[Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News] 11/18 Links Pt2: Terrorists should know, it's not going to work; A Tale of Two Green Lines ~ EoZ

From Ian:

David Horovitz: Palestinian terrorists should know: It’s not going to work

Adding to the overwhelming feeling of sheer awfulness pervading the city today is the dismal sense of déjà vu. We’ve been through all of this before, in the Second Intifada terror war — the relentless attacks, the blood, the sirens, the heart-rending funerals, the families ripped apart, the effort to maintain some kind of normality when nowhere is truly safe from terrorism, the international indifference, criticism and misrepresentation.
And the sheer pointlessness of it all.
Because the final thing that has to be put in writing, even on a horrible, evil day like this, when the fingers loathe the necessity to tap the keyboard, is that it’s not going to work. Palestinian terrorists, and those who incite them and support them, should know: We are not going to be shot and stabbed and bludgeoned out of here by your brutality and the false justifications you invoke to legitimate it.
We stood firm during year upon year of Second Intifada terrorism, when you were blowing up our buses, malls, restaurants and supermarkets, and pragmatism could have dictated that we do what the terrorism was designed to make us do: flee. We do not insist on maintaining our majority Jewish state to the exclusion of your rights. Anything but. We seek co-existence. But your rights cannot be achieved by denying us ours.
For this is the homeland of the Jewish nation, the only place we have ever been sovereign or sought sovereignty. And what needs writing and saying, most especially on a terrible day like today, is that we will not be driven from it.

Jeffrey Goldberg: Hamas Endorses a Massacre

One of the most shocking aspects of the murderous attack on a Jerusalem synagogue this morning by men with guns and axes is not the attack itself—we've seen, from time to time, this sort of sectarian barbarism take place in places like Jerusalem, and Hebron. The most shocking aspect is the wholesale endorsement of this slaughter by Hamas, a group that, during this summer's war in Gaza, half-succeeded in convincing the world that it wasn't what it actually is: a group with actual genocidal intentions.
According to witnesses, the two attackers entered the synagogue, in the Har Nof neighborhood, and began killing worshipers with pistols and axes. (Both assailants were killed by police, but not before they murdered four worshipers and injured at least six others, including two police officers.)
“To see Jews wearing tefillin [phylacteries] and wrapped in the tallit [prayer shawls] lying in pools of blood, I wondered if I was imagining scenes from the Holocaust,” said Yehuda Meshi Zahav, who leads an emergency-response team, according to The New York Times. "It was a massacre of Jews at prayer.”

Eugene Kontorovich: A Tale of Two Green Lines

Efforts by academic groups to impose boycotts and other kinds of punitive measures on Israeli universities have gotten considerable attention lately. However, an opposite phenomenon has escaped notice: the widespread participation by mainstream universities in programs and collaborations with institutions located in occupied territories.
This may surprise those who recall that Israel’s establishment of Ariel University in the West Bank drew earnest condemnation from academics and even foreign ministries around the world. Yet it turns out that Ariel is not the only graduate-level institution established in what much of the international community considers occupied territory. And the others have gotten a very different reception.
Turkey has established 10 universities and many colleges in Northern Cyprus since seizing the territory in an invasion in 1974. Half of the universities are public, state-run institutions, and several are campuses of major Turkish institutions on the mainland. Some of the universities were established in just the past few years.
The United Nations Security Council, the European Court of Human Rights, and most of the international community have condemned the Turkish takeover of one third of the island of Cyprus. As of this writing, no nation other than Turkey recognizes the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” regime by which Ankara controls the territory. Turkey maintains a major settlement program, and settlers from the mainland now account for half or more of the population of the TRNC.

