Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Mass anti-government protests planned for June 30 in Egypt

Less than two weeks before June 30, the day of expected massive protests calling for the ouster of Egypt’s first freely elected president, Mohammed Morsi, both the Ministry of Interior and the military are left with difficult options as expectations of widespread, bloody confrontations continue to rise.

Retired police Col. Khaled Okasha, a security analyst and main witness in the trial involving Morsi’s jailbreak during the January 25 protests, believes the Ministry of Interior “is going through the most complicated, confusing and mysterious time in its recent history.”

On June 12, a day before Okasha’s talk with Al-Monitor, Egypt’s Interior Minister Gen. Mohamed Ibrahim announced that “police forces are legally committed to securing the June 30 protests, keen on the safety of every citizen regardless of their political allegiances.”

The statement contradicted the minister’s statement two days earlier [June 10]: “You will not see a single police officer in protest areas to let peaceful protesters express their opinions freely.”

The abrupt and unexplained reversal of Ibrahim’s statements clearly reflected how indecisive the country’s security apparatus is.

“We cannot understand who takes such decisions and on what basis. But the minister of interior is similar to the president who appointed him to politicize the ministry in the first place and recreate an ironfisted apparatus that will serve the administration and defend its policies and interests regardless of how right or wrong they are,” said Okasha.

Al Arabiya:

The opposition-backed campaign dubbed Tamarod, Arabic for rebellion, has called for a demonstration outside the presidential palace against Mursi on June 30.

Tamarod says it has gathered millions of signatures to a petition demanding that Mursi step down to pave the way for an early presidential election.

In a reaction, Islamist parties said they plan to organize a “million-man march” in front of Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque next Friday, to counter Tamarod’s protest at the end of the month.

The markets are taking notice:

Trading in Egypt’s benchmark stock index, the world’s worst performer in June, tumbled to the lowest level by value in five years, on concern anti-government protests will bring the nation to a “tipping point.”

Shares of about 70 million Egyptian pounds ($10 million) were traded yesterday, the lowest since Bloomberg started tracking the data in August 2008. About 85 million pounds changed hands so far today, compared with a 12-month average of about 400 million pounds.

Egypt’s stocks have slumped 15 percent in June, the most among 94 gauges tracked by Bloomberg, amid growing polarization between supporters and opponents of the North African country’s Islamist government. Both sides are calling for nationwide demonstrations on June 30, the one-year anniversary of President Mohamed Mursi taking office.

While his country burns, Erdogan meets with Hamas leaders

A head of state has priorities, after all.

From Turkish Radio and Television English:

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will hold a key meeting today for the Middle East peace.

Prior to his Gaza visit, Premier Erdoğan will meet Prime Minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Ankara.

The meeting bears critical importance in terms of the Middle East peace and reconciliation efforts between Palestinians.

Palestinian Head of State Mahmoud Abbas appointed academic and independent politician Rami Hamdallah as the new prime minister, causing discontent on the side of Hamas.

Hamas claimed Hamdallah's appointment is illegal.

Erdogan's visit to Gaza was originally scheduled for the end of May, then pushed back to sometime this month.

The PLO admits it hasn't made any concessions since 1988 and doesn't plan any

I found this in a paper at the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department site, in a paper where they try to spin their reasons for avoiding negotiating with Israel:

What are the Palestinians offering from their side?

The Palestinians have made numerous concessions and good will gestures. Although the two-state solution is common discourse today, it must be remembered that this solution is based on the Palestinian historic compromise of 1988, whereby the PLO accepted a state on a mere 22% of historical Palestine, for the sake of peace. During the past twenty-plus years of peace process, the Palestinians have entered all negotiations in good faith and have acted in accordance with agreements made. Palestine has also joined other countries in the region in establishing the Arab Peace Initiative, which extends the offer of normalized relations for Israel with 57 Arab and Islamic countries following Israel’s full withdrawal from all the territories occupied since 1967, and a just solution to the Palestinian refugee issue in accordance with UNGA Resolution 194.

Which means that they are offering - nothing. And they are trying to pretend that this intransigence of the past 25 years is somehow proof of their flexibility and willingness to work for peace!

