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WEDNESDAY’S “NEWS IN REVIEW” ROUND-UP

Contents:  Weekly Quotes |  Short Takes

 

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Tamar’s Blessing: Editorial, Jerusalem Post, Apr. 2. 2013

Syria: Divided We Stand: Lawrence Soloman, Times of Israel, Mar. 28, 2013

Why are Israelis So Damn Happy?: Allison Kaplan Sommer, Ha’aretz, Apr.03, 2013

 

 

 

 

"In light of Israel's investigation into the [Gaza Flotilla] incident, which pointed to a number of operational mistakes, the prime minister expressed Israel's apology to the Turkish people for any mistakes that might have led to the loss of life or injury and agreed to conclude an agreement on compensation/nonliability."—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement of apology to Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan made at the end of US President Barack Obama’s visit to Israel. (Facebook: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mar. 22, 2013)

 

“Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan should be tried for the deaths of the activists on the Marmara…The flotilla, which was provided material support by the Turkish government, was a provocation designed to endanger the lives of Israeli sailors.”—Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, director of Shurat HaDin, the Israel Law Center, expressing outrage [at] the apology to Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for the deaths of those killed by the commandos during the clashes. She called the decision to apologize a “pathetic pandering to an Islamic extremist who compared Zionism to facism.” (Israel National News, Mar. 27, 2013)

 

"This is a very important step, [to apologize to Turkey], and the right one, as I told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. In these times, especially looking at what is happening in Syria, there are mutual security interests between Israel, Turkey and the United States."— Tzipi Livni, Israel’s Justice Minister, welcoming the reconciliation between Israel and Turkey. (Jerusalem Post, Mar 22, 2013)

 

“Anyone who saw the photos taken on the Mavi Marmara understands beyond any doubt that IDF soldiers acted in self-defence against the activists of the IHH organization, which is recognized as a terrorist organization in Europe. Such an apology harms IDF soldiers' motivation and their willingness to go out on future missions, and strengthens the radical elements in the region. Worse still is the fact that the apology also affects Israel’s uncompromising struggle for righteousness, morality and for the morality of its soldiers. [Prime Minister Recep] Erdogan’s tirades against Israel whenever possible, starting with the attack on President Peres in 2009 at the Davos conference and until his statement a few weeks ago that Zionism is racism and a crime against humanity, along with his refusal to apologize for this statement, violate the dignity and status of Israel in the region and the entire world.”—former Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman reacting to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s apology to Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan for  the deaths of Turkish nationals on the Mavi Marmara in 2010. (Israel National News, Mar. 22, 2013)

 

"There are thousands of Lord Ahmeds out there: mild-mannered and well-integrated British Muslims who nevertheless harbour deeply anti-Semitic views. It pains me to have to admit this but anti-Semitism isn't just tolerated in some sections of the British Muslim community; it's routine and commonplace. Any Muslims reading this article – if they are honest with themselves – will know instantly what I am referring to. In recent years, I've been depressed to discover that there are plenty of 'second-generation' Muslim youths, born and bred in multiracial Britain, who have drunk the anti-Semitic Kool-Aid. The truth is that the virus of anti-Semitism has infected members of the British Muslim community, both young and old. We're not all anti-Semites. But, as a community, we do have a 'Jewish problem'. There is no point pretending otherwise."—Mehdi Hasan, a British Muslim writer, in a response to the discovery, published on the front-page of the London Times, [Mar. 22] that ex-Labour peer Lord Ahmed of Rotherham had been caught on Pakistan television blaming his imprisonment — for having, while driving and texting, run over and killed a man, — on "the Jews." (Gatestone Institute, March 29, 2013)

 

We are responding to your recent letter dated March 5 asking for our continued financial

support.  We are tuned into and agree with the growing perception in the local community that the  Florida Atlantic University (FAU) administration from Charles Brown to the president, M.J. Saunders, has been lax and unresponsive to the shockingly brazen displays of  anti-Semitic racial bigotry rampant on your campus permitted under the guise of “academic freedom of expression”. The SJP [Students for Justice in Palestine], affiliated and aided by radical Muslim groups, has run, unfettered, with racial activism as evidenced by the mock eviction postings with PBC and FAU official seals and physically aided by a FAU Housing Authority employee.  Outrageously, no one has been fired. One must assume the donations from Muslim sources dictates policy in this State Institution.  Consequently, we will no longer support the Football program and plan to urge our Jewish and Christian friends to withhold future donations to FAU during the tenure of the current university president.”—Howard D. Zipper, M.D and Susan B. Zipper in a letter to Dr. [Jennifer] Anderson, VP Community Engagement, Florida Atlantic University. (Private correspondence, March 26, 2013)

 

“Does Obama in fact know the relationship, for example, between ‘Passover’ and ‘Christian blood’..?! Or ‘Passover’ and ‘Jewish blood rituals?!’ Much of the chatter and gossip about historical Jewish blood rituals in Europe are real and not fake as they claim; the Jews used the blood of Christians in the Jewish Passover.”—Nawaf Al Zaru, in an article, in Arabic, on the website of Miftah, a Palestinian non-profit organization, founded by Palestinian lawmaker Hanan Ashrawi and funded by European and Western governments. (Times of Israel, Apr. 2, 2013)

 

“The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, MIFTAH would like to apologize for the recent and brief publication on our website of an article penned by Nawaf Al Zaru that discusses Jewish blood libel during Passover. It has become clear to us after investigating this incident that the article was accidentally and incorrectly published by a junior staff member. The said staffer has been reprimanded and all our staff has been informed as to the disgusting and repulsive phenomena of blood libel or accusation, including its use against Jews. Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, as founder, has nothing to do with the day to day management at Miftah and was no way involved in this incident.”—a statement from Miftah concerning the blood libel article published on its web-site, after being exposed  by the blog Elder of Ziyon. (Miftah, Apr. 1, 2013)

 

“Miftah's Arabic website shows no indication of regret, apology or condemnation of the classic blood libel against Jews that it published. Readers of the Arabic website have only been exposed to the original blood libel article and to Miftah's justification for it but they have not been informed by the NGO that claims to "fight hatemongering" that there was anything wrong about the original article.”—Elder of Ziyon Blog. (Elder of Ziyon, Apr. 2, 2013)

 

We're gathered here today as emissaries of a nation which has managed to tame the wilderness, but has also committed to remember the scorched earth from which it came. We're gathered here as commanders of an army which has vowed to guard the people of Israel from the next calamity, and we also vow today to remember, and forget nothing. Our safety does not rely only on tanks and airplanes, and isn't summed up by Iron Domes. For our safety, for our future as a nation and a state we are committed to preserve the memory. The Nazis' successors are numerous; they stick by anti-Semitic ways and plot (to create) a modern Auschwitz. The IDF stands against intentions to wipe out the State of Israel, and we have sworn that Jewish blood will not be abandoned.”—Lieutenant General Benny Gantz, IDF Chief of Staff, at a memorial service at Israel’s Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem. (Ynet News, Apr. 3, 2013)

 

“The [Canadian government’s] calculation appears to be that with many of the regimes in the [Middle East] region under military, political or economic threat, they will see advantage in closer relations with Canada because their basic needs outweigh their commitment to the Palestinian cause. Street opinion in the Arab countries that Mr. Baird is visiting will remain very sensitive to the Palestinian reality, but the forces that count in autocracies are governments, which would appear to have a different view. Their seeking the opportunity to meet Mr. Baird suggests as much.”—Michael Bell, former Canadian ambassador to Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, commenting, in an op-ed article in the Globe and Mail, on Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird’s current visit to the Middle East. (Globe and Mail, Apr. 2, 2013)

 

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MARCH WAS DEADLIEST MONTH IN SYRIAN WAR(Beirut) March was the bloodiest month yet in Syria’s two-year-old conflict, with more than 6,000 documented deaths, a leading antiregime activist group said Monday, blaming the increase on heavier shelling and more violent clashes. Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the increased toll is probably incomplete because both the Syrian army and the rebel groups fighting the government often underreport their dead in the civil war. “Both sides are hiding information,’’ Abdul-Rahman said by phone from Britain, where his group is based. ‘‘It is very difficult to get correct info on the fighters because they don’t want the information to hurt morale.” Total deaths in Syria’s civil war are now approaching 80,000. (Boston Globe, Apr. 2, 2013)

 

UN NUKE CHIEF: IRAN MAY BE CONTINUING WORK ON BOMB(New York) International Atomic Energy Agency head Yukiya Amano expressed concern Tuesday that Iran may be secretly continuing work on nuclear weapons. "We have information indicating that Iran was engaged in activities relevant to the development of nuclear explosive devices in the past and now," he said. While not going into detail, Amano said the IAEA's information was "cross checked…so we have concerns." Amano also said there was "some possibility" that Iran may already be constructing additional sites to enrich uranium at locations unknown to the agency."  (Washington Post, Apr. 2, 2013 )

 

ISRAEL'S JEWISH POPULATION PASSES 6 MILLION(Jerusalem)  Israel's population reached eight million over Passover with six million Jews, 1.6 million Arabs, and 350,000 non-Arab Christians and others, mostly relatives of immigrants from the former USSR. There are 5.5 million Jews in the U.S., 500,000 in France, 380,000 in Canada, and 290,000 in Britain. "In the world today there are 13,800,000 Jews," said Professor Sergio Della Pergola, an expert on Jewish demography from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, who collected the data. (Ynet News, Mar. 28, 2013)

 

HISTORIC DAMASCUS SYNAGOGUE LOOTED AND BURNED(Damascus) The 2,000-year-old Jobar Synagogue [dating to 720BCE] in the Syrian capital of Damascus was looted and burned to the ground. The Syrian army loyal to President Bashar Assad and rebel forces are blaming each other for the destruction of the historic synagogue, according to reports on Sunday. The Jobar synagogue was built atop a cave that, according to tradition, was used by the prophet Elijah to conceal himself from prosecution. The synagogue is said to have been built by Elijah's successor, the prophet Elisha, and repaired during the first century by Eleazar ben Arach.  (Jerusalem Post, Apr. 1, 2013)

 

ISRAEL ON COURSE TO ENERGY INDEPENDENCE(Ashdod)After about four years rife with many delays, and after great difficulties in obtaining funding for the Tamar drilling platform, at precisely 4 PM Saturday [Mar. 30] natural gas began to flow from the site, 56 miles off shore, to the Yam Tethys reservoir in Ashdod. The use of the gas will commence within 24 hours. The gas is transferred from the sea through a special pipeline installed along the bottom of the sea to the Yam Tethys reservoir. It will flow from there to a gas absorption station in Ashdod and transferred from there to company customers: Electric Company power stations, and private power plants owned by the refineries in Haifa and Ashdod, and to Israel’s petrochemical plants. (Jewish Press, March 30, 2013)

HEZBOLLAH COURIER FOUND GUILTY IN PLOT TO ATTACK ISRAELI TOURISTS IN CYPRUS(Berlin) In a decision that could have significant repercussions for Hezbollah’s operations in Europe, a court in Cyprus on Thursday [Mar. 21] found a man guilty of participating in a plot to attack Israeli tourists there, part of a conspiracy similar to a deadly bombing last July in Bulgaria. The court found the man, Hossam Taleb Yaacoub, a dual Swedish-Lebanese citizen, guilty on five of the eight charges against him, including participation in a criminal organization and in the preparation of a criminal act. “It has been proven that Hezbollah is an organization that operates under complete secrecy,” the head of the three-judge panel that ruled on the case, Tasia Psara-Miltiadou, said Thursday in court. “There is no doubt that this group has multiple members and proceeds with various activities, including military training of its members. Therefore, the court rules that Hezbollah acts as a criminal organization.” (New York Times, March 21, 2013)

PENN HILLEL PROVIDED PLATFORM FOR ‘BREAKING THE SILENCE’(Philadelphia) In yet another example of academia succumbing to a flawed “freedom of speech” battering ram, the Hillel of Greater Philadelphia, on Thursday, March 28, provided a platform for the pro-Palestinian J Street U to defile the integrity of the Israel Defence Forces through a well-funded delegitimization organization known as Breaking the Silence. The “silence” that the group supposedly “breaks” is the unspoken criticism of Israel and Israel’s military.  Yes, that’s right – without Breaking the Silence, one would never hear a negative word about the IDF, because the New York Times, the United Nations Human Rights Council, the EU, the Guardian, the Iranian regime, the Arab League, the Huffington Post, CNN, El Mundo, El Diario or just about any other entity with a microphone or a media outlet never criticizes the IDF. (Jewish Press, March 29th, 2013)

 

YOUNG ONTARIO MEN NAMED AS SUSPECTS IN ALGERIA ATTACK (Toronto)

Two Canadians suspected of involvement in a terrorist attack at a natural gas plant in Algeria this year have been identified as former high school friends from London, Ont. — in a news report that suggests more Canadians than previously revealed may have been involved in the hostage-taking.

CBC’s The National on Monday [Apr. 1] identified the two men as Ali Medlej and Xristos Katsiroubas, both in their early 20s and raised in middle-class neighbourhoods. The two likely intentionally blew themselves up during the attack at the In Amenas facility, the CBC reported, citing unnamed sources. (Ottawa Citizen, Apr. 1, 2013)

 

HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR, SLATED TO BE HONORED, DIES(Jerusalem) Peretz Hochman, one of six Holocaust survivors slated to light a torch at Yad Vashem on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day on April 7, died on Sunday at the age of 86. Hochman, born as Pavel in Warsaw in 1927, fought in the Polish underground against the Nazis during World War II and, after his aliya in 1946, was injured during the War of Independence while serving in the Palmah Brigade of the Negev.  During the war years, Hochman and his brother Zanek escaped the Warsaw Ghetto and survived on the outside by posing as Poles. The Hochman brothers lived by selling cigarettes to German officers and through street singing, smuggling food and clothing to their parents in the ghetto. Hochman’s father died of starvation while his mother was shot to death in 1942. (Jerusalem Post, Apr. 2, 2013)

ISRAEL’S REVOLUTIONARY MUV-E SCOOTER(Tel Aviv) Another new invention from Israel: an all-electric scooter called the MUV-e that helps people go the distance between the commuter bus, car park or train to the office and home again. It was those last five miles commuting inside cities where he worked –– congested cities like Tel Aviv, Milan, Rome and Torino –– that put a strain on Amir Zaid when he was working for Fiat and Ferrari as an interior and 3D automobile designer. What emerged from Zaid’s fantasy form of transport is the MUV-e scooter. It’s a foldable, all-electric sporty three-wheeler that can connect with your smartphone, turning it into an odometer, gas gauge, speedometer and navigator. The phone can control the folding and opening of the scooter, and sits on the handlebars during the ride. When fully charged, the MUV-e can go about 10 miles before needing to plug in. Estimated driving speeds peak at about 20 miles per hour. (Israel21c, Apr. 3, 2013)

ANTI-ISLAMIC ADS SUBMITTED TO MTA IN REBUTTAL OF ANTI-ISRAEL ADS(New York) The pro-Israel group that called enemies of the Jewish state “savage” in subway ads will launch a new campaign to counteract pro-Palestinian billboards that went up in Metro-North train stations this week. The new ads, paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, feature disturbing images under the headline: “This is Islamic Apartheid.” One of the images shows two blindfolded men having nooses placed over their heads. Below the image, it reads, “Gay under Islamic law (Sharia).” The picture is from Iran, said Pamela Geller, head of the AFDI. Another picture shows a woman dressed in a white burqa getting whipped, above the words: “Under Islamic law rape victims are tortured or killed unless they agree to marry their rapist.” Geller said that picture is from Indonesia. She submitted the ads to the MTA yesterday. It’s unclear when they will go up. (New York Post,  Mar. 28, 2013)

PRESENT-DAY HUNGARIAN ANTI-SEMITIC POSTER(Budapest) This poster describes a local "hunk" in uniform, fairly similar to the SS, holding a "small" Jew by his hair. The little Jew is ugly, his face distorted, hooked nose and trembling with fear. The pockets are designed to express that Jews have "pockets full of money".  In case you are wondering, the poster is not from Germany, in the years of 1932 to 1945, but it is printed now, tens of thousands of copies all over Hungary (Picture Date – March 2012).  Yes, anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews is rearing its head, and so began the roots that led to the Holocaust of the Jewish people.

 

 

 

SAPLINGS FROM ANNE FRANK’S TREE TAKE ROOT IN U.S. (Indianapolis) Saplings from the chestnut tree that stood as a symbol of hope for Anne Frank as she hid from the Nazis for two years in Amsterdam are being distributed to 11 locations in the United States as part of a project that aims to preserve her legacy and promote tolerance. The tree, one of the Jewish teenager's only connections to nature while she hid with her family, was diseased and rotted through the trunk when wind and heavy rain toppled it in August 2010. But saplings grown from its seeds will be planted starting in April, when the Children's Museum of Indianapolis will put the first one in the ground. (Ha’aretz, Mar.27, 2013)

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Tamar’s Blessing: Editorial, Jerusalem Post, Apr. 2. 2013—Tamar’s blessing. Tradition teaches that it was because God wanted to hear the Jewish people’s prayers for rain that He gave them Israel, a land so dependent on heavenly downpours, and did not give them, say, Egypt with its Nile River. The same could have been said for Israel’s dearth of fossil fuel reserves – until now. At 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, natural gas began to flow from Tamar, a huge field located off the Haifa shore, to a terminal at the Ashdod port.

Syria: Divided We Stand: Lawrence Soloman, Times of Israel, Mar. 28, 2013—Israel’s desire for a centralized regime that rules over Syria’s minorities is misguided. A breakup of Syria into its component nations would empower the country’s minorities while serving to protect Israel. Rather than discouraging the minorities’ hopes for self rule, Israel should be encouraging it, and helping to shape it. Otherwise the outcome of Syria’s civil war could redound to Israel’s sorrow.

 

Why are Israelis So Damn Happy?: Allison Kaplan Sommer, Ha’aretz, Apr.03, 2013—It’s happened again. An international survey has been published showing that Israelis are, compared to their counterparts in other Western countries, very happy and content people. That information confounds everyone, not least Israelis themselves. It's thanks to both the wars and the weather, and those Friday night dinners that keep us from feeling lonely.

 

 

Ber Lazarus
, Publications Editor
 Canadian Institute for Jewish Research
/L'institut Canadien de recherches sur le Judaïsme   www.isranet.org  Tel: (514) 486-5544 Fax: (514) 486-82843

 

 

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