Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Saturday, June 15, 2013

6/15 Links: Israeli Doctors Save a Syrian Girl, UN Watch Nails Falk, Obama Arms Rebels

From Ian:

NYT Op Ed: Palestinians Need Tough Talk From Europe

In private conversations, many European diplomats agree with many of these points. But no European leader has shown Obama’s courage in endorsing them publicly. Perhaps it is time for the Europeans to stop complaining about the lack of American success in the Middle East. The point is not the identity of the messenger, but rather that there be a unified message.
Europe can and must have an impact. President Obama told the Israelis that they should have no illusions about the territorial price to be paid to end this conflict. The Europeans, no less a supporter of the Palestinians than the United States has been of Israel, need to do the same with the Palestinians. The Europeans need to tell them that E.U. support will no longer be unconditional.

BDS vs. Palestinian Statehood

Boycotts do not engender peace especially, not in the Middle East they just act as a vehicle to deflect from the real obstacles for peace: Arab rejectionism of a Jewish presence at large and pushing the victimhood card rather than take responsibility for a people and a state. The assault on Banat was not only an assault on Palestinian freedom of speech but another indicator that Palestinians are not ready for their own state. If the BDSers truly cared about Palestinians they would advocate for a two state solution rather than search for ways to blame Israel for all the shortcomings of Palestinian governance.

BDS a Hypocritical Movement

Those that support BDS are not “pro-Palestinian.” The movement does not help Palestinians in any significant way; it only hurts them. In all, the BDS movement is nothing but a hypocritical movement that aims to destroy the State of Israel via economic warfare. BDS will not solve the conflict—it will only prevent peace.

USA Today Publishes BDS Press Release Almost Word for Word, Accuses Israel of ‘Large-Scale Abuses of Palestinian Rights’

The American Journalist Jeffrey Goldberg first tweeted about the disturbing similarities Thursday, a day after the article appeared. “@USATODAY ran a BDS press release as a story. Here’s the newspaper piece Here’s the release” he wrote.

UN Watch: The "legitimacy war" against Israel at the UN

US plan to arm Syrian rebels receives cool reactions

The administration now says it has “high confidence” that President Bashar Assad’s forces have killed up to 150 people with sarin gas. Although that’s a tiny percentage of the approximately 93,000 killed in the civil war so far, the use of a chemical weapon crosses President Barack Obama’s “red line” for escalating U.S. involvement in the conflict and prompted the decision to send arms and ammunition, not just humanitarian aid and defensive non-lethal help like armored vests and night goggles.

US Deploys 300 Marines on Syrian Border as Obama Approves Move to Arm Rebels

A Patriot anti-aircraft missile system was also moved to the area, north of Al-Mafraq in northern Jordan, as the West prepares to send in weaponry and armaments to the rebels.

White House: No Plans for No-Fly Zone Over Syria

Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters that it would be dramatically more difficult and costly to set up a no-fly zone over Syria than it was in Libya.

Over 70 Syrian Officers Defect to Turkey

According to the report, the 73 defecting officers included seven generals and 20 colonels. They were part of a group totaling 202 Syrians who arrived in the border town of Reyhanli.

UK: Al-Qaeda groups in Syria tried to obtain chemical weapons

Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday that Britain believes al-Qaeda-linked groups in and around Syria have tried to acquire chemical weapons for use there.

Nasrallah backs Assad as UN condemns Hezbollah

Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights Council on Friday condemned the use of all foreign fighters in Syria's civil war, including Lebanese Hezbollah operatives backing the government, but stopped short of calling for a halt to the flow of arms.

Gunshots follow Hezbollah celebratory gunfire ban

"On religious holidays, people shoot in the air, on political occasions, they shoot in the air, at funerals of martyrs, they shoot ... when someone graduates from school, they shoot," the Hezbollah leader said.
Nasrallah said he had consulted with Shi'ite Muslim clerics in Iran and Iraq, who ruled that the practice was 'haram', or forbidden in Islam. Several times in his speech he urged an end to it.

Egyptian author sentenced to five years for insulting religion

Egyptian author Karam Saber said that a misdemeanor court in Beni Suef sentenced him to five years on Wednesday on charges of insulting religion in a collection of short stories he wrote two years ago titled "Where is God?"

Moderate cleric Rouhani elected new Iranian president

Moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani was elected as new Iranian president, Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar said on state television on Saturday.
Najjar said 72 percent of the 50 million eligible voters had turned out to vote, and that Rohani had secured 18.6 million votes, just over the 50.68 percent of the vote needed to avoid a run-off.

Erdogan Puts Park Development on Hold

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said that plans to develop an Istanbul park are on hold and that the message from protesters has been received, Bloomberg reports.

Nazi Commander Found Living in the United States

The Associated Press has uncovered that a top commander of a Nazi SS-led unit, accused of burning villages filled with women and children, lied to American immigration officials to get into the United States.
The evidence uncovered by the news agency on Friday finds that Michael Karkoc, 94, has been living in Minnesota since shortly after World War II.

Java’s Last Synagogue Torn Down

The last vestige of one Indonesia’s oldest and largest Jewish communities is now just a pile of rubble.
Beth Shalom in Surabaya — Java’s one and only synagogue — was demolished in May after being sealed off by Islamic hard-liners in 2009.
“It’s not clear when exactly it was demolished and who did it,” Freddy Istanto, the director of the Surabaya Heritage Society (SHS), told the Jakarta Globe.
“In mid-May, I was informed by a member of the SHS that the synagogue was destroyed. In disbelief, I went over there and it had been flattened.”

