached Europe, they were allowed to remain as European citizens, but their passports were taken away. When the crisis in Syria began, they were given back their passports, along with financial aid. The Western intelligence agencies knew that they were heading for Syria.
There were several goals, which I shall clarify. I have an important European document, which says that by 2050, half the European population will be Muslim. Therefore, the Muslims who settled in the West will become the decision makers, and there will be a change in the balance of power between Europe and the Zionist entity, which uses Europe as a Trojan horse, when it comes to financing and armaments. In order to stop the advance of islamization, they must create an extremist Islam that will scare the Westerners, and threaten their very existence.
The creation of the extremist Islamic organizations was, in my opinion, the smartest and most creative Mossad bomb today.
- Sunday, May 05, 2013
- Elder of Ziyon
- pallywood
Check out this report from the Telegraph, showing Hezbollah TV:
First we are told that the target was completely civilian, and held cows and chickens. We see acres of utter devastation.
But - surprise! - we see a rooster somehow managed to escape unscathed and is hopping around the rubble!
(h/t Eye On the World)
First we are told that the target was completely civilian, and held cows and chickens. We see acres of utter devastation.
But - surprise! - we see a rooster somehow managed to escape unscathed and is hopping around the rubble!
(h/t Eye On the World)
- Sunday, May 05, 2013
- Ian
From Ian:
Barry Rubin: How the Palestinians Trap Themselves and Drag the West Along
EU: Considering putting Hezbollah on terror list
Five Israeli companies bring their farming innovations on a five-city US roadshow
Barry Rubin: How the Palestinians Trap Themselves and Drag the West Along
Today, though, the PA is in a box of its own making. It cannot win militarily against Israel, nor will it engage in serious diplomacy with Israel. During a recent public relations’ meeting in Washington, supposedly to show Arab state support for a two-state solution, the PA’s representatives glowered in making clear they weren’t interested in serious negotiations with Israel.Peres slams UN HR group that depicts Israel as evil
President Shimon Peres on Sunday denounced the reports of the Geneva headquartered United Nations Council on Human Rights which invariably depict Israel as the evil doer rather than the victim, while never condemning the human rights abuses of those who attack Israel.Scottish Church denial of Jewish land rights sparks ire
The Scottish Council of Jewish Communities said Friday that the paper is “an outrage to everything that interfaith dialogue stands for” and “reads like an Inquisition-era polemic against Jews and Judaism.”Caroline Glick: Dershowitz and tragedy
"The arrogance of telling the Jewish people how to interpret Jewish texts and Jewish theology is breathtaking,” the Jewish council said.
The council further declared that the paper “closes the door on meaningful dialogue” and called on the church to withdraw it ahead of its forthcoming General Assembly.
There are two main reasons that many leftists who are viscerally supportive of Israel have difficulty understanding and defending the Jewish state today. First, the storyline about Israel is deeply distorted.'Israel to join Turkey, Arab states to stop Iran'
Israel has been working toward a cooperative agreement in compliance with Turkey and three Arab states to implement an allied system of detection technologies to defend against Iranian ballistic projectiles, British newspaper The Sunday Times reported.CAMERA: 'Flaky' Evidence, False Flags and Ha'aretz's Front-Page
So, one of the U.S. officials who apparently flubbed American intelligence on Iraq warrants front-page coverage for his outlandish allegations about alleged Israeli weaponry in Syria? And Wilkerson's record on Israel is no more reassuring. For instance, he has endorsed the discredited Walt-Measheimer study on "The Israel Lobby" as containing "blinding flashes of the obvious."PMW: Father offers his son's blood for Palestine in PA TV song (version 1)
EU: Considering putting Hezbollah on terror list
Hezbollah's involvement in Syria is pushing European officials to seriously consider adding Hezbollah to it's terrorism list.Buenos Aires Book Fair Promotes Iranian Anti-Semitic Theories
The Simon Wiesenthal Center called on the organizers of the Buenos Aires Book Fair to publicly condemn the “House of Islam” stand for its promotion of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.Wold Jewish Congress to Combat Neo-Nazism at Annual Assembly
The World Jewish Congress will kickstart its annual assembly on Sunday to discuss alarming rise of neo-Nazi political parties.Jobbik rally against World Jewish Congress in Budapest
Several hundred supporters took part, despite attempts by the government to prevent it going ahead.Stand With US: ‘Israel Leads World Battle against Terror’
Jobbik said the rally was a protest against what it said was a Jewish attempt to buy up Hungary.
