Palestinians Tear Up Another Agreement, the World Yawns/other news| jta.org |
Two anti-circumcision measures in California, one of which has already made it to the ballot for November in San Francisco, has prompted a coalition of Jewish and non-Jewish opponents, including Muslims, to fight back. Read more » | EDITORS' PICKS| In a place of deep conflict, some Palestinians turn to the Israeli army for medical help, and the Israel Defense Forces have paramedics who respond, Linda Gradstein reports for JTA. | | The establishment of an Australia chapter of the New Israel Fund and the exclusion from Limmud of two presenters who support boycotting the Jewish state have stoked debate in Australia's Jewish community, Dan Goldberg reports for JTA. | | In the wake of an attack that left a religious dissident with burns on half of his body in New Square, N.Y., a former resident of the Chasidic village looks back on his experience with religiously motivated violence in an article in the Forward. | | Heidi Hoover's father is a Lutheran bishop, and a few weeks ago she became the rabbi of a Brooklyn synagogue, The New York Times reports. | | As Israeli archaeologists dig tunnels that illuminate Jerusalem's past, the Associated Press looks at the tensions over exploring subterranean Jerusalem. | | A Jewish War Veterans branch in York, Pa., dwindled to only one active member, but its annual Memorial Day observances have continued with some help from the local Jewish community, The York Daily Sentinel reports. | | Adam Soclof searches the JTA Jewish News Archive for reports on Jewish members of America's armed forces who lost their lives in service to their country. | | MyJewishLearning.com has a recipe for a sweet dish for Shavuot. |
| JEWISH IDEAS DAILY Sponsored Content  What accounts for the cross-generational passion so vividly on display at the annual conference of the "Israel lobby"? It's not what the critics say. |
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|  | | BREAKING NEWS| The U.N. General Assembly cannot grant the Palestinians membership without a recommendation from the Security Council, the assembly's president said. | | British Prime Minister David Cameron has stepped down as a patron of the Jewish National Fund. | | Israel's attorney general is investigating the Ofer Brothers Group, which was sanctioned by the United States for dealings with Iran. |  | | Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer did not rule out accepting the position of managing director of the International Monetary Fund should he win the election. | | An Orthodox rabbi in Washington and two of his congregants have filed a class-action suit against the District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. | | The only Jewish day school in Toledo, Ohio, is closing at the end of the school year due to a lack of enrollment. | | A group of squatters who forcefully entered a building in Caracas, Venezuela, that houses a synagogue left peaceably. | | The home of a British rabbi has been targeted three times by suspected anti-Semitic vandals. | | Some 1,600 Jewish worshipers escorted by Israeli soldiers visited Joseph's Tomb for late night prayers, but the event was overshadowed by others who refused to leave the West Bank holy site. | | Canada's foreign minister has "strongly" urged against Canadian involvement in an international aid flotilla slated to leave for the Gaza Strip in late June. | | The United Nations "should not delude" the Palestinians into thinking that a unilateral declaration of a state will lead to its establishment, Israeli President Shimon Peres told a U.N. official. | | Israel will continue to build up Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, as its Cabinet voted to invest more than $115 million in the city. | | Pope Benedict XVI made a rare reference to his life as a teenage seminarian in Hitler's Germany. | | The head of the Canadian Jewish Congress, Bernie Farber, said he is running for public office. | | Israeli judoka Arik Zeevi won a gold medal at the prestigious Moscow Grand Prix. | | For the first time since World War II, World ORT has gathered its leadership at the site of its former world headquarters in Berlin. | | Swiss producer Arthur Cohn, a six-time Oscar winner, was honored for his body of work by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. | | A law firm with "deep roots" in the Australian Jewish community has ceased advising a company selling T-shirts that satirize Hitler and the Holocaust. |
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 Reports of Israeli PR Victory Greatly Exaggerated A commentary piece by academic Greg Philo published in The Guardian contends that Israel has effectively managed to "spin" its messaging to subvert the media's coverage of the conflict in Israel's favor. HR's Managing Editor Simon Plosker issues his response.
Backspin, HR's daily blog, caught out The Guardian erroneously claiming that the Knesset and other Jerusalem landmarks were located on what was previously the village's farmland. |
View this page at www.dailyalert.org
Subscribe | | DAILY ALERT | Tuesday,
May 31, 2011 |
In-Depth Issues:
In Syria, Accounts of Widening Torture (Wall Street Journal)
While the Syrian regime has long been characterized as among the region's most repressive, rights groups say this spring's crackdown has spurred new levels of brutality.
