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WEDNESDAY’S “NEWS IN REVIEW” ROUND-UP

 

 

 

MEDIA-OCRITY OF THE WEEK: “I do not believe that opinion has seeped into the pages of The New York Times. I think some who think that do so because of my decision to use the word “lie” [in stories that refer to Trump’s bolder falsehoods]. Some of it is, to be frank, because some of our competitors have accused us of that and I think that resonates with people. I really don’t buy it and we work really, really hard to not do it.” — Dean Baquet, executive editor, New York Times. (New York Times, Jan. 7, 2017)

 

Contents: | Weekly QuotesShort Takes   |  On Topic Links

 

On Topic Links

 

France's Counterproductive "Peace Initiative": Dr. Tsilla Hershco, BESA, Jan. 13, 2016

Foreign Ministry Chief Chalks up Paris Conference as Win for Israel: Alexander Fulbright, Times of Israel, Jan. 16, 2017

Turkey Goes Off the Rails: Michael J. Totten, World Affairs, Jan. 5, 2017

Anti-Semitism Only on Our Terms: Asaf Romirowsky, Ynet., Jan. 10, 2017

 

 

WEEKLY QUOTES

 

"The conference convening in Paris today is a useless conference. It is being coordinated between the French and the Palestinians. Its goal is to try and force terms on Israel that conflict with our national needs. Of course it pushes peace further away because it hardens the Palestinian positions and it also pushes them away from direct negotiations without preconditions. I must say that this conference is among the last twitches of yesterday's world. Tomorrow's world will be different – and it is very near.” — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Seventy nations gathered in Paris for a “peace” conference on Sunday. The Mideast peace conference in Paris closed Sunday, calling for Israel and the Palestinians to embrace a two-state solution as the only route to peace, despite Netanyahu branding the conference "useless."  (Prime Minister’s Office, Jan. 15, 2017)

 

“What Israel learned through many years of negotiations and diplomacy, from the days of [the late former Foreign Minister] Abba Eban to the period of Benjamin Netanyahu, was that the only way we resolve our differences with our neighbors is by sitting face-to-face at the peace table.” — ex-Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold. (Algemeiner, Jan. 13, 2017)

 

“We are witnessing an attempt to promote a last-minute initiative before the new US administration takes office…Supporters of the Palestinians are looking for further anti-Israel measures at the Security Council…The hypocrisy and the obsessive focus on Israel has reached new heights…These one-sided initiatives not only fail in bringing us closer to peace, but they actually encourage terrorism like we saw in last week’s horrific attack in Jerusalem.” — Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon. (Algemeiner, Jan. 13, 2017)

 

“But are the settlements the decisive element that Kerry considers them? One can argue that they are not. The settlements, after all, are on land captured by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967. Yet in 1964, when the Palestine Liberation Organization was founded, its aims was to eliminate Israel through armed struggle — before the settlements existed. The truth is that Palestinians, judged by their words and actions, want the Jews gone from the whole place. Jewish Israelis, if they sometimes express anxiety about future relations with the Palestinians, have good reasons.” — Robert Fulford. (National Post, Jan. 13, 2017)

 

“No one will care and no one will remember if a bunch of JV congressmen don’t show up…The idea that a mass protest will de-legitimatize Trump simply isn’t going to happen. They’re just crowing to interest groups that they didn’t participate in this.” — Political consultant Dan Gerstein. Democratic officials and liberal celebrities are turning their backs on Donald Trump’s inauguration festivities. More than 150 Dem donors and strategists, including pundit James Carville and Planned Parenthood’s Cecile Richards, are fleeing Washington for a Florida conference. And a long list of performers who had been rumored to entertain at the inauguration have denied their involvement or backed out, including Andrea Bocelli, Elton John, and the Beach Boys. (New York Post, Jan. 15, 2017)

 

“This is the office of the presidency. It is bigger than one person and should be respected by all of us…It’s unfortunate that some in the New York delegation are doing this just for the headlines.” — Political consultant Susan Del Percio. While only a handful of protesters showed up to Obama’s inauguration in 2009, about 30 groups have secured permits to protest Trump’s swearing-in. The largest event, with 200,000 people expected, is the Women’s March on Washington on Jan. 21. Trump’s inauguration as the 45th President will be held on Friday, January 20. (New York Post, Jan. 15, 2017)

 

