Category Archives: Israel
Muslims 4 Israel. UK group with the courage to deal with obvious truths.
Iran’s Khamenei presents war scenarios
h/t Richard
(This is about 1/2 of the whole article available at…)
YNET NEWS:
In an unusual step, Iran’s spiritual leader publishes commentary on official website outlining three scenarios for strike against Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, Yedioth Ahronoth reports Israel has taken in shipment of Patriot missiles
Dudi Cohen
11.25.11, 12:02 / Israel News
In an unusual step that comes on the heels of Iran’s threats and warnings to the US and Khamenei warns US, Israel against strike
The article details three possible war scenarios Iran could be faced with if Israel or the US proceed with a strike:
1. An all out war of attrition that would combine aerial and ground forces attack.
2. Limited war as a preparatory action for political proceedings. This would include hitting Iran’s control centers for the purpose of disrupting the stability of the Islamic regime. The best case scenario here would be that war leads to the regime’s fall; the worst case would see Iran surrendering at the negotiating table.
3. A war on specific targets with the aim of destroying the regime’s assault capabilities, especially against the “Zionist regime.”
Ready for action? Netanyahu and Obama (Photo: Reuters)
The Iranian commentator goes on to assess the possibility of likelihood of each scenario. He believes the feasibility of the first option is due, among other things to the fact that “the western countries’ capabilities to carry out such a complex operation are very limited and nearly nonexistent.”
Mohebian also mentioned the upcoming US presidential elections and the fact that the west doesn’t have sufficient intelligence on Iran. In light of these problems Mohebian believes that the chances of an all out war against Iran are close to nothing.
He goes on to point out the main problems of the second and third scenarios: The Iranian regime is prepared for an attack on its centers of power, the Iranian response to such an attack could be unexpected, the attack could turn the regime to an even more extreme path and encourage it to set the Middle East on fire, which would endanger the western world. Continue Reading →
Israelis strip in support of Egypt blogger
This is a cool story. Maybe someday, maybe we can see Egyptians or frankly anyone in the Islamic world rallying to support an Israeli for greater freedom and expression. I won’t hold my breath though.
From YNET News.
Dozens of women pose for nearly nude group shot in show of solidarity for young activist who posted naked photo in protest of limited freedom of expression in her country
Roi Kais
|
Dozens of Israeli women stripped off their clothes Saturday in a show of solidarity with the 20-year-old Egyptian blogger who caused a stir in the Arab world last week when she posted a naked photo of herself in protest against the limits on free expression in her country. |
Touched by the spirited protest measure, some 40 Israelis posed for a nude group shot in support of the Egyptian activist, Egypt activist posts herself nude, sparks outrage
“Of course there’s the nationalistic aspect, and I won’t deny being a leftist and a seeker of peace,” she added. “I feel like the governments don’t represent the enlightened, simple people who want peace.”
For the rest, please click the link for YNET above.
Caroline Glick: Stopping Iran
Michael Coren interviews the ‘Son of Hamas’
I have received a number of questions concerning this post due to concerns raised by Debbie Schlussel I think it was, and now this article on Pajamas Media.
I see it this way.
1. Even if all that this man is accused of is true to the letter, it does not make a word he says in this interview any less true or less relevant.
2. My struggle is one which opposes an ideology, not a people or race. If Jews were espousing and acting on ideologies that mirrored current Islamic ones then I would be attacking that ideology as well, and I do often where Jewish people leap leftwards so far they are tantamount to the same thing as Islam.
As this is the case, when a Muslim claims to have abandoned Islamic ideology and ideology of genocidal hatred, I accept that at face value unless I see evidence that it is not true and more importantly, the damage being done because of that deception. A great example might be Tarek Ramadan. The classic yeti in goat’s clothing. But this man’s interview was excellent. I have not read his book yet and probably won’t have the time, but hopefully someone will and review it here.
So ultimately, I support this man till I have reason not to, and simply suspecting him of deception on hearsay makes this about race and not ideology in a way. It would be saying that ‘one can never trust a person’s word if they had been Muslim or more accurately, Arab Muslim’ in a sense.
Thank you for the comments. I welcome any thinking on this issue, from any point of view.
UNESCO files complaint against Israeli delegation over Haaretz cartoon
I wonder if UNESCO called in the Afghan prime minister when he incited a riot in Afghanistan that caused the actual death of UN employees there as well as the torching of the UN building in Kabul.
