Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Thursday, October 31, 2013

"Koran says Zionist regime will perish in 2022"

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency [Iran]) - Several Iranian NGOs staged a panel discussion on Tuesday to discuss the political and social status of the Zionist regime.

Titled 'End of Israel,' the conference also gave a touch to the faltering status of Israel amid the regional developments.

Iran-based Office in Support of Palestine and the House of Young Top Citizens will staged the panel discussion under the auspices of Tehran Municipality.

During the conference, director of the pro-Palestinian research center Neda, Ahmad Soroush-nejad believed that the Zionist-dwelled areas in the occupied Palestine are so small in area that they are within the range of the Palestinian resistance rockets, adding that the geographically small area are never safe.

So it is time for Israel to expand, say, from the Nile to the Euphrates. Thanks for the advice, Ahmad!

Next, a researcher in the Islamic Center I South Africa, Hojjat-ol-Islam Abdollah Husseini, expert maintained that the Holy Koran suggests that the regime would perish in 2022.

But how does the Koran explain that Muslims would be humiliated by the poor, weak, dhimmi Jews for 74 years between 1948 and 2022? Obviously it is Allah's will.

The participants also heard from an expert in Zionism affairs, Ali Akbar Raefipour and representative of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Naser Abu Sharif.

Hey, don't make fun - they're experts!

Has the State Department ever looked at a map of Jerusalem?

From YNet:

US State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki responded Wednesday to Israel's announcement of building 1,500 units in east Jerusalem saying "We do not consider continued settlement activity or east Jerusalem construction to be steps that create a positive environment for the negotiations."

At no time in the course of pursuing negotiations toward a two-state solution have we condoned settlement activity or east Jerusalem construction," she added.

Two things need to be made clear.

One is that the timing of the announcement of 1500 more housing units in Ramat Shlomo was stupid. It made it look as if Israel building in its own capital is a quid pro quo for releasing murderers. The appearance of linkage is completely unacceptable.

Secondly, Ramat Shlomo is not even close to the municipal border of Jerusalem. It is an integral part of the city, even if it is slightly over the Green Line. In no possible universe is that neighborhood or area up for negotiation.

The idea that Jerusalem must become frozen in time retroactive to 1967 is, to put it bluntly, stupid.

There are no Arab neighborhoods between Ramat Shlomo and the center of Jerusalem. There is empty land around Ramat Shlomo to expand (it is a small, dense neighborhood.)

Building there does not affect any conceivable "peace" plan. (And it is not in "east Jerusalem," but north.)

The question is, has the State Department ever condemned Jerusalem investing in Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem? Or are the condemnations only for Jews?

I think we know the answer.

Pro-Brotherhood riots at Al Azhar, other Egyptian universities

This is interesting:

Egyptian security forces stormed al-Azhar University campus on Wednesday to quell student protests against the military-backed government.

It was the first time police forces have moved onto a campus since a 2010 court ruling.

The interior ministry ordered the police intervention following a request by the administration of the prestigious university, Al Arabiya correspondent reported.

Students supporting ousted President Mohammad Mursi have been holding regular protests on campus, sometimes prompting the suspension of classes.

During Wednesday’s protests students smashed windows, hurled chairs and covered walls of an administrative building with graffiti insulting the military backed interim government and Minister of Defense Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sissi.

“Sissi is a dog. Down, down with the lord of the army,” one protester scribbled, according to Reuters. One police officer yelled: “Arrest anyone you see. Bring me those kids. If you see anyone just arrest them right away.”

Demonstrations at al-Azhar are a sensitive matter as the institution has historically taken the government side.

Islamists appear to have adopted a policy of choosing sensitive sites such as al-Azhar University to display their views instead of taking to the streets in big numbers, Reuters reported.

Video of the riots:

Al Azhar has been considered the center of "moderate Islam" for a while.

However, many Egyptians are claiming that most of those arrested were not in fact students, but outside Muslim Brotherhood agitators. In fact, one politician compared the Brotherhood infiltrating Al Azhar to Jews "storming the Al Aqsa Mosque." Nothing about Talmudic rituals, though.

Looks like the students disagree.

The rioting is spreading to other universities, like Cairo University, Alexandria U and Mansoura U.

10/30 Links Pt2: France Mainstreams Anti-Semitism, Dawkins Perplexed by Number of Jewish Nobels.

From Ian:

France: Anti-Semitism Now Mainstream

A few weeks ago, when French Jewish actor Elie Semoun was a prime-time guest on one of the main French television channels, Canal Plus, the words of Sebastian Thoen, a standup comedian who introduced him may have been meant to be to be laudatory, but took quite a different turn: "You never plunged into communitarianism [Jewish activism] ... You could have posted yourself in the street selling jeans and diamonds from the back of a minivan, saying 'Israel is always right, f*** Palestine, wallala.' You show that it is possible to be of the Jewish faith without being completely disgusting."
Semoun was obviously ill-at-ease, but did not react. A couple hours after the show, the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) issued a statement denouncing a "dangerous trivialization of anti-Semitism." The President of the TV channel responded by saying that the Jewish community had "no sense of humor." The incident occurred, however, in a context where the French Jewish community has no reason to have a sense of humor.

Anti-Semitism in Australia?

One of the reasons there has been such a spike in anti-Semitism across Europe is because the political and social leadership failed to act when the warning signs first appeared.
Today, they are playing catch up, and some may say, are even too late.
While anti-Semitism will always exist no matter where, the Australian response of zero tolerance, education and unequivocal political and social condemnation ought to be an example to all those fighting this oldest and most enduring forms of hatred.

