Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, August 27, 2012

Activist blames Jordan, not Israel, for stopping bus at Allenby

From AFP:

Jordan on Sunday barred pro-Palestinian US and European activists from trying to cross into the West Bank to deliver school supplies to students.

"Two buses carrying 100 activists were not allowed to leave the Jordanian side" of Allenby Bridge Crossing, also known as King Hussein Bridge between the West Bank and Jordan, Walid Atallah, a spokesman for the "Welcome to Palestine" campaign in Jordan, told AFP.

"The Jordanian authorities stamped their passports and charged them fees and everything was okay. When the buses left, the last checkpoint on the Jordanian side was closed. No reason was given."

Atallah said the "activists left the buses and started to demonstrate near the checkpoint. One of them fainted and was taken to hospital."

"This was deliberate. Jordan did not want Israel to be held responsible for denying the activists entry," he added.

This directly contradicts what they said yesterday:

Dozens of foreign peace activists were denied entry into the West Bank by Israeli authorities at the Allenby Bridge crossing on Sunday evening, organizers of the third 'Welcome to Palestine' initiative said.

"The Welcome to Palestine Campaign decries the Israeli denial of entry via the Allenby Bridge to over 100 internationals who wanted to visit us in the occupied Palestinian Territories," organizers said in a statement.

AP says that Israel admits stopping them, though:

French organizer Olivia Zemor of the "Welcome to Palestine" campaign said Israeli authorities asked no questions and stamped "entry denied" into the passports without an explanation.

Israel's Defense Ministry denounced the protesters as "provocateurs and known troublemakers."

Earlier, Zemor told reporters in the Jordanian capital, Amman, that the group aimed to deliver one ton of school supplies to Palestinian children in refugee camps in Bethlehem.

In a statement late Sunday, the Israeli Defense Ministry called the effort a "failed publicity stunt." It said Israel exercised its right to deny them entry.

"There are no restrictions whatsoever on bringing in school supplies," the statement said. "If these activists sincerely wanted to bring in school supplies, they had countless options to do so. There are no shortages of school supplies in the West Bank."

The EuroPalestine site says that both events happened. The first bus was stopped by Israel, and the second by Jordan, according to the site.

Of course, the WtP spokesperson says both were stopped by Jordan. But the official statement said that both buses were stopped by Israel ("Israeli denial ... to over 100 internationals.")

Whatever happened, we see that these "activists" cannot be trusted to even keep their own stories straight, and any media that relies on them for information is acting irresponsibly.

Disappearing (Photo art from Yemen)

This stunning piece of photo-art was created by a female photographer from Yemen, Boushra al-Moutawakel, specifically to comment on the changes in how Yemeni women have been covering themselves in recent years.

I saw it at this Spanish site.

1940 Britain claimed "German agents" among illegal Jewish refugees to Palestine

The British White Paper of 1939, passed on the eve of the destruction of European Jewry, was a death sentence for tens of thousands of Jews who wanted to escape the Holocaust.

Illegal ships of Jews continued to attempt to infiltrate Palestine, and most were turned away - often to tragic consequence. Even as the situation grew more and more dire, British officials remained adamant in severely limiting the number of Jews who could enter Palestine.

On February 7, 1940, Vernon Bartlett asked that the ban on immigration be lifted. The answer, by Malcolm MacDonald, alleged that there was a danger associated with illegal immigration:

Mr. Bartlett asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that the tragic plight of some 2,000 Jewish refugees now marooned in small barges on the Danube is due mainly to the fact that shipowners are threatened with confiscation of their ships and imprisonment of their crews if captured near the Palestine shore; and will he consider raising the ban on further immigrants to Palestine to cover these victims of Nazi racial doctrines?

Mr. M. MacDonald I understand that reports have reached the Foreign Office that a number of Jews who were on their way to embark at a Rumanian port on a ship chartered for the purpose of carrying illegal immigrants to Palestine were recently stranded on the Danube. It is well known that masters and crews of ships engaged in this illegal traffic are liable to imprisonment and the ships to confiscation.

...The normal objections to illegal immigration are increased in time of war owing to the danger of enemy agents travelling to Palestine by this means. In the circumstances I cannot adopt the hon. Member's suggestion.

This supposed fear of enemy agents became an actual allegation in a debate on March 20, even though no proof was offered:

Mr. Stokes asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that amongst the Jewish illegal immigrants into Palestine there are German citizens, many of whom are German spies; and what steps he proposes to take to stop this illegal traffic on that account?

Mr. M. MacDonald: Yes, Sir. Though local inquiries have not yet produced conclusive proof, the High Commissioner has strong reasons for suspecting that the passengers of two ships which about a month ago landed illegal immigrants in Palestine included German agents. These persons, together with other illegal immigrants, are held in detention camps. As regards the second part of the Question, His Majesty's Government and the Palestine Government are taking various measures to suppress the traffic in illegal immigrants.

§Mr. T. Williams Will the right hon. Gentleman state exactly what he implies when he states that many of these illegal immigrants may or may not be German spies?

Mr. MacDonald I cannot add to the answer which I have given, which was that the High Commissioner has strong reasons to suppose, from information at his disposal, that some of these people are German agents.

§Mr. Shinwell Can the Minister say how many have been detained?

Mr. MacDonald Some hundreds.

§Mr. Lipson Has my right hon. Friend any reason to believe that these German agents are Jews?

Mr. MacDonald As I say, we have not any conclusive proof, but from the information we have received we understand that there are strong possibilities that some of the Jewish members of these parties are German agents.

§Mr. Leach Would they not be in serious danger of their lives in such company in such a ship?

No answer is recorded.

This allegation was followed up on April 3:

Mr. T. Williams asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many of the several hundred illegal immigrants into Palestine, who were detained as suspected German agents, have been charged with this offence; and with what result?

§The Secretary of State for the Colonies (Mr. Malcolm MacDonald) As I made clear in my reply to the hon. Member for Ipswich (Mr. Stokes) on 20th March, only a portion of the illegal immigrants recently landed in Palestine who are held in detention camps are suspected of being German agents. While the High Commissioner has strong reasons for his suspicions, inquiries have not yet produced conclusive proof.

§Mr. Williams Can the right hon. Gentleman say when the High Commissioner is likely to obtain sufficient evidence?

§Mr. MacDonald I could not say.

§Mr. Williams Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that this suspicion casts grave reflection upon large numbers of people; and does he not think it is incumbent on the High Commissioner at the earliest possible moment to clear those who are not in any way identified in spying on behalf of Germany or anybody else?

§Mr. MacDonald I am sure that the High Commissioner will share that wish, but in present circumstances it may not be possible to get conclusive proof, and we must give the benefit of the doubt to the State in those circumstances.

§Mr. Mander Is it not the case that certain Jewish organisations have offered to do everything in their power to prevent these German agents getting in, and that their offer of assistance has not been taken up by the Colonial Office?

§Mr. MacDonald I am not aware of that, and I am certain that if offers of help have been made they have been accepted.

Macdonals insists that evidence exists that German agents are among the detained Jews, but even weeks after their detention he cannot reveal any details, nor can he even say that any evidence is conclusive.

And he never did return to the topic. As far as I can tell, not one Jewish immigrant was charged with spying for Germany.

But there was one postscript. On April 3, as seen above, MacDonald claimed that any offers of help by Jewish organizations to help vet the immigrants for German ties would be welcomed. He was lying.

From the April 17 debates:

Mr. Mander asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what reply was sent to the New Zionist organisation which, on 14th February, offered to assist him in weeding out German agents from among illegal immigrants into Palestine?

Mr. M. MacDonald His Majesty's Government naturally felt unable to entertain this offer from a body which is known to be engaged in promoting this illegal traffic.

§Mr. Mander Did not the right hon. Gentleman say the other day that he had received no offer of assistance and that if he did, he would be prepared to accept it?

Mr. MacDonald It depends entirely on the value of the offer. We regard this particular offer as valueless.

From all evidence, the British authorities in Palestine made up the charge that there were Jewish German spies, and they used this bogus charge to punish all Jews attempting to flee the Holocaust in 1940.

UPDATE: Yisrael Medad adds:

a) this was highlighted previously, most notably in Bernard Wasserstein's book, Great Britain and the Jews of Europe, http://www.amazon.com/Britain-Europe-1939-1945-Bernard-Wasserstein/dp/0718501829, where you can read the internal FO telegrams and missives which stopped even children & youth from exiting Europe due to that espionage charge.
But worse was the Jewish establishment attitude. In Zaar's book, (http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qwork=5701150&matches=6&cm_sp=works*listing*title) you can read in the Appendix, pgs. 280-285, how Henry Montor, Exec. Vice-Chair of the UJA, argued against Revisionist illegal immigration because criminals and prostitutes were among those fleeing. And that those organizing the escape via the boats, were in it for ... profit. He wrote also (the letter was to a rabbi in Maryland) stating that "Palestine cannot be flooded with … old people or with undesirables." The letter is dated February 1, 1940.

Oh, by the way, more rockets today

From Times of Israel:

Two rockets fired from Gaza hit factories in an industrial area near Sderot Sunday morning, injuring two people and causing damage to buildings.

One man was reported lightly injured and another suffered from shock from one of the rockets that hit around 9 a.m. A second rocket hit a factory, and caused no injuries.

A third Kassam rocket landed in the same area near Sderot about an hour later. No damage was caused.

And at least one more in the afternoon.

Sunday links

From Ian:

Liberman steps up offensive against Abbas, calls for ultimatum on PA chief

Foreign minister says that if Palestinian president does not abandon bid for UN and return to negotiations, he should no longer be seen as a partner for peace

PMW: Terrorist murderer glorified twice in one month on PA TV

Ramadan: Islam’s ‘Holy Month’ of Christian Oppression

Thirty years later, Australian police reopen hunt for Israeli Consulate bombers

Following talk with Jordanian-born terrorists jailed in US, authorities take new look at 1982 attack

Fact or Fiction?: 1001 Muslim Inventions Comes to Washington D.C.

"History is often determined in great battles. But ongoing battles about history can redefine it. The 1001 Inventions exhibit is diminished with a more understandable me-too-ism, a desperate search for cultural pride despite the technological dominance of the West after the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution. But as Orwell noted, language and word choice are powerful weapons in battles about history. National Geographic has an obligation to clarify whether the words and claims in 1001 Inventions is history, legend, or a mix of both, before another half-million Americans march through their doors."

A New Slur Calling people "Holocaust-obsessed" is the new holocaust denial.

"I admit I was stunned in exploring this question to find no less than 272,000 Google hits for "obsessed with the Holocaust." And it's not just racist sites (including David Duke's) or anti-Zionist sites like Mondoweiss."

In firing Trevino, Guardian’s hypocrisy laid bare

"The supreme hypocrisy of the Guardian has been laid bare, as it demonstrates that it is morally unburdened by hideously anti-Semitic, pro-terror commentators and journalists but will cravenly give in to arguments by extremists suggesting that those on the mainstream American right — commentators who take the threat to Western values posed by Islamist terrorism seriously — are beyond the pale."

Libya Sufi shrines attacked 'by Islamist hardliners'

A shrine in the Libyan capital Tripoli venerating a Sufi Muslim saint has been partly destroyed - the latest in a series of attacks blamed on ultra-conservative Salafi Islamists.

Merah case: the minute of silence earned him a reprimand (French)

"Five and a half months after the fact, the high school English teacher Flaubert in Rouen who called his students to observe a minute of silence in memory of Mohamed Merah killer Toulouse, will make his return to the students. Another institution of the academy."

Pinkwashing! Activists protest inclusion of Israeli-backed films in Queer Film Festival

"The documentary, Invisible Men, by gay Israeli director, Yariv Mozer, follows in part the journey of Louie, a gay Palestinian who seeks refuge in Israel after receiving death threats from his own family, only to face harassment and deportation, before eventually fleeing to Europe."

A Letter to Aly Raisman From an IDF Soldier

"...a letter to olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman, the American and Jewish gymnast who performed to the tune of Hava Nagila in London, from an officer in the Israel Defense Forces. The letter was posted by the author on Aly’s Facebook page."

A smarter inhaler for asthmatic kids

This Israeli invention delivers the medication better, gives the patient real-time feedback and provides hard data for the physician.

British Mandate's 1938 Annual Report Details the Arab Revolt
The Library of Congress Archives Provide the Full Picture

Also, from Al Arabiya:

More than 300 bodies found in Syrian town of Darya

Fighters bulldoze Sufi mosque in central Tripoli (Libya)

Tunisia TV executive goes to jail for satire broadcast

YNet: Germany cooperated with Black September after Munich Massacre

German newspaper Der Spiegel revealed Sunday that German authorities cooperated with Black September, a Palestinian terror group, after it had carried out an attack that killed 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

Germany, it was reported, did so for fear of additional attacks on its soil.

According to the report, the German government held secret contacts with the planners of the Munich Massacre. Several months after the attack, Germany's then foreign minister, Walter Scheel, met secretly with several Black September members to "rebuild trust."

Jonathan Schanzer: Hamas' corruption

SA newspaper chooses anti-semitic illustration for story

SABC is a South African broadcast network whose stated mission is "Restoration of human dignity and Building a common future."

They have an article today about Israeli moves to stop illegal immigration:

Just a few months ago, Israel was in the midst of a nationwide uproar over the tens of thousands of African migrants who have poured into the Jewish state. Today, that influx has slowed dramatically, following a series of measures meant to halt the new arrivals.

The quick results are testament to a get-tough approach that has included the rapid construction of a soon-to-be-completed fence along the border with Egypt's Sinai peninsula, and a new policy of detaining Africans upon arrival.

But the strategy has come with a price: Advocacy groups accuse Israel of violating international refugee law by cooperating with Egyptian security personnel to round up migrants on the border. They also say more than a thousand Africans are now languishing in mass detention centers set up to hold them.

Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich said she had no immediate information on whether Israeli and Egyptian forces were cooperating in rounding up migrants. Government spokesman Mark Regev had no comment when asked if Israel was carrying out this practice.

This slanted coverage - taking charges of anti-Israel "advocacy groups" as gospel - is par for the course and would barely be worth mentioning.

But how did SABC choose to illustrate an article about Israeli moves to protect her borders?

With this:

The poster has nothing at all to do with the story. It was taken during an anti-Israel demonstration in Malaysia in 2010. And if you look a little closer, you can see that this sign - which was carried by hundreds - has a caricature of a religious Jew transformed into a monkey:

Now, why should a picture of a sign showing a stereotypical Jew with black hat and peyos transformed into a monkey, saying that Israel is a terrorist state, be used to illustrate a story about Israel trying to stop people from illegally entering the country?

Is this an example of the "human dignity" that SABC espouses?

Coincidentally, as I was writing this, JudgeDan tweeted me with this illustration from an Islamic Malaysian newspaper article (about Israeli plans to have an arts festival in Beersheva on the lawn of a museum next to a no-longer used mosque):

This, of course, is meant to echo the Islamic claim that Jews are descended from monkeys and pigs.

Well, at least we see that racism is still alive and well - and wholly acceptable in some media, at least when the targets are Jews.

(h/t Meryl Yourish)

Iran literally covering up Parchin nuclear test site

ISIS has been doing a stellar job in documenting, using satellite imagery, that Iran has been hiding suspected nuclear testing activity at Parchin. For example, here are images showing Iran's destruction of some buildings in the complex last May:

And then evidence that Iran was hiding the traces of those buildings:

But the large building on the site remains - the building suspected of housing a high-explosive testing chamber.

Apparently that building is too important to demolish right now, but also too much activity is taking place there that Iran doesn't want prying eyes to see.

So they are literally covering the building area with lots of pink tarp:

In an August 1, 2012 report, ISIS assessed that apparent cleanup activities at the Parchin site in Iran were complete because imagery showed what appeared to be the final result of considerable sanitization and earth displacement activity. A new GeoEye image dated August 15, 2012 shows that additional suspicious activity may be occurring at the building suspected of housing high explosive experiments related to the development of nuclear weapons and at an adjacent, northern building that may have also hosted suspect activities (figure 1). The new image shows what appears to be pink tent-like material over the two buildings. A Reuters article concurrently reported that “diplomatic sources said the building believed to be housing an explosives chamber - if it is still there - had been ‘wrapped’ with scaffolding and tarpaulin, hiding any sanitization or other activity there from satellite cameras.”

The latest satellite imagery clearly shows the suspected high explosive test building covered in a pink-colored material. A comparison with previous satellite images of the building shows that the size of the now covered building has visibly increased, especially in its height. In consultation with experts ISIS believes that the covering tarp is supported underneath by scaffolding which would account for the increase in size as well as for the horizontal lines appearing under the tarp (figure 1).

Similar activities appear to be taking place at the northernmost building at the site. Currently only part of the roof appears covered by the pink-colored tarp; however, similarly colored material is visible on the ground next to the building suggesting that it may soon be covered.

Nothing to hide?

(h/t Israel HaYom)

Egypt refuses to inspect Iranian weapons ship at Suez

From Ha'aretz:

Egypt has recently turned down a U.S. request to stop an Iranian ship carrying weapons to Syria, according to a report in Egypt's Al-Ahram newspaper.

According to the report, quoted in Israel Radio on Sunday, Lieutenant General Mohab Mamish, Suez Canal Authority chairman, said Egypt's navy refused to stop the ship and inspect its cargo as it was passing through the canal.

Egypt Independent adds:

The former SCAF member said that he is primarily responsible for the management of the Suez Canal. All the decisions concerning the canal, he said, whether political or technical, are up to him.

He assured that it is impossible for any state to engage in military operations in the Suez Canal because it is a very narrow waterway. He said the Egyptian Navy secures the waterway with great efficiency.

Mamish was appointed Suez Canal Authority chairman by President Mohamed Morsy, in a surprise reshuffling of military leadership

.
As Egypt's president Mohamed Morsy visits Iran and signals a closer relationship with that regime, his new appointee refuses to listen to a request from the US. Apparently, giving arms to Syria that could be used to kill many more civilians is not a problem for Egypt's new government.

