Wednesday’s “News in Review” Round-Up

Media-ocrity of the Week

 

“If the responsibility to protect is to attain legitimacy as an application of international law, it must be applicable everywhere, in particular the situation of prolonged occupation that prevails in the occupied Palestinian territory.”—UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in “Palestine”, Richard Falk, in a 16-page report on Israel’s alleged mistreatment of Palestinians prepared for the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), calling for international intervention to end what he termed Israel’s “belligerent occupation” of the so-called Palestinian Territories. Falk, a fierce anti-Israel critic, has in the past compared Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians to the Nazis’ treatment of Jews during the Holocaust. In response to Falk’s latest report, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said: “Once again, the UNHRC distinguishes itself with phantasmagorical statements that pander to the interests of the dictatorships, which manipulate the council. From the people who have bestowed human rights honors on the likes of Gaddafi, Castro and Assad, nothing can surprise anymore. (Jerusalem Post, July 2.)

 

Weekly Quotes

 

“The Declaration of Independence, the founding document of the State of Israel, begins with the words, ‘The Land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people.’ These two things, the Land of Israel and the Jewish people, were always Yitzhak Shamir’s top priorities. They dictated his worldview and they always guided his policies.… He served these two principles his entire life.…”—Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, eulogizing former Israeli PM Yitzhak Shamir, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 96. (Independent Media Review and Analysis, July 3.)

 

“There are no limits to Iranian terrorism. After Iran sent its people to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador [on US soil] and to perpetrate terrorist attacks [against Israeli diplomatic missions] in Azerbaijan, Bangkok, Tbilisi and New Delhi, its intention to [conduct] attacks on African soil has now been exposed. The international community needs to fight the greatest exporter of terrorism in the world.”—Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, after officials in Kenya announced the arrest of two Iranian agents with 30 pounds of explosives planning to attack Israeli targets in Africa. (Independent Media Review and Analysis, July 2.)

 

“These bases are all in range of our missiles, and the occupied lands [Israel] are also good targets for us.”—Amir Ali Haji Zadeh, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ aerospace division, threatening to target Israel and to destroy US outposts in the Middle East should the West intervene militarily to stop Iran’s nuclear program. General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guards’ airborne division, added that “If [Israel] takes any [preventive] action, they will hand us an excuse to wipe them off the face of the earth.” Iran launched several days of war games on Monday, dubbed the Great Prophet 7, to test missiles and warheads capable of hitting Israel as well as “extra-regional powers.” (Jerusalem Post, July 1, Wall Street Journal, July 2, & Reuters, July 4.)

 

“If they decide to sanction us completely, we will not allow even one drop of oil to be transited through the Strait.”—Chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s Energy Commission, Arsalan Fathipour, in response to the July 1 implementation of a European Union ban on Iranian oil imports, repeating the Islamic Republic’s threat to drastically cut the world’s oil supply by blocking the Strait of Hormuz. According to Iranian MP Ibrahim Agha-Mohammadi, Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee has drafted legislation “that stresses blocking [in the Strait] tanker traffic carrying oil to countries that have sanctioned Iran.” (Independent Media Review and Analysis, July 2.)

 

“The message to Iran is, ‘Don’t even think about it.’ Don’t even think about closing the Strait. We’ll clear the mines. Don’t even think about sending your fast boats out to harass our vessels or commercial shipping. We’ll put them on the bottom of the gulf.”—An anonymous senior US Defense Department official, confirming the US has increased significantly its military presence in the Persian Gulf to deter Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz. (NY Times, July 3.)

 

“Though economic sanctions still haven’t slowed or stopped Iran’s nuclear drive, the Obama Administration has decided to make them even weaker.… So weak, in fact, that all 20 of Iran’s major trading partners are now exempt from them. We’ve arrived at a kind of voodoo version of sanctions. They look real, insofar as Congress forced them into a bill President Obama had to sign in December. The Administration has spoken incantations about their powers. But if you’re a big oil importer in China, India or 18 other major economies, the sanctions are mostly smoke. This is possible because, thanks to lobbying by the Obama Administration, the sanctions law contained several loopholes you could drive a warhead through.…”—Wall Street Journal editorial board, in “Obama’s Iran Loopholes.” (Wall Street Journal, July 2.) [For the complete article see “On Topics” below—Ed.]

 

“The Iranians continue enriching [uranium]. They declared [at the recent nuclear talks with world powers] they will not backtrack from their plans even by a millimeter. Iran is showing contempt for the whole world…[as] they do not see determination…to stop their nuclearization.”—Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, describing Iran’s ongoing nuclear progress as “a huge threat” to the Jewish people. (Jerusalem Post, July 2.)

 

“As someone who took part in the process that led to the peace agreement that was signed between my country and yours, I know that both Egypt and Israel attribute supreme importance to regional peace and stability, which serve the interests of all peoples in the region.”—Israeli President Shimon Peres, in a letter to his Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Morsi, urging the new President to uphold the 1979 Israel-Egypt treaty. Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu also expressed “hope the peace treaty would continue,” but warned that Sinai was becoming an “arms depot and firing range for Hamas missiles” and that Israel “must be ready for all possibilities.” After being sworn in last week as President, Morsi stated that Egypt would “stand by the Palestinian people until they regain their rights.” (Independent Media Review & Analysis, June 30 & Jerusalem Post, July 1 & 2.)

“It is my duty and I will make all efforts to have them free, including Omar Abdel Rahman.”—Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, in a speech last week to tens of thousands of supporters in Tahrir Square, promising to work for the release of Egyptians imprisoned abroad, including Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, an Egyptian-born Islamist and long-time ally of Osama bin Laden who is currently serving a life sentence in the U.S. for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and a follow-up plot against New York City landmarks. In a speech delivered in May and recently translated by MEMRI, Morsi also declared that “[T]he Koran was and will continue to be [Egypt’s] constitution. This nation will enjoy blessing and revival only through the Islamic sharia.… Jihad is our path. And death for the sake of Allah is our most lofty aspiration.” (NY Times, June 27 & Weekly Standard, June 29.)

 

“Every Muslim will be asked about the Zionists’ usurpation of al-Aqsa Mosque: Why did he not seek to recover it, and wage Jihad?… Did he not care about the fatwa [religious edict] of the ulema [scholars] of the Muslims: ‘Jihad of self and money to recover al Aqsa is a duty on every Muslim?…’ The sole goal for all [Muslims] is the recovery of al Aqsa, freeing it from the filth of the Zionists, and imposing Muslim rule throughout beloved Palestine.”—Mohamed Badie, General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, in a June 14 speech published on the Brotherhood’s official website, urging Muslims worldwide to “confront the Zionists.” (Investigative Project on Terrorism, June 27.)

 

“The responsibility of the Syrian government is to protect all of our residents. You have a responsibility to eliminate terrorists in any corner of the country. When you eliminate a terrorist, it’s possible that you are saving the lives of tens, hundreds, or even thousands.”—Syrian President Bashar Assad, in an interview with Iranian state television, claiming his regime’s 16-month deadly crackdown on protests throughout the country has been guided by a duty to protect the Syrian people from “terrorists.” When asked whether diplomacy could resolve the ongoing conflict, Assad reiterated he “will not accept any non-Syrian, non-national model…from big countries or friendly countries. No one knows how to solve Syria’s problems as well as we do.” (Reuters, June 28.)

 

“As you know there is a country called Israel and as you know this Zionism country’s planes are very similar [to Turkey’s].… Maybe Syria thought it was an Israeli plane.”—Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoebi, claiming the recent downing by Syria of a Turkish jet in international airspace may have been a case of mistaken identity, with Syrian authorities believing it was an Israeli plane. (JTA, June 27.)

 

“Of course I might have been happy if this had been an Israeli plane.”—Syrian President Bashar Assad, in an interview with the Turkish Cumhuriyet newspaper, “one hundred percent” regretting last month’s downing by Syrian forces of a Turkish Phantom jet, and reiterating his regime thought the fighter was “an enemy plane [Israeli].” (Reuters & Wall Street Journal, July 3.)

 

“Our assumption is that a terror attack or a war can happen without warning. We are upgrading our infrastructure and renewing operational commands to prepare accordingly.”—Brig.-Gen. Tamir Hyman, leader of the IDF’s Division 36, the military formation in command of Israel’s northern border, confirming the army is bolstering its presence in the Golan Heights over concern that terrorist groups are planning a cross-border attack from Syria. (Jerusalem Post, June 28.)

 

“The free exercise of religion is protected in Germany. That includes religious traditions. All our partners in the world should know that.”—German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, offering assurances “about religious tolerance in Germany” after last month’s decision by a state court in Cologne to ban ritual circumcision. (Associated Press, July 2.)

“He’s a strong friend of Israel and we’ll be happy to meet with him.”—Ron Dermer, senior aide to the Israeli PM, confirming Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will visit Israel this summer for meetings with Binyamin Netanyahu and other high-ranking officials. (Jerusalem Post, July 2.)

Short Takes

 

UNSC PUBLISHES REPORT ON IRANIAN SANCTIONS VIOLATIONS—(United Nations) The UN Security Council has released the findings of a report on Iranian sanctions violations, including ongoing illicit nuclear activities and the shipment of arms to Syria in breach of a UN ban on weapons exports by the Islamic Republic. According to the report, submitted by a panel of sanctions-monitoring experts to the Security Council’s Iran sanctions committee, “Iran has continued to defy the international community through illegal arms shipments, two of [which] involved Syria.” The 67-page study also confirmed that “prohibited [nuclear] activities continue [in Iran], including uranium enrichment.” The Security Council has imposed four rounds of sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt its nuclear program. (Reuters, June 30.)

 

SAUDI READIES OIL LINE TO COUNTER IRAN HORMUZ THREAT—(Dubai) Saudi Arabia has reopened an old oil pipeline built by Iraq to bypass Gulf shipping lanes, allowing Riyadh to export more of its crude from Red Sea terminals should Iran try to block the Strait of Hormuz. The Iraqi Pipeline in Saudi Arabia (IPSA), originally built in the 1980s after oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf by both sides during the Iran-Iraq war, has not carried oil since Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990. Saudi Arabia, which confiscated the pipeline in 2001 to compensate for debts owed by Baghdad, has used it to transport gas to power plants in the west of the country in the last few years. More than a third of the world’s seaborne oil exports pass through the narrow Strait of Hormuz. (Reuters, June 28.)

 

IRANIANS HELP HEZBOLLAH BUILD TUNNELS IN LEBANON—(Jerusalem) According to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Joumhouria, Hezbollah has upgraded its network of tunnels in southern Lebanon to secure itself against airstrikes in a future war with Israel. The report alleges that “Iranian experts” supervised the digging of the tunnels in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley region following the Second Lebanon War, and that the fortified underground structures are equipped with dormitories, medical facilities, kitchens, toilets, water and heating systems that allow dozens of terrorists to live underground for weeks at a time. Al-Joumhouria claimed that Israel’s next war with Hezbollah would be a “tunnel war,” and that the IDF has conducted exercises in subterranean passages similar to Hezbollah’s to prepare for a possible conflict. (Jerusalem Post, July 3.)

 

ISRAEL PERSUADED RUSSIA NOT TO SELL SYRIA MISSILES—(Jerusalem) According to Army Radio, citing Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Israel has played a key role in influencing Russia to cancel its $100-million sale of the advanced S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Syria. The move by the Kremlin came only days after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Israel last month, during which both PM Binyamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres are believed to have voiced concern over the arms deal. Russia signed a similar contract to sell the S-300 to Iran in 2007 but cancelled it in 2010, citing a UN arms embargo on the Islamic Republic. However, Israel had invested significant diplomatic clout to convince Moscow to suspend the delivery of the system to Iran, and a 2010 deal to sell Russia Israeli-made drones reportedly persuaded Moscow to terminate the agreement. (Jerusalem Post, June 28.)

 

ABBAS NIXES MOFAZ VISIT TO RAMALLAH—(Jerusalem) Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has indefinitely delayed a meeting with Israeli Vice Premier and Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz due to widespread Palestinian opposition. The meeting, originally planned for last Sunday in Ramallah, would have been the highest-level direct contact between Israel and the Palestinians since peace talks broke down in 2010. However, it was cancelled after Palestinian “activists” announced plans to organize mass protests against Mofaz’s visit, and prepared a lawsuit demanding his arrest for alleged war crimes. According to one PA official, Abbas’s decision was made to “respect the people’s position.” (Jerusalem Post, June 30.)

 

PA: ARAFAT’S BODY CAN BE EXHUMED OVER POISON CLAIM—(Jerusalem) The Palestinian Authority has agreed to the exhumation of Yasser Arafat’s body following new allegations that he was poisoned with a radioactive element in 2004. A Swiss institute, Institut de Radiophysique, reportedly examined clothing provided by Arafat’s widow Suha as part of an Al Jazeera expose into his death and said it found “surprisingly” high levels of polonium-210. Nabil Abu Rdeineh, spokesman for current Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, confirmed the approval of Suha’s request to perform an autopsy on Arafat’s remains, saying, “The Authority…is ready to completely cooperate with and clear the way for an investigation into the true causes leading to the martyrdom of the late president.” The findings have stirred up old Palestinian conspiracy theories that Israel was behind the death of the 75-year-old after peace talks collapsed into bloodshed in 2000. (Reuters, July 4.)

 

NATIVITY CHURCH: 1ST WORLD HERITAGE SITE UNDER ‘PALESTINE’—(Jerusalem) The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem has become the first World Heritage Site listed under the name “Palestine.” The decision by the World Heritage Center—a body of UNESCO, which in October defied Israeli and American pressure by accepting Palestine as its 195th member state—came in response to a Palestinian Authority claim that the church was in danger due to “Israeli occupation”. Although the World Heritage’s technical advisory body and secretariat both advised the committee that the PA’s application did not meet the necessary criteria for the church to be listed, member states disregarded the advice. PA foreign minister Riad Malki, who was in St. Petersburg for the vote, thanked UNESCO for helping the Palestinians protect their land, which he described as the “cradle of civilization.” (Jerusalem Post, June 29.)

 

JORDAN’S KING MEETS HAMAS LEADER—(Amman) King Abdullah II of Jordan has met with top Hamas leaders as part of an about-face effort to engage with Islamists. A Royal Palace statement confirmed that the Jordanian king held talks with seven Hamas officials, including exiled leader Khaled Mashaal, who was expelled from Jordan in 1999 for “illicit and harmful” activities. Abdullah’s meeting with Mashaal, a Jordanian citizen, is their second since January. Islamists make up the most influential opposition in Jordan, and have been gaining strength in the kingdom and throughout the Middle East in recent months. (Associated Press, June 28.)

 

COURT CONVICTS HAMAS W. BANK HEAD OF 46 MURDERS—(Jerusalem) Israel’s Judea Military Court has convicted Ibrahim Hamed, head of Hamas’ military wing in the West Bank until his arrest in 2006, of personally murdering 26 people and with facilitating and directing the murder of 20 others. Besides terror attacks against people, Hamed also was convicted of ordering and carrying out a number of strategic “mega-attacks” against Israeli infrastructure. Hamed was sentenced to 54 life terms in prison. (Jerusalem Post, June 27 & Ynet News, July 1.)

 

GEORGE WASHINGTON LETTER TO AMERICAN JEWS GOING ON DISPLAY—(New York) The 1790 letter written by President George Washington to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, R.I., has gone on display at Philadelphia’s National Museum of American Jewish History. The letter—out of the public eye for a decade—is part of the museum’s new exhibit, “No Bigotry No Sanction: George Washington and Religious Freedom,” and is regarded as the first US President’s most eloquent statement on religious liberty. His pledge to uphold the Constitution’s offer of “invaluable rights of free citizens” affirmed privileges generally unknown to Jews elsewhere at the time. (JTA, June 28.)

 

ANCIENT SYNAGOGUE DISCOVERED IN ISRAEL—(Jerusalem) A synagogue dating to the Late Roman period (ca. 4th-5th centuries C.E.) has been discovered in archaeological excavations at Huqoq, an ancient Jewish village, in Israel’s Galilee. The ongoing excavations, conducted by Jodi Magness of the University of North Carolina and David Amit and Shua Kisilevitz of the Israel Antiquities Authority, unearthed portions of a mosaic floor which includes a biblical scene depicting Samson placing torches between the tails of foxes (as related in the book of Judges 15), as well as two human faces flanking a circular medallion with a Hebrew inscription that refers to rewards for those who perform good deeds. (Israel Antiquities Authority, July 1.)