“(NATO) has problems…It’s obsolete, first because it was designed many, many years ago…Secondly, countries aren’t paying what they should…(and NATO) didn’t deal with terrorism.” — Donald Trump. While those comments expanded on doubts Trump raised about NATO during his campaign, he reserved some of his most dismissive remarks for the EU and Merkel, whose open-border refugee policy he called a “catastrophic mistake.” In contrast, Trump praised Britons for voting last year to leave the EU. People and countries want their own identity and don’t want outsiders to come in and “destroy it.” The U.K. is smart to leave the bloc because the EU “is basically a means to an end for Germany,” Bild newspaper cited Trump as saying. (National Post, Jan. 16, 2017)

 

“Greece is fleeing again from a solution to the Cyprus problem…Turkey will be in Cyprus forever.” — Turkish President Recep Erdogan. Erdogan declared that Turkish troops would remain in Cyprus, complicating hopes of reuniting the island nation, which has been effectively partitioned since 1974. Since the late 1970s, leaders of both the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots have agreed in principle on a “bizonal, bicommunal federation” as the basis for reunification, but have different understandings of that term. Erdogan said firmly that Turkey would not withdraw from the island as long as Greek troops were also stationed there. “Full withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus is not possible,” he said. “If this is being discussed, then both sides must withdraw.” (New York Times, Jan. 13, 2017)

 

“We are in the middle of a revolution…If we were talking 10 years ago, 15 years ago, and I said Israel would find a big amount of energy and be almost totally independent when it comes to energy, you would think that I am crazy. We were the country of milk and honey but when it came to oil, we left it to our neighbors.” — Nati Birenboim, an owner of the Tamuz Group consulting firm. Once a barren energy island in a part of the planet otherwise awash in resources, Israel is finally pushing ahead with an ambitious strategy to tap offshore reserves that could transform its economy and, it hopes, its place in a historically hostile region. If all goes according to plan, Israel will not only become largely energy-independent, it will also supply neighbors. Still, Birenboim cautioned against excessive exuberance about the potential for change with Israel’s neighbors. Egypt, he noted, has its own possible offshore reserves. “It’s not going to be a game changer” with Cairo, he said. And Turkey seems to be turning to Russia. “I don’t think we can compete with Gazprom,” he said, referring to the Russian energy giant. “I don’t think the Turkish government is waiting for us with open arms.” (New York Times, Jan. 14, 2017)

 

“So Ben Rhodes, who is a veritable enemy of Israel, Obama appoints to Holocaust Memorial Council…The man is a spite machine.” — American Spectator Editor Melissa Mackenzie. Outgoing President Obama’s choice of top aide Ben Rhodes to serve on the US Holocaust Memorial Council drew online ire over Rhodes’ controversial record on Israel-related issues. Rhodes — whose role as Obama’s deputy national security adviser for strategic communications will come to an end on Friday — was a leading advocate of the Iran nuclear deal and a vocal critic of Israeli settlement policies. UN Watch Director Hillel Neuer tweeted, “No joke: Obama names aide who bragged of whitewashing Iran’s Holocaust-denying regime to Holocaust memorial council.” (Algemeiner, Jan. 17, 2017)

 

Contents

 

 

SHORT TAKES

 

BRITAIN, BALKAN COUNTRIES BLOCK EU FROM ADOPTING PARIS DECLARATION (Paris) — Jerusalem heaved a sigh of relief when the 28 EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels adjourned without issuing a statement adopting either UN Security Council Resolution 2334 or the declaration that emerged from the Paris conference on Sunday. Israel has in recent days worked to prevent the council from issuing a final statement that would adopt the language of the Security Council’s anti-settlement resolution, or the Paris declaration. France was pressing inside the meeting for the EU to adopt the Paris declaration, but these efforts were rebuffed by Britain and some Balkan states keen on getting off on the “right foot” with Donald Trump when he takes office. (Jerusalem Post, Jan. 16, 2017)

 

MAN SUSPECTED OF KILLING 39 IN NEW YEAR'S EVE MASSACRE CAPTURED (Istanbul) — A man suspected of killing 39 people during an attack on a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations has been caught. The suspect, who media quoted police as saying had operated under the cover name Abu Muhammed Horasani, was caught in a hideout with his four-year-old son. On January 1, an attacker shot his way into the Reina nightclub then opened fire with an automatic rifle. Turks as well as visitors from several Arab nations, India and Canada were among those killed. I.S. has claimed responsibility, saying it was revenge for Turkish military involvement in Syria. (Telegraph, Jan. 17, 2017)

 

CLASHES ENSUE AFTER COP, HIS ALLEGED ATTACKER KILLED IN NEGEV (Jerusalem) — A policeman was killed in a suspected car-ramming attack during clashes over home demolitions in the long-contested Bedouin town of Umm al-Hiran. The driver was shot and killed by security forces at the scene. Police identified the slain officer as 1st Sgt. Erez Levi, 34. The driver of the ramming vehicle, identified as Yaqoub Mousa Abu Al-Qia’an, was shot and killed after driving into the police line in the southern town. Later in the day, police clashed with local residents and Arab lawmakers trying to reach the scene, while Arab Israelis planned protests at 10 different sites across the country against the demolitions. (Times of Israel, Jan. 18, 2017)

 

GAZA YOUTH SETS SELF ABLAZE TO PROTEST HAMAS (Gaza) — A 20-year-old Gazan man set himself ablaze to protest the electricity shortage in Gaza. The youth is being treated in a Gaza hospital. Additional protests against Hamas and the electricity shortage took place on Tuesday. Hamas has used a variety of tactics, including shootings, to disperse the protests. Gaza's electricity is supplied by Israel, part of it directly and part of it transferred through the PA. Though Hamas officials enjoy electricity 24/7, Gazan civilians are allotted only 3-4 hours of electricity per day. Though the PA provides electricity to both Gaza and its own communities, they have not paid their bill to the Israel Electric Company in several years, forcing Israelis to foot the bill for PA and Gaza electricity use. (Arutz Sheva, Jan. 16, 2017)

 

HAMAS, FATAH ANNOUNCE DEAL TO FORM UNITY GOVERNMENT (Jerusalem) — After reconciliation talks in Moscow, the main Palestinian parties announced a deal to form a national unity government prior to the holding of elections. After the government is formed, the Palestinians would set up a national council, which would include Palestinians in exile, and hold elections. The non-official talks in Moscow began on Sunday. Representatives came from Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other factions. The last time the Palestinians staged elections in which both Hamas and Fatah took part was in 2006, when Hamas claimed an unexpected victory. The Palestinian representatives also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and asked him to dissuade Trump from carrying out a campaign pledge to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the capital Jerusalem. (Times of Israel, Jan. 17, 2017)

 

GERMAN COURT CALLS SYNAGOGUE TORCHING AN ACT TO 'CRITICIZE ISRAEL' (Berlin) — A German regional court in the city of Wuppertal affirmed a lower court decision stating that a violent attempt to burn the city’s Bergische Synagogue in 2014 was a justified expression of criticism of Israel’s policies. The court said in its 2015 decision that the three German Palestinian men wanted to draw “attention to the Gaza conflict” with Israel and deemed the attack not to be motivated by antisemitism. The court sentenced the three men to suspended sentences for tossing firebombs at the synagogue and causing €800 worth of damage. (Jerusalem Post, Jan. 13, 2017)

 

ABBAS MEETS POPE, OPENS EMBASSY (Rome) — PA Chairman Abbas met with Pope Francis at the Vatican and inaugurated the PA embassy there. Abbas said he discussed Jerusalem with the Pope, accusing the Israeli government of “turning Jerusalem into an exclusive Jewish/Israeli city, demolishing Palestinian homes, expanding illegal settlements, building an illegal Annexation Wall, dividing families, and isolating our occupied capital from the rest of Palestine.” Abbas threatened that, should Trump go ahead with the embassy move as promised, “there would be several options for us.” He suggested that one of those options would be “reversing our recognition of the State of Israel.” (Jewish Press, Jan. 14, 2017)

 

EGYPT DROPS CASE AGAINST MOB THAT ATTACKED CHRISTIAN (Cairo) — Egyptian prosecutors have thrown out a case brought by an elderly Christian woman against several members of a Muslim mob who stripped off her clothes and paraded her naked through the streets, her lawyer said. The assault in the central Minya province began after rumors spread that the son of the 70-year-old woman had an affair with a Muslim woman — a taboo in majority Muslim and conservative Egypt. Saturday's decision by the prosecutors cited lack of sufficient evidence. Discrimination against Christians, who make up about 10 percent of the population, is subtle in big cities like Cairo or Alexandria, but becomes much more pronounced in provinces like Minya, where they are a sizable minority. (Fox News, Jan. 15, 2017)

 