A cartoon published in Haaretz causes a rift between Israel’s ambassador to UNESCO and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
By Barak Ravid Tags: Ramallah Palestinians UNESCO Haaretz
Israel’s ambassador to UNESCO didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when a senior official at the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization called him in for a tongue-lashing on Wednesday. The reason? A cartoon published in Haaretz.
The November 4 cartoon, a riff on the government’s anger at UNESCO’s decision to accept Palestine as a full member, showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak sending an air force squadron to attack Iran, with Netanyahu ordering, “And on your way back, you’re gonna hit the UNESCO office in Ramallah!”
The editorial cartoon in question. Photo by: Eran Wolkovsky When he met with Eric Falt, UNESCO’s assistant director general for external relations and public information, Ambassador Nimrod Barkan was stunned to be handed a copy of this cartoon and an official letter of protest from UNESCO’s director general, Irina Bokova. Falt told Barkan the cartoon constituted incitement.
“A cartoon like this endangers the lives of unarmed diplomats, and you have an obligation to protect them,” Falt said, according to an Israeli source. “We understand that there is freedom of the press in Israel, but the government must prevent attacks on UNESCO.”
Barkan pointed out that the government has no control over editorial cartoons printed in the papers. “Ask yourselves what you did to make a moderate paper with a deeply internationalist bent publish such a cartoon,” he suggested. “Perhaps the problem is with you.”
After Barkan reported the conversation to the Foreign Ministry, it cabled back: “What exactly does UNESCO want of us – to send our fine boys to protect UNESCO’s staff, or to shut down the paper? It seems your work environment is getting more and more reminiscent of ‘Animal Farm.'”
So as I understand it, if you make a joke about a UN agency in a newspaper, and a well earned one, you get reprimanded in person. But if you deliberately and knowingly incite a riot that causes the deaths of many UN employees and destruction of UN property, you don’t even get an angry letter. At least not that I am aware of.
ISRAELI GOVERNMENT BACKS BILLS TO LIMIT FOREIGN GOVERNMENT INFLUENCE ON ISRAELI POLITICS
B’tSelem and other lefty NGO’s backed by the anti-Israel Norwegian government hardest hit. KGS
NOTE: Read also: Lift the veil
As in many such cases, almost all news outlets jumped on the bandwagon once again and condemned what they called “the law that will strangle left-leaning non-governmental organizations,” despite the fact that the law relates to organizations with both right- and left-wing views. But the media knows what it is protecting – foreign governments are working to change the direction of Israeli voters by funding controversial organizations whose activities are at the heart of the Israeli political debate.
(h/t: Yisrael Medad)
Israeli Government Backs Limits on Financing for Nonprofit Groups
By ETHAN BRONNER
Published: November 14, 2011
Published: November 14, 2011
JERUSALEM – A committee of Israeli cabinet ministers voted Sunday to back two bills aimed at curtailing the support of left-wing nonprofit groups from foreign governments.
The 11-to-5 vote threw the support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government behind the bills, which human rights groups have denounced as violations of free expression and an effort by the government to silence its critics.
Officials and legal experts said that the bills would probably be altered before reaching Parliament and could ultimately be struck down by the Supreme Court.
One bill would limit to about $5,000 a year the amount that a foreign government, government-supported foundation or group of governments like the European Union could give to Israeli groups considered “political.” The other bill would impose a heavy tax on such contributions.
The bills were largely aimed at groups that focus on Palestinian rights, civil liberties and other causes advocated by the Israeli left, many of which rely on European government support.
An official in Mr. Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister backed efforts to limit foreign government donations to the groups because they amounted, in his view, to interference in Israeli politics. But he wanted the bills amended so their impact would be narrowed.
Lawyers said defining which groups were political ones was a task that would not pass legal scrutiny.
Sari Bashi, director of Gisha, an Israeli group devoted to promoting free movement for Palestinians in Gaza that would be affected by the new bills, said that “while it seems likely that some of the most antidemocratic aspects of the bills will be softened, that actually could make the situation worse, because it would define political speech in such a way as to silence some but not others and possibly allow the bills to become law.”
A moment or two from the U.S. Republican National Security debate.
FIVE NORDIC FM’S ISSUE HARSH CRITICISM OF ISRAEL, NOT OF IRAN OR HAMAS
Like drunks looking for their keys around a lamppost.
Humanitarian racist:
“A humanitarian racist is best defined as someone who attributes intrinsically reduced responsibility for their acts to people of certain ethnic or national groups. This racism is a mirror image of the white-supremacist variety. “
The hypocrisy and racism of these Nordic FM’s cannot be overstated. These five Nordic foreign ministers (four pictured below) are signatories to the convention for the prevention of genocide. According to logic and reason, they should have brought Iran and Hamas to an international court as they have continuously announced their desire to commit genocide against the Jewish state.
‘The Five’, Norway’s Jonas Gahr Støre, Sweden’s Carl Bildt, Finland’s Erkki Tuomioja, Denmark’s, Villy Søvndal, Iceland’s, Össur Skarphéðinsson,have never mentioned their intent to bring these two entities before a world court, and chances are that they never will., making these five humanitarian racists of an extreme type. KGS
NOTE: Here is the official joint declaration found on the Norwegian Foreign Ministry website:
Nordic countries concerned about measures against Palestinians
The five Nordic foreign ministers discussed the situation in the Middle East today, focusing particularly on relations between Israel and the Palestinians in the wake of this week’s vote in UNESCO. Although the Nordic countries’ positions differed as regards the timing of Palestinian membership of UNESCO, they agree that the way forward must be based on a resumption of negotiations and the vision of a two-state solution.
The five Nordic foreign ministers agree on the following:
“We are opposed to the punitive measures Israel is currently discussing. Israel’s settlement policy and the expansion of its settlements are illegal under international law. It is completely unacceptable for Israel to withhold tax revenues it has collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. This would weaken the Palestinian institutions that the international community has helped to build up over a number of years. These punitive measures would undermine the basis for negotiations.”
“The fact that the Israeli Government is considering withholding Palestinian VAT and customs duties, which are administered by Israel according to an agreement with the Palestinians, is particularly unfortunate. This money is equivalent to around two-thirds of the payroll expenses for public employees in the Palestinian Authority and the loss of this revenue would have serious consequences.”
“Robust Palestinian institutions are necessary for negotiations. Both parties have an interest in and a responsibility for safeguarding these institutions. These punitive measures will not improve Israel’s security, and we urge the parties to refrain from any unilateral action that could put Palestinian institutions at risk.”
NOTE II: What they are saying here by default, is that Israel can never, under any circumstances, react to anything that the Palestinian leadership says or does against them, whether it’s violence or or rejecting signed agreements.
Some hard core propaganda of Spanish children on the matters of Islam and Gaza.
I didn’t get the name in time for the actual video, but the translator is John L Work. I tend to err on the side of safety and if I don’t know how they want their name represented, I don’t post any. But John gave me that name and thank you very much for the hard and rapid work translating this video.
I wish those women in Muslim garb, decorating their kids all out in Islamic clothing and chanting to Allah, I wish those people who revel in the notion that Israel will be an Islamic state, would see this first.
UNIVERSITY SHOCK POLL FINDS ISRAELIS DEEM NORWAY MOST UNFRIENDLY
Well after all the trouble the Norwegian government (and its cultural elite) have gone through to vilify the Jewish state, this is to be expected. The Israelis are not a stupid people, they can spot anti-Semitism when they see it. The Norwegian self anointed ‘elite’ own this result, lock stock and barrel, for they’re the ones carrying out a propaganda war against the Israeli people, and on the backs of the Norwegian taxpayer. KGS
NOTE: If the Norwegian people are disgusted over this poll and the greatly reduced image of their country on the international level, they should seriously challenge their elected officials over their conduct. Norway is now being seen in the role of a disingenuous, clownish buffoon, not a serious minded state.
Norway’s chickens coming home to roost after decades of anti-Israel /anti-Semitic propaganda.
Michael Coren has very interesting geopolitical analyst on discussing Israel-Iran
This is some of the best thinking I have heard on the subject. I often think of genius as the ability to state the obvious and recognize what you see in front of you. Michael Coren’s guest has that in spades.
UN Watch: Israel and the Apartheid Slander
Below is an important New York Times op-ed published by Judge Richard Goldstone against the demonization of Israel. This follows his April retraction in the Washington Post of the core charge of the infamous 500-page U.N. report that bears his name: the accusation that Israeli leaders deliberately targeted civilians during the 2009 war with Hamas.
Not surprisingly, the U.N. Human Rights Council’s pro-Hamas Richard Falk, who previously lavished praise on Goldstone, has now launched a vicious personal attack on his former hero.
