[Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News] 03/20 Links Pt2: UN Claims Israel is 'Worst' Violator of Women's Rights; B'Tselem Has Lost Its Mind

From Ian:

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Anne Bayefsky: UN Claims Israel is World's Worst Violator of Women's Rights

Guess who is the number one violator of women's rights in the world today? Israel. Violating the rights of Palestinian women.
At least that is the view of the UN's top women's rights body, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). CSW ends its annual meeting on Friday, March 20 by condemning only one of the 193 UN member states for violating women's rights – Israel.
Not Syria. Where government forces routinely employ rape and other sexual violence and torture against women as a tactic of war. Where in 2014 the Assad regime starved, tortured and killed at least 24,000 civilians, and three million people – mostly women and children – are refugees.
Not Saudi Arabia. Where women are physically punished if not wearing compulsory clothing, are almost entirely excluded from political life, cannot drive, cannot travel without a male relative, receive half the inheritance of their brothers, and where their testimony counts for half that of a man's.

Leaked Draft of Iran Nuke Deal Vindicates Netanyahu's Claims on U.S. Concessions

The United States originally insisted that Iran maintain no more than 1,500 centrifuges, and last year raised the limit to 4,000. 6,000 centrifuges would be sufficient if Iran plans to build a nuclear bomb, but not enough for a civilian nuclear power generation program.
The AP also reported that the remaining issues of contention in negotiations are Iran's underground Fordow enrichment facility and its heavy water reactor at Arak. Iran insists on keeping hundreds of centrifuges working at Fordow and will re-engineer the Arak facility to produce less plutonium than originally projected. Arak will not be converted to a light water reactor capable of providing Iran with any of the radioactive isotopes it needs for research without producing plutonium, which would give it a second path to a nuclear bomb, in addition to enriched uranium.
According to the AP, among the United Nations sanctions that could be removed "within weeks" of an accord would be the weapons embargo. When Iran sends weapons to the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, to Shiite militias in Iraq, or to Hezbollah in Lebanon, it violates United Nations Security Council Resolution 1747, which states that "Iran shall not supply, sell or transfer directly or indirectly from its territory or by its nationals or using its flag vessels or aircraft any arms or related materiel."
There is no mention in the AP report that the draft limits Iran's ballistic missile development. Iran has refused to discuss its illicit weapons program and the West has not pursued any limits to the program throughout the negotiations. Ballistic missile technology is an essential part of a nuclear weapons program as ballistic missiles are necessary as delivery systems for nuclear weapons.

Matti Friedman: B'Tselem Has Lost Its Way If Not Its Mind

Matti Friedman is a self-proclaimed liberal. That is what made his piece, An Insider's Guide to the Most Important Story on Earth, so groundbreaking—or at least taboo breaking. Friedman exposed the bias of the journalists, their handlers (AP, Reuters), and the people of Gaza in their reportage of all things Israel. He also outlined for us how the story of Israel trumps everything, no matter what else is going on in the world at any point in time.
And now again, Friedman's conscience has been called to the fore over the behavior of B'Tselem, a left-wing "human rights" group that focuses specifically on Israeli human rights violations (imagined or real), in the aftermath of Israel's most recent election.
I have respected B'Tselem בצלם for many years, and have relied on them often in my reporting. We need groups that do what B'Tselem does. I will also add that I did not vote for the right this week. The letter below from B'Tselem director Hagai El-Ad, which just reached my inbox (and many others), is disgusting. I have no idea what making Israelis aware of human rights violations in the occupied territories has to do with presenting hateful caricatures of Israelis in English to a foreign audience. El-Ad thinks this election — which yielded results identical to the last election — shows that Israelis are savages who oppress Palestinians because it's "convenient." "The mask is off," he informs the international audience to whom the newsletter is addressed.
Why should Israelis listen to people who have nothing but disdain for them, can't understand their fears, and are happy to slander them abroad and pander to the hostile international fixation with their country? B'Tselem once had an important job to do. It has lost its way, if not its mind.

Guy Bechor: EU totally unprepared for Islamic tsunami

The European Union thought it was far from the Middle East, and that it could therefore navigate it while being protected. Now, the Middle East is starting to navigate Europe. This stems from a complete misunderstanding of reality among the leaders of the "European Union."
Over the years, they kept on meddling in the Israeli issue, out of the groundless assumption that it is the heart of the Middle Eastern conflict, and that if it would be "solved," it would lead to stability in all the rest. They were obsessed and are still obsessed with the Israeli issue, neglecting all the other arenas: Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Lebanon and others.
We are the EU's heart's desire, a self deception of an imaginary reality. But the Muslim Middle East is now a pan-European problem, which has to do with more than 20 million unsatisfied Muslims who are already living in the European Union and have no intention of leaving. On the contrary, they will double their numbers within several years. It's funny that the same EU has been speaking for years about Israel's demographic problem, which no longer exists, while ignoring its own demographic collapse.
The European Union is continuing to roll its eyes heavenward and pretend that everything's okay. This pretending, and the ongoing suspicious meddling in Israel, will bring a disaster upon this entire continent, and may it already be too late.

The remarkable Ryan Bellerose, a Zionist aboriginal

On Sunday night, Montreal's Hillel Concordia abruptly cancelled a Monday talk by political activist Ryan Bellerose, co-founder of Calgary United with Israel (CUWI).
It would have been a pro-Israel talk, which nowadays, Jews being so passionately divided on Israel, made certain Hillel constituents volubly unhappy. A pretext for disinviting him was found in what were deemed unacceptably crude satirical tweets posted by Bellerose about Hamas terrorists, unremarkable in their context, on an #AskHamas thread. Conceived to market Hamas propaganda, the thread ended up being buried in an avalanche of vicious and often hilarious anti-Hamas ridicule (e.g., "#AskHamas. Dying to know how to kill Jews, gays, women, kids…?" by Anne Bayefsky).
But Hillel's bad faith (in my opinion, weighing their explanation against credible other sources) is not the story today. Rather, let me introduce you to the remarkable Ryan Bellerose.
Ryan Bellerose is a Métis from Northern Alberta. He grew up living rough on a "rez," speaking "michif" until he was five years old. His father is Mervin Bellerose, who co-authored the Métis Settlements Act of 1989, passed by the Alberta legislature in 1990, which cemented Métis land rights. Ryan's own people's indigenous rights — and indeed all human rights — are therefore a passion he comes by honestly.

Ex-CIA Head Says Iran is a Greater Danger than ISIS

Despite recent focus being put on ISIS and its well publicized atrocities, which have led the US to form a multi-nation coalition conducting strikes against the group, Petraeus pointed the finger elsewhere concerning the greatest threat in the region.
"I would argue that the foremost threat to Iraq's long-term stability and the broader regional equilibrium is not the Islamic State; rather, it is Shiite militias, many backed by - and some guided by - Iran," warned the general.
The Shi'ite militias may have blocked ISIS from surging into Baghdad, but they have also killed Sunni civilians and committed atrocities, he noted. By doing so, they have increased the Sunni-Shi'ite divide and marginalized Sunnis in a way that strengthens Sunni radicalism and ISIS, said Petraeus.
Warning specifically about Iranian designs, he added "longer term, Iranian-backed Shia militia could emerge as the preeminent power in the country, one that is outside the control of the government and instead answerable to Tehran."
Via terror proxies, Iran has been seizing power in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iraq, as well as great influence in other parts of the region.

Netanyahu: Israel May Accept Some Iran Centrifuges

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu suggested Thursday his country might accept Iran having a small number of centrifuges, but insisted world powers could strike a better nuclear deal with Tehran than one now under negotiation.
"I think you can get a better deal. The one I would have is to reduce Iran's nuclear capabilities so you increase the breakout time," the Israeli leader told NBC television.
"I mean, if I had a vote on that negotiating team, I would say zero centrifuges," he said, when asked about reports that the Islamic Republic might be left with about 6,000 centrifuges.

Nuclear talks gear up after Obama appeals to Iran

Marathon talks towards an Iran nuclear deal picked up pace Friday as US President Barack Obama appealed to Tehran to seize a "historic" opportunity and begin a "brighter future."
In Switzerland, US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart began their fifth day of talks, while in Brussels the leaders of Germany, France and Britain also met.
In a Nowruz (Persian New Year) video address, Obama said that a "reasonable nuclear deal… can help open the door to a brighter future for you, the Iranian people.
"I believe that our nations have a historic opportunity to resolve this issue peacefully — an opportunity we should not miss," added Obama.

Iran delegation heads home after Rouhani's mother dies

The Iranian delegation to the nuclear negotiations with the P5+1 world powers was headed back to Tehran Friday, cutting short ongoing talks, after the sudden death of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's 90-year-old mother.
"We are leaving today but will resume the talks next week," an Iranian official told Reuters.
The State Department confirmed Friday that talks would resume on Wednesday, with US Secretary of State John Kerry due to discuss progress with European counterparts Saturday somewhere in Europe.

