Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Sunday, November 03, 2013

Tunisia banned from Davis Cup tennis next year over refusal to play Israel

From BBC:

Tunisia has been suspended from the Davis Cup tennis tournament after Tunisian player Malek Jaziri was ordered not to compete against an Israeli opponent last month.

The International Tennis Federation said there was no room for prejudice in sport and the one-year ban was a "fitting penalty".

Jaziri withdrew from the Tashkent Challenger last month ahead of a match against Amir Weintraub.

He was cleared of wrongdoing.

Officials found Jaziri - who had claimed to be suffering from a knee injury - had been ordered to pull out of the match.

The ITF board voted unanimously to suspend the Tunisian Tennis Federation for one year from the Davis Cup, one of the most important tournaments in men's tennis.

"There is no room for prejudice of any kind in sport or in society. The ITF Board decided to send a strong message to the Tunisian Tennis Federation that this kind of action will not be tolerated by any of our members," said ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti.

Jaziri himself seems to have been against dropping out of the match:

The brother and manager of Tunisian tennis star Malek Jaziri on Monday slammed as ‘shocking’ the political pressure to boycott a match with Israel’s Amir Weintraub from the authorities back home. This decision is “shocking, because it brings politics into sport ... We are totally against that. And Malek is the first victim, because tennis is his career, his bread-winner,” Amir Jaziri told AFP. “To be clear, Malek pulled out for sporting reasons, because he was injured. He did his warm up, something was wrong and the doctor found that his knee was swollen,” he said.

When Jaziri withdrew from Friday’s match against Weintraub, in the quarterfinal of the Challenger tournament in Tashkent, he also cited knee problems. “‘After the meeting at the ministry of youth and sports with Riadh Azaiez, I regret to inform you that you cannot play,’” Amir, said quoting the email, and referring to the director of the country’s sporting elite at the ministry.

Both Jaziri, who is currently ranked world number 169, and Weintraub are members of the same top-flight tennis club in France – Sarcelles Tennis – north of Paris and have known each other for years through their sport. Contacted by AFP, the club’s president Jonathan Chaouat said Jaziri was in fact the reason for Weintraub’s recruitment by the club. The 29-year-old Tunisian, who has declined to talk to the press since withdrawing from the tournament in Tashkent, could have risen to 135th had he won.

The ministry insisted that it had nothing to do with the order instructing him not to play, stressing that the decision came from the tennis federation. Amir said he didn’t know whether his brother would have played the match if he hadn’t been suffering from a knee injury. But he said he failed to understand how such an order could be given after Malek had already played Weintraub and “Tunisia has played Israel in the 2009 Fed Cup.”

Last April, the sports ministry recalled the national Taekwondo team after it met Israeli sportsmen at a competition in Belgium. “The ministry ordered an immediate inquiry because of the encounter between members of the national Taekwondo team and the Israeli team in an international competition abroad, without consulting the relevant authorities,” the ministry said at the time. But it never announced the result of the inquiry. The Tunisian authorities have never officially banned sporting encounters with Israeli nationals, and since Jaziri’s decision to withdraw from the tennis tournament in Uzbekistan no such directive has been made public.

Jaziri's Facebook page has many comments of "bravo" although the context is not clear.

It is nice to see a sports federation do the right thing.

Birthwashing

To Israel-haters, this is worse than Birthright.

From Ha'aretz:

For the first time since casualties of the civil war in Syria began receiving treatment in Israel, a Syrian woman gave birth to a baby in an Israeli hospital.

The baby was born on Sunday morning at the Ziv Medical Center in Safed to a 20-year-old first-time-mother. The woman was taken to the hospital by Israel Defense Forces soldiers during the night while she was in labor.

According to the hospital, this is the first time an Israeli hospital delivered a Syrian baby. Until now, Israeli hospitals have only treated Syrians wounded in the fighting. The staff said the mother told them that she lives in the Quneitra region, which is under closure, and that she didn't have access to the local hospital located nearby.

"There are no midwifes in the village and there was no one to deliver my baby," she said. "I'm a nurse by profession and I knew that wounded Syrians were treated in Israel, so when I felt that the labor was starting I asked to be quickly taken to the border in hope that the Israeli army will let me get help with the birth. Happily, the Israeli military drove by and saw that I was in great pain, they picked me up and took me to a hospital in Israel."

"I was wary of going to Israel, but I was more concerned for the wellbeing of the child in case there were complications while giving birth at home. The staff of midwives and doctors treated me with respect and sensitivity, and the birth went smoothly. I really don't feel like I'm in an enemy country, everyone is helping me and caring for me."

YNet adds:

"We've been eating mainly rice for a while, as a result of the blockade. It's the first time in a long time that I've been eating meat and vegetables. I feel better and I'm relieved; I'm eating and growing stronger and my sweet baby is getting great care."

OK, haters, breathe deeply and repeat to yourselves, "They're only doing this to distract the world from occupation. They're only doing this to distract the world from occupation. They're only doing this to distract the world from occupation."

After a few hours, you will believe it enough to start writing that on message boards.

11/03 Links: How the British Empire failed Zionism, Singing Hatikvah in Riyadh, Lockheed Opens R&D

From Ian:

The Balfour betrayal: How the British Empire failed Zionism

Zionism is, at its heart, an anti-imperialist movement.
Theodor Herzl failed in all his encounters with imperial powers – the Germans, the Ottomans, the Russians, the British – to find support for a Jewish homeland in Eretz Yisrael.
The brilliant Vladimir Jabotinsky believed that England was the key to the realization of Zionist goals – he took a gamble that failed and his followers later fought the British Empire in the pre-state underground. In the end, it was the blood, sweat and toil of Jews that built the State of Israel.
Diplomacy and legal recognition were no doubt important – and are still important today – in the reality of the State of Israel. But let us never forget that the revival of our people by Jewish men and women, many who gave their life for the cause, forged the reality of that revival in Eretz Yisrael.
The lesson we should learn is that the promises of empires and superpowers to the Jewish people often turn out to be the worst sort of perfidy.

