26 may 2013
By Khalid Amayreh
A number of Muslim clerics and imams reportedly toured the site of the former concentration camp, Auschwitz, in Poland last week. The imams hailed from a number of Muslim countries, including Occupied Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Bosnia and some of African countries.
The tour was sponsored by the American State Department and intended to educate Muslims about Jewish suffering during World War II. No other comparable program to educate Jews about the ongoing Palestinian Nakba was initiated, suggesting moral selectiveness and bias on the Americans' part.
Israel and Zionist circles often use the holocaust as a mantra to justify the usurpation and occupation of Palestine by Zionist Jewish invaders and colonialists from all over the world.
We Muslims, including Palestinians, are not against visits by Muslims to sites of former concentration camps as a matter of principle. More to the point, we are not against sympathizing and identifying with the victims of Nazism, Jews and non-Jews alike.
However when such visits are manipulated by Israel and Zionist circles to justify and promote the ongoing Jewish-Zionist holocaust against Palestinian national existence, then we must stop and think deeply about the moral implications of such visits.
The WWII holocaust lasted for two or three years and the entire world was mobilized to stop it, but the Palestinian holocaust has been going on nonstop since 1948, with the main world political powers either siding with Zionist aggressors or doing virtually nothing to save the Palestinian people from the attempted annihilation by Zionist Jews seeking to emulate the Third Reich.
No one is claiming that six million Palestinians have perished or that Palestinian towns have been transformed into concentration camps, although Israeli blitzes against the Gaza Strip in 2008-9 and 2012 contained unmistakable elements which looked as if borrowed from the holocaust. What is the difference between the Gaza siege and the Ghetto Warsaw siege? Yes, details may differ here and there, given the circumstances in both cases, but the essence is the same.
Today, more than five million Palestinians are living as refugees around the world, waiting the moment when they can return to their homes from which they were expelled at gun point at the hands of the children and grandchildren of the holocausts.
Other Palestinians who were not deported are living a life of discrimination, humiliation, and constant repression and facing a precarious future as a result of Israeli racism, as the Jewish state continues to seek more lebensraum at the expense of the Palestinian people.
In short, Israel has been using and continues to use the memory of one holocaust to justify and rationalize another protracted holocaust, one that has been going on unabated for 65 years.
It is lamentable indeed that some Muslim imams, including Palestinians, have been duped by the Americans to serve Israeli propaganda efforts.
Perhaps, these gullible clerics should have also insisted they also visit the sites of the massacres of Deir Yasin, Tantura, Dawaymeh, Sabra and Shatilla and Ibrahimi Mosque, just to mention a few Zionist atrocities.
Perhaps the gullible clerics should have insisted they visit or meet with some Palestinian refugees, languishing in misery in Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
We Palestinians are not and will never be anti-Semites. Anti-Semitism, like Islamophobia, is morally and humanly repugnant. However, we will never agree to equate anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. Anti-Zionism is as moral and as ethical as anti-Nazism.
Indeed, when Jews or anyone else think, behave and act as the Nazis thought, behaved and acted, then we should have no problem comparing them with the Nazis.
There is no such a thing as a kosher genocide or kosher holocaust. And when a peaceable people is massacred and subjected to other forms of ethnic cleansing, we should call the spade a spade especially when we see it in the hands of our grave-diggers.
We must always uphold this truth, however unpalatable and politically incorrect it might be.
Today, Israel and her guardian ally, the United States are trying to define anti-Zionism as a form of anti-Semitism. This is a malicious effort to legitimize evil, especially when committed by Jews.
In the recent past, anti-Semites used to be those who hated Jews for being Jews. Today, we are told that anti-Semites are those who criticize Nazi-like Jewish behavior in Occupied Palestine.
Needless to say, honest people around the world, including conscientious Jews, ought to reject this brazen cheapening of anti-Semitism. It is just beyond chutzpah.
As to the naïve clerics, they should apologize to their respective congregations and Muslims in general. They should also think twice in the future before accepting such invitations from the United States or Germany, the same states that continue to supply Israel with all sorts of advanced weapons of death and destruction that enable Israel to occupy more lebensraum and murder more Muslims.
The holocaust happened nearly 70 years ago, but Israel and Zionist circles would very much like to make it look as relevant as if it occurred a few months or years ago. This is an act of sheer deception and propaganda that should never escape our attention.
This is why we should be extremely cautious and never allow any activity, however innocuous it may look, to overshadow the plight of our people. The Zionists simply want to make the holocaust the main preoccupation of the world, mainly in order to overshadow and eclipse the ongoing and unrelenting Israeli holocaust against the Palestinian people.
We must not help them achieve this sinister goal.
A number of Muslim clerics and imams reportedly toured the site of the former concentration camp, Auschwitz, in Poland last week. The imams hailed from a number of Muslim countries, including Occupied Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Bosnia and some of African countries.
The tour was sponsored by the American State Department and intended to educate Muslims about Jewish suffering during World War II. No other comparable program to educate Jews about the ongoing Palestinian Nakba was initiated, suggesting moral selectiveness and bias on the Americans' part.
Israel and Zionist circles often use the holocaust as a mantra to justify the usurpation and occupation of Palestine by Zionist Jewish invaders and colonialists from all over the world.
We Muslims, including Palestinians, are not against visits by Muslims to sites of former concentration camps as a matter of principle. More to the point, we are not against sympathizing and identifying with the victims of Nazism, Jews and non-Jews alike.
However when such visits are manipulated by Israel and Zionist circles to justify and promote the ongoing Jewish-Zionist holocaust against Palestinian national existence, then we must stop and think deeply about the moral implications of such visits.
The WWII holocaust lasted for two or three years and the entire world was mobilized to stop it, but the Palestinian holocaust has been going on nonstop since 1948, with the main world political powers either siding with Zionist aggressors or doing virtually nothing to save the Palestinian people from the attempted annihilation by Zionist Jews seeking to emulate the Third Reich.
No one is claiming that six million Palestinians have perished or that Palestinian towns have been transformed into concentration camps, although Israeli blitzes against the Gaza Strip in 2008-9 and 2012 contained unmistakable elements which looked as if borrowed from the holocaust. What is the difference between the Gaza siege and the Ghetto Warsaw siege? Yes, details may differ here and there, given the circumstances in both cases, but the essence is the same.
Today, more than five million Palestinians are living as refugees around the world, waiting the moment when they can return to their homes from which they were expelled at gun point at the hands of the children and grandchildren of the holocausts.
Other Palestinians who were not deported are living a life of discrimination, humiliation, and constant repression and facing a precarious future as a result of Israeli racism, as the Jewish state continues to seek more lebensraum at the expense of the Palestinian people.
In short, Israel has been using and continues to use the memory of one holocaust to justify and rationalize another protracted holocaust, one that has been going on unabated for 65 years.
It is lamentable indeed that some Muslim imams, including Palestinians, have been duped by the Americans to serve Israeli propaganda efforts.
Perhaps, these gullible clerics should have also insisted they also visit the sites of the massacres of Deir Yasin, Tantura, Dawaymeh, Sabra and Shatilla and Ibrahimi Mosque, just to mention a few Zionist atrocities.
Perhaps the gullible clerics should have insisted they visit or meet with some Palestinian refugees, languishing in misery in Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
We Palestinians are not and will never be anti-Semites. Anti-Semitism, like Islamophobia, is morally and humanly repugnant. However, we will never agree to equate anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. Anti-Zionism is as moral and as ethical as anti-Nazism.
