Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Video of Gaza children imitating their terrorist heroes

One can imagine that Hamas encourages this sort of play. Not only because it is a great recruiting tool for them, but also because they would love to see the IDF mistakenly blow these kids up.

(h/t Israel Under Fire)

One "collaborator" murdered in Gaza only guilty of badmouthing Hamas

Al Majd, a website dedicated to protecting Gaza from Israeli intelligence, published the "confessions" of one of the "collaborators" who was gruesomely and publicly murdered during Pillar of Defense.

But his "confession" does not contain any actionable intelligence. Instead, it reflects the typical skepticism and disillusionment of someone who sees corruption in his society.

The "collaborator" was a taxi driver who would talk with his passengers about Hamas corruption. The "confession" includes his complaints about Suha Arafat stealing a fortune and spending it in Paris, Hamas stealing and storing fuel for its own purposes while Gazans went without, blaming Hamas for the blockade of Gaza, criticism of the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit, Hamas stealing money, the pointlessness of the 2009 Gaza war, Hamas indifference to the fate of ordinary Gazans, and Hamas importing luxury cars only for their own members.

The charge is that the driver was spreading rumors on the orders of Israeli intelligence. According to the site, he confessed.

And, the article concludes, "the resistance has delivered justice to this spy during the battle of shale stones."

In March, Hamas arrested dozens of taxi drivers for "spreading rumors" about the fuel crisis in Gaza.

No doubt every disgruntled Gazan is a spy for Israel, because everyone knows it is really a paradise.

Israeli Arab students score higher in tests than those from every Arab country

From JPost:

Israeli students from all sectors of society registered dramatic increases in test scores in all subjects, the Education Ministry announced Tuesday.

According to an Education Ministry summary of 2011 test scores, Israeli students registered their highest scores on international tests since they started being recorded in the late 1990s.

Hebrew speakers ranked in the top-10 in the world in all subjects, while all socio-economic sectors registered increases in test scores. Arabic-speakers, while still lagging behind their Hebrew-speaking counterparts, also scored higher than in previous years in mathematics, sciences and reading comprehension.

In mathematics, Israel catapulted from 24th place in 2007 to 7th place in 2011, while achieving impressive scores in sciences and reading.

Arab media, predictably, is emphasizing the gap between Hebrew-speaking and Arabic-speaking students, saying that this shows that the Israeli education system favors Jews over Arabs.

This is indeed a concern, and one that Israel seems to be taking seriously - if not, why did the Arabic-speaking students improve as well?

But looking at the actual scores from the Arabic-speaking students alone shows another fact: Across the board, Israeli Arabs scored higher than their counterparts in Arab countries.

In reading, fourth grade Israeli Arabs scored 479 (vs. 568 for Hebrew-speakers.) But no Arab country scored higher - UAE 439, Saudi Arabia 430, Qatar 425, Oman 391.

In science, eighth grade Israeli Arabs scored 481 (520 for Hebrew speakers.) Compare to UAE 465, Bahrain 452, Jordan 449, Morocco 376 - and the PA with 420.

In math, eighth grade Israeli Arabs scored 465 (vs. 536 for Hebrew speakers.) Compare that to UAE 456, Lebanon 449, Morocco 391, Oman 366 - and the PA with 404.

So yes, there is a gap within Israel, and one that the Education Ministry is addressing. But isn't it interesting that Arabs are more upset over the gap within Israel and don't care at all about the gap between Arabs in Israel and the abysmal performance by Arabs outside Israel?

When you live in a society where blaming others is more important than improving yourselves, one can expect both this type of reaction and many more decades of poor scores by students in Arab countries.

After all, can you imagine an initiative in Arab countries to copy the Israeli educational model and curricula in order to improve their own scores?

(h/t Yoel)

Australian cartoonist loves his anti-semitic themes; paper defends him

From the Australian Jewish News:

THE editor-in-chief of The Age has defended a series of cartoons published over the last week, one of which the B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) labelled as “virulent hate-speech”, that have outraged the Melbourne Jewish community.

A cartoon by Michael Leunig last Wednesday adapted German pastor Martin Niemoeller’s famous “First they came for the Jews” statement about the apathy of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power, changing it to “First they came for the Palestinians”.

The cartoon then states: “I did not speak out because if I did, doors would close to me, hateful mail would arrive, bitterness and spiteful condemnations would follow.”

ADC chairperson Dvir Abramovich said the cartoon “crossed the line”, using anti-Semitic words and themes.

“‘They’ of course referred to the Nazis. In Leunig’s cartoon, however, it is the Israelis who are the Nazis,” he said. “Leunig’s second anti-Semitic theme [is] that anyone who supports the Palestinians will immediately be besieged by the all-powerful Jewish lobby. This is the kind of hateful rhetoric you would expect on anti-Semitic websites, not The Age.”

A second Leunig cartoon on Saturday portrayed a character – presumably Jewish – at Mount Sinai receiving the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” before shooting both Moses and God dead, then standing on the mountain wearing God’s crown. Then a Bruce Petty cartoon on Monday, November 26, showed a boat of Palestinians with the banner “The Right of Return – UN” approaching a heavily fortified and armed Israel flying the banner “The Right to be Here – Bible”.

“This not only ignores the unquestionable fact that the UN created the modern Jewish State, but also overlooks thousands of years of Jewish history in the Land of Israel,” Abramovich said.

Defending the cartoons, Age editor-in-chief Andrew Holden said the cartoonists were all “very experienced, and well aware of the sensitivities around Middle East politics”.

“However, they are also entitled to express their personal opinions, even if these are challenging.”

I am not one to charge anti-semitism at the drop of a hat, but both of the Leunig cartoons clearly fit that definition.

