Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Muslims upset at Putin's visit to the Kotel

Vladimir Putin visited the Kotel on Tuesday night:

Throughout the visit, Putin demonstrated curiosity, asked many questions on the history of the place, and spoke about the Jewish connection to the holy site: "You can see how the Jewish past is engraved in the Jerusalem stone," he said.

As you can imagine, Muslims were very unhappy at a world leader saying that Jerusalem has anything to do with Judaism.

Hamas called it a cheap stunt, and the Al Aqsa Heritage Foundation said:

We say to Putin and his ilk, that the Wailing Wall is purely Islamic, and is part and parcel of the Al Aqsa Mosque, and non-Muslims have no right to the wall or in the Al Aqsa Mosque. All the historical facts and international documents confirm that the Al-Buraq Wall is Islamic, including the British Shaw Commission. Remember, the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa mosque is 45 years old, and they demolished the buildings and around the Square unjustly for the prayer of the Jews, then carried out the excavations, including the excavation along the bottom of the Al Aqsa Mosque, and during the excavations many of the Islamic and Arabic findings were suppressed, not to mention that these excavations led to the cracks and collapses in the vicinity of the Al Aqsa Mosque and some of its buildings, and the occupation is engaging in Judaization of the place, and we affirm that all rocks the Al Aqsa Mosque and every stone of Jerusalem proves the Arab identity of Jerusalem.

Other Arab media pointed out that Putin wore a kipah.

Links

From Ian:

It looks like Mel Gibson has fallen off the wagon again:
Anti-Semitic Elmo detained in NY
“Man dressed as Sesame Street character is removed from Central Park after obscene rants against Jews”

Birthplace of Christ Used in Bid for Palestinian Statehood

“The issue is not genuinely about a two-state solution – as many are fooled into believing. Lethal opposition to the State of Israel remains fierce. This tiny democracy, Israel, which lives by individual freedoms, equal justice under law and respect for universal human rights, is an affront to these autocratic regimes.”

“The drive to have the Church of the Nativity recognized as a global heritage site is nothing short of offensive. Christians have been driven out of their ancestral lands; Palestinians have shown nothing but hostility to both Christians and Jews. Moreover, Christ himself was a Jew.

Upon the birth of the State of Israel in 1948, Bethlehem had a Christian population of over 80 percent. With the rise of the Muslim population, Christians dwindled in numbers. Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority took over the town in 1995, thanks to the Oslo Accords. Along with the PA, came a tribal political system which caused Bethlehem's Christian population, already at 15%, to further sink to 2% today. Under this political system Christians are targeted, seen as inferiors, and subjected to threats, violence, discrimination and acts of terrorism.”

BBC Apologies:
BBC apologises over Itamar massacres coverage

The BBC “got it wrong” by not giving prominence to the massacre of the Fogel family by Palestinians in the West Bank settlement of Itamar, the outgoing director-general has admitted.

Our coverage of the Arab Spring was over-excited, admits BBC

Head of news admits reporters may have failed to explore both sides of the story
Countries where regimes were not overthrown were ignored, says BBC Trust report by former UN director of communications
Two thirds of mobile footage and other user-generated content was broadcast without any caveats

BBC boss sorry for reply to campaign to save radio show

“BBC head of north-west programming Aziz Rashid has apologised for snubbing Jewish leaders with a standardised reply to their complaint over the scrapping of the Jewish programme on Radio Manchester.”

Emanuel Cleaver and the Congressional Black Caucus Fail to Condemn Antisemitic Democrat

“Here is a list of organizations that have endorsed Barron, to their eternal shame: the Sierra Club, one of the most influential environmental groups in the nation; DC 37 and 1707, the big New York City public sector unions affiliated with AFSCME and the AFL-CIO; outgoing incumbent Democrat Edolphus Towns; and the local Amsterdam News, among others.“

A Hamas victory at the UN Human Rights Council

“Here is some of what Habeeb had to say while speaking in a UN room, at a UN-provided microphone, at a UN-advertised event associated with the UN’s top human rights body: “In 1947, 1948 and 1949 the Palestinian refugees were ethnically cleansed by the Israeli gangs.... Some Arab armies came to Palestine to fight the Zionist project, which came from all over Europe to take over Palestine and to make it as a national home for the Jews, although it was always the national home for the Palestinians for thousands and thousands of years.”