PSY to bring his style to Israel

South Korean superstar rapper/dancer/pop phenomenon PSY is set to perform two shows in Israel in July, according to a Thursday Army Radio report.

Saving Nadrah
The Times of Israel accompanies the first Syrian heart patient in Israel — a four-year-old girl whose family put her life in the hands of the enemy — on the final stage of an unprecedented journey

The doctors were the first Jews she had ever seen. She expected hostility from the Israelis because she was Syrian, but was pleasantly surprised at the welcome she received. “Everyone there treated me well, especially the doctors,” she said.
Shevet Achim staff coordinated a trip for her to pray at the Al Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount, and she relished taking in Jerusalem. “It’s nice to see how everyone lives together,” she said. They also took her and Nadrah to the beach in Jaffa, the first time they had ever seen the sea.

The Muslim Leader's Guide to Handling Dissent (ElderToon)

Given recent statements from Nasrallah, Erdogan, Assad and others, this seems to be appropriate:

The most off-topic post in EoZ history (well, in years)

Back in the early 1970s, there was a popular US TV variety show called The Flip Wilson Show.

One of Wilson's characters was Geraldine, a sassy woman who spawned catchphrases like "The devil made me do it!" and "What you see is what you get."

The Geraldine character had a never-seen, boyfriend, often in prison, named Killer (referred to in the sketch above.)

Now read this from a biography of Wilson:

I cannot find that episode online, but the idea that Killer is OJ was just too good not to post.

(For those wondering how I came across that, I was considering using Geraldine's "The devil made me do it" as the hook in this post, substituting IDF for the devil, but I didn't think enough people would have gotten the reference.)

(As far as off-topic topics go, I used to ask occasional trivia questions and have other posts that were quite off-topic as well. Back in the days when this was more of a blog.)

6/14 Links Part 2: Latma, Netanyahu at Auschwitz and BDS Fails

From Ian:

Latma: Gay Pride and Pederasty in Tel Aviv; Arab Pride and Peace Plans in Syria

Netanyahu at Auschwitz: The World Ignored Our Annihilation

The world stood by as millions of Jews were being slaughtered, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday, vowing that Israel would “do whatever is necessary to prevent another holocaust.”

Justice for Jews from Arab countries

The State of Israel has been slow to recognize the importance of this issue. Only last fall, Israel’s then-deputy foreign minister, Daniel Ayalon, launched the “I am a Refugee” campaign in a bid to create parity between the struggle of Jewish and Palestinian refugees. The Senior Citizens Ministry is running a radio campaign to collect testimonies and claims from Arab-born Jews. Likud Beytenu MK Shimon Ohayon has introduced a bill in the Knesset to fix November 30 as the Memorial Day for Jewish Refugees from Arab countries. And only last week, Sir Martin Gilbert’s book In Ishmael’s House was released in Israel in Hebrew translation.
It’s important to note that this initiative is not about money, nor about launching legal proceedings to seek compensation. It is about rights and recognition – that Jews were victimized and became refugees; and about equality – that the international community must recognize equal rights for all Middle East refugees.

PA objects to Israel's Western Wall plans

The Palestinian Authority will not permit Israel to change the entrance to the Temple Mount in order to facilitate the building of an egalitarian prayer area near the Western Wall, PA Religious Affairs Minister Mahmoud Habbash told The Jerusalem Post in Ramallah on Thursday morning.
And any Israeli attempt to “Judaize” holy sites in Jerusalem would be viewed by Arabs and Muslims as a declaration of war, Habbash warned.

Israel assails Red Cross for showcasing Turkish extremist

The Israeli Foreign Ministry on Thursday strongly condemned the International Committee of the Red Cross for conducting an interview with Huseyin Oruc, the deputy president of the IHH, a Turkish NGO that organized the infamous 2010 Gaza flotilla and is suspected of terrorist ties.
The interview with Oruc, which was posted to YouTube last week, focuses on “humanitarian principles and their implementation,” according to the Red Cross. Bülent Yildirim, the head of IHH, which stands for Humanitarian Relief Foundation, is being probed on suspicion of funding al-Qaeda, and the group has been tied to a plot to bomb LAX, Los Angeles’s main international airport.

BBC captions photo of tourist attraction as “army position”

That photograph was in fact taken at Mount Bental, which is not “an army position” as claimed by the BBC, but a tourist attraction run by Kibbutz Merom Golan. The metal cut-out soldier on the left of the BBC’s picture can be seen in the photograph below from the opposite angle – with the site’s decidedly un-military coffee shop in the background.

French court orders Twitter to ID anti-Semites

A French appeals court has upheld a lower court’s ruling which ordered Twitter to divulge details of users who posted anti-Semitic content.

Twilight for the Jews of Sweden?

We have seen an increase in reported anti-Semitic attacks but no charges, arrests or convictions. Nor have any leading politicians shown any concern. Angry anti-Israel demonstrators can shout their message of hate freely, while peaceful pro-Israel rallies are surrounded by police. Jews routinely hide their Magen David necklace’s under their shirts and remove kippahs as soon as they exit shul. This is the reality of Sweden in 2013. Exlemplary of the dangers posed to Jews, one report said that “the Jewish communities spend at least 25 per cent of their funds on security measures.”

