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WEDNESDAY’S “NEWS IN REVIEW” ROUND-UP

 

ContentsDownload today's Daily Briefing.pdf

 

Media-ocrity of the Week

Weekly Quotes 

Short Takes

On Topic Links

 

 

Patronising the Palestinians: Pat Condell, YouTube, Jan. 3, 2013

A Trail of Bullet Casings Leads From Africa’s Wars Back to Iran: C. J. Chivers, New York Times, Jan. 11, 2013

Good News for Knees: Abigail Klein Leichman, Israel 21C, January 15, 2013

 

Media-ocrity of the Week

 

New York Post review of
THE CRISIS OF ZIONISM
by Peter Beinart

 

Beinart’s contention is that the West Bank occupation that has gone on for so manyyears is changing the nature of Israel itself, so it’s less democratic than it used to be, and it might be impossible for there to be two separate states. Unfortunately, Israel’s isolating itself from many nations. Beinart’s an Orthodox Jew, and I found this book very convincing. —Sheldon Harnick, the lyricist for “Fiddler on the Roof”. 

 

 

Weekly Quotes

 

"America must signal that it will not be business as usual with the government of the Arab world's largest and most powerful nation, while they continue to characterize Jews as 'descendants of apes and pigs', 'war mongers', and threaten anti-Semitic Jihads. Today Egypt is asking the U.S. and the international community for $12 billion to keep its ailing economy afloat. Now is the time for American leadership to demand an end to Egypt’s public anti-Semitic posturing. The mainstreaming of Jew-hatred in the Arab and Muslim world will not only end hopes for any Middle East peace deal, but puts Jews in jeopardy around the world."—Rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper, Founder and Dean and Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. (Simon Wiesenthal Center, Jan. 15, 2013)

 

“Dear brothers, we must not forget to nurse our children and grandchildren on hatred towards those Zionists and Jews, and all those who support them. They must be nursed on hatred. The hatred must continue. [T]hese bloodsuckers who attack the Palestinians, these warmongers, the descendants of apes and pigs. The Zionists have no right to the land of Palestine…. What they took before 1947-8 constitutes plundering, and what they are doing now is a continuation of this plundering. By no means do we recognize their Green Line. The land of Palestine belongs to the Palestinians, not to the Zionists." The Arab-Islamic world "want[s] a country for the Palestinians on the entire land of Palestine…[and] all the talk about a two-state solution and about peace is nothing but an illusion." The Jews "have been fanning the flames of civil strife wherever they were throughout history. They are hostile by nature…. The Zionists understood nothing but the language of force."—Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in comments made in TV interviews in 2010 discovered and translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). (Jerusalem Post: Jan 15, 2013)
 

"We believe that President Morsi should make clear that he respects people of all faiths and that this type of rhetoric is unacceptable in a democratic Egypt.” President Morsi’s comments were "deeply offensive," and ran counter to the goal of peace in the region.—White House spokesman Jay Carney condemning comments Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi made in 2010 when he was still a Muslim Brotherhood leader, before being elected President. (Huffington Post, Jan 15, 2013)

 

“Israel doesn’t know what its own best interests are.”—U.S. President Barack Obama, quoted by Jeffrey Goldberg, correspondent for Bloomberg News, in reference to Israeli announcements concerning new building in settlements in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria which, according to Goldberg,  Obama views, as moving Israel down a path toward near-total diplomatic isolation. “If Israel, a small state in an inhospitable region, becomes more of a pariah – one that alienates even the affections of the U.S., its last steadfast friend, it won’t survive. Iran poses a short-term tthreat to Israel’s survival; Israel’s own behaviour poses a long term one.” — Jeffrey Goldberg paraphrasing President Obama. (Bloomberg News, National Post, Jan. 14, 16, 2013)

 

"Your activism and your intolerance are abominable. Phony Facebook "fans" have posted messages expressly asking our musicians not play in Israel. This is sheer harassment. Moreover, it's really quite surprising because these fans purporting to sway the artists are not fans at all, but simply your army of little soldiers polluting the calm and positive spaces of our artists' Facebook pages. …What bothers me the most about your effort…is your hatred of Israel, a pathological hatred, blind and most assuredly hidden behind a veil of "political correctness." Your actions don't demonstrate a love or defense of Palestinians but rather a hatred for Israelis.”—Christophe Deghelt, manager for jazz musician Jack Terrasson, speaking out against BDS online harassment of artists. (Camera, Jan. 14, 2013)

 

