12/05 Links Pt2: Ending academic prejudice against Israel, NY councilor blames Jewish landlords for Knockout game.

From Ian:

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Top Clinton Associate Ducks Questions at Anti-Israel Book Event

The Clinton Global Initiative and a spokesperson for Bill Clinton did not respond to emailed requests for comment about Blumenthal’s role at the foundation.
Max Blumenthal dismissed the criticism of his book as “very predictable” during the question and answer session at Wednesday’s NAF event.
He also took a shot at top Clinton donor Haim Saban, who funds many pro-Israel causes.
“[Pressuring Israel] is almost off-limits now thanks to people like Haim Saban, who funded the construction of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Arlington … and who has been a major funder of the Obamas, the Clintons, and Terry McAuliffe,” said Blumenthal.

J Street Activists Defame Former IDF Spokesperson

What was not included in that op-ed is that the J Street U leader asking the question was Eli Philip, and that Philip and his J Street U colleagues were not just “not calm,” they were repeatedly disruptive and rude. But even more importantly, at least as a matter of honesty, is that Philip arrived more than an hour after Raz’s talk began. He missed entirely the groundwork of information already laid by Raz, which was the prelude to the statement Philip found so offensive.
But, actually, it’s worse than that. Because after Philip and his colleagues were so disruptive during Raz’s talk that there were calls for him to resign his student leadership position for having embarrassed the Brandeis community, Philip took to Facebook to announce what he called Captain Raz’s “lies” to the Brandeis community.

Bennett in Indonesia: Trade missions closed in western Europe to open new ones in Asia

Bennett was the first Israeli minister in 13 years to visit Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country. Shimon Peres visited there briefly in 2000 as minister of regional cooperation.
Addressing the conference in Bali, Bennett said that “economic ties can create bridges for peace,” and that as Israel’s minister of economy, “I anxiously await the day I can sit down and sign free trade agreements with all of Israel’s neighbors as well as other Arab and Muslim states in the wider region.”
A number of Arab and Muslim delegates were in the plenum when Bennett spoke, and no one demonstratively walked out.

Israeli minister on rare official visit to Turkey

Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz landed in Turkey on Wednesday night, launching the first official visit of an Israeli minister to the country since bilateral ties nosedived in the wake of a deadly raid on the Mavi Marmara ship in 2010.
Peretz arrived in Istanbul to participate in an environmental conference, Channel 2 reported.

United Church of Canada Launches BDS Campaign

The United Church of Canada, the country's largest Protestant denomination, this week launched its "Unsettling Goods" campaign to boycott three Israeli companies, Ahava, Keter Plastics and SodaStream, all of which have factories in Judea and Samaria.
Aside from urging its members to boycott the three companies, the United Church intends to pressure Canada-based marketing chains Canadian Tire, The Bay, Home Depot and Walmart to stop carrying the Israeli products.
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) denounced the church's boycott, noting "the church does not currently have any campaigns which address the ongoing slaughter of Christians in Muslim countries around the world, nor does it make any statement of support that recognizes Israel's right to exist."

Narrowing Academic Freedom, Discriminating against Israeli Nationals

The boycott proponents writing in the Journal of Academic Freedom, including great and respected historian Joan Scott, hold out a starkly radical and genuinely narrowing view for universities that dialogue in the global academy should be open only to those who agree on what are right beliefs and identify themselves with a specific political agenda, that of postcolonial progressives. They do so by seeking to set up a method of exclusion that is discriminatory based on nationality, and which, since these folks no doubt would include Israeli Arabs but exclude Israeli Jews, is also racist. They seek to narrow, not broaden, the conversation, and they seek to bar from contact with American faculty and students and university communities Israeli academics and journalists who have special expertise to share. It would be horrific if anyone in the AAUP or on American campuses were listening to them at all.

Ending academic prejudice against Israel

Moreover, the boycotters fail to recognize that Israeli academics do not necessarily agree with the political decisions of their government, and that they may share some of the views of the boycotters about the Palestinians.
It is time for the AAS , the ASA, and all academic and professional bodies, to recognize that academic freedom is precious. Institutions and individuals within them should be judged on the basis of their ideas and work, not on their nationality or religion.
If they truly care for “Palestinian civil society” the critics should be building bridges, not boycotts. They ought to remember the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “don’t use solutions that don’t solve.”

StandWithUs Statement About the Anti-Israel Incidents at SFSU

Unfortunately, these incidents expose the extremism, irrationality, and menace that often underlie anti-Israel activities on our campuses. Pro-Israel students feel targeted and threatened. This is unacceptable, just as it would be if blacks, Hispanics, gays, or other minorities were targeted and bullied.
We hope that President Wong sets an example for other universities so that the safety of pro-Israel students is ensured and so that contentious topics can be reasonably discussed without degrading into hatemongering, incitement, or violent rhetoric and threats.

Canned Palestinian Children Meat

It has to be understood that the Nazis were also idealists and that it is no coincidence that among Hitler’s greatest fans were German college students who believed in their souls in the rightness of the cause. When students of Arab descent go onto American campuses, today, and rally against the Jews of the Middle East they are continuing a tradition of blood libel and hate they goes not only to the history of Nazi Germany, but to Muhammad, himself, in the 7th century.
Apparently, however, I am not the only one who felt that way. Shortly after I departed SFSU, Laurie Zoloth, Professor of Ethics and Director of Jewish Studies at San Francisco State at the time, had a similar experience. As noted in a New York Post article by John Podhoretz, dated May 14, 2002:

“I cannot fully express what it feels like to have to walk across campus daily, past posters of cans of soup with labels on them of drops of blood and dead babies, labeled ‘canned Palestinian children meat, slaughtered according to Jewish rites.’ “

What is anti-Semitism? EU racism agency unable to define term

Campaigners against anti-Semitism said the document is significant because alongside classical anti-Semitic behavior, it lists the vilification of Israel or Israelis, which some scholars call “new anti-Semitism.” The definition lists “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” and drawing comparisons between Israel and Nazis as examples of anti-Semitism.
Shimon Samuels of the Simon Wiesenthal Center told JTA that the agency’s “disowning of its own definition is astounding” and that “those who fight anti-Semitism have lost an important weapon.” He also said the “Union’s about-face on its own definition damages its credibility.”

