A Peace Agreement and Israel's New Government

myrightword

Haaretz reports:

The coalition agreements signed with both parties make almost no mention of the peace process...Habayit Hayehudi added a clause to the agreement requiring the government to pass a law within 90 days mandating a referendum over any agreement that includes handing over territory.

The actual Coalition Guidelines first paragraph reads:

To the Jewish people the inalienable right for a state in the Land of Israel, its historical national homeland of the Jews.

A new 'bargaining chip' as Obama comes to Israel

A special nanochip containing the founding declarations of U.S. and Israel is set in ancient stone to be handed to Obama • "Unique gift symbolizes the main messages of the visit — the strong and deep bilateral ties," Prime Minister's Office says.

Ilan Gattegno and Israel Hayom Staff

The nanochip U.S. President Barack Obama will get from the prime minister, with the Jerusalem stone underneath. | Photo credit: Yoav Bachar & Shlomo Shoham, Technion.

<< 1 2 >>

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will give U.S. President Barack Obama a special gold-coated silicon nanochip containing the U.S.'s Declaration of Independence written alongside Israel's founding document.

Israel's military intelligence chief says Syria's embattled president, Bashar al-Assad, is preparing to use chemical weapons.

Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi told a security conference in the coastal town of Herzliya that Assad is stepping up his offensive against rebels trying to oust him.

 

Kochavi claims Assad is making advanced preparations to use chemical weapons, but has not yet given the order to deploy them.

Coalition guidelines to change Israel's religious status quo

The planned reforms could include a new military draft law, a tweaked system of government, and a new Basic Law that puts Israel's Jewish character ahead of its democratic nature • National religious to control rabbinate and conversion apparatus.

Mati Tuchfeld

The issue of haredim serving in the army and sharing the burden play a major role in the 33rd government's formation. [Archive] | Photo credit: Reuters

The new coalition agreements between Likud-Beytenu, Yesh Atid and Habayit Hayehudi may result in sweeping changes on many fronts, ranging from the control of religious institutions to the very identity of the state.

Among the first orders of business for the new government is the passage of a new budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year and the enactment of a national service law that would replace the de facto blanket exemption ultra-Orthodox currently enjoy. In addition, the mandatory length of service in some units would be cut to two years for all draftees. (Currently Israeli men serve three years and women, two.) Both of these items must be submitted for a vote within 45 days.

Biased, Prejudiced, and Unprofessional: The UN Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Mission Report on Israeli Settlements

Alan Baker

  

• On 31 January 2013 the "International Fact-Finding Mission on Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory" published its findings on the implications of Israeli settlements on the human rights of the Palestinian people.

• The enabling resolution of the Human Rights Council, the composition of the mission, its mandate, mode of operation, and substantive content are, from the outset, based on a premise that considers Israel's settlement policy to be illegal. This premise dictates the one-sided and prejudiced nature of the mission and its report.

First known Canadian Muslim waxed waging jihad in Syria

creeping
Thank Obama in part for legitimizing the Syrian jihadists. via Blazing Cat Fur: First Canadian to be killed in the jihad fields of Syria.

The civil war in Syria appeals to young Muslims from many countries including the West, wishing to join the ranks of Jihad (holy war) as part of the rebel forces in Syria, most of which are identified with radical Islamic streams.

Canadian citizens have also enlisted with the Syrian rebels. One of these Canadians was killed recently in fighting against forces of the Syrian regime in the environs of the capital Damascus. Jamal Mohamed Abd al-Kader was born and raised in Canada, a member of a Kurdish family originally from the village of Juka near Afrin in north east Syria.

Thrown in Prison for Shredding the Koran

ANDREW E. HARROD March 15, 2013

A Bruges, Belgium criminal court convicted a man for shredding a Koran on March 6, 2013.  The court imposed a four-month prison sentence and a 600 euro fine upon him.  He now additionally faces a revocation of a previous suspension of an 18-month prison sentence for having set a fire in a wood.  This case highlights yet again the greater restrictions on speech in free societies outside of the United States and how these restrictions can limit open debate about Islam.

One Small Step for Media Accuracy on Israel

Dovid Efune
This week, two vicious, accusatory and vastly damaging media reports about Israel were publicly exposed to be false. As is often the case, one correction drew little attention. The other however made international headlines which I believe should be cause for measured optimism.
The first story was published by Israel’s Haaretz, a newspaper that has distinguished itself in its eagerness to paint the government of the Jewish state as practitioners of racism and apartheid. Haaretz has displayed blatant disregard for accuracy in its frenzied pursuit of this agenda as evidenced in this particular case.
“A government official has for the first time acknowledged the practice of injecting women of Ethiopian origin with the long-acting contraceptive Depo-Provera,” opens the Haaretz report, which first appeared in the paper’s English edition on January 28^th.
Citing a letter which was sent from Health Ministry Director General Prof. Ron Gamzu to four health maintenance organizations, Haaretz claims that he asked them “not to renew prescriptions for Depo-Provera for women of Ethiopian origin if for any reason there is concern that they might not understand the ramifications of the treatment.”

How Small is Israel? So Small You Can Run it in 9 Days

Daniel Greenfield

As Obama and his entourage prepare to descend on Israel demanding more territorial concessions for terrorists, it may be time for a reminder of how small Israel really is.

Marc Hendel, a south Florida native and recent graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, will soon attempt to become the first American to run the full length of Israel in nine days – from Rosh HaNikra, near the Lebanon border, to Eilat, the Red Sea port at Israel’s southernmost tip. Hendel is running to raise money and awareness for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri and for Youth Futures, a Jewish Agency for Israel-sponsored mentorship program that assists at-risk children throughout the Jewish state.
The 23-year-old will begin his nine-day, 470-kilometer Strengthening Bonds Run on Tuesday, March 12.

