Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, June 25, 2012

Egypt's new president wants to expand ties with Iran (updated)

President-elect Mohamed Morsy said in an interview with Iran's Fars news agency published on Monday that he wanted to expand ties with Tehran to create a strategic "balance" in the region.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries have been severed for more than 30 years, but both sides have signaled a shift in policy since former President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown last year in a popular uprising.

Fars quoted Morsy as saying better relations with Tehran "will create a balance of pressure in the region, and this is part of my program."

Morsy's comments may unsettle Western powers as they seek to isolate Iran over its disputed nuclear program, which they suspect Tehran is using to build atomic bombs. They cautiously welcomed the democratic process that led to Morsy's election, but made clear Egypt's stability was their main priority.

Fars said he was speaking a few hours before the result of the Egyptian election was announced on Sunday, and that a full version of the interview would be published later.

No wonder Hamas and Islamic Jihad are celebrating.

Here comes the Islamic winter.

UPDATE: Egyptian officials deny this story, saying it is entirely made up by FARS.

Israel stops aid to Gaza "until further notice" (updated)

From COGAT:

Kerem Shalom crossing will remain closed today, due to mortar shell impacts on the crossing itself and its surrounding areas.

Palestine Today quotes them as saying that it will be closed "until further notice."

Kerem Shalom remained open and Israel continued to send aid to Gaza during the worst of the rocket attacks over the past week, but this decision apparently came about after the terminal itself was attacked yesterday.

There were five mortars fired from Gaza to Israel on Sunday, in what the media is calling a "truce."

UPDATE: 2 more mortars this morning.

How much do moderate, educated Lebanese hate Americans?

Lebanon is considered a moderate Arab country. And perhaps nowhere in Lebanon can be considered more liberal and pro-American than the American University of Beirut.

This year, AUB decided to present an honorary degree to Donna Shalala, a proud and well-accomplished Arab-American who was formerly the Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Clinton administration and who has headed a number of US colleges.

And when she thanked the university at the commencement ceremony, here is what happened:

Then came her keynote address. Here's what happened then:

As the Daily Star Lebanon reported:

Several dozen people disrupted the Master’s graduation ceremony at AUB Friday evening to protest against the awarding of an honorary degree to Donna Shalala due to her support for engagement with Israel.

Shalala, president of the University of Miami in Florida and a former U.S. secretary of health, has three honorary degrees from universities in Israel, and does not support a cultural boycott of the country.

Around 40 protesters heckled Shalala as she began her speech of thanks, shouting “boycott Israel.” Some held a large banner that read “Boycott Zionist Shalala.”

Some other audience members, including graduates, ushers and parents, joined in the heckling, prompting Shalala to respond, “Let us welcome this demonstration of academic freedom.”

In her keynote address later, Shalala, born in the U.S. to Lebanese parents, spoke of volunteer work that she carried out with UNRWA at a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon.

“Fifty years ago, my experience with Palestinians in the refugee camp seared me forever as an advocate for the people of Palestine and their statehood.”

You cannot argue that Shalala is not pro-Palestinian. But since Shalala does not explicitly support the destruction of Israel, she is considered persona non grata in the American University in Lebanon, despite her impressive accomplishments as an American and as a person of Arab heritage.

This is how moderate Arabs act towards even the most sympathetic Arab-Americans who are not blindly anti-Israel.

A few Lebanese commenters on YouTube were embarrassed, but for the most part the Arabic press - and the English-language Lebanese press - either ignored the fracas or supported it.

Notice also that the supposedly racist state of Israel has given this person of Arab descent honorary degrees without any protests whatsoever from the Jews.

America has only one true friend in the Middle East.

This is real.

From Bikya Masr:

An Egyptian delegation at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday has urged the body to focus its efforts on “real people” who need assistance in questioning the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

“Finally, concerning the highly controversial notion of sexual orientation, we can only reiterate that it is not part of the universally recognized human rights,” said the Egyptian delegation at the UN Human Rights Council.

“We call on Mr. Kiai not to undermine the credibility and legitimacy of his important work in the eyes of real people who actually need it, especially in regions where such concepts are rejected by both its Christian and Muslim inhabitants like the Middle East,” the statement added.

