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Contents: Weekly Quotes | Short Takes | On Topic Links
The Right Moment for Israel’s Danny Danon?: Daniel Pipes, Washington Times August 5, 2013
Former IDF Intel Chief: US Coming Around to an Israeli Strike on Iran: Haviv Rettig Gur, Times of Israel, Aug. 7, 2013
A Heart of Gold: Researchers Use Gold Particles to Heal Heart Tissue: Sophie Imas, NoCamels, Aug. 4, 2013
“We really wonder: Where is the role of the United States and the European Union and all of the other international forces that are interested in the security, safety and well-being of Egypt? Are the values of freedom and democracy exclusively exercised in your countries but other countries do not have the right to exercise the same values and enjoy the same environment? Have you seen the scores of millions of Egyptians calling for change in Tahrir [Square]? What is your response to that? What I want you to know and I want the American reader also to know is that this is a free people who rebelled against an unjust political rule, and this free people needs your support.” — Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, head of the Egyptian military and Minister of Defense, who led the anti-Morsi military take-over. Sisi went on to note that the US administration “has a lot of leverage and influence with the Muslim Brotherhood,” and that he would like Washington to use this leverage to end the current standoff with Morsi supporters. (Jerusalem Post, Aug. 7, 2013)
“The American people should stand against an administration that is corrupting their values in supporting tyranny and dictatorship.” — Gehad el-Haddad, a Muslim Brotherhood spokesman in a statement accusing the United States of being complicit in [former Egyptian president] Mohammed Morsi’s ouster. (New York Times, Aug. 3, 2013)
“In these cases, they tried to create a thornless rose garden by silencing the opposition and intimidating patriotic people with secular principles. After the Ergenekon trial, it’s impossible to talk about a justice system free of politics, or public trust in justice.” — Celal Ulgen, a lawyer representing 16 defendants in the so-called “Ergenekon” trial of 275 Turks sentenced to prison for plotting to overthrow the Turkish government. (National Post, Aug. 6, 2013)
“The evacuation of embassy staff serves the interests of the extremists,” said, adding that it “undermines the exceptional cooperation between Yemen and the international alliance against terrorism.” — a statement by the Yemeni government in response to the decision by Washington to close its embassy in the capital Saana and evacuate non-essential personnel following threats of potential attacks by al-Qaeda were interecepted by U.S. intelligence. (Washington Times, Aug. 6, 2013)
“Some might think that the elimination of Israel is a Palestinian interest. Yes, it is a Palestinian interest, but not just that. It is in the interest of the entire Islamic world, it is in the interest of the entire Arab world and it is also in the national interest for every country in the region.” — Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah leader and staunch ally of Iran, who emerged from hiding Friday to deliver his first major speech in years in his southern Beirut stronghold. Mr. Nasrallah added that Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomaini’s definition of Israel as a “cancerous growth” was accurate, reported Ynet News. “As you know, tumours spread, and the only solution for this tumour is to uproot it,” he said. (Globe andMail, Aug. 3, 2013)
“In our region, a sore has been sitting on the body of the Islamic world for many years, in the shadow of the occupation of the holy land of Pales-tine and the dear Quds. This day is in fact a reminder of the fact that Muslim people will not forgot their historic right and will continue to stand against aggression and tyranny.” — Hasan Rouhani, incoming Iranian president, at a celebration for the annual pro-Palestinian holiday in Iran known as Quds [Jerusalem] day. (National Post, Aug. 3, 2013)
“If you seek a suitable answer, speak to Iran through the language of respect, not through the language of sanctions.” — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in a speech broadcast live by Iranian state television. He later added that any negotiations would require “bilateral trust building, mutual respect and the lessening of hostilities.” (Globe and Mail, Aug. 5, 2013)
“The regime’s record has not improved since the elections in June. The Iranian regime has a clear choice to make. It can either march Iran down its current path toward continued isolation and economic disparity for the Iranian people, or it can let President Rouhani change the regime’s nuclear policies, its wanton disregard for human rights, and its destructive meddling in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and the wider region.” — Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird in a statement on Sunday [Aug 4].
