Inside the Saudi 9/11 coverup

Paul Sperry

Photo: UPI

After the 9/11 attacks, the public was told al Qaeda acted alone, with no state sponsors.

But the White House never let it see an entire section of Congress’ investigative report on 9/11 dealing with “specific sources of foreign support” for the 19 hijackers, 15 of whom were Saudi nationals.

It was kept secret and remains so today.

President Bush inexplicably censored 28 full pages of the 800-page report. Text isn’t just blacked-out here and there in this critical-yet-missing middle section. The pages are completely blank, except for dotted lines where an estimated 7,200 words once stood (this story by comparison is about 1,000 words).

The wrong Christmas message

Ruthie Blum 

Shame on the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, for taking the occasion of his annual "Christmas message" to blame Israel for the plight of Christians in the Middle East. It is precisely at this juncture -- when the persecution of Christians in the Muslim-Arab world is not merely increasing at a frightening rate, but is becoming more blatant and bloodier -- that the chief Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land should be warning against the religious war being waged against his brethren.

After all, churches in every Islam-dominated country are being destroyed; Christian women (including nuns) are being raped, men (including priests) are being beheaded; and the property of those who would escape this fate is being confiscated.

Lawyer for jihad terrorists and anti-free speech fascist indicted for wire fraud and failure to file income taxes

Stanley Cohen with fascist brownshirt Mona Eltahawy

Stanley Cohen describes himself as a "'Certified Selfloathing' Jew. AntiZionist." Besides the jihad terrorists below and jihad enabling lawyer Lynne Stewart, he also represents the anti-free speech thug Mona Eltahawy, who faces trial for vandalizing one of our pro-Israel ads in the New York subway.
‘Terrorist’-repping lawyer indicted over $3M in income," by Rich Calder for the New York Post, December 18 (thanks to Maxwell):

"Moderate" MPAC peddles fake anti-Israel Gaza flood story originally pushed by Hamas

Jihad Watch

No surprise here. On September 11, 2001, Salam al-Marayati, founder and executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), appeared on a radio show in Los Angeles to discuss the jihad attacks in New York and Washington, and said: “If we’re going to look at suspects, we should look to the groups that benefit the most from these kinds of incidents, and I think we should put the state of Israel on the suspect list because I think this diverts attention from what’s happening in the Palestinian territories so that they can go on with their aggression and occupation and apartheid policies.”

The Most damaging President We’ve Ever Had

Dennis Prager

Published: December 20th, 2013

I have been broadcasting for 31 years and writing for longer than that. I do not recall ever saying on radio or in print that a president is doing lasting damage to our country.

I did not like the presidencies of Jimmy Carter (the last Democrat I voted for) or Bill Clinton. Nor did I care for the “compassionate conservatism” of George W. Bush. In modern political parlance “compassionate” is a euphemism for ever-expanding government.

But I have never written or broadcast that our country was being seriously damaged by a president. So it is with great sadness that I write that President Barack Obama has done and continues to do major damage to America. The only question is whether this can ever be undone.

This is equally true domestically and internationally.

Domestically, his policies have gravely impacted the American economy.
He has overseen the weakest recovery from a recession in modern American history. He has mired the country in unprecedented levels of debt: about $6.5 trillion dollars in five years (this after calling his predecessor “unpatriotic” for adding nearly $5 trillion in eight years).

He has fashioned a country in which more Americans now receive government aid – means-tested, let alone non-means tested – than work full-time.
He has no method of paying for this debt other than printing more money – thereby surreptitiously taxing everyone through inflation, including the poor he claims to be helping, and cheapening the dollar to the point that some countries are talking another reserve currency – and saddling the next generations with enormous debts.

Quiz: 10 Questions to Test Your IDF Expertise

IDF Blog

Think you know everything there is to know about the IDF? It’s time to put your knowledge to the test. Welcome to the first-ever IDF quiz. It’s simple: 10 questions, 10 answers and the verdict is immediate. So, are you ready for the challenge?

1. In what year was the IDF officially founded?

 1947

 1948

 1949

 1951

Question 1 of 10

2. Which of the following is NOT one of the values ​​of the IDF’s Code of Ethics?

 Credibility

 Glory

 Comradeship

 Discipline

Why the U.S. Failed in Iraq

Baghdad at the Crossroads

by Steve Dobransky
Middle East Quarterly
Winter 2014

http://www.meforum.org/3680/iraq-us-failure

In a quiet and sparsely attended ceremony, the U.S. flag was lowered at Baghdad International Airport on December 15, 2011, marking the official end to the troubled U.S. mission on Iraqi soil. What had begun as an undertaking to remove Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction (WMD) turned into an 8-year mission that was far more costly than most could have imagined. Looking back, few would likely say that the United States should undertake such an enterprise again if given a chance.
There is a serious need to examine the essential strategic components of Washington's initial war planning, as well as the subsequent occupation and surge, in order to shed light on the final outcome and current situation in Iraq and to plan for the future. Regardless of the messaging, the overall operation—and in particular, the surge—was a major failure in significantly altering the Iraqi equation for the better, and it laid the foundations for much worse things to come.

What began as a U.S.-led mission to end the perceived danger of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction ended quietly on December 15, 2011, at Baghdad International Airport, with the lowering of the American flag. A decade-long debate about the purpose and utility of the mission has still not concluded.