UPDATE: Here's the video, starting at around 11:50:

(h/t Benny)

Administrivia? Nah, just trivia

Two and a half years ago I wrote a quick review of the Google Nexus One which I bought as soon as it was released without waiting for a review. In the end, the phone served me well; the updates fixed a lot of the early glitches and it was a fine phone except for its memory limitations.

But the phone was not quite good enough for my new commute, where I am trying to blog on a netbook using the phone as a hotspot - the connection was intermittent. So I upgraded to the Google Nexus Galaxy last week.

So far, it rocks. It is running the latest Android OS - "Ice Cream Sandwich." The voice to text abilities are quite good, I can now speak continuously and it will transcribe it pretty well, as such things go. It is thin, with a large screen; I like the facial recognition unlock feature. And, so far, it has worked great during the commute.

I know that the Galaxy 3 just came out this week, but I am a fan of stock Android that gets updated immediately, so at the moment I believe I have the best phone on the market for me. (Although it appears that the battery life is not quite as good as I was hoping.)

I hadn't been to any movies lately, but I saw Men In Black 3 today. Yeah, I know, everyone has seen it already. But I noticed a mezuzah on the door of K's old apartment after he disappears in a time warp, which I thought was a nice touch.

I didn't realize that the writer was a religious Jew, Etan Cohen, who is now a hot writer in Hollywood. But the mezuzah wasn't his idea, it was the director's.

Cohen also wrote a number of Beavis and Butthead episodes as well as the really great dark comedy Tropic Thunder.

And he was born in Efrat, in Israel - so what's not to love?

Last week's top posts

If you missed any of these, now's the time to catch up:

Most popular: Reuters says Israel breaks truce - after Hamas rockets

Funniest: Islamic Jihad is coming after me, so I must defend myself.

From the Arabic press: Those symbolic keys have a different symbolism in Arabic

History: Reuters vs. the truth about the Temple Mount

Liar, liar: Gaza rocket misfires, kills 2-year old girl. Lying Arabic media blame Israel. and the sequel.

Best linked article: Stolen Kremlin documents show Soviet involvement in Arab strategy

Video that must be retweeted: There is no Zionism without Jerusalem

---
Forgot about this one: Abolish UNRWA

Morsi wins Egypt, but don't worry: Jimmy Carter approves (UPDATED)

Although closer than expected, theMuslim Brotherhood Islamist candidate won the presidential election in Egypt:

The Muslim Brotherhood's presidential candidate, Mohamed Mursi, has been named the fifth president of Egypt after narrowly beating off competition from rival, Ahmed Shafiq, in the hotly-contested presidential elections' runoffs.

So now that Egypt has the Islamist Brotherhood in control of the presidency and in possible control of the Parliament after the legal issues are sorted through, should we be worried about freedom in Egypt?

Of course not! Jimmy Carter personally vouches for Morsi:

Carter said he knows the Western-educated Morsi "quite well" and that he appears committed to women's rights and the Egypt-Israel peace agreement.

"I've crossed-examined him in my own private way very thoroughly about adherence to the terms of a peace treaty for instance between Israel and Egypt that I happened to negotiate back in 1979. He assured me that he honored those terms and he's been quite an outspoken champion I would say of the basic four freedoms that should relate to any country," said Carter.

There ya have it!

And Jimmy's not alone in being happy at Morsi's win. His pals in Hamas are ecstatic as well, as is Islamic Jihad, as are most Gazans.

(UPDATE) They are shooting in the air in joy. And so far, at least one has been killed and ten injured from all the happiness.

Sunday Links

From Ian:

New IDF Videos
Israel Air Force Targets Terrorist in Gaza, Prevents Rocket Attack on Israel

Israeli Army Druze Battalion

Another dog bites man story
European Islamic group praises Holocaust-denier

“Brussels-based Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) mourned death of French Holocaust-denier Roger Garaudy.”

[There have been daily news stories in the Arabic press praising Garaudy since he died. - EoZ]

Fatal failure to fight for right – Melanie Phillips

“Elements of the British Jewish leadership continue to raise eyebrows abroad by fatuously asserting that reports of anti-Jewish feeling in the UK are much exaggerated, while themselves stoking the anti-Israel fires by absurdly demonising Benjamin Netanyahu as the cause of the Middle East impasse.

