Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Jordan's king says Palestinian issue the "crux of the conflict" in the region

His Majesty King Abdullah II said the Middle East was facing enormous challenges that threatened efforts to bring about peace, security and stability in the region, warranting a concerted global effort to stop the region from sliding into further violence and turbulence and enable its people to realize a better future.

He told the annual Sun Valley Economic Forum in the American state of Idaho that the stalemate in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process and the continuation of the Syrian crisis and its repercussions were the two key challenges threatening the future of peace and stability.

The King reiterated that the Palestinian issue was the crux of the conflict in the region, stressing the need for action to find a just and lasting settlement according to the two-state solution – an independent and viable Palestinian state on 1967 borders and living in peace and security alongside Israel.

Yup - Egyptian chaos, Syria civil war and resulting refugee crisis, Lebanon's infighting, water shortages through the region, the rise of Islamism, Jordan's own energy crisis - all of those problems are dependent on creating yet another Arab state and making Israel even tinier than it is.

Blaming Israel for anything is really a hard habit to break for Arab leaders.

The real question is how come no one at this economic forum seemed to challenge the king on his idiocy.

Then again, it appears that he is just repeating the Obama administration/s Middle East strategy. The religion of linkage is as powerful as ever.

Egypt arrests a Gazan for blowing up gas line to Jordan

A week ago I noted that the gas pipeline from Egypt to Jordan had been bombed, and that this has happened just as often as it used to when the pipeline also went to Israel.

Which makes this story interesting:

Egyptian security officials arrested a Palestinian man late Friday in relation to a bomb blast which targeted a gas pipeline in Sinai last week, security officials said.

Mohamed Abu Hashem, 30, was detained in the Sinai peninsula while trying to return to the Gaza Strip, Egyptian officials said, and faces charges of blowing up a gas pipeline in north Sinai last Sunday.

Saboteurs blew up the pipeline, which supplied natural gas to Jordan, in two places.

One explosion shook the city of El-Arish, causing flames which could be seen from the distance, witnesses and security officials said.

A Jordanian government official confirmed that gas supplies to the energy-poor kingdom were cut.

"The gas supplies to Jordan stopped due to the attack," the official told state-run Petra news agency.

"The Egyptian authorities have informed us that they are currently evaluating the situation and the damage," he added without elaborating.

Egyptian gas covers 80 percent of electricity generation in Jordan, which imports 95 percent of its energy needs.

Why would Gazans want to disrupt gas to Jordan?

Are they being hired out as mercenaries by Islamists, knowing they can hide in Gaza?

Or perhaps hired by other Egyptians who are against subsidized gas deals with other countries while Egypt doesn't have enough for itself?

Perhaps the new anti-Hamas government in Egypt is using any Palestinian they can find as a scapegoat?

Or maybe terrorism is sometimes just a habit, and when Jewish targets aren't convenient then the terrorists turn to lower-hanging fruit?

Video: The first Jewish wedding in Hebron after 1967 war

From IsraDocuMentalist:

This is a clip from the documentary “Israel: A Home Movie”. Miriam Lulu talks about her wedding, which was the first one at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron after its liberation in 1967.

“The Arabs thew rice at us the whole way…they cheered and applauded. They were glad that the Jews took over.”

It is a shame that so few Jews nowadays even consider visiting Hebron.

Egyptian lawsuit against leaders who met with Jews

The American Jewish Committee issued this press release last April:

An AJC Board delegation, meeting with senior government officials in Cairo, expressed deep concerns about the safety of minorities, especially the Coptic community, in Egypt. The latest assault, at the St. Marks Coptic Cathedral in Cairo over the weekend, comes after repeated fatal attacks on Christian sites across Egypt during the past two years.

In a series of meetings with senior government officials -- in particular, with the National Council for Human Rights and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – the AJC leaders urged significantly increased protection of the Coptic Christian minority.

The AJC delegation also called for aggressive government measures to increase the safety of women in public spaces, noting the rise of harassment and violence that has accompanied a general erosion of civil order amidst the Egyptian political transition.

The group also urged senior government officials to resume normal political contact with Israel. The delegation lauded critical cooperation between Egyptian and Israeli security forces, including steps by Egypt to staunch tunnel traffic between Sinai and Hamas-ruled Gaza. But AJC noted the absence of high-level political and diplomatic contact and called for the return of Egypt's ambassador to Israel.

Today, Al Masry al Youm reports that a complaint is being lodged to the Egyptian attorney general about these meetings.

Egyptians are still obsessed over the statements made by Muslim Brotherhood leader Essam el Arian last year that Egypt should allow Egyptian Jews to return - when Israel is destroyed. So this lawsuit is meant to uncover whether the AJC was negotiating with the Muslim Brotherhood over Jews returning to Egypt and claiming their old property, or any other nefarious back-deals the Muslim Brotherhood was negotiating with these Jews.

This isn't a lawsuit against Egyptian leaders speaking to Israelis. It is against Egyptians speaking to Jews.

