Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, August 08, 2011

Why we should cry: Judaism's holiest site is being desecrated today

Here is a video taken a few months ago of Arab kids playing soccer on the Temple Mount:

More photos of the same phenomenon taken over the past few years:

This is why we should cry on Tisha B'Av.

The most sacred place on Earth is being defiled and desecrated, daily, by people whose entire reason for being there is in order to deny its rightful owners from asserting their claim.

If the Temple had been built elsewhere, the Al Aqsa Mosque would have still been built on top of it. And everyone knows it.

Muslims wouldn't dare play ball in the Kaaba in Mecca. But in this supposed "third holiest place" it is not even considered rude.

It would be preferable to leave it as unused ruins than to allow these people to defile the holy place every day.

Yes, it is wonderful that Israel was reborn and that Jews can live freely and proudly in Jerusalem again. But the disgrace of the Temple Mount shows that the redemption is not here.

And for that we need to keep crying.

Other Tisha B'Av postings:
2006
2007
2010

I will not be posting again until at least Tuesday afternoon. I wish my readers an easy fast and through our prayers may there be a true, complete redemption.

The most beautiful goat in the world, 2011

From DayLife/Reuters:

Wasieef, a Maaz Al Shami (Damascene goat), which won the first prize for the "Most Beautiful Goat" title in the female category, is seen at the Mazayen al-Maaz competition in Amman July 22, 2011. This is the first goat competition held in Jordan.

Saab Al Manal, a Maaz Al Shami (Damascene goat), which won the first prize for the "Most Beautiful Goat" title in the male category, is seen at the Mazayen al-Maaz competition in Amman July 22, 2011.

Just imagine how heartbreakingly beautiful their kids would be if they got together!

(h/t Jeff Jacoby)

Egyptians planning anti-Islamist rally at Tahrir Square Friday

In response to the massive demonstration that the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist organizations hijacked at Tahrir Square on July 29th, a coalition of Copts and Egyptian liberals plan to create their own demonstration this Friday in the symbolically-important square.

Al Arabiya reports that many national, liberal, Coptic and leftist social movements are planning an "Friday Civilian Egyptian" rally with the slogan "Together in love with Egypt, the revolution" on Friday. In a press conference today they stated that they intend to deliver a message directly to Egypt, that all Egyptians enjoy full citizenship without discrimination based on ethnic, sexual or religious grounds. They emphasize the civilian Egyptian state, where the rule of law applies to all and religion is not part of the political process, under the banner of unity.

They are planning an interesting gimmick: the world's largest Iftar in Tahrir Square to break that day's Ramadan fast. This is very smart, as it would blunt any Islamist criticism of the protest and it would get more people to come. Hey, free food, plus a chance to make history!

Friday may be a very important day in Egyptian history.

Kuwait, Bahrain follow Saudis; recall Syria ambassadors

From Now Lebanon:

Bahrain has recalled its ambassador from Syria for "consultation," Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad Al-Khalifa said on Monday, following the example of neighbors Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

"Bahrain is recalling its ambassador in Damascus for consultation, and has called for a resort to reason," said Sheikh Khaled in a brief statement on his Twitter page.

King Abdullah of oil-rich Saudi Arabia led the way on Sunday when he strongly condemned the deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Syria and recalled Riyadh's envoy from Damascus.

Kuwait followed on Monday, with Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah telling reporters that "no one can accept the bloodshed in Syria" and that the "military option must be halted."

But something happened in Syria that might get the world community to wake up and demand action:

A young Palestinian died early Monday morning in Syria's Hama refugee camp, bringing to six the number of Palestinians killed in Syria in a week, official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

On Friday, eyewitnesses said five Palestinian refugees were killed during clashes near the camp, which lies within the town of the same name, that has been the site of the fiercest battles between the protest movement and the Syrian regime.

I mean, regular Arabs killing Arabs is no big deal, but when Palestinian Arabs are killed, we know how upset people get.

Or does that depend on who does the killing?

(h/t David G)

The Palestine Times has an article about how a Gaza man, frustrated at the price of grass from Israel, decided to cultivate grass on his own in Gaza and sell it to other Gazans. Gaza resorts and other businesses are buying the grass to beautify their public spaces.

This is admirable on a number of levels. Coming up with a business, gaining independence from imports, and beautifying where you live are all nice things.

But doesn't Gaza have a water problem?

Grass needs a lot of water, and when a Gaza resort decides to make a lush, green lawn it is committing itself to using a great deal of water - water that Gaza is woefully short of.

Not to mention that grass is a luxury. In a place that is supposedly fighting to survive, grass doesn't seem to be the highest priority.

Now, it is possible that the grass used in Gaza is a special breed that can be watered with saltwater or with wastewater, which would be wonderful - but if this is ordinary grass, and Gazans can afford this luxury, then Gaza can hardly be considered a land in crisis.

But what do I know? Maybe there are carefully tended lawns in Somalia, also.

"Israeli police remove worshipers from Al-Aqsa"

That's the headline in a Ma'an article.

The headline would lead one to believe that Israeli police are wantonly entering the holy site during Ramadan just to randomly and forcibly remove peaceful Muslims just trying to pray. The first three paragraphs of that article reinforces that idea:

Israeli police entered the Jerusalem compound housing Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday evening and forcibly removed worshipers, a Ma'an correspondent said.

Israeli police forces raided the Haram Ash-Sharif complex after the Tarawih, the additional extended prayers performed during the holy month of Ramadan after the last obligatory prayer, Ma'an's reporter said.

The police removed from the site a group of around 30 people, who were spending a special time of seclusion in the area where the mosque and Dome of the Rock stand, as part of Ramadan devotion.

Only in the next two paragraphs can you get an inkling that these facts are not so clear:

They had at first refused to leave, the correspondent said, as they wanted to prevent further raids by right-wing Israelis on the compound, which is revered as the third holiest site in Islam.

On Friday night, a group of right-wing Israelis entered the Haram Ash-Sharif where they clashed with local youth.

Ah, so Jews tried to peacefully enter their holiest spot and Arab youths violently stopped them.

(While Ma'an is quick to note that the Al Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in [Sunni] Islam, it ignores the sites much more extreme holiness to Jews.)

These same violent Arabs are staying there, not to worship, but to stop any Jews from ascending on the week that is the anniversary of the Temple's destruction, 1,941 years ago tomorrow.

The Israeli police were not attacking worshipers but enforcing a weak form of equality of access to a holy spot. They aren't randomly attacking worshippers but removing bigoted Muslims who are violently trying to keep Judaism's holiest spot free of Jews.

That's a bit different.

Peace for peace

From Ma'an:

A Nablus thoroughfare was reopened by Israeli forces on Monday after 9-years closure, the Nablus governorate spokesman said.

The road to An-Naqura village, north of Nablus, was closed by Israeli forces in 2002.

Weird. I thought Israelis put up checkpoints just to make Arab lives miserable, and they only ease restrictions when there are embarrassing incidents like the 2010 flotilla.

Yet I don't recall any weekly demonstrations against this checkpoint. And still the Israelis, on their own, dismantled it just like they have dismantled hundreds of other checkpoints as terror decreased from PA-controlled territories.

One could almost start to believe that Israel puts up these checkpoints for security reasons, and when there is no reason for them anymore they take them down all on their own. Which means that if Palestinian Arabs want their lives to improve, all they have to do is act peacefully.

In other words, that when the PalArabs act peacefully, so does Israel.

Nah, that's crazy talk. Everyone knows that "resistance" is the only way to get what you want from the evil Zionists. This checkpoint was no doubt removed to enable Israeli "collaborators" to travel more easily, or to put up another checkpoint in a place that would cause more suffering, or as a propaganda effort to make Israel look good (even though the only place this is being reported is an Arab site.)

A black African reminds us what "apartheid" means

The New York Observer has a generic article about the BDS movement trying to bully a Brooklyn food co-op to boycott Israeli products. Somewhat more interesting are the first two letters published about it.

The first one is from a BDS supporter, Bill Mazza:

Frankly, I find much of what passes for "debate" on this issue unproductive as the opposition relies on fear-mongering and labeling (as with blanket charges of 'anti-Semite') designed to immobilize the opposition. Fox News would be proud.

Why do we "single out Israel"? We don't. Many of us work on my issues of social justice both within US borders and without. But US tax dollars have helped fund the recent increase in both pro-apartheid legislation of the Israeli government--such as the recently-passed gag ruling against even talking in favor of a boycott in Israel--and violence. This is not an issue any of us engaged with lightly.

I do know this. Today most of the voices who, for decades, spoke in support of South African apartheid policies are silenced by their shame. I'm hopeful the same will be true of contemporary supporters of Israeli apartheid.

The Park Slope Food Coop actually formed with a boycott of South African goods in place, a decade before the struggle reached popular support in the 80s. We're simply asking that the Coop membership get on the right side of the moral and historical struggle against apartheid again.

For someone who is against "labeling" he seems to be fond of using the word "apartheid" a lot.

The response letter by Baruti is therefore worth reading:

Mr. Mazza,

I'm from South Africa. An African South African, not a colonialist. (Americans just call me black.)

I experienced Apartheid. Separateness. It was ugly. Many of my friends died.

I've been to Israel. The West Bank. Gaza. Inside of Israel. Lived there for a year touring for a book I want to write.

Mr. Mazza, you don't know what Apartheid is. For all of Israel's faults, you dishonor yourself and my fallen mates by using the word.

The UN does not use the phrase "Israeli Apartheid" and you repeating it overand over again does not give it authority. There is really no comparison between Israel and South Africa. We appreciate your help over there in the US for "saving" us back in the eighties, but we here
in S.A. did the dirty work. We suffered. We went to jail. We died. You stayed safe, signed a few pieces of paper, spoke at a meeting or two maybe. You follow the same route for your work on human rights in the Middle East.

Tutu is beloved here, but he is not our polestar. He is as political as anyone and we all know it. SA is still quite corrupt and dangerous and he is beholden to make statements reflecting those interests. Sadly, because atrocities were committed by both sides in our war for freedom,
corruption and crime are what we have reaped, and freedom is still very hard to find today in SA. You are, I'm sorry to say, very uninformed about what causes you take up.

It's nice to have someone who knows what "apartheid" means slap a poseur upside the head.

(You might want to click on that letter and "like" it.)

(h/t B)

PA rep in Tehran says Israel behind all evil; Hamas urges more terrorism

From FARS News:

Palestinian Ambassador to Tehran Salah al-Zawawi took the Zionist regime responsible for the miseries and damages inflicted on the Muslim world, and called on all Muslims to double their efforts to reinvigorate their unity and solidarity.

"Israel is the root cause of whatever (problem) is happening in the Muslim world and the problems of Muslims will not be solved, but through unity based on the holy Quran and (Prophet Mohammad's) tradition," Zawawi said in a meeting with Iranian Islamic Culture and Guidance Minister Seyed Mohammad Hosseini in Tehran on Saturday night.

Or, as the NYT's Ethan Bronner would interpret it, "two state solution."

Meanwhile, another Iranian news agency quotes a Hamas leader:

Senior Hamas official Mushir al-Masri said that unleashing the West Bank resistance forces and ending security coordination is the best response against Israeli settlement.

I think that peace is right around the corner. If only Israel would make a few more concessions, these guys will be happy!

The mysterious "Yehud Chebr" Jews of Arabia, 1850

From Baptist Reporter and Missionary Intelligencer, Volume 29, 1855:

The Jewish Chronicle has an article descriptive of a singular tribe of the Jews, called "Yehud Chebr," said to be the descendants of the father-in-law of Moses. They live isolated, and avoid any intercourse whatever with the rest of the Jews. They are only to be found in Arabia, mostly on the eastern shore of the Red Sea, and are solely occupied with rearing cattle. In the environs of Tunbua, a sea-port on the eastern shore of the Red Sea, they are also found to be smiths, and to stand in commercial association, by barter, with the Arabian tribes, who call them "Irab Seb'th," i. e., Arabs who celebrate the sabbath. They are esteemed and feared everywhere, "for they are a giant-like people." They speak only Arabic and Hebrew. Thoir most particular wish is not to have any intercourse with the Jews; and if any one enters into conversation with them they quickly deny their descent, and say they are of a common Arabian origin. About twenty five years ago the sheriff of Zenaa decided on going a pilgrimage to Mecca. While going through the great sandy desert they missed their road. They found themselves destitute of provisions, and famine stared them in the face. At length they come upon a whole town with tents, and hastened up to it, hoping to be among their Arabian brethren. They approached a large and magnificent tent, and the ont-posts of their caravan cried out, "Water! water! ye brethren, or we die." An Arab stepped forth from the tent with an angry air, and called out, "Kelb (dog), who dares to call out thus in the hour of devotion?" But the Mahometan related the great distress of the party, and suppliantly asked for water. "Knowest thou," the Arab replied, "where thou so unseemly didst call out? This is the tent of our worthy Melek (king); we perform here the evening prayer, and we have been disturbed." The other looked into the tent, and saw a great assembly of Arabs, who were "gently whispering their prayers." The whole party were supplied with necessaries for their journey, and informed of the shortest road to Mecca. When they asked who their benefactors were, they received the abrupt answer, "Yehud Chebr." Since that time the sheriff of Zenaa has become a great friend to the Jews, and " treats our co-religionists with the greatest respect."

