Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Sunday, June 09, 2013

Arabic media hotly anticipating antisemitic "Khaybar" Ramadan miniseries (sign the petition!)

There were a couple of newer articles about the upcoming antisemitic mini-series "Khaybar" scheduled to run in various Arab countries during Ramadan - and they generally do not even try to mask the film's Jew-hatred.

"Khaybar" has an all-star pan-Arab cast, with famous actors from Syria, Jordan and Egypt acting out roles from the linchpin event of the series, the defeat of Jews in the battle of Khaybar.

Egyptian actor Khalil Marsa gives behind-the-scenes tidbits in an Egyptian article, where we learn that "The series 'Khaybar' focuses mainly the Jewish community, their ideas, characteristics, tactics and the extent of entrenched hostility between them and the Arabs from the days of Moses."

Youm7 talks about how the director is working day and night to complete post-production before Ramadan next month. It says that the film as "addresses issues to uncover the betrayal of the Jews and their false promises since the battle."

DPNews Arabic says that besides the historical parts of the series, it "sheds light on Jews' attributes and how they have caused the enmity and hatred of others."

One webpage dedicated to Ramadan TV series expects Khaybar to have no less than 30 parts.

I was wondering if perhaps the reason that HRW and Amnesty refuse to condemn this upcoming series, or indeed any Arab antisemitism, is because they support free speech, and refuse to condemn any incitement or hate speech. However, this is not the case.

In 2012, HRW noted that "International human rights law provides strong protections for free expression. It grants states leeway to restrict it, provided that such restrictions are both defined narrowly and necessary in a democratic society for national security or public safety, public order, the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. In addition, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights requires states to prohibit “advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.”

Amnesty similarly states "[T]he right to freedom of expression is not absolute -- neither for the creators of material nor their critics. It carries responsibilities and it may, therefore, be subject to restrictions in the name of safeguarding the rights of others. In particular, any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence cannot be considered legitimate exercise of freedom of expression. Under international standards, such 'hate speech' should be prohibited by law."

Can Khaybar - a slick film production whose entire purpose is to demonize Jews as a people - be seen as anything other than hate speech? Do human rights organizations think that Hollywood-style production shields a film from the fact that its entire purpose is to promote hate?

We have a chance to publicize this hate before it airs, and to force the promoters and state sponsors to answer for their hate. It is a shame that "human rights" organizations are hiding from their responsibility to lead against such incitement.

Please sign the petition to convince Amnesty and HRW to simply make a statement against this upcoming mass incitement. Their adamant refusal to speak against it so far, under their own definitions of hate speech, is truly hypocritical.

BDSMers force PA minister to flee conference; PA responds by beating BDSMer

From JPost:

Palestinian Authority Economy Minister Jawad al-Naji was forced to walk out of The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Conference on Saturday after participants demanded that he leave for insulting a man who asked a “provocative” question.

The man was later severely beaten by PA security officers accompanying the minister and taken to hospital.

Eyewitnesses reported that one of the participants, Nizar Banat, asked the minister why the PA and President Mahmoud Abbas were continuing to conduct security coordination with Israel while fighting “normalization” with Israelis.

In response, the angry minister called on the activist to to “stop barking.” The minister’s remark drew sharp criticism from the participants, who demanded that he leave the conference instantly.

When the moderator asked the minister to apologize, al- Naji walked out of the conference.

One of the participants said that PA security officers and Fatah “thugs” later beat Banat as he exited the conference.

Banat was taken to the hospital, where he was being treated for bruises, the participant said.

He said that at least seven men attacked him shortly after he left the conference hall.

“They tried to pull me out of a car,” he said. “When I resisted, they dragged me out and beat me.” He added that some of the attackers were aides to the minister.

The participant said that PA security officers also started searching the cellphones of some participants to make sure they had not filmed the confrontation between Banat and the minister.

“What happened today at the Bethlehem University conference is very serious,” she said. “The activist only asked the minister why he and President Abbas were campaigning against normalization with Israel while at the same time conducting security coordination with Israel.”

She insisted that the minister was “expelled” from the university and did not voluntarily walk out.

Here's video of al-Naji walking out, as the haters cheer:

We have seen before that the BDS movement is far more radical than even the PA and is against any two-state solution.

The PA, for its part, acts like a dictatorship in response to even the slightest criticism.

Thomas Friedman thinks "Palestine" could be a "model" for how other Arab regimes act. It already is!

And it would only be a matter of time before it is replaced with a leadership that's even worse!

NGO Monitor has just revealed that the BDS movement is funded, in part, by the EU - which officially supports a two-state solution.

Syrian paper: "Jews danger to the world"

It doesn't get more antisemitic than this. Excerpts from Al Watan:

Jews danger to the world

The Jews for centuries a have had secret plan for the purpose of grabbing the world for their own good, and this plan is clear through what is known about the Jews' malice on the nations..they see anyone who is not them as their enemy.... Jews always seek the demolition of governments all over the world to be replaced by governments loyal to them, pitting rulers against the people on the one hand, and peoples' rebellion against the rulers of the other hand, using principles of «freedom and equality» with a particular interpretation that hurts both parties...

The Jews paved sedition to the heart of the global system and the threat of their being spreading chaos and pornography between peoples, and to spread corrupt doctrines affecting the minds of the sons of the people, and undermine every pillar of religion, or national or ethics, and worked to lay the seeds of discord and unrest in both countries through secret political, religious and artistic societies, sports and Masonic lodges, with different activities, and the transfer of ideas of tolerance to religious and political extremism, and working on the use of extreme and contradictory doctrines to serve their interests, as long as they lead finally to the disintegration of the world, and the elimination of morals and religions and ethnic groups, acting against authority of the World, they claim religious tolerance and religious extremism at the same time. Jews have strong international institutions and associations with global influence, for sedition and to expand the dispute between the countries, dragging the world into wars, some global and and some local, all to remove barriers to the sovereignty of the Jewish world, and they are the sole beneficiaries in peace and war...

