Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, July 08, 2013

The first "Palestinian" tragedy

Al Quds al Arabi, the London-based Palestinian Arab newspaper, has an article about how the West and Israel has always colluded to always make Palestinian Arabs into victims. The author, Samir Jabbour, brings numerous examples of how the Palestinian Arab issue is "the largest humanitarian issue par excellence."

Since the First World War there has emerged the fragmentation and weakening of the Arab world, such as the Sykes-Picot agreement and the Balfour Declaration, and the Palestinians pay the price. Instead of Palestine being a natural part of Syria, a major state that could be in a position to confront the Zionist entity, it was isolated from the motherland in order to weaken it.

Did you catch that? Jabbour admits that "Palestine" was never an independent entity and is naturally a part of Syria! The tragedy he is lamenting is the very same event that gave rise to the beginnings of Palestinian Arab nationalism - before 1920, practically the only nationalism any Arab spoke about was for Greater Syria, with nary a word for "Palestine."

Reading these words you can see that Palestinian Arab nationalism is an artificial construct, borne out of the desire to thwart Jewish nationalism and not at all to help Palestinian Arabs achieve their national aspirations. They didn't have any.

We all knew this, of course - the infamous antisemitic Mufti of Jerusalem only became a Palestinian Arab nationalist after Sykes-Picot - but it is interesting to note that even today's Arabs know this as well, even if they never will admit it in English.

7/08 Links Part 1: Will Hamas Be Next?, Ahmadinejad Proud Of Holocaust Denial and Turkey's Conspiracies.

From Ian:

Khaled Abu Toameh: Will Hamas Be Next?

Unlike Egypt, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip do not have an army that could come to the rescue. Also, Fatah's supporters in the Gaza Strip do not have enough weapons to launch an Egyptian-style coup against Hamas.
Hamas, on the other hand, has a huge arsenal of weapons and thousands of militiamen who are quick to act against any individual or group who challenge its regime.
The Gaza Strip also does not have a credible, powerful, well-organized secular opposition that could rally thousands of Palestinians behind it.
Today, the only choice in the Gaza Strip is between Hamas and Fatah. The problem is that many Palestinians still do not see Fatah as a better alternative to Hamas.

Middle East experts find Kerry focus on Israeli-Palestinian peace ‘baffling’

What’s more, [Michael] Rubin said, with all the fires flaring around the world, it makes little sense that Kerry would devote so much time to a problem that isn’t currently in a position to be resolved.
“Egypt is imploding, and Turkey is going south fast. Antagonism between Europe and America is at an all-time high. China is bullying U.S. allies in southeast Asia. And what is Kerry doing? Off tilting at windmills,” he said.

Abbas: We're Not Making Any Concessions

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who is often touted by the West as a “moderate peace partner”, has once again indicated that he is willing to resume negotiations with Israel - but not give up on even one of his never-ending preconditions.

Ahmadinejad says Holocaust denial was his major achievement

Outgoing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said during a farewell ceremony Sunday that publicizing his Holocaust denial was a major achievement of his presidency.
“That was a taboo topic that no one in the West allowed to be heard,” Ahmadinejad said in a speech, according to the Iranian Fars news agency. “We put it forward at the global level. That broke the spine of the Western capitalist regime.”

Daphne Anson: The UK Zionist Federation Fights Against The Iranian Revolutionary Guard

The Zionist Federation in Britain has launched a petition targetting one of the world's principal terrorist groups:
"The Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRG), backed by the Iranian regime, have been key in providing fighters, weapons and training to the Assad regime and the Iranian proxy terrorist organisation Hezbollah. This has played a major role in the massacres Assad has carried out against his own people during a bloody civil war and has also led to Assad using groups like the IRG and Hezbollah to attack Israel

Jewish Group Protests Argentina-Iran 'Whitewash Agreement'

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is protesting a decision by the Argentinian prosecutor general to block the chief investigator who led the probe into the bombing of the Buenos Aires AMIA Jewish Center from testifying at a hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security. The hearing is scheduled to take place July 9, and is entitled “Iran’s Extending Influence in the Western Hemisphere”, reflecting American concerns over the Islamic Republic's role in international terrorism, among other things.

Analysis: For the Egyptian army, there’s no turning back

The army has been effectively – and brutally – dealing with the Islamists for years, and if anyone knows how to suppress them, it is the army and the country’s intelligence service.
The army knows that it must crack down hard on the organization in order to install a government more in line with its interests and those of the opposition protesters, while at the same time quelling any protests and violence from former president Mohamed Morsi’s supporters.

Muslim Brotherhood urges ‘uprising’ as dozens are killed

Amid fears of imminent civil war, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood called Monday for an “uprising” against the military and urged international intervention in Egypt to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.
The call to arms came hours after some 40 members of the Islamist group were killed in a clash with the Egyptian military, according to numbers released by the Egyptian Health Ministry. Hundreds more said to have been injured.

Gunmen slay soldier in northern Sinai

Gunmen shot and killed an Egyptian soldier near the northern Sinai city of el-Arish Sunday night, a day after a Coptic priest was gunned down in the same town by suspected Islamist militants.
An Egyptian police source told AFP that the attack took place at a military checkpoint just outside town. Mina Aboud Sharween, a Coptic priest, was shot dead in el-Arish on Saturday in the latest bout of violence in the lawless Sinai Peninsula, which borders southern Israel.

Fears for Egypt's Christians following Murder, Arson Attacks

Fears have been raised over the plight of Egypt's Coptic Christian community, after a series of attacks - including the assassination of a priest and an arson attack against a church - following the ouster of Muslim Brotherhood-backed President, Mohammed Morsi.

Officials: Sinai Desert not Safe for Israelis

The National Anti-Terror Unit on Sunday issued a travel warning for Sinai, and warned Israelis still there to come home immediately. “Given the deteriorating security situation in Sinai, which includes numerous violent clashes between groups, along with intelligence we have received about possible terror attacks,” the warning strongly suggests that Israelis avoid Sinai altogether, including the popular resort of Taba on the border near Eilat.

Daniel Pipes: In Terms of Civilization, Turkey is Not Part of Europe

In other words, what counts is civilization, not waterways. Morocco and Turkey are both for many centuries part of Dar al-Islam, the Muslim world, Islamdom, call it what you will. Atatürk’s reforms, to be sure, made Turkey appear more European and less Islamic but they did not change the essence of the country’s culture, as has been increasingly evident during the past decade.
So, Schaeuble is right where it counts: Turkey is not part of Europe and should not become a full member of the European Union.

The Great Turkish Conspiracy

In addition, the Islamist daily Yeni Şafak has reported that the protests are an anti-Erdoğan plot concocted in February by the American Enterprise Institute and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
AKP deputies have submitted a resolution to Parliament, calling for an investigation into the Gezi Park protests. The Ankara Police Department has also submitted a summary of the proceedings of the events to the public prosecutors, in which it claimed that anti-government media networks, journalists, NGOs, supporter groups, artists and marginal groups have incited and guided the demonstrations, and for which it held foreign media outlets -- such as CNN, BBC and The Economist -- responsible.

Erdoğan’s Disdain Extends from Jews to Blacks

Every Tuesday, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addresses his Justice and Development Party (AKP) cohorts. Speaking before a friendly audience, he often lets his guard down and lets the real Erdoğan shine through. Alas, increasingly it’s apparent that the real Erdoğan is not only an anti-Semite—ranting and raving about Jews or some amorphous “interest rate lobby”—but also a racist.
Criticizing Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the center-left and secular Republican Peoples Party (CHP), Erdoğan declared, “Kılıçdaroğlu is striving every bit he can to raise himself from the level of a black person to the level of a white man.” The Turkish word—Zenci—Erdoğan used is often used in a derogatory way.

Footage emerges showing assailants with machetes attacking protesters and bystanders in Istanbul

Amateur video footage showing unidentified people with machetes indiscriminately attacking protesters and bystanders running from the effects of tear gas has emerged, hours after the police intervention in protesters in Istanbul on July 6.

Israel uses balloons, radar to keep an eye on Gaza

From World Tribune:

Israel’s military has enhanced capabilities in monitoring the Gaza Strip.

The military’s Southern Command has improved training and equipment in maintaining surveillance on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. The command has used its Nesher Battalion to collect combat intelligence from the 360-square kilometer strip.

“The Combat Intelligence Corps has significantly upgraded its detection systems in the past few years,” the military said.

On July 2, the military reported that Nesher integrated advanced intelligence collection assets that target the Gaza Strip. The assets were said to have included radar, remotely-operated weapons and balloons that reach an altitude 300 meters.

“These balloons have two missions,” deputy battalion commander Maj. Shai Barda said. “One is to assist the soldiers on the ground in monitoring every visible inch of the borders, and the second is to gather long-distance field intelligence that is requested from us.”

The enhancements were reported amid Hamas’ effort to rebuild its military. Officials said Hamas was focusing on the production of long-range rockets that could strike such Israeli cities as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

In March 2013, Southern Command granted Nesher sole responsibility for identifying threats from the Gaza Strip. One of the battalion’s six companies was assigned the operation of the surveillance balloons.

“We see some kind of activity along the border every day,” Barda said.

“If there is an area that is not visible from the ground, these advanced surveillance balloons can go as high as 300 meters and cover any ground that may be difficult to observe from down below. Ninety-nine percent of the year, the balloons spend up in the air.”

There have been occasional stories about these balloons before - apparently they are tethered and don't directly enter Gaza airspace.

Still, I wonder what protection they have from being simply shot down.

For the fourth day in a row, Egypt has closed the Rafah crossing, not allowing anyone to travel between Gaza and Egypt and stranding many at the border.

Also, the Egyptian army stationed some 20 tanks at the border as well.

Some Gazans wanted to travel to Mecca for Ramadan.

All this is happening as Egypt continues to destroy smuggling tunnels to Gaza, although there were reports that some fuel was making it through.

Meanwhile, Israel is sending 340 trucks of material to Gaza today.

I am still searching for articles about the "collective punishment" and "illegal blockade" of Egypt.

Or is it that only one country is not allowed to control its own borders?

Hizballah under pressure from its own people to quit Syria

From Asharq Al Awsat:

Mounting casualties among Hezbollah fighters in the fighting in Syria has led some Lebanese supporters of the organization to petition its leaders to scale back its involvement in the Syrian conflict.

A source with knowledge of the petions, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, said that the increasing numbers of Hezbollah soldiers killed in Syria, including some senior commanders, has raised concerns among the Lebanese Shi’ites, prompting some of them, especially residents of Ba’albak, to visit Hezbollah Shura member, Mohamed Yazbek, demanding a halt on deployments of their men to Syria.

The source added that the residents stressed during the meeting that their children had fought the Israelis in 2006 and other wars between the party and Israel, in response to the call for resistance against Israel.

However, they said their men’s participation in the fight against the Syrian people, in defense of the Syrian government, was shameful and that it was unacceptable to embroil their men in a war in which they had no interest at all.

The source further added that Hezbollah was going through difficulties because it could not withdraw from fighting alongside the Syrian government, especially at this time.

This has prompted leading figures within Hezbollah to hold high-level meetings, to discuss the issue and agree on a delegation to be sent to Iran, in order to explain the difficulties faced by the party in the fighting in Syria, and explain to the Iranian leadership that the party was no longer able to bear the burden of supporting the Syrian government alone by sending fighters from Lebanon, and that Iran had to send more Iranian fighters than it did before.

The source said the numbers of Hezbollah fighters participating in the fight alongside the Syrian government had increased noticeably. Following Hezbollah leader’s visit to Tehran and Damascus three months ago, more than 20 units were sent to Syria from the Bekaa by Hezbollah, each battalion consisting of approximately 100 men.

Its always tempting to joke that things never change in the Middle East, but the sea change in attitudes against both the Islamists in Egypt and those in Lebanon - even for different reasons - is quite remarkable.

(h/t Yoel)

Some examples of the word "Jew" in Arabic media Sunday

Al Wafd links to a video of an interview with an Egyptian socialist leader who says that Egypt had been controlled by a tripartite threat: the Muslim Brotherhood, the Americans and the Zionist Jews.

Al Anba, in an article on Internet safety for children, mentions in passing that some Internet pages are from the enemies of Islam, namely the Jews, Christians and others.

Al Manara Link says:

One reason for the strength of the Jews and their success is because they possess money. They say, "The primary way to control the world is gold and the second way is the media," and they really are sincere about it. Money and the media are very important, and the media is what connects your voice to others; and Jews own money and the media.

Al Quds has a long article about the Jerusalem Festival of Lights. After being upset that many Arabs actually enjoyed the displays, the author goes into a crazed theory about why Jews specifically used the idea of light, bringing proofs from the Hebrew scripture and Jewish customs about the importance and symbolism of light. For reasons I couldn't fathom the article segued into the episode of David and Batsheva (Bathsheba) apparently making it sound like Jews fabricate stories about great prophets to make them look bad.

This is pretty much how Jews are discussed every day in Arabic media.

The Children are Ready II (video)

Last year, the Temple Institute released an excellent video for the Nine Days, when Jews commemorate the destruction of the Temples.

It really upset Islamists. Hamas responded with its own shot-by-shot version:

Now, the Temple Institute has a sequel which will make the Israel-haters seethe yet again, showing the children playing while the adults mourn the Temple on Tisha B'Av:

Girls on PA TV: Jews are "most evil among creations, barbaric monkeys, wretched pigs"

From Palestinian Media Watch:

PA TV reporter: "Let's meet these girls who want to recite a short poem."
Girl 1: "I do not fear the rifle because your throngs are in delusion and ignorant herds.
Jerusalem is my land, Jerusalem is my honor
Jerusalem is my days and my wildest dreams.
Oh, you who murdered Allah's pious prophets (i.e., Jews in Islamic tradition)
Oh, you who were brought up on spilling blood
You have been condemned to humiliation and hardship.
Oh Sons of Zion, oh most evil among creations
Oh barbaric monkeys, wretched pigs
Girl 2: Jerusalem is not your den
Jerusalem opposes your throngs
Jerusalem vomits from within it your impurity
Because Jerusalem, you impure ones, is pious, immaculate
And Jerusalem, you who are filth, is clean and pure.
I do not fear barbarity.
As long as my heart is my Quran and my city
As long as I have my arm and my stones
As long as I am free and do not barter my cause
I will not fear your throngs
I will not fear the rifle."
[Official Palestinian Authority TV, July 3, 2013]

But don't say that the PA teaches antisemitism. They respect Jews, except (1) the ones who are Zionist, (2) the ones who believe in their religion, and (3) the ones that the Koran called "sons of apes and pigs."

All the others are just fine!

Again, Gaza farmers cooperate with Israel, while BDSers pretend otherwise

From COGAT:

Last Wednesday and Thursday two groups of Palestinian farmers (60 persons in total) had left the Gaza Strip in order to attend an agricultural seminar in northern Israel, designed to further facilitate the Gaza agricultural sector. Farmers, heads of agricultural associations and merchants had arrived at the conference sponsored by Origins Seeds Company, a company which exports cucurbitacae (pumpkins, squashes, etc.) and field cultivation seeds to 17 world countries, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Last years, the farmers had purchased seeds from the company and were pleased with their quality, and so it was important for them to attend the seminar and learn more about the product they're using. During the seminar, the farmers completed several workshops on cultivation methods, planting schedules, soil preparation, proper use of irrigation and fertilizer and disinfestations methods.

In addition, the farmers focused primarily on watermelons, and had stated that this year, owing to the training programs conducted frequently in Israel; growers had achieved unprecedented crop yields – 11 tons of produce for each decare of cultivated fields – A twofold increase compared with the preceding year.

Meanwhile, the BDS movement puts together lists of "agricultural organizations" that probably have no members as "proof" that Arab farmers in the territories want to shun any cooperation with Israel.

As I summed up earlier this year:

The BDSers want Palestinian Arab farmers to lose millions of dollars that they are making today by cooperating with Israeli exporters.
The BDSers want Palestinian Arabs to stop working for Israelis that pay them double the rates they would get from Arab employers.
The actual farmers in the territories are happy to work with Israel to make money.
The actual workers in the settlements are happy to get more money for their families by legally working for Israelis.

In an indication that the antisemitic miniseries "Khaybar" may be shown on its network; Al Jazeera has a third article about it since last Tuesday.

This one is an interview with the director, Mohammed Azizieh, describing how great it is.

He says that "the series was written carefully with a solid religious and historical background , telling the story of the Jews of "Khaybar", and their machinations against the Muslims and the Messenger of Allah and peace be upon him in the early days of Islam."

Azizieh "denied that the Jewish lobby in America intervened to prevent or impede the production of this series, saying 'This talk is completely false.'" Well, yeah, it's only been me. If only I could have gotten our all-powerful Lobby to mobilize against it!

The article says that the series, described by its writer as showing Jews "practicing their treasonous nature throughout the centuries," will be shown on many Arab channels during Ramadan.

The director also hopes that the series will be dubbed in other languages so non-Arabic speaking Muslims can enjoy it as well.

Meanwhile, one Egyptian TV network - Dream TV - announced that it will show the series on its brand-new third channel.

It's not too late to sign the petition demanding that human rights groups condemn Khaybar and all Arab and Islamic antisemitism meant to incite hate against Jews. Also please join the Facebook page so the word can spread. So far we have over 1700 signatures.

7/07 Links: Morsi the Mistake, Kerry Goes Boating, Qaradawi and Meshaal Gets Expelled From Qatar

From Ian:

Cairo Institute: Morsi Systematically Abused the Rule of Law

One year after Morsi became president, it is now clear that the priority of the presidency—and, of course, the Muslim Brotherhood —was to firmly establish the underpinnings for a new authoritarian regime in place of the Mubarak regime. It is no surprise, therefore, that the past year witnessed widespread human rights crimes, on a scale that rivaled that under the Mubarak regime. The brutal suppression of political and social protest movements did not cease; indeed, the security forces are no longer the only party to use of excessive force against demonstrators, as MB supporters have also been given free rein to use violence to punish and intimidate their opponents, including through torture and even killings, whether at the gates of the presidential palace, in front of the main MB headquarters in Muqattam, or in squares in other governorates.

Noah Beck: Egyptians Correct the Morsi Mistake

Unfortunately, Egypt’s recent coup establishes a problematic precedent for checking presidential power: militarily topple the president before his second year in office. Egypt’s problems are so deep and numerous that even the best leader will probably disappoint “the street” one year into office. But some historical perspective may be useful here: the French Revolution was sparked by a fiscal crisis and demands for individual liberties that ultimately overthrew the absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries. That revolution involved about a decade of turmoil and killed tens of thousands before Napolean Bonaparte assumed power in 1799. Fixing Egypt could be a long and bumpy road, but at least the repairs have started.

Busted: Secretary of State John Kerry Was Boating While Egypt Fell Apart

Good news everyone. While Egypt (the country we just sent F16s to) was experiencing a coup this week, Secretary of State John Kerry was boating in Nantucket.

Senator McCain Calls for Suspension of US Military Aid to Egypt

“I’ve thought long and hard about this, but I believe that we have to suspend the aid to the Egyptian military, because the Egyptian military has overturned the vote of the people of Egypt,” McCain said Friday, according to the AFP news agency.

Qatar strips Qaradawi of citizenship, orders Khaled Meshaal out of country

Qatar has stripped prominent Muslim Brotherhood cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi of his Qatari citizenship, has ordered Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal (who took refuge in Qatar after it was no longer palatable to be sheltered by Bashar al-Assad) out of the country, and has withdrawn support from the Muslim Brotherhood as a result of Wednesday's events in Egypt (link in Arabic).

Leading Sunni cleric says in fatwa Egyptians should back Mursi

A leading Qatar-based cleric declared in a religious edict, or fatwa, on Saturday that Egyptians should support ousted President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood and the military should withdraw from the political scene.
Egyptian-born Youssef al-Qaradawi, one of the most prominent Sunni clerics in the Middle East, said in the fatwa posted on his website that the military's intervention to depose Mursi on Wednesday was against democracy and the constitution.

Anti-Americanism flares in Egypt as protests rage over Morsi's ouster

As rival camps of Egyptians protest for and against the toppling of President Mohamed Morsi, there is a rare point of agreement: America is to blame.
Anti-Americanism, which has long been an undercurrent here, is erupting again as Egyptians battle over the future of their country. Each side accuses the United States of backing the other and alleges conspiracies in which the Obama administration is secretly fostering dissent in an attempt to weaken Egypt.
It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't quagmire in which the U.S. appears to have alienated both sides, underscoring waning American influence and credibility as it attempts to navigate the turmoil.

Analysis: Syrian civil war eroding Hezbollah’s forces

Hezbollah’s large-scale involvement in Syria is eroding its military resources, though the extent of the damage it is incurring remains a closely guarded secret.
The Lebanese terrorist organization’s Shi’ite fighters, who were deployed to Syria to fight on behalf of Syrian President Bashar Assad at Iran’s orders, tipped the balance in favor of Assad at the battle of Qusair in recent weeks. But Israeli security analysts said on Sunday the victory came at a heavy price for Hezbollah that is set to rise the longer the organization remains engaged in Syria.

'Hezbollah supporters urge leadership: Stop sending our sons to die in Syria'

Amid the mounting death toll of Hezbollah operatives in Syria, a delegation of Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon has asked the Shi'ite group's leadership to stop sending operatives to fight for Syrian President Bashar Assad, pan-Arabic daily Asharq Alawsat reported Sunday.

Britain wants EU ministers to break Hezbollah deadlock

A British drive to blacklist the militant Lebanese movement's armed wing was discussed twice by a special EU group last month, but British diplomats failed to win over a number of sceptical governments which fear the step would fuel instability in the Middle East.

Syria’s rape crisis

Since the start of Syria’s civil war in 2011 some 100,000 people have been killed, and more than a million people have become refugees – the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has called it the worst humanitarian crisis since the Cold War.
Tragedy seems to follow tragedy in Syria as news of chemical attacks and routine-massacres make headlines, but certainly one of the most under-reported of the conflict’s tragedies is its growing rape crisis. The past year has seen an enormous rise in the number of rapes committed by both government and opposition forces in Syria. Rape has become a weapon – a method of torture – in the conflict.

Kibbutz has peace sign for Syria

Residents of Kibbutz El-Rom in the Golan Heights surprised Syrian citizens across the border by erecting a giant peace symbol made of basalt stones. The 50-meter (50 yards) sign was placed by the kibbutz’s youth at the base of a mountain in the region.

Netanyahu shouldn’t have apologized to Turkey, most Israelis say

A majority of Israelis think the country’s recent decision to apologize to Turkey over the deaths of nine activists aboard a blockade-busting ship to Gaza in 2010 was misguided, a poll released Sunday found.
The poll, released by the Begin-Sadat Center at Bar-Ilan University, found that 71 percent of Israelis think Benjamin Netanyahu should not have called Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to apologize for the deaths, which occurred during a clash with IDF troops aboard the Mavi Marmara in May 2010.

Turkish protesters return to Taksim, clash with cops

Turkish police fired teargas and water cannons to disperse protesters in a central Istanbul square on Saturday as they gathered to enter a park that was the center of anti-government protests last month.
The Taksim Solidarity Platform, combining an array of political groups, had called for a march to enter the sealed off Gezi park, but the governor of Istanbul warned any such gathering would be confronted by the police.

The Nazi roots of the German Greens

The German Green Party’s legislative action to label Israeli products from the West Bank has cast a spotlight on the role that former Nazis played in creating the party.
Academic and journalistic research over the past five years shows the key role of Nazi figures in the party’s founding and development.
After strong similarities were revealed between an initiative by Germany’s neo- Nazi NPD party last year in a state parliament to demarcate Israeli products and a Green Party federal initiative in the Bundestag to impose a similar system on Israeli goods, critics pointed to the “Brown” — the color symbolizing Nazism – roots of the Green Party in an effort to explain the punitive measure directed at Jewish businesses.

French expert links UK royal baby to Muhammad

The baby's relations will stretch from a simple Parisian actress via the Dracula princes in Romania, to even an Islamic sultan from Seville in Spain, who descended from the Muslim Prophet Mohammed, experts say.
Even before the birth of the new British royal baby to Prince William and his wife Kate, genealogists are looking into its family tree, and are coming up with many surprises.

Gideon Levy again incites Arabs to revolt against Israel

Gideon Levy, one of the most self-loathing people on the planet, does it again in Haaretz (Hebrew only so far):

One day the Palestinian people will rise up against their occupiers. I hope this day comes soon.

It’s true that this scenario seems unrealistic right now. The Palestinians are still bleeding from the second intifada, which only brought disaster upon them (and the Israelis). They are divided and torn, with no real leadership and lacking a fighting spirit, and the world has tired of their distress. The Israeli occupation seems as strong and established as ever, the settlements are growing, and the military is in complete control, with all the world’s governments silent and indifferent.

On the other hand, it is impossible to imagine that this scenario will not materialize. To our south, the Egyptian people are struggling over the nature of their regime, in a way that can only inspire awe. To the north, the Syrian people are also doing this, albeit in a much crueler fashion. Could it be that only the Palestinian people will forever bow their heads, submissively and obediently, to the Israeli jackboot? Don't make the minister of history laugh.

The regimes against which most of the Arab nations are rebelling were generally less brutal than the regime of the Israeli occupation. They were also less corrupt, in the broad sense of the word. Most did not take over the lives of their subjects day and night, did not so drastically restrict their movement and freedom, did not systematically abuse and humiliate them in the manner of the Israeli regime. Moreover, they were not foreign regimes.

Yes, it will happen one day. The masses will rise up against the settlements and checkpoints, against the army barracks and the prisons. And at that point, the Israeli Arabs will no longer stand idly by. They are also watching what’s happening at Tahrir Square and also realize they deserve a different regime and a different country.

As with other unjust and evil regimes, which are always destined to fall, this regime also will fall – it’s just not clear when and how. Sometimes these regimes fall in the wake of terrible bloodshed, as in Syria, and sometimes they fall on their own, like a tall tree whose trunk has rotted, as happened in the Soviet Union, South Africa and Eastern Europe. One day it will happen here, too; there is no other way.

It would be best that this day come soon; too bad it hasn’t come yet. ...

You see? Israel is worse that Syria! Worse than both Mubarak's and Morsi's Egypt! It is, in Levy's twisted mind, the most disgusting nation on the planet!

Yet - he still chooses to live there where a major newspaper inexplicably is allowed to publish his bile.

(h/t Yoel)

UPDATE: English is available now.

Egypt descends further into chaos (updated)

From Reuters:

An explosion hit an Egyptian pipeline on Saturday in the lawless Sinai Peninsula following a series of attacks the last several days on security checkpoints, state TV and witnesses said.

The fire caused by the explosion was under control by early Sunday morning, state media reported.

The pipeline, which supplies gas to Jordan, has been attacked more than 10 times [Reuters Arabic says 15] since former autocratic president Hosni Mubarak was ousted in 2011 during the Arab Spring uprisings.

Five security officers were killed at their checkpoints in Sinai on Friday and four other checkpoints were attacked on Saturday.

A priest was killed at one checkpoint by a group of militants, according to security sources.

This means that the pipeline to Jordan was attacked at least as much as the pipeline to Israel used to be!

More details on the murder of the priest and the Sunni desire to use violence to get back into power:

Gunmen shot dead a Coptic Christian priest in Egypt's lawless Northern Sinai on Saturday in what could be the first sectarian attack since the military overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, security sources said.

The priest, Mina Aboud Sharween, was attacked in the early afternoon while walking in the Masaeed area in El Arish.

Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood has fiercely criticized Coptic Pope Tawadros, spiritual leader of Egypt's 8 million Christians, for giving his blessing to the removal of the president and attending the announcement by armed forces commander General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi suspending the constitution.

The Brotherhood has also been slammed, however, by the militant Islamist organization al-Qaeda, as the group's leader, Ayman Zawahiri, said that "many senior Islamists... forget their ideology, their way of behavior and their history. The Islamists should have revolted against them, but in the end they surrendered to the secularists and gave up their identity."

In a video posted on the website of the world's number one Sunni terrorist organization, Zawahiri insisted that the "battle in Egypt is far from over, it has only just begun. The revolution in Egypt must continue and the responsibility is on the Islamic nation to give more martyrs."

But that's only the Sinai. In Egypt itself, things aren't much better.

An investigation says that the Muslim Brotherhood recruited Syrian refugees and Palestinian Arabs to shoot at anti-Morsi protesters.

A Cairo prosecutor issued an arrest warrant for Al Jazeera'S news channel director in Egypt, saying that the network was "threatening public peace and national security through broadcasting incendiary news."

In an ironic twist, the Muslim Brotherhood - which was registered as an NGO a few months ago even though it is as political as any organization can be - may become illegal under the same provision that allows the state to dissolve NGOs!

Oh, and there's also this. Islamists seem to love throwing people off of roofs.

It seems that the current military leaders in Egypt have no more idea of what democracy means than the Muslim Brotherhood before them did. Egyptians are now conditioned to the idea that if they are unhappy, they just need to protest and the government will fall. Whoever is in charge can criminalize their opponents.
No one is talking about the prerequisites for true democracy - freedom of expression, freedom of the press and other basic freedoms from which people can be exposed to all ideas.

It also seems unlikely that Egypt will recover from its economic problems that were exacerbated by the incompetent MB leadership, and without any chance for an economic recovery there will not be any stability.

The jihadists in the Sinai are already talking about establishing their own mini-state there.

Things will not get better in the foreseeable future.

Christian girl tells Arab newspaper she wants to join the IDF

Recently, two Arab MKs, Basel Ghattas and Haneen Zoabi, were reportedly inciting against Father Gabriel Naddaf for supporting Christian enlistment in the IDF:

MK Miri Regev denounced on Wednesday Arab MKs who have campaigned for the dismissal of a Greek-Orthodox priest for backing IDF enlistment in the Christian community, during a hearing in the Knesset Internal Affairs and Environment Committee.

Last week, Balad MKs Basel Ghattas and Haneen Zoabi wrote to Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem Theophilus III, demanding that Father Gabriel Nadaf either halt his activities supporting Christian Arab enlistment or be fired by the patriarch from his position as a serving priest in his congregation in Yafia, near Nazareth.

Now, in a stunning article in Al Arab and picked up by other Arabic media, a teenage girl from Nazareth slams Zoabi and declares her intention to enlist in the IDF.

18-year old Raghda Gracie told the newspaper:

Our recruitment is not done with coercion or force, but is my choice...I believe that we as Israelis are obliged to provide the service to the state and we have to be faithful to her and offer loyalty.

Haneen Zoabi has no right to speak in our name; we are Christians and not Palestinians. We were born in the State of Israel, which existed before we were born and I call on Zoabi stop speaking in our name as Arabs, Palestinians.

My father was an army officer in the Golani unit and all members of my family have served in military units and combat.

I am the first girl in the family that will serve in the army and I am proud of it; I walk in the streets of Nazareth with my head held high and proud because no one can deprive me of this dream. The army is very important for me, especially since Israel is a democratic state and does not differentiate between citizens. We are Christians and proud Israeli army Christian recruits. We are not racists, we love Arab Muslims and we ask only that Haneen Zoabi not talk in our name.

Everyone here can says that Palestinians or Arabs do not believe in this country, but it must be known that they live in it. I say to everyone whether they are Muslim Arab, Druze or Christian: if you support the Palestinians, leave to another country.

Christ and the Virgin Mary were two Jews, and we [Christian Israelis] belong more to the Jews.

Al-Arab even asked her if she objected to going into an army of people who wanted to kill Jesus! She replied that nonetheless, Jews are God's chosen people.

The newspaper, apparently nervous about this interview, stressed that the opinions are Gracie's alone.