Germany adopts anti-Semitism resolution

Germany’s parliament passed a resolution committing itself to renewed action against anti-Semitism.
The resolution emphasizes the special relationship between Germany and Israel and condemns Israel-related anti-Semitism and terrorist organizations like Hezbollah. It was adopted Thursday with support from the Christian Democratic Union, the Social Democratic Party, the Free Democratic Party and the Greens. The Left Party abstained from voting.

LA City Council passes anti-BDS resolution

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a resolution to continue awarding city contracts without regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The resolution passed Wednesday was intended as a rebuttal to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, or BDS, which aims to bring economic pressure to bear on Israel, the Los Angeles Jewish Journal reported.

How Boycotts Hurt the Cause of Middle East Peace

How will the Anglican/Lutheran conclave weigh in on the Israel/Palestine conflict? There is pressure on them to back “product labeling,” i.e. to make sure that the soda they drink is not aided and abetted by well-paid Palestinian workers. Another resolution will “challenge” the validity of any form of Christian Zionism “which support[s] the Israeli occupation.”

Sydney University Professor Warned Over Israel Boycott

In the letters Hamilton pointed out that the Racial Discrimination Act of 1975 made it "unlawful for a person to do any act involving a distinction, exclusion, restriction of preference based on race... national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of any human right or fundamental freedom in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life."
Hamilton also warned that any "successful" boycott of Israel was illegal under the Competition and Consumer Act of 2010 if they damage the businesses they target, and that as a result parties could be investigated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and face legal action for damages.

JCC Watch: Stop Giving Jewish Money to Fund Anti-Israel Activities

Pro-Israel groups are now turning to the UJA-Federation and asking that it stop providing funds to organizations which use those funds to promote virulently anti-Israel activists. If not, a "Close Your Wallet" campaign will begin this summer.

Formula 1: Videos and Photos

For the first time ever, Formula One and GT motor cars took to the streets of Jerusalem as tens of thousands of spectators from all sectors of the city looked on at the Jerusalem Formula Peace Road Show.

Israeli-developed device helps the blind to see, virtually

Beginning this week, blind Americans have the opportunity to use the first smartphone specifically designed to make their lives easier to navigate. Odin Mobile is the first company to offer the RAY Huawei Vision phone, a device that lets blind users not only make phone calls, but also allows them to send text messages, search the Internet, identify the denomination of cash, recognize colors, and access over 100,000 audio books and magazines. All these features are built into the RAY device, and it’s based on technology developed in Israel.

Israeli Parents Meet Palestinian Boy Whose Life Was Saved by Their Dead Son’s Kidney

Two families touched by the death of a 3-year-old Israeli boy were finally able to meet Thursday, Israel’s Channel 2 reports.
When Noam Naor was killed after falling out of a window at his family home in May, his parents decided to donate his kidneys. One went to an Israeli child, the other to a 10-year-old Palestinian boy.

Jordanian and Israeli Students Learn to Save Lives Together

Ben Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) graduated its first class of Jordanian and Israeli students who completed a special joint-emergency medicine BA program earlier this year. The first graduating class at the Israel-Jordan Academic Emergency Medicine Collaboration included 54 graduates who spent three years studying emergency medicine and medical response.
One part of the curriculum included a Joint Disaster Management Project which had Jordanian and Israeli students training with officials from Israel’s national emergency service, the Magen David Adom and the Jordanian Red Crescent to respond to emergency situations such as earthquakes. h/t Zvi

BDS is against peace

One of the major symbolic victories of the anti-Israel BDS movement was in 2010 when the University of Johannesburg decided to boycott Ben Gurion University of Israel.

Zvi just found this speech by H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al-Hadid, President of the Jordan National Red Crescent Society and Chairman of the Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. It shows the reality of what BGU stands for, and it also shows that the BDS crowd has no interest in peace.

Which brings up the question of what kind of people support a movement that is against the ideals being advanced here by this prominent and well-respected Arab physician? If BGU incontrovertibly supports a culture of peace and a society where everyone is equal, then those who are against it must also be against peace and equal rights.

Here is the beginning of Dr. Al-Hadid's speech. The full program can be seen here.

6/14 Links Part 1: US confirms Chemical Weapons, Hezbollah objects to Palestinian Refugees

From Ian:

US Confirms Assad Used Chemical Weapons

U.S. officials said that America will increase the “scope and scale” of its assistance to rebels in Syria in response.
“The President has been clear that the use of chemical weapons – or the transfer of chemical weapons to terrorist groups – is a red line for the United States, as there has long been an established norm within the international community against the use of chemical weapons,” deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said in a statement.

It’s About Time: United Nations Plans Refugee Camps for Syrians in Lebanon

But analysts here believe the biggest long-term fear for Hezbollah is that camps would shift Lebanese demographics. Judging by the estimated 400,000 Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon, some who fled Palestine at the establishment of Israel, camps would likely result in many Syrian Sunni refugees remaining in Lebanon even after the civil war is over—especially if Assad hangs on to power. Shiites would then become significantly out-numbered by Sunnis in a political system that is based on a delicate sectarian system introduced in 1990—at the end of a savage 15-year-long civil war—which allocates guaranteed government roles to the major sects.

