WEDNESDAY’S “NEWS IN REVIEW” ROUND-UP

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

On Topic Links

Life During Wartime: Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal, Sept. 19, 2016

In the Safe Spaces on Campus, No Jews Allowed: Anthony Berteaux, The Tower, Sept. 15, 2016

Twilight of American Jewry: Caroline Glick, Jerusalem Post, Sept. 15, 2016

Palestinian Summer Camps Glorify Terrorists As Attacks Targeting Israelis Surge: IPT News, Sept. 19, 2016

“As a friend of both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, it pains me that this past decade has been ten years lost to peace…Ten years lost to illegal settlement expansion. Ten years lost to intra-Palestinian divide, growing polarization and hopelessness. This is madness.” — United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, during his opening address at the UN General Assembly’s annual debate. The Secretary General mentioned that “the occupation grinds into its 50th year” and added that “replacing a two-state solution with a one-state construct would spell doom: denying Palestinians their freedom and rightful future, and pushing Israel further from its vision of a Jewish democracy towards greater global isolation.” (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 20, 2016)

“Instead of focusing on Palestinian terror and incitement, and instead of compelling Mahmoud Abbas to return to the negotiating table, the Secretary General chose to criticize Israel once again…This is an obsession with Israel and it must end…At a time when Palestinian terror is on the rise in Israel, the Secretary General chose to criticize us and ignore the direct responsibility of Abbas and the Palestinian leadership who continue to incite towards terror.” — Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon. Danon reacted to the UN Secretary General’s speech and said that “the real madness belongs to the UN.” (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 20, 2016)

“Surely Israelis and Palestinians will be better off if Palestinians reject incitement and recognize the legitimacy of Israel. But Israel must recognize that it cannot permanently occupy and settle Palestinian land. We all have to do better.” — U.S. President Barack Obama, at his last appearance at the UN General Assembly. Obama also conceded that “bloodletting” throughout the Middle East will not be easily resolved and insisted the Syrian civil war could only be ended through diplomacy. He said that “no external force is going to force communities to coexist,” and that the international community must “work with those who seek to build, rather than destroy.” Obama said that there was “no ultimate military victory to be won,” in Syria, and that the world must pursue the “hard work of diplomacy and humanitarian assistance.” (Times of Israel, Sept. 20, 2016)

“(Syrian President Bashar al-Assad)’s a different kind of bloodthirsty dictator, the kind who shops online on his iPad…He’s sort of Arab dictator 2.0…The fact that many leaders are considering or willing to deal with him today as if he has not gassed his own people or tortured thousands to death is an indictment of the current policy environment across the world…There is a level of cynicism, a lack of ambition.” — Nadim Houry, who oversaw the work of Human Rights Watch on Syria for a decade. (New York Times, Sept. 17, 2016)

“If America backs Assad to stay, America will be my enemy…It’s impossible for us to go back to Syria if Assad is still ruling.” — Aziza Jaloud, a refugee in the Turkish city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border. Many Syrian refugees in Turkey say they worry that the U.S. is walking back its demands that Assad resign as part of a broader political settlement, leaving them as targets for opposing the dictator’s rule if they return. Both the armed and political opposition say they will reject a broader political settlement unless Assad’s departure is part of the deal. (Wall Street Journal, Sept. 16, 2016)

“If the US does not take steps needed to fulfill its obligations under the September 9 agreement, then all the responsibility for any collapse of the cease-fire in Syria would lie with the United States.” —Russian military officer Viktor Poznikhir. Airstrikes by the US-led coalition fighting I.S. in eastern Syria may have inadvertently killed at least 62 Syrian soldiers, Pentagon officials admitted. The coalition forces erroneously believed they were striking an I.S. position. The deadly strikes by two F-16 and two A-10 jets infuriated Moscow, which has been closely allied with Assad.  (New York Post, Sept. 17, 2016)

“The regime of Bashar Assad had no real intention to commit to the truce. Instead it worked to undermine it with organized violations during the week as well as preventing aid from reaching Aleppo.” — Nour el-Din el-Zinki, a rebel group in Syria, in a statement. Syria’s military on Monday declared that the U.S.-Russian brokered cease-fire was over, shortly after the Russian military said it was “meaningless” to continue observing the agreement. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters at the U.N. General Assembly that the truce was “holding but fragile.” (New York Post, Sept. 19, 2016)

