Wednesday’s “News in Review” Round-Up

Media-ocrities of the Week

 

“The collective memory of a people who were ethnically cleansed in 1948 will not be quashed.…”—Israeli MK Ahmad Tibi, at a Palestinian “Nakba Day” event, commemorating the “catastrophe” of Israel’s birth. In Gaza, Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh marked the occasion by reiterating his commitment to destroying the Jewish state by flooding it with Palestinian refugees: “Our message to the refugees is that we will not yield the right of return,” Haniyeh affirmed. (Ynet News, May 15.)

 

“Readers going through the cache of letters that were released early this month from Osama bin Laden’s hideaway in Abbottabad, Pakistan, may have been taken aback by a reference—in the midst of discussions of tactics, regional politics and exchange rates for ransom money—to poetry.… In fact, poetry has long been a part of Muslim radicalism; the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran, for example, was the author of a large collection of verse. Today, the Taliban’s Web site features poems written by the group’s members and sympathizers.… These poe[ms]…voice notions…that are linked to…generosity, compassion and, indeed, nonviolence.”—Faisal Devji, in “The Poetry of Al Qaeda and the Taliban,” claiming that by “excluding the aesthetic dimension from its analyses of militant texts…the [West is] miss[ing] a crucial opportunity to confront the humanity of their authors.” (NY Times, May 11.)

 

“In a move causing anguish and disbelief among Holocaust survivors, their families, and Lithuania’s small Jewish community, the remains of a major 1941 Nazi collaborator, Juozas Brazaitis (Ambrazevičius), who died in the United States in 1974, will be moved from Putnam, Connecticut to the Church of the Resurrection in Kaunas.… En route, he will be honored in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, in a ceremony slated for 17 May.… Brazaitis was ‘prime minister’ of the Nazi-puppet ‘Provisional Government’ (PG) from the day it was formed on 23 June 1941 to its dismantling by Nazi overlords on 5 August 1941. It was formed by the Lithuanian Activist Front (LAF), whose members and allies unleashed murder, mutilation, rape and pillage against dozens of Jewish communities in Lithuania in the days before the Germans arrived.… Around ninety-five percent of Lithuanian Jewry perished in the Holocaust, the highest percentage in Europe, due to the massive participation and collaboration of locals.”—Former Professor of Yiddish Language, Literature and Culture at Vilnius University, Dovid Katz, describing plans to celebrate Juozas Brazaitis, former head of the Lithuanian Provisional Government established in the wake of the June 1941 Nazi invasion of the Baltics. [Click HERE to sign a petition urging the Lithuanian government to cancel Brazaitis’ commemoration—Ed.] (DefendingHistory.com, May 3.)

 

Weekly Quotes

 

“There is no evidence whatsoever that the Iranian government has any intention to cease its aggressive pursuit of nuclear weapons.… Iran is using these talks to play for time.”—Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, following a meeting in Jerusalem with European Union Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton, warning that the Islamic Republic is using ongoing diplomatic talks with the West to gain time to advance its nuclear program. (Reuters, May 9.)

 

“Israel [is] a cancer and an anomaly condemned to disappear.”—Former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, quoting a statement made by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during their meeting in 2002. Aznar, who is one of the few westerners to have met the Ayatollah, said that during their conversation Khamenei warned that “an open confrontation with Israel and the US was inevitable,” and that “he was working…to eliminate the threat Israel posed.” Aznar also conveyed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was willing to sell sophisticated weaponry to Iran out of the view that “Israel would [eventually] take care of [the danger].” (Jerusalem Post, May 16.)

 

“Israel is nothing more than a mosquito which cannot see the broad horizon of the Iranian nation.”—Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, describing the Jewish state as an insignificant insect. (Independent Media Review and Analysis, May 12.)