The Western world is increasingly realizing that the terrorist threat it faces is the same threat that Israel has faced for decades, says Avi Posnick of the StandWithUs Israel advocacy group.Taking Israeli agritech on the road
Five Israeli companies bring their farming innovations on a five-city US roadshow
For CEOs of start-ups, spreading the word on a new idea or technology is a bit like being a missionary. In order to get people to believe in what you’re doing, you need to be a super-believer yourself, preparing your presentation to perfection, anticipating any questions or objections in advance, and anticipating opportunities waiting to be seized before they slip away.‘Scandal,’ ‘Once Upon A Time’ stars in Israel
“There seems to be art and creativity everywhere, whether it was in the galleries of Jaffa or along the streets of Jerusalem … the creativity blows my mind because you can see that people want to live their lives to the fullest,” said Diaz.
America’s Voices in Israel, a division of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, brought over the potpourri of stars to give them a view of the country from beyond the headlines.
- Sunday, May 05, 2013
- Elder of Ziyon
Say what?
They don't even bother to identify the source of the scare quotes in the headline, making it appear from a glance like they are quoting a reputable source.
In fact, practically the entire article only quotes Arab sources and anger at Israel.
Only at the very, very end - in paragraph 26! -does it grudgingly mention
Indeed, it is the BBC who is writing headlines coordinated with terrorists.
(h/t Ben, Jameel)
They don't even bother to identify the source of the scare quotes in the headline, making it appear from a glance like they are quoting a reputable source.
In fact, practically the entire article only quotes Arab sources and anger at Israel.
Only at the very, very end - in paragraph 26! -does it grudgingly mention
After the latest attack, unnamed Western intelligence sources said the target was a weapons cache heading for Lebanon.This is not even journalism - it is the BBC acting as a propaganda mouthpiece for the most extreme haters of the Jewish state.
Israel has repeatedly said it would act if it felt advanced weapons were being transferred to militant groups in the region, especially Hezbollah.
Indeed, it is the BBC who is writing headlines coordinated with terrorists.
(h/t Ben, Jameel)
- Sunday, May 05, 2013
- Elder of Ziyon
From the Jewish Virtual Library:
Born to a religious Christian family and a firm believer in the Bible, Orde Wingate passionately embraced the prophetic vision of Jewish redemption and the Jews' ultimate return to Eretz Yisrael. During his service in Eretz Yisrael, he worked to help realize that ideal.Here is the reason I am mentioning it:
The son of a British officer, Wingate was born in India, received a military education, and was commissioned in 1923. He served in India and then in the Sudan, where he studied Arabic and Semitics, and acquired a familiarity with the Middle East. Wingate was recognized as a talented officer, and by 1936 he had earned the rank of captain. That same year he was transferred to Eretz Yisrael, and served there for the next three years.
Wingate arrived in Eretz Yisrael as an intelligence officer at a time when small bands of Arab rioters were regularly attacking both the British and the Jews. To counter this offensive, Wingate organized and trained “Special Night Squads,” comprised primarily of Haganah fighters, which were successfully employed throughout the Yishuv. Their tactics were based on the strategic principles of surprise, mobility, and night attacks, and they served effectively both as defensive and offensive units, successfully pre-empting and resisting Arab attacks.
Wingate maintained good contacts with the heads of the Yishuv and the Haganah. He learned Hebrew, and he demonstrated his ardent belief that the Jews were entitled to their homeland in Eretz Yisrael. He also recognized the need for a working military force, and he dreamed of heading the army of the future Jewish state. Because of his efforts and support, he was called in the Yishuv “ha-yedid,” the friend.
Wingate's intense support for the Zionist viewpoint, however, was controversial, and in 1939
the British succumbed to Arab pressure and transferred Wingate from Eretz Yisrael. His passport was stamped with the restriction that he not be allowed to re-enter the country. His personal involvement with the Zionist cause was thus curtailed, but many of those he trained became heads of the Palmach and, later, the Israel Defense Forces
Wingate returned briefly to Great Britain, but, recognized for his military talent, he was transferred to further active duty. In 1941 he led the force in Ethiopia against the Italians and was a major figure in liberating the country. He then worked in Burma, organizing and training the Chindits, a special jungle unit that operated behind Japanese lines. Wingate was killed in an airplane crash in Burma in 1944, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Wingate's friendship for the Yishuv and his contributions to its defense have been recognized through the several places in Israel named for him, including the College of Physical Education near Netanya.
CIPAC (Christians’ Israel Public Action Campaign)is pleased to cosponsor again this year, with the Jewish War Veterans, the Orde Wingate Memorial Service at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) this Sunday, May 5 at 2:30.
You are specially invited, with no need for tickets, to check in at the ANC visitors center, near the Arlington National Cemetery Metro stop, for directions to the grave site, or if weather’s inclement, to the “Women in Military Service for America Memorial” auditorium.
Wingate, in the British Army and a Christian, served in pre-State Israel under the British League of Nations mandate in the late 1930′s as an intelligence officer to defeat Arab terrorists attacking Jewish kibbutzim and the Iraq-Haifa oil pipeline in the North. His creation of British-Israeli joint Special Night Squads (“Plugot Lila”) embodied a biblically inspired, preemptive offense centered, lead from the front, style of combat doctrine that still typifies the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) today.
