Israeli road system hit by cyber-attack (updated)

As far as I know, this is unprecedented:

HADERA, Israel (AP) — When Israel's military chief delivered a high-profile speech this month outlining the greatest threats his country might face in the future, he listed computer sabotage as a top concern, warning a sophisticated cyberattack could one day bring the nation to a standstill.

Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz was not speaking empty words. Exactly one month before his address, a major artery in Israel's national road network in the northern city of Haifa suffered a cyberattack, cybersecurity experts tell The Associated Press, knocking key operations out of commission two days in a row and causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.

One expert, speaking on condition of anonymity because the breach of security was a classified matter, said a Trojan horse attack targeted the security camera apparatus in the Carmel Tunnels toll road on Sept. 8. A Trojan horse is a malicious computer program that users unknowingly install that can give hackers complete control over their systems.

The attack caused an immediate 20-minute lockdown of the roadway. The next day, the expert said, it shut down the roadway again during morning rush hour. It remained shut for eight hours, causing massive congestion.

The expert said investigators believe the attack was the work of unknown, sophisticated hackers, similar to the Anonymous hacking group that led attacks on Israeli websites in April. He said investigators determined it was not sophisticated enough to be the work of an enemy government like Iran.

The expert said Israel's National Cyber Bureau, a two-year-old classified body that reports to the prime minister, was aware of the incident. The bureau declined comment, while Carmelton, the company that oversees the toll road, blamed a "communication glitch" for the mishap.

While Israel is a frequent target of hackers, the tunnel is the most high-profile landmark known to have been attacked. It is a major thoroughfare for Israel's third-largest city, and the city is looking to turn the tunnel into a public shelter in case of emergency, highlighting its importance.

The incident is exactly the type of scenario that Gantz described in his recent address. He said Israel's future battles might begin with "a cyberattack on websites which provide daily services to the citizens of Israel. Traffic lights could stop working, the banks could be shut down," he said.

There have been cases of traffic tampering before. In 2005, the United States outlawed the unauthorized use of traffic override devices installed in many police cars and ambulances after unscrupulous drivers started using them to turn lights from red to green. In 2008, two Los Angeles traffic engineers pleaded guilty to breaking into the city's signal system and deliberately snarling traffic as part of a labor dispute.

The earlier cases had insiders messing with traffic signals, but in this case the attack came - seemingly - from the Internet. It is possible that the Trojan Horse was introduced via USB key or CD-ROM, which might mean that the tunnel wasn't a target, but that it was software simply looking for -say - a certain type of surveillance camera that is connected via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

If it was a cyberattack from the Internet, the bigger question is, why would any of Israel's cyber-infrastructure be accessible from the Internet?

It is unclear what the goal of the hackers was. If they were after the cameras, then it is possible that they only planned to do surveillance but either their mistake or their discovery caused Israel to shut down the tunnel out of caution.

(h/t MtTB)

UPDATE: Carmel Tunnels denies the story.

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PA TV shows cartoon Devil working with Jews to kill Mohammed

From Palestinian Media Watch:

The Devil: "I've built my plan on the burning hate and loathing of Muhammad and his supporters that fills the hearts of the Jews... "
[The Devil hovers above the Jews]
Jew: "We have lost our prestige because of Muhammad..."
Leader of Jewish tribe: "We must return to Medina and harm Muhammad and his supporters... There are [Arab-Pagan] tribes that want to destroy Muhammad and the ones who want that the most are the Quraish and their allies... These tribes are not small and they have a major conflict with Muhammad. If they unite, it will be possible to destroy Muhammad."
Jew: "And then we'll return to Medina and go back to being prestigious leaders."
Jew: "A wise idea."
Leader of Jewish tribe: "So let us go to the tribes and prepare for the war with Muhammad..."

Note: Amidst the Arab pagan population of Medina, there were also three Jewish tribes. In the year 625, Muhammad exiled the Jewish Qaynuqa and Nadir tribes. Soon afterward, he captured the Qurayza tribe and had the 750 male captives decapitated and the wives and children sold into slavery. Islamic tradition justifies Muhammad's actions, teaching that the three Jewish tribes broke their treaties with Muhammad.

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10/27 Links: Ex UK FM Straw Blames 'Jewish Money' for conflict, German Parties fund MIFTAH

From Ian:

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British Ex-Foreign Secretary Blames 'Jewish Money' for Conflict

Former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has reportedly blamed Jewish groups with “unlimited” funds for the Israeli-Arab conflict.
“I nearly fell off my rickety British chair today when former UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw spoke at the Round Table Global Diplomatic Forum in the British House of Commons. Listing the greatest obstacles to peace, he said "unlimited" funds available to Jewish organizations and AIPAC in the US are used to control and divert American policy in the region,” former Member of Knesset Einat Wilf reported on her Facebook page.
Straw also blamed “Germany's ‘obsession’ with defending Israel,” she said, adding, “I guess he neglected to mention Jewish control of the media...”

Anne Bayefsky: Europe, US pressuring Israel to endure discrimination at UN Human Rights Council

In reality, the UN’s human rights flagship is skippered by countries dedicated to the demonization and destruction of the Jewish state – the antithesis of equal treatment.
Israel is under no obligation to enable 192 countries to boast that Israel will be treated “equally” under the UPR, when it is treated unequally at every Council session before and after.
Israel does not owe the United States and Europe a green light to hang a “no Jewish state allowed” shingle outside of their UN meetings, let alone validate the suggestion that it is Israel threatening the integrity of this “human rights” process.

Germany said to warn Israel over skipping UN human rights review

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Friday sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging Israeli to attend the review, Haaretz reported on Sunday. The letter acknowledged Israel’s difficulties with the HRC, but said not attending would have “serious consequences.”

Jpost Editorial: Qatari insult

Time was when the conflict with Israel was officially and undisguisedly pan-Arab. In recent decades the tactic has been to present it as arising from the essentially local plight of Palestinians due to seemingly arbitrary out-of-the-blue Israeli occupation. Yet on occasion this deliberate misrepresentation is exposed.
This was the case last week when the Israeli flag was removed from the premises of the FINA Swimming World Cup in the Qatari capital of Doha and when the flag was whitewashed from TV broadcasts.