Keep in mind that their continuous mention of UNGA 194 means that they never have, and never will, accept the concept of a Jewish state, and they insist even today that Israel must be flooded with millions of Arabs - turning it into an Arab state - as a prerequisite to "peace".

It is beyond me how Western diplomats can read this position paper, written in plain English, and still claim that Israel is the intransigent party.

Moshe Arens on the "demographic threat"

In Ha'aretz:

Many of the important decisions taken in the life of individuals or nations are not based on objective probabilities attached to future events. That information is usually nonexistent, and we may have recourse to game theoretic considerations or intuition in making decisions. When probabilities are introduced, they generally are on pretty shaky ground.

That is the case with the demographic projections that are promoted by those urging an Israeli withdrawal from Judea and Samaria. Here we are advised by some that we should be prepared to cut out parts of the Land of Israel − Judea and Samaria, the biblical heartland − based on certain demographic prognostications indicating that in time the Jewish population would constitute a minority in the State of Israel unless this decision was taken now.

The Danish-Jewish physicist Niels Bohr famously said that prediction is very difficult, especially about the future. That is certainly true in this case. Most past demographic forecasts in Israel have turned out to be wrong.

If this was no more than an academic exercise, there would be nothing to get excited about; the forecasts could be published in an academic journal and we could revisit the data in another 10 or 20 years. But those using these demographic forecasts hold them as a Damocles sword above our heads, insisting that we take a decision now and abandon Judea and Samaria, a decision that would be irreversible.

Yet it might turn out in the years to come that their forecasts were off by 10, 20, maybe 30 percent. Hurry, they shout, there’s no time to lose − the window of opportunity is closing. They are not talking about a mastectomy, they are talking about cutting the heart out of the Land of Israel.

Not very good advice.

Bashar Assad fake-quotes Golda Meir on his Facebook page

Seen on Bashar Assad's official Facebook page:

It translates to:

"When we burnt down Jerusalem, I hadn't slept all night, expecting that the Arabs would be coming from all over towards Israel. When the sun rose, I knew full well that we are facing a sleeping 'Umma [Islamic nation]"
- Golda Meir

The quote, of course, is fake. But it shows that Assad is still trying to deflect his problems to Israel.

6/17 Links Part 2: Focherini Beatified, What Happened to the Bees and Streisand Arrives

From Ian:

Catholic activist killed for saving Jews set for sainthood

An Italian Catholic activist and journalist who was declared a Righteous Gentile for saving Jewish lives during World War II has formally been put on the road to sainthood by the Roman Catholic church.
Odoardo Focherini was beatified – the step before sainthood – at a ceremony Saturday in his hometown of Carpi, near Modena in northern Italy.

MKs and Activists Discuss Deteriorating Situation on Mt. Olives

"It's crucial to get our message across to as many public officials as possible", said Lubinsky. "including those present at the hearing. The very fact that there are ongoing hearings about Har Hazeitim means that our message will reach the proper authorities and peace will eventually prevail at one of Judaism's holiest sites."

After Firebombing of Third Montreal Jewish Business, Community Group Demands Answers from Police

The B’nai Brith expressed concern on behalf of Montreal’s Jewish community over the frequency of the attacks and how they have been able to continue unabated. “This is the 3rd Jewish-owned business that has been fire-bombed in less than 2 weeks and our concern for the safety and welfare of the community is high. The Police must take concrete steps to reassure the community that their safety is not in jeopardy,” Slimovitch demanded.

Israeli and Turkish Beach Soccer Teams in Diplomatic Incident

Before Israel’s national Beach Soccer team’s game against Turkey on Sunday (in which Israel won 9-6 and qualified for the European Championship), as the two teams were exchanging each other pennants, Coach Benny Lam noticed that the Turks threw the Israeli flags away.

Golkar Lawmaker Under Fire for ‘Secret’ Israel Visit

Indonesia has refused to establish diplomatic ties with Israel until the country allows an independent Palestine. But this stance hasn’t stopped Indonesian officials from visiting Israel, or put a damper on trade ties.
The two nations set up a chamber of commerce to facilitate trade in 2009, settling on the unassuming name the “Israel-Asia Chamber of Commerce.” Indonesia booked $750 million in trade in 2008, and $450 million in 2009, despite failing to officially recognize the country, according to reports in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

London to host conference on boycott campaigns

The three-day conference will take place at University of London’s Birkbeck College, and is being hosted by the Pears Institute for the Study of Anti-Semitism at Birkbeck, in conjunction with the International Consortium for Research on Anti-Semitism and Racism.