There is here in both camps a failure to understand that effective defence means the fight must be taken to the enemy. The US neocons believed they had a duty to fight for what is right. And that is a Jewish position.”

One million invisible people.

“As the sixth day of rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip upon one million civilians living in the south of Israel comes to a close, with a school (fortunately empty) hit today and a factory worker suffering injuries from shrapnel in his neck, it is interesting to note the images chosen by the Guardian in order to illustrate its somewhat sparse coverage of events.”

Canadian Television Erroneously Omits Over 300 Gaza Rocket Attacks (VIDEO)

More on - Kenneth “let them have nukes” Waltz.
Kenneth N. Waltz – The Stupidest Strategist? by Daniel Pipes

“..Waltz has also published in the July/August issue of Foreign Affairs the single most preposterous analysis by an allegedly serious strategist of the Iranian quest for a nuclear weapon. His title and subtitle neatly sum up his argument: "Why Iran Should Get the Bomb: Nuclear Balancing Would Mean Stability."

Anti-QuAIA complainants intimidated, B’nai Brith Canada steps in, files complaint

“TORONTO – Pride Toronto’s dispute resolution process, created to address complaints about the participation of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA) in the Pride Parade July 1, has been discredited after the complainants’ private information was published without their consent.”

Leftists, not neo-Nazis, helped in Munich massacre

“Dr. Wolfgang Kraushaar sharply disputes 'Der Spiegel' article’s emphasis on the role of neo-Nazis in the attack. “
Can’t it be both?

Ankara says downed jet was over international waters, not spying on Syria

Ludwig "Poppa" Guttmann a German Jewish refugee who started the Para Olympics
SBS News (note expires in 4 days, might turn up on YT) Ludwig Guttman honoured by paralympians
Ludwig Guttmann: Founder of the Paralympics – YT Video

PalArabs blame Israel for another child they killed

WAFA yesterday reported:

A 5-year-old child was killed Saturday when Israeli jets fired a missile at a playground near Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, according to initial reports.

There was a huge funeral for the boy, complete with articles about how his little brother won't have anyone to play with anymore and how journalists cried.

The only problem is that this story, like the one of the toddler supposedly killed early last week, is a lie.

As Arutz-7 reports:

IDF officials later revealed the story as a lie. There was no Israeli airstrike in the region in which the child was killed, they asserted.

The IDF spokesperson tweeted:

My info is that the explosion caused the death of the pales child today was because of an ordnance belonging to one of the terror groups

As with last time, Ma'an reported Israel's denial in English but not in Arabic. I could not find any reports in Arabic quoting Israeli officials, even for major wire services in Arabic.

Meanwhile, GANSO seems to report of one Gazan being killed by a misfired rocket. In its SMS roundup of Saturday night and Sunday morning attacks, it says:

MU, 24 JUN: since 1800hrs yesterday, Pal. ops. fired 19 HMRs, 2 Grads and 6 Mortars toward the Green Line. 1 Pal. fatality and 2 injuries reported. IF fired 2 tank shells; neither explode. IF conducted 4 airstrikes. 2 fatalities and 10 injuries reported. Updates to follow as received.

The message is that 1 Palestinian Arab was killed because of a misfired rocket. (HMR is "home made rocket.")

PA buys Caterpillar equipment, BDS and Corries silent

I noted on Friday how the BDS crowd, led by the "Jewish Voice for Peace" and the parents of Rachel Corrie, had lied when they claimed that TIAA-CREF had divested from Caterpillar because of their attempts to boycott Israel.

Caterpillar has been a major target of the BDS crows for years because Israel has used their equipment to demolish illegal Palestinian Arab homes, and Rachel Corrie was supposedly crushed to death under a CAT bulldozer as she attempted to defend a house that was on top of a weapons smuggling tunnel. (In reality, she wasn't killed by the bulldozer, but that is their narrative.)

While the BDS crowd was crowing over their fake victory about Caterpillar and TIAA-CREF, however, there was a ceremony in Ramallah as the official Caterpillar dealer in Ramallah transferred several tractors to the Palestinian Authority!

