Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Friday, November 08, 2013

Bibi: "A very, very bad deal" on Iran

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this morning, made the following remarks prior to his meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry:

"I understand that the Iranians are walking around very satisfied in Geneva, as well they should be, because they got everything, and paid nothing, they wanted. They wanted relief from sanctions after years of a grueling sanctions regime. They got that. They are paying nothing because they are not reducing in any way their nuclear enrichment capability. So Iran got the deal of the century and the international community got a bad deal. This is a very bad deal. Israel utterly rejects it and what I am saying is shared by many, many in the region whether or not they express it publicly. Israel is not obliged by this agreement and Israel will do everything it needs to defend itself, to defend the security of its people. That is true also of our negotiations with the Palestinians. I will never compromise on Israel's security and our vital interests, not in the face of any international pressure. I think the pressure has to be put where it belongs, that is on the Palestinians who refuse to budge. But I think in any case, no amount of pressure will make me or the Government of Israel compromise on the basic security and national interests of the State of Israel. The people of Israel know this and they support it, as they should."

After the meeting with Kerry:

"I met Secretary Kerry right before he leaves to Geneva. I reminded him that he said that no deal is better than a bad deal. And the deal that is being discussed in Geneva right now is a bad deal. It’s a very bad deal. Iran is not required to take apart even one centrifuge. But the international community is relieving sanctions on Iran for the first time after many years. Iran gets everything that it wanted at this stage and pays nothing. And this is when Iran is under severe pressure. I urge Secretary Kerry not to rush to sign, to wait, to reconsider, to get a good deal. But this is a bad deal, a very, very, bad deal. It’s the deal of a century for Iran; it’s a very dangerous and bad deal for peace and the international community."

The Telegraph reports on the expected parameters of the deal. For a (presumed) six month period:

Iran would stop enriching uranium to the 20 per cent level that is close to weapons-grade – and turn its existing stockpile of this material into harmless oxide.

Iran would continue enrichment to the 3.5 per cent purity needed for nuclear power stations – but agree to limit the number of centrifuges being used for this purpose. There would, however, be no requirement to remove or disable any other centrifuges.

Iran would agree not to activate its plutonium reactor at Arak, which could provide another route to a nuclear weapons -capability, during the six-month period. Iran may, however, continue working on the facility.

Iran would agree not to use its more advanced IR-2 centrifuges, which can enrich uranium between three and five times faster than the older model.

In return, America would ease economic sanctions, possibly by releasing some Iranian foreign exchange reserves currently held in frozen accounts. In addition, some restrictions affecting Iran’s petrochemical, motor and precious metals industries could be relaxed.

All this comes after John Kerry was unusually blunt in criticizing all building of Jewish homes across the Green Line, no matter where.

Al Qaeda in Syria: "Killing you apostates comes before killing Jews and Christians"

This is an apparently authentic video showing a walkie-talkie conversation between fighters from al-Qaeda and the Free Syrian Army. Turn on closed captioning to see the translation:

ISIS talking: "You are (FSA) infidel, You're infidel"
ISIS: "You, Creature, you don't know Allah nor the Prophet and are corrupted person and we will kill and chop you"
ISIS [Describing how they would kill and chop FSA]
ISIS: "You claim to be a Muslim you are not a Muslim because you kill and rape women and men"
FSA: "If you think you are a man go fight Israel not us, why did you come to Syria"
ISIS: "You are apostate and fighting you (FSA) is a priority to us more than usual infidel"
ISIS: "You (Syrians) curse god and the prophet you are apostate infidel"
ISIS: "killing you apostates is a must and comes before killing Jews and Christians"
FSA: "Fuck you bastard and your masters in Qaeda"
FSA: "We're Jihadist against regime..." [cut..]
ISIS: "You're jihad (fighting) is in the sake of FSA, Syrian Coalition, Democracy and a Civil State??"
ISIS: "You deny Sharia and you're fighting us... we had better to kill you rather the original infidels."
FSA: "Bastard, pig, god damn you..." [Cursing Qaeda and its Leaders]
ISIS: "You, you who hear me, you know you're not Muslim you're infidel hate god and the prophet."
ISIS: "You're corrupted you don't pray and against Islam you're not Muslims"
FSA: "You're the corrupted and infidel you are god enemies and our enemies..." [inaudible]

(h/t Bjorn)

There is one Jewish museum in the Arab world (video)

Asharq al-Awsat has an article, in Arabic, about the only Jewish museum in the Arab world, in Casablanca.

It is a positive article talking about the history of coexistence between Jews and Arabs in Morocco.

I found a nice video made by JN1 this year that shows it:

11/07 Links Pt2: The Lies of Protest Tourism, Norwegian Amb. blames Israel for Syria

From Ian:

CAMERA: Countering the Lies of Protest Tourism

Ardie Geldman, a resident of Efrat, has written a piece for The New English Review that details the manner in which Palestinian activists have helped turn the West Bank into a theme park where privileged tourists from the United States and Europe adopt the persona of human rights heroes assailing Israel’s misdeeds. Like most theme parks, there is a huge amount of trickery and showmanship going on.

A Norwegian Diplomat Who Only Harms His Country's Image

In Israel, the greatest damage to how Norway is viewed was probably caused by its current Ambassador Svein Sevje.
In a recent interview with extreme left wing Israeli journalist Akiva Eldar, Sevje explained why Bashir Assad will go down in history as a barbarian dictator instead of a democratic reformer. He implied that the Syrian civil war resulted from the absence of a peace agreement with Israel saying: “I believe that with such an agreement, Syria would have been a different country today.

The Myths of Ilan Ziv’s film

Having previously hesitated, the BBC this week chose to screen Ilan Ziv’s film Searching for Exile: Truth or Myth?, which focuses on the idea of Jewish exile after AD 70.
Ziv uses the community of Tzippora Jews in the Galilee to argue that there was no Jewish exile, as Jews were still living in the region after AD 70. The Bar Kochba revolt of 135 is also held up as evidence against the ‘myth of exile’.
Yet no-one would say that all the Jews disappeared from Jerusalem in AD 70. Of course there has been a continual Jewish presence in Israel.