Mom of Australia attack suspect works at Jewish nursing home

The mother of one of the suspects arrested in connection with this weekend’s beating of several Jews in Sydney, Australia on Tuesday said that her son could not be an anti- Semite as she works for a Jewish nursing home.
According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, the mother of the accused stated that her son did not hate Jews, citing her employment as proof.
“When he’s at home he’s not racist, but when they get together they like to pick on people – it only takes drinking,” she said of her son and his friends.
The woman’s 17-year-old son as well as the other suspect arrested, who is also a minor, were out on bail for assaulting a police officer at the time of Saturday’s attack, the Daily Telegraph added.

Incident at the University of New South Wales

Two students campaigning for the ‘Voice’ ticket danced around Mr Campbell while making Nazi salutes and singing ‘Springtime for Hitler’. Both campaigners, one of whom was standing for election, have since issued unequivocal public apologies. The elected councillor has also offered his resignation to the student council. Mr Campbell has accepted the apologies of both campaigners and accepts that they did not intend to offend him or the Jewish community, but that their conduct was nonetheless antisemitic.

Academic Freedom Against Itself: Boycotting Israeli Universities

A final question. What animates the boycotters? They would, I am sure, answer, we are animated by a commitment to the securing of social/political justice, a commitment that overrides lesser commitments we might have as professionals. I’ll grant that as a part of their motivation, but another, perhaps larger, part is the opportunity to shed the label “ivory-tower intellectual” — a label that announces their real-world ineffectuality — and march under a more flattering banner, the banner of “freedom fighter.” But the idea that an academic becomes some kind of hero by the cost-free act of denying other academics the right to play in the communal sandbox (yes, this is third-grade stuff) is as pathetic as it is laughable. Heroism doesn’t come that cheaply. Better, I think, to wear the “ivory-tower intellectual” label proudly. At least, it’s honest.

EU weighs Israeli proposals to resolve settlement guidelines dispute

“Yesterday, the EU and Israel held serious and pragmatic discussions on mutually acceptable ways to ensure full Israeli participation in EU programs, notably Horizon 2020,” a diplomatic source said. “The EU side returned to Brussels with detailed suggestions made by the Israeli side: these will be considered further and will be subject to further discussion as soon as possible.”

University of Oslo instructed that their G4S ban is illegal

Several months back, the University of Oslo banned the Norwegian security services company G4S, on the very unlikely ground that its sister company in Israel is said to contribute to Human rights breaches. Not only did the University of Oslo rescind their contract with G4S, but denied them participation in the public tender for new contracts. This, the Norwegian G4S found ludicrous and intolerable and took the University to court.

Israel rejects Lebanon EEZ compromise

The disputed area covers 850 square kilometers. The triangular region has its apex near Rosh Hanikra and its base along the borders with Israel and Cyprus's EEZs. The agreement signed between Israel and Cyprus in December 2010 supports Israel's interpretation. A similar agreement signed between Cyprus and Lebanon was not ratified by the Lebanese parliament.
"Globes" recently revealed that Lebanon has already published oil exploration tenders for its waters in which the southern license border markings for Block 9 are in line with the Lebanese version of where the border should be.

Antiquities thieves nabbed at Second Temple-era site

According to a statement published by the Israel Antiquities Authority, the three Palestinian men infiltrated into Israel through an as-yet-uncompleted section of the security fence last weekend. Two of the suspects are from the nearby village of Nahalin and the other is from Bethlehem. They are suspected of hunting for coins or other precious metals. Officers found food, camping gear, digging tools and metal detectors on their persons.

NY deliveryman wins $900,000 after 16 years of anti-Semitic abuse

Much of Wiercinski’s father’s family died at the hands of the Nazis, he told the newspaper. He said he had to explain what Zyklon B was to the jury, because they were “very young.”
“When I explain how it was used in the gas chambers, they were very serious. Everybody [in the courtroom] was silent,” he told the Post.

Hi-tech flowerpot saves plants from owners’ mistakes

There are no statistics about how many houseplants die annually because they weren’t watered, or perhaps more commonly, watered incorrectly, with owners giving them too much or too little water at the wrong time. For plant owners who are watering-challenged, students at Tel Aviv’s Shenkar College of Engineering and Design have designed a “smart planter,” a flowerpot that knows how much water to dispense and when to dispense it.

GreenSpense to represent Israel at 2013 International Cleantech Open Ideas Competition

After winning the national Open Cleantech Competition in Israel, GreenSpense – which has developed an eco-friendly solution to the challenges and dangers presented by aerosol containers — will represent Israel at the upcoming 2013 International Cleantech Open Ideas Competition in Silicon Valley.
The California event is one of the most prestigious international competitions in the cleantech field.

Dutch museums identify 139 pieces looted by the Nazis

Dutch museums have identified 139 pieces of art, including dozens of paintings — one by Matisse and many by Dutch painters of varying renown such as Impressionist Isaac Israels — as likely having been taken forcibly from Jewish owners.

Richard Dawkins Perplexed by High Number of Jewish Nobel Prize Winners

Addressing the controversy surrounding a Tweet he wrote during the conferment of Nobel prizes earlier this month, Dawkins offered up something of a mea culpa, stating: “That was unfortunate. I should have compared religion with religion and compared Islam not with Trinity College but with Jews, because the number of Jews who have won Nobel Prizes is phenomenally high.”
Continuing, he said: “Race does not come into it. It is pure religion and culture. Something about the cultural tradition of Jews is way, way more sympathetic to science and learning and intellectual pursuits than Islam. That would have been a fair comparison. Ironically, I originally wrote the tweet with Jews and thought, That might give offense. And so I thought I better change it.”

