12/09 Links Pt2: My awful Palestinian ‘history’ lesson, Seinfeld’s kibbutz days

From Ian:

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My awful Palestinian ‘history’ lesson (Part 1)

I’ve done some real soul-searching recently. By that, I mean trying to balance my understanding of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. My understanding of the Israeli narrative is deep and personal, so recently I endeavoured to understand the Palestinian narrative on the matter. In order to do this, I went to the Hamas-run “Palestinian Info Center” in the hope that I’d get some background on their perspective so I might understand their claim better.
I went straight to the page “the History of Palestine”. The introduction was not meant for ‘any’ target audience- only Muslims. It was not only historically dubious, but most disturbingly it was rich in anti-Semitic allegations.

Who Is Destroying Al-Aqsa Mosque?

"The officials themselves and the staff members are the reasons," one of the Mosque's Muslim security staff said. "This chaos and indifference rolls down from the senior officials here who enjoy huge salaries compared to the average staff member."
He pointed at scaffolding stretching to the Mosque's dome, "You see these scaffoldings? They [the officials] put them up to claim maintenance work is being done in order to beg donors for money. These scaffoldings have been there for years with nothing done... The sheikh here just takes photos of them to show to donors. "
He points to two large donations boxes at the center of the mosque. "Look at the donation boxes here; they collect an average of one million shekels ($284,000) per month. We have no clue where that money goes...The poor and the needy never get any of it."

NGO Monitor: Economic cooperation or economic warfare?

Economic warfare against Israel, also known as “BDS” (boycotts, divestment, sanctions), is a central component of a strategy developed by NGOs at the 2001 UN Durban Conference aimed at demonizing and isolating Israel internationally. The Dutch government has publicly denounced BDS initiatives, stating that they directly contradict Dutch policy and harm peace efforts.
Yet, there are at least 17 NGOs receiving Dutch support that actively partake in blatant anti-Israel BDS campaigns. Groups such as Addameer, Defense for Children International – Palestine Section, and Miftah, endorsed the 2005 Palestinian Civil Society Call for BDS against Israel.

Is Ireland Obsessed with Israel?

However, there is one volatile region of the world that hasn’t left the Irish political consciousness since the 1970s. I am of course talking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – an issue so divisive that it can send an ordinarily placid, peace-loving hippy into an apoplectic fit of rage. Ireland has an internal and external image of being very pro-Palestinian whilst also being very anti-Israeli. We were deemed the most “hostile country in Europe” in 2011 by the Israeli foreign ministry after an over-the-top pantomime performance on Grafton Street where activists portrayed IDF soldiers as Nazis – a particularly insensitive and hard-hitting insult to the majority Jewish state.
This begs the question: why are we as a nation so obsessed with a land over 4000 km away, with which we have no historical ties? Surely we should be more concerned with getting our own back yard in order? Let’s examine several theories often put forward to explain this peculiarity.

The Lancet: Injecting Politics Into Medicine

Each year, UK medical journal, The Lancet, publishes a series of special reports exploring health conditions in the Palestinian territories. The journal is regarded as a prestigious publication and submitted articles are peer reviewed.
The Lancet’s 2013 report contains some 35 contributions, most of which, at first glance, appear to deal with quantifying genuine medical issues without unwelcome politicization. A closer look, however, reveals that the journal is still tainted with anti-Israel bias.

American Studies Association leaders to members: Dear Mindless Sheep

I may have left the impression that the American Studies Association’s academic boycott was a done deal, but so far the only thing that has passed (albeit unanimously) is a vote of the organization’s leadership to jettison academic integrity for the sake of narrow, partisan interest. Whoops! I mean to preserve academic integrity by opposing it for just one group, Israelis (but just the Jewish ones) in solidarity with “Palestinian Civil Society.”
Finalizing the deal will involve a ratification of this decision by the membership of the organization, and just as the BDSers took no chances when they stacked the deck of the committees responsible for the original decision and ensured a lopsided number of voices heard during that debate supported the leadership’s preferred outcome, they then went on to minimize chances that the hoi polloi of the American Studies Association (i.e., the scholars they were elected to represent) get in the way of their political crusade.

When Did the Quakers Stop Being Friends?

Such beliefs and activities are a tragic betrayal of the AFSC’s own history and religious origins. It may be that a movement like the Quakers, which has seen its numbers dwindle along with other liberal Protestant denominations, sees anti-Zionism as a last resort; a movement with powerful emotional appeal on which it can draw in order to maximize its power. If so, then it has undone a great deal of the good it once did, and substituted hypocrisy and bad faith instead.
Once a byword for humanitarianism and faith, it has now become, in effect, a brand—one on which the AFSC can trade as it exploits the putative neutrality and pacifism it stands for in order to advance hostility toward Israel and, with its promotion of the “right of return,” an end to Israel itself.
In the end, the AFSC’s story reflects the tensions between pacifism and politics, between aid work and political activism, and between neutrality in the Middle East conflict and religious anti-Zionism. It demonstrates that small religious movements are susceptible to hijacking by radicals, and suggests that pacifism may inevitably engender its opposite. The organizations slide has been a long one, and at the moment it shows no sign of or interest in reversing it. Today, only the “inner light” of individual Quakers will bring about change.

BBC silent on doubling of terror attacks since renewed ME talks

In a recently published summary of terror attacks carried out in November 2013, the Israel Security Agency notes a rise in the number of attacks. In Judea & Samaria, 107 attacks took place (compared with 99 in October) and in Jerusalem 53 attacks occurred (compared with 32 in October). The majority of incidents in Judea & Samaria and in Jerusalem – 135 out of a total of 160 – were attacks with fire-bombs, whilst twenty-one of the attacks involved the use of improvised explosive devices and two were small arms shootings.
A look at the statistics provided by the ISA for the months July to November 2013 shows that the number of terror attacks taking place in Judea & Samaria and Jerusalem since the renewal of direct negotiations between Israel and the PLO on July 29th has more than doubled.
The BBC’s consistent under-reporting of terror attacks against Israeli citizens in Judea & Samaria and Jerusalem means that BBC audiences are – in contravention of the BBC’s public purposes remit – unaware of the context of the doubling of the number of attacks in the months since the renewal of talks, just as they are also largely unaware of the continued missile attacks from the Gaza Strip and security incidents along Israel’s border with Syria for the same reason.

Welcome to Hebron: Leave Your Preconceptions At the Door

Even as Palestinians throw fire bombs and commit acts of violence in Hebron, our soldiers risk their lives to uphold freedom and security for all of the city’s residents. In the face of constant attacks, our values prove stronger the violence against us.
The city of Hebron is one of the oldest cities in the Middle East. It is the spiritual center for the three Abrahamic religions, and where Abraham purchased the Cave of the Patriarchs in order to bury his wife Sarah, according to the Bible. The city has held great significance throughout the ages and has been ruled by a large number of kingdoms and empires.

IDF Blog: POV video: What Is It Like to Be Attacked By Rocks?



Agence France-Presse Whitewashes Palestinian Murderer in Mandela Tribute

Agence France-Press, a global news service to which many publications (including Breitbart News) subscribe, whitewashed the crimes of jailed Palestinian activist Marwan Barghouti on Friday, in publishing his tribute to the late South African leader Nelson Mandela. Nowhere in AFP's article did it mention the fact that Barghuti was convicted of murder in connection with three terrorist attacks against civilians, including one inside Israel.

Al Jazeera Fires Reporter Who Questioned Objectivity of Arafat Coverage

Investigative journalist Ken Silverstein, who joined Al Jazeera two months ago and co-wrote the network’s November scoop about a team of Swiss scientists that found unusual traces of polonium-210 in Arafat’s bone samples, was fired after he refused to travel to Paris to cover the pending release of a French laboratory study on Arafat’s bone samples, multiple sources familiar with the situation told the Washington Free Beacon.

Antisemitic reporter Mira Bar-Hillel pens op-ed (on antisemitism!) for The Independent

Get it? Bar-Hillel not only comes to the risible conclusion that British newspapers don’t provide enough coverage of Israel, but that this putative dearth of coverage is inspired by fear of being labeled antisemitic.
Of course, her working theory is undermined by recent studies on British media coverage of Israel (and, more specifically, the Guardian’s own data) which demonstrates quite the opposite: that news relating to the Jewish state represents something approaching an obsession to UK editors, reporters and commentators.
Conclusive proof that British papers don’t fear accusations of antisemitism can of course also be found in the simple fact that Indy editors felt no hesitation in publishing an essay – on the topic of antisemitism – by a journalist who has admitted to possessing an antipathy towards Jews.