Indeed, when Jews or anyone else think, behave and act as the Nazis thought, behaved and acted, then we should have no problem comparing them with the Nazis.
There is no such a thing as a kosher genocide or kosher holocaust. And when a peaceable people is massacred and subjected to other forms of ethnic cleansing, we should call the spade a spade especially when we see it in the hands of our grave-diggers.
We must always uphold this truth, however unpalatable and politically incorrect it might be.
Today, Israel and her guardian ally, the United States are trying to define anti-Zionism as a form of anti-Semitism. This is a malicious effort to legitimize evil, especially when committed by Jews.
In the recent past, anti-Semites used to be those who hated Jews for being Jews. Today, we are told that anti-Semites are those who criticize Nazi-like Jewish behavior in Occupied Palestine.
Needless to say, honest people around the world, including conscientious Jews, ought to reject this brazen cheapening of anti-Semitism. It is just beyond chutzpah.
As to the naïve clerics, they should apologize to their respective congregations and Muslims in general. They should also think twice in the future before accepting such invitations from the United States or Germany, the same states that continue to supply Israel with all sorts of advanced weapons of death and destruction that enable Israel to occupy more lebensraum and murder more Muslims.
The holocaust happened nearly 70 years ago, but Israel and Zionist circles would very much like to make it look as relevant as if it occurred a few months or years ago. This is an act of sheer deception and propaganda that should never escape our attention.
This is why we should be extremely cautious and never allow any activity, however innocuous it may look, to overshadow the plight of our people. The Zionists simply want to make the holocaust the main preoccupation of the world, mainly in order to overshadow and eclipse the ongoing and unrelenting Israeli holocaust against the Palestinian people.
We must not help them achieve this sinister goal.
Minister Landau
During Cabinet meeting focusing on Kerry's efforts to jumpstart peace talks, tourism minister repeats Abba Eban's famous statement regarding possible Israeli withdrawal from West Bank. Minister Peretz: Any peace deal would involve land swaps
Sunday's cabinet meeting devoted to the discussion of US Secretary of State John Kerry's efforts to renew the direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians exposed wide gaps within the coalition.
During the meeting, Tourism Minister Uzi Landau (Likud-Beiteinu) mentioned a statement by the late Abba Eban, according to which an Israeli withdrawal from the territory it captured during the 1967 war would mark a return to "Auschwitz borders."
Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz (Hatnua), on the other hand, said any future peace agreement with the Palestinians would be based on these borders.
"Certainly, any diplomatic agreement will be based on the '67 borders and land swaps," he said. "The moment of truth has come, and Kerry's presence in the region is extremely important. I hope the Israeli president (Shimon Peres), who is in Jordan, will make statements that will jumpstart the process."
Minister Landau warned: "The legendary foreign minister Abba Eban once said that the 1967 borders were 'Auschwitz borders.' What country wants to (withdraw) to borders it cannot protect?"
Landau was referring to an interview Eban gave to German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel in 1969, in which he said: "The June (1967) map is for us equivalent to insecurity and danger. I do not exaggerate when I say that it has for us something of a memory of Auschwitz." Kerry told a press conference in Tel Aviv on Friday that Israeli and Palestinian leaders must take "hard decisions" to restart talks.
"It is clear that in the long run the status quo is not sustainable," Kerry said, noting that the "one way" to peace was through direct talks.
"We're getting toward a time now when hard decisions need to be made," he said at the end of his fourth visit to the region since he took office in February.
"Ultimately it is the Israeli and Palestinian people who both decide the outcome... and who will get the greatest benefits" from a resumption of talks, Kerry said following meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
"I made clear in my discussions that the parties should be focused on making progress toward...direct negotiations," he said on Friday, adding that each side needed to "refrain from provocative rhetoric or actions ... that take us backwards."
During Cabinet meeting focusing on Kerry's efforts to jumpstart peace talks, tourism minister repeats Abba Eban's famous statement regarding possible Israeli withdrawal from West Bank. Minister Peretz: Any peace deal would involve land swaps
Sunday's cabinet meeting devoted to the discussion of US Secretary of State John Kerry's efforts to renew the direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians exposed wide gaps within the coalition.
During the meeting, Tourism Minister Uzi Landau (Likud-Beiteinu) mentioned a statement by the late Abba Eban, according to which an Israeli withdrawal from the territory it captured during the 1967 war would mark a return to "Auschwitz borders."
Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz (Hatnua), on the other hand, said any future peace agreement with the Palestinians would be based on these borders.
"Certainly, any diplomatic agreement will be based on the '67 borders and land swaps," he said. "The moment of truth has come, and Kerry's presence in the region is extremely important. I hope the Israeli president (Shimon Peres), who is in Jordan, will make statements that will jumpstart the process."
Minister Landau warned: "The legendary foreign minister Abba Eban once said that the 1967 borders were 'Auschwitz borders.' What country wants to (withdraw) to borders it cannot protect?"
Landau was referring to an interview Eban gave to German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel in 1969, in which he said: "The June (1967) map is for us equivalent to insecurity and danger. I do not exaggerate when I say that it has for us something of a memory of Auschwitz." Kerry told a press conference in Tel Aviv on Friday that Israeli and Palestinian leaders must take "hard decisions" to restart talks.
"It is clear that in the long run the status quo is not sustainable," Kerry said, noting that the "one way" to peace was through direct talks.
"We're getting toward a time now when hard decisions need to be made," he said at the end of his fourth visit to the region since he took office in February.
"Ultimately it is the Israeli and Palestinian people who both decide the outcome... and who will get the greatest benefits" from a resumption of talks, Kerry said following meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
"I made clear in my discussions that the parties should be focused on making progress toward...direct negotiations," he said on Friday, adding that each side needed to "refrain from provocative rhetoric or actions ... that take us backwards."
Israeli sources have reported that Israel’s President, Shimon Peres, will be traveling to Jordan, Sunday, to participate in the World Economic Forum held in the Dead Sea area in Jordan.
The sources said that King Abdullah II of Jordan, and U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry (who visited Israel and the Palestinian territories) will be participating in the forum.
Israeli Yedioth Aharonoth has reported that, while in Jordan, Peres will be holding several political meetings with different leaders and officials, and added that representatives of many Arab countries will be attending the Forum.
Meanwhile, Israeli daily, Haaretz, has reported that Peres will also be meeting Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, King Abdullah of Jordan, and John Kerry.
Israel’s participation in the forum in Jordan comes amidst ongoing international campaigns of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), and amidst victories achieved by the BDS movement in various sectors, including trade and education.
The sources said that King Abdullah II of Jordan, and U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry (who visited Israel and the Palestinian territories) will be participating in the forum.
Israeli Yedioth Aharonoth has reported that, while in Jordan, Peres will be holding several political meetings with different leaders and officials, and added that representatives of many Arab countries will be attending the Forum.
Meanwhile, Israeli daily, Haaretz, has reported that Peres will also be meeting Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, King Abdullah of Jordan, and John Kerry.
Israel’s participation in the forum in Jordan comes amidst ongoing international campaigns of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), and amidst victories achieved by the BDS movement in various sectors, including trade and education.
25 may 2013
Israelis hold an anti-austerity demonstration in Tel Aviv, May 18, 2013
Hundreds of Israelis have held a demonstration in Tel Aviv to protest against the ailing economy.