It even made the news in the territories:

The company that sold the equipment is proud of its Palestinian and Caterpillar roots:

Palestinian Tractor is a truly Palestinian enterprise and is set to play a leading role in the country's economic and industrial development, as well as training and development to its Palestinian staff.

Palestinian Tractor and Equipment Co. Ltd. was established in 1995 as a sister company to Jordan Tractor and Equipment Co. and as an affiliate Company to M.E. JALLAD the dealer of Caterpillar Inc. in Lebanon and Syria since 1929. It is a part of Caterpillar dealers network established all over the world.

As a Caterpillar dealer, PT&E are able to bring to the country not only the finest quality products but also the expertise and the know how of a world leader in the productive use and management of machines that serve various segments of the market.

... As a Caterpillar dealer it is our aim to bring to the customer a quality product which is reliable and is best suited to his job requirements.

Yes, while BDS tries to demonize Caterpillar in the West, the PA is happily using Caterpillar equipment with no objections from the moralists of BDS.

Do the Corries or the rest of the BDS crowd have a problem with their beloved Palestinian Arabs buying equipment that they claim crushed the life out of her body? No, of course not! It doesn't support their anti-Israel narrative, so they ignore it.

They support protests against Caterpillar in the US but won't say a word about Caterpillar sales to Arab countries. Because they are hypocrites, who only care about demonizing Israel and not at all about Caterpillar.

(h/t Max and StandWithUs)

Links by Ian

Caroline Glick’s latest column.
The Muslim Brotherhood's Useful Idiots

“THE INEVITABILITY of the Islamic takeover of Egypt means that the peace between Israel and Egypt is meaningless. Confrontation is coming. The only questions that remain are how long it will take and what form it will come in. If it happens slowly, it will be characterized by a gradual escalation of cross-border attacks from Sinai by Hamas and other jihadist groups. Hamas's sudden eagerness to take responsibility for the mortar attacks against southern Israel as well as Monday morning's murderous cross-border attack are signs of things to come.”

Canada: Anti-Semitic Church Attack on Israel by Christine Williams

“This hatred has nothing to do with the so-called "occupation," as Palestinian schoolchildren are taught to believe, but is instead fuelled by Israel having a different ideology of true Democracy and Human Rights in a region where most leaders are hostile to both.”

Putin Visit Helps Strengthen Israel's Position, Even As Obama Administration Security Leaks Undermine It

“Next week, Russian President Vladimir Putin will do something President Obama has not: namely, visit the country of Israel. President Putin will be meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Shimon Perez and other officials. Talks are likely to focus on Syria’s civil war and the oncoming showdown over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Putin will also attend an unveiling ceremony in town of Netanya for a memorial in honor of the Red Army’s victory over Nazi Germany.”

African bank directors: Israel a better model for us than US, EU

“A delegation of central bank governors seeks ways to emulate Israel’s economic successes at home”

CiFWatch: Harriet Sherwood and the Ceasefire that Never Was

Muslim man sentenced after threatening South Park creators.

“A Muslim convert from New York was sentenced on Friday to 11-1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to threatening the writers of the satirical "South Park" television show for their depiction of the Prophet Mohammad and to other criminal charges.”

Mr Mackey says “making threats to kill is bad, m’kay”

Also, Challah Hu Akbar tallies up the dead terrorists in Gaza.

Area C news you won't read in the media

Considering that Israel probably has more journalists per square meter than anywhere else on the planet, there are sure a lot of stories that don't get covered - even in the most contentious part, Area C of Judea and Samaria (West Bank.)

From COGAT:

The Civil Administration is committed to the development of the transport sector in Judea and Samaria, as transport connectivity encourages economic growth.

In 2011, the Civil Administration facilitated 22 USAID-funded road rehabilitation projects in Area C for the benefit of all communities in the region. The projects were made possible by funding from the international community (such as USAID), the close collaboration between NGO contractors and the Civil Administration and internal coordination between Civil Administration departments.

It is the Civil Administration's mission to continue facilitating transport projects in Judea and Samaria. In 2011 the Civil Administration received an unprecedented number
of road rehabilitation project applications for Area C. Each rehabilitation project requires input from a number of different Civil Administration departments. In 2011 the Civil Administration processed and approved over 95% of all road rehabilitation and construction applications submitted.