AFP Whence the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty?

"Today AFP refers to "1980, the year after Cairo signed its peace agreement with Tel Aviv." (Emphasis added.)

The Church of England Battles the Israeli Satan

"The Anglican Church, the UK's largest, is in the vanguard of Jew-hatred. Israel is demonized and their upcoming Synod may be a watershed."

New Memri Video:
Egyptian Leftist Politician Rifat Said: The Muslim Bortherhood Will Never Relinquish the Presidency

Also, Mostly Kosher on Amnesty's latest absurdity (h/t Benjamin of Tudela)

An searing first person account of being sexually abused at Tahrir Square (h/t CHA)

Israel's SodaStream surges, BDS fails again (h/t Tobias)

A German judge prohibits circumcisions

It is time for my quarterly appeal for donations. I'll try to be less irritating than PBS.

Things keep going well here at Chez Elder. During this last quarter we have seen a steady increase of Twitter followers (now approaching 2500) and subscribers to the blog via RSS and email (750 people get my email digest directly, and many others have it forwarded to them.) Direct blog readership has held steady at around 5000 hits a day.

I spoke last month to a full house as part of a panel at an American Zionist Movement event. Here's how it was described:

The guest blogger was “ElderofZiyon,” well-known by his nom de plume in the blogosphere but rarely seen in public. “Elder” is perhaps the most quoted blogger in the area of Middle East politics, and he used his time well to help the hopefuls in the audience think about how to be most effective in their work on behalf of Israel.

It has been hard to keep up my pace of posting, as I started a new job and my free time has gone down considerably. In order to maximize blogging time, I had to buy a netbook (Acer Aspire One), and a new cell phone ($399 plus shipping) with an upgraded data plan ($15/month) so I can blog on the train. (My one day of trying to blog with a tablet was awful. Sorry, but to blog the way I do, you need a real computer. I ran to Walmart that night because I couldn't take it.) Because of nosy commuters looking over my shoulder, I just ordered a privacy screen for the netbook as well.

I also occasionally blog at The Times of Israel. I just did one today based on a post from last week, that has already gotten some Twitter traction.

So if you want to be a partner in this endeavor, please consider a donation - either a one-time donation or a subscription - by clicking on the appropriate button in the upper right of the blog site or simply going to this PayPal site. If you are not a fan of PayPal, I happily accept Amazon gift cards which can be sent via email.

And if you have lots of money and want to match the donations given, the way someone does at Mondoweiss (!), feel free to contact me!

Thanks as always for your support, for being there and for publicizing my posts. I really, really appreciate it!

Those "civilian" Hamas police...

Remember the Goldstone Report? The biased UN report took pains to claim that the police of Gaza should be considered civilians and not terrorists or militants. I debunked it here and here.

Well, Goldstone and the other "human rights" organizations are proven wrong again.

Hamas held a ceremony for police graduates where it was made very clear that the goal of the police is anything but civil:

Announcer: Now that we have heard the song of the men, here is a little Palestinian girl, a flower of Jerusalem, who insisted on participating in this ceremony. Rawan is the daughter of one of the officers at the Palestinian police academy. Please welcome Rawan Khilla, who will recite what she has to say, the words on which she was raised.

[…]

Rawan Khilla: Glory explodes in your bodies, and eternal life is guaranteed for martyrdom-seekers.

[…]

Fathi Hammad, Hamas Minister of the Interior and of National Security: Allah says: “Prepare for them what force and steeds of war you can.” The Prophet Muhammad says: “Prepare for them what force you can. Force means shooting.” The Prophet Muhammad also says: “Lands shall be thrown open to you, and Allah will protect you, but none of you should give up playing with his arrows.”

None of you should give up playing with all the tools of force and equipment, which will bring us closer to our aspirations: Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Haifa, Akko and Jaffa.

[…]

From this place, I bring you glad tidings: The officers of the class graduating today will become the Police Chief of Jaffa, the Police Chief of Haifa, the Police Chief of Akko, the Police Chief of Lod, the Police Chief of Ramle, and of all other places.

Therefore, from this place, we declare to all those who usurped our lands that they must prepare to leave, because we have prepared for Jihad. You are going to leave, while we are summoned to battle. We are the owners of this land.

[…]

We say: There shall be no reconciliation with secularism. There shall be no reconciliation with any path other than that of Islam.

[…]

This is an opportunity for you to study at our academy how to defend our battlefront and how to be soldiers of Allah. We will not be the soldiers of the US, of the Zionists, or of the hypocrites. We are determined to proceed along the path of Allah.

Therefore, dear brothers, we speak with conviction. Some might say: You are talking as if victory is imminent. Yes, victory is imminent. Victory is ours, and disgrace will be the lot of all the hypocrites, who agreed to be the shoes on the feet of the Zionists and the Americans.

Indeed, victory is coming. Victory is imminent.

This isn't a police force - it is an army.

But "human rights" organizations will always refuse to see the truth in their zeal to crucify Israel.

(h/t Yoel)

Iranian VP blames drug problem on - the Talmud

From the ever-entertaining official Iranian Fars news agency:

Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi condemned Zionists for inciting global drug trade and addiction in a bid to annihilate non-Jewish communities in accordance with Talmudic teachings.

Addressing a ceremony on the occasion of the International Day of Drug Abuse here in Tehran on Tuesday, Rahimi stated that prevalence of narcotics and drug-addition throughout the world finds its roots in the wrong teachings of the Zionists' religious book, Talmud.

The Talmud (Hebrew: "instruction, learning") is a central text of mainstream Judaism in the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history.

"The book teaches them how to destroy non-Jews so as to protect an embryo in the womb of a Jewish mother," Rahimi stated.

The Iranian vice-president said that the Zionists' direct involvement in the prevalence of illicit drugs is while "you cannot find a single addict among the Zionists".

I must have missed that part of the Talmud. (Maybe it's in the Yerushalmi.)

But don't call Iranian leaders anti-semitic. He was only talking about the "Zionist" Talmud.

(h/t Challah Hu Akbar)

Report: Al Qaeda recruited Norwegian Muslim to attack West

From AP:

A Norwegian man has received terrorist training from al-Qaida's offshoot in Yemen and is awaiting orders to carry out an attack on the West, officials from three European security agencies told The Associated Press on Monday.

Western intelligence officials have long feared such a scenario — a convert to Islam who is trained in terrorist methods and can blend in easily in Europe and the United States, traveling without visa restrictions.

Officials from three European security agencies confirmed Monday the man is "operational," meaning he has completed his training and is about to receive a target. All spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly. They declined to name the man, who has not been accused of a crime.

"We believe he is operational and he is probably about to get his target," one security official said. "And that target is probably in the West."

A security official in a second European country confirmed the information, adding: "From what I understand, a specific target has not been established."

European security services, including in Norway, have warned in recent years of homegrown, radicalized Muslims traveling to terror training camps in conflict zones. Many of the known cases involve young men with family roots in Muslim countries.

But the latest case involves a man in his 30s with no immigrant background, the officials said. After converting to Islam in 2008, he quickly became radicalized and traveled to Yemen to receive terror training, one of the officials said. The man spent "some months" in Yemen and is still believed to be there, he said.

The official said the man has no criminal record, which would also make him an ideal recruit for al-Qaida.

"Not even a parking ticket," he said. "He's completely clean and he can travel anywhere."

The official would not specify what preventive measures were being taken but said "there is a well-established relationship between Western security services, and they share the information needed to prevent terrorism."

The officials declined to specify what makes them think the man is operational.

The man has not been accused of a crime in Norway, where traveling abroad to attend terror training camps is not a crime per se. In many European countries, suspects are not named unless they have been formally charged with a crime.

Yemeni military officials said they had information on Europeans training with al-Qaida in the southern part of the country but that they weren't aware of a Norwegian being among them. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

CIA and FBI officials in the U.S. declined to comment on the AP report.

(h/t Yoel)

Another peaceful "truce" rocket

From YNet this morning:

The Color Red alert sounded in Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council. A projectile landing site was found shortly afterwards.

No injuries were reported, but a henhouse in one of the council's kibbutzim sustained some damage.

Meanwhile:

Israel has lodged another complaint with the UN Security Council, condemning the rocket barrages fired recently on the Jewish state from the Gaza Strip.

Israel's ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, wrote in the letter that a million civilians are under risk of being hurt in the attacks, and warned that the Security Council's inaction could exacerbate the conflict.

Who can be against a complaint to the Security Council against terrorist rocket fire targeting a million civilians?

Why, Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, of course!

Spokesman for the Fatah movement Dr. Fayez Abu Eita said in a press statement issued by the Office of Information and Culture on Tuesday, 'This complaint is the second official complaint made yesterday by the Government of Israel to the Security Council on the continued firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip, [but] it is only to throw dust in the eyes and mislead world public opinion, to cover up its ugly crimes against our people and our cause.'

Once upon a time, the Fatah-dominated PA would issue automatic (and quite insincere) condemnations of terror attacks. Now they make quite clear what side they have been on the entire time.

Anti-Israel LA billboard campaign fails- because the haters screwed up

From the virulently anti-Israel Mondoweiss site, June 13:

Exciting news. The Coalition to Stop 30 Billion to Israel has put up 23 billboards across Los Angeles in an awareness initiative to stop military aid to Israel.

...The billboard company for Stop30Billion's LA initiative is CBS Outdoor, the outdoor advertising division of media conglomerate CBS Corporation.

Due to the tremendous pressure CBS Outdoor will undoubtedly encounter in the days and weeks ahead, Stop30Billion and its partner the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation have asked us to sign a petition to thank CBS Outdoor.

But only one week into the hate campaign, CBS Outdoor took the billboards down:

That win fell apart just one week later when the billboard company--CBS Outdoor, a subsidiary of CBS Corporation-- took all our billboards down.

They sent a curt email telling us they were canceling our contract and refunding our money because "your organization has used the ‘CBS Outdoor’ name without permission" in email messages and in our petition thanking CBS for putting up the billboards in the first place.

Needless to say, this was a punch in the stomach.

In other words, the hate crowd tried to make it sound like CBS supported their message, and overstepped.

StandWithUs has more - and they are going to put up their own pro-Israel billboards in Los Angeles in the same locations.

Open the pod bay thread, Hal.

I've still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission.

Links!

From Ian:

Karma news - Anti-Israel BDSers “The Co-Op” caught out desecrating the dead.
Families horror as its revealed Co-op funeral firm piled naked bodies up in grim warehouse morgue

Channel 4 Dispatches programme shows casket lid was removed to cram four bodies into a van which left elderly woman's nose nearly touching roof
Horrific moment when the wrong body is discovered at a funeral and family wait 30 minutes for the right coffin to be found
Undercover programme also reveals that if a family member requests to see their relatives again bodies are quickly returned to the funeral home
Last year firm handled 100,000 funerals and made £51million profit

The media’s despicable silence on Israel

"The world’s media constantly blasts and attacks Israel. A simple monitoring of the media over the last few days shows a deafening silence on issues – and there’s no explanation other than media bias against Israel:
In the last week, there have been 150 rockets fired into Israel, and it’s far from major news. It’s a non-issue for the Western media – damage to a school and factory on Saturday. It will become news when Israel responds and kills some terrorist(s), and world headlines will speak of “tit for tat violence.” No, in reality it’s a sane democratic country defending herself from terrorism."

Should Israel Exist? A Sovereign Nation under Attack by the International Community

PA TV glorifies Palestinian terrorists who killed over 100 civilians in video by Palestinian national band

“Palestinian Authority TV has twice broadcast a music video honoring terrorist prisoners, including Ibrahim Hamed, serving 45 life sentences for orchestrating suicide bombings at Hebrew University (9 killed), Cafe Moment (12 killed), Cafe Hillel (7 killed), and Abbas Al-Sayid, serving 35 life sentences for planning the suicide bombing at the Jewish Passover Seder in Netanya (30 killed), and others.”

