Interfaith dialogue in Nigeria: Muslims torch three churches, murder three nuns

Robert Spencer


The real name of Boko Haram is Jama’atu Ahlus Sunnati Lidda’awati wal Jihad — that is, the Party of the People of the Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad. Sunnah is acceptable Islamic practice. Dawah is Islamic proselytizing. This is how they go about practicing Islam in acceptable fashion, and proselytizing: by torching churches and murdering nuns. Boko Haram’s leader recently explained: “The reason why I will kill you is you are infidels…we must establish Islam in this country.” But remember: this blood and death is not the problem. Those who report on it — they’re the problem.

Can Israel defy a second-term president?

Yoram Ettinger

The assumption that second-term U.S. presidents are omnipotent and can bulldoze their way through anything -- including the exertion of insurmountable pressure on Israel -- ignores the most fundamental elements of the U.S. political system: limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, and the centrality of the constituent, deliberately designed to avoid an all-powerful executive. Second-term presidents may wish to extricate themselves from the strict constitutional constraints demonstrated by the power of the U.S. constituency and the equal, co-determining Congress, both of which have been systematically pro-Israel. The mystique of the second-term imperial presidency tends to smother Israeli policy-makers and public opinion molders, who misunderstand the U.S. political system, which is dramatically different from the Israeli and European systems.

Bereaved Parents to White House: Free Pollard Now

by Tova Dvorin

Bereaved families, whose relatives' murderers were released as a "gesture" to Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in the context of ongoing peace talks between Israel and the PA, have turned to the White House to return the favor with Jonathan Pollard, Ma'ariv reports Friday. 

Several families signed a letter demanding Pollard's release, which they are sending to President Barack Obama via the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, according to the daily.

"We can only ask you the most elementary request: to limit Pollard's sentence," the petition notes. "After you caused the Israeli government to release 80 murderers of wives and children to create a 'good atmosphere' [for negotiations], you no longer have a place for arguments and explanations. Enough - release Jonathan [Pollard]." 

02/27 Links Pt2: Scarlett Johansson Breaks Her Silence on SodaStream; “Sky Shield” Tested

From Ian:

---

Scarlett Johansson defends herself for first time since Super Bowl SodaStream ad which saw her dropped as Oxfam ambassador for breaching charity's Israeli boycott

She quit her role as Oxfam ambassador in a row over her controversial Super Bowl advert for SodaStream - and chose to keep her links with the Israeli fizzy drink firm.
Now speaking for the first time since she severed her ties with the humanitarian group, Scarlett Johansson insists she never saw herself as a role model in the first place.
In an interview with Dazed magazine, Johansson did not directly address the row with Oxfam, but said: 'I don’t see myself as being a role model; I never wanted to step into those shoes.
The 29-year-old actress said she had a 'fundamental difference of opinion' with the charity after it said it opposed all trade from Israeli settlements because they say it is illegal and denies Palestinian rights

The case of Jonathan Pollard: A legal analysis

Mordechai Kremnitzer - February 23, 2014
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/The-case-of-Jonathan-Pollard-A-legal-analysis-342333

Though he was neither charged with nor convicted of treason, there is no 
dispute that Jonathan Pollard committed serious offenses and that he 
deserved to be punished severely. However, it is doubtful that Pollard 
received a fair trial and whether the sentence imposed on him – life in 
prison without parole – was appropriate. Even if this were the case, it 
seems that at this stage Pollard’s incarceration does not serve a rational 
purpose.

How Eric Holder fixed the FALN pardons

Michelle Malkin  

Repost from 2009

The Los Angeles Times, mirabile dictu, breaks from the Obamedia pack and does some digging into Attorney General nominee Eric Holder’s past history as a political fixer for the Puerto Rican FALN terrorists (hat tip – Debra).

Attorney general nominee Eric H. Holder Jr. repeatedly pushed some of his subordinates at the Clinton Justice Department to drop their opposition to a controversial 1999 grant of clemency to 16 members of two violent Puerto Rican nationalist organizations, according to interviews and documents…

…President Clinton’s decision to commute prison terms caused an uproar at the time. Holder was called before Congress to explain his role but declined to answer numerous questions from angry lawmakers demanding to know why the Justice Department had not sided with the FBI, federal prosecutors and other law enforcement officials, who were vehemently opposed to the grants.

MENACHEM BEGIN’S BROADCAST TO THE NATION, MAY 15, 1948- THE STATE OF ISRAEL HAS ARISEN!

http://www.mideastoutpost.com/archives/menachem-begins-broadcast-to-the-nation-may-15-1948-the-state-of-israel-has-arisen.html
MENACHEM BEGIN’S BROADCAST TO THE NATION, MAY 15, 1948- THE STATE OF ISRAEL HAS ARISEN!


Editor’s Note: This  is excerpted from Begin’s address on Israel’s independence day on  the Irgun’s  radio station.  His words are worth remembering in this time of unprecedented challenges to Israel’s right to exist.
Citizens of the Hebrew Homeland, Soldiers of Israel, Hebrew Youth, Sisters and Brothers in Zion! Today is truly a holiday, a Holy Day, and a new fruit is visible before our very eyes. The Hebrew Revolt of 1944-1948 has been blessed with success — the first Hebrew revolt since the Hasmonean insurrection that has ended in victory.  The State of Israel has arisen in bloody battle. The highway for the mass return to Zion has been cast up. The foundation has been laid — but only the foundation — for true independence.

Multiculturalism's Child Brides

Mark Durie
Quadrant Online

http://www.meforum.org/3775/child-brides

Recent reports of under-age marriages in Australia are evidence that the authorities need to do more to enforce marriage laws in Western nations, and in particular to restrict the practice of unregistered 'clandestine' religious marriages, particularly Islamic marriages.
Two cases recently came to public attention of NSW girls being married to older men in unregistered religious ceremonies, allegedly with the approval of their guardians. The first case was of a 14-year-old girl who reported she was deceived into marrying a 21-year-old. After being subjected to years of sexual and physical abuse she fled the relationship. Her case came to light in October, 2013, when she needed to pursue custody of her daughter through the courts.

Jews Who Abandon Judaism Abandon Israel

Ronn Torossian

Michelle Goldberg of The Nation, the self-described flagship of the left, wrote a piece this week entitled, “Pro-Israel Freakout,” claiming that “The Israel lobby appears to be panicking.” Goldberg details how New York’s Museum of Jewish Heritage cancelled a talk by New Republic senior editor John Judis about his new book, “Genesis: Truman, American Jews, and the Origins of the Arab/Israeli conflict” and then also cancelled a speech by BDS supporter Judith Butler.  Rather than using these points to show the strength of the traditional American Jewish community, the author claims “Supporters of the Israeli right are right to worry.” She couldn’t be more wrong.

Israeli Foreign Ministry report on PA incitement with links to the PMW reports

This week, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press release criticizing Palestinian Authority incitement. The government's release included a section entitled "Examples of Incitement" with examples taken from Palestinian Media Watch reports. PMW welcomes the Israeli government's utilization of our findings. Below is a shortened version of the MFA press release into which we have added links to the original PMW bulletins to enable viewing of the videos, reading of the full translated texts and citation of the original sources:    Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Behind the Headlines: Palestinian incitement -  An obstacle to peace 23 Feb 2014 Incitement to hatred and terrorism must end. Terrorists should not be glorified, Jews should not be demonized and Israel's existence should not be called into question. [...]  Examples of Incitement since 30 July 2013 A.    Glorification of terrorists Ramadan campaign honoring terrorists: During last year's Ramadan period (July-August 2013), the Palestinian Authority (PA) focused on the glorification of terrorists and their attacks. Twenty-two murderers of 238 Israelis were honored. Officials, in particular PA Minister of Prisoners' Affairs Issa Karake, made almost daily visits to the family homes of terrorists. [...]

Confusing self-criticism with self-debasement

Isi Leibler

I have just finished reading Ari Shavit's tour de force "My Promised Land." It left me deeply disappointed and angry.

Shavit is one of Israel's most talented and erudite columnists. He is a passionate Zionist and proud Israeli whose patriotism cannot be challenged.

His superb portrayal of history and life in Israel has received extraordinary acclaim which even extended to the anti-Israel-orientated liberal media. His book was selected as one of the Notable Books of 2013 by The New York Times Book Review.

To qualify for this endorsement he paid a regrettable price. He included one chapter which is so far out of kilter with his otherwise laudable book that one suspects it was deliberately written to achieve endorsement from the liberal glitterati for whom debasement of the Jewish state has become a key component of their liberal DNA.

PM Netanyahu's remarks at the press conference with German Chancellor Merkel

 MFA Newletter

Obtaining a workable peace between us and our Palestinian neighbors is something we are both seeking to achieve. The formula is simple: two states for two peoples, a nation-state for the Palestinian people and a nation-state for the Jewish people.


PM Netanyahu at press conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel. Photo: GPO/Chaim Tzach
Prime Minister Netanyahu: Chancellor Merkel, my dear friend Angela, it's a pleasure to welcome you and your delegation to Israel. We had a very enjoyable and productive dinner last night in which we covered a breadth of issues, maybe the most important issues that relate to Israel's security interests and our quest for peace. And I appreciate your understanding and your consideration. And we had today an exceptional meeting of our two governments – exceptional because first of all, we stuck to the schedule. We were on time. Second, we stuck to the agenda and I think a lot of areas were covered and we can learn a great deal from each other. I must say that I learned quite a few things, including how to cut bureaucracy and streamline regulations, which is a revelation for me. So we intend to deepen these exchanges because this is part of our common policies. So I extend a warm welcome to you and your entire delegation.

New BESA study debunks myths about water in PA

Missing Peace
 

The Truth Behind the Palestinian Water Libels
by Prof. Haim Gvirtzman

The complete BESA study can be read here:
http://besacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/perspectives238.pdf
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Water shortages in the Palestinian Authority are the
result of Palestinian policies that deliberately waste water and destroy the
regional water ecology. The Palestinians refuse to develop their own
significant underground water resources, build a seawater desalination
plant, fix massive leakage from their municipal water pipes, build sewage
treatment plants, irrigate land with treated sewage effluents or modern
water-saving devices, or bill their own citizens for consumer water usage,
leading to enormous waste. At the same time, they drill illegally into
Israel’s water resources, and send their sewage flowing into the valleys and
streams of central Israel. In short, the Palestinian Authority is using
water as a weapon against the State of Israel. It is not interested in
practical solutions to solve the Palestinian people’s water shortages, but
rather perpetuation of the shortages and the besmirching of Israel.

Anti-Israel Blogger Praised by Media Goes on Crazy Racist Rant Over Pro-Israel Black Woman

Daniel Greenfield

A little tip for Richard Silverstein, you don’t get to shout “Uncle Tom” or try to sound like a cartoon version of a black 60s radical when you’re whiter than cottage cheese.

You just don’t.
Perhaps proud black man, Richard Silverstein would consider Martin Luther King who said, “When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews, you are talking anti-Semitism” another Uncle Tom.

Congress considers limiting aid to the PA unless PA incitement is curtailed

"Itamar Marcus, director of Palestinian Media Watch, told JNS.org, 'How can the U.S. justify funding a PA regime that glorifies murderers - using American money? How can the U.S. justify giving money to a regime that demonizes Jews as descendants of monkeys and pigs? Conditioning funding on the end of hatred is the ethical thing to do.'" [www.jns.org] The US House of Representatives Appropriations Committee is now considering stopping aid to the PA as long as PA incitement continues. Palestinian Media Watch has presented its findings to members of US Congress and European parliaments numerous times in recent years and has stressed their responsibility and potential influence as donors to eliminate PA incitement to hatred and violence against Israel. The following is the article about the latest congressional activities: Report: Congress may condition Palestinian Authority aid on curbing incitement (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee is considering freezing aid to the Palestinian Authority unless its continued incitement against Israel is curtailed, according to a report Saturday on Israel's Channel 2. Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz reportedly met with members of Congress to express his appreciation for the initiative.

The Whitewashing of Hate

PMW responds to the recent report
on Palestinian and Israeli schoolbooks

http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=155&doc_id=8598

by Itamar Marcus

It is hard to imagine a more flawed analysis of Palestinian Authority schoolbooks than the recent report of the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land, led by Sami Adwan, Bethlehem University and Daniel Bar-Tal, Tel Aviv University.

The report's inaccuracies start with its methodology of systematically citing all quotes from Israeli and Palestinian schoolbooks under the same headings - forcing the appearance of symmetry even when none exists. Another major flaw is giving as much weight to the fringe, ultra - Orthodox school system in Israel as it does to mainstream state schools. This artificially inflates the number of problematic examples on the Israeli side to support the report's misleading attempt to demonstrate equivalence.

But the ultimate failing of the report is that it intentionally masks the hate and violence promotion that are central to the Palestinian Authority educational system. This hatred, together with the hate and terror glorification expressed by the daily actions and messages of the PA leaders and through their controlled institutions, is rapidly condemning the next generations to continued conflict.

What did the Adwan-Bar Tal report hide from the world?

The overall message that permeates the PA's teachings about Israel throughout the school system is its total rejection of Israel's most fundamental right - its right to exist.

Hundreds of demonstrators call on US to release Pollard

Imprisoned spy Jonathan Pollard has paid his debt and it is time to let him go, say MKs at rally outside U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv • Esther Pollard says husband's life sentence is "out of proportion."

Yehuda Shlezinger

Esther Pollard at Sunday's protest in Tel Aviv | Photo credit: Yehoshua Yosef

Hundreds of people demonstrated on Sunday evening outside the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, calling on the U.S. to release imprisoned Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard.

The demonstrators held signs reading "Free Pollard" and "29 years, that's enough."

Credit: Koby Amehiri
A number of Knesset members took part in the demonstration, including Moshe Feiglin and Tzachi Hanegbi (both Likud), Shuli Mualem-Rafaeli (Habayit Hayehudi) and Nachman Shai (Labor).

"We are appealing to the Americans and telling them, 'Enough,'" Shai said. "It's been almost 30 years. This man has paid everything he owes to American society and American law. Let him go."

BDS Lie Week

Lena Abayev Bakman

Dozens of events will take place worldwide this week as part of the 10th annual "Israeli Apartheid Week." These events include lectures and panel discussions on academic campuses in the West, with the stated goal being "to raise awareness about Israel's apartheid policies toward the Palestinians and to build support for the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign."

In short: to expand the political war against Israel.

This is not a few individuals getting together. Nongovernmental organizations that claim to stand for human rights but that actually support the demonization of Israel are active in it. Some are even funded by European governments. Groups such as the Coalition of Women for Peace (funded, in part, by the European Union and the Netherlands), the Electronic Intifada (Netherlands), and the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (Ireland) have participated in previous apartheid weeks.

Moreover, films, reports and publications put out by other organizations that do not officially take part in the week (like Israel's Breaking the Silence) provide ammunition.

Americans: Israel is the MVP

Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, "Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative"
"Israel Hayom", February 21, 2014, http://bit.ly/1da0GGY
At a time when the White House is pressuring Israel to make dramatic concessions, the Jewish State enjoys an all-time high popularity among Americans, and therefore among their representatives in the US House of Representatives and the US Senate.
According to a February 18, 2014 Gallup Poll, Israel is the MVP (most favorite player) in the Middle East – 72% very/mostly favorable -  leading all other Middle East countries by a dramatic margin: Egypt – 45%, Saudi Arabia – 35%, etc.
Israel's popularity is at the highest since 1991, when Gallup first polled Americans on foreign countries, compared to 2009 (63%), 2010 (67%), 2011 (68%), 2012 (71%) and 2013 (66%).  
Israel is more popular than most Western democracies, while the Palestinian Authority is ranked among the least favorable (19% favorability), along with North Korea (11%), Iran (12%), Syria (13%) and Iraq (16%).  Thus, when President Obama delivered the 2014 State of the Union Address, he was greeted with indifference when stating: "American diplomacy [aims] to achieve dignity and an independent state for Palestinians." However, the president triggered resounding applause when continuing: "…and lasting peace and security for the state of Israel – a Jewish state that has known that America will always be at their side."
The Gallup findings reveal that the more experienced and mature Americans are, the higher is Israel's favorability: 81% among those 55 or older (who tend to be more knowledgeable about international relations, in general, and Israel in particular), 72% among those in the 35-54 age group and 64% among those between the ages of 18-34. 
The Gallup data highlights the fact that Americans in general, rather than US Jewry, are the main source of intense identification with the Jewish State.  That is also the case on Capitol Hill, where the key US-Israel initiatives have been conceived/led by Christian legislators (most notably, the late Senator Daniel Inouye).  In fact, the vast majority of Americans has embraced the idea of a Jewish State since the 17^th century Pilgrims – long before the integration of the Jewish community into American society, and many years before the founding of AIPAC.  
Such determination was underlined by the October 3, 2013 Pew Research Center: 55% of America's Christians (and 82% of Evangelicals) - compared with 47% of American Jews - asserted that Israel was given to the Jewish People by God. The April, 2010 Quinnipiac Institute poll documented an overwhelming majority of Americans (66%:19%) urging President Obama to be more supportive of Israel.

“Headway”

“Headway”

 

When it comes to speaking out about Israel’s legal grounds in Judea and Samaria, there is no giving up.  There is only persistence in moving ahead. 

 

As some of you are already aware, progress is being made on the Legal Grounds campaign that I co-chair with Jeff Daube.  We are now calling it Legal Grounds: The Campaign for Promoting Israel’s Rights, rather than a campaign to promote the Levy Report, because this approach is more broad-based.  The Levy Report is encompassed within that broader scope.