Policy Debates on Iraq

Although the Iraq war began on March 19, 2003, the debate over its advisability and rationale started well before that date. Supporters of the war were led by President George W. Bush and others within his administration who argued that in light of the terror attacks on U.S. soil on September 11, 2001, Saddam's presumed possession of weapons of mass destruction and perceived connections to al-Qaeda were too great a danger to the homeland to be ignored. As the United Nations' sanctions regime was seen to be flimsy, if not crumbling, the fear that Baghdad would ally itself with terrorists took on increasing urgency.

Holding Europe Accountable for NGO Funding

NGO Monitor said “legislative proposals that go beyond democratic transparency and accountability for these NGOs are ill advised, not enforceable, and damage Israel’s vital national interests.” I beg to differ. at least I hope they’re not right. Israel doesn’t exist to defend democracy but to defend itself. I don’t want Israel to be as “democratic” as European countries. I want Israel to defend itself from subversion, government financed or otherwise. I know that Weinstein also says unenforceable. But is it? A democracy can impose martial law or restrict freedoms to a lesser extent based on its threat appraisal. It is commonly acknowledged that the movement to deligitimate Israel and Zionism is an existential threat to the State of Israel. Surely this is enough justification for the legislation. If anyone can find a legal opinion on the matter, cough it up. Ted Belman

Gerald Steinberg in Haaretz:
Holding Europe Accountable for NGO Funding

Israelis are debating the role of foreign government funding for political advocacy NGOs, including proposed legislation that would impose major penalties on groups that support BDS and “lawfare.”
As NGO Monitor has repeatedly stated, legislative proposals that go beyond democratic transparency and accountability for these NGOs are ill advised, not enforceable, and damage Israel’s vital national interests. At the same time, the concerns about European government-funded political warfare must be taken seriously.

It's not the Occupation, Stupid

Eugene Kontorovich wrote an important essay for Commentary, Israel, Palestine, and Democracy. Here are three critical paragraphs from the middle of the essay:

The Palestinians have developed an independent, self-regulating government that controls their lives as well as their foreign policy. Indeed, they have accumulated all the trappings of independence and have recently been recognized as an independent state by the United Nations. They have diplomatic relations with almost as many nations as Israel does. They have their own security forces, central bank, top-level Internet domain name, and a foreign policy entirely uncontrolled by Israel.

The Palestinians govern themselves. To anticipate the inevitable comparison, this is not an Israeli-puppet “Bantustan.” From their educational curriculum to their television content to their terrorist pensions, they implement their own policies by their own lights without any subservience to Israel. They pass their own legislation, such as the measure prohibiting real estate transactions with Jews on pain of death. If Israel truly “ruled over” the Palestinians, all these features of their lives would be quite different. Indeed, the Bantustans never won international recognition because they were puppets. “The State of Palestine” just got a nod from the General Assembly because it is not.

Whether the Palestinian self-government amounts to sovereignty is irrelevant and distinct from the question of whether Israel is denying them democracy. Indeed, Israel’s democratic credentials are far stronger than America’s, or Britain’s–the mother of Parliaments. Puerto Rico and other U.S. controlled “territories” do not participate in national elections (and this despite Puerto Rico’s vote last year to end its anomalous status). Nor do British possessions like Gibraltar and the Falklands. These areas have considerable self-rule, but all less than the Palestinians, in that their internal legislation can ultimately be cancelled by Washington or London. The Palestinians are the ultimate masters of their political future–it is they who choose Fatah or Hamas.

Israelophobia

Fiamma Nirenstein

While vows are always made to fight anti-Semitism, its existence is not even admitted where it is found in its most frequent and obvious forms: among media and university "intellectuals;" among certain NGOs; in international institutions, such as the United Nations and its offshoots; within the European Union; in "liberal' organizations ostensibly promoting human rights -- and as a way of life, as well as a way to reinforce identity, in the Muslim world.
Anti-Zionism today, from Malmö to Qom, arises and multiplies entirely from prejudice. Most of Israel's most vicious critics have never even set foot in the state.
Such falsehoods have not only had some success; they have become mainstream. There is no protest against them from political parties, with few exceptions, or most cultural groups.

The problem of the Jews today, the world over, is not anti-Semitism but a new branch of it: "Israelophobia." The most productive fight for world Jewry and its allies at the moment would be not against anti-Semitism, even though Israelophobia is a part of it, but against Israelopbia itself.
The observances that took place in Europe to commemorate Kristallnacht, which took place on November 9, 1938, were abundant: no Jew could be unhappy about the surrounding sympathy, the public proclamation of the need to remember, the absolute rejection of any anti-Semitism, and even more, the rejection of any genocidal fervor against the Jews. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, one of many resolute speakers, said that the Germans must show their "strength of character, and promise that anti-Semitism will not be tolerated in any form." It was a point of view echoed by all European leaders, and it was nice to hear.

The wrong way to fight foreign meddling in Israel

Gerald M. Steinberg

Once again, members of the government coalition have introduced legislation to tax and curtail foreign government funding for non-governmental organizations (NGOs), aiming at groups involved in boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS), anti-Israel lawfare, racist activities and the undermining of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.

Clearly and justifiably, after the widely critical headlines and a pro-forma vote, this legislation is going to be buried following the opposition of the minister of justice, and the concerns voiced by the attorney general. But this shouldn't be the end of the matter.

