04/11 Links Pt1: Terrorists or freedom fighters?; Islam is Colonialism, 'Palestine' is Colonialism

From Ian:

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JPost Editorial: Terrorists or freedom fighters?

As Jonah Goldberg noted in his book The Tyranny of Clichés: How Liberals Cheat in the War of Ideas, claiming one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter “stream rolls through a fallacious comparison, confusing ends and means, in order to celebrate relativism and nihilism and elevate moral cowardice as an intellectual principle.”
Palestinians who use violence to end the “occupation” are terrorists because they are fighting to deny another people – the Jews – the right to self-determination while struggling to create yet another Arab state that denies basic human rights and equality to non-Muslims and women, and rejects freedom of expression and religion. Hamas is a terrorist organization not just because it systematically targets civilians, but because its goals are to destroy an internationally recognized state and create in its place a caliphate run in accordance with medieval Islamic law. Therefore, when Hamas or self-appointed Palestinian “freedom fighters” attack IDF soldiers they are engaging in terrorism.
Jews who fought against the British Mandate, in contrast, were not terrorists, because they were seeking to create a democratic national homeland for Jews that would incorporate a large Arab minority, alongside a Palestinian state.
The state they fought to create would uphold human rights and enable men such as Bahloul to be elected to the Knesset. On occasion, organizations such as the Irgun or the Stern Group committed acts of terrorism against Palestinian civilians. But those were desperate times: European Jewry was being destroyed and the British prevented European Jewry’s escape by blocking entry to Palestine.
Even then, terrorist tactics were strongly criticized by the majority of Jews living in Palestine.

Netanyahu: Israeli actions beyond northern border kept Hezbollah from 'game-changing' arms

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged on Monday that Israel has taken action dozens of times beyond the northern border to prevent Hezbollah from attaining “game-changing” weaponry.”
Netanyahu's comments came during a visit to Golan Height to observe a large scale maneuver of reservists in the Paratroopers Battalion.
“We are proud that in the stormy and volatile Middle East, we were able to maintain relative calm and relative safety in Israel. We act when we should act, including here, across the border, in dozens of attacks, to prevent Hezbollah from getting game-changing weaponry,” the premier said.
Netanyahu said that Israel was acting on other fronts as well, “nearby and far away, but are doing it in an intelligent manner.” He said Israel was facing Islamic State and Hezbollah in the north, Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, and the Islamic State and global Jihadists in Sinai.
“If we are required to go into battle, and that is a possibility that lies ahead, which is why you are here, it is because we were unable to prevent the dangers to Israel through other means,” he said.

Islam is Colonialism, 'Palestine' is Colonialism

At Israeli Apartheid Week, campus haters claim to be fighting “colonialism” by fighting Jews. Columbia University’s Center for 'Palestine' Studies, dedicated to a country that doesn’t exist and which has produced nothing worth studying except terrorism, features diatribes such as 'Palestine' Re-Covered: Reading a Settler Colonial Landscape”. This word salad is a toxic stew of historical revisionism being used to justify the Muslim settler colonization of the indigenous Jewish population.
You can’t colonize 'Palestine' because you can't colonize colonizers. The Muslim population in Israel is a foreign colonist population. The indigenous Jewish population can resettle its own country, but it can’t colonize it.
Muslims invaded, conquered and settled Israel. They forced their language and laws on the population. That's the definition of colonialism. You can't colonize and then complain that you're being colonized when the natives take back the power that you stole from them.
There are Muslims in Israel for the same reason that there are Muslims in India. They are the remnants of a Muslim colonial regime that displaced and oppressed the indigenous non-Muslim population.
There are no serious historical arguments to be made against any of this.

