Israel sponsors UN resolution on agriculture; Arabs who would benefit abstain

From Jordan's Petra news agency:

The Arab Group at the United Nations abstained from voting on an Israeli draft resolution aimed at ostensibly improving the development of sustainable agriculture technologies.

The General Assembly approved by a recorded vote of 138 in favor to one against (Bolivia) and 34 abstentions, among which were the Arab states at the UN.

The representative of Saudi Arabia, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, said there was no reason to present the draft resolution as its content had been covered by a resolution previously submitted by the G77 and China. The resolution did not take into account the needs of the developing countries, including technology transfer requirements, financing and the elimination of obstacles created by agricultural commodities. There were many resolutions that requested Israel to refrain from its practice of occupation which were ignored by the occupying power.

Normally resolutions like  these are adopted by consensus. The Arab bloc requested the vote even though there was an automatic majority just from the cosponsors.

113 countries co-sponsored the resolution, the most that ever co-sponsored an Israeli draft resolution:

1 Albania 2 Andorra 3 Angola 4 Antigua and Barbuda 5 Argentina 6 Armenia 7 Australia 8 Austria 9 Azerbaijan 10 Belarus 11 Belgium 12 Belize 13 Benin 14 Bosnia and Herzegovina 15 Brazil 16 Bulgaria 17 Burkina Faso 18 Burundi 19 Cameroon 20 Canada 21 Chad 22 Chile 23 Colombia 24 Costa Rica 25 Cote D'Ivoire 26 Croatia 27 Cyprus 28 Czech Republic 29 Denmark 30 Dominican Republic

31 El Salvador 32 Equatorial Guinea 33 Eritrea 34 Estonia 35 Ethiopia 36 Finland 37 France 38 Georgia 39 Germany 40 Ghana 41 Greece 42 Grenada 43 Guatemala 44 Guinea 45 Guinea-Bissau 46 Guyana 47 Haiti 48 Honduras 49 Hungary 50 Iceland 51 India 52 Ireland 53 Israel 54 Italy 55 Jamaica 56 Japan 57 Kazakhstan 58 Kenya 59 Latvia 60 Liechtenstein 61 Lithuania

62 Luxembourg 63 Madagascar 64 Malta 65 Marshall Islands 66 Mexico 67 Micronesia 68 Monaco 69 Mongolia 70 Montenegro 71 Mozambique 72 Nauru 73 Nepal 74 Netherlands 75 New Zealand 76 Nigeria 77 Norway 78 Palau 79 Panama 80 Papua New Guinea 81 Paraguay 82 Peru 83 Poland 84 Portugal 85 Republic of Korea 86 Republic of Moldova 87 Romania 88 Rwanda 89 Saint Kitts and Nevis 90 Saint-Lucia 91 Samoa

92 San Marino 93 Serbia 94 Seychelles 95 Sierra Leone 96 Slovakia 97 Slovenia 98 South Sudan 99 Spain 100 Sri Lanka 101 Suriname 102 Sweden 103 Switzerland 104 Tajikistan 105 The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 106 Togo 107 Uganda 108 Ukraine 109 United Kingdom 110 United Republic of Tanzania 111 United States 112 Uruguay 113 Zambia

As far as the supposed Arab objections to the resolution, I asked Simonne Levavi, an expert on the topic and member of Israel’s mission to the U.N., whether they made any sense:

The representative of Saudi Arabia, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, said there was no reason to present the draft resolution because they claim agricultural technology is covered by another resolution submitted by the G77 and China, entitled 'Agriculture development and food security".

The truth is, that resolution was initiated after 2007, in an attempt to undermine the Israeli resolution. It is very general about agricultural technology and does not go into specifics.

The Arab Group also claimed that the resolution did not take into account the needs of developing countries, including technology transfer requirements. This claim is preposterous. The resolution clearly touches on the importance of supporting national efforts to foster utilization of local know-how and agricultural technologies in developing countries. It encourages international efforts to strengthen the capacity of developing countries to enhance the productivity and nutritional quality of food crops and animal products, to promote sustainable practices in pre-harvest and post-harvest agricultural activities and to enhance food security and nutrition-related programmes and policies that take into consideration the specific needs of women, young children and youth.

It was very clear that the Arab group was once again using this opportunity as a platform to demonize and delegitimize Israel.

Demanding a vote is unusual. Levavi told me that in the UN's economic and financial committee about 60 resolutions pass by consensus each year, with only about 4 that are submitted to a vote.

I also asked Levavi how this resolution could help Arab countries specifically:

The resolution on Agricultural Technology for Development focuses on capacity building, education and skills transfer – the essential building blocks of development. The vast potential of agricultural technology is proven through global initiatives already in place.

In recent years the people in the Arab World have been very vocal with their strong discontent with their social condition; people are hungry for change and thirsty for progress. Natural resources in most of these countries are abundant and highly unutilized; the possibilities are endless.

Last year Israel sponsored a resolution on entrepreneurship that had 97 co-sponsors and passed 131-31-11.

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12/06 Links Pt1: Terrorists in Israeli Jails study Genocide, Iran: The Mullahs Must Go.

From Ian:

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What You Can Lose When You Try Too Hard

In a sense, this is the greatest tragedy of Oslo. Despite its failure, no one on any side has any better ideas. It seems that it was not the Oslo concept itself that was flawed. Even the many mistakes made during the process, such as the fact that it was negotiated in secret, that it was pushed through the Knesset by a narrow margin, that its supporters felt it unnecessary to build a wide political consensus behind it, would not matter if it had succeeded—if the terrible “no” had not been uttered by Arafat at the end.
This “no” is what none of those involved in the peace process has ever really confronted or wanted to acknowledge. To a startling extent, all of the diplomatic efforts expended today by people like Secretary of State John Kerry are attempts to get back to the “no” and somehow reverse it. But there is little reason to think this will happen, mainly because the Palestinians still appear to regard a “yes” as something like a defeat. They do not seem to want a state through an agreement with Israel. They want to wrest it out of Israel’s hands. And, among some of them, a great deal worse than that.
It is this, more than anything else, that puts the lie to the claim that there is nothing to lose by negotiating peace. In fact, the concessions that must be made along the way can have terrible consequences. And at the end, one may well receive a “no.” Or a great deal worse than that. For the moment, it appears Israelis are less than enthusiastic about taking that gamble again.

We Really Need to Talk About Corruption

Today, American diplomats are falling all over themselves to placate the wrong Palestinian leaders. Washington’s goal is to reach a peace deal, pure and simple, even as the Palestinian government suffers from the same endemic corruption and abuse of power it always has. The failure to address these issues will inevitably give rise to the same wave of frustration that elected Hamas, an outcome that would threaten the very peace deal Washington hopes to foster. Furthermore, the best possible way to encourage the civil society needed for a stable state, let alone a durable peace, may be better achieved from the bottom up, rather than simply hoping that corrupt leaders will make it happen from the top down against the interests of their profitable patronage networks and their own continued enrichment.
In other words, administration officials continue to ignore the Palestinian struggle for good governance, despite the lessons learned from the election of Hamas and the Arab Spring movements that have recently toppled multiple Arab regimes similar to the PA.
Seemingly desperate for a peace deal and disinclined to challenge the Fatah leadership, Washington now appears only too willing to enter into yet another transactional relationship at the expense of a transformational one, and at the expense of a sustainable two-state solution.

Analysis: A tale of two Kerrys

The John Kerry that Israelis saw deliver a statement to the press following his meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday was not the John Kerry that they saw a short month ago in a joint television interview with an Israeli and Palestinian journalist.
That Kerry, the one from the interview with Channel 2’s Udi Segal and Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation’s Maher Shalabi on November 7, was the Kerry threatening Israel with a third intifada if the talks with the Palestinians collapsed.
That was the agitated Kerry who lectured about the settlements, pretty much placing the onus for a lack of movement in the talks with the Palestinians on Israel, and warning that if a peace agreement was not reached, Israel would face increasing isolation and delegitimization.
That was the Kerry who said, “Israel says, ‘Oh, we feel safe today, we have a wall, we’re not in a day-to-day conflict, we’re doing pretty well economically.’ Well, I’ve got news for you. Today’s status quo will not be tomorrow’s or next year’s.”

