Susan Rice, Obama’s UN Ambassador, skipped out on Netanyahu’s speech
due to that whole awkward, “Iran Nukes” thing, which her boss doesn’t
care to hear about either, but the UN delegation earlier had stayed for
Ahmadinejad’s rantings.
In keeping with Obama’s tradition of alienating allies and appeasing enemies…
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Friday, September 28, 2012
Obama apologetic about boycotting Ahmadinejad's U.N. speech
As
expected, the U.S. delegation boycotted Iranian President Ahmadinejad's
speech at the UN General Assembly in New York. But the reason given by
the Obama administration for this gesture is, to say the least,
perplexing. Here's the official explanation, as related by Erin Pelton, the spokeswoman for the U.N. mission to the United Nations:
"Over the last couple of days, we've seen Mr. Ahmadinejad once again use his trip to the U.N. not to address the legitimate aspirations of the Iranian people but to instead spout paranoid theories and repulsive slurs against Israel."
The Palestinian Authority's Policy of Duplicity
Khaled Abu Toameh
For instance, there is the one about Pakistan being our 'ally'. Britain and the United States give many millions of dollars a year in aid to that country. More is always expected and promised. By 2015 the UK's aid budget alone could have doubled in a few years, with the UK sending £446 million a year to the country. There are almost no justifications for this. Corruption remains rampant, as does poverty, indoctrination, anti-Western propaganda, and more.
What on Earth do you have to do not to be considered an "ally" these days? Many Muslim countries complaining about "blasphemy" and "hurt feelings,' are themselves are rife with the vilest caricatures, programs, films and books — as the staple diet.The offer by Pakistan's railways minister, Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, for suborning the murder of an American amateur film-maker, of $100,000 of his own money for a murder – despite his colleagues' attempts to distance themselves - only reminds us of what a mess of untruths and half-truths we allow to persist.
For instance, there is the one about Pakistan being our 'ally'. Britain and the United States give many millions of dollars a year in aid to that country. More is always expected and promised. By 2015 the UK's aid budget alone could have doubled in a few years, with the UK sending £446 million a year to the country. There are almost no justifications for this. Corruption remains rampant, as does poverty, indoctrination, anti-Western propaganda, and more.
"The Speeches"
It's the season of speeches at the
UN. As some of what has been going on coincided with my preparations for
and observance of Yom Kippur, I will need to back-track a bit before moving
forward. And forward is where I truly want to go (see the last of this
posting!).
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Mass Rally Against 'Perilous' US Middle East Policy to be Held
A coalition of groups concerned over Iranian and Arab terrorism
and Islamism, both Jewish and non-Jewish, is set to rally Thursday
By David Lev
First Publish: 9/27/2012, 9:49 AM
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
AFP/Pool/File
A coalition of groups concerned over Iranian and Arab terrorism and Islamism,
both Jewish and non-Jewish, will hold a protest Thursday afternoon in front of
the Israeli Consulate in Manhattan, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks
before the UN General Assembly. The mass rally, set for 12:30 PM, is sponsored
by a host of groups, including Americans for a Safe Israel (AFSI), AMCHA,
Coptics of Egypt, HRCARI, Mothers Against
Terorism, NCJA, Strength to Strength, ZOA, and many more grass-roots
organizations.
On the Boil: Obama, the Democrats and the Jews
Isi Leibler
September 27, 2012
http://wordfromjerusalem.com/?p=4280
September 27, 2012
http://wordfromjerusalem.com/?p=4280
 |
The disproportionately high
profile of American Jews in the Presidential election contest and the
efforts invested by both candidates portraying themselves as supportive
of the Jewish State has assumed surrealistic levels.
Shut down the disgrace
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Letters/Article.aspx?id=286259
Sir, – The leftist geographer who single-handedly built the politics department at Ben- Gurion University of the Negev into the worst anti-Israel indoctrination and propaganda center in the country is simply unable to find anything wrong with it (“Prof. David Newman defends BGU’s politics department against Council on Higher Education registration ban,” September 24).
In fact, he denies that the department is a totalitarian extremist advocacy center at all, saying that characterizing it as far-left is “just not based on reality.”
The New Israel Fund, Jewish Values and Atonement
Gerald Steinberg
In its September newsletter, the New Israel Fund (NIF) urged Israelis to examine their behavior (“cheshbon nefesh”), declaring “We have been telling you for some time about the upsurge in hatred and incitement in Israel…” But, in Jewish tradition, the processes of introspection and atonement for sins of commission and omission begin at home, including for the NIF.
As the most powerful political and social framework in Israel outside of the government, the NIF exerts major influence through its funding—providing millions of dollars every year to dozens of organizations.
In its September newsletter, the New Israel Fund (NIF) urged Israelis to examine their behavior (“cheshbon nefesh”), declaring “We have been telling you for some time about the upsurge in hatred and incitement in Israel…” But, in Jewish tradition, the processes of introspection and atonement for sins of commission and omission begin at home, including for the NIF.
As the most powerful political and social framework in Israel outside of the government, the NIF exerts major influence through its funding—providing millions of dollars every year to dozens of organizations.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
A-Jad's charm offensive - Israel will be 'eliminated'
Iranian
president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tried to put his best face forward in a
series of interviews with American journalists prior to the opening of
the UN General Assembly in New York. Unfortunately for him, he showed
one too many faces.
Reuters:
Reuters:
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday Israel has no roots in the Middle East and would be "eliminated," ignoring a U.N. warning to avoid incendiary rhetoric ahead of the annual General Assembly session.
Ahmadinejad also said he did not take seriously the threat that Israel could launch a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, denied sending arms to Syria, and alluded to Iran's threats to the life of British author Salman Rushdie.
The United States quickly dismissed the Iranian president's comments as "disgusting, offensive and outrageous."
Was Obama's Illegal War in Libya A Trial Run to Attack Israel?
Stella Paul
Hey,
Obama Lovers, now that our Ambassador is dead, our Benghazi consulate
is a smoldering ruin, and its top secret documents have been snatched by
Al Qaeda, do you still think your hero's Libyan war is a smashing
success?
Because I sure do. Not from America's point of view, of course; it's a nightmare for our national security.
But from the perspective of Obama's biggest donor, the convicted felon and renowned Israel-hater George Soros, the Libyan War is a triumph. Why? Because Obama waged it illegally and without the consent of Congress. And he did it in the name of the political philosophy that Soros bought and paid for: Responsibility to Protect, or, as it's so zippily dubbed by our global elites, R2P.
Because I sure do. Not from America's point of view, of course; it's a nightmare for our national security.
But from the perspective of Obama's biggest donor, the convicted felon and renowned Israel-hater George Soros, the Libyan War is a triumph. Why? Because Obama waged it illegally and without the consent of Congress. And he did it in the name of the political philosophy that Soros bought and paid for: Responsibility to Protect, or, as it's so zippily dubbed by our global elites, R2P.
The "Offense Against the Prophet" Wars
Douglas Murray
"Anti-Muslim film" is by now probably one of the most Googled terms on the net. As a result, millions of people have once again been treated to the familiar thrill of looking up something we were told would be shocking and becoming, instead, bored and irritable.
Of course no round in the free speech wars ever starts in the place you wish it would. Defenders of Salman Rushdie still wish the Satanic Verses were a slightly more flowing read. Defenders of the Danish cartoons might wish that they were funnier. And there can be absolutely nobody who defends the rights of somebody to make a film without being killed without wishing that "Innocence of Muslims" weren't so completely and unremittingly terrible. But there we are: we live in a world where politicians in the world's most powerful nation are trying to outdo themselves in showing they feel more offense even than those people who claim to be most offended. As a result a principle must be defended in spite of the US government's desire to be offended.
Politicians in the world's most powerful nation are trying to outdo themselves in showing they feel more offense even than those people who claim to be most offended.If a film flops in the middle of the internet and nobody hears it, can it still be "offensive?"
"Anti-Muslim film" is by now probably one of the most Googled terms on the net. As a result, millions of people have once again been treated to the familiar thrill of looking up something we were told would be shocking and becoming, instead, bored and irritable.
Of course no round in the free speech wars ever starts in the place you wish it would. Defenders of Salman Rushdie still wish the Satanic Verses were a slightly more flowing read. Defenders of the Danish cartoons might wish that they were funnier. And there can be absolutely nobody who defends the rights of somebody to make a film without being killed without wishing that "Innocence of Muslims" weren't so completely and unremittingly terrible. But there we are: we live in a world where politicians in the world's most powerful nation are trying to outdo themselves in showing they feel more offense even than those people who claim to be most offended. As a result a principle must be defended in spite of the US government's desire to be offended.
Why a Special Issue on UNRWA?
Steven J. Rosen
Middle East Quarterly
Fall 2012, pp. 3-10 (view PDF)
Led by the United States, the founders of the United Nations Relief
and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the
institution tasked with oversight of the Palestine refugees, conceived
of it as a temporary instrument to help relieve the plight of the Arab
refugees displaced by the struggle over Israel's creation in 1948-49.
But over the ensuing sixty-three years, UNRWA has evolved into an agency
that perpetuates the refugee problem as a source of conflict rather
than contributing to its resolution. Its refugee camps and educational
programs keep alive the impossible dream that millions of descendants of
the original refugees will "return" to today's Israel. Its social
service delivery programs create permanent dependency and impede local
integration into the societies and countries where its beneficiaries
have resided for decades. Unlike its sister agency, the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which is responsible for
millions of non-Palestinian refugees worldwide, it does not have an
active program for "local integration" of refugees where they now reside
nor "resettlement" in third countries. This special issue will explore
the extent to which UNRWA has complied with its original mandate and
ways and means for its reform.
Middle East Quarterly
Fall 2012, pp. 3-10 (view PDF)
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Dignity
Yesterday I met with an Australian
journalist. He had spent the previous day with Shovrim Shtika – Breaking the
Silence, in Hebron. They are far left- and very anti Jewish Hebron. A countryman
of the journalist, let’s call him Harry, wanted him to see ‘the other side’ so
they came over to see me.
We didn’t have a lot of time, so
rather than tour we sat and talked for about 40 minutes. Harry directed some
questions to me, which I tried to answer to the best of my ability. Most
questions I’ve heard before – it’s hard to find something new to hit me with.
When we spoke about the division in the street outside, which is divided: one
side for Jews and the other for Arabs, I explained that, number one, we don’t
like it either. True, the Arabs can’t walk on part of the street, but then
again, we are also prevented from walking on the other side. Two, the division,
implemented by the army, is in place to prevent friction between Jews and Arabs,
and also for security reasons, in an attempt to decrease possibilities of terror
attacks against Jews.
Obama’s Ominous Stance on Israel’s Territorial Security
P. David Hornik On September 25, 2012
In
this election year President Obama has been quiet about the Palestinian
issue. Rough treatment of Israel has continued, but mainly on the
Iranian front—with a drumbeat of hollow promises as Iran keeps making
nuclear progress, a series of security leaks harmful to Israel,
disparaging remarks about Israel’s military capabilities from top
administration officials, and now Obama’s refusal to meet Netanyahu in
New York while being more than willing to meet with Egypt’s Morsi.
It should not be forgotten, though, that not long ago Obama was engaging in harsh confrontations with Israel over the Palestinian issue. Particularly, on May 19, 2011, he let loose a bombshell.
Blindsiding Netanyahu just as he was on his way to Washington, Obama called for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, but decreed in advance what their outcome would be: “two states…based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps…with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt….” Obama further specified that the Palestinian state would be “contiguous.”
It should not be forgotten, though, that not long ago Obama was engaging in harsh confrontations with Israel over the Palestinian issue. Particularly, on May 19, 2011, he let loose a bombshell.
Blindsiding Netanyahu just as he was on his way to Washington, Obama called for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, but decreed in advance what their outcome would be: “two states…based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps…with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt….” Obama further specified that the Palestinian state would be “contiguous.”
Knesset Members in Binyamin: Adopt the Levy Report
By Elad Benari & Yoni Kempinski
Knesset’s Land of Israel lobby in the Binyamin region
Miri Tzahi (Makor Rishon)
Members of the Knesset’s Land of Israel lobby toured
the Binyamin region on Sunday, where they called on the Israeli government to
formally adopt the government-initiated Levy Report, which studied the land
issues in depth and concluded that there is no “occupation” and that international law allows Jews to live in
Judea and Samaria as its status was not that of a nation in 1967.
During the tour, the members of the Land of Israel lobby heard about the problems and difficulties which local residents face and that the adoption of the Levy Report by the government would solve. The area is run by a Civil Government under IDF auspices, causing residents to be under Israeli jurisdiction for some issues and under the IDF - and even Jordanian law - for others.
During the tour, the members of the Land of Israel lobby heard about the problems and difficulties which local residents face and that the adoption of the Levy Report by the government would solve. The area is run by a Civil Government under IDF auspices, causing residents to be under Israeli jurisdiction for some issues and under the IDF - and even Jordanian law - for others.
Monday, September 24, 2012
A new Cold War
Lt. Gen. Ion Mihai Pacepa
Editor’s note: Lt. Gen. Ion Mihai Pacepa is the highest-ranking Soviet-bloc official ever to defect to the West. In December 1989, Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu was executed at the end of a trial whose accusations came almost word-for-word out of Pacepa’s book, “Red Horizons,” subsequently republished in 27 countries.
After President Carter approved his request for political asylum, Pacepa became an American citizen and worked with U.S. intelligence agencies against the former Eastern Bloc. The CIA has praised Pacepa’s cooperation for providing “an important and unique contribution to the United States.” His new book, “Disinformation,” co-authored with professor Ronald Rychlak, will be published by WND Books in 2013.
The view that the latest wave of Muslim outrage worldwide, including
the murderous assault on the U.S. embassy in Libya and new threats from
Iran, is somehow a “spontaneous” reaction to the low-budget film
“Innocence of Muslims,” has been revealed to be political naïveté at
best, and ignorant or intentional scapegoating at worst.
After all, even the president of Libya, Yousef El-Magariaf, stated that “no doubt” the attack had been “preplanned,” emphasizing that the terrorists had chosen a “specific date for this so-called demonstration.”
Editor’s note: Lt. Gen. Ion Mihai Pacepa is the highest-ranking Soviet-bloc official ever to defect to the West. In December 1989, Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu was executed at the end of a trial whose accusations came almost word-for-word out of Pacepa’s book, “Red Horizons,” subsequently republished in 27 countries.
After President Carter approved his request for political asylum, Pacepa became an American citizen and worked with U.S. intelligence agencies against the former Eastern Bloc. The CIA has praised Pacepa’s cooperation for providing “an important and unique contribution to the United States.” His new book, “Disinformation,” co-authored with professor Ronald Rychlak, will be published by WND Books in 2013.
After all, even the president of Libya, Yousef El-Magariaf, stated that “no doubt” the attack had been “preplanned,” emphasizing that the terrorists had chosen a “specific date for this so-called demonstration.”
Muslim Respect for Religion Continues with Double Church Terror
If only someone passed some kind of law making it illegal to bomb and burn churches.
First in Pakistan, notorious home of love, peace and tolerance
A mob of hundreds of Muslim men attacked and burnt an 82-year-old church and an adjoining school in northwest Pakistan during a protest against an anti-Islam film, sparking concerns among the minority Christian community.Truly what better way could there be for Muslims to show their outrage at disrespect for religion than by burning a church.
“The St.Paul Church, its school and the houses of the principal and pastor along with a vehicle were burned by a mob,” he said in a statement released by Pakistan-based rights group World Vision In Progress (WVIP). Several people staying inside the church complex were beatenWhat can you do, Muslims take respect for religion seriously and no one was going to stop them from showing their full measure of respect for that church.
IDF cadets graduate from Israel’s ‘West Point’
09/24/2012
Fifty-eight IDF officers have completed a two-year-course at the elite Tactical
Command College, marking the achievement with a ceremony on Sunday attended by
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz.
The college, set up in 1999 by former chief of staff Lt.- Gen. (res.) Amnon Lipkin Shahak, is designed to create personal and professional tools for company commanders serving in the ground forces, and has trained some 600 officers since its inception.
“Some of these officers are now commanding brigades, and others have risen higher,” the chief instructor at the college, Brig-Gen. Gideon Sharav, told The Jerusalem Post.
On the academic front, the students obtain a BA from Bar- Ilan University, where they study the Middle East region, political trends, and the rise of Islamist movements, as well as relations between the military and society. “They [examined] how the Muslim Brothers came to power in Egypt,” Sharav said.
At the same time, the officers study military strategy, defense affairs, historical battle analyses – from the World War II to the Second Lebanon War – and train in live fire exercises.
“We are the Israeli West Point,” Sharav said, adding, “the main difference is that the cadets there begin with no experience, receiving basic training and an officer’s course. We are closer to the UK model, where people with some training arrive. Our cadets were platoon commanders when they arrived, and some of them took part in combat, such as Operation Cast Lead.”
When the soldiers complete the course, they are aged 25- 26, have a BA, and are set to take command of some 100 soldiers.
“I am confident they have all of the tools to succeed in their task. This makes them more ready,” Sharav said.
The cadets are also taken to active front line scenes where, “if anything were to happen, [it] will happen there,” and train in map reading and orientation.
During the graduation ceremony, Gantz said, “Every IDF commander understands the significance for the security of Israel of being prepared and alert. Every company commander, every battalion commander, and every major general knows that the IDF can’t rest on its laurels when we are not in a state of war or in an emergency.”
He added, “We must prepare with vigor for any scenario that can endanger Israeli security – this is the eternal promise of the IDF.”
The college, set up in 1999 by former chief of staff Lt.- Gen. (res.) Amnon Lipkin Shahak, is designed to create personal and professional tools for company commanders serving in the ground forces, and has trained some 600 officers since its inception.
“Some of these officers are now commanding brigades, and others have risen higher,” the chief instructor at the college, Brig-Gen. Gideon Sharav, told The Jerusalem Post.
On the academic front, the students obtain a BA from Bar- Ilan University, where they study the Middle East region, political trends, and the rise of Islamist movements, as well as relations between the military and society. “They [examined] how the Muslim Brothers came to power in Egypt,” Sharav said.
At the same time, the officers study military strategy, defense affairs, historical battle analyses – from the World War II to the Second Lebanon War – and train in live fire exercises.
“We are the Israeli West Point,” Sharav said, adding, “the main difference is that the cadets there begin with no experience, receiving basic training and an officer’s course. We are closer to the UK model, where people with some training arrive. Our cadets were platoon commanders when they arrived, and some of them took part in combat, such as Operation Cast Lead.”
When the soldiers complete the course, they are aged 25- 26, have a BA, and are set to take command of some 100 soldiers.
“I am confident they have all of the tools to succeed in their task. This makes them more ready,” Sharav said.
The cadets are also taken to active front line scenes where, “if anything were to happen, [it] will happen there,” and train in map reading and orientation.
During the graduation ceremony, Gantz said, “Every IDF commander understands the significance for the security of Israel of being prepared and alert. Every company commander, every battalion commander, and every major general knows that the IDF can’t rest on its laurels when we are not in a state of war or in an emergency.”
He added, “We must prepare with vigor for any scenario that can endanger Israeli security – this is the eternal promise of the IDF.”
Sunday, September 23, 2012
In Radical Arab Eyes, Libya Makes Obama an Imperialist Enemy
Barry Rubin
It is amazing how events in international affairs that would have been easily and accurately understood decades ago are now surrounded by obfuscation and misunderstanding. Such is the case with Libya and the U.S. role there. Forget Obama's Cairo speech and all that bowing, apologizing, appeasing, and empathy. All of it is meaningless now.
It is amazing how events in international affairs that would have been easily and accurately understood decades ago are now surrounded by obfuscation and misunderstanding. Such is the case with Libya and the U.S. role there. Forget Obama's Cairo speech and all that bowing, apologizing, appeasing, and empathy. All of it is meaningless now.
The
facts are clear. Along with its NATO allies, the United States helped
overthrow the dictatorship of Muammar Qadhafi in Libya and installed a
new regime. This government, non-Islamist, technocratic, and led by
defected old regime politicians or former exiles, won the election and
is now in power.
What
does this mean? Simple. Libya is now a U.S. client state. In the eyes
of many Arabs and Muslims—especially the radicals but not just
them—Libya is now an American puppet state. Most important of all it is
not an Islamist Sharia state. The revolutionaries—a group including the
Muslim Brotherhood, radical small groups, and the local al-Qaida
affiliates--want to change that situation.
Intelligence War on Iran’s Fordow Site
Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
A hidden interceptor transmitted valuable information at the Fordow site and apparently self-detonated when it was discovered, the Sunday Times of London reported, quoting Western intelligence sources.
The mid-August explosions have been covered up by Iran until last week, when it announced that “terrorists” blew up electric cables from the city of Qum to the underground Fordow plant but caused no damage. Iran claimed that an alternative power allowed the nuclear site to continue operate normally.
Sunday’s report disclosed that the explosion actually occurred when Iran’s Revolutionary Guard personnel at Fordow discovered and removed a stone, which actually was an intercepting device that transmitted computer information, including the level of enriched uranium.
The discovery and subsequent explosion resulted in a loss of an important source of intelligence for the West, sources said.
A hidden interceptor transmitted valuable information at the Fordow site and apparently self-detonated when it was discovered, the Sunday Times of London reported, quoting Western intelligence sources.
The mid-August explosions have been covered up by Iran until last week, when it announced that “terrorists” blew up electric cables from the city of Qum to the underground Fordow plant but caused no damage. Iran claimed that an alternative power allowed the nuclear site to continue operate normally.
Sunday’s report disclosed that the explosion actually occurred when Iran’s Revolutionary Guard personnel at Fordow discovered and removed a stone, which actually was an intercepting device that transmitted computer information, including the level of enriched uranium.
The discovery and subsequent explosion resulted in a loss of an important source of intelligence for the West, sources said.
What If Israel’s ‘Peace Partners’ Actually Prefer War?
Louis Rene Beres
At this point in Israel’s problematic diplomatic agenda, there is really only one overriding policy question: Can any form of negotiation with the Palestinians, Fatah and/or Hamas, ever prove reasonable and productive?
From
the very beginning, even before formal statehood in 1948, Israel has
sought courageously and reasonably to negotiate with its many
unreasonable enemies. Always, Jerusalem has preferred peace to war.
Nonetheless, challenged by relentless and interminable Arab aggressions,
diplomacy has usually failed Israel. Even the most visible example of
an alleged diplomatic success, the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty of 1979, is
apt to fail calamitously sometime in the post-Mubarak era.