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Media-ocrity of the Week
“For those who don’t know the word, treif is Yiddish for ‘not kosher,’ and these nostrils have been detecting a whiff of something distinctly un-kosher at the New York Times lately. For the past several weeks at least, the Gray Lady has run an inordinate number of feature and general interest articles…about the Jewish community.… As noted by studies done by such organizations as CAMERA and HonestReporting…[the Times] has long been heavily biased against Israel.… So, what are we to make of this recent spate of Jew-centered copy, this kissing up to the Jewish community?… The answer, my friends, lies, I suspect, in circulation numbers. I have heard and read of too many Jews cancelling the Times due to its anti-Israel biases.… Could it be that the sudden solicitousness is an attempt to woo back Jewish readers? If wooing back Jews is their goal, it isn’t working.…”—Excerpts from an American Thinker article, entitled Smelling ‘Treif’ at the New York Times, suggesting that the recent reversal of the Times’ anti-Israel bias is the result of a markedly declining Jewish readership. (American Thinker, April 26.)
Weekly Quotes
“In 1938, the leaders of Britain, France and Germany met in Munich to decide the fate of Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia was not invited. The three conferees agreed to strip the targeted nation of the Sudetenland…and transfer that territory to German control. This deprived the victim state not simply of land but of those areas—mountainous, fortifiable—necessary for Czechoslovakia to defend itself. Today, the same three nations are doing the same vis-a-vis Israel. They are discarding UN Security Council Resolution 242, passed unanimously in the wake of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and since then the cornerstone for all Middle East negotiations. They are ignoring the language of the resolution and the explicit declarations of its authors that Israel should not be forced to return to the pre-1967 armistice lines; that those lines left defense of the country too precarious and should be replaced by ‘secure and recognized boundaries.…’ In the wake of the 1938 Munich agreement, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declared, of course, that the parties had achieved ‘peace in our time.’ But Britain and France also offered solemn promises that, should Germany unexpectedly violate the agreement and move against what remained of Czechoslovakia, they would come to the rump nation’s defense. Less than six months after Munich, Hitler conquered the rest of Czechoslovakia. Britain and France did nothing.”—Excerpts from Kenneth Levin’s article, entitled The Munich Three Find Their Target: Israel, describing the parallels between Britain, France, and Germany’s unilateral decision in 1938 to strip Czechoslovakia of its Sudetenland and transfer it to German control, and the three countries’ present consideration to force Israel to withdraw to the “1967 borders” as part of a future peace agreement with the Palestinians. (FrontPage Blog, April 27.)
“We’ll have to take care of our interests. We’ll have to take protect ourselves. If such a thing happens, I’m going to suggest to my government to extend out sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and over the highly-populated blocs we have in Judea and Samaria, just to start with.”—Israel’s Minister of National Infrastructure, Dr. Uzi Landau, warning that in the event of a unilateral United Nations declaration of a Palestinian state, he will call upon the Israeli government to annex the Jordan Valley and large, Jewish population blocs in the West Bank. Ideas about annexing parts of the West Bank have been gaining traction in the Knesset in recent weeks as the Palestinian Authority continues threatening to declare a state unilaterally in September.Discussing the possibility of annexing Israeli settlements Likud MK Danny Danon affirmed that “A Palestinian declaration of statehood would officially bury the Oslo Accords, which state that final borders will be decided via negotiations and that unilateral actions constitute violation of the accords. The Palestinians declaring a state would free us of all the diplomatic, security, and economic commitments we made in the Oslo Accords.”(Jerusalem Post, April 26.)
“Washington’s stance on political change in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries has done little to alter overall views of the U.S. Nearly eight-in-ten Egyptians have an unfavorable opinion of the U.S.… Most continue to express negative views about President Obama, with more than six-in-ten saying they do not have confidence in him to do the right thing with regard to world affairs.… Egyptian views on relations with Israel are starker: A majority says the 1979 peace treaty that made Egypt the first Arab country to officially recognize Israel should be annulled.”—Excerpts from a Pew Research Center poll, entitled U.S. Wins No Friends, End of Treaty With Israel Sought, describing Egyptians’ unfavorable views towards (Pew Research Center, April 25.)
