Thursday 5 November 2009

Love of the Land: But Goldstone said none of his critics read the report…: US Rep. Berman replies to Goldstone.

But Goldstone said none of his critics read the report…: US Rep. Berman replies to Goldstone.


Augean Stables
Richard Landes
05 November 09

First Goldstone came out with his report. Then a whole lot of people came down on him like a ton of bricks.


Then the UNHRC went ahead and did just what their mandate - the one Judge Goldstone keeps telling everyone was changed - called for:condemned Israel. Then some congressman produced a Non-binding Resolution (#867), calling on a slightly invertebrate administration to dump the report.


Then J-Street operative Morten Halperin wrote a response for Goldstone, which JTA blogger Ron Kampeas (and others) found rather convincing.


Others, of course, like Daled Amos and Israel Matsav, who have read the report and blog at Understanding the Goldstone Report, found it rather weak.


Now one of the principle sponsors, Howard Berman, Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs has responded. Apparently, those who read carefully and know the material agree: Goldstone’s responses are weak.


It is curious why Goldstone used a ghost writer, and someone not too familiar with the report, whom, I’m sure he at least briefed verbally. But to hand off to someone else the job of defending (poorly) his report to Congress, rather than write his own response, seems strange. It suggests something I definitely suspect: that Goldstone himself has not read the report carefully.

(Read full article)



Love of the Land: But Goldstone said none of his critics read the report…: US Rep. Berman replies to Goldstone.

Love of the Land: Owner of Lebanese Pro-Syrian Daily 'Al-Safir': "Silence That Chatterbox [U.S.] Ambassador!"

Owner of Lebanese Pro-Syrian Daily 'Al-Safir': "Silence That Chatterbox [U.S.] Ambassador!"


MEMRI
Special Dispatch - No. 2630
04 November 09

In an op-ed titled "Silence That Chatterbox Ambassador!" in the pro-Syrian daily Al-Safir of November 2, 2009, the paper's owner, Talal Salman, accused U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison of interfering in Lebanon's affairs, inciting civil war in the country, and making provocative statements. Also in the article, Salman attacked March 14 Forces leaders, saying that they were taking orders and dictates directly from Sison and that she was forbidding them to include Hizbullah in the new government that has yet to be formed.

It should be noted that in recent weeks, the Lebanese opposition has ratcheted up its attack on Ambassador Sison because she called on Lebanon to establish a government "in accordance with the constitution and the election results, a government committed to [U.N.] Resolution 1701, and one that will spread its sovereignty over all the country's territory." [1]

The dailies Al-Safir and Al-Akhbar, identified with the opposition, criticized Sison for "blatantly interfering in Lebanon's domestic affairs." [2] Nabil Niqola, Lebanese MP from Michel Aoun's Change and Reform faction, called for summoning Sison for clarification and even for expelling her from the country if such was warranted. [3] Lebanese parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri said during a meeting with Sison that it was the U.S. that had been holding up the formation of the new government in Lebanon, and accused her of always choosing to highlight events that she terms "Lebanon's violations of Resolution 1701" but turning a blind eye to Israel's daily violations of Lebanon's sovereignty. [4]

The following is a translation of the main points of the op-ed: [5]

"This Dangerous Ambassador, Who Never Rests, Is Following the Path of Hillary Clinton, Who Considers Herself the Shadow President of the U.S. and Addresses the Arab Leaders in an Imperative Tone"

The tone of Salman's opening statements is sarcastic. "It is not [considered] an insult or violation of diplomatic rules," he writes, "when U.S. Ambassador to Beirut [Michele Sisson] comes out with provocative statements, incites to civil war [fitna], and reinforces those who call for division and strife [in Lebanon] and who are trying to strike at the foundations of [Lebanese] national unity, in the shadow of such inflammatory slogans as 'Might, Sovereignty, and Independence.'

"That is because this dangerous ambassador functions in a space allowed her by regime members, among them the heads of the political echelon [i.e. March 14 Forces officials] who treat her like 'the proper source of authority' on Lebanese affairs... They turn to her in every matter, small and large, and ask her to make decisions for them or to dictate to them the positions that she thinks are good for sovereign, independent Lebanon... because she is the personal and sole representative and the official spokeswoman of 'Cedar Revolution' secretary-general Jeffery Feltman.

"In addition, this ambassador, who never rests, is following the path of her minister, [U.S. Secretary of State] Hillary Clinton, who considers herself the shadow president of the U.S. and addresses the Arab friends [i.e. the leaders of Arab countries] in an imperative tone - and they obey her, and do not object...