Israel A-Z with Frank Luntz and Tomer Kornfeld

Khaled Abu Toameh: Israel's Arabs Need Better Leaders

It is hard to see how the words and actions of these Arab Israeli leaders help, if at all, the Arab citizens of Israel. On the contrary; these representatives seem to be determined to damage relations between Jews and Arabs inside Israel, the same way Hamas and the PLO destroyed any prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The leaders of the Israeli Arabs are damaging their people's hopes of being fully integrated into Israeli society and being looked upon by Israeli Jews as equal and loyal partners.
It is time for these citizens to stand up to those Arab Israeli leaders who are causing them huge damage and remind them that they are supposed to represent Israeli Arabs and not the PLO or Hamas.
It is also time for them to start searching for better leaders before it is too late to stop the rapid deterioration of relations between Israel's Arabs and Jews.

How the UN and Westerners became enablers to Palestinian murder-promoters

The Hamas charter explicitly states that the movement wants to exterminate all Jews, because that pleases Allah. Palestinian Media Watch has mentioned that Hamas TV broadcasted similar statements over the summer. One of them was from the Hamas leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, who said, “We love death like our enemies love life! We love martyrdom, the way in which [Hamas] leaders died!” It is against this morbid background of Hamas’ love for death that it tried to have as many Palestinian civilians killed as possible, so that Westerners would condemn Israel.
Hamas knew that the more civilian casualties there were within the Palestinian population, the more condemnations Israel would receive from the West. By condemning Israel, these Westerners thus encouraged Hamas to expose even more Palestinian civilians to Israeli fire, including children.
Only a few examples among many of the de facto unpaid consultants to Hamas can be mentioned here. One category is the United Nations and some of its associated organizations.
The United Nations’ World Health Organization condemned Israel for targeting civilian populations. It went even further, blaming Israel for all civilian casualties in Gaza and ignoring the fact that a number of the Palestinian civilians who were killed, including nine children in a Gaza City refugee camp, were actually killed by misfired Hamas rockets and mortar shells. If Hamas were ever to create the “Hamas Award for the Love of Death,” the WHO, it seems, would be a prime contender.
Another unpaid consultant was the UN Security Council. The UNSC president released a statement on behalf of the entire Council. It condemned Israeli actions in Gaza and the loss of civilian lives. It also requested an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, because of its “critical humanitarian needs.” In the UNSC’s statement, Hamas’s use of human shields, its use of residential areas as cover, and its deliberate targeting of Israeli civilians were ignored.

Michael Lumish: It is Simply Not Up to Us

The truth of the matter is that if we end up with two states for two peoples on historically Jewish land depends on the will of the misogynistic Arab majority in that part of the world, not the egalitarian Jewish minority.
We can continue to beg them to accept a state for themselves decade upon decade, but they have refused every such offer since 1937. Unless you have an interest in setting up democratic Jews for never-ending bullying by authoritarian Arabs and their western-left allies than the status quo is not desirable. It may be sustainable, but it is certainly not desirable because vicious Arab and western-left malice toward Jews is not desirable, however much Barack Obama may suggest otherwise by pressuring the Jews.
When Barack Obama said that the status quo was unsustainable he did not have Jewish well-being in mind. He was talking about what he considers a Jewish assault on the “indigenous” Arab population with the implication that the international community – led by the European Union, the Arab League, and the United Nations, with Obama helping to coordinate from the rear – would punish the Jews of the Middle East unless they give in to terrorist demands for Jewish land.
When Barack Obama and John Kerry said that the status quo was unsustainable, what they meant was that unless we Jews know our place that we would get our asses kicked. If this is not what they meant it is exceedingly difficult to see in what manner the status quo could be unsustainable. The status quo has been around for one heck of a long time and can continue unless Obama and the EU want to put the screws to the Jews. In truth, the status quo has been relatively good because it represents Jewish sovereignty and self-defense.

Palestine House board member implicitly justifies 'run-over' attacks and calls for an all-out armed struggle against Israel

Dr. Nazih Khatatba, editor of Canadian Meshwar Newspaper and a board member of the 'Palestine House' in Mississauga, implicitly justifies the 'run-over' and stabbing attacks against Israeli Jews and overtly supports launching a Palestinian armed intifada (war) against Israel. It should be noted that during the last month 6 Israelis, including 3 year old toddler, were murdered in 'run-over' and stabbing attacks carried out by Palestinians. Israeli security services and citizens' vigilante foiled some other attacks.
Here are excerpts of Khatatba’s editorial “The Palestinian leadership fears of an intifada” (translated from Arabic) published on Meshwar (Issue 107, November 14, 2014, page 5):
“While confronting the Israeli racist activities in al-Quds [Jerusalem] and the repeated incursions into al-Aqsa Mosque, the people of al-Quds and the Palestinians in the [West] Bank and the areas of '48 [meaning the State of Israel] had to react and even with primitive ways available to them according to the circumstances in order to counter the occupation. The security apparatuses of the Palestinian Authority and the occupation cannot spot [in advance] and thwart the newly innovated modes of operation like the 'run-over' and stabbing operations in al-Quds, Tel Aviv and the West Bank. [Based on that] observers believe that its ['run-over' and stabbing operations] scope will expend into a new intifada...”

Mole At Jewish Org Fired For Offering Details of Private Call to Anti-Israel Listserv

Danny Blinderman, until recently an employee with the American Jewish Committee (AJC), offered to “pass along” details of an off-the-record phone call with Hillel International President Eric Fingerhut to a group of liberal activists affiliated with the Open Hillel movement, which has sought to increase outreach with anti-Zionist activists on campus as well as those who support boycotts of the Jewish state.
Blinderman, who was an official in the AJC Boston office, sent an email to a listserv of Open Hillel activists offering to document the AJC’s private Oct. 30 call with Fingerhut and pass along details to the group, according to the correspondence.
“As your resident inside person, it will be my pleasure to listen in on the call, and pass along any and all things of relevance Fingerhut says to the listserv,” Blinderman wrote in an email to the Open Hillel listserv a day before Fingerhut’s call with AJC.
Open Hillel activists have long been at odds with the official Hillel movement—one of the largest Jewish groups on campus—over its policy of not permitting anti-Israel speakers at it events.
Blinderman, a member of Open Hillel and J Street U, told the listserv that Fingerhut’s off-the-record talk could provide an opportunity to expose Hillel.

At Glasgow University, Anti-Israel Totalitarian Brats In Action (video)

The background to the disgraceful scenes in the video below can be briefly told: on 12 November Mr Yiftah Curiel, a diplomat from the Israeli Embassy in London, was addressing members of the University of Glasgow's European Society on the topic"‘Israel and Europe", when anti-Israel protesters disrupted the talk, preventing him from carrying on.

Report: US warns PA of sanctions over UN statehood bid

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday and warned him of potential dire consequences should the Palestinians continue taking unilateral steps toward recognition in international bodies, Palestinian media reported Monday.
The reports quote senior Palestinian officials as saying that Kerry warned Abbas of both political and economic sanctions that would be imposed by Congress if the Palestinians continue on the unilateral quest for statehood recognition.
The Arab League is expected to meet in late November to discuss the Palestinian plan to request a U.N. Security Council vote on a resolution proposing that Israel withdraw to the 1967 borders within two years.
A Palestinian official said that in his conversation with Abbas, Kerry clarified that the United States would veto any Security Council vote on the resolution.

EU says it has no plans to impose sanctions on Israel

At a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini played down a recently published internal document that proposes unspecified "actions" against Israel for settlement activities in east Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria.
The document, known as a "nonpaper," is a proposal that is meant to serve as a basis for discussion among the EU's 28 member-states. While it is far from becoming policy, the document noted that it was drawn up with "inputs" by member states, indicating at least some support for the proposals.
The document calls for unspecified moves against European companies operating in Israeli settlements. It also proposes actions against settlers themselves, including a "no contact" policy toward settler organizations, and a refusal "to engage with settlers," including public figures who oppose the inception of a Palestinian state.
The proposals reflect European frustration over the lack of progress in peace efforts.

EJC: EU Must Condition Aid to PA on Ending Incitement

The European Jewish Congress (EJC) has called for political ramifications in the European Union (EU) against the Palestinian Authority (PA) Tuesday, after Palestinian terrorists massacred Jews praying at a Jerusalem synagogue, killing four people and wounding eight.
The EJC called on EU leaders to put conditions on aid and cooperation with the PA, noting that the attack is the result of ongoing incitement on PA television and in official media against Jews and Israel.
“The European Union, as was seen in the Foreign Ministers statement yesterday, has placed too much focus on Israeli actions and have completely ignored far more important issues like incessant Palestinian incitement which directly leads to massacres like the one we saw at the synagogue this morning and over the last couple of weeks,” Dr. Moshe Kantor, EJC President said.
“The Europeans have an ability to influence and a tool with which to pressure the Palestinians to end the daily incitement emanating from its leaders, education system, media and religious institutions, and that is the financial assistance which is helping aid this system.”

UN Blames 'Occupation' for Jerusalem Violence, Calls for Talks

A senior UN official warned the Security Council on Monday that violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories was likely to worsen without a quick return to peace talks, AFP reports Monday.
"Returning to negotiations has never been more important," UN Assistant-Secretary General Jens Toyberg-Frandzen told the 15-member council, during a meeting on the Middle East.
"Without a genuine commitment from the parties and an overall improvement in the lives of Palestinians, we should anticipate further deterioration of the security situation and an expansion of the current violence," he said.
It is unclear why the UN believes that the peace process will help rather than exacerbate violence in the capital. An Israel Security Agency (ISA) study revealed last year that terror only escalated since the latest round of peace talks began in 2013.

Sweden Says No Plans to Open Ramallah Embassy

Sweden said Monday it will not open an embassy in Ramallah even though it has officially recognized "the state of Palestine", the first major EU nation to do so.
"Nobody has opened an embassy in Ramallah, and we think that this can be managed by the consulate in Jerusalem, which is a satisfactory solution for us," Foreign Minister Margot Wallstroem told public radio.
Sweden last month officially recognized the Palestinian Authority as a "Palestinian state", a move that infuriated Israel which responded by recalling its ambassador to Stockholm.

'Haniyeh, I Demand that You Give Me Back My Son'

Oron Shaul served in the Golani Brigade and was aboard an APC that was hit by Hamas terrorists in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza. He was declared a fallen soldier whose place of burial is not known by the IDF Chief Rabbi.
Before leaving for London, Zehava Shaul said that the uncertainty about the fate of her son is the hardest thing for her.
"I hope London will help in bringing Oron home," she said, according to Channel 10 News. "My feeling is that maybe he's still alive and will return safe and sound."
Shaul also appealed to senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and reminded him that his daughter received medical treatment in Israel.
"I demand, Haniyeh, that you give me back my son, just like the State of Israel gave you your daughter back safe and sound. I demand you give me back Oron,” she said.

Arabic media plays up story claiming IDF aborted strike on Nasrallah

Palestinian and Iranian media have picked up on an unconfirmed story that the IDF recently came close to assassinating Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut but called off the missile strike due to the terror leader’s heavy security arrangements.
Israel’s Channel 2 on Monday also cited the report in the Dutch daily newspaper De Telegraph that claimed a logistic problem prevented the mission from going ahead. The De Telegraph report, based an unnamed European security expert, said the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit planned to hit Nasrallah as he gave a public address during the Ashura religious celebrations earlier this month.
The plan was to fire a pinpoint accurate missile fitted with a small explosive charge at Nasrallah during his speech, given to a crowd in southern Beirut. According to the Iranian FARS News Agency, an unmanned drone was to launch the missile and the intention was to make the attack appear to be a suicide bombing rather than an airstrike.
However, the extensive security protecting Nasrallah supposedly caused difficulties and the mission was called off.

Honest Reporting: Hamas: Strike the Pigs and Monkeys, the Jews

Arab Egged bus drivers in Jerusalem strike after suicide

Many Palestinian bus drivers in Jerusalem did not show up for work on Monday, after an East Jerusalem bus driver was found hanged overnight in what an autopsy showed to be a suicide.
Egged, the transportation company, said that delays were expected to continue through Tuesday, and said it would call up other drivers to run the routes vacated by the drivers on strike.
“Following the regrettable death of an Egged bus driver, who ended his life, there are disruptions in the public transportation in Jerusalem. These disruptions are due to the absence of drivers from the Arab population, from East Jerusalem,” the bus company said in a statement.

Mahmoud Abbas’s parliamentary headache

Paralyzed since 2007, the 132-seat Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) was never much of a factor in Abbas’s political game. But all that is changing now due to mounting pressure from his Hamas rivals and internal opposition within his own Fatah movement.
Hamas official Salah Bardawil said on Sunday that his movement would assemble members of the PLC living in Gaza to discuss “the legitimacy of the unity government.” Bardawil complained that the new technocrat government, sworn in on June 2 and headed by Rami Hamdallah, marginalizes Gaza in its budgetary allocations and services.
“We will also discuss the legitimacy of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas given his disregard for the reconciliation agreement clauses. [We will examine] the future of the Council if the parliamentary factions, headed by Fatah, continue to reject true representation.”

Haniyeh: PM Not Carrying Out His Responsibilities in Gaza

In yet another sign that the Hamas-Fatah unity government is crumbling, senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Monday urged Prime Minister Rami Hamallah to carry out his responsibilities in Gaza.
Speaking to the Ma'an news agency, Haniyeh said that Gazans have been disappointed with the performance of the national consensus government.
"They expected the government to rebuild Gaza, pay salaries, and lift the siege," Haniyeh said.
He stressed that the Hamdallah-led government is responsible for Gaza just as it is responsible for Judea and Samaria, adding that contacts between Hamas officials and the unity government were ongoing.
"We are in contact at numerous levels in order to remedy this situation. I hereby tell Dr. Rami: You must take quick steps to remedy the health situation. It is unacceptable to treat Gaza so harshly," Haniyeh told Ma’an.

Video: Fatah’s Military Trains for ‘Destruction of Israel’

Fatah’s military wing al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades released a new video showing its fighters training for the “destruction of Israel” and calling for more fighters to join the brigades. Fatah is the political party headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
At the same time, Hamas warned it is preparing “surprises” for Israel. Hamas’ military wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, held a rally in Rafah in southern Gaza where it displayed a large box on which the words “the black box” were written in both Arabic and Hebrew, as a direct message to Israel.
Hamas officials warned these surprises will be exposed as needed, and further displayed various weapons produced in Gaza, including M-75 rockets.

Hamas, Inc.

The idea that hardline Hamas political leaders like Mousa Abu Marzook and Khaled Meshal who order violence in the name of jihad are also canny businessmen who have assembled financial empires that would be the envy of pinstriped businessmen in London, Paris, or New York may strike most readers as unfamiliar, or perhaps as a form of science fiction or propaganda. But in the Middle East, otherworldly religious or political rhetoric and earthly profits do not necessarily contradict each other. In fact, they often go hand in hand.
Nor is the combination of political and military roles with business empires unique to Hamas, or to other Islamist organizations. When I started my job as the Israeli Military Governor of Tyre district during the first Lebanese war and asked to meet with the local police chief, I was told, “He is available only during the morning hours. In the afternoons he takes care of his businesses.” “Businesses?” I wondered. “Yes,” said my informant, “he has a supermarket chain.”
During my two years in Lebanon I learned that almost every local office-holder and officer, whether in the public sector, police, or army, owned a private business. The police commander in question, for example, recommended that citizens who approach the police for help should purchase food from his private stores. Because Western values such as conflict of interests, transparency, and public efficiency are less recognized and less respected in this part of the world, most political leaders in the Middle East see public office as a route to making a fortune, and most of their constituents accept this behavior—with the hope of sharing in even a small part of the leader’s wealth.

Qatar Imports 4,000 Tons of Construction Material to Gaza

The Qatari executive committee for the rehabilitation of Gaza announced Monday that they have begun to transfer raw construction materials to the Hamas-controlled territory via Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing.
According to the "Minister of Civil Affairs" for the Palestinian Authority (PA), Hussein al-Sheikh, an agreement on the transfer had been reached with Israel over the raw materials, in a deal reached as far back as 2012.
Materials include 4,000 tons of gravel - transported via 100 trucks - and several tons of concrete due to arrive on Tuesday. These raw materials allegedly will be used for the repair and construction of the Saladin and al-Rashid highways in Gaza.
Qatari committee officials also stated that a deal is in the works between the PA and Israel for the transfer of more concrete and even steel - allegedly for the reconstruction of residential apartments in Hamad and a hospital.
The announcement surfaces days after Hamas threatened another war if Gaza were not "rehabilitated" from Operation Protective Edge this summer - a war against Israel which Hamas itself both started and used civilian areas as a base for conflict.

Hagel: Hezbollah, Al Qaeda Both “Clear Threats” to United States and Allies

In remarks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Saturday, United States Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel described the global posture of the United States:
"Today our military has nearly 400,000 personnel stationed or forward-deployed in nearly 100 countries around the world, from Afghanistan to the Philippines to Guatemala. This continued forward presence has helped anchor America’s global leadership for decades, with its unmatched technological and operation edge.
That superiority has never been guaranteed, and today it is being increasingly challenged. Technologies and weapons that were once the exclusive province of advanced nations have become available to a broad range of militaries and non-state actors, from dangerously provocative North Korea to terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda and Hezbollah – all clear threats to the United States and its allies."

Douglas Murray: Another American citizen has been murdered — and it’s nothing to do with Islam

I suppose this is the inevitable end-point of the ‘nothing to do with Islam’ meme. Another American citizen has had his head chopped off by a gang of men aspiring to instigate the teachings of Mohammed as they see them.
And what does the President of the poor victim’s country say? Here is Obama on the murder of Mr Kassig:
‘ISIL’s actions represent no faith, least of all the Muslim faith’.
So not only can this latest beheading not have anything to do with the religion of Islam. It actually has more to do with Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Hinduism. I hope that all Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Hindus feel suitably guilty of this crime.

Obama Insists on calling Peter Kassig, “Abdul Rahman Kassig”

Even while the media is describing Peter Kassig, the ISIS hostage who apparently converted to Islam in captivity and was beheaded, by his American name, the Obama statement calls him by his Muslim name.
“Today we offer our prayers and condolences to the parents and family of Abdul-Rahman Kassig, also known to us as Peter,” Obama’s statement reads.
“While ISIL revels in the slaughter of innocents, including Muslims, and is bent only on sowing death and destruction… ISIL’s actions represent no faith, least of all the Muslim faith which Abdul-Rahman adopted as his own.”
Most of the hostages had in fact converted to Islam, with a exceptions like Steven Satloff. It’s understandable that his family would have wanted to push the “He’s a Muslim” line in the hopes of saving his life (a futile effort) but it’s truly despicable for Obama to exploit the murder of an American in order to do public relations for Islam.

Iranian FM says nuclear accord possible if no ‘excessive demands’

Iran’s foreign minister insisted Tuesday a nuclear deal remained possible as he arrived for a final round of talks with world powers, with differences still wide just six days before a deadline to strike an agreement.
But Mohammad Javad Zarif warned that an accord would only happen if the other side — the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany — refrained from making “excessive demands”.
“A deal is still possible,” Zarif was quoted by Iranian media as saying after landing at Vienna airport.
“If, because of excessive demands by the other side, we don’t get a result, then the world will understand that the Islamic Republic sought a solution, a compromise and a constructive agreement and that it will not renounce its rights and the greatness of the nation.”

