[Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News] 02/23 Links Pt2: US court: PLO/PA guilty of funding terror attacks, jury awards victims $218m

From Ian:

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NY court: PLO, PA to blame for terror attacks a decade ago

The Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority were the catalysts for a series of terrorist attacks in the early 2000s in Israel that killed or wounded several Americans, a US jury found Monday at a high-stakes civil trial.
In finding the Palestinian authorities liable in the attacks, jurors awarded the victims $218.5 million in damages for the bloodshed. The US Anti-Terrorism Act could allow for that to be tripled.
The case in Manhattan and another in Brooklyn have been viewed as the most notable attempts by American victims of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to use US courts to seek damages that could reach into the billions of dollars. (h/t Bob Knot)

Alan Dershowitz: Israel's Legal Founding

When the state of Israel was founded in 1948, it was done so with the approval of the United Nations. But today, Israel's enemies routinely challenge the legitimacy of its very existence. So, under international law, who's right? Israel? Or its enemies?

Gallup: Americans still love Israel, a lot

In the various speeches I’ve given since the summer Gaza conflict, I’ve predicted that the conflict would not move the public opinion needle much, if at all. That, despite snap surveys over the summer which suggested potential weakening of support.
I also point out that some college campuses are anti-Israel bubbles, not reflective of the nation as a whole. Left-wing anti-Israel faculty in particular are isolated from the public on Israel, as they are on so many other things.
Gallup just released its annual survey of opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Except for a very recent drop in Democrat support, presumably because of the dispute over Bibi Netanyahu’s appearance Congress, American support for Israel is as strong as ever.
There is only one point of weakness, and it is very recent. Democrats have moved away from Israel since the last survey, but support among Democrats traditionally has been weaker, as the chart shows.

Could the world be jealous of Israel's growth?

Only few people know what a leap Israel made in its gross national product (GNP) per capita in the past decade and that it now tops the list of European countries.
While the GNP was $15,600 in 2003, according to figures presented by the economist, it jumped to $40,620 per capita by December 2014, while the overall product jumped from $104 billion to $300 billion during that period.
The numbers per capita could have been even higher, except Israel has the highest birthrate in the West – more than three children per mother, following the Jewish demographic leap in the past decade, which has led to the blessed population explosion in Israel's kindergartens.
And where do we stand compared to the world? In Britain, for example, the GNP per capita reached almost $50,000 in 2008, while in Israel it was about half that number. Today, the Brits are only slightly ahead of us with $44,330. France and Germany (yes, the country from the pudding protest) are slightly ahead of us as well with $43,500 and $47,350, respectively. Behind us are countries like Italy, and Spain and Greece of course. In addition, for the first time this year Israel's GNP passed Japan's, which stands at $39,140.
This leap completely disconnects Israel from our region, with GNP figures standing at $3,700 in Egypt, $4,870 in Jordan and $6,070 in Iran. The only country in the Middle East with better numbers is Saudi Arabia - $26,510. But the Saudi celebration has also come to an end with the collapsing oil prices. Lebanon, meanwhile, is failing to pass the $10,000 threshold.

Boycott Israel Movement Stunts the Palestinian Economy

A push to “boycott, divest and sanction” (BDS) Israeli companies has limited impact on the credit profile of Israel, yet it directly harms its intended beneficiaries, the Palestinians. The BDS movement, including universities, pension funds and leaders of some Christian denominations (to the chagrin of many congregants), ignores economic data. And it coincides with a disturbing rise of violent anti-Semitism across Europe.
“The impact of BDS is more psychological than real so far and has had no discernible impact on Israeli trade or the broader economy,” Kristin Lindow, senior vice president at Moody’s Investors Service and Moody’s lead analyst for Israel (in full disclosure, a former Moody’s colleague) told Forbes. “That said, the sanctions do run the risk of hurting the Palestinian economy, which is much smaller and poorer than that of Israel, as seen in the case of SodaStream.”
While the broader Israeli economy is presently shielded from BDS, one victim is SodaStream, an Israeli company manufacturing DIY soda that shuttered a West Bank factory and moved it to southern Israel. This cut hundreds of jobs for Palestinians that reportedly paid between three and five times the local prevailing wage.
SodaStream’s CEO Daniel Birnbaum denied the move was BDS-related, though its profits plunged after BDS activists locked the fizzy pop maker in its crosshairs.

