Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Thursday, December 26, 2013

12/26 Links Pt2: Druze MK- Israel offers full rights to all, Haaretz are Debasing the Warsaw Uprising.

From Ian:

Hamad Amar: Israel offers full rights to all

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country," former U.S. President John F. Kennedy famously said at his inaugural address in 1961. These immortal words, meant to inspire societal and national contribution, are completely lost on Arab Israeli leaders like Ahmad Tibi.
In his piece on The Hill's Congress blog, “Israel’s ‘Jim Crow’ treatment of Palestinians continues”, Tibi once again maligns and libels the country which he purports and is paid to serve, not only as a elected official, but also as the Deputy Speaker of Israel’s parliament.
Perhaps more than anyone else, Tibi represents all that is wrong with parts of the Israeli Arab leadership. Rather than encourage integration among our community, the community of Arabic-speaking Israeli citizens, Tibi supports segregation, calling for the complete ostracism of any Israeli Arab who volunteers for national civilian service. (Amar is a Druze citizen of Israel and deputy speaker of the Knesset.)

Isi Leibler: Debasing the Warsaw Ghetto uprising

Haaretz’s unprofessionalism is simply inexcusable.
In its zeal to undermine the core principles of Zionism, it has done irrevocable damage. The distortion of facts, and outright lies, have aided our enemies and confused our friends, including Jews living in the Diaspora with limited understanding of Jewish or Israeli history. The Gat article demonstrates to what depths Haaretz will sink, twisting the facts – even of Holocaust history – to provoke its readers and disallow them even the smallest measure of Jewish pride.
Freedom of the press allows Haaretz, like any newspaper in Israel, the right to publish what it deems fit. However, newspapers are dependent on readers and the rapidly diminishing number of Haaretz subscribers should do what is necessary and take the most effective steps to influence the publisher and editor to prevent the paper from serving as a launching pad for enemies of Israel and the Jewish people.

Crisis in South Sudan

Israel has been a supporter of the South Sudanese since before independence and has been keen to develop relations with the country. Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman illustrated that with a phone call to South Sudan Foreign Minister Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin on Tuesday, saying he hoped the conflict would end soon and that Israel was prepared to send humanitarian assistance.
American Jewish Committee Executive Director David Harris has expressed support for the UN’s robust response.
“The US and international community were essential to creating the conditions for South Sudan’s independence, and now will be critical to ending the bloodshed, and to stabilizing the country and setting it on a hopeful course,” said Harris. These responses by Israel and by Jewish leaders are a step in the right direction. It is essential that US President Barack Obama and other world leaders speak out about this issue. The world has a chance to show that the mistakes of the 1990s in ignoring genocide in Africa will not be repeated.

Human Rights Gets It Wrong

When the United Kingdom's Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, Sadiq Khan, personally intervened to stop Babar Ahmad's extradition, what, then, did that mean? Is that Khan believed Ahmad to be innocent? Or is it that this politician -- who will most likely, under the next government, be the minister in charge of the Ministry of Justice -- believed the United States of America's judicial system is so institutionally corrupt that it will imprison an innocent man? Now that Ahmad has pleaded guilty, what does Khan believe now?
Likewise, for the broadsheet newspaper editors who offered Ahmad column inches, and for the "human rights" groups who joined arms with extremist institutions in opposing Ahmad's extradition, what does Ahmad's guilty plea mean?
Will these self-proclaimed champions of liberalism, human rights, and habeas corpus also offer their time to Ahmad's victims -- the women and children slaughtered by the very Taliban fighters to whom Ahmad's supplied money and personnel?

The Samer Issawi Test

Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi, released by Israeli authorities for the second time yesterday, is an important test case for journalists. His high profile case, helped along by his months-long on and off hunger strike as well as a concerted publicity campaign, has garnered international media attention, with journalists churning out detailed accounts about his medical condition and his releases.
Less predictable, however, is the manner in which media outlets cover his violent crimes which landed him in jail in the first place. Many media outlets downplay or entirely ignore the fact that he was imprisoned for attempted murder.

More ‘last-first’ reporting in BBC account of sniper attack on Gaza border

As has also been the case in prior BBC articles relating to recent violent incidents, no serious attempt is made in this report to inform readers of the context of escalating numbers of terror attacks and security incidents emanating from the Gaza Strip and in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria in recent months. By treating each of the random cases it does decide to report (usually those involving fatalities) as separate, unrelated incidents – and whilst ignoring many others – the BBC denies audiences a complete picture of the background of rising tensions in the region and the ability to understand Israeli reactions to incidents in their proper context.
The evening before Tuesday’s incident on the Gaza Strip border, a policeman directing traffic after a road accident was stabbed in the back by a Palestinian attacker near the community of Adam, north of Jerusalem. After surgery which included the removal of a damaged kidney, Rami Ravid’s condition improved. That incident was not reported by the BBC.

Netanyahu’s Office Disappointed That Abbas Has Not Condemned Recent Terror Attacks

On Tuesday, a 22- year-old Israeli working on the security fence surrounding the Gaza Strip was shot and killed by a sniper firing from within Gaza.
“We are disappointed that so far Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] has not condemned these acts as we would expect from someone who is supposed to be a partner in peace talks,” wrote spokesman Ofir Gendelman.