Possibly related:

A convoy of US navy warships have passed through the Suez Canal in Egypt on their way to the Mediterranean Sea.

The convoy, which included the destroyer the USS James Williams and the attack submarine the USS Toledo, will bolster forces in the Mediterranean.

It is not clear whether the vessels were bound for the coast of Syria, but both Russia and the US have periodically increased their military footprint in the region as the bloody civil war in Syria continues.

Anti-Israel activists discover apartheid against Palestinians - in Jordan

There is another little-noticed "flytilla" this weekend.

In this case, some anti-Israel activists flew to Amman, Jordan, and they plan to cross into the West Bank today from there. Whether they are allowed to cross the Allenby Bridge or not, they will continue their anti-Israel agenda, as they try to divert public attention from the upheavals in Syria, Egypt and elsewhere.

One of the groups making up this protest, EuroPalestine, reports that the activists visited the Jerash "refugee" camp on Saturday. And they noticed that Jordan is not such a wonderful place to be for some Palestinian Arabs. In fact, you might even call how Jordan treats the residents of Jerash as - apartheid.

A hundred men, women and children, from the mission WELCOME TO PALESTINE went Saturday to the Palestinian refugee camp of JERASH, Jordan, near Amman.

They were warmly welcomed by officials and residents of this camp which includes more than 35,000 Palestinians from all of the Gaza Strip.

These people have a special place in the tragedy of the Palestinian people and in fact arrived in Jordan after the 1967 war, not during the Nakba of 1948, and have a status of "displaced" and not "refugees".

Grouped in an area of 75 hectares, the 3000 Jerash families have no nationality and no longer receive any benefits since 2010 from UNRWA, the UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees.

Indeed. In 1967 there was no threat to the residents of Gaza from Israel, but tens of thousands of them streamed out of Gaza towards Jordan anyway (through Israel!) because they simply did not want to live under Jewish rule. There were no expulsions, no massacres, no threats from Israel. This was a completely voluntary flight, as the Gazans assumed that they would be able to become citizens of Jordan just like the Palestinian Arabs who fled there in 1948 and that life there would be better than under Israeli or Egyptian rule.

But they were wrong.

Jordan never gave citizenship to Gazans. And the Gazans remain, stateless and discriminated against, in Jordan.

How much discrimination do they suffer? EuroPalestine goes on:

The only camp school is obliged to accommodate 6400 pupils, part-time only, in overcrowded classrooms as we imagine. The camp has indeed no right to construct new buildings and expand on the land leased by UNRWA for a period of 99 years.

Even after graduation, students who have received scholarships to go to the Dalhousie University in Jordan can not engage in employment in the public and remain stateless for life.

Yes, an Arab from Yemen or Egypt can become a citizen of Jordan, but one from Gaza cannot. Sounds like apartheid to me.

But for some strangre reason, the "Welcome to Palestine" people cannot quite use that word even when they report on the explicit discrimination against many Palestinian Arabs in Jordan.

Oh, one other thing: Israel cannot stop Jerash residents from moving back to Gaza if they want to. They can easily travel to Egypt and then enter Gaza via Rafah. No, the only people who prevent that from happening are the Jordanians, the Egyptians and the current leaders of Gaza!

See also JSSNews, which discovered this article.

Overnight links

From Ian:

Lieberman was right: With Abbas in charge there will be no peace

"With either Fatah or Hamas at the helm of the Palestinian people there is absolutely no possibility for long term peace in the region
"Where Lieberman was wrong in his characterization of Abbas is when he stated: “In recent years, we have seen that Mr. Abbas speaks with a moderate and pleasant voice to the international community, but in fact, has been personally acting to undermine attempts to renew the peace process.”
He is wrong because Abbas and Fatah have not been trying to “undermine” the peace process "in recent years,” they have never actually engaged in a serious discussion about peace. Since Oslo, the Palestinian Authority has been offered and declined final status agreements no less than three times, each with a portion of Jerusalem as its capital.
Fatah and Abbas are not a “roadblock” to peace, because a roadblock implies something temporary. With either Fatah or Hamas at the helm of the Palestinian people there is absolutely no possibility for long term peace in the region."

Caroline Glick Israel faces the cynical world

The UN’s appeasement of Iran is a symbol of its decline and decay

"It is time for the United States to hold the UN to account by significantly reducing funding for the organisation, and increasing the level of Congressional oversight. American taxpayers deserve value for money from the UN, and an expectation that their contributions will be used to advance the cause of freedom rather than undermine it."