...Zionist bankers hold the reins of the dollar in the American continent which is behind all countries; Zionists have succeeded to make the U.S. dollar the basis of cash in the world, ...and also took over the means of copyright and the press, schools, universities and cinema companies and the role of science and laws in most major countries, and has become the gold that the Jews monopolized as the most powerful weapon to arouse public opinion and corrupting the youth, and the elimination of conscience and religions and nationalities, and so Jews founded the global economy on the basis of gold, not on the basis of the work force, production and other forms of wealth, with the creation of global economic crises all the time, and they are pleased with obedience to power of the Jewish world.

The establishment of the State of Israel on the land of Palestine was to grab a patch of the Middle East and Arab countries in particular, to control their world trade between East and West, and to take advantage of this vulnerable population in their eyes, and take over the oil wells and all the minerals found in the area....

I love how Jews can be held responsible for everything - if you are capitalist, they are communist; if you are socialist they are capitalist. If you are nationalist they are internationalist, but if you are global minded they are insular. If you are religious they are infidels but if you are atheist they are behind all religious strife. The logic is impeccable - whatever you hate, the Jews are at fault!

Saturday Links

From Ian:

Six Fateful Days that Shook the World

On June 5, 1967 Israel showed the world how a determined nation with just 2.5 million people could defeat in convincing fashion an aggressor forty-four times its size. For the Arabs, the Six-Day War is a sensitive issue, so sensitive in fact that they refuse to refer to it by that name, preferring instead to call it the June War, as if somehow that obfuscates the fact that they were defeated in a mere six days. However, for the civilized world, the Six-Day War will be remembered as a war where the few overcame the many and where civilization triumphed over those who still live in medieval backwardness.

Caroline Glick: Wounded...and dangerous

The one thing all the scandals share is a singleminded willingness to pursue radical goals to the bitter end. The IRS’s targeting of conservatives was an appalling abuse of executive power, unlike anything we have seen in recent history. The passage of Obamacare in the face massive public opposition was another means to the end of destroying his opponents. The cover-up of the Benghazi attack was a bid to hide the failure of a policy in order to double down on it – despite its failure. The only reason you would want to double down on an already failed policy is if you are ideologically committed to a larger goal that the failed policy advances.
What this means for Israel is we cannot be lured into complacency by Kerry’s buffoonery or Obama’s apparent political weakness. This is a man who is most dangerous when attacked. And this is a man who is absolutely committed to his ideological agenda. We had better be ready, because if we are not, we won’t know what has hit us.

Ann Arbor TA Bars ‘Boycott Israel’ bus Ads

A federal judge has agreed that the Ann Arbor Transit Authority had the right to reject a bus ad campaign by an anti-Israel activist. The ad shows a spider crushing skulls, framed by the words: “Boycott Israel, Boycott Apartheid,” CBS News in Detroit reported.
ACLU Attorney Dan Korobkin said he was disappointed by Judge Mark Goldsmith’s decision, and Blaine Coleman, the anti-Israeli activist that Korobkin is representing—was also disappointed.

CNN Accused of Whitewashing Palestinian Soccer Star’s Terror Ties

“The reporter makes a romantic figure out of someone with ties to Islamic Jihad and shows zero skepticism about Sarsak’s rendition of events,” Andrea Levin, director of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) told the Washington Free Beacon. “CNN shouldn’t be in the business of whitewashing. Viewers need the whole story.”

Saudi Gazette Editorial: Hezbollah unmasked

In recognizing that Hezbollah, for all its attempts to portray itself as a responsible political movement, is in fact simply a terror group, the GCC member states have taken a bold and decisive step. No longer will Hezbollah be able to present itself convincingly as a champion of any Arab cause. No longer will it be able to pretend that its men are dying for the rest of the Arab world.

IDF derides Hezbollah report of Israeli bombs found in Qusair battle zone

Hezbollah television channel al-Manar on Friday claimed Israeli ammunition was found in the Syrian battle zone border town of Qusair, but the IDF was quick to explain that the “bombs” are non-lethal and date back to before Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in the year 2000.

Syrian Army Uses Innocent Civilians as Bait

President Bashar Al-Assad’s troops have been using innocent civilians as human bait to lure rebels from their hiding places, according to Arab affairs expert Dalit Halevi.
A recent video distributed by the rebels shows the brutal methods used by the Assad regime in its war against the rebels.

Pentagon official: Russian warships may be carrying weapons to Syria

The United States has been tracking the ships since they left Russian ports several days ago. U.S. satellites were able to see some indications of containers being loaded onto the ships. Although it's not confirmed, it's believed the ships may be carrying some components of the controversial Russian S-300 air defense missile system and other weapons for the regime.

UN: Russia Can't Take Part in Golan Heights Force

The United Nations said on Friday that Russia cannot send troops to the Golan Heights peacekeeping force, after President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to bolster the force, AFP reported.

US experiment: Pentagon destroys replica of underground nuclear facility

The Pentagon has recently completed a series of field exercises on US soil as part of which a replica of an underground nuclear facility was destroyed, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Friday.
The tests were declared a resounding success having exceeded all expectations.
The results of the experiment were relayed to friendly nations with the aim of reassuring them as to the US's ability to destroy Iranian nuclear facilities in a single strike.