Mothers of terror victims go on offensive against impending Palestinian prisoner release

Sherri Mandell – whose 13-year-old son Koby was violently murdered in Tekoa in 2001 along with his friend Yosef Ish-Ran – said the upcoming release served as evidence that the nation had lost its moral compass and subjugated itself to American pressure.
“We’re living in a country with a lack of ethics and justice,” said Mandell with thinly veiled contempt. “We have succumbed to America’s demands, and they would never do this. Let them release prisoners from Guantanamo Bay if they want peace with Afghanistan!” She beseeched the public to inundate Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu with posts on his Facebook page to denounce the ongoing releases and prevent future episodes.

Canadian PM to Speak at the Knesset

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will speak at the Knesset during his upcoming visit to Israel, which will begin on January 20, Shalom Toronto reported on Wednesday.
Harper will lead a delegation of some 200 people, including Canadian journalists, the report said.

UK – BDS fail. BIG time

In spite of these BDS actions business is looking very good for SodaStream who announced that their profits have risen more than three-fold since 2009. The group booked sales of over $436 million last year, with net profit up 18 percent to $44 million.
Queen of the kitchen and TV cooking Loraine Pascale has sparked a monumental sales increase in the retro kitchen gadget the SodaStream.
The Baking Made Easy presenter declared ‘Oh yes, it’s official. Bubbles…are back’ on her twitter feed sending fans heading for the SodaStream website to snap up the latest must-have kitchen gadget.
Stylish soft drinks maker, SodaStream, has seen sales of its Source machine nearly double in the past week after Lorraine was the latest star to tweet about using the drinks maker.

Buffett Donates $10 Million to Haifa Hospital

The contribution was announced by Eitan Wertheimer, according to Globes business newspaper. Buffet paid the Wertheimer family $6 billion in 2006 and this past May for all of the shares of the Iscar toolmaking company, his first acquisition in Israel.
His closeness with the Wertheimers and his stated love of Israel as a pot of gold for investors now has paid off for Rambam.

easyJet to launch Tel Aviv-Paris route - report

Low-cost carrier easyJet plc (LSE:EZJ) will operate six weekly flights to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport starting in the summer, reports "Yediot Ahronot."
The route between Ben Gurion Airport and Paris will be the ninth European destination offered by easyJet. In recent weeks, the low cost carrier announced new routes to Milan, starting May, London Gatwick starting April and Berlin starting February.

3D-printed Cosyflex panties to debut in Israel

Tamar Giloh did not set out to commercialize a futuristic fabric made on a three-dimensional printer for pennies.
Though global makers of everything from swimwear to footwear are beating down the door to get access to her patented, stretchable Cosyflex material, Giloh began with a very simple quest to invent a better form of feminine protection.

Eli Ben Zaken, wine entrepreneur

Ben Zaken’s winery, Domaine du Castel, is located on a plot of land beneath his home on the moshav (cooperative village) of Ramat Raziel. It is there that the 69-year-old former restaurateur and his four adult sons have been producing some of the best wines in the country since 1983. These include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Petit Verdot.
But Ben Zaken does not see himself as a maverick in the industry. “I’m a hitchhiker,” he says.
Perhaps. Nevertheless, Ben Zaken was one of two Israelis to be honored with the French National Order of Agricultural Merit this year. The prestigious award was presented to Ben Zaken and Ben-Gurion University’s Professor Pedro Berliner at the French Embassy in Tel Aviv on November 27.

Israeli USB stick inventor bets on TV, medical devices

Israeli high-tech pioneer Dov Moran, whose company M-Systems invented the USB stick and expanded the use of flash memory that today drives most electronic devices, is turning his sights to television and medical equipment.
"We are at the beginning of a new era. We will be more computerised, better connected and healthier," said Moran, 58, considered a founding father of Israel's high-tech sector, one of the country's main growth drivers.

Netanyahu to hail Israeli cyber industry at World Economic Forum

Netanyahu will make a speech at a special session titled "Israel's Economy." The prime minister is expected, among other subjects, to discuss Israel's cyber industry, which is among the world's most advanced.
The Davos forum is considered one of the most important stages for global economic issues. Netanyahu is also expected to hold a series of meetings with other heads of state and CEOs of global companies to encourage investment in the Israeli high-tech industry, and in other fields as well.

Gilat awarded $129 million projects in South America

Gilat Satellite Networks, a leader in satellite networking technology, has been awarded two multi-year projects valued at $129-million in Colombia and Peru.
The Israeli company that makes equipment for sending and receiving satellite transmissions will provide Colombia’s Ministry of Information and Technology (MINTIC) Connectivity Division with deployment and connectivity services to rural communities and schools and will design, setup and implement a network as part of the Integracion Amazonica Loreto initiative in Peru.

USC digitally remasters Holocaust testimonial tapes

Eyewitness accounts of the Holocaust believed to be lost forever may soon be restored, according to experts at the University of Southern California’s Shoah Foundation.
The foundation, following the completion of a multi-year effort to digitize its archive of 52,000 Holocaust testimonies, is now beginning the process of digitally restoring the approximately 5 percent of tapes that it previously thought were irretrievable.
Between 1994 and 1999, the foundation’s staff interviewed tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors and eyewitnesses on analog tapes, which have since begun to degrade.

Who is going to tell him he is dressed like Santa Claus?

Tunisian cleric Adel Almi has called for his country's citizens not to celebrate Christmas, saying that it is forbidden for Muslims to take Christian or Jewish customs. He quoted the Quranic verse saying that Christians and Jews will not be satisfied until Muslims take their religion.

