Contents: Weekly Quotes | Short Takes
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Exposing The UN's Dirty Little Secrets: Daniel Schwammenthal, The Commentator, Feb. 24 2013
France to Return Art Stolen By the Nazis: Kim Willsher, Telegraph, Feb. 24, 2013
New Implant is Alternative to Spinal Fusion: Abigail Klein Leichman, Israel 21C, Feb. 27, 2013
“Real apartheid, genocide and ethnic cleansing are occurring on our watch, yet these people have become so obsessed with the end of Zionism that the suffering of others had become a side show. Protest the oppression of women in Saudi Arabia and you'll have my respect. Protesting against an Israeli theater group is pathetic.”—Kasim Hafeez, a British-born pro-Israel Muslim in an op-ed article in Ynet News. (Ynet, Feb. 20, 2013)
“A political lie of a variety well known in the twentieth century and scarcely exceeded in all that annal of untruth and outrage. The lie is that Zionism is a form of racism. The overwhelming truth is that it is not.”—Daniel Patrick Moynihan, coming to the defense of Zionism in his effort to block UN resolution 3379, passed by the General Assembly in November 1975, declaring Zionism to be a form of racism. Moynihan further proclaimed that, in the approval of this resolution, the “abomination of anti-Semitism…has been given the appearance of international sanction,” and that the General Assembly had granted “symbolic amnesty—and more—to the murderers of million European Jews.” The resolution was ultimately repealed in 1991 with 111 countries voting for the motion to repeal. (National Review, Feb. 11, 2013)
"To many who know little or nothing about Hollywood or the falsity of such Jewish stereotypes, there’s a much higher potential for the ‘Jews control Hollywood’ myth to be accepted as fact. It only reinforces stereotypes which legitimize anti-Semitism. It is sad and disheartening that the Oscars awards show sought to use anti-Jewish stereotypes for laughs." —Abe Foxman of the ADL, in response to a Seth McFarlane comedy routine at the Oscars which suggested that in order to "work in this town" (Hollywood) he [had to] be Jewish. He then [went] on to say, "I was born Theodore Shapiro and I would like to donate to Israel and continue to work in Hollywood forever." (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 26, 2013)
"[Palestinian] children grow up learning that Jews are 'Satan with a tail'… Adults hear that Jews are evil and not to be trusted. It is perhaps not surprising that the [Palestinian] hatred is growing. The messenger is a [PA] government that receives large amounts [of money] from Norway."—Norwegian state-owned TV, NRK in a recent program on Palestinian Media Watch's findings concerning the direct connection between the Palestinian Authority's promotion of hatred and terror glorification and the Norwegian funding of the PA, at 300 million kroner a year ($52,628,700). (Palestinian Media Watch, Feb. 27, 2013)
“Iran is closer than ever to achieve enrichment for a nuclear bomb.”—a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu’s office in response to a recent UN report indicating that Iran has made significant progress in upgrading it’s nuclear capabilities. Furthermore, the statement said, the report’s findings “prove that Iran continues to advance to the red line” that Israel considers intolerable. (Montreal Gazette, Feb. 22, 2013)
“After [Mohamed] Merah the French are afraid of terrorism. They are afraid that you can have one or two or three Merahs. And they could be right; no one really knows.”—Marc Trévidic, France’s most prominent investigative judge dealing with terrorism, commenting on the potential spillover effects of the French government’s intervention against Islamists in Mali. “The field of suspects is much larger, so the situation gives me a little fear. We’re fighting groups that are less powerful and organized than before, but which are much more difficult to detect. The young Muslims I see in my office have developed a kind of paranoia,” he said. “They are sure that we want to fight Islam, that we’re against Islam. They were born in France and were not practicing Muslims, but now they pray and they are sure we are against Muslims.” (New York Times, Feb. 24, 2013)
“Bashar al-Assad and the security and military leadership responsible for the state of Syria today must step down and be considered outside this political process. They cannot be part of any political solution for Syria and must be held accountable for their crimes.”—Syrian opposition coalition in a statement contradicting recent statements by its leader, Sheik Ahmad Moaz al-Khatib, who had said he was open to talks with members of Mr. Assad’s government about a political solution to end the conflict. (New York Times, Feb. 23, 2013)
“This new document… shows we are no longer dealing with an isolated local problem, but with an enemy which is reaching across continents to share advice.”—Bruce Riedel, a 30year veteran of the CIA, now the director of the Intelligence Project at the Brookings Institution, commenting on an al-Qaeda tipsheet left behind by Islamist fighters fleeing French troops in Mali. The tipsheet provided advice on how to best avoid drone detection, amongst other things.
“These are not dumb techniques. It shows that they are acting pretty astutely.”—Col. Cedric Leighton, a 26-year-veteran of the United States Air Force, who helped set up the Predator drone program. “What it does is, it buys them a little bit more time — and in this conflict, time is key. And they will use it to move away from an area, from a bombing raid, and do it very quickly.” (National Post, Feb. 22, 2013)
“A non-militarized Palestinian state, together with security mechanisms that address Israeli concerns while respecting Palestinian sovereignty, and a U.S.- led multinational force to ensure a peaceful transitional security period. This coalition peacekeeping structure, under UN mandate, would feature American leadership of a NATO force supplemented by Jordanians, Egyptians and Israelis. We can envision a five-year, renewable mandate with the objective of achieving full Palestinian domination of security affairs on the Palestine side of the line within 15 years.”—from a 2009 report, co-authored by newly sworn-in US Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, and released by the U.S./Middle East Project (USMEP), on whose board Hagel serves. The report recommended, among other things, the imposition of a “peace agreement” on Israel despite the potential for alienating the American Jewish constituency. (Breibart, Feb. 24, 2013)
"From early on, people are taught in religious schools that slaves are the masters’ properties, who are passed along as inheritance and where the condition of slavery is transmitted from parent to child, where women slaves must submit their bodies to their masters."—Abidine Merzough, a man born as a slave to slave parents in Mauritania, speaking at UN Watch’s annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. Some 20 percent of Mauritanians, about 600,000 people, are still slaves. Mauritania uses Sharia to justify a racist system where Arabs exploit the country's black African population. (The Commentator, Feb. 24, 2013)
“Despite his admission and his regret, Jonathan continues to serve a sentence unprecedented in American history [for the crime he committed]. His health is fleeting and the remainder of his life is diminishing.”—Tel Aviv Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau in a letter to US President Barack Obama in anticipation of the latter’s visit to Israel in March. He noted that Pollard would soon mark the unfortunate milestone of 10,000 days in prison. “Let him live the rest of his life with his wife, Esther, in the State of Israel that granted him citizenship. This action would be seen as a humanitarian gesture by the seekers of freedom in the world.” Lau wrote. (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 23, 2013)
“The opening of the [Canadian] Office of Religious Freedom is a positive step forward in helping to secure fundamental freedoms across the globe and we were pleased to be part of the original consultation process. Canada has an obligation to display moral leadership and do its part to protect vulnerable communities around the world. Today’s announcement…will hopefully be the first step in a series of important initiatives by the Office to further the rights of religious minorities.”—Frank Dimant, CEO of B’nai Brith Canada, commenting on the Canadian government’s recent announcement establishing the new ‘Office of Religious Freedom’. (B’nai Brith Canada, Feb. 19, 2013)
U.S. SET TO SEND DIRECT AID TO SYRIAN REBELS—(Paris) America is poised to provide direct assistance for the first time to rebel forces fighting to overthrow the Syrian regime, in an attempt to end a stalemate in the country's bloody two-year civil war. John Kerry, the new US secretary of state, signaled yesterday that Washington is actively considering a shift in policy that would send financial aid and equipment such as armored vehicles, body armour and night vision goggles to Syria's opposition council. There was however no indication that weaponry would be supplied. "We are examining and developing ways to accelerate the transition the Syrian people seek and deserve," Mr Kerry said in Paris, after meeting Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister. A White House spokesman confirmed the move. (Telegraph, Feb. 27, 2013)
CHUCK HAGEL SWORN IN AS US DEFENSE SECRETARY—(Washington) After rocky confirmation process, Republican described by his own party as showing 'troubling lack of judgment on critical issues' finally takes office. Chuck Hagel took charge of the US Defense Department on Wednesday after a bruising confirmation fight – and two days before billions in budget cuts are scheduled to hit the military. The Republican, who still faces skepticism and anger from some former Senate colleagues of his own party, was sworn in after a deeply divided chamber voted Tuesday to confirm him. The vote was one of the closest seen in the House – 58-41. The twice-wounded Vietnam combat veteran now faces $46 billion in automatic, across-the-board budget cuts that will hit the Pentagon on Friday unless a deal can be made by the Obama administration and Congress to avoid them. But no talks on an agreement appeared to be under way. (Israel News, Feb. 27, 2013)
IRAN ROCKET EXPERTS HELPING MILITANTS IN GAZA—(Tel Aviv) Expert rocket makers dispatched from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have in recent days arrived in the Gaza Strip, senior Palestinian security sources have told the Israeli news outlet Walla! on Tuesday. According to the report, the sources said that they are in Gaza to help Hamas and the Islamic Jihad develop long-range missiles. Israeli security and diplomatic sources have reportedly confirmed the Palestinian claims that there is an Iranian presence in Gaza, but did not elaborate. Walla! quoted the Israeli sources as saying that Iranian agents have previously visited the Gaza Strip as well. (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 26, 2013)
BRITISH JIHADI SUICIDE BOMB GANG GUILTY OF PLOTTING TERROR ATTACK—(London, UK) The ringleaders of an al-Qaeda-backed British jihadi group – Irfan Naseer, 31, Irfan Khalid, 27, and Ashik Ali, 27 – have been found guilty of plotting the worst terror attack on UK soil. The Birmingham-based gang planned to use eight suicide bombers, armed with guns, to cause "mass death" and "carnage" on the streets of Britain and wanted to carry out "another 9/11." Targets included an unnamed synagogue. Naseer and Khalid traveled to Pakistan for terror training, where they made martyrdom videos to be released by al-Qaeda after they had blown themselves up. The gang raised more than £20,000 by claiming to be collecting for Muslim Aid to fund their atrocity. (Telegraph, Feb. 21, 2013)
'58% RISE IN ANTI-SEMITIC ATTACKS IN FRANCE IN 2012'—(Paris) France saw an increase of 58 percent in anti-Semitic incidents in 2012 compared to the previous year, according to a report by the French Jewish community. The report released Tuesday by the SPCJ, the security unit of France’s Jewish communities, showed that 614 anti-Semitic acts were documented in the republic last year compared to 389 in 2011. "2012 has been a year of unprecedented violence against Jews in France,” according to the report, which referenced the shooting murders of a rabbi and three Jewish children on March 19 by an Islamist radical at a Jewish school in Toulouse. (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 20, 2013)
COURT ORDERS GAZA TUNNELS DESTROYED—(Cairo)A Cairo court ruled that the Egyptian government must destroy all tunnels between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. The labyrinth of tunnels is an infamous smuggling route for arms trafficking. It is also believed that 30% of the goods that reach the Gaza Strip, as well as over 1.5 million people a year, make their way through the tunnels in an attempt to bypass the blockade that has been imposed by Israel and Egypt for more than seven years. The underground maze stretching beneath Rafah, Sinai and Gaza is said to include 450 main tunnels and 750 sub-tunnels. (Israel News, Feb. 27, 2013)
SYRIAN REBELS ATTACK HIZBULLAH POSITIONS IN LEBANON—(Beirut) Syrian rebels started to attack Lebanon's Hizbullah on Feb. 21, after the Free Syrian Army (FSA) chief of staff issued a warning to Hizbullah to stop shelling territory held by the insurgents. "We have bombed the territories of Hizbullah in Lebanon and Syria. The Free Syrian Army will continue bombing these positions," said Col. Hisam al-Avvak of the Group of Free Officers, which operates under the umbrella of the FSA. (Hurriyet News, Feb. 21, 2013 )
SYRIAN REBELS CLAIM TO KILL HEZBOLLAH DEPUTY CHIEF—(Beirut) Hezbollah's deputy chief, Naim Qassem, was killed Tuesday when Syrian rebels bombed a convoy consisting of high-ranking Syrian government officers near the Lebanon border, news portal Now Lebanon quoted the Free Syria Army as saying on Wednesday. “It has been confirmed… that Hezbollah’s number two man died after [receiving] a serious injury,” the Free Syria Army posted on its Twitter account. Lebanese newspaper al-Mustaqbal quoted the Syrian rebels as saying mines placed on the Beirut-Damascus highway had detonated as the convoy returned from a high-level security meeting in Lebanon. The explosion reportedly took place near the town of Jdeidet Yabous near the Lebanon-Syria border. (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 27, 2013)
OXFORD STUDENTS REJECT ISRAEL BOYCOTT CALL—(London) A controversial motion calling for a boycott of Israeli institutions, goods and produce at Oxford University was unequivocally defeated by students on Wednesday [Feb 27]. Students at the prestigious university voted against the motion at Oxford University Students’ Union (OUSU), with 69 votes against, 10 for and 15 abstentions. A margin of seven to one. Oxford University’s collegiate system is made up of 38 colleges and six private halls founded by various Christian denominations. Each college has a “junior common room” that votes at the OUSU. The number of votes each college has is determined by the size of the college. (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 27, 2013)
TALKS RESULT IN EASED SANCTIONS FOR IRAN—(Almaty, Kazakhstan) World powers offered broader concessions than ever to Iran in attempts Wednesday [Feb. 27] keep alive diplomatic channels that seek to rein in the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program and prevent it from building an atomic weapon. The offer was hailed by Saeed Jalili, Iran’s top official at diplomatic talks in Kazakhstan, who said it represented a “turning point” by world powers to compromise on Tehran’s uranium enrichment program. The deal allows Iran to keep a limited amount of highly enriched uranium — but not make any more — stops short of demanding the full shutdown of an underground nuclear facility, and offers to remove some trade sanctions that have hurt Iran’s economy. Still, a senior US official said, crippling sanctions on Iran’s oil and financial industries would remain in place as negotiations continue. (Times of Israel, Feb. 27, 2013)