The source for this account seems to be an appendix in Joseph Schwarz's 1850 work "Descriptive Geography and Brief Historical Sketch of Palestine" which we have quoted before. Here is his entire description of this unknown tribe of Jews in what is now Saudi Arabia, a description I cannot find anywhere else in the Internet:

Under the name of Yehud Chebr are generally understood the descendants of Heber the Kenite 'חבר הקני , the father-in-law of Moses, or Jethro. " Now Heber the Kenite, who was of the children of Chobab, the father-in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites" (Jud. iv. 1); they are also called בני רכב Bne' Rechab, " the Rechabites"—" These are the Kenites that came of Chemath, the father of the house of Rechab" (1 Chron. ii. 55). They abstain from wine, and only dwell in tents (Jer. xxxv. 8, 9). In Pesiktah Rabbethi xxxi., it is said ארץ הסינים בני יונדב בן רכב "The land of Sinim (of Isaiah xlix. 11), is the land of Jonadab the son of Rechab." From Bereshith Rabbah lii., it appears clearly that Sinim is the land of תימן Theman (the south), or Yemen in Arabia, which is verified to this day. There are many traces of them at present; but they live entirely isolated, will not be recognised, and shun, or rather hate, all intercourse and every connexion with the other Jews. They have nevertheless not escaped the searching look of our brothers.

They only sojourn in Arabia, and for the most part on the western shore of the Red Sea, and are engaged solely in the raising of cattle. In the vicinity of Junbua, a seaport on the eastern shore of the Red Sea, they are found at times labouring as smiths, and have commercial connexions with other Arabic tribes, that is, they barter with them. They are called "Arab Sebth," i. e. Arabs who keep the seventh day Sabbath, and are generally esteemed and feared; so that they form, so to say, a gigantic people, whose power and greatness excites fear. They only speak Hebrew and Arabic, and will form no connexion or acquaintance with the Jews; and should they be recognised as Jews, or if one should enter into conversation with them on the subject, they will quickly deny their origin, and assert that they are but of the common Arabic descent. They will not touch another Arab, much less will they eat anything with him, even those things which are permitted to Jews; and they always stand at some distance from the other Arabs, should their barter trade at times bring them together, so as not to come into any mediate or immediate contact. They always appear on horseback and armed, and people assert that they have noticed the fringes, ציצית commanded in Scripture on their covering and clothing.

In the time of Abraim Pacha, when the country was everywhere secure, and men were able to travel in all direcions without being molested, two Jewish mechanics, the one a tinsmith and the other a silversmith, left Zafed with their tools, in the hope of finding employment among the distant Arabs. They in consequence crossed the Jordan, and went in a southeastern direction towards the mountains of Hauran. They actually obtained there much work among Arab tribes, and stayed some time among them. They could eat only bread, butter, honey, oil, and similar permitted things, and they thus sat one evening apart from the Arabs who were eating, to take their supper by themselves. Several Arabs on horseback had come from the south, in order to barter with the tribes of the district. They remarked those who sat eating isolated from the others, and asked, why they sat apart, and why they had a different meal from the others, and who they were ? They were told that these men were Yehud (Jews). " But," asked the strangers in return, "do you believe that we have never seen any Yehud before, that you wish to impose on us these dwarfs as Yehud ? We often barter with the Yehud Chebr; but they are a giant race, and it is impossible that these little creatures can belong to the same family. Besides, no Yehud would ever eat anything with another Arab, or come in so close a connexion and contact with you as these." The Arabs of the district had then to explain to the strangers that there are actually many other Jews besides the Yehud Chebr, although they differ from them.

They are occasionally seen in Palestine, but very seldom, and then, as it were, in secrecy and unrecognised. Some even say that several have been met with in Jerusalem, but they never make themselves known; although the reason of this singular silence, and this anxious desire to escape detection, has remained hitherto a profound secret; at the same time it is clearly ascertained that they are Jews in every sense of the word, live according to our laws, and are also somewhat acquainted with our learned men. It is now some years ago that two Ashkenazim of Tiberias went into the cave where the worthy martyr, Rabbi Akiba, lies buried. Just as they were coming out of the cave, there passed by two Arab horsemen, who observed them. The Arabs addressed them in Hebrew, and asked them what Zaddik (pious, righteous man,— this being the name by which the Arabs and Bedouins designate our ancient and modern learned men) lies buried there; and when ansewred, Rabbi Akiba, they descended from their horses and went into the cave. The two Ashkenazim without heard them utter a touching and mournful prayer in the Hebrew language; and they asked them, on coming out, who they were; to which they answered, "We are Yehud Chebr; but we adjure you, by the name of the Holy God of Israel, that you tell not soon after your return home in Tiberias that you have seen us, and only speak of it after some time, when we are away from your district and distant from your environs." With these words they hastened away and soon were out of sight. It seems, therefore, that they were afraid, in case the account of their appearance had been divulged in the city, of being perhaps overtaken, and thereby probably compelled to make themselves fully known.

They have also a chief among themselves, who is almost regarded as a regent.

About twenty-five years ago, the serif of Zanaa (see above, Uzal) resolved to make a pilgrimage to Mekka. It is usual to make this pilgrimage by sea: they sail up the Red Sea as far as Djida, and proceed thence by land to Mekka. But this serif resolved to make the whole journey by land. He supplied himself, therefore, and all his large retinue and escort, with everything requisite for this long journey; as, however, their road lay necessarily in part through the great sandy desert, they soon got into the greatest difficulties, for they lost their way, and roamed about, and could not find any egress. They were already in the greatest distress and danger, all their provisions, especially water, were consumed, and they saw clearly that they must perish, since they were constantly wandering in the desert, without the means of extricating themselves : when they had at length the happiness to come to a somewhat more fertile district, which convinced them that they had traversed the greater part of the desert. They now pushed eagerly forward, though nearly famished, without strength and longing for water; but they could find
no vestige of inhabitants. But towards sunset they observed at a distance, so to say, a whole town of tents. This revived them, and they hastened on with the last remains of their strength, since they now hoped to be among their brothers, the Arabic tribes. They soon came near a very large and beautiful tent, and the leader of the advance of the caravan called out with a very loud voice : "For God's sake, water! water! we are all famishing this moment." Thereupon, a very tall Arab came out from the tent and exclaimed in an angry tone : "Kelb (dog), who dares to cry so loudly in the hour of devotion?" The Mahomedan then told him of the great danger of the company, and begged him to give them a little water. But the other asked: " Dost thou know where thou art now, and where thou hast lifted up thy voice so loudly ? Here is the tent of our worthy Melek (king), and we are even now engaged in our afternoon prayer (מנחה), and thou hast disturbed both him and us with thy outcry in our devotions." The stranger looked into the tent, and saw a whole assembly of venerable gigantic Arabs, who all were standing still, and praying in a low tone of voice (probably the silent prayer of the eighteen benedictions שמונה עשרה). Very soon after, water was offered to the whole assembly, though without touching any of them, and they were then furnished with everything requisite for the pursuit of their journey, and a guide was sent along with them, who showed and described to them the best and shortest route by which they could reach Mekka, where they arrived after some weeks' farther journeying. Upon inquiring who their benefactors were, they were answered quite briefly, " Yehud Chebr."

I learned the above from a trustworthy person of Zafed, who was soon after this occurrence in Zanaa, and obtained the whole account of it from the above-mentioned Serif, who had himself experienced it. He has become, moreover,since then an exceedingly great friend of the Jews, and treats them with the greatest respect.

Of late, much pains have been taken to obtain more reliable particulars of the Yehud Chebr. I, myself, employed all available means to obtain success. At length, myself and some honourable Israelites, who felt the deepest in the matter, agreed to seek out a suitable person who should be able to travel through Arabia as a pretended Mahomedan Arab pilgrim, and to employ every available effort to obtain a correct account of the Yehud Chebr, and to enter into friendly intercourse with them. We at length obtained a man suited to our purposes, an African Jew, named Rabbi Amram, who was then sojourning in Zafed, and who had friendly relations with several Arab tribes, and knew their manners and habits quite accurately, and was thus enabled to enact well the part of a pilgrim. We supplied him with everything requisite, and with documents signed by the principal Rabbis of Jerusalem and Zafed. I wrote him out his line of travel, pointed out to him which road he was chiefly to follow, indicating to him, with all possible accuracy, the places where they have their principal connexions; and supplied him with two copies of my Geography of Palestine תבואות הארץ; upon which he commenced his journey from Jerusalem in the month of Elul, 5606 (Sept. 1846). About a year from that time, I received a letter from him via Cairo, dated at Zanaa, in South Arabia, in which he informed me that whilst journeying by land between Aden and Mocha, he was plundered by a hostile tribe of Arabs, but that his documents were all safe; that at present the northern Arab tribes were engaged in mutual strife and warfare, wherefore he was at that moment unable to pursue his journey in the desired direction, and he was compelled to tarry some time at Aden, till quiet should be restored. But that he had learned from a sure and reliable source, that in an eastern direction there is a very uncommonly numerous and extensive tribe of Jewish Arabs, universally called the tribe of Benjamin שבט בנימין, which he would visit after peace should be restored; and that it might be a long time before he would write again, since he would report nothing which is not strictly correct, and found perfectly reliable by his own personal conviction.

Schwarz then goes on to discuss his research into the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

52 more killed in Syria, Saudis withdraw ambassador

When Saudi Arabia acts tougher towards Syria than the US, you know we have a problem.

Syrian troops fired on mourners at a funeral and raided an eastern city, killing at least 50 people as Arab and international pressure against the intensifying government crackdown grew.

The king of Saudi Arabia harshly criticised the Syrian government and said he was recalling his ambassador in Damascus for consultations.

"What is happening in Syria is not acceptable for Saudi Arabia," King Abdullah said in a written statement on Monday.

"Syria should think wisely before it's too late and issue and enact reforms that are not merely promises but actual reforms," he said. "Either it chooses wisdom on its own or it will be pulled down into the depths of turmoil and loss."

The Saudi king's statement came the day after the Gulf Cooperation Council urged Syria to "end the bloodshed" as the international pressure mounts.

The 22-member Arab League, which had been silent since the uprising began, said Sunday it is "alarmed" by the situation in Syria and called for the immediate halt of all violence.

The US envoy to Damascus, Robert Ford, who returned to Syria on Thursday, also said in a US television interview on Sunday that Washington will "try to ratchet up the pressure" on President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

You think the US might ratchet up the pressure from "condemn" to "deplore"?

AFP gives details on Sunday's deaths:

Activists said security forces backed by tanks killed 42 civilians in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor and at least 10 more in the central town of Hula.

"Forty-two civilians have been killed and more than 100 wounded in Deir Ezzor by gunfire from the armed forces and security agents," Syrian League for the Defense of Human Rights head Abdel Karim Rihawi told AFP.

Rihawi said that 28 people were killed in Al-Jura neighborhood of Deir Ezzor while 14 died in Huweika district, adding that "thousands of people have fled the city heading further north."

In Hula in Homs district, at least 10 people were killed in an army assault with tanks, Rihawi said.

If you believe the Syrian SANA news agency, Syria is getting support from Arabs in the "occupied Golan":

People of the occupied Syrian Golan on Sunday held a national celebration in Beit al-Shaab in Buq'ata village to express support for the comprehensive reform process led by President Bashar al-Assad, rejecting all forms of foreign interference in Syria's affairs.

Speeches of the participating religious and social figures stressed the Golan people's loyalty to the homeland, reiterating support for Syria's stance in support of the resistance.

The participants began the celebration by observing a minute of silence for the martyrs who sacrificed themselves to preserve Syria's security then they chanted the Syrian national anthem and national slogans.

They also expressed gratitude to the Syrian army and its role in defending the homeland's stability and dignity.

The people of Golan expressed confidence that Syria would come out of the crisis stronger and enhance its prominent presence in regional and international arenas.

SANA's record for truthfulness is a bit suspect, however.

Honest Reporting's Mission to Israel [Advertorial]

The following is an advertorial, written by EoZ, for Honest Reporting:

Readers of this blog are familiar with Honest Reporting, the indispensable watchdog group that keeps track of news articles that misrepresent Israel or, worse, make up their own “facts.”

Honest Reporting does more than just keep the media honest, though. It also sponsors a Mission to Israel where you can gain a real understanding of the challenges Israel faces every day.

The mission is a specialized, intense week-long tour of Israel where the participants get to meet with and listen to an impressive array of political experts, military leaders and other well-known Zionist figures. It is far more than a tour – it is an immersive program that is fun and educational, if a bit intense.

This year, the Honest Reporting Mission to Israel takes place from November 15-21. I am told that the itinerary isn't yet set, but from looking at the last trip you can see that they get some very high-powered speakers and topics. For example, last time the trip included:

· Mark Regev, the spokesperson for the Prime Minster, spoke on "Israel's Message."
·Professor Asa Kasher, the author of the IDF Code of Conduct, spoke on "Ethics in the IDF." I blogged about him earlier this year here.
·There was presentation by Itamar Marcus, founder of the invaluable Palestinian Media Watch. He was most recently in the news for presenting to US members of Congress a new report on how the Palestinian Authority pays salaries to terrorists in Israeli prison.
·A meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
· A talk by Dr. Mordechai Kedar, Head of Arab Studies at Bar-Ilan University and expert on Syria. he is the man who made an impassioned defense, in Arabic, of Jerusalem’s Jewishness in one of the most memorable interviews ever aired on Al Jazeera. (Even if you’ve seen it before, stop reading right now and watch it again. It is incredible.)
·A Shabbat discussion with Khaled Abu Toameh of the Jerusalem Post and the Hudson Institute, on “What Arabs Inside Israel are Really Thinking.”

And these are only a few of the people you can meet. Add to that list Ishmael Khalidi, a the first Bedouin to serve as an Israeli diplomat; Aryeh Green, the director of MediaCentral , NGO Monitor's Professor Gerald Steinberg who has exposed an untold number of abuses by anti-Israel NGOs, and the excellent Dore Gold, not to mention the members of Honest Reporting itself. Together this makes a really great lineup of high-powered thought leaders that you can listen to and engage with.

There have been a few occasions that I have gotten a chance to meet with leaders like these, and it is a really fun to discuss ideas with them - much different than email or Facebook messages. It is a great experience to meet any one of these people - to meet them all in the course of a week is an experience that everyone should have.

I wish I could go on the mission to interview every one of them for the blog. Maybe next year…

There is another important reason for going on this mission. The casual disparagement of Israel in the media and even in everyday conversations is increasing. Too often people who support Israel are not armed with the facts to be able to respond effectively when they come across such anti-Israel opinions. Lies have become accepted as conventional wisdom and it takes knowledge as well as passion to be able to counter the false narrative. Honest Reporting, true to its origins, spends a lot of time in this mission in workshops specifically to teach participants how to answer anti-Israel arguments and articles with real facts and real history. People who attend will have more confidence in being able to answer critics immediately and convincingly.

And I haven’t even mentioned the tours! You can get to see Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, spend Shabbat in the Old City, tour the Western Wall Tunnels, visit the IDF Navy Base (where no doubt the flotillas would no doubt be discussed) and more. You can get to see the real Israel, not the funhouse-mirror version that the media often portrays.

One other nice thing about this mission is that it ends a few days before Thanksgiving so Americans can stay in Israel a little longer and enjoy the holiday weekend there. After this whirlwind of a week, you would probably want to unwind and enjoy Israel at your own pace for a few days.

Previous attendees raved about the trip; you can read some of their comments here.

If you want a behind-the-scenes look at Israel that goes way beyond normal tour groups, this is the way to go. Check out the Honest Reporting Mission site to see more details.

PLO reiterates "right of return" has nothing to do with statehood

Zakaria Agha, member of the Executive Committee of the PLO, again stated what the PLO has stated clearly for years and what the West pretends is inconsequential: that even after the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state the PLO will not relinquish its demand that Israel be overrun with millions of so-called "refugees."

He bases this on UNGA resolution 194, which the Arabs love to misinterpret as saying that any Arab whose ancestors came from Palestine has the right to move into Israel, forever.

Notwithstanding the fact that General Assembly resolutions have no legal force, the constant reference to that resolution by the Palestinian Arabs is the height of hypocrisy.

If they believe to strongly that UNGA 194 must be adhered to by Israel, then they must also believe:

Jerusalem will never be the capital of "Palestine" because UNGA 194 says it is part of a separate territory that must be under UN control - including much more of "Palestine." than of Israel. Many Arab towns, and even all of Bethlehem, would not be part of "Palestine."
Mount Scopus would be part of Israel proper.
Descendants of Jews who were expelled from Gush Etzion. the Old City and other areas would be allowed to live in their ancestral homes. UNGA 194 just refers to "refugees," not "Arab refugees."
Free access to Jewish holy places in Judea and Samaria would have to be enforced.

For some reason, the PLO doesn't like to refer to those parts of UNGA 194. And, of course, they steadfastly refuse to remember that the resolution only refers to refugees who are willing to "live at peace with their neighbours."

Keep in mind that no Palestinian Arab leader is anxious for millions of Arabs now living in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and elsewhere to "return" to "Palestine." Unlike the Zionist in the 1940s and 1950s who happily took in hundreds of thousand of Jews from the Diaspora, Palestinian Arab leaders are in no rush to help out their brethren who have been rotting away in camps for decades. To them, the descendants of "refugees" exist for only one purpose - to destroy Israel by "returning." Besides that, they couldn't care less about them.

Their hypocrisy - and their goal in erasing Israel - cannot be more transparent. And the world cannot be more blind as to their goals, even when they say it explicitly.

New Israeli cyberwar unit?

From Fox News:

Israel has set up a military cyber command to wage a computer war against Iran as senior officers become increasingly concerned that a conventional attack on Tehran’s nuclear sites could end in failure, London's The Sunday Times reported.

The new cyber command will report directly to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu who has placed the program at the heart of Israel’s defense capability.

“Israel must turn into a global cyber superpower,” he told a meeting of cyber warfare experts recently.

The center, which has been set up under the auspices of military intelligence unit 8200 has already conducted a series of “soft” espionage missions, including hacking into Iran’s version of Facebook and other social networking sites.

The Stuxnet malware virus, which dramatically affected Iran’s nuclear program in 2009 by sabotaging the delicate centrifuges needed to enrich uranium, is widely believed to have been developed by Israeli and American technicians.

In April, Iranian government offices came under attack from a hitherto unknown malware virus to which Tehran officials gave the name Stars. They claimed the damage had been contained but admitted it was the second mysterious virus found since the Stuxnet attack.

“Israel has two principal targets in Iran’s cyberspace,” said a defense source with close knowledge of the cyber war preparations. “The first is its military nuclear program and its military establishment. The second is Iran’s civil infrastructure. Attacking both, we hope, will cripple the entire country’s cyberspace.”

The detail about hacking into Iranian social media sites, rather than supporting the story, undermines it.

It's like saying that the US has detailed plans to infiltrate into the upper reaches of the Kremlin - and has already installed spies in a Russian women's book club.

Or to put it more subtly, see this xkcd comic from last week:

I'm sure that Israel is working on real cyberwar, but I'm not sure the Sunday Times has any proof of it.

(h/t Yoel)

Hamas again delays salaries; denies financial crisis

Hamas, which delayed paying the June paychecks to its workers until late July, said that it will delay the July checks as well until before Eid al Fitr which is at the end of August.

However, assistant minster of finance Ismail Hafouz insisted that this does not reflect on any financial problems Hamas is having. Rather, he says, there is a shortage of "liquidity" (paper cash) that is preventing the disbursement of salaries.

It is an interesting coincidence that Hamas started having problems paying its employees at the exact same time that the PA did. Did the cash-strapped PA reduce the amount of its budget paid to Gaza in June, leading to this situation? Hamas only stays afloat because of the money the PA continues to pump into territory that its officials still cannot safely visit.

French journalists' union acts against Gilad Shalit

Paraphrased from JSSNews:

Radio France Internationale (RFI) is a well known radio station for all French speakers worldwide. It is one of the only radio station that broadcasts the voice of France across the globe.

Every day the station lists reminds its listeners not to forget about all the French hostages held around the world, and reads their names.

The problem is that Gilad Shalit never was mentioned in this list, even though he is a French-Israeli who is held hostage by a terrorist group.

To counter this omission, two Zionist activists - Jonathan Curiel and Yoann Taïeb - have been pushing that Shalit is not forgotten in France.

Initially, the media response was that Shalit was not French. This is easy to refute. Then they argued that Shalit is a prisoner of war. Even President Sarkozy noted that prisoners of war have certain privileges under international law; Shalit has none.

Gradually, the two activists have managed to include Gilad Shalit as a French hostage "like the others" in various French radio broadcasts, including at RFI.

But JSSNews obtained the minutes of a French National Union of Journalists (SNJ) meeting that took place on July 26th, only days after the RFI decision, demanding an explanation from the station's management for their decision.

The union wrote to RFI:

Gilad Shalit is a French-Israeli soldier kidnapped 5 years ago by a Palestinian faction. He is a prisoner of war, and yet the RFI now lists him among the "French hostages" (civilian) which is noted every day at 8am in the broadcast. A pro-Israel information site jssnews.com welcomes and boasts of having sent "notice" to Alain de Pouzi. What's going on? Was the management of RFI pressured? Why this change of attitude about Gilad Shalit?

RFI responded:

Yes, RFI was contacted by a "listener who is interested in the issue." We turned to the Quai d'Orsay [French Ministry of Foreign Affairs], which aligns itself to the position of French President: "Gilad Shalit is not a prisoner of war because he does not enjoy the provisions of international conventions." He is therefore considered as a hostage.

The SNJ responded back:

If all the prisoners of war who do not benefit from provisions of international conventions were regarded as hostages, that would make the world .... (Remember Guantanamo?). The listener in question is actually an activist of jssnews.com, a site that speaks with virulently anti-Palestinian agenda.

Thus the powerful SNJ is deciding contrary to the provisions of the Geneva Conventions, and in defiance of the fact that the UN, the European Union, the International Red Cross, Amnesty International, the Elysée, the Quai d'Orsay or the group "Hostages of the World" say's that Shalit is not a prisoner of war...

To add power to their point of view, they speak about "civilian" hostages... Shalit was a soldier so, he cannot be counted! But the fact is that one man, Denis Alex, a member of French Secret Service, that has been held hostage in Somalia for 2 years... And he's been counted every day!

Gilad Shalit was doing his obligatory military service, he was not in hostile terrain or on an spy mission. Denis Alex was operating in hostile terrain and was on a spy mission. However, he is recognized as a civilian French hostage without any protest by the SNJ. Gilad Shalit is unfairly and arbitrarily excluded from his status as a hostage by the union. Without paranoia: is it because he is Israeli or Jewish ?

The SNJ has poisoned its credibility of of being objective in journalism with this letter.

Arabs and leftists calling Tel Aviv protests "Sons of Dogs Revolution"

A hashtag that popped up on Twitter by anti-Israel tweeters shows their pure anti-semitism.

The tag is #ThawretWeladElKalb, which means "Sons of Dogs Revolution."

The reference of Jews as dogs is of course a popular motif in Arab history.

This hashtag is very active at the moment, with new tweets every few seconds. A very small minority are protesting the use of the hashtag, but it has been embraced by many tweeters - including leftist cartoonist Carlos Latuff. Some are even making fun of the dissenters (one saying "Stop it - I like dogs!) or freely embracing the racism ("i love this racist hashtag #thawretweladelkalb :) )

If a racist hashtag was used by Zionists against Arabs, you can be certain that the leftists who pretend to be against all forms of racism would be the first to loudly protest against it. But with some exceptions, this one is being widely embraced and the people who use it are not in the least bit embarrassed to publicly espouse their anti-semitism.

(h/t Jonah)

Turkey intercepted arms shipment from Iran to Syria

From Today's Zaman:

Turkish diplomatic sources approached by Today's Zaman have confirmed that an arms shipment from Iran to Syria was intercepted by Turkey.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said the incident took place two-and--half months ago in the southeastern province of Kilis. The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MİT) was already aware of the transportation in a convoy of trucks.

Turkish officials said the original transport papers designated the shipment as “spare parts for guns” when Iranians declared them to custom officials upon entry. An examination of the contents revealed that it matched the declaration. Yet Turkish officials suspected the shipment may have violated the UN arms embargo imposed by the Security Council and decided to seize the contents.

As there was no explicit violation of Turkish law and the declaration matched the contents, the driver and trucks were either released or about to be released, the same official said. The contents however were stored in a safe depot.

A news report that appeared on Israeli website ynetnews.com on Thursday quoted the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, saying an arms shipment was intercepted by Turkey. The German daily reported that unnamed diplomatic sources said the weapons were meant for Hezbollah.

On another incident in April, it emerged that Turkey had seized a cache of weapons Iran was attempting to export in violation of a UN arms embargo. Turkish authorities later informed a UN Security Council committee of the interception.

(h/t Yoel)

PA intimidating female journalist; arrests her brothers

From JPost:

An award-winning Palestinian female journalist has been forced to go into hiding out of fear of being arrested by the Palestinian Authority security forces for covering a sit-in strike.

Over the weekend, the PA’s Preventive Security Force in the West Bank arrested her two brothers in an attempt to put pressure on her to turn herself in.

The journalist, Majdoleen Hassouneh, has twice refused to report for interrogation at the headquarters of the Preventive Security Force in Nablus.

Hassouneh’s friends and colleagues have launched a Facebook campaign in solidarity with her and in protest against the PA government’s measures against Palestinian journalists and freedom of the media.

Hassouneh, a graduate of An-Najah University in Nablus, is the recipient of the best investigative reporter award from the Thomas Foundation for an investigation into the medical field in the Palestinian territories.

Last week, she received a phone call from a Preventive Security Force officer who demanded that she report immediately at the headquarters of the apparatus in Nablus.

When she failed to show up, the Preventive Security Force sent her a written summons asking her to report for questioning on Saturday morning.

The letter warned that she would be arrested if she failed to show up.

Hassouneh, who lives in Beit Umrin, near Nablus, announced that she would not go to the security headquarters and described the invitation as an attempt to restrict her freedom of expression.

She said that the Preventive Security Force was trying to force her to sign a document that would limit her freedom of expression as a working journalist.

A number of Palestinian journalists said they have already been asked by PA security forces in the West Bank to sign similar documents where they pledge to cover certain events.

On Saturday night, PA security officers raided Hassouneh’s family home in an attempt to arrest her, but she was not there.

The officers detained her two brothers and told the family that she must report for questioning immediately.

Naturally, the leftists who obsess over every aspect of Israel's supposed anti-democratic nature are absolutely silent over this. Their avowed liberalism stops where Arab autonomy starts.

(h/t Yoel)

It's easy to convert to the As-A-Jew religion

You just have to tell sympathetic, gullible leftist media that you are Jewish!

From CAMERA:

A little over a month ago, as anti-Israel activists gathered in Greece expecting to embark on their journey to the Gaza Strip, Ha'aretz published a column by would-be flotilla participant,Gabriel Matthew Schivone ("A Moment before boarding the next flotilla," June 24, 2011).

Schivone is identified as "a Chicano-Jewish American from Tucson, and coordinator of Jewish Voice for Peace at the University of Arizona." Schivone begins his column: "You might wonder what would motivate a Jewish American college student to participate in what may be the most celebrated -- and controversial sea voyage of the 21st century. . . ."

Schivone emphasizes his Jewish identity no less than eight times, and repeatedly emphasizes the influence of his identity on his anti-Israel activity. For instance, he writes, "I am one of a growing number of American Jews who are determined to shake off an assumed -- and largely imposed -- association with Israel"; "For our part, we Jews launched an initial chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace at the UA campus. . . ."; "Through JVP, I discovered there were a great many others like me, who were experiencing profound internal conflicts regarding Israel"; ". . . we as Jews had an alternative to either unquestioning support of Israel (the status quo) or staying silent and thus supporting it by default. I myself was silent and timid for much too long.

"We are committed to acting out of Jewish ethical traditions. . . ."

But there is just one problem -- Schivone is not Jewish.

Read the whole thing.

The FringeGroups blog describes this as a phenomenon:

What are we to make of the Schivone Jews ? Gabriel here is the purest form: no Jewish background whatever, but this lack compensated by a strong desire to work against Israel. The old joke was about the fervent anti-Communist being some-sort-of Communist, so, why not, by that logic the anti-Jew surely has claim to being, at the very least, a some-sort-of Jew. This pure form of being a Schivone Jew may be rare, it is the Schivone Jew in the strong sense.

Much less rare is the Schivone Jew in a weaker sense.

Most of the few active anti-Israel Jews that I have known fall into this category. Usually there was a Jewish parent (whether mother or father, in this context, matters little) but a life totally apart from any other Jewish entanglement. The spouse (or, more often, the "partner") would not be Jewish, and, of course, there would not be synagogue membership, except when that involves, as it sometimes does, anti-Israel activism. In short, the self-identification as "Jewish" comes up for one and only one purpose: a life devoted to fighting against Israel. Which brings us to a definition of the Schivone Jew: someone of little or no Jewish background who, nevertheless, petulantly claims a Jewish identify for the sole purpose of agitating against Israel as an aggrieved Jew.

As it happens, Schivone Jews seem to predominate in the major self-styled "Jewish" groups that oppose Israel. This is certainly true of Jewish Voice for Peace (of which Gabriel Schivone is a member and reports "many non-Jewish Americans" as members) and perhaps also of Michael Lerner's Tikkun (which acknowledges that 40% of its readership is non-Jewish).

Syria happy that they are getting support from - Cuba

From Syria's SANA news agency:

HAVANA, (SANA) – Cuba on Friday rejected the UN Security Council statement on Syria and stressed its confidence that the Syrian people and government will solve their internal problems.

Cuban Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marcos Rodriguez, reiterated in a statement Cuba's deep concern over dealing with the situation in Syria by the Security Council under pressure by the West powers, AFP reported.

The statement added that Havana reiterates confidence in the ability of the Syrian government and people to solve their internal problems without any foreign intervention and calls for full respect to the sovereignty and independence of Syria.

Wow...Cuba! I had no idea that Syria had such influential support!

Meanwhile, there are reports of 15 more killed today, random shelling by tanks in Hama - the usual stuff.

Africans are sending an aid shipment to Gaza. Or at least, they were as of May 15th.:

The Africa to Gaza Aid Convoy send off was a huge success. The spirit of the convoy team members, numerous dignitaries, the press and the public, made for a truly great occasion. Leaving right on time for the beginning of their grueling journey, the convoy left town with a police escort to the cheers of a very emotional and appreciative crowd. An amazing experience was had by all.

The last update on their webpage was from July 16th when they were in Kenya.

Their Facebook page gets updated but without many specifics of where they are, what they are taking, or anything else.

But while they are on their journey, perhaps they will meet the aid going the other way - from Gaza to Somalia! From ABNA (Iran):

The Arab Medical Union in Gaza has been campaigning to raise funds to aid famine-stricken Somalians as the country sees the worst drought in sixty years.

‘’The campaign is aimed at showing the physical cohesion between the besieged Gaza and Somalia, and that the Palestinians have the ability to support and stand by the Somalis,’’ said Abdurrahman al-Haddad, the coordinator for the AMU emergency committee.

He added that despite the Gazans’ ordeal, they still ‘’feel the pain’’ of Muslims everywhere, especially in Somalia, where tragedy abounds.

The AMU has already sent a delegation and several aid convoys to Somalia, Haddad said, pointing out that those who saw what was happening there first-hand said the disaster is ‘’greater than can be described’’, as some 11 million Somalians are at risk of dying and four million experience hunger.

He went on to say that the campaign, titled ‘’from Gaza...hand in hand to save the children of Somalia’’, will continue throughout Ramadan.

It's a perpetual motion machine of humanitarian aid! (Just don't pay attention to the electric cable running out the back of the machine, coming from the West.)

(h/t Faith, Folderol)

Iranian Revolutionary Guards site accuses Ahmadinejad of being Jewish

There have been rumors for a couple of years nowthat Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was really Jewish, but now the Iranian Revolutionary Guards site is amplifying that claim.

Al Arabiya reports that, according to the website "Basirat", they have documentation that Ahmadinejad belongs to a secret Jewish organization (translated as "Peripatetic," perhaps freemasons?) that is related to the secret Jewish underground.

The site stressed that they have nothing against Jews, but they don't like that Ahmadinejad was hiding his supposed roots.

Right.

This shows again that for all his bluster, Ahmadinejad doesn't rule the country - the Ayatollahs do.

New poster series: Boycott Arab States!

Here's my latest poster series, pointing out the hypocrisy of those who want to boycott Israel because of how it supposedly treats Palestinian Arabs. I'll probably be adding more to this post over time.

This week's Latma TV

Tent protests political? Perish the thought!

"Liberal" Saif Qaddafi now embracing Islamists

I've mentioned a couple of times how the New York Times fawned over Saif al-Islam al-Qaddafi, Mouammar's son, in the past. One of their more memorable quotes was "Mr. Qaddafi is, experts say, clearly an emerging force for liberalization."

Clearly!

The NYT today is trying to make up for its very poor judgment - and choice of "experts."

After six months battling a rebellion that his family portrayed as an Islamist conspiracy, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s son and one-time heir apparent said Wednesday that he was reversing course to forge a behind-the-scenes alliance with radical Islamist elements among the Libyan rebels to drive out their more liberal-minded confederates.

“The liberals will escape or be killed,” the son, Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, vowed in an hourlong interview that stretched past midnight. “We will do it together,” he added, wearing a newly grown beard and fingering Islamic prayer beads as he reclined on a love seat in a spare office tucked in a nearly deserted downtown hotel. “Libya will look like Saudi Arabia, like Iran. So what?”

Do you think that the paper will learn from its mistakes when it credulously quotes other Arab leaders who are mouthing words of liberalism, democracy and reform?

There are reports that this bloodthirsty former liberal just lost his brother in an airstrike.

Swastika, "Islam will rule" vandalism of Toronto synagogue

From CTV:

A synagogue in the city's northeast end was the target of anti-Semitic graffiti.

Staff members of Beth Tikvah Synagogue on Thursday found the words "Islam will rule" and a swastika spray-painted on the exterior of their building.

According to a press release published by the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy, police have been contacted and measures were taken to increase the security at the synagogue.

Shimon Fogel, CEO of the Canadian Jewish organization said in a statement that the primary concern is the safety of the staff and its congregants.

"We will remain vigilant in the wake of this disturbing and offensive event."

It is interesting that a pre-made stencil was used to make the swastika. It appears that the vandals are planning to do this more often.

(h/t jzaik)

Nonsense in a book review in WaPo

Sari Nusseibeh reviews Jeremy Ben-Ami's book in the Washington Post. (Don't bother buying the book. You can read some excerpts at Israel Matzav, get the gist of the book and save yourself the money.)

I just wanted to point out a laughable part of the review - or it would be laughable if so many people didn't actually believe it:

Given the recent rapprochement between Fatah and Hamas, and the radical changes in the Arab world, there has never been a moment in the history of the conflict when the Arab side has been more ready for a settlement — and the Israelis less willing to agree to one.

Say what?

Fatah and Hamas didn't agree on anything. Hamas still controls Gaza completely. And if they did unify, that would make peace even less likely. Or does Nusseibeh really believe that Hamas has moderated in its daily demands for Israel to be destroyed? Perhaps he should read what Hamas was saying just last week.
How exactly are the changes in the Arab world helping peace? Perhaps in a decade or so, if democracy and freedom really takes hold, we can think about the Arab world accepting Israel. But in case Nusseibeh hasn't noticed, the demonstrators are even less willing to accept Israel than their old leaders.
A settlement involves compromise. The Arab world has not offered any concrete compromises to Israel, and neither has the PLO. If they are so "ready for a settlement" then why are they acting so intransigently?
Israel's position under Netanyahu is pretty much the same as it was under Olmert and under Barak. Netanyahu may be more adamant about some specifics but the outline has not changed much, and that outline has been continuously rejected out of hand by Palestinian Arab leaders.

That's a lot of nonsense packed into a single sentence.

Syria killed 109 more people in Hama today. Syria says all is well.

From Now Lebanon:

CNN said on Thursday that Avaaz, a global activist group, said that at least 109 people died in and around the Syrian city of Hama today, adding that Avaaz cited a medical source.

"The brutality continues in Hama on the fourth day of Ramadan. Communication with the city and surrounding area is very difficult as the electricity supply has been cut off," Avaaz said.

"However, Avaaz has been in touch with a medical source who confirms that 109 people have been killed since the early hours of the morning. Avaaz has been told that more have been injured and bodies are lying in the streets as ambulances and private vehicles are unable to get through."

One resident who spoke to CNN by satellite phone said injured people have died in hospitals because there is no electricity in the facilities.

Residents reported a breakdown and cutoff in communications and electricity accompanying the siege, and said the military was bombing the city.

The resident said entrances of the city are blocked, with no one getting in or out, adding that snipers are deployed across the city.

“People who try to leave the city are being shot,” he also said, adding that “he was told there was ‘genocide’ in one particular area of the city.”

This is in addition to the 30 killed Wednesday.

But don't worry - Syria's "news" agency assures us that "Syrian Arab Army units are working to restore security, stability and normal life to Hama."

Syria hired PR firm to set up Vogue article on the Assads

Remember the absurd Vogue article in February that praised Bashir Assad's family and called Asma al-assad "A Rose in the Desert"?

Now we know a little more about how that article was placed.

From The Hill:

The Syrian government hired an international public-relations firm to help coordinate a Vogue magazine profile for Asma al-Assad, Syria’s first lady.

Brown Lloyd James agreed to a $5,000-per-month contract with the presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic in November 2010 to help with the interview and photo shoot for a glowing profile of al-Assad by the high-profile fashion magazine.

The piece has been criticized heavily due to its publication in Vogue’s March issue, which coincided with the Syrian government’s crackdown on anti-regime protesters.
The firm “liaised between the Office of the First Lady and the Vogue editorial team on the scheduling of interviews and photo shoots,” according to Department of Justice records. Brown Lloyd James also agreed to an extension of the contract for another $25,000, but its work for Syria has since ended, according to the firm.

“We look forward to an enduring and mutually beneficial relationship,” the firm wrote in its contract with the Syrian government.

The PR firm’s work for Syria was successful, as Vogue published a profile of al-Assad under the title “Asma al-Assad: A Rose in the Desert,” along with a full-page photo of the Syrian first lady.

Links to the profile of al-Assad on the Vogue website have since gone dead, sending readers to an error page. A spokeswoman for the magazine did not return messages from The Hill asking for comment on the profile.

Brown Lloyd James said in its statement that its work on behalf of Syria came at a time when the country’s relationship with the United States was changing for the better.

“Our project in Syria, for example, hewed with U.S. efforts at rapprochement and normalization of relations, which were a major strategic priority to the U.S. at the time,” the firm said. “During the time of our activity, the U.S. was engaged in a thaw in relations, highlighted by the appointment of a U.S. ambassador to the country. By complementing the efforts of traditional diplomacy, our approach seeks to establish a deeper reservoir of good will and a strengthening of international relationships. We aim to start dialogues and exchanges and develop constituencies for normalization in each country.”

It's funny that "hasbara" is considered a dirty word by anti-Israel leftists but no one seems to have a problem with Bahrainis and Libyans and Syrians hiring PR firms to burnish their images.

(h/t Folderol)

Think the UN is obsessed with Palestine?

Online you can find the UN's document "Annotated preliminary list of items to be included in the provisional agenda of the sixty-sixth regular session of the General Assembly" which is due to convene in September.

The document is 215 pages long and covers pretty much everything that the UN is planning to discuss in the upcoming session.

Here is a chart showing how often various countries/entities are mentioned in this document: