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| Friday, Oct 9 '09, Tishrei 21, 5770 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1. Iran Threatens Israel: We'll Blast Your Heart Out by Hillel Fendel  A high-ranking Iranian government official says Iran will respond to either an American or Israeli attack by "blowing up the heart of the State of Israel." The spokesman is a representative of Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran's highest spiritual leader, in the country's most powerful military force, the Revolutionary Guard. "Even if one Zionist or American rocket hits our land," said Mojtaba Zolnour, "Iranian rockets will explode in the heart of Israel even before the dust settles." He sounded the threat on Friday morning. Just a week ago, Iran conducted an exercise in which it fired multiple long-range Shihab-3 ballistic missiles simultaneously. The rockets are able to reach any point in the Middle East, as well as some in Europe. Western and Iranian negotiators are scheduled to begin their next round of talks on Iran's uranium enrichment program later this month. The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to have President Barack Obama report by January 31 on his diplomatic efforts to have Iran stop its drive to acquire nuclear weapons. Earlier this year, Obama set an informal deadline of "the end of this year" to see if negotiations with Iran would prove effective. Congress has now given him an extra month. The new bill, which still requires Senate approval, also demands the levying of sanctions on Iran if that country does not accept the American offer "to engage in diplomatic talks" and also if it does not "suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities" related to its nuclear ambitions. Comment on this story 2. Nobel Peace Prize to US President Obama by Hillel Fendel  The Nobel Prize Committee in Oslo has selected Barack Obama, rookie president of the United States, as its Peace Prize winner for 2009. The committee said Obama was awarded the prize for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples." Obama will receive a gold medal, a diploma and 10m Swedish kronor ($1.4 million). The five-member committee had to consider a record 205 nominations for this year's prize, and held more meetings than usual. Among the nominees were French President Nicolas Sarkozy; Denis Mukwege, a Congolese gynecologist who has helped thousands of female victims of sexual violence; Colombian senator Piedad Cordoba, who has worked to bring an end to the civil war in her country; Afghan doctor and human rights activist Sima Samar; and Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad Bin Talal of Jordan, an advocate of inter-religious dialogue. Obama’s much-touted speech four months ago in Cairo earned him many points around the world for his peace-making efforts. In that address, he said, “I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles - principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.” Though emphasizing he would continue to fight “Muslim extremists,” Obama underlined his desire to remove American troops from Afghanistan, as well as his plan to gradually remove forces from Iraq. He also reiterated his strong demands upon Israel and the Palestinian Authority to reach an agreement, based on “two states where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security.” Despite Obama’s strong words and receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize for them, no progress has been made between Israel and the PA. Last year’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari. In 1994, the prestigious prize was awarded to PLO founder Yasser Arafat, considered the father of modern-day terrorism, together with Israel's Yitzchak Rabin and Shimon Peres. The other sitting U.S. presidents to be awarded the prize were Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and Woodrow Wilson in 1919. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter won in 2002. Comment on this story  3. Temple Mount Tensions Rise; Fatah, Hamas Call Muslims to Act by Maayana Miskin  Thousands of police officers have deployed in Jerusalem Friday in advance of Muslim prayers on the Temple Mount. Police are on high alert following a week in which Muslims rioted in and around Jerusalem, as Muslim and Arab leaders accused Israel of attempting to harm the al-Aksa Mosque atop the Mount. In an attempt to reduce the chance of riots, police have limited access to the Temple Mount to Muslims only - only females, or men who are under age 18 or over 50. In addition, only those with Israeli or Jerusalem identity cards will be allowed in, while foreign Muslims will be told to pray elsewhere. Tensions remained high on Thursday. While relative quiet was maintained in Jerusalem's Old City, attacks on Jews were reported in the nearby neighborhood of Mei Shiloach (Silwan) and across Judea and Samaria. Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Movement call to 'Defend Al-Aksa' As Israel attempts to reduce tensions, Hamas, Fatah and the Israel-based Islamic Movement have each called on Muslims to “defend al-Aksa.” Hamas declared Friday a “Day of Rage” and called on followers to protest, while Fatah called for a general strike on Friday on behalf of the al-Aksa mosque. Fatah, the party of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, accused Israel of working with “Jewish extremists” by allowing them to enter the Temple Mount compound. The Islamic Movement, an Israel-based Muslim organization that does not recognize Israel, has called for Israeli Muslims to arrive in Jerusalem for Friday prayers, and to ignore police limitations on the number or age of worshippers to be allowed in. UN Called to Intervene The Palestinian Authority has called on the