“I emphasise this to Russia. The United States continues to believe there is a way forward that, although rocky and difficult and uncertain, can provide the most viable path out of the carnage…If we allow spoilers to choose the path for us, the path of escalation … then make no mistake my friends: the next time we convene here we’re going to be facing a Middle East with even more refugees, with more dead, with more displaced, with more extremists and more suffering on an even greater scale.” — Secretary of State Kerry. Kerry demanded that Russia and the Syrian government immediately halt flights over Syrian battle zones, in what he called a last chance to salvage a collapsing ceasefire. (Globe & Mail, Sept. 21, 2016)

“After the coup, there was a moment of national unity, as Erdogan reached out to his secular opponents for reconciliation…That was the hope. But now that spirit is increasingly fading, and there is justified worry that the purges may ultimately serve to cleanse the state of all critics, not just Gulenists who really seem to have masterminded the coup attempt.” — Mustafa Akyol, a Turkish columnist. Two months after a failed military coup, for which officials have blamed the disciples of Fethullah Gulen, a wide-scale purge led by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reached witch-hunt proportions, according to critics. More than 100,000 people — teachers, military officers, judges, functionaries, airline employees, even baklava salesmen — have been arrested or fired from their jobs, all on accusations of connections to Gulen, who denies any involvement. (New York Times, Sept. 16, 2016)

“Negotiators can’t get what he (Netanyahu) wants. Anyway, Iranians can’t use (a nuclear weapon) if they finally make one. The boys in Tehran know Israel has 200, all targeted on Tehran, and we have thousands…As (former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said): ‘What would we do with one? Polish it?’ I have spoken publicly about both (North Korea) and Iran. We’ll blow up the only thing they care about—regime survival…” — Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an email that Russian hackers leaked earlier this week. (Newsweek, Sept. 16, 2016)

“I suspect that if Trump wins, the president would be more inclined to go for a Security Council resolution to try to do something that binds, creates standards for the future that the next president couldn’t undo…If Clinton wins, I suspect he [Obama] would be more sensitive to her concerns as to whether this helps or hurt her.” — Dennis Ross. Ross, who worked on Israeli-Palestinian issues for decades, including a two-year stint as special assistant to Obama and a year as special adviser to Hillary Clinton, said that the current president “would like to do something, leave some kind of legacy.” (Times of Israel, Sept. 19, 2016)

“The BDS movement is digging tunnels to undermine the foundations and values of Israel…We have to stop these tunnels as well…Supporters of the BDS movement are attempting to destroy our very right to exist. They refuse to accept our most natural, basic and simple right: the existence of the State of Israel…You cannot defeat the enemy unless you call it what it is. That is why I am not afraid to do so.” — Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked. (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 5, 2016)

“Is Shimon Peres getting to his inevitable end? We can’t know for sure, the man has seven lives, but he is undoubtedly on his last life at that. We should note that Peres was one of the strongest pillars of the Zionist colonial settlement project, and the harshest and most extreme, inflicting the longest-lasting damages on the Palestinian people and the Arab people. But Shimon Peres succeeded, in spite of all those qualities, in portraying himself as a dove of peace, even to get the Nobel Peace Prize, which he could never have achieved without our…help…Let us at least in his death remember his essence as a tyrant, who administered the war crimes committed against us. Peres is covered from head to toe in our blood…” — Israeli Arab MK Basel Ghattas. Former Israeli President Peres remains in serious but stable condition following the stroke he suffered September 13. (Jewish Press, Sept. 14, 2016)

“We’re Canadians. And we’re here to help…There is an appetite for Canada’s approach and Canada’s solutions, promoting diversity as a strength. … Canada has a narrative the world needs — we’re happy to share.” — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, at the UN General Assembly. There was no mention in Trudeau’s speech of the deployment of Canadian troops in Africa, for which 600 or so soldiers have been earmarked. Trudeau’s pitch about focusing on what brings us together, rather than on what divides us, is yesterday’s news in Canada. But for a General Assembly audience, from whom Trudeau hopes to extricate a Security Council seat, it is fresh fare. (National Post, Sept. 20, 2016)

Contents

UN HALTS AID SHIPMENTS TO SYRIA (Damascus) — The UN suspended all aid shipments into Syria after a deadly attack on a convoy carrying humanitarian supplies. The attack was described by the UN, Red Cross, and rescue workers as an air strike. Russia and the Syrian government denied that their air forces were responsible for destroying a convoy unloading aid. The Syrian Red Crescent said “around 20 civilians” were killed. The incident appeared likely to deliver a mortal blow to the ceasefire, the latest attempt to halt a war now in its sixth year, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people and made a mockery of all previous peace efforts. Also in Syria, four medics were killed and a nurse critically wounded when an airstrike hit a clinic in a village near Aleppo Tuesday. (Globe & Mail, Sept. 20, 2016)