Asurion acquires Soluto for $100m

Asurion, a leader in technology protection services, has paid upwards of $100 million to acquire Soluto, the Tel Aviv-based online software problem solver.
According to Hebrew media reports, the American corporation first sent an email to Soluto’s CEO Tomer Dvir about buying out the award-winning Israeli company but the young computer whiz thought it was a joke.

Peres is ‘sababa,’ Paula Abdul gushes

Abdul met with Peres on Tuesday and let him know that “everyone told me you’re so sababa, and it’s true,” using the Hebrew slang word for “cool.”
Visiting Israel for the first time after a decades-long career as a dancer, singer, choreographer and, most recently, TV talent show judge, Abdul said she was “overwhelmed with gratitude” to be in Israel, and has “wanted to come for years.”

Vatican tweets a Lou Reed tribute

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the Vatican’s culture minister, on Monday tweeted out a verse from Reed’s song “Perfect Day.” On his Twitter account @CardRavasi he wrote: “Oh, it’s such a perfect day/ I’m glad I spend it with you/ Oh, such a perfect day/ You just keep me hanging on (Lou Reed).”

Lou Reed is why I’m a rabbi

This musical journey of Lou Reed—one that in 1965 accompanied Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable—is what inspired me along my path to the rabbinate. Through his music as life, Lou Reed reminded me of that annual obligation of crossing all boundaries with the utter seriousness of carnivale that Jews still call Purim—that “Halloween Parade”. That same album New York from 1989 is where Lou confronts the Nazi fugitives like Kurt Waldheim and anti-Semitic candidates like Jesse Jackson, so that with “Good Evening Mr. Waldheim” Lou dares to remove the mask! Reed saw the absurdity of life surrounding him and despite it all—following Fackenheim’s call for the 614th commandment not to grant Hitler a posthumous victory—he embraced life! May the memory of rock n’ roll animal, Louis Rabinowitz—Lou Reed, be a blessing, and in the final words of the Warsaw Ghetto rebbe in 1943: Es zol zich zingen a shira —“So shall the song sing itself.”

HuffPo features Pallywood TWICE in photo essay on human challenges

The Huffington Post has a photo essay, "29 Photos That Put All Of Our Struggles In Perspective."

Two of those photos are pure Pallywood.

#8 says "The world we've come to love can often seem to collapse around us." and it shows this photo:

A Palestinian family's home in East Jerusalem was demolished in 2013 by the state municipality for not having proper safety permits. The family claimed they were still waiting for the permits to arrive.

However, I showed that the child in this photo, along with others, was playacting his anger for the cameras, as this 11 minute video proves:

Then, HuffPo places at #11, the girl known as Shirley Temper ("Wanting nothing else but to fight back.")

Here's the video, to music, showing all of Shirley's greatest hits:

Fact-checking is clearly not a major focus for HuffPo.

Egypt arrests student for atheism

From Al Ahram:

An Ismailiya misdemeanour court has ordered the detention of a Suez Canal University student for 15 days, pending investigations on accusations that he insulted religion, the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) said.

Sherif Gaber was arrested on Sunday after his university administration filed a report against him saying he formed a Facebook group for atheists.

Article 98 of Egypt's penal code says anyone convicted of offending religion in any form can face up to six years in prison.

That's funny. I never heard of that law being enforced against any insults to Judaism, Christianity or any religion besides Islam.

10/30 Links Pt1: The US Would Never Free Terrorists, Assad's Starvation Campaign

From Ian:

Is a cold war reprise coming in the Middle East?

The withdrawal of US aid from Egypt was a shock; the whole Middle East (the rational part, that is), knew full well the implications of a Muslim Brotherhood president in such an influential nation, yet the mighty US punished Egypt’s military for removing him and attempting to restore some semblance of order to the country.
In Syria, President Assad unleashes one of the worst weapons created by man. The world tweets for a couple of weeks before effectively letting him off the hook with a (Russian-inspired) solution that probably allowed the Syrians to hide as many of their chemical shells as they wanted to. Russia 1 – 0 USA .
New Iranian president Rouhani smiles pleasantly at the world and opens talks with the Americans. This is such a shock that the world immediately thinks about slackening sanctions; maybe even before all the centrifuges spin down. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan… and Israel – all look on aghast at the apparent naiveté of the West.

Toward Peace and Prosperity in Middle East

Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, Foreign Minister of Egypt for seven years, stated in a televised interview in response to President Obama's idealism, that democracy is almost impossible in the Middle East because of its culture and because of democracy's conflict with sharia laws. Unlike the American model of democracy that is based on the separation of church and state, in Egypt, the constitution clearly affirms that Islam is the official religion of the state and Sharia law is main source of legislation. Many intellectuals in the region apparently agree with Mr. Aboul-Gheit's assessment.
In addition, the Middle East, they say, particularly Egypt, is missing the essential pillars of a democratic society. Political and religious tolerance, the rule of law, accountability and transparency, freedom of expression, civil society, an effective education system, and limited government simply do not exist in the majority of the nations in this region.

'US would Never Free Terrorists'

Prof. Avi Diskin, an expert on political science at Hebrew University and the Shaarei Mishpat College, says Israel is among the only countries in the world that frees terrorists, if not the only one.
"We are truly unique," he told Arutz Sheva. The United States never did anything like that. It's true that it is truly very very important for us to be in sync with the Americans. It is true that we are extremely dependent on them, and that in order to placate them we free terrorists, but this is a process they would never undertake in their own country.”

