March 2011

Egypt's Revolution and Israeli Interests: A Strategic Assessment / Prof.B.Rubin

February 28 2011
What does the Egyptian revolution mean for Israel? A great deal and, unfortunately, none of it is particularly good, though Israel will have to adjust to these new circumstances.

People who don’t know very much predict some great chance for peace in a rosy democratic dawn. I've even heard moderate Egyptians claim that the only reason people there hated Israel was because it was associated in their minds with the Mubarak regime and now there's no reason for friction. But this kind of argument has nothing to do with reality.

Immediate Elections in Arab Countries Could Bring Extremists to Power / Prof. Bernard Lewis

Middle East expert Bernard Lewis warns that immediate elections in Arab countries could bring extremists to power
28 February 2011
In Jerusalem, MK Shai Hermesh, chairman of the World Jewish Congress Israel Executive, and Dan Diker, WJC secretary-general designate and director-general of WJC-Israel, hosted a dinner in honor of Princeton Professor-emeritus Bernard Lewis, 94, as part of a special gathering by the WJC Israel Executive and other select guests including members of the Knesset and leading experts on Islam and the Middle East.

Is Radical Islam Trying to Take Over the Revolt in Yeman / Dore Gold

In Yemen, leading Muslim cleric Abd al-Majid Zindani, 69, has joined the anti-government protests, telling several thousand protesters: “An Islamic state is coming.” Zindani has long been an associate of Osama bin Laden, whom he knew personally when both lived in Afghanistan. Subsequently, he recruited Yemenis for bin Laden’s training camps. In February 2004, the U.S. designated Zindani, president of Iman University in Yemen, as a “loyalist to Osama bin Laden.”

Optimism or Pesimism on the "Arab Revolt" / Prof.B.Rubin

01 Mar 2011
There is a very simple answer to an apparent contradiction about evaluating the current "Arab revolt." If we look at the situation as a whole, there are reasons to think that many events of the last two months have been positive. Clearly, the resurgence of active opposition in Iran is a good thing. There are real chances for the Tunisia democratization effort to succeed.

UN Watch Asks Right's Chief:"Why Were You Silent on Qaddafi's Crimes?"

March 4, 2011
Around the globe, the Qaddafis were kings. No longer. The head of the London School of Economics has just resigned over his ties to the Qaddafi regime. Rock stars Beyonce, Nelly Furtado and Mariah Carey are expressing remorse for paid peformances at Qaddafi family parties. Former Egyptian minister of culture Gaber Asfour renounced his 2010 “Qaddafi International Award for Literature.”

Muslim Brotherhood's New Campaign:Seize Control of Egypt's Islamic Institutions /Prof.B.Rubin

This is of gigantic importance (see if anyone else covers it). MEMRI has pointed out the opening of a Muslim Brotherhood campaign to replace Egypt's current clerical hierarchy with its own people. If that happens...you can imagine. Once Islamists are in place making the "official" decisions on what constitutes proper Islam, an Islamist state cannot be far away.

Who Will Win the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Arab Street:Turkey or Iran / Harold Rhode

Iran and today's Turkish government are engaged in a battle for the hearts and minds of the Arab street. Iran represents the Shiites and Turkey represents the Sunnis. The Arab world is largely Sunni, with the exception of many of the Persian Gulf Arab countries and Iraq.

Iran and the Turkish government are also working together against the non-Muslim world - most specifically against the U.S. and Israel.

The Peace of Israel / Alan Caruba

There is one nation in the Middle East that is not roiling in anarchy, rioting, and internal warfare. It does so without oppressing its citizens. It encourages and protects the practice of all religions. That nation is Israel.

The other Middle Eastern and North African nations, all predominantly Islamic, have discovered that Islam, despite its grip on the minds and souls of Muslims, does not preclude the universal human desire for freedom, for hope of a better life.

Barack Obama and the Cavalcade of Naivete / Prof.B.Rubin

March 6, 2011
President Barack Obama told Democratic Party contributors in Miami:"When you look at what's happening...in the Middle East, it is a manifestation of new technologies, the winds of freedom that are blowing through countries that have not felt those winds in decades, a whole new generation that says I want to be a part of this world. It's a dangerous time, but it's also a huge opportunity for us.''