No one intervened to help us, Sydney victim says

Shlomo Ben Haim, an emissary for the Jewish National Fund who was among the victims of Friday night’s attack, said Sunday that the attackers screamed “bloody Jews” and were able to continue their assault for several minutes, even though it took place in a well-lit area with foot traffic and open restaurants.
The attack occurred when his party of five Jews, walking back from a Shabbat dinner, encountered “about 10″ youths, who, when seeing them in Shabbat clothes and yarmulkes, began to shout derogatory comments and then attacked, Ben Haim told Ynet News on Sunday from his hospital bed in Sydney.

Protesters Scream ‘Long Live the Intifada’ at JNF Event

The Jewish National Fund (JNF) recently held its annual meeting in the city of Denver, Colorado, in the United States. A group of anti-Israel protesters decided to target the event.
Protesters gathered outside the residence of Governor of Colorado John Hickenlooper as the governor hosted JNF representatives.
They carried signs accusing Israel of genocide, and called “Israel out of Palestine,” and, “Long live the Intifada.” Intifada is the Arabic word commonly used to refer to the terrorist war on Israel, which has killed thousands of Israeli civilians.

Study: Main German political party foundations fund anti-Israel activity

The 75-page study, titled, “German Funding for Political Advocacy NGOs Active in the Arab-Israeli Conflict,” found the Green Party’s Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Christian Democratic Union’s Konrad Adenauer Foundation funded the Ramallah-based MIFTAH NGO.
MIFTAH’s publications have accused Israel of “massacre,” “cultural genocide,” “war crimes” and “apartheid,” NGO Monitor reported.
MIFTAH’s Arabic-language website published an article on an anti-Semitic blood libel in response to US President Barack Obama’s support for Israel and his attendance at a Passover Seder. After allegations of anti-Semitism, MIFTAH removed the article.

NGO Monitor: "Ethnic Cleansing" Rhetoric at NGO Events in the European Parliament

On October 17, 2013, the Socialists and Democrats group (S&D) of the European Parliament sponsored a seminar titled “Bedouins in the Naqab/Negev: Dreams and Nightmare.” A banner featured at the event accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing.”
Representatives of Israeli NGOs (Negev Coexistence Forum – funded by New Israel Fund (NIF) and Switzerland; Alternative Information Center – list of funders removed from website) participated in the seminar, but official representatives of the Israeli government were not allowed to appear. The Israeli Embassy to the EU condemned the event.
In response to criticism, S&D group head Hannes Swoboda denied that “S&D Group’s communications [used] the expression ‘ethnic cleansing’

Huffington Post Demonstrates How Not to Correct

Following an update at the top of the page noting that Ha'aretz has retracted the claim that Rihanna sang about Palestine, readers are told that "The original article continues below." Indeed, it does. With the false claim about the lyrics intact.
To sum up: The Huffington Post runs an update which makes clear that their earlier headline and article were based on a false report. The Post leaves those incorrect headline and article in place, as if they have not received information to the contrary.
Is somebody asleep at the helm of the Huffington Post? Or this what now passes for accountability at the sixth-leading English news site?

Hamas Orders: Shoot Protesters 'In the Head'

Sources in the Palestinian Authority told the Palestine Press news agency on Saturday that the Interior Minister in Hamas’s government in Gaza, Fathi Hamad, has instructed security forces to be tough on any anti-Hamas demonstrator who will take part in a campaign by the opposition scheduled to begin on November 11.

Amid turmoil, crossing to Gaza closed indefinitely by Egypt

Over the weekend, a video released over the Internet revealed that it was an ex-Egyptian army officer who carried out a suicide bombing last month that unsuccessfully targeted the country’s interior minister, and, according to Egypt Independent, the attack was organized by a cell that included two Palestinians.

UAE increases Egyptian aid to $4.9 billion

The deal signed Saturday for $1.9 billion in new loans, fuel supplies and other assistance comes during a visit by Egyptian interim Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi.
In July, the UAE promised $3 billion in aid as part of the overall $12 billion aid package from Gulf states following the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood-led government of President Mohammed Morsi in a popularly supported military coup.

‘Russia eyes Egypt’s ports in bid to boost military presence’

According to the report, Moscow has been shopping for alternatives to the Tartus port in Syria, where it maintains a limited naval facility, due to fears that President Bashar Assad’s regime will eventually be toppled by rebel forces.

Manchester United sorry for ‘swastika’

One of the world’s leading soccer clubs, Manchester United, has apologized for publishing a swastika-style club logo, and a headline blaring “New Order,” in an email sent out to supporters.

Sir Tom Jones wows Tel Aviv crowd

The longtime sex symbol played to a full house of 7,500 at Nokia Arena, cycling through a quality set list R&B classics, including Chester Arthur’s “Evil,” and Three Dog Night’s “Mama Told Me Not to Come.”
He continued with songs from his recent albums and wrapped up an energetic performance with hits like “Delilah” and, of course, “Sex Bomb.” (h/t Bob Knot)

Israel knows water technology, and it wants to cash in

Israel is a world leader in desalination of seawater. By next year, more than a third of Israel’s tap water will come from the Mediterranean Sea and a few briny wells. Israel’s total water consumption remains nearly at 1964 levels — even though its population has quadrupled to 8 million people, according to the economic ministry.
“They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and that is clearly the case in Israel,” said Oded Distel, director of Israel New Tech, a government agency that primes the water pump by giving grants to high-tech water start-ups and helps market the water industry abroad. “If we had to rely on sources of fresh water, we wouldn’t be here. In Israel, we use every drop twice.” (h/t Zvi)

Israel saved me

Reverend Mulinda from Uganda and his friend Majed El Shafie from Egypt both converted to Christianity from Islam, and paid a heavy price for sticking to their beliefs. Today they fight against anti-Semitism and advocate human rights and a love for Israel.
These two men should never have met, but today they are close friends. They were born in two different countries at different ends of the world, but their life stories are very similar, and today, they both advocate a love for Israel.

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The Egyptian siege on Gaza continues

Egypt has now closed the Rafah crossing for the second (update: third) straight day. Students, medical patients and other travelers cannot leave or enter Gaza from Egypt.

Egypt had closed Rafah during the Eid al Adha holiday, and then opened it only to allow Gaza pilgrims who went on Hajj to return to their homes.

1450 people crossed Rafah on Friday.

No NGOs seem to be too excited about this.

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"Israel is not alone"? If only... (Zvi)

In yesterday's links, we excerpted an article by the UK ambassador to Israel, Matthew Gould in JPost:

When President Obama was here earlier in the year, he said, “Atem lo levad” – “Israel is not alone.” Today I want to underline this message, particularly in the context of the question that now dominates discussion of Israel’s security – the question of Iran’s nuclear program.