Detainees are held in schools, soccer stadiums, security-force facilities and military hospitals, and subjected to various forms of physical and psychological abuse.
Rights workers say the widening use of torture is meant to spread terror not only among protesters, but also those who may consider joining them.
But the practice instead appears to have enraged some Syrians into mobilizing against the government.
A doctor at a military hospital in Damascus said his hospital has an "alternative ER" where people are tortured.
Report: Hizbullah Forces Helping Syria in Crackdown on Protesters (Ha'aretz)
Hizbullah forces are entering Syria and helping forces there suppress anti-government protests, Israel Radio quoted a Lebanese parliament member as saying on Sunday.
Egypt's Islamic Fringe Takes the Plunge into Politics - David E. Miller (Media Line-Jerusalem Post)
While the Muslim Brotherhood and its political offshoot, the Freedom and Justice Party, has attracted the most attention and fear among Egyptian liberals, the Islamic end of the political spectrum is growing crowded with fringe movements announcing bids to run in the parliamentary elections come September.
"The situation is extremely dangerous," said Nagib Gibra'il, a Christian lawyer and head of the Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organizations. "According to polls, Islamist parties will receive more than 50% of the votes in the elections and form the next government. This will jeopardize the revolution and the country itself."
Palestinian Jihadists Inside Hamas - Patrick Martin (Globe and Mail-Canada)
In April, Vittorio Arrigoni, an Italian activist, was abducted and murdered in Gaza by a small group of men who demanded the release from Hamas prison of a leading Salafi-Jihadist.
It turned out that two of the three perpetrators were members of Hamas' own security forces - one a policeman, the other a member of Hamas' own Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades.
This is "the real danger," says Ayman Batniji, an imam at Gaza's Shohada al-Aqsa Mosque and spokesman for the Hamas police - "those inside Hamas' military wing that are loyal to the [Salafi-Jihadist] views."
Such people are believed to have been responsible for a series of attacks on UN summer camps last year, and for setting fire to a Gaza water park.
| | News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:- Inspectors Pierce Iran's Cloak of Nuclear Secrecy - William J. Broad
The International Atomic Energy Agency last week presented a report to its board that laid out new information on what it calls "possible military dimensions" of Iran's nuclear program. The report raised questions about whether Iran has sought to investigate seven different kinds of technology ranging from atomic triggers and detonators to uranium fuel. Together, the technologies could make a type of atom bomb known as an implosion device, which is what senior staff members of the IAEA have warned that Iran is able to build. (New York Times)
See also IAEA Report on Iran
Based on the Agency's continued study of information which the Agency has acquired from many Member States and through its own efforts, the Agency remains concerned about the possible existence in Iran of past or current undisclosed nuclear-related activities involving military-related organizations, including activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile. The following points refer to examples of activities for which clarifications remain necessary:
Neutron generator and associated diagnostics: experiments involving the explosive compression of uranium deuteride to produce a short burst of neutrons. Missile re-entry vehicle redesign activities for a new payload assessed as being nuclear in nature: conducting design work and modelling studies involving the removal of the conventional high explosive payload from the warhead of the Shahab-3 missile and replacing it with a spherical nuclear payl oad. (IAEA)
See also Iran's Uranium Deuteride Experiments - Jeffrey Lewis
Paragraph 35 of the Iran report reveals that Iran conducted "experiments involving the explosive compression of uranium deuteride to produce a short burst of neutrons" - research that has no known application other than for nuclear weapons. Although this information was reported in December 2009, this is the most explicit IAEA confirmation of the allegation to date. (Arms Control Wonk) - Armed Residents Fight Off Syrian Government Troops - Zeina Karam
Residents used automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades to repel advancing government troops in Talbiseh and Rastan in central Syria on Monday, putting up a fierce fight for the first time in their 2-month-old revolt against President Bashar Assad's autocratic regime. (AP-Boston Globe) - Over 100 Libyan Soldiers Defect from Gaddafi - Deepa Babington
Eight high-ranking Libyan army officers - five generals, two colonels and a major - appeared at a news conference in Rome organized by the Italian government on Monday, saying they were part of a group of as many as 120 military officials and soldiers who had defected from Gaddafi's side in recent days. "No wise, rational person with the minimum of dignity can do what we saw with our eyes and what he asked us to do," said Gen. Oun Ali Oun. Gen. Salah Giuma Yahmed said Gaddafi's army was weakening day by day, with the force reduced to 20% of its original capacity. (Reuters) - Iran Delays German Chancellor's Plane
German Chancellor Angela Merkel touched down more than two hours late in New Delhi for the start of her visit to India, after Iran refused to allow her plane access to its airspace. The plane was forced to turn around and circle over Turkey before permission was finally granted - just before the plane ran out of fuel. (Deutsche Welle-Germany)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:- Turkish Flotilla Passengers Joined Nakba Protest in Jordan - Yaakov Katz
On Monday, the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center revealed in a new report that a group of Turkish Islamic IHH members who were aboard the Mavi Marmara last year, participated in a violent anti-Israel demonstration in Jordan earlier this month on "Nakba Day." The bus carrying 28 Turkish activists was initially detained in Syria since some had Israeli stamps in their passports, a result of their deportation from Israel following last year's flotilla.
