September 2011

You Can't Spell "Chutzpah" Without "PA"/ Prof.B.Rubin

Wednesday, August 31, 2011
You Can’t Spell “Chutzpah” Without “PA” (Palestinian Authority)

Chapter One - Colonization and Land Confisication Policy in the Land of Israel under Hellenist Occupation , Part One / DR.Rivka Shpak Lissak

PART ONE

INTRODUCTION

Alexander the Great conquered the Land of Israel from the Persians in 332 BCE. His heirs, the Diadochi, established their Hellenist kingdoms: The Seleucid Empire in modern-day Syria, and the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt. The Ptolemies ruled the Land of Israel from 301 to 198 BCE; the Seleucids from 198 to 142 BCE, at which time Judea regained independence.

From Alexander’s time to the end of Hellenist rule in the Land of Israel, the Hellenist rulers employed a colonization policy throughout their empires, establishing some 350 Hellenist cities (Poleis).

Failed Leaders Do Not Deserve to Become "Presidents" / Khaled Abu Toameh

September 2, 2011
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas wants to go down in history as a leader who defied Israel, the US and many EU countries by asking the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state. He wants to be remembered as a leader who made a historic achievement for his people by persuading more than 122 countries to support the statehood bid he is about to launch at the United Nations.

Why Supporting Unilateral Palestinian Independence Is A Deadly Mistake / Prof.B.Rubin

01 Sep 2011
Marwan Barghouti, under a life sentence in an Israel prison, has said that if the United States vetoes a unilateral Palestinian statehood proposal at the UN, there will be massive riots. To underline the point, he called such a decision a “historic, deadly mistake.”

Austria to Boycott Durban III Conference / Gavriel Queenann

Augu.31 2011
Austria to Boycott Durban III
Austria has decided it will boycott the Durban III conference in September due to 'doubts' about its 'direction.'
Austria has joined the anti-Durban group of ecountries, including Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Italy, Israel, and the United States.

A spokesman for Austria's Foreign Ministry said his nation will 'walk away' from the so-called Durban III anti-racism conference, slated to take place on September 22, in New York City.

Turkish FM Threatens Israel With Sanctions

Turkish FM threatens Israel with sanctions within days if Jerusalem doesn’t apologize
01 September 2011
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmad Davutoglu has said that if Israel fails to apologize for its raid on the Gaza-bound Turkish ship Mavi Marmara in May 2010, in which nine Turks were killed, Ankara would impose unspecified sanctions against the Jewish state. Davutoglu said in an interview with the newspaper ‘Zaman’: “Turkey will be imposing sanctions that are well known by Israel and some other international parties.”

An Islamist Terrorist Takes Command of Main Rebel Forces in Lybia / Prof.B.Rubin

September 2, 2011
Finally, we have evidence that IsIamists and even al-Qaida supporters will play a central role in Libya’s new regime. Up to now there has been reasonable speculation that the U.S. government and NATO might be installing an anti-Western, Islamist government in Libya. Now there’s proof that this is so.

Review of the Book:"The Israeli Economy," Steven Plaut

The Israeli Economy from the Foundation of the State through the 21st Century
Paul Rivlin
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. 288 pp. $90 ($31.99, paper)
Reviewed by Steven Plaut
University of Haifa
Middle East Quarterly
Summer 2011

UN fACT-fINDING DOES NOT JUSTIFY TURKISH RESPOND

Turkey expels Israeli diplomats, rejects United Nations fact-finding committee’s report
02 September 2011

Interview With Rep.Allen West / Daniel Goldsein

August 29, 2011
Interview with Rep. Allen West

The Jerusalem Post’s Herb Keinon had a fascinating interview with Rep. Allen West of Florida. (via Israel Matzav, memeorandum)

You are meeting tomorrow with the Palestinian Authority leadership. What is your message to them?

"Muslim Radicalization" : In the Eyes of the Beholder / Raymond Ibrahim

September 1, 2011
Because the phrase "Muslim radicalization" has become increasingly popular in American discourse, it behooves us to establish once and for all what it means. Without an agreed upon definition, it may be that we are each talking about different things—or worse and more likely, nothing at all.

U.S Ambassador (Wilkileaks ):Norwegian Government Sympathetic to Hamas / Prof.B.Rubin

September 3rd, 2011
You might remember the attack on me by the Norwegian foreign minister, deputy foreign minister, and ambassador after I pointed out the fact that the country’s government and especially its Labor party showed sympathy for terrorist groups, especially Hamas.

Norway’s media and government were angry that someone might dare criticize their policies. Criticism, as they define it, is what they get to do to other countries, especially Israel.