Downplaying the Holocaust -- Sulzberger & NY Times: Anna Blech at TEDxHunterCCS

Anna Blech won first prize at the New York City History Day competition for her research paper, "Downplaying the Holocaust: Arthur Hays Sulzberger and The New York Times." For this paper, she also was awarded The Eleanor Light Prize from the Hunter College High School Social Studies Department and membership in the Society of Student Historians. (h/t Jewess)

Analysis: Israel’s Economic Dominance of the Middle East; Foreign Currency Reserves Dwarf Neighbors

“Israel’s ability to put spare cash in the bank for emergencies very much signifies that the Israeli economy is growing, especially compared to its Arab neighbors,” said Professor Joseph Pelzman, the Institute for International Economic Policy the Elliott School, George Washington University Professor of Economics, International Affairs and Law, in Washington, D.C., and a permanent visiting professor at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, in Be’er-Sheva.
“What I found fascinating is that the world hasn’t really understood how marvelous the Israeli economy has become and, obviously will expand much faster, as its natural gas makes Israel a participant in the global energy business — and this because of the anti-Israel sentiments on many international levels that have worked to preclude Israel from being recognized,” Professor Pelzman said.

OECD chief: Other nations can learn from Israel's economy

The Finance Ministry said the OECD report highlighted Israel's robust economic growth, low unemployment rates and a strong high-tech industry. But the report also cited a low average living standard compared to other leading OECD countries, acknowledging ongoing environmental challenges.
"OECD membership is very important to Israel, helping us deal with social and economic challenges," said Lapid, standing alongside Gurria. "Israel will continue to maintain high levels of growth and financial stability."
The secretary-general called Israel's economy "strong," and encouraged Israel to work toward incorporating its benefits into all segments of society. He said other OECD members could learn from Israel's managing of its economy.

Israel, Jordan, Palestinians to finally build Red-Dead pipeline

Representatives of the three parties to the agreement – Israel’s Minister for Regional Cooperation Silvan Shalom, Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation Hazem Nasser, and Palestinian Authority Minister for Water Shaddad Attili – were scheduled to gather at the World Bank in Washington for an official signing ceremony.
“We’re talking about a historic process that realizes a dream of many years,” Shalom told Yedioth Ahronoth, which broke the story. “We have here strategic cooperation of national significance between Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority.”

Seinfeld’s kibbutz days

Other notable celebrities have also experienced kibbutz life. Sigourney Weaver rebelled against her parents at the age of sixteen, and ended up in Israel for a short three weeks’ stay. Bob Hoskins picked oranges and bananas at Kibbutz Zikim. Sacha Baron Cohen (Ali G / Borat) volunteered at Rosh Hanikra and Beit Haemek for a year in the late 1980s. British actress Helen Mirren volunteered on a kibbutz for 6 months after the Six Day War. American Congresswoman Michele Bachmann spent a summer volunteering on Kibbutz Be’eri at the age of 18 in 1974.

One Soldier’s Choice to Join the Jewish People and the IDF

Private Meir Ben Dror was born Matthew Pasualito, and in the past two years has adopted a new name, tongue, religion and home on his path to enlistment.
With a beaming smile and pronounced Italian accent, Private Meir Ben Dror yelled, along with about 600 graduates of the Mikve Alon Hebrew Training Base, “I have no other country [but the land of Israel].” Meir, whose birth name was Matthew Pascualito until he moved to Israel, has taken a truly unique path.
Meir grew up in a secular Catholic family in Venice, Italy but never felt a special closeness to the religion he was born into. “I cannot say I left Christianity to convert. I simply joined the Jewish people,” he shares. “I feel like I was born Jewish, as if I was a part of this from the first day of my life. Throughout the holidays, I feel as if I’ve been eating pomegranates on Rosh Hashanah, fasting on Yom Kippur and sitting in the sukkah all the years of my life.”

From Alaska to the IDF, With Love

Six years ago, Channah Kopel of Efrat suggested that her local knitting group make hats for IDF soldiers. At the time, her son was a soldier stationed in the Golan, one of the coldest places in the country.
Today, the knitting group’s idea has spread around the globe, with knitters from as far away as California, Alaska and New Zealand pitching in to keep Israel’s soldiers warm through the winter.

Technion Formula Race Car Takes First Place

25 Technion students took first place worldwide out of all newcomer teams Sept. 2013 in Italy, with the Formula SAE car they built and raced. Here’s the stop-motion version of their endeavor.

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60% of antisemitic mail to German Jewish council comes from well-educated Germans

The Forward mentions a fascinating study:

Over the course of a decade, the letters poured into the Central Council of Jews in Germany like a river.

“Is it possible that the excessive violence in Israel, including the murder of innocent children, corresponds to the long tradition of your people?” asked one.

“For the last two thousand years, you have been robbing land and killing people!” exclaimed another.

“You Israelis are a crowd showing contempt for humanity,” charged another, though its writer was addressing fellow Germans. “You drop cluster bombs above inhabited territory during the last days of war, and accuse people criticizing such actions of anti-Semitism. That is typical of you Jews!”

Many would view the stream of vitriol, sent to German Jewry’s central communal organization between 2002 and 2012, as little more than raw sewage. But Monika Schwarz-Friesel, a professor of linguistics at the Technical University of Berlin, saw it as raw data. Together with Jehuda Reinharz, the American historian and former president of Brandeis University, Schwarz-Friesel has recently published a study of these letters. And their findings reaffirm one of the enduring, if still surprising truths about anti-Semitism in Germany and elsewhere.

More than 60% of the hate mail came from well-educated Germans, including university professors, according to their study, “The Language of Hostility Towards Jews in the 21st Century,” released earlier this year. Only 3% came from right-wing extremists.

The researchers know this partly from analyzing the language of the letter writers — but also because many of the authors of the emails in their sample gave their names, addresses and professions. “We checked some of them, [and] the information [was] valid,” said Schwarz-Friesel in an email to the Forward. She and her research partner were amazed that the writers were so brazen. “I don’t think they would have identified themselves 20 or 30 years ago,” said Reinharz.

“We found that there is hardly any difference in the semantics of highly educated anti-Semites and vulgar extremists and neo-Nazis,” said Schwarz-Friezel. “The difference lies only in style and formal rhetoric, but the concepts are the same.”

This is not exactly new. Schwarz-Friesel pointed out that many Nazis were highly educated, too.

One of the research pair’s other main findings was that hatred for Israel has become the main vehicle for German anti-Semitism. More than 80% of the 14,000 emails focused on Israel as their central theme.

Schwarz-Friesel and Reinharz say they strove hard to distinguish emails that were critical of Israel — even those that expressed anger toward it — from those that were anti-Semitic.

“Only those letters were classified as anti-Semitic that clearly [saw] German Jews as non-Germans and collectively abused German Jews to be responsible for crimes in Israel!” she explained.

In the paper’s abstract, the researchers clarify further that “Verbal anti-Semitism is based on 1. Collective discrimination; 2. Fixation (by stereotypes) and 3. Devaluation of Jews.”

Schwarz-Friesel said she also considered as anti-Semitic letters that analogized Jewish or Israeli behavior to that of the Nazis.

As a linguist, Schwarz-Friesel sought to decode the classical anti-Semitism that was often hidden in the language of the emails. Schwarz-Friesel says her skills enable her to identify anti-Semitic intent that’s often deliberately obscured. She cites a letter from a professor that opens this way: “You people have a history of 2,000 years…” The letter then goes on to criticize Israel. In this way, according to Schwarz-Friesel, the writer brands Jews as historically evil.

Yehuda Bauer, professor of Holocaust studies at Hebrew University and academic advisor to Yad Vashem, praised the study’s methodology as unique. “Such an in-depth research based on language analyzing has not existed yet,” he said.

The anti-Israel crowd never tires of claiming that they are not antisemitic. However, this study indicates that antisemitism is the driving force behind anti-Zionism, not the other way around.

Educated people do not as often generalize anti-Muslim feelings from the acts of a few - they bend over backwards to avoid "Islamophobia." Yet here we see that university educated Germans will use Israel as their excuse to demonize Jews, and to take the trouble to write specifically to the Central Council of Jews and not a German Zionist organization to spout their hate.

The idea of analyzing antisemitism in this way is brilliant. No doubt the ADL and other Jewish organizations in the US and elsewhere get lots of hate mail, I hope they are saving it for similar analysis.

(h/t Yerushalimey)

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Jews were the first to lose their homes in the Arab-Jewish conflict - in 1866

This comes from the The Occident and American Jewish Advocate, "the first successful Jewish serial in the United States," April 1867. It is a partial reproduction of "Sir Moses Montefiore's Report to the Board of Deputies of British Jews," apparently from the previous year or maybe even earlier.

On Saturday, April 14th, after the morning service, I took a walk round the garden, and was much pleased with the improvement of the place since my last visit to Jerusalem.

I regret, however, not being able to report the same of the land at Jaffa, which has been unfortunately let to persons who, being unable to resist the threatened attacks of the neighboring Arabs, deserted the place altogether. The consequence is, that the houses are completely demolished and the trees destroyed. I am at present, however, in communication with the Chief Haham of the Morocco congregation in Jerusalem in reference to the matter. If sufficient funds can be obtained for the purpose, I hope to see four or five families established at that now deserted place, who will apply themselves sedulously to the cultivation of the land, which is of considerable value, and ought to be immediately secured by a fence to mark its boundaries.

This is one of the earliest attacks I have seen by Arabs directly towards a Jewish community in Israel. (Previously, the earliest I was aware of was at Petah Tikva in 1886, at least twenty years later. There were also pogroms in Safed and Hebron in 1834 but the attacks on Jews then seem to have been more opportunistic during other intra-Arab fighting.)

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12/09 Links Pt1: Netanyahu: Iran Must Renounce Genocide, Iranian fears ‘a trap’ at Mandela funeral

From Ian:

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Inflexible on Iran, empathetic on Palestine
In the past, Obama seemed receptive to Israeli concerns over Tehran’s nuclear program — less so to Jerusalem’s peace process demands. Now that seems to have been reversed

Obama endorsed Netanyahu’s demands that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people over a year ago. But on Saturday, he for the first time publicly indicated that even under a final status deal, Israeli troops will remain stationed on the territory of a future Palestinian state, at least for some time.
“Ultimately, the Palestinians have to also recognize that there is going to be a transition period where the Israeli people cannot expect a replica of Gaza in the West Bank. That is unacceptable,” Obama said, referring to the incessant rocket fire on Israeli towns that followed the 2005 disengagement from the Hamas-ruled coastal strip. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas needs to be “willing to understand that this transition period requires some restraint on the part of the Palestinians as well,” Obama said. “They don’t get everything that they want on day one.”

Why Should Anyone Believe Kerry?

Kerry’s ego may have been stroked by the Iranian deal, but his already shaky credibility is shot. There is no reason for Israel to believe American assurances and even less reason for the Palestinians not to think that they have more to gain from saying no than yes. But the consequences of this diplomatic farce are more far-reaching than the souring of relations between Israel and the United States. By setting the Middle East up for certain diplomatic failure, Kerry has set the stage for a third intifada and threatened the Israelis with it himself. He may think he can blame Israel with the violence that may come after the negotiations blow up but, like the almost inevitable Iranian betrayal of the nuclear talks, what follows will be largely on his head.

Netanyahu says recognition of Jewish state is ‘minimal requirement for peace’

Offering a laundry list of problems facing the region, Netanyahu suggested putting the conflict in perspective – but said that peace was vital nevertheless, primarily for Israelis and Palestinians themselves, referring to a final-status agreement as a “strategic goal” of his office.
The prime minister spoke after US President Barack Obama and US Secretary of State John Kerry gave remarks to the forum on Saturday, both discussing the Middle East peace process and Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Netanyahu said the “minimal requirement for peace” with the Palestinians was their recognition of the state as home to the Jewish people with equal right to self-determination as themselves.

US ambassador rejects talk of Iran-Palestinian ‘linkage’

The United States hasn’t tied progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to efforts to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program, the US ambassador to Israel said Monday morning, playing down recent chatter regarding a possible “linkage” between the two diplomatic processes.
“There is no connection between these two issues,” Dan Shapiro told Army Radio. “These two issues are connected to Israel’s security, our security, and the security of the entire Middle East, for a quieter and more stable region. But we do not see in this any connection in which we are required to give in one and receive in the other.”

PA Rejects Release Delay, Warns 'Total Failure'

In response to reports that US Secretary of State John Kerry will delay the third batch of terrorist releases by a month, a spokesperson of Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas declared Monday that the PA will not agree to the delay, reports Kol Yisrael government radio.
Issa Karaka, PA Minister of Prisoner Affairs, said that while an official confirmation of the postponement has yet to be made, there are definite American pressures in that direction. Karaka added that Abbas told Kerry in their meeting last week that he refuses the proposed postponement, saying the matter could negatively impact peace talks with Israel.
Kerry's delay is seen as meant to pressure the PA into accepting Kerry's proposed Jordan Valley security arrangements made last week, which PA officials say Abbas rejected as they would not have prevented Israelis from living in the area.

PLO: Palestinians won't accept current proposals from Israel

The Palestinians can’t accept any proposals or plans like the ones that are being suggested today; that solidify occupation and legalize the division of the Palestinian territories, the PLO Executive Committee announced Sunday.
The announcement, which was issued to mark the 26th anniversary of the first intifada that began in 1987, was referring to recent security arrangements between Israel and the Palestinians, as proposed by US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Hamas: We Won't Cede a Single Grain of Soil

The Secretary of the Hamas government in Gaza, Abd el-Salam Siam, said Sunday in a press release marking 26 years since the outbreak of the First Intifada that the Gaza government supports all forms of the struggle against "Israeli occupation," including popular struggle, struggle through peaceful methods and armed struggle.

Hamas TV's Giant Bee Nahoul Explains the Concept of Negotiations



Israel-Syria Border a Tinderbox

Israeli military planners say that the Syrian arena has become intrinsically linked to Lebanon.
With many thousands of Hezbollah operatives fighting in Syria, and with Syrian jihadi organizations branching out into Lebanon, an incident that begins as an attack on Israel from Syria could quickly end up spreading to the Lebanese border.
Counteracting the explosiveness of the situation are a few stabilizing factors. No side in Syria is keen on opening a front with Israel and facing the IDF's firepower when it is neck-deep in a fight to the death in the Syrian civil war. Additionally, localized incidents, as again demonstrated last week, can, through a careful combination of firm responses and restraint, be contained by Israel.

UN: Israel to resume transfer of building materials to Gaza

Israel has decided to once again allow construction materials for UN projects to be brought into the Gaza Strip, the United Nations announced Monday.
The import of construction materials was suspended after the IDF discovered a Hamas tunnel leading out of the Gaza Strip in October that used 500 tons of cement.
According to Robert Serry, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, the UN is building schools, housing, water and sanitation facilities in the Strip, at a cost of $500 million.

Netanyahu: Iran Must Renounce Genocide

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke Sunday at the Saban Forum and said that stopping Iran's nuclear program is not enough – Iran's policy of genocide must change, too.
Netanyahu quoted incendiary statements by Iran's leaders, who called Israel "a rabid dog," among other things.
The Iranian regime, he said, "is committed to our annihilation and I believe that there must be an uncompromising demand at the Geneva talks, for a change in Iran's policy. In other words, there needs to be not just a change in the capability of Iran to arm itself, but also a change in its policy of genocide. I do not think that I or anyone can exaggerate the threat that Iran poses to the Middle East."

Iran foreign minister alludes to deceiving Obama administration during nuclear negotiations

Zarif, reporting on the Geneva negotiations to the regime’s parliament last Wednesday, alluded to deceiving the Obama administration and the 5+1 world powers, the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany.
“The Americans talk nonsense [on enforcing limitations on Iran’s nuclear program]… All of these [negotiations] are ultimately for [the representatives] to protect the interests of the country,” he said.
Referring to what Iran claims is its right to enrich uranium, he added, “This right is there, regardless if the West accepts it or not.”

Mike Huckabee: Israel Has ‘License’ to Act Independently on Iran (INTERVIEW)

The U.S. “has indicated that they are going to act independently of Israel as it relates to Iran,” Huckabee said, calling that a “very foolish policy.”
“I think now [the Israelis] have really a license to act without having to be scolded for not having consulted the U.S. for their plans,” he said.

Iranian paper fears ‘trap’ for Rouhani at Mandela funeral

An editorial titled “Satan lays a trap, this time in Johannesburg” in the Kayhan daily laid down the dangers to Rouhani of a chance meeting with the “head of the Great Satan government,” AFP reported on Sunday.
“Some domestic and foreign media outlets are using the funeral ceremony as a pretext to push Rouhani toward a meeting with the head of the Great Satan government,” according to the editorial board of the hardline paper.

Hizballah’s War of Shadows With Saudi Arabia Comes Into the Light

Nasrallah rarely mentions Saudi Arabia by name, only referring to the monarchy in vague terms in order to maintain plausible deniability. But that all changed on Tuesday, when he accused Saudi agents of being behind the suicide-bomb attack on the Iranian embassy in Beirut last month that claimed 23 lives. (The assassination of a senior Hizballah commander on Wednesday, though the assailants remain unknown, deepened the group’s sense of embattlement.) In doing so he has openly declared a war that has long been fought in the shadows, first in Lebanon where Hizballah-allied parties are at a political impasse with the Saudi-backed Future Movement of Saad Hariri, and now in Syria, where Hizballah, with Iranian assistance, is fighting on the side of President Bashar Assad against Saudi-backed rebels. “This is the first time I have ever seen such a direct attack [by Nasrallah] against Saudi Arabia,” says Lebanon-based political analyst Talal Atrissi. “This was the formal declaration of a war that has been going on in Syria since Saudi first started supporting the rebels.”

Syrian Islamists: No to Democracy, Minority Rights

A video released by a leading Islamist faction shows Islamist military leader Abu Bilal al-Homsi exhorting his followers to reject the largely secular Free Syrian Army, led by Salim Idris.
According to Al-Homsi, Idris has said that the Free Syrian Army under his command is fighting for "democracy, secularism, communism, and the rights of minority groups", including Syrian Druze.
Rebels must fight not for democracy or rights, but for Islam, Al-Homsi declared. From the beginning, the purpose of the rebellion was to institute Islamic law, he argued.

Al-Qaeda: Death to Shi'ites for 'Damaging Mohammed's Legacy'

The video opens with a speech from a judge in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, which has been a focal point of territorial fighting between the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad and rebel forces. The judge's job: to establish rule over the Syrian city through the implementation of Sharia, or Islamic religious law - including doling out execution orders.
"Don't fear the Egyptian or Israeli armies, the judge declares" and calls for jihadi fighters to renounce their commanding officers and remind them that on the Islamic Day of Judgement, they will be held accountable for calling off the (global) Jihad pan-Islamist organizations like Al Qaeda support.

Jordanians Protest, Demand Security

Radwan al-Nawaiseh, spokesman for the Arab People's Committees, told the newspaper that these scenes of protest in Jordan confirm that the Jordanians do not trust their government. He highlighted the significant decline in public freedoms which can lead to the deterioration of the citizens’ economic conditions.
The protests are nothing new, as Jordan has seen regular protests as a result of the Arab Spring that has toppled four regimes across the region. A combination of youths and Islamists have been demanding sweeping reforms, but King Abdullah has mostly been able to curtail the demonstrations, partially by curtailing his absolute powers.

The Cairo effect: America’s declining power from the Egyptian perspective

Egypt’s popular de-facto leader, Sisi, did the math. He remembered Obama’s indecisiveness during Egypt’s uprising and the Carter-like abandonment of Mubarak, not to mention Obama’s lack of support for Sisi’s government. On the other hand, he saw how Russia treats its allies and how far it’s willing to go to keep them in power.
Last Thursday, Russia’s most high-ranking delegation (including foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and the defense minister Sergey Shoygu), has landed in Cairo and received the red-carpet welcome. The final results of the visit are still not certain; but it looks like the two countries are headed for a major arms deal and military cooperation. But, more than anything, this deal signals to America that every ally, and even patron, is replaceable.

Turkey’s Erdogan on shaky ground as elections loom

After dominating Turkish politics for a decade, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is entering election season on uncertain footing — without the support of key groups that had powered his previous electoral wins and facing divisions within his own party.
Erdogan, whom critics accuse of cutting an increasingly autocratic figure, faces municipal elections in March that are largely seen as a vote of confidence in his Islamic-based government. A poor result could weaken Erdogan just as he seeks to shift into the presidency in an August vote while still maintaining enough influence in his party to choose his successor as prime minister in parliamentary elections expected next year.

Turks detained at Auschwitz for alleged Nazi salute

Two Turkish tourists were detained by guards at the Auschwitz museum for appearing to make a Nazi salute.
The tourists, a man and a woman, both 22, were taking pictures of each other in front of the gate to the former Nazi death camp under the iconic sign “Arbeit macht frei” — “Work makes you free” — and raised their right hands in the gesture of a Nazi salute.
Both are studying history in Budapest. They had stopped at a hotel in Krakow before making their visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and State Museum.

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Iran censors cleavage during FIFA draft broadcast

HuffPo Quebec reports that Iran cut the live broadcast of the FIFA  Final Draw because of cleavage.

Fernanda Lima, a stunning Brazilian actress, co-hosted the event in  a low cut dress that was too much for the Iranian censors to handle.

From all reports, the beauty stole the show as fans were suddenly more interested in Lima than in the announcements.

Iranian coverage - which is on a delay just in case a beautiful girl or an israeli flag might pop up - was suddenly cut off, going back to a studio of Iranian sportscasters. One of them apologized, saying "Our friends in the technical department do everything in their power to disseminate what is possible, depending on, you know, certain requirements."

Hundreds of Iranians quickly figured out what happened, and went to Lima's Facebook page to apologize.

Globoesporte reports that in Iran, women are not allowed to attend football matches.

(h/t Manny)

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The antisemitic article that was praised in the NYT

A year ago, David Brooks of the New York Times gave out the "Sidney Awards" for best magazine articles of the year. Here is how he described the first winner:

At the start of the 1980s, about 5 percent of Harvard students were Asian-American. But the number of qualified Asian-American applicants rose so that by 1993 roughly 20 percent of Harvard students had Asian heritage.

But, according to Ron Unz, a funny thing then happened. The number of qualified Asian-Americans continued to rise, but the number of Asian-Americans admitted to Harvard fell so that the student body was about 16 percent Asian. Between 1995 and 2011, Harvard’s Asian-American population has varied by less than a percentage point around that 16.5 percent average. Not only that, the percentage of Asian-Americans at other Ivy League schools has also settled at a remarkably stable 16 percent, year after year.

This smells like a quota system, or at least that was the implication left by Unz’s searing, sprawling, frustrating and highly debatable piece, “The Myth of the American Meritocracy,” in The American Conservative. It wins the first of the 2012 Sidney Awards, which go to the best magazine essays of the year.

You’re going to want to argue with Unz’s article all the way along, especially for its narrow, math-test-driven view of merit. But it’s potentially ground-shifting. Unz’s other big point is that Jews are vastly overrepresented at elite universities and that Jewish achievement has collapsed. In the 1970s, for example, 40 percent of top scorers in the Math Olympiad had Jewish names. Now 2.5 percent do. The fanatical generations of immigrant strivers have been replaced by a more comfortable generation of preprofessionals, he implies.

Unz' article was also noted and often praised by The Economist, Forbes, Time, The Daily Beast and others, but mostly for the part about Asians and not the part about Jews.

There are a couple of problems, though.

While Unz' main point about Asians seems to have merit, his methodology about Jews at Harvard is worthless.

Andrew Gelman, director of the Applied Statistics Center at Columbia University, demolishes Unz' piece based on the numbers. (Unz replied, but Gelman notes that he did not address the main points of the criticism.)

A recent, very thorough paper by Nurit Baytch goes into far more detail.

Because I like to try to explain complicated things, I'm going to briefly describe one of the major problems with Unz' analysis as shown by Baytch and Gelman.

When one looks further, one can see that this error and the others appear to have been conscious. In other words, Unz may have set out to find a way to make Jews look bad, and by George, he found it.

Unz' main argument about Jewish over-representation at Harvard is that Harvard is 25% Jewish, based on estimates provided by Harvard Hillel. He compares that to the number of Jews who may be considered good candidates for Harvard - specifically, people who were National Merit Scholarship semifinalists (NMS) and those in the US teams for the International Math Olympiad (top six students nationwide.)

According to Unz, the percentage of Jews in the NMS in recent years is only 6-7%. Similarly, he claims that the percentage of Jews in recent Math Olympiads is only 2.5%. Therefore, according to Unz, Jews are vastly overrepresented at Harvard (and other Ivy League schools) compared to their actual intellectual achievements. The losers, in Unz' opinion, are the Asians and - especially - white non-Jews.

As mentioned, Unz' used statistics from Hillel to determine the number of Jews at Harvard. It is not known exactly how Hillel came up with those numbers.

But his method of calculating the number of Jews in NMS semifinals used something called Weyl Analysis. Very briefly, this method look at known Jewish surnames (Goldberg, Cohen, and so forth) as a percentage of a known Jewish population - for our purposes let's pretend that 50% of Jews have clearly Jewish surnames. Then, by counting the number of Jewish surnames in an unknown group and multiplying by the same factor (2 in this case), you can determine the number of Jews in the group altogether.

A good statistician would use the same methodology to create two separate estimates of two different groups, in this case Harvard undergrads and NMS semifinalists. But Unz uses the Hillel numbers for Harvard, and the Weyl analysis for the NMS semifinalists.  (He appears to have used his own subjective guesses of what names are Jewish sounding for the Math Olympiad and other groups.)  If there is a fundamental flaw in either Weyl or Hillel's estimate, the results are meaningless.

Indeed, they are.

Using Unz' methods reproduced by Baytch (as best as could be determined), Weyl analysis shows that Harvard undergrads in 2008 were only 7-9% Jewish, not 25%. This is quite in line with the Weyl analysis on NMS semifinalists.

Weyl analysis is clearly underestimating the number of Jews today, and Unz apparently jiggered the numbers to overrepresent the number of Jews in the past to bolster his thesis. (Baytch shows that there were more Jews in NMS and the Math Olympiad dataset than Unz' Weyl analysis showed, and at Harvard the number of Jews in reality is probably more than 7-9% but much less than 25%. For today's Harvard undergraduates, the number calculated through Weyl analysis is even lower.)

Again, there are many other statistical problems with Unz' article, and Baytch's paper goes into far more detail.

But the major problems with Unz' article in The American Conservative (founded by Patrick Buchanan) go beyond the problematic statistics. They are found in his conclusions.

He writes a number of very curious paragraphs that the NYT and others seem to have overlooked. After he claims to have proven that Jews are vastly overrepresented at Harvard to the detriment of (mostly) white non-Jews, he writes:

It would be unreasonable to ignore the salient fact that this massive apparent bias in favor of far less-qualified Jewish applicants coincides with an equally massive ethnic skew at the topmost administrative ranks of the universities in question, a situation which once again exactly parallels Karabel’s account from the 1920s. Indeed, Karabel points out that by 1993 Harvard, Yale, and Princeton all had presidents of Jewish ancestry, and the same is true for the current presidents of Yale, Penn, Cornell, and possibly Columbia, as well as Princeton’s president throughout during the 1990s and Yale’s new incoming president, while all three of Harvard’s most recent presidents have either had Jewish origins or a Jewish spouse.

At most universities, a provost is the second-ranking official, being responsible for day-to-day academic operations. Although Princeton’s current president is not Jewish, all seven of the most recent Princeton provosts stretching back to 1977 have had such ancestry, with several of the other Ivies not being far behind.82 A similar degree of massive overrepresentation is found throughout the other top administrative ranks of the rest of the Ivy League, and across American leading educational institutions in general, and these are the institutions which select our future national elites.

...The overwhelming evidence is that the system currently employed by most of our leading universities admits applicants whose ability may be unremarkable but who are beneficiaries of underhanded manipulation and favoritism. Nations which put their future national leadership in the hands of such individuals are likely to encounter enormous economic and social problems, exactly the sort of problems which our own country seems to have increasingly experienced over the last couple of decades. And unless the absurdly skewed enrollments of our elite academic institutions are corrected, the composition of these feeder institutions will ensure that such national problems only continue to grow worse as time passes. We should therefore consider various means of correcting the severe flaws in our academic admissions system, which functions as the primary intake valve of our future national elites.

In other words, these manipulative Jews who run Ivy League schools are destroying America!

Many of the Jewish writers who focus on the history of elite university admissions, including Karabel, Steinberg, and Lemann, have critiqued and rebuked the America of the first half of the Twentieth Century for having been governed by a narrow WASP ascendency, which overwhelmingly dominated and controlled the commanding heights of business, finance, education, and politics; and some of their criticisms are not unreasonable. But we should bear in mind that this dominant group of White Anglo-Saxon Protestants—largely descended from among the earliest American settlers and which had gradually absorbed and assimilated substantial elements of Celtic, Dutch, German, and French background—was generally aligned in culture, religion, ideology, and ancestry with perhaps 60 percent of America’s total population at the time, and therefore hardly represented an alien presence. By contrast, a similarly overwhelming domination by a tiny segment of America’s current population, one which is completely misaligned in all these respects, seems far less inherently stable, especially when the institutional roots of such domination have continually increased despite the collapse of the supposedly meritocratic justification. This does not seem like a recipe for a healthy and successful society, nor one which will even long survive in anything like its current form.

Unz is saying that Jews are an alien presence in America, and their goals are not in alignment with what real Americans want!

How can you read this as anything but antisemitic? This is essentially a white supremacist argument that is disguised as scholarship.

There is more.

Ron Unz is president of the Unz Foundation, which gives quite a bit of money to causes he feels are worthwhile. Some of his recipients seem to fit a pattern.

For example, in 2009, 2010 and 2011 the foundation gave $108,000 to Paul Craig Roberts, a columnist who turned towards anti-semitism since 2006, according to the ADL.

$74,000 went to Philip Giraldi, a fellow American Conservative columnist who has written numerous articles about the pernicious Jewish Lobby.

Plus $75,000 to Holocaust minimizer/Hezbollah praiser/Israel hater Norman Finkelstein.

And $80,000 to the far left, antisemitic Counterpunch magazine.

And $60,000 to the virulently anti-Israel (and often antisemitic) Mondoweiss, where founder Philip Weiss lavishly praised Unz' article without mentioning his financial relationship with Unz!

Between Unz' own words and where he puts his money, it sure looks like his bogus statistics have an agenda behind them.

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Norwegian trade union accuses Jews of poisoning Palestinian Arab wells

The Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees,which has 340,000 members, recently sent a group of delegates to the West Bank. The resulting article in their monthly magazine is filled with anti-Israel (and antisemitic) propaganda.

Miff.no, a pro-Israel Norwegian website, reports that the article accuses Israel of "genocide" and "ethnic cleansing"  against Palestinian Arabs, It notes that the Arab population in the area has increased by a factor of ten in the past 100 years, and compares that to Norway's population which has only doubled in the same time period. If the Palestinian Arabs have suffered "genocide" and "ethnic cleansing," as the union claims, then what do you call what happened to Norwegians?

The article shows this photo and caption:

"At the very holy Ibrahim Mosque in the town of Hebron in the West Bank, Israeli soldiers restrict access for Palestinians."

Nothing about how this was a holy Jewish site before Islam existed. Nothing about the Jewish forefathers and mothers buried there. It is a very holy mosque, and Jews are restricting access (I suppose keeping out people with guns is "restricting access.")

The article also says, as fact, "Israeli settlers are known to poison wells." Thus we see the medieval blood libel of Jews poisoning wells has become accepted as truth in the 21st century.

(h/t Antisemitism-Europe blog)

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Are Al Qaeda terrorists headed towards Lebanon?

From Ya Libnan:

Lebanon’s caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel revealed that extremist fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham are present on Lebanese soil, but that the organization is not yet established in the country.

“ISIS members are present in Lebanon. What is dangerous is if they form an organization on Lebanese territory ,” Charbel told NBN television on Sunday.
Charbels’s remarks come days after a man purporting to be a member of the Al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham threatened on Thursday, to kill Charbel in an audio tape.

“After minister Marwan Charbel said Wednesday that he wants us to remain in prison…we will sacrifice him, God willing,” the alleged Islamist said.

He also warned that “millions from our organization are coming to Lebanon this month of December , God willing.”

According to analysts Hezbollah’s role in Syria’s civil war changed the rules of the game. “Iraq-style” suicide bombers are coming our way and the double bombings that targeted the Iranian embassy in Beirut on Tuesday, November 19 was only the introduction.

The radical jihadis thus carried out their previous threats of converting Lebanon from an arena of “solidarity” to an arena of direct “jihad,” blaming the hostilities on Hezbollah because of its involvement in the fighting in Syria.

The sound of the blasts from the Iranian embassy attack had barely subsided when Sirajuddin Zureiqat, leader of the Lebanese branch of the al-Qaeda-affiliated Abdullah Azzam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter, declaring the suicide bombers “two heroes of the Sunnis in Lebanon,” and dubbing the attack “the Iranian Embassy raid in Beirut.”

With this development an unknown branch of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades entered the limelight. In addition to the already known Ziad Jarrah Brigades, Zureiqat unveiled the Hussein bin Ali Brigades, warning, “Operations in Lebanon will continue, God willing, until two things are achieved: withdrawing the members of Iran’s Party [i.e. Hezbollah] from Syria, and releasing our prisoners from the prisons of oppression in Lebanon.”

Security sources revealed last month to the pro Hezbollah daily Al-Akhbar that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) recently made a decision to carry out suicide attacks against “Shiite targets” in Lebanon, pointing out that its list of targets also includes pro-Hezbollah Sunni figures.

The daily concluded in its report that ISIS, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has declared war in Lebanon and that ISIS may have collaborated with the Abdullah Azzam Brigades to use it as a front only to claim responsibility, but ISIS has much better capabilities.

The good news is that all of these problems would disappear if only the US manages to pressure Israel and the PLO to reach a peace agreement.

At least that is what all the "experts" say.

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Arabs attacking Jews in 1920

All from the Chicago (Jewish) Sentinel:

April 1, 1920:

April 15, 1920:

April 22, 1920:

June 24, 1920:

October 7, 1920:

Things got much worse in 1921.

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Evil IDF helps save Arab kids lives, yet again

From COGAT:

 Last Thursday (28.11.13) a party was held for Israeli and Palestinian children who underwent cardiac surgery and catheterization at the Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital. The party was held at the hospital and was organized by the "Heart for Peace" Foundation in coordination with the Civil Administration. Children and their families attended the day with the medical team that accompanied them along the way, representatives of the "Heart for Peace” Foundation, and Staff Health Officer of the Civil Administration, Ms. Dalia Bassa.

The children enjoyed a variety of activities and prizes such as face painting, puppet balloons made for them by the entertaining clown, a variety of creative activities and group games. After they enjoyed playing with each other, a lunch meal was held for all children and their families and medical staff. The day was designed to bring together Israeli and Palestinian families who were in constant touch during the children's treatment, and continue the regular monitoring of their children even when their health is excellent.

Later in the day, a meeting was held between Dalia Bassa and Ali Abohdr – a Palestinian Dalia knows through their joint work with the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Today, Ali is a grandfather to many grandchildren, one of whom was born with a heart defect and underwent three heart surgeries at the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital. "In my work at the Ministry of Health, I worked with Dalia many times to save lives," said Ali, "I am happy that when my grandson was in need of medical care, Dalia did everything to save his life and provide the best medical care.”

The "Heart for Peace" Foundation is a French non-profit organization that helps Palestinian children with congenital heart defects get the surgery that would otherwise be unavailable to them in the Palestinian Territories. The organization finances surgeries at the hospital and works in coordination with the Health Office in the Civil Administration. Thanks to their work, more than 530 Palestinian children underwent life saving heart surgery in recent years. At least once a week a Palestinian child receives heart surgery at the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital.

Let's work out the formula again:

Israel helping Arabs is good hasbara.

Hasbara is evil.

Therefore, Israel helping Arab kids is evil.

And if the kids end up not hating Israel, it is catastrophic.

I think that's the way the Israel-haters' logic goes, whether it is explicit or not.

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12/08 Links: More blatant Antisemitism from Roger Waters, Iran reports 'evil dystopian robots'

From Ian:

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Days After Defending Star of David Pig, Roger Waters Laments ‘Power’ of ‘Jewish Lobby,’ Compares Israeli Policy to Nazis

Asked why he was the only high profile celebrity to have joined the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, Waters explained that it was because people fear “the Jewish lobby.”
“This has been a very hard sell particularly where I live in the United States of America,” he said. “The Jewish lobby is extraordinary powerful here and particularly in the industry that I work in, the music industry and in rock’n roll as they say. I promise you, naming no names, I’ve spoken to people who are terrified that if they stand shoulder to shoulder with me they are going to get f*****.”
Accusing Israel of all manner of heinous crimes, Waters went on to draw parallels between Israeli policy and Nazi genocide.
“The situation in Israel/Palestine, with the occupation, the ethnic cleansing and the systematic racist apartheid Israeli regime is unacceptable,” he said.

EU Supports Economic Activity in Moroccan Occupied Territories

Recently, the head of the International action division in the legal Forum for Israel, Adv. and Ambassador (Ret.) Alan Baker and Prof. Eugene Kontorovich, member of the international action division, approached Dame Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and the Foreign Ministers of the European Union.
According to them, the consent of the EU to exploit fishing resources in the sea in front of the area occupied by Morocco in Western Sahara raises serious questions about the conduct of the Union. The letter claims that “there is a blatant contradiction between the principles according to which the EU operates in the areas of Judea and Samaria, as opposed to their policy in the areas occupied by Morocco in Western Sahara.”

Jihad Jenny pushes for talks with terrorists

Nonetheless Tonge wants Hamas back at the table, not just with the Palestinian Authority, but with Western powers too. Make no mistake, this is like inviting Osama Bin Laden around for tea.
She asks in a written parliamnetary question today:

Baroness Tonge: to ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent discussions they have held with other European countries about opening dialogue with Hamas; and what steps they will take to promote dialogue between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.

Ah yes, let us put British taxpayers’ money to work “promoting dialogue” between a terrorist faction and a corrupt cabal of double-speakers!

Richard Millett: The Lancet, MAP and Sir Iain Chalmers’ “interesting figure” of Six Million

Chalmers: “Let me ask you a question. I was asked to write a commentary for The Lancet after the Cast Lead attack. I ended it by saying a self-defined Jewish state now controls the lives of almost as many non-Jews as it does of Jews. What will that Jewish state do with the six million, it is an interesting figure, the six million non-Jews whose lives it controls? You answer that question.”
Me: “Why is six million an interesting figure?”
Chalmers: “Well, actually it is the same number of Jews that were killed by the Nazis.”
Me: “Whats your point?”
Chalmers: Six million is a lot of people. How will the Jewish state deal with the non-Jews whose lives it controls?

EU regrets hosting rabbi accused of Holocaust denial

Rabbi Moshe Aryeh Friedman attended a conference on Arab-European dialogue held last month at the seat of the European Parliament in Brussels. Friedman, who lives in Antwerp, is perhaps best known for attending a conference in Tehran in 2006 organized by then Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad featuring Holocaust deniers.
According to The Guardian, Friedman said there that only 1 million Jews died in the Holocaust. The Bloomberg news agency reported that he had said the Holocaust was “successful fiction.”

Bennett: Any peace agreement that excludes Hamas is ‘a joke’

“I’m for an agreement,” he told Israel Radio from Australia, where he is on an official visit, “but a real one that doesn’t harm our interests.”
“Maybe I missed the news and Hamas in Gaza recognized Israel and stopped firing rockets,” he added sarcastically. Peace talks that did not include the leaders of Gaza were “a joke,” Bennett insisted.

Obama: Judea and Samaria Must Not be 'Gaza 2'

Obama warned that in the event of a final agreement between Israel and the PA, there would be a "transition period" to ensure that Judea and Samaria does not become a security threat akin to Hamas-ruled Gaza. He said that the PA would have to accept such a transition period.
"This transition period requires some restraint on the part of the Palestinians as well. They don't get everything they want on day one," he said, according to the AFP news agency.
"The Israeli people can't expect a replica of Gaza in the West Bank," Obama added. "That is unacceptable."

Ya'alon: We have no partner for two-state solution

Speaking at the Globes Business Conference in Tel Aviv, the defense minister said, "As someone who supported [the] Oslo [Peace Process], I'm learning that on the other side we have no partner for two states for two people."
"There is no one on the other side, and hasn't been since the dawn of Zionism, a leadership that is prepared to recognize our right to exist as a nation-state for the Jewish nation, and to recognize an agreement as the end of the conflict and the end to demands. We won't talk about an inch, about a millimeter of territory, if we don't see that we have a partner who talks about recognition, about the end of the conflict, and about giving up the right of return. We will not implement the doctrine of stages," he added.

Akunis: If Kerry is Optimistic, Then We Must Be Very Worried

Earlier Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry had expressed hopes about the talks, declaring that "we are closer than we have been in years to bringing about the peace and the prosperity and the security that all of the people of this region deserve."
The MK was skeptical about the development. "We must ask: what progress? Is progress nothing but a separate word for 'withdrawal'? So let's focus on just one issue we dealt with this weekend: 'The security arrangements in the Jordan Valley'," he stated.

Germany selling Israel two guided missile destroyers

Within the framework of the deal, Germany will reportedly supply Israel with two guided missile destroyers, each valued at one billion euros.
The destroyers will be used to protect Israel’s gas pipelines.
In April, Der Spiegel reported that Israel may sell technologically advanced attack drones to the German military.

Islamic Movement Leader: Temple Mount for Muslims Only

Sheikh Kamal Khatib, who holds the position of the "deputy head of the Islamic Movement inside Palestine (Israel)," warned of a possible internal conflict with "the Israeli occupation" and threatened a "huge eruption" if Israel intervened on the Temple Mount ("Al Aqsa") and continued, according to him, to bother the Muslims praying there.
In an interview with the Al-Quds news agency quoted on the al-Aqsa website, Khatib lashed out at Israeli police forces, who intervened Friday after Muslims rioted at the Mount and began throwing rocks. The Sheikh insisted that the police, rather than preventing more unrest, were part of a wide-scale Israeli agenda to prevent worshipers from being comfortable at the site.

Son of Greek Orthodox priest who supports IDF enlistment attacked in Nazareth

Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon (Likud) spoke with Father Nadaf, who said that the suspect is an Arab Hadash activist. Danon later spoke with Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, demanding an end to incitement from Arab Knesset members.
“Words become deeds; the incitement of Arab Knesset members must stop,” Danon said. “The situation where Father Nadaf, his family, and Christians who want to serve in the IDF live in fear and suffer from attacks and harassment is unacceptable and tough action needs to be taken against the instigators and perpetrators alike.”

‘Palestine’s first online sex shop’

A 30-year-old Ramallah-based Palestinian-American entrepreneur has launched a pornography-free online sex shop aimed at encouraging marital intimacy. The venture hopes to attract customers across the Arab world, the Guradian reported Friday.
The man behind the plan, Ashraf Alkiswani, sought approval from religious leaders in Ramallah before embarking on the ambitious business project.

Obama takes aim at Israeli positions on Iran

President Obama sharply criticized as not viable several Israeli government postures on talks with Iran, but asserted that the military option remained on the table should those negotiations fail.
In a wide-ranging talk with Haim Saban, the entertainment mogul who funds the annual Saban Forum in Washington, Obama took aim at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claims that increased pressure during the interim talks would extract greater concessions from Iran, and anticipated a final deal that would grant Iran some uranium enrichment capabilities.

Iran forging ahead with uranium enrichment technology

Iran is moving ahead with testing more efficient uranium enrichment technology, a spokesman for its atomic energy agency said on Saturday, in news that may concern world powers who last month agreed a deal to curb Tehran's atomic activities.
Spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi was quoted by state news agency IRNA as saying that initial testing on a new generation of more sophisticated centrifuges had been completed, underlining Iran's determination to keep refining uranium in what it says is work to make fuel for a planned network of nuclear power plants.

Congress to Obama: Cancel Iran deal

Congressional opposition to the recently announced nuclear accord with Iran reached a critical tipping point this week as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle publicly lambasted the deal while pushing for tighter economic sanctions on Tehran.
As the details of an interim nuclear deal reached last month in Geneva become clear, Congressional opposition has grown, leaving the White House to sell a deal that even its allies have dubbed as worrisome.

Iran reports “evil dystopian robots”

Iranian news can be pretty eccentric. But nobody expected this. What is shown below was reported as news in the semi-official Iranian Fars News and was copy-pasted from a satirical article by technology website TechCrunch about a new robot that can do Rubik’s Cubes entitled “Dystopian War Robots that will harvest us for our organs”. Iranian journalists saw this and apparently saw with it an opportunity to take a stab at the innovations of the Great Satan, republishing the article without the satire in the lifestyle section and even took credit for writing it. With this, Iranian Farce News Agency is even less credible than yesterday. Which says a lot.

PillCam maker Given Imaging sold for $860 million

A huge shakeup in the medical device field as Ireland’s Covidien acquires Israeli camera-in-a-pill maker Given Imaging for a reported $860 million. The companies announced today (December 8, 2013) a definitive agreement under which Covidien will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Given Imaging for $30.00 per share in cash.
Given Imaging is world renowned for its non-invasive technology that detects disorders in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Known as PillCam, the camera-in-a-pill device is ingested by patients and allows physicians to visualize the esophagus, colon, and areas of the small intestine. The PillCam is seen as the alternative answer to traditional colonoscopies.

Israel makes rare appearance at G8 forum with blueprint for tackling diabetes

Israel on Thursday made a rare official appearance at a G8 forum, a group representing the world’s eight largest economies, as the leaders of an Israeli social finance group presented an innovative blueprint for tackling type-2 diabetes to the G8 Taskforce on Social Impact Investment.
The group, Social Finance Israel, developed an outline for preventing the disease using Social Impact Bonds, investment instruments that seek to produce socially favorable outcomes while providing investors a return. In doing so, they hope to attract private funds to a social sphere normally dominated by philanthropic dollars.

Bennett: Israel to Aid Large Islamic Country in Agriculture

Trade and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett announced during a trip to Indonesia that Israel will be providing agricultural assistance to a large Islamic country which has no ties to Israel, according to a report in Makor Rishon.
At the international trade conference, Bennett spoke with Foreign Ministers from dozens of countries including Islamic countries with no ties to Israel.
The goal of many of the discussions was to see how Israeli expertise can be used to assist these countries in increasing their agricultural yields and feed their populations, as well as increasing economic cooperation in general.

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By the way, Iran threatened the US again today

Isn't the new pragmatic Iran wonderful?

Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri scoffed at the US officials’ war rhetoric against Tehran, and underlined that the interests of the US and the Zionist regime are within the reach of Iran’s weapons and military equipment.

“The Iranian nation considers as jokes the remarks by the US President (Barack Obama) and Defense Secretary (Chuck Hagel) that the military option (against Iran) is on the table,” Jazayeri said on the sidelines of a meeting with the Armed Forces’ cultural and media directors in Tehran on Sunday.

He stressed the Iranian Armed Forces’ military power and defensive capabilities, and said, “At present, many of the US and Zionists’ interests are within the reach of Iran’s military power, and Tehran has made its decision long ago to confront the aggressors.”

The very model of flexibility, moderation and nuance.

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"Babylonian captivity is a myth fabricated by the Jews to control the Arab world" (plus blood libel)

Al Watan Voice is a  Palestinian Arab news site. Its op-ed section routinely publishes the most vicious antisemitic tropes, with no objections that I have ever seen.

Here is today's example, written by Hanan Mustafa Akhamis, who has a Ph.D. in the history of international relations and foreign policy.

Her main argument is that Judaism isn't really monotheistic.

The Jewish religion is not a monotheistic religion - it is the religion of priestly - as the priests are the ones who interpret the Bible through their own fantasies and perceptions, plus fiction written by Jews during the Babylonian captivity...The nepotism among the Jews and the function of the priests have made it a religion of heredity akin to idolatry with the leaders (the Sanhedrin) - a key role in Jewish religious and social and political life in the period following the return of the Jews from Babylonian captivity as they claim - I think that the Babylonian captivity is a myth fabricated by the Jews to control the Arab world - and the belief that they are God's chosen people and especially with regard to the trial of Jesus Christ peace be upon him.

The article goes on to say that Jews got monotheism from the Arabs. She then goes on to say that Amalek was Arab, and the Jews were ordered to slaughter all the Amalekite Arabs by their God, and they commemorate the massacre by - yes - slaughtering the children of non-Jews on Passover and drinking their blood.

It covers all the bases of antisemitism. And of course, Western NGOs all agree that antisemitism is bad. Yet none of them can seem to find anything to say about endemic Arab antisemitism.

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Egypt cuts electricity to Gaza completely (UPDATE - denied)

The Gaza energy authority this morning announced that Egypt has completely cut the flow of electricity into Gaza, in numerous Arabic media reports.

The Gaza energy authority urged citizens to stop using air conditioners or electric heaters, and to try to only use electricity for lighting.

Gaza usually has three sources of electricity. Israel provides 125 megawatts of power directly through electric lines, the Gaza power plant provides 80 MW and Egypt directly provides about 17 MW.

Since Egypt curtailed the tunnel trade to Gaza and Hamas refused to pay market prices for fuel, allowing the power plant to shut down on November 1, the amount of electric power available for Gaza went down from about 222 MW to 142 MW. Now that amount has been further reduced by another 12%, and Israel is now the only party providing power to Gaza.

Yet Israel is also virtually the only party being blamed for fuel shortages into Gaza by UNRWA, Amnesty, Hamas (in English), European NGOs, Arab media and of course the usual anti-Israel idiots. 

This news has not yet been reported in English anywhere. If Israel cannot be blamed, the media and the NGOs lose interest very quickly. Then, when the real story is obscured by inattentiveness, they will come back and blame Israel anyway.

One new example is this Al Arabiya article about a funny Gaza spoof of the Jean Claude Van Damme's famous commercial for Volvo:

While the commercial doesn't seem to blame Israel (Gazans know the truth), Al Arabiya  does blame Israel for the fuel crisis - based on information from 2006!

UPDATE: The Gaza electric authority now denies this story, saying that there was a technical glitch that stopped the flow of electricity temporarily and it has been fixed.

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12/07 Links: Golan Explosion Targets IDF, Amer.Stud.Prof Against BDS, OECD Lauds Israel

From Ian:

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Caroline Glick: The politics of subversion

Facing these undeniable facts, Kerry and his supporters have two main challenges. First they need to present themselves as credible actors.
And second they have to give Israel reason to trust the Palestinians. If Israel trusts the US, then it can consider allowing the US to defend it from foreign aggression. If the Palestinians are real peace partners, then Israel can surrender its ability to defend itself more easily, because it will face a benign neighbor along its indefensible border.
Unfortunately, Israel cannot trust the US. Kerry and the Obama administration as a whole lost all credibility when they negotiated the deal with Iran last month.

Barry Rubin: Are Sunni Arabs More Afraid of Israel than Iran?

I'm surprised that the following coincidence was not connected to Purim. Once again an Iranian tyrant is threatening countries in the region, and it isn't just Jews that are worried. In an absolutely remarkable historical event, President Shimon Peres delivered a speech to 29 representatives from Arab and Islamic states via satellite. Do not kid yourself; this would not have happened if the Egyptians, Saudis, and others hadn't thought that the U.S. had sold out the Sunni Arabs.

Saudi Arabia – Israel’s New BFF?

What Israel and Saudi Arabia do share, however, is a strong convergence of interests at this moment in time around each country’s core national security issue. An often overlooked fact is that the Saudi leadership is generally pragmatic, and the Kingdom is essentially what could be called a “status quo power”. Yes, the Saudi Arabia is dominated by the fundamentalist Wahabi strain of Islam, but the overriding objective of the ruling House of Saud is the preservation of the House of Saud. And while the Saudis would never acknowledge this publicly, right now they (wisely) perceive the Israelis and themselves as simpatico when it comes to Iran.

Iran Refuses to Recognize Israel at U.N.

The UNGA meeting was held to mark a procedural—and typically uneventful—vote in which nations meet to approve the credentials of various U.N. member states.
While Iran, like every other nation, voted in favor of the measure, its representative sought to explain that its support should not be interpreted as recognition of Israel.
“We would like to reiterate my government’s position that our support for this document should be in no way be considered as the recognition of the Israeli regime,” Iran’s representative said. “I wish my statement in this regard to be recorded and registered in the final recording of this meeting.”
Iran was the only member state to offer an on-the-record statement regarding the vote.

HuffPo: Why I Am Opposed to an Academic Boycott of Israel

Finally, it is unclear just what conditions need to be met in order for the boycott to be lifted, as the ASA itself has noted. Perhaps the best clues to finding out the terms of boycott can be found on the BDS website.
Or, perhaps not. The first stated goal of the BDS movement is the return of Arab lands. In the original boycott call issued in 2005, that goal was written as: "Ending [Israel's] occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall." However, a different version of the BDS call reads: "Ending [Israel's] occupation and colonization of all Arab lands occupied in June 1967 and dismantling the Wall."
Those two versions of the boycott's primary goal are significantly different. The original call can be interpreted to mean that BDS wants to go back to conditions prior to the creation of the state of Israel.
Mark Rice Professor and chair of the Department of American Studies, St. John Fisher College, Rochester, New York

BBC’s Connolly exploits Mandela’s death for political campaigning

Likewise, Kevin Connolly revealingly refrains from making the accusation that Britain, France and Belgium “helped to prolong the apartheid regime’s rule”: BBC audiences are led to believe that only Israel belongs in that category.
Connolly’s suggestion that “the co-operation extended into Israel sharing nuclear weapons technology” is also apparently based on the Guardian’s speculative accusations dating back to 2010. Readers can learn more about the flimsy nature of that paper’s insinuations from work done on the subject by CiF Watch here and here and further information (including the BBC’s own questioning of the Guardian story at the time) is available here.

Syria's Assad calls Mandela's life a lesson to tyrants

The Syrian presidency added its voice to the chorus with a statement on its Facebook page on Friday, calling the South African statesman "an inspiration in the values of love and human brotherhood."
"His history of struggle has become an inspiration to all the vulnerable peoples of the world, in the expectation that oppressors and aggressors will learn the lesson that in the end it is they who are the losers," the statement said.

Comparing BBC coverage of Arafat ‘poisoned’ vs ‘not poisoned’ stories

As readers no doubt recall, in the forty-eight hours between November 6th and 8th the BBC News website featured thirteen different items on the subject of the publication of the Swiss report which was interpreted as supporting the theory that Yasser Arafat died as a result of poisoning.

Explosion on Israeli-Syrian border was aimed at IDF patrol

A blast that took place on the Israeli-Syrian border on Friday evening was caused by explosives intended to target the IDF unit that was patrolling the border, the IDF said Saturday.
The explosives were placed on the eastern, or Syrian, side of the border fence.
The attack marked the first deliberate effort since the Syrian civil war began to target an Israeli patrol at the border with explosives.

Poll: Israeli-PA Conflict Talks Won’t Lead to Deal, 87.5% of Israelis Say

A vast majority of Israeli Jews—87.5 percent—believe the current Israeli-Palestinian Authority conflict negotiations will not lead to a peace agreement, according to a new Israel Hayom poll that coincided with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s latest visit to the region.
The poll, conducted by New Wave Research, found that only 6 percent of Israeli Jews think the negotiations will lead to a deal. The respondents were a random pool of 500 Jewish Hebrew-speaking Israelis over the age of 18.

Palestinians fire three rockets at Israel

Three Kassam rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at Israeli territory on Saturday afternoon, all landing in open Gazan territory, Army Radio reported.
There were no reports of injuries or damage.

Jordan wins Saudi seat on UN Security Council

The UN General Assembly elected Jordan to the Security Council on Friday to replace Saudi Arabia, which had rejected the seat in an unprecedented act to protest the council’s failure to end the Syrian and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.
Arab countries chose Jordan as a replacement, and Asian nations endorsed it to take the traditional Arab seat on the UN’s most powerful body. It received 178 “yes” votes in the election.

Iranian students chant for release of political prisoners during Rouhani speech

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was greeted with calls for the release of jailed opposition leaders during an address to university students in Tehran on Saturday, AFP reported.
The so-called moderate Rouhani responded to the chants at Shahid Beheshti University by stating that his government "is committed to the promises it has made to the people, but we need to create internal consensus to achieve the objectives."

All Syrian chemical weapons munitions destroyed

The international chemical weapons watchdog announced Friday it has verified the destruction of all of Syria’s unfilled munitions — another milestone along the road to eradicating President Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons program by mid-2014.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said in a statement that its experts in Syria also have verified the destruction of parts of buildings at weapons production facilities.
The latest destruction work was near the city of Homs. The OPCW said the sites had been inaccessible due to security reasons.

Austrian Mayor resigns over call for journalists to be hanged like Jews

The resignation of conservative mayor Karl Simlinger on Friday ended an alleged racism and anti-Semitism scandal over crude statements targeting asylum seekers, Jews and journalists.
Simlinger, who has served as the mayor of the small town of Gföhl since 1997, said the last thing he wanted to do was to “injure people.” The mayor allegedly said during a city council meeting on Tuesday,“I don’t give a shit about asylum seekers, but the journalists are to be blamed. They should be hanged; they are like the Jews.”

OECD Lauds Israel’s Economic Growth

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Thursday praised Israel’s economic growth in 2013 and predicted that its economy will continue to grow in 2014 and 2015 at a rate that exceeds growth projections for the OECD’s other 33 member nations, Israel Hayom reported.
“Israel’s output growth remains relatively strong, unemployment is at historically low levels, its high-tech sector continues to attract international admiration, and new off-shore gas fields have come on stream,” the OECD said in the executive summary of its 2013 Israel Economic Survey.

Israel’s Mobli Takes On Instagram in the Battle for Picture Posting

Globes said that Instagram retaliated this week, moving to block access to its services by users of Mobli, the up-start Israeli competitor that received a major investment from Mexican telecoms billionaire Carlos Slim in November.
“Although there is no real competition between the companies in terms of scale – Mobli has 12 million users compared with Instagram’s 150 million users – it seems that the latter feels threatened. It therefore decided to block Mobli users from downloading pictures from Instagram to Mobli at the press of a button, basically banning access to the applications programmable interface (API),” Globes wrote.

‘Companies with Israel ties added $6.2 b. to Mass. economy’

Companies with connections to Israel contributed $6.2 billion to the Massachusetts economy last year, a new study found.
The study, released on Thursday, was conducted by the consulting firm Stax and supported by Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston. It found that, when accounting for other business spending, the full economic impact of companies with Israel ties contribute $11.9 to the state economy. Revenues from this sector are growing three times as fast as the overall state economy.

Israeli firm’s 4G chips find a home in Verizon tablet

US mobile service provider Verizon has chosen Israeli mobile technology company Altair Semiconductors to provide 4G chips for its new tablet, culminating a working relationship going back years and enabling Verizon to sell its device markedly more cheaply than competing products.
Altair’s FourGee-3100/6202 chipset is running in Verizon’s LTE-enabled Ellipsis 7 tablet, the first-ever device marketed under Verizon Wireless’s own brand.

Israel Daily Picture: The Search for New Sources of Vintage Pictures of the Holy Land

The adjacent picture, although scratched and dark, is a beautiful landscape scene of the area between the Jerusalem train station and Jaffa Gate.
Below it is a slide of the same picture from the Library of Congress' mint collection of pictures from the Holy Land. The initials P.Z. on the bottom left of the picture indicates that it was produced by at the Photochrom and Photoglob company in Zurich in the mid-1890s. According to the Library of Congress, photochrom prints are "ink-based images produced through the direct photographic transfer of an original negative on litho and chromographic printing plates.

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