“Should this new government choose to engage substantively and seriously to meet its international obligations and find a peaceful solution to this issue, it will find a willing partner in the United States.” — White House spokesman Jay Carney, in a statement. He went on to add that Mr. Rowhani’s inauguration represented “an opportunity for Iran to act quickly to resolve the international community’s deep concerns over Iran’s nuclear program.” (Globe and Mail, Aug. 5, 2013)
“Rouhani’s true face has been revealed earlier than expected. Even if they will now rush to deny his remarks, this is what the man thinks and this is the plan of the Iranian regime. These remarks by President Rouhani must rouse the world from the illusion that part of it has been caught up in since the Iranian elections. The president there has changed, but the goal of the regime has not: to achieve nuclear weapons in order to threaten Israel, the Middle East and the peace and security of the entire world. A country that threatens the destruction of the state of Israel must not be allowed to possess weapons of mass destruction.” — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a statement responding to Iranian President-elect’s remarks on Quds day in Tehran. (New York Times, Aug. 3, 2013)
“While we were talking with the Europeans in Tehran, we were installing equipment in parts of the facility in Isfahan, but we still had a long way to go to complete the project. In fact, by creating a calm environment, we were able to complete the work in Isfahan.” — Hasan Rouhani, incoming Iranian president, in a speech to the [Iranian] Supreme Council in 2005, published in an Iranian publication. A new report by the Institute for Science and International Security suggests that Rouhani’s plan worked. According to the study, Iran may achieve the “critical capability” to build a nuclear bomb by mid-2014. (New York Post, Aug. 3, 2013)
“There are vast armies of Palestinian enablers in the West who exaggerate every Israeli imperfection and soft-pedal serious Palestinian evils. This asymmetry results in always blaming Israel—even when the Palestinians turned from negotiating back to terror in 2000—and always putting the onus on Israel to make the first move—as evidenced by Israel’s major concession this week in freeing murderers with blood on their hands. This outrage gap holds democratic Israel, with all its imperfections, to an impossibly high standard, while rarely holding Palestinians up to even the most minimum standards when it comes to judging their undemocratic procedures, their appalling human rights record, their hostile attitudes toward gays, women, Jews, or any non-Palestinian, non-males.” — Gil Troy in an op-ed article in the Daily Beast. (The Daily Beast, July 30, 2013)
“Leaving the Dome of the Rock, my guide, Ibrahim Ghazzawi, and I, an American Muslim tourist, walked south to the Al Aqsa Mosque. Inside, we approached a vestibule and were confronted with enormous columns. Their diameter deeper than the height of a tall man, they were disproportionate to the low roof and looked much older. They didn't belong to Al Aqsa. Ibrahim explained: "This was the entrance to the Second Jewish Temple that was here before Al Aqsa. You can see it is absolutely distinct." And without doubt, it was easy to see, this had been a place of worship for Jews centuries before. Somehow, these massive pillars had escaped even the Romans' determined destruction of the Second Temple. Before this place was made ours, it had clearly been theirs. We were on borrowed ground.” — Dr. Qanta Ahmed, Associate Professor of Medicine at the State University of New York (Stony Brook). (Times of Israel, Aug. 2, 2013)
"The American stance on an Israeli strike against Iran has changed dramatically recently. In 2012 the [Americans'] red light was as red as it can get, the brightest red. But the music I'm hearing lately from Washington says, 'If this is truly an overriding Israeli security interest, and you think you want to strike,' then the light hasn't changed to green, I think, but it's definitely yellow." — Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin, who served as head of IDF Intelligence from 2006 to 2010, told Army Radio on Wednesday. He served as Israel's military attache in Washington from 2004 to 2006, and was a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in 2011. (Times of Israel, Aug. 7, 2013)
“Tunisia could become like Somalia. Other countries have the economic resources to fight terrorism but we have nothing. I see in Tunisia today signs that make me afraid and keep me from sleeping.” — Gen. Rachid Ammar, former head of Tunisia’s army, who resigned shortly after making those comments in a warning at the end of June. The comments were quoted following another recent assassination of secular opposition leaders by jihadis, a growing force in Tunisia threatening its fragile democracy. (Washington Post, July 31, 2013)
“While Palestinian protagonists are described in detail, their Israeli victims are largely dehumanized ‘settlers’ — no name, age or gender.” While noting that the article features a chart showing “the amount of time Palestinian stone-throwers have spent in jail,” Oren said that “the article could have added another chart: the names of Israelis who have been killed or permanently maimed by rock throwers and the time they have spent hospitalized. One of the names would be Adele Biton, a 2-year-old seriously wounded by a stone in March. The article notes that Palestinian youths attack Israelis ‘because their brothers and fathers did.’ By breaking that pattern, Palestinian leaders can prepare their people for peace.” — Michael Oren, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, responding to a New York Times article published Tuesday, that favorably depicted Palestinian Arab youths who throw stones at Israelis.(Algemeiner, August 7, 2013)