Though Wingate would go on to create Special Forces to defeat vastly more numerous Axis troops, restore Haili Selassie to the Ethiopian throne and convince the Japanese in Burma to drop plans to conquer India, he never lost a burning desire to create and lead the first Israeli Army in 2000 years. He died in a US bomber crash in Burma, a 42 year old major general and father of a newborn son he’d never see, likely with Israel in his heart and on his lips. His remains are buried, with those of all aboard the ill-fated flight, in Arlington – fittingly, I feel, since the US has been Israel’s best backer on Earth.
- Sunday, May 05, 2013
- Elder of Ziyon
- Bedouin
An op-ed at JPost:
Regavim is hardly a racist organization - they stress that the Bedouin were treated unfairly for decades and want to solve the problem fairly. But as long as anti-Israel NGOs reflexively attack the Jewish state no matter what, calling anyone who shows both sides of the story "racist," the problem will only grow.
(h/t Y Medad)
Last Thursday TV personality Avri Gilad went on a trip to the northern Negev with Regavim – an independent, professional research institute and policy planning think tank involved in protecting Israel’s national lands. So disturbed was he by what he saw on that trip that upon his return he immediately penned the following post on Facebook:The Negev problem is quite real, as I documented in February during my own trip with Regavim:
“I came back from a tour of the Negev conducted by Regavim. I’m appalled by what I’ve seen. There’s no more Negev.
The Beduin have taken it over completely by force....
By shameless criminal activity, with insolence met only by fear and submission, the Beduin have taken over the entire Negev.”
He noted that though he had visited Beersheva and Arad, he had never entered Beduin towns like Laqia, Hura or the others he saw on this trip. Gilad also wrote that the government of Israel has virtually agreed to give Beduin clans in the Negev over 60 percent of the state land they have illegally settled on. On top of this, former MK Benny Begin sweetened the deal recently, offering them more land and additional monetary compensation. Avri Gilad, in his post, called on the government “to stop the Begin plan immediately,” and said, “We have to re-conquer the Negev.”
He concluded by saying “we must have one law for everyone – both for a Jew who encloses his balcony [without authorization] and for a Beduin who uses a fence he stole from Omer to enclose five dunams [0.5 hectares] of land as his.”
Gilad’s post went viral, and when interviewed later on Army Radio, he stated over 450,000 people had seen it.
However, it didn’t take long for the many defenders of the Beduin’s supposed right to take whatever land they want to jump into action. These foreign-funded, radical left-wing NGOs have done a great job training the various Beduin tribes to always refuse the Israeli government’s every offer of compromise and hold out for 100 percent of their claims.
They came out swinging with an opinion piece published in a daily newspaper calling Avri Gilad a racist.
The author of this piece continued with what she called “facts”: “What is known as the Beduin diaspora are 35 unrecognized villages in the Northern Negev on an area between Beersheva, Yeruham, Arad and Dimona.” This, however, is the “big lie” – that only 35 “unrecognized villages” exist.
The author appears to have forgotten that nowadays programs like Google Earth exist (although a tour of the facts on the ground with Regavim is preferable) allowing all and sundry a close-up look at what is really happening to the area between Beersheva, Arad and Dimona. Fact: There are not 35 illegally built villages on state-owned land, but over 2,000 illegal settlements, spread out over 80,000 hectares (800,000 dunams). How do these NGOs imagine they can continue to hide the facts when the means of independent verification are so accessible? ...
But as much as these NGOs try to frame and fudge the public debate around the illegal villages of those 20% of Beduin who have grabbed state land and claim to have ancestral title to it, Regavim hopes for an equitable solution to the problem. Because of growing public awareness, the government program to overcome the lawlessness in the south is scheduled for renewed discussion.
Regavim is hardly a racist organization - they stress that the Bedouin were treated unfairly for decades and want to solve the problem fairly. But as long as anti-Israel NGOs reflexively attack the Jewish state no matter what, calling anyone who shows both sides of the story "racist," the problem will only grow.
(h/t Y Medad)
- Sunday, May 05, 2013
- Elder of Ziyon
From AFP:
The US supports Israeli moves to defend itself, in this quote from President Obama:
Moving on to less reliable sources, here's what Russia Today adds:
Israel carried out a pre-dawn air strike near Damascus on Sunday, targeting Iranian missiles destined for Lebanon's Hezbollah in the second such raid on Syrian soil in three days, a senior Israeli source said.
"The target was Iranian missiles which were destined for Hezbollah," he told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The attack targeted a facility just northwest of the Syrian capital, very close to the site of a similar attack late January which was implicitly confirmed by Israel, the source said.