"We are so thankful to Allah that [at least] the heavens do not take orders from this eloquent American woman, who leaves no [Lebanese] issue without responding to it, and issues [pronouncements] that are akin to direct orders to the Lebanese officials, both high-level and lower level [regarding the makeup of the future government]. All this, as she rejects the [idea] of a national unity [government] and points out [to Lebanon's citizens] their need to adhere to the [parliamentary] election results [when they put together a government]...

"[Sison] forewarns [Lebanon's citizens] against violating the 'royal' Resolution 1701, waving the threatening finger of Israel in case any [citizen] dares even to think about involving Hizbullah in the government..."

"Lebanon Has Not Yet Become an American Colony, and It Will Never Be One!"

"Despite the assembly of half the U.S. Navy, with its aircraft carriers, warships, and destroyers, along with those 'lent' to Israel, in the Mediterranean... [we must say] that the provocative and extraordinary views [expressed] by the American ambassador in Beirut, which are in accordance with the direct and explicit orders of the one who is guiding her, [i.e.] Jeffery Feltman, are unacceptable, perverse, and insult the honor of the Lebanese. We must require this ambassador, regardless of the importance of who she represents, to maintain what her position requires her to maintain, and we must direct her attention to the fact that she is grossly violating the principles of sovereignty, independence, and national honor.

"Lebanon has not yet become an American colony, and it will never be one! We have enough eloquent people at work [creating] division to the point of civil war [in Lebanon] from the ranks of the Arabic-language professors, the clerics, the people of action, and those who follow foreign sources of authority, and we also have centers, dependent on Arab funding, that aim to [push Lebanon] into a civil war that will serve Israel...

"In short, either you silence this chatterbox ambassador, or ask her government to silence her. She can say whatever she wants in her secret meetings - where she says many things that the Lebanese cannot say, let alone a foreigner who in most instances is speaking in Israel's name!"


[1] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), October 17, 2009. 1

[2] Al-Akhbar, Al-Safir, Lebanon, October 17, 2009.

[3] alintiqad.com, October 18, 2009.

[4] Al-Nahar (Lebanon), October 29, 2009; Al-Safir, Lebanon, November 2, 2009.

[5] Al-Safir (Lebanon), November 2, 2009.



Love of the Land: Owner of Lebanese Pro-Syrian Daily 'Al-Safir': "Silence That Chatterbox [U.S.] Ambassador!"

Love of the Land: The Wrecking Crew

The Wrecking Crew


Jennifer Rubin
Contentions/Commentary
05 November 09

In yet another “My, how they messed it all up!” assessment of the Obami’s Middle East peace efforts, the Washington Post finds consensus: “the administration’s efforts have faltered in part because of its own missteps.” The reviews are in and they’re not pretty:

Daniel Levy, a veteran Israeli peace negotiator now at the Century Foundation in Washington, summed up the administration’s efforts in recent days as “amateur night at the Apollo Theater.” He said the administration did not game out the consequences of its demands on the parties — and then flinched. “They just dug deeper and deeper their own grave,” he said. “All of this talk of negotiations doesn’t cut the mustard in the region.”

Turns out, just as conservative critics argued, the key error was in adopting the Palestinian bargaining gambit as our own — namely, insisting on an unattainable absolute freeze on settlements. This of course encouraged Palestinian intransigence and Israeli mistrust. The amateur show reached its climax as Hillary Clinton, like a flighty teenager, first praised Israeli concessions as unprecedented and then rushed to soothe the scorned Palestinians, assuring them that the absolute settlement freeze was still the U.S.’s aim.

As they were knocking over the furniture, the Obami felt compelled to deny the Bush-era agreement with Israel for reduced settlement activity. Rather than spruce that up with a bit of self-serving rhetoric and garner some credit for advancing the “peace process,” the Obama brain trust embarked on its fruitless quest for a settlement freeze, ultimately alienating both sides. As Elliott Abrams, George W. Bush’s deputy national security adviser, observed, “We had nine months of nonsense.” The Obami have earned the contempt of both sides and left the parties so estranged that face-to-face talks may no longer be in the offing.

This is the “smart diplomacy” set. This is Middle East strategy brought to us by Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod, the sage gurus of international diplomacy who we are told egged Obama on and figured they might outfox Bibi Netanyahu or, better yet, orchestrate his downfall. For this they give the Nobel Peace Prize.

