Contents: Weekly Quotes | Short Takes | On Topic Links
Media-ocrity of the Week
“Rather than really thinking afresh about the world, Romney has chosen instead to go with the same old G.O.P. bacon and eggs — that the Democrats are toothless wimps who won’t stand up to our foes or for our values, that the Republicans are tough and that it is 1989 all over again. That is, America stands astride the globe with unrivaled power to bend the world our way, and the only thing missing is a president with “will.” The only thing missing is a president who is ready to simultaneously confront Russia, bash China, tell Iraqis we’re not leaving their country, snub the Muslim world by outsourcing our Arab-Israel policy to the prime minister of Israel, green light Israel to bomb Iran — and raise the defense budget while cutting taxes and eliminating the deficit.” —[?? Sounds good to us – Ed.] — (Thomas Friedman in New York Times, September 29, 2012)
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“I believe that faced with a clear red line, Iran will back down – and it will give more time for sanctions and diplomacy.” —Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his speech to the United Nations. “Red lines don’t lead to war, red lines prevent war,” he said. “nothing could imperil the world more than a nuclear-armed Iran.…The only way you can credibly prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon is to prevent them from enriching enough uranium.…Given this record of Iranian aggression without nuclear weapons, just imagine Iranian aggression with nuclear weapons,” Mr. Netanyahu said. To understand what the world would be like with a nuclear-armed Iran, just imagine the world with a nuclear-armed al-Qaeda.” (National Post, September 28, 2012)
“In the ultimate test, we can rely only on ourselves,” —Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, speaking at a memorial ceremony for the soldiers who fell in the 1973 Yom Kippur war. He said [that] the clear message to be learned on this anniversary was “not to be captivated by false hopes, aspirations or wishes.” Mr. Barak added that it was the government’s responsibility to do everything possible to “break the circle of hostility” without resorting to war, but that if left with no choice, Israel was ready to fight any battle demanded of it, “even at a painful price”. (New York Times, September 28, 2012)
“I think it’s very important that we hold our ground. It’s very important to say, ‘We live like this.’ —Salman Rushdie of the current confrontation [with Islamic extremism.] It’s not for the American government to regret what American citizens do. They should just say, ‘This is not our affair and the [violent] response is completely inappropriate.’ ”(New York Times, September 24, 2012
"They (Israel) have no roots there in history," —Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told reporters in New York, [just prior to his speech at] the U.N. General Assembly in defiance of a warning from UN secretary general against inflammatory remarks. "They do not even enter the equation for Iran." In addition, a summary of his speech on his English language web site quotes him as saying that, “A number of uncultured Zionists that threaten the Iranian nation today are never counted and are never paid any attention in the equations of the Iranian nation.” (National Post, September 25, 2012)
“When the heads of the world’s democracies share the UN podium with tyrants, they accept tyrants as their equals. There is no reason why they should do so. Our Prime Minister has the courage to act accordingly.” —Peter Teitelbaum’s letter to the editor in The Globe and Mail. (Globe and Mail, October 3, 2012)
“There is land on Egypt’s eastern border called occupied Arab Palestine,” —Saif Al-Dawla, an Arab nationalist and Egyptian President Morsi’s adviser for Arab affairs, in an interview with Egyptian daily Al-Youm A-Sabi’ in response to a question on Egypt’s future relations with Israel. “This will remain its name till the end of time, and this is a national principle as well as a historic truth.”…“[R]emoving the constraints of the Camp David [Peace] Accords” with Israel is a top national priority. (Times of Israel, September 30, 2012)
“Ed — there is a real chance that Israel will be destroyed. And that will be the end of the Jewish people, because we are disappearing in every country — including America. …This is not like after the 1st and 2nd Temples. If Israel is gone, we are all gone. The president will never, ever preempt Iran. It is not in him. A man who blames a film for world jihad will never save Israel in time — not to mention America. We are on the line and this is FDR watching the Jews dispassionately (I’m being kind) once again. I tell you once again — Edward I. Koch in his remaining years can move enough confused Jews in a state or two to give us a president who will see the world for what it is. You simply have to gather the courage you’ve always summoned to once again do what is right.” —Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, a principal at Bernstein Global Wealth Management and a City University trustee who worked for [Ed] Koch, in a letter to the former mayor of New York City trying to convince him to move his support from President Obama to Gov. Mitt Romney. (New York Post, September 30, 2012)
“…A perceived insult against one’s faith is simply not an excuse for breaking the law; it is not an excuse to persecute people with different religious beliefs. The looting and destruction of Buddhist temples and monasteries in Bangladesh by thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims is the latest example of this dangerous and warped way of thinking. The mob’s rationale: they were angry about a photo of a burned Koran allegedly posted on Facebook by a Buddhist boy. While these protesters demand respect for their religion, where is their respect for the religion of others?” —editorial from the Globe and Mail concerning the thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims who set fire to at least 10 Buddhist temples and 40 homes in anger over a Facebook photo of a burned Quran. (Globe and Mail, October 3, 2012)
“Our hearts and minds have been burned in this fire” —Dima, a doctor in Aleppo where the ancient central market was set ablaze amidst continuing fighting between Syrian government troops and opposition rebels. “It’s not just a souk and shops, but it’s our soul, too.”…“The rebels are not appreciating the value of the places they are liberating,” said Abu Mihyo, an anti-government activist who studied historical sites while earning a degree in tourism. He said it appeared the rebels were trying to penetrate the city center through the old city, following a hadith (a saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad) that destroying the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, is better than shedding a drop of Muslim blood. (New York times, September 30, 2012)
“President Obama continues to show that he does not grasp the dimensions of what’s occurring [in the Middle East]” —Mitt Romney in his weekly online podcast. “We’ve seen a confused, slow and inconsistent response to the terrorist attack in Libya, a refusal to be frank with the American people about what happened and complete failure to explain the growing terrorist threat.” (New York Post, September 30, 2012)
“I think the work you did severing ties with Iran was not only an act of statesmanship but of moral clarity,” —Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to Prime Minister Stephen Harper at a meeting of the two leaders [in New York]. Before entering private talks with Harper, Netanyahu called him “a great champion of freedom and a great friend of Israel.” Mr. Harper replied that “Our country has not been shy about warning the world of the danger the Iranian regime ultimately presents to all of us.” He added: “We want to see a peaceful resolution and we work closely with our allies to try to alert the world to the danger this presents and the necessity of dealing with it.”(National Post, September 29, 2012)
“I have yet to hear on a single occasion anything like the fevered cascade of denunciation that has been visited on the Innocence of Muslims on any other item or act that has delivered offence to Christians and their practice, or any other religion. It’s Islam they apologize to and no other faith. Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama would be more truthful in their declarations if they said that they have “respect” for Muslim sensibilities and condemn films that mock Muhammad, but that’s where such respect stops….the U.S. has no business apologizing for a video it had nothing to do with. Apologizing for it only validates the lie that the video was the cause of killings and riots.” Rex Murphy in an op-ed article. (National Post, September 29, 2012) (Top)
BREAKING NEWS: MASS ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS IN IRAN— (Tehran) Riot police in Iran have clashed with protesters in the capital over sharp falls in the currency, the rial. Tear gas was used to disperse the demonstrators, some of whom were setting fire to tyres and rubbish bins. There were many arrests, reports say. Eyewitnesses told the BBC that scores of people gathered outside the central bank, calling for the governor to stand down, chanting anti-government slogans. One woman in the city of Malayer told the BBC that Iranians were "very angry with the regime. The situation is becoming worse and worse every day," she said. "I work in the main hospital in the city and we are encountering some serious problems. We can't buy necessary medication because prices go up by 70% a day.” Reports say many shops in the central Grand Bazaar have brought down their shutters in sympathy with the demonstrators. (British Broadcasting Corp., October 3, 2012)
ISLAMIST BRITISH CLERIC TO BE EXTRADITED TO UNITED STATES —(Paris) Abu Hamza al-Masri, one of Britain’s most radical Islamist clerics, was slated [Monday Sept. 25] for extradition to the United States after the European Court of Human Rights rejected his appeal of a previous British court order. Britain’s Home Office said that it would hand him and four other suspects over, “as quickly as possible”, to the US, where they will face charges of supporting al-Qaeda and aiding in a fatal kidnapping in Yemen. (National Post, Reuters, September 25, 2012)
RIGHTS GROUP ACCUSES HAMAS OF ABUSE OF PALESTINIANS —(Jerusalem)
Human Rights Watch said that Hamas security forces in the Gaza Strip commit rampant abuses against Palestinian prisoners, including beatings with metal clubs and rubber hoses, mock executions and arbitrary arrests. "There is ample evidence that Hamas security services are torturing people in custody with impunity and denying prisoners their rights," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director for the New York-based group. "The Gaza authorities should stop ignoring the abuse and ensure that the justice system respects Palestinians' rights." (Winnipeg Free Press, Associated Press, October 3, 2012)
IRAN REHEARSED ATTACKING HAIFA AND DIMONA —(New York) New York Times quoted classified Pentagon intelligence reports as saying [that] the Iranian military is using firing ranges designed to resemble Haifa and Dimona to rehearse an air attack on Israel. [The] Defense Intelligence Agency noted…that skittishness in Tehran over a [possible] Israeli airstrike on its nuclear facilities resulted in the Iranian military mistakenly firing on civilian airplanes and in one case on one of its own military warplanes in 2007 and 2008, according to the New York Times report. (Jerusalem Post, October 3, 2012)
BLOCKADE-RUNNING SHIP TO SET SAIL FOR GAZA —(Tel –Aviv) A ship bearing pro-Palestinian activists intent on breaching Israel’s naval blockade on the Gaza Strip is en route to the Hamas-controlled enclave, Israeli Radio reported on Sunday. Activists said the schooner Estelle, which set sail from Sweden three months ago, was expected to reach the Gaza coast by mid-October. The ship is currently moored at the Italian port of La Spezia, and is expected to set sail for Gaza next week. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said Israel does not intend to let the ship run the naval blockade. (Times of Israel, September 30, 2012)
IRAN TRANSFERS $10 BILLION TO SYRIA —(London) The Times of London newspaper reported…that Tehran has transferred some $10 billion in support of Assad's war against Syrian rebels. Western intelligence sources say the failure to decide the Syrian conflict in favor of Assad has caused a split between Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iran’s spymaster, Qassem Suleimani. “Suleimani promised Khamenei that he would turn the situation in Syria around and has failed to deliver,” a Western defense source told The Times. Instead, the conflict has become a bloody stalemate, with Iran pumping weapons, troops and cash into Syria to counter support for the rebels from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, overseen by the US. (YnetNews, October 3, 2012)
FIRE RAVAGES ANCIENT MARKET OF ALEPPO— (Beirut) Fire swept through the old central souk of Aleppo, Syria, on Saturday, damaging a vast and well-preserved labyrinth of medieval storehouses, shops, schools and ornate courtyards [after] fierce clashes between security forces and insurgents vowing to carry out a “decisive battle” for the city. For many residents, the old city, with the souk at its center, is the soul of Aleppo, one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities and Syria’s largest. (New York Times, September 29, 2012)
REPUBLICAN MEMBER OF CONGRESS HOLDS UP AID DEAL FOR EGYPT—(Washington) Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, who chairs the House appropriations subcommittee that oversees foreign aid, released a statement saying she was opposed to the recently announced US aid package [to Egypt of $450 million] because the current president of Egypt, Muhammad Morsi, is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. The U.S. relationship with Egypt "has never been under more scrutiny."…"I am not convinced of the urgent need for this assistance and I cannot support it at this time," she said in a statement. (United Press International, September 29, 2012)
UK MEDIA WATCHDOG RULES: TEL AVIV IS NOT THE CAPITAL—(London) The UK Press Complaints Commission ruled Monday that [the] British paper the Guardian was wrong to refer to Tel Aviv as Israel’s capital… In [their] decision, the PCC concluded that “the unequivocal statement that Tel Aviv is the capital of Israel had the potential to mislead readers and raised a breach of… the Editors’ Code of Practice. “The ruling set a precedent on British coverage of Israel, effectively barring all British publications from referring to Tel Aviv as Israel’s capital,” the British branch of Honest Reporting, pro-Israel media watchdog group behind the complaint to the PCC, declared in a statement released Tuesday. (Times of Israel, October 2, 2012) (Top)
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∙ The Commentator, October 1, 2012
Hadar Sela
∙ Times of Israel, September 30, 2012
Suzan Fraser
Jerusalem Post Editorial
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