Iran Protests Erupt, Take Analysts By Surprise

It’s a week before the presidential elections and the political atmosphere in Iran is heating up. For the first time in years demonstrators this week dared gathering in public in a large protest against the regime.

Pope angers Turkey over Armenian genocide comment

Pope Francis has angered the Turkish government by calling the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians, nearly a century ago, “the first genocide of the 20th century.”
The pontiff made the comment during a visit with a delegation of Armenian Catholics on Monday, when one member of the group said she was a descendant of genocide victims.

Montreal’s Cafe Shalom Firebombed, Follows Similar Attack on Nearby Kosher Restaurant

The owner of the cafe reportedly told police that he had not been subjected to any recent threats or harassment. However, a similar incident occurred last October at another R in the area—the high-end kosher Chops Resto Bar. In that instance, a single Molotov was thrown in through a front window, though it too was extinguished by the sprinkler system on the premises.

French Jewish community rips plan to honor Arafat

A French Jewish community is protesting plans to name a public square for the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Mayor Etienne Butzbach of Belfort, in eastern France, said in an article published Monday in the online edition of the local newspaper L’alsace that the homage to Arafat “is connected to the signing of the Oslo Accords.”

UK MP describes female Israeli soldier as ‘a bloody Jew’

A British member of parliament under fire in a corruption scandal was caught on camera describing an Israeli soldier as a “bloody Jew.”
Patrick Mercer made the remark to a BBC reporter posing as a lobbyist in the investigation. The footage was broadcast Thursday.

Times Square Anti-Semitic Elmo Charged With Extortion

A man whose previous claim to fame was dressing up as Elmo and unleashing a tirade of anti-Semitic abuse on passersby in New York City’s Times Square may get his comeuppance after all, now that prosecutors are charging him with extortion, The New York Daily News reports.
Sandler, who plead not guilty, apparently contacted the Girl Scouts and threatened to go public with false claims, including that the organization arranged sex between men and young girls at scout camp, if he was not compensated, prosecutors said.

Iran cracks down on - pet dogs

Ayatollah fun from AFP:

Iran is again cracking down on people with pet dogs, viewed as unclean in Islam, but Soroush
Mobaraki says sales are booming despite fears the pooches might be arrested and their owners fined.

This veterinary pharmacologist, sitting in the small Tehran pet shop he owns, said there has been a sharp increase in demand for dogs in recent years.

We sell 15 to 20 dogs a month, but I know some other traders who sell many more, said Mobaraki, aged 34.

For decades, keeping dogs as pets was a rarity and thus tolerated in Iran, where the Islamic beliefs cherished by the vast majority of traditional Iranians consider dogs as najis, or unclean.

Guard dogs, sheep dogs and hounds have always been acceptable, but the soaring number of pets acquired by a middle class keen to imitate Western culture has alarmed the authorities in recent years.

They have now criminalized walking dogs in public, or driving them around the city.

Reports of lap dogs dressed in Western designer clothes and accessories being driven in fancy cars, or walked in parks in affluent Tehran neighborhoods has drawn the ire of hardline clerics.

In June 2010 Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirzi labeled dog companionship as a blind imitation of Western culture, warning that such behavior would lead to family corruption and damage societal values.

Many people in the West love their dogs more than their wives and children; the ayatollah was quoted in the media as saying.

Those remarks, and a decree issued by Shirzi, gave ground to the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance forbidding all media from publishing any advertisements about pets.

The restrictions, implemented in 2010, forced many breeders to keep their dogs out of sight.

We are not allowed to keep them in pet shops, said Mobaraki, who spoke of his safe haven in a garden outside Tehran. I only bring them here when I have struck a deal in advance with the buyer.

The popularity of this un-Islamic trend has also forced the police to reinforce its sporadic crackdown on dogs.

Police will confront those who walk their dogs in the streets. Cars carrying dogs will also be impounded, deputy police chief Ahmad Reza Radan said in April, according to the Fars news agency.

Friday Links Part 2

From Ian:

Latma: Nothing to see in Turkey, and IRAN VOTES!!!

Lies, Apartheid and BS

Frankfurt’s book, which spent 27 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list, presented a theory of BS and analyzed the term in the context of communication. The theory’s key nugget, which Frankfurt briefly discussed at our table, is that BS is worse than lies.
Whereas a liar must know the truth in order to conceal it, a BSer couldn’t care less one way or the other. His goal is not to conceal or reveal but to make an impression — to advance an agenda.
This blatant disregard for the very notion of truth is what makes BS a greater enemy of the truth than are lies.

On Israel's President's Conference by Raheel Raza

I would, in retaliation, host Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan "Apartheid Weeks." Stephen Hawking has, apparently, no issues speaking in China and Iran, two countries with appalling human rights records. No one speaks about BDS of Saudi Arabia, where the list of human rights violations is endless. Where were their voices? Or Pakistan, with religious minorities facing persecution and violence against women? No one asked me to cancel my trip to Pakistan.

JNF Withdraws from $500,000 Clinton Event

The Jewish National Fund (Keren Kayemet Leyisrael) said on Thursday that it will not take part in an upcoming gala event attended by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, and will not pay him $500,000 to give a speech at this gala.
Clinton's participation in the event has not been canceled.

Ireland Blocking E.U. From Blacklisting Hezbollah, Putting Spotlight on Anti-Israel Diplomacy

Ireland has often found itself the subject of international criticism for permitting and promoting vociferous anti-Israel activity bordering on anti-Semitism. Bilateral Israeli-Irish ties have been strained by Dublin’s funding of NGO’s that promote among other things boycott efforts against Israel. In addition to promoting pro-boycott NGO’s, Ireland has also funded artists who bolstered boycotts of Israel.