The Tower adds:
He also confirmed Israel was behind an earlier strike on a target very close to Damascus airport which took place early on Friday, which also struck Iranian arms destined for the Lebanese Shiite movement.
"Any time Israel learns about the transfer of weapons from Syria to Lebanon, it will attack," he warned.
According to Syria's official SANA news agency, Sunday morning's attack targeted the Jamraya military research center near Damascus, in the Eastern Ghouta region.
Following the strike, the Israeli air force went on high alert, although the Jewish state was not anticipating a significant response from Damascus, the source said.
"The air force is now on high alert, the highest in recent years," he said.
Tonight’s air strikes in Syria targeted sensitive military facilities, including ones staffed by Iran Revolutionary Guard personnel, according to Western government sources who focus on the Middle East and who spoke to The Tower.
The US supports Israeli moves to defend itself, in this quote from President Obama:
What I have said in the past and I continue to believe is that the Israelis justifiably have to guard against the transfer of advanced weaponry to terrorist organizations like Hezbollah. We coordinate closely with the Israelis recognizing they are very close to Syria, they are very close to Lebanon.
Moving on to less reliable sources, here's what Russia Today adds:
There have also been reports that the airstrikes targeted the 104th and 105th brigades of the Syrian Republican Guards, a source told RT Arabic.
Mount Qasioun and Damascus Airport are located in different parts of the city, so if both were targets of airstrikes, this would likely require a more complex coordinated attack.
....While no official casualty number has been made public, rumors on Syrian social media say that at least 300 soldiers stationed at Mount Qasioun have been killed and hundreds of others injured, Mawazini said. Many Syrians are calling for retaliation as the possibility of a full-scale war with Israel is speculated upon.
During the attack, one Israeli jet was reportedly shot down by Syria's Air Force, according to Hezbollah's Manar TV channel, citing security sources in Damascus. Two Israeli pilots of the downed IDF jet have been taken to a military area in Damascus under Assad’s control, according to reports in Lebanese and Syrian media.
Saturday, May 04, 2013
- Saturday, May 04, 2013
- Elder of Ziyon
On Friday night:
But the newest reported attacks seem different:
And the explosion shown here is spectacular:
We don't even know that these are Israeli airstrikes - Syria TV is hardly a trustworthy source. But until now, Israel seemed to be targeting Hezbollah assets (or assets-to-be) while this last apparent attack looks a lot more like it is going after Syrian assets.
I'm no expert, but this looked more like a secondary explosion to me than a huge bomb dropped from an airstrike.
UPDATE: Again, take this with a grain of salt:
Hours after the first reports of an Israeli strike in Syria, details about the mysterious attack continue to emerge.Everything is speculation, of course, although the idea that the targets are advanced weapons intended for Hezbollah makes sense.
The New York Times reported Saturday that the airstrike was directed at a shipment of advanced surface-to-surface missiles from Iran that Israel believed was intended for Hezbollah, according to American officials.
The missiles, known as Fateh-110s, had been sent to Syria by Iran and were being stored at an airport in Damascus when they were struck in the attack, one American official said.
According to the paper, Syrians with knowledge of security and military matters confirmed the strike, saying that Iran had sent arms and rockets to Damascus International Airport intending to resend them to Hezbollah.
Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar Assad have used Fateh-110 missiles against the Syrian opposition, and some American officials are unsure whether the new shipment was intended for use by Hezbollah or by the Assad government, which is believed to be running low on missiles.
One American official, said the warehouse that was struck in the Israeli attack was believed to be under the control of operatives from Hezbollah and Iran’s paramilitary Quds force.
Also Saturday, a source at a rebel intelligence unit in Damascus said that F-16 jets carried out three strikes on the road connecting Damascus and Beirut.
One of the strikes, he said, hit a site near the Syrian army's fourth armored division in the city of al-Saboura. According to foreign sources, the jets carried out the attacks from Lebanese airspace.
The rebel source said that the attack targeted a Hezbollah-bound anti-aircraft missile convoy but according to recent estimates they were surface-to-surface missiles.
Earlier on Saturday, an Israeli official told the Associated Press that the shipment was not of chemical arms, but of "game changing" weapons bound for Hezbollah.
But the newest reported attacks seem different:
Israeli warplanes bombed the outskirts of Damascus early Sunday for the second time in two days, according to Syrian state media and reports from activists, signaling a sharp escalation in tensions between the neighboring countries that had already been exacerbated by the conflict raging in Syria.This sounds, and looks, like attacks on a weapons depot, not on weapons in transit.
Videos posted on the Internet by activists showed a huge fireball erupting on Mount Qassioun, a landmark hill overlooking the capital on which the Syrian government has concentrated much of the firepower it is using against rebel-controlled areas surrounding the city.