Arab MK: Israel Must Submit to Arab Demands or Disappear

On Wednesday MK Ibrahim Sarsour of the Arab Ra'am-Ta'al party accused the Israeli government of endangering Middle East stability in failing to make peace with the Palestinians, declaring that Israel must either submit to Arab demands or disappear.
He further claimed Israel was the "sole cause" preventing advances in the peace talks because it continues to refuse to withdraw to the 1949 ceasefire lines, divide Jerusalem and let Arabs who fled in 1948 return with their descendants.

PA Takes Issue with Israel's Demand for Security

According to the report, senior Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official Yasser Abed Rabbo said that Israel had adopted hardline positions and negotiations had so far produced "no tangible progress."
The so-called “hardline positions”, according to Abed Rabbo, are Israel’s demands that any agreement with the PA will ensure the continued security of Israeli citizens.

"The 1948 lands (i.e., Israel) are occupied" - Fatah official on behalf of Abbas

Israel to UNHRC: Release of Palestinian terrorists shows we're serious about peace

Israel’s willingness to release Palestinian prisoners who killed its citizens shows that it is serious about peace, Ambassador Eviatar Manor told the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday, as his country made its first appearance before that Geneva based body since it cut off ties a year-and-a-half ago.
“All of them have blood on their hands; all of them have murdered Israelis. Their release, I believe, illustrates Israel’s determination to reach an agreement with our Palestinians neighbors that will, once and for all, end the conflict,” said Manor. He is Israel’s representative to the UN in Geneva.

Cardassians versus Israel at U.N.

Unconscionably, Israel was pressured diplomatically to participate especially by the United States and Germany. In the case of the United States it is disappointing that President Obama did not stand up for Israel. In the case of Germany there’s another reason this is particularly galling.
NGO-Monitor lately has documented the degree to which Germany – both the government and foundations – fund anti-Israel NGO’s. Part of the UPR process involves the testimony of stakeholders, in this case, NGO’s. Among the German funded NGO’s are Adalah and Miftah, both of whom are listed as stakeholders.
In short, Germany’s saying, “Go stand for trial; we’ve paid for the witnesses against you. But don’t worry.”
By comparison, Cardassian justice almost seems fair.

UN's Falk Seeks Int'l Court Decision on Israeli 'Occupation'

Richard Falk, the United Nations’ human rights expert who has a history of anti-Israel statements, is at it again.
On Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, Falk said that if renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) fail, the UN General Assembly should turn to the International Court of Justice and seek an opinion on “the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of land claimed by the Palestinians."

BBC promotion of the myth of a non-violent first Intifada

Beyond the blatantly political use of the phrase “Israel occupation army” which is obviously inappropriate for an organization which professes to adhere to standards of impartiality, Kafala clearly intentionally misleads audiences by inaccurately stating – very insistently, one notes – that those involved in perpetrating the violence of the first Intifada were “at no stage armed with guns”.
Adopting the Palestinian narrative of “resistance”, Kafala goes on to state:
“Much of the Palestinian resistance was non-violent. It included demonstrations, strikes, boycotting Israeli goods and the civil administration in the occupied territories, and the creation of independent schools and alternative social and political institutions.”

Al-Jazeera's not-so-secret agenda

The absurdity in all this is that the emir of Qatar, who owns the supposedly democracy-loving al-Jazeera, sentenced the Qatari poet Mohammed al-Ajami to life in prison, which has since been transmuted by pardon to 20 years.
He was found guilty of insulting the emir and calling for his ouster through his poems. Meanwhile, Qatar's emir calls for the release from Egyptian prison of al-Jazeera reporters who incited against Sisi.

Report: Terrorists to Set New Record in 2013

The report cited the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), which reported that terrorism hit a record high in 2012, and that so far attacks have been even more frequent in 2013.
There were over 8,500 terrorist attacks worldwide in 2012 and nearly 15,500 people were killed by terrorism, the group reported. The data showed a major increase compared to 2011, with attacks up by 69% and fatalities up by 89%.
The previous high for attacks was set in 2011, while the previous year in which the most people were murdered by terrorists worldwide was 2007.

Syria's Assad unleashes 'Starvation Until Submission Campaign'

At an army checkpoint that separates government-held central Damascus from eastern suburban towns earlier this month, a thin, teenage boy on a bicycle circled a soldier and begged to be allowed to take a bag of pita bread, a staple food, into the eastern suburbs. The soldier refused but the boy kept begging for "just one loaf".
The soldier finally shouted: "I'm telling you, not a single morsel is allowed in there. I don't make the rules. There are those bigger than me and you who make the rules and they're watching us right now. So go back home." The soldier, visibly upset, exhaled quietly and deeply when the boy slipped out of sight.

The Syrian War is Not What Romantics Want it to Be

The opposition also has to consider the relative strength of Bashar Assad. Assad started with a base of support that cannot switch sides; more than one-third of the Syrian population is Kurdish, Christian, or members of other minority groups that rely on the secular, nationalist Assad government to protect them. The FSA’s hopes that the U.S. would enter the battle have been dashed, and any hope that Israel would do so was never realistic. Today, Assad is a partner to the U.S.-Russian agreement on OPCW and the removal of the chemical weapons arsenal; it was a small price for Assad to pay to ensure that the U.S. wouldn’t attack militarily. Russia again supplies the government with arms openly. And Israel’s “red lines,” while effectively maintained, have not helped the rebels at all.
The FSA is literally between the rubble and mass graves, and the choices are stark: to continue fighting both Assad and the jihadist militias while watching its fighters defect and its people suffer ever more death and destruction, or to admit defeat by Assad and negotiate a new arrangement to try to oust the jihadists. It will be an enormous victory for Iran, Russia, and Assad, and a corresponding loss for the Saudis (and other Sunni interests) and, of course, the Syrian people. But it cannot be unthinkable.

