Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

10/28 Links Pt2: Why liberals downplay terrorism; In BDS, B is For Blacklist, Not Boycott

From Ian:

Amb. Alan Baker: Parliamentary Recognition of Palestine – Legally, Historically and Politically Questionable

Official political bodies in the UK, Ireland and Sweden have called for the recognition of Palestine, claiming that such recognition would “contribute to securing a two-state solution.”
These actions, whether by votes in the UK parliament and in the Irish Upper House, or in a parliamentary speech by the prime minister of Sweden, are based on questionable legal, historic and political premises since no Palestinian state exists, and the issue of the status of the territories is subject to negotiation.
These actions actually hinder progress to a negotiated agreement since they attempt to prejudge the outcome of the very negotiation they purport to support.
It would be legally and politically prudent were the UK House of Commons and the Irish Upper House, as well as the prime minister of Sweden, to reconsider their ill-advised resolutions or statements.

Why liberals downplay terrorism

After any terrorist attack, why is the first instinct of liberals to downplay it?
Their first reflex is to deny that it’s terrorism at all. Nidal Hasan, a Muslim U.S. soldier, shot 13 fellow soldiers to death at Fort Hood while shouting, “Allahu Akbar.” Yet the Pentagon declared the attack “workplace violence,” not terrorism.
The next liberal reflex is to deny that an attacker is Muslim. Last month there was a terrorist-style beheading in Oklahoma City. Media reports called the suspect “Alton Nolen.” Which was the name his mother gave him. As opposed to the name he took for himself after he converted to Islam: Jah'Keem Yisrael. Media showed old pictures of him dressed as a factory worker, rather than his own Facebook pictures showing him in flowing Muslim robes and head-coverings.
The third liberal reflex is to say a terrorist attack was just the act of a madman. That was the early spin in Canada for last week’s terrorist murders. Clearly Michael Zehaf-Bibeau was insane, they said.
The fourth liberal line of defence is to say the attacker is a lone wolf. And indeed, the terrorists listed above committed their murders by themselves. But Nidal was in e-mail contact with al-Qaida; the Canadian terrorists communicated with other extremists, including by Twitter. This weekend the RCMP announced Zehaf-Bibeau had “numerous” other interactions that they are investigating.
The attacking terrorist may have been a lone wolf. But each was part of a larger wolf pack.

In BDS, B is For Blacklist, Not Boycott

The BDS movement’s boycott against Israel is, for all practical purposes, a blacklist designed to remove Israel from the world stage.
It’s well documented that the movement is primarily a tool for spreading anti-Israel propaganda. It’s time to use language about the movement that reflects its true nature.
The calls for boycott of Israel economically, culturally, and academically have virtually no effect in those areas other than to blacken Israel’s name. But the use of the term “boycott” grants the movement an aura of righteousness it does not deserve.
As one student group said when it was discovered using Israeli web technology to promote a boycott of Israel, “BDS is a tactic, not a principle.” It is a tactic for spreading hate, not for promoting peace and reconciliation.
Indeed, if it were a principle, standing for human rights or for justice, its supporters would fight for those values everywhere. But only Israel is subject to BDS campaigns, demonstrating that it is, in fact, a blacklist, not a boycott in the name of justice.

Anti-Israel Speaker Uses Racial Slur to Describe Palestinians

SJP is widely known for leading hostile anti-Israel campaigns on college campuses. It has compared the Jewish state to Nazi Germany and promoted the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The keynote speaker on Friday evening, the Reverend Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou, received applause from the audience when he drew an elaborate comparison between Palestinians and African Americans.
“One of the fundamental things that was revealed to me when I was in Palestine in 2012 was a simple truth,” said Sekou, a self-described author and public intellectual. “I was there for about 15 minutes and I got it: Y’all are n—. That’s part of what it means to be a Palestinian in the context of Israeli apartheid.”
Sekou went on to explain how, in his view, Palestinians and black Americans share a cultural status as refugees. (h/t Alexi)

Palestinians trust putting their money in Jordanian banks

Another vote of confidence for the Palestinian economy:

Data released on Sunday by the Association of Palestinian Banks show that Jordanian banks operating in Palestine have acquired, during the past year, about half of the Palestinian banking sector's deposits, facilities and profits, Anadolu news agency reported.