The official Syrian Arab News Agency said that a scientific research facility had been struck by an Israeli missile, and a banner displayed on state television said the attack was intended to relieve pressure on rebel forces in the embattled eastern suburbs. The banner was accompanied by martial music and footage of Syrian soldiers marching, descending from helicopters and firing rockets, indicating that Syria may not shrug off the assault, as it has with some Israeli strikes in the past.
A subsequent video suggested further strikes were taking place in the same location, though the number was unclear.
There was no immediate confirmation that the strikes were carried out by Israeli warplanes. Reuters news service reported that an Israeli military spokeswoman said, “We don’t respond to this kind of report.”
And the explosion shown here is spectacular:
We don't even know that these are Israeli airstrikes - Syria TV is hardly a trustworthy source. But until now, Israel seemed to be targeting Hezbollah assets (or assets-to-be) while this last apparent attack looks a lot more like it is going after Syrian assets.
I'm no expert, but this looked more like a secondary explosion to me than a huge bomb dropped from an airstrike.
UPDATE: Again, take this with a grain of salt:
An Israeli warplane was shot down by Syrian air-defense units during a raid near Damascus early Sunday, Hezbollah's Manar television station reported, citing security sources in the Syrian capital.But then read this:
There was no independent confirmation of the claim and Israel did not comment on the raid reports.
Breaking #sana tv crew caught painting an old mig fighter tail with israeli airforce markings near #damascus(h/t Daled Amos, David G)
— Free Syria Media Hub (@free_syria_news) May 5, 2013
- Saturday, May 04, 2013
- Ian
From Ian:
UN scrambles to distance itself from terror tournament
The United Nations Development programme has insisted that "had no role" in a Palestinian tournament, despite organisers' claims
UN scrambles to distance itself from terror tournament
The United Nations Development programme has insisted that "had no role" in a Palestinian tournament, despite organisers' claims
Despite claims by organisers that the UNDP was complicit in the sponsoring of the event, UNDP communications staff today informed The Commentator that, "The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had no role in the tournament, its naming or any other activity related to it. It was not informed about the activity in question."Fayyad slams Palestinians’ history of ‘failed leadership’
However, despite the insistence, a UNDP logo was used at the event, which they say was "used without any prior authorization from UNDP".
“Our story is a story of failed leadership, from way early on,” Fayyad told the New York Times. “It is incredible that the fate of the Palestinian people has been in the hands of leaders so entirely casual, so guided by spur-of-the-moment decisions, without seriousness. We don’t strategize, we cut deals in a tactical way and we hold ourselves hostage to our own rhetoric.”Fayyad denies giving interview in which he slammed Palestinian leadership
Former PA PM’s office says he didn’t speak to the New York Times; yes he did, says NYT’s Roger CohenPrinceton University Must Fire Professor Richard Falk
It is disgraceful that many of America’s elite universities are awash with Anti-American and Anti-Israel propaganda, and Princeton University must immediately fire Richard Falk for blaming America for the terrorist attacks in Boston. There are clearly certain lines of acceptability which cannot be passed.Douglass Murray: Why has Abdul Hakim Murad not been sacked by Cambridge University?
I know that complaining about such statements made by such a pasty-white convert only makes one a racist ‘Islamophobe.’ But oughtn’t one to be troubled by this? Were a Christian man called Timothy to have said such things he would almost certainly have been sacked by Cambridge University by now. Students, LGBT groups, unions – everyone wanting to make a stand against bigotry – would be screaming about this. But Timothy is so lucky. Because he became Abdul I think he’ll be just fine.Honest Reporting Canada: After HRC Complaint, CBC Acknowledges Gaza “Art” Exhibit Criticized as Fraudulent
Other news outlets like Global News and the Daily Gleaner (article not online) provided a balanced perspective to the issue that acknowledged criticism that the exhibit was “propaganda” and “inauthentic” and that gave voice to concerns of the pro-Israel community.Canada’s Israel Support Draws Ire From Arab Nations at UN
Following our complaint, CBC Maritimes broadcast a follow up report by Melissa Oakley on April 25 which featured a contrarian point of view by pro-Israel support Israel Unger who criticized the exhibit for featuring fraudulent artwork and for the lack of balance of the exhibit; one that did not acknowledge the suffering of Israelis from thousands of rocket attacks.
Qatar is working to gather votes from 115 countries to relocate the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which determines global rules for airplane transportation, from Montreal to the Middle East by 2016. In addition, Arab UN ambassadors met in New York on April 23 to discuss Palestinian issues, and discussed ways to rally support against the Canadian government among international organizations.Is Assad winning in Syria?
Russia, Iran, its proxy Hezbollah and the Maliki government in Iraq are all playing a central role. The latest indications are that the US and the West still prefer to stay directly out of it, despite the obvious crossing of notional “red lines” regarding the use of chemical weapons.Iran’s American Prisoner
It is thus likely that the Assad regime will be around for some time to come.
