WEDNESDAY’S “NEWS IN REVIEW” ROUND-UP

 We welcome your comments to this and any other CIJR publication. Please address your response to:  Rob Coles, Publications Chairman, Canadian Institute for Jewish Research, PO Box 175, Station  H, Montreal QC H3G 2K7 – Tel: (514) 486-5544 – Fax:(514) 486-8284; E-mail: rob@isranet.wpsitie.com

 

 

Contents: |  Weekly Quotes |  Short Takes   |  On Topic Links

 

On Topic Links

 

Putin’s Middle Eastern Moves: Ilan Berman, Middle East Forum, Oct. 26, 2015

The World is a Scary Place. Let’s Hope Justin Trudeau is Up For the Task: Terry Glavin, National Post, Oct. 22, 2015

Time for a Palestinian Referendum?: Michael Rubin, Commentary, Oct. 25, 2015

Then and Now in Jerusalem: Geoffrey Clarfield & Salim Mansur, National Post, Oct. 27, 2015

                                        

“All the violence and the incitement to violence must stop. Leaders must lead… Israel will continue to enforce its long-standing policy on religious worship … at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, including the fundamental fact that it is Muslims who pray on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, and non-Muslims who visit…I hope that based on these conversations we can finally put to rest some of the false assumptions, perceptions…Those perceptions are stoking the tensions and fueling the violence and it is important for us to end the provocative rhetoric and start to change the public narrative that comes out of those false perceptions.” — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry said that Israel and Jordan have agreed on steps aimed at reducing tensions at the Jerusalem holy site. He said the steps include round-the-clock video monitoring and Israel’s reaffirming of Jordan’s special and historic role as custodian of the site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. (Ynet, Oct. 25, 2015)

 

“All Jews in Palestine today are fair game – even the women…Every single Jew in Palestine is a combatant, even the children…They train their children to use tanks and various kinds of weapons…They breastfeed them on hatred for the Palestinian people.” — Dr. Subhi Al-Yaziji, Dean of Quranic Studies at the Islamic University of Gaza, in a recent appearance on Hamas’s Al-Aksa TV posted by MEMRI (the Middle East Media Research Institute). The attacks “should be carried out in the very heart of the enemy – in Haifa, Jaffa, Tel Aviv, and Hadera as was the case in the past because that is what hurts the Jews,” he said according to MEMRI. The TV interview aired on October 16 during a still continuing wave of Palestinian terrorism. (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 22, 2015)

 

“An emotional interview is conducted with the father of a dead Palestinian youth who had been killed committing a fatal terror attack. However, the report failed to show the emotional distress caused to Israelis by any of these recent attacks. This is inexcusable…Additionally, it was improper of the correspondent to claim that ‘there’s no sign of involvement by militant groups,’ before immediately showing footage of Palestinian Islamic Jihad banners at the home of a 19-year-old terrorist who carried out a deadly knife attack at Lions’ Gate in Jerusalem on Oct. 3. PIJ is a well-known Palestinian terror organization and it has since claimed responsibility for the attack and been praised by Hamas, another internationally proscribed terror organization. This directly misleads viewers.” — Lord Michael Ian Grade, the former chairman of the BBC. Grade criticized the BBC for its coverage of the recent wave of terror attacks in Israel in a letter to the corporation’s director of news and current affairs, James Harding. (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 22, 2015)

 

“For me, throwing stones in the first intifada was a way of expression…The tool was the stone in the first intifada, and today it’s music…Sound and words reflect the situation…I can’t do a song talking about nature and beauty and peaceful things when I’m seeing every day more than 10 videos where some youths are executed.” — Ramzi Aburedwan, who runs music schools in Palestinian refugee camps. Inspired by this month’s wave of Palestinian attacks against Israeli Jews, musicians in the West Bank have produced scores of militaristic, often violent tunes. Published and shared on YouTube and Facebook, they form something of an intifada soundtrack. “Stab the Zionist and say God is great,” declares one, a reference to the spate of knife attacks since Oct. 1. “Let the knives stab your enemy,” says another. A third is called “Continue the Intifada”— the video shows the Palestinian woman who pulled a knife at an Afula bus station surrounded by Israeli soldiers pointing guns. (New York Times, Oct. 22, 2015)