NYT: Signs Suggest Iran Is Speeding Up Work on Nuclear Program

"International nuclear inspectors will soon report that Iran has installed hundreds of new centrifuges in recent months and may also be speeding up production of nuclear fuel while negotiations with the United States and its allies have ground to a near halt, according to diplomats and experts briefed on the findings."

‘No circumstance whatsoever’ in which Israel can tolerate a nuclear Iran, says foreign minister

We should have attacked in 2001, says Avigdor Liberman, and all the talk and inaction today are weakening Israel’s deterrent capability

Obama’s Warning to Syria Comes Amid Iranian Directives to Transfer Chemical Weapons to Hezbollah

"Information gathered by U.S. intelligence officials that Iran’s leadership has pressed Bashar al-Assad in Syria to move stockpiles of his chemical weaponry to Hezbollah led to President Obama’s remarks earlier this week that any deployment of Syrian chemical weapons would be a “red line” for the U.S., according to the Maariv Newspaper in Israel."

Guardian caves in to bullying on Josh Trevino

"One doubts very much that the majority of the Guardian’s already drastically dwindling print readership will be content with the knowledge that freedom of speech in their newspaper of choice is dictated by a tiny cult of extremist cranks. Not only has Ali Abunimah succeeded in exposing the sad truth that comment is anything but free, he has in addition proved that facts are far from sacred.
He has also exposed himself and his fellow travellers for the crude bullies that they are. Had Josh Trevino tweeted anti-Semitic comparisons between Israel and the Nazi regime, support for a proscribed terror organisation or the annihilation of a certain sovereign state, he would have kept his job and inevitably become a darling of the anti-Israel crowd."

Member Of Leading Al-Qaeda-Affiliated Online Forum Posts Photo Of Navy SEAL

Who Participated In Bin Laden Raid And Calls For 'Allah To Kill' Him

Al-Quds Day Toronto 2012: Gay Israel Supporter Told "You Shall Be Stoned To Death"

Turkey: Minister halts military band to allow Islamic chant
We now have the chance to turn all schools into religious schools, says AKP deputy

Analysis: Brotherhood taking total control of Egypt

With rise of Morsy, a new dictatorship may be replacing the old while world persists in looking for signs of pragmatism.

Saved in Shanghai — a young girl’s story highlights a rare WWII place of refuge

20,000 Jews were protected from the Holocaust in the Japanese-occupied city. Nina Admoni, whose husband would later head the Mossad, was one of them

Israeli Women Ahead in Science Poised to Lead in Biotech

"Metallo-Therapy Ltd., which is developing a new method for cancer diagnosis by delivering nano-liposomes to tumor cells, recently received a $4 million investment from Moshe Arkin, former CEO of Agis Industries Ltd. and Perrigo Co. (PRGO)’s vice chairman. Amal Ayoub, Metallo-Therapy’s founder and CEO, says she thinks one reason is that she’s female -- and Arab.
‘‘Being an Arab woman was actually an advantage,” says Ayoub, who has a doctorate in biomedical engineering form Ben Gurion University. “It got Arkin’s attention.”

PLO accuses Iran of being Zionist. Too funny.

From Saudi Gazette:

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on Saturday harshly criticized Iran for inviting Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh to attend the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran later this month. “Iran joined the Israeli choir which aims to undermine the Palestinian political system and its elected legitimacies,” the PLO Executive Committee said in a press statement, a copy of which was obtained by Saudi Gazette.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not go to the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Iran if his rival Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas also attends, a minister said Saturday.
“President Abbas will not take part in the Non-Aligned summit if Haniyeh is present, no matter what form his attendance takes,” Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Malki said in Ramallah, headquarters of the Palestinian Authority.

A Hamas spokesman earlier on Saturday said Haniyeh would attend the Aug. 30-31 conference in Tehran “in accordance with the invitation from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.”

The PLO said it “will not allow any power or regime to bypass the Palestinian people’s institutions and its legitimate representatives.”

Ma'an alludes to a small fact that is simply never explained to Western audiences:

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Saturday urged his counterpart in Gaza not to attend, after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad invited Haniyeh to join the summit of 120 non-aligned nations.

The premier's position is that the Palestine Liberation Organization is legally the sole representative of the Palestinian people, and it has given the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority the task of governing Palestine.

Indeed, the PA does not report to the people - it reports to the PLO, which a decidedly non-democratic organization. The PLO is recognized by the UN as the "sole representative of the Palestinian people" and it derives its legitimacy from that, not from elections.

Which means that even if (and when) the people voted for Hamas, the PLO has effective veto power since the PA reports to the PLO.

And Hamas' rival Fatah, of course, dominates the PLO.

Fayyad himself was never elected prime minister - he was appointed to that position by Mahmoud Abbas. it is unclear if he was acting in his capacity as president of the PA or head of the PLO when he did that.

When Westerners think of the PA they think it is democratic because a couple of elections were held there. Nothing could be further from the truth. The PLO is the dominant organization and it is anything but democratic; it is dominated by a political party that also includes the Al Aqsa Martyr's Brigades, a terror group.

"Gas heating - flexible, convenient, and efficient" is the caption

An Estonian natural gas company placed the above image and caption on its homepage, causing an uproar, according to Lenta.ru .

The Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Nazism and Stalinism, celebrated in Estonia on 23 August, was marked by scandal. On the website of the local gas company GasTerm was a photograph of the Auschwitz concentration camp, together with a description of the benefits of gas central heating. The photo was later removed (the site issued a brief comment with apologies)...

How long the scandalous picture was on the site is unknown.

The photo of the gate to Auschwitz with the inscription "Arbeit macht frei" ("Work makes you free") was on the home page of the site The caption reads (translated from Estonian): "Gas heating - versatile, comfortable and efficient."

After the story hit the media, the picture has been removed. It was replaced by a conventional gas burner picture. The site added a short comment: "If the photo is posted here previously caused anyone discomfort, we sincerely apologize."

The story, however, does not end there. Journalists contacted the executive director of GasTerm, Sven Linrosom. From his comments the absurd sense of what is happening only intensified.

Normally, a company would probably try something hush up the scandal. They would declare, for example, the appearance of a controversial photograph was a mistake by the site administrator.

However, the executive director of GasTerm's comments to journalists only added fuel to the fire. First, he admitted that the picture was taken in person when he visited Auschwitz. Also confirmed that the company deliberately placed the photograph on the site (i.e,, the appearance of a controversial photo was not random).

Explaining the purpose for which it was made, Linros, reportedly referred to the fact that "the gas heating is often associated with the events of the Holocaust." "We often hear the joke about the fact that Hitler killed himself because he had received a bill for the gas," he added.

The Jewish communinty in Estonia condemned the company for its actions.

(h/t Vandoren)

Weekend links

From Ian:

Israel Welcomes Palestinians without Permits by Khaled Abu Toameh

"For years, the Palestinian Authority has been demanding that Israel lift travel restrictions imposed on West Bank Palestinians. But now that Israel has permitted tens of thousands of Muslims to visit its beaches and malls, Israel is being denounced for trying to damage the Palestinian economy.
What is clear is that neither the Palestinian Authority nor Hamas wants to see Palestinians living a good life. Improving the living standards of Palestinians is something that these two parties are not interested in. They would rather see Palestinians direct all their anger and frustration only toward Israel.
Otherwise, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority fear, Palestinians may vent their anger against their own leaders."

Richard Millett Anti-Israel activist Antony Loewenstein: “Six Million Should Die.”

"But, during the Q&A Jonathan Hoffman asked Loewenstein how many people Loewenstein thinks should die for this one-state solution, that Loewenstein wants so much, to come into existence. The idea being that Israelis are not going to vote themselves out of existence, so presumably such a state could come about only by force involving more bloodshed.
As Loewenstein wasn’t quite answering the question he was pressed further by Hoffman as to how many people Loewenstein thinks should die. First, Frank Barat, the Chairman, answered “200,000″ (here is more on Barat). Then Loewenstein answered “Six million. That’s my answer. Write that down.“

Toulouse Killer Made Calls to Israel, May Not Have Acted Alone

"Using a cell phone registered to his mother, Merah contacted nearly 180 people in 20 different countries, including Israel, between September 2010 and February of 2011. The Israeli Defense Ministry confirmed in March that Merah had been questioned during a trip to Israel in 2010, while on his way to Afghanistan."

Kotel rabbi slams Abbas for comments on J'lem

"Rabinowitz, who is responsible for general oversight of the Western Wall plaza and complex, condemned “the words of the Palestinian leadership that denies reality and in so doing distances the chances for peace.”
“Those who wish to return Jerusalem to the cycle of denial and bloodshed, and to erase its Jewish past for the sake of a political struggle should be condemned,” the rabbi said.
“Jerusalem will no longer be built on hate,” he continued.
“The future of Jerusalem will not be written on the destruction of its past. Shame on any leaders who seek to erase the eternal story of Jerusalem.”

IDF Blog: Direct Missile Alarm — Straight to Your Phone

"Developed for the IDF’s Home Front Command by eVigilo and Ericsson, the alert system will deliver location-specific warnings based on the trajectory of a rocket or missile. The text messages are intended to supplement the air raid signals that have been in place across the country for decades and will operate in conjunction with the IDF’s Iron Dome defense system."