NY/NJ BOMBER CAPTURED IN SHOOTOUT WITH POLICE, FBI (New York) — Ahmad Khan Rahami was arrested after a shootout with New Jersey Police and FBI agents. He’s believed to be responsible for a collection of terrorist bombings in Manhattan — including the Chelsea explosion that left 29 people injured over the weekend — and several bombings in New Jersey. The Afghani native was arrested after being wounded in a shootout with police in Linden, New Jersey, near a restaurant allegedly owned by his family. The suspect was shot in the exchange along with two police officers, one with non-life-threatening injuries and the second hit by glass shrapnel. (Fox News, Sept. 19, 2016)

I.S. CLAIMS SUPPORTER WAS BEHIND MINNESOTA MALL STABBINGS (Minneapolis) — An I.S. supporter carried out the stabbing attack that wounded at least eight people at a mall in the US state of Minnesota on Sept. 17, I.S.’s news agency said. A man wearing a private security uniform carried out the knife attack at a mall in central Minnesota before he was shot dead by an off-duty police officer. The man made references to Allah and asked at least one person if they were Muslim before he assaulted them at the Crossroads Center mall in St. Cloud. (CBC, Sept. 14, 2016) 

MAN WOUNDED AFTER TRYING TO ENTER ISRAELI EMBASSY IN TURKEY WITH KNIFE (Ankara) — An attacker armed with a knife tried to enter the Israeli Embassy in Turkey on Wednesday before being shot and slightly wounded by Turkish security officials. The Ankara governor's office identified the man as Osman Nuri Caliskan, a Turkish national. The man was carrying a 12-inch-long knife and a bag and was captured by police after being shot in the leg. The incident comes just months after Turkey and Israel reached an agreement to end a six-year rift, paving the way for the normalization of ties and the mutual re-appointment of ambassadors. Last month, police detained five people who tried to break into Israel's consulate in Istanbul to protest Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. (Fox, Sept. 21, 2016)

IAF FIGHTER JET SHOOTS DOWN HAMAS DRONE OVER GAZA (Jerusalem) — Israel Air Force fighter jets shot down a Hamas-operated drone over the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. The drone was in the air for just a few minutes before the IAF took it out, though it did not enter Israeli air space at any point. Hamas is known to be developing drone capabilities, “especially in the last two years,” an IDF spokesperson said. Last June, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed-landed in Israel after it was launched from Gaza. In July of 2014, during Operation Protective Edge, a drone launched from the Gaza Strip was shot down after illegally entering Israeli airspace. (Breaking Israel News, Sept. 20, 2016)

TWO PALESTINIANS, JORDANIAN KILLED AFTER ATTACKING ISRAELIS (Jerusalem) — A Jordanian man was shot dead after he tried to stab police officers in Jerusalem on Friday, while in the West Bank, one Palestinian attacker was killed and another wounded after the pair rammed their vehicle into a bus stop. A third Palestinian was shot and killed after he tried to stab a soldier, Israeli officials said. The assaults were the latest violence in a year of Palestinian assaults on Israeli civilians and security forces that has killed 34 Israelis and two Americans. About 213 Palestinians have also died during that same time; Israel says the majority were attackers. (Washington Post, Sept. 16, 2016)

DEATH TOLL FROM PAKISTAN MOSQUE BOMBING RISES TO 36 (Islamabad) — A Pakistani official says the death toll from a suicide bombing at a mosque has risen to 36 after several of those wounded in the attack died in hospitals. Several children were among those killed and wounded in the attack, which targeted weekly Friday prayers. The initial toll provided by officials was 24 dead and 28 wounded. Some 200 worshippers were inside the mosque when the bomber struck. A breakaway Taliban faction knows as Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying it targeted members of a pro-government militia. (Washington Post, Sept. 17, 2016)

MODI FACES PRESSURE TO STRIKE PAKISTAN (New Delhi) — Indian Prime Minister Modi faces pressure to launch a military response against suspected terrorist training camps inside Pakistan, after militants killed 18 Indian soldiers in disputed Kashmir. Sunday’s predawn raid on an army camp in the town of Uri was the worst attack against the Indian army in the region in years, prompting the Home Minister to label Pakistan a terrorist state. A military response from India toward Pakistan, which has denied any involvement, raises the specter of escalating tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals, who have fought three conflicts since the partition of British India in 1947. (Bloomberg, Sept. 20, 2016)

TURKEY DISMISSES ALMOST 28,000 TEACHERS OVER TERRORISM LINKS (Ankara) — Turkish authorities have dismissed nearly 28,000 teachers and suspended almost 9,500 others over alleged links to terrorism, pursuing a security crackdown following a failed coup in July. Turkey has sacked or suspended some 100,000 civil servants including judges, prosecutors, police officers and teachers since a group of rogue soldiers tried to topple the government. At least 40,000 people have been detained for suspected links to U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for the plot. Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed U.S. exile since 1999, has denied the accusations and condemned the coup. (Reuters, Sept. 19, 2016)

