Wednesday’s “News in Review” Round-Up

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Contents:  Weekly Quotes |  Short Takes | On Topic Links

 

 

On Topic Links  

 

Duplicitous Abbas Comes out of the Closet: Isi leibler, Candidly Speaking, Oct. 1, 2014

Post-Arab Spring, Hisham Melhem Fears ‘Arab Civilization Has Collapsed’ (Interview): CBC, Sept. 30, 2014

Obama Needs to Call Bush: Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal, Sept. 29, 2014

The Yom Kippur Fast: Dry Bones Blog, Oct. 1, 2014

 

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, the people of Israel pray for peace, but our hopes and the world’s hopes for peace are in danger because everywhere we look militant Islam is on the march. It’s not militants. It’s not Islam. It’s militant Islam. And typically its first victims are other Muslims, but it spares no one: Christians, Jews, Yazidis, Kurds. No creed, no faith, no ethnic group is beyond its sights. And it’s rapidly spreading in every part of the world. You know the famous American saying, all politics is local? For the militant Islamists, all politics is global, because their ultimate goal is to dominate the world,” —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing the 2014 UN General Assembly. Netanyahu also took aim at Iran’s President Hassan Rohani, who addressed the UN last week: “…Rouhani stood here…and shed crocodile tears over what he called the globalization of terrorism. Maybe he should spare us those phony tears and have a word instead with the commanders of Iran’s revolutionary guards. He could ask them to call off Iran’s global terror campaign, which has included attacks in two dozen countries on five continents since 2011 alone.” It was not a speech entirely bereft of hope. He reached out “to Cairo, to Amman, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and elsewhere” and asserted that a rapprochement with Israel by such Arab players could in turn yield a peace agreement with the Palestinians. (Ha’aretz, Sept. 29, 2014)

 

“Netanyahu…always places the focus first and foremost on security. He sees his historic role as leader of Israel not necessarily as being the one who will bring peace, but rather the one who will ensure the country’s security, even if it means taking positions unpopular around the world to do so. One such position may be his signal Monday that he now prefers partnership with the Arab world as a way to reach some kind of accommodation with the Palestinians, rather than negotiations and peace with the Palestinians as the ticket to rapprochement with the Arab world,” —Herb Keinon, commenting on Netanyahu’s speech at the UN. (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 30, 2014)

 

“It is impossible and I repeat — it is impossible — to return to the cycle of negotiations that failed to deal with the substance of the matter and the fundamental question,” —Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, addressing the UN General Assembly on Friday. Abbas, reading from a prepared text but visibly enraged, said that “the time has come to end this settlement occupation.” Abbas accused Israel of failing to negotiate in good faith, saying any return to negotiations would be “naïve at best,” and called on the Security Council to press for a specific deadline to end Israeli occupation. “In the name of Palestine and its people, I affirm here today: We will not forget and we will not forgive, and we will not allow war criminals to escape punishment,” Abbas said in his 30-minute address. He also described the Israeli “occupation” as “an abhorrent form of state terrorism and a breeding ground for incitement, tension and hatred.” (New York Times, Sept. 26, 2014)

 

“A nuclear agreement could begin a multi-generational process that could lead to a new relationship between our countries,” —Philip Gordon, the White House coordinator for the Middle East, in a speech Saturday to the National Iranian American Council. “Iran could begin to reduce tensions with its neighbors and return to its rightful place in the community of nations.” Gordon made clear that Iran had much to do beyond reach a nuclear deal in order to remove its pariah status, but his casting a nuclear deal as part of a normalization process and not an end in itself represented a shift. At the outset of nuclear talks between the major powers and Iran in January, U.S. officials were adamant that the only relief Iran should expect from such a deal was the removal of sanctions. Gordon said that the United States in its talks with Iran had made clear that it regarded Iran as “irresponsible” and “destabilizing” in its backing for Hezbollah and other actions, but also suggested that a nuclear deal trumped other concerns. “The nuclear issue is too important to subordinate to a complete transformation of Iran internally,” he said. (JTA, Sept. 28, 2014)

 

“[National Intelligence Director] Jim Clapper has acknowledged that I think they underestimated . . . what had been taking place in Syria,” —U.S. President Barack Obama, in an interview Sunday on CBS’s “60 Minutes.”  In an about-face from earlier remarks that likened I.S. to a terrorist “JV team,” Obama admitted that the U.S. failed to recognize the threat posed by I.S. and mistakenly relied on the hapless Iraqi army to combat them. Obama’s comments marked his bluntest acknowledgment that the U.S. bungled the initial response to I.S., which American-led planes began bombing inside Syria this month. Asked about the US carrying the weight of the anti-I.S. effort despite it being described as an international coalition, Obama said, “[T]hat’s always the case. America leads. We are the indispensable nation. We have capacity no one else has. Our military is the best in the history of the world. And when trouble comes up anywhere in the world, they don’t call Beijing. They don’t call Moscow. They call us,” the president said, adding: “That’s the deal … that’s how we roll. And that’s what makes this America.” (New York Post, Sept. 28, 2014)   

