JNF's Sderot Indoor Recreation Center Opens In Israel

I commend the JNF for doing this (and much more), but it is rather frightening that any country has to go to such extremes to keep a population safe from psychological and physical harm. No country should have to build a fortified indoor recreation center to keep children safe from neighboring territories.



Sderot is the Israeli city that has been hit hard for nearly nine years. In August 2005, following Israel's misguided peace gesture in turning over Gaza to the Palestinians, Sderot began to experience more attacks from an even closer hostile neighbor. Anyone who has been to Sderot will know that the citizens face psychological trauma. Some have died from rocket attacks and others have become paralyzed, including children.

The town is home to many Mizrahi (Middle Eastern) and Ethiopian Jews, as well as recent Russian immigrants. These people typically don't have any money to go anywhere else (nor should they have to leave as Sderot is their home and not "disputed" territory). While the situation is currently more quiet, Sderot residents know it's only a matter of time before Palestinian terror groups re-arm and begin to bombard them once more.

Related Posts:
- Naomi Watts & Liev Schreiber Give An Exclusive Tour JNF's Secure Indoor Recreation Center in Sderot
- Actress Naomi Watts & Actor Liev Schreiber Plant A Tree In Israel With Jewish National Fund

Jewish Agency Helps 142 Ethiopian-Jews Immigrate to Israel

The stories of Ethiopian Jews living in Israel are often sad as many of these citizens have been separated from their families. While this story of 142 new immigrants will likely be underreported, it is a wonderful piece of news and no less important than other current events concerning the State of Israel.



From the Jewish Agency:

On October 27, 2009, a flight of 142 new immigrants from Ethiopia arrived in Israel. Among the group included 58 children, under the age of 18.

Some of the new immigrants were reunited with their family member who already made aliyah. Two orphaned sisters were reunited with their father after 10 long years.

The new immigrants are already in their new home in Israel; our 2 absorption centers: Tzahal in Tzfat and Haruv in Beer Sheva.

Related Posts:
- The Jews of Ethiopia
- Ethiopian Jews assisting victims of Rwandan genocide
- Protest on Behalf of Ethiopians in Israel

Also See:
- Majority of Yemenite Jews Preparing to Leave Yemen
- 16 Yemenite Jews Arrive in Israel, Flee Persecution
- Welcoming New Jewish Immigrants Home from Yemen to Israel
- Yemeni Jews Fearful

"Cash for Clunkers" Likely Cost Americans $24,000 Per Car

It is unfortunate that the response to this latest news has been negativity as opposed to an honest communication with Americans from the White House. One has to wonder if the goal of the "Cash for Clunkers" program was for the government to spend more money that this country doesn't have. The program was born from the current presidential administration's global warming hysteria and misguided belief that selling a few cars would help fix the economy.

From USA Today:

Taxpayers ended up paying an average of $24,000 per vehicle for the cash-for-clunkers program over the summer when sales that would have happened anyway are taken into consideration, says car-buying research site Edmunds.com.

The program, which cost taxpayers $3 billion, gave car buyers up to $4,500 in incentives to trade in their gas-guzzling clunkers to buy new fuel-thrifty cars. It was intended primarily to spur sales, and the economy.

But Edmunds.com says a lot of those sales would have happened anyway, with or without the clunkers program. Of more than 690,000 vehicles sold, only about 125,000 of the sales were entirely due to the government's added inducement, Edmunds.com says. The rest of buyers just got lucky by getting the government to kick cash into deals that they would have proceeded with anyhow. When the cost of the program is spread over just those extra incremental sales, the total is $24,000 per vehicle.

That's just about $2,000 shy of the average amount paid for a new car by buyers in August, $26,915....

Read it all here.

Student Defies the “Supreme Leader” of Iran

Hat Tip: Mohammed; Jessica

Although the world media coverage has died down, brave Iranian dissidents are still standing up for their fundamental rights. Unfortunately, these young people also face harsh repercussions for standing up for individual rights and justice.

From Iran Green Wave:

In this meeting which is usually a place for students from across Iran to praise the leader and to show him their devotion, a mathematics student from Sharif University of Technology and a winner of the International Mathematics Olympiad courageously rose from amongst those present and requested to speak to the leader.

The student then directly addressed the leader criticising him and the Islamic Republic for twenty minutes. His comments were followed by occasional applause and cheers from those present. Iranian state-run TV which was broadcasting live images of the meeting was forced to stop airing the programme for some time.

During the meeting this daring student managed to grill Khamenei on a number of issues including the state-run TV’s one-sided performance during and after the elections. State-run Television is under the supervision of the leader. He also touched on the issue of the freedom of speech and the banning of newspapers and the atmosphere of fear that was dominant in the country, while calling on the need for open criticism of the leader himself.

“I have been following newspapers and magazines more seriously for four or five years now. During this time, I do not recall having read any piece that was critical of the leader.”

The student also expressed contempt towards what he described as a campaign to idolise the leader while questioning the “cycle of power” in the Islamic Republic and the structure of the Guardians Council and the Council of the Elite which many believe have compromised the people’s votes and their say in their own affairs.