Patterns are not only evident in the Muslim world’s persecution of Christians, but in the Obama administration’s indifference. The U.S. State Department has excluded Abedini from its Iran Prisoners List—commensurate with the fact that it regularly whitewashes the sufferings of Christians under Islam, and even failed to cite Egypt and Pakistan as “nations of particular concern” despite the fact that Christians there are being hounded mercilessly, as documented in the book.Report Shows Jews Biggest Target of Hate Speech in Turkey
Jews and Armenians are the most popular targets for hate speech in Turkish media with 25 percent of all cases, while Christians follow them at 18 percent, according to a study by the Hrant Dink Foundation.The Israeli army’s most improbable Arab prosecutor
Lt. Arin Shaabi is a Christian, a Jew, an Arab, an Israeli. And in the military courts of the West Bank, she is fighting a rising tide of Palestinian nationalist crimeAt a West Bank crossing point, Israeli students put the ‘right’ into human rights
A new volunteer group, emphatically not from the usual left of the political spectrum, is monitoring how the IDF operates the Qalandiya checkpoint en route to JerusalemHigh and mighty: a trip to the Israel Air Force Museum
From Avengers and Mirages and Spitfires to blind spots and crash landings, the aircraft on display tell the incredible tale of a young nation’s survivalIsraeli team to bring hard-earned post-trauma expertise to Boston
A team from the Israel Trauma Coalition, an association of Israeli agencies specializing in post-trauma resilience, will be arriving in the Boston suburb of Watertown next week to help develop “a recovery process” for the local school system.HBO unearth Holocaust rescue documentary
The documentary “50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr and Mrs Kraus” may bear many of the same hallmarks as other heroic stories from the Holocaust – with impossible odds and gargantuan reserves of courage – but its message remains as relevant as ever.
It tells the story of an American couple who travelled to Vienna during the war to evacuate Jewish infants at risk of persecution, and then provide them with safe passage to the United States.
The film’s director, Steven Pressman, was determined to illuminate the horrors of war but equally, to show how such extreme situations can also bring out the best in humanity.
Friday, May 03, 2013
- Friday, May 03, 2013
- Elder of Ziyon
I was just glancing through The Survey of Western Palestine, written in 1878.
The first thing to notice is the title; Western Palestine is the parts that are west of the Jordan River, as opposed to Eastern Palestine, which had its own survey. I have yet to find a single Palestinian Arab willing to say that they claim Jordan as part of their ancestral land of Palestine. (Just as none of them claimed the West Bank or Gaza to be theirs before 1967. Funny how Arab claims always coincide with Jewish control.)
We see that Jews were immigrating in droves:
But - so were Arabs. Here is a description of new building in mostly Arab towns, saying where one group came from explicitly:
This might explain why so many Arab residents of Jaffa decided to flee to Egypt in 1948, as opposed to the east or to the north. They already came from there!
Not that this is any secret to the Arabs themselves. But they won't admit that in English.
The first thing to notice is the title; Western Palestine is the parts that are west of the Jordan River, as opposed to Eastern Palestine, which had its own survey. I have yet to find a single Palestinian Arab willing to say that they claim Jordan as part of their ancestral land of Palestine. (Just as none of them claimed the West Bank or Gaza to be theirs before 1967. Funny how Arab claims always coincide with Jewish control.)
We see that Jews were immigrating in droves:
But - so were Arabs. Here is a description of new building in mostly Arab towns, saying where one group came from explicitly:
This might explain why so many Arab residents of Jaffa decided to flee to Egypt in 1948, as opposed to the east or to the north. They already came from there!
Not that this is any secret to the Arabs themselves. But they won't admit that in English.
- Friday, May 03, 2013
- Ian
From Ian:
LATMA: President Obama explains his red lines
Sarah Honig: Another Tack: A convenient untruth
LATMA: President Obama explains his red lines
Sarah Honig: Another Tack: A convenient untruth
Double-standards toward Israel won’t keep America safe from predations. They’ll only embolden the jihadists. Kerry would do well to learn and memorize Chaim Weizmann’s wake-up call to Anthony Eden after Kristallnacht:The monotonous Middle East
“The fire from the synagogues may easily spread to Westminster Abbey…. It means the beginning of anarchy and the destruction of the basis of civilization. The powers which stand looking on, without taking measures to prevent the crime, will one day be themselves visited by severe punishment.”