Justice for Israel

"Norwegians and other Westerners need to understand the warlike patterns of behavior that characterize the region Israel resides in. This is what we have to deal with." When Deek makes this argument -- he is a Christian Arab who proudly and empathetically represents Israel -- people listen.
MIFF is now challenging Norway's almost blind funding of the PA, especially since it is clear that the PA has expended plenty of kroner rewarding the families of convicted terrorists. At the very least, Norway should take full control of the money it allocates to the PA, and itself administer the spending of these funds in support of specific, well-defined projects that benefit Palestinians and build a real constituency for peace.

Palestinians throw firebombs at Israeli bus near Ramallah

Palestinians threw rocks and two firebombs at an Israeli bus near Ramallah on Thursday.

Palestinians throw rocks at two fire crews in east J'lem

Palestinians threw rocks at two fire crews that were putting out a wildfire in east Jerusalem, Israel Radio reported.

Iran and Argentina’s impending circus of ‘truth’

In all, the deal to establish the joint “truth commission” serves as a clear victory for Iran and a painful blow to those Argentinians still mourning the loss of their loved ones. It provides the Iranian regime with the pretense of goodwill while enabling it to protect its officials from being held accountable. In this truth commission there will not be any form of reconciliation between victim and perpetrator. Instead, the AMIA bombing victims will suffer the further indignity of having their government cooperate with and legitimize those responsible for their suffering, while continuing to be deprived of justice.

South Korea In Advanced Negotiations For Iron Dome Purchase

The Tower has learned that advanced negotiations took place between the two countries during a private visit to Israel by Brigadier General Lee Hee Woo, President of a Chungnam National University research institute. General Lee told The Tower that “the Korean air Force is seriously considering purchasing the Israeli system in order to defend our capital Seoul from the North Korean threat.”

Tel Aviv celebrates annual gay pride festival

Tel Aviv hosted its 15th annual Gay Pride Festival on Friday, with over a hundred thousand spectators and participants attending the celebrations, including droves of tourists from all over the world.
The Festival began at 10 a.m. at Gan Meir park, home to the city’s gay community center, and featured performances, speeches and music. A massive parade of some 25,000 participants started at 1 p.m., making its way from the park through central Tel Aviv and culminating at the iconic Gordon Beach.

BCF: In Solidarity With Queers Against Israeli Apartheid 93% Of Palestinians Say Homosexuality Is Not Acceptable In Society

Pew Survey: The Global Divide on Homosexuality

Report: PepsiCo Offered $2B for ‘Settlements’ Labeled SodaStream

PepsiCo is negotiating with Israeli-based SodaStream to buy out the firm for $2 billion, according to the Israeli Calcalist business newspaper. SodaStream’s shares in Germany shot up nearly 20 percent after the report.
SodaStream, listed on NASDAQ, manufactures machines that make carbonated drinks from tap water and also produces flavors, carbon dioxide refills and re-usable bottles.

German shirts say the team is ‘at home’ in Israel

German’s under-21 squad will wear special shirts dedicated to Israel as it warms up for its match against Holland’s team Thursday, in a tribute to the tournament’s host country.
The shirts read “we feel at home” in Hebrew, and wearing them is a rare move by a visiting country in an international tournament. UEFA’s Under-21 Championship is the most prestigious sporting competition to be hosted by Israel since the 1968 Paralympics.

An Egyptian Discovers that When an Israeli is Pricked, She Indeed Bleeds

Kartysh’s comments after the match included the following.
“I can’t even describe how proud I felt hearing ‘Hatikva’ (Israel‘s national anthem) playing in the end.”
The Egyptian wrestler learned that when an Israeli Jew is pricked, she indeed bleeds, and that when she is so wronged she will avenge such an indignity by persevering and – in a display of pride, defiance and resilience – emerging victorious.

Orthodox Female Israeli Kickboxing Champ Shares Her Unlikely Story (VIDEO)

The Muay Thai kickboxing world has an unlikely world champion in Sara Avraham, an Indian immigrant who lives in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba, Jewish News One reports.

AP's misleading headline: "Israeli police: Gay killings not a hate crime"

Are Israeli police saying that targeting gays is not considered a hate crime?

That's sure what a lot of people would think when they see this headline, in AP as well as dozens of media outlets:

Reading the article you see that it is referring to a specific, and notorious, case in Israel:

Israeli police say the killing of two people at a gay youth center in Tel Aviv four years ago is no longer being treated as a hate crime.

Police arrested four suspects this week in connection with the killing, originally seen as the most serious homophobic attack in a country that is fairly gay-friendly.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Friday that the motive behind the killing was of a personal nature. He said the suspects intended to shoot someone else at the center.
Instead, they opened fire on the two people they killed. Other details of the case are under court gag order.

I don't think that AP intended to imply that Israel was declassifying anti-gay violence as a hate crime, but it is very sloppy headline-writing.

By the way, the manhunt to find the killer was massive:

After the August 1, 2009 killings, the Central Unit was given an unlimited budget to pursue the case, and the investigation turned into one of the most expensive ever carried out in Israel. Anyone who was mentioned in connection with the shooting was called in for questioning, and ultimately more than 1,000 people were interrogated.

(h/t EBoZ)

International Red Cross promotes terror-supporting IHH in video

This is unconscionable. The ICRC interviews the head of the Turkish IHH and allows him to pretend that his organization is humanitarian, even concerning the Mavi Marmara attack on the IDF:

Here's a video of the IHH-sponsored flotilla that shows just how "humanitarian" it was:

Here's more stuff that the International Committee of the Red Cross didn't bother to inform viewers of in the video about the IHH:

Even the "aid" that the flotilla was bringing was symbolic - including expired medicines!

