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WEDNESDAY’S “NEWS IN REVIEW” ROUND-UP

Contents:  Weekly Quotes |  Short Takes

 

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On Topic Links

 

A Native and a Zionist: Ryan Bellerose, The Metropolitain, Jan. 24, 2013
Exposing the Palestinians' Anna Baltzer: Lee Kaplan, Gatestone Institute, Jan. 29, 2013
Deadly Riots Erupt Across Egypt on Anniversary of  Revolution: David D. Kirkpatrick, New York Times, Jan. 25, 2013

 

 

“France’s foreign minister said this month that his country was fighting to prevent the creation of an Islamist terrorist enclave ‘at the doorstep of France and Europe.’ If Mali is on France’s doorstep, Gaza is in Israel’s living room. Make no mistake, France’s principled stand should be commended. We only ask that France and all the countries who are supporting its principled stand today, support Israel tomorrow when we fight Islamic terrorism on our borders.”—Ron Prosor, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, in comments at the UN Security Council’s monthly open debate on the Middle East. Referring, furthermore, to the November 2012 UN vote to create a non-voting “State of Palestine” Prosor said, “The only Palestinian state in these halls is the Palestinian state of denial. Last month’s resolution did not confer Palestinian statehood. It did not constitute recognition of a Palestinian state. The change in terminology and titles risks creating a false impression of Palestinian statehood when no such state exists.” (Times of Israel, Jan. 23, 2013)

“[I]n our view, any reference to the ‘State of Palestine’ in the United Nations, including the use of the term ‘State of Palestine’ on the placard in the Security Council or the use of the term ‘State of Palestine’ in the invitation to this meeting or other arrangements for participation in this meeting, do not reflect acquiescence that ‘Palestine’ is a state. Only direct negotiations to settle final status issues will lead to this outcome.”—Susan Rice, American Ambassador to the UN, on the occasion of the first Palestinian address to the Security Council since the U.N. General Assembly voted to upgrade the Palestinians from U.N. observer to non-voting member state. (Washington Post, Jan. 23, 2013)
 

"I do not understand the meaning of this expression [diplomatic terrorism], but, frankly, yes, we are waging diplomatic war against Israel for our rights, to isolate Israel's policy in our land and delegitimize Israel on our land."—Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in a speech on the occasion of  the birthday of the prophet Mohammed. [Jan. 24]. (Elder of Ziyon,  Jan. 24, 2013)

 “Many of our best friends are telling us…'Don't worry, if worst comes to worst the world will inevitably (help)….It cannot be taken for granted. It's on the screens all around the world, tens of thousands of [Syrian] people slaughtered by their own leader and the world doesn't move."—Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.(Washington Post, Jan. 24, 2013)
 

“The fact is we had four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest? Or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they’d go kill some Americans? What difference, at this point, does it make?  It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, senator.”—Hilary Rodham Clinton, American Secretary of State, responding angrily to a question at the Congressional hearings on the Benghazi debacle in September 2012 where four Americans, including the US Ambassador to Libya, were killed by al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in a pre-planned attack. (Times of Israel, Jan. 23, 2013)

 

"It [Iran] would definitely use it [a nuclear bomb] against Israel or against any other enemy state. The [Iranian] regime thinks that if it has several atom bombs, [that] will grant it an insurance policy…They believe that the world would treat them the way it treats North Korea."—Mohammed Razza Hidari, a former representative of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, who defected two years ago in Oslo, Norway, speaking to Israel's Channel 2 television on Friday [Jan. 25]. (Jerusalem Post, Jan. 25, 2013)

 

“Having visited Auschwitz twice – once with my family and once with local schools – I am saddened that the Jews, who suffered unbelievable levels of persecution during the Holocaust, could within a few years of liberation from the death camps be inflicting atrocities on Palestinians in the new State of Israel and continue to do so on a daily basis in the West Bank and Gaza.”—British Liberal Democrat MP David Ward, upon signing the Holocaust Educational Trust's Book of Commitment in the House of Commons. In a further statement to The Commentator Ward said, "The Holocaust was one of the worst examples in history of man's inhumanity to man. When faced with examples of atrocious behaviour, we must learn from them. It appears that the suffering by the Jews has not transformed their views on how others should be treated." The Liberal Democrat party has denounced Ward's statements, saying, “This is a matter we take extremely seriously. The Liberal Democrats deeply regret and condemn the statement issued by David Ward and his use of language which is unacceptable.” (The Commentator, Jan. 25, 2013)

“Not at all hopeful. I think it’s nothing. You saw how it ended in Libya. It ended in a kind of mess, you know. It will happen elsewhere, too. It [will] come and go, and we’ll be back where we started. Chaos, one-man rule, which is how these things usually end in the Muslim world.”—author V.S. Naipaul, in an interview with Isaac Chotiner, commenting on the Arab Spring.  (New Republic, Dec. 20, 2012)

 

"What is surprising about this is that not only was this a public amputation, but that photos of it were distributed by official press agencies, and that they showed a machine that we had until yet never seen images of. We have noticed that the authorities have recently been making more and more publicity surrounding cases of corporal punishment. Every time we get closer to an election, the number of these incidents increases. And we're getting quite close to the presidential election [slated for June]. I believe this is a strategy to instil fear in the population so as to avoid any protests.”—Mahmoud Amiry-Moghaddam, spokesperson for Iran Human Rights based in Norway, commenting on the public amputation of an alleged thief’s fingers in Shiraz, Iran, using a new machine invented for that purpose. (American Thinker, Jan. 27, 2013)

 

“I cannot emphasize enough the challenges that we are all facing, both in Jordan and Lebanon, and it’s only going to get worse. What we’re asking from the international community is not just to help us with the refugee problems and their challenges as they face this harsh winter, but also stockpiling in Jordan so that we can move supplies across the borders to keep people in place.”—King Abdullah of Jordan, commenting on the increasing influx of Syrian refugees into Jordan, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. (New York Times, Jan. 26, 2013)

“This is the beginning of another revolution. The Egyptian pound is down against the dollar. Our economy is even worse now than it was under Mubarak. Morsi behaves like a dictator. Something must be done.”—Ahmed Attif, an anti-Morsi demonstrator in Tahrir Square, where he hawked Palestinian scarves because his usual work in a bazaar disappeared when tourism dropped.
   “We begin again because no other course of action is open to us,” Mr. Ahmed said. “Life is worse for us in every way today. We don’t trust the police. Most of us have serious economic problems and no chance to solve them.” —Mohammad Ahmed, a demonstrator at Tahrir Square.(National Post, Jan. 26, 2013)

“This is not a minister of defense, it’s a minister of chaos. [Choosing Chuck Hagel] makes it seem Mr. Obama is just a joke, American power is just a joke. What we hear from your country makes us so confused. What [potential] American defense minister will say he will never go to war? Such a statement from a high-level politician will…push Iran to understand there is no serious position in America.”—Mithal al Alusi, a former Iraqi Parliamentarian who has championed counter-terrorism cooperation and normalized relations between Iraq and Israel, in an interview with the Algemeiner. (Algemeiner, Jan. 27, 2013)
 

"For the Morsi I know, any cooperation with Israel is a serious sin, a crime. Anti-Israeli rhetoric is a cornerstone of the Brotherhood's ideology.”—Abdel-Jalil el-Sharnoubi, a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood who has known Mohammed Morsi for 13 years and believes that behind the Egyptian president's veneer of goodwill towards Israel lies a deep-seated hatred. He explains that Morsi is a "master of disguise." With respect to Egypt itself, Sharnoubi said,  “They [the Brotherhood] will infiltrate all areas of our society: government offices and ministries, schools and universities, as well as the police and the military. They will eliminate their enemies. The Brotherhood will never give up its power without a fight."  (Der Spiegel, Jan. 28, 2013)

 

 

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HAMAS TO ESTABLISH MILITARY ACADEMY FOR SCHOOLKIDS(Gaza City) Hamas plans to establish a military academy in the Gaza Strip to train and educate schoolchildren. Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh announced on Thursday [Jan 24] that the military academy, the first of its kind in the Gaza Strip, would prepare the children for the “phase of liberating Palestine.” He said that children in grades 7-9 could join the school and graduate with a diploma or a BA in military affairs. Haniyeh made this announcement during a ceremony in the Gaza Strip marking the birth of the prophet Muhammad. More than 10,000 schoolchildren attended the ceremony, which included a “military parade” by some of the teenagers. (Jerusalem Post, Jan. 24, 2013)

 

ARABS DESECRATE JOSEPH'S TOMB, AGAIN(Shechem, Samaria) Visitors to the Tomb of Yosef in Shechem were shocked to discover Wednesday night yet another instance of major Arab vandalism to the holy site. Arabs trashed furniture, destroyed books, and defaced the site with anti-Semitic graffiti, and there was evidence that they had tried to burn the structure down. In addition, human and animal waste was found all over the floor of the site. Shomron Regional Council head Gershon Mesika said tonight "Only barbarians do these horrid things to desecrate this holy place." (Arutz-7, Jan. 24, 2013)

 

NO ISRAELIS KILLED BY WEST BANK TERROR IN 2012, FIRST TIME SINCE 1973(Jerusalem) For the first time since 1973, no Israelis were killed in terror attacks in the West Bank in 2012, according to a report published Thursday by the Israel Security Agency. However, in 2012 there were 578 terror attacks in the West Bank as opposed to 320 incidents in 2011. 10 Israelis were killed during security-related incidents in other parts of the country: 6 by rocket attacks, 2 by shooting, and 2 from terrorist attacks near the Israel-Egypt border. 2,327 rockets and 230 mortar shells were fired from Gaza in 2012. Also, 8 rockets were fired at Israel from Sinai. There were 11 attempts to fire anti-aircraft weaponry at IDF planes, compared to 1 such attempt in 2011. (Ha'aretz, Jan 24, 2013)

 

IRAN, SYRIA AND NORTH KOREA DEVELOPING BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS (Washington) Dangerous biological weapons are being developed by the nexus of Iran, Syria and North Korea. Among the more than 16 biological agents that Iran reportedly is developing are anthrax, Ebola, encephalitis, biological toxins, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), cholera, smallpox and plague. Worse yet, Iran, with North Korea's help, has genetically altered the smallpox virus in ways that may make current vaccinations ineffective. (Washington Times, Jan. 24, 2013)

 

ISRAEL GIRDS FOR ATTACKS AS SYRIA FALLS APART(Jerusalem) Israel deployed at least one Iron Dome missile defense battery in northern Israel on Sunday [Jan 27] amid reports of intense security consultations regarding the possibility of Syrian chemical weapons falling into the hands of Islamist rebels or being transferred to Hizbullah. "If there will be a need, we will take action to prevent chemical weapons from being transferred to Islamic terror organizations," Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom told Army Radio. (New York Times, Jan. 27, 2013) [Latest reports indicate that two Iron Dome batteries were moved into northern Israel. – Ed.]

 

ISRAEL STRIKES AT SYRIA-LEBANON BORDER(Jerusalem) Israeli forces attacked a convoy on the Syrian-Lebanese border on Wednesday, sources told Reuters, after Israelis warned their Lebanese enemy Hezbollah against using chaos in Syria to acquire anti-aircraft missiles or chemical weapons.  "The target was a truck loaded with weapons, heading from Syria to Lebanon," said one Western diplomat, adding that the consignment seemed unlikely to have included chemical weapons. Its load probably included high-tech anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles. (Jerusalem Post, Jan. 30, 2013)

 

PALESTINIAN INFILTRATED INTO SHAVEI SHOMRON FOR SANCTUARY (Shavei Shomron, Israel) On Tuesday [Jan. 29] a Palestinian managed to infiltrate into the town of Shavei Shomron, about 40km due east of Netanya in Shomron.  He was caught by the town’s local security team. Apparently he did not infiltrate into the town to commit a terror attack. The Palestinian was involved in a family feud in his village and ran to the settlement for sanctuary. (Jewish Press, Jan. 29, 2013)

 

THE GENIUS OF IRANIAN INDUSTRY(Tehran) It seems that cutting off the fingers of thieves the old-fashioned way was messy. Iranian ingenuity came to the rescue and now the mullahs have a machine that cuts off the fingers of thieves. Quick, efficient, and ruthless. One of Iran's official press agencies published photos showing the public amputation of a thief's fingers on Wednesday [Jan. 23] These show a man getting his finger chopped off with a machine resembling a rotary saw. According to the INSA press agency, the man shown getting his finger cut off was charged with robbery and adultery by a court in the south-western city of Shiraz. He was also accused of being at the head of a criminal organization. On top of losing one of his fingers, he was sentenced to three years in prison and 99 whip lashes. (American Thinker, Jan. 27, 2013)

 

HISTORY MADE AS NATURAL GAS FLOWS FROM SHIP TO HADERA(Hadera)

History was made on Saturday evening as natural gas began flowing to its power stations from a regasification ship hired by the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC). The ship, anchored about ten kilometers from the Hadera coast, was connected last week to a marine buoy and as of Saturday night, natural gas began flowing from the LNG (liquid natural gas) ship through an underwater pipeline directly to the Company's power stations throughout the country. The LNG, which is imported from Trinidad, is cheaper than imported oil. This marks an important step in the development of Israel’s new offshore natural gas. The Tamar field is due to begin producing gas in April this year. (Israel National News, Jan. 28, 2013)

 

IRAN LAUNCHES MONKEY INTO SPACE(Tehran) Iranian state TV says the country has successfully sent a monkey into space, in what is described as another step toward Tehran’s goal of a manned space flight. Monday’s report said the monkey was sent up in a Pishtam, or Explorer, rocket to a height of 120 kilometers (72 miles). The monkey returned safely. The US and its allies worry that technology from the space program could also be used to develop long-range missiles that could potentially be armed with nuclear warheads. (Times of Israel, Jan. 28, 2013)

RUPERT MURDOCH APOLOGIZES FOR LONDON SUNDAY TIMES CARTOON(London) Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, owner of Britain's Sunday Times, has issued an apology for the cartoon that was published by the Times Sunday, calling the image "grotesque" and "offensive." The cartoon depicts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a large-nosed Jew, hunched over a wall, building with Palestinian blood-cement as they writhe in pain within the wall. (Algemeiner, Jan. 28, 2013)

UNHRC POSTPONES ISRAEL'S REVIEW OVER BOYCOTT(New York) The United Nations Human Rights Council postponed its periodic review of Israel's human rights record on Tuesday [Jan. 29], after Jerusalem said it would boycott the proceedings due to what it perceives as a bias against it. The Council stated that the review would take place no later than November 2013.  UN Watch's Hillel Neuer slammed the Council, saying that "a jury of brigands is not justice, it’s a travesty. We regret that today's resolution failed to acknowledge the elephant in the room: the council's systematic bias against Israel," he said.  (Jerusalem Post, Jan. 29, 2013)
 

IRAN SENTENCES U.S. PASTOR TO EIGHT YEARS FOR CHRISTIANITY—(Tehran) An American pastor, Saeed Abedini, who has been jailed in Iran since September, has been sentenced to eight years in prison, the U.S. State Department said Sunday. Abedini's attorney, Nasser Sarbazi, said his client, who is of Iranian origin but lives in Boise, Idaho, was tried in the Revolutionary Court on charges of attempting to undermine state security by creating a network of Christian churches in private homes. State Department Spokesman Darby Holladay said, "We condemn Iran's continued violation of the universal right of freedom of religion." (Washington Post, Jan.  , 2013

ANCIENT TIMBUKTU MANUSCRIPTS TORCHED BY ISLAMISTS(Timbuktu, Mali) The historic manuscripts of Timbuktu, including one written in Hebrew, are, reportedly, no more. They were destroyed by Islamic terrorists in the African nation of Mali. The library, which contained thousands of priceless manuscripts from ancient times, was put to the torch as the rebels fled the French and Malian troops who were closing in on the Saharan city. At least one of the manuscripts, buried beneath the sand or in caves for centuries in wooden trunks and boxes, was written in Hebrew. The manuscripts covered women’s rights, medicine, music, poetry, geography, history, religion and even astronomy. Researchers had managed to digitize only a small percentage of the manuscripts. (Arutz Sheva, Jan. 28, 2013)

NORWAY: FAILED BOYCOTT, RECORD IMPORTS FROM ISRAEL(Oslo) In spite of boycotts, Norway has never bought so many goods from Israel as in the last year. “These figures show the lack of success when it comes to boycotting Israeli goods”, says Ola H. Grytten, a professor of economy, to Dagen News.   Interim figures covering Norwegian foreign trade in 2012 show imports from Israel estimated at a value of 762 Million NOK; an increase of 5.5 percent, compared to the year before. On the other hand, total imports to Norway only increased by 1.5 percent. The largest category of goods from Israel is electrical appliances, valued at 129 Million NOK, one million more than in 2011. (Israel What, Jan. 16, 2013)

 

 

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A Native and a Zionist: Ryan Bellerose, The Metropolitain, Jan. 24, 2013—I am a Métis from Northern Alberta. My father, Mervin Bellerose, co-authored the Métis Settlements Act of 1989, which was passed by the Alberta legislature in 1990 and cemented our land rights. I founded Canadians for Accountability, a native rights advocacy group, and I am an organizer and participant in the Idle No More movement in Calgary. And I am a Zionist.

Deadly Riots Erupt Across Egypt on Anniversary of  Revolution: David D. Kirkpatrick, New York Times, Jan. 25, 2013— Violence erupted across Egypt on Friday as tens of thousands of demonstrators filled Tahrir Square to mark the second anniversary of the country’s revolution with an outpouring of rage against the rise to power of the Muslim Brotherhood. At least seven protesters and two police officers were killed in clashes in Suez, the state news media said.

Exposing the Palestinians' Anna Baltzer: Lee Kaplan, Gatestone Institute, Jan. 29, 2013—Will Oxford Endorse a Fraud? Anna Baltzer — apparently neither a Fulbright Scholar, nor a descendant of Holocaust survivors, nor an alumna of the Birthright Program — appears to be just a fraud and a fabulist. So why is Oxford having her speak January 31st? 

 

 

 

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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