The unknown movement that rules the Temple Mount

In new research published by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) investigative reporter Pinhas Inbari unveils the power hierarchy ruling the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism - and reveals that a relatively unknown group is actually calling the shots.
Inbari spoke to Arutz Sheva about his research, which found that it isn't the Palestinian Authority (PA) or the Jordanian Waqf that actually wields control on the Mount, even as the Israeli government reportedly is actively ceding control and reducing Jewish rights in talks with Jordan.
"At the head of the Islamist movement active on the Temple Mount is a movement that we don't know so well, the liberation movement 'Tahrir,' and it is the strongest on the Temple Mount," revealed Inbari, referring to the Hizb-ut Tahrir Islamist group.
He explained that Tahrir, like Islamic State (ISIS), is "a caliphate movement that espouses establishing Muslim caliphates, and therefore it does not recognize any Arab state or the PA, it doesn't recognize anything whose source is from the West like orderly democratic states. Its main enemy is the PA."
At the head of this movement seeking global Islamic domination is a leader who "is staying in Beirut, and they have diverse activities in Britain and Western Europe, Asia, Russia and more. The Temple Mount in their eyes is a central location but it isn't the only one."
While Tahrir may sound similar to ISIS, Inbari explained to Arutz Sheva that ISIS is an enemy as far as Tahrir is concerned. (h/t Elder of Lobby )

Report: Barghouti, Hamas, Islamic Jihad to Launch ‘Non-Violent’ Popular Uprising After Abbas’ Death

Arab officials close to PLO terror mastermind Marwan Barghouti, who has been serving five life terms in Israeli prison since 2002 and is considered one of the leading competitors to succeed PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, have reached an understanding with the Hamas leadership and with the Islamic Jihad abroad on an overall plan to fight the “Israeli occupation,” Walla reported Monday. The three-way plan calls for non-violent steps to exercising “Palestinian sovereignty” in the “occupied territories, and above all Jerusalem. The plan will orchestrate disruptions of life in the Jewish settlements and deprive Israel of the ability to demonstrate its sovereignty in Judea and Samaria until the establishment of a Palestinian State within the 1967 borders.
The “next intifada,” as the plan calls it, will be made up of a series of local popular uprisings, organized by a unified Arab leadership, which will decide each time where and what steps are taken against Israel next. The plan envisions Israeli security forces being pushed off balance, mired in confusion and stress. The plan emphasizes the use of non-violent, civil disobedience, intended to embarrass Israel every time the IDF is caught using violence to suppress the rebellion. In a way, Barghouti wants to go Mahatma Gandhi on the Jews.
The negotiations were conducted in secret over the past few months by four PLO senior officials: Ahmed Ghneim, Qadura Fares, Sirhan Dweikat, and Mohammed Hourani, all of them members of the PLO military faction Tanzim in the 1990s, and all of them close friends of Barghouti’s. The four senior PLO officials have met with the entire Hamas leadership, including Chairman of the Hamas Politiebureau Khaled Mashaal who operates out of Qatar. Additional meetings have taken place in istanbul and included known field terrorists like Musa Abu Marzuq, Saleh al-Arouri—who is responsible for many terrorist attacks against Israeli targets both inside and outside the “green line,” Osama Hamdan, and Husam Badran.

IDF seals home of terrorist who murdered Israeli driver in Jerusalem

The IDF and Israel Police sealed off the home of a terrorist who murdered Israeli driver Alexander Levlovitz in Jerusalem on Monday.
Security forces surrounded the home of Abd Mahmoud Doiat, in Sur Bahir, east Jerusalem, before sealing off the structure.
On Septmber 13, 2015, Levlovitz , a 64-year-old grandfather, died hours after losing control of his vehicle on the night of September 13 when its windshield was shattered by a rock thrown from an overpass in Armon Hanatziv neighborhood while he was driving home with his two daughters.
An investigation determined in October the rock was thrown by youths from the neighboring Arab village of Sur Bahir. In a joint statement with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), police said they arrested four suspects from the neighborhood who confessed to carrying out the deadly attack.
“During interrogation by the Shin Bet, the four admitted that they planned to carry out terrorist acts, especially on Rosh Hashana, and positioned themselves so they could throw stones at passing Israeli vehicles,” police said.

'Dropped investigation against soldier - a message to the IDF'

Deputy Defense Minister Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan (Jewish Home) on Sunday night welcomed the decision to close the investigation against Binyamin Brigade Commander Col. Yisrael Shomer, who last July 3 shot dead an Arab rock thrower who attacked his car as he drove through Kalandiya in northeastern Jerusalem.
“The decision is very important because it makes clear to IDF soldiers and commanders that they will be supported when they act against terrorists. This is a very important statement, especially during an ongoing wave of terrorism,” said Rabbi Ben-Dahan.
The deputy minister stressed that “the decision also reinforces the notion that rocks kill, and that those who throw rocks are terrorists, and it does not matter if the rock-throwing targeted IDF soldiers or the cars of innocent civilians.”
“As public representatives we must show responsibility and not be influenced by leftist elements who try to undermine our clear knowledge that the IDF is the most moral army in the world,” added Rabbi Ben-Dahan.

Financial Times Confuses Palestinian Attacks for “Israel Attacks”

The Financial Times reports that the wave of Palestinian terror attacks on Israelis is subsiding, according to the Shin Bet internal security service. Israeli PM Netanyahu “attributed the trend to stricter security measures taken to thwart attacks.”
Yet the FT came up with this accompanying headline:
"Netanyahu hails ‘strong’ security for fall in Israel attacks"
The article itself is factually correct, but the headline gives a very different impression to the reality of who has been perpetrating the attacks. Shouldn’t these “Israel attacks” actually be Palestinian attacks?
This has all too often been the case during the wave of Palestinian stabbings, shootings and car-rammings, where headlines have absolved Palestinians and portrayed Israelis as the aggressors, when it is, in fact, the opposite. A good article doesn’t justify a misleading headline, especially since the headline is often seen by readers who may not even click on the article itself.

Mumbai terror attack suspect defected to Isil and 'posed as refugee to plan attack in Europe'

A Pakistani extremist linked to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks has reportedly been arrested in Austria on suspicion of planning attacks in Europe.
The suspect is one of two men arrested in Salzburg posing as refugees on suspicion of planning attacks for Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil). The 34-year-old man, who has not previously been identified, was named as Muhammad Ghani Usman by the Sunday Times.
He is said to be a former bombmaker for Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT), the Pakistani group behind the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, in which 164 people were killed.
Unnamed sources close to a multinational investigation said “dozens” of Isil operatives entered Europe posing as asylum-seekers and are still at large.
Austrian prosecutors have confirmed that two men arrested on December 10 in Salzburg entered Europe posing as Syrian refugees last October. They arrived in Greece on the same boat as two of those involved in last November’s Paris attacks.
The second man was named as Adel Haddadi, a 28-year-old Algerian, and claimed investigators believe they were members of one of a number of Isil “strike teams” who infiltrated Europe under cover of the migrant crisis.

More than half of Muslims want gay sex to be outlawed and nearly a quarter support areas of UK being run under sharia law

British Muslims disagree with the rest of the country on a range of key issues such as sexuality, freedom of speech and polygamy, according to new research.
A poll carried out by ICM discovered that more than half of Muslims disagree with homosexuality being legal in Britain, while a quarter support Sharia law being introduced into parts of the country instead of British law.
The full findings will feature in a Channel 4 documentary presented by Trevor Phillips, former head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, on Wednesday.
Entitled What British Muslims Really Think, the programme will investigate the 'split' between Britons who follow Islam and the rest of the population.
I thought Europe's Muslims would gradually blend into the landscape. I should have known better.
Former equal rights chief Trevor Phillips
Among the most startling findings by the research was the attitude of Muslim men and women to the treatment of wives.
A third of those polled said it was acceptable for a British Muslim to keep more than one wife, while 39 per cent said wives should always obey their husbands.
Nearly half of those questioned said it was unacceptable for a gay or lesbian person to teach their child, with the majority also opposing gay marriage.
Former equal rights chief Phillips, who speaks to several members of the Muslim community on their views during the documentary, states that 'the integration of Muslims will probably be the hardest task' the country has ever faced.
He told The Sunday Times Magazine: 'I thought Europe's Muslims would gradually blend into the landscape. I should have known better.
'Britain desperately wants us to think of its Muslims as versions of the Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain, or the cheeky-chappy athlete Mo Farah.

Palestinians hope for Obama change of heart with UN vote

With President Barack Obama in his last year in office, the Palestinians are hoping he will follow up his historic breakthroughs with Iran and Cuba with a push for their cause as well.
The first step is reintroducing a United Nations Security Council resolution the US vetoed back in 2011 seeking “accountability” for Israeli West Bank settlement building.
In an interview, Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said the hope is that Obama, freed of reelection concerns, will break with American protocol and refrain from vetoing it this time around.
“There are indications that President Barack Obama may try to put a basis for a new era regarding the Palestinian-Israeli issue before leaving the White House after his achievements in Iran and Cuba,” Malki said. “Thus the US administration may surprise Israel by voting in favor of a Palestinian resolution or at least not to use the veto against it.”
The draft, which, Malki said, stresses the “violence and terrorism of the settlers,” still needs approval from Arab nations before the Palestinians would consider presenting it. But the move signals a renewed effort to get back on the agenda.

Report: US to abstain in PA-sponsored anti-Israel UN resolution

US President Barack Obama may manipulate a vote over the Palestinian Authority (PA)'s UN resolution condemning Israeli “settlements” to boost his own legacy, White House sources said Monday.
Obama is allegedly willing to remain silent on the vote in order to further his own agenda in the Middle East, officials said, and instead, promote his own outline for a series of US-led talks.
Such talks, the sources claimed, would include a "two-state solution" and concessions from both Israel and the PA.
Israeli officials have yet to respond to the reports.

Palestinians say they seek ‘accountability’ for settlements with UN vote

A Palestinian official said Friday that a draft proposal for a new UN Security Council resolution seeks “accountability” for Israeli settlement building.
Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said the draft stresses the “violence and terrorism of the settlers.”
The international community considers the settlements illegitimate while Israel says settlements and other core issues such as security should be resolved in peace talks.
The draft resolution, already distributed to Arab nations at the UN in New York, was immediately condemned by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas “is taking a step that will push negotiations further away” to end the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Erdogan Spokesman: Turkey will not drop demand for ending Gaza blockade

Turkey will not drop its demand for an end to the blockade of Gaza in order to normalize relations with Israel, President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman said on Monday.
Ibrahim Kalin said no final agreement on a text for mending ties with Israel had yet been reached and that talks would continue in the coming weeks. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Friday Turkish and Israeli teams had made progress towards finalizing a deal in talks last week.
The latest round of reconciliation talks between Israel and Turkey were held at an unannounced location in Europe on Thursday, but the long awaited rapprochement between the erstwhile allies remains elusive.
“Meetings with Israel have been taking place for a while and they are continuing today,” Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in Ankara on Thursday. “If our demands are received favorably, then the next steps will be clear and the necessary announcements will be made to the public.”

Real Rapprochement with Israel Requires Turkey to Tackle Anti-Semitism

Turkish and Israeli negotiators are having talks at an undisclosed location in pursuit of a reconciliation agreement to resume normalized relations. Both countries have a lot to gain from détente, and any step toward easing tensions in the Middle East should be cause for celebration. As a former member of Turkish Parliament, who has vocally supported closer Turkish-Israeli ties and a “peace pipeline” carrying Israeli gas to Turkey via Cyprus, it is encouraging to see that the talks that started in June 2015 have come this far. However, I have serious concerns about the shaky foundations of Turkish-Israeli rapprochement, and remain unconvinced about its sustainability.
Turkey’s government mouthpieces – notorious for their anti-Semitic and anti-Israel vitriol – seem to be in a celebratory mood about the apparently impending reconciliation. A pro-government daily, for example, published not only a front-page endorsement of normalization but accompanied it with news of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s plans to serve as a witness at a wedding in an Istanbul synagogue. Last week, the media ran similar praise for Erdoğan’s meeting with Jewish-American leaders during his Washington visit.
Such positive coverage is an extraordinary development in a country that, according to the Anti-Defamation League, harbors higher levels of anti-Semitism than Iran. The U-turn of the pro-government media, which only a year ago aired a documentary alleging a millennia-long Jewish conspiracy to dominate the world, is curious, to say the least.

Reports in Egypt: Saudi agreement requires Israeli cooperation

Following Egypt’s decision to relinquish control of two strategic islands to the Saudis, reports have surfaced claiming that the implementation of the deal may require changes to the Egypt-Israel peace accords, which would necessitate approval from the Knesset.
Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram reported Monday that representatives from Israel and Egypt have recently met to discuss the maritime borders between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which could be a major topic of concern, following Cairo and Riyadh’s recent deal, transferring control over two Islands in the Gulf of Eilat to the Saudis.
According to the reports, Cairo updated Israel of all developments relating to the new borders. Israeli officials said that the topic is being researched by the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs in order to assess its implications. According to the officials, changes to the peace accords may not be necessary, since the Islands belonged to Saudi Arabia anyway, and Saudi Arabia is committed to the accords.
Egyptian representatives told their Israeli counterparts that the signed agreement includes a commitment by Saudi representatives to respect all of Egypt’s peace accord obligations to Israel. The Egyptian parliament will have to approve the island deal before it becomes official.
Al-Ahram claimed that parts of the island agreement could require changes to the peace accords with Israel (specifically, changing maritime borders in the region), which would in turn require Knesset approval. According to the newspaper, Israel expressed no reservations about the agreement to Egypt, only asking that thing be done lawfully.

Yogev: Time to crush EU illegal construction 'terrorism'

Motti Yogev (Jewish Home), chair of the Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Judea and Samaria blasted Israel’s inaction over illegal Arab construction, and called upon the government to begin actively fighting the European Union’s campaign to establish facts on the ground.
Citing the recently released comptroller’s report on the Civil Administration’s failure to enforce construction laws in Judea and Samaria, Yogev pointed out the disproportionate level of illegal Arab construction and the low rate of enforcement.
Yogev pointed out that, according to the comptroller report, some 75% of illegal construction in Area C is done by Arabs. This despite the fact that Arabs are a minority in the area with between 70,000 to 100,000 Arabs living in Area C, compared to some 400,000 Jews.
Noting that only 10% of illegal structures receive demolition orders – and not all orders are carried out – Yogev called upon the state to make a coordinated effort to rein in illegal construction.
Much of the illegal construction is carried out with the support of the EU, which has helped build over 1,000 illegal structures across Area C over the past few years.

Israel ‘abusing’ detained Palestinian kids, rights group charges

The claim by US-based Human Rights Watch was quickly rejected by police, which said its officers abide by Israeli law and internal regulations.
In its report, HRW, which has been accused of being unjustly critical of Israel, said the number of Palestinian children arrested by Israel since October 2015, when a wave of deadly violence began, had risen by some 150 percent over the same period from the year before.
Citing interviews with detained minors, video footage and reports from lawyers, the report alleges Israeli security forces regularly employ “unnecessary force in arresting and detaining children, in some cases beating them, and holding them in unsafe and abusive conditions.”
The report also said that many Palestinian minors were interrogated without a parent or guardian present.

New radar gives Gaza-area residents 15 seconds to take shelter from shells

The Home Front Command has reportedly finished work on a new radar that will improve the warning system for residents of southern communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip of incoming mortar shells.
The system will shorten the time between the launch of a shell and when warning sirens are triggered, giving residents of communities adjacent to the Palestinian enclave a full 15-second warning of incoming shells, Army Radio reported Monday.
Though Israel’s current alert, based on the Iron Dome radar, warns of incoming rockets and gives communities about 15 seconds to reach shelters, it has proved less effective against short-range shells, often leaving residents little to no warning of attacks.
Alon Schuster, the head of the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council, welcomed the new warning system, saying the improvements could save lives.

