VULTURES

So it seems stupidity as its followers around here.

Also in Portugal there are morons as you all can see in the picture below:

These guys are activists of a so-called 'Comité de Solidariedade com a Palestina' (solidarity committee with palestine) demonstrating outside a stadium during a football match last week, when Israeli team Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv FC won by 1 - 0 the Portuguese team Paços de Ferreira.

Defending the interests of the 'Bloco de Esquerda' (a left wing party) they became visible like vultures in some events linked to Israel. They also tried to harass the spectators of Leonard Cohen's Lisbon concert (about two weeks ago) in order for him to cancel the Tel Aviv concert.

This article was based on a post published by LISBOA-TEL AVIV blog. To read the original post please click at :

ABUTRES

Israel Matzav: Smelling the coffee? US Dems oppose Obama on Israel

Smelling the coffee? US Dems oppose Obama on Israel

A newly released survey of 500 self-identifying Jewish Democrats shows that 52% identify with Prime Minister Netanyahu's policies on the 'settlements,' while only 37% identify with President Obama's policy. Given that some 78% of American Jewry voted for Obama, and that American Jews allegedly don't support the 'settlements' (is that a myth?), the numbers are downright amazing.

A phone survey (sponsored by the Traditional Values Coalition and conducted by Global Marketing Research Services on July 22-24) of 500 American Jews who self-identified as Democrats exposes broad disagreement with Obama's Middle East policies.

Asked to choose between the Obama view that "if Israel could settle its dispute with the Palestinian refugees and give them a nation of their own, that the Arabs would live in peace with Israel" and the Israeli government view that "the Arabs will never live in peace with Israel and that giving them a nation of their own will just make them stronger," Jewish Democrats sided with the Israeli view by 52 percent to 20 percent.

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Israel Matzav: Smelling the coffee? US Dems oppose Obama on Israel

The Punisher - Cover Art

THE PUNISHER - WARZONE

My thanks to my friend R...... for sending me the DVD .

Now vengeance really has a name. A fantastic Frank Castle/Punisher.

Israel Matzav: Clinton: No illusions about engagement with Iran

Clinton: No illusions about engagement with Iran

On CNN's GPS, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tells Fareed Zekaria that the United States has 'no illusions' that it will get the type of 'engagement' it wanted from Iran.

"We are under no illusions. We were under no illusions before their elections that we can get the kind of engagement we are seeking," she said in an interview with CNN's "GPS."

"The president has also said, look, we need to take stock of this in September. If there is a response, it needs to be on a fast track. We're not going to keep the window open forever," she said.

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Israel Matzav: Clinton: No illusions about engagement with Iran

Israel Matzav: An Egyptian government editorial calls for 'resistance' by the 'Palestinians'

An Egyptian government editorial calls for 'resistance' by the 'Palestinians'

The Egyptian government daily Al-Gumhouriyya has called for all of the 'Palestinian people' to practice 'resistance' against Israel.

"PA President Mahmoud 'Abbas provoked the wrath of the radical racists who rule Israel when he mentioned, at the Fatah conference, that the Palestinians have a right to resistance [muqawama] if the peace process has failed to restore their historic rights, and especially [their right] to their stolen land, to an independent state and to the return of the refugees.

"The angry racists in Israel have deluded themselves [into thinking] that the Palestinian people have laid down their arms, to which they clung so steadfastly throughout their exhausting and noble struggle, and have capitulated to the illusion of the peace process and the [empty] talk of the negotiation tables. The Palestinian people has gained nothing [from the peace process] except strife among comrades-in-arms, which are [now] divided into [two camps] - the fighters and the negotiators; while the Israelis have gained time to carry out their plans to Judaize Jerusalem and settle the West Bank, and to prepare for throwing those whom they call 'Israeli Arabs' over the Green Line.

"The Palestinian people, all of it, has no choice but to cling to the path of resistance, like all the oppressed people who seized their freedom and rights through force and steadfastness, struggle and unity..."

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Israel Matzav: An Egyptian government editorial calls for 'resistance' by the 'Palestinians'

Israel Matzav: Hmmm....

Hmmm....

Lebanese Armed Forces troops have discovered an Internet server in their country that is routed through Israel. How much Lebanese Internet traffic is affected depends on which version of the story you believe. YNet makes it sound like a relatively isolated incident.

Lebanese security forces discovered an Israeli internet server hidden in a small town in Lebanon's Chouf District, the Hezbollah-owned al-Manar network reported Saturday.

The report said the server was wired to antennae aimed in the direction of Israel, and that all of the equipment was confiscated.

The Lebanese OTV network, owned by politician Michel Aoun, reported that the army had broken into a structure in Jabal al-Baruch in April and found equipment suspected of serving Israeli intelligence.

The report said the army had intervened after receiving intelligence regarding an "illegal internet company" operating within its borders.

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Israel Matzav: Hmmm....

Israel Matzav: French-Israeli demands that EU rocketproof his Sderot home

French-Israeli demands that EU rocketproof his Sderot home

Well, this is an interesting idea.

A man holding dual French and Israeli citizenship has demanded that the European Union rocketproof his Sderot home.

In the lawsuit, which will be filed to the European Commission, petitioner Eyal Katorza cites Article 3.5 of the European Treaty, which states the Union will "contribute to the protection of its citizens" regardless of their whereabouts.

The EU "owes its citizens protection and security whether they reside in the European Union or abroad in a third state," Mordechai M. Tzivin, Katorza's lawyer, wrote.

Among other clauses, the eight-page document also notes Article 20 of the treaty, which states that when outside the union, EU citizens are "entitled to protection by the diplomatic or consular authorities of any member State." The lawsuit also demands that the EU ensure its funds don't reach terrorist entities, such as Hamas, that will then use the money to harm EU citizens living in Israel.