The IHH is close to Hamas, and doesn't deal at all with the PA. IHH members have recently visited Gaza and Hamas members reciprocate.

When the ICRC legitimizes the IHH, they only delegitimize themselves.

(h/t Harry's Place)

Friday Links Part 1

From Ian:

An Honest Answer to John Kerry’s Question to American Jewry

Is Kerry asking American Jews to pressure their Israeli counterparts to respond positively to Abbas’s outrageous demands? The last time Israel wandered down that path, with the settlement freeze of 2009, the Jewish state was met with yet more recalcitrance from Abbas.
In truth the onus is on Abbas, and in that regard, to paraphrase, “No one has a weaker voice in this than the American Jewish community.”
The real question to be asked here is by American Jewry to John Kerry. Ma nishtana, why are you any different from all those who instinctively hold the Jews responsible for everything that is wrong in the Middle East.

Palestinians campaign to regain 'occupied' Latrun

One Israeli official was stunned by the Palestinian campaign over Latrun, saying it was as if the Palestinians were moving the goal line backwards.
Referring to US Secretary of State John Kerry’s push to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, the official said, “It’s almost as if every time we move forward, or every time there is a prospect of moving forward, the Palestinians bring up an issue which they know is a game breaker.”
The Palestinian decision to make this an issue, the official continued, “raises concerns as to their seriousness.”

The Palestinian Excuse Machine

In every peace plan put forward by peace groups as well as the Israeli government’s offers of statehood to the Palestinians, the Jewish areas of East Jerusalem remain part of Israel. The Palestinians know that even in the most generous distribution of territory – including the one put forward by former prime minister Ehud Olmert in 2008 that called for the abandonment of the Old City by Israel – Ramot and Gilo and other such neighborhoods are not going to be handed over to them and emptied of their Jewish inhabitants.

Barry Rubin: Obama Middle East Policy: Wrong Team, Wrong Ideas

In the Middle East, to paraphrase President Barack Obama's mentor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, the dodo birds are coming home to roost.
At this moment, the administration's policy team consists of CIA director John Brennan, father of the ""moderate" Islamism-and-the-Muslim Brotherhood-are-good school; the Secretary of State John Kerry who thinks he is going to make Israel-Palestinian peace in one month; the know-nothing Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel; the chilling ideologue Samantha Powers as UN ambassador; and the dupe of the Benghazi scandal Susan Rice rewarded by being made national security adviser.

Samantha Power, U.N. Nominee, Highlights Obama’s Genocide Problem

The nomination of Samantha Power for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations has drawn the Jewish community’s attention to her controversial 2002 remark about hypothetical U.S. action against Israel to protect Palestinians from genocide. But Power’s confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate is also likely to address a broader question: How can lawmakers judge her record on responding to genocide, when the government agency she has headed for the past year has no office, no staff, no phone number, and no public record of taking any action to fulfill its stated mission—to prevent atrocities in Darfur and elsewhere around the world?

Leading Arab journalist sympathizes with Bin Laden

A leading Arab journalist expressed sympathy with former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, considering him only “half a terrorist” in a television interview published by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
Asked whether he believed Bin Laden was a terrorist, Abdel Bari Atwan, editor in chief of the London-based daily al-Quds al-Arabi, told Egypt’s ONtv TV channel June 2 that the Saudi terrorist leader was “half a terrorist,” since his organization’s attacks against American forces in Saudi Arabia could not be considered terrorism.

Galon Upset Over Ban of Inciting PA Official

Meretz chair blasts the Defense Ministry for refusing to allow PA official who called to nuke Israel take part in her party's conference.
MK Zehava Galon, head of the extreme leftist Meretz party, blasted the Defense Ministry on Thursday for preventing the participation of Palestinian Authority official Jibril Rajoub at the party’s conference this coming Sunday.

Meretz's Darling: Netanyahu is a Dog

Video shows Meretz's would-be guest Jibril Rajoub denouncing "Jews, Satans, Zionist sons of bitches.”

Senior Fatah official: Palestinians suffered more from Munich killings

Senior Fatah Central Committee member Jibril Rajoub, who also heads the Palestinian Olympic committee, claimed Thursday that the Palestinians had suffered three times as much as the Israelis because of the 1972 Munich attacks.

IDF Files Complaint With UN as Syrian Tanks Enter Golan Demilitarized Zone

Israel has filed a complaint with the UN after it was reported Thursday morning that Syrian tanks had entered the demilitarized zone in the vicinity of the Quneitra crossing. The move would be in violation of the ceasefire agreement between the two countries.

Dozens of Syrians try to flee fighting into Israel

Syrians fleeing fierce fighting near the Israeli-Syrian border tried to escape through the Quneitra border crossing into Israel on Thursday. IDF soldiers sheltered the civilians within buildings at the crossing, then sent them back into Syria when they determined it was safe to do so.
In addition, the Israeli military told The Times of Israel that three mortars had fallen in open areas on the northern and central Golan Heights on Thursday. No damages or injuries were reported.

Jordan threatens to expel Syrian envoy

US ally Jordan threatened on Thursday to expel Syria's ambassador, after he warned the kingdom Syrian missiles could be used against Patriot batteries due to be deployed soon along their border.

Bulgaria: No Backtrack over Burgas

Bulgaria denied Thursday backtracking over whether Hizbullah was behind a bomb attack last July on its soil that killed five Israelis, saying earlier comments were misinterpreted, AFP reported.
"Bulgaria has not revised its stance on the terrorist act," Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin was cited in a statement as telling Ireland's ambassador to Sofia, John Rowan, in talks.