“It is worth seeing at least a few seconds [of the video] to get a flavor of what is going on in Syria. What makes it truly wrenching is that the people are shouting ‘Salmiyeh,’ which…is Arabic for ‘peaceful.…’ But of course Bashar Assad’s goons don’t care about that. Imagine the kind of monsters who open fire on peaceful demonstrators. Given that the U.S. launched a military intervention in Libya to prevent such slaughter from occurring in Benghazi, what, I wonder, will we do about these atrocities in Syria where more than a hundred people have been killed this weekend alone? No one is advocating military intervention, but why aren’t we leading an international push to sanction the Assad regime, to freeze its assets, and to bring war crimes charges against its leaders? Why, at the very least, aren’t we recalling our ambassador from Damascus? How can President Obama champion the rights of Tunisians, Egyptians, Libyans—and turn his back on the people of Syria who are in open revolt against one of the region’s most anti-American dictators? Perhaps if the president watches this video clip, he will be spurred into action.”—Excerpts from Max Boot’s Contentions article, describing a YouTube video which shows peaceful Syrian demonstrators being shot down by security forces loyal to president Bashar Asaad, and criticizing the Obama administration’s hypocritical Syria policy.
“There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. If you go to the supermarket, there are products. There are restaurants and a nice beach.”—Mathilde Redmatn, deputy director of the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip, contrasting her present work in Gaza, in which there is no humanitarian crisis, with her previous experiences in impoverished Congo and Columbia. Discussing the Red Cross’ ongoing failure to obtain visitation rights to captured Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, Redmatn affirmed that “When a person’s freedom is taken away, he deserves at least contact with his family. We will continue to ask but we do not have the capability to force anything on Hamas.… Hamas is afraid of the IDF’s advanced technological capabilities and believes that allowing contact will lead to the location of Gilad.” (Independent Media Review and Analysis, April 20.)
“Egypt will never allow that the relations between Tehran and Cairo and also its internal affairs come under the influence or pressure of a foreign side. Egypt will open a new chapter in its relations with all the world countries, including Iran, based on mutual interests and will never be restricted to the limitations imposed by the former regime.”—Egyptian Government Spokesman Ahmed Al Saman, confirming that Egypt is planning to resume relations with Iran, and stressing that no external sources can pressure Cairo into changing the decision. (Independent Media Review and Analysis, April 25.)
“Instead of marching as a contingent in the parade this year, QuAIA will focus its Pride Week activities on hosting a community event to raise awareness of Israeli apartheid.”—Excerpt from a statement released by the Toronto chapter of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA.), confirming the anti-Israel group’s decision not to partake in this year’s Toronto Gay Pride Parade, yet reinforcing its commitment to “pressure the Israeli government to comply with international law through the campaign for boycotts, divestments and sanctions.” The statement comes after Toronto Mayor Rob Ford announced that his administration would slash more than $100,000 in city funds for Toronto Gay Pride Week events if the QuAIA was involved. “Taxpayers dollars should not go toward funding hate speech,” Ford said. “If they don’t march in the parade, they get their money. If they do march, they won’t get their money. That’s what [city] council [has] agreed to.” (Jerusalem Post, April 26.)
“In Libya, the problem is accentuated by the fact that it’s anybody’s guess who will be running the country after Colonel Qaddafi is gone. Thus the huge resistance in the Pentagon to giving any kind of lethal weaponry to the rebels, at least until someone can figure out who they are.… So far, the United States is providing uniforms and canteens to the rebels, [U.S. Secretary of Defense] Mr. Gates said last week, adding with a knowing smile, ‘I’m not worried about our canteen technology falling into the wrong hands.’”—Excerpts from David E. Sanger’s NY Times editorial, entitled Letting Others Lead in Libya, attributing U.S. president Barack Obama’s “lack of commitment” to the war in Libya to the administration’s unfamiliarity with Libyan rebel forces, and its failure to outline a strategic goal prior to “half-heartedly” entering the conflict.” (NY Times, April 23.)
“The continued existence of Lebanese…militias undermines the rights of every Lebanese citizen to live without fear of physical harm and the consolidation of Lebanon as a democratic state and the stability of the country and the region. It is also incompatible with the objective of strengthening Lebanon’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and political independence.”—UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in his annual report on Lebanon, denouncing Hezbollah’s ongoing refusal to denounce terrorism itself, and reinforcing the need to implement Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls for “the disbanding and disarming” of all non-state factions in Lebanon. Hezbollah has repeatedly refused to turn over its arms, claiming they are used for “defensive purposes against Israel.” (Jerusalem Post, April 22.)
Short Takes
FATAH AND HAMAS REACH DEAL TO END SCHISM—(Jerusalem) According to Egyptian and Palestinian officials, Fatah and Hamas have reached understandings to end the years-long internal Palestinian division. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that delegations led by Azzam al-Ahmed of Fatah and Moussa Abu Marzouk of Hamas agreed in Cairo on issues including the formation of a temporary unity government, and the holding of Palestinian elections. Relations between Fatah and Hamas ruptured in 2007 when Hamas seized full control of Gaza. (NY Times, April 27.)
PLO DENOUNCES US CONGRESS BILL ON GOLDSTONE REPORT—(Ramallah) The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has denounced the unanimous passing of a U.S. Congress bill, which calls on the United Nations to cancel the Goldstone Report. The bill was introduced days after Judge Richard Goldstone admitted that Israel had not deliberately targeted civilians during Operation Cast Lead. The Congressional bill also calls on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to make changes to the current structure of the Human Rights Council, to neutralize the body’s blatant anti-Israel bias. The PLO is arguing that the bill legitimizes the killing of Palestinian civilians. (Independent Media Review and Analysis, April 19.)
HUNDREDS RALLY OUTSIDE ISRAELI CONSULATE IN ALEXANDRIA—(Jerusalem) Hundreds of Egyptians have staged a rally in front of the Israeli consulate in Alexandria, demanding that the Israeli ambassador be expelled. According to Arab newspapers, the “democracy-seeking” protestors burned Israeli flags, and handed out fliers calling for third intifada to be held on May 15. Demonstrators also held signs reading “Gaza, my only love”, and “Millions of martyrs are marching to Jerusalem”. According to Revolution Youth Coalition member Muhammad Wafani, the “activists” came together to denounce the “racist” removal of a Facebook page supporting the Palestinian intifada. (Ynet News, April 15.)
EGYPTIAN PANEL LIFTS DEATH TOLL IN PROTESTS—(Cairo) According to an Egyptian fact-finding committee, 846 Egyptians were killed during the 18 days of protests that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in February. In its report, the committee of judges, legal experts and human-rights activists leveled ultimate responsibility for the killings on Mr. Mubarak and his deputies in Egypt’s Ministry of Interior. The committee serves only in an advisory capacity and does not have legal authority to make arrests. (Wall Street Journal, April 20.)
IRAN DISCOVERS 2ND CYBER ATTACK—(Tehran) According to Iran’s commander of civil defense, the country has been targeted by a second computer virus. Gholamreza Jalali told the semi-official Mehr news agency that the new virus, called “Stars”, was being investigated by experts, but did not specify the target of Stars or its intended impact. Last year, Iran revealed that its computers becameinfected by the Stuxnet worm, which is widely believed to have slowed its nuclear progress. Jalali is urging Tehran to take action against the enemies waging cyber war on Iran. (Reuters, April 25.)
US: ASSAD NO LONGER POTENTIAL PEACE PARTNER FOR ISRAEL—(Washington) After two years of pushing Israel to reach an agreement with Syria, a top U.S. State Department official has confirmed that the Obama administration no longer considers Syrian President Bashar Assad as a potential peace partner. Jacob Sullivan, director of policy planning at the State Department, also indicated that the U.S. is considering imposing sanctions on Syrian leaders to halt the government’s bloody crackdown on protestors, which has reportedly killed more than four hundred people. Despite ongoing attacks on civilians by government forces, Sullivan said that the U.S. would not withdraw its newly installed Ambassador to Syria, and stressed the importance of continuing to “engage” with Syria. (Jerusalem Post, April 27.)
HEZBOLLAH TERROR ATTACK ON ISRAELIS ABROAD ‘IS IMMINENT’—(Jerusalem) According to Israeli security sources, Hezbollah is planning a terrorist attack against Israelis abroad within days, to avenge the 2008 assassination of its field commander, Imad Mughniyeh. Hezbollah has repeatedly vowed revenge since Mughniyeh was killed, and has reportedly attempted to carry out attacks in Azerbaijan, Thailand, Sinai and Turkey. In February, the Israeli Counter-Terrorism Bureau warned against traveling to these locations, in addition to Georgia, Armenia, the Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania and Venezuela. The latest warning of an imminent attack did not include mention of potential locations. (Jerusalem Post, April 21.)
IRAQ TROOP TALKS FALTER—(Washington) According to reports, senior U.S. and Iraqi military officials are negotiating the possibility of keeping some 10,000 American troops in Iraq beyond the scheduled withdrawal of all U.S. forces at year’s end. Top U.S. military officials believe that leaving a sizeable force in Iraq could bolster stability in the country, and U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and Israel have voiced the concern that a total U.S. pull out could allow Iran to extend its regional influence. The troop discussions have faltered in recent weeks due to Iraqi worries that a continued U.S. military presence could fuel sectarian tension and lead to protests similar to those sweeping other Arab countries. (Wall Street Journal, April 22.)
U.S. SENDS DRONES TO LIBYA, BATTLE RAGES FOR MISRATA—(Misrata) The United States has started using armed drones against Muammar Gaddafi’s troops in Libya, amidst an intensifying battle for the city Misrata, the rebels’ last major bastion in the West of the country. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed that Gaddafi’s forces were carrying out “vicious attacks” on Misrata and might have used cluster bombs against civilians; hundreds are believed to have died during the city’s siege. Rebel fighters, who have voiced frustration with an international military operation they view as too cautious, welcomed the deployment of U.S. unmanned aircraft. The U.S. plans to maintain two patrols of armed Predators above Libya at any given time. (Reuters, April 21.)
DONOR STATES TO PA CONDEMN PROVOCATIVE FLOTILLAS TO GAZA—(Jerusalem) The donor states to the Palestinian Authority have condemned all attempts to send uncoordinated aid flotillas to Gaza, and has called on the international community to use land terminals to the Strip to avoid provoking Israel. The statement comes amidst increasing concern in Israel regarding plans to send another large flotilla to Gaza in late May, to mark one year since the IDF raided the Turkish Mavi Marmara, which resulted in the death of nine people. The conference statement also praised Israel for easing the process of allowing goods into Gaza. (Haaretz, April 17.)
CORFU JEWS MOURN LOSS OF TORAH SCROLLS IN WAKE OF ATTACK—(Jerusalem) Arsonists have broken into Corfu’s lone synagogue, and set fire to prayer books and Torah scrolls, some of which were hundreds of years old. “It’s very difficult for us,” said Rabbi Shlomo Naftali, an Israeli rabbi who was flown to Greece to conduct Passover ceremonies. “We stood around the books and cried.” Most members of the Jewish community of Corfu, whose history dates back to antiquity, were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Today, there are fewer than 100 Jews left on the Greek island. (Jerusalem Post, April 20.)
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO REQUIRE KOSHER MEAT LABELING—(New York) A European Parliament committee has approved a bill that would require meat that was not stunned before slaughter to be labeled as such. The amendment to the new European Union food labeling bill passed by a vote of 34 to 28. Animals being slaughtered for kosher consumption cannot be pre-stunned, which goes against the laws of shechita, or kosher slaughter. The organization Shechita UK claims that the price of kosher meat could skyrocket because the non-kosher market, which purchases 70 percent of kosher meat, might stop buying it because of the labeling. The food information bill will come before the entire European Parliament for a second reading and vote in July. (JTA, April 24.)
WOMAN MAKES ALIYA AT AGE 100—(Jerusalem) At the sprightly age of 100, Judith Brodkin is the oldest person ever to immigrate to Israel. Brodkin turned 100 last September, a full five years beyond the next oldest immigrant, 95-year-old Zelda Weiner, who made aliya last July. Asked whether she was proud to be an Israeli citizen after all these years, she remarked “Absolutely. I did it because I wanted to do it. That’s it.” (Jerusalem Post, April 21.)