Congressman Allen West calls upon Obama to cut off U.S. aid to Egypt and repudiate Muslim Brotherhood

Egyptian cleric launching Pres. Morsi’s campaign promised new Arab empire with Jerusalem as capital

Malaysia to extradite Iranian suspected of attempted attack on Israeli targets

Australian-Israeli Venture Turns Emissions Into Fuel With Solar Energy

An Israeli-Australian venture aims to use concentrated solar power technology to turn carbon emissions from coal fired power generators in Victoria into fuel.

Egyptian beats pregnant wife to death for not voting for Morsi

From Al Arabiya:

An Egyptian plumber in Alexandria beat his pregnant wife to death upon learning that she had not voted for Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Mohammed Mursi, reported the Egyptian daily al-Wafd on Sunday.

According to police reports, the initial argument between the couple who was not named escalated into violence, despite her pleas. Battered and bruised, she was reported to have died at the hospital from injuries sustained.

Syrian army officers defecting in larger numbers

From Al Arabiya:

A Syrian general, two colonels, two majors, one lieutenant and 33 soldiers have defected from President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and arrived in Turkey, Turkish state television said on Monday, without giving any further details.

The private news channel CNN Turk also reported the defections of the soldiers, but said they had arrived with members of their families, making a total of 224 individuals.

On Sunday, three additional Syrian military pilots have defected to Jordan, according to Al Arabiya’s correspondent in Amman.

“The three pilots have entered Jordan in an illegal way and they are currently held by the Jordanian security authorities who are taking them through the regular routine procedures” said Al Arabiya’s Ghassan Abu Louz quoting sources within Syrian opposition.

One of the three pilots was a Lieutenant Colonel who managed to bring in his family to Jordan today as well, according to the correspondent. The other two pilots were both colonels and were believed to have also brought in their families from Syria, he said.

Four other Syrian military officials have entered Jordan since last Thursday following the defection of the colonel Hassan Marei Hamada who landed his Meg21 plane inside the Hashemite Kingdom.

Syria's SANA news agency is silent about these reports.

Outrageous: AP turns terrorists into "art"

Un-effing-believable. From The Daily Star/Lebanon:

Seven Palestinians gathered in a home in the West Bank village of Bilin and displayed their improvised weapons of protest as AP photographer Oded Balilty snapped their portraits against a black backdrop. The images provide a rare look at the Palestinian stone throwers normally seen in the streets in action against Israeli soldiers.

Do you think any of these "protesters" also throw stones at cars and buses? Have any of them hurled boulders through the windshield of a moving vehicle? Maybe a Molotov cocktail or three?

It's bad enough that wire services stage photos and pretend that they are news. But this takes it to another level - it is at attempt to elevate terrorism into art under the thin guise that it is news. It is romanticizing terror.

A "rare look"? Do these loving portraits illuminate anything about stone throwers that we didn't already know?

Yes, they do. They teach us that AP is a disgusting organization.

And the sick part is, you just know at the end of the year these portraits will win awards from various "progressive" publications, and will be hanging in galleries in Europe.

The photographer is an Israeli who lives in Tel Aviv and has already won a Pulitzer.

List of Gaza rockets that fell short as of last Thursday

PCHR put out a press release about Gaza rockets that fell short and injured or killed people and property last Thursday. (Interestingly, they buried the release - it was never linked to from their front page, unlike all their other press releases.)

According to investigations conducted by PCHR and testimony from eyewitnesses, at approximately 07:30 on Tuesday, 19 June 2012, Hadeel Ahmed Sa'eed al-Haddad (1.5) was struck in the head by shrapnel while she was standing in the entrance of the house of her grandfather, Sa'eed Mohammed al-Haddad, in al-Zaytoun neighborhood, east of Gaza City, when a home-made rocket landed on their house. Hadeel was transported to al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City to receive necessary medical treatment, but later transferred to Shifa Hospital due to the seriousness of her injuries. The efforts made by her doctors failed to save her life. In addition, in the same incident, Hadeel's cousin, Zaqariya Mohammed Sa'eed al-Haddad (9), was also struck in the head by shrapnel. As a result, he was transported to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where medical sources have described his injuries as moderate.

