Flight and Fancy: Mark Steyn, Jewish World Review, July 31, 2017
Netanyahu’s Own Minister Leads Resolution Barring Palestinian State: Jewish Press, July 26, 2017
Stop Infantilizing the Palestinians: David Harris, Times of Israel, July 26, 2017
Sharif's Ouster Is Bad News: Mihir Sharma, Bloomberg, July 28, 2017
WEEKLY QUOTES
“We are fulfilling our historic, political and legal role and providing cover to prevent the Judaization of holy sites, despite the magnitude and difficulty of the challenges.” — Jordan’s King Abdullah II. Abdullah said Amman worked continuously to “contain the ramifications” of Israel’s imposed security measures at the Temple Mount, and to pressure Israel to roll back the installations and “through our common stand with our Palestinian brethren.” Jordan, the custodian of the Temple Mount, and the Palestinians pressured Israel to remove security measures over the course of nearly two weeks of violence, which included a terror attack in which three members of family in the West Bank settlement of Halamish were stabbed to death by a Palestinian. Israel removed the new measures last week, and Muslim worshipers returned to pray at the compound. (Times of Israel, July 29, 2017)
“As is always the case with appeasement, the Israeli retreat will guarantee more demands and more violence aimed at achieving the Palestinian goal of chasing the Jews away from the holy places…Recent events should remind us that the struggle has always been about delegitimizing Jewish rights — both in Jerusalem and the rest of the country — not territory or settlements, let alone security measures. As with the Obama administration’s futile forays in Middle East diplomacy, the Palestinian Authority would expect any US intervention to produce more Israeli concessions like the magnetometer fiasco and not see it as a signal for them to finally accept the legitimacy of a Jewish state. That means more violence aimed at creating more such dilemmas for Netanyahu is a given.” — Jonathan S. Tobin. (New York Post, July 28, 2017)
"During the Temple Mount unrest, Abbas cut security coordination between his forces and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) "Jerusalem is ours. It is our capital and our sovereignty. As long as the situation in occupied Jerusalem does not return to what it was before July 14 [when Israel installed metal detectors], there will be no changes [in our position]," Abbas said…Promoting the lie that the Al-Aqsa Mosque required protection from Israel, Abbas told east Jerusalem Palestinians, "What you did was defend your honor, your religion and your holy sites. It was the true answer to those who wish to harm our holy sites and the principles of our faith. We supported you in what you did and are [still] doing. We decided to suspend the security coordination; [that decision] still holds. We [decided to] defend the holy sites; that still holds as well." The Fatah movement, which runs the Palestinian Authority, added fuel to the fire. With the full knowledge that it was risking new clashes, Fatah's Central Committee called for mass protests." — Yaakov Lappin. (IPT, Aug. 2, 2017)
“Tova Salomon (68, whose husband Yosef and children Chaya and Elad were stabbed to death by a Palestinian terrorist) was hospitalized at Sha'arei Tzedek Medical Centre in Jerusalem. It has a stop on nine municipal bus routes and the Jerusalem light rail. It's a short cab ride from anywhere else in Jerusalem, which is actually a pretty small city compared to, say, Toronto. I'm sure the CBC would have expensed the ride. Yet your correspondent could not be bothered to get off his tuches and go interview Tova Salomon, a short ride away. She gladly spoke to other networks…and she certainly wasn't too hard to find. So who exactly is more ghoulish here? Is it the still-alive Palestinian terrorist who laughed in his victim's face and waved his knife at her before stabbing her, and who is still smirking from his hospital bed? Or is it the 1.3 billion-dollar, publicly funded, television network that whitewashes the murders with something resembling a line score from a baseball game?” — Josh Korn, responding to CBC’s coverage of the violence at Temple Mount. CBC’s headline following the terrorist attack in the Israeli settlement of Halamish in the West Bank read “3 Palestinians, 3 Israelis killed in violence over holy site.”