Spies R Us

The difference between outraged Americans and impassive Israelis is striking, and illuminating. It is the difference between a public for whom security is largely a theoretical issue, and a public for whom defending the homeland is a perpetual concern.
The explanation is basic. According to a Pew Research Center survey from 2011, “just one-half of one percent of American adults” served on active duty at any given time over the previous decade, even though it was a period of sustained war for the United States.
By contrast, a vast majority of Israelis serve in the military at some point. As many as one in five personally witnessed a terrorist attack. And according to the Israel Defense Forces, in 2012 more than one million Israelis were living under the threat of rocket attacks from Gaza.
Israelis cannot afford to not worry about their safety, and so they look at the indignation of Americans and, say, Germans over Washington’s spying on Chancellor Angela Merkel as hypocrisy or naiveté. They’re thinking: Keep on spying, America, because as long as you do we know you’re still helping police the world.

Open Letter to Hamas Spokeswoman

Similarly, what is your opinion of modesty operations by Hamas policemen in Gaza over the past few months, in which women are detained in the street if their dress is considered to be immodest or their haircuts too modern?
I would also love to hear your thoughts regarding Article 18 of the Penal Code (1936) applicable in Gaza, whereby judges are expected to mitigate the sentence of a man who murders his daughter, wife, mother, sister or other family member in order to preserve “family honor”. Is this a worthy law in your eyes?

Former CIA director renews call for Pollard’s release

In a two-minute video, recorded on Monday at a conference in Manhattan in which Woolsey took part, Woolsey said: “If you look at other allies of the United States, such as South Korea and the Philippines, where we have caught spies, the sentence that they had has been light, not like Pollard’s; it’s been about six or seven years. What I said in The Wall Street Journal essentially was that if anybody is hung up over the fact that he’s an American Jew or that he’s Israeli, just pretend that he’s a South Korean and set him free.”

Galloway’s Viva Palestina Booted Off Charities Register

There may be many reasonable explanations for the failure of Galloway’s charity to file accounts, and indeed for the failure to account for the money that it claimed to have raised.
However, given the litigious nature of Mr Galloway and his friends, it would be best to keep comments closed on this article, lest some uncharitable person speculates unfairly on the reason behind these failures.

UK Politicians Collaborate with Muslim Brotherhood Islamists?

Speakers at the upcoming Global Peace and Unity conference can be categorized as follows: 65% are anti-Semitic, misogynist, homophobic and pro-terror preachers, 20% are public servants offering political legitimacy and moral credibility to the other speakers, while the remaining 15% could perhaps claim to be part of the conference's "project dedicated to creating a more harmonious world."

The U.S.-Saudi Royal Rumble

In early 1939, a Saudi delegation went to Nazi Germany to negotiate an arms agreement, part of which would have been diverted to Palestinian Arabs fighting Jewish immigrants in the British mandate of Palestine. At least some of the Saudi group met Adolf Hitler at his mountain top hideaway at Berchtesgaden.
German arms never reached the kingdom -- or Palestine - as the Saudis could not afford to consummate the deal (that was in the days before the oil revenues started flowing in). However, King Abdullah still treasures a dagger given as a gift from the Fuhrer himself, and occasionally shows it off to guests. Visiting U.S. officials are briefed in advance so they can display appropriate diplomatic sang-froid if Abdullah points out the memento. (h/t Yoel)

Berlusconi says his kids feel like Jews persecuted by Hitler

Replying to a question about whether his five children had asked him to sell his media empire and leave Italy to escape his legal troubles, Berlusconi said: "My children say that they feel like Jewish families in Germany under Hitler's regime. Truly, everyone is against us."

Holocaust museum highlights Myanmar’s Rohingya

Myanmar’s government views the exhibition as inappropriate. The U.S. government-funded Holocaust museum primarily commemorates the genocide against the Jews by the Nazis during World War II. But it also documents the mass killings that have blighted Bosnia, Rwanda and Sudan, and seeks to spotlight situations where it sees a repeat of such atrocities. It has previously projected images on its walls of Holocaust survivors, and from South Sudan and the Darfur region of Sudan.
“We are not saying that genocide is taking place in Burma,” said Michael Abramowitz, director of the museum’s Center for the Prevention of Genocide. “We are not trying to equate these different situations. The Holocaust was a unique event in human history. But what we do want to do is use our assets to try to prevent these kinds of crimes from happening to others in the future.”

Huffington Post Planning Israel Website

The Huffington Post is planning to launch an Israeli website, founding editor Roy Sekoff told Israel’s Channel 2 on Wednesday.
Sekoff said that the move is part of HuffPo’s road map for opening foreign sites, sometimes creating them in local language. “With so much innovation in Israel, we had opportunities to work with many Israelis,” Sekoff added.

Rabin’s granddaughter inks Hollywood TV deal

Noa Rothman, the granddaughter of the late Yitzhak Rabin, gave Israeli audiences a glimpse into a prime minister’s family’s gilded world when she wrote the drama “The Prime Minister’s Children.” Now American audiences are about to also get a taste, thanks to a deal inked this week with Hollywood’s Timberman-Beverly productions to produce an adaptation of that program for American television.

Israeli Energy Minister: ‘Everyone Wants to Hug Israel’ Because of Its Natural Gas Production

Israeli natural gas is saving the country’s economy $300 million a month, a figure that could reach as high as $1 billion, Israeli Energy Minister Silvan Shalom told Bloomberg News, adding that the country has become an attractive natural gas supplier in the global marketplace, one that “everyone wants to hug.”
“It means it will bring a huge improvement to the Israeli economy because the gas will be much cheaper. We will cut the tariff for electricity. We will cut the tariff for water that is produced by electricity, and all the products that are produced in Israel will be much cheaper,” Shalom told Bloomberg.

Israel’s Mobli Gets Major Boost From Mexican Billionaire Carlos Slim

The photo and video-sharing platform Mobli has received a major financial boost from one of the world’s richest men.
Mexico’s América Móvil SAB de CV, controlled by multi-billionaire Carlos Slim, is leading a new $60 million round of investments into the company. As part of the deal, Mobli will get distribution with América Móvil’s millions of mobile users.