Melanie Phillips, CBI San Diego, Feb 17, 2015 (2 hours)

Invited by the American Freedom Alliance, Melanie Phillips discussed the current situation of Jews in Europe right after the Charlie Hebdo massacre (shortly followed up by a double murder in Copenhagen). Antisemitism is on the rise again, allowed by European nations tired of feeling guilty about the Holocaust, and European Jews are once asking themselves whether they should stay or leave. The event was co-sponsored by T.E.A.M. (Training and Education About the Middle East) and the San Diego chapters of ZOA (Zionist Organization of America) and StandWithUs. It took place at Congregation Beth Israel in San Diego. The speakers before Melanie Phillips are, in order of appearance, Linda Sax and Avi Davis, president of American Freedom Alliance. (h/t malca)

Jewish Voice for Peace Takes Off Its Mask

It is therefore refreshing that JVP has finally come out and joined the BDS movement, openly endorsing not only the goals but also the strategy of that movement, complete isolation and demonization of Israel as an apartheid state.
The fact is, it’s not necessary to point to the right of return to show that BDS has never acknowledged Israel’s right to exist. Although one version of the BDS call asks, as JVP claims to be asking, only for an end to the Israeli presence in the territories disputed after 1967, the original call, never disavowed, distinguishes not at all between 1967 and 1948 Israel. The call condemns what Israel has done “since 1948” and demands an end to Israel’s “occupation and colonization of all Arab lands.” This studied ambiguity helps keep both those who merely would like Israel to withdraw from the West Bank and those who would like Israel to withdraw from the face of the Earth in the same camp.
That is the camp that Jewish Voice for Peace has always belonged to, and the camp it has at last openly joined. In joining up at this particular time, Jewish Voice for Peace also declares that it is ready to lead the charge to catch up with its “European comrades” who have contributed to the anti-Semitic environment that has many European Jews contemplating emigration. Perhaps JVP, which has now openly allied itself with a movement that refuses to concede their right to live in Israel, will help drive them into the sea.

'Wretched Politicians Hide What the Palestinians Really Think'

Dr. David Bukay of University of Haifa's school of political science has been leading a research project that just completed an in-depth investigation of Palestinian Arab views of the peace talks and the desire for peace with Israel.
Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Bukay explains that the research which investigates figures from Palestinian Arab media and textbooks shows that "people think they know what the Palestinians think, but they don't know."
The doctor reveals that the Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership, media and educational system are engaged in "a process of demonization and dehumanization towards Israel at levels higher than (the Nazi) Der Sturmer. This they pass to their children in a deep process of hatred and incitement with no equal in history."
Bukay explains that in the research all the materials were gathered by Itamar Marcus's Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), and adds "if the state of Israel, instead of funding hundreds and thousands of Israel-hating NGOs gave funds to Marcus and the organization he leads and MEMRI which deals with what's happening in Muslim states, and allowed them to exist and not just live on donations, people in Israel would benefit."
"We are blind and disconnected from the reality," argues Bukay. "Anti-Semitism first blossomed in Islam and not in Europe. There anti-Semitism against the Jewish people began. Statements that Jews are descended from apes and pigs started there. These are Islamic expressions."

How the EU Promotes Anti-Semitism with Sweden's Help

When Jews were murdered buying Sabbath food, the French, after acknowledging, contrary to the UN resolutions, non secure borders for Israel in the Security Council, finally came out with the following statement: “If 100,000 Jews leave, France will no longer be France. The French Republic will be judged a failure.”
In my home country Sweden, our prime minister said on Holocaust Remembrance Day that he intended to launch a project concerning the horrors of the Holocaust named “This We Must Understand.”
What Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfvén and France's Manuel Valls do not seem to grasp is that their policies and countries, instead of fighting European anti-Semitism with an iron fist, are actively supporting anti-Semitism. They are, as much accomplices to the new pogroms of Europe as were the silent Europeans who stood by doing nothing to stop the slaughter of the Jews during the Holocaust. Worse, Stefan Löfvén and Manuel Valls are not just standing by, inactive and silent. They are on the frontline of spreading the new progroms.
On the eleventh of August 2014 I wrote a piece in the largest newspaper in Sweden in which I accused the Europeans of engaging in a witch-hunt aimed at Israel.

How Israel Can Fight Hostile Media

Media play a major role in the delegitimization and demonization of Israel. Their share in this process cannot be assessed scientifically. Yet over 40% of citizens of the European Union, aged 16 years or older, believe that Israel is a Nazi state, or alternatively, think that Israel is conducting a war of extermination against the Palestinians. There is no doubt that this demonic image of Israel has been partly caused by many media.
Evidently, there are many other factors besides the media which have led to the proliferation of these abysmal beliefs. The Arab and some Muslim countries’ leadership, politicians, trade unions, NGOs, various church leaders, academics, the Palestinian lobby, and many others play a major role in the demonization process. Contributors to Israel-hatred include the United Nations and some of its associated bodies, such as the United Nations Human Rights Commission.
Over the past decades, anti-Israeli media have made the most of a unique situation. The freedom of the press includes the freedom to cheat, lie, incite, often to extremes, and the liberty to ignore essential facts at will. Media have the power to criticize others, relentlessly and sometimes brutally, and yet there are few ways to take them to task. There are hardly any checks and balances. The work of their staff is only subject to that particular media's rules of self-regulation. Except in extreme cases, journalists are not accountable to anyone outside their profession.

Charlie Hebdo memorial vandalised in Paris four times in two weeks

A shrine in memory of the 17 people killed in attacks by three Islamist gunmen in Paris last month has been vandalised, it emerged on Sunday.
It is the fourth time the makeshift memorial, consisting of flowers, notes and photographs, has been damaged in just two weeks, said Sabrina Deliry, head of a group called “17 Never Again”, which created the shrine in Place de la République in central Paris.
“We’re sickened and disgusted,” Ms Deliry said after finding the flowers and messages of peace kicked, torn and scattered.
“It’s not the wind or the rain that did it as even objects and messages that were covered have been vandalised,” she said.
“When this happened before, we repaired the damage without saying anything, but this is too much.”
Rémy Vialeret, another member of the group, which cleans the shrine regularly, lights candles there and covers handwritten messages in plastic, said previous attacks had caused less damage.
“This time, they wrecked everything,” Mr Vialeret said, explaining that wreaths, messages and drawings had been ripped up. He said the group had filed a police complaint.

Norway Jews upset over ‘peace ring’ organizer’s past remarks

However, some Norwegian Jews said the so-called “peace ring” on Saturday night was tainted because one of its organizers said over the weekend that he dislikes people who support Israel. The organizer, Ali Chishti, had also made anti-Jewish and anti-Israel statements in 2009 that he disavowed.
Chishti confirmed on Saturday in an interview with Verdens Gang, a Norwegian tabloid, that he delivered a speech in Oslo on March 22, 2009 on the alleged involvement of Jews in planning the 9/11 World Trade Center bombings in New York. The speech’s title was “Therefore I Hate Jews and Gays,” the newspaper reported, though Chishti said he was not the one who came up with the title.
“There were several thousand Jews away from work in the World Trade Center, and why there were more Jews in Mumbai when Pakistani terrorists attacked than usual?” he said then, repeating the conspiracy theory that Jews knew in advance of the 2001 Twin Towers attack that killed thousands. “Jews are a small group, but everyone knows that they have a lot of power.”
In Saturday interviews, he retracted his statements. In an interview with the daily Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet, he said they were “anti-Semitic” and “unacceptable.”
“I was angry,” he told Verdens Gang. “I have since changed my views.”

Media Hoax: 20 Muslims Holding Hands Become 1,000-Strong 'Ring of Peace' at Oslo Synagogue

The weekend’s feel-good story about a Muslim “ring of peace” formed to “protect” Jews at an Oslo synagogue turned out to be a complete fabrication by the mainstream media, according to an eyewitness report, local officials, and attendees’ photos.
According to a local eyewitness, only about 20 or so Muslims formed the “ring of peace” around the Oslo synagogue. In fact, pictures from multiple angles show that there wasn’t enough people to form a ring, so the locals instead formed a horizontal line in front of the synagogue.
A local news outlet explained how the media got to its “1,300 Muslims” number. “According to police, there were 1300 persons present in the event. Very many of them ethnic Norwegians,” read a translated report from Osloby.no.
Demonstrators also reportedly chanted, “No to anti-Semitism, no to Islamophobia,” conflating criticism of Islam and hatred of Jews.
Photos pulled off of social media appear to corroborate the narrative that only twenty or so people formed the “peace ring.”

Danish police said to nix Muslim ‘peace ring’ in Copenhagen

A Norwegian television station reported Monday that a Muslim “peace ring” proposal in Denmark was rejected by Danish police.
According to Norway’s TV 2 website, a group of young Danish Muslims are attempting to organize a similar Muslim-Jewish coexistence effort as that seen in Norway Saturday in which some 1,300 Muslim, Jews and ethnic Norwegians attended the “peace ring” protest outside the Berstien synagogue in Oslo.
“I think it is horrible that Jews are so afraid and I can well understand why they are afraid. I am puzzled why someone should threaten them,” one of the Danish organizers, Niddal El-Jabri, said in the TV 2 report.
According to TV 2, the Copenhagen police have rejected the proposal for security concerns.

Israeli envoy to Germany: Jews should come to Israel

Israel’s ambassador to Germany reiterated that Jews who feel unsafe in Europe due to recent anti-Semitic attacks should “come to [Israel] at any time” — an approach rejected by the head of German Jewry.
In an interview published Sunday in the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel, Yakov Hadas-Handelsman echoed last week’s invitation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Jews in Europe “consider Israel your home” following deadly attacks on Jews in Denmark and France the past two months.
Hadas-Handelsman said he “really does not envy any Jew living in Europe today.”
Last week, Josef Schuster, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, had responded to Netanyahu’s invitation by noting that threats against Jews and Jewish institutions were a “worldwide phenomenon” and that “life in Israel as a Jew is not any more secure.” While Schuster said he recognized that it is only natural for Israel to encourage aliyah, he personally saw no special reason for Jews to consider emigrating now, even with the increased risk of attacks by home-grown jihadists.

It’s Time for Europe’s Jews To Arm Themselves

Ever since I heard the horrible news from Copenhagen this weekend I’ve been haunted by one persistent thought. I was thinking about Dan Uzan, the 37-year-old volunteer who was shot in the head as he stood outside his local synagogue on a frigid night to make sure that inside a young girl and her family could celebrate the girl’s bat mitzvah in peace. I tried to imagine what his last moments might’ve looked like as he saw Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein, the alleged gunman, approaching. And then I had one more thought, more urgent than the others: What if Uzan had been armed? What if he at least had a chance, as he stared down the barrel of a gun, to draw his own and shoot first? What if the shoppers in Paris’ kosher supermarket packed heat when Amedy Coulibaly walked in? If Ilan Halimi had a pistol, would we know his name today?
Arming Europe’s Jews against the jihadi psychos who are trying to kill them for is not the sort of proposition that decent, liberal people like to entertain. Decent, liberal people believe in reasonable measures. Sadly, the savages who shot Uzan do not. Nor do the beasts who twice attacked a synagogue south of Stockholm last summer, or the lowlifes who desecrated hundreds of Jewish graves in France earlier this week. Nor did Mohammed Merah, who shot up a Jewish school in Toulouse so he could upload a video of himself killing Jewish children as they screamed in terror.

371 attacks on French soldiers

Since January 15 the French army's "Opération Sentinelle" has protected 722 Jewish schools and synagogues, some 24/7 even when the establishments were empty.
The operation came to be regarded as too dangerous for the soldiers who were regularly targets of attacks. Over time the men were worn out.
The army has reported 371 incidents perpetrated against the soldiers standing guard in front of the protected sites. The Defense Ministry has announced that the men will become more mobile, rendering them less vulnerable.
The army noted that "reconnoitering, the taking of snapshots and films" by jihadists preparing future attacks had been going on. "Fourteen serious attacks, with a knife, laser, even blows with heavy sticks," were reported. One jihadist tried to grab the rifle of a soldier on patrol at Trocadéro (Paris) before being caught (and probably released).
In Étampes, a Muslim was spotted several times by the soldiers: when he was identified, the police services realized he was a member of a band of three individuals back from Yemen and free to do as they pleased.
In Savigny-sur-Orge, a car rammed into the barriers protecting a Jewish community center.

Why Swedish police with machine guns are guarding Jewish schools


Kirchner criticizes lawmakers for marching at Nisman rally

Argentinian President Cristina Kirchner criticized lawmakers Saturday for participating in a massive march over the controversial death of a prosecutor, accusing them of joining the opposition to protest her administration.
An Estimated 300,000 people gathered last week to mark one month since the suspicious death of prosecutor Alberto Nisman, who was found dead before he planned to accuse the Argentine president of a massive cover-up.
In a letter published on her personal website, Kirchner said the gathering was not a silent march to honor Nisman, but a rally coordinated by lawmakers against her government.
She wrote the gathering was “decidedly an opposition march called by prosecutors and judges and supported by the entire political opposition.”

Will Nisman row hurt Israel-Argentina relations?

All TV and radio stations here were obligated by law to carry President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s rambling speech from the new Atucha II nuclear power plant on Wednesday that included a message to the US and Israel to butt out of Argentina’s internal affairs.
Argentineans must not allow their country to be dragged into “conflicts that are not ours,” Fernandez declared before a crowd of thousands while sitting on a stage surrounded by members of her government. Both the crowd and the government officials regularly clapped and shook their heads in agreement.
“In reality, they prefer an Argentina without a nuclear plan, an Argentina that does not develop scientifically, an Argentina with low salaries and cheap labor,” she said.
Though she did specify who “they” were and how precisely “they” were working to keep her country down, she did mention two nearly identical letters her Foreign Minister Hector Timerman sent to US Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman the previous day.

Kirchneristas know whom to blame

Responding to the hundreds of thousands of Argentinians who took to the streets in a downpour Wednesday to protest the response of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s government to the likely murder of AMIA bombing prosecutor Alberto Nisman, supporters of Kirchner are planning their own demonstration on March 1:
That’s right: if you zoom in on the “M,” you will notice the references to both the CIA and the Mossad:

Widen The Israel Discussion On Campus

Long-term approach: The key, though, to changing the reality on campus is to stop looking at the situation as a crisis, and start thinking about a long-term approach to talking about Israel. Broadening the conversation in these ways is not meant to serve as a crisis management vehicle, but rather a strategy for changing the narrow perception of Israel.
Students want to be associated with places they feel connected to, where they can express themselves, fulfill themselves, start a business or simply have a fun time.
We should empower the organizations that have adopted this approach when it comes to Israel. The efforts of organizations like Masa, Birthright, JNF, Lapid, AIPAC, JFNA, Hillel and others have resulted in a new phenomenon in which this generation is looking to Israel as a place of opportunity.
For instance, the nonprofit Israel & Co. has brought nearly 1,500 MBA students from the top business schools in the U.S. to Israel, where they see the country’s creative spirit firsthand. Their work is changing the landscape on campuses nationwide by sparking the professional curiosity of students and bringing Israel into their curriculum.
It is these types of ventures that help make Israel relevant to college students. By further increasing strategic partnerships, we can continue sharing Israel’s many attractive features.
Together we can host a new and engaging conversation with students, ensuring that Israel’s future on campus is bright.

A reply to Miriam Margolyes article on anti-Semitism

Re your recent published article in the Telegraph with Matthew Stadlen
This piece of journalism opens with your provocative message that “most of the English are naturally anti-Semitic”, you then completely contradict yourself by admitting that you have only ever had one direct experience of anti-Semitism in your life!
You go on to state that Jews are “too smart to be liked”, well indeed that maybe the case however your interview proves that in your particular case the exception hasn’t proven the rule!
It’s all quite cleverly laid out by you in an attempt to illustrate that the rise of U.K. anti-Semitism can be laid squarely at the feet of Israel and Israel alone. You claim that ‘anti-Semitism was unacceptable after the Holocaust but now it is acceptable’, one assumes that you will claim that this is of course down to how Israel chooses to defend itself and how Israel treats the Palestinians in the ‘occupied territories’.

Anti-Boycott Bill called “devastating weapon” by anti-Israel activists

On February 10, 2015, I wrote about legislation introduced in the House targeting the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, whose goal is the destruction of Israel through economic, cultural and academic boycotts.
The legislation, called the United States-Israel Trade and Commercial Enhancement Act, focuses on the “economic” boycott of Israel, expanding upon prior legislation implemented several decades ago in response to the Arab League Boycott of Israel.
The legislation reportedly was intended to force European countries and companies, where the BDS movement has some influence, into adopting anti-BDS policies and procedures as part of a proposed free trade agreement between the European Union and the U.S.
The EU would be forced to choose between a massive free trade agreement which would bring enormous economic benefits to the floundering EU, or the anti-Israel BDS movement. You could have a boost to European economies and employment, or you could have BDS, but you couldn’t have both.
The sponsors of the legislation presumably expect Europe to choose prosperity over anti-Israel activism.

PreOccupied Territory: Morally Consistent BDS To Target Saudi Arabia Any Day Now (satire)

Despite vehement and vocal demonstrations of concern for human rights on college campuses across the United States in the form of student government votes in favor of divesting from oppressive regimes such as Israel, for some unexplained reason the leaders of far more oppressive and discriminatory states have expressed not a shred of worry that similar measures might be afoot to pressure them to uphold human rights.
Last week the Student Senate at Stanford University passed a resolution in favor of divestment from what it called companies profiting from oppression in Israel and Palestine. The movement behind the vote at Stanford and elsewhere has held repeated demonstrations invoking the principle of collective responsibility for preventing ad protesting injustice, a moral position that therefore demands at least the same level of activism directed at countries whose oppression of women, homosexuals, religious minorities, and political opponents makes Israel look like Scandinavia.
However, the rulers of those countries – notably Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, North Korea, The Islamic State, China, Russia, and others across Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia – appear remarkably sanguine in the face of this emerging moral juggernaut. Analysts say these regimes must be engaging in an insidious form of denial, since any movement that produces such vitriol and outrage at Israel, which provides equal political rights for its citizens, enjoys a vibrant LGBT community, and boasts a robust free press, must have up its sleeve an imminent onslaught targeting the other, far more oppressive, states.

Guardian returns Gilad Atzmon’s antisemitic book to its online shelves

Within 24 hours of our post in October 2011, noting that the Guardian’s online bookshop was selling Gilad Atzmon’s grossly antisemitic book, The Wandering Who?, they removed the title from their virtual shelves.
However, at some point in the subsequent weeks following the removal, the Guardian placed the book back on their online shop.
Then, in March 2012, we learned that the Guardian reversed course yet again, and noted that “The Wandering Who has [again] been removed from the Guardian Bookshop site”. They attributed the re-availability of the book to a problem with their automated feeds.
However, while browsing the Guardian’s online bookshop just yesterday, we noticed that Atzmon’s book was once again available.

IsraellyCool: George Galloway Gets Some Unwanted Support From Antisemite

Israel hater George Galloway does not like to be called “antisemitic.”
So much so, he recently announced he is suing Guardian journalist Hadley Freeman over her suggestion he is, following his recent appearance on Question Time.
Now self-proclaimed antisemite Joshua Bonehill has pledged to financially back Galloway’s re-election campaign.

London soccer fans allegedly spew anti-Semitic abuse on train

The report could not be independently verified and the identity of the culprits could not be confirmed.
According to media reports, the fans were apparently on their way to a soccer match with Tottenham FC.
The Tottenham Football Club is known for having a large Jewish fan-base and was popular among Jewish immigrants who settled in London’s East End in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The 13 second video was filmed in a heavily packed train car, ostensibly with a mobile phone. Thus far, none of the supposed culprits have been named or charged.

Tourist attraction popular with children sparks anger by displaying model railway version of Auschwitz complete with cattle trucks and slave labourers' huts

A tourist attraction popular with children has sparked fury by displaying a model railway version of Auschwitz complete with cattle trucks, labourers' huts and barbed wire.
A Holocaust survivor was among those to criticise Birmingham's Wonderful World of Trains and Planes for the 'crass' miniature railway set of the infamous concentration camp.
The static train set is a dark addition to the intricate village green, mountain and woodland rail layouts at the venue, which is popular with children and model enthusiasts.
The detailed model of Auschwitz, where at least 1.3million people were slaughtered during the Second World War, shows a train entering the Nazi death camp.
The model of the camp where around a million Jews were murdered is situated next to a 1930s seaside scene and Swinging Sixties London in the tourist attraction.
The exhibit claims it 'will take you on a journey of adventure past, present and future'.

Joan Rivers left out of Oscar’s tribute

Joan Rivers was omitted on Sunday night from the Oscars’ montage honoring the stars who died last year, which spotlighted actor Robin Williams, actress Lauren Bacall and others.
The snub of the longtime actress and comedian, who died in September, sparked outrage on Twitter with many fans and several celebrities taking to the social media platform to decry the decision.
While Rivers was primarily a stand-up comedian, she also had dozens of acting credits to her name, and co-wrote the 1978 film Rabbit Test, starring Billy Crystal. She was also a fixture on the red carpet, having attended the Academy Awards numerous times.

Iranian forces reportedly return stolen Torah to Jewish community

An ancient Torah scroll that was recently stolen from a synagogue in southern Iran was reportedly located and returned to the Jewish community by members of a volunteer paramilitary group in the country, local media reported Sunday.
According to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, a number of valuable manuscripts went missing this month from a synagogue in the southwestern city of Shiraz.
Forces belonging to the Islamic Republic's Basij militia, which operates under the Revolutionary Guards Corp, allegedly recovered one Torah scroll and returned it to the local Jewish community, Fars reported.
Iran has been home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world. Current estimates put the population of Jews in the Islamic Republic between 8,000-25,000.

Environmentally friendly packaging trend is on the rise in Israel

While Israel has been in the spotlight before, for their state of the art solar fields in the Arava, the world’s first electric car, and many other green, eco-friendly practices, the new trend on the rise is environmentally friendly packaging. How is Israel leading this trend?
According to a survey by Tetrapak, consumers all around the world are increasingly on the lookout for sustainably packaged products. Israeli packaging suppliers have been providing manufacturers all over the world with products for packaging for years.
Joining the global trend toward green products and protecting the environment, Israel too, has put a strong foot forward to develop solutions that meet these consumer interests while at the same time maintaining consumer requirements for quality, reliability, and cost.

Tests begin on 'traffic light pacemaker' that could revolutionise heart treatment

Scientists are to begin work on a revolutionary “traffic light pacemaker” that controls the beating of damaged hearts using blue and yellow fibre optic lights inside the body.
Heart attacks and other major cardiac problems can damage the heart muscle, leaving patients vulnerable to dangerous disruptions in the heart’s rhythm – known as arrhythmia – often leading to heart failure.
Researchers are exploring whether stem cell-generated heart cells could be implanted to regenerate the damaged areas. But progress has been held back because tests in the laboratory and in a small number of patients have shown that new tissue often fails to beat in time with the remaining healthy heart muscle.
Now, a joint UK-Israeli project funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the British Council’s Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange (Birax) are to develop the use of special proteins that react to light to regulate the heartbeat.

Israel snaps up 14 F-35 stealth fighters

Israel has signed a deal to purchase 14 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from the US, with the option of another 17, the Defense Ministry announced on Sunday.
In an agreement inked over the weekend, Israel will obtain the aircraft as part of a total $2.82-billion package that began with the purchase of 19 of the fighters in 2010.
The F-35, manufactured by US firm Lockheed-Martin, is considered the most expensive weapons system ever developed. With a price tag of some $110 million apiece — and development costs of over $400 billion — it has yet to enter front-line service even in the US, after a string of development problems delayed its deployment.
Considered a 5th-generation fighter, the F-35 has stealth technology giving it a very low radar signature as well as advance avionics and flight capabilities.

IDF Blog: IDF Diversity Week: The True Face of Israel

Every year, thousands of minority recruits join the IDF. Israel’s military makes tremendous efforts to integrate minorities into the army and society in general, resulting in a vast diversity of soldiers among the IDF’s ranks.
Israel is a country known as “a nation of immigrants.” Soldiers come from all over the world to live in Israel and serve in the IDF, bringing their unique culture and traditions from their countries of origin. Other soldiers come from racial, national, cultural and religious groups that have lived in Israel for generations, including Bedouin, Circassians, Druze, Arab Christians and Arab Muslims. The IDF acts to unite members of Israeli society, providing them all with equal opportunity to serve their country.

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Posted By Ian to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 2/23/2015 06:00:00 PM