Siamese twins at the Civil Administration

With Israeli assistance and coordination of the Civil Administration in the West Bank, a Palestinian woman gave birth in Israel to Siamese twins connected to each other, after a complex caesarean section.

US Passes Bill to 'Remove Existential Threats' From Israel

The U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment to the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act on Friday, which would make it U.S. policy to take “all necessary steps” to ensure Israel is able to “remove existential threats.”

Start-ups ride a cybersecurity wave into Israel

There are two big “waves” set to hit Israeli hi-tech in the coming year, according to Gadi Tirosh, a general manager at venture capital fund Jerusalem Venture Partners. One wave will consist of new companies working in the cybersecurity space, as protecting government, enterprise, and consumers from hacking, online espionage, and cyber-terrorism becomes even more vital than in the past.
The second wave concerns the place where many of these security-oriented companies will set up shop — Beersheba, a city which will soon host many of the IDF’s advanced technology facilities. As the city grows, multinational giants, like Deutsche Telecom, Ness Technologies, EMC, and others are setting up R&D facilities in the city, drawing from the graduates of Ben Gurion University’s large body of engineering students.

VascoDe brings smart-phone capabilities to simple cell phones

The company has essentially built a method for simple phones – the basic Nokias and HTCs that dominate the developing world – to run smartphone apps like Facebook, Gmail, Twitter and Skype. Who would invest in a company looking backward rather than toward the next generation of iPhones and Android devices?

Tel Aviv named one of world's best beach cities

Confirming something that its residents have known for years, Tel Aviv has been voted as one of the best beach cities in the world. Joining the likes of Miami and Rio de Janeiro, National Geographic has included Tel Aviv in its list of the "Top 10 Beach Cities."

Barbra Streisand arrives in Israel

From the airport she headed to Jerusalem's King David Hotel, where she will stay for the next two days. During the rest of her visit, she will be staying at the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv.
Immediately after arriving at the Jerusalem hotel, Streisand and her entourage were already on their way to the Western Wall.

Israeli Scientist: Virus Causing Bees to Disappear

Scientists have not been sure as to the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder, attributing it to situations as diverse as an increase in pesticide use to global warming, but according to Hebrew University's Sela, the culprit is a virus that has been spreading in the worldwide bee population. Speaking to Israel Radio, Sela said that he had developed, together with an American company, a treatment for the virus, which rehabilitated up to 70% of the hives that it was tested on.

Revolutionizing agritech at Israel’s Volcani Institute

Whether low-tech or high-tech, this and countless other innovations from the government-funded Volcani Agricultural Research Organization in Israel have earned a worldwide reputation for expertise in plant sciences, plant protection, environmental sciences and herd management.
Farmers can drop by Volcani’s main campus at Beit Dagan to get any help they may need, whether it’s an irrigation issue or a way to banish white flies from tomato vines without using pesticides. Much of what is learned, developed and implemented in Israel then gets planted in fields around the planet.

Spillover from Syria to Lebanon gets larger

From Now Lebanon:

A Syrian army helicopter bombed the eastern Beqaa town of Arsal again yesterday afternoon. This time they aimed at the center of the town, located in a valley of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range a few kilometers away from the Syrian border.

It was the latest episode in a series of incidents that raise concern that a new front may emerge in the Lebanese Beqaa Valley, especially after Syrian regime forces and Hezbollah-trained fighters have recently pushed the rebels out of Qusayr, a former rebel stronghold. Analysts say that a war in the Beqaa is imminent.

Arsal has been bombed by the Syrian air force in August last year, but no inhabited areas were hit then. Most of the military operations took place in the farmlands straddling the border, as the Syrian army officially said that they were following rebel fighters who had crossed into Lebanon. For the people in Arsal, a Sunni enclave on the border with Syria surrounded by Hezbollah-controlled areas, bombing the inhabited areas was a long time coming. Since the beginning of the Syrian uprising, the town has earned a reputation for sheltering Syrian refugees and anti-regime activists, and its farmlands have been reportedly used as a safe haven by rebel fighters.

Arsal’s support for the Syrian rebellion has brought the town to an open war with neighboring Hermel, a region controlled by Shiite Hezbollah (which is involved in the Syrian conflict alongside the regime’s loyalist forces). On Tuesday, a resident of Arsal was killed and another two were briefly kidnapped while passing through Hezbollah’s territory. Politically motivated tit-for-tat kidnappings have occured quite often between the inhabitants of the two towns during the past year.

And:

A video posted on YouTube shows a group of Jihadists announcing the formation of a brigade to fight Hezbollah in the Lebanese Beqaa Valley region.

“Following the call for Jihad in Syria made by the Ulamas of [Islam], we announce the formation of the Lebanese Shield of Beqaa Battalion to fight Hezbollah,” a masked gunman is shown as saying in the video broadcast on Sunday.

He added that the battalion will include four companies “spread across the Beqaa.”

The Beqaa Valley region has been targeted recently by rocket attacks from Syria hitting the Sunni majority town of Arsal, as well as Baalbek, a bastion of the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah.

And:

Four Shiite Lebanese men were killed Sunday in an ambush in a volatile area by the border with Syria, hiking already high sectarian tensions and concerns over the spillover of the civil war raging next door.

Gunmen from the families of the slain Shiites took to the streets and set up roadblocks between their town and the neighboring Sunni majority town of Arsal, accusing residents there of being behind the killings.

Lebanon is being sucked back into "Greater Syria" to help create a greater Syrian mess.

Around the world, favourite beach activities include sunbathing, swimming and sandcastle building.

But in Israel, matkot - an extreme game of bat and ball - dominates the coastline.

The goal is for two players to hit a small rubber ball with a racket as many times as possible, without dropping the ball.

Matkot is so popular, one lifelong fan has turned his home into a museum dedicated to the game.

Yolande Knell went to join hundreds of matkot players by the sea in Tel Aviv to find out why they love it.

(h/t Zvi)

6/17 Links Part 1: Peace Now wants Hamas State, The Pope Annoys Turkey and Fisk's Brain

From Ian:

The Palestinians are blocking Kerry

A sober view of the situation should lead any observer to the conclusion that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership have no intention of changing their strategic decision to avoid any real negotiations with Israel. Their insistence on preconditions -- for example, advance Israeli consent to the 1967 lines as the future borders of a Palestinian state, the complete halt of Israeli construction over the Green Line (including in Jerusalem), and the release by Israel of imprisoned Palestinian terrorists -- is consistent with the tactics they have been using, including the U.N. statehood bid. The Palestinians are doing everything to avoid the possibility of becoming involved in a process that will require compromises and concessions on their part (for example, the refugee issue, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and an end-of-conflict declaration).

Protest: ‘Peace Now wants Hamas State’

Samaria Residents’ Council Benny Katzover said, “We cannot let a loud, extremist minority take over public discourse on Israel’s streets. Our activists in Israeli cities will show up anywhere that a negligible group tries to create the false impression that someone in Israel still supports dividing Jerusalem.”
“We came to protest opposite a small group of vocal extreme-left activists who are acting on behalf of the country – but not our country, but the country that doesn’t want any Jews within its borders, the country that wants Jerusalem as its capital,” said activist Sagi Keizler.

Arafat Jaradat and the Torture of Palestinian Prisoners the Media Won’t Report

Though we have often charged the Guardian with consistently engaging in ‘activist journalism’ – their continual search for evidence to buttress preconceived pro-Palestinian conclusions – this observation is likely only half correct. The ubiquity of reporting alleging Israeli mistreatment of Palestinians stands in contrast to the dearth of stories in the paper focusing on Palestinian mistreatment of fellow Palestinians, suggesting that advancing a narrative of Israeli oppression is of much greater concern to their reporters than genuine advocacy on behalf of the human rights of Palestinians.

BBC’s Knell uses F1 to amplify PA propaganda on Jerusalem

Oh dear! It seems that (pretend Governor of Jerusalem) Mr Husseini is not even content to limit himself to demanding “East” Jerusalem alone as the capital of a Palestinian state. Perhaps that explains why he is so outraged by a sporting event which in actual fact took place in areas of the city he and his PA colleagues are not supposed to find remotely controversial – at least according to the narrative as it is understood by their Western donors.
How very revealing it is that Yolande Knell chose to politicise what could have been a factual and impartial report on a sporting event by showcasing Husseini’s baseless histrionics and that in doing so, she opted as a volunteer mouthpiece for the amplification of the opinions of a man who promotes the offensive racist trope of the ‘Juadization’ of Jerusalem.

Robert Fisk Equates Terrorists With Himself

That’s all a long time in blog years, but Fisk finally found his voice on the controversy. The Independent’s columnist writes:

As for Salama and al-Kumi, you can try to find them in the organisation’s database today. “Journalist not found,” it says. The “Newseum” has killed them a second time.
So Fisk’s equating thugs and terrorists with himself. It wouldn’t be the first time he did that. In 2001, after being beaten within an inch of his life by Afghan refugees, Fisk wrote:

And I’ll say it again. If I was an Afghan refugee in Kila Abdullah, I would have done just what they did. I would have attacked Robert Fisk. Or any other Westerner I could find.
Fisk’s so open-minded, his brains fell out.

PMW: Terrorist who killed taxi driver is "hero" who "brought honor to all humanity" - on PA TV

Killer of 84 year-old man praised as a "heroic giant" on PA TV - VIDEO

Gaza suffers drop in foreign aid over Syrian war

Islamic charities abroad that used to donate heavily to Gaza have been redirecting some of their aid to Syria, forcing local charities to scale back programs, aid officials said.
"All of Gaza is suffering from this," said Noha Zaki of Gaza City's Amal orphanage, home to 100 children. Zaki said donations to her charity are down by 50 percent.

Hard-line Egyptian cleric sentenced for burning Bible

A hard-line Muslim cleric received an 11-year suspended sentence Sunday for tearing up and burning a Bible, Egypt's official news agency said.

Syria: Egypt's Morsi joining US, Israeli conspiracy

The Syrian official said that Morsi's calls for foreign intervention in Syria and the implementation of a no-fly zone in the country would only serve the interests of the US and Israel.
The source added that the continued presence of an Israeli embassy in Cairo and Egypt's adherence to the Camp David accords with Israel delegitimizes both Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Rohani challenge

The election of Rohani makes the job of those who are working to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons much harder. Whereas Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was candid and outspoken in his hatred of both the West and the Jewish state, Rohani is likely to attempt to exploit his “moderate” image and his popular mandate to advance Iranian interests, particularly the ending of Iran’s international isolation.

Analysis: The good and the bad of Rohani’s election

Analysts who support this view argue that at least Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke honestly and directly while Rohani will dissimulate and hide the regime’s true intentions – taking the international community for a ride as negotiations will continue until Iran has the bomb.
Daniel Pipes, the president of the Middle East Forum, wrote on his blog, Danielpipes.org, in an article titled, “Rooting for Jalili,” that the same logic holds for supporting the hardliner Saeed Jalili this time around, just as he wrote four years ago that he was rooting for Ahmadinejad. Pipes wrote that it “is better to have a bellicose, apocalyptic, in-your-face Ahmadinejad who scares the world than a sweet-talking Mousavi who again lulls it to sleep, even as thousands of centrifuges whir away.”

Peres: Ahmadinejad will be accountable

With regard to outgoing president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Peres said that history will never forgive him for what he did to Iran.
“He wasted millions of dollars on uranium; he brought the Iranian people to its knees; he destroyed the economy; he hung innocent citizens; he made Iran a center for terrorism and turned it into a state of isolation.”

BBC suspends ties with Turkey's NTV over protests coverage

The BBC announced on Friday it has suspended its partnership with Turkey's private NTV channel after it pulled a programme on press freedom and the anti-government protests.
NTV decided not to broadcast an edition of the BBC programme Dunya Gundemi (World Agenda) on Friday which included an item on the initial failure of mainstream Turkish media to cover the protests, a spokewoman for the British broadcaster told AFP.

Ankara upset at Vatican for pope’s remarks on mass killings of Armenians

Turkey has reacted angrily to the Vatican following a statement from Pope Francis describing the mass killings of Armenians during World War I as “the first genocide of the twentieth century” during a meeting with a delegation led by Patriarch of Cilicia of Armenian Catholics on June 3.

Pet Shop Boys slap down BDS liars

The Pet Shop Boys are playing in Israel next week, which naturally means that Israel haters pulled out all the stops to try to pressure them to cancel.

Their answer is short and shows that at least some pop stars have a degree of intelligence:

I don't agree with this comparison of Israel to apartheid-era South Africa. It's a caricature. Israel has (in my opinion) some crude and cruel policies based on defence; it also has universal suffrage and equality of rights for all its citizens both Jewish and Arab. In apartheid-era South Africa, artists could only play to segregated audiences; in Israel anyone who buys a ticket can attend a concert. Neil x

The graphic that the haters used to try to demonize the duo from playing reveals a lot about how Israel haters simply make up "facts" whenever they feel like it.

1 child killed every 3 days? 2 kids "caged" every day?

These statistics are anti-Israel fantasies.

There have been no Palestinian Arab children killed by Israel in the past five months (the last one was throwing rocks and bottles at the IDF in January.) Even during the second intifada, from 2000-2005, the number of children killed did not reach this level.

Similarly, the idea that 2 children are arrested every day is equally ridiculous.

How many people would even bother to question statistics shown on a poster like this? To do so, you must assume initially that the BDS crowd is filled with liars, and most Westerners tend to trust seemingly authoritative "facts" that come their way.

The lies of the Israel haters are insidious, and of course the more "honest" ones will not bother to correct their co-haters - because there are no consequences to lying.

(h/t Gidon Shaviv)

The antisemitic Ramadan miniseries "Khaybar" scheduled to be broadcast in various Arab countries next month is facing some controversy from at least one potential market - but not because of its virulent antisemitism.

As we've been reporting for months, the entire point of the series, disguised as a historical drama, is to show how the Jews have been engaging in "fraud and deceit" since the times of Moses up until today. As the screenwriter said explicitly, "The goal of the series is to expose the naked truth about the Jews and stress that they cannot be trusted."

But the message of hate is not what is causing controversy.

Dubai TV is threatening not to show the series because it apparently has actors portraying Mohammed's "companions." Some Muslims extend the ban on portraying prophets in art or drama to anyone Mohammed spoke to as well, and "Khaybar" seems to include some of Mohammmed's companions as characters in the series.

Ali Al Rumaithi, Director of Dubai TV, stated that while it would be a major loss to not broadcast the series, his responsibility to his viewers is more important, and subjecting them to images of Mohammed's companions is a danger. Subjecting them to incitement against Jews is, of course, just dandy.

Rumaithi is in talks with the director as to the extent of the potential violations. Filming only finished last week and the director is busy to finish the series' post production in time for its Ramadan airing.

Ramadan starts July 8.

So far, human rights groups have been silent in face of this impending incitement against the entire Jewish people. Sign the petition to pressure them to make a statement against Arab antisemitism, a topic they have shunned.

Egyptians protest against, and Muslim Brotherhood praises, Hamas

From Ma'an:

Egyptian security has asked Hamas leaders to change the hotel its delegation is staying in after receiving intelligence that protests will be held outside, sources told Ma'an.

Hamas' chief in exile Khaled Mashaal and Gaza premier Ismail Haniyeh, along with a delegation of 24 party officials, were told that demonstrators would be rallying outside the Intercontinental Hotel to protest the Islamist movement's "intervention in internal Egyptian affairs," the sources said.

Egyptian security had been asked by protestors to "send Hamas leaders out of Egypt," responding that they were prepared to defend the delegation, the sources added.

The sources added that the change in hotel was required because forces did not "have the situation under control."

The delegation is in Cairo for emergency talks with the Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt Muhammad Badie.

The movement has come under sharp criticism in recent weeks after former Egyptian Interior Minister Mahmoud Wagdy said Hamas took part in prison riots during Egypt's revolution.

The Muslim Brotherhood praised the terror group:

Deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party Essam El-Erian says developments in the ongoing crisis in Syria have shown the difference between the Gaza-based Hamas group and Lebanese Shia Hezbollah group, both of which were originally founded to resist Israeli occupation.

"Hamas has never pointed a weapon towards any other nation. They withdrew from Syria and did not compromise their principles at the expense of losing support and key establishments in Syria," El-Erian said Sunday in a statement on Facebook.

"Hizbullah, however, has directly intervened against the revolutionary people of Syria by supporting a despotic regime (Al-Assad) and pointing their weapons at their fellow Arabs, not the Zionist enemy."

The ruling party in Egypt doesn't consider Israel to be a nation and supports terrorism. Good to know.

Nasrallah visited Qusair, Syria more than once

Ali Hashem, writer for Al-Monitor, is a very pro-Assad journalist (and former BBC reporter) who also writes now for Hizballah's Al Mayadeen.

His latest article is interesting - especially for those who want to see Hassan Nasrallah dead:

In the center of the city, I stood in the middle of the main road as a huge, black four-wheel-drive came my way.

I stared at the man sitting beside the driver: The face was familiar, but something was missing. It was clear I was face to face with Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, without a turban, wearing a military uniform. He smiled and nodded to me, and while I was still in shock, the car was out of sight. There was no convoy, only one car, but as I said before, there were security measures taken in the city and around.

It took me some time to confirm that whom I saw was Nasrallah. When I returned to Beirut, I started my investigations to confirm it and I did.

While investigating, I came across another piece of information: that this visit wasn’t the first for Nasrallah to Qusair during this very crisis. “Sayyed Nasrallah went to Qusair a day before the start of the battle: He met the commanders, visited some injured fighters and gave a speech,” a source close to Hezbollah told me, “He spoke for around half an hour with his main commanders exchanging ideas on the battle and the expectations and how many days it’ll take them to finish it.”

As for the latest visit, the one day after the offensive, our source said that Nasrallah visited the city of Qusair and the towns around it in the country side. He added, “Sayyed Nasrallah wanted to thank the fighters personally, he met them, met the injured, and went around the area.”

I asked the source how Nasrallah is able to move from Beirut to Qusair in Syria and sometimes travel to Iran while Israel is saying that he is hiding.

“It’s a hide-and-seek game,” he replied, “Nasrallah's security apparatus is professional enough to know when to move and how. No one knows what they do and what their measure are, we only know when things are done.”

Nasrallah’s visit to Qusair shows once again that the group’s fight in Syria isn’t a matter of interests, it’s a matter of existence.

Looks like the IDF needs to beef up its intelligence; Nasrallah's peeking out of his hole is too good a target to ignore, and hitting him in Syria (or getting any Sunni Arab to do it) would probably be much less problematic politically than taking him out in Lebanon.

Turkish police adding chemicals (pepper spray) to water cannons

This photo has been floating around the pages of people watching the protests in Turkey:

It is supposedly of Turkish security personnel pouring Jenix, a pepper spray concentrate, into the water cannons they are using against protesters at Gezi Park.

Ansa (Italian) reports:

Istiklal Avenue, Taksim Square, Besiktas, the Bosphorus Bridge: names that trigger in the minds of millions the images of holiday tourists and colorful Eastern postcards. Today these places in the heart of Istanbul are war zones. A war, with lots of stinging substances used by the police, which continues into the night. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets again in the megacities of the Bosphorus and Taksim to march to denounce the brutal assault last night of police in Gezi Park and the young activists who occupied it.

A vicious attack, which injured 800, including children hit by rubber bullets, dozens of people 'burned' by stinging agents put in the water by police fire hydrants - as reported by the photos of the activists in which you can clearly see the cops load the substance 'Jenix' in armored vehicles - or hundreds suffocated by the clouds of tear gas. All this while riot police arrested the doctors who treated injured protesters, beat an opposition deputy, lawyers and journalists. It is a "war against the population," the president of the German Greens Claudia Roth charged.

While Jenix doesn't seem to be any less legal than tear gas, it is still a chemical weapon that causes the skin to burn. it is unclear whether it is meant to be mixed together with water in this fashion.

So far, this has barely been reported in English anywhere except in social media.

(h/t EG)