“Not a whole lot has been accomplished over the last 40 or 50 years…What do we offer that’s unique? I don’t know…I’m sure everyone that’s tried this has been unique in some ways, but again we’re trying to follow very logically. We’re thinking about what the right end-state is. And we’re trying to work with the parties very quietly to see if there’s a solution.” — Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser tasked with leading the Israeli and Palestinian peace effort. Kushner’s private thoughts on the state of the conflict were recorded and shared with WIRED magazine, which released a partial transcript, infuriating the White House. “There may be no solution, but it’s one of the problem sets that the president asked us to focus on,” he added. “So we’re going to focus on it and try to come to the right conclusion in the near future.” Trump has referred to a comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement as the “toughest deal of all,” and assigned the portfolio to Kushner, who has no diplomatic or field experience. (Jerusalem Post, Aug. 1, 2017)
“I know that like the Jewish people, we have always survived. These experiences inspire us to hold onto our culture and identity. And importantly, our experiences drive us to stand up for others who are being persecuted, as you have chosen to do today. This is why I use my voice to speak on behalf of those who are silenced, like the 3,000 women and girls still in the hands of Daesh [ISIS] terrorists. My visit here today is to ask you to recognize the genocide being committed against my people, in light of our peoples’ common history of genocide.” — Yazidi refugee Nadia Murad. Israel’s Knesset held a memorial session in remembrance of the genocide conducted by I.S. against the Yazidis in Iraq. In 2014, Murad was captured by I.S. in her village of Kocho and sold into sex slavery. I.S. murdered six of her brothers and held her captive for months. Murad managed to escape, found her way to a refugee camp and now is one of more than a thousand Yazidis accepted into a refugee asylum program in Germany. “We Yazidis are a peaceful people. Never in our 5,000 year history have we fought and killed others. But our peacefulness has not served us well,” Murad stated. ”We have faced 74 massacres, often motivated by extreme interpretations of Islam. And I’m afraid this genocide, the one that continues today, will be complete, if we are not able to return to our homeland. Yazidis strive for, but are given no say, in deciding the future of our homeland.” (United With Israel, July 25, 2017)
“Depending on how heavy a warhead it carries, this latest North Korean missile would easily reach the West Coast of the United States with a range of 9,000 to 10,000 kilometers…With this missile, North Korea leaves no doubt that its missile has a range that covers most of the United States.” — Kim Dong-yub, an analyst at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University in Seoul. North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile on Friday that, for the first time, appeared capable of reaching the West Coast of the U.S., according to experts. The launch was the second of an intercontinental missile in 24 days. The Pentagon confirmed only that the missile was an ICBM, which means that it was capable of traveling at least 5,500 kilometers, or about 3,400 miles. (New York Times, July 28, 2017)
“They don’t intimidate me. The threats and sanctions of the empire don’t intimidate me for a moment…I don’t listen to orders from the empire, not now or ever … Bring on more sanctions, Donald Trump.” — Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro. Two of Venezuela’s leading opposition figures were taken from their homes by state security agents, in Maduro’s first moves against his enemies since a widely denounced vote giving his government nearly unlimited powers. Washington has added Maduro to a growing list of Venezuelan officials targeted by financial sanctions, escalating a tactic that has so far failed to alter his socialist government’s behaviour. For now, the Trump administration has not delivered on threats to sanction Venezuela’s oil industry, which could undermine Maduro’s government but raise U.S. gas prices and deepen the humanitarian crisis here. (National Post, Aug. 1, 2017)
“I am not saying we shouldn’t be trading with Saudi Arabia. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be engaging with Saudi Arabia. I’m just saying we shouldn’t be selling any more arms to Saudi Arabia…I don’t think we should be [undertaking] arms sales with a country that is engaged in major human-rights violations.” — Irwin Cotler, former Liberal cabinet minister and human-rights lawyer. Cotler says Saudi Arabia’s apparent deployment of Canadian-made combat vehicles against Saudi citizens demonstrates why Canada should end all arms sales to Saudi Arabia. The Saudis appear to have deployed combat machines made by Terradyne Armored Vehicles, based in Newmarket, Ont., in an escalating conflict with Shia militants in the Mideast country. (Globe & Mail, Aug. 1, 2017)
“The story of the nine-day evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force…is a tale of such extraordinary heroism, luck and intimate proximity to utter disaster that it would carry any film.” — Andrew Roberts, on the new blockbuster WWII epic Dunkirk. Despite “clichéd characterization, almost total lack of dialogue, complete lack of historical context” and “a ludicrous subplot,” “Dunkirk” actually “works well,” says Roberts. But the movie “commits a libel on the British armed services in its tin ear for the Anglo-French relations of the time.” Contrary to the film, “there was no discrimination” against French soldiers, “and to suggest there was injects false nationalist tension.” But what Dunkirk gets right “is the superb spirit of the British people in overcoming hatred, resentment and fury with calmness, courage and good humor.” (New York Post, July 28, 2017)
SHORT TAKES
CLASHES ERUPT AT TEMPLE MOUNT AS MUSLIM WORSHIPERS RETURN TO SITE (Jerusalem) — Thousands of Muslim worshipers entered the Temple Mount on Thursday for the first time in two weeks, and clashes erupted between Palestinians and Israeli security forces at the compound. 10 police officers were injured in the ensuing clashes, and some 115 Palestinians were treated for injuries. After Israel removed the metal detectors around the compound installed by police after a July 14 terror attack, Palestinians were given the all-clear by PA President Abbas and Muslim religious authorities to end their boycott of the holy site. Since the terror attack, the Palestinians had demanded Israel remove all the security measures introduced at the site. (Times of Israel, July 27, 2017)
ISRAELI MAN WOUNDED BY TERRORIST IN STABBING AT SUPERMARKET (Yavne) — An Israeli man was seriously wounded on Wednesday when he was stabbed by a Palestinian terrorist at a Shufersal supermarket in the central Israeli city of Yavne. The terrorist, 19, is from the West Bank city of Nablus, the Israel Police said. Unconfirmed reports said the terrorist was an employee at the supermarket. Civilians at the scene of the attack subdued the terrorist, with some kicking him while he lay on the ground. The victim, 43, also reportedly a Shufersal employee, was rushed to the Kaplan Medical Center in the nearby city of Rehovot with multiple severe stab wounds in his upper body. (Algemeiner, Aug. 2, 2017)
JAFFA TENSIONS WORSEN, VEHICLES SET ABLAZE (Tel Aviv) — Garbage cans and vehicles were set ablaze Monday in Jaffa, as tensions continue to strain following the police shooting of an Arab suspect, which sparked protests over police discrimination and use of excessive force. Five Jaffa residents aged 16-25 were arrested on suspicion of setting fire to garbage cans. In addition, two vehicles were set on fire in the Ajami neighborhood. It is still unclear who perpetrated the arson attack. On Saturday, violence erupted during the funeral of the 22-year-old man who was shot to death during a police chase. The funeral procession rapidly turned into a demonstration staged by the family and local residents, who accused police officers of being trigger happy when their gun was pointed at Arabs. (Ynet, July 31, 2017)
PALESTINIAN TERRORIST TO BE PAID MORE THAN U.S.$3,120 A MONTH (Ramallah) — On July 21, a Omar al-Abed entered the home of a Jewish family in the West Bank settlement of Halamish and killed Yosef Salomon his daughter Chaya and son Elad. As a result of his attack, the assailant will now be paid more than U.S.$3,120 a month by the Palestinian government. For over 50 years, the PLO and the Palestinian Authority have been making financial payments to Palestinian terrorists, prisoners and their families. It was in 1965 when Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat established the Society for the Care of the Families of Martyrs (SAMED) that these payments started. Today, the PA is responsible for administering the disbursement of these funds, which are funneled through the National Palestinian Fund (NPF). (National Post, Aug. 1, 2017)
PALESTINIAN MURDERS ONE PERSON IN GERMANY (Hamburg) — Authorities in Hamburg announced that a Palestinian asylum-seeker went on a terrorist spree, resulting in the murder of a man and injuries to six people. Officials had been aware that the 26-year-old Ahmad A. was an Islamist. Eyewitnesses said Ahmad shouted “Allahu akbar” during the attack. Media reported that Ahmad was born in the United Arab Emirates. Also in Germany, two people were killed and several injured after a gunman opened fire at a nightclub in Konstanz on Sunday. The attacker hasn't been named yet but is believed to be a 34-year-old Iraqi citizen who had lived in Germany for several years. (Jerusalem Post, July 29, 2017)
500 DEFENDANTS APPEAR IN COURT FOR TURKEY'S BIGGEST COUP TRIAL (Ankara) — Almost 500 defendants appeared in a Turkish court in the largest mass trial yet for people accused of taking part in last year’s failed coup attempt against President Erdogan. The 486 suspects are accused masterminding the coup effort from an airbase outside Ankara, where fighter jets took off to bomb the Turkish parliament and where senior military officers loyal to the government were held prisoner. More than 50,000 people have been arrested by the Turkish government since last year’s coup attempt. The 486 defendants are accused of a variety of crimes but most face life in prison if they are convicted. Seven people are being tried in absentia in the case, including Fethullah Gulen, the exiled Islamist cleric who Turkey accuses of masterminding the coup. (Telegraph, Aug. 1, 2017)
ABBASI CHOSEN AS INTERIM PAKISTAN PM (Islamabad) — Pakistani lawmakers elected former minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, an ally of ousted leader Nawaz Sharif, to replace him. A quick transition may ease fears that the nuclear-armed nation will be plunged into another bout of political turmoil. Sharif resigned on Friday after the Supreme Court disqualified him for not declaring a source of income — which the three-time premier disputes receiving. He nominated staunch ally Abbasi as interim leader until his brother, Shahbaz, becomes eligible to take over, probably within two months. Pakistan's next general election is expected in the summer of 2018. (CBC, Aug. 1, 2017)
AFGHAN MOSQUE SUICIDE BOMBING CLAIMED BY I.S. (Kabul) — So-called Islamic State (IS) has said it was behind an explosion at a mosque in the Afghan city of Herat that killed dozens of people on Tuesday. Two terrorists carried out the "commando" attack, the IS-affiliated news agency Amaq said. Authorities said the death toll had risen to 33. The blast, which struck the Jawadia mosque, coincided with evening prayers. Both attackers – a suicide bomber and a terrorist armed with a firearm – died. Authorities in Herat said that a further 66 people were injured in the attack. The incident took place one day after a battle at the Iraqi embassy in the capital, Kabul, which also saw gunmen launch an assault following a suicide explosion. IS said it had carried out that attack. (BBC, Aug. 2, 2017)
SAUDIS SEEK DISMISSAL OF 9/11 LAWSUIT (Riyadh) — Saudi Arabia petitioned a U.S. judge to drop a pending $100 billion lawsuit filed by the families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Saudi Arabia said claims against the gulf nation were based on hearsay and speculation with no real proof it caused the attacks by aiding terrorists. The U.S. Congress voted in 2016 to override Obama’s veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, legislation that made it easier for the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for damages. Obama had opposed the bill, arguing that it would make U.S. officials targets to similar lawsuits. After Saudi Arabia’s filing this week, a group representing 9/11 families and survivors said there's overwhelming evidence against the kingdom. (Fox News, Aug. 1, 2017)
AUSTRALIAN POLICE THWART TERRORIST PLOT (Sydney) — Police disrupted a terrorist plot to bring down an airplane and arrested four men on Saturday in raids on homes in several Sydney suburbs. The Australian Federal Police Commissioner said details were scant on the specifics of the attack, the location and timing. The plot was the 13th significant threat disrupted by police since Australia's terrorist threat level was elevated in 2014, Justice Minister Michael Keenan said. Five plots have been executed. Australian media reported that 40 riot squad officers wearing gas masks stormed an inner-Sydney house before an explosives team found a suspicious device. Police declined to say whether a fully equipped improvised explosive device had been found at that address. (Telegraph, July 30, 2017)
CONGRESSMAN DEMANDS INVESTIGATION INTO IRAN FUNDING OF UNIVERSITIES (New York) — A New York congressman is urging the US Education Secretary to investigate the funneling of millions of dollars by an Iranian foundation to Ivy League universities, including Harvard, Columbia and Princeton. Critics say the NYC-based Alavi Foundation has funded anti-Israel and pro-Iran academics. The Alavi Foundation says that its goals are to promote Persian culture and insists that it operates independently of the Iranian government. But in June, a jury determined that the foundation was controlled by the Tehran regime following the culmination of a legal battle. The Alavi Foundation’s figures for its donations to universities show that some of America’s most renowned universities were recipients of six-figure sums, with Harvard awarded over $600,000. (Algemeiner, Aug. 1, 2017)
SUNDAY TIMES FIRES WRITER OVER ANTISEMITIC ARTICLE (London) — The Sunday Times of London has fired the writer of an article denouncing the campaign by women of the BBC for equal pay after the column sparked accusations that it was antisemitic and misogynistic. The move came after the article, by Kevin Myers, an Irish journalist, was pulled from its website and the editor of The Sunday Times apologized. Framing his piece as an attack on the push to close the pay gap at the BBC, Myers wrote: “I note that two of the best-paid women presenters in the BBC — Claudia Winkelman and Vanessa Feltz…are Jewish. Good for them. Jews are not generally noted for their insistence on selling their talent for the lowest possible price, which is the most useful measure there is of inveterate, lost-with-all-hands stupidity.” The article was widely condemned on social media. (New York Times, July 30, 2017)
CALIFORNIA IMAM APOLOGIZES FOR ‘HURTFUL’ SERMON (Anaheim) — A California imam has apologized to the Jewish community for giving a “hurtful” sermon that many interpreted as antisemitic. Ammar Shahin, imam of the Islamic Center of Davis (ICD), made headlines earlier this month after a translation by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a nonprofit Middle East press translator, said he called for the annihilation of Jews. He was quoted as saying, “Oh Allah, liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews. … Count them one by one and annihilate them down to the very last one.” His apology comes after increased pressure from local religious and political groups, including the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). (Washington Times, July 31, 2017)
JEWISH SUMMER CAMP APOLOGIZES AFTER FLYING PALESTINIAN FLAG (Seattle) — A popular Jewish summer camp raised a Palestinian flag alongside their Israeli flag, sparking controversy. Camp Solomon Schechter, located near Olympia, WA, has been a destination for young Jewish campers for decades. The camp hosted a delegation from the organization Kids4Peace. The visitors included 14 campers from Israel and Seattle; one third Jewish, one third Muslim, and one third Christian. The camp raised a Palestinian flag in what they said was a gesture of "friendship and acceptance". Community members responded, and camp administration issued a formal apology: "Camp Solomon Schechter regrets raising the Palestinian flag…We neglected to foresee in such actions the serious political implications, and for that lapse in judgement we are deeply sorry." (Jerusalem Post, July 31, 2017)
26 VENEZUELAN JEWS ARRIVE IN ISRAEL (Tel Aviv) — Twenty-six Jews from Venezuela immigrated to Israel as part of a surge of Jews fleeing the South American country’s unrest. According to a spokesman for The Fellowship, the organization has brought 200 immigrants from Venezuela to Israel, “We provide each family or single person with a plane ticket, and a grant that is given on the day they land in Israel of $800 per adult and $400 per child,” he said. (JNS, July 26, 2017)
TWO ISRAELI SATELLITES LAUNCHED TO SPACE (Tel Aviv) — The Venus agricultural monitoring and environmental research satellite, built for the Israeli and French space agencies, and the advanced observation Optsat 3000 satellite, intended for use by the Italian Ministry of Defense, were launched to space from French Guinea this week. The two satellites, developed and constructed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), both entered successfully into orbit. The satellites were launched using a Vega launcher, which weighs 137 tons and is 30 meters high. Venus is Israel’s first environmental research satellite. The satellite will photograph recurring areas of Israel and the world and provide researchers with dozens of daily photos, each one covering some 760 km2. (Ynet, Aug. 2, 2017)
Flight and Fancy: Mark Steyn, Jewish World Review, July 31, 2017—Last week Imran Awan, the principal IT aide to former DNC honcho Debbie Wasserman Schultz, was arrested at Dulles Airport attempting to flee the country. "IT" means information technology, as in computers, as in hacking, as in what the Democrats insist happened to the election.
Netanyahu’s Own Minister Leads Resolution Barring Palestinian State: Jewish Press, July 26, 2017—In Israeli rightwing politics this is known as putting a hoop on the prime minister: passing an extremely blunt resolution with a gigantic majority so that he has a hard time moving to the left—as Likud prime ministers have a tendency to do.
Stop Infantilizing the Palestinians: David Harris, Times of Israel, July 26, 2017—It’s high time for the international community to wake up to certain Palestinian realities that many would rather avoid.
Sharif's Ouster Is Bad News: Mihir Sharma, Bloomberg, July 28, 2017— In Pakistan’s 70 years of existence, not one prime minister has served a full five-year term. They’ve been fired by governor-generals and army chiefs and judges.
