Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Thursday links

From Ian:

Elliott Abrams: The “State of Palestine” and the PLO Office in Washington

"In addition to the PLO’s historic baggage and its offensive Charter, a third reason to stop dealing with the PLO is that it is a non-democratic body. The PNA is theoretically a democratic one whose leadership is chosen through popular elections. Of course that’s highly theoretical, because the last national elections were held in 2006 and the terms of the entire parliament and of President Abbas expired long ago. Still, isn’t accepting the hypocrisy of the PNA about democracy preferable to honoring the unreformed, hopelessly compromised PLO, in whose Charter the word “democracy” does not even appear?"

[It is a good article about the contradictions between the functions of the PLO and the PA, but he doesn't mention that the PA answers to the nondemocratic PLO.- EoZ]

Will Jordan Be the First Arab Monarchy to Fall?

"...the monarchy red line will not last forever, and Washington will face a series of new strategic challenges when and if this threshold is crossed. The end of the monarchy in Jordan would constitute a particularly serious blow to U.S. interests. Should the regime fall, Washington would lose its best remaining Arab ally, and Israel would lose its last reliable peace partner."

As Fatah, Hamas meet, PM vows not to cede land
Netanyahu slams Abbas for meeting "terrorists trying to annihilate Israel," asserts Hamas would seize any territory Israel evacuates.

"We see the dangers clearly," Netanyahu said. "Today Abu Mazen (Abbas) is in Cairo together with the head of Hamas. They are looking into a possible unity deal between Fatah and the terrorists who have been trying to annihilate the state of Israel, and who have fired rockets at our cities."

Poll: Half of Israelis Say Ignore US Pressure, 67% Expect Peace Process Deadlock

"Additionally, according to the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University December 2012 Peace Index poll, two-thirds (67 percent) of Jewish Israelis agree that, no matter which parties prevail, the peace process with the Palestinians will remain at a standstill for reasons not connected to Israel."

Soldiers Nab Terrorists who Nearly Murdered Woman

"Security forces have arrested five young Palestinian Authority Arab men responsible for multiple terrorist attacks, including an attack on a female driver that left a 60-year-old woman fighting for her life.
The arrests were carried out in November, but were revealed only Wednesday with the removal of a gag order."

Douglas Murray: The Ralph Miliband lectures remind us how stupid ‘clever’ people can be

"But best of all is to recall the 2010 lecture given by LSE alumnus Saif Gaddafi. People really should watch Professor David Held’s introduction. I had forgotten how funny it is.
Whilst Ghaddafi Junior grins and waves away at lackeys in the audience, Professor Held says by way of introduction:
‘Saif is committed to resolving contentious international and domestic issues through dialogue, debate and peaceful negotiations.’ ‘Saif is committed to resolving contentious international and domestic issues through dialogue, debate and peaceful negotiations.’Obviously this was the year before Saif began massacring everybody and promised to ‘fight until the last man, the last woman, the last bullet’."

CIF Watch: Guardian’s anti-Zionist propagandist, Chris McGreal, responds to CiF Watch.

"In short, McGreal pieced together a few unrelated incidents of Palestinians killed or injured during a myriad of different circumstances over several years, omitted any evidence contradicting his desired narrative, and completely erased the context of Palestinian terrorism to impute unimaginable malevolence to Israeli soldiers.
As we wrote in our earlier post, what Chris McGreal engages in is not journalism. McGreal is an ideologue drawn to extreme left agitprop who trades in crude anti-Zionist propaganda."

UN group urges Cuba to release Alan Gross
Imprisonment watchdog calls jailed American’s 15-year sentence ‘arbitrary’

"The Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said in an opinion released Tuesday to Gross’ lawyer that Cuba’s lack of an independent judiciary, the imprecise nature of the alleged crime and the failure to grant bail to Gross rendered his 15-year sentence “arbitrary.”

Egyptian minister said sacked for opposing Iranian influence
Ahmed Gamal El-Din’s reportedly criticized meeting between Morsi adviser and top Revolutionary Guard official

"The ouster of Egypt’s interior minister earlier this week was due to his opposition to a secret meeting between an adviser to President Mohammed Morsi and a high-ranking commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, the Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reported Wednesday."

No penalties for hate crimes in Malmo, despite record attacks
Rising anti-Semitism in widely criticized Swedish city leads to zero indictments

"The local daily Sydsvenskan on Jan. 7 reported that in 2010 and 2011, the Swedish court system did not convict anyone of hate crimes despite a record-number of 480 complaints about such incidents reported in those years."

Vatican rejects sect leader’s calling Jews ‘enemies of the church’
Such a description is ‘impossible,’ says representative of Pope Benedict XVI

"Lombardi called Bishop Bernard Fellay’s remarks “meaningless” and “unacceptable.”
Lombardi was responding to comments made by Fellay, superior of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, during a Dec. 28 address at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy in New Hamburg, Ontario."

Maserati, Lamborghini Withdraw Business From Iran

"Both Maserati and Lamborghini will no longer do business in Iran The Algemeiner has learned. The announcement comes following a campaign by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) aimed at pressuring the two car makers into halting their activities in the country."

Israel Daily Picture: It's Snowing in Jerusalem Today
-- A Reminder of Snows in Jerusalem almost 100 Years Ago
We present here old pictures of snow in Jerusalem from the Library of Congress collection.

Also:

"Beethoven was a Zionist": A Memoir From Israel on the Eve of its Creation

“Today I saw The Land for the first time, and it was beautiful.”

With those simple but moving words, veteran American Zionist activist Harold Manson began his remarkable diary of the visit he made to the Holy Land 65 years ago this month, shortly before the establishment of the State of Israel. It was a journey filled with surprises for Manson—but much of what he found could have been taken from our own headlines today.

“It seems that the sons of Allah are using the minaret of a mosque for sniping purposes,” he wrote. “They seldom hit anybody, but it’s damned irritating to know that Haganah retaliation would be denounced as an attack on a holy place and could precipitate ‘holy warfare’ [jihad].”

Abbas makes it clear: Destroying Israel more important than life itself

From Times of Israel /AP:

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas rejected an Israeli offer to allow Palestinian refugees fleeing Syria to enter the Palestinian territories on condition that they forgo their “right of return” to Israel proper, Abbas told the Egyptian press on Wednesday evening.

Following a meeting with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, Abbas said that he had appealed to the UN to intercede on behalf of Palestinian refugees living in Syria and demand that Israel allow them to enter the West Bank and Gaza.