While it is impossible to undo even a fraction of the Goldstone Report’s catastrophic harm to basic principles of international human rights and humanitarian law, and to Israel’s ability to defend itself from terrorism, UN Watch congratulates Judge Goldstone’s welcome actions. We hope that he will continue to speak out against demonization and double standards, especially as practiced by too many U.N. bodies, including the Human Rights Council that had appointed him.
Israel and the Apartheid Slander
Nov. 1, 2011
By RICHARD J. GOLDSTONE
THE Palestinian Authority’s request for full United Nations membership has put hope for any two-state solution under increasing pressure. The need for reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians has never been greater. So it is important to separate legitimate criticism of Israel from assaults that aim to isolate, demonize and delegitimize it.
One particularly pernicious and enduring canard that is surfacing again is that Israel pursues “apartheid” policies. In Cape Town starting on Saturday, a London-based nongovernmental organization called the Russell Tribunal on Palestine will hold a “hearing” on whether Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid. It is not a “tribunal.” The “evidence” is going to be one-sided and the members of the “jury” are critics whose harsh views of Israel are well known.
While “apartheid” can have broader meaning, its use is meant to evoke the situation in pre-1994 South Africa. It is an unfair and inaccurate slander against Israel, calculated to retard rather than advance peace negotiations.
I know all too well the cruelty of South Africa’s abhorrent apartheid system, under which human beings characterized as black had no rights to vote, hold political office, use “white” toilets or beaches, marry whites, live in whites-only areas or even be there without a “pass.” Blacks critically injured in car accidents were left to bleed to death if there was no “black” ambulance to rush them to a “black” hospital. “White” hospitals were prohibited from saving their lives. Continue Reading →
Israel debates military strike against Iran
From DW-World.DE
Israeli media, politicians and analysts have been discussing for a week the possibility of a military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, but the country and its allies are far from a unified stance.
Iran is the greatest threat facing Israel and the rest of the world, Israeli President Shimon Peres said over the weekend as the nation debates whether it should carry out an airstrike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“Iran is the greatest danger, both for Israel and for the entire world,” Peres told a meeting of Druze leaders in a village in northern Israel on Sunday.
President Peres says Iran is the greatest threat for Israel and the worldHis comments came after a weekend of appearances by Israeli leaders on domestic and international media outlets, as they campaigned for increasing international pressure on Tehran to halt its nuclear program.
“The Iranians are determined to turn into a military nuclear power,” Defense Minister Ehud Barak told CNN. “They are ready to deceive, to defy and to deter the rest of the world from doing something about it.”
Barak also told the BBC that “paralyzing” sanctions could force Iran to abandon its nuclear program, but that “no option should be removed from the table.”
Warnings against unilateral action
Peres also said Israel must build an international consensus on Iran, and that Israel could not take unilateral action. Nearly all the former intelligence chiefs in Israel stressed this point, with former Mossad chief Meir Dagan several months ago calling a military strike against Iranian nuclear centers the “stupid” and something that would risk starting a region-wide war.
Amiram Levin, ex-general and deputy intelligence chief from 1998 to 2000, told Israeli radio that Israel “must have an interest in preserving the balance of power in the Middle East.”
Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes“We are a tiny drop in this enormous Arab and Muslim sea, and we have no reason to destroy the balance of power and create an escalation that will last for many years,” he said, adding that Israel was “too small and in the wrong region” to play the role of world police.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe echoed those concerns, telling Europe 1 radio on Sunday that “everything must be done to avoid the irreversible.”
“We will continue on this path [of sanctions] because a military intervention could create a situation that completely destabilizes the region,” he said.
IAEA report
Speculation is growing that Israel may be planning a preemptive strike against Iran. The Haaretz newspaper reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has support from Defense Minister Barak and Foreign Minister Avigdor Liebermann for such a strike.
Barak was in London over the weekend, which Israeli media interpreted as evidence of the government’s desire to build international support for military action against Iran. The daily Guardian newspaper reported that the British military was already preparing for an attack.
Ahmadinejad says Iran will fight back against any attackMeanwhile Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the Egyptian state-owned newspaper Al-Akhbar accused Israel and the United States of building international support for a military strike, and that “the arrogant should know that Iran will not allow them to take any action against it.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to release a report on Iran’s nuclear program later this week. Previous reports have focused on Iran’s uranium enrichment program, which it says are solely for civilian purposes. The latest report is to focus on allegations that Iran plans to use the material to build a nuclear warhead.
Author: Bettina Marx, Tel Aviv / acb
Editor: Nancy Isenson