April 2012

The New Egyptian Parliament Takes Aim at the Camp David Accords / Jonathan D.Halevi.

The new Egyptian Parliament recently issued a statement undermining the 1979 peace agreement by proclaiming it was Israel’s bitter enemy. On March 12, 2012, Dr. Mohamed Al-Saed Idris, Chairman of the Arab Affairs Committee in the Parliament, presented the committee’s official outline of Egypt’s regional policy, as approved by a parliamentary majority that included the Muslim Brotherhood, the Salafi party, and the Egyptian Left parties.

Global March to Hypocracy Takes Shape / Aharon Shapiro

Mar 30 2012
An annual Palestinian day of protest commonly known as Land Day has been rebranded this year as the Palestinian camp seeks to maximise international exposure to their agenda with a "Global March to Jerusalem", scheduled for later today, March 30.

Plans for the march are a derivative of the May 2011 Nakba protests that saw infiltrations attempts along the Syrian and Lebanese borders - successful in the former case, when crowds of Syrian Palestinians were arrested in Majdal Shams on the Israeli Golan, while one made it all the way to Tel Aviv before turning himself in.

Latin America: Iran's Springboard to America's Backyard / Lt. Col (ret. )Michael Segall.

Ever since Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected in 2005, Iran has been working resolutely to establish a foothold in the Latin American countries – in the U.S.’ backyard. The Iranian president’s partners in promoting this policy are the presidents of Venezuela and Bolivia, who provide him with a springboard for activity in Latin America.

Being An Israeli and A Jew in 2012 / Prof.B.Rubin

31 March 2012
Let's Face Reality Without Illusion, Shrug, and Move Forward.It is the year 2012, which seems to be going by very fast and is already one-fourth finished. People are walking around with smart phones and all sorts of electronic devices undreamed of not long ago. There has been what is called an “Arab Spring” stoking fantasies about instant democracy. An African-American was elected president of the United States, and that was after his party’s nomination, and thus probably the White House, almost went to a woman!

Times have changed.

The Rise of Shaul Mofaz:Repercussions for the Palestinians / Pinhas Inbari

02 April 2012
Former IDF Chief of Staff MK Shaul Mofaz won his party’s primary last week and replaced MK Tzipi Livni as the official leader of the opposition in Israel. Mofaz’ rise to the top of the Kadima party is largely viewed as a negative development by the PLO government in Ramallah. The Palestinian leadership sees Livni’s demise as the loss of a major strategic ally in Israel and a threat to their quest for a political solution along the 1967 borders.

Jihad in France Just Beginning / Guy Milliere

April 2, 2012
The Obin Report showed a deep infiltration by radical Islam into the vast majority of French schools and a vitriolic hatred for Jews. What the Report showed was so alarming that the text was not initially disclosed. Nobody dares to say that more than thirty mosques all over the country broadcast incendiary remarks that have « nothing to do with the teachings of Islam, » and that the same remarks are received daily on television by tens of thousands of Muslims in France through the Arabic version of Al Jazeera.

Italy: "Mosques Springing Up Like Mushrooms" / Soeren Kern

April 2, 2012
Donors are using alternative channels to ensure that their donations escape the control of the regular financial system.

More than 250 mosques across Italy have reached an agreement to create a new umbrella organization, the Italian Islamic Confederation (CII).

The CII will be controlled by Morocco, and will compete with an existing Muslim umbrella organization, the Union of Islamic Communities and Organizations in Italy (UCOII).

The UCOII, which is estimated to control 60% of the mosques in Italy, is closely tied to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Urgently Needed: "Feel the Vacuum" for Israeli Arabs So the Extremists Will Not / Khaled Abu Toameh

April 3, 2012
Radicals are are making every effort to drag Israel's Arab citizens toward a confrontation with the Israeli establishment. If If Israel does not build a kindergarten or school in Nazareth, someone else will -- either secular extremists or Muslim fundamentalists.

Some of the leaders of the Israeli Arabs have caused tremendous damage to relations between Jews and Arabs inside Israel.

These leaders are responsible for the fact that a growing number of Jews today view Arab citizens as a "fifth column" and an "enemy from within."

UCAL Honors Sharia Apologist Khaled Abou El Fadi / Cinnamon Stillwell et al

April 3, 2012
Academic self-congratulation reached new heights at the University of California, Los Angeles on March 21, 2012, with "An Event Honoring Professor Khaled Abou El Fadl."