United Nations to intervene in Jerusalem in order to prevent Israel from taking action regarding the Al-Aksa Mosque on the Temple Mount. PA officials, along with senior members of Fatah and Hamas, have accused Israel of planning to allow religious Jews increased access to the Mount. PA minister Riyad al-Maliki relayed the request to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday during a visit to New York. “I informed him of the escalation of Israel's policy against Palestinians and against the al-Aksa Mosque,” he told AFP. The PA and Muslim leaders have accused Israel of sparking Muslim riots in and around Jerusalem by allowing religious Jews – described in PA media as “extremist settlers” - to visit the Temple Mount. Comment on this story 4. American Islam Scholar Defies German Ban on Israeli Flag by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz  Robert Spencer, a scholar of Islamic history, theology and law, author, and the director of Jihad Watch, defied a German police ban on flying the Israeli flag at a Berlin gathering against anti-Semitism and Islamization on October 3, 2009. He discussed the incident with Israel National News on Thursday. The Berlin gathering was sponsored and organized by Bürgerbewegung Pax Europa (BPE), a nonpartisan, secular German nongovernmental organization dedicated to defending European civil traditions from political Islam. The gathered BPE members and their guests were met by far-left activists and Islamist sympathizers who marched by twice shouting "Nazis raus" - "Nazis, get out!" Ironically, as Spencer notes in his blog entry on the event, "The people assembled for the BPE rally shouted the same thing right back at them. Of course, there were no Nazis among us, and we were standing against anti-Semitism and in favor of free speech, legal equality, and democratic government...." According to Spencer, many people attending the BPE demonstration had Israeli flags. However, as he notes, "The German police told the BPE organizers that we had to put the Israeli flags away when leftists and jihadis passed by. ...Apparently the police were afraid that the Israeli flag would 'provoke' the leftist/jihadist demonstrators. But as I am not fond of placating thuggery and kowtowing before Islamic supremacism, I thought, well, if the police really don't want the Israeli flag shown, let them arrest an American citizen, and then things will get even more interesting. So I went out front, close to the counterdemonstrators, waving the big flag, but the German police moved me back. ...A reporter, demonstrating an objectivity level on par with that of, say, Michael Kruse, passed by with a barrage of sharp words for me and my flag...." In continuing defiance of the police ban, when invited to deliver his remarks, Spencer brought his Israeli flag to the podium and waved it back and forth before and after his speech. Spencer spoke about the growing trend of governments to give in to "attempts to demonize the resistance to the global jihad and Islamic supremacism as 'hatred,' 'racism,' 'fascism.'" He quoted from the Koran and demonstrated that if the laws curbing "religious hatred and incitement to discrimination and violence" were actually fairly applied, they would not protect Islam, but condemn it. However, according to Spencer, such laws are primarily designed "to render the West mute and hence defenseless against the advancing jihad." INN: Why did you and a group ostensibly dedicated to preserving European culture from Islamic conquest come equipped with Israeli flags? Spencer: "The group members generally seemed to recognize that Israel is on the front line of the same global Islamic jihad that threatens Europe and the United States, and all free people." INN: How did others in the group react to the police demand to conceal the Jewish state's flag? Spencer: "They reacted with indignation, and a determination to keep the Israeli flag flying." INN: Was there actually any trouble as a result of your "provocation" with the Israeli flag? Spencer: "No. When I came close to the counterdemonstrators while holding the flag, I was pushed back away from them by police. They said something to me in German, but I don’t speak German. That was all." INN: Did you feel the demand to conceal the flags was anti-Semitic on the part of the German authorities, or mere cowardice in the face of thugs? Spencer: "It seemed to me to be the latter. Of course, that cowardice enables and abets the thugs' anti-Semitism." INN: In your experience, do other police departments in other countries do similar things to accomodate pro-Islam "sensitivities"? Spencer: "I don’t recall any incidents like this outside of Germany. There was an incident in Germany a few months ago when police actually entered an apartment to take an Israeli flag down from a window, in order to avoid offending passing anti-Israel Islamic demonstrators. In the U.S., political correctness, ignorance and fear lead many police to adopt a naïve and overly accommodating stance toward groups with terror ties, but I don’t think there have been any similar incidents." Comment on this story  5. 3,000 Celebrate at Threatened Community by Gil Ronen  3,000 people participated in the Beit HaShoeva celebration at the threatened community of Haresha north of Jerusalem Thursday. The event was part of the struggle to raise awareness to that community's plight. The High Court has ruled that the permanent houses in the community must be destroyed. Haresha was established 12 years ago. Plans were prepared for permanent housing and the Ministry of Construction and Housing invested money in infrastructure. However, the Defense Minister has been unwilling to sign the plans for its development. This was the grounds for a motion by Peace Now to have the buildings at Haresha demolished. The High Court ruled in favor of that motion.  MK Ben-Ari at center of celebrations / Israel news photo The participants brought along their children, who enjoyed inflatable slides and other attractions, and who toured the community. The central event began at 3 p.m. and included performances by Musa Berlin and the singer Yirmiyahu. MKs Uri Ariel and Michael Ben-Ari attended. The original Beit HaShoeva celebration, which dates back to the times of the Jewish Temple, involved the drawing of water from the Shiloach spring, and the pouring of that water at the altar of the Temple, together with wine. Comment on this story 6. Anti-Shalit Deal Protesters Break through Media Iron Curtain by Gil Ronen  Hundreds of demonstrators took part in a demonstration outside the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem on Thursday, demanding that the government hold fast and not give in to exorbitant terrorist demands in return for the freedom of IDF soldier-hostage Gilad Shalit. The demonstrators included members of bereaved families, IDF reserve officers and concerned citizens. Protesters against the proposed deal to free up to 1,000 Hamas terrorists in return for Sgt. Shalit succeeded in receiving media coverage of their protests Thursday, after years in which the media virtually boycotted them. Most of the popular television channels and internet news sites gave their protest front-page coverage, releasing an apparent torrent of public support -- and relief that the opinion was finally being reported -- through the reader “talkbacks.” The protesters are bereaved fathers who lost their sons and daughters in terror attacks or in IDF counter-terror operations, and belong to the Almagor Terror Victims Organization.  Bereaved fathers Yossi Tzur (left) and Yossi Mendelovich / Israel news photo: Flash 90 Release is 'Immoral' One protester, Yossi Mendelevich, lost his 13-year-old son Yuval in a terror bus bombing in Haifa in 2003. “It appears that the release of the tape [of Shali over the weekend in return for some 'near murderesses' was just a spin intended to test the public's will,” he said. “Our feeling is that [Prime Minister Binyami Netanyahu is going forward [with the deal for Shali. That is why we came out with this campaign, in order to prevent the next strategic disaster. The previous one was in the Intifada of 2000 to 2005, when we lost our children. The next terror wave can be expected after such a large number of terrorists is released.” Lt.-Col. Dan Sion said that releasing terrorists convicted of murder is “immoral towards the families, and immoral towards the victims who will be murdered later on.” Released murderers will go back to killing people, he warned, making reference to previous deals with Lebanon-based terrorist groups: “Terrorists freed in the Tenenbaum deal have been responsible for the killings of 23 Israelis since then. Hundreds of others have been murdered by terrorists who were freed in the Jibril deal.” Three Years of Silencing For over three years, ever since Sgt. Gilad Shalit was captured by Hamas and related terror groups, Israeli news outlets have covered the exceedingly well-organized protests in favor of releasing Shalit “at any price” – a term which usually refers to the release of terrorist prisoners, including convicted killers. The opinions of Israeli citizens who oppose the release of Muslim murderers for Shalit has largely been ignored in the mass media coverage. The coverage appeared to release a torrent of public opinion that had previously been silenced. The news items covering the protest received hundreds of reader talkbacks which were overwhelmingly in favor of their stand and which repeatedly complained that the media had been silencing this position. It should be noted, however, that reader talkbacks are not considered to be reliable for gauging public opinion because of the ease with which they can be manipulated. Comment on this story 7. CIA: We Knew About 'Secret' Iranian Plant for Years by Maayana Miskin  Iran recently made waves by admitting to the existence of a clandestine uranium enrichment facility outside the city of Qom. This week, United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Leon Panetta revealed that America had actually been aware of the “secret” facility for some time. In an interview with Time Magazine, Panetta said he had been briefed on the facility in January, after being confirmed as the latest CIA head. America first suspected that the Qom plant was used for nuclear activity in 2006, he said. Agents first noticed the Qom site due to unusual activity in the area, including the installment of an anti-aircraft battery. The U.S. worked with Britain and France to monitor the facility. Israeli agents were involved in preparing a report on the plant, Panetta said. He did not give further details regarding Israeli involvement in the affair. "Our body of knowledge, based on multiple sources, grew to the point that allowed us earlier this year to reach the high-confidence conclusion that this was a covert nuclear facility,” Panetta revealed. U.S. leaders decided to withhold their knowledge of the plant's existence for months, preferring to reveal what they knew in a meeting with Iran and China, France, Germany, Russia and Britain. If the meeting had been canceled, U.S. President Obama planned to discuss the Qom plant in his speech to the UN General Assembly, according to Panetta. Iranian officials took the initiative in revealing the Qom facility shortly before the scheduled meeting – apparently after discovering that their clandestine activities had been discovered. 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, 9 October 2009
http://www.web-view.net/Show/0XFA093E69AFC5FDE644E56A86E7C06E55001E04F11E9434438186735DBD637488.htm