Kerry quietly approved $1.3 billion in arms to Egypt

US Secretary of State John Kerry quietly approved sending $1.3 billion in arms to Egypt in May, waiving the requirements of a US law meant to promote democratic development in the post-revolutionary country.

Unrepentant Norwegian paper claims reaction to its gory cartoon is ‘similar to Mohammed riots’

The Norwegian daily newspaper Dagbladet said reactions to its caricature on circumcision “are similar” to riots that erupted over cartoons mocking Mohammed.
Referencing Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten caricatures of Mohammed in 2005, Dagbladet wrote in a statement: “We now have similar reactions to a cartoon that Dagbladet printed last week.”

Stadium full of Jew-haters in Cairo

Al Ahram reports:

Egyptian Islamist groups gathered at the Cairo Stadium on the 46th anniversary of the occupation of eastern Jerusalem by Israeli forces in condemnation of the Israeli occupation and the Judaization of Jerusalem.

The protest started after Friday prayers at the Rabaa Al-Adawiya mosque in Cairo's Nasr City district. Salah Sultan, secretary general of Al-Azhar's Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, who led the Friday sermon at the mosque, said Prime Minister Hesham Kandil will attend the rally.

Thousands of protesters marched from the mosque to the nearby stadium, according to Al-Ahram's Arabic news website.

Al Dostor reports that 27 Muslim nations held events today to "liberate Jerusalem" from Jewish control in 27 nations.

Thousands of Egyptians marched from the mosque in Nasr City to Cairo International Stadium, where they were heard speeches by Egyptian political figures. They also were led to chant "Khyber, Khyber, O Jews, the army of Mohammed will return," a reference to a massacre of Jews by early Muslims.

Other slogans were pro-Hamas.

One speaker said that the problem with a potential Palestinian Arab state in the West Bank and Gaza is that it would only encompass 22% of "Palestine."

A Muslim Brotherhood leader declared "We are facing a Zionist project that is broken and defeated, and we will win in Syria and then conquer Jerusalem."

At the mosque before the march, the preacher said "The Jews do not reign, they will not benefit, and their faith is a waste of the blood of every Muslim."

Hamas says how horrible it was to co-exist with Jews

I just came across this article on the Hamas interior ministry website, originally published in Hamas newspaper Felesteen.

When I was a little kid in the seventies we would attend demonstrations on the occasion of Land Day, or the anniversary of the Nakba, and I would hear people shouting: "Khyber Khyber O Jews, Muhammad's Army will be back." At the time we heard this chanting, Palestine was far from Islam. Women wore scandalous short clothes, and grocery stores sold liquor in public, and the Jews were coming every Saturday shopping at our markets and walking safely in our streets. The Jewish employers would share their happy occasions with their Palestinian workers, dancing with them and drinking liquor and beer at weddings together. The ideas that were prevalent at the time were closer to Kafr (heresy) than to the faith, such as: Arab nationalism, communism and secularism. Even so, the chants could be heard throughout Palestine: "Khyber Khyber O Jews, Muhammad's Army will be back."

After discussing the history of the massacre of Jews in Khyber, the author says that the Arab Spring Islamic revolutions were sparked by Hamas in Gaza, and he has no doubt that soon we will hear all Arab nations chanting ""Khyber Khyber O Jews, Muhammad's Army will be back."

Anyone who still thinks that Hamas' goals are anything but genocidal needs to read this. Again and again.

Syrian MP threatens Israel, Jordan - and Spain!

From MEMRI:

Following are excerpts from an interview with Syrian MP Ahmad Shlash, which aired on Mayadeen TV on May 28, 2013.

Ahmad Shlash: You call this an "[Arab] Spring"? It's not even an autumn. This is the Grim Reaper coming to Syria to harvest souls.

Interviewer: This is because President Assad is clinging to his seat.

Ahmad Shlash: It is we who are clinging to him, not him to his seat. We will not allow him to leave this seat. Our slogan has only three words: Allah, Syria, and Bashar – and that's it. Whoever doesn't get it can go bank his head against a wall.

Interviewer: It is conceivable that a more qualified person cannot be found throughout Syria?

Ahmad Shlash: Let me tell you, throughout the Middle East and in the whole world, there are no men like President Bashar Al-Assad or Hassan Nasrallah. They are two of a kind. The rest can go and bury themselves in the ground – whether they come from Arab or non-Arab countries.
[…]
Interviewer: It seems that Qatar and Saudi Arabia will take part in this international conference.

Ahmad Shlash: I hope that they will.

Interviewer: Why?

Ahmad Shlash: So our boys can shove one shoe into Qatar's mouth and the other into Saudi Arabia's. We want to meet them face to face.

Interviewer: I ask you to watch your language.

Ahmad Shlash: Fine, we'll keep it off air. No problem.

Interviewer: You are responsible for what you say.

Ahmad Shlash: Absolutely. One million percent.

Interviewer: Mayadeen TV is not responsible for this.

Ahmad Shlash: Absolutely. It's not your fault.

Interviewer: We will return after a short break.
[…]
Ahmad Shlash: We have only one president – Bashar – and Allah willing, Hafez will succeed him.

Interviewer: What Hafez? President Bashar's son?

Ahmad Shlash: Of course. I'm free to say what I want.

Interviewer: Again, you are responsible for what you say…

Ahmad Shlash: Absolutely. Very much. Let me tell you something. Someone said to the Syrian opposition: "My brothers in the opposition, if you are unhappy with the rule of President Bashar Al-Assad, maybe you will be more content with the rule of his son Hafez." Let us be patient.
[…]
Interviewer: Is the Syrian army capable of opening another front, against Israel, today, when it is up to its neck in all that is happening?

