[Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News] 10/18 Links Pt1: Ha’aretz- “Why Shouldn’t Hamas Dig Tunnels?”, PLO Battle for Succession

From Ian:

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Khaled Abu Toameh: PLO: Battle for Succession Has Begun

Several PLO and Fatah officials have recently been talking about the need for "leadership change." They maintain that it is time for the Palestinians to start thinking of replacing Abbas's old-guard regime with young and fresh leaders.
However, as of now Abbas, whose term in office expired back in January 2009, has shown no sign that he is willing to accept the principle of power-sharing. The battle for succession is therefore likely to intensify in the coming weeks and months, casting a shadow not only over his regime, but also the peace talks with Israel.

Palestinians very serious... about stealing aid billions

Though the international community, much of the mass media, the World Council of Churches, as well as the Palestinian leaders may persist in blaming Israel for this state of affairs, their views are belied by the voices of Palestinians themselves over the last few years. In June 2012 the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research issued the result of a poll showing that a majority of the Palestinian population thought that the Palestinian authorities were corrupt and that freedom of the press did not exist under Palestinian rule.
The result showed that 72.9 percent believed the administration in the West Bank under Mahmoud Abbas was corrupt, and 61 percent of those in the Gaza Strip believed the rule of Hamas there was corrupt. Also, only 23 percent believed freedom of speech existed in the West Bank, and only 15 percent believed it did in Gaza. Another poll by the Palestinian Center in September 2013 showed that 79 percent believed the Abbas administration was corrupt.

US ambassador denounces Gaza terrorist tunnels

"US condemns terrorist tunnels, supports Israel's right and ability to self-defense, and is focused on advancing negotiations for peace," tweeted the American ambassador following the tour.
Shapiro called the recently discovered tunnel in the fields of Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha "simply shocking," adding that the tunnels' "sole purpose is to conduct violent attacks on Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers."

'Humanitarian Aid' Enables Palestinian Terrorism

In June 2010, Israeli intelligence issued a warning that "Hamas uses cement for military needs," especially in the construction of munitions supply tunnels.
Yet in November 2011, the Israel Civil Administration, which reports to the Israel Ministry of Defense, approved the shipment of massive cement supplies for the construction of 75 United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) school buildings in Gaza.

Amira Hass: "Why Shouldn't Hamas Dig Tunnels?"

Was the tunnel dug by Hamas under the Israel-Gaza border a means for Palestinians to visit Israel, maybe do a bit of sightseeing or shopping for those hard-to-get items? Of course not. The tunnel was dug with the sole purpose of murdering or kidnapping, which was even confirmed by senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk.
What makes this more "terrorist" than a navy boat firing on fishermen? Again, it all boils down to intent. Israel's army, unlike Hamas, does not deliberately target innocent civilians. That's not to say that innocents will not be victims of the conflict. But it's a huge stretch to attribute some sort of moral equivalence between a Palestinian terrorist group and an Israeli army tasked with preventing Palestinian terrorists from carrying out their murderous acts.

Another 'last-first' BBC headline in report on attack on Israeli soldier

The official PA news agency Wafa reported that the man was thirty year-old Yunis al Radeideh from Bet Hanina, referring to "the martyrdom of Citizen Radaideh". According to reports, al Radeideh's brother carried out a similar terror attack using a bulldozer in 2009 in Jerusalem, injuring two police officers.
The BBC's short report on the incident appeared on the Middle East page of the BBC News website on the evening of October 17th. In line with usual BBC practice, the report's headline presents the last in a series of events first: "Israeli troops kill Palestinian who rammed army base".

Iran slashed Hamas funding, senior official admits

"Iran used to be the most supportive state to Hamas in all aspects: money, arms and training. We don't deny this," Abu Marzouk said. "Our position on Syria affected relations with Iran. Its support for us never stopped, but the amounts [of money] were significantly reduced."

Canadian Woman Sues Iran Over Hamas Terror Attack

Dr Sherry Weiss, a 43 year old dentist from Vancouver who was injured in a 1997 suicide bombing by Hamas in Israel, has submitted a damage suit against Iran, Shalom Toronto reports.
Weiss claims that the Iranian government was directly responsible for the attack, in September that year at the Mahane Yehuda open-air market in Jerusalem, in which she was badly wounded by the explosive device detonated by a suicide bomber.

Amnesty says Egypt should stop arresting, deporting Syrian refugees

Officials also said 300,000 Syrians were living in Egypt, underlining that it was impossible to say that they were subject to any kind of harassment.
They added that legal procedures were only taken against those suspected to be involved in crimes, or participating in Muslim Brotherhood protests.
Syrian and Palestinian refugees were accused by Egyptian media of being supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and being complicit in political violence in the country, following the ouster of Islamict president Mohamed Morsi in July.

Syria conflict: Christians 'fleeing homes'

A senior Church leader in Syria has said almost a third of the country's Christians have fled their homes.
Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregorios III Laham told the BBC that more than 450,000 Christians out of a total population of 1.75 million had been displaced or left the country.

Canadian UNDOF adviser released after 8 months in Syrian captivity

A Canadian legal adviser to the UN peacekeeping mission on the Golan Heights was released after eight months in captivity, the United Nations announced Thursday.
Carl Campeau was kidnapped in February — reportedly by Syrian rebels — while working for the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force.

US said to weigh gradually unfreezing Iranian assets

The plan calls for a graduated unfreezing of Iranian oversees assets without rescinding the sanctions themselves, affording US President Barack Obama the capacity to respond to offers made by Iran in the course of negotiations without undoing the years-long effort to put the existing sanctions regime into place, a unnamed senior official in the Obama administration told The New York Times late Thursday.
The official reportedly likened the plan – said to still be in debate in the White House and the State Department – to a "financial spigot," which could be opened and closed at will.

Former Obama Advisor: Rouhani's Nuclear Offer No Different Than Ahmadinejad's

Iran continues to woo the West in talks over concessions vis-a-vis the country's nuclear program. But Gary Samore, President of United Against a Nuclear Iran—which describes itself as a non-partisan, broad-based coalition committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons— and formerly one of U.S. President Barack Obama's point men at the National Security Council on these issues, believes Iran is all style and no substance.

Iranian faces a second hanging

Amnesty International has urged Iran to stay the second attempt to execute a convicted drug dealer who survived a hanging.
The man, identified by Iranian media only as Alireza M., 37, was sentenced to death after he was convicted of possessing a kilogram of crystal meth.

Top Lebanese Shiite Cleric Calls For Hezbollah to Disarm

Now a top Shiite cleric in Lebanon on Tuesday called for groups within the country to completely disarm. Higher Shiite Council deputy head Sheikh Abdel Amir Qabalan is certainly not the first high-ranking Lebanese official to have criticized Hezbollah's militarized state-within-a-state in recent months. But his status as a Shiite religious leader makes his criticism particularly relevant:

UN Watch: Saudi Arabia refusal to take seat on UN Security Council is "victory for human rights"

Saudi Arabia's refusal to take its seat on the UN Security Council, announced today via the Saudi Press Agency, is a "victory for human rights," said a Geneva-based human rights group today.
"A country whose legal system routinely lashes women rape victims rather than punish the perpetrators never belonged in the UN Security Council in the first place," said Hillel Neuer, executive director of the non-governmental human rights group UN Watch, which has for years reported on Saudi Arabia's oppression of women and its other gross human rights abuses.

Saudi Arabia rejects seat on UN Security Council

...the statement from Riyadh on Friday struck a dramatically different tone.
"Allowing the ruling regime in Syria to kill its people and burn them with chemical weapons in front of the entire world and without any deterrent or punishment is clear proof and evidence of the UN Security Council's inability to perform its duties and shoulder its responsibilities," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.
The foreign ministry statement also said the UN Security Council has not been able to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict over the past six decades and has failed to transform the Middle East into a zone free of weapons of mass destruction — a reference to Israel, which has never confirmed or denied possession of nuclear weapons.

Saudis, UAE to get US bunker-buster bombs, cruise missiles in deal worth $11b.

The US Pentagon said on Thursday it plans a large arms sale to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates worth $10.8 billion.
The weapons include bunker-buster bombs and air-launched cruise missiles that can hit targets from a long distance, AFP reported. The missiles can hit air defense systems from a safe distance, out of range of anti-aircraft systems.

Kuwait: Coffee shops 'corrupt morals' - MP

At least, that's what they're said to have told local media, while threatening to interrogate three ministers in parliament if they didn't close the "immoral" cafes within a month. The Kuwait Times says Askar al-Enezi was among MPs, religious figures and residents who rallied in Jahra, near the capital Kuwait City, claiming cafes promote vice and depravation. "Such coffee shops have no room in our society as they violate our very traditions and customs," al-Enezi said. Fellow MP Mohammad Tana told Al-Jarida newspaper: "There is a deep corruption of morals at these suspicious places."

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Posted By Ian to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 10/18/2013 12:00:00 PM