Lid Franse delegatie in Gazastrook gewond bij protesten

 

Hij is geen Ingrid Betancourt, maar daar hij ook een Frans paspoort heeft, bepleit in het bijzonder de Franse regering de vrijlating van Gilad Shalit, die al meer dan 4 jaar geleden gekidnapt werd door Hamas, de machthebbers in Gaza.

 

Protesters were waiting for Alliot-Marie as she crossed from Israel into Gaza through the Erez Crossing, lying on the road and jumping on her vehicle. Hamas police eventually dispersed those protesters, but more gathered outside a United Nations office in Gaza City that was her first stop in the Palestinian territory, and later followed her to a nearby hospital, pelting her motorcade with eggs. AP Television footage showed Alliot-Marie narrowly dodging a shoe thrown by a protester as she climbed into a jeep under heavy guard.

Hamas, dat normaal gesproken geen problemen heeft met het verbieden en uiteendrijven van demonstraties, trad nu blijkbaar nogal laks op, en beschuldigde Alliot-Marie van een 'totale pro-Israel bias'. Dit ondanks het feit dat ze zich tegen de blokkade van Gaza uitsprak en voor een onafhankelijke Palestijnse staat. Als in Israel een functionaris van een EU lidstaat was belaagd door woedende kolonisten had dit waarschijnlijk alle journaals gehaald, en was een diplomatieke rel geboren. Maar dit is maar de Hamas, en daar stellen we geen eisen aan.  

 

RP

 

Zie ook: De Gilad Shalit Brigade

__________________________________

 

Member of French FM's entourage injured in Gaza

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=204678

By ASSOCIATED PRESS 
01/21/2011 15:24

Alliot-Marie's assistant hit in head as convoy attacked in Gaza by dozens of Palestinian protesters angry at her stance on Schalit prisoner deal.

Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon said Friday that a member of the French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie's entourage was hit in the head by Palestinian protesters during a visit to the Gaza Strip.

Her identity was not immediately available. The office of hospital spokeswoman Lea Malul sayid the delegate is being examined at the hospital.

The protesters pelted her motorcade with eggs and narrowly missed her with a lobbed shoe.

The protesters, relatives of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons, were angry about comments Michele Alliot-Marie reportedly made the day before in support of kipnapped soldier Gilad Schalit.

Protesters were waiting for Alliot-Marie as she crossed from Israel into Gaza through the Erez Crossing, lying on the road and jumping on her vehicle. Hamas police eventually dispersed those protesters, but more gathered outside a United Nations office in Gaza City that was her first stop in the Palestinian territory, and later followed her to a nearby hospital, pelting her motorcade with eggs. AP Television footage showed Alliot-Marie narrowly dodging a shoe thrown by a protester as she climbed into a jeep under heavy guard.

Schalit, is an Israeli-French dual national and France has repeatedly called for his release.

Alliot-Marie made no public statement Thursday after meeting with Schalit's parents in Jerusalem, but the soldier's father, Noam Schalit, said afterward that the minister had called on Hamas to allow the Red Cross to visit his son for the first time. He referred to his son's capture as a "war crime."

The Palestinians linked the comments to Alliot-Marie, although she did not say anything publicly before or after the meeting.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the statements reflected a "total bias toward Israel" and ignored the thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. "They are the true prisoners of war," he said.

Hamas is demanding that Israel release hundreds of Hamas prisoners, including militants behind deadly attacks against Israelis, in return for Schalit. Talks facilitated by a German mediator have produced no result. Schalit has been seen by no one but his captors since 2006. A videotape released in 2009 showed him talking and reading a newspaper.

In keeping with the policy of the European Union, which considers Hamas a terror organization, Alliot-Marie did not meet with Hamas officials during her half-day visit.

Speaking at a French cultural center in Gaza, Alliot-Marie called for the establishment of a Palestinian state and security for Israel. She also called on Israel to fully lift all restrictions on goods and people coming and out of Gaza.

 

 

Demonstranten eisen opstappen regering in Jordanië

illustratie van: http://en.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleNO=11363

 

 

5.000 Mensen protesteren en de regering kondigt direct prijsverlagingen en loonsverhogingen aan, daar kunnen Nederlandse ambtenaren en studenten alleen maar van dromen:-)

De regeringen in democratische landen zijn natuurlijk meer gewend aan protesten, en zelfs demonstraties van honderdduizenden hoeven nog niet te betekenen dat het beleid wordt aangepast. Daar heb je immers verkiezingen voor. In Jordanië weet de regering dat haar legitimiteit niet is gegeven door verkiezingen, want zij wordt door de koning benoemd en het parlement heeft veel beperktere bevoegdheden. En dus is men bang wanneer het volk haar stem zo duidelijk laat horen, zeker nadat dat vorige week in Tunesië tot het vertrek van de president leidde. Of andere Arabische staten dit voorbeeld zullen volgen valt nog te bezien, maar de onvrede is groot en de meeste leiders zijn bepaald niet geliefd om hun zelfverrijking en hypocrisie. En men heeft nu gezien waartoe de massa, in relatief korte tijd en met relatief weinig bloedvergieten, in staat is.

 

RP

--------

 

Protesters demand Jordan's government step down

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/21/AR2011012102205.html

By DALE GAVLAK

The Associated Press
Friday, January 21, 2011; 11:48 AM

AMMAN, Jordan -- Thousands of Jordanians calling for their government to step down marched in several cities Friday in an outpouring of anger over economic hardship and a lack of democratic reforms in the constitutional monarchy.

Spurred on by the example of the popular uprising in Tunisia, Jordanians have staged growing protests in the past week. The opposition movements that organized Friday's demonstrations vowed to keep up the pressure until Prime Minister Samir Rifai and his government resign.

Wary of the outcry, particularly over rising prices, Jordan's government has taken some steps to try to defuse the situation, including by announcing $125 million in subsidies on basic goods and fuel. The prime minister also announced a surprise pay increase for civil servants.

Protesters scoffed at the measures.

"They lie to the people. They reduce some things and increase others more," said Muslim Brotherhood demonstrator Suhair Asaaf, an electrical mechanic.

He was among more than 5,000 people demonstrating Friday in the capital, Amman, its suburb Zarqa and in the northern town of Irbid. The organizers of what was dubbed a "Day of Rage" represented a broad swath of Jordan's opposition, including the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, left-wing groups and trade unions.

Crowds chanted: "The Jordanian people are on fire. The government is cutting its people like a saw. Down, down Rifai."

The opposition groups are calling for reforms to allow Jordanians to elect their prime minister and the rest of the Cabinet rather than having them appointed by King Abdullah II.

Elections are held for Jordan's lower house of parliament as well as municipal councils and mayors.

Abdullah, a key U.S. ally, ascended to the throne in 1999 vowing to transform his desert Arab kingdom into a model democracy in the Muslim world. But his reforms have been slow, as Jordan tries to limit Islamist influence.

Hamza Mansour, the head of the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, Jordan's largest opposition group, urged the king to make all branches of power independent.

"The king should be the guide, not the executor of the country's daily affairs," he said during the march.

Leftist Mohannad Safi called the government's limited reforms "window-dressing" to try to calm the people.

"This whole system of government must change. And we'll continue the protests until that happens," he said.

Macy Gray treedt op in Tel Aviv ondanks Israel boycot assholes

 

Iedere keer wanneer een popster in Israel wil optreden is het weer raak: de BDS beweging organiseert protesten en laat duizenden mensen boze brieven en mails sturen aan de artiest en de organisatoren. De Amerikaanse zangeres Macy Gray had zelf op haar facebook pagina gevraagd wat haar fans vonden van haar voornemen in Israel op te treden, nadat ze oproepen had gekregen om haar optreden af te zeggen vanwege de Israelische 'Apartheid'. Ze schrok echter van de felle reacties van veel boycotters.

 

Soon after, she was forced to defend her decision from those claiming she was supporting apartheid, and even a Nazi-like regime.

One post asked her "would you play a show in Nazi Germany if you had fans there?" To which Gray responded with "think about that. I wouldn't have fans there".

 

It appeared that Gray was taken aback by the aggressive tone of some of the posts. In response to a poster claiming to be "passionately Palestinian" she wrote: "See I'm willing to listen - really listen - but some of you so called boycotters are just assholes."

 

RP

---------

 

Macy Gray: Boycotters are just assholes

www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4016881,00.html

Macy Gray has harsh words while dealing with backlash after confirming Israel concert

Noa Rubinstein

Published: 01.21.11, 00:37

After posting a Facebook status asking her fans for their opinion on whether she should go ahead with two planned concerts in Tel Aviv, and later confirming she would in fact be performing, Macy Gray is now dealing with the backlash from her decision.

Gray confirmed that she and her band would be coming to Israel as planned on her Twitter account Wednesday night stating: "Dear Israel fans. Me and the band will be there in 20 days. Can't wait. See you then. Peace."

Soon after, she was forced to defend her decision from those claiming she was supporting apartheid, and even a Nazi-like regime.

One post asked her "would you play a show in Nazi Germany if you had fans there?" To which Gray responded with "think about that. I wouldn't have fans there".

The singer noted that she was overwhelmed by the response to her Facebook post and said "I wasn't expecting any of this. But I am listening and I don't support oppression."

It appeared that Gray was taken aback by the aggressive tone of some of the posts. In response to a poster claiming to be "passionately Palestinian" she wrote: "See I'm willing to listen - really listen - but some of you so called boycotters are just assholes."

 

Grey had earlier shared her concerns over performing in Israel on her Facebook page, following letters from activists "urging/begging me to boycott by NOT performing in protest of Apartheid against the Palestinians."

"What do you think? Stay or go?" she asked her fans.

The post, published three days ago, received hundreds of comments, some calling on her to call off the gigs and others, from Israeli fans, asking her not to. In agreeing to perform in Israel she has joined the ranks of Elton John, Paul McCartney and Rod Stewart who ignored calls to cancel their Israel gigs.

This will be Gray's fourth visit to Israel. The show's production company said in response that they were aware of the letters Gray had been receiving and that the first concert had already been sold out.

 

Journalisten gearresteerd door Palestijnse Autoriteit

foto van: http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/01/freedom-of-press-pa-style.html

 

 

Zijn Hoogheid Machmoed Abbas de Eerste laat critici oppakken wegens majesteitsschennis. Is hij tot Prins Carnaval gekozen?

 

Wouter

_______________

 

PA cracking down on journalists using old laws

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=204536

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH 
01/20/2011 18:24

Two journalists are arrested in recent weeks for violating Jordanian law by having the "audacity to insult His Majesty the King."  

The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has been using an old Jordanian law to crack down on Palestinian journalists who dare to criticize PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

In the past few weeks two journalists from Bethlehem were detained by PA security forces for violating the controversial Jordanian law, which dates back to 1960.

The two have since been released from prison following strong protests by human rights activists and other journalists. One of them had been held since last November.

Article 195 of the ill-reputed Jordanian Penal Code stipulates that "anyone whose audacity to insult His Majesty the King has been proven will be punished with prison between one and three years."

The law bans anyone from "extending" his or her tongue at the king, whether by a written, oral, or electronic letter or by a photograph or caricature.

The law is mainly intended to silence opposition voices and prevent people from criticizing the monarch. Similar laws exist in most of the Arab countries.

The two journalists from Bethlehem were arrested separately by the PA's General Intelligence Service.

One of them, Mamdouh Hamamreh, a correspondent for the local Al-Quds TV station, was taken into custody after posting a photo of the PA president on his Facebook page next to a picture of Ma'moon Bek, a Syrian actor who played the role of a spy in Bab al-Hara, one of the most popular television series in the Arab world.

Bab al-Hara takes place in the 1930s, a time when the Middle East was colonized by Western powers - Syria was under French control and Palestine was occupied by Britain.

Hamamreh was charged in a PA court in Bethlehem with libel and slander against Abbas in violation of the Jordanian law.

Hamamreh denied that he had posted the picture on his Facebook page and told interrogators that a person who identified himself as Nadim Qaisi had sent him the photo of the actor-spy.

The journalist's father told the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms that the PA intelligence officers who raided the family's home confiscated a laptop and a computer.

The security officers also forced the journalist to hand over to them the password that allows access to his Facebook account.

Sana Aranki, a lawyer for the detained journalist, said that her client had been denied family visits while in prison.

She stressed that Hamamreh's arrest was incompatible with PA laws. "When the Palestinian intelligence service arrested the journalist, they violated article 11 of the Palestinian Amended Law, which says that it is "unlawful to arrest, search, imprison, restrict the freedom, or prevent the movement of any person, except by judicial order."

The lawyer added that the charge of "extending the tongue" against the PA president on the basis of the Jordanian law was not valid because the system in the Palestinian territories is presidential and not royal.

The PA used the same law in December to arrest another journalist, George Qanawati, manager of Radio Bethlehem 2000.

Qanawati was also accused of "extending his tongue" against the PA president, but was released five days later.

Sources in Bethlehem said that Qanawati was arrested for reporting about the dispute between Abbas and former Fatah security commander Mohammed Dahlan.

The dispute has since become public knowledge. Simmering tensions between the two men reached a peak last month when Fatah suspended Dahlan from official activities and launched an investigation into his financial and other dealings.

Dahlan is currently being questioned by a special commission of inquiry set by Abbas on suspicion that he had been plotting to topple the PA regime in the West Bank.

But sources close to Dahlan say that the dispute erupted after he had been secretly recorded bad-mouthing Abbas and his two sons.

 

Sonia Peres, vrouw van Israelische president Shimon Peres overleden

 

Hoe het er in Israel zelf aan toe gaat weet ik niet, maar buiten de vrouw van Rabin zijn alle echtgenotes van Israelische premiers en presidenten hier vrijwel onbekend.

R.I.P.

 

______________

 

Published 13:42 20.01.11

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/sonia-peres-wife-of-president-shimon-peres-dies-at-87-1.338122

Sonia Peres, wife of President Shimon Peres, dies at 87

Sonia Peres rarely appeared in the public eye, preferring to play a backstage role in her husband's six-decade political career.

By Haaretz Service and The Associated Press

 

The wife of President Shimon Peres, Sonia Peres, died on Thursday at the age of 87 at her northern Tel Aviv home.

Peres is survived by her husband, their three children Tzvia, Yonatan, and Hemi, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Her son-in-law and physician, Dr. Raphael Walden, told Israel Radio she died peacefully in her sleep.

The president arrived at the Peres family home Thursday afternoon. The presidential residence publicity adviser announced that the family is currently in deep mourning, and will issue another release soon.

Shortly before Peres became president in 2007, Sonya was briefly hospitalized with a heart condition, but she was not known to be ill in recent years.

Born in the Ukraine in 1923, Peres made aliyah to Israel with her family at the age of four. They moved to the Israel youth village of Ben Shemen where she met her husband.

During World War Two, Peres volunteered to serve in the British army and fight against the Germans. When she returned to Israel after the war in 1945, she and the future president were wed.

The couple was married for 67 years.

Sonia Peres rarely appeared in the public eye, preferring to play a backstage role in her husband's six-decade political career, a decision which sometimes drew scathing criticism.

There were those, for instance, that saw a connection between Peres' inconspicuousness to the Labor Party's election downfall in 1981, with some saying that the party would have von had she stood at her husband's side.

Referring to that period, Shimon Peres biographer Michael Bar-Zohar wrote that "Sonia's absence from Shimon side caused him severe political damage," adding that her "charming personality would have undoubtedly added another dimension to her husband, and instead of the slightly sad, lonely man, many would have seen a loving and warm couple."

One of Sonia Peres' last public appearances was in April 1990, when she attended the somewhat awkward occasion of the swearing in of the government then constructed by her husband. She sat at the VIP section, looking on as the Haredi factions sabotaged the cabinet's formation, leading to the meeting's eventual dispersal.

When asked at one time why she chose to stay away from the public eye, Peres said:" I married a dairy farmer."

In fact, Peres opted to stay in their Tel Aviv home when her husband moved into the presidential residence in Jerusalem in 2007. The two lived separately until her death.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Shimon Peres and expressed his condolences. "In her quiet and modest life, Sonia represented good-heartedness and turned into a symbol and example of modesty and love of man," said Netanyahu.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Thursday that "Sonia Peres was a very special woman and human being. She was the epitome of modesty, simplicity and loving kindness. Throughout the years she stayed out of the limelight and maintained her privacy, working tirelessly on behalf of those in need. All who knew her adored and admired her. May her memory be blessed."

Palestijnse Autoriteit verbiedt demonstratie voor Tunesië

 

De PA betuigde aanvankelijke steun voor de dictator van Tunesië, waar de PLO in de jaren '80-'90 te gast was, maar feliciteerde de Tunesiërs achteraf toch maar met de omverwerping (hoewel dat nog niet helemaal definitief lijkt) van het oude regime.