A Frightening Portent for New York City

There is a new City Council member from the neighborhood in Brooklyn called Crown Heights, which is ethnically the city’s most interesting—a mix of blacks mostly of Caribbean origin and ultra-Orthodox Jews mostly from the Lubavitch Hasidic sect. Her name is Laurie Cumbo, and this week she decided to take to Facebook to express some thoughts about the recent spate of violent “knockout game” attacks in which passers-by find themselves being struck hard in the face by someone’s fist for no reason. She reports that at a community meeting called to discuss the violence, she said this:

"many African American/Caribbean residents expressed a genuine concern that as the Jewish community continues to grow, they would be pushed out by their Jewish landlords or by Jewish families looking to purchase homes. I relayed these sentiments at the forum not as an insult to the Jewish community, but rather to offer possible insight as to how young African American/Caribbean teens could conceivably commit a “hate crime” against a community that they know very little about."

Her insight into why a thug would punch a 19 year-old Hasidic kid in the face in the middle of her district while his friends watched, in other words, boils down to Jewish money. Cumbo knows she is treading on delicate ground here, so she attempts to mitigate the damage: “I respect and appreciate the Jewish community’s family values and unity that has led to strong political, economic and cultural gains.” And then she went all in: “While I personally regard this level of tenacity, I also recognize that for others, the accomplishments of the Jewish community triggers feelings of resentment, and a sense that Jewish success is not also their success.” (h/t Jewess)

Sydney: Two Assailants Named Over Anti-Semitic Attack

Spartaco Marciano Di Bella has pleaded not guilty to affray – an offense of fighting or terrorizing people in a public place – reported Australia's ABC news.
Di Bella, 23, left Waverley Court on crutches Tuesday, after his bail was continued.
Robert Tamaki Clifford, 26, is charged with affray, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and having a knife in a public place and remains in custody.
Two 17-year-olds, who cannot be named, were also charged.

Broadcom CEO’s success recipe: Israeli start-ups and hockey

When communications chip giant Broadcom needs to develop a new technology for its customers, it scours the world looking for start-ups, and often, according to Broadcom Chairman Henry Samueli, “we end up finding those companies in Israel.” In fact, he said, “it’s actually somewhat amazing — no matter what technology we need, there is usually an Israeli company already doing it, and they are often the best in the world at it.”
In an exclusive interview, the usually reticent Samueli (he gives about one interview every couple of years, on average) discussed some of the current and future technologies and challenges that California-based Broadcom faces, as well as the contribution of Israel to the company’s success. He also talked about how the hockey team he runs contributes to Broadcom’s success.

Yeshiva University researchers show radiation can kill HIV

Typically, those suffering from AIDS, the incurable disease caused by the HIV virus, are treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), a cocktail of drugs that “keeps the virus from multiplying by killing the virus in the bloodstream” but doesn’t flush out HIV because it can’t “completely eliminate the HIV-infected cells in which the virus can replicate,” YU’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine said in a press release Tuesday.
But by using radioimmunotherapy (RIT), a team from the Albert Einstein College was able to “reduce HIV infection to undetectable levels” in the majority of blood samples taken from HIV patients who were being treated with antiretroviral therapy.

Begin Prize awarded to NGO Monitor

The Menachem Begin Heritage Center awarded NGO Monitor the Begin Prize Wednesday night for "the organization's efforts exposing the political agenda and ideological bias of humanitarian organizations that use the discourse of human rights to discredit Israel and to undermine its position among the nations of the world."
The award was also given to Abraham Foxman for his work as Anti-Defamation League director and to iconic Israeli actor Chaim Topol for founding and running the Jordan River Village camp for kids suffering from serious illnesses.

Gal Gadot is Hollywood’s new Wonder Woman

Israeli It girl Gal Gadot, AKA the hottie from “The Fast and the Furious,” has a new title: Wonder Woman. She will play the Amazonian princess warrior in the new untitled Batman-Superman pic, Variety reported Wednesday night.
The mega Justice League flick, which will star Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill and open in July 2015, is being directed by Zack Snyder, the man behind “Man of Steel.”

World's largest menorah lights up Tel Aviv sky

The eighth 'candle' was 'lit' Wednesday night on the World's Largest Menorah, lighting up the sky next to the Reading power station in north Tel Aviv.
The menorah, created by Israel Electric Corporation, is made up of nine aerial platforms including the Shamash ('attendant' candle) which reaches the furthest at a height of 28 meters, and eight lower lights each at 22 meters.

Morton's Hanukiya for IDF Soldiers


19th Century Photos of Jerusalem Now Digitized by New York Public Library

The digitizing of vintage photographs continues in archives and libraries around the world. Last year the New York Public Library digitized its photographic collections and posted them online. The photos in the Library's Dorot Jewish Division include hundreds of 19th Century pictures of Jerusalem and Palestine.
Below we post several of the pictures taken in the first years of photography by pioneers such as Félix Bonfils and Auguste Salzmann. The images were captured by their early cameras while the region was under Turkish role, and years before World War I, the emergence of the Arab nationalist movement, Theodore Herzl's Zionist movement, and the creation of the State of Israel.

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The Bedouin plan (ElderToon)

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Radio Canada ombudsman admits anti-Israel bias

From the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (Canada):

Radio-Canada’s news department should “change its attitude towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” says the Ombudsman of the CBC’s French-language service in his annual report released today, adding that there were“ this year again, very real problems with the coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict with regards to the Palestinian question.”

In the past 6 years, CIJA filed dozens of complaints about egregious instances of factual errors and bias that regularly undermine the public broadcaster’s coverage of Israel and the Palestinians, the overwhelming majority of which were upheld by the Ombudsman. CIJA also met with senior managers at Radio-Canada to raise concerns about its last correspondent in Israel who was blamed on some 10 different occasions by the Ombudsman for erroneous and biased reporting.

Honest Reporting Canada, which was named along with three other pro-Israel groups in the ombudsman's report, translated some relevant passages from the French:

There were thus, again this year, very real problems with the coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

That said, we cannot pretend that the work of journalists at Radio Canada , whether radio , television or the web , was not scrutinized by a very well organized lobby which was as determined as it was effective. This attention has had the merit of at least identifying the elements of the coverage which the management of news and information needs to improve. I am realistic: In a file as difficult and thorny as this, other errors, unfortunately, will be made.

