Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Egyptian child preacher calls for jihad against "brothers of apes and pigs"

Following are excerpts from an Egyptian TV show featuring a child preacher, which aired on Al-Rahma TV on May 4, 2012.

Child preacher: Oh Muslims, oh leaders of the Arabs, who convened for the sake of the Al-Aqsa Mosque…

The procession of pure blood that was spilt on the land of Jerusalem must be clearly understood: We have resolved to raise this cause once again, but this time in a new color, the color of blood, the water of honor, and the determination of he who marches towards paradise.

The master of rhymed prose, Al-Qarni, once said: We were visited by a man from Palestine. He sat down in the dirt. We said: Why don’t you take a proper seat? He said: How could I possibly have a seat, while Jerusalem is being held captive by the brothers of the apes and the pigs? We asked if he was carrying a message from Jerusalem. He said: No, but I have a question from Jerusalem in need of an answer.

Jerusalem is calling: Where are the real men? Where are the descendants of [the Prophet’s companions] Khaled, Sa’d, and Bilal? Where are the heroes of war? Where are the lions of battle? Where are those who memorized the suras of Tauba and Anfal [about Jihad]?

Ya gotta love their use of echo while he talks.

Meanwhile...Over 300 killed in Syria yesterday

From AFP:

More than 305 people were killed across Syria on Wednesday, making it the bloodiest single day of the 18-month revolt, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"This is the highest toll in a single day since March 2011. And this is only counting those whose names have been documented. If we count the unidentified bodies, the figure will be much higher," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP by telephone.

A total of 199 of Wednesday's dead were civilians, the Britain-based watchdog said.

This cartoon seems appropriate:

(h/t O)

Abbas launches a "legal and diplomatic war" to isolate Israel

Mahmoud Abbas' Facebook page has a message to Palestinian Arabs:

Fighting the battle to recognize us, and we know the challenges, and there are threats every day against the organization, the [Palestinian] authority and against me personally, and incitement that I go to ask for recognition of our state go into a diplomatic and legal war against Israel, and I'm trying to isolate it in the world.

The Google autotranslation of the Arabic actually says "diplomatic terrorism and legal war against Israel" but I'm not sure how to parse that. The word "terrorism" is unmistakable, though, and does not seem to be an adjective for "Israel."

This is in stark contrast with the conciliatory message Abbas reportedly gave to some prominent Jews in New York on Tuesday. Apparently, he will mention that some Jews also believe they have historic ties to Palestine, and this is a Big Deal - since he excluded Jews in last year's lie-filled speech to the UN.

Egypt besieges Gaza, Arabs blame Israel

Ma'an has a fantastic example of doubletalk in an article by Laila el-Haddad, "a Maryland-based freelance journalist, author, political analyst, and parent-of-two from Gaza."

She pretends to write about exactly what is going on at the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt. This is a topic I am very interested in, but the article bends over backwards to try to ensure that the reader believes that Israel is somehow responsible for Egypt's actions in Rafah.

One thing is obvious: Israel has no control over Egypt, no control over Hamas, and no presence - direct or indirect - at Rafah. But to el-Haddad, Israel manages to somehow control the crossing anyway.

So far successive Egyptian governments have adopted the Israeli principles governing the crossing, even though Israel itself no longer manages it.

Simply put, those principles are that only Gaza Palestinians listed in the Israeli-controlled population registry are permitted to use the crossing. Visitors and non-resident Palestinians – even Palestinians from the West Bank – are still forbidden from entering Gaza, and this includes the spouses of resident Palestinians. Moreover, most young males face great difficulty in passing in or out and are often denied permission outright by Egyptian authorities.

Is Egypt forced to use the "Israeli-controlled population registry"? Of course not, but that small fact has no place in an article filled with half-truths.

Of course, in an article that supposedly is meant to talk about Rafah today, el-Haddad must spend lots of time talking about when Israel did have a presence in Gaza and when it had an agreement with Egypt about entry into Gaza - because she apparently has a quota to ensure that more than half the article has anti-Israel content.

But if you manage to get past her constant anti-Israel rhetoric, you can see that Egypt is the one making every single decision to limit Palestinian Arab access to Rafah:

It's true that the crossing has been open on a more regular basis and to a greater number of Gaza residents. However many of the traditional restrictions remain in place: males 18-40 still require pre-approval, find it difficult to obtain entry visas to Egypt, or are banned altogether. To put things in perspective, they constitute about a quarter of Gaza’s population.

Moreover, it should be noted here that in order to get to the Rafah Crossing to start with, Palestinians need first to enter Egypt. This of course requires an Egyptian visa, which is often denied, especially to young people or those without a foreign residency of some sort.

A cousin of mine – a brilliant young scholarship student from Gaza currently studying in Mississippi – has been trying for three years, to no avail, to obtain an Egyptian visa in order to go visit his family in Gaza and return home. He is one of thousands in a similar situation. As recently as this month, my parents, both in their late 60s, were denied Egyptian entry visas en route back to Gaza from a US visit. All of them hold Gaza residency cards.

Nevertheless, as anyone who has suffered long hours (or days or weeks or months) in the punishing heat or bone-numbing cold [apparently, those are the only temperatures in Gaza year-round - EoZ] of this little corner of the world awaiting entry or exit can attest, even this limited opening of the crossing was news to be celebrated.

But with access still limited to certain segments of society, and, critically, to the Palestinians in Israeli-controlled population registry, the so-called re-opening of Rafah Crossing is simply a return to status quo of years past: only Palestinians carrying an Israeli-approved Gaza ID card can use Rafah Crossing.

In other words, Palestinians from the West Bank or East Jerusalem, Palestinians in refugee camps outside the OPT, 1948 Palestinian citizens of Israel, or Palestinians living in diaspora, are all still not allowed passage to Gaza through Rafah.

This includes Palestinian families, such as my own, where one spouse possesses an ID but the other does not. It also includes internally displaced Palestinians who live in Gaza but whose IDs were never approved by Israeli authorities and who are not allowed to exit. These cases number in the tens of thousands.

But even this information may be inaccurate.

Asharq al-Awsat had an interview with Hamas deputy Musa abu-Marzouk, which included this exchange: (h/t Ian)

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Has the problem regarding the Palestinian refugees who fled Syria and who are trying to return to Palestine been resolved?

[Abu-Marzuq] We have secured the entry of many of the Palestinians who fled Syria for Egypt into the Gaza Strip. A limited number remain in Egypt due to certain problems and issues, such as studying. They may remain in Cairo for up to one year, and then we will work to secure their entry into the Gaza Strip following this.

If Abu Marzouk is telling the truth and Syrian Palestinians have managed to enter Gaza through Egypt, then Laila el-Haddad is not being quite truthful (unless they are being smuggled through tunnels.)

Meanwhile, Egypt has struck another blow against Gaza.

Earlier this week:

Hamas has prepared a working paper on the establishment of a Rafah joint free industrial trade zone linking Egypt with the Gaza Strip, Palestinian news and information agency WAFA said Monday.

According to WAFA, the area would be supervised by an Egyptian-Palestinian commission that would work to attract investors to the region and give the private sector on both sides of the border the opportunity to build infrastructure and facilities.

But now Al Quds al Arabi is reporting that Egypt has formally denied the idea of a free-trade zone that would have helped the Gaza economy so much.

And, like el-Haddad, they are quick to blame - Israel! You see, the free trade zone would indeed benefit Gazans, but it would benefit Israel too, and that is something that cannot be tolerated.

So once again we see that Egypt is besieging Gaza, and will continue to do so.

And as always, the Arabs will bend over backwards to blame the Jews.

Work accident!

Hamas' Al Qassam Brigades website reports on the untimely death of Said al-Madhoun, 29.

Madhoun was wounded a few days ago in an explosion during a "jihad mission." He succumbed to his injuries today.

Hamas announced that his death "came after a great jihadi career, after hard work and jihad and sacrifice."

May Hamas have many, many more equally successful jihadists become martyrs.

Wednesday night links

From Ian:

UN Watch: "Hate Israel Day" at Human Rights Council on Eve of Ahmadinejad's U.N. Speech

"The debate opened with an Update on the Implementation of the Goldstone Report (download here), presented by U.N. Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kyung-wha Kang, who also added her own statement accusing Israel of human rights violations." (video)

Abbas Tells Jewish Leaders He’ll Increase Sensitivity to Jewish Claims to Israel

"He was told that insensitivity to Jewish claims helped fuel the demand, and was reminded that last year in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly, he noted only Muslim and Christian claims.
Abbas told the group to watch for his speech to the General Assembly, scheduled for Thursday at noon, saying that he would also note Jewish claims."

Melanie Phillips Simon Hughes's Final Solution

"As the Jewish people prepares to usher in Yom Kippur, trembling in the shadow of Iran racing to build its genocide bomb while perceiving aghast that the so-called civilised west is either indifferent to or even hostile towards the regime’s intended Israeli victims, I wish my Jewish readers gmar chatima tovah – may the judgment of heaven seal us all for a year of peace."

The Middle East Believes in American Weakness

"The assault on symbols of America in Libya, Egypt, Tunis and Yemen is not an expression of “rage” against some random anti-Islamic act. It was carefully orchestrated by Arab media controlled by the Islamic extremists, with one clear purpose – to show the United States that it has no influence in the countries it “helped to liberate”, to quote Secretary Clinton. If the Salafis get what they want, the future of the whole region, the security of Israel and American national interest will be damaged beyond repair. More and more, the Middle East of today believes in American weakness. This belief must not stand."

How 'Religious Defamation' Laws Would Ban Islam by Raymond Ibrahim

"As the Islamic world, in the guise of the 57-member state Organization of Islamic Cooperation, continues to push for the enforcement of "religious defamation" laws in the international arena—theoretically developed to protect all religions from insult, but in reality made for Islam—one great irony is lost, especially on Muslims: if such laws would ban movies and cartoons that defame Islam, they would also, by logical extension, have to ban the religion of Islam itself—the only religion whose core texts actively defame other religions."

In Sweden, the kippa becomes a symbol of defiance

Rallies and solidarity actions are having a marked impact — notably in Malmo, a hotspot of anti-Semitism
“Across Scandinavia, the kippa is becoming a symbol of Jewish defiance. On Sunday, about 70 Danish Jews took a double-decker bus from Copenhagen on a 10-mile bridge across the Strait of Oresund, on the Baltic Sea, to go to Malmo in a show of solidarity with the embattled Jews of that Swedish city. All the men on the bus wore kippot, a rarity in Scandinavia.”

MEMRI International Union Of Muslim Scholars: The Pope Must Apologize To The Muslims
The Pope Should Apologize To Muslims "As He Apologized To The Jews"
Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV Honors French Holocaust Denier Roger Garaudy In Ceremony For Outstanding Students

Kissinger staffer: Ex-secretary of state didn’t make ‘no Israel’ quote
Inflammatory prediction had appeared in New York Post gossip column

Syrian mortars fired into Golan Heights
No injuries or damage reported; fire believed to be spillover from Syrian army battles

Facebook under fire

“Facebook has come under simultaneous criticism from both the Aboriginal and Jewish communities in Australia for allowing its facility to be used to promote racist stereotypes.
In the last two months, Facebook pages promoting ‘Aboriginal memes’ and ‘Jewish memes’ have been established, with content that includes derogatory generalisations about Aboriginal and Jewish people respectively, supposedly in the form of “humour”.”

Pappe’s poor performances
From Executive Director of the ECAJ Peter Wertheim:

“Ilan Pappe’s much-heralded visit to Australia turned out to be a fizzer. Audiences who had perhaps hoped to hear original in-depth analysis from Pappe based on authentic historical scholarship were instead harangued with ready-made slogans, light on the facts and heavy on rhetoric. This should have come as no surprise. Pappe himself has acknowledged that he is an advocate first, and an historian only to the extent that the facts fit his point of view.”

Israel Successfully Treats Palestinian Arab Suffering from Parkinson’s Disease

"While medication is normally used to treat the disabling symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, which include tremors, rigidity, slowed movement, and walking problems, within 12 years, Abu Baker had stopped responding to Parkinson’s medication.
Consequently, the Palestinian Authority directed Abu Baker to the Movement Disorders Center at Haifa’s Rambam hospital, lead by Senior Neurologist Dr. Ilana Schlesinger."

G'mar chatima tovah 5773 - גמר חתימה טובה

I wish all of my readers who observe the holiday a g'mar chatimah tovah, an easy fast and a meaningful Yom Kippur.

As is the case every year, a large percentage of my recent webpage hits have been for people looking for a translation of that phrase:

So here is the translation again:

Literally: A good final sealing
Idiomatically: May you be inscribed (in the Book of Life) for Good

I unconditionally forgive anyone who may have wronged me during this year, and I ask forgiveness for anyone I may have wronged as well.

Specifically (as enumerated in previous years, courtesy of The Muqata):

If you sent me email and I didn't reply, or didn't get back to you in a timely fashion -- I apologize.
If you sent me a story and I didn't publish it or worse, didn't give you a hat tip for the story -- I'm sorry. (I sometimes get multiple tips for the same story and I usually credit the first one I saw, which is not always the earliest.And I cannot publish all the stories I am sent, although I try to place appropriate ones in the linkdumps.)
If you requested help from me and I wasn't able to provide it -- I'm sorry.
I apologize if I posted without the proper attribution, with the wrong attribution, or without attribution at all.
I'm sorry if any of my posts offended you personally.

May this be a year of life, peace, prosperity and security.

Tuesday links

From Ian:

Kick Me: European Union Backs Iran's Hezbollah

"These measures indicate that Western Governments are aware of the threat Hezbollah poses to Western security. Nevertheless for reasons of appeasement, they refuse to declare the organization a terrorist group -- a classification which would allow the blocking of Hezbollah funds and the seizure of its assets."

U.S. Delegation Stays Put for Ahmadinejad Speech at U.N.

Israel’s envoy Ron Prosor led his country’s representatives out of the session in protest, telling reporters “There is no justice and no judge,” according to the Jerusalem Post. “The leader of an outlaw country that is a serial violator of the fundamental principles of the rule of law has no place in this hall” he said. “It is a shame and disgrace to give someone like him the opportunity to speak on such an important topic.”

Ahmadinejad: Israel has no roots in Middle East

Ahmadinejad to Meet with Occupy Wall Street

Romney’s Realism on the Palestinians

"Wishful thinking has dominated Western policy in the Middle East. It has been effectively leveraged by enemies and rivals of Western democracies. The national security of Western democracies would be well served by enhanced realism and by dramatically reduced wishful thinking."

Giuliani Blasts Obama Over Israel

"Tonight, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani blasted President Obama’s lack of care on Israel, with special attention to Obama’s statements that Israel’s concerns about Iranian nuclear weapons were “noise”

President Clinton re-writes history: Bill Clinton’s Disgraceful Comments About George W. Bush

"He (Powell) was surprised to hear Clinton’s voice. “I just wanted to wish you all the best in your new position,” the president said. Then he launched into a vituperative, expletive-filled tirade against Arafat. Powell understood the real motive for the call. As he would recount it to me, the president warned him, “Don’t you ever trust that son of a bitch. He lied to me and he’ll lie to you.” Arafat had failed his people and destroyed the chances for peace, Clinton emphasized. “Don’t let Arafat sucker punch you like he did me.”

Mocking Muhammad Is Not Hate Speech by Daniel Pipes

“That sounds sensible enough. But does mocking Muhammad, burning a Koran, or calling Islam a cult constitute hate speech? And what about the respectful representations of Muhammad in the buildings of the U.S. Supreme Court or the New York State Supreme Court? Even they caused upset and rioting.”

Turkish Air Sponsoring Anti-Israel Hatefest

"The AMP conference is due to feature Fadwa Barghouti, wife of imprisoned terrorist Marwan Barghouti, currently serving five life sentences for murder. The AMP has for several years worked to promote nakba (catastrophe) commemorations on college campuses, with a goal to delegitimize Israel’s existence. The group’s national campus coordinator moved to disrupt a speech by the Israeli ambassador at UC-Irvine back in 2010. Then again, with a press freedom record worse than Russia’s, the Turkish government and state-owned companies can’t be expected to prioritize free speech over censorship.”

Banana Blockade: Hamas Imposes Ban on Import of Israeli Fruit

Produce traders in Gaza, who in the past have bought fruit from Israel and sold it at home, have opposed the move.
“The local product is not nearly enough to offset the shortfall,” Gaza fruit importer Jaber Al-Shanty said. “What do we have in large quantities, other than guava?”

Cleric found guilty in blasphemy case

ISLAMABAD: The investigation officer (IO) in the blasphemy case exonerated the minor Christian girl from the main allegation and declared Imam Khalid Jadoon as the prime accused.

IDF Chief Cantor Sings "Unetanneh Tokef"

Terrorists take cover: Chuck Norris to visit

“According to Norris lore, the actor can cut through a hot knife with butter, stop eating Pringles anytime he wants, slam a revolving door, and win Connect Four in three. He is also the holder of all Guinness World Records. Oh, and he has counted to infinity. Twice.”

Also:

Must read: Redesigning the peace process by Richard Landes

Evil Jewish settlers get permits to construct 300 new houses in Gush Etzion - for their Arab neighbors

Egypt seeks to "adjust" QIZ deal, risking 70,000 jobs and $1b annual sales. Because they hate Israel.

Child torturers of the desert: Horrific footage reveals human traffickers are even targeting BABIES to get families to pay ransoms in the Sinai

PLO leader says unilateral Israeli withdrawal from WB would be a "disaster"

BBC reported yesterday:

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has called for a unilateral withdrawal from most of the West Bank if peace talks with the Palestinians fail.

In an interview with Israel Hayom, Mr Barak proposed uprooting dozens of Jewish settlements, although he said major settlement blocs would be kept.

There would also still be a military presence along the border with Jordan.

Forgetting the folly of unilateral withdrawal altogether - the Gsza withdrawal didn't anticipate the rise of an Islamist statelet in the vacuum - the PLO's reaction was most interesting.

Nabil shaath, member of Fatah's Central Committee, said the idea would be a "disaster."

Hamas is mocking this reaction, saying that the PLO likes the occupation, as it allows their leaders to obtain Israeli VIP permits and travel to conferences to steal more money from their people. It added that this reaction showed that Fatah has a "bankruptcy of power" as it is happily cooperating with Israel.

Israel says it has helped Jordan's nuclear power program

Two weeks ago, King Abdullah of Jordan claimed that Israel was secretly frustrating his plans to build a nuclear power plant for desalination.

"Strong opposition to Jordan's nuclear energy programme is coming from Israel," the king said.

"When we started going down the road of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, we approached some highly responsible countries to work with us. And pretty soon we realised that Israel was putting pressure on those countries to disrupt any cooperation with us."

Israel seems to have proven that the king is not being very truthful:

Israel has provided the Kingdom with material assistance to build Jordan's civilian nuclear energy program, Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Sunday.

Israeli official statements to the newspaper came after King Abdullah accused Israel of thwarting Jordan's nuclear program, saying it has not intervened and has even provided the Kingdom with material assistance.

...The Israeli delegation [at a regional conference] decided it needed to respond officially. So a paragraph on the subject was added to the speech that Shaul Chorev, head of the IAEC, delivered at the conference: "With regards to Jordan's civilian nuclear program, I wish to emphasize that Israel supports the use of nuclear power by its neighbors, to meet their energy and water needs," he said.

"Israel believes in the peaceful use of nuclear energy in the Middle East, as long as states fully honor their international nonproliferation obligations," he continued. "As for the selection of Jordan's nuclear power site, Israel also provided comprehensive geological data to the Kingdom upon its request."

Danieli said on Saturday that Jordan officially informed Israel in 2010 that it was considering building a nuclear power plant near Aqaba, both to produce electricity and to help it desalinate water. It then asked Israel for geological data about the area, which Israel supplied.

"We told them we had a lot of data from the Geophysical Institute, which did a comprehensive study of the Eilat region and the Gulf of Aqaba as part of its preparations for the possibility of an earthquake, and we gave them all the material," Danieli said. "The material we sent, together with other considerations on the Jordanians' part, caused them to change their minds and move the reactor site from Aqaba to the area north of Amman.

Just a little anti-semitism in Sri Lanka Muslim protest

Here's a detail from a photo of a protest in Sri Lanka against the "Innocence of Muslims" film:

And another:

From the Pak Tribune:

Sri Lanka's police barricaded the US embassy in Colombo for the second time in four days on Monday as thousands of Muslims gathered to denounce the anti-Islam film.

An estimated 20,000 people carrying anti-US and anti-Semitic placards marched towards the embassy during heightened security for the World Twenty20 cricket tournament hosted by Sri Lanka.

A ruling party stalwart, Alavi Maulana, was seen among the Muslims taking part in the orderly and peaceful demonstration that blocked traffic for several hours. "Dear Muslims around the world, stop purchasing Jewish products such as Coca Cola, KFC, McDonald's, Pepsi, Fanta, Pizza Hut, YouTube, D and G etc," read a banner carried by protesters.

"Who is behind the film? Jews," said another anti-semitic placard carried by the demonstrators.

The anti-Islam film has been produced by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, reportedly a 55-year-old Egyptian Copt and convicted fraudster, based in Los Angeles and currently out on parole.

The US government has also denounced the anti-Islam film that has triggered violent protests around the world since 9/11.

Sri Lanka, mainly a Buddhist country, has a small minority of Muslims among its 20 million population.

"Tens of thousands desecrate Al Buraq with Talmudic rituals and loud chants"

Last night, as Yom Kippur approaches, the Kotel plaza in Jerusalem was packed with Jews praying.

And the Muslims are seething.

The Al Aqsa Foundation has dozens of photos of what they called "Israelis desecrating Al Buraq" with "loud chants" and "Talmudic rituals" whose prayers were described as being led by "senior rabbis, accompanied by noisy songs up to the middle of the night."

They clearly took these photos from some Jewish site, but the photos show that the Kotel plaza was overflowing:

They write that they "asserted that the Western Wall is an integral part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the occupation is showing contempt for Al Aqsa with storming by the settlers and Jewish groups, and profaning the Buraq [kotel]area, does not give the occupation and their tentacles of any kind of presence or sovereignty over the Al-Aqsa Mosque."

This photo seemed to upset them. Interesting composition though:

Earlier in the day dozens of Jews "stormed" the Temple Mount itself. Here are the scary photos:

Jews walking peacefully in their holiest site certainly makes Muslims' blood boil.

The air conditioning bills at Islamic Jihad offices must be huge!

Islamic Jihad's media office shows us some photos of a typical workday in their office:

"Are you sure that all my fingers are supposed to be on the spacebar?"

"You're right! 'Gangnam Style' is a classic example of K-Pop!"

Always practice your speeches in front of a mirror so you can see what you look like.

"Did you check out the new girl in accounting? She's wearing a hot black burqa."

(h/t Challah Hu Akbar)

Reuters helpfully explains Ahmadinejad

Sometimes, media bias is very subtle.

Here's some from Reuters:

Ahmadinejad alluded to his previous rejection of Israel's right to exist. "Iran has been around for the last seven, 10 thousand years. They (the Israelis) have been occupying those territories for the last 60 to 70 years, with the support and force of the Westerners. They have no roots there in history," he said, speaking to reporters through an interpreter.

The modern state of Israel was founded in 1948.

That last sentence is a beaut, isn't it? 100% accurate and 100% deceptive - just what we would expect from Reuters.

That explanatory sentence helps Reuters inform its readers that Ahmadinejad's rants are correct.

Now, Reuters could have written "The modern state of Israel was founded in 1948, the climax of Jewish national aspirations since the Romans destroyed ancient Judah." Or "The modern state of Israel was founded in 1948 as the national home for the Jewish people who lived there continuously since Biblical times." Or that "The first empire in what is now Iran, Media, was established less than 3000 years ago, centuries after the reign of King David in Israel."

All of those would also have been good background sentences that could have illuminated how Ahmadinejad is completely wrong. But instead of performing a simple fact check for its readers, Reuters chose to find a single fact to seemingly support the crazed leader's words.

And that is a textbook example of subtle but unmistakable media bias.

(h/t Cesar)

Atheist arrested, Christians threatened in Egypt

Ah, the sweet smell of spring:

[Alber] Saber was originally arrested over claims that he published the anti-Islam film “Innocence of Muslims” on Facebook, but when it emerged that there was no evidence to support the claim, he was later charged on the basis of an atheist video that he had made.

Two days after protests and clashes between security forces and protesters broke out over the film near the US Embassy on 11 September, neighbors of Saber claimed that he shared the anti-Islam YouTube video “Innocence of Muslims” on his Facebook account, which led an angry mob to storm Saber’s house in Marg district, kicking out Saber and his mother.

Kariman Meseha, Saber’s mother, told journalists attending a press conference at the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression yesterday that she called the police to protect her son, but once police arrived, it was Saber who was arrested, not those who attacked his home.

“Police forces told me that he would be taken to the police station to protect him from the angry mob, and that I could come by the police station the next day to receive him,” Meseha said, adding that the next day, she discovered that he was arrested on blasphemy charges.

AFTE lawyer Ahmed Ezzat said police incited the prisoners against Saber, claiming that he was an atheist and insulted the Prophet Mohamed; one of the prisoners injured him in the neck with a razor blade.

“If the blade was sharper, it would have killed Alber,” Ezzat said.

Ezzat said investigation records stated that residents of Saber’s area filed a complaint accusing him of sharing the blasphemous content. Yet the records do not state clearly who had filed the complaints, which is a violation of laws that oblige someone filing a complaint to reveal their identity.

“The records also did not specifically point out what kind of blasphemous content Saber shared,” Ezzat said, adding that prosecution accused him of religious blasphemy after finding a movie on a CD of Saber, including some comparative religion material, as well as criticisms of both Islamic and Coptic religious leaders and institutions.

And at the same time:

Christian residents of Egyptian border towns Rafah and Al-Arish have so far refused to leave the city, as a local church had advised, after they received leaflets containing messages threatening to blow up their property if they do not leave within 48 hours.

Rev. Gabriel Habib, priest at the Church of the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Michael in Al-Arish, said Christian residents had refused to leave temporarily to avoid fulfilling the extremists’ goal of forcing them out of their city.

Habib added that some Christians told him, “Even if we die, we are not better than the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the sake of their homeland and religion,” adding that they will stay with their Muslim neighbors.

Seven Christian families saw leaflets posted on the walls of their shops or homes, commanding them to leave within 48 hours or else have their property destroyed.
Habib said, “The church of Rafah was destroyed during the January revolution [of 2011] and has not been renovated yet.” He added that “prayers have stopped there, because of the security situation in the Sinai.”

"Because of the security situation"? Does that mean that mosques have also closed in the same area? Must be. He couldn't mean "because our Muslim neighbors might kill us if we decided to publicly pray."

Remember when the Western media was convinced that the Egyptian revolution was being led by jeans-wearing Google employees dedicated to freedom of expression? Good times.

(h/t Ian)

Monday links

From Ian:

'UK, France, Germany urge EU to up Iran sanctions'

Britain, France and Germany called on the European Union to impose fresh sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, AFP reported late Sunday, citing diplomatic sources.

Koch Faults Obama on Israel and on Libya Attack

"In an interview with the New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin, Mr. Koch deemed as “unacceptable” Mr. Obama’s decision not to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel while Mr. Netanyahu is in the United States this week for the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly."

Both President Obama and Ahmadinejad Liken Israeli Concerns Over Nuclear Iran to “Noise”

"In an interview airing tonight on CBS’s 60 Minutes, President Obama likens Israel’s expressions of concern over a nuclear Iran to noise he tries to ignore, according to AFP.

New York Post Attempts to Deliver Jewish Themed Welcome Basket to Ahmadinejad

“The rejected package included a $125 ticket to off-Broadway play “Old Jews Telling Jokes” which was booked in his name, Gold’s Borscht, Manischewitz Gefilte Fish and a brochure for the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. “The Holocaust denier might want to learn something about the subject,” writes the Post.”

Border shootout proves mettle of mixed-gender IDF unit
The Caracal battalion, comprised of 60 percent women, patrols the volatile Israeli-Egyptian border

Jerusalem - In Photos: Hundreds Attend Funeral For Soldier Killed Near Egypt

Shame of Spanish football's anti-Israel boycotters

Many in Europe should take note of the eerie parallels with the Jewish experience of boycotts in Europe during the 1930s and the even older history of persecution of Jews in Spain in the Middle Ages

CIF Watch: Jewish reaction to thousands of antisemitic Arab cartoons: No riots, no injuries, no deaths

PMW: PA hypocrisy: Don't defame religion (unless it's Judaism)

Mahmoud Abbas: "Insulting religions, faiths, or religious symbols cannot in any way be a part of freedom of belief or freedom of expression."
Religious lesson in official PA daily: "The struggle between truth and falsehood is as ancient as life upon this earth... The conflict between us and the Jews is not a conflict about land and borders, but rather a conflict about faith and existence."

Israel "more loathsome" than Nazis: PA daily

Three recent articles in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida claim that Israel's behavior is worse than that of the Nazis. The articles use such terms as "loathsome," "dangerous and criminal" and "despicable" to describe Israel's treatment of Palestinians and Arabs.

’Hamas official confirms: Mashaal to step down'

California Students Respond to ‘Undemocratic’ Anti-Israel Resolution

After being caught off guard by a resolution condemning a measure intended to defend their state’s campus communities against anti-Semitism, pro-Israel students at the University of California-Berkeley have responded by highlighting what they call the resolution’s undemocratic nature.

‘Homeland’ captures four Emmys
US show, based on Israeli series ‘Hatufim,’ sweeps prestigious television awards

Also:
Expanded trailer for the UN Me movie:

Oxymoronic Islamic Logic: Call me Violent and I’ll cut out your tongue at Augean Stables

Max Boot: Does the Mideast Want an Isolationist U.S.? at Commentary (h/t Zach)

Egypt continues its crippling siege on Gaza

Mohammed Abadleh, a spokesman for a Gaza petroleum consortium in the Gaza Strip, warned of a crisis in the Gaza Strip as Egypt is preventing the smuggling of diesel through the tunnels in Rafah.

Starting yesterday, Gaza fuel stations started rationing diesel to residents of the sector.

Egypt cracked down on smuggling tunnels again a few days ago after the attack by Sinai militants on an Israeli patrol at the border.

No word yet from "human rights" organizations about Egypt's "crippling siege" of Gaza.

As this is happening, Israel has been slowly increasing the number of trucks of materials being sent to Gaza. 324 trucks arrived yesterday along with 181 tons of fuel.

Meanwhile, the PA news agency WAFA published a working paper about building a free-trade zone between Gaza and Egypt that was supposedly prepared by Hamas. The introduction to the paper waxes poetic about the historic ties between Gaza and Egypt and how a free trade zone would benefit both sides.

The idea has been floating around for a few months, but I have not yet heard any positive response to it from Egypt.

Islamic Jihad inaugurates a new "battalion"

To celebrate the anniversary of the founding of Islamic Jihad, the terror group introduced a new "battalion" and paraded through the streets of Gaza City.

Keep in mind that Hamas, the ruling authority in Gaza, fully approves of Islamic Jihad parading through Gaza City with weapons.

Those Hamas apologists in the West who claim that the group is abandoning terror don't usually talk about how Hamas is deliberately allowing other terror groups to flourish - and, when they want, to attack Israeli civilians. This is how Hamas maintains their barely-plausible deniability while still encouraging the smuggling of tons of weapons and explosives to these groups.

Egyptian army: Egypt will "cut off the hand" of Israel

Egyptian media are reporting today that a member of Egypt's Supreme Council of Armed Forces has issued a warning to Israel that they will "cut off the hands" of Israel if it decides to go after terrorists in the Sinai.

Egypt newspapers reported today that a member of the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces issued a warning to Israel of the "consequences of challenging Egypt." According to his statements "Egypt is conscious of reports from Israel about the desire of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for a military operation in the Sinai to liquidate militants who pose a threat to Israel. " The paper quoted an Egyptian official emphasizing that "it will be cut off any external or internal aggressor; we will not allow harm to a single grain of sand from the land of Sinai."

Given that they can't stop their own citizens from attacking Israel, it sounds like they prefer Islamist terror groups to control the Sinai than having Israel defend itself.

It is time for my autumn appeal.

The blog has weathered my losing free time in my new job. Readership is continuing to be strong, averaging some 150,000 pageviews per month.

EoZ is growing in influence. In just this past quarter I have been quoted by The Jerusalem Post, The Algemeiner, Tablet, Israel Today, Chicago Now, CAMERA (twice), The Jewish Press, The Jewish Week, Arutz-7, Public Service Europe, and Commentary, to name a few.

My posts include news scoops, satire, infographics, posters, cartoons, media bias exposure, original videos, contests, history, research, exclusive interviews and analysis. I try not to be boring.

I also need to thank Ian for sending me an excellent daily linkdump. The linkdumps ensure that every major story about Israel gets covered on the blog even if I don't have time to go in depth on some issues.

One imminent milestone: Some time this week I will publish my 15,000th post!

If you think this blog is valuable, please consider donating an amount comparable to what you might pay for a subscription to a newsmagazine or newspaper. I especially appreciate those who use the Subscription link who send me an amount every month.

The Donate and Subscription links are in the upper right corner of the main blog page, or click on the appropriate link here:

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I can't promise anything, but I am told that those who donate to this blog have an easier time fasting on Yom Kippur. :)

Thanks as always for your support! I am always humbled by how many people - young and old, conservative and liberal, male and female - read and enjoy this blog, and I hope to be able to continue to provide quality content to everyone in the future. (And thanks also to those who retweet, "Like", "+1", Reddit and otherwise spread my posts around the Web.)

PA finance minister tells donors there will be war without more money

Blackmail, Palestinian Arab-style:

The Palestinian Authority finance minister warned on Sunday that if the government's fragile financial situation persists, the peace process between Israel and Palestinians is at risk.

Nabil Kassis was addressing a meeting of donors to the PA, the Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee, in New York.

The Palestinian Authority says that shortfalls in foreign aid pledges are compounding its financial crisis. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund both urged immediate donor action in their reports to the meeting, as well as the lifting of Israeli restrictions which harm economic growth.

Kassis told the meeting that financial problems would undermine the sustainability of a Palestinian government, social cohesion and a sense of security in Palestine. Recent weeks saw mass strikes and rallies across the West Bank protesting the rising cost of living, that increasingly focused on criticism of the government.

"No doubt, if the status quo is allowed to persist, it will have dire consequences to the international enterprise of peace making in the Middle East," Kassis said.

In other words, Palestinian Arabs are naturally violent, and the only way to keep them artificially peaceful is to shovel more money towards the PA.

Left unsaid is that the PA budget includes tens of millions of dollars that are earmarked for terrorists in Israeli jails as a reward for their attempts to kill Jews, not to mention the lifetime annuities to families of suicide bombers.

Also left unsaid is that about half of the PA budget goes to Hamas-controlled Gaza, most of which pays "employees" not to work.

Another thing left unsaid is that Israel continues to bend over backwards to provide economic help to the PA while their Arab brethren are increasingly withholding funds.

But, no, you know who the PA will blame.

And the lies continue:

He stressed that Israel's stranglehold on the 60 percent of the West Bank designated 'Area C' in the Oslo Accords blocks any possibility to implement economic development.

Then why was the PA's economy booming in the years before the second intifada, when they didn't have access to those lands either?

And the lies continue:

"The greater part of Palestinian lands is being gradually emptied of its Palestinian inhabitants in order to provide room for more colonization by Israel," he said.

Is Area C really being emptied of its Palestinian Arab inhabitants?

In 2002, the Arab population of Area C was reported to be 40,000. This year it was reported to be 56,000.

But look at the EU report in that last link to see how easy it is to lie about statistics when you want to pillory Israel:

The EU heads of mission report - seen by EUobserver - notes that between 200,000 and 320,000 Palestinians used to live in the Jordan Valley, most of which is in Area C, in 1967, but demolition of Palestinian homes and prevention of new buildings has seen the number drop to 56,000.

The higher number is not the population of the Jordan Valley under "occupation"! The vast majority of inhabitants of the area fled during and mostly after the 1967 war because they did not want to live under Jewish rule. They fled quite voluntarily. Jordan tried to encourage them to return but most refused. Israel did not expel anyone from their homes.

So instead of reporting that the Arab population of Area C has increased an astounding 40% in the last decade, the EU report (and the PA) is taking irrelevant population numbers from before Israel took over an area in a conflict that Jordan started.

This is the type of mendacity that is seen every day in the fantasyland of the PLO and those willing to swallow the anti-Israel line.

Iranian general says Iran might attack Israel, US "pre-emptively"

From Reuters:

Iran could launch a pre-emptive strike on Israel if it was sure the Jewish state was preparing to attack it, a senior commander of its elite Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying on Sunday.

Amir Ali Hajizadeh, a brigadier general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, made the comments to Iran's state-run Arabic language Al-Alam television.

"Iran will not start any war but it could launch a pre-emptive attack if it was sure that the enemies are putting the final touches to attack it," Al-Alam said, paraphrasing the military commander.

Hajizadeh said any attack on Iranian soil could trigger "World War Three".

"We can not imagine the Zionist regime starting a war without America's support. Therefore, in case of a war, we will get into a war with both of them and we will certainly get into a conflict with American bases," he said.

"In that case, unpredictable and unmanageable things would happen and it could turn into a World War Three."

"The Zionist entity is militarily incapable of confronting Iran ... the circumstances of the region do not enable it to wage war tomorrow or even in the near future," Hajizadeh said.

"Our response will exceed their expectations," he said. "Their assessment of our missile capabilities is wrong. Our response will not only be missiles."

In the Arabic reports, Hajizadeh says that Iran considers US bases in Bahrain, Qatar and Afghanistan to be US soil: "We definitely will target U.S. bases because we see these as part of U.S. territory and not Bahraini or Afghan territories."

He also said that if Iran doesn't benefit from the Strait of Hormuz, then they will ensure that nobody benefits from it.

In related news, Le Monde reports:

According to informed sources, [Iran and Syria have a] mutual defense agreement signed in 2006 and strengthened by a secret additional protocol in 2008: Damascus is committed to open a second front in the event of an Israeli attack against Iran, in exchange for "unlimited" support by Tehran for Bashar al-Assad that he remains in power.

(h/t Mohammed the Teddy Bear, Yoel)

How Muslims treated Jews in Algiers, 1818

Here is yet another account of how Jews were treated in Muslim countries many decades before modern Zionism arose, again disproving the Muslim lie that Jews were treated with respect.

From NARRATIVE OF A RESIDENCE IW ALGIERS by Signor Pananti, 1818:

Of Jews, there is an immense number scattered all over the coast of Barbary. The city of Algiers contains about eight thousand, most of whom have swerved considerably from the belief of their ancestors, following the Talmud and Kabbala, with the exception of those called free, who generally come from Leghorn to this place, and are allowed entire liberty in their movements. The unhappy sons of Israel, so badly treated in other countries, can expect little indulgence from the barbarians ; consequently there is no species of outrage or vexation to which they are not exposed. They are prohibited from writing or speaking Arabic, to prevent their being able to read the divine Koran. They cannot ride on horseback, but are obliged to go on mules and asses ; the first being too noble an animal for them. When passing a mosque, they are obliged to go bare-footed. They dare not approach a well or fountain, if there be a Moor drinking there ; or sit down opposite a Mahometan. Their clothing Is obliged to be black ; which colour is held in contempt by the Moors. The Jewish women are only permitted to veil a part of their features. The indolent Moor, with a pipe in his mouth and his legs crossed, calls any Jew who is passing, and makes him perform the offices of a servant. Others amuse themselves by smearing the hands, visage, hair, and clothes of the Jewish boys, with paint or mud ; while the Turkish soldiers often enter their houses, insulting the females, without the heads of the family having the privilege of desiring them to retire.

It is the business of Jews to execute all criminals, and afterwards bury their bodies. They are also employed to carry the Moors on their shoulders, when disembarking in shoal water. They feed the animals of the seraglio, and are incessantly exposed to the scoffings and derision of the young Moors, without the possibility of resenting it. Frequently beaten by their persecutors, if they lift a hand in their own defence, agreeable to the lex talionis of the Moors, it is taken off. But that which is still more irksome, is the never ending contributions levied on them : the weekly sum of two thousand dollars is exacted as a general tax upon the whole tribe, besides various other individual assessments, particularly whenever any Moorish festival takes place. The Turks insist on borrowing money even by force ; and contrary to the European maxim, it is not he who forgets to pay, that is incarcerated, but the man who refuses to lend! A Jew cannot leave the regency without giving security to a large amount for his return. If any of the sect become bankrupts, and there happens to be a Turkish creditor, he is almost invariably accused of fraudulency and hung. Woe to those, who attempt to complain on such occasions : which is no trifling aggravation of their sufferings. There was once an imposition laid on fountains; upon which a poet wrote the following address: " You are loaded with imposts like us; but more happy than we — you are at least allowed to murmur."

It is, however, astonishing with what stoical fortitude all this is borne by the followers of Abraham ; many of whom, underan appearance of the greatest poverty, accumulate large fortunes. " It is true," said a Jew, on my asking how he could remain in a country, where he suffered so many vexations; " we suffer a great deal; but then what money we make!!"

On one side this extraordinary race suffer innumerable vexations and acts of injustice, together with the most cruel servitude ; while on the other, their talents and industry, place them as the directors and proprietors of commerce, manufactures, and even the mint. The taxes immediately within the regency are all collected by Jews, and persons of this persuasion are the principal landholders. They serve as interpreters and secretaries, being frequently employed both as counsellors and agents, in affairs of the greatest delicacy. And either from the influence of their money, or persevering flexibility of their character, they often exercise an unlimited sway in the divan and palace of the Dey. The Turks look with hatred and contempt upon the Jewish financiers, while they secretly envy their riches.

Israeli feminists freak over gas field names

This is too funny:

"We regret that the people who picked the names 'Myra' and 'Sarah' imagined in their minds women when they thought of land for drilling. I am sorry to have to surprise you, but our names and our bodies are not for drilling, and the giving of such nicknames strengthens the perception of women as objects for penetration and drilling," said a group of women's organizations.

The statement by Adva Center. the Israel Women's Network, Ahoti (My Sister), Ruach Nashit (Women's Spirit), Economic Empowerment for Women, Mahut Center, Women Lawyers for Social Justice, and Supportive Community Women's Business Development Center. The organizations' statement follows the announcement of the start of the Sarah 1 exploratory well, following the dry hole at the Myra 1 well.

The organizations added, "The groups picking the names should immediately stop thinking about using women's names for drilling, and realize that, consciously or not, they are lending a hand to the kind of dialogue that objectifies and demeans women. We regret that the people engaged in critical issues like drilling for natural gas, we are forced to deal with hidden chauvinistic messages in these issues."

However...

The women's organizations have apparently forgotten that the oil and gas exploratory licenses were often named for women family members of the geologists responsible for mapping the licenses. For example, the Tamar discovery is named for the granddaughter of geologist Yossi Langotski, and Myra and Sarah were named for the daughters of Petromed Corporation geologist David Peace.

The women's organizations have also ignored the fact that many licenses are named for men, such as Shimshon, Gal, and Yishai. The licenses of the Leviathan discovery are named for both men and women, including Alon and Ruth.

Sounds like Israeli feminists can give some Muslims a run for their money in finding reasons to be outraged.
(h/t Sophie)

Sunday links

From Ian:

NGO Monitor: ‘Investigate UK funding of Palestinian NGOs’

“Professor Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor, who briefed Jewish organisations on a UK visit, said: “Either the officials who decide on and are responsible for this counter-productive funding for NGOs are completely unaware of the details regarding the use of UK taxpayer monies, or they are consciously using NGO funding to promote Palestinian political attacks under the facade of peace-making.”

Stand with Us: West Bank Communities, and Peace (video)

Romney: PA State Airspace Would Endanger Israel
Airspace is another problem that Israel would face if there ever arose a PLO state next door.

PMW: "By the blood of the youth, Jerusalem will come back to us" - girl sings song on PA TV (video)

iOS6 Apple Maps Feature Shows No Capital City for State of Israel

"Apple’s new operating system iOS6 was released earlier this week, and one of the highly touted features is the addition of Apple Maps, but the new mapping feature fails to list Jersualem as the capital of Israel. In fact, according to the new Apple Maps application, Israel has no capital city."

CAMERA: CNN's "Situation Room" Resituates Israel's Capital

On Sept. 17, "The Situation Room" host Joe Johns (standing in for Wolf Blitzer) and guest Frances Townsend, a formal(sic) U.S. national security advisor, refer to Tel Aviv as Israel's capital.

In wake of border attack, IDF tells soldiers to use caution when dealing with asylum-seekers

Netanel Yahalomi killed on Friday while bringing water to migrants, underscoring lingering lawlessness in Egyptian territory

Honest Reporting: IDF Soldier’s Death Vanishes in UK Media Coverage

See Anti-Semitic Elmo Arrested (Again!) In Times Square

"Adam "Anti-Semitic Elmo" Sandler is at it again! After getting quite a bit of press for harassing tourists in Central Park earlier this summer we hadn't heard much about from the hate-filled Elmo impersonator. But just because we haven't heard much about him doesn't mean he hasn't been out and about, spewing hate. In fact, he was arrested again yesterday."

Syrian rebels: "We have a big fight against the Jews ahead of us"

Hamas: Arab Jews are not refugees, but criminals

Egypt’s Morsi urges ‘full rights’ for Palestinians, affirms Iran’s role in Syria
Tehran ‘part of the solution’ to bloodshed, which ‘goes against all laws, desires, history and humanity,’ president says

Pakistani bounty placed on anti-Islam filmmaker
A Pakistani minister offered $100,000 on Saturday to anyone who kills the maker of an online video which insults Islam, as sporadic protests rumbled on across parts of the Muslim world.

Hamburg mosque may have violated anti-hate contract

"The Imam Ali Mosque in Hamburg, widely considered by experts in Germany and abroad the long arm of Iran’s regime in the Federal Republic, appears to have violated the spirit – and perhaps the terms – of its contractual partnership with the city of Hamburg.
The mosque and its parent organization are said to have mobilized anti-Israel activists to call for the destruction of the Jewish state."

New technique could sniff out malignancies

A Technion scientist has developed a breath test to determine whether a growth is benign or malignant
Breath tests are usually used to test for drunkenness, or perhaps halitosis. But Dr. Hossam Haick of the Technion has found a new use for breath tests – determining whether or not a growth in the lung is benign, or malignant.

Claire Danes focuses glowing New York Times spotlight on Israel

Actress raves about the visits she’s made to film TV series ‘Homeland,’ offering high praise in cover story and fashion spread for paper’s style magazine.

Iran: Greatest Threat to Western Civilization (video)

The full-length Iranium movie is online here.

Hamas: underground prisons, bunkers in WB

From Ma'an:

Palestinian Authority security services spokesman Adnan Dmeiri said that forces on Sunday discovered an underground bunker used by Hamas members in the northern West Bank.

Dmeiri told Ma'an the long tunnel under Urif village, near Nablus, led to a room next to a small bunker containing communication equipment.

He said the room was used as a prison and that Hamas has built secret prisons throughout the northern West Bank, without giving any details.

Dmeiri said several people in charge of the underground bunker had been detained for questioning.

PA security forces have rounded up scores of Hamas supporters this week, in an arrest campaign criticized by human rights groups.

A Hamas statement on Saturday said 120 party members had been arrested or summoned to report to security services since Wednesday.

Bunkers? Secret prisons? Communications equipment?

Oh, just a silent war between Hamas and Fatah in the West Bank, some 18 months after "unity."

And Hamas gets funding from Iran to take over the West Bank.

Nothing to see here. Move along. Just close your eyes, click your heels three times and repeat this mantra until things get clear in your head and consistent with the mainstream media's portrait of the situation: