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1. Military Censor Accused of Backing Release of Terrorists
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
An Israeli journalist has charged that the military censor, Sima Vaknin-Gil, is placing a gag order on statements concerning the proposal to free murderers for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit even though many would-be declarations do not endanger the security of the country.
Channel 10 reporter Raviv Druker wrote in his blog, “I have no idea when a deal for Shalit will reach the Cabinet, but I am prepared to guess how the censor would vote if she could – ‘for’ and in a big way.”
“She is entitled personally to support whatever she wants, but as the military censor, she cannot act in order to advance or ruin the chances of a deal,” the journalist wrote.
“The job of the censor is to stop publicity that has a possibility of damaging national security and is not to prevent publishing what she thinks will harm the proposed deal. She places a gag order on many issues concerning Shalit that have nothing to do with security and leaves the public exposed to information that is almost entirely based on Arab media,” he added.
The current situation serves the interests of those who favor releasing terrorists, including those involved in murdering Jews, for Shalit, according to Druker. Vaknin-Gil categorically rejected the accusations.
Hamas media reported Monday afternoon that the deal is clinched except for the name of one terrorist that Israel does not want to release. Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar is scheduled to travel to Egypt for more talks, but spokesmen for the terrorist organization said it is not certain he will travel on Monday.
Previous rumors of an imminent agreement to free Shalit either never panned out or were ditched at the last moment by the refusal of either Israel or Hamas to concur on last-minute details.
Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert brought a proposal to the Cabinet shortly before his government ended, but Cabinet ministers accepted the advice of military and security officials and nixed the deal.
2. Turmoil in Canada over Alleged War Crimes in Afghanistan
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
A veteran Canadian foreign service officer charged the government with hiding war crimes in the war in Afghanistan. Military and government leaders denied the accusations as unsubstantiated.
If proven, Canada may face charges similar to those leveled against Israel for alleged crimes in fighting terrorists in Gaza, but Judge Richard Goldstone, who authored the United Nations report condemning Israel, has not commented on the latest charges.
Richard Colvin who has was the former diplomatic head of the Canadian reconstruction team in Afghanistan, testified in a parliamentary committee that Canadian forces handed over detainees to the Afghan national security agency while knowing that some of them may be innocent but still would face torture for up to several months.
“Colvin was careful not to lay blame with the military police who were charged with transferring prisoners to the Afghan torturers,” wrote International Law Professor Errol Mendes in the Ottawa Citizen. “He asserted that there was an astonishingly loose framework created by the highest military and civilian ranks on the transfer of detainees that created the danger of Canada and Canadian officials becoming complicit in torture."
Colvin testified that Canadian officials refused to accept his phone calls warning of war crime violations while British and Dutch officials reported transfers of detainees to their legislatures.
Colvin, now head of Canadian intelligence in Washington, revealed that when the Red Cross tried for months to warn Canadian officials about the torture of detainees, no one would even take his phone calls.
“In the same 17 months that Colvin was sending his reports to dozens of officials,… the [Canadia government was denying in Parliament and the media that there were any substantial reports of Canadian detainees being tortured,” Prof.Mendes added.
“These allegations, if proven, go beyond the detainee abuse,” he continued. “It goes to what is the most sacred in our constitutional and democratic society in Canada. The rule of law requires that no one is above the law and if there is any actual or potential evidence of wrongdoing or illegality, it must be brought to the attention of the appropriate authorities to either stop it or prevent any future occurrence.”
However, Colvin admitted in his testimony that he had little first-hand testimony, causing Defense Minister Peter MacKay to dismiss the allegations as “nothing short of hearsay, second- or third-hand information, or that which came directly from the Taliban.
"There has not been a single, solitary proven allegation of abuse involving a transferred Taliban prisoner by Canadian Forces," MacKay asserted.
3. Thanks to Arutz Sheva, Jerusalem Property Stays in Jewish Hands
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz & David Lev
In the wake of a report last week by Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, Jerusalem real estate purchased in a Zionist reclamation project over 30 years ago will remain in Jewish hands.
Aryeh King, chairman of the National Lands Fund, told Arutz Sheva Radio about an American Jewish businessman who lost his properties as a result of the global economic meltdown. As a result, among other necessary steps, he was forced to sell off Jerusalem property he purchased as part of a Zionist venture 30 years ago, when he lived in Iran. Thus far, King reported, the businessman sold one dunam of his four-dunam property in the capital to an Arab purchaser, who also obtained the right of first refusal for the remaining dunams should a Jewish buyer not be found.