UN Rights Council Pulls Report Singing Qaddafi's Praises

Victory for Human Rights
Latest from the United Nations
Briefing No. 278
March 6, 2011
Internet link to this briefing
After UN Watch Protest, U.N. Rights Council Pulls Report Singing Qaddafi's Praises

On Friday, UN Watch won another small victory for human rights, sanity and the victims of Col. Qaddafi, when the U.N. Human Rights Council announced it was shelving a report -- prepared prior to the current massacres in Libya -- that lavishly praised the Libyan regime for its record on human rights. See quotes here.

Qaddaffi's Rep. is UN Council's "Expert on Mercenaries"

UN Watch Press Release
Latest from the United Nations March 7, 2011
Exposed: Qaddafi rep is UN council’s “expert on mercenaries”
UNW Exposed Her Hypocrisy at Durban II

GENEVA, March 7 - With the Libyan regime deploying hired guns to massacre its own people, the UN Human Rights Council was urged today to fire Najat Al-Hajjaji, a long-time mouthpiece of Col. Muammar Qaddafi, from her post as a council investigator on human rights violations by mercenaries.

Arab Liberals Worry about an Islamic Egypt: Western Observers Claim There's No Threat / Prof. B.Rubin

06 Mar 2011
He jests at scars who never felt the wound, wrote Shakespeare, and it is an appropriate sentiment to point out that while Western observers ridicule the fear of an Islamist Egypt, a lot of Arab writers are very worried. In fact, here are three articles that display such concerns.

Palestinian Authoity:We Never Listen to What America Says, We Just Take the Money / Prof. B.Rubin

06 Mar 2011
Palestinian Media Watch has a round-up of anti-Obama and anti-American material from the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the wake of the U.S. veto of a one-sided anti-Israel UN resolution. The U.S. government had made clear that it would vote in favor of a resolution condemning Israel for building on existing settlements in the West Bank if it also included some language criticizing terrorism and the behavior of both sides.

Two quotes are particularly interesting. One is from Hafez Barghouti, editor of the official PA newspaper, al-Hayat al-Jadida:

Hi - Tech Initiative Gives the Lie to Israeli "Apartheid" / Ray Cook

08 Mar 2011
You may have missed the launch in February this year of an initiative by Israeli President Shimon Peres to integrate Israeli Arabs into the Hi-Tech workforce.

The President expressed the need to optimise Israel’s resources and the talents of its Arab population. Whilst admitting there was discrimination and an economic gap, the initiative is meant to help close that gap to the benefit of all Israeli citizens.

UN Elevates Iran to Women's Rights Commission

A big thank you to all our supporters who turned out at the UN in New York City Thursday, March 3rd, for the Iran 180-supported seminar and rally for the rights of Iranian women. One day before Iran was elected to the UN Commission on the Status of Women - a move rightly depicted in the National Post as a "serious insult to women around the world" - we raised our voices against this appalling display of hypocrisy.

INN has more on our protest:

Is Iran a Role Model for Arab Revolutionists / Lt. Col. (ret.) Michael Segall

March 7, 2011
From Iran's point of view, recent developments, especially in Egypt (long considered in the West as an anchor of stability and the initiator of a peace treaty with Israel), represent an improvement in Iran's strategic status.

Moreover, recent events have focused all attention on the Middle East arena and removed Iran's nuclear program from the spotlight. The increase in the price of oil to over $100 a barrel has also led to the erosion of the effectiveness of sanctions on Iran (whose utility has yet to be proven).

Why U.S. Policy is so Bad:An Analysis of the Current Policymaking Process / Prof. B.Rubin

07 Mar 2011
The Obama administration has a major internal split. The problem is that the people most qualified to be heard and who have the better understanding of the situation are being ignored.

How Obama is going to bring Disaster to the Middle East and U.S. Interests / Prof.B.Rubin

In a moment, I'll present you with what might be the most frightening paragraph in the modern history of U.S. Middle East policy. But first, here's one that's among the most deplorable. It's from a Washington Post article:

"The Obama administration is preparing for the prospect that Islamist governments will take hold in North Africa and the Middle East, acknowledging that the popular revolutions there will bring a more religious cast to the region's politics."

