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Monday, November 30, 2015

Dr. Marsha Levine is an expert on the history of the domestication of horses who teaches at Cambridge University.

A young Israeli girl named Shachar Rabinovitch wrote to her for help on a school research project:
Hello!

My name is Shachar Rabinovitch and I'm from Israel.

I'm doing an assessment for school about horses, and it will be great if you can answer a few questions that I will ask.

1. What ancient horses breeds preserved and were a base to the breeds we know today?

2. How did the ancient humens created new breeds or kept the ones who already were existent?

3. What ancient horse breed the ancient humens used the most and what were those uses?

4. Where did the ancient horses breeds lived?

Thank you for reading my questions, Shachar Rabinovitch

Here was Dr. Levine's answer:
Dear Shachar Rabinovich:

I'll answer your questions when there is peace and justice for Palestinians in Palestine.

I am a member of Jews for Justice for Palestinians (http://jfjfp.com). I support Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions. You might be a child, but if you are old enough to write to me, you are old enough to learn about Israeli history and how it has impacted on the lives of Palestinian people. Maybe your family has the same views as I do, but I doubt it. So, I suggest that you look at this link: http://jfjfp.com/?page_id=338

yours sincerely

Dr Marsha Levine
Dr. Marsha Levine is too damned ethical to help out an Israeli schoolgirl.

Yet one of Levine's Facebook friends is Egyptian. And Egyptians have treated Palestinians like crap since 1948. But Marsha Levine doesn't boycott him. She isn't interested in Egypt treating Palestinians with any dignity.

No, her concern for Palestinians begins and ends in Israel.

Levine, like all BDS hypocrites, doesn't particularly like Palestinians. She won't say a word about how they are treated in Gaza or Lebanon or Syria or Egypt. Her Facebook page is completely empty of any criticism of how Palestinians are being treated in those countries. She just likes to use a false sense of ethics to give her seething hate for Israeli Jews a respectable front.

But her hate shines through in her sickening response to an innocent question from an Israeli Jewish schoolgirl.

(h/t David Collier and SFI)



This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 11 years and over 22,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.



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Posted By Elder of Ziyon to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 11/30/2015 09:58:00 PM
From MEMRI:



In a recent Friday sermon, Egyptian cleric Sheikh Talaat Zahran, a professor of humanities at Alexandria University, said: "When France saw that there were six million Muslims on its land... they began to fear that the Muslims would storm their democratic system, and would take over power and become ministers. That is why they plotted this trap, losing some lives, just like America lost thousands of lives when the Twin Towers were destroyed."

Following are excerpts from the sermon, which was delivered on November 20, 2015 and posted on the Internet.

Talaat Zahran: You have all heard about what happened in France. ISIS members carried out some bombings, killing some soccer fans in a stadium. They also attacked people in a theater, killing some of them. How has Islam and the Muslims benefitted from this? What good has this brought upon Islam and the Muslims? It has only served to further distort the image of Islam.

[…]

Indeed, this organization and its mother organization, Al-Qaeda, are Western-made. They were established by America and the West, in order to harm Islam and the Muslims and to conspire against them. The infidels are spending enormous sums for this purpose.

[…]

As I've said, the French and others built and funded these organizations. Otherwise, how did the ISIS members get all these weapons? Where do they get all these funds on which they live? First, the [West] helped them to flee from the prisons in Syria and Iraq, and made them join training camps, in which they received weapons, and then the [West] started carrying out theatrical bombings on them, in which they drop weapons, ammunition, and supplies for ISIS, in order to help them kill the Muslims.

[ISIS] kills only Muslims. They ignore the pagans. When France saw that there were six million Muslims on its land, and that they are preaching to join the belief in Allah, they began to fear that the Muslims would storm their democratic system, and would take over power and become ministers. That is why they plotted this trap, losing some lives, just like America lost thousands of lives when the Twin Towers were destroyed. They did all of this using ISIS members.

Even if France had mobilized armies, and sent planes, tanks, and supplies, it would not have benefitted – the West would not have benefitted – as much as it benefitted from the deeds of people who belong to Islam.



This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 11 years and over 22,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.



--
Posted By Elder of Ziyon to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 11/30/2015 09:00:00 PM
From Ian:

Shmuley Boteach: British Jewish students attempt to silence my mention of Israel
Yet this week, for the first time in my life - having spoken at Universities across the world - I encountered a form of censorship in the most unlikely of all places: when I spoke to the Jewish Society at King's College, London.
European Jews developed a survival instinct over centuries of persecution. They lie low, avoid public displays and use quiet diplomacy to defend themselves and Israel. British Jews have pursued this approach with a high degree of success in the last half century. However, on my current visit to England I detect a shift away from associating with Israel in the way I was accustomed to as founder and head of the Oxford L'Chaim Society.
What finally shook much of my confidence in British Jewry was my experience where I was invited to address the Jewish Society at Kings. In the course of the discussion, I focused my remarks on Israeli democracy and the blessing it can be to the innocent Arab citizens of Israel's autocratic Arab neighbors. Israel is the great hope for the spread of human rights throughout the Middle East.
As I spoke, I could see my hosts growing restless and the discomfiture on their faces surprised me. I was in for a bigger shock, however, when my hosts essentially stopped me in the middle of my remarks. I am always happy to respond to questions, friendly or hostile, but I have rarely been interrupted so abruptly by people who invited me to speak.
When I asked for an explanation, I was told by the president of the organization, a young man wearing a yarmulke, that the Jewish Society has a policy against speaking about Israel. The group, he said was non-political and focused on "Jewish subjects."
I was dumbfounded. Was Israel not a Jewish subject? It was as if Israel had become the Voldemort of nations, the country that dare not be named.
Israel marks exodus of Jews from Arab countries
Israel is marking on Monday its annual Memorial Day of the expulsion of some 850,000 Jews from Arab states and Iran.
At Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed that there be an expansion of education on the heritage of Jews from Arab countries and Iran, and that consideration be given to a proposal to establish a Prime Minister's Prize for academic research into the issue.
Hundreds of thousands of Jews were forced to flee Muslim countries in the years preceding and directly after the 1948 creation of the State of Israel. Known collectively as Mizrahi Jews, the community has gained political power in recent years alongside increased recognition of its members' refugee status and celebration of their cultures.
The cabinet discussion preceded a UN discussion of the subject scheduled for Tuesday. Minister for Social Equality Gila Gamliel (Likud) was scheduled to fly to New York City to speak at the UN session.
Fred Maroun: Occupied by choice: why I do not support the Palestinian cause
Every day since November 29, 1947, exactly 68 years ago, the Palestinians chose hate, terrorism, and dependence over statehood and independence. They continue to do so today.
By contrast, the Jews accepted the 1947 UN partition plan despite strong reservations, they evacuated Gaza despite the pain it caused to many Israelis, they offered peace agreements that were agonizing for most Israelis to offer, and the Israeli Prime Minister continues to accept the two-state concept despite the decreasing credibility of that concept among Jews. This is because, unlike the Palestinians, the Jews cherish their nation-state, and they are willing to compromise to keep it.
As an Arab who feels a kinship with the Palestinian people, I would like to support the Palestinian cause. As a left-leaning person who feels sympathy towards the weak and disadvantaged, I would like to support the Palestinian cause. But I do not, and no reasonable person should.
If the Palestinian cause consisted of striving for the end of occupation and for the creation of a Palestinian state, I would support it. I would support it just as strongly as I support Israel's right to exist. But this is not what the Palestinian cause is about. It is about the destruction of the Jewish state, and this is something that I will never support.