Israeli security officers used force to disperse the protesters, who had gathered in front of the residences of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom on Saturday night.
The demonstrators shouted slogans against the economic policies of the regime of Netanyahu.
The protesters surrounded the governor of Bank of Israel, Stanley Fischer, who was present at the scene, crying out, “Where’s our money?” Police officers escorted Fischer into his car.
The Israeli protesters also expressed discontent with a plan by the Tel Aviv regime to export gas. They say such decisions should be taken by the Knesset (parliament) and not the cabinet.
Last week, thousands of Israelis took to the streets in protest against the austerity measures imposed by the Tel Aviv regime.
According to the International Monetary Fund, Israelis face high rates of poverty.
Hundreds of Israelis have held a demonstration in Tel Aviv to protest against the ailing economy.
Israeli security officers used force to disperse the protesters, who had gathered in front of the residences of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom on Saturday night.
The demonstrators shouted slogans against the economic policies of the regime of Netanyahu.
The protesters surrounded the governor of Bank of Israel, Stanley Fischer, who was present at the scene, crying out, “Where’s our money?” Police officers escorted Fischer into his car.
The Israeli protesters also expressed discontent with a plan by the Tel Aviv regime to export gas. They say such decisions should be taken by the Knesset (parliament) and not the cabinet.
Last week, thousands of Israelis took to the streets in protest against the austerity measures imposed by the Tel Aviv regime.
According to the International Monetary Fund, Israelis face high rates of poverty.
23 may 2013
House Committee passes legislation seeking to further curb Iran's oil exports, limit Tehran's access to overseas foreign currency reserves. Sen. Graham: This is a chance for US to say, we also have Israel's back
A new push to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions by crippling the country's economy gathered momentum in Congress Wednesday with approval of legislation by the House Foreign Affairs Committee that would impose even tougher economic sanctions against Tehran.
And the Senate resolved that the United States should support Israel if it is forced to take military action to defend itself from an Iranian nuclear threat.
The US and other world powers fear Iran's production and stockpiling of uranium enrichment is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon. Iran insists its work is for peaceful purposes.
The House bill seeks to further curb Iran's oil exports, limit Tehran's access to overseas foreign currency reserves, and expand the list of blacklisted Iranian companies. Congress has slapped penalties on Iran four times since June 2010.
The committee's Nuclear Iran Prevention Act seeks to close any loopholes in existing sanctions and increase the pressure on Iran's leaders to give up their nuclear program.
Also on Wednesday, the Senate passed a non-binding resolution stating that, if Israel takes military action against Iran in a legitimate act of self-defense against Iran's nuclear weapons threat, the United States should provide military, diplomatic and economic support to Israel.
"This is a chance for the United States Senate to say, we also have Israel's back. And from my point of view, you can't separate the threat that the nuclear program in Iran creates from the United States and Israel," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican sponsor of the resolution with Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat. The measure, passed 99-0, also supports the full implementation of US and international sanctions on Iran and urges the president to continue to strengthen enforcement of sanctions.
A new push to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions by crippling the country's economy gathered momentum in Congress Wednesday with approval of legislation by the House Foreign Affairs Committee that would impose even tougher economic sanctions against Tehran.
And the Senate resolved that the United States should support Israel if it is forced to take military action to defend itself from an Iranian nuclear threat.
The US and other world powers fear Iran's production and stockpiling of uranium enrichment is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon. Iran insists its work is for peaceful purposes.
The House bill seeks to further curb Iran's oil exports, limit Tehran's access to overseas foreign currency reserves, and expand the list of blacklisted Iranian companies. Congress has slapped penalties on Iran four times since June 2010.
The committee's Nuclear Iran Prevention Act seeks to close any loopholes in existing sanctions and increase the pressure on Iran's leaders to give up their nuclear program.
Also on Wednesday, the Senate passed a non-binding resolution stating that, if Israel takes military action against Iran in a legitimate act of self-defense against Iran's nuclear weapons threat, the United States should provide military, diplomatic and economic support to Israel.
"This is a chance for the United States Senate to say, we also have Israel's back. And from my point of view, you can't separate the threat that the nuclear program in Iran creates from the United States and Israel," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican sponsor of the resolution with Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat. The measure, passed 99-0, also supports the full implementation of US and international sanctions on Iran and urges the president to continue to strengthen enforcement of sanctions.
22 may 2013
Former French president awarded honorary degree by Netanya college for support of Israel, Jewish people; Netanyahu: You are true friend to Israel
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was awarded Wednesday an honorary degree by the Netanya Academic College for "his contribution to the State of Israel and the Jewish people."
Sarkozy, who served as the French president between 2007 and 2012, said he was honored and that he had "always felt a great camaraderie with the Jewish people. I take pride in that friendship."
He added that he felt committed to his ties with the Jewish people and vowed that "If attacked, Israel will not be alone. We will not tolerate a threat to the existence of the Jewish people and the state of Israel."
Sarkozy noted that "The fanatical Iranian leaders are heading toward nuclear weapons and the threat of mass destruction is feeding terror.
"Despite all this, Israel never gave up investing in youth. You're a beacon to the whole world. Israel is the opposite of pessimism, the opposite to giving up, and as such its message is universal," the former president asserted.
"Regarding Syria," he said, "the world appears to be completely frozen in the face of the systematic destruction of a great state and a great nation. Intervention in Libya has proven the machine of death can be stopped. I cannot accept the genocide by the ruler. It's sad for me to see our Europe passive, looking at Israel as it acts alone, one airstrike after another.
"These people are in critical danger. I want to believe it's still not too late to take from Assad the weapons with which he massacres his people," he added.
Regarding his ties with the Israeli prime minister, Sarkozy satate "We didn’t manage to do everything with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhau; we couldn’t promote peace, but along with Netanyahu we dealt with some challenging issues, and I mean the release of Gilad Shalit from captivity," Sarkozy said.
Noam Shalit, Gilad Shalit's father, was present at the award ceremony.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Sarkozy in a letter, stating "You are a true friend to the State of Israel and the people of Israel. I am certain that this degree will strengthen the ties between the French and the Jewish people.
The college president, Professor Zvi Arad, said that "Sarkozy is awarded for his friendship with the State of Israel and the Jewish people, and for facing racism and anti-Semitism with courage and determination. He is a true friend to the State of Israel.
Arad added that Sarkozy was one of the most important leaders in the 21st century and that with Sarkozy as representative of France, "We would like to express a historic thanks to the French people."
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was awarded Wednesday an honorary degree by the Netanya Academic College for "his contribution to the State of Israel and the Jewish people."
Sarkozy, who served as the French president between 2007 and 2012, said he was honored and that he had "always felt a great camaraderie with the Jewish people. I take pride in that friendship."
He added that he felt committed to his ties with the Jewish people and vowed that "If attacked, Israel will not be alone. We will not tolerate a threat to the existence of the Jewish people and the state of Israel."
Sarkozy noted that "The fanatical Iranian leaders are heading toward nuclear weapons and the threat of mass destruction is feeding terror.
"Despite all this, Israel never gave up investing in youth. You're a beacon to the whole world. Israel is the opposite of pessimism, the opposite to giving up, and as such its message is universal," the former president asserted.
