Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Syria uses Shakespeare to identify as - a Jew?

The Syrian parliament appears to have dropped a reference to Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" in a letter to UK MPs.

In the second paragraph of a document obtained by Sky News, Mohammad Jihad al-Laham, speaker of the people's assembly of Syria, writes:

We write to you as fathers and mothers, as members of families and communities really not so different to yours. We write to you as fellow human beings for, if you bomb us, shall we not bleed?
That line is curiously similar to one delivered by the Jewish money lender Shylock in Shakespeare's classic:

I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, arms, legs, senses, affections, desires? Are we not fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?
If the intention was to draw a comparison between Syria and Shylock, it may not be taken as a very wise one, for in the play Shylock is a cruel character.

Of course, Shylock was also a Jew.

The idea that Syria is trying to paint itself as a persecuted (and despised) Jew is strange, to say the least!

It also shows an interesting and sharp divergence between Syria's strident tone in the media and how it talks to diplomats.

8/29 Links Part 1: Why Chemical Weapons Matter More Than Bullets, Threatening Israel

From Ian:

TIME: Obama Can Strike Syria Unilaterally

Obama wrote congressional leaders two days after the war against Libya began in March 2011, saying U.S. military action was needed “to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and address the threat posed to international peace and security by the crisis in Libya.” The U.S. strikes, he said, would be “limited in their nature, duration and scope” before the U.S. handed off command of the operation to NATO.
Actually, the initial U.S. strike involved launching 110 cruise missiles from U.S. warships and 45 bombs dropped from B-2 stealth bombers. Limited was a relative term.
Obama cited a U.N. resolution to justify the action, adding that the “United States military efforts are discrete and focused on employing unique U.S. military capabilities to set the conditions for our European allies and Arab partners to carry out the measures authorized by the U.N. Security Council resolution.”

NYT Op Ed: Bomb Syria, Even if It Is Illegal

Of course ethics, not only laws, should guide policy decisions. Since the Rwandan genocide and the Balkan mass killings of the 1990s, a movement has emerged in support of adding humanitarian intervention as a third category of lawful war, under the concept of the “responsibility to protect.” It is widely accepted by the United Nations and most governments. It is not, however, in the charter, and it lacks the force of law.
This was evident in Kosovo in 1999, when NATO bombed Yugoslavia without United Nations authorization. Then, as now, Russia and China were unwilling to grant Security Council approval. America and its allies went ahead with what the Independent International Commission on Kosovo later called an “illegal but legitimate” use of force. In that case, NATO accepted implicitly that its act was illegal. It defended it in moral and political language rather than legal terms.

Why chemical weapons matter more than bullets

It is easy to see why the argument has traction. Tens of millions of people have died in war and internal repression since the end of WWII and all but a few tens of thousands (brutal as such language may sound) have been victims of chemical or biological weapons. None have died due to a nuclear attack.
Yet this misses issues of enormous significance, the first of which is the following: the reason why even the most heinous of regimes have tended not to use WMD has either been because they did not have the technology to acquire them (Rwanda, for example) or because even if they did have them they were so aware of the reputational and existential consequences (see below) of using them that they imposed red lines upon themselves.

What Obama Can Learn From Netanyahu on Syria

Israel’s own Syria policy should hearten the overwhelming majority of Americans who recoil at the idea of another foreign entanglement. Israel has proven that it’s possible to prevent game-changing sophisticated weapons, including long range missiles, from flowing from Syria to the Hezbollah without putting boots on the ground. Furthermore, Israel’s targeted military strikes have been conducted without the country being dragged into Syria’s civil war.
Beyond this lesson, President Obama needs to demonstrate the fortitude required to make a complete, sudden change in principle and attitude. Indeed, Obama’s realpolitik outlook treats unrest as more dangerous than injustice, and power as more important than human rights. Perhaps this explains the public’s hesitance to get involved in Syria.

Peres: Situation in Syria a ‘crime against humanity’

“The situation in Syria is not a local incident but a crime against humanity and a breach of international law,” he said. “As such the responsible world is coming together to respond. Syria has crossed a moral boundary. The whole world was witness to the horrific pictures of Syrian children who lay dead on the floor. President Obama spoke on behalf of the whole of humanity when he said this breach of international law, this mass murder, could not go without an appropriate response.”
He added: “We must understand that the response is global, not local. We are seeing a serious coalition coming together, both militarily and diplomatically.

Threatening Israel

The anti-Israel bluster from Damascus, Tehran and Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon appear to have disturbed none of the foreign statesmen or opinion-molders, whose alacrity to condemn Israel for any perceived transgression is nothing short of remarkable.
Moreover, the veiled hints from Moscow about dire repercussions for the entire region in the event of an American attack on the Assad regime might imply warnings of punishment for Israel.
All the while, Israeli commentators strive to outdo each other with educated guesses about whether we are vulnerable, whether it would serve Bashar Assad’s interests to fire at us, whether we should retaliate and how.

On Syrian TV, Threats to Annihilate Israel, US Forces with Chemical Weapons

Former Egyptian Presidential Candidate Hamdeen Sabahi: An Attack on Syria is an Attack on Egypt VIDEO

Jordan: No attacks on Syria from our soil

A U.S.-led strike on Syria in response to the alleged use of chemical weapons by President Bashar Assad's regime likely would involve cruise missile attacks from the sea, which would not need to cross or make use of Jordanian territory.
But the remarks underline the U.S. ally's efforts to avoid further friction with its larger neighbor for fear that Assad or his Iranian backers could retaliate.

Russia, France deploy warships to eastern Mediterranean

The Kremlin is to deploy a missile cruiser and an anti-submarine ship to the eastern Mediterranean in the coming days, amid rising tension over a possible US-led military response to Syria’s alleged chemical weapons use.
“The well-known situation shaping up in the eastern Mediterranean called for certain corrections to the make-up of the naval forces,” a Moscow military source told Russia’s Interfax news agency.

Syria and Israel Lobby Conspiracy Theories

If anything, events of the last few years in which Arab Spring protests and rebellions have debunked the long-cherished view of Israel’s critics that holds that the conflict with the Palestinians is the central issue around which all conflicts revolve in the Middle East. That’s a concept that those heavily influenced by the Walt-Mearsheimer canard have a tough time wrapping their brains around. But those willing to subscribe to conspiracy theories in which Israel provides the explanation for every mystery and misery on the planet now find themselves searching for an Israel angle about Syria. But other than the fact that Israel will be blamed for the outcome no matter what happens, there is none. Conspiracy theorists and their journalistic enablers need to move on.

Orthodox Jewish Youth Pray for Syria

A group of youth involved in the religious-Zionist Bnei Akiva program have started organized prayers on behalf of Syrian civilians who are at risk due to the ongoing civil war in their country. The prayer initiative, which began in Petach Tikva, has now spread to Jewish communities around the world.
Bnei Akiva volunteers who are doing a year of national civilian service in Petach Tikva came up with the idea of coordinating prayers on behalf of innocent Syrians.