Syria Death Count is at 93,000 – UN

Nevertheless, “the killings of at least 6,561 minors, including at least 1,729 children under ten years old – have been documented,” the High Commissioner said. “There are also well-documented cases of individual children being tortured and executed, and entire families, including babies, being massacred – which, along with this devastatingly high death toll, is a terrible reminder of just how vicious this conflict has become.”

Assad plans to open ‘resistance’ front in Golan, says report

According to a Lebanese report on Friday, embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad plans to open a “resistance” front on the Golan Heights and thinks such a move could unify the various factions in Syria.
Assad possesses a detailed plan for the establishment of such a front, reported the Beirut-based Al Akhbar daily, which would in practice be similar to the terrorist group Hezbollah’s activities in southern Lebanon.

Barry Rubin: How to Understand Islamism: Read What its Leaders Really Say

It should be stressed that the key challenge is not to cite passages from original Muslim theology to “prove” that Islam is always unchanging and inflexible—though understanding the roots of the radicals’ ideological appeal is important—or to ignore Islam as a factor completely but to look at the movement’s modern strategy and tactics. Almost thirty years after al-Qaradawi explained the movement's ideas clearly the opponents of Islamism have barely begun their attempt to understand and educate others on this ideology.

Have We Learned Anything From the Boston Attack?

Indeed, as the IBD report concludes: “Before mosques were excluded from the otherwise wide domestic spy net the administration has cast, the FBI launched dozens of successful sting operations against homegrown jihadists — inside mosques — and disrupted dozens of plots against the homeland.” However, the mosque in Boston that the older Tzarnaev brother attended was not monitored by the government, so the FBI was unaware of his increasing radicalization before the attack.
That should be of deep concern to every American. If our security services continue to close their eyes to the threat of Muslim terrorists, more innocent Americans will fall as their victims.

UN Watch: UN's Richard Falk & Truth Jihad's Kevin Barrett on "False Flag" 9/11 & Boston Marathon Attacks (10:20 onwards is insane)

‘Comment is Free’ contributor Abdel al-Bari Atwan sympathizes with Osama Bin Laden

Abdel al-Bari Atwan is the editor-in chief of the London-based Arab newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi, and has been named among the 50 ‘most influential Arabs’ by Middle East Magazine. His pro-Palestinian, anti-Zionist politics can be best summed up by his fanciful boast a few years ago that he would dance in the streets in London’s Trafalgar Square if Iranian nuclear missiles were to hit Tel Aviv.

IDF Foils Terror Attack in Samaria

The man was found to be a member of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.
During the search carried out as part of the arrest, the soldiers found explosives, bullets, pipe bombs and plant fertilizer, which is used as one of the ingredients for making bombs.

Mesika to IDF: Nip 'Third Intifada' in the Bud

The gunfire aimed at an Israeli bus in Samaria Wednesday night was a significant ramping-up of the security deterioration in Judea and Samaria in recent months, said Samaria Council head Gershon Mesika. “This shooting is a worrying development,” said Mesika. “We demand that the IDF develop and utilize the appropriate measures to restore security to residents.”

'Sweden considering reducing aid to Palestinians'

The Swedish government may cut back on financial assistance to the Palestinians following their failure to move forward with peace negotiations with Israel, Swedish news site The Local reported.
The report quoted Development aid minister Gunilla Carlsson as asking: "Is it worth continuing developing the prerequisites for a two-state solution if Israel and the Palestinians themselves do not want to sit down at the negotiating table?"

Poland, Czech Republic balk on blacklisting Hezbollah

Denmark, Sweden, Germany and France support blacklisting Hezbollah, the source said. It has long been believed that France was blocking such a move out of concern that it would diminish European influence in Lebanon, a former French colony.

Lebanese Hezbollah suspects to sue Nigerian gov't

A raid on one of the mens' residences in the main northern city of Kano uncovered a stash of anti-tank weapons, landmines, heavy artillery, rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles, authorities said.
The military said last month that the weapons were to be used in attacks on American and Israeli targets.

Concerns Grow Over Egypt’s Blasphemy Cases Against Christians and the Media

“Slapping criminal charges with steep fines and, in most cases, prison sentences against people for simply speaking their mind or holding different religious beliefs is simply outrageous,” Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Director, said in a statement.
Most of the blasphemy cases in Egypt have been directed against Coptic Christians.

Thousands of Lawyers March in Turkey Anti-Government Protests

Addressing the lawyers, Ümit Kocasakal, head of Istanbul’s Bar Association, slammed the police crackdown. “The use of gas canisters and plastic bullets is illegal and indiscriminately targeting anyone while disregarding citizens’ safety. Turkish protesters are not bugs to be killed by gassing but are human,” said Kocasakal.

Ayatollah Khamenei says Iranian democracy isn't run by Jews, like America's

Here is a graphic from the Facebook page of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei:

Is he now saying that Big Satan is controlled by Little Satan? It gets so hard to keep track of who is the puppet of whom.

I find it highly amusing that the process to elect the US president is being derided as undemocratic by Iran's "Supreme Leader."

Just for context, 680 people wanted to be on Iran's presidential ballot. 672 of them were disqualified, by the Guardian Council, which is controlled by - Khamenei.