The delegation eventually arrived at the Israeli-Jordanian border opposite Jericho and began marching toward the fence while violently clashing with Jordanian security forces. "The delegation's decision to participate in the demonstrations in Jordan was not spontaneous but is part of a larger campaign by radical Islamic elements from groups like IHH to try and breach Israel's borders, whether by land, air or sea," the report concluded. (Jerusalem Post) - Egypt Won't Supply Gas to Israel at Current Price - Roee Nahmias
A senior source in the Egyptian gas and oil industry says Israel has refused to pay more for the gas it purchases from Egypt and has even threatened to turn to international arbitration, the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram reported last week. The official added that Spain had accepted more expensive rates. He also said the Egyptians were sticking to their refusal to supply gas to Israel until new prices are finalized. (Ynet News)
See also U.S. Firm Seeks Restart of Egypt Gas Flow to Israel
U.S. investors in the East Mediterranean Gas Co. (EMG) have taken legal steps against the Egyptian government to ensure gas flow resumes to Israel, an official from a U.S. partner in EMG said Monday. In a letter to the Egyptian government, U.S. firm EGI, a partner in EMG, said it was seeking international arbitration over Egypt's failure to protect their investment, as stipulated in a U.S.-Egyptian agreement. (Reuters)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):- Strong Support for Israel on Social Media
By almost a three-to-one margin, bloggers and users of Twitter and Facebook expressed strong support for Israel over the Palestinians in the week following President Obama's May 19 address on the Middle East, according to an analysis of social media conducted by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. In the seven days following Obama's speech, fully 55% of the conversation on blogs on the issue has been in favor of Israel and opposed to a move to the 1967 borders, while 19% has been in favor of the Palestinians. On Twitter and Facebook, the tone of conversation was similar with 60% pro-Israel compared with 20% pro-Palestinian. (Pew Research Center) - Palestinians Tear Up Another Agreement, the World Yawns - Evelyn Gordon
As Egypt reopened its Rafah border crossing with Gaza after four years of almost total closure, a binding international agreement, brokered by the U.S. and signed by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, has just effectively been torn up. The 2005 agreement laid down detailed provisions for how Gaza's border crossings would be run following Israel's withdrawal from the territory.
The European monitors stationed at Rafah quickly proved useless at preventing the passage of terrorists and contraband. But at a time when the world is demanding that Israel make far more dangerous territorial concessions in the West Bank in exchange for yet another piece of paper containing "robust" security provisions, it's worth noting just how flimsy such pieces of paper are. When the world is so patently unwilling to insist that previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements be honored, why does it still think Israel should entrust its security to yet another one? (Commentary) - Rifts in the Muslim Brotherhood Seen Amid Growing Anarchy in Egypt - Zvi Mazel
The economic, social, and political situation in Egypt is getting worse. Due to the security situation, civilians are buying weapons and hiring militias to protect themselves. When the demonstrators held a second Friday of Anger across Egypt on May 27 in order to pressure the Military Council to enact reforms, the Muslim Brotherhood announced that it would not take part. But to their great surprise, the young guard of their movement decided to participate, against the will of the supreme leader, in the first sign of a rift within the Muslim Brotherhood.
It seems like the new, revolutionary Egypt will experience many years of confrontations before a new, democratic reg ime will evolve, based on freedom of speech, human rights, liberation of women, and religious tolerance towards the Copts. The writer, a Fellow of the Jerusalem Center, served as Israel's Ambassador to Egypt and Sweden. (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)
See also At a Protest in Cairo, One Group Is Missing - David D. Kirkpatrick (New York Times)
Observations: - Missing from the Bibi vs. Barack drama in Washington was the man who really torpedoed the peace process, Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas is 76 and will retire from politics next year, having announced that he will not seek reelection. A man without charisma or great political courage, he lost first the 2006 elections and then control of Gaza to Hamas.
- Abbas was never a serious candidate to make the difficult compromises that a peace deal with Israel would require and then defend himself against charges of treason and betrayal. To the generous peace offer made by Ehud Olmert in 2008, Abbas responded with silence.
- Obama's mistreatment of the visiting Netanyahu can only have deepened the latter's belief that Obama was irretrievably hostile. Obama gave a major Middle East speech the day before Netanyahu arrived. The message was clear: I have no interest in what you are saying and will make my views plain even before we exchange one word.
- Worse yet was the lack of any advance notice. The Israelis had been told days before that the Obama speech would cover the Arab Spring and say little about them, and were given only a couple of hours' notice that, on the contrary, the president would make a significant policy statement that contradicted Israeli views. They felt - and they were - blindsided.
- In the Clinton and Bush administrations such major policy statements were preceded by weeks of consultations, and when a president breaks that pattern it is a deliberate and powerful message. This is the explanation for the brief tutorial in Israeli security concerns that Netanyahu held Friday in the Oval Office: The gloves were off, but it was Obama who took them off first.
The writer, senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, was a deputy national security adviser in the George W. Bush administration.
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| Tuesday, May 31 '11, Iyar 27, 5771 |
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1. Jerusalem's Reunification: Back in Time to 1967 by Hillel Fendel 
This Tuesday night and Wednesday will be a special day for lovers of Jerusalem, which celebrates the 44th anniversary of its Six Day War reunification.
Among the central events planned for this Jerusalem Day are traditional festivities at Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav Kook, including all-night Torah lectures, singing, dancing to music of the famed clarinetist Musa Berlin, and each year since the liberation of the city, a march of hundreds to the Western Wall starting at 1 a.m. Prime MInister Benyamin Netanyahu, many Knesset Members and rabbis from all over Israel come to join the yeshiva's celebration.
Festive prayers take place in central Jerusalem synagogues such as Heichal Shlomo and others. A special program will take place at Yeshivat Beit Orot on Mt. Scopus, overlooking the Temple Mount, which will be followed by music, dancing, a dinner, and an inspiring presentation by noted historian Dr. Eyal Davidson.
The central event in the capital on Wednesday will be the traditional Rikudgalim - Flag Dance March - towards the Old City. Though it has long been concentrated on Jaffa Rd., as well as on other streets – with separate routes for girls and boys – this year's march will be adapted to meet the needs of the new light-rail transportation system. Many of the marchers will enter the Old City through Damascus Gate, while others will circle around the south, adjacent to Mt.of Olives, and enter through Dung Gate. Various tours of different parts of the city are sponsored by the municipality and other organizations all through the day.
The day commemorates the miraculous liberation of the Old City of Jerusalem on the 28th of Iyar, 5727 (June 7, 1967), just days after several Arab armies threatened to wipe the State of Israel off the map. Israel took the initiative with a surprise, defensive attack, wiping out the Egyptian Air Force in one day, and taking over Jerusalem, Gaza, Judea, Samaria, the Sinai and the Golan Heights shortly thereafter. Weeks of national trepidation and tension, including the preparing of thousands of body-bags in Jerusalem and elsewhere, suddenly gave way to celebration and thanksgiving.
It has been noted many times that in the days prior to the war, Israel used its informal ties with Jordan's King Hussein to ask him repeatedly to hold its fire and forces and allow Israel to concentrate only on its Egyptian and Syrian fronts. Had Hussein listened, the course of history would have been very different, as Israel would not have liberated Jerusalem, Judea or Samaria – at least not then.
The war marked Israel's return to the Old City of Jerusalem for the first time since having been ignominiously driven out in 1948, and for the first time in 1,899 years as sovereign rulers.
In fact, though most Jews were thrilled in 1948 when the renewed State of Israel was established, for others the joy was greatly tempered by the lack of inclusion in its borders of the holy sites of Jerusalem– and particularly the Temple Mount.
The continued longing for Jerusalem and other Biblical areas was expressed by Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook, the head of Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav. Speaking to his students on Independence Day of 1967, just weeks before the Six Day War, he appeared to be gripped by prophecy when he cried out, "Where is our Hevron? Have we forgotten it? And where is our Shechem (Nablus)? Have we forgotten it? And where is our Jericho? Have we forgotten it?! ... And where is all the rest of the Land of Israel? Where are all the pieces of G-d's Land? Do we have the right to give up even one millimeter? Heaven forbid!"