Groan: Prince Charles Blames Civil War In Syria On Global Warming…

The Prince of Wales used his keynote speech at the 9th World Islamic Economic Forum in London this evening to warn of the political and economic dangers of climate change, and used Syria as a “terrifyingly graphic” example of the adverse effects of climate change on vulnerable populations.

Syria: 'Over 60,000 Iranians fighting alongside Assad forces'

"In Siria, there are over 60,000 fighters from Iran," said Ahmad Jarba.
For this reason Iran should not attend Syrian peace talks dubbed Geneva II scheduled to take place next month, Jarba said.
"Iran cannot take part in 'Geneva II' while it is killing the Syrian population," he told Arab and western foreign ministers gathered in London to meet Syrian opposition officials.

Dennis Ross: How to negotiate with Iran

Finally, do not waste time. Iran will likely attain an undetectable nuclear capability by mid-2014, and perhaps even earlier, leaving scant time to both negotiate and verifiably implement a deal. It appears that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif may have offered a timeline at Geneva for wrapping up negotiations. But given Iranian nuclear progress over the last 18 months and earlier unexplained activities, negotiators ought not accept a schedule that stretches beyond the point when it becomes impossible to prevent a nuclear Iran by other means. Implementing and making known a strict deadline for talks can dissuade Iran from using diplomacy as a cover while sprinting for the bomb, and reassure Israel so it does not feel compelled to act alone.

Experts: Iran May Be Readying Ruse To Activate “Invulnerable” Plutonium Reactor

A heavy-water plutonium reactor that Iran has committed to bringing online would become “invulnerable to military attack” once Iranian scientists activated it, according to analysis conveyed today by TIME. The explanation is straightforward:

Because it is not yet up and running, the Arak heavy-water reactor has remained in the background of the nuclear controversy. But it looms larger every day. The reason: once Arak goes online, the option of destroying Iran’s nuclear program with air strikes becomes moot. The reactor is essentially invulnerable to military attack, because bombing one risks a catastrophic release of radioactivity. In the words of Israel’s last chief of military intelligence, Amos Yadlin, who piloted one of the F-16A’s that cratered Iraq’s Osirak heavy-water reactor in 1981 before it was due to become operational: “Whoever considers attacking an active reactor is willing to invite another Chernobyl, and no one wants to do that.”

Iran shuts down newspaper, cites anti-Islamic article

State TV reported Monday that Iran's media supervisory body banned the daily Bahar, citing a law authorizing media closures over articles deemed to violate Islamic values or insult Islam.
Bahar published an op-ed article on Wednesday that expressed doubts the Prophet Muhammad had appointed a successor — a statement that contradicts the beliefs of Shiite Muslims.

Iranian envoy prompts removal of Finnish university report highly critical of Tehran

Iran’s ambassador to Finland, Seyed Rasoul Mousavi, intervened at the Finnish National Defense University to compel the removal of a research paper from the university’s website, because the document critically examined Iran’s nuclear program and its treatment of Israel, women and minorities.
The research paper was removed on Saturday.
The Iran expert and researcher Alan Salehzadeh wrote in his 42- page study, entitled “Iran’s Domestic and Foreign Policies,” that “ Iran does not approve of the existence of Israel and wishes to see it destroyed.”

Palestinian Arab propaganda art - at the Israel Museum

Al Quds has an article today about how the Israel Museum is erasing Palestinian (Arab) history in its exhibitions, by either "stealing" archaeological artifacts from Canaanite times or by not mentioning the history of Arabs in the region.

I don't know how accurate the article is, but I looked at the Israel Museum website and found this:

Mona Hatoum

Current Disturbance, 1996

Mona Hatoum, Palestinian, born Beirut 1952, lives in London
Current Disturbance, 1996
Installation: Wood, wire mesh, lightbulbs, computerized dimmer switch, amplifier, four speakers
280 x 550 x 504 cm
Gift of Wendy Silverman, Thomas Schulhof, and Michael Schulhof, in honor of their parents Hannelore and Rudolph Schulhof, New York, to American Friends of the Israel Museum
B98.0017

Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum creates deeply personal and political works relating to the body, the artistic language of Minimalism, and the condition of exile. In Current Disturbance, she used varying electrical current in lightbulbs to generate effects of sight and sound. The bulbs fade on and off randomly and at various levels of intensity. Sometimes the current makes a crackling sound, and at other times a humming. It is like a malfunctioning nerve center in which some of the synapses fail to connect.

In formal terms, the rather pure geometric grid is minimalist; in associative terms, it recalls a prison cell, a camp, territory that is out of bounds. There is no entrance or exit, so viewers can only walk around this closed-off no-man’s-land, an empty inner space that nevertheless implies a human presence or absence. The flickering lights, like hundreds of tiny lighthouses, transmit a message of warning but perhaps also of hope of rescue.

The installation has traveled to museums throughout the world but it is apparently owned by the Israel Museum.

I'm not saying that this isn't art - it looks like a powerful piece, even if it is overtly political and anti-Israel. I would question whether it belongs in this museum at all.

The point is that even the Israel Museum is hosting anti-Israel Palestinian Arab art, so the charge that it erases the PalArab viewpoint is clearly baseless.

Yemen's Sheikh Abd Al-Azim Al-Huthi has declared that the jihad against the "Houthi infidels", the Shiite sect in Yemen that has been waging a civil war against the government over the past decade, "is better than the jihad against the Jews." because these Shiite rebels "are enemies of Allah and His Messenger"

"It does not make sense to fight the Jews as long as the Houthi group exists," said Sheikh Huthi.