 

“I am still in disbelief. I’m only 31, with my whole life ahead of me.”—Iranian rapper Shahin Najafi, after two influential clerics in Iran issued fatwas—religious edicts—justifying his murder on grounds of blasphemy. The fatwa was issued following the release of Najafi’s latest song, “Naqi,” calling on a Shiite saint to save Iran from its current rulers. Najafi, who is currently hiding in Germany under police protection, said he “will never apologize…for speaking the truth about Iran’s government.” (Wall Street Journal, May 15.)

 

“This bill re-affirms Israel’s right to defend itself against threats and puts Congress on the record about America’s long-standing commitment to the US-Israel strategic relationship, a unique and special relationship founded on shared interests and shared democratic values.”—US House Majority Leader, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), after Congress overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation reaffirming US commitments to Israel’s security. The United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012, which was sponsored by Cantor and House Minority Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), passed by a vote of 411-2. For his part, Hoyer stated that the legislation was vital to increasing cooperation between the two countries to “further deter Iran from developing nuclear weapons capability.” He added that “There needs to be a clear understanding by all those who would threaten Israel that the United States stands with her.” (JTA, May 10.)

 

“I don’t think it’s time yet to say that…the Annan initiative has failed. Although we’ve been skeptical of the Syrian government’s readiness and willingness to implement its commitments, what Annan is trying to do makes eminent sense and we support it.”—US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, claiming it is too early to declare as a failure UN-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan’s efforts to bring an end to 14-months of violence in Syria. Rice’s comments came two hours after twin suicide car bombs killed 55 people and wounded nearly 400 in Damascus, the deadliest attacks in the Syrian capital since the uprising against President Bashar Assad began. Last week, White House spokesman Jay Carney accused the Assad regime of making “no effort” to honor Annan’s peace plan, whereas Annan himself cautioned “that [Syria] could descend into full civil war.” (Wall Street Journal, May 8 & Reuters, May 11.)

 

“Today, we are capable of not only striking Tel Aviv as an area, but also capable of striking specific targets in Tel Aviv and any place in occupied Palestine.”—Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, claiming “The era has come when…the Zionists will be doomed to vanish.” (Independent Media Review and Analysis, May 12.)

 

“In my view, it would have been irresponsible to miss this opportunity. The responsibility is on me, and me alone. Let me be judged by my results—I will stand the test.”—Kadima leader and newly-inducted vice premier of Israel, Shaul Mofaz, describing his decision to join the coalition of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu as “a historic opportunity to make meaningful steps for the good of the public.” (Jerusalem Post, May 10.)

 

“Not one of the leaders of the occupation can be classified as worse than the other. Attempts to categorize them as doves and hawks is incorrect, they are all fond of shedding Palestinian blood.”—Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar, rejecting the notion that the inclusion into the coalition of Shaul Mofaz, who served as IDF chief of staff during the second intifada, will make the Israeli government more hawkish. (Jerusalem Post, May 10.)

 

“The Palestinian leadership in 1947 and 1948 adopted an extremist and maximalist position. Unlike the Jewish leadership, they rejected partition and refused to accept a Jewish state even in truncated borders. I would ask those demonstrators why the current Palestinian leadership still has a problem recognizing the legitimacy of the Jewish state. I would ask them if they are not repeating the same mistakes of the extremist leadership from ‘47 and ‘48.”—Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, urging Palestinians to redirect their anger over “Nakba Day” at their own leadership, which 64 years ago rejected the UN partition plan. (Jerusalem Post, May 15.)

 

“[Israel is trying] to create an artificial heritage with a Jewish spirit at the expense of [Jerusalem’s] true and authentic [identity] as an Arab, Islamic and Christian city.”—Ahmed Al-Ruweidi, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ advisor on Jerusalem. Earlier this month, Abbas described Israel’s activities in Jerusalem as “Judaization” and accused the Jewish people of stealing “Islamic-Christian religious history.” (Palestinian Media Watch, May 10.)

 

“We will end up paying for this mistake.[The deal is] not worth the paper it is written on.”—Israeli MK Danny Danon, describing as a “prize for terrorism” Israel’s acceptance of an Egyptian-mediated deal to end a 28-day hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners. (Jerusalem Post, May 15.)

 

“Israel is an enemy built on occupation. It owns 200 nuclear warheads and doesn’t respect international decisions. The agreement with Israel should be revised.…”—Egyptian presidential candidate and former senior Muslim Brotherhood official Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, in a nationally-televised debate, calling Israel an “enemy” and promising to amend Egypt’s peace treaty with the Jewish state. (Washington Post, May 10.)

 

“Due to contractual conflicts, the Corona Theatre has decided to cancel Dieudonné’s performances.…”—Excerpt of a statement issued by promotional company Evenko, announcing the cancellation of four Montreal performances by controversial comedian Dieudonné M’Bala M’Bala. Dieudonné’s show, Rendez-nous Jésus (Give us back Jesus), has been called “a long litany of anti-Semitic [remarks],” featuring Holocaust denial and the comment that Hitler was “a nice boy.” Dieudonné’s first feature film, L’Antisémite [“The Antisemite”], was subsidized by the Iranian government. (Montreal Gazette, May 14 & National Post, May 10.)

 

Short Takes

 

DRAWING OF STRUCTURE SHEDS LIGHT ON IRAN’S SECRET NUCLEAR WORK—(Vienna) A computer-generated drawing of an explosives containment chamber located at Iran’s Parchin military facility has been uncovered. According to Olli Heinonen, until last year the International Atomic Energy Agency’s deputy director general in charge of the Iran file, the drawing proves the existence at Parchin of the type of structure needed for nuclear arms-related tests. The IAEA first mentioned the suspected chamber in a November 2011 report that described “a large explosives containment vessel” used in experiments on triggering a nuclear explosion. The UN nuclear watchdog plans to renew its attempt to gain access to Parchin when talks between world powers and Iran take place in Baghdad on May 23. Meanwhile, Western diplomats have accused the Islamic Republic of “sanitizing” the military site of any incriminating evidence. (Reuters, May 4 & Associated Press, May 13.)

 

IRAN FUNDING SMUGGLING OF LIBYAN ARMS INTO SINAI—(Cairo) Egyptian security sources have revealed that Iran is financing the smuggling of Libyan arms to terrorist groups in the Sinai. Last Thursday, Egyptian forces seized near the Libyan border dozens of heavy weapons allegedly bound for Sinai, including 40 surface-to-surface missiles, 17 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, mortar rounds, automatic rifles and 10,000 artillery shells. In April, two rockets believed to have been smuggled from Libya were fired from the Peninsula into Eilat. According to Egyptian officials, Iran’s motivation is to incite Israeli-Egyptian tensions by cultivating Sinai-based terrorism. (Asharq Alawsat, May 9 & Associated Press, May 10.)

 

U.N. TEAM EVACUATED FROM SYRIA—(Beirut) A team of United Nations-affiliated international observers has been evacuated from Syria, a day after the mission’s convoy was hit by a roadside bomb. According to Ahmad Fawzi, a spokesman for UN-Arab League envoy to Syria Kofi Annan, the observers were “uninjured and in good health” following the blast in the northern town of Khan Sheikhoun. The attack, which came minutes after witnesses said regime forces gunned down mourners at a nearby funeral procession, deals a fresh blow to Annan’s Western-backed, six-point peace plan. More than 200 U.N. observers are currently deployed throughout Syria to monitor the troubled cease-fire agreement which has been repeatedly violated since taking effect April 12. (Wall Street Journal, May 16.)

 

TURKEY COMPLETES PROBE INTO ‘MAVI MARMARA’ RAID—(Jerusalem) Turkish prosecutors have completed their investigation into 2010’s raid on the Mavi Marmara, in which Israeli commandos killed nine Turks attempting to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip. Turkey, which last year threatened to take Israel to the International Court of Justice over the Marmara incident, claims its intelligence agencies have compiled a list identifying 174 Israeli soldiers who could be prosecuted for their involvement in the operation. According to Turkey’s Today’s Zaman, citing Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin, once the Turkish Justice Ministry receives the names of the soldiers from Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, “ indictments [will be sent] to the concerned courts.” The UN-commissioned Palmer Report reaffirmed in September 2011 the legality of Israel’s sea blockade on Gaza. (Jerusalem Post, May 9.)

 

PM: PALESTINIAN PRISONER DEAL A GESTURE TO ABBAS—(Jerusalem) Israel has agreed to an Egyptian-mediated deal to end the hunger strike of some 1,600 jailed Palestinians. According to the terms of the agreement, the Palestinian prisoners will refrain from engaging in “activities against security” (i.e. terrorism); in exchange, they will receive benefits from Israel’s Prisons Service, including the end of separation from the general population and family visits. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu allegedly agreed the deal in response to a personal request from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and in order “to build confidence between the parties and advance peace.” Netanyahu also agreed to return to the PA within days the bodies of 100 Palestinian terrorists buried in Israel. An Israeli official said that by ceding to Abbas’ demands Israel went “the extra mile” and expressed hope the Palestinian leadership would be appreciative and show “reciprocity.” He added that Israel would be watching how the PA handled the reburial of the bodies to ensure they are not granted hero status. (Jerusalem Post, May 14.)

 

PALESTINIANS: NETANYAHU LETTER ON PEACE A NON-STARTER—(Ramallah) Palestinian officials have rejected Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s formal response to a letter from PA President Mahmoud Abbas, saying the Israeli leader’s positions on the peace process contain nothing that could revive negotiations. Netanyahu’s reply to last month’s letter from Abbas reportedly rejected demands to halt settlement construction and repeated a call for an unconditional return to talks. Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, reiterated the Palestinians’ refusal to resume negotiations unless Israel freezes all building across the Green Line and accepts the 1967 borders as a basis for talks. (Reuters, May 13.)

 

DETAILS EMERGE ON OVER 1,100 JEWISH GHETTOS—(Jerusalem) New details have emerged about more than 1,100 German-run ghettos in Eastern Europe where the Nazis murdered hundreds of thousands of Jews. According to Martin Dean, a Holocaust scholar and editor of the recently published “Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, 1933-1945, Volume II,” there were in fact 200 more ghettos than previously believed. Dean, along with his team, uncovered information that, he says, “shows that the Nazis made a concerted effort to find every last Jew in every last place” and eliminate each one. (Israel National News, May 10.)

 

HEAD OF GREECE’S GOLDEN DAWN PARTY CONDEMNED FOR HOLOCAUST DENIAL—(Athens) The Greek government and Jewish community have condemned the leader of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Party after he denied there were gas chambers or ovens at Nazi death camps. “There were no ovens. This is a lie.… There were no gas chambers either,” said Nikolaos Michaloliakos in an interview with Mega TV network. He also described as an exaggeration that six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. Greek government spokesman Pentelis Kapsis called Michaloliakos’ statements “a distortion of history and a fierce insult to the memory of the millions of Holocaust victims…including tens of thousands of Greek Jews.” The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece also denounced Michaloliakos and called on the Greek public to “firmly condemn and isolate the forces seeking the revival of the darkest ideology of European history.” The extreme-right Golden Dawn Party, whose flag closely resembles the Nazi swastika, garnered 21 parliamentary seats in Greece’s recent election. Greece’s pre-WWII Jewish community numbered approximately 78,000; some 5,000 Jews live in Greece today. (JTA, May 15.)

 

ARGENTINA HAS FIRST EVER JEWISH PRESIDENT…FOR A DAY—(Buenos Aires) Jewish-Argentine Beatriz Rojkés has assumed the role of Argentinean President for the next day and a half, due to the travels of president Cristina Kirchner and vice president Amado Boudou. Rojkés, who was elected to Argentina’s Senate in 2009, is currently the provisional president of the body, the number three position in the government and second in the line of succession. Rojkes is married to Jose Alperovich, the current governor of Tucuman, a northern Argentinean province. He was the first Jewish man in Argentina to be elected a governor, and to be sworn in on a Jewish Bible. (JTA, May 16.)