Now is the time to ask whether the prime minister and senior cabinet members, including the defense and foreign ministers, are really serious about initiating a confrontation on foreign (mainly European) government-funded campaigns against Israel led by political NGOs. And instead of problematic draft legislation, which is immediately exploited to promote campaigns that demonize Israel as anti-democratic and anti-human rights, the government should produce a coherent and potentially effective long-term strategy to defend Israel's sovereignty.

Netanyahu-Lapid fight leads to coalition crisis

GIL HOFFMAN, LAHAV HARKOV

PM, finance minister unable to agree on c'tee chairman; Edelstein to head Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Netanyahu and Lapid post-election broadcast Photo: Screen shot

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is facing a crisis inside his coalition due to disputes with Yesh Atid over controversial legislation and the chairmanship of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Because Netanyahu and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid could not agree on a candidate to head the influential committee, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein will appoint himself to the post on Wednesday.

Lapid wanted his confidant, Yesh Atid faction chairman Ofer Shelah, to receive the post, but Netanyahu vetoed Shelah. In response, Yesh Atid decided to violate agreements with the Likud and Bayit Yehudi and bring a controversial bill on benefits for gay male parents to a vote on Wednesday.
“The coalition crisis is real,” a Likud source said.
“Lapid is breaking deals because he took the committee chairmanship issue personally. He will find out things cannot be done this way.”

It's About the Settlements, Stupid

David P. Goldman
PJ Media
December 17, 2013

http://www.meforum.org/3698/settlements

Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria, the misnamed occupied territories, are not the obstacle to peace between Israelis and Palestinians. They are the acid test of peace. To argue that peace is conceivable unless the bulk of the settlements remain in place constitutes stupidity or hypocrisy. Leave aside the issue of whether Jews have the right to live in the historic homeland of the Jewish people. Ignore the fact that the settlers live overwhelmingly on what was waste land and turned into gardens, vineyards, and industries which have uplifted the lives of Palestinian Arabs more than all the aid that has passed through (or rather stuck to) the fingers of the kleptocrats of the PA. Leave aside also Israel's requirement for defensible borders: that is a critical issue but not identical to the continued presence of settlements.

Accepting the settlements is the sine qua non of any viable peace agreement. It does Israel no good to defend Israel's right to exist but to condemn the settlers, as does Alan Dershowitz, not to mention the leaders of liberal Jewish denominations.
I believe in land for peace. That is a tautology: In territorial disputes the two main variables always are land and peace. But that implies more land for more peace and less land for less peace. The Palestinian Arabs had an opportunity to accept an Israeli state on just 5,500 square miles of land in 1947, and refused to do so. The armistice lines of 1948 left Israel with 8,550 square miles, and the Arab side refused to accept that. In 1967 Israel took an additional 5,628 square miles of land in dispute under international law; Jordan does not claim it, and no legal Arab authority exists to claim it. It is not "illegally occupied." It has never been adjudicated by a competent authority.

Saudi prince to Obama: You’ve made a mess of the Mideast

Cheryl K. Chumley

A Saudi prince sent a harsh message to President Obama and his administration, saying White House waffling and indecision has compromised the ability of the United States to nail down a peace pact between Israel and the Palestinians.
“We’ve seen several red lines put forward by the president, which went along and became pinkish as time grew, and eventually ended up completely white,” said Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former intelligence head of Saudi Arabia, in The New York Times. “When that kind of assurance comes from a leader of a country like the United States, we expect him to stand by it. There is an issue of confidence.”
Specifically, the prince blasted Mr. Obama for reneging on promises — a habit that’s been shown by recent polls about Obamacare to plague the president with constituents in the United States, too. As far as international relations go, the prince said Mr. Obama needs to step up his game and do what he vows.
With allies, “you should be able to give them the assurance that what you say is going to be what you do,” the prince said, The Times reported.

More Slaughter in Muslim Lands; Media, Governments Silent

 Raymond Ibrahim

"Don't they know that the Koran orders us to slit the throat of whoever is disrespectful to Allah's beloved prophet?" — Representative of Jamaat ud Dawa.
Although Christians are habitually killed in Muslim countries, as this series attests, the U.S. government rarely condemns the practice or even acknowledges it.

Two of the most tragic Islamic attacks on Christians, killing several women and children, took place in the month of October, one in Syria, another in Egypt.
On October 21 in Syria, U.S.-supported Islamist rebels invaded and occupied the ancient Christian settlement of Sadad for over a week, until ousted by the Syrian army. What took place that week was "the largest massacre of Christians in Syria," in the words of Orthodox Archbishop Alnemeh. Among other things, 45 Christians—including women and children—were killed, several were tortured to death; mass graves were discovered; all of Sadad's 14 churches, some ancient, were ransacked and destroyed; the bodies of six people from one family, ranging from ages 16 to 90, were found at the bottom of a well (an increasingly common fate for "subhuman" Christians).

'American Studies' group to boycott Israel

Leo Rennert

The American Studies Association (ASA) is suddenly grabbing headlines for voting to support an academic boycott of Israel.  Why a boycott?  Because ASA wants to be known as a paragon of human rights and views Israel as a gross violator of same.  ASA believes the worst about Israel's treatment of Palestinians - whether it's actually so or not.
But aren't there somewhere on this planet other countries that are far more egregious human-rights violators, including some in close vicinity of Israel?  Well, that may be so, concedes Curtis Marez, ASA's president and associate professor of ethnic studies at the University of California, San Diego, "but one has to start somewhere."  So why start by flogging Israel?  Marez explains that the reason ASA decided to blacken only Israel is that Palestinian groups asked that it join the anti-Israel boycott, but no such request came from any other country.


This is what parades as logic and fairness in academe today.

Decorated Marine Faces Loss of Career for Sounding Alarm about Taliban

MICHAEL DALY December 17, 2013

Maj. Jason Brezler's warnings about an Afghan police chief and his ‘tea boys' went unaddressed, and three Marines were slain. One year later, the Marines are taking action-against him.
More than a year after three Marines were shot to death on their base in an insider attack by an Afghan police chief's "tea boy," there is still no official explanation for why a warning that could well have prevented the tragedy seems to have gone unheeded.
There is also no explanation for why the police chief was allegedly allowed to sexually assault children with apparent impunity on an American military facility.
But authorities have taken action against one person they should be praising, the 32-year-old Marine Reserve officer who issued the warning about the police chief and his crimes.

Hadassah Nurses Deliver Baby on Icy Roadside - Israel‏

elbrenner@mac.com

The century’s largest winter storm in Israel is over, but roads are still icy.
The roads to Jerusalem are closed at night and even sometimes during the day.
You can imagine what fearsome traffic jams materialize.


So it was this morning on Road 443 which leads from Modiin to Northern
Jerusalem, including our  Mount Scopus hospital. The road was jammed. Traffic
wasn’t moving.  Dafna Cohen, Hadassah Mount Scopus head nurse in pediatrics,
was stuck at one of the crossroads.  She heard a police siren and saw cars
pulled over on the side of the road. Cohen could see someone was in trouble.
She, too, pulled over, “I’m a nurse from Hadassah Hospital” she said. “Can I
help”

Kerry forces Israel’s moment of decision

Carline Glick

There was a ghoulish creepiness to US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Israel last week. Here we were, beset by the greatest winter storm in a hundred years. All roads to Jerusalem were sealed off. Tens of thousands of Jerusalemites and residents of surrounding areas were locked down in their houses, without power, heat, telephone service or water.

And all of the sudden, out of nowhere, Kerry appeared. As Hamas-ruled Gazans begged the supposedly hated IDF to come and save them from the floods, and as Israel took over rescue operations for stranded Palestinians living under the rule of the PLO ’s gangster kleptocracy in Judea and Samaria, here was Kerry, telling us that we’d better accept the deal he plans to present us next month, or face the wrath of the US and Europe, and suffer another Palestinian terror war.

What is going on? Why can’t Kerry leave Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the rest of the country alone, even for a week, in the middle of a blizzard of biblical proportions? According to leaks from the now five month old negotiations, after 20 rounds of talks, the Palestinians have not budged from the positions they have held to for the past 50 years.

Harvard Exams Interrupted by Bomb Threat

Lori Lowenthal Marcus

Harvard University students were gearing up for exams when students received a university alert that a bomb threat had been received. Students were instructed to immediately evacuate four university buildings: Emerson Hall, Thayer Hall and Sever Hall, as well as the Science Center.

 Harvard University Police Department received an email tip that bombs had been placed in those four buildings. The Harvard Police contacted the Cambridge Police Department and state and local explosives experts were called in. Exams were cancelled, police and bomb squads arrived on campus, exams in those buildings were cancelled and the famous Harvard Yard was closed down. 

THE ISLAMIC STATE OF IRAQ AND AL-SHAM

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi

This article examines the rise of the al-Qa’ida-aligned group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) since its announcement in April 2013 until September 2013. It focuses in particular on its military operations and its relations with other rebel groups. The article concludes by examining what the future holds for ISIS on the whole.

INTRODUCTION: THE IDEOLOGY

The group under consideration in this paper–like al-Qa’ida central under Usama bin Ladin and subsequently Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Tehrik-e-Taliban of Waziristan, and others–is part of what one might term the “global jihad” movement. This movement is not a coherent whole organized by a strict central hierarchy, but rather one defined by a shared ideology. This ideology aims firstly to reestablish a system of governance known as the Caliphate–an Islamic form of government that first came into being after Muhammad’s death under Abu Bakr and saw its last manifestation in the Ottoman Empire–across the entire Muslim world. From there, the intention is to spread the Caliphate across the entire world.[1]

This worldview is one of many answers formulated to answer a question posed in the wider Muslim world: Namely, what has been the cause of decline of the Muslim world–and the Arab world in particular–in contrast to the apparent success of the West since the nineteenth century?

5 Technologies that Keep the IDF on the Cutting Edge

IDF Blog

Groundbreaking technologies are advancing the IDF’s capabilities and eliminating threats. With these advanced tools in the hands of its soldiers, the IDF protects the people of Israel.
In a major speech last October, IDF Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz described the wide-ranging threats facing Israel in the near future. According to the Chief of Staff, the IDF could be forced to contend with anything from missile strikes on military sites to large-scale battles and cyber attacks that would paralyze Israel’s infrastructure.

But after reviewing a range of doomsday scenarios, Lt. Gen. Gantz concluded his address with a message of hope and optimism. “We are strong enough to face every challenge, the expected and the unexpected,” he said. “It is our duty to invest in whatever is necessary to provide the response, even by looking years into the future.”

Innovators throughout the IDF have heeded the Chief of Staff’s message, developing technologies that keep civilians safe and allow Israel to strike accurately far from its borders. In every sector, cutting-edge technologies are advancing Israel’s capabilities and eliminating threats, keeping the IDF steps ahead of its enemies.

Tova Dvorin

Professor Yisrael Aumann

Flash 90

The Executive Committee of the University of Haifa has refused to award an honorary doctorate to Professor Israel (Robert) Aumann due to his pro-Israel politics, Ha'aretz reported Sunday.
Professor Aumann won the Nobel Memorial Prize for Economics in 2005 for his work on conflict and cooperation through game theory analysis. However, despite his intellectual prowess - he is a noted professor from the Center of Rationality at Israel's top-level Hebrew University of Jerusalem, he is a visiting professor at Stony Brook University, and is one of the founders of the Center for Game Theory and Economics there - the University has decided to reject the Professor for political reasons.
At a hearing to discuss the candidacy last week, the director, Ami Ayalon, agreed with other board members not to award the title, citing concerns that "the Professor's politics are not in line with the University's values."
Among the board's concerns were remarks by Aumann in 2010 stating that "the most sensible solution" to the Israeli-Arab conflict is "a Jewish state and an Arab state, where the Jewish state is settled by Jews and the Arab state is settled by Arabs."

Iran as a Threat for Arab states

Dr. Ehud Eilam compares and examines present-day Iran to past ambitions in the Middle East "A breach in what was the Iraqi wall would be a cause for concern among the Arab world, particularly if Iran were to have a nuclear arsenal."

Ehud Eilam

In the 1980s, Saddam Hussein’s ambitions to make Iraq a dominant power in the Middle East made him not much different than present-day Iran. Iraq was an Arab country, but it still presented a threat to its Arab neighbors, particularly those in the Gulf. However, in 1980 Saddam did not send his military south against other Arab states, as he did a decade later in 1990, but east, against their common rival, Iran; yet, that was not necessarily what the other Arab states wanted. They could have suspected that an Iraqi victory over Iran would be exploited to establish Iraq’s position in the Middle East at the expense of other Arab states, including those that supported Iraq in the war against Iran.

Will Israel Attack Iran?

PJ Editors 

The recent deal struck between the West and Iran that is supposed to limit Iran’s nuclear program has put Israel in a difficult position. Its major ally — the U.S. — has chosen a diplomatic route to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb. But the deal will only last six months and there is no guarantee diplomacy will work.
As Norman Podhoretz wrote in the Wall Street Journal ^[1] recently, a “new consensus” on Iran has emerged that posits the notion that the only thing worse than Iran getting the bomb is taking military action to prevent it.

Adherents of the new consensus would have us believe that only two choices remain: a war to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons or containment of a nuclear Iran—with containment the only responsible option. Yet as an unregenerate upholder of the old consensus, I remain convinced that containment is impossible, from which it follows that the two choices before us are not war vs. containment but a conventional war now or a nuclear war later.

Jerusalem, winter wonderland and capital under siege

Snow blankets Jerusalem and the surrounding area, causing road closures and traffic jams throughout the city and on roads entering and exiting the capital • IEC declares state of emergency • The worst of the chilly weather system expected Friday.

Israel Hayom Staff

A Jerusalem light rail train pushes through the snow on Thursday | Photo credit: Lior Mizrahi

<< 1 2 3 4 5 6 >>

Fifty centimeters (19.7 inches) of snow fell in Jerusalem on Thursday and Friday (as of press time), leading to a state of emergency in the city, to which entrance and exit roads have been closed.

"I've heard of making guests welcome and feeling at home. This is as far as I've seen anyone go, giving a nice New England snow storm," said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday in Jerusalem, where he had arrived to continue peace negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Why Israel is boycotted

 Dror Eydar

1. What lies at the root of the European boycott of Israel? What lies at the root of the anti-Israel statements that various cultural icons are constantly making -- statements that camouflage anti-Semitic sentiment? What lies behind the false and malicious comparison of Israel to South Africa's apartheid regime?

The attempts to boycott Israel or mark its products, interfere in its ancient geography or mark it as racist, fascist or Nazi are the current political expression of Israel's ancient characterization as "a nation that dwells alone." The return to Zion is the Jewish nation's return to history, to life as a sovereign people in its ancient homeland. Calls for boycott were made even before the establishment of the state. While these calls came from the extremist factions at the time, they moved toward the center as the years went by, particularly after 1967. That was when we came back to the cradle of our nationhood, to the historical places most closely connected with our identity. Most important, we came back to Jerusalem, which is also linked with the identity of the world's nations. The fight against Israel -- which is a fight against history's law of the return to Zion -- is evidence of how hard it is for Israel's opponents to deal with the Jews' return to life after having been in a state of living death for so long. That is why we and our products are marked, why the badge of shame is being placed upon us once again, why we are being isolated and boycotted. This is our adversaries' way of saying: "You are not one of us."

The Palestinian refugees -- a reality check

Yoram Ettinger

Western policymakers and media have misconstrued/misrepresented the Palestinian refugee issue, ignoring its global context and core data. Moreover, the Palestinian claim of dispossession -- which impacts the U.S. financial aid to UNRWA, and is defined as a key issue in the peace process -- fails the reality test.

The global context

At the end of 2012, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees documented 15.4 million refugees worldwide -- excluding Palestinian refugees who are administered by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency -- and 28.8 million internally displaced persons. Four million of the refugees are from Afghanistan. One of the results of the civil war in Sudan was 5.5 million refugees. Fifteen million refugees (Hindu, Muslim and Sikh) were created by the 1947 partition of India, which created Pakistan. The Greco-Turkish war of 1919-1922 involved a forced population exchange of two million people.

"The Islamic Winter"

The big news here in Israel has to do with winter, all right. But most definitely not the Islamic sort (which I'll get to below). 

 

We've been hit with severe weather.  In Jerusalem, it started with torrential rain and high winds yesterday, and turned to snow overnight.  Bitter temperatures and more snow, probably mixed with sleet, are due in the next two days.  Traffic is snarled, and routines are disrupted - main roads are closed.  In the north, in Gush Etzion, Beit El, Hevron, the Shomron, and other places that are higher, the snow fall has been heavier.

 

 

Credit: Jerusalemscenes

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

From my window right now, it's very lovely, as every branch of every shrub is covered.

 

And there is yet another benefit to the weather: Kerry was scheduled to meet with Netanyahu today to advance that "peace process" with ever more vigorous plans. But the snow caused a postponement.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

What timing!  Yesterday I wrote about the law, know as the Prawer Plan, that had been advanced by former minister Bennie Begin.  Today he pulled the bill for lack of support.

 

You might assume that the lack of support was a signal that most MKs think it was not fair to the Bedouin, but the contrary is the case.  And Begin said explicitly that this action was not as a result of the riots.

U.N. Declares 2014 Year of Palestinian Solidarity

Jewish officials worry about exclusion, uptick in anti-Israel activity

By Adam Kredo, FREE BEACON

The United Nations overwhelmingly voted to declare 2014 the “International   Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People” during an unprecedented vote that human rights observers say was marred by anti-Israel fervor.

The U.N.’s General Assembly (UNGA) voted 110 to 7 to approve the resolution on Nov. 26, just a day after the measure was put forth during a controversial series of meetings to mark 2013’s “International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.”

While the U.N. holds a Palestinian solidarity day each year, this is the first time that it has voted to dedicate an entire year to what it describes as the plight of the Palestinian people.

The General Assembly adopted at least three other resolutions that targeted Israel on the same day.

Jewish groups worry that the U.N. will now see a massive uptick in anti-Israel activity in 2014, as the Palestinian rights committee assumes unilateral control over meetings and events that can take place under the auspices of the solidarity year.

Why Isn't Kerry Listening to What the Radicals Are Saying?

Khaled Abu Toameh

Kerry needs to listen to what Hamas and other groups are saying in Arabic.
Hamas is not the only Palestinian party that would reject any U.S.-sponsored agreement. Most of the Palestinian groups...have already expressed their opposition to the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
As U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry pursues his efforts to reach a peace agreement between the Palestinian Authority [PA] leadership and Israel, Hamas reaffirmed that it would not honor any deal that does not meet its goals.
The Hamas announcement serves as a reminder that any US-brokered deal between Israel and the PA will not mean the end of the conflict.
In fact, PA President Mahmoud Abbas is not in a position to sign any document that calls for an end to the conflict with Israel.
Abbas has no control over the Gaza Strip, which has been under the rule of Hamas since the summer of 2007. Any agreement he signs with Israel would only apply to those areas under the control of the PA, in the West Bank or territories handed over to him by Israel.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sits with PA President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman, Jordan, on June 28, 2013. (Image source: U.S. State Department)

Hamas is not the only Palestinian party that would reject any U.S.-sponsored agreement. Most of the PLO groups, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, have already expressed their opposition to the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Al Qaeda tightens grip on western Iraq in bid for Islamic state

Not to worry. The Vast Majority of Peaceful Muslims is going to rise up, cast al-Qaeda from power, and explain to its leaders how they're misunderstanding Islam -- should be happening any minute now...

"Al Qaeda tightens grip on western Iraq in bid for Islamic state," by Suadad al-Salhy forReuters, December 11:

(Reuters) - In Iraq's western desert near the Syrian border, in a landscape of sand and rock, a signpost announces that you are entering al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

A short video of the sign was broadcast on jihadi websites last month and reflects a long-held goal of al Qaeda fighters to establish an Islamic emirate.

MAKE NO MISTAKE, OBAMA IS THE ENEMY OF ISRAEL AND AMERICA‏

[The Hebrew Makor Rishon's Editor-in-Chief, Amnon Lord penned a
scathing editorial about Obama. But it is also being talked about
because of accusations leveled at certain retired IDF personnel.]
 
By Amnon Lord
 
Now that the best and brightest have finished their comparisons with
Munich and Chamberlain, I wish to provide another, somewhat more
shocking, comparison, one that in the past, resulted in people calling
for smelling salts.
 
In March 2010, I attempted to explain the American president’s
seemingly incomprehensible behavior in simple terms, making use of the
name Charles Lindbergh. The legendary pro-Nazi pilot surfaced again in
Philip Roth’s novel “The Plot Against America”, published in
2004. Roth penned a novel based on speculative history (“what would
have happened if…”)- in this case, what would have happened had
Charles Lindbergh won the 1940 elections rather than FDR, the
incumbent against whom he ran for president.

"Obama on His Face"

Before we get to Obama, who makes me (as most of you) terribly tired, I would like to address other topics.

 

I have been wanting for some time to write about the issue of Bedouin settlement in the Negev, which has sparked enormous controversy and been used as a weapon against Israel. (So what else is new?)

Egypt's Women: Covered-up or Locked-up

Michael Armanious

"If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street...and the cats come and eat it, whose fault is it, the cats' or the uncovered meat? If she was in her room, in her home in her hijab, no problem would have occurred." — Sheikh Taj Din Al-Hilali, Grand Mufti, Australia, 2006
Although she survived the attack, what is really instructive is how she was demonized and blamed on Egypt's talk shows for the violence she endured. Commentators accused her of deliberately wearing a blue bra to invite the attack -- as if it even could have been seen beneath the black Islamic veil she wore before she was attacked.

The ancient Egyptians created a sophisticated civilization, particularly regarding the status of women. On women's rights, ancient Egyptian society was considerably more liberal and progressive than Athens and Rome. Ancient Egypt's eight female pharaohs and a number of influential queens led the country as it achieved astonishing feats in a wide range of fields that include engineering, fashion and astronomy. From the archaeological evidence of the art on the ancient temples, at least in the realm of law, it appears Egyptian women had achieved equality with men. Women could own land, divorce their husbands and represent themselves in court. Women also played a central role in the how their society was governed.

The Two-State Delusion

Mordechai Nisan
Middle East Quarterly
Winter 2014

http://www.meforum.org/3679/two-state-delusion

Two decades after the signing of the declaration of principles (DOP) by Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on the White House lawn, there is something unreasonable in the world's continued adherence to the Oslo paradigm, tattered and battered as it is by years of a bloody fiasco. The Palestinian Arab leadership has consistently and adamantly rejected the two-state solution since its first articulation in 1937 by the British Peel commission[1] and has, as consistently, advocated the destruction of the Jewish state. Still, it undertook a successful public relations campaign in the 1980s promoting the notion of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip—"the occupied territories."

Twenty years of Oslo, filled with optimism and enthusiasm and adorned with Nobel prizes, like the ones held here by Arafat, Peres and Rabin (l-r) have delivered no peace for either side of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Firmly entrenched in its place, however, is a textbook example of cognitive dissonance written on a grand political scale, as the failed Oslo paradigm is revived again and again.

Over the years and especially in the wake of the DOP, the Palestinian demand for statehood has gained rapid political momentum and international acceptance. A succession of Israeli prime ministers—from Shimon Peres, to Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert, and Binyamin Netanyahu—embraced the idea, as did U.S. presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. The paradigm for a final peace includes among its primary components Israeli territorial withdrawal and Palestinian sovereignty, political separation with reconciliation, compromise, and coexistence.

Yet twenty years on, the two parties find themselves further apart despite years of diplomatic wrangling. It is thus past time to examine and invalidate the paradigm that has taken hold in the hope that a new and less sanguinary one will take root.

Nelson Mandela and the Left’s Self-Congratulatory Preening

Jihad Watch

Why the invocations of human rights in the wake of an icon's death ring hollow. My piece over at PJ Lifestyle today:

The death of Nelson Mandela has been the occasion for a great deal of self-righteous preening. Barack Obama cribbed from Edwin M. Stanton in his statement, declaring that Mandela “belongs to the ages,” but CNN helpfully recalled more original words from Obama about Mandela from 2010, in which he laid claim to the great man’s mantle:

“Through his choices, Mandela made it clear that we did not have to accept the world as it is — that we could do our part to seek the world as it should be….In the most modest of ways, I was one of those people who tried to answer his call.”

The tributes to Mandela all sounded similar themes: he fought oppression and injustice and prevailed, transforming South Africa and the world. But Obama’s was by no means the only accolade to contain a self-congratulatory note. Numerous leftists and Islamic supremacists hurried to remind the world that Mandela was once branded a “terrorist,” implying that modern-day terrorists would one day be hailed as new additions to the pantheon of secular saints. Al Jazeera’s Wajahat Ali tweeted:

Iran foreign minister says nuclear deal dead if US passes new sanctions

Zarif: Don't you dare, kuffar

Jihad Watch
Please pass new sanctions. "Iran foreign minister says nuclear deal dead if US passes new sanctions," by Arshad Mohammed for Reuters, December 9 (thanks to Kenneth):

WASHINGTON — Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the Iranian nuclear deal would be dead if the U.S. Congress imposes new sanctions, even if they do not take effect for six months, Time Magazine said on Monday. In a transcript of the interview, which was conducted on Saturday and posted online on Monday, Time said it asked Zarif what happens if Congress imposes new sanctions, even if they do not go into effect for six months.

Why Is the Obama Administration Courting Hezbollah?

By Jonathan Spyer & Benjamin Weinthal

inShar

Evidence has recently emerged suggesting that the U.S. has opened a line of direct communication with the Lebanese Shia Islamist organization Hezbollah. Details of the contacts have emerged from a variety of sources. Most notably, an article by respected Washington based journalist Hussein Abdul Hussein in the Arabic language newspaper al-Rai contended that the direct contacts are handled by British diplomats, who transfer messages back and forth between Hezbollah and the Americans.

It is worth recalling that the Clinton administration designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization in 1995. The apparent revival of direct communication with an organization responsible for the killing of 241 U.S. Marines in Beirut in 1983 is not taking place in a vacuum. Rather, it is one element of what looks like an attempt at an extremely ambitious, even historic shift currently under way in U.S. regional policy. This is the effort to transform the Islamic Republic of Iran from the West’s main enemy in the Mideast region to a valued ally and partner.

American Jewish Demography and the challenge of supporting Israel

Alexander H. Joffe
The Times of Israel

http://www.meforum.org/3692/american-jewish-demography-israel

The much discussed Pew Research Center study on the American Jews has revealed a community in rapid flux. The Pew results showed that the non-Orthodox sectors of American Jewish society are shrinking fast thanks to intermarriage, loss of interest and above all, low fertility. In contrast the Orthodox sectors, especially the Haredi and Chassidic ones, are growing rapidly.
While many have commented on the social, religious and communal implications, there are political issues of equal or greater importance. In 25 years, and certainly in 40 or 50 years, the American Jewish community will be smaller, more religious, less wealthy and less worldly than the present. How will they support Israel?
Since the founding of the State of Israel, three specific areas of American Jewish support have been critical; financial support, political support, and cultural leveraging based on the American Protestant mainstream and Jewish integration. Each of these is about to change.

Syria: residents of Raqqa, under Islamist control, unenthused about the "revolution"

Flags of the al-Qaeda linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are hung to replace crosses on The Martyrs Church in Raqqa

http://blazingcatfur.blogspot.com/2013/12/syria-residents-of-raqqa-under-islamist.html

The eastern city of Raqqa was swept by celebrations after residents woke up one morning in March to see the last batch of forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad leaving.

Believing a new era of freedom had arrived, they promised to make Raqqa, the first and only city to have fallen completely under rebel control, an example of a post-Assad era.

"At the time we were all happy with the liberation, it was not important who was there. Raqqa was for all Syrians and all those who helped liberate it," said one of several residents and activists contacted by Reuters via Skype.

The euphoria did not last.

Monday, December 9, 2013

A Special Project with the New America Foundation and the Project on Middle East Political Science

 

Car Bomb Hits Central Iraq a Day After Deadly Attacks Across Baghdad

---

 

A car bomb exploded near a café in the central Iraqi town of Buhriz Monday killing 11 people and wounding an estimated 23 others. The café is known for being popular with members of the government-supported Sunni Sahwa militia. The bombing came a day after a series of attacks across Baghdad killed at least 45 people, and injured dozens more. The attacks hit shopping areas, markets, and auto repair shops targeting mainly Shiite neighborhoods. No one has claimed responsibility for the violence on Sunday and Monday however al Qaeda linked groups have repeatedly attacked civilians in an attempt to undermine the Shiite-led government. Over 6,300 people have been killed in violence in Iraq since the beginning of the year.  

The Bedouin Problem Is Not Land But Polygamy

To date, all the Bedouins’ legal land ownership claims that reached the courts have failed.

 By: Dr. Mordechai Kedar 

The 5,829 Bedouin women listed as eligible for single mother benefits in the Negev, raising 23,855 children, are actually silent polygamous wives. The 5,829 Bedouin women listed as eligible for single mother benefits in the Negev, raising 23,855 children, are actually silent polygamous wives.

 At the end of November, 2013, Israel experienced a series of demonstrations throughout the Arab areas, some of which were violent, as part of the “Day of Rage” over the government’s decision to implement the “Prawer Plan” to solve the problems relating to land in the Negev. Arab spokesmen – all of whom are Israeli citizens – threw around slogans such as “third intifada”, “Land Day II” and “Bedouin revolt”, slogans that were meant to incite the Arab public, which represents a fifth of the citizens of the state.

PA Rejects Release Delay, Warns 'Total Failure'

Ari Yashar, Arutz Sheva Staff

In response to reports that US Secretary of State John Kerry will delay the third batch of terrorist releases by a month, a spokesperson of Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas declared Monday that the PA will not agree to the delay, reports Kol Yisrael government radio.

Issa Karaka, PA Minister of Prisoner Affairs, said that while an official confirmation of the postponement has yet to be made, there are definite American pressures in that direction. Karaka added that Abbas told Kerry in their meeting last week that he refuses the proposed postponement, saying the matter could negatively impact peace talks with Israel.

Kerry's delay is seen as meant to pressure the PA into accepting Kerry's proposed Jordan Valley security arrangements made last week, which PA officials say Abbas rejected as they would not have prevented Israelis from living in the area.

"Hocus Pocus as Diplomacy"

The question, for starters, is how gullible do Obama and his representatives think that Israel is?  Or Mahmoud Abbas, for that matter.  What the Americans are attempting to do is stitch together a "peace" deal using that hocus pocus.

 

Kerry came to town last Wednesday for a series of meetings with Israeli and PA officials in order to advance the "peace process."  

 

On Friday, Kerry announced that he had presented both the Israelis and the Palestinian Arabs with "new security ideas":

 

He had brought with him US Gen. (ret.) John Allen, described by Kerry as "one of the best military minds" in the US.

 

Credit: khaama

 

Gen. Allen, according to the JPost,  had been designated by Obama to "assess the potential threats to Israel and the region from a future Palestinian state, and come up with possible security arrangements."

Israel Sends Aid to Syria Day After Shots Fired

 http://www.virtualjerusalem.com/news.php?Itemid=11461

Moshe Ya'alon on Tuesday announced that Israel has sent humanitarian aid to Syria during a visit to the Golan, reports AFP.

"We've sent food, water, baby food and other humanitarian products," said Ya'alon, adding "we cannot remain idle when civilians are being confronted by a humanitarian crisis."

The Defense Minister's visit came after IDF soldiers were fired on from a Syrian army outpost on Monday. The IDF returned fire and identified a direct hit on a Syrian soldier. Earlier on Monday a Syrian mortar shell fell just outside Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the Golan Heights.

Regarding the exchange of fire, Ya'alon commented "Monday's incident was started by a Syrian soldier who fired at an Israeli military position...

Whoever questions our sovereignty will pay the price."