PA Bestow Journalism Award on Helen Thomas

Monday, April 2, 2012
NEW YORK (JTA) -- Longtime White House reporter Helen Thomas received a prize in journalism from a representative of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Thomas, 91, who was forced into retirement two years ago after making controversial remarks about Jews and Israel, was recognized for her journalism career and commitment to the Palestinian cause. Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Executive Committee of the PLO, presented Thomas with the award on behalf of Abbas, who is also head of the PLO.

Does the West Have to be so Weak on Syria - and Everywhere Else / Prof.B.RUBIN

April 2, 2012
They’ve been saying it in Arabic, in public, for most of President Barack Obama’s term in office. The leader of the Muslim Brotherhood said it in August 2010: he pointed to Obama’s weakness as a reason for launching a revolution. But the American mass media has ignored it all.

Syrian kids analyze Obama’s role and for the 2009-2012 period they are quite accurate; since then less so but still….
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Moses Was A Muslim Says A Palestinian University Lecturer / Itamar Marcus et Al

Apr.2 2012
Moses was a Muslim who led Muslims in Exodus from Egypt, says PA university lecturer on PA TV
Israel's conquest of the Land of Israel defined as:
"The first Palestinian liberation
through armed struggle to liberate Palestine."

Britain's Multicultural Nightmare / Soeren Kern

April 4, 2012
Forced marriages often involve kidnapping, beatings and rape. Muslim women and girls living in the United Kingdom are often facing forced marriage, honor-based violence, female genital mutilation and domestic abuse. Meanwhile, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has refused to broadcast a screenplay about the threat that Islam poses to free speech.

More than 400 children were subjected to forced marriage in Britain during the past year, including a five-year-old girl who is believed to be the country's youngest victim of the practice.

Turkish - Syrian Relations Go Downhill / Damla Aras

April 4 2012
As Syria sinks deeper and deeper into the throes of civil war, the decade-long honeymoon between Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP) and Bashar al-Assad's regime has all but ended.

A Quiet Transformation in China's Approach to Israel / Carice Witte

April 1, 2012
In recent years, the world has witnessed China’s growing involvement in the international arena – whether through its veto in the UN Security Council, its military conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and contributing to peacekeeping missions in Africa and the Middle East, buying U.S. and EU debt, or its declaration that the South China Sea is an integral part of China.

Iran: From Regional Challenge to Global Threat / DR.Shimon Shapira et al

April 4 2012
A new book on Iran:
This anthology of 31 recent studies by eleven leading security and diplomatic experts outlines the Iranian threat to Israel, the Middle East region, and the West.

Incitement Watch: Blood Libel and the "True Nature" of the Israeli - Arab Conflict / OR Avi - Guy

Apr 4 2012
Welcome to Incitement Watch, a new feature on "FreshAIR" which collects and highlights the worst examples of antisemitism and incitement to violence from the Middle Eastern media.

To begin with, an Egyptian newspaper celebrated the Jewish holiday of Purim with an interpretation of the Book of Esther you have probably never came across before (Al-Wafd, March 14, 2012, Fikriya Ahmad):

If Somebody Says He Wants To Kill You, Believe Him / Alan Caruba

April 4 2012
If you want to understand what Israelis and most Diaspora Jews think about the threats made against Israel, ask any Holocaust survivor. They will tell you, “When somebody says they want to kill you, you should believe them.”

Below are two excerpts from a March 30 Jerusalem Post article by Martin Sherman:

Old Habits Die Hard: Germany Funding Palestinian Extremists / Peter Martino

April 4, 2012
It is a disgrace that the German authorities allow this to happen.

Last week, Salam Fayyad, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority [PNA], visited Berlin with several of his ministers. His visit was successful. The Germans, who pride themselves on being one of the largest sponsors of the Palestinian cause, promised almost €100 million ($133 million) in bilateral German aid to the PNA this year.

Malesia Islamic Body Calls Jews "Main Enemy" / Alisha Hassan

4 April 2012
KUALA LUMPUR: At this young cafe, most of the Malaysians give little credence to statements being made by the government’s official Islamic body. They argue it has little to do with reality and is an attempt to get support from the Islamic world as a whole.

“We know what they want to be,” said Marin, a 22-year-old university student in the capital. “And they want to be seen and heard, that’s all.”

