Wednesday’s “News in Review” Round-Up

Contents: Weekly Quotes |  Short Takes |  On Topic Links

“…[T]he hardest question that no Arab national wants to hear is whether Israel is the real enemy of the Arab world and the Arab people. I decided to write this article after I saw photos and reports about a starving child in Yemen, a burned ancient Aleppo souk in Syria…car bombs in Iraq and the destroyed buildings in Libya. The photos and the reports were shown on the Al-Arabiya network, which is the most watched and respected news outlet in the Middle East.

The common thing among all that I saw is that the destruction and the atrocities are not done by an outside enemy. The starvation, the killings and the destruction in these Arab countries are done by the same hands that are supposed to protect and build the unity of these countries and safeguard the people of these countries. So, the question now is that who is the real enemy of the Arab world?

The Arab world wasted hundreds of billions of dollars and lost tens of thousands of innocent lives fighting Israel, which they considered as their sworn enemy, an enemy whose existence they never recognized. The Arab world has many enemies and Israel should have been at the bottom of the list. The real enemies of the Arab world are corruption, lack of good education, lack of good health care, lack of freedom, lack of respect for the human lives and finally, the Arab world had many dictators who used the Arab-Israeli conflict to suppress their own people.  These dictators’ atrocities against their own people are far worse than all the full-scale Arab-Israeli wars.” —Abdulateef Al-Mulhim in an opinion piece in Arab News. (Arab News, October 6, 2012)

“It’s only when we grasp the unremitting and mindless hostility of countries such as Malaysia that we begin to understand the pain and difficulty of Israel’s place in the world. This is the context in which we should think about the Harper government’s pro-Israel policy. Israel faces automatic enmity from all the Arab nations, most other Muslim-dominated states and the many organizations in democratic countries that dedicate themselves to showering abuse on Israel (and no one else) in the name of human rights. Except during civil wars, no other state, not even the worst dictatorship, not even Iran or China, is so badly and so often maligned…. 

“Yet many Canadians apparently believe that there is something unfair in this situation, not in the invective heaped on Israel but in Canada’s habit of friendship with the only democracy in the Middle East. It’s argued that this policy has done harm to Canada. Jeffrey Simpson of The Globe and Mail says that because of our attitude to Israel, “Canada’s reputation in the Arab world is mud.” Tony Burman, of the Toronto Star, former head of Al Jazeera English, and now a journalism teacher at Ryerson University, says that our government’s “passionate pro-Israeli stance” has damaged Canada’s reputation throughout the Middle East “after decades of being one of the world’s respected ‘honest brokers’ on Mideast issues.

“Simpson says the Harper government’s policy is based on a simple-minded black-and-white view, on the evangelical Christian streak among Conservatives, on the idea that Israel is a democracy and Arab countries are not and on a hope of prying Canadian Jews away from the Liberals. Or, just possibly, there might be another reason: Because it’s the right thing to do.” —Robert Fulford in an editorial for the National Post. (National Post, October 6, 2012)

“Every kind of threat to the Turkish territory and the Turkish people will find us standing against it,” —Turkish Prime Minister Recep Yayyip Erdogan. “Soldiers loyal to Assad threw shells at us, we immediately reacted and responded with double force. We shall never stop responding.” (The Star, October 09, 2012)

"If the Jews want peace, they will stay away from Al Aksa. This is a decree from God. The Haram al-Sharif belongs to the Muslim. But we know the Jew is planning on destroying the Haram. The Jew will get the Christian to do his work for him. This is the way of the Jews. This is the way Satan manifests himself. The majority of the Jews want to destroy the mosque. They are preparing this as we speak….Anyone who studies The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and specifically the Talmud will discover that one of the goals of these Protocols is to cause confusion in the world and to undermine security throughout the world." —Sheikh Ekrima Sa'id Sabri, former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, to  Quds Media (Elder of Ziyon, 07 Oct 2012)

“You can give the rebels AKs, but you can’t stop the Syrian regime’s military with AKs,”  —Khalid al-Attiyah, a state minister for foreign affairs in Qatar. Providing the rebels with heavier weapons “has to happen,” he added. “But first we need the backing of the United States, and preferably the U.N.”(New York Times, October 7, 2012)

"There is a real risk that the regime in Kabul could collapse upon NATO's withdrawal." — Candace Rondeaux, senior Afghanistan analyst from the International Crisis Group (ICG)'s. "The window for remedial action is closing fast."  In a report – "Afghanistan: The Long, Hard Road to the 2014 Transition" – the ICG said that the country was on course for another set of fraudulent elections…"The Afghan army and police are overwhelmed and underprepared for the transition," said Rondeaux. "Another botched election and resultant unrest would push them to breaking point. [Afghan President] Karzai seems more interested in perpetuating his own power by any means rather than ensuring credibility of the political system and long-term stability in the country." (The Telegraph, October 8, 2012)
 

“We fear that the election campaign in Israel would be accompanied by more assaults on the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, expansion of settlements and Judaization of Jerusalem,” — Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat in statements to a number of local news organizations. “These [actions] are war crimes.” (Jerusalem Post, October 10, 2012)

"As Christian leaders in the United States, it is our moral responsibility to question the continuation of unconditional US financial assistance to the government of Israel. Realizing a just and lasting peace will require this accountability, as continued US military assistance to Israel — offered without conditions or accountability — will only serve to sustain the status quo and Israel’s military occupation of the Palestinian territories."—leaders of the Lutheran, Methodist, UCC churches, and the National Council of Churches in a  letter to the U.S. Congress calling for an investigation into possible violations by Israel of the US Foreign Assistance Act and the US Arms Export Control Act, which would make Israel ineligible for US military aid. (Jerusalem Post, October 10, 2012)

“Multiple U.S. federal government officials have confirmed to the committee that prior tp the Sept. 11 attack, the U.S. mission in Libya made repeated requests for increased security in Benghazi,” —Congressmen Darell Issa and Jason Chaffetz, Republican leaders of a powerful oversight committee of Congress. “The mission in Libya, however, was denied these resources by officials in Washington.”(Edmonton Journal, October 3, 2012)

"I have no doubt that the Iranian regime is approaching a critical moment,'' —Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to Israel Army Radio. "The big question is what will come first: the development of a nuclear weapon, or the Persian Spring…We have to be ready for both options.'' "I don't know if there will be a Persian Spring, but the fact that the Iranian government is under pressure, that is a sign that the sanctions are having an impact,"  —Meir Javedanfar, an Iran expert at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center. "The legitimacy of the calls for immediate military action will be reduced by the recent events."(Wall Street Journal, October 5, 2012) (Top of page)

NETANYAHU CALLS EARLY ELECTIONS —(Jerusalem) Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced early elections on Tuesday evening, saying they must be held "as soon as possible." as he determined that the current Knesset would not be able to pass a responsible budget.  The earliest possible election date, January 12, 2013, would be three months after the dissolution of the Knesset. Netanyahu said that after completing a round of meetings with his coalition partners, he concluded he could not pass the 2013 state budget and has no choice but to initiate elections. (Jerusalem Post, October 9, 2012)

DEFECTING IRANIAN CAMERAMAN BRINGS CIA PRICELESS FILM OF SECRET NUCLEAR AND MISSILE SITES —(New York) President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s personal cameraman, Hassan Gol Khanban, who defected from his UN entourage in New York on Oct. 1, reportedly brought with him an intelligence treasure-trove of up-to-date photographs and videos of Iran’s top leaders visiting its most sensitive and secret nuclear and missile sites. He stayed behind when Ahmadinejad, after his UN speech, departed New York with his 140-strong entourage. For some years, Golkhanban worked not just as a news cameraman but personally recorded visits by the Iranian president and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to top-secret nuclear facilities and Revolutionary Guards installations.(DEBKAfile, Oct. 5, 2012 )

DOZENS OF GOLAN HEIGHTS DRUZE SEEK ISRAELI CITIZENSHIP  —(Golan Heights) Syrian Druze residing in the Golan Heights [who] once burned ID cards offered to them by Israeli government authorities…in 1981 are [now] flocking to the [Israeli] Interior Ministry by the dozens to request Israeli citizenship. “I believe this trend will only increase,” a Mas’ade [Golan Heights] resident who holds Israeli citizenship said. “More and more people comprehend that this [Israel] is a well-managed country and it’s possible to live and raise children here. It is preferable to turning into refugees in another country.” (Times of Israel, October 5, 2012)

FRENCH SYNAGOGUE TERRORIZED BY BLANK SHOTS —(Paris) Blank cartridges were fired at a synagogue in the Paris suburb of Argenteuil Saturday night [Oct. 6], hours after police carried out an anti-terror sweep in response to the firebombing of a kosher store near the French capital last month. A Jewish community leader told the Le Parisien newspaper that the shots were fired at the synagogue to scare the local community. “This was an act that was more against the Jewish community, it’s very worrying,” Val d’Oise Jewish community head Moshe Cohen Sabban told the paper. Other raids by French police took place around Paris, Nice and Cannes during which 11 suspects had been arrested including one man near Paris carrying a loaded pistol. (Times of Israel & New York Times, October 7, 2012)

MERCHANTS RISE UP IN TEHRAN PROTESTS — (Tehran) Iranian police and demonstrators clashed Wednesday during street protests linked to rising prices and the plunging value of the national currency. Police in black riot gear fired tear gas and moved to disperse the protesters after they had rallied outside the capital's central bazaar and then marched toward the parliament building. Many businesses and shops were shuttered, which in effect led to the shutdown of the huge marketplace. "Our checks bounced, our businesses are ruined," said a merchant who gave his name as Ali. "How shall we earn a living?" (LA Times, October 10, 2012) 

SYRIAN REFUGEE WOMEN BEING SOLD AS BRIDES —(Amman, Jordan) Following the growing influx of Syrian refugees into Arab countries, women are being treated as spoils of war. Widows and daughters are being in essence sold to Arab men who are looking for cheap brides. Families of refugee women sell them into marriage to ensure they are taken care of and that they aren’t deflowered or cause problems in their new homes. (Now Lebanon, October 7, 2012)

AZERBAIJAN JAILS IRANIAN-HIRED SPIES PLOTTING ATTACK ON ISRAELI, U.S. TARGETS — (Baku, Azerbaijan) The Baku serious crimes court said Tuesday that 22 defendants were handed jail terms of between 10 and 15 years on charges that also included treason and the unlawful possession of weapons. Azerbaijani authorities said the [Iranian] Revolutionary Guards recruited an Azeri citizen Niyazi Kerimov while he was in Iran in 1999 and gave him the job of assembling a group of other Azerbaijanis to act as spies. Targets for attacks were to include the U.S. and Israeli embassies as well as Western-linked groups and companies. (Ha’aretz, October 10, 2012)

ISRAELI ADVISERS AIDED MAJOR KENYAN VICTORY OVER AL QAEDA —(Nairobi, Kenya) The Kenyan army, aided by the US, France and Israel, has captured Somalia’s Indian Ocean port of Kismayo, driving Al Qaeda’s Somali franchise Al Shabaab from its last stronghold and helping block Iran’s push to the Indian Ocean and East Africa..  Kismayo is key to controlling southern Somalia.  It was the first time Israel’s military, police, intelligence and counterterrorism forces took part in an anti-al Qaeda offensive outside its borders. Israeli military officers and counterterrorism experts advised the Kenyan army in the planning of Kenyan field operations, recommending systematic special ops raids behind Shabaab lines to generate disarray in enemy ranks. Israel supplied Nairobi with the appropriate weapons, including drones and field intelligence equipment. Israeli intelligence, police and special ops specialists counseled Kenyan internal security authorities on security in the larger towns. (Somalia Online, October 2, 2012)

UNICEF USES ISRAEL-MADE WATER PURIFICATION TABLETS IN SYRIA —(Jerusalem) Israel Chemicals (ICL) was given a special authorization Sunday to have one of its European subsidiaries sell water purification tablets to UNICEF with the knowledge that they will be used in the agency’s relief mission in Syria.  UNICEF is overseeing a project meant to rehabilitate Syria’s water sources, which have suffered significant damage during the 18-months revolt against President Bashar Assad. The deal will be carried out by ICL’s Ireland-based subsidiary, Medentech. The company needed government approval for the deal since it involved the delivery of Israeli products to an enemy state. (YNet News, September 30, 2012)

GAZA GROUP BLAMES JEWS FOR HOLOCAUST —(Washington) The Free Gaza Movement, a U.S.-based activist group known for provisioning ships to run the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza, was hit with charges of anti-Semitism on Wednesday after posting a tweet claiming that Jews were responsible for the Holocaust. “Zionists operated the concentration camps and helped murder millions of innocent Jews,” read a tweet posted Sunday to @freegazaorg, the official Twitter feed of the group, which includes Canadian author Naomi Klein and Bishop Desmond Tutu on its board of advisors. In response to the accusations of anti-semitism, the American founder of Free Gaza, Greta Berlin, said: “Would suggest you concentrate on Israel’s genocidal policies…” Within hours she also tweeted that she had intended “only” to publish the link to her private Facebook account, but it was accidentally redirected to the Free Gaza Twitter feed. (National Post, October 4, 2012)

KING OF JORDAN DISSOLVES PARLIAMENT FOR ELECTION —(Amman, Jordan) Jordan’s King Abdullah…dissolved the country’s pro-government rubber-stamp parliament, a constitutional move to pave the way for elections expected early next year. A conservative government led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Tarawneh passed an electoral law last July that has angered the country’s main Islamist opposition….The electoral law keeps intact a system that marginalizes the representation of Jordanians of Palestinians origin, on whom Islamists rely on for their support, in favour of native Jordanians who keep a tight grip on power and are the backbone of the powerful security forces. (Globe and Mail, October 4, 2012)

THE VILNA GAON AND JEWISH DESTINY —(Jerusalem) It was 215 years ago this [past] Friday, on the 19th of Tishrei during the intermediate days of Succot, that Rabbi Elijah the Gaon (Hebrew for genius) of Vilna returned his soul to its Maker. Most contemporary Jews have heard of this prodigious scholar, his vast erudition and unmitigated commitment to exploring all aspects of Jewish knowledge and learning. But few are familiar with how he laid the intellectual, spiritual and physical groundwork for the rebirth of the modern Jewish state more than a century before Theodor Herzl raised the banner of political Zionism.  And in light of some of the challenges now facing Israel in the international arena, it is well worth taking a look back at the revolution that the Gaon wrought, the lessons of which remain remarkably relevant even today. (Jerusalem Post, October 3, 2012) (Top of page)

__________________________________________________________

∙       National Post, October 6, 2012
Robert Fulford

∙       The Commentator,  October 9, 2012
Douglas Davis

∙       Arab News, Saturday,  October 6, 2012
Abdulateef  Al-Mulhim

∙       Gatestone Institute, October 10, 2012
Khaled Abu Toameh

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