IMAGES INDICATE IRAN PURSUING ‘PLAN B’ FOR NUKES—(London) New satellite images reveal that an Iranian nuclear site that has been kept away from the inquiring eyes of UN inspectors is operational and apparently producing materials that could eventually be used to make an atomic bomb. Fresh photographs of the Arak facility, published late Tuesday [Feb 26] by Britain’s Daily Telegraph, indicate that heavy water production has commenced at the site. Arak is a heavily guarded facility that contains two main sections: a nuclear reactor and a heavy water production plant. The heavy water section of the facility has been off-limits to international inspections for the past 18 months. The images show a large number of anti-aircraft batteries protecting the Arak site. Most of the missiles are on the western side of the complex, facing toward Israel and the direction from which an Israeli airstrike would likely emanate, the report said. (Times of Israel, Feb. 27, 2013)
DISPUTED JEWISH TEXTS TO STAY IN RUSSIA, PUTIN SAYS—(Moscow) A disputed collection of Jewish writings will remain in Russia because returning it to a New York-based group would set a precedent paving the way for more such claims dating back to Soviet times, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday. Dispute over the Jewish books and documents claimed by the Chabad-Lubavitch group adds to tensions between Moscow and Washington, which have seen ties deteriorate over human rights and security issues since Putin's return to the Kremlin in May. "The Schneerson Collection belongs to Russia," Putin said in a grand new Jewish museum in Moscow, in referring to texts held in Russian libraries and archives, some of them confiscated by the Soviet Union from Nazi forces during World War Two. (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 19, 2013)
SEARCH FOR JEWS OF KAIFENG—(Jerusalem) In recent decades, a vast resurgence of a large variety of religious, ethnic and cultural identities has been sweeping China. The wave of interest in old traditions has had a major effect on the descendants of the ancient Jewish community of Kaifeng. With no synagogue or rabbi since the mid-19th century, until very recently the Jews of Kaifeng had almost completely assimilated into the Chinese world around them. In recent years, some members of the community have begun to examine and explore their Jewish roots. Interest in the faith of their ancestors and increasing contact with Jews from Israel and elsewhere has even led some of the community members towards conversion to Judaism. This talk by scholar Gideon Elazar is based on a visit with the community in Kaifeng under the auspices of the organization "Shavei Yisrael" during the holiday of Sukkot, and an analysis of their history and current situation in the context of contemporary China. (The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Video, Feb 14, 2013)
NEW IMPLANT IS ALTERNATIVE TO SPINAL FUSION—(Tel Aviv) One of the most common causes of back pain is spinal stenosis of the lower back – a narrowing of the spinal canal that causes pressure on the spinal cord and nerve roots. Fixing the problem usually involves spinal fusion, an operation to permanently join two or more vertebrae bones so there is no movement between them. The Israeli company Premia Spine is offering a unique and – it believes – better option. Its trademarked TOPS (Total Posterior Solution) System aims to revolutionize the spinal implant market. “We believe patients suffering from spinal stenosis can also get joint replacement rather than fusion,” CEO Ron Sacher. “We’ve developed an implant that recreates all functions of the posterior spinal column…[including] control over twisting, bending and flexing.” The titanium-sandwiched implant not only gives patients normal, pain-free mobility, but it also protects adjacent levels of the spine from similar degeneration – a common unwanted side effect of fusion surgery. (Israel 21 C, Feb. 27, 2013)
FRANCE TO RETURN ART STOLEN BY THE NAZIS—(Paris) The French government has launched a new bid to return paintings stolen by the Nazis to their rightful owners – or, given the seven decades that has passed – their descendants. President Francois Hollande's administration is setting up a group of experts and curators to pro-actively track down families, rather than simply waiting for them to come forward. The group, which will start work next month, will carry out its detective work with the help of a new computerised database compiled of digital scans of thousands of pages of relevant documentation currently gathering dust in archives. French museums currently hold some 2,140 art pieces that are thought to have been looted from Jewish families, including paintings by famous names such as Cezanne, Degas, Van Dyck, Ingres, Pissarro, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, and Tiepolo. (Telegraph, 24 Feb 2013)
France to return art stolen by the Nazis: Kim Willsher, Telegraph, Feb. 24, 2013—The French government has launched a new bid to return paintings stolen by the Nazis to their rightful owners – or, given the seven decades that has passed – their descendants.
New Implant Is Alternative To Spinal Fusion: Abigail Klein Leichman, Israel 21C, Feb. 27, 2013—Israel’s Premia Spine has a transformative solution for spinal stenosis inspired by the success of total hip and total knee replacement.
Exposing The UN's Dirty Little Secrets: Daniel Schwammenthal, The Commentator, Feb. 24 2013—A gathering of the tortured in Geneva shames the UN Human Rights Council by giving victims not perpetrators a platform to tell their story.
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) 486-82843
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