Think of the Palestinian Statehood Bid in the UN AS A Hurricane / Prof. B.Rubin

Think of the Palestinian Statehood Bid in the UN as a Hurricane; Think of U.S. Policy as New Orleans
September 4, 2011
“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” –Rahm Emanuel

One of the amazing things about the amazing incompetence of the Obama Administration is that we’ve become so accustomed to it that we take for granted things that would have made opinionmakers during past presidencies clutch the upper left side of their chests and collapse, writhing in agony.

Will Lybia Become "Libyastan" / DR. Jacques Neriah

August 29, 2011
The U.S. and the West’s military intervention in Libya finally succeeded in toppling Gaddafi’s 42- year reign in Libya and brought to power an amorphous body called the NTC (National Transitional Council) headed by Mostafa Abdel Jalil, headed by a former judge and Minister of Justice under Gaddafi, a devout Muslim educated in the best tradition of Muslim jurisprudence.

Israel's Terrible Choice / Alan Caruba

Sep. 3 2011
I was eleven years old when Israel declared its independence and sovereignty in 1948 with the blessing of the United Nations. World War Two and the Holocaust were over barely three years and many of Europe’s Jews needed a state of their own to rebuild their lives. Jews from throughout the Middle East were forced to flee nations in which they had lived for centuries. Over time Israel would absorb Russian Jews and others from around the world.

Israel's Strategic Situation: Plenty to Worry About but Little to Fear / Prof.B.Rubin

Sept.6 2011
Since much of what I write about regional politics seems pessimistic, I periodically remind people why I’m an optimist, at least when it comes to Israel.

Even today, Israel’s security situation is as good as or better than it has been since any time since the establishment of the state. The two main threats have always been either a potential attack by most or all Arab armies or a high level of successful cross-border terrorism.

Hundreds of Italian Lawmakers Opposed to Palestinian Gambit at UN

05 September 2011
Over 150 Italian MPs from all political parties have signed an open letter calling on the international community to a opposed recognition by the United Nations of a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, which will be presented at the United Nations General Assembly later this month. The same letter has been presented in several countries world-wide by the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians, chaired by Italian MP Fiamma Nirenstein (pictured on the right).

Despite International Pressure, the Palestinians Will Go to the UN / Prof.Pinhas Inbari

05 September 2011
The closer the Palestinians get to their unilateral bid for statehood recognition at the United Nations in late September, the more they begin to feel international pressure to retreat and return to the negotiating table. However, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has no alternative but to continue with the bid, no matter the price.

Why Palestine Will Not Have Peaceful Relations With Israel / Khaled Abu Toameh

September 6, 2011
Judging from the reactions of many Palestinians this week to Turkey's decision to expel the Israeli ambassador and freeze security contracts with Israel, it does not seem that the future state of Palestine will have peaceful relations with its Jewish neighbors.

In fact, the joy that many Palestinians belonging to various political groups expressed over the Turkish decision is a sign that even if the United Nations votes in favor of a Palestinian state later this month, the "two-state solution" is not going to bring peace, stability and coexistence to the Middle East.

Pew Poll Quantifies the Radical Minority of U.S Muslims / David J.Rusin

Sep 6, 2011.
Four weeks after the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center released its study of Muslim Americans (IW analysis here), the Pew Research Center followed suit by publishing a survey (PDF here) of far greater value due to its broader range of topics, more direct questioning, and extensive demographic cross tabs. Though the media, like Pew, have emphasized the mainstream attitudes of most U.S. Muslims, the data indicate that radical views are held by a small but important minority that cannot be ignored. These and other interesting results are highlighted below:

Erdogan's Dhimmi Problem / DR.Emmanuel Navon

Sept.7 2011
Under Islamic law (“Shariah”), non-Muslims (such as Christians and Jews) are mostly free to practice their religion in private but are discriminated and treated as second-class citizens, or dhimmis. As the Quran clearly states, non-Muslims must “feel themselves subdued” (Sura 9:20). When the Jews regained their independence in 1948, they not only rebelled against “dhimmitude.” They also regained and freed, like the Spaniards after the Reconquista, a land once ruled by Islam. To Muslims, this was -and still is- a double offence.

Muslim Persecution of Christians, August 2011 / Raymond Ibrahim

September 7, 2011
This series was developed in order to collate some—by no means all—of the foulest instances of Muslim persecution of Christians that surface each month. It serves two purposes:

Intrinsically, to document that which the mainstream media does not: habitual, if not chronic, Muslim persecution of Christians.
Instrumentally, to show that such persecution is not "random," but systematic and interrelated—that it is ultimately rooted in a Sharia inspired worldview.

If Israel Goes Down, We All Go Down / Jose Maria Aznar

18 June 2010
The following article by the former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznarwas published in the British newspaper 'The Times' on 17 June 2010:
Still actual in Sept.2011

Anger over Gaza is a distraction. We cannot forget that Israel is the West’s best ally in a turbulent region

By José María Aznar

What Do the Arabs of East Jerusalem Really Want / David Pollock

7 September 2011
According to face-to-face surveys conducted according to the highest international standards, more Palestinians in east Jerusalem would prefer to become citizens of Israel rather than citizens of a new Palestinian state. In addition, 40 percent said they would probably or definitely move in order to live under Israeli rather than Palestinian rule.

The Time Isn't Right for Statehood Bid / Prof. Irwin Cotler

September 8, 2011
Any negotiated resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - as part of wider Arab-Israeli peace and reconciliation - should be based on the principle of two states for two peoples living side by side in peace and security. Accordingly, a premature, unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood would undermine rather than resolve the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and would constitute a standing affront to the integrity of the United Nations, international agreements and international law.

Saree Makdisi's One- State Solution / Gideon Spitzer

Saree Makdisi's One-State Solution: A Delusive 'Just Peace'
June 1, 2011 - Still actual

UN Statehood Vote A Legacy Issue For Abbas / Dan Diker

UN statehood vote a legacy issue for Abbas, irrespective of the dire consequences
08 September 2011

How Obama "Misled" the Palestinians / Khaled Abu Toameh

September 9, 2011
If anyone is to be held responsible for the Palestinian Authority leadership's decision to ask the UN to recognize a Palestinian state along the pre-1967 lines, it is US President Barack Obama and his Middle East advisors.

When and if violence erupts in the Palestinian territories after the UN vote later this month, it will be the direct result of Obama's failed Middle East policy, which is likely to see a dramatic rise in anti-American sentiments not only among the Palestinians, but also throughout the Arab and Islamic world.

Turkey: Erdogan The Hypocrite / DR.Shaul Rosenfeld

Sept.9 2011
An apology, returning the vessels that took part in the flotilla ,
compensating the casualties and their families, lifting the Gaza
blockade, and Israeli acquiescence to an international probe – these
were the Turkish demands from Israel a few weeks after the Marmara
events, so that the Turks won’t slam the door in our face and be kind
enough to return the Turkish ambassador to Tel Aviv.

Yet now, after their hopes were dashed, with the international
committee that the Turks so much wanted failing to meet Turkey’s

Anti - Zionist Expression on the UK Campus: Free Speech or Hate Speech: Part Two / Lesley Klaff

Definition of Hate Speech

Hate speech may be defined as "speech which generates ‘fear' on the part of an individual or group of physical harm (immediately or in the future), or which constitutes an attack on personality, including core commitments and identity."[75]

Why the Muslim Beard Bodes Trouble / Raymond Ibrahim

September 8, 2011
To develop a thorough understanding of Islam, one must learn to "connect the dots." For instance, Muslims who adhere to non problematic aspects of Islam, indirectly indicate their acceptance of problematic aspects of Islam—such as enmity for infidels, death for apostates, subjugation for women, and so on.

French President:If Turkey, Israel Also should be accepted to the European Union

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/world/news/21963/

Iran, Israel and the New Middle East / Jonathan Spyer

September 11, 2011
In recent years, Israeli strategists have identified an Iran-led regional alliance as representing the main strategic challenge to the Jewish state. This alliance looks to be emerging as one of the net losers of the Arab upheavals of 2011. This, however, should be cause for neither satisfaction nor complacency for Israel. The forces moving in to replace or compete with Iran and its allies are largely no less hostile.

Ten Years after September 11 :Who's Really Winning the War on Terrorism / Prof.B.Rubin

September 10, 2011
“And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!”
–Francis Scott Key, “Star-Spangled Banner”

Ten years after September 11, 2001, when the very phrase “war on terrorism” is barred from U.S. government usage by the president, we are told that the United States has won or is already victorious. After all, there has been no major attack on U.S. soil in a decade and al-Qaeda is weaker, with many of its leaders, including Osama bin Laden, dead.

Syria: A Sectarian Issue / Aymenn Jawad Al - Tamimi

September 7, 2011
As Gaddafi's regime crumbles, speculation has started to arise over whether the Syrian opposition will now be emboldened in their struggle against Assad. Naturally, this raises the question of precisely what course the unrest in Syria will take. Is it a general uprising against the repressive Baathist regime, or is it really a sectarian affair, pitting minority Shi'a Alawites against a Sunni majority, while Christians generally side with the former and Kurds with the latter?

Palestinan Propaganda Compares The Extermination of 6 Million Jews to Situation of Palestinians Under Israeli Occupation / DR.Rivka Shpak Lissak

Sept.12 2011
The FACTS on the Israeli occupation:

A.Most Palestinians Live Under Palestinian Governments

All Palestinians in Gaza live under a Hamas government and most Palestinians on the Western Bank live under the Palestinian Authority government – not under Israeli occupation.

The Oslo Agreement in 1993 between Israel and the PLO changed the situation in Gaza and the Western Bank.

The Palestinian Authority has full civil control of the Palestinian towns, the rural area between the towns and about 26% of the rest of the rural area.

WINNING THE BATTLE AGAINST AL - QAEDA, LOOSING THE WAR AGAINST JIHAD / RAYMOND IBRAHIM

September 10, 2011
So long as the West focuses on names and faces in the so-called "war on terror"—as opposed to focusing on ideas and motivations—so long will it possibly win battles, even as it slowly loses the war.

The PA PAYS 44 MILLION SHEKELS A MONTH TO TERRORISTS AND THEIR FAMILIES / DR.Rivka Shpak Lissak

FACTS of Payments By the Palestinian Authority to Shaid Families and Terrorists in Israeli Jail

The list was prepared from Jonathan D.Halevi, Lt.Col. (ret.) articles.

Lt. Col. (res.) Jonathan Dahoah-Halevi is a senior researcher of the Middle East and radical Islam at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He is a co-founder of the Orient Research Group Ltd. and is a former advisor to the Policy Planning Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The money paid a month to prisoners and families of shaids: 44 Millions

Why Is Iran's Influence in the Arab World Declining / Prof.B.Rubin

Why Is Iran’s Influence in the Arab World Declining? What is The New Regional Line-Up?
September 9, 2011
Often, coverage of the Middle East in the mainstream media is beyond belief. Even when the article has good information it often misses the main point. Such is the case with an article in the Wall Street Journal, “Arab Spring Turns Up Heat on Iran.” The article correctly reports that Iran is losing popularity in much of the Arab world:

The UN's Durban III Conference: An Arab View / Khaled Abu Toameh

September 13, 2011
Arab dictatorships and Muslim fundamentalists will get a morale boost next week when the United Nations hosts its "Anti-Racism" Durban III conference in New York.

But it is not only Israelis and Jews who eventually pay the price for this type of incitement -- it is also the few remaining moderate Arabs and Muslims.

As in the past, the conference will serve as platform for all those who hate Israel and Jews and seek to destroy the Jewish state.

An Egyptian Mob Attacks Israel's Embassy and Captures the Egyptian Revolution / Prof.B.Rubin

September 12, 2011
“You have always yearned for this chance and now you have it. A wind is blowing from paradise sweet with the smell of martyrdom.” — Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood’s leader Hasan al-Banna, December 10, 1947

“The world will see it is impossible to beat Arabs by force.” — Arab Summit Declaration, December 24, 1947

“Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down!” — Robert Frost, “Mending Wall”

A Video: Palestinians Said 6 Times NO To Peace

http://news.walla.co.il/?w=//1860074

Antisemitism: Norway / Prof.B.Rubin

September 13, 2011
Speaking of antisemitism, yet another cable has turned up from Wikileaks proving me correct about that country’s growing, often officially sanctioned, antisemitism. Unlike some newspapers, I’m not intimidated by the untruths told by the Norwegian government. In my last piece on this subject, I quoted the U.S. ambassador speaking about how the Norwegian government supports the terrorist Hamas group.

Now, we have this one from the U.S. embassy in Oslo, February 2009 :

MUBARAK DECEIVED ISRAEL AS MUHAMMAD DECEIVED INFIDELS / RAYMOND IBRAHIM

August 17, 2011
In light of ousted president Hosni Mubarak's ongoing trial, Western readers may be surprised to learn who some of Mubarak's staunchest defenders are: Salafi Muslims, that is, those Muslims who practice the 7th century Islam of Muhammad, often referred to as "radicals."

Turkey's True Target / Prof. Pinhas Inbari

12 September 2011
Relations between Turkey and Israel have deteriorated rapidly due to Turkey's anger over Israel's refusal to apologize for the killing of nine IHH flotilla activists aboard the famous Mavi Marmara one year ago. The flotilla project was in effect an attempt to break the Gaza blockade, a persistent friction point between Turkey and Israel, quite separate from the demand for an apology.