Wednesday’s “News in Review” Round-Up

 
"I strongly reject threats by any member state to destroy another or outrageous attempts to deny historical facts such as the Holocaust" – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon in his speech at the Non-Aligned Movement conference in Tehran. (Associated Press, National Post, August 30, 2012)
 
"We should all express our full support to the struggle of those who are demanding freedom and justice in Syria and translate our sympathies into a clear political vision that supports peaceful transfer (of power) to a democratic system," – Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi at the Non-Aligned Movement conference in Tehran. …[T]he world had a "moral duty" to stand with the Syrian people in their struggle against an oppressive regime that has lost its legitimacy." …[H]aving a democratic system in Syria “reflects the desire of the Syrian people for freedom, justice and equality and at the same time protects Syria from entering into a a civil war or being divided by sectarian clashes.” said Morsi himself a Sunni Muslim opposed to Aliwite dominated Syria. (Associated Press, August 30, 2012)
 
“We must act resolutely towards the Iranian regime which seeks not only to have a nuclear weapon, but also denies the very existence of the right for Israel to exist,” French Ambassador Christophe Bigot during a ceremony in Jerusalem honoring a Holocaust survivor. “In front of these words and actions, France will not be a passive witness.” (Jerusalem Post, September 4, 2012)
 
“The international community is not setting Iran a clear red line, and Iran does not see international determination to stop its nuclear project,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjiman Netanyahu at a weekly cabinet meeting. “Until Iran sees a clear red line and such determination, it will not stop the progress of its nuclear project — and Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons.” (New York Times, September 2, 2012)
 
“Time has run out,” – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to US Ambassador [to Israel] Dan Shapiro. And when the envoy reminded the PM that Obama had vowed not to let Iran acquire WMDs, Netanyahu replied: “Instead of effectively pressuring Iran, Obama and his people are pressuring us not to attack.” At that point, the paper [Yediot Ahranot] reported, “lightning and sparks began to fly.”  (New York Post, September 3, 2012)
 
“I don’t want to be accused of trying to influence, nor do I want to be complicit if they choose to do it.” General Martin Dempsey, US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff going beyond any warning that [President] Obama has given Israel in public while again repeat[ing] the familiar American position that an Israeli attack would “clearly delay but probably not destroy Iran’s nuclear program,” and that the international coalition of countries applying sanctions against Iran “could be undone” if [Iran] was attacked “prematurely.” (New York Times, September 2, 2012)
 
"The Zionist regime separated from America has no meaning, and we must not recognize Israel as separate from America," Ali Fadavi, naval commander in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency. "On this basis, today only the Americans have taken a threatening stance towards the Islamic Republic," Fadavi said. "If the Americans commit the smallest folly they will not leave the region safely." (Jerusalem Post, September 4, 2012)

“To the credit of the United States, it is the only country that stood by our side in our struggles at the United Nations, the Security Council and UNESCO,” – Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman at a pre-Rosh Hashana toast for activists of his Yisrael Beytenu party. “The US increased funding for Iron Dome. Even if we disagree sometimes and even if there is commentary that suggests otherwise, we must say we that have no better friend than the US.” (Jerusalem Post, September 4, 2012)
 
[T]he “claim that Jews who migrated to Israel, which is supposed to be their homeland, are ‘refugees’… is a form of deception and delusion.” – Hanan Ashrawi PLO Executive Committee member and an elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. “If Israel is their homeland, then they are not ‘refugees’; they are emigrants who returned either voluntarily or due to a political decision…Jews voluntarily and collectively left [Arab lands].” (Jerusalem Post, September 4, 2012)
 
“Another emergency problem is now arising: that of refugees from Egypt. There is no doubt in my mind that those refugees from Egypt who are not able, or not willing to avail themselves of the protection of the Government of their nationality fall under the mandate of my office.” –  Auguste Lindt, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, in his Report to the UNREF Executive Committee’s Fourth Session (Geneva 29 January to 4 February, 1957) referring to Jews displaced from Egypt.   “I refer to our recent discussion concerning Jews from Middle Eastern and North African countries in consequence of recent events. I am now able to inform you that such persons may be considered prima facie within the mandate of this Office.” Dr. E. Jahn, of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, July 6, 1967. ( Quoted in the Jerusalem Post, September 5, 2012)
 
“… [T]he Arab nations do not want to solve the Arab refugee problem. They want to keep it as an open sore… as a weapon against Israel.” –  Sir Alexander Galloway former director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).  (Quoted in Israel National News, Sept, 3, 2012)
 
"The State of Israel has become – forgive me for being blunt, I'm borrowing from someone who is well aware of the situation, Meir Dagan – the State of Israel cannot be the Mideast mistress that everybody enjoys, but no one actually wants to be involved with." –  Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman at a pre-Rosh Hashanah event  where he said that Israel was having secret diplomatic meetings with other Middle East countries. (Ynet News, September 5, 2012)
 
"I'm standing in front of that same [brick] wall, I don't see a crack." – Lakhdar Brahimi, the former Algerian foreign minister chosen to replace Kofi Annan by the United Nations and the Arab League to try to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis [in Syria.] "People are already saying people are dying, what are you doing? Indeed, we are not doing much. That in itself is a terrible weight. I know how difficult it is – how nearly impossible. I can't say impossible – nearly impossible," [saying] he was "scared" of the task ahead.  (The Telegraph, September 3, 2012)
 
"The Afghans are on the fence. If they see there is a strong arm, they will side with the strong arm. Why do you think there are so many green-on-blue? [Afghan soldier attacks on coalition soldiers – Ed.] We told them we are leaving. A lot of them are trying to buy their way back now, so they won't be decapitated when we go. If we leave them on their own, the Taliban will come back in, exterminate anyone associated with the government. Half those people in there [the government] know what is good for them, so they will assist them and say that they were always part of the movement." – Bob, a Canadian ex-French Legion soldier stationed in Afghanistan. (National Post, September 1, 2012)
 
“I am willing to stay all my life here to be rid of Bashar [al-Assad],” –  Mohamed, 33, a Damascus car mechanic [standing] over two of his six children, a small daughter holding her 8-month-old brother, in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. The daughter, Nour el Hoda, 11, was glad to be out of Syria, “I was scared of the missiles,” she said. Another resident, also named Mohamed, 34, accompaning his wife, a sister and seven children said, “There is not a rock on top of a rock any more in our village,” he said, choking back tears. “Everything is destroyed.”  Asked whether the revolt worth it Mohamed was not so sure, “We didn’t expect this revolution to go on for so long,” [he] worried for his children. Interjecting, a bystander [countered] “We wish we had started 20 years ago.” But “We are living here like donkeys, like dogs, no one can live in this humiliation.” said Khidam Owair, 43, arriving, with 10 children of her own, from her Syrian village of Dael, where she said, “It is over. Fear. Death. Everybody left. It doesn’t even exist anymore. Assad is bombing us five times a day.” (New York Times, September 2, 2012) (Top)

US SCALES BACK MILITARY EXERCISE WITH ISRAEL –(Tel Aviv) The reductions are striking. Instead of the approximately 5,000 U.S. troops originally trumpeted for Austere Challenge 12, as the annual exercise is called, the Pentagon will send only 1,500 service members and perhaps as few as 1,200. Patriot antimissile systems will arrive in Israel as planned, but the crews to operate them will not. Instead of two Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense warships being dispatched to Israeli waters, the new plan is to send one, though even the remaining vessel is listed as a “maybe,” according to officials in both militaries. “Basically what the Americans are saying is, ‘We don’t trust you,’” a senior Israeli military official says. (TIME World, August 31, 2012)
 
JERUSALEM CAPITAL PLANK NOT INCLUDED IN DNC PLATFORM –(Charlotte, N.C.). — Language calling for Jerusalem to be recognized as the capital of Israel has been omitted from the 2012 Democratic Party platform. The 2008 platform declared that: "Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths." That language has been replaced by a broader statement about unshakable U.S. support for the Jewish state — with no mention of Jerusalem at all. Here is what else has been omitted from the 2012 DNC platform: “The United States and its Quartet partners should continue to isolate Hamas until it renounces terrorism, recognizes Israel's right to exist, and abides by past agreements.….The creation of a Palestinian state through final status negotiations, together with an international compensation mechanism, should resolve the issue of Palestinian refugees by allowing them to settle there, rather than in Israel. All understand that it is unrealistic to expect the outcome of final status negotiations to be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949….” [Empahsis added – Ed.] (Politico and YID With LID, September 4, 2012)
 
IRAN ON THE VERGE OF SEVERE FINANCIAL CRISIS –(Tehran)An apparent classified Iranian intelligence report…warns of an imminent financial crisis…that would cause nation-wide upheaval. Excerpts of the report, posted this week on several Iranian websites, revealed that the government might not be able to pay the full salaries of its employees in the coming three months, which threatens the eruption of massive popular protests across the country. Large portions of the population might suffer from starvation, the report said, adding that riots are expected to take place in border cities where living conditions are rapidly deteriorating. According to the report, Iran’s reserve of foreign currency might run out within the coming six month owing to extreme budget deficiency… Under international sanctions, inflation in the country has reached 33 percent and prices of meat, chicken, and milk saw an unprecedented hike that reached 80 percent last year. (Al Arabiya News, September 5, 2012)
 
GERMAN STATE DECLARES CIRCUMCISION LEGAL –(Berlin) Berlin, Germany’s capital and itself a state, is the first to declare the practice legal following Cologne court ruled in June that non-medical circumcisions on children amounted to a criminal offense. National legislation is also pending to legalize circumcision. The state has authorized only doctors, and not mohels, to perform circumcisions. National legislation could authorize mohels. The state also required that parents be informed of the procedure’s medical risks before consenting, and that doctors do everything possible during the procedure to reduce pain and limit bleeding. (Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Jerusalem Post, September 5, 2012)
 
PA PAYS JAILED TERRORIST UP TO $3,000 A MONTH –(Israel) The Palestinian Authority,  which has been screaming for foreign funds to stay solvent, spends  6 percent of its annual budget to pay $4.5 million a month to jailed terrorists and another $6.5 million [per month] to their families.  All terrorists are awarded equally, regardless of whether they “worked” for Fatah, the party headed by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, or rival Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The…pay schedule allows anyone who has served more than 30 years in jail for murdering Israelis to receive NIS 12,000 ($3,000 a month)… Terrorists such as Hamas’ Abdallah Barghouti, who engineered the deaths of 67 Israelis, pocket $1,000 a month for the first 10 years in jail and an additional $500 a month from the 11th year in jail. The Palestinian Authority’s payments for terror implicitly encourages Arabs with Israeli citizenship to carry out attacks against Jews [as they] are given an extra $125 a month. (Israel National News, September 3, 2012)
 
CYPRUS HOPES TO IMPORT ISRAELI LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS –(Jerusalem) Cyprus hopes to begin importing between 0.5 and 0.7 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas for electricity production, by early 2015, Cypriot Commerce, Industry and Tourism Minister Neoklis Sylikiotis was quoted as saying following the visit to Israel of a high-level Cypriot delegation.
“If all these discussions are completed by the end of the year, then we can have natural gas in early 2015 at lower prices for three to five years,”  Sylikiotis was quoted as saying. (Jerusalem Post, September 4, 2012)
 
ISRAEL EVACUATES WEST BANK OUTPOST –(Migron Outpost, West Bank)  Israeli security forces evicted several hundred Jewish settlers from an illegal hilltop encampment on Sunday… [It was] the largest such evacuation since the 2005 Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip [and] proceeded peacefully despite concerns about potential clashes. [P]olicemen cajoled, escorted and carried some 50 settler families from mobile homes they insisted were put there with the blessing of the government. The eviction came despite months of intense lobbying by settler leaders and allies within Mr. Netanyahu's own Likud party to find a way to avert an evacuation. Government legal authorities insisted that the outpost was indeed erected on Palestinian land and couldn't be defended in court. "We are committed to the rule of law in the country and to strengthening the settlements," Mr. Netanyahu said in a statement Sunday. "There is no contradiction between these things." (Wall Street Journal, September 2, 2012)

ISM USED ACTIVISTS AS TERRORISTS' HUMAN SHIELDS –(London) In a detailed, 65-page judgment, a Haifa court found that the bulldozer that killed Rachel Corrie was engaged at the time in a military operation to clear the land and not, incidentally, in demolishing houses [as maintained by ISM]. Corrie was an activist in the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).The area concerned was the "Philadelphia Corridor," separating Gaza from Egypt, which was under continuous sniper fire from Palestinian terrorists. The court concluded that because of the limited field of vision from the operator's seat, the operator of the bulldozer was not aware of Corrie's presence. The court [also] concluded that the ISM was far from being an innocuous, benign humanitarian body and in fact had been engaged in sabotaging the IDF's operations, stationing activists to serve as "human shields" for terrorists wanted by Israeli security forces, and providing assistance to Palestinian terrorists and their families. The court also found that Corrie was aware that she was illegally entering a war zone and deliberately risked her life. (Jewish Chronicle, August 30, 2012)
 
ALEXANDRIA SYNAGOGUE TO HOLD HIGH HOLIDAY SERVICES –(Alexandria) Youssef Gaon, the caretaker of the 180-year-old Eliyahu Hanavi synagogue in Alexandria, Egypt, denied reports that Egyptian authorities had canceled Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur prayers in the city – citing security concerns – saying he would personally lead the services during the High Holidays. “The only difference is a rabbi and cantor who usually lead the services were denied entry to the country,” “Gaon said he would lead the services together with other members of the community [in Alexandria]. Prayers at the synagogue in Cairo will be held as usual. The rabbi who flies in every year was given a visa,” said [a Jewish] official, who asked to remain anonymous not to jeopardize ties with Egyptian authorities. (Jeruslaem Post, September 3, 2012)  (Top)