Elder of Ziyon

A small terrorist get-together

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:18:00 +0000

This picture was taken at an Islamic Jihad festival that took place in Damascus over the weekend. It was yet another gathering to honor the anniversary of the death of its founder, Fathi Shakaki.

I'm not great at recognizing faces, but we certainly have Khaled Meshal of Hamas there, as well as Ziad Nakhala of Islamic Jihad. It seems that there are also some PFLP leaders there as well.

That's what I call a target-rich environment!

Just something to keep in mind the next time someone claims that the different terrorist groups hate each other and don't cooperate.

Obama's Rabin speech justifies terror

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:25:00 +0000

Am I the only person who finds this sentence outrageous?

Remarking on Rabin's quest for peace during his life, U.S. President Barack Obama said in a video message that "Israelis will not find true security while the Palestinians are gripped by hopelessness and despair."

No one is saying that anyone should live in "hopelessness and despair" but the clear implication is that as long as Palestinian Arabs are pissed off, Israelis need to watch their backs.

People are responsible for their own happiness. Like it or not, not everyone gets everything they want. Plenty of Jews have very good reasons to want to gain back control of biblical Judea and Samaria and are frustrated that they cannot do that - but can anyone imagine Obama saying that as long as Jews are "frustrated and angered" by their inability to freely visit, say, Joseph's Tomb or the Temple Mount, that Palestinian Arabs will never have security?

Or would Obama say that US citizens cannot find true security while native Americans live in squalor and despair, or that Turks cannot find security while Armenians are stateless?

This is liberalism run amok, where the for one's happiness is found not from within but is rather the responsibility of the Western world. Where personal responsibility simply doesn't exist, and where terror is justifiable.

It is an attitude like this that gives cover to terrorists and their apologists, as they play on this insane thought process and use it as ammunition to blackmail the West into giving in to their ever-increasing demands. I have not seen the entire speech and perhaps there was a context there, but the fact that the leader of the free world said that sentence is incredibly frightening.

And that one sentence is already being quoted in the headlines of the Palestinian Arabic media.

Arab report: Extremists use sex to recruit suicide bombers

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:05:00 +0000

Al Arabiya is presenting an Arabic language TV show about suicide bombers tonight. In the show, they reveal that terrorist leaders explicitly use the lure of sex in Paradise as a means to recruit young men:

An analysis of the content of SMS messages sent by the bombers before they blew themselves up showed that more than 80% of the suicide bombers mention a wish to meet virgins as one of the reasons that compel them to carry out these operations.

[One man interviewed] said they refers to a button that, once pressed and activating the bomb, will come nymphs welcoming him to heaven. While there is another beautiful girl waiting for him that has prepared for him a buffet full of food and drink.

Psychologists say that the content that appears in the tapes clearly reflects on the way in which [terrorists] recruit, selecting young people and placing them in isolation for long periods in the mountains, exposing them to physical training and teaching violent extremist ideas about women, which would aggravate their sexual frustrations, and ultimately promise a legitimate means to unload this repression as a sure way to get them to implement what the organization's leaders tell them without discussion.

Lebanese school bans Anne Frank

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:29:00 +0000

From AFP:

Anne Frank's diary has been censored out of a school textbook in Lebanon following a campaign by the militant group Hezbollah claiming the classic work promotes Zionism.
The row erupted after Hezbollah learned excerpts of "The Diary of Anne Frank" were included in the textbook used by a private English-language school in western Beirut.
Hezbollah's Al-Manar television channel ran a report slamming the book for focusing on the persecution of Jews.
"What is even more dangerous is the dramatic, theatrical way in which the diary is emotionally recounted," said the report aired last week and also published on the station's website.
It questioned how long Lebanon would "remain an open arena for the Zionist invasion of education."
A member of the school board, Jimmy Shoufani, told AFP the school dropped the textbook from its curriculum after the controversy erupted. He asked that the school not be identified.
Hezbollah officials could not reached for comment.
In the Al-Manar report, party MP Hussein Hajj Hassan had criticized the school for showing poor judgement in picking out its textbooks.
"These respected, established schools are teaching the so-called tragedy this girl lived, and yet they are ashamed to teach the tragedy of the Lebanese people, the tragedy of the Palestinian people... the tragedy of the people of the south under the hands of Zionist occupation," he told Al-Manar.

But Allah forbid you should call them anti-semitic. They love Jews! Just as long as the Jews are dead or subjugated into silence.

Notice also how a private school in Lebanon must do what Hezbollah says, giving Islamic fundamentalists effective absolute power over the entire country just by using threats.

Erekat: Compromise is not "realistic"

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:47:00 +0000

From Palestine Press Agency:

Dr. Saeb Erekat, chief negotiator of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said that the option of two countries on the borders of June 1967 is the only realistic option of making peace in the Middle East.

In other words, the idea of compromise is anathema. The idea of any Jews living in the West Bank is unrealistic. The idea that a single Jew should remain in the Old City is horrendous and an obstacle to "peace." The very thought that Jews should have free access to their holy places or be able to live in towns on the east side of a border that Arabs rejected before 1967 is simply not "realistic" and therefore must be shot down.

Thus spoke the "moderate."

Erekat stressed that the shortest way to peace is ending the Israeli occupation that began in 1967, and away from a state with provisional borders and a long-term interim agreements.

Because we all remember how peaceful things were between Arabs and Jews before 1967!

Palestinian Arabs are unique in international law

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:30:00 +0000

The Guardian says that accused Fort Hood murderer Nidal Hassan was "the son of Palestinians from a village near Jerusalem."

The New York Times says, "His mother’s obituary, in The Roanoke Times in 2001, said she was born in Palestine in 1952."

This got me to wondering about a contradiction in the standard pro-Palestinian Arab narrative that the world has swallowed whole.

We all "know" that Israel is considered the legal occupier of the West Bank. It was declared as such by the UN and the ICJ, among others.

The definition of occupation, however, is straightforward:

"Military occupation occurs when a belligerent state invades the territory of another state with the intention of holding the territory at least temporarily."

The original definition from the Hague Conventions of 1907 states:

Military authority over the territory of the hostile state

Art. 42. Territory is considered occupied when it is actually placed under the authority of the hostile army. The occupation extends only to the territory where such authority has been established and can be exercised.

The question that remains murky is, what is the state that Israel is occupying? It cannot be Jordan, because Jordan relinquished control in 1988, and the international community never recognized Jordan's annexation of the West Bank. It seems clear, from the aforementioned sources, that this "state" is "Palestine."

In other words, according to the UN and the ICJ, there is a legal entity called "Palestine" and it has existed since at least 1967, probably since 1948. This is remarkable in itself that international law is implicitly recognizing a state that was never declared or recognized. As a matter of fact, it may be against international law to prematurely recognize a state (note 26.)

(The ICJ takes the position that the intent of the Fourth Geneva Convention is not only between High Contracting Parties and that the intent of the drafters was to protect civilians even if they were not in a state beforehand. This is probably true: the Fourth Geneva Convention is specifically concerned with civilians. The advisory opinion is being extended way beyond treatment of civilians - the responsibility of which Israel voluntarily accepted in 1967 - and into the legal status of the territories themselves. That isn't defined by Geneva, but by the Hague. This brings up an entire other set of anomalies as Israel ceded day to day control of large parts of the territories to the PA, as a strict reading of "occupation" would imply that Israel has a much greater responsibility over West Bank Palestinian affairs than it exercises now, a position that would horrify the UN and ICJ.)

If we ignore these anomalies and assume that there is a legal entity called Palestine that is under occupation, then we come up to another problem: the definition of "refugees."

We have discussed a number of times in the past how Palestinian Arab "refugees" are the only ones in the world whose definition includes the descendants of the original people who fled a war. The UNRWA's operational definition has somehow become the legal definition.

But this definition has another dimension of exceptionalism: if one considers the West Bank to be legally "Palestine," then the original "refugees" who are there would normally be considered "internally displaced persons." After all, they just moved from one part of "Palestine" to another - if one accepts that "Palestine" is "occupied."

This analysis shows that the only way for the worldview of "occupation" and "refugees" to both be accurate and not contradictory is to redefine both words to accommodate a specific circumstance. To say that normal legal terms must be redefined for Palestinian Arabs - and only Palestinian Arabs - is to make a mockery of the idea of law itself.

Marriage in Somalia

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:17:00 +0000

An interesting article in Al Arabiya discusses how marriage has turned into a legal way of sleeping around for young Somalians, helped by random calls on inexpensive cell phones:

Bile Farah, 25, said marriages nowadays have become more of an "entertainment."

"I don't think I'd be sane if it were not for the 'Qudbasiro', free-of-charge secret marriages," the unemployed secondary school graduate told Reuters, sitting cross-legged on a ragged mattress and sending a text message with his phone.

"I've divorced nine women already. Voluntary brides and cheap phone services, it is the only life we have."

Unsurprisingly, such behavior is frowned upon by hardline Islamist Shabaab insurgents who rule over much of central and southern Somalia and want to impose their own austere version of Sharia law on the whole country.

They have banned elopement in the areas under their control. But for Halima Osman, a Mogadishu mother-of-three, the mobile phone helped her run away with the love of her life.

I am very proud. I would not have these three kids if it were not for the cheap calls and elopement," the 20-year-old told Reuters, covering her face with a scarf.

She said her sister lived a "dog's life" being beaten for seven years after being married to an old man against her will.

"She suffered. But you can just dial a number or pick up a ringing phone. You make an appointment then elope. Life is so easy if you are lucky."

Aden, the shop owner, said he was shocked when his own daughter eloped and gave birth to a child with a young man he had never met. But he also had a confession.

"I enjoy this lifestyle myself, to some extent," he said.

Apart from an older wife in a "far away" region, he said he had three younger spouses in the capital: one through an arranged marriage and the other two "secretly."

"I call them day wives, because we usually have to meet discreetly during the daytime, the other one will take it out on the children if I'm missing from her nightly roll call," he said.

"But the recent insecurity has favored us. You hear gunfire, and you have an excuse to be absent."

The article started off with that same shop owner describing how things were in the good old days:

Somali courtship was different in Hassan Aden's day. When he was a teenager, you gave the girl's parents 11 camels and an AK-47 assault rifle as bride price and then waited respectfully.

More brilliant Arab military analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:47:00 +0000

Arab military analysis is a pretty simple affair. It can be summed up in one sentence:

If someone does something you don't like, they must be working for Israel.

The latest example comes from pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat. It quotes a Lebanese military analyst as saying that the recent rocket attack against Israel from the town of Hula was probably done by the extremist Sunni Fatah al-Islam group...and they did it to help Israel.

You see, Fatah al-Islam agrees with al-Qaeda philosophy. As such, it is trying to embarrass "moderate" Arab regimes by instigating terror attacks against the West and shooting rockets into Israel. This is all, of course, in order to help Israel create a rift between the West and the Arabs as well as between Arabs themselves.

See how easy it is?

Syrian minister says UN is pro-Israel

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:16:00 +0000

On the very same day that the UN General Assembly (for the umpteenth time) voted overwhelmingly against Israel, a Syrian minister and columnist for Asharq Al Awsat writes that the UN is just another Zionist tool:

The shy and shameful language of the UN’s call [for Israel not to evict Palestinian Arabs in jerusalem] comes in the context of the submission of the Security Council to the Zionist will, and consequently commits a historic disgrace in the form of ignoring the legitimate political, civil and human rights of the Palestinian people including their right to life and freedom like other peoples of the world.

For the UN not to take any initiative or measure which leads to giving the Palestinian people the right to self determination will remain a disgrace in the history of the organization which will never be removed except with the removal of Jewish colonialism in Palestine. The Palestinians have been under a racist settler form of colonialism for over sixty years; and they are targeted with a campaign of ethnic cleansing launched by armed gangs of settlers supported by the Israeli police and army. This is unparalleled in the 21st century in terms of the crimes which include siege, murder, food poisoning, starvation, assassination, demolishing houses, scorching crops, destroying farms, raping prisoners, trafficking in the organs of martyrs and preventing Palestinians from moving between their villages, farms and schools.
All this happens under the full gaze and silence of the ‘civilized’ world which fully supports the Israeli government and fully ignores the daily savage crimes committed by Jewish settlers and Israeli soldiers.

Ms. Shaaban seems not to inhabit the same world that the rest of us live in.

If all these crimes committed daily against Palestinians do not amount to ethnic cleansing and genocide, what does?

Oh, I don't know. Maybe Hama?

More details on the Hezbollah weapons cache

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:34:00 +0000

The shipment included:

20,000 fragmentary grenades
9000 mortar shells
3000 106 millimeter artillery shells
2000 122 and 107 millimeter rockets
600,000 7.62 millimeter rounds for AK47 assault rifles

(source: IDF email)

[Considering that the Jews run Hollywood, this is an extraordinarily bad slide show. It looks like it was made in Microsoft Movie Maker by a ten year old. ]

Saudi Cast Lead

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:47:00 +0000

AP reports:

Saudi Arabia has launched a large military incursion across the border into northern Yemen, using fighter jets and artillery bombardments to try to end a Shiite rebellion inside its troubled southern neighbor, Arab diplomats and the rebels said Thursday.
The northern rebels, known as Hawthis, have been battling Yemeni government forces intensively over the past few months in the latest flare-up of a sporadic conflict that has lasted five years. The Hawthis are based in northern Saada province, which borders Saudi Arabia.

"Saudi jets dropped bombs on a crowded areas including local market in the northern province of Saada," Hawthi spokesman Mohammed Abdel-Salam told The Associated Press. "They (Saudis) claim they are targeting al-Hawthis, but regrettably they are killing civilians like the government does," he added.

"The attacks were followed by hundreds of shells from the border," Abdel-Salam said.

There was no immediate word on casualties.

Two Arab diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AP Saudi Tornado and F-15 warplanes have been bombarding targets inside Yemen since Wednesday afternoon, inflicting significant casualties on the rebels. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not allowed to talks to the media.

They said army units and special forces have been sent to northern Yemen, and that several Saudi towns on the border have been evacuated.

The BBC adds that the Houthis claim that Saudi Arabia dropped phosphorus bombs on them.

So a Western-backed nation, using American and European airplanes, struck against an Islamist extremist group across its border, killing innocent civilians.

According to the Goldstone Standard, it sounds like numerous war crimes are occurring.

I would love to see copies of the leaflets that the moral Saudis no doubt dropped ahead of the bombing of the market, as well as the results of the internal investigation that Saudi Arabia is certainly embarking on right now.

(h/t Capt Diggs in an LGF link)

UPDATE: I don't know if it is true, but the Houthis are claiming that Saudi Arabia is putting up a "separation fence" in Yemen territory:

Saudi forces opened fire on the crowd following conflicts with local residents over the construction of a separation fence on Yemeni soil," said a Wednesday statement released by members of the Shia group.

Consequently, the incident inflicted the loss of numerous lives, as well as serious injuries upon both sides.

"Residents of the area reject any fence which would have a negative economic impact on them and cut them off from their brethren on the other side," the statement also noted.

We need more international law experts to specify all the clear legal distinctions between the good Saudis and the evil Israelis, and between the evil Houthis and the good Hamas members.

Lebanese upset over prize for Israeli falafel

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:23:00 +0000

Al Arabiya (Arabic) reports that the president of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists, Fadi Abboud, is protesting the fact that an Israeli company won an award at a New Jersey food expo for a falafel product.

He is sending a letter to the organizers emphasizing that falafel is a Lebanese product, not Israeli, and to give such an award in an insult to Lebanese falafel vendors.

He says that Israel persists in stealing Arab food like falafel, hummus and tabbouleh,

Abboud will send a letter to the Lebanese Economic Minister to formally protest to the United Nations that "Israel's efforts strive to give the impression in the international markets that falafel is one of its culinary heritage, as they did with other dishes" like tahini.

Lebanon will also respond to this insult by making the world's biggest falafel ball, similar to last month when they prepared the world's largest hummous and tabbouleh dishes.

And what was this food fair in New Jersey that has Lebanon so upset?

It was the annual Kosherfest fair! The award that irks him so much was the "best food from Israel" award, which would make it difficult to give to a Lebanese company (unless you want to include Lebanon in Biblical Israel, which might upset them a bit more.)

I suggest that Lebanese vendors who are so upset over Israeli companies stealing their cuisine feel free to obtain kosher certification for their products and to display them in next year's Kosherfest so they can be judged and compared with Israel's entries. And I wish them much luck in cracking the kosher consumer market.

Muslims protest Holocaust survivor talk, flirt with denial

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:11:00 +0000

From the Gorey (Ireland) Guardian:

A MUSLIM GROUP is calling for a mass protest at Gorey Community School later this month when a Jewish Holocaust survivor comes to talk about his experiences in a World War II concentration camp.
MPAC, which describes itself as a non-profit organisation that 'helps Muslims to help themselves', is objecting to the visit by Slovakian native Tomi Reichental as he subsequently went on to serve with the Israeli defence forces during the 1950s.

The Islamic group maintains this made him part of a 'Jewish Zionist Army' which systematically persecuted Palestinians.
'How a man who had allegedly survived the Belsen concentration camp, witnessed its supposed horrors and lived to tell the tale could then, as part of the IDF, enact the same terror upon an innocent Palestinian population beggars belief,' reads a statement from the group.

'Reichental is due to speak in Gorey Community School this November. We urge all concered individuals to protest,' it continues.

The MPAC-IE page is sarcastic in its description of Reichental and dismissive of his story. It even casts doubts on the Holocaust itself:

Holocaust Industry Rolls out its Irish Survivor

He’d never spoken about his alleged time in Belsen until recently, but after being ‘discovered’ by the Holocaust Educational Trust, he apparently changed his mind because as Katie Roche says, “he has realised that he must speak out so that this horrific event will never be forgotten,” – it seems the hundreds of films, books, magazines and museum displays simply aren’t enough.

And so the tours of Irish schools began, and the name Tomi Reichental cropped up in newspapers and even a short film was made about his story. Yet, it seems we were only told part of the story. In a happy ending story, we’d like to be able to say Reichental learned from his ordeal and that his alleged suffering made him a better person. We’d like to be able to say that, but we can’t, for in 1956 Reichental, then living in Occupied Palestine since 1949, fought with the Zionist state’s army in the Sinai Campaign. ...

How a man who had allegedly survived the Belsan concentration camp, witnessed its supposed horrors and lived to tell the tale could then, as part of the IDF, enact the same terror upon an innocent Palestinian population beggars belief. Even more astounding perhaps is that he’s given a platform to tell of his woes yet remains silent regarding his own actions.

While we believe that the horrible event that saw not only Jews but millions of Gypsies and other minorities slaughtered simply because they were different, should be remembered. We must ask if Reichental is the right person to remind us?

As far as we’re concerned inviting Reichental into any Irish school to talk about suffering is akin to inviting Mad Dog Adair to give a talk about loyalist torment in Northern Ireland, or the butcher of Belsen to discuss morality. This is nothing short of shameful and disingenuous exploitation of the good nature of Irish people.

Reichental is due to speak in Gorey Community School this November. We urge all concerned individuals to protest this exploitation of what Finkelstein calls the Holocaust Industry.

MPAC-IE, despite its lukewarm paragraph saying that a "horrible event" should be remembered, also casts doubt on the Holocaust by saying that the horrors at Bergen-Belsen were "alleged."

An even worse form of Holocaust denial is the equation of Israel's War of Independence with the Holocaust ("the same terror.") This is, simply, a sickening perversion and MPAC-IE should be ashamed.

Of course, no one in the Muslim community will stand up and shame them.

Arab "experts": Weapons ship a Zionist conspiracy!

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:07:00 +0000

You just knew this was coming....

Islam Online (Arabic only) discusses Israel's seizure of the weapons ship:

Military experts have questioned the validity Israel's declaration on Wednesday that they intercepted a ship loaded with the "huge" shipment of weapons that was heading from Iran to Hezbollah, adding that if it is true then the actions of the Israeli navy is "piracy".

In separate comments for "Islam Online.Net" the experts emphasized that the occupation is trying to "divert attention from the report of the Goldstone and the Israeli position that refuses to stop the settlements," referring to the declaration that this is not the first of its kind, though differing in details.

Meanwhile, a Syrian official denies everything:

In Tehran, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem dismissed Israeli allegations the ship carried arms.
"Unfortunately, some official pirates in the seas, sometimes in the name of the navy, sometimes in the name of inspection, obstruct trade movement between Syria and Iran," al-Moallem said a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart.
"This ship does not carry Iranian weapons to Syria and does not contain military material to manufacture weapons in Syria. This ship carries imported goods from Syria to Iran," al-Moallem added. His comments in Arabic were carried by Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV station and other Lebanese stations.

I guess this video is all part of the conspiracy. I mean, we do own Hollywood.

World Series open thread

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:42:00 +0000

Pedro not on his game, will the Phillies' bats make up for it? Discuss.

UPDATE: L. King asks in the comments for gratuitous pictures of Phillies Ballgirls. I am, of course, duty bound to comply, especially as it seems increasingly unlikely that I will have another chance until next year.

Journalists and International Law

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:34:00 +0000

Just Journalism, the relatively new and excellent organization that looks at media bias in UK media, hosted a fascinating roundtable discussion in August on the topic of how international law is described in the media. The summary of that discussion is now available as a PDF document. Here are the conclusions:

Conclusions

Whilst a broad set of views were represented at the cross-disciplinary roundtable, Just Journalism has extracted some key observations with the aim that these will be further debated by journalists, the public and all interested parties:

The politicisation of international law by parties to conflicts and their supporters is inadequately addressed by journalists. Allegations of disproportionality against Israel or genocide against Sri Lanka and other states can be politically motivated and inaccurate.

Many principles of international law are heavily contested but are often not presented to news audiences as such. News audiences need to be informed about the various interpretations of these terms in order to be aware of differing claims.

The liberal view of international law as a protector against human rights violations prevails in the public consciousness and is perpetuated in the media. In fact, international law often legitimises conflict as well as limiting it.

Most journalists reporting accusations of breaches of international law are themselves not lawyers, making it difficult to adjudicate between competing legal claims or to appropriately position them.

Journalists must strike a balance between providing detail on the complex legal concepts they refer to, and ensuring their reports remain accessible to their audiences. There is a lack of consensus on the right way to strike this balance at present and this needs further discussion.

The document is worth reading in its entirety, and it is especially relevant in the wake of the Goldstone report with its own shoddy interpretations of international law and highly politicized and questionable assumptions about the legal statuses of Gaza, Hamas, the Hamas police and the Al Qassam Brigades.

Video of intercepted Hezbollah arms cache (UPDATED)

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:38:00 +0000

From the IDF Spokesperson:

Roughly 500 tons of weapons, rockets, and missiles was uncovered aboard the cargo vessel “Francop” flying an Antiguan flag, which was intercepted and brought to the Ashdod port. The Israel Navy force which intercepted the ship included naval commandos, missile boats, intelligence and explosive experts.

36 shipping containers with 500 tons of weaponry were found on the ship disguised as civilian cargo, and hidden among hundreds of other containers onboard.

Israel Naval and Engineering Corps forces are currently unloading the containers and are sorting through the various types of weaponry found aboard.

The naval commando force boarded the vessel and conducted an initial search. The search was conducted in accordance with the usual search protocols as dictated by International Law.

Following the initial search and after it became clear that the vessel was carrying weapons, the vessel was directed by the Israel Navy to dock at the Israeli Ashdod Naval base for additional searches and a detailed inspection of the hull’s cargo. It should be emphasized that the captain of the ship agreed to the search. The Israel Navy conducted all activity without any force.

The weapons found onboard the ship originate from Iran, and were intended for the Hezbollah terror organization, for use against the State of Israel and its citizens. The weapons uncovered at sea last night constitute a harsh violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1747 and 1701 that strictly forbid Iran from exporting or trading any form of weapons.

This is a well-known Iranian technique, taking advantage of cargo ships flying different flags in order to smuggle containers loaded with large amounts of highly volatile weaponry to terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah.

This ship had ten times the weapons that the infamous Karin-A had.

Here are the UN Security Council Resolutions that were violated by this shipment (from an IDF briefing:)

UN Security Council Resolution 1737 (December 23^rd, 2006)
A UN resolution determining, inter alia, a limit on export of certain Iranian products and items	-"Decides that Iran shall not export any of the items in documents S/2006/814 and S/2006/815 and that all Member States shall prohibit the procurement of such items from Iran by their nationals, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, and whether or not originating in the territory of Iran."
UN Security Council Resolution 1474 (March 24^th, 2007)
Explicitly forbids all export of arms from Iran (not only to terrorist organizations), without relating to methods of enforcement.	"Decides that Iran shall not supply, sell or transfer directly or indirectly from its territory or by its nationals or using its flag vessels or aircraft any arms or related material, and that all States shall prohibit the procurement of such items from Iran by their nationals, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, and whether or not originating in the territory of Iran."
UN Security Council Resolution 1803 (March 24^th, 2008)
Calls for supervision over the movement of aircraft and naval vessels owned by the companies Iran Air and IRISL (Annexes 11 and 12)	"Calls upon all States, in accordance with their national legal authorities and legislation and consistent with international law, in particular the law of the sea and relevant international civil aviation agreements, to inspect the cargoes to and from Iran of aircraft and vessels, at their airports and seaports, owned or operated by Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, provided there are reasonable grounds to believe that the aircraft or vessel is transporting goods prohibited under this resolution or resolution 1737 (2006) or resolutions 1747 (2007);"

UN Security Council Resolution 1835 September 27^th, 2008

Reconfirms earlier resolutions dealing with the issue of Iranian exports and arms trading, and calls on Iran to immediately fulfill its obligations as they appear in prior resolutions.

“Reaffirms the statement of its President, S/PRST/2006/15, of 29 March, and its resolution 1696 (2006) of 31 July 2006, its resolution 1737 (2006) of 23 December 2006, its resolution 1747 (2007) of 24 March 2007, and its resolution 1803 (2008) of 3 March 2008…

Calls upon Iran to comply fully and without delay with its obligations under the above-mentioned resolutions of the security council…

UPDATE: I was on an IDF conference call for bloggers where details were being mentioned. Here are some highlights:

The weapons were Chinese and Russian.

There are so many weapons containers that only one third of the contents have been uncovered so far.

They were being hidden in polyethylene that would have made remote scanning impossible.

They included 122mm Katyushas made in Russia with a range of over 40 km. Also 107mm rockets (possibly these.)

All of the weapons were brand new.

Goldstone keffiyeh a hit in Gaza

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:27:00 +0000

From AFP:

South African Judge Richard Goldstone's name may be infamous in Israel, but in the Gaza Strip it is sewn onto souvenir Palestinian headscarves in honour of his controversial war inquiry.

Tariq Abu Dia, owner of the President Arafat souvenir shop in Gaza City, says Goldstone, who is Jewish, deserves the honour of appearing on the iconic Palestinian keffiyeh made famous by Yasser Arafat, for whom the shop is named.

"Today we put out 50 keffiyehs made of white fabric with the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the name 'Goldstone' embroidered on them, to honour his work," Abu Dia says, as he shows off one of the scarves.

The shop, which mostly caters to foreign aid workers and activists working in the besieged and impoverished territory, will be selling the scarves, which Abu Dia insists are handmade, for around 20 dollars (15 euros).

(h/t t34zakat and Vicious Babushka)

Today's news 11/4

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:17:00 +0000

Some Middle East news you might not have seen elsewhere...

Israel intercepted a ship carrying arms illegally, presumably from Iran to Hezbollah. Also, Hamas denied Israeli accusations that it tested rockets with a range of 60 kilometers.

There is a lot of discussion about today's UN General Assembly debate on a resolution supporting Goldstone. The Arab League has a draft resolution and the EU has some proposed changes, mostly to refer the matter back down to the UNHRC in three months rather than up to the Security Council. There is sharp debate within the Arab camp (including Richard Falk) as to which method is most effective.

The PFLP and Fatah took credit for firing mortars at Israel yesterday. In this case, it was in reprisal for...the 92nd anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. See, they never initiate hostilities, it is always in reaction to Zionist crimes!

The number of articles in the PalArab press about negotiations for Gilad Shalit have been increasing lately. Today, PalPress quotes a Kuwaiti newspaper (not usually very reliable, IMHO) that Hamas has taken Marwan Barghouti off the table in exchange for Israel releasing Hamas prisoners with "blood on their hands." Yesterday an article was claiming that there will be some significant movement ahead of Eid al Adha, at the end of November.

There is controversy in Egypt over a Beyonce concert scheduled for later this week. There is resentment both for the high ticket prices ($400) and the fact that only rich Egyptians can go. Also, religious Muslims aren't happy with her outfits. 15 girls fainted at her recent concert in Abu Dhabi.

Dubai is reportedly going to appoint female muftis next year, who can issue fatwas - even for men.

Daily Goldstone 11/4

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:36:00 +0000

Richard Landes at Augean Stables takes a deeper look at the "36 incidents" that Richard Goldstone has alternatively characterized as "illustrative" and as to "appear to represent situations where there was little or no military justification for what happened." Those two characterizations are contradictory, to say the least.

What’s missing here, of course, is any investigation into the extensive evidence that Hamas used the civilian population as a shield, that they deliberately fired from the midst of civilian neighborhoods in order to provoke attacks, that they dressed as civilians, commandeered ambulances, stole food supplied by Israel to the Gazan population… in short that they did everything they could to maximize their own civilians’ casualties.

All these matters are, of course, critical to assessing the behavior of Israeli troops. And yet, Goldstone explicitly refused to look into this material....

We didn’t want to investigate situations where we would be called upon to second-guess decisions made by Israeli Defense Force leaders or soldiers, in what’s called the “fog of battle”. It’s really unfair to do that, especially without hearing the other side. So we tried to concentrate on issues which seem to be less likely to be justifiable by applying those standards.

In other words, we didn’t look specifically into incidents of Hamas using human shields, didn’t listen to witnesses who, taking that information into account, found the IDF took remarkable risks to avoid hitting civilians. Instead, they chose 36 incidents to investigate which “appear to represent situations where there was little or no military justification for what happened,” and nonethess, found Israel guilty of targeting civilians. ...

Indeed, the FFM, even as it only tangentially considered evidence of Hamas’ military strategy of human shields, consistently dismissed any evidence to the contrary. The trope “The Mission found no evidence… did not find any evidence… for illegitimate behavior by Hamas and other Palestinian combatants runs through the report like a scarlet thread...
If you seek not, how will you find?

Read the whole thing.

Saudi TV show has hosts covered head to toe

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:02:00 +0000

From Arab News:

JEDDAH: A new TV show that discusses issues concerning teenage girls and female university students was recently broadcast with Saudi presenters dressed in black from head to toe.
The show — named Asrar Al-Banat (The Secrets of Girls) — is broadcast on Awtan TV, a Saudi religious channel that was first aired in August 2008 and has women broadcasters who are covered in the all-enveloping abaya and niqab.
Presenting Asrar Al-Banat is Sawsan Salah Al-Deen, a 26-year-old Saudi BA graduate in Media and Guidance.
Sawsan, who is appearing on TV for the first time, said she was initially anxious. Her family has, however, been supportive, particularly since “people will not see me” and the program reaches out to young women.
Something that has also appealed to her family is the fact that her work environment is women-only; male technical assistants do not enter the studio while women are inside and carry out their duties from outside.
Answering a question about some opposing religious views that regard the voice of women as Awrah (something that cannot be revealed in the presence of men), Sawsan said that scholars deem women’s voices as Awrah only if they are speaking softly or on immoral topics.
Commenting on whether her appearance on TV would now lead to women appearing on cooking and children programs, she said, “When it comes to cooking, men can present them. However, there are some issues relating to women which men cannot handle in the way we can.”
Asrar Al-Banat, which discusses different issues relating to teenage girls, has so far broadcast four episodes. It is aired from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Friday and receives live phone calls from members of the public.

I've seen this sort of show before. It was called "radio."

Congress denounces Goldstone report

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:50:00 +0000

From the Washington Independent:

As expected, the House approved Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s (R-Fla.) resolution condemning South African judge Richard Goldstone’s inquiry for the United Nations into war crimes committed last year in Gaza by Israel and Hamas. The lopsided final vote was 344 in favor to 36 opposed, with 22 “present” votes.

The Palestinian side seems to want to put the unfortunate experience behind it. Asked to comment on the impact that the Obama administration’s decision to press Palestinian President Abbas to shunt the Goldstone report aside — it basically devastated his political standing — Maen Areikat, the Palestinian representative in Washington, said through a spokesman that this was “history” and “we’re happy to have it behind us.” Hussein Ibish, a fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine, said that the Palestinians basically know that Congress is going to take these sorts of stances on Israel issues. “I don’t think it will have much of an impact,” Ibish said in an email. “The administration handles diplomacy and has to take responsibility for national security. Everyone here and abroad knows that.”

Norwegian university considers academic boycott of Israel

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:23:00 +0000

From Al Arabiya:

A group of professors in Norway have called for a boycott of Israeli academics because of "systematic" discrimination against Palestinian students and for altering history to develop the Zionist ideology, the professors said in their proposal sent to Al Arabiya on Tuesday.

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), where the professors work, is set to decide next week whether to boycott Israel after it received the proposal from 30 of its professors who said their aim was to put "pressure" on Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian land.

"We, who have signed this letter, believe that it is time that academic institutions contributed to an international pressure against Israel so that real negotiations between Israel, democratically elected Palestinian authorities and the international society can begin," the open letter said.

The group accused Israeli universities and institutions of higher education of playing "a key role in the policy of oppression" and said "historians and archaeologists are important in the development of the Zionist ideology and renouncement of Palestinian history and identity."

These people are not only calling for a boycott; they are accusing Israeli universities of altering history and archaeological research for political purposes!

So, of course, they are advocating politicizing academic research in response to this fantasy of theirs.

Pot, meet kettle.

From looking at NTNU's website, one can see that the entire university is not populated by hypocrites. NTNU already has a joint program with the Betzalel Academy in Jerusalem.

Also, another set of at least 22 NTNU professors immediately came up with a counter-petition, autotranslated here:

A group of employees at NTNU and HiST have in an open letter earlier this year asked their respective boards of a cultural and academic boycott of Israel. We who write in this letter are also employees of these institutions. We are generally positive to the factual and objective discussions on Palestine-Israel conflict within the NTNU / Violation, but said it is very unfortunate if the institutions unilaterally give its unconditional support to one of the parties in conflict. In our view, speaks the following arguments for the boycott proposal should be rejected:
- NTNU / HiST's primary role to engage in research and education, not to bring their own foreign policy. Choosing side in difficult political issues will give the impression that we are less objective and factual. This cuts across the university's role as a gathering place for a wide spectrum of different thoughts and ideas.
- To be associated with a controversial stance in such a difficult conflict will have negative consequences for the NTNU / Violation internationally. Do we really want to be known as the first Western universities who are in favor of an academic boycott of Israel?
- Also within the NTNU / HiST there are different opinions about this conflict, and a boycott decision would therefore seem divisive and non-inclusive. Even we who write under this petition has different views on how the conflict should be resolved.
- It is unclear whether the NTNU / HiST have considered all the legal issues that may result from a possible boycott decision. What funds are institutions willing to apply to scientists who defy the boycott? Will they be able to move from pay or be dismissed?
- We do not believe that such a decision will contribute to a peaceful solution to the conflict, but rather to more polarization.
. - NTNU will only lose by cutting off from the scientific contacts and cooperation with various international outstanding academic environments that exist in Israel.
- If the NTNU / Violation boycotting Israel, it is also very difficult to bring rational arguments for why we do not also boycott other nations that violate human rights in far worse ways. It follows that the institutions that need a continuous process where they use a boycott to highlight the position in other conflicts.
We request, therefore the boards at NTNU and HiST to reject the proposal for a boycott of Israel. Individuals at our universities must of course be able to engage in international conflicts, but it is unwise of the institutions as such to take sides. Our universities will lose more than we win on such a decision.

Over 1600 professors worldwide have also signed a petition against this proposal to boycott Israel at Scholars for Peace in the Middle East.

It will be interesting to see whether the Norwegian haters have enough support to push through their anti-freedom agenda.

Today's PalArab news (11/3)

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:09:00 +0000

Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar was quoted in a Kuwaiti newspaper as saying that accusations of Hamas collusion with Iran are just an attempt to lump Hamas together with America's enemies, adding that Hamas gets support from European Christians. (Iranian aid is a touchy subject for Hamas as Fatah regularly refers to Hamas derogatorily as "Shi'ites.")

Hamas sentenced another "collaborator" to death.

Two more cafes were firebombed in Gaza, presumably by Islamic extremists.

Egypt is arranging for Gaza pilgrims to get flights from El Arish to "the Holy Land" for Hajj. (Of course, the Holy Land is - Saudi Arabia. ) The planes will be from the "Palestinian National Airlines" and will have a Palestinian Arab flag. Some 4500 pilgrims will travel that way, and it is being done in cooperation with the PA.

A Gaza family is forced to live in a cave by the beach in Khan Younis. They've been there since 1966. Somehow, Israel is being blamed.

Hamas preventing children from getting treated in Egypt

noreply@blogger.com (Elder of Ziyon) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:24:00 +0000

Palestine Press Agency reports that the Palestinian Ministry of Health has condemned Hamas for not allowing injured Gaza children to travel to Egypt for medical treatment.

This is not the first time that Hamas refused allowing sick people from going to Egypt. Hamas has previously stopped patients from traveling to Israel for treatment. They also prevented patients from going to an Israeli field hospital after Cast Lead.

Interestingly, the Palestinian Ministry of Health still maintains a list of "martyrs" who died in Gaza from medical conditions as a result of the "Israeli blockade." Even when they admit that Hamas stops patients from getting treated, and that Egypt only rarely opens the Rafah crossing for patients, for the purposes of the body count they only blame Israel.