 

“As the French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy wrote this week, world opinion has not been much disturbed by the stabbings of innocent passers-by. It would be different if such outrages occurred in Europe or North America. Think of the outpouring of emotion over the hatchet-killing of a British soldier on a London street in 2013, an act not altogether different from what’s happening now in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Or recall the killing in Canada a year ago of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent by individuals supporting Islamic extremism. The more you learn about the Palestinians, the more poisoned their society appears. One way or another, by public rhetoric and politicized schooling, the PA has created a community that encourages its young men to kill.” — Robert Fulford. (National Post, Oct. 23, 2015)

 

“As I entered my office in Beit Shemesh this morning, the usual quiet was pierced by an unusual noise in our residential neighborhood. The sound no father wants to hear in the morning: a police siren, followed by another, followed by another, followed by the sounds of a helicopter overhead. I quickly called my wife Abby who was dropping off our kids at school. “Is everything ok?” I asked nervously. “Didn’t you hear?” Abby replied, “two terrorists tried boarding a school bus nearby.” My heart stopped. The violence and terrorism that has been plaguing Israel over the past several weeks had struck our own neighborhood and the intended targets were children. Thank God, the quick thinking school bus driver closed the door and drove away without any of the children being harmed, however, a Jewish teenager was stabbed before the Beit Shemesh police arrived and shot the terrorist as he tried entering a local synagogue…We are facing a cruel enemy, whose evil knows no bounds, but we who live in Israel and who love Israel have faith that God will ultimately protect us. May the God of Israel bless the People of Israel in the Land of Israel, especially the Jewish schoolchildren.” —Rabbi Tuly Weisz (Breaking Israel News, Oct., 2015)

 

“The threat of antisemitism in Europe is a real one…In France, the U.K. and Germany, where most European Jews live today, you see higher levels of antisemitism and antisemitic incidents…The Israel-Palestinian issue is one thing…and hatred of Jews is another. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict should not influence tackling antisemitism…Today, Israel has become the Jew among the nations…BDS activists are a growing source of antisemitism worldwide, because they do not distinguish between Israel and Jews elsewhere. If you are looking into demonstrations in Europe last year, many of them as a result of the conflict in Gaza — many of them had very severe antisemitic characteristics…In Germany, it was the first time we heard ‘Jews to the gas’ since World War II.” — Israeli Foreign Ministry Director of the Department for Combating Antisemitism Ambassador Gideon Behar. (Algemeiner, Oct. 20, 2015)  

 

“Many of us recognize in Mr. Harper rare and exceptional qualities – the ability to see directly into the truth of a matter as well as the moral clarity and strength of character to act on what he knows to be true, even if that means taking on the world in the process. He speaks truth to power.  To me, he is a visionary who as prime minister helped navigate Canada through myriad international economic storms and helped keep Canadians safe.  Despite criticisms to the contrary, I recognize in him a tremendous compassion for Canadians and for humanity in general.  His dedication to public service is a testimony to this in and of itself.  But, more than that, he would not have been able to express the kind of loyalty that he has towards Israel and his friends if that was not the case…The gratitude I and members of the Jewish community in Canada and world-wide feel towards him is immense and cannot be fully expressed.  He is truly a great man.” — CIJR Academic Fellow Machla Abramovitz, Oct. 21, 2015.

 

“One cannot but get the feeling that it is Justin Trudeau who is now “playing politics.” Having made his promise to end the anti-ISIL air mission, he is stuck with it — even if it does not serve the larger and desperate needs of the thousands of people being terrorized by ISIL, and even if it leaves our allies left in the fight while Canada goes home. Whether Canadian CF-18’s are making a huge difference is not really the point; at least they are doing something pragmatic in a difficult battle that we cannot afford to lose. More talk, training and humanitarian aid are all important, but they are not going to produce the desired result. On this significant issue, Trudeau should try channelling Winston Churchill, not Neville Chamberlain.” — Allan Levine. Canadian Liberal prime minister designate Justin Trudeau has confirmed that Canada will withdraw its fighter jets from the US-led mission against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. He did not set out a timeline for the withdrawal. Canada currently has six CF-18 fighter jets taking part in the US-led bombing campaign. They were due to remain in the region until March 2016. (National Post, Oct. 26, 2015)