The anti-semitism here is from the obvious attempt at an analogy between today's Israeli Jews and the Nazis. Besides the fact that such a comparison is sickeningly obscene, it is also one that anti-semites love specifically because it causes such pain to Jews. They love the supposed image of Jews acting, they claim, like their murderers.

Claiming that this could have applied to any ethnic group, as Leunig does in his response, is disingenuous. He obviously and deliberately chose to equate Jews to Nazis - not Chinese, not Syrians, not Americans. Imagine a similar cartoon about Copts in Egypt or Kurds in Turkey - it simply wouldn't work. The entire impact of the cartoon, the delicious irony, would be diminished by using anyone besides Jews as the Nazi-equivalent.

There is of course one other anti-semtiic motif at play, which is that the all-powerful Jewish lobby shuts down freedom of speech. This is rich coming from Leunig, who as far as I can tell is not worried about losing his job. In fact, he has been obsessed with demonizing Israel for years with no apparent impact to his fame or fortune. This cartoon is not only pure anti-semitism, it is a puerile attempt to make the cartoonist feel brave.

The second one is even more explicitly anti-semitic:

The Jews, recipients of the Ten Commandments, are not only murderers - but they are prophet-killers (as Muslims charge) and God-killers. (Dare I say "Christ-killers"?)

What can this cartoon represent except naked hate for, and incitement against, Jews? How else can it be interpreted?

Other cartoons of his, while horribly skewed, are not anti-semitic. A decade-old cartoon of his that was rejected by the same newspaper undoubtedly was.

Leunig's pitiful defense of his cartoons is taken apart by Galus Australis.

Orthodox Jewish basketball player at Northwestern

From ESPN last week:

Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, begins at sundown Saturday. But there's already cause for celebration among Jewish basketball fans thanks to Aaron Liberman, a freshman walk-on at Northwestern who also happens to be an Orthodox Jew. He hasn't yet appeared in a game this season because of a nasty case of shin splints, but he's easy to spot on the bench: He's the one wearing a yarmulke.

When Liberman is eventually given medical clearance to make his Northwestern debut, which he expects will be "pretty soon," he plans to wear his yarmulke on the court. (Northwestern is making two versions for him -- purple and white for home games, and purple and black for the road.) That will make him only the second yarmulke-clad player in Division I basketball history. The first such player was Tamir Goodman, the much-hyped "Jewish Jordan," who played for Towson in 2000 and 2001. But disagreements with a new coach derailed Goodman's college basketball career early in his sophomore year, leaving Division I hard courts yarmulke-free until Liberman's arrival this season.

And get this: Liberman, who's 6-foot-10 and was fifth in the nation in blocked shots for Valley Torah High School in Los Angeles in 2011, also plans to wear tzitzit -- the specially knotted fringes or tassels worn by observant Jews -- on the court. The tzitzit will be underneath his base-layer undershirt, and the fringes will be tucked into his shorts. Goodman didn't wear tzitzit while at Towson, so Liberman almost certainly will be Division I's first tzitzit-clad player. Mazel tov!

The article goes on to talk about how Division III basketball teams (like Yeshiva University) deals with yarmulkes, and has a hilarious aside about when the Mets pitching coach was seen on TV wearing a Mets yarmulke in 2010.

Chanukah song night 4: Matisyahu

All Proceeds through the End of Hanukkah will be donated to Hurricane Sandy Relief. For more info visit:http://bit.ly/MatisyahuHanukkah

Donate and download at http://bit.ly/MatisyahuHanukkah
Available on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/h55ln4
Available on Amazon: http://amzn.to/Tcev1n

(h/t Yerushalimey)

Turkey jails more journalists than any other country

From Now (Lebanon):

Turkey has been hailed as a beacon of democracy in a troubled region. Many cite it as an example for post-revolutionary countries of the Arab Spring, as it is held up as a successful fusion of liberalism and Islam.

But a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) published on Tuesday sheds a different light on the country’s record of liberalism. With 49 journalists in prison, CPJ calls Turkey “the world’s worst jailer,” and it sits at the top of a list that includes Iran, China and Eritrea.

“There is no independent media left,” says Nuray Mert, one of the country’s most prolific journalists and columnists. Like her, many journalists in the country complain that an atmosphere of intimidation and self-censorship has reigned since Prime Minister Reccep Tayyip Erdogan began consolidating his power. Mert used to write for Turkey’s biggest papers and was a regular guest on political talk shows. This changed when Erdogan singled her out during a public speech for her criticism of government policies.

“I wrote a column saying that we have to take the Kurds seriously and not treat them as subjects, that we have to grant them collective rights,” says Mert of the 15 million Kurds in Turkey whom the government has denied cultural and political freedoms for decades.

In a speech after her column ran, Erdogan more or less accused Mert of treason. Her editors understood the message, and she was fired. “Later I got a call not to show up on TV anymore either.” She started receiving a flood of hate mail and threats. “I was afraid that someone from the ultra-right nationalists would attack me.”

Still, Mert was never arrested, unlike dozens of other journalists who were charged with “helping terrorist organizations.” Just reporting on the outlawed Kurdish Worker’s Party (PKK), passing on contact details or assigning stories on the organization is enough to be labeled a terrorist by the Turkish government.

Erdogan’s officials and the courts use draconian anti-terror legislation written after the military coup in the early 1980s. The cases are handled by “special-authority courts,” which can hold suspects in custody for years without trial. Detainees can have their access to their lawyers and files restricted and are often prohibited from communicating with anyone outside their detention centers.

In the past, these courts have practically erased the presumption of innocence.
“There is a new term for journalists used by the government,” says Elif Ilgaz, a leading press freedom advocate. “They call it ‘organized journalism’ to discredit us.”