 “If there is no diplomatic decision, the Palestinians will go back to terror. Knives, mines, suicide attacks. Even if the local inhabitants do not want to resume the violence, they will be under pressure of the Arab world.”—Israeli President Shimon Peres in pre-election comments to the New York Times magazine critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the “peace process”. Peres drew criticism for violating the principle of Presidential political impartiality. (National Post, Jan. 11, 2013)

 

“This afternoon, French armed forces lent support to units of the Malian army to fight against terrorists. This operation will last as long as needed. We have one objective: to make sure that when we leave, when we end this intervention, there is security in Mali, legitimate leaders, an electoral process and the terrorists no longer threaten its territory. We are confident about the speed  with which we will be able to stop the aggressors”—French President Francois Hollande commenting on the French government’s sudden decision to assist to the Malian army in its fight against the encroachment of al-Qaeda-linked rebels in the country.

   “I would advise France not to sing their victory song too quickly. They managed to leave Afghanistan. They will never leave Mali.”— Omar Ould Hamaha, a commander of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, in response to the French military intervention. (Wall Street Journal, National Post,  Jan. 12 16, 2013)

 

“The establishment of a terrorist region in the middle of Africa is of grave concern to the broader international community, including Canada and our close allies.” —Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Canada’s participation (the loan of one transport aircraft) in France’s intervention in Mali. (Globe and Mail, Jan. 15, 2013)

 

“No fear, no horror, power belongs to the people. No to emerging dictatorship. No to religious dictatorship. Ennahda out, down with the [Muslim] Brotherhood Party. Where is the constitution? Where is democracy?” —Tunisian demonstrators chanting slogans against the ruling Islamist Ennahda Movement. (Globe and Mail, Jan. 15, 2013)

 

“We were waiting for our deaths so we came out, but we found our second deaths here. There we were foing to die from the fires. Here we’re going to die from the cold . We don’t want to die in this tent.”—Abu Tarik, a Syrian refugee in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. (New York Times, Jan 13, 2013)

 

“The transition is well under way. By the end of next year, 2014, the transition will be complete. Afghans will have full responsibility for their security and this war will come to a responsible end. Starting this spring our troops will have a different mission: training, advising, assisting Afghan forces.” —U.S. President Barack Obama on ending the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. (New York Post, Jan. 12, 2013)

 

“It is part of our war strategy to target any foreign citizen whose country has a military presence in Afghanistan and enters our country without permission from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.” —Zabiullah Mujahid, spokeman for Afghan insurgents from northern and eastern Afghanistan.  “No part of Afghanistan should be considered immune from violence. There is an ongoingand increased risk of kidnapping and assassination of U.S. citizens.”— U.S. State Department travel advisory.(New York Times, Jan. 13, 2013)

 

“The United Nations seems to have an unwritten rule that the more barbaric the nation, the better its chance of being appointed to monitor barbarity. Last month [Nov] , Sudan – whose president, Omar al-Bashir, has been charged with genocide by the International Criminal Court – was awarded a seat on the Economic and Social Council, which is responsible for upward of 70 percent of the human and financial resources at the UN. The advocacy group UN Watch complained that Sudan was “genocidal, misogynistic and repressive. So it’s no wonder they fit right in.”—the editors of National Review in the Dec. 17 issue as quoted by Leah Speer in the New York Post. (New York Post, Dec. 15, 2012)
 

“The question is: Why do Arabs fear a right-wing Israeli government? The reasons for the concern stem from the cultural mindset of the region. An Israel that has a strong character and is confident of itself and the justice of its cause, might stop behaving like a dishrag, as it has done in the past, more than once, under the irresponsible leadership of the bleeding hearts who are the "Pursuers of Peace", and might adopt a pattern of behavior typical to the Middle East.  In the embattled region where Israel is situated, the weak individual gets beaten up: he is shot at, missiles rain down upon him, his buses are blown up, he is de-legitimized, marginalized diplomatically, sued in international courts, states are established on his back that threaten him and declare their violent struggle against him again and again, and he – the weak one – must take all of this garbage that is rained down upon him and say, "It's only words". Sometimes he issues a warning but few take him seriously because he is weak and obsequious; he ‘seeks peace’.”—Mordechai Kedar, a 25-year veteran of Israeli army intelligence and a Bar-Ilan University expert on Israeli Arabs.

 

Top of Page

 

 

 

 

 

‘JEW’ IS THE NEW ‘COOL’ IN DUTCH, LINGUIST SAYS(The Hague) Dutch teenagers are using “Jew” akin to “cool” or “awesome” in English, according to a linguist from Leiden University. Professor Marc van Oostendorp wrote Monday on his blog that he heard the new usage of the word “jood” (pronounced yode) at a high school in Leiden shortly after learning about the phenomenon from an online forum about the Dutch language. “One is at first unsettled by it. The word Jew is still a slightly sensitive issue if used improperly,” van Oostendorp wrote. Van Oostendorp notes that Dutch already has one positive exclamation connected to Judaism in “tof,” which was borrowed from Yiddish and means “good,” but he writes that “it’s not clear if those two are connected. I don’t believe too many people are aware of the etymology.” (Times of Israel, Jan. 15, 2013)

 

CANADIAN FIRM TO DREDGE, PURIFY KISHON RIVER(Jerusalem)A Canadian sewage giant, EnGlobe, will be dredging the Kishon riverbed and purifying its sediments in an effort to turn Israel’s once most polluted waterway into an oasis for the country’s northern residents. In addition to preventing floods, revamping the Kishon will decrease land pollution damages, encourage a more vibrant collection of biodiversity, and provide an oasis for the public. “Canada is one of our strongest allies around the world, if not the strongest lately, and I think it’s very important for us to strengthen the relationship. It’s great that you have companies with the international experience and abilities to do such a project,” Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan said. Canadian Ambassador Paul Hunt praised the success of EnGlobe and said that he looked forward to following the progress of the Kishon’s ongoing rehabilitation. (Jerusalem Post, Jan. 15, 2013)

 

EGYPTIAN MOM, KIDS SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON FOR CONVERTING TO CHRISTIANITY(Cairo) The criminal court of Beni Suef (115 kms south of Cairo) has sentenced an entire family to prison for converting to Christianity. Nadia Mohamed Ali and her children Mohab, Maged, Sherif, Amira, Amir, and Nancy Ahmed Mohamed abdel-Wahab will spend 15 years in prison. Seven other people involved in the case were sentenced to five years in prison. (Asia News, Jan. 14, 20)
 

FACEBOOK 'CENSORS' PALESTINIAN WRITER POSTING ANTI-CORRUPTION ARTICLES—(Jerusalem) Khaled Abu Toameh has had his Facebook account suspended after a flurry of threats, seemingly simply for posting anti-corruption articles implicating the Palestinian Authority. Toameh also told The Commentator that over the past few days, he has been the subject of much online abuse, as well as threats and an apparently concerted smear campaign against him. This recently culminated in the posting of an article on the ‘Sabbah biz’ website, accusing Toameh of being an ‘Israeli Hasbara agent’ and showing a picture of him with the Star of David on his head. The website is run by ‘Haitham Sabbah’, who is based out of Tulkarm in the West Bank. (The Commentator, Jan. 15, 2013)
 

ISRAELI IMPLANT ENABLES BODY TO REGENERATE JOINT CARTILAGE—(Tel Aviv) A privately held Israeli medical device company is now offering a safe and effective novel off-the-shelf cartilage regeneration solution in a global market worth an estimated $1.6 billion annually. CartiHeal’s trademarked Agili-C can be implanted in a single-step arthroscopic procedure. In clinical studies, it was shown to regenerate true hyaline cartilage (the most abundant type of cartilage in the human body) after six months. Founder and CEO Nir Altschuler tells ISRAEL 21C that this is a breakthrough in the field — the “Holy Grail” in orthopedics. “Our clinical results, to date, confirm rapid cartilage and bone formation, as clearly visible on MRIs and X-rays,” says Altschuler. “Patients are reporting significant improvement in pain level and return to normal function, including sports.” (Israel 21C, Jan 15, 2013)

 

PROMINENT KURDISH REBEL MURDERED IN FRANCE—(Paris) Sakine Cansiz, one of the original founders of the outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), well as two other women, Fidan Dogan and Leyla Soylemez were found shot dead inside the Kurdish Institute of Paris. Cansiz led a tough life that included stints on the frontlines and in notorious Turkish jails, making her a legend in PKK ranks. Born in the mountainous Tunceli province in eastern Turkey, Cansiz’ family belongs to the minority Alevis — a historically persecuted sect that is considered an offshoot of Shia Islam. An eloquent women’s rights proponent, Cansiz insisted that women’s participation in the PKK’s armed struggle was not a “token gesture” nor were they “a showpiece”. (France 24, Jan. 12, 2013)

DOZENS KILLED AS EXPLOSIONS HIT SYRIAN UNIVERSITY—(Beirut, Lebanon) At least two deadly explosions, possibly caused by regime airstrikes or rebel bombs, devastated the campus of Aleppo University in Syria on Tuesday [Jan 15] as students were taking exams, a major escalation of the violent struggle for control of the country’s largest city. The opposition and the government blamed each other for the blasts, among the worst since the Syrian conflict began nearly two years ago. Syria’s ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, said at a Security Council meeting that 82 people had been killed and 192 wounded in the explosions, which he called a terrorist attack. (New York Times, Jan. 16, 2013)

 

A TRAIL OF BULLET CASINGS LEADS FROM AFRICA’S WARS BACK TO IRAN—(Washington, DC) For six years [2006-2012], a group of independent arms-trafficking researchers [have] worked to pin down the source of the mystery cartridges turning up in several African conflicts. Their finding showed that for the past several years Iran’s state-manufactured ammunition was distributed through secretive networks to a long list of combatants, including in regions under United Nations arms embargoes. The trail of evidence uncovered by the investigation included Iranian cartridges in the possession of rebels in Ivory Coast, federal troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Taliban in Afghanistan and groups affiliated with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in Niger. The ammunition was linked to spectacular examples of state-sponsored violence and armed groups connected to terrorism — all without drawing wide attention or leading back to its manufacturer. (New York Times, Jan 12, 2013)

 

PALESTINIAN FLIGHT VEXES SYRIA'S NEIGHBORS—(Cyber City, Jordan) Fighting in Damascus has sparked fears of a mass exodus of some 500,000 Palestinians toward neighbors Lebanon and Jordan, where officials concerned about stability have moved to limit their entry. Jordan is admitting Syrians but turning Palestinians away at the border. Prime Minister Abdalla Ensour said accepting Palestinians was a "red line" for Jordan because it would spur a greater influx, and that Israel is ultimately responsible for their fate. "Jordan is not a place for solving Israel's problems, and there is a clear, sovereign Jordanian decision to deny entry to Palestinians," he told the Arab daily al-Hayat on Thursday. The prospect of a large new influx of Palestinians has rekindled bad memories from the 1970s, when militants—among the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who arrived after the Arab-Israeli wars of 1948 and 1967—sparked a civil war in Lebanon and an uprising against the Jordanian monarchy. (Wall Street Journal, Jan. 12, 2013)

BIZARRE REPORT: CLINTON INJURED, US NAVY SEAL KILLED IN SECRET US MISSION TO IRAN(Moscow)A [Russian] Foreign Military Intelligence (GRU) report circulating in the Kremlin today [Dec 30] is saying that United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was injured, and a top US Navy Seal Commander killed, when their C-12 Huron military passenger and transport aircraft crash-landed nearly 3 weeks ago in the Iranian city of Ahvaz, near the Iraqi border. GRU analysts say in this report that when the C-12 Huron entered into Iranian airspace neither American nor IranIAN air force units responded, clearly indicating that this secret mission was sanctioned. Upon the C-12 Huron landing at Ahwaz, however, this report says it encountered “extreme turbulence” causing it to leave the runway where its main landing gear then collapsed, causing it to crash. This unconfirmed, claims that Secretary Clinton was flying to Iran to meet Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, who had already landed at Ahwaz just prior to Clinton’s alleged crash. (EU Times, an on-line publication, Dec 30th, 2012) [This  story is completely unconfirmed but not completely out of the realm of the plausible. – Ed.]

 

Top of Page

 

 

 

 

 

Patronising the Palestinians: Pat Condell, YouTube, Jan. 3, 2013

 

A Trail of Bullet Casings Leads from Africa’s Wars Back to Iran: C. J. Chivers, New York Times, Jan. 11, 2013 — For the past several years, even as Iran faced intensive foreign scrutiny over its nuclear program and for supporting proxies across the Middle East, its state-manufactured ammunition was distributed through secretive networks to a long list of combatants, including in regions under United Nations arms embargoes.

 

Good News for Knees: Abigail Klein Leichman, Israel 21C, January 15, 2013—In a groundbreaking advance, a novel Israeli implant provides a scaffold for the body to regenerate true joint-protecting cartilage.

 

 

Ber Lazarus
, Publications Editor
Canadian Institute for Jewish Research
/L'institut Canadien de recherches sur le Judaïsme   www.isranet.org  Tel: (514) 486-5544 Fax: (514) 486-8284

 

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