The spokesman of the Palestinian Police, Chief Ra'ed al-Batniji,confirmed with PCHR's fieldworker that Hadeel died as a result of being hit in the head with shrapnel from a home-made rocket that landed on her grandfather's house. Al-Batniji added that the police had headed to the scene and initiated investigations.

Keep in mind that the official Gaza emergency medical services spokesman insisted that she was killed in an Israeli airstrike, and this news was never reported in Arabic media.

In Beit Hanoun, at approximately 22:35 on Wednesday, 20 June 2012, a home-made rocket landed on an under-construction house belonging to Mohammed AkramShabat(24). As a result, part of a wall inside the house was destroyed, though no injuries were reported.

In Deir al-Balah, at approximately 08:00 on Wednesday, 20 June 2012, a home-made rocket exploded in the vicinity of land belonging to Abu Khattab family on Salah al-Deen Street, south of Deir al-Balah. As a result of the explosion, Yahia Mohammed Abu Khattab’s(16)left shoulder was wounded by shrapnel, and he was transported by a PRCS's ambulance to al-Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital in Deir al-Balah where he received necessary medical treatment. He only suffered from minor wounds.

In Rafah, at approximately 20:30 on Tuesday, 19 June 2012, a home-made rocket landed on the house of Suleiman Abed Rabbu Abu Shabab, in al-Nasser village, southwest of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. As a result, the house sustained damage and its 15 residents were terrified. The Palestinian police said to PCHR's fieldworker that they immediately moved into the area, where the Explosives Engineering Unit collected the remnants of the rocket.

Previously, at approximately 21:50 on Monday, 18 June 2012, a home-made rocket landed on the house of 'AzzamYusefHamad on al-Qurman Street, east of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. As a result, 3 of Hamad's children were wounded: Bara'a(12) sustained wounds and bruises in the left arm and leg; and Jannat and May, (both 3) sustained bruises throughout their bodies. Additionally, the western side of the house, windows and water network were damaged.

PCHR has not yet discussed the child killed on Saturday, apparently from terrorist explosives.

The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights ignored the deaths and injuries from terrorist rockets completely.

(h/t liad122000)

Israelis sneaking into Jordan to provide aid to Syrian refugees

From the IL4Syrians NGO website:

The organization is comprised of a group of non-religious, Zionist, Israeli citizens who love their homeland and believe in Jewish tradition and culture that values a compassionate, open-minded respect for the sanctity of human life and dignity.

Along with this commitment to human life, the organization is also devoted to faithfully defending Israel’s borders and citizens in the face of threat.

Today, with such economic power and defense capabilities, Israel feels a moral and ethical duty to become “the voice of the voiceless” and in this particular case, even if it is the voice of the vulnerable populations among some of our toughest and cruelest enemies.

The organization is comprised of men and women who believe they are blessed to be born in a democratic country that enables its citizens to travel to challenging, dangerous places.

Because the neighboring countries forbid humanitarian aid, out of fear of political military repercussions, assistance is in the form of cash only, in order to stay under the radar and out of danger. The NGO apologizes for the lack of transparency in this particular case, but this is a direct result of the fear that is dominating in the region right now due to Assad’s reign of terror.

ABOUT THE REFUGEES

During these missions, the NGO has encountered mostly women and children whose husbands and fathers stayed behind in order to keep the struggle alive. The refugees fall into three main categories:

1. Syrians traveling legally. These refugees carry legal documents and valid passports, and usually belong to the higher socio-economic classes. They cross the border legally and go through a short military investigation and are then released and are then able to rent homes and build lives in the host country.

2. Syrians traveling illegally. These refugees, usually from lower socio-economic status, illegally cross the borders, do not go through military investigations and are not processed or listed. They try desperately to blend and disappear into the local villages. They are not eligible for any aid because they do not officially reside anywhere.

3. The detained. This category includes healthy men, women and children who have been caught by local armies in neighboring countries and are held in army bases for an uncertain time. They are subject to rigorous investigation and their numbers are unknown. Rumors among the other refugees state that some are even forced returned to Syria turned over to Assad. It goes without saying that their fate is then known.

The NGO has been sending ongoing missions to help the refugees in neighboring countries, despite facing some significant challenges. One of the most difficult challenges is the resistance of the host countries, those absorbing large numbers of refugees. They all fear Assad’s wrath – political, diplomatic, economic and even military retaliation – and therefore are reluctant to publicly admit that they are absorbing Syrian escapees, and do not allow humanitarian aid to be brought in and distributed. Not only must volunteers hide from the host country, they also have to be aware of the presence of Iranian and Syrian intelligence personnel who have infiltrated and work under cover, disguising themselves as refugees. They bring information back to the Syrian government, including numbers and names, and also work actively to frighten and hurt the refugees. There have even been reports of infiltrators poisoning the water sources of the refugees.

As a result, the Israeli NGO works with cash only: in order to buy the humanitarian aid locally, to stay under the radar, and protect the lives of volunteers and local contacts.

A news report about IL4Syrians working in Jordan was shown on Israeli TV, and it is causing a stir in the Arab world. Al Watan Voice reports on their activities, says that the video shows that they were in Jordan, and then notes

Jordanian activists denounced these acts done by the Israeli delegation, and demanded the government investigate this case, and tighten controls on the entry of Israelis to Jordan for tourism or other reasons, because of the violation of the sovereignty of Jordan, normalization with Israel and the gradual promotion of an alternative homeland [for Palestinians.] They also demanded from relevant official bodies a clarifying response to what the Israeli delegation did.

(h/t Yoel)

Arab League pulls sponsorship of French literary prize - because author visited Israel

From France24:

A celebrated Algerian novelist was given a top French literary award on Thursday in a ceremony that was marred by the withdrawal of its Arab sponsors.

Boualem Sansal had been due to receive the Editions Gallimard Arabic Novel prize for his book “Rue Darwin” [Darwin Street] earlier in June.

A 15,000-euro cheque was to be given by the Paris-based Arab Ambassador’s Council, which founded the award in 2008.

But between being nominated and being awarded his prize, Sansal attended the Jerusalem Writers Festival in May – as guest of honour.

Militant Palestinian Islamist group Hamas called it, “an act of treason against the Palestinian people.”

By the time the writer was due to receive his prize, the Ambassadors Council had permanently withdrawn its support for the award.

The Editions Gallimard jury finally handed Sansal his laureate on Thursday - minus the 15,000 euro prize money - after weeks of deadlock with the ambassadors.

In an open letter announcing his resignation from the jury, Olivier Poivre d'Arvor, director of France Culture radio, called the link between the Hamas statement and the withdrawal of the prize, “a sordid truth”.

“Between being nominated for the prize and actually receiving it, Boualem Sansal visited Israel,” he wrote. “Hamas immediately issued a statement calling his presence an act of treason against the Palestinians. The reaction of Arab Ambassadors Council was a direct result of this.”

Speaking on France Inter radio on Friday, Sansal said it was “completely unacceptable” that the ambassadors should interfere with their own jury’s decision and withdraw from any future association.

Arguing that Arab countries remained locked into a “non-existent” conflict with Israel, he said that those countries, and in particular his native Algeria, had “shut themselves in a prison of intolerance.”

“We have to do away with this dictatorial approach,” he said. “Yes, there are complicated relations with Israel, but we are not at war with them. And if we really want to help the Palestinians, people like me should be able to visit the country freely.”

His words echoed a June 6 interview with news site DNA Algerie: “We have to break this taboo [with Israel] .... I believe we need to go to a different level and that this would be in the interest of the Palestinians.”

The Arab League considered the book a beautiful piece of literature in April. Now they don't want people to read it because the author visited the Jewish state.

Is there any better example of Arab intolerance than this?

(h/t Yerushalimey)

Egypt's new president wants to expand ties with Iran (updated)

From Egypt Independent:

President-elect Mohamed Morsy said in an interview with Iran's Fars news agency published on Monday that he wanted to expand ties with Tehran to create a strategic "balance" in the region.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries have been severed for more than 30 years, but both sides have signaled a shift in policy since former President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown last year in a popular uprising.