Guardian clashes with much of the Islamic world over U.S. military action in Syria

Anyone familiar with Guardian editorials on the Middle East would surely recognize the narrative – a template for opposing military action in the Middle East which is employed seemingly regardless of the particular circumstances.
Interestingly, however, especially in the context of the paper’s political sympathies towards the Arab and Muslim world, if you were to visit the homepage of The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) – which defines their group as representing “the collective voice of the Muslim world” – you’d see the following:
The OIC General Secretariat calls for decisive action against the chemical attack in Syria

BBC presentation of Israeli view on Syria intervention replete with inaccuracies

The statement that “Iraq attacked Tel Aviv with Scud missiles” is of course inaccurate. As was reported by the BBC itself at the time, Scud missiles were also fired by Iraqi forces at Haifa and other locations in Israel, including the Dimona region in the Negev.
The statement “sales of gas masks in Israel have gone up..” is also inaccurate. Gas Masks are not sold to the Israeli public, but distributed by the Home Front Command, in part via the Postal Services.
Interestingly, in the section titled “Lebanon”, this BBC article does not make any reference to Lebanon being “involved” in the conflict in Syria, despite the fact that Hizballah – which holds seats in the Lebanese parliament and government – is actively fighting there.

AP Returns Golan Heights to Syria

AP's online "interactive" item entitled "Syria's civil war" contains a map (below) placing the Golan Heights, in their entirety, within Syria.

In Egypt’s Sinai, rising militancy threatens peacekeeping force

A dramatic rise in militancy and violence in the vast Sinai desert is increasingly threatening a peacekeeping force there that includes nearly 700 U.S. troops acting as guarantors of a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, according to Western military officials.
Heavily armed locals have blockaded bases and convoys, and, in a few instances, launched attacks against the peacekeepers, raising concerns about not only their safety but also the long-term stability of their mission. That mission had become more challenging even before the most recent phase of Egypt’s post-
revolution crisis, with regional volatility forcing members of the Multinational Force and Observers, many of whom operate out of remote bases, to bolster security and limit their movements.

Isi Leibler: The implications of Obama’s failure

That Obama is considering abrogating economic aid to Egypt suggests that the US has not absorbed the lessons arising from Jimmy Carter’s naïve and disastrous approach to Iran, which paved the way for the ayatollah’s takeover. Without urgent, remedial aid to Egypt, which depends on imports for the bulk of its food and is rapidly running out of hard currency, total economic meltdown, hunger, riots and even civil war are likely.
In addition, ongoing US pressure to “democratize” Egypt could enable Russian President Vladimir Putin to restore the Russian-Egyptian nexus which prevailed prior to Sadat’s break with the Soviet Union.
Instead of seeking to impose democracy from without, the US should support Egypt’s military government as a mechanism for forestalling the transformation of Egypt into a breeding ground for jihadists and al-Qaida.

Reports of the killing of an Iranian Baha’i received

Reports have been received that a well-known member of the Iranian Baha’i community, Mr. Ataollah Rezvani, has been killed in or around the port city of Bandar Abbas in Southern Iran. The event is believed to have taken place on Saturday 24 August 2013. Available information indicates that Mr. Rezvani’s life had been threatened by fanatical elements within the city’s authorities.

US asks Tehran to free Jewish ex-FBI agent, two others

The State Department said in a statement that the US is “respectfully” requesting the assistance from Iran’s new president, Hasan Rouhani. Previous requests made to former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used slightly harsher rhetoric.
Levinson, a husband and father of seven who is Jewish, went missing from Kish Island in Iran in March 2007. The former FBI agent was working as a private investigator at the time.

Nigeria: 2 Charged with Assisting Iranian Terror Cell

Berende is accused of travelling to Iran to help with "material assistance and terrorist training ... in the use of fire arms, explosives and other related weapons."
He is also accused of knowing about spying on two Israeli targets in Lagos - the Chabad Lubavitch Jewish centre and the Lagos branch of AA Consulting - but failing to alert police.

Iran's Cyber War: Hackers In Service Of The Regime

IRGC Claims Iran Can Hack Enemy's Advanced Weapons Systems; Iranian Army Official: 'The Cyber Arena Is Actually The Arena Of The Hidden Imam'

Anger at Israeli Arabic curriculum saying Solomon built a Temple

From Ma'an:

The director of education in Jerusalem has urged families with schoolchildren in Jerusalem to be aware that at least five Palestinian schools are switching to Israeli education materials.

Sameer Jibril said the Ebin Rushd and Abdulla bin Hussain schools were using Israeli education materials in the seventh and eighth grades. The Sour Baher school is using them for fourth, fifth and sixth grades, and the Ibin Khaldoun school uses it for seventh graders.

An education official told Ma’an that a meeting took place on Thursday in Herzliya near Tel Aviv for Palestinian and Israeli principals and teachers to discuss switching from Palestinian Authority to Israeli curricula.

The Israeli municipality in Jerusalem offered to increase salaries for teachers and principals who agree to implement the plans in their schools, the official said. The proposal would add about 2,000 shekels (about $550) per student enrolled in schools using Israeli curricula.

A teacher who identified himself as Jibril told Ma'an that using Israeli curricula was a "violation" of Palestinian culture and history.

"This step is very dangerous and touches the awareness of Palestinians in Jerusalem in an effort to brainwash them and control them, especially young generations.”

Among the concerns Palestinian teachers have about the materials are maps purporting to depict the state of Israel which include the West Bank and identify Palestinian territory by Jewish Biblical names.

It also includes history lessons about the destruction of a Jewish temple in Jerusalem, which the texts separately identify as the capital of Israel despite an international consensus that the city is occupied.

Another section depicts a conversation between three Arab students who praise Israel's development of Palestinian cities and decide to sing the Israeli national anthem.

Other points of concern include a photograph of the separation wall along with a caption identifying it as Israel's "security fence," and another referring to Israel as a bastion of human rights and democracy.

Sure - much better to brainwash kids by claiming there was no Temple, that Israel is uniquely evil, and that Jerusalem has no importance to Jews.

I asked an Arabic speaker to translate the supposedly offensive passages for me, rather than relying on Ma'an.

"The occupation of Urushalim and the Destruction of the Temple ". It doesn't call Jerusalem "Al Quds" in this case, but it is referring to historic times.

This is the closest one to propaganda, although it is hardly different than one would find in any country's school textbooks:

Dina: The state (Israel) has built and embellished our Arab cities and villages a lot.
Ahmad: And it brought electricity to the schools and shops.
Khaled: And the elderly and the children benefit from Social Security.
Together: Then let's sing the [Israeli National anthem].

Under the section "King Solomon and his works/deeds", there is a sub-section titled "The Building of the Temple ". (See here for some interesting background on how Muslims always accepted that there was a Temple before Al Aqsa mosque.)

Jerusalem is shown on the mas as "Urushalim Al-Quds," something Arabs never call it. The Judean Mountains are referred to as "Judean Mountains " and not as "Jibal Al-Khalil" – "the Hebron Mountains", i.e. the Arab name.

The cover of an Israeli school book titled "Towards Democracy in Israel – Civic Studies" Terrible!

The caption reads: "In the Picture: The Security Fence. Israel built a fence along some parts of its border in order to separate it from its neighbors. This fence is known as the "Security Fence".

The title of the school book: "Living Together in Israel". Horrors!

Title of the section: "Al-Quds – the capital city of Israel "

The Jewish Population
Around 5.5 million Jews live in the State of Israel (2007). Jews lived in this country (The Land of Israel) many years ago, but most of them left after other nations/peoples conquered it, and for many years, the majority of the Jewish people lived in various countries around the world. In these countries they suffered a lot from hatred and discrimination against them and their religion. Throughout all these years, they longed for this country and wanted to return to it. The Jews who began to return to it wanted to establish a state for the Jewish people in it. In 1948, that is around 60 years ago, Israel was established as a Jewish and democratic state. Today, the majority of the people in the state of Israel are Jews, but still many Jews live abroad…

"Tiberias: An ancient Jewish city established around 2000 years ago at the time of the Roman rule. The city is on the shore of 'Buhayrat Tabariyya' (the Arabic name for the 'Sea of Galilee ')."

Seeing what the Palestinian Arabs regard as offensive tells us far more about their intolerance and their own desire to brainwash their kids than about any supposed Israeli hasbara towards schoolchildren.

(h/t Ibn Boutros)

Conspiracy Theory of the Day: Israel caused Sandy and Katrina

A writer at Al Tagheer was evidently perusing anti-semitic websites in search for material when he stumbled onto an amazing find: Israel controls the weather, and regularly attacks the US with hurricanes!

While his version seems to be somewhat embellished, I found a conspiracy site that describes this theory in English so you can get the basics:

First of all, we need to establish, without ANY REASONABLE DOUBT – the very basic, foundational premise of the accusation – that a nation-state can indeed employ technology to create and then direct a massive “Frankenstorm’ such as “Sandy”. Let’s begin there.

The average American is blissfully unaware that a man named Nicola Tesla successfully demonstrated a device and a process for precise “weather modification” to various world leaders back in the early 1920′s. For obvious reasons, Tesla’s device and process was immediately stamped “Above Top Secret” – imagine the POWER such a technology could bring to the world’s “Military-Industrialist Complex”. Sadly, not only did Tesla share his device with American military brass, the Russian Bolshevik leaders also received the technology from their Wall Street compatriot “Zionist” agents – and they quickly began perfecting Tesla’s science and technology during the 1930′s and 40′s.

Then came the “Cold War” years. The Soviet Bloc, ruled by Communist Jews, had established their satellite rogue nation-state called Israel in the Middle East in 1948. Aided by the French Zionists, Israel became a nuclear-armed nation 16 years later in 1963 as they successfully built their Dimona nuclear weapons facility against the vociferous objections of President John Kennedy. Aided by their Soviet Jew brethren, there is little doubt that Israel not only built nukes, but also became the epicenter of weather modification applications and international BLACKMAIL operations. It is also highly likely that Kennedy’s position demanding Dimona international inspections was the primary factor leading to his assassination by joint MOSSAD and CIA hit men.

I know – I know – I can hear the cognitive dissonance at work in you, the reader’s brain. “This is the WILDEST, CRAZIEST “Conspiracy Theory” I have ever heard.” It’s just plain “nuts”. After all, Israel is “God’s Chosen Nation” and the world’s Jews are “God’s Chosen People”, right?

After discussing at length a (real) UN resolution to prohibit military use of climate change techniques, the writer continues:

Of course, the lying apologists for the Reprobate State (Israel) will declare, and want you to believe, that this treaty was merely a hypothetical exercise – an agreement to never develop such Dr. Strangelove weaponry. No, no, no, dear reader – the fact is that massively effective “weather control” technology was most definitely refined and available during the decade of the 60′s, and President Nixon’s Joint Chiefs at the Pentagon clearly saw the real and present danger such weaponry posed to the entire planet. Do you really believe that the United Nations would spend such massive time, energy, and money on a treaty to outlaw a hypothetical, mere possibility? Of course not.

He's got us lying apologists pegged!

I saw a similar article at the antisemitic Rense site.

The Arabic article goes on to point out that every major storm to hit the US coincided with a peace conference or some other major Middle East event like the withdrawal from Gaza. Incredible!

It took a few months, but now the Arab media has picked up on it, saying that Israel is blackmailing the US by controlling the weather, I guess to get the US to do what Israel wants, or something. Since the US is already Israel's puppet according to these same people I'm not sure why Israel unleashed Sandy, unless it was just to make sure that Obama knew who was the boss. Or something.

It all makes sense when you have spittle coming out of your mouth from righteous indignation against Jooooz.

What bothers me about the Vancouver transit story

In the coverage I've seen on the Israel-haters taking out a lying ad on Vancouver mass transit, the reaction of the organized Jewish community has been to ban the ads based on, pretty much, antisemitism:

Jewish leaders including Mitchell Gropper, chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, called the ads a provocative attack on Jewish people that will incite hatred. "This is of grave concern to our community at large, because the ads make the use of the buses unwelcome and unsafe," Gropper said, noting that terrorist attacks in Israel often target buses.

"I don't think I've ever seen ads on our TransLink system that attack a section of our society. If the transit system will be used to attack Israel and the Jewish people, who is next?"

Also:

The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center in Toronto issued a statement saying the group is "disturbed to learn about TransLink's agreement to run historically distorted anti-Israel advertisements."

"While Israel and the Palestinian Authority are currently engaged in peace negotiations to resolve their differences and reach a two-state solution, TransLink will be running ads that are provocative and incite hatred and contempt," said group president Avi Benlolo.

The Jewish Federation of Vancouver webpage says pretty much the same thing.

The argument that it is antisemitism is one that has diminishing returns, and I believe that it should be used sparingly, only when it is clear and provable. This is not one of those cases. (Yes, deep under most anti-Israel initiatives is a current of antisemitism, but that is not so easily discernible to people who aren't Jewish.)

What bothers me most is that at no point do any of these Jewish leaders describe the ads as what they are - lies. It is almost like they are conceding that the maps are accurate if perhaps biased, but I really am starting to think that the organized Jewish community is thoroughly ignorant of basic Zionist history - and that they, deep down, believe the dominant anti-Israel narrative, since that is all they are exposed to!

This is a much bigger problem than just bus ads. It points to a fundamental gap in Jewish education in the West, even among its leaders. And this should bother everyone.

Here is my lecture from earlier this year on countering the top twenty anti-Israel arguments. Perhaps I should be giving this talk to Jewish Federations in North America.

Protesters shout "Shoot the Jew" outside concert at Wits University (UPDATE)

I mentioned a few weeks ago that a concert by the Daniel Zamir Quartet was coming to Wits University in South Africa in order to make up for the concert by Yossi Reshef last March that was cut short by obnoxious protesters who crashed into the show.

The haters, of course, were going crazy that an Israeli jazz group would be playing. The sponsors, including the South Africa Jewish Board of Deputies, took some precautions to ensure that attendees would not disrupt the concert - an eminently reasonable move.

They used a ticket broker who asked all who wanted to purchase tickets for information like their student numbers. However, one ticket broker misunderstood the instructions and told some of the haters on the phone that "only Jews" would be allowed to attend.

This was of course not true, but the BDSers tried to spread the recording and then protested to the university that the event was a "Jews-only" event.

The concert went off today without a hitch and all races and religions were in the audience. As the Wits Vuvuzela reports:

A Wits PhD student, Serge Tshibangu, said the allegations made by BDS were false because he had ordered a ticket and had received confirmation of the order, even though he is “African”: I totally disagree that it is a racist concert.”

Tshibangu said he ordered his tickets on Monday. He had to give his full names and identification number to buy the ticket but he understood it was so his ID number could be checked by Campus Control officers when he arrived at the concert.

Krengel said he “applauded Wits University for upholding the democratic values and freedoms that have made it so fine an academic institution and for its forthright rejection of the intimidatory, bullying tactics of those who do not scruple to undermine those freedoms in order to push their own radical political agendas.”

What has been so far unreported in the media is the bigoted actions of the protesters outside the concert. While the haters said they were going to hold a silent protest - and the Mail & Guardian claimed that they did - a reporter from the Vuvuzela, Emelia Motsai, a journalism student, tweeted otherwise:

Emelia Motsai

Some protesters have tapes on their mouths, some are singing softly. It was said that this would be a "silent protest" #Witsconcert

Protester are now in the corridors of the great hall shouting "down with zionism down" to those who are going into the #Witsconcert

There is no silence in this protest. The protesters are now singing loudly as #Witsconcert attendees arrive.

Some #Witsconcert attendees rolling their eyes as they pass the shouting protesters. another passed by holding up a scarf written 'israel'

"You have the blood of Palestine children on your jersey" shouted a protester to a lady attending #Witsconcert

Some protesters throwing papers at #Witsconcert attendees as they arrive.

'Dubula e Juda" shoot Judah, sings the protesters #Witsconcert

. A campus control officer just confirmed that the auditorium was full.

"Dubula e Juda" of course means "Shoot the Jew."

These lowlifes were claiming that the Jews were acting in a discriminatory way by their bogus charge that only Jews would be allowed. Yet they are the biggest bigots of all.

And news outlet SABC called the BDS movement "a human rights organization!"

UPDATE: The protesters actually justify the chants, claiming that "Shoot the Jew" is not antisemitic!

At some point the protesters threw papers at concert attendees as they arrived. They also sang, “dubula e juda” (“shoot the Jew”), and chanted “there is no such thing as Israel” and “Israel apartheid” as the concert attendees were coming in.

{Muhammed Desai, coordinator of BDS South Africa] said many African people in South Africa when using the word “Jews” meant it in the same way they would have during the eighties. “Just like you would say kill the Boer at funeral during the eighties it wasn’t about killing white people, it was used as a way of identifying with the apartheid regime”.

He said there was no evidence of Jews being harmed because of anti-Semitic impulses, – “the whole idea anti-Semitism is blown out of proportion”. He said if there were anti-Semitic sentiments they would flatly challenge it even if it came from within their protest.

Let's shoot Desai. But by "Desai" I simply mean people who justify saying "Shoot the Jews." Nothing offensive about that, right?

(h/t Joseph)

Arabs freak out over video of IDF soldiers dancing at Druze wedding (UPDATE - Hebron party?) (X3)

A rumor was started (apparently on Facebook) that this video shows IDF soldiers dancing at a wedding near Hebron with Palestinian Arabs:

In fact, the YouTube caption says that this was a Druze wedding inside the Green Line. The Druze, of course, join the IDF so these may have been Jewish or Druze soldiers. (It doesn't appear to be a Muslim wedding at all.)

But the rumors are out there that this was a Palestinian Arab event, with comments from the Arab world that "Arabs are killing each other and here Jews and Palestinians are dancing."

(h/t eliyahud)

UPDATE: Times of Israel reports that it really was a party in Hebron, and it gets worse:

The IDF may punish a group of soldiers for joining a Palestinian party in Hebron after a video emerged of the infantrymen in full gear dancing to PSY’s Gangnam Style with their Palestinian hosts.

While on patrol in the city, according to a Channel 2 report aired Wednesday night, the Givati Brigade soldiers — armed and in uniform — entered the party and were greeted festively, even being hoisted on the shoulders of the party-goers as they all danced.

The party was attended by members of the Jaabari clan, whose male members are known to members of the terror group Hamas, according to the report.

“This is an incident of utmost severity,” the IDF said in a statement. “The soldiers have been called in for questioning, and the commanders of the brigade and the battalion are investigating. The soldiers [in question] will be dealt with appropriately.”

JPost has the story as well. Not sure where the YouTube caption saying these were Druze came from.

This is too bizarre. If this report is true and not a mangled version of reality, it is incomprehensibly stupid for IDF soldiers to expose themselves in a situation like that, and equally incomprehensible that an entire room full of young Arab men would cheer IDF soldiers under any circumstance.

There must be more to this story. At least, there had better be.

If true, the Arab reaction is still funny.

(h/t Brian)

UPDATE 2: Gidon reminds me that the Jabari family in Hebron is known as being very pro-Israel and the Jews of Hebron know and respect the clan's leader. See this story. So the association with Hamas might be inaccurate, and (while this would still be a break of military protocol) this might actually be a decent expression of co-existence.

UPDATE 3: David Ha'Ivri, who lives in the territories, writes in the comments:

I know for a fact that Sheikh Jabari is considering suing channel 2 for defaming his clan as Hamas supporters. They do not support PLO or Hamas.

8/28 Links Pt2: PA Violates Oslo Accords, PA Lying About Cancelled Talks, Raising Nemo in the Desert

From Ian:

Khaled Abu Toameh: The Palestinian Authority's "Israeli Affairs Committee"

Instead of preparing Palestinians for peace with Israel, the Palestinian Authority leadership has decided to focus its efforts on winning the support of the Israeli public for a peaceful settlement based on the two-state solution.
In the context of its efforts to "convince" Israelis to accept the two-state solution, the Palestinian Authority recently established a special "Israeli Affairs Committee" with the goal of promoting the idea among the Israeli public.
The committee's main task, in fact, is to scare Israelis that failure to accept all Palestinian demands would plunge the region into another cycle of violence and bloodshed. The Palestinian Authority is hoping that to avoid another intifada, intimidated Israelis would put pressure on their government to comply with Palestinian demands.

Opposition To 'Abbas Emerging Within Palestinian Authority

Senior Fatah Members Criticize Government For Anti-Democratic Methods, Corruption
Recently, several senior Fatah members have sharply and openly criticized the nature of the Palestinian Authority (PA) government, headed by President Mahmoud 'Abbas. Essentially, they accused 'Abbas of concentrating in his hands a great number of functions and powers; this, they say, constitutes an infringement of democratic rule. They also alleged that there is corruption in the PA and its security apparatuses, and that they are exceeding their authority and suppressing freedom of expression by intimidating anyone who dares to speak out against 'Abbas.

PA official Rajoub calls Israelis "bullies" and "you Nazis"

Prosor: Peace Depends on Next Generation Wanting Peace

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, said on Tuesday that peace in the Middle East would only be possible if the Palestinian Authority stops educating its children towards hatred of Israel and towards jihad against Jews.
In a post on his Facebook page, Prosor mentioned the UNRWA-sponsored children's camps which educate young PA Arab children to wage war against Israel.
“The next peace agreement depends on the next generation wanting peace,” he wrote.
“This summer, Palestinian children as young as 5 attended camps where they were taught to hate Jews, glorify suicide bombers and fight a 'holy war' against the State of Israel,” added Prosor.

Israeli Minister Tells Norway That Palestinians Are Violating Oslo Accords

Elkin asked the foreign minister of the country where the 1993 Oslo Accords were signed to discourage the Palestinian Authority from taking unilateral steps that violate the agreement.
“If the Oslo agreement said specifically that the Palestinian Authority will not take unilateral steps to establish an independent state, and after about 20 years it goes to the U.N. and asks for recognition of a Palestinian state, who will ensure that if we sign an agreement they will uphold its conditions?” Elkin said, according to Israel Hayom.

Palestinian Authority Accused of 'Lying' as Talks Continue

On Monday, a senior PA spokesperson declared that the talks had been cancelled, in response to events in Kalandia.
"The meeting that was to take place in Jericho... today was cancelled because of the Israeli crime committed in Kalandiya.
"What happened today in Kalandiya shows the real intentions of the Israeli government," said PA Chairman president Mahmoud Abbas's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeina.

MK Tibi: Mob Attack on Soldiers was ‘Legitimate Self-Defense'

MK Ahmed Tibi, who is no stranger to controversy, may have outdone himself with a new Facebook post justifying a violent attack on IDF soldiers – and calling the soldiers war criminals.
“Throwing rocks at a military jeep full of armed soldiers who came to kill in a refugee camp (Kalandia this time, Jenin two weeks ago) is legitimate and is a form of self-defense,” Tibi wrote.

Foreign Ministry slams UNRWA for 'jumping to conclusions' in Kalandiya incident

In an unusually blunt attack on the United Nation’s Relief and Works Agency, the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called on the organization to “return to its original humanitarian agenda” and refrain from “one-sided political advocacy.”
Only in this way, the statement said, could UNRWA “hope to be taken seriously – both by Israel and the international donor community.”
The Foreign Ministry was responding to a press release the organization issued Monday condemning Israel for the death of UN worker Rubin Zayed, a 34-year-old father of four. The agency said this occurred during the IDF operation Monday in Kalandiya where three Palestinians were killed after security forces came under attack while carrying out an arrest.

The ‘hate fest’ of the year coming to a university near you!!

On Wednesday 11th September and Thursday 12th September, our National University in Canberra is hosting a conference for “Human rights in Palestine”.
This conference/hate fest is associated with a project on ‘Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories’ funded by the British Academy and the Australian National University. The British Academy has provided funding for the project with the aim of encouraging debate and understanding.

The Australian: Peace body promotes conflict

One of the many benefits of the rule of law is that everybody is entitled to their day in court. Faced with a complaint of breaching the Race Discrimination Act, two Sydney academics have decided to stage a protest rally instead.
It means that peaceful, law-abiding scholars at the University of Sydney will have their day disrupted by another arrogant display by the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. Sydney Peace Foundation director Stuart Rees and Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies director Jake Lynch would do better to start preparing their defence for the Australian Human Rights Commission hearing they are due to face this week. The Tel Aviv-based Israel Law Centre, Shurat HaDin, has lodged a complaint that the academics' support for the BDS movement breaches race discrimination laws.

BDS groups protest Israel Philharmonic in Buenos Aires

Pro-Palestinian groups held an anti-Israel demonstration outside a Buenos Aires theater during a charity concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
Some 50 demonstrators outside the Colon Theatre on Monday called for a boycott, disinvestment and sanctions against Israel.
A statement from the Federation of Palestine-Argentinian institutions and the Association for Human Rights in Palestine — the groups that organized the protest — said Israel “kills one Palestinian child every three days” and that Israel is carrying out a policy of “ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.”

Indy legitimises ludicrous charge that Israel is ‘ethnically cleansing’ Jerusalem

As you can see, whatever your views on Israel’s decision to build homes in communities in “east” Jerusalem (parts of the city previously controlled by Jordan), the charge that such construction, on lands which are currently uninhabited, constitutes the “ethnic cleansing” of either Muslims or Arabs is nothing but a lie.
If the toxic influence of pro-Palestinian propaganda wasn’t so severe, the charge that Israelis are engaged in anything resembling the ethnic cleansing of Muslims or Arabs would be regarded with the suspicion and contempt that typically greets other discredited anti-Zionist and antisemitic conspiracy theories.

BBC R2 promotes and mainstreams anti-Israel Greenbelt Festival

Near the beginning of the programme Clare Balding remarks on the “lovely feel” to the festival and her interviewee, the festival’s creative director Paul Northup, describes the event as “inclusive” and engaging”. However, any stray Israelis who happened to stumble upon it would probably find the event decidedly less than inclusive.
Balding makes no mention of the fact that one of the festival’s ‘attractions’ was a “giant interactive floor game for all ages” titled “Occupation”.

The Truth about the Siege of Gaza Strip

The Gaza Strip is under a cruel siege which takes no account of the basic needs of the population, Yet the world is silent. Already under the role of now-deposed President Morsi, the Egyptian Army began an operation to destroy and flood the smuggling tunnels. Now, in addition to the fishing areas, the border has been sealed, with no indication of plans to re-open it. At the other end, the State of Israel allows the transfer of people and goods to the Gaza Strip, providing both electricity and water to a territory it itself defines as a “hostile entity”

US student says racist campus postings a ‘joke’

A college student acknowledged posting anti-Islam fliers and racist cards around the campus of the historically liberal Oberlin College earlier this year, saying he meant them as a “joke” to provoke a reaction, according to statements he made after being detained by campus security. The student also took credit for the display of a large Nazi flag, which he also said he meant as a joke, and posting the face of Oberlin’s president onto a picture of Adolf Hitler, according to the statements contained in an Oberlin city police report.