Here's a list of projects completed in 2011.

 Brukin Road near Kfar Kode – Finished July 2011
 Jayyus Road near Kafriat – Finished September 2011
 Rujeib Road near M'saken Aba – Finished July 2011
 Beit Furik Road near Beit Dajan – Finished July 2011
 Deir al Hatab Road – Finished July 2011
 Salam Road – Finished July 2011
 Road entering Nablus from Hawara checkpoint – Finished June 2011
 Birzeit Road near Jifna-Jalazun – Finished February 2011
 Taybeh Road near Deir D'buan – Finished April 2011
 Abud Road – Finished April 2011
 Deir Jarir Silwad Road – Finished September 2011
 Jaba-Qalandiyah Road – Finished July 2011
 Beit Sah'or Road – Finished May 2011
 Tekoa Road – Finished May 2011
 Za'atra Road – Finished May 2011
 Ein Arik Road near Bitunia – Finished 2011

Not a Hebrew name among them (except for Tekoa.) These are almost all roads meant to help the Arabs of Area C travel.

How could the New York Times and AP, not to mention 972Mag and Mondoweiss, have missed this story in an area they pretend to cover to exhaustively?

(h/t ehwhy for correction)

Reuters says Israel breaks truce - after Hamas rockets

You've got to see it to believe it:

Reuters says Israel broke the truce - right after Hamas shot two rockets at Israel.

Someone asked the reporter about it on Twitter:

I guess the style guide at Reuters says that only Israel can break a truce. The whole "cycle of violence" thing does not exist when it is in Reuters' interests to pretend that Israel is always the instigator.

Oh, and that person killed was preparing to shoot another rocket at Israel, a rocket that would not have broken the truce either.

(h/t Jed Galilee)

There is no Zionism without Jerusalem (video)

This was a nice video by Im Tirtzu; I made the subtitles using an excellent translation done by Nevet Basker of BroaderView.org.

Another fake BDS "victory," Forward falls for it

Earlier today, the Forward reported:

Pension Giant Dumps Caterpillar Over Israel Ties

TIAA-CREF Boots Company From Responsible Investing Fund
By Blair Thornburgh
Published June 21, 2012.

Retirement giant TIAA-CREF has dumped Caterpillar from a socially responsible investment fund after over two years of pressure from human-rights groups that say the company bolsters Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands.

The pension fund had held $72 million in Caterpillar shares in its Social Choice Funds portfolio.

The Illinois-based construction company sold bulldozers to the Israeli government, which critics say are used in the destruction of Palestinian homes and buildings.

The move comes after campaigning against TIAA-CREF spearheaded by the We Divest Campaign in 2010 and a high-profile call to action by Archbishop Desmond Tutu last July.

The U.S. group Jewish Voice for Peace initiated the We Divest movement and gained support from the Palestinian BDS National Campaign and over 30 other organizations worldwide with petitions and grassroots activism.

It turns out that the truth is quite different.

As Divest This! reports:

Once more, a hoax tale seems to be centered on TIAA-CREF. If you recall, the boycotters were caught red-handed several years ago trying to pass off a generic business decision by the retirement giant as a response to their request to get the organization to divest from Israel.

Rather than simply act as though the whole incident never happened, the BDSers took the unusual step of launching a multi-year campaign to get TIAA-CREF to actually do what they had simply pretended they did the year before.

The response to date from CREF has been a series of polite “please piss off” messages. Which is why this recent announcement that their divestment campaign has borne fruit seems mighty suspicious indeed.

To begin with, the story is not accompanied by any statement from TIAA-CREF itself that it has taken any action that could be described as political in nature. Which makes sense once you realize that CREF is still heavily invested in the company the boycotters are claiming as a divestment win (the long suffering Caterpillar Corporation).

In fact, if you dig a little deeper it looks like CREF did not make any politically related investment or divestment decision at all, but rather that one of its funds (one targeting social investors) was following the lead of an independent research firm (MSCI) which generates an index which many “Social Responsibility” investment funds use to determine what will and will not be included in their portfolios.

Now earlier this year, MSCI downgraded and eventually removed Caterpillar from their index, which means that CREF was just following along with a decision made by an independent researcher, not making a judgment regarding Caterpillar on its own (as reflected by the fact that other funds managed by CREF still hold millions in Caterpillar stock).