Abbas said Ban was told Israel “agreed to the return of those refugees to Gaza and the West Bank, but on condition that each refugee ... sign a statement that he doesn’t have the right of return (to Israel).”

“So we rejected that and said it’s better they die in Syria than give up their right of return,” Abbas told the group.

Western politicians and pundits always claim that "everybody knows" that the Palestinian Arabs will drop their demand for "return" in an eventual peace agreement and accept living in a state based on the 1949 armistice lines.

They have never said anything close to that.

Here we see the stark difference between how Jews acted in the 1940s and how Palestinian Arabs are acting today. At a time that millions of Jews were in dire danger, the highest priority of Zionists were to save them and to create a safe haven for Jews worldwide, even if they had to compromise on their historic lands and their very capital city to do so - and even compromising on promises directly made to the Zionists by the international community only a couple of decades before.

Palestinian Arab leaders, however, don't give a damn about their own people. To them, "Palestinians" exist for a single reason: to destroy the Jewish state. They are not even cannon fodder; they are PR fodder. Their people's continued misery is considered their greatest political asset, and that misery is sacrosanct.

This is why they fight tooth and nail against Palestinian Arabs being naturalized in Arab countries. This is why they fight to keep "refugee camps" open in perpetuity, even in territory they fully control. This is why they are upset when even tiny amounts of Palestinian Arabs move from environments of real deprivation to Western countries. This is why they demand UN resolutions against any attempts to build permanent housing for "refugees."

And this is why they choose to let Syrian Palestinians die rather than save them. Their value as symbols far outweighs the value of their very lives, according to the Palestinian Arab value system.

What reason can there be that a condition that will never, ever be implemented is more important than saving lives today? Because that condition reflects the very raison d'etre for Palestinian Arab nationalism itself - not to build a nation for a people, but to destroy another people's nation.

(Note also that Abbas is arrogantly making the decision to allow the Syrian Palestinians to die rather than forgo this false "principle" - but he doesn't give them the choice to make their own decisions. Which is what one would expect from a dictator.)

Is there a single human rights group that would dare condemn Abbas for his callous disregard of his purported people's lives?

(h/t Ian, Herb)

UPDATE: Here is my published comment on the Washington Post for this piece:

Is there any greater proof that Palestinian Arab leaders don't give a damn about their people?

Is there any greater proof that Mahmoud Abbas, by arrogantly making a decision dooming many people rather than letting them make their own choices, is acting with the same callousness as the dictator Assad?

Is there any greater proof that the Palestinian Arab leaders are more interested in destroying Israel via the false "right of return" than they are in building their own state?

Anyone who insists that Israel needs to make more concessions for peace needs to read - and re-read - this article to understand the realities of today's Middle East.

"Of course you are equal" Jordanian leader tells second-class Palestinian Arabs

From Ammon News:

Palestinian refugees are an important segment in Jordanian society and have equal rights and obligations, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said on Tuesday, calling on them to join forces with the state in the reform process and participate in upcoming parliamentary elections.

"We are all Jordanians under the constitution and our decisions and orientations should be united for the aspired reform and modernization process in our dear country," he told refugee camp leaders and embers of services committees.

If they are fully equal Jordanian citizens, then why are they considered "refugees"? Why do they still live in "refugee camps" over six decades after becoming citizens of Jordan? Why can they not be finally mainstreamed into Jordanian society as truly equal citizens?

And why are no Arabs, Palestinian or otherwise, even asking these questions?

Egyptian preacher advocates Islamic vice squad on TV

From Egypt Independent:

Many Egyptian viewers were horrified when preacher Hesham al-Ashry recently popped up on primetime television to say women must cover up for their own protection and advocated the introduction of religious police.

That an obscure preacher could get publicity for such views was seen as another example of the confused political scene in Egypt since the revolt that toppled Hosni Mubarak gave birth to a cacophony of feuding voices.

"I was once asked: If I came to power, would I let Christian women remain unveiled? And I said: If they want to get raped on the streets, then they can," Ashry told Al-Nahar TV channel last week.

Introducing a Saudi-style anti-vice police force to enforce Islamic law was "not a bad thing," he said, and added: "In order for Egypt to become fully Islamic, alcohol must be banned and all women must be covered."

Few take Ashry, who admits he flew to the US dreaming of a Western lifestyle and romance but instead found truth in preaching, seriously. But his views have stirred emotions.

With the economic downturn and rising food prices putting pressure on the government, moderate Muslims, Christians and others worry their newfound political freedom is at risk of being exploited by hardline Islamists bent on imposing their values on a society that has been traditionally moderate.

The article goes on to show that Al Azhar University leaders were against Ashry's ideas, but the fact that Al Azhar is now comparatively moderate tells you much about how Egypt has moved towards Islamist extremism.

What do you build with snow if you are a Palestinian Arab?

Why, you build a replica of a terror rocket meant to kill Jews - at Judaism's holiest spot!

Reuters now blames Israel for floods

I thought this would be in Arabic media first, but Reuters' Noah Browning ran with this ridiculous angle in its race to find new ways to blame Israel for anything and everything:

Heavy winter downpours have turned some Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank into a morass of filth and flooding as an Israeli barrier blocks the waters from draining away.

In Qalqilya, a town of 42,000 in the northern West Bank almost completely surrounded by the concrete wall, Khaled Kandeel and his family huddled by an open fire in a shed as trash-laden water swelled through his pear orchard.

"Before the wall, the water used to drain fine, and flowed down to the sea easily. They could just flip a switch and end our suffering, but they don't," Kandeel said, his breath steamy from the winter cold.

Israel started building the barrier, a mix of metal fencing, barbed wire and concrete walls, in 2002 in response to a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings.

Drainage channels run under the imposing ramparts but their automated metal gates are mostly closed and now clogged with refuse and stones that block the outflow of storm water.

The Israeli military, citing security reasons, generally bars locals from clearing the obstructions or digging their own channels close to the barrier.

Is this bolded text true? Who knows? Browning doesn't interview any Israeli officials for this story. (Of course, Israel is going to bar locals from digging tunnels near the barrier, but Browning tries to conflate the two to make Israel look especially evil.)

The water is filled with raw sewage, but this is Israel's fault as well, Browning informs his audience.

Later, after most people stop reading, Browning allows:

[I]n Hebron, whose old city is a flashpoint of conflict with Jewish settlers, rare coordination with the Israeli military allowed Palestinian officials to lift the concrete slabs which separate the ethnic enclaves to relieve flooding.

"We removed the concrete to prevent the passage of water to the old city souq, where flooding reached up to one meter," said Walid Abu Halawa of Hebron's construction commission.

Was there any attempt to work through channels in Qalqiya? Browning doesn't say.

Then again, he is probably working on his next article on how the separation barrier is being used by Israel to keep the wild pigs Jews breed to attack Arabs on the Arab side.

New York Times declares Jerusalem the capital of Israel!

Well, they said it in 1967 - before the Six Day War - in an editorial, no less:

Which just goes to show that facts that are evident to all can be eroded by years of propaganda.

Iraq News Agency spouting pure anti-semitism

I've been seeing more and more pure anti-semitic drivel from the Iraq News Agency lately, much of it reproduced elsewhere.

But this sentence is a classic distillation of hate, the type that is never reported in the West:

There is no harmful insect on the planet more dangerous than the Jews, and there is no incurable disease eating away at the human body is the worse than the Jews; and there is not any book since the inception of the world to warn nations and peoples of the psychological and intellectual epidemics of the Jews like the Koran.

Abbas Commemorates 'Martyrs,' Including Hajj Amin Al-Husseini

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

CHALLAH @ MEMRI

Mahmoud 'Abbas: "On the anniversary of Fatah, we renew the pledge to our fortunate martyrs. We pledge to continue on the path of the martyr brother Abu Ammar, and his comrades and brothers, the leaders from all the fighting factions – all the martyrs. "Let me mention the martyr Abu Jihad, Khalil Al-Wazir, the martyr Abu Iyad, Salah Khalaf, the martyr Abd Al-Fattah Hamoud, the martyr Abu Ali Iyad, the martyr Abu Sabri Saydam, the martyr Abu Yousuf Al-Najjar, the martyr Kamal Adwan, the martyr Kamal Nasser, the martyr Abu Al-Waleed Saad Sael, the martyr Faysal Al-Husseini, the martyr Abu Al-Hol, the martyr Abu Al-Mundhir, the martyr Khaled Al-Hassan, the martyr Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, the martyr Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rantissi, the martyr Ismail Abu Shanab, the martyr Fathi Shiqaqi, the martyr George Habash, the martyr Omar A-Qassem, the martyr Sakhr Habash, the martyr Suleiman Al-Najjar, the martyr Bashir Al-Barghouthi, the martyr Hani Al-Hassan, the martyr Abu Ali Mustafa, the martyr Abu Al-'Abbas, the martyr Samir Ghosheh, and today's martyr, the martyr of the Intifada, Abu Al-Abd Khattab. Allah's mercy upon them all. "In addition, there were tens of thousands of martyrs and heroes. Here we must remember the pioneers – the Grand Mufti of Palestine, Hajj Muhammad Amin Al-Husseini, as well as Ahmad Al-Shukeiri, the founder of the PLO, and Yahya Hamouda, the head of the PLO Executive Committee. Let us not forget the martyr Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam, who sparked the 1936 revolution." [...]

Thank you

My shiva ended this morning, and I'm easing into getting back into the swing of things at work and for the blog. Things might remain slow on the blog for the next few days, though.

Thanks so much for the many messages of condolence sent to me, in the comments, email, Twitter and Facebook. I really do appreciate it.

Thanks also to Challah Hu Akbar for agreeing to pinch-hit for me. Please add his excellent blog to your bookmarks.

Special thanks to the two bloggers who attended the funeral in Israel, Aussie Dave of Israellycool and "Caleb ben Yefuneh" of Love of the Land.

While I generally do not talk about my personal life on my blog, I will make a brief exception here.

My father was a remarkable man. He was a Holocaust survivor who witnessed unspeakable horrors and the loss of family members when he was only a teenager. Yet he still managed to survive, marry a fellow survivor and raise a family in America, sacrificing much to allow his children to receive a Jewish education at a time that many of his fellow survivors abandoned Judaism altogether. He built a small business, literally starting it in our garage. He, and lehavdil bein chaim lechaim, my mother, tried very hard to ensure that their kids would be raised normally despite what they went through. As Dad stated on the videotape he made for the USC Shoah Foundation, he just wanted his children to be good Jews - and not to ever have to go through one percent of what he went through.

Is Iran After A Syrian Uranium Stockpile?

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

CHALLAH @ Ynet

Nuclear experts in the US and Middle East have raised concerns about the security of up to 50 metric tons of unenriched uranium in Syria, the Financial Times reported Tuesday. Such a stockpile could be a vital resource to building a nuclear bomb and could have disastrous implications if seized by Iran.

Not much is known about the Syrian nuclear program, and the country denied ever having had one. But intelligence data collected at the time indicated that President Bashar Assad regime’s was close to completing a nuclear reactor at Al-Kibar, in the east of the country, when it was reportedly destroyed by Israeli jets in September 2007.

Intelligence officials have long believed that the reactor was familiar in its design to the Yongbyon facility in North Korea, which aided Syria with its program. By comparing the two reactors, experts have concluded that Al-Kibar would have required about 50 tonnes of natural uranium fuel to become operational.

Government officials and nuclear experts have recently told the Financial Times that there were legitimate concerns about a uranium stockpile of such magnitude which may have remained in Syria. According to experts, such a stockpile would be enough to provide weapons grade fuel for five atomic devices.

… An IAEA inspection team visited the destroyed Al-Kibar site in May 2008 and only found traces of uranium, adding to the mystery of where the stockpile might be. According to the report, some government officials have expressed fears that Iran, which is closely allied to Syria and needs uranium for its nuclear program, might be trying to seize the uranium.

These concerns have been brought upon by signs of movement at what they allege is a secret uranium conversion facility that the Syrian regime built at the town of Marj al-Sultan near Damascus. “You could draw the conclusion that there may be something at this site that the Syrian authorities are keen to defend from opposition forces,” said Albright, an expert on the Iranian nuclear program. “It would be interesting to know what it is.”

While the officials were unable to unequivocally determine whether uranium was in fact stored at the site, they said that Syria is almost certainly in possession of the element urgently sought by Iran. "It would certainly be possible to transfer this from Syria to Iran by air,” one official said.

Wednesday Morning Links

From Ian:

Academic: Israeli-Arab pols fomenting extremism

"An article published this month argues, based on economic and other data, that Israeli Arabs’ standard of living has risen dramatically, while Israeli Arab leaders have increasingly radicalized their community." "Entitled “Israel’s Arabs: Deprived or Radicalized?” the article cites statistical evidence demonstrating that Israeli Arabs have had an increasingly better quality of life since the Jews began settling in large numbers in British Mandate-era Palestine. For this reason, Arabs continued to move to Jewish population centers in order to improve their socioeconomic living conditions."