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Israel Matzav: French-Israeli demands that EU rocketproof his Sderot home

ESSER AGAROTH - I Found It! - Jameel Rashid's Secret Lair

ESSER AGAROTH - I Found It! - Jameel Rashid's Secret Lair

Israel Matzav: Italian MP: Stop apologizing

Italian MP: Stop apologizing

I know that a lot of you read the headline and assumed that it was directed at US President Barack Obama, but it's not. The Italian MP involved is Fiamma Nirenstein and she was speaking to Israelis.

Israel should drop apologetics and admit it's fighting a war.

Italian lawmaker Fiamma Nirenstein pressed this message before the new Knesset lobby she helped create, which aims to "strengthen ties between Israel and European parliaments."

Nirenstein, 64, a staunch supporter of Israel and deputy chairperson of the Italian parliament's foreign affairs commission, was the driving force behind the formation last month of Israel's European Forum of the Knesset (EFK).

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Israel Matzav: Italian MP: Stop apologizing

Israel Matzav: Get your Osama Bin Laden urinal

Israel Matzav: Get your Osama Bin Laden urinal

Israel Matzav: The 'Palestinian' condition improves

The 'Palestinian' condition improves

Thomas Friedman is surprised to find the 'Palestinian' economy improving.

For Palestinians, long trapped between burgeoning Israeli settlements and an Israeli occupation army, subject to lawlessness in their own cities and the fecklessness of their own political leadership, life has clearly started to improve a bit, thanks to a new virtuous cycle: improved Palestinian policing that has led to more Palestinian investment and trade that has led to the Israeli Army dismantling more checkpoints in the West Bank that has led to more Palestinian travel and commerce.

Could it be that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's plan to build a 'Palestinian' entity from the ground up is working? If it is, Friedman is not going to be the one to tell you that:

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Israel Matzav: The 'Palestinian' condition improves

Israel Matzav: How to fix a poll

Israel Matzav: How to fix a poll

Israel Matzav: How Richard Nixon helped Lyndon Johnson form Israel's 'nuclear ambiguity' policy

Israel Matzav: How Richard Nixon helped Lyndon Johnson form Israel's 'nuclear ambiguity' policy

Israel Matzav: Brilliant: US may join International Criminal Court

Brilliant: US may join International Criminal Court

Al-Guardian reports that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been signaling that the United States may join the International Criminal Court.

The US is at present not only not a member but government officials are theoretically banned from any engagement with the ICC whatsoever. An administration official predicted there will be increased US cooperation with the ICC but cautioned against expecting early entry.

Clinton, speaking at a public meeting in Kenya, the first leg of an African tour, indicated she hoped this would come sooner rather than later: "This is a great regret that we are not a signatory. I think we could have worked out some of the challenges that are raised concerning our membership. But that has not yet come to pass."

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Israel Matzav: Brilliant: US may join International Criminal Court

Israel Matzav: A lose-lose situation

A lose-lose situation

In the New York Jewish Week, Abraham Foxman asks whether the United States is open to compromise with Israel over the 'settlements' issue.

As time goes by, however, and meeting after meeting takes place in Washington, Jerusalem, London and again in Jerusalem, the issue still goes unresolved and the gap between the U.S. and Israel takes on larger meaning. The Israeli government, which after all is a right-wing group committed ideologically to the settlement enterprise, has made significant concessions from its perspective. It has agreed in principle to dismantle the illegal settlements and not to expand existing ones on new land beyond the boundaries of existing settlements. But this has not been good enough. Washington seems to be eager to squeeze out every last ounce of Israeli resistance on the subject by rejecting not only the concept of natural growth but even of Israel completing structures in midstream.

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Israel Matzav: A lose-lose situation

Israel Matzav: Awesome: Hamas testing rockets that can hit Tel Aviv

Awesome: Hamas testing rockets that can hit Tel Aviv

The Hamas terror organization has been using the lull in military action between Gaza and Israel to test rockets that can hit Tel Aviv.

The terrorist organization has been using the past several weeks of relative calm to stockpile more powerful weapons, IDF intelligence chief Yossi Beiditz said last week. “They are making a strong effort to bring in longer-range rockets, including rockets that can reach Gush Dan,” (the Hebrew term for metropolitan Tel Aviv), he said last week.

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Israel Matzav: Awesome: Hamas testing rockets that can hit Tel Aviv

Israel Matzav: The US military option in Iran

The US military option in Iran

The United States has a military option in Iran - it's just a question of choosing to use it.

Many policy makers and journalists dismiss the military option on the basis of a false sense of futility. They assume that the U.S. military is already overstretched, that we lack adequate intelligence about the location of covert nuclear sites, and that known sites are too heavily fortified.

Such assumptions are false.

An attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would mostly involve air assets, primarily Air Force and Navy, that are not strained by operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Moreover, the presence of U.S. forces in countries that border Iran offers distinct advantages. Special Forces and intelligence personnel already in the region can easily move to protect key assets or perform clandestine operations. It would be prudent to emplace additional missile-defense capabilities in the region, upgrade both regional facilities and allied militaries, and expand strategic partnerships with countries such as Azerbaijan and Georgia to pressure Iran from all directions.

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Israel Matzav: The US military option in Iran

Israel Matzav: Aggression has to have consequences

Israel Matzav: Aggression has to have consequences

Israel Matzav: Effective sanctions

Effective sanctions

Yagil Henkin reviews the history of economic sanctions and concludes that they are almost never effective. He then tries to propose a set of more effective sanctions to deal with Hamas.

So, what sanctions can be applied against Hamas? Apart from controlling the border and an arms embargo, the most effective way to apply pressure on Hamas is not to indirectly pressure them via their population, but rather pressure Hamas itself, as part of a wider strategy. The international community must act, if it is interested in the welfare of Gaza’s residents and curbing radical Islam. To begin with, the Hamas leadership should be prevented from traveling abroad and being officially received – including the leadership based outside of Gaza. Hamas leaders, like other politicians, enjoy traveling, and rightly so - they coordinate activities such as pleading for aid and waging propaganda campaigns. In 2008-2009 alone, Hamas leaders traveled to Syria, Iran, Switzerland and the United Kingdom . This list, of course, does not include meetings conducted in Gaza or Damascus – Jimmy Carter has met with Hamas in both locales.