In other words, every Iranian presidential candidate was handpicked by a single person "controlling everything behind the scenes."

Here is another graphic from his Facebook page, showing the only person in all of Iran whose vote matters:

From Now Lebanon:

Suhair al-Bateh is a young girl who grew up in Menshiyat al-Ekhwa, an Egyptian village in the
province of Daqhaliyya on the Nile’s Delta. This village is no different from thousands of others in Egypt, as it is characterized by a significant dearth of services and development, and the utter prevalence of dire poverty and ignorance.

Suhair grew up in a modest family headed by parents of limited education. Like thousands of families in rural Egypt, hers believed that the preservation of a girl’s honor starts by depriving their daughters of womanhood through circumcision. This procedure uses primitive tools and lasts for mere minutes; following which, they believe a girl would be immune to “the allures of sex.”

Suhair died before reaching the age of thirteen due to her exposure to this barbaric custom.

While there were some initial reports that al-Bateh's death came from improper use of anesthetic, it looks like it was directly from the procedure itself: according to a health inspector she died because of "a sharp fall in body-fluid force as a result of trauma shock."

An article from last February reveals some of the horror around this procedure:

Like “a lamb led to slaughter,” so was Faten, an Egyptian girl, taken to her uncle’s house where a collective massacre took place. The town’s butcher was waiting for her and other girls her age with a sharp knife, a chopper, long scissors and other sharp, non-sterile tools that were to be used to perform her “circumcision.” Circumcision is the ablation of the vital part of a woman’s genitalia, as it is considered by some to be “haram” for her to feel [sexual] pleasure.

Faten told NOW that when she turned 11, her aunt told her that she should go to her uncle’s house where she would be circumcised. Her aunt allegedly attempted to convince her that “this is natural, [that] all girls her age do it and that the Prophet recommended” that females have the procedure done. Faten elaborated further on the process, saying that, for example, “In Cairo, girls between the ages of eight and eleven are rounded up into a single house where they circumcised by the town’s butcher, or perhaps elderly women. Before they are taken to have the procedure done, the “surgeon” tells the children’s parents that circumcision is simple and does not cause any pain.”

What makes matters worse, however, is that the person performing the circumcision is usually the town butcher, not a certified or seasoned doctor. According to a report that was aired on Al-Hurra TV, “most tribes… that still have the young women take part in this tradition believe that it speeds up a girl’s process of maturation, and also increases her chances of finding a husband, as many men refuse to marry an uncircumcised female. Those who practice [FGM] also believe that this procedure guarantees a female’s virginity until marriage, as they believe circumcision protects a woman’s chastity until she gets married. Moreover, they believe it prevents marital infidelity as the wife has no need for sex.”

Against all forms of practical logic, some still insist that circumcision helps keep female genitalia hygienic and that ir removes bad odors. However, much like other girls, Faten almost died as a result of severe bleeding, as the butcher – who was “no medical specialist” – was not precise and removed an additional section of her genitalia.

Keep in mind that she is talking about Cairo, not only rural areas of Egypt that some articles claim is the major centers for FGM.

Israel finds tunnels beneath separation barrier, potentially to kidnap Israelis

Ma'ariv reports that Israel has discovered tunnels underneath the separation barrier near the Taybeh village in the West Bank.

Soldiers found two Arabs trying to enter Israel through the tunnels, but they fled before they could be caught so their motivations could not be determined.

Israel's biggest fear is that terrorists will infiltrate into Israel and kidnap Israeli citizens for bargaining for Israel to release their fellow terrorists from prison. For years, Hamas and other terror groups have been saying that this is a major part of their strategy.

Up until now, tunnels were mostly associated with Gaza, and tunnels dug from gaza to Israel in order to abduct Israelis have been discovered in the past.

It would seem apparent that anyone who goes through the trouble of digging a tunnel is not doing it to make it easier to get into Israel for employment.

6/13 Links Part 2: Syrian Doctor Ask Israel To Save Patient and F1 Comes To Jerusalem.

From Ian:

Syrian doctor, in unprecedented note, asks Israel to save patient’s life

A handwritten doctor’s note was found attached to the clothing of a Syrian man brought to Israel in critical condition Tuesday. The note explained, in Arabic, previous surgical procedures and medical care the man had received days before in Syria. It asked Israel to save his life because the Syrian doctors could not provide the necessary medical treatment.
While Israel has started to treat growing numbers of people wounded in Syrian battles close to the border in recent months, this was the first case of a cross-border “transfer” from a Syrian medical facility.

UK says Richard Falk article “resonant of longstanding antisemitic practice of blaming Jews”

Last week, in a June 6th response, the British government explained in detail why they recently condemned the UN’s Richard Falk for antisemitism:
In the same article Mr Falk said that “as long as Tel Aviv has the compliant ear of the American political establishment, those who wish for peace and justice in the world should not rest easy.” We believe this article is resonant of the longstanding antisemitic practice of blaming Jews (through the State of Israel by proxy) for all that is wrong in the world. This is unacceptable.