Israel’s Sodastream to Air $4 Million Super Bowl Ad

Sodastream, the popular Israeli carbonated drinks company, has announced that it will kick off its 2014 advertising campaign with a $4 million Super Bowl ad for the second year in a row.
“The Super Bowl is a proven venue for SodaStream to deliver our beverage revolution message to over 100 million viewers, empowering consumers to enjoy a smarter, ‘better-for-you’alternative to packaged soda,” SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum said in a statement.

Paula Abdul floats idly in Dead Sea after lathering herself in mud during spiritual retreat in Israel

As she continues her spiritual journey through Israel, Paula Abdul took part in an age-old tradition that dates back to biblical times.
She submerged herself in the skin-nourishing qualities of the Dead Sea last Friday.

The quest continues to honor Arab hero doctor

While Helmy is the first person from the Arab world to be designated by Yad Vashem, more than 60 Muslims who saved Jews in Bosnia, Albania and the then-Soviet republics have been recognized, said Irena Steinfeldt, director of the Righteous Among the Nations department.
Despite the Hassans’ refusal to accept the honoring of Helmy, Yad Vashem is pursuing several avenues, including Egypt’s embassy in Tel Aviv, to locate additional relatives.

Egypt denies Israeli firm securing Suez Canal

The not-very-reliable Middle East Monitor reports:

A report by the Arab Organisation for Human Rights has revealed that an Israeli company, Seagull Maritime Security, provides maritime security services for cruises and cargo ships passing through the Suez Canal in Egypt. The Egyptian authorities have granted the company a license to work in the Suez Canal, the Red Sea and in Arab and African ports including Jordan, UAE and Oman.

According to the report the company is one of the few whose guards are allowed to disembark fully armed on the Egyptian Tiran Island.
The company's official site does not reveal its Israeli identity however several other sites connected to the company reveal the background of the company's directors and managers as IDF veterans from elite units. The company is a member of the Israeli Association of Private Security Companies. The company was founded by its CEO, Kfir Magen who served as an officer in the Israeli navy, in 2008.

According to related sites the company's directors were prominent leaders of the Israeli army, including Eliezer Marom who served as a navy commander between 2007 until 2011. Marom planned the attack against the Freedom Flotilla in 2010 and Operation Cast Lead in 2008.

Seagull Maritime Security is definitely an Israeli company. Although its webpage is currently down, while it didn't say Israel explicitly it didn't try to hide it much either:

Kfir Magen– CEO. Served as a commanding officer in the elite Naval Commando and has acquired years of maritime operational experience. Holds a BSc. degree from the Technion – Institute of Technology.

Jeremy Weiss– VP BD, Marketing & Sales Served for over 20 years as Senior Commander in the Special Forces. Following, he was an Executive Director at InSightec ,a Hi-Tech medical device company. Jeremy holds an Executive MBA from Northwestern Uni. Kellogg School of Management.

Yuval Brenner– COO, an officer in an elite scouts unit. Worked at Zim Integrated Shipping services as Senior Logistic and Equipment Manager. Joined Seagull in 2010. Holds a BSc. Degree from the Technion – Institute of Technology.

It specializes in securing commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba areas:

We hold a Weapon Storage at the port of Eilat. Together with our fast boats we can provide unique and flexible embarkation and disembarkation of our security teams throughout the Gulf of Aqaba and Red Sea (27°N Red Sea, port of Eilat and port of Aqaba).

So it is plausible that they work in the Suez Canal as well.

Of course, Egypt was quick to vehemently deny it:

Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority denied Wednesday allegations that Egyptian authorities gave permission to Israeli firm Maritime Seagull Security to secure ships in the Red Sea.

The Canal Authority insisted seven Egyptian security and military bodies only are in charge of securing the sea passage.

News that the Israeli company operates in the area based on an "official" permit using fully-armed personnel on the Egyptian island of Tiran in the Red Sea went viral on social media, Al-Jazeera reported.

Video: Anti-Jewish books publicly displayed on Jordan's streets

The filmmaker visited four book kiosks on the streets of Amman.

Just think, a kiosk can only hold maybe 100-200 titles, usually best sellers, and yet Mein Kampf and books about Jewish domination of the world are prominently displayed in each one!

(h/t Israel Muse)

Swedish Jew wants asylum - in Sweden

In August, I linked to a heartbreaking story about a Swedish Jewish woman and the antisemitism she had experienced there.

The woman, Annika Hernroth-Rothstein, has written something new that is also worth reading:

A case for asylum

I just got my tickets for the 21st annual Jewish film festival here in Stockholm. It’s the 2nd Jewish event I’ve been to in this city this fall alone. Well. When I say Jewish event I mean Jewish cultural event, of which this city of some 4000 Jews has more than its fair share.

And I guess that’s why so many of my fellow Jews and friends say that we are doing ok. That there’s no need to rock the boat or cause any trouble in a time where hundreds of people are buying tickets for a klezmer concert and watching holocaust-movies at the local art theatre.

But you know what, we are not ok. I am not ok. This is not ok.

Kosher slaughter has been outlawed in my country since 1937. And as I go to work tomorrow morning I will continue writing the response to a bill demanding the ban of the import and serving of kosher meat. Another pillar of the Jewish faith, circumcision, is also under threat. In my profession as a political adviser I personally have dealt with 2 such bills in the past year, and the issue of a national ban is gaining both bipartisan political support as well as traction in the public debate. Public display of one’s Jewish identity, such as donning a kippah in public or wearing a magen david , is paired with risk of verbal harassment and physical harm. Synagogues are heavily guarded, so much so that Jewish tourists cannot attend services unannounced or pre-scanned by security, but are turned away. And we, the members, celebrate chagim in the constant presence of police. On Rosh Hashana, as we were taking the 5 minute walk to the water for tashlich, my young son turned to one of the policemen guarding us and asked him why they were all there. The officer replied: “so that no bad people can hurt you”. This is the reality that mine and other Jewish children in Sweden grow up with. They form that self-image, that being Jewish means being under threat of “bad people”.

And I ask- why are we putting up with this? Why do I hear people, even my own people, say that we are ok? Why do the politicians and the pundits tell me that Jews in Sweden are safe when in reality they are telling us that we are safe as long as we are assimilated?