7/13 Links: Fighting the Myth Makers, Banned Iranian Director in Israel, Nasrallah’s Cloak is on Fire

From Ian:

Barry Rubin: How the Syrian Civil War and Egyptian Coup Positively Transform Israel's Strategic Situation

There are some subtle issues coming out of the Syrian civil war for Israel. It is clear that Israel is neutral regarding the war, that it won't get dragged into the civil war, and that the longer the war goes on it is better as long as it doesn’t damage Israeli national security.
It should be equally clear, however, that in the end Israel wants the rebels to win. Syria’s regime is supported by Hizballah, Iran, and the Assad government. These are the greater of the two evils. The coup against Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood regime greatly reduced the threat of Sunni Islamism.compared to that of Iran.
Again, it should be underlined, however, that the difference isn’t perceived as huge. Military institutions are generally more favorable to the rebels, given their anti-Iran nuclear weapons’ emphasis. Other agencies remember, however, that a Sunni Islamist Syria would still be a problem.

Caroline Glick: Column one: Misrepresenting American Jewry

According to senior Israeli officials, and leaked PA documents, after Obama came into office, his senior advisers told their Israeli interlocutors that they controlled the American Jewish community. Under Obama, these Israeli leaders were told, there would be no more American Jewish voices opposing the two-state solution or opposing pressure on Israel.
With J Street, they said, AIPAC would no longer defend Israel.
Maybe they were right. But what is certainly true, is that despite its audits, its alleged denials of nonprofit status, and its American Jewish mouthpieces, the Obama administration has not silenced the American Jews. From coast to coast, authentic, courageous American Jewish groups are forming and organizing. Their members understand that there are things that are more important than multi-million dollar budgets and invitations to White House parties.

PM to push US for ‘more credible military option’ on Iran

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly to launch a new, last-ditch effort in the next few days to persuade the United States to credibly revive the military option against Iran.
If this proves unsuccessful, Channel 2 reported, Netanyahu will have to decide whether to launch an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities by this winter at latest, because after that, the report indicated, the assessment is that Israel’s window for military intervention will close.

Into the fray: Incompetent, impotent, irrelevant

With all the unmitigated brutality of the ongoing horrors across the Arab world, it beggars belief that the government of Israel is still actively engaged in continuing discussions in pursuit of a formula that will bring the country closer, and make it more vulnerable, to the source of these horrors.
Given the acts of unspeakable barbarity – the beheadings, the rapes and even occasional cannibalism – that have become the hallmark of Arab society in the post-Spring era, coupled with the disastrous failures of past attempts to cajole the Palestinian- Arabs in to a peace treaty by territorial withdrawal and political appeasement, it seems inconceivable that the notion of Palestinian statehood could still retain a shred of credibility.

Consider This: Fighting the myth-makers from hell

Karsenty, Shahaf, Landes, Shapira, Poller and others are angels who stepped in where the Israeli government feared to tread, proving themselves true Jewish heroes, men and women who fought for truth and exposed terrorist lies and blood libels responsible for Jewish deaths, including that of Myriam Monsenego, the French child shot by a Muslim barbarian who cited revenge for al-Dura as a motive.
While former president Nicolas Sarkozy honored Charles Enderlin with the Legion of Honor, we Jews have yet to honor these heroes with anything. I propose the Israel Prize. At least.
In the meantime I thank them all for their tireless efforts to bring light into the darkness.
I thank them on my own behalf, and on behalf of the people of Israel and Jews everywhere.

US sources say Israel attacked Syrian weapons depot

Three unidentified US officials told CNN that Israel carried out an attack on a Syrian weapons depot last week, seemingly confirming reports to that affect that were published in the Arab press.
The sources said late Friday that the series of explosions that took place at the Syrian port city of Latakia July 5 were the result of airstrikes by Israeli warplanes targeting advanced, Russian-made anti-ship missiles that were stored there. Several regime soldiers were reportedly killed in the attack.
The story was taken down from CNN’s website shortly after it was published.

Muslim Brotherhood Leader Tariq Ramadan Blames U.S. and Israel for Morsi Ouster

According to Tariq Ramadan, all roads lead not to Rome but to America. A long-winded piece by Ramadan, the grandson of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna, (first noted by the Global Muslim Brotherhood Watch) uses circuitous logic and conspiracy theories (“It was as though people had been deprived of the basic necessities in order to drive them into the streets”) to blame last week’s ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on an ongoing US-Zionist conspiracy (in cahoots with Salafi co-conspirators no less).

Report: Morsi Could Face Treason Charge, Execution for Hamas Aided Jailbreak

Egyptian prosecutors announced Thursday that they will investigate allegations that ousted president Mohamed Morsi escaped from prison during the 2011 revolution with help from the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, the Associated Press has reported.

Syrian, Palestinian Roles Seen in Egypt Street Violence

There is growing evidence that the rumors are true. On July 6, the Central Cairo Prosecution announced that it had a Syrian national in custody, Mohamed Hassan al-Berdkany, who was arrested a day earlier while firing birdshot at protestors from Qasr Al-Nile bridge leading to Tahrir Square. Berdkany, who fled with his family from Syria after the start of its civil war, admitted to receiving cash and a shotgun from the Brotherhood. He named another Syrian, Ahmed al-Soury, as a key figure recruiting Syrians to join Brotherhood protests. He also identified a Palestinian, Bassel al-Feroun, as responsible for paying Palestinians to take part.

Egyptian military bombards militant towns in Sinai

Military attack helicopters rattle over the impoverished desert towns of northern Sinai and the sound of gunfire erupts nightly, raising fears among residents of a looming confrontation between Egypt’s military and Islamic militants who have intensified attacks since the ouster of president Mohammed Morsi.

Hezbollah’s suicide bombing tactics come back to haunt it

Hezbollah’s current troubles don’t end with suicide bombers either. Even if the group’s security forces manage to thwart future attacks, Sunni terror groups showed in a recent strike that they are also capable of firing rockets into Dahiyeh.
Hezbollah is also absorbing a high number of fatalities fighting in Syria — “a triple digit figure” as one Israeli defense official put it – and sustaining thousands of injured, most of whom never make it back to active duty.
Less than a month ago, IDF chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz remarked that “the fire has reached the fringes of Nasrallah’s cloak.” Now, the whole cloak is burning.

On 16th Birthday, Pakistani Girl Shot in Head Speaks at UN (VIDEO)

The Taliban tried to murder her for promoting education for girls, but on her 16th birthday - 9 months after being shot in the head at close range - Malala sat at the center of the world stage and continued to promote free, compulsory education.

In Israel, a banned Iranian director finds echoes of home

It was a poignant meeting of cultures and minds at this week’s premiere in Israel of “The Gardener,” a documentary by Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, at the Jerusalem Film Festival.
Makhmalbaf was banned from Iran eight years ago, when his more than 30 books and films that address Western ideologies of democracy and freedom from religion and authoritarian dictatorship were marked as propaganda and banned by the Iranian government. Since fleeing Iran, Makhmalbaf and his filmmaking family have shuffled around Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Paris, but he said he was driven out of each place because of terrorist plots against him.

Ads for Islam 'misquote Shaw from bogus book'

The advertisements quote Shaw proclaiming the prophet Mohammed was "the saviour of humanity" in a book he is supposed to have written entitled The Genuine Islam.
But International Shaw Society treasurer Richard F Dietrich said he had compiled a complete list of Shaw's works, which did not include the book.
"I think The Genuine Islam is bogus," he said. In his writings, Shaw described the religion in a 1933 letter to Rev Ensor Walters as "ferociously intolerant".

Chloé Valdary: Student Perspective: CAMERA Trip Inspires Future Jewish Leaders

We met with the indomitable Khaled Abu Toameh, who spoke of the intransigence of Western media and its inability to understand that neither the PA nor Hamas want peace. Rather the PA is feigning its desire for peace in order to string along those same Western journalists who sit comfortably in cafe shops spewing nonsense on their keyboards about Israel, claiming that to change the narrative would be too unsafe for them and their peers.

Pakistan Islamists ban men's tight clothes; PA arrests someone for eating on Ramadan

From Al Arabiya:

The Pakistani Taliban has banned men from wearing tight or see-through clothes during the holy month of Ramadan, the Saudi-based al-Riyadh newspaper reported on Thursday, quoting reports from South Waziristan.

The Taliban group also gave local shops written warnings of $500 fine if they are found selling thin clothes that do not “properly” cover the human body.

Tailors were also threatened with kidnapping and beating should they be caught making such “un-Islamic” clothing for men.

No warnings or threats were reportedly issued for women, because most of them wear the traditional full body cover known as the burqa.

But over at the "moderate" Palestinian Authority, Khaled Abu Toameh tweeted:

Tulkarem, West Bank: Palestinian police arrest man for eating in public on 3rd day of #Ramadan.

Not Gaza. Not Hamas. This is the darling of the international community, the PA.

Just so you know what kind of a modern, secular state "Palestine" would be even without Hamas.

7/12 Links Part 2: A New LATMA, Prosor on the UNHRC, Oren on Bibi and Record Tourism to Israel

From Ian:

LATMA: Halil Majnoun comments on the new Egyptian spring

Honor and Compromise in Middle East Leadership

The same condition continues to hold true today. Why Secretary of State Kerry and the Obama administration believe they can persuade Abbas sign an agreement guaranteeing Israel's right to exist in any form is astonishing. These leaders can lead only so long as they are not perceived as a shamed sell-out and traitor.
It is pointless, therefore, for Western and Israeli political leaders to try to provide Middle Eastern leaders with incentives to reach compromises where, in Western eyes all sides win, but in Middle Eastern eyes -- to their fellow Arabs and Muslims -- their side loses. Sadly, in the Middle East, there are only win-lose/lose-win resolutions -- with the winner talking all and the loser losing all. One can hope there might in the future be an Islamic reformation to overturn this cultural demand, but so long as the Islamic Middle East does not truly believe it needs to change, a shift that deeply revolutionary is highly unlikely. (h/t Norman F

‘Syria on UN Human Rights Council a new Guinness record’

Diplomats and NGOs greeted with skepticism and incredulity the news that Syria and Iran intend to run for spots on the UN Human Rights Council. The elections, which will be held in November, are for three-year terms running from January 2014 through December 2016.
“A new Guinness record at the UN?” said a sarcastic Ron Prosor, Israel’s UN ambassador. “Syria and Iran in the Human Rights Council is like giving organized crime bosses responsibility for the witness protection program.”

Oren: Netanyahu ‘certainly’ capable of handling Iran threat

Oren added, though, that Israel cannot rely on the US to prevent a nuclear Iran. “The question isn’t whether or not we believe Obama,” he said. “The question is what our responsibility is as a sovereign nation. We cannot outsource our national security… All diplomatic options must be exhausted – but we cannot flee from this responsibility.”
Asked whether Netanyahu is capable of handling such a mission, Oren replied: “Certainly… He was the one who succeeded in drawing the world’s attention to the threat… Netanyahu truly managed to budge the world. But this success is not enough. Therefore Netanyahu now faces a Ben-Gurion-type dilemma. The question he faces is similar to the question that faced Ben-Gurion in May 1948 and the question that Levi Eshkol faced in May 1967.”

In Email to JTA Quinn Says West Bank ‘Disputed Territory’

“Chris believes the West Bank is a disputed territory and that the Israelis and Palestinians must sit down and negotiate a solution,” said a spokesman for Quinn, the speaker of the New York City Council. “As Mayor, Chris will use the bully pulpit of the office and everything she can to urge the two sides to sit and negotiate a peaceful resolution of the conflict through the establishment of two states for two peoples that ensures safety and security for the State of Israel.”
Quinn’s position runs counter to that of the U.S. government, which considers the West Bank Israel-occupied territory.

NYC Protest against Jewish Appeasers: 'Like Inviting Hitler'

Dozens of people protested outside the YM-YWHA at 92nd Street in New York City Thursday, against Jewish institutions and philanthropists who give their backing to anti-Israeli speakers.
AFSI Executive Director Helen Freedman told Arutz Sheva that the central Jewish organiations enjoy the generosity of American Jews who are unaware that the money is going toward anti-Israeli activities.

3-Year-Old Critically Injured in Arab Rock-Throwing Attack Spends First Weekend at Home

After four months in intensive care units, an Israeli 3-year-old seriously injured in an Arab rock-throwing attack was able to return home, if only for two short days.
Adele Bitton spent this past weekend with her family but returned to her rehabilitation center, where she has been staying since May, for treatment and rehabilitation on Sunday.

Columnist: So They Detained a Boy, So What?

The IDF entered damage control mode Wednesday over an incident in which an Arab child – apparently about six years old – was detained for an hour or two by IDF soldiers after he threw rocks near the Cave of Machpela in Hevron.
A video shot by the leftist B'tselem group shows the soldiers taking the boy, Wadi' Maswada, to his parents' home. The soldiers reportedly waited there until the arrival of the boy's father, Karim Maswada, some 30 minutes later. The boy and his father were then taken to the IDF's command center nearby and handed over to Palestinian Authority police.
Throughout the event, the boy is accompanied by an Arab youth who holds his hand, and who appears to be his relative.

Twitter outs users who posted anti-Semitic content

Twitter announced Friday that it had supplied French authorities with data that would help identity users who post anti-Semitic content. The announcement comes a month after a French court upheld a lower court’s ruling that ordered Twitter to divulge details of users who posted anti-Semitic tweets.
Twitter said in a statement that it had relayed to judicial authorities information “enabling the identification of some authors” of anti-Semitic tweets, according to AFP.

Israel an Innovation ‘Dynamo’

Israel is the mother of invention. It has more tech startups and more people working in research and development than any other country in the world.
Its advances in medical technology have saved lives around the world, including that of former U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords—an emergency medical team applied a revolutionary elasticized bandage developed in Israel to her head wounds.
Israeli inventions have proliferated and prospered, “from the hospital to the farm, from outer space to your kitchen,” said Marcella Rosen at the Jerusalem Press Club on July 3. She was quoting her book, which she presented at the Club, titled, “Tiny Dynamo: How one of the World’s Smallest Countries Is Producing Some of Our Most Important Inventions.” (h/t Zvi)

Israel is #1 in Preventing Blindness

Professor Michael Belkin, who led the study, said Israel’s achievement is unmatched anywhere else in the world.
According to the World Health Organization, 80% of blindness is preventable or treatable — but it remains a severe health concern across the globe, even in industrialized countries.
Israel's secret is to be found not only in the methods of treatment seen in the Jewish State, but also in their universal availability and accessibility, patient compliance with treatment protocols and correct use of prescribed medications, he said. (h/t Zvi)

EMC to acquire server storage software firm ScaleIO

EMC is throwing its weight behind ScaleIO by signing a definitive agreement to buy the firm for an undisclosed amount, it was announced on Thursday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Israeli business site Calcalist said in June that EMC could be paying as much as $200-300 million for the server storage software company.
This will be EMC's second acquisition in Israel over the past year. EMC bought flash storage firm ExtremeIO for $430 million in May 2012. (h/t Zvi)

Israeli and Chicago universities join forces for a thirsty planet

At first glance it doesn’t seem that Chicago and Israel have much in common when it comes to water.
“Ben-Gurion is in the desert while the University of Chicago is right on the shoreline of Lake Michigan, one of the best sources of water in the world,” admitted Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, on a recent trip to Israel.

Tourism at record high in 1st half of 2013

Tourism to Israel hit a record January-June high this year, reaching 1.7 million visitors, the Central Bureau of Statistics said this week.
The figure was 1% higher than in the same six-month period in 2012, the bureau said. In June, tourism rose 3% to 295,000. (h/t Zvi)

Cliff Richard wows crowd during 'summer holiday' in Israel

Richard seemed genuinely excited to be performing in Israel. As with all big international stars who perform in the Holy Land, Richard addressed the crowd with a heartfelt "Shalom Tel Aviv," which was well received as always. He reminded them how it was exactly 25 years ago since he last performed in Israel and even vowed to try not to leave it so long till the next performance.

Sufi leader Mustafa Zayed defended Egypt's closing of the Gaza borders and smuggling tunnels. He expressed support for the Palestinian Arabs who are suffering, he says, under Hamas rule, an organization that seeks to split them into separate sectors.

"Everyone knows" that Hamas is really a satanic arm of the Jews, according to Zayed.

While he expressed sympathy for the Palestinians in Gaza, he also said that the problem is partially their fault, because they have allowed this rotten and demnonic organization to survive in their midst.

Media starting to notice Khaybar's incitement against Jews

Finally!

From The Tower:

According to Yusri al-Gindi, the director of the new series, Jewish “treachery and conspiracies” remain current in contemporary life. He adds that, “These people have not changed one bit.”

Since March, the series has been profiled on a number of mainstream Egyptian television channels. Speaking to the station Al-Akhbar Al-Youm, series actor Ahmad Abd Al-Halim says that Jews think exclusively about “accumulating money.”

On Rotana Masriya, part of the Arab world’s largest entertainment company, the Rotana Group, actor Ahmad Maher says, “These people are oppressors, who do not honor their agreements. History shows that they are the people who disputed Allah. They are the slayers of prophets.”

In another preview on Dream TV – a prominent satellite channel on which Google executive Wael Ghonim made his famous plea during the 2011 Egyptian revolution – Maher adds that in the series, “We learn how [the Jews] raise their children… How they teach them to live their lives, in a vile, treacherous, depraved and Machiavellian manner.”

Gindi, the director, was even profiled on Al Jazeera Arabic’s website, in an article entitled “‘Khaybar’ reveals the machinations of the Jews.”

I'm also mentioned.

From JPost:

Sameh al-Sereity, one of the main actors in the show, plays Muhammad ibn Maslamah, the bodyguard of the prophet Muhammad. Sereity told an Egyptian newspaper the show portrays the evolution of Jews’ hatred of others.

“The hostility between us and the Jews still exists. The hatred is ingrained. Neither Egyptians nor Arabs need this show to justify their hatred of Zionism. The existing struggles between us provide the simplest proof of this,” he said.

Another actor, Ahmad Abd al-Halim, said, “I play one of the Jewish characters, who demonstrates the behavior of the Jewish human being. All he thinks about is accumulating money.”

HuffPo's Rabbi Ken Cohen gets to the root of the problem:

Major human rights organizations all but ignore this incitement. Although Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued a joint statement in 2003 condemning anti-Semitism and Human Rights Watch has condemned anti-Semitism in the West, both groups are silent about widespread and poisonous anti-Jewish animus that is now commonplace in Muslim countries. But ethno-religious incitement has already cost the lives of thousands. And it undermines peace prospects. It is hardly "confidence building" when Israelis see these hateful programs on their own living rooms broadcast from Jordan, Egypt and Gaza. They remember the "Khaybar" missiles Hezbollah fired at Israeli cities in 2005. They have heard the chant at rallies in Ramallah and Europe: "Khaybar, Khaybar ya Yahud, jaysh-i Muhammad sawf-a ya'ud!-Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews, the army of Muhammad will return."

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights defines ethno-religious baiting as a crime against humanity: "advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence" (article 20). Human rights groups need to speak out. This is not trivial TV entertainment. It amounts to nothing short of the psychological preparation for a potential genocide. It must be recognized and addressed.

This crude and offensive incitement defies journalistic and media standards observed elsewhere. It harms Jews, but also it undermines the standing of Muslims and the image of Islam.

In a meeting I had last month with the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and OIC's ambassador to the UN, Ukuk Gokcen, both men acknowledged incitement is a significant problem. Professor Ihsanoglu has spoken against anti-Semitism during his tenure. We look to the OIC and others within the Muslim world to take steps to help curtail this disturbing trend. To date major human rights organizations are all but silent.

Again, tell your friends to sign the petition to Amnesty and HRW, and to join the anti-Khaybar Facebook page. And tweet/email to HRW and Amnesty demanding that they address this incitement.

7/12 Links Part 1: UK Lib Dem denigrates the Holocaust, Female Arab Soldiers- Zoabi Go to Gaza

From Ian:

Khaled Abu Toameh: Egypt Punishes the Palestinians

In the past, the Palestinians paid a very heavy price for meddling in the internal affairs of Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and other Arab countries, but this price has not deterred them.
That meddling is also the reason most Arab countries have long despised the Palestinians, subjecting them to Apartheid laws and other punitive measures, including travel bans and deprivation of financial aid.
For earning the enmity and contempt of their Arab brethren, the Palestinians have only themselves to blame: they shoot themselves in the foot and then blame others for their misery. They would be better served if instead they would start directing their energies toward solving their own problems and improving their living conditions -- exactly what the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas governments are not doing.

UK Politician Sir Bob Russell Equates ‘Life of Palestinians’ to Holocaust (VIDEO)

Colchester MP Sir Bob Russell was speaking during a debate on the national curriculum in the House of Commons on Monday, when he posed a question to Education Secretary Michael Gove about the status of world history lessons, saying: “On the assumption that the 20th century will include the Holocaust, will he give me an assurance that the life of Palestinians since 1948 will be given equal attention?”
“These remarks are a shocking piece of Holocaust denigration,” said Jewish Leadership Council chief executive Jeremy Newmark. “There is simply no comparison between the two situations. It is worrying that so soon after the David Ward affair another MP thinks it is acceptable to play fast and loose with the language of the Holocaust in this context.”

Raheem Kassam: Call Israel what you like, but don't diminish the Holocaust

When you start invoking blood libels, ancient conspiracy theories, diminish the extermination of 6 million Jews or claim that people who happen to be Jewish run the world, well, that does make you an anti-Semite. It really does. No really, it does. You should embrace it. Now march yourself down to the annals of history and stay there, because the 21st century has no place for race baiters and bigots. And nor should the British Parliament.

Glenn Greenwald’s Anti-Semitism Exposed

The following are quotes from Glenn Greenwald, ‘Comment is Free’ correspondent for the Guardian. (Greenwald joined the Guardian in 2012 after several years of blogging at Salon.com and a personal blog titled ‘Unclaimed Territory‘.)

Experts criticize ‘irresponsible’ Al Jazeera investigation of anti-Morsi activists’ ties to U.S.

Stephen McInerney, Executive Director at the Project on Middle East Democracy, said the article had a “conspiratorial bent,” since there is no evidence the U.S. funded the main anti-Morsi movement called “Tamaroud,” meaning “rebel.” McInerney also noted that both sides in Egypt have accused each other of being backed by the United States.

Congressional Letter to Call on Qatar to Take Another Look at its Hamas Funding

The letter, circulated by Reps. Peter Roskam (R-IL) and John Barrow (D-GA), comes at a time when Qatar is scrambling to maneuver around the removal from power of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. Doha had strongly supported Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood movement, with documents being published this week showing six-figure payments from Qatar to top Brotherhood officials.

Palestinian lies like water

It comes back again and again: The canard that Israel is denying West Bank Palestinians water rights negotiated under the Oslo Accords.
You have to read the fine print to discover that illegal Palestinian tapping into Israel’s water lines and massive Palestinian water wastage are the causes of the problem. You have to study the issue in depth to discover that it is not Israeli “occupation policy” but Palestinian political resistance against joint water management and cooperation that is responsible for the slow development of the Palestinian water sector. The PA considers water and waste as weapons against Israel, not as areas of cooperation with Israel.

Female Arab Soldiers: Zoabi Should Go to Gaza

Two Arab Christian female Israelis who enlisted in the army this week have criticized MK Hanin Zoabi for her strong opposition to having Arabs join the IDF.
The two told Channel 10 News that MK Zoabi, who has in the past told Arutz Sheva that Israel should “prepare the prisons” if a law requiring Arab Israelis to enlist in the army is passed, does not represent them nor, in fact, does she represent many other Israeli Arabs who want to serve in the army.

So who’s blockading Gaza now?

The main point here is that in the wake of Morsi's removal the Egyptian army has closed off her border with Gaza completely, to the dismay of tunnel-traders, terrorists, Hamas and ordinary people trying to get in or out of Gaza. Doubtless the border will remain sealed until Egypt is confident that no more threats to her own security will come from the Hamas-controlled area.
It is now Egypt who is blockading Gaza more than Israel ever has, causing major pain and disruption to trade, construction, fuel and power supplies and travel, but I guess we won't hear that from the Israel-delegitimisers.

US sharpens criticism of Egyptian arrests

While the administration has determined it is not in US national security interests to make any immediate changes to its aid program, officials said the continuing arrests of members of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood and political party are troubling. The criticism is some of the most severe of Egypt’s new leadership since Morsi was toppled last week and came a day after arrest warrants were issued for the Muslim Brotherhood’s spiritual leader and nine other Islamists accused of inciting violence.

Syria: Al-Qaeda Linked Rebels Kill Free Syrian Army Officer

The Syrian rebels are continuing to turn on one another. Syrian rebels linked to Al-Qaeda killed a senior figure in the Western-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) on Thursday, an FSA source told Reuters.
Kamal Hamami, a member of the Free Syrian Army's Supreme Military Council, known by his nom de guerre Abu Bassel al-Ladkani, was meeting with members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the port city of Latakia when they killed him, Qassem Saadeddine, a Free Syrian Army spokesman, told the news agency.

Hezbollah fears attacks from al-Qaeda-linked groups

Fearing suicide attacks against Shi’ite targets in Lebanon, Hezbollah is adopting special security measures. According to Lebanese media reports, the Shi’ite organization has set up both fixed and mobile checkpoints in the heart of Baalbek, a Lebanese city known as a Shi’ite stronghold.
The unusual measures stem from concern about the possibility of bombings, similar to Tuesday’s incident in the Beir el-Abed neighborhood in Beirut’s Dahiyeh quarter during which 53 people were injured when an explosives-laden car exploded.

Irwin Cotler: The Iran-Hezbollah terror connection: What must be done

Simply put, the recent wave of terrorist attacks must serve as a wake-up call for the international community, which must act to combat this culture of incitement, terror and impunity. History teaches us that a sustained and coordinated international response is required to combat such grave threats to international peace and security. We must act now to hold Iran and Hezbollah to account, lest more lives be lost.

Iran: 75 hangings in 22 days

With the execution of 11 inmates in the northwestern city of Arbabil and western city of Qazin from July 6 thru July 8,, the total number of executions following the election of Hassan Rouhani on June 14 has reached 75. One of victims was 15 at the time of his arrest. Six were women.

Hezbollah Spying on Golan Heights from Syria

The IDF is forming a new division to operate in the Golan Heights, which faces a new threat of Hezbollah terrorists and weapons that had been limited to the Lebanese border before Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah sent his army to fight with Assad loyalists against Syrian rebels.
The new Golan division reflects the new situation in the Golan Heights, which now is on the border of clashes between Assad’s army and rebels and has been subject to frequent rifle fire and mortar shelling, usually accidental and sometimes intentional.

IDF Launches New Media Weapon in Information War against Hezbollah

The IDF has launched new interaction media websites on the Hezbollah terrorist network in a pre-emptive strike to expose the rapidly expanding empire for what it is.
The vastly researched sites provide media outlets and, more importantly, the general public with a wealth of information that is designed to help Israel overcome the worldwide media bias in favor its enemies, Operation Cast Lead in Gaza four years ago and the war in Lebanon proved how much foreign media were hell-bent to serve up reportage with a strongly pro-Hezbollah and pro-Hamas viewpoint.

Portugal's "Law of Return" - for Jews

From JTA:

Until 2009, right-wing Portuguese politician Jose Ribeiro e Castro didn't have much interest in the expulsion of his country's Jewish community in the 16th century. That changed once Ribeiro e Castro opened a Facebook account.

Online, the 60-year-old lawmaker and journalist connected to several Sephardic Jews, descendants of a once robust Jewish community numbering in the hundreds of thousands, many of whom were forced into exile in 1536 during the Portuguese Inquisition. Eventually the encounters morphed into a commitment to rectify a historic injustice.

For Ribeiro e Castro, correcting the injustice meant spearheading a bill to naturalize the Jewish descendants of expelled Jews, a measure that unanimously passed the Portuguese parliament in April and went on the books last week, making Portugal the only country besides Israel with a Jewish law of return.

"The law is a commendable initiative," said Nuno Wahnon Martins, the Lisbon-born director of European affairs for B'nai B'rith International. "It has economic considerations as well, which do not subtract from parliament's worthy decision."

Portugal's initiative comes as countries across Europe continue to invest millions to develop Jewish heritage sites -- an effort they say is rooted in their belated recognition of the continent's vibrant Jewish history, but often is also an acknowledged attempt to attract tourist dollars at a time of economic stagnation.

There is more than a little irony of countries with a history of Jew-hatred, often based on using Jews as an economic scapegoat, now trying to capitalize on Jewish tourist dollars.

Fortunately, there have been some Portuguese who are truly righteous, as Ian noted yesterday in the linkdump:

When Aristides de Sousa Mendes died in 1954 he was broke and shamed, this despite his heroic activities during the Second World War to save Jews and other “enemies” of the Third Reich, The New York Times writes.

Sousa Mendes, Portugal’s consul in Bordeaux when Germany invaded France, provided about 30,000 people with Portuguese visas to escape Nazi persecution, according to the Sousa Mendes Foundation, but when Portuguese authorities found out about his activities he was dismissed from the diplomatic service and stripped of his pension rights.

(h/t many including CiFWatch and Capt Bill)

ADL condemns "Khaybar" miniseries; HRW, Amnesty remain silent

The ADL has condemned the "Khaybar" miniseries that started broadcasting this week throughout the Arab world.

From The Algemeiner:

The Anti Defamation League (ADL) Thursday condemned as “vehemently anti-Semitic” the TV miniseries “Khaybar” currently being aired in the Middle East and across the Arab World.

“With Syria, Egypt and other countries in the Middle East going through historical upheavals, it is absurd and outrageous that the entertainment of the Ramadan season promotes the Muslim subjugation of caricatured Jews,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.

“The uprisings in the Arab and Muslim world have revealed a hunger among much of the Middle East for democracy, accountability and the development of effective civil and pluralistic society. Khaiber and other productions of its ilk represent the old detrimental approach of promoting Muslim societal unity through focusing hatred on Jews and Israel,” Foxman said.

The multi-million dollar television series produced by Echo Media Qatar dramatizes the ancient battle between Muslims and the Jews of the town of Khaybar in Arabia and depicts Jews as the enemy of Islam.

Earlier this week the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) released a video of the stars of “Khaybar,” that captures them making inflammatory and anti-Semitic remarks. One actor says that all Jews think about “is making money,” while another says that Jews “have no moral values.”

Jewish human rights group, the Simon Wiesenthal Center also criticized the series on Tuesday.

Last month anonymous blogger Elder of Ziyon oversaw the delivery of a petition, urging mainstream human rights groups to condemn “Khaybar,” to the New York City headquarters of both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Thus far he says that both organizations have failed to respond to his overtures.

Neither Human Rights Watch nor Amnesty International responded to detailed requests from The Algemeiner for comment.

Khaybar is airing throughout Ramadan, a holy month of fasting in Islam and the prime television season in the Muslim world.

Today, protesters at anti-Israel rallies around the world often evoke the battle of the town of Khaybar in their chants to galvanize supporters.

“Those who are rallying for a new society across the region must reject the anti-Semitism promoted in this television series,” Foxman said. “Faith leaders in the Muslim world should also unite in rejecting attempts to revive age-old hatreds.”

And so should "human rights" organizations.

In this case, the ADL condemnation is on its website, so at least the Jewish media should pick up on this pretty soon; with luck the mainstream media will as well.

The petition to HRW and Amnesty is here. Every signature triggers emails to the appropriate HRW and Amnesty official.

The Facebook page where I post all my Khaybar updates is here.

Report: Egyptian helicopter over Gaza this morning (update)

Palestine Press Agency reports that an Egyptian army helicopter flew at low altitude over Khan Younis and Rafah in Gaza at 2:30 this morning.

It hovered over the Gaza neighborhoods for nearly an hour, before it returned to Egyptian territory.

It appears that this was in conjunction with an operation to destroy tunnels under the border between Egypt and Gaza.

A security source said the helicopter was said to have come from the eastern region of the border with Egypt and entered Rafah where it flew for about half an hour, before it went to Khan Younis, without being approached by Israeli aircraft.

Ma'an seems to be the one that broke the story, and it is being picked up by many Palestinian and Egyptian Arabic media.

UPDATE: Times of Israel confirms it but says it was inadvertant and only for a few minutes.

Video of Muslims intimidating peaceful Jewish visitors to Temple Mount

These are videos that accompanied another article from the Al Aqsa Foundation, reproduced in many Arabic news outlets, that claim that Jews "desecrated" the Al Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday morning.

You can see, in the Islamists' own videos, that the Jews are peacefully and respectfully walking in their holiest site.

Then you can see the Muslims angrily chanting to them, "Bil-ruh, bil-damm, nafdik ya aqsa" which means "With our souls and blood we shall redeem you, oh Al-Aqsa."

Who are the desecrators?

(h/t Ibn Boutros)

British comedian wants to be an Elder of Zion (video) (updated)

Sorry, but if you have to ask....

From Hayden Cohen:

Unlike Cohen, Rav Shmuel has what it takes, in this classic 2006 video which people still send me:

UPDATE: I was trying to figure out why I was bothered by Cohen's video.

The reason is that it isn't self-deprecating - it is self-loathing.

Compare it with his video about being a geek. In that one he is making fun of himself for liking comic books and Star Trek. He is embracing his geekiness.

But in this one, he is using humor to distance himself from Jews, winking at his audience that he is only kidding - he is not really one of those kinds of Jews.

Gefilte fish jokes are easy, but in the end you know that Cohen doesn't identify with any of the things he mentions, and instead is placing himself with the audience against those weird, religious, settler-loving, tank-driving Jews.