Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Pa’am shlishit, glida!

On a normal day, Shimshon Moshe – owner of the food stand Pitzutz Shel Kiosk, across from the Jerusalem International Convention Center (Binyenei Ha’uma) – talks to thousands of people. He acts as an informal information booth, directing tourists and native-born Israelis to the correct buses, and as an unofficial policeman, keeping his eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

Between selling cans of Coke and bags of Bisli, Moshe has spent much of the last two days pointing out the holes in his kiosk that were created when a duffel bag exploded just two feet away last Wednesday, killing one woman, UK national Mary Jean Gardner, and wounding 39.

Almost everyone who passes by stops to ask about the bombing, or about Moshe’s brother-in-law, David Amoyal, who was working in the kiosk at the time of the explosion and was wounded in the attack.

This isn’t the first time that Moshe’s kiosk has been a terrorist target. It was totally destroyed in a bombing on December 25, 1994.

Following the bombing, Moshe, who has owned the kiosk for more than 20 years, ironically renamed it Pitzutz Shel Kiosk (“A blast of a kiosk”).

After last week’s bombing, he is considering renaming the kiosk again, Moshe told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

“I might name it, ‘Third Time, Ice Cream,’” [pa’am shlishit, glida] he said, laughing, referring to the popular Israeli expression used when something happens by chance twice in a row.

When people passing by hear this suggestion, they laugh as well. It’s the best way to react to this situation, explained Moshe.

This story should be translated into Arabic.

Because the terrorists need to know that the Jews aren't going anywhere.

(h/t CHA)

Some quick posters for today's BDS protests

I was asked to make some posters to counter some planned BDS flashmobs and other protests happening today ("Land Day.")

I just made some generic signs that can be used effectively at any anti-Israel protest. as always, click on it to get the larger size and then you can print them or send them to a copy shop:

Egypt's transitional constitution keeps references to Sharia

From DPA:

Egypt's military unveiled an interim constitution on Wednesday, in the wake of the ousting of president Hosny Mubarak, outlining the government's powers and replacing the country's 1971 constitution.

The declaration from Supreme Council of the Armed Forces asserts that Egypt is a democratic country and ensures freedom of religion and opinion, spokesperson Mamdouh Shahin said in a press conference.

Well, sort of.

In fact, Al Arabiya reports that the part of the constitution that has been most problematic - Article 2 - has remained intact:

(Article 2): Islam is the Religion of the State. Arabic is its official language, and the principal source of legislation is Islamic Jurisprudence (Sharia).

Coptic Christians in Egypt had objected to the part about Sharia. The Muslim Brotherhood was adamant it remain in place.

We see who won that battle.

Afternoon links

I am no expert on international law, but this op-ed in the JPost, if true, would have far-reaching implications for Israel's future. It shows a path that the PLO is using to gain international recognition in September.

Abbas Milani at TNR wonders why the world is silent about Iran's imprisonment of their leading dissidents.

Michael Oren asks - what if Gaddafi had gone nuclear?

The Forward had a good reaction by an Israeli music artist to Roger Waters' boycott. (h/t Daphne Anson via Israellycool)

Yaacov Lozowick wonders why the world is obsessed over the 61st conquest of Jerusalem.

I haven't been mentioning the Abu-Sisi case, mostly because there have been no official statements from Israel, but you should be aware of it.

What I'm eating this BIG (Buy Israeli Goods) day

I stopped off at a supermarket this morning to find Israeli foods to buy for today's Buy Israeli Goods day.

Here's some of what I found:

So I had Tnuva Garlic and Dill cheese spread on crackers for breakfast, I'll have Sabra Supremely Spicy Hummus forluch with some (Israeli-created) cherry tomatoes, and Bamba for a snack.

What Israeli products are you buying today?

Some anti-semitism in Google Maps

If you do a Google Maps search for the Great Synagogue in Brussels, and you mouse over the building, here is what you see:

The pop-up box, when expanded and translated, means this:

All political, economic and financial decisions in Belgium are taken here. For a decision to be taken, the Belgian Parliament (Wetstraat) has to seek prior approval from the Learned Elders of Zion cell based at the Great Synagogue of Brussels (Regentschapsstraat).

It's been there for nearly a year.

I complained to Google, we'll see if anything gets done.

(h/t Philosemitism blog)

Whatever happened to "car swarms"?

Remember "car swarms," the inevitable photos of huge crowds gathering around terrorist cars that Israel targeted in Gaza?

Compare them to this reaction from this morning's Israeli attack on an Islamic Jihad rocket cell, two men riding a motorcycle:

They don't seem to put as much of their heart into it anymore.

PIJ leader: "Palestine is land for all Muslims." Um, what about Christians?

An Islamic Jihad leader has condemned the Israeli airstrike that killed a member of his group this morning, in response to rocket fire.

One of the things he said is interesting:

Palestine is holy ground, a royal land, and it is not for the Palestinians only , but for all Muslims.

Which brings up two questions:

Has any Palestinian Christian leader ever expressed discomfort at being explicitly sidelined and dhimmified when Islamic Jihad and Hamas make statements like these?

Has any leftist "pro-Palestinian" group ever condemned the ambitions of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, whose clear goal is not to create an independent Palestine but to use it as a step in the creation of a pan-Muslim 'umma?

The answer to both can be found in the latter half of what the PIJ leader said:

[All Muslims] must release the land from the terrorism of the Zionist enemy.

As long as you frame your goals in terms of destroying Israel, who cares what your ultimate goal is? Because everyone can agree that the main goal is the destruction of the Jewish state, not the niggling details of what would replace it.

Turetsky Choir singing Hebrew classics to large Russian audience (video)

I was forwarded this interesting video of a group singing in the Kremlin State Palace:

This is the Turetsky Choir, and Israel Matzav has their background.

(h/t Lenny)

Elder poster sightings

Sylvia in the comments points to a French site that used my "Apartheid?" posters pretty effectively. The first one adds to my poster series, and even matches the font I use to make them all look consistent:

This second poster is a zinger, comparing how many Arabs hold high positions in Israeli government and cultural institutions with how prominent they are in Europe.

By those standards, the EU and France are far worse "apartheid" states than Israel! (Update: Some commenters point out that there are some Arab members of the Dutch parliament, for example, but I think the poster might be referring to the European Parliament.)

Also, my Miral poster spoofs appeared on the Aish website.

NY Times article calls Hamas missiles "errant"

The travel section of the New York Times gives us this gem:

I had eagerly gone to every new Indiana Jones movie, but had never longed to venture on an archaeological dig. Nor had I been to Israel. So when my wife and I were invited by a friend to tag along for a week last summer, we more or less leaped at the opportunity. (Any lingering doubts were dispelled when we were told that the hotel room reserved for us in Ashkelon faced north, which meant that it was less likely to incur a direct hit by errant missiles occasionally fired from Gaza, about a dozen miles to the south.)

Errant? You mean, Hamas and Islamic Jihad aren't aiming these missiles at people, but they just occasionally fire them accidentally towards civilian targets?

Now it is true that there were not many missiles last summer when the author went to Ashkelon, but characterizing the Qassams and Grads (which have better targeting capabilities) as "errant" is outrageous.

(h/t Steele Street)

3 Qassams fell short in a week, injuring Gazans (PCHR)

PCHR writes:

At approximately 02:30 on Tuesday, 29 March 2011, a projectile exploded in a house belonging to Ahmed Kheir al-Batsh, 62, in al-Salam neighborhood in Jabalia, northern the Gaza Strip. Hanin Khalil al-Batsh, 22, sustained shrapnel wounds throughout her body. Her baby Ashour al-Batsh, seven months old, also sustained shrapnel wounds in the back, neck and head. A neighbor, Raed Johar al-Batsh, 35, sustained shrapnel wounds to the head as a result of the glass windows in his house shattering from the blast. The projectile penetrated the window in a room located in the western part of the second floor in the house. It exploded in the northern wall of the room causing a hole. The house was heavily damaged and the glass of the windows in three of the neighboring houses shattered. It should be noted that a site used by members of one of the Palestinian factions is located to the southwest of al-Batsh's house.

Earlier, at approximately 01:30 on Saturday, 26 March, a homemade projectile exploded in a soft drinks factory belonging to Murtaja Company used to make Soft Drinks and Juices in al-Zaytoon neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. A store, covering approximately five dunums, which is used to keep plastic materials was also totally destroyed as a result. Several pieces of equipment in the factory were damaged as well. No casualties were reported.

In a third incident that took place at approximately 12:00 on Thursday, 24 March 2011, a homemade projectile exploded in a wood factory owned by Bseiso and Alami Industry and Trade Company in al-Zaytoon neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. Three workers were wounded as a result, one of them seriously. The wounded are: 1. Khaled Mazen Hamada, 25, who sustained serious shrapnel wounds to the head; 2. Adel Ibrahim al-Nemnem, 46, who sustained shrapnel wounds to the head; and 3. Zaher Zuheir Tafesh, 33, who sustained shrapnel wounds in his right hand. The explosion also caused heavy damage to the factory and to a Mercedes belonging to the factory owner.

PCHR's recommendations are unintentionally funny:

In view of the above, PCHR:

1. Calls upon the government in Gaza to open serious investigations into the circumstances of the three reported incidents and to take measures necessary to protect Palestinians and their property.

2. Notes that members of the Palestinian resistance continue to store explosives or to treat such explosives in locations close to populated areas. This poses a major threat to the lives of the Palestinian civilians and constitutes a violation of both International Human Rights Law and the International Humanitarian Law. These actions must be brought to an end because they become more dangerous in view of the public and continued threats imposed by the Israeli occupation forces.

Somehow, PCHR didn't consider calling on members of the "resistance" to stop firing Qassams at Israel in the first place! Instead, they are just berating them for storing their explosives near Arab civilians; just move them to other area where you can shoot at Jewish civilians as much as you want.

In other words, the only reason it is wrong to store and shoot rockets is because Israel will shoot back. Otherwise, this "human rights" organization implies, terrorists can launch all the rockets they want towards Israeli schools, homes and medical clinics.

(h/t Yosef Hartuv)