[Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News] 05/31 Links: Exposing the Human Shield Industry; Palestinian MD lauds Israel for saving children

From Ian:

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Palestinian Propagandists are Losing Their Touch

To be sure Palestinian propagandists from the West Bank had their helpers in the West. For example, Charles Enderlin, the man who helped broadcast the Al Durah video to French viewers in 2000, has a lot to answer for. Jews are fleeing the hate he helped promote.
But nowhere is this harvest of hate more evident than in Palestinian society itself. In lying to the world about the cause of their suffering, Palestinian elites are lying to themselves and the people they lead.
The anti-Israel and anti-Jewish messaging that Palestinian elites have promoted to Westerners for the past few decades reveals that the inhabitants of the West Bank and Gaza Strip are a long way off from establishing and maintaining a democracy, making peace with Israel and coming to grips with the modern world.
They live in a demon-haunted world of their own making. The end result will be disaster for the Palestinians and possibly for the rest of the world.

New book claims Israel spied on Bill Clinton

The allegations in the book, reported by Newsweek on Friday, are the latest in a series of reports regarding Israeli spying on US targets. The reports have been vehemently rejected by Israel and largely dismissed by American officials.
The new book, however, by British-Israeli political scientist Ahron Bregman, cites purported verbatim transcripts of the Clinton-Assad calls which he says he obtained through "private sources."
Bregman writes in "Cursed Victory: A History of Israel and the Occupied Territories," that Israel also listened in as Syria's foreign minister called the elder Assad to report on private meetings with US officials. The author further claims that he received transcripts of confidential talks between Clinton and then-prime minister Ehud Barak, as well as a letter marked "SECRET" from Clinton's secretary of state Madeleine Albright to Barak's predecessor and current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in which the Americans promised to check with Israel first before offering any peace proposals to the Arabs. (h/t Yenta Press)

Exposing the Human Shield Industry

Here's one example of how this industry works: On the night of September 30, 2013, IDF troops opened fire at two Palestinians who were trying to sabotage the Israel-Gaza border fence, killing one and wounding the other. Both men later proved to be unarmed, so that's naturally how the story was reported: Israel kills two unarmed Palestinians.
Four days later, I happened to be visiting friends whose soldier son was home on leave. It turned out his unit was involved in this incident, and he was furious over what the media reports left out: Standing just a few hundred meters behind the two men, he said, was a group of armed Palestinians waiting to see whether the attempt to break through the fence succeeded. In other words, the soldiers had every reason to believe the men sabotaging the fence were part of a much larger infiltration attempt, even though they couldn't be sure those two were themselves armed (it was night, they were moving, and they were partially obscured by the fence). Thus the soldiers did what responsible soldiers do when facing an attempted terrorist infiltration: They used lethal force to stop it.

Brussels May Be Lying About Museum Shootings, Professor Claims

A Swiss professor wrote on Facebook that Belgian officials may be part of a conspiracy to falsely present the Brussels Jewish museum shootings as anti-Semitic.
Tariq Ramadan, a Geneva-based lecturer on Contemporary Islamic issues at Oxford University in Britain, speculated on Tuesday that the slaying of four people last week at the Jewish Museum of Belgium was a deliberate attack on Israeli secret agents.
"The two tourists targeted in Brussels worked for the Israeli secret services," Ramadan wrote, citing media reports.
"The [Belgian] government does not comment," Ramadan wrote. "Coincidence. Is this a case of anti-Semitism or a maneuver to divert attention from the real motives of the executioners? We oppose all slaying of innocents and racism but at the same time, it's time they stopped taking us for fools."

Dutch city calls Jerusalem, Nazareth 'cities in Palestine'

A Dutch municipality is facing criticism for describing Jerusalem, Nazareth and Tiberias as "cities in Palestine."
Likkud Netherlands, a local association, published on its website Friday an article which carried a screen capture photo from Google Street View of the street sign of Tiberias Path in the city of Eindhoven with the description, in which Likkud Nederland accused the municipality of "wiping Israel off the map."
An intersecting street, Hebron Path, also described Hebron as a city in Palestine, as is Jerusalem Lane – all located within the Woensel district. The sign on Judea Lane described it "an area of Palestine," as does the street sign of Samria Lane. (h/t John Kinory)

Edwin Black: The inside story of J Street's rejection by the Conference of Presidents

The fractious public reaction to the April 30 rejection of J Street's membership by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations has been based on widespread dissemination of false information about the process, according to exclusive interviews with sources close to the Presidents Conference process. The sources declined to be named because, while fully conversant with all aspects of the J Street vote, they were not authorized to speak publicly. But they emphasize that J Street was rejected not by the "Left or Right" or a "right-wing minority" but by the overwhelming voting consensus of the 50-member organization. Moreover, the sources say, J Street supporters were in a smaller minority than initially apparent because just two voting blocs controlled 8 of the 17 yes votes.
By way of background, after a year of trying, the controversial lobby J Street was rejected by a wide margin for membership in the Presidents Conference, the umbrella group for 50 American Jewish communal organizations. The lopsided vote rang in at only 17 for, and 22 against in a process that required 34 yes ballots out of 50 voting member groups. But digging into the numbers reveals more than previously apparent about who voted yes and who did not, Conference sources say.

Australian gallery to return portrait lost under Nazis

An Australian gallery will return a portrait once thought the work of Vincent Van Gogh to its rightful owners in what is believed to be the country's first restitution of art lost under the Nazis.
The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) said it accepted that 'Head of a man' was part of a forced sale by German Jew Richard Semmel in 1933 and should be returned to his heirs.
"As far as we are aware, this is the first case of its kind in Australia," the gallery said in a statement posted on its website this week.

BBC's Jon Donnison promotes BDS misinformation on Twitter

Perhaps you too are beginning to wonder if and when the BBC's Jon Donnison will ever get round to reading those guidelines on social media use put out by his employer.

Jon Donnison ‏@JonDonnison
. @BillGates Foundation sells some of shares in UK Security firm #G4S amid #Israel prison criticism. #BDS is happy.

HonestReporting ‏@HonestReporting
Why @JonDonnison are you hashtagging and promoting non-stories on BDS? R U a supporter? @BillGates still owns #G4S shares. Not a BDS win.

Had he done so, Donnison might perhaps have reached the rather obvious conclusion that the promotion of a story touting a non-existent BDS 'victory' written by someone who, in his not too distant university days was to be found promoting a Ben White article on Twitter and writing the lines below, is not the smartest move for a BBC journalist committed to standards of accuracy and impartiality.

Omission and inaccuracy on ME terror misleads BBC audiences

May 29th saw the appearance of a filmed report on the BBC News website's main, Magazine and Middle East pages under the title of "The CIA spy who could have brought peace to Middle East" [sic]. The report is devoted entirely to author Kai Bird talking about his new book concerning the decade-long relationship between the CIA's Robert Ames and Fatah's Ali Hassan Salameh.
Leaving aside both the perhaps fanciful notion promoted in the BBC's synopsis that the relationship "helped lay the groundwork for the negotiations which culminated in the Oslo Peace Accords of 1993″ and the fact that the Oslo Accords did not bring peace, it is notable that both in the synopsis and in the filmed report itself, Ali Hassan Salameh is described as "Yasser Arafat's intelligence chief", "Arafat's chief body-guard" and "Arafat's virtual intelligence chief".
No mention is made whatsoever of the fact that Salameh was a senior figure in Fatah's Black September terrorist group and one of the architects of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre. Black September – established in 1970 – was of course responsible for numerous additional terror attacks during the years between 1969 and 1979 throughout which Ames and Salameh, according to Bird, were in contact – including the deaths of two American diplomats in Khartoum in March 1973. (h/t Alexi)

Netanyahu: U.S. pressure behind West Bank planning freeze

Netanyahu told a group of settler leaders that the activity of the planning council of Israel's Civil Administration, the body responsible for authorizing construction in the West Bank, had been partially suspended because the United States demanded it, the news site nrg.co.il reported.
Netanyahu, who met Thursday night with mayors from 20 West Bank settlements, said the United States recently demanded that the Civil Administration not only refrain from issuing tenders for construction, but also freeze the activity of its planning committee altogether and not approve new projects that would later require tenders. (h/t Yenta Press)

Psaki: It's "Just Plain False" that New PM of Hamas-Abbas Gov't Was Invited to Washington

State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki has flatly rejected reports published initially by Agence France Press (AFP) and reprinted in the Jerusalem Post, Al-Arabiya and other outlets according to which Washington had extended an invitation to the newly picked prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, Rami Hamdallah. In the earlier report, an unnamed Palestinian official had been quoted saying that such an invitation had been extended as a "recognition of the consensus government by the U.S. administration." If true, this would have marked a significant change in U.S. policy towards recognition of the new unity government in which the Fatah movement, led by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, joined forces with the internationally recognized terror group Hamas.