"Regarding Syria," he said, "the world appears to be completely frozen in the face of the systematic destruction of a great state and a great nation. Intervention in Libya has proven the machine of death can be stopped. I cannot accept the genocide by the ruler. It's sad for me to see our Europe passive, looking at Israel as it acts alone, one airstrike after another.
"These people are in critical danger. I want to believe it's still not too late to take from Assad the weapons with which he massacres his people," he added.
Regarding his ties with the Israeli prime minister, Sarkozy satate "We didn’t manage to do everything with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhau; we couldn’t promote peace, but along with Netanyahu we dealt with some challenging issues, and I mean the release of Gilad Shalit from captivity," Sarkozy said.
Noam Shalit, Gilad Shalit's father, was present at the award ceremony.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Sarkozy in a letter, stating "You are a true friend to the State of Israel and the people of Israel. I am certain that this degree will strengthen the ties between the French and the Jewish people.
The college president, Professor Zvi Arad, said that "Sarkozy is awarded for his friendship with the State of Israel and the Jewish people, and for facing racism and anti-Semitism with courage and determination. He is a true friend to the State of Israel.
Arad added that Sarkozy was one of the most important leaders in the 21st century and that with Sarkozy as representative of France, "We would like to express a historic thanks to the French people."
An Israeli Defense Forces soldier has been killed while participating in an operation to clear a minefield in the southern Golan Heights.
The 19-year-old soldier, Roey Yisrael Alfi, was a member of the Engineering Corps. He was participating in an advanced training course near Moshav Yonatan when an old mine went off.
A senior army source said that the mine exploded for unknown reasons.
Ground Forces Commander Major General Guy Tzur appointed a committee of inquiry to investigate the incident.
The occupied Golan Heights is an area surrounded by the Yarmouk River in the south, the Sea of Galilee and Hula Valley in the west, Mount Hermon in the north, and the Raqqad Wadi in the east.
Israel has occupied the western two thirds of this region. Syria controls the eastern third.
Tel Aviv has recently boosted military activities in the area, where clashes between Syrian forces and foreign-sponsored militants have spiked dramatically.
The Israeli military has set up a “military field hospital” at military outpost 105 in the occupied Golan Heights to treat wounded militants fighting against the government in neighboring Syria.
The 19-year-old soldier, Roey Yisrael Alfi, was a member of the Engineering Corps. He was participating in an advanced training course near Moshav Yonatan when an old mine went off.
A senior army source said that the mine exploded for unknown reasons.
Ground Forces Commander Major General Guy Tzur appointed a committee of inquiry to investigate the incident.
The occupied Golan Heights is an area surrounded by the Yarmouk River in the south, the Sea of Galilee and Hula Valley in the west, Mount Hermon in the north, and the Raqqad Wadi in the east.
Israel has occupied the western two thirds of this region. Syria controls the eastern third.
Tel Aviv has recently boosted military activities in the area, where clashes between Syrian forces and foreign-sponsored militants have spiked dramatically.
The Israeli military has set up a “military field hospital” at military outpost 105 in the occupied Golan Heights to treat wounded militants fighting against the government in neighboring Syria.
21 may 2013
The Jerusalemite researcher Jamal Amr stated that canceling UNESCO delegation's visit to Jerusalem by the occupation authorities aims to hide the Israeli violations. The UNESCO delegation came under Israeli conditions after international guarantees to Israel not to prosecute its violations, he stated.
He told Quds press that the occupation rejects any international investigation of its crimes. The occupation tries to hide its violations against Arab and Islamic monuments in Jerusalem.
The Jerusalemite researcher denied the alleged victory over Israeli authorities by accepting the committee's visit to Jerusalem. Israel managed to escape from international condemnation by canceling the 5 draft resolutions against its practices in Jerusalem.
The occupation asked not to include the Mughrabi Gate or al-Aqsa mosque within the delegation's visit in order to hide its excavation and violations.
Hebrew media sources reported that Israel decided on Monday to cancel a planned visit by UNESCO delegation to the occupied Jerusalem.
He told Quds press that the occupation rejects any international investigation of its crimes. The occupation tries to hide its violations against Arab and Islamic monuments in Jerusalem.
The Jerusalemite researcher denied the alleged victory over Israeli authorities by accepting the committee's visit to Jerusalem. Israel managed to escape from international condemnation by canceling the 5 draft resolutions against its practices in Jerusalem.
The occupation asked not to include the Mughrabi Gate or al-Aqsa mosque within the delegation's visit in order to hide its excavation and violations.
Hebrew media sources reported that Israel decided on Monday to cancel a planned visit by UNESCO delegation to the occupied Jerusalem.
20 may 2013
Israeli security and rescue forces gather following a bank robbery that escalated into a hostage situation in the Israeli city of Beersheva on May 20, 2013
At least five people have been killed and three others injured during a botched bank robbery in southern Israel, which ended with the robber shooting himself dead.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said on Monday that a hostage held by the robber walked out of the bank after the robber shot himself and “was taken for medical treatment" in a hospital in Beersheva in the Negev city.
"Four people were killed besides the robber, and three others were wounded. As far as we're concerned, the event is over," Rosenfeld added.
According to Israeli aid service officials, one of the injured is in serious condition with gunshot wounds to the upper body and he is undergoing surgery in Beersheva hospital. Two women were treated for shock.
Former Israel police commissioner Assaf Hefetz said to the Israeli army radio that the incident was the most violent and fatal bank robbery he could recall happening in Israel.
At least five people have been killed and three others injured during a botched bank robbery in southern Israel, which ended with the robber shooting himself dead.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said on Monday that a hostage held by the robber walked out of the bank after the robber shot himself and “was taken for medical treatment" in a hospital in Beersheva in the Negev city.
"Four people were killed besides the robber, and three others were wounded. As far as we're concerned, the event is over," Rosenfeld added.
According to Israeli aid service officials, one of the injured is in serious condition with gunshot wounds to the upper body and he is undergoing surgery in Beersheva hospital. Two women were treated for shock.
Former Israel police commissioner Assaf Hefetz said to the Israeli army radio that the incident was the most violent and fatal bank robbery he could recall happening in Israel.
17 may 2013
CIA chief John Brennan visits Israel to discuss Syria
John Brennan, director of the US spy agency CIA
The director of the US spy agency CIA has visited the occupied Palestinian territories to discuss the situation in Syria with Israeli officials.
An unnamed Israeli official said John Brennan arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday and went straight into a meeting with Israeli Minister for Military Affairs Moshe Yaalon.
The Tel Aviv regime has not provided any details about the meeting.
Brennan’s visit comes two days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the crisis in Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
During the meeting, Putin warned against any moves that would further destabilize the situation in Syria and said, “In this crucial period it is especially important to avoid any moves that can shake the situation.”
The Russian president made the comments days after the Israeli military launched airstrikes on two research centers near Damascus following heavy losses inflicted upon al-Qaeda-affiliated groups by the Syrian army.
Turmoil has gripped Syria for over two years, and many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the foreign-sponsored militancy.
Western powers and their regional allies including the Israeli regime, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are partners in supporting the militant groups in Syria.
The director of the US spy agency CIA has visited the occupied Palestinian territories to discuss the situation in Syria with Israeli officials.
An unnamed Israeli official said John Brennan arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday and went straight into a meeting with Israeli Minister for Military Affairs Moshe Yaalon.
The Tel Aviv regime has not provided any details about the meeting.