How Islamists Use History to Justify Terrorism

Nonetheless, today’s accepted narratives do not come from antiquated historians or primary historical texts; they come from the Saudi-funded ivy league—Berkeley, Columbia, Cornell, Georgetown, Harvard, Princeton, etc.—all of which peddle pro-Islamic propaganda (I personally had direct experience at Georgetown), including the “freedom loving jihadis” vs. “oppressive tyrants” thesis.
Percolating out of liberal academia to liberal mass media, the effects of this well-entrenched but false narrative have taken their toll, ultimately helping to create a disastrous U.S. foreign policy.

Ebay's sick trade in Holocaust souvenirs: Outrage over auctions of Death Camp relics

TV historian Simon Schama said: ‘This is absolutely beyond belief. Plainly there is no moral atrocity to which eBay will not descend to make a buck. This is an unspeakable act of moral cretinousness.’ Founded in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar, eBay’s global revenue in 2012 was £9 billion. Its first president was Canadian Jeffrey Skoll, who is from a Jewish family.
The company bans the sale of Nazi paraphernalia, but said in these cases that the items had ‘slipped through the net’.

Elliot Adrams: Is the US spilling its allies' secrets?

There is a pernicious pattern here, and other examples could be cited. Add this to the National Security Agency revelations, and the United States seems to be aggressive in stealing the secrets of some close allies and aggressive in ignoring the interests of allies by conveying intelligence information to the press. The continuing leaks about what Israel has been doing are dangerous and damaging. Israel is acting where we are not, enforcing red lines when we have failed to do so, and assuming risks we have refused to take. We act as a poor ally if we repeatedly and indeed recklessly increase the risk to Israel by treating sensitive information as fodder for the press.

Israel to US: Syria raid leak ‘endangers our national security’

Israel’s fury was conveyed directly to the White House, as well as during meetings and conversations between senior Israeli officials and their US counterparts in the Pentagon, the CIA and the State Department, the report said.
Israel’s shocked complaints produced no American explanation or reaction whatsoever, the report went on, which Israeli officials ascribe to embarrassment on behalf of the administration. Israel believes the leaks may be “a consequence of negligence.”

NSA tracked Israeli drones, missiles, papers show

And for the first time, the papers also reveal that Israel, along with nearly every other country on the planet, has been the target of NSA spying.
According to the papers, thousands of which were leaked by Snowden, the NSA has tracked “high priority Israeli military targets.”
These include unmanned aerial vehicles and the Black Sparrow missile system, a ballistic missile used as target practice for the Arrow missile-defense system.

Israel denies spying on Americans after Snowden leak

Regional Cooperation Minister Silvan Shalom said unequivocally on Israel Radio on Thursday that Israel does not spy on the US, and has not done so since the Jonathan Pollard affair in the mid-1980s.
“As someone knowledgeable of all the details, there are crystal clear directives against any action in the US or against the US,” he said. “There is a complete ban.”
Shalom characterized any claims that Israel’s intelligence services acted against the US as a “lie and a libel.”

Defense minister: Hamas preparing for new violence

Days after a clash on the Gaza border left five IDF soldiers wounded, Israel’s top defense official warned that continued violence from the Strip would bring an aggressive Israeli response.
“Hamas has been deterred and therefore maintains the quiet, but is preparing itself for a renewal of violence,” Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said on Sunday morning while visiting soldiers who were wounded late Thursday in an explosion on the Gaza border.

Movement within Gaza Seeks to Bring Down Hamas Government

Iyad Abu-Rok, official spokesman of the Gaza Arab 'Tamarod' movement, expressed his confidence that the expected anti-Hamas campaign scheduled for November 11 will proceed as planned.
In an interview with Al Quds Al-Arabiya this past Friday, Abu-Rok explained that the main goal of the protest, in which Gaza residents will flood city streets in a demonstration of civil disobedience, is to topple Hamas's draconian control of the regional government - a government which disgruntled Gazans claim has taken away residents' rights, committed crimes against its own people, and completely destroyed the freedom of speech by using force to crush opponents.

Singing Hatikvah in Riyadh

One deeply offensive article published by Iran’s government-backed, oft-farcical English language news outlet, Press TV, even went so far as to suggest that the two countries should merge and become “Saudi Israelia” establishing the state religion as “Zio-Wahabbism.”
Of course, despite the temporary alignment of interests the Saudis are no friends of the Jewish state. Maintaining no diplomatic relations with Israel, an effective Saudi ban on Israeli goods remains in place.

Khamenei: Israel, Zionists 'Illegitimate and Bastard Regime'

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attacked Israel and the US in remarks on his state-backed website today (Sunday), firing at Israel's supposed "illegitimate and bastard" regime and labeling the US alliance with Israel as an alleged "indulgence."
"The Americans have the highest indulgence toward the Zionists," Khamenei stated, "and they have to. But we don't share such indulgence[s]." Khamenei further referred to the US as a "smiling enemy" who is not to be trusted for leaving the option of a US and Israeli strike on Iran in the event of continued nuclear weapons development.

Two new 'Death to America' songs revealed in Iran ahead of major anti-U.S. protest

Hard-liners in Iran have unveiled two new 'Death to America' songs at the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran, hoping to keep anger high ahead of nuclear talks with Western powers.
They performed the songs on Saturday ahead of a massive planned protest Monday to mark the anniversary of the U.S. Embassy takeover in 1979.
'Death to America' was one of the main slogans of the Islamic revolution that year.