 

“At some point, somebody’s boots have to be on the ground,” —U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, indicating that sending in American combat troops into Iraq or Syria could become necessary to eliminate the threat posed by I.S. extremists. President Obama has said he opposes sending in U.S. ground forces to destroy I.S. But Boehner suggested U.S. combat troops might be needed if the international coalition can’t come together to defeat the militants. (Wall Street Journal, Sept. 28, 2014)

 

“ISIS certainly can – and will – be defeated militarily by the international coalition that is now assembling and which the UAE is actively supporting. But military containment is only a partial solution. Lasting peace requires three other ingredients: winning the battle of ideas; upgrading weak governance; and supporting grassroots human development. Such a solution must begin with concerted international political will. Not a single politician in North America, Europe, Africa, or Asia can afford to ignore events in the Middle East. A globalized threat requires a globalized response. Everyone will feel the heat, because such flames know no borders; indeed, ISIS has recruited members of at least 80 nationalities,” —op-ed by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. (Project-Syndicate, Sept. 27, 2014) 

 

“The FBI has been handcuffed in terms of investigating religious extremists in mosques, as a result of guidelines put out by the attorney general earlier this year. And so therefore, there is… a definite problem now in investigating those militants in the United States who are either recruiting for ISIS or have returned from Syria or Iraq having fought for ISIS, and are ready to carry out freelance or directed terrorist attacks on behalf of ISIS against the United States…the Department of Justice [which] put out guidelines that restricted the FBI and other law enforcement agencies from using religious factors in identifying threats, national security threats to the United States in the homeland…we’re seeing ISIS recruiting biophysicists, engineers, social media types, people who have expertise in really carrying out sophisticated terrorist attacks coming back to the United States…There’s one recruiter that [had been]… picked up [in the past], well identified, in Bloomington, Minnesota at the Al Farooq Mosque. There are recruiters going around the country in other mosques, where they identify potential volunteers. They test them out to see if they’re willing to die on behalf of martyrdom of the cause for Allah. Then they give them cash, they provide money for their families in case they die. They give them tickets to go to Turkey. Turkey has allowed them, hundreds, to go through to Syria, then to Iraq. And we [the U.S.] count Turkey as one of our top allies. We haven’t put [many of] them on the terrorism watch list, which we should. So there’s a major disconnect…between what we should be doing to protect the homeland and protect American citizens,” —Steven Emerson, head of The Investigative Project on Terrorism. (American Thinker, Sept. 24, 2014)

 

“It’s utterly irrelevant. It’s a smear campaign…. I don’t honestly see what all this has to do with the Gaza letter. I have no plans to retract the letter, and I would not retract the letter even if it was found to be substantiated,” —Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet. Although Horton has withstood past criticism for publishing political tracts and pseudo-scientific articles, particularly one-sided attacks against Israel, he is now faced with his most serious crisis. A recent publication of NGO Monitor’s report shows that Dr. Paola Manduca and Dr. Swee Ang – two of the main authors of an “Open Letter for the People of Gaza” published in the Lancet – are promoting David Duke, the notorious American racist and a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Among their other radical activities, Manduca and Swee Ang sent out emails endorsing one of Duke’s pathologically antisemitic videos entitled, “CNN Goldman Sachs & the Zio-Matrix.” (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 29, 2014)

 

“In the Middle East today, there is one country where Christianity is not only not persecuted, but affectionately granted freedom of expression, freedom of worship and security,”—Father Gabriel Naddaf, A Greek Orthodox priest from Israel. “It is Israel, the Jewish state. Israel is the only place where Christians in the Middle East are safe,” he added. Father Naddaf defended the Jewish state before the UN Human Rights Council last Tuesday, arguing that it is the only country in the Middle East where Christians are not persecuted, and imploring the 47 member nations to “end your witch hunt of the only free country in the region.” According to Naddaf, some 120,000 Christians have been killed each year in the Middle East for the last decade. “That means that every five minutes a Christian is killed because of his faith,” he said. “Those who can escape persecution at the hands of Muslim extremists have fled. Those who remain, exist as second- if not third-class citizens to their Muslim rulers.” Naddaf, who heads the Greek Orthodox Church in Yafia near Nazareth, maintained it “is time the world woke up to the fact that those who want to destroy the Jewish state are signing the death warrant on the last free Christians in the Holy Land. Leaders of people, seekers of peace, end your witch hunt of the only free country in the region.” (Times of Israel, Sept. 23, 2014)

 

“Iraq, Syria and Libya should cure… the illusion that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the main source of problems in the region,” —U.S. President Barack Obama, during his speech at the UN General Assembly. (Candidly Speaking, Oct. 1, 2014)

Contents

 

 

ATTACKS IN BAGHDAD LEAVE DOZENS DEAD (Baghdad) —At least 25 people were killed in car bomb and mortar attacks in mainly Shi’ite Muslim districts of Baghdad on Tuesday, Iraqi police and medical sources said. Two car bombs exploded in busy streets in the al-Horreyya district, killing 20 people and wounding 35, the sources said. There was also a mortar attack in the Sab al-Bour neighborhood of northern Baghdad that killed five people and wounded 15. (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 30, 2014)

 

THE DEFENSE OF KOBANI (Damascus) —This week witnessed the second determined attempt by Islamic State forces to destroy the Kurdish enclave around Kobani city in northern Syria. As of now, it appears that after initial lightning advances, the progress of the jihadis has been halted. The arrival of Kurdish forces from across the Turkish border is the key element in freezing the advance. Yet Islamic State has captured around 60 Kurdish villages in this latest assault, and its advanced positions remain perilously close – around 14.5 km. – from Kobani city. The Kurdish enclave has long been a thorn in the side of the jihadis; Abu Omar al-Shishani, the much feared Chechen I.S. military commander, is reputed to have made the conquest of Kobani a personal mission. With the weapons systems captured in Mosul now fully integrated, and with further progress in Iraq impeded by the presence of US air power, it appears I.S. is now making its most serious effort to achieve this goal. (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 27, 2014)

 

NETANYAHU PRESENTED A PHOTO OF AN EXECUTION IN GAZA (New York) —The Prime Ministers photo campaign in the U.S. continues: after the American government rejected the comparison between the Gaza terror organization and the Islamic State, PM Netanyahu presented them with more evidence of Hamas’ cruelty. One day he pulled out a photo of rocket launchers in Gaza placed next to children, comparing Hamas to ISIS, PM Netanyahu does it again. This time the photo is of an execution in Gaza, which resembles those performed by the radical terror organization. “Every time I come to the UN I try to tell the truth as it is. But here’s a picture I didn’t show in the UN yesterday. This is an impending execution. But this isn’t ISIS, this is Hamas”, Netanyahu stressed while holding up the photo during his speech before the Jewish Federations in New York. (Jerusalem Online, Sept. 30, 2014)

 

IRANIAN NUCLEAR PHYSICIST KILLED BY REVOLUTIONARY GUARD, NOT ISRAEL (Tehran) —The sister of a leading Iranian nuclear physicist, widely believed to have been assassinated by Israel as part of an effort to derail Iran’s drive to create nuclear weapons, claims her brother was murdered by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRI) because he wouldn’t cooperate with the effort to divert nuclear activities from peaceful purposes. When Iranian scientist Dr. Ardeshir Hosseinpour was killed in 2007, the cause of death was reported to be “gassing” and most presumed the act was carried out by Israel. That belief stood, largely because of Iranian accusations to that effect; and because of Israeli policy to neither confirm nor deny such acts. Mahboobeh Hosseinpour has come forward with the claim that the IRI was behind her brother’s death because of his refusal to be involved in Iran’s nuclear enrichment program whose use was for atomic purposes. (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 30, 2014)

 

IRANIAN MAN EXECUTED FOR ‘HERESY’ (Tehran)—A former psychologist has been executed for heresy in Iran after eight years in detention, human rights groups said Monday. Mohsen Amir Aslani, was hanged in a prison near the city of Karaj west of Tehran on September 24, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which is based outside Iran, for “corruption on earth and heresy in religion.” Iranian opposition news websites have said Aslani, 37, had given religious classes where he propagated a new interpretation of the Koran. He was also accused by the authorities of “insulting” the Prophet Jonah. A recent report by Amnesty International found that execution orders in the Islamic Republic have risen dramatically since the beginning of 2014. Iran has one of the highest levels of executions in the world, second to China, according to Amnesty. (Arutz Sheva, Oct. 1, 2014)

 

IRAN, U.S. EQUIP & FINANCE LEBANESE ARMY TO FIGHT ISIS (Beirut)— Iran and the United States are both equipping the Lebanese army so its soldiers can protect the nation from encroaching cross-border attacks by terrorists from I.S. Iran announced Tuesday that it has decided to boost Beirut’s coffers with an extra gift of cash for the Lebanese Army, which will also strengthen Tehran’s ties with the country as well. This is the first time Iran has announced an offer of military assistance to Lebanon, although it has generously supported the country’s Hezbollah terrorist organization for many years. Lebanon’s military and other security forces are also supported by funding from the United States and Saudi Arabia, and have been for some time. Recently the U.S. also sent several shipments of arms to the country’s army in order to help Israel’s northern neighbor protect itself from ISIS, which has just formed a new alliance with the Al Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization. (Jewish Press, Sept. 30, 2014)

 

MAVI MARMARA VETERAN KILLED IN SYRIAN STRIKE (Damascus) —A Turkish man who was part of a flotilla that violently tried to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza in 2010 has been killed in bombing raids targeting I.S. terrorists in Syria, media reports say. Yakup Bülent Alnıak was in Syria researching a book, a statement from a charity group called Iyilikder, Jordan’s JN News reported. But other reports in Turkish media indicate Alniak was fighting with a rival jihadist group, the al-Qaida tied Al Nusra Front. The 2010 voyage of the Mavi Marmara ended with nine people dead after passengers attacked Israeli commandos with knives, metal bars and other weapons as they tried to take control of ship. (IPT News, Sept. 25, 2014)

 

RCMP PULLS SUPPORT FROM UNITED AGAINST TERRORISM HANDBOOK (Ottawa) —The RCMP has pulled its support from a handbook aimed at stopping young Canadians from being recruited by extremist groups, saying parts of the booklet have an “adversarial tone.” The police force is listed as a contributor in the handbook, titled United Against Terrorism: A Collaborative Effort Towards a Secure, Inclusive and Just Canada. The publication was written by the National Council of Canadian Muslims and Islamic Social Services Association. It was released at a Winnipeg mosque on Monday. But in a statement issued late Tuesday, the RCMP said it is no longer supporting the project. The 38-page handbook is directed mainly at Muslims, asking readers what Islam requires from Muslim citizens in a non-Muslim country. The RCMP contributed to a section titled “Understanding radicalization and the role of RCMP in law enforcement and national security.” (CBC, Sept. 30, 2014)

 

POPE CALLS MIDEAST ENVOYS TO VATICAN AS ISLAMIC STATE ADVANCES (Rome) —Pope Francis, who has expressed alarm over the rise of I.S. and the plight of Christians in the Middle East, has summoned his envoys in the region to a rare meeting to discuss a response to the crisis, the Vatican said on Tuesday. The Oct. 2-4 gathering will include Vatican ambassadors to Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Israel and the Palestinians as well as representatives to the United Nations and the European Union. Earlier this month during a visit to predominantly Muslim Albania, Francis issued a strong criticism of Islamist militants, saying no religious group which used violence and oppression could claim to be “the armor of God.” (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 30, 2014)

 

CONVICTED COP-KILLER MUMIA ABU-JAMAL IS COLLEGE COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER  (Plainfield, VT) —Mumia Abu-Jamal was unanimously convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1982. Abu-Jamal was originally sentenced to death. His sentence was ultimately vacated and instead became life imprisonment, because of a ruling that the jury had not been properly instructed. And now Goddard College, in Plainfield, Vermont, has invited Abu-Jamal to give its graduating seniors the commencement speech. As a convicted murderer, Abu-Jamal cannot leave prison to give the speech, but he has pre-recorded it and the speech will be played at the school’s commencement. “Choosing Mumia as their commencement speaker, to me, shows how this newest group of Goddard graduates expresses their freedom to engage and think radically and critically in a world that often sets up barriers to do just that,” the interim president of Goddard stated in a press release issued by the school. Although the press release states that Abu-Jamal was a 1996 graduate of Goddard College, the convicted murderer has been in prison since 1981. (Jewish Press, Sept. 30, 2014)  

 

On Topic Links 

 

Duplicitous Abbas Comes out of the Closet: Isi leibler, Candidly Speaking, Oct. 1, 2014 —Even the few delusional apologists who maintain that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is a genuine partner for peace must have been stunned by his obscene and demagogic address on Rosh Hashana at the United Nations General Assembly.

Post-Arab Spring, Hisham Melhem Fears ‘Arab Civilization Has Collapsed’ (Interview): CBC, Sept. 30, 2014 —Across much of the Arab world, there are citizens who saw a struggle against dictators as a chance for democracy, only to face more tyranny. Hisham Melhem says it is nothing short of the collapse of Arab civilization and that the so-called Arab elite, must stop blaming the west and work to fix it themselves.

Obama Needs to Call Bush: Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal, Sept. 29, 2014 —Bill Clinton made news earlier this month when he revealed, at a joint appearance with George W. Bush, that the 43rd president used to call him twice a year during his troubled second term “just to talk.”

The Yom Kippur Fast: Dry Bones Blog, Oct. 1, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

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