RUSSIA SELLING 130 TONS OF URANIUM TO IRAN (Moscow) — The Obama administration has approved a shipment of 130 tons of natural uranium from Russia to Iran, rewarding Iran for shipping 44 tons of heavy water it sent to Russia after exceeding the limit it could legally produce under the deal. Experts have said the amount of uranium to be shipped is enough to produce 10 nuclear bombs. The announcement of the new shipment is seen as one more last-minute jab from Obama at Trump, who probably would have vetoed the shipment, even though, according to US diplomats, the amount of uranium is within what’s allowable under the 2015 deal. Last month the IAEA warned that at current production levels Iran is going to exceed its cap on low-enriched uranium. (Jewish Press, Jan. 10, 2017)

 

MIDEAST EXPERT: THE MAN KERRY LEFT BEHIND (Washington) — John Kerry’s legacy as secretary of state “leans heavily towards failure,” asserts Michael Rubin, with “hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced in Syria.” But the man “who should haunt the dreams of Kerry and his team” is former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who remains imprisoned and unheard from in Iran. During negotiations over the nuclear deal, when Kerry’s “leverage was greatest, he did not hold firm to demand Levinson’s return — or information about his ultimate fate.” Nor was his family even notified that when the US paid $1 billion to free five American prisoners. Kerry “made a conscious decision to leave a man behind. That decision represents the worst of the State Department.” (New York Post, Jan. 13, 2017)

 

ISLAMISTS MAKE LAST-DITCH EFFORT TO FREE HAMAS SUPPORTERS (New York) — As Obama’s tenure reaches its final days, Islamists in the U.S. are waging a lobbying campaign aimed at securing the freedom of five men convicted of routing millions of dollars to Hamas. An open campaign is currently urging Obama to pardon five former officials from the defunct Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), casting them as victims of “anti-Muslim hysteria”. In 2008, a jury convicted the five of using a network of Palestinian charities controlled by Hamas to funnel money to the terrorist group. The Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) is leading the charge for a pardon, supported by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and pro-Palestinian groups. (Algemeiner, Jan. 13, 2017)

 

TRUMP SAYS HE’LL TAP KUSHNER TO BROKER MIDEAST PEACE (New York) — President-elect Trump has confirmed that he intends to use his Jewish son-in-law Jared Kushner to try to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. Trump said his daughter Ivanka, Kushner’s wife, would play no role in government. Trump also urged the UK to veto any new UN Security Council resolution critical of Israel, said the US abstention on December 23’s Resolution 2334 was terrible, and that he wished the UK had vetoed it. (Times of Israel, Jan. 16, 2017)

 

UK TO LOAN BUST OF CHURCHILL AFTER TRUMP REQUESTS ITS RETURN (Washington) — After an exile of nearly eight years, a bust of Sir Winston Churchill will be returned “on loan” to the White House upon Trump’s inauguration. The bust was originally presented as a gift to President George W. Bush by PM Tony Blair, and displayed in the Oval Office for the length of both of his terms. But President Obama handed the famous sculpture back to the UK in 2009, replacing it instead with one of Dr. Martin Luther King. Although Obama said that he had a second one in his private residence at the White House, the move was seen by outraged British citizens as a “snub.” (Jewish Press, Jan. 14, 2017)

 

UK MAN CONVICTED AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO ANTISEMITIC ATTACK (London) — Patrick Delay, 19, of the town of Coggeshall, Essex, pleaded guilty to charges of racially aggravated harassment. The charges were connected to his yelling ‘Hitler is on the way to you. Heil Hitler!’ while hurling at least six canisters of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) at four members of an Orthodox Jewish community in the north London neighborhood of Tottenham. A civil patrol spokesperson said “Jewish people have to face this anti-Semitism on a daily basis and visibly Jewish people are often targeted…It’s good that someone had been convicted and some actions has been taken.” (Jewish Press, Jan. 14, 2017)

 

CANADIAN UNIVERSITY TO FILE HUMAN RIGHTS COMPLAINT AGAINST PROFESSOR (Lethbridge) — Lethbridge University is planning to file a human rights complaint against a professor who used his classroom as a platform from which to blame the Jews and Israel for the 9/11 attacks. School officials said they are concerned that Anthony Hall — who was suspended without pay in October — may have violated the Alberta Human Rights Act, which prohibits publicly publishing discriminatory content. The school is concerned with Hall’s use of his Facebook page to promote “virulent and antisemitic comments;” his public accusations that Jews and Israel were to blame for 9/11; and his “rhetorically asking” school administrators during meetings if they were Jewish. (Algemeiner, Jan. 18, 2017)