Saudi- Arabia's Economic Needs and the Price of Oil / Joseph Mann

Since the late 1990s, Saudi Arabia has faced increasing economic challenges. In order to address these problems and to improve the conditions of its citizens, the Saudi regime has gradually increased oil price targets. This article analyzes the factors that have influenced Saudi Arabia's considerations in setting a preferred oil price target. It also examines the option of diversification of the Arab economy and the creation of new industries as a means of reducing oil prices.

INTRODUCTION

Deir Hanna Was the Jewish Kfar Hanun(or Kfar Yohanna) / DR.Rivka Shpak Lissak

Deir Hanna is situated in the Sakhnin Valley in the lower Galilee, close to Sakhnin and Arabbe. Nowadays it is a large Arabic village with about 9,100 residents, 90% of whom are Muslim and the rest Christian. Bedouins have also settled in it.
The name Deir Hanna has several origins:
After Hanna, the commander of the Crusader force that conquered the village.
Deir – meaning ‘monastery’ – and Hanna, the name of a Christian saint;
Kfar Hanun, or Kfar Yohanna – the Jewish village that existed on this site during the period of the Mishna and Talmud.

The Massacre That Never Happened: Lies on the Israeli "Defence Operation" 2002

Editor's introduction
8 Israeli soldiers sued Muhammad Backry, an Israeli - Arab, for making a movie full of lies on the "Defence Operation," against Jenin's terrorists.
The issue is now before the Israeli High Court.

This is another example of the lies and incitement organized against Israeli soldiers.It takes time and energy to prove the accusations are all lies. Other accusations that were proven false:
The Muhammad Al Dura child , the Abu Rahma woman and many other accusations.
The Palestinians are operating an industry of lies.
-------

The Real Reason:Why there is no End to "Israeli Occupation" / Prof.B.Rubin

Palestinian Leaders' Response to Democratic Upheaval: Fire the Honest Guy
09 Mar 2011

The Palestinian Authority doesn't have to worry about democratic upheavals since it has the nationalist and anti-Israel cards to play. Besides, it will never face real Western criticism or pressure. All it has to worry about is Hamas taking over, and that's avoided by sticking to a hard line and not making any compromises with Israel.

Why Does the Media Report the Opposite of What's True in the Middle East /Prof.B.Rubin

March 10, 2011
Here's one of a thousand examples of how Middle East reality is being misrepresented. I'm told by people that the deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood gave an interview stating that his organization was ready to accept the treaty with Israel.

In fact, however, if you examine the actual text he says...the exact opposite!

Pressures Build Inside Fatah Ahead of Palestinian State Declaration / Dror Bar - Yosef

The ongoing internal rift within Fatah is one of the reasons for the failure to renew talks with Israel. The movement has a history of internal dissension and divisions, with parties accusing one another of corruption, collaboration with Israel and the U.S., and betrayal of Palestinian interests.

Reports from the Palestinian Media Watch

http://www.palwatch.org/
Read what Palestinian children are taught at school
Read on the incitement on the Palestinian media.
Read translations of wgat Palestinian leaders say in Arabic - not in English

Obsession with Israel Blinded Westreners to the Real Middle East / Prof.B.Rubin

March 12, 2011
Arab Political Upheavals:
As we consider the lessons of the dramatic upheavals in Arabic-speaking countries one of the main ones is this: the overriding obsession with the Arab-Israeli conflict, Israel-Palestinian conflict, and Israel as the supposed cause of all regional problems has repeatedly blinded people to the realities of the region.

The Follies of Gaddafi / Col. (ret.) Dr.Jacques Neriah

March 10, 2011
Unlike his neighbors east and west of him, Gaddafi has vowed to fight till the bitter end. He will not willingly relinquish power at the price of an ongoing civil war and of the practical division of Libya into two sub-areas: Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, historically the two vilayets (departments) constituting Libya under Ottoman rule.

U.S. Middle East Policy and those Little Ideas that get Millions of People Killed / Prof.B.Rubin

March 13, 2011
I listened again to President Barack Obama’s main speech on Egypt back during the revolution and two phrases caught my ear. They were both intended, perhaps, as bland rhetoric yet they carry an awesome amount of meaning.

The first was this: “Suppressing ideas never make them go away.”

Itamar and the Redefinition of Evil / Ray Cook

14 Mar 2011
The story of the murder of five members of the Fogel family in Itamar in Samaria, or, if you insist, the West Bank, should be known to you. If not, then here is a short description of what happened from the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

At least one terrorist infiltrated the West Bank settlement of Itamar, southeast of Nablus, late Friday night (11 March) and stabbed to death Udi (36) and Ruth (35) Fogel, and their children Yoav, 11, Elad, 4, and 3-month-old Hadas.

