Friday, March 22, 2013
IanIf the President told young Palestinians in Ramallah to demand that the PA "take risks" in "voices louder than" the opposition, it is likely that the Fatah government of Mahmoud Abbas would fall to the more radical and more popular Hamas. After years of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic indoctrination in the schools and the general media, it is not realistic to believe that Palestinians desire what the President told Israelis to desire: "A future in which Jews, Muslims and Christians can all live in peace and greater prosperity in this Holy Land." And maybe that is why the President did not say it to the Palestinians.Barry Rubin: As Obama Continues Visit, His Themes Are Confirmed
President Obama, perhaps inadvertently, made the case for U.S.-Israel relations grounded in the most fundamental shared values. Israel -- like the United States -- is that rare country in which the government does not fear the protest of the people, and the people do not fear protesting.
Other than wishful thinking, how does Obama think that Israel can make new big concessions and take risks in the face of radical Islamist regimes in Egypt, Tunisia, the Gaza Strip, Turkey, Lebanon, Iran, and Syria? This is especially true when none of these regimes--except for Iran and to some extent the Hamas regime in Gaza—is strongly opposed by the current U.S. government?Obama Compares Israeli-Palestinian Conflict To Disagreements Between U.S. And Canada…
Hmm, I’m having problems recalling the last time Canada fired rockets at America.78 senators call on Obama to stand by Israel ahead of trip
More than three-fourths of the U.S. Senate have signed on to a letter urging President Obama to stand by Israel ahead of his first visit to that country as president.Bennett on Obama’s speech: No Nation Is Occupier of its Homeland
The letter, spearheaded by the America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), asks the president to sternly warn the Palestinians against using their new status as a United Nations observer state to take action against Israel.
Minister of Economy and Trade Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home), sounded a great deal less enthusiastic about the president’s speech, when he told Maariv: “Obama’s statement certainly came out of concern for Israel and out of true friendship, but we’ve seen only this morning the results of our previous withdrawal (from Gaza) in Sderot (where a missile landed on the backyard of a local home), as well as in thousands of victims over the years. It’s time for new, creative concepts to resolve the conflict in the Middle East, including the idea that a nation isn’t the occupier of its own homeland.”Obama heckler: His speech was extremist and Zionist
The Israeli-Arab student who shouted a pro-Palestinian slogan, interrupting US President Barack Obama's speech at the Jerusalem International Convention Center on Thursday, said Friday that he had done so because he found the speech to be "extremist and Zionist."Special Feature: The Israeli Technologies Presented to Obama
Speaking in an interview with Channel 10, Rabia Eid said that "Obama talked about a Jewish state, and that is unacceptable to me and to the Arabs of the world."
The products were chosen from among proposals presented by Israel’s universities in keeping with their degree of innovation, impact on humanity and presentability. The committee forwarded its recommendations to Gil Shefer, the head of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s bureau.US president meets Intel’s wannabe future head — an Israeli Arab, 26
Harif was there representing Intel, as well as Maantech, the hi-tech “finishing school” for Israeli Arabs, which was developed to help them become more integrated into Israel’s hi-tech scene. Haruf told Obama all about Maantech, which helps train Israeli Arabs to interview, prepare resumes, and improve their Hebrew and English skills.It's obvious, Cyprus should adopt the Israeli Shekel
So, that's the euro and that's Cyprus. Oh, and the latest mad idea is that Russia could do the bailing out meaning that the whole house of cards is only remaining upright because it's being underwritten by Vladimir Putin's Kremlin.Exhibition Looks Back On Kubrick, Legendary Director Who ‘Knew He Looked Jewish’
Now, here's an idea that is actually grounded in sanity. Cyprus should ditch the euro and adopt the Israeli Shekel. Think about it.
It's one of the best managed currencies in the world and is already used by default by 2 or 3 million Palestinians. Another 1 million Cypriots would not make much difference.
The films of the late Kubrick, who died in 1999 at age 70, have served as an inspiration to other renowned Jewish directors such as Steven Spielberg and Woody Allen. “Stanley Kubrick,” an exhibition running through June 30 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), is the first retrospective of the filmmaker. Developed in collaboration with the Kubrick estate, the show is getting its North American premiere in California after previously being seen in Frankfurt, Paris, Rome, Brussels, Amsterdam and Melbourne.First rabbi to enter liberated Buchenwald dies
Rabbi Herschel Schachter, a former chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, has died.
Schachter, the first US Army chaplain to enter and participate in the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp, died Thursday. He was 95.
Egypt's largest Islamist group, the Muslim Brotherhood, has been officially registered as a non-governmental organisation by the ministry of social security.So the party that effectively controls the country is an NGO.