Panetta: US may have to use military force against Iran

While the US has “implemented unprecedented sanctions and pressure on Iran, we may very well have to use military force to back up our policy,” Leon Panetta said on Thursday night.
The former US defense secretary and CIA director made the remarks while addressing around 600 people at the Anti-Defamation League’s 100th annual meeting.
Related:
Panetta, who was receiving the ADL’s William and Naomi Gorowitz Institute Service Award, said the US needs to “maintain a healthy skepticism” when negotiating to suss out Iran’s true level of commitment to negotiations over its nuclear program.

Reports: Syrian Opposition Meets with Arab League Chief

Leaders of the Syrian Opposition met with top officials of the Arab League in Cairo yesterday (Saturday) to discuss efforts to end the Syrian Civil War, Lebanese news site The Daily Star reports.
The meeting reportedly took place between members of the Syrian National Coalition and Arab League Secretary General Nalib al-Arabi, where a discussion was launched regarding a possible peace conference to end the war, which has raged since the 'Arab Spring' in 2011.

Lebanese Media: Assad 'Weak' for Not Attacking Israel

A clip from a popular Lebanese satire program on the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) channel, blasting Syrian President Bashar Assad for being too "weak" and "ineffective" to respond to recent Israeli air strikes on Syrian military targets, has gone viral in Arab social media circles.

Exposed: Muslim Brotherhood Operatives in the U.S.

El Watan, one of Egypt’s most widely circulated and read newspapers, has published a report discussing the Muslim Brotherhood’s influence over the United States, especially in the context of inciting pro-Brotherhood policies against Egypt’s popular June 30 Revolution, which resulted in the ousting of Muhammad Morsi and the Brotherhood from power.
Titled (in translation), “With Names, Identities, and Roadmap… El Watan Exposes Brotherhood Cells in America,” it’s written by investigative journalist Ahmed al-Tahiri,

ADL Honors Ukranian Archbishop Who Saved Jews During Holocaust

The Anti-Defamation League posthumously honored a Ukrainian Archbishop on Friday for his role in saving Jews during the Holocaust.
Metropolitan Archbishop Andrei Sheptytsky, a spiritual leader of Ukrainian Catholics who headed the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from 1900 until his death in 1944, was honored with the ‘ADL Jan Karski Courage to Care Award’ during the ADL’s Centennial Meeting in New York City. The religious leader was recognized for his courageous efforts to protect Ukrainian Jews from extermination by supplying false identification papers and shelter from the Nazis at a time when such acts were punishable by death.

Uruguayan Delegation Visiting Israel Seeks to Learn How to Become a ‘High-Tech Nation’

A large delegation of Uruguayan business and political leaders arrived in Israel on Friday aiming to learn how “to turn Uruguay into a a high-tech nation and exporter of technology,” Uruguayan Vice President Prof. Danilo Astori told Israel’s Globes business daily.
“We’ve come here to learn from you, because you’re the pioneers in this area, and you have a global reputation,” Uruguay’s vice president said.

New hope in untangling Alzheimer’s Disease

A team of Tel Aviv University researchers have identified a specific set of molecules called microRNAs that detrimentally regulate protein levels in the brains of mice with Alzheimer’s disease and beneficially regulate protein levels in the brains of other mice living in a stimulating environment.
“We were able to create two lists of microRNAs — those that contribute to brain performance and those that detract — depending on their levels in the brain,” says Dr. Boaz Barak, one of the authors of the study. “By targeting these molecules, we hope to move closer toward earlier detection and better treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.”

Lockheed-Martin to open major subsidiary in Israel

Lockheed-Martin announced earlier this year that it intended to open a facility in Israel specializing in information technology, but, according to Executive Vice President Patrick Dewar, work is to begin immediately on expanding that project into a full-fledged subsidiary of the tech defense giant, Maariv reported on Sunday.
Dewar, who is currently visiting Israel, said over the weekend that the company, in addition to building a branch for IT and cyber protection, will seek to expand cooperation with Israeli defense companies and to work in the domestic security market. (h/t Bob Knot)

Mahmoud Abbas' heroes (poster series)

I have been trying to identify the murderers that Mahmoud Abbas embraced last week. Here are four of them.

As predicted: Hamas blames Israel for Gaza electricity shortage

On Friday, I reported that Gaza was running out of fuel because of the failure to pay their bills, and I predicted that soon we will see heartbreaking photos out of Gaza that will blame Israel.

Right on schedule, Hamas came through on Twitter:

Even Gazans no longer buy Hamas' lies, as this Gaza-based reporter writes for AllVoices:

Quite frankly, the party responsible for all the crises in the Gaza Strip is Hamas, which has failed in managing Gaza's affairs since it seized it in 2007, because it relied on illegal ways to obtain goods and petroleum through the tunnels between Egypt and Gaza.

Last week, Ala al-Rafati, Hamas' economy minister, confirmed that the closure of tunnels since June has cost Gaza around $230 million monthly.

This is the amount that Hamas obtains from taxes imposed on the entry and exit of goods through tunnels.

Unfortunately, Hamas does not spend this amount on Gaza 's population, but only for Hamas' members. This is clear to all the people of Gaza who suffer so much from its rule.

Many people in Gaza are eagerly waiting for Nov. 11. This is the day agreed upon by most of the population of Gaza to demonstrate and call the whole world to help them end Hamas rule in Gaza, which led to a rise in poverty rates and unemployment, in addition to the electricity and water crises.