Tuesday links

From Ian:

Rejection and terror: Same old Palestinian choices

"That Abbas would rather shun repeated offers from Israel, and instead embrace Hamas, indicates that yet again, when presented with a path for peace, the Palestinians chose rejection and terror
Some have even suggested Israel ought to directly negotiate with Hamas. But where does one begin negotiations with an enemy that does not even recognise your basic right to exist?
As Ron Prosor, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, said in a recent interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan: “What would we negotiate with them: how big the coffin should be, how deep the hole or what flowers to send to my funeral?”

Judea Pearl: Viewing Palestinian statehood through the clear lens of morality

"In conclusion, Netanyahu will not be risking a thing by demanding a “total end to the conflict” and “two states for two peoples.” Abbas will reject the offer out of hand. At the same time, these preconditions are so morally compelling that even European politicians would not be able to brand them “unreasonable.” Abbas’s rejection will then restore to Israel the high moral grounds it has held since Nov. 29, 1947."

Netanyahu blasts international community for staying quiet amid Hamas calls for Israel’s destruction

"PM says ‘deafening silence’ of European governments and PA President Abbas over Mashaal’s comments this weekend is unacceptable; EU does issue statement, soon after PM’s critique"

Lieberman Accuses EU of Holocaust Attitude

"Europe has “slapped itself in the face” by ignoring Hamas’ threats as it ignored the Nazi death camps in the Holocaust, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman charged on Tuesday, a day after Europe condemned Israel for construction plans for Jews in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria."

Israeli Ambassador to US Michael Oren Interviewed by Chris Wallace VIDEO

Israel’s so-called “red line” is different than the United States’. While Israel considers the “red line” to be the movement of chemical weapons to extremist groups, the Obama administration has said lately that its trigger for action would be any move by Syrian President Bashar Assad to use the weapons against the Syrian people.

Israeli Settlement Facts and Falsehoods

"6. Are Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria legal?
Judge Stephen Schwebel, former president of the International Court of Justice, determined that Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria was rooted in self-defense and therefore did not constitute “occupation.” Eugene Rostow, former dean of Yale Law School, former undersecretary of state and co-author of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, which sets out the criteria for Israel-Arab peacemaking said U.N. Resolution 242 does not call for withdrawal to the pre-1967 boundaries; Israel’s withdrawal from Sinai amounts to a 90 percent withdrawal from post-1967 areas; "

CAMERA: Media Embrace E1 Falsehoods
Instead of Investigating Activist Claims, Media Echo Them

CAMERA Prompts New York Times Corrections on Effect of E1 Corridor

CIF Watch: Guardian’s obsessively critical coverage of E-1 construction proposal, by the numbers

"The coverage almost exclusively advanced the narrative that plans to eventually build homes in E-1 would represent a death knell to the Two State Solution, would literally cut the West Bank in two, and would deny access to eastern Jerusalem to West Bank Palestinians."

US intelligence foresees Palestinian state without resolution of conflict

"New U.S. intelligence report on what the world may look like in 2030 says a Palestinian state could come into being via "unofficial independent actions," but that the core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would remain unresolved. Report says that Middle East faces a "highly unstable future" if Iranian regime develops nuclear weapons."

Arab League Pledges Financial 'Safety Net' to Abbas
Representatives of the Arab League pledge to transfer a monthly sum of 100 million dollars as a “financial safety net" for PA.

On My Mind: Palestine’s Turkish agent

"Trying to be more Palestinian than the Palestinians, Turkey’s foreign minister went even further.
“No one can deny the suffering of the Palestinians since the First World War until today,” said Davutoglu, implying that the Balfour Declaration of 1917, 30 years before the UN partition plan, was the beginning of Palestinian suffering.
Turkey’s posturing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become so ardent that The New York Times, in a recent editorial, mistakenly called Turkey an Arab country."

Iran-Turkey Trade Rose 46% - Turkish Gold Buys Iranian Oil
Trade between Iran and Turkey has risen nearly 50 percent this year, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Israel is the farthest our missiles need to reach, Iran’s air force commander says
Statement follows report casting doubt on Tehran’s intercontinental missile capabilities

Jihadists Aim to Rule across from Golan Heights

Jihadist victories in Syria may leave them side-by-side with Hizbullah, Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood as Israel’s neighboring regimes.
"The possibility of the Syrian side of the Golan Heights border with Israel being manned by jihadists in a post-Assad era has not been ignored by the United States.
The United States will declare the Al-Nusra Front, a jihadist group battling to overthrow Syria's President Bashar Assad, a "foreign terrorist organization," according to documents."

Wounded IDF Soldier Recovers in Time for Hanukkah
Sergeant Shimon Alankri, who was seriously wounded last month in a terrorist attack on an IDF jeep, has recovered.

"On Monday, Alankri spoke to Channel 2 News, recalled the attack and talked about what he has gone through since. "The fact that I got out of this alive is proof that I won," he said, recalling that his doctors had been concerned he would lose his eyesight. "I woke up two days after being on a respirator .... There is no doubt that I received a gift from G-d. It’s a miracle and I am now stating a new life.”

Israeli Scientists Freeze Tumors in New Breast Cancer Treatment

"Israeli scientists have developed a new technique to treat breast cancer and it is being used in trials already. The method employs a supercooled needle tip to repeatedly freeze then defrost tumors. This damages and ultimately kills the harmful tissue."

Objet completes merger and $1.4b exit

Israeli 3D printer developer Objet and US rival Stratasys have now merged into a new Israeli company called Stratasys.
"Last weekend it looked like Retalix Ltd. (Nasdaq: RTLX; TASE: RTLX) acquisition by NCR at a company value of $800 million was going to be the largest Israeli exit of 2012. However, this morning that deal was surpassed. Israeli 3D printer manufacturer Objet Ltd. and its US rival Stratasys Inc. (Nasdaq: SSYS) announced that their merger has been completed creating a company with a value of $3 billion that will be incorporated in Israel."

Apple now competing with Intel for former TI employees in Israel, may build new R&D center there

"Apple’s attempts to hire former Texas Instruments employees in Israel are being met with a healthy dose of competition. TNW has learned that processor giant Intel has begun an aggressive campaign to lure engineers away from Apple in that country."

Google teams with Israeli high-tech start-ups
Technology giant launches innovative facilities in Tel Aviv

"Google is searching for promising Israeli high-tech companies. The international technology giant on Monday launched its “Campus Tel Aviv,” a 1,500-square-foot (140-square-meter) space that will hold regular events for local entrepreneurs and offer access to Google staff and other industry experts."

also:

Making peace by going to Israel (h/t Josh)

From Al-Masara to the Wall Street Journal: A Case Report of Palestinian Fauxtography (h/t Phyllis)

'Israeli students register highest-ever test scores' (h/t Yoel)

A unique and mysterious remnant of Jewish life in Europe went on display in Jerusalem this week: a Hanukkah menorah made from the ornamental headgear of a soldier of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. (h/t Ishai)

Palestine, Contiguity and the Absolute Truth at Volokh

Quantum levitation, from Tel Aviv U. (h/t AW, over a year old though)

It is not 100% confirmed yet, but it looks like I will be able to host the live presentation of the Hasby Awards in New York City in late January.

I would therefore like to solicit nominations again, but adding categories (as was suggested to me.)

So here are the rules:

I am listing here the categories I can think of, along with some suggested nominees.

In the comments, add your own nominees (with URLs, if appropriate) and which category they should be nominated in.

Every nominee, both the ones I list here and the ones in the comments, must be seconded before I consider them as "official" nominees. That can be done in the comments as well. No one can "second" more than one nominee in any particular category. (There is no limit of nominees per commenter. Self nominations are fine, but we know who you are :)

If you have a suggestion for another category, you can place that in the comments as well, along with nominees. (That would also have to be seconded.) I will add it to this post.

I reserve the right to decide if a nominee is appropriate, and I will pare down the number of nominees for popular categories if needed.

Please, no extraneous comments. Any comment that is not a nominee, a second, or a suggestion for new categories will be deleted.

This is not for voting yet.

OK, here are the suggested categories and some suggested nominees, some from my previous post's comments (apologies for not giving all the URLs)

Best pro-Israel tweeter:
Avi Mayer (seconded)
David HaIvri (seconded)
Challah Hu Akbar (seconded)
The Israel Project
Martin Kramer (seconded)
Arsen Ostrovsky (seconded)
ThisIsPalestine
MargieinTelAviv (seconded)
CiFWatch (seconded)

Best pro-Israel Facebook page:
Iron Dome Count on Facebook
Size Doesn't Matter (seconded)

Best pro-Israel media outlet/commentator (not exclusive to Israeli topics)
The Commentator (seconded)
Douglas Murray (seconded)
Melanie Phillips (seconded)
Gatestone Institute (seconded)
Charles Krauthammer (seconded)
Evelyn Gordon (seconded)

Best pro-Israel commentator (exclusive to Middle East/Israel)
Barry Rubin (seconded)
Daniel Gordis (seconded)
Martin Kramer (seconded)
Caroline Glick (seconded)

Best English-language pro-Israel media outlet (Jewish or Israeli)
Algemeiner (seconded)
Times of Israel (seconded)
Israel HaYom (seconded)
Jewish Press (online)
Tablet
JPost

Best mainstream media watchdog
CAMERA (seconded)
Honest Reporting (seconded)
BBC Watch (seconded)
CiF Watch (seconded)
David G Daily Mideast Media Sampler (Seconded)
Huffington Post monitor (seconded)

Best general pro-Israel blog (present company excluded)
Israellycool (seconded)
Israel Matzav (seconded)
Missing Peace (seconded)
Daphne Anson (seconded)
Augean Stables (seconded)
Sultan Knish (seconded)
Daled Amos (seconded)
Harry's Place
This Ongoing War (seconded)
jgcesaeria.com
Point of No Return
Size Doesn't Matter (seconded)
Oy Va Goy

Best Arabic media watchdog
MEMRI (seconded)
Palestinian Media Watch (seconded)

Best NGO watchdog:
NGO Monitor (seconded)
UN Watch (seconded)
Eye on the UN

Best video:
Pat Condell, Israel and the United Nations (seconded)
The Red Line
Zionism without Jerusalem
The Children are Ready
The Rhythm of Israel
Real Apartheid in the Middle East (Stand With Us) (seconded)
IDF aid Missions around the world
Israel vs. Palestine

Best speech:
Bibi UN speech on Iranian nukes (seconded)
Ron Prosor at UN (seconded)
The Legal Case for Israel - Eugene Kontorovich (seconded)

Best article:
Richard Millett Save the children…except when they’re Israeli.
Douglas Murray On Boycotting Israel
Daniel Pipes and Steven Rosen, Lessening UNRWA’s Damage
Alan Dershowitz, Terrorism and Palestinian Statehood
Barry Rubin: Why Did the Arabs Suffer “Nakba” (Disaster) in 1948 and Every Day Since? The Surprising View of the Man Who Coined That Term (seconded)
Arsen Ostrovsky: My Country is Under Attack. Do you care?

Best “own goal”:
Greta Berlin’s anti-semitism exposed (seconded)
Norman Finkelstein calling BDS a “cult” (seconded)
Jon Donnison of BBC tweeting photo of dead kid from wrong war (seconded)

Best foreign-language blog:
Presspectiva
Terre d'Israël

Best specific example of Hasbara:
IDF New Media during Pillar of Defense (seconded)
The truth about how Mahmoud Sadallah was killed (seconded)
(Any article, video, speech listed can also be nominated for this category)
Avi Mayer’s piece on ‘Haaretz and Apartheid’
The Legal Case for Israel - Eugene Kontorovich
Mark Regev for Pillar of Defense

Best "talkbacker"

Willingness to confront the enemy
Richard Millett (seconded)
Jonathan Hoffman
Avi Mayer

Funniest Hasbara:
Latma (seconded)
Dry Bones (seconded)
Divest This! JVP Haggadah
Steven Plaut

The Muslim Brotherhood torture chambers

From Al Masry al-Youm, translated by Al Monitor (via Daily Caller)

Al-Masry Al-Youm spent three hours in total in the torture chambers established by the Muslim Brotherhood at the gates of the Ittihadiya Palace in the suburb of Heliopolis. The central torture chamber, which is located in front of the gate facing the Omar Ibn Abdel Aziz Mosque on al-Merghany Street, is secured with a cordon and iron barriers, where the Central Security Forces (CSF) prevent the access of any persons without the authorization of the Brotherhood.

We entered the chamber with a great difficulty, after a fellow journalist from the Misr 25 TV channel facilitated. The channel is owned by the Brotherhood. There are brigades and police officers in military uniforms, as well as others in civilian clothes from al-Nozha police station, who oversee the beatings, whippings and torture. Fifteen others from the group, distinguished by their strong bodies, are supervised by three bearded and well-dressed men who decide who will be in the chamber and who may leave, even if the person is a member of the Brotherhood.
The torture process starts once a demonstrator who opposes President Mohammed Morsi is arrested in the clashes or is suspected after the clashes end, and the CSF separate Morsi’s supporters from his opponents. Then, the group members trade off punching, kicking and beating him with a stick on the face and all over his body. They tear off his clothes and take him to the nearest secondary torture chamber, from which CSF personnel, members of the Interior Ministry and the State Security Investigations Services (SSIS) are absent.

It is hard to determine how many locations there are, given that the torture chambers are established as near as possible to where a person is arrested. Before the interrogation process starts, they search him, seize his funds, cellphones or ID, all the while punching and slapping his face in order to get him to confess to being a thug and working for money.

They ask him why he took to the street, whether he got paid to take part in the protest and whether he supports Mohamed ElBaradei, founder of the Constitution Party, or Hamdeen Sabahi, founder of the Egyptian Popular Current or the dissolved Egyptian Nationalist movement. As long as this person denies the allegations, they beat him and insult his parents. After that, a person will videotape the interrogation and contact the Misr 25 TV channel to tell them about the interrogation and arrest.

After a while, the detainee is transported from the secondary torture chamber to the central one. On his way, the beatings and insults continue. Every time the prisoner encounters a member of the Brotherhood, that person gets in his share of the insults and beatings.

The health conditions of some of the prisoners was very bad and they were unable to answer questions. Some of them were bleeding all over their bodies, severely exhausted and not receiving any medical aid. However, some got a bottle of water to drink or something to use to stop their bleeding.

Any further questions about Egypt's new, moderate, moral Islamist leadership?

Yes? You in the back? Freedom of the press? OK:

From Egypt Independent:

The presidential office filed a complaint on Monday accusing privately-owned Youm7's editor-in-chief Khaled Salah and journalist Ola al-Shafie of slandering President Mohamed Morsy.

The complaint was based on an op-ed in the paper about the clashes at the presidential palace, when supporters of Morsy and the Muslim Brotherhood descended on an opposition sit-in against the constitutional declaration and the referendum on the draft constitution.

Shafie alleges in her article that the Muslim Brotherhood was responsible for killing six people and torturing various political activists. The president's office claims the article defames the president.

The Muslim Brotherhood denies the allegations, claiming that all those killed or injured in the clashes were in fact Brotherhood members, despite video footage and protester testimony demonstrating that members of the Muslim Brotherhood were involved in torturing protesters before handing them over to the police.

Media and human rights watchdogs have expressed concern over the increasing intimidation of journalists who have critiqued the ruling regime.

Media presenter Mohamed Saad was released on bail last week after being interrogated on allegations of insulting the president. Also last week, the broadcast of presenter Hala Fahmy’s show was cut when she criticized the president on air, and she was later referred to the public prosecution.

Nothing to see here.

Hamas march at Birzeit U (video)

Ahead of the planned Hamas rally in Nablus this Thursday, Hamas students marched in Birzeit University yesterday:

Birzeit is a hotbed of Hamas terror support in the West Bank, and it recently hosted an "art exhibit" celebrating terrorism in the form of rockets aimed at civilians.

Earlier this year, Islamist students threatened a Birzeit professor for cartoons he posted outside his office that they deemed offensive. The university refused to punish the students and may have pushed the professor out of his job.

(h/t Yoel)

Terrorist Leila Khaled, who has been visiting Gaza for the past week, called for Palestinian Arabs to kidnap more Israeli soldiers to hold them hostage for more prisoner swaps.

Speaking in front of a group of families of terrorists in Israeli prison, Khaled said that "resistance" is the only way to get them released.

Taking hostages is a war crime under international humanitarian law.

But the venue for Khaled's call for this war crime was in front of the International Committees of the Red Cross in Gaza - an organization dedicated to upholding international humanitarian law!

The irony of using the ICRC as a stage to call for war crimes is apparently lost on Gazans.

Hamas has recently made similar calls to perform the war crime of taking hostages. The media ignored it, of course, as it has ignored Khaled's call today.

Bonus Chanukah video 2: The Fountainheads, iHanukkah

(h/t Hugo Van Minnebruggen)

Israeli company markets Gaza produce to Europe; BDS hypocrites want to boycott them

From FreshPlaza:

Arava, a prominent export company from Israel, has recently declared the commencement of the strawberry season in the Gaza Strip. This unique cooperation between Arava Export Growers Ltd. and the Growers' Societies in the Gaza Strip promote commerce and shared interests. "It goes without saying that we are all committed equally to see this venture through and bring prosperous financial success to both sides as well as strengthen relationships between Israel and the Gaza Strip" claimed Arava.

The season itself it expected to last till mid-February with cumulative amounts of approximately 400 tons of fruit. The variety chosen this year is Tamar, a very well known specimen of strawberry which is best characterized by its sweet flavor, tenderness and, extended shelf life. To add some spice and differentiation, Arava Export Growers Ltd. had taken upon itself the task of branding this year's yield by perfecting the sorting process for better consistency and quality. In addition to that, Arava is introducing a new line of packaging that includes black boxes, designed punnets and attractive stickers. "This action is for the benefit of ensuring superior quality, consistency and, distinctiveness. We want to make sure that European markets will be well aware of the Gaza Strawberries and, consciously, place them on a higher rank than the competition".

In recent months steps had been made by Palestinian Crops to certify all growers with a Global Gap certificate and, at the same time, implement a strict protocol for MRL residue levels.

Omer Kamp, of Arava, said "It is with great pride that we can proclaim to have tested the fields with ZERO tolerance and yet, achieve full success. All growers are now certified and, with no exception, MRL tests came out clean.

"It is essential to point out that many efforts were given for this season to succeed. Aside from the technical issues, the growers and Arava are fully committed to show the benefits of mutual cooperation and how it could make a difference in perceptions."

Fruit is now available in packaging of 10x250 and is available from:

Fruit World NL.
Total Produce Ireland.
Pacific Produce UK.
Garden Frutta Italy.

We have seen that the Israel boycotters have also boycotted exporters of produce from Palestinian Arab farmers - because to these hypocrites, it is more important to hurt Israeli companies than it is to help Palestinian Arabs!

From this article you can see that Arava adds value to the products, and is actively marketing them to European wholesalers. It is a true partnership between Israelis and Gazans, Arava isn't marketing the strawberries as Israeli, but is attempting to help brand Gaza as a source for high-quality produce! Arava's actions today can help Gazans for decades. It is exactly what people who espouse peace say they want to see.

But Arava is also on the boycotters' lists.

Here we have a list of EU wholesalers that sell Gaza produce, which are marked "Produce of Palestine" and labeled Palestine Crops.

The boycott crowd, that pretends to be pro-Palestinian, wants you to avoid buying anything that says "Produce of Palestine."

Orwell himself couldn't have made this up.

Monday link-dump

From Ian:

Michael Oren WSJ OpEd: The Iron Dome Military Revolution
Historically, defensive measures lag behind offensive capabilities. Not so with Israel's new antimissile system. by Michael Oren

“By neutralizing most rockets headed for populated areas, the Iron Dome gives decision makers invaluable time to find diplomatic solutions. If salvos of rockets were pummeling Israeli homes, hospitals and schools, Israeli leaders would be under immense pressure to order ground operations that could yield significant casualties. By denying the terrorists a decisive offensive advantage, Iron Dome will save lives and prevent wars.”

Melanie Phillips: A double-standard abstention

"Yet here’s the really delusional thing about the UK’s peace-process obsession. It is precisely because the Palestinians refuse to co-operate with this supposedly vital process that the UK is ever more desperate to get them on board.So instead of punishing them for not co-operating, it turns a blind eye to every outrage they commit — while blaming Israel, whose own willingness to negotiate they take for granted, for “provoking” them."

Barry Rubin: Israel Has No Other Alternative But the Alternative it Has is a Good One

"The Palestinian leadership, abetted by many Western governments, has now torn up every agreement it made with Israel. Once the efforts of two decades of negotiations—including irrevocable Israeli compromises in giving the Palestinian Authority control over territory, its own armed forces, dismantling settlements, and permitting billions of dollars of foreign aid to the Palestinians—were destroyed, the world has decided to focus the blame on Israel approving the construction of 3000 apartments."

Oren: Israel will act if Hezbollah gets Syrian WMDs
Ambassador to the US says Israel has "a very clear red line" on Syrian chemical weapons, but also supports Obama's red line.

"Were those weapons to pass into the wrong hands, into Hezbollah's hands for example, that would be a game changer for us." Armed with chemical weapons and a large cache of rockets, Oren said, the terrorist group could kill "thousands of people."

Report: Assad Has Transferred WMDs to Hezbollah

"A report from Israel’s Channel 2 says that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has passed chemical weapons along to Hezbollah. Channel 2 cites Syrian media which uses as its source officers that have defected from Assad’s army. Channel 2 does, however, maintain that the report is almost impossible to verify."

German spy chief: Signs show Assad regime is in its final phase
Government forces concentrating on holding capital, rebels better coordinated, says Gerhard Schindler

Abbas warns Israel against withholding taxes, says he may turn to ICC
PA president says he wants to continue peace process, but will go to The Hague if Israel violates existing agreements

Abbas calls for economic agreement with Israel to be amended
The PA is ‘on the verge of collapse,’ says Palestinian president, declaring the need for a constitution

Bibi: Why Doesn’t Abbas Condemn Hamas’ Threat to Destroy Us?