Sun News: Hillel Neuer Blasts Richard Falk

Where's the Coverage? Israel to Build Housing in West Bank...for Palestinians

If 600 housing units for Jews is worthy of coverage, why not even a mention of a plan to build nearly twice as many homes for Palestinian Arabs? Neither the LA Times nor any other major news outlet has covered an Israeli plan to develop hundreds of housing units for Arabs, on Israeli-controlled land in Area C. And it would not have taken a lot of investigating to find out about it. The Jerusalem Post reported last month, “J'lem plans 1,140 Palestinian homes near Jericho”

Amid Global Focus on Jewish Construction, NGO Counters Illegal Arab Building

While the international community often focuses on the legal status of Jewish construction in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, two Israeli government initiatives—a proposed transfer of Israeli land near Jericho to Palestinians and a law that would retroactively legalize tens of thousands of Bedouin structures in the south—are highlighting the issue of illegal Arab building across Israel.
At the forefront of tackling this issue is Regavim, an NGO that tracks illegal Arab building and prosecutes it in Israeli courts.

BBC Red Carded for Capital Offense

The BBC this week insisted that “no offence was intended” after Tel Aviv was described as Israel’s capital during a commentary on the UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Washington Watch: What does aid to Egypt get us?

Peace with Israel is the locomotive that pulls aid to Egypt through the Congress, but there are other cars on the train.
The Egyptian government of Mohamed Morsi is facing growing pressure from some members of Congress who want to reduce or withhold some aid to press his Islamist government to improve its human rights record.

US House c'tee triples missile funding to Israel

The US House of Representatives Armed Service Committee tripled President Brack Obama’s request for missile defense collaboration with Israel and sought to include the United States in Iron Dome development.

Holocaust memorials continue to proliferate in small towns

Though precise numbers are difficult to come by, Holocaust studies experts say museums and monuments dedicated to the genocide have proliferated across the United States over the past two decades.
Major American cities typically have at least one Holocaust memorial, but now many midsized ones do too, like Richmond, Va., Charleston, SC, and El Paso, Texas. Memorials are even found in relatively small cities, like Whitwell, Tenn., and Palm Desert, Calif. And more are in the works, including a recently approved monument designed by architect Daniel Libeskind to be built on the statehouse grounds in Columbus, Ohio.

‘Super diva’ Babs has Israel in a tizzy

Barbra Streisand touches down in Israel next week, and the country is in a tizzy for the arrival of Babs.
The iconic Jewish-American singer will visit for 10 days and perform two concerts on June 20 and 22 at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, as well as a private performance on June 18 in Jerusalem to honor President Shimon Peres’s 90th birthday.

Major Chinese Conglomerate to Open Tech Incubator in Israel

One of China’s largest conglomerates has announced it plans to establish a technology incubator in Israel.
Fosun International chairman Guo Guangchang told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the plan following the latter’s recent visit to the country, Globes reports.

Israeli Technology Reveals the Secrets Behind a Voice

Amir Liberman, founder and CEO of Nemesysco, told Arutz Sheva that the voice analysis is used “for various purposes, starting from very intensive security investigative needs, to human resource screening, lawful interception and even for commercial purposes such as fraud prevention and insurance risk assessment for credit cards.”

Say goodbye to surgical stitches and staples

Plasma is a gas in which a certain proportion of the particles are ionized. It has been shown to offer manifold benefits including tissue welding, control of bleeding, enhancement of tissue repair, disinfection and destruction of cancer cells. However, plasma has enjoyed a limited role in surgery due to the high temperatures it creates and resulting harmful effects on body tissue. IonMed’s scientists found a way to make use of cold plasma as the power behind the BioWeld1.

Cooperation is new watchword in pharma business, says top exec

Israel has in recent years turned into a life sciences powerhouse — the world leader in the number of medical device patents per capita, and second in biopharmaceuticals. In the coming weeks, the Office of the Chief Scientist will close a $5 billion tender for establishment of a biopharma incubator. In addition, of course, Israel is home to Teva, the world’s largest generic drug maker.

Jerusalem fast and furious over Formula 1

According to the mayor’s spokesperson, the goal is to test the Formula 1 event over the next two days before deciding whether it will become an annual fixture.
“We have 100,000 spectators from Israel and abroad coming through Jerusalem right now, here for the light festival and the book fair. We’re expecting people from all over the country,” she said. “When Mayor Barkat talks about Formula 1, he talks about the investment, not the spending. This is for the tourists as well, and Jerusalem is a big tourist city.”

BGU students design race car for ‘Peace Road Show’

A Formula 1 race car designed and built by student engineers from Ben-Gurion University will be featured in the Formula 1 “Peace Road Show,” among world-class vehicles from Ferrari, Mercedes and Audi, scheduled to traverse the capital’s streets Thursday and Friday.

Waze and means: The tactical and strategic failure of BDS

These are hardly exceptional examples. As an incident with an Australian BDS Facebook page illustrated last month, while all BDS supporters are not antisemites, its fair to say that nearly all antisemites are BDS supporters.
Given the preponderance of evidence that BDS harms, and not helps the chances for peace by weakening moderates, BDS activists have found the need to resort to deception in their attempt to market their ideology to the mainstream.
It hasn't been easy for them. BDS activists crave validation that their methods are working in order to build morale and recruit more supporters. When the evidence says otherwise, they naturally seek to create an illusion of success. It's impossible for them to make the case that their campaign has made even the slightest dent in SodaStream. For this reason, it stands to reason that sooner or later, they will be compelled to shift their focus and prey upon far poorer performing companies - or more likely, bully more small businesses - in order to maintain this deception.

