[Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News] 8/08 Links Part 1: Oren Slams NYTs for Dehumanizing Israeli Victims, Bankrupting Hamas

From Ian:

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Lionizing Palestinian Stone-Throwers

Only in passing, from an Israeli woman who lives nearby, did Rudoren note that "a man and his 1-year-old son" were killed in a stoning attack. Indeed, not two years ago, on the same Road 60 that bisects Beit Ommar, 24-year-old Asher Palmer and his infant son Yonatan, driving to meet his pregnant wife, were murdered by stones hurled by two Palestinians. Smashing the windshield (crushing Asher's face and fracturing his skull), they caused the car to crash. One of the killers was sentenced to two life terms and an additional fifty-eight years in prison. So much for stoning assaults, which Rudoren referred to as "a rite of passage and an honored act of defiance" – and a "game."
As for the settlements that the Times so loves to hate, the unique and distinguished history of Gush Etzion (the bloc of communities that surround Beit Ommar), should be noted (but wasn't). Unlike the overwhelming majority of Jewish settlements, built in the years following the Six-Day War in the biblical homeland of the Jewish people, Gush Etzion has a longer history. First established in 1927 as a community of Yemenite immigrants and a sprinkling of ultra-Orthodox Jews, it was destroyed in the 1929 Arab riots, during which 67 Jews in the nearby ancient Jewish city of Hebron were brutally murdered.

Israel Ambassador Oren Slams New York Times Article on Palestinian Rock-Throwers; Says it 'Dehumanized' Israeli Victims

Israel's ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, responded sharply to a New York Times article published Tuesday, that favorably depicted Palestinian Arab youths who throw stones at Israelis.
"While Palestinian protagonists are described in detail, their Israeli victims are largely dehumanized 'settlers' — no name, age or gender," Oren writes in a letter- to-the-editor published by the paper.

Gaza Terrorists Fire Qassam at Southern Israel

Terrorists from Hamas-controlled Gaza fired a Qassam rocket towards the Eshkol Regional Council on Wednesday night.
The rocket exploded in an open region, causing no physical injuries or damages. Local residents said that the "Red Alert" warning siren had not gone off before the rocket exploded.

Jonathan Schanzer: Bankrupt Hamas

Since Morsi's ouster, the military has been unleashed: It has arrested at least 29 Brotherhood financiers, including at least one significant contributor to Hamas's coffers, according to a senior Israeli security official. It has also reportedly deployed 30,000 troops to the Sinai and purportedly destroyed roughly 800 of the 1,000 tunnels connecting Egypt to Gaza. Ala al-Rafati, the Hamas economy minister, recently told Reuters that these operations cost Hamas $230-million — about a tenth of Gaza's GDP.
All of this presents U.S. Secretary of State Kerry with a rare opportunity to try to hasten the group's financial demise. And it is in his interest to do so. The group, after all, carried out suicide bombings against Israeli civilian targets in the 1990s to torpedo the peace process. It's a fair bet that Hamas will launch a new campaign of violence now that talks are ramping back up.

Letter Circulating in Congress Asks Qatar to Sever Hamas Ties

Qatar reportedly pledged more than $400 million to Hamas in October 2012 during a visit to Gaza by Qatar's ruling emir at the time, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. The U.S. House letter, which was organized by U.S. Reps. Peter Roskam (R-IL) and John Barrow (D-GA) and had been circulating in the House since last month, said the Qatari government's support of Hamas "empowers, legitimizes, and bolsters an organization committed to violence and hatred."

Israel lets Arab Idol winner move to West Bank

Guy Inbar, an Israeli military spokesman, confirmed on Tuesday that Israel has granted West Bank residency to Assaf, his sister, brother-in-law and the couple's three children. Inbar said Israel responded to a request by the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank-based self-rule government of President Mahmoud Abbas.
When Assaf won the Arab Idol contest in Beirut in June, the charismatic performer became a symbol of Palestinian pride, and Abbas embraced him as a national hero.
In contrast, the Islamic militant Hamas rulers of Gaza gave Assaf a cool reception when he briefly visited Gaza after his win. Hamas views contests such as Arab Idol as frivolous and opposes them on religious grounds.

Erekat to US Representative: PA curriculum not perfect, but working on teaching mutual respect

No group on earth has been subjected to more discrimination and hate than the Jews, and the US will not fund curriculum in the Palestinian Authority that does not teach tolerance and mutual respect, US Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) said on Wednesday.
Hoyer, leading a massive delegation of 36 Democratic US congressman, said this issue was the first one he broached during a meeting Wednesday in Ramallah with PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat.

Palestinians riot in Jenin after terror activist's arrest

Dozens of Palestinians rioted in response to the IDF's arrest Wednesday morning of an Islamic Jihad leader in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
At least 150 protesters threw rocks, Molotov cocktails and burning tires at the soldiers throughout the raid of the Palestinian activist's home, an IDF spokeswoman told The Times of Israel. The IDF responded with riot-control munitions, including tear gas canisters, the spokeswoman said.

Egypt a Battleground for Hamas, Fatah Feuding

Egypt has emerged as a battlefield between the Hamas and Fatah terror groups in their ongoing struggle for control of the Palestinian Authority, according to a top Palestinian Authority academic.
Adnan Abu Amer, writing on the web site AlMonitor, addressed accusations by Hamas that top PA officials collaborated to blacken Hamas' reputation among Egypt's military leaders, saying that such reports were at least partially confirmed by documents seized by Hamas from a Fatah operative.

Egyptian crisis puts fearful Christians in a corner

It was nighttime and 10,000 Islamists were marching down the most heavily Christian street in this ancient Egyptian city, chanting "Islamic, Islamic, despite the Christians." A half-dozen kids were spray-painting "Boycott the Christians" on walls, supervised by an adult.
While Islamists are on the defensive in Cairo following the military coup that ousted President Mohammed Morsi, in Assiut and elsewhere in Egypt's deep south they are waging a stepped-up hate campaign, claiming the country's Christian minority somehow engineered Morsi's downfall.

Islamists Raise Al Qaeda Flag Over Coptic Church in Egypt

According to Coptic Solidarity, a U.S.-based Coptic human rights organization that cited a local Egyptian report in Shorouk News, the Islamists chanted that Egypt should be an "Islamic [state] despite [the wishes of] secularists." The church immediately closed its doors after the demonstration and prevented the entry or exit of its members.
Additionally, hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters surrounded a church in the Egyptian city of Girga to denounce Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros and his support for the interim military-backed government.

Saudi Arabia tries to woo Russia away from Syria with arms deal

Saudi Arabia offered to buy billions of dollars worth of arms from Russia in return for a Moscow commitment to ease its support for Syrian President Bashar Assad and to not block any future United Nations Security Council resolutions against the Damascus regime.
According to a Wednesday report from Reuters, based on several unnamed sources from across the Middle East, Saudi Intelligence Chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan made the proposal to Russian President Vladimir Putin when the two met in Moscow last week.
Syrian opposition sources claim Bandar offered to buy $15 billion worth of weapons and also pledged to ensure that Gulf gas producers will not challenge Russia's position as the leading gas supplier to Europe.

Satellite images show Aleppo devastation

Satellite images have laid bare the suffering inflicted on Syria's largest city, a London-based rights group said Wednesday, cataloging hundreds of damaged or destroyed houses and more than 1,000 roadblocks.
Amnesty International said it had worked with the American Association for the Advancement of Science to analyze pictures of Aleppo taken by aerospace imagery providers DigitalGlobe and Astrium for signs of destruction in the metropolis, which has been the scene of months of vicious fighting between forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad and the rebels fighting to topple him.

How the EU Empowers Hezbollah's "Military Wing"

By preserving contact with, and funding of, Hezbollah's "political wing," without substantial measures against its "military wing," the EU not only sanitizes and legitimizes Hezbollah's "political" leadership, but also also legitimizes the entire terror group as an important actor in both Lebanese politics and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Even the European media have been puzzled at the EU's decision to bolster one side of the terror group while symbolically -- though not practically -- punishing the other side. An editorial in The Times noted, "It is implausible to believe that Hezbollah's political organisation is sealed from its terrorist wing. These are one entity, not two. Hezbollah comprises a murder gang and a public relations front."

Analysts: New Iran Site May be Used to Test Ballistic Missiles

Iran has built a new rocket launch site which is likely to be used for testing ballistic missiles, military analysts publishing satellite images of the structure told the British Daily Telegraph on Wednesday.
Pictures of the newly discovered site have been published weeks after the Iranian government said it was building new space launch bases for its domestic satellite program.

Iran Christian Sentenced To 10 Years Jail For Evangelical Activities

Mohammad-Hadi (Mostafa) Bordbar, a 27-year-old resident of the city of Rasht, was "tried by Judge Pir-Abbasi on the morning of June 9, 2013 in branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran," amid a wider government crackdown on spreading Christianity in Iran said Mohabat News, an agency of Iranian Christian and activists.
Bordbar, who has been detained since December 27, 2012, received a five-year jail sentence for "membership of an anti-security organization" and an additional five years for "gathering with the intent to commit crimes against Iranian national security," according to published court documents.

The Turkish saga

The pugnacious Erdogan now aims to run for president, since he cannot continue for another term as prime minister. Accordingly, he aims to change the rules of the game and make the presidency more potent.
Those urban Turks who are relatively Europeanized have cause for concern.
As Peres opined all those years ago, the Middle East demolishes clichés. In this region liberal secularists put their trust in the military, whereas the forces of Islam are its hardly democratic adversaries. Chipping away at the military hierarchy – to say nothing of eliminating it – bolsters the fundamentalists and brings theocracy ever closer.
No alternative is democratic, but the West – Israel included – needs to decide with whom it would rather do business, or with whom it can do business.

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Posted By Ian to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 8/08/2013 12:00:00 PM