The comments made by this student were actually the main reason for which Ayatollah Khamenei brought up the issue of the elections and its aftermath on Wednesday.

According to unconfirmed reports, this Sharif University student was faced with security forces after the meeting was over.

Read more from Iran Green Wave (in English) here.

Also See:
- Ahmadinejad Visits With New-Found Turkish Ally
- Iranian regime accused of massive theft
- Neda Agha-Soltan: The Face of Iranian Protests
- Iran reportedly kills seven lawyers

Ahmadinejad Visits With New-Found Turkish Ally

"The past may not repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme." Mark Twain

Hitler and his Nazi regime would also make racist, bigoted claims about people who were a threat to their depraved notion of the ideal world. Typically, Jews and other minorities (homosexuals, gypsies) were deemed a threat in Nazi Europe. Today, Ahmadinejad's theocratic Iran makes similar claims about Jews and Israelis, and horribly mistreats dissidents, ethnic minorities, gays and women in their country.

It is clear to any student of history that Mustafa Ataturk's vision for a modern, secular nation-state in Turkey doesn't include an irrational, morally bankrupt leader who creates alliances with fundamentalist goons.

From the Jerusalem Post:

"The Zionist regime is a threat to all nations ... it cannot tolerate the existence of any strong country in the region," said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday, according to Teheran news agency Press TV.

Ahmadinejad spoke after welcoming Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who arrived in Teheran Tuesday for a two-day visit.

Iran's president praised Erdogan's stance over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying the Turkish leader's "clear stance toward the Zionist regime has had a positive impact on the world of Islam."

At an international conference in January, Erdogan strongly condemned Israel's offensive in Gaza and the steep Palestinian casualties inflicted there. The Iranian leader is known for his anti-Israeli remarks since 2005, when he said the Jewish state should be "wiped off the map."

Read the full Jerusalem Post article here.

Also See:
- Iranian regime accused of massive theft

Katyusha Rocket Lands in Upper Galilee

Israel's response to this latest trend of occasional rockets from Lebanon will probably be a mild rebuke at best. Of course, the international community will not care until Israel is forced to strike back when Israeli property and civilians are struck. When that happens, Israel will shoulder the bulk of the blame.

From the Jerusalem Post:

A Katyusha-type rocket landed in an Upper Galilee kibbutz on Tuesday evening, causing no casualties. Both police and IDF spokespersons confirmed the attack.

Army Radio reported that a fire broke out at the rocket's impact site, near the northern town of Kiryat Shmona.

An IDF statement said that the army responded to the source of fire, and Channel 2 reported that IAF planes carried out strikes in southern Lebanon within an hour of the rocket being fired.

The army called the rocket attack "a grave incident," and stressed that it was holding Lebanon responsible for the attack....

Read it all here.

Also See:
- Hezbollah stockpiles 40,000 rockets near Israel border

Dambisa Moyo: Africans Want to Be Entrepreneurs

Erin Burnett interviewed Dr. Dambisa Moyo, the author "Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way For Africa." The clip is from June 10, 2009.

Moyo argues that Africa needs innovative ways to finance development, which includes trading and accessing capital markets. In a nutshell, Dr. Moyo's argument follows the old Chinese Proverb about how giving a man a fish feeds him for merely a day, but teaching a man to fish feeds him for a lifetime. Dambisa Moyo completed her Ph.D in Economics at Oxford University and has a Masters from Harvard University.

In May 2009 Dr. Moyo was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME Magazine.

Also See:
- Shai Agassi: Revolutionizing the Electric Car in Israel

Palestinian Woman Stabs Israeli Security Guard, Muslim Riots in Jerusalem

Incidents in which Israeli security guards are assaulted aren't new. They typically receive scant media attention. Many ask why Israel needs to implement checkpoints. Incidents of stabbing and attempted suicide bombings reaffirm the need for fences and checkpoints.

Along with this latest news about a Palestinian woman who pulled a knife from under her garb (perfect costume), Israeli media has been reporting of renewed Muslim riots in Jerusalem.

Peace, anyone? Yeah, right.

From Y Net News:

A security guard stationed at the Qalandiya checkpoint in northern Jerusalem sustained light to moderate injuries Sunday afternoon after being stabbed by a Palestinian woman in the abdomen.

The assailant was apprehended. The guard was treated at the scene by Magen David Adom emergency services personnel and later evacuated to Jerusalem's Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital.

"The guard was lying on the ground with a stab wound to his lower abdomen, and the young female terrorist was apprehended," one of the paramedics said, "The guard was in great pain; he was in a state of shock."

According to Magen David Adom, the stab wound was five centimeters deep (about two inches).

Guards manning the checkpoint spotted the knife in the woman's handbag as she passed through the metal detector. She stabbed one of the guards who approached her with a knife she pulled out from under her skirt.

The assailant, a 21-year-old resident of the West Bank town of Ramallah, was taken in for interrogation by Jerusalem Police.

