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| Thursday, Oct 1 '09, Tishrei 13, 5770 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1. Netanyahu Warns UN Against Accepting Goldstone Report by Hillel Fendel  Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu issued a last-gasp warning on Thursday to the 47 countries of the United Nations Human Rights Council, currently convening in Geneva. The Council is expected to vote on Friday whether to endorse and pass the Goldstone report on to the U.N. General Assembly. It is expected that the Council will vote to accept the Goldstone findings, which conclude that both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes during Operation Cast Lead earlier this year. Israel launched the offensive after Gaza terrorists rained down thousands of rockets on Israeli towns and cities, killing over 20 people and making havoc of routine life in Israel’s western Negev. “A vote will [soo be held in Geneva in the so-called UN Human Rights Council,” Netanyahu said, adding that “this council has made, in recent years, more resolutions against Israel than any of the 180 countries around the world.” [weJe He said that if the committee decides to promote the Goldstone report, it would cause grave harm in three areas: It would grant legitimacy to the Hamas terrorist practice of attacking civilian targets while hiding behind other civilians. It would deal a blow to the UN status, reducing it to making “absurd” decisions. It would gravely harm the peace process, discouraging Israel from taking risks for peace for fear that it will not receive international backing. “I hope a majority [of the Counci will come to their senses,” Netanyahu said, but added, “We have no confidence in it; there is usually an automatic majority there against us.” “If a majority is found to negate this report, it will avoid this severe blow,” Netanyahu said, “but if not, the responsibility will be on those countries who didn't pull themselves together in time.” Israel's U.N. ambassador in Geneva, Aharon Leshno-Yaar, has admitted it is likely that the report will in fact be passed on to the U.N. General Assembly. But he said he is still seeking justice and a moral victory in having the countries of the West support Israel’s position. Comment on this story 2. Gov’t Radio Bans the Word "Expulsion" in Ad by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu  The High Court is to decide next week on an appeal against government broadcast authorities who banned the word “expulsion” from commercials promoting the Gush Katif museum. The museum, located in Jerusalem, depicts life in the Jewish communities before the government destroyed them and expelled the residents in 2005. The expulsion itself is also documented there. The Israel Broadcast Authority has banned the term "expulsion" from the ads on the grounds that it is “political and not informative.” The Committee for Saving the Land of Israel (SOS) appealed to the High Court to overturn the decision. A three-judge panel on Wednesday suggested the use of the alternative term “forced evacuation,” but the plaintiffs rejected it, arguing that the freedom of speech allows the museum’s use of the word "expulsion.” Gush Katif Museum  Aviad Visuli, attorney for the petitioners, told the judges that “forced evacuation" does not convey the suffering of the approximately 9,000 Jewish residents, including the elderly and little children, whose possessions were taken away and whose homes were destroyed. Many of them remain even today without permanent housing and employment.“We cannot agree to the laundering of words in order to justify the horrible expulsion,” the lawyer told the court. He charged that the broadcasting authorities have political motives in trying to “to impose on us the use of leftist words like ‘evacuation’ and ‘disengagement.’’’ The latter phrase was coined by aides to former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who engineered the policy to end a Jewish presence in Gaza. High Court Justice Elyakim Rubenstein said at Wednesday’s hearing that the use of the word “expulsion” may be problematic for commercial advertising, Visuli argued that the government used political terms in commercial advertising following the expulsion. The commercials’ statements that the government has “a solution for every resident” amounted to “throwing sand in the eyes of the public,” he asserted. The Israel Broadcasting Authority claimed support for its position by relying on speeches by then-Meretz Knesset Members Avshalom Vilan and Ran Cohen, who objected to the term “expulsion.” Related stories: Gush Katif Commission Orders Gov’t: 'Get Your Act Together' Bielski: Red Tape Strangled Gush Katif Expulsion Victims Comment on this story  3. 'A Video for a Video, a Soldier for a Prisoner' by Hillel Fendel  Criticism of the decision to exchange 20 female terrorists – most of whom tried to murder – for a videotape of Gilad Shalit has been widely heard. The 20 will be released from prison on Friday, in accordance with a decision of the Political-Security Cabinet of the Government of Israel today (Wednesday). Israel’s negotiating team on behalf of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit reached an agreement to this effect with the Government of Egypt and with the Hamas terror organization. In exchange, Israel is to receive a “sign of life” from Shalit, in the form of a video taped in recent weeks.The video is one minute long, and Gilad is seen speaking about himself, according to a Gaza terrorist spokesman. The spokesman did not explain how the date of the video would be verified. The Legal Forum for the Land of Israel responded negatively to the news of the intended release of terrorists: “Exchanging 20 terrorists for a videotape shows a government with no strategic vision. The 20 potential murderesses will celebrate this weekend, and thus encourage further murders and kidnappings.” The government announced that the list of prisoners to be freed has been examined by legal