CANADIAN, ITALIANS KIDNAPPED IN LIBYA: LOCAL OFFICIAL (Tripoli) — The spokesman of a Libyan city municipal council says authorities are investigating the abduction of three foreigners working for a maintenance company near the border with Algeria. Hassan Osman Eissa said that the abductors are known to local authorities and have carried out carjackings and robberies in the past. The three foreigners seized — two Italians and one Canadian — were held at gunpoint along the highway linking the southwestern cities of Ghat and Ubari. Global Affairs Canada said it is aware of "the troubling, yet unconfirmed" report of the abduction of a Canadian citizen in Libya. (Huffington Post, Sept. 20, 2016)

GERMANY’S MIGRANT POPULATION HITS RECORD HIGH (Berlin) — Germany’s society is the most multicultural it has ever been, as the Federal Statistical Office said Friday that a total of 17.1 million people in the country had a migrant background in 2015. About one-in-five people, or 21% of the total population, had a migrant background last year—meaning the person or at least one parent didn’t have German citizenship at birth. The figure is a 4.4% increase from 2014. Many of them have their roots Turkey, Poland and Russia, but also Italy and Greece. (Wall Street Journal, Sept. 16, 2016)

UC BERKELEY REINSTATES CONTROVERSIAL CLASS AFTER OUTCRY (Berkeley) — Administrators at University of California, Berkeley reinstated a Palestinian history class amid an outcry over its suspension last week. The school announced in a letter that the ethnic studies class was reinstated after the teacher revised the course description. The “Palestine: A Colonial Settler Analysis” course was suspended after a complaint from Jewish and civil rights groups that the course syllabus appeared to describe a politically motivated, antisemitic class. The suspension sparked protests from critics who said the action threatened academic freedom. (Fox News, Sept. 20, 2016)

SISI PRAISES ISRAELI COOPERATION IN WAR ON TERROR (New York) — Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi applauded the cooperation between Israel and Egypt in a closed-door meeting with Jewish leaders in New York. Sisi, who was in New York to address the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, lauded Israel and Egypt's coordination to ensure a peaceful situation in the Sinai Peninsula. According to reports, the IAF is taking part in the attacks against I.S. in Sinai and the IDF's Military Intelligence Unit 8200 is assisting Egyptian forces to collect and decipher information about the terrorists there. Sisi added that Egypt is on top of the terror situation in Sinai and praised the cooperation of his country with the US and Israel in the battle against terror. (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 21, 2016)

HOLOCAUST MUSEUM TO WORLD LEADERS: 'CONFRONT IRAN ON HOLOCAUST DENIAL' (New York) — The US Holocaust Memorial Museum urged world leaders to press Iran’s leadership on its Holocaust denial during the UN General Assembly. Tad Stahnke, the director of the museum’s initiative against Holocaust denial, and Maziar Bahari, an Iranian filmmaker, cautioned against believing claims by Iranian President Rouhani and Foreign Minister Zarif that the government of Iran repudiates Holocaust denial. They noted that the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, questioned the veracity of the Holocaust as recently as January. They also noted the most recent Holocaust cartoon contest in May, and said Zarif and others played word games when they said there was no “government” involvement. (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 21, 2016)

Contents

On Topic Links

Life During Wartime: Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal, Sept. 19, 2016—Long after I returned to the U.S. after living in Jerusalem I kept thinking about soft targets. The peak-hour commuter train that took me from Westchester to Grand Central. The snaking queue outside the security checkpoint at La Guardia Airport. The theater crowds near Times Square.

In the Safe Spaces on Campus, No Jews Allowed: Anthony Berteaux, The Tower, Sept. 15, 2016—When Arielle Mokhtarzadeh arrived at University of California, Berkeley, to attend the annual Students of Color Conference, she had no way of knowing that she would be leaving as a victim of anti-Semitism.

Twilight of American Jewry: Caroline Glick, Jerusalem Post, Sept. 15, 2016—This week marked the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on America. Most of us didn’t realize it at the time, but those attacks also marked the beginning of the end of the golden age of American Jewry – on both sides of the ideological divide.

Palestinian Summer Camps Glorify Terrorists As Attacks Targeting Israelis Surge: IPT News, Sept. 19, 2016—Fatah and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) continue to brainwash the next generation of Palestinian youth to become terrorists, while attacks against Israelis increased sharply in the last few days.