The Beersheba District Court sentenced Nihad Aqra, who in 2002, placed and detonated an explosive device which killed three IDF soldiers, to three consecutive life terms in prison.
Aqra was also convicted of planting two other bombs – one exceeding 200 pounds.
(ynetnews.com)
UN adopts Goldstone report
The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday (5th) voted 114-18 with 44 abstentions, in favor of a resolution adopting the Goldstone Report into the recent Gaza war. The report accuses Israel of widespread war crimes during the month-long operation to curb Palestinian rocket fire on its population centers
The resolution demands that both Israel and the Palestinian Authority carry out independent investigations into the accusations made by Goldstone. However, “independent” was a relative term, since the resolution also stipulated that the investigations and conclusions must be deemed “credible” by the nations making up the UN General Assembly.
It is assumed that any Israeli investigation that absolves Israeli soldiers from wrongdoing will not be given a stamp of approval.
If those investigations are not carried out within three weeks, or if their conclusions are not accepted by the General Assembly, the resolution calls for the UN Security Council to take action on the matter and to refer Goldstone’s accusations to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Israel hopes that the U.S. will use its veto power in the Security Council to prevent the report from going any farther.
(israeltoday.co.il)
The resolution demands that both Israel and the Palestinian Authority carry out independent investigations into the accusations made by Goldstone. However, “independent” was a relative term, since the resolution also stipulated that the investigations and conclusions must be deemed “credible” by the nations making up the UN General Assembly.
It is assumed that any Israeli investigation that absolves Israeli soldiers from wrongdoing will not be given a stamp of approval.
If those investigations are not carried out within three weeks, or if their conclusions are not accepted by the General Assembly, the resolution calls for the UN Security Council to take action on the matter and to refer Goldstone’s accusations to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Israel hopes that the U.S. will use its veto power in the Security Council to prevent the report from going any farther.
(israeltoday.co.il)
Israel rejects General Assembly resolution
The large number of member states who voted against or abstained demonstrates clearly that the resolution concerning the Goldstone Report does not have the support of the “moral majority” of UN members. Israel rejects the resolution of the UN General Assembly, which is completely detached from the realities on the ground. During the Gaza operation, the Israel Defense Forces demonstrated higher military and moral standards than each and every one of this resolution’s instigators. Israel, like any other democratic nation, maintains the right to self-defense and will continue to act to protect the lives of its citizens from the threat of international terrorism. (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
(mfa.gov.il)
(mfa.gov.il)
Israel complains to UN over Hizbullah arms shipment – Louis Charbonneau
Israeli UN Ambassador Gabriela Shalev complained to the UN on Thursday (5th) about what she said was an Iranian attempt to skirt a UN arms embargo and supply weapons to Hizbullah. Israeli officials said on Wednesday (4th) that naval commandos had seized a ship carrying hundreds of tons of Iranian-supplied arms, including rockets, mortars and shells, to the Shi’ite Muslim group. “These grave violations constitute a threat to peace and security, as well as non-compliance with international legal obligations,” Shalev said in a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
“The weapons – concealed, wrapped and declared civilian cargo in the ship’s manifest – were hidden among hundreds of other containers aboard the ship that originated from the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Shalev wrote. “Israel…requests the Security Council take the appropriate action in view of these constant violations, and further investigate this complaint,” she said.
(reuters.com)
“The weapons – concealed, wrapped and declared civilian cargo in the ship’s manifest – were hidden among hundreds of other containers aboard the ship that originated from the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Shalev wrote. “Israel…requests the Security Council take the appropriate action in view of these constant violations, and further investigate this complaint,” she said.
(reuters.com)
IDF won’t used seized arms – Hanan Greenberg
The thousands of rockets and mortar shells and other weapons that were in Iran just 10 days ago, seized on Wednesday (4th) by Israeli commandos, were taken to IDF warehouses in Israel. Lt.-Col. Itzik Gershon, head of the IDF’s munitions center’s operations branch, said the military does not plan to use the weapons except for research purposes.
(ynetnews.com)
(ynetnews.com)
Guardian – Iran tested nuclear warhead
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has asked Iran to explain evidence suggesting that Iranian scientists have experimented with an advanced nuclear warhead design, according to a Thursday (5th) evening report by Britain’s Guardian newspaper.
Previously unpublished documentation in a dossier compiled by the UN’s nuclear watchdog, says Iranian scientists may have tested high-explosive components of the design known as “two-point implosion.” The technology reduces the diameter of a warhead and makes it easier to put a nuclear warhead on a missile.
The dossier, “Possible Military Dimensions of Iran’s Nuclear Program,” includes reports submitted to the IAEA by western intelligence agencies.
(israelnationalnews.com)
Previously unpublished documentation in a dossier compiled by the UN’s nuclear watchdog, says Iranian scientists may have tested high-explosive components of the design known as “two-point implosion.” The technology reduces the diameter of a warhead and makes it easier to put a nuclear warhead on a missile.
The dossier, “Possible Military Dimensions of Iran’s Nuclear Program,” includes reports submitted to the IAEA by western intelligence agencies.
(israelnationalnews.com)
How Egypt views normalization with Israel
To mark the 30th anniversary of the Camp David Peace Accords, the Egyptian weekly Roz Al-Yousuf published a special supplement on normalization with Israel. The editorial stresses: “As far as the public and the ideological climate are concerned, the Egyptian people…still see Israel as an enemy in the Arabs’ midst.” The renowned Egyptian poet ‘Abed Al-Rahman Al-Abnodi, who writes for the government daily Al-Akhbar, explains that the Egyptian peasant “is well aware that Israel has found its way into Egypt’s arteries and is poisoning its blood.” Dr. Wahid ‘Abd Al-Magid, deputy director of the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, contends that “a journalist who travels to Israel is…like a plumber who descends into a sewer: he has to, because it is his job.”
(memri.org)
(memri.org)
Jerusalem: a divided city? – John R Cohn
King David is said to have made Jerusalem his capital 3,000 years ago. The New Testament describes Jesus in Jerusalem and the existence of the Jewish Temple 2,000 years ago.
Divided for just 19 years by Jordanian occupation, which ended in 1967, the place known as East Jerusalem” has no more enduring historical validity than “East Berlin.”
Continued use of the term “East Jerusalem” suggests the natural condition of that ancient city is to be cut in two, with an ugly barrier running through its heart. (Philadelphia Daily News)
(The writer is a professor of medicine at Thomas Jefferson University)
(clickability.com)
Divided for just 19 years by Jordanian occupation, which ended in 1967, the place known as East Jerusalem” has no more enduring historical validity than “East Berlin.”
Continued use of the term “East Jerusalem” suggests the natural condition of that ancient city is to be cut in two, with an ugly barrier running through its heart. (Philadelphia Daily News)
(The writer is a professor of medicine at Thomas Jefferson University)
(clickability.com)
Latest Israeli finds go on display in Jerusalem – Danielle Rothman
The Israel Antiquities Authority will open a new exhibition on Nov. 11 at the Davidson Center and in the Jerusalem Archeological Garden, just south of the Temple Mount. Many of the artifacts have not previously been shown to the public. The exhibition features a sarcophagus lid inscribed with the words “Ben HaCohen HaGadol” – “Son of the High Priest” – most likely referring to a High Priest who officiated at the Temple between 30 and 70 CE. One display presents Jerusalem as a metropolis during the Second Temple Period, while another exhibits artifacts from the time of the destruction of the Second Temple.
Many of the coins on display date back nearly 2,000 years. Some of the coins, from as far away as Persia and France, testify to Jerusalem’s importance as a metropolis for Jews at the time. In accordance with religious law, no human images appear on the Jewish coins.
(jpost.com)
Many of the coins on display date back nearly 2,000 years. Some of the coins, from as far away as Persia and France, testify to Jerusalem’s importance as a metropolis for Jews at the time. In accordance with religious law, no human images appear on the Jewish coins.
(jpost.com)
Start-Up Nation: Israel’s high-tech success – Amity Shlaes
A survey last May of non-American companies on the Nasdaq counted three Korean companies, five Irish businesses, five from the UK and six from Japan. Israel had 64. In 2008, Israel drew more than twice the venture capital per citizen than the U.S., and 30 times as much VC as continental Europe. As Dan Senor and Saul Singer point out in “Start-Up Nation,” the Israeli record of innovation has to do with a high level of education for both men and women, financial reforms, Israeli tolerance for failure, the immigrant personality – that of the self-selected risk-taker willing to start over, and advantages related to military service.
(Bloomberg.com)
(Bloomberg.com)
Update – Israeli Navy: 10 times more arms on ship than Karine-A
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Israel Navy Chief Brig.-Gen. Rani Ben-Yehuda said Thursday (5th), “The quantity of arms seized on the weapons ship Francop Wednesday (4th) is 10 times or even more than the quantity of weapons on the Karine-A ship, seized 7 years ago.”
In a briefing to reporters at the naval base in Ashdod, Ben-Yehuda said that the weapons were hidden in dozens of containers with a collective weight of hundreds of tons. The weapons included enough ammunition and missiles to supply Hizbullah with enough for at least a month of fighting against Israel.
Initial reports on Wednesday (4th) said that the ship contained 60 tons of weapons. Since then Ben-Yehuda reported that the vessel held 40 containers filled with 300 tons of weapons, 3,000 of which are missiles.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman instructed that all the foreign ambassadors be invited to Ashdod Port where the ship is docked, to view the containers. He said the weapons cache originated in Iran.
(iba.org.il)
In a briefing to reporters at the naval base in Ashdod, Ben-Yehuda said that the weapons were hidden in dozens of containers with a collective weight of hundreds of tons. The weapons included enough ammunition and missiles to supply Hizbullah with enough for at least a month of fighting against Israel.
Initial reports on Wednesday (4th) said that the ship contained 60 tons of weapons. Since then Ben-Yehuda reported that the vessel held 40 containers filled with 300 tons of weapons, 3,000 of which are missiles.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman instructed that all the foreign ambassadors be invited to Ashdod Port where the ship is docked, to view the containers. He said the weapons cache originated in Iran.
(iba.org.il)
‘In next war, all of Israel will be one front’
In the next war, missiles will rain down on all of Israel, Major General Uzi Dayan, the former Head of Central Command and head of the National Security Council, told the media Wednesday (4th). The discovery of the weapons shipment and information provided Tuesday (3rd) by Military Intelligence regarding a long range missile tested by Hamas proves yet again that in the next round of fighting, ‘all of Israel will be a single front.’ Dayan said “I think Judge Goldstone can write up another report against Israel now, on how it dared to flout international law and take over a ship that was floating in international territorial waters, but we do not have to be concerned with that now.”
(israelnationalnews.com)
(israelnationalnews.com)
Chairman Mahmoud Abbas declines to seek another term
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has told members of the Fatah central committee that he does not intend to seek another term. A senior Fatah official who attended the meeting said Abbas is frustrated by the U.S. position regarding the settlement freeze. Another source in the organization said that “Abbas is broken,” but stressed that Fatah has no realistic candidate who can replace him.
(iba.org.il)
(iba.org.il)
Palestinian poll: Only half want to stay in PA areas
According to a new poll carried out by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion, only about half of the Arab population is certain they wish to stay in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. In reply to the question: If the possibility of immigration to the West were open to you, would you immigrate or stay in the country?
55.3% said “I would stay.”
38.3% said “I would immigrate.”
6.3% said “I don’t know.”
This poll was conducted during the week of October 24-31 by Dr. Nabil Kukali.
(israelnationalnews.com)
55.3% said “I would stay.”
38.3% said “I would immigrate.”
6.3% said “I don’t know.”
This poll was conducted during the week of October 24-31 by Dr. Nabil Kukali.
(israelnationalnews.com)
Palestinian youth grow weary of political stalemate – Majeda El Batsh
As the rift between the two main Palestinian factions widens (Hamas and Fatah), many West Bank youths, for decades the shock-troops of their national movement, are growing increasingly disenchanted with their feuding leaders. Emad Ghiyada, a professor at Birzeit University, said: “There has been a drop in youth membership in the political groups…The parties have failed to realize any of their goals, whether by armed struggle, or popular uprisings, or by peaceful means.” Earlier this month Birzeit hosted an event to protest perceived Israeli threats to the Al-Aqsa mosque. While organizers expected around 9,000 students to come to express their outrage, only 60 showed up, Ghiyada said. (AFP)
(Yahoo.com)
(Yahoo.com)
Israel’s UN ambassador: Goldstone report conceived in hate
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Professor Gabriela Shalev, criticized the Goldstone Report during a special General Assembly discussion, saying it was “conceived in hate and executed in sin.” Shalev added that cynical political maneuvers, not principals, are what led the report to be discussed this week at the UN General Assembly.
Meanwhile, former Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Gillerman was sent to New York Wednesday (4th) to assist in Israel’s effort to thwart a UN General Assembly resolution on the Goldstone Report, probing the Gaza war.
Gillerman told the media that he was called upon by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, saying “This is a war (for public opinion) and when issued an emergency draft order – you go.”
(ynetnews.com)
Meanwhile, former Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Gillerman was sent to New York Wednesday (4th) to assist in Israel’s effort to thwart a UN General Assembly resolution on the Goldstone Report, probing the Gaza war.
Gillerman told the media that he was called upon by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, saying “This is a war (for public opinion) and when issued an emergency draft order – you go.”
(ynetnews.com)
Arab and Egyptian Satellite drop Iranian station
The Middle East’s two main satellite operators have dropped and Arabic-speaking Iranian television station, a decision described by the broadcasters on Wednesday (4th) as an attempt to stifle Iran’s voice in the region.
The Arabic-speaking Al-Alam, based in Iran, said the decision Wednesday (4th) was politically motivated. Al-Alam has been known to be critical of Arab governments. Farsi is the official language of Iran. The station is carried by Saudi Arabia-hosted ArabSat and the Egyptian-owned NileSat and reaches millions of Arabic speaking viewers in over 100 countries.
(ynetnews.com)
The Arabic-speaking Al-Alam, based in Iran, said the decision Wednesday (4th) was politically motivated. Al-Alam has been known to be critical of Arab governments. Farsi is the official language of Iran. The station is carried by Saudi Arabia-hosted ArabSat and the Egyptian-owned NileSat and reaches millions of Arabic speaking viewers in over 100 countries.
(ynetnews.com)
Israel accuses Chavez of turning Venezuela into an Iranian outpost
Israeli Foreign Affairs Vice-Minister, Danny Ayalon accused Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez of having turned Venezuela into an “Iranian outpost in the hemisphere.”
“The scope of the Iranian regime does not end in the Middle East. It is global, and also reaches Africa and Latin America,” Ayalon said during a briefing to diplomats and journalists at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
In Latin America, “most countries are not only aware” of the “threat posed by the infiltration of Iran” in the region, but “they are also concerned” about it, he said. (El-Universal-Venezuela)
(eluniversal.com)
“The scope of the Iranian regime does not end in the Middle East. It is global, and also reaches Africa and Latin America,” Ayalon said during a briefing to diplomats and journalists at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
In Latin America, “most countries are not only aware” of the “threat posed by the infiltration of Iran” in the region, but “they are also concerned” about it, he said. (El-Universal-Venezuela)
(eluniversal.com)
Ethiopian Jews mark Sigd holiday with Israeli President
JERUSALEM – Ethiopian Jews celebrated the Sigh holiday with Shimon Peres at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem this week.
It was the first time an Israeli president has marked the Jewish-Ethiopian holiday.
More than 250 people—including ministers, Knesset members, religious leaders, community and youth leaders, soldiers and visitors from across Israel—participated in Monday’s (2nd) celebration.
A high point of the celebration was when a panel of young Ethiopian-Israelis shared their personal stories and then each was interviewed by Peres, who asked them to talk about when they first felt “Israeli.”
The Sigd holiday is a special day for Ethiopian Jews that marks their yearning to return to Jerusalem and Zion.
(jta.org)
It was the first time an Israeli president has marked the Jewish-Ethiopian holiday.
More than 250 people—including ministers, Knesset members, religious leaders, community and youth leaders, soldiers and visitors from across Israel—participated in Monday’s (2nd) celebration.
A high point of the celebration was when a panel of young Ethiopian-Israelis shared their personal stories and then each was interviewed by Peres, who asked them to talk about when they first felt “Israeli.”
The Sigd holiday is a special day for Ethiopian Jews that marks their yearning to return to Jerusalem and Zion.
(jta.org)
Legislation would remove embassy move waiver
WASHINGTON – A senator plans to offer legislation that would remove the presidential waiver from the law requiring that the U.S. Embassy be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Sen. Sam Brownback (R – Kansas) announced at a Jerusalem Conference conclave on Capitol Hill on Tuesday (3rd) that he would be introducing the Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act of 2009. The legislation calls for the State Department to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and also removes the presidential waiver from the Jerusalem Embassy Law passed in 1995. Every president since the law was enacted has signed a series of waivers every six months to delay a potential embassy move.
Without the waiver, the embassy would be required to move.
The Orthodox Union praised the bill’s introduction. “Just as the United States locates its embassy in the duly designated capitals of other nations, so too it should locate its embassy in Israel’s recognized capital, said Nathan Diament public policy director for the OU.
Brownback was one of a number of members of Congress who spoke at the one-day meeting of the Jerusalem Conference, held in Washington. The group sponsors an annual forum on Israel each year in Jerusalem. Among those present were House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), the committee’s ranking Republican, Rep. Ileana Lehtinen (R-Fla.), and Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.).
(jta.org)
Sen. Sam Brownback (R – Kansas) announced at a Jerusalem Conference conclave on Capitol Hill on Tuesday (3rd) that he would be introducing the Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act of 2009. The legislation calls for the State Department to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and also removes the presidential waiver from the Jerusalem Embassy Law passed in 1995. Every president since the law was enacted has signed a series of waivers every six months to delay a potential embassy move.
Without the waiver, the embassy would be required to move.
The Orthodox Union praised the bill’s introduction. “Just as the United States locates its embassy in the duly designated capitals of other nations, so too it should locate its embassy in Israel’s recognized capital, said Nathan Diament public policy director for the OU.
Brownback was one of a number of members of Congress who spoke at the one-day meeting of the Jerusalem Conference, held in Washington. The group sponsors an annual forum on Israel each year in Jerusalem. Among those present were House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), the committee’s ranking Republican, Rep. Ileana Lehtinen (R-Fla.), and Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.).
(jta.org)
Palestinian stone throwers wound Israeli child
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Palestinian stone throwers wounded a 7-year-old Israeli girl as she traveled with her father on a main highway connecting Jerusalem to Tel Aviv on Tuesday (3rd).
The girl’s father is an emergency medical technician (EMT) and had the good sense to continue driving until he reached a nearby gas station, while at the same time contacting medical rescue personnel. The medics and the wounded girl arrived at the station about the same time, and she was treated on the spot for wounds to her face and head.
The attacked occurred not far from the central Israeli town of Modiim, which lies very near Palestinian-controlled territories. Israeli soldiers searched for the attackers, but they were believed to have fled back into a nearby Palestinian-controlled town.
(israeltoday.co.il)
The girl’s father is an emergency medical technician (EMT) and had the good sense to continue driving until he reached a nearby gas station, while at the same time contacting medical rescue personnel. The medics and the wounded girl arrived at the station about the same time, and she was treated on the spot for wounds to her face and head.
The attacked occurred not far from the central Israeli town of Modiim, which lies very near Palestinian-controlled territories. Israeli soldiers searched for the attackers, but they were believed to have fled back into a nearby Palestinian-controlled town.
(israeltoday.co.il)
Navy seized arms near Cyprus intended to target Israeli cities
Special Israeli navy forces, Tuesday night (3rd), seized control over an arms-laden ship carrying 60 tons of advanced weaponry and missiles from Iran intended for use by Hizbullah against Israeli cities.
A naval patrol stopped the Antiguan-flagged ship some 100 miles west of the coast of Israel, near Cyprus. After elite forces boarded the freighter without resistance from the crew, they discovered the arms hidden behind civilian cargo.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak called it another success in the ongoing battle against the smuggling of arms and military buildup by terrorist organizations that threaten Israel’s security.
In January 2002, IDF Special Forces intercepted the Karine-A freighter while it was sailing across the Red Sea. The vessel was carrying 50 tons of Iranian-made weapons which Israel believed were intended for delivery to Palestinian rejectionist groups in the Gaza Strip.
(ynetnews.com)
A naval patrol stopped the Antiguan-flagged ship some 100 miles west of the coast of Israel, near Cyprus. After elite forces boarded the freighter without resistance from the crew, they discovered the arms hidden behind civilian cargo.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak called it another success in the ongoing battle against the smuggling of arms and military buildup by terrorist organizations that threaten Israel’s security.
In January 2002, IDF Special Forces intercepted the Karine-A freighter while it was sailing across the Red Sea. The vessel was carrying 50 tons of Iranian-made weapons which Israel believed were intended for delivery to Palestinian rejectionist groups in the Gaza Strip.
(ynetnews.com)
U.S. generals and soldiers flood Israel
A large number of American generals and at least 1,500 U.S. soldiers arrived in Israel this week for one of the largest joint land exercises ever held between the two nations.
Dubbed “Juniper Cobra,” the exercise, which is held every year, but never before on such a large scale, is scheduled to last three weeks.
One of the visiting U.S. generals told Israel media that the exercise is in response to “specific threats,” which everyone took to mean primarily the Iranian nuclear threat. There was much speculation that the exercise signaled the U.S. had nearly given up on diplomatic efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear program, and was gearing up for the aftermath of an Israeli air strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
(israeltoday.co.il)
Dubbed “Juniper Cobra,” the exercise, which is held every year, but never before on such a large scale, is scheduled to last three weeks.
One of the visiting U.S. generals told Israel media that the exercise is in response to “specific threats,” which everyone took to mean primarily the Iranian nuclear threat. There was much speculation that the exercise signaled the U.S. had nearly given up on diplomatic efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear program, and was gearing up for the aftermath of an Israeli air strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
(israeltoday.co.il)
Palestinians do the opposite of recognizing Jewish state
One of Israel’s key demands in the current peace process is that Palestinians simply recognize Israel as the national and historical homeland of the Jewish people. But last week Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority punctuated its refusal to do so by claiming the Jews have no historical ties whatsoever and are aliens in the land.
In a show on official Palestinian Authority TV on October 22, a leading Palestinian historian and a senior government official lectured their audience on how the Jews of Israel have no connection to any land in the Middle East, and are inventing archeological finds to support their false claims.
By contrast the two men insisted that the Palestinians have 4,000-5,000 years of history in the land. Many have pointed out that such claims run completely counter to other Palestinian claims. For example, the Palestinians say they are Arabs and therefore descendants of Abraham. However, Abraham had not been born 4,000 years ago.
Over the past few decades, an avalanche of archeological finds and historical documentation have attested to the Jews’ strong and rich history in the region, while very little has been produced to support an Arab presence dating back any further than the Muslim conquest 1,300 years ago. (Palestinian Media Watch)
(israeltoday.co.il)
In a show on official Palestinian Authority TV on October 22, a leading Palestinian historian and a senior government official lectured their audience on how the Jews of Israel have no connection to any land in the Middle East, and are inventing archeological finds to support their false claims.
By contrast the two men insisted that the Palestinians have 4,000-5,000 years of history in the land. Many have pointed out that such claims run completely counter to other Palestinian claims. For example, the Palestinians say they are Arabs and therefore descendants of Abraham. However, Abraham had not been born 4,000 years ago.
Over the past few decades, an avalanche of archeological finds and historical documentation have attested to the Jews’ strong and rich history in the region, while very little has been produced to support an Arab presence dating back any further than the Muslim conquest 1,300 years ago. (Palestinian Media Watch)
(israeltoday.co.il)
Iran: Anti-Semite appointed Deputy Minister of Culture – Dudi Cohen
Mohammad-Ali Ramin, a top advisor to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who is considered the Islamic regime’s most hard-line Holocaust denier and anti-Semite, was appointed Monday (2nd) as deputy minister of culture.
In 2006 Ramin served as secretary of an international convention of Holocaust deniers held in Iran.
(ynetnews.com)
In 2006 Ramin served as secretary of an international convention of Holocaust deniers held in Iran.
(ynetnews.com)
Iran police clash with thousands of anti-Ahmadinejad protestors
Iranian police clashed on Wednesday (4th) with supporters of Iran’s opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi who had gathered in a Tehran street as the country marked the 30th anniversary of the storming of the U.S. embassy.
Thousands of Iranian security forces had assembled on the streets of Tehran to prevent any gathering by the opposition.
Police clashed with hundreds of protestors who were chanting, “Death to dictators.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and its allied Basij militia had warned the opposition to avoid using any anti-U.S. rally to revive protests against the clerical establishment after the June disputed election which Ahmadinejad won.
The unrest that erupted after the vote was the worst in Iran in the past three decades.
(haaretz.com)
Thousands of Iranian security forces had assembled on the streets of Tehran to prevent any gathering by the opposition.
Police clashed with hundreds of protestors who were chanting, “Death to dictators.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and its allied Basij militia had warned the opposition to avoid using any anti-U.S. rally to revive protests against the clerical establishment after the June disputed election which Ahmadinejad won.
The unrest that erupted after the vote was the worst in Iran in the past three decades.
(haaretz.com)
Kinneret official – Winter off to a good start
The Kinneret Authority (Sea of Galilee Authority) is very happy with the way winter has started in Israel, but stresses that despite the heavy rains of recent days (10 inches in some areas), there is a long way to go before the country’s water problems can be declared resolved. Pinchas Green, head of the Authority, told Israel National News that since Friday (10/30), 7 centimeters has been added to the Kinneret, “and this is a very good start. After five years of a lack of rainfall, I hope this beginning will be a sign of things to come,” he said.
According to all the meteorological models Green has seen, the coming winter is set to be a wet one. “Every centimeter is welcome,” he said.
Meanwhile the rain has stopped for now and the weather has turned warmer.
(israelnationalnews.com)
According to all the meteorological models Green has seen, the coming winter is set to be a wet one. “Every centimeter is welcome,” he said.
Meanwhile the rain has stopped for now and the weather has turned warmer.
(israelnationalnews.com)
UK ‘think-tank’ fires author of pro-Israel book – Simon Rocker
Robin Shepherd, whose new book, A State Beyond the Pale – Europe’s Problem with Israel, which explores hostility towards the Jewish state, says his pro-Israel position cost him his job at Chatham House, a prestigious UK foreign-affairs think-tank.
Shepherd, who joined another think-tank, the Henry Jackson Society, in March said: What particularly shocked me about the whole affair is that at an institute with a mission statement of ‘independent thinking on international affairs,’ I was subjected to such fierce intimidation for honestly-held views about European attitudes to Israel.”
Another former employee of the institute recalled that it basically adopted a “pro-Palestinian” line. (Jewish Chronicle – UK)
(thejc.com)
Shepherd, who joined another think-tank, the Henry Jackson Society, in March said: What particularly shocked me about the whole affair is that at an institute with a mission statement of ‘independent thinking on international affairs,’ I was subjected to such fierce intimidation for honestly-held views about European attitudes to Israel.”
Another former employee of the institute recalled that it basically adopted a “pro-Palestinian” line. (Jewish Chronicle – UK)
(thejc.com)
Palestine’s missing critics: Where’s the outrage for Ramallah atrocities? – Editorial
Israel’s harshest critics claim to champion the rights of Palestinians. So we’re curious about the fallout, or lack thereof, from revelations that the Palestinian Authority regularly brutalizes its own in the West Bank while enjoying a steady flow of dollars and Euros. A “Mail on Sunday” report detailed the Authority’s regular use of beatings, whippings, attacks with electric drills, and other methods of torture doled out to anyone seen threatening the authority of Fatah, the party of Mahmoud Abbas. Murder and rape are also common.
As Middle East analyst Tom Gross points out, the only news here is that a Western newspaper has bothered to write about it. As of September 15, the European Union had delivered 268 million Euros to the Authority this year, and in July the U.S. extended an additional $200 million.
So here’s the state-of-play in the department of moral outrage. When Britain is accused of abetting U.S. interrogations, lawsuits, and investigations, threats to try Tony Blair for war crimes quickly follow. When Israel attacks Hamas in order to end rocket launches on its soil, it risks a session before the International Criminal Court. But when the West funnels billions to a Palestinian government whose abuses are brazen and ongoing, there is mainly silence. (Wall Street Journal Europe)
(wsj.com)
As Middle East analyst Tom Gross points out, the only news here is that a Western newspaper has bothered to write about it. As of September 15, the European Union had delivered 268 million Euros to the Authority this year, and in July the U.S. extended an additional $200 million.
So here’s the state-of-play in the department of moral outrage. When Britain is accused of abetting U.S. interrogations, lawsuits, and investigations, threats to try Tony Blair for war crimes quickly follow. When Israel attacks Hamas in order to end rocket launches on its soil, it risks a session before the International Criminal Court. But when the West funnels billions to a Palestinian government whose abuses are brazen and ongoing, there is mainly silence. (Wall Street Journal Europe)
(wsj.com)
Israel: Top exporter of hippos – (AFP)
Israel has become the world’s top exporter of hippopotamuses, having successfully sent 14 of the artiodactyls to zoos in Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and Vietnam in the past few months, said Sagit Horowitz, spokeswoman for the Ramat Gan Safari outside of Tel Aviv. With more than 40 hippos in the zoo and a high birthrate, the zoo had to find a way to scale down their population.
(yahoo.com)
(yahoo.com)
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