Israel devastating the Palestinian environment, Abbas tells climate summit
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday accused Israel of carrying out ecological attacks, and urged world leaders at the United Nations climate conference in Paris to protect the Palestinian environment from Israeli military policies.
"Our resources are being usurped, our trees are being uprooted, our agriculture is being destroyed," Abbas claimed, before urging world leaders to protect Palestinians from Israel.
The PA leader, however, also called for renewed peace talks with Israel.
"Our hand is still extended in peace to our neighbors," he said. "In the meantime, we will continue to build our state based on modern and democratic principles."
Abbas said his government had made "great progress" in adopting climate change laws, but complained that "continued Israeli occupation and violation of international laws related to the environment" was a central challenge in their implementation, Reuters reported.
Report: Israel hit targets in Syria near Lebanon border
The Israeli Air Force struck a weapons convoy and munitions storage facilities in the Qalamoun region near Syria's border with Lebanon on Saturday night, Lebanon's Almustaqbal television station reported on Sunday.
According to the report, the targeted storage facilities housed long-range surface-to-surface missiles that Syria had transferred to Hezbollah. A number of Hezbollah fighters and Syrian military soldiers were reportedly killed in Saturday's strike and members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard were reportedly among the wounded.
The same report said it was the third Israeli strike in the Qalamoun region over the past week.
Israel declined to comment on the report.
Israel says it's 'keeping eye out' for chemical weapons in Syria
Israel's defense community is "keeping an eye out" for the possibility that Hezbollah has attained chemical weapons in Syria, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said.
Ya'alon was responding to unconfirmed reports that Israel has struck sites in Syria five times in recent weeks, despite the presence of a new Russian missile defense system in the country, during a press conference Monday following a visit with new draftees at the army's Tel Hashomer enlistment base in Kiryat Ono outside of Tel Aviv.
"We are acting in accordance with needs," Ya'alon said. "Anyone who infringes on our sovereignty — we act against them. Anyone who attempts to transfer advanced weaponry to terrorist organization, with an emphasis on Hezbollah — we will not allow it.
"We are, of course, keeping an eye out for the possibility that someone has gotten their hands on chemical weapons," Ya'alon added.
The defense minister insisted that the Russians were aware of what actions in Syria would invite Israeli response and were committed to allowing Israel to take action as necessary.
Iraqi Kurds Smuggling Oil Through Israel to Circumvent Baghdad
Kurdistan's semi-autonomous government in Iraq (KRG) has been smuggling oil through Israel in order to bypass sales being monitored by the central government in Baghdad, Al-Jazeera reported on Thursday.
KRG Minister of Natural Resources Ashti Hawrami said that the oil was being smuggled out of the country in order to raise the necessary funds to enable the Kurdish militias to continue fighting ISIS.
He said that one of the many methods used by the Kurds to avoid detection by the central government in Baghdad was funneling the oil through Israel. The purchasers of Kurdish oil took tankers to the Israeli port of Ashkelon, where they were loaded into storage facilities and later resold to European buyers, according to Al-Jazeera.
The subterfuge was necessary, said Hawrami, because the central government in Baghdad had been financially discriminating against the KRG for a long time, and when the Kurds did not receive the 17% of the Iraqi national budget to which they are entitled, they started calculating alternative ways of making money, such as selling oil independently.
Germany to send 1,200 soldiers to Syria to support fight against Islamic State
Germany is planning to send 1,200 soldiers to Syria to support the international fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), in what would be its largest current overseas military deployment, its army chief has said.
The planned German military involvement in response to France's call for more countries to help fight the militants after the Paris attacks would see troops provide service support to ships and reconnaissance planes, but would not include direct combat.
The plan still needs approval from parliament, with the government seeking a mandate before the end of the year, said Volker Wieker, chief of staff of the German army.
He added that troops would be sent to Syria quickly once parliament had approved a mandate for the operation, meaning soldiers could be deployed as soon as the end of this year. It is yet to be decided how long German military involvement will last.
German Aircraft Manned With Israeli Technology to Help French Fight ISIS in Syria
German fighter jets aiding French strikes in Syria are being fitted with Israeli technology, the Israeli news site nrg reported on Sunday.
According to the report, the Tornado jets will provide intelligence on ISIS to the French using Israeli equipment — such as the RecceLite Pod and the LiteningPod — developed by Israeli defense technology company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., in cooperation with Germany's Zeiss Optronik GmbH.
Germany and Israel have also cooperated on developing electronic warfare (EW) technology used by the Tornado jets. In 1972, Germany enlisted the aid of the Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary ELTA Systems to co-develop the Tornado's Self-Protection Jammer, and commercial production of the EW system began in the late 1990's.
ELTA specializes in the production of radar and EW products with multiple applications, including reconnaissance, target acquisition, self-protection and self-defense.
Russia to Escalate Syria Offensive With Ground Troops, Arab Media Claim
News reports in the Arab world claim Russia is planning to escalate its military involvement in Syria by sending in ground troops and increasing airstrikes, according to translations provided by the Middle East Research Institute (MEMRI).
Syrian and pro-Syrian Lebanese media have published reports over the past two weeks claiming that Russia is launching a new stage of its offensive in Syria, with December witnessing unprecedented escalation in which a ground operation will be launched. "December will be hot on the ground in Syria," Lebanese daily Al Akhbar reported.
In a talk with the Russia's Ministry of Defense on November 20, President Vladimir Putin said that the current offensive in Syria is "not enough to clear Syria of armed and terrorist groups and defend Russia from a possible terrorist attack," adding his hope that the next stages of the offensive will lead to better results.
According to MEMRI, Russia's decision to increase its involvement in Syria is likely motivated by the upcoming UN supervised meeting on January 1, 2016, in which Syrian regime and opposition representatives are set to negotiate. Russia and its allies Syria and Iran are hoping that the next stage of the offensive will earn them "bargaining chips" ahead of the meeting.
Report: Russia Dropping Cluster Bombs over Civilian Areas in Syria
Russian bombers are dropping cluster munitions over Raqqa, Syria, the city known as the de facto capital of the Islamic State terror group, sources inside Syria confirmed to Breitbart News. Sources say Moscow is also indiscriminately targeting civilians neighborhoods populated by Sunni Muslims, killing innocent women and children in the process.
Russia remains loyal to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which has also indiscriminately targeted non-Alawite civilians throughout the country and is estimated to have killed far more Syrians than the Islamic State terror group. Forces loyal to Assad have slaughtered over 85 percent of the 250,000-plus Syrians killed during the war, according to estimates.
A source with Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, a citizen journalism network that was created to document the atrocities of the Islamic State, told Breitbart News that Russia is targeting almost the entirety of Raqqa with cluster bombs, munitions that carry explosives which on impact, disperse hundreds of deadly metal fragments. When these submunitions deploy, they spread out over hundreds of yards of territory, creating a situation where individuals far away from the target site are subject to being killed or seriously injured. A single cluster bomb may hold hundreds of submunitions.
The citizen journalist network posted photos of the Russian strikes on its social media pages.
PreOccupiedTerritory: Syrian Civilian Deaths Surprise Russia: Thought None Were Left (satire)
A spokesman for the Russian Air Force (VVS) expressed surprise today when informed that VVS strikes had killed dozens of Syrian civilians, as he had been under the impression that Basher Assad had gotten rid of all the civilians already.
Colonel Vassiliy Sadjestyin reacted with disbelief when asked about reports that Russian airstrikes in Syria yesterday killed several families, saying that no such deaths were possible after Assad had spent more than four years killing or driving away all the Syrian noncombatants. Of a prewar population of about 20 million, more than 300,000 Syrians have been killed and millions more displaced and rendered refugees. Colonel Sadjestyin admonished the reporter to recheck her sources, since, as he insisted, it was highly unlikely that many total civilians were even in Syria.
"I find that report hard to believe," said the colonel. "For one thing, Assad has used chemical weapons, barrel bombs, Scud missiles, artillery, strafing, large-scale executions, torture, and who knows what other methods to rid the country of civilians. He's been at it for four and a half years. Granted, he's also had help from the folks in ISIS in that respect, but the point is, how can there be any civilians left by now for our airstrikes to kill?"
Iraqis find 3 more mass graves in formerly IS-held Sinjar
Kurdish officials said Sunday three more mass graves have been found in the northern town of Sinjar, where Kurdish forces backed by heavy US-led airstrikes drove out Islamic State militants earlier this month.