authorities and by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), which have found them “suitable for release in terms of their danger to the public and the charges against them.” Of the 20, 16 were sentenced to prison terms of various lengths, while four were only in “detainee” status – including two charged with “attempting to cause death.” Of the 16 sentenced terrorists, four were to be released by the end of 2009 in any event. Nine, however, were to be released in the year 2010 – including seven who were convicted of “attempting to cause death.” The three remaining sentenced terrorists are being released about 18 months early; all of them were convicted of “attempting to cause death.” A Hamas spokesman in Gaza said the 20 belong to all the various terrorist organizations: four are of Hamas, five are from Fatah, three from Islamic Jihad, and the remainder are independent or of other groups. Eight are from Shechem (Nablus), four are from Ramallah, three each are from Hevron and Bethlehem, and one is from Gaza. A Tape for a Tape, A Soldier for a Prisoner Forum Director Nachi Eyal said, “A normal country would exchange a tape for a tape, a prisoner for a soldier. A true government of leadership must look past the eyes of the Shalit family and see the eyes of the families of the next kidnap victims, which this exchange will, unfortunately, encourage.” MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) said, “Exchanging terrorists for a videotape is just another deterioration in the government’s series of errors throughout the Shalit case. We have become the suckers of the Middle East.” The Forum of Bereaved Parents in the Almagor Terror Victims Association says it is happy that a sign of life will be heard from Gilad Shalit, but says, “We view with great gravity the trend implicit in this decision, when the Government of Israel is prepared to pay with terrorists in exchange for a mere sign of life – a simple humanitarian gesture that is required by every international charter to be carried out without getting anything in return.” “This mini-deal shows that the Netanyahu government can be easily pressured and made to cave in to the terrorist gangs from Gaza. The government should not give in to terrorists, and certainly not at the beginning of the negotiations, and must demand to receive a sign of life without giving anything in return." Comment on this story 4. Terror Attack Victim: I’ll Yet Return to Army Service by Hillel Fendel  Ya’ir Hirsch, who was shot in an ambush terrorist attack on Tuesday night near Shilo, shows no weakness, though he faces a long period of recovery and rehabilitation. “I will yet return to be a regiment commander in the reserves,” he told Arutz-7’s Hebrew newsmagazine. Hirsch, the manager of the Achiyah Farm – producer of organic olive oil based on a vision of Land of Israel produce and Jewish labor – was on his way home from work on Tuesday night when he was ambushed: “I left the plant in the Shilo industrial zone and was driving along the Shilo-Jordan Valley road. Shortly after I passed Shvut Rachel, suddenly bullets were being fired at me.” “My first instinct was to stop the car,” Hirsch said, “but then I realized that I had better get out of there. I continued driving, and realized that I had been hit in my left hand. I called my wife and told her I had been hurt. I felt that I was losing a lot of blood and was about to lose consciousness, but I continued driving another kilometer, up to the little community of Kidah.” Emergency medics treated Hirsch on the scene and called a helicopter to evacuate him. In the end, however, he was taken by ambulance, while fully conscious, to Jerusalem’s Ein Karem Hadassah Hospital. Hirsch said he saw the terrorists firing at him from only 4-5 meters from the road. “If I had remained there, I would have been fired upon massively,” he recounted. “I had a great miracle.” “I know that I have a long rehabilitation period ahead of me,” he said, “but I don’t plan to give in. I will yet return to being a reserves regiment commander.” Sources in the Binyamin region, where the attack occurred, blame the “policy of security wantonness” for the attack. The road, dotted with Jewish communities of various sizes, is permitted only for Jewish travel – though the army has allowed PA Arabs to travel there for the purpose of harvesting their olives. “It is totally irresponsible to allow the Arabs to reach the outskirts of our towns with the excuse of harvesting olives,” sources say, “and then they take advantage to perpetrate attacks. This is the fourth such attack this year.” In the worst of these roadside shootings, Moshe Avitan, father of five daughters, was left with only shadow vision and no sense of taste or smell. Comment on this story  5. Expert: Jews Should Harass Arab Officials with Court Motions by Gil Ronen  Defense Minister Ehud Barak did not leave Britain despite an Arab court petition to have him arrested this week, after consulting with advisers who told him the Arab move would fail. Dr. Ruby Seibel, formerly Legal Adviser to the Foreign Ministry and currently a lecturer on international law in the Jerusalem Hebrew University, told Arutz Sheva's Hebrew service that Barak's decision to remain in Britain was a sound one. He also said Israel should cooperate with Jewish groups to harass Arab officials with legal motions to have them arrested abroad, too. "I was one of the people who were consulted before his decision to stay and I told him very clearly that there was no chance that the Defense Minister would be arrested,” Dr. Seibel said. “He has immunity just like any other minister who is invited to Britain and enjoys diplomatic immunity. In addition, the British government has no desire to have its court used for political purposes, just as we would not want a European citizen to file charges against the Serbian government in the Supreme Court in Jerusalem.” Psychological warfare Dr. Seibel said the Arab plaintiffs were trying to frighten Israel. “Those Palestinian organizations