We are not being murdered. True. Nor are we being physically driven out. But, we are driven to assimilation. How is this not a crime? How is killing our observance not an imminent threat and a clear violation of our basic human rights?

I want my religious freedom to be protected. I want to be able to live as an observant Jew in Sweden. I want not to have to flee my own country in order to be who I am and live according to my faith.

What I am asking for is no more than what is given to any refugee seeking asylum in my country, or in the whole of the EU. They want the freedom to practice their religion. Not to be persecuted due to ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or political beliefs. These are basic human rights, expressed in the United Nations universal declaration of human rights as well as a crucial part of the Swedish constitution. People from all over the world seek refuge in my country in order to be who they are. To have the ability to live freely. I want this for them, and I want this for us.

According to The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, anti-Semitic crimes have tripled since 2010. Worst is the situation in Malmö where we see an increase in 320% just from the year 2011. These are the statistics of reported crimes; we can only imagine how many crimes go unreported each year.

When I raise these issues I often get the answer that I and the rest of Swedish Jewry should make Aliyah, that Europe is doomed and that the time to make a difference has come and gone. But I cannot accept that to be true, no matter how much I promote the idea and practice of Aliyah. Because what is happening is simply not right. And as a people, as humans, we must protest inequality and discrimination in our midst as adamantly as we do when it is perpetrated abroad. Many Swedish politicians and activists are quick and vocal in their fight against oppression all over the world, but silent when it comes to what is going on within our borders.
And that is why I think it is time to make a statement heard around the world.

I call upon all Swedish Jews to seek asylum. Not in America, nor in Israel. But here, in our own country, and make the Swedish government live up to the promises made. The statues provided by the European Union clearly state that a person should be granted asylum if he or she “has well-founded reasons to fear persecution due to race; nationality; religious or political beliefs; gender; sexual orientation; or affiliation to a particular social group”. Jews in Sweden, particularly in Malmö, meet these criteria, and should thereby receive the protection and support given to non-natives.

I do realize the absurdity of what I am writing, what I am asking. But the situation is beyond absurdity, beyond op-eds and strongly worded letters. This situation calls for action, reaction, and a statement from Swedish Jewry that it refuses to chooses between fear and assimilation. And as we make that statement we are fighting not only for ourselves, but for all minorities. As we all know it may start with Jews but never ends with Jews. We are now fighting for the right to live a religious life, to preserve cultural and individual identity, and to be who you are without fear of persecution.

So please, tell me I am not being naïve. Tell me I am not asking too much when demanding the right to practice my religion freely and openly. Or is this no longer to be expected in the Europe that was once the leader in liberal ideas and progressive thought? Is alive and assimilated good enough now, have we given up on the dream of living freely, observantly, Jewishly?

Please tell me that the dream isn’t dead. Pleas say that there’s some fight in us yet.

Annika Hernroth-Rothstein

(received via email)

(h/t Andrew)

11/07 Links Pt1: Fascist Rally at Al Quds Uni, Iranian Nobel Laureate - Rouhani is no Moderate

From Ian:

Tom Gross: Scenes yesterday afternoon from a “moderate” Palestinian university

Al-Quds is a Palestinian university in east Jerusalem. It is often hailed as a “liberal” or “moderate” university by western diplomats and journalists.
Academics and students (including, quite possibly, some in these photos) have received and continue to receive grants from European governments, charities and foundations. Al-Quds University is also currently in partnership with liberal (and largely Jewish) institutions in the U.S., including Brandeis University and Bard College.
I would urge you to take a quick look at these photos. These kinds of scenes can be seen regularly at Palestinian universities and elsewhere in the West Bank but Western news organizations strenuously avoid reporting on them.
As long as the Palestinian Authority encourages such demonstrations and the university authorities tolerate them, it is doubtful there can ever be peace between Palestinians and Israelis. Peace which presumably we all want.

EU MP: We Froze Aid Money PA Was Using for Terror

After the meeting, Susy de Martini, a European Parliament MP and member of the Parliament's budgeting committee, said that “the EU should not be funding these anti-Israel groups and activities. From what I understand, the EU recently made a decision to freeze money being sent to the Palestinians because we found that some of that money was being used to fund terror.
“I believe that the EU needs to be friendlier to Israel and to those who are interested in real peace in the region,” de Martini added. “Economic stability is as important as political stability. I am a friend of Israel and I hope the relationship between Israel and the EU improves.”

Palestinian Hatred is the True Obstacle to Peace

The rambunctious Israeli press, politicians, and public cover the political spectrum, and aren’t shy about disagreeing with government positions regarding the peace process. An alphabet-soup of Jewish and Israeli organizations regularly protests government policy.
By contrast, where is the Palestinian dissenting opinion? Where are the Arabic opinion columns arguing that Jews aren’t treacherous devils? That Jews have a deep and ancient connection to the land? That blowing up Israeli cafes and buses is inherently wrong? That real peace with a Jewish Israel isn’t an entirely bad idea? That peace may require that not all of the millions of descendants of 1948 refugees be able to settle in Israel?
Where is the Palestinian Peace Now? The Arab Voice for Peace? P-Street? The Palestinian movement to boycott and divest from Palestinian entities until terror and violence against Israelis is ended?
Curbing Palestinian incitement would go a long way toward peaceful coexistence. But incitement is only a symptom; the uniformly anti-Israel monopoly on Arab and Palestinian opinion is the bigger problem.

Missing Peace: Israeli goodwill measures and Palestinian intransigence

The atmosphere surrounding the current peace talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel seems to be poisoned since the release of 26 Palestinian prisoners who were convicted of serious crimes, such as murder. The release was part of a deal that was reached with the US administration prior to the renewed negotiations.
Many in Israel were outraged by the prisoner release which took place despite continuing Palestinian terror and incitement against Israel.

Two-State Paradigm 'Unworkable'

For these and other reasons, Inbar said, the current situation – a status quo in which the PA controls the civil life of Arabs in its jurisdiction, with Israel responsible for overall security – is the best solution for everyone. “It's good not just for Israelis, but for Palestinians, too,” he said. “The Palestinians look at the failed Arab states” like Syria and Egypt “and understand that things could be much worse for them.”
And it's not just Israel and the PA that have come to this conclusion, Inbar said: Slowly, the rest of the world is coming to realize that the current status is the most workable one for the long term. “The Palestinian issue is becoming less important on the international stage,” he added, “and as a result there is less pressure on Israel to agree to setting up a PA state.”