The discovery brings the total number of burial sites in the area to five and the total number of bodies uncovered to between 200 and 300, according to local officials.
While experts say proper excavation and identification of the bodies could take months, Sinjar residents are expressing frustration with the process so far, complaining that their requests from the Kurdish Regional Government for expert help have gone unanswered.
The graves found over the weekend are believed to contain 80 to 100 bodies, Qasim Simo, the head of security in Sinjar, said on Sunday. Two were uncovered to the east of the town and one was found within the western edges of Sinjar town itself.
ISIS rigs Yazidi mass grave with bombs
A bomb-rigged mass grave believed to hold the remains of more than 120 people murdered by the Islamic State (ISIS) group has been found in north Iraq, an official said Saturday.
It is the sixth mass grave discovered in or near the town of Sinjar since it was recaptured from ISIS jihadists earlier this month, Mahma Khalil, the official responsible for the area, told AFP.
ISIS overran Sinjar in August 2014 and carried out a brutal campaign of massacres, enslavement and rape targeting members of the Yazidi minority, who made up most of its inhabitants.
The United Nations has described the attack on the Yazidis, whose faith ISIS considers heretical, as a possible genocide.
The grave site, which is estimated to contain the remains of 123 people, based on accounts from people who witnessed the executions, was surrounded by a large number of bombs, Khalil said.
Was notorious Iranian general Soleimani badly hurt in Syria?
As the highly visible commander of Iran's most elite special forces unit, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani is the face of his nation's military, but the notorious leader's current condition is a mystery.
It is not disputed that Soleimani, who commands the elite Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard, was injured by shrapnel earlier this month while leading his men in Aleppo, Syria, where Iran and Russia are fighting on behalf of President Bashar Assad. The official line from Tehran is that he is recovering from "minor injuries," but critics of the regime in Tehran say the man whose battlefield exploits have made him the face of the Iranian military could be fighting for his life.
"[Soleimani] suffered severe shrapnel wounds, including in the head, while at Aleppo's southern front two weeks ago," read a report issued Sunday by the Iranian opposition MEK. "Due to the severity of his wounds, Soleimani was immediately airlifted by an IRGC helicopter to Damascus and, after receiving preliminary treatment, was transferred to Tehran. He is hospitalized at IRGC Baqiyatallah Hospital... So far, he has undergone at least two surgeries. Soleimani… is not allowed any visitors… The IRGC counterintelligence section has imposed a total blackout to prevent any leaks on the news of Soleimani's wounding. The hospital personnel are under strict orders to refrain from answering any questions in this regard."
Iran Reiterates Ultimatum: Stop Looking Into Military Dimensions of Nuclear Program or Deal Is Off
Iranian media reported on Sunday that Tehran is reiterating its ultimatum about canceling the nuclear deal if there is a probe into the Possible Military Dimensions (PMD) of its nuclear program.
According to the pro-regime Tasnim News Agency, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif — who served as chief negotiator during talks with the P5+1 leading up to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — said in a joint press conference with his Greek counterpart that Iran would not implement the JCPOA before the PMD investigation ended.
Zarif, who said these were instructions from Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, also called the investigation misguided, claiming his country's nuclear program is entirely peaceful.
Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, echoed Zarif's remarks, saying that the PMD case had to be closed before the JCPOA would take effect. "They [the West] have to decide between the implementation of the JCPOA or leaving the PMD case open," Shamkhani said in response to IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano's comments that the IAEA's report on Iran's PMD would not be "black and white."
Iranian Supreme Leader Appeals 'to the Youth in Western Countries'
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in an appeal Sunday "to the youth in western countries," accused the United States of arming and nurturing terror groups such as al Qaeda and lashed out at Israel for sponsoring "the worst kind of terrorism" against the Palestinians, according to an English translation of the Iranian leader's open letter.
On the heels of a massive attack by Islamic State affiliates in Paris, Khamenei lashed out at western governments, primarily the United States, for sponsoring terrorists across the globe and oppressing Muslims with their values.
Khamenei also encouraged young people living in western countries to oppose Israel, which he claimed is worse than any terrorist group operating in the world today.
Khamenei's appeal comes as Iran continues to commit acts of terrorism across the globe and is waging a multi-pronged war to expand its regional influence in countries such as Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon.
Terror Sponsor Iran Praises Its Own 'Anti-Terror' Ops
Iran's government recently came out in praise of its latest so-called anti-terrorism measures, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the official news agency of Iran reported.
On Saturday, members of Iranian Government's Expediency Council lauded "the significant measures of the Intelligence ministry to thwart plots of terrorist groups," the website documented.
The Expediency Council, chaired by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, serves as an advisory body to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and as such is one of the most powerful governing bodies in the country.
According to the report, members of the council commended the measures of the Iranian armed forces, police, and security forces in dealing with outlawed terrorist groups following a report given by the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani.
NGO Monitor: NGOs and the Economic War
The European Union's adoption of "product labeling" guidelines for Israeli settlements followed a long campaign involving numerous actors, including powerful nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Many of these groups are also involved in the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement against Israel and play a leading role in the frequent allegations of "war crimes" and "violations of international law" used to single out and demonize the Jewish state.
The strategy of punishing Israel to force policy changes has been pressed for many years by NGOs like Oxfam International, Amnesty International, the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and numerous others operating under the twin banners of humanitarian aid and human rights. Echoing the declaration adopted at the NGO Forum of the 2001 Durban conference against racism, these influential groups work closely with Palestinians and the Islamic block in the UN in an attempt to replicate the boycott strategy used against South African apartheid.
In their view, the product labeling is just the beginning. In October 2012, 22 major NGOs in this network presented the European Union with a document tendentiously titled "Trading Away Peace: How Europe Helps Sustain Illegal Israeli Settlements." Although called "nongovernmental," most of these groups receive European government funds.
The report, like most NGO publications, largely erases the history of Palestinian rejectionism with its decades of war and terror against Israelis, and presents the Palestinians as helpless victims. On this basis, their recommendations begin with "correct consumer labeling of all settlement products," followed by a call to "ban imports of settlement products" and later, actions to "prevent financial transactions to settlements and related activities" – in other words, a boycott of Israeli banks and other core institutions.
Israel suspends EU contact over peace process
Israel on Sunday stepped up its battle with the EU over its decision to label products from the settlements, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspending diplomatic contacts regarding the Middle East peace process pending completion of a "reassessment" by the Foreign Ministry of the EU's role in that process.
According to a Foreign Ministry statement, Israel will continue to have diplomatic contacts with individual EU countries – such as Germany, Britain and France – but not with EU institutions. Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with French President François Hollande and new Polish Prime Minister Beata SzydÅ‚o in Paris on Monday.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman did not provide details of any other practical consequences stemming from the decision, such as whether this would mean that Netanyahu would not meet with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on issues pertaining to the Palestinians. The decision comes at a time when there is very little movement in the diplomatic process with the Palestinian Authority.
EU insists it will play role in peace process, even as Israel suspends cooperation
A day after Israel announced that it was suspending the EU's involvement in the Mideast peace process pending a"reassessment" of ties following the EU's decision to label products from the settlements, a spokesperson for the EU said at a press conference in Brussels the EU would continue its work on the matter in the Quartet, with its Arab partners, and with both parties.
The spokesperson said that the EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Paris, on the margins of COP21 climate change summit.
However, a spokesman for the prime minister said that the "meeting" amounted to Mogherini approaching Netanyahu in the hallway and shaking his hand. Netanyahu issued the directive to suspend the cooperation with the EU as the Foreign Ministry conducts a reassessment of how much to involve the EU in the diplomatic process.