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Israel Matzav: Effective sanctions

Israel Matzav: 'Palestinian Authority' to stop financing Hamas?

'Palestinian Authority' to stop financing Hamas?

London-based Asharq Awasat reports that the 'Palestinian Authority' has finally decided to stop sending money to Gaza - except to its own employees there.

Authoritative sources in the Fatah movement have asserted to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Palestinian leadership has decided to stop all the funds it pays to the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority's [PA] budget apart from the salaries of its own employees.

According to the sources, this decision was taken the night before yesterday at an extraordinary meeting of the Palestinian leadership that President Mahmud Abbas called for holding. They said the PA is financing the coup in the Strip and paying the electricity, water, and fuel bills to the Israelis while the Hamas leadership waits for these supplies to reach it.

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Israel Matzav: 'Palestinian Authority' to stop financing Hamas?

Another Leftie Against a Settlement Freeze

Another Leftie Against a Settlement Freeze

Regular readers will know the high esteem I have for Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz expert on the Palestinians, in spite of his politics being perhaps somewhat to the left of mine.

Issacharoff has a colleague, Zvi Bar'el, also at Haaretz, whose brief is the rest of the Arab world, perhaps even most of the Muslim world. Bar'el dosn't write much about the Palestinians, that's Issacharoff's job, and Issacharoff doesn't write much about the Arab World, that's Bar'els job. Both work mostly in Arabic, and both know a lot about their field. Bar-el is somewhat to the left of Issacharoff, meaning he's solidly left, but he tries and mostly suceeds to report first and slant things only second. (Just by way of rounding out the picture of the editorial board at Haaretz, Akiva Eldar knows a lot but mostly subordinates his knowledge to his politics, and Gideon Levy can't see any story about anything except through the prisim of his warped politics. So you get all sorts of lefties when you read Haaretz).

Today Bar'el joins his (lefty) colleague Aluf Benn in telling the Americans they've got it all wrong at the moment. Remember, Bar'el couldn't find a good thing to say about the settlements if you threatened him with rotten tomatoes - yet look at this column:

It should be said from the onset: Do not freeze settlement construction, do not stop it in part or periodically, not for six months, not for a single day. As long as the U.S. administration does not present a comprehensive plan that explains its endgame - what the end will look like and what the shape and character of the Palestinian state will look like - the demand for a cessation of construction is pointless. It is a pathetic return to the doctrine of "confidence-building measures," which led nowhere. The demand to freeze settlement construction is like the demand to remove roadblocks or cease razing homes; all these demands and similar ones mean only one thing: making the continuation of the occupation a little more pleasant.

You really ought to read the whole thing. Especially if you work in the White House.

taken from Yaacov Lozowick's Ruminations

More Lawyers for Israel

More Lawyers for Israel

An Israeli with dual French-Israeli citizenship is taking the EU to court to have them pay for rocket-proofing his Sderot home.

Is there any chance this will suceed? Offhand, I'd say about 1:1,000,000, perhaps less. Still, there's value in the attempt. Similar to the report on Gaza I wrote about last week, it's high time Israel wrested the legal realm out of the hands of our enemies and took ownership of it. The sure sign of success will be the moment our critics stop using legalese and move to some other field. We'll never get them to shut up, that's obvious. But we do need to chase them off whatever base they're on, and force them to be defensive.

taken fromYaacov Lozowick's Ruminations

Devastating Political Victory

Devastating Political Victory

Discalimer: I think it's crazy that the US - the richest large country in history - doesn't have health insurance for all. I also have not the slightest opinion on how this ought to be achieved, nor why it hasn't, nor which plan is the right one and how the other one is all wrong. I live very far away, am not impacted by the issue, and honestly haven't tried to educate myself about it.

The Guardian, on the other hand: now that's a topic I know something about. I read them every day to stay informed about their profound malaise (which health insurance can't cure). I don't read only what they write about Israel, since their malaise is much broader and I try to see it all.

Tooday they've got an article about how Obama seems to be in trouble selling his plan. Since they like Obama a lot, they need to spin this story. As a result, they've got all sorts of amusing lingual contortions, such as the one in the caption above. The meetings Democratic politicians are holding have been redifined by the Guardian: they're no longer town hall meetings, they're now "town hall" meetings. The worn trope of unidentified "commentators say" is trotted out:

The tactics of Republicans, conservative protest groups and healthcare lobbyist-linked organisations have been decried by many commentators.

And so it goes on. Yet another case where the Guardian drops any attempt to understand what reality is, and prefers to inform us what it ought to be.

taken from Yaacov Lozowick's Ruminations

Israel Matzav: 'Jordan is Palestine' said... King Hussein of Jordan

'Jordan is Palestine' said... King Hussein of Jordan

This is from Sarah Honig's weekly column in Friday's JPost:

In 1950, Transjordan annexed the "West Bank" (the name they gave the territory occupied after the Arab invasion of new-born Israel in 1948) and became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Its leaders, including the late King Hussein, stressed over and over in numerous pronouncements that "Jordan and Palestine are one and the same." So did Palestinian leaders, including Yasser Arafat. The Palestinian Covenant, in fact, covets all of Jordan - precisely because it's Palestine.

Yet eventually it became expedient, PR-wise, to claim that Palestine exists exclusively west of the mini-river, justifying the campaign for a second Palestinian Arab state.

Fearing that his Palestinian subjects would topple their imported Hashemite rulers, Hussein kicked out the PLO in Black September 1970. Too bad. Had he failed, Arafat would have taken Amman over and nobody could today deny that Palestine is divided among Jews and Arabs, with the Arabs owning nearly four-fifths thereof.

Now Hussein's son Abdullah II seeks to rewrite history once more in the well-trodden Jordanian tradition. His father dropped the claim to what he branded the West Bank but didn't revive the ludicrous moniker of Transjordan. After 17 years of annexation (1950-67), the Jordan trademark gained global acceptance. It rang authentic. Why then return to the obvious fake?