The $230 million figure is way inflated, Hamas' budget is nowhere near that amount, but Hamas did get most of its revenue from taxing tunnel goods.

And the planned November 11th protests, which we have reported here for a while, will be very interesting indeed. Hamas has been threatening reporters who talk about the anti-Hamas movement in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abbas says he is working to resolve the fuel crisis, but he seems to be trying to work not with Israel, but with Egypt!

Yasser Wadia, leader of the independent figures in the Gaza Strip, said that President Abbas promised to resolve the crisis within the next few hours, indicating that intensive contacts took place during the past few hours with the leadership in Ramallah and Hamas in Gaza and the Egyptian leadership to solve the electricity crisis.

With regard to contacts with the Egyptian side Wadia said PalPress "We talked with the Egyptians on all matters pertaining to Gaza to overcome the current crisis and return to normal," adding that the Egyptian leadership understands the Supreme command.

He pointed out that Egypt promised to solve the problem of fuel the country in the coming days, saying, "The Egyptians told us clearly that the security problems in the Sinai is what is preventing the arrival of fuel to Gaza."

I find this hard to believe. Egyptians in the Sinai have their own fuel problems and if Egypt starts allowing fuel to Gaza they will riot. This sounds more to me like Egypt is pushing the Gazans off.

96 years of whining as Arabs mark Balfour anniversary

There were lots of stories in the Arab media about the 96th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration on Saturday.

Some demanded that the Arab world sue Great Britain.

Some note the supposed treachery of the 1919 Faisal-Weizmann Agreement that allowed a Jewish home in Palestine while the entire rest of the Middle East went to Arabs.

Hamas even produced a documentary about how Balfour was the beginning of all Arab woes and problems.

No Arabs, as far as I could tell, blamed themselves for any part of their problems.

I found an interesting article in the Palestine Bulletin from January 14, 1930, which shows that at least some Arabs saw the difference between how Jews were building a nation while Arabs did nothing but call meetings to complain about the Jews.

...The writer of the article contrasts the achievements of Jew and Arab during the last twelve years and complains that "'The Arabs have met seven times. They have sent as many delegations to London, to the Hedjaz, to Iraq. They have broadcast thousands of protests. They have arranged hundreds of memorial meetings and celebrations. But what have all these delegations, all these protests. all these memorial meetings, all these celebrations accomplished?. True, the Supreme Moslem Council has repaired the Mosque. The Supreme Moslem Council has purchased three thousand dunams of land. 'The Supreme Moslem Council has constructed a large hotel which it transferred to a Jew in order that he might better compete with small Arab hotels.. But in the meantime Zionists have managed to bring in 80,000 immigrants, compelling. the Arab to make room for them. They have acquired 1,200,000 dunams of the best lands. They have established .factories whose products we and our Arab brothers in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Transjordan buy, thereby regaining many times over the price they paid to us for lands. They have gained control over commerce. They have built -dozens of colonies. In view of these alarming facts, we would suggest that our delegation remain at home. That instead, we collect funds from Moslem and Arab countries to develop agriculture and industry. If; after we have accomplished these undertakings, we send a delegation to London, it will be able to say for us: We know how to use our lands. We know how to advance civilisation. We know how to build the bridge that is to unite East and West"

The same newspaper, a month earlier, describes a roughly translated Arab children's song:

Nothing has changed. It's been 96 years since the Balfour Declaration, nearly 66 years since the UN partition plan and 20 years since Oslo, and the Palestinian Arabs are still spending more time, effort and money trying to blame Israel than to do anything positive themselves.

Of course, it all makes sense when you realize that their goal isn't the creation of yet another Arab state but the destruction of the only Jewish state.

Rafah opens - but not for most Gazans

From DPA:

Egypt opened the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip on Saturday, following at least a week of closures

Palestinian officials said the crossing was opened at 10 am. Only holders of foreign and Egyptian passports, as well as medical patients, would be allowed access, they added.

So students and other ordinary Gazans are still imprisoned by Egypt

For some reason, there are no special UN sessions dedicated to condemning Egypt, though.

(Ma'an says that students would be allowed to travel on Wednesday.)

The Daily News Egypt adds:

According to a statement released on the official page of the army spokesman, security forces have been carrying out “security missions” all over Sinai and managed to destroy the largest diesel gas smuggling network so far. The network consisted of seven underground tanks near the Rafah border, four of which are concrete and three are plastic, storing 30 tons of diesel gas to be smuggled to Gaza through pipes.

A small sailing boat was also caught attempting to smuggle subsidised diesel gas to a commercial ship in the Red Sea.

Security forces also managed to destroy two tunnels that are used to transport people and merchandise with entrances inside houses in the city of Rafah, North Sinai.

11/02 Links: ADL- US seen as ‘weak and retreating’, Tunisia banned for Tennis snub, A Nazi in Asda

From Ian:

Anne Bayefsky: Anti-Semitism to Blame for Double Standard on Israel

On October 29, 2013, Israel ended 18-months of non-participation with U.N. human rights mechanisms that are dedicated to its demonization and defeat.
The surrender spawned victory laps by the U.N., the State Department and bigots in foreign ministries across Europe.
Leading the campaign to bring the Jewish state to its knees was none other than Germany. The diplomatic blackmail reached its apex in a letter of October 25, 2013 sent from German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Germany threatened that it “would be hard-pressed to help” Israel respond to the “severe diplomatic damage” which would allegedly have occurred if Israel failed to attend one more Israel-bashing session engineered by the U.N. Human Rights Council.

