Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Iran again calls to destroy Israel

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran was determined to eradicate Israel, ISNA news agency reported Thursday.

'Iran believes that whoever is for humanity should also be for eradicating the Zionist regime [Israel] as symbol of suppression and discrimination,' Ahmadinejad said in an interview with a Lebanese television network, carried by ISNA.

'Iran follows this issue [the eradication of Israel] with determination and decisiveness and will never ever withdraw from this standpoint and policy,' the Iranian president added in the interview with the Al-Manar network.

The remarks by Ahmadinejad came one day before the annual anti-Israeli rallies named Qods (Jerusalem) Day, which are held nationwide in Iran on the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan.

Ahmadinejad on Monday said that Iranians and Muslim nations worldwide should hold Qods rallies and show their willingness to dispose of this 'infectious tumour and this regime full of rascality.'

Along similar lines:

The Commander of the Iranian "Basij" Resistance Force Mohammad Reza Naghdi expressed hope that the Olympic Games 2020 will take place in liberated Palestine, İRNA state news agency reports.

"We hope that the celebration of the liberation of Palestine will coincide with a grand event such as the Olympic Games in this country," said Naghdi.

Also, the foreign ministry said that the US is the biggest sponsor of terror in the world.

More purposeful dishonesty from the anti-Zionist Left

Twitter can be a waste of time, but it can also expose the incredible dishonesty of the anti-Israel Left as they are not as careful with their tweets as they might be with their written and edited pieces.

One example comes from +972 writer (and United Arab Emirates National newspaper contributor) Joseph Dana, who tweeted about a new Wikileaks memo:

SUBJECT: RIGHT-WING LIEBERMAN UNABASHEDLY ADVOCATES TRANSFER OF ISRAELI ARABS

The 2006 memo he links to says this:

Right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party leader Avigdor Lieberman told the Ambassador January 31 that separation of Israeli Jews from Israeli Arabs is necessary in order to promote Israeli security and maintain Israel's Jewish identity. To accomplish this, Lieberman proposes that Israel redraw its border with the West Bank through negotiations to place some Israeli-Arab population centers that are close to the Green Line within Palestinian territory, and to include some Israeli settlement blocs within Israel.

...In response to the Ambassador's query, Lieberman said that the actual border would be the result of negotiations with Egypt, Jordan, and the PA. He said that the plan would also require the endorsement of the U.S. and at least one other member of the Quartet. His proposal would "not be a unilateral move," but one negotiated with "several partners." He added that Egypt should also be a part of the solution by providing some of its territory to Gaza, which Lieberman described as too densely populated.

The word "transfer" evokes a unilateral uprooting of Arabs from their homes and expelling them to another country. Lieberman was saying to negotiate with the PA and others to draw the borders between Israel and a Palestinian Arab state so that some of the Arabs who already identify as "Palestinian" can become citizens. That is quite different, and Dana knows it.

In fact, The Guardian made the same accusation about Tzipi Livni by purposefully misreading The Palestine Papers earlier this year, when she floated the idea of taking towns now divided by the Line and choosing to put them entirely in one state or the other.

The dishonesty was pointed out to Dana and, rather than correcting himself, he ignored it. Which is par for the course as well. (He later tweeted that he was quoting the State Department title for the report.)

A similar case comes from The Electronic Intifada's founder Ali Abuminah, a well respected figure among the Israeli far left, who wrote that Israel killed a 13-year old boy in Gaza. The link he used was to a PCHR report. Yet if one reads that report, there is no mention of any 13-year old boy. And no wonder - he was killed by a Grad rocket. This is a pure lie, and Abuminah is secure in the knowledge that his fans will not bother to read the report he links to which exposes him as a liar. (The same report shows that the other two civilians he mentions were being used as human shields.)

This was pointed out to him, and he also ignored the correction and refused to edit the piece.

Dana and Abuminah style themselves as journalists, but they show no desire to adhere to even the most basic journalistic standards. To them, the overriding imperative of demonizing Israel is much more important than mere formalities like telling the truth.

An incident in Silwan (Kfar HaShiloach)

Firas Press reports that the Israeli police came to the Arab part of Silwan and arrested a young man. As they tried to arrest him, the residents rioted and threw firebombs.

They give no reason why the man would have been arrested.

Maybe it has something to do with what happened the day before in that neighborhood. An Israeli couple, Gedi and Sarah Haimov, with their young daughter accidentally found themselves in Silwan as they were on their way to pray at the Kotel. The Arab youths there noticed the Jews and started throwing firecrackers at their car, almost hitting the child. Gedi stopped the car to yell at them, and they pushed him to the ground, kicking him.

Sarah, not able to see her husband anymore and afraid he was kidnapped, jumped into the drivers' seat and tried to speed away to save her child. She estimated that there were some 70 rioters at that point.

Gedi, meanwhile, tried to reach his gun but it fell to the ground in the fight. While he was being pummeled he managed to find the gun under the car. He grabbed it and waved it, and his attackers fled.

Miraculously, he was not badly injured even though he was beaten throughout his body.

That miracle is the reason why this story was not translated into English. Arabs attacking Jews - even in Jerusalem - is not news, unless they successfully kill them.

Because people don't know about how Silwan youths tried to lynch a Jewish family, the Arabic media can imply that Israeli forces are capriciously arresting Arab youths in Silwan.

(h/t Kramerica)

Muslims attempting to create "Islamic emirates" in European cities

From Hudson-NY:

Islamic extremists are stepping up the creation of "no-go" areas in European cities that are off-limits to non-Muslims.

Many of the "no-go" zones function as microstates governed by Islamic Sharia law. Host-country authorities effectively have lost control in these areas and in many instances are unable to provide even basic public aid such as police, fire fighting and ambulance services.

The "no-go" areas are the by-product of decades of multicultural policies that have encouraged Muslim immigrants to create parallel societies and remain segregated rather than become integrated into their European host nations.

In Britain, for example, a Muslim group called Muslims Against the Crusades has launched a campaign to turn twelve British cities – including what it calls "Londonistan" – into independent Islamic states. The so-called Islamic Emirates would function as autonomous enclaves ruled by Islamic Sharia law and operate entirely outside British jurisprudence.

The Islamic Emirates Project names the British cities of Birmingham, Bradford, Derby, Dewsbury, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester, Sheffield, as well as Waltham Forest in northeast London and Tower Hamlets in East London as territories to be targeted for blanket Sharia rule.

In the Tower Hamlets area of East London (also known as the Islamic Republic of Tower Hamlets), for example, extremist Muslim preachers, called the Tower Hamlets Taliban, regularly issue death threats to women who refuse to wear Islamic veils. Neighborhood streets have been plastered with posters declaring "You are entering a Sharia controlled zone: Islamic rules enforced." And street advertising deemed offensive to Muslims is regularly vandalized or blacked out with spray paint.

In the Bury Park area of Luton, Muslims have been accused of "ethnic cleansing" by harassing non-Muslims to the point that many of them move out of Muslim neighborhoods. In the West Midlands, two Christian preachers have been accused of "hate crimes" for handing out gospel leaflets in a predominantly Muslim area of Birmingham. In Leytonstone in east London, the Muslim extremist Abu Izzadeen heckled the former Home Secretary John Reid by saying: "How dare you come to a Muslim area."

In France, large swaths of Muslim neighborhoods are now considered "no-go" zones by French police. At last count, there are 751 Sensitive Urban Zones (Zones Urbaines Sensibles, ZUS), as they are euphemistically called. A complete list of the ZUS can be found on a French government website, complete with satellite maps and precise street demarcations. An estimated 5 million Muslims live in the ZUS, parts of France over which the French state has lost control.

Muslim immigrants are taking control of other parts of France too. In Paris and other French cities with high Muslim populations, such as Lyons, Marseilles and Toulouse, thousands of Muslims are closing off streets and sidewalks (and by extension, are closing down local businesses and trapping non-Muslim residents in their homes and offices) to accommodate overflowing crowds for Friday prayers. Some mosques have also begun broadcasting sermons and chants of "Allahu Akbar" via loudspeakers into the streets.