I am aware of the efforts that have been made since my report last year to improve the situation. But there need to be more, perhaps changing their attitude towards the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.

After all, this conflict has existed since the creation of Israel in 1948, even before, and nothing and no one really seems to want or be able to break the stalemate . I have in the past invited the leadership to think in this direction. I repeat this invitation , knowing that this is an ongoing process that belongs solely to it.”

One interesting staistic in the report: On all other topics, the percentage of corrections after complaints hovers around 2%. For the Israel-Arab conflict, it is an astounding 16%. Considering how reticent the media is to ever issue a correction, this is quite high. It indicates not only that the bias is endemic but also that the Israel-supporters in Canada are documenting their complaints very well.

A small victory but an important one.

(h/t Manny)

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12/05 Links Pt1: Pallywood: How Palestinians turn stone throwers into victims, Hamas Calls for 3rd Intifada

From Ian:

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NYT: U.S., Stepping Up Role, Will Present West Bank Security Proposal to Israel

American officials plan to present the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, with detailed ideas about security arrangements on the West Bank under a possible peace agreement with the Palestinians, senior State Department officials said on Wednesday.
The presentation is to be made to Mr. Netanyahu on Thursday by John R. Allen, the former American commander in Afghanistan and a retired Marine general who serves as an adviser to Secretary of State John Kerry on the Middle East peace talks.

Obama’s Plan Won’t Persuade Palestinians

While lamenting his lack of military leverage over Israel, Erekat stated again that despite even the Obama administration’s acceptance of the idea of territorial swaps that would accommodate Israeli settlement blocks, the PA’s idea of a two-state solution remained the “1967 border.” But aside from inflexibility on territory rooted in a desire to ethnically cleanse the West Bank and much of Jerusalem of hundreds of thousands of Jews and refusing to disavow the “right of return” for the descendants of the 1948 refugees, Erekat also signaled that any peace deal would not end the conflict: (h/t NormanF)

Mr. Erekat told the diplomats that the Palestinians could never accede to Israel’s demand that they recognize it as the nation-state of the Jewish people. “I cannot change my narrative,” he said. “The essence of peace is not to convert each other’s stories.”

Why is Erekat’s stance so crucial?
Palestinian apologists dismiss Israeli demands that the Palestinians simply accept that whatever territory is left to the Jews after a theoretical deal is a Jewish state as irrelevant to a deal. What difference, we are asked, does it make whether the Palestinians accept Israel as the Jewish state so long as they accept the concept of peace and take what is offered them? But it does matter so long as the Palestinian leadership continues enable a political culture that is rooted in rejection of Israel’s legitimacy.

Amman said to back Israeli demands on Jordan Valley

Jordan has been pushing the United States to support Israel’s position that it needs to maintain a security presence in the Jordan Valley under any agreement with the Palestinians.
Israel is expected to coordinate with Amman to drive home the message this week to the Americans — especially Secretary of State John Kerry, who was in the region Thursday for talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials — that keeping the IDF on the Jordan River is crucial to regional stability, a Thursday report in the Israeli daily Maariv said. (h/t Yoel)

Danny Danon: 'Tell Obama: No, We Can't'

"Secretary Kerry is coming to Israel again. We cannot count how many times he came already. We welcome him to Israel but we should tell him very clearly – we will not sign an interim agreement that will put the lives of Israelis in danger.
"We saw what happened in Geneva. A bad accord was signed in Geneva. We will not sign another bad accord with the Palestinians,” he said, referring to the deal reached between western powers and Iran over the latter's nuclear program. That deal has been lambasted by Israeli leaders for being too lenient on the Iranian regime as it pursues a suspected nuclear weapons program.
Danon added that Israel "cannot compromise our security" for "another ceremony in the White House".

Erekat: Israel is trying to sabotage the peace process

Prosor: Palestinians 'playing games' in peace talks
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that the resignation of Palestinian negotiators this week from peace talks with Israel is a "pretext to exit the talks."
Prosor called the move a strategic tactic— either to genuinely sabotage the talks, or to cajole more concessions from the Israeli government.
"Playing games is a no-no," Prosor said, especially in light of the murder of an Israeli soldier at the hands of a 16-year-old Palestinian in Afula.

‘Arafat is still dead’: Guardian ‘mentions’ French report that he was NOT poisoned

The French report found that Arafat’s death in 2004 was caused by the effects of “old age following a generalised infection”, and ruled out the possibility that he was poisoned. In contrast to the paper’s saturation coverage of the Swiss findings, Sherwood’s latest story on the new report was not featured on the Guardian’s home page, and was consigned to page 19 in the print edition of the paper.
Of course, the conclusions of the French team are not at all surprising in the context of many facts previously revealed about the case,

BBC amplifies Hizballah propaganda yet again

Just a couple of weeks ago the BBC was amplifying Iranian propaganda on the subject of the terror attack on the Iranian embassy in Beirut – see here and here. In this article (as well as in a separate one) it now adds Hizballah propaganda to its cocktail of unfounded accusations surrounding that incident.
The BBC clearly has a problem knowing how to relate to the streams of all too predictable propaganda regularly produced by regimes and terrorist organisations in the Middle East. Its current practice of uncritical repetition and amplification of baseless rumour, conspiracy theories and propaganda is clearly incompatible with its obligation to “build a global understanding of international issues” and its self-declared aspiration to “remain the standard-setter for international journalism”.

More Pallywood: How Palestinians turn their stone throwers into victims

In the past couple of weeks there have been an increasing number of incidents involving Palestinian stone throwers. In the worst case, two-year-old Avigail Ben Zion suffered a head injury after her mother’s car was stoned in Jerusalem’s Armon Hanatziv neighborhood.
But injuring Israeli toddlers distracts from the Palestinian narrative of perpetual victimization. This might go some way to explaining this story published today (December 4) by the Palestinian Information Center: (h/t Bob Knot)

Palestinian Terrorists Determined to Kidnap Israeli Soldiers

Since the beginning of 2013, terrorists have attempted dozens of kidnapping attacks, and their motivation to abduct soldiers remains high. The goal of their efforts is clear: to trade IDF soldiers – captured dead or alive – for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
On October 18, 2011, Israelis everywhere celebrated the release of Sergeant First Class Gilad Shalit after five years in terrorist captivity. On that day, Hamas terrorists freed SFC Shalit – an IDF soldier whom they kidnapped in 2006 – in exchange for about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Despite the overjoyed reaction in Israel, the threat of kidnapping has remained high ever since. Until today, Palestinian terrorists view the capture of SFC Shalit as a key accomplishment, increasing their determination to kidnap Israelis and trade them for Palestinian prisoners.

Police nab 6 alleged accomplices in soldier’s death

Six suspects were arrested Wednesday in connection with the murder of IDF soldier Eden Atias three weeks ago, following a joint investigation by police and the Israel Security Agency.
The suspects will reportedly be charged in the coming days with illegally employing, assisting, and hosting the accused killer, 16-year-old Hussein Sharif Rawarda.

Dutch Parliament Approves Motion to Shame PA for Rewarding Terrorists

The Dutch Parliament approved a motion that had been under discussion since 2011, calling on the government to pressure the Palestinian Authority to end its practice of offering financial incentives for killing Israelis in terror attacks.
The motion, passed by an overwhelming majority, noted that PA payments to convicted terrorists increase based on the length of sentence, encouraging even more heinous crimes to reap the full benefit. The wording referenced how monthly payments to Palestinians in prison can range from €282 ($208) for someone jailed for less than three years to up to €2,419 for a sentence of 30 years or more.

PMW: Released prisoner: "We'd chat, talk, eat, drink, joke and play"

Israel recently released 52 of 104 imprisoned terrorists to accommodate the Palestinian Authority's precondition to return to negotiations. Palestinian Media Watch documented that the terrorists, who were all murderers, were received by the PA leadership as heroes. As part of its ongoing glorification of the terrorists, PA TV interviewed Asrar Samrin who was serving a life sentence for the murder of Israeli Tzvi Klein (Dec. 3, 1991). The murderer explained that "the first question all Israeli media ask every released prisoner is: 'Do you regret what you did or not?'" His answer was:

"Through the great PA TV, I say to the Israelis: There is no Palestinian who did something for the homeland and his nation who will regret it. We don't regret what we did and we will not regret what we did."

Hamas Interior Minister Calls for Third Intifada and Declares: We Will Establish Islamic Caliphate

In a public address in Gaza on November 13, Hamas Minister of the Interior Fathi Hammad proclaimed: "We shall liberate our Al-Aqsa Mosque, and our cities and villages, as a prelude to the establishment of the future Islamic Caliphate." In the address, which was broadcast by the Hamas Al-Aqsa TV channel, Hammad called on Fatah to cease negotiations with Israel and declared: "We shall be coming with a third Intifada, an armed revolution, a Jihadi revolution," in which "Gaza and the West Bank will fuse together, along with our brothers within the 1948 borders... in order to uproot the Jews."

Kissinger, Shultz: Under Iran Deal, Previously Illegal Activity is Accepted as Baseline

For 10 years, U.N. resolutions and International Atomic Energy Agency directives called for a full halt to all of Iran’s uranium enrichment and plutonium production, and unconditional compliance with nuclear inspections, but now, what “was previously condemned as illegal and illegitimate has effectively been recognized as a baseline,” former U.S. Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and George Shultz wrote in an Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
“And that baseline program is of strategic significance. For Iran’s stockpile of low-enriched uranium is coupled with an infrastructure sufficient to enrich it within a few months to weapons-grade, as well as a plausible route to producing weapons-grade plutonium in the installation now being built at Arak,” the two experts in statecraft wrote of the recent agreement reached between wold powers and Iran.

Iran Arrests 16 for Helping 'Anti-Government Websites'

The official IRNA news agency quoted Ahmad Ghorbani, a local prosecutor in Kerman in southeast Iran, as saying the 16 are facing charges of cooperating with Western and anti-Iran news networks.
Ghorbani did not say when the 16 were detained but said confessions obtained during interrogations prove the charges against the defendants.
The 16 were not identified by name, but were accused of providing materials to websites seeking to topple Iran's Islamic ruling system, according to AP.
IRNA's report said some of the defendants had attended training sessions in Turkey and Malaysia.

Former Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. and Former Intelligence Chief Prince Turki Al-Faisal to Obama: Wake Up, Sleepy One; U.S. and Saudi Arabia Experiencing Crisis of Confidence


Despite Denials By Iranian Regime, Statements By Majlis Member And Reports In Iran Indicate Involvement Of Iranian Troops In Syria Fighting

Recently, the Iranian media has published numerous reports about Iran's extensive military involvement in fighting for the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, including reports on funerals of Iranian troops killed there. Nevertheless, the Iranian regime is sticking to its story that it is not involved in any way in the fighting, and rejecting Arab and Western countries' accusations that it is doing so. The Arab countries' position was reflected in statements by Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal, whose country is Iran's leading critic on this issue, during a November 4, 2013 meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, where he demanded that Iran withdraw both Iranian and Hizbullah forces from Syria.

IDF using life-saving new field treatment for Syrian war wounded

He did reveal, however, that dozens of Syrians have been given a new life-saving treatment that the IDF has recently introduced into the medical corps but has yet to use on an Israeli soldier. Holding a glass bottle of freeze-dried plasma, he said that blood loss, within the first hour after injury, is the primary cause of death for soldiers in the field. Ordinary plasma, known as fresh frozen plasma, must be kept at a minimum of -25 degrees Celsius and is therefore only administered at hospitals with the appropriate freezers. The FDP, made by the German Red Cross, can be kept in a simple refrigerator or even at room temperature. Mixed with IV fluid, the powdered unit of plasma can be intravenously introduced to a patient within minutes.

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"Sharia the source of all legislation" in Libya

And it was the "moderates" who pushed it through!

Libya’s national assembly voted on Wednesday to make Islamic law, or sharia, the source of all legislation, in an apparent bid by moderate Islamists to outflank ultra-conservative militants who have been gaining influence.

...[L]awmakers suggested at least part of the reason for the statement from the General National Congress (GNC) was political.

As in Tunisia and Egypt, where autocratic leaders were also ousted in the Arab Spring revolts, Libya has seen fierce debate over the role of Islam in its new democracy with the rise of ultraconservative Islamists long suppressed by Qaddafi.

The hardline group Ansar al-Sharia, blamed for the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, has been attempting to extend its influence, and has accused some assembly members of being un-Islamic. Its militants have clashed with the armed forces in the east of the country.

So to head off the Islamists, the "moderates" decide to embrace Islamism.

And we all know how easily ultra-militant jihadist hardliners are appeased by things like this.

The constitutions of other Arab countries that are not yet Islamist would generally say something like Sharia is a main source of legislation, not the only source.

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PA arrests prominent businessman who insulted Abbas

From Khaled Abu Toameh at Gatestone:

Palestinian businessmen planning to invest in the West Bank economy have once again been reminded of the challenges facing anyone who wants to do business with the Palestinian Authority.

One of the businessmen, Mohamed Al Sabawi, a Canadian investor of Palestinian origin, was this week arrested by Palestinian Authority policemen in Ramallah after publicly criticizing Mahmoud Abbas.

Al Sabawi, 68, is Director-General of the Ahlia Insurance Group, a firm that employs hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank. His arrest is seen as part of a campaign by the Palestinian Authority to intimidate and extort money from prominent and wealthy businessmen who seek to help strengthen the Palestinian economy.

Palestinian Authority policemen raided Al Sabawi's office and arrested him on suspicion that he had called on Palestinians to topple Abbas.

Al Sabawi was held for nine hours at a police station in Ramallah, where he was accused of "insulting" Abbas and "obstructing" the work of police officers.

The second charge relates to an incident on November 18, when officers belonging to the Palestinian Authority's Presidential Guard stormed the building housing the Ahlia Insurance Group in order to occupy the roof as part of measures to secure the visit of French President François Hollande to Ramallah.

Al Sabawi tried to prevent the security officers from entering the building, but to no avail. Frustrated, he declared in front of TV crews, "The people want the downfall of Mahmoud Abbas!"

Al Sabawi probably thought that his status as a prominent investor would provide him with some kind of immunity. Of course, he turned out to be wrong.

It is not unusual for the Palestinian Authority to crack down on Palestinians who dare to criticize Abbas. Over the past few years, a number of Palestinian journalists, bloggers and politicians have been targeted by the Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank for publicly criticizing Abbas, especially through social media networking.

But clamping down on journalists and bloggers is not the same as arresting or intimidating businessmen and investors. The case of Al Sabawi will undoubtedly scare potential investors and convince them that investing in Ramallah and other Palestinian cities is a dangerous idea.

Once again, human rights NGOs are silent. They will sometimes mention that Fatah and Hamas police arrest members of the other group, but arrests because of insulting the president is not a problem. There is a bigger narrative, you see, and Israel is the real problem; everything else is just a distraction.

(h/t Josh K)

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"Human rights organizations" ignoring Rafah crossing

Maher Abu Sabha, Hamas' director of the Rafah crossing into Egypt, said that Egypt promised to open the crossing next week, although it was unclear exactly when or for how many days.

The crossing, the only direct connection between Gazans and the Arab world, has been closed for seven days in a row and has been open only sporadically for months. Even when it is open, only a fraction of the daily passenger traffic allowed under the previous Egyptian regime has been allowed to trickle through in both directions. The average number of travelers allowed to cross in June averaged over 1800 people daily, but in November during the days Rafah was open the number of people allowed across averaged closer to 100 a day - in either direction. This includes patients who need to go to Egypt for medical reasons. This is far less than the number allowed to cross the Erez crossing into Israel.

This is roughly a 95% reduction in the ability of Gazans to travel to Egypt.

Here is a calendar of Rafah's status since the end of October:

Rafah Closure Calendar October-December 2013

S	M	Tu	W	Th	F	S
Oct 27	28	29	30	31	Nov 1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Dec 1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14

If you look at the websites of major human rights organizations and search for "Rafah," however, you will find very little.

Amnesty International last mentioned Rafah in its annual report on Israel in May, before the regime change, and they used it to condemn Israel:

More people were able to travel through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt than during previous years, despite continuing restrictions, but permits for travel to the West Bank remained rare and difficult to obtain, even for patients requiring urgent medical treatment.

It is clearly an issue that Amnesty tracks - and there has been utter silence from them.

Human Rights Watch similarly only briefly mentioned Rafah in their annual report on Israel in January, saying that Egypt was improving in that area. Since the coup - not a word.

Notice also that when Egypt improves something, it is worth mentioning; when things get worse, it isn't. Which is the exact opposite of the case with Israel, which over the past couple of years has done numerous things to help ordinary Gazans - working with farmers to help them export crops, increasing exports of goods from Gaza, spending money to improve the Kerem Shalom crossing, and more. None of that is mentioned.

Oxfam is the only major human rights NGO that has mentioned Rafah, very briefly, in the last paragraph or its report on Gaza a year after Cast Lead:

The agency also called on the Government of Egypt to ensure that official crossings at Rafah are open for Palestinian people and goods.

It does not elaborate on how Egypt has effectively closed Rafah during the year.

From reading the material on these sites, no one would have any idea that Egypt has turned Gaza into a prison - the wording routinely used to describe Israel's actions in Gaza. The situation is clearly familiar to these organizations and they are deliberately ignoring it, while writing dozens of reports condemning Israel. Its reveals that the human rights of Gazans takes a back seat to condemning Israel, in the eyes of these NGOs.

The bias could not be clearer.

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IDF helps arrange day trips for Palestinian Arab kids with cancer

From COGAT:

Last Friday (22.11.13), Palestinian children with cancer were treated to a daylong outing with their families in Tel Aviv. The day was organized by the organization Salemetcom as well as the Staff Officers of the Health Department in the Civil Administration. The day provided the children with a brief respite, some time to forget about the treatments and hospital routine they go through every day. In order for these children to be provided with the best healthcare possible, their specialized oncology treatment in the Israeli hospital Hadassah Ein Kerem is coordinated between the Health Office of the Civil Administration and the Palestinian Authority Health Office.

The day began with a trip to the Florentin Circus in Kfar Yarok where the children enjoyed the rides and attractions available there, although the clear favorite was the soap bubble pool. Snacks was provided by the large array of culinary options that the Circus had available, and lunch was then had on the Jaffa Promenade. The day concluded with a beach party for all the families that had been arranged specifically for them.

There are many sick Palestinians who receive top notch healthcare in hospitals within Israel, due to the fact that the health infrastructure of the Palestinian Authority is still developing, and not always able to provide for all of their constituents. COGAT ensures that those who are not able to be treated by the Palestinian Authority are given all that they need to receive the treatment they need. The coordinator of the Health Office for the Civil Administration, Daliah Bassah, is responsible for all aspects of coordination and communication between the respective sides.

"I believe that both the children and their families received a unique experience today, something that is not always possible for children with these medical conditions" said Bassah. "Medical treatment is not just about the actual medicine, there must be more. There also needs to be something that gives them the strength to keep fighting".

"We in COGAT try to do everything we can in order to ease the way that these children receive their treatment, so that they can save their strength for fighting their illness" concluded Bassah. "From days like today, these children get renewed strength that provides them with hope for many more days".

Salametcom appears to be run by Jerusalem Arabs, as far as I can tell. Good for them.

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American Studies Association endorses BDS (poster)

We reported on the American Studies Association debates on boycotting Israel. They are now recommending an academic boycott.

From the ASA:

(1) Whereas the American Studies Association is committed to the pursuit of social justice, to the struggle against all forms of racism, including anti-semitism, discrimination, and xenophobia, and to solidarity with aggrieved peoples in the United States and in the world;

(2) Whereas the United States plays a significant role in enabling the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the expansion of illegal settlements and the Wall in violation of international law, as well as in supporting the systematic discrimination against Palestinians, which has had documented devastating impact on the overall well-being, the exercise of political and human rights, the freedom of movement, and the educational opportunities of Palestinians;

(3) Whereas there is no effective or substantive academic freedom for Palestinian students and scholars under conditions of Israeli occupation, and Israeli institutions of higher learning are a party to Israeli state policies that violate human rights and negatively impact the working conditions of Palestinian scholars and students;

(4) Whereas the American Studies Association is cognizant of Israeli scholars and students who are critical of Israeli state policies and who support the international boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement under conditions of isolation and threat of sanction;

(5) Whereas the American Studies Association is dedicated to the right of students and scholars to pursue education and research without undue state interference, repression, and military violence, and in keeping with the spirit of its previous statements supports the right of students and scholars to intellectual freedom and to political dissent as citizens and scholars;

(6) It is resolved that (a) the American Studies Association (ASA) endorses and will honor the call of Palestinian civil society for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions. It is also resolved that (b) the ASA supports the protected rights of students and scholars everywhere to engage in research and public speaking about Israel-Palestine and in support of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement.

You truly need to be an academic to be so stupid as to endorse this.

1) The ASA clearly doesn't believe in "social justice" for Israeli Jews.

2) Besides the obvious falsehoods that are taken as a given, if they say that the US is complicit in all these supposed crimes, chouldn't US academic institutions be boycotted as well?

3) Really? No "effective or substantive academic freedom" under the PA? So all the graduates of Palestinian Arab universities are being taught Israeli propaganda? Or are they simply no graduates because of that onerous "occupation?"

4) Really??? Criticism of professors who want to see Israel disappear is against academic freedom???

5) Exactly how free are students in Palestinian universities to espouse pro-Israel positions? How many pro-Israel professors are there? Where are the published papers and articles that support the existence of Israel as a Jewish state? How much intellectual freedom really exists in the very universities the ASA pretends so much to care about?

a) Is there any logical or causal relationship - at all - between the earlier clauses and the resolution?

But the second part is simply classic. It seems to be an override clause - if any Israeli academic supports BDS, then they are allowed to act with no restrictions.

In other words, the ASA doesn't just endorse BDS. They are against academic freedom for any Israelis who oppose BDS!  Their position is the only valid position in academia - and this is in the name of academic freedom!

The mind boggles.

In case your eyes glazed over trying to find the tiniest amount of logic in this nonsensical resolution, I have taken the liberty to synopsize it for you:

If you are an ASA member and want to vote against this travesty of a resolution, or you know an ASA member, the webpage is here.

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12/04 Links Pt2: UK should expel Richard Falk, Norwegian Group apologizes to Israel for Oslo

From Ian:

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Hillel Neuer: Why the UK should expel UN official Richard Falk

This evening in Britain, Richard Falk – the UN official whose mandate is to investigate “Israel’s violations of the principles and bases of international law” – will speak at the University of East Anglia, at the invitation of a Green Party activist.
Months after Britain denied entry to two U.S. bloggers whom it accused of promoting anti-Islamic sentiment, it is far from clear why the government is now applying a double standard by welcoming Falk – a notorious Hamas supporter, 9/11 conspiracist, and promoter of anti-Semitic theories, cartoons, and books – whom the UK government itself has officially condemned on at least three separate occasions for promoting what it described as anti-Semitism.

Norwegian group coming to Knesset to apologize for Oslo Accords

The group will be delivering an apology for the Oslo Accords, which passed in 1993 and 1995, to Deputy Knesset Speaker Gila Gamliel (Likud), the co-chair of the Knesset’s Christian Allies Caucus and a vigorous opponent of the accords from the start. They will also apologize for other policies of their government.
“Forgive us Israel as a nation for the Oslo Agreement dividing up the Land of Israel, for the money from Norway ending up supporting terrorist organizations, for not moving our embassy from Tel Aviv to Israel’s eternal undivided capital Jerusalem, for not standing up to defend Israel in a world with increasing hostility, and for the anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist attitude of politicians and media in Norway,” the apology says.

German football club FSV Frankfurt ends Saudi airline contract because of Israel boycott

The Frankfurt-based FSV second league football club terminated its advertising contract with the Saudi Arabia airline "Saudia“ because the airline refuses to sell tickets to Israeli citizens. The Berliner Morgenpost reported the termination on Wedneday in an article titled “Second division Frankfurt ends sponsorship because of anti-Semitism.”
“Despite the request of FSV for a statement to the allegations , Saudi Arabia’s airline , as a state-owned Airline, referred the matter to the Saudi Arabia embassy in Berlin. For this reason, both sides decided to cancel the contractual relationship,” said the FSV club.

Edwin Black Uncovers Terrorist Financers in the U.S.

Americans tend to think of a 501(c)(3) tax exemption as the “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval” from the U.S. Government, indicating that the organization does work of which the government approves. Not necessarily.
In Financing the Flames, Edwin Black reveals his meticulous research on “human rights” organizations that use charitable funds for distinctly non-charitable purposes. Incitement, promotion of boycotts, lobbying, and the delegitimization of the IDF and the state of Israel among both Israelis and the international community are their common characteristics. B’Tselem and the New Israel Fund (NIF) are thoroughly dissected financially and ideologically; NIF’s open political lobbying in the U.S. is particularly well documented and should call its tax-exempt status into question.

BBC Plugs Jihadi Charities

Much of the media seems to subscribe to the naïve notion that honorable endeavors attract only those with honorable ideas. Even if these Islamist charities solely pursue charitable objectives, however, they have apparently planned a supplementary purpose for these convoys: establishing terror-aligned Islamism, through the provision of social welfare, as an indispensible component of an anti-Assad Syria.
This phenomenon is not even new: it has been examined before in a piece about Interpal -- a British charity that works with the Palestinian terror group, Hamas -- in which it was made clear that charitable support for terror groups' social services only helps justify and fund the terror groups' violence.
An important step towards tackling this problem would be an undertaking by members of the media -- especially the BBC, funded by taxpayers -- to start living up to their minimal professional obligations by taking a straightforward look at the ideas and persons behind these charitable groups, which they falsely portray as paragons of virtue.

Ambassador Is Proxy Target for Israel’s Foes

Moreover, the administration should be glad that in Dermer they have someone with a direct line to the prime minister. If there are further misunderstandings between the two countries, it will clearly be due to the White House’s decision to ignore the Israelis rather than any miscommunications. Though Israel’s critics would prefer to have someone in Dermer’s place who would soft-pedal the country’s valid positions on life and death issues, the idea that the ambassador is disqualified because of his American connections says more about a desire to silence or marginalize him than it does about his suitability for the job. (h/t NormanF)

Harriet Sherwood refers to future Israeli cities in the Negev as “Jewish settlements”

First, as with all Israeli cities, citizens of all faiths will be permitted to live in all new communities built in the Negev, and it is therefore inaccurate to describe them as “Jewish”.
Even more noteworthy, however, is her use of the word “settlements” to characterize these future towns. These new cities, such as Hiran (currently a cluster of Bedouin encampments in what’s called Umm al-Hiran, 30 km from Beer Sheva), will be established in the Israeli Negev – that is, within the state’s boundaries as they were envisioned even under the UN Partition Plan of 1947, and as the boundaries were established under the 1949 armistice agreement.

Islamic Movement: All Negev Lands Belong to Islam

In an official statement released earlier this week, the movement blessed the violent protesters, calling them "heroes" for their "honorable battle stance" against the "fascist" Israeli government. The movement claims that Israel is "racist" for trying to "expel the Arabs from the Negev and confiscate the their land."
"We oppose and condemn the plans for the establishment of Jewish villages on Arab land to be confiscated in the Negev, and we see that [Israel has] a record of sadism, racism and contempt for all the Arabs."

Arabs Accuse Israel of Deploying Trees as Soldiers in the Negev

Arabs in Canada tried to protest an appearance by Canadian Prime Stephen Harper at a Jewish National Fund of Canada event because trees that the JNF plants are “soldiers in the Zionist army of occupation,” the website of the Yediot Acharonot newspaper reported.
Harper has staunchly stood in support of Israel more than any other leader in the world and plans to visit the country in January for the first time as Prime Minister.

A bad week for “Britain’s powerful Israel Lobby”

Then Universities UK produced a document on preserving free speech in universities and in one section the document gives a case study on what to do in the event that any speaker is disrupted. Remarkably, it is British Jews who are the transgressors in this fictional case study.
Case Study 4 “Israel and Palestine” describes how a university’s Jewish society and the local synagogue have expressed concerns about a pro-Palestinian speaker. The local Rabbi has even written to the local paper. During the event “there are concerted attempts to shout the speaker down and prevent him from speaking”. People are asked to leave and do so voluntarily (see page 30 of said document).
I have never heard of British Jews actually trying to prevent a pro-Palestinian speaker from speaking. It is pro-Israel speakers who are regularly shouted down as was the case recently in Sheffield when protesters stormed the stage at the Model United Nations student conference while Israeli deputy ambassador Alon Roth-Snir was speaking.

EU threatens to punish both Israel, PA if peace talks fail

One EU official said that "if the talks fail, the European Union will stop its annual aid to the Palestinian Authority." Such a drastic measure, which would cut about 300 million euros ($407 million) in annual funds, would likely cause the Palestinian Authority to collapse.
The same source warned that Israel would also suffer should the talks fail. He said 14 EU member states, including the U.K. and France, are ready to start labeling products from West Bank settlements differently than products manufactured within the Green Line. Despite the warning, the decision could take some time, as all 28 member states need to back such directives.

Abbas Threatens to 'Take Action' Against Israel if Talks Fail

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has warned that the PA will "take action" against Israel via international bodies if peace talks fail, ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry.
"The talks are going through great difficulties because of the obstacles created by Israel," Abbas told visiting Arab journalists late Monday at his headquarters in Ramallah.

Palestinian Authority Won’t be Part of International Olive Council This Year

Opposition by Germany and Britain to the Palestinian bid to join the International Olive Council has forced the Palestinian Authority to freeze their application in applying to become a member state of the intergovernmental Madrid-based organization. The Palestinian Authority Foreign Ministry in Ramallah prepared the application this past summer in order to be voted upon at the annual olive council meeting held in Madrid last week.

Toronto Globe and Mail Flouts Its Editorial Code of Conduct

Elder of Ziyon exposed Bell's biased column and Israeli media-watcher, Yisrael Medad, after confirming that Seideman was indeed stoned by Arab perpetrators, contacted Bell about his erroneous column. The author responded that the initial information he received was "incorrect' and that "corrective action" was taken.
Of course, this excuse is ludicrous. To pen an entire column premised on unconfirmed information is certainly unprofessorial, not to say, unjournalistic. It remains to be seen whether or not The Globe and Mail will publish a correction and apology to its readers, or whether it will continue to flout its own editorial guidelines.

There they go again

The departments have claimed their move doesn’t imply an endorsement of White’s toxic views. Instead, they simply consider White’s perspective on Israel so insightful that Brooklyn’s students should take time out of their busy schedules to hear him speak.
So what is it that two Brooklyn departments, acting in their official capacities, deem of such import? In 2006, White tried to rationalize the indefensible, after former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad publicly proclaimed that Israel should be “wiped off the map.” The figure two Brooklyn academic departments now support expressed the opinion that “Ahmadinejad had not necessarily, as many assumed, called for an apocalyptic battle to wipe out the Jews.” Instead, White mused, Ahmadinejad was merely expressing his concerns about “Palestine’s cartographic absence.”

BDS This: 10 Israeli exports you already love

Next time someone starts in on the Boycott, Divest and Sanction crap, show them this list.
These Israeli exports may even be better than Bamba.

Exports to Turkey register significant rise

Chemical exports to Turkey noted a significant, 66 percent rise in 2013, amounting to $1.8 billion, making it Israel's third-largest market. Exports to Asian markets dropped by 4% overall, and the report pegged China as Israel's fourth-largest market.
Israel's exports to the European Union were up 4% overall. Exports to Spain rose 32%, making it Israel's eighth-largest market.

Israeli treatment cures man of tremor

Sami Zangi suffered from essential tremor for 15 years.
The involuntary shaking in his hands was so bad that he could not successfully bring a glass of water to his lips or a pen to piece of paper. In November, treatment with focused ultrasound beams developed and commercialized by InSightec appears to have cured Zangi.
Israeli doctors hope he will be the first of many to benefit from the technology.

Israel Electric Corp Trains Computer Enthusiasts to Stop Foreign Hackers in ‘Cyber Gym’

Israel Electric Corp is training hackers how to defend against cyber warfare at a new state-of-the-art “Cyber Gym,” behind the Orot Rabin power station, AFP reported from Hadera, Israel.
“Israel, we believe, is the most-attacked country,” Cyber Gym director Ofir Hason told AFP. ”And as the most-attacked civilian company in Israel, this gives us the unique capabilities to train other companies around the world to defend against system hacking.”

Israeli Start-Up Alcobra Develops New Treatment for Attention Deficit Disorder

Israeli pharmaceutical start-up Alcobra Pharmaceuticals is listed on the NASDAQ electronic stock exchange under the ticker ADHD, the disease it treats with a non-stimulant compound that is expected to come to the market in 2015.
In an interview with Israeli business daily Globes, CEO Dr. Yaron Daniely explained how the company was originally created in 2008 to develop the molecule metadoxine to help inhibit the effects of alcohol on the brain.

New insights could keep allergy and autoimmune cells out of the bloodstream

A group of Israeli researchers has found a mechanism to keep an allergy- and autoimmune disease-causing type of white blood cell from entering the bloodstream. The discovery represents a breakthrough in the understanding of the immune system and suggests a powerful new treatment approach for common conditions such as asthma.
The problematic white blood cells, called eosinophil granulocytes, are part of the immune system that fights infections. However, when eosinophil cells become overactive, they trigger many forms of asthma, gastrointestinal diseases, blood disorders and even cancers.

World's Tiniest Menorah Built By Hebrew U Lab

In honor of Hanukkah a physics laboratory at Hebrew University in Jerusalem has built the world's tiniest hanukkiah (menorah for Hanukkah). The hanukkiah, which is the size of a dust speck, demonstrates the revolutionary abilities of the lab's Nanoscribe system.
The Jerusalem-based laboratory, part of the Peter Brojde Center for Innovative Engineering and Computer Science, focuses on applying scientific discoveries into ground-breaking technology.

London marks 75th anniversary of Kindertransport

“It was the festival of Hanukkah. The transports left in the evening… the authorities didn’t want the population to know what was going on. So, after we lit the candles my father blessed us and then we made our way to the station,” says Ruth Jacobs, who, together with her brother Harry Heber traveled by Kindertransport from Vienna to Britain in December 1938.
Although a bewildering and traumatic experience — the siblings, then 10 and seven, were initially separated — theirs was a relatively fortunate story. Ruth’s foster family eventually took in her parents as domestic help and they arrived in Britain in August 1939. Their grandmother with whom they had lived in Austria perished in Auschwitz.

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Chanukah video post #8: Julie Geller, "I Believe in Miracles"

An appropriate way to end the series, with an original song:

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Suha Arafat's lawyer says they'll ignore French, Russian reports

From Al Jazeera:

French investigators have concluded in a report that Yasser Arafat died of natural causes and ruled out the possibility that he was poisoned, a source told Al Jazeera.

"The analysis cannot lead us to affirm that Arafat died of polonium 210 poisoning," reads the report, according to the source, who has seen it. The report comes to the same conclusion the French reached in 2004 - that Arafat died of a brain hemorrhage and an intestinal infection.

A similar forensic test conducted by Russian scientists, who were invited to participate by Palestinian Authority officials, was inconclusive.

I had never seen the Russian report, but Al Jazeera put its conclusions online last month:

Considering that within the framework of mathematical, cross-disciplinary inter-disciplinary modelling the results were re-verified and included into the artificial modules structure and the working hypothesis was not confirmed, the working hypothesis regarding the subject's death being caused by penetration of 210Po into his body was recognized as unsubstantiated.

Here's the best quote:

Suha Arafat’s lawyer, Djabbar, alleged that the French investigators followed “a very conservative, narrow approach” to their analysis of Arafat’s remains. He added: “I tell you one thing, for us, the only show in town is that of the Swiss.”

The Swiss methodology, of course, was very suspect, as this article in Wired mentions.

Suha's lawyer, however, simply says that the flawed study is the "only game in town." Because to him, truth is meaningless; you are free to pick and choose the data that helps you and ignore the rest.

Which is, in a nutshell, the entire historical Palestinian Arab experience.

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