Fars quoted Morsy as saying better relations with Tehran "will create a balance of pressure in the region, and this is part of my program."

Morsy's comments may unsettle Western powers as they seek to isolate Iran over its disputed nuclear program, which they suspect Tehran is using to build atomic bombs. They cautiously welcomed the democratic process that led to Morsy's election, but made clear Egypt's stability was their main priority.

Fars said he was speaking a few hours before the result of the Egyptian election was announced on Sunday, and that a full version of the interview would be published later.

No wonder Hamas and Islamic Jihad are celebrating.

Here comes the Islamic winter.

UPDATE: Egyptian officials deny this story, saying it is entirely made up by FARS.

Israel stops aid to Gaza "until further notice" (updated)

From COGAT:

Kerem Shalom crossing will remain closed today, due to mortar shell impacts on the crossing itself and its surrounding areas.

Palestine Today quotes them as saying that it will be closed "until further notice."

Kerem Shalom remained open and Israel continued to send aid to Gaza during the worst of the rocket attacks over the past week, but this decision apparently came about after the terminal itself was attacked yesterday.

There were five mortars fired from Gaza to Israel on Sunday, in what the media is calling a "truce."

UPDATE: 2 more mortars this morning.

How much do moderate, educated Lebanese hate Americans?

Lebanon is considered a moderate Arab country. And perhaps nowhere in Lebanon can be considered more liberal and pro-American than the American University of Beirut.

This year, AUB decided to present an honorary degree to Donna Shalala, a proud and well-accomplished Arab-American who was formerly the Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Clinton administration and who has headed a number of US colleges.

And when she thanked the university at the commencement ceremony, here is what happened:

Then came her keynote address. Here's what happened then:

As the Daily Star Lebanon reported:

Several dozen people disrupted the Master’s graduation ceremony at AUB Friday evening to protest against the awarding of an honorary degree to Donna Shalala due to her support for engagement with Israel.

Shalala, president of the University of Miami in Florida and a former U.S. secretary of health, has three honorary degrees from universities in Israel, and does not support a cultural boycott of the country.

Around 40 protesters heckled Shalala as she began her speech of thanks, shouting “boycott Israel.” Some held a large banner that read “Boycott Zionist Shalala.”

Some other audience members, including graduates, ushers and parents, joined in the heckling, prompting Shalala to respond, “Let us welcome this demonstration of academic freedom.”

In her keynote address later, Shalala, born in the U.S. to Lebanese parents, spoke of volunteer work that she carried out with UNRWA at a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon.

“Fifty years ago, my experience with Palestinians in the refugee camp seared me forever as an advocate for the people of Palestine and their statehood.”

You cannot argue that Shalala is not pro-Palestinian. But since Shalala does not explicitly support the destruction of Israel, she is considered persona non grata in the American University in Lebanon, despite her impressive accomplishments as an American and as a person of Arab heritage.

This is how moderate Arabs act towards even the most sympathetic Arab-Americans who are not blindly anti-Israel.

A few Lebanese commenters on YouTube were embarrassed, but for the most part the Arabic press - and the English-language Lebanese press - either ignored the fracas or supported it.

Notice also that the supposedly racist state of Israel has given this person of Arab descent honorary degrees without any protests whatsoever from the Jews.

America has only one true friend in the Middle East.

This is real.

From Bikya Masr:

An Egyptian delegation at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday has urged the body to focus its efforts on “real people” who need assistance in questioning the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

“Finally, concerning the highly controversial notion of sexual orientation, we can only reiterate that it is not part of the universally recognized human rights,” said the Egyptian delegation at the UN Human Rights Council.

“We call on Mr. Kiai not to undermine the credibility and legitimacy of his important work in the eyes of real people who actually need it, especially in regions where such concepts are rejected by both its Christian and Muslim inhabitants like the Middle East,” the statement added.

UPDATE: Here's the video, starting at around 11:50:

(h/t Benny)