Media-ocrities of the Week
“To assume that the Islamists will not be impacted, or moderated, by the responsibilities of power…is to miss the dynamism of Egyptian politics today. Come with me to Cairo’s dirt-poor Shubra el-Khema neighborhood…where I watched the last round of voting at a women-only voting center.… Here is what was so striking: virtually all the women we interviewed after the voting—all of whom were veiled, some with only slits for their eyes—said that they had voted for either the Muslim Brotherhood or the Salafists. But almost none said they had voted that way for religious reasons.… Practically all of them said they had voted for the[m] because they expected them to deliver better, more honest government—not more mosques or liquor bans.”—Thomas Friedman, in “Watching Elephants Fly,” claiming the achievement of an absolute parliamentary majority by radical Islamists in Egypt’s elections had nothing to do with religion, and that political realities will moderate the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists. According to Friedman, the “smartest thing now is to just shut up and take notes.” (NY Times, January 7.)
“QUESTION: We have the deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in an interview with Al Hayat saying that the [Brothers] don’t regard the peace treaty with Israel as binding.… Do you have any reaction to that?…
MS. NULAND: Well, we’ve seen this press report. I would say that it is one member of the MB. We have had other assurances…with regard to their commitment not only to universal human rights, but to the international obligations.…
QUESTION: So as far as you understand, this isn’t officially the Muslim Brotherhood position that was reflected in that interview. You still think that they are bound to uphold the treaty?
MS. NULAND: We—they have made commitments to us along those regards.…”—US State Department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, alleging the US has received “ some good reassurances from different interlocutors” that the Muslim Brotherhood will uphold the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace treaty. This, despite last week’s assertion by deputy party leader Rashad Bayoumi that the Brotherhood would not recognize Israel’s legitimacy “under any circumstance,” and that the Islamist group “will take legal action against the peace treaty with the Zionist entity.” (Jerusalem Post, January 1 & US Department of State Website, January 5.)
Journalist #1: I have a report which I got this morning, apparently it came out yesterday from UN Watch in Geneva, which quotes one of the senior officials of Hamas saying that the Gaza Strip…is no longer Israeli-occupied territory.… [However], a 22 September 2011 report put out by the Office of the Secretary-General speaks of a UN mission’s visit to the ‘Occupied Palestinian Territory, specifically the Gaza Strip’. Do you have any comment on that, or does the UN still seriously believe that the Gaza Strip is occupied territory?
UN Spokesperson: I think we can discuss this after. I don’t think I am going to get into a long back-and-forth on this right now. But I will certainly speak to you afterwards about it. Yes, okay. Yes?
Journalist #2: Can we get someone in to brief about that from the UN? It would be very helpful as this whole Palestinian statehood issue is being reviewed and things like that.… It has come up in the past and there should be some UN clarification about the UN position on it.…
UN Spokesperson: I’ll ask. I am sure there is a fairly clear response to it. I need to check, and then I’ll come back to you. All right, okay, have a good afternoon. Thanks very much.”—Excerpt of a 6 January exchange between journalists and Martin Nesirky, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, describing the growing confusion over the UN’s insistence on labelling Gaza as “occupied,” despite Israel’s 2005 disengagement from the Strip. (UN Watch, January 10.)
Weekly Quotes
“Iran is a very serious threat.… In my judgment, it is the world’s most serious threat to international peace and security.… This is a regime that wants to acquire nuclear weapons.…”—Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, calling for a coordinated international response to confronting Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Tensions were heightened last week between Canada and the Islamic Republic, after Iran called in Canadian charge d’affaires in Tehran, Dennis Horak, to chastise him over Canada’s purported maltreatment of its aboriginal population. A Canadian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson called the Iranian criticism absurd, saying it was “regrettable that the regime in Tehran is choosing not to address its own internal shortcomings before resorting to the ridiculous and engaging in this type of preposterous PR stunt.” (Jerusalem Post, January 6.)
“If the military vessels and warships of any country want to pass via the Strait of Hormuz without coordination and permission of Iran’s navy forces, they should be stopped by the Iranian armed forces.”—Iranian lawmaker Nader Qazipour, describing the preparation of legislation by Iran’s parliament that would prohibit all foreign warships from entering the Persian Gulf unless they received permission from the Iranian navy. Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi also warned that “transnational forces” have no place in the region. (Washington Post, January 4.)