One of the Most Dangerous Jobs in the World

Say hello to the Kometz Unit, the IDF’s unsung heroes. In the dark of night, these soldiers secure the Israel-Gaza fence, ensuring the security of the country while the dangerous enemy lurks meters away.
The Combat Soldiers of the Ordnance Corps
Dodging explosives, sniper fire, bombs, and anything else Hamas militants can hurl at them; these soldiers repair and secure the Israel-Gaza fence. They are the first response to any breach due to terrorist penetration, extreme weather, or simply to replace materials that strengthen the border.The Israelis in the 64 neighboring towns may sleep better at night knowing that the fence is up, preventing infiltration, kidnappings, and shootings.

The Kometz Unit - Keeping the Gaza Border Safe


With new decree, Abbas tightens grip on power

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has quietly established a constitutional court that analysts say concentrates more power in his hands and may allow him to sideline the Islamist group Hamas in the event of a succession struggle.
The nine-member body, which will have supremacy over all lower courts, was created without fanfare by presidential decree on April 3 and will be inaugurated once its ninth member is sworn in at a ceremony on Monday, officials said.
Critics say the body is packed with jurists from Abbas's Fatah party and risks deepening Palestinian political divisions. Fatah says it is Abbas's right to create the court, which it says is independent of the 81-year-old president.
"Neither the president nor any of the leaders (of Fatah) has a private agenda regarding this issue," said Osama al-Qwasmi, the spokesman for Fatah in the West Bank. "The prime task of the constitutional court is to monitor laws. By the law, it is a completely independent body and we have full confidence in it."

PA indicts Arab companies for selling Israeli products

The Palestinian Authority’s “anti-economic crimes unit” in Ramallah filed Sunday an indictment against two Palestinian companies that marketed Israeli products. The PA has banned the goods for sale in PA-controlled territories.
The names of the two Palestinian companies were not disclosed.
The indictment is based on the PA government’s decision to impose a ban on five Israeli companies. The PA decided to “punish” Israel in response to a similar Israeli ban on products from five Palestinian companies.
The banned Israeli companies are Tnuva, Strauss, Tara, Soglowek and Tapuzina.

Arab Diplomat: Iran Exploits U.S.-Saudi Rift to Fuel Yemen Conflict

Iran is exploiting America’s rift with Saudi Arabia to increase its support to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, an Arab intelligence official told Breitbart Jerusalem.
Case in point is the region of Taiz, a Houthi stronghold and a strategic location en route to the capital Sanaa that the Saudis have failed to take, he said.
“For more than a year of fighting, and in spite of official American backing, the Saudis find themselves alone in the quest to thwart Iran’s influence,” he said.
Iran’s supports for its allies, on the other hand, continues unabated. This led to a stalemate in the conflict. Washington is well aware of Riyadh’s distress, but instead of helping them tip the balance – and I don’t mean with boots on the ground – they have twisted the Saudis’ arm into negotiating with the Houthis without a prerequisite to decommission and withdraw from Sanaa and other areas. It will only legitimize Iran’s allies and make them equal decision-makers, even though they are foreign agents rather than a homegrown political movement.
He said that when they forced the Saudis to negotiate, the Americans cited the need to form a united front against the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Iran spurns Kerry bid for ‘new arrangement’ on missile tests

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday rebuffed US Secretary of State John Kerry’s proposal Thursday to negotiate a “new arrangement” for Tehran’s ballistic missile program.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Tehran with Estonia’s foreign minister, Zarif said that Iran’s missile and defense programs are nonnegotiable, echoing similar statements by other Iranian officials over the weekend.
Washington has denounced Iran’s ballistic missiles program, including a March 9 test of two ballistic missiles, as a violation of a United Nations ban. Iran maintains they not covered by the UN ban, which is linked to last year’s landmark nuclear agreement.
Kerry said the US and its partners were telling Iran that they were “prepared to work on a new arrangement to find a peaceful solution,” but that Iran first had to “make it clear to everybody that they are prepared to cease these kinds of activities that raise questions about credibility and questions about intentions.”

Iran clarifies: We have yet to receive S-300 missile system

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jaberi Ansari told local media explicitly that delivery of the system had already begun.
“Today I should announce that the first part of these equipment has arrived in Iran, and delivery of other parts will continue,” Ansari said at a press conference, according to a Mehr news agency report.
But just a few hours later, the agency’s story changed Ansari’s phrasing to: “Today I should announce that the first phase of the agreement is implemented, and the process will continue.”
Ansari also told the British Guardian newspaper the equipment had not actually been delivered, but rather that the “initial agreement for delivery” had been reached between the two countries.

Turkish Justice: ISIS Walks Free; Peace Activists Jailed

Belonging to ISIS or trafficking in slavery evidently do not constitute serious crimes in Turkey. But signing petitions calling for peace and non-violence, or requesting political equality for Kurds, are unspeakable offenses.
"We are not shocked that the defendants have been acquitted. This lawsuit has become one of the hundreds of other lawsuits in our country in which the criminals have been protected even though the evidence against them is obvious." — Association of Progressive Women, on the acquittal of six people charged with having ties with ISIS and trading in Yazidi sex slaves.
"Requesting peace has become a crime in this country. The state of Turkey has committed the gravest rights violations against those who struggle for human rights, against the Kurds and against free thought." — Sebnem Korur Fincanci, President of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey.
Turkish politics has therefore not been able to go beyond a clash between assorted Islamists whose worldviews are foreign to democratic values, and non-Islamist but still extremely oppressive political parties that operate under the shadow of a tyrannical military, whose worldview is also foreign to democratic values.

Personal details of 50 million Turkish citizens leaked online, hackers claim

Hackers claim to have accessed the personal details of nearly 50 million Turkish citizens and posted them online in a massive security breach that could seriously embarrass the country’s government.
If confirmed, it would be one of the biggest public leaks of personal data ever seen, experts said - effectively putting two-thirds of the country’s population at risk of fraud and identity theft. AP reported on Monday that it had partially verified the leak as authentic.
Personal information including national identity numbers, addresses, dates of birth and names of parents were all posted online in a downloadable 6.6 GB file.
The data was accompanied by an online statement headlined Turkish Citizenship Database that made some taunting stabs at Turkey’s ruling establishment and its Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) government.
“Who would have imagined that backwards ideologies, cronyism and rising religious extremism in Turkey would lead to a crumbling and vulnerable technical infrastructure?,” it read.

Watch: Soccer game in Saudi Arabia is stopped because players' haircuts contradict Sharia

A soccer match in the first Saudi professional Football League was stopped in the middle by the referee to fix the haircut of three players, whose haircut was not in accordance with Sharia law.
During the Friday encounter between the teams of Ahad and al-Bathin, the referee stopped the match and took the three players aside, where he fixed their Mohawk haircuts, in front of the eyes of the crowd that attended the match. After the players got their new haircut, the match was renewed, about an hour after it was paused.
The Mohawk hairstyle is defined as a "heretic hairstyle" in the Saudi Kingdom specifically and in Arab states generally. According to an Islamic fatwa, a person who cuts one part of his hair but leaves the other part of it untouched is someone with a Mohawk hairstyle. The fatwa rules that such a person must either cut all his hair or leave all his hair untouched.
The referee in the aforementioned match stopped the game based on new instructions of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation which entered into force on Thursday. According to these instructions, referees ought to fight the "heretic haircut" by banning players with such hairstyles from participating in soccer matches.

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