I want to address two aspects of the nuclear question in particular.

The first is reassurance.

To say as clearly as I can that when it comes down to the question of how to deal with the program, we are not going to do a “bad deal.” Nor will we stand by as the Iranians continue to develop the capability to build nuclear weapons.

The second is opportunity. To emphasize that despite all the risks, we have a small window of opportunity to test whether there can be a negotiated solution or not. The Iranians have shown a more positive approach in recent weeks, and the only way to find out if that is for real is to test it in negotiations.

Zvi responds:

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If only that were so. But it is increasingly clear that western governments have abandoned not only principles but basic common sense as well. Obama's ludicrously stupid foreign policy rewards enemies and punishes allies, destroying not only Israel's trust in the US (and western governments in general) but also American influence in the region. And that is just plain dangerous.

Obama's foreign policy is an absolute disaster, the likes of which we have not seen in decades. Carter was such a disaster, but had the great good fortune to benefit from Sadat's unexpected and dramatic flight to Jerusalem. Obama has the Arab Spring, and has utterly failed to use it to advance sane interests. Instead, he empowers the strongest of the most viciously anti-human rights, anti-American and antisemitic forces in the region: the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The vacillating American President and his weak, naive Secretaries of State are consistently 20 years behind and 1000 miles away from reality.

More than that, they are consistently gullible and credulous when facing enemies and absurdly suspicious of the existential fears of long-time allies against whom these enemies are arrayed.

Israel cannot trust the American administration. There. I said it. I did not want to say it. I never want to have to say something like that. But it is true. Israel cannot AFFORD to trust an American administration that throws its long-time friends under the bus, alienates virtually every long-time ally and empowers those who would do them harm.

As for the UK - Ambassador Gould not withstanding, because I think that he is mostly a decent guy, for a British diplomat - is not with Israel. The UK has not been "with" Israel for a very long time. The UK's foreign policy is run by Arabists, who think that Israel is "that shitty little country." Its media is run by antisemites, who believe every lie that has ever been concocted about Israel. Its royals refuse even to visit Israel (but have visited the dictators of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, China, Tunisia, etc). Its "labour unions" boycott Israeli unions. Its academics largely refuse to stand up against the taunts and abuse of Jews and Israelis in British universities. Israel has been a true friend to the British government at times, but the other way around? Almost never.

If his Excellency wants to convince Israel that Britain is with Israel and won't compromise its security, then he will need to stop talking nonsense and change British policy.

"I am here with a simple message: It is in these challenging moments that Israel can take comfort that there are countries that will never compromise on Israel’s security. Britain is one of those countries."

Purest nonsense. The UK has sold out Israel's security again and again, from the Mandate period, when it locked Jews in concentration camps in Cyprus (but never did this to many of the illegal Arab immigrants who now claim to be "Palestinians"), to 1947, when British armed forces commanded or protected Arab military formations, until the present day. Israel has a hard-earned right to be deeply skeptical of British claims to have Israel's back; Israel has paid in blood for British decisions.

"If the Iranians are genuine, there is an opportunity to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons in one of world’s most unpredictable regions."

The Iranians are NOT genuine on this. They have never been genuine on this topic. To anyone with a very basic understanding of the Middle East, actions always speak far more loudly than sunny propaganda. Only a government of fools takes its eyes off the real world and lets PR firms hired by dictatorships shape its reality. Ahmadinejad was not the problem; Khamenei's regime is the problem.

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Hamas opening tunnels to Egypt as fast as Egypt destroys them

Ma'an today reports:

The military wing of Hamas, al-Qassam Brigades, announced Sunday that one of its members died in a tunnel accident in Rafah south of the Gaza Strip.

The military wing identified the man as 23-year-old Salih al-Bashiti.

Egypt's much heralded campaign against the tunnels in the Sinai may be not quite as effective as they pretend. From The Daily Star (Lebanon):

Destroying tunnels, though, requires constant vigilance. Earlier this month, the Egyptian military claimed to have destroyed almost 800 tunnels in 2013. In January 2013, however, Egyptian journalist and Sinai expert Mohannad Sabry estimated there were around 250 operating tunnels, which suggests that Egyptian forces are continuously closing the same tunnels.

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Great Arab video "No woman, no drive"

Great stuff! It even mentions the ovaries!



(h/t Yerushalimey)

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On 19th anniversary, Jordanians call to tear up peace treaty with Israel

Ammon News reports:

[The main [opposition party is calling for expelling the Israeli ambassador from Amman and cancelling the 1994 Wadi Araba Peace Treaty with Israel, a statement said on Saturday.

They called on Jordanians to boycott Israeli products and support the Palestinians in their steadfastness and confrontation of the racist policies adopted by Israel and called for shutting down the Israeli embassy.

They also called on the Jordanian government to release the former soldier Ahmad Dagamseh (who is serving a life sentence for the March 13, 1997 killing of seven Israeli schoolgirls in the Baqoura area on the Jordanian-Israeli border), and reconsider its alliance with the United States' administration.

The Arabic article adds more accusations by the critics, saying that Israel plans to divide up the Temple Mount and build a new Temple there, and that Israel is not abiding by the peace agreement which, they say, allows Jordan to administer the holy places of Jerusalem. (It doesn't.)

The group also calls for Palestinians in Jordan to "return" to Israel. Since most of these are citizens of Jordan, their objective to ethnically cleanse Jordan of its Palestinian population is fairly transparent.

The Muslim Brotherhood held a rally on Saturday as well, which also called to repeal the peace treaty. They claimed over 10,000 attended the rally.

The Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity party similarly called for the peace treaty to be repealed. In their statement they stated that Zionists are the main enemy of Arabs, and anything that makes it appear otherwise is, naturally,  a Zionist plot.

The JordanZad newspaper editorializes how proud it is that ordinary Jordanians never normalized relations with Israel and that they have been adhering to a boycott of Israeli goods since 2010.

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10/26 Links: Jacobson- Will We Ever Be Forgiven for the Holocaust?, NYTs Hires a Conspiracy Nut

From Ian:

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Howard Jacobson: Will We Ever Be Forgiven for the Holocaust?