There is not much left to the stale Middle East complaint from the 1960s that Western colonialism and imperialism sidetracked the region's own natural trajectory to democracy. After the derailed Arab Spring, the world accepted that the mess in the Middle East is not imported, but rather the result of homegrown tribalism, sexual apartheid, religious intolerance, anti-Semitism, illiteracy, statism and authoritarianism.US report names ‘worst’ violators of religious freedom
Revolutionary theocrats always seem to follow the ouster of fossilized thugs. "Reformers" who were "elected" after the fall of the Shah of Iran and Hosni Mubarak in Egypt on spec conjured up the same old bogeymen as their predecessors, subverted the rule of law in the same old fashion, and wrecked the economy in the same old manner.
The 15 countries are Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Vietnam, all of which severely restrict independent religious activity and harass individuals and groups for religious activity or beliefs. These nations are classified as Tier 1 “countries of particular concern” (CPCs) in the report.Why do Jews and Israel so often feature at center of conspiracy theories?
Despite its recent opening and political reforms, change in Burma have “yet to significantly improve the situation for freedom of religion and belief.” The report states that most violations occurred against minority Christian and Muslim adherents. China’s government is also cited for its ongoing severe abuses against its citizens’ freedom of thought.
Whether it’s the Boston Marathon bombings, the cold-blooded murder of 20 schoolchildren in Connecticut, or the definitive American tragedy of this generation, 9/11, one thing is certain — a cottage industry will arise claiming the event was perpetrated or staged by Jews or Israelis for some nefarious purpose.CIF Watch: Pallywood Light: Guardian video claiming to show ‘Jews attacking Palestinians’ fails to deliver
A new study out this week — more than four months after a gunman massacred 20 children and six educators at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut — finds that one-quarter (25 percent) of Americans believe facts about the shooting are being hidden by the government or media and an additional 11% are unsure.
However, upon viewing the one minute and six second Guardian video, we couldn’t help but notice the absence of any clips actually showing ‘Jewish settlers attacking Palestinians’, despite text on the bottom of the screen at various moments stating that such attacks were taking place. Part 2The curious CV of a former BBC Arabic journalist
But the more interesting part of Ali Hashem’s CV comes before he joined the BBC, when he worked for the Hizballah TV station Al Manar – the self-proclaimed “station of the resistance” – which was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Entity by the United States in 2004. Al Manar was also banned by France on the grounds of its incitement of racial hatred, as well as by Germany and other countries.Two TV Stations in US Broadcast Hamas and Hezbollah Incitement
Two television stations, one in New Jersey and one in California, are broadcasting programs from the outlawed Hezbollah and Hamas terrorist organizations, encouraging American children to grow up into suicide bombers.Faces of Israel: Mazal Elijah, Immigrant from Iraq
The New York-based Lawfare Project said the NileSat IPTV in New Jersey and ArabTV4ALL in California are transmitting broadcast from the Al Aqsa television network, which is linked with Hamas, and from the Al Manar satellite network, a mouthpiece for Hezbollah.
If an Arab barged into your home and demanded to marry your daughter, it was impossible to refuse him.The Maturation of Indo-Israeli Ties
Mazal Elijah and her family had a very difficult life. As members of the Baghdad Jewish community, Mazal’s mother endured much suffering during what is known as the “Farhud Pogrom” or just “Farhud” in Baghdad, June 1941. Within 24 hours of the start of the pogrom, 250 people died. Mazal claimed that some Arabs were decent and tried to save Jews from the Farhud, yet other Arabs behaved horribly and sought to do the same to the Jews of Iraq as Hitler did to the Jews in Europe, yet they were fortunately stopped by the British. Thus, upon getting married around that period of time, her husband was drafted into the army, thus forcing her to move in with her parents so that she wouldn’t get killed. Eventually, he managed to escape from the army, yet for a while things were very uncertain.
The normalization of relations has not transformed India into an ally of Israel. Nor has it caused it to abandon its erstwhile positions vis-à-vis the Palestinians. But by gradually delinking the unending saga of the peace process from bilateral relations, New Delhi is moving toward a more mature understanding and closer friendship with Israel. Recognition by both countries of the limitations and potentials of the relations has enabled them to avoid pitfalls of grandiose visions. Israel is no longer India’s suitor; nor is it an ally. But both are emerging as a mature, dependable, and accommodating couple.Disabled Gaza toddler lives at Israeli hospital
In his short life, Palestinian toddler Mohammed al-Farra has known just one home: the yellow-painted children’s ward in Israel’s Tel Hashomer Hospital.
Born in Gaza with a rare genetic disease, Mohammed’s hands and feet were amputated because of complications from his condition, and the 3½-year-old carts about in a tiny red wheelchair. His parents abandoned him, and the Palestinian government won’t pay for his care, so he lives at the hospital with his grandfather.
- Friday, May 03, 2013
- Elder of Ziyon
The kibbutz was founded in September 1930 by 42 members of the Noar HaOved youth group, on lands purchased from the Arab village of Al-Na'ani. The name of the village and the kibbutz derives probably from the Biblical town of Na'amah (Joshua 15:41).If anyone knows any of the individuals pictured here, please comment. The person who sent this to me, Josh K., would love to identify the people there.