This week King said that, due to the exposure the story received through Arutz Sheva, dozens of Jewish purchasers have come forward. They include Israelis and Diaspora Jews, some of whom offered to buy the land themselves and others who wanted to establish purchasing collectives.
Among those who offered to purchase the Jerusalem real estate, King said, was former Knesset Member Shmuel Flatto-Sharon. The former MK and businessman expressed an interest in the property after reading about the case on the Arutz Sheva website.
According to King, due to the many offers the current landowner received, it was decided to divide the remaining dunams of property among three separate buyers, rather than selling to one individual. One of the buyers is a Jerusalem businessman, a second is a resident of the south of the country and a third lives abroad.
The dunam that has already been sold, to a resident of the Beit Safafa neighborhood of Jerusalem, cannot be retrieved unless the buyer is willing to sell the land back. That purchase was already completed and carried out before the American businessman's story was publicized.
4. Dear Bibi: No Terrorists for Shalit, Says PM’s Brother-in-Law
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Dr. Haggai Ben-Artzi wrote his brother-in-law, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, an unusually sharp letter in which he told the Prime Minister he should resign rather than cave in to pressure to release jailed terrorists for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.
Shalit was kidnapped more than three years ago by Hamas and allied terrorists, and mainstream media recently have resumed a campaign promoting the release of up to 1,000 terrorists, many with “blood on their hands,” for Shalit’s release. His emotional state is not known, but he is presumed to be physically healthy although he was wounded in the terrorist attack that killed two of his comrades.
“Leave office with clean hands and don't bring shame on Shalit, his family and all of Israel” if the Prime Minister cannot withstand the pressure, Dr. Ben-Artzi wrote.
Referring to the latest rumors, planted by Hamas, that a deal may be near for swapping terrorists for the soldier, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s brother-in-law continued, “I pray that these rumors are not correct. If they are true, I strongly appeal to you at the last moment: Bibi, if you cannot stand up to the pressure from the media and from left-wing elements, quit and go home with clean hands and a pure heart.
“Don’t sign a humiliating deal that not only makes you a laughing stock but also places on your shoulders the responsibility for the next wave of terror that is liable to be even worse than the previous one.”
Documented evidence has shown that more than 180 Israelis have been murdered by terrorists released in previous deals and “goodwill” measures to bolster the position of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Prof. Ben-Artzi pointed out that Prime Minister Netanyahu wrote in his book "The West Can Win” that freeing terrorists “is a terrible mistake that brings about increased terror through blackmail.” He appealed to his brother-in-law to follow his own advice to Western nations not to free convicted terrorists.
“I am sorry to say, Bibi, that the blood of hundreds of murdered Israelis and thousands of others who were wounded in the Second Intifada [also known as the Oslo Wa is on your hands” because of his agreeing to free them during his first term as prime minister,” the letter continued.
He concluded,” Return to your own principles [and don’t conduc negotiations with terrorist groups for freeing terrorists, because there is no surrender to blackmail to those who want to destroy Israel.”
5. Peres Sidesteps Mubarak’s Demand for Eastern Jerusalem
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
President Shimon Peres, visiting Egypt on Sunday, sidestepped Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s declaration the Arab world agrees that all of eastern Jerusalem must be part of a future Palestinian Authority state.
President Peres replied, "I have a clear message to the Arab world: we do not intend to build in the Temple Mount. We respect Muslims and I regret the mask of rumors and lies” alleging Israeli activity on the holy site. Arab media repeatedly have alleged that the Jewish State is excavating underneath the site in order to bring about the collapse of the al-Aqsa mosque.
Mubarak insisted, "Jerusalem is not only a Palestinian problem but it is an issue that concerns all Muslims around the world. If we don't find a solution to Jerusalem... Israel will make enemies of all Muslims around the world.
President Peres said he does not deny there are gaps between Israel and the Arab world but reminded his host that all of Jerusalem is under Israeli sovereignty and any change in its status requires the approval of the Knesset.
Mubarak praised the veteran Israeli leader for visiting Egypt. The Egyptian leader has never visited Jerusalem except for the funeral of former Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin.
6. Pro-Israel Canadians Strike Back with 'Buy-Cott' Campaign
by David Lev
Leftists and anti-Israel activists in Canada will be "celebrating" the United Nations' International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People November 28 with nationwide picketing of the country's MEC stores (Mountain Equipment Co-op), a 2.9 million member strong retail cooperative, that sells outdoor gear and clothing – while supporters of Israel hit back with increased efforts to promote a "buy-cott" of Israeli goods.
Leftist and anti-Israel groups have been using the Palestinian Solidarity Day as a springboard to punish Israel instead of seeking ways to improve the lives of Arabs living in Israel. Each year, groups in Canada hone in on a different business that buys from or otherwise has financial interests in Israel. The groups, under an umbrella organization called the "Boycott Israeli Apartheid Campaign," have targeted MEC this year because some of the products it sells – including underwear and hydration packs – are made in Israel, by a company called Source Vagabond (best-known for their "shoresh" sandals, popular among Israeli youth).
Demonstrations outside MEC stores will take place in the 12 cities in Canada where the large MEC branches are located, including Calgary, Toronto, Ottowa, Montreal, and Vancouver. Protestors will attempt to sign up shoppers on petitions calling for MEC to ban Israeli products, and the organization urges customers "write/fax/phone the board of MEC telling them of your actions and asking that MEC halt all dealings with Israeli companies."
The group has been targeting MEC not just in recent weeks but all year; at the company's annual meeting last April, boycott organizers tried to foist a resolution on the company forbidding it to buy Israeli products. That effort, as well as other attempts to impose a boycott on Israeli goods in Canada, was foiled by the Canada-Israel Commitee's "Buycott" campaign, which encourages Canadian consumers to buy Israeli goods.
In one recent incident in Toronto, the group says, anti-Israel groups began a campaign against Israeli wines before Passover .In response, the group said, "the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto led the way in a Buy-cott drive to purchase as much Israeli wine as possible. E-mails were sent out to thousands and the pro-Israel community mobilized to counter the boycott, with their wallets and purses. The result? Within half an hour, the liquor store at which the protestors called for a boycott was completely sold out of Israeli wine."
Ironically, a recent editorial in the Vancouver Sun said that urging MEC to boycott Israeli goods would end up hurting the very people the anti-Israel groups claim they want to help; a boycott would "penalize MEC, its Israeli suppliers and Palestinian subcontractors who work for Source Vagabond Systems."
7. Rabbis Demand Hands Off Hesder Yeshivot, As Teens Join Protests
by David Lev
Dozens of rabbis of the National-Religious movement met Sunday night in Jerusalem to discuss the problems facing the movement, especially the issue of protests by religious soldiers against the expulsion of Jews from their homes in communities that the government terms "illegal outposts."
The discussion came a day after the phenomenon of soldiers refusing to remove Jews from their homes seemed to have filtered down to Israelis even before army age, as members of the Bnai Akiva youth movement in the town of Hasmonaim, halfway betweeen Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, unfurled their own banner during Saturday night's annual ceremonies, celebrated by the Bnai Akiva movement worldwide. The banner read "Netzach (the name of the Bnai Akiva group) does not remove Jews from Homesh," referring to the northern Samaria town cleared of its residents during the expulsion program in 2005.
Residents of Hashonaim told Arutz 7 that they heartily approved of the youths' initiative. In an interview, one of the youths said that the banner was designed "to support the IDF soldiers who in recent days protested orders to remove Jews from their homes." The youth added that he admired the soldiers who had received orders to act against their fellow Jews and decided to defy them. According to youths who participated in the protest, the banner was the idea of several students in IDF pre-army academies and Hesder yeshivot.
The Nachson and Shimshon battalion soldiers who unfurled similar banners recently were also students in these institutions, and IDF brass have been calling for investigations into how the students were being educated. Top officers have argued that it was possible that the army will end the "hesder" program for yeshivot who encourage students to disobey orders to expel Jews and at the same time encourage them to fight in elite IDF units. On Sunday night, rabbis of the National-Religious movement sent a message to Defense Minister Ehud Barak that the yeshivot are united, and that no yeshiva will not tolerate sanctions against any other one.
"We demand that the Prime Minister and Defense Minister conduct an in-depth discussion on the question of participation by soldiers in the removal of Jews from their homes in Judea and Samaria." the rabbis said in a statement. "It is not proper to force soldiers to act against their consciences and beliefs. We also ask the heads of the Hesder yeshivot to stand united against the possibility of the abrogation of the 'hesder' [arrangemen with any of the yeshivot."
The statement, addressing the Prime Minister and the IDF Chief of Staff, added that "before you harm the Hesder yeshivot, whose soldiers are dedicated to the state, you should stop sending your officers to universities, where the lecturers speak against the state and the IDF and call for disobeying orders in the wars against our enemies."