Adjudicator Rules Against BDS-Infected Academia

An Israeli student won a significant victory against Britain’s BDS-infected academia.
The background: Smadar Bakovic had repeatedly complained to Warwick University that she wasn’t comfortable with pro-BDS professor Nicola Pratt supervising her Master’s degree dissertation on Israeli Arab identity. Eventually, Pratt gave a low mark to Bakovic’s dissertation, Bakovic had it re-evaluated on appeal, and received a substantially better mark.

Man charged with threatening Fargo synagogue

A man is facing federal civil rights and threats charges after officials at the Department of Justice said he called the synagogue here and left a message suggesting he was affiliated with Hamas and claiming Islamic Jihad against the head of the synagogue.
Dominique Jason Flanigan, 41, of Fargo, also known as Kadafi Al Sadar, was arraigned Monday on two counts of transmitting threatening communications and one count of interference with a federally protected activity, the highest count of which is a felony, according to court documents.

Book Sounds Alarm on Modern Anti-Israelism and Anti-Semitism (REVIEW)

Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld sounds the alarm. His new book, “Demonizing Israel and the Jews,” consults a diverse selection of prominent authors, bloggers, politicians, psychiatrists, historians and other expert professionals, gauging the current climate.
This survey is extensive, and it is important. By highlighting his colleagues’ research, Gerstenfeld examines the roots of persistent old-world anti-Semitism and demonstrates how new, hate-fueled, uncompromising, and even genocidal ideologies propagate rapidly.

Israel and China agreement takes direct flights to new heights

Under new deal, Israel and China can operate 14 regular weekly flights and seven cargo flights between the two countries • Until now, El Al has operated just three weekly flights from Tel Aviv to Beijing, while Air China does not operate any.

PrePex chosen to circumcise 20 million men in Africa

Fourteen African nations with high rates of new HIV infections are hoping an Israeli medical device for non-surgical voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) can curb the epidemic and save lives. The World Health Organization (WHO) has prequalified the PrePax method as part of its widespread HIV prevention programs on the continent.
PrePex is the only adult circumcision method, other than conventional surgery, to gain WHO accreditation. The method requires no sutures, no injected anesthesia and sees no blood. Moreover, PrePex can be used by both trained physicians and mid-level providers, such as nurses.

Raising Nemo in the desert

Desert fishing seems like an absurd notion. Yet the lucrative tropical fish-growing industry in Israel’s Negev desert is one of the best, and most environmentally friendly, in the world.
Click on the video to see Arava Research and Development Center Director Alon Gadiel explain why this arid region has become a world leader in the fancy fish industry.

Growing fish in Israel's desert

Vancouver transit ads show "the map that lies"

From The Province:

Jewish groups in Vancouver say they are considering suing Trans-Link for accepting controversial political advertisements showing the "disappearance of Palestine due to Israeli occupation over the past 66 years."

On Tuesday, a group called the Palestine Awareness Coalition announced the launch of 15 bus posters and a large mural in a central Vancouver SkyTrain station, that depict the territory of Palestine steadily shrinking into the state of Israel in a succession of dated maps.

Marty Roth - a 79-year-old member of the coalition group behind the ad campaign - said they have already won a victory over groups that tried to "suppress" the ads.

"This will be controversial with a number of traditional Jewish organizations that have tried to suppress the ads," Roth claimed. "But Trans-Link has refused to agree with them,

because these are educational ads that are well within national advertising guidelines and the Canadian Charter (of Rights and Freedoms)."

Roth said, as a Canadian Jewish man, he believes Israel is unjustly oppressing the people of Palestine and his group wants to educate the Canadian public about the conflict.

But Jewish leaders including Mitchell Gropper, chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, called the ads a provocative attack on Jewish people that will incite hatred. "This is of grave concern to our community at large, because the ads make the use of the buses unwelcome and unsafe," Gropper said, noting that terrorist attacks in Israel often target buses.

"I don't think I've ever seen ads on our TransLink system that attack a section of our society. If the transit system will be used to attack Israel and the Jewish people, who is next?" Gropper, a Vancouver lawyer, said his group went to the "highest levels" of TransLink and argued that the Palestine ads should be rejected, but they were told TransLink must accept the ads for legal reasons.

The Province sought interviews with TransLink officials but were referred to a prepared statement, which says TransLink sought a "third-party legal opinion" which said the Supreme Court of Canada decided TransLink must run ads such as "Disappearing Palestine" under the Canadian Charter.

The ads are even less accurate than the popular four-panel maps that I have shown in the past to be absolute lies.

Here is a photo of the full ad, plus a close-up:

The first panel is is a lie. The entire area was called "Palestine" including the white parts (that symbolize private Jewish ownership.) As I have explained, most of the land was owned by the British Mandate, and was not privately owned by either Jew or Arab.

The second panel is a lie. The UN partition plan, which the Arabs rejected, called the two states simply "The Jewish state" and "The Arab state." At no time was there any attempt by Arabs to allow a Palestinian Arab state to be created.

The third panel is a lie. During that time period, no one was calling for a Palestinian Arab state in the territories occupied by Jordan and Egypt - least of all, Jordan and Egypt, but Palestinian Arab leaders didn't demand one either. The PLO, founded in 1964, explicitly excluded the green areas from its desired state in its charter!

The fourth panel is a lie. Israel has not annexed all the white areas and has offered far more than the green areas for any future peace plan.

However, I am not sure if the Vancouver Jewish community's arguments, based on the ads making Jews feel insecure and unwelcome as they use the transit system, are the correct arguments to make.

I value free speech and those arguments make me uncomfortable. Seeing a message I passionately disagree with is not automatically an attack on me.

However, there is a very good reason why the ads should be taken down. The problem isn't offensiveness - it is truth in advertising.

According to the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards:

(a) Advertisements must not contain inaccurate, deceptive or otherwise misleading claims, statements, illustrations or representations, either direct or implied, with regard to any identified or identifiable product(s) or service(s).

(b) Advertisements must not omit relevant information in a manner that, in the result, is deceptive.
[...]

(e) Both in principle and practice, all advertising claims and representations must be supportable.

This ad clearly and provably fails each of these clauses.

This is why the ads must be pulled, and the people who place such lying and deceptive ads must be exposed not as advocates, but as liars and haters to whom truth is less important than demonizing the Jewish state.

I hope that the Zionist community in Vancouver goes after the ads on that basis. It should be a slam-dunk. Here is the webpage where one can file a complaint with Canadian Advertising Standards.

8/28 Links Pt1: Syria- ‘A pity they both can’t lose’, Bernard-Henri Levy- 'Erdogan is out of his mind'

From Ian:

‘A pity they both can’t lose’

The US is in a similar situation. It needs to rush, while the outrage over Assad’s alleged chemical attack remains fresh, but it needs time to assemble itself. Once the obligatory moves to the UN have been made and the machinery of war is in place, the US should offer Bashar Assad an ultimatum. It could even be sugar-coated. Everyone detests the usage of chemical weapons, President Barack Obama could say. They are a heinous weapon. You claim the rebels have used them against your forces. We have evidence of your forces using them against civilians. In the interest of world security we offer you three days to surrender all chemical weapons materials to a UN team. So that they do not fall into the wrong hands. So that the weapons are safe. If you do not comply, we will be left with no alternative but to strike.

Iran’s role

As a US-led strike on Syria appears increasingly likely, Israel will be watching closely too. Not wanting to become embroiled in the conflict of its hostile northern neighbor, Israel can only hope that the international community punishes Assad for ordering the use of chemical weapons against his own people, and stops him from using them again.
Only swift action will send a clear message, not only to Syria, but also to Iran. Perhaps just as important is the moral message the civilized world is sending itself.
It is bad enough that the international community has been silent for so long about the civil war in Syria, which has claimed the lives of well over 100,000 people.

Syria strikes imminent, and right

The reason why this effectively guarantees military action, and why military action is right, is that the West simply cannot allow a precedent to be set in which the use of chemical weapons is brushed over and ignored. This does not, and must not, mean boots on the ground. Ultimately, the Arab world should sort this out, not us.
But we can do something. Extensive cruise missile strikes against Assad's military infrastructure (plus a nice little one on his presidential palace) should be sufficient to make a very necessary point.

Analysis: Syria should not be equated with Libya nor Iraq

Samore says that Kosovo, not Libya or Iraq, provides the best template for comparison to the Syrian crisis. And indeed, the US administration has been studying NATO’s 1999 intervention in the Yugoslav conflict closely in recent days.
“The big differences with Libya and Iraq are the facts on the ground,” Samore said. “But it’s based fundamentally on the principle that outside actors can intervene in a local conflict against a government, if that government has failed to protect its people.”

Syria said to clear out security installations ahead of attack

According to activists quoted in a report in the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya media channel, Syria was abandoning command centers and government security offices — sites that it suspects will be targeted in a possible Western strike. New facilities were being set up in secret locations, some of which were reportedly within walking distance of the former centers, and in alternative sites, such as in schools. Trucks were deployed to vacate some of the regime’s main security centers.

Report: Assad is in Iran

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and members of his family are in Tehran, after they arrived at Homeini Airport in the presidential plane Tuesday night, sources in Iran's foreign ministry told the website of Lebanese newsaper a-Nahar. The news did not receive confirmation from other official sources.

Arab League: Syrian Government Responsible for Chemical Attack

In a statement issued after a meeting in Cairo, the 22-member organization said it held the Syrian government, led by President Bashar Al-Assad, fully responsible for last week's gas attack in which hundreds were killed.
The League said it "demands that all the perpetrators of this heinous crime be presented for international trials,” reported Reuters.

Syria: Was Chemical Weapons Massacre a Mistake?

“It’s quite likely that there was a kind of operational mistake here,” the unnamed senior Israeli source told the New York Times. “I don’t think they wanted to kill so many people, especially so many children. Maybe they were trying to hit one place or to get one effect and they got a much greater effect than they thought.”
Israeli experts who were briefed on the attack reportedly said they believe the chemical used was a “cocktail” that included sarin gas. The mix of several components may have been far more deadly than Assad’s troops realized.

Netanyahu: Israel Will ‘Respond in Strength’ to Any Attack

“The State of Israel is ready for any scenario,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “We are not part of the civil war in Syria but if we identify any attempt whatsoever to harm us, we will respond and we will respond in strength.”

Jittery Israelis overrun gas mask distribution points

Thousands of Israelis failed in their attempts to obtain gas masks on Wednesday as growing numbers of citizens flooded post offices and IDF Home Front Command distribution centers ahead of an expected US strike on Syria.

Human Rights Lawyer: Syrian Atrocities Due to Cuddling [sic - JPress meant "coddling"]

International attorney Richard D. Heideman said that massacres in Syria, including the recent use of deadly gas by the government against its own citizens, are a result of the constant and consistent protection from responsibility which the Syrian regime has enjoyed in the international community.
“The Syrian state violence, not just of recent days, but stretching back two years, are the direct result and byproduct of the ongoing impunity enjoyed by the Syrian Arab republic while conducting terrorist activities stretching back decades,” said Heideman, the lead counsel on behalf of American victims of Syrian terrorism, who has received on behalf of his clients the highest judgments awarded by US Federal Courts against the Syrian Arab Republic as a state sponsor of terror. “The world didn’t care when it assisted in the hijacking of planes, when it helped and assisted terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah and acted as a conduit for Iran to smuggle weapons to Lebanon to be used against Israel, and it still doesn’t seem to care when it kills 100,000 of its own people.”

NGO Monitor: HRW Hedges on Syrian Atrocities; Accuses Israel of War Crimes

In each of these four examples, HRW accuses Israel conclusively of “war crimes” without any qualifications or disclaimers. And, in each of these four examples, as well as dozens of others over the past decade, HRW levels the harsh accusations despite lacking factual and evidentiary basis for its claims, and without the expertise necessary to draw its speculative conclusions. In fact, later research by NGO Monitor and others showed that, in each of these examples and in almost every case, HRW was wrong about the facts, about the technology and science, and about the legal interpretations.

Iran Threatens War That Will “Engulf the Whole Region” if Syria Attacked

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Abbas Araqchi, indicated it was equally resolved to defend Assad.
“We want to strongly warn against any military attack in Syria. There will definitely be perilous consequences for the region,” Araqchi told a news conference. “These complications and consequences will not be restricted to Syria. It will engulf the whole region.”

UN, Iran agree to restart talks in September

Iran and the UN nuclear agency have agreed to restart talks focused on the agency’s attempts to probe suspicions that Tehran worked on atomic weapons, diplomats said Wednesday, in the first such meeting since Iran’s hard-line president was replaced by a more moderate successor.
The diplomats told The Associated Press that the negotiations will resume September 27, with the main focus on gaining access to a section of a military site that the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency has long tried to access.

Hezbollah Places Beirut Stronghold Under Security Lockdown

Following two major bombings in Hezbollah’s largest stronghold in Beirut in less than two months, the group has decided to place the area under security lockdown, Al-Monitor reported Tuesday.
According to the report, the group has set up checkpoints, with explosives detection devices and bomb-sniffing dogs at all entrances linking it to Beirut.
Under these procedures, an unnamed correspondent in Beirut reported, every car entering the southern suburbs has to spend nearly two hours before being able to cross the checkpoints set up by Hezbollah.

Five Hamas members arrested over Egyptian police massacre

Five members of Hamas were arrested in northern Sinai recently for involvement in the killing of 25 Egyptian policemen, Arab media reported on Wednesday.
Quoting “a knowledgeable source” in the city of El-Arish, the Saudi-owned daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat reported that 11 suspects were arrested four days ago near the border city of Rafah. Three of the suspect are local residents, three carry foreign passports, and five are Hamas members, the daily claimed.

Don’t count on Turkey

Considering Turkey’s interest in seeing an end to the violence in Syria, its membership in NATO, and the reported friendship between Obama and Erdogan, it seems logical to expect that Turkey will play a major role in the coming operation. The American-built Incirlik Air Base on Turkey’s southern coast was designed for a moment like this.
But there are number of reasons why Erdogan’s fervent saber rattling will not likely not be matched by his country’s participation:

Israel-Turkey relations sink to new low

The breakdown in once-close military ties could be critical if the international community, led by the US, decides to attack in response to the alleged Syrian use of chemical weapons last week. A US strike could trigger a retaliatory response by Syria against either of its neighbors, both close US allies.
But officials in both countries confirm that political and military contacts are now limited. They say reconciliation talks meant to repair diplomatic ties have collapsed quietly, and military ties, once the centerpiece of the alliance, are minimal at best. The dire state of affairs was reflected last week when Turkey’s Islamist prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, claimed that Israel was behind the recent military coup in Egypt, prompting condemnations from Israel and the US.

Bernard-Henri Lévy: My Response to the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Why do you think that Erdogan mentioned you by name and held you responsible for the overthrow of the government in Egypt?
He's out of his mind. He's come unhinged, flipped out. Sorry, but in France, in the United States, people can't stop laughing.

Idiot's Guide to the Middle East (chart) (updated)

A couple of days ago, Egyptian blogger Big Pharaoh had a fantastic idea to graphically explain the Middle East:

I loved the idea but wasn't happy with the execution. I thought maybe I could make it easier to follow, streamlined and even add more detail. I admire good graphic design and it seemed like it was do-able.

Well, I don't think I succeeded in making it simpler.

Adding a few more vertices and nodes made it even more spectacularly complicated than before.

Maybe we can turn it into a board game.

My original intent was to add Copts, Kurds and (Lebanese) Druze to the chart, but things would have really gotten out of hand.

UPDATE: Some fixes; I put the wrong color for Turkey-Assad and added PA-Israel, some other stuff as people mention it. Continuously updating...

UPDATE 2: Yoel found a simplified guide, which Nevet translated:

(h/t Gidon)

"Rightist" "settlers" "break in" to Temple Mount - according to Ma'an English

Ma'an, whose English edition pretends to adhere to basic journalistic standards, writes:

Jews visiting Mount on Monday

Settlers escorted into Aqsa mosque compound

JERUSALEM (Ma’an) – Dozens of Israeli rightists broke into al-Aqsa Mosque compound through the Old City’s Moroccan Gate Wednesday morning heavily escorted with Israeli police officers, Palestinian officials said.

Officials in the Palestinian ministry of endowments told Ma’an that more than 60 settlers entered the compound in groups and toured its squares.

Once again:

There is nothing "rightist" about wanting to pray in your faith's holiest site.
Walking through a door that thousands pass through every month is not "breaking in."
Jews who visit the Temple Mount are not necessarily "settlers."

Then again, perhaps Ma'an is adhering to today's journalistic standards, since Reuters has the exact same bias in its reporting.

Notice also that the source for this absurd report is not the Al Aqsa Foundation that usually feeds lies to the Arab media to be parroted, but the PA's own Ministry of Awqaf. The official PA government that receives hundreds of millions of Western dollars is once again promulgating lies, and no one really calls them on it.

The Arabic statement from the Awqaf also says that the "settlers "engaged in "provocative Talmudic rituals." Maybe Ma'an will include that line next time.

Report that Hamas arrested PFLP terrorists who shot mortars

Palestine Press Agency reports that Hamas arrested five members of the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, after they fired mortar shells at Israeli communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip.

Sources told the agency that Hamas security arrested a number of PFLP members in northern Gaza in their homes after they fired shells to commemorate the twelfth anniversary of "martyrdom" of Abu Ali Mustafa, PFLP secretary general who was killed by the IDF on August 27, 2001.

The sources further said that the Hamas security forces raided about 12 houses belonging to Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades members.

The Mustafa Brigades web page confirms the raids.

The Gaza NGO Safety Office reports "27 AUG: Overnight, Pal. ops. fired 2 rockets from GC and MA toward the Green Line; 1 rocket exploded prematurely."

Adam Kredo at the Washington Free Beacon has followed up on my scoops from this year and last about how Pepsi's Gaza bottler is using the Pepsi name and logo to sponsor Hamas-approved soccer games and to make anti-Israel political statements in Pepsi's name.

Excerpts:

A controversy is brewing in the Gaza Strip over the Pepsi Company’s controversial ties to Palestinian sports teams and a stadium that likely doubled as a launching pad for terrorist rockets.

...Bottling company Yazegi told the Washington Free Beacon that PepsiCo has no problem with its sponsorship of Al Yarmouk and the Beit Lahiya stadium where Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been seen playing soccer with Pepsi-backed players.

...While Yazegi claims that it holds no political views, the group has written about the so-called “Israeli occupation” on its Facebook page.

In a July 13 post on its Facebook page, Yazegi discussed the Pepsi advertisements displayed at Yarmouk, which was recently rebuilt by Hamas after Israeli airstrikes caused widespread damage.

“With this creative manner from the advertisement department in PepsiCo, the company was able to defy the Israeli occupation by embellishing the field which the occupation had destroyed with beautifully placed Pepsi advertisements on all sides of Al Yarmouk playground,” Yazegi wrote, according to a translation of the post.

PepsiCo spokesman Jeff Dahncke said Yazegi is given latitude in its promotional activities.

“PepsiCo does not sponsor any soccer teams in Gaza,” Dahncke told the Free Beacon when asked about Hamas’ Haniyeh playing soccer with players sporting a Pepsi logo.

“The photos depict a soccer league involving local community teams, and the local independent bottler producing Pepsi has a relationship with the league that allows for promotional activities to take place at the soccer venues,” Dahncke said. “Soccer is a global marketing platform for Pepsi and the brand is associated with the sport around the world.”

When asked if Pepsi objected to the use of its logo in a stadium where official Hamas activities are taking place, Dahncke did not respond.

Middle East experts and some on Capitol Hill have questioned Pepsi’s hands-off approach, warning that even the perception of sponsorship and use of the soda company’s logo harms its reputation.

“This is really outrageous,” said one senior Senate aide. “Pepsi should take immediate steps to disavow any further connection with Hamas.

“Can you imagine the next Coke-Pepsi challenge?” the source asked. “Hmmm, that one tastes like terror rocket fumes so that must be the Pepsi.”

Jonathan Schanzer, a former terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Treasury Department, said, “It sounds like Pepsi needs to clarify its relationship with the local Gaza bottler.”

A senior House GOP aide also expressed alarm.

“The fact that the Pepsi logo is at this facility is clearly concerning,” said the aide.