But on March 30, the government’s official national sermon that was aired at mosques across the country called Jews the “main enemy.”

GFJC Warns of Prof's State - Sanctioned Anti - Israel Campaign / Elad Benari

Apr.5 2012
A civil rights group, the Global Frontier Justice Center (GFJC), has sent a letter to California Attorney General Kamala Harris, warning her of the long-term violation of California state law by a California State University, Northridge (CSUN) professor.

In the letter, the GFJC says that CSUN Professor David Klein used a CSUN-hosted website to promote his own personal political activities centered on spreading hate against Israel (the “CSUN Boycott Page”).

Egyptian Politics - A Muslim Takeover / Or Avi - Guy

March 30 2012
On the way to an Islamic constitution? The Muslim Brotherhood tries to hijack the Egyptian transition to 'democracy'

As a step in the transition to democracy in Egypt, a panel was formed to draft a new constitution prior to the presidential elections (scheduled to be held in May). This constitution is set to determine major issues such as the role of religion, the balance between the President and the parliament's authority and minority and women's rights.

The Crime of "Extending Tongues" in Jordan and the Western Bank / Khaled Abu Toameh

April 6, 2012
What do Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah have in common?

Both leaders are clamping down on anyone suspected of "extending his or her tongue" against His Excellency The President or His Majesty The King.

The phrase "extending one's tongue" applies to anyone who dares to criticize an Arab dictator.

In Jordan, two young men were recently sentenced to prison for extending their tongue against King Abdullah.

Six other Jordanians are awaiting trial on the same charges.

Syrian Disinformation about Christian Persecution / Aymenn J.Al - Tamimi et al

April 6, 2012
Recent reports out of Syria have warned of the ethnic cleansing of 90 percent of the Christian population of Homs, the city that has been ravaged by the conflict between Assad's forces and armed opposition groups since the uprising against the regime began in February last year. The responsibility for the mass killings and expulsions has been pinned on an armed opposition group known as the "Al-Faruq Brigade."

Why Is The Political Situation So Bleak / Prof.B.Rubin

Because the Elite Fears Being Unfashionable More Than Being Wrong
April 6, 2012
"In the attics of the students, in the garrets of Bohemia, and the deserted offices of doctors without patients and lawyers without clients there are [the revolutionaries] in bud.” — Hippolyte Taine, writing about France in the 1860s

The Silent Terrorists: Muslim Brotherhood's Political Terrorism Strategy / Mudar Zahran

April 9, 2012
"The Ikhwan [Brotherhood] must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and 'sabotaging' its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that God's religion is made victorious over all other religions." from: An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America.

West Bank and Jordan : Human Rights Goups, U.S., Europe Support the Unacceptable / Khaled Abu Toameh

April 9, 2012
This is how Arab despots fight those who dare to criticize them or demand democracy or freedom of expression. One of those arrested by Palestinian policemen – trained and funded by Americans and Europeans - Ismat Abdel Khalek, university lecturer, single mother of two, and in deteriorating health, is awaiting trial in solitary confinement. International human rights have refused to endorse her case out of fear of alienating the Palestinians leadership in the West Bank.

The Palestinians' Israeli "Advisers" What the Europeans and Americans Are Funding / Abdel Karim Saleh

April 10, 2012
How come we didn't hear Beilin and his associates making a similar offer to Abbas before? They are inciting Abbas to achieve their own political goals: the removal of Benjamin Netanyahu from power.

Former Israeli minister and negotiator Yossi Beilin -- along with with a number of Israelis, including former army chief of staff Amnon Shahak and Zahav Gal'on, leader of the left-wing Meretz Party -- met this week in Ramallah with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and gave him some advice as how to deal with the Israeli government and the peace process.

The New Trojan Horse for Democracies / Michael Curtis

April 9, 2012
The place of Islam in democratic societies should be examined honestly, without prejudice either way. It was a false moral equivalency of Catherine Ashton, the European Union's High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs . to equate the murders in Toulouse with "what is happening in Gaza." Moral relativism of that kind could well become the new Trojan Horse for democracies.

Needed:A Marxist - Style Analysis to Understand and Combat the Extreme Left's Hegemony / Prof.B.Rubin

April 10, 2012
Ironically, those opposing the current hegemonic ideas and political forces in the United States and Europe must develop a Marxist-style analysis of what has happened. To call the current dominant ideas and political currents socialist, Marxist, Communist, leftist, progressive, or liberal is not meaningful and conceals a great deal. The movement must be understood on its own terms and on how it differs from its predecessors.