 

“It is a bad news for us. Canada was a major partner in the coalition and it was a great help to Kurdistan.” — Jabar Yawar, chief of staff for the Kurdish Regional Government’s Peshmerga Ministry. Canada’s Kurdish allies in Iraq are calling Trudeau’s plan to withdraw from a combat role against I.S. “bad news.” Canadian warplanes have launched nearly 180 air strikes on I.S. targets since November, 2014, and the vast majority of these have been in and around the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, where the Kurds and other Iraqi ground forces are battling I.S. The air-combat deployment in Iraq and Syria is the first major foreign-policy test for Trudeau, who won a majority in the federal election and ran on a pledge to “end Canada’s combat mission in Iraq.” (Globe & Mail, Oct. 21, 2015)

 

“If there is an opposite for commander in chief, this is it.” — Sen. John McCain (R). McCain blasted President Obama and the Pentagon on Tuesday for lacking a coherent strategy in the Middle East to battle I.S. McCain aired a laundry list of what he called the administration’s failed efforts to confront the I.S., deriding the failed $500 million Pentagon plan to train and equip moderates to battle I.S. in Syria and allowing Russia to gain growing influence in the Middle East. McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sharply criticized the administration’s handling of the war, saying it had “all too often made the problem worse” by trying to deal with symptoms rather than the sectarian divisions at the center of the problem. “There’s a clear military dimension to this problem,” McCain said. “Unless the military balance of power changes on the ground, diplomacy, as has been amply proven, will achieve nothing.” (USA Today, Oct. 27, 2015 & New York Post, Oct. 27, 2015)

 

Contents

 

 

U.S. TO BEGIN ‘DIRECT ACTION ON THE GROUND’ IN IRAQ, SYRIA (Washington) — U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Tuesday that the U.S. will begin “direct action on the ground” against I.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, aiming to intensify pressure on the militants as progress against them remains elusive. “We won’t hold back from supporting capable partners in opportunistic attacks against ISIL, or conducting such missions directly whether by strikes from the air or direct action on the ground,” Carter said in testimony before the Senate Armed Services committee, using an alternative name for the group. (NBC, Oct. 27, 2015)

 

IRAN TO JOIN EUROPE, US IN SYRIA TALKS (Vienna) — Iran will attend talks in Vienna this week on finding a political solution to the Syrian conflict, reversing a long-standing U.S. policy. Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, will join the U.S., Britain, Russia, France, Germany, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates at discussions in Vienna, beginning Thursday. The shift comes after years of U.S. resistance to Iran’s involvement in discussions on Syria, due to the former’s military support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff told the Senate Armed Services Committee this week that Iran’s support for Assad, along with Russian bombing, had given the Syrian leader the upper hand on the battlefield. (Politico, Oct. 28, 2015)

 

TURKEY SAYS IT STRUCK KURDISH FORCES IN SYRIA (Ankara) — Turkey said it attacked Kurdish forces in Syria backed by the U.S., potentially setting the stage for a new fight with the Obama administration as it looks at increasing its ties with the Kurdish militants leading the most effective fight against I.S. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Ankara carried out two strikes on the Kurdish YPG group as a warning to the fighters against expanding their control into parts of Syria that Turkish officials hope will serve as a safe zone for returning refugees—and as a base for Syrian militants backed by the government in Ankara. (Wall Street Journal, Oct. 27, 2015)

 

I.S. EXECUTES CAPTIVES BY TYING THEM TO ROMAN-ERA COLUMNS AND BLOWING THEM UP (Palmyra) — I.S. killed three of its captives in Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra by tying them to Roman-era columns at the site, then blowing the structures up with explosives. The Palmyra explosions were the latest method of killing by I.S., known for beheadings, immolation and drowning of prisoners. Earlier this week, ISIL posted images on social media purported to show its members driving a tank over a captured government soldier, allegedly to revenge what it said was his driving over I.S. terrorists. The group is known to have tanks, mostly captured in battle from Syrian troops or in the territory it holds in neighbouring Iraq. (National Post, Oct. 27, 2015)

 

SAUDI ARABIA: ACTIVIST PROFESSOR GETS 10-YEAR SENTENCE (Riyadh) — A Saudi activist has been sentenced to ten years in prison and barred from travel abroad for another decade. The activist, Abdel-Karim al-Khadar, a professor of Islamic studies from conservative Qassim Province, has been under arrest since April 2013. He was considered among the most vocal critics of religious extremism and militancy. He had posted videos online giving religious lectures in support of women’s rights and coexistence. A human rights lawyer, who spoke anonymously for fear of reprisal, said Professor Khadar had been sentenced by Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Criminal Court on charges including disobeying the ruler, founding a human rights organization and supporting protests. He is the third rights activist to be sentenced to prison in the past week. (New York Times, Oct. 20, 2015)  

 

EU AGREES TO TIGHTEN BORDER CONTROLS AND SLOW MIGRANT ARRIVAL (Brussels) — European and Balkan leaders agreed on measures early Monday to slow the movement of tens of thousands whose flight from war and poverty has overwhelmed border guards. In a statement, the leaders committed to bolster the borders of Greece as it struggles to cope with the wave of refugees from Syria and beyond that cross over through Turkey. The leaders decided that reception capacities should be boosted in Greece and along the Balkans migration route to shelter 100,000 more people as winter looms. Nearly 250,000 people have passed through the Balkans since mid-September. Croatia said 11,500 people entered its territory on Saturday. Many are headed northwest to Austria, Germany and Scandinavia where they hope to find a home. (Huffington Post, Oct. 25, 2015)

 

UNRWA STAFF SANCTIONED FOR INCITING VIOLENCE AGAINST JEWS (Geneva) — Several employees of UNRWA, the UN agency handling Palestinian refugees, were punished for disseminating content that promoted violence or antisemitism. The punishments included suspension and loss of pay “in a number of cases so far.” The announcement followed the recent publication of two reports by UN Watch, which alleged that at least twelve officials from UNRWA, were engaged in incitement to violence online and on social networks against Jewish Israelis, and in some cases against Jews in general. (JTA, Oct. 23, 2015)

 

ISRAELI RESIDENCY PROPOSAL UNNERVES JERUSALEM’S PALESTINIANS (Jerusalem) — An Israeli proposal that could potentially strip tens of thousands of Palestinians in Jerusalem of their residency rights has sent shudders through the targeted Arab neighborhoods — areas that were left outside Israel’s security barrier a decade ago, even though they are within the city’s boundaries. With few exceptions, Jerusalem’s Palestinians are not Israeli citizens, and instead hold residency status that can be revoked. Removing residency rights en masse appears highly unlikely due to legal hurdles and domestic and international opposition. About a third of the city’s 300,000 Palestinians live in these neighborhoods. In the past five weeks, 11 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, mostly stabbings. Many of the attackers have originated in East Jerusalem. (Times of Israel, Oct. 28, 2015)

 

3,000 MOROCCANS SIGN PETITION CONDEMNING INCITEMENT TO MURDER JEWS (Casablanca) — At least 3,000 Moroccans signed a petition condemning what they said was incitement to murder Jews on full display during a Palestinian solidarity demonstration in Casablanca this week. The petition urged Moroccan authorities to hold rally organizers accountable for the mock executions of Jews and other inciting displays, which it called illegal. Signatories expressed concern about the reaction of Morocco’s Jewish community, which today numbers under 3,000, and said the demonstration had offended many Muslims as well. (Algemeiner, Oct. 28, 2015)

 