He added, "Islam teaches the world not to take on the outdated customs of the scum of the earth."

Adel Almi heads "The Association of Moderation Awareness and Reform."

He recently called for a Tunisian woman who posted topless photos on Facebook as a protest for women's rights to be stoned to death.

EoZ quarterly roundup

At this time of the year we are seeing lots of blogs and organizations asking for money. Somehow, the ones that hate Israel attract tens of thousands of dollars.

Juan Cole, the third-rate "academic" who simply makes things up, has already raised $25,000.

I recently noted that the antisemitic Mondoweiss site received $60,000 from a very shady yet respected anti-Zionist Ron Unz, along with hundreds of thousands of dollars to other anti-Zionists.

Somehow, those who hate Israel seem to be able to raise lots and lots of cash.

Isn't that supposed to be the Zionist specialty?

Meanwhile, EoZ keeps moving along, even without raising tens of thousands of dollars and a full time staff.

Both Honest Reporting and CAMERA listed the BBC defending their story about how Omar Mishrawi died as among the top ten biggest examples of media bias this year. I broke that story.

This quarter I also exposed Michael Bell's lies in the Globe and Mail, which prompted a correction. I demolished a Karl Vick article in Time magazine for his making up facts.

I fisked the NYT. I showed Roger Cohen's bias yet again. And again. And Thomas Friedman's.

I continued to expose "fauxtography."

Media bias is only one of the many topics I cover, however. I also confront respected NGOs with evidence of their own anti-Israel bias.

I proved conclusively that Amnesty is biased against Israel, and my conversation with an Amnesty researcher confirmed it beyond a doubt.

I had online conversations with the ICRC's Middle East representative exposing the absurd definition of "occupation" that the organization has for Israel, and only Israel.

I also showed the hypocrisy and inconsistency of HRW and Amnesty in their support of the fictional "right of return" and how they ignore specific Middle East human rights issues that don't involve alleged Israeli violations.

Not to mention calling out UNRWA officials for their own bias and the UN itself for its hypocrisy.

And I wrote a whitepaper on how the EU is throwing millions of dollars away on Palestinian NGOs that do not adhere to the EU's own standards for peace.

That would be enough to make any journalist happy. But it is only the beginning of that I did this quarter, and what I do every quarter.

I went to Israel and exploded the biggest Gaza myth of all. (And others will follow.)

I exposed the anti-Israel curriculum being created for Irish schools and the many lies within (plus a poster.)

I also exposed far-left fanaticism and hypocrisy.

I started a project (which I need much more time for) to expose human rights issues in the Middle East that are being ignored by major HR NGOs.

Petitions that I had created about Arab antisemitisim, which human rights organizations ignore, were delivered to Amnesty and HRW.

I continued to create topical cartoons. I continued to make exclusive videos. I continued to make posters. I continued to demolish myths as fast as the other side makes them up. I continued to expose antisemitism, both from the Muslim world and the West.

And I must mention Ian's linkdumps, which are an astonishingly complete roundup of articles from around the Web that he posts daily.

I have been told that EoZ is an invaluable resource for people who need to find out the truth about what is going on in Israel and the Arab world - a truth that unfortunately is not being reported in the mainstream media.

If you agree, and you consider this blog required reading, please consider donating or paying for a subscription. Or, if you prefer, send an Amazon(US) gift card which can be emailed to me.

Again, thanks for your support. Your retweets, Facebook "likes," links from other blogs and from sites such as Reddit as well as email forwards help spread the truth and combat the lies.

12/26 Links Pt1: Israeli journalists banned from Bethlehem, Are Erdoğan's Days Numbered?

From Ian:

Khaled Abu Toameh: No Christmas spirit in the West Bank: Israeli journalists banned from celebrations

The Palestinian Authority said on Tuesday that it expelled Israeli journalists who came to Bethlehem to cover Christmas celebrations.
The PA Ministry of Information said the decision was taken at the request of Palestinian journalists, who protested against the presence of their Israeli colleagues at Manger Square in the city.
The journalists who were kicked out of Bethlehem worked for Haaretz, i-24 News, Channel 1 and Arutz Sheva, the ministry said.
Palestinian journalists praised the PA police for ordering the Israelis out of the city.

Arafat died of natural causes, Russian experts say

The conclusion came was in line with findings by French experts who earlier this month ruled out the possibility that Arafat died of poisoning, as some had suspected.
“Yasser Arafat died not from the effects of radiation but of natural causes,” Vladimir Uiba, head of the Federal Medico-Biological Agency (FMBA), said according to the Russian Interfax news service. (Broken on EOZ first!)

Turkish Local Court Rejects Mavi Marmara Compensation Suit

A local Turkish court in the city of Kayseri rejected a compensation suit filed over the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, the Herriyet Daily News reported Wednesday.
Relatives of Furkan Doğan, one of the Turkish citizens killed in the raid, had requested 4 million Turkish Liras of compensation from Israel. However, the court rejected the claim, stating that Israel cannot be tried in a Turkish court.

Jerusalem plays down Turkish report that 'Mavi Marmara' compensation deal 'almost' complete

While there has been progress in talks to normalize relations with Turkey over the last few weeks, diplomatic officials stopped well short of confirming a Turkish newspaper report Wednesday that compensation talks between the countries over the Mavi Marmara incident were “nearly finalized.”
“There has been progress,” said one official informed of the talks, adding however that reports of an imminent deal were “premature.”
The daily Hurriyet quoted a Turkish diplomat Wednesday as saying that compensation talks for the Mavi Marmara have been “almost finalized” at a meeting last week in Istanbul.