 

MOROCCO 'BANS SALE AND PRODUCTION' OF THE BURKA (Casablanca) — Morocco has reportedly banned the sale and production of the burka in what appears to be the latest stage of the kingdom's crackdown on Islamic extremism. It is unclear whether the ban, which is linked to security concerns as the burka fully conceals the wearer's face, extends to wearing the burka in public places. Relatively few Muslim women in Morocco wear the burka. They instead opt for the hijab, a headscarf, or the niqab, which leaves the eyes visible. King Mohammed VI, who oversees the Moroccan government, favours a moderate version of Islam and has vowed to crack down on terrorism. (Telegraph, Jan. 12, 2017)

 

$10 MILLION GRANT AWARDED TO MUSEUM OF JEWISH PEOPLE (Tel Aviv) — The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot in Tel Aviv has been awarded a $10 million grant from the Koret Foundation, based in San Francisco. The grant is the largest awarded to Beit Hatfutsot from a U.S. foundation in its 40-year history and one of the largest grants made by the Koret Foundation to an Israeli institution. The grant will establish the new Koret International School for Jewish Peoplehood as the educational centerpiece of the Museum, and will offer an extensive range of personal and professional educational programs for visitors, online users, students and educators. (Jewish Press, Jan. 17, 2017)

 

PENDANT FOUND IN NAZI DEATH CAMP RUINS MAY HAVE ANNE FRANK LINK (Warsaw) — Researchers conducting an excavation at the Sobibor extermination camp in Poland have uncovered a pendant that appears identical to one belonging to Anne Frank. Archaeologists found the pendant under the remains of a hut where the hair of Jewish women was cut off before they were sent to the gas chambers. There, beneath the floorboards, they also found hairpins and other jewelry that had apparently fallen off more than 70 years ago. The pendant belonged to a Jewish girl named Karoline Cohn, who perished in Sobibor and may have been connected to Frank. The triangular piece has the words "Mazal tov" written in Hebrew on one side, along with Cohn's date of birth. The other side has the Hebrew letter hei, used to symbolize God's name, as well as three Stars of David. (Arutz Sheva, Jan. 15, 2017)

 

POLISH PRESIDENT BRINGS STONE FROM WARSAW GHETTO TO GRAVE OF YONI NETANYAHU (Warsaw) — Polish President Andrzej Duda paid his respects to the resting place of Yoni Netanyahu on Tuesday, placing a bouquet of flowers on the grave during his visit to Jerusalem. The Polish leader went together with Prime Minister Netanyahu to visit his brother’s grave at Mount Herzl military cemetery. Duda said that he knows the story of Yoni Netanyahu, and that he is a “hero.” He placed a stone on the IDF commander’s grave that he brought with him from the Warsaw Ghetto especially for the occasion. President Reuven Rivlin welcomed Duda upon his arrival Tuesday, thanking him also for attending the funeral of Israel’s Ninth President, Shimon Peres. (Jewish Press, Jan. 17, 2017)

 

Contents

On Topic Links

 

France's Counterproductive "Peace Initiative": Dr. Tsilla Hershco, BESA, Jan. 13, 2016—The "peace initiative" launched in Paris on June 3, 2016 was accompanied by an impressive display of French diplomatic fanfare, but the final statement did not match its originators' stated aspirations to formulate parameters for the conflict's core issues (borders, security, Jerusalem, refugees) and to set a rigid timetable for the attainment of an Israeli-Palestinian agreement.

Foreign Ministry Chief Chalks up Paris Conference as Win for Israel: Alexander Fulbright, Times of Israel, Jan. 16, 2017—Israel’s new Foreign Ministry chief on Monday hailed the lackluster outcome of Sunday’s Paris peace conference as a victory for Israel, saying Israel’s decision not to show up sent a message to the international community.

Turkey Goes Off the Rails: Michael J. Totten, World Affairs, Jan. 5, 2017—Last year was a gruesome one for Turkey, and this year is getting off to the worst possible start.

Anti-Semitism Only on Our Terms: Asaf Romirowsky, Ynet., Jan. 10, 2017—The US Senate has unanimously passed the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, introduced by US Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Bob Casey (D-PA). If approved by the House, the bill will give the US Department of Education the statutory tools to examine anti-Semitic incidents in the broadest and effective way possible.

 

 

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