Video: Syrian rebels blow up tank with guided missile

This is an impressive video, allegedly of Syrian rebels blowing up a Syrian tank with a wire-guided missile:

70 Gaza farmers attend Tel Aviv agriculture exhibition, in yet another #BDSFail

Palestine Today quotes Reshet Bet radio as saying that 70 farmers from Gaza attended a Tel Aviv agriculture conference and exhibition this week.

The report says that there is currently NIS 1.6 billion ($450 million) in trade between Israel and Gaza.

JPost adds:

An opportunity to once again export fruits and vegetables to the Israeli market could be game-changing not only to Gazan farmers but also to the larger relationship between the Gazan people and their Israeli neighbors, farmers from the territory told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

“We want to sell in Israel,” said Mahmoud Ikhlain, chairman of the Beit Lahiya Cooperative.

“The market in Israel is a good market. All the time, we and Israel are in contact.”

“We are neighbors,” Ikhlain added.

There was a similar exhibition last January, where 30 Gaza farmers attended.

All this is very confusing, because we are constantly told that "Palestinian civil society" supports boycotting Israel.

Could it be that the BDS movement is lying, and most real Palestinian Arabs don't have a problem working together with Israel?

Nah, they wouldn't lie. Never. Perish the thought.

Arab media: "Israeli spies fighting in Syria"

Osama Hamdan, foreign ministry spokesman for Hamas, admits that there have been some "technical" problems that caused Lebanese officials to stop allowing Gazans with Hamas visas into the country.

Those "technical issues" include people caught with forged documents who were sneaking into Lebanon to fight with the rebels in Syria.

Hamdan promised that Hamas would never do anything to threaten the security of any Arab nation.

Hizballah handed over the bodies of several of these Palestinians found in Quseir with their forged visas, and "sources say" that they were actually Israeli spies sent to fight with the Syria rebels!

Reports indicate that the Lebanese, and especially Hezbollah, are upset at Hamas for this forged documents scandal and that there might be formal charges brought. This would explain Hamdan's eagerness to smooth ruffled feathers, and possibly Hizballah started the "Israeli spy" story also to keep the infighting between Hamas in Lebanon and Hizballah out of the public eye as long as possible.

Israel is the go-to excuse in cases like this, as always.

6/13 Links Part 1: Fatah Thugs, PA Honors Terrorists and Gazan Farmers want to Trade with Israel

From Ian:

Khaled Abu Toameh: The Palestinian Authority's Reign of Terror

Then, Fatah thugs recruited by the Palestinian Authority attacked dozens of Palestinian protesters who had set up tents in the center of Ramallah. The protesters were beaten and their tents set on fire as Palestinian Authority policemen stood on the side and refused to interfere.
By resorting to this policy of terror and intimidation against its critics and political opponents, the Palestinian Authority leadership in the West Bank is once again showing that it is not much different from other Arab dictatorships. It is these measures that have driven many Palestinians away from the Palestinian Authority and straight into the open arms of Hamas and other extremist groups.

PM to Palestinians: Stop squabbling, start talking

Netanyahu said, “My goal is to see a historic compromise that ends the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians once and for all.”
“This will entail a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state, with ironclad security arrangements for Israel – recognition, security, demilitarization,” Netanyahu said.
“I believe that these are the elements for peace. I don’t pose them as preconditions for negotiations. I look forward to enter those negotiations without preconditions without delay. I am ready for such a peace. I hope the Palestinians are ready too,” he said.

Media Comment: The self-perception of ‘Haaretz’

Haaretz is not so much a newspaper as an ideological tract. Its professional shortcomings, such as its publisher’s narrow focus and the clique-like character of the editorial staff, have turned Haaretz into an organ injurious to free, open and pluralistic thinking.
Gideon Levy trumpets his non- Zionism. Amira Haas was quoted saying to The New Yorker “my tribe is leftists, not liberal Zionists.” Regular columnist and Israel Prize laureate Prof. Ze’ev Sternhell in 2001 wrote in Haaretz’s pages “There is no doubt about the legitimacy of [Palestinian] armed resisitance”.

Harriet Sherwood visits town of Nabi Selah – forgets to mention the little monster it spawned

You may recall that the town of Nabi Selah (and Sherwood’s protagonist, Bassem Tamimi) was featured in a New York Times magazine cover story by Ben Ehrenreich, which romanticized the culture of terrorism in Bassem’s ‘little village’, and whitewashed the crime of its most famous resident, a woman named Ahlam Tamimi – whom, per Ehrenreich, is still much-loved in the town.
As Arnold and Frimet Roth explained in-depth recently, in response to Ehrenreich’s story, Tamimi (released in 2011 during the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange) is the Palestinian who escorted a suicide bomber to a Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem in 2001 – a massacre which left fifteen people dead, including the Roth’s' daughter Malki who was only fifteen years old at the time

Palestinian indicted of murdering settler

Salam Zagal of Tulkarem was indicted in a military court Wednesday for the murder of Evyatar Borowsky on April 30. According to the charges, Zagal set out to kill a Jewish settler, and Borowsky was the unlucky target.