None hurt after Kassam fired at Ashkelon area

Red alert sirens wailed through the region before the missile hit, for the second time this week.
The rocket came amid heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians following a string of attacks against Israeli civilians, police officers and soldiers, and Israeli retaliatory strikes against Gaza on Tuesday.
Earlier Wednesday, the IDF deployed an Iron Dome missile interception battery to the area near the southern cities of Beersheba and Sderot, and on Thursday put a third battery near Ashdod.

IDF commander: We know an attack from Gaza will involve multiple threats

Operating under the southern Gaza territorial division, the Company, established in 2003, is equipped with a range of heavy armored vehicles, such as D-9 armored bulldozers, armored personnel carriers, and drilling equipment.
Its members join infantry and armored units, and act as trailblazers for military forces, clearing paths in areas with bombs in them, exposing and destroying attack tunnels, and joining daily border patrols.
“We practiced all of the potential scenarios. We understand that if we come under attack, it will be a complex event involving multiple, combined threats, rather than one pinpoint attack,” Levi said. “We could be dealing with an explosives incident while coming under full attack from projectiles and gunfire. We could face an attempted kidnapping.”

Demonstration at Spot where Cop was Stabbed

Dozens of residents of the community of Adam, just north of Jerusalem, held a protest rally Tuesday night at Adam Roundabout, near the community of Adam, following the stabbing of a policeman there on Monday. The policeman, officer Rami Ravid, has lost a kidney as a result of the stabbing.
The head of the Binyamin Regional Council, Avi Roeh, said at the rally: “We call upon the government of Israel and the prime minister from here, to snap out of it and defeat the terrorism. This situation cannot go on. The government of Israel must bring back security to the residents.”

Gilad Shalit calls for release of Jonathan Pollard

Former captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit wrote in an open letter Wednesday that all Israelis should demand that the United States free jailed American-Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, joining 106 Knesset members in calling for his release after 28 years of incarceration.
“After Israel has released terrorists with blood on their hands as a gesture to the Palestinians, a return gesture is all that is being requested,” Shalit said in his open letter, published on Ynet.

Report: Hamas attack thwarted by Egyptian army

Egyptian security forces arrested "a Palestinian belonging to Hamas who illegally entered Egypt... in a car with North Sinai license plate," according to Ali.
He added that during interrogations, the suspect "confessed he planned to blow up (his car) in front of a strategic security building,"
Egypt's army says militants from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip have staged joint attacks with hardline Islamists in North Sinai, where the government has ramped up security operations after a surge of violence set off by deposed President Mohamed Morsi's ouster in July.

Explosion hits bus in Egyptian capital

Security officials said an explosion has hit a public bus in the Egyptian capital Cairo, wounding five people.
There were also unconfirmed reports of one death, according to Egyptian news site al-Ahram.
The officials said the blast went off Thursday morning as the bus passed through Cairo’s eastern Nasr City district. They said the cause was still uncertain but they suspected an explosive device was thrown at the bus or set nearby.

Pentagon to Israel: Sway Congress against Egypt cuts

An Israeli request to US legislators to restore all American military aid to Egypt was orchestrated at the behest of high-ranking US officials in the Pentagon and the US State Department.
According to a report in Maariv on Wednesday, the Israeli effort came about after US officials, including some who are close to US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, urged Jerusalem to help influence Congress against the cuts.

Former prime minister of Egypt arrested

Kandil was appointed prime minister in July 2012.
In July 2013 an appeals court endorsed a ruling that dismissed Kandil from office and sentenced him to a year in prison over a case concerning a state-owned textile company that was sold to a private investor. Morsi, who was president at the time, was removed by a military coup later the same day.

Obama Withdraws Egyptian Ambassador Nominee Under Pressure From Egypt Military

Sources familiar with the matter say that Robert Ford — the highly-respected, Arabic-speaking career diplomat and current ambassador to Syria — was withdrawn from consideration for the Cairo post after some representatives of Egypt’s military regime quietly indicated that they didn’t want him in the job because of his stated willingness to negotiate with some of Syria’s Islamist militants and political groups.

Israel tracks Syria's Western jihadis, worried about their return

Israel is working with allies abroad to track Westerners fighting in Syria, concerned that such militants could attack Israeli or Jewish targets once back home, a senior Israeli official said on Tuesday.
Of an estimated 10,000 foreign combatants among rebels battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, around 20 percent are from the West and that number is rising, the official said.

Syrian Jihadist Leader Targeted UN Workers

The leader of a powerful Al-Qaeda group fighting in Syria sought to kidnap United Nations workers and scrawled out plans for his aides to take over in the event of his death, The Associated Press (AP) reported on Wednesday.
The report is based on excerpts of letters obtained by the news agency. Iraqi intelligence officials offered AP the letters, as well as the first known photograph of the Al-Nusra Front leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani.

Barry Rubin: Obama Administration Iran Deal Cannot Work

For example, revolutionary Islamists do not make concessions. That is not the way they bargain. Islamist Iran will never stop seeking nuclear weapons; it will be patient about it. The real danger to the Iranian regime is economic collapse from sanctions, and the potential gain would be for Iran to achieve its true ambitions–mainly, a Shi'a bloc made of Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq; and the destruction of Israel, which won't work.
Egypt played it tough and will probably be the only Arab state that has gained anything. Nevertheless, the Egyptians have so lost confidence with the United States that they just signed a 2 million dollar agreement to buy weapons from Russia. This takes the world back almost 60 years, to 1955, when Egypt was a Soviet client and was buying all its arms from the Soviet Union. Egypt then managed to obtain Russian arms deals for money and yet a U.S. arms deal for free!