Oslo Architect: No Repeat of Past Mistakes

Doctor Yair Hirschfeld of Haifa University, one of the architects of the Oslo Accords, has admitted that "mistakes were made" in the plan, and expressed his opinion that the current round of peace talks with the Palestinians will not end with the signing of a comprehensive agreement.
Regarding Oslo, Hirschfeld said he sees it as an important part in the process of the "two state solution," however he admits that the the process saw mistakes and problems from both sides.

Kerry: US considers Israeli settlements to be 'illegitimate'

"Let me emphasize at this point the position of the United States of America on the settlements is that we consider them... to be illegitimate," Kerry said after discussions with Palestinian President

Kerry pledges $75m. more in US aid to Palestinians

US Secretary of State John Kerry says the United State will provide an additional $75 million in aid to create Palestinian jobs and help them improve roads, schools and other infrastructure.
US officials say the aid is designed to boost Palestinian public support for faltering peace talks with Israel by showing them tangible benefits from the process. (h/t Herb Glatter)

Israel: Arafat 'Poisoning' Sounds More Like a Soap Opera

In response, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told the BBC, "This is more soap opera than science."
Palmor said the investigations had been commissioned by "interested parties" such as Arafat's widow and the Palestinian Authority and had "never bothered" to look for some key data.
"The other huge hole in the theory is the absence of all access to the French hospital where Arafat died and to Arafat's medical files," said Palmor.
"How can the cause of death be determined without the opinion of the doctors or the results of the medical tests they ran on the patient? Israel doesn't feel concerned in the least,” he told the BBC.

Arafat polonium — junk science

With the most amazing measuring equipment, in the most physically shielded room possible, you couldn’t find a piece of radioactive Polonium-210 eight years after it was made. Looking for some in an exhumed body or belongs is astonishing.
The decay products of Polonium-210 are not uncommon enough to look for either.
There’s no way on earth this lab found anything scientifically significant in the corpse of Arafat (hence their very cagy language).
Arafat died of natural causes, Aids or something else: releasing an unedited version of his medical records would go a long way to solving this little mystery. Certainly that would do more than a pseudo-sicence dance in Switzerland. No matter what his widow and his adoring terrorist friends would like to think.

Lieberman Acquitted, Will Return to Foreign Ministry

In a unanimous verdict, a three-judge panel on Wednesday acquitted former Israeli foreign minister and Yisrael Beiteinu party chairman Avigdor Lieberman of corruption charges, Israel Hayom reported.
“I congratulate you on your acquittal and I am pleased with your return to the Israeli cabinet so that we can continue to work together for the benefit of Israel,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Sunday will ask his cabinet to reinstate Lieberman as foreign minister.

Report: IDF Deems Hebrew U Area Unsafe for Soldiers

The report revealed that the IDF base in the area now locks its gate at 6 p.m. From that point on, soldiers are allowed to leave the base only in secure convoys.
During the day, soldiers are not allowed to leave on foot at all.
The new regulations were put into place following an attack on two female IDF commanders. The two women were targeted by an Arab gang throwing firebombs as they drove near the base.

Palestinian man allegedly tries to run over IDF officer

An IDF officer was nearly run over early Thursday morning while conducting operations in the West Bank. The incident near the West Bank village of Naalin occurred during a security sweep of the area.
The officer, a company commander, was standing outside his vehicle during the operation when a Palestinian driver allegedly attempted to ram him. Soldiers opened fire at the car, and the driver fled. The vehicle was found abandoned several hours later.

Smuggling Into Gaza By Sea On the Rise

As a result of the closure of many underground tunnels into Gaza, smuggling of weapons into Gaza by sea is on the rise, The Israel Navy thwarts many smuggling attempts into Gaza. Navy soldiers have noticed that one thing is missing: no vessels have arrived with medicine or humanitarian goods.

Senior IDF Commander: Hezbollah’s Battle Tactics Spreading to Syria

Hezbollah is transferring its knowledge of warfare to Syria, teaching its Syrian allies to fight underground and lay bombs along Israel’s border. As the cooperation between Hezbollah and Syria grows stronger, the IDF is preparing for a different kind of war in the north.

Former Jordanian MP Yaq'ub Qarash Glorifies Jihad and Martyrdom on PA TV, States: The Israelis "Can Only Survive as Nazis" VIDEO

The [Jews] want everything, although they have no religious rights. They want to prove myths, elevating them above the truth, although these are nothing but myths that they fabricated and now believe in. By Allah, if that [Wailing] Wall really was part of a temple, I am certain that the companions of the Prophet would have honored that. The Islamic nation is known for never having desecrated a synagogue or a church. It is a fact, however, that they do not have any rights. We confront myths.

J'lem court convicts Islamic Movement leader for incitement to violence

The prosecution also said that Salah made references to blood-libel against Jews as the basis for a separate claim against him for racist incitement.
In his speech, Salah said that he and other Muslims never made their Ramadan bread with the blood of children, adding, "whoever wants a more comprehensive explanation, should ask what happened to some of the European children whose blood was mixed with flour for use in holy bread."
Salah's lawyer successfully convinced the court on this point that Salah's words on the blood libel issue were potentially open to multiple interpretations, including to the Christian crusaders killing of children in Europe.
As a result, the court convicted Salah of incitement to violence, but not racist incitement.

John Bolton: Obama Should Listen to Saudi Arabia

The Saudis have been entirely candid: They think the Security Council is broken. For nearly three years Riyadh has watched Moscow and Beijing stymie every effort to have the Security Council weigh in against Syria’s Assad regime, while U.S. diplomacy has been inconsistent and ineffective. Weak American policies toward Iran, moreover, combined with Russian and Chinese political cover for Tehran, have largely rendered the council a bystander to the Iranian nuclear problem. Now, with President Obama yearning for a negotiated “resolution” of Iran’s nuclear weapons threat, the Saudis have snapped.
Make no mistake: For Saudi Arabia as well as Israel, an Iranian nuclear weapon constitutes an existential threat. The dangers are as great for Riyadh as for Jerusalem, and very similar in nature: a religious conflict that has existed almost since the birth of Islam, ancient ethnic disagreements, and the continuing inability to establish stable conditions for regional peace and security. That is why, if necessary, the Saudis (and most other Gulf Arab states) would privately welcome an Israeli military strike against Iran’s nuclear weapons program. The Arab governments will not say so publicly and, if Israel did attack, would likely join the international chorus of disapproval. But I for one would dearly love to see the private message that Saudi Arabia’s king would transmit to Bibi Netanyahu after a successful Israeli strike.

Iran says nuclear deal possible this week

A second round of talks between Iran and the West kicked off in Geneva Thursday, with the Iranian foreign minister saying that a deal over his country’s controversial nuclear program could be reached by week’s end, if all parties strove to reach that goal.
“If everyone tries their best we may have one,” Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted by Reuters as saying. “We expect serious negotiations. It’s possible.”

Israel preemptively opposes new Iran proposal

Israel is reportedly urging its Western allies to reject an expected proposal to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for limited relief from crippling economic sanctions.
“Israel in the last few hours has learned that a proposal will be brought before the P5+1 in Geneva in which Iran will cease all enrichment at 20 percent and slow down work on the heavy water reactor in Arak, and will receive in return the easing of sanctions,” an Israeli official told AFP Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Israel thinks this is a bad deal and will oppose it strongly,” the official added.

Iranian Nobel Laureate Criticizes 'Moderate' Rouhani

Iranian Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi has strongly criticized the human rights record of Iran’s new President Hassan Rouhani, whom the West has touted as a “moderate”.
As part of his efforts to woo both Iranians and the West, Rouhani has previously said that a strong government does not “limit the lives of the people and has claimed that he believed social networking sites such as Facebook were a welcome phenomenon.
Ebadi, however, is not buying the new president’s seemingly moderate statements. Speaking to The Associated Press, she cited a dramatic increase in executions since Rouhani took office this year and accused the government of lying about the release of political prisoners.

"Jews have always stolen and looted"

Vetogate, an Egyptian news site, has an antisemitic screed that accuses Jews of a long history of thievery and crime - from gold in the time of the Pharaohs until today, when they are stealing, um, music.

The article by Mohammed Laithi says that Jews could never live with their non-Jewish neighbors. They lived separately in ghettos in Europe. The Haskalah movement, meant to integrate Jews in the countries they lived in, was a failure. The reason is, we are told, that it is forbidden for Jews to have any dealings with the gentiles.

On the other hand, we are also told that Jews have a love of money and would use usury and inflated prices to get rich at the expense of the neighbors who they had no contact with. They would even take over the economies of these countries from their ghettos, apparently, forcing their hosts to get rid of them.

Consistency is not a hallmark of antisemites.

Anyway, since Jews had failed to infiltrate these societies with haskalah, they then decided to steal Palestine, continuing on their love of stealing.

Laithi then detours back to Pharaonic times, noting that even then the Jews lived separately but that they stole jewels, gold and kitchen utensils from the Egyptians under the pretense that God wanted them to.

The Jews in Egypt only built mud storehouses in the cities of Pithom and Ramses, and had nothing to do with the Pyramids. Hardly proof of their technical superiority!

This wasn't the first time Jews stole from Egypt, obviously, since they stole the Sinai in 1967.

And now, after this litany of Jewish theft, we get to the latest outrage of Jews stealing from Egypt:

Their music!

Laithi links to 10 videos of Israeli artists singing Egyptian songs with Hebrew words. "If we assume that the Israelis are actually descendants of the sons of Israel, it is valid to say that they are addicted to stealing from the Egyptians."

This is not the first time that Arabs complained about Israel "stealing" their music (and cuisine, and clothing, and dances....) This video compares Arab tunes with the ones Israelis supposedly stole.

That specific charge, at least, appears to be true. In 2010 an Egyptian artist accused an Israeli of taking his tune, and the Israeli apologized and said he would be happy to give him credit. I don't know whether Israeli singers are generally open about taking tunes from Arab songs (UPDATE: Phil in the comments shows that they are.)

I somehow doubt that any Arab artist would sell the rights of a song to an Israeli Jew.

Even so, it is very funny that the punch line of a huge anti-Jewish article is the unauthorized taking of Arab music.

"Saudis ready to buy nuclear weapons from Pakistan"

In Time magazine, Fareed Zakaria wrote one of the dumbest columns I've ever read. He argues that the US shouldn't care if the Saudis are upset at Washington's incompetent Middle East policy, because Saudis have a terrible human rights record and are largely responsible for Wahhabi terrorism.

I was thinking of writing about it, but the BBC found a much better response.

The Saudis, alarmed that President Obama will not stop an Iranian nuke, are reportedly working on getting their own:

Saudi Arabia has invested in Pakistani nuclear weapons projects, and believes it could obtain atomic bombs at will, a variety of sources have told BBC Newsnight.

While the kingdom's quest has often been set in the context of countering Iran's atomic programme, it is now possible that the Saudis might be able to deploy such devices more quickly than the Islamic republic.

Earlier this year, a senior Nato decision maker told me that he had seen intelligence reporting that nuclear weapons made in Pakistan on behalf of Saudi Arabia are now sitting ready for delivery.

Last month Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israeli military intelligence, told a conference in Sweden that if Iran got the bomb, "the Saudis will not wait one month. They already paid for the bomb, they will go to Pakistan and bring what they need to bring."

Since 2009, when King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia warned visiting US special envoy to the Middle East Dennis Ross that if Iran crossed the threshold, "we will get nuclear weapons", the kingdom has sent the Americans numerous signals of its intentions.

Notice that Saudi Arabia never felt threatened by Israeli nuclear weapons, but the prospect of Iran with nukes is enough to start a nuclear arms race throughout the Middle East.

There are many other ways that Iranian nuclear weapons would change the world for the worse, but this one is immediate - and it was quite predictable. The BBC article notes the evidence that Saudi Arabia would acquire nukes if Iran develops them have been around for over a decade.

But the Saudis have a horrendous human rights record, so to Fareed Zakaria, who cares what they do?

Israeli video wins FIAT/IFTA award in Dubai, Arabs freak

Earlier this year I reported about the shameful actions of FIAT/IFTA, the International Federation of Television Archives. They did not complain when Dubai banned the Israeli nominee for their awards from arriving in the country an they decided to allow the ceremony to go forward anyway - and they even said this showed their "independency! [sic]"

Well the Israeli video, called "Israel: A Home Movie," won the Archive Achievement Award. Here's the entire ceremony; the award is at around 17:50. The award was accepted by what I believe is a FIAT/IFTA official.official.

The video itself shows archival footage of Israel's history through the eyes of ordinary people and their home movies. Here's the trailer:

At least one Arabic media outlet is enraged that the winner of an award given in Dubai dares say that Israel is the home of the Jews. It rails against the idea that these rich Jews, owning expensive movie equipment, came to Palestine to replace the "indigenous" Arabs. The movie shows Jews in these home movies having fun, their weddings and other family events - the sort of thing that home movies would show - which is a slap in the face of the suffering Arabs, according to the article.

Beyond that, the article asks, how can an Israeli work be honored on Arab land?

From what I could tell (I didn't watch the entire video nor the discussion afterwards ) FIAT/IFTA downplayed the fact that the Israeli director was not there, simply saying he couldn't be there without saying why or making a statement in favor of freedom and against Dubai's bigotry.

Video: Muslim women in Montreal attack Jewish man in coffee shop

I suppose he should have asked permission, but their reaction shows volumes.

(h/t Tarek Fatah/Judge Dan)

11/06 Links Pt2: Racism in Gaza, UK MP 'Israel should never have been created'

From Ian:

Black Palestinians shrug off racism

“Hey, chocolate,” “Hey, cappuccino,” “Hey, Galaxy [brand of chocolate],” “Hey, brown one” and “Hey, black one,” are jocular expressions used by some in Gaza when a man, woman or child of African descent passes by. Sometimes the racism is expressed nonverbally through looks. Gazans, however, seem unaware of this racism.
He said that they are originally from Sudan. His ancestors came at the beginning of the 20th century and lived in Palestine — in a village called Roubin, neighboring Jaffa — until 1948, when they were forced to migrate to the Gaza Strip. "But I never felt that I did not belong here. Palestine is the homeland I have always known, and is a homeland to about 10,000 other dark-skinned people in the Gaza Strip."
Ahmad remembers when he was a teacher in the late 1950s, and one of his colleagues invited everyone, except him, to a wedding. “That day, I felt embarrassed, and I decided that no one in my family would go through such an experience,” he said. (h/t BCF)

Inclusion of anti-Israel speaker at Berlin conference on ways to tackle anti-Semitism sparks uproar

The Jewish Museum – and a British professor accused of rejecting Zionism – faced withering criticism for their role in a slated event to mark the 75th remembrance of Kristallnacht later this week.
A who’s who of academic and human rights critics on Tuesday blasted Berlin’s Jewish Museum for hosting a conference with Oxford philosophy professor Brian Klug because he contends that Zionism, the founding philosophy of Israel, “prevents Jews from having a normal conception of their own life.”
German political scientist Dr. Clemens Heni told The Jerusalem Post, “Brian Klug is a bad choice as a keynote speaker at a conference on anti- Semitism because he denies that there is a new anti-Semitism. In his view this is a ‘myth,’ as he wrote in [New York-based magazine] The Nation.”

Barry Rubin: Why Most of the Mass Media Can't Report Honestly on Israel—or Other Middle East Issues

To report truthfully would require comprehending and communicating the following two paragraphs:
–Most Israelis believe, on the basis of their experience during the 1990s' Oslo era and with the "peace process" generally, that Palestinian leaders cannot and will not make peace, and that most Arabs and Muslims still want to destroy Israel. As a result, they explain, past Israeli concessions have made Israel's situation worse, risks to show that Israel wants peace have not persuaded onlookers, withdrawals from territory have only led to that territory being used to launch attacks on Israel. (h/t Norman F)

Honest Reporting: Razing a Racket

You’re the mayor of Jerusalem. And it all comes down to you.
You’re dealing with 11 illegally built Palestinian apartment buildings on your city’s northern outskirts. They’re within the municipal boundaries alright, but they’re outside the security barrier.
You rub your head at another only-in-Israel moment no other mayor in the world deals with. The apartments were illegally built. Heck, the cops even arrested a few Palestinians for fraud involving the land some of those buildings were built on. But it ain’t safe for building inspectors to travel outside the security barrier to neighborhoods like Ras Hamis and Ras Shehada, which is why the Palestinians managed to brazenly build nine and ten-story buildings now occupied by hundreds of people.

NYT Part II: Telling Readers How to Think About Palestinians

This passage follows the newspaper's overall pattern of downplaying Palestinian hate speech in what is already minimal coverage of the issue, by casting it as a debatable Israeli accusation in a longstanding fight. The last time the newspaper ran an article about the topic, in December 2011, it was headlined and framed as Israelis “finding fault” with Palestinians. That article focused more on attacking the credibility of and motives behind Israeli charges of incitement than it did on providing examples of Palestinian incitement.
It is telling that in this article, as well, The New York Times places the word “incitement” in quotation marks, qualifying it as a claim by Israel. In this way, the newspaper continues to avoid presenting the issue as straight, unvarnished fact. Nor does it accept the concept that Palestinians are guilty of terrorism. In sharp contrast to their qualification of the use of the word “incitement,” reporters adopt Hamas' justifying parlance as their own to describe terrorist attacks, notably without the use of quotation marks.

David Ward MP says, “Israel… should never have been created”

But last night Ward bemoaned his party again, stating, “Actually I never said that [Israel shouldn’t exist] but that it should never have been created.” His criticisms reportedly lay with the fact that he sees a difference between calling for the end of the Jewish State, and stating that it should never have been brought to existence in the first place.

Jenny Tonge attacks Israel for not obeying the Ten Commandments

Last night in Parliament (ex-Liberal Democrat) Baroness Jenny Tonge said “If they had only obeyed their own Ten Commandments and half the stuff in the Old Testament…Israel could have been a force for good in the world” (see clip here from 8 mins. 35 secs.)
Tonge was speaking at the Palestine Return Centre event Britain, It’s Time To Apologize for the Balfour Declaration.

Ireland: Israeli products marked with yellow sticker

A pro-Israeli activist residing in Dublin, Ireland, was shocked this week when he discovered that a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) organization had taped yellow stickers on Israeli products reading "For justice in Palestine, Boycott Israel".
Sources in the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said that the phenomenon is severe and it is not by chance that the BDS organization chose to express its protest with a yellow sticker – which is reminiscent of dark days of racism and incitement.(h/t Yenta Press)

NGO Monitor: NGOs and the Negev Bedouin Issue in the Context of Political Warfare

The conflict over Bedouin citizens of Israel and land claims in the Negev has become a major point of focus for many Israeli and international NGOs. The involvement of political advocacy NGOs in this complex issue has increased significantly, particularly after 2010, including reports, calls for action, media visibility and lobbying in frameworks such as the European Union and the United Nations. This activity contributes significantly to the demonization and delegitimization of Israel.

The UN’s hypocritical Human Rights Council: Bercovici

Israel’s group — Asia — is dominated by Arab and Muslim members which block its inclusion.
“This hobbled and undignified position in which … Israel uniquely finds itself is without doubt morally shocking; but it is also manifestly unlawful and constitutes a breach of both the letter and the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations … Israel’s continuing exclusion from the regional group system is both unlawful and strikes at the roots of the principles on which the United Nations exists.”
So declared Sir Robert Jennings, eminent Cambridge law professor and judge of the International Court of Justice, in a legal opinion in 1999.

UN Watch: Human Rights Politicized at UN: Hillel Neuer on CTV

Sounding the alarm: in an interview on Canada’s CTV, UN Watch’s Hillel Neuer calls on the U.S. and the EU to end their silence over the UN’s planned election next week of the world’s worst abusers to its highest human rights body.

Germany
Seized Nazi loot includes previously unknown Chagall

A hoard of more than 1,400 artworks found by tax investigators in a German apartment includes a previously unknown piece by Marc Chagall and works by some of the masters of the 20th century, authorities said Tuesday. Some of the works are believed to have been missing since they were seized by the Nazis.
Investigators searched the apartment in an upscale Munich district in February 2012, as part of a tax investigation that started with a routine check on a Zurich-Munich train in late 2010.

German spa withdraws ‘romantic Kristallnacht’ ad

In a statement issued Monday, the hotel owners apologized for their “insensitive naming of this event,” which was “extremely inappropriate.” They explained that they frequently tag part of their name, “Kristall,” onto their events.
“We are extraordinarily regretful and of course this was unintentional; believe us, we are quite ashamed about our mistake,” the statement said.

Israel’s NightSense Medical Device Start-Up to Protect Diabetics From Hypoglycemia When Asleep

Israeli medical device start-up NightSense has developed an application to alert sleeping diabetics if their blood sugar suddenly falls at night, a medical emergency called hypoglycemia, Israeli business daily Globes reported on Tuesday.
The company estimates that each day there are 200,000 severe hypoglycemic attacks, when insulin flushes sugar from the body faster than the patient can produce it, with 5 per cent of juvenile diabetes sufferers dying from it.

More women soldiers seeking to serve in combat units, IDF says

As of last year, 58.9% of the Caracal infantry unit, stationed on the border with Egypt, was made up of women, and 10% of Artillery Corps soldiers were women. The Border Police consisted of 6.3% women members.
Tavat-Vizel said that female soldiers serving in units such as those operating Iron Dome anti-rocket batteries and in Caracal have all expressed high satisfaction with their service.

Israel preps for massive air drill with US, Greece, Italy

The two-week exercise will take place at the Uvda air base, near the southern resort city of Eilat, and will include air crews from the United States, Italy and Greece, the IAF announced Tuesday.
The drill, which has been dubbed “Blue Flag,” will be modeled after the US Air Force’s annual Red Flag desert exercise. More than 100 aircraft will be on hand to participate in simulated dogfights and surface-to-air exercises.

Five years after near death, Israeli runs NYC marathon

As a commander in Operation Cast Lead, newlywed Aharon Karov almost died. Now he’s raising money for the organization that helped him get back on his feet
Crossing the finish line at Sunday’s New York City Marathon, the scarring on the left side of his head was barely noticeable. Aharon Karov, 27, completed the race in 4:14:31, an impressive feat for anyone. Especially someone who was critically injured five years ago and thought dead.
But his story begins even earlier, at a wedding.

From Al Ahram:

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation warned Israel, the occupying power, of igniting a religious conflict that it would bear the full responsibility for, if it goes too far in their attempts to divide the Al-Aqsa mosque and to allow Jews to pray inside the walls.

At their meeting the OIC adopted a draft ministerial decree that warns Israel, the occupying Power against acts that provoke the feelings of Muslims around the world through the dangerous escalation of its policies and sinful actions aimed at Judaizing and the division of Al-Aqsa Mosque and to allow Jews to pray inside the walls and in its areas. Legalizing such acts are serious and ...could ignite religious conflict that Israel bears full responsibility for. The OIC calls for the international community to rein in Israel, the occupying power, and force them to stop these attacks and serious disregard for peace and security in the region.

Either the OIC is saying that it supports starting a war over the Temple Mount, or they are saying that Muslims have no self control and cannot help their own violent tendencies.

Report: Qatari cement still going to Gaza, but Hamas is playing games with it

Palestine Press Agency - which is very anti-Hamas - publishes a scoop that cement is getting into Gaza via the Rafah crossing.

This seems to be the cement that Qatar had promised Hamas over a year ago, which had started entering Gaza via Rafah.

The article implies that the projects that Hamas is using the cement for are not necessarily the ones that Qatar earmarked it for. Qatar intended for the building materials to help build a new village and also for some infrastructure projects like repaving roads. Hamas seems to be using it for its own purposed (kidnappng tunnels, anyone?)

Hamas also appears to be selling the cement in order to gain some much needed cash.

Incidentally, the ability for Egypt to send any commercial materials through Rafah is in itself enough to prove that Gaza is not "occupied" by Israel, since Israel has no control over that border.