The stabbing attack followed renewed Muslim riots in and around the Temple Mount compound in east Jerusalem. During the violence, which erupted in the morning hours, nine police officers were lightly injured and at least 18 people were arrested.

Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen told reporters while visiting the Mount, "I identify many large groups of east Jerusalem Arabs and Israeli Arabs who have arrived here following calls made by the Islamic Movement, whose leaders are here. I call on them to practice restraint and calm and not to incite.

"The Jerusalem Police will act firmly against any rioters on the Temple Mount. The inciters are the same people you know. It's impossible that the Israel Police will have to deal with the Islamic Movement every Sunday, and so we will handle this on the investigative level."

Related Posts:
- Israeli Checkpoints: A Matter of Necessity

Palestinian Authority Violating Water Accords

Hat Tip: Ra'anan; Sergio

The Oslo Accords have been a one-sided agreement, with Israel doing all the compromising, from the start of the American-backed talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. While the anti-Israel crowd often makes accusations of water shortage, Israel as a country hardly has enough water and information shows that the Palestinian Authority continuously violates water agreements.

From Arutz 7:

....Despite several claims by human rights organizations that Israel has taken water away from what is now the Palestinian Authority, the amount of water available to PA Arabs since the Six-Day War in 1967 actually has gone up while Israelis have suffered a whopping 70 percent drop in their resources.

“The amount of natural water, including underground aquifers, the amount of water available annually to every Israeli before 1967 was 500 cubic liters a year,” the Water Authority explained. “Today the figure is 149 cubic liters, while water available to PA Arabs actually has increased by 22 percent, from 87 cubic liters to 105 cubic liters a year per capita.”

It noted that the gap that exists “is not so great” to be termed a disaster.

At the same time, the PA is not treating sewage for agriculture, as agreed on with Israel in 1995 as part of the Oslo Accords. NGO Monitor’s President Prof. Gerald Steinberg said, “Amnesty’s report manipulates the issue of water and ignores the complexities of history and law in order to again falsely portray Israel as a brutal regime. The report adopts a painfully simplistic narrative which places blame solely on Israel, to the extent that the Palestinian leadership is absolved of responsibility for the agreements signed under the Oslo framework."

Israel’s water resources are near an all-time low, following four years of drought along with increasing water usage and a growing population. Higher water levies and conservation measures have cut water consumption by more than 20 percent this year.

Forecasters have cautiously predicted this winter will be wetter than usual, but it would take a modern miracle to replenish the country’s resources....

Also See:
- "War Crimes" and Shoddy Journalism

Israeli Super-Vaccine for Flu Reported

Hat Tip: Ra'anan

This week shares of the Rehovot, Israel BiondVax group in the Tel Aviv stock exchange went through the roof. The group has apparently developed a "super-vaccine" that provides protection for most flu viruses, perhaps even swine flu and bird flu. While more testing needs to be done, the current research is very promising.

I recognize that some of my readers may have varying views on vaccinations. However, my outlook is positive regarding medical science. Vaccines prevent needless illness and deaths, and are very safe.

From Arutz 7:

....It turns out that most strains of flu have characteristics similar enough to enable development of one vaccine that contains the elements of the flu virus' downfall.

According to the company, the "conserved epitopes" that are common to most flu strains can activate the human immune system effectively against currently known flu strains, as well as provide protection against future mutations. Unlike the Israel Radio report, which claimed that patients would be protected for life with a single dose, the company says that a new vaccination would probably be needed every three to five years. However, the vaccine would be all-encompassing, able to defend against all common – and most likely many uncommon – strains of flu, unlike the current situation, where vaccines are developed for individual strains and must be renewed annually. This very well may include the two current strains responsible for world pandemics, bird and swine flu, but the company is not ready to commit to claiming that until more tests are conducted, a company spokesperson said.

BiondVax's work is based on research that has taken place at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot for over ten years, mostly on mice. The company conducted some tests on humans, and says that research shows that the vaccine is safe for people in the 18-49 age group. Official results will be published in the coming weeks. More tests are scheduled for the coming year in older patients.

Also See:
- Kibbutz Solar Farm will ‘Help Fight Terror’
- Major Electric Car Agreement Signed by 19 Israeli Companies
- Shai Agassi: Revolutionizing the Electric Car in Israel
- Israeli Company Unveils Groundbreaking External Evacuation System
- Groundbreaking Israeli Lung Imaging System Unveiled

Church Burns 'Witchcraft' Children

This following story dated from October 20th is worse than offensive; it is absolutely bloodcurdling. While these kinds of situations are rare and frowned upon by Christian leadership, this is a perfect example of religious fanaticism. It is also a reminder that Islam does not have the monopoly on religious fundamentalism. From Australia's Daily Telegraph:

A nine-year-old boy lay on a bloodstained hospital sheet crawling with ants, staring blindly at the wall.

His family pastor had accused him of being a witch, and his father then tried to force acid down his throat as an exorcism. It spilled as he struggled, burning away his face and eyes. The emaciated boy barely had strength left to whisper the name of the church that had denounced him - Mount Zion Lighthouse.