Steinitz: Sunni-Shi’ite nuke race will result if Iranian program isn’t stopped

If Iran remains a nuclear threshold state, there will be a Sunni- Shi’ite nuclear arms race, Intelligence and Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Wednesday.
Any agreement with world powers must dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, he continued at a conference on Regional Upheavals, held by the Israel and Middle East studies department at Ariel University.
“The Middle East has gone mad,” said Steinitz, adding that nobody had expected what has happened in the Middle East over the past few years.

Iranians draft bill to up enrichment to 60 percent

Iranian parliamentarians have proposed a bill to increase uranium enrichment to 60 percent in the event of new Western sanctions, the Iranian Press TV reported Wednesday. In addition to raising the enrichment level significantly, the draft, signed by 100 legislators, would resume activity at the Arak heavy water reactor.
“If the bill is approved, the government will be obliged to complete nuclear infrastructure at the Fordo and Natanz [enrichment facilities] if sanctions [against Iran] are ratcheted up, new sanctions are imposed, the country’s nuclear rights are violated and the Islamic Republic of Iran’s peaceful nuclear rights are ignored by members of the P5+1,” Seyyed Mehdi Mousavinejad, an Iranian lawmaker, said on Wednesday, according to Press TV.

Turkey: Are Erdoğan's Days Numbered?

Long-brewing political struggles within the ruling AK party have also surfaced. They boil down to two radically different views of Islam. In the first, Erdoğan's faction identifies and allies itself with the [Arab] Muslim Brotherhood. This faction was strongly supportive of the ousted Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood President Muhammad Morsi, and also of Syria's fundamentalists. In the second view, supporters of the Fethullah Gülen look down upon "Arab Islam." To them, "real" Islam is "the Islam of the Turks - meaning the people who live in Turkey, Central Asia, and Western China."
To the outsider, these differences might seem to be distinctions without differences: supporters of both views understandably want Islam to be a major part of the political order. But for Turks, these differences are seismic: the question is, do they belong to the Middle Eastern Arab and Muslim political camp, or do they belong to the wider Turkish world?

Erdogan replaces 10 ministers amid corruption scandal

Erdogan replaced Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan, Interior Minister Muammer Guler and Erdogan Bayraktar, the minister for the environment and urban planning. All three men’s sons were detained as part of the corruption investigation. They all deny any wrongdoing.
Erdogan also replaced the minister in charge of relations with the European Union, who was also been implicated in the scandal, but has not resigned.
In all, Erdogan replaced 10 ministers, including three who will contest mayoral elections in March.

Turkey requests Santa Claus’ bones from Pope

The Turkey-based Santa Claus Peace Council has said it has written a letter to Pope Francis, requesting the return of the bones of Saint Nicholas.
Council Chairman Muammer Karabulut said they were expecting Pope Francis to give a positive response to their request to have a meeting on the bones, which are currently in Bari, Italy.

A personal tour of the Israel State Archives with Yaacov Lozowick

I was graciously invited to visit the Israel State Archives by their chief archivist, Yaacov Lozowick. Here he shows and describes some notable items from between the 19th century and today.

If you are a fan of Israeli history, you will want to watch this video.

Kerem Shalom closed because of Gaza attacks on Israel

Ma'an reports:

For a second day in row, Israel closed Gaza’s commercial terminal the Kerem Shalom crossing.

Israeli defense minister Moshe Yalon gave orders to close the crossing Tuesday after an Israeli worker was shot dead by a Palestinian sniper while fixing the border fence in northern Gaza Strip.

What Ma'an doesn't say is that a rocket was also fired from Gaza yesterday.

What no one is reporting is that Egypt allowed 113 trucks of building materials into Gaza through Rafah. It is unclear if these are meant for Qatari projects or for others.

An unnamed official told Palestine Press Agency that he expected Hamas to close the power plant today in order to pressure Israel to re-open Kerem Shalom.

AP lies about Israelis' acceptance of settlements

Once again, a news service is substituting what it wishes for for reality.

AP has a story about three extreme leftist Israeli actors refusing to perform in Ariel - and it is pretending that this is becoming the Israeli consensus:

A trio of Israeli stage actors is refusing to perform in an acclaimed play before a theater in a West Bank Jewish settlement, part of a burgeoning domestic movement against the government's settlement policies.

The protest mirrors a global movement against the settlements that has put Israel's government in an increasingly difficult situation as the current round of peace talks with the Palestinians continues.

The international community, including the U.S., has long considered Israeli construction of homes for Jews in the West Bank, captured territory claimed by the Palestinians, as an obstacle to peace.

This sentiment, long held also by Israel's dovish left, now appears to be gaining steam at home following a string of harsh global condemnations of settlement construction in recent months. Some on Israel's left fear the scale of the settlements soon will pass the tipping point where a pullout may become too difficult, and Israel will be forced to essentially absorb the West Bank and its millions of Palestinians.

In a joint statement, the Cameri and Beit Lessin theaters said that three cast members in their production of "Best Friends" had asked to be excused from performing at the cultural center in Ariel, a settlement built deep inside the West Bank. It said they were granted exemptions and will be replaced by alternates, allowing the show to go on.

It doesn't look like it was too hard to find replacement actors, does it?

So what is the evidence that three actors represent a growing movement?

None. Nada. Zero.

In fact, as this recent Globes article shows, Israelis increasingly consider many areas whose houses routinely generate international condemnation as being an integral part of Israel. The Israeli national consensus is moving in the exact opposite direction. This article is a must-read:

[Y]ears of building freezes have caused pent-up demand in settlements in the territories, boosting home prices, as a result, contractors which previously avoided the area are now bidding in tenders there.

In early November, the Israel Land Authority published a tender for a lot in Ariel zoned for 90 apartments. No less than 15 bids were submitted, and the tender was won by Malibu Investments Inc. (TASE: MLBU.B1) with a bid of NIS 12.6 million, plus NIS 4.8 million in development costs,. The tender's minimum price was just NIS 271,000, and the assessor estimated the lot's value at NIS 3.5 million. Seven of the fifteen bids exceeded NIS 8 million, highlighting developers' confidence in Ariel.

This confidence is shared by Gindi Holdings Ltd. and Meshulam Levinstein Contracting and Engineering Ltd. (TASE:LEVI), suggesting that a change in the national consensus has occurred, as neither company had ever bid in a tender beyond the Green Line.

...The latest home sales data published by the Central Bureau of Statistics show that the contractors are right. In January-October, 943 new homes were sold in Judea and Samaria, almost 5% of home sales nationwide, compared with 609 homes sold in 2012 as a whole (2.7% of total sales), and 550 homes sold in 2011 (2.8% of total sales).

"Locations where it is possible to offer apartments for less than NIS 1 million are often found beyond the Green Line, because in high-demand areas the land component and development costs exceed NIS 1 million," says Malibu. "In settlements beyond the Green Line, it's easy to obtain Palestinian workers, which cuts construction costs by 20%. It's easier for a Palestinian worker to go to Modiin Ilit than Ramat Gan."

Keep in mind that Palestinian Arab workers in the settlements make twice the average salary of those who work in Areas A and B.

The Israel Land Authority also saw strong demand in a tender for a lot zoned for 30 apartments in Efrat in late November. There were 7-9 bids. The price per land per apartment was NIS 300,000.

Anglo-Saxon Real Estate Mate Benyamin concessionaire and general manager Arik Vaknish says, "Many people who want a better home than what they can get in a city like Jerusalem are moving to settlements in the regional council. Young couples and people seeking bigger apartments are coming from neighborhoods such as Pisgat Zeev, Givat Zeev, and Neve Yaakov, which are becoming haredi (ultra-orthodox), to settlements such as Anatot, Adam, Kfar Adumim, and Nili. Homes which sold for NIS 600,000 are now going for NIS 1 million, and the strongest demand is for five-room apartments."

...Dona Engineering and Construction Ltd. built apartments in Ma'aleh Adumim in the 1990s through 2006 and sold houses in Ariel in 2009-10. "We do not consider Ma'aleh Adumim, the Etzion Bloc, and Efrat as the territories, but as Jerusalem's suburbs," says Dona VP marketing Ohad Saban. "Settlements such as Ariel, Shaarei Tikva, and Elkana are suburbs of central Israel."

This is the truth about Israeli attitudes towards the settlements beyond the Green Line. AP is creating a story that has no evidence.

(h/t EK, JW)

Egypt officially declares Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group

From Al Arabiya:

The Egyptian government on Wednesday formally declared the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization and banned its protests nationwide.

Minister of Higher Education Hossam Eissa read out the Cabinet statement after a long meeting on Wednesday.

"The Cabinet has declared the Muslim Brotherhood group and its organization as a terrorist organization," Eissa said.

Interim Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi previously described the Muslim Brotherhood on Tuesday as a terrorist group following a deadly attack on a security building in the city of Mansoura.

Saudi Arabia, which backed the Egyptian government after Mursi’s ouster, condemned terrorism in Egypt on Wednesday. A Royal Court statement said the kingdom “stand heart and mind with its Egyptian brothers.”

The attack killed 14 people and wounded at least 130 others and came just weeks before a referendum on a new constitution that is billed as the first major step toward democracy since the military-backed ouster of Islamist president Mohammad Mursi in July.

The government blamed the Islamist group for the bombing saying: “all of Egypt was horrified by the ugly crime committed by the Muslim Brotherhood on Tuesday morning, when it blew up the Daqhaleya police headquarters.”

The Muslim Brotherhood and the so-called anti-coup alliance, however, condemned the attack saying they activities do not include violence and accused the notorious security regime of former President Hosni Mubarak, which they say has returned, of plotting the bombing and blaming it on the Muslim Brotherhood.

“The Muslim Brotherhood considers this act as a direct attack on the unity of the Egyptian people and demands an enquiry forthwith so that the perpetrators of this crime may be brought to justice.”

I rather doubt that the MB was directly behind the blast, although Islamist groups inspired by the MB probably were.

In Egypt, both the government and the Muslim Brotherhood routinely lie.

Al Ahram obsesses over Russian oligarch's (alleged) Judaism

Egypt's popular daily, Al-Ahram, has an article about Vladimir Putin's recent release of former Russian billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky from prison.

While most news sources say that the release was a PR move ahead of the Russia-hosted Winter Olympics for a prisoner that Amnesty called a "prisoner of conscience," Al-Ahram knows better.