Don't worry - the Houthis won't become Judeophiles any time soon. Their logo says "God is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Damn the Jews, Power to Islam."

(There are rumors that Tehran instructed the Houthis to get rid of the "Death to America" part of their slogan! The rest of it is OK, though.)

It's so comforting to know that my people are now second in line for slaughter by Yemeni Sunnis. This makes them moderate!

Perhaps the well-known Islamic slogan should be changed to "First the other Friday people, then the Saturday people, and only then the Sunday people."

Moderate peace-loving Abbas happily poses with murderers of Jews

The purported leader of a state that virtually the entire world agrees must exist greets people who have murdered Jews.

That's not news anymore.

What is amazing is that no western leader finds these images to be disgusting.

No academic notes the hypocrisy of a "peace partner" welcoming, in person, murderers and terrorists.

No mainstream journalist or editorialist says the obvious - that a people who lionize murderers are clearly not deserving of any Western support, let alone a state.

There is not one word of condemnation from the enlightened West that Mahmoud Abbas - personally and proudly - poses with and praises people with blood on their hands.

Photos that would instantly torpedo the career of any other politician on the planet are not newsworthy when the politician is "President of Palestine."

The world agrees: Palestinian Arab leaders are moderate, peace-loving victims and that the people that their people murder are evil colonialist oppressors who deserved to be shot, stabbed and bludgeoned to death.

There is no other interpretation.

At the end of this video showing the celebrations, one of the murderers says, to the cheers of the crowd, "All of Palestine from the river to the sea":

Belgian Minister of Culture defends antisemitism on Facebook page

A Belgian professor wrote an opinion piece on the website of RTBF, Radio Télévision Belge Francophone, saying that Israel is a racist state. (He based this mostly from reading Ha'aretz.)

RTBF has a Facebook page as well, and this article was linked there as well.

Some of the comments, predictably, are insanely antisemitic.

You know, having killed Christ is not enough for them...the Jews in France are also racist! :)

Every Jew is racist to another human because for Jews they are like dogs ... they can kill a non-Jew and will not be condemned ...

Goldstein refused to do anything to save the life of a Gentile - this was not a personal quirk, but simply an command of the Talmud on which it is based.

These comments remain up on the page after moderation.

The Philosemitism blog reports that the person in charge of the page, Ms. Françoise De Their, answered that "Comments are moderated as soon as possible by the editorial departments concerned, in accordance with professional, legal and ethical requirements."

The French Community of Brussels Minister of Culture and Media, Fadila Laanan, responded that "I was assured that the comments are still on RTBF page of this social network are within the limits of the debate and are acceptable."

Incidentally, Laanan's parents were born in Morocco.

(h/t Rudi)

10/29 Links Pt2: Levy Report Campaign, Straw canard, Erdogan is an autocratic Islamist bigot

From Ian:

Restoring Israel’s Rights: The Levy Report

In modern times there are legal precedents for establishing the Jewish claim to Israel: This is with reference to the San Remo Conference, the Mandate for a Jewish Homeland in Palestine, confirmed in international law, and more.
These Jewish rights have certainly not diminished over the years. Yet there is a prevailing perception that this is the case – that there has been a rethinking of what properly accrues to the Jewish State of Israel. A revisionist perception, we might say.
...
And now, at long last, the Levy Report Campaign is kicking off.
The Campaign Committee is operating with the assistance of Regavim, a fine Israeli organization that works “to ensure responsible, legal & accountable use of Israel’s national lands and the return of the rule of law to all…aspects of the land.”
The campaign is envisioned in two stages – first within the Knesset and then more broadly within the public domain.

Jpost Editorial: Straw canard

Now, apparently, it is Straw’s turn to fight back using the same ammunition. Straw’s attack on AIPAC follows in the footsteps of John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt who in 2007 published The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy.
Indeed, Straw, responding Monday in an e-mail to The Jerusalem Post’s Henry Rome, noted that his comments about AIPAC ’s influence on US policy are essentially based on Mearsheimer’s and Walt’s book. Straw also notes that in his 2012 memoir Last Man Standing he quotes in pages 445- 447 from these two men’s “critical study of AIPAC .”

I’m not remotely anti-Semitic, says ex-British FM Straw

“I am not remotely anti-Semitic. Quite the reverse. I have all my life strongly supported the state of Israel, and its right to live in peace and security,” Straw wrote in an email.
The veteran Labor politician reportedly said during a debate in the British parliament last week that the greatest obstacles to peace between Israel and the Palestinians and her Arab neighbors are the “unlimited” funds available to Jewish organizations and AIPAC in the US, as well as Germany’s “obsession” with defending Israel.

Meet the Founder of Sabeel. He's an "Ecumenical" Zion-Loather

Ateek is the Anglican founder of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre in Jerusalem and a leading exponent of campaigns of boycott, divestment and sanctions aimed at Israel. He has called the establishment of Israel in 1948 “a relapse to the most primitive concepts of an exclusive, tribal God.” He has accused the Israeli government of crucifying Palestinians in the occupied territories, writing that “the Israeli government crucifixion system is operating daily.” He has compared Israel to the Nazis and accused Israel of committing a Holocaust against Palestinians. He sent out a Christmas message that likened Israel to Herod and the occupation to the slaughter of the innocents.

The New York Times: Telling Readers How to Think About Israel

“Shrill.” “Strident.” “Stubborn.” “Abrasive.” “Derisive.” “Cynical.” These are adjectives used by New York Times journalists this month to describe Israel’s prime minister or cabinet ministers.
And that was just in news articles. New York Times editorialists added a few additional descriptors to that list – “aggressive,” “combative,” “sarcastic,” “eager for a fight,” and “sabotaging diplomacy.”
In fact, the only Israeli political party that merited a positive characterization by the Times was the far-left Meretz party, which was described in a news article as “peace-seeking.” The Meretz party with six seats of 120 in the Knesset is hardly representative of the mainstream. And while nearly all other Knesset members, including those in power, claim to be seeking peace, The New York Times is not having any of that. Nor do they want their readers to.