Mashaal has revealed Hamas’ real face, says Netanyahu, while Abbas hides behind him by not condemning remarks to destroy Israel.
"He noted that Abbas, who has fostered an image of a “peace partner” while recently declaring unity with Hamas, “has issued no condemnation, not of the remarks about the destruction of Israel, just as previously he did not condemn the missiles that were fired at Israel.”

Hamas leader says Gazans destroyed Barak’s home, will target Netanyahu’s next
Khaled Mashaal praises attacks on Tel Aviv and calls for Palestinian unity, in speech to Gazan students

IDF: Hamas trying to activate W. Bank sleeper cells
Terror organization is attempting to gradually regroup after its infrastructure was destroyed in 2002 operation.

CIF Watch: Guardian editorial takes the side of Morsi (or Mubarak?)

"The Guardian is not only supporting a racist, antisemitic, anti-Christian, anti-West Islamist movement, but are remaining loyal even when a more liberal alternative is possible.You don’t need to agree with our critique of the paper’s coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict to acknowledge that the ‘Guardian Left’ ideology in many ways resembles the reactionary right more than anything truly progressive?

BBC Watch: Compromising public perceptions of BBC impartiality

"Sadly – for both its colleagues in the field in which it operates and the many people around the world in need of the human rights sector – there is nothing novel about the seemingly interminable ability of ‘Human Rights Watch’ to bring itself into repeated disrepute and compromise its own reputation for impartiality."

PMW: Hamas: Martyrdom death for Allah is ideal
"We love death more than you love life" "You [Israel] scare us with what we love"

Honest Reporting: Crossing the Line? Promoting Petitions Against Israel
“One can’t think of the Mount of Olives as real estate. It is important for the three monotheistic religions.” (?)

Our man in Cairo

"And let’s be honest: The Obama administration has been Morsi’s main enabler. U.S. officials have worked closely with him on economic development and regional diplomacy. Visiting Washington last week, Morsi’s top aides were touting their boss’s close contacts with President Obama and describing phone calls between the two leaders that led to the Gaza cease-fire."

Inside Look at Muslim Brotherhood’s Torture Chambers
"The Muslim Brotherhood replaced Mubarak, but torture chambers remain the same despite the US attempt to make Egypt safe for democracy."

Iranian agents reportedly on hand as North Korea prepares to test launch rocket
Long-range launch delayed, though window remains open; Iranian experts believed to be from company that developed Shahab missile

Envoy's sole 'wounds' Ahmadinejad's soul
Swedish ambassador inadvertently offends Iranian president by crossing his legs during meeting, not knowing that in Islam, shoes are considered impure

Syrian Rebels Tied to Al Qaeda Play Key Role in War
"The lone Syrian rebel group with an explicit stamp of approval from Al Qaeda has become one of the uprising’s most effective fighting forces, posing a stark challenge to the United States and other countries that want to support the rebels but not Islamic extremists."

Syria: Rebel Prisoners On Their Religious War
"This led to a question about the future of Syria's minorities such as the Christians. Ahmed, Basah, and Hamid Hassan all agreed - Christians could only live there if they either converted, or paid the 'Jizyah' - a special tax levied on non-Muslims in previous centuries in the Middle East. If not said Bahar, they could be killed.
When asked why, the answer was, to them, quite simple - because the Prophet Mohammed said so. I was then invited to become a Muslim."

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces: 2012 FIDF Gala VIDEO

Cancelling cancer cells with new radiation

“It disrupts their activity, although we don’t yet know how beyond some speculation regarding the mechanism,” says Asher Yahalom, head of Ariel University Center’s Free Electron Laser (FEL) Laboratory User Center, who also noted that the rays seem to have no effect on normal cells.

Israeli ambassador visits her Ethiopian hometown

Nearly three decades after immigrating to Israel, Belaynesh Zevadia returns to her village in Ethiopia, this time as Israel's ambassador
"The ambassador arrived at the village with a group of Israeli eye doctors who work with Eye from Zion, an organization that provides medical humanitarian aid across the globe. The doctors set up two clinics where they are to undertake an eye surgery "marathon," aiming to restore the eyesight of some 1,000 Ethiopians, including some who have been blind for many years

Also:

Barry Rubin: A Turning Point in Egypt: Not on Direction But on the Speed of Islamist Transformation

Cool waterfall at Ben Gurion Airport (h/t Alexandre):

Israel drafts "puppies are cute" UN resolution. Arabs oppose it.

Israel drafted a General Assembly resolution to promote entrepreneurship.

While it did pass overwhelmingly, 129-31, the Arab countries voted as a bloc against it.

Only because it was submitted by Israel.

The reasons the Arabs gave for opposing it were quite funny:

RABEE JAWHARA ( Syria), making a general statement, said Israel was attempting to monopolize the Second Committee’s work by submitting draft resolutions that portrayed it as a peaceful State seeking to work within the United Nations. However, such drafts did not camouflage Israel’s human rights violations and occupation, he stressed, pointing out that, even as it submitted the text, Israel restricted any chance of entrepreneurship in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the occupied Syrian Golan. It was guilty of several examples of policies that restricted business and economic growth in Palestine and the occupied Syrian Golan, and had continuously failed to comply with United Nations resolutions. He urged Committee members to vote against the draft so as to send a signal that Israeli must end the occupation.

AMER HIAL AL-HAJRI (Oman), speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, noted that the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) had shown that Israel’s occupation continued to undermine the rights of Palestinians, particularly their ability to engage in entrepreneurship. The Arab Group had proposed changes to ensure balance in the text, but had been unable to achieve that, he said. As such, it was obliged to vote against the draft resolution.

MOHAMED KHALIL HUSSEIN (Egypt) also said the text lacked balance, particularly given its focus on national policies for entrepreneurship, and did not take into account the need to create an internationally conducive climate and to establish support in that regard. A multilateral, transparent and open regime was needed, with no barriers in the way of developing countries. Finance, the transfer of technology and capacity-building must also be included, he said.

The draft resolution also failed to take into account the conclusions of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) report on the condition of the Palestinian people, he continued. It showed that Israel’s occupation and blockade undermined opportunities for marketing and drained natural resources, meaning that the area lacked necessary land for production. That discouraged private investment and increased risks and production costs.

He said his delegation had tried to address the imbalances mentioned by taking part in discussions, but agreement on implementation had proven impossible because developed countries had changed their position at the last minute. The co-sponsors had ignored the UNCTAD reports, but Egypt was unable to ignore them, especially since the draft sought to promote entrepreneurship internationally, he said. As such, Egypt would vote against the draft.

The fact that the Arabs would vote against it was never in doubt. Their only disagreements were what reason to give for the record.

Ron Prosor gave a zinger to those opposed to the resolution:

RON PROSOR ( Israel) said entrepreneurship offered developing communities the best hope for breaking the cycle of poverty. The actions of entrepreneurs had a ripple effect, unlocking minds and inspiring others to pursue their dreams. By adopting the draft resolution, the Committee was sending a clear and simple message that entrepreneurship was a primary pathway to sustainable economic growth.

He went on to say that while he had hoped for consensus, the Arab Group had been committed to voting against it even before negotiations had ended. Recalling that people in the Arab world had risen against their Governments precisely because they wanted better conditions, he said that by failing to respond, Arab Governments had “turned their backs on their own people” and sent a clear message that they cared far more about “petty politics than human prosperity”. Israel’s achievements were the result of close collaboration between business and Government, he said, adding that stability required people’s empowerment.

(While there is no written record of what changes the Arabs wanted to make to the resolution to make it more "balanced," almost certainly they wanted to hijack it and turn it into an resolution bashing Israel.)

(h/t Margie)

Jordan pushes Jerusalem as "eternal capital of Arab culture"

Qudsmedia reports that Jordan is pushing an initiative to declare Jerusalem as the "eternal capital of Arab culture."

Officials are pushing the idea of Jerusalem cultural festivals "to affirm the importance of the city and its holy sites."

During Jordan's illegal occupation of Jerusalem, while it did encourage pilgrims to visit to gain tourist dollars, the nation did little to actually improve the city. King Abdullah II's father famously never visited Jerusalem after his own grandfather, Abdullah I, was assassinated in the Al Aqsa mosque.

Jordan did attempt to Islamicize Jerusalem. Not only did it destroy over 50 synagogues in the city and thousands of Jewish graves in the Mount of Olives, and deny Jews from visiting holy places there, but it also placed restrictions on Christian land ownership and schools in the city.

In 2009, Jerusalem was named the Capital of Arab Culture. The half-built website still exists where pains are taken to deny any Jewish connection to the city. Interestingly, most Arab nations all but ignored the initiative.

As usual, Arabs are using the word "culture" as cover for politics.

David N. Myers, the historian who doesn't know history

From the chair of the UCLA History department, David N. Myers, at The Daily Beast/Open Zion:

Sixty-five years ago, the Zionist movement scored the greatest success in its history—recognition on November 29, 1947, by the United Nations General Assembly, of the idea of a Jewish state in Palestine. U.N. General Assembly resolution 181 called for the creation of a Jewish state alongside an Arab State, with Jerusalem as an international protectorate. It was this diplomatic act that brought the State of Israel into existence.

Myers then draws a tendentious analogy between the 1947 UN partition vote and the recent UNGA vote upgrading the PLO's status to a non-member state.

Given that Myers is a historian, the bolded statement is astonishing.

Myers no doubt knows that General Assembly resolutions do not create states, and UNGA 181 in 1947 was no exception. UNGA resolutions have no force in international law.

Israel was not created by that resolution. It was created because Zionists fought for a state in the vacuum left by the departing British in May of 1948, against combined Arab armies, and survived. In 1949 the Security Council then admitted Israel as a member, but its existence as a state was established beforehand - by the Zionists winning a defensive war.

If Myers were correct, then Arab Palestine was also "brought into existence" in 1947. Obviously it wasn't, and there was essentially no call for an Arab Palestinian state at the time, even from Palestinian Arabs themselves. Palestinian Arab nationalism - both the original variety before 1948 and the post 1967 variety - is entirely a reaction to Zionism and Israel, as opposed to an movement for self-determination of a people. This weakness of Palestinian Arab nationalism, and the frantic attempts to manufacture a retroactive history and culture of Palestinian Arab peoplehood, is perhaps a fascinating topic for historians who are not blinded by ideology.

(Bizarrely, Myers also says "As a result of that armed conflict, the State of Israel came into existence." But his basic thesis in the article is the analogy between the 1947 partition vote and Abbas' stunt as both being momentously important.)

Myers also lies when he says "It is the Palestinians who, through their request for recognition by the U.N. General Assembly affirmed the long-standing principle of partition. By seeking sovereignty in territories currently occupied by Israel, they are affirming the ideal of two states, Jewish and Palestine, dwelling side by side."

Of course, the Palestinian Arabs do not accept the idea of a Jewish state, and have made that very clear. In fact, they are willing to actively disregard history itself if it contradicts their goals. They are as insistent that Israel be the home of hundreds of thousands of so-called "refugees," destroying the Jewish state, as they are on the 1949 armistice lines. Myers no doubt knows this as well.

When reporters and pundits twist history for their purposes, it is despicable, But when historians choose to elevate their own political viewpoints above history and well-known facts, it is unconscionable.