Russia, China wargames with Iran and Syria? (updated)

From Iran's Fars News:

The Iranian, Russian, Chinese and Syrian armies are due to stage joint amphibious exercises along the Syrian costs in coming weeks, informed sources revealed on Monday.

According to informed sources, 90,000 forces from the four countries will take part in the land and sea wargames due to be held in Syria.

Ground, air and sea forces as well as air defense and missile units of the four countries will take part in the exercises.

Sources also said that Egypt has acceded to grant passage to 12 Chinese warships to sail through the Suez Canal, adding that the military convoy is due to dock at the Syrian harbors in the next two weeks.

Russian atomic submarines and warships, aircraft carriers and mine-clearing destroyers as well as Iranian battleships and submarines will also arrive in Syria at around the same date.

Syria plans to test its coast-to-sea and air defense missiles in the wargames.

A sum of 400 warplanes and 1,000 tanks will also be used in the exercises.

A Syrian official, who asked to remain anonymous, had informed two weeks ago that the drills would be conducted in Syria soon.

Unofficial sources also said the four countries are now busy with taking swift preparatory measures for these biggest-ever wargames in the Middle-East.

In a similar vein comes this story from The Telegraph:

Russia confirmed that it was preparing to send an elite unit of marines to its naval base in Syria on Monday, sharply raising the stakes in its confrontation with the West over the future of the Assad regime.

The planned deployment was designed to send a powerful signal that Russia would not tolerate foreign military intervention in Syria, according to a Western defence source.

It was apparently ordered after the Kremlin came to conclusion that Western powers were preparing to circumvent the United Nations Security Council – where Russia holds a veto – by unilaterally authorising Nato military action in Syria. The source said that Russia had "completely misunderstood" Western intentions.

Classified US satellite images last week indicated that loading work had begun on two amphibious landing vessels, the Nikolai Filchenkov and the Caesar Kunikov, at the Crimean naval base of Sebastopol.

After initially remaining silent on the subject, a senior naval commander yesterday confirmed that both ships would shortly be heading to the Russian base at the Syrian port of Tartus, the Interfax news agency reported.

And:

The British marine insurer Standard Club said it had withdrawn cover from all the ships owned by Femco, a Russian cargo line, including the MV Alaed.

"We were made aware of the allegations that the Alaed was carrying munitions destined for Syria," the company said in a statement. "We have already informed the ship owner that their insurance cover ceased automatically in view of the nature of the voyage."

The MV Alaed picked up its cargo of Mi25 helicopters – known as "flying tanks" – from the Russian port of Kaliningrad, where they had been sent to the state-owned manufacturer Mil's "Factory 150" for servicing and repairs.

They were originally sold to the Syrian government by Moscow, its major arms supplier, at the end of the Soviet era.

Suddenly, Syria's civil war is heading into the direction of a world war.

(h/t Yoel)

UPDATE: Syria denies the story.

Read More

The Palestinian Department of Newspeak

From Palestinian Media Watch:

The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Information has published a book instructing Palestinians which words to use and calling to replace "the Israeli and American dissemination of poisoned terms." The book, which is called Terminology in Media, Culture and Politics, includes a chart with the "poisoned terms" to be replaced by Palestinian terms.

This book and the chosen terms are significant as they officially and accurately reflect PA beliefs, policies and ideologies. As Palestinian Media Watch has documented for years, when speaking to its own people, the PA adamantly denies Israel's right to exist and glorifies the murder of Israelis and Jews, including civilians, as heroic "resistance" when speaking to own its people. This terminology guide issued by the PA reiterates the official PA positions that foreign governments and the international media often don't understand, deny, or ignore.

PA denies Israel's right to exist - reflected in terminology
The PA does not recognize Israel's right to exist. Accordingly, the introduction to the PA Ministry of Information's book stresses that correct Palestinian language must be chosen in order to avoid language that recognizes Israel's existence as "natural". Using the Israeli terminology:

"turns the essence of the Zionist endeavor (i.e., Israeli statehood) from a racist, colonialist endeavor into an endeavor of self-definition and independence for the Jewish People."
 

Palestinians are encouraged to use terms that indicate that Israel is the result of "a racist, colonialist endeavor," and the book instructs Palestinians never to use the name "Israel" alone but instead to use the term "Israeli colonialism." To use "Israel" by itself is damaging, according to the PA, because to do so "describes Israel as a natural state."

Killing Israeli civilians is not terrorism but "resistance"
A second fundamental of PA ideology is to refuse to accept that Palestinian attacks that kill Israelis, including suicide bombings against civilians, are terror. Therefore, the PA has chosen the following terms to replace all references to terror that Israel and the world use:

Israeli term	Palestinian Arab term
(Palestinian) Terror	Resistance
(Palestinian) Terrorist	Resistance member
Suicide (bombing) operations	Martyrdom-seeking operations
Palestinian violence	Legitimate resistance
Person who was killed	Martyr (Shahid)
reciprocal violence	Resistance response

The PA refuses to recognize Israel's fight against Palestinian terror as self-defense. Through its terminology, it attempts to delegitimize Israeli security structures and defense measures by replacing the following terms:

Israeli term	Palestinian Arab term
Israeli Minister of Defense	Israeli Minister of War
IDF - Israeli Defense Forces	Israeli occupation forces
Separation fence	Racist separation fence

The PA refuses to refer to Israel's Arab citizens as 'Israeli Arabs' or 'Arab Israelis'. The Ministry of Information writes:

"The alternative term for 'Israeli Arabs' is 'the Palestinian people in the '48 territories."
 

The term "'48 territories" is another Palestinian Authority euphemism intended to deny recognition of Israel and is used to replace all references to land in Israel. The term "'48 territories" is actually a shortened term for the full expression used by the PA: "the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948."

Part of the denial of Israel's right to exist includes the PA's refusal to acknowledge thousands of years of Jewish history and culture in the Land of Israel. The book includes Palestinian expressions that should be used to replace Israeli terminology related to history and tradition:

Israeli term	Palestinian Arab term
Star of David	Six-pointed star
Wailing (Western) Wall	Al-Buraq Wall
Temple Mount	Noble Sanctuary of Jerusalem
The Promised Land	The Land of Palestine
Judea and Samaria (Biblical terms)	The occupied West Bank

The entire ebook is here; the PDF is not in a text format so I can't use online tools to translate it. If any Arabic speaker wants to translate all of the lists I would appreciate it.

Read More

Nice shooting, part 2

From YNet:

Air Force aircraft fired at a Palestinian terror cell early Tuesday as its members were attempting to plant an explosive device near the central Gaza Strip border fence.

The army said the attack target was hit. Palestinian sources later confirmed that the strike left casualties on the Palestinian side; no further details were provided.

“The IDF will not tolerate any bid to harm the State of Israel’s citizens and IDF soldiers and will continue to operate against any element that utilizes terror against the State of Israel,” the military said following the strike. “The Hamas terror group is the address and it bears the responsibility.”

The latest attack marked the third Israeli airstrike in the Strip in the past 24 hours.

Earlier, the Air Force struck a terror cell as it prepared to fire rockets at Israel; two terrorists were killed in that strike, including a member of Hamas’ military wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. The strike was carried out after a rocket exploded in southern Israel, causing no injuries.

I haven't seen anything in the Arabic media yet about any casualties from the third strike on Monday; but Hamas confirms that one of its members was killed in the second airstrike. He is praised as having had a great career in Jihad.

Keep in mind that this current uptick started when Gaza terrorist snipers targeted an Israeli civilian driving a tractor on Israel's side of the border with Gaza. They weren't shooting to "terrorize," they were shooting to kill.

If this surge of Gaza strikes and Israeli counter-strikes continue, we can expect that Israel will kill ten terrorists or so before a Gaza civilian gets accidentally killed. Once that happens then the hate-Israel crowd will turn that person into a martyr for their cause of demonizing Israel. They'll be especially gleeful if it is a woman or a child. They will purposefully ignore all the events that will have led up to that death as well as the amazing - but not yet perfect - accuracy of the IAF in targeting terrorists.

Read More

UAE wants to control toys that mock Islam

But is mocking the people afraid of mocking allowed?

The United Arab Emirates Federal National Council (FNC) has issued a recommendation to the Cabinet to pass legislation on children’s toys that “mock Islam.”

The move has already created a round of sarcastic responses from parents in the Emirates, who say the effort on cracking down on toys seems “unwarranted.”

“These are children’s toys. What are they going to do? I think it’s ridiculous,” Kuwaiti mother of two Mona AbdelRahman told Bikyamasr.com.

But Mohammad Msallam Bin Ham, FNC member, called on the government to issue a legislation to tighten controls on imports of toys that are against Islam.

According to news reports, Bin Ham said that such toys should be prohibited from entering the country and to confiscate those found in the market.

“This is the responsibility of the ministry of economy, which should be in charge of securing the country’s borders and gateways through enhancing inspection on imported products,” Bin Ham said.

Bin Ham called on airport, seaport and all border access points to be vigilant.

What kinds of toys are against islam, you may ask?

Well, there's the toy gun that either says ""Go, go, go. Pull over. Save the hostages." or "Shoot Aisha!"

And there is the McDonald's Happy Meal Power Ranger toy with a squiggle that some people think says "Mohammed."

I think they might be insulted by a blow-up sex toy with one of Mohammed's names.

And we cannot possibly forget Mohammed, the Teddy Bear, a version of which you can buy here. But not if you are from the UAE.

Read More

Links by Ian, plus

Iran was behind bomb plot against Israeli diplomats, investigators find – The Guardian

“European intelligence officials told the Guardian they now found it difficult to judge Tehran's "risk calculus".
"Until recently it was possible to see why they were doing what they have been doing," one intelligence official said. "Now it has become very unpredictable. It's very hard to see the
logic behind [the February bombings], other than perhaps demonstrate an ability to cause problems in the event of war or a desire for revenge of some kind." logic behind [the February bombings], other than perhaps demonstrate an ability to cause problems in the event of war or a desire for revenge of some kind."

Is the Palestinian Authority Losing Control in the West Bank? by Khaled Abu Toameh

"The security crackdown in the West Bank has nothing to do with combating terrorism. The arrests and confiscations of weapons are part of an effort by the Palestinian Authority to fight crime and dissension within its own ranks."

Russia to send ships and marines to Syria

“MOSCOW (AP) — The Interfax news agency said Monday that two Russian navy ships are to sail to Syria to protect Russian citizens and its naval base there. This would mark the first time since the uprising in Syria started that Russia is sending extra troops to its base in Syria.”

Even MoveOn thinks Charles Barron is bad news.

MoveOn raises concerns against congressional candidacy of Charles Barron“What Barron doesn’t want you to know is that rather than actually trying to fix problems, he’s spent his career specializing in divisive, offensive, and just plain outrageous statements and behavior,” MoveOn wrote.

Bonus - Tel Aviv Cats Video:
TNR - Sexy Cat Parody - LMFAO "Furry & I Know It" -Video
I'm furry and I know it Stray cats and their Tel Aviv strut
A group of IDC students parody sexy cats in support of the trap-neuter-return policy.

---

Also, another fascinating analysis by Diana Muir Appelbaum, "The Ottoman Footprint"

Read More

Those symbolic keys have a different symbolism in Arabic

You know those ubiquitous keys that Palestinian Arabs love to create and draw for the benefit of the Western media, showing how they are holding on to their hopes to "return" to homes that haven't existed for six decades?

Well, in their own media, the keys sometimes have a different symbolism.

From PSNews:

Read More

More proof that BDS represents no one

From Open Zion last week:

Mira Anwar Awad, an Arab-Israeli, will be singing at a festival in Nazareth, a predominantly Arab-Israeli city on Saturday. The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), based in Ramallah, demanded the mayor cancel her appearance. Why? Because Awad represented Israel in the 2009 Eurovision song contest.

PACBI accused Awad of “participating in Israeli and Zionist propaganda… revealing her intentional choice to turn her back on her people’s difficulties.” But Awad will sing on Saturday night anyway and the isolationist attitude of PACBI is not doing Arab-Israelis any favors. As they have not removed Awad from the festival, the Nazareth city leadership seems to agree.

As you can see in this video, Awad gave the concert in front of a large crowd filling up Mary's Well Square (crowd shots start around 0:47)



Awad wrote on her Facebook page:

Nazareth concert last night was one of the best concerts I had in my life!! Thank you to all the audience that came, despite all the attempts for disturbance the concert went smoothly and the energy was amazing! I got a huge hug from you people of Nazareth yesterday, also from the people of my village Rameh who came, thank you:-)

And also:

Today's word in Arabic is Jadal (جدل) and it means Controversy. I know I evoke controversy, my complex identity, my nonconformism, it's all too complex of a message to be conveyed in one or two or three statuses. One must have the patience to follow me on the long run in order to get a clear picture of what I believe and what I do. However, the controversy exists around me and not inside me, and there came a time when I got tired of everyone wanting a piece of me, or the WHOLE of me to themselves or to their "side", and when I was asked for the one time too many to show where my loyalty lies, I came to the conclusion that I don't need to prove anything to anyone. It is clear to me that I have headed my own way, with the hope that "my way" would speak to some people out there. I never did anything in the purpose of being liked or accepted by others and am sure not going to start at the age of 37!!:-) This is who I am, woman, musician, humanitarian, animal lover, daughter and sister, funny girl who likes sushi, who knows how to live and let live, who happens to be half Palestinian half Bulgarian living in Israel. Not easy, but not impossible, life being just as complicated as we make it.

Obviously, Arab Israelis didn't boycott her concert and it was a smashing success.

This shows yet again that the boycotters don't represent how Arabs really think, but are instead an attempt to impose their own skewed viewpoints on the world. The people who claim that BDS represents what Palestinian Arabs want are, as always, lying.

(h/t Elias)

Read More

PA TV: "Let Jaffa know that I will return to it"

From PalWatch:

On May 14, the day before Israel's Independence Day, PA TV broadcast the following political statements as printed text on the TV screen:

"Let all of humanity know that I'm not an immigrant"
"Let all religions know that I do not make truces"
"Let every person know that I do not compromise"
"Let all of humanity know that we are proud of [our] patriotism"
"Let all the nations know that we are proud of [our] aspirations"
"Let Palestine know that I am madly in love with it"
"Let Jaffa (Israeli city) know that I will return to it"
[PA TV (Fatah), May 14, 2012]

Each text appeared on the screen with pictures of mostly unidentified old buildings, implying that they, like Jaffa mentioned in the last statement, are inside "Palestine" and that the PA is claiming them.

Also significant are the political messages that the PA will neither agree to a truce nor compromise.

This is official Palestinian Authority TV, and nothing gets on the air without the approval of the PA.

Peace partners!

(h/t Andreas)

Read More

Nice shooting

From YNet:

The Israel Air Force struck targets in northern Gaza Strip Monday. Palestinian sources said two Islamic Jihad terrorists were killed in the attack.

According to Palestinian reports, the two were targeted while riding a motorcycle near northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun.

The IDF confirmed targeting a sniper cell, saying that the operation was unrelated to Monday's terror attack on the Israel-Egypt border, and came in response to recent sniper fire.

The sniper fire was, of course, not widely reported:

Gaza snipers opened fire Thursday morning on a tractor operator in a field located in the Negev's Eshkol Regional Council. The farmer hid behind the vehicle until he was rescued by IDF troops.

So for those reading this story on AFP will assume that Israel is randomly targeting Gaza for the Egyptian terror attack this morning.

Islamic Jihad is mourning the terrorists, Mohammed Shabat and Ismail Abu Odeh, both 24, saying that their blood will not be wasted.

Once again, the IDF targeted terrorists and killed only terrorists, exactly as they are supposed to, after an attempt to murder Jews.  Not that the fake moralists of the world will ever be OK with that.

Read More

Islamist wins Egypt election; and the terror starts immediately (updated)

From Egypt Independent:

According to Al-Masry Al-Youm's count, the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsy garnered 51.13 percent of the vote, securing the post of the president, after a fierce runoff that pushed former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq out of the race with a slim difference.

Morsy gathered 12,322,549 votes, while Shafiq got 12,201,549, or 48.87 percent of the vote.

Morsi declared himself the winner overnight.

And early this morning:

Said Phashapshe, 36, from Haifa, a civilian working on the Israel-Egypt security fence, was killed Monday in a terror attack on the southern border. Golani soldiers that were called up to the scene engaged the cell, killing two terrorists.

The terrorists reportedly opened fire, fired an RPG rocket and attempted to use roadside bombs against two defense contractor crews building the new border fence.

GOC Southern Command Major-General Tal Russo ordered a full inquiry into the incident and its initial findings derived that the attack was well orchestrated.

According to IDF sources, three terrorists crossed the border trough one of the areas that has yet to be reinforced and stalked two vehicles used by the sector's defense contractor, before attacking the workers.

The IDF believes part of the terror cell remained lying in wait on the Egyptian side of the border.

The inquiry also established the initial reports of RGB fire at the crews – which luckily missed the cars – as well as the use of roadside bombs, as close as 30 meters from the vehicles.

Artillery fired at the vehicles caused one of them to flip over and land in a nearby ditch, killing its passenger.

According to the IDF, Golani forces deployed in the sector were on the scene within minutes and engaged the terrorists.

The gunfight caused an explosive device strapped to one of the terrorists to explode, killing him and another terrorist. It remains unclear whether a third terrorist was killed as well.

Security forces that canvassed the area found AK-47 rifles, grenades, uniforms and munitions, Brig.-Gen. Mordechai said.

Islamist terrorists love a vacuum, and the security vacuum that results from chaos is their favorite kind.

Right now the Muslim Brotherhood is effectively fighting the Supreme Court and the military for the right to rule Egypt, and things will get uglier before they get better.

If they get better.

UPDATE: Hamas mosques in Gaza erupted in celebration when Morsi declared victory.

Read More

Israel deports 120 illegal immigrants - 0.01% of what Obama deported

AP reports:

Israel is forcing 120 South Sudanese to leave the country as authorities try to whittle the number of illegal immigrants.

Interior Ministry spokeswoman Sabine Haddad says all 120, who are being flown out on Sunday, agreed to leave voluntarily. She says they were told they faced arrest if they did not sign a form agreeing to leave.

She says adults will receive 1,000 euros ($1,300) and minors 500 euros ($650) per person.

This has been a big story for a couple of weeks now.

But I saw an interesting statistic accompanying President Obama's recent offer of amnesty for illegal immigrants in the US. As mentioned in this article from last year:

Nearly 400,000 people were deported from the United States in the past fiscal year, the largest number in the history of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, the government announced Tuesday.

The year-end removal numbers "underscore the administration's focus on removing individuals ... that fall into priority areas" such as lawbreakers, threats to national security and repeat violators, the agency said in a news release.

Overall in fiscal year 2011, immigration officials said, 396,906 individuals were removed....

"All told, this administration has deported nearly 1.2 million people, leaving a wake of devastation in Latino communities across the nation," Joanne Lin, ACLU legislative counsel, said in a news release.

Which news story has had bigger headlines: the 120 Sudanese who are getting paid to go back to their country, or the 1.2 million (10,000 times higher!) who were forcibly deported under the supposedly liberal Obama administration?

Had leftists been 10,000 times more indignant at Obama before his recent about-face? Or is there something about calling Israel "racist" that they just find irresistible?

Read More

Music stars who play in Israel (video)

The BDS crowd is going nuts over the upcoming Red Hot Chili Peppers show in Israel; you can show your support by going to this Facebook page and Like-ing it.


Meanwhile this video is well done:




(h/t Jennifer)

Read More

Pal. expert warns Gaza buildings built with smuggled cement might collapse

Palestine Press Agency quotes Palestinian Contractors Union chairman Osama Kahil as saying that much of the cement smuggled into Gaza through Rafah is unsafe for building.

Kahil says there is a big risk of building without testing of the quality of cement, confirming that the Hamas government does not perform tests on building materials smuggled from the tunnels.

He claimed that the lab tests confirmed that the smuggled concrete is only half the strength of that necessary to build safe structures.

Read More

Why you should care about Iran (Honest Reporting)

It isn't only about nukes....

Why You Should Care About Iran

View more presentations from HonestReporting

Read More

Sunday links (Ian and Zvi)

From Ian:

Andrew Bolt covered Kuwaitti MB leader Al-Suwaidan 
on his Sunday TV show The Bolt Report - Ep20 Segment 3 - Video
“What worries me most. How many Muslims here want this kind of preacher?”

A music video of the Kinder Jihadis pictures Why isn't there peace between Israel and the Palestinians?

StandWithUs: Kasim Hafeez, Pro-Israel British Muslim

PMW: PA children taught to hate Jews and Christians

Romney vows to do ‘opposite’ of Obama on Israel
“Romney on Saturday told the Faith and Freedom Coalition he believes the president is more concerned about Israel attacking Iran than he is about Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon.His hawkish speech was the first time he’s discussed policy toward Israel at length since becoming the likely Republican presidential nominee.”

Digger graveyard desecrated again in Libya
“THERE has been another war graves attack at a cemetery in Libya which contains the remains of Australian soldiers.”

 From Zvi:

Israel in India

"JAIPUR: Israel's Facebook page in India ranks in top three foreign country pages. The Israel in India Facebook page, launched by the Embassy of Israel in August 2010, has received almost 20,000 'likes', a figure surpassed only by the pages of the US and the UK."

Alan Dershowitz: J Street Iran policy undermines US defense

"J Street, in addition to undercutting both mainstream Israel and American policy toward Iran, has also mischaracterized the views of those it cites in support of its benighted position.""Either J Street must change its policy, or truth in advertising requires that it no longer proclaim itself a friend of Israel, a friend of peace, a friend of truth or a friend of the Obama Administration."

Noble Energy brings gas well online a month ahead of schedule

Good news for Israel this summer... .

Gilad Shalit will attend NBA finals as sports writer for Yediot Ahronot

(A few) Arab Israelis speak out against the ongoing massacres in Syria

"A group of Arabs from Tel Aviv have erected anti-Assad billboards in Nazareth, calling the Syrian leader an animal."

Some Israeli Arabs are angry about this.

Only in Israel: democratic socialist companies as leading-edge exporters

(and yet leftists hate Israel)

"Shluhot, located in the fertile and intensely hot Beit She’an Valley, isthe source of 30,000 tons of carrots annually, 85 percent of them for export to Europe and Scandinavia. The kibbutz has grown carrots for morethan 60 years, and Kanner has run the factory for 20 — an unusually long term for a kibbutz company CEO. A second-generation son of the kibbutz, born to parents who came to what was then Palestine by way of Austria and Poland, Kanner has always been around carrots."

Read More

1972 Munich terrorists had help from German neo-Nazis

From Times of Israel:

The Palestinian terrorists who killed 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics were assisted by a German neo-Nazi, a German newsmagazine reported Sunday. The neo-Nazi, Willi Pohl, helped forge passports and ferried one of the Black September terror cell ringleaders around Germany in the weeks before the Olympic massacre.

Based on recently released files from Germany’s security service BfV, der Spiegel reported Sunday that Pohl had met with Saad Walli, an “Arab-looking man” who boasted of his contacts to the radical wing of the Palestine Liberation Organization, seven weeks before the massacre in September 1972. Saad Walli was the code name of Abu Daoud, one of the masterminds behind the attack.

The 2,000-page report, which the police of the city of Dortmund sent to the BfV and other national authorities, does not mention any efforts made by any of the contacted officials to apprehend Abu Daoud in the weeks prior to the massacre, the weekly reported.

In October 1972 Phol was arrested by the police and was found in possession of grenades, arms and ammunition. The weapons were thought to be held in keeping for Black September to be used in a retaliatory attack against German targets. He was sentenced to two years in prison.

Pohl, who today makes a living writing crime novels and has “credibly distanced himself from terrorism,” according to Der Spiegel, helped Abu Daoud in several ways. He helped him forge passports and other documents and drove him “across the country, where he met with Palestinians in several cities,” the magazine quotes Pohl as saying.

On the occasion of the attack’s 40th anniversary this summer, some Israeli politicians, alongside various American and Canadian colleagues, are currently lobbying the International Olympic Committee to honor the Israeli victims of the terror attack with a minute of silence during the upcoming Olympics in London. So far, the IOC has refused to do so.

More detail in Der Spiegel.

Remember that Mahmoud Abbas was behind the financing of the Olympic massacre.

And that both Abbas and prime minister Salam Fayyad honored one of the architects of the massacre during his funeral two years ago.

(h/t Yoel)

Read More

Report: Egypt arrests 22 Arabs planning terror attacks, including PalArabs

Arabic media, including Al Gareda in Egypt, report:

Authorities have arrested 22 people from Arab countries who were preparing to carry out a terrorist attack after the presidential elections this weekend. A source said they were "seized with sophisticated weapons to carry out terrorist operations in Egypt after the end of the presidential election."

He added that those arrested were Syrian, Palestinian and Jordanian and that they were arrested on Saturday; on Monday, they will be brought to the Supreme State Security Prosecution in Cairo for interrogation.

Saturday's papers have published statements from the Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim Yousef in which he said that the ministry received information about people planning to commit hostile acts while wearing army and police uniforms.

There have been statements in Egypt's media about Hamas members planning attacks in Egypt as well, but with the amount of sectarian rhetoric at a peak during the elections and Supreme Court rulings, it is hard to know what is true and what is rumor. Islamists have always been among the first to take advantage of any chaos in the Middle East so these reports cannot be so easily dismissed, either.

Read More

Jordanian citizens of Palestinian descent insist they are "refugees" in US embassy protest

Palestinian Arabs in Jordan - who have citizenship - protested outside the US embassy in Amman on Saturday.

They sent a letter to the US ambassador complaining about the initiative in Congress to change the definition of "Palestinian refugee" to be consistent with the definition of every other kind of refugee.

The protesters stated that "this resolution would be a burden on Jordan and the countries where there are camps for the Palestinians in terms of expenditures" and that the international community must pay for the Palestinian Arabs expenses since it created the problem.

They also held signs saying that the "right to return" to Palestins is sacred, and that one way or another, they will return (and, of course, destroy Israel.)

They further said that they will continue to protest as long as anyone dares to contest their refugee status.

Keep in mind that the vast majority of Palestinian Arabs in Jordan are full citizens of the state and would not be considered refugees by any definition except the skewed "working definition" of UNRWA that is accepted by the world without question for only this one group of people.

Read More

Grads, apparently from Egypt, fired into Israel

From YNet:

The remnants of a 122-millimeter Grad rocket were found near Mitzpe Ramon Saturday evening, this after residents reported hearing an explosion during the night. There were no reports of injury or damage.

Parts of another Grad rocket were found earlier in the day near the Ovda army base, located south of Mitzpe Ramon.

Sappers were dispatched to the landing site of the second rocket.

Ynet's military analyst Ron Ben-Yishai noted that the first rocket was apparently fired from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, adding that the security establishment has ruled out the possibility that it was launched from Jordan.

Ha'aretz' Avi Issacharoff and Gili Cohen add:

Israeli security officials say that the rockets that landed on Friday in the area near Ovda and Mitzpeh Ramon, were launched after a request by senior leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. According to these officials, the rockets were launched from the Sinai Peninsula by a Bedouin unit, according to Hamas orders, even though Hamas itself wasn't the initiator of the launching, but responded to the request of the Brotherhood, who wanted to such an event on the eve of the second round of presidential elections in Egypt. It is yet unclear why the Brotherhood requested such an unusual action, a first military strike against Israel, or whether the strike was aimed at specific sites in the area.

So far, the Muslim Brotherhood leaders have presented a moderate stance towards Israel in their talks with the international community, stressing that they had to intention of annulling the peace accords, a position reiterated by presidential candidate, Mohamed Morsi. Still, in the buildup to the elections, Brotherhood speakers have been known to speak fiercely against Israel. In one gathering, in the beginning of May at El-Mahalla El-Kubra, Brotherhood leaders promised, in the presence of Morsi, that the object of the Brotherhood is to liberate Jerusalem. The main speaker at that gathering, Sifwat Hijazi, said that Morsi would liberate Jerusalem and that the Brotherhood's dream was the creation of the "united Arab nations," with Jerusalem as its capital. "Our capital won't be Mecca or Medina, but Jerusalem, millions of shahids will march on the city" shouted Hijazi, "the whole world should know - and we say it clearly - our goal is Jerusalem, we shall pray in Jerusalem, and if not - we shall die as martyrs on its ruins." Another speaker that day said that "tomorrow Morsi will liberate Gaza." A singer sang: "The Jews will not be able to sleep, come, lovers of martyrs, you're all Hamas. Take on arms, and prepare for prayer."

Egypt Independent quotes Egyptian denials:

The Israeli military said both rockets had been fired from the desert in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

An Egyptian security source denied this report, telling Al-Masry Al-Youm that no rockets have been fired from Sinai into Israel. The source added that "these are simply false allegations by Israel aimed at destabilizing the security situation and affecting [Egypt's] electoral process."

Former General Abdel Moneim Kato, an adviser to the Egyptian military's Morale Affairs Department, said that the Israeli allegations are part of the "psychological warfare" conducted by Israel in order to disturb the "democratic breakthrough Egypt is witnessing now in the presidential election run-off."

The Gaza NGO Safety Office, which usually reports on all known rocket firings from Gaza, specifically says:

MU, 16 JUN: Over the past 2 days no incidents were reported. Have a safe day.

I don't know the evidence of Hamas involvement, which seems strange. (Hamas denies it.) But all evidence points to the rockets indeed being fired from Egypt.

Read More

Saturday night links (Ian)

Jordanian Academic: The Present Reality In The Arab World Is The Result Of A Jewish Conspiracy.
"Reading the introduction to The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, translated and analyzed by Muhammad Khalifa Al-Tunisi, I was surprised [to discover] the [scope] of the global Zionist conspiracy. But I was even more surprised that I could not find any other explanation for the current reality [in the Arab world], except that it is the realization of this conspiracy.”

Delicious double standards Israeli company kicked out of (Norwegian) Petroleum fund, while the same fund continues to invest in occupied Western Sahara.

Coming soon to Australia: Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood Leader Tareq Al-Suwaidan Tours West, Promoting Restoration Of Caliphate And New Era Of Cyber Jihad
"In a nutshell, my strategy is as follows: We must consolidate the position of the Palestinians within Palestine as much as possible. We must support the armed resistance in Gaza, and if possible, we must spread it to the West Bank, and even to Palestine [within the 1948 borders]. If we can, we should do that. Third, the countries bordering [Israel] must be serious in their resistance to the Zionist entity. Thanks to Allah, there are signs of this. Fourth, this must be a mission for the entire Islamic nation. Everyone should support this cause. The most dangerous thing facing the Muslims is not the dictatorships. The absolutely most dangerous thing is the Jews. They are the most dangerous. They are the greatest
enemy."

Syrian Muslim Brotherhood We Will Accept a Christian Woman as President;We Will Liberate the Golan but Not Alexandretta Province (in Turkey)

Remnants of Grad rocket found in southern Israel

Syria and the decline of the UN – Dore Gold

Swastikas, hate graffiti found on B'klyn synagogue, stores

Jordan imposes restrictions on refugees from Syria
Fearing spillover violence and clandestine Assad agents, Amman seeks to protect its borders.

1 dead in Lebanon clashes Palestinian man killed in clashes between Lebanese soldiers, refugee camp dwellers
“The clashes erupted after the military tried to stop a fight between two Palestinians at the camp, residents said. Some people responded by throwing rocks at the soldiers.”

---

Also, Poland's forgotten Jewish dead at the BBC. (h/t John W.)

Read More