JK ROWLING LEADS 150 CULTURAL FIGURES IN CONDEMNING ISRAEL BOYCOTTS (London) — JK Rowling today joins more than 150 leading lights from the world of culture in condoning boycotts of Israeli artists as a barrier to peace. The Harry Potter author has spoken out alongside Lord Bragg, Simon Schama, Danny Cohen and Dame Hilary Mantel by signing a letter in The Guardian. The letter supports Culture for Coexistence – which aims to inform and encourage dialogue about Israel – and says: “Cultural engagement builds bridges, nurtures freedom and positive movement for change. It is important to encourage such a powerful tool for change rather than boycotting its use.” The signatories state that the de-legitimisation and boycott of Israel are not constructive ways to achieve  peaceful coexistence. (Jewish News, Oct. 24, 2015)

 

ONLY 10% OF APPLICANTS ARE APPROVED FOR A GUN LICENSE (Jerusalem) — Despite the official easing of restrictions to get a gun license in Israel, along with the explicit calls by elected officials, such as Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, for citizens to carry licensed weapons on them, and the much increased public demand for gun licenses in the wake of all the ongoing Arab terror attacks, 90 percent of the approximate 10,000 applications for licensed weapons have been turned down, according to Israel’s Channel 1. Israel has one of the most restrictive personal gun licensing requirements in the world, and ranks as number 70 out of 178 countries in terms of gun ownership, with only 7.3 personal guns per 100 citizens, in 2014. Unlike the US, once licensed, most gun owners can openly carry their weapons practically anywhere. (Jewish Press, Oct. 28, 2015)

 

WALMART PULLS IDF, ‘SHEIKH FAGIN’ COSTUMES (New York) — Walmart on Tuesday pulled an IDF soldier Halloween costume and a controversial “Sheik Fagin nose” following outrage on social media and from an Arab anti-discrimination group. Walmart’s online store pulled the prosthetic nose described as “perfect for an Arab sheik” just hours after the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee expressed concern that it would be used in “racist anti-Arab costumes.” Arab bloggers who also complained about an Israeli soldier costume also succeeded in having the item pulled. The costume, which resembles a uniform worn by Israeli soldiers in elite combat units, is available on the discount department store chain’s website for $27.44, reduced from $57.62. The Walmart Facebook page was flooded with criticism, including calls for a boycott of the chain. (Times of Israel, Oct. 28, 2015)

 

ARMY SCRAMBLES AFTER ISRAELI ARAB FLIES HANG GLIDER INTO SYRIA (Jerusalem) — An Israeli Arab man from the central Israeli town of Jaljulia crossed the Golan Heights border to Syria on a hang glider Saturday night. Large military forces were mobilized to the Golan Heights border on Saturday night after one of the military’s lookout positions along the border with Syria spotted a hang glider crossing from Israel and landing in Syrian territory in an area controlled by a rebel group affiliated with al Qaeda. The man, a 23-year-old, crossed the border in order to join a terror group based in Syria, the IDF said. It was not immediately known which group the man sought to join. The army said in a statement the incident was being examined. The Golan, on a mountain plateau, is a popular spot for hang gliding enthusiasts. (Times of Israel, Oct. 25, 2015)

 

On Topic Links 

 

 

Putin’s Middle Eastern Moves: Ilan Berman, Middle East Forum, Oct. 26, 2015—While the Russian military intervention in Syria tends to be viewed as an opportunist response to the Obama administration’s weakness and inconsistency, Moscow has its own reasons to undertake this hazardous move…

The World is a Scary Place. Let’s Hope Justin Trudeau is Up For the Task: Terry Glavin, National Post, Oct. 22, 2015 —It wasn’t exactly auspicious, the way prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau chose to set the inaugural tone for his new Liberal government at a rally in Ottawa on Tuesday, in which he introduced himself to Canada’s “friends around the world,” whoever they might be.

Time for a Palestinian Referendum?: Michael Rubin, Commentary, Oct. 25, 2015 —When it comes to the Israel-Palestinian peace process, the White House, European Union, and the broader international community are infused with moral inversion. Israel has successfully weathered multiple wars seeking to eradicate it.

Then and Now in Jerusalem: Geoffrey Clarfield & Salim Mansur, National Post, Oct. 27, 2015 —Once again anti-Jewish violence ignited in Jerusalem has spread beyond into Israel. This present spate of violence is part of the long-term campaign of Palestinians for change in the “status quo” on the Temple Mount.