Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, July 30, 2012

Monday links

From Ian:

Mitt Romney's speech in Jerusalem:

Transcript

Romney's Remarkable Speech in Jerusalem by Daniel Pipes

"But of the whole speech, it is the final words that most struck me: "May God bless America, and may He bless and protect the Nation of Israel." When last did a politician ask the Lord to protect another country and not his own?"

Romney snubs Abbas, meets with Fayyad
Chief Palestinian negotiator blasts Romney over pro-Israel speech in Jerusalem

“Saeb Erekat says Republican candidate’s declarations come at the expense of the Palestinians and harm US interests in the Middle East”

Netanyahu: Obama's Sanctions Haven't Stopped Iran By “One Iota”

With Romney by his side, the Israeli Prime Minster deals a blow to President Barack Obama, saying sanctions aren't stopping Iran from pursuing a bomb.

PMW PA TV song: "Marry me off to a girl who will raise my children on carrying the rifle"

NGO Monitor: EU-funded NGOs vs. EU-Israel Cooperation

Italian Olympic Team Commemorates Munich Massacre
About 30 Italians, including Minister of Sport, stand in silence at the entrance to Israeli team's quarters.

A Truly Heroic Sportsman by Michael Curtis
“Gino Bartali, the legendary Tuscan Italian cyclist who died in 2000 and is acclaimed in his home country of Italy, but less well known internationally, is a heroic figure, not only in his sport, but even more outside of it, as documented in a recent biography.”

Sinai Jihadi group says responsible for Israel attack in June

CIFWatch (satire)Palestinians call for sanctions against Britain following Olympic opening; Lieberman to consider UK request to establish more Israeli settlements

“Palestinian non-negotiator Saeb (“we will only negotiate after you first agree to our terms”) Erekat pointed out that William Blake was really a Palestinian whose name was “Balak”, and the poem he wrote in 1492 was originally called “Al Kuds”. He wrote it after he invented algebra.”
“On the other hand”, Freedland continued,” if Israel has to try to absorb 60 millions Brits that could imperil the Jewish character of the State of Israel and the original Zionist concept of Manchester as a Jewish homeland.” The Guardian’s editors are still trying to understand his last comment and are wondering if it has anything to do with circumcision, a topic of great concern to its readers.

Also:

Two Australian BDSers found guilty of assault

No BDS for This Intractable Middle East Conflict (CAMERA)

NGO Monitor on EU relations with Israel vs. EU NGO's relations

(h/t Harry, O.)

Unmarried couple in Mali stoned to death by Islamists

From Al Arabiya:

Islamists occupying the northern Mali town of Aguelhok stoned an unmarried couple to death in front of about 200 people on Sunday, two local government officials said.

“I was there. The Islamists took the unmarried couple to the center of Aguelhok. The couple was placed in two holes and the Islamists stoned them to death,” said a local government official on condition of anonymity.

“The woman fainted after the first few blows,” he said, adding that the man had shouted out once and then fallen silent.

A second official confirmed the information, saying the couple had two children, the youngest of which was six months old.

“They were living in the bush, they were brought to town by the Islamists who stoned them to death. People came out to watch, there were witnesses,” he said, also not wishing to be identified.

The small town in the region of Kidal near the Algerian border was one of the first to be captured by Tuareg separatists rebels on January 24.

Some 82 civilians and soldiers were summarily executed, France said earlier this year, accusing the rebels of using al-Qaeda style tactics.

The Tuareg rebellion sparked a coup d’etat in March by angry and overwhelmed soldiers, but the chaos only allowed the desert nomads and Islamists fighting on their flanks to seize the country’s north, an area larger than France.

The Islamist groups, which experts say are acting under the aegis of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have since chased out the Tuareg separatists and are firmly in control of the region.

India police say Iran behind diplomat attack in February

From the Times of India:

Alleging that an Iranian state agency was involved in the February 13 bomb attack on an Israeli diplomat in the capital, the Delhi Police has concluded that the suspects were members of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of the nation's military.

The investigation report, exclusively accessed by TOI, states that the IRGC members had discussed the plan to attack the Israeli diplomats in India and other countries with Indian journalist Syed Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi in January 2011, after Iranian scientists had been attacked allegedly by the Israelis. The cops have also learnt that Kazmi was in touch with these people for almost 10 years.

Details about the suspects have been shared with Iran through a letter rogatory. Delhi Police has sought more details of the five IRGC members, including the main bomber, Houshang Afshar Irani, who mentions his profession in Iran as a builder, Sedaghatzadeh Masoud (sales employee in a commercial company on Baharestan St, Tehran), Syed Ali Mahdiansadr (a mobile shopkeeper in Tehran), Mohammad Reza Abolghasemi (clerk in the finance department of Tehran's water authority) and Ali Akbar Norouzishayan (a retired accountant in Tehran).

According to the sources, Masoud is said to be the operational head and it was he who planned the attacks in Georgia, Bangkok and Delhi.

Apart from these five, police have also come across the role of an Iranian woman, identified as Leila Rohani, in the February 13 attack in New Delhi as well as the attacks in Bangkok and Georgia, and has sought details about her as well from Iran. Rohani had allegedly helped Iranian suspects in Bangkok attack of February 14 in getting a flat, after which she fled to Tehran.

But....Iran denied it!

And Juan Cole knows that the Indian police really don't suspect Iran! In fact, he wrote:

American media that just parrot notorious thug, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in this unlikely allegation are allowing themselves to be used for propaganda.

Can a "notorious thug" be right and an esteemed academic with a track record of unvarnished truth be wrong? Is it possible that the wonderful leaders of Iran are not telling the truth?

Too...much...cognitive...dissonance....gahh!

(h/t Yoel)

Drawing, photo of Bulgaria bomber released (graphic)

Here is an image o the Bulgaria bomber pieced together by authorities based on his remains, according to a Romanian news site that says this has been confirmed by Bulgarian police:

The photo of his head were leaked by a Bulgarian site:

As Novite says:

The photos released by Bivol.bg show the distorted face of a young blue-eyed Caucasian male with black hair. The photos have seemingly been computer modified, Bivol.bg notes without specifying the source of the photos.

The report states that the images of the alleged Burgas Bus Bombing perpetrator further questions the version presented to the Bulgarian and international public by Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov that the attack was committed by a suicide bomber as it appears increasingly more likely that the bomber was in fact used as a "mule" by the real organizers of the attack.

According to this version, the young man was blown up from a distance without being aware that he was smuggling explosives into a bus that was supposed to take Israeli tourists from the Burgas Airport in Sarafovo to the Sunny Beach resort.

Bivol.bg cites as further evidence for this version the testimonies of an Israeli tourists, Gilat Kulangiya, who says she saw how the bomber removed suitcases from the baggage compartment of the bus in order to place there his bag; this led to a scandal between the bomber and Kulangiya's husband and another tourist, which is when the explosion occurred. The report presumes that the actual organizers of the terrorist attack decided to detonate the explosives in the backpack upon seeing the row from a distance.

Bivol.bg reminds the statement of former Chief of Israel's Counter-Terrorism Bureau, Brigadier General Nitzan Nuriel, who snubbed the suicide bomber version of the Bulgarian investigators, saying that the perpetrator was not a suicide bomber because he would have detonated the bomb in a different way to inflict more casualties, and that his task was to place the explosives on the bus.

Bivol's report notes further than on Friday the Bulgarian government members and MPs continued to reiterate the suicide bomber version in order to justify the failure of the Bulgarian security and intelligence services to prevent the July 18 terrorist attack, and reminds the conflicting statements of the Bulgarian leadership, with PM Boyko Borisov saying at one point that the bomber might have entered Bulgaria from the Schengen Area, while Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said there was no data that the bomber had been present on EU territory.

The site also says that original suspected accomplice is still potentially the person wanted for remotely detonating the bomb:

The former detainee at Guantanamo, Mehdi Ghezali, might in fact be the wanted accomplice involved in the July 18 terrorist attack in Bulgaria's Burgas, judging by his photos and computer-generated images of the potential accomplice.

The days immediately after the Burgas Bus Bombing saw initial media reports that Mehdi Ghezali, a Swedish citizen and former Guantanamo inmate, was a possible suspect to be the actual suicide bomber. This information was quickly repudiated by the police authorities of Bulgaria and Sweden, which, however, made no mention of Ghezali's current location and occupation, and provided no grounds to base their claims on.

A comparison of Ghezali's photo, which can easily be found online, where he has short hair, appears to match the computer-generated image distributed on July 21 by Israeli media of a man, who is believed to have been an accomplice in the Burgas terrorist attack, and might even have been the one who detonated the bomb from a distance once the suspected mule placed it on the bus filled with Israeli tourists. (Please see the photos above).

The computer-generated image of the wanted accomplice or perpetrator (if he was the one who detonated the bomb) in question appears to be based on testimonies of Bulgarian witnesses. Initial media investigations in Bulgaria, however, were based on the statement of the Bulgarian government that the attack was committed by a suicide bomber (which is different from the "mule blown up from a distance" version mentioned above); that is why most reports at first assumed that the description provided by witnesses must match that of a suicide bomber acting alone.

Here's another photo of the dead bomber's head and the reconstructed faces based on it:

VIDEO: Michael Coren on Zionism, the Arab world and the Olympics

Worth watching:

(h/t O)

Objectivity, Palestinian Arab-style (Arafat death edition)

An unintentionally funny story from Ma'an:

The investigation into late President Yasser Arafat's death is ongoing, director of the committee responsible for the inquiry said Sunday.

Tawfiq al-Tirawi told Ma'an that a medical committee headed by Abdullah al-Basheer is undertaking research in coordination with international specialists and will brief officials on the results once investigations reach their final stages.

"We haven't initiated the investigation based on the hypothesis that Arafat was killed by poison, but we agreed to begin an investigation searching directly for the killer regardless of the medical reports which will eventually show the method of killing and name of the toxin," al-Tirawi told Ma'an.

"All Palestinian people know the truth about Arafat’s death," he added, stressing that the committee needs time to get produce results.

See how objective al-Tirawi is? The investigation into Arafat's death is completely unbiased, except that he already knows that Arafat was killed and who did it.

Video of Syrian MP threatening using biological, chemical weapons

From MEMRI:

Following are excerpts from several TV interviews with Syrian MPs and Lebanese sympathizers, which aired on various TV channels in July 2012.

Al-Manar TV, July 20, 2012:

Syrian MP Ahmad Shlash, deputy chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee: These biological and chemical weapons are intended for a confrontation with the country's enemies.

As for those terrorist groups, the defenders of the land can get rid of them...

Interviewer: Yesterday, Ehud Barak toured the area...

Ahmad Shlash: Let him tour it. He wants to see where he will be buried if he tries to...

He's wondering what hole will be dug for him...

Let me tell you something. I cannot tell a lie. We have biological weapons. What's the problem? We have advanced weapons. Why lie to the people? We have them. That is what's known as the balance of power. You have nuclear weapons, and we have advanced biological weapons.

We counter might with might, but we're keeping this for the end. If you consider using nuclear weapons, we will use something equivalent, or something that causes similar damage.

Nasrallah said that Syria has drastically changed its [military] systems. Syria no longer relies upon artillery, tanks, and airplanes. Syria relies upon missiles. We have all types of missiles. All types of missiles!

Let them bear in mind and take into consideration that Syria has both chemical and biological weapons.

[...]

I would like to convey a message to my beloved Syrian president. Honorable President, enough with the leniency and the tolerance. Enough giving one respite after another. I am against the principle of tolerance. If you want to be tolerant toward someone – save it for later. This is the time to finish it off militarily – throughout the country. For the sake of Allah, oh President, the people want you to finish it off.

Al-Manar TV, July 23, 2012:

Interviewer: We are talking about unconventional weapons. Today, Syrian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Jihad al-Maqdisi said: "We will use these weapons in the event of a foreign attack."

Syrian MP Sharif Shehadeh: So, what's wrong with that?

Interviewer: You're taking precautions for any attack on you?

Sharif Shehadeh: I don't know, but if the Syrian government has weapons of that type – of course they will use them against any attacker. What should we do with them? Make tabouleh or fattoush salads? Of course we will use them against of attackers. That's only natural. When Israel was waging war against Syria and Lebanon, they used cluster bombs, which are banned internationally. Why is Israel allowed to do this while the Arabs must accept being tramped underfoot on a daily basis? Let me tell you, the Syrian public is hoping for a war. The Syrian public is hoping that we will wage a war. Either [they win, or we do].

[...]

Al-Dunya TV, July 24, 2012:

Syrian MP 'Issam Khalil: I'd like to say to those [Israelis]: The missiles of Hizbullah, which defeated you in the 2006 war, were nothing more than extremely simple fireworks compared with the firepower that Syria has in stock, which could burn you to ashes. This is well known. I'm not revealing any secret. The range [of our missiles] far exceeds what you believe. Indeed, Syria possesses weaponry, as is its right, because its facing the danger of the Zionist enemy.

NBN TV, July 10, 2012:

Hizbullah MP Brig.-Gen. [ret.] Walid Sakariya: The coalition between Syria, Iraq, and Iran builds up a power superior to Israel, even without nuclear weapons. They can annihilate Israel in a war, even if it costs them a million martyrs. We should not consider the figure of one million martyrs to be catastrophic. By no means. The USSR sacrificed 26 million martyrs in WWII, yet it became a world superpower. France and Germany suffered 6-7 million casualties in the war. We have a total population of 130 million in these three countries

If 5,000 martyrs are sacrificed out of everyone one million people...

It's like in the 2006 war – this is a price that we can cope with. Even 10,000 martyrs per million... You could easily afford a million martyrs.

Interviewer: Now we are over-simplifying things...

Walid Sakariya: It's true. People need to know this, rather than delude themselves that 100 martyrs is such a big deal. It’s not the end of the world. The living nations are the ones that are prepared to sacrifice blood for the sake of their freedom. Those that are not willing to pay for freedom with their blood will remain subjugated and will live the life of a slave.

Al-Mayadeen TV, July 24, 2012:

General Mustafa Hamdan, Former Head of Lebanese Presidential Guard: If foreign soldiers or forces try to enter Syria, there will be an all-out war – not only with chemical weapons, but with biological weapons as well. Davutoğlu Effendi also declared: We may participate in an operation within Syria. They deployed some surface-to-air missiles, in an attempt to raise the morale of the saboteurs in Syria. The Syrian reaction was quick: Any attempt of foreign intervention will lead to an all-out war, in which all types of weapons will be used, including chemical and biological.

The fake Tunisian Olympic hero

A Facebook page has popped up saluting Tunisian swimmer Taqi Murabit for refusing to compete against Israeli swimmer Gal Nevo, featuring this photo that is being copied all over the place in the Arab blogosphere:

It would have been a great story, but it is a lie. Mrabet did compete against the Israeli and was in the pool at time - but he was disqualified.

From Tunisia Live:

Tunisia’s quest for Olympic glory is off to a rocky start as Taki Mrabet has been disqualified in the first heat of the 400m Individual Medley.

Violations punishable by disqualification include not observing the required strokes during the medley (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle) and exceeding the underwater distance limit in the freestyle section, among other violations.

According to the news agency TAP, Mrabet was disqualified by a judge for a technical foul.

But perhaps he purposefully drew a foul so as not to enter the same disgusting waters as the Israeli?

Well, no. Here is the video of the heat, showing all eight swimmers in the pool, that I grabbed from Israel's "One" website (UPDATE - video taken down for copyright violation but you can see it on the Israeli site..)

Israeli swimmer Gal Nevo is in lane 1, Mrabet is in lane 8, as the NBC Olympics site shows:

So in reality, the Tunisian was disqualified for a technical foul, but he did try to compete against Israel. And now fans are trying to cover up for his ignominious outing by pretending that he disqualified himself on principle.

(h/t MJ)

Oh, by the way, terrorists are still shooting rockets at Israel

YNet reports two Qassams being fired on Friday night, and four rockets being shot on Saturday. GANSO says on of the Saturday rockets was a Grad. Arutz 7 counted two rockets Saturday night, for a total of eight over the weekend.

But having terrorists shooting rockets aiming at women and children into your country is considered acceptable behavior by the world (when your country is Israel.) So this is hardly even worth mentioning.

Muslims don't like loud calls to prayer either

From The Algemeiner, July 16:

Residents of the French Hill neighborhood in Jerusalem plan to combat Arab prayer-calls by blasting music from loudspeakers, in defiance of Arab religious conventions. According to Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot, Israelis plan to broadcast music from loudspeakers positioned toward a mosque in the Arab village Al Issawiya, located in Jerusalem on Mount Scopus near Hadassah Hospital.

A widespread practice among Muslims, the adhan is a call for Muslims to attend voluntary prayers that are broadcast from a Mosque’s large towers called minarets, like the one standing over the western wall in Jerusalem. In previous centuries, the muezzin, leader of the adhan, would stand atop the minaret and project his voice, but technological advances have yielded microphones and loudspeakers, which are now utilized to project the adhan remotely at volumes of up to 100 decibels. Jerusalem residents are often bothered by the noise because adhans occur before each of the five daily Muslims prayers, the first of which begins before sunrise, and feature Arabic versions of the basic Muslim creed, to persuade Muslims to attend mandatory prayer service.

In an effort to convey their displeasure, residents of Jerusalem’s Givah Tsarfatit, or French Hill neighborhood, have approached an amplification company with intentions of buying four giant loudspeakers, from which rock and roll music will be played to clash with the Muslim prayer songs. The music, specifically chosen from the hard rock musical genre rather than mellower styles like classical or Mediterranean music, will be played when the Muslim broadcasts begin.

The campaign to limit the Muslim broadcast has until now taken place at Jerusalem’s city hall, where attempted negotiations between the village of Al-Issawiya and the French Hill have taken place. The agreements yielded a promise by Al Issawiya to lower the noise level of their adhans, but French Hill inhabitants claim that no such change has been instituted, leading to the launch of their more drastic rock and roll campaign.

If the campaign is successful, other neighborhoods have pledged to follow suit.

There go those Jews again, disrespecting the rights of Muslims to blast their prayer calls as loud as they want at any hour of the day.

But the loudspeakers seem to bother some Muslims, too:

In Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs banned small mosques from using loudspeakers for the nightly tarawih prayer in Ramadan. The sounds of prayers coming from different mosques at the same time can be confusing, the ministry said explaining the rationale behind their decision.

“Raising the sound of loudspeakers above the accepted level is not permissible,” said Sheikh Tawfiq al-Sayegh, imam of a mosque in the coastal city of Jeddah, to Okaz daily. “There are ill and elderly people in the neighboring houses who need rest and quietness.”

However, the ministry is struggling to enforce their decision. Writing for the same paper, columnist Humoud Abu Talib said very few mosques have actually respected the ministry’s instructions to control the noise levels.

And in Indonesia:

In a move few could have predicted, Indonesia’s hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) threw their support on Wednesday behind calls to curb the excessive use of loud speakers by mosques during Ramadan.

“It is indeed better that mosques adjust their loud speakers when reciting the Koran, so as not to disturb other people, especially if the reciters can’t recite fluently or don’t understand what they are reading, lest there be negative comments from others,” the head of the Jakarta office of the FPI, Habib Salim bin Umar Alatas, told beritasatu.com on Wednesday.

Central Kalimantan’s deputy governor Achmad Diran asked local mosques on Wednesday to refrain from blasting their speakers sporadically throughout the day.

“Don’t use loud speakers when reciting the Koran. Take pity on people of different faiths who want to rest,” Achmad said during an event in Palangkaraya on Wednesday.

The Jakarta branch of the FPI — usually known for inciting angry protests against “immoral” culture — surprisingly agreed.

“If they recite well and understand what they read, then [using loud speakers] should be okay; it might even inspire remorse to those who hear it. But please don’t be too loud, and do it only during the day not at night,” Salim said.

The difference, of course, is when Muslims complain about loud calls to prayer, it is an internal matter; when Jews complain, it is Islamophobia.

Links

From Ian:

An Olympic insult to Israel’s murdered athletes

A 12 word exchange tells you all you need to know about the international community and Israel
“You didn't hear the voice of the world,“ the two ladies exclaimed. “'Yes, I did," he replied. That, according to the Jewish Chronicle, was the exchange of words at a meeting earlier this week between two Munich massacre widows and the president of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, who refused their request for a minute’s silence at the opening of the London games."

Memorial for 1972 Israeli Athletes Held at Trafalgar Square Ahead of Opening Ceremonies

New York Jews lambast IOC over silence

Rudy Giuliani: Obama as Friend of Israel Is “Biggest Joke I’ve Ever Heard” (VIDEO)

'U.N. Me' is a must see

“Filmmaker Ami Horowitz joins Brian Lilley to discuss his new documentary which exposes the truly useless nature of the United Nations.”

Bulgaria Attack: The Victims’ Stories

Man in CCTV footage not the Burgas bomber, investigator claims
Doctor who carried out autopsy says evidence doesn’t match suspect from airport video

MK blames Israel for Burgas bombing

‘Israel is not a victim, and even when civilians are killed, the occupying Israeli policy is to blame,’ says Haneen Zoabi

The Attacks on Israelis You Won’t Read About Anywhere Else, July 24-26

Infographic: Last week, 39,795 Tons of Goods Entered Gaza From Israel

David Singer On The Palestine Mandate As Israel's Entitlement To Claim West Bank Sovereignty

'The Levy Commission’s resurrection of the Mandate for Palestine as the legal title deed establishing Israel’s entitlement to claim sovereignty in the West Bank has come 48 years after the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) first tried to bury it.”

Why is EU refusing to label Hezbollah as terrorists?

Analysis: Dutch appear ready for ban on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, while Germany, France have showed no appetite for one.

Police bar Jews from Tisha B’Av visits to Temple Mount, fearing disturbances

“Activist says it’s ‘shameful’ Jews can’t ascend to site where Temples once stood”

PM tells Romney: We need ‘strong and credible military threat’ against Iran

Romney: I listen to your views with ‘great seriousness.’ Republican presidential candidate says he’s honored to visit Jerusalem on Tisha B’Av and to ‘recognize the solemnity of the day and also the suffering of the Jewish people’

Netanyahu flatly denies AP story on Israelis spying on CIA

‘This is a false report,’ says Prime Minister’s Office, rejecting Associated Press article that claims US national security officials consider Israel to be ‘a genuine counterintelligence threat’

Gaza terrorists fire 4 rockets on southern Israel
Missiles explode in unpopulated areas near Sderot and in Eshkol region

Jihadi Group Releases Video Documenting Its Attacks Against Egyptian Gas Pipeline To Israel

‘Prisoners of War,’ inspiration for TV drama ‘Homeland,’ now airing on Hulu
US online streaming site airing new episodes every Saturday

Archaeology news part 2: Stone seal depicting Samson?

Ma'ariv reports on the discovery of a stone seal that seems to depict an image of a man holding onto a lion-like animal with a large head and tail.

The seal was excavated in Tel Bet Shemesh, and comes from around the 11th century BCE, the same time period that the biblical Samson was said to have lived, according to the archaeologists who discovered it, Prof. Shlomo Bunimovitz and Dr. Zvi Lederman from Tel Aviv University.

In the Biblical story from Judges 14, Samson killed a lion with his bare hands, and used it as a source for a riddle that ended up starting a feud with the Philistines.

The archaeologists also discovered an early pre-Kingdom temple in the area, which had thousands of animal bones that seemed to be of Israelite origin.

(h/t Yoel)

Archaeology news part 1: "Mass grave from Temple destruction"

From Israel HaYom:

Remains of thousands of Jews massacred by the Romans on the Temple Mount at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple may have been uncovered in Jerusalem, according to a veteran archaeological journalist.

During a conference on Thursday at Megalim – the City of David Institute for Jerusalem Studies, journalist Benny Liss screened a movie recorded a few years ago that clearly shows thousands of skeletons and human bones in what appears to be a mass grave.

Liss, veteran archaeological correspondent for Israel's Channel 1, told the amazed audience that the film had been shot in a spacious, underground cavern in the area of the Mercy Gate, near the eastern wall of the Temple Mount, but just outside it. Liss raised the possibility that the skeletons were the remains of 6,000 Jews, mostly women and children, killed on the Temple Mount when the Romans destroyed the Second Temple, as described in the writings of Flavius Josephus, who witnessed the destruction.

The movie shows a group of people accessing the cavern with construction tools. Liss goes in first, followed by a lighting technician and cameraman. The three first pass through a narrow passage and then enter the cave with the skeletal remains. Liss says he tried to work out the size of the pile of remains by putting his hand in as far as he could, but he could not reach the bottom. The movie shows Liss crumbling some of the carbonized materials near the skeletons. As soon as Liss left the cave, Antiquities Authority staff resealed the cave, he says.

During the lecture, Liss also cites historical sources that show that in the area of the Old City where the Muslim cemetery now stands, there was once a Jewish neighborhood and cemetery, which was moved to the Valley of Josaphat. He basis his theory that the skeletons are the remains of the people killed on the Temple Mount on the site of the mass grave, the soot in the cave and the written history.

"The Romans stayed on the Temple Mount for a month after the destruction of the temple until going on to conquer the upper city [today's Jewish Quarter],” says Liss. “They had to get rid of the thousands of decomposing bodies and the most obvious place to do this would have been the natural caves on the upper slope of the mount, around Mercy Gate."

The veteran journalist emphasized that this was just a theory. "Now, after publishing this information, the experts should go into the field and examine what we found back then, evaluate it and publish their own findings," he says.

A host of senior archaeologists approached by Israel Hayom said that photographs were not enough to determine the history of the cave and that samples need to be taken from the site and dated.

The chances of the site being reopened are very slim as it is located in a particularly sensitive area, where the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf keeps a close watch and interprets every movement by Jews or Israeli authorities on the mount.

The Antiquities Authority said in response that it was unaware of the findings presented in Liss' movie, and it would be happy to receive the materials. One official told Israel Hayom that he was aware of unsubstantiated reports of a cave with a large amount of human remains in the area, but because of the extreme sensitivity of the location and its close proximity to the Muslim cemetery, the cave had never been explored.

Jordanians take biggest falafel record from "the Jews"

From MENAFN:

Jordan entered the Guinness Book of World Records on Saturday for the largest falafel weighing 74.75kg.

A representative from Guinness was present and confirmed that Jordan created the world's largest falafel.

"This is a great achievement and a difficult record to beat for years to come. We welcome everyone who successfully took part in the family of Guinness World Record holders," Annabel Lawady, adjudication manager at Guinness, said after announcing the results.

According to the Guinness World Book Record's official website, the previous record was set last year in the US when a 23.95kg ball of falafel was made at the Santa Clarita Valley Jewish Food and Cultural Festival in California.

In Arabic, the organizers make it clear that the idea that Jews had made the biggest falafel was an insult.

Jordan's Dostor newspaper describes the real impetus:

General Manager of Hotel Landmark Acer Batayneh told reporters that "the hotel managed this feat of stripping Jews of the claim to the Guinness world record for a falafel ball, as [Jews] try to market themselves to the world that they are the owners of heritage and roots in Palestine by stealing the culture of its inhabitants associated with the indigenous Palestinian dress and food to make it appear that they are the owners of the culture and roots in Palestine and the region. "

Batayneh said "We were able to break the record and to beat the Guinness record instead of the Jews to thwart the goal of the Jews aimed to introduce the impression in the minds of the West and the world that they are the makers and the heirs of Palestinian culture."

In other words, if some Chinese had decided to break the record, they wouldn't have minded so much, but when Jews did it, then they were all fired up.

Just more evidence that the Arab love of "Palestine" isn't real, but rather just a manifestation of hate towards Jews and Jewish nationalism.

As I've mentioned before, people who are secure in their own heritage aren't so quick to be insulted when others borrow it for whatever reason. I cannot imagine such hate coming from Jews or Israelis if Arabs decided to create the biggest gefilte fish or Bamba.

They would just laugh, which is the proper reaction to the constant Arab attempts to one-up Jews in order to assuage their own feelings of inferiority.

Bob Costas' moment of silence. Plus Al Jazeera's! (updated)

Here is what NBC's Bob Costas said when the Israeli Olympic delegation entered the stadium in London on Friday:

It might have only been five seconds, but it is appreciated.

Then again, Al Jazeera went silent at that same time, but for assuredly different reasons:

However, as soon as the Israeli delegation entered the stadium led by windsurfer Shahar Zubari who was wielding the Israeli flag with pride, the Arab broadcasters suddenly fell silent.

The festive ceremony was covered by the two renowned Arab sport commentators, Yousef Saif and Isam Shawali. As the Israeli team entered the stadium, Shawali said "They don't deserve it."

UPDATE: Here's the silence on Egyptian TV from commentator Essam Shawal when Israel entered the stadium, apparently the Al Jazeera feed:

(h/t Vandoren)

UPDATE 2: Canada's CTV's Brian Williams was even better:

(h/t Daled Amos)

Documentary on Israel's disengagement of Gaza

Because and Shabbat and Tisha B'Av, I will not be posting until at least Sunday afternoon.

The Land of Israel website suggests that people watch this documentary about Israel's disengagement of Gaza on Tisha B'Av, the saddest day of the year.

The 90 minute film, UNSETTLED, offers a personal behind-the-scenes look, both before and during the evacuation, at the people whose lives would forever be impacted by the events which unfolded during those difficult weeks. With the ramifications of the disengagement from Gaza still very evident today, this emotional documentary film takes you back to experience the event from the perspective of both the settler and the soldier.

Anti-semitic attack roundup

US:

Jewish campers terrorized in Pennsylvania:

Crown Heights youngster attacked with an iron rod

Greece:
The Greek Jewish community in a letter to political leaders and the country's president expressed its “revulsion” to the swearing-in of an antisemitic musician as a national lawmaker.

"...The Jewish community took particular exception to Mathaiopoulos, who was a bass player in a hard rock Greek band called Pogrom, which has a “repertoire of fiercely racist, fascist, vulgar and antisemitic songs,” the lettter said, noting that a song titled “Auschwitz," has lyrics like “fuck Anne Frank”, “fuck the tribe of Abraham” and “piss on the Wailing Wall.”"
Additional antisemitic slogans in the song Pogrom (video included the link) include: “Juden raus” and “Auschwitz, how much I love it” (translation based on http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/international/article/385/greek-jewish-community-blasts-hate-music-golden-dawn-mp-statement)

Hungary:
Hungary neo-Nazis: Cash for info on Jews at protest (with videos)

"Antisemitic website offers 100,000 Forints ($450) for data on participants in protest against suspected war criminal Csatary."
BTW: The first video showing the protest is titled (goggle translate):
"Hooked nose hung before an empty house in the Jewish mob vérszagra sink"
The link includes also videos in English

UN:
U.N.’s Richard Falk accuses “the organized Jewish community” of crimes against Palestinians

(h/t O.)

Weekend links

From Ian:

Latma Summer Series:
The callous Israel government

Mofaz seeks a partner
Dedicated to Jonathan Pollard "Close Every Door"

Video: Viral Response to BBC's Map: Olympic Team Salutes to Jerusalem

Video: CNN talks to the widow of Israeli coach Andre Spitzer. He was taken hostage and killed during the Olympics in Munich.

Cameron will attend Guildhall Munich commemoration

"David Cameron has agreed to attend the Guildhall commemoration to mark the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes at the hands of Palestinian terrorists 40 years in Munich."

Italian parliament holds a minute of silence for Munich victims

Palestinian Olympic goalie, Red Crescent staffers held for West Bank shooting

13 people allegedly planned further attacks on Israeli targets
“Omar Abu Rwayyis, 23, the Palestinian goalkeeper, obtained the two AK-47 guns that were used in the shooting, and carried out the attack together with another man, Salih Bar’al, the IDF said in a statement. Both men were said to be employees of the Palestinian Red Crescent, and Abu Rwayyis was also said to be a member of Hamas.”

Is appeasement of Hezbollah now EU policy?

“In his request to the EU to list Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said: "It would send the right signal to the international community and the Israeli people."
But in their rejection, the only sign the EU has sent is that Jewish blood is cheap, while appeasement of terrorism is now official EU policy. Moreover, the EU has missed a golden
opportunity to strike at the heart of Iran’s empire of terror.”

Blockade charade: The misguided campaign against Gazan border control

Five years since Hamas took power, the international community is still more interested in falsely castigating Israel than condemning the terrorist group
“... the Palmer Report invoked Article 51 of the UN Charter precisely because “[m]ore than 5,000 [rockets, missiles, and mortar bombs] were fired between 2005 and January 2009”. In light of this, it is curious that a signatory to the petition such as UNICEF should cite Article 33 without mention of Hamas, given that the latter half of the Article explicitly
prohibits “all measures of intimidation or of terrorism”, tactics that Hamas insatiably employs against Israel.”

5 arrested for terrorizing Pennsylvania Jewish camp

Suspects allegedly damaged property, shot paintball guns and hurled anti-Semitic slurs at Camp Bonim in Wayne County.

U.S., Lockheed reach deal on Israeli F-35s

Israel Daily Pictures:
The Jews' Wailing Place -- Photographed 150 Years Ago
Tisha B'Av -- Mourning at the Western Wall 90 Years Ago

Borat’s bubbe will whip you in shape
Sacha Baron Cohen’s 97-year-old grandma is an exercise instructor for the elderly

Also:

US Jewish Federations drop "Zionism" from their global plans

'We have to liberate Syria, then we'll go to Golan liberate Palestine,' refugee in Damascus neighborhood says

Al Qaeda providing instruction and guidance for Israeli wildfires? (Hebrew)

Israeli technology in F-35 fighter planes (Hebrew)

Huffington Post - on Tisha B'Av

Muslim owner of Santa Monica hotel sued for kicking out pro-Israel event

NPR notices Palestinian Arabs aren't happy with Abbas

(h/t Ishai, Yoel, Yerushalimey, Jonathan Schanzer tweet)

Olympics organizers build barrier between Lebanese, Israeli judo teams

Sportsmanship:

The Lebanese judo team at the 2012 London Olympics refused to practice next to the Israeli one on Friday afternoon, and a makeshift barrier was erected to split their gym into two halves.

According to several Hebrew sports sites, the two teams were scheduled to use the same gym and mats at London’s new ExCeL center for their final preparations. However, the delegation from Lebanon would not train in view of the Israeli team, and insisted some sort of barrier be placed between them.

Organizers accepted the Lebanese coach’s demand to separate the teams, erecting a barrier so that the Lebanese team wouldn’t see the Israeli one.

So the Olympic organizers cave to the demands of the haters.

Which would be unusual, except when the object of the hate is the Jewish state. Then it is A-OK.

"Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordechai the Jew sitting at the king's gate"

Today, Arabic media is reporting that as many as 100,000 Muslims have gone to the Al Aqsa Mosque and the courtyards of the Temple Mount for the second Friday in Ramadan.

Israeli police are coordinating the safe passage and human traffic jams through the streets of the Old City.

As far as I can tell, there were never anything close to this number of Muslims who ever came to the Temple Mount when it was under British or Jordanian control, even though Israel is restricting some men under 40 from coming.

Bur even so, every day this week we have seen angry stories about the daily visits of a few dozen Jews who are quietly and respectfully visiting Judaism's holiest spot, in this week before Tisha B'Av, the anniversary of both Temples' destruction.

So I am reminded of the verse that is the title of this post, from Esther 5:11-13:

And Haman recounted unto them the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and everything as to how the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king. Haman said moreover: 'Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to-morrow also am I invited by her together with the king. Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordechai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.'

This is the essense of anti-semitism.

Hate for Jews (or its more recent incarnation toward Jewish nationalists) has no logical basis.

It is not because others have "lost" anything. By any objective standard, Arab Israelis enjoy more freedom than any Arabs in Middle East history. Early Zionists worked hard to ensure that their building up the land would only benefit the Arabs there at the time.

The hate is visceral.

And because of this, there is nothing that Jews can do to make them liked better by the haters. A few of the more craven ones might be happily used by the anti-semites to advance their agenda, but in the end the hate is the only constant.

So all that today's Zionists can do is what they always have done. Do what is necessary to survive and prosper; work as hard as possible to act in a moral fashion, and ignore the haters - because there is nothing that can ever appease them.

Islamists, including Al Qaeda, increasing their role in Syrian opposition

From the NYT:

It is the sort of image that has become a staple of the Syrian revolution, a video of masked men calling themselves the Free Syrian Army and brandishing AK-47s — with one unsettling difference. In the background hang two flags of Al Qaeda, white Arabic writing on a black field.

The video, posted on YouTube, is one more bit of evidence that Al Qaeda and other Islamic extremists are doing their best to hijack the Syrian revolution, with a growing although still limited success that has American intelligence officials publicly concerned, and Iraqi officials next door openly alarmed.

While leaders of the Syrian political and military opposition continue to deny any role for the extremists, Al Qaeda has helped to change the nature of the conflict, injecting the weapon it perfected in Iraq — suicide bombings — into the battle against President Bashar al-Assad with growing frequency.

The evidence is mounting that Syria has become a magnet for Sunni extremists, including those operating under the banner of Al Qaeda. An important border crossing with Turkey that fell into Syrian rebels’ hands last week, Bab al-Hawa, has quickly become a jihadist congregating point.

The presence of jihadists in Syria has accelerated in recent days in part because of a convergence with the sectarian tensions across the country’s long border in Iraq. Al Qaeda, through an audio statement, has just made an undisguised bid to link its insurgency in Iraq with the revolution in Syria, depicting both as sectarian conflicts — Sunnis versus Shiites.

Iraqi officials said the extremists operating in Syria are in many cases the very same militants striking across their country. “We are 100 percent sure from security coordination with Syrian authorities that the wanted names that we have are the same wanted names that the Syrian authorities have, especially within the last three months,” Izzat al-Shahbandar — a close aide to the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki — said in an interview on Tuesday. “Al Qaeda that is operating in Iraq is the same as that which is operating in Syria,” he said.

One Qaeda operative, a 56-year-old known as Abu Thuha who lives in the Hawija district near Kirkuk in Iraq, spoke to an Iraqi reporter for The New York Times on Tuesday. “We have experience now fighting the Americans, and more experience now with the Syrian revolution,” he said. “Our big hope is to form a Syrian-Iraqi Islamic state for all Muslims, and then announce our war against Iran and Israel, and free Palestine.”

Although he is a low-level operative, his grandiose plans have been echoed by Al Nusra Front for the People of the Levant, which military and intelligence analysts say is the major Qaeda affiliate operating in Syria, with two other Qaeda-linked groups also claiming to be active there, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades and Al Baraa ibn Malik Martyrdom Brigade.

The article includes denials from the Free Syrian Army that there are any Al Qaeda members there at all.

(h/t Yoel)

BDSers - and the PA - furious over increased Israel/EU ties

On Tuesday, the European Union put out a document detailing ongoing ties between Israel and Europe and an increased set of initiatives. Here are excerpts from the document:

The European Union (EU) warmly welcomes this 11th meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council as a demonstration of the significance the EU attaches to its relations with the State of Israel. The EU reiterates the importance of further developing our broad bilateral partnership and looks forward to a comprehensive dialogue and cooperation with our Israeli counterparts.

The EU takes note of the efforts of both parties to develop bilateral relations in the period since the previous meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council. These efforts were framed by the general EU position, as it was established on the occasion of the June 2009 Association Council, that the 2008 decision to upgrade our relations in the framework of the ENP clearly stemmed from common awareness of the traditional links, the cultural and human values, and the economic and security interests that the EU and Israel share.

On exploring the opportunities of the current Action Plan, the EU recalls the exhaustive discussions on the issue, which resulted in a comprehensive list of up to 60 concrete activities in over 15 specific fields, including cooperation with a number of EU agencies within the current policy framework.... The EU welcomes the approval of these activities by the Association Committee and encourages the two parties to actively and urgently implement them, so as to fully demonstrate the capacity of the current EU-Israel Action Plan to deliver more benefits to the EU-Israel partnership.

Israel continued to benefit from a yearly allocation through the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) in the form of institutional cooperation (twinning projects). The EU takes note with satisfaction of the successful completion in the past year of twinning projects with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission and the Ministry of Communications.

The EU reiterates its fundamental commitment to Israel’s security, including with regard to vital threats in the region, which is best guaranteed through peace between Israel and its neighbours. The EU is appalled by recurring rocket attacks from Gaza and condemns in the strongest terms violence deliberately targeting civilians. The EU reiterates its call on all partners in the region for the effective prevention of arms smuggling into Gaza.

The EU and Israel signed an agreement on trade in agricultural, processed agricultural, fish and fishery products in November 2009, which entered into force on 1 January 2010. The implementation of this agreement has already led to a visible increase in overall bilateral trade in these sectors.

In the field of environmental protection, the EU finds the intensification of bilateral cooperation of the highest importance.

Predictably, the BDS crowd which has been pretending that they have been making progress into turning Isrsel into a pariah state is incensed:

The Palestinian Council of Human Rights Organizations (PCHRO), a coalition of 11 Palestinian rights groups, Thursday strongly denounced European Union decision to upgrade its cooperation with Israel, accusing the EU of betraying its own principles.

So is the PA, which still subscribes to the zero-sum game mentality that holds that anything that helps Israel hurts Palestinian Arabs (and vice versa):

Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Bargouthi joined a coalition of rights groups on Thursday expressing outrage at the European Union's expansion of cooperation with Israel.

Bargouthi said the upgrading of bilateral ties was granted in contradiction to the EU's political position criticizing Israel's illegal settlement expansion, occupation and violations of international human rights laws.

Europe's decision will encourage Israel to continue its aggression toward Palestinians and breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Palestinian National Initiative leader said in a statement.

It seems beyond comprehension of the "pro-Palestinian" crowd that Israel's feelings of security, helped by announcements like these, make it more likely to make concessions to Palestinian Arabs, not less.

But then again, if their real objective is not to help build a Palestinian Arab state but to destroy the Palestinian Jewish state, then their statements and actions are perfectly consistent with their goals.

Washington still can't decide where Jerusalem is

This video of White House Press Secretary Jay Carney dodging the question of what the capital of Israel is has been exploding all over the Internet:

This recalls the even more uncomfortable press briefing from March of Victoria Nuland, spokesperson for the State Department, spending a full two minutes avoiding the question of whether Jerusalem or Tel Aviv is the capital of Israel:

It will be remembered that last year, when Daniel Halper noted that the White House website had photo captions that identified Joe Biden in "Jerusalem, Israel" - but within two hours of his publishing that, the White House scrubbed all mentions of "Israel" together with "Jerusalem" on its website.

Earlier this month, Hilary Clinton seemingly accidentally referred to herself being "here in Israel" when speaking in Jerusalem.

This article is invaluable in seeing how the US position on Jerusalem evolved from 1967 to 2006. However, for the most part, the idea that the parts of Jerusalem within the Green Line are not even a part of Israel to begin with has only been emphasized in more recent years, possibly as the result of more specific questions by reporters.

Video Tralier - Ameer Got His Gun

An Israeli documentary about an Arab volunteer for the IDF:

The trailer shows some apparent racism against Arabs in the army, although the way it was edited it is hard to know if the filmmakers deliberately made it sound worse than it was - army buddies will use very dark humor, for example.

More in Hebrew here. Hebrew trailer (different scenes) here.

English-language review here.

(h/t Yoel)

UPDATE: A reader emailed me:

The comments you're referring to are from Mishmar HaGvul (Border Patrol) soldiers, if I'm not mistaken. Probably Druze, not Juze.

Jordanians upset at Jews praying

JordanZad and other Jordanian media report on a group of yeshiva student "settlers" who managed to get permission to visit the traditional tomb of Aaron in Petra.

The Jews had to climb a mountain using camels and donkeys to reach the site, according to the rabbi who led the trip.

And the locals weren't happy.

According to the article:

Citizens are upset: The fact that the extremist settlers are practicing their religion in Jordan shows great disregard for the feelings of the people. The government must take all the responsibility of allowing them to enter Jordan and visit places dear to us and practice their religion in it.

Most of the commenters are upset too. One of them defended the Jews, saying that Jordan has freedom of religion and theyshould be allowed to visit - but he quickly said that he wasn't defending the Jews who are arrogant and disrespectful people, but their religious rituals should not be disturbed.

Another commented that Jews were burying fake archaeological artifacts in Petra in order to claim the land, and others keep trying to buy it.

UAE confiscated shoes "with ‘Allah’ printed on the soles"

From 7 Days in Dubai, and lots of Arabic media:

FOOTWEAR with ‘Allah’ printed on the soles has been confiscated from a shop in Ras Al Khaimah.

The Department of Economic Development in RAK seized the shoes following a complaint by a woman who bought a pair from the shop.

The inspectors from the department raided the shop and confiscated 21 pairs of the shoes.

Omar Al Bayed, head of the complaints section at the department of economic development in RAK said: “The shoes have been seized because they bore words deemed to offend the Islamic Religion.

“The shop owner has also been warned not to sell such items again as it’s against the country’s commercial laws.”

The officer said that inspections of shops and retail stores in the emirate will continue to ensure that all traders comply with the laws.

Are you ready to see these offensive shoes?

Let's look a little closer, and reverse the image so we can see what imprint the shoe would leave in soil:

Not sure if it says "Rre" or "Rie" - or perhaps even Rio - but I know this isn't Arabic.

Egyptian newspaper: "Death to the Jews"

Here is one of the top stories on the from page of Misr El Gdida, and Egyptian tabloid-style newspaper:

And in English:

Yup...that's the headline.

The article is about an alleged arrest that Israeli soldiers made this morning of an imam in the Al Aqsa mosque while he was praying.

The imam, curiously, is not named, making the entire article more than suspect. But if you are going to incite genocide, what's wrong with starting it with a lie?

Links

From Ian:

Iran accuses Israel of plotting Bulgaria bus attack

At UNSC debate on Middle East, Iran's UN envoy says Israel conducted terrorist bombing that killed 5 Israel tourists.
"Such terrorist operation could only be planned and carried out by the same regime whose short history is full of state terrorism operations and assassinations aimed implicating others for narrow political gains," Khazaee (Iran) said. "I could provide ... many examples showing that this regime killed its own citizens and innocent Jewish people during the last couple of decades.

Amb Waxman: Statement to the UN Security Council

“A clear line of terror runs from the bombing in Argentina to the attack in Bulgaria. It begins and ends in Iran. The Iranian campaign of terrorism is a plague that threatens not only Israelis and Jews, but innocent people all over the globe.”

Co-Op group under fire for 'hypocritical' Israeli boycott

The Co-Operative Group have come under fire for backing a boycott of certain Israeli goods while not ruling out major human rights offenders
"In tweets addressed to Dr. Ellie Cannon of The Daily Mail and Jewish Chronicle, The Co-Cperative Group said, "Neither Syria nor Saudi Arabia meet the criteria for a ban" under the organisation's Human Rights and Trade Policy - and yet one Middle Eastern country, the only functioning democracy in the region, falls foul in the eyes of The Co-Op. "

Tony Blair: 'The West is asleep on the issue of Islamist extremism'

The former Labour prime minister talks about religion and politics, lessons from the financial crisis and the future of the euro

JPost Editorial: BBC Bias

“The British Broadcasting Corporation could never be accused of showering Israel with sympathy, or even credited with gracing Israel with the rudiments of objectivity. Nonetheless, the BBC has managed to flabbergast even those Israelis who hadn’t expected minimal fairness from it.”

(See also this showing how the BBC illustrated Israel as a country altogether- EoZ)

Guardian Praises Anti-Semitic Site “CounterPunch” as Progressive

"However, the most egregious anti-Semitic sin of far left broadsheets, such as the Guardian newspaper, is their legitimization – even praise – for anti-Semites who do advance such racist calumnies about the Jewish people."

The Guardian and Glenn Greenwald: The anti-imperialism of fools

“The Guardian’s most egregious moral blind spot – especially in light of the media group’s claim to represent anti-racist values – pertains to their editors’ licensing of commentators who possess an antipathy towards Jews and routinely advance tropes indistinguishable from what is normally associated with far-right Judeophobia.”

Hillary Clinton urges IOC to commemorate Munich massacre
US secretary of state joins growing chorus of calls for moment of silence for Israeli athletes

No security at Israeli swimmers' Olympic training camp
Team holds training camp in England with no security measures in place at site. Israeli officials refusing to take responsibility; local police deny report

Israeli legal group warns British telecom company to stop aiding Iran
Shurat HaDin says Inmarsat helps Tehran perpetrate terrorism by providing Iranian ships with satellite services

Muslim Persecution of Christians June, 2012

Nike Nakba! Egyptian athletes given 'fake Nike uniforms' to wear at Olympics

Egyptian intelligence chief meets with terrorist leaders

Today, Hamas' Gaza leader Ismail Haniyeh met with Egyptian intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Murad Mowafy.

This is not too surprising; after all Egypt's president Mohamed Morsi met with Hamas politburo leader Khaled Meshal last week.

But what should raise eyebrows in the West is that Mowafy also met today with Islamic Jihad's leader in Gaza, Ramadan Shalah.

Some leftist Westerners have tried to argue that Hamas, by being elected and by assuming a political role, is more than a terrorist organization and should be engaged. They are willing to look the other way when Hamas (or, for that matter, Hezbollah) shoots rockets at civilians or assassinates opponents. They say that "you can only make peace with your enemies." They seize on any hint of moderation or pragmatism on the part of unrepentant terrorist groups because, in their wishful thinking, they hope that the groups can change.

But Islamic Jihad has none of these attributes. It is a terrorist group and nothing else. There is no daylight between Islamic Jihad and Al Qaeda in philosophy or tactics.

For Egyptian officials to meet with Islamic Jihad should elicit a strong protest from the US, UN and the EU. Now, early in Morsi's term, is the time that the West should make it clear that coddling terrorists is not acceptable, even for the Muslim Brotherhood.

But...this meeting will be ignored.

Because in today's political climate, Don't Upset the Muslims is Rule #1.

UN comes out against Arab "normalization" with Israel

Here's how the UN describes itself:

The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights.

What happens when these wonderful platitudes are tested in the real world?

This:

The UN Middle East envoy announced on Wednesday the postponement of a concert planned for east Jerusalem, after Palestinian objections to the perceived act of "normalisation".

The West-East Divan Orchestra, co-founded by late Palestinian academic Edward Said and Israeli-Argentine maestro Daniel Barenboim, was to hold a July 31 concert on the Mount of Olives.

But Robert Serry said that the planned concert, which "the United Nations was happy to present", has been "postponed".

The statement issued by Serry's office said that "Noting the objections of some groups it was decided - with regret - not to proceed with present plans for the concert".

Such events, in which Palestinians and Israelis take part, are "a kind of normalisation, at the same time Palestinian rights continue to be ignored", as Rassem Ebidat, coordinator of the National and Civil Work Committee in east Jerusalem, told AFP.

"Instead of sponsoring a concert on the Mount of Olives, Serry should demand that Israel stop confiscating Palestinian lands and building settlements and bases on it," said Ebihat, whose group wrote Serry to protest the concert.

To Serry, the concert would "have sent a strong message that Palestinians must be able to experience their cultural rights and freedoms in the unique city of Jerusalem, which the United Nations believes must emerge as the open capital of two states, living side by side in peace and security", his statement read.

"Mr. Serry is disappointed that the concert will not go ahead at this stage and that Palestinians in east Jerusalem will not have the opportunity to enjoy such a unique cultural offering in their city," it added.

Now, who are these groups that the UN decided has veto power over any joint Israel-Arab cultural events in parts of Jerusalem?

The "National and Civil Work Committee" has zero web presence, and chances are it has only a single member, this Rassem Ebidat, whose only other claim to fame is being the contact person for the YMCA in Beit Sahoor.

The only other complaint I saw about this came from the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) whose letter to Serry was dated July 24.

Serry caved less than a day later.

Which means that the UN really didn't try very hard to push for its vaunted standards of "international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress."

Not only that, but PACBI is an extremist organization that was also against the orchestra playing in Qatar in 2010!

And the orchestra is dedicated to nothing but peace, with its conductor as left-wing as possible, holding an honorary Palestinian citizenship. It is difficult to imagine an organization that is more pro-Palestinian than WEDO.

But the mere hint of trouble was enough for the UN to cancel the concert, meaning that the UN "regretfully" agrees that as long as anyone objects to the existence of Jewish Israelis stepping foot over the Green Line, the UN will end up supporting them. And all its nice-sounding principles are meaningless as long as any extremist haters object.

Given a choice of making a statement that it supports coexistence between Israel or that it follows the agenda of organizations who seek Israel's destruction, the UN chose the latter.

And that's pretty much all you need to know about the UN.

Palestinian terrorists fleeing from Syria to Iran, Gaza

From Ma'an:

More than 100 Palestinian families have fled Syria due to the deterioration in safety and security resulting from the uprising against President Bashar Assad, an official said Tuesday.

Hamza Abu Shanab of the Gaza-based Palestinian Coalition for the Syrian Revolution told Ma'an that 105 families originally from the Gaza Strip have returned safely through Egypt's Rafah crossing in recent days.

Meanwhile Palestinian resistance leaders and fighters living in Syria have arrived in Gaza. One of them, he said, is Nidal Abu Kamil who was deported 20 years earlier.

Islamic Jihad’s Ibrahim Shehada has also returned.

The Palestinian embassy in Cairo was liaising with Egyptian authorities to allow the Palestinians into Egypt after they left Syria without applying for visas due to the unstable situation.

The Palestinians were not registered as refugees in Syria, but rather Gaza residents living there.

Which means that the PA, which still runs the embassy in Cairo, is allowing known terrorists to freely enter Gaza.

Also, isn't it interesting that the PA and Cairo are allowing Gazans who lived in Syria to return, but tens of thousands of Gazans who fled to Jordan in 1967 are still stuck in refugee camps there, without even Jordanian citizenship? There is nothing stopping them from "returning" to "Palestine," yet none are going.

Meanwhile, other terrorists are fleeing to equally friendly territory:

The leadership of the Palestinian branch of Islamic Jihad has relocated from Syria to Iran due to the growing unrest in the country, London-based Asharq Al-Awsat reported Saturday.

According to Palestinian sources quoted by the paper, Ramadan Shallah, the Islamic Jihad's leader, is now based in Iran, and his deputy had also relocated to the Islamic Republic several weeks ago.

The sources noted that the move did not bare any consequences on the terrorist groups' relations with the Syrian regime and President Bashar Assad.

However, an Islamic Jihad source in Gaza Strip denied the report, Israel's Army Radio reported on Saturday. "The movement cannot abandon its Syrian brothers at hard times like these," the source said, adding that the Islamic Jihad is providing aid to Palestinian refugees who are living in Syria.

"The departure from Syria of some of Jihad's leadership is a part of overseas activities and is not final," he noted.

(h/t Yoel)