Jordan's population, though, is overwhelmingly Palestinian. The only exceptions are the Beduin who accompanied Abdullah I from Hejaz. Like the Hashemites, they're foreigners. Now these outsiders design to delegitimize the natives. Expectedly, governments and human rights NGOs worldwide are silent.

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Israel Matzav: 'Jordan is Palestine' said... King Hussein of Jordan

Israel Matzav: Israel's Arabists

Israel's Arabists

Caroline Glick explains why so many people in Washington now see Israel as a strategic liability rather than a strategic asset:

THE SAD truth is that for the past 16 years, the greatest champion of the view that Israel is a strategic liability rather than a strategic asset for the US, and that the US gains more from a weak Israel than a strong Israel, has been Israel itself. Successive governments in Jerusalem, from the Rabin-Peres government to the Barak, Sharon and Olmert governments, all embraced the Arabist view that regional stability and hence Israeli security is enhanced by a weakened Israel.

Ehud Olmert's much-derided 2005 assertion that "we are tired of fighting, we are tired of being courageous, we are tired of winning, we are tired of defeating our enemies," was simply a whiny affirmation of Israel's leaders' embrace of the Arabist worldview.

Kaplan cited Israel's incompetent handling of the war with Hizbullah in 2006 and its bungling of the campaign against Hamas in Gaza this past December and January as proof of the Arabist claim that it is a strategic burden.

What he failed to recognize was that the Olmert government made a clear decision not to win those wars. Doing so would have exposed as folly the government's central assertion that Israel is better off being weak than strong. In light of this, it is obvious that the Arabist desire to see Israel weakened is not supported by Israel's performance in Lebanon and Gaza. Israel's performance in Lebanon and Gaza was a consequence of its leaders' adoption of the Arabist worldview. Had they rejected it, the results of those wars would likely have been much different.

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Israel Matzav: Israel's Arabists

Israel Matzav: Ed Koch blasts Obama

Israel Matzav: Ed Koch blasts Obama

A fifth of European Union will be Muslim by 2005 - Telegraph

A fifth of European Union will be Muslim by 2050

Britain, Spain and Holland will have an even higher proportion of Muslims in a shorter amount of time, an investigation by The Telegraph shows.

By Adrian Michaels
Published: 10:56AM BST 08 Aug 2009

On a hope and a prayer: lack of debate over influx of Muslims, some experts claim Photo: REUTERS

Last year, five per cent of the total population of the 27 EU countries was Muslim. But rising levels of immigration from Muslim countries and low birth rates among Europe's indigenous population mean that, by 2050, the figure will be 20 per cent, according to forecasts.

Data gathered from various sources indicate that Britain, Spain and Holland will have an even higher proportion of Muslims in a shorter amount of time.

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A fifth of European Union will be Muslim by 2005 - Telegraph

Anti-tank missile defense system operational | Israel | Jerusalem Post

Anti-tank missile defense system operational Israel Jerusalem Post

Israel Matzav: Consular officer who attacked government summoned for 'consultations'

Israel Matzav: Consular officer who attacked government summoned for 'consultations'

Israel Matzav: Bolton: 'Israel will attack Iran by the end of 2009

Bolton: 'Israel will attack Iran by the end of 2009

Former US ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton tells Russian Times, Russia's English-language television station, that Israel will attack Iran before 2009 to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

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Israel Matzav: Bolton: 'Israel will attack Iran by the end of 2009

Israel Matzav: Fatah: 'Return all of Jerusalem or no talks'

Fatah: 'Return all of Jerusalem or no talks'

A resolution adopted at the conference of the 'moderate' Fatah terror organization calls for the 'return of all Jerusalem' (both 'east' and 'west') before any further talks are held with Israel.

According to the report, a document adopted by the Fatah delegates of the assembly declared that Palestinians would "continue to be sacrificed until residents of Jerusalem are free of settlements and settlers." The document went on to state that all of Jerusalem, including the surrounding villages, belonged to the Palestinians, and lands conquered following the Six Day War shared the same status as those located within the Green Line.

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Israel Matzav: Fatah: 'Return all of Jerusalem or no talks'

Israel Matzav: Oxfam or Ahava?

Israel Matzav: Oxfam or Ahava?

Israel Matzav: The 1929 Hebron massacre

Israel Matzav: The 1929 Hebron massacre

Israel Matzav: The 'beauties of Islam' and 'enslavement, invasion and occupation'

The 'beauties of Islam' and 'enslavement, invasion and occupation'

Weasel Zippers reports that one of the representatives of the Islamic Society of America Colorado Springs, who was invited to speak to US troops at Fort Carson, Colorado about the 'beauty of Islam,' wrote an op-ed just a month earlier in a local newspaper in which he condemned Israel's 'enslavement, invasion and occupation of Muslim countries.'

Weasel Zippers asks "Who's responsible for vetting these people?"

I see two possibilities. One is that the same people who were responsible for vetting Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu are responsible for vetting these people.

The other, more sinister but more likely possibility, is that the White House has decided that it's okay to expose Americans to people like this, and that no one is vetting them at all. After all, how far are these views really from the President's views? Here's President Obama:

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Israel Matzav: The 'beauties of Islam' and 'enslavement, invasion and occupation'

Israel Matzav: Hamas and Fatah move further apart

Israel Matzav: Hamas and Fatah move further apart

Israel Matzav: 'Palestinians' who were evicted hadn't paid rent

'Palestinians' who were evicted hadn't paid rent

The longer this story goes on the more it sounds like an ordinary eviction. The Guardian (yes, I noticed it's the comment is free section) reports that the two Arab families that were evicted from their homes in Jerusalem's Shimon HaTzadik (Sheikh Jarrah) section last Sunday had not paid their rent.

However, things are not always what they seem and the eviction of the Hanoun and Ghawi families are an apt example of how an appetite for a certain type of story can create that story regardless of the facts. As an organisation that follows media coverage of the Middle East closely, we gathered from Sunday and Monday's reporting, such as on the BBC, in the Guardian and in the Times that the two Palestinian families were evicted because Israeli courts had found that the land belonged to Jews, not to the Palestinians living there. Cut to religiously clad Jews busting in to the newly vacated houses and the whole thing is just obvious: Israel mercilessly turfs Arabs on to the street to plant more settlers in east Jerusalem.