Hamas vows to end West Bank security cooperation with Israel

Senior Gaza official and deputy Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk said Saturday that Hamas had reached no understanding with Fatah regarding the issue of security cooperation with Israel, and that the Islamist movement would not allow it to continue, Israel Radio reported.
Abu Marzouk said the Palestinian unity government would be unveiled early this coming week, on Monday or Tuesday. He added that Hamas had withdrawn its objections to Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki remaining in his post.

Hezbollah blasts Lebanese cardinal for meeting 'Israeli agents'

Lebanese terror group Hezbollah criticized the head of the Maronite Christian Church, Lebanese cardinal Bechara Rai, for visiting Israel as part of the group of religious figures accompanying Pope Francis during his tour of the region last week. The cardinal was also blasted for meeting and praying with exiled fighters of the South Lebanese Army while on the visit.
We dot not want "Israeli agents among us," said Hezbollah MP Ali Meqdad.

As Lebanon and Syria become one

More than one million Syrian civilians live in Lebanon today. According to some estimates, the number has reached one-and-a-half million. Some are refugees from the civil war; others lived in Lebanon before the outbreak of anti-regime demonstrations in 2011. The changing make-up of the population in Lebanon, alongside the involvement of groups from both sides of the border in the fighting, underline the extent to which the borders between the two states are being erased as the war drags on.
It's hard to think of Lebanon as a sovereign, independent entity today. True, Syria has been a major player in Lebanon for decades. Damascus, under Bashar's father, Hafez, took an active part in the fighting between the Shiite Amal militia and Hezbollah at the end of the 1980s. Syrian intelligence operated freely in Lebanon during the 1990s, and Hezbollah was likely behind the assassination of Rafik Hariri, Lebanon's anti-Syrian former prime minister, on September 14, 2005.
Nonetheless, the active involvement of Hezbollah in the fighting in Syria shattered the familiar rules of the game in Lebanon. Until then, the Syrians played on the Lebanese field. Now, Hezbollah has become the defender of Assad, his rock and his salvation.

Iran Foreign Minister Blames Israel for Nuclear Program Scrutiny

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blamed Israel for the world's focus on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, according to Iranian semi-official news agency Mehrs on Friday.
Speaking at the Non-Aligned Movement's 17th Ministerial Conference, entitled 'Enhanced Solidarity for Peace and Prosperity,' in Algeria, Zarif on Thursday railed against Israel for questioning Iran's nuclear program, accusing the Jewish state of trying to divert public attention from its own nuclear activities.

Sudan won't install Iranian anti-aircraft missiles

Sudan said Friday that it won't install Iranian anti-aircraft missiles in the country after earlier exploring the idea following suspected Israeli airstrikes there in 2012.
A statement from Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country wouldn't install the defensive missiles "for fear it could be misinterpreted by some Gulf states."

EXCLUSIVE: 'We are Not Afraid' Says Mother of Jewish Brothers Brutally Beaten Outside Paris Synagogue

The mother of two Jewish brothers, who are recovering after being severely beaten on Saturday night outside of a Paris synagogue, told The Algemeiner on Thursday that her family isn't fearful.
"We are not afraid, we are not scared and we're going to get back on our feet and stay strong," said the mother, who asked to remain anonymous. "We don't want to give the feeling to people that we feel weak or anything. However, we are worried, we are concerned about what's going on."
"The fact is that the climate is very bad, very scary, and that there is an increase in small or verbal attacks currently and recently," she said.

Simon Wiesenthal Center to Swedish Education Minister: 'Prevent Nazification of Sweden's Schools'

Jewish human rights group the Simon Wiesenthal Center has urged Jan Björkland, Swedish Minister for Education and Deputy Prime Minister, to take a firm stand against allowing a re-named racist party to participate in a school civics program.
In a letter to the minister, Dr. Shimon Samuels, SWC's Director for International Relations, said, "stand by your own motto: 'To set school standards is to care,' by taking every available measure to prevent the Nazification of Sweden's school system."
The group in question is now called the Svenskarnas Parti, or the Party of the Swedes, but was formerly the National Socialist Party.

National Archives finds historic Winton letter to FDR

A letter written by Sir Nicholas Winton in May 1939 asking President Franklin Roosevelt to allow Czech refugee children in to the United States has been found in the Department of State records at the National Archives.
In a "60 Minutes" broadcast on CBS in April, journalist Bob Simon interviewed Winton, who turned 105 years old on May 19, about his role in saving 669 children (most of them Jewish) from the Nazis. During the interview, Winton mentioned the letter and expressed his disappointment that his plea was ignored.
"But the Americans wouldn't take any, which is a pity. We could've got a lot more out," he told Simon.

Much of Washington's Iron Dome aid to be spent in US

Israel will pay US contractors some 30 percent of the $176 million allocated for the Israeli-built missile interception system for the coming fiscal year and 55 percent for the next year, up from 3 percent, Bloomberg News reported, citing a US Missile Defense Agency report to Congress.
"Under this agreement, the United States focus shifts toward maximizing economic activity in the United States while ensuring that Israel's security needs are met," the missile defense agency said in the April 2 report, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. "This new agreement strikes a better balance for both parties and should serve as a model for the future."

US Army likes how Israeli 'smart balloon' flies

The SkyStar 180 balloon, developed by RT Technologies, is competing to be one of the approved technologies for purchase in the annual AEWE (Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment) conducted by the US Army. If chosen, the US armed forces could soon deploy the Israeli-developed surveillance balloon that can be controlled remotely to take highly accurate pictures and video from up to 1,000 feet (300 meters) above the ground.
In order to keep its edge, the United States seeks out the best technologies available for its military. The AEWE is a linchpin of that effort, said Rami Shmuely, CEO of RT, one of three Israeli companies whose technologies are being considered under the program. "The AEWE is an important way the US Army and other American forces decide what new technologies to buy," said Shmuely. "To be on the AEWE 'short list,' as we are, is a great honor."

NBC's 'Dig' starts filming in Jerusalem

Hollywood cast and crew arrived in Jerusalem this week as filming for the American television series "Dig," the first ever large-scale television production to be filmed in the Israeli capital, begins to get underway.
"Dig," an action-adventure series for NBC-Universal, follows an American FBI agent stationed in Jerusalem as he struggles to solve a murder and along the way begins to unravel a centuries-old conspiracy. It is co-written by Gideon Raff, the Israeli television genius behind "Homeland," and "Heroes" writer Tim Kring. Actors Anne Heche and Jason Isaacs, as well as director S.J. Clarkson, all arrived in Jerusalem this week.
It's been a busy month for Raff — he has another television program headed for U.S. screens, FX's "Tyrant," currently filming in Tel Aviv.

Two Baltic Countries Form New Christian-Israel Allies Caucus

Estonia and Latvia this week became the 29th and 30th countries to form a Christian-Israel Allies Caucus in their governments.
Organized with the help of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) and the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, the new caucuses will work closely with the Israeli Knesset's Christian Allies Caucus (KCAC).

Palestinian MD lauds Israel for saving children

Palestinian doctor Wafiq Othman told a Montreal audience he went to Israel with great trepidation, unsure he could ever trust his Israeli colleagues.
But he was able to overcome his misgivings because of their common aim of saving the lives of children with heart problems who live in the Middle East and other areas where they cannot receive the surgery they need.
The anesthesiologist completed six years of training at Save a Child's Heart (SACH), an international humanitarian program based at the Wolfson Medical Centre in Holon. He returned to the West Bank and is now co-ordinator for all the Palestinian doctors and other medical professionals who come to the renowned program to upgrade desperately needed skills.
Othman, who spoke on May 12 at the offices of Richter, has another reason to urge philanthropic support for SACH: it saved his younger brother's life.

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Posted By Ian to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 5/31/2014 10:00:00 PM

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[Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News] Sussex U votes against academic boycott of Israel

People aren't only getting sick of BDS in US universities.

The University of Sussex Students Union held a referendum on the question:
Should the Students’ Union endorse a boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions?

The motion failed to pass by a vote of 904-649.

Unfortunately, even the "no" vote argument was framed as anti-Israel:

No one can deny the suffering of the Palestinian people at the hands of the Israeli government. For too long, they have been deprived of their sovereignty, as well as their basic civil and human rights, at the hands of a ruthless military occupation. At Sussex, we have a proud tradition of standing up for the victims of injustice and oppression. This cannot be an exception.

But this referendum is not about solidarity with the Palestinian people. Throughout the history of the conflict, Israeli academics have been known for their outspokenly left-wing and pro-peace views. According to Sari Nusseibeh, the Palestinian president of al-Quds University in East Jerusalem, ‘if you look at Israeli society, it is within the academic community that we’ve had the most progressive pro-peace views and views that have come out in favour of seeing us as equals… If you want to punish any sector, this is the last one to approach.’

The academic boycott of South Africa was a result of the apartheid policy to restrict the black population’s access to higher education. Within the legal borders of the state of Israel, there is no such policy. A significant percentage of Israel’s students are Arab Palestinians. And while advocates of a boycott may point to the fact that the Israeli military restricts access to higher education within the occupied territories, this is a result of military rule and occupation, not the policies of Israeli universities themselves.

An academic boycott of Israeli universities would be a form of collective punishment. Israel’s entire academic establishment cannot be held responsible for the actions of its government, as just as in Britain, our students and lecturers often disagree entirely with our government’s actions.

We cannot afford to lose the moral high ground when it comes to our solidarity with the Palestinians – this only serves to strengthen the arguments of chauvinistic right-wingers who will point to this boycott as an example of anti-Semitic prejudice. Widely considered as one of the most prominent activists for the Palestinian cause, Noam Chomsky has stated in numerous interviews that an academic boycott ‘will only strengthen support for Israel’, and will seriously hurt Palestinians in the process.

Instead, we should be encouraging co-operation with critical and progressive elements within Israeli academia. Otherwise, we risk isolating Israeli students and lecturers solely by virtue of their nationality.

This anti-boycott argument shows, very clearly, how embedded the lies and distortions of the Israel-hater are in British universities.

Nothing about how hypocritical it is to single out Israel and only Israel as a place to have an academic boycott, while every truly repressive regime on the planet is not subject to such discussions by the oh-so-progressive students who pretend to care so much about the oppressed. The students are not being taught the most basic critical thinking skills.

Even so, while it is not a victory for the pro-Israel side, it is a big loss for the haters.



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Posted By Elder of Ziyon to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 5/30/2014 07:15:00 PM

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[Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News] 05/30 Links Pt2: Palestinians say BDS Activists Are Criminals; TempleU backs Holocaust Denying Prof

From Ian:

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Khaled Abu Toameh: Palestinians: BDS Activists Are Troublemakers, Criminals

At university campuses in the US, Canada, Australia and Europe, they are hailed as heroes campaigning for Palestinian rights. But in Ramallah, ironically, activists belonging to the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions [BDS] movement are seen by the Palestinian Authority [PA] as trouble-makers and law-breakers.
For some PA officials, BDS is a movement that acts against the true interests of the Palestinians. They say that the actions of those promoting BDS make the Palestinians appear as if they are not interested in peace and coexistence with Israel. BDS activists in Ramallah have succeeded in preventing several planned meetings between Israelis and Palestinians in Ramallah and east Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Authority is also worried that BDS is harming the Palestinians' relations with other countries. The most recent example of BDS efforts to damage Palestinians' relations with friendly countries occurred a few weeks ago, when the "anti-normalization" activists tried to disrupt a performance by an Indian dance troupe in Ramallah.

A journey through Twenty-First Century antisemitism

Some Of My Best Friends: A Journey Through Twenty-First Century Antisemitism, by Ben Cohen
Review by Karl Pfeifer
This well-edited volume contains selected thought-provoking articles by Ben Cohen, written in this century. His subject is the crude, violent “Bierkeller” antisemitism and the polite, modulated, ostensibly reasonable antisemitism, called nowadays “anti-Zionism” and so often expressed in the “progressive” camp.
Ben Cohen is not making sweeping judgments about the Left, but he calls a spade a spade and does not spare the rhetorical rod from those who engage in any form of antisemitism.
There is a foreword by Anthony Julius, the lawyer who successfully defended Deborah Lipstadt when she was sued by the Holocaust denier and antsemite David Irving.

Sarah Honig: A Small Tragedy

These verses were recited to Pope Francis when he visited Yad Vashem this week. He was also given a replica of a painting by the underage poet, an inmate of the Lodz Ghetto. He shook hands with several Holocaust survivors, including Abramek’s stepbrother Eliezer Gyrnfeld.
Sarah Honig was the first to publish Abramek’s story back on July 7, 1989 in the Jerusalem Post. Here is the feature exactly as it appeared then:
A SMALL TRAGEDY
At 13, Abramek was writing bright and beautiful poetry, far in advance of his years. He, and his words, came to an end in Auschwitz. By chance, some small memory of him was salvaged.
What child doesn’t, at some point in time, indulge in day-dreams of flying, of satisfying an as-yet unjaded curiosity to see and explore the wonders of the world?

David Singer: Palestine – Pope’s Political Power Play Promises Pandemonium.

The visit of Pope Francis to Amman, Bethlehem and Jerusalem this week proved that His Holiness is just as fallible – and gullible – as a host of other world power brokers like US President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Kerry and the negotiators representing the Quartet – the European Union, the United Nations, Russia and America.
All had plunged into the political mire that constitutes the 130 years old Arab-Israel conflict believing they could resolve it – but ultimately discovered it was destined to become their political graveyard.
The Pope’s descent into the political hell-hole that comprises former Palestine was totally unnecessary.
Regrettably the Pope chose to turn what should have been a purely spiritual pilgrimage to the Holy Land into a highly contentious political one.

Pope’s Western Wall note leaked to press

The pope wrote out the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish on a note that he left between the ancient stones of the Western Wall during his visit to Jerusalem earlier this week. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation published the contents of his handwritten note on Thursday.
The text of the letter pulled from the wall is the Spanish translation of the Pater Noster, one the central prayers in Christianity:

B’nai B’rith Refuses to Meet With Anti-Israel Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Canada

Frank Dimant, the CEO of B’nai B’rith Canada, said he is refusing to meet South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu during his visit to Canada this week due to Tutu’s anti-Israel views.
Tutu, 82, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work against apartheid in South Africa, has become involved in the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. As part of his visit to Canada, Tutu will speak at a conference opposing the Oil Sands project and Keystone XL pipeline in the Canadian province of Alberta, and will address Native American rights in the region.
“One need only look at the record of Archbishop Desmond Tutu to see that he is clearly not a friend of Israel, or the Jewish people,” Dimant said in a statement.

A new Europe with the old anti-Semitism

The Jews of Brussels have a hard time feeling safe these days, and they're not the only ones. Almost a week has gone by since the anti-Semitic attack at the Jewish Museum of Belgium in Brussels, but instead of answers, there are only more and more questions. The country's authorities are still helpless regarding the incident, which ended in the murder of four Jews, including an Israeli couple from Tel Aviv, Emanuel and Mira Riva, who were laid to rest in Israel this week. The fact that the murderer -- according to some indications, a professional, cold-blooded assassin -- is still at large definitely adds to the uneasiness. There are almost no leads in the investigation. The only bits of evidence come from on-site security cameras. The camera the killer had strapped to his chest presumably contains more information, but it has not been found.

Jewish WorldJewish Agency Sends Delegation to Brussels in Show of Support

Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel Natan Sharansky visited Brussels Thursday, in a solidarity visit to the local Jewish community after Saturday's horrific shooting attack that left four dead.
Sharansky met with Jewish community members and communal leaders and heard their concerns following the attack. Several European Jewish leaders, as well as Sharansky, have voiced strong criticism over what many perceive to be the EU's lackluster handling of the investigation - and have called for permanent protection for the Belgian Jewish community.

Israel's UN Envoy Welcomes Condemnation of Belgium Attack

Prosor said in a statement that it is important that anti-Semitism be dealt with by the United Nations.
“The members of the UN Security Council joined Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last night in condemning the terrorist attack against the Jewish Museum in Brussels that left four civilians dead,” he said.
“The Security Council's statement is a necessary step for the international community to acknowledge the rise of anti-Semitism, in all its forms. It is fitting for this issue to be dealt with by the United Nations, an organization that was founded directly after the greatest anti-Semitic event in world history.

Temple University Will Not Condemn Professor in Anti-Semitic Row

Adjunct Temple University Professor Alessio Lerro came under fire from Jewish scholars after he and other professors were caught on a secret listserv engaging in highly inflammatory anti-Semitic discourse about a resolution by the Modern Language Association (MLA) to boycott Israel.
Lerro accused “Jewish scholars” of having “humungous influence” over the entirety of academia and stated, “It is time that Zionists are asked to finally account for their support to the illegal occupation of Palestine since 1967,” according to message left on the listserv.
It further came to light that Lerro, in a now deleted Facebook posting, also questioned the deaths of 6 million Jewish people in the Holocaust.
Asked to comment on Lerro’s discourse and accusations by Jewish leaders that the rhetoric amounts to anti-Semitism, Temple University spokesman Brandon Lausch told the Free Beacon that the university welcomed his controversial views on campus.
“Temple University promotes open discussion and expression among its diverse community of scholars,” Lausch said after being informed of Lerro’s comments. “The exercise of academic freedom necessarily results in a vigorous exchange of ideas.”

Divestment Fails at the University of South Florida

Wednesday, May 28, the USF Foundation rejected demands by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) to divest from companies doing business with Israel.
SJP said they gathered 10,000 signatures on a divestment petition, but the USF Hillel Rabbi says that SJP wasn't up front in explaining what the petition was about when collecting signatures.
This came after SJP repeatedly failed to bring divestment to the student government.

A perfect illustration of how the PA fools the UK media into believing they’re ‘pro-peace’

Wonderful, isn’t it? Mahmoud Al-Habbash, the PA minister of Religious Affairs, has come out strongly and unequivocally against Hamas-style violence and incitement.
Except that, well, that doesn’t seem to accurately represent Al-Habbash’s true views – as we revealed in a post back in February.
Here’s Al-Habbash saying something very different about violence – in Arabic of course – in front of an audience which included President Abbas:

"Whoever wants resistance, whoever wants Jihad, the direction for Jihad is well-known and clear… Those who send young people to Syria or elsewhere to die for a misdirected cause must stop and understand that Jerusalem is still waiting. Jerusalem is the direction, Jerusalem is the address"

Did the BBC recycle a Gaza report from a Saudi-owned website?

Suddenly, the BBC’s whimsical tale of a Gaza honey industry bouncing back despite the big, bad Israelis is not quite as straightforward as it first seems. But perhaps that is what happens when Britain’s national broadcaster bases its content on the recycling of a report from an outlet based in a country which Freedom House described in 2013 as having a media environment “among the most repressive in the world”.
Licence fee payers might be very interested to know whether or not there is more where that came from: is the recycling of news items from media outlets in repressive Gulf states which do not respect press freedoms a regular event at the BBC?

Former Brooklyn Cop Arraigned on 39-Count Indictment for Anti-Semitic Vandalism in Borough Park (VIDEO)

Michael Setiawan, 36, a former New York City police officer, was arraigned on a 39-count indictment charging him with multiple counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief as a hate crime, criminal mischief, and making graffiti, in connection with an anti-Semitic graffiti spree in Borough Park earlier this month, Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Hate crimes such as these are hurtful and must not be tolerated in a civilized society, particularly in Brooklyn, where we embrace diversity,” the DA said.

University entrance exam in Norway calls for naive cynicism about Israel

The mandatory, short-form essay this year was to present an analysis of the communication methods employed in two pieces.
One was Banksy grafitti on the separation barrier near Bethlehem:
The other was an SMS message transmitted by Norwegian medical doctor Mads Gilbert, who snuck into Gaza December 31, 2008, volunteered to help at the hospital and Shifa. Gilbert is a noted anti-Israeli activist in Norway.

A schoolboy's vivid memories of the Farhud

On the eve of the 73rd anniversary of the outbreak of the Farhud pogrom in Iraq, Point of No Return is posting this vivid extract from the memoirs of Shmuel Moreh, who was then a Baghdad schoolboy. Some 179 Jews were killed and thousands wounded in the two days of anti-Jewish mayhem which swept through Iraq's cities on 1 and 2 June 1941.
"The year 1941 was one of the most tragic years in the life of the Jews of Iraq. It was a year of quick changes in the political, economic and social relations between Arabs (Muslim and Christian) on one side and Jews on the other side.

Never-Before Seen Color U.S. Army Footage Shows Horrors of Dachau (VIDEO)

Never-before seen color footage shot by a Hollywood filmmaker during World War II has revealed the U.S. Army’s discovery of the Dachau concentration camp.
In several graphic clips, the film documents troops as they came upon piles of emaciated bodies of Jews laying in and alongside boxcars in the notorious death camp.
Some were lying frozen in the snow. Others were strewn on the ground near still-burning fires in structures, possibly those of ovens where they were to be later burned.

MobileOCT wins prize for cancer screening program

MobileOCT, an Israeli medical technology start-up, is the winner of a prestigious prize distributed by international communications giant Vodafone for conducting a program to help residents of the US-Mexican border area detect cervical cancer. The venture, run in conjunction with San Diego-based nonprofit health care system Scripps Health and Tijuana-based community organization Fronteras Unidas Pro Salud, placed first in the 2014 Vodafone Americas Foundation Wireless Innovation Project. The award was presented Thursday night, May 29, in a ceremony at the Social Innovation Summit at the United Nations Plaza in New York City.

Mega-Concert in New York to Support Israel

With just a few days to go until the 21st Annual Israel Day Concert in New York's Central Park, executive producer Dr. Joseph Frager shared with Arutz Sheva his excitement over what will likely be an impressive show of strength by pro-Israel Americans.
In particular, the appearance of Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tx) - a possible presidential candidate for the Republican party - is being seen as a major coup by event organizers.

Amar’e Stoudemire Pronounces Love for ‘Clean’ Kosher Food (VIDEO)

New York Knicks forward Amar’e Stoudemire trumpeted his love for Judaism on Tuesday night in an interview on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, asserting that he loves eating “clean” kosher food.
During a guest appearance on the show, the athlete, 31, was asked by a caller what he likes most about his Jewish identity. The six-time NBA All-Star responded, “just eating clean… eating a kosher, clean diet.” WWHL host Andy Cohen responded in jest, “you would be fun to break the fast with.”

Israeli Hamburger Wows Jessica Biel as Justin Timberlake Wows Tel Aviv

As Justin Timberlake readied to rock an incandescent musical performance Wednesday night, his actress wife Jessica Biel took off to take a personal bite out of the “Big Orange.”
While Timberlake prepped at the soundcheck at Hayarkon Park, Beil and Co., with bodyguards in tow, headed over to downtown Tel Aviv’s highly rated Abraxas North baristo-bar.
While hubby was busy ironing out the setlist, Biel tweeted fans a B&W selfie as she plowed through a big juicy burger, with the caption, “Abraxes. In Tel Aviv. Best burger I ever had.”

Rolling Stones to start Israel show later to enable observant Jews to attend

The Rolling Stones will begin their Tel Aviv performance on June 4 at 9:15 p.m., later than planned, to enable religiously observant fans to attend the Park Hayarkon show after the Shavuot holiday.
An announcement released by promoter Shuki Weiss said that following many requests from observant fans, his office and the Tel Aviv Municipality agreed to to extend the 11 p.m. curfew on public performances.

Ethiopian Jewry commemorates the fallen of mass exodus to Israel

As Israelis flocked to the capital to celebrate Jerusalem Day, hundreds of Ethiopian Israelis came together on Mount Herzl on Wednesday to commemorate loved ones who died during their mass exodus to Israel.
The annual Memorial Day for Ethiopian Jews Who Perished on Their Way to Israel commemorates the estimated 4,000 Ethiopian Jews who died while making the perilous journey from Ethiopia through Sudan in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres attended the ceremony near the memorial for fallen Ethiopian Jews, which resembles an abandoned Ethiopian village with the names of some 1,500 dead etched in stone.

Shimon Peres: China and Israel, a shared search for a better world

On my recent state visit to China, I encountered this spirit of progress and innovation in a wide range of fields. I was proud to launch my Sina-Weibo page and was pleased to make so many new friends in such a short span of time. For me it presents yet another avenue through which to enhance the ever-increasing dialogue between the peoples of our two countries.
The launch of The Times of Israel Chinese news website is a fitting continuation of the journey between our peoples, taking the relations between our two civilizations into the digital age. To the readers in China I say, we await you here in Israel with open arms and our home is open to you.

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Posted By Ian to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 5/30/2014 06:00:00 PM

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[Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News] EoZ post weekly wrapup

I don't know if I will do this every week, but people liked last week's roundup, so....

Of course, this week was dominated by my original coverage of the Beitunia Pallywood incident (all posts here.)

My Synchronized video of the Beitunia incident (created Saturday night but improved later in the week) was the first and IMHO best video analysis that proved really beyond any reasonable doubt that the gunshot that corresponds to Nadim Nawarah's falling down was from a rubber bullet.

On Monday I put forth my theory that Nadim Nawarah was shot in the leg by a rubber bullet . I still think it is likely, even though the IDF claims that the first bullet, fired by an unauthorized soldier, was fired at a wall. The other alternative, of course, is that Nawara was good at reacting fast to the sound of the gunshot to fall down and create a scene, as we saw in the failed attempt I publicized in my post A botched attempt at Pallywood: "The Hopper"

That video was picked up by other media like Breitbart and has so far received 16,000 views on YouTube. My other video taken from the extended CCTV footage, showing how absolutely no blood was spilled by the supposed shooting of two youths with bullets that ripped through their midsections, is almost at 10,000 views. The videos get far more publicity than my posts do.

People who can get past the idea that Palestinian Arabs have a history of faking injuries and deaths can see that there is far, far more to Beitunia than how it is reported in The New York Times and other media. As I've said repeatedly, I dislike conspiracy theories, and I really don't know how two youths apparently died, but I do know that Nadim Nawara was not shot by Israeli forces, and the story of Mohamed Salama has serious problems as well (as I noted here.)

I also challenged the media to find real experts to help decode what happened. Only some Israeli media has interviewed actual experts, but Haaretz hasn't bothered, and neither has any of the mainstream media, in regard to squaring the facts with the videos we have. Isn't that strange?

There were increasingly bizarre theories later in the week to try to pretend that Israel somehow managed to shoot live fire at the exact same moment as the rubber bullet shot, which I took apart here. One Israeli blog even claimed that the police were shooting live fire through the rubber bullet canister, which Haaretz said was impossible or ridiculously difficult today.

Other notable posts this week:

• Ottawa City Hall featuring terrorists in "Palestinian art" exhibit
• Documentary shown at UN depicts Israel as a dragon targeting innocent children's kites
• Latin Patriarch tells Pope that Israel is Herod and Palestinians are Jesus
• I still can't believe the Pope called Abbas a "man of peace"
• No anti-Zionist rumor is too stupid for Mondoweiss to believe (poster)
• Hezbollah destroys a Merkava tank (replica)!
• Newest "Apartheid?" poster

If you like what you see, please consider donating using the PayPal buttons on the right sidebar. Thanks!




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Posted By Elder of Ziyon to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 5/30/2014 04:00:00 PM

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[Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News] "Think Progress" slyly throws in Israel hatred

You can find subtle Israel hatred in the most interesting places.

Think-Progress has an article about  Pope Francis' visit to the Middle East.

At the conclusion of Pope Francis’ already surprise-ridden trip through the Holy Land last week, the first Argentinian pope turned heads by spontaneously inviting Presidents Shimon Peres of Israel and Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority to visit him for a joint “prayer summit” at the Vatican. Both leaders accepted his offer, and a date was set for a meeting at the pontiff’s apartment on June 6.

The bold move by Francis — who has virtually no formal diplomatic training — rekindled hopes of reinvigorating Middle East peace talks that collapsed less than a month ago. Yet while the announcement of the summit was welcomed by many world leaders, several commentators were quick to point out that the pope’s primary goal in holding the prayer service is probably to help establish enough good will to help protect the Middle East’s Christian minority. After all, Christians, who make up 5 percent of the population in the Middle East, continue to face stiff persecution at the hands of both Jews and Muslims in the region, and Francis told members of the press last November, “We will not resign ourselves to imagining a Middle East without Christians.” 

"Stiff persecution at the hands of both Jews and Muslims"? Is there any comparison between the thriving Christian community in Israel and the dwindling Christian communities in every single Arab nation?

Apparently not. The author seems to believe that Israel is worse. Because his link doesn't go to any article about Arab persecution of Christians and mass Christian flight from Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq and elsewhere. It links to PCUSA's article about "price tag" attacks in Israel!

The Presbyterian Church USA is rabidly anti-Israel and its members who write articles like that are often openly antisemitic:

For example, at an opening program of the IPMN-PCUSA annual conference, the Rev. Craig Hunter said "greed and injustice is a cancer at the very core of Zionism." In a 2010 letter to church delegates, the IPMN-PCUSA falsely accused the Jewish community of intimidating Presbyterians by sending a letter-bomb to the church’s headquarters and setting fire to a church. IPMN-PCUSA tweeted an article proclaiming “Jewish power + Jewish hubris = moral catastrophe of epic proportions.” IPMN-PCUSA also has supported virulently anti-Israel resolutions including those equating Israel with Apartheid and has been a vocal supporter of the anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanction movement.

The IPMN-PCUSA Facebook page includes a cartoon of President Obama wearing weighty Jewish star earrings to suggest Jewish control of the American leaders, a common theme on the site. The IPMN-PCUSA has posted articles that accuse Jews of controlling Hollywood, the media, and American politics - and blaming Israel for the American housing and economic crisis. IPMN-PCUSA's communications chair also posted her opposition to a two-state solution and the existence of a Jewish state, something which she terms "anachronistic.” The same IPMN leader, Noushin Framke, clicked "like" on the Obama cartoon with the Jewish stars and another post that Hamas should keep Israeli Gilad Shalit hostage until Palestinians are granted a right of return.

While "price tag" attacks against churches in Israel are reprehensible, they areis hardly causing a mass exodus of Christians from Israel and they have been denounced by all Israeli leaders of every major political party. I think that Coptic Christians in Egypt would be thrilled if the worst thing to happen to them would be occasional offensive graffiti on their churches. To highlight that instead of mentioning the actual life-threatening incidents against Christians under every Arab regime is more than just an oversight. It is deliberate anti-Israel incitement, albeit low key.

The article is idiotic on many levels, not least being a complete ignorance of the role of Israel's president, but this little link betrays a much deeper problem with many "progressive" writers.

(h/t Ronald)



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Posted By Elder of Ziyon to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 5/30/2014 02:00:00 PM

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[Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News] 05/30 Links Pt1: Police Prevent Suicide Bombing; Hamas pays for attacks on Jews at Temple Mount

From Ian:

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Minister praises policemen who stopped suicide bombing

“Your vigilance and professionalism led to the capture of a terrorist with an explosive belt,” Aharonovitch told the policemen in a phone conversation shortly after the Friday morning incident.
“You prevented an attack and saved lives, and I’m proud of you and your professional excellence,” he said.
The incident took place on Friday morning, when Border Policemen saw a Palestinian man, a 20-year-old Nablus resident, walking toward them at the Tapuah Junction in the northern West Bank. The man was wearing a heavy coat, despite the 35-degree-Celsius heat (95 degrees Farenheit). The policemen called on the man to stop, at which point he lay down in the road.
The suspect then allowed policemen to remove his coat, revealing what looked like an explosive belt on his person. He admitted that it was indeed a bomb.

A terrorist with an explosive belt was caught at the intersection Tapuach Samaria


Sarah Honig: Proportional to the threat

Trying to get inside Jennifer Rene Psaki’s head is one heck of an intellectual challenge. The pearls of wisdom that habitually escape the lips of this US State Department spokeswoman are often no less than stupefying, so it must be edifying to get a handle on what inspires them.
She is the gauge of just how disliked we are. Our tendentious, left-dominated, agenda-driven media has turned Psaki into the adjudicator of our international standing. If she isn’t pleased, we are in obvious trouble. Her pronouncements open our news broadcasts and star on our front pages.
Thus we quaked the other day, awaiting her judgmental input following the deaths of two Arabs in Bitunia (near Ramallah) on May 15. They took part in irredentist disturbances to decry Israel’s Independence anniversary as a catastrophe – Nakba – their loaded characterization of our existence.
Psaki unequivocally put us in the dog-house when she encouraged “the government of Israel to conduct a prompt and transparent investigation to determine the facts surrounding this incident, including whether or not the use of force was proportional to the threat posed by the demonstrators.”
Ouch! We are well-familiar with that demand for proportionality. It never augurs well for us.

‘Hamas pays hundreds of youths to harass Jews at Temple Mount’

Israel arrested a major Hamas figure earlier this month as he attempted to infiltrate the country via the Allenby Bridge crossing, the Shin Bet security service revealed Thursday afternoon. Mahmoud Toameh, a “top-ranking overseas operative of Hamas,” gave the security agency a wealth of details about the activities of the radical Islamic group during his interrogation, it said, including its funding sources, international activities and activities inside Israel. Notably, he revealed that Hamas pays hundreds of young Israeli Arab citizens to harass Jews seeking to enter the Temple Mount area.
Toameh was arrested on May 14, the Shin Beit said, and formally indicted on undisclosed charges on Thursday.
In his interrogation, Toameh revealed that Hamas works with the Islamic Movement (an Israeli organization that promotes Islam among Israel’s Arab citizens) to keep Jews from entering the Temple Mount compound, by retaining a group of young men to harass and throw stones at Jewish visitors. These men, who ostensibly are studying Islamic theology at the site, are paid a monthly salary of NIS 4,000 to NIS 5000 ($1,150-$1,440) for their activities, the Shin Bet said. (h/t Bob Knot)

IDF Manhunt After Terror Cell at Large in Samaria

The IDF on Friday afternoon began a manhunt in Samaria. Their target: the terror cell that is believed to have been behind the foiled suicide bombing at Tapuach Junction near Ariel which took place Friday morning.
The assumption at this stage is that the suicide terrorist who was captured wearing a bomb belt was brought to Tapuach Junction by three other Arab terrorists, reports Walla!.
The three terrorists reportedly gave the apprehended terrorist clear instructions as to how to detonate the bomb belt.

Threat of terrorism in the EU is 'acute and diverse'

A total of 152 terrorist attacks occurred in five EU Member States.
The majority took place in France 63, with 33 in Spain and then 35 in Britain.
After an increase in 2012, the number of terrorist attacks in 2013 fell below the number recorded in 2011.
The report attributed the majority of attacks to separatist terrorism, while the number of attacks related to left-wing and anarchist terrorism rose in 2013.
In 2013, 535 arrests were made in relation to terror offences.
Most of the arrests occurred in France, with 225, Spain, 90, and the UK, 77.
In 2013 the number of arrests increased for preparation and execution of attacks; financing of terrorism; and travelling, facilitating travel or sending fighters to conflict zones, especially Syria. (h/t Canadian Otter)

Bad apples in the negotiating room

This is a wretched and idiotic negotiating strategy. What Livni should be saying to the Palestinians is: Look, we have the upper hand and you’re never going to get your state unless you get real and compromise. Until then, you suffer more than we do.
Israel is managing just fine, and will continue to prosper despite Palestinian recalcitrance. Time is on our side.
But Livni has tied her personal political fortunes to the doomsday-is-coming argument, and just can’t control herself. She recklessly weakens Israel every day with her howling, yowling and groveling.
The bottom line is that Livni’s presence on the Israeli negotiating team hinders, not helps, the diplomatic process.
It’s time to dump Indyk, Erekat and Livni – bad apples in the search for peace – and make room for more equitable, reasonable and composed negotiators.

Bennett: First Gush Etzion, Then All of Judea and Samaria

“We are in the post-Oslo era,” declared Bennett. “The age of unilateral withdrawals, where we run away from an area and pray that all will be well and then 10,000 rockets are launched at us, is over.”
"The left is out of options, it no longer has an operative plan, it only talks about two states,” he continued. “So we put things on the table and slowly the trend is becoming a positive one: the Knesset Speaker spoke in favor of the move, as did Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, Communications Minister Gilad Erdan, and others.”
Asked about the objections of the international community to such a move, Bennett responded, “I agree: the world won’t clap its hands. To this day they do not accept the Western Wall and the Golan Heights as part of Israel. But we do accept Jerusalem and the Golan as part of Israel.”
"I do not undermine the importance of our ties with the world. I am constantly dealing with the world but believe it or not, foreign ministers and ambassadors only care about their own trials and tribulations, and what is troubling the world right now is the recession and lack of innovation, so people from China and India and Western Europe come here and only want to cooperate with us," Bennett said.

Shimon Peres, Mahmoud Abbas to Visit Vatican on June 8

Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will visit the Vatican on June 8.
The two leaders are scheduled to attend a prayer meeting hosted by Pope Francis that will also include a rabbi and Muslim cleric, the Vatican confirmed.

Kerry: Israel’s approach to PA unity is appropriate

Discussing the impasse — peace talks collapsed last month in an orgy of Israeli-Palestinian recrimination, with no progress made — Kerry said that “President Abbas has said that he is prepared to go back to the talks, but he has certain conditions that have to be met. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israel are waiting to see what happens with the Hamas reconciliation, with the announcement of a new government, with the question of what that new government may or may not choose to do.
“That’s an appropriate thing to be doing,” Kerry added. “We’re all waiting to see what happens.”

PA Official: US recognizes Palestinian unity gov't, invites new PM to meeting in Washington

According to a report by Maariv on Friday, a Palestinian official stated that the invitation is a declaration of American recognition for the unity government. The report cited the official as saying, "The visit will take place in June, during which Hamdallah will meet with American president and visit the US Congress."
"The US administration has renounced its previous disapproval of the national unity government and will now support the new government," claimed the head of the Fatah reconciliation team, Azam al-Ahmad.
Washington has previously announced that it expects any Palestinian government to refrain from violence as well as recognize Israel and agreements.

PA Negotiator Tells UN Israeli 'Terror' Stopped Talks

According to Erekat, Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas made every effort for the negotiations to succeed, while Israel over the course of the nine-month talks published bids on over 10,000 housing units, "killed 66 Palestinians in cold blood," destroyed 219 "Palestinian homes," and increased "settler terrorism" by 41%, including attacks on the Al Aqsa Mosque.
The various claims have numerous flaws, including the fact that a housing freeze on Israel was not a precondition of the talks, and that enforcing the law in confrontations with terrorists and demolishing illegal homes were likewise not forbidden. It remains unclear what "terrorism" Erekat referred to, although the Temple Mount has indeed been the target of much Arab violence.
Despite Erekat's version, the unity deal between the terrorist group Hamas and Fatah last month effectively torpedoed the talks just before their April 29 deadline, after PA unilateral applications to join 15 international conventions nearly ended them earlier that month.
However the unity deal was transformed by Erekat into an excuse for Israel to end the talks and "enforce their dictates," to build in the "settlements" and destroy the principle of two states along the 1949 Armistice lines.

With unity on horizon, drive to strip PA of US funding gains ground

With an announcement of the Palestinian unity government expected any day, Israel’s deputy defense minister came to Capitol Hill Thursday to rally Congress behind cutting off aid to the Palestinian Authority — only to find that the move to suspend funding already had strong bipartisan support.
While some lawmakers have expressed concern that the Obama administration may delay enforcement of a 2006 law that would demand the suspension of funding, legislators are prepared to exercise Congressional oversight to force the administration’s hand, Danny Danon said Thursday.
Danon said that cutting all funding to the PA was his main message during a one-day visit to Washington. Danon’s trip included meetings with a number of prominent legislators, including committee heads.

Suspicions Continue to Mount About Palestinian Account of Shootings

Two weeks ago, two Palestinian teenagers were said to have been shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the Palestinian town of Beitunia. The Algemeiner today has cataloged a number of the questions that have emerged about the shootings.
While there’s been little follow-up to the initial reports of the incidents in America’s mainstream media, bloggers have been questioning the initial reporting done on the shootings. The Algemenier cited two of the more methodical critics of the reporting.
In addition to the lack of blood at the scene, the Hebrew website Walla! reported that the hospital changed the results of the autopsy for the first teen. Originally it noted that there was no exit wound. But a later report, apparently after the CNN story aired, claimed that there was an exit wound.
CNN aired a report last week that has been widely cited as proving that Israeli soldiers shot and killed both teenagers. Earlier reports hadn’t shown soldiers actually firing, but CNN’s did. The reporter, Ivan Watson, also interviewed the father of the first teen who claimed to have the bullet that killed his son and ended up lodged in his knapsack. But the CNN report raised more questions than it answered.
Elder of Ziyon synchronized videos of the shootings from different camera angles. The CNN cameras clearly showed soldiers using rifles with rubber bullet attachments. This demonstrated that the two shots were of rubber bullets, not live ammunition, contrary to what Palestinian witnesses had claimed.

PA, Left, Int’l Media Continue to Cite Pallywood Video

Senior international media and Palestinian Authority spokespeople are continuing to cite the Beitunia Pallywood video as “proof” that IDF soldiers killed two Palestinian teenagers during Nakba Day riots two weeks ago.
Several Jewish Press writers and others, most notably the blogger Elder of Ziyon, have debunked the supposed footage of the Pallywood production near the Bitunia checkpoint on May 15.

Report: Netanyahu Approached Elie Wiesel Over Presidency

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had tried to convince Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel to be a candidate in the race for president, media said on Friday.
Israeli media began reporting Netanyahu's last-minute attempt on Tuesday, when candidates had to present 10 MPs' signatures to be eligible for the position.
Wiesel, who lives in New York, told Yedioth Aharonoth on Friday that Netanyahu had called him three times and then tried to pressure him through mutual friends, but the 86-year-old Romanian-born Nobel Peace Prize winner refused.

What's going on underneath the Temple Mount?

Is the Waqf planning to build or laying the groundwork for a fifth mosque in the eastern part of the Temple Mount complex in the underground space beneath the Golden Gate? The Public Committee Against the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount obtained updated photographs that were originally posted on Facebook by Muslim groups. The committee claims that the pictures show this is indeed what is being planned.
In recent years, Muslims have approved the building of two new mosques on the Temple Mount, while doing serious damage to antiquities there. The new mosques would be built in addition to Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock. While the latter is technically a shrine, it has become a de facto place of worship. The two new Islamic houses of worship have been named the Al-Maruani mosque, which is slated to be built in Solomon's Stables, and Al-Aqsa Hakadum, which will lie underneath the original Al-Aqsa.
State Comptroller Yosef Shapira has been severely critical of the manner in which the authorities have dealt with the developments of recent years on the Temple Mount, but the report he authored on the subject has not been cleared for publication.

Outrage as Zoabi Slanders IDF Mavi Marmara 'Murderers'

A heated confrontation erupted between ninth-grade students from the Rogozin High School in Kiryat Ata near Haifa, and Arab MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad) during a class visit to the Knesset on Thursday.
The students reported that during a lecture, the MK called the IDF soldiers who stopped the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla "murderers." The students walked out of the lecture and sent letters of complaint to several government ministers over the issue.
"We came to learn from the MKs and their role in government [. . .] but she began to talk about the Mavi Marmara incident and said our soldiers were 'murderers,'" one student told Yedioth Aharonoth.
The students did not take the insult to the IDF lightly.

TIME: Talk of U.S. Action on Syria as Obama Credibility Tested by Syria Chlorine Reports

TIME Magazine’s chief foreign affairs correspondent Michael Crowley on Friday assessed that the policy debate in Washington over how to approach the Syrian war may soon shift back to “talk of military action,” as Obama administration officials “brac[ed] for confirmation – in weeks or even days – that chemical warfare is underway again” inside the war-torn country:
Assad’s brazen return to warfare by poison gas puts Obama in a miserable spot. The White House will have two main options. One is react with fury and revive the threat of air strikes. “It is clear to me,” says James Jeffrey, a former Bush deputy national security advisor and Obama’s first ambassador to Iraq, “that the only position Obama can take is to say that the U.S. takes this seriously as a violation of our red line, and if that if chlorine gas is used again by regime forces, ‘I will use military force.’”

Prominent Syrian Oppositionist Dr. Kamal Al-Labwani Promotes Public Initiative For Cooperation And Peace With Israel

In recent months, Syrian liberal and prominent oppositionist Dr. Kamal Al-Labwani has been promoting a public initiative calling on Israel to provide military and diplomatic assistance to the Syrian opposition in its struggle against the Assad regime, as a preparatory move for peace and normalization with the future Syrian regime. According to a report in the London daily Al-Arab, the initiative was prepared together with Arab and regional elements, and in cooperation with elements in the U.S. Congress, and has received the blessing of senior officers and commanders in the Free Syrian Army (FSA). As part of his efforts to promote the initiative, Al-Labwani attended several secret meetings in Germany on the matter, and has even expressed his willingness to visit Israel "if doing so would serve the Syrian people, peace, and the peoples of the region."
In response to the initiative, presented over the past few months by Al-Labwani in a series of articles and print and TV interviews with Arab, Israeli, and Western media, the Syrian regime accused him of encouraging "the Israeli enemy" to occupy Syrian lands, and of treason against the homeland. Positive comments about the initiative by Israeli Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog were presented by the official Syrian news agency SANA as proof of Israel's support of the "terrorists" operating in Syria and of the scope of "the cooperation, coordination, conspiracy, and explicit plotting between the so-called 'Syrian opposition' and the Zionist entity, with the hopes of wearing down the Syrian state's forces and bringing about its destruction."

Iran's Strategy to Develop Nuclear Weapons

Eventually, the Persians seem to have perfected the "art of deception" (in Persian: ketman or taqiyah). Taqiyah means dissimulation; ketman means paying lip service to someone in a position of authority while disagreeing with what they are saying. Both methods consist of telling someone who might harm you what you think they want to hear, as telling the truth might be dangerous.[5] The Persians also perfected ta'arof – the use of extremely polite gestures to demonstrate to others that you are superior to them.[6] As one pursues dominance and control, the enemy becomes overpowered. One rarely even grasps that he or she is being humiliated – and ultimately defeated – until it is too late. This concept is totally alien to Western culture.
Iran's President, Hassan Rouhani, is likely wielding this strategy against President Obama and the other European leaders, with whom Iran is "negotiating" over its nuclear program. Iranian rulers have employed ketman and ta'arof to lull their modern day opponents – the P5+1 – into a false sense of complacency. They have been using deception, obfuscation, and extreme outward politeness to outmaneuver their opponents. This is especially clear from the way Rouhani constantly talks about the chances of success for the negotiations, while at the same time setting demands which the West cannot tolerate. If things go as the Iranians plan, Iran will have the time it needs to acquire nuclear capability. In turn, America and its P5 +1 allies will be humiliated.

Israel, Iran wage cyber warfare in the battlefield of the future

Iran has the technological know-how to make progress in this field, and the Islamic Republic cherry-picks gifted youths to pioneer the country’s cyber warfare capabilities.
In Israel, cyber defenses have become a national priority, and experts say an essential part of defense involves tracing the source of the attack and taking the fight to them. That includes tracking and monitoring the online movements of suspected hackers and gathering counterintelligence on them, a measure that can result in an alert before an impending cyber strike.
If prevention fails, such measures leave open the possibility of retribution, which in turn allows some measure of deterrence against a hostile state.

Iran is using a neocon to hack its foes

In Iran’s intelligence war against America, the regime has a new weapon: “John R. Bolton.”
No, Iran has not turned President Bush’s former ambassador to the United Nations into a sleeper agent. Instead, hackers believed to be connected to the Tehran government are posing as Bolton on social media platforms in a scheme to get human rights activists and national security wonks to hand over their passwords and user names.
The fake Bolton LinkedIn account provides a window into how Iran’s hackers are trying to penetrate the policy networks of their government’s adversaries. Most experts say Iran lacks the sophistication to launch the kinds of advanced cyber attacks it has suffered at the hands of the West, such as the Stuxnet worm that burrowed into the Natanz uranium enrichment facility. But the Linkedin attack and others like it exposed this week by the cybersecurity firm iSight Partners show how aggressive Iran’s cyber spies can be to obtain the kind of personal information that could be used to blackmail and compromise the people Iran’s regime considers its enemies in Washington.

Standing Up to Turkey - Like a Wimp

Israel, however, does nothing to embarrass the Turks, because we behave like softies and try to pacify them, even though every thinking person knows that when one gives in to blackmail, that does not lower the blackmailer's demands. The opposite is true: the more the blackmailer succeeds in squeezing his victim, the larger his appetite becomes and with it, the level of his blackmail.
Israel's softie policy encourages Erdogan and his gang to raise the pressure level on Israel, because it doesn't cost him anything. Israel must begin a public relations campaign whose goal is public exposure of the truth about Erdogan and his cohorts, while at the same time working energetically in UN corridors and Western governments to achieve that goal. When Erdogan begins to feel that the pressure that he is applying to Israel creates an opposing pressure on him, he will begin to take Israel seriously, calm down his fellow-blackmailers and adapt expectations of Israel to match Israel's willingness to reach an agreement from a position of strength that might cause him damage. (h/t Yenta Press)

Hate preacher's 'disgusting' sermon praising Boko Haram's kidnap of Nigerian schoolgirls

A London hate preacher jailed after calling for 9/11-style attacks across Europe has sparked fresh outrage after defending the kidnapping of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls.
In videos posted online, Mizanur Rahman praises Boko Haram, the terrorist group behind the kidnapping, for angering the West and suggests it is “not necessarily a bad thing” if they kill non-Muslims.
The clips raise fresh questions about the extent to which Britons, including the young, are being radicalised over the internet. Children can be heard in the background in one two-hour rant.

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Posted By Ian to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 5/30/2014 12:00:00 PM

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[Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News] Newest "Apartheid?" poster

Story here, h/t JJ.

This poster series continues to go strong - some 5000 views every week, from all over the world.

People are hungering for the truth about Israel and it is hard to argue with straight facts showing how minorities in Israel are treated as well or better than they are in almost any nation, and how there are no limits to what they can accomplish.





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Posted By Elder of Ziyon to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 5/30/2014 10:00:00 AM

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[Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News] Saudi cleric forbids online chat between men and women

From Al Arabiya:

A prominent Saudi cleric has declared that online conversations between men and women are religiously forbidden and has warned that they may lead to committing sin.

According to Saudi daily al-Eqitisadiya, Sheikh Abdullah al-Mutlaq, a member of the Saudi Committee of Senior Scholars, said that chatting online through social networks falls under the forbidden “khulwa” (a religious term describing a situation where a man and a woman are alone in a private area).

Sheikh al-Mutlaq, speaking on a local Saudi radio show, warned that “the devil would be present when women talk to men” and urged women not to talk to males, even if the purpose of the discussion is to obtain guidance and advice.

Saudi social media users took to the Internet to express mixed reactions regarding his statement.

Whilst some users praised the cleric and said that he was right, most other users ridiculed him and his views by saying things such as “why don’t they (religious clerics) just ban women all together?”

Meanwhile, others wondered if direct messages could cause accidental pregnancy.

Soon the Saudi religious police might open up their cyber division!

But will they sentence the violators to virtual lashes?



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Posted By Elder of Ziyon to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 5/30/2014 08:00:00 AM

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[Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News] Moroccan journalist vilified for visiting Israel, posing with Hebrew Psalms

From Morocco World News:

Ghislaine Taibi, who works for a French-speaking private Moroccan channel has been harshly criticized by many Moroccans for a recent visit she paid to Israel. A picture of her holding the Torah [sic] while standing adjacent to the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem has set social media ablaze.

The bulk of comments on the picture associate Taibi to the Zionist cause in a derogatory way and attack the private channel 2M. “Pigs go back to their origins,” read one of the comments. “Truth need be revealed about this filth,” read another comment referring to Moroccan channel 2M.

...Asked on how she reacted to some Moroccans’ negative reactions to her visit to Israel, Taibi answered, “I’ve never considered responding to these trivial and unjustified attacks, carried out by people who don’t even know the real reasons for my visit there, and who ignore the principles of my work as a journalist.”

Taibi explained that her very first motivation for visiting Israel was her job as a journalist, a job that consists of “hunting news regardless of where it is found.” The second reason for her visit to Israel, she further explained, is her intention to write a book about religions, which she intends to announce very soon.

“The reasons for my visits to Israel are only professional and scientific,” she told Febrayer.

“Supporting peace and coexistence between both sides (Palestinians and Israelis) is what matters most,” declared Taibi. “The two sides are yearning for peace, except for those extremists who are fighting against the willingness of their people,” she added.

Taibi also visited the Church of the Nativity during her trip. She didn't get nearly the same reaction to posing with Christian religious objects as she did in the photo above where she is holding a Hebrew book of Psalms.

Which goes to show that her Moroccan critics weren't as insulted at her visit to Israel as they were with her associating with anything Jewish.



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Posted By Elder of Ziyon to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 5/30/2014 05:30:00 AM

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[Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News] MLK's Pro-Israel Legacy and the Racism of BDS (video/lecture)

IBSI (Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel) Director Dumisani Washington speaks at Hillel UCLA on Dr. King's pro-Israel legacy, Israel's multiethnic society, the formation of BASIC, and the racism and hypocrisy of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel.





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Posted By Elder of Ziyon to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 5/29/2014 09:00:00 PM

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