The move came after a 'comprehensive' request submitted by the group on Tuesday, Minister of Social Security Nagwa Khalil told state news agency MENA on Thursday.
The Islamist group met all the requirements of law 84/2002 regulating non-governmental organisations, Khalil said.
The ministry would oversee the group's funding now it is officially registered as an NGO, asserted the minister.
Some analysts argue that the abrupt registration is in breach of the law 84/2002 that forbids NGOs from taking part in political activities, raising doubts about the transparency of the process.
Friday, March 22, 2013IanThe answer is simple. Palestinians badly need U.S. money. They know the U.S. will never endorse all of their demands or cut off its ties with Israel. Yet they will continue to ask for U.S. money, largely because their Arab brothers have turned their backs on them and are refusing to help.Douglas Murray: Somehow, I’m agreeing with Mehdi Hasan
The U.S., of course, will continue to shower hundreds of millions of dollars on the Palestinian Authority. In return, Palestinians will continue to harbor hatred for the U.S.
I won’t often say this, but there is a must-read article at the Huffington Post today. Titled ‘The Sorry Truth Is That the Virus of Anti-Semitism Has Infected the British Muslim Community’ it is a reflection on the recent anti-Semitic outburst by Lord Ahmed of Rotherham. It an admirably honest piece of writing the author says:BBC Watch: Donnison’s ‘woman in the Ramallah street’: professional anti-Israel campaigner
‘It pains me to have to admit this but anti-Semitism isn’t just tolerated in some sections of the British Muslim community; it’s routine and commonplace
The Friends School in Ramallah is of course associated with the Ramallah Quakers: significant players in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign and other operations designed to delegitimize Israel, and with close connections to Sabeel and PACBI among others. Predictably, Jon Donnison does not trouble his viewers with that information, just as he does not bother to correct or edit the hyperbolic claims made by his interviewee.BBC glosses over terrorism yet again in Donnison ‘human interest’ puff piece
In other words, what Donnison euphemistically calls “involvement” in “bomb attacks” is actually the organization and overseeing of suicide bombings in which Israeli civilians were brutally murdered during the turbulent seven-year period between the signing of the Oslo Accords and the commencement of the Second Intifada, when rejectionist terror organisations including Hamas tried to derail the peace process.In Ramallah, an anti-Obama demonstration turns anti-Abbas
Europeans and Palestinians stood around, chatting. Near them, the students chanted “O Abbas, what is wrong with you? What has Obama done to you?”Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood says it rejects violence
Hamas was modestly represented at the demonstration, too, with four students wearing green scarves around their shoulders.
Group says it is willing to hand over members to authorities for questioning over a recent assault on activists and reportersEuropean Jihadists: The Latest Export
In the incident last weekend, Brotherhood members beat protesters spray-painting graffiti outside the group’s headquarters.
Hussein refused to apologize for the assault, saying the Brotherhood will only do that if the courts find its members guilty of assault. He said the building’s guards were provoked by the protesters.
After his release from captivity, Cantlie expressed astonishment at the number of "disenchanted young Britons" fighting in Syria. In an account of his experience published in The Sunday Times on August 5, 2012 (site operates behind a pay wall), Cantlie wrote: "I ended up running for my life, barefoot and handcuffed, while British jihadists -- young men with south London accents -- shot to kill. They were aiming their Kalashnikovs at a British journalist, Londoner against Londoner in a rocky landscape that looked like the Scottish Highlands. Bullets kicking up dirt as I ran. A bullet through my arm, another grazing my ear. And not a Syrian in sight. This wasn't what I had expected."Major terror attack on scale of 7/7 foiled every year in UK, police reveal
He said the threat is constantly changing with al-Qaeda inspired Islamic extremists now plotting in smaller, harder to detect groups.French Jewish Students Step Up Legal Action Against Twitter
The danger is coming from an increasing number of hot spots around the world and there is also a growing threat from republican groups in Northern Ireland, who would attack mainland Britain if they could.
"Twitter is playing the indifference card in not respecting the decision of January 24," when a Paris civil court gave the company two weeks to relinquish the requested information, said Jonathan Hayoun, president of France's Union of Jewish Students (UEJF), according to the AFP news agency.Racist Hungarian Journalist Returns State Prize
A Hungarian television presenter, known for his anti-Semitic remarks, has handed back a prestigious state award after public outcry.The Day the Secret Service Almost Shot Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The intelligence brief on the apparent accident was three sentences long, and it scared the hell out of White House officials.