According to the agency, the data reveal that customer deposits at Jordanian banks operating in the occupied Palestinian territories at the end of last year amounted to about $4.84 billion out of a total of $9.05 billion, a ratio of 53.6 per cent.

These figures are considered the latest data that compare the performance of Jordanian banks operating in Palestine to the Palestinian banking sector in general.

The data show that Jordanian banks operating in Palestine earned a profit estimated at $84 million last year, an increase of 16.6 per cent compared to 2012. This profit represents 58 per cent of the total profit of banks operating in Palestine, about $143 million.

There are 17 local and foreign banks operating in Palestine, including both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, of which seven are local banks, including two Islamic banks and five commercial banks, in addition to 10 foreign banks, eight of which are Jordanian, in addition to one British and one Egyptian.

You just know the Islamic banks' main customer is Hamas.

UNRWA teaches first graders to call for Israel's destruction

Due to an apparent glitch, one of the UNRWA school sites that was taken down after I exposed that it had two posts saying Jews were dirty has apparently been partially restored. Its home page is gone but the rest of the content is there.

So while it is up I did some more research into what UNRWA teaches its students with our tax dollars.

One webpage (cached here) has the transcript and photos of a presentation by first grade girls describing various Israeli towns that they say the Zionists usurped from them,. Each girl represented one village or town.

At the end of the presentation, a group of girls say together:

Despite the occupation and despite the siege, heroes will come from among you and they will liberate us and other countries so Palestine remains Arab and free, Arab and free, Arab and free!

In context, it is pretty obvious that when they say "Palestine" they are not referring to the "1967 lines."
The "heroes" they are anticipating are the men in the audience. They are telling Gazans to go to war to destroy Israel.

Interesting how UNRWA advocates the violent destruction of a UN-member state - something the UN Charter frowns upon.

Just more fun activities that the world is funding when they answer UNRWA's many "emergency appeals."

(h/t Ibn Boutros)

10/28 Links Pt1: Glick: Kerry, Qatar and the poisonous tree; It’s a Disgrace to Call Abbas ‘a Man of Peace'

From Ian:

Caroline Glick: Kerry, Qatar and the poisonous tree

By insinuating that Israel is to blame for IS’s rise to power, Kerry was not simply blaming the victim. He was empowering the aggressor.
For the West to defeat IS, it first needs to recognize that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was right when he said at the UN last month that IS and Hamas – and increasingly Qatari-financed Fatah – are “branches of the same poisonous tree.”
With his announcement Monday that the government had approved the construction of 1,250 new housing units in Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem, Netanyahu showed that Israel prefers freedom and security to good relations with Washington and Brussels.
Washington and Brussels need understand that by forcing Israel to make that choice, they are hurting themselves and the cause of their own freedom and security far more than they are harming Israel.

Obama Admin: Palestinians Who Throw Molotov Cocktails at Israelis Are Not Terrorists

The Obama administration insisted Monday that a Palestinian killed by an IDF while attempting to throw a Molotov cocktail at Israeli civilians is not a terrorist.
The Palestinian, a teenager with U.S. citizenship, was shot Friday and buried wearing a green Hamas headband. The Obama administration said in a statement on Friday that it “expresses its deepest condolences to the family.”
At a State Department briefing today, Associated Press reporter Matt Lee asked spokesperson Jen Psaki whether it is appropriate to offer “deepest condolences” to the family of someone killed while attempting to carry out an attack on civilians.
“There are reports … that [the Palestinian teenager] was throwing Molotov cocktails at cars on a highway, and I’m wondering, if that is the case, would you still have been so speedy in putting out a statement and offering your condolences to the family?” asked Lee. “The argument that is being made by some in Israel is that this kid was essentially a terrorist, and you don’t agree with that, I assume,” Lee continued.
“Correct, we don’t,” Psaki said. Lee then asked whether the fact that the teenager was buried wearing a Hamas headband was “of concern at all.” Psaki replied, “I just don’t have any more on this particular case.”

Israel’s Ambassador Dermer: ‘It’s a Disgrace to Call Abbas ‘a Man of Peace” (VIDEO)

Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Ron Dermer, on Sunday launched an unprecedented attack on Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, saying he “educates Palestinian children to hate Jews, and wants a Palestinian state free of Jews”, according to a transcript.
“The Palestinian President wrote a dissertation denying the Holocaust,” he said, and added that it is a “disgrace” that “anyone in the world embraces this man as a peacemaker,” said Dermer, speaking before some 5,000 participants at “A Night to Honor Israel,” held in Washington under the auspices of pro-Israel evangelist pastor, John Hagee.
The ambassador, referring to Abbas’ recent speech at the United Nations General Assembly, in which the Palestinian leader claimed that Israel is inflicting a “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza, said, “…since 1967, the population of the Palestinians in Judea, Samaria and Gaza has increased fourfold to between 3 to 4 million people today. And yet President Abbas stands before the world at the United Nations and accuses Israel of genocide? What a disgrace! What an embarrassment that anyone in the world embraces this man as a peacemaker,” Dermer charged.

Ma'an reports:

Search crews in Gaza on Monday found the remains of a Palestinian who was killed during the recent Israeli assault on the Strip, a Ma'an reporter said.

The body of Zuhdi Abd al-Hamid Abu al-Rus, 22, was found under the rubble of a destroyed mosque in al-Nuserat.

Israeli forces targeted the mosque on Aug. 9.

More interesting is what Ma'an does not say.

The mosque that al-Rus was found in is the Al Qassam Mosque, the same one where three senior Hamas members were meeting at 3:30 AM that day - and it wasn't to pray. They were cynically using the mosque as a terrorist command center.

And, no surprise, in Arabic al-Rus is referred to as a "mujahid martyr,"

His body was draped in a Hamas flag at his funeral, which was quite large.

Even now, Arab media are trying to make it appear that the primary victims in Gaza were civilians. It just isn't so.

(Of course, so did Western journalists like Donald Macintyre reporting on the same mosque attack, forgoing the least amount of fact checking.)

Arabic News sites over the weekend published alleged internal documents from Mahmoud Abbas, marked "top secret," where he demanded to monitor the phone calls of many prominent Fatah and PLO leaders.

They included Fatah Central Committee members such as Major General Tawfiq Tirawi, Major General Jibril Rajoub , and prominent leaders of the Palestinian Authority, such as former Prime Minister Dr. Salam Fayyad and Secretary of the Executive Committee of the PLO and Yasser Abed Rabbo.

This was apparently in response to reports of internal criticism of his leadership.

At first I discounted these reports because they originated at a Hamas website and I've seen Hamas forge "confidential" documents before. But now there is news on pro-Fatah sites themselves that Abbas ordered an investigation into who leaked these documents!

Abbas' choice not to deny these rumors and instead to find out who is behind the leak makes a strong case that the published documents are legitimate and Abbas is acting like just another banana republic dictator.

Arabs know very well that their leadership is criminally corrupt. Too bad the Western media chooses to ignore stories like these in order to keep their own precious memes of upstanding, moderate Palestinian leadership alive.

The New York Times published yet another overwrought, emotional anti-Israel op-ed. This one is by Rula Jebreal, an award-winning journalist. And as is so often the case, it is filled with things that just ain't true - which calls into question all of her journalistic credentials.

Here are a few examples:

According to Nurit Peled-Elhanan, a Hebrew University professor of sociology who has produced the most comprehensive survey of Israeli public school curriculums, not one positive reference to Palestinians exists in Israeli high school textbooks. Palestinians are described as either “Arab farmers with no nationality” or fearsome “terrorists,” as Professor Peled-Elhanan documented in her book “Palestine in Israeli School Books: Ideology and Propaganda in Education.”

As I reported in 2011, Peled-Elchanan is simply a liar. Textbooks that she claimed didn't show a single Arab showed plenty of Arabs with no prejudice. Her claims that Arabs were never shown sympathetically were shown to be out and out lies.

Avigdor Lieberman, has championed a call to boycott the businesses of Palestinian citizens of Israel and, ominously, has even sought to make the “transfer” of Palestinians legal.

Another lie. Lieberman called to boycott businesses taking part in a general strike condemning Operation Protective Edge, not all Arab businesses.

And the Lieberman Plan did not call for "transfer," meaning moving Palestinian Arabs out of their homes. He called to redraw the borders to include more Arabs in a Palestinian state.

Israel is increasingly becoming a project of ethno-religious purity and exclusion. Religious Zionist and ultra-Orthodox parties occupy 30 of the 120 seats in the Knesset.

There is not a single ultra-Orthodox party in Israel's governing coalition (the NYT since corrected that.)

[M]ore than 50 discriminatory Israeli laws documented by Adalah, the Haifa-based Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel...

Not true.

Historically, ultra-Orthodox Jews did not serve in the armed forces. Today, they do — and serve in every capacity, including in the most important elite Israeli army units, such as the Sayeret Matkal special forces and Unit 8200, whose responsibilities include gathering intelligence on any Palestinian they deem a “security threat.”

Unit 8200 has recently added some haredim, but as far as I can tell Sayeret Matkal does not have any "ultra-Orthodox" Jews.

There is, regrettably, still some discrimination in Israel against minorities (including Jewish minorities.) There is also discrimination in every other nation on the planet against their minorities. But if Jerbreal wants to fix the nation that she is a citizen of, lying in the New York Times to incite clueless Americans against Israel is not the way to do it. On the contrary - her methods seem to indicate that she wants to damage Israel, not improve it.

And the New York Times is eager to help her do so.

Additionally, for someone who pretends to be against bigotry, Ms. Jebreal sure seems biased against religious Jews:

Unlike every former head of Shin Bet, Israel’s equivalent of the F.B.I., Yoram Cohen, who today heads the agency, is a religious Jew. That change is typical of Israeli society. The greater integration of ultra-Orthodox Jews clearly offers benefits to Jewish Israelis, but for Palestinian Israeli citizens, it has meant a new, religiously inspired racism, on top of the old secular discrimination.

Jebreal does not bring a shred of evidence that Yoram Cohen is bigoted against Arabs - except that he is religious (he is not ultra-Orthodox.)

Who's the bigot?

(h/t Ibn Boutros, Yair Rosenberg)

New Egyptian pop song warns against dealing with Jews

Egyptian pop band Malaleem just came out with a catchy tune and music video called "Love Monkeys."

The theme of the song? To warn Arabs against the consequences of dealing with Jews.

Unlike the usual jihadist videos, this is meant to be a mainstream pop song that just happens to teach Jew-hatred.

I haven't been able to find the lyrics yet, but the theme of Jews as evil monkeys can be seen in the music video.

From what I can tell, the Egyptian monkey becomes enamoured with a female Jewish monkey, who is clearly just stringing him along in order to crush him.

At one point, the band leader becomes part of the cartoon, first becoming a Pharaoh-type figure but then turning into an evil Jew.

I found one Facebook commenter who was a bit upset that the song conflated Jews and Israelis.

I'm sure that the lyrics and translations will become available very soon now!

10/27 Links Pt2: Israel and the West's Submission to Islam; Chloe Valdary: I ask FIRST for Zionism

From Ian:

Bastardization of black feminist theory propels Israel-bashing on campus

During both early October’s Open Hillel conference at Harvard University, and the just-concluded Students for Justice in Palestine gathering at Tufts University, Israel was condemned for imposing an “interlocking matrix of oppression” onto Arabs, Muslims, Christians, Jews, women, children, gays, the disabled, and others.
Coined in 1989, the feminist sociological theory of intersectionality has often been applied to studies of black women, who – so goes the theory – derive their most potent sense of identity from the intersection of being female and black, as opposed to one characteristic over the other.
More recently, anti-Israel groups have adopted intersectionality to denounce Zionism’s alleged subjugation and silencing of its many critics, including Jews.
“Our very bodies disrupt Zionist narratives,” said Sa’ed Atshan, a Tufts lecturer in peace and justice studies, who also advises the campus SJP chapter.
Identifying himself to conference participants as a gay Palestinian, Atshan demanded Israel be “decolonized” for its racist policies. He also condemned Israel for creating a Palestinian society rife with honor killings and the persecution of gays – all caused by the intersection of Zionism with misogyny and homophobia, he said.

Sorry, brothers in Africa, the “Palaestinaïsm” virus stole all the money for Ebola!

Dear brothers in Africa, who are abused, killed, exterminated, who we let agonize, hoping that you will not come to western countries, Israel, we grieve for you. We have already sent dozens of doctors in your countries to help you. Even in countries that don’t have diplomatic relations with us, but we did it out of Zionism. In 1905, the father of this too often distorted movement, Theodor Herzl, wrote: “After feeding the children of Israel, the land of Israel will have to feed his African brothers”. That’s what we’re doing. We’re helping you. We treat you as much as we can, considering a country like ours, a country without petrodollars. And if we had these petrodollars, we would invest in your futur rather than in football clubs!
Brothers in Africa, Palaestinaïsm stole your future. Your children’s. Your brothers’, parents’ and cousins’. Palaestinaïsm destroys not only the lives of Palestinian cells that are sane, but also of Israel’s, and now yours. Yet you are not complicated! Bread, water and health. Work too. It would be so easy to please you. To treat you.
And when you do not have tears to cry at the funeral of your neighbor, despite the hope, never forget that the fate of your entire continent is based on the selfishness of 4 or 5 million Palestinians who seized money from the rich countries, countries in crisis but rich, who do not have enough to give you the small amounts you need!

Israel and the West's Submission to Islam

What the Europeans ignore about the Arab-Israeli conflict and the long war is the precedent of 1948. When the Arabs attacked, and the West militarily embargoed Israel, the Zionists yet won a compelling victory in their ancient homeland; and a half a million Arabs became refugees, never to return. In 1967, the Arabs again declared their goal to be the annihilation of Israel; but Israel won, and another quarter of a million Arabs fled the country.
In 2014 the same scenario is unfolding. Pushed to the wall by Europeans who overlook and justify escalating domestic Arab violence and provocations, Israel will sooner or later need to unleash a severe response against the Muslims in the country who deny the right of Israel to exist, at all, and certainly as a Jewish and Zionist state. Newton’s political physics teach us that an action produces a reaction, and Hegel’s dialectics charted how a thesis leads to an antithesis, culminating in a new, rarely anticipated, synthesis. All this fondling of the Palestinians and coddling of Islam is putting in place a horrific threat to Israel, which may however evoke a welcome opportunity for deliverance and triumph.
Are we not passing through a very momentous period of history: with signs of the political decline and social decadence of Europe and the West, the clash between Israel and Islam, between Islam and Christianity, and with attendant results that could change the political -- and religious -- map of the world? The cutting edge of history is the crossroads we now face.

Ex-Spanish PM slams European recognition of 'Palestine'

Former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar has spoken out against unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.
"The Palestinian state does not exist yet and the Gaza Strip is still controlled by Hamas, but many nations are already moving to recognize it," he said. "The Swedish government announced it would recognize Palestine, the British Parliament voted to recognize it, and we should expect similar moves to be made throughout Europe. Regardless of good intentions, recognizing a Palestinian state is not appropriate, not helpful, and wrong. It will not promote peace and will only cause the Palestinians to back away from an agreed upon solution."
The former Spanish leader warned that whatever boost in morale the Palestinians get from European recognition will "not translate to a change in the situation on the ground."
"These initiatives put unfair pressure only on Israel. The State of Israel has been harassed by neighbor states and terrorist groups, and subsequently offered concessions to reach a fair peace agreement and was only met with refusal from the Palestinian Authority."

Fatah webpage calls murderer a "holy martyr"

The official Fatah webpage refers to Abdel Rahman a-Shaludi, the murderer of the baby Chaya Zissel Braun and Karen Yemima Muscara, as a "holy martyr."

Of course, that "non-violent" darling of the West, Mahmoud Abbas, heads Fatah.

Here's a screenshot with the autotranslation.

Pakistanis freak out over Islamabad U exhibit showing Israeli culture (UPDATE)

From the International Islamic University Islamabad's website on Friday:

International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) is going to hold a three-day event titled “Women International Model United Nations 2014”. The event is being organized by the Faculty of Management Sciences (Female) and students’ advisor office of university which would kick off on Friday (today). The event includes social events, discussion sessions and many other activities.

But something went horribly wrong. From The News Tribe:

A stall showing Israeli culture was arranged at International Islamic University Islamabad; the university administration confirmed that the stall was set up and it has formed a three-member committee to probe into the matter.

The stall for promotion of Israeli culture was arranged in a hall situated in the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, the capital of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. A ceremony “UN Debate Contest” was also arranged by the Faculty of “Management Sciences Women Department”.

Some students, a few of those from other countries, set up the stall where items showing Israel’s culture were displayed. Banners in the background also showed the Israeli flag as well as pictures of the Israeli premier.

“WELCOME TO THE LAND OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY,” read a banner.

As the news about this stall came to fore, religious bodies, students and political organisations expressed their anger and threatened protest on Sunday (today).

The legal adviser of the University confirmed the presence of stall. The “UN Debate Contest” was also arranged by the Faculty of Management Sciences Women Department where the students set up their stalls of UN member states but the stall of Israel was arranged without permission of university administration, the adviser said.

The stall was closed immediately as it came into the notice of administration.

The local people said that without university administration’s permission it was impossible to set up such stall.

Various student organisations and religious parties said the act was tantamount to adding salt to the wounds of Palestinians.

Outraged students held a protest today, where they naturally burned Israeli flags:

(h/t Yenta Press)

UPDATE:

The International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) has removed the dean of the Faculty of Management Sciences (FMS) and a student adviser who were responsible for a three-day Model United Nations (MUN) event, which began on Friday.

The move followed reports that the university had organised an “Israeli cultural stall”, which began circulating on the Internet and via social media. This drew the ire of right-wing organisations, including the IIUI chapter of the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT), which staged a demonstration outside the National Press Club on Sunday to condemn the stall.

(h/t Dave Bender)

10/27 Links Pt1: A 2nd Victim from Train Attack Dies; Settlements Are Not the Problem, It is Abbas

From Ian:

The Settlements Are Not the Problem; It is Abbas

Despite the facts that the 79-year-old kleptocrat does not care about peace, the rest of the world contends that Israel bears the responsibility of lacking peaceful initiative. Some organizations, like J Street, preach that Abbas is a true “partner for peace.” However, such delusions not only prevent true dialogue from occurring, but it also prevents reality from influencing the actions of influential Western governments.
As European countries continue to make symbolic gestures recognizing “Palestine,” it has no problem with condemning the actions of average Jews trying to make a living in their homeland. In a world where liberal values should be championed and protected, the Western world has turned a blind eye to the only beacon of liberalism in the Middle East and condemned it for allowing its people to live with prosperity in land promised to them nearly a century ago. Such gestures only galvanize anti-Zionist and anti-Semites to continue engaging in disturbing, violent, and even lethal behaviors.
The only way that the world can institute change in the attitudes of Israelis and Palestinian-Arabs to stop the violence and end the tensions is to address the true obstacles to peace. It starts by acknowledging that the settlements are not the problem; it is Mahmoud Abbas and his refusal to stop those he governs from wreaking havoc on Israeli society. Once the world finally recognizes the facts, then it can talk about a more realistic, viable solution to end the decades-long tensions between Palestinian-Arabs and Israelis.

JCPA: The Role of Hamas and Fatah in the Jerusalem Disturbances

The Muslim Brotherhood seeks to unite all of the region’s Islamic movements around the idea of the Muslim Caliphate with the Al-Aqsa Mosque as its hub.
Hamas’ Khaled Mashal lives in Qatar and has helped the Qataris realize that by ratcheting up the Palestinian issue they can reignite the passion of the Arab masses throughout the Arab world in support of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Fatah’s Silwan (Jerusalem) branch was quick to glorify the hit-and-run killer of the three-month-old American-Israeli baby, Chaya Zissel Braun. On the issue of funding Fatah activity in Jerusalem, eyes are turned to Qatar.
Both Fatah and Hamas compete for Qatar’s favor, provoking greater levels of violence on the ground in Jerusalem.

An interview with Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon

Secretary Kerry recently said the lack of resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian issue is leading to street anger and recruitment for the Islamic State. What is your response?
Unfortunately, we find the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is dominated by too many misconceptions. We don’t find any linkage between the uprising in Tunisia, the revolution in Egypt, the sectarian conflict in Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mainly, these come from the Sunni-Shia conflict, without any connection to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The core of the conflict is their reluctance to recognize our right to exist as a nation state of the Jewish people — whether it is [Palestinian Authority President] Abu Mazen or his predecessor [Yasser] Arafat. There are many who believe that just having some territorial concessions will conclude it. But I don’t think this is right.
Will territorial concessions bring peace?
No, they would be another stage of the Palestinian conflict, as we experienced in the Gaza Strip. We disengaged from the Gaza Strip to address their territorial grievances. They went on attacking us. The conflict is about the existence of the Jewish state and not about the creation of the Palestinian one. Any territory that was delivered to them after Oslo became a safe haven for terrorists.
Bearing that in mind, to conclude that after the [recent] military operation in Gaza this is a time for another withdrawal from Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] is irrational. If we withdraw now from Judea and Samaria, we might face another Hamastan.

From Reuters:

Egypt is considering expanding the jurisdiction of military courts and displacing thousands of residents to enlarge a military buffer zone near the border with the Gaza Strip following an attack on security forces in the area.

Two attacks on Friday in the Sinai Peninsula bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip killed at least 33 security personnel in some of the worst anti-state violence since former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood last year.

Sisi, who became president in June, said the military would respond by taking "many measures" in the border area where a buffer zone is likely to be expanded in order to pursue militants and destroy tunnels used to smuggle weapons and fighters.

Security sources told Reuters the army was considering relocating residents to clear a larger buffer zone.

And who does Egypt blame for this terrorism? Palestinians!

Friday’s attacks on army posts in the northern part of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula were carried out by Palestinian militants, a senior Interior Ministry official told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday, at the same time that President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told Egyptians in a televised address that “foreign forces” were responsible for the attacks.

Maj. Gen. Sameeh Beshadi, who was formerly in charge of security in the North Sinai governorate where the attacks took place, said there was “no doubt that Palestinian elements had taken part in the attacks,” which killed at least 30 soldiers, according to security and medical officials.

He said the assailants had entered Sinai via the tunnels linking the region with the Palestinian territories, and that the assailants had prepared the booby-trapped vehicle which Egyptian authorities say was used to carry out one of the attacks while inside Egyptian territory.

According to Egyptian officials, of the two attacks Friday, the first involved a booby-trapped vehicle being rammed into an army checkpoint close to the border town of El-Arish, while a second attack involved the use of mortars and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) against another checkpoint to the south.

Beshadi said the use of RPGs and mortars in the second attack proved the assailants were not local to the area. “The terrorists we are dealing with in North Sinai do not possess the necessary knowhow to fire mortar rounds, nor do they have the ability to use RPGs, in the way that we saw in the complex attack that occurred on Friday,” he maintained.

This comes as President Sisi warned on Saturday that “foreign hands” were behind the attacks, though he did not specify who exactly was responsible.

Beshadi said it could take as little as little as 15 minutes to cross via vehicle from the Gaza Strip to the area where the attacks were carried out, some 30 miles (50 kilometers) to the west of the border.

“All the big terrorist operations which have taken place in North Sinai in the last few years involved well-trained Palestinian elements, including the attack on the military helicopter at the beginning of this year,” Beshadi said, referring to an attack which took place mid-January in the Kharouba area in North Sinai and which killed five soldiers.

Hmmm...Defending against Gaza terrorists? Closing off the border? Demolishing homes that protect smuggling tunnels?

The only thing missing is the hundreds of NGOs that issue thousands of scathing reports when Israel does the same thing!

(h/t Yoel)

Levittown 1957 and Kfar HaShiloach 2014

The parallels between Jews moving into Kfar HaShiloach and blacks moving into white neighborhoods are remarkable. In both cases, the existing population exploded in violence against the "outsiders." In both cases, the haters tried to justify their violence with absurd arguments. In both cases, the home buyers had to resort to third parties to purchase the homes legally.

Upon driving up to their new home at 43 Deepgreen Lane, Daisy Myers was filled with doubt, recalling that she repeatedly asked herself, “what would be the extent of our ostracism? Would we be able to sleep comfortably?” as she studied the four law officers standing on the lawn of her address in the Dogwood Hollow Section of Levittown. These questions regarding the neighborhood reaction to the arrival of a black family in what had been an intentionally all-white enclave, were unfortunately answered over the next two weeks. At dusk each evening, crowds of people gathered outside the Myer’s home, angrily shouting and jeering, singing the national Anthem, and throwing stones toward the Myer’s home, as apparently these “spacious skies,” they sang of were not meant to be enjoyed in an integrated setting. Levittown police failed to enforce the court ordered protection for the Myers, prohibiting more than three people from assembling near the residence at once. Mobs consequently gathered in this fashion each night, only finally subsiding due to interference from the state police....Anti-segregationist even obtained property immediately neighboring the Myers’ home, using the location to intimidate the family further, evident by their conspicuous display of the confederate flag.

The resistance seen in the August riots against the integration of Levittown, PA was not uncommon throughout suburban neighborhoods. Yet despite this plaguing harassment, the Myers refused to leave their Levittown home, justifiably feeling entitled “to live where [they] chose,” as William put it. Remarking on the family’s incredible determination to outlast their opponents, Dianne Harris, historian and author of Second Suburb: Levittown, PA, stated, “the Myers endured an ordeal that few could have weathered with such dignity, courage, grace, and fortitude.”

This endurance allowed the family to break “the lily-white pattern of Levittown,” as Daisy Myers stated, a pattern that William Levitt had attempted to keep in existence in his planned suburban community. While he did not consider himself to hold racist ideals, Levitt had long refused to sell his homes to African Americans. Applications for home ownership in Levittown had to be made in person at the Levittown Exhibit Center Sales Office, allowing discrimination in the housing industry of the community to readily continue daily. Yet through the assistance received from the American Friends Service Committee, the Myers were able to circumvent these discriminatory practices, making headway in the racial trends of the neighborhood. Yet due to the overpowering ideals of many white residents, in combination with the ideals of Levitt and his employed real estate agents, the effects of the inequality are still seen in Levittown today, as the 2000 census identified ninety-eight percent of the town’s population as Caucasian.

The main difference between Jews wanting to live in Kfar Hashiloach and blacks wanting to live in Levittown is that Jews were already ethnically cleansed from Kfar Hashiloach.

Civil rights should be applicable across the board.

Touchy, touchy!

A popular Egyptian talk show presenter was suspended Saturday, becoming the latest of several TV hosts denied airtime for being critical of ruling authorities.

Mahmoud Saad, who hosts "Akher El-Nahar" show four nights a week on Al-Nahar TV, went along with his crew on time but were told they would not go on air without prior notice, sources close to the crew told Ahram Online.

The private TV channel slammed "demotivating the army" without directly citing this as a reason for the suspension. Meanwhile, the host and crew of the programme refused to comment on the matter.

The channel issued a public statement the following day firmly stating that it will make "substantial changes" in its political programmes, adding that it will also take action with regard to the production of live programmes.

"The channel will prohibit the appearance of a number of guests who promote ideas that weaken the morale of the Egyptian army," the statement read.

...Friday's episode of "Akher Al-Nahar" show hosted psychologist Manal Omar, who was continuing a series of episodes analysing the personality of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

During her analysis, Omar recalled El-Sisi's words, as Egypt's defence minister during a celebration of the army in October 2013, about how the Egyptian people stood in solidarity with the military during the defeat of 1967.

The statement of the channel highly criticised speaking about the memory of the Naksa — the humiliating military 'setback' of June 1967 — at a time when Egypt was mourning the death of 29 soldiers killed in terrorist attacks in Sinai.

"At the time where we should be crying at the great loss of our defenders in Sinai, the guests went to recall the 1967 defeat," the statement read.

The audience of the show were surprised when they found Khaled Salah, editor-in-chief of Youm7 newspaper and an anchor on the channel, hosting Saturday's show instead of Saad.

I wonder what would happen if someone refers to the defeat of Pharaoh's army.