Making up is mostly about Iran

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain agreed on Sunday to return their ambassadors to Qatar after withdrawing them in March, in what is likely an effort to form a united front against Shi’ite Iran and its proxies throughout the region.
In a sign of worry, the tribal trait of uniting against a threatening outside force seems to be at play, expressed as Sunni unity in the face of external Shi’ite opposition, as well as concern over Islamic State.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, with the exception of Qatar, have been trying to keep revolutionary Islamic extremist forces at bay, favoring the status quo. From their perspective, Iran is expanding its influence and power in the region.
Whether it is the move by the West to seek a nuclear deal with Iran and ally itself with the Shi’ite axis against Islamic State and al-Qaida, the advance of Iranian- backed Houthis in Yemen, or the advance of Shi’ite forces in Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon, Sunnis are alarmed.

Why the Iranians Are Smiling

Surely, the Sunni states won’t sit by idly. Already Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait ,and Jordan have announced joint military operations to oppose Shia imperial goals. And, it would not be a surprise if Israel, operating under the radar, agrees to be an active, albeit unregistered member of this emerging defense condominium.
Although the U.S. will contend its intention is to mitigate Middle East tensions, those tensions will rise as a hesitant and willful policy tilting to the Shia is put in place by the Obama Administration and European governments eager for resolution, any resolution.
Unfortunately, the clock is ticking and the options are limited. A sanctions regimen offers some leverage, but probably less than has been advertised, since sanctions already in place have not deterred the Iranian government from proceeding with its enrichment program. It is also obvious that even if the U.S. goes through another round of sanctions, assuming a deal isn’t consummated, the Chinese, Russians, and Turks are not likely to comply.
So, we are spiraling down a dangerous hole that makes military action more than less likely in the future – an option that no one wants to embrace. Unfortunately, the forces of history proceed without an ethical compass.

Cleric: Iran Will Use ‘Suicide Operations to Send its Message to the World’

As Iran digs in its heels over preserving its right to enrich uranium, the key component in a nuclear weapon, the Islamic country’s hardline leaders have begun to step up their anti-American rhetoric.
Taeb, commander of the country’s hardline Ammar Garrison, admitted that Iran has utilized “suicide operations” in the past and that these types of operations will continue into the future.
The “Islamic Republic of Iran has used and will use suicide operations to send its message to the world,” Taeb said, according to an independent translation of his remarks first reported in the Persian language press.
Taeb enjoys close ties with IRGC, which is known to conduct terror operations across the globe, and his brother, Hossein Taeb, serves as the IRGC’s head of intelligence.
Taeb’s Ammar Garrison is comprised of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei’s most faithful followers.

AirHop app lets you make calls without a cellphone plan

The next time you’re stuck without cellphone service, you might still be able to make a phone call – if you have a Paypal account.
Taking advantage of a little-known feature in iOS, AirHop lets users “hop” onto another person’s device (if it’s also running the AirHop service) to make a phone call or send a text in exchange for a PayPal-enabled payment.
Paypal was impressed enough with the project to award the Israeli team behind it $100,000 in its just-completed “BattleHack for Good” contest, held at Paypal headquarters in Silicon Valley.

Polish Firefighters Discover and Restore Jewish Gravestones From Beneath the ‘Rubble of Memory’ (VIDEO)

It was an astounding discovery.
In the Polish town of Rozprzy, about 35 miles south of the city of Lodz, the local fire department recently came upon four matzevas – the headstones of a Jewish grave – in remote parkland. Officials promptly contacted “From the Depths,” a Jewish non-profit whose mission is to restore the headstones at existing Jewish cemeteries, or at other carefully selected places in cases where cemeteries do not exist any longer.
As part of their aim to eliminate any tangible signs of Jewish culture and life along with their program to exterminate the Jews, the Nazis destroyed cemeteries, frequently seizing the headstones for use as building materials.
“After the war and under Communist rule, further matzevas were used to build roads, pavements, airports, reinforce river banks, and to build monuments in parks,” explains the “From the Depths” website. “Privately, matzevas were also used instead of bricks to build houses, or as tools for everyday use such as a grinding wheel or a knife sharpener. Therefore, the fate of the Jewish cemeteries was doomed, and together with the matzevas, the names and identities of the deceased were brutally taken away from them.”