Samantha Power Vows to ‘Oppose Every Example of Anti-Israeli Bias in the UN System’

Appointed to the position by U.S. President Barack Obama in June, she took office three months ago.
“I have made it a priority – in the spirit of the remarkable lineage that I am now part of, the spirit of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the spirit of Richard Holbrooke and the spirit of my recent predecessor Susan Rice, among others — to oppose every example of anti-Israeli bias in the UN system,” Power said.

Merkel: Kristallnacht ‘one of darkest moments in German history’

Speaking in her weekly podcast, Merkel called the violence of November 9, 1938 — “The Night of Broken Glass” as it’s known in English — “one of the darkest moments in German history,” AFP reported.
Merkel entreated all Germans “to show their civil courage and ensure that no form of anti-Semitism is tolerated.” She added that it was “almost inexplicable but also the reality that no Jewish institution can be left without police protection.”

My street, your street and J Street

Daniel Levy, co-founder of J Street, said it clearly: “If a collective Jewish presence in the Middle East can only survive by the sword, it cannot be accepted.”
So let me get this straight: If we Jews dare to defend ourselves from our enemies, it makes the Jewish state untenable? After the Holocaust, I actually thought that was one of the reasons for Zionism, a homeland where Jews could defend themselves from their enemies? Not a very pro-Zionist or pro-peace statement, wouldn’t you agree? Dr. Charles Jacobs sent me a link to a very interesting, balanced and factual film he has been involved in creating about J Street. When it’s ready for distribution, I hope everyone will screen it before succumbing to the rhetoric of this dangerous organization, which is making so many converts in synagogues and on college campuses across America.
The road to J Street might be paved with good intentions. But as we saw with Oslo, this kind of delusional thinking inevitably ends up covering our streets in Israel with blood.

Swap Islam for Jesus: Hoax story riles Muslims

A satirical news piece claiming Spanish citizenship would be granted to Moroccan citizens who gave up Islam and converted to Christianity has been taken seriously by the North African country’s media. The 'news' has not gone down well in Morocco.

Dutch PM: We Have No Control Over Anti-Israel Report

The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s letter to Prime Minister Mark Rutte condemned a report by the Advisory Council on International Affairs, which calls for the Netherlands to distance itself from Israel and develop closer ties with Hamas.
In his response, dated October 20, Rutte said that the government has no control over the Advisory Council’s reports, noting it is a body which is independent from the Dutch government.
“The Dutch government has taken note on the views of the Council, which is an independent body that advises the government and parliament on foreign policy,” wrote Rutte.

Arab MK: Thank Me for Allowing Jews to Live in Israel

On Tuesday, Arab MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad) appeared on the Knesset TV Channel, and made a provocative statement that she should be thanked for "allowing Jews to stay in my homeland."

Hamas Brags It Taught Israel “Painful Lesson” After Five Israeli Soldiers Wounded, Four Hamas Fighters Killed

A team of Israeli soldiers working to destroy one of those tunnels overnight yesterday came under attack from Hamas. Five Israeli soldiers were wounded, with one being serious wounded. Israeli military forces responded to the attack, killing one gunman, and Israeli pilots subsequently struck another Hamas tunnel, killing three more Hamas members.
Hamas declared the day a win:

Hamas, the Islamist movement which governs the Gaza Strip, said all four militants belonged to its armed wing, the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri “blessed” the attack on the troops, saying it taught Israel a “painful lesson”, the Associated Press reported. “Gaza will be the land of hell” for Israel, Mr Abu Zuhri said.

Experts: Hamas Lash Out Regarding Power Plant Shut Down “Insane”

Hamas has for the better part of a decade been regularly blasted for manufacturing humanitarian crises by shutting down the single power plant in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. In 2008 the terror group plunged Gaza into darkness and claimed that Israel was preventing sufficient fuel from reaching the territory. Israeli officials pointed out that electricity was still flowing into the territory from Israeli plants and explained that Hamas deliberately causing the blackout.
Hamas has also at times simply refused to accept fuel shipments necessary to run the power plant. Other times the group’s operatives have stolen fuel for terror operations, including from hospitals.

Davutoglu: Turkey will never cooperate with Israel against a Muslim country

Turkey on Saturday denied reports of its involvement in an alleged Israeli air strike on a military base in Latakia, Syria on Wednesday, which allegedly targeted “missiles and related equipment” meant for Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.
Turkish Foreign Minister Agmet Davutoglu said Saturday: “There is an attempt to give the impression that Turkey has coordinated with Israel. We have issues with Syria, an issue based on a principle. But let me say it clearly: The Turkish government has never cooperated with Israel against any Muslim country, and it never will.”

The shadow war against the Iranian-Hezbollah armament program

Iran continues to try to supply Hezbollah with advanced weapons for use against Israel, and the Assad regime, which owes its survival to Tehran and Hezbollah, has never been more compliant with Iranian requests to transfer or provide weapons to the Shi’ite terror organization in Lebanon.
With Hezbollah already in possession of 80,000 rockets and missiles, some of which can strike any target in Israel, Jerusalem faces a daily dilemma on when to intervene to stop the armament program – a step that could trigger a wider conflict – and when to step back and allow the force buildup to continue.

Hagel: US ‘clear-eyed’ on Iran’s support for terror

The United States is testing Iran’s diplomatic intentions but remains “clear-eyed” on Iran’s role as a state-sponsor of terror and exporter of extremism, said US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.
“But foreign policy is not a zero-sum game,” he said. “If we can find ways to resolve disputes peacefully, we are wise to explore them.”

ADL chief: US seen as ‘weak and retreating’ on world stage

American wariness of foreign military involvement is making it seem “weak and retreating,” warned the Anti-Defamation League’s Abraham Foxman.
“Make no mistake about it. If what we are seeing now is the beginning of a deep change in American foreign policy, it will be bad for the Jews,” said Foxman, the ADL’s national director, at a conference Thursday marking the group’s 100th anniversary.