A month later, he died.

Nwanaokwo Edet was one of an increasing number of children in Africa accused of witchcraft by pastors and then tortured or killed, often by family members. Pastors were involved in half of 200 cases of "witch children" reviewed for this story, and 13 churches were named in the case files.

Some of the churches involved are renegade local branches of international franchises. Their parishioners take literally the Biblical exhortation, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."

"It is an outrage what they are allowing to take place in the name of Christianity," said Gary Foxcroft, head of nonprofit Stepping Stones Nigeria.

For their part, the families are often extremely poor, and sometimes even relieved to have one less mouth to feed. Poverty, conflict and poor education lay the foundation for accusations, which are then triggered by the death of a relative, the loss of a job or the denunciation of a pastor on the make, said Martin Dawes, a spokesman for the United Nations Children's Fund.

"When communities come under pressure, they look for scapegoats," he said. "It plays into traditional beliefs that someone is responsible for a negative change ... and children are defenseless."

The idea of witchcraft is hardly new, but it has taken on new life recently partly because of a rapid growth in evangelical Christianity. Campaigners against the practice say around 15,000 children have been accused in two of Nigeria's 36 states over the past decade and around 1,000 have been murdered. In the past month alone, three Nigerian children accused of witchcraft were killed and another three were set on fire.

Nigeria is one of the heartlands of abuse, but hardly the only one: the United Nations Children's Fund says tens of thousands of children have been targeted throughout Africa....

Read the full report here.

Note: Image is property of the Associated Press

'Human Rights Watch' Founder Denounces His Group as Anti-Israel

Hat Tip: Ra'anan

Last Friday Judge Richard Goldstone expressed dismay that the UN's Human Rights Council ignored Hamas' crimes. His surprise was rather strange considering his own report failed to clearly distinguish aggressor from defender, practically suggesting that Israel has no right to stop a bombardment of Iranian-funded Palestinian rockets into Southern Israeli cities.

It seems that Israel has received additional support— this time from a very unlikely source, the founder of the UN's Human Rights Council.

From Arutz 7:

Israel received support from a most unlikely source Tuesday, with a harsh condemnation of the Human Rights Watch group by its own founder, Robert Bernstein. Writing for The New York Times, he charged the group with “issuing reports on the Israeli-Arab conflict that are helping those who wish to turn Israel into a pariah state.”

HRW was in the forefront of accusing Israel of war crimes in the three-week Operation Cast Lead counterterrorist campaign in Gaza, and has continually condemned Israeli retaliation for the thousands of Hamas rockets and other terrorist attacks on Israel.

Bernstein emphatically stated that “Hamas and Hezbollah…go after Israeli citizens and use their own people as human shields,” a situation that was stated as largely unproven in the recent Goldstone report for the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Bernstein accused his own group’s leaders of knowing that “Hamas and Hezbollah chose to wage war from densely populated areas, deliberately transforming neighborhoods into battlefields. They know that more and better arms are flowing into both Gaza and Lebanon and are poised to strike again. And they know that this militancy continues to deprive Palestinians of any chance for the peaceful and productive life they deserve.”

Bernstein, who was chairman of the group until he stepped aside in 1998, pointed out that HRW has condemned Israel more than any other country. Undermining the group's anti-Israeli stance, he stated that the Jewish State “is home to at least 80 human rights organizations, a vibrant free press, a democratically elected government, a judiciary that frequently rules against the government, a politically active academia, multiple political parties” and a free press.

“Meanwhile, the Arab and Iranian regimes rule over some 350 million people, and most remain brutal, closed and autocratic, permitting little or no internal dissent.” Bernstein echoed Israeli complaints that HRW has ignored “the plight of [Arab] citizens who would most benefit from the kind of attention a large and well-financed international human rights organization can provide.”

“These groups are supported by the government of Iran, which has openly declared its intention not just to destroy Israel but to murder Jews everywhere,” he wrote. “This incitement to genocide is a violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide."

In what was a virtual repetition of Israeli government statements from the past several years, he noted that “There is a difference between wrongs committed in self-defense and those perpetrated intentionally.

“In Gaza and elsewhere where there is no access to the battlefield or to the military and political leaders who make strategic decisions, it is extremely difficult to make definitive judgments about war crimes. Reporting often relies on witnesses whose stories cannot be verified and who may testify for political advantage or because they fear retaliation from their own rulers."

Also See:
- Colonel Richard Kemp's Address to the United Nations
- Goldstone Indicted a Fictional Character from Serbian Folktale

Ishtar feat. Los Ninos de Sara: Yalla Beena Yalla

Israeli-born Esther (Eti) Zach is known for her talented singing in Mediterranean and Semitic languages, including Arabic, Hebrew, Spanish, and French. This is one of my favorite Ishtar-Alabina songs. Los Ninos de Sara is the band playing with the lovely singer. The band members are Spanish-speaking Gypsies from Montpellier, France.

Also See:
- Ishtar feat. Los Ninos de Sara: Yalla Bina Yalla
- Ema (Hebrew for "Mother")

Polanski Should Remain in Prison

It is my belief that murderers and rapists who are convicted for their crimes have absolutely no business expecting a reprieve. In August, the Lockerbie terrorist was freed as a gesture of good-will because he purpotedly has prostate cancer and doctors asserted that he would die in a matter of days or weeks. Abdel Baset al-Megrahi is responsible for murdering 270 people, many of them American students. Well, the Lockerbie terrorist is still alive and the families of his victims must live with the knowledge that one of the organizers of a heinous crime which targeted Westerners is still living while their loved ones are long since dead.

Roman Polanski, a notable filmaker, did not murder anyone. Nonetheless, he violated a child and deserves none of our respect. I realize that my point of view may not be popular with some filmmakers and Mr. Polanski's followers. However, I find it illogical that people argue in favor of Polanski because he suffered greatly in his life. Polanski's supporters say that he survived the Holocaust and had to endure the awful murder of his wife by Charles Manson followers, and thereby should not be made to endure more hardship. Undoubtably all of that is horrible. But it does not give a human being the right to violate a child. Polanski pled guilty in 1977 to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. He fled to France in 1978 before he could be sentenced and avoided visiting countries that were likely to extradite him. Polanski was finally arrested this past September by Swiss police, at the request of U.S. authorities, in Switzerland. Polanski's actions and his words suggest that he is a guilty man who must face his crime. It is one of the reasons I have never watched or purchased any of his films.

I do hope that people can recognize that their defense of a child rapist is sorely misplaced. Good deeds and a sorrowful past do not outweigh a person's shortcomings and depraved behavior.

Colonel Richard Kemp's Address to the United Nations

The following address to the United Nations was given by Britain's Colonel Richard Kemp on October 16, 2009. His speech was rather brilliant.



Here is a transcript, courtesy of UN Watch:

Thank you, Mr. President.

I am the former commander of the British forces in Afghanistan. I served with NATO and the United Nations; commanded troops in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Macedonia; and participated in the Gulf War. I spent considerable time in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, and worked on international terrorism for the UK Governments Joint Intelligence Committee.

Mr. President, based on my knowledge and experience, I can say this: During Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli Defence Forces did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare.

Israel did so while facing an enemy that deliberately positioned its military capability behind the human shield of the civilian population.


Hamas, like Hizballah, are expert at driving the media agenda. Both will always have people ready to give interviews condemning Israeli forces for war crimes. They are adept at staging and distorting incidents.

The IDF faces a challenge that we British do not have to face to the same extent. It is the automatic, Pavlovian presumption by many in the international media, and international human rights groups, that the IDF are in the wrong, that they are abusing human rights.

The truth is that the IDF took extraordinary measures to give Gaza civilians notice of targeted areas, dropping over 2 million leaflets, and making over 100,000 phone calls. Many missions that could have taken out Hamas military capability were aborted to prevent civilian casualties. During the conflict, the IDF allowed huge amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza. To deliver aid virtually into your enemy's hands is, to the military tactician, normally quite unthinkable. But the IDF took on those risks.

Despite all of this, of course innocent civilians were killed. War is chaos and full of mistakes. There have been mistakes by the British, American and other forces in Afghanistan and in Iraq, many of which can be put down to human error. But mistakes are not war crimes.

More than anything, the civilian casualties were a consequence of Hamas way of fighting. Hamas deliberately tried to sacrifice their own civilians.

Mr. President, Israel had no choice apart from defending its people, to stop Hamas from attacking them with rockets.

And I say this again: the IDF did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare.

Thank you, Mr. President.

IDF Artillery Commander: I Don't Feel Like a War Criminal

"I do not reject peace, but I am afraid of war disguised as peace." -Cicero

There is no denying that war is absolute hell. My family and friends who have served in the Israel Defense Forces and in the U.S. Armed Forces can easily confirm this fact. Nonetheless, the point of war in western, secular society is to ensure that our individual values are preserved and to protect our civilians from harm. Israel's Operation Cast Lead was initiated (quite belatedly) to stop a bombardment of Iranian-funded Palestinian rockets into southern Israel. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said, "If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence. If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel."

From Arutz 7:

Col. Shai Malka, who headed the IDF's Pillar of Fire artillery group, is leaving the unit to become Commander of Artillery in the Northern Command.

Malka is unfazed by international condemnation of the IDF's attack on Gaza in the Cast Lead counter-terror operation. He says the IDF's artillery did not bring even half of its firepower to bear.

"The group's power in Cast Lead was just a few percentage points of what it is capable of giving,” Malka told IDF journal Bamachaneh. "We used one tenth of the force used in the Second Lebanon War, over a time span that was almost identical. There were many limitations on our use of firepower," he said.

"I do not feel like a person who carried out war crimes, despite the accusations in the Goldstone report,” he added. “When someone uses a civilian population as a human shield, the only way to avoid hitting them is to get them out of where they are. We gave many warnings to civilians, through the media and fliers. We carried out deterrent fire before firing and whoever wished to get out could have done so.”

Malka also believes the use of artillery saved soldiers' lives. "Employing accurate artillery fire gets results that the infantry, for example, can only achieve at a high cost. In Cast Lead, the casualties Hamas sustained from accurate fire, from ground and air, were 60 to 75 percent [of its total casualties]."

Also See:
- UK Court Rejects Petition Urging Arrest Warrant for Ehud Barak
- Goldstone Indicted a Fictional Character from Serbian Folktale

Hezbollah Removes Weaponry from Explosion Site

On October 12, 2009, there was an explosion at a Hezbollah weapons storehouse in Tayr Filsay in southern Lebanon. This aerial footage, taken shortly after the explosion, shows Hezbollah operatives closing down the area around the warehouse, driving in two trucks and removing weaponry from the site. They then took the weapons to a known weapons storage facility in the center of the village of Dir a-Nahar about four kilometers away. Only after Hezbollah removed the weaponry did they allow UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army to enter the site of the explosion. The IDF has submitted the footage to UNIFIL to aid in their investigation of the incident. [1]

[1] IDF Spokesperson's Unit

Ishtar feat. Los Ninos de Sara: Yalla Bina Yalla

My readers will know by now that I absolutely adore Oriental and Mediterranean music. One of my favorite artists is a Mizrahi (Middle Eastern) Israeli woman of Jewish-Egyptian and Jewish-Moroccan origins. Ishtar (also known as Eti Zach) has beautifully covered songs by Egyptian legends such as Abdel Halim Hafez and Farid al-Atrash.

In this song Ishtar performs with Los Ninos de Sara, a Gypsy musical group which puts out tunes that are a mixture of Rumba and Flamenco. The Spanish and Middle Eastern influences make this song truly wonderful.



Also See:
- Kobi Peretz and Ishtar Alabina: Yahad (Together)

Strained Israeli-Turkish Relations

Some of my readers have asked me about my feelings on Turkey's strained relations with Israel following the Turkish prime minister's refusal to participate in a NATO air force drill which included Israel. This week news stations aired footage from a highly propagandized, anti-Israel Turkish television drama which portrayed Israelis as child killers. The recent footage from a popular drama has obviously further strained relations between Israel and Turkey, which have had a solid alliance since the 1990s.

As Middle Easterners, my family feels an affinity with Oriental culture because it is part of our heritage. However, Turkey is one of the locations that we will not be visiting anytime soon. Turkey's human rights record, their invitations to theocratic leaders, and defense of Hamas, a terrorist organization, is an enormous concern.

Mustafa Ataturk envisioned a modern, secular nation-state when he was the leader of the eastern European country. Yet today we see evidence that Turkey is slowly becoming a theocratic, oppressive country. Human rights abuses are more typical now than they were ten years ago. The inhumane treatment of the Kurds by Turkey suggests that the Turkish leadership has no business chastising Israel for defending themselves against the Palestinian Arabs who launched thousands of rockets into Israeli towns over the last few years. Last week a gay internet forum was shut down by the Turkish government for no apparent reason. Perpetrators of so-called 'honor killings' of women and gay individuals often get away with their crimes because they are accepted by some primitive citizens. This week news broke that Turkish police arrested dozens of suspects from an Al Qaeda-linked cell that planned attacks on Israeli, U.S., and NATO targets in Turkey. Despite this evidence of increased radicalism, the Turkish government continues to destroy its alliance with Israel, and strengthen relations with Syria and Iran.

The leader of the Turkish nation practically sided with Hamas during Israel's Operation Cast Lead to stop Palestinian fire into Israel earlier this year.

The recent strained relations between Israel and Turkey is a great shame. Like many Israelis, I have felt an affinity with the Turkish people. Israeli-Turkish relations, which include trade, have been strategic for both countries and the Western world. However, these latest actions by Turkey's leadership condemning Israel and demonstrating a willingness to strengthen relations with theocratic, violent groups is unacceptable. The actions of Turkey's leadership demonstrate a troubling lack of moral clarity.

Also See:
- PM 'disappointed by incitement on Turkish television'
- Turkey nabs 33 al-Qaeda linked suspects
- How do you say hypocrisy in Turkish?

Israel Sends Aid to West African Country Hit by Floods

Hat Tip: Ra'anan

From Arutz 7:

Israel has sent emergency aid to Burkina Faso. The West African country is suffering from a severe humanitarian crisis, due to recent floods, and hundreds of thousands of people have become refugees in their own country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through MASHAV - Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation - and in cooperation with JDC Israel, sent the stricken country a shipment of tents, blankets, medicines and baby food.

According to the Ministry, Burkina Faso, which is a member of the Security Council, is one of Israel’s most loyal friends in Africa, as evidenced in international forums and institutions.

Israel has aided countries like Mexico, India, Armenia, Iran, Iraq, Thailand, Japan, Spain and many more over the years. The majority of news stories surrounding Israel are fixated on the Israel-Arab conflict despite the fact that Israel is among the most humanitarian countries in the world, and an enormous leader in science and technology.

Also See:
- Ethiopian Jews assisting victims of Rwandan genocide

Thousands of Hours of Power from New Israeli Battery

Hat Tip: Ra'anan; Tim

From Arutz 7:

A new portable electrochemical battery developed at Haifa's Technion-Israel Institute of Technology offers users thousands of hours of power for their hearing aids, sensors and, eventually, cellphones, laptop computers and even electric cars. The battery, developed by Professor Yair Ein-Eli of the Technion's materials engineering department, is based on silicon as a fuel that reverts to its original sand.

The new invention is not rechargeable and ranges from one square centimeter to several square centimeters. "Think of an electric car battery made from silicon that will turn into sand that would be recycled into silicon and then into power again," suggested Ein-Eli. "This would take about 10 years more and be revolutionary. It could be used in any portable electronic device or be integrated with solar or wind power as well as electric energy."

Also See:
- California investors turn to Israel's clean tech sector
- Kibbutz Solar Farm will ‘Help Fight Terror’
- Major Electric Car Agreement Signed by 19 Israeli Companies
- Shai Agassi: Revolutionizing the Electric Car in Israel
- Israeli Company Unveils Groundbreaking External Evacuation System
- Groundbreaking Israeli Lung Imaging System Unveiled

Islamic Movement Deputy Head: 'No Negro Cop Will Stop Muslims Praying at Al-Aqsa'

Hat Tip: Ra'anan; Roni

In the past I have posted about the Ethiopian Jewish community in Israel. There have been a few cases of racism in Israel in which Ethiopian Jews have been marginalized. It is a great shame that even in the most advanced of regions, like Israel, the United States and Europe, racism and irrational prejudices exist. Yet Israel embraces western ideals and such detestable behavior is not tolerated (nor should it ever be).

Recently the deputy head of the Islamic Movement expressed his own prejudices on radio. From Arutz 7:

Kamal Khatib, deputy head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement, declared in an interview with Army Radio on Wednesday that "No Negro Ethiopian policeman is going to prevent Muslims from praying at Al Aqsa (mosque)."

Following Arab rioting on Sunday, police limited visits to the Temple Mount to Muslim men over 50. They have also forbidden Jews of all ages from visiting the Mount even though the Sukkot holiday is traditionally one of two annual periods when Jews were obligated to visit the Temple.

In the same interview, Khatib also denied any Jewish connection to the Temple area saying, "Our position is that the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Temple Mount are not holy to the Jews and it is forbidden for them to pray there.

A little known fact is that there have been cases of blatant bigotry from some Muslim leaders in the Middle East. Consider that when Obama was running for president, Muammar Gaddafi referred to him as a "catastrophe" in Arabic partially because he's "Black" and thereby a confused man. Such racism exists even among Muslims. In Darfur, Sudan this racism led to the outright persecution of non-Muslim Africans.

Also See:
- Protest on Behalf of Ethiopians in Israel
- The Jews of Ethiopia
- Ethiopian Jews assisting victims of Rwandan genocide
- The Ramle Chess Program

President Obama Awarded the Nobel Prize

Earlier this morning I read that President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It seemed like I was reading a satire piece, and I had to double-check to make sure that what I was reading was real. However, I quickly got over the initial feeling of surprise that a man who has done so little was awarded a prize that is granted to those who demonstrate “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people.”

Has Obama achieved some kind of peace in the world? Did I miss something?

What exactly has President Obama done since becoming president of the United States in January? Obama’s destructive policies have included canceling missile sites in Poland & Czechoslovakia, reducing our missile defense system, quite possibly adding $4.9 trillion in public debt starting in 2010, and an even more naïve foreign policy in the Middle East than his predecessors.

President Obama had only been in office for two weeks before the deadline for nominations for the Norwegian prize. Therefore, much of the skepticism and shock that he was the beneficiary of the award is warranted. President Obama is not responsible for America’s withdrawal from Iraq. That policy began under George Bush, which is a policy that Obama merely continued. The United States is embroiled in a politically correct war in Afghanistan with no end in sight. Guantanamo Bay, which houses terrorists, is still open despite Obama’s promises to close down the center immediately after assuming office. Iran continues to develop nuclear weapons and threatens the entire Middle East, especially Israel, while the Obama administration voices a hope for dialog and gives the Iranian regime a free pass. When Iranian youth took to the streets to voice their distaste for the fascistic regime in their beautiful country, the Obama administration was deafeningly silent. When a dictator planned to violate the constitution of Hondorus earlier this year, Obama sided with the dictator. Do any of these actions warrant Obama’s nomination and reception of the Nobel Peace Prize?

Perhaps it’s crucial to remember that Jimmy Carter, Yasser Arafat and Al Gore have all been past recipients of this award. The Nobel Peace Prize, in some cases, has become a badge to be worn by murderous terrorists, venal buffoons and ineffectual politicians. Unfortunately, such ineffectual, and in a few cases, downright evil, recipients of the honorable prize have made an enormous mockery of its original intent. It is also a grave insult to those who have truly been worthy of it.

I would like to make it clear that I welcome a president of any race. I think Obama’s election to the White House is a wonderful example that our nation can transcend racial bigotry and elect someone of mixed racial origin. It seems to me like President Obama is a very charismatic and nice person despite misinformed political stances he has taken. As someone of mixed race origin, I believe race should never, ever be an issue for one's success and strongly believe that the vast majority of Americans would agree with me. Nonetheless, it's a shame that our president has to ally himself socialists, maintain a misguided foreign policy that throws our strongest foreign allies, like Israel and India, under the bus while putting our nation further in debt.

* Photograph by Shawn Thew/EPA

Related News:
- Obama's Nobel puzzles Pakistanis living close to war
- Obama Nobel Peace Prize Unjustified
- Abbas praises Obama award as Hamas calls it premature
- Editorial: The Nobel committee's audacious hype

Gilad Shalit Video Released

Last week the parents of Gilad Shalit privately watched a newly released tape showing their son. This is the first video tape released since Gilad's kidnapping on June 25, 2006. Noam and Aviva Shalit later granted the Prime Minister's Office permission to broadcast the video. It is about two and a half minutes. The kidnapped soldier holds up a newspaper from September 14th. He appears to be in okay mental condition.



In the video, Shalit says:

"Hello, this is Gilad, son of Noam and Aviva Shalit, brother of Hadas and Yoel who live in Mitzpe Hila. My ID number is 97029.

As you can see I am holding today's Falasteen newspaper published in Gaza. I read the newspaper in order to find information about myself, and in hopes of reading about information of my return home and my imminent release."

Gilad then continues: "I hope the current government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't waste this opportunity to reach an agreement and as a result, allow me to fulfill my dream and be released."

Addressing his parents and siblings, Gilad says: "I wish to send my well-wishes to my family and tell them that I love them and miss them greatly, and hope for the day I'll see them again. Dad, Yoel, and Hadas, do you remember the day you arrived at my base in the Golan Heights, on December 31, 2005? We toured around the base and you took a picture of me on a Merkava tank and on one of the old tanks at the entrance to the base. Later we went to a restaurant in one of the Druze villages and on the way we took pictures on the side of the road, against the backdrop of the snowy Hermon Mountain."

"I want to tell you that I feel well in medical terms, and that the Mujahidin from the al-Qassam Brigades are treating me well. Thank you very much and goodbye," Gilad concludes.

It is crucial to note that Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists without provocation. Till this day he has been denied a Red Cross (ICRC) visitation, which is a violation of international law.

Also See:
- Beduin Sheikh Campaigns on Behalf of Gilad Shalit
- Noam Shalit Calls for Gilad Shalit's Freedom
- Mother of Gilad Shalit: "Gilad, I'm Sorry We Couldn't Protect You"

Analysis:
- What about Gilad Schalit?

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Allegedly Revealed to Have Jewish Past

Hat Tip: Ra'anan

Thanks to all of you who sent this in. My thoughts follow the brief article excerpt below.

In the past there have been allegations that Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had a Jewish grandfather. New sources cited in a UK Telegraph article published this Saturday assert that Ahmadinejad had Jewish relatives and was previously known by a Jewish-Persian last name 'Sabourjian' which denotes the occupation of cloth weavers.

Here's a brief excerpt from the UK's Telegraph:

A photograph of the Iranian president holding up his identity card during elections in March 2008 clearly shows his family has Jewish roots.

A close-up of the document reveals he was previously known as Sabourjian – a Jewish name meaning cloth weaver.

The short note scrawled on the card suggests his family changed its name to Ahmadinejad when they converted to embrace Islam after his birth.

The Sabourjians traditionally hail from Aradan, Mr Ahmadinejad's birthplace, and the name derives from "weaver of the Sabour", the name for the Jewish Tallit shawl in Persia. The name is even on the list of reserved names for Iranian Jews compiled by Iran's Ministry of the Interior.

Experts last night suggested Mr Ahmadinejad's track record for hate-filled attacks on Jews could be an overcompensation to hide his past....

The Telegraph article quotes experts who suggest that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's racism is an overcompensation for the fact that he allegedly had Jewish relatives. It is dubious that Ahmadinejad is "overcompensating" for anything. Ahmadinejad is a puppet for a fanatical regime and his hostile words merely echo the depraved ideology of the mullah-backed fascistic government. There are far worse characters than Ahmadinejad, who is undoubtedly depraved, in the Iranian government.

It is disingenuous and illogical to explain Ahmadinejad's beliefs by suggesting his supposed previous heritage deterministically caused them, rather than the violent philosophy he currently subscribes to.

Also See:
- Iran Murders Twenty People on Saturday Morning
- Neda Agha-Soltan: The Face of Iranian Protests
- Special Report: Iran Election Chaos...Future of The Islamic Republic of Iran in Question?
- Iran reportedly kills seven lawyers
- Iranian Militias Marry, Rape Virgin Prisoners Before Executions