Who Are the Anti - Israel People Who Come to Protest at Ben Gurion Air- Port / DR.Rivka Shpak Lissak

April 11 2012
Read what honest Palestinian Journalists have to say on the Israeli – Palestinian conflict(see below ).

What these people really campaign for?
.
Mazin Qumsiyah is a Palestinian academia person. He is accusing Israel for the following reasons:
*Israel started as a British Colonian Project
*Israel is a Nazi regime
*Israel is an Apartheid regime

How about An Award for Hypocracy / Or Avi - Guy

Apr 11 2012
Hypocrisy frequently rears its ugly head in the Middle East, but the Palestinian Authority (PA) has just succeeded in producing something close to a new examplar on the issue of media freedom. As a Jerusalem Post editorial ("Palestinian responsibility", 2/4/2012) has documented, the Palestinian Authority is intensifying an ongoing crackdown on journalists operating in the West Bank, while at the same time it's introducing a new award honouring press freedom.

Beinart Fires Back With Half Truths / DR.Rivka Shpak Lissak

April 11 2012
Peter Beinart published an article under the title:
"Beinart Fights Back," on New York Times, April 4 2012

Beinart gave a lecture at the University of Maryland.
An old Jewish man asked Beinzrt a question:
"How could you criticize Israel for occupying the West Bank when most West Bank Palestinians effectively govern themselves, and when the Palestinians have shown themselves unwilling to live in peace".

The Iraqi Model : As Good As It Gates / Prof.B.Rubin

11 Apr 2012
Iraq is in a mess. Violence continues. Factionalism leads to endless bickering. Corruption is at high levels. Christians live in fear or flee altogether. Islamism is constantly creeping forward. Yet I would suggest that with all these shortcomings the “Iraqi model” is the best that can be expected for the Middle East.

What’s the worst-case scenario? Iran, Afghanistan, Gaza, Sudan, or the permanent civil war situation in Syria, Yemen, and probably Libya.

The Truth about Settlement Growth / Sharyn Mittelman

Apr 12 2012
The current Israeli government led by Prime Minister Netanyahu has often been unfairly accused of expanding settlements at faster rate than previous Israeli governments. For example, John Lyons in the Australian recently wrote:

"...Mr Netanyahu - whose party, Likud, has recently had a drive to recruit settlers and who is overseeing a major growth of settlements..."

Are Settlements the Major Obstacle to Peace / Khaled Abu Toameh

April 12, 2012
Mahmoud Abbas is searching for an honorable way to climb down the tree. He is hoping that the US Administration or the Quartet will provide him with the needed ladder. The major obstacle to peace is the increasing radicalization of the Arab and Islamic masses and the continuing demonization of Jews. As far as many Arabs and Muslims are concerned, Israel is one big settlement that needs to be removed.

The Palestinian Authority is demanding that the UN Security Council condemn Israel for building in the settlements and east Jerusalem neighborhoods.

"If You Prick Us Do We Not Bleed" / Prof. Michael Curtis

April 12, 2012 at 3:30 am
These groups always apply a double standard in their automatic critical comments on Israel's behavior and actions. The writers need tutoring in the niceties of international law and Middle East affairs; they are, by their silence on the issues, implicitly condoning the human rights violations of the companies from China, a country which occupies Tibet, from Turkey which represses the Kurds and occupies part of Cyprus, and from Russia.

"Death To Churches" / Raymond Ibrahim

Targeting Christian Holidays in the Islamic World
April 11, 2012
Last Sunday, many Christians around the world celebrated Easter, taking it for granted that they can congregate and worship in peace. Not so; in the Islamic world, where top religious officials call for the destruction of churches, Christian holidays celebrated in church are increasingly a time of death and destruction, a time of terror.

How the Media Whitewashes Muslim Persecution of Christians / Raymond Ibrahim

April 13, 2012
While the MSM may report the most frugal facts concerning Christian persecution, they utilize their entire arsenal of semantic games, catch phrases, and convenient omissions that uphold the traditional narrative—that Muslim violence is anything but a byproduct of the Islamic indoctrination of intolerance.

A New Last Chance for Iran published by : FREINDS OF ISRAEL INITIATIVE

April 5 2012
The Friends of Israel Initiative has just published a new working paper addressing the coming round of negotiations with Iran "Delineating Western Goals during Nuclear Negotiations with Iran". We encourage you to have a look a it and disseminate before it is really too late.

UN Security Council Chamber in New York

LETTR TO DR. A. LEUCHTER, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

April 12 2012
On the use of academic freedom for a political agenda
We deeply appreciate your careful inquiry into the question we raised about whether Professor Shorter's promotion of the academic and cultural boycott of Israel on his official UCLA class website is protected by the University of California's rules of academic freedom.

We are very pleased you have clearly stated that it is not appropriate for a faculty member to post a political petition on which he is a signatory as part of a course research.

ThE 3 Myths that Distort Every Discussion of Israel and the Middle East / Prof.B.Rubin

13 Apr 2012
“It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” –William Shakespeare, “Macbeth”

Whatever side you are, or aren’t, on and whether you never think about these issues or are an impassioned activist, there are three fundamental issues about Israel, its enemies, and the Middle East that tie the narrative into knots.

The Mideast Quartet Strikes A Constructive Note / Ahron Shapiro

Apr 12 2012
The Middle East Quartet (the US, UN, EU and Russia), which met in Washington on Wednesday, issued a statement on Middle East peacemaking following the meeting that is notable for its constructive tone.

Nearly half of the 690-word dispatch dealt with the Quartet's efforts to shore up the Palestinian economy and nurture the Palestinian Authority's state-building efforts in the sense of helping the PA provide for the wellbeing of its inhabitants.

Free Markets Can Transform the Middle East / Daniel Doron

Middle East Quarterly
Spring 2012, pp. 15-22 (
As the high hopes for a brave new Middle East fade rapidly, Western policymakers must recognize that promoting market economics and its inevitable cultural changes are far more critical to the region's well-being than encouraging free elections or resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Are Jihadists Crazy? Teri Blumenfeld

Middle East Quarterly
Spring 2012, pp. 3-13
Muslims who kill in the name of their religion frequently evade punishment in Western courts by pleading insanity or mental incompetence. Jurors, judges, and forensic psychiatrists are prone to accept the claim that some form of mental incapacity, not religious belief, accounts for "homegrown" jihadist terrorism in North America and Europe.

Lebanon: Hizballah and the Arab Revolutionists: the ContradicCftion Made Apparent / Jonathan Spyer

April 15, 2012
Since the 1990s, Hizballah has defined itself along a number of parallel lines, each of which prior to 2011 appeared to support the other. The movement was simultaneously a sectarian representative of the Lebanese Shi’a, a regional ally of Iran and Syria, a defender of the Lebanese against the supposed aggressive intentions of Israel, and a leader of a more generically defined Arab and Muslim “resistance” against Israel and the West.

Islamists Against Free Speech in Europe / Ann Snyder

Hedegaard's Appeal to the Danish Supreme Court
Apr 12, 2012
Once again, freedom of speech is under attack in Europe. Lars Hedegaard's appeal to the Danish Supreme Court will be heard April 13th along with the prosecutor's cross-appeal seeking a higher fine. Court proceedings are anticipated to wrap up the same day and a decision is expected within a week.

Hartford Seminary's Shameful Ties to Syria's Dictator/ Stephen Schwartz

April 15, 2012
The Hartford Seminary has occupied a leading position among theological faculties around the nation in accommodating Islam, particularly in its radical forms, since appointing its first Muslim faculty member more than twenty years ago. Today, that accommodation extends to the murderous regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.

Turkish - Israel Relations in the Shadow of the Arab Spring / Prof.B.Rubin

April 15, 2012
This article is a short analysis of how Turkey changed under AKP rule so that the regime no longer wished to have an alignment with Israel but, on the contrary, needed to treat Israel as an enemy.

Predicting Middle Eastern Politics / Greg Callaghan

April 14 2012
10 Questions with Daniel Pipes
The Australian: In Egypt, Islamist parties now hold about 80 per cent of the seats in parliament. Given the majority of demonstrators in Tahrir Square were liberal secularists, has Egypt's Arab Spring been hijacked?

Daniel Pipes: No, because the liberals of Tahrir Square did not force Mubarak from power. The military took advantage of their mass demonstrations to dispatch a president it had had enough of, in large part because of his intent on handing power to his son, Gamal.