Cheney blasts Obama administration's Mideast policy

Cheney, speaking about energy and international security issues at the conference, said he had a “worrisome concern” regarding current threats of terrorism in the world.
“I used to believe that was a major threat. I still believe it is a major threat today,” Cheney said. “If anything it’s worse today than it was on 9/11. We’ve seen in the Middle East especially a set of developments in recent months… of the reassertion or reenergizing of al-Qaida.”

Pro-Israel Organization Pushing for Tougher Iran Sanctions

The nation’s largest pro-Israel organization is ramping up its push for tougher Iran sanctions, vowing that lawmakers will “pay the price” if they cave to White House pressure and delay a new round of penalties against the Iranian regime.
Christians United for Israel (CUFI) said its supporters have sent over 10,000 emails to senators since Wednesday, calling on them to support new sanctions on Iran’s oil industry. The emails were sent in response to an “action alert” distributed by the pro-Israel group.

Egypt TV station cuts popular political satire show

A private Egyptian TV station stopped the airing of the latest episode of a widely popular political satire program Friday after it came under fire for mocking the ultranationalist, pro-military fervor gripping the country.
CBC announced the program by Bassem Youssef, often compared to US comedian Jon Stewart, would not be shown because the satirist and his producer violated its editorial policies.The announcement came just minutes before Youssef’s show “El-Bernameg,” or “The Program” in Arabic, was to air Friday night.

British Grocery Store Kicks Out Man Wearing Nazi SS Uniform

Paul Dutton, 48, of Cambridge was kicked out of his local Asda supermarket after fellow shoppers spotted him browsing the aisles wearing a black SS outfit, complete with cap and red armband emblazoned with a swastika.
Dutton later took to Twitter to claim responsibility and to complain about the treatment he received.

Tunisia suspended from Davis Cup for preventing match against Israeli

Tunisia was suspended from the Davis Cup for a year on Saturday for preventing one of its tennis players from competing against an Israeli last month.
The International Tennis Federation ruled unanimously that the Tunisian Tennis Federation (TTF) was in breach of the ITF’s constitution.
Last month, the Tunisian federation ordered the country’s top player to withdraw from a match against an Israeli at a tournament in Uzbekistan.

Cancer-resistant mole rat may yield ultimate cure clue

Now picture the cancer research lab of the future – white coats, test tubes, and, if Prof. Aaron Avivi at Haifa University has his way — cages of mole rats.
Pioneering studies in Israel appear to demonstrate that the subterranean Israeli blind mole rat, Spalax, is far superior to lab mice for the purpose of cracking the mystery of human cancer.
These wild rodents are extremely resistant to cancer and live 10 times as long as mice, according to Avivi, head of the Laboratory of Subterranean Mammals Biology in the Evolution Institute of Haifa University, and senior researchers Imad Shams, PhD, and Dr. Irena Manov.

Israeli Company Ices Tumors, Now Aims for Lung Cancer

Israeli company IceCure, developer of a treatment for breast tumors by freezing them into ice, is currently attempting to expand its technique into the treatment of lung cancer.
The site NoCamels reported Wednesday that the biomedical company specializing in cryoablation, a process of destroying diseased cells by freezing, will soon conduct its first clinical trials in Japan using the same technology on lung tumors.

Report: Egypt arrests another Hamas member

Palestine Press Agency quotes a german news agency that Egyptian authorities have arrested a member of Hamas' al Qassam Brigades in the Sinai.

According to the report, his name is Aref Ghanem. He infiltrated into Egypt through a smuggling tunnel and was discovered in the area of Salah al-Din.

The report says that Ghanem had a sniper rifle.

He has been transferred to a security station in El Arish to investigate.

Hamas has strenuously denied having anything to do with the militants in the Sinai, but this is not the first report of a Hamas member being arrested by Egypt.

11/01 Links Pt2: A pro-Palestinian 'activist' shills for Assad, Praising the EU Definition of Antisemitism

From Ian:

Sarah Honig: They just don’t get it

And as they seek to twist Netanyahu’s arms to create another artificial Arab state for the Ramallah figurehead, it would serve us well to envision what things would be like had such a state already existed. Islamist fanatics from the world over would be streaming southward from Syria to the new Palestine, all armed to the teeth, and hell-bent on “liberating” the lands still left under the jurisdiction of hair-raisingly slender, vulnerable and enfeebled little Israel.
This is the security Kerry guarantees us. He could learn to live with the unprecedentedly escalated dangers to our continued self-preservation. We probably wouldn’t live for long.
Odds are that Kerry isn’t intentionally inimical. He just doesn’t get it. So – before he sets out imperiously to help Obama dominate the world – perhaps the Secretary of State just ought to busy himself with securing his own house first and leave our security to us.

JPost Editorial: Settlements aren’t the problem

The idea that Jewish settlements are “an obstacle to peace” is based on the morally repugnant premise – supported by the international community – that the very presence of Jews in these territories is an affront to the Palestinians, while Palestinians expect Israel to absorb not just the 1.6 million Arabs with Israeli citizenship but also an unknown number of Palestinian “refugees.”

'Palestinian State' Would Leave Israel 'Indefensible'

One prominent Israel advocate who has taken it upon himself to clearly illustrate the case is New York based attorney Mark Langfan. On Tuesday Langfan appeared on the CBN News show "The Watchman with Erick Stakelbeck," and, with the aid of three topographical maps set out to prove why in his view a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria would create an indefensible security situation for Israel.
The show starts with a regional map showing how Israel provides "the first and last line of defense" between Islamic terror and NATO nations, first among them Greece.

