Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, August 05, 2013

PalArab joy at FC Barcelona visit soured by photos of team at Kotel

Legendary soccer team FC Barcelona visited Arab sections of West Bank over the weekend, where they have many fans:

As soon as they got off the coach, the players were surrounded by a swathe of adoring fans, including several children wearing Barça shirts. They headed for the Basilica of the Nativity, where it is believed that Jesus of Nazareth was born, and paid a visit to the temple. After greeting the senior religious figures in the town, they posed for a group photo outside the basilica.

They then made their way to the headquarters of the Palestinian presidency for a private visit where they were received by president Mahmoud Abbas. Treated as if he were a head of state, Sandro Rosell was accompanied by the other members of the board, plus the players, and exchanged a few words and gifts with the Palestinian leader. Then Jibril Rjoub, the head of the Palestinian Football Association, spoke to the media and explained what a historic moment this is for his people. “We are hugely respectful of this visit being paid by Barça” he said. “It is big step towards our desire for peace”. He spoke about his high hopes for a future independent state of Palestine, and announced that if that day should ever come, then FC Barcelona would be the first team they’d be inviting to play.

The "peaceful" speeches given by PA officials included insults to Israel saying that the Jewish state uses repression to hurt their sporting program. Apparently those Arabic statements were not translated to the players.

But things soured yesterday when the team paid a visit to the Kotel.

Arabic media has photos and stories saying that the visit "angered" Arab fans of the club, as the players inserted notes into the cracks of the Western Wall and paid their respects while wearing kipot, "a hat worn by Jews when performing Talmudic prayers."

See how the visit fostered "the desire for peace" among Palestinian Arabs?

104,000 Muslims permitted in Jerusalem Friday

COGAT reports that 104,000 Palestinian Arabs crossed over into Israel on the last Friday in Ramadan.

I'm fairly certain that between 1949 and 1967, there were never that many Muslims visiting Jerusalem in total at any time of the year. I'm trying to find any news articles about a mass pilgrimage to Jerusalem during those times, when it was under Arab control, and the most I see are 5000-10,000 Arabs visiting during - Easter.

Israel allows Turkish aid workers into Gaza while Egypt bans Erdogan

Whose siege is it anyway?

From Arutz-7:

The IDF gave permission to two Turkish groups to visit Gaza. The permits were signed by IDF General Eitan Dangot, who is in charge of government relations in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.

The Turkish groups include a delegation from the Turkish Red Crescent Society. The group of 14 doctors, nurses, and medical personnel visited a new hospital being built in Gaza with Turkish money. The group also visited an agricultural project Turkey is funding. The second delegation consists of executives from the construction firm that is building the hospital. No date has been set for that visit.

From Ma'an:

Egyptian authorities have canceled a planned visit to Gaza by the Turkish Prime Minister, a popular Egyptian news site said Sunday.

Youm7, or the seventh day, quoted Egyptian diplomatic sources as saying that Tayyip Erdogan's visit to the Gaza Strip had been canceled following the military ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi and subsequent change in government.

The Gaza trip was also canceled because of Erdogan's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, Youm7 reported.

Egypt's crippling siege of Gaza continues...

An embassy question

I'm not near a decent Internet connection, but can someone investigate why the US embassy in Tel Aviv was closed today? And is it closed tomorrow?

The reason I'm asking is that it sure seems like the State Department was closing the Tel Aviv embassy more to assuage Arab honor than out of any real security concerns. If Al Qaeda was going to bomb a target in Israel, I don't think the embassy would be their top priority.

And if the State Department is making decisions for its Israel staff just to avoid embarrassing its hosts in Jordan and Egypt, isn't that news?

#BDSFail - PalArabs continue to buy settlement goods

From Al Monitor, July 26:

The official campaigns that targeted ordinary citizens and merchants proved their seriousness and came bolstered by a decree issued in 2010 by Abbas, who can issue laws in exceptional cases of extreme necessity as a result of the Legislative Council’s inability to convene since the elections of 2006.

The penalties stipulated by the Law to Prohibit and Combat Settlement Products served as an effective deterrent, because all those who participated in or contributed to the trade or import of goods or services from the settlements were subject to a prison term of two to five years and a fine of no less than 10,000 Jordanian dinars [$14,100]. The same law proclaimed the establishment of the National Dignity Fund to combat settlement products.
...

But, it seems that the law was not deterrent enough, leading to 72 tons of goods being seized, according to the official, since the beginning of this year — with 15 cases being referred to the Economic Crimes Office. This means that there still is public and commercial appetite for settlement products.

In describing the situation, Mansour told Al-Monitor on July 22 that official enforcement of the ban against settlement products was seasonal, which explained why Palestinian markets are flooded with agriculture products from the settlements — such as grapes and dates, among others.

The primary shortcoming faced by the PA and Fayyad’s government emanated from their call on Palestinians to stop working inside the [Israeli] settlements, futilely promising to provide them with alternatives.

In this regard, Mansour said, “Despite the millions of dollars given to the PA by donor countries, it failed to provide a source of income to approximately 40,000 Palestinians who gained their livelihoods by working in the settlements.”

Working in the settlements goes against the national project to build a Palestinian contiguous state. But this is not the only contradiction faced by Palestinians, for the Palestinian people’s appetite for settlement goods and — even worse — their going to the settlements to shop, both embody the height of illogicalities.

Each month, hundreds of Palestinians visit the shopping centers owned by Israeli businessman Rami Levy in the settlements of Kfar Etzion in Hebron and Ma’alie Mikhmas near Ramallah, in search of the cheapest prices and offers.

Mother of five, Dalal al-Kuwaiti, told Al-Monitor in Ramallah, “The first time I went to shop from Rami Levy four years ago, it felt strange for me to be in an Israeli settlement mingling with settlers, but I got used to it.”

Kuwaiti shops at Rami Levy twice a month, spending 1,000 shekels [$280], or one-third of her husband’s salary, who is a PA employee. “I would need at least twice that amount if I were to shop at the local Palestinian market. There are always offers and sales on food items, which is unheard of in local markets.”

Despite the National Dignity Fund publishing censored photographs of car license plates and Palestinian shopper’s faces to deter them from shopping at Rami Levy, they continued to do so.

(h/t Yoel)

New photos of pre-Islamic columns, wall on Temple Mount

From Qanta Ahmed in Times of Israel, about her recent trip to the Dome of the Rock and the Temple Mount:

Leaving the Dome, we walked South, on to Al Aqsa....Low domed roofs arched overhead, each rendered in the same limestone. Pleasing corridors stretched in longitudinal halls. Here and there, a lone woman studied her Quran. Other than that, Ibrahim and I were alone. We walked around the corner and, approaching a smaller vestibule, we confronted enormous columns. Their diameter deeper than the height of a tall man, they were disproportionate to the low roof. Each of the massive pillars were carefully supported by modern concrete abutments and steel girdles. These pillars looked much older. They didn’t belong to Al Aqsa. Nearby, Ibrahim pointed out the roof overhead. A distinct break in the brickwork was evident.

“This was the entrance to the Second Jewish Temple that was here before Al Aqsa. You can see it is absolutely distinct.” And without doubt, it was easy to see, this had been a place of worship for Jews centuries before. Perhaps we were standing at the gate. Somehow, these hardy arches, these massive pillars had escaped even the Romans’ determined destruction of the Second Temple. Before this place was made ours, it had clearly been theirs. We were on borrowed ground. Incredible at something so ancient, confronted with the profound reality preceding Islam, we fell into the shared silence of young believers.

(h/t Josh K)

8/04 Links: Denying Israel's existence for $100, FC Barcelona in Israel, The ‘Dry Bones’ Seder

From Ian:

PMW: Denying Israel's existence is worth $100 - PA TV quizzes during Ramadan

$100 prizes for defining Israeli cities as "Palestinian" - on PA TV VIDEO

July: 38 Israelis Wounded in Terrorist Attacks

The IDF and Shin Bet have released their report on terrorist attacks in the month of July. Over the course of the month, 38 Israelis were wounded in terrorist assaults.
Among the wounded was a young toddler who suffered a head injury when Arabs hurled stones at a Jewish family near the Old City of Jerusalem.
An eight-year-old Jewish boy was also injured in a rock-throwing attack in the Old City, and a baby girl was wounded in a rock attack on a bus heading for the Kotel (Western Wall).

Palestinians held in mezuza theft at Cave of Patriarchs

Two Palestinians were detained for the theft of a mezuza from the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron on Friday.
Friday’s incident follows one that occurred two weeks ago in which three mezuzot were stolen.

Increase in Palestinians Treated in Israeli Hospitals

A report published recently by Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Unit (COGAT) shows that 219,464 Palestinian patients received medical treatment in Israeli hospitals during 2012 – 21,270 of them children. These numbers include companions accompanying the patients to Israel.
The numbers show a dramatic increase in Palestinians receiving treatment from Israeli medical professionals. 197,713 Palestinians received medical treatment in Israel in 2011, and 144,838 in 2008.

CAMERA: CNN’s Zakaria Predictably Promotes Palestinian Journalist’s Propaganda

Palestinian Journalist Daoud Kuttab, who uses reasonable sounding language to promote an erroneous Palestinian line, appeared on the July 28, 2013 edition of CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” to discuss the latest negotiations between Israelis and Palestinian Arabs. Zakaria, who had interviewed Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador to the United States earlier in the program, enabled Kuttab's anti-Israel propaganda as he has done previously.

Islamists at Berlin al-Quds Day call for destruction of Jewish state

Jochen Feilcke, head of the Berlin and Potsdam German-Israel friendship society, told the more than 100 attendees that “there should be no al-Quds demonstrations in the future in Berlin” and that “Holocaust-deniers and enemies of Israel” should be denied access to Berlin streets to protest.
The coalition of pro-Israel groups protested under the umbrella name “No al-Quds Day – Against anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and Homophobia – Solidarity with the democracy movement in Iran.”

Hariri says Hezbollah resistance against Israel outdated

Former prime minister of Lebanon Saad Hariri joined a growing chorus against terror group Hezbollah over the weekend, calling on the organization to disarm and saying it was no longer needed.
Hariri’s statement came after a rare public speech by Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah Friday in which he called for the elimination of Israel.

Recovering in Israeli hospital, Syrian patient says he saw how war began

Israel on Saturday allowed a TV report to provide the most detailed exposure to date of its medical assistance to victims of the Syrian civil war. And one of the patients interviewed for the report, named as Bilal, described from his hospital bed how the civil war began in his home town of Daraa two years ago.
The report on Channel 10 news showed extensive coverage of numerous Syrian patients being treated in two hospitals in northern Israel, and brief footage of the field hospital Israel has established on the Golan Heights border between the two countries.

30 Palestinians died in Sinai anti-terror offensive

A senior Egyptian official told local media Saturday that as part of its anti-terror campaign in Sinai over the last month, the Egyptian army has arrested 90 suspected terrorists, 7 of whom were West Bank Palestinians, and that 60 armed militants were killed, including 30 Palestinians.

El-Sisi Slams US for Abandoning the Egyptian People

Egypt’s armed forces chief General Abdel Fattah El-Sisi lashed out at the U.S., urging the Administration to pressure the Muslim Brothers to end their resistance to the new rule.
In an interview with the Washington Post, El Sisi—who led the military coup that ousted President Mohamed Morsi on july 3—is warning of police action that would put an end to the protests.
Despite the $1.3 billion in military aid the U.S. gives Egypt every year, El-Sisi accused President Barack Obama of abandoning Egypt.

Al-Qaeda Head Blames U.S. for Egypt Coup

Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has accused the United States of "plotting" with Egypt's military, secularists and Christians to overthrow Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, AFP reported on Saturday.

FC Barcelona shoots for peace on tour in Israel

While Israeli and Palestinian leaders sit down with American negotiators for peace talks in Washington, here in the Middle East Israelis and Palestinians are holding their own events for peace this week with the Barcelona Football Club.
FC Barcelona, considered one of the best soccer teams in the world, kicked off a two-day “peace tour” of the region on Saturday with a soccer clinic for local Palestinian children at Dura Stadium in the West Bank. Lionel Messi and newly signed Brazilian footballer Neymar are among the star players on hand for the trip.

Disaster recovery solution reduces costs for government entities

Axxana today announced that the Scottish Government has deployed The Phoenix System RP to meet its business continuity goal of zero data loss, and to reduce ongoing replication costs. Axxana’s disaster recovery (DR) system is capable of surviving any disaster while ensuring 100% data protection and recovery over any distance, with continuous cost savings.

Israel And India To Develop 5G Technology Together

India and Israel have agreed to work jointly on development of fifth generation (5G) telecom technologies, sources said. The matter was discussed during the visit of Indian telecom and IT minister Kapil Sibal to Israel last month, they said. Sibal and his Israeli counterpart Gilad Erdan agreed that both countries can cooperate on exploring the possibilities of standard formulation, development and manufacturing in the area of 4G and 5G telecom technologies.

Archaeologists Uncover Temple-Era Jewish Village

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of the ancient Jewish village of Sichin in the Galilee. The village was found near the northern edge of the Tzipori national park.
The discovery was made by a team led by Dr. Mordechai Aviam of the Galilee Archaeological Institute at the Kinneret academic college.
The village of Sichin was mentioned by the ancient scholar Josephus (Yosef Ben-Matityahu) as one of the first Jewish towns established in the Galilee in the times of the Second Temple.

‘Dry Bones’ goes to the Seder

Dry Bones has been tickling readers’ funny bones for the past 40 years in The Jerusalem Post and scores of other newspapers.
The internationally syndicated editorial comic strip, featuring the affable key character Shuldig, has been ribbing politicos and their constituents for decades, taking a gentle poke at the Jewish world and the human condition.

Bizarre Islamic video says Arab League are Zionist Zombies

No joke. From "IslamicTVChannel1"

You have to admire the professionalism of their paranoia.

(h/t Sandra)

Hamas starts crackdown on potential "rebels"

The Tamarod Palestine Facebook page passed 20,000 members, and Hamas is nervous.

According to Palestine Press Agency, Hamas has declared a "state of emergency" following a declaration by the Tamarod group of November 11 as a day of protest against Hamas and Fatah, on the anniversary of Arafat's death.

The newspaper says that Hamas started arresting suspected members of Tamarod in Gaza.

Hamas, continuing its recent paranoia, is blaming Fatah for the Tamarod movement to cause a coup in Gaza.

Gaza is exporting spices to the US

Palestine Today reports that, over the past several months, Gaza farmers have exported some five tons of spices to the US market, as well as 25 tons of spices to Europe this year.

Basil and mint are among the exports, and Gaza farmers are looking to add more spice crops, which have a higher profit margin and longer shelf life than vegetables.

The article doesn't mention that Israel helps Gaza farmers get up to speed on the latest farming techniques and they also help them export their goods.

I wonder how these spices are labeled. While Israel might approve the exports, that doesn't mean Americans want to inadvertently buy spices where some of the money ends up paying Hamas taxes.

Is it time to start a Gaza boycott campaign?

Hamas MP freaks out over Dr. Oz visit to Israel

Egypt's Youm7 reports that many prominent Palestinian Arabs are condemning the visit by popular TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz to Israel.

A member of the Hamas Legislative Council described the visit as "support of the occupier of Arab and Islamic land, and sending a dangerous message to support Israeli settlements."

Another MP, Mariam Saleh, said, "Israel used this visit to discredit Turkish history, and try to send a message that Turkey and Israel have a strong relationship, as opposed to the popular and official view in Turkey that supports Palestinians against Israeli plans."

In addition, "[Oz] talks about the humanitarian aspects of health, but it is clear that his message is different during his visit to the Palestinian territories by supporting the killer of humanity, and expressing solidarity with the murderers of Palestinian children through direct killing of tens of thousands at the hands of the Israelis."

The Egyptian paper also noted that Dr. Oz visited Yad Vashem, which might have also raised the ire of some.

8/03 Links: Latma to Close?, Abbas the Phony, Stoudemire seeks Israeli citizenship

From Ian:

Mahmoud Abbas: The Palestinian Authority’s Phony ‘Moderate’

Some of the PLO leaders occasionally claim that they are connected to the Philistines, and while this is historical and anthropological nonsense, it is interesting that they are using a tactic of the Philistines by getting the Israelis to give up their arms and their assets even before talks begin.
The PLO just got America’s help to force Israel to release convicted Palestinian terrorists – including mass murderers – from jail in order to “start” talks. That won headlines, but will cost lives.
Today the term “Philistine” means someone of superficial nature, like a president or secretary of state who believes in phony Palestinian moderates and gets a real and reliable ally – like Israel – to endanger itself for the sake of a headline.
Israel is entitled to demand a little strategic depth, and it is also right to demand a certain depth of perception from its leaders and from those who claim to be friends.

Water or fuel to the fire?

The head of Israel's Shin Bet security service, Yoram Cohen, stated that 60 percent of released Palestinian terrorists revert to operational terrorism. Most of the 1,150 terrorists released in the May 21, 1985 Jibril exchange played a key role during the First Intifada. Over 50% of the Palestinian terrorists who were released between the 1993 Oslo Accord and the eruption of the Second Intifada participated in that wave of Palestinian terrorism.
Mahmoud Abbas' commitment to embrace -- and not to condemn -- terrorists shed light on his prime values, which are consistent with his track record: A Holocaust denial Ph.D. from Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow; enrollment in KGB courses; the coordination of Palestine Liberation Organization ties with ruthless communist regimes in Eastern Europe; the logistical coordination of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games massacre; collaboration with Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait; and subversive and terrorist activities which led to his expulsion from Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

Israeli Prisons, Hothouses for Breeding Palestinian Terrorists

There, terrorist murderers are sent to Guantanamo and held in solitary confinement. In Israel, although classified as terrorists, they are treated as prisoners of war. Their families are allowed to visit, the Red Cross comes to see them and the Geneva Conventions are in force – all of which were denied to Gilad Shalit. The various human rights organizations work day and night to improve their conditions, the same organizations that conveniently ignore the existence and rights of the families mourning the prisoners’ victims.
Moreover, as opposed to the ordinary felons who have to deal with the prison authorities on a one-to-one basis, the security prisoners have operational autonomy. In each jail, terrorists move within their own microcosms made up of prisoners from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Fatah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or even al-Qaida and Hizballah. Each group has its own spokesman. The spokesman’s role is to represent whichever organization he, and sometimes she, belongs to in dealing with the prison authorities.

Interpol issues global security alert, cites jailbreaks across Mideast

Interpol on Saturday issued an alert advising its 190 members to step up their vigilance against possible terror attacks after a series of recent prison breaks from Libya, Iraq, and Pakistan and six other countries that involve hundreds of terrorists and other criminals. The agency said al-Qaeda may have been involved in some of the incidents, and that it was trying to determine if the different events were somehow linked.

Latma to Close because of Failure on the Right?

In this week’s edition of Latma, Israel’s only right-wing, news-satire show, the anchors hinted that this edition of Latma may be the last show they produce. Latma has been in danger of closing since the beginning of the summer, as it hasn’t been able to raise sufficient funds to continue production. Latma is the brainchild of Caroline Glick, who has run around the world raising money for the past few years to support the popular pro-Zionist news show. Latma’s mission is to counter the numerous post-Zionist shows on Israeli TV, as well as the mainstream Israel news media, which leans strongly to the left. If Latma is allowed to close, it will be a distinct failure of the Jewish Right to put their money where their mouth is.

CAMERA: The Boston Globe's Berger

For those who remember Alan Berger's infamous February 18, 1988 comparison of an incident involving the non-lethal injury of four Palestinians -- who did not even require hospitalization -- to the mass graves at Babi Yar, his distorted commentary on why there have been recent challenges in the Arab-Israeli peace efforts will be no surprise.
He traces the current peace delay to Israel's prime ministers having to "fear the fury of settler zealots," and remembering "an Israeli fanatic assassinating Yitzhak Rabin at a peace rally in 1995..."

The ‘Core Issues’ of the Israel-Palestinian Peace Talks, BBC Style

Also here in a nutshell we discern the BBC’s inherent, partly explicit and partly implicit bias and enmity against Israel. It’s there in the language, the repetitive negative portrayal “Israel unwilling”, “Israel rejects”, “Israel wants to curtail”. Get the message? Israel is the blockage. The Palestinians (who just ‘want’ their ‘rights’ and ‘normality’) keep knocking at the door of peace but Israel won’t open it.
And then, even if we accept that these are some of the core issues, let’s try a little rephrasing of the first three:

BBC showcases convicted anti-Israel activist in context-free illustration

The person on the right is prominent anti-Israel campaigner Adib (also spelt Adeeb) Abu Rahma (also spelt Rahmeh) who has played a lead role (literally) in the weekly violent demonstrations in Bil’in and appears extensively in the film ‘Five Broken Cameras’. Abu Rahma’s deliberate, and sometimes violent, provocation of Israeli soldiers guarding the fence at Bil’in is extremely well documented.

Syrian Christian towns emptied by sectarian violence

Tens of thousands Syriac Christians – members of the oldest Christian community in the world – have fled their ancestral provinces of Deir al-Zour and Hasakah in northeastern Syria, residents have said.
"It breaks my heart to think how our long history is being uprooted," said Ishow Goriye, the head of a Syriac Christian political Hasakah.
Mr Goriye, told The Daily Telegraph how, over the past two years he has watched as Christian families from Hasakah pack their possessions on the rooftops of their vehicles and flee their homes "with little plan to come back".

50-Year-Old Syrian Brought for Treatment in Israel

The woman, who was listed in moderate condition, was at first brought to the Ziv Hospital in the city of Tzfat.
It was subsequently decided, however, to transfer the woman to the Rambam Hospital in Haifa, the largest hospital in northern Israel, after doctors determined that she had shrapnel in her heart.

Iran: Rouhani's Remarks on Israel Were 'Distorted'

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded earlier on Friday to Rouhani's remarks, saying that his “true face has been revealed earlier than expected. Even if they will now rush to deny his remarks, this is what the man thinks and this is the plan of the Iranian regime."

Ahmadinejad Makes Final Threat as Iranian President, Says ‘Devastating Storm’ Will Wipeout Israel

Speaking at what is likely to be his last public address on Friday in Tehran, he addressed crowds ahead of President-elect Hassan Rouhani’s inauguration on Sunday.
“I will inform you, with G-d as my witness, a devastating storm is on the way that will uproot the basis of Zionism,” Ahmadinejad said, speaking at an annual Quds Day rally in support of Palestinians.
Israel “has no place in this region,” he said.

Nasrallah, in vicious public address, calls for the destruction of Israel

The leader of Hezbollah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, rallied hundreds of cheering supporters Friday with pledges of support for Palestinians and vicious anti-Israel rhetoric. Israel was “a cancerous growth” that had to be wiped out, he said. “The only solution is to destroy it without giving it the opportunity to surrender.”
Speaking on Quds Day, Nasrallah said “the elimination of Israel is not only a Palestinian interest. It is the interest of the entire Muslim world and the entire Arab world.”

Al-Quds Day event banned in Toronto

In 2011, the Centre for Jewish and Israel Affairs videotaped the Al-Quds Day protest held on the legislature’s grounds. Speakers accused Israelis of being “racist,” “inhuman” and “barbarians” who “suck the resources and blood from people all around the world.” At the time, the center called the statements “reminiscent of historic antisemitism.”
One speaker referred to Israel as a cancer that must be killed. Footage also showed protesters displaying the image of the Ayatollah Khomeini, the Iranian leader who created Al-Quds Day in 1979, and the flag of Hezbollah, which is banned in Canada as a terrorist organization.

Knicks star Stoudemire seeks Israeli citizenship

Stoudemire’s Jewish connections have been the source of much media fascination in recent months. At his wedding last year to Alexis Welch, Stoudemire donned a yarmulke and prayer shawl for the “Hebraic” ceremony.
In July, he announced he had become a part owner in the Israeli basketball club Hapoel Jerusalem. And in an interview in Jerusalem last month with JTA, Stoudemire said he is in regular dialogue with New York rabbis, studies Torah and observes the High Holidays.
“I’m not a religious person, I’m more of a spiritual person, so I follow the rules of the Bible that coordinate with and connect with the Hebrew culture,” Stoudemire said.

New Film ‘When Comedy Went to School’ Explores the Genesis of the Jewish Comedian (VIDEO)

“Why do Jewish people represent such a small percentage of the overall population but such an overwhelmingly large percentage of well-known comedians?”
This question was the starting point for writer and producer Lawrence Richards’ exploration of the rise and staggering influence of 2oth century Jewish comedians that has resulted in the new film “When Comedy Went to School,” screening now in New York.

Surviving Holocaust contributed to longevity, study finds

Possibly reflecting the resilience of the human spirit, Holocaust survivors live longer than comparable people who did not experience the Shoah, a new study by researchers in Haifa and Leiden universities revealed.
The study, published July 24 in online scientific journal PLOS ONE, found that male Jewish Holocaust survivors lived on average 14 months longer than Jews who immigrated to Israel before the Second World War and that the older they were when they experienced the trauma, the longer they lived.

Weekend open thread

Have fun, but be careful out there.

8/02 Links Part 2: Terror Threats Against US Embassies, No Fox Store in Ramallah - 150 Jobs Lost

From Ian:

Barry Rubin: America’s Real "Dangerous Slide" is to be on the Wrong Side in the World

Would you ever imagine that the leading American newspaper would openly advocate siding with radical Islamist forces in the Middle East against all of America's allies and friends, and I mean with eyes wide open and with full awareness that it sought to overthrow them? Well, the day has come.
How has the argument for this strategy, which the Obama Administration is already pursuing being made?
A New York Times July 30th editorial entitled “Egypt’s Dangerous Slide” shows a real catastrophe for the United States. What is amazing is that it takes less than five minutes to deconstruct Obama Administration’s Middle East policy.

US embassies to shut down Sunday due to terror threat

US embassies and consulates across the Middle East and Asia — including in Israel — will be closed on Sunday due to an al-Qaeda-related terror threat, officials said Thursday.
The US has been “apprised of information that out of an abundance of caution and care for our employees and others who may be visiting our installations, that indicates we should institute these precautionary steps,” said State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf.

Senate Confirms Power as UN Ambassador

She has also been criticized for past statements against Israel, including a 2002 interview in which she said that "external intervention" may be necessary to prevent "genocide" and "major human rights abuses" in the "Palestine/Israeli situation".
During that interview, Power responded to a hypothetical question and said that if given the opportunity she would advise the president to sacrifice billions of dollars of aid to the Jewish state, allocating the funds instead to “the new state of Palestine.”
Two weeks ago she appeared to have done a complete 180, slamming the UN’s "unacceptable bias" against Israel and pledging to lobby hard to get Israel a seat on the Security Council in 2018.
Power said at that time that America enjoys a "special relationship" with Israel, whose "legitimacy should be beyond dispute, and its security must be beyond doubt."
She added, "Within this (UN) organization built in the wake of the Holocaust... we also see unacceptable bias and attacks against the state of Israel."

Antisemitic Perdana Global Peace Foundation from Malaysia Added to Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People

Contrary to the requirements of the UN Charter and the supposed criteria for UN accreditation - which preach "respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion" - Mohamad has a long history of antisemitism.
As far back as September 1986, he gave a speech at meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement, in which he stated: "the expulsion of Jews from the Holy Land 2,000 years ago and the Nazi oppression of Jews have taught them nothing. If anything at all, it has transformed the Jews into the very monsters that they condemn so roundly in their propaganda material. They have been apt pupils of the late Dr. Goebbels."
Today, his antisemitic (anti-American and anti-Israel) diatribes continue unabated on his "chedet" blog - conveniently available directly from the website of the now UN-accredited "Perdana Global Peace Foundation" - which he controls.

Israeli Arab businessmen backtrack on Ramallah 'Fox' store following protests

Fox is an Israel-based clothing store that has many stores around the country, including in the Arab sector.
One of the businessmen is from east Jerusalem, while the second is from the North.
The two won the franchise to open a Fox store in Ramallah, the first of its kind in the Palestinian territories.
The new project was supposed to provide jobs for nearly 150 Palestinians, some of whom had already received training to start working in the Ramallah branch.
Although the owners had obtained permission from the PA Ministry of Economy to open the clothing store, Palestinian activists and journalists launched a campaign against the opening of the store in Ramallah.

EXCLUSIVE: SWC’s Rabbi Cooper Responds to Roger Waters’s Open Letter: ‘He Needs a Reality Check’

“I’m representing an institution that represents the reality, not the cultural imagery, of anti-Semitism and Jew hatred. So whatever his motivation, it is the impact of the things he is doing: the images he uses, his affiliation with the BDS movement,” said Cooper, who referred to Waters as an “open hater of Jews” after footage of the pig balloon was initially released.
Rabbi Cooper explained that the real dangers posed to Jews in Europe are manifold, and that Waters’s imagery is toxic and incendiary: “The reality of 2013 means he needs a reality check and to rate that over his cultural and political viewpoint.”
“Every Jewish institution in Europe has armed guards in front of it. And this guy has the chutzpah to float a pig that has the Star of David on it. It’s an update of the classic Jewish stereotype that goes back to the middle ages. You can’t get a more fundamentally anti-Semitic symbol than that,” Cooper said.

Netanyahu: Rouhani reveals true face sooner than expected

Rouhani spoke in Tehran Friday — just two days ahead of his inauguration — after attending International Quds Day events in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency quoted Rouhani as saying: “The Zionist regime has been a wound on the body of the Islamic world for years and the wound should be removed.”
“Even if others hasten to deny his remarks, this is what the man thinks and this is the plan of the Iranian regime,” said Netanyahu, adding, “his statements should shake the world from the reverie some have found themselves in since the [June 14 presidential] elections. There’s a new president, but the intentions of Iran remain the same — to obtain nuclear weapons that will threaten Israel, the Middle East and the peace and security of the entire world.

Iranian Supreme Leader’s Twitter Feed: Western Governments Under Zionist Control, Will Soon Be Overthrown

The official Twitter feed of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei today lashed out amid renewed peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials, emphasizing instead that Israel must be destroyed to make way for a Palestinian state.

Top Iran Official Calls for Israel’s Destruction, Blames Muslim Violence on Jewish State

Iranian state media reported this week on statements made by Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi in which the powerful Iranian official – Naqdi is the commander of the Basij paramilitary force – explained the sources of regional instability and how to solve them. A lot, it turns out, hangs on the Jewish state’s existence and elimination:

Top Iran leader issues edict on Bahai faith

The fatwa, or religious edict, by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is his latest against the group. It supports similar fatwas in the past by other clerics.
An Iranian news website, Tasnim, reported Wednesday that Khamenei called the Bahai “deviant and misleading.”
Bahai followers are frequently under pressures from Iranian authorities, which has prompted outcry among international human rights groups.

Kerry: The Egyptian Army 'Saved Democracy'

Kerry made the remarks in a interview in Pakistan, where he earlier congratulated the new government on an historic transition of democratic power in a country long dominated by the military.
He was asked by Geo television why the United States had not taken a clear position on military intervention against Morsi’s democratically elected government.

Report: Egypt Coptic Christians Have One of Their ‘Worst Months’

According to the report, April was “one of the worst months for Christian Copts.” On April 5, six Christians were killed near Cairo after a dispute between local Muslims and Christians escalated. Afterwards, what the report called a “collective punishment” spree against Christians resulted in “the injury of at least 20 other Copts, an Evangelical church being set on fire, and an attack on a Coptic church.”

Egyptian Athlete's Public Anti-Israel Display Condemned

On Thursday, the British Jewish News website reported how Egyptian-born Mohamad Salah, who plays for Switzerland's FC Basel, found himself at the center of controversy after it emerged that he refused to shake hands with Maccabi Tel Aviv players during this week’s Champions League qualifying game.

Former ThyssenKrupp Chairman Who Saved Hundreds of Jewish Oil Workers During Holocaust, Dies at 99

In a statement, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Lehner, chairman of ThyssenKrupp’s supervisory board, said: “During World War 2, together with his wife, he set an impressive example of courage and humanity by saving hundreds of persecuted Jews from the SS, risking his own life in the process. He played a key role in the post-war reconstruction of Germany. He is held in high esteem both in Germany and abroad.”

Eric Burdon rocks Israel — no misunderstanding

Turns out, he was just a boy whose intentions were good. Clearly, he had just been misunderstood. Because here in the flesh, following local fave T-Slam’s opening act at a jam-packed Zappa Shuni Amphitheater in Binyamina, was Eric Burdon.
Less an Animal, more a stomping grandpa with a comfortable paunch, Burdon belted through a tight, blistering mix of greatest hits and newer recordings Thursday night, and was plainly enjoying himself from the get-go. The relentless death threats that led his manager to announce two weeks ago that he’d be canceling this Israel trip? Not a mention. The subsequent cancelation of that cancelation? Not a word. Just a big smile from behind his shades at the start, a “thank you, you’ve been a great audience” at the end, and half a century’s controlled musical mayhem in-between.

Does the new iPhone feature Israeli start-up’s eye-tracking tech?

Whenever rumors about new iPhones abound, they tend to focus on what tech advances those phones will include. The latest spate of (persistent) rumors on an upcoming Apple release feature technology developed by an Israeli company, uMoove, which allows devices to respond to the movement of a user’s eyes and face.
Called eye-tracking, the technology is already available to an extent in Samsung’s Galaxy S4 device. With the S4, users can pause a video by looking away from the screen while it’s playing. The phone “knows” when to pause playback because of the eye-tracking technology built into it; if the front-facing camera detects that a user’s eyes have moved, the video stops playback.

EyeYon’s noninvasive answer to a common eye problem

You may not have heard of corneal edema, but this painful eye condition caused by accumulation of fluids is not uncommon as a result of eye surgery, trauma or aging. The edema (swelling) causes the cornea to lose its transparency, affecting vision and leading to irreversible scarring of the cornea.
Until Israeli startup EyeYon Medical invented its patented therapeutic contact lens, Hyper CL, there was no effective way to relieve symptoms of the condition – which can be cured only with a donor cornea from a deceased person.

8/02 Links Part 1: LATMA, Pal NGO's Condemn Talks, Is The NIF/Indyk Promoting Arab Riots?

From Ian:

LATMA: Flock Builder on how to conduct a National Referendum and simulation of the peace talks

Sarah Honig: Another Tack: Who’s the sucker?

We’d therefore do better to go back to basics, proclaim loud and clear that we are in our historical homeland by right; that we were attacked; that the Arabs only conjured Palestinian nationality in order to stake rival claims; that a Palestinian state never existed (i.e. we certainly didn’t conquer and subjugate it); that we didn’t drive out hapless refugees (who themselves launched the war); that they caused their own downfall by plotting genocide and ethnic cleansing against us; that our only sin is surviving. We can even remind the world of the Nazi legacy of “Palestinian hero” Haj Amin al-Husseini.
Admittedly, we may not convince anyone. The cards are stacked against us. But we’ve nothing to lose by rediscovering our defiant spirit and lost Zionist ideals. Excessive pragmatism – the sacrifice of national honor for temporary gain – will lose us everything, from our own sense of justice to the souls of our youngsters.

Only if Israel gives a bit more...

Two decades ago they told us that only if Israel agrees to talk directly to the PLO could peace become a possibility, despite that organization’s monstrous terrorist record. Then we were informed that only if we allow the creation of the first self-governing authority in Palestinian history, in Gaza and Jericho, could peace ensue.
And we said fine – we’ve had enough of the conflict; we will live with this, for the sake of peace.
But the Palestinian Authority could sustain itself, we were then told, only if Yasser Arafat got himself a police force with tens of thousands of rifles and other military equipment. Even when this “police” force and other PA security forces mushroomed far beyond the numbers permitted by accords with Israel, and even when these “police” fired on IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians, we said fine – somehow we will live with this. Peace requires us to look the other way.

Israel – Palestinian Authority Negotiations ‘Dangerous,’ Palestinian NGOs Say

A group of 133 Palestinian NGOs based in the Gaza Strip, Judea and Samaria, and Jerusalem said in a statement Wednesday that renewing Israeli-Palestinian conflict talks would be “dangerous” after a three-year hiatus.
The Palestinian NGO Network believes renewed negotiations are unwise because Israel has refused to return to its pre-1967 lines, freeze construction in Judea and Samaria, and release Palestinian terrorists incarcerated in Israel jails. The Israeli cabinet, however, agreed on Sunday to free 104 Palestinian terrorists imprisoned before the 1993 Oslo Accords as a goodwill gesture for the start of negotiations.

Irish Times fawns over mother of an Arab who murdered a Holocaust survivor

Ateya Abu Moussa, as we noted in our post, was convicted of murdering Isaac Rotenberg with an axe in 1994. The terrorist attack on Rotenberg was carried out by Abu Moussa and an accomplice as a precondition (an initiations of sorts) of their entry into a terrorist organization – information evidently not deemed interesting by Indy editors.
As we noted, Rotenberg was a Polish Jew, born in 1925 (alternately listed as 1927), who survived the Sobibor Nazi extermination camp during the Holocaust. (With the exception of Isaac, who miraculously was able to escape during a revolt, the entire Rotenberg family perished in the camp.)
Rotenberg reached the Land of Israel in 1947, joined the IDF a year later and fought in the War of Independence.

Karl Vick Emphasizes Palestinian Narrative of Imprisoned Terrorists as National Icons

The sad thing about Karl Vick's Time piece on Israel's release of 104 Palestinian Arab criminals as a gesture to restart peace talks is that the article is probably not intended to be a partisan pro-Palestinian piece. Rather Vick evidences a journalist so immersed in Palestinian victimization that he has adopted its corrupt moral universe as the central narrative of the conflict.

Fund Chaired by Indyk Promoting Arab Rioting?

Social Television, a web channel sponsored by the New Israel Fund, has been encouraging its viewers to take part in protests against the Praver plan for legalizing Bedouin communities in the Negev. The pre-planned riots took place Thursday and had an extremely violent nature. They were led by radical Arab MKs Hanin Zouabi and Jamal Zahalka (Balad) at Wadi Ara in Israels north-central region, and also took place at Lehavim Junction in the Negev.
In Wadi Ara, 18 rioters were arrested because of violence. In the Negev, two Arabs were arrested after rocks were thrown.

'US leaks on alleged Syria strikes could be attempt to harm Israeli interests'

“The mere fact that such leaks happen often indicates that the Pentagon leadership does not have Israel’s interests at heart,” Prof. Efraim Inbar, director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University, told The Jerusalem Post. “It is difficult to assess the motivation of such leaks.”
Inbar listed several possible motives, including the wish to prevent future Israeli action.
Other possibilities include an attempt by Pentagon sources to embarrass US President Barack Obama, by pointing out the “ease” with which Israel allegedly operates in Syria at a time that the White House says US intervention is too complex and risky.

Lawyers: EU Has No Right to Determine Israel’s Borders (VIDEO)

Over 1,000 international lawyers, ambassadors, and professors from 30 different countries signed a petition protesting the European Union’s recent funding ban on Israel’s settlements.
Israel’s former ambassador to Canada and legal advisor, Alan Baker, who heads the Legal Forum for Israel’s International Action Division, initiated the petition and an accompanying letter, which drew widespread support across the world.

Dismantle the EU's "Political Wing"

While Egypt's Muslim Brothers are told that they can count on Europe's support and friendship, Jewish sportsmen, artists and scientists no longer get any EU support if they are Jewish and live beyond the 1949 armistice lines. The EU wants "every significant group" included in the Middle East peace process -- except Jews who happen to live beyond the 1949 Green Line. The Muslim Brotherhood is embraced as a friend and partner of Europe, but Jewish sportsmen, artists and scientists are considered a dangerous threat to peace in the Middle East.
Will Baroness Ashton visit Jewish settlers when she happens to be in Judea and Samaria? Obviously not, since the EU advocates their discrimination and impoverishment. But in Egypt, she rushes to the Muslim Brotherhood and Mohamed Morsi to wish them well.
The EU's double standards are also apparent from its decision to cut all financial and commercial links to the Jews beyond the Green Line, while at the same time it refuses to include Hezbollah on its list of terrorist organizations by making a hypocritical distinction between the so-called "military wing" of the organization and its "political wing." This way, it remains possible to raise funds for Hezbollah -- both its "wings" -- in the 28 EU member states.

Ron Prosor: Hezbollah’s partial isolation

It is for good reason that the United States, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands long-ago labeled Hezbollah a terrorist group — and did so without distinguishing between the political and military wings.
Until Sept. 11, 2001, Hezbollah held the distinction of being responsible for more American deaths than any other terrorist organization. In 1983, Hezbollah orchestrated the truck bombing of the Marine barracks in Lebanon, which resulted in the death of 241 U.S. servicemen, mostly Marines. They were also responsible for an attack a few months earlier on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut that killed 60 people.

Time to discuss controlling Hezbollah arms: Sleiman

Controlling Hezbollah weapons needs to be discussed because of the party’s military intervention in Syria, President Michel Sleiman said Thursday during celebrations to mark Lebanon Army Day.
“It has become urgent that we review and approve the National Defense Strategy in light of developments in the region,” Sleiman said.

A Glimpse of Things to Come: Arab Press Protesting Hamas Repression

Head of the journalists syndicate Abdul-Nasser Najjar addressed the protesters and expressed astonishment over the ongoing assaults against journalists in Gaza.
“We were surprised as Hamas continued with assaults against Palestinian media organizations, shutting down offices of Ma’an News Network and some other media offices. This is part of an ongoing practice,” Najjar said. He highlighted that “since Hamas staged its coup in Gaza, the main three Palestinian daily newspapers were banned in the Gaza Strip.”
But, you know, only a year ago, in July 2012, Abdel Nasser Najjar called for boycotting a meeting between Israeli President Shimon Peres and Arab journalists. Najjar, an old PLO hand, warned that punitive measures would be taken against journalists who attended the meeting in Jerusalem.
It must be embarrassing, if not outright infuriating, for a journalist who spends half his day working like a serious professional in a Western democracy, vilifying Jews and whatnot, and then, at night, crossing over to the Heart of Darkness that is the Palestinian-run areas.

Syrian Rebels Strike Back with Massive Homs Bombing

Syrian rebels carried out a large-scale attack in the al-Nuzha district of the hotly-contested city of Homs on Thursday, hitting a weapons depot in the government-held city. At least 40 people were killed in the subsequent explosion, human rights groups reported.

Rockets Explode Near Lebanon's Presidential Palace

It was not immediately clear who fired the rockets or from where. Eyewitnesses said one rocket fell only a few meters from an entrance to the presidential palace, according to the Associated Press.

Jordan stops large arms transfer from Syria

The spokesman says the group arrested late Thursday included Jordanians and other Arab nationalities.
The official said the arms included mainly machine guns. He said an investigation had begun.

Syrian Rebel Leader Urges Attacks on Russia

The Islamist rebel groups fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad have been helped by thousands of foreign terrorists, from elsewhere in the Middle East and from as far as the United States. A significant portion have come from the Caucasus, even forming their own rebel battalion.
Now the leader of one Islamist group is telling them to stay home – and attack there.

BBC whitewashes Iranian desire to destroy Israel

The BBC writes:

Iran's Rouhani calls Israel occupation 'old wound' on Islamic world

Iran's President-elect Hassan Rouhani has denounced Israeli occupation of Palestinian areas as an "old wound on the body of the Islamic world".

The BBC is making it sound like Rouhani is only talking about the territories captured in 1967, not all of Israel, especially when it calls them "Palestinian areas." This is the terminology the BBC uses to refer to the territories. (See here, for example, where they explicitly say "Palestinian areas of the West Bank," or here, "the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority controls Palestinian areas."

While it appears that Rouhani used the word "occupation," the BBC is - seemingly purposefully - misleading its readers into believing that he is only talking about the hated "occupation" but has no problem with Israel. Iran, of course, considers all of Israel to be "occupied" so this terminology in the headline and subhead is deceptive - and seemingly purposefully so.

Rouhani makes it clear that he is referring to all of Israel in the part quoted later on:

"There is an old wound on the body of the Islamic world, under the shadow of the occupation of the holy lands of Palestine and Quds [Jerusalem]."

AP and others correctly reported Rouhani's meaning:

Ahead of his inauguration, Iran’s new president on Friday called Israel an “old wound” that should be removed.

Yet the BBC chose deliberately to downplay Rouhani's remarks, seemingly in order to push the idea that Rouhani is a "moderate."

Indeed, the BBC did take pains to point out that Rouhani did not say that this wound must be "cleansed" as other media apparently incorrectly reported.

The BBC is proud that is can detect any nuance that would make the new Iranian president seem to be conciliatory, but it can overlook any clear evidence to the contrary.

(h/t Simon)

Jordan treats Palestinian Syrian refugees "worse than dogs"

From Amnesty:

Cyber City is an unusual camp beside a desolate crossroads outside Irbid, in northern Jordan. Hidden behind a wall and some pine trees, a dreary six-floor block looks out over rusting machinery and a dry plain. Formerly for migrant workers, it now hosts around 500 refugees from Syria.

After passing security checks I bump into Abu Alaa, a dignified 60-year-old refugee whose two sons are missing in Syria. “No news still,” he sighs, holding my hand warmly. “I was just calling again.” His phone shows repeated unanswered calls to numbers back home. He says his two grown-up sons had tried following him into Jordan but were refused entry due to their Palestinian origin. On separate occasions over the coming months, each appears to have been detained by the Syrian security forces and Abu Alaa fears they may not be alive.

Palestinians have been heavily affected by the violence in Syria. Almost half of the 500,000 or so Palestinian refugees in Syria have been displaced. Refugee camps and other areas in which they live, including Dera’a Camp, and Yarmouk and Sayida Zaynab in Damascus, have witnessed heavy fighting. Some 6,000 residents were forced out of Ein al-Tal Camp in Aleppo in April 2013. Sbeineh Camp in Damascus was reportedly hit by a ground-to-ground missile in May 2013, killing at least five people. Two children and two women were among at least five others killed by mortar shells fired into Khan Eshieh Camp near Damascus in June 2013.

Yet Abu Alaa’s sons are among hundreds if not thousands of Palestinian refugees fleeing the violence in Syria who are believed to have been turned away at the Jordanian border, in violation of international law. While Jordan is hosting around half a million people from Syria, it is generally not allowing access to Palestinian or Iraqi refugees...

Of some 7,000 or more Palestinians who did manage to enter Jordan, either before the country denied all access to them early last year or as a result of using false documents, some were later forced back to the border, also in violation of international law.

Bilal, who entered Jordan ahead of other family members, tells me his father and brothers were detained in Amman and escorted to the border in December 2012. “One night my elder brother rang and told me they had been taken there at gunpoint. My younger brother had been pulled by his hair and forced into the security vehicle that took them there. They waited three days just 100 metres beyond the Jordan border post, with fighting nearby, hoping to be allowed back, until my elder brother was injured and they realized the only option was to seek aid inside Syria.”

A worse fate befell Mahmud Merjan, who Cyber City residents say was killed on a Syrian street in late 2012, three weeks after being forced to sign a “voluntary” paper that he would go back to Syria. “It wasn’t an arbitrary killing,” says one man who knew him well. “He was known and wanted by the regime.”

All those in Cyber City have fled from Syria. But while the Palestinians from Syria used to be the majority, I am told, their numbers have dwindled as many got fed up with conditions and returned to the conflict zone. “I prefer to go back and die in Syria with some dignity rather than live without it here,” many say.

Complaints about the conditions here are many. Palestinians are not officially permitted to leave Cyber City. Now and again informal permission is granted to visit relatives in Irbid and Amman and so on, but mostly they are confined to the building and the immediate vicinity. Such conditions amount to arbitrary detention. “I’m sorry, but a dog can come and go more easily than we can,” says a very frustrated Ali, who has been here for more than a year.

The closed border to Palestinians and the arbitrary detention of Palestinians is further dividing families, whose identities reflect decades of turmoil and flight. Sena, a Syrian woman, is here with her children while her Palestinian husband is unable to enter Jordan. Ziad is in Cyber City while his Syrian wife and children are in a Jordanian town. Elderly Abu Khaled has to stay here while family members holding Jordanian nationality do not.

While Syrians and Palestinians from Syria appreciate being in safety in Jordan, they struggle to make ends meet. Individuals are entitled to a monthly coupon worth 24 Jordanian dinars (about US$34) which they exchange for food in a small shop next to Cyber City. This works out as a mere 0.80 dinars per day, it is repeatedly pointed out. A 160g tin of tuna on the shop’s shelves costs more than that.

“It is 100 per cent worse for Palestinians here than for the Syrians,” says Ziad. “One, they are allowed to leave this place while we are not and, two, when they go out they can visit charitable organizations, show their UN refugee agency card” – which Palestinians do not have as they fall under the mandate of [the UN Relief and Works Agency] instead, although they should receive the same services – “and collect further relief.”

“Every day here is the same,” Bilal continues. “Eat, sleep, eat, sleep.” With others, he counts off the names of families who have decided to risk their lives to go back into Syria. “Yes, this is what the Jordanian government wants, for us to go back. But what is the alternative? We live without purpose here. This is not life.”

A friend of the deceased Mahmud Merjan summed up the despair: “It was one of our life’s dreams to visit Jordan, but we came and encountered such hate. Let’s hope there are no more refugee camps for Palestinians in heaven.”

Even Lebanon, which has anti-Palestinian laws and severe restrictions on what Palestinians are allowed to do, allows refugees from Syria of Palestinian ancestry to go to overcrowded UNRWA camps there to get services. Jordan isn't even allowing that, preferring to send them to their possible deaths in Syria.

Here we have systemic and institutionalized discrimination against Palestinians by their fellow Arabs, far worse than anything Israel does, and the world media is silent. I cannot find a single English language media outlet to report this story from Amnesty even though it was published on Monday.

Just yesterday, five more Palestinians in Syria were killed, including two children. The media silence is deafening.

Similarly, so-called "pro-Palestinian" groups say nothing.

The reason is because so-called "pro-Palestinian activists" who are brilliant at getting press coverage for anti-Israel stunts don't really give a damn about real Palestinians - when their suffering cannot be blamed on Israel. The media similarly doesn't consider Arab hate for Palestinians to be newsworthy.

The double standards applied to Israel are crystal clear.

From L'Observatour, translated at Point of No Return:

Casablanca-born Rabbi Amar received the Ouissam Alaoui 'exceptional class' award from King Mohammed Vl as Palestinian and Israeli neogtiators sat down in Washington to resume peace talks.

In an interview with L'Observateur du Maroc, the rabbi said he was immensely moved and happy. "It's a great day for me, and a great day for the Moroccan-Jewish world, which like me remains deeply connected to Morocco. I am also happy to see that his Majesty the king is wisely leading his country in the best possible way.

"It is G-d's will that I should have received this honour from the hands of King Mohammed on the day that Israel and Palestine should resume their dialogue for peace. This is a process which his Majesty has never ceased to call for, as one who is deeply attached to the values of peace and brotherhood between peoples and religions. I see a message in this...Like the King we wish with all our heart that peace should reign not just between Israelis and Palestinians but throughout the world."

Shlomo Amar will be succeeded as Sephardi chief Rabbi of Israel by Yitzhak Yosef, who won last week's rabbinical elections.

This was covered in Arabic media as well, which reported that Rabbi Amar met with the king in Tangier ten years ago and had always wanted to return to visit his original hometown in Casablanca.

So far I have not found any negative coverage about an Arab king honoring a Zionist Jew.

(h/t Norman)

#BDSFail-ures admit they will claim victory even if it isn't true

I had missed this story two weeks ago at the BDSMovement site:

Victory! US pension fund giant TIAA-CREF drops SodaStream stock

Pension fund giant TIAA-CREF has removed the increasingly controversial Israeli company SodaStream (NASD: SODA) from its portfolio. As of March 2013, financial data posted on TIAA-CREF’s website valued shares in SodaStream at $9,444,292. According to financial data available today, it is zero.

But did TIAA-CREF say they sold the stock because they intend to divest? Of course not. There could be many reasons for them to sell.

Even the BDSers are tacitly admitting that they will claim victory no matter the reality:

“No matter the reason TIAA-CREF dropped SodaStream, we view this as a conscientious decision.” said Sydney Levy of the We Divest Campaign.

Hater Anna Baltzer says something similar:

Well, we cannot be sure of the reasons why TIAA-CREF divested from SodaStream. We do know that SodaStream has performed very well over the last 12 months, market-wise; well above average. And yet TIAA-CREF decided to divest.

Regardless of TIAA-CREF’s reasons, I think what we’re seeing is that it is increasingly unacceptable to associate in any way, to invest in, to sell products that are produced in illegal Israeli settlements. And we’re seeing this as part of that trend.

Perhaps the age old financial advice of "buy low, sell high" is too difficult for BDSers to fathom.

It is nice to see that even the BDSers admit that they are more than willing to lie and declare victory when the evidence is lacking.

One thing that is very certain is that the sale of SodaStream stock was not because they are divesting from Israel. As noted recently in a linkdump:

For the fourth year in a row, the TIAA-CREF Board refused to put divestment from Israel to a vote at its annual share holders’ meeting. TIAA-CREF, the leading provider of retirement services in the academic, research, medical, and cultural fields and a Fortune 100 financial services organization was supported by a recent ruling of the Securities and Exchange Commission in choosing not to plunge its four million investors into the controversial geopolitical issue of sovereignty of disputed areas in the West Bank/ Judea Samaria.

(h/t Lianne)

Destitute Spongebob seen begging in Vegas

Spongebob Squarepants is not doing well.

The formerly popular sponge has had a rough time.

Earlier this year he survived a fatwa that was issued against him, along with accusations of his being gay. (NTTAWWT.)

Then, earlier this week, Spongebob was suddenly sacked from his long-running gig at the EoZ blog.

His reign on the E of the Elder logo was always controversial.

"The decision to let him go was not an easy one," said the Elder. "My heart goes out to him and his underwater family. But I was not prepared to see him sink this low, this fast."

Elder is referring to his chance encounter with SpongeBob in Las Vegas earlier today. The yellow sponge was begging for money from passersby, most of whom ignored him.

"He was so alone," recalls EoZ.

"It was very surprising to see him in person. His work for us has been via telecommuting; I certainly didn't expect to run into him in person!" said a visibly shocked Elder.

"I had given him a generous payout, but apparently he went through it already."

"It was really awkward. But on the other hand, he seemed happy, as always."