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1. Ahmadinejad Maneuvering Hizbullah and Israel into War?
by Hana Levi Julian
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is reportedly angling to start another war between Israel and the Lebanese Hizbullah terrorist group in order to deflect attention away from his own lack of popularity at home. Ahmadinejad has faced constant friction from grassroots opposition movements since last June, when lopsided election results re-electing the president raised red flags among suspicious voters, who suspected the government had rigged the polls.
“As Israel is beating the war drums four years after its humiliating military defeat against Hizbullah, many believe that Ahmadinejad might exploit another conflict between Israel and the militant group as a way of resolving his own lack of legitimacy inside Iran,” wrote Iran's Green Voice newspaper.
The publication, which represents the “green” anti-government protest movement in Iran, noted that many Hizbullah terrorists were involved in the violent post-presidential election crackdowns on protestors who demonstrated for weeks against the results.
The newspaper identified as one example Hossein Manif Ashmar, a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard force that attacked the northern Tehran campaign office of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi on election day, June 12, 2009. The paper said Ashmar, who has been living in the country since the mid-1990s, also works at Hizbullah headquarters in Iran. Two of his brothers died as “shaheeds” (martyrs) – both as members of the Hizbullah terrorist group.
Infusion of Funds for Hizbullah Terrorists
The report also alleged that Hizbullah was the