IDF Blog: Terror Attacks in 2012: The Ones You’ve Heard About and the Ones You Haven’t

In 2012, Israel suffered terror attacks on all fronts. Some made headline news around the world. Most of the others you’ve probably never heard about. Here’s our rundown of the major terror attacks in 2012.

Missing Peace: Swiss graduate in thesis : PA uses water as a political weapon

"A thesis titled ‘The politicization of the Oslo water agreement’ written by Lauro Burkart a Swiss graduate of the Institute of International and Development studies in Geneva gives a more accurate and impartial picture of the topic of the scarcity of water in the Palestinian Authority."

Richard Millet: Palestine Solidarity Campaign activist says he wants to kill Israelis.

"I did have a polite discussion with a 23 year old who had just finished studying accountancy. We talked about the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Needless to say we disagreed on everything but he did tell me of his future plans. He wanted to leave his family and head to Pakistan to start up a political party that would “bomb the whole of Israel”.

MEMRI: PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas Commemorates "Martyrs" from Fatah, Hamas, and Other Factions

PMW: PA mayor: Israeli army shapes explosives like toys to target Palestinian children

"Palestinian Media Watch has reported how similar libels were voiced by the PA during the PA's terror campaign (the Intifada). In 2003, PA TV viewers were told that Israelis "drop objects from jet planes that attract children to play with them and then they blow up. These are bombs and mines designed as toys."

Daphne Anson: A Mondoweiss Contributor Reports On Gaza For The BBC

"The website article in question is the work of a woman who appears to be a seasoned anti-Israel campaigner."

Iran Takes Off the Mask, Admits Sanctions Hit Oil Exports

"An Iranian minister breaks ranks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and admits US-backed sanctions have sliced oil exports by 45 percent – but says the nuclear weapon program continues."

Syria: 5 Dead as Fighting Returns to 'Palestinian' Camp

Syrian fighting has returned to an area of Damascus which serves as a camp for people registered as "Palestinian refugees."

Poland probes artist’s claim that he used Holocaust victims’ ash to ‘paint’ a picture

Ghoulish work was displayed in a Swedish gallery and later pulled following protests from Jewish groups

UEFA Launches Disciplinary Proceedings Against Lazio for “Alleged Racist Behavior” Towards Tottenham’s Jewish Fans

"UEFA has begun disciplinary proceedings against Rome, Italy’s Lazio football club for its fan’s “alleged racist behavior” toward British club Tottenham’s fans during a match in Rome in November. The Lazio fans chanted “Juden Tottenham” and held up signs that read “Free Palestine” in an effort to taunt Tottenham’s fans. Tottenham is an historically Jewish neighborhood in London and has a large Jewish fan base."

FIFA punishes Bulgaria, Hungary for racist, anti-Semitic incidents

Both national teams to pay fines, play in empty stadiums as a disciplinary measure

France Jews seek names of anti-Semites on Twitter

Jewish students' union takes issue of anti-Semitic tweets to Paris court after Twitter refuses to hand over details of account holders.

In tense Swedish city, young Muslim crusades against anti-Semitism

The son of immigrants from Iran, Siavosh Derakhti recently won an award for his efforts to promote tolerance and educate about the Holocaust

Top exporters get award from Peres

In 2011 an amazing 40% of Israel’s GDP was based on exports, and the president recognized some of the country’s biggest exporters at a ceremony

Israeli 2012 Tech Exits Top $5.5 Billion

"Israeli tech startups were bought out for a record total of $5.5 billion in 2012, according to a report published Monday. The report also suggests a maturity in the Israeli sector with fewer, but larger, deals transacted. The report by analysts Pricewaterhouse Coopers showed 2012 had 50 deals with an average deal size of $111 million, compared with 63 deals with an average size of $81 million in 2011. The report didn’t cover IPOs."

Iran Behind Hacking of American Banks

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

CHALLAH @ New York Times

The attackers hit one American bank after the next. As in so many previous attacks, dozens of online banking sites slowed, hiccupped or ground to a halt before recovering several minutes later.

But there was something disturbingly different about the wave of online attacks on American banks in recent weeks. Security researchers say that instead of exploiting individual computers, the attackers engineered networks of computers in data centers, transforming the online equivalent of a few yapping Chihuahuas into a pack of fire-breathing Godzillas. The skill required to carry out attacks on this scale has convinced United States government officials and security researchers that they are the work of Iran, most likely in retaliation for economic sanctions and online attacks by the United States.

“There is no doubt within the U.S. government that Iran is behind these attacks,” said James A. Lewis, a former official in the State and Commerce Departments and a computer security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

...Since September, intruders have caused major disruptions to the online banking sites of Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bancorp, PNC, Capital One, Fifth Third Bank, BB&T and HSBC. They employed DDoS attacks, or distributed denial of service attacks, named because hackers deny customers service by directing large volumes of traffic to a site until it collapses. No bank accounts were breached and no customers’ money was taken.

By using data centers, the attackers are simply keeping up with the times. Companies and consumers are increasingly conducting their business over large-scale “clouds” of hundreds, even thousands, of networked computer servers

...A hacker group calling itself Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Cyber Fighters has claimed in online posts that it was responsible for the attacks.

...But American intelligence officials say the group is actually a cover for Iran. They claim Iran is waging the attacks in retaliation for Western economic sanctions and for a series of cyberattacks on its own systems.

Wife of Hamas MP: A Woman's Role Is to Instill Love of Jihad and Martyrdom in Her Children

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

CHALLAH @ MEMRI

Umm Osama: Women in Palestine play a great role in raising their children and in encouraging them to wage Jihad for the sake of Allah. This is absolutely the most glorious thing a woman can do. Women play their role and are not inferior to men. When a man goes to wage Jihad, his wife does not say "Don't go" or try to stop him. She encourages and supports him. She is the one who prepares his equipment, bids him farewell, and welcomes [his Jihad]. She instills in her children the love of Jihad and martyrdom for the sake of Allah. If every mother were to prevent her son from waging Jihad for the sake of Allah, who would wage Jihad? Who would support Palestine? Palestine is dear to us, and its price is paid with our body remains and our lifeblood. Is not Allah's reward precious? Allah's reward is Paradise. Paradise requires from us our blood, our body remains, and our efforts for its sake.

[...] Sister, Jihad is ordained for us. It is our duty to wage Jihad, because either we wage Jihad or...

Interviewer: We want to die as martyrs.

Umm Osama: Indeed we do. I am constantly praying: "Allah, make the end of our days be in martyrdom." I pray for this even for my husband and my children. None of us want to die in our beds. We pray that Allah will grant us Paradise. [...]

Hamas Sentences Fatah Terrorist to 15 Years in Jail

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

CHALLAH @ Ma’an News Agency

A military court in Gaza City on Tuesday sentenced a Fatah military leader to 15 years in jail. Muhammad al-Sakani told Ma’an that his brother Zaki was accused of terrorism and illegally possessing explosives and weapons.

Muhammad condemned the verdict as unjust and vowed to appeal the decision. Zaki, from Gaza City’s Shujaiyya neighborhood, was detained four years ago and held in a Gaza jail.

Fatah denounced the verdict in a statement, describing it as "unjust because it was issued by an illegitimate court, and because the motive behind the verdict was merely political." "The man was a prominent leader of Fatah’s al-Aqsa Brigades and one of its best fighters."

What exactly did al-Sakani do?

Al-Sakani, born in 1965, was once wanted by Israeli authorities for his role in explosives-manufacturing, according to Fatah-affiliated websites.

As the second Palestinian intifada entered its second year, according to Fatah sources, al-Sakani along with late Fatah leader Abdul-Muti al-Sabaawi designed the first homemade mortar shell and went on to produce hundreds of shells.

As a result, the Israeli intelligence tried to hunt him down through several targeted assassinations, including one which injured him in Gaza City while he was launching mortar shells at an Israeli settlement, before Israeli forces disengaged from the coastal enclave.

After Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in July 2008, the security services of Hamas stormed his home in the Zaytoun neighborhood, but he escaped, Fatah sources said. Hamas forces confiscated his handgun, a homemade projectile and several mortar shells and explosives, as well as a computer. On July 25, 2008 five high profile leaders of the Hamas' military wing were killed in an explosion near the beach in Gaza City and about 40 civilians were injured. Hamas then accused al-Sakani of being behind that explosion.

In August 2008, the Hamas-affiliated website Palestine Today quoted sources privy to the details as saying that security services in Gaza detained four suspects including Zaki al-Sakani, a Fatah-affiliated explosives expert. Al-Sakani was in al-Shifa hospital when he was arrested and jailed, having survived an assassination attempt a day earlier. A group of gunmen had opened fire on al-Sakani and he underwent a surgery before he was jailed by Hamas' security.

Photos of Robert Levinson Released, Iran Seen as Responsible

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

CHALLAH @ The Associated Press

Two years after a hostage video and photographs of retired FBI agent Robert Levinson raised the possibility that the missing American was being held by terrorists, U.S. officials now see the government of Iran behind the images, intelligence officials told The Associated Press.

Levinson, a private investigator, disappeared in 2007 on the Iranian island of Kish. The Iranian government has repeatedly denied knowing anything about his disappearance, and the disturbing video and photos that Levinson's family received in late 2010 and early 2011 seemed to give credence to the idea.

The extraordinary photos — showing Levinson's hair wild and gray, his beard long and unkempt — are being seen for the first time publicly after the family provided copies to the AP. The video has been previously released.

In response to Iran's repeated denials, and amid secret conversations with Iran's government, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement in March 2011 that Levinson was being held somewhere in South Asia. The implication was that Levinson might be in the hands of terrorist group or criminal organization somewhere in Pakistan or Afghanistan.

The statement was a goodwill gesture to Iran, one that the U.S. hoped would prod Tehran to help bring him home.

But nothing happened.

Two years later, with the investigation stalled, the consensus now among some U.S. officials involved in the case is that despite years of denials, Iran's intelligence service was almost certainly behind the 54-second video and five photographs of Levinson that were emailed anonymously to his family. The tradecraft used to send those items was too good, indicating professional spies were behind them, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk publicly. While everything dealing with Iran is murky, their conclusion is based on the U.S. government's best intelligence analysis....

Levinson's family runs this website.

Israeli Intelligence Likely Saved Thousands of Syrian Lives

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

CHALLAH @ New York Times

In the last days of November, Israel’s top military commanders called the Pentagon to discuss troubling intelligence that was showing up on satellite imagery: Syrian troops appeared to be mixing chemicals at two storage sites, probably the deadly nerve gas sarin, and filling dozens of 500-pounds bombs that could be loaded on airplanes.

Within hours President Obama was notified, and the alarm grew over the weekend, as the munitions were loaded onto vehicles near Syrian air bases. In briefings, administration officials were told that if Syria’s increasingly desperate president, Bashar al-Assad, ordered the weapons to be used, they could be airborne in less than two hours — too fast for the United States to act, in all likelihood.

What followed next, officials said, was a remarkable show of international cooperation over a civil war in which the United States, Arab states, Russia and China have almost never agreed on a common course of action.

Read the rest.

Egypt’s Constitution May Prevent Bahais from Enrolling in Public Schools

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

CHALLAH @ Egypt Independent

The education minister has repeated remarks that Bahais cannot enroll in public schools, saying it violates the Constitution. “The Constitution only recognizes the three Abrahamic religions,” Ibrahim Ghoneim told Akbar Al-Youm newspaper Saturday. “And as religion is a subject taught in schools, they do not meet the requirements for enrollment.”

Ghoneim had told Al-Sabah newspaper the same statement in November, when he was asked, “What is the position of the ministry concerning the children of Bahais? Do they have the right to enroll in a [ministry-affiliated] school?” The minister responded by saying, “The state only recognizes three religions, and the Bahai faith is not among them. Thus their children do not have the right to register in government schools.”

And

An Egyptian official admitted on Monday that Bahai children will face major problems enrolling in state-run schools as a result of the new Constitution. Mohamed al-Sorougy, the Education Minister's media adviser, told Ona news agency that Egyptian Bahais will face problems enrolling because the new Constitution only recognizes three religions: Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

Sorougy didn’t confirm or deny statements by Education Minister Ibrahim Ghoneim saying that Bahais are forbidden from enrolling in public schools because of the Constitution. He said, however, that 2 million children enroll annually in the schools and that creating a problem for a few of them is not right.

The problems facing Bahai children are further complicated by Article 60 of the new Constitution, which mandates religious education in state schools. Muslims and Christians study their own religions, but the government is unsure how to offer Bahais religious instruction if they enroll in schools.

Head of Iran's Quds Force Met with Morsi Advisors

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

Around a week ago reports started appearing in the Arabic press, sometimes quoting the Israeli media, suggesting that the head of Iran’s Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, recently met with an adviser to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.

The Times now confirms the reports.

Egypt’s Islamist Government has enlisted covert help from Iran to strengthen its grip on power, dealing another blow to Cairo’s fragile relationship with the West. Qassem Suleimani, Iran’s spy chief, visited the Egyptian capital just after Christmas for two days of talks with senior officials close to President Mohamed Morsi, The Times has learnt.

Mr Suleimani, who oversees Iran’s proxy militias across the region, including Hezbollah and Hamas, travelled at the invitation of Mr Morsi’s Government and his powerful backers in the Muslim Brotherhood.

The spy chief met Essam al-Haddad, foreign affairs adviser to Mr Morsi, and officials from the Brotherhood to advise the government on building its security and intelligence apparatus independent of the national intelligence services, which are controlled by Egypt's military.

… Two members of the Muslim Brotherhood's "guidance office" Maktab al-Irshad confirmed details of Mr Suleimani's visit. "The government requested a high-level meeting with Iranian officials. Iran sent Suleimani," said one official.

"The meeting was intended to send a message to America, which is putting pressure on the Egyptian government, that we should be allowed to have other alliances with anyone we please."

Soleimani was recently deemed the “World’s Most Dangerous Person.”

Tuesday Morning Links

From Ian:

***

David Frum: Where is the Palestinian state-in-embryo?

"Palestinian nationalism often seems a mirror-image of the Zionist project, but with this one crucial difference: Over the half century before the foundation of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement pre-built the institutions of a state. The Zionist movement built not only a proto-government and the elements of an army, but charitable institutions, educational institutions, even artistic institutions.The Jewish state, when it came, was voted by the UN. But it was in no sense a gift from anybody, let alone an international organization."

PLO Officials: No 'Palestine' Passport for Now

Abbas will not rush to issue "State of Palestine" passports, fearing a conflict with Israel, PLO officials claim.

Alan Dershowitz: President's Nomination of Hagel May Encourage Iran's Nuclear Ambitions

"President Obama's nomination of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense risks increasing the likelihood that Iran will develop nuclear weapons. It poses that risk because Hagel is well known for his opposition both to sanctions against Iran and to employing the military option if necessary. These views are inconsistent with the very different views expressed by President Obama. The President has emphasized on numerous occasions that he will never allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons and will use military force if necessary to prevent that "game changer."

The Christian Aid Conference on Peace and Justice in the Holy Land

Something has gone badly wrong when a conference of Christians praises the side most prone to violence and least disposed to peace; presents falsehoods as facts, and even denies that there is serious persecution of their own brethren in the Palestinian territories. "Do Christian hearts not grieve for Jewish children forced to cower in bomb shelters, day in and day out? But none of these facts was mentioned by any of the speakers. Not one speaker at any point, in fact, had the honesty to say one word about the several wars started by Arab armies invading Israel, nor the thousands of Israelis killed and injured in terrorist attacks, including suicide bombings."

PMW: Fatah’s Facebook: Glorifying terror, inciting hatred, and erasing Israel

Fatah’s heroes: Saddam Hussein, Dalal Mughrabi and the rifle

BBC Watch: BBC: Al Jazeera in US market to promote football tournament

"It is well known that Al Jazeera’s English language operation (launched in 2006) tones down its coverage in comparison to its less subtle Arabic department, which has fawned over the terrorist child-murderer Samir Kuntar and features as its most popular programme the weekly rantings of Qatari-based Yusuf Qaradawi – spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and a virulent homophobe and antisemite. Nevertheless, Al Jazeera English remains firmly on target as the vector of the Qatari regime’s agenda, as some of its former employees have disclosed."

Egypt Pres To Obama: Free Terrorist Blind Sheikh

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: I asked the Egyptian President about the blind Egyptian cleric who was convicted here in the United States in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Omar Abdel-Rahman is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison.

Egypt Seeks $500B from Israel for Sinai Damage

"Israel stole just under $50 billion worth of sand"

This was reported by EOZ on January 07 2012 Report: Egypt demanding $500 billion from Israel for Sinai damage

Egyptian Who 'Invited' Jews 'Back Home' Resigns Post (h/t Zvi)

Essam el-Erian, a top advisor to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, has resigned from his position, Egyptian media reported Sunday. "Although the report said that el-Arian had willingly made the decision because he was “occupied with other work,” analysts said that there was no doubt that he was pressure to quit – after inviting back to Egypt the descendants of Jews who were thrown out of the country, or who fled due to anti-Semitic violence."

Egypt foils bomb plot near Gaza border

On Monday, Egyptian authorities foiled a car bomb plot in the city of Rafah, near Gaza….Those behind the plot are currently unknown, though Al Arabiya quoted an Egyptian security source as saying that it was "probably radical Islamists whom security forces have been tracking for months." According to the Associated Press, "[t]he military said it suspects the gunmen preparing the car bomb are from the Gaza Strip and entered Egypt illegally through underground tunnels." Following the seizure of the explosives and weapons, Egyptian authorities announced a security alert. A military source has told Ma'an News Agency that "intelligence services have received information in the last few hours about planned attacks by groups in the Sinai."

Report: Hezbollah Sends 5,000 Fighters to Syria to Help Assad

"Some 5,000 Hezbollah fighters crossed from Lebanon into Syria last month to fight on the side of Bashar al-Assad’s forces the Al Watan newspaper reported on Monday. According to the paper, nearly 300 of those fighters have been killed in the last several days."

Atlanta’s medical technology industry getting shot in the arm

"EndoChoice, an Alpharetta-based company that sells endoscopy devices, said Friday it plans to merge with an Israeli-based medical firm in a deal that would create 200 new jobs, mostly in metro Atlanta. The company also announced it raised $43 million from a well-known Silicon Valley venture capital firm, Sequoia Capital, to fuel its growth."

Iran's Press TV Acts Like Iran's Press TV

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

Iran's Press TV is known for being well...Iran's Press TV.

Here are the latest examples.

West Bank Terror Jumps in November & December

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

Throughout the Israeli media today there have been a number of reports based off the latest monthly report (I used it already for a post on Sunday) from the Shin Bet. For example, Ynet has a story titled, “West Bank sees rise in terror attacks,” while the Times of Israel has one titled, “Terror attacks in West Bank, Jerusalem on the rise.”

Below is the data straight up. While most of the other reports have combined the number of attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem, I have only included the number of attacks counted in the West Bank.