An Israeli Arab Denies Israel being An Apartheid State

http://israelmuse.blogspot.com:80/2011/03/video-arab-israeli-denies-isra...

Incitement is Ignored / Dore Gold

March 14, 2011
The brutal Palestinian terror attack on Itamar has brought back the core issue of Palestinian incitement to center stage. After all, what prepares a Palestinian terrorist to slit the throats of Israeli children and kill their parents in cold blood? The fact is that serious experts in bringing to a halt the most intractable conflicts in recent history have all pointed to incitement as a key cause for the outbreak of mass violence.

Israel's Evolving Security Concept / Meron Medzini

This article examines the evolution of Israel's defense doctrine, its constants and variables, what constitutes Israel's security, and how Israel has dealt with the threats to its existence.

Institue for Jewish & Community Resrearch: Press Release

Institute for Jewish & Community Research
PRESS RELEASE:
Feds Open Anti-Semitism Investigation at UC-Santa Cruz
Complaint Alleges Pervasive Hostile Environment
San Francisco,
March 15, 2011

Palestinian Terror Attacks Ensure There Will Be No Peace / Prof/B.Rubin

Why Palestinian Terror Attacks Ensure There Will Be No Peace
Possible
15 Mar 2011
Events like the massacre of an Israeli family by terrorists aren't just tragedies or crimes, they are events of huge political and international importance. They reveal issues and stories that Western governments and media refuse to understand yet which foil their plans and contradict their assumptions.

What Should U.S. Policy Be Toward the Current Middle East Situation / Prof.B.Rubin

People ask me what the United States should be doing toward the upheavals in the Middle East. Here's a short, quick list of themes:

1. Understanding that there are some people who want real democracy and others who don't, U.S. policy should be focused on battling the latter, especially the revolutionary Islamists, just as much as it might help the former.

Open Letter to Roger Waters / Ben Dror Yemini

Washed up rocker Roger Waters from Pink Floyd has been obsessed with Israel’s separation fence, perhaps thinking that his album “The Wall” was somehow prophetic.

Anyway, Waters has come out in favor of BDS, using the usual pretentious and absurd arguments we are all too familiar with.

Support for the boycott campaign against Israel in effect is support for the prolonging of the occupation and suffering of the Palestinians. An open letter to the rock star who is calling for a boycott of Israel.

To Roger Waters, Greetings.

Interview With Spain's Former National Security Advisor

SPECIAL INTERVIEW - Spain's former national security advisor: Israel must be proactive in defending its legitimacy

17 March 2011

In an interview with the WJC's Dan Diker, Rafael Bardaji, former national security advisor to Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar, says Israel's challenges are mounting and its international isolation is growing.

Dan Diker: How does Europe view the recent upheaval in the Middle East?

Jordan's Future Challenges / Juan.J.E.Stemmann

For years, King Abdallah has successfully steered Jordan's ship through the turbulent waters of a tempestuous regional context and a complex economic and social situation within the country. However, the country has not been immune to the wave of unrest sweeping the region following the revolts that toppled President Ben Ali in Tunisia and President Mubarak in Egypt, and the king will have to institute greater and more fundamental reforms in order to maintain the basic pact between the monarchy and the people and to prevent Jordanians from beginning to question the legitimacy of his rule.

Mr. William Burns of the State Department Explains U.S Middle East Policy / Prof. B.Rubin

18 Mar 2011
No Wonder Hillary Resigned!
For a comprehensive statement of current U.S. Middle East policy you can’t do better than the testimony of Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William J. Burns at the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on March 17, 2011.

It’s horrifying. Here's my summary of the key point:

The United States will press for political reform and urge governments to talk to the opposition in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia.

The UN and Lybia / DR.Israel Bar - Nir

I. A Veto Story

On Thursday, March 17, 2011, the UN Security Council voted to impose a no-fly zone over Libya and authorize "all necessary measures" to protect civilians from attacks by Moammar Gadhafi's forces. The vote was 10-0 with five countries abstaining including Russia and China, which have veto power in the council, along with India, Germany and Brazil.

Much Mass Media Coverage of Israel - Palestinian Issues is Propaganda , Not Journalism / Prof/B.Rubin

20 Mar 2011
So constant are the lies told in mass media coverage of Israel-Palestinian issues that it is hardly worthwhile to critique individual articles any more.

Following the horrendous murder of the Fogel family, a number of Internet—but not print—writers have pointed out that various mass media institutions have either not reported the killings at all, only minimally did so, didn't gives the ages of the children killed, or buried the story amidst a much longer explanation that the settlements are terrible and the settlers are bad people (who deserve it?).

Are The Palestinians Ready For Peace? Alan Baker

Palestinian Incitement as a Violation of International Legal Norms
Genuine peace between peoples requires far more than signed agreements. It requires bona fide mutual trust, respect, and a psyche of peace to prevail throughout all levels of society, and must emanate from the leadership.

Tragically, the extreme anti-Israel and anti-Semitic indoctrination that is so pervasive in all levels of Palestinian society has inevitably led to violence and terror, and serves to undermine any hope for peaceful relations between the two peoples.

Middle East On Fire / Prof.B.Rubin

March 21, 2011
Events are happening so fast that I can only summarize, trying to add some analytical depth to each development. So here goes….

Egypt

The referendum resulted in a 77 percent “yes” vote on constitutional amendments to reduce the powers of the president and ensure fair elections. The changes were reasonable ones.

The BBC Suggests Gaddafi Behaving Like Israel / Ray Cook

21 Mar 2011
You can’t keep Israel out of any conflict in the Middle East.

Yesterday on The Big Questions on BBC 1 and this evening on Newsnight on BBC 2, Nicky Campbell and Jeremy Paxman, the two BBC frontmen for these programmes asked more or less the question, and I paraphrase:

‘why are the western nations so keen to protect Libyan citizens from a monster like Gaddafi when they sat on their hands when Israel was bombing Gaza?’

Israeli Scholars on the Middle East Situation

23 March 2011
Fall of Arab autocracies does not automatically mean advent of democracy, Israeli scholars caution

An Open Letter to the Members of J.Street / DR.Rivka Shpak Lissak

Dear Friends,

I am against settlements and at least 50% of the Israelis share this view.

But, your policy is wrong. It supports the AP refusal to talk.
Why?
The settlement issue should be discussed and agreed upon through talks- not pre conditions.

You are not aware of the continuous efforts of the PA to use talks only to get concessions from Israel without moving one centimeter from their initial demands: for example, the right of return which is a Trojan horse to turn the Jews into a minority and putting an end to the Jewish state.

Why Terrorism Against Israel is Flourishing / Prof.B.Rubin

March 23, 2011
Terrorism Flourishes Because It Brings Public Relations' and Political Gains
Why is terrorism against Israel increasing now? Because the terrorists have:

--Everything to gain domestically. Terrorism mobilizes support among their own people and proves their militancy against rival groups.

--Everything to gain regionally. There is increasing radicalization and growing power for revolutionary Islamism. Throughout the region and especially for Hamas, Egypt's revolution--which Islamists view as a victory for them--has emboldened radicals and terrorists.

Khamenei Declares "Economic Jihad"

TEHRAN, MARCH 21 (MNA) – The Iranian regime's designated 'Supreme Leader,' Ayatollah Khamenei urges that the Year 1390 will be the 'Year of Economic Jihad,' in a televised Norouz message to the Iranian people.

Aiming to counter the sanctions implemented against the nation, Khamenei declares,

“I call this year the ‘Year of Economic Jihad’ and I expect the officials of the country and also our dear nation to work in a jihadi way in the economic areas.”

Fight Our Enemies, Tell the Truth / Ben Dror Yemini

Fight our enemies, tell the truth - By Ben-Dror Yemini

Delegitimization campaigns use the internet as a platform to spread their lies. Pro-Israel supporters must learn how to make use of the wealth of truths that exist and scrupulously avoid fabrications.

Egypt's Revolution Plus U.S MISTAKES Makes Israel - Hamas War Inevitable / Prof.B.Rubin

I'm going to make a prediction here that, unfortunately, I'm sure will come true. Any good analyst should be able to see this, yet few will until it happens within the next one or two years:

The Egyptian revolution and U.S. policy mistakes make a new Israel-Hamas war inevitable, and as a result it will be a lot more of an international mess.

Why?