Indeed, we can see that TIAA-CREF still has tens of millions invested in Caterpillar in other funds: $21 million in their Growth and Income Fund, a similar amount in their Large Cap Growth Fund, and $10 million more in their Enhanced Large Cap Growth Fund.

Doesn't sound like divestment, does it?

In fact, TIAA-CREF has explicitly said why they won't divest from Caterpillar:

While TIAA-CREF acknowledges participants’ varying views on Israeli and Palestinian policies and the Gaza Strip and West Bank, we are unable to alter our investment policy in accordance with those views. Our responsibility to earn a competitive financial return on the retirement savings entrusted to us by 3.7 million participants obliges us to invest in a diverse line-up of companies across all sectors of the global economy.

The Forward simply believed the false press release of the "Jewish Voice for Peace," complete with lots of quotes from the usual suspects praising this "victory": the Corries, Omar Barghouti and others.

As soon as The Forward was told that they were duped, they silently removed the article, although at the moment you can still see that they index it in their search page.

(h/t DK, CHA)

Friday Links

From Ian:

The least surprising story of the day.
David Duke endorses anti-Israel candidate from Brooklyn

Ex-KKK leader and Louisiana congressman backs Charles Barron’s Democratic primary bid, citing shared hostility to ‘Zionist control’

Another dog bites man story - Berkley Pol Sci Professor thinks Iran should have nukes.
Kenneth Waltz Thinks Iranian Acquisition of Nukes is a Good Thing
More at Commentary:
Iranian Nukes? Don’t Worry, Says Prof

Turkey's Defense Minister: Israel will not be given access to NATO data designed to protect against missile attack from rogue nation

'When there is quiet in the south, there will be quiet in Gaza'

"Israel's Ambassador to the U.N. Ron Prosor sends letter of complaint to U.N. Security Council following recent barrages of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel • "The only thing that Hamas is 'reforming' in the area are the capabilities of its rockets to reach further and further into Israel," Prosor says."

The West's embrace of the Muslim Brotherhood – Dore Gold

From Yoel:

"Arab Spring" like protests in Sudan

Egypt border terrorist fought alongside rebels in Libya

Peres on CNN says "time is running out" on Iran sanctions

Sexual assaults in Tahrir Square keep getting worse

From Bikya Masr:

The month of June has seen numerous reports of sexual violence in Egypt’s iconic square, highlighting that women’s rights and ending harassment continue to be on the outside looking in as political tension in the country amps up.

Last Friday was the worst day, with women, both foreigners and Egyptians, reporting that they had been sexually assaulted in the square take place following the disbanding of Parliament on Thursday evening.

“I was walking in the square and was hoping to be part of the calls for the SCAF to leave power when a man behind me grabbed by butt and started saying disgusting things to me,” one woman told Bikyamasr.com on Friday afternoon, asking that their identity remain anonymous.

“He asked if I was a slut and then swore at me when I yelled at him,” she added.

Others also reported being harassed on social media networks, highlighting the growing concern facing women in the country and specifically in Tahrir Square, where masses are gathering.

One foreign correspondent, a female, said she would not head down to Tahrir when it gets dark for fear of being attacked and groped. She said on the side streets of the square, she was grabbed numerous times this past week.

If women cannot walk their streets freely, without fear of being assaulted, harassed and raped, how can the country move forward on a revolution that has been stalled by the military power in control of the country?

While there are a number of activists who have apologized for sexual violence against women, these apologies and anger toward sexual assaults against women in Egypt are usually forgotten within 24 hours, with many activists claiming there “are more important issues” to be discussed.

This misses the point facing more than half the country. As Nawal Saadawi, the prominent Egyptian feminist, told us recently in her Cairo house, “women are the revolution and without women you cannot have a future.”

...This is the current, modern Egypt that exists. And one where women are silenced from public. The use of violence and harassment against all women in this country is the main social problem that is barring any real and viable change from occurring.

If Egypt is to see the success of the revolution then women, and violence against them, must be battled at every step.

A constitution and election are important. But a country where women live in fear of walking down their streets, anywhere, is not a country that has a bright future.