Brennan’s visit comes two days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the crisis in Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
During the meeting, Putin warned against any moves that would further destabilize the situation in Syria and said, “In this crucial period it is especially important to avoid any moves that can shake the situation.”
The Russian president made the comments days after the Israeli military launched airstrikes on two research centers near Damascus following heavy losses inflicted upon al-Qaeda-affiliated groups by the Syrian army.
Turmoil has gripped Syria for over two years, and many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the foreign-sponsored militancy.
Western powers and their regional allies including the Israeli regime, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are partners in supporting the militant groups in Syria.
13 may 2013
Israel’s Netanyahu spent $127 on sleeping cabin, sparked outcry: Report
Israeli media say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent $127,000 for a controversial sleeping cabin installed on a plane to carry the premier of the Tel Aviv regime and his wife to London in April.
Israel’s Channel 10 recently reported that Netanyahu spent $127,000 in public funds on the special sleeping cabin for the five-hour flight from Tel Aviv to London for the funeral of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Netanyahu’s office initially defended the decision, saying the Israeli premier had a busy schedule ahead of the flight and needed to be fresh for important meetings in the UK.
Following a public outcry over the cost of installation of the cabin on the chartered El Al flight, Israeli authorities claimed that Netanyahu had been unaware of the amount of the spending.
Netanyahu’s controversial spending comes as thousands Israelis took to the streets in Tel Aviv and other cities on May 11 to protest against painful austerity measures and tax hikes.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that a large portion of Israeli taxpayer money is being spent on Netanyahu family’s ice-cream and makeup cravings.
The Israeli prime minister has awarded a contract valued at NIS 10,000 (about $2,716) to his favorite ice cream shop, Metudela, to keep him supplied with vanilla and pistachio ice-cream.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the budget for Netanyahu and his wife’s clothing totals some NIS 50,000 a year (about $13,580). The Israeli prime minister and his family also have a limousine and a driver.
The Israeli daily added that some NIS 35,000 (about $8,960) a year is also paid to the people who do the makeup for the Netanyahu family.
There has long been a total lack of transparency with regard to the expenses of Israeli prime minister’s residence and office.
Israel’s Channel 10 recently reported that Netanyahu spent $127,000 in public funds on the special sleeping cabin for the five-hour flight from Tel Aviv to London for the funeral of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Netanyahu’s office initially defended the decision, saying the Israeli premier had a busy schedule ahead of the flight and needed to be fresh for important meetings in the UK.
Following a public outcry over the cost of installation of the cabin on the chartered El Al flight, Israeli authorities claimed that Netanyahu had been unaware of the amount of the spending.
Netanyahu’s controversial spending comes as thousands Israelis took to the streets in Tel Aviv and other cities on May 11 to protest against painful austerity measures and tax hikes.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that a large portion of Israeli taxpayer money is being spent on Netanyahu family’s ice-cream and makeup cravings.
The Israeli prime minister has awarded a contract valued at NIS 10,000 (about $2,716) to his favorite ice cream shop, Metudela, to keep him supplied with vanilla and pistachio ice-cream.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the budget for Netanyahu and his wife’s clothing totals some NIS 50,000 a year (about $13,580). The Israeli prime minister and his family also have a limousine and a driver.
The Israeli daily added that some NIS 35,000 (about $8,960) a year is also paid to the people who do the makeup for the Netanyahu family.
There has long been a total lack of transparency with regard to the expenses of Israeli prime minister’s residence and office.
12 may 2013
Israel opens new office in unidentified Persian Gulf state: Report
Israel has reportedly set up a new office in an unidentified country in the Persian Gulf region following the closure of its missions in Arab states over the past years.
According to Israeli Foreign Ministry’s economic plan for 2013-2014, Tel Aviv has set up 11 new diplomatic missions in different countries since 2010 including an office in a Persian Gulf state, the website of Ha’aretz reported.
Israel’s diplomatic mission in Oman was closed after the Second Intifada in 2000 and Qatar shut down Tel Aviv’s office, which had been opened in 1996, after Israel carried out the Molten Lead operation against the besieged Gaza Strip in 2009.
However, documents published by the website, the Wikileaks, in 2010 indicate that Israeli diplomats have been in contact with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
According to one of the cables dated August 2005, then Bahrain Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa told the deputy American Ambassador in Manama that he had met “Israel’s roving ambassador, Bruce Kashdan” and Bahrain has had “quiet, businesslike contacts with Israel for some time.”
According to Israeli Foreign Ministry’s economic plan for 2013-2014, Tel Aviv has set up 11 new diplomatic missions in different countries since 2010 including an office in a Persian Gulf state, the website of Ha’aretz reported.
Israel’s diplomatic mission in Oman was closed after the Second Intifada in 2000 and Qatar shut down Tel Aviv’s office, which had been opened in 1996, after Israel carried out the Molten Lead operation against the besieged Gaza Strip in 2009.
However, documents published by the website, the Wikileaks, in 2010 indicate that Israeli diplomats have been in contact with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
According to one of the cables dated August 2005, then Bahrain Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa told the deputy American Ambassador in Manama that he had met “Israel’s roving ambassador, Bruce Kashdan” and Bahrain has had “quiet, businesslike contacts with Israel for some time.”
3 may 2013
EP delegation calls for an end to Israeli violations
A five-member cross-party delegation of the European Parliament to the occupied city of Jerusalem called for an end to the Israeli illegal policies against the Palestinian people.
Emer Costello, Chairperson of the European Parliament's Delegation, stated , in a press conference, that the delegation has documented a number of Israeli violations against the Palestinian people mainly the military checkpoints, the Apartheid Wall, settlement expansion, and demolition policies, in addition to the Israeli settlers' attacks against Palestinian citizens and properties.
Costello also pointed out to the Israeli deportation policy carried out against Palestinians in the Jordan Valley.
The EP delegation has visited a number of neighborhoods in occupied Jerusalem and met with Jerusalemite activists who have detailed the Israeli illegal practices against Jerusalemites.
For his part, the Jerusalemite activist Abdul Latif Ghaith confirmed that the occupation authorities aim to uproot Jerusalemites from their occupied city and to remove the Arab Islamic character of Jerusalem and turn it into a Jewish city.
Emer Costello, Chairperson of the European Parliament's Delegation, stated , in a press conference, that the delegation has documented a number of Israeli violations against the Palestinian people mainly the military checkpoints, the Apartheid Wall, settlement expansion, and demolition policies, in addition to the Israeli settlers' attacks against Palestinian citizens and properties.
Costello also pointed out to the Israeli deportation policy carried out against Palestinians in the Jordan Valley.
The EP delegation has visited a number of neighborhoods in occupied Jerusalem and met with Jerusalemite activists who have detailed the Israeli illegal practices against Jerusalemites.
For his part, the Jerusalemite activist Abdul Latif Ghaith confirmed that the occupation authorities aim to uproot Jerusalemites from their occupied city and to remove the Arab Islamic character of Jerusalem and turn it into a Jewish city.
27 apr 2013
Boy confesses parents abuse him via Facebook
Police arrest parents of 14-year-old who wrote on Police Facebook page that his parents abuse him; parents say they beat son 'in order to educate him'
"Hi, my name is S. and I am 14. Since I was 8, my parents beat me regularly. Whenever there was a family argument that I was not connected to and I made eye-contact with my father, he would get angry and punch me hard, sometimes with a belt.”
