Israeli Library Unveils Portions of the “Afghan Genizah”

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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CHALLAH @ The Associated Press

A trove of ancient manuscripts in Hebrew characters rescued from caves in a Taliban stronghold in northern Afghanistan is providing the first physical evidence of a Jewish community that thrived there a thousand years ago. 

On Thursday Israel's National Library unveiled the cache of recently purchased documents that run the gamut of life experiences, including biblical commentaries, personal letters and financial records. 

Researchers say the "Afghan Genizah" marks the greatest such archive found since the "Cairo Genizah" was discovered in an Egyptian synagogue more than 100 years ago, a vast depository of medieval manuscripts considered to be among the most valuable collections of historical documents ever found. 

Genizah, a Hebrew term that loosely translates as "storage," refers to a storeroom adjacent to a synagogue or Jewish cemetery where Hebrew-language books and papers are kept. Under Jewish law, it is forbidden to throw away writings containing the formal names of God, so they are either buried or stashed away. 

The Afghan collection gives an unprecedented look into the lives of Jews in ancient Persia in the 11th century. The paper manuscripts, preserved over the centuries by the dry, shady conditions of the caves, include writings in Hebrew, Aramaic, Judea-Arabic and the unique Judeo-Persian language from that era, which was written in Hebrew letters. 

… The documents are believed to have come from caves in the northeast region of modern-day Afghanistan, once at the outer reaches of the Persian empire. In recent years, the same caves have served as hideouts for Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. 

It remains unclear how the ancient manuscripts emerged. Ben-Shammai said the library was contacted by various antiquities dealers who got their hands on them 

Last month, the library purchased 29 out of hundreds of the documents believed to be floating around the world, after long negotiations with antiquities dealers. The library refused to say how much it paid for the collection, adding that it hoped to purchase more in the future and didn't want to drive up prices. The documents arrived in Israel last week.

I wonder the relation between these documents and those discovered last year. 

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PA and Hamas Won’t Take in Palestinian Refugees from Syria

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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Just a couple weeks ago, Mahmoud Abbas said that he was prepared to take in Palestinian refugees from Syria.

Abbas said he has asked United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to help in bringing the refugees to the Palestinian territories. This could include the West Bank,where Abbas governs, or the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Yediot Ahronot reports, according to the Times of Israel, that Hamas and the Palestinian Authority are now against the idea.

Hamas and the Palestinian Authority rejected the United Nations’ request that they take in Palestinian refugees who fled Syria during the ongoing brutal civil war, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday. 

…According to the report, head of Hamas in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh told UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, that the Gaza Strip couldn’t take in Syria’s Palestinian refugees due to an ideological issue: If they take in the refugees from Syria, Israel could use it against them when it comes to the Palestinians’ demand for the “right to return” to villages inside present day Israel, by pointing out that the refugees no longer need to return to Israel because they have been relocated to new homes in the Gaza Strip. 

The Palestinian Authority’s refusal stems from a different reason — a financial one. The PA, which, according to the report, initially inquired about absorbing the Palestinian refugees in Syria, has experienced severe budget cuts and has begged Arab leaders for millions of dollars in loans to solve its debt crisis. The PA’s coffers have been hurt following Israel’s decision not to hand over PA tax revenues and other related payments in the wake of President Mahmoud Abbas’s successful UN bid for nonmember observer status in November.

In related news, Hamas recently began a donation campaign for refugees displaced from Syria.

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Morsi in 2010: Zionists are "Descendants of Apes and Pigs"

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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CHALLAH @ MEMRI

Mohamed Morsi: These futile [Israeli-Palestinian] negotiations are a waste of time and opportunities. The Zionists buy time and gain more opportunities, as the Palestinians, the Arabs, and the Muslims lose time and opportunities, and they get nothing out of it. We can see how this dream has dissipated. This dream has always been an illusion. Yet some Palestinians, who erroneously believe that their enemies might give them something... This [Palestinian] Authority was created by the Zionist and American enemies for the sole purpose of opposing the will of the Palestinian people and its interests. 

[...] 

No reasonable person can expect any progress on this track. Either [you accept] the Zionists and everything they want, or else it is war. This is what these occupiers of the land of Palestine know – these blood-suckers, who attack the Palestinians, these warmongers, the descendants of apes and pigs. 

[...] 

We should employ all forms of resistance against them. There should be military resistance within the land of Palestine against those criminal Zionists, who attack Palestine and the Palestinians. There should also be political resistance and economic resistance through a boycott, as well as by supporting the resistance fighters. This should be the practice of the Muslims and the Arabs outside Palestine. They should support the resistance fighters and besiege the Zionist wherever they are. None of the Arab or Muslim peoples and regimes should have dealings with them. Pressure should be exerted upon them. They must not be given any opportunity, and must not stand on any Arab or Islamic land. They must be driven out of our countries. 

[...] 

Therefore, these negotiations must stop once and for all. Everybody must turn to the support of the resistance, which is the option chosen by the Palestinians and by us all – the Arabs and the Muslims, Palestinians and others. We must all realize that resistance is the only way to liberate the land of Palestine. 

[...] 

Al-Quds TV (Lebanon) March 20, 2010, via the Internet 

The Zionists have no right to the land of Palestine. There is no place for them on the land of Palestine. What they took before 1947-8 constitutes plundering, and what they are doing now is a continuation of this plundering. By no means do we recognize their Green Line. The land of Palestine belongs to the Palestinians, not to the Zionists. 

[...] 

We must confront this Zionist entity. All ties of all kinds must be severed with this plundering criminal entity, which is supported by America and its weapons, as well as by its own nuclear weapons, the existence of which is well known. It will bring about their own destruction. The peoples must boycott this entity and avoid normalization of relations with it. All products from countries supporting this entity – from the U.S. and others – must be boycotted. 

[...] 

We want a country for the Palestinians on the entire land of Palestine, on the basis of [Palestinian] citizenship. All the talk about a two-state solution and about peace is nothing but an illusion, which the Arabs have been chasing for a long time now. They will not get from the Zionists anything but this illusion. 

[...] 

They have been fanning the flames of civil strife wherever they were throughout history. They are hostile by nature. 

[...] 

The Zionists understood nothing but the language of force. 

[...]

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Thursday Morning Links

From Ian

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The Palestinian Authority's Inconvenient Truths by Khaled Abu Toameh

"These are only some of the inconvenient truths that the Palestinian Authority does not want the outside world to know. Palestinian journalists often avoid reporting about such issues out of concern for their safety or for "ideological" reasons. These journalists have been taught that it is forbidden to hang out the dirty laundry. Western journalists, funders and decision-makers who deal with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict need to know that there are many truths being completely ignored or hidden from their eyes and ears." 

Who are the extremists? Op-ed:

Norwegian citizen says it's time to confront anti-Israel activists with some tough questions "Who are the extremists? Those who believe Israel should tolerate thousands of missiles raining down on its citizens or those who believe that Israel (like any other country) has the right to defend its citizens and stop the rockets? Who are the extremists? Those who don't want Jews to live in certain areas of Jerusalem or those who want both Arabs and Jews to live freely in all of Jerusalem? And yet we, who are pro-Israel, are painted as the extremists. Has the world turned upside down?" 

British 'anti-Israel' textbook is not British at all

The firm that produced the textbook which replaced Israel with 'Occupied Palestine' is in fact owned by the Lebanese 'Tahseen Khayat Group' "The firm owns various outlets, including Garnet's 'sister group' Ithaca Press and firms named All Prints and The International Press. While Garnet Education focuses on educational material, Ithaca Press decribes itself as a ‘leading publisher of academic books on Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies’, most recently featuring the ‘Great Books of Islamic Civilisation’ and books such as ‘Through the Wall of Fire’ which documents, “the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians beginning in 1948”. 

Study: Gaza Rockets Worse for Bedouin Kids than Jewish Kids

"Bedouin youth were angrier and more psychologically distressed than their Jewish counterparts by the rocket fire in November, according to a new Ben-Gurion University of the Negev study. It is the first follow-up study after the two weeks of rocket fire and subsequent Operation Pillar of Defense." 

Cash-strapped PA seeks emergency funds from China and Russia, lambastes Arab states for lack of aid

PA has billion-dollar deficit; Algeria transfers $26 million to Palestinian coffers 

FIFA asks Israel to restore VIP status of Palestinian soccer chief

Jibril Rajoub’s privileges rescinded last month due to ‘incitement to violence’ against Israel 

Lebanese Intelligence Chief Says Israel is His Country’s Only Enemy

"A leading figure in Lebanese intelligence said Wednesday that the only enemy of his country is Israel. According to the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, Abbas Ibrahim, director-general of the General Security Department, said, “Lebanon’s one and only enemy is Israel.” 

Jordanian minister accuses Israel of planning to erect the third Temple

Islamic Endowments Minister Abdul Salam Abadi says Israel wants to partition the Temple Mount 

'Iranian Jew murdered, was dating IRGC's daughter'

Channel 2 reports that 24-year-old Daniel Magrufta murdered last week; Jewish community suspects girlfriend involved in murder. 

Syria and Hezbollah won’t join the fight if Israel strikes Iran, top-level report predicts

Foreign Ministry says Assad can’t help Tehran for fear of losing power, Israel would launch massive ground operation in Lebanon if attacked 

'Bulgaria police ID Burgas bombing accomplice'

Authorities seeking man who helped suicide bomber behind deaths of 5 Israeli tourists in July, Bulgarian media reports. 

Swastika, anti-Semitic slogans spray-painted on Toulouse building

French city was the site of March 2012 attack that killed Jewish teacher and three school-children 

German pol quits race over poems seen as anti-Semitic

Green Party welcomes withdrawal of candidate over ‘derogatory’ attack on ritual circumcision 

No Joke: Al Jazeera Buying Al Gore’s Current TV

"If the deal is completed, Current will provide the pan-Arab news giant with something it has sought for years: a pathway into American living rooms. Current is available in about 60 million of the 100 million homes in the United States with cable or satellite service." 

Jewish Life in Israel 1913 Footage

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"The rule of law is a component of national security"

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

***

The following is an excerpt from Combating Terrorism With Intelligence: The Normative Debate in Israel by Daphna Sharfman and Ephraim Kahana.

The normative and legal struggles in a country facing almost constant terrorism constitute the elements of the core debate in defining the morals and normative aspirations of Israeli society and maintaining the nation’s heterogenic character as manifested in its political culture. Nevertheless, the Israeli Supreme Court has managed to define and protect the young democracy’s normative standing since its inception, and it continues to do so even under the political and public criticisms expressed especially by right-of-center groups. 

The Court’s leading voice was its president, Aharon Barak, who discussed the problem of a democracy facing terrorism over the years. He noted that terrorism creates much tension among the different elements of the state: While the elected representatives may wish to take all effective steps to fight terrorism, even if harmful to human rights, the democratic pillar of human rights may encourage the protection of the rights of every individual, including the terrorist, even at the cost of undermining the fight against terrorism. But even if struggling with this tension is primarily the task of the legislature and the executive, which are accountable to the people, they must justify their decision to the judges who are judicially responsible for protecting the principles of democracy, as Judge Barak put it:

We, the judges in modern democracies, are responsible for protecting democracy both from terrorism and from the means the state wants to use to fight terrorism. . . judges meet their supreme test in situations of war and terrorism . . . If we fail our role in times of war and terrorism, we will be unable to fulfill our role in times of peace and security . . . I must take human rights seriously during times of both peace and conflict. I must not make do with the mistaken belief that, at the end of the conflict, I can turn back the clock.

As to the centrality of judicial intervention, much debated in Israel, Barak wrote that the protection of human rights would be bankrupt if, during armed conflicts, the courts delayed the review of executive branch behavior until the period of emergency had ended. Instead, the judicial ruling must convey guidance and direction in the specific case before it. 

In Israel, petitions from suspected terrorists reach the HCJ in real time, while the events being reviewed are still taking place, as in the question of interrogation by the security services. In general, as long as the security measures are applied within the alleged framework of the ‘‘zone of reasonableness,’’ no basis is present for judicial intervention. But ‘‘security considerations’’ are not magic words; the Court must be convinced that the security consideration was the dominant one and the measures used were proportional to the terrorist act. Justice Barak described the process:

In exercising judicial review . . . we do not make ourselves into security experts. We do not replace the military commander’s security considerations with our own. We take no position on the way security issues are handled. Our job is to maintain boundaries . . .We insist upon the legality of the military commander’s exercise of discretion and that it fall into the range of reasonableness, determined by the relevant legal norms applicable to the issue.

Barak viewed arguments against judicial review from both the left and right as unacceptable. Judicial review of the legality of the war on terrorism might make waging the conflict more difficult in the short term, but it could fortify society in the long term. Barak referred to his dissenting opinion in the case of the pardon given to the heads of the Security Service (ISA) by Israel’s then-President Chaim Herzog in the 1984 Bus 300 affair. Barak emphasized the centrality of the rule of law and its power over everyone, including the state’s security apparatus:

There is no security without law. The rule of law is a component of national security . . . the strength of the Service lies in the public’s confidence in it. Its strength lies in the court’s confidence in it. If security considerations tip the scales, neither the public nor the court will have confidence in the Security Service and the lawfulness of its interrogations.

Under a continuous state of emergency since its establishment, Israel is always a target of terrorist organizations. The need to deal with security emergencies led the HCJ to realize the importance of preserving fundamental democratic principles in times of war. Over the years, it has handed down rulings concerning security issues that restricted the force that the executive branch could apply, including interrogation methods used against security detainees or administrative detention. 

In Israel, as in other democracies, the ISA’s role in obtaining intelligence in the struggle against terrorism is far from being a neutral, professional issue. Society and its institutions are involved, and they largely direct that sensitive process. The legal tension is always there. As Michael Ignatieff has pointed out, the secret services and the defense forces regularly conduct a controversial ‘‘relentless and brutal campaign’’ against terrorists, but inside the country, the campaign must remain under democratic authorization and judicial review:

Generals publicly question its effectiveness, pilots express moral and tactical qualms about certain operations, columnists insist these operations make Israel less, not more, secure, and so on, yet through it all Israeli democracy is surviving the ordeal

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3,000 Trees to be Planted in Israel for Newtown Victims

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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CHALLAH @ JTA

More than 2,000 people have donated funds to plant a grove of more than 3,000 trees in Israel in memory of the victims of the Newtown shooting. Hadassah has raised more than $61,000 toward the planting of trees honoring the 26 victims of the Dec. 14 massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. 

The trees will be part of the Beersheva River Park, a 1,700-acre water, environmental and commercial area being constructed by the Jewish National Fund in Israel’s desert city. 

The idea for the Newtown grove grew from a request made by Veronique Pozner, whose son, Noah, was the only Jewish victim of the shooting at the Connecticut school. Pozner said memorial contributions could be directed toward the planting of trees in Israel.

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Analysis of Al Qaeda Cells in Israel

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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The following are excerpts from Israeli Intelligence and al-Qaeda by Shlomo Shpiro.

Analysis of all al-Qaeda cells arrested in Israel so far shows four common characteristics which made them vulnerable to Israeli intelligence detection and interception: their young age; the influence of Internet propaganda and their reliance on Internet communication; their financial and technical limitations; and their separation from mainstream secular Palestinian terror groups. Almost all members of the various cells were young men in their twenties, who had become increasingly religious, and were known as extremists within their communities. Most were very influenced by al-Qaeda’s online Internet propaganda and spent much time online, reading the preachings of radical clerics, and accumulating knowledge about bombmaking. But their enthusiasm for terrorism was not matched by technical or financial abilities. Most cells did not possess the financial means of acquiring arms or explosives on the black market, and thus expended much of their energies improvising weapons and primitive bombs. They received no support, whether money or weapons, from the secular Palestinian terror groups, which reject al-Qaeda’s ideology and the independence of its cells. These vulnerabilities gave the Israeli intelligence community powerful tools to use in preventing al-Qaeda attacks inside Israel. Through the use of human sources within Arab communities and extensive monitoring of Internet activities, some cells were discovered and their members arrested. Faced with Israeli intelligence successes, and unable to carry out effective attacks inside Israel, al-Qaeda operatives increasingly turned to launching cross-border attacks into Israel from the neighboring Arab states, where they enjoyed a wider operational freedom.

And

Three lessons can be learned from a decade of confrontation between Israeli intelligence and al-Qaeda, lessons which are applicable to many other countries as well. The first is the vulnerability of local al-Qaeda cells due to their reliance on the Internet and other forms of digital communication. Extensive intelligence monitoring of radical jihadist Websites and communications is a powerful tool in the counterterrorism arsenal against al-Qaeda. The second lesson is the crucial importance of ‘‘tactical’’ intelligence cooperation between countries, not only in sharing information but also in ensuring that such an exchange of information is rapid enough to be relevant. The al-Qaeda threats can be managed only by constant and effective intelligence exchange, which must be adapted to fit the changes in threat levels and types. Rapid information exchange enables the prevention of terror attacks, while slower exchange often brings only outdated information of little operational value. The third lesson is the growing danger of home-grown al-Qaeda cells, young people who are attracted by al-Qaeda’s online propaganda to such an extent that they form small, independent cells and are willing to commit terror attacks. While effective intelligence work can often intercept and prevent large attacks, preventing the formation of such small cells with little or no active footprint until they actually begin violent action is almost impossible. But, over time, increased Internet monitoring and human sources inside Muslim religious communities do provide effective, though imperfect, solutions to this threat.  

Political changes in Egypt and the ousting of the Mubarak regime in early 2011 resulted in a general weakening of the Egyptian government’s authority in the Sinai Peninsula. Bedouin tribes in this lawless region, already making millions of dollars from smuggling weapons across the border into Gaza, have now become arms suppliers of the whole region. In the Sinai, the black market in arms is expanding rapidly and the weapons offered for sale include not only assault rifles and ammunition but also heavy rockets, explosives, anti-tank weapons, mortars, and even ground-to-air missiles which disappeared from Libya during the anti-Gaddafi revolution. In July 2011, the former Head of the Shabak, Avi Dichter, warned that the Sinai had turned from a region of arms smuggling to a region of arms transfers, since the lack of any effective Egyptian police presence makes it unnecessary for the Bedouins to even bother hiding the shipments of heavy weapons being sold to any terror group with enough cash and a truck to carry them out. Israeli intelligence has been able to monitor some of the arms smuggled out of Libya and warn the Egyptians. In late August 2011, Egyptian border guards intercepted a large shipment of heavy weapons near the border with Libya, which may have included SA-7 anti-aircraft missiles. In the hands of an al-Qaeda cell, such missiles would create a severe threat to Israeli civilian and military aircraft flying over the entire region. This threat prompted the Israeli government to speed up the construction of a border fence with Egypt along the entire Israeli–Egyptian border. That border remains the most vulnerable region for future al-Qaeda attacks against Israel. How the revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya, and the uprising in Syria, will impact the presence and activities of al-Qaeda in the Middle East and on the level of support they gain within the populations of the region remains to be seen.

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Channel 2 Report on Hamas in the West Bank

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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Earlier today I mentioned a recent Fatah march near Bethlehem, where Fatah members were seen wielding axes, knives, rifles and mock-rockets.

Here is a recent Channel 2 report with English subtitles that looks at Hamas in the West Bank.

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Video: Rockets, Rifles and Axes in Fatah Rally

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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CHALLAH @ Ynet

A video posted online shows dozens of veiled men taking part in a march marking 48 years since Fatah's inception. The men are seen marching at the Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem carrying knives, axes, clubs and rifles. 

Two men were also seen carrying a rocket model. Palestinian security forces were not present at the scene. The march was a rare sight in the West Bank which has seen very few Fatah rallies in the past few years. 

It is possible that the Palestinian security forces were aware of the march but decided to "turn a blind eye." In the past, the forces prevented similar rallies both by Fatah and Hamas.

Meanwhile, according to a new report from Palestinian Media Watch, Fatah Facebook pages are inciting terror against Israel and its citizens. The report only appears in Hebrew as of now, but Israel Hayom has an English summary.

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UN: Over 60,000 Dead in Syria Conflict

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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CHALLAH @ Reuters

At least 60,000 people have died in Syria's conflict, U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay said on Wednesday, citing an "exhaustive" U.N.-commissioned study. 

Over five months of analysis, researchers cross-referenced seven sources to compile a list of 59,648 individuals reported killed between March 15, 2011, and Nov. 30, 2012. 

"Given there has been no let-up in the conflict since the end of November, we can assume that more than 60,000 people have been killed by the beginning of 2013," Pillay said. "The number of casualties is much higher than we expected, and is truly shocking."

The average death toll per day, based upon this data, between March 15, 2011, and November 30, 2012, would be approximately 95 people per day.

UPDATE: The full report can be read here.

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Wednesday Morning Links

From Ian:

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Expert: Israel Has an Historic Right to Judea and Samaria

"Dr. Alan Baker, an expert on international law and a member of the committee headed by Judge Edmond Levi recommending the extension of Israeli law to Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria, said at a conference discussing the matter Tuesday night that Israel would be fully in its rights to do so.” 

Extremism unchecked in schools, secret briefing reveals

More than 100 independent faith schools may be radicalising students, the Department of Education has warned in a secret memo which admits that officials are struggling to tackle extremism in state and private schools. "The strategy also reported that a minority of independent faith schools had been “actively promoting views that are contrary to British values, such as intolerance of other cultures and gender inequality” and had “allowed extremist views to be expressed by staff, visitors or pupils.” The document said there had been concerns that madrassahs – after-school religious classes attached to mosques - were promoting a highly conservative version of Islam and spreading extremist views, particularly against non-Muslims. It estimated that 100,000 Muslim children attended such schools." 

IDF Blog: 5 Remarkable Stories of 2012, As Told By IDF Soldiers

This past year was full of many challenges for the IDF. Our soldiers faced many threats, from terrorist agents on Israel’s borders to rocket fire targeting civilians. Here are some of most remarkable stories of 2012, as reflected upon by our soldiers. 

Arab soldier hides service from neighbours

Samir, a Muslim Arab, hides his uniform and weapon from his neighbors, but says he's proud to be an IDF combat soldier "Samir joined the Tavor Battalion nine months ago. "To my delight my commanding officers understood me and my situation and let me go on leave on weekends," he told Yedioth Ahronoth. His comrades were equally supportive. "Even though they are only kids, 18 years old, we have developed a true friendship," Samir says. He stresses he has never encountered racism." 

West Bank village erupts after undercover soldiers arrest Islamic Jihad activists

Rubber bullets and tear gas reportedly used in clashes; army says operation carried out to stop terror attack "A raid by Israeli soldiers disguised as vegetable vendors to seize members of a terror group sparked intense clashes in the northern West Bank Tuesday. Residents in the town of Tamoun said youths tossed stones and bottles at Israeli troops, while the soldiers responded with rubber bullets." 

2012's Top Ten on The Commentator

This year's top ten articles on The Commentator include topics such as atheism in Pakistan, the Leveson Inquiry, the BBC and Israel in the media 

CIF Watch: CiF attacks anti-Hagel war agitators: Israel lobby, bond dealers & arms manufacturers

"Hagel, a far-right Republican hostile to abortion rights, gay rights and civil rights, and who has come under fire for his views on Israel, the Middle East and the Islamist regime in Tehran, has strangely become a progressive cause celeb among the Guardian-style left."

CAMERA: Prompts AP Correction on Construction Materials for Gaza

MEMRI: Egyptian Cleric Mahmoud Al-Masri: When the Mahdi Comes, There Will Not be a single Jew left VIDEO & Egyptian DePaul University Professor Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni Supports Camp David Accords and Says: The Palestinians Always Miss Historic Opportunities VIDEO

Israeli vets formulate new vaccine for dogs

A serendipitous lab discovery led to a breakthrough vaccine for a fatal tick-borne disease. Now investors are sought to take it commercial. "Dr. Shimon Harrus did not intend to find the world’s first vaccine against canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CMT), a sometimes fatal tick-borne disease in dogs. Instead, he was attempting to determine how long ticks must be attached to a dog’s fur in order to transmit CMT." 

Intel offers a million bucks for app ‘game-changers,’ using tech developed in Haifa

A ‘perceptual computing’ platform will utilize cameras, sensors, and microphones to enable devices to learn what you need and give it to you "The new approach, called “perceptual computing,” refers to equipping PCs, laptops, and other Intel-branded and partnered devices to become “context aware.” Instead of passively waiting for you to enter data and “teach” the device, a perceptual computing-equipped device will use its built in hardware and software to “learn” ways that make users’ lives easier.”

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Israeli Laws Banning Underweight Models & Sale of Animal-Tested Products Take Effect

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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Back in March, Israel’s Knesset “passed a law banning the use of underweight models in advertising.”

On Tuesday, the law went into effect.

Israel's new law banning skinny models has again brought up an uncomfortable topic to the table for the fashion industry, which has long been criticized for seeming to promote unnatural thinness as beauty standard. And once again, countries are divided as to how to deal with the issue of too-skinny models, by law or with other means. 

Israel's law, which went into effect Tuesday, bans models with a body-mass index—a calculation based on height and weight—of less than 18.5 from appearing in advertisements. According to that BMI standard, a female model who is 5 feet, 8 inches tall can weigh no less than 119 pounds. The law also requires publications to disclose when they use altered images of models to make the women and men appear even thinner than they really are. 

The law's supporters in Israel said they hoped it would encourage the use of more healthful models in local advertising.

The law, according to the Jerusalem Post, was initiated by then-Kadima MK Rachel Adatto, and co-sponsored by Likud-Beytenu MK Danny Danon.

In addition to this law, “a law to ban the import or sale of animal-tested products [also] went into effect in Israel” on Tuesday.

The law bans the import, marketing and sale of cosmetics, toiletries or detergents that were tested on animals during the manufacturing process. 

The law follows guidelines set by the European Union in 2004, and makes exceptions for items that are considered medicinal products.

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Leading Egyptian Satirist Faces Probe for "Insulting" Morsi

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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CHALLAH @ Reuters

An Egyptian satirist who made fun of President Mohamed Mursi on television will be investigated by prosecutors following an accusation that he undermined the leader's standing, a judicial source said on Tuesday. Bassem Youssef's case will increase worries about freedom of speech in the post-Hosni Mubarak era, especially when the country's new constitution includes provisions criticized by rights activists for, among other things, forbidding insults 

Youssef rose to fame following the uprising that swept Mubarak from power in February 2011 with a satirical online programme that was compared with Jon Stewart's Daily Show. He has since had his own show on Egyptian television and mocked Mursi's repeated use of the word "love" in his speeches by starting one of his programmes with a love song, holding a red pillow with the president's face printed on it. 

The prosecutor general ordered an investigation into a formal complaint against Youssef by an Islamist lawyer. The complaint accuses him of "insulting" Mursi, an Islamist backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, and "undermining his standing".

Here is the video from Youssef's appearance on the Daily Show.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Bassem Youssef Extended Interview Pt. 1
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Bassem Youssef Extended Interview Pt. 2
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

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Morsi Adviser: Israel Will Be Gone in a Decade

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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CHALLAH @ The Times of Israel 

A senior Egyptian official who also serves as an adviser to President Mohammed Morsi on Tuesday expressed the opinion that Israel would not be around in 10 years. The remark by Essam al-Erian, the deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, was an attempt to explain a previous statement to the effect that Jews who once lived in Egypt should return to their home country and leave Israel to the Palestinians.  

“There are people in Palestine who occupied it, and those occupiers have prior homelands,” Erian wrote on his Facebook page. The quotes were cited by the London-based pan-Arab daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat. 

Israel, he claimed would cease to exist within the next decade. “There won’t be a thing called Israel anymore; only Palestine, and it’ll contain Jews, Muslims, Christians and Druze, and all of the people who lived there to begin with,” he said. 

“Anyone who wants to stay will stay as a Palestinian citizen.” Thus, he explained, “all of those who occupied it” — including Jewish former residents of Egypt – “will have to return to their homelands.”

The Washington Institute has a short biography on Erian.

Erian was a founding member of Islamic Student Action at Cairo University, as well as student union leader during the early 1970s. He was elected president of the General Union of Students of Egyptian University and also served as secretary of the cultural committee in the medical students’ union in Cairo (1972–1977). In 1981, he was arrested alongside several other members of Egypt’s Islamist groups, tried in a military court, and released a year later. In 1986, he was elected to the board of directors of the Egyptian doctors’ syndicate. In 1987, he was elected to the People’s Assembly, becoming the youngest parliamentarian in modern Egyptian history. In 1995, he was imprisoned along with many others for his membership in the Muslim Brotherhood. He was also jailed in 2005 after he hinted that he might run for president, in 2006 for his participation in protests, in 2007 for his leadership role in the Brotherhood, and in January 2011 at the height of the anti-Mubarak revolt. Following Mubarak’s ouster, Erian played a leading role in establishing the Freedom and Justice Party and was named its vice chairman. In the 2011 parliamentary elections, he won a seat in the People’s Assembly and was named chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. He speaks fluent English and often addresses the U.S. media. 

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Yellow Pepper Becomes Latest Member of Zionist Food Brigade

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka Challah & CHA

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Back in May, “very dangerous” Israeli candy was discovered in the Lebanese town of Ain el-Hilweh.

It now appears that another member of the Zionist Food Brigade has infiltrated Lebanon.

A Lebanese shopper discovered several food items made in Israel in one of Lebanon’s largest retailers Tuesday. While shopping at Spinneys in the coastal city of Sidon, a man, who preferred to remain anonymous, discovered a bag of three kinds of peppers made in Israel. 

He immediately contacted local authorities who in turn contacted the Lebanese Army. Members of military intelligence and police arrived to Spinneys to discover 13 similar bags that have the word “Israel” printed on the sale tag. 

…The case was then referred to the military judiciary for investigation into how the products made it through the customs department at the port or the airport. 

Spinneys had a similar incident almost ten years ago when shoppers discovered mugs made in Israel being sold at the retailer.

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Baruch Dayan Emet

My father, z"l, passed away last night.

I will not be blogging for at least 8 or 9 days.

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Abbas predicts a state in 2013. Sounds familiar.

From Times of Israel today:

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rang in the New Year Monday night by declaring that 2013 would be the year that saw Palestinian independence.

April, 2010:

Citing Mahatma Gandhi, Palestinian Premier Salam Fayyad has said his people would not tolerate injustice after enduring decades of Israeli occupation and predicted an independent Palestinian state by August 2011.

December 31, 2001:

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has predicted that 2002 will bring independence to the Palestinians.

Mr Arafat delivered his year-end speech on Palestinian television after thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip took to the streets to hold rallies and to bury those killed a day earlier in confrontations with Israeli troops.

The Palestinian leader has made similar forecasts for the past several years, when ongoing peace negotiations with Israel offered the prospect of a resolution to decades of conflict in the Middle East.

May, 1996:

Arafat also predicted that an independent Palestinian state would be created by the end of this century, saying, "It is coming. No one can hide the sun with his fingers."

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What's the Iranian media up to?

Let's see:

Zionist international banking cartel controls the US economy:

The United States impending financial crisis - dubbed “fiscal cliff” - is nothing more than political theater to keep Americans subordinate, an analyst tells Press TV.

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Zionist regime practising Nazi-style occupation policies

Many of Israel’s dominant political parties espouse [Nazi] goals for Zionism, which many observers believe take a page from the Nazi playbook when it comes to expansion not only in the occupied territories of Palestine but beyond to the Golan Heights of Syria, southern Lebanon, Sinai, eastern Libya, northern Iraq, and even further afield.

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Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi said on Saturday that the US and Zionist regime are behind the Syrian crisis.

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Zionists, Saudis exacerbate Shia-Sunni divide
The United States along with Israel have partnered with Saudi Arabia to spread division among Muslims in the Middle East, a prominent political analyst tells Press TV.

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Nice to see everything is normal!

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"NGO staff advised to avoid area"

Life in Gaza, from the Gaza NGO Safety Office:

18 DEC, 0900hrs: Massive demos. will be organized at 1000hrs near UNSCO office, GC, in support of Pal. prisoners. NGO staff advised to avoid the area.

20 DEC, 1000hrs: A sit-in will be organized at 1100hrs in front of UNSCO office, GC. NGO staff advised to avoid the area.

26 DEC, 0900hrs: Palestinian prisoners Association will organize a demo. at 1100hrs in front of UNDP office in GC in support of Pal. prisoners. NGO staff advised to avoid the area.

30 DEC, 1100hrs: A demo. is to be organized in front of UNSCO office, GC, in solidarity with Pal. prisoners. NGO staff advised to avoid area.

31 DEC, 0845hrs: Islamic Jihad will organize a demo. on 1000hrs starting from Palestine Square through Omar Al Mokhtar Street toward ICRC office, GC, in support of Pal. prisoners. NGO staff advised to avoid the area.

31 DEC, 1100hrs: Fatah supporters are holding a demo. starting from Al Azhar University toward Al Saraya compound, GC. NGO staff advised to avoid the area.

If the protests are so peaceful, what are the NGO staff - people who are there to help Gazans - afraid of?

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Monday links

From Ian:

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Barry Rubin: A Paradox of U.S. Middle East Policy: The Friend Who Acts like an Enemy is an Enemy

"Yet given the current situation, especially in the Middle East, a realistic policy would make the enemies’ list seem too long and discouraging. In political and diplomatic terms that means the truth will be covered up. The important question is: How far does a country have to go, how futile and even counterproductive do the pay-offs have to be, before it is no longer treated as a friend."

Saturday people, Sunday people

“Saturday People, Sunday People” is the title of a new, mesmerizing book by Lela Gilbert, an adjunct scholar at the Hudson Institute and author of 60 books, including several on the widespread persecution of Christians in Muslim countries, a phenomenon that is reaching epidemic proportions with the rise of Islamic fundamentalism.

What Do Abbas's Latest Threats Really Mean? by Khaled Abu Toameh

"Why doesn't Abbas consider the possibility of handing the "keys" to another Palestinian? Abbas apparently believes that if he cannot lead the Palestinian Authority no one else should — that if he comes down, then the entire Palestinian Authority should also collapse. A changing of the guard is something that the US and the EU, the major funders of Abbas and his associates, could play a major role in bringing about."

Two-thirds of Israelis support peace with Palestinians that ensures security, polls find

"The public’s support of a peace agreement surged when the plan was upgraded to include certain “perks”, such as a defense alliance with the US, a demilitarization of Hamas in Gaza, the construction of a strong security fence along the border, and a pan-Arab readiness to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel. Both polls found that in those cases, over 75% of Israelis would be highly supportive of an agreement with the Palestinians."

Miracle Saves Baby from Rock-Throwing Terrorist

A rock-throwing Arab teen nearly killed a baby Sunday morning when the huge rock he hurled at the car crashed a few inches from the infant.

BBC Watch: BBC confuses armistice lines with borders yet again

"The BBC’s claim that a return to a “pre-1967 border” would “give Damascus control of the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee” is therefore inaccurate as the only border in existence prior to 1967 was the one agreed upon in 1923 by France and Britain which left access to the lake within the borders of Mandate Palestine."

CAMERA: Pat Buchanan Rants Against "Wolves" Opposing Hagel, Cites E 1 Canard

"Buchanan's latest rantings against "neocons" and "bellicose" Israelis and the "wolves" who want to throw Hagel overboard are a reminder that Buckley's moral leadership is sorely needed today."

French paper to publish comic book life of Muhammad
French magazine infamous for publishing Prophet Muhammad cartoons plans to release illustrated biography of Islam's founder

Thomas Friedman Op/Ed Generator
Because this is what his writing actually looks like.

PMW: Official PA daily: Be’er Sheva is a Palestinian city

“Palestinian Media Watch has reported in the past that the PA daily presents many Israeli cities and sites as parts of "Palestine." Lod, Acre, Tiberias, and even Tel Aviv have all been presented as "Palestinian" or "occupied" cities, as have places like Mount Carmel and Mount Meron.”

Australia's Grand Mufti meets Hamas

"AUSTRALIA'S Grand Mufti Ibrahim Abu Mohamed has met with the hierarchy of Hamas, the Palestinian party listed by the Gillard government as a terrorist organisation.
Dr Mohamed, who has been styled as a moderate since taking the top Australian Muslim post, last week expressed his happiness at being in Gaza, describing it as the land of pride and martyrdom."

Al-Qaeda puts gold bounty on head of Jewish US ambassador in Yemen
Terror group also offers some $23,000 to anyone who kills an American soldier

UN envoy estimates 100,000 Syrians could die in upcoming year
The ongoing war is ‘very, very bad’ Lakhdar Brahimi says, warning that the ‘situation is deteriorating’

Iran says Patriot batteries in Turkey meant to protect Israel
Tehran claims NATO-backed anti-missile system not being used to shield Turkey from Syrian civil war

“Iranian military officials believe that the reason for deploying NATO’s Patriot missiles in Turkey is to prevent Iran from responding to the Zionist regime [of Israel] if it attacked Iran,” spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in Ankara Saturday, according to Iran’s state-run Press TV."