Syria round-up: 170 killed yesterday; Russia admits sending helicopters; new defections

From Al Arabiya:

Clashes in Syria on Thursday killed nearly 170 people, mainly civilians, on the deadliest day since a ceasefire came into force, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, as Russia acknowledged that it was trying to send repaired combat helicopters to Syria.

“It’s the bloodiest day since the start of the ceasefire (on April 12) and one of the bloodiest since the start of the revolt against the Syrian regime,” Observatory director Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP.

The day’s violence had killed at least 104 civilians, 54 soldiers and 10 rebel fighters, according to the toll compiled by the London-based organization, based on the reports of activists inside the country.

Aid workers hoping to evacuate trapped civilians and the wounded were unable to enter hard-hit areas of the Syrian city of Homs on Thursday due to shooting and an “unclear” security situation, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.

Government forces and rebels had both agreed on Wednesday to an ICRC request for a truce for humanitarian reasons after more than 10 days of intense fighting.

Meanwhile, Russia acknowledged on Thursday that it was trying to send repaired combat helicopters to Syria and said it would continue to carry out arms contracts with President Assad’s government despite Western and Arab criticism.

Today, the rebels struck back:

Twenty six men believed to be pro-government "Shabbiha" militiamen have been killed in Syria's northern Aleppo province, an activist monitoring group said on Friday.

A video link sent by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights showed several men covered in blood and piled on top of each other on the side of a road. Many wore army fatigues but some were just wearing t-shirts.

And there may have been some high-level defections:

A Syrian activist group says four senior army officers have defected and joined the opposition.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights provided a video Friday purporting to show two brigadier generals and two colonels. They declared they were defecting.

The group said the defections came Thursday — the same day a Syria fighter pilot flew his MiG-21 warplane to neighboring Jordan, where he was given asylum.

Speaking of defections:

Members of Bashar al-Assad’s inner circle are secretly making plans to defect to the opposition should the Syrian regime become critically threatened by the rebellion, US officials have told The Daily Telegraph.

Senior military figures are understood to be laying down “exit strategies” and establishing lines of communication with the rebels to discuss how they would be received if they deserted.

And the Golan Druze leaders, who normally can discern the political winds, have abandoned a long-standing ban for their people to become citizens of Israel. Up until now they excommunicated any people who became Israeli citizens, but they no longer feel that they have any loyalty to the Assad regime.

(h/t Yoel)

The other "price tags" that the media ignore

From Arutz-7:

Residents of the small agricultural community of Maor, east of Hadera, went to their synagogue Friday for morning prayers and were appalled to find that it had been vandalized overnight.

The vandals sprayed the walls of the building with the words of Muslim prayers, written in Arabic, and with praise for Mohammed, who Muslims believe was a prophet.

Last month:

Israelis who went to pray at an ancient synagogue near Jericho were appalled to find that the building had been vandalized. Swastikas and pro-Palestinian Authority slogans had been painted on the gate of the building and on an ancient mural.

The synagogue, in Naarin, has been desecrated in the past. However, residents of the region said, the latest incident shows that vandals have “crossed a red line.”

“The historic mural that was desecrated is an important testimony to our people’s history,” said heads of the Jewish community in the Jericho region. “A people that does not protect its past has no future.”

And deliberate arson attacks, seemingly by Arabs in the Jerusalem area have mushroomed:

A rash of suspected arson attacks in open areas around southeast Jerusalem has firefighters scrambling to find a way to stop the fires, believed to have been set by area youths.

In the month of May, firefighters dealt with 1,759 blazes in open areas around that part of the capital, according to Jerusalem Fire and Rescue Services spokesman Asaf Abras. Considering that the Jerusalem district usually deals with about 8,000 such events during the entire year, the number is staggering.

Abras said firefighters had opened 200 investigations into suspected cases of arson since May, and in half of the cases were able to positively identify the source of the fire as having been arson. Sometimes multiple fires are considered part of the same investigation.

Most of the blazes are around the Arnona, Armon Hanatziv, Jebl Mukaber and Sur Bahir neighborhoods. Abras said the fires were so frequent that firefighters often were called back to the same area less than 15 minutes later to deal with another outbreak.

But desecrating synagogues and setting fires aren't newsworthy when they are done by Arabs.