Month	# of Attacks in West Bank
January	27
February	42
March	43
April	36
May	50
June	48
July	30
August	19
September	39
October	39
November	122
December	81
Total	576

90-year-old Saudi Weds 15-year-old Girl

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

CHALLAH @ Al Arabiya

The recent marriage of a 90-year-old Saudi man to a 15-year-old girl has sparked condemnation from human rights and social media activists in the kingdom. On Twitter especially, activists criticized the parents of the girl for giving her to a man decades older than her. In an interview, the groom insisted that his marriage was “legal and correct,” and that he paid a $17,500 (SAR 65,000) dowry to marry the girl, who is the daughter of a Yemeni father and Saudi mother.

The 90-year-old told the story of his first night with the bride. He said she entered the bedroom before him, and she locked the door from inside so he could not enter. This, he said, made him “suspicious about some kind of conspiracy” by the girl and her mother. He vowed to sue his in-laws to give him back the girl or return him the expensive dowry.

Close friends of the bride’s family said she was frightened on the wedding night, and locked herself in the room for two successive days before fleeing back to her parents’ home. The member of the Saudi National Association for Human Rights (NSHR), Suhaila Zein al-Abedin, urged authorities to intervene “as soon as possible to save this child from tragedy.”

Abedin noted that marriage in Islam must be based on mutual consent, and this was not satisfied, as demonstrated by the girl’s move to lock herself in the room. She said the girl’s parents were also to be held responsible for marrying their daughter to a man the age of her great grandfather.

Abedin urged the establishment of a minimum age of 18 for marrying girls, saying this would pave the way for punishing violators, according to a report by al-Hayat newspaper. Jamal al-Toueiki, a psychologist, said forced marriage may subject girls to abuse and violence, and this could lead to their suicide if nothing is done to save them.

Anti-Semitic Incidents Up in Austria

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

CHALLAH @ Israel Hayom

The leader of Vienna's Jewish community says the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Austria reported to his office have doubled over the past year and adds that Jews feel threatened elsewhere in the EU as well. Jewish community president Oskar Deutsch tells the Kurier newspaper that the Jewish community registered 135 such incidents last year, compared to 71 in 2011.

In comments published Monday, he named Hungary, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France and Greece as the EU countries where Jews are most under threat, adding that fearful Jewish families in Hungary have recently started to immigrate to Austria.

Burgas Bombing Investigator Sacked over Leak

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

CHALLAH @ Sofia News Agency

The Prosecutor's Office has dismissed investigator Staneliya Karadzhova as member of the team investigating the July 18 terror act in Bulgaria's Black city of Burgas.

Karadzhova has been dismissed on January 3 by the Burgas Regional Prosecutor on grounds the investigator leaked in the media classified information about latest developments in the probe.

On the same day, Karadzhova told the 24 Chasa (24 Hours) daily that Bulgarian police authorities have learned the real identity of one of the accomplices of the Burgas bus bomber.

The Interior Ministry declined refuting officially the above statement, with Kalin Georgiev, Chief Secretary of the Interior, only saying that any comments on the subject would be detrimental for the investigation.

For a rundown of basically everything related to the Burgas attack and the ongoing investigation go here.

Monday Morning Links

From Ian

***

The Legal Case for Israel Video by Professor Eugene Kontorovich VIDEO

JPost Editorial: Palestinian irresponsibility

"Instead of choosing a path of self-empowerment and accepting responsibility for their own fate, Fayyad and other Palestinian leaders have opted yet again for the well-traversed road of self-victimization. Apparently, Palestinian leaders in the West Bank believe they will succeed in deflecting growing anger and frustration on the Palestinian street and redirect toward Israel. We hope they are wrong."

Barry Rubin: Al Gore Sells Out (to al-Jazeera)

"What would you call it if a former vice-president of the United States had sold his television network to a fascist or Communist front group at a time when such forces threatened America? Nothing very nice. But now Al Gore has sold out his admittedly obscure channel to al-Jazeera and taken a position on its board. Here's an interview of myself on this issue."

MEMRI: Chief Islamic Judge of PA: We Want to File Suit against Britain for Balfour Declaration “Crime” VIDEO and Wife of Hamas MP Al-Hayya: A Woman's Role Is to Instill Love of Jihad and Martyrdom in Her Children VIDEO

Supporting our Own Demise: Part 1 Terror Finance

"Successive British Governments continue to tolerate the existence of large charities that encourage and provide for Islamist terror groups. By failing to separate British Muslims from the Islamist charities that exploit them, we flatter and legitimize supporters of terrorism as humanitarians and community leaders. In the US, the charity Interpal is a proscribed organization: when you help terror groups build homes, you are also helping terror groups build bombs."

Egypt: Bahais cannot enroll in public schools, education minister says

"The education minister has repeated remarks that Bahais cannot enroll in public schools, saying it violates the Constitution. "The Constitution only recognizes the three Abrahamic religions,” Ibrahim Ghoneim told Akbar Al-Youm newspaper Saturday. “And as religion is a subject taught in schools, they do not meet the requirements for enrollment.”

Egypt’s Morsi remakes cabinet, increasing Islamist presence

"Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi rebuilt his cabinet Sunday, replacing 10 ministers and amplifying the Islamist presence in the government. The move, in which at least three Islamists were appointed to head major economic ministries, comes a day ahead of a planned visit by a top International Monetary Fund official to discuss an impending $4.8 billion loan."

Chavez and the Jews: A sorry tale

"Before Chavez came to power in 1999, there were 30,000 Jews in Venezuela. Now, the community has dwindled to just less than 9,000. Having experienced virtually no anti-Semitism in their history, the Chavez years ushered in a set of new and frightening experiences for Venezuela’s Jews, from cartoons in the press that could have been lifted from the notorious Nazi newspaper, Der Sturmer, to the vandalism of the main synagogue in Caracas in 2009. As a depressing summary by Tel Aviv University’s Kantor Center for the Study of Anti-Semitism noted last September, “Recent years have witnessed a rise in anti-Semitic manifestations, including vandalism, media attacks, caricatures, and physical attacks on Venezuelan Jewish institutions.”

Israelis to design San Diego-area desalination plant

IDE Americas Inc., a subsidiary of Israel’s IDE Technologies Ltd, to design project - the largest of its kind in western hemisphere. "The Israeli desalination giant that is already responsible for the brunt of Israel’s salty-to-fresh water transformation is now taking on San Diego, in the biggest desalination project to hit the western hemisphere."

GPS for brain surgeons

A line of products trusted by neurosurgeons and neuroscience researchers on six continents was developed by a Christian-Arab couple in Nazareth, Israel. "The company’s recording and stimulation tools, which have both FDA (US) and CE (Europe) approvals, are helpful in two realms. Neuroscientists use them in the lab to understand more about the human brain, and neurosurgeons use them for treating patients with a variety of neural disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and dystonia, a nervous system disorder that causes involuntary muscles contractions and spasms."

Drillers herald new Israeli gas find

"Israeli and Norwegian energy companies said they encountered a significant amount of natural gas in an offshore Israeli field. Norwegian energy company AGR said it encountered "significant signs of natural gas" during drilling operations in the Aphrodite-2 exploration well in the offshore Ishai license block. The well encountered a gas layer of 49 feet, the Platts news service reports."

A herbal remedy for the ‘bug crisis’

Farmers nowadays are using more pesticides than ever. An innovation based on Negev herbs may be even more effective. "Herbs are for more than just tea — they may be the next big thing in the fight against pests. Particularly one herb that grows in Israel’s Negev desert, whose medicinal properties have been known to the Bedouin for generations. Yaniv Kitron of Israel’s EdenShield has discovered that it works pretty well as a natural “pesticide,” too."

Photos from Recent Fatah Rally in Gaza

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

Last Friday, Fatah held a major rally in the Gaza Strip celebrating the anniversary of its first terror attack. Fatah officials said that there was close to a million, if not more than a million people, while Hamas officials say that the crowd was no more than 200,000.

While the rally seemed to be going well, parts of it were forced to be cancelled for what appears to have been an outbreak of scuffles between supporters of former Fatah strongman Mohammed Dahlan and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Yahiya Rabah, a top Fatah official in Gaza, said the rally was cancelled "due to the huge number of participants and logistical failures." But witnesses said one pushing match was between supporters of Abbas and partisans of Fatah's former Gaza security commander Mohammed Dahlan, who was expelled from the party because of conflicts with Abbas. Another Fatah official, who spoke anonymously because he did not want to embarrass the party, said the rally was cancelled because hundreds of Dahlan supporters jumped up on the stage and clashed with Abbas supporters.

Here are a selection of photos from the day.

Fayyad Slams Arab States for Failing to Donate to PA

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

The Palestinian Authority is currently undergoing a serious financial crisis. Abbas and Fayyad have been begging for money for quite some time now in order to alleviate the crisis, however, they are getting nothing beyond pledges.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Salam Fayyad says that the recent financial troubles for the PA have been caused “solely” as a result of the failure of Arab states to fulfill their pledges to the Palestinian Authority.

The Palestinian self-rule government is close to being "completely incapacitated," largely because Arab countries haven't delivered hundreds of millions of dollars in promised aid, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said in an interview with the Associated Press Sunday.

…Fayyad said his budget deficit has widened in recent years, blaming Arab states that broke aid promises.

"The financing problem that we've had in the last few years is solely due to some Arab donors not fulfilling their pledge of support in accordance with Arab League resolutions," Fayyad said. European countries kept all their aid commitments and the U.S. honored most, with the exception of $200 million held up by Congress last year, he added.

While Fayyad is going public (he made similar comments in late December) with the truth, other Palestinian officials will continue to blame the US or try and use blackmail.

Number of Women in Israeli Air Force Doubled in Past 20 Years

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

CHALLAH @ IDF

Pioneering women, whose deeds opened a new world for others to follow in their footsteps, were honored this year at the IAF Association's annual evening. The event, which highlights a different topic relating to the Air Force each year, was dedicated to the stories of the female pioneers of the Air Force from its inception until today.

Among those honored were Zahara Levitov, a fighter in the Palmach and pilot in the Air Force, and her daughter Orni, the IAF's first female navigator. Also honored were some groundbreaking women of the 1990s: Adi Berdshatzki, the first female colonel in the Air Force, and Margalit Tirosh, the first to head the Administration Squadron.

The role of women in the Air Force today was also applauded, with those honored including Maj. G, Deputy Commander of the Air Kings Squadron, and Maj. Revital Ozen, commander of an Iron Dome battery.

"From the day of the IAF's establishment, women have taken part in its work," said IAF Commander Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel. "From a small group, mainly working in support roles, the participation of women throughout the breadth of the Air Force's activities has blossomed, in the air and on the ground. In the [Air] Force, there are thousands of women in career service and around 6,000 [regular service] female soldiers."

Maj. Gen. Eshel also emphasized the increasing representation of women within the IAF. "Their scope has doubled in the past 20 years," he stated. "We are in an ongoing process. And in this field, too, the IAF is a leader. We are still far from having utilized the full potential, the quality and capability that exists inside Israeli society. We must increase our efforts, increase the integration, to strengthen the Air Force and to set an example to the IDF and the entire State of Israel."

Is the 3rd Intifada Here?

Guest post by Challah Hu Akbar, aka CHA or Challah

***

CHALLAH @ Ynet

The defense establishment has been careful not to overstate the significance of the recent – growing – wave of unrest sweeping the West Bank, but according to IDF Ezion Sector Commander Colonel Yaniv Alaluf, the third intifada has already begun.

"We're no longer on the verge of a third intifada – it's already here. We anticipate many more (clashes) from now on," he said. Speaking to troops and reservists assigned to the sector, Alaluf qualified his daunting prediction, saying that "We may not be facing thousands of demonstrators storming border fences with AK-47s, but that doesn’t diminish the seriousness of the situation."

…Alaluf's assessment of the situation was a pessimistic one: "The process lead by Abu Mazen is over, replaced by the attitude promoted by Hamas. Abu Mazen is trying to survive the Arab Spring and he understands that the path of negotiations with Israel is over. "The question is – what will follow? We may see regional anarchy along a military campaign of our own."

…But not all is bleak: Alaluf was optimistic as to the IDF's ability to deal with terrorist threats, saying he does not foresee a string of suicide attacks, which became the gruesome hallmark of the al-Aqsa Intifada. "The third intifada won't be like the second one, which surprised us. We're ahead of the game now and terror won't be able to slither up to central Israel because we're better prepared."

…The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that, "The military does not comment on remarks made in closed forums."

Meanwhile:

The chances that a full-scale armed Intifada erupting in the West Bank are slim, but the chances for popular, simmering unrest with mass demonstrations are much higher, Shin Bet Chief Yoram Cohen was quoted as saying by Yedioth Ahronoth.