Category Archives: Israel

More blatant UN-HRC hypocracy than usual

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Different rules for Israel

National Post  Published: Saturday, May 30, 2009

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H/T Fred at GAR
If more proof were needed that the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a feckless, biased, intellectually corrupt haven for dictators and Islamofascists, the evidence was clearly on display this week. The UNHRC voted to affirm Sri Lanka’s right, justifiably, to self-defence from terror attacks launched against its citizens and territory by the Tamil Tigers. Indeed, the council went further, “condemning all attacks that the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) launched on the civilian population and its practice of using civilians as human shields.” Sri Lanka had every right to protect itself, the council concluded, even at the cost of an estimated 20,000 civilian Tamil lives since the beginning of May alone.

Why, then, when Israel seeks to do the same — protect its citizens and territory from rocket and terror attacks launched from Gaza — does the very same council accuse Israel of being a “genocidal empire?” No quarter is given for the way Hamas –every bit as much a terror organization as the LTTE — hides its rocket bases and ammunition caches in schools, apartments and hospitals and launches its attacks on Israel from behind innocent human targets so that if the Israel Defense Forces wish to retaliate it is impossible for them to do so without taking civilian lives.

We are not disagreeing with the UNHRC’s assessment of Sri Lanka’s actions. Even more than Hamas and its jihadi brothers-in-arms, the Tigers were enthusiastic suicide bombers, targeting shops, public squares and Sri Lankan government offices. So proficient had they become, the Black Tigers — the LTTE’s suicide squads — could calculate how many Sri Lankans would die in their initial blasts and how many more would be cut down by flying glass and debris. After nearly three decades of fighting and at least 70,000 deaths on both sides, we sympathize with the Colombo government’s desire to bring their civil war to an end, once and for all.

Our question is merely: Why such a double standard when it comes to Israel?

Following Israel’s offensive against Gaza earlier this year, members of the council accused the Jewish state of genocide. The UNHRC struck a investigative panel that examined only Israel’s role in the fighting; it ignored the many thousands of provocative rocket attacks launched by Gazans against civilian targets in Southern Israel over the past eight years. It was silent on Hamas’s repeated use of its own people as shields against Israeli counterattacks. What the council praises Sri Lanka for doing, it roundly criticized Israel for.

Council members Cuba, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China and others — all states with their own spotty records on human rights — voted for both the resolution condemning Israel and the one praising Sri Lanka. Cuba — that paragon of rights defence — even moved to stop EU amendments to the Sri Lankan resolution that would have at least called on Colombo to permit relief workers into the Tamil war zone and pressured both sides to end their violence.

Earlier this year, the UNHRC expressed its solidarity with the Palestinian people and denounced Israel as the “occupying power,” even though Israel had no troops in Gaza in the three years before the most recent incursion.

Accusing Israel of human rights violations, though, seems to be the foremost reason many countries seek seats on the council — that and using their positions to shield their own human rights records from scrutiny.

This week, many Arab member-states wanted the council to go further and accuse Israel of crimes against humanity for killing 600 to 900 Palestinian civilians. We suppose the fact that they were unsuccessful is some kind of ray of hope. Still, the even-more-blatant-than-usual bias of the council, as evidenced by their different approaches toward the very similar situations in Sri Lanka and Israel, shows that neither the council nor the greater UN can be trusted when it comes to the Middle East in particular and human rights in general.

‘If Israel doesn’t remove Iranian threat, no one will’ – Benjamin Netanyahu

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If Israel does not eliminate the Iranian threat, no one will, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday. From Haaretz: Hat tip Pat Dollard

“Israel is not like other countries,” Netanyahu told his Likud faction in a meeting which came one week after his meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House. “We are faced with security challenges that no other country faces, and our need to provide a response to these is critical, and we are answering the call.”

“These are not regular times. The danger is hurtling toward us? The real danger in underestimating the threat,” Netanyahu said, addressing the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. “My job is first and foremost to ensure the future of the state of Israel … the leadership’s job is to eliminate the danger. Who will eliminate it? It is us or no one.”

“Our relationship with the United States is of great importance,” Netanyahu said. “Our situation today is different from our situation between 1996 and 1999. Our priorities must be inline with national security needs and we must unite in order to deflect the danger. The Defense Minister and I are working in coordination; he is not conducting an independent policy.”

Netanyahu added that he reached understandings Obama, among them that the most important goal for both countries is preventing Iran from attaining a nuclear military capability. Netanyahu told Likud members that Israel received a number of key pieces of defense aid from the Americans.

Addressing the differing Israeli and American approaches to the issue of West Bank settlements, Netanyahu said the issue resembled a disagreement between good friends.

“The Defense Minister and I are working in coordination; he is not conducting an independent policy,” he said. “During the elections I said that we are law-abiding and will deal with deal with the illegal outposts.”

Israel’s government and the American administration have expressed divergent views on how they perceive some of the most sensitive issues of the Middle East conflict.

The State Department said Sunday that the future status of Jerusalem would be determined through peace negotiations, despite Netanyahu’s declaration last week that the capital would “never again be partitioned and divided.”

“Jerusalem is a final status issue. Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to resolve its status during negotiations. We will support their efforts to reach agreements on all final status issues,” a State Department spokesman said when asked to respond to Netanyahu’s proclamation that Jerusalem would always remain under Israeli sovereignty.

At a state ceremony marking the annual Jerusalem Day on Thursday, Netanyahu said” “United Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. Jerusalem was always ours and will always be ours. It will never again be partitioned and divided.”

A U.S. Congressional delegation in Jerusalem said on Sunday that it was “skeptical” that Netanyahu’s government would be able to move the peace process with the Palestinians ahead.

The five-person delegation from the sub-committee on the Middle East was headed by Congressman Gary Ackerman from New York, who is considered one of Israel’s greatest friends on Capitol Hill. The delegation met with President Shimon Peres and other senior officials in Israel and in the Palestinian Authority.

The representatives had tough questions for the Israelis on construction in West Bank settlements and protested Israel’s intention to continue building to accommodate “natural growth.” They also expressed great concern over the siege on Gaza, noting that the civilian population was suffering greatly from a lack of food and medicine.

The prime minister said he had made the same declaration about the unity of Jerusalem during his recent visit to Washington, where he met with Obama over the peace process and Iran’s nuclear program.

“Only under Israeli sovereignty will united Jerusalem ensure the freedom of religion and freedom of access for the three religions to the holy places,” Netanyahu added.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said later Thursday that Netanyahu’s position on Jerusalem was a setback to the goal of a two-state solution, which is strongly supported by the Obama administration.

“Mr. Netanyahu, by saying that, he’s saying the state of conflict will be eternal,” Erekat said.

Contest for Vlad readers.

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In 2010 Israel claims it will have its “iron Dome” operational. A system which claims it can shoot down incoming missiles. Of course this is an exceptional answer to a problem nearly uniquely Israel’s in the sense that if any other nation on earth experienced over five thousand missile attacks on its civilians and schools etc. within a few years everyone would have expected them to fight back. However Israel is expected to basically do nothing but apologize for being in the way of enemy attacks.

When Israel built a wall to stop waves of suicide bombers (which by the way was very effective) the world community loudly condemned Israel for creating an ‘apartheid’ state while ignoring the walls used to shut out Iraq in Saudi Arabia, USA Mexico, China, Egypt Jordan and many other places walls are used to protect one group from a hostile neighbor.  Sooner or later, I expect Israel to be indicted for war crimes for causing cancer in Palestinians when they called everyone in Gaza to warn of attacks on their cell phones.

saudi-wall

Now for the contest:

I will give a Larry Curly and Mohamed T shirt to the first person who comes up with the reasoning the world media, UN, academia and so on use to claim that Iron Dome, the system to shoot down incoming terrorist missiles is somehow a crime against humanity and an act of evil etc. etc. ad nauseum.

Please post your predictions in the comments. I will contact the winner by email so long as the winner does not work for an MSM media outlet who is in fact predicting his own article. Friends and family can feel free to play.

All speculation must be posted within 2 months of deployment of Iron Dome or before the first protest takes place in front of the Israeli Consulate in Toronto.

Sooner or later, we need to take them at thier word. Better sooner than later.

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Iran has been chrystal clear for some time now. The fact that what they have been clear about is counter intuitive for westerners or that we must rationalize it all away as a cover for some clever geopolitical ploy does us great damage.

It is indeed hard for westerners to believe that Iran genuinely wants to cause cataclysmic events to bring back a supernatural being just as it was hard for nearly everyone to believe that Hitler wanted to kill all the Jews or that Stalin was starving the Ukrainians to death. Perhaps it is humanities fate not to believe what we are told that we wish not to believe. Even so, the obligation to present the evidence remains. Iran is developing nuclear weapons. They intend to use them on Israel and the United States. They do not care how many Iranians die as a result as they, the Iranians will go to some kind of preferred afterlife and their enemies will not as they see it. Is this hard to believe? Indeed it is. But most of us have deeply religious friends who may have more benign beliefs but not less implausible. When Iran’s leaders speak, know they mean it. Respond accordingly.


US official Rose Gottemoeller calls for Israel to sign non-proliferation treaty

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From The Australian, supplied by our Ozzie friend, RR

A CALL by a US official for Israel to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) has raised fears in Jerusalem that the Obama administration may be seeking to block the Iranian nuclear threat by sacrificing Israel’s reported nuclear arsenal.

US Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller said this week: “Universal adherence to the NPT, including by India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea, remains a fundamental objective of the United States.”

The US has quietly accepted Israel’s nuclear ambitions over the years because the Jewish state’s perceived vulnerability in the Middle East lent legitimacy to its desire for a “doomsday” weapon that could deter its enemies.

“In the past, there was an informal agreement by which the Americans looked the other way (regarding Israel’s nuclear program),” said Uzi Even, a former Knesset member and a scientist who was involved in the program. “Now the US is breaching this agreement.”

A senior official in Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the ministry was “trying to verify” Ms Gottemoeller’s statement, apparently meaning it was attempting to determine whether it meant a departure by the new US administration from previous policy. “In any case, it’s baffling.”

Under the treaty, only five nations are allowed to hold nuclear weapons – the US, Russia, Britain, France and China. All other signatories are obliged not to develop nuclear weapons.

Those that already have nuclear weapons are required to gradually rid themselves of them.

The only non-signatories in the world are the four countries cited by Ms Gottemoeller. India, Pakistan and North Korea have tested nuclear devices. Israel has not but is reported to have up to 200 nuclear warheads.

Under a 40-year-old understanding reportedly achieved between then Israeli prime minister Golda Meir and then US president Richard Nixon, Washington has refrained from pressuring Israel to sign the NPT.

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Glenn Beck warns of a government out of control. Watch this.

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Typically I work hard to make this and any other blog I am involved with as non partisan as humanly possible as the issues we deal with are much bigger than mere party lines. However, there are moments where it appears that one party may actually be crossing these lines and creating problems within the very areas this blog is concerned with specifically, Islamic manifest destiny in the west, and irrational leftism resulting in loss of freedoms, freedom of speech and freedoms in general. Watch Glenn. He is typically an unusually reasonable man and one we post videos of here often. (Hat tip Diana West)

Please see the whole article at source:

Israeli Kibutz develops solar array with 75% efficiency

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ZenithSolar’s rotating dishes can harness up to 75 percent of incoming sunlight, roughly five times the capacity of traditional photovoltaic cells.
(Sebastian Scheiner/AP)

In Israel, solar power that won’t need subsidies

On Monday, ZenithSolar unveiled a new solar dish that could make the cost of solar energy competitive with fossil fuels.

By Ilene R. Prusher | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor/ April 28, 2009 edition

Kvutzat Yavne, Israel

In a country that ranks among the world’s highest for average number of sunny days per year, solar energy has long been seen as a key natural resource here.

All the more fitting that on the eve of its Independence Day Israel launched what it said was the first solar farm of its kind, billed as a breakthrough that will make it affordable to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

The technology, a system of rotating dishes made up of mirrors, is capable of harnessing up to 75 percent of incoming sunlight – roughly five times the capacity of traditional solar panels. In addition, using mirrors to reduce the number of photovoltaic cells needed, it makes the cost of solar energy roughly comparable to fossil fuels.

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2 videos on demographics. These need to be seen.

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This first one is a trailer for what appears to be a fantastic and scholarly film dealing with the hard cold albeit politically incorrect facts of global and especially European demographics. I plan to get this film as soon as I can.

This second one deals with Sweden and specifically Malmo. The events in it regular readers of Vlad will be familiar with. But this is a good compilation and analysis with new interviews.

A study in contasts of leadership. Iran Vs. US

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The video below was grabbed from MEMRI. A translation of a recent speech by Iran’s leader I refer to as ‘I’madinnerjacket’. Be warned that this speech is firstly tedious. Nothing sexy or compelling about it in any way. However I feel its value is the clear weakness and tyrannical nature of this leader. The overt lies and sensitivity of Iran’s leader to criticism. When G.W. Bush had a shoe thrown at him in Iraq, a nation he took great expense and risk to liberate from a tyrant of historical proportions, his response was something like “Sounds like a size ten”.

When Bush came to Ottawa Canada during the first few months of Paul Martin’s term, he was first greeted by around 30 Canadians welcoming him (I was among them) and then several thousand far left university students screaming and comparing him to Hitler and so on. His response was, “It was nice to see a few people on the way here waving at me with all five fingers.”

Again, this shows some humility and dignity in the face of adversity. Compare that to I’madinnerjacket’s need to brag about how he wanted to punch his detractors in the mouth. Or how those who wanted to interrupt his speech where taking money from ‘Zionists’ or how the US takes all profits and does not share while expecting others to pay for economic slow downs.

The facts are, the US of A has picked up nearly the whole NATO defence budget for Europe post WW2 and consequently allowed Europe to indulge in all the expensive social programs which is killing them now. If you want to blame the US for destructive behaviour, blame them for their generosity. Of all the blustering threatening speeches I have seen this man make, I feel this may be the most foreboding. Because it is the weak power who will resort to horrific acts of violence as it is the coward in the school yard who throws his weight around. Watch this video and determine for yourself what sort of a leader, what sort of a man this is.

Former London mayor’s Muslim cleric buddy.

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Once the troops are home from Afghanistan, I say we sent them to England. That is clearly the most serious threat in terms of Islamic terrorism.

Eeyore

London Mayor’s Muslim Cleric Says Hitler Put Jews In Their Place

From Anarak UK

qaradawi 150x150 London Mayors Muslim Cleric Says Hitler Put Jews In Their Place MORE on former London Mayor Ken Livingstone’s cuddle companion: Yusuf al-Qaradawi

As Ken said when he met the great misunderstood cleric:

“On behalf of the people of London, I would like to apologise to the Sheikh for the outburst of xenophobia in sections of the media which demonstrated an underlying ignorance of Islam.”

He apologised on your behalf to a man who can be seen and heard being misunderstood in this clip:

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An astonishing video courtesy of Palistinian Media Watch

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I have so very much to say about this video. But why bother? Today, a man was sentenced to death for selling land to a Jew in Palestinian-occupied Israeli territory (for selling Jewish land – Jewish holy land – to a Jew) and they call Israel an Apartheid state. It doesn’t or at least shouldn’t need to be mentioned that Muslim Arabs own land stores businesses and anything else they want anywhere in Israel they care to have them. Yet again, people overall seem obsessed with the minutia of the Israeli state and its treatment of non Jews.

Anyway, here is an example of the kind of TV propaganda that Muslims watch in Gaza. Anyone still on that side, please find me any comparable example of this sort of thing from Isreal. Hell from anywhere at all non Islamic.

Hat tip jdamn