Ahmad Shlash: Just wait and see. Missiles require nothing but the push of a button. It's not that hard. Of course, the Jews are afraid that the honorable Lebanese resistance – the men of Allah [Hizbullah] – will open a front from here [in Lebanon], and the men of Al-Assad will open another front from Syria. Thousands, or tens of thousands, of missiles will rain upon Israel, and possibly, because of Syria, Israel will be completely annihilated.

Let them try us. Let them hold military maneuvers. Jordan is also conducting maneuvers with 18 countries, including Arab ones. Against whom is Jordan conducting these maneuvers? It has peace with Israel. What about the maneuvers of Al-Assad? The lion is always prepared. But they have mice, not lions.

Let me ask you a question, Salma. A country like Jordan, with an old peace treaty with Israel – from even before the [official] peace accords – against whom is it conducting military maneuvers? I understand a country that conducts maneuvers because it has an enemy, but who is your enemy, Jordan? Is it Syria? By Allah, you are playing with fire.
[…]
We have warned Jordan. I am sure our people in Iran have also warned Jordan not to play with fire. But they are free. If they want to continue playing with fire, let's see what happens when they go to sleep in their bedroom.
[…]
If they want an all-out war – so be it. The Syrian Arab army… Let me tell you something, Salma. As long as we are led by President Bashar, we will go to the end of the world. I do not exclude the possibility that with the men of Allah, we will regain Andalusia one of these days.
[…]

for those who don't know, Many Muslims consider Andalusia to be Spanish-occupied Muslim territory.

Austria pulls its UNDOF troops out of Syria

From AFP:

The UN force in the Golan Heights was thrown into disarray after Austria withdrew its troops and two peacekeepers were injured as Syrian government and rebel fighters battled for a border crossing.

Peacekeepers from the Philippines and India were wounded by mortar shrapnel as the Syrians fought for the strategic crossing, according to diplomats.

UN leaders held emergency talks to replace the 377 Austrian troops who make up more than a third of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, which has monitored a ceasefire between Israel and Syria since 1974.

Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger called UN chief Ban Ki-moon to tell him of the withdrawal, said UN spokesman Martin Nesirky.

"The secretary general is concerned about the potential consequences of such a withdrawal on the peacekeeping operation and also on regional security, and in that regard, he regrets the decision that has been taken," Nesirky added.

That's the funny thing about UN "peacekeeping" troops: they only deter nations who want peace, and anyone who doesn't turns them effectively into human shields.

Remaining Christian schools in Gaza face closure by Hamas

From Catholic Herald:

Five schools in Gaza – two Catholic and three Christian – face closure if the Hamas government follows through on an order forbidding co-educational institutions, according to the director general of Latin Patriarchate Schools in Palestine and Israel.

Fr Faysal Hijazin said: “This will be a big problem. We hope they will not go through with it, but if they do, we will be in big trouble. We don’t have the space and we don’t have the money to divide our schools.”

In addition to finding additional space, he said, the schools face having to hire more teachers. Men and women teachers would not be allowed to teach classes of the opposite sex older than 10 under Islamic law.

“We will never accept this even if we have to close the schools,” Fr Hijazin said.

He said Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem hoped to speak with Gaza’s prime minister, Ismail Haniya, to discuss the Church’s concerns.

The patriarchate administers the Latin Patriarchate School, with 370 students, and the Holy Family School, with 650 students. In addition, the Rosary Sisters operate their own school. The majority of the students enrolled in the schools are Muslim.

Four of Holy Family School’s recent graduates are Christian.

Fr Hijazin said that although the order did not specifically single out the Christian schools, the five are the only schools with mixed enrolment in Gaza.

What a coincidence that the only schools affected by Hamas' new rule are all Christian!

(h/t Benny)

Thursday Links Part 2

From Ian:

Daniel Pipes: Happy Israel

Listen up, anti-Zionists and anti-Semites, Palestinians and Islamists, extreme right- and left-wingers: You are fighting a losing battle; the Jewish state is prevailing. As Inbar rightly concludes, "Time seems to be on Israel's side." Give up and find some other country to torment.

France's 1st gay married couple to attend TA Pride

The first gay couple to be legally wed in France will spend the upcoming weekend in Tel Aviv and will attend the city's Gay Pride Parade as part of their Honeymoon celebrations, a Tel Aviv Municipality spokesperson announced Thursday.
Vincent Autin and Bruno Boileau were invited by Tel Aviv's Global & Tourism Company. Tel Aviv promotes gay rights as a pluralistic city and is happy to host the newly-wed couple, wishing them a big "mazal tov," the statement read.

CAMERA: Where's the Coverage? Gaza Youth Flee TO Israel

Surprising, then, that Al Monitor reports young men from Gaza are fleeing TO Israel, seeking the opportunities available in the Jewish state. Yes, fleeing to Israel, even knowing that they might be apprehended and detained.

The Secret Military Unit Behind Israel’s Stunning Six Day War Victory

One of the key factors which led to the success of the military operation in general, and the air strikes in particular, was the collection of data and information by Israel’s intelligence units in the years which preceded the war. One of the most intriguing episodes revealed here for the first time is related to unit 504 (then 154) of the Military Intelligence. The unit was and still is responsible for detecting, recruiting, and running agents – a tradecraft known as “humint”.

IDF Blog: 6 Photos From the 6-Day War You’ve Never Seen Before

In the Six-Day War (June 5-10, 1967), the IDF fought some of the defining battles of Israeli history and of the 20th Century. But what happened during preparation beforehand, and during those six days in between the battles? These are the people who fought for Israel’s freedom – some famous, some not – and six very heartfelt moments that happened behind the headlines.

Terror victim's father demands Norway take action against PA salaries to terrorists

Israeli Arnold Roth is on his way to Parliament to tell a story of terror. His daughter Malki never made it past her 15th year because a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in this pizza restaurant in Jerusalem in 2001. The person responsible for making the bomb - Abdullah Barghouti - is now in Israeli prison. Palestine honors hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including many terrorists, with a monthly salary. Abdullah Barghouti receives every month 10,000 [Norwegian] kroners from Palestine.

CAMERA: What the Media Won't Tell You About Palestinian Prisoners

All too often, mainstream media outlets have whitewashed the terrorist acts and violent crimes of Palestinian prisoners by failing to mention the crimes at all or by falsely minimizing the degree of violence. In some cases, media outlets euphemistically refer to prisoners incarcerated since before 1994 as "political prisoners," covering up the atrocities they carried out. CAMERA is the first to publish a detailed list (below), obtained from Israel's Ministry of Justice, of 118 pre-Oslo Palestinian prisoners, including their names and violent crimes.

IDF Blog: 8 weapon seizures you didn’t hear about from May 2013

Every day of the year, the IDF works towards preventing terror and keeping the citizens of Israel safe. In May, IDF forces seized a large number of illegal weapons and apprehended the would-be terrorists in possession of them. Thanks to the work of the IDF, here are 8 weapon seizures you didn’t hear about from the month of May.

Arab Stone-Throwing Attacks on Jews are Daily Occurrence in East Jerusalem

Israel Defense Forces Maj. Gen. Kobi Dudian of the Jerusalem District Police told the Knesset’s Internal Affairs and Environment Committee on Wednesday that 207 stone-throwing perpetrators have been arrested in eastern Jerusalem in 2013, the majority of whom were minors, and that only 47 of them were detained, pending the conclusion of the legal proceedings against them.

Group of teens attacks rabbi in Germany

A group of youths attacked a rabbi on Sunday evening in Offenbach, a city near Franfurt.
Six to eight “Mediterranean looking“ youths attacked the 39-year-old Rabbi Mendel Gurewitz. The youths pushed the rabbi and called him a “shitty Jew.

ZOA Opposes Samantha Power's Nomination as UN Ambassador

“As her own words show, Ms. Power indulges in astonishing false equivalence between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). She clearly has difficulty in appreciating the distinction between a law-based, free society and democracy like Israel that is defending itself from those who seek its elimination, and a terror-sponsoring, terrorist-glorifying, violence-inculcating PA that has neither signed peace with Israel nor recognized Israel as a Jewish state,” he said.

Melanie Phillips: A perfect match

And despite her advocacy of attack or invasion to prevent threatened genocides, she has sneered at concerns about the race to build a nuclear bomb by Iran, which has repeatedly threatened genocide against the Jews of Israel, as a figment of the war-mongering Republican imagination.
Samantha Power and the UN are thus a perfect match.

SodaStream Continues Uptick,Take That! BDSM Advocates

SodaStream is an Israeli company which has shaken up the soft drink business. Because its competitors are Coke and Pepsi, it has to take its business seriously. But because it is made in Israel, of course the organized world of Israel haters and those who support them have targeted SodaStream for boycotts and other economic mayhem.
But that is okay, because despite the efforts of the BDSM – anti-Israel economic and political warfare movement of Boycotts of, Divestment from and Sanctions Against Israel – to strangle SodaStream, the company’s profits just keep on growing.

Divestment from Israel Resolution Defeated at UC Santa Cruz

“We are pleased that a divestment resolution was once again defeated, this time at UC Santa Cruz. We applaud UCSC’s student senate for recognizing the complexity of the conflict and the bigotry in this resolution… Hopefully, next year, students who are obsessed with condemning Israel while they cover up the terrorism of Palestinian groups like Hamas, will consider more constructive actions and resolutions,” said Roz Rothstein, CEO of the pro-Israel education group StandWithUs.

Keshet, Northern Pictures launch Australian joint venture

Israeli producer-distributor Keshet International is teaming up former Fox Networks Group president David Haslingden to launch a local production outfit, Keshet Australia.
The company will be jointly owned by Keshet International and Haslingden’s indie Northern Pictures, and will bring the Israeli producer’s slate of 50 scripted and unscripted TV properties to the Australian and New Zealand markets.

Grow cooperation with us, says Indian pol during Israel visit

Add India to that list, too, says Dr. Arvind Gupta, the head of technology affairs in India’s BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), the largest opposition party in the country. Although Israeli tech and business deals with other Asian countries — especially China — seem to grab most of the headlines, there is considerable trade between Israel and India. India is the largest purchaser of Israeli military equipment, and Israel is the second-largest military partner of India after Russia. In 2009, that business was was worth about $9 billion.

Israeli ‘bubble tech’ to help keep UK’s water clean

Mapal systems have been installed in Israel, as well as in Brazil, South Africa and India for a total of 30 locations worldwide. Now, the company has its first European contract, closing a deal with the UK’s Anglian Water to deploy its solution for a water company serving 4 million customers. Mapal’s bubble-spreaders will be installed in as many as 400 of Anglian’s 1,100 wastewater treatment facilities, the company said, adding that it is in “advanced talks” with other UK water treatment companies.

Israel Daily Picture: In Memory of Robert F. Kennedy on the 45th Anniversary of his Assassination

We leave our regular historical features to pay tribute to Robert Kennedy who was murdered on this day in 1968.
Several special features about Kennedy make this posting very appropriate for this site today: