Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Egyptian paper says Iron Man story is from the Quran

In the middle of a rambling article in Egypt's New El Fagr newspaper, we learn that the movie Iron Man was actually inspired by the Quranic story of the Prophet David.

You will recall that Tony Stark created his first Iron Man suit by painstakingly smelting and welding metal in the mountains of Afghanistan.

This is just like David, who, the Quran informs us, was the first to create armor! As Wikipedia notes:

Islamic belief holds that God taught David the making of armour. the Qur'an says the 'iron was made soft for him', through which David could make instruments for protection against enemies. However, the rule in this story is to use weapons of defense only in true war (e.g., if you are fighting for freedom of worship) and not to simply use weapons for degenerate violence. Later accounts in Muslim literature have references to David's armor-making abilities.God says in the Qur'an:

We favoured David with excellence, (and commanded): "O mountains and birds, glorify the greatness of God with him." And We made iron pliable for him.
"Make long coats of mail," (We said), "and fix their links, and do the right. I surely see whatsoever you do."
—Qur'an, surah 34 (Saba), ayat 10-11[9]

In addition, if i am understanding the article correctly, David was called "lion-hearted" - and Tony Stark replaced his heart with one that is not human either!

It's uncanny!

8/06 Links Part 1: Who Funds UNRWA?, Hamas Accuses Egypt of Turning Gaza into a “Big Prison”

From Ian:

John Kerry: Flying Everywhere, Getting Nowhere

The PLO and the Palestinians have nothing to do with problems facing the world. Kerry and Obama think otherwise.
Kerry got off the plane and apparently concluded: a. Syria’s war—the Palestinians; b. Iran’s bomb—the Israelis; c. Egypt’s unrest—the Zionists; d. problems with North Korea — the Israelis; e. trade crisis withChina—the Palestinians; and so on.
Before assuming Kerry bumped his head, like Hillary Clinton, we must recall that Obama sent Kerry abroad and also thinks “Palestine” is the center of the universe.

Report: Al-Qaida affiliate possesses highly undetectable liquid explosive

Al-Qaida, or one of its affiliates, may use a new liquid explosive in a possible attack in the near future, according to an ABC News report citing two unnamed senior US officials.
According to the report, clothes may be dipped into the liquid explosives, and become explosive themselves once the liquid dries.
This type of "ingenious" explosive is particularly worrying to security agencies because it would be very difficult, perhaps impossible, to detect, the officials warned.

US orders citizens out of Yemen due to ‘extremely high’ threat

Earlier Tuesday, US drones targeted members of the international Sunni terror group in Yemen, reportedly killing four operatives.
It was unclear whether or not the rash of strikes was connected to a recent heightened security alert that has included the temporary closure of 19 US embassies in the Middle East and four additional American missions in Africa.
On Monday, Yemeni authorities released the names of 25 wanted al-Qaeda suspects, saying they were planning terrorist attacks in the capital, Sanaa, and other cities across the country.

Israel formulating response to EU settlement guidelines before start of Horizon 2020

The EU threw a wrench into Israel’s participation in the 80 billion euro program when it published guidelines last month prohibiting any EU funds in the form of grants, prizes and financial instruments from going to Israeli entities beyond the pre-1967 lines, and also mandating that any future agreements between Israel and the EU incorporate a territorial clause stipulating that the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights are not part of Israel.
Horizon 2020 is the EU’s innovation flagship program, meant to create jobs and fuel economic growth.
Israel is the only non-EU country that has been asked to join as a full partner, and is expected to pay some 600 million euros over the next seven years to take part. This is considered a worthwhile investment, because for every shekel Israel contributes, it is expected to get back NIS 1.5 in research funds and other inbound investments.

63% of Israeli Jews oppose major West Bank pullout, poll finds

Most Israeli Jews would oppose a peace agreement with the Palestinians if it included a full West Bank pullout with land swaps to let Israel retain major settlement population centers, according to a new poll that appears to contradict the conclusions of other recent surveys.
The poll, released Tuesday by the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University, found that 63 percent of Jews in Israel oppose a withdrawal to the 1967 lines with land swaps as part of any peace arrangement with the Palestinian Authority, even if it meant Israel would hold onto the Etzion Bloc, directly south of Jerusalem; Ma’aleh Adumim, east of the capital; and Ariel in the central West Bank about 34 kilometers (21 miles) east of Tel Aviv.

Whose taxpayers fund UNRWA?

The total UNRWA budget for 2012 was $907,907,371. The permanent and hysterically supportive rhetoric for the “Palestinian cause” from the Muslim world might lead one to expect that UNWRA is mainly funded by Muslim countries. The truth, however, is that UNRWA is almost entirely funded by Western taxpayers. With a total of $644,701,999 in contributions, the US, EU, UK, Sweden, Norway, Germany, The Netherlands and Japan pay 71 percent of the annual UNRWA budget.
And don’t forget that the funds from the second-largest donor, the EU, are of course already composed of EU taxation of member states.
So where do the Muslim states rank? First in, at No. 15, is Saudi Arabia.

Israel allows 285 trucks with goods to enter Gaza

Hamas, meanwhile, accused the Egyptians of turning the Gaza Strip into a “big prison” because of the continued closure of the Rafah border crossing and the destruction of most of the smuggling tunnels.
Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas representative, said that Egyptian restrictions and security measures have reduced the number of travelers through the Rafah terminal from 1,200 to fewer than 200 per day.

‘Voice of Donald Duck in Arabic’ Calls for Israel to be ‘Demolished’

The man who “voices Donald Duck in the Middle East” got all “quacked up” over Israel Sunday, taking to his Twitter account to call for the Jewish state to be “demolished,” and insulting its inhabitants as “a bunch of Polish/ Ethiopian immigrants roughly 70 years old.”
“I truly wish #Israel is demolished, I hate Zionism, I have so much hate inside me with every single child they murder or land they seize!” Wael Mansour, who identifies himself as the voice of Disney’s Donald Duck character in the Middle East, posted to his Twitter account.

Egyptian Brotherhood leaders to face trial for inciting murder

Egypt's army-installed government said on Sunday it would give a chance for mediation to resolve the crisis brought on by the overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, but warned that time was limited.
At the same time, a Cairo court announced that the leader of Morsi 's Muslim Brotherhood and his deputy will face trial in three weeks' time for crimes including incitement to murder during protests in the days before he was toppled.

Egypt Independent: Exclusive: Obama agrees to meeting with Brotherhood, sources say

Obama would reportedly meet with Brotherhood officials to "hear their opinion" on developments in Egypt, in the presence of Turkish diplomats.
Egypt Independent heard from sources inside the Muslim Brotherhood that Islamist-linked billionaire Hassen Malek requested a meeting through Obama's office manager.
The meeting with Turkish officials is expected to take place this month.
Turkish diplomats are expected to push for Mohamed Morsy's reinstatement as Egyptian president, sources said, if not that the Muslim Brotherhood would be assured of political survival following a month-long violent stand-off with the armed forces in the wake of Morsy's overthrow.

Turkey Jails 275 High-Profile Opposition Leaders for Allegedly Plotting Overthrow of Erdogan

Turkey jailed 275 opposition leaders today, including army and police officers, journalists, writers and lawyers, for allegedly plotting a military coup to overthrow Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Israel’s Walla News reported.
Tear gas was used to disperse hundreds of protesters outside a special court set up at the Silibri prison, west of Istanbul, Walla News said.
The two main defendants in the case were Army General Lee Kuzuk and journalist Tonz’ai Aosekan, both sentenced to life imprisonment for heading this underground movement.

Fleeing Syria, Palestinians find little support from their brethren in Lebanon

But only 7 percent of Palestinian refugees from Syria have regular income, and almost all of them are living with host families whose employment prospects are equally dismal because Palestinians in Lebanon are banned from working in the public sector and in many professional fields, says Yasser Daoud, executive director of the child advocacy nonprofit Naba’a, which works in eight Palestinian refugee camps, including Ain al-Halwah.

Damascus suburbs report chemical attack by regime

Syrian activists accused the Assad regime of using a potentially lethal gas against two Damascus suburbs on Monday morning, injuring at least 30 civilians, Arab media reported.

Report: Syrian Army Gunship Fires Rockets into Lebanon

A Syrian army helicopter fired several rockets Monday at an illegal border crossing in northeast Lebanon, Lebanese security sources told The Daily Star.
At least three rockets were fired by the Syrian aircraft into Khirbet Daoud, sources told the newspaper.

Official: Israel capable of unilateral strike on Iran, if US not committed

Although, such a strike would render less effective than one conducted by America, the unidentified official said.
The diplomatic official doubted US intentions to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons at all costs.
American conduct regarding Syria, contrary to declarations by President Barack Obama, shows Israel that it cannot rely on US assurances, the Israeli source said.

Rouhani’s facade

The mullahs who run Iran and a large percentage of the masses that support them truly do see the West’s secular culture as an imminent danger to their fundamentalist version of Shi’ite Islam. And they are right. Western ideals that value human dignity for both men and women, protect against religious persecution and uphold freedom of expression are an obstacle to the implementation of the mullahs’ reactionary dream of creating caliphates throughout the Middle East and beyond.
No surprise that in his books on foreign policy, Rouhani belittles the Christians in the West for caving in to secularism without a fight; sees the Islamic Republic and the US as countries locked in a permanent conflict; and views Israel as “the axis of all anti-Iranian activities,” according to the above mentioned Times profile.

Plus:

The head of Algeria's Guidance Bureau of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mustafa Belmehdi, came out with an entertaining rant about who is behind all of the problems.

He accused the Jews of trying to undermine national stability, stressing that "Jews look at Algeria as an enemy," adding that "their fingers are planted" in the country with Jewish involvement in the arms trade, drug trafficking and corruption.

Belmehdi said, during a seminar on Palestine yesterday in the capital, that what is happening in the countries of the Arab Spring are an "anti-democratic revolution" aimed at striking the stability of these countries, which is the result of a global Jewish conspiracy.

I'm glad that the MB in Algeria hasn't yet figured out that Belmehdi is in fact on our payroll.

Jordanian columnist: "How to destroy Israel without war"

An op-ed in Jordanzad discusses how to get rid of Israel without defeating it militarily.

You see, the Arabs need to do to the Jews what the Arabs think the Jews did to put the Arab nations in disarray.

So, according to writer M. Mamedabid, the Arabs should secretly create and fund an extremist Jewish organization that would make Al Qaeda look like Girl Scouts. This organization should openly advocate the murder of all Arabs, Christians and Muslims in the Middle East. Using secret Arab funding, it will go on terror sprees and murder gentiles all over the region.

Meanwhile, the Arab states would publicly declare their support for the "moderate" Israeli parties, therefore adding to the power of the Jewish terrorist groups.The Jewish extremists will start killing the secular and leftist Jews, causing a civil war. Eventually the extremist Jews will take over the country, thanks to the secret Arab petrodollars funding them, and the West will turn against Israel, which will have been revealed to be a disgusting racist state, and it will then disappear in a cloud of infighting and civil war.

I can't wait for the first checks to be surreptitiously sent from Amman to the zealots of the Temple Mount Faithful to implement this brilliant scheme.

Another Palestinian Arab hero

From Ma'an:

The Palestinian minister of prisoners’ affairs on Tuesday warned of possible deaths among hunger-striking prisoners and highlighted that their health had seriously deteriorated.

Issa Qaraqe said any tragic results at this stage would result in serious escalation amid prisoners and lead to negative consequences which could affect US efforts to restart peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel.

Hanan al-Khatib, a lawyer from the ministry of prisoners’ affairs, who visited the Jordanian hunger striker Abdullah Barghouthi in hospital, confirmed he was in real danger after 95 days on hunger strike.

According to al-Khatib, Barghouthi “can’t feel his left hand and can’t stand up.”

He also suffers from spells of dizziness, she added, highlighting that he also has symptoms of kidney and liver troubles and could face kidney failure if he continues with the strike.

Barghouthi has already lost 30 kilograms, according to al-Khatib quoting his doctors.

He has been hospitalized at Haemek Medical Center in Afula in northern Israel since shortly after he started a hunger strike on May 2.

Al-Khatib had noted earlier that he was chained to his hospital bed by his legs and his left hand.

Poor Abdallah Bargouthi! He must be a good guy for the Palestinian minister of prisoners' affairs to be so concerned for his well-being.

An earlier Ma'an article, from July 20, gives slightly more details:

A lawyer for the PA ministry of prisoners' affairs said Barghouthi, a Jordanian citizen, could go into a coma at any moment.

"I saw him breathing very heavily and he began to have fainting spells," Hanan al-Khatib said Friday after visiting him in Afula Hospital.

...Barghouthi is serving 67 life terms, the highest sentence ever handed down by an Israeli military court. He has been detained since March 2003.

A Hamas leader, Barghouthi was convicted of involvement in multiple attacks in Israel.

Oh, you mean he was a terrorist? Who would've guessed?

I wonder what attacks he was involved with?

Nothing big. He just built the bombs for the Sbarro pizza shop bombing, the Moment Cafe bombing, the Hebrew University bombing, the Zion Square refrigerator bombing, and the Rishon LeZion nightclub bombing. In other words, he was Hamas' chief bombmaker and responsible for the deaths of 66 Israelis.

Note also how the PA is working so hard on behalf of a Hamas bomber. There's unity for you!

One more detail:

He has been on hungers strike since May 2 and is demanding to serve the remainder of his sentence in a Jordanian jail, under the Wadi Araba agreement between Jordan and Israel.

I can find nothing in the Wadi Araba agreement that mandates prisoner exchanges.

It is a shame that Barghouti is starving himself to death. He deserves a much more painful demise.

Luckily, the media has grown tired of the prisoner hunger strikes (especially when none of them ever seem to actually die, since these are "modified" hunger strikes, whatever that means) and no one really cares any more about these publicity stunts.

UPDATE: Ma'an has an adoring profile of Barghouti and his terror attacks in Arabic.

EoZ Resources page hacked by SpongeBob

From Irene (mostly):

SquarePants Achieves Daring Infiltration of Database

Early this morning, a lonely and desperate SpongeBob SquarePants hacked the EoZ Resources database, in a daring and bold assertion of his desire for continued affiliation with the ElderOfZiyon blog.

“I had no idea Bob had such sophisticated cyber capabilities,” Elder said. “His expertise is especially astonishing given that he lives in a watery environment that causes most electronic equipment to short out.”

The security breach was discovered by the crack team of research specialists who are updating and expanding the database. When apprehended, SquarePants was attempting to insert a large photo of himself into a small field.

SpongeBob vowed that he will continue to hack the EoZ blog until allowed to return. Elder, for his part, says that he does not negotiate with terrorists.

"SpongeBob has gone rogue, and I will not reward such destructive behavior. He was a trusted member of the team for over five years, but we had to let him go," said Elder.

The Resources page, whose link is visible on the left sidebar of the EoZ webpage, is meant to provide a place where pro-Israel advocates can find information that would be helpful for contacting the media and other relevant organizations and figures. SpongeBob spammed the database with links to videos and articles about him.

“We cannot yet assess the significance of Bob’s actions. It is unlikely that they will delay the completion of the database project, which is proceeding at an improved leisurely pace,” said Elder.

U.S. President Barak Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry issued a joint statement to the press. “SpongeBob SquarePants is an entity like Jerusalem. We can neither confirm nor deny its existence.”

ElderToons: Roger Waters' defense

For those who missed the ridiculous Roger Waters defense of his use of the Star of David on a pig during his concerts, here is the major point he made:

Centrist Pakistani politician sues rival over being labeled "Zionist"

First, background from Wikipedia:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is a centrist, nationalist and communitarian political party in Pakistan, which was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party is an anti-status quo movement advocating for an egalitarian and modern model of Islamic democratic welfare state.

Now:

Chairman [of] Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, says he has decided to sue Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader, Maulana Fazl-ur-Rahman, for his "Jewish lobby ties" remarks, Geo News reported.

"Mualana Fazl-ur-Rahman will now have to take the stand in the court of law to prove that I am pursuing a Zionist agenda. A libel lawsuit will soon be filed against him", said Imran talking to media here on Sunday.

Khan, who was flanked by party leaders Shireen Mazari and Assad Umer, said, it's time Fazl evidenced his allegations in the court that he (Imran Khan) was an agent of Jews, adding everyone very well knew whose agent Fazl was.

Citing one of the WikiLeaks released diplomatic wires, the PTI leader said that Fazl should not forget that it was he who begged a US ambassador to install him (Fazl) as Pakistan's prime minister in return of 'any service.'

I imagine in a few decades we will be seeing similar lawsuits from politicians in Europe upset at being described as "Zionist."

8/05 Links Part 2: UN accredits NGO whose head is ‘glad to be labeled anti-Semitic’

From Ian:

UN accredits NGO whose head is ‘glad to be labeled anti-Semitic’

At a session in New York last week, the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People officially granted accreditation to five civil society organizations, among them the Perdana Global Peace Foundation, which was founded by Mahathir Mohamad.
Mohamad, who served as Malaysia’s prime minister from 1981 until 2003, has repeatedly sparked controversy with his anti-Western and anti-Semitic comments. In a 2003 speech, he said that “the Jews rule the world by proxy” and get “others to fight and die for them.” During the same speech, he further stated, “They invented socialism, communism, human rights and democracy so that persecuting them would appear to be wrong so they may enjoy equal rights with others. With these, they have now gained control of the most powerful countries.”

Australian ex-deputy PM slams ‘Jewish lobby’ over Pius criticism

A former deputy prime minister of Australia attacked the “Jewish lobby” for what he considers unfair treatment of pope Pius XII, prompting Jewish groups to accuse him of anti-Semitism.
In an interview with Australian media, Tim Fischer suggested that a “Jewish lobby” controlled by Israel silences attempts to defend the wartime pope’s record. This lobby needed “momentum and profile” and had become “increasingly shrill” in its criticism of the pope, he said.

Sunnis Boycott Al-Quds Day in Ontario

Expert and blogger Jonathan Dahoah Halevi, who witnessed the event, wrote afterward that “Besides the regular and expected manifestation of hatred towards Israel (“From the river to the sea Palestine will be free”, “IsraelHell” etc.) and Zionism (“Down with Zionism”) demonstrators proudly carried and waved the flags of Iran, Syria, Hizbullah and Palestine, the flag of the Mahdi (Muslim Messiah) as well as pictures of Ayatollah Khomeini.”
The staunch support for Iran, Syria and Hizbullah was not dampened by the fact that all three parties are accomplices in the horrendous genocide of the Sunni Muslim community in Syria, Halevi noted.

Lunatic At Toronto Al Quds Day Rally Says Israelis Should Be Given 2 Minute Warning To Get Out Or They Start Shooting

"Elias Hazineh, Former President of Palestine House, attended the annual Quds Day rally that took place on August 3, 2013 in Toronto. In his speech to a crowd of hundreds holding anti-Israel banners and waving the flags of Palestine, Iran, Syria (Assad regime) and Hezbollah, Hazineh uttered a threatening message to the Jews living in Israel, while talking in favor of endorsing a strategy that will give the Israeli Jews an ultimatum to leave immediately the country or to be shot dead."
Palestine House is an anti-Semitic NGO defunded by the [Canadian] federal government.

Ultra-Orthodox man who offered to spy for Iran served in IDF

An ultra-Orthodox man accused of offering to spy for Iran on Israel previously served in the Israel Defense Forces but was released for reasons of mental health.
The man, a member of the anti-Zionist fringe group Neturei Karta, was remanded for two days during a hearing at the Jerusalem District Court Monday.

Egyptian anti-Obama video goes viral, blames him for siding with Muslim Brotherhood

An example of the vitriol in the country can be seen in a new video clip featuring a song by Egyptian performer Sama Elmasry. Titled “You Obama, Your Father, Mother,” it attacks the US president for allegedly preferring Islamic radicals over the army. It has gone viral, with over 160,000 views since last week.
The clip features Obama in traditional Islamic dress. Elmasry curses him while mentioning that he had called for former president Hosni Mubarak to leave immediately, seeming to imply that this proved he was pro-Brotherhood.
The song also mentions Obama’s support for Islamistled Turkey as well as Israel. It is highly nationalistic in tone and ends with a photo of Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led the anti-Morsi coup.

IDF Enlists New Robot to Defend Israelis from Explosives

Yahalom, the elite special force of the Combat Engineering Corps, operates in various terrains. It specializes in robotics, diffusion of bombs, minefield neutralization, and destruction of enemy infrastructure and outposts. It is also trained for active combat, such as the planting of bombs in enemy territory. The unit’s explosives disposal detachment is to begin using the Talon IV robots in the near future, bolstering its ability to thwart attempts to kill and injure Israelis using planted explosives.

Top 10 Israeli apps that are revolutionizing your journeys

Whether it’s a navigation aid you’re seeking, or a city bus or parking, these apps have you covered. One will check your tire pressure and another checks your breath to gauge if you’re too tipsy to drive – and it’ll even hail you a cab if you are.

Tadir Gan wins $45m Volkswagen contract

Tadir-Gan (Precision Products) Ltd. (TASE: TDGN), controlled by First Israel Mezzanine Investors Fund (FIMI), has won a $45 million contract from Volkswagen AG (DAX: VOW) to supply engine parts over eight years from 2015. The contract is the result of two acquisitions by Tadir Gan earlier this year.
Tadir Gan will supply aluminum components produced at its plants in Afula and Germany and magnesium products from its plant at Kibbutz Neve Or. The components are designed for large engines for Volkswagen's high-end models.

Veto on Disease

A little tolerance can go a long way. If the immune system, for instance, could be coaxed into tolerating foreign tissue rather than rejecting it outright, a variety of blood disorders could be treated by bone marrow transplants. Immune tolerance could also help extend these transplants to people who are currently too frail to receive them; in addition, it could facilitate the transplantation of kidneys, liver and other body organs.
An international team led by Weizmann Institute researchers has recently managed to induce a certain degree of immune tolerance by making use of so-called veto cells. These are naturally occurring immune cells that exert veto power over their own destruction: When attacked by the recipient’s immune cells, they launch a pre-emptive strike, destroying the attackers.

Israeli Researchers Invent Spray to Stop Hospital-Acquired Infections

One out of every 20 hospital patients in the United States contracts a hospital-acquired infection, with infants in intensive care and the elderly facing the highest risk of infection and death. Israeli researchers have invented a new spray that can help stop hospital-acquired infections.
The spray stops microorganisms from sticking to the surface of objects and reproducing, a process known as bio fouling. (h/t Jewess)

Dr. Mehmet Oz praises ‘coexistence’ at Israeli hospital

America’s favorite physician, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, recently wrapped up a 10-day tour in Israel that included all the main tourist sites and a stopover at the world’s largest and most advanced “fortified hospital” at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa.
Dr. Oz, the Turkish-American cardiothoracic surgeon who hosts The Dr. Oz Show, toured the Sammy Ofer Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital and Rambam’s state-of-the-art shock-trauma ward, prior to hosting a public lecture on health, morality, religion and culture.

Jews were interned in Indonesia during WWII

From Asahi Shimbun:

A Dutch woman has come forward to confirm that occupying Japanese forces rounded up and placed Jews in Indonesia into a separate internment camp during World War II, where they were subject to beatings and near-starvation rations.

Anne-Ruth Wertheim, 78, a former senior high school teacher who is now living in Amsterdam, confirmed its existence as a living witness of the camp.

“When I was in Indonesia in my childhood, I was put in an internment camp for Jewish people,” she said in an e-mail.

At her home in Amsterdam, Wertheim talked about her past while clutching her mother's diary.

She was born in Batavia (current Jakarta) in Indonesia, which was then a colony of the Netherlands. Her father, who was Jewish, was the principal of a law school. Her mother was not Jewish.

Japan occupied Indonesia in March 1942 in an attempt to secure oil supplies and shore up its defense lines in Southeast Asia. Wertheim's father was sent to an internment camp for Dutch and other civilians in Indonesia. At that time, other family members were allowed to remain at home.

In January 1944, however, Wertheim was sent to an internment camp for women and children in Jakarta along with her mother, older sister and younger brother. At that time, she was 9 years old.

In September 1944, a Japanese officer told internees in the camp, “If even one drop of Jewish blood flows in your bodies, tell me.”

Her mother wrote in her diary, “Though I am not Jewish, I wrote my name in the list of Jewish people in order not to be separated from my children.”

In December 1944, Wertheim and her family members were transferred from Jakarta to an internment camp in Tangerang, in the western part of Java Island. Two-thirds of the people in the camp were Jewish. The remaining detainees were members of the Freemasonry fraternal organization, and those who had belonged to the ruling class.

In the camp, iron bars were installed on the windows. Boards, each measuring only about 50 centimeters in width, were placed in rows to serve as beds.

“The living conditions in the camp were clearly worse than those in the previous camp,” Wertheim said.

Meals in the camp, which consisted of only one scoop of rations, were decreased from three times to twice daily. On such near-starvation rations, women stopped menstruating and children's growth became stunted.

Harsh disciplinary measures were observed in the camp. If internees did not bow sufficiently to Japanese soldiers, they were struck by camp staff. In addition, all the prisoners would then be forced to stand in the hot sun for many hours to take collective responsibility for a breach.

The article gives some background material:

Aiko Utsumi, director of the Center for Asia Pacific Partnership of Osaka University of Economics and Law, has detailed knowledge of Japan’s policies concerning wartime internment camps in Indonesia. Among historical materials she copied at the national archives of the Netherlands, there was a list of names of Jewish internees.
...
After the end of the war, employees of the Japanese Justice Ministry visited released war criminals and interviewed them. The records of the interviews were also found in the National Archives of Japan.

According to the records, one of the former war criminals said about the former section chief, “As a researcher of Jewish issues, he clamped down on Jewish people and, as a result, he angered them.”

During the war, the former section chief contributed several articles to The Java Shimbun, a newspaper published on Java Island by The Asahi Shimbun, and also gave interviews. One of the articles read, “Jews and Freemasons are plotting to control the world.”

Judging from these historical materials, Utsumi said, “It is certain that there were internment camps exclusively for Jewish people in Indonesia that was under the occupation of Japan.”
...
According to Ikuhiko Hata, an expert on modern history, the view that Jews and Freemasons were plotting to control the world was spreading widely in Japan during the war.

There was a conference on this topic in 2010:

A key aspect in the factors leading to Jewish suffering in Indonesia was one known in other areas too. Indonesia’s economic position and the ongoing war inevitably led to a severe financial crisis. As part of the Japanese effort to pacify the local population in these difficult times, a scapegoat was targeted: the Jew. With a Muslim majority, anti-Semitic incitement and mobilizing a war on the Jewish “enemy” was no great challenge.

“This distinctive combination of causes led to greater suffering for the Jews of Indonesia, compared to the other minorities – including Jews – in other regions under Japanese occupation. Unlike the calculated German racial doctrine, this was not part of some Japanese ideology or planned policy; but the results were tragic for the Jewish community,” Prof. Kowner summed up.

(h/t Yoel)

Palestinian Arabs, visiting Israel, find their local merchants have been gouging them

Al Hayat al Jadida reports that hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs have received permits to enter Israel during Ramadan - and they are finding that identical items of food and clothing are a fraction of the cost that they are charged back home.

Mothers who spent a large amount on Ramadan clothes in the West Bank are upset at seeing the same clothes, or clothes of better quality, for half the price in Tel Aviv.

One woman said, "It's a scandal for our merchants ... I bought clothes for my kids from shops in Ramallah at high prices, but when I went to the shops in the Israeli cities and found the same clothes, but the price difference is substantial...It's incredible and unjustifiable what our merchants are doing to exploit citizens, and the official institutions in power do nothing to stop this."

The writer estimates that if every Arab visiting Israel spends only 200 shekels, that means that 50 million shekels are being spent in Israel instead of in the PA-administered territories.

While the PA stated that Israel issues the permits just to gain economically, others aren't buying their line any more. The head of a consumer protection agency in the West Bank says that the local merchants have no incentive to keep prices low because they simply have no competition.

Merchants, not surprisingly, claim that they have too many expenses, in rent, workers and taxes, and cannot compete with Israeli prices. While I don't know how much they are taxed, it is obvious that Israeli workers get paid about double the rate that Ramallah shopkeepers pay, and the rent in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem is no less than in Ramallah, so this argument doesn't hold much water.

Meanwhile, Gazans can only wish for the ability to visit Israel as freely. But this year they don't have much money anyway. Hamas has delayed paying salaries to its workers before the upcoming Eid, causing much grumbling. Hamas knows very well that the economy has been a major component in some of the Arab upheavals bu it seems to have lost its Iranian and Egyptian patrons for now, so it is scrambling for its very life.

8/05 Links Part 1: Reuters Kills the Mideast Domino Theory, The Return of Al Qaeda

From Ian:

Khaled Abu Toameh: Palestinians Dismiss Prisoner Release as a "Bribe"

The prisoner release could benefit Abbas in the short-term. But in the long-term, many Palestinians will continue to see it as part of an Israeli-American scheme to extract concessions from Abbas and the Palestinian Authority leadership.
After the celebrations over the release of the prisoners end, Palestinians will continue to criticize Abbas for "succumbing" to US pressure and going to the peace talks against the recommendation of the PLO leadership. And of course they will continue to attack Israel for not fulfilling all their demands, including a settlement freeze and the release of the rest of the prisoners.

Palestinians, Breaking Kerry’s Promise, Reveal Timetable for Prisoner Release

Although U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said last week that the Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams would keep the details of their renewed talks confidential, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat on Saturday said Israel would release 26 Palestinian prisoners on Aug. 13, Israel Hayom reported.

‘Boycott Israeli sports,’ urges PA official

Departing starkly from messages of peace and coexistence expressed by Israeli President Shimon Peres as he welcomed the Barcelona FC soccer team on Sunday, Fatah official and Palestinian Soccer Association head Jibril Rajoub took advantage of “the most important event in the history of Palestinian sports” to call for a sports boycott of Israel.
Speaking to journalists at the entrance to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem Saturday, Rajoub said that sports were the best means to combat racism. He then proceeded to call for a sports ban on Israel, which “incites against anything Arab.”

Dore Gold: The Return of Al Qaeda

In the meantime, internal security in Iraq has been deteriorating with about 80 car bombs and suicide bombing attacks employed. Over 1,000 Iraqis have been killed in May, the highest number in five years. Understanding that the escape of al-Qaeda operatives from an Iraqi prison had broader implications beyond Iraq itself, Interpol issued an alert that the escape constituted a “major threat to global security.” The New York Times ran an editorial on July 29 with the title “Al-Qaeda in Iraq scores big,” which reached the conclusion that the “attacks showed the fearsome and growing strength” of the organization.

US reopens Tel Aviv embassy, but extends closures across region

The US State Department on Sunday announced the extension of the closure of 19 US embassies and consulates across the Middle East and Africa through to Saturday August 10, but removed its Tel Aviv posting from the watch list.
Over the weekend, security forces closed roads, put up extra blast walls and increased patrols near some of the 21 diplomatic missions in Asia and Middle East — including Israel — that Washington had ordered closed following warnings of a possible al-Qaeda attack.

Honest Reporting: Reuters Kills the Mideast Domino Theory

More than 100,000 people have died in the Syrian conflict and violence has flared again in Iraq, with over 1,000 killed there in July alone, many at the hands of al Qaeda. Tensions over Iran’s disputed nuclear program have also risen, while a struggle for power between Islamists and the military is playing out on the streets of predominantly Sunni Egypt.
Arguably, none of these crises will come any closer to being settled should, by some miracle, Israel and the Palestinians finally agree to divide the land where they live . . .
In public, Muslim leaders have traditionally railed against Israel, happy to fan ordinary Arabs’ sincere anger about the plight of the Palestinians – and perhaps deflect criticism of their own failure to make badly needed reforms.
Arab leaders can no longer get away with this.

Michael Totten: Hezbollah Plays the Israel Card

Hezbollah desperately needs the Israel card, but it won’t work this time unless Israel invades Lebanon. Yet Israel won’t invade Lebanon unless Hezbollah starts something. And Hezbollah wouldn’t dare start something now while it’s busy in Syria. The last thing it needs is open-ended conflict on two fronts at once. Hezbollah isn’t a superpower. It only has a few thousand fighters.
It’s obvious to just about everyone now that Nasrallah needs a distraction, but the truth is that his relentless war against Israel has always been partially a distraction. His hatred of Israel is real, no doubt, but it serves a dual purpose. It papers over the dangerous rift between Sunni and Shia Muslims that has led to so many wars, the majority of which the Shia lost.

CiF asks Palestinian supporter of ‘armed resistance’ her views on the peace process

An August 1 essay at ‘Comment is Free’, titled ‘The Middle East peace talks are back to disappoint‘, by Gaza based blogger (and Electronic Intifada contributor) Rana Baker didn’t include anything particularly surprising – at least by ‘CiF’ standards.
In her column, Baker, an activist from Gaza, demonizes Israelis as ‘colonisers’ who administer an “apartheid-like system in impoverished Bantustans”, dismisses the newly relaunched peace talks as an act of surrender and exercise in futility, and mocks as “irrelevant”, weak and spineless Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

BBC tones down Iranian rhetoric and extremism

Why the BBC should find it necessary to tone down Rouhani’s remarks in a manner which it presumably thinks makes them more palatable to Western audiences is anybody’s guess, especially as other members of the Western media managed to report the geographical intentions of Rouhani’s words accurately.
The problem is, of course, that the BBC has invested much in educating its audiences with regard to its own definition of “occupation”, but rarely bothers to clarify the fact that for other parties – including Iran and its terrorist proxies – “occupation” means every last inch of Israel. Hence, average readers would be liable to fail to grasp the real significance of Rouhani’s words quoted later on in the article:

Lebanese Christian Leader: Hizbullah Fired on Palace

One of the rockets struck within the security perimeter of the Presidential Palace, and the other exploded within the security perimeter of the Army headquarters. The attack came hours after a speech by President Michel Suleiman on Lebanon's Army Day.
“The rocket attacks came the same day of the president’s speech on Army Day. They were launched from areas that come under the military control of a certain party,” Geagea said, in a reference to Hizbullah.

Israel, US have vastly different takes on Iran's Rouhani inauguration

The US hoped the new Iranian government would “heed the will of the voters by making choices that will lead to a better life for the Iranian people,” Carney said.
This conciliatory tone was at odds with the tone coming from Jerusalem, where Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu again urged the world not to be “taken in” by Rouhani’s perceived moderation.
“On Friday, the Iranian president said that Israel ‘has been a wound on the body of the Islamic world,’” Netanyahu said at the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting.
“The president of Iran has been replaced, but the goal of the regime has not been replaced, it remains as it was,” he continued. “Iran’s intention is to develop a nuclear capability and nuclear weapons in order to destroy the State of Israel, and this constitutes a danger not only to us and the Middle East, but the entire world, and we are all committed to prevent this.”

Iran May Try New Path to Nukes

Iran may be preparing to use a heavy water reactor for producing weapons-grade plutonium, according to U.S. and European officials cited in the Wall Street Journal. This is an alternative method for reaching a nuclear bomb, which joins its existing uranium enrichment project.
A heavy-water reactor is an easier target to hit than the underground facilities that house Iran's uranium-enrichment facilities, the newspaper notes.

PLO threatens to sue Volkswagen over old, fake commercial

About nine years ago some enterprising video producers created this brilliant fake Volkswagen commercial:

Today, the the PA's Foreign Minister Dr. Riyad al-Malki is threatening to sue VW - for a commercial it never made.

Al-Malki, who is currently in Tehran (which is interesting in itself), stated, "We are going to ask our embassy in Germany to discuss the issue with the company, in addition to that we will called the German ambassador to PLO."

He added, "We will demand the company to withdraw its commercial and apologize to the Arab public on this abuse."

"I have not seen the commercial yet, but if it contains inflammatory material, we will take all legal action against the company."

Yes, PLO ministers make public statements and denunciations based on nothing more than rumor.

Snopes has the story behind this video, including that VW intended to pursue legal action against the producers.

Egyptian siege continues - only two groups visited Gaza in July

Palestine Today reports that there has been a sharp drop in outside parties visiting Gaza over the past month, with only two delegations allowed into the Hamas-ruled territory during July.

In contrast, some 27 groups visited in June and 20 in May.

Officials said that this is because of much stricter Egyptian rules allowing people to cross the Rafah crossing.

According to Aladdin Batta of Hamas' ministry of foreign affairs, the lack of visitors hurt the education and medical sectors.

I still have not seen anyone referring to Egypt's near-total isolation of Gaza as being a "siege" or a "blockade."

Meanwhile, Israel isn't only allowing medical patients and their families to come into Israel from Gaza, but also some families to visit relatives in the West Bank:

Many other Gazans cross into Israel to visit relatives living in Judea and Samaria. Each month, IDF officials help more than 3,000 Palestinians pass through the crossing to visit their families. This month, as Palestinian Muslims observe the holiday of Ramadan, higher numbers of travelers are visiting Israel to celebrate the holiday with family members.

PalArab joy at FC Barcelona visit soured by photos of team at Kotel

Legendary soccer team FC Barcelona visited Arab sections of West Bank over the weekend, where they have many fans:

As soon as they got off the coach, the players were surrounded by a swathe of adoring fans, including several children wearing Barça shirts. They headed for the Basilica of the Nativity, where it is believed that Jesus of Nazareth was born, and paid a visit to the temple. After greeting the senior religious figures in the town, they posed for a group photo outside the basilica.

They then made their way to the headquarters of the Palestinian presidency for a private visit where they were received by president Mahmoud Abbas. Treated as if he were a head of state, Sandro Rosell was accompanied by the other members of the board, plus the players, and exchanged a few words and gifts with the Palestinian leader. Then Jibril Rjoub, the head of the Palestinian Football Association, spoke to the media and explained what a historic moment this is for his people. “We are hugely respectful of this visit being paid by Barça” he said. “It is big step towards our desire for peace”. He spoke about his high hopes for a future independent state of Palestine, and announced that if that day should ever come, then FC Barcelona would be the first team they’d be inviting to play.

The "peaceful" speeches given by PA officials included insults to Israel saying that the Jewish state uses repression to hurt their sporting program. Apparently those Arabic statements were not translated to the players.

But things soured yesterday when the team paid a visit to the Kotel.

Arabic media has photos and stories saying that the visit "angered" Arab fans of the club, as the players inserted notes into the cracks of the Western Wall and paid their respects while wearing kipot, "a hat worn by Jews when performing Talmudic prayers."

See how the visit fostered "the desire for peace" among Palestinian Arabs?