Wednesday’s “News in Review” Round-Up

Weekly Quotes

 

“Opposition Leader Tzipi Livni’s unprecedented outburst against Prime Minister Netanyahu to an American audience…warrants Kadima calling for her immediate resignation as party leader. Livni’s eruption was unconscionable…[and] crossed all red lines.… In an extensive interview with James Bennett, editor of the influential US journal The Atlantic and Jeffrey Goldberg, a prominent American Jewish journalist, Livni explicitly praised President Obama for pressuring Prime Minister Netanyahu and shamelessly urged the American Administration to intensify pressure on the Israeli government.… Livni is essentially saying that Netanyahu should have capitulated on basic security issues and become a vassal of the Obama administration.… If [Israel] had a more responsible electoral system in which we could reward and punish our representatives, politicians would not dare to behave in such a despicable manner.”—Excerpts from an Isi Leibler article, entitled “Tzipi Livni should resign now,” describing the Israeli opposition leaders’ shocking public condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, in which she encouraged the Obama administration to continue applying pressure on Netanyahu to make unilateral concessions to the Palestinians. (Jerusalem Post, August 9.)

 

“Even if the Palestinians declare full statehood in September they would not be truly independent…because ‘Palestine’ is addicted to aid and as long as you are addicted you are in thrall to your supplier. The billions that pour in here mean the Palestinian Authority does not need to try very hard to deliver the services expected by voters, it also stifles the private sector, inflates wages and causes an internal ‘brain drain’.… This is not to argue that NGOs are not required…but they distort the situation, and, fundamentally, the Palestinians cannot have properly functioning businesses, nor be fully independent until their leaders are partially weaned off their addiction to other peoples money.”—Excerpts from a Tim Marshall article describing the Palestinians’ addiction to foreign aid, as well as “Palestine’s” booming NGO industry, now counting “well over 200 NGOs in the West Bank and Gaza.” Recently, Mahmoud al-Zahar,a top Hamas official in the Strip,was quoted as saying that “Money is the least of our [Palestinians] problems.” (Sky News, July 18 & Slate, July 7.)

 

“The great and exalted Allah commanded the angel Gabriel to place Muhammad upon the riding beast [named] Al-Buraq.… Once he [Muhammad] reached the Al-Aqsa Mosque, (PMW note: the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem was not yet built in the time of Muhammad. The ‘night journey’ mentioned in the Quran is dated to 621 CE. The mosque was built on the Temple Mount by the son of Ummayad Caliph Abd Al-Malik 84 years later in 705 CE.) the angel Gabriel removed Muhammad from upon Al-Buraq’s back, and then he tied the beast to the Al-Buraq rock, which was called the ‘Al-Buraq Wall’. The Jews changed its name to the ‘Wailing Wall’, because the Jews are always trying to change Arabic names into Hebrew names, especially when it comes to prayer sites or names of towns and villages. For example, they call Al-Quds ‘Jerusalem’; Al-Khalil [they call] ‘Hebron’…Tel Al-Rabi’a [they call] ‘Tel Aviv’(PMW note: ‘Rabi’a’ is the Arabic translation of the Hebrew word ‘aviv’, meaning ‘spring’).… Even the ‘Torah’ falsified, changed and forged; this is the way of the Jews—they always try to…erase the [historical] facts.”—Excerpts from an article appearing in the July 1 edition of the official Palestinian newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, written by the daily’s columnist on religious affairs, Is’haq Feleifel, describing the rampant distortion of historical facts in Palestinian society to negate the Jewish people’s connection to Israel. (Palestinian Media Watch, August 2.)

 

“Here’s how revolutions—at least ultimately undemocratic ones—work. During the initial phase, when protests are against the old regime, they are cheered as symbols of freedom. Once the old regime has been overthrown, however, protests against government policies immediately become actions by counterrevolutionary subversives that should be suppressed. The scene switches to…the great Egyptian democratic revolution. The official Muslim Brotherhood website, Ikhwan Online, has now accused former Mubarak government saboteurs and ‘their Zionist allies’ of trying to destabilize Egypt by infiltrating ongoing protests in Tahrir Square.”—Excerpts from a Barry Rubin article, entitled “Muslim Brotherhood, Sensing Power, Now Opposes Protests as Zionist Plot,” describing the Brotherhood’s recent call to Egyptian authorities to begin suppressing Tahrir Square protests, claimed by the Islamic group to comprise “counter-revolutionary reactionary Zionist American imperialist running dogs.” (Pajamas Media, July 20.)

 

“[We will] act forcefully against this type of action and will not allow such events to happen in public places, or anywhere throughout the country.”—Head of the Iranian morality police, General Ahmad Rouzbahani, criticizing as inappropriate the growing prevalence in Iran of organized water fights between boys and girls. Approximately 30 teens recently have been arrested in Iran for participating in water fights, which lead to “boys and girls drenched in water together, and girls with lopsided hijabs.” (Jerusalem Post, August 8.)

 

“Libya’s tribal and religious fault lines came to the fore [last week] as the Gaddafi regime claimed an alliance with Islamists.… After months of Tripoli branding the entire opposition as radical extremists, Seif al-Islam, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s son, told The New York Times of a pact with a key cleric: ‘The liberals will escape or be killed.… We will do it together. Libya will look like Saudi Arabia, like Iran. So what?’ [Seif al-Islam] claimed to have negotiated the pact with Ali Sallabi, an Islamic cleric in the rebel-held east.… [He also] said the Islamists were ‘the real force on the ground’ and that Western powers would have to come to terms with them. ‘I know they are terrorists. They are bloody. They are not nice. But you have to accept them,’ he said.”—Excerpts from an article entitled “Libya Claims Pact With Islamists,” describing embattled Libyan president Col. Gaddafi’s decision to join forces with Islamist extremists in order to quell the 5-month-long NATO- and rebel-led uprising against his regime. (National Post, August 5.)

 

“1. Time is running in Israel’s favor, as evidenced by the ‘global economic walk’ and irrespective of the ‘global political talk.’ In 1948, Israel had no significant export. In 2010, Bank of Israel documented a $6.7BN current account (mostly trade balance) surplus.… Israel is [also] a global leader in medical, telecommunications, software and defense industries.

2. Israel is NOT isolated or boycotted: 3.45MN tourists visited Israel during 2010—proportionally equal to 138MN tourists visiting the USA (60MN tourists visited the USA in 2010, an all time record).…

3. A game changer: From a nearly total reliance on imported energy, Israel will become—by 2014—a major exporter of natural gas.

4. Silicon Israel: In 1992 there was no venture capital activity in Israel. In 2011 Israel’s high tech attracts the leading global companies (e.g. Microsoft, GE, Intel, Siemens, IBM), VC funds (Sequoia, Greylock, OrbiMed, Accel), investment banks (e.g. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley) and private investors (e.g. Warren Buffett, Eric Schmidt) in the world. 2^nd quarter 2011 investment in Israel’s high tech grew 19% over the 1^st quarter and 66% over the 2^nd quarter of 2010.

5. In defiance of geopolitical constraints, limited natural resources and global economic turbulence, Israel sustains growth: 5.2% GDP, 3% (of GDP) budget deficit, 5.7% unemployment, 2.7% inflation, 3.25% interest rate, stable currency (the Shekel is one of the 14 globally-traded currencies), $75BN foreign exchange reserves.…

6. Gallup wellbeing poll, April 19, 2011: Israel is rated 7^th, following Denmark, Sweden, Canada, Australia and Finland, [and] ahead of New Zealand, Holland, Ireland, USA, Austria, Britain, etc.”—Excerpts from a Yoram Ettinger article, entitled “Time is Running in Israel’s Favor,” demonstrating Israel’s overall economic strength, despite the ongoing, global BDS campaign directed against the Jewish state. (Ettinger Report, July 29.)

 

Short Takes

 

IRON DOME BATTERY MOVED SOUTH AFTER GAZA-ROCKET ATTACKS—(Jerusalem) Due to escalation in rocket fire from Gaza Strip, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has decided to deploy a battery from the Iron Dome anti-rocket defense system outside the southern city of Ashkelon. Barak’s decision comes after nearly thirty rockets have been fired into Israel since the beginning of July. The Iron Dome anti-rocket defense system successfully intercepted 9 Katyusha and Kassam rockets fired from Gaza in April and has since been moved to different cities, where the IAF is setting up potential deployment sites in the event of a larger scale conflict. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) currently has two operational Iron Dome batteries and is expected to receive a third by the end of the year. (Jerusalem Post, August 5.)

 

PA: WAVE OF RECOGNITION AHEAD—(Jerusalem) Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki has alleged that numerous states will recognize “Palestine” in the upcoming days and weeks. The foreign minister named Honduras and South Sudan, saying they will be the first to declare their recognition, but refused to name the other states “due to Israel’s response and its attempt to stop this wave.” Al-Maliki added that Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas will continue his visits to European states, including “states that play a major role in the European Union” in an effort to persuade them to support the Palestinian bid. The foreign minister claimed that 122 states have recognized Palestine thus far. (Ynet News, August 6.)

 

LIEBERMAN TO ASK GOV’T TO CUT ALL TIES WITH PA—(Jerusalem) Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has confirmed that he will ask the government to cut off all contact with the Palestinian Authority, including security cooperation. Lieberman said that it was clear that with the expected statehood recognition vote at the UN in September, the PA was planning “the worst violence and spilling of blood that we have ever seen.” Lieberman said that cutting off ties with the PA was necessary to get across the message that they cannot work against Israel on all international fronts without facing any consequence: “They have to understand that there is a price,” he affirmed (Jerusalem Post, August 7.)

 

CHINESE MILITARY CHIEF TO VISIT ISRAEL—(Jerusalem) According to Israel Defense Force officials, the Chinese military’s chief of staff, Chen Bingde, will visit Israel next week for the first time, in what may signal a renewed warming of ties between the Jewish state and Beijing. Bingde’s visit follows Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s trip to China two months ago, the first visit of an Israeli defense minister in a decade. Avrum Ehrlich, director of the Israel-China Institute, believes the unrest in Syria is changing China’s Middle East strategy: “The most important driving factors of Chinese foreign policy are its oil and securing its transport routes.” Accordingly, Ehrlich said, the upcoming visit by the military chief could reflect a Chinese desire to use Israel as a gateway to the Mediterranean basin and Europe instead of Syria. (Ynet News, August 8.)

 

IRAN CLAIMS PROGRESS ON NUCLEAR PROGRAM—(Washington) Moves by Iran to deploy more-advanced centrifuge machines for the production of nuclear fuel have raised new concerns that Tehran could significantly shorten the time it would need to produce nuclear weapons. In recent weeks, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has notified United Nations inspectors that it has begun deploying what are described as second- and third-generation centrifuges at its uranium-enrichment facilities in the city of Natanz. Tehran has also said that it plans to set up these advanced machines at an underground uranium-enrichment site run by Iran’s elite military unit, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, near the city of Qom, The more-advanced centrifuges, called IR-2Ms and IR-4s, are believed to be capable of enriching uranium at rates three times as fast as those Tehran currently uses, the IR-1s. (Wall Street Journal, August 4.)

 

IRAN RECEIVES $ 1.4 BILLION OF INDIA OIL CASH—(Jerusalem) Iran has received 1 billion euros ($ 1.4 billion) from India in the last 10 days for long overdue oil debts, indicating the likely end of a sanctions-related problem that had blocked payments all year. Indian refiners expect Iran to resume 400,000 barrels a day of oil exports in September now that they have been able to start paying the debt that Iran Deputy Oil Minister Ahmad Qalebani said amounted to $4.8 billion. Sources in India said refiners were able to pay Iran via Turkey’s state-controlled Halkbank. (Independent Media Review and Analysis, August 9.)

 

US TO TELL ASSAD THAT HE MUST GO—(Washington) According to U.S. State Department sources, the Obama administration is preparing to explicitly demand the departure of Syrian President Bashar Assad, signaling for the first time that American efforts to engage the government are finally over. The White House is expected to lay out the tougher line by the end of this week, in a direct response to Assad's decision to send tanks and snipers into opposition hotbeds. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week said that Washington believes Assad’s government is responsible for more than 2,000 deaths in its nearly five-month crackdown. (Associated Press, August 9 & Jerusalem Post, August 5.)

 

AFGHANISTAN: 31 US TROOPS KILLED IN CRASH—(Jerusalem) A helicopter crash in Afghanistan’s eastern Wardak province has killed 31 US special operation troops and seven Afghan soldiers, the highest number of casualties recorded in a single incident in the decade-long war. NATO confirmed the crash, saying there “was enemy activity in the area,” and that the coalition was conducting a recovery operation at the site and investigating the cause. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed that the Taliban fighters brought down the US military aircraft with a rocket attack. (Associated Press, August 6.)

 

U.S., SAUDIS TO DISCUSS NUCLEAR AGREEMENT—(Washington) According to senior U.S. officials, the Obama administration is planning to resume talks with Saudi Arabia about nuclear cooperation, in a move aimed at boxing in Iran and keeping an eye on Riyadh’s strategic ambitions. However, the White House’s decision is already facing opposition from members of Congress who worry about sharing nuclear technologies with countries in today’s increasingly unstable Middle East. The concerns were further fueled by recent comments made by a senior member of the Saudi royal family that their country would seek to develop nuclear weapons if Iran did. A team of State Department and Department of Energy officials is expected to visit the Kingdom as early as this week to discuss with senior Saudi officials their nuclear ambitions. (Wall Street Journal, July 30-31.)

 

ISRAEL, US TO HOLD MASSIVE MISSILE DEFENSE DRILL NEXT YEAR—(Jerusalem) In the face of Iran’s continued pursuit of a nuclear weapon, Israel and the United States will hold a large-scale missile defense exercise next year, aimed at improving operational coordination between both countries’ defense systems. Called Juniper Cobra, the exercise will be held in early 2012 and will include the Arrow 2 and Iron Dome as well as America’s THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) and the ship-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. The purpose of the exercise is to create the necessary infrastructure to enable interoperability between Israeli and American missile defense systems should the US decide to deploy these systems in the Middle East, as it did ahead of the Gulf War in Iraq in 1991. (Jerusalem Post, July 26.)

 

ITALY EDGES CLOSER TO ‘BURQA BAN’ LAW—(Rome) An Italian parliamentary commission has approved a draft law that would ban women from wearing veils, including the burqa or niqab, that cover their faces in public. If passed by Italy’s parliament in September, women who violate the ban would face fines of $140 to $400, while third parties who force women to cover their faces in public would be fined $42,000 and face up to 12 months in jail. Italy is the latest European country to act against the burqa; France and Belgium previously banned the wearing of burqa-style Islamic dress in public, as has a city in Spain. (Aljazeera, August 3.)

 

BIGGEST-EVER SERIES OF CYBER ATTACKS UNCOVERED—(Boston) Security experts have discovered the biggest series of cyber attacks in history, involving the infiltration of the networks of 72 organizations including the United Nations, governments and companies around the world. Security company McAfee, which uncovered the intrusions, said it believed there was one “state actor” behind the attacks but declined to name it, though one security expert said the evidence points to China. The long list of victims in the five-year campaign include the governments of the United States, Taiwan, India, South Korea, Vietnam and Canada; the International Olympic Committee (IOC); and an array of companies, from defense contractors to high-tech enterprises. McAfee, which dubbed the attacks “Operation Shady RAT,” said the earliest security breaches date back to mid-2006. (Reuters, August 3.)

 

SHALIT BILLBOARD GOING UP IN L.A.—(New York) A massive billboard calling attention to the plight of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit has been put in Los Angeles. The billboard, which is located on La Cienega Boulevard, features a large photograph of Shalit and reads, “I was kidnapped by Hamas on June 25, 2006. I have been held hostage.… Free Gilad Shalit.” Gal Sitty, a 28-year-old Los Angeles resident, raised $7,000 to erect the billboard, after leading similar effort in New York earlier this summer. According to the company that owns the billboard, approximately 200,000 people see the La Cienega Boulevard site each week. The billboard is scheduled to remain up until the first week of September. (JTA, August 7.)

 

GOLDEN BELL, POSSIBLY FROM COHANIM ROBE, FOUND IN J’LEM—(Jerusalem)

A golden bell ornament that archaeologists believe belonged to a priest from the Second Temple Period has been found in an ancient drainage channel next to the Western Wall. The bell was found underneath what is today known as Robinson’s Arch; the area underneath the arch was the central road of ancient Jerusalem, which led from the Shiloah Pools in the City of David to the Old City and the Temple Mount. “It seems the bell was sewn on the garment worn by a high official in Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple period (first century CE),” the excavation’s lead archeologists, Eli Shukron and Professor Ronny Reich of Haifa University, said in a statement. The archeologists based their findings on the verse in Exodus: “…And upon the skirts of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the skirts thereof; and bells of gold between them round about” [Ex. 28:34,36]. (Jerusalem Post, July 22.)