Trying to smooth over Iran feud, Kerry moves from sticks to carrots

Speaking at a press conference after his meeting with Netanyahu Thursday morning at the Prime Minister’s Office, Kerry went out of his way to please his host. “I join with President [Barack] Obama in expressing to the people of Israel our deep, deep commitment to the security of Israel and to the need to find a peace that recognizes Israel as a Jewish state, that recognizes Israel as a country that can defend itself, by itself,” Kerry said. “That is an important principle with which the prime minister and the president and I are in agreement.”
Kerry’s quasi endorsement of Netanyahu’s demand for Israel to be recognized by the Palestinians as a Jewish state does not signify a reversal on US policy. Back in March, Obama had said in Jerusalem that the “Palestinians must recognize that Israel will be a Jewish state.” But still, it’s music to Netanyahu’s ears every time he hears it, and Kerry knew exactly what to say to try to get back on “my friend Bibi’s” good side.

Palestinians reject US security ideas for peace accord

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity and declined to elaborate on the proposals, said Kerry presented them to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas after discussing them separately with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
"The Palestinian side rejected them because they would only lead to prolonging and maintaining the occupation," the official said, referring to Israel's hold on the West Bank, where, along with Gaza and east Jerusalem, Palestinians seek an independent state. (h/t MtTB)

Israel agreed to absorb 200,000 refugees, ex-Fatah leader says

Israel agreed to absorb 200,000 Palestinian refugees in its territory during the latter half of 2000, a former Palestinian security official and negotiator told The Times of Israel on Tuesday.
Mohammed Dahlan, the former leader of Fatah in the Gaza Strip and a Palestinian negotiator under Yasser Arafat, said that the Israeli position was put forth in the period between the failed Camp David peace summit in July 2000 and the presentation of the Clinton Parameters for a final status agreement in December of the same year.

Bedouin Issue Prompts More Hate in the Irish Times

The Prawer-Begin bill is a five-year economic development initiative seeking to regulate Bedouin settlement in the south of Israel. It aims for a compromise solution for tens of thousands of Bedouin currently scattered in unrecognized villages throughout the Negev, legalizing 63 percent of claimed land.
The plan has become a new cause célèbre for anti-Israel activists who have succeeded in reducing legitimate debate over a very real issue into yet another means to bash Israel.
Writing in the Irish Times, Eamonn McCann resorts to manipulation and falsehoods in an article entitled “Space for everyone in the history of the Negev – except the Bedouins.”

BBC claims Ben Gurion “opposed” the Partition Plan

The unsourced, unsupported BBC claim that Ben Gurion “opposed” partition has remained on its website for twelve years and it is clearly high time for that inaccuracy to be corrected. But it is no less relevant to look at the function of that inaccurate claim within the context of the article as a whole.
The only leader on either side named in that article is Ben Gurion and readers are informed that his and others’ ‘opposition’ to the Partition Plan stemmed from “their ambition was a Jewish state on the entire territory of Mandate Palestine”.

Dueling Arafat Reports Divide Palestinians — And Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reported last month that the Palestinian Liberation Organization chairman had died in 2004 after being poisoned — apparently confirming suspicions across the Arab world. The new report flatly contradicts that finding.
And internal Al Jazeera emails seen by BuzzFeed reflect deep internal concern about the network’s relationship with the former PLO leader’s widow, Suha Arafat, and with the scientific researcher involved in the report. “We should be bringing in another independent investigator. This is going to look biased,” one Al Jazeera journalist wrote.
The network Tuesday stood by its reporting, even as it carried the contradictory French report on its website.

Golan resident accused of passing information to Syria

The prosecution filed charges in the Nazareth District Court Friday against Majdal Shams resident Rafat Halabi, 28, lifting a gag order on the case.
According to the indictment, Halabi crossed into Syria three months ago to join the Bashar Assad regime in its fight against opposition rebels. He was arrested upon his return to Israel and interrogated by police and Shin Bet security service agents.

Favorite Course of Terrorists in Israeli Jails - Genocide

All topics of study for the jailed terrorists were approved by Prison Services, according to the document.
The course on genocide reportedly engages questions such as how genocide occurs and what historical processes and forces bring it into being. It also includes an attempt to understand how political regimes decide on genocide as their course of action.
In 2011, before the courses were cancelled, 323 prisoners enrolled in classes, 40% more than in 2010.
After Genocide, the most requested courses were Democracy and Dictatorship, Israel in its First Decade, Between Zion and Zionism, Introduction to Middle Eastern History in the New Era, Islam - Introduction to the Religion's History, and Introduction to National Thought. (h/t Yenta Press)

Hamas orders hanging of alleged Israel collaborator

A Palestinian man who allegedly provided Israeli authorities with secret information was sentenced to death Thursday by a Hamas Military Court in Gaza.
The man, whose identity remains unknown, will be publicly hanged, news site NRG reported.

Dare We Say It? The Mullahs Must Go

Khamenei knows that the greatest threat to his power comes from the Iranian people, who despise him and want to be free of his regime. They have long experience with self-government, they are the best-educated people in the Middle East this side of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and they are willing to fight. We should help them.
As the Greens wrote to Obama in 2009, “It is up to the countries of the free world to make up their mind. Will they… push every decision to the future until it is too late, or will they reward the brave people of Iran and simultaneously advance Western interests and world peace?”
To date, we have tried to come to terms with the regime and utterly failed to help the Iranian people; even though it wouldn’t be very difficult or expensive to do so. We should maintain sanctions, which send an important political message to the Iranian people, and we should openly support them, call for the release of political prisoners, broadcast accurate news about the Islamic Republic to them, work with the international trade union movement to support Iranian workers (tens of thousands of whom are not being paid on time), and relentlessly expose the crushing repression to which they are subjected and which has not improved under the new President, Hassan Rouhani. But above all, they should hear from us. To my knowledge, no Western government has contacted the Iranian opposition inside the country since shortly after the 2009 uprising. That must change.

Former Obama Adviser: White House Convinced Israel Not to Strike Iran in 2012

Dr. Gary Samore, the recently retired White House Coordinator for Arms Control and Weapons of Mass Destruction, told Israel’s Yediot Ahronot that the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama talked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu down from striking Iran in 2012 to harm its ability to develop nuclear weapons.
Dr. Samore is now a senior international affairs lecturer at Harvard University, and is visiting Herzliya this week, taking part in a conference on Israel’s overall strategy, Yediot said.

Hagel reassures Gulf allies that US not naive on Iran

The US is entering the new nuclear pact with Iran “very clear eyed” and it remains to be seen whether Tehran is serious about keeping its nuclear development peaceful, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Friday while on a confidence-building trip in the Persian Gulf.
Hagel spoke from the massive deck of the Navy’s USS Ponce. It gave him a platform to showcase America’s vow that its military commitment to the region remains strong and will not ebb as a result of the Iranian deal.

Battlefield lessons in Syria strengthen Hezbollah's fighting force

Fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have helped Bashar al-Assad's regime to stay in power and roll back some of the earlier battlefield gains made by the Syrian armed opposition.
Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian conflict, however, has had a spin-off benefit for the Iranian-backed organization: turning a new generation of young recruits into battle-hardened veterans. This experience should make them a more capable combat force in the event of another war against Hezbollah’s arch enemy – Israel.
Amid the grinding brutality of Syria’s war, analysts say Hezbollah combatants have learned valuable lessons in mounting offensive and defensive operations in urban and rural environments. They have learned how to coordinate with other forces, such as the Syrian army and loyalist paramilitaries; how to build supply lines to sustain long periods of fighting; and simply experience the rigors and chaos of combat.

Syrian Rebels Allege Assad Used Poison Gas

It’s been a particularly violent day in different hotspots in the world. First, out of Syria, the forces loyal to Syrian dictator Bashar Assad are being accused of using poison gas in Syria’s nearly three-year-old civil war.
These aren’t the first accusations since a massive chemical weapons attack on the outskirts of Damascus in late August nearly prompted a military response from the United States. While the reports are impossible to verify, two different rebel groups are leveling the charge.