Jews are considered to have forgone their right to own even a part-share in defining anti-Semitism, or to judge the extent to which they are, or indeed ever were, its victims. By virtue of their failure to learn the lessons of the Holocaust and implement them in Israel — or indeed in any other parts of the world they continue to scheme, lobby and exploit — they have cancelled out all entitlement to the usual decencies, let alone the usual legalities, in matters of racial discrimination and incitement.
Thus has the shame of thinking anti-Semitic thoughts been lifted from the shoulders of liberals. Since there can be no such thing as anti-Semitism — Jews having stepped outside the circle of offense in which minorities can be considered to have been offended against — there is no charge of anti-Semitism to answer. The door is now wide open for those who truly believe they have nothing in their hearts but love to stroll guilelessly through to hate.

Sarah Honig: Attracting a crowd of people

This incremental process will continue no matter how much Abbas violates the trust nominally put in him (and exorbitantly paid for) and no matter how much the convicts’ phased releases inject fervor and reinvigorated motivation into terror cells in Abbas’s bailiwick.
Despite itself and against its own vital interests, Israel is forced to continue performing in a theater of the absurd. This too is further fallout from the Oslo fiasco. The most outstanding absurdity is that Israel – a democracy which craves peace and keeps forking out for it excessively – is the one required by the international community to keep proving its dedication to peace.
This isn’t a mere ethical farce but it exacts real cost in our long term ability to withstand pressure and safeguard the most elementary defense prerequisites for Israel’s citizenry. The need to prove our good intentions, while facing duplicitous and treacherous enemies, is corroding and debilitating.

Israel is not alone! By Matthew Gould, UK ambassador to Israel

As friends of Israel, we understand and respect Israel’s concerns.
We are neither naïve about Iran, nor blind to the risks. And we do not underestimate the difficulties ahead.
The shadow of a nuclear Iran has stood over the people of Israel for too long. Right now, we have an opportunity to test whether that shadow can be removed peacefully. We will not be naïve, we will not do a bad deal, we will neither rush nor allow Iran to play for time.

This New Columnist for The New York Times Believes a 'Massive Zionist Organization Rules America'

It is a choice that the Times will regret, however, because despite his brave stance against Mubarak and his broadly progressive pronouncements in English, Aswany is hardly a liberal. He is, in fact, among Egypt’s most prolific conspiracy theorists, and he often uses his very public platform to reinforce some of Egypt’s most popular bigotries—and he typically does this when speaking or tweeting in Arabic, which is why the Western press often misses this aspect of his public persona. Aswany said on Egyptian television, for instance, that a "massive Zionist organization rules America,” which is why “Obama is not able to go against Israel’s desires.”

Trio questioned over 'anti-Semitic' attack and assault on five people in Bondi

The two 17-year-olds have been charged with affray and breach of bail. They were refused bail and will appear at children's court tomorrow.
The 23-year-old man was charged with affray. He was granted bail and will appear at Waverley Local Court on Tuesday December 3.
Witnesses to the attack said the fight was unprovoked and the teens were yelling anti-Semitic slurs at the group.

Iran Announces 34 New Nuke Sites

At least 34 sites have already been designated for future nuclear power plants, according to Fars.
Additionally, Salehi announced just two days after nuclear negotiations ended that Russia would help Iran build new nuclear power plants across the country, according to Persian language press reports.
Salehi also suggested that Iran’s top nuclear negotiators lack the authority to agree to a deal with the West.

Diplomats: No Proof Iran Has Stopped 20 Percent Enrichment

An envoy in Vienna, where the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is based, said he believed Iran was continuing to refine uranium to the 20 percent threshold despite the Iranian lawmaker's comment.
On Wednesday, Hossein Naqvi Hosseini was quoted by an Iranian news agency as having claimed that Tehran does not need any more 20 percent-enriched uranium and that Iran was willing to relieve concerns over its stockpile of enriched uranium.

Nehushtan: Sanctions don’t put enough pressure on Iran

Advocating a carrot-and-stick approach, Nehushtan said the option of a military strike on Iran, which claims its nuclear program is peaceful but has refused to honor international resolutions aimed to prevent it attaining nuclear weapons capability, must remain on the table.
“Nobody’s happy about the idea of a military strike. It is carried out when the alternative is worse. There’s no knowing what’ll happen as a result of a military strike,” he said.

15 Reasons Why Iran is an Existential Threat to Western Civilization

1. Iran is the number 1 terror organization in the world today, far more dangerous than Al Qaeda.
2. Iran has largely taken over Syria and Lebanon, as well as 60 percent of Iraq.
3. Iran has intimidated and threatened key Sunni countries, such as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, by supporting Shiite uprisings.

U.S. charges man with seeking to buy missiles for Iran

U.S. prosecutors brought criminal charges on Friday against a man they said had tried to acquire surface-to-air missiles that he planned to smuggle into Iran in a threat to U.S. national security.
Reza Olangian, a dual citizen of the United States and Iran, was charged with four counts, including trying to acquire and transfer anti-aircraft missiles, violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and two conspiracy counts.

On the border with Syria, the land of war

Beyond the IDF’s Bustar outpost on the Golan Heights lies a land of war. The small base, situated on a mound right on the Syrian border, is flanked by tanks and dusty hills. It is home to a Nahal Infantry Brigade Reconnaissance Company, whose members place themselves in harm’s way every day to ensure that the raging battles of Syria do not spill over into Israel.
The post overlooks a Syrian valley, which is hemmed in by a lake to its east. This is a part of the Quneitra district, an area containing villages, fields, sporadic concentrations of trees, large Syrian flags flying atop tall masts, and heavily armed combatants from the Syrian army and rebel forces engaged in a life-and-death struggle.

Muslim Brotherhood Stages Anti-Israel Rallies, Says Paving “Way to Jerusalem”

The upcoming week of protests has been dubbed by organizers as “Suez resilience, our way to Jerusalem,” a rhetorical move designed to highlight Islamic claims to all of Jerusalem after a recent speech by interim President Adly Mansour mentioning “East Jerusalem.” The Associated Press reported that there was a large protest inside Cairo and scattered ones across the rest of the country. Meanwhile there are signs that the army-backed government is expanding its efforts to uproot the Brotherhood’s presence inside Egyptian institutions, now targeting Brotherhood members inside Egypt’s security forces.

Sisi to Egyptian Islamists: Surrender or die

A suicide bombing this week at Egyptian military intelligence headquarters in the city of Ismailia has been claimed by Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, a Salafi jihadi group with links to similar organizations in the Gaza Strip.
Eleven people, including six soldiers, were wounded.
The Ismailia attack is the latest episode in a growing Islamist insurgency against the de facto rule of Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the military in Egypt. It was of particular significance because the city lies just west of the Suez Canal and the Sinai Peninsula.