- Friday, May 03, 2013
- Ian
From Ian:
UN sponsors "terrorist tournament"
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has sponsored an event named after a Palestinian terrorist who was responsible for the deaths of 125 people.
Arab March to Jerusalem Planned in Cairo
UN sponsors "terrorist tournament"
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has sponsored an event named after a Palestinian terrorist who was responsible for the deaths of 125 people.
The event, a football tournament, was financially supported by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and sponsored by the United Nations agency. Palestinian news outlets reported, "The draw for the 19th Prince of Martyrs Khalil Al-Wazir Abu Jihad Football Tournament for youth born in 1996, took place in the Al-Ansar Club offices in Jerusalem. The tournament is organized by the Ansar Al-Quds Club, sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme and funded by the Islamic Development Bank."PMW: Abu Jihad glorified for planning "operations" that killed dozens of Israelis - on PA TV
Arab March to Jerusalem Planned in Cairo
A Global March to Jerusalem was planned last year as well. Counter-terror experts found that Iran was backing the event.Analysis: Egypt, Iran in power struggle over Gaza
The march drew only a few thousand people, far from the two million supporters organizers had hoped for.
Egypt and Iran are locked in a power struggle over their influence and conflicting aims in the Gaza Strip, and Egypt appears to have the upper hand.Iran Brings Back Stoning As “Islamic Punishment”
While Tehran is dissatisfied with the relative durability of the cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, and is pushing Palestinian armed factions to violate the truce, Cairo is doing its utmost to reinforce the calm, which it views as serving Egypt’s national interest.
The controversial “Islamic Punishment” law that was rejected by the Guardians Council returned and eventually was passed last week. To the disappointment of human rights activists and the promises of some Majlis representatives, not only stoning is not negated in the law, it is in fact emphasized.Kenya Finds Iranians Guilty of Plotting Attacks Against Israelis
Two Iranians were found guilty by a Kenyan court Thursday for possessing explosives allegedly for use in bomb attacks.Erdogan: There's No Doubt Assad Used Chemical Weapons
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that there is no doubt that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has used chemical weapons against rebels.Federal Agents Raid Saudi Diplomatic Compound, Free Slaves
Erdogan added that he would discuss the issue with U.S. President Barack Obama during his upcoming visit to Washington.
Saudi Arabia officially abolished slavery, but its labor practices are largely indistinguishable from slavery. High-ranking Saudis in America have been charged with slavery before.Pakistanis remember bin Laden as 'Islamic hero'
But now a Saudi diplomatic compound in Virginia has run afoul of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Al-Qaida supporters gather in Pakistan, chanting, carrying photos of 9/11 mastermind bin Laden on 2nd anniversary of his death.UK Political Candidate Making ‘Nazi Salute’ Claims He Was Just Reaching For Phone
However, to their detractors the group’s anti-EU drive comes not from economic sensibility but from nationalism, xenophobia, and even outright racism.Neo-Nazi trial highlights latent racism in Germany
Case in point: this week 22-year-old UKIP candidate Alex Wood was suspended after a Facebook photo that appeared to show him making a “Nazi salute” was published by left wing tabloid the Daily Mirror.
Surviving member of National Socialist Underground to be tried for complicity in murder of 8 Turks and a GreekDutch Turk Volunteer Harassed for Opposing Holocaust Supporters
He said, “The Sahin Affair, even if it concerns a single victim, well illustrates three major negative aspects of contemporary Dutch society. The first issue is, as Sahin relates, the immoral attitudes held by significant parts of Dutch Turkish society. The second aspect is the failure of the Dutch major media which only started to give substantial publicity to the scandal of the young Hitler admirers on mainstream TV after several weeks had passed, when the Simon Wiesenthal Center wrote a protest letter to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
The third more recent failure is that of the Dutch police and prosecution. The net result of the death threats and hatred against Sahin coming out of the Turkish community is that one of the youths receives some superficial “educational training,” while the victim is warned that he will be brought before a court if he insults his aggressors again.
- Friday, May 03, 2013
- Elder of Ziyon
Hamas proudly tweeted this image showing Gaza children playing:
Gaza parents must be so proud that their children aspire to death!
The reactions from Muslims are positive as well., pushing back when others are horrified:
Then again, this does come in as handy practice for when they fake funerals as adults as well, as this 2006 video shows:
Like this our children play, they love Shahada "Martyrdom". twitter.com/AlqassamBrigad…
— Alqassam Brigades (@AlqassamBrigade) May 2, 2013
Gaza parents must be so proud that their children aspire to death!
The reactions from Muslims are positive as well., pushing back when others are horrified:
Then again, this does come in as handy practice for when they fake funerals as adults as well, as this 2006 video shows:
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