Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Will Palestinian Move To Exploit ICC Against Israel Ruin Another International Institution?

The State Department has condemned the move by Abbas to sign the Rome Statute and open the way for going to the International Criminal Court:


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But there is more to this than just the Palestinian Arabs destroying the peace process.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Arlene Kushner on Obama and Iran -- And The Behind The Scenes Politicking Of Abbas's Resolution At The UN

From Arlene Kushner:
December 30, 2014

A Somber View

Very somber, my friends.  The situation in the world is not worrisome – it’s terrifying.  Consider:
In an interview with NPR, President Obama said that Iran could become a “very successful regional power” if it agrees to a nuclear deal.  He said things must move slowly but he wouldn’t entirely rule out the possibility of opening a US embassy in Tehran before his term ran out.
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WHAT?  There is nothing on the table in negotiations with Iran at the moment that is serious enough to prevent Iran’s nuclear advancement. The Iranians – a threat to the world – are running rings around an eager Obama.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Arlene Kushner on Hamas, And Signs of Trouble Down the Road

From Arlene Kushner:
December 24, 2014

Back to Work


The Chanukah week, which is now closing, was a blessing.  Now, invigorated, I see that it is time to return to the serious and painful matters that face us.

This posting will be brief because I’ve spent hours today working on the plans for the Legal Grounds Campaign, which will up and running in a short while. Those of us who are working on it are excited about what is in the planning.  My readers will be kept informed, as we progress.  Here I make mention of the fact that time is quite short for Americans to secure a tax deduction for 2014, for a donation to our work.  If you indeed would like to make such a gift, please, contact me without delay.

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Here I would like to focus on Hamas, as signs of trouble down the road with this group are strong.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Tarek Fatah: Muslims Must Save Islam from Islamists

The following by Tarek Fatah is reposted here with permission of the Middle East Forum:

Muslims Must Save Islam from Islamists

by Tarek Fatah
The Toronto Sun
December 16, 2014


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Jihadists see Western-style education of the youth as a problem worth mass murdering for.
It seems there is no respite for the ordinary Muslim. Barely a day goes by when news of fresh atrocities by our coreligionists isn't in the headlines.
Most of the world's billion-plus Muslims wouldn't dream of killing in the name of Islam, but enough do to form a critical mass that has put us on a collision course with the rest of humanity.
The Sydney siege by an ISIS-inspired jihadist had barely ended when the horrific news of a Taliban massacre killing 140 children at a Pakistani school shocked the world.

It took place at an "Army Public School", inside a Pakistan cantonment on the edges of Peshawar. Many of the students who attended this elite school were the sons and daughters of Pakistan army officers.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Arlene Kushner on More Examples of the West Turning A Blind Eye Towards Palestinian Terrorism

Arlene Kushner:
December 17, 2014

This Way and That

Some news a tad encouraging, and other news that’s nothing short of infuriating. Sometimes it’s hard to determine whether we have, on average, broken even.  Doesn’t look so here.
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But let’s put that aside from a moment, and attend to first things first.  It is Chanukah, and I want to share a video that is absolutely beautiful, in terms of tying together Chanukah and an understanding of who we are.
Charlie Harary is an inspirational speaker, whose videos are frequently used by Aish.  But never before have I seen one that is as brilliant and inspiring as this one. If you attend to nothing else in this posting, please do see this.  He touches on an essential truth of our uniqueness:

Anne Bayefsky: UN: Turning Back the Clock to Pre-1948 is the Real Endgame


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For Immediate Release:
December 17, 2014
Contact: info@humanrightsvoices.org
Follow us on Twitter



This article by Anne Bayefsky originally appeared in the Jerusalem Post.


Incitement against the Jewish state is directly related to the stabbings, raping and killing of Jews inside and outside of Israel. But doing something to stop it requires confronting a very troubling fact: the global epicenter for incitement is the "human rights" leviathan, the United Nations.

From November 24, 2014 until December 5, 2014, UN human rights headquarters in Geneva mounted a public exhibit that was pure incitement. UN-driven antisemitism that takes the form of seeking to demonize, disable and ultimately destroy the Jewish state.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Middle East Quarterly Winter 2015: Gerald M. Steinberg: Europeans Fund Anti-Israel Libels

The following by Gerald M. Steinberg is reposted here with permission of the Middle East Forum:

Europeans Fund Anti-Israel Libels

by Gerald M. Steinberg
Middle East Quarterly
Winter 2015 (view PDF)

Monday, December 15, 2014

Middle East Quarterly Winter 2015: Shlomo Sand, The Arab's Darling

The following, by Shaul Bartal, is reposted here with permission of Middle East Forum:

Shlomo Sand, The Arabs' Darling

by Shaul Bartal
Middle East Quarterly
Winter 2015 (view PDF)

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Daniel Pipes on An Arab Prince Who (Almost) Denounces Islamism

The following by Daniel Pipes is reposted here with permission:

An Arab Prince Denounces Islamism

by Daniel Pipes
The Washington Times
December 10, 2014

In a remarkable but thus-far unnoticed address on Dec. 5, Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, the crown prince of Bahrain (an island kingdom in the Persian Gulf and home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet), candidly analyzed the Islamist enemy and suggested important ways to fight it.

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Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa on Dec. 5, discussing the enemy's identity.


Tuesday, December 09, 2014

Arlene Kushner on Making Sense of Coming Israeli Elections

Arlene Kushner:
December 6, 2014

A Political Circus

Motzei Shabbat (After Shabbat)

It wouldn’t do, I suppose, for the political situation to have clarity for too long. Or for the news to simply be promising.  We’ve now entered the circus arena: the rumors are flying, predictions are contradictory, and some surprising alliances are being suggested as possible. All of this defeats clarity and considerably dampens optimism.

I will offer here only an overview, with a promise of more to come when it’s possible to make better sense of how matters will evolve.  In the few days since my last posting - announcing the firing of Livni and Lapid and the advent of elections – there have been news stories and opinion pieces about all of the following:

Tuesday, December 02, 2014

Arlene Kushner on Jewish Rights To Judea and Samaria ("West Bank")

From Arlene Kushner:
November 30, 2014

Jewish (and Other) Rights in the Land Today

Let us begin today by looking briefly at the historical situation that immediately followed Israel’s Declaration of Independence and the subsequent War of Independence.  At the end of the war, in 1949, armistice lines (ceasefire lines) were established.  They were similar to, but not exactly the same, as the lines within which the Jews had declared a state in 1948: Israel had gained a bit of territory.  Most significantly, Israel had secured the western part of Jerusalem.  (In the original UN proposal, Jerusalem was to be internationalized.)

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 Credit: English-online

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These armistice lines – referred to as the Green Line - were the lines within which Israel remained until 1967. Egypt had taken Gaza, and Jordan had taken the remainder of Mandate Palestine – Judea and Samaria, dubbed “the West Bank” by Jordan.  Jordan, I will note, occupied this land illegally, for it was acquired in a war of aggression.

Daniel Pipes: Is CAIR a Terror Group?

The following by Daniel Pipes is reposted here with permission.

Is CAIR a Terror Group?


by Daniel Pipes
National Review Online
November 28, 2014


We who follow the Islamist movement fell off our collective chair on Nov. 15 when the news came that the United Arab Emirates' ministerial cabinet had listed the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as one of 83 proscribed terrorist organizations, up there with the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS.

This came as a surprise because the UAE authorities themselves have a record of promoting Islamism; because CAIR has a history of raising funds in the UAE; and because the UAE embassy in Washington had previously praised CAIR.

On reflection, however, the listing makes sense for, in recent years, the Islamist movement has gravely fractured.