The executioner loves his job

Ever since he was a little nipper, Egypt’s chief executioner has loved death. He told a local television station how he loves carrying out the death sentence and how, as a boy, he would strangle and drown cats and dogs.
In an interview as bizarre as they come, Hajj Abd al-Nabi, a chief warrant officer in the Egyptian police, boasted to Video 7 last month that he has executed as many as 800 criminals of every stripe, calling the death penalty he carries out “the law of Allah.” The interview segment was translated into English this week by the Middle East Media Research Institute.

Israel to join Brazilian Jews’ aid program in Africa

The Israeli foreign ministry will team up with Brazil’s Jewish community to deliver medical aid to Guinea Bissau.
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Ze’ev Elkin “reacted positively” to a request that Israel join the project initiated by Claudio Lottenberg, the head of the CONIB umbrella group of Brazilian Jewish communities and president of the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in Sao Paolo, according to a statement published Thursday by CONIB.

Trained in Israel: Tanzania's First Pediatric Heart Surgeon

The South-Eastern African state of Tanzania now has its first pediatric heart surgeon, after Dr Godwin Godfrey returned home following five years of training in Israel.
The Israel based humanitarian project Save a Child’s Heart (SACH), organized Dr Godwin's training in a landmark achievement that also saw it train a complete surgical team from a foreign state for the first time.

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Shabbat open thread

It's that time again....

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10/25 Links Pt2: Still bickering over Balfour, Anti-Israel Textbooks in Boston, Sharpton's delusions

From Ian:

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Dore Gold: Still bickering over Balfour

Nabil Shaath wanted his British readers last year to believe that the process that began with the Balfour Declaration in 1917 and ending up with the British Mandate in 1922 created the Jewish claim to a homeland. For him the Jewish homeland was entirely invented by British imperial interests and had no historical roots. In short, it was an illegitimate claim.
But that is a distortion of what happened for what was involved at the time was a British recognition of a pre-existing right. Moreover that British recognition was fully accepted by the international community by 1922, through the League of Nations.

'Sovereignty' - Israeli Right's Answer to a 'Two State Solution'

While speakers at the "One State for One People" conference earlier this month emphasized the need for the immediate annexation and full application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria - despite the area's large Arab population - an earlier conference discussed an alternative "Two-State Solution", which involved the empowerment and recognition of Jordan's Palestinian Arab majority.
Within that context, the new Sovereignty journal "aspires... to take another step toward conceptual and practical implementation of the Zionist alternative to the failed two-state vision that the Left has been presenting for decades," according to a statement by the Women in Green.

JPost Editorial: The boycott folly

Legal experts are split on whether it is illegal for individuals to live in such territory of their own free will, particularly when they displace nobody. Furthermore, the West Bank did not come into Israel’s possession as an occupying power, because the land did not belong to any sovereign power. The Jordanian annexation of the area in 1949, which many Palestinians consented to – including those who rejected the 1947 UN Partition Resolution, which would have created a Palestinian state – remained unrecognized by the rest of the world. After its victory in 1967, Israel had as good a claim to the West Bank as anyone, if not a better one, considering that the 1922 League of Nations Mandate for Palestine recognized the Jews’ deep ties to Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem.

J Street, New Israel Fund slam ADL for Top 10 anti-Israel list

Two major left-wing groups issued a stinging denouncement of the Anti-Defamation League’s list of “Top 10 Anti-Israel Groups in America” Wednesday, arguing that the lineup “exacerbates unnecessary confrontation” in an increasingly polarized Jewish community and that the choice of organizations cited was “shortsighted and unproductive.”

Why is the Upper West Side JCC Supporting Israel’s Enemies?

Extreme behavior like this represents a minuscule percentage among Israelis – or Jews anywhere in the world – but for the JCC to provide them with a forum is really absurd.
Zionist leader Berl Katznelson once asked, “Is there another People on Earth so emotionally twisted that they consider everything their nation does despicable and hateful, while every murder, rape, robbery committed by their enemies fill their hearts with admiration and awe?” Could anyone imagine an Italian Cultural Center showing movies that mock and harm their people?
The tiny State of Israel has enough enemies and challenges. This Upper West Side resident says shame on the Jewish Community Center.

Mens rea at Ha’aretz

Were this the first attempt by Ha’aretz’s writers and editors to shoe horn Palestine into a story and some how politicise a totally apolitical event, some of us in “unhinged corners of the Internet” might buy this explanation

Reporters make mistakes. Editors fail to catch the mistakes of reporters, and can introduce new errors of their own.

However we don’t. We can remember when Ha’aretz came up with a false land grab story, retracted a story about a ban on Arabic at a hospital or moved Israel’s capital from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. Or any of the other 570 results CAMERA has for Ha’aretz. We remember damaging and malicious mistranslations of Hebrew and their lies about forced birth control on immigrants.

India 'Briefed Israel on Danger to Rajasthan Tourists'

Israel was briefed last month about a possible Indian Mujahideen attack against its citizens who visit the Rajasthan region of India, Indian home ministry and Israeli sources told the Hindustan Times Wednesday.
"The threats against Israelis are being seen as further evidence that a section of the Indian Mujahideen has adopted the pan-Islamicist agenda of al Qaeda," the newspaper reported.

Israeli Arab Woman Loses Nazareth Mayoral Bid in Landslide to Christian Incumbent

Israeli Arab politician, Haneen Zoabi, lost her bid to become Nazareth's first new mayor in 20 years. Zoabi, who ran against incumbent, Ramiz Jaraisi, who has been the city's mayor for almost two decades, only won 3,812 [10.4%] votes. Jararisi, a Christian, received 43.37 percent of the total.
Some of Zoabi's detractors said her Tuesday night loss was down to the fact that she is out touch with the people that she represented.
"PLO's Zoabi loses mayoral race in Nazareth because Israeli Arabs know she doesnt care about them," tweeted IsraelRadioGuy, a pro-Zionist blogger.
"Hanin Zoabi's crushing defeat in Nazareth to incumbent mayor proves Arab Israeli city not interested in her politics of hate and division," tweeted YaakovLappin, a journalist for The Jerusalem Post. (h/t Yoel)

BBC WS programme on women in military combat roles ignores one country

The synopsis of a BBC World Service radio programme titled “Women on the Frontline” which was broadcast on October 22nd 2013 informs audiences that its presenter Emma Barnett:

…examines which countries in the world do allow women to serve, and contrasts the experiences of these three women to present a picture of life for women on the military front line.”