In demonstraties van de bevolking als steunbetuiging aan de Tunesische opstand heeft men echter geen trek, want die zouden zich ook tegen de PA kunnen gaan keren, wiens democratische legitimatie eveneens dun is, en die al jaren kritiek oogst wegens corruptie en incompetentie.

 

Wouter

_____________

Palestinian Authority Blocks Tunisia Rally

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/20/palestinian-authority-blocks-tunisia-rally/?hp

By ROBERT MACKEY

 

The Palestinian Authority refused to grant permission for a rally to celebrate the overthrow of Tunisia's authoritarian president on Wednesday in Ramallah, the administrative capital of the West Bank.

The French newspaper Le Monde reported that a few dozen Palestinians who defied the ban arrived in the square in Ramallah where the rally was to take place only to find that they were outnumbered by members of the ruling Fatah party, who chose the same time and place to stage a demonstration in support of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

According to the Palestinian Maan news agency, "It was not clear whose demonstration was planned first."

A correspondent for Le Monde, Benjamin Barthe, observed that a police cordon around the square and "the presence among the demonstrators of many mukhabarat (secret police) officers left little doubt about the Palestinian Authority's intention to prevent any expression of solidarity with the 'jasmine revolution' " in Tunisia, which led the president, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, to flee into exile.

The reporter added that just as one young Palestinian began to wave a Tunisian flag, an officer grabbed it, on the grounds that it was disturbing the demonstration in honor of the prisoners.

Omar Barghouti, a leading Palestinian human rights activist who was present at the thwarted celebration, told the French newspaper: "It's unbelievable. … The police are in the process of confirming the charge that the Palestinian Authority is on the side of Ben Ali and that it also fears the people and the street."

As Roee Ruttenberg, an Israeli journalist, explained this week, "many Palestinians feel a certain kinship with the people of Tunisia." After the Palestine Liberation Organization was banished from Lebanon in the 1980s, Tunisia hosted it until Yasir Arafat's return to Ramallah in the 1990s. After his own return from exile, the current Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, "maintained very close ties to the ousted Tunisian leader, Ben Ali," Mr. Ruttenberg added.

Shawan Jabarin, the director of al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights group, told Le Monde that it was the president's office that had banned the demonstration and "all use of the Tunisian flag." He added that his contacts in the Palestinian government indicated that "they were scared of the slightest spark leading to an uprising against Israel or people demanding accountability from the Palestinian Authority."

In addition to historic ties and sympathy for the trials of a personal friend, the Palestinian president might have good reason to fear the example set on the streets of Tunis. As Hussein Agha and Robert Malley pointed out in The New York Review of Books this week, the Palestinian Authority, which controls local affairs in about 40 percent of the West Bank, is "a government that rules by decree, with little democratic legitimacy — Parliament has not met in years and elections are long overdue."

While that hardly makes the West Bank's local government a brutal dictatorship akin to the regime in Tunisia, allegations of corruption by unaccountable, unelected officials and torture by the Palestinian security forces have raised concerns about the kind of embryonic state Mr. Abbas is building, with international support.

Last month, Tobias Buck reported for The Financial Times from Jerusalem, "There is evidence that a significant number of detainees are tortured during interrogation" by Palestinian police officers. Mr. Jabarin, whose human rights group is based in Ramallah, told The Times, "I feel real concern that we are reaching the level of a police state." Mr. Buck added:

Some Western diplomats say the harsh tactics will spark a popular backlash and undermine the P.A. "This is of concern to us," says one European diplomat. Human rights abuses threaten not only to "damage the long-term legitimacy and credibility of the Palestinian Authority" but raise difficult questions for donors: "If we are building a police state – what are we actually doing here?"

 

 

Palestijnse terroriste Dalal Mughrabi weer geëerd op Fatah verjaardag

 

Commentaar overbodig.

Zie ook: Palestijnse Autoriteit verheerlijkt Dalal Mughrabi

 

-----------------

 

On Fatah anniversary

PA TV glorifies terrorist Dalal Mughrabi

http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=4483

 

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

 

On the recent anniversary of the Fatah movement, PA TV chose to glorify the most lethal terror attack in Israel's history with two music videos celebrating Dalal Mughrabi and the attack she led. 

In 1978 a group of terrorists led by Dalal Mughrabi sailed from Lebanon to Israel to carry out a terror attack. They hijacked a bus and killed 37 Israeli civilians.

One music video described the terrorists as "heroes... who shook the land, brought down mountains," and mentioned how "the coast was stormy with the glory of Dalal Mughrabi."

Another video also honored the terrorists, describing them as having "no fear of death or the darkness of prison." 

Both videos showed pictures of Dalal Mughrabi and people sailing in rubber boats, going ashore on a beach.

Every year PA TV celebrates Fatah's anniversary with several days of special broadcasts with live coverage of rallies, music videos, archival material, and special programs. These two music videos were broadcast as part of this year's celebrations of the anniversary.

PMW has documented how the PA has turned terrorist Dalal Mughrabi into a hero of society and a role model. 

The following are excerpts from the PA TV music videos glorifying terrorist Dalal Mughrabi and the attack she led:

"The coast was stormy with the glory of Dalal Mughrabi.On the [Israeli] coast the heroes landed, who shook the land, brought down mountains.Dalal declared the birth of the [Palestinian] Republic, the birth of the Republic."

[PA TV (Fatah), Dec. 30, 2010]

 

"We [PLO squad] set out on patrol from Lebanon; with no fear of death or the darkness of prison.On the coast [Dalal] Mughrabi's blood was shed, the color of [red] coral on [white] lemon flowers." 

[PA TV (Fatah), Jan. 2, 2011]

Click to view

 

==========================

p:+972 2 625 4140     e: pmw@palwatch.org
f: +972 2 624 2803       w: www.palwatch.org  

PMW | King George 59 | Jerusalem | Israel

VK opinie: Het teken aan de wand - Christenen in het Midden-Oosten dreigen de nieuwe Joden te worden

 

Yochanan Visser schetst op de Volkskrant online een verontrustend beeld van de positie van de christenen in de Arabische wereld, en vergelijkt die met de positie van de Joden:

 

De situatie van de christelijke gemeenschap in het Midden-Oosten vertoont sterke gelijkenis met die van de Joodse gemeenschappen in de Arabische landen na de oprichting van de staat Israel.
Ook toen werden Joden op eenzelfde wijze geterroriseerd en geïntimideerd.
Dit resulteerde in de vlucht van vrijwel de totale Joodse gemeenschap uit die landen. Bomaanslagen waren ook toen een middel dat werd aangewend om een religieuze minderheid te dwingen tot vertrek. Zo waren in 1950 en 1951 Joodse doelen in Bagdad herhaaldelijk het doel van bomaanslagen.
Maar ook in Aleppo (Syrië) ontploften kort na de stemming in de VN over het verdelingsbesluit voor Palestina bommen in synagogen.
In 1949 kwamen 12 Joden om bij een bomaanslag op een synagoge in Damascus.

 

Vervolgens wijst hij op het extreme antisemitisme in de Arabische wereld, en de wortels hiervan in het nazisme. Hij geeft verschillende voorbeelden van hedendaags antisemitisme. Bij mij roept dit echter verwarring op. De positie van christenen is slecht, en daarvoor is te weinig aandacht, maar de positie van Joden is nog een stuk beroerder: er wonen nauwelijks nog Joden in Arabische landen en in verschillende mogen Joden niet wonen, of mogen ze geen land bezitten en geen religieuze attributen bij zich hebben. Of het met de christenen ook de kant van de Joden op gaat is de vraag: het nazisme wilde de Joden uitroeien, niet de christenen, en Achmadinejad gaat niet op dezelfde manier tegen christenen en hun staten te keer als tegen Joden en Israel.

 

Visser schrijft:

 

Het verschil met de huidige situatie in het Midden-Oosten is dat men nu eerst kwam voor de Joden en dat die in staat bleken zichzelf te verdedigen. In de asymmetrische oorlog die de islamisten voeren in het Midden-Oosten zijn de christenen dus het volgende slachtoffer.
De vraag die zich opdringt is, of het teken aan de wand nu wel gezien wordt en -belangrijker- of daar actie op volgt.

Ikzelf denk dat de haat tegen Joden dieper zit. Daar komt bij dat men niet accepteert dat de Joden een eigen staat hebben in het Midden-Oosten, een staat die in verschillende opzichten succesvoller is dan de Arabische staten. Men kijkt tegelijkertijd op Joden neer en is jaloers op hun succes. Een dergelijke verknipte visie op christenen ontbreekt volgens mij. Fundamentalisten vinden dat alle ongelovigen niet deugen, en willen hen zoveel mogelijk tegenwerken en zelfs doden. Maar het antisemitisme zit dieper, en leeft ook onder gematigde moslims en christenen in het Midden-Oosten.

Visser heeft natuurlijk gelijk dat het Westen het voor de christenen in het Midden-Oosten op moet nemen, en eisen dat zij fatsoelijk worden behandeld zoals ook wij worden aangesproken op hoe moslims hier worden behandeld. Het Westen mag wat dit betreft inderdaad wel wat assertiever zijn.

 

RP

--------

 

http://opinie.volkskrant.nl/artikel/show/id/7677/Teken_aan_de_wand

Teken aan de wand

Yochanan Visser, 21-01-2011 13:20

 

Christenen in het Midden-Oosten dreigen de nieuwe Joden te worden.

De aanslag op Koptische christenen tijdens Nieuwjaarsdag in Egypte was een nieuw bewijs dat er iets grondig mis is in het Midden-Oosten. De Franse president Sarkozy nam naar aanleiding daarvan de term religieuze zuivering in de mond en gaf aan dat de grens bereikt is.

De serie aanslagen op christenen- waarvan de aanslag op christelijke treinpassagiers in Egypte de meest recente is- duidt op toenemende invloed van de islamistische visie op een Midden-Oosten waarin geen plaats is voor "ongelovigen".

Het probleem werd echter grotendeels genegeerd omdat de terreur zich  voornamelijk op Joden en Israel richtte. Zo leken de kerkleiders tot nu toe geheel geobsedeerd met de situatie van christenen in Israel, het enige land in het Midden-Oosten waar de christelijke gemeenschap nota bene groeit. Het Vaticaan gaf bijvoorbeeld herhaaldelijk verklaringen uit waarin Israel werd bekritiseerd voor de behandeling van christenen. Een conferentie van religieuze leiders die werd gehouden in Israel op 28 november 2010, stelde echter unaniem vast dat er in Israel vrijheid van godsdienstuiting heerst.

Nu duidelijk is dat er een intern probleem is in de Arabische landen en Iran, wordt er gebruikt gemaakt van de klassieke afleidingsmanoeuvre. De Joden krijgen de schuld, de aanslagen op christenen zouden een zionistisch complot zijn. Deze antisemitische truc vormt onderdeel van een campagne die zo langzamerhand doet denken aan Nazi Duitsland.

Het is daarom hoog tijd voor een eerlijker benadering van de situatie in het Midden-Oosten. De  terreur tegen christenen en de haat tegen Israel en Joden hebben direct met elkaar te maken, en duiden op fascistoïde tendensen die voor een nieuwe explosie in dit deel van de wereld kunnen zorgen.

Situatie Christenen
De Italiaanse journalist Sandro Magister volgt de situatie van de christenen al jaren. Hij beweert dat ongeveer 7 miljoen aanhangers van de oude oosterse kerken zijn weggevlucht uit het Midden-Oosten. De Paus gebruikte in een kerst toespraak op 20 december jl. voor het eerst de uitdrukking "christianofobie" om de behandeling van de christelijke gemeenschap in het Midden-Oosten te omschrijven.
Egypte en Irak zijn de twee landen waar de situatie van christenen het slechtste oogt maar ook in Iran en andere Arabische landen is sprake van onderdrukking en bedreiging van de christenen.
Een paar voorbeelden:

In Iran werden gedurende de kerstperiode 70 christenen gearresteerd, zij zitten nog steeds vast.
Op 13 oktober 2009 werd een Iraanse pastoor gearresteerd die kritiek had geuit op het Islamitische monopolie op het religieuze onderwijs aan kinderen. In september 2010 werd hij ter dood veroordeeld.
Een andere pastoor Sadegh Khanjani, werd op 16 juni 2010 gearresteerd en wacht waarschijnlijk de doodstraf wegens afvalligheid, godslastering en contact met de vijand.

Libanon
In juni 2010 gaf de Libanese regering  opdracht om Islamitische milities aan te pakken die aanslagen pleegden op christenen.
Christenen in de stad Sidon werden via pamfletten gewaarschuwd onmiddellijk de stad te verlaten. Door massale emigratie is sinds 1990 de christelijke meerderheid in Libanon verloren gegaan. Het land wordt nu gecontroleerd door de  islamistische beweging Hizbollah.

Saoedi-Arabië
Christenen in Saoedi-Arabië zijn meestal gastarbeiders uit Afrika of Azië, en hebben officieel beperkt recht op godsdienstuitoefening.
In de praktijk blijkt echter dat de religieuze politie (Moettawa) christenen intimideert en arresteert. In 2009 werden bijvoorbeeld drie christenen uit India gearresteerd terwijl zij thuis baden. Een vrouw die zich bekeerd had tot het christendom werd in 2008 levend verbrand nadat haar tong was afgesneden.
Een pastoor uit Eritrea was in 2009 gedwongen Saoedi-Arabië te ontvluchten nadat hij met de dood was bedreigd.
In 2010 werden 12 Filippijnse gastarbeiders tijdens een mis in Riyad gearresteerd.
In november van hetzelfde jaar riep Al Qaida in Saoedi-Arabië op om de christenen in het land te doden.

Palestijnse Autoriteit
Sinds de komst van de Palestijnse Autoriteit op de West Bank en Gaza is het aantal christenen drastisch gedaald. Officieel wordt meestal de Israëlische bezetting aangevoerd als reden voor de emigratie van deze christenen. Sandro Magister rapporteerde echter al in september 2005 over de werkelijke redenen voor de leegloop van de christelijke gemeenschap in Bethlehem.
Palestijnse christenen zoals frater Pierebatista Pizzaballa, vertelden Magister dat er al jaren christenen werden aangevallen door moslims. Hij had in vier jaar tijd 93  incidenten geregistreerd waarbij christenen het doelwit waren.

De Palestijnse ondernemer Samir Qumsieh rapporteerde onder andere diefstal van land, vandalisme in kerken, en schendingen van christelijke graven.
In 2003  werd een christelijk meisje verkracht door Palestijnse moslims in Beit Sahur nabij Bethlehem. In 2002 werden 2 christelijke meisjes door Fatah militieleden vermoord. Zij zouden prostitutie hebben bedreven, de lijkschouwing bracht echter aan het licht dat de meisjes nog maagd waren.

Als gevolg van deze intimidatie en terreur heeft een groot deel van de christelijke bevolking Bethlehem verlaten. In 1948 toen de moderne staat Israel werd opgericht was 80% van de bevolking in Bethlehem christen, nu is dat nog maar 23 %. Ook in Gaza is de situatie voor de christenen dramatisch verslechterd. In 2007 werd een lid van de evangelische kerk in Gaza vermoord door moslim extremisten, daarna is ook in Gaza de emigratie van christenen drastisch toegenomen. Naar schatting 70 % van de 3000 christenen in Gaza zou willen vertrekken.

Gelijkenis
De situatie van de christelijke gemeenschap in het Midden-Oosten vertoont sterke gelijkenis met die van de Joodse gemeenschappen in de Arabische landen na de oprichting van de staat Israel.
Ook toen werden Joden op eenzelfde wijze geterroriseerd en geïntimideerd.
Dit resulteerde in de vlucht van vrijwel de totale Joodse gemeenschap uit die landen. Bomaanslagen waren ook toen een middel dat werd aangewend om een religieuze minderheid te dwingen tot vertrek . Zo waren in 1950 en 1951 Joodse doelen in Bagdad herhaaldelijk het doel van bomaanslagen.
Maar ook in Aleppo (Syrië) ontploften kort na de stemming in de VN over het verdelingsbesluit voor Palestina bommen in synagogen.
In 1949 kwamen 12 Joden om bij een bomaanslag op een synagoge in Damascus.

Relatie tot Nazi ideologie
In een nieuw te verschijnen boek van de Midden-Oosten deskundige professor Barry Rubin worden documenten onthuld die duidelijk maken dat het Arabische nationalisme en belangrijke elementen van het huidige islamistische denken werden ontwikkeld onder invloed van de Nazi ideologie.
Rubin beschikt over bewijs dat minstens twee Palestijnse militaire commandanten en twee koningen van Arabische staten collaboreerden met de Nazi's.
Verder voert hij bewijs aan dat zowel de Syrische- als de Irakese Baath partij werd gevormd om de Nazi's aan een overwinning in het Midden Oosten te helpen.

Een recent vrijgegeven CIA rapport geeft inzicht in de collaboratie van de toenmalige Palestijnse leider Hadj Al Amin Hoesseini met de Nazi's, en de invloed van het nazisme op de Arabische leiders. Hoesseini rekruteerde tienduizenden moslims voor het leger van Hitler in de voormalige Sovjet Unie en op de Balkan. Hij kreeg voor zijn inspanningen het toen fabelachtige salaris van 50.000 mark per jaar.
Na de Tweede Wereld Oorlog  vluchtte een aantal hoge Nazi functionarissen naar Arabische landen. Deze Nazi's werden meestal tot adviseurs benoemd en droegen hun antisemitische ideologie over aan de Arabische leiders.
 
Hele generaties in het Midden-Oosten zijn opgegroeid met antisemitische propaganda en haat tegen Joden.  Ayaan Hirsi Ali beschrijft in haar boek Infidel, hoe het haar in de tijd dat zij in Saoedi-Arabië woonde opviel dat stroomstoringen en onderbrekingen in de watertoevoer werden toegeschreven aan Joodse complotten.

Onlangs werd in Saoedi-Arabië een gier gevangen die door de universiteit van Tel Aviv voor wetenschappelijk natuuronderzoek werd gebruikt. Onmiddellijk werd de mythe verspreid dat de gier een Zionistische spion was. Iets dergelijks gebeurde toen een Duitse toerist onlangs in Sharm el Sheikh in Egypte werd aangevallen door een haai.

Egyptische autoriteiten suggereerden daarna dat de haai zou zijn uitgezet door de Israëlische geheime dienst de Mossad. Het Libaneze Hizbollah parlementslid Ishmail Sukariyyah  beschuldigde Israel van export van met chemicaliën vergiftigd fruit en groenten naar Egypte. Hij beweerde voorts dat er daardoor al zeker 200.000 nierpatiënten waren in noord Egypte.

Schokkend
Dit zijn echter onschuldige voorbeelden vergeleken bij wat de directeur van MEMRI onlangs presenteerde aan de VN over het antisemitisme in de Arabische landen. Een verzameling televisie fragmenten uit diverse Arabische landen bevatte naast klassieke antisemitische bloedsprookjes, ook ontkenningen van de Holocaust.
Het meest schokkend waren de gedeeltes waarin kinderen werd geleerd dat Joden beesten zijn die niet zijn te vertrouwen.

In Iran maken leden van het regime zich regelmatig schuldig aan klassieke antisemitische uitspraken.
Een groep wetenschappers gaf onlangs een rapport uit waarin deze uitspraken werden vergeleken met de Nazi retoriek tegen de Joden. Het rapport getiteld: "From Mein Kampf to Achmadinejad" is bedoeld als waarschuwing tegen een nieuwe genocide.

Repressie
De repressie en terreur waar nu vele christelijke gemeenschappen in het Midden- Oosten onder lijden staat dus niet op zichzelf maar maakt deel uit van een veel groter probleem.
Het Palestijns Israëlische conflict is daar ook onderdeel van. Israel is als enige niet-moslimstaat in het Midden-Oosten namelijk al 62 jaar slachtoffer van dezelfde intolerantie en terreur.
De wereld kiest echter nog altijd voor een eenzijdige- en obsessieve focus op Israel en blijft zo blind voor de werkelijke problemen in het Midden-Oosten.
De opkomst van het islamistische Iran als nieuwe regionale supermacht werd bijvoorbeeld grotendeels genegeerd. Juist dat heeft in belangrijke mate bijgedragen aan de escalatie van het extremisme en de instabiliteit in het Midden Oosten.
Alleen daarom al zou ieder middel moeten worden aangewend om Iran af te houden van een kernwapen. Helaas blijkt in de praktijk dat zelfs het toepassen van sancties halfhartig wordt uitgevoerd.

In dat opzicht lijkt de houding ten opzichte van het Islamisme op wat de Duitse pastor Niemoller ooit zei over de opkomst van het nazisme:"Men kwam eerst voor de communisten maar ik zei niets omdat ik geen communist was.Toen kwam men voor de vakbondsleden maar ik zei niets omdat ik geen lid was van de vakbondaarna kwam men voor de Joden en ik zei niets omdat ik geen Jood was.Tegen de tijd dat men voor mij kwam was er niemand meer om zijn mond open te doen".

Het verschil met de huidige situatie in het Midden-Oosten is dat men nu eerst kwam voor de Joden en dat die in staat bleken zichzelf te verdedigen. In de asymmetrische oorlog die de islamisten voeren in het Midden-Oosten zijn de christenen dus het volgende slachtoffer.
De vraag die zich opdringt is, of het teken aan de wand nu wel gezien wordt en -belangrijker- of daar actie op volgt.

Yochanan Visser is onderzoeker bij Missing Peace en leeft in Israël

 

 

CNN maakt grapjes over traangas - in Tunesië

 

Gebruikt de oproerpolitie in Tunesië traangas, of toch lachgas?

 

__________

 

CNN reporters joke about tear gas - in Tunisia
http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/01/cnn-reporters-joke-about-tear-gas-in.html

 

 

Backspin reports on a CNN story where their reporters talk about covering the Tunisian riots, as they downplay any dangers from tear gas (start around the 2:30 mark):

(See movie here)

As Backspin notes,

Can you imagine Western journos covering Bilin security fence protests breathlessly gushing for the IDF? Why is the world only uptight about tear gas when Israel is involved?

But it is even worse. While there have been rare deaths during the weekly Bil'in and Nilin riots, for the most part they are set up as circuses, with activists dressed as Avatar characters or Santa Claus. In Tunisia, they were very deadly, with 78 people killed in a couple of weeks - including one journalist from a tear gas canister!

So why do reporters cover Bil'in as if it is incendiary and Tunisia as if it is a joke?

Duitse journalist over Gideon Levy van Haaretz

 

Toevallig kwam ik gisteren een stuk van Gideon Levy tegen, een absurde tirade tegen Ehud Barak, die stelselmatig links in Israel zou hebben kapot gemaakt. Het bevestigde me wel in de onredelijkheid en het extremisme van deze goed betaalde Haaretz journalist, die graag wordt aangehaald door westerse antizionisten.

 

Zie ook over Levy:

A.B. Yehoshua's open brief aan Gideon Levy

Foute berichtgeving over Israël bijna nooit rechtgezet: de zaak van de Arabier die zich voor Jood uitgaf

 

Wouter

____________

 

http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/01/german-journalist-describes-haaretz.html

A German journalist describes Ha'aretz' Gideon Levy

Ingo Way, who wrote that great article on camps in the PA, has a German-language article in Cicero magazine on Israeli leftist self-loathing. He describes Ha'aretz' Gideon Levy wonderfully:

To the extreme in this attitude is Gideon Levy. The star columnist of the daily newspaper Haaretz has for years been posing as a lonely prophet, who is in his own world - this despite the fact he is among the highest paid journalists in the country. Levy has gone so far as to claim that the Palestinians will end up in concentration camps. He apparently did not count on the resentment that this forecast would create, and he answered back that he would not compare Israel with Nazi Germany, but rather ... "At best, with the Germany of 1933, as the disenfranchisement and marginalization of the Jews started off slowly." 

This is precisely what Levy had written eight years ago in Haaretz. And if 1933 was 2003 for Israel, if Levy's analogy is any good, now it's 1941. And still there is no National Socialism in Israel and no concentration camps, and he, Levy, can cheerfully publish his articles.

 

De partijdigheid van UNRWA - een neutrale organisatie?

Uit het onderstaande bericht uit het Palestijnse Ma'an nieuws, blijkt duidelijk hoezeer de mensen van UNRWA als bondgenoten en sympathisanten van de Palestijnen worden gezien - niet door Israel, maar door de Palestijnen zelf.

 

"Ging has proved through his continuous work in the Gaza Strip, and during times of crisis, that he is an authentic defender of Palestinian rights, and endeavored to improve their living conditions," Abu Hasna said.

"John Ging worked day and night to help the poor people of Gaza. He abandoned his private life, and even his days off for that. He never spared any effort to defend Palestinian refugees and their rights."

John Ging zelf zegt: 

 

"We can't be satisfied with just providing humanitarian assistance," Ging told Ma'an in December. Justice, he says, "has to be the top priority: the restoration of Palestinians' fundamental human rights, all of them."

Er lijkt weinig verschil in de positie van Ging en die van de Palestijnen, en dat is misschien ook niet zo verwonderlijk, want UNRWA heeft tienduizenden Palestijnen in dienst, vooral (nakomelingen van) vluchtelingen, dus zij domineren de organisatie. Een paar jaar geleden bleek dat ook een aantal Hamas leden voor UNRWA werken. Toch wordt UNRWA in het westen als neutrale organisatie gezien die humanitaire hulp geeft aan de vluchtelingen. Dat zij een zo duidelijk politiek standpunt inneemt en dat ook uitdraagt, wordt genegeerd. In Nederlandse media mogen UNRWA medewerkers als zogenaamde objectieve deskundigen hun verhaal doen, wat er steevast op neerkomt hoe wreed en inhumaan Israel is en hoe zielig de Palestijnen, en de media nemen de cijfers van UNRWA wat betreft doden bij Israelische legeroperaties klakkeloos over, ook al blijken die soms niet te kloppen. De UNRWA houdt bovendien het irreële en onrechtvaardige 'recht op terugkeer' van de vluchtelingen in stand. Dit zal, mits uitgevoerd, een einde maken aan een VN lidstaat en de zelfbeschikking van het meest vervolgde volk.

 

De UNRWA zou er door de VS en EU toe moeten worden gedwongen permanente huisvesting voor de vluchtelingen te regelen en ook eisen te stellen aan de PA en de Arabische staten, in plaats van alleen kritiek op Israel te uiten. Daarvoor zal de gehele organisatie op de schop moeten.

 

Zie over de vluchtelingen ook op Israel Palestina Info: vluchtelingen, Israel en de VN

en op IMO UNRWA: Palestijnse vluchtelingen tot de dood

 

RP

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Top UNRWA officials resign

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=351796

 

 

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) – The directors of the UN's Palestine refugee operations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank resigned Monday morning, an UNRWA spokesman said.

Adnan Abu Hasna said Barbara Shenstone, the West Bank director, and John Ging, based in the Gaza Strip, were stepping down.

"Ging has proved through his continuous work in the Gaza Strip, and during times of crisis, that he is an authentic defender of Palestinian rights, and endeavored to improve their living conditions," Abu Hasna said.

"The people of Gaza know what Ging has done for them before and after the war."

Ging is to join the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in New York and Shenstone is to return to her native Canada, UNRWA commissioner-general Filippo Grandi said in a brief statement.

"Barbara and John have made exceptional contributions to UNRWA's work under the most difficult circumstances: their commitment to ensuring the quality of UNRWA services has been extraordinary," he said.

Neither Shenstone nor Ging could immediately be reached for comment. UNRWA officials in Ramallah said the international agency would release a statement explaining why the two officials resigned.

A former Irish army captain, Ging was on the ground during Israel's Cast Lead operation and oversaw a huge network of services for the three-quarters of Gazans exiled from the land that became Israel in 1948.

While the UN agency's secular programming has irked Islamists and sparked more than one assassination attempt -- UNRWA recently increased Ging's security, according to press reports -- he is popular in Gaza. This is in part due to his insistence that relief not be the only answer to the Palestinian question.

"We can't be satisfied with just providing humanitarian assistance," Ging told Ma'an in December. Justice, he says, "has to be the top priority: the restoration of Palestinians' fundamental human rights, all of them."

Abu Hasna, the Gaza spokesman, said UNRWA's operations developed "unprecedentedly" under Ging's leadership since he began in February 2006, especially in the fields of education and health.

"John Ging worked day and night to help the poor people of Gaza. He abandoned his private life, and even his days off for that. He never spared any effort to defend Palestinian refugees and their rights."

Absent from the UNRWA official's remarks was praise for Shenstone, whose refusal to negotiate with the UNRWA workers union prolonged a strike that shut down services across the West Bank.

She had described the workers' demands as "absurd," refusing to discuss paying UNRWA employees for "wages they didn't receive the last time they went on strike ... we're not willing to do that."

In a November editorial, Ma'an's chief editor called on Shenstone to resign over her handling of the crisis.

"While Shenstone has all the credentials of a good leader, she lacks wise management skills. This became apparent as we watched her react to the workers on strike," Nasser Laham wrote.

 

 

Welke Palestijnse staat is door Rusland erkend?

Er is een idiote staking bezig in Israel, waardoor men niet bij belangrijke VN besprekingen kan zijn en ander hoognodig diplomatiek werk verrichten, zoals Medvedev ontvangen. Ik begrijp niet hoe de regering het zover kan laten komen, en dat er geen mogelijkheid was deze desastreuze staking te voorkomen of de zaak snel op te lossen. Stel dat op 3 juni 1967 een grote staking binnen het Israelische leger was uitgebroken....

 

Ondertussen erkent het ene na het andere land een onafhankelijke Palestijnse staat, zonder daar enige voorwaarden aan te verbinden, zoals dat men stopt met de hetze tegen Israel in de PA media en bereid is de legitimiteit van Joodse zelfbeschikking te erkennen. De Palestijnen halen zo gratis binnen waar ze in onderhandelingen met Israel tegenconcessies voor zouden moeten doen, en dat is natuurlijk wel zo handig.

 

Elder of Ziyon is meestal scherp in zijn commentaren, maar de onderstaande aantijging is niet helemaal overtuigend: in de onafhankelijkheidsverklaring van de PLO in 1988 was wel sprake van Jeruzalem als hoofdstad, niet van de 'grenzen van 1967'. In een speech voor de VN een maand later, had Arafat het wel over de 'gebieden van 1967', betreffende VN resoluties en onderhandelingen c.q. een internationale conferentie, overigens zonder expliciet Israel te erkennen, laat staan als Joodse staat.

81 Landen hebben de Palestijnse staat toen al erkend, waaronder de Sovjetunie, China, India, Turkije en bijna alle Afrikaanse staten; of dat voor of na die speech van Arafat was en of ze daarheen verwezen is nog na te zoeken....

 

RP & WB

----------------------

 

Erekat lies yet again

http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/01/erekat-lies-yet-again.html

 

From YNet:

Hours after Russian President Dmitri Medvedev declared his country recognizes an independent Palestinian state, Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat described the statement as "an historic move to make the Palestinians proud for a very long time to come."

Medvedev said Tuesday during a visit to Jericho that Moscow had effectively recognized Palestine back in 1988 and has no intention of changing its position now. He noted that all would benefit from the establishment of a Palestinian state, including the Israelis.

Talking to Ynet Erekat noted, "We appreciate the Russian recognition of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders whose capital is east Jerusalem."

Medvedev didn't say a word about "1967 borders." He simply said that Russia continues to recognize "Palestine" in the way that the Soviet Union did in 1988, which didn't mention borders at all and which was pretty much ignored by the world community at the time. But it is hardly the first time Erekat has been caught lying.

The YNet article does mention that Israel's Foreign Ministry strike is severely hampering Israel's efforts to fight this latest wave of PLO diplomatic victories. One result is that Medvedev didn't even visit Israel. This strike is really hurting Israel and it needs to be resolved quickly.

 

 

Joods stel in auto aangevallen door jeugd in Oost Jeruzalem

 

Nee, dat lees je niet in de NRC of Trouw en zie je niet op het NOS journaal. Veel te druk met beschrijven hoeveel nieuwe appartementen er weer in 'bezet Arabisch Oost Jeruzalem' worden gebouwd door de expansionistische zionisten.

 

RP

-------------

 

Jewish couple almost lynched

http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/01/jewish-couple-almost-lynched.html

 

 

Here's another case of an attack on Jews in Jerusalem that was eagerly photographed by reporters who just happened to know ahead of time the location of the attack.

Getty Images, somehow knowing that the victims are Jewish "settlers." Notice the stone throwers on the cliff.

 

Getty Images. It is clearly an ambush.

Reuters. Note the size of the stones and the other photographers.

Reuters.

After the police arrived:

Getty Images. You can see the windshield and sunroof smashed. The wife was driving.

 

Afterwards, the Arabs continued to riot, throwing stones and bottles at Israeli police who came to assist the couple.

Luckily, the couple was not injured. 

Vernielingen synagoges en Joodse school in Canada

Ook in Canada slaat het antisemitisme toe. Maandag werden bij vijf synagoges en een school de ruiten ingegooid.

 

Liberal human rights critic Irwin Cotler noted the timing of the attack Monday, which coincided with Raoul Wallenberg Day in Canada — a day to remember the Swedish diplomat who rescued more than 100,000 Jews during the Holocaust.

On "a day set aside to reflect and act upon the heroism of Canada's first honorary citizen, a man who stood up, confronted and combated the worst of hatred and prevailed — these attacks should act as a call to mobilize against the forces of hatred and anti-Semitism," Cotler said in a statement.

Ik heb de indruk dat dit soort dingen in Canada (nog) een zeldzaamheid zijn en ook de Israel-haat er nog niet zover is doorgeschoten als in Nederland en andere Europese landen. Laten we hopen dat dat zo blijft, en er krachtdadig tegen antisemitisme wordt opgetreden.

 

RP

-------------

 

Attacks on synagogues, Jewish school condemned

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Montreal+Jews+shaken+after+synagogues+school+vandalized/4121888/story.html

 

By Ken Meaney, Postmedia News January 17, 2011 6:48 PM

 

 

Politicians have joined a growing chorus of Jewish groups in condemnation of a spate of attacks on synagogues and a Jewish school in Montreal.

The school and five synagogues were targeted this week by vandals who smashed windows, causing thousands of dollars in damage.

Rabbi Reuben Poupko, chairman of the Jewish Community Security Co-ordinating Committee, called the crimes "an organized and systematic attack on Jewish institutional life" and vowed people who use the buildings on a regular basis would not be intimidated.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney called the attacks "disturbing" and told Montreal radio station CJAD Monday that they are linked to what he called a "new anti-Semitism," often tied to extremist politics emanating from the Middle East.

He said the wave of hatred often inspires the naive or vulnerable to adopt the same anti-Semitic ideology.

"We don't know the reason behind this particular wave of vandalism but we do know that all Canadians must join together in combating all forms of hatred and prejudice particularly the pernicious and durable form of hatred which is anti-Semitism," Kenney said.

Also on Monday, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff put out a statement calling the attacks "hateful and systematic acts" that "represent an attack on an entire religious community."

He said the federal government must do more "to provide adequate safety and security provisions for religious communities, and it must work closely with the RCMP and CSIS so hate crimes in Canada can be eradicated once and for all."

Liberal human rights critic Irwin Cotler noted the timing of the attack Monday, which coincided with Raoul Wallenberg Day in Canada — a day to remember the Swedish diplomat who rescued more than 100,000 Jews during the Holocaust.

On "a day set aside to reflect and act upon the heroism of Canada's first honorary citizen, a man who stood up, confronted and combated the worst of hatred and prevailed — these attacks should act as a call to mobilize against the forces of hatred and anti-Semitism," Cotler said in a statement.

The attacks drew statements of condemnation from the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies in Toronto and B'nai Brith Canada.

The Wiesenthal Center called upon Montreal and Quebec leaders to rally behind the Jewish community.

"The hatred displayed by these actions can be countered by a strong show of support and a determination to prevent the seeds of anti-Semitism from taking root in Quebec," said Avi Benlolo, a prominent Canadian human rights activist and president and CEO of the Wiesenthal Center.

B'nai Brith called for a strong response from police to what it said were not isolated examples of vandalism, urging an investigation into what it said were hate-motivated crimes.

"Following what appears to be an orchestrated campaign of anti-Semitic attacks, there is particular concern about the targeting of a school and daycare," the organization said.

Montreal police visited all locations targeted and will be reviewing security video recordings provided by the synagogues.

The cameras were installed over the last few years in response to attacks against Jewish buildings in Montreal and other cities.

"We felt this was a necessary investment," Poupko said. "These are not just crimes against a buildings. They're crimes against a community."

Montreal police said they believe the incidents may be linked.

—With files from Montreal Gazette

Read more: http://www.canada.com/news/Attacks+synagogues+Jewish+school+condemned/4121888/story.html#ixzz1BM7jYrCV

 

Israel boycot campagne liegt over successen

Een paar maanden terug loog Keerpunt ook al over het nederlandse pensioenfonds, dat zich helemaal niet om politieke redenen had teruggetrokken uit Israel:

 

Woordvoerder Bram van Els van PGGM verklaarde tegenover CIDI: "Het artikel van Electronic Intifada is niet waar. Wij werden recent door Electronic Intifada gevraagd of we in Israelische bedrijven investeren en we zeiden dat we dat niet doen. Toen heeft Electronische Intifada gepubliceerd dat we actief onze investeringen hebben teruggetrokken vanwege de activiteiten in de Bezette Gebieden. Dat is niet waar. In werkelijkheid hebben we ons uit alle Israelische ondernemingen teruggetrokken, op drie na, wegens een verandering van de 'benchmark'. Deze wordt buiten ons fonds vastgesteld." Nu Israel in de nieuwe categorie van ontwikkelde markten valt, zijn de "Israelische bedrijven gewoon te klein" om te voldoen aan de criteria die PGGM hanteert voor investeringen, aldus Bram van Els.

De schrijvers van het artikel in Electronic Intifada, Adri Nieuwhof en Guus Hoelen van de Protestantse Werkgroep Keerpunt, zeggen in 'het besluit een nieuwe indicator te zien' voor het succes van hun boycotcampagnes tegen Israel. Dit lijkt, zoals vaker gebeurt op deze site, een omdraaiing van de feiten te zijn. De beslissing van PGGM/PFZW is juist een indicator van de kracht van de Israelische economie. De Joodse staat is geen ontwikkelingsland meer.

Tot zover de betrouwbaarheid van Electronic Intifada (dat met uw belastinggeld via ontwikkelingsorganisatie ICCO wordt gefinancierd) en Keerpunt (gaat ook belastinggeld heen via door o.a. ICCO en Oxfam Novib opgerichte UCP). Bedrijven investeren in nieuwe producten en projecten en stoten ook geregeld zaken af. Maar in een klein deel van die gevallen spelen politieke overwegingen een rol, maar de BDS campagne claimt dat dat bij Israel in alle gevallen zo is.

Toch wint deze beweging helaas aan invloed, en kunnen we niet zelfgenoegzaam achterover leunen nu we hen weer eens op een leugen hebben betrapt. Israel bashen is in, mensen vergelijken Israel graag met de nazi's en stellen het als schurkenstaat voor. Steeds vaker wordt haar bestaansrecht ter discussie gesteld. Er is dus werk aan de winkel. Wijs je krant, omroep etc. op hun eenzijdige berichtgeving en wijs op zaken die men negeert, post goeie artikelen op je facebookpagina, etc.

 

RP

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BDS claims two victories - and is caught lying about both

http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/01/bds-claims-two-victories-and-is-caught.html

 

 

From Palestine News Network, today:

This week, leading British retail business John Lewis is refusing to stock goods from Israeli cosmetics company Ahava. Canadian retailer The Bay also confirmed that it has discontinued sales of Ahava products.

John Lewis' decision signifies yet another victory for the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in Europe. John Lewis' Managing Director, Andy Street, wrote to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in a letter dated January 7:

"As a socially responsible retailer, John Lewis takes very seriously the treatment of workers and their working conditions. We expect all our suppliers not only to obey the law, but also to respect the rights, interests and well-being of their employees, their communities and the environment. In relation to your specific enquiry about Ahava Dead Sea products, I can confirm that John Lewis has ceased stocking these particular products."

Sarah Colborne, PSC's Director of Campaigns and Operations, said, "PSC welcomes John Lewis' decision to stop stocking Ahava products. Israel's continued attacks on the Palestinian population – whether living under a brutal blockade in Gaza, under illegal occupation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, or under constant assault inside Israel, has led to a seismic shift in public opinion, with the movement for peace and justice for Palestinians gaining massive support internationally."

However, JPost already reported yesterday:

One of the UK's largest retailers has refuted a claim by an anti- Israel campaign group that it no longer stocks products from a major Israeli cosmetics company for political reasons, condemning the group for creating "false and misleading" information.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) implied on Friday that the awardwinning British retail giant the John Lewis Partnership – which owns the John Lewis department stores and Waitrose supermarket chains – had stopped stocking products from Israeli cosmetics company Ahava after PSC wrote to the company's managing director.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post on Friday, a spokesman for John Lewis emphatically denied PSC's claim, stating that while the retailer had stopped stocking Ahava products, it was purely a commercial decision.

He added that John Lewis was an "apolitical" organization, and that the decision to cease stocking Ahava was made "well before" PSC sent its letter.

"To be clear, John Lewis's decision to no longer stock Ahava beauty products was a commercial decision based solely on the sales performance of the products.

"Our buyers regularly review the performance of all our ranges, with new products being added and less successful ones being removed throughout the year," the spokesman told the Post.

"I can confirm that the PSC wrote to Andy Street to ask firstly about whether we had ceased to sell Ahava products, and secondly our stance on ethical sourcing.

"At John Lewis, ensuring that we reply straightforwardly to any query is an important element in the way we communicate with our customers. Andy responded to confirm that we no longer sell Ahava products, a decision which had been taken and implemented well before he received the PSC's letter. This was a purely commercial decision.

"In addition, in the content of his letter of response, Andy outlined John Lewis's responsible sourcing policy. This information is entirely unrelated to the decision to cease stocking Ahava products; however the person who wrote the PSC's press release put the two elements together to create a false and misleading quote," the spokesman said.

John Lewis said it stocks a vast range of Israeli goods, and will continue to do so.

"We can confirm that we continue to stock products sourced from Israel," the spokesmans said.

And as far as Canadian retailer Hudson Bay is concerned:

Last week, after a regularly-scheduled review of the products it offers, the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) discontinued sales of AHAVA beauty products, primarily because of sales results which had been declining for several years.

Although this decision was made by HBC solely for commercial reasons, it occurred at the same time as an aggressive campaign by several groups advocating a boycott of AHAVA products. At no point did political considerations enter into the exercise of HBC's business judgment. HBC has made it clear that it has not "bowed to political pressure" in the past, has not done so now and will not do so in the future. HBC neither subscribes to nor endorses politically-motivated boycotts of merchandise from countries with whom Canada has open and established trading relationships, including Israel.

AHAVA products will soon be reformulated and redesigned as a totally changed brand. The new AHAVA products will be ready by mid-spring and is planned to be re-launched at HBC stores across Canada. We encourage consumers across Canada to purchase those products as soon as they are available.

This statement is being jointly issued by Bonnie Brooks, Chief Adventurer & CEO, Hudson's Bay Company, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and Moshe Ronen, National Chair, Canada Israel Committee.

BDS proponents are so desperate for a major victory that they will happily lie to make themselves feel as if they have an impact.

 

 

Arabische kranten over opstand Tunesië

Opvallend is het seculiere karakter van de opstand in Tunesië. Inmiddels hebben ook mensen in Mauritanië en Egypte zichzelf in brand gestoken uit protest tegen hun regeringen, en wordt dat door sommigen nogal hypocriet als on-islamitisch veroordeeld. Het zijn wanhoopsdaden van individuen, en in tegenstelling tot zelfmoordaanslagen volgens mij niet geinspireerd door een ideologie van martelarenschap en haat.

 

RP

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What the Arab papers say

http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2011/01/tunisias_revolution_arab_press

Jan 17th 2011, 15:21 by The Economist online

THE Arab press has been awash with responses to the protests in Tunisia deposing Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali. Their views range from from elation at the fall of Tunisia's president, to concern over how the power vacuum will be filled and speculation about which corrupt Arab leader could be next to fall. 

In al-Sabah, a Tunisia daily, Mohamed al-Taweer revels in patriotic pride: 

..the sons of our nation have demonstrated to the world once again that, by its peaceful nature which rejects all violence and extremism without exception, nothing can stop the desire of the people for freedom, democracy, and social justice.

Salih Atiya, also writing in al-Sabah, praises Mohammed Bouazizi, the man who sparked the protests by setting himself on fire, and the other protesters as martyrs, marvelling at the fact that Mr Ben Ali really is gone:

May we dare dream? But then, doesn't every reality start as a dream? "Should the people one day truly aspire to life, then fate must needs respond"! 

These last lines are from the final verse of the Tunisian national anthem, which has been widely quoted in newspaper editorials, in tweets and on Facebook pages throughout the Arab world since Mr Ben Ali's expulsion.

In the Lebanese opposition newspaper, al-Akhbar, John Aziz suggests some lessons to be learned from the uprising in Tunisia:

All the blood, sweat and bullet-torn flesh have demonstrated how the neo-conservative model was wrong, how democracy can come about without foreign fleets, without the imposition of the star-spangled banner, without the smiling faces of Jay Garner and David Petraeus. Second, democracy can grow out of cultures of military repression without resorting to Islamic radicalism and without devolving into a situation of "one man, one vote…one time!" Third, not only has America failed to promote democracy in this region, it has actually propped up regimes which stifled its flowering.

Abdel Bari Atwan, editor-in-chief of al-Quds al-Arabi, a pan Arab daily, congratulates the Tunisians on the ouster of Mr Ben Ali:

Thank you to the Tunisian people. Thank you to the martyrs whose sacred blood helped achieve this supreme victory. Thank you to the army for turning their backs on the tyrants and siding with the people, upholding the security and stability of their country over all else.

In Dar al-Hayat, a London-based Arabic newspaper, Mostapha Zayn criticises Mr Ben Ali for his failures as a leader:

The Tunisian government could have been a model for the Arab world. And indeed it was, albeit a model of oppression and martial law in a region already infamous for oppression and martial law.

In Saudi Arabia, which offered refuge to the fleeing Mr Ben Ali to the bemusement of many of its citizens, Qaynan al-Ghamidy controversially compares democracy in the West to democracy in the Arab world, writing in al-Arabiyya:

Are the Western values of justice, freedom, and democracy suitable for Arabs? There can be no denying that they are. As the second caliph Umar bin al-Khattab is said to have asked: "How can you enslave people when their mothers bore them as freemen?"...If an iconic figure like Umar promoted such values values as freedom, justice, and accountability, do the Arabs really need to imitate the West?

But whereas the West translated these values into tangible laws and civil institutions, the Arabs and Muslims merely touted them without following their spirit. And this is the fundamental difference between Western and Arab civilization. But now, with the Tunisian uprising, no one knows what direction their compass will point them. In any case, those Arabs who sincerely care for their country should study what is happening in Tunisia and do what needs to be done immediately to recreate the same set of facts in their own land.

The editor-in-chief of al-Watan, a Saudi paper, argues that the protests are not just about food prices, but injustice, making many other regimes ripe for change:

Any observer of the scene from non-Arab nation would note that while the issue of bread prices ostensibly set the spark for these protests, there were already fires smoldering under the ashes. In every country witnessing demonstrations protesting living standards, the focus has quickly shifted towards civil freedoms and corruption. ...It appears that most regions are poised to undergo an orange revolution if conditions continue on their current trajectory.

Burhan Ghalyoun, a Syrian writer based in France, analyses Ben Ali's failed strategy in a Tunisian newspaper, El-Chourouk:

The Tunisian uprising which has been raging for the past month wasn't a surprise to anyone—anyone, that is, except the ruling elites, who had complacently believed that they had found the magic formula that would allow them to stay in power for the rest of time and stave off the change so urgently hoped for since the downfall of President Habib Bourguiba. This formula—applied by most Arab regimes—is derived from the Chinese model, which combines two elements: first, cordoning politics from the public sphere by prohibiting even civil society activism, much less direct political action; and second, taking control of the economy, whether through direct foreign investment, accumulating wealth by means fair or foul, or outright expropriation.

Tariq al-Hameed cautions that initial excitement may be misplaced in an editorial in Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, a widely read pan-Arab newspaper:

What makes these unfolding events so serious is that, because of the closed nature of Tunisia's repressive society, no one knows if the protests which have swept the streets are organized or spontaneous. We don't know if this is going to end in the replacement of one dictatorship for another, if this is a true revolution riding the wave of popular discontent, or whether it will result in any real improvement. We don't know if the inscrutable Tunisia of yesterday has emerged from its closed doors or whether it has only plunged deeper into the unknown depths, adding just one more tragedy to the endless tragedies of the Arab world.

Muhammad Ya'qouby in the Algerian Echorouk Online compares Tunisia's revolution to that of Algeria over two decades ago:

Granted, Tunisia is lagging 23 years behind Algeria's 1988 revolution, assuming of course that there is a single, uniform path to democracy… But Tunisia could become a shining model for the Arab world if it manages to avoid the pitfalls of its neighbour's experience and take the right approach to democracy, avoiding the demagoguery and lack of foresight which marred out our political transition. The Algerians took to the streets in 1988 to demand lower prices, an end to corruption, and an end to discrimination. Twenty three years later, they are still seeking the same things.

On the other hand, Wa'il al-Qandeel of an independent Egyptian newspaper, al-Shorouk, predicts that Tunisians will succeed in forging a truly democratic future:

I don't think that these downtrodden Tunisians are going to accept anything less than complete concession to their demands. The time for incremental gains is past; the name of the game now is comprehensive change. If this comes to pass, verdant Tunisia—that enchanting little country on the Mediterranean—will become the role model for a brave new Arab world.

For full translations and commentary, visit Meedan.net