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WEDNESDAY’S “NEWS IN REVIEW” ROUND-UP

 We welcome your comments to this and any other CIJR publication. Please address your response to:  Rob Coles, Publications Chairman, Canadian Institute for Jewish Research, PO Box 175, Station  H, Montreal QC H3G 2K7 – Tel: (514) 486-5544 – Fax:(514) 486-8284; E-mail: rob@isranet.wpsitie.com

 

Contents: | Weekly QuotesShort Takes   |  On Topic Links

 

On Topic Links

 

Joe Biden Versus the Israeli People: Jonathan S. Tobin, Commentary, Apr. 19, 2016

How US Covered Up Saudi Role in 9/11: Paul Sperry, New York Post, Apr. 17, 2016  

The Taliban Attack in Kabul and Afghanistan’s Devolution: Michael Kugelman, Wall Street Journal, Apr. 19, 2016

Russian Enclave Seen as a Fault Line of East-West Tensions: Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times, Apr. 16, 2016

 

WEEKLY QUOTES

 

“I firmly believe that the actions that Israel’s government has taken over the past several years — the steady and systematic expansion of settlements, the legalization of outposts, land seizures — they’re moving us, and more importantly, they’re moving Israel in the wrong direction.” — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. In an address delivered at J Street’s annual convention in Washington DC, Biden singled out Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for criticism, expressing his “overwhelming frustration” with the Israeli leader’s policies. While Biden did make mention of the failure by Palestinian officials, including PA President Mahmoud Abbas, to condemn acts of terror against Israel, the Vice President vowed to “push them [Israel and the Palestinians] as hard as we can” towards a two-state solution. “There is at this moment no political will that I observed from either Israelis or Palestinians to go forward with serious negotiations,” he said. (Algemeiner, Apr. 19, 2016)

 

“While it is a curious thing for one government of a democratic nation to express an opinion about the verdict of the people in another democratic nation, (Biden’s address to J Street) was nevertheless a rare moment of honesty from the Obama administration about Israel. As much as the problems between Washington and Jerusalem have been hyped as the product of the dysfunctional relationship between Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu, the truth is that the disconnect between the two governments isn’t really about two men that don’t like each other. The administration’s problem isn’t so much with Netanyahu as it is with the Israeli people who continue to reject their advice about policy and who should run their country.” — Jonathan S. Tobin. (Commentary, Apr. 19, 2016)

 

“The IDF and the Israel Police do not engage in executions. Israel’s soldiers and police officers defend themselves and innocent civilians with the highest moral standards against bloodthirsty terrorists who come to murder them…Where is the concern for the human rights of the many Israelis who’ve been murdered and maimed by these savage terrorists? This letter should have been addressed instead to those who incite youngsters to commit cruel acts of terrorism.” — Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. The Obama administration accused Israel of using excessive force against Palestinians during a wave of violence, in an annual report by the State Department into human rights abuses around the world. The report accused Israeli forces of “excessive use of force” in the Palestinian territories, and “arbitrary arrest and associated torture and abuse, often with impunity,” by the IDF, the PA and Hamas. According to the report, 149 Palestinians were killed in 2015 by Israeli security forces, but only 77 were in the course of attacking Israelis. (Times of Israel, Apr. 14, 2016)

 

“When missiles are being shot into your country, I don’t know what ‘disproportionate force’ is supposed to mean…Israel is being attacked to an extent that is very rarely seen, and so obviously you have to use very strong force.” — Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R), during a meeting with Jewish journalists. On the subject of the Middle East, Trump said, “If our elected officials went to the beach and didn’t do anything, the situation [there] would be a lot better off.” As for whether, in the event he becomes president, he would continue economic aid to Israel, he answered in the affirmative, calling Israel “one of our best allies anywhere.” (Algemeiner, Apr. 14, 2016)

 

"The decision was the president's. Did I do the due diligence? Did I talk to everybody I could talk to? Did I visit every capitol and then report back to the president? …Yes, I did. That's what a Secretary of State does. But at the end of the day, those are the decisions that are made by the President to in any way use American military power, and the president made that decision.” — Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D). Criticized by Bernie Sanders for spearheading the push to overthrow Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi, Clinton defended her actions and noted that it was Obama, not she, who ultimately made the call to intervene. In another seeming criticism of Obama, Clinton said earlier: "Nobody stood up to Assad and removed him, and we have had a far greater disaster in Syria than we are currently dealing with right now in Libya." (Politico, Apr. 2016)

"I feel very confident– when just under 400 members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans, express their position with great clarity– that the administration will read the letter…Maybe they'll read this letter very carefully." — Rep. Nita Lowey (D) of New York. At least 90 percent of the House of Representatives opposes "one-sided" action at the UN Security Council on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to a letter endorsed by 394 members. The letter calls on the administration to refuse support for "counterproductive efforts aimed at imposing a solution on the parties" and to oppose "and, if need be, veto one-sided United Nations Security Council resolutions." At least two resolutions are currently under the pen related to the decades-old conflict: One being spearheaded by the PA, another by the French government. The Palestinian draft would have the Security Council state its opposition to Israel's settlement activity in the West Bank— a position held by each individual permanent member of the Council. The Paris-led initiative would have the Security Council outline parameters of a two-state solution. (Jerusalem Post, Apr. 16, 2016)

 

“We did indeed withdraw a substantial portion of our forces…But we made sure that after our withdrawal, the Syrian Army would be in a fit state to carry out serious offensives itself, with our remaining forces’ support.” — Russian President Vladimir V. Putin. Russia’s war in Syria is slowly fading from view, even as events on the ground give every indication that Russian forces remain heavily engaged. Russia’s agenda in Syria at the moment is a tightrope act. It wants to keep enough forces engaged in Syria to ensure it can influence any political transition, so that Damascus remains a client. Yet, it does not want to become visibly mired in a prolonged war. (New York Times, Apr. 15, 2016)

 

“The goal since Russia began the operation was just to show that Russia is a great power, that it is again sitting at the Yalta table solving the future of other countries together with America…Putin needs Assad as a figure in this chess game. Not as a player in himself, not as an actor, but as a figure.” — Aleksandr M. Golts, a veteran Russian military analyst. In discussions, Putin has made it clear that he will not withdraw his support for the Syrian leader until there is a clear alternative in place. By an alternative, he means a specific figure who the Russian leader can feel confident will control the army and hold together what is left of the existing government. (New York Times, Apr. 15, 2016)

 

“One of the reasons the Saudi government is so defensive is that it perceives the United States as not tough enough with Iran…And Iran, sensing that Obama needs its help in Syria and for implementing the nuclear agreement, figures that it can play rough with Washington if necessary.” — Aaron David Miller & Jason Brodsky of the Woodrow Wilson International Center. President Obama, who is visiting Saudi Arabia to reassure the kingdom’s leaders unsettled by the Iran nuclear deal, has overseen a 275-per-cent increase in Western (mostly U.S.) arms sales to Saudi Arabia in the five years to 2015 compared with the previous five-year period. (Globe & Mail, Apr. 13, 2016)

 

“I’ve seen Saudi money at work in country after country, from Senegal to Kenya to Pakistan to Indonesia and beyond. Everywhere, their hirelings preach a stern and joyless world, along with the duty to carry out jihad (contrary to our president’s nonsense, jihad’s primary meaning is not “an inner struggle,” but expanding the reach of Islam by fire and sword)… The basic fact our policy-makers need to grasp about the Saudis is that they couldn’t care less about the welfare of flesh-and-blood Muslims (they refuse to take in Syrian refugees but demand Europe do so). What the Saudis care about is Islam in the abstract. Countless Muslims can suffer to keep the faith pure.” — Ralph Peters. (New York Post, Apr. 16, 2016)

 

"Allah is our destination. He is our goal. Our Sheikh al-Baghdadi proclaimed the banner of jihad … With the strength of belief our weapons are raised … We destroyed Belgium … Infidels and hypocrites. With slaughter we come to you. No, no agreement. And if they say, terrorist. I say, the honor is mine."  — A recent nasheed – or Islamic chant – posted by I.S., celebrating the Brussels attacks. “We Destroyed Belgium" features I.S's self-proclaimed caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, proclaiming the international nature of his group. This nasheed comes amid I.S. threats of further attacks. The terror organization released a video last week threatening to strike against London, Berlin or Rome. (IPT, Apr. 14, 2016)

 

“Do you remember those 219 school girls of rural Chibok community in Northern Nigeria who were abducted by Boko Haram terrorists exactly two years ago, on April 14, 2014? Well, they are still not back. Not even one of them has been rescued since we all cried out for help…Sadly, neither the government of Nigeria nor the rest of the world that loudly helped echo the agonizing chant, #BringBackOurGirls, has done what it called for in the spring of 2014…Our belief that ChibokGirls can still be rescued is anchored on unfailing hope. We cannot allow them to continue to be in captivity. We must now do everything it takes to secure their freedom and bring them home. That responsibility to act belongs to our country, Nigeria, but also to countries such as Canada, the U.S., Britain and France which once showed up to help rescue our girls. It is time to return, and to bring back our girls. Our girls are our collective future.” — Obiageli Ezekwesili, co-convener of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign. (Globe & Mail, Apr. 14, 2016)

 

“When I came down, I greeted him, I shook his hand and nothing more. This is called good manners and it is not getting involved in politics…If anyone thinks that greeting someone is getting involved in politics, I recommend that he look for a psychiatrist.” — Pope Francis. Francis said that his meeting with Bernie Sanders, contesting the Democratic candidacy for the U.S. Presidency, was not meddling in politics. Sanders and the pope met briefly on Saturday morning at the Vatican guest house where Francis lives and where Sanders and his wife spent the night after he addressed a Vatican conference on social justice. (Huffington Post, Apr. 16, 2016)

 

Contents

 

SHORT TAKES

 

FEW ANSWERS EMERGE 24 HOURS AFTER JERUSALEM BUS BOMBING (Jerusalem) —  One day after a bomb incinerated two buses in Jerusalem wounding 21 people Monday, a police gag order amid an ongoing joint investigation with the Shin Bet has meant few details have emerged about the explosion. A bus erupted into flames during rush hour traffic on Moshe Bar’am Street, resulting in an inferno that engulfed a second empty bus and a car. Despite the powerful impact of the blast, no one was killed. A forensics team found the remains of a bomb at the site. On Tuesday, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that although all indications point to a terrorist attack, police are still gathering evidence and investigating the series of events that led to the explosion. (Jerusalem Post, Apr. 19, 2016)

 

IDF UNCOVERS GAZA ‘TERROR TUNNEL’ DUG INTO ISRAELI TERRITORY (Jerusalem) — Security forces discovered a “terror tunnel” inside Israeli territory coming out of the southern Gaza Strip just over a week ago. Its exact location is still being under wraps by the military censor, though it does not appear that the tunnel led directly into the Israeli communities closest to the southern Gaza Strip.  The IDF has identified Hamas as the group behind the tunnel’s construction and maintains it was dug “in order to carry out attacks against civilians,” a spokesperson said. It is the first such tunnel discovered inside Israeli territory since the end of the war in the Gaza Strip in 2014. During that conflict, at least 34 tunnels were discovered and destroyed by Israeli forces. (Times of Israel, Apr. 18, 2016)

 

UNESCO IGNORES JEWISH TIES TO JERUSALEM HOLY SITES (Paris) — A United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) resolution does not recognize a Jewish connection to the Western Wall and the Temple Mount and calls Israel an “occupying power.” The resolution was adopted Friday by the executive board of UNESCO at a meeting in Paris. The resolution, which condemns Israeli actions in eastern Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, accuses Israel of “planting Jewish fake graves in other spaces of the Muslim cemeteries” and of “the continued conversion of many Islamic and Byzantine remains into the so-called Jewish ritual baths or into Jewish prayer places.” The resolutions refers to the cities of Hebron and Bethlehem as solely Muslim, and raps Israeli control over the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Rachel’s Tomb. (Forward, Apr. 17, 2016)

 

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION: GOLAN HEIGHTS ARE NOT PART OF ISRAEL (Washington) — The Obama administration does not consider the Golan Heights part of Israel, State Department spokesperson John Kirby said, a day after Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed that the Golan “will forever remain under Israeli sovereignty.” “The U.S. position on the issue is unchanged…this position was maintained by both Democratic and Republican administrations. Those territories are not part of Israel and the status of those territories should be determined through negotiations” Kirby said. Netanyahu’s declaration was denounced as an “escalation that represents a brazen violation of international law” by Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi. Syrian President Bashar Assad, meanwhile, demanded that any future international talks will include the stipulation that the Golan Heights be considered occupied territory that must be returned to Syria. (Breitbart, Apr. 19, 2016)

 

AFGHANISTAN ATTACK: KABUL SUICIDE BLAST DEATHS RISE TO 64 (Kabul) — The death toll from a huge explosion in the centre of the Afghan capital on Tuesday has more than doubled to 64 people, the government says. Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi tweeted that 64 Afghans were killed and 347 wounded. A suicide attacker detonated a vehicle and a fierce gun battle followed in one of the deadliest attacks in Kabul for years. A Taliban spokesman said the group carried out the attack. It came a week after it said it was launching its "spring offensive", warning of large-scale attacks. It had previously been reported that at least 28 people had been killed. (BBC, Apr. 20, 2016)

 

IRAN SHOWS OFF PARTS OF S-300 MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM (Tehran) — Even as Iran rolled out components of a new advanced air defense it received from Russia, President Hassan Rouhani said "a mighty Iran" would not "mount a threat to neighbors and other Islamic countries." Iran started to receive its first parts of the S-300 missile defense system from Russia last week. Some of the parts were shown in the country’s Army Day parade. Russia delivered the defense system despite repeated U.S. objections. A video from the parade purportedly shows the missile system being carried past a podium. The S-300 missile defense system is one of the more advanced types of weaponry of its kind that can engage multiple aircrafts and ballistic missiles around 90 miles away. (Fox News, Apr. 17, 2016)

 

SAUDI ARABIA WARNS OF ECONOMIC FALLOUT IF CONGRESS PASSES 9/11 BILL (Riyadh) —Saudi Arabia has said that it will sell off hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. assets held by the kingdom if Congress passes a bill that would allow the Saudi government to be held responsible in American courts for any role in the Sept. 11 attacks. The Obama administration has lobbied Congress to block the bill’s passage, and the Saudi threats have been the subject of intense discussions in recent weeks between lawmakers and officials from the State Department and the Pentagon. Several economists are skeptical that the Saudis will follow through, saying that such a sell-off would be difficult to execute and would end up crippling their economy. But the threat is another sign of the escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. (New York Times, Apr. 15, 2016)

 

PHILIPPINES TERRORISTS THREATEN TO BEHEAD CANADIAN HOSTAGES (Manila) — The terrorist group Abu Sayyaf has vowed to kill two Canadian hostages if a ransom is not paid within 10 days. The group sent out a video message of the two Canadians pleading for their lives. “This is a final, urgent appeal to governments – Philippine, Canadian – & families,” one of the hostages says in the video. “If $300 million (Philippine pesos) is not paid for me by April 25, they will behead me.” The hostages, John Ridsdel and Robert Hall, were abducted in September, along with two Norwegians from a resort in the southern Philippines. Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapsilon pledged allegiance to I.S. in 2014. An estimated 37 Abu Sayyaf fighters have been killed since last Saturday as part of a government offensive against the terrorists in the island province Basilan. (Clarion Project, Apr. 18, 2016)

 

SANDERS SUSPENDS JEWISH OUTREACH DIRECTOR WHO ATTACKED NETANYAHU (Washington) — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has suspended his national Jewish outreach coordinator, Simone Zimmerman, after revelations that she had posted vulgarities about Prime Minister Netanyahu on Facebook. Zimmerman’s suspension comes after a report that found a Facebook post in which she described Netanyahu as “arrogant, deceptive, cynical” and “manipulative.” She then used more aggressive language and continued that he had “sanctioned the murder of over 2,000 people this summer.” Zimmerman is a supporter of the extremist Jewish Voice for peace – which the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) named as one of America's top 10 anti-Israel hate groups – and an advocate for the anti-Israel BDS boycott movement. (Arutz Sheva, Apr. 15, 2016)

 

TRUMP NAMES ARUTZ SHEVA COLUMNIST AS ISRAEL ADVISOR (New York) — In a meeting with Orthodox Jews Thursday, Donald Trump named his two advisors on Israel — Trump's chief lawyer, Jason D. Greenblatt, and another lawyer, bankruptcy expert David M. Friedman of the Kasowitz law firm. Greenblatt is very supportive of the Judea and Samaria settlement enterprise, and Friedman is a leading commentator on Arutz Sheva and serves as the President of American Friends of Bet El Institutions. Friedman told Arutz Sheva's Baruch Gordon: "My views on Israel are well known, and I would advise (Trump) in a matter consistent with those views. America's geo-political interests are best served by a strong and secure Israel with Jerusalem as its undivided capital.” (Arutz Sheva, Apr. 15, 2016)

 

SWEDISH MINISTER TO RESIGN AFTER COMMENTS ON ISRAEL (Stockholm) — Sweden's Housing Minister Mehmet Kaplan will resign following comments where he likened Israel's treatment of Palestinians to what happened to Jews in Nazi Germany. The comments first reported last week were made in 2009, before Kaplan entered the center-left government to represent the minor coalition partner the Green Party in 2014. The resignation comes amid reports of tensions within the center-left minority coalition government of Prime Minister Stefan Lofven's Social Democrats and the Green Party. Kaplan, who was born in Turkey, has also been criticized for appearing on pictures from a dinner where representatives from an ultra-nationalist Turkish organization attended. (Jerusalem Post, Apr. 18, 2016)

 

US DEFENSE OFFICIAL TO COURT: POLLARD STILL SECURITY RISK (New York) — National Intelligence Director James Clapper claims that recently freed Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, who spent the past 29 years behind bars in a maximum security prison, still holds information that could harm American national security. Consequently, Pollard must endure the strict parole conditions imposed on him for the next five years. These include not permitting him to move to Israel, where he has been granted citizenship. Clapper submitted a document to a New York court and the parole commission handling Pollard’s case saying that Pollard continues to hold “sensitive and confidential information classified as top secret” that could harm American national security. (Jewish Press, Apr. 17, 2016)

 

ISRAELI BREWERY RECREATES JESUS-ERA BEER FROM 2,000-YEAR-OLD RECIPE (Tel Aviv) — Using new technology and ancient grains, an Israeli brewer has managed to recreate the beer that Jesus and his contemporaries may have enjoyed 2,000 years ago. The project began when Itai Gutman, the owner of Herzl Brewery, read an article about geneticists in Tel Aviv who had discovered the genome of an ancient strain of wheat grown and consumed in Israel during the era of Jesus. A “light bulb” lit up, said Gutman, and he contacted the researchers right away. “Within a few days I had several kilograms of this material, we just started to process and eventually is this beer that we’re drinking,” he said. He brewed a five-gallon batch of the beer, and was very surprised by the results, which included notes of honey and berries. (Breaking Israel News, Apr. 20, 2016)

 

JAY LENO RAISES $50K IN ONE MINUTE FOR UNITED HATZALAH IN ISRAEL (New York) — At a concert fundraiser for Israel’s volunteer EMS service held in New York, United Hatzalah was honored by former Tonight Show host Jay Leno, who performed a long comedy set and offered on the spot to donate a $36,000 fully equipped ambucycle for the EMS organization to use to save lives in Israel. In 2014 and 2015, Leno hosted the Genesis Prize award ceremony in Israel, following which he was attacked on social media for his support of the country. Leno brushed off the attacks and kept coming back to support the Jewish state in spite of the chastisement. (Jewish Press, Apr. 12, 2016)

 

Contents

 

On Topic Links

 

Joe Biden Versus the Israeli People: Jonathan S. Tobin, Commentary, Apr. 19, 2016—President Obama sent Vice President Joe Biden to address a J Street dinner last night and the message delivered to the left-wing lobby wasn’t subtle. After a diatribe blasting the government of Israel, Biden praised a young left-wing member of the Knesset in attendance at the event.

How US Covered Up Saudi Role in 9/11: Paul Sperry, New York Post, Apr. 17, 2016—In its report on the still-censored “28 pages” implicating the Saudi government in 9/11, “60 Minutes” last weekend said the Saudi role in the attacks has been “soft-pedaled” to protect America’s delicate alliance with the oil-rich kingdom.  

The Taliban Attack in Kabul and Afghanistan’s Devolution: Michael Kugelman, Wall Street Journal, Apr. 19, 2016—The consequences of a stalled Afghan peace process were violently illustrated Tuesday morning when the Taliban detonated a truck bomb outside a government facility in Kabul less than a mile from the presidential palace. The 9 a.m. blast, the terrorist organization’s way of signaling the start of its new fighting season, killed at least 30 people and injured more than 300 others.

Russian Enclave Seen as a Fault Line of East-West Tensions: Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times, Apr. 16, 2016—The maritime museum in this Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea caps each summer with its international Water Assembly, an antic parade of small historical vessels from around the Baltics, their crews wearing period costumes as they sail the Pregolya River.

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