Whilst the list of countries in which women serve in combat roles as provided by Barnett is extensive and numbers some fourteen states, the only country in which women are conscripted and in which 92% of positions are open to them is excluded from her list.

Sharpton Compares Himself to Holocaust Survivor Elie Wiesel

Only the deeply self-obsessed and delusional Sharpton would compare himself to Wiesel, and his race-baiting to Wiesel’s legacy of anti-genocidal activity -- especially given Sharpton’s own record of anti-Semitism.

Scottish teacher to face disciplinary hearing for praising Hitler

A teacher at a private school in Scotland will have a disciplinary hearing for reportedly making anti-Semitic and other inappropriate comments during class.
“Hitler was not all bad — he killed the Jews,” religious education teacher David McNally told high school students at the Kilwinning Academy in Ayrshire, according to The Herald Scotland. He also made inappropriate sexual comments to the students.

Boston Area Schools Called Out Over Anti-Israel Materials

The Boston-based nonprofit Americans for Peace and Tolerance (APT) took out the ads in the Boston Globe, Boston Herald,Newton Tab, Boston Metro, and Jewish Advocate. The ads cover research by concerned parents and students that has revealed the presence of anti-Israel texts in Newton schools including “The Arab World Studies Notebook,” which claims that Israeli soldiers murdered hundreds of Palestinian nurses in Israeli prisons; “A Muslim Primer,” which claims that astronaut Neil Armstrong converted to Islam, but that the anti-Muslim U.S. government warned him “to keep his new religion to himself or he could be fired” from his government job; “Flashpoints: Guide to World History,” which asserts that Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem, is the capital of Israel, and that Jerusalem is the capital of “Palestine”; and other materials.

An Open Letter to Jerry Seinfeld and Jon Stewart: Boycott Roger Waters

As a fan, it saddens me to have to contact you on such an occasion; however, it recently came to my attention that you will both be performing at the Stand Up For Heroes benefit in New York City next month with Roger Waters.

Turning toilet trash into toilet paper

In addition to benefiting from the savings on processing, the city also saved money on energy costs because it used the resulting Recyllose as a biofuel to power the treatment plant. In addition, the study showed, the city realized significant environmental benefits, including a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, a reduction in the use of chemicals to treat wastewater, and a drastic decline in noxious odors from the plant.
Besides Safed, ACT has installed systems in other cities in Israel, including Beit Shemesh, and in several other countries, including Croatia and Mexico.

Israel-Canadian Consortium Unveils System to Monitor Reservoirs for Terrorist Poisoning

Presented at the WATEC Water Technology and Environmental Control Exhibition and Conference, in Tel Aviv, the system was shown to continuous spectrum analyzers to detect any organic change in water, providing water quality data every two minutes. It uses algorithms to identify the nature of any contamination, chemical, fuel, industrial waste, or paint thinner, for example.

Druze to Command Golani Brigade

Economics Minister Naftali Bennett, Chairman of the Bayit Yehudi faction, expressed satisfaction Thursday with the planned appointment of Col. Rassan Alian to head the Golani Brigade. Alian will be the first Druze to command the brigade.

IDF Blog: 40 Years Since the Yom Kippur War #4: The Ceasefire

Surprised by a synchronised attack of two well-equipped and powerful armies, the IDF nevertheless succeeds in 18 days of fighting to take back the initiative. After crossing the Suez Canal, Israeli forces advance in directions of Egypt’s main cities. On the Golan front, the IDF turns back the Syrian, Iraqi and Jordanian advance. After two U.N. resolutions, a ceasefire finally holds. Here’s how the Yom Kippur War came to an end.

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Hamas' "political wing" calls for more terror attacks

From Hamas' Qassam Brigades site:

Member of Hamas's political bureau Saleh Aruri called on the armed wings of the Palestinian factions in the West Bank for more heroic operations that could inflict painful blows on the Israeli occupation and its lackeys, and torpedo their conspiracies.

Aruri made his remarks in a press release commenting on Israel's assassination of Mohamed Asi, a resistance fighter, on Tuesday morning.

The Hamas official highlighted that the resistance in all its forms are the only option to liberate the land and restore dignity and the usurped rights.

For his part, Abu Obeida, the spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas Al-Qassam Brigades, mourned the death of Mohamed Asi, who were killed yesterday in armed clashes with Israeli soldiers west of Ramallah.

Spokesman Abu Obeida said that there are men in the West Bank waiting for the moment of the popular explosion in the face of the Israeli occupation.

"The occupied West Bank is like embers under the ashes, where there are resilient resistance and living martyrs waiting for a moment of explosion in the face of the occupation," the spokesman said.

Hamas seems to be motivated to try to activate terror cells in the West Bank for a few reasons.

For one, it is afraid that the peace talks might pan out.

Secondly, Hamas is under constant pressure to keep Gazans happy while maintaining its terrorist credibility. For example, yesterday Hamas denied rumors that the Gaza power plant was going to shut down, and it just so happens that an Israeli supplier sold 400,000 liters of diesel for use in the power plant. But Hamas can't be seen as cooperating with Israel even implicitly so it needs to encourage terror in places where it won't have to pay the consequences.

Thirdly, Hamas wants the balance of power in the West Bank to swing back in its direction. "Successful" terror attacks have historically been hailed by the Palestinian Arabs across the political spectrum, with very rare exceptions.

Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad have claimed that Mohamed Asi, the Tel Aviv bus bomber, was part of their group and that they were responsible for the operation.

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10/25 Links Pt1: Iran's 'Down With USA' Competition, Saudi Arabia Belongs on the UNHRC

From Ian:

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Straightening the Dog's Tail

Given that Europe is bankrupt, both morally and financially, the United States alone bears the burden of supporting over 22% of the malfunctioning UN and its often-corrupt agencies. Instead, the U.S. should demand that the oil-rich Arab states give citizenship, with attendant rights and privileges, to their Palestinian residents, to enable the UN to focus on rehabilitating the millions of new Arab and Muslim refugees created by the catastrophic Arab Spring. Even as we witness the artificial Arab states, created in 1916 by the Sykes-Picot Agreement, disintegrate, the United States and the West seem to insist on creating a new artificial Arab state called "Palestine," which will soon be a hotbed of extremism, terrorism and bloodshed, exactly like the others.
The "Palestinian people," we recall, are not a group at all, but rather Arab immigrants, many of whom who settled in the late 19th-early 20th century in what was part of the Ottoman Empire, and who fled in 1947, when Israel was attacked, then after the war asked to return. The Arabs who did not flee,still live in Israel and, whatever one thinks of Israel, are at least freely able to enter all leading professions, including the parliament and the highest court.

David Ignatius: The U.S.-Saudi crackup reaches a dramatic tipping point

The Saudis’ pique, in turn, has reinforced the White House’s frustration that Riyadh is an ungrateful and sometimes petulant ally. When Secretary of State John Kerry was in the region a few weeks ago, he asked to visit Bandar. The Saudi prince is said to have responded that he was on his way out of the kingdom, but that Kerry could meet him at the airport. This response struck U.S. officials as high-handed.
Saudi Arabia obviously wants attention, but what’s surprising is the White House’s inability to convey the desired reassurances over the past two years. The problem was clear in the fall of 2011, when I was told by Saudi officials in Riyadh that they increasingly regarded the U.S. as unreliable and would look elsewhere for their security. Obama’s reaction to these reports was to be peeved that the Saudis didn’t recognize all that the U.S. was doing to help their security, behind the scenes. The president was right on the facts but wrong on the atmospherics.

Defense Min.: West Needs to Wake Up

Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon (Likud) said Thursday that the West needs to "wake up" from the idea that the Middle East's problems will be solved through democratization.
"The western idea of bringing what succeeded in Europe – democracy – to the Middle East, is really irrelevant," he said at a financial conference in Tel Aviv. "It stems from ignorance, from not being well acquainted with the Middle East, in large part from naïveté, confusing wishes for reality. Even if it comes from good intentions – 'We'll bring you a good idea' – it smacks of patronizing."

Arab Teens Indicted in Racist Attack on Jewish Family

Five Arab teens from Jerusalem, all aged 14-15, have been indicted for an anti-Semitic attack targeting a Jewish family’s home in the Old City.
The youths are accused of property damage motivated by racism, attempted assault motivated by racism, and rioting.

Police Tighten Restrictions on Jews at Temple Mount

Police have tightened restrictions on Jewish access to the Temple Mount in recent days, according to Jews who ascended to the Mount this week.
The Temple Movements' United Headquarters says police will not let more than ten Jews into the Mount at any given time and that families and homogeneous groups are split up in order to achieve this purpose.

Ashton Meets Abbas, Urges Reconciliation with Hamas

A statement from Ashton's office said she reaffirmed support for the PA’s state-building efforts and for the need for the factions to reconcile "as an important element for the unity of a future Palestinian state and for reaching a two-state solution."

Bodies of Sbarro bomber and other terrorists set to be released to PA

Israel is reportedly to release the bodies of numerous Palestinian terrorists, including those of suicide bombers, to their families early next month.
It was not immediately clear how many bodies were involved; Hebrew news reports Thursday varied wildly, from just a few to several dozen, and there was no official comment on the numbers and identities of those involved.

MK Urges PM: Abbas is an Enemy, Not a Peace Partner

Yogev’s letter came as Israeli leaders plan to release more terrorists, as part of an ongoing raft of "goodwill gestures" by the Israeli government to the Palestinian Authority. Abbas has strongly pushed for all terrorists in Israeli prisons to be freed.
Abbas’ concern for terrorists is a red flag, Yogev warned. “Is Abu Mazen [Abbas] a peace partner? Or perhaps an enemy in a time of war?” he asked.

New report says Iran can have nuclear bomb in a month

The report, by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, claims Iran has significantly shortened the time needed to “break out” to a nuclear bomb with the installation of new centrifuges in the Fordo and Natanz plants, and advanced IR-2 machines at Natanz.
According to ISIS, which has tracked Iran’s nuclear program for several years, Tehran could have enough uranium for a nuclear bomb in 1–1.6 months by converting all of its 20-percent enriched stockpile. Using only 3.5% enriched uranium, Iran could have four nuclear bombs in about two months, the group estimates.

Iranians compete for ‘Down With USA Great Award’ in nationwide essay contest

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and its affiliate organizations have set up an international festival under the title of “Down With USA Great Award” to coincide with other events marking the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. embassy.
Participants are to submit essays in several categories, including “Why Death to America?” “America and Human Rights,” “America and Oppression,” “The False Democracy in America,” “America in the Hands of Worldwide Zionism,” “America and Iran Fear-mongering,” and “America and Dictatorship,” an Islamic regime media outlet, Tasnim, announced Wednesday.

Security Insiders: “US Appears To Be Moving to a Containment Strategy” on Iran

Instead of halting enrichment, Iranian negotiators have reportedly offered to allow more intrusive inspections of its nuclear facilities.
Even that concession, however, may be beyond the willingness or ability of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to provide. The Iranian foreign ministry declared on Tuesday that approval of the so-called Additional Protocol that would codify such inspections was reserved for the Iranian parliament. Last Saturday, however, Iranian Parliament Member Mansour Haqiqatpour declared that the Iranian parliament would not consider the Additional Protocol unless the U.S. lifted sanctions.

US: No sanctions lifting at front end of Iran nuclear talks

The United States is not looking to ease sanctions on Iran "at the front end" of negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program, a senior White House official said on Thursday.
The Islamic republic would have to take "concrete steps" to address its program before Washington could provide sanctions relief, Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser to President Barack Obama, said at the Reuters Washington Summit.

Sanctions have Iran in biggest crisis since Iraq war, ex-Mossad head says

Dagan, who ran the Mossad from 2002-2010, said Thursday that unemployment in Iranian urban areas was at 30-35 percent and equally high — if more difficult to measure — among Ayatollah Khamenei’s base in the more rural areas of the country. “A connection, which didn’t used to exist, has been created between the nuclear project and the economic situation,” Dagan said.
Secondly, the “alliance of comfort” between the Persians and the Azeris in Iran, along with the Kurds and Baluchs, has begun showing ever greater signs of tension, contributing to what Dagan called a window of opportunity in which the Iranians were open to negotiating.