According to the EU spokesperson, the EU-Israel relationship was good, broad and deep and that this would continue. The spokesperson said that the labeling policy was not new legislation but rather referred to the implementation of existing legislation - implementation that had been ongoing in some member states for some time, well before the notice was adopted.
The battle over EU settlement labeling has just begun
The Times of Israel inquired in several embassies of EU member states, all of which — except Hungary and Germany — indicated they plan to implement the guidelines with no ifs, ands or buts.
"We are going to implement them because we don't have a choice. The understanding that each country has the freedom to make an independent decision is false," a senior diplomat from a European country said. EU states have been obligated to label settlement goods since 2012, but most waited for instructions from the Commission, the diplomat added. "Some countries did it right away. Others waited for guidance from the EU to do it in a harmonized way."
What about Germany? Jerusalem expects Berlin — considered Israel's best friend on the continent — to defy the guidelines or at least ignore them for as long as possible. During last week's cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the German government "came out against product labeling." He was likely referring to a press release by the Bundestag faction of Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU party denouncing labeling, and to vague statements attributed by a German newspaper to the country's food and agriculture minister, Christian Schmidt.
However, there are no definitive statements from government officials that indicate that Berlin opposes labeling of settlement goods. Germany is, for obvious reasons, not enthusiastically embracing a demarche that many Israelis consider anti-Semitic. Several German officials contacted for this article were extremely careful in discussing the matter, pointing to its "political sensitivity" and arguing that they simply do not want Israel's enemies to "exploit" the matter. But at the end of the day, they indicated, Germany, too, will adhere to EU legislation and start labeling.
'Demolish EU-funded illegal Arab settlements'
The Regavim movement for Jewish land rights called on Netanyahu to go a step further, and enforce building laws by demolishing the illegal Arab buildings in Judea and Samaria that are funded directly by the EU.
Regavim noted how in recent years it has documented massive illegal Arab construction funded by the EU in Area C of Judea and Samaria, a group of regions defined in the 1994 Oslo Accords as being under full Israeli control.
According to official documents, since 2009 the EU has built hundreds of residential structures mostly in the environs of Ma'ale Adumim to the east of Jerusalem.
The EU has been funding illegal projects to the tune of hundreds of millions of euros as part of its support to the Palestinian Authority (PA), despite the fact that such construction is illegal both according to Israeli and international law, and breaches international agreements such as the Oslo Accords - which the EU is itself a signatory to.
Activist group linked to Jeremy Corbyn has accounts closed amid fears it may be funding terrorism
PSC has announced that it is now launching legal action against the Co-operative Bank on grounds of discrimination.
ITN solicitors, acting on behalf of PSC, state the bank failed "to provide any reasons for the closure of PSC's account, which has been compounded by [their] failure to provide appropriate disclosure".
They claimed that the decision to close its accounts was based on PSC's belief in "Palestinian rights" and "the nationality or religion of the Palestinian people"and was therefore contrary to the Equality Act.
Sarah Colborne, PSC's Director accused Co-op of "turning its back on its ethical principles" by closing down their accounts.
Tom Wilson, a resident associate fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, a think tank, said: "The Co-op has highlighted the due diligence that it must show regarding the accounts of groups operating in 'high risk locations', of which Gaza and the West Bank would certainly be included.
"Among the concerns a bank would have in these kinds of cases will likely be fears about funding reaching illegal, extremist or terrorist activities.
"The PSC claim that this is an act of discrimination seems particularly unconvincing given the support we've seen the Co-op give for the Palestinian campaign in the past."
Why hasn't UNEDITED video of UT-Austin Israel Studies disruption been released?
Does the actual footage discredit the PSC version?
On November 18, 2015, I emailed the lawyer for the students asking if the unedited video would be released. There was no response.
As of this date, as far as I can tell, the unedited video has not been released. Why not? What are they hiding?
Having filed a "civil rights" complaint and claiming Prof. Pedahzur deserves to be fired, certainly the students should be anxious to show that the edited video did not misrepresent events.
So why hasn't the unedited video been released?
Clinton Appoints Ex-Congressman Who Blamed Defeat on Jews to 'Leadership Team'
Hilliard, who lost to then-Democrat Artur Davis in 2002, was considered one of Israel's most vocal opponents in Congress. Davis, a staunch supporter of Israel who became a Republican in 2012, had the backing of groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Anti-Defamation League in the election.
Shortly after Hilliard's defeat, the former congressman gave an interview to the Black Commentator in which he said "Jewish interests" bought the election for Davis.
"The only thing I know for sure, that I saw in black and white, is $1,098,000 that [Davis] reported," said Hilliard in the July 16, 2002 interview. "You can't take money from corporations, so that came from Jews and Republicans. There's no question where that money came from."
Hilliard said his opponent also received millions of dollars in free media coverage.
"Remember, the Jewish media. They started putting word out, they wanted everybody to know, because … obviously they felt that the money they had, that they put in, that they were going to beat me," he said.
According to Hilliard, billions of dollars were being taken from poor communities and sent to Israel. He said Davis "made a pact with the Israelis" and "was used."
Spanish king honors Sephardic Jews expelled five centuries ago'
Spain's King Felipe VI on Monday honored Sephardic Jews who were banished more than five centuries ago during the Inquisition, after a law allowing dual citizenship for their descendants came into force.
The legislation aims to correct what the Spanish government calls the "historic mistake" of the country's monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand who in 1492 ordered Jews to convert to Catholicism or leave within the space of just weeks, under pain of death.
"Dear Sephardim, thank you for your loyalty," the king told representatives of Sephardic Jews from different countries, at the royal palace.
"Thank you for having kept like a precious treasure your language and your customs that are ours too. Thank you too for making love prevail over rancor and for teaching your children to love this country.
"How we have missed you."
There are an estimated 3.5 million Jews with Spanish ancestry around the world - known as Sephardic Jews.
'Talmudic Grape' Resurrected to Make New Line of Wine
An Israeli winemaker is turning a nearly extinct variety of grape into wine that was last consumed in the era of the bible, ISRAEL21c reported.
Using 3D and DNA analysis, Marawi grapes were found to be the same species of those discussed in the Talmud. For the first time ever, an Israeli team has turned the nearly extinct grape into a wine which was introduced at a tasting in Italy by the Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) and Israel's Ministry of Tourism.
"Maybe we can identify what wine Jesus drank at the Last Supper," said Elyashiv Drori, an agricultural and oenological researcher and owner of a boutique winery who spearheaded the breakthrough.
Four years ago, Drori and his team at Ariel University set out to explore the fate of the native wine grapes mentioned in the Talmud.
IsraellyCool: George Lopez: "I'm A Huge Supporter Of Israel"
Last year I posted how comedian George Lopez visited Israel, and his kinds words about Israel and Israelis.
George recently attended Fiesta Shalom, an event that celebrates the relationship between Israel and the diverse communities of Los Angeles and the region. Here's what George had to say when interviewed at the event.
Sean Penn speaks out about humanitarian work on visit to Israel
Often the denizens of Hollywood are mocked for the various humanitarian pet projects they take on, with many accusing said celebrities of being disingenuous.
But when it comes to humanitarian relief work, actor Sean Penn is nothing but sincere.
That candid passion was on full display when he earnestly spoke on behalf of his NGO, J/P Haitian Relief Organization, about its relief efforts in Haiti at a conference coordinated in conjunction with IsraAID and the Pratt Foundation.
"Our mission was to spend a few weeks in Haiti as a 24/7 delivery service for drugs for the hospitals that needed them," Penn told the audience in Tel Aviv on Monday, explaining his initial plans when he arrived in the country torn apart by carnage and destruction in the aftermath of its 2010 earthquake.
The NGO's mission quickly transcended that singular purpose and became a significant organization providing long-term relief to the victims.
With Israeli tech, paralyzed IDF vet walks down the aisle
With the help of Israeli technology, a disabled IDF veteran paralyzed in a car accident 12 years ago was able to walk down the aisle.
Dudu Shevy, 32, was loaned a Rewalk Robotics exoskeleton system for his wedding day, Channel 2 reported.
After seeing the technology on TV, Shevy turned to the Israeli developer to ask to loan the equipment (the system costs some NIS 250,000 to buy). The ReWalk developer, Amit Goffer, who is paralyzed himself, agreed.
After three months of secretive training, sponsored by the Defense Ministry, Shevy shocked his family by walking down the aisle to his bride after over a decade of being wheelchair-bound.
"Just walking. It was different, just seeing everyone at eye-level and not chair-level. It was totally different," Shevy told the TV station. "It was really wonderful."


This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 11 years and over 22,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.



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Posted By Ian to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 11/30/2015 06:00:00 PM
Here's an interesting case.

Someone with the nom de plume of "ÃlÄ…Ä… Türĸmąņ" on Facebook puts her job as "‎Ñø-ŧĥìñğ at UNRWA and ‎Teacher at ‎مدرسة بنات عسكر الاولى‎‎‎."

The school, which is the Askar Girls Primary School, is an UNRWA school in the Askar UNRWA camp near Nablus.

Here's something she posted a few days ago:


The caption says "Beware of the harm of the Palestinian when he gets angry."

Her comment is "Get angry, by Allah, I have never seen someone more beautiful then you when you get angry, Get angry, the spark suits your eyes, the flame in them (your eyes) seduces/tempts me, Get angry, it is the fire of the revolution, you are its fuel and its firewood"

Apparently, she is trying to be cute by saying she is "nothing at UNRWA" but in fact she is an UNRWA teacher - and she posts incitement.

(h/t Ibn Boutros)


This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 11 years and over 22,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.



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Posted By Elder of Ziyon to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 11/30/2015 04:00:00 PM



I’ve often asked myself this question. It may not be so black and white. Is UNICEF really ignoring Palestinian child abuse or is there something deeper worth looking into? UNICEF is one of the better umbrella organizations of the UN, and I do applaud their work in helping children world-wide in lesser developed, war-torn nations.

As I was researching for this article, I noticed on UNICEF’s social media pages there isn’t one tweet or Facebook post showing outrage for the rampant abuse children in the Palestinian Authority and Gaza experience on a daily basis: Hamas paramilitary camps that start at a young age, children used as human shields and put in very dangerous areas where rocket launchers and guns are going off, storage of weapons in schools in Gaza, beatings and emotional abuse by elders such as parents, uncles and and the education system that teaches them to hate Jews from day one. Then there are parents who encourage children (such as the Tamimi family) to be used as weapons to harass soldiers, and finally, the current wave of stabbings by a generation taught by all of the above. The youngest terrorist being eleven years old.

In my research for this article I noticed that Middle East Monitor posed an article claiming that UNICEF stated: “Israel deliberately murdered 264 Palestinian children.” That headline is the furthest thing from the truth. Monica Awad, Communications Expert for UNRWA, vehemently denied accusing Israel of murdering children. In my interview with Monica, I found her to be extremely dedicated to her job. She expressed that at the time of her interview with Al Jazeera quoted by Middle East Monitor that five minutes after the interview the female writer changed the entire narrative She was clearly upset over the libel written about her.

So what is really happening and why? Is the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Fatah and the PLO censoring every effort UNICEF’s Jerusalem bureau is doing to help these children? Is UNICEF afraid to speak out against them for fear of retribution?

On the UNICEF Jerusalem website, statistics of Israeli and Palestinian children killed in war are listed. Poverty in Gaza is duly noted. Here is where it gets interesting. Going back to 2012, Jerusalem Post journalist Khaled Abu Toameh wrote an article that Palestinians were going to boycott UNICEF for taking bids from Israeli contractors for construction in Gaza. At that time, Catherine Weibel of UNICEF explained, “the plan was to use Palestinian contractors for goods and services needed in those areas, and if those contractors could not provide necessary needs, Israel was the next option.”
If Israel was only considered as a second option in 2012, why the outrageous threat of a boycott? It feels very sinister that Palestinians in certain positions will do anything including harassing and intimidating women in UNICEF willing to work with Israel to help those less fortunate. Perhaps anyone who gets too close to helping these children not be used disposable collateral will suffer a devastating consequence. It sounds like Gaza is the Saudi Arabia for children. Use them as chattel, bring them out as victims, and use them as launching pads when their desire for Jewish deaths reaches the boiling point.

I wish UNICEF safety and security during this current intifada.

I'm still trying to get hold of UNICEF officials to see what light they can shed on their operations.



This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 11 years and over 22,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.



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Posted By Elder of Ziyon to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 11/30/2015 02:00:00 PM
From Ian:

Douglas Murray: The Real Lesson of the Paris Attacks
When the truth is revealed, it can be not merely unpleasant but often accidental. There have been several striking examples of this since the massacre in Paris earlier this month. In the days immediately after the attack, The Times of London interviewed residents of Paris. Referring to the latest attacks, one 46-year old resident also referred back to the attacks in January on the offices of Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket. "Every Parisian has been touched by these attacks," she said, referring to the latest attacks. "Before it was just the Jews, the writers or cartoonists."
If "just the Jews" was an unfortunate way of putting it, it was no less unfortunate than the reaction of America's top diplomat. Days after the latest Paris atrocity, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said:
"There's something different about what happened from Charlie Hebdo, and I think everybody would feel that. There was a sort of particularized focus and perhaps even a legitimacy in terms of -- not a legitimacy, but a rationale that you could attach yourself to somehow and say, okay, they're really angry because of this and that. This Friday was absolutely indiscriminate."
To the extent these comments have been noticed, they have been ridiculed. It is what lies revealed beneath the statement that deserves our attention.
The true problem with the line that it used to be "just the Jews, the writers or cartoonists," is not that it is offensive or inelegant or any of the other words that are now used to shut down a discussion -- though all these things it may be. The problem is that it suggests that people were not paying attention during those earlier attacks. It suggests a belief that the terrorism in January was a different order of terrorism -- call it "understandable terrorism" -- rather than part of a continuum of terrorism that now reached its logical endpoint, as "impossible-to-understand terrorism" -- because "Jews, writers or cartoonists" were missing.
What if the terrorists had been targeting "just Americans," or "just diplomats" -- would that be "understandable terrorism" in Kerry's thinking? That it used to be "Jews, writers or cartoonists" is precisely what made the attacks on everybody else inevitable. The only surprise should be our own surprise.
Deeds of defiance
As I sat there in the marketplace that night, surrounded by friends and strangers, I was struck by how this was the perfect example of the difference between Europe and Israel, and how this seemingly mundane activity was the guarantee of our survival. The Jewish community I had just left chose to shut down at the mere threat of terror. Here, where that terror is a reality rather than a suspicion, it is met with life and resistance. When they cut us down we rise. When they fight us, we grow stronger.
Israel has chosen life, and as evidenced by last week's events, Europe has also made its choices. Closing down Jewish life to avoid trouble ironically serves to invite trouble in. Faced with appeasement and silence, the voices of evil will soon speak in unbridled unison.
As I prepare to leave Israel to go back to Sweden, my heart aches as more pieces of it are left behind with every visit. I'm safe here, no matter the terror, because while a minority may wish to harm me, the majority will stand with me. The good speaks loudly here, and the message is clear to anyone who cares to listen: Our love of life trumps the enemy's cult of death and our defiance is measured in babies and land, just as our forefathers promised.
Journalist Sparks French Ire Over Biased ‘Headline’ About Paris Attacks Parodying Coverage of Terror Against Israelis
An Israeli reporter was met with indignation from French citizens and tourists whom he presented with a biased headline about the recent Paris terror attacks, Israeli website nrg reported on Sunday.
Zvika Klein, the Makor Rishon/nrg journalist — whose viral video about walking the streets of Paris illustrated a rise in antisemitism in France — filmed passersby in Paris’ Place de la Republique (Republic Square) reacting to a screenshot of a slanted headline reporting on the November 13 ISIS attacks that resonated around the world.
The format of the headline – purposely fabricated by nrg as an experiment — emulated that of certain international media outlets’ coverage of recent terror attacks against Israelis, creating the impression that terrorists are victims as well. The phony screenshot was a virtual replica of a BBC headline that appeared following the murder of two Israelis, and serious wounding of a mother and her baby, in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem on October 3.
The BBC headline read: “Palestinian shot dead after attack kills two.”
The headline cooked up by nrg a few days after the Paris attacks was: “7 men shot dead during Paris attack; 129 dead.”
Klein is seen in the edited under two-minute video clip conducting man-in-the-street interviews with a cross section of people walking through the famous Parisian square. Holding out his phone to show passersby a fake website, “The Damascus Daily,” on which the ostensible news story and headline are featured. (h/t Yenta Press)
How did the French react to a biased headline after the terror attack in Paris?




