[Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News] 08/04 Links P1: Brendan O'Neill: This anti-Israel hysteria is the opposite of a peace movement

From Ian:

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Brendan O’Neill: This anti-Israel hysteria is the opposite of a peace movement

There is nothing remotely progressive in today’s myopic, disproportionate Western fury with Israel. On the contrary, it is a profoundly ugly phenomenon, masquerading as a peace movement but actually devoting its energies to drumming up hatred, sanctions and possibly even intervention against a state that it has found guilty in the kangaroo court of liberal opinion of being a ‘rogue’. It is always concerning when Western activists and institutions try to have foreign states written off as ‘criminal’ and ‘insane’, for such judgements further moralise and destabilise international affairs, resurrecting the divide between the civilised nations and the savage nations and making war more rather than less likely. But it’s particularly concerning to see Israel branded a ‘rogue state’. For whether you like it or not, Israel is intimately bound up with the Jewish people. Recent outbursts of anti-Semitism in Europe suggest it could be a short step indeed from labelling Israel a rogue state to looking upon the Jews themselves as rogues.

Douglas Murray: Hamas censors British journalists. Why don’t we care?

Before the 2003 war in Iraq, for instance, reporters broadcasting for television or radio from inside Iraq nearly always made reference to the fact that they were reporting under restrictions imposed on them by Saddam Hussein’s government. This often meant a Hussein goon was standing nearby checking that nothing untoward was said.
In the same way, Hamas takes great care to ensure that the ‘wrong’ message does not come out. Indeed they recently expelled a reporter from the Putin propaganda channel Russia Today because he mentioned that Hamas were launching rockets from Gaza.
Yet I can think of no example during this conflict when reporters for any major broadcaster have told the truth – which is that if they stay in Gaza they are only able to tell Hamas’s account of this conflict (complete with ‘deliberate’ Israeli targetting and only ever ‘innocent’, never ‘guilty’ victims). There will be those who think this a small technical point. But I suspect this is one major reason why some surprising Western observers seem to have become so rancidly pro-Hamas during this conflict.

Times of Israel Blog: Man killed in J’lem tractor attack; soldier shot near Mount Scopus

A unilateral humanitarian window declared by Israel takes hold Monday morning. The IDF death toll stands at 64, as it partially redeployed in and around Gaza, nearing the end of its work demolishing Hamas tunnels. A Palestinian delegation held talks on ceasefire arrangements in Egypt. Israel was condemned for hitting a UN school, killing 10, and said it was looking into the incident. Gazan health officials put the death toll there at some 1,800. Israel says many of those are Hamas fighters.

The Bolt Report - Gaza




Isi Leibler: Will Obama keep shielding Hamas barbarians at our gates?

The cabinet must speedily decide on one of two options. It can expand the ground campaign and conquer Gaza, which the majority of the nation would probably initially endorse but which would likely entail massive casualties and provoke concerted international pressure that would probably force us to withdraw unilaterally or face sanctions. It would appear that without ruling out this option, Prime Minister Netanyahu – at least in the short term – intends to continue degrading the rocket launchers and attacking Hamas from the air, thereby limiting Israeli casualties and providing greater leverage to achieve demilitarization.
The outcome rests largely with the US. If it rewards Hamas for its aggression by seeking to “lift the blockade” or provide them with funds without demilitarization, it will be betraying us. The US will thus have destroyed whatever little global credibility it retains and will be seen as abandoning its long standing-ally and groveling to those who support fanatical Islamic terrorism.
Will the US support Israel’s just cause against genocidal terrorism or act as a shield to protect the Hamas barbarians at our gates, effectively paving the way for a far more brutal war in the near future?

Pornography of Pain: Why the Heartbreaking Images Out of Gaza Are Hurting the Palestinians

Historian Shlomo Ben Ami, the dovish Israeli minister whose offers of Palestinian statehood were twice rejected by Arafat, poignantly summarized the effect of media pity on Palestinian politics: "The international pampering of the national Palestinian movement," he wrote, "was at vital crossroads of the conflict an obstacle to a settlement. For it was frequently interpreted by the Palestinian leadership as an implicit encouragement to ... find instead satisfaction in Israel's decline into the position of a state put in the dock of the tribunal of international opinion."
The people of Gaza undoubtedly deserve compassion. But the three wars waged by Hamas on Israeli civilians since Israel vacated that land should compel western journalists to ask themselves if their exploitation of emotion may ultimately represent the biggest impediment to necessary change. For Palestinian fortunes in Gaza to improve, the Palestinians must have leaders who serve their people and not the genocidal ideals of Hamas' charter. That will require that Hamas be disarmed -- but Hamas has vowed to kill anyone, including President Obama, who tries to disarm it. If the press has a better alternative to freeing Gaza from Hamas, they should advocate it. To only broadcast the pain of this war will do nothing to prevent the next.

Journalists Threatened, Given Talking Points About How To Talk About Hamas, Gaza

Freedom of the Press is certainly not the reality for journalists in Gaza covering the Hamas – Israeli conflict. Reporters have been given specific guidelines of what they may or may not cover or photograph. Then, Hamas spells out precisely how they are to spin the stories.
In other words, the world is being played by Hamas.
How many photographs have come out of the Gaza strip of Hamas militants or jihadists who have been injured or killed in the war? It is difficult, if not impossible, to find even one. The photos are all of “civilians,” but that is not because no militants have been killed. It is a calculated move by Hamas to gain public sympathy in the propaganda war, a war that is every bit as real as the battle with rockets and gunfire.
This is in keeping with a specific guideline from the Hamas interior ministry, reports the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). Investigative journalists are forbidden to do their job and ascertain whether a person killed in Gaza is a civilian or a Hamas militant. All deaths are to be reported as “innocent civilian” deaths:

Protocols of the Elders of Hamas

The UN Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay went further and said that Israel deliberately targeted civilians.
Deliberate.
That’s quite an accusation. And she better be right. Because if she’s wrong, she is guilty of yet another blood libel against the Jewish people.
The facts, of course, are otherwise. To Hamas, Palestinian children are nothing but bullet proof vests to be donned by cowardly terrorists, human missile silos to protect their rockets.

Seven-hour humanitarian window begins

However, the Israeli military said the ceasefire, which started at 10 a.m., would not apply to areas where troops were still operating, and that they would respond to any attacks.
Palestinian sources claimed that there were firefights in the Shati refugee camp that is located near Gaza City.
Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai said that any violation of the truce would be met with immediate retaliation at the source of the fire.

Rockets Strike 2 Hours After Unilateral Ceasefire Begins

Rockets fell in open areas near Ashkelon at roughly 12:05 pm Monday, just two hours after Israel began observing a unilateral cease-fire. No injuries or damage were reported.
Israel began the truce at 10:00 am Monday, following a late-night decision by the Security Cabinet and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
The seven-hour truce will last until 5:00 pm Monday, and excludes the Rafah area, where ongoing clashes have raged since Friday.

Hamas: We Don't Trust Israeli Ceasefire

Hamas on Sunday night rejected the seven-hour humanitarian ceasefire announced by Israel and scheduled to begin Monday morning at 10:00 a.m.
In a statement quoted by AFP, the group’s spokesman said that the terrorist group “does not trust” the ceasefire.
"The unilateral ceasefire announced by Israel is an attempt to divert the attention from Israeli massacres," the spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri.
"We do not trust this ceasefire, and call on our people to be very cautious," he said, according to AFP.

Gunman on motorbike shoots soldier in Jerusalem

The shooting took place on Hanadiv Street, which separates the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Wadi al-Joz from Hebrew University. The soldier, 20, was rushed to nearby Hadassah Medical Center, where he was listed in serious condition.
Security forces chased the gunman, who had reportedly escaped into Wadi al-Joz. A security guard opened fire on the gunman, police said.
Jerusalem police chief Yossi Pariente said the soldier was “shot at close range by a man dressed in black,” adding that the shooting was with “very, very high likelihood,” a terror attack.

Pedestrian killed in excavator terror attack in Jerusalem

A male pedestrian approximately 30 years old was run over by the tractor as it headed toward the bus and was killed. The tractor driver, identified as East Jerusalem resident Muhammed Naif El-Ja’abis, turned the bus over onto its side during the attack, making several efforts to do so before he succeeded. The bus driver as well as five others were lightly hurt.
Police said the attack, which took place at the end of Shmuel Hanavi Street, near the Olive Tree Hotel, was nationalistically motivated.
A police officer and Prisons Service official who realized what was happening ran up to the tractor and fired a volley of shots at the terrorist as he sat in the cab and killed him, Jerusalem police chief Yossi Pariente said.

Terrorist being shot in Jerusalem 04/08/2014


One Killed in Tractor Terror Attack in Jerusalem, Rogue Driver Shot Dead (GRAPHIC VIDEO)

Hamas officials in Gaza praised the attack, calling it “a brave and natural response to the massacre being perpetrated in Gaza.” The Islamist group called on Palestinians in the West Bank to “increase their resistance, in all its forms, throughout Palestine,” Israel Radio said.
Arabs perpetrated three similar attacks in 2008 and 2009, killing three and wounding dozens of others in the first attack, which took place during construction of the light rail line, near the Central Bus Station.
The second attack took place near the city’s King David Hotel. Security officials shot the driver to death before he could do any damage in his rampage.

Netanyahu: The Operation Continues Until its Goals Are Reached

Netanyahu’s declaration came after a security assessment he held with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) chief Yoram Cohen.
"Operation Protective Edge continues until its goals are achieved - restoring quiet and security to Israeli citizens for an extended period, with significant damage to the terrorist infrastructure. It will take as long as it takes, using as much force as needed," Netanyahu said after the assessment.
"After completing its action against the tunnels, the IDF will prepare to continue the operation according to Israel’s security needs, until we achieve the goals of the operation," he stressed.

IDF Blog: New Map Exposes Hamas’ Fortress in Shuja’iya

Hamas uses the residential neighborhood of Shuja’iya as a terrorist stronghold for its weapons, rockets, tunnels and command centers. This is why the IDF targeted multiple sites in Shuja’iya.
Shuja’iya is a densely populated neighborhood, close to the Karni Crossing and just over the border fence from the Israeli community of Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Shuja’iya is saturated with Hamas observation points and is home to a vast network of tunnels used for attacking Israel.

Hamas Fires Rockets from Everywhere in Gaza

During Operation Protective Edge, Hamas has used populated areas of Gaza to launch attacks against Israel. The terrorist organization knows that rocket launching sites may be the targets of IDF counterstrikes. Nevertheless, Hamas has never stopped firing rockets from mosques, school, hospitals and other civilian areas.
Hamas is responsible for the destruction in civilian areas in Gaza. Not only did Hamas draw the IDF into a battle by refusing to cease its indiscriminate rocket fire on Israelis, Hamas also brought the battle right into the heart of Gaza’s civilian areas.

IDF Naval Forces Strike Long Range Rocket Launcher


Motorcycles and Weapons Found Inside a Tunnel from Gaza


IsraellyCool: Hamas Wants To Blockade Gaza

But the IDF and Israel are determined not to let them.
I’ve noticed something. Almost every day without fail Kerem Shalom gets shot at by Hamas. Kerem Shalom is the ONLY goods crossing point into Gaza. Israel operates the crossing to control what goes in and exclude all the stuff that Hamas would like to get, like more rockets or weapons.
In fact I tried to get Matt Lee at the AP to ask at the State Department briefing about this crossing a few days ago:

IDF Transfers Truckloads of Goods into Gaza


ANALYSIS: Israel and Sunni powers finally display convergent interests

Two-and-a-half sentences stuck out from all the others in Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s comments to the nation Saturday night when he said Operation Protective Edge would continue, albeit with the troops deployed differently.
Tucked in among his well-worn comments about the operation – that its goals were to restore quiet and hit Hamas hard, that the IDF had hit thousands of terrorists targets, that the country was demonstrating remarkable resilience – were the following lines that constituted something new and different: “We are enlisting the international community to support this goal of linking the rehabilitation and development of Gaza to its demilitarization but no less important – this may surprise many, but not us – is the unique link which has been forged with the states of the region,” he said. “This as well is a very important asset for the State of Israel. With the cessation of the fighting and the conclusion of the campaign, this will open new possibilities for us.”

US, UK ‘appalled’ by shelling near UNRWA school

US State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki delivered an unusually strong condemnation of an Israeli strike near a Gaza school being used as a shelter in Rafah, saying that the US was “appalled” by the “disgraceful shelling outside an UNRWA school.”
The shelling, which left 10 people dead according to Palestinian reports, drew harsh condemnations worldwide, including from the United Nations, London and elsewhere, amid growing international criticism of the 27-day-long operation.
The IDF issued a statement saying that forces had targeted three Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists on board a motorcycle in vicinity of an UNRWA school in Rafah, and added that “the IDF is reviewing the consequences of this strike.”
However, the US said that the presence of combatants did not justify targeting areas near the school.

Not Your Average Motorcycle Gang

These motorcycles were found inside Hamas terror tunnels leading into Israeli towns.
Hamas planned to enter the towns, kidnap women and children, and use the motorcycles to zoom safely back to Gaza via the tunnels with their hostages.

Palestinians present Egypt with draft of Gaza truce demands

A Palestinian delegation including Hamas presented its joint demands on Sunday to Egyptian mediators in Cairo for a truce with Israel, including an end to the Gaza blockade, officials said.
The delegation, which included members of president Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestinian Authority and Gaza’s Hamas rulers, met the Egyptian mediators late in the day even as Israel began pulling some of it forces out of Gaza.
Cairo is to relay the demands to Israel, which balked at sending negotiators after accusing Hamas of breaching a 72-hour truce soon after it began on Friday.

US, Qatar again working on alternative ceasefire

Palestinian sources in Cairo revealed on Monday that the United States and Qatar have again renewed their attempts to reach an understanding on a ceasefire in Gaza, even as Palestinian factions meet Egyptian officials in Cairo to forge their own proposal.
Representatives of the US administration are in Cairo at the same time as a Palestinian delegation that includes senior officials from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah.
The Palestinian sources suggested that the US-Qatari initiative slows and undermines the Egyptian efforts.

Yishai’s Opponent Goes Apoplectic on Al Jazeera [video]

OK, unfortunately you have to listen to Al Jazeera’s skewed bias and nonsense for a bit and a lot of ranting as well, and it is obviously unfair that the talking-time distribution is so uneven, but stay to the end and watch Yishai Fleisher not only mop the floor with them, but as his opponent goes apoplectic as he is unable to counter Yishai’s arguments.

Can diplomacy still end the Gaza crisis?


‘We could have taken Gaza in a week, but that wasn’t our mission,’ says senior IDF source

“Had we been ordered to defeat Hamas, we would have done it. We would have drafted four divisions, evacuated the Gazan population from battlegrounds, conquered the area and scanned it thoroughly.
It would take a week to take Gaza, and up to two years to destroy terrorist infrastructure,” the source said.
In such a scenario, “A guerrilla war would have started. This was not the mission given to the IDF, and rightfully so,” the source said. “The IDF divided up Gaza dozens of times, most recently in Operation Cast Lead [in 2009]. Every brigade can do it. The question is, what is the aim?” The goal of the offensive was not to topple Hamas, but to create a better security environment for Israel, the source continued.

Sa’ar: The lesson we can learn from Gaza is not to allow a Palestinian state

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu faced a challenge Sunday from his No. 2 in Likud, Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who warned him that Hamas’s attack on Israel proved the danger of creating a Palestinian state.
Sa’ar, who is considered a future candidate for prime minister, spoke at a conference marking the nine-year anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip at Jerusalem’s Menachem Begin Heritage Center.
“After withdrawing from Lebanon brought Hezbollah to power and withdrawing from Gaza brought Hamas to power, the lesson must be not to form a terrorist state in the heart of our land,” Sa’ar said.
“A Palestinian state would endanger Israel’s future.”

Livni Slams Naysayers, Praises Success of Gaza Operation

Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni (HaTnua) had harsh words for the “sour spin”, as she put it, of the Israeli media on Operation Protective Edge.
"Take a look at the current situation and what we have achieved thus far," said Livni in an interview with IDF Radio Monday. "Their leadership is still burrowed in, and they don’t dare show their heads above ground ...they have 1,800 dead and have not attained even one of their goals."
"With them, there will always be the one who will stick his head out of his bunker to say ‘We won!’, and with us, there will always be someone who will rush to cry out, 'We lost!'" she added.

Watch: IDF Transfers Truckloads of Goods into Gaza

Even as Hamas continues its terrorist actions and fires rockets towards Israel, the IDF continues to transfer goods to Gazans.
On Sunday, the IDF transferred 186 truckloads of food, medical supplies, fuel and other goods into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom border crossing.
Hamas has for years claimed that Israel is imposing a “siege” on Gaza, yet Israel consistently allows humanitarian aid and other materials into the coastal territory.

Goldin’s fiancee at funeral: I thought we’d be together forever

Tens of thousands of people paid their last respects to Lt. Hadar Goldin in Kfar Saba, and thousands more said farewell to other soldiers killed late last week in a series of funerals around the country Sunday.
Givati Brigade officer Goldin, 23, was laid to rest in the local cemetery of Kfar Saba, the town where he and his family lived. The officer was killed, along with two others, in a Hamas attack on IDF troops last Friday during a period when a ceasefire agreement was supposed to be in effect.
In the hours after the attack, the IDF believed he may have been kidnapped, driving intense public interest regarding his fate. However, on Saturday night the IDF told his family that Goldin was declared dead.
“I didn’t expect you to leave me so quickly,” Goldin’s fiancee Edna Sarusi said at the funeral, her voice choked with emotion. “I relied only on you. I don’t know what to do.”

IDF Officer Led From The Front: ‘If Anyone Dies, It’ll Be Me, First’

An IDF infantry officer who fell in battle in Gaza on Friday, once said, “I always made sure I was first in to sweep structures – before my soldiers, so, if anyone was going to die – it would be me,” Israel’s NRG daily reported.
On Sunday, thousands of mourners attended the funeral of Givati Brigade Ranger commander, Cap. Benaya Sarel, 26, of Kiryat Arba.
Sarel left behind a fiancee, Gali, who he was to wed in three weeks. His parents, and seven brothers and sisters are veterans of the Hebron-area town.

JNF Raises $4 Million for Emergency War Help

As Israeli Jews have been descending on the south with donations, food, clothing, and everything else they can fit in the trunks of their cars, Jews in the diaspora have been marshaling resources to help the IDF and Israelis cope with Operation Protective Edge. On Sunday, the Jewish National Fund said it had raised $4 million in just the past several days from Jews and supporters of Israel in North America.
Among other things, the money will be used to buy 160 mini-shelters, to be placed in Israeli towns in the south. The shelters will allow residents to move about town and remain prepared for a rocket attack; they will be placed close enough together so that an individuals walking down the street will be able to get to the shelter within just a few moments.

IDF Soldier Adopts Mutt, Abandoned in Gaza Fighting

During a bout of fighting in Gaza last week, an IDF soldier adopted a starving, weak dog he found wandering among the rubble.
St.-Sgt. Roee Cohen (res), 25, was part of front-line forces tasked with safely evacuating wounded soldiers out of battle.
Leading the pitiful creature into their armored vehicle, Cohen brought the animal out of the area with him, for a few days away from the fighting.
Adopting his “new best friend,” Roee named the dog “Tzuk” (Cliff), for the Hebrew name for Operation Protective Edge – Tzuk Eitan, and treated the mutt to field rations and lots of attention, according to Channel 2 News.

Meet a Hero

When Lt. Eitan realized that Lt. Hadar Goldin was kidnapped and pulled into a Hamas terror tunnel in Rafah during the cease fire, he grabbed his soldiers and jumped into the tunnels to chase after them and try to save Lt. Hadar Goldin.
The chase led them into a maze of tunnels 20 meters underground. It was there that they found the personal effects of Lt. Goldin from which the IDF was able to determine that Goldin had not survived the attack. He and his soldiers, with no radio contact with above, searched hundreds of meters of the tunnel maze for Goldin.
Lt. Eitan (24) serves as Deputy Commander of a Pulsar Givati reconnaissance unit.

MK Says Haaretz's Levy Is a Traitor

Coalition Chairman MK Yariv Levin (Likud) wants Haaretz journalist Gideon Levy put on trial for treason, following articles he wrote in the course of Operation Protective Edge.
"Gideon Levy is the lowest kind of provocateur,” Levin told Channel 2 Saturday evening. “When someone who lives among you turns himself into an enemy mouthpiece, while spreading lies, out of the hope that this will undermine your ability to wage war – this is called, in simple Hebrew, 'treason'.
"Levy writes the enemy's lies in an Israeli newspaper, and then these writings are quoted all over the entire world as if they were written by Israelis, and as if they reflect a reality that is supposedly objective,” he explained.

Israeli Karateka Fends Off Iranian Attackers in Germany

Israeli karate trainer Shai Hai was attacked by a group of Iranians and Germans in Frankfurt, Germany, at an international karate seminar last week.
Hai was the headline speaker at the seminar, which was attended by about 90 people and supposedly dedicated to advancing world peace and unity. He was the only Israeli at the international event.
When he got up to speak, members of the Iranian delegation and about 15 Germans began shouting at him, he told IDF Radio Monday. “They called me a murderer, said I had blood on my hands, that I came from a nation of murderers, that I had gained his position in the karate world by stepping on the bodies of Palestinians, that it is unthinkable to learn martial arts from a person who hails from a nation of murderers, ugly things like that,” he recalled.
A female attacker tried unsuccessfully to spill red paint on his clothes, Hai added. Another man tried to approach him physically. He responded with the self defense techniques he is trained in: “In a matter of seconds, he had flown halfway across the auditorium,” he said.

5 police officers injured during riot on Temple Mount

At least five police officers were lightly injured Monday morning on the Temple Mount when hundreds of masked Muslims rioted and erected roadblocks in an attempt to block reinforcements from dispersing the mob.
According to police, at approximately 7:30 a.m. officers charged with opening Mughrabi Gate for Jewish and Christian visitors were pelted with rocks and fire crackers.
Border Police reinforcements who were called in were initially impeded from entering the scene by road blocks placed at Rambam Gate, but were able to get through after dismantling them. Meanwhile, 12 Arabs were arrested for rioting in east Jerusalem overnight. Police said that over the past 30 days, 430 Arabs have been arrested for rioting throughout the capital.

Expert Says Terror Tunnels a Threat in the Galilee

For a long time he spoke to every official, every minister, and every IDF Chief of Staff over the threat of terror tunnels - in Gaza and elsewhere - but the system preferred to silence him.
Now, Geologist and res. Col. Yossi Langotsky speaks to Arutz Sheva for the first time since Operation Protective Edge began 28 days ago about his perspective on the current conflict, and on how war tunnels may continue to threaten Israel despite the operation.
Col. Langotsky commanded for five years in Operational Intelligence and won the Israel Security Prize twice. Despite his expertise, however, his warnings about terror tunnels were apparently ignored.

JCPA: The Hamas Threat to the West Is No Different from ISIS

Hamas and ISIS differ on only two important issues: the alliance Hamas has forged with Shiite Iran, which has outraged Egypt and Saudi Arabia who view Iran as a strategic threat, and secondly, Hamas’ willingness to play the political and diplomatic game within its ideological boundaries. Unlike ISIS, Hamas is prepared to cooperate with human rights organizations in pursuit of its own objectives, particularly, at this stage, constraining the IDF in attacking targets in Gaza, which would grant Hamas a “license to kill” Israelis while hiding behind human shields.
In sum, the threat Hamas poses to the West is not fundamentally different from the threat posed by ISIS and its branches. Both organizations seek to overthrow the pro-Western regimes in the Middle East, eject Western influence from the region, and establish an Islamic caliphate to wage holy war (jihad) against the West and Christianity, which are considered the cardinal enemies of Islam. The rise of radical Islam in the Middle East, and the creation of the caliphate and other Islamic “emirates” (official and de facto) along with the toppling of existing governments, could gradually foster the conditions leading to a jihad front against Western interests and allies.

Liberman: Topple Hamas and give UN control over Gaza

Speaking to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Liberman said asking the UN to become the custodian of Gaza was one of several ways Israel could proceed after nearly four weeks of fighting in the Strip.
“One idea is an international mandate of the United Nations. A UN mandate is not only part of the history of the land of Israel, we also saw it nowadays at least several times, for example in the cases of East Timor and Kosovo. We saw UN mandates working, and they worked not bad. And therefore here, too, we need to consider returning control over Gaza to the UN. I certainly don’t rule out this option.”
An aide to Liberman told The Times of Israel the idea was “a serious possible consideration,” when asked whether the suggestion was meant as a trial balloon.

World should impose solution on Israel, France says

As Israel observes a unilateral, seven-hour cease-fire - which Palestinians say was broken immediately after it went into effect when a house was bombed, leaving a Palestinian child dead and others wounded - French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius made a statement, addressing the ongoing fighting.
Fabius said on Monday that world powers should impose a political solution to halt the conflict between Israel and Hamas that has claimed hundreds of lives in the Gaza Strip, and dozens on the Israeli side.

Keith Ellison explains his vote against Iron Dome

You may recall that on Friday, in what would have been a Christmas Miracle were it not several months early, Congress actually got something done. It was the passage of a bill approving $225M in funding for Israel’s Iron Dome defensive missile system. It was quite the bipartisan effort in retrospect, garnering an overwhelming 395 votes in the House with only eight in opposition. One of those eight was Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison, and as The Corner reports, he went out on the weekend gab circuit to explain why he didn’t support the measure.
“Because a cease-fire is what we should prioritize now,” he said when asked to explain his vote on Meet the Press. “A cease-fire protects civilians on both sides — it doesn’t just say, ‘We’re only concerned about people on one side.’”
He pointed to the devastation he witnessed during his trips to Gaza. (h/t MtTB)

China's Foreign Minister Calls for Truce, End of Gaza Blockade

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on Israel and the Islamist terrorist group Hamas on Sunday to stop fighting and urged the Jewish state to lift its blockade of Gaza.
Wang made his comments at a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri, whose government is hosting a Palestinian delegation for ceasefire talks snubbed by Israel after Hamas broke a series of previous truces.

Saudi Grand Mufti Issues Fatwa against Solidarity Marches with Gaza

The fatwa was issued by Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti and General President for Scientific Researches and Fatwa, Abdul Aziz Al Ash-Sheikh.
This comes at a time after which several demonstrations have been organized in Arab and non-Arabs countries alike in solidarity with the Gaza Strip. These demonstrations have taken place since the Zionist aggression on Palestinians starting, July 8.
According to Al Ghadeer TV, Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti said that the pro-Gaza demonstrations “are just useless demagogic actions, that won’t help Palestinians.” “Demagoguery does not work. It is just an exaggeration,” he added.

Hamas Demands UN 'Apologize' for Demanding Soldier's Release

Hamas officials called on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to "formally apologize before the Palestinian people" for "accepting Israel's version of events" regarding their breaking a humanitarian ceasefire on Friday, claiming that the fact that IDF soldier Hadar Goldin (hy"d) was killed and not abducted proves that Israel lied to international community on being attacked by Hamas.
Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Sami Abu-Zuhri, called Ban a "partner in slaughter" to Israel in his remarks and demanded an apology.

'We Don't Target Israeli Civilians', Claims Hamas

In a statement on Sunday, the group’s “military wing”, the Izz A-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, threatened to fire rockets at all the cities in Israel that are within the ranges of its rockets.
At the same time, the statement claimed, Hamas is not trying to harm Israelis with its rocket attacks, only military personnel and installations.
"During the campaign we tried as much as possible to focus on targeting military personnel, soldiers and officers of the enemy, its military bases and airports, and avoided as much as possible targeting someone who is not a military person,” Hamas claimed.

Abd Al-Bari Atwan: Arafat Ignited Second Intifada; Why Don't We Do the Same in West Bank?


IRGC Deputy Commander: We Will Hunt the Zionists Down from House to House


Dog! Traitor! - Islamists' Debate on ISIS and Hamas Turns into Exchange of Insults


VIDEO: Hamas releases footage said to show sniper attacks targeting IDF forces

On Monday, Hamas's armed wing released video said to show a sniper targeting IDF soldiers operating in Gaza.
In the video released by Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, which cannot be independently verified by Reuters, a masked militant is seen loading a long rifle. The video also shows a compilation of moments in which gunshots are heard and what appears to be soldiers being shot in the distance.
In information released with the video, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam wrote that they had built the rifle and that it had a range of 2 kilometers (1.25 miles).

Iran Accuses Israel of 'Genocide' in Gaza

His comments came at a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement's (NAM) committee for Palestine, with several foreign ministers among officials from Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Venezuela, Bangladesh, Sudan, Uganda and other member states.
"The savage aggression by the army of this child-killer regime (Israel), continues with a deliberate policy to commit genocide and massacre civilians and destroy infrastructure, houses, hospitals, schools and mosques," Rouhani said in Tehran.
"The inaction of international bodies, in particular the Security Council, to prevent the crimes against humanity of the Zionist regime" is to be condemned, he added.

Erdogan: Israel Deliberately Killing Palestinian Mothers

Addressing hundreds of thousands of supporters at his biggest rally so far ahead of the August 10 election, Erdogan again likened Israel's actions to those of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
"Just like Hitler, who sought to establish a race free of all faults, Israel is chasing after the same target," Erdogan told the sea of cheering supporters at an Istanbul arena, according to Reuters.
"They kill women so that they will not give birth to Palestinians; they kill babies so that they won't grow up; they kill men so they can't defend their country ... They will drown in the blood they shed," he charged. (h/t Bob Knot)

Arab TV Host Pulls Out Sword During Broadcast: Let the Real Men Fight in Gaza

New footage provided by MEMRI shows a Jordanian TV host pull out a large sword on TV and demand that real men be allowed to fight in Gaza.
Husam Al-Abdalet, irritated by the perceived collaboration between Arab countries, Israel and America, opened by declaring "All the disgrace-afflicted Arabs, whose honor has been defiled, and who have been kissing the boots of the Zionists and the Americans, are collaborating in the killing of Hamas, in the killing of the people in Gaza, in the killing of Islamic Jihad, and in the crushing of the Al-Qassam Brigades."

IsraellyCool: Hamas On Helium

I am all for mocking Hamas, but at the same time educating people about their genocidal nature.

HamasOnHelium


Study: More Photographs Of Bigfoot Than Of Hamas Fighters (satire)

Cryptozoologists – whose field of endeavor involves finding creatures rumored to exist but of which no convincing evidence has surfaced – noticed over the last several weeks that Western photographers were transmitting hundreds of photos of wounded women and children, but not a single image of the hundreds, if not more than a thousand, casualties from among the Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters. The lack of such photographs emanating from the fighting in Gaza has made those devotees consider expanding their effort to include proving the existence of such entities.
“This could be a way to scoop the mainstream media,” says Bebe See, who has spent fifteen years pursuing the Himalayan Yeti, also known as the Abominable Snowman. “They’re constantly focused on toeing the company line and not taking any journalistic risks, so of course they’re ignoring this story, which doesn’t fit the mainstream corporate narrative.” He suspects it would take maybe two weeks on the ground in Gaza to obtain irrefutable photographic evidence that Hamas fighters exist.
“There are indications beyond the mere photographic,” agreed Bigfoot enthusiast Emma Sensbisi. “Statistically, the ages and sexes of the casualties are disproportionately males between the ages of 20 and 40, but those aren’t the photos any of the major outlets are showing,” she noted. “The mainstream media would have you believe these creatures do not exist, and the public is swallowing that. We have the opportunity to blow the lid off MSM complicity in concealing some of the biggest zoological conspiracies of all time.”

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Posted By Ian to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 8/04/2014 12:00:00 PM