In many administrations, heads would roll. You’d see a shake-up of the advisers who presided over this debacle. But so sign of that yet. Emanuel and Axelrod have moved on to running the Afghanistan war, Clinton is “reasserting herself,” George Mitchell is racking up the frequent-flyer miles, and James Jones is doing whatever it is James Jones does. Should the mainstream American Jewish community be pleased with this display? Well, they’ve gone a bit mute, perhaps abiding by the advice that if you have nothing nice to say, better to be quiet. Nevertheless, those who vouched for the Obami’s brains and Zionist credentials were, we now know, duped.

As for the country as a whole and our allies, it is a sobering sight — the full extent of the Obami’s incompetence and arrogance and the results of both, that is. For those hoping to “restore America’s place in the world,” it’s about time to realize that our standing, at least in the Middle East, has never been lower. And let’s not forget: the same underachievers are supposed to be devising an Afghanistan-war plan and working to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. Do you feel safer yet?



Love of the Land: The Wrecking Crew

Love of the Land: NY Times Misses Iranian Connection

NY Times Misses Iranian Connection


Honest Reporting/Backspin
05 November 09

NY Times readers can be forgiven for not believing Iran is connected to arms boat seized en route to Syria. Reporter Myra Noveck writes:

News reports quoted the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, and other officials saying the ship had been carrying the arms from Iran to Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, but officials released no evidence to support those claims.

Heh. AP detailed that evidence:

Open crates from a cargo ship seized Wednesday by Israel revealed dark green missiles inside. Containers from the vessel bore writing in English that said "I.R. Iranian Shipping Lines Group." . . . .

Some of the weapons were hidden in the Francop's containers behind stacked bags of polyethylene labeled in English "NPC National Petrochemical Company," and the flame logo used by both the company and the Iranian Petroleum Ministry . . . .

The Francop's containers were carefully unloaded on army forklifts to avoid accidental detonation. Some of the containers had the initials "I.R.I.S.L.'' printed on one side and the fuller title, "I.R. (Islamic Republic of) Iran Shipping Lines Group" on the other. Explosives experts and dog-sniffing units examined the haul.

The Israeli military said cargo certificates showed the ship departed an Iranian port for Syria, from where the weapons would be transferred to Hezbollah in Lebanon. The military did not show the documents, and Syria denied the vessel was carrying weapons.

The AP story is on the NYT's web site. Good thing the Gray Lady's not experimenting with dropping AP content this week.

UPDATE: I see The Guardian and The Independent made similar mistakes.




Love of the Land: NY Times Misses Iranian Connection

Love of the Land: Palestinian Incitement (1999)

Palestinian Incitement (1999)


(1998) Dry Bones cartoon: Palestinian Incitement and Hillary's run for the Senate.


Today's Golden Oldie is a Dry Bones cartoon done in 1999.
Ten years ago this month.

Palestinian incitement has never stopped and Hillary's next campaign will probably not be a run for the Senate.



Love of the Land: Palestinian Incitement (1999)

Love of the Land: Turkey: Racism In, Ataturk Out

Turkey: Racism In, Ataturk Out


Anna Mahjar-Barducci
Hudson New York
05 November 09

The secular spirit of Kamal Ataturk that brought Turkey so close to the Western world is fading away.

But such a change seems to pass unnoticed. Anti-Semitism in Turkey seems to find hardly any room in the Western press.

Last year, when Turkey’s Supreme Court tried to dismantle the AKP for having trespassed Turkey’s secular constitution, EU officials sided with the Islamist government.

This constitutes a major turnabout not only for the stability of the region but also for Europe. Turkey is a NATO member, it aspires to become a EU member, has one of the strongest armies in the region, and is a key country for transporting gas to Europe through pipelines such as Nabucco and Blue Stream.

Recently, Turkey barred Israel from participating in NATO military manoeuvres; Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said the move was a result of public concerns over the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip earlier this year. Erdogan called Israel's operations, launched with the aim of ending Hamas' cross-border rocket attacks, "a crime against humanity," and suggested that Israel be barred from the United Nations.

A study of the Israeli Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center shows that in recent years there has been a significant growth of anti-Semitic literature published in Turkey. Much of this literature has become best-seller books. Two categories of books can be established: 1) “Classical” anti-Semitic literature in Turkish translation, such as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler, and The International Jew by Henry Ford; 2) Anti-Semitic books in the Turkish language, set in an internal Turkish context. These books are mostly written by radical Islamic elements in Turkey, which believe that the current Islamic government is not Islamist enough.