want to embarrass us, first and foremost,” he explained. “So they will not be able to do anything against ministers because they have immunity but it is quite possible to file motions against IDF officers and there is no quick solution for that.” "What the State of Israel needs to do is first of all, to file requests with various governments asking that they appear in our name and defend us, especially when you are dealing with friendly governments. I think that most countries can prevent the filing of such provocative motions at the first stage, before it reaches the court. Only in Britain is this not possible.” Dr. Siebel called upon the government of Israel and the Foreign Ministry to make use of pro-Jewish organizations and to follow the Arabs' example by filing similar motions against PA officials who visit abroad. "We too should be bothering those terrorists, filing motions against Syrian government officials suspected of torture, and pestering Arab representatives so that they too undergo the same kind of harassment we may have to face in the near future,” he suggested. Comment on this story 6. Activist: Police Complicit in Temple Mount Discrimination by Maayana Miskin  Temple Institute director Yehuda Glick has filed charges over an incident Sunday in which a police officer cursed Jewish worshippers following Muslim riots on the Temple Mount. The incident shows that many police officers hold the unspoken belief that Jews are to blame for trouble on the Temple Mount, he said. Glick also accused police of playing into the hands of Muslim worshippers who attempt to drive Jews off of the mount. Muslims instigate violence, and police respond by barring Jews from visiting the site in order to avoid violence, he said. “They learned that if they throw rocks, the Jews will not enter the Temple Mount. After this incident, the Temple Mount was closed to Jews and Arabs were allowed to enter freely,” he said. Glick filed charges against the officers in charge of entrance to the Temple Mount, claiming religious discrimination. While non-Jewish tourists and Jews who are not religiously observant are allowed to enter the Temple Mount compound with relative freedom, religious Jews are detained and searched, he said. "The officers should be charged with contempt of court and giving false testimony for telling the courts that there is no discrimination at the entrance to the Temple Mount,” he said. Glick also filed charges against the individual officer who cursed Jewish worshippers, Fadhi Beider. Beider is accused of punching and cursing a Jew after hearing him blame Arabs for the Sunday riot. "An officer like that does not belong in the Israel police force,” Glick said. Comment on this story 7. For the First Time, Most Jewish Americans Support Iran Attack by Gil Ronen  A new American Jewish Committee (AJC) survey of American Jews shows that for the first time, a majority of them would support a U.S military strike against Iran, and an even larger majority would support such a move by Israel. The AJC survey showed that 56 percent of American Jews would support, and 36 percent would oppose, United States military action against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. This is a real shift from 2008, when the AJC survey found that 42 percent would support the U.S. taking military action against Iran, while 47 percent were opposed. 66 percent would support, and 28 percent would oppose, Israel taking military action against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. On the Obama Administration’s general handling of the Iran nuclear issue, 49 percent of American Jews approve and 35 percent disapprove. Mounting concern “Clearly concerns are mounting over the international community’s apparent inability to deploy tough and resolute sanctions to confront a belligerent Iran determined to build nuclear weapons and missiles to deliver them,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris. 94 percent of American Jews agree that the Palestinians should be “required to recognize Israel as a Jewish state in a final peace agreement.” Distrust of the Arabs is high but slightly lower than it was in 2007: 75 percent agree, and 19 percent disagree, with the statement, “The goal of the Arabs is not the return of occupied territories but rather the destruction of Israel.” In the 2007 survey, 82 percent agreed and 12 percent disagreed. Nonetheless, regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state, 49 percent favor that outcome, and 41 percent are opposed. In AJC’s 2007 survey, 46 percent were in favor and 43 percent opposed. A united, Jewish Jerusalem When asked whether Israel, in the framework of a permanent peace with the Palestinians, should be willing to compromise on the status of Jerusalem as a united city under Israeli jurisdiction, 37 percent are in favor, and 58 percent opposed. These numbers are almost unchanged from 2007. Fifty-four percent of U.S. Jews approve, and 32 percent disapprove, of the Obama Administration’s handling of U.S.-Israel relations. Meanwhile, 59 percent approve, and 23 percent disapprove, of the Netanyahu government’s handling of U.S.-Israel relations. Denominational affiliation appears to be a key factor in determining attitudes. While majorities of Conservative (54 percent) and Reform Jews (59 percent) approve, only 14 percent of Orthodox Jews approve of the Obama Administration’s handling of U.S.-Israel relations. The pollsters said that the survey's 800 respondents “are representative of the United States adult Jewish population on a variety of measures.” The margin of error from the sample as a whole is plus or minus 3 percentage points. Comment on this story | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Everyday of Freedom is an Act of Faith for my writings ============> http://robertoscaruffi.blogspot.com for something on religions ===> http://scaruffi1.blogspot.com
Friday, 2 October 2009
http://www.web-view.net/Show/0XFA093E69AFC5FDE6B2DBDE068D7AF090001E04F11E9434438186735DBD637488.htm