The weekly spectacles, which have been documented by dozens of videos posted on Youtube.com (here, here,here, here, here, here, here, here and here), and which have been denounced as an "occupation without tanks or soldiers," have provoked anger and disbelief. But despite many public complaints, local authorities have declined to intervene because they are afraid of sparking riots.

It gets worse. Read the whole thing.

But, hey, it's multiculturalism! Some British seem to have no problem with increasing Islam in daily life. Here's what The Guardian publishes every day during Ramadan, provided by The Muslim Council of Britain:

Do you think they publish Friday night Jewish candle-lighting times as well?

(h/t jzaik)

Israeli leftist says killing Israeli Jews is a "right"

The Left has come to this: justifying terrorism against Israelis in the name of human rights.

From the Jerusalem Post columnist Larry Derfner, in a blog called Israel Reconsidered:

I think a lot of people who realize that the occupation is wrong also realize that the Palestinians have the right to resist it – to use violence against Israelis, even to kill Israelis, especially when Israel is showing zero willingness to end the occupation, which has been the case since the Netanyahu government took over (among other times in the past).

But people don’t want to say this, especially right after a terror attack like this last one that killed eight Israelis near Eilat. And there are lots of good reasons for this reticence, such as: You don’t want to further upset your own countrymen when they are grieving, you don’t want to say or write anything that could be picked up by Israel’s enemies and used as justification for killing more of us. (These are good reasons; fear of being called a traitor, for instance, is a bad reason.)

But I think it’s time to overcome this reticence, even at the cost of enflaming the already enflamed sensitivities of the Israeli public, because this unwillingness to say outright that Palestinians have the right to fight the occupation, especially now, inadvertently helps keep the occupation going.

... Whoever the Palestinians were who killed the eight Israelis near Eilat last week, however vile their ideology was, they were justified to attack. They had the same right to fight for their freedom as any other unfree nation in history ever had. And just like every harsh, unjust government in history bears the blame for the deaths of its own people at the hands of rebels, so Israel, which rules the Palestinians harshly and unjustly, is to blame for those eight Israeli deaths – as well as for every other Israeli death that occurred when this country was offering the Palestinians no other way to freedom.

Writing this is not treason. It is an attempt at patriotism.

Derfner, who no doubt would describe himself as liberal, cannot find a single ethical problem with Palestinian Arab terror. Like Mahmoud Abbas and every other Palestinian Arab leader, he merely says:

I also think Palestinian terrorism backfires, it turns people away from them and generates sympathy for Israel and the occupation, so I’m against terrorism on a practical level, too, but that’s besides the point.

As to his "logic" - this is it:

If those who oppose the occupation acknowledged publicly that it justifies Palestinian terrorism, then those who support the occupation would have to explain why it doesn’t. And that’s not easy for a nation that sanctifies the right to self-defense; a nation that elected Irgun leader Menachem Begin and Lehi leader Yitzhak Shamir as prime minister.

It isn't easy to distinguish between targeting civilians for death and regretting when civilians die while trying to defend your people? It isn't easy to find that all deliberate killing of peaceful civilians is morally bankrupt - including those done by The Stern Gang in the 1940s?

Moreover - does Derfner, in his wildest dreams, believe that attacking two couples on vacation in Eilat can be construed as self-defense?

This is a breathtakingly sick article, one that is incitement to terrorism. It shows that it is now fashionable among some leftists to twist the language of "rights" into justifying horrors.

And you can be sure that the more "mainstream" Leftists, those who claim to be against all attacks on civilians, will not unequivocally condemn this example of how the murder of Israeli Jews is now considered necessary and just among some of their own.

(h/t Jameel)

Standing up for Israel on Massachusetts college campuses (video)

From The David Project:

(h/t JW)

Iranian "admits" he's a Mossad spy, spins absurd story

From Al Arabiya:

Iranian kick boxer Majid Jamali Fashi admitted Tuesday to the murder of nuclear scientist Masoud Mohammadi on the orders of the Israeli intelligence while the opposition expressed doubt over his claims, saying they seemed fabricated by the authorities.

The 26-year-old athlete, who took part in several championships both inside and outside the country, admitted in court that the bomb attack that targeted Mohammadi on January 12 was part of a plan by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad to assassinate five other nuclear scientists. Fashi said he got $120,000 in return for all operations.

The Iranian opposition website Rooz Online dismissed the story as fabricated by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and National Security. According to the website, Fashi’s testimony contains several loopholes.

“Fashi said in his televised confessions that he traveled to Israel three times. How could he have done that without arousing the suspicions of the Iranian authorities?” said the Rooz Online statement.

The statement mocked the details about the tools Fashi allegedly used to facilitate the operations he was to carry out like a communication belt, bullet-proof clothes, mobile phone with infra-red camera, and a motorcycle that connects digitally to Tel Aviv.

“This [information] is taken from one of those American action movies.”

I would have believed that the Mossad was behind this until I saw the details of the accusations.

Sounds more like Batman to me.

Hamas takes responsibility for latest mortars

Hamas had been careful to distance itself from Gaza rocket fire over the past week, even denying rocket fire after they had initially taken responsibility.

But now Hamas' Al Qassam Brigades are bragging that they shot 3 mortars towards what they claim was the IDF entering Gaza.

Ooooh! A briefing book!

MJ Rosenberg on Twitter is all excited to have uncovered an AIPAC Briefing Book to the current members of Congress. It was discovered, apparently after much painstaking research, on AIPAC's own website.

Now, that's great journalism! Who would have thought to look there?

His acolytes are combing through it to find evidence that the evil Zionist Jews own Congress. A couple of hours later - they haven't found much, but they are "sick to their stomachs" anyway.

So, in about two minutes, I found the Americans for Peace Now briefing book to Congress. Yes, it looks like AIPAC is not the only lobby that writes these things! Who knew? This must be exposed!

Here are the highlights of APN's supposedly pro-Israel message to Congress, with each of the bullet points as little Stars of David:

Americans for Peace Now (APN) urges Congress to:

Reject legislative initiatives-letters, resolutions, etc.- that unhelpfully heap blame on only one side.

Demand expanded accountability regarding Israel’s expenditures on settlements, including reporting from the State Department on the amount of funds Israel is spending annually across the Green Line to support and expand Israeli residential development.

Reject efforts to add gratuitous new conditions, restrictions, and oversight requirements to Palestinian assistance.

Embrace a smart approach to U.S.-Syria relations, founded on a commitment to resolute engagement and diplomacy.

Support continued U.S. assistance to Lebanon.

Oppose Israeli settlement activities in East Jerusalem, support a negotiated solution on the future of Jerusalem, and refrain from statements or actions that could delay, harm or hinder such negotiations.

Reject efforts to force an immediate transfer of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

Reject efforts to use the legitimate claims of Jewish refugees as a pretext for blocking an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.

Reject efforts to undermine or de-legitimize UNRWA.

Reject any efforts to further tie the Administration’s hands with respect to U.S. policy toward a future Palestinian power-sharing arrangement that may include Hamas.

Reject efforts to use this issue [two state solution] as a pretext for imposing additional conditions/sanctions on the Palestinians.

Recogniz[e] that the PA is engaged in a serious effort to fight incitement.

This is a lobby that expends most of its efforts on pushing issues that are identical to those desired by Israel's enemies.

Now, that's what I call pro-Israel!

Syria roundup (Zvi)

From Zvi:

* UN says protest deaths exceed 2200, including 350 since the start of Ramadan. I notice that the lady in the video was not complaining about people stocking Syrian products. Funny, that.

* 7 more civilians were killed in Syria today, including 3 women killed in raids in the al-Ghab region.

* US Ambassador Ford visited town of Jasem, apparently violating a regime ban on leaving the capital. Citizens gathered around and chanted slogans in support of international efforts [against the regime].

* Switzerland withdrew its ambassador.

* EU introduced UNSC draft resolution calling for embargo on Syria and freezing assets of 24 top officials (but not the regime's financiers).

* China National Petroleum Corp.'s Great Wall Drilling Co. shut down 6 major projects in Syria, Libya, Niger and Algeria.

* South Korea banned citizens from traveling to Syria due to instability. Syria joins Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Iraq and Yemen on the short list.

* Syria creates the "Syria is fine" campaign: “With the participation of 250 academic, political, media, art and parliamentary figures from 18 countries in response to the invitation of an independent Syrian youth group, 'Syria is Fine' campaign started its activities on Sunday,”

* UNHRC approved a resolution calling for investigation of human rights violations by Syrian security forces.
- Voted against the resolution: China, Cuba, Ecuador, Russia. Russia claimed to have voted against it because - I'm not making this up - it ignored the positive steps taken by the Syrian regime, willingness for dialog, etc. China's excuses were its usual; since Tiananmen, China has always used the sovereignty argument to defend dictators. Cuba's excuse is a bunch of BS from a bygone era. Ecuador silently followed Cuba's lead.
- Abstained: Angola, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Djibouti, India, Malaysia, Mauritania, Philippines, and Uganda. India's excuse was pure hypocrisy, given its willingness to support UNHRC attacks on Israel.
- Voted in favor of the resolution: Austria, Belgium, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chile, Congo, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Guatemala, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, United States of America, and Uruguay.

* London-listed Gulfsands Petroleum pays a share of its Syrian production profits to Rami Makhlouf, pays more than $1 million to Ramak, the Makhlouf family holding company, and is 5.7% owned by an investment fund controlled by Rami Makhlouf. Boycotts or sanctions, anyone? No? I didn't think so. Now, if Makhlouf were Jewish, it would be a different story, wouldn't it... ?

8 Gaza men, women and children injured by Qassams

From PCHR:

In the past five days, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) documented the injuries of eight persons, including two children and three women, due to the explosions of home-made rockets in populated areas across the Gaza Strip. The injury of one of the women was described as serious.

The latest incident took place at approximately 01:40 on Monday, 22 August 2011, when a home-made rocket landed onto the roof of a 3-storey house belonging to Sobhi Ibrahim Shakhsa, 53, where three families live, in al-Tawaheen area in al-Shuja'ya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. As the result of the rocket's explosion, three sons of Shakhsa were shocked and were transported to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Besides, the rocket made a hole in the roof, falling part of the southern wall of the house and damaging the water network and doors. In his testimony to a PCHR field worker, Shakhsa said that the Explosives Police arrived at the scene and collected the rocket's shrapnel, but the civil police did not come to investigate the incident.

Earlier, at approximately 20:00 on Sunday, 21 August 2011, another home-made rocket hit the western side of the house of Mas'oud Ibrahim al-Sheikh, 53, near Dar al-Arqam School in al-Toffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City. As a result, his son Ra'ed Mas'oud al-Sheikh, 8, was moderately wounded by shrapnel to the head, and his daughter Samar Mas'oud al-Sheikh, 28, was seriously wounded by shrapnel to the pelvis and back, and consequently, was admitted into the intensive care unit at Shifa Hospital.

At approximately 20:45 on Saturday, 20 August 2011, Sa'd Bakr al-Salhi, 16, from Deir al-Balah town in the central Gaza Strip and Naheda Hashem Salem, 53, were evacuated to Shifa Hospital, as the former was wounded by shrapnel to the right hand and the latter was wounded by shrapnel throughout the body. Medical sources described their wounds between light to moderate. The two persons were wounded due to the explosion of a home-made rocket while exiting from Sa'eed Murad Mosque near al-Helou Hall, southeast of Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip.

At approximately 03:00 on Friday, 19 August 2011, Mohammed Yusef al-Najjar Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah received Abdul Sattar Selmi Abu Snaima, 21, from al-Shouka village, east of Rafah, as he was wounded by shrapnel throughout the body. Medical sources described his wound as moderate. According to Palestinian police sources, Abu Snaima had been wounded when a home-made rocket landed in front of his house, which is located near al-Shouka clinic.

Interestingly, PCHR does not mention the death of the 13 year old boy who the UN said was killed by a Grad rocket. Perhaps because the Grads are not "home-made."

An inside look at the Syrian army

Now Lebanon has an incredible interview with a high ranking Syrian army defector:

Why did you defect, and what do you plan to do next?

Officer: I remained in my position in the beginning of the uprising to support it from the inside; I would organize, prepare and do what I could to see that the demonstrations succeed. When I felt that my cover was going to be blown, I left, but remained in contact with others like myself inside the army. Today I’m part of the Syrian Free Army and am coordinating with the different brigades.

Some of us announce defecting, like you see on television, and some don’t to be able to play a better role in the success of the revolution. So technically, the number of those defecting is far greater than what has been announced.

What happened to soldiers who defected and were caught?

Officer: Death. Death is the fate of those defecting or those who refuse to obey orders to shoot at protesters. Most of the executions are happening at military prisons in Tedmor and Saadnaya, where officers are being shot every Monday. Also, some who refuse to shoot at protesters are shot on the spot during the demonstrations. The aim is to set an example for others and to make it look like demonstrators are armed.

Who is the party cracking down on the protesters?

Officer: It’s a combination of army officers, police officers, security officers and the shabiha. Out of the army, the Fourth Brigade, which is one of the biggest brigades, is taking the most part. This brigade is loyal to Maher al-Assad, President Bashar’s brother.

The security forces come from the different security branches under the Ministry of Defense, but mainly the officers are from the Military Security Branch and the Air Force Intelligence, what people refer to as the jawiyah.

The shabiha take a big part in the crackdown because they are vicious. They are mafia and they are smugglers who trade in drugs, cigarettes, weapons, people, body parts. Most were initially wanted by the state or were in prison, but they were released to fight against the demonstrators.

Is it true that there are Iranian forces and Hezbollah members assisting regime forces in the crackdown?

Officer: Yes it is true. Hezbollah members are mainly used in the streets; they are well acquainted with battle techniques, while the Syrians are not. Many Syrian officers were left free to grow beards so that the Hezbollah members don’t stand out, but they still do; they are built differently.

At the beginning Iranians were mainly used as snipers, but later on they were taken down to the streets and Syrians took their places on the rooftops.

It was always hard for the Iranians to tell who to shoot at; sometimes there are instigators among the demonstrators planted there by the regime to create strife, and the Iranians don’t know who to shoot.

In places where confrontation is expected, and there’s a risk of them being injured, the Iranians are used to detain protesters and torture them in prisons because if they get hurt, they could be captured by the opposition and shown on TV.

What happened to the 61st Army Brigade in Daraa after it defected? Is it true that everyone was killed?

Officer: The head of the 5th squad, which the 61st Brigade is part of, was General Rifaii, who was ordered to crack down on the demonstrations and refused, and he had the support of the officers with him. President Assad himself negotiated with him, but he stuck to his position, saying that he refused to shoot at unarmed men.

They planted a trap for him. An order was then given to him to spread his troops in Daraa but not to shoot at protesters, as he wished, but then his forces were attacked by forces from the Fourth Brigade and they massacred them.

Read the whole thing.

HRW notices Hamas is not exactly acting democratically

Two statements about Hamas by HRW! It's a miracle!

A Palestinian human rights official is urging the leadership in Gaza to reverse a decision blocking eight students from traveling to the United States for university.

Rawyeh Ash-Shawwa, member of the legislative council and head of the Independent Commission for Human Rights, ... found it dumbfounding that Palestinians have battled Israel for permission to leave Gaza but remain stuck due to Hamas.

The 16-year-old students had been granted Amideast scholarships to study in the US. They will lose their scholarships if the decision is not reversed. The students have asked not to be named.

On Monday, Human Rights Watch urged Hamas to overturn the decision.

“Hamas should be encouraging young people to seek educational opportunities, not arbitrarily blocking them from traveling abroad to study,” said Joe Stork, Human Rights Watch's deputy Mideast director.

And:

Authorities in Gaza should halt interrogations, detentions, and harassment apparently aimed at intimidating civil society activists, Human Rights Watch said Monday.

"Hamas should respect their rights to freedom of expression and assembly," the group said in a report noting the arrest of youth activist Abu Yazan, who campaigned for Palestinian unity in March.

“If Hamas expects to be treated as a responsible governing authority, it should stop persecuting peaceful critics in Gaza,” said Joe Stork, deputy Mideast director at the New York-based rights group.

Of course, unlike when they want to criticize Israel, HRW waited a week or two after these stories were originally reported before making any statements.

Turkey kills 100 in Iraq. Yawn.

From The Independent:

Up to 100 Kurdish rebels have been killed in six days of air strikes on northern Iraq, Turkey's military said yesterday.

The raids are the first by Turkey in the mountains of northern Iraq in more than a year and are in retaliation for an escalation of guerrilla attacks following the collapse of efforts to negotiate a settlement to the 27-year-old conflict.

In the town of Rania, in Iraq's northern Kurdish region, relatives of seven Iraqis, including children, killed in an air strike on Sunday – the first civilian casualties since the raids began last Wednesday – questioned the Turkish tactics.

The attacks have angered residents of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, a relatively safe haven in war-torn Iraq where Turkish investors have flocked in recent years to build homes, offices and shopping malls.

"They were just farmers. They didn't cause problems for anyone. I want to ask why they were killed," said one local, Yaqub Mustafa.

As the Honest Reporting blog notes,

Now imagine if Israel had also crossed over the territory of a sovereign state and killed 100 people, including a number of civilians.

Cue front page news, expressions of outrage, calls for a Goldstone-style UN inquiry. You get the picture.

But then, Israel is held to a different standard to other nations.

It's actually worse, because Iran has shelled civilian sections of Kurdistan as well.

Wikileaks: Child marriage in Israel (updated)

Last night, Wikileaks released some 35,000 new cables.

Most of them are incredibly boring, very few are classified or secret.

Here's an unclassified 2005 cable that is interesting, though:

The Executive Director of the NCC described early marriage as "not a significant problem in the general Israeli population," but "significant" among minority groups such as Muslims, certain ultra-Orthodox Jewish sects, and new immigrants from Ethiopia and the Islamic states in the FSU.

According to the Government's Central Bureau of statistics, 47 boys 17 years of age or younger married in 2002, 30 from the Jewish sector and 17 from the Muslim sector. ... During the same year, there was a total of 196 "child brides" under the age of 17, with 29 from the Jewish sector, 165 from the Muslim sector, and one from the Christian sector. The Central Bureau of Statistics highlighted that the ratio of girls in the Muslim sector who married under the age of 17 increased from 1.3 girls per 1,000 in 1995, to 6 girls per 1,000 in 2001. The ratio for girls in the Jewish sector who married under the age of 17 remained stable at 0.3 girls per 1,000. In the view of the NCC, child marriage has an adverse effect in that it influences the child's ability to continue his or her education and impedes the child's proper development. Ivri was not aware of any specific government office that is working on this issue.

No U.S.-funded initiatives exist in Israel to reduce the incidence or address the negative affects of child marriage. The NCC endorses implementation of new educational programs that target the specific at-risk populations cited above.

The highlighted statistic is incredible - a fourfold increase in Muslim child brides in only six years?

Could it be that after Oslo there was a rush to marry girls between those living in Israel and the territories so the latter could gain Israeli citizenship? I cannot imagine that this huge jump was not related to political issues as (at the time) a Palestinian Arab state seemed increasingly likely.

UPDATE: Commenter akibigman notes that during Oslo, some 130,000 Palestinian Arabs received Israeli citizenship by marrying Israeli Arabs, so my supposition makes sense.