The agent was adjusting the side-mounted shotgun on one of the motorcade’s armored follow-up Suburbans when it discharged. “Everyone just stopped. The Iranians looked at us and we looked at the Iranians. The agent began to apologize. Ahmadinejad just turned his head and got into his car.” And that was it.
Indeed, Israel - and America, for that matter - would do history a great justice if they reminded Turkey in the strongest language possible, of the Turks' bloody crimes against their own minorities, instead of sitting back and allowing Turkey to pontificate about Israel's nonexistent "crimes against humanity." Continued silence will only strengthen bullies and thugs like Erdoğan, lend credence to his outlandish slander, and allow Turkey to continue to rewrite history in its own image.
Friday, March 22, 2013Elder of ZiyonIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized Friday to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a raid on a Turkish flotilla ship, a move that will help restore strained ties between the countries.This sounds like it might have been one of the objectives of the Obama visit.
The incident was a subject of talks between Mr. Netanyahu and President Barack Obama during the president's trip to Israel this week, officials said.
Senior U.S. administration officials said that Mr. Erdogan accepted the apology, describing the phone call between the two leaders as the "first step toward normalization of relations" between Turkey and Israel.
The 2010 raid killed nine passengers, and Mr. Erdogan has long sought an apology. The incident was a subject of talks between Mr. Netanyahu and President Barack Obama during the president's trip to Israel this week, officials said.
Mr. Netanyahu met Mr. Obama at the airport before he departed Israel Friday, and the Israeli prime minister placed the call to Turkey from a trailer there, speaking to Mr. Erdogan for about 30 minutes. Mr. Obama also spoke to Mr. Erdogan, officials said.
In a statement, Mr. Obama said he welcomed the call between Israeli and Turkish leaders.
"The United States deeply values our close partnerships with both Turkey and Israel, and we attach great importance to the restoration of positive relations between them in order to advance regional peace and security," Mr. Obama said. "I am hopeful that today's exchange between the two leaders will enable them to engage in deeper cooperation on this and a range of other challenges and opportunities."
"The Prime Minister made it clear that the tragic results regarding the Mavi Marmara were unintentional and that Israel expresses regret over injuries and loss of life," said the statement from Netanyahu's office. "In light of the Israeli investigation into the incident, which pointed out several operational errors, Prime Minister Netanyahu apologized to the Turkish people for any errors that could have led to loss of life and agreed to complete the agreement on compensation."I wonder if the US arm-twisted Erdogan as well as Netanyahu.
....The statement concluded by saying that "The two leaders agreed to continue to work on improving the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories."
The Turkish Prime Ministry issued a statement, saying the two prime ministers had agreed to conclude agreements on compensation and non-liability over the Mavi Marmara flotilla raid, Anatolia news agency has reported.I am not sure what exactly the last paragraph means, as the only restrictions I'm aware of are things that can make bombs and the quantities that can be physically sent through Kerem Shalom every day, something that Israel has been working to increase.
"Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has issued his apologies on behalf of his state and the Turkish prime minister has accepted his apology in the name of the Turkish people," the statement said.
"Restrictive measures over the entrance of goods into the Palestinian Authority's territories have been lifted starting today, and this position will be maintained as long as tranquility is preserved,” the statement said.
Friday, March 22, 2013Elder of Ziyon
Friday, March 22, 2013Elder of ZiyonSyrian rebels have gained ground in the Golan Heights, which is partly occupied by Israel, launching coordinated attacks in the area and in nearby Daraa province, a watchdog said on Thursday.JPost adds:
"It appears that the rebels launched coordinated attacks on multiple parts of the Golan, taking control of areas and villages in the province of Quneitra," Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
Overnight, the Observatory said, "rebels took control of the Mashati al-Khodr and Dawar Khan Arnaba regions, as well as artillery bases" after heavy fighting in Quneitra province.
"Violent clashes have also been underway since this morning in the areas of Sahem and Wadi al-Yarmuk" in Daraa province, in southern Syria, the group said.
Rebels seized an officers' club in Jaline village, "after the withdrawal of soldiers," while regime forces shelled the town of Sahem al-Jolan.
Israel has long been on high – yet quiet – alert on its border with Syria, as the IDF observes the battles taking place. Contingencies the IDF is prepared to deal with include a permanent withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping force stationed in the Syria- Israel buffer zone; the peacekeepers have already ceased their patrols.Keep in mind that under the Assads, the Syrian border had been the quietest border in Israel for decades. When Syria turns jihadist, that seems unlikely to continue.
Other scenarios include coming face-to-face with radical jihadi elements across the frontier.
Groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra (“The Salvation Front”), a rebel organization set up by al-Qaida in Iraq, are among the rebels gaining ground.
Friday, March 22, 2013Elder of ZiyonWhen I consider Israel’s security, I think about children like Osher Twito, who I met in Sderot – children, the same age as my own daughters, who went to bed at night fearful that a rocket would land in their bedroom simply because of who they are and where they live. That’s why we’ve invested in the Iron Dome system to save countless lives – because those children deserve to sleep better at night. That’s why we have made it clear, time and again, that Israel cannot accept rocket attacks from Gaza, and have stood up for Israel’s right to defend itself. And that’s why Israel has a right to expect Hamas to renounce violence and recognize Israel’s right to exist.The US still officially considers Hamas a terror group. Yet, in this speech, Hamas is considered capable of renouncing violence and recognizing Israel, while Hezbollah is considered irredeemable.
I think about five Israelis who boarded a bus in Bulgaria, who were blown up because of where they came from; who were robbed of the ability to live, and love, and raise families. That’s why every country that values justice should call Hezbollah what it truly is – a terrorist organization. Because the world cannot tolerate an organization that murders innocent civilians, stockpiles rockets to shoot at cities, and supports the massacre of men, women and children in Syria.
Thursday, March 21, 2013IanThe official tour of the UN building was highly revealing regarding the UN policy of “balance” and fair play. The UN guide led me through the General Assembly room, complete with its “Palestine” “country sign,” during a session. I was then led to a floor with a display of the results of violence. Some of the highlights included exhibits on landmines, nuclear conflict, and a small display on the Holocaust. The official UN guide did not mention the Holocaust exhibition, but did stop at the display titled “Palestine.” I asked her why she did not talk about the Holocaust exhibition, and she answered that it was “too controversial.” This did not stop her, and every other guide stopping and explaining the “Palestine” exhibition. This large display, on a bright orange background was full of half-truths and misconceptions. It was nothing less than crude Palestinian propaganda, which was lent a veneer of legitimacy by being part of the official UN tour.Film on Egyptian Jews Cleared For Screening
A documentary on Egyptian Jews that had been blocked by the country's security service will screen in theaters at the end of the month, the film's director said on Wednesday.French philosopher barred from Libya for being a Jew
"Jews of Egypt on the 27th of March in movie theaters. We won the war against National Security. We got the permit," wrote the director, Amir Ramses, on his Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Bernard-Henri Levy was to join former French president Sarkozy; Tripoli says he could have raised risk of Islamist attacksGazan Woman Killed In Suspected Honor Crime
Hiyam, a 23-year-old Palestinian woman, was killed at the hands of her father and brother at dawn on March 8 under the pretext of a so-called honor killing. Her mother Souad, 44, spoke with Al-Monitor at the family's home in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the heart of the Gaza Strip. Looking gray with fatigue, and so worn out she could not even stand, Souad said, “They wronged my daughter Hiyam. She was my eldest daughter and the sweetest of them all. May god avenge her father and brother.”Tough To Be Female Terrorist Ex-Con in Gaza
PA Arab women terrorists who serve time in Israeli prisons and then attempt to return to Arab society don't have it easy.Turkish PM doubles down on Zionism comments
The women released from Israeli jails face difficulties in their families and within their villages once reinstated into society and returned to “normal life,” reported Ma’an, a PA news agency based in Bethlehem.
In many cases, the female ex-prisoners either become divorced or, if single, remain that way for the rest of their lives.
According to one, Wafa’a al-Bis, the women face marginalization, exclusion and degrading treatment in return for their so-called sacrifice for holy cause of jihad promoted to them since their youth.
Erdogan says he doesn't take back remarks that Zionism is crime against humanity, but calls uproar a "misunderstanding."Why is President Morsi helping Israel, not Hamas?
However, Prof. Efraim Inbar, director of the Begin-Sadat (BESA) Center for Strategic Studies, told The Jerusalem Post that the Turkish leader’s comments to the paper were little more than damage control.
“Erdogan’s reaction is part of a concerted effort to minimize the damage of his ‘Zionism equals crime against humanity’ statement that attracted a lot of international criticism,” he said. “He simply tries to tone down his anti-Semitism when it harms his and Turkey’s standing in the world community.”
Washington Watch: Hamas expected Morsi to end Mubarak’s cooperation with Israel’s blockade of Gaza, but if anything the noose has tightened.Jewish Delegation Receives Special Nod At Pope Francis Installation
“The message Morsi sends to Hamas is ‘if you expected because I am a Muslim Brother I will share in your irresponsibility and I will bring relations with Egypt and Israel to the brink of eruption, I will not play your game,” Schueftan said. “And this message to a large [degree] is responsible for the relative tranquility we have now surrounding Gaza since the fighting.”
Pope Francis opened his speech by saying he was speaking “with the permission of the diplomatic corps, the Jews who are with us and all the rest,” the Jerusalem Post reported.Book by pope and rabbi to be translated to English
Many in the Jewish community hope Pope Francis will continue the strong legacy of his predecessors, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, in strengthening Catholic-Jewish relations.
A book on topics important to Judaism and Catholicism co-written by Pope Francis and a rabbi from Argentina will be translated into English.Bar Refaeli ad aired over army protests
“On Heaven and Earth: Pope Francis on Faith, Family and the Church in the 21st Century,” will be available in the United States and Canada on May 7, according to its publisher, Image Books, Reuters reported.
Days after a high-profile row with the IDF over Bar Refaeli’s army service, the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday released a pro-Israel ad starring the international supermodel.Making water better, molecule by molecule
On Sunday, news of Refaeli’s participation in the planned PR campaign spurred IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai to write a letter urging the Foreign Ministry to consider “the negative message sent out to Israeli society by the inclusion of Bar Refaeli, who did not complete national service, as Israel’s representative in a public relations campaign.”
Israel’s got one of the most advanced water desalination programs in the world and dozens of successful water conservation and reclamation projects. Now, cutting-edge Israeli research on water technology will make its way to American academia, as the University of Chicago and Ben-Gurion University have signed a partnership agreement to create new water production and purification technologies for deployment in regions of the globe where freshwater resources are scarce — based on nanotechnology.A lollipop that helps you lose weight
Carmit Candy Industries recently unveiled its original line of fortified confectionery products at the Natural Products Expo West industry event in the United States. The innovative lollipops, wafers and toffees are formulated to help shed pounds, boost the immune system and promote bone health.Celebrating Passover with 50,000 dominos
“Healthier food, and the importance that diet has on health, is a major consumer trend for many years,” says CEO Steve Grun.
The Passover story has been told in a myriad of media. Two young Israelis recently gave the holiday narrative a new rendition in the form of a 50,000-strong domino chain.
It took Ben-Gurion University of the Negev mathematics student Yogev Levy and his friend Nissim Lopaz, a manager at a Jerusalem bike shop, 72 hours to set up the enormous Passover tableau in the lobby of the Samuel and Milada Ayrton University Center in Beersheva.
Thursday, March 21, 2013Elder of Ziyon
Thursday, March 21, 2013Elder of Ziyon
Thursday, March 21, 2013IanThe Mida information and news site asked its readers to document incidents of discrimination, segregation, humiliation and exclusion of Arabs from Israeli public life.
The findings were staggering and proved that the claims heard internationally against Israel are no more than a farce.
Local Arabs who used the buses have praised the new service. Chaim Levinson, a Haaretz reporter, writes that thanks to this reform, thousands of workers who were previously exploited by private services have finally received professional and orderly services provided by the State of Israel.Jewish Anti-Semites Finally Come Out of the Closet
Levinson interviewed Halil, a construction worker from Hevron, who was once forced to sleep away from home to get on time to his job. The new bus service enables him to sleep at home and saves him a large sum of money every month.
There you have it, Israel is more evil than the former white South African regime. Is it possible that Israel’s attacks on Gaza had something to do with the fact that Hamas, the ruling party in Gaza, has in its official charter an exhortation to kill Jews and destroy the State of Israel? Did it have anything to do with the fact that Palestinians fired more than 2000 rockets from Gaza into Israel in 2012? When asked about the rocket attacks, Ehrenreich replied: “Rockets? What rockets? I don’t see any rockets. Do you see any rockets?”My Conversation With J Street’s Jeremy Ben-Ami by Roz Rothstein is the CEO of StandWithUs.
Looking back at the evening’s discussion, I am saddened that Mr. Ben-Ami insists that he and J Street are helping Israel, when in reality the actions of his organization are only hurting Israel and the advancement of peace. While we all wish for a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, J Street’s work only emboldens Palestinians to continue their history of rejectionism and incitement. J Street encourages Palestinian refusal to return to negotiations because it does not require any accountability from them and does not seek to change hateful attitudes towards Israel—both of which are prerequisites for a lasting peace.Obama in Israel Says He is in ‘Historic Homeland of the Jewish People’
Obama said, “More than 3,000 years ago, the Jewish people lived here, tended the land here, prayed to God here. And after centuries of exile and persecution, unparalleled in the history of man, the founding of the Jewish state of Israel, was a rebirth, a redemption, unlike any in history. Today, the sons of Abraham and the daughters of Sarah are fulfilling the dream of the ages: to be masters of their own fate in their own sovereign state. Just as we have for these past 65 years, the United States is proud to stand with you as your strongest ally and your greatest friend.”Honest Reporting: Five Media Spins to Watch for During Obama Visit
While most media reports ahead of the visit noted the Obama administration’s desire to “reboot” relations between the US and Israel, there are a number of issues that often come up whenever some of media report on Israel in the diplomatic arena.Large Arab Anti-Obama Protest as President Goes to Ramallah
The following are five of the main media spins to watch for in coverage of the Obama visit.
As U.S. President Obama arrived in Ramallah for talks with PA officials, Arabs staged a large anti-Obama demonstration.PA Official: 'Obama Not Wanted in Ramallah'
Israel Television reporter Yoram Cohen said that the demonstrators shouts could be heard at the site where PA chief Mahmoud Abbas greeted Obama and his entourage, who had arrived from Jerusalem by helicopter.
PA Arabs are not happy that U.S. President Barack H. Obama is paying Ramallah a visit ThursdayBBC opens comments on Obama visit article, quotes flotilla organiser
“Obama is not wanted here,” said Rassam al-Massry, a top PA official and an organizer of protests against the President's visit. “He declared that he will not pressure Israel to return to negotiations, and he thwarts every attempt by the Palestinians to condemn Israel in the UN,” he said.
Sharp-eyed readers will also notice that the BBC’s article quotes Huwaida Arraf, describing her as a “demonstrator”.While Obama’s on Tour, Congress Sends Tough Love to PA
The article fails to point out to BBC audiences that Huwaida Arraf is one of the founders and leaders of the ‘International Solidarity Movement’ (ISM) and the flotilla-organising ‘Free Gaza Movement’, both of which provide support to Hamas, and who was an active participant in the ISM support group to the Palestinian terrorists who took over the Church of the Nativity in 2002.
This proposed legislation requires several things of the Palestinian Authority without which it will not receive certain U.S. benefits including significant financial aid and the privilege of being referred to as anything other than "the areas controlled by the PalestinianEgyptian leaders fear ‘Muslim Brotherhoodization'
Those actions which the PA will be expected to do and to cease doing include: end government corruption, regularly condemn terrorism, confiscate unauthorized weapons, bring terrorists to justice, end incitement to violence and hatred in PA media, schools, mosques, cease all boycotts of Israel, conducts diplomatic relations with Israel just as it does with any other country, and refuse to co-govern with Hamas. The Accountability Act also directs that “no United States document may refer to the areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority as ‘Palestine’ until the secretary of state has certified to congress” that the foregoing conditions have been met.
Egyptian military academy director Maj.-Gen Esmat Murad revealed that students affiliated with Islamist political factions have been accepted into the academy, according to a report on Wednesday in the London-based daily Asharq al-Awsat. This includes Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s nephew.Egypt judges recommend dissolution of Brotherhood
Murad told a press conference on Tuesday that the academy’s graduating class includes 109 members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Legality of President Morsi’s party has been the subject of a lengthy disputeEx-Hezbollah member leads movement against terror group
Hezbollah's Shiite policies and involvement in Syrian crisis raises outcry in Lebanon; new movement from group's stronghold presents national alternativeCyprus criminal court convicts Hezbollah member
His conviction is the first time that a Hezbollah member has been found guilty of criminal activity with respect to the targeting of Israeli citizens in a European court.
Yaacoub faces eight charges in the criminal court in the city of Limassol. The court is slated to sentence him on March 28.
Thursday, March 21, 2013Elder of Ziyon
Iran will “annihilate” the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa if it comes under attack by the Jewish state, the Islamic republic's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Thursday.Inevitably, apologists like fourth-rate academic and self-declared Iran expert Juan Cole will note that Iran's threats are only in response to an Israeli military attack.
“Every now and then the leaders of the Zionist regime threaten Iran with a military attack,” Khamenei said in a live televised speech from the northeastern holy city of Mashhad, referring to Israel.
“They should know that if they commit such a blunder, the Islamic republic will annihilate Tel Aviv and Haifa,” he said.
Thursday, March 21, 2013Elder of Ziyon1. Palestine from the river to the sea, and from north to south, is a land of the Palestinian people and its homeland and its legitimate right, we may not a waiver an inch or any part thereof, no matter what the reasons and circumstances and pressures.There's more, including more about "resistance," but the point is that these principles have been clearly communicated before - the utter rejection of Israel or Jewish rights to any land now and forever and the decision never to abandon terrorism.
2. Palestine - all of Palestine - is a land of Islamic and Arab affiliation, a blessed sacred land, that has a major portion in the heart of every Arab and Muslim
3. No recognition of the legitimacy of the occupation whatever; this is a principled position, political and moral, and therefore do not recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and recognition of "Israel" and the legitimacy of its presence on any part of Palestine no matter how long; nand it will not be long, God willing.
4. Liberation of Palestine is a national duty; it is the responsibility of the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic nation, it is also a humanitarian responsibility in accordance with the requirements of truth and justice.
5. Jihad and the armed resistance is the right and real method for the liberation of Palestine, and the restoration of all the rights, together with, of course, all forms of political and diplomatic struggle including in the media, public and legal [spheres]; with the need to mobilize all the energies of the nation in the battle
6. Resistance is a means and not an end, if we have another way without blood and painful sacrifices to liberate the land and ending the occupation and the restoration of rights we would take it, but history proves that there is no option to expel the occupiers and restore the land and rights without using all forms of resistance, led by armed resistance.
7. We are not fighting Jews because they are Jews, but are fighting the Zionist Jews occupiers, the aggressors, and we will fight anyone who tries to attack us or usurp our rights or occupy our land, regardless of religion or affiliation, race or nationality.
8. The Zionist project is a racist project based on murder and terrorism, and so it is the enemy of the Palestinian people and the nation, and is a real threat to them, and a huge threat to its security and interests, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a danger to the security of the humanitarian community and the interests and stability.
9. Jerusalem is an Islamic and Christian [holy place], we many not give it up not relinquish any part of it, it is our right and our spirit, our history, our present and our future, which is the capital of Palestine, and dearest to the hearts of Arabs and Muslims.... Israel has no legitimacy and no right to to Jerusalem at all, nor any legitimacy nor right to all of Palestine. And all actions of Israel in Jerusalem to Judaize and settle and falsification of facts and attempts to fabricate history are void.
10. Upholding the right of return of Palestinian refugees and displaced persons to their homes from which they were expelled, or were prevented from returning, both in the occupied territories in 1948 or 1967, to all of Palestine; we refuse to compromise in any way for this right. At the same time reject all settlement projects or alternative homelands.... [some detail on how people proposed Lebanon or Jordan or the Sinai as alternate homelands]
11. The unity of the Palestinian land: The West Bank (including Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip and the occupied land of 1948, one land with all its geography, it is one unit, not part separated from the other, which is a whole nation of the Palestinian people. The situation in Gaza now is exceptional and imposed on us, and not a natural situation, we can not accept that Gaza is separate...
12. And the unity of the Palestinian people Muslims and Christians, and all its intellectual, political and ideological components, and with all the strength and factions, militant and political.
13. The unity of the Palestinian political system and its institutions, and national unity of his authority through the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which needs to be rebuilt on valid grounds, to include all the Palestinian forces and components. ...
14. ...The state is the real first fruit of liberation; there is no alternative to the establishment of a Palestinian state, with real sovereignty over the entire territory.
15. [True] Palestinian national independence: a principle which is based on the non-dependence on any country or party in the world; friend or an ally or an enemy or opponent. But that does not mean that we ...are weakening the Arab and Islamic role, Palestine was and will remain Arab and Islamic, but also a humanitarian issue.
16. Institution-building and the Palestinian National authorities should always be on the basis of democracy, and in the forefront of free and fair elections, equal opportunities....
17. Non-interference in the affairs of other countries, and not to engage in themes and conflicts and alignments between nations....
18. The unity of the nation with all its components, ethnic and religious, we are one nation...
19. Any position or a political programs or tactical initiatives or must be in line with the Palestinian national principle that we have mentioned....therefore we reject any draft agreements or settlements that diminish those principles, principles affecting Palestinian national rights.
Thursday, March 21, 2013Elder of Ziyon
Thursday, March 21, 2013Elder of ZiyonFive Qassam rockets were fired at southern Israel from Gaza on Thursday morning, on the second day of US President Barack Obama's visit to the Middle East.JPost adds:
After a long period of calm following Operation Pillar of Defense, a Color Red alert sounded in the city of Sderot at around 7:15 am, followed by additional air raid sirens, one of them in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council.
One of the rockets hit the backyard of a house in Sderot, while another landed in an open area. There were no reports of injuries, but the yard sustained slight damage. Two additional rockets are believed to have landed on Palestinian territory.
According to initial estimates, the rockets were fired from the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun.
Israel will be watching "very closely" to see if Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will condemn Thursday's Kassam rocket fire on Sderot in his public comments with US President Barack Obama later today, a senior government official said.GANSO confirms that the rockets came from Beit Hanoun.
During Operation Pillar of Defense, the official said, Abbas "stubbornly refused to do so. He even refused to disassociate himself from those attacks."
The official said Israel will also be watching whether Abbas will cease Fatah's unity talks with Hamas. "These rockets were launched from territory controlled by Hamas, and Hamas refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist and support peace," he said.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013Elder of Ziyon
Wednesday, March 20, 2013Elder of Ziyon
Wednesday, March 20, 2013Elder of Ziyon
Wednesday, March 20, 2013Ian"My name is Abdol and I’m a Muslim, Zionist Arab. Israel is my home. Israel is where my friends – Arabs & Jews – live. Israel is where I have rights and Israel is where my family lives. I joined the IDF to give back to a country that keeps giving to me.The triumph of monoculturalism in the Middle East
More profiles at the Australasian Union of Jewish Students
Monoculturalism is the tragedy of the Middle East; as the rest of the world became diverse, the Middle East became homogenous, and that homogeneity is also encouraged in Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sudan, northern Nigeria, Kosovo, Turkey, Chechnya and a myriad other countries that learn too much from the example of Saudi Arabia, and learn too little from the example of the United States.The Russell Tribunal – Kangaroos in Smart Clothing….
With humble apologies and much respect to the fabulous Australian marsupials, it must be said that the Russell Tribunal is nothing more than a kangaroo court. The Russell Tribunal or International War Crimes Tribunal was founded by British philosopher, Bertrand Russell in 1966 with the aim of investigating America’s foreign policy and military intervention in Vietnam. The Russell Tribunal on Palestine was founded in March 1999 with the purpose of investigating crimes committed by Israel against Palestinians. Charges of practising Apartheid have been levelled at the Jewish state. Strange how no investigations have ever been carried out by the Tribunal against suicide bombings or incitement to hate.Simon Wiesenthal Center Report: BDS “a Thinly-Veiled, Anti-Israel and Anti-Semitic ‘Poison Pill’”
The report concludes, that BDS has no positive impact on peace in the Middle East: “Those truly committed to a ‘Two State Solution’ will never serve the cause of peace by embracing the anti-Semitic BDS. Honest people have a choice between two options only: a return to currently unfashionable, always difficult, peacemaking to forge two viable, peaceful states or the grim alternative, stripped bare of pretenses, of a deadly specter astride a Pale Horse.”Martin Luther King Jr., Israel and Obama
In March, 1968, only a few weeks before he was assassinated, King gave one of his most ardent speeches in support of Israel at the convention of the Rabbinical Assembly of America. He stated, “I see Israel, and never mind saying it, as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land almost can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy.Adelle's Condition is Critical, Life Threatening
"We regret to say that Adelle's condition is deteriorating and we ask the entire public to pray for her health," her father, Rafi, said Tuesday. Adelle should be referred to in prayers as Adelle Chaya Bat Adva.Ex-Commander Warns: Complacency Kills
Former IDF Colonel Moshe Givati recently took another step forward in a long-term project aimed at learning from Israel’s past wars. In an interview with Arutz Sheva he discussed his findings, and warned that what he sees today looks frightening like the situation prior to 1973.Ronaldo and Portugal set to land in Israel
The Portugal national team, including superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Wednesday ahead of Friday’s crucial 2014 World Cup qualifier versus the blue-and-white at National Stadium in Ramat Gan.Jerusalem revs up for Formula One
‘It’s great to have the chance to drive a Formula 1 car on the streets of a city that is as fascinating and full of history as Jerusalem” — Italian racing driver Giancarlo Fisichella.Anti-Israel groups push product, performers boycott
The event, called the Jerusalem Peace Road Show, will take place June 13-14, 2013. From June 9-13, the cars taking part in the historical circuit around the city – including Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Audi – will be on show at the Old Jerusalem Train Station.
Nabil Bisharap, a 38-year-old father of six, worries that the boycott could lead to layoffs at SodaStream, whose West Bank factory, at the edge of the settlement of Maaleh Adumim near Jerusalem, employs about 300 Jews, 500 West Bank Palestinians and 400 Palestinian Arabs from East Jerusalem.
The Israeli factory offers benefits unheard of in the Palestinian work sector: free transportation to and from work, health insurance and salaries "four to six times" the average Palestinian salary according to company President Yonah Lloyd. It has an on-site mosque and synagogue.
Before BDS activists try to pressure Israel via boycotts, Bisharap said, "they should understand the situation. My salary is good; my conditions are good. If people stop buying, almost 1,000 Palestinians won't be able to support their families."
Boycotting Israel, Bisharap concluded, "is not the solution."
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PROTOCOLS: EXPOSING MODERN ANTISEMITISM