Senators Agree to Delay Vote on Iran Deal Legislation

Democrats and Republicans in the United States Senate agreed on Thursday to delay a vote on legislation that would force President Barack Obama to submit any nuclear agreement with Iran for Congress' approval, Reuters reported.
The vote by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has been delayed until April 14, the report said.
The announcement, which came after an intense lobbying push by Obama and administration officials, gives international negotiators more breathing room as they attempt to meet a late-March deadline for a framework agreement.
Republican Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had said earlier this week he wanted to have the committee vote next Thursday.

Iran endorses nuclear EMP attack on United States

Suspected for years of plotting to dismantle the U.S. electric grid, American officials have confirmed that Iranian military brass have endorsed a nuclear electromagnetic pulse explosion that would attack the country's power system.
American defense experts made the discovery while translating a secret Iranian military handbook, raising new concerns about Tehran's recent nuclear talks with the administration.
The issue of a nuclear EMP attack was raised in the final hours of this week's elections in Israel when U.S. authority Peter Vincent Pry penned a column for Arutz Sheva warning of Iran's threat to free nations.
"Iranian military documents describe such a scenario — including a recently translated Iranian military textbook that endorses nuclear EMP attack against the United States," he wrote.
A knowledgable source said that the textbook discusses an EMP attack on America in 20 different places.

Gilad Shalit 'Was Surrounded by Suicide Bombers' in Captivity

New details of former captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit's time in Hamas captivity have been revealed.
According to Kol Yisrael radio correspondent Gal Berger, a senior Hamas official told in an interview with the Qatar-based Al Jazeera network how the Islamist terror group had surrounded Shalit with suicide bombers wherever he went just before the deal to release him, in anticipation of any Israeli attempt to free him.
According to Berger, the recorded interview - which will be aired on Kol Yisrael later today - will detail how the former head of Hamas's "military wing", the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, ordered the extraordinary precautions to guard against any complications during negotiations with Israel for Shalit's release.
Ahmed al-Jabari - who was killed in an Israeli missile strike at the start of 2012's Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza - feared up until the very last minute that someone from within the terrorist group's inner circle could betray Shalit's location to Israeli intelligence.

IDF issues 3rd report on Gaza war probes

The military on Thursday released its third major report on Gaza war crimes investigations.
The report mentioned that 120 incidents have been or are in the process of being reviewed and that 65 of the incidents are past the initial review, with the IDF Military Advocate-General weighing his final decision.
The army announced six new criminal investigations, the most notable of which involved a July 30, 2014, strike on an UNRWA facility in which 20 Palestinians were killed. The report said that there was a reasonable basis to thin that the rules of engagement were not properly followed.

IDF to probe bombing of Gaza UN school

Chief Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Danny Efroni announced the probe into the July 30 incident, in which the Israel Defense Forces fired several tank shells at a UN school in the Jabaliya refugee camp, which was housing hundreds of Palestinian refugees.
The Israeli strike elicited widespread international condemnation, including that of UN and US officials. It was one of three incidents between July 24-August 3 in which Israel was accused of striking UN schools serving as shelters, killing almost 50 people and wounding hundreds.
The military defended the action at the time, saying soldiers had targeted Gaza terrorists who had launched mortar shells from the location.

UN warns of new conflict on Israel-Lebanon border

The UN Security Council warned Thursday that recent violence along Lebanon's border with Israel and the presence of unauthorized weapons in a UN buffer zone pose a risk of a new conflict.
The violence in late January killed two Israeli soldiers and a UN peacekeeper from Spain and sparked fears of yet another crippling war between the two neighboring countries. It was the deadliest escalation on the disputed border since the 2006 war between Lebanese Hezbollah militants and Israel.
In a presidential statement approved by all 15 members, the council urged all parties to exercise "maximum calm and restraint and refrain from any action or rhetoric that could jeopardize the cessation of hostilities or destabilize the region."
The Security Council also expressed concern at other border violations including the presence of extremist groups in Lebanese territory. It condemned terrorist acts in Lebanon, including hostage-taking, by the Islamic State group and Jabhat al-Nusra.

Former Lebanese PM files lawsuit over accusations of being an Israeli agent

Former Lebanese prime minister Fouad Siniora filled a lawsuit against former minister of the environment Wiam Wahhab for making public statements accusing him of being an Israeli agent and collaborator, Lebanon's Daily Star reported Thursday.
"When you listen to Fouad al-Siniora, you would say that this man is part of the Israeli project," Wahhab said in an interview with Al-Jazeera TV Wednesday.
Wahhab claimed that the former prime minister was planning to retake the premiership but could only do so if Israel eliminates Hezbollah and the US eliminates the Syrian regime.
"The only way Siniora can become prime minister is if the Israeli plan succeeds in the region," he added.
Siniora filled the lawsuit at the State Prosecution Office in Beirut, accusing Wahhab of slander and defamation, according to the Daily Star.

1,000 Tons of Cement Enter Gaza Through Israel, Boosting Reconstruction Efforts

On Thursday, Israel allowed 1,000 tons of cement into the Gaza Strip, which remains the stronghold of terrorist group Hamas, according to a report by AFP. The cement was paid for by Qatar, a strong backer of Hamas that provides the group's political leadership safe haven within its borders.
The cement arrived in 175 truckloads and entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom border crossing. In a statement, Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said, "There are no fixed quantities (going in) on a daily basis. The quantities (delivered) are at the request of the Palestinian Authority in accordance with the needs of suppliers who are purchasing in Gaza."
Between January and February, Israel permitted the passage of 9,967 truckloads of goods through the Kerem Shalom crossing. Israel administers two of the three crossings into the Gaza Strip, with Egypt controlling the third.

CAMERA Prompts Global Post Correction on Gaza Construction Materials

After communication with CAMERA staff, the Global Post corrected its inaccurate assertion that "everyday items as well as construction materials, crucial now for rebuilding, are not allowed in" to the Gaza Strip.
Today's correction states:
"Editor's note: This article was amended to clarify that while the delivery of essential construction materials has been severely restricted, some materials have been allowed to enter Gaza."
In fact, thousands of tons per month of construction materials have been allowed into the territory in recent months. Israel's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) recently noted that, as summarized in the Jerusalem Post, "Since August, more than 62,000 tons of construction supplies have entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing." In January alone, for example, 15,205 tons of construction material entered the territory. Hundreds of trucks of goods enter per day.

A Controversial Hamas Exhibition on Campus

The Hamas Student Association of the An-Najah University in Nablus recently held an exhibition on Jerusalem as part its "Jerusalem Week" festival. Hundreds of students and Hamas supporters attended the exhibition, including the dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University, and a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Mona Monsour, who represents Hamas.
The exhibition, which ran for a week and was put together by students, included 25 pieces. Among them, there were pieces glorifying vehicular attacks on Israelis (similar to the attacks that actually took place in October and November), pictures of the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, and a poster of Israeli activist Yitzchak Glick as a shooting target. Glick, who is trying to pressure the Israeli government to allow Jewish prayer at the Al-Aqsa mosque, which is also holy to Jews as the site of the First and Second Temples, narrowly survived an assassination attempt in October.
According to the official Facebook page of the Hamas Student Association, "the message of the exhibition is to justify all attacks as a reaction from Hamas supporters and followers against settlers in Jerusalem ensuring that if Israel keeps to the same policy of neglect and racism against Muslims in Jerusalem, Hamas fighters will be ready to act."
An anonymous source told The Media Line that the Dean of the university, who is not authorized to speak to the press, said that the exhibition is not considered incitement for violent attacks in Jerusalem, and that the administration cannot forbid student movements' activities.

Jewish School Evacuated in Paris on Anniversary of Toulouse Killings

A Jewish school in Paris was evacuated on Thursday — three years to the day after the brutal massacre at a Jewish school in Toulouse, French news website JSS News reported. The evacuation follows disturbing instances of increased antisemitic violence throughout France and Europe.
Police searched the classrooms and common areas at the Ecole Alliance Gustave Leven in the 16th arrondissement of Paris using bomb-sniffing dogs. Though the report did not indicate whether the police found any explosives, sources did tell JSS News that it was a fairly serious threat.
One source told the website that the evacuation "was a source of intense stress, especially on that terrible day of remembrance of the massacre of the Jewish school in Toulouse."

BlazingCatFur: Toulouse courthouse sacked: "The prophet will judge you"

Since I began following French blogs I have noted several instances where court houses, even police stations have been literally laid siege to in various culturally vibrant neighborhoods.
What struck me initially was that such instances of violent Muslim diversity received at best a minor mention even in the regional press.
While the usual politically correct censorship by the mainstream media is partly to blame I have come to suspect that such occurrences are very likely considered the new normal in France and hey, there's only so much space in the paper.
As I have no doubt too often noted to you all, look to Europe, our future is unfolding before your eyes.

French Magazine Publishes Pics of Dead Charlie Hebdo Terrorists

French magazine Paris Match on Thursday published photos of the bodies of the two Muslim terrorist brothers behind the bloody January attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, saying the French "have the right" to see them.
The three pictures showed the bodies of Cherif and Said Kouachi lying on the ground after being shot by police January 9 in front of a printing factory where they had holed up in the town of Dammartin-en-Goele outside Paris, near Charles de Gaulle airport, reports AFP.
Two of the photos were printed in black and white because they were "too hard" to look at in color, Paris Match managing editor Olivier Royant told Europe 1 radio. The third, published in color, showed Cherif Kouachi on the ground covered in blood and surrounded by forensic police.
Paris Match described the images as "historic" and defended their publication.

Dieudonne fined for anti-Semitic remark about journalist

The French comedian Dieudonne M'bala M'bala was fined $24,000 for saying that a Jewish journalist should have died "in the gas chambers."
He was sentenced on Thursday in Paris for violating France's laws banning hate speech, Reuters reported.
Radio France's Patrick Cohen asked on air in 2013 whether the media should pay so much attention to Dieudonne. The comedian replied that the journalist should consider emigrating.
"When I hear Patrick Cohen speaking, I say to myself, you see, the gas chambers… too bad," said Dieudonne.

Israeli minister blames Iran at Argentina bombing ceremony

Agricultural Minister Yair Shamir led a delegation to Buenos Aires to commemorate the 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy that killed 29 people and wounded hundreds.
"Iran continues to sow destruction and horror in all the world, but the world continues on as if nothing was happening," Shamir said, speaking in Hebrew and accompanied by a Spanish translator.
Shamir, the son of former prime minister Yitzhak Shamir, said the world takes on a "hypocritical attitude" that ignores that Iran is aiming "at the civilized world, including Israel."
Israel has long accused Iran of both the embassy bombing and a car bomb attack on a Jewish community center in 1994 that killed 85 people.

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block: BDS 'isn't going to be sustained on this campus'

Evidence of the concern within UCLA's Jewish community stemming from recent events on campus could be seen on March 16 by UCLA Chancellor Gene Block's visitors that day.
Just before an interview with the Jewish Journal that morning, Block met with Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, Hillel at UCLA's longtime and outgoing executive director. Then, not long after, the chancellor met with Judea Pearl, a renowned UCLA computer science professor and president of the Daniel Pearl Foundation, who is also an outspoken critic of the UCLA's Center For Near Eastern Studies and an occasional op-ed columnist for the Journal.
The university, traditionally perceived as particularly welcoming for Jewish students, has made national headlines in recent months thanks to anti-Israel resolutions in student government and what many consider an overtly anti-Semitic action by several student government representatives.

Berkeley's Swastika Problem: Are America's Liberal Colleges Breeding Anti-Semitism?

A majority of Jewish college students, 54 percent, reported being subjected to or witness to anti-Semitism on campus during a six-month period, according to a 2014 survey published by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Trinity College. Not only was this survey undertaken before the violent summer conflict in Gaza, which researchers Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar said led to a "worldwide flare-up in anti-Semitism," but they also noted that the "data suggest there is an under-reporting of anti-Semitism through the normal campus channels."
Even more disturbingly, students reported that they often felt universities did not take their concerns about anti-Semitism seriously. "The response of many university faculty and administrators to Jewish complaints and outrage often shows that their threshold for the definition of the existence of the crime of anti-Semitism is set ridiculously high," write Kosmin and Keysar.
At schools where students strive to protect the rights of ethnic and racial minorities, stomp out sexual and gender discrimination, and regularly remind people to "check their privilege," hate speech against the Jewish community has become a pernicious problem.
"We still find anti-Semitic slogans written on bathrooms. We see swastikas on doors still, but they're kind of dismissed. They're painted over because there are just so many things that happened," says Ori Herschmann, a senior at UC Berkeley who serves in the student government. "A lot of students find swastikas and come to me. [They see it] on dorms, on bathroom stalls, just random places on campus."

Rise in Hate Crimes Against Jews in Toronto

The Jewish community in Toronto was the largest victim of hate crimes in 2014, according to a periodic report released by Toronto police on Wednesday.
According to statistics presented in the report, last year saw hate crimes jump from 131 in 2013 to 146 in 2014. Police arrested 22 suspects for committing a hate crime, as opposed to 17 arrests in 2013.
The prime motivation cited in just under half of the hate crimes, 63 out of 146, was listed as religious belief, indicating the influence of racist religious indoctrination as a key factor.
Of the crimes, 93 involved damage to property, 23 consisted of actual physical assault, and 10 were defined as harassment.
Around 30% of the hate crimes, 44 out of 146, targeted the Jewish community, making it the most hard-hit of the various minority communities. The black community was targeted in 27 of the cases, and 16 crimes were committed against the Muslim community.

Holocaust-Denying Bishop Faces Second Excommunication

A traditionalist Catholic bishop is facing his second excommunication as he plans to consecrate one of his followers as a bishop without the Pope's consent.
Richard Williamson, who achieved notoriety when he used a television interview to deny the existence of Nazi gas chambers, will consecrate Fr Jean-Michel Faure, 73, in Brazil later today. Traditionalist blog Rorate Cæli reports that Williamson may also consecrate a second priest, Fr Innocent Marie, in a monastery formerly affiliated to the Society of St Pius X (SSPX).
Williamson was expelled from SSPX two years ago after rebelling against its leadership. The society was set up in 1969 by late archbishop Marcel Lefebvre to resist the modernising reforms brought into the Church in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. In 1988, Pope John Paul II excommunicated Lefebvre, Williamson and three others when Lefebvre consecrated them without Vatican consent.
Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications in 2009 in an effort to reconciled SSPX with the Catholic Church and prevent further schism with those who opposed Vatican II's reforms. However, just as Benedict removed Williamson's excommunication, an interview was aired in which Williamson denied that Jews died in gas chambers in the Second World War.

Israeli smart balloon floats to victory in US Army competition

An Israeli-developed surveillance balloon that is helping to make Jerusalem's streets safer will soon be adopted by the US Army, Israel's RT LTA Systems Ltd said Wednesday.
The Skystar Balloon Surveillance System passed the US Army's tech "boot camp" program, the AEWE (Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment), and is now on the "approved list" for US Armed Forces purchases.
The SkyStar 180, the model approved by the Army, is the same model that is flying as high as 1,000 feet over the skies of Jerusalem, equipped with high-resolution cameras. At least five SkyStars have been deployed by Jerusalem police over neighborhoods in the "seam zone," between East and West Jerusalem, said RT Rami Shmuely, with the city adding two after initially deploying three last fall.

Israeli tech eyes a sharper pair of glasses

As the population in many affluent Western countries ages, it's a sure bet that the eyewear business will remain a growth industry. And the older people get, the greater the likelihood they will need multifocal specs to correct nearsightedness and mid- or long-range vision, compensating for the loss of vision focus common among the elderly.
Proper multifocal use requires aiming the eyes at different sections of the lenses — the "near" or "distant" focus parts, depending on what the wearer is looking at — and some people never really learn the art of focus adjustment necessary for a successful multifocal experience.
For them, electronic lenses developed by Israeli start-up DeepOptics may be an option. Using sensors, the glasses detect what the eye is focusing on as well as the viewing distance — adjusting the power of the glasses to ensure that whatever is being looked at comes into focus, whether near or far.

IDF Blog: Golani: Serving With Pride Since 1948

For the past 67 years, generations of combat soldiers have proudly donned the brown beret of the Golani Brigade. These soldiers are eternally affiliated with this historic infantry brigade, and maintain their allegiance in order to guard a single tradition: the pride of being a fighter in Golani.
Recognized by their brown beret and their rectangular unit tags, the soldiers of the Golani Brigade have earned a reputation as elite fighters, both among their Israeli counterparts and their enemies. They have marked a number of successes on the battlefield, including combat in the War of Independence, the Yom Kippur War, Operation Entebbe, and the Second Lebanon War.
The Golani Brigade Commander, Col. Ghassan Alian, is deeply appreciated amongst his soldiers for his commanding abilities and lively personality. During Operation Protective Edge, he was wounded twice in exchanges of fire with Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. After both injuries he returned to fight alongside his soldiers on the front lines.

Downfall Video: Obama reacts to Netanyahu's victory (h/t NormanF/Yenta Press)


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Posted By Ian to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 3/20/2015 06:00:00 PM