POLL: 63% OF ISRAELI JEWS OPPOSE MAJOR WEST BANK PULLOUT— (Jerusalem)
A poll, released Tuesday by the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University, that appears to contradict the conclusions of other recent surveys, found that 63 percent of Jews in Israel oppose a withdrawal to the 1967 lines with land swaps as part of any peace arrangement with the Palestinian Authority, even if it meant Israel would hold onto the Etzion Bloc, directly south of Jerusalem; Ma’aleh Adumim, east of the capital; and Ariel in the central West Bank about 34 kilometers (21 miles) east of Tel Aviv. Assuming Israeli retention of Ariel, Ma’aleh Adumim and other settlement blocs, 58% of Jewish respondents were opposed to the dismantling of other settlements. The poll was conducted among 602 respondents in late July, after the announcement of new peace talks with the Palestinians, and has a statistical error of 4.5%. According to the survey, 50% of Jewish Israelis also oppose the transfer of Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem to Palestinian Authority control with a special arrangement for Jewish holy sites. One in two Jews in Israel thinks Arab citizens should not have a say if government declares a national referendum on peace. (Times of Israel, Aug. 6, 2013)
CENSUS DEBUNKS ARAB DEMOGRAPHIC THREAT — (Jerusalem) Jewish and Arab birth rates indicate that the percentage of school children in the Israeli educational system who are Jewish will grow by 2019 while the percentage of Arabs will decline. The Central Bureau of Statistics reported Tuesday that the Jewish percentage will rise by one percentage point, from 73 to 74 percent, and the Arab percentage will decline by a point, from 27 to 26 percent. Previous warnings of a growing Arab population were based on birth rates that no longer are valid. The latest statistics show that there will be 12 percent more children in the Hebrew education system by 2019 but only 10 percent more in the Arab system. (The Jewish Press, Aug. 6th, 2013)
U.S. EVACUATES YEMENI MISSION, KILLS FOUR MILITANTS IN AIR STRIKE `— (Saana, Yemen) The impoverished Arabian Peninsula nation of Yemen emerged as the epicentre of a new al-Qaeda terror threat Tuesday, as the United States sent in Air Force transports to evacuate embassy staff and urged its citizens to leave. The evacuation of embassy staff followed a suspected U.S. drone strike that killed four alleged al-Qaeda members, hitting their car in Yemen’s Marib province. Yemeni forces tightened their grip on the capital, Sanaa, sending tanks and troops into the streets, surrounding foreign embassies, government offices and the airport. The State Department said it had ordered non-emergency personnel to leave “due to the continued potential for terrorist attacks.” It added that U.S. citizens should leave immediately because of an “extremely high” threat level. (The Globe and Mail, Aug. 06 2013)
FIRE GUTS KENYA'S MAIN AIRPORT, CHOKES REGIONAL GATEWAY —(Nairobi)
A fire engulfed Kenya's main airport on Wednesday, forcing the suspension of international passenger flights and choking a vital travel gateway to east Africa. The country's anti-terror police boss said he did not believe that there was a terror link to the fire even though it coincided with the 15th anniversary of a twin attack by Islamist militants on the United States embassy in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital of neighboring Tanzania. Authorities said they will on Thursday begin preparing the airport's domestic terminal, which escaped the blaze, for handling international flights, using tents to create extra space. (Reuters, Aug 7, 2013)
SAUDI OFFERS RUSSIA DEAL TO SCALE BACK ASSAD SUPPORT— (Amman/Doha) Saudi Arabia has offered Russia economic incentives including a major arms deal and a pledge not to challenge Russian gas sales if Moscow scales back support for Syrian President Bashar Assad. The proposed deal between two of the leading power brokers in Syria's devastating civil war was set out by Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week. Russia has supported Assad with arms and diplomatic cover throughout the war and any change in Moscow's stance would remove a major obstacle to action on Syria by the United Nations Security Council. Syrian opposition sources close to Saudi Arabia said Prince Bandar offered to buy up to $15 billion of Russian weapons as well as ensuring that Gulf gas would not threaten Russia's position as a main gas supplier to Europe. (Jerusalem Post, Aug. 7, 2013)
CANADA ACTIVIST CALLS FOR SHOOTING JERUSALEM JEWS— (Toronto) A Palestinian community leader in Toronto said Israelis should be given a two-minute warning before being shot. Addressing the annual Al-Quds Day rally on Saturday, Elias Hazineh, the former president of Palestine House in suburban Toronto, called for “an ultimatum” to Israelis: “You have to leave Jerusalem. You have to leave Palestine. “We say get out, or you’re dead! We give them two minutes and then we start shooting. And that’s the only way that they will understand,” Hazineh said to cheers from a crowd of approximately 400. The annual rally took place at a park near the grounds of the Ontario capital building. Last week, the sergeant-at-arms of the Legislature denied a permit to hold the rally on the grounds surrounding the building for reasons of “public safety.” (Times of Israel, Aug. 5, 2013)
FORMER SOVIET SPY SEES THE LONG ARM OF THE KGB IN TODAY’S MUSLIM ANTI-SEMITISM— (New York) In his new book Disinformation, Lt. Gen. Ion Pacepa, once the deputy chief of the Romanian intelligence service and one of the highest-ranking Soviet officials to defect to the West, describes a KGB disinformation campaign focused on the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Code-named Operation SIG—an acronym for Sionistskiye Gosudarstva, or Zionist governments—it was designed to seed anti-Semitic antagonism to the United States throughout the Muslim world. By carefully planting false stories about prominent leaders, especially those they feared, they sought to convince the public that the falsehoods were true. And they succeeded again and again. The KGB supplied the books [The Protocols] and was spreading anti-Semitic and anti-Western filth as part of a plan to generate a widespread Muslim revolt. (Tablet, Aug. 7, 2013)
DESPITE CONSTRUCTION SLOWDOWN, SETTLEMENT POPULATION STILL GROWING FAST— (Jerusalem) The first half of 2013 was characterized by an average 2.12 percent population increase in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley, according to population registry data obtained by Israel Hayom. The information suggests that the growth rate is highest in the Har Hebron Regional Council, at 4.8%. On Sunday, the cabinet expanded its list of cities and communities eligible for government subsidies, which included a record number of Judea and Samaria settlements. As of July 1, the Jewish population of Judea and Samaria stood at 367,000 people, a growth of some 7,700 new residents over the last six months. This represents 2.12% population growth, as opposed to an average 1.9% nationwide population growth throughout the country in 2012. (Israel Hayom, Aug. 6, 2013)
10,000 ISLAMIST RADICALS IN GOLAN OPPOSITE ISRAEL-SYRIA BORDER —(Golan Heights) According to Brig. Gen. Tamir Haiman, the outgoing commander of the IDF's 36th Division in the Golan Heights, there is a growing enclave of radical Islamic terror on Israel's border with Syria. In the summer of 2012, the most radical of the rebels, described as al-Qaeda-inspired global jihadists, established an enclave in the southern Golan, the largest of three rebel enclaves opposite the Israeli border. According to Haiman, the number of global jihadist rebels in the southern Golan has gone from a mere 300 to almost 10,000. "They have a clear set of priorities: toppling the Assad regime and making sharia, religious Muslim law, the law of the land in every location of which they wrest control. Israel is currently fairly low on their agenda, but who's to say they can't operate simultaneously and target us too? It's important to keep an eye on them." (Ha’aretz, Aug. 1, 2013)
1,000 JURISTS TO EU: SETTLEMENTS ARE LEGAL — (Jerusalem) A petition, organized by Alan Baker, Israel's former ambassador to Canada, who currently heads the Legal Forum for the Land of Israel's International Action Division, was signed by 1,100 jurists, rabbis and diplomats and sent on July 29 to EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Catherine Ashton and EU foreign ministers, urging them to rescind Brussels' decision to impose financial sanctions on Israeli settlements. The petition deemed the EU's decision "legally flawed," saying it was based on interpretations of international law that do not coincide with the reality on the ground. (Israel Hayom, July 31, 2013 )
IN THE ARAB MIDDLE EAST, SCIENCE LAGS BEHIND THE WEST — (New York)
“Between 1980 and 2000," writes Hillel Ofek in The New Atlantis, "Korea granted 16,328 patents, while nine Arab countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, granted a combined total of only 370, many of them registered by foreigners.” A study in 1989 found that in one year, the United States published 10,481 scientific papers that were frequently cited, while the entire Arab world published only four." According to Pakistani physics professor Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy, the 57 Organization of Islamic Congress “countries have 8.5 scientists, engineers, and technicians per 1,000 population, compared with a world average of 40.7, and 139.3 for countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Forty-six Muslim countries contributed 1.17 percent of the world’s science literature, whereas 1.66 percent came from India alone and 1.48 percent from Spain. Twenty Arab countries contributed 0.55 percent, compared with 0.89 percent by Israel alone.” (Tablet, July 31, 2013)
The Right Moment for Israel’s Danny Danon?: Daniel Pipes, Washington Times August 5, 2013— “Lunacy.” That’s how Danny Danon describes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to hand over 104 killers to the Palestinian Authority as a “good-will gesture.”
Former IDF Intel Chief: US Coming Around to an Israeli Strike On Iran: Haviv Rettig Gur, Times of Israel, Aug. 7, 2013 — Amos Yadlin’s comments follow calls by Iran’s new president for new ‘talks, not threats,’ and demands by Netanyahu for increased pressure and sanctions
A Heart of Gold: Researchers Use Gold Particles to Heal Heart Tissue: Sophie Imas, NoCamels, Aug. 4, 2013 —Heart tissue sustains irreparable damage in the event of a heart attack, since cells in the heart cannot multiply and the cardiac muscle contains few stem cells. If the heart is damaged, the tissue is unable to repair itself – it becomes fibrotic and cannot contract properly. Scientists at Tel Aviv University may have found a new method to restore heart function with the use of gold nanofibers.
Ber Lazarus , Publications Editor Canadian Institute for Jewish Research /L'institut Canadien de recherches sur le Judaïsme www.isranet.org Tel: (514) 486-5544 Fax: (514) 486-82843
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