Abbas won't dismiss official who praised killer of settler

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will not adhere to the request of several US congressmen to reprimand a Fatah official who praised the killer of an Israeli settler in the West Bank, Palestinian Ma'an news agency reported on Wednesday.
The congressmen urged Abbas to dismiss the official, Sultan Abu al-Einein from the government after saying "We salute the heroic fighter, the self-sacrificing Salam Al-Zaghal [the killer of Israeli settler Evyatar Borovsky]."

PA honors 3 terrorists serving 166 life sentences

Last month, Palestinian Authority Minister of Prisoners' Affairs Issa Karake chose to honor terrorist Abdallah Barghouti, who is serving 67 life sentences and is responsible for the death of 66 Israelis in suicide terror attacks. Together with a delegation including District Governor of Ramallah, Laila Ghannam, he paid a "solidarity visit" to Barghouti's family.

Hamas to execute 2 Palestinians linked with Israel

Hamas intends to execute two Palestinians from the Gaza Strip who were recently convicted of “collaborating” with Israel.
A Hamas official said that the two men, who were not identified, would be executed by hanging by the end of this month, probably next week.
Egypt

Egyptian Minister Reveals Hamas Aided Brotherhood Prison Break

Now, judicial sources claim that former Egyptian Interior Minister Mahmoud Wagdy testified that Hamas cooperated with the Muslim Brotherhood to conduct prison breaks during the outbreak of the uprising. A source said that Wagdy testified before the Appellate Court of Ismailia, asserting that Egyptian intelligence “monitored communications between the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas concerning participation in the Friday of Rage (the fourth day of the uprising and the storming of the prisons.”

Children recruited by regime and rebels in Syria, says UN study

The Assad regime and the Syrian rebels have recruited boys and girls under the age of 18 to their ranks, a new UN study has found.
They are used mostly as “suicide bombers or human shields,” in combat and support roles.
The report also details the regime’s abuse of boys it suspects are linked to opposition groups.

Lebanon Warns Syria after Gunship Attack

Lebanon's army warned it will hit back against any new attacks from Syria after a helicopter gunship struck an eastern town on Wednesday, ratcheting up tensions ahead of US-British talks on the conflict.

Syrian Civil War an ‘Iranian Fight’ Says Think Tank Chief

The head of a think tank in Dubai says Syria’s civil war has become a fight for Iran’s survival and rulership in the Middle East.
Mustafa Alani, director of security and defense at the Dubai-based Gulf Research Council, explained in a report published by The Washington Post on Wednesday that the Syrian government’s chief backer, Iran, is the most responsible for its survival in the savage civil war that began in March 2011.

Iran’s deep-rooted terror networks pose ‘real risk’

There are “clear signs” that terrorist networks first established by Iran in several South American countries in the 1980s and 1990s are still in place, and there are indications that Iran has similar networks in Europe, the Argentinian prosecutor who investigated the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires told The Times of Israel.
In a telephone interview a week after he issued a 500-page report on the bombing and Iran’s wider terrorist infiltration of South America, Alberto Nisman said that Tehran had established its terror networks for the strategic long term, ready to be used “whenever it needs them.

Google: Iran Broke Into Thousands of Gmail Accounts

Most of the victims were Iranians, or user Farsi in their accounts, a Google official said, indicating that the data theft involved may be connected to domestic Iranian issues – perhaps the local Iranian elections, set for Friday. The data theft began some three weeks ago, Google said.

Mossad head, in Ankara, reveals Iran’s anti-Turkish activity

Pardo gave Fidan information, from the Mossad and other Israeli intelligence hierarchies, concerning anti-Turkish activity by Syria and Iran, Israeli sources said later Wednesday. This included intelligence on Iranian Revolutionary Guards activity inside Turkey, the sources said, noting that Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this week charged that foreign elements were involved in the Taksim Square protests in Istanbul.

Egypt, Pakistan deny importing Israeli arms

Also on Tuesday, the Israeli Defense Ministry released a statement stating, “Israel denies selling any military equipment to Pakistan,” and that Israel plans to contact the British office in charge of export permits to seek an explanation for the information that was published.
The statement then went into damage control mode, trying to keep Pakistan’s bitter enemy, India, from thinking that the report is true. “Israel’s strategic relationship with India, the strongest [most populous] democracy in the world, which like Israel is dealing with terrorist threats and is a key anchor in international relations,” said the statement.

Gaza farmers: Exports to Israel could improve ties

An opportunity to once again export fruits and vegetables to the Israeli market could be game-changing not only to Gazan farmers but also to the larger relationship between the Gazan people and their Israeli neighbors, farmers from the territory told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
“We want to sell in Israel,” said Mahmoud Ikhlain, chairman of the Beit Lahiya Cooperative.
“The market in Israel is a good market. All the time, we and Israel are in contact.”
“We are neighbors,” Ikhlain added.

There are FIVE amusement parks in Gaza (photos)

Once again, prepare yourselves to see the horrible suffering of Gazans in their open-air prison. It is brutal, but you must force yourself to watch, so you can be a witness for future generations:

This comes from a Palestine Today feature about all the summer fun available to poor, deprived, starving Gazans.

According to the article, Gaza has five theme parks and 12 tourist resorts, all receiving record numbers of visitors.

I doubt highly that residents of, say, El Arish, Egypt, have such a selection of amusement parks within an hour drive.