One of his students, Rabbi Chanan Porat, who was later to be a leader in the movement to settle all of the Land of Israel, said that the rabbi's emotion was so extreme that it left an impression on him forever: "He roared and cried out from the depths of his heart; we saw that he was truly like one crying over someone who had just died, as if he was torn in pieces. We felt as if he was speaking in the name of the Landof Israel, and that its tearing-asunder was tearing his own flesh as well."
Just days after Rabbi Kook's emotional cry, Egypt placed a blockade around the Straits of Tiran leading into Israel, and preparations for war began. Within three weeks, Hevron, Jericho, Shechem and Jerusalem were once again in Jewish hands. Rabbi Kook and his friend the Nazir, Rabbi David Cohen, were given a special military escort to the Western Wall within hours of its liberation.
The continued longing for Jerusalem in the 19 years between '48 and '67 was expressed on another level by Naomi Shemer, in her famous song "Jerusalem of Gold." The original lyrics read, "The city that sits solitary, and in its midst - a wall... How the cisterns have dried, the market-place is empty, and no one frequents the Temple Mount, in the OldCity... Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light, Behold I am a violin for all your songs..."
Just a few months later, she was able to add these lyrics as the final stanza: "We have returned to the cisterns, To the market and to the market-place, A ram's horn (shofar) is heard on the Temple Mount, In the OldCity." The song Jerusalem of Gold quickly became Israel's unofficial national anthem, sung in joy at every opportunity. 2. NY Israel Day Concert/Rally 'For the Sake of Jerusalem' by David Ben Yacov 
"Let your voice be heard" is the motto of the organizers of the upcoming Israel Day Concert/ Rally in New York City.
More than 20,000 people are expected for the 18th (Chai) Annual Israel Day Concert in Central Park, a tribute to Carl Freyer and a Dr. Manfred Lehmann Memorial event, which will be held at Central Park's Summer Stage on Sunday, June 5 in honor of the 44th anniversary of the miracle of the Six-Day War and the re-unification of Jerusalem. (Pictures of Israel Day rallies courtesy of Barry Brown studios.)
The free concert will be held from 2:30-7:30 p.m., rain or shine, after the annual Salute to Israel Parade.
Dr. Joseph Frager, long-time Organizer, and Dr. Paul and Drora Brody, Chairpersons, have announced the concert's themes: Jerusalem United Forever -- never to be divided again, no further concessions of any part of the Land of Israel, standing up to the mullahs of Iran, and calling for the release of Gilad Shalit and for the release of Jonathan Pollard.
The concert, which effectively is the largest rally of its kind in North America, and possibly in the world, is sponsored by the Israel Concert-In-The-Park Committee, associated with Young Israel Chovevei Zion and the National Council of Young Israel, and it is co-organized by Aron Hirtz.
It pays special tribute this year to Carl Freyer z'l, who toegther with his wife Sylvia founded the concert in response to a call by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Chief Rabbi of Efrat, to mount some form of protest to the ill-conceived 1993 Oslo accords.
Freyer, who passed away en route to Israel before Succot, was a leader of the nationalist camp and a supporter of numerous causes for many years, impacting many aspects of Jewish life in America and Israel. He and his wife were founders of Arutz Sheva and the National Jewish Outreach Program (NJOP).
The Concert/Rally also salutes noted the late Jewish activist and philanthropist Dr. Manfred R. Lehmann, who was the event's first Chairman, as well as the late Rose and Reuben Mattus, of Haagen-Dazs fame.
The guest speaker will be MK Danny Danon, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset and chairman of World Likud. Special appearances will be made by leading political and religious leaders and Jewish activists focusing on the event's all-important themes.
There will be representatives of the World Committee for the Land of Israel, Ateret Cohanim/Jerusalem Chai(JRP), the Hebron Fund and the One Israel Fund.
Rabbi David Nesenoff, Publisher/Editor of The Jewish Star, who exposed the anti-Semitic statements of White House correspondent Helen Thomas, will focus his remarks on the plight of Jonathan Pollard.
Special performers include Avraham Fried, Shalsheles with Shalsheles Jr., Avi Peretz and Ouri Bitton, Elram and Shlomi, of Yemenite background direct from Israel, Jerry Markovitz, Izzy Kieffer with Heshy R. and the debut of Yitzy Bald's New York Boys Choir.
Musical accompaniment will be provided by the Shloime Dachs Orchestra & Singers. Light Intonation, a new group comprised of Yeshiva boys, will be introduced.
Haitian George, whose dancing career was salvaged by an IDF rescue team in Haiti and at Tel HaShomer Medical Center, will remind us just what Israel is capable of when he once-again dances on the Summer Stage.
Strictly kosher food and drinks will be available Early arrival is advised as there will be added security checks. Enter at 5th Ave. & 72nd St. For more information, contact 917-650-5623.
3. Begin Breaks Likud Ranks on INR Radio; Rejects PA State by Gavriel Queenann 
Minister without portfolio Benny Begin (Likud), in an Israel National News Radio interview on Monday, rejected the creation of an Arab state west of the Jordan River saying the right of the Jewish people to their ancestral homeland was 'obvious' and that such a state would become a 'haven of impunity' for terror. Begin's remarks mark a stark departure from the "two states for two people's" vision endorsed by Israel's current Likud-run government.
"I think any second state of any nature, another sovereignty west of the Jordan River, especially when it comprises the PLO or Hamas, would negate or contradict two basic rights of the Jewish people and the citizens of Israel," Begin told Israel National News Radio's Josh Hasten. during an interview on the Israel Hasbara Hour.
"One is the right of the Jewish people to our homeland, and our right to our homeland does not stop exactly east of the 1949 armistice demarcation lines, also known as the 'Green Line.' It has no historic significance whatsoever. It just marks a balance of military power back then, in 1948 or 1949, between [Israel's] local Arab neighbors and the newborn state of Israel in their attempt to smother the baby state in its cradle. Our right to our land – Including of course to the cradle of our history in Judea and Samaria – is obvious," Begin said.
"There is also the question of national security, and we have had some experience in the the last twenty years under the banner 'territory for peace'... the actual events have been territory for terror. Every piece of land, every hectare, every acre, that was consigned to the PLO reign, became a haven of impunity for terrorism. And we should anticipate that once we transfer parts of our homeland to the PLO it will be, actually, an indirect transfer of land through the PLO to Hamas, and to Iran," Begin said.
Recent Events Prove Arab's True Intent
Begin cited the recent Fatah-Hamas "unity treaty" and "Naqba" unrest throughout Israel on May 15, which saw the infiltration of Northern Israel by over 100 Syrian radicals, along with riots throughout Judea and Samaria, as proof the Arab's have no intention of making peace with the Jewish state.
"I think in the last month people can see for themselves [what their intentions are] through the following events: the new agreement between the PLO and Hamas, who nobody doubts is openly bent on the destruction of the state of Israel, and then the May 15 marches on our borders marking the "devastation" or "calamity," that they claim was inflicted upon them by the very establishment of the state of Israel on May 15, 1948," Begin explained.
"Their real aim is not a a two state solution, but a two-stage solution. In the sense that they push us to the pre-1967, actually 1949 lines, and then push more through terrorism and other forms of political pressure in order to dwarf us and to try to erase the state of Israel, the Jewish state," Begin said.
"They did not mark the date in June," Begin said referring to the 1967 Six Day War, sometimes called the 'June War,' in which Israel liberated its eternal capitol and ancestral heartland. "After all, the 'occupation' so to speak of Judea and Samaria and Gaza started in June 1967. No, they mark the original May 15 date of the very birth of the Jewish state."
Israel's Hasbara Advantage
Begin conceded Israel starts at a public relations disadvantage due to the vastly greater sums the Arab world pours into its anti-Israel media efforts, but said Israel has a big advantage in its 'hasbara [public relations, ed.] war' because it doesn't have to "sell lies."
"It used to be Hasbara was translated 'propaganda,'" Begin explained. "Now they call it 'public diplomacy,' which is a little nicer. But years ago it was considered by Israelis to be 'propaganda' [and therefore beneath them, ed.] One of the nice things about our 'propaganda' is that we don't have to sell lies. We can suffice ourselves with telling people things as they are. We have to tell them the truth. And we have to ask them to judge. Because once they know the facts they will be able use moral judgment."
"[There was] a very important article written by Mahmoud Abbas, Abu Mazen, written on May 16 as an op-ed article in the New York Times... [readers] will read it and see easily for themselves what kind of narrative, or actually what kind of lies, the PLO tries to sell intelligent people in America and elsewhere. Its untenable, its unacceptable, and it takes things to such an extreme in such a manner that we can easily prove the narrative is totally false," Begin said.
"Such articles will only help us," Begin said optimistically. "I don't know if this would be efficient immediately It takes time, but people of good will, if they will stand up and work for truth – for morality – I think it would be a great help to the cause of real justice in our part of the world."
The entire interview can be downloaded here.
4. Moskowitz Zionism Prizes Awarded by Elad Benari 
Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, co-founder of the Nefesh B'Nefesh English speakers' aliyah movement, Former MK Rabbi Chanan Porat, who helped re-establish the community of Kfar Etzion after the 1967 Six Day War following his service as a paratrooper, and recently retired director of the Mossad, (Israel's international spy agency) Meir Dagan were the recipients of the 2011 Moskowitz Prize for Zionism.
The Prizes were awarded in ceremonies on Monday evening at Jerusalem's City of David (Ir David), located across the road from the Western Wall (Kotel).
Cherna Moskowitz, who founded the prize along with her husband Dr. Irving Moskowitz, was the first speaker of the evening.
"We see reversals in all Arab countries," she said. "No one can predict what will happen there. We have seen the rise of terrorism since the Oslo agreements and the education of incitement by Mahmoud Abbas. All this causes great damage to Israeli and American values and to the stability in the Middle East. At such a time of uncertainty, the last thing we need to do is to establish another Arab country in any way. All this only emphasizes the necessity of preserving Judea and Samaria in order to allow the Jewish state to survive."
In the speech he gave after receiving the award, Dagan referred to the location of the ceremony, saying: "This place is not political. The City of David has a deep connection to Jewish history."
Dagan thanked the members of the Israeli intelligence community for their part in the award.
"If I got this far, it would be appropriate for me to be the mouth of the intelligence people who work day and night. A group of men and women, young and old, who give all their energies and abilities for the State of Israel. Some of them work under difficult risks, they are not recognized, and you read about their successes in classified papers. On the other hand, their failures are smeared in newspapers and on television screens. They are not recognized, and even neighbors and relatives are unaware of their work."
Dagan added, "Their real greatness is that they know how to learn from their failures."
In his acceptance speech, Rabbi Fass noted that he does not stand there on behalf of himself, and that Nefesh B'Nefesh is an operation behind which are many other individuals. He made particular mention of his friend Tony Gelbart, who founded the organization with him but could not receive the award because he does yet not carry an Israeli identity card. Rabbi Fass stressed that the organization is working on this to happen soon.
Rabbi Porat, who received his award after Rabbi Fass, spoke of how he returned to Kfar Etzion following the Six Day War and founded the Gush Emunim settlement movement. "Despite all the obstacles we faced we built thousands of units," he emphasized.
Rabbi Porat also mentioned the story of his friend, Giora Ashkenazi, who fell during the battle for Jerusalem. He noted that twenty years, he had the privilege to perpetuate his friend's name in Yeshivat Orot on Mount Olives, which was established with the unconditional support of Dr. Irving Moskowitz.
The annual $50,000 prize was established to support Zionist values in Israeli society and to promote the Jewish nationalist home of Israel.
Photos by Issacher Roess:
5. COS Ganz Doesn't Rule Out Death Penalty for Itamar Murderers by David Ben Yacov 
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Ganz appeared before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday.
Committee Chairman MK Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) congratulated the COS on his recent appointment, "Ganz is a worthy man", and qualified this by saying "but I have many reservations about the way he was appointed."
Ganz related to the Itamar murders at the meeting, and said, "the killers aren't human". Ganz was asked by committee members if they should get the death penalty, and he responded, "I won't say anymore on the subject."
On the Iranian threats Ganz said, "Iran is a major threat not only due to its intention to develop nuclear weapons, but also because of its ideological and military support of radical factions.
Ganz related to the Middle East upheavals, saying that the scope of threats on Israel have gotten wider, from knives to nuclear weapons.
"There is present and future instability in the Arab states. The changes can be potentially positive, particularly when the leader is threatened by the people in the streets," he said.
On the changes in Egypt he said, "Egypt is attempting to stabilize its economy and security situation, as well as its regime. Egypt is not a threat to Israel. We have peace with them, and it is an Israeli prerogative to reinforce this peace. On the other hand, it must be stated that Egypt is not as stable as it used to be, and therefore the level of our security guarantees must be higher than before. No doubt, we are concerned about the Sinai situation."
As of this morning, Egyptian security forces were in hot pursuit of 400 Al Qaeda terrorists in the Sinai desert.
The COS related to the fence being constructed in the South. "The fence provides a solution for the problems of border infiltration and weapons smuggling. We will complete the fence construction by the end of next year, earlier than previously projected." He added, "There have been 3114 infiltrations since the beginning of the year. Of them, only 140 infiltrators were sent back over the border."
On Syria he estimated that "Assad does not know how Syria will look this week or the next. This insecurity disturbs him as it does us. There have been over 1200 killed in Damascus since the beginning of the uprising. The chances that Assad will attack Israel to ease his pressure are slim." He added that "there is Hizbollah influence in Syria."
"There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, in any way, shape, or form." Clarifying, he explained: "In fighting terrorist organizations that attack from civilian locations we will have to use much more force in the next conflict, even if this extracts a high price from the other side. In this kind of combat we will have to provide humanitarian aid."
Ganz related to Ultra-Orthodox IDF enlistment, and the phenomenon of army dropouts. "The number of Ultra-Orthodox soldiers in designated programs should be increased. The IDF dropout level is at 12%. I aim to reach a single-digit percentage."
In conclusion, Ganz said, "I am willing to accept the great challenge placed before me, particularly in this sensitive period of time. Army professionalism is important to promote, but it is just as important to invest in values, where there is no room for compromise. I want to develop a regimen in the IDF where I hear what I need to hear from my people, and not what I want to hear. I will then be able to reach a decision, and demand it be carried out." 6. Twelve Palestinian Jihad Militants Arrested in Jenin Area by Rachel Sylvetsky 
The IDF reported early Tuesday morning that twelve Palestinian Islamic Jihad-associated militants were arrested in a joint activity of the IDF and ISA (Shin-Bet) which took place in the Jenin area last night. The activity was coordinated with the Civil Administration.
The suspects are senior activists in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Judea and Samaria Region and are suspected of providing guidance in planning terror activities as well as transferring finances and taking an active part in the rebuilding of terror networks in the region. This is part of a continuing IDF-ISA campaign to prevent the infrastructure of terror gaining hold in the Judea and Samaria region, aimed at the Islamic Jihad..
In addition, GOC Central Command, Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi, ordered to close the offices of the "El Bara'a" association in Jenin and its possessions were confiscated. These actions took place due to its associations with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Gaza-based organization "The Soul of Jerusalem", both of which were declared illegal organizations as they operate constantly in order to harm the security of Israel's citizens and security forces.
The Islamic Jihad terrorist organization threatens openly to attack 'everywhere in Israel,' and "applauds all efforts to respond to the crimes committed daily against our people," including the recent Jerusalem terror attack at the main bus station, which it applauded.
7. Ya'alon: Pre-Emptive Strike on Iran Could be Necessary by Elad Benari 
Israel's Minister for Strategic Affairs, Moshe Ya'alon said on Monday that the civilized world must take joint action to avert the Iranian nuclear threat, and that action should including a pre-emptive strike if necessary.
Ya'alon made the comments in an interview with Russia's Interfax news agency, ahead of his visit to Moscow.
"We strongly hope that the entire civilized world will come to realize what threat this regime is posing and take joint action to avert the nuclear threat posed by Iran, even if it would be necessary to conduct a pre-emptive strike," Interfax quoted Ya'alon as saying.
Though he would not discuss who might deal the strike, he stressed that the entire world and not just Israel, must be concerned about the danger posed by a nuclear-armed Iran.
"An Iran possessing nuclear weapons would be a threat to the entire civilized world," he was quoted as saying.
Ya'alon's spokesman later clarified to The Associated Press that the minister was simply repeating Israel's position that all options are on the table regarding Iran, and that he was not calling for anybody to attack the Islamic Republic.
Ya'alon has previously said about Iran that it "is a threat to regional stability and is pulling strings behind the scenes. They are provoking Shi'ite leaders to challenge Arab regimes and stir the pot in Afghanistan and Iraq. The problem is not just the Iranian nuclear program, but the Iranian regime's behavior. Iran should not have a military nuclear capability. This regime should not continue its terrorist activities without paying a price."
8. Bibi: UN Statehood for PA is Like Declaring the World is Flat by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu 
If the United Nations in September declares the Palestinian Authority to be a state, it might as well decide the world is flat, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee Monday.
He said Israel cannot stop the resolution from going forward and has few friends n the international body, but a veto from any member of the United Nations Security Council would block the proposal from reaching the General Assembly, whose anti-Israel majority likely would approve it.
"The General Assembly cannot take the initiative but we are ready to do our work as soon as a recommendation of the Security Council would be addressed," Joseph Deiss, president of the General Assembly said at a recent news conference.
A recommendation for a new member of the United Nations must come from the Security Council, whose permanent members are the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia. U.S. President Barack Obama stated last week that it would be a mistake to declare the Palestinian Authority as a state without negotiations, but he has not specifically stated he would order a veto when the Arab League proposal comes up for a vote.
Prime Minister Netanyahu told the Knesset committee, "There is very strong support for Israel among the American people."
Congress members stood up 31 times with loud rounds of applause during his speech before a special session of the House of Representatives and the Senate last week. More Website News: |