Barak and Egyptian counterpart reportedly come to terms over Sinai offensive

New Egyptian defense minister el-Sissi reassures Israeli counterpart over military buildup in peninsula

Groups to Obama: Denounce ‘radical’ rabbi support

Two conservatives groups call on US president to reject those "Rabbis for Obama" associated with Jewish Voice for Peace.

UN nuke agency forms special ‘action team’ to investigate Iran’s nuclear program

IAEA officials expected to press for access to Parchin site, where Iranians allegedly carries out nuclear weapons-linked experiments

Australian FM tells Tehran delegates to leave in event of anti-Semitic rhetoric

Country’s Jewish leadership remains unhappy that Australia sending representatives to Non-Aligned Movement conference

Egypt arrests man after nail bomb attack on German embassy

The man acted out of anger after reading an Egyptian newspaper report on Friday which described a protest by German right-wing activists who had paraded caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in front of a German mosque, they said.

French councillor beaten by Tunisian extremists over family's dress

Jamel Gharbi, a councillor in the north-western city of Le Mans, said that he and his family were strolling around the northern coastal Tunisian town of Bizerte August 16 when they came across a group of men with the long beards and tunics of ultra-conservative Salafi Muslims.

Sequoia raises $200m Israel VC fund

Sequoia Capital, is a veteran venture capital fund based in Silicon Valley currently celebrating its 40th anniversary. Over the years, it has backed some of the biggest names in the technology industry including Apple Inc., Yahoo! Inc., Google Inc., LinkedIn and Cisco Systems.
The new Israeli venture capital fund is one of three new funds being raised by Sequoia. The others will focus on the US and China and the total of the three funds will be $975 million.

Also:
Israeli driver vs. Arab carjacker via Sultan Knish (skip to about 0:50)

Sniffer mice!

(h/t YS, EuroGirl)

Another 120 killed in Syria - and Lebanon death toll up to 13

From Al Arabiya:

More than 100 people, including at least 20 children have been killed by Syrian regime forces on Friday in heavy shelling of opposition held areas in the Damascus suburbs several districts of Aleppo and Deir Ezzour, the activist Local Coordination Committees (LCC) reported.

The group reported that at least 40 were killed in what it said was a “massacre” in Deir Ezzour. The town’s local LCC branch said the massacre was cause army helicopter shelling.

Activists reported heavy shelling by Syrian forces on several districts of Aleppo, scene of the fiercest fighting since the conflict first entangled the commercial and manufacturing hub a month ago.

The spillover to Lebanon is continuing:

A young Sunni sheikh was killed on Friday in Syria-related clashes between two rival neighborhoods in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, denting a tenuous truce that was agreed earlier by local leaders.

The clashes breached a truce earlier agreed by local political leaders hours earlier in a bid to halt fighting fuelled by tensions in neighboring Syria.

The sectarian clashes began after gunmen in a nearby Sunni area shot dead an Alawite man. Nine others were wounded in the subsequent fighting.

At least 13 people have died and more than a hundred have been wounded in fighting this week between Lebanese Sunni Muslims and Alawites, reflecting the sectarian faultlines that have emerged in Syria's conflict.

Refugees from Syria are still pouring over the borders:

More than 200,000 Syrians have poured into neighboring countries during the conflict, surpassing the 185,000 the U.N. refugee agency had expected to flee by the end of the year.

The total reflects an increase of some 30,000 in the past week alone to Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan, but also takes into account a change in the way the agency counts those in Jordan, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said.

"There has been a dramatic increase in the number of (Syrian) refugees in the region during August, we're now at over 200,000 refugees in the region, that's over and above our planning figure for all 2012 of 185,000 refugees," spokesman Adrian Edwards told Reuters Television in Geneva on Friday.

More than 3,500 people fleeing violence in Syria have entered Turkey over the past 24 hours, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate said on Friday, one of the highest daily refugee flows since the start of the uprising last year.

"In Jordan, a record 2,200 people crossed the border overnight and were received at Za'atri camp in the north," Edwards told a news briefing.

Iraq is home to nearly 16,000 Syrian refugees, UNHCR said.

Anti-semitic cartoon in PA newspaper

From Palestinian Media Watch:

The official Palestinian Authority daily published a cartoon yesterday that depicts Israel as a demonized religious Jew holding a knife dripping with blood.

I found the original cartoon in the UAE paper that first published it and added English captions based on PMW's translation. You really need to see it in color to appreciate how disgusting it is: