Thursday, May 8 2008

Johann Hari responds to our critique of last week's column.

Are the likes of Dershowitz and Phillips and Honest Reporting becoming more shrill because they can sense they are losing the argument?

He should read The Spectator.

Posted at 09:23 AM
Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Wednesday, May 7 2008

Jeremy Bowen's documentary is full of omissions and historical revisionism. See HonestReporting's latest communique: The BBC's Birthday Present to Israel

Posted at 07:19 PM
Permalink | Comments (61) | TrackBack (0)

Biblical Era

Jewish ties to the land of Israel date back to the Biblical era of the Patriarchs. This photo of Rachel's Tomb, located between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, was taken in 1945. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their wives are buried in the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron; Joseph's Tomb is near Nablus.

First Temple Era

This seal bearing the inscription "Shema servant of Jeroboam" was discovered in Megiddo in 1904. Now at the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum in Jerusalem.

Second Temple Era

Mosaic floor from the ancient Jericho synagogue, depicting a menorah, lulav and shofar. According to AP (via Second Temple Synagogues) the synagogue dates back to 50-70 BCE, making it oldest known in the world.

Byzantine Rule 313-636 CE

Mosaic floor from Byzantine era synagogue in Hammath Tiberias featuring zodiac motif. The church had a powerful influence on the ruling Byzantines, frequently to the detriment of the Jews.

Early Islamic Rule 636-1099 CE

Power passed from the caliphate to the Umayyads, to the Abbasids to the Fatmids who ruled the land from Egypt or Syria. During this time, Jews had the status of dhimmis. The Dome of the Rock was built in the seventh century by the Ummayad caliph Abd el-Malik.

Crusader Era 1099-1291

Crusader rule over the land of Israel was relatively brief, but the sea walls they built to protect Acre played a crucial role in history centuries later. In 1799, Napolean's efforts to gain a foothold in the Holy Land -- which included a declaration of autonomy for the Jews -- failed miserably when the same walls protected Ottoman forces from a French siege.

Later Islamic Rule 1291-1516

The story of Jerusalem's Ramban Synagogue typifies how Muslims treated the Jews they ruled. Originally built by Nachmanides (a.k.a. the Ramban), the synagogue was below ground level because by law, no synagogue could be taller than a Muslim place of worship. In 1589, the city's governor, Abu Sufrin turned the building into a warehouse but the Jewish community eventually persevered. In 1948, the Jordanians captured the Old City and destroyed the building, but after the Six-Day War, the synagogue was partially refurbished. The synagogue is now being rebuilt to its original size.

Early Ottoman Era 1516-1881

Safed flourished during these years as a center of scholarship and mysticism. It was in this Galilee town that Rabbi Yosef Caro codified Jewish law and taught Kabbala as well. This synagogue, named after Rabbi Caro, was built in the 16th century.

Late Ottoman Era, Birth of Modern Zionism 1881-1917

Following an intensification of pogroms in 1881, approximately 30,000 Jews fled Czarist Russia. Most were socialists affiliated with Bilu; they founded the very first Jewish agricultural settlements of Petah Tikva, Rosh Pina, Rishon LeZion, Zichron Yaakov and Gedera. This wave of immigration was known as the "First Aliyah." Two later waves of aliyah from 1904-1914 and 1919-1923 combined to bring 75,000 more Jews, mostly from Russia and Poland.

British Mandate 1917-1948

A period of nation-building. Many of today's prominent institutions and national assets were launched or experienced crucial growth including the port of Haifa, Hadassah Hospital, the Jewish Agency, the Histadrut trade union, Hebrew University, and the first licensed Jewish radio stations. Tel Aviv gained municipal status in 1934, and its White City -- which now has UNESCO World Heritage status -- also emerged during the Mandate. Pictured is Lydda Airport (now called Ben Gurion Airport) under construction in 1935.

1948-Present

In addition to its association with important religious sites and archeology, Israel is also associated with the technology of the future. The Jewish state has established its expertise in areas like water management, desalination, security, high tech R&D, medical technology, recycling, alternative energy, cellular phones, Wi-Fi, and affordable health care. An Israeli company, Solel, is building the world's largest solar park in California's Mojave desert.

Posted at 06:08 PM
Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Gunmen loyal to the Lebanese government and Hezbollah are trading gunfire and grenades in Beirut. AP notes that some rock thrower has apparently drawn first blood with Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV:

A cameraman for Hezbollah's Al-Manar television station was hit by a stone in the forehead, the state-run National News Agency reported.

No sympathy for the cameraman from me; Al-Manar produces propaganda, not journalism, a distinction the Washington Timesmade crystal clear. I wonder if the Foreign Press Association will go out on a limb for Al-Manar again.

Posted at 03:00 PM
Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Do the following descriptions of Jerusalem betray a whiff of bias towards Palestinian claims on the city?

AFP writes:

The Western Wall, where Peres gave his speech, lies in Arab east Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967 but which the Palestinians want to make the capital of their promised state.

Even worse is Reuters, which capitalizes the word "east," improperly elevating "Arab East Jerusalem" to the status of a proper noun:

Abbas wants Arab East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its capital, but this is not recognised internationally.

Arabs and Jews always lived in a unified city that made no distinctions between “East” and “West.” No area was viewed as inherently "Jewish" or "Arab." until 1948, when the Jordanian army captured the city's eastern neighborhoods and the Old City. With the exception of a Jewish enclave on Mount Scopus, Jordan occupied eastern Jerusalem, expelling Jewish residents, destroying numerous synagogues and other Jewish institutions.

Posted at 02:21 PM
Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tuesday, May 6 2008

69 Percentage of Israelis killed during the second intifada who were civilian.

1,634 Israeli civilians killed in terror attacks since the founding of the state.

14,000 Approximate number of Israeli civilians injured in terror attacks since the state's founding.

22,437 Number of servicemen and soldiers killed in defense of Israel since 1860, when Jews first began settling outside the walls of Jerusalem.

350 million Shekels paid by the National Insurance Institute to Israeli victims of terror and their families in 2007 alone.

Sources: Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, Jerusalem Post, National Post

Posted at 02:44 PM
Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

America's Ally In the Middle East
Israel, like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, has public opinion on its side.

Israel's 60-Year Test

Palestinian Arab Newspaper Site Hacked
Is a Hamas sympathizer responsible for hacking the Palestine Press Agency site?

Posted at 01:52 PM
Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

The MSM is starting to take note. Reuters picks up on Awad al-Qiq, a UNRWA school headmaster whose personal extracurricular curricular included constructing rockets for Islamic Jihad. To say there's tension between Israel and UNRWA is an understatment:

The Israeli air strike that killed the 33-year-old last week also laid bare his apparent double life and embarrassed a U.N. agency which has long had to rebuff Israeli accusations that it has aided and abetted guerrillas fighting the Jewish state . . . .

Qiq's body was wrapped in an Islamic Jihad flag at his funeral, pictorial posters in his honour still bedeck his family home this week, and a handwritten notice posted on the metal gate at the entrance to the school declared that Qiq, "the chief leader of the engineering unit", would now find "paradise".

That poster was removed soon after Reuters visited the Rafah Prep Boys School, run by the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees. Staff there said on Monday that UNRWA officials had told them not to discuss Qiq's activities.

No one from the United Nations attended the funeral or has paid their respects to the family, relatives said, adding that Qiq's widow and five children had heard nothing about a pension . . . .

Israel has long alleged that militants use UNRWA vehicles and facilities. The United Nations has denied those charges, although some UNRWA employees have had prominent political roles in groups like Hamas -- such as teacher Saeed Seyam, who was interior minister in the Hamas-led government elected in 2006.

The Independent also took note of al-Qiq's double life. And a blunt NY Post staff-ed says the UNRWA has some 'splaining to do.

Posted at 10:11 AM
Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Monday, May 5 2008

Daily Mail:

Because of its proximity to the border and the concentration of Hamas-led amateur bomb-makers on the other side, Sderot has a unique civic claim: on a rocket-per-head-of-population basis, it is the most targeted town in Israel, indeed the world.

Read the whole article.

Posted at 08:33 AM
Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

I want to know: What do you think is Israel's greatest accomplishment in the last 60 years? Post your comments below.

Posted at 06:57 AM
Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)

Sunday, May 4 2008

Confederate Yankee has questions for AP.

Posted at 02:35 PM
Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Hezbollah's media relations people have their work cut out for them this weekend.

First, the LA Times updates the terror group's rearming efforts. But two more damning accusations are surfacing: Lebanon's communications minister has accused Iran of setting up a nation-wide wire-tapping system for Hezbollah. And Hezbollah figures were filming aircraft at Beirut airport.

Will these developments make it clearer to the organization's apologists that Hezbollah can't be treatead as a normal "political party?"

Consider the following: Political parties with "armed wings" follow in the footsteps of the Nazi Brownshirts. For scale, Hezbollah's wiretapping makes Watergate pale in comparison. As for the airport camera, Ya Libnon suggests an assassination may be in the works. Just politics, right?

Posted at 01:01 PM
Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Saturday, May 3 2008

IDF footage of last week's fighting in Beit Hanoun shows secondary blast that killed a mother and four children. YNet News has the best explanation of the video.

(Hat tip: Solomonia)

Posted at 10:00 PM
Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Thursday, May 1 2008

CNN reported that an Israeli airstrike killed an Islamic Jihad commander who was also headed a UNRWA school in Gaza.

The person killed was the deputy commander of the Islamic Jihad military wing, according to the Palestinian sources, who said he also served as a school headmaster at a United Nations Relief and Works Agency school.

Bottom line: If other UNRWA school officials are leading double lives, it would explain this video of mortars being launched from a UNRWA school last year (see background info)

UPDATE: Thanks to Aussie Dave and Elder of Ziyon for pointing out an error in this original posting.

Posted at 03:48 PM
Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

The Independent reports that Durban won't host the UN's 2009 racism conference better known as Durban II.

Posted at 02:51 PM
Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Peter Hoskin of The Spectator visited Sderot yesterday. He reports this startling revelation:

Hamas are tearing Gazan infrastructure apart to ensure the rockets keep falling on Israeli heads. Why are there no traffic lights in Gaza? Because the pipes which support them are being cut up and made into Qassams. Why is the Gazan drainage and sewage system so substandard? Same reason.

I've heard the allegation before, but this the first time I've seen a reporter note this on the record. Are you reading this, Johann Hari?

Posted at 01:54 PM
Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Wednesday, April 30 2008

In the NY Times, no less:

Through more official consultations with these outlawed leaders, it may yet be possible to revive and expedite the stalemated peace talks between Israel and its neighbors. In the Middle East, as in Nepal, the path to peace lies in negotiation, not in isolation.

You can hear the chortles in Iran.

Posted at 01:14 PM
Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Using a falsified quote and revisionist history, Hari compares Israel to excrement. Read more at HonestReporting's latest communique: The Stench Spreads: Johann Hari's Stinking Op-Ed

Posted at 12:02 PM
Permalink | Comments (35) | TrackBack (0)

Tuesday, April 29 2008

Jerusalem Post:

The head of the Palestinian Authority's gas agency confirmed Tuesday that Hamas gunmen had raided the Palestinian side of the Nahal Oz fuel terminal, stealing at least 60,000 liters of fuel meant for the Gaza power station in order to fill their own vehicles.

The Jerusalem Post reported Sunday that on at least four occasions over the past few weeks, Hamas militiamen confiscated trucks loaded with fuel as they were on their way from Nahal Oz to the city. Eyewitnesses said that the fuel supplies were taken to Hamas-controlled security installations throughout the city.

Posted at 03:36 PM
Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

I can't help but like Bob Simon's look at the Israeli Air Force for 60 Minutes.

Cool footage of jets and choppers and an honest look at how pilots relate to flying over Gaza, the 1981 attack on Osirak, and the possibility it will have to attack Iran. Click below to watch.

Posted at 01:24 PM
Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Monday, April 28 2008

Gaza's Teenage Tunnel Diggers
Digging tunnels is more profitable than staying in school.

Incompetent or Cruel
Aussie newspaper sees straight through Hamas' manufactured fuel crisis.

Real Reason Syrian Base Was Wiped Off the Map

Posted at 10:00 PM
Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Relying on a falsified quote and revisionist history, Hari compares Israel to excrement. See HonestReporting UK's latest communique: Johann Hari's Stinking Op-Ed

Posted at 03:39 PM
Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)

Sunday, April 27 2008

Some items from the Passover holiday period. See HonestReporting's latest communique: Passed Over: Shorts You May Have Missed.

Posted at 04:38 PM
Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Reuters perpetuates another misnomer:

Around 18,000 Israeli settlers live in the heights among 22,000 Druze who consider themselves Syrians.

Actually, Druze leaders slam extremists in their community who seek ties with Syria.

Posted at 12:00 PM
Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

The Observer reports first-hand that Hezbollah is recruiting and training fighters at a fast and furious pace:

But what is becoming more obvious, even as Hizbollah tries to hide it, is that the group has embarked on an unprecedented build-up of men, equipment and bunker-building in preparation for the war that almost everyone - Lebanese and Israeli - considers inevitable. 'The villages in the south are empty of men,' said one international official. 'They are all gone, training in Bekaa, Syria and Iran.'

A trip by The Observer through villages in the Hizbollah heartland confirmed a conspicuous lack of fighting-age men. Visible were several new martyr posters, but unlike the traditional ones they portrayed anonymous, fresh-faced youngsters without military garb. According to locals, these are boys who have been killed accidentally in the latest wave of training in Iran. In the city of Tyre, too, posters showing young men killed in training exercises are cropping up.

Mitche