http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/story/2012-07-27/London-Olympics-Israelis-Munich-moment-of-silence/56545088/1

London Olympics pauses to honor dead Brits, not Israelis

After saying there would be no moment of silence to honor the 11 Israeli athletes and coaches who were killed at the 1972 Munich Olympics, the IOC permitted a video tribute to the 52 people who were killed in the suicide bombings in the London transit system the day after the city won the Games in 2005.

That was kind, and fitting, but it only served to highlight the extraordinarily bad judgment the IOC has shown in the matter of the Israelis, who were killed simply because they were Olympians living in the Olympic village. As has been the case for 40 years, the IOC recently refused repeated requests from world leaders and families to honor the Israelis, including President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and leaders of Canada, Australia, Israel and Germany, among others.

They all knew last week that there would once again be no tribute in the Opening Ceremony. But then came this other moment of silence. Talk about a slap in the face. The IOC has steadfastly tried to forget the horror of Munich, and here was another example of their reprehensible oversight by honoring some, but not all.

It's almost unheard of for a nation to change Olympic Opening Ceremony protocol, and the IOC often uses that as one of its excuses to deny a moment of silence for the Israelis. But then it changed protocol for others, ensuring the tragedy of the Munich victims continues to this day within the Olympic world.

What the BBC Does Not Know

Michael Curtis
July 27, 2012 

It is ironic that the BBC should be aware of this Palestinian declaration, which has never been implemented -- a 1988 claim to Jerusalem -- but unaware of the 3000 years of Jewish history, in which Jerusalem has been the cardinal and capital feature politically, religiously and historically.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has once again displayed its unrelenting bias against the state of Israel. In conjunction with this summer's Olympics in London, it has posted a BBC Olympic website containing basic information about the competing countries, including a map which indicates the capital of each country. In its text of Israel, the site lists Jerusalem as "the seat of government though most foreign embassies are in Tel Aviv," an observation factually correct.

It appears, however, that Israel has no capital -- certainly not Jerusalem. In comparison, the BBC lists "East Jerusalem" as "the intended seat of government of Palestine," a state which does not yet even exist. The question arises whether the BBC is intentionally describing Jerusalem in this way to add to the ongoing campaign to delegitimize the state of Israel. A brief explanation of Jerusalem's political and religious significance might be useful.

"Ludicrous"

Sometimes the PA comes out with a statement that is so ludicrous that the impulse is to simply laugh at it.  This is the case with the statement made by Jibril Rajoub, President of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, in a letter sent to President of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, thanking him for his stand in refusing a moment of silence for the Israeli Olympic athletes massacred 40 years ago in Munich:

 

"Sports are a bridge to love, interconnection, and spreading of peace among nations; it must not be a cause of division and spreading of racism between them."

 

http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=7189

 

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PA against moment of silence at Olympics: "Sports are meant for peace, not for racism"

http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=7189

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

The Palestinian Authority is against the moment of silence at the Olympics to commemorate the Israeli athletes murdered at the Munich Olympics in 1972. According to the headline in the official PA daily, "Sports are meant for peace, not for racism."

According to Jibril Rajoub, President of the Palestinian Olympic Committee:

"Sports are a bridge to love, interconnection, and spreading of peace among nations; it must not be a cause of division and spreading of racism between them [nations]."

[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 25, 2012]

These words appeared in a letter sent by Rajoub to the President of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge. The letter "expressed appreciation for [Rogge's] position, who opposed the Israeli position, which demanded a moment's silence at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in London."

Why Republicans Must Take the Lead on Israel

Arlene Kushner on Jul 24th, 2012 

There is a truism – “You can’t be more Catholic than the pope” – that is rather scrupulously adhered to in political circles.

With regard to Israel, this bit of political wisdom suggests that it is inappropriate for U.S. politicians, whatever their predilections or convictions, to move to the right of the Israeli government on issues of Israel’s claim to Judea and Samaria (aka the West Bank).

However remote the possibility of negotiations between the PLO and Israel – however clear the evidence that the Arabs don’t want a negotiated settlement, but want the Jews gone, the notion of a “two-state solution” continues to be the politically correct mantra in the U.S.

Iranian Terror Plot in the Works for the Olympics?

he headline for today’s Sunday Times is “Israel fears Iran attack at Games.” According to the report, written by David Leppard and Uzi Mahnaimi, “MI5 and Scotland Yard are thought to have raised their threat assessment against the Israeli delegation following the suicide attack on an Israeli tourist bus in the Black Sea resort of Burgas, Bulgaria, that killed six people last Wednesday.”

 

Here is the main portion of the article, which is behind a paywall.

Fearing a repeat of the massacre of 11 of its athletes and coaches at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, the Israeli government has dispatched agents from its internal security service Shin Bet to bolster the protection around its 38-strong team, which arrived at the Olympic Village 12 days ago. 

Reports from Tel Aviv this weekend said Mossad, Israel's external secret service, has also sent a team, codenamed Bayonet, to Europe. It is hunting a group of white Europeans who are thought to have converted to Islam and to be working with the Iranian Quds force and Hezbollah, the terrorist group backed by Tehran. 

Al Arabiya English is publishing a series detailing how recent events changed Sherry Jaafari’s life.

Al Arabiya
Exclusive
 

Sheherazad Jaafari’s ambition knows no limits. The 22-year-old daughter of the Syrian envoy to the U.N. served as a media adviser to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the height of an uprising that claimed the lives of 19,000 people since it erupted 17 months ago. But her work for the Syrian regime has put a heavy strain on her young life.

Based on a large number of new leaked emails obtained via one of its sources, Al Arabiya English is publishing a series detailing how recent events changed Jaafari’s life from the glamorous Ambassador’s daughter to a close aide to President Assad at tumultuous times, helping him use the Western media to burnish the damaged image of his regime. The trove of emails contains over two years-worth of professional and personal correspondence, including many photos of Jaafari and the people around her.

PA TV shows painting of Jew impaling and eating children

From Palestinian Media Watch:

PA TV host: "Artist Abd Al-Hai Msallam has been dealing with the Palestinian nation's problems, such as the Gaza massacres. What have you been working on lately? This painting is about the Gaza massacre."
Artist Abd Al-Hai Msallam: "Here I show the people, the children, and the Zionist enemy's cruelty and savagery."

"Wishing for Good News"

Wishing fervently, as a matter of fact.  But compelled to report on what is...

 

The Israelis murdered in the terror attack in Bulgaria were brought home Thursday night.  There were five Israeli victims, not seven as originally thought -- as one body was that of the Bulgarian bus driver and one that of the terrorist.

 

A brief military ceremony was held at the airport on their arrival.

 

"Five coffins," said Tourism Minister Stas Meseznikov, "five dreams and one giant hole in our hearts."

 

Credit: Trust

 

They were buried on Friday.

 

As is always the case, there were painful stories released regarding the victims:

Putin and Nasrallah’s sorrows

Mshari al-Zaydi

Seventeen months after the outbreak of the popular revolution against the rule of Bashar al-Assad, we have finally reached the critical stage, the final countdown. 


Two days ago, the Free Syrian Army [FSA] reached the Damascus suburbs, and at the time of writing it appears that the FSA was responsible for killing the top security leadership that is in charge of the Syrian killing machine which has been raging since the start of the al-Assad sponsored suppression. A bomb struck the al-Assad security headquarters in Damascus, which was housing some of al-Assad’s commanders of murder and mayhem, including his own brother-in-law Assef Shawkat, General Daoud Rajiha and the “mastermind” General Hassan Turkmani, amongst others.

In the meantime, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting regarding the situation in Syria, hoping to issue an international resolution to stop the violence, sanction the al-Assad regime and stop the flow of arms into the country in general, including to the opposition. However, as was expected, the Russian bear jumped onto the UN Security Council table and rejected this resolution, raising its veto in its claw, followed closely by the Chinese dragon. This was a provocative stance challenging the world’s feelings of concern and sympathy regarding the situation in Syria. This also represents a new confirmation of Russia and China's lack of wisdom, not to mention their seeming lack of concern regarding their public image.

In any case, the huge amount of documents that have been filed in these international negotiations, not to mention the travel expenses, the grandiose discourse and political machinations and deceit between different international political forces, have all been for nothing. Russian envoy to the UN, Vitaly Churkin’s vetoing of the resolution containing the least that anybody can do regarding the situation in Syria, namely impose sanctions on the al-Assad regime, polarized the entire world. However it is the people in Syria that have revealed the truth of the situation by imposing a new reality on the ground.


The UN Security Council no longer has any meaning or effectiveness regarding the Syrian crisis; this is nothing more than a boxing match between Putin and his comrades in one corner and the West in the other; however its outcome is meaningless. The reality is what is being said and done by the youth in Syria, including targeting the leadership in Damascus that was in charge of the violence, and this is what will force Russia, China and the West to take the appropriate political decisions.
Russia can utilize its veto hundreds of time; it is a meaningless act as long as there is somebody on the ground [in Syria] driving events.


As we – and others – have previously stated, we must forget the UN Security Council, for it is clear that Russia and its attendant China are in al-Assad’s camp, and are using the international envoy, Kofi Annan, to hinder the revolution and grant al-Assad the kiss of life. We must also forget Nabil Elaraby’s insignificant Arab League, and his shrewd statements, for it is clear that he always takes a line that is consistent with the “official” Egyptian view, even during the reign of the Muslim Brotherhood. This view is based on issuing condemnations and denunciation and calling for an end to the bloodshed, and providing morale support to the Syrian people, but then confirming – in a firm and intransigent manner – rejection of any international intervention to save the Syrian people, under the pretext that this is an internal Syrian affair. For example, Muslim Brotherhood senior figure Essam al-Arian, who has also adopted this approach of criticizing Syria, previously welcomed the Libyan revolution against Gaddafi, whilst NATO and American fighter jets and rockets were utilized during this, and considered halal! So how can we understand this?

Whatever the case, the Syrian revolution is leading the international efforts, and Putin, Lavrov, Elaraby, Annan, Khamenei and of course, the tormented Hassan Nasrallah have no choice but to follow the path being blazed by the Syrian revolutionaries on the ground.

Such a case goes beyond political discourse, because we are facing a scene in which the best and worst of our nature are being mixed together, and this brings to mind the famous proverb of Abu Tammam to the Caliph Motasem:

Truer than words of books is the sword in its tidings,

Its edge is the boundary between seriousness and rompings.
 

Terrorist said to have been a Swedish citizen with a history of Muslim extremist activities

The Times of Israel
July 22, 2012
The one-stop news site covering Israel, the region and the Jewish people worldwide

Mehdi Ghezali (screen capture, Channel 10)

Bulgarian media on Thursday named the suicide bomber who blew up a bus full of Israeli tourists, killing five Israelis and a local bus driver, in the Black Sea resort of Burgas on Wednesday as 36-year-old Mehdi Ghezali.

Ghezali reportedly arrived in Bulgaria five weeks before the bombing and arrived at the airport via taxi, Channel 2 reported. 

He was also reportedly given the bomb by someone else, but no further details were provided. There was no independent confirmation of the veracity of the information. The reports surfaced soon after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had publicly accused Hezbollah, directed by Iran, of responsibility for the bombing. The Prime Minister’s Office made no comment on the reports.
The Bulgarian reports, rapidly picked up by Hebrew media, posited various versions of how the bomber had detonated the bomb, including the suggestion that the bomber had not intended to die in the blast, but may have wanted to place the bomb on the bus and flee.

Ghezali has a Wikipedia page, which describes him as a Swedish citizen, with Algerian and Finnish origins. He had been held at the US’s Guantanamo Bay detainment camp on Cuba from 2002 to 2004, having previously studied at a Muslim religious school and mosque in Britain, and traveled to Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, it says. He was taken into custody on suspicion of being an al-Qaeda agent, having been arrested along with a number of other al-Qaeda operatives.