In addition to the anti-Semitic books, the Turkish press frequently publishes anti-Semitic articles which combine anti-Israeli incitement and “classical” anti- Semitic motifs. Even more disturbing was a blockbuster film called Valley of the Wolves Iraq, produced in Turkey, and based on a popular television series. Due to its anti-Semitic and anti-American character, the movie was pulled from theatres in the US, and triggered harsh criticism in Germany, where it was shown to the Turkish community. So far, the Turkish government has refused to take any action to prevent the distribution of such anti-Semitic agitprop.

“Separation,” a TV series aired on Turkey’s state-run TRT channel for the first time last week, contains several controversial scenes. In one, a Palestinian father holds his new-born baby above his head in front of Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint. A few moments later, one of the soldiers shoots the baby dead. In another scene, Israeli soldiers kick and beat elderly Palestinians on the streets and one soldier shoots a teenage Palestinian girl on her chest.

The drama outraged Israel. Israel summoned a Turkish diplomat to protest at what it called "state-sponsored incitement.” “Such a drama series, which doesn’t even have the slightest link to reality and which presents Israeli soldiers as murderers of innocent children, isn’t worthy of being broadcast even by enemy states and certainly not in a state which has full diplomatic relations with Israel,” Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in a statement.

A TV channel official responded that none of the scenes in the show was “imaginary” “and that photographs of what Israelis are doing to Palestinians are freely available on the Internet, whereas Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that the Turkish government “has no right to comment on the quality of broadcasts or the opinions expressed in them.” Freedom of Expression is not what Turkey is most famous for in any event.
This is only one of the last incidents that are marring the relations between the two countries. Israel and Turkey, once stern allies, have been on a collision course ever since the AKP party took power; it looks as if the Turkish government is trying its best to enlarge the rift, casting a shadow over the future of the Middle East.

Some 24,000 Jews live in Turkey, making them one of the world's largest Jewish communities in a Muslim country; their relations with the state are becoming more and more strained. "I feel worried, sad and scared for myself and for my country's future, which is leaning towards racism," Turkish-Jewish academic Leyla Navaro wrote in a local newspaper. Many Jews are thinking of leaving the country.

An Islamist Turkey, winking at the Islamist regimes of the region and joining their anti-Israeli policies is bad news for the free world.



Love of the Land: Turkey: Racism In, Ataturk Out

Love of the Land: Holy Laughter

Holy Laughter


And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him that Sarah bore him, Yitzchak. (Genesis 21:3)

In Hebrew, the name Yitzchak means, "he will laugh." Actually, laughter is a very serious matter. Healthy humor is a mechanism that balances life and puts things in their proper perspective. The best humor is laughter at oneself. After all, how can a person take himself seriously in the face of the Creator of the world?

And Sarah said: God has made laughter for me; every one that hears will laugh on account of me. (Genesis 21:6)

There is good laughter and bad laughter. Laughter that highlights the weakness and smallness of a person in the face of the Creator is good, holy laughter. Bad laughter inflates the person laughing at the expense of everyone else. "He and I cannot live in the same world," says G-d of this type of laughter.

There is another, dangerous type of laughter: And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, making sport. (Genesis 21:9)

The laughter of the son of the maidservant is the laughter of murder, the laughter of immorality, the laughter of idol worship. It is the laughter that convinced Sarah to drive him out of her home. And G-d sided with her.

And she said to Abraham: Drive out this maidservant and her son, because the son of the maidservant will not inherit with my son, with Yitzchak. (Genesis 21:10)

A woman who had immigrated from Libya once told me the following story:

"When I was a young girl, my mother sent me to care for my grandmother, who was ill in a Jerusalem hospital. The patient in the bed next to her was an elderly Arab woman. The two women became friendly and spent a number of weeks chattering in Arabic, while I listened on.

One day, the Arab asked my grandmother:
"Why did you come here? Why did you leave Libya?"
"Because this is my Land," my grandmother answered.
"Why do you think it is yours?" the Arab woman asked.
"Because I received it as an inheritance from my father," my grandmother replied.
"Who is your father?" asked the Arab woman incredulously.
"Abraham!" my grandmother answered without missing a beat.
The old Arab woman thought for a moment and then said, "But Abraham is also my father!"
"That is true," my grandmother answered pointedly. "Abraham is also your father. But I am the daughter of the lady of the house, and you are the daughter of the maidservant."

How funny and how true.

Shabbat Shalom,

Moshe Feiglin


Love of the Land: Holy Laughter

Love of the Land: Shipped in Plain Sight

Shipped in Plain Sight


J.E. Dyer
Contentions/Commentary
05 November 09


As the tale of the “New Karine A” develops, one alarm bell it sets off concerns the ease with which the arms transshipment was brought off in plain sight. The ship the Israelis caught with the arms was M/V Francop, a freighter operated by Cyprus-based United Feeder Services. The crew onboard didn’t know what they were carrying, and didn’t carry it from Iran anyway: they picked their cargo up in Damietta, Egypt. The Israelis had tracked Francop from Beirut to Damietta and knew the cargo was loaded there. That means the arms themselves were shipped from Iran to Egypt by other means. Sounds like a story we’ve heard before about Port Sudan and overland convoys to Gaza, right?

Not really. The port of Damietta is neither a remote spot in the desert nor a sleepy Sudanese port. It’s one of Egypt’s premier seaports, located on the Mediterranean near the entrance to the Suez Canal. Damietta has some distinctive claims to fame: it’s in a heavily promoted Egyptian free-trade zone and is operated by DIPCO, an international consortium of private maritime-service companies whose pathbreaking development project at Damietta serves as a model for a global trend toward the private development and operation of ports.

Private administration of customs and cargo verification, the functions that might detect arms shipments, is not unusual. But under these conditions, transshipments of cargo through free-trade zones — shipments offloaded only to await further transportation to another country — are especially likely to receive a hand wave. The port operator’s priority is to tally containers and assess fees, not to break open containers and inspect their contents. Damietta’s convenient location in the eastern Mediterranean means that transshipments represent a large majority of its container traffic. Most of what stops there is merely waiting onward transportation and interests neither Egypt nor the port-services operator.

A big shipment from Iran, meanwhile, would raise no eyebrows in Damietta. Iran’s state shipping line, IRISL, was one of the first shipping companies to contract with DIPCO for services in Damietta, and two of IRISL’s subsidiaries make regular stops there. Containers bearing the IRISL logo are routinely present.

It would be hard to dream up a set of circumstances more conducive to perfunctory supervision of cargo. But these same circumstances represent a cash cow for Egypt. Private companies optimizing the profitability of port operations are a moneymaker, not only for growing economies but also for the Middle Eastern nations in which many of the companies (like DIPCO’s leader, Kuwait & Gulf Lines Ltd.) are based. The beneficiaries of this trend will kick hard against any inefficiency introduced by the administration of UN sanctions. Ultimately, intermediate transshipment ports aren’t going to represent effective pressure points for arms interdiction. The most effective pressure point would, as usual, be Iran itself, and that reality demands not so much administrative meticulousness as political will.

Related: Israel Navy Intercepts Iranian Shipment,

The New Karine A



Love of the Land: Shipped in Plain Sight

Love of the Land: Obama Administration on Anniversary of Embassy and Hostage Seizure in Iran: We're trying to be Friends!

Obama Administration on Anniversary of Embassy and Hostage Seizure in Iran: We're trying to be Friends!


Equal parts day off from school and angry demonstration, Iranian school children commemorate the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran with anti-U.S. and anti-Israel chants and the burning of American, Israeli flags.

Barry Rubin
The Rubin Report
05 November 09

Will Rogers, the great American comedian of the 1920s and 1930s, famously said, “I never met a man I didn’t like.” The problem with the Obama Administration, at least so far, is that it has never met an enemy that it could identify as such.

Of course, the story isn’t over yet. Indeed, one does see signs of change. But we are still getting prologue. Consider for example the Statement by the President of November 4, 2009, on the thirtieth anniversary of the seizure of the U.S. embassy by Iran and the holding of American diplomats and citizens as hostages, an unprecedented act of terrestrial piracy.

Yes, there is a good case for not making such a statement an opportunity for blustering against Tehran, but—following on the
similar announcement of the anniversary of the murder of 241 American servicemen in Beirut by Iran, Syria, and Hizballah—it doesn’t even mention who were the perpetrators.

After thanking the American victims—“unjustly held hostage”—the statement says in a rather neutral tone:

“This event helped set the United States and Iran on a path of sustained suspicion, mistrust, and confrontation.”

That’s sort of like saying that the attack on Pearl Harbor created certain problems between the United States and Japan.

President Barack Obama then says America “wants to move beyond this past, and seeks a relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran based upon mutual interests and mutual respect.” Again, this is an understandable approach. But it is followed by no criticism, no threats, no pressure, and no remarks about Iran’s behavior in recent years or recent days, and then lists a series of nice things the United States has done for Iran:

“We do not interfere in Iran’s internal affairs. We have condemned terrorist attacks against Iran. We have recognized Iran’s international right to peaceful nuclear power. We have demonstrated our willingness to take confidence-building steps along with others in the international community. We have accepted a proposal by the International Atomic Energy Agency to meet Iran’s request for assistance in meeting the medical needs of its people. We have made clear that if Iran lives up to the obligations that every nation has, it will have a path to a more prosperous and productive relationship with the international community.”

And so, he concludes, “Iran must choose. We have heard for thirty years what the Iranian government is against; the question, now, is what kind of future it is for.”

Here’s the problem: the Iranian regime has chosen and shows us all every day what kind of future it is for. The only question is when or whether the Obama administration will recognize that fact.

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Guide, the country’s most powerful man in the country,
made his own statement on the embassy seizure. It’s worth comparing to the one Obama issued.
(Read full article)

Love of the Land: Obama Administration on Anniversary of Embassy and Hostage Seizure in Iran: We're trying to be Friends!

ESSER AGAROTH - The Real Story Behind Ya'akov Teitel

The Real Story Behind Ya'akov Teitel

19 of the Eighth Month 5770

After the umteenth person asked me whether I had ever met Ya'akov Teitel or not, I decided that it was time for me to chime in with my Esser Agaroth on the matter.

First off, no, I have never met Ya'akov Teitel, resident of Shvuth Rahel. nor does his photo look at all familiar to me. I am actually quite surprised by this, considering the hundreds of times I tremped (hitched) in and out of the town of Shiloh between 2001 to 2005. Everyone seemed to think that as a [former] resident of K'far Tapu'ah, I am supposed to know every Jew ever accused of violence. (No value judgments here.) Boy, have they got the wrong idea about [the now very mamlachti] K'farTapu'ah. Nonetheless, nope,...never met him.

While others have expressed shock or surprise, excitement or disgust, over Ya'akov Teiltel's accusations, I am not in the least bit surprised that such an incident has surfaced at this time. But, wait. Didn't I just write that I had never met him? I'll explain.

First, I will list a few components of the case in introduction:



1. We do not know what Ya'akov Teitel did or did not do.

2. We do know that he was in the custody of the Shabba"k (General Security Services) for quite some time, during which he reportedly "confessed," after having undergone God only knows what kind of "treatment."

3. The Erev Rav-controled, Israeli news media has already tried and convicted (and demonized) Ya'akov Teitel. (No surprises there.)


If nothing else, Ya'akov Teitel is being used as this year's excuse to demonize and otherwise incite against "extreme" religious nationists, "extreme" meaning having loyalty to the Torah over loyalty to the State (There is a difference between the two, you know, a big difference).

It must resort to intensifying campaign of fear mongering. Even Mafda"l/Jewish Home Party officials partly acknowledge the incitement. (They also say a number of other idiotic, non-Torah-based nonsense. Nevertheless,...)

The Israeli government's mamlachti (undying state loyalist) religious lapdogs are diminishing in number, because their rabbis' logic is increasingly unable to address the questions coming from this community's youth. Meanwhile the Torah nationalalists and haredim are increasing in number. Half of all of this year's second-graders are religious. No matter how much apologizing the mamachtim do, the Erev Rav-controled, Israeli government still sees this as the primary, impending threat to its control over Israel.

The Israeli government is desperate and running scared, and for good reason. In the [paraphrased] words of the Hesed leAvraham, ...pride will bring these treif birds down.

This, I say, is the real story. Ya'akov Teitel is only a distraction, allowing the Erev Rav to continue its anti-Torah, anti-Eretz Yisrael operations, or an excuse for incitement (wag the dog), desperately trying to maintain its un-Jewish control. Look at it either way you choose.

I'll conclude with the some final observations:

1. The Shabba"k appear to intensify its operations before Pesah and Sukkoth. You can almost set your calendar by it.

2. The gag oorder regarding the case of Ya'akov Teitel was "coincidentally" removed around the anniversary of Yitzhaq Rabin's death, the traditional season of free for all incitement against religious nationalists.

3. Today was the anniversary of the murder of Rabbi Me'ir Kahane HY"D. Expect more fear mongering and goverment-sponsered hate speech.


But such desperate measures are all in vain. B'Ezrath HaShem, the truth will eventually win out.

Esser Agaroth - The Real Story Behind Ya'akov Teitel

Hummus, Falafel, and Israeli Colonialism

Hummus, Falafel, and Israeli Colonialism

Elder of Ziyon has the latest in the Lebanese onslaught on Israeli use of and identification with Mideastern foods.

This has been going on for a few weeks now, this Lebanese project of denying Israel's claim to Hummus, falafel, t'china (tahini), taboule and so on. Initially I watched it with a grin. If this is all that's left to fight over, we're in heaven!

As it continues, however, it occurs to me there's a deeper side to the kerfuffle. The reason Israelis love and identify with so many Mideastern foods, beyond the fact that they're good and healthier than fish-n-chips, hamburgers and vodka, is that a large chunk of Israel's Jews have been living in the Mideast these past 3,000 years or so. How many Israelis? Well, what with intermarriage (between Oriental and European Jews) at something like 40% of all marriages, I'm not certain anyone knows anymore, but I'd hazard a guess that about half of all Israeli Jews are at least partly of Mideastern stock.

All that talk of the colonialist Jews who fled the antisemites in Europe and inflicted themselves on the poor Palestinians? Wrong. The newest version, whereby they're now also stealing the Lebanese heritage? Equally wrong.

I dare these Lebanese cooks to prove that Hummus wasn't invented by the Jews of Baghdad centuries before the Arabs arrived in the 7th century. Or that felafel wasn't the favorite food of the large Jewish community in Alexandria (Egypt) about the time when Cleopatra was drinking pearls in her vinegar. (I can't prove they were, but that's the point).
Originally posted by Yaacov Lozowick's Ruminations

UN: No Evidence

UN: No Evidence

This really is a bit funny.

Two days before Israel's capture of a ship that was apparently ferrying arms to Hezbollah, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon released a report to the UN Security Council in which he said the United Nations took the Israeli allegations about weapons smuggling to Hezbollah seriously, but lacked the ability to independently verify the information.

So here's the proof, courtesy of Israel's Navy (and Mossad, but we won't mention them).

Israeli commandos seized a ship Wednesday that defense officials said was carrying hundreds of tons of weapons from Iran bound for Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas - the largest arms shipment Israel has ever commandeered.

The Israeli military said an Iranian document was found on board, showing that the arms shipment, disguised as civilian cargo, originated from Iran, although the paper was not shown to reporters. Rear Admiral Rani Ben-Yehuda, the deputy Israeli navy commander, said that despite its size, the shipment of weapons was a drop in the ocean of arms being shipped to Hezbollah.


Try to imagine what the world would be like if anyone trusted the important things to the United Nations.
Originally posted by Yaacov Lozowick's Ruminations

DoubleTapper: The Long Arm of IDF Naval Commandos

The Long Arm of IDF Naval Commandos

IDF Naval Commandos intercepted the Iranian cargo ship, the "Francop", which was laden with roughly 500 tons of weapons hidden amongst civilian cargo.

The 36 weapons containers were sent from Iran and were en-route to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon. This shipment contained enough weaponry to keep the Hezbollah terrorists supplied for a full month of fighting.

From the IDF Spokesman:

"After being boarded, the ship was then "requested" to make way to the Israeli Naval Port of Ashdod for a complete inspection and inventory of the illegal weapons cargo.

The naval commando force boarded the vessel and conducted an initial search. The search was conducted in accordance with the usual search protocols as dictated by International Law.

Following the initial search and after it became clear that the vessel was carrying weapons, the vessel was directed by the Israel Navy to dock at the Israeli Ashdod Naval base for additional searches and a detailed inspection of the hull’s cargo. It should be emphasized that the captain of the ship agreed to the search. The Israel Navy conducted all activity without any force.

The weapons found onboard the ship originate from Iran, and were intended for the Hezbollah terror organization, for use against the State of Israel and its citizens. The weapons uncovered at sea last night constitute a harsh violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1747 and 1701 that strictly forbid Iran from exporting or trading any form of weapons."


"The overnight operation was authorized by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense of the State of Israel. Commander of the Israel Navy, Maj. Gen. Eliezer Marom, commanded the operation from a forward command cell. The IDF Chief of the General Staff authorized the operation, after the confirmation of intelligence information gathered by the IDF."

And of course the Iranians are as glib as ever:

In Tehran, Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem dismissed Israeli allegations the ship carried arms.

"Unfortunately, some pirates sometimes take action in the name of inspection and prevent the sailing of commercial ships," he was quoted as saying by the state IRNA news agency during a visit Wednesday. "This ship was carrying goods from Syria heading to Iran and was not carrying weapons making materials."



See the pictures and video here



DoubleTapper: The Long Arm of IDF Naval Commandos

RubinReports: Obama Administration on Anniversary of Embassy and Hostage Seizure in Iran: We're trying to be Friends!

Obama Administration on Anniversary of Embassy and Hostage Seizure in Iran: We're trying to be Friends!

By Barry Rubin

Will Rogers, the great American comedian of the 1920s and 1930s, famously said, “I never met a man I didn’t like.” The problem with the Obama Administration, at least so far, is that it has never met an enemy that it could identify as such.

Of course, the story isn’t over yet. Indeed, one does see signs of change. But we are still getting prologue. Consider for example the Statement by the President of November 4, 2009, on the thirtieth anniversary of the seizure of the U.S. embassy by Iran and the holding of American diplomats and citizens as hostages, an unprecedented act of terrestrial piracy.

Yes, there is a good case for not making such a statement an opportunity for blustering against Tehran, but—like the similar announcement on the anniversary of the murder of 241 American servicemen in Beirut by Iran, Syria, and Hizballah—it doesn’t even mention who were the perpetrators.

After thanking the American victims—“unjustly held hostage”—the statement says in a rather neutral tone:

“This event helped set the United States and Iran on a path of sustained suspicion, mistrust, and confrontation.”

That’s f like saying the attack on Pearl Harbor created certain problems between the United States and Japan.

President Barack Obama then says America “wants to move beyond this past, and seeks a relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran based upon mutual interests and mutual respect.” Again, this is an understandable approach. But it is followed by no criticism, no threats, no pressure, and no remarks about Iran’s behavior in recent years or recent days, and then lists a series of nice things the United States has done for Iran:

“We do not interfere in Iran’s internal affairs. We have condemned terrorist attacks against Iran. We have recognized Iran’s international right to peaceful nuclear power. We have demonstrated our willingness to take confidence-building steps along with others in the international community. We have accepted a proposal by the International Atomic Energy Agency to meet Iran’s request for assistance in meeting the medical needs of its people. We have made clear that if Iran lives up to the obligations that every nation has, it will have a path to a more prosperous and productive relationship with the international community.”

And so, he concludes, “Iran must choose. We have heard for thirty years what the Iranian government is against; the question, now, is what kind of future it is for.”

Here’s the problem: the Iranian regime has chosen and shows us all every day what kind of future it is for. The only question is when or whether the Obama administration will recognize that fact.

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Guide, the country’s most powerful man in the country, made his own statement on the embassy seizure. It’s worth comparing to the one Obama issued.

Khamenei called negotiating with the United States a "naive and perverted" act into which Iran should not be "deceived," which seems a rather non-subtle hint of how willing Iran’s regime is to talk seriously, much less make a deal. He added that the Obama administration has bad intentions against Iran and not to be trusted. In fact, he discounts the long list of supposed nice deeds and concessions Obama listed in his statement on the anniversary.

Khamenei added:

"Whenever they smile at the officials of the Islamic revolution, when we carefully look at the situation, we notice that they are hiding a dagger behind their back," he said. "They have not changed their intentions."
Maybe Obama should start doing some mirror-imaging on that one.

For example, in recent days, the regime has:

--Apparently pulled back from even the not-so-great deal discussed with it for reprocessing its uranium, both stalling, demanding huge changes, and even a totally different arrangement.

--Was shown to have been working frantically at increasing uranium production in a suspicious manner, giving it uninspected and additional sources of raw material for making nuclear weapons. Last year the mine wasn’t in operation. This follows discovery recently of another massive hidden Iranian facility. What else is going on?

--An Iranian ship was caught by Israel smuggling 600 tons of missiles and anti-tank weapons to Hizballah, a client of Iran which gets all its arms and much of its money from Tehran. Hizballah is trying either to take over Lebanon or, more modestly, just to have veto power over that country’s policies while maintaining the most powerful militia, intimidating opponents, and threatening war with Israel. These shipments are in violation of UN resolutions on sanctions against Iran.

--The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a growing power in the country and future direct owner of the country’s nuclear weapons, is starting its own massive press agency as part of its step-by-step program in dominating Iran. While the armed force, which far outstrips the “regular” military, is a close ally of President Ahmad Ahmadinejad, it seems to be extending its power with full support from the supreme guide.

--Iranian security forces beat up peaceful demonstrators yet again.

There's an old military saying: one time is an accident; two times is a coincidence; three times is enemy action. How about dozens of times? When will the message penetrate with the administration's "Will Rogers" policy toward enemies?


RubinReports: Obama Administration on Anniversary of Embassy and Hostage Seizure in Iran: We're trying to be Friends!

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