Vic Rosenthal Calling their bluffs
I am not saying that Netanyahu should emulate Vladimir Putin, but there are things we can learn from him. One of them is not to be too timid and to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. This would be a good time to annex the Golan, although asking for permission from Washington was not at all a good idea (really, what did Netanyahu expect?).
Another is the importance of public relations. The Russians are pulling out all stops to (effectively) take credit for fighting Da’esh in Syria, despite the fact that they have so far done little against it. We, on the other hand, are talking about how victimized we are, while the international media barely cover Palestinian terrorism.
Israel needs to put the Palestinian Authority out of the delegitimization/demonization and incitement business and at the same time present its own case as the holder of historical, moral and legal right to Judea and Samaria as the homeland of an indigenous people. It isn’t easy or cheap, but we have to do it.
And we should be thinking about bold moves to change the situation on the ground as well. How did it happen that the despised terrorist PLO became a “non-state member” of the UN, a more respected international entity than the state of Israel?
The US and Europe have their own problems today. Obama is weak – he folded in the face of Russia, and even Bashar al-Assad made a fool out of him – but he could lash out at us. So we will have to do our homework and see to our alliances first.
But then let’s call the PLO’s bluff. We created this monster, and we can destroy it.
'Israel sees no sign that terror wave subsiding, IDF prepared for escalation'
The current wave of terrorism does not seem to be ebbing, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said at the opening of a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting Monday.
"We don't see any changes in the wave of terrorism; it is mostly attacks by individuals," Ya'alon stated. "The wave of terrorism is not dwindling or being curbed."
The Defense Minister said that the IDF is doing what it can to try to stop the terrorism, but that it is also prepared for an escalation.
Other arenas - northern and southern borders, Gaza, Sinai - remain quiet, he added.
Cabinet launches NIS 100m plan to ‘strengthen Jerusalem’
The cabinet on Sunday approved a plan to strengthen Jerusalem economically following three months of terror attacks that saw streets emptying of shoppers and businesses struggling to remain open.
Presented by Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze’ev Elkin and Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, the plan would allocate NIS 100 million ($26 million) for developing the business sector in the city, encouraging tourism, strengthening Jerusalem as a center of academia and giving businesses convenient payment plans for paying tax debts.
The plan was presented after Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat ran a campaign over the past few weeks pressuring Kahlon “not to abandon Jerusalem.” Barkat recruited municipality workers for the campaign and at one point earlier this month a garbage truck bearing an anti-Kahlon poster was parked for hours across the street from the Knesset.
During Sunday’s cabinet meeting, when the plan was announced, Barkat apologized for his personal campaign against Kahlon. According to Channel 10, Barkat said he was sorry for targeting the finance minister and noted that Jerusalem was a matter of national importance.
Israeli Soldier Wounded in Gaza War Pays Musical Tribute to Terror Victims (VIDEO)
An Israeli soldier who was injured during Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014 performed a song for Israelis wounded in action and terrorist attacks, the Israeli news site nrg reported on Sunday.
Haim Lev Tov took part in a music video with Israeli composer and conductor Kobi Oshrat and a number of Israeli youth movement activists. They performed the song “Always Together,” whose lyrics were written to commemorate the second Annual Day of Appreciation for those Wounded in Israel’s Wars and in Terrorist Attacks.
Appreciation Day was initiated by Israeli youth movements, and in the summer of 2014, the Israeli government decided that the 17th Day of the Hebrew month of Kislev would be an annual day of gratitude to the approximately 80,000 Israelis wounded in action.
Court sentences 3 for planning to kill Jews praying on Temple Mount, e. Jerusalem attacks
The Jerusalem District Court on Monday sentenced three east Jerusalem Arabs for conspiring to carry out shooting and kidnapping attacks against Jews praying on the Temple Mount and security forces posted in east Jerusalem.
Jalal Koutoub was sentenced to 13 years in prison for assisting the enemy in a time of war, conspiracy to commit murder and kidnapping, two counts of attempted murder, kidnapping for a murder and other crimes. Muhammed Shaar was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for assisting the enemy in a time of war and attempted robbery, but not for any murder or kidnapping-related crimes.
Ahmad Bazalmit was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for conspiracy to assist the enemy in a time of war and attempted robbery, but not for any murder or kidnapping-related crimes.
It was unclear what the status of the proceedings against the leader of the cell, Nor Hamdan, was, as well as two other defendants, Omar Vuzvuz and Amjad Raazam.
According to the indictment, Hamdan decided in February 2013 to carry out shooting attacks on Jews who came to the Temple Mount to pray and against security forces in east Jerusalem.
PMW: Israel closes Radio Hebron station for promoting murder and suicide bombing: "Blow up the executor's innards"
Following the numerous terror attacks carried out by terrorists from the Hebron area, the Israeli army closed down the offices of the Radio Hebron station (Nov. 21, 2015) because the station had been broadcasting songs inciting Palestinians to murder Israelis and return to suicide bombing. The following is the call to murder and return to suicide bombings broadcast in a song on Radio Hebron:
"Blow up the executor's [Israel's] innards
Bring back the period of Martyrdom-seeking (i.e., suicide bombing)
Rise and strap yourself with bombs."

The following are examples of songs and statements inciting Palestinians to murder Israelis, which were broadcast by Radio Hebron:


The U.N. chief declared a moment of silence for terror victims on and then checked off the cities hit by terror - except for Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
The Paris climate conference opened on Sunday with a moment of silence for the world’s recent victims and a solemn recital of cities where radical Islamists have murdered people, with the blatant omission of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who draws a line connecting global warming and terrorism, ticked off the names of cities, including:
Paris; Tunis; Beirut, and Bamako, Mali. notably
And what about Jerusalem and Tel Aviv?
Apparently Jews murdered there are not terror victims, according to Ban. He and other Western leaders have tried to manufacture a link between the “occupation” and the Arab “resistance” movement that encourages the murder of Jews.
Hey “Progressives,” This Is Your “Peace Partner!”
The Paris climate conference opened on Sunday with a moment of silence for the world’s recent victims and a solemn recital of cities where radical Islamists have murdered people, with the blatant omission of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who draws a line connecting global warming and terrorism, ticked off the names of cities, including:
Paris; Tunis; Beirut, and Bamako, Mali. notably
And what about Jerusalem and Tel Aviv?
Apparently Jews murdered there are not terror victims, according to Ban. He and other Western leaders have tried to manufacture a link between the “occupation” and the Arab “resistance” movement that encourages the murder of Jews.
Gaza's 'Hitler 2' store spawns copycat
Less than a month after reports surfaced about a clothing store in Gaza City named "Hitler 2" that features knife-wielding mannequins, it seems the store has at least one copycat, possibly yearning for the same kind of international notoriety the first one received.
The Flash 90 news photo agency features of another, unnamed store – this one in southern Gaza – which also placed knives in the hands of its street mannequins. This time, the mannequins are female.
The knives are an obvious homage to the current murderous terror spree against Israeli Jews, in which knives are a popular weapon.
Al Jazeera Anchorwoman Calls Arab Terrorist Who Stabbed Israeli ‘My Hero’ on Facebook
A Qatar-based Al Jazeera anchorwoman recently posted a video on Facebook of a stabbing attack in Israel, lauding the Palestinian assailant, Israeli news website nrg reported on Sunday.
“Bless you, my hero,” wrote Khadija Benguenna alongside uploaded security-camera footage of a young Arab stabbing an Israeli Border Policeman in Nahariya on Friday, referred to by Benguenna as “northern Palestine.”
By Saturday night, Benguenna, who is of French-Algerian origin, had deleted her comment but not the video, which garnered close to 70,000 “likes.”
The footage shows a 16-year-old Arab from a village in the Galilee stabbing a 37-year-old Border Police officer in the upper back before the two struggle with one another. The officer eventually breaks free and runs off camera as the attacker pursues him, while still holding a knife.
“Jerusalem’s Streets Run Red With Blood”: Daily Mail’s Shocking Headline Fail
Only days ago, in response to complaints from HonestReporting and its subscribers, the Daily Mail’s Mail Online site amended a headline that turned Palestinian attackers into the victims and instead portrayed Israelis as the party at fault.
You’d think that lessons may have been learned. Think again.
Here’s Mail Online’s latest headline:
"Jerusalem's streets run red with blood: Israeli police shoot dead man who stabbed border guard at Damascus Gate - the 99th Palestinian to die in latest wave of violence"
Jerusalem’s streets are certainly not running red with the blood of Palestinians. What is happening is a spate of Palestinian attacks against Israelis that have ended with Israeli security forces defending themselves and the civilians around them. This latest headline once again portrays the perpetrators as the victims.
Guardian headline on knifing of Israeli leads with death of the Palestinian terrorist
Now, here’s how the Guardian framed it in their headline and strap line – again, using the same AFP report:
"Palestinian shot dead at Damascus gate in Jerusalem after stabbing Israeli guard"
So, not only did Guardian editors lead with the death of the terrorists in the headline, they added a strap line which focused on the number of Palestinians killed in “the latest wave of violence”.
Of course, the “wave of violence” they’re referring to is a string of 119 Palestinian attacks on Israelis since Oct. 1. Of the 99 Palestinians killed during this time, most (as the article itself ultimately acknowledges) have been the “alleged perpetrators of stabbing, shooting and car ramming attacks”. Almost all the other Palestinians “killed during this time” were killed during violent, Palestinian-led clashes.
Contrary to the implications of such headlines and euphemisms, there has not been a “cycle of violence”. There has been a surge of Palestinian terror targeting Jews – a campaign of antisemitic violence legitimized and often encouraged by the Palestinian Authority.
You’d be hard pressed to find an example of terror in world – outside of Israel – where mainstream media outlets prioritize the fate of the perpetrators over that of their victims.
Analysis: Are France and the EU serious about combating jihadism?
Hollande’s stated aim: to destroy “the army of fanatics.” His rhetoric suggests a new form of hawkish socialist anti-jihadism.
While Hollande made a whirlwind tour to enlist support from the Americans and the Russians to mount a broad-based coalition against Islamic State, he still is fighting with one arm behind his back.
“France will not intervene militarily on the ground,” said the French president on Tuesday in Washington.
Scores of military experts believe ground troops are a sine qua non of winning the war against Islamic State in the Syrian and Iraqi theaters.
Europe, parts of which still suffer from high-intensity Bush Derangement Syndrome, could find some wisdom in a core feature of George W. Bush’s foreign policy doctrine, namely, “Take the fight to the enemy overseas before they can attack us again here at home.”
To be fair, Hollande has launched an air campaign against Islamic State targets. His government plans to increase the military budget by 600 million euros.
Hollande, however, has not seized the opportunity to mobilize his army, the largest in Western Europe.
Australian terrorist 'linked to Charlie Hebdo attacks'
One of Australia’s most notorious terrorists, Willie Brigitte, was in contact with the masterminds behind the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, it has been reported.
The information has surfaced in the wake of French intelligence services sharing files with Australian spies according to News Corp.
Reportedly, Australian and French intelligence officials have been in formal meetings after it was uncovered that Willie Brigitte was in direct contact with the perpetrators of the terrorist attacks at the satirical magazine in the months leading up to the massacre.
It is understood that Brigitte first came in contact with the masterminds while spending time inside the Fleury-Merogis prison, where he is currently incarcerated.
Envoy slammed for saying French Jews aren't 'ordinary citizens'
The French Jewish community is in a fury in the wake of a letter sent last week by French Ambassador to the US Gerard Araud, which included a shocking statement in response to the Islamic State (ISIS) attacks on Paris earlier in the month.
In the letter written to French citizens residing in the US, Araud did not mention ISIS in relation to its six attacks that left 130 murdered. He went on to draw a comparison with the January attacks in Paris, in which Muslim terrorists murdered 17 people in attacks on the Charlie Hebdo satirical paper and on a Jewish supermarket.
"These are the foundations of our model of society that the terrorists seek to destroy: Yesterday journalists and Jews; now ordinary citizens whose only crime was to enjoy life on a Friday night in Paris," said Araud, in a shocking distinction between Jews and "ordinary citizens."
One Jewish ex-pat living in New York, Ron Agam, took to Facebook to write, "tonight French people in the US received a letter from the French Ambassador about the events in Paris. To my surprise I learned that I - the Jew that I am - was not a regular French citizen, I was a Jew.”
Schlomoh Brodowicz, a French Jewish academic who immigrated to Israel, told The Algemeiner this week why Araud's statements are particularly damaging.
Former Belgian Zionist head leads uptick in Israel immigration
In an interview with the UK Telegraph, Betty Dan said the multiple attacks in Paris on November 13 that killed 130 people, and the subsequent revelation that a Brussels-led jihadist cell led the assault, and the murders last year at the Brussels Jewish museum — also by a jihadist — have triggered fears that Belgium and Europe in general, are not longer safe for Jews.
Dan, the manager of a Jewish radio station for 25 years, also organizes property fairs for Belgian Jews who leave for Israel. She said that following the Paris attacks, there’s been a sharp increase in the number of calls she gets from people seeking information on moving to Israel, from about once a week to five per day.
“A few years ago it was the pensioners going, who wanted the Israeli sun,” Dan told The Telegraph. “Now it is young people with children who sell their houses and leave everything. They are scared.”
“It is a painful thing. I am a real Belgian – my country, my culture and my friends are here,” she said, adding that her daughter and grandson will likely make the move with her.
“My daughter never, never, never thought to leave. Now, she says of her little boy, what is his future here? We don’t feel safe,” Dan said.
Government urges educators to avoid school trips to Europe
The Education Ministry has advised regional administrators not to send students on European tours and exchange programs unless absolutely necessary. It is unclear whether this advisory, issued by the ministry's security division, is a consequence of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris or due to potential anti-Semitic incidents.
The advisory makes specific mention of France and Germany due to the particular threat of violence there, but it does not apply to the high school tours in Poland, including visits to former concentration camps, as those have dedicated security details.
Sources at the ministry said they were unaware of any cancellations at this point and have no specific figures on the number of trips currently in the works. Security officials at the ministry noted that in instances where canceling a trip was not a feasible option, schools should contact the local authorities and verify that proper security measures have been taken.
Following Pressure from Liberals, France Declares War on France to Defeat ISIS (satire)
In the time that has passed since the terror attacks in France, everyone from President Obama to your drunk uncle at Thanksgiving has weighed in on how the world’s number one exporter of baguettes and lovesick skunks should respond. Right wing demagogues have advocated for a merciless, chest thumping, scorched-earth type of approach to ISIS’s actions while liberals, sometimes called “nerds,” or “pussies” by jocks, have maintained that the fault for the violence actually lies with France itself, rather than the terror group.
France’s reaction to the attacks was outlined by French President, François Hollande, earlier in a press release. “Following the cowardly attacks on our people, we vow to find those responsible,” the statement read, “We have consulted with our most liberal advisors, and they have expressed to us that we are, in fact, the ones responsible. Apparently, our actions in the Middle East are what resulted in the ISIS terror, so… we are our own enemy, I guess. Therefore, we will begin our own bombing campaign in Paris in order to punish ourselves for unleashing ISIS on ourselves, and the rest of the world.”
Hollande also hinted at the possibility of a campaign against other western nations, including the U.S., “who also contributed to the rise of ISIS, and therefore also bear responsibility for the attacks.” According to one “level 5 liberal” (his description, not that of TMB), “God, just think of how free everyone could be if we just got rid of all these white people! That’s the dream we’re chasing with this Paris bombing campaign – hopefully coming to a city near you!”
In Paris, Netanyahu and Abbas shake hands for first time in years
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday had an unplanned meet-up on the sidelines of the Paris climate change conference, shaking hands for the first time in five years.
Only the New Zealand prime minister stood between the two leaders during the group photo of more than 150 world leaders attending the summit.
After the pictures were taken, the two shook hands for the first time since 2010.
Netanyahu also spoke with US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry for about 10 minutes, as well as with with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Prince Charles, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.
The Coptic Pope goes to Jerusalem
Since his ascension as Pope in 2012, Pope Tawadros has tried to ease the tension. While officially maintaining his predecessor’s position, he has allowed Copts abroad to make the journey. And without making any public fuss about it, removed the ban on communion for those who defy the church’s position inside Egypt. It became obvious to church observers that his heart was not fully behind Pope Shenouda’s ban. In all cases, even under his predecessor, the Coptic church had regularly sent monks and priests to Israel to maintain itsproperty there. The church alsoordains a Metropolitan, the second highest position in the church hierarchy after the Pope, based in Jerusalem and responsible for a wide diocese stretching from Israel to the Gulf.
Metropolitan Abraham’s death yesterday is what brought the Pope to Jerusalem, where he will head the funeral service. The Church has already attempted to portray the visit asexceptional—that is, very different from pilgrimage, but it is unlikely anyone will buy that. Islamists will use the visit to further incite animus and hatred against the Copts. And Egypt’s deeply anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli political class will condemn the Pope’s visit.
Why did the Pope decide to go to Jerusalem? He must have known that he will pay a heavy political price for his decision. But since his ascension to the Papacy, Tawadros has shown that once he is convinced of the soundness of a decision, he ignores its political costs. No matter what his calculus might have been, there is no turning back now. Next April when it is time for pilgrimage, thousands of Copts will make the journey no matter what the Church says officially. Pope Tawadros’ short trip may not be as historical as Sadat’s 1977 visit to Israel, but for Egypt’s Copts it may prove to be no less significant.
Hamas Building Sophisticated 'Tunnel City' Under Gaza
Hamas is in the process of building a sophisticated network of tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the issue speaking to Breitbart Jerusalem.
The tunnel infrastructure mirrors the network built by Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Iran-sponsored militia is known to have dug a vast underground tunnel complex replete with war rooms, internal communication lines, ventilation systems, and even missile silos.
Israel destroyed a significant portion of Hamas’ previous tunnel system during Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014.
One source, a member of Hamas’ ”military wing,” told Breitbart Jerusalem that following the operation, Hamas enlisted hundreds of terrorists in order to construct an even larger tunnel network.
The Hamas source claimed that the terrorist group has succeeded in restoring much of its former tunnel system.
He said the next stage involves linking tunnels in north Gaza with those under Gaza City and the south. The source conceded that this requires at least two more years of work.
Jerusalem mayor saves the day, again
Somehow, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat always seems to be at the right place at the right time. As on Sunday afternoon, when the wife of Interior Minister Silvan Shalom fainted in Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market, and Barkat was on the scene to revive her.
Judy Shalom Nir-Mozes came to Jerusalem for a tour of the city, guided by Barkat. However, upon arriving at the market, she passed out suddenly, and was given preliminary care by the mayor.
Nir-Mozes was then evacuated to the hospital, where her husband — who came directly from the Knesset — met her.
“Thanks for the concern,” she tweeted later. “Everything is okay. Feeling good.”
Abu Khdeir murder ringleader verdict delayed by 11th hour insanity plea; 2 minors convicted
There was pandemonium in the Jerusalem District Court on Monday as a three judge panel found all three defendants perpetrated the murder of Muhammad Abu Khdeir, but delayed formally convicting the ringleader, Yosef Haim Ben David after an unprecedented eleventh –hour insanity plea.
The court did convict the two defendant-minors, one from Jerusalem and one from Beit Shemesh but whose names are under gag order, of murder, kidnapping and a range of other offenses, despite their protests that only Ben David committed the murder, and they only intended to rough up Abu Khdeir.
Abu Khdeir, a 16-year-old Arab from Shuafat in east Jerusalem was abducted, burned and brutally murdered on July 2, 2014 while waiting to enter a mosque.
Tel Aviv cinema faces funding cut over Nakba film fest
Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev said she would weigh withdrawing funds from the Tel Aviv Cinematheque over its upcoming festival about the Nakba (catastrophe) — the Palestinian term for the 1948 creation of the State of Israel.
The festival, which runs December 4-6 and is in its third year, deals with the consequences for Palestinians of Israel’s victory over Arab nations in 1948, the creation of the State of Israel and the controversial issue of the return to Israel of Palestinian refugees. Movies by Palestinian and international filmmakers will be screened at the Cinematheque as well as the Arab-Hebrew Theater of Jaffa.
Regev on Sunday demanded to know whether the films contravene Section 3b of the Basic Budget Law, the Haaretz daily reported.
“Those of us who are responsible for the public coffers are forbidden from closing our eyes where there’s a fear, however slight, that a law is being broken in Israel,” said Regev. “It’s our responsibility and our authority to… ensure that public funds not be directed toward incitement against the state.”
The ghost town of Sharm El Sheikh: How bombings, political turmoil and a plane crash have left Egypt's tourist hotspots deserted with abandoned hotels and empty beaches a reminder of what they have lost
It's faced bombings and political turmoil over the past decade - and last month's plane crash has left Egypt's tourism industry in chaos.
Some 15million visitors a year were heading to the country up until the 2011 Arab Spring, but that had dropped to just 9million in 2014.
And this eye-opening collection of photographs reveals an abandoned landscape of deserted beaches, unfinished hotels and a country in crisis.
Married photographers Andrea and Magda have documented the Sinai region including resorts such as Sharm El Sheikh and Nuweibaa.
They spent nine months touring the area after finding more and more of the places they had previously visited were closing down.
The suspected bombing of a Russian passenger jet saw British Airways and easyJet cancel flights between Sharm and the UK until 2016.
The Foreign Office has warned British tourists of a 'high threat from terrorism' in Egypt, where more than 900,000 UK nationals visit a year.
Israeli Customs Agent Saves Gazan Merchant’s Life at Border Crossing
An Israeli customs agent’s resourcefulness saved a Gazan merchant’s life last week after the latter suffered a heart attack at the Erez border crossing.
The merchant had arrived at the crossing to enter Israel on Nov. 26 when he suddenly collapsed as a result of a heart attack. An Israeli customs agent, who had undergone paramedic training in the past, rushed over to the man and began resuscitation efforts, using a defibrillator.
Another crossing employee, also a trained paramedic, joined the resuscitation efforts. An Israeli Magen David Adom ambulance later arrived at the scene with two additional paramedics.
After the merchant’s condition was stabilized, he was transported to a hospital, where he underwent a catheterization procedure and regained consciousness.
Israeli Paramedic Reflects on Treating Wounded Syrians
Israeli Defense Forces Staff Sergeant “N” sounded surprised by the question.
“No,” she answered the JewishPress.com reporter, the wounded Syrians “we were treating trusted us and the IDF. With us, they knew they were safe from the bombings and the terrible situation in Syria. They thanked us and were grateful,” N said of the Syrians – some of whom were suffering from catastrophic wounds – she and her colleagues treated at the Syrian-Israeli border.
When N first entered the Israel Defense Forces nearly three years ago, she knew she wanted to be a paramedic. She spent 14 months training for this specialty, and spent much of her service working with a brigade in Judea and Samaria.
But when she heard there was help needed in the north, help needed in the Golan Heights on Israel’s border with Syria, N went.
Every day the Israeli medical professionals go to Israel’s border with Syria. It is there that the injured are brought by Syrians, and it is there that Israeli ambulances pick them up for treatment.


This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 11 years and over 22,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.



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Posted By Ian to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 11/30/2015 12:00:00 PM

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