Contents: Weekly Quotes | Short Takes
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Jihadism Spreading in West Africa, Professor Warns: David Lazarus, Canadian Jewish News, Apr. 15, 2013 (video)
Reallocating Canadian aid to the Palestinians: Charles Bybelezer, Jerusalem Post, Apr. 13, 2013
With Nothing to Lose: The Limits of a Rational Iran: Steven David, American Interest, Apr.9, 2013
“On this day and on any day, Israel stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the American people. We are partners in freedom and in seeking a better future for all humanity. Yesterday, a day of enjoyment in Boston was turned into a day of terror. We send our condolences to President Obama, the American people and the bereaved families.”—Benjamin Netanyau, Prime Minister of Israel, in a statement following the terrorist bombings at the Boston Marathon. (Jeruslaem Post, Apr. 16, 2013)
“We will not give in or surrender. We will pursue the terrorists relentlessly and we will strike them in any place. Terror is not from heaven, it is a mortal act. Our willpower is greater than their willpower. We will never be like the murderers who do not hesitate to slaughter innocent people. we will not teach our children vengeance and hatred.” —Benjamin Netanyau, Prime Minister of Israel, speaking at the official state ceremony for Israel’s fallen on Yom Hazikaron, Remembrance Day, in Israel. (Times of Israel, Apr. 15, 2013)
"Yesterday we celebrated Independence Day, and this morning we received a painful reminder of the neighbourhood in which we live. The attack reinforces the need for us to safeguard our own security, and not put our destiny in the hands of others. The year 2013 will be a decisive one with difficult and complex threats." — MK Silvan Shalom, Israel’s Minister of Energy & Water, commenting on two Grad rockets fired at Eilat Wednesday [Apr. 17] from the Sinai in an address to the Israel Jewish Congress. (Jerusalem Post, Apr. 16, 2013)
“The world must lead the campaign against Iran, but Israel must prepare for the possibility that it will have to defend itself with its own powers. As someone who experienced wars and lost friends, subordinates, commanders and brothers in arms, I’m convinced that using military power is the last resort. As the defense minister of Israel, I must do all I can in my decisions to avoid sorrow and bereavement… But we must be prepared to use military power if we [have to] and to overcome our enemies sharply, clearly and quickly. The War of Independence hasn’t ended yet. Security forces are facing, and will continue to face in the coming years, challenges on various fronts, from near to far, along our borders, and in states that are not close to us.”— Moshe Ya’alon, Israel’s Minister of Defense in a speech on Yom Ha’atzmaut. (Jerusalem Post, Apr. 16, 2013)
“Either Iranian leaders are crazy, in which case they cannot be allowed to have nuclear weapons, or they are not, making a nuclear-armed Iran tolerable. But what if Iranian leaders are rational yet would contemplate a nuclear strike against Israel or the U.S. anyway? This is precisely the situation we might expect if the Iranian leadership finds itself on the brink of being toppled from within. Facing the end of their rule, and possibly their lives, Iranian leaders quite possibly could choose to lash out against the U.S. or Israel in a parting shot for posterity….The Iranian leadership is close to meeting all the requirements for unleashing disaster: waning power, manifest hatred, and capability. Even with all its horrendous implications, a military solution is preferable to a nuclear-armed Iran whose leaders are likely one day to find themselves with nothing to lose, and everything to destroy.” —Steven David, professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University, in an op-ed article for American Interest. (American Interest, Apr. 9, 2013)
“Israel cannot leave the future of its national security to decisions by others. If Iranian advances towards a nuclear weapon are not halted, Israel will have to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities while they are still vulnerable. A violent reaction by Iran is to be expected, but its maximum cost to Israel, the U.S. and all of the Middle East is considerably smaller than the long-term price we will all pay if Iran gains nuclear weapons…Either decision – to strike or not to strike – is a gamble, but an attempt to destroy the Iranian nuclear facilities is a more reasonable gamble. Israel will probably have to strike Iran. But if you make war, follow with comprehensive peace.” — Prof. Yeheskel Dror, elder statesmen of Israel’s strategic community, in his study, An Integrated Imperative: Attack Iran and Launch a Regional Peace Initiative.” published by the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and quoted in the Center’s News Bulletin. (BESA Center, Jan. 2013)
"When Muslims complain nowadays about so-called Islamophobia in the West – which is a new complaint [that has arisen] in recent years – they surely know that, alongside [the phenomenon of] Western racist groups, which are combated by the secular and democratic Western regimes and by Western society, fears have arisen in recent years [in the West] regarding the Islamic diasporas and even regarding Islam itself. These [fears] do not stem from some [psychological] complex against Islam and Muslims, but rather from the horrible crimes that are committed by Muslims in the name of the religion, [the Prophet] Muhammad and the Holy Koran.”'—Aziz Al-Hajj, an Iraqi columnist writing for the liberal website Elaph.com. (MEMRI, Apr. 3, 2013)
"On behalf of my country, I'm sorry about the decision reached at the end of the trial. I'm disappointed in terms of free speech. That I have been punished despite an absence of guilt is disconcerting not so much for me, but for freedom of speech and belief in Turkey." — Fazil Say, acclaimed Turkish concert pianist, who was given a suspended jail sentence in Istanbul on Monday for insulting Islam on the social-media website Twitter, in a court decision that supporters say protects Islamic values but critics maintain curbs free speech. (Wall Street Journal, Apr. 17, 2013)
“The relentless pursuit of power should not be one of our goals. This is not the right time to declare states, or to unify a state with another state. We don’t need imported charters or a new understanding of the nation’s religion. We won’t be doing our population, and our nation, any service if we pledge our allegiance to those who don’t know a thing about our reality.”— Syrian Islamic Liberation Front, a leading coalition of Syrian Islamist insurgents who broke with a more radical group, the Nusra Front, in a statement on Friday, sharply criticizing Nusra’s announced alliance with Al Qaeda’s Iraq Branch. This harsh criticism by the Syrian Islamic Liberation Front appeared to indicate the potential for armed confrontation with the Nusra Front fighters. (New York Times, Apr. 13, 2013)
“There is an incredible rise of anti-Semitism in Europe and elsewhere, and the threats to Israel are not going away. The challenges and direct threats to world Jewry and the State of Israel itself are only increasing. We are doing whatever we can do to get everybody to forget the conflicts and divergent directions within Jewish communities worldwide. This is not the time to throw stones at one another; it is time to collect the stones. This is the time for the Jewish people to consolidate.” —Vladimir Sloutsker, president of Hakhel – The Israeli Jewish Congress (IJC), speaking to the Jerusalem Post ahead of an internation IJC forum on the challenges of anti-Semitism and delegitimation of Israel in Europe, and building and strengthening the next generation of Jewish leaders, Jewish identity and education. (Jerusalem Post, Apr. 16, 2013)
“Your essay must be five paragraphs long, with an introduction, three body paragraphs containing your strongest arguments, and a conclusion. You do not have a choice in your position: you must argue that Jews are evil, and use solid rationale from government propaganda to convince me of your loyalty to the Third Reich!” — instructions for a writing assignment handed out to students at Albany High School (New York) by an unidentified [and now suspended – Ed.]10th grade teacher. (New York Times, Apr. 13, 2013)
“[T]here is a clear pattern. Iran begins [in small countries] with diplomatic relations, investment promises and cultural relations. But all Iranian diplomatic and cultural activities carried out are under the control of their intelligence services. For Iran, the Balkans is a good platform for two reasons. First, countries like Bosnia have already been long penetrated. Second, the local security and law enforcement are not sufficiently prepared for an adversary like Iran.” — Dr. Ely Karmon, senior research scholar at the International Institute for Counter- Terrorism in Herzliya, quoted in a report, “Israeli security concerns and the Balkans” , looking at Hezbollah’s activity in the Balkans. (Jerusalem Post, apr. 12, 2013)
“This nonsense about Jews being killed mostly by Poles was created to hide the biggest Jewish secret. The scale of the German crime was only possible because the Jews themselves participated in the murder of their own people. For many generations, the Jews, not the Catholic Church, worked to bring the Holocaust about. It looks like the Jews haven’t learned their lesson and haven’t come to any conclusions yet,” —Krzysztof Jasiewicz, a professor at the Polish Academy of Sciences and a well known expert on Polish-Jewish relations, in an interview with the Polish magazine Focus published on the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. (Jerusalem Post, Apr. 7, 2013)
“We saw the lengths to which the left will go to demonize and destroy its opponents this week, when in the New York Jewish Week on March 16, Abraham Foxman [National Director of the Anti-Defamation League] charged that I am ‘in many ways no better than Farrakhan or Buchanan.’ I am proud of my work as a patriot and a passionate Zionist; to be compared to Jew-haters by a man who styles himself a leader of the Jews is abominable. Foxman charged me with bigotry for my work with Stop Islamization of America, a program of my organization, the American Freedom Defense Initiative. So now defending free society from an ideology that makes war against free speech and equal rights for women and non-Muslims is ‘bigotry.’ Defending Jews from an ideology that features a more deeply ingrained and violent anti-Semitism than any other in the world is ‘hatred.’” — Pamella Geller, in an op-ed article in the American Thinker. (American Thinker, Apr. 8, 2013)
'CODE RED' SOUNDS IN EILAT, TWO GRADS FIRED AT CITY —(Eilat) At least two Grad rockets fired from the Sinai area hit Israel's southernmost city of Eilat on Wednesday morning, causing no injuries but some damage. An Islamist militant group in the Sinai Peninsula, Magles Shoura al-Mujahadin claimed responsibility for the attack on its website on Wednesday saying it targeted Eilat with two Grad missiles and then withdrew safely. (Jerusalem Post, Apr. 17, 2013)
FAYYAD’S RESIGNATION LEAVES OBAMA PEACEMAKING IN TATTERS—(Ramallah) Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has called it quits. His resignation has been accepted by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. And with Fayyad gone, the Obama administration has suffered a huge setback in its peace-making efforts — a quixotic undertaking to begin with. Now there definitely is no serious or even halfway dependable Palestinian leader left with whom to kick-start negotiations. Fayyad, with his Western finance credentials, was the latest Washington hope for resumption of peace talks. Twenty-four hours before Fayyad and Abbas officially parted ways, Secretary of State John Kerry telephoned Fayyad in a last-ditch effort to get him to rescind his resignation. Kerry implored Fayyad not to go. It proved futile. This is a bitter pill for Kerry to swallow. But he only has himself to blame. Self-delusion never has been a promising foundation for genuine peace-making. (American Thinker, April 13, 2013)
CANADIAN FM BREAKS TABOO AGAINST MEETING ISRAELIS IN EAST JERUSALEM — (Jerusalem) Canada’s foreign minister, John Baird, met with Justice Minister Tzipi Livni in her office at the Justice Ministry, which is located in East Jerusalem. Most Western countries refuse to let their officials attend meetings at Israeli government offices in East Jerusalem, lest this be viewed as recognizing Israel’s annexation of that part of the city. He also visited an Israeli army outpost in the Golan Heights to view the situation on the Syrian border firsthand. The Golan is another area many Western countries bar their officials from visiting, lest it be viewed as recognizing Israel’s annexation of the Heights. A nongovernmental Israeli source involved in Israeli-Canadian relations noted that Baird also violated the East Jerusalem taboo last time he was here, by visiting Jerusalem’s Old City with an official Israeli escort. “Baird recognizes the sensitivity, but he wants to set a precedent,” this source said. (Ha’aretz, Apr.11, 2013)
US WILL AID ISRAEL IF IT STRIKES IRAN— (Washington) On Israel's 65th Independence Day, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee adopted "Senate Resolution 65," stipulating that the US will assist Israel diplomatically, economically and militarily if the Jewish state is compelled to take military action against Iran “in its defense of its territory, people, and existence.” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) sponsored Tuesday's resolution, which garnered a bipartisan group of 79 co-sponsors. The resolution also emphasizes that the US must be committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. (Jerusalem Post, Apr. 17, 2013)
TURKEY BLOCKS NATO MEETING WITH ISRAEL — (Ankara) Despite a recent, partial thaw in its problematic diplomatic ties with one-time ally Israel, Turkey has declined to agree to a meeting of NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue group, which includes Israel and six Arab countries, Turkish diplomats here said. They said Egypt also declined to convene the group for the first time in five years. A NATO official in Brussels declined to comment. The Mediterranean Dialogue, founded in 2004, is intended to contribute to regional security. Along with Israel and Egypt, the other participating countries are Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania, Algeria and Jordan. (Defense News, Apr. 15, 2013)
GERMANY LOOKING TO BUY WEAPONIZED DRONES FROM ISRAEL — (Berlin)
Germany is in talks with Israel to buy weaponized drones for its military that are seen as more technologically advanced than U.S. ones. The German defense ministry has already held two meetings with Israeli military officials, in November 2012 and February 2013, on the proposed purchase. The chief of Germany's air force, Lt. Gen. Karl Muellner, was said to have recently gone to Israel to attend a presentation of Israel's Heron TP drone. Berlin was believed to favor the Heron over the U.S.-made Predator drones because it was seen as more advanced. (AFP-Defense News, Apr 14, 2013)
UNESCO SILENT AS HAMAS BULLDOZES WORLD HERITAGE SITE TO MAKE TERRORIST TRAINING CAMP — (Geneva) In an urgent letter sent today to UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova UN Watch demanded immediate action to stop the Hamas bulldozing of a 3000-year-old Gaza harbor for use as a terrorist training camp, as reported by Al Monitor Palestine Pulse. The partial destruction of the ancient Anthedon Harbor—which includes the ruins of a Roman temple and archaeological remains from the Persian, Hellenistic, and Byzantine eras—comes exactly one year after the area was nominated by new UNESCO member state Palestine as a World Heritage site. (UN Watch, April 15, 2013)
VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT BLAMES LOSING PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE FOR DEADLY VIOLENCE — (Caracas) Venezuela’s socialist government, stung by nationwide protests against interim leader Nicolas Maduro’s razor-thin win in Sunday’s presidential election, on Tuesday blamed opposition leader Henrique Capriles for the disturbances and for violence that officials say has left at least seven people dead. The heated rhetoric came two days after the country’s National Electoral Council announced that Maduro had squeaked to victory over Capriles in a snap election called after the country’s bombastic populist leader, Hugo Chávez, died of cancer in a military hospital here. The Capriles campaign says that according to its calculations, the 40-year-old opposition leader won and the electoral council is obliged to permit a hand count of paper ballots. In his Sunday night victory speech, Maduro said, “We’ll do it. We are not afraid.” But on Monday, the government said there would be no audit and the electoral council proclaimed Maduro the winner. (Washington Post, Apr. 17, 2013)
LONE GUARD AT CANADIAN'S LIBYAN GRAVESITE NO MATCH FOR ISLAMIST MOBS — (Benghazi, Libya) More than 150 graves, including that of a Canadian war hero, were smashed or desecrated last year by a mob of Islamist extremists who invaded the Commonwealth war cemetery in Benghazi. Months later, the cemetery was attacked again, wreaking further destruction to the graves and memorial crosses. The assaults on the cemetery, where at least nine Canadians are among the 1,200 soldiers buried or commemorated, are a sign of the persistent power of the hard-line Islamist militias that control much of Libya since the demise of dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Nobody has been brought to justice for the destruction of the war graves. The Islamists operate with impunity. They are a small minority in Libya, yet they are so heavily armed and aggressive that few people are willing to tangle with them, and the Libyan government is too weak to restrain them.(The Globe and Mail Apr. 11 2013)
ANTI-ISRAELI GROUP LOSES STATUS—(Winnipeg) In what B’nai Brith called a “precedent setting move,” the University of Manitoba Students Union voted Thursday to strip the group Students Against Israel Apartheid (SAIA) of official club status. The motion bars SAIA from receiving student union funding or using activity space in student-union controlled buildings. The two-page resolution justified the delisting of SAIA under the terms of the Manitoba Human Rights code, claiming that the group was guilty of “discriminationa” and “harassment”. The document also claimed that certain student union members “being Zionists, experience fear for their safety during ‘Israel Apartheid Week.’” (National Post, 13 Apr 2013)
EX-MUSLIM QUITS CATHOLIC CHURCH OVER LIMP RESPONSE TO ISLAM — (Rome) Magdi Allam, editor of Italy’s leading newspaper, Corriere della Sera, and a former Muslim who was baptized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008, has declared that he is leaving the Catholic Church because of its "religious relativism, in particular the legitimization of Islam." He remains Christian but believes that the Vatican lacks what is needed most: "the courage to denounce Islam as incompatible with our civilization and fundamental human rights." As Andrew Bostom notes, "Benedict XVI never regained the bold moral clarity he demonstrated at Magdi Allam's public conversion." Muslim scholars cut off dialogue in 2011 after Benedict called for the protection of Middle Eastern minorities, but many argue that the Vatican did far too little to challenge Muslim persecution of Christians during his reign. (Islamist Watch, Apr. 17, 2013)
US CONGRESS AND CITY OF SARASOTA HONOR DR. THOMAS O. HECHT ON YOM HA SHOAH — (Sarasota) On the eve of Yom Ha Shoah, Beverly Newman, Founder and Executive Director of the Al Katz Center for Holocaust Survivors & Jewish Learning, presented Longboat Key resident Dr. Thomas O. Hecht and his wife Riva with both a Congressional and City of Sarasota, FL proclamation noting his life long work in supporter of Israel. Dr. Hecht, a Montrealer and CIJR vice-Chairman, is the founder and Chairman of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (BESA). After the award ceremony Dr. Hecht gave a speech in which he quoted Professor Dina Porat of Yad Vashem who said, ‘It is a necessity, indeed an imperative, due to the historical truth and legacy, that our generation will bequeath to those who will come after us, to speak not only of the horrendous loss but also to reveal in its fullest scope the heroic struggle of the people, the community and the individual during the days of massacre and the very epicenters of destruction.” (Watchdog Wire, Apr. 8, 2013)
Jihadism Spreading in West Africa, Professor Warns: David Lazarus, Canadian Jewish News, Apr. 15, 2013—Speaking to a Canadian Institute for Jewish Research gathering recently, Shalem Coulibaly, a philosophy professor at the Université de Ouagadougou in the West African nation of Burkina Faso, expressed his concern about the extent to which forces of political Islamic radicalism are gaining steam and expanding through the Maghreb. (Shalem Coulibaly Presentation video).
Reallocating Canadian Aid to the Palestinians: Charles Bybelezer, Jerusalem Post, Apr. 13, 2013—Following last week’s expiration of Canada’s five-year, $300 million aid package to the Palestinian Authority, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced that Ottawa would not renew its pledge prior to conducting “a dialogue to find out what their [the Palestinians’] priorities are.”
With Nothing to Lose: The Limits of a Rational Iran: Steven David, American Interest, April 9, 2013—One of the most important foreign policy debates in the United States today is whether it is acceptable to allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
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