“In the days since the Arab League monitoring mission has been on the ground…an estimated 400 additional people have been killed, an average of 40 a day, a rate much higher than was the case even before their deployment.”—US Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, confirming that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime has accelerated its killing of pro-democracy demonstrators despite the ongoing presence of Arab League monitors. (Reuters, January 10.)
“If Israel does not accept the Palestinian demands, we will take other measures which we cannot detail.”—Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, warning that Israel’s failure to accede to Palestinian demands for resuming the peace process—including a full freeze on settlement construction and acceptance of the pre-1967 lines as the basis for negotiations—will prompt him to take “hard measures” against the Jewish state. (Jerusalem Post, January 3.)
“Anyone who talks about a breakthrough with the Palestinians has no idea what he’s talking about. [The Palestinians are] prepar[ing] excuses [to] transfer the responsibility for the talks’ failure to Israel.”—Israel’s Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, condemning the Palestinian Authority for not taking peace talks in Jordan seriously, and suggesting the Palestinians are already planning to blame Israel for the failure of the initiative. (Jerusalem Post, January 9.)
“I don’t remember such a large cache of bombs caught on one person.”—Commander of the Haruv Battalion, Lt.-Col. Erez, describing the IDF’s thwarting of a major terrorist attack against the Samaria Military Court. Four Palestinians were arrested last weekend at the Salem crossing near Jenin and were found to be in possession of 11 pipe bombs. (Jerusalem Post, January 8.)
“He criticizes our friends like Israel. I will always stand with our friends.”—Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, following his decisive victory in the New Hampshire primary, describing US President Barack Obama as a “failed” leader and promising always to stand by Israel. (Jerusalem Post, January 11.)
“No, it’s not Passover yet. That’s the promise, however, from Omer Çelik, the deputy chairman of Turkey’s ruling party, the Justice and Development Party.… Meeting with Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Çelik quipped, ‘We hope we can freely sit and chat in Jerusalem soon.…’ When the deputy head of Turkey’s ruling party meets with a terrorist leader to encourage territorial conquest, perhaps it’s time for Israel to play hardball.”—Michael Rubin, in “Turkey to Hamas: Next Year in Jerusalem,” describing the Turkish government’s tacit approval of Hamas’ stated aim to “liberate” Jerusalem. (Contentions, January 4.)
“Israel no longer has allies in Egypt and in Tunisia. We are saying to the Zionist enemies that times have changed and that the time of the Arab Spring…has arrived. We promise you that we will not cede a single part of Palestine.…We will continue to fight and we will not lay down our arms.”—Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, to a cheering crowd of thousands of people in the Tunisian capital of Tunis, predicting the Arab Spring, which began in Tunisia a year ago, will bring about Israel’s demise. (Independent Media Review and Analysis, January 9.)
“The prosecution demands the maximum penalty against Mubarak…which is death by hanging.”—Mustafa Khater, a prosecutor in Hosni Mubarak’s trial, confirming the death sentence is being sought for the deposed Egyptian leader. Mubarak is facing charges of ordering the killing of protesters during the demonstrations which swept him from power last February. (Reuters, January 5.)
“Once again newspaper Le Soir delights in the delegitimization of the State of Israel by publishing, during two consecutive days, a map of the Middle East, which simply ignores the existence of the State of Israel. In addition, the words ‘Palestinian Authority’ were included in the place of Israel, which is also untrue.…”—Excerpt of a statement issued by the CCOJB, the umbrella body representing Jewish organizations in Belgium, denouncing the Belgian daily Le Soir for repeatedly publishing a map of the Middle East excluding Israel. In response, the paper’s chief editor, Didier Hamman, said he was “shocked and insulted” that the CCOJB confronted the paper. (European Jewish Press, December 28.)
Short Takes
SYRIA’S ASSAD VOWS ‘IRON FIST’ AGAINST OPPOSITION—(Beirut) Syrian President Bashar Assad has pledged to triumph over “terrorism,” the clearest indication to date that he will not surrender power or relax his government’s harsh crackdown on anti-regime protests. In his first public address since June, a defiant Assad blamed foreign conspiracies, the international media and terrorists for the revolt against his rule and the 5,000 deaths estimated to have occurred since March. “Victory is near, provided we stand against the conspiracy,” Assad told an audience of students at Damascus University. “The priority today is the return of security, which cannot be achieved unless terrorism is hit with an iron fist,” he said. (Washington Post, January 10.)
TURKEY’S FORMER TOP SOLDIER ARRESTED—(Istanbul) Gen. Ilker Basbug, Turkey’s top soldier until 2010, has been jailed for allegedly plotting a coup to topple the government. Gen. Basbug is the highest ranking Turkish official arrested to date amongst the hundreds of military officers, journalists and academics currently awaiting or on trial in cases related to the purported plot. The prosecution of former military leaders and government dissenters under anti-terrorism laws that limit defendants’ rights has triggered growing concern within Turkey and abroad over Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s commitment to the rule of law and civil liberties. Defendants and many analysts argue the cases have become a political tool utilized by Erdogan’s ruling AK Party to consolidate power by discrediting and weakening Turkey’s once-influential armed forces. (Wall Street Journal, January 6.)
CANADIAN JEWISH COMMUNITY SHOCKED AFTER FIVE GRAVESTONES VANDALIZED—(Victoria) Five historic gravestones belonging to Holocaust survivors have been desecrated in the Emanu-El Jewish Cemetery in Victoria, British Columbia. According to Victoria police spokesperson Const. Mike Russell, the case is being investigated as a hate crime, as the large tombstones were spray-painted with black swastikas and other antisemitic imagery. (Victoria News, January 4.)
QUEBEC MAYOR UNDER FIRE FOR ANTI-ISRAEL REMARKS—(Toronto) The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) has initiated an investigation after a Quebec mayor called Israel an apartheid regime undeserving of existence on his French-language talk show. Stephane Gendron, host of Face à Face on V Television Network and mayor of Huntingdon, has in the past described Israelis as “les Nazis des temps modernes” (“the Nazis of modern times”), and also accused Israel of planning to “bulldoze [and] kill people” and “invent[ing] terrorism.” According to Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, “Gendron’s views are shared by the likes of Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran’s ruling mullatocracy.… It is dangerously naive and irresponsible not to believe that such escalating rhetoric—left unchallenged by V Television—could impact intergroup relations in Quebec.” (CBC News, January 6 & National Post, January 9.)
EU GOVERNMENTS CONSIDER DELAY ON ANY IRAN OIL BAN—(Brussels) According to diplomats, a proposed European Union embargo on Iranian crude oil imports could take many months to come into effect because of a push by some EU members for a ‘grace period’ on existing contracts of one to 12 months. Greece, which depends heavily on Iranian crude, is reportedly pushing for the longest delay, whereas Britain, France, the Netherlands and Germany want a maximum delay of three months. EU countries purchase approximately 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Iran’s 2.6 million bpd in exports, making the bloc collectively the largest market for Iranian oil. (Reuters, January 6.)
UK ENVOY SLAMS, RETRACTS CRITICISM OF J’LEM BUILDING—(Jerusalem) British ambassador to Israel, Matthew Gould, has retracted his criticism of Israeli construction plans beyond the Green Line after learning there had been no such declaration. Last week, Gould blasted the faux-plan as “unhelpful and a disappointment to those who want to see the sides turn a corner.” After his initial condemnation, Gould clarified the matter and issued a statement saying that the Israeli government “has made clear to us that there has been no new announcement of tenders for building in east Jerusalem today, and that reports of such new tenders were incorrect.” A British embassy representative said Gould based his faulty assessment on a statement put out by Ir Amim, a left-wing NGO that monitors building in Jerusalem. (Jerusalem Post, January 3.)
PA POLICE: MUSICIAN MOCKED STATEHOOD, SO WE STOPPED SHOW—(Jerusalem) A Palestinian musician who allegedly mocked the Palestinian Authority’s UN statehood bid was forced to stop his performance at a concert in Ramallah on New Year’s Eve. Yusef Azarin, a spokesman for the Palestinian police, confirmed his forces stopped Basel Zayed’s show because “The singer enraged many people because of the words of his song,” a parody entitled “Bokra Ilan Al Dola” (“Tomorrow the state will be declared”). Also on New Year’s Eve, the PA banned a well-known Israeli Druse singer from performing in Ramallah, following protests by Palestinians opposed to “normalization” with Israel. (Jerusalem Post, January 4.)
OBAMA NAMES AN ORTHODOX JEW AS HIS NEXT CHIEF OF STAFF—(Washington) US President Barack Obama has announced that Jack Lew, an Orthodox Jew, will replace William Daley as his next chief of staff at the end of the month. Lew is currently director of the Office of Management and Budget, a Cabinet-level position he also filled during the Clinton administration. The move came amid widespread speculation in the organized Jewish community about whether Obama would appoint a Jew to a top position prior to November’s presidential election. (JTA, January 9.)
US REASSURES ISRAEL OVER SAUDI FIGHTER JET DEAL—(Jerusalem) US officials are seeking to reassure Israel that the $29.4 billion sale of fighter jets to Saudi Arabia will not negatively impact regional security. According to reports, Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs, Andrew Shapiro, told Israel from Washington that the sale, which includes 84 new F-15 fighter jets, will not affect Israel’s “qualitative military edge.” Rather, according to Shapiro, the US was confident that the Saudi purchase would benefit Israeli security by “bolstering moderate allies in the Gulf,” which, in turn, would help curb the influence of Iran. Last month, Saudi Arabia sentenced to death by beheading a woman convicted of “sorcery.” (Jerusalem Post, December 30.)
SAUDI HACKER POSTS NEW ISRAELI CREDIT CARD NUMBERS—(Jerusalem) A Saudi hacker has released almost 11,000 new Israeli credit card numbers and personal contact details, following the publication of around 15,000 numbers earlier last week. The hacker, codenamed “0xOmar,” issued a statement indicating that he is in possession of a further 60,000 credit cards and plans to release them shortly. He also threatened to circulate other sensitive information, such as “data downloaded from Israeli military contractor companies.…” The message, posted on the website Pastebin, contained numerous anti-Israel and anti-Semitic slurs, including references to the “Zionist lobby” and the “Jewish lobby.” The Bank of Israel has reassured customers that they will not bear responsibility for fraudulent use of their cards. (Jerusalem Post, January 5.)
HIGH COURT REJECTS PETITION AGAINST ‘NAKBA LAW’—(Jerusalem) Israel’s High Court has rejected a petition against the Nakba Law passed by the Knesset in March, which grants the finance minister the power to reduce the budget of state-funded bodies that openly reject Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, or that mark the state’s Independence Day as a day of mourning. In October, Knesset Legal Advisor Eyal Yinon also ruled that the Nakba Law was constitutional, as the law itself does not prevent individual freedom of speech, nor does it forbid the commemoration of what Israeli Arabs and Palestinians refer to as the “Nakba” (“the Catastrophe” in Arabic), a reference to the establishment of the Jewish state. According to legislators, the purpose of the law is to ensure that Israel does not fund organizations or actions that undermine its existence. (Haaretz, January 5.)
DUBAI GYM AD: DEATH CAMP FOR CALORIES—(Jerusalem) The founder of a Dubai gym has been forced to apologize for posting an offensive promotional campaign featuring a photo of a Nazi concentration camp with the slogan “Kiss your calories goodbye.” According to the Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National, Phil Parkinson, posted on Facebook a photo of the rail tracks leading to Auschwitz-Birkenau to advertise weight-loss and exercise classes that are “like a calorie concentration camp.” Within hours, angry comments poured in, calling the campaign “tasteless,” “despicable” and “out of control.” (Ynet News, January 5.)
ISRAELI ARCHAEOLOGISTS CONFIRM WRITTEN RECORD OF TEMPLE WORSHIP—(Jerusalem) Israeli archaeologists have uncovered the first ever relic confirming written testimony of the ritual practices at the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. An Israeli Antiquities Authority archaeological survey at the northwestern corner of the Temple Mount yielded a tiny tin artifact inscribed with the Aramaic words “Daka Le’Ya,” which excavation directors Eli Shukron and Professor Ronny Reich of the University of Haifa translated as “pure for God.” Researchers believe the artifact, dated to the end of the Second Temple period, is a seal that was put on objects designated to be used in the temple, and thus had to be ceremonially pure in accordance with the Mishnah. (Haaretz, December 25.)
ISRAELI BROTHERS WIN WORLD DEBATING CHAMPIONSHIP—(Jerusalem) Brothers Omer and Sela Nevo from the Tel Aviv University have won the World Universities Debating Championships in the English as Second Language category, held in Manila last week. Six months ago, the two also won first place at the European championship held in Ireland. This marks the second time in the past three years that an Israeli team has won the world championship, which includes more than 3,000 teams from around the world. (Ynet News, January 3.)