Peace Talks Will Fail Because Palestinians Don’t Want Peace

In short, the PA has a long-established policy of duplicity about its anti-peace intentions. In these circumstances, not only are the Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations convened under American auspices foredoomed, but in pursuing them, the Obama Administration has embarked on a fool’s errand. Furthermore, by pressuring Israel to make further concessions––like the freeing of jailed Palestinian terrorists, merely to get the PA to the negotiating table––it is endangering an ally.
This is a moment for the Congress to act. It can produce a detailed list of Palestinian bad faith statements (of which we have provided here only a fraction) and call upon the PA to explicitly retract each statement to its own public. It can make further aid to the PA conditional on verifiable Palestinian reforms, like outlawing terrorist groups, arresting terrorists and ending the incitement to hatred and murder that feeds the conflict. And it can withhold aid until these prerequisites for a genuine peace are forthcoming.

Abbas said to soften stance on interim peace agreement

Abbas is no longer completely opposed to such a deal, which would create a framework for two states but likely postpone the resolution of the toughest issues such as final borders, shared sovereignty over Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees, according to a Tuesday Israel Radio report, which gave no further details.
Palestinian Authority officials, and Abbas himself, have repeatedly said they were strongly against an interim peace agreement with Israel. In September, speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, Abbas said the current round of negotiations were “the last chance” to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians but rejected “the dizzying exhilaration of interim agreements” in lieu of a permanent resolution.

Isi Leibler: Candidly Speaking: Turkey's Erdogan - An autocratic Islamist bigot

The reality is that while the inveterate anti-Semite Erdogan has his way, he will veto any efforts to improve relationships with Israel, despite the major strategic and economic benefits that would accrue to both countries.
Thus, even if the US clings to the fantasy that Turkey represents a moderate, democratically influenced form of Islam, we should not delude ourselves. Erdogan is running an anti-Semitic, anti-Israeli regime that supports Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. As long as he remains in power, Israel-Turkish relations will remain cold at best.

Anti-Israel ads placed on Denver buses during JNF conference

Advertisements accusing Israel of “ethnic cleansing” are appearing on Denver-area buses while the Jewish National Fund holds its national conference in the city.
The ads, which include the slogan “Want peace? Stop ethnic cleansing in Palestine,” are sponsored by the website Notaxdollarstoisrael.com and the Colorado BDS Campaign, the Intermountain Jewish News reports.

BDSers Target Charles Azvanour

On 23 November his audience will be in Tel Aviv, at the Nokia Arena.
But not if Omar Barghouti's Palestine Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) and its eager accomplices in the West have their way. They want Monsieur Aznavour to cancel his plans.
That's despite the fact that, as the Jerusalem Post reported on 1 October, as soon as the French singer's impending visit was announced: "Aznavour will dedicate his trip to promoting the peace process and increasing public support for it."

Simon Wiesenthal Center Calls on Daily Show Host to ‘Give the Jon Stewart Treatment’ to Roger Waters

Calling on The Daily Show host Jon Stewart, who is Jewish, to similarly voice objection of the former Pink Floyd bassist’s attitude towards Israel Cooper said, “Come on Jon– give the Jon Stewart treatment to Waters and his pig, he’s earned it…”
In January of this year Waters appeared as a guest on The Daily Show. Although Waters’ activism was discussed, Stewart was roundly criticized for not bringing up his anti-Israel views. “Stewart asked specifically about Waters’s political activities, but failed to bring up Waters’s most controversial political cause: his radical campaign against Israel,” wrote Joel Pollak at Breitbart.com.

Jews bashed allegedly by Pacific Islanders

I thought it suspicious that police and the press gave no description of the youths wanted for bashing five Jews in Bondi (Australia). That already suggested an ethnic dimension. Sure enough:

The two boys were part of a group of eight mainly Pacific Islander youths charged with attacking the family, including a 66-year-old father and a 62-year-old mother, and friends walking home from a Sabbath dinner.

Racist Attacker Assaults Israelis - For Speaking Spanish

A 23 year-old man has been arrested over a racially-motivated assault in which he punched two Israeli men - because he thought they were speaking Spanish.
Dylan T. Grall of Janesville, Wisconsin attacked the two men, who were conversing in Hebrew, on Madison street on Saturday morning.

Analysis: Druse state in Syria could be Israeli ally

Whether one wishes it or not, Syria may be on the way to partition or some kind of de facto break-up along the lines of ethnic division, regardless of what locals or the West want.
Would such a break-up work in Israel’s favor?
According to some analysts, weak Arab states with internal strife and divisions, as well as the break-up of the existing Arab state order, plays to Israel’s strategic advantage.

Druze Families Remember Loved Ones Who Fought for Israel

Originally known as the IDF Minorities Unit, the ‘Herev’ Battalion was formed by Druze and Jewish leaders in 1948 during Israel’s War of Independence. Recently, the Herev Battalion invited the bereaved families of the unit to come together on the eve of Eid il-Adha, the religious Muslim festival known as Feast of Sacrifice, which was celebrated this year in mid-October.
These Druze families gather together every year to remember loved ones that they have lost in operations and wars to defend Israel, numbering in the hundreds.

‘Seraphim Sense’ Creates ‘Guardian Angel’ Wristband To Monitor Health

Trust Israelis to transform an ancient religious belief into a bio-medical reality that can be worn around the wrist. The Angel Health Monitor is a biofeedback wristband that senses motion and acceleration, skin temperature, blood oxygen saturation and heart rate. Just like the mythical guardian angel, it monitors your every move to make sure that you are in good health. The health band is synced to a user’s smartphone and laptop via Bluetooth to provide real-time updates on their body’s internal workings.

Report: Simon Cowell, Lauren Silverman Agree on Jewish Wedding; Cowell Taking Israeli Dance Lessons

“Simon and Lauren have spoken very openly about marriage and he’s told pals he may even propose by the end of the year,” Heat‘s source said.
The source added that Cowell “agreed they could be blessed by a rabbi and partake in Jewish traditions, including the bedecking ceremony [where the groom identifies the bride in a room just before the wedding]. He’s even said he’ll have some Israeli dancing lessons for the party afterwards.” (h/t Yoel)

Munich launches virtual stumbling blocks memorial app

Visitors to the Bavarian capital can now see the biographies of hundreds of Jewish victims of the Holocaust as they pass by their former homes, thanks to a new app launched last week called Stolpersteine Muenchen, or Munich Stumbling Blocks.
Martina Bachmann, who is not Jewish, launched the app with business partner Sacha Bertram, who has a Jewish father. Bachmann told JTA that the aim is to create a digital memorial to all Munich victims of the Nazi regime, using 8,000 biographies. “Every person who was victimized and for whom we can find the biographical information,” Bachmann said.

90 years ago

From the JTA archives, less than a century ago:

VIENNA (May. 29, 1923)
The formation of an international anti-Semitic body which will unite the Hakenkreuzler and Fascisti societies of many European countries, in contemplated in a resolution adopted at the party council of the Austrian Hakenkreuzler.

Declaring the present anti-Semitic activities as “inadequate”, the Council decided to create a “united anti-Semitic front”, one of whose purposes will be to prevent the election to the parliaments of the various countries of Jewish candidates of such as are known for their friendliness to Jews.

Leaders of the German National Party report that delegations have arrived from all Balkan countries with the object of obtaining information of Hakenkreuzler methods which have proven successful in keeping down the Jews in Austria and Bavaria.

Fascisti organizations are said by the visitors to have been established in their countries, who desire to work together with all Hakenkreuzler bodies abroad. The “National Socialists” announce they are prepared to join the international union of anti-Semites.

Sunnis boycott Shiite products, and the great Arab electricity boycott of 1923

Elaph has an amusing article by a Saudi writer that talks about how Sunni Muslims are publicizing among themselves not to buy this brand of juice or that brand of milk, because the owners of the company are supposedly Shiite.

This is strange, he notes, "because we use products made by Jews and Christians, from the car to the needle as well as mobile phones and technology and tablet devices, but each is manufactured in countries populated mostly of Buddhists or atheists as is the case in the East..." - yet no one boycotts them! Eastern religions are considered idol worship my Muslims, and are far worse theologically than Judaism or Christianity.

This sounds familiar - the people advocating boycotts always choose products that won't really affect their lives, but they will threaten and attack others who dare to sell or buy them. It's been this way since the Arab League started its boycott of Jewish goods in 1946 and even earlier.

Although, I must admit, in 1923 the Arabs even decided to boycott "Jewish electricity."

Arab extremists are waging their fight against things Jewish even to the point of refusing the use of electricity derived from a “Jewish” station.

The Jaffa municipality has decided to stick to the old hand, foot and horse power rather than utilize any of the electrical power derived from the Buttenberg station at the Auja.

Efforts by the government to convince the Arabs that electricity was neutral and knew no politics proved unavailing.

But in 1923, that wasn't much of a sacrifice for them.

Hamas, on the other hand, boycotted Israeli fuel to Gaza for a year or so - until the Egyptian fuel supply dried up. Its lofty standards were only so lofty.

An intriguing idea - Israel should celebrate historic invasions of its land!

It isn't often that I hear a new idea, but this one, from commenter Andrew, has some real brilliance behind it:

All Israel needs to do is pick some date with some historical relevance to the time of the Roman occupation, then make a festival (just celebrate an unsuccessful rebellion of the Jews against Roman rule or something), celebrate the great influence Jews and Romans had on history (this will remove an anti-Italian slant from the festival and allow Christians to celebrate with us), and prepare speeches and texts in both Hebrew and Latin.

In the texts refer to Romans and Jews very very often and use the Latin word "Palestina", the Roman name for the protectorate/province in place of Hebrew "Yisrael".

In fact we can use this method a few more times to reach other goals.

Celebrate the Muslim invasion because it allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem. Invite the Hashemite king to the celebration.

Celebrate the Persian invasion and the Great King.

If our enemies use made-up history against us, just celebrate real history choosing occasions where we celebrate our enemies' ancestors and their stay in our land.

It will be difficult for the Arabs to condemn us for celebrating the Muslim invasion. And as long as we celebrate the invasion they cannot pretend that it wasn't an invasion and say that Jerusalem is Arab, not Jewish.

It will be difficult for the Iranian regime to erase Israel from the map, if Israel celebrates Iranian rulers of the past. They would have to erase those rulers from history as well and lose their past as they want us to lose ours.

And it will be difficult to pretend that "Palestine" was an Arab state that existed before Israel was "founded", if we celebrate the fact that our country was once the Roman province of "Palestina".

So, are we going to start a new holiday at the end of April to celebrate the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem in 637 - which did indeed allow Jews to return to their capital after the Byzantines defeated them a decade earlier? (If anyone can find the actual date, Gregorian or Muslim, I'd appreciate it.)