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Israel Matzav: 'Palestinians' who were evicted hadn't paid rent

Israel Matzav: Swine flu is coming here

Israel Matzav: Swine flu is cominghere

Israel Matzav: Obama's senior terrorism adviser: Kumbaya

Israel Matzav: Obama's senior terrorism adviser: Kumbaya

Israel Matzav: The Democrats are silent on Mary Robinson

Israel Matzav: The Democrats are silent on Mary Robinson

Israel Matzav: 'Palestinians' construct snipers' nest over Gilo

'Palestinians' construct snipers' nest over Gilo

Many of you may recall how the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo came under sniper fire from the Bethlehem suburbs of Beit Jallah and Beit Sahour during the early days of the Oslo Terror War in late 2000. Now, through illegal construction, the 'Palestinians' are attempting to get a clearer shot at Gilo. Will Israel enforce the law and demolish the building under construction? Will the Obama administration protest Israel's 'cruel destruction of 'Palestinian' homes' yet again?

A massive, illegally built structure [see picture. CiJ] being put up by Palestinian Authority Arabs has frightened residents of the Jerusalem neighborhood Har Gilo in recent weeks. The building has been built on Israeli land belonging to the city, and looms over local houses.

The building's height and location have created fears that it could be used for sniping or other attacks. Residents of Gilo suffered near-constant sniper attacks during the outbreak of the Oslo War, also known as the Second Intifada.

Following appeals from Israeli officials in the Gush Etzion region, the Civil Administration issued an order halting work on the structure until a hearing regarding the legal status of the building. However, work at the site has continued despite the order.

Residents of Har Gilo say Civil Administration officials told them that the order could not be enforced due to the Fatah conference currently taking place in the nearby city of Bethlehem.

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Israel Matzav: 'Palestinians' construct snipers' nest over Gilo

Israel Matzav: The 'Finlandization' of the Middle East

The 'Finlandization' of the Middle East

Former Israeli ambassador to the US Dore Gold explains consequences of a nuclear Iran that have nothing to do with Israel.

Arab officials don't need prompting from Israel. Their common fear is that a nuclear Iran will embolden groups such as Hezbollah, which will feel it enjoys a nuclear sponsor protecting it from any retaliatory action. Unlike their Western counterparts, these Arab officials are savvy enough to distinguish between status quo states that just want to assure the security of their borders and ideologically driven revolutionary powers like Iran with expansive aims.

An Iran with hegemonial aspirations will not be talked out of acquiring nuclear weapons through a new Western incentives package. Only the most severe economic measures aimed at Iran's dependence on imported gasoline, backed with the threat of Western military power, might pull the Iranians back at the last minute. Until now, U.N. sanctions on Iran have been too weak to have any real impact.

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Israel Matzav: The 'Finlandization' of the Middle East

Israel Matzav: Fatah and Hamas should be judged by the same standard

Fatah and Hamas should be judged by the same standard

Michael Totten gives some sage advice for determining Hamas' intentions.

Assuming Meshal doesn’t instantly and publicly reverse himself, what Hamas-run schools, newspapers, and television programs say should settle any lingering doubts. Will Palestinian children still be told they will one day “liberate” Tel Aviv, Haifa, and all Jerusalem? Or will the cause be properly narrowed to the West Bank and Gaza? If the Palestinian public — and especially Palestinian children — doesn’t get the message that Hamas is finally willing to accept a two-state solution, what Meshal just said to a Wall Street Journal reporter doesn’t mean anything.

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Israel Matzav: Fatah and Hamas should be judged by the same standard

Israel Matzav: Republican delegation backs Israel's rights in Jerusalem

Israel Matzav: Republican delegation backs Israel's rights in Jerusalem

Israel Matzav: Democracy, 'Palestinian' style

Israel Matzav: Democracy, 'Palestinian' style

Israel Matzav: Arabs just say no

Arabs just say no

Jonathan Spyer argues that the Arab states are just saying no to the United States because they feel no sense of urgency to resolve the Israeli-Arab conflict, because the United States has attached no consequences to saying no, and because the Arab states recognize - as does just about everyone outside of Washington DC - that there is no chance of resolving the conflict right now.

One explanation for this holds that the administration's pressure on Israel is leading to a hardening of Arab positions. Since Obama demanded a complete freeze on all construction in settlements, it would now be futile to expect Arab gestures of normalization unless Israel first accepts this demand. However, the Arab rejection of incremental measures has not been solely predicated on Israel's refusal of a comprehensive freeze on all construction in West Bank settlements. Rather, the very principle of normalization in the period prior to a final-status accord between Israelis and Palestinians appears to be rejected.

The rejection of this idea derives from two elements. Firstly, the near-universal, though rarely expressed, belief that the current attempt to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is doomed to failure. Secondly, the distinct lack of urgency felt in Arab capitals regarding this issue.

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Israel Matzav: Arabs just say no

Chesler Chronicles » Stories That Matter Since Israel Is Still Being Demonized

Chesler Chronicles » Stories That Matter Since Israel Is Still Being Demonized

Precisely Wrong: War Crimes Accusations against the IDF

Precisely Wrong: War Crimes Accusations against the IDF

Absolutely Wrong:

Analysis of HRW report, “Precisely Wrong: Gaza Civilians Killed by Israeli Drone-Launched Missiles,” 30 June 2009

NGO Monitor
August 06, 2009

In this report, and accompanying press releases and conference, interviews, etc., HRW accuses the IDF of using drones to launch precise weapons during the Gaza operation, leading to wrongful civilian deaths. The entire publication is based on allegations from only 6 ambiguous incidents.

The term “war crimes” is used 7 times, and the alleged drone attacks are termed “unlawful”. The case is entirely speculative, but the conclusions are stated with absolute assurance, as if the evidence was totally clear.