Libya church blast kills two Egyptians: embassy
An explosion rocked a Christian Coptic church near the western Libyan city of Misrata on Sunday, killing two people and wounding two others, all of them Egyptians, an Egyptian diplomat told AFP.

Preaching the gospel of liberalism to the Jordanian street

"Mudar Zahran, one of the leaders of his country’s burgeoning Dignity Revolution, says spring is in the air. And, he claims, a post-Hashemite Jordan will have huge implications for the Palestinians, who may be forced to choose — Western-style secular democracy or a government led by the likes of Hamas’s Khaled Mashaal "

CNN: IDF Use of Twitter One of “Top 12 Tech Stories of 2012″

"CNN ranked Israel’s use of micro-blogging site Twitter during the Jewish state’s recent Operation Pillar of Defense on its list of the “Top 12 Tech Stories in 2012,” for revolutionizing how involved parties communicate with each other during wartime."

Israel Launches Natural Gas Platform in Coveted Tamar Gas Field

“Natural gas will not only make electricity production more efficient, cleaner, and cheaper, it is a giant step toward freeing us from dependence on foreign energy sources, especially Arab oil,” said Israeli Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau."

UN Watch: Moynihan’s Moment: the historic 1975 U.N. speech in response to “Zionism is Racism”

"On the occasion of the acclaimed new book “Moynihan’s Moment” by McGill University historian Gil Troy, we feature the historic 1975 speech delivered right after the U.N. declared that “Zionism is racism.” The resolution was repealed in 1991, but its spirit tragically lives on in the form of the U.N.’s enduring obsession with condemning Israel."

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Plus, from Zvi:

Israeli doctors treat Sarah Onyango Obama in law in Africa

The Shalom Hospital staff are "a light unto the nations" - restoring light, one pair of eyes at a time.

American President Barack Obama’s step-grandmother underwent emergency eye surgery in an Israeli-run hospital in Equatorial Guinea last week.

Sarah Onyango Obama, the president’s [grand]father’s third wife, lives in the remote Kenyan village of Nyang’oma Kogelo and suffered from an unspecified optical ailment.

Guinean Health Minister Tomas Mecheba Fernandez escorted the First Step-Grandmother to the hospital in advance of her surgery by a team of Israeli doctors.

The procedure was successful and Obama is making a full recovery, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Sunday.

“All of Africa is talking about your hospital and of the fact that you don’t need to fly to Europe to get medical treatment,” said an enthusiastic Obama following her operation.The Shalom Hospital, located in the Guinean capital city of Malabo, was founded by Israeli entrepreneurs Yardena Ovadya and Ariyeh Horesh and is serviced by over 100 Israeli doctors, nurses and staff. The hospital provides medical treatment for underprivileged residents of Equatorial Guinea and other neighboring African countries.

Sarah Onyango Obama is, incidentally, a Muslim. Those Israelis really "hate Muslims", eh?

It is wonderful to read about Mrs. Obama's joy and her enthusiasm for Shalom Hospital. It is also wonderful to see that this was an occasion for Guinea's health minister to pay an official visit to the hospital and meet the Israeli doctors. This example of pure good news stands in stark contrast to the mindless hatred radiating from the ANC in South Africa, which has officially endorsed Bigotry and Double Standards and which has thereby officially raised the stakes in the campaign to obliterate Israel.

Syrian and Jordanian armies clash

Jordanian civilians living near the border with Syria reported heavy clashes between the Jordanian and Syrian armies late Saturday night, during which the Syrian army allegedly crossed the border and used attack helicopters.

Remarkable Jewish-Italian Nobel Laureate Rita Levi-Montalcini dies at 103

ROME (AP) — Rita Levi-Montalcini, a biologist who conducted underground research in defiance of Fascist persecution and went on to win a Nobel Prize for helping unlock the mysteries of the cell, died at her home in Rome on Sunday. She was 103 and had worked well into her final years.

Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno, announcing her death in a statement, called it a great loss “for all of humanity.” He praised her as someone who represented “civic conscience, culture and the spirit of research of our time.”

Italy’s so-called “Lady of the Cells,” a Jew who lived through anti-Semitic discrimination and the Nazi invasion, became one of her country’s leading scientists and shared the Nobel medicine prize in 1986 with American biochemist Stanley Cohen for their groundbreaking research carried out in the United States. Her research increased the understanding of many conditions, including tumors, developmental malformations, and senile dementia.

Dr. Levi-Montalcini conducted some of her early research at home while hiding from the Nazis. In 1947, she was invited to the US, where she remained for 20 years before returning home to become director of the laboratory of cell biology of the National Council of Scientific Research in Rome. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1986, together with her collaborator Stanley Cohen. She was one of Italy's most admired women.

Dr. Levi-Montalcini visited Israel's Technion early in 2012 as a show of support for Israel against those who would promote BDS in Europe.

Ms. Levi-Montalcini remained actively involved in scientific research until the end of her life.

"History of Neuroscience: 1996 archival interview with Dr. Levi-Montalcini" - Society of Neuroscience (1 hour long) She was 87 years old at the time of this interview, and very, very sharp.

The world is much poorer for the loss of this remarkable woman, but her life and work have been a blessing for all humankind.

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