Iran gives Christians 80 lashes for communion wine as UN blasts human rights record

The four men were sentenced Oct. 6 after being arrested in a house church last December and charged with consuming alcohol in violation of the theocracy's strict laws, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide. They were among several Christians punished for their faith in a nation where converting from Islam to Christianity can bring the death penalty. According to a new October UN report by Ahmed Shaheed, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, such persecution is common, despite new President Hasan Rouhani's pledge to be a moderate.

Turkey Slams World's Failure in Dealing with Syria Crisis

Davutoglu said that Turkey, which has received more than 600,000 Syrian refugees, would keep its border with Syria open to people fleeing the violence but said the world needed to share the humanitarian burden.
“I have to express our deep disappointment and frustration because of the absence of a proper reaction by the international community regarding the humanitarian situation on the ground,” he told reporters in Kuwait during a bilateral visit, according to Reuters.

Analysis: Turkey’s Fruitless Quest for Armed Drones

Taraf claims the decision came as retaliation from Washington after it was reported that Ankara revealed information about Israeli spies who were operating in Iran, identifying them to Tehran. It may be true that the spy issue, leaked to the Washington Post last week, is now being used to explain the U.S. decision, but a closer reading of local media reports shows a long and fruitless Turkish search for armed UAVs indicating that their request was simply one that the U.S. never intended on granting.

Saudi Arabia belongs on the U.N. Human Rights Council

As for Mr. Neuer’s analogy, it has to be kept in mind that we’re not talking about a typical fire department. We’re talking about a fire department of the Fahrenheit 451 variety. We’re talking about firemen who start fires. We can get upset about what one U.S. diplomat described as its “pathological obsession with Israel.” Or we can accept the UNHRC for what it has become: a joke that hasn’t yet realized that it is a joke.
To fully appreciate the comic possibilities, Saudi Arabia absolutely must be on the UNHRC, and so must every other tinhorn dictatorship, failed state and repressive monarchy on the planet. Every regime that persecutes gays, crushes the press, promulgates medieval anti-Semitic libels, views women as chattels, lops off the hands of thieves, stones adulterers–well, you get the idea.

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Egypt hires US lobbying firm; Al Jazeera sees Zionist fingerprints

Last week, In The Capital reported:

It's no secret that foreign governments are some of the biggest clients on K Street. A government, whether friendly or dictatorial has a lot to gain by having a lobbying presence on Capitol Hill. Even Syrian President Bashar Assad used D.C. based firm BLJ Worldwide to help his public image in Washington. So then it should come as no surprise that over the weekend the nation of Egypt hired one of Washington's most well known strategic communications firms to represent it to members of Congress.

On Friday the Glover Park Group filed lobbying registration forms to the Department of Justice, stating that they will "provide public diplomacy, strategic communications counsel and government relations services" for Egypt, as well as acting as a communications liaison between Egypt and members of Congress and the White House.

This is Egypt's first new lobbying contract in Washington since its existing contracts were all terminated in early 2012. In the years surrounding the 2011 Arab Spring, Egypt maintained a multifaceted lobbying team here in Washington. They had a contract with Bob Livingston, founder of the Livingston Group, which succeed in stalling "a Senate bill that called on Egypt to curtail human rights abuses." Livingstone also lobbys for Turkey, and has been credited with successfully thwarting Congressional plans to declare what happened in Armenia in 1905 a genocide.

Egypt also has previously help contracts with Toby Moffet of the Moffet Group and Tony Podesta of the Podesta Group. Together, these two joined up with Bob Livingston to form the PLM Group, which counted Egypt as its top client for nearly four years.

Since ending their contracts D.C. lobbying firms, Egypt has had a less than stellar relationship with the United States government. Just this past week the State department announced that they were suspending the planned delivery of military equipment to Egypt, as well as cutting $260 million in aid.

The Glover Park Group, one of the largest strategic communications firms in Washington, has experience representing foreign governments on Capitol Hill. They have held contracts with Turkey, Taiwan, and Dubai in the past, and will likely have a significant impact in improving Egypt's standing with the United States.

The contract goes for $250,000 a month, which is considered very high.

The Glover Park group has also represented Colombia and South Korea.

All of this makes sense. However, Israel haters (and shills for the Muslim Brotherhood) need to find a Zionist angle, and they always can.

The bizarre Middle East Monitor site notes:

The Glover Park Group is no stranger to Israel. The group's managing director, Arik Ben-Zvi, is an Israeli citizen who served in the Israeli army and consulted on Israel's elections. In addition, one senior executive previously served as the National Deputy Political Director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, also known as AIPAC, the most powerful arm of the Israel Lobby in the US, while another senior executive served in its legislative department.

Al Jazeera picks up the story, without really adding anything (but not giving credit to MEM.)

To put in a little context, Glover Park lists 45 people in its leadership team. The haters found one of them was born in Israel and another used to work for AIPAC. Even though GPG has hired Muslim-majority countries in the past, the conspiracy theorists among the Arabs pretend that Israel is somehow behind this contract in order to embarrass Egypt.

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Syrian war keeps expanding into Lebanon

From Ya Libnan:

Clashes between gunmen of rival Lebanese sects in the northern city of Tripoli have killed seven people since clashes flared earlier this week, security officials said Thursday.

The latest round of fighting that began four days ago in Lebanon’s second largest city has wounded another 50 people, officials said. That comes as disputes from neighboring Syria’s civil war frequently inflame sectarian grievances in Tripoli.

The clashes pit gunmen from two impoverished Tripoli neighborhoods against each other, areas that are home to opponents and supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The Bab Tabbaneh district is largely Sunni Muslim, like Syria’s rebels. The other neighborhood, Jabal Mohsen, mostly has residents of Assad’s Alawite sect, a Shiite Islam offshoot.

The latest bout of fighting began building after Oct. 14, when a Lebanese military prosecutor pressed charges against earlier this month against seven men, at least one whom from Jabal Mohsen, for their involvement in twin bomb blasts near two Sunni mosques in Tripoli on Aug. 23 that killed 47 people.

Judging from the ICRC paper about the laws of occupation, I think a serious argument can be made that Lebanon is occupied, today, by Syria/Iran under international law.

The definition of occupation in that paper allowed occupation by proxy, if the group that runs the occupied territory is a puppet for the occupier. Since Syria did occupy Lebanon from 1976 to 2005, and now Hezbollah (which is an arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards) effectively controls large parts of Lebanon as well as much of the government, that means that Lebanon is still occupied today, notwithstanding a few years when it was ostensibly free.

Syria of course does what Iran wants it to.

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