Israel Completes 245 Mile, NIS 1.6 Billion Security Fence Along Sinai Border with Egypt

After three-and-a-half years of construction and decades of border infiltrations, the last section of the Sinai border fence between Israel and Egypt has finally been completed. Spanning 245 miles, from Rafah to Eilat, the final cost of the fence came in at NIS 1.6 billion ($450 million), one of the largest projects in recent Israeli history.

Time poll: Sissi ‘Person of the Year’

Egyptian General Abdel Fattah el-Sissi raked in the most votes in a Time magazine readers poll for the title of “Person of the Year,” beating out Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and American pop star Miley Cyrus, who placed second and third, respectively.
Sissi, who orchestrated the overthrow of Egypt’s first-ever democratically elected government earlier this year, received 449,596 votes, which comprised 26.2% of polled readers. Erdogan received 356,771 votes (20.8%) and Cyrus received 279,300 votes (16.3%).

Egypt Arrests Most Famous Christian Convert

Bishoy Armiya, Egypt's most famous Christian convert from Islam, has been arrested by national security forces.
Armiya, formerly known as Mohammed Hegazy, had fought publicly to change his religion on his identification card. He and his family had been running for their lives after Muslim leaders pronounced a death sentence against him.
In a 2010 interview, he told CBN News he had been jailed and tortured by Egyptian state security agents who wanted him to return to Islam.
Now Mideast Christian News reports he's been arrested again, this time for proselytizing.

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Belgian minister equates funding the PA to opening a local Holocaust museum

From the Antisemitism in Europe blog:

The Joods Actueel news site reports that in a speech given by Flemish Minister-President Kris Peeters, he indicated that the Flemish government opened the Kazerne Dossin museum, a Holocaust museum in Mechelen, as a favor for Israel.   

Peeters spoke at an UNRWA conference: "Trauma and Transformation: the Role of UNRWA for Palestine Refugees" last October.

In his speech Peeters said as follows: "Since the Flemish government pays specific attention to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, we decided to support various projects and programs, of both Palestinians and Israelis.  That is why the Flemish government supported the opening of the Kazerne Dossin museum last year, and in the same way we provide 150,000 euros annually for the Palestinians."   [Last month the Flemish government decided to increase funding to the Palestinians to 250,000 euros.]

Members of the Forum of Jewish Organizations who were present during Peeters' speech said they were 'surprised' about the comparison. 

Needless to say, the Holocaust museum is not a project Belgium undertook for Israel's benefit.  Belgium is not doing Israel a favor by teaching its own people about the genocide that took place in Belgium against Belgian citizens.  Does Peeters think he's doing Israel a a favor?  Does he think he's doing Belgian Jews a favor? 

Interesting mindset, isn't it? Instead of saying "we fund the PA and we fight against delegitimization of Israel" or "we fund the PA and we fight against ethnic cleansing of Jews from Judea and Samaria," he says "we fund the PA but we aren't antisemitic - look, we also fund a Holocaust museum!"

It is worthwhile to mention that a recent European audit of funds to the PA showed that billions of euros disappeared due to PA corruption.

In a way, Peeters' absurd comparison does highlight a simple fact that everyone knows but few are willing to say out loud. The "Palestinian-Israeli" situation is not about land or justice or democracy or freedom. It is a small part of the decades-old Arab war against the Jews. What Peeters is subconsciously saying is that Belgium wants peace so it funds Arabs and it also funds their enemies the Jews, to have some moral authority over them so they avoid war. Funding the Arabs alone wouldn't be fair, but money to Israel might end up going to the army or Jewish communities in ancient Judea or something that would cause riots.

Giving it to the Jews outside Israel is the safest practice to appear even-handed.

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Now Israel is blamed for potholes and cracks in the street

There have been torrential rains in Israel over the past couple of days (interestingly, immediately after Jews started adding an annual request for rain into their prayers.)

Gaza streets are flooded:

Naturally, with bad weather, potholes start appearing in the streets. In Israel, though, the Jews are behind everything.

A road in Silwan has developed cracks and potholes. 

According to numerous articles, the reason has little to do with the weather. No, these are special potholes, that have appeared because of Jewish archaeological digs in the City of David and the tunnels they are digging (they are uncovering ancient tunnels, not digging new ones.)

Every winter since the digs started, we are told, there have been street collapses and cracks.

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Is Iran preparing Islamic Jihad to run Gaza?

Reuters reported on Wednesday:

A Hezbollah commander who fought in Syria's civil war was shot dead outside his home in Lebanon on Wednesday in a killing which the militant Shi'ite Muslim group blamed on Israel.

Hassan al-Laqqis was shot in the head from close range by a silenced gun as he arrived home at around midnight in the Hadath district of Beirut, a source close to Hezbollah said.

Israel, which fought a 34-day war with Hezbollah in 2006, denied any role in the shooting and hinted that the motive may have been Hezbollah's military support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his war with Sunni Muslim rebels.

A previously unknown group, Ahrar al-Sunna Baalbek brigade, claimed responsibility for the attack in a message on Twitter. The claim could not be verified but the name of the purported group suggested Lebanese Sunni Muslim connections.

There are plenty of people in Lebanon who hate Hezbollah and attacks on the terror group have seen a large uptick.

Hezbollah's blaming Israel is entirely predictable, for two reasons. One is that its entire raison d'etre is to fight Israel, and the other is that Hezbollah pretends to represent all of Lebanon and the existence of an active and significant anti-Hezbollah contingent in that country exposes Hezbollah's political vulnerability.

Today, Islamic Jihad also blamed Israel for the assassination.

Its statement read, "The assassination of Lakis comes within the framework of an open war with the enemy...This cowardly assassination is a testament to the power of resistance in the face of the Zionist entity."

While Hamas and Iran have been at odds over Syria, and Iranian funding for Hamas has been largely curtailed, this statement indicates that Islamic Jihad is quite aligned with Iran. Islamic Jihad usually doesn't comment on Lebanese affairs, so this looks like Iran instructed PIJ to make this statement.

It would not be surprising if Iran is quietly building up Islamic Jihad to eventually wage a coup in Gaza against Hamas, as Hamas has been largely responsible for the current lull of rocket fire to Israel. Right now the two groups cooperate but that is more because of Hamas' stranglehold on Gaza than anything else. Many Islamists are chafing under Hamas rule and are itching to resume attacks on Israel (and probably Egypt's army as well.)

As Hamas weakens from its budget problems, the opposition voices will become louder. Islamic Jihad will probably act like the Muslim Brotherhood did in Egypt - wait for others to start the revolution, stay on the sidelines,  and then co-opt it at the eleventh hour. Outside of Hamas itself, no group in Gaza has anything close to the organizational maturity and infrastructure as Islamic Jihad.

If sanctions against Iran collapse and its oil revenues go back up, it could have a big effect on Gaza.

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Post Chanukah anti-semitism from Iran and Gaza

Iran's PressTV reported last month:

An exhibition of various forms of art created by the Iranian artists has kicked off in the Gaza Strip in Palestine, Press TV has reported.

Many Palestinian artists and people attended the opening gala that was held on November 18, 2013.

Organized by Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the recent exhibition is Iran’s second experience in holding art gallery in Palestine.

The event presents some 50 various murals and paintings by Iranian artists and also offers Iran’s cinema through screening some selected movies.

While the exhibition is part of The Third International Arts Festival of Resistance, the show is to promote the culture of resistance as well as highlighting the Islamic awakening.

The video that accompanies the story shows some of the art.



For example, I sort of like this one:

But at 0:18 of the video, next to a subtle painting of a chalk Arabic hopscotch board with blood artfully splashed on it, we can see about half of what looks like an intriguing piece of seasonal antisemitism:

I can't find the original online, so I don't quite know what the "candles" are. Missiles? Baby bottles being burned? (UPDATE: Commenter consensus is that they are bullets.)

The poster can also be seen in the background during an interview at 0:30.

Whatever it is, it once again proves that Iran and Hamas claims to be only against Zionism are quite bogus.

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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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