Mike Huckabee addressing Barack Obama

Gov. Mike Huckabee’s Message to President Obama on his upcoming Visit to Israel
http://israel-commentary.org/?p=6102
Excerpted from a Keynote Address at Gush Katif Museum Dinner
Razag Ballroom, Brooklyn NY
March 9, 2013
Well, first let me say thanks for the wonderful frank reminder of Gush Katif. (a group of Israeli communities in the Gaza Strip deliberately destroyed by Arik Sharon while giving all of Gaza to the Arabs in a self-serving gesture of insanity for which Sharon was visited with a devastating stroke and now remains maintained, for some questionable reason, in a permanent vegetative state – jsk)
It has been a delight getting to share a fellowship with you, to share a mutual passion with you, for the protection of the security of Israel. And I was asked earlier, “Why would a Goy, a Christian, be interested in Israel?” Sometimes I feel that my passion for the goodness of Israel, maybe exceeds even my Jewish friends – and I tell people, I say, “you have to understand – It is entirely possible to be Jewish and not have a complete relationship to Christians – but it is impossible to be Christian and not have a complete relationship with Judaism – because it is in fact the foundation upon which every Christian believes and every Christian understands – that Israel is G-d’s Chosen Land! And we recognize that, and respect it and understand that the Nations Who Bless Israel Will Be Blessed And Those Who Curse Israel Will Be Cursed!

Student Who Taped Dutch Muslim Youths Praising Hitler Forced Into Hiding

Zach Pontz

The Dutch doctoral student who was seen in a controversial video trying to reeducate Dutch-Turkish youths has been forced into hiding after receiving death threats.
The Dutch daily NRC writes that Mehmet Sahin has gone into hiding with his family on the advice of the mayor of Arnhem, Pauline Krikke.
Last week a video surfaced of Sahin interviewing several Muslim youths in Holland. During the interview the youths spewed vitriol at Jews and praised Hitler, with one of the boys saying,  “As far as I’m concerned Hitler should have killed all Jews.” The youths also displayed an alarming lack of knowledge about their subject, with one boy saying that “millions of Palestinians are being killed.”
Dutch Labor Party parliamentarian Ahmed Marcouch said that he will ask parliamentary questions about the threats. He remarked: “It is horrible that someone has to be afraid because he has done something that we all should do – teach children not to hate.”

Positive article about "settler and peace activist" in official PA daily

http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=8653

Official PA daily:

"He was the Rabbi of the Tekoa settlement... worked vigorously towards a peaceful solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict... founder of the peace movement, 'Land of Peace,' whose members are both settlers and Palestinians."

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

Rabbi Menachem Froman of the Israeli town of Tekoa in the West Bank passed away a week ago. The Palestinian Authority daily newspaper seldom prints positive articles about Israelis and almost never portrays those they call "settlers" in a positive light. However, the PA daily recently published a very positive article on its front page about Rabbi Menachem Froman and his efforts to promote peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The article was originally published by Agence France-Presse.

In 2010, the official PA daily reported on a solidarity visit by Rabbi Froman to mosques in the West Bank.

Poeple so not realize that Koranic genocidal Jew-hate is part of the Islam book and is still taught today. 

‘Killing Jews Is Worship’ Ad Campaign Rolled Out On SF Muni Buses

 

A new ad appearing on San Francisco buses from the American Freedom Defense Institute (CBS)

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) – A controversy has been re-ignited this week as ten new ads go up on San Francisco Muni buses containing quotes used by terrorists.

“Killing Jews is worship that draws us closer to Allah,” reads one of the ads, which has people debating the line between free speech and hate speech.
“The purpose of our campaign is to show the reality of Jihad, the root causes of terrorism. Using the exact quotes and text that they use,” said Pamela Geller of the American Freedom Defense Institute.
Several San Francisco city leaders, including District Attorney George Gascon, have condemned the campaign.
“San Francisco won’t tolerate Islamophobic bigotry,” said Gascon. “The only thing necessary for evil to prevail is for good people to look the other way and do nothing.”
Board of Supervisors President David Chiu said the American Freedom Defense Initiative is made of “well-known hate extremists” and said he is introducing a resolution at Tuesday’s board meeting to denounce the ads.

Syrian Druze: Toward Defiant Neutrality

by Gary C. Gambill
Foreign Policy Research Institute
March 2013

http://www.meforum.org/3463/syrian-druze-neutrality

Syria's Druze community once played a major role in shaping the country's modern history, despite comprising a mere three percent of the population. Today, however, this enigmatic highland minority that seldom met an anti-government revolt it didn't like finds itself precariously accommodating a dying regime as a gathering rebel alliance slowly moves in for the kill. Though a handful of Druze can be found fighting (and dying) with the rebels, the large majority of the few who have taken up arms in this conflict have done so for the other side.

When Race Hatred Meets Class Hatred

Thomas Sowell

he desire of intellectuals for some grand theory that will explain complex patterns with some solitary and simple factor has produced many ideas that do not stand up under scrutiny, but which have nevertheless had widespread acceptance — and sometimes catastrophic consequences — in countries around the world.
The theory of genetic determinism which dominated the early 20th century led to many harmful consequences, ranging from racial segregation and discrimination up to and including the Holocaust. The currently prevailing theory is that malice of one sort or another explains group differences in outcomes. Whether the lethal results of this theory would add up to as many murders as in the Holocaust is a question whose answer would require a detailed study of the history of lethal outbursts against groups hated for their success.

MI Director: Middle East will be more hostile‏

 imra@netvision.net.il

Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, director of military intelligence, IDF at 2012 
Herzliya Conference: "We are facing a Middle East which will be more 
hostile"
 
The Middle East's leading security & policy gathering concludes today at the 
IDC Herzliya Campus
 
Speaking at the opening session of the final day of the 2012 Herzliya 
Conference, Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, director of military intelligence, 
Israel Defense Forces said that he saw the new reality in the Middle East as 
"a sort of storm" adding, "More than ever I think that this turmoil storm 
has created new contexts within which we have to analyze this reality."

Muslim Terrorist Wannabe’s Jewish Lawyer Seeks to Bar Jews from Jury

 Jewish Press

Frederick H. Cohn, New York lawyer for Abdel Hameed Shehadeh, recently said in court that he wants to exclude Jews from the jury that will hear Shehadeh’s case.

Shehadeh, 24, has been charged with lying about his alleged attempt to join the Taliban or other terrorist organization in Pakistan in 2008, and that he attempted to conceal the fact that he had traveled to Pakistan, when he later attempted to join the U.S. military.

The Not-Bluffing Bluff

WSJ, REVIEW & OUTLOOK 

Iran gains more time to build nuclear weapons while the U.S. makes more concessions.

Joe Biden got a rousing reception in Washington on Monday at the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, especially when he talked about the Administration's approach to Iran. America's policy, he said, "is to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, period." To underscore the point, he added that "President Barack Obama is not bluffing. He is not bluffing."

We've heard this kind of talk from the Administration for over a year now, and maybe they even mean it. But the audience Mr. Biden and his boss really need to reach is not at Aipac. It's in Tehran. And so far, the mullahs show every sign of thinking the U.S. is, in fact, bluffing.

That much was made clear Tuesday when General James Mattis, the blunt-spoken Marine in charge of U.S. Central Command, testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee. "Are the current diplomatic and economic efforts to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapons capability, are they working?" asked Oklahoma Republican Jim Inhofe.

"No sir," the general replied. The evidence, he noted later in his testimony, was that Tehran's "nuclear industry continues."

Netanyahu Sings Praise of Rabbi Druckman, Religious Zionism

Gil Ronen & Yoni Kempinski

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu delivered a heartfelt tribute to Rabbi Haim Druckman, venerated spiritual leader of the religious Zionist stream, at an evening Sunday honoring Rabbi Druckman upon reaching the age of 80.

Netanyahu tore up the speech he had prepared and delivered an improvised version of it instead. "You know," he quipped, "in my family, reaching the age of 80 is not something to write home about... and you have a long road full of great deeds ahead of you."

Netanyahu played on the word 'gvurot' – courage – which is used in Judaism to refer to the age of 80.

"I would like to speak of your courageous virtues," he said, "three of them, and the first is here in the hall and outside it."

A misconception about Pollard

GREER FAY CASHMAN  - The Jerusalem Post 
 
 
http://www.jpost.com/ArtsAndCulture/Arts/Article.aspx?id=305676
 
 
One of the reasons for a certain degree of complacency about the eventual 
release from prison of convicted spy Jonathan Pollard is that many believe 
that his freedom will be automatic once he has served 30 years. (Pollard 
began his 28th year in jail on November 21, 2012.) But that is not the case, 
former US secretary of defense Dr. Lawrence J. Korb, who has been one of the 
leading activists on Pollard’s behalf, said when asked about this at the 
Jerusalem Press Club this week. Pollard has to apply for parole, but his 
lawyers are not being given access to all the government files pertaining to 
his case.
 
Korb became interested in the Pollard affair after receiving a letter from 
Pollard’s father. He subsequently visited Pollard in prison and all the 
things that Pollard told him were later corroborated by the CIA.

Chechnya builds ‘2nd-largest mosque’ in Israel after Al-Aqsa

http://rt.com/news/chechnya-build-israel-mosque-039/

Russia’s Chechen Republic is funding the construction of a mosque which it claims will be the second-largest in Israel after the famous Al-Aqsa. It will be located just 10 km from Jerusalem and hold several thousands of worshippers at a time.
The location of the mosque is the Abu Ghosh village, which is partially populated by ethnic Chechens.
Construction is already underway. The mosque is being built on a street named after ex-Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov, who was assassinated in 2004. The mosque will also be named after the deceased president, the father of the republic's present leader, Ramzan Kadyrov.

Shin Bet: Significant rise in Palestinian attacks

YAAKOV LAPPIN   A total of 139 attacks, including firebombings and improvised explosives occurred in the W. Bank and east J'lem in last month.

The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) released a report Tuesday documenting a significant rise in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in February. A total of 139 attacks, including firebombings and improvised explosives, occurred in February, compared to 83 in January. Two members of the security forces and one civilian were wounded during violent disturbances involving rocks and Molotov cocktails in east Jerusalem and the southern West Bank, according to the figures. One civilian sustained wounds in the Beitunya region, and two security officers were hurt in Jerusalem and Hebron.

The Middle East's real apartheid

Efraim Karsh
The Jerusalem Post
March 5, 2012

http://www.meforum.org/3186/middle-east-apartheid

In light of Israel Apartheid Week, which hit cities and campuses throughout the world recently, supporters of the Jewish state find it difficult to agree on the best response to this hate fest. Some suggest emphasizing Israel's peacemaking efforts, others propose rebranding the country by highlighting its numerous achievements and success stories. Still others advocate reminding the world of "what Zionism is – a movement of Jewish national liberation – and what it isn't – racist." Each of these approaches has its merits yet none will do the trick.
Peace seeking and/or prosperity are no proof of domestic benevolence and equality. The most brutal regimes have peacefully coexisted with their neighbors while repressing their own populations; the most prosperous societies have discriminated against vulnerable minorities. South Africa was hardly impoverished and technologically backward; the United States, probably the most successful and affluent nation in recent times was largely segregated not that long ago.

'Apartheid' Bus Lines Update

myrightword

Further to my previous post (here) I was sent this fisking of the accusation of "Palestinian only" buses which also asks how a policy which excluded Jews from a bus line could be considered racist towards Arabs in the first place.

- and see the Yesha Council reaction below -

I also picked up this:

Another point one could make is how it is possible that the PA did not succeed to set up normal public transportation during the last twenty years. They received plenty foreign aid to do so.

http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/state-dept-has-ramped-up-programs-to-bring-muslim-students-to-us/

 MARK SILVERBERG

In the aftermath of World War II, with the hideous revelation that two-thirds of European Jews had been systematically exterminated by the Nazis, anti-Semitism became unfashionable. But that is no longer the case. As the memory of the Holocaust fades into history, as we continue to transfer petro-wealth to our enemies; as Europe morphs into Eurabia; as Islamists take control over the UN and an increasing number of Middle East and North African countries, and as our universities become hotbeds for virulent anti-Israel teachings and rhetoric - logic fades, facts become confused with fictions, distinctions between democracies and tyrannies become irrelevant, history becomes unimportant, and anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism become indistinguishable.

"A Heavy Struggle"

There is a lot of hard work to do, a lot of heavy pulling, to bring our nation to where it needs to be.  I hold on to hope that all will yet be well, but am sorely disheartened.

 

Yesterday, I quoted Naftali Bennett, head of Habayit Hayehudi, thus:

 

"for days after the election the Likud refused to speak to the Jewish Home. They boycotted us… we expected to be a natural partner and to be the first to enter the Netanyahu government."  The message he claims he got was, "the religious Zionist party won’t enter the coalition, at any price."   

 

What Netanyahu did was foolish, I said. Rude.  Conveying to the newcomer Bennett a sense of being excluded.  But, I asked, now that Netanyahu had contacted Bennett was the prime minister's original rudeness sufficient reason for Bennett to have fashioned his current policy as he has?  

Belgian Attitudes Toward Jews

Peter Martino

The survey, conducted by Professor Mark Elchardus also showed that Islamic anti-Jewish feelings are widespread among all socio-economic and ethic groups, regardless of whether the pupils are from richer or poorer families, or whether the parents consider themselves moderate or traditionalist. This leads to the conclusion that the anti-Jewish sentiments are caused by Islam, and not by socio-economic factors.

Belgium, your average European country, sits the middle of Western Europe, between Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands. This small country of 11 million inhabitants houses both the headquarters of NATO and the European Union. If one wants to know what life is like for Jews today in Europe, the situation in Belgium is a significant measure.
As it happens, the situation is pretty bad. And worsening. Last year, anti-Semitic abuse and violence rose by 30 percent, with 88 documented complaints, compared to 62 in the previous year. Because many victims do not complain, the actual number of incidents is definitely higher. The Belgian trend mirrors the situation in neighboring France, which saw anti-Semitic attacks rise to 614 in 2012 from 389 in 2011. The most serious incident was the murder of a rabbi and three Jewish schoolchildren by an Islamic fanatic in Toulouse in March 2012.

Ailing Turkish Politician Treated in Israel

Anav Silverman / Tazpit News Agency

Kemal Unakitankidney transplantMagen David AdomSuhila Abd el-SalamTurkish governmentTurkish Politician

Kemal Unakitan. Photo: Haber5.

A senior member of the Turkish government, former Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan, recently visited Israel for stem cell treatment. Unakitan, who is suffering from chronic renal failure, served seven years with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government from 2002-2009.
According to Turkish media, the 67-year-old Turkish politician was treated at Tel Aviv’s International Center for Cell Therapy & Cancer Immunotherapy (CTCI) for almost two and a half months.

Code Pink Stages Massive Anti-Israel Rally Consisting of 4 People, 8 Cardboard Boxes

Daniel Greenfield

Apparently Code Pink protesters are outnumbered by Jewish Settlements… even in Washington D.C.
Even more disturbingly only one of the Code Pink protesters is wearing a Keffiyah. By Code Pink standards that practically qualifies as a hate crime.

"Deplorable"

Now I'm referring not to the state of the world, but to the state of Israeli politics.  I am so often proud of who we are. But now?  I would gladly grab hold of certain political shoulders and shake until the heads that sit on those respective shoulders rattled.  Where? I want to ask. Where is your devotion to the state and the greater good during these difficult times?

 

To whose shoulders am I alluding? There is, in my opinion, enough blame to go around.  No one that I'm seeing stands up as a leader (or even a potential leader), resolute in his vision, embracing his fellow Jews, and focused on the nation and not his own political future or that of his particular party.

 

Do I know what's in people's heads?  Not with any clarity.  Which makes posting difficult.

 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

THANKS TO NORWEGIAN NRK STATE TV, 1.5 MILLION NORWEGIANS BELIEVE ISRAELIS ARE EVIL……..

KGS

Taxpayer funded propagandists.
UPDATE:  The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs(MFA) attacks the whistle blower instead of the root of the problem. (NIJ blog)

For the MFA it is apparently more severe that the director of Palestinian Media Watch has an address the Norwegian government disapproves of, than Norwegian tax money going to reward the men and women who deliberately and with pride have killed Jews – the more killed the greater the reward. The attack on Itamar Marcus is very undignified.

It’s well known that the Norwegian state propaganda machine has been arrayed against the Jewish state of Israel (facilitated by it’s taxpayer funded mouth organ, NRK) for decades. That well funded apparatus has maintained a campaign of vilification against Israel, largely for being having cast as the guilty party in the gross failure of the Oslo Accords.

According to a study of the Holocaust Center 38% of the Norwegians consider that what Israel does to Palestinians, is equal to what the Nazis did to the Jews. It’s universally recognized that the Nazis are the symbol of absolute evil. Norway has a population of 5 million. If you deduct children, that means at least 1.5 million Norwegians have a devilish view of the Jewish state.

The Holocaust Just Got More Shocking

 

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum/Collection of Eugenia Hochberg Lanceter - A group of Jewish women at the entrance to the Brody ghetto in Eastern Galicia, 1942. The sign is written in German, Ukrainian and Polish.

 

By ERIC LICHTBLAU

 

THIRTEEN years ago, researchers at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum began the grim task of documenting all the ghettos, slave labor sites, concentration camps and killing factories that the Nazis set up throughout Europe.

What they have found so far has shocked even scholars steeped in the history of the Holocaust. The researchers have cataloged some 42,500 Nazi ghettos and camps throughout Europe, spanning German-controlled areas from France to Russia and Germany itself, during Hitler’s reign of brutality from 1933 to 1945.
The figure is so staggering that even fellow Holocaust scholars had to make sure they had heard it correctly when the lead researchers previewed their findings at an academic forum in late January at the German Historical Institute in Washington.

Hagel Takes Over at Pentagon, Gives Bizarre Rambling Speech

Daniel Greenfield

The real question is whether the former Senator from Nebraska and Tehran gives any other kind of speeches. At the Department of Defense, Hagel gave a rambling speech in which he graciously informed the Pentagon that they were not joining his team, he was joining their team.

Then Hagel proceeded to share deep insights such as these from the bottomless pit of his intellect.

We are living in a very defining time in the world.  You all know that.  It’s a difficult time.  It’s a time of tremendous challenge.  But there are opportunities.  And I think it’s important that we all stay focused, obviously, on our jobs, on our responsibilities, which are immense, but not lose sight of the possibilities for a better world.

Staying focused is clearly a problem for Chuck.

If there’s one thing America has stood for more than any one thing, is that we are a force for good.  We make mistakes.  We’ve made mistakes.  We’ll continue to make mistakes.  But we are a force for good.

I think Hagel might be confusing America with himself. Should the Secretary of Defense commence by announcing that America is a well-meaning bumbling idiot?

Germans Lurching towards Anti-Semitism

Isi Leibler
http://wordfromjerusalem.com/?p=4518

In the aftermath of the Holocaust, successive German governments have meticulously upheld their obligations to the Jewish people. Study of the Holocaust is a mandatory component of the German state education curriculum, Holocaust denial is classified as a crime and restitution commitments were honored and even exceeded.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is a genuine friend of the Jews and despite intense political pressures and occasional minor vacillations, has consistently supported Israel, describing its security as “part of my country’s raison d’etre”. However in recent years, as in other European countries, German public opinion has turned against Israel, perceiving it as the principal threat to global stability and peace. This hostility has increasingly assumed overt anti-Semitic tones.

There is growing resentment against Jews, who are blamed for imposing excessive emphasis on collective German national guilt for the Holocaust.

U.S. Helping Israel's Defense

Yaakov Lappin

Cooperation between the two countries today is at an unprecedented level. The other part involves devastating offensive capabilities, designed to surprise adversaries, bringing any war to a swift conclusion.

The cheering and the hugs exchanged by Israeli and American teams this week at Palmahim Air Force base, south of Tel Aviv, marked a historical turn of events.
For the first time ever, a successful test launch had been carried out of the Arrow 3 missile defense system, designed to stop Iranian long-range ballistic missiles – even those carrying nuclear warheads – in space.
The product of Israeli-American cooperation, and years of research and development led by the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), together with the US Department of Defense's Missile Defense Agency, the successful test represented a leap forward in missile defense technology, and a key development in the ongoing Israeli-Iranian arms race.

Israeli Politics: On the Edge of the Precipice

Isi Leibler 
http://wordfromjerusalem.com/?p=4509

There is madness in the air. Israel faces extraordinary challenges whilst virtually all our leaders uninhibitedly continue their intrigues and machinations in pursuit of power. They regard their responsibility to the national interest as a distant mirage uttering occasional hypocritical rhetoric.

Our friends and allies rub their eyes in disbelief and the barbarians at our gates rejoice as they observe such irresponsible posturing.

Enough is enough. We must convey the message that if our politicians fail to behave responsibly and get their act together, we will send them home at the next elections.

"A Mess"

The mess is of considerable proportions, as I see it.  Redeemable, yes.  With determination, inner confidence, strength and faith.  But are we seeing these factors in play sufficiently?  A friend told me today that she's feeling demoralized, and she's not alone.

 

I actually had hopes a day ago, that by the time I sat down to write today, late in my day, there would have been an announcement about Bennett having signed on to the coalition.  Yesterday Likud was saying that it was coming any minute -- maybe last night, maybe during the day today.  Now reports have it that it will be in the "next few days."  Obviously, while there has been progress, everything is not going quite as smoothly as certain parties would have us believe. I believe the catch is Livni's role in the government.

#24h In the Life of a Soldier: Facing Hezbollah on the Israeli-Lebanese Border

 IDF
Episode 1 - Facing Hezbollah on the Israeli-Lebanese Border
The area near the Israeli-Lebanese border is beautiful. The rainy season has painted the area green. We’re joining a group from the Herev Battalion, most of whom are Druze soldiers permanently stationed at Israel’s northern border. Their base is only ten meters away from the border. You can clearly see the Lebanese villages on the other side.

These soldiers know every square foot of the area. “We need to be ready to respond at any given time,” says Osama, a company commander. “Our soldiers are brave and willing to give everything for the mission. Our strength is everything we’ve got.”
They aren’t playing around – the danger on the northern border is real. “Each of my soldiers is defending his own home,” Osama says. “Almost all of us live less than 30 minutes away from the border. During the Second Lebanon War, in 2006, rockets hit our villages.”
We joined the battalion for 24 hours – a day in their lives. Here’s what we saw:
Early Hours of the Morning – Night Patrol
For several soldiers, the day actually starts at nightfall. In the early hours of the morning, the night patrol meets for a briefing. The commander talks about the current threats at the border and peppers his soldiers with questions. He divides the patrol into three teams. We set out.
It’s a windy night – a tree falls and crashes into the border fence. The soldiers are about to remove the tree when a vehicle arrives from the Lebanese side of the border, flashing its lights in our direction.
We leave the area, and inspect every inch of the road. “This road is very dangerous,” says the patrol commander. “We’re in a valley, a vulnerable position to be in. We don’t stay here long, but it’s still part of the patrol area.”
The group continues its patrol, and repeats the same route several times. Another group replaces them a few hours later.

Truly creepy moments from the 2013 Oscars (with bonus reviewlet of Les Misérables)

theoptimisticconservative
Confessions up front: I rarely watch the Oscars broadcast, and I had to do a search on Seth McFarlane to find out what his day job is.  That’s just how immersed I am in popular culture.  (I still don’t understand who the Kardashians are, and why Bruce Jenner seems to be involved, in spite of having it explained to me more than once by my younger, hipper sisters.)
So I don’t know if last night’s broadcast differed significantly from previous Oscar productions.  I do know it had some very jarring moments, and not in a good way.  Here are my top two:
1.  Michelle Obama’s appearance – surrounded by military members in their dinner dress uniforms – via video-teleconference.  What was with the service members in dinner dress?  What point was this tableau trying to make?
Inserting the First Lady into the Oscars would have been weird – political, off-key – to begin with.  (Frankly, for me, the right jokes would have compared her Oscar moment to Nixon’s path-breaking turn on Laugh-In).  But the presence of the military transformed weird into proto-fascist.  Mrs. Obama talked about nurturing the arts in our young people, against a backdrop of military members in dress uniforms.  She also threw in a drive-by allusion to the hype-cause of the moment, same-sex marriage.

Landau: If Terrorists Want to Starve Themselves, Let 'Em

Water and Energy Minister Uzi Landau said that Israel should respect the wishes of terrorists who preferred to starve themselves 

Water and Energy Minister Uzi Landau – who has a rich defense background, having served in the past as Public Security Minister – said that Israel should respect the wishes of terrorists who preferred to starve themselves, and not try to figure out ways to convince them to eat. “This hunger strike and the riots in their wake is just another provocation by the Palestinian Authority,” he said. “We must not panic.”

Speaking to Arutz Sheva Monday, Landau said that the PA was going out of its way to cause riots, as a “greeting,” and a message, to U.S. President Barack H. Obama, due here for a visit in several weeks. “The riots in 'protest' over the prisoner who died in Megiddo Prison are just a pretext,” he said. “They would have found another reason to riot had he not died.” Landau said that the PA has never honored the agreements it signed with Israel, and has constantly promoted terror by honoring terrorists, naming streets and squares after them, providing them with pensions, etc.

Rise of the Militias in the Middle East

Kyle Shideler

“Hey! think the time is right for a palace revolution, but where I live the game to play is compromise solution…”

–The Rolling Stones, “Street-Fighting Man”
Quite a bit of the recent news flowing out of the Middle East has an interesting common thread. Whether it’s Syria, Iraq, Egypt, or Tunisia, all states once known for their strong military leadership, the new power players may not be wearing the uniforms, but they’ve still got the guns.

On the Syrian front it was recently reported that Iran and Hezbollah are preparing a militia,
with as many as 50,000 fighters
,according to the Iranians, to deal with the potential post-Assad era.  If Assad does fall, the goal would be to use these militiamen to secure key Syrian territory, enabling Iran to continue to control supply lines to Hezbollah in Lebanon and maintain its influence. Despite suffering from financial sanctions, Iran is reportedly funneling millions of dollars in cash and equipment to their newest proxies.

Jihad or Criminality?

Daniel Pipes
Cross-posted from National Review Online, The Corner
http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/2013/02/jihad-or-criminality

A recent spate of killings in the United States of non-Muslims by Muslims has gone unnoticed by the major media. Here are four cases I know of:

Feb. 5: Yusuf Ibrahim, 27, Egyptian born and living in Jersey City, stands accused of shooting, then cutting off the heads and hands of two Copts, Hanny F. Tawadros and Amgad A. Konds, and burying them in Buena Vista Township, New Jersey. He is charged with two counts of murder and with desecrating human remains. He is also wanted for a Sep. 20, 2012, armed robbery in Jersey City in which a victim was shot in the foot.

Ziad AbuZayyad: Even a tenth of a percent of land is dear to us

Dr. Aaron Lerner   25 February 2013
 
Ziad AbuZayyad a former member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and Minister of State in the Palestinian Authority, told Israel Radio in a live interview on the noon news program today that “even a tenth of a percent of land is dear to us” and thus the Palestinians cannot be expected to compromise.  AbuZayyad compared the importance of a tenth of a percent of land to the importance of eyes to a body.

Muslims Behead Another Christian Pastor

Raymond Ibrahim

Does this conflict really revolve around the Muslim desire to never mistakenly to eat unpermitted meat, or are Muslims attacking and killing non-Muslims for being business competitors, while articulating their hostility in the garb of Islamic piety?

A Christian pastor was recently slaughtered in the Muslim-majority African nation of Tanzania. While butchering Christian minorities is becoming increasingly common in that part of the Muslim world, the context for this latest slaughter is somewhat different than the usual forms of Christian persecution under Islam -- such as using allegations of "blaspheming" the name of Muslim prophet Muhammad.
On February 11, Pastor Mathayo Kachili of the Tanzania Assemblies of God Church was beheaded by Muslims. According to the report, a spokesperson from the local police department

Jews Under Muslim Attack in Europe

By P. David Hornik

With President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry planning to visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority next month, speculation proliferates as to whether Obama plans—once again—to push for “peace” between Israel and the PA, or has learned from his first term that such an outcome is hard to attain and still more effort in pursuit of it is not likely to be rewarded.
Meanwhile the French Jewish community reports a record rise of 58% in anti-Semitic incidents for 2012—a total of 614 compared to 389 in 2011. While seemingly not directly relevant to the question about Obama’s visit, the situation in France—and Western Europe generally—in fact tells much about the Middle East and Israel’s position in it.
Amid the general increase in anti-Semitic activity in France, then, there were almost twice as many physical attacks on Jews there in 2012 as in 2011, and 25% of those involved a weapon. Why the dramatic rise? While anti-Semitic behavior is known to burgeon during and after major Israeli military operations, 2012 saw only the eight-day-long Operation Pillar of Defense against Gaza rocket fire in November.

A Hard Reckoning

Shoshana Bryen

Whatever the fate of Bashar Assad, Iran is unlikely to abandon its investment in Hezbollah or in other Syrian groups, but Iran's interests go well beyond the Syria/Hezbollah axis. Iranian influence in predominantly Shiite Iraq continues to grow and there are reports of Iran building Iraqi Hezbollah militias as the security situation continues to deteriorate since the American departure in 2011.

Bashar Assad faces a hard reckoning. Not the one that comes from rebels battling for control of key Syrian assets, or the one that may come some day from charges of genocide at the International Criminal Court. The reckoning that comes from understanding that your key ally, Iran, has interests in your country other than you, and regional interests bigger than you.

Arab Mistreated at Airport But Which One?

myrightword

..."Arab citizens are immediately viewed as a security threat at airports. But we should go through the same procedures as Jewish citizens." That airport discrimination is at the heart of a five-year-old petition to the Israeli Supreme Court that challenges the harsh security measures targeting Palestinian citizens at airports within Israel as well as by the flagship Israeli airline, El Al, abroad. The court is expected to make a decision on the issue in the next two months.

More.

So, why did this happen at the Los Angeles airport?

"Occupation"?  'Apartheid"?  "Racism"?

PA TV removes terrorists' pictures from a video following PMW's exposure

http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=8592

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

Following Palestinian Media Watch's exposure of a PA TV video dedicated to "our brave prisoners" that included pictures of 7 terrorists who together are responsible for killing more than 100 Israeli civilians, PA TV has removed the pictures of the terrorists from the video.

In the new version of the video, which has been broadcast at least 18 times in recent weeks, the well-known terrorists' pictures have been replaced with footage of prisoners in jail.  

Click to view

The previous version of the video that included the terrorists can be viewed here.

The terrorists that were honored were:

Attacks on Jews soar 82% in France

French Jewish Leader: “The Number of Anti-Semitic Acts Has Exploded”
“Far from raising awareness, the attacks in Toulouse and Sarcelles were followed by a dramatic increase in anti-Semitic attacks,” the report stated. Of course, the Muslims are emboldened by the depraved and coldblooded attacks of Islamic Jew-hatred.

Contrary to the Muslim lies of Muslim Brotherhood groups like Hamas-CAIR, Jew-hating attacks are at worldwide record levels, while mythical islamophobia "hate crime" barely registers at all. Despite the realities, the enemedia traffics in this Muslim mythology, embarrassing themselves time and time again.

Meet Ben Hecht, Wisecracking Jewish Hero

Stella Paul

February 28^th marks the 119^th birthday of Ben Hecht, the wisecracking genius who invented the screwball comedy and gangster movie, and who raucously upheld the honor of American Jews in WWII.

Blasted into history from a more colorful age, Hecht began his career as a circus acrobat and virtuoso violinist, then seamlessly morphed into Chicago's star crime reporter and the most successful screenwriter in Hollywood history.

I love Hecht for the feast of intelligent entertainment he seemed to effortlessly concoct, from Hitchcock masterpieces like Notorious and Spellbound to Scarface, The Front Page, and the uncredited script of Gone With the Wind.

But I adore Ben Hecht for the incorruptible courage with which he championed the dying Jews of Europe, appalling his fancy Hollywood and New York Jewish friends with his outré chutzpah.

Iranian-Backed Terrorist Group in Iraq Emerging as a "Hezbollah-like" Organization

Iranian-backed militant group in Iraq is recasting itself as a political player

Karim Kadim/AP - Followers of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr prayed recently in Baghdad. Asaib Ahl al-Haq, a former militant group composed of disgruntled former Sadrists, is entering politics and is seen as a counterweight to the cleric’s influence.

Liz Sly,

BAGHDAD — The Iranian-backed Shiite group responsible for most of the attacks against U.S. forces in the final years of the Iraq war is busily reinventing itself as a political organization in ways that could enhance Iran’s influence in post-American Iraq — and perhaps beyond.
In recent months, Asaib Ahl al-Haq — the League of the Righteous — has been rapidly expanding its presence across Iraq, trumpeting the role the once-shadowy group says it played in forcing the departure of U.S. troops with its bomb attacks against American targets.

Intifada in Westchester?‏

Time to pay attention- gentle reminder:

[Sharia meets the law of the land and an unfortunate incident in a leafy New York suburb ensues. Keep a sharp eye out for the aftermath. If the authorities go to the apology stage, then move on to the sensitivity training stage, there will only be a few steps to go before we reach dhimitude. df]

New York Daily News, 8/31/11

Muslims, police scuffle at Rye Playland over amusement park’s head scarf ban; 15 arrests made

"It's clear, this all happened because we're Muslim."

Rye Playland was shut down Tuesday after cops scuffled with Muslims upset that women wearing head scarves were barred from the rides, witnesses said.

Fifteen people, including three women, were charged with disorderly conduct and assault in the chaos, authorities said.

The Westchester County park was packed with Muslims celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr -  the holiday marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. One woman, Entisai Ali, began arguing with cops over the amusement park's head scarf, or hijab, rule, said Dena Meawad, 18, of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

The 'Epidemic' of Sexual Harassment - and Rape - in Morsi's Egypt

Raymond Ibrahim
FrontPageMagazine.com
February 15, 2013

http://www.meforum.org/3450/egypt-rape-sexual-harassment

Since the "Arab Spring" came to Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood assumed power, sexual harassment, abuse, and rape of women has skyrocketed. This graph, which shows an enormous jump in sexual harassment beginning around January 2011, when the Tahrir revolts began, certainly demonstrates as much. Its findings are further supported by any number of reports appearing in both Arabic and Western media, and from both Egyptian and foreign women.

Hundreds of Egyptian women recently took to the streets of Tahrir Square to protest the nonstop harassment they must endure whenever they emerge from their homes and onto the streets. They held slogans like "Silence is unacceptable, my anger will be heard," and "A safe square for all; Down with sexual harassment." "Marchers also shouted chants against President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood group from which he hails," wrote Al Ahram Online.

The response? More sexual harassment and rapes.

Beware Palestinian apartheid

Jonathan Dahoah Halevi


The Palestinian Authority is under heavy international pressure, mostly American, aimed at facilitating the transition from proximity talks to direct negotiations with Israel.

The written message recently sent by President Obama to Palestinian Chairman Mahmud Abbas indicated that the American administration is not content, to say the least, with the Palestinian foot-dragging in the peace process, or with what is perceived to be a lack of appreciation for American pressure on Israel (which led PM Netanyahu to accept the two-state solution and to temporarily freeze settlement activity in the West Bank and Jerusalem.)

"A Sick, Sick World"

In the midst of so much that is ugly, it is a great pleasure to report this: Little Zakkai will be going home today.  On Friday, his parents wrote: "Zakkai has impressed the medical staff and us with another miraculous recovery from surgery (two this time!). Thank God...

 

"In fact, he's doing so well that we are being discharged already, ahead of schedule." 

 

"Thank God" says it all.  The capacity of this young body to rally and heal is amazing. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Now if only the world could rally and heal. But there is precious little sign of this.  Anything but...

 

While the international community dithers and dallies -- still seeking "negotiations" with Iran -- that Islamist republic is rushing towards nuclear capability. 

My Life’s Work (Part Two), Free Books on U.S. Foreign Policy

Barry Rubin

In part one of this article I wrote about books on the Middle East I’ve made available that can be read in full for free on line here.

But I’ve also had other interests which intertwine with that one, especially U.S. foreign policy, a topic which is very much present in such books as Cauldron of Turmoil and Paved with Good Intentions.

This article discusses two additional books and includes links to their full texts available for free.

I grew up in Washington DC and had a lot of close contact and observation of the governmental process which has proven to be invaluable in my work. Academics often do not understand how policy is actually made and their attempts to develop theories on this point have made their made misunderstandings even worse.

Once, I gave a paper at a university on a very detailed comparison of U.S. decisionmaking on the Iranian revolution and Nicaraguan counterrevolution. It included such points as why specific individuals, even far down in the bureaucracy, had played a role at a certain point and how different agencies competed on pushing their agendas or perceptions. A professor stood up, said he taught U.S. foreign policy, and he had no interest in such “dirty” things. I replied that his view was like that of someone who would be a music expert who had never seen anyone play an instrument.

That’s why I wrote Secrets of State: The State Department and the Struggle Over U.S. Foreign Policy. The title was carefully chosen. The main title is a pun, of course, (Secrets of State/State Department) but also reflects a key theme: the greatest secret is how decisions are made, how they are implemented, and whether they are going to succeed or fail due to the particular choices selected.

Londonistan: Muslim ‘Young Mayor’ of Islamic Enclave Posts Violent Twitter Threats

creeping
via New Young Mayor of Tower Hamlets posts violent Twitter threats – Politics – East London Advertiser.

Mahdi Alam, who campaigned on a pledge to tackle youth crime and violence, took to the social networking site on Friday to launch an unexplained tirade, visible to all of his followers.

The tweets – which were later deleted – said: “Even if you beet me up, I’ll still be young mayor. So what do you achieve.. [sic]

“To be frank. You’ll always be the looser [sic]. As my boys will pretty much kill you. Pahahaa.”

Mahdi, who attends Stepney Green School, was unveiled as the winner of the young mayoral election at a Town Hall ceremony on January 31.

Response from US Jlm Consulate

MyRightWord

After many inquiries, and nudging, the Consulate has officially responded:-

U.S. Consulate General Jerusalem
Why the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem Posts Predominantly in English and Arabic
There have been a number of inquiries asking why we post in Arabic and not in Hebrew on our Facebook page; for those who have sent us private messages on the subject we’ve worked to answer you directly but for those who have posted public comments we’d like to take this opportunity to address this issue. 
Regarding consular services such as renewing passports or issuing visas, the Consulate General is responsible for providing these services to American citizens in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, as well as visa services for both Israelis and Palestinians in our consular district (Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza). For information on consular services, please visit our website (http://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov/). Content on that site is being made available in English, Hebrew, and Arabic.

Zygier publicity presents common interest for Israel and Australia

Warren Reed

Warren Reed was an intelligence officer with the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) for 10 years.  He was trained by MI6 in London and served in Asia and the Middle East. 

Close and long-lasting intelligence cooperation between Australia and countries like the US, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and also Israel have been successful in confronting international scourges like terrorism.
Yet it should never be forgotten that no matter how successful these alliances, nation states will do whatever they have to in order to protect their own interests.
On such occasions, they go about it with great stealth, and if necessary refrain from letting even a "friendly" spy service and the government it represents, in on the secret.
The case of Prisoner X, identified this week as Ben Zygier, a dual Australian/Israeli national, appears to be a case in point.