Instead of credible evidence, HRW emphasizes technical and legal claims that are unfounded or irrelevant, but present the facade of expertise. These include references to satellite imaging, precise GPS coordinates, weapons specifications, Geneva conventions, etc., none of which offset the complete absence of verifiable evidence.

Robert Hewson, editor of Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons, stated “Human Rights Watch makes a lot of claims and assumptions about weapons and drones, all of which is still fairly speculative, because we have so little evidence.” (Dan Williams, “Human Rights Watch accuses Israel over Gaza drones,” June 30, 2009)

On HRW’s “evidence” quoting Palestinian claims to have seen and heard the missiles, a retired British colonel and Commander of British forces in Afghanistan “questioned whether such distinctions could be made, not least as the Spike’s range is 8 km (5 miles) …In a battlefield, in an urban environment, with all the other noises, it's certainly more than likely you would not hear something five miles away.” (Reuters, June 30)
Additional “evidence” and references are from unverifiable Palestinian “testimony,” reports from journalists (such as an email from the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation quoting a Jane’s Defence Weekly staffer), and from other NGO officials.

On the legal issue of military necessity, the report takes at face value the Palestinian claims of seeing no active Hamas fighters in the area of the alleged attacks. The Israeli government’s report on the Gaza combat provides details that refute this speculation.
HRW asserts that drone operators in the midst of the conflict should have consulted with military lawyers “to help determine whether targets are legitimate.” This suggests that the authors have no significant battlefield experience in which split-second decisions must be made, or are simply inventing claims.

HRW accuses the IDF of using drones to launch precise weapons during the Gaza operation, leading to civilian deaths in the absence of military necessity. “The analysis is based on 6 case studies involving an alleged 29 civilian deaths.” HRW claims that these deaths should have been avoided, and that IDF drone operators failed to act accordingly.

The term “war crimes” is used 7 times, and the alleged drone attacks are termed “unlawful”. The case is entirely speculative, but the conclusions are stated with absolute assurance, as if the evidence was totally clear. [“During the recent fighting in Gaza from December 27, 2008, to January 18, 2009, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed dozens of Palestinian civilians with one of the most precise weapons in its arsenal: missiles launched from an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV)… (p. 3)… Individuals who have committed violations ……are responsible for war crimes. …Military or civilian personnel found responsible for committing or ordering unlawful drone attacks should be disciplined or prosecuted as appropriate.” p.8].

Instead of credible evidence, this report emphasizes numerous technical and legal claims that are unfounded or irrelevant to the case, but present the facade of expertise. These include references to satellite imaging, detailed maps, precise GPS coordinates, weapons specifications, Geneva conventions, etc., none of which offset the complete absence of verifiable evidence. Additional “evidence” and references are from Palestinian “testimony”, journalists, and other NGO officials.

The lack of credibility is clear regarding each of the following issues:

(1) The identification of the weapons involved

The report hinges on the allegation that the IDF used drones to deliver Spike missiles in these 6 cases and that “Israel’s drone-launched missiles are incredibly precise.” (p. 18.) HRW states that the IDF used two types of “drones armed with the Spike, though it may have also used other missiles”, the evidence is largely non-existent. This statement cites an email from the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation quoting a Jane’s Defence Weekly staffer, April 27, 2009. (p. 18, footnote 14.)

To be credible, the report would need to demonstrate that: a) Spike missiles were indeed used in these attacks; and that b) they were launched from drones. However, the report fails on both counts, and the evidence is based on a combination of fragments allegedly found at the scenes, and claims by Palestinians related to weapons identification.

a) Regarding the warheads, this claim rests on the assumption that the fragments found by HRW were actually from Spike missiles, that they were recovered from missiles used in this conflict, rather than earlier engagements in Gaza, and that they were found in situ, rather than having been collected elsewhere by Palestinians. None of these claims can be proven – all may be incorrect.

b) If all of the conditions in a) are assumed to be accurate, the Spike missiles involved may have been launched from platforms other than drones (helicopters, ground forces, or ships). In this case, the foundation of the report and the claims that follow regarding improper IDF actions and “war crimes” is false.

In this regard, Robert Hewson, editor of Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons, stated "Human Rights Watch makes a lot of claims and assumptions about weapons and drones, all of which is still fairly speculative, because we have so little evidence". (Dan Williams, “Human Rights Watch accuses Israel over Gaza drones,” June 30, 2009) Commenting on the HRW evidence based on what Palestinians claimed to have seen and heard, retired British army colonel Richard Kemp, a veteran of Iraq and Commander of British forces in Afghanistan, “questioned whether such distinctions could be made, not least as the Spike’s range is 8 km (5 miles) -- enough to put helicopters or naval boats out of earshot. In a battlefield, in an urban environment, with all the other noises, it's certainly more than likely you would not hear something five miles away." (Reuters, June 30)

(2) Visual capabilities, precision and time

As “evidence” that the IDF should have been able to prevent civilian deaths, HRW quotes an interview (p. 11) with an Israeli drone operator in the Israeli online military journal Shavuz. The interview discusses identification capabilities regarding a static target (“We identified a terrorist that looked like an Israeli soldier. Our camera enabled us to see him very clearly. He was wearing a green parka jacket and he was walking with a huge radio that looked just like an army radio. ……We saw him leaving an explosive device at a distance of 100 meters from the [Israeli] forces along with a dummy.”) In contrast, the HRW report on Gaza deals with rapidly moving targets in a battle zone, which is completely different. The attempt to transfer static capabilities to a dynamic context demonstrates the professional incompetence or the deliberate distortions of the authors of the HRW report.

Using the term “incredibly precise”, HRW claims: “With these visual capabilities, drone operators should have been able to tell the difference between fighters and others directly participating in hostilities, who are legitimate targets, and civilians, who are immune from attack, and to hold fire if that determination could not be made.” (p. 18.) But HRW does not quantify or indicate the criteria used for this assertion, nor do the authors provide sources.

On page 5, the report asserts that these visual capabilities enable operators to consult with military lawyers “to help determine whether targets are legitimate.” This suggests that the authors have no real battlefield experience in which split-second decisions must be made, or are simply inventing claims. HRW also suggests that the slow speed and long flight time of drones are also factors in precise target decision making. Again, the assertion is very general and entirely subjective.

Indeed, the uncertainty and speculative nature of HRWs claims is reflected in the questions that they sent to the IDF. (p. 42.) If HRW knew the answers, why ask the questions, other than to make the claim that the IDF did not provide classified information to a hostile organization.

(3) Military necessity (location of drone incidents “kilometers” from fighting)
For example, regarding a case study in Gaza city, HRW claims: “On January 4, 2009…an IDF drone launched a missile at two boys playing on the rooftop of a two-story home…According to residents, the site was at least five kilometers from any fighting at the time between the IDF and Palestinian armed groups. IDF statements and media reports also report no fighting in that area at that time; Israeli forces did not enter central Gaza City until later in the ground offensive. Because the house is surrounded by taller buildings in the center of Gaza City, it is a highly unlikely site for firing rockets, and it would be a poor location for artillery spotting or reconnaissance.” (p. 27.)

Each claim in the above paragraph is speculative or based on unverifiable testimony from Palestinians who are not likely to have known whether there were legitimate military targets in the area. These could have included command and control centers, weapons’ storage sites, and other Hamas facilities. In addition, Israeli military operations included efforts to locate and free kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit (who is not mentioned in this report, despite the obvious centrality to the conflict and all military engagements).
HRW’s reliance on “eyewitness” testimony on the question of legitimate military targets in the area of an alleged attack is also reflected in the other case studies. In the “Al-Habbash family house” case, in which two girls were allegedly killed, HRW presents the following testimony:

“‘There were no Israelis in the area; it was the second day of ground fighting,’ … ‘And if there had been fighters nearby we would have left. It was a normal busy day, and if there had been fighting the children would not have been playing on the roof.’,,,” (p. 29.)
Beyond the unverifiable nature of such testimony (see Section 5 below), particularly regarding the presence of Hamas “fighters”, HRW’s reliance on this evidence reflects two highly speculative assumptions:

(1) that the presence or absence of visible Israeli forces in an area is a central criteria;

(2) that there were no legitimate targets (Hamas fighters, weapons, communications assets, etc.) in the area, visible or not visible.

In a third case (“Gaza Technical College”), HRW again propagates the misleading concept that there were no legitimate targets unless locals, UN staff, journalists or human rights activists (unnamed) claim to have observed “active” local fighters or fighting:

“According to nine witnesses interviewed by Human Rights Watch, including three international UN staff, no Palestinian fighters were active on the street or in the immediate area just prior to or at the time of the attack. Fighters from Hamas and the other Palestinian factions were rarely seen in the Rimal neighborhood where the attack took place, witnesses as well as Palestinian journalists and human rights activists based in Gaza said.” (p.20)

HRW’s report here suggests, ironically, that there were in fact Hamas fighters in the area: they just weren’t “active on the street or in the immediate area just prior to or at the time of the attack.” Again, HRW’s speculation is based on incorrect assumptions and unverifiable testimony of locals and others.

(4) Oxygen tanks or Grad rockets – immoral act or understandable error in asymmetric warfare?

On December 29, 2008, the IDF attacked a truck which appeared to be carrying rockets, but later acknowledged that an error had been made.

Although HRW includes this as one of its 6 “drone” incidents, and a potential war crime, the report relies on the same highly problematic evidence as in other cases. In order to cast doubt on the IDF’s report that four Hamas operatives were killed, HRW refers to a list of “martyrs” provided in a Hamas website. (p. 27), from which the names of alleged casualties in this incident are absent. On the use of oxygen tanks for rocket manufacture and related evidence presented by the IDF, HRW makes the clearly illogical argument that “dual use” objects in his context “are presumed to be civilian”.

HRW also rejects IDF claims that the oxygen tanks appeared to be Grad rockets, pointing out difference in length (2.87 meters vs. 1.62 meters). “The Russian-designed Grad rocket is a known weapon in the Hamas arsenal, and consequently recognizable to IDF personnel. As such, given the visual evidence, the drone operator should have considered the likelihood that these were not Grad rockets. In addition, according to the IDF video of the attack, the truck was under surveillance for more than two minutes, and possibly longer because the truck was not moving, so the operator should have had time to consult with superior officers on whether the truck could be considered a legitimate target.” (pp. 25-26.) HRW presents no information on ability to instantly distinguish between the different lengths involved. The authors also makes assertions about what IDF personnel should have considered and with whom they should have consulted in the context of an ongoing war, but have no independent knowledge of the decision making process.

The MFA report “IDF Operation in Gaza” discusses this incident in great detail (p. 144).

(5) Reliance on Palestinian testimony

A large portion of the case study material is dedicated to the testimony of Palestinians interviewed by HRW --of the 34 footnotes in the case studies section, 13 are citations to HRW interviews with Palestinian witnesses, including family members of the deceased, one is to an UNRWA security guard, name withheld on request, and many others cite journalists and NGOs that quote Palestinian claims.

The named interview subjects are:
Adib Munthir al-Rayyis, Gaza City
Ibrahim Nehru al-Rayyis, Gaza City
Nehru al-Rayyis, Gaza City
Muhammad Sa’di Ghabayen, Gaza City
Basil Nabil Ghabayen, Gaza City
Ashraf Mashhrawi, Gaza City
Ashraf ‘Issawi, Gaza City
Mahmud al-Habbash, Gaza City
Muhammad al-Habbash, Gaza City
Nahla ‘Allaw, Gaza City
Muhammad ‘Allaw, Gaza City
Hamada al-Sultan, Beit Lahiya
Mahmud al-Sultan, Beit Lahiya

(6) Moral/legal issue: should the IDF be condemned for using precise technology intended to reduce civilian casualties in the context of asymmetric warfare?

This report purports to deal with the consequences of the IDF’s use of technology that HRW admits enhances accuracy and minimizes collateral damage. HRW discounts the relevance of the fact that the urban battle zone was chosen by Hamas, when it based itself within the civilian population, and Israel actions are entirely responsive. HRW also ignores the irony in the juxtaposition of the use by Hamas of indiscriminate rockets aimed at civilian areas, in contrast to the IDF’s precision weapons designed to avoid such indiscriminate attacks.

As a matter of moral reasoning and logic, there is also no basis for holding one side to a higher standard precisely because it sought and used technology meant to prevent harm to civilians, in a conflict it did not initiate and sought to avoid.

In the legal dimension, HRW wants the IDF to be subject to a much stricter standard of liability for harm to civilians in comparison to Hamas (or Hezbollah in the 2006 Lebanon war) precisely because the IDF took steps to prevent such harm. The illogic of this notion is clear, and HRW cites no authority or references to support this argument.

(7) HRW’s letter to IDF seeking classified material – admission of ignorance, cynicism or both HRW’s ignorance about what actually happened in the alleged IDF strikes discussed in this report is reflected in the questions sent in a letter addressed to the IDF. (pp. 41-43.) Many of these questions inquire as to the IDF’s military objectives in the strikes covered in the report, or ask for information on the drones HRW claims that the IDF employed.

These questions reflect HRW’s lack of information on the very issues on which they claimed expertise in this report. As noted above, the questions related to the drone technology and the level of precision also reveal either a damning ignorance or an effort to increase criticism of the IDF for not revealing classified information necessary to disprove HRW allegations.

taken from B'NAI ELIM (Sons of the Mighty)

Jewish Defence League Parsha and Weekly Update

Jewish Defence League Parsha and Weekly Update

The Torah Parsha this week is "Eikev". " And it will be, 'because' you will heed these ordinances and keep them and perform, that the Lord, your God, will keep for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers."(Devorim 7:12) And Rashi gives the following explanation; " And it will be, because you will heed: Heb. עֵקֶב, lit. heel. If you will heed the minor commandments which one [usually] tramples with his heels [i.e., which a person treats as being of minor importance]."

The Jewish People in North America are divided. And this division is the result of alienation from our Torah. This alienation from the Torah manifests itself in a lack of support for Israel as a Jewish State.

Study: Fewer US Jews Say They're Observant

The number of American Jews who see themselves as religious dropped 20 percent in 20 years. 3.4 million U.S. Jews call themselves religious.

taken from B'NAI ELIM (Sons of the Mighty)

Stop Raping Israel: Most Dangerous

Most Dangerous

Pyramidland's state controlled semi unfree media alledgedly cries out that Little Satan's kindred spirit rep to Great Satan "is very active in the American arena and has very good ties, which may strengthen the strategic relations between the US and Israel."

Oh Snap!

Ambassador Michael Oren is "the most dangerous man in Washington."

"The American born Oren, who earned a PhD from Princeton University, emigrated from Great to Little Satan way back in the '70's, and has written a best selling book -- essential in any library -- "Six Days of War". His fully crunk follow up "Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present, " is likewise likable.

Read All at :

Stop Raping Israel: Most Dangerous

Israel's Incursion to Gaza: The Official Report

Israel's Incursion to Gaza: The Official Report

Here's the synopsis that opens my reading of Israel's official report on the Gaza operation.


Synopsis: Self anointed human rights organizations, followed by much of the media, have
cast Israel as a serial transgressor against international law. The most recent case of this was
Israel's incursion into Hamas-controlled Gaza in January 2009, which was widely portrayed
as criminal from inception to smallest detail. Defenders of Israel's actions, generally not well
versed in the minutiae of international law, have allowed themselves to be wrong footed,
claiming that facts are wrong, or mooting the unacceptability of international law itself if it
forbids Israel to defend its citizens.

The State of Israel has now published its legal and factual rebuttal. The authors of the report
emphatically embrace international law and insist that its principles guide the IDF as it trains,
plans, executes and investigate; they demonstrate all these actions on the case of the Gaza
incursion.

The report is serious and learned, which means it is open to discussion and disagreement.
Yet such a discussion must be informed and reasoned – precisely as much of the criticism
leveled at Israel isn't.

The full report, at 164 pages, is here. I urge anyone who feels the need to express an
opinion, to read it. This 20-page summary and commentary is a service for the hasty; it's here.

taken from Yaacov Lozowick's Ruminations

The Torah Revolution: .. "and they suffered undue pain and suffering as a result"

The Torah Revolution: .. "and they suffered undue pain and suffering as a result"

Sefer Chabibi Deepest Torah: EKEV: TRANSFORMING EVIL WITH KINDNESS

EKEV: TRANSFORMING EVIL WITH KINDNESS

by Rabbi Baruch Binyamin Hakohen Melman

The most spiritually refined often have the harshest challenges. Both the refined Eve and the refined Jacob faced challenges from evil personified in their lives. Eve was challenged/tempted by the nachash/snake, while Jacob competed for the blessing and had his life threatened by his brother, Esav.

Eve with hindsight, could finally recognize that the snake was indeed Satan's agent, if not Satan himself. Satan in Hebrew means "accuser,"pronounced sa-tahn, i.e., the one who tempts one to sin as a test of one's spiritual/moral fortitude and then himself becomes the accuser in the heavenly court.

Satan, the accusing angel, personifies evil, in the sense that he causes people to do the wrong thing while at the same time they believe that they are guiltless, even sublimely worthy (note the religious fervor of the terrorist who believes himself destined to attain heavenly reward for intentionally slaughtering the innocent).

While able to recognize sin, her curse was that, now exiled from the Garden, she would be forever subject to the terror of the snake, the fatal bite at the heel while minding her innocent pursuits! This is perfectly ironic because while in the Garden, the Evil Inclination (yetzer hara) was external to wo/man, tempting us from without, once outside the Garden it entered our consciousness, tempting us from within.

Read All at :

Sefer Chabibi Deepest Torah: EKEV: TRANSFORMING EVIL WITH KINDNESS