What is a pro-Palestine activist doing promoting an Assadist nun?

Not that any of this stopped Agnes from being invited last week on a coast-to-coast speaking tour of the United States by, of all people, a pro-Palestine activist. Paul Larudee is a founder of the Free Gaza Movement, whose aid boats famously challenged Israel’s naval blockade of the Strip’s waters, and is also involved with the International Solidarity Movement, which carries out non-violent activism in the West Bank. One might have thought a man with such a background would take a dim view of a regime that now air-strikes Palestinian refugee camps. But Larudee has found a new calling, and recently started a nonprofit called the Syria Solidarity Movement (which, like the “Hands Off Syria” slogans, would be more accurately worded if ‘Syria’ were replaced with ‘Assad’), whose website appears to double as a clearinghouse for the latest Press TV and Russia Today reports. It is this organization that brought Agnes, whom Larudee describes as “charismatic,” to America’s shores on Thursday.

Survey: Most Israelis Feel 'Very Secure'

Fifty-eight percent said they feel a high sense of personal security in their hometown, and 56% said they feel very safe at enclosed shopping and entertainment centers with security.
Forty-one percent said they feel very safe at unsecured stores and entertainment centers as well, and 38% said they feel very safe on public transportation. Forty-four percent said they feel their children are very safe in school or daycare.

Groundbreaking Law to Facilitate Jewish Prayer on Temple Mount

Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home) has advanced new laws this morning (Friday) that would enact the establishment of regular prayer hours for Jews visiting the Temple Mount, Yediot Ahronot reports.

Arab Family Fails in Campaign to Build Over Ancient Village

An attempt by far-left Israeli groups to win approval for Arabs to build at the site of an ancient Jewish village has been rejected.
The groups had sought construction approvals for land in Susiya, in the Hevron region, immediately adjacent to the modern-day Jewish community of Susiya.

The Independent or Richard Silverstein? An internet rumor of rabbis, soy and sex

Yair Rosenberg writes the following in an Oct. 30 story for Tablet:

Visit the web site of the national British daily newspaper, the Independent, and you’ll find an article titled, “Rabbi bans students from eating soy in case it leads to gay sex.”
Actually you won’t find it anymore, because, after Rosenberg’s superb fisking of the story – which demonstrated that the Hebrew source for the claim said the exact opposite - the Independent completely removed the article from their website.

In praise of the EUMC Working Definition of Antisemitism

In 2005, following several years which saw a disturbing rise in antisemitic violence across Europe, the European Union Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) reached a Working Definition of Antisemitism.
Later in the year, the Working Definition of Antisemitism was prominently referenced at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Cordoba Conference. And, since then, many other bodies have advocated its usage. The one-page Working Definition of Antisemitism (below) evolved as a result of the efforts of a large number of European institutions and human rights experts.

Poll shows anti-Semitism in US down 3% in 2 years

Twenty-six percent said they believe “Jews were responsible for the death of Christ,” down from 31 percent in 2011. Nearly a fourth said they agreed that “Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust.”
Higher-than-average levels of anti-Semitism were measured within the African-American and foreign-born Hispanic communities, though in both cases levels had dropped significantly since 2011.

Extremist Islamic Web site founder admits to postings supporting terrorist attacks

A New Jersey man who prosecutors say used his Islamic Web site to advocate violence against those whose ideals he found offensive to his religion pleaded guilty Wednesday to using the Internet to put another in fear of death or injury, admitting that he posted material supportive of various terrorist attacks and hinted that his followers should target a Jewish organization in Brooklyn.
Yousef Mohamid al-Khattab, 45, an American-born man with dual citizenship in Israel, told a federal judge in Virginia that he wrote the posts “out of my stupidity.” Yet he vigorously disagreed with prosecutors’ assertion that he intended to incite violence.

New book examines Poles who killed Jews during WWII

He has suffered death threats, is boycotted in the Canadian Polish community where he lives today, and is not always welcome even in his homeland, but eminent Polish historian Jan Grabowski will not give up his struggle to expose the truth.
The son of a Holocaust survivor, Grabowski, 50, is a graduate of Warsaw University and is currently a history professor at University of Ottawa. For the past several years he has published a number of books with a common theme — Polish participation in the killings of their Jewish neighbors.

The film Poles don’t want you to watch debuts in the US

The Times of Israel speaks with the director of controversial movie, ‘Aftermath,’ based on the true story of Polish massacres of their Jewish neighbors during WWII

Gestapo Chief Reportedly Buried in Jewish Cemetery

As head of the feared Gestapo secret police, Heinrich Müller perpetrated some of the worst crimes of the Nazi regime. His fate was unconfirmed -- but now a newspaper claims he was buried in a Berlin Jewish cemetery in 1945.

Kristallnacht 75th Anniversary: Berlin Shops to be 'Shattered'

Storefronts in the German capital will next month once again be marred by the jagged pattern of broken glass to mark the 75th anniversary of the Kristallnacht pogrom.
Adhesive film will be used to cover shop windows to create the illusion of large holes and hairline fractures to commemorate the violence unleashed during the infamous event.

Thirty two Jewish graves desecrated in South Africa

Ryan Machet, a local resident who has been leading fund-raising efforts to build a wall around the graveyard – which is over a century old – told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that unknown vandals broke the headstones by pushing them over causing them to shatter.
“We reported it to the Jewish board and they are coming out in the next day or two” to inspect the damage, Machet said, referring to the Board of Deputies, the representative body of South African Jewry.

New hope in untangling Alzheimer’s Disease

The researchers also found several important microRNAs at low levels starting in the brains of young mice. If the same can be found in humans, these microRNAs could be used as biomarker to detect Alzheimer’s disease at a much earlier age than is now possible — at 30 years of age, for example, instead of 60.
“Our biggest hope is to be able to one day use microRNAs to detect Alzheimer’s disease in people at a young age and begin a tailor-made treatment based on our findings, right away,” says Dr. Barak.

RackSpace buys out Israeli cloud tech start-up

Add the Texas-based RackSpace to the long list of international tech companies opening research and development facilities in Israel. Last week, the company acquired Israeli start-up ZeroVM, which has developed a virtual server system, called a hypervisor, specifically for cloud use. With the acquisition, ZeroVM’s Tel Aviv office will be turned into RacksSpace’s Israeli R&D center. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Paula Abdul continues tour of Israel with visit to Western Wall in Jerusalem

After meeting President Shimon Peres earlier this week, Paula Abdul visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Thursday evening.
Abdul, who was born to Jewish parents was in Israel as part of a 10-day tour in Israel where it was reported she would visit locations in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the Galilee.

StandWithUs UK

Toldot d'var Torah and a blog milestone

Seven years ago, I posted an original d'var Torah on this week's Torah portion. Here it is, slightly updated:

One major question that I never thought had an adequate answer is - why did Yitzchak (Isaac) favor Eisav (Esau)? From the text is seems clear that Eisav was not a very good person, and this was very obvious to Rivka (Rebecca) as well. How could Yitzchak have had such a blind spot?

Even though Yitzchak is spoken about the least of all the forefathers, we do know enough about him to glean parts of his personality.

Clearly the defining event of his life was the Akeidah, a profoundly spiritual experience. We also know that he spent time meditating outdoors, as when he first saw Rivka he was praying outside. He also was a very accomplished farmer, with G-d granting him unimaginable yields on his crops. Similarly, the other major episodes mentioned in the Torah about him was how he dug wells - both re-opening those of his father and his digging new ones.

Looking at these examples, it appears that Yitzchak associated spirituality with the outdoors. Specifically, Yitzchak spent his most spiritual moments in the fields.

A Sadeh is the specific word that described Yitzchak's place of prayer, as well as the place that his father went to considerable trouble to purchase a burial ground for Sarah (the "s'dei Ephron." )

Now, look at the initial description of Eisav - Eisav is described as being "a man of the fields," an Ish Sadeh.

In other words, when given a choice of a son who spends his time outdoors and one who is seemingly a "bookworm" staying in tents, Yitzchak would tend to assume that the "man of the field" is a more likely spiritual heir than Yaakov -especially since Eisav is the first born.

In other words, Yitzchak could not even imagine a person who could spend time outside and not be a spiritual person. To him, the field was where G-d primarily manifested Himself and it was obvious that anyone who spent time with nature would see things the same way!

When Yitzchak asks Eisav to get food for him so he could bless him, he specifically asks him to go into the field. Far more striking, however, is when Yitzchak is speaking to Yaakov (Jacob) who is pretending to be Eisav:

וַיֹּאמֶר, רְאֵה רֵיחַ בְּנִי, כְּרֵיחַ שָׂדֶה, אֲשֶׁר בֵּרְכוֹ השם
"See, the smell of my son is like the smell of the field that G-d has blessed."

To Yitzchak, the concept of "field" and "G-d" were intertwined. And to a man like this, a man who spent his life outdoors and who associated the field with spirituality, it seemed clear that Eisav, the man of the field, was the chosen heir.

Perhaps only when he was faced with the juxtaposition of experiencing Yaakov speaking of G-d while smelling of the fields, immediately followed by Eisav's entrance without the reference to G-d, did he realize that his assumption that men of the field had to be spiritual was incorrect. Spirituality can be found everywhere. With this realization he reiterated the blessing for Yaakov, later on to add to Yaakov another blessing of "bechira", of being the chosen son to carry on in the ways of Avraham.

Now for the milestone:

This week, EoZ posted its 18,000th post. A thousand times "chai!"

Shabbat shalom!

The PLO says "jump," South Africa asks "how high?" (UPDATE)

South Africa doesn't even pretend to be even-handed:

South African ministers do not visit Israel, International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said.

"Our Palestinian friends have never asked us to disengage with Israel [through cutting diplomatic relations]. They had asked us in formal meetings to not engage with the regime," she said at a Congress of SA Trade Unions international relations committee meeting.

"Ministers of South Africa do not visit Israel currently. Even the Jewish Board of Deputies that we engage with here, they know why our ministers are not going to Israel."

She said South Africa had not been asked to "close down" its diplomatic relations with Israel.

"We have agreed to slow down and curtail senior leadership contact with that regime until things begin to look better," Nkoana-Mashabane said.

"The struggle of the people of Palestine is our struggle."

She said South Africa had a Palestinian embassy, which was supported "100 percent".

Nkoana-Mashabane said the South African struggle was not just about itself, but also international solidarity.

"The last time I saw a map of Palestine, I couldn't go to sleep," she said.

"It is just dots, smaller than those of the homelands, and that broke my heart."

The meeting was also addressed by a group campaigning for the release of all Palestinian political prisoners, including Marwan Barghouti, who had become a symbol of the Palestinian struggle.

From her very words, it appears that the PLO is directing South African policy in the Middle East. Can anyone imagine a US leader saying that their policy is dictated by what their "Israeli friends" demand?

The version of this article in the Mail & Guardian was headlined "Nkoana-Mashabane: SA ministers do not visit Palestine."

This same minister issued a completely one-sided condemnation of Israel in 2009. She mentions Hamas rockets but only condemns Israel's response.

(h/t @jethrosteve)

UPDATE: A week later, the Aouth African government denies any such policy.