This post, published Friday night by a 14-year-old-boy from Haifa on the police's Facebook page, raised suspicions of harsh abuse and led to a police investigation and the subsequent arrest of the child's parents.
In the post, and in later questioning, the boy said that his parents had been abusing him because he was "short and fat." He told investigators that he had tried to commit suicide two years ago, in the wake of the violence.
The boy added in the Facebook post that he was afraid to contact the school counselor or the police, "because they think I am a shame to my family. My parents always think that I'm not a good enough child for them. I am short and fat, and whenever I forget these things, they make sure to remind me how much I am like that."
Following the post, the head of the police media department, Superintendent Sharon Yamineh, contacted the boy, spoke to him on the web and managed to get additional details.
Haifa Police Chief Commander Avi Edri said a patrol officer was sent to the house and after speaking with the boy, both of his parents were arrested.
They were questioned separately, so that they could not coordinate testimonies.
In questioning, the parents admitted that they beat their son "in order to educate him," but nonetheless denied that they had abused him excessively.
"The father explicitly stated that he hit the boy to prevent him from deteriorating into the criminal world," said Haifa Police Commander Avi Edri, "and the mother backed him up."
The investigating officer at the station, Superintendent Rami Khouri, said however that though they confirmed that they beat their son, the parents denied the extreme violence, including beatings with a belt and a stick.
The boy was also questioned at the Haifa police station, and described prolonged abuse which according to him, included beatings with a belt and a broom handle, and verbal abuse, along with the physical violence. Police said the boy feared the investigation because he did not want to cause harm to his parents.
"Hi, my name is S. and I am 14. Since I was 8, my parents beat me regularly. Whenever there was a family argument that I was not connected to and I made eye-contact with my father, he would get angry and punch me hard, sometimes with a belt.”
This post, published Friday night by a 14-year-old-boy from Haifa on the police's Facebook page, raised suspicions of harsh abuse and led to a police investigation and the subsequent arrest of the child's parents.
In the post, and in later questioning, the boy said that his parents had been abusing him because he was "short and fat." He told investigators that he had tried to commit suicide two years ago, in the wake of the violence.
The boy added in the Facebook post that he was afraid to contact the school counselor or the police, "because they think I am a shame to my family. My parents always think that I'm not a good enough child for them. I am short and fat, and whenever I forget these things, they make sure to remind me how much I am like that."
Following the post, the head of the police media department, Superintendent Sharon Yamineh, contacted the boy, spoke to him on the web and managed to get additional details.
Haifa Police Chief Commander Avi Edri said a patrol officer was sent to the house and after speaking with the boy, both of his parents were arrested.
They were questioned separately, so that they could not coordinate testimonies.
In questioning, the parents admitted that they beat their son "in order to educate him," but nonetheless denied that they had abused him excessively.
"The father explicitly stated that he hit the boy to prevent him from deteriorating into the criminal world," said Haifa Police Commander Avi Edri, "and the mother backed him up."
The investigating officer at the station, Superintendent Rami Khouri, said however that though they confirmed that they beat their son, the parents denied the extreme violence, including beatings with a belt and a stick.
The boy was also questioned at the Haifa police station, and described prolonged abuse which according to him, included beatings with a belt and a broom handle, and verbal abuse, along with the physical violence. Police said the boy feared the investigation because he did not want to cause harm to his parents.
Watch: IDF soldier lashes out at activists
Reserve soldier in the video
Activists film reserve soldier on south Mount Hebron as he curses, threatens them; 'incident does not reflect behavior expected of security forces, proper measures will be taken'
A video released Saturday features a soldier lashing out at activists at south Mount Hebron, calling them "enemies of Israel" and threatening them.
In the video, the soldier is seen approaching a group of Palestinian shepherds near the settlement of Otniel, and yelling at one of them in Arabic to watch himself. He later asked for the shepherd's name, at which point the person behind the camera, an activist with the Ta'ayush organization, asked the soldiers to stop yelling.
"You, shut up," the soldier replied, adding "enemies of Israel; get out of here. I will punch you in the head."
Another soldier tried to block the camera's lens, while the slurs in the background continued: "You're worse than the Arabs… get out of here."
Before his friends managed to pull him away from the scene, the soldier told a woman with the activist group "You shut up, enemy of Israel, Arab lover."
Guy, a Ta'ayush activist, told Ynet that "the soldier arrived and tried to chase the shepherds away. I told him to stop yelling and he lashed out at me."
According to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, "Leftwing activists gathered near Otniel. While security forces were trying to disperse them, a reserve unit and an activist confronted each other.
Following the release of the video, the IDF will question the reservist about the incident and the proper measures will be taken. In general, this incident does not reflect the behavior expected of security forces and the issue will be clarified."
Activists film reserve soldier on south Mount Hebron as he curses, threatens them; 'incident does not reflect behavior expected of security forces, proper measures will be taken'
A video released Saturday features a soldier lashing out at activists at south Mount Hebron, calling them "enemies of Israel" and threatening them.
In the video, the soldier is seen approaching a group of Palestinian shepherds near the settlement of Otniel, and yelling at one of them in Arabic to watch himself. He later asked for the shepherd's name, at which point the person behind the camera, an activist with the Ta'ayush organization, asked the soldiers to stop yelling.
"You, shut up," the soldier replied, adding "enemies of Israel; get out of here. I will punch you in the head."
Another soldier tried to block the camera's lens, while the slurs in the background continued: "You're worse than the Arabs… get out of here."
Before his friends managed to pull him away from the scene, the soldier told a woman with the activist group "You shut up, enemy of Israel, Arab lover."
Guy, a Ta'ayush activist, told Ynet that "the soldier arrived and tried to chase the shepherds away. I told him to stop yelling and he lashed out at me."
According to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, "Leftwing activists gathered near Otniel. While security forces were trying to disperse them, a reserve unit and an activist confronted each other.
Following the release of the video, the IDF will question the reservist about the incident and the proper measures will be taken. In general, this incident does not reflect the behavior expected of security forces and the issue will be clarified."
Israel's heat wave results in fires nationwide
Fire departments prepared for expected heat rush to fires in Rosh Ha'ayin, Ben Shemen Forest, Rishon Lezion, Haifa; residents in Rosh Ha'ayin instructed to stay indoors
Fires broke out Saturday across Israel, as the result of a heat wave. A fire broke out in Rosh Ha'ayin in an industrial compound. According to the firefighters, the structure in which the fire originated is in danger of collapsing. 20 firefighting teams have been called to the scene, and rescue forces instructed residents of the area to remain indoors.
Five teams of fire fighters were on the scene of a fire that broke out on Mount Sansan in the Elah Valley, south of Bet Shemesh. The Jerusalem Fire Department said that there was no danger to area settlements.
Three teams of firefighters are at the scene of a briar patch fire that broke out in Holon; they are attempting to extinguish the flames.
In Rishon Lezion, firefighters overcame two fires: one near the Volcani Institute of Agricultural Research and the second near the Superland amusement park.
The cause of fire at the amusement park appeared to be the ignition of equipment that was in a container belonging to one of the park’s vendors.
Earlier Saturday, two tourists sustained burns in a fire at Ben Shemen Forest and were taken to Assaf Harofeh Medical Center for treatment.
Firefighters from the Ayalon station arrived at the scene and worked to extinguish the flames.
Firefighter planes were also called to the scene of a fire near Yavne'el in the north, even as firefighters were called to the scene of a briar patch fire in Haifa's Kababir neighborhood. Firefighters overcame the flames within a short time, and no injuries or damage were reported. Three firefighting teams from the Haifa station were on the scene at Kababir, together with the shift commander.
Another fire erupted north of the Kinneret, near Moshav Almagor, where residents who live nearby were evacuated as a precaution, but police allowed them to return to their homes within the hour. Once firefighters overcame the fires in the north, Spokesman of the Upper Galilee and Golan Fire Department, Nathan Ben Shimon, said: "Things are looking better. Two additional teams arrived at the scene."
According to Shimon, dozens of dunams caught fire, and flames almost reached residential areas. Fire departments have been prepared for fires nationwide, due to the expected heat wave, peaks of which were reported to have reached 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit).
The nation is marking the holiday of Lag B'Omer Saturday evening, when bonfires are expected to be lit as part of the holiday tradition.
Fires broke out Saturday across Israel, as the result of a heat wave. A fire broke out in Rosh Ha'ayin in an industrial compound. According to the firefighters, the structure in which the fire originated is in danger of collapsing. 20 firefighting teams have been called to the scene, and rescue forces instructed residents of the area to remain indoors.
Five teams of fire fighters were on the scene of a fire that broke out on Mount Sansan in the Elah Valley, south of Bet Shemesh. The Jerusalem Fire Department said that there was no danger to area settlements.
Three teams of firefighters are at the scene of a briar patch fire that broke out in Holon; they are attempting to extinguish the flames.
In Rishon Lezion, firefighters overcame two fires: one near the Volcani Institute of Agricultural Research and the second near the Superland amusement park.
The cause of fire at the amusement park appeared to be the ignition of equipment that was in a container belonging to one of the park’s vendors.
Earlier Saturday, two tourists sustained burns in a fire at Ben Shemen Forest and were taken to Assaf Harofeh Medical Center for treatment.
Firefighters from the Ayalon station arrived at the scene and worked to extinguish the flames.
Firefighter planes were also called to the scene of a fire near Yavne'el in the north, even as firefighters were called to the scene of a briar patch fire in Haifa's Kababir neighborhood. Firefighters overcame the flames within a short time, and no injuries or damage were reported. Three firefighting teams from the Haifa station were on the scene at Kababir, together with the shift commander.
Another fire erupted north of the Kinneret, near Moshav Almagor, where residents who live nearby were evacuated as a precaution, but police allowed them to return to their homes within the hour. Once firefighters overcame the fires in the north, Spokesman of the Upper Galilee and Golan Fire Department, Nathan Ben Shimon, said: "Things are looking better. Two additional teams arrived at the scene."
According to Shimon, dozens of dunams caught fire, and flames almost reached residential areas. Fire departments have been prepared for fires nationwide, due to the expected heat wave, peaks of which were reported to have reached 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit).
The nation is marking the holiday of Lag B'Omer Saturday evening, when bonfires are expected to be lit as part of the holiday tradition.
25 apr 2013
Racism in Tel Aviv: 'Death to Arabs' on apartment door
Unknown assailants break into apartment inhabited by Arab youngsters, spray-paint 'death Arabs' and 'go away'. Police launch an investigation
Arab youngsters residing in south Tel Aviv were shocked to discover hate graffiti sprayed on the door of their apartment earlier this week. The graffiti read, "death to Arabs" "go away" and "price tag."
According to a complaint they filed with the police, unknown assailants broke into their apartment Saturday night and spray-painted hate slogans on the front door. Police launched an investigation.
The incident was also reported in a Facebook post by Attorney Barack Cohen, a social activist.
"Arab youngsters rented an apartment in a neighborhood in Tel Aviv," he wrote. "They never harmed anyone, nor endangered the wellbeing of 'Zionists' or anyone else.
"They live in harmony with their neighbors. Their house was broken into, racist graffiti was sprayed – the only thing they left untouched was the mezuzah."
A neighbor residing in the building said, "This is a free world and anyone can live wherever they want. They didn't do any harm. I don’t see what's wrong with them living here."
Related stories:
Arab youngsters residing in south Tel Aviv were shocked to discover hate graffiti sprayed on the door of their apartment earlier this week. The graffiti read, "death to Arabs" "go away" and "price tag."
According to a complaint they filed with the police, unknown assailants broke into their apartment Saturday night and spray-painted hate slogans on the front door. Police launched an investigation.
The incident was also reported in a Facebook post by Attorney Barack Cohen, a social activist.
"Arab youngsters rented an apartment in a neighborhood in Tel Aviv," he wrote. "They never harmed anyone, nor endangered the wellbeing of 'Zionists' or anyone else.
"They live in harmony with their neighbors. Their house was broken into, racist graffiti was sprayed – the only thing they left untouched was the mezuzah."
A neighbor residing in the building said, "This is a free world and anyone can live wherever they want. They didn't do any harm. I don’t see what's wrong with them living here."
Related stories:
24 apr 2013
Report: $1,000 per photo for 'Israeli spy in Sinai'
File photo of IDF troops in Sinai
Egyptian security source says 'spy for Israel' tried to attain missiles used by Hamas to attack Jewish state; 'spy network' discovered a few days after Grad rockets fired from Sinai on Eilat
An Egyptian security source relayed on Wednesday to the Palestinian Maan news agency new details which he claims surfaced in the interrogation of the man arrested a few days ago in the Sinai Peninsula. The man allegedly stood at the head of a spy network, working in Israel's favor there.
The source said that the accused is a 35-year-old Bedouin who admitted in his interrogation to passing along military, political and economic information to the Mossad.
The source told the Palestinian news agency that the information the man supplied revolved around protests that occurred in Egypt. In addition he was expected to attain missiles of the kind used by Hamas against Israel. According to this source, the man lives in Rafah and receives $300 in exchange for each piece of information he passes and $1,000 for every important picture.
Information on the movement and equipment of the Egyptian army in Sinai is reportedly given the highest prority. Last Sunday, Major-General Samih Ahmad Bashadi, head of security in northern Sinai confirmed the reports according to which a spy network that operated in the area for Israel was discovered. On the same day, the Egyptian governmental newspaper al-Akhbar reported that this is a network that was revealed by the Egyptian security and included eight Egyptian and Palestinian citizens.
The same report claimed that the search for the man took four months, as he moved between Cairo and north Sinai. The report also said that the main defendant was confirmed by recordings of a phone conversation he held with Egyptian figures and with Mossad sources.
The network was discovered a few days after Grad rockets were fired from Sinai at Eilat. Hours after the firing, the Salafi extremist group that operates in the Gaza Strip and in Sinai, the Mujahideen Shura Council of Jerusalem, released footage of the rocket fire. On Thursday, Egypt will celebrate the "anniversary of the liberation of Sinai" in which the Egyptians commemorate the withdrawal of the last Israeli soldier from the Sinai Peninsula.
Egyptian security source says 'spy for Israel' tried to attain missiles used by Hamas to attack Jewish state; 'spy network' discovered a few days after Grad rockets fired from Sinai on Eilat
An Egyptian security source relayed on Wednesday to the Palestinian Maan news agency new details which he claims surfaced in the interrogation of the man arrested a few days ago in the Sinai Peninsula. The man allegedly stood at the head of a spy network, working in Israel's favor there.
The source said that the accused is a 35-year-old Bedouin who admitted in his interrogation to passing along military, political and economic information to the Mossad.
The source told the Palestinian news agency that the information the man supplied revolved around protests that occurred in Egypt. In addition he was expected to attain missiles of the kind used by Hamas against Israel. According to this source, the man lives in Rafah and receives $300 in exchange for each piece of information he passes and $1,000 for every important picture.
Information on the movement and equipment of the Egyptian army in Sinai is reportedly given the highest prority. Last Sunday, Major-General Samih Ahmad Bashadi, head of security in northern Sinai confirmed the reports according to which a spy network that operated in the area for Israel was discovered. On the same day, the Egyptian governmental newspaper al-Akhbar reported that this is a network that was revealed by the Egyptian security and included eight Egyptian and Palestinian citizens.
The same report claimed that the search for the man took four months, as he moved between Cairo and north Sinai. The report also said that the main defendant was confirmed by recordings of a phone conversation he held with Egyptian figures and with Mossad sources.
The network was discovered a few days after Grad rockets were fired from Sinai at Eilat. Hours after the firing, the Salafi extremist group that operates in the Gaza Strip and in Sinai, the Mujahideen Shura Council of Jerusalem, released footage of the rocket fire. On Thursday, Egypt will celebrate the "anniversary of the liberation of Sinai" in which the Egyptians commemorate the withdrawal of the last Israeli soldier from the Sinai Peninsula.
Cross spray-painted on Kiryat Malachi synagogue
Worshippers arriving for morning service find words 'Jehovah is a son of a bitch' written near shul's entrance
Worshippers who arrived at the Avraham Atias Synagogue in Kiryat Malachi for morning services on Wednesday found hate slogans and a cross spray-painted on its walls.
The words 'Jehovah is a son of a bitch' were written near the entrance to the synagogue, and a cross was sprayed over the hate slogan.
"It is a disgusting feeling to see your faith being cursed in this way," said Eitan, who prays at the synagogue. "Our community tries to help and support whomever we can, so I have no idea who would do such a terrible thing," he told Ynet.
Meir Ne'eman said his 84-year-old father prays at the synagogue every morning and keeps it clean. "I did not want him to see the graffiti, which I noticed as soon as we arrived. I waited for the end of the service to tell him. Meanwhile, the police arrived and collected fingerprints.
I hope they'll find the criminal who did this," he told Ynet. The worshippers found similar hate slogans, which were all erased, in nearby streets. Police have launched an investigation into the incident.
Worshippers who arrived at the Avraham Atias Synagogue in Kiryat Malachi for morning services on Wednesday found hate slogans and a cross spray-painted on its walls.
The words 'Jehovah is a son of a bitch' were written near the entrance to the synagogue, and a cross was sprayed over the hate slogan.
"It is a disgusting feeling to see your faith being cursed in this way," said Eitan, who prays at the synagogue. "Our community tries to help and support whomever we can, so I have no idea who would do such a terrible thing," he told Ynet.
Meir Ne'eman said his 84-year-old father prays at the synagogue every morning and keeps it clean. "I did not want him to see the graffiti, which I noticed as soon as we arrived. I waited for the end of the service to tell him. Meanwhile, the police arrived and collected fingerprints.
I hope they'll find the criminal who did this," he told Ynet. The worshippers found similar hate slogans, which were all erased, in nearby streets. Police have launched an investigation into the incident.
Jordan: Israel to allow UN into Jerusalem Old City
Jordan on Tuesday said Israel has agreed to allow a UN mission to "investigate and assess" heritage conservation in Jerusalem's Old City for the first time since 2004.
"Jordan and Palestine, supported by Arab states, succeeded in pressuring Israel, for the first time since 2004, to accept and facilitate a UNESCO experts' mission to investigate and assess the status of heritage and conservation of the Old City of Jerusalem and its walls," a palace statement said.
The mission will start its work on May 15 "and it has to present its report and recommendations before June 1st, 2013, just before the beginning of the World Heritage Committee 37th session," it added.
According to the palace, Israel confirmed its decision in a letter to UNESCO director general Irina Bokova and in a statement read out on Tuesday at a meeting in Paris of UNESCO's executive board.
Israel also agreed to take part in a technical meeting of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization "to discuss recent Israeli violations against the Mughrabi Gate," in Jerusalem, it added.
The Mughrabi ramp leads from the plaza by the Western Wall, the most sacred site at which Jews can pray, up to the adjoining the sacred compound, known to Muslims as Al-Haram Al-Sharif, which houses Al-Aqsa Mosque.
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman confirmed to AFP that a UNESCO delegation would be arriving "in the near future" but stressed it would visit heritage sites "throughout Israel, not only in Jerusalem".
Yigal Palmor stressed "there was nothing new about this cooperation (between Israel and UNESCO), and any attempt to portray it otherwise is aimed at concealing the fact some Arab elements have turned UNESCO from a professional agency to a vehicle for political attacks".
"The tendentious language of the statement, loaded with political bias of what is fundamentally a professional activity, is not conducive to finding rational solutions to problems raised by the unwarranted politicization of UNESCO's work, a regrettable phenomenon intensified since the admission of Palestine as a member state in that organization," he added.
Cultural heritage has become a major issue for the two sides since the Palestinians became a UNESCO member in 2011.
Tuesday's announcement comes after a deal was struck in March by which the Palestinian Authority confirmed a verbal agreement dating back to 1924 giving Jordan custodianship over Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem.
"Jordan and Palestine, supported by Arab states, succeeded in pressuring Israel, for the first time since 2004, to accept and facilitate a UNESCO experts' mission to investigate and assess the status of heritage and conservation of the Old City of Jerusalem and its walls," a palace statement said.
The mission will start its work on May 15 "and it has to present its report and recommendations before June 1st, 2013, just before the beginning of the World Heritage Committee 37th session," it added.
According to the palace, Israel confirmed its decision in a letter to UNESCO director general Irina Bokova and in a statement read out on Tuesday at a meeting in Paris of UNESCO's executive board.
Israel also agreed to take part in a technical meeting of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization "to discuss recent Israeli violations against the Mughrabi Gate," in Jerusalem, it added.
The Mughrabi ramp leads from the plaza by the Western Wall, the most sacred site at which Jews can pray, up to the adjoining the sacred compound, known to Muslims as Al-Haram Al-Sharif, which houses Al-Aqsa Mosque.
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman confirmed to AFP that a UNESCO delegation would be arriving "in the near future" but stressed it would visit heritage sites "throughout Israel, not only in Jerusalem".
Yigal Palmor stressed "there was nothing new about this cooperation (between Israel and UNESCO), and any attempt to portray it otherwise is aimed at concealing the fact some Arab elements have turned UNESCO from a professional agency to a vehicle for political attacks".
"The tendentious language of the statement, loaded with political bias of what is fundamentally a professional activity, is not conducive to finding rational solutions to problems raised by the unwarranted politicization of UNESCO's work, a regrettable phenomenon intensified since the admission of Palestine as a member state in that organization," he added.
Cultural heritage has become a major issue for the two sides since the Palestinians became a UNESCO member in 2011.
Tuesday's announcement comes after a deal was struck in March by which the Palestinian Authority confirmed a verbal agreement dating back to 1924 giving Jordan custodianship over Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem.