Contents: Weekly Quotes | Short Takes
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Turkey's Gamble: Crackdown Threatens EU Accession Talks: Carsten Volkery & S. Weiland, Spiegel, June 11, 2013
Another Iran Crisis Is Looming: Yaakov Lappinm, Real Clear World, June 12, 2013
Israelis Build World’s First Eye-Free Smartphone: Abigail Klein Leichman, Israel 21C, June 9, 2013
“Among the protesters there are extremists, some of them implicated in terrorism. Supporters of this terrorist organization were present” in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. “We will not allow a minority to dictate to a majority, nor will we accept the tyranny of the majority.” — Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in reaction to protests that erupted in Istanbul in response to government plans to redevelop a city park into a shopping mall and spread to 78 cities in Turkey. (National Post, June 7, 2013)
"They say the prime minister is rough. So what was going to happen? Were we going to kneel down in front of these (people)? If you call this roughness, I'm sorry, but this Tayyip Erdogan won't change. A comprehensive attack against Turkey has been carried out. The increase in interest rates, the fall in the stock markets, the deterioration in the investment environment, the intimidation of investors – the efforts to distort Turkey's image have been put in place as a systematic project." — Turkish Prime Miniaster Tayyip Erdogan, to a parliamentary group meeting of his AK Party in response to mass demontrations that broke out in Istanbul initially in response to the Turkish governments redevelopment plans to build a shopping mall in Gezi Park, one of the few remaining green spaces in the city. (Jerusalem Post, June 11, 2013)
"The Iranians are getting very close now to the red line… They have close to 200 kilos — 190 kilos (418 pounds) — of 20 percent enriched uranium. Once they have 250 kilos, this is enough to make the final rush to 90 percent," the level of enrichment required for a nuclear warhead. It is a matter of weeks or maybe two months to jump from 20 percent to 90 percent with so many centrifuges. What they are doing now — instead of crossing the red line, they are widening and enlarging their capacity by putting in more centrifuges, faster centrifuges. Many people are saying it's a question of the Iranian bomb – whether they will have it or not. No. We are speaking about an Iranian arsenal. The Iranians feel very vulnerable, especially from American air operations. This is their main concern — that if the West, if NATO, if America decide to attack them, a few hours of accurate air raids might destroy their nuclear facilities." — Yuval Steinitz, Israeli Intelligence Minister, speaking to reporters on Monday [June 10]. Iran is working round the clock to enlarge its nuclear infrastructure, with the eventual aim of developing an industry capable of building up to 30 bombs a year, Steinitz charged on Monday. (Beirut Daily Star, June 10, 2013)
“We ask Iran to explain how this behaviour can be seen as anything but an attempt to conceal past incriminating activities.” — Shawn Caza, Canada’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations nuclear agency, referring to Iran’s alleged destruction and cleanup of the Parchin military base. Alleging that Iran had also cleaned up the Lavizan-Shian complex before it could be inspected, Mr. Caza called it “a recurring tactic of the Iranian regime: When they do not want agency inspectors to investigate a site they destroy it.” The Canadian representative also said Iran had not credibly explained its “excessive” production of 20% enriched uranium, “which equates to 90% of the effort necessary to produce weapons-grade material….We once again question how long the [IAEA] board can allow Iran to delay and obfuscate while serious questions about nuclear weapons related activities go unanswered. We need immediate, tangible and substantive co-operation from Iran.” In his presentation, Mr. Caza blasted Iran for its irresponsible behaviour, “flagrant disregard” of the UN and “misguided perception that it alone is not beholden to international law.”
“To be frank, for some time now we have been going around in circles.” — IAEA head Yukiya Amano said of 10 rounds of negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 — the U.S., U.K., France, Russia, China and Germany. The [Parchin military] site has now been so thoroughly cleansed that Mr. Amano acknowledged Monday [June 3] that any evidence that it was part of a nuclear weapons project is likely gone. “It may no longer be possible to find anything.” (National Post, June 6, 2013)
“The current exclusion of an organization [Hezbollah], which incites to and is actively involved in murder and hatred, on the list of terrorist organizations is hypocrisy which cries out to the heavens. It begs the question as to what other requirements, beyond the facts that are well known, are necessary for Hezbollah’s inclusion.” — Avigdor Liberman, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman, in a letter to Lady Catherine Ashton, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy decrying the EU’s recent decision not to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. In the letter Liberman recounted many terrorist acts committed by Hezbollah, including the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and its support for the brutal regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (Jewish Press, June 11, 2013)
"I understand by normalization that the relationship between me and you will be normal, that we'll play [sports] together and there will be a joint program. I say: There will never be normalization [with Israel] in sports… Next time [we meet with journalists], we are prepared to bring the Executive Committee [from Jordan] in helicopters so they will see no Jews, no Satans and no Zionist sons of bitches." — Jibril Rajoub, a senior Palestinian Authority leader, on P.A. TV (Fatah), translated and exposed by Palestinian Media Watch. The exposure of this anti-Semitic incitement resulted in Israel refusing Jibril Rajoub entry to Israel. (Palestinian Media Watch, May 17, 2013)
“Let me just reiterate the larger point here, which is that this is between – this is up to the Israelis and the Palestinians to make the decision to move back to the negotiating table… But it is ultimately up to both sides, regardless of who else is involved on the outside.” — Jen Psaki, U.S. State Dept spokeswoman at a daily news briefing on Friday [June 7], in a statement that reflected growing doubts in the U.S. of what has become a “peace process charade”. (Jewish Press, June 10, 2013)
“The EU continues to regret the unbalanced mandate of the Special Rapporteur [Richard Falk] and is also concerned that parts of the report include political considerations. In the past, the EU emphasized that future reports should be based on a more factual and legal analysis, and we regret to see no genuine progress in that direction. The council needs to be provided with accurate, factual information and solid allegations to fulfill its role and address the human rights situation in occupied Palestinian territory.” — the European Union, responding in a statement at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva Friday [June 7], to Mr. Falk’s latest report alleging human rights abuses by Israel against the Palestinians, and his inclusion, in the report, of attacks against UN Watch, which had exposed Mr. Falk’s long-term egregious bias against Israel. (Jerusalem Post, June 10, 2013)
“Mr. [Richard] Falk’s most recent statement – which he dramatically and recklessly included in an official UN document – is characteristic of previous reprehensible comments and actions he has made during his tenure as a special rapporteur. His views and behavior, both official and unofficial, are offensive and provocative and do nothing to advance peace in the Middle East or to further the protection and promotion of human rights. We again call for his resignation.” — Eileen Donahoe, United States Ambassador to the UNHRC, responding to Mr. Falk’s latest statements against UN Watch. (Jerusalem Post, June 10, 2013)
“Given the complicated situation in Golan Heights, we could replace the Austrian contingent leaving this region on the disengagement line between Israeli troops and the Syrian armed forces. But this will happen, of course, only if the regional powers show interest, and if the U.N. secretary general asks us to do so.” — Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, quoted as telling newly-appointed Russian officers in remarks in Moscow carried by the Interfax news agency.
“We appreciate the consideration that the Russian Federation has given to provide troops to the Golan. However, the disengagement agreement and its protocol, which is between Syria and Israel, do not allow for the participation of permanent members of the Security Council in Undof.” — Martin Nesirky, spokesman for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. (New York Times, June 8, 2013)
"It's important to recognize that you can't have 100 per cent security and also then have 100 per cent privacy and zero inconvenience…Nobody is listening to your telephone calls. That's not what this programme's about. They are not looking at people's names and they are not looking at content. But by sifting through this so-called metadata they might identify potential leads of people who might engage in terrorism. They help us prevent terrorist attacks." — U.S. President Barack Obama, defending his administration’s surveillance program, whose existence was recently leaked to the public by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, now apparently in hiding in Hong Kong. The program, PRISM, started under President George W. Bush after 9/11, lets the N.S.A. and the F.B.I. tap Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube and Apple, lifting audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails and documents in an effort to track foreign targets. (The Telegraph, June 7, 2013)
"I don't want to live in a society that does these sort of things…I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded." — Edward Snowden, former National Security Agency contractor, who admitted to leaking information about the top secret anti-terrorist surveillance program run by the Obama administration, in a video interview with The Guardian, dated June 6, published on its website. (Yahoo! News, June 11, 2013)
“People who think I made a mistake in picking [Hong Kong] as a location misunderstand my intentions. I am not here to hide from justice; I am here to reveal criminality. I’m neither traitor nor hero. I’m an American.” — Edward Snowden, in an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post Wednesday [June 12]. (South China Morning Post, June 12, 2013)
The [surveillance] program “gives the government a comprehensive record of our associations and public movements, revealing a wealth of detail about our familial, political, professional, religious and intimate associations.” — American Civil Liberties Union, in a lawsuit filed against the Obama administration’s anti-terrorist surveillance program, adding that it “is likely to have a chilling effect on whistle-blowers and others who would otherwise contact” the A.C.L.U. for legal assistance. (New York Times, June 12, 2013)
“When James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, was asked during a Congressional hearing in March whether the N.S.A. was collecting any information on ‘millions or hundreds of millions of Americans,’ Clapper replied ‘No, sir,’ adding, ‘not wittingly.’ That denial undermines our faith in the forthrightness of those scooping up every little bit of our lives to feed into government computers. The president calls the vast eavesdropping apparatus ‘modest encroachments on privacy.’ Back in 2007, Obama said he would not want to run an administration that was ‘Bush-Cheney lite.’ He doesn’t have to worry. With prisoners denied due process at Gitmo starving themselves, with the C.I.A. not always aware who it’s killing with drones, with an overzealous approach to leaks, and with the government’s secret domestic spy business swelling, there’s nothing lite about it.” — Maureen Dowd in an op-ed article for the New York Times. (New York Times, June 9, 2013)
They “assert that it is permissible for a Muslim to kill an 'apostate,' an 'adulterer,' those practicing 'major polytheism,' and homosexuals. They promote global jihad as an 'effort to wage war against the unbelievers,' including for the purpose of 'calling [infidels] to the faith.' They continue to teach that 'the hour [of judgment] will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them,' that Shiite practices amount to 'polytheism', that the Christian Crusades never ended, and that the Protocols of the Elders of Zion are historical fact.” — Nina Shea, director of the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom, citing a 2006 study conducted by the Institute into Saudi government textbooks used at the Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA), a Saudi government-funded private pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade school in Fairfax County, Virginia. (Newsweek/Washington Post, June 12, 2013)
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ERDOGAN WARNS PROTESTERS AS RIOT POLICE CLASH WITH PROTESTERS—(Istanbul) Hundreds of Turkish policemen in riot gear fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters in Taksim Square the hub of the growing anti-government protests even as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned he will not show "any more tolerance". Erdogan urged demonstrators to leave the square and insisted the protests were part of a conspiracy against the government. Braving teargas and water cannons, tens of thousands of protesters returned to Taksim Square, the symbol of nationwide grievances against his government, in the evening. Hundreds more vowed to continue their sit-in at Taksim's adjacent Gezi Park, despite an order from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for them to leave – an order bolstered by the police show of force. The unrest has spread to 78 cities across the country, with protesters championing their objections to what they say is the prime minister's increasingly authoritarian style and his perceived attempts to impose a religious and conservative lifestyle in a country with secular laws – charges he rejects. So far four people have died, including a policeman, and about 5,000 have been treated for injuries or the effects of teargas, according to the Turkish Human Rights Foundation. (European Sun, June 12, 2013)
IN SYRIA, AL-ASSAD’S FORCES MOVE ON ALEPPO — (Amman) Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are massing around Aleppo in preparation for an offensive to retake the city and build on battlefield gains that have swung the momentum of Syria’s war to Mr. al-Assad and his Hezbollah allies. Rebels reported signs of large numbers of Shia Muslim fighters flowing in from Iraq to help Mr. al-Assad end the civil war that has killed at least 80,000 people and forced 1.6 million Syrians to flee abroad. The move to a northern front comes as Syria’s war is increasingly infecting its neighbours – Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel – and widening a regional sectarian fault-line between Sunni and Shia Muslims. (Globe and Mail, June, 10 2013)
SAUDI SILENCE ON DEADLY M.E.R.S. VIRUS OUTBREAK FRUSTRATES WORLD HEALTH EXPERTS — (Geneva) Over the next few weeks officials at the World Health Organization (WHO) face a tough and politically charged call. The Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan, begins July 9 and could draw as many as two million people from around the globe to the holy sites of Saudi Arabia in a pilgrimage called umrah. But a new disease, called Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome, or MERS, could threaten them. Since the start of May there have been 38 new cases worldwide—31 of them in Saudi Arabia—and 20 of the victims have died, yet only the barest of details that scientists or public health officials could use to try to prevent its spread within Saudi Arabia or around the globe have been released. With virtually no clues to draw on about where the virus lives in nature and how people contract it, WHO is trying to figure out what guidance to give those pilgrims, and the countries they will return to, about how to avoid infection and the international dissemination of a devastating new illness. [emphasis added – Ed.] (Scientific American, June 7, 2013)
POLL: 85% OPPOSE RELEASING PRISONERS FOR PEACE — (Jerusalem) The Palestinian Authority’s demand that Israel release terrorists from prison as a precondition for peace talks is unacceptable to 85 percent of Israeli Jews, according to a Smith Research poll sponsored by the Knesset’s Land of Israel caucus. Asked whether they would support releasing terrorists as a gesture to bring the Palestinians to the negotiating table, 57% said they would strongly oppose it, 28% said were against it, 13% said they supported it and just 2% said they were strongly in favor of such a move. (Jerusalem Post, June 11, 2013)
EU KEEN TO TAP INTO ISRAEL'S GAS SUPPLY THROUGH TRANS ADRIATIC PIPELINE — (Brussels) The European Union, which is trying to reduce its dependence on Russia for gas and diversify its supply sources, is eyeing Israel as a likely alternative and has proposed linking it to the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, Israeli industry sources said Monday. Valeria Termini, vice president of the Council of European Energy Regulators, has held talks with senior Israeli Energy and Water Ministry officials on the proposal, the sources added. The proposal would enable Israel to join the European pipeline network, eliminating the need to build a costly LNG facility. An LNG terminal is estimated to cost between $7 billion to $10 billion while a pipeline to the European network can be built for $2 billion-$3 billion. (PLATTS, June 10, 2013)
GOOGLE ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF ISRAELI APP WAZE — (Seattle WA) After months of rumors and speculation as to which global technology giant would charm Israel’s homegrown traffic crowd-sourcer Waze into a partnership, Google emerged victorious on Tuesday [June 11], announcing in a blog post that it had acquired the app. Though neither Google nor Waze specified the cost of the deal, Bloomberg cited sources valuing it at $1.1 billion, making it one of the largest purchases in Israeli history and potentially netting the Finance Ministry nearly NIS 1b. in tax revenues. Yet Google’s announcement also raised questions as to how long Waze would keep operating in the country as a separate entity, a point of contention said to have thwarted Facebook’s advances. “The Waze product development team will remain in Israel and operate separately for now,” Google wrote in its post, signed by VP Brian McClendon. (Jerusalem Post, June 11, 2013
US FINDS LONG-LOST DIARY OF NAZI LEADER, HITLER AIDE — (Washington) The US government has recovered 400 pages from the long-lost diary of Alfred Rosenberg, a confidant of Adolf Hitler who played a central role in the extermination of millions of Jews and others during World War Two. A preliminary US government assessment reviewed by Reuters asserts the diary could offer new insight into meetings Rosenberg had with Hitler and other top Nazi leaders, including Heinrich Himmler and Herman Goering. It also includes details about the German occupation of the Soviet Union, including plans for mass killings of Jews and other Eastern Europeans. "The documentation is of considerable importance for the study of the Nazi era, including the history of the Holocaust," according to the assessment, prepared by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. "…The diary will be an important source of information to historians that compliments, and in part contradicts, already known documentation." (Jerusalem Post, June 10, 2013)
Turkey's Gamble: Crackdown Threatens EU Accession Talks: Carsten Volkery and Severin Weiland, Spiegel, June 11, 2013—The crackdown against protesters in Istanbul by the Turkish government creates a dilemma for the EU. The Europeans don't want to tolerate violence against demonstrators, but they also don't want to lose Erdogan as a partner.
Israelis Build World’s First Eye-Free Smartphone: Abigail Klein Leichman, Israel 21C, June 9, 2013—Project RAY, now launching in the US, opens the benefits of digital access to commercial and public services to people with visual disabilities. The world’s first smart phone for people with visual disabilities, already making daily life easier for many Israelis, is launching in the United States in collaboration with Qualcomm, Amazon and T-Mobile.
Another Iran Crisis Is Looming: Yaakov Lappinm, Real Clear World, June 12, 2013—At a time when news headlines from the Middle East are dominated by battles in Syria, growing Sunni-Shi'ite conflict in Iraq and Lebanon, and mass disturbances in Turkey, it is easy to forget about Iran's nuclear program; but early warning indicators are signaling an impending, explosive crisis over Iran's refusal to halt its covert nuclear weapons program.
Ber Lazarus , Publications Editor Canadian Institute for Jewish Research /L'institut Canadien de recherches sur le Judaïsme www.isranet.org Tel: (514) 486-5544 Fax: (514) 486-82843
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