We should briefly point out that Mikhail Khodorkovsky is a Jewish billionaire whose ascent to the summit of world's richest people in the Forbes list came from benefiting from infamous and controversial privatization decisions, the outcome of which concentrated the fortunes of Russia's oil and gas and metals to a handful of entrepreneurs, Jews for the most part.

Khodorkovsky's father is Jewish but his mother is not.

The only sites I've seen emphasize the supposed Jewish control of Russia's energy are the usual antisemitic sites like Rense - and Al Ahram.

12/25 Links Pt2: Why is this occupation different from all other occupations?, The Hamas Caliphate.

From Ian:

Why is this occupation different from all other occupations?

The EU insists that any agreement it signs with Israel explicitly exclude the settlements in the “occupied” West Bank, the scholars noted in a letter sent last month to Ashton’s Brussels office. So why don’t the same constraints apply in the case of Morocco? This blatant inconsistency shows “an official double-standard practiced by the EU,” Professor Eugene Kontorovich of Northwestern University and Israeli ex-ambassador to Canada Alan Baker charged.
Last week, the EU responded to the letter, saying, essentially, that Israel’s occupation is different, but without detailing how and why.

The boycott Israel campaign: absolutely no similarities with the 1930s Nazi boycott of Jews (satire)

While Israel continues to be subject to intensified terrorist atrocities - six attacks in the last 2 days - (ignored as usual by the main stream media), the campaign to boycott Israel also intensifies. Some people have suggested similarities between this boycott Israel campaign and the Nazi boycott of Jews in the 1930s. As the following table makes clear there is absolutely no basis for arguing that these boycott campaigns are in any way similar.

War on Want: The ‘charity’ that is just an anti-Israel propaganda organization funded by duped Brits (courtesy of the BBC and Comic Relief)

Looking at the War on Want website today I note that in its annual ‘thank you’ message to its supporters its main listed achievement is its role in the BDS campaign against Israel, including its boast of how it disrupted the AGM of the firm G4S and pressured them into terminating business in Israel. It also takes credit for the UK government issuing “an explicit warning to British businesses over the risks of involvement in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.”:

Disgraced UN rep trying to meet anti-Semite for Christmas lunch in London

Disgraced UN official Richard Falk, who was condemned last week by Canada, Australia and the U.S., recently provided the cover endorsement for a book denounced as anti-Semitic even by the most extreme anti-Israel activists.
Now Falk is trying to meet the anti-Semitic author for lunch in London:
Atzmon’s book asks whether ”Hitler might have been right after all.” The British Foreign Office last year condemned Falk for endorsing it.

Abbas, Ashton join Xmas festivities in Bethlehem

Palestinian dignitaries greeted Twal at the entrance of Bethlehem. His motorcade crawled through the town’s narrow streets as he stopped to shake hands and greet the throngs of visitors. It took him nearly 90 minutes to make the short trip to celebrate Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity compound.
Hundreds of people packed the compound for the service. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh were among the dignitaries in attendance.

BBC’s Knell exploits Christmas report to lie about anti-terrorist fence

Of course Knell conveniently neglects to inform viewers that Jewish communities existed on Jewish-owned land in Gush Etzion long before 1948 and that those communities were destroyed, massacred and ethnically cleansed by British financed, equipped and led Jordanian troops.
What about Knell’s claim of “a high concrete wall around Bethlehem”? Audiences will naturally understand “around” to mean – as it does in the English language – encircling, on every side. However the anti-terrorist fence does not encircle Bethlehem – it is located to its north and west as can be seen on the UN-produced map below.

Richard Millet: St James’s Church, Piccadilly, installs life size replica of Israel’s security wall during 12 days of Christmas.

St James’s Church, Piccadilly, in London’s West End has installed a life size 8 metre tall/30 metre long replica of Israel’s security wall in its courtyard as part of its Bethlehem Unwrapped festival. The replica wall is so vast that it obscures the Church itself.
The replica wall will be lit up at night and for the next twelve days of Christmas (until 5th January) a montage of images and slogans will be continuously projected onto it. Scenes include parts of London with a wall passing through it.

The award for ‘UK paper blaming Israel for ruining Christmas in Bethlehem’ goes to….

Remarkably, in 880 words written by the Times reporter about the fate of Christians in Bethlehem, there isn’t a single word about the problem of Islamist extremism. Nor does she note that the only country in the region where the Christian population is increasing is Israel.
Indeed, the fact that the only nation in the Middle East where Christians are flourishing just happens to be the sole place where radical Islam is not a serious threat is essential to understanding the fate of Christianity in that part of the world – vital context about contrasting values of tolerance in the region which Catherine Philp fails to provide.

More hate courtesy of Ali Abunimah: Tweets about Israel ‘harvesting children’

Ali Abunimah is the co-founder of Electronic Intifada - and occasional ’Comment is Free’ contributor – who opposes the existence of a Jewish state within any borders.
He had this to say on Twitter yesterday about the reported death of a child in Gaza after three separate terrorist incidents on the Israel-Gaza border, which included the murder – by a Palestinian sniper - of an Israeli Bedouin named Saleh Abu Latif:

Israel cannot solve the Palestinian problem

Israel is a country with so many blessings. It has a thriving economy. It has incredible natural beauty. It is even now discovering natural resources. Baruch Hashem People are jealous of Israel’s success. People claim Israel’s success came from criminal action.
Israel is blamed for the suffering of the Palestinians. But Israel is not responsible. Building homes in disputed territory is not a crime. Blowing up buses is a crime. Israel’s success came from hard work, incredible sacrifice and a lot of luck. Israel’s success has helped make the world a better place. Not just for the Jewish people but for all the people in the world. I am proud of Israel’s accomplishments.

Terrorists Threaten to Attack US Troops in Jordan Valley

Khaled al-Azhbet, the official spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) terrorist group, warned that if American or other foreign troops are stationed in the Jordan Valley, they will be targeted in attacks.
“We will treat any foreign armed forces as invaders, regardless of their citizenship or their mission,” he declared. “Our policy toward them will be identical to that taken toward the Zionist enemy.”

Hamas Minister: First Israel, then the World

The ultimate goal of the Hamas movement is to establish Islam worldwide, Hamas minister Fathi Hammad declared during a recent public address in Gaza.
“We shall liberate our land, Allah willing. We shall liberate our Al-Aqsa Mosque, and our cities and villages, as a prelude to the establishment of the future Islamic Caliphate. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are at the threshold of a global Islamic civilization era,” Hammad proclaimed.

Poll: Most Palestinians believe Israel Poisoned Arafat

According to poll released Tuesday by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, 59 percent of respondents believe Israel fatally poisoned Arafat, while 21 percent "believe that a Palestinian party or group or a joint Palestinian-Israeli party or group is responsible."
Arafat died in 2004, at the age of 75, following an illness. At the time, his wife Suha refused to allow an autopsy. She later allowed investigators to exhume his body after traces of polonium-210 were found on clothing that she provided to scientists as part of an Al Jazeera documentary.

French Soldier Under Investigation for Wearing Nazi Slogan on Uniform

A french soldier serving in the Central African Republic is under investigation for wearing a patch with a Nazi slogan on his uniform.
The patch caught the attention of French Military Chiefs after pictures of the soldier wearing it were posted on Facebook.
According to The Guardian, the patch was round and had "the number 32 on a French flag and the words 'my honor is loyalty.'" Nazi Waffen-SS used the motto during World War II.

French use Nazi-like salute with impunity

Last week, the Swiss municipality of Carouge near Geneva fired two volunteer firefighters over online photos in which they performed the quenelle. In September, two French soldiers were disciplined for performing it in front of a Paris synagogue and then posting the image online.
Dieudonne, a professed anti-Semite, Hamas supporter and Holocaust denier, was convicted last month for a seventh time of incitement against Jews and slapped with a $36,000 fine. Like the Nazi salute, the quenelle is seen as a variant of the Roman salute and, considering its inventor’s penchant for defiance of France’s anti-Nazi laws, is understood to challenge the prohibition on performing the Nazi salute.

Simple air-and-water fuel soon to take off

It’s been a vision and a dream since post-industrial revolution scientists understood there was a problem with burning coal and oil: an alternative fuel made from the basic and plentiful elements on earth.
Could the answer be as simple as water and air?
An Israeli research team from Ben-Gurion University has developed something that seems like fuel for the futuristic Jetson family. But Prof. Moti Herskowitz estimates that in only 10 or 20 years, when the cost of hydrogen becomes low enough to be competitive, his innovation could replace pollution-causing jet fuel.

Paint the new Cornell-Technion New York campus ‘green’

The new campus being built on Roosevelt Island in New York City for the Cornell-Technion technology campus will be the last word in sustainable construction. Plans for the campus were approved by officials last week, with the city signing over 12 acres of land on the East River island to Cornell for construction of the project.

Christian Arabs top country’s matriculation charts

Christian Arabs in Israel appear to represent the most successfully studious sector in the Jewish state, new research shows, as the tiny sector’s students are more likely than any other Israeli community to succeed on their matriculation exams.
According to a study published by the Central Bureau of Statistics ahead of Christmas, over the past school year, 70% of the sector’s high school students were eligible for matriculation, compared to 50% of Muslim-Arab students, 64% of Druze students, and 61% of students enrolled in the mostly Jewish Hebrew education system.

IDF Blog: Christians Serving In the IDF: A Growing Community

Today, as people around the world celebrate Christmas, Christian soldiers serving in the IDF are off duty and at home with their families for the holiday. The growing community of Christian IDF soldiers recently gathered for a special forum to recognize their contribution to the State of Israel.

Historian Says Bugs Bunny Might be Jewish

Stern revealed his findings at a lecture held recently at Britain’s University of Warwick, Israeli daily Ma’ariv reported. Stern, who watched thousands of animated shorts that feature Bugs Bunny, noted in his presentation that there are Jewish fingerprints all over the smart aleck cartoon character, including the very voice of Bugs Bunny – Jewish actor Mel Blanc.
Stern’s exhaustive study even included the findings of one specific cartoon episode in which Bugs Bunny flashes back to his childhood. The New York neighborhood Bugs grew up in is teeming with obviously Jewish characters, such as ultra-Orthodox Jews and other stereotypically Eastern European figures from the turn of the 20th century.
Stern closed his case for Bugs Bunny being Jewish by reminding his audience that the legendary rabbit’s arch nemesis is…Porky Pig. The pig, of course, is Judaism’s quintessentially unclean animal.

Followup on Zoar tombstones

Last week I pointed out a NYT report about how Yeshiva University students were trying to decipher an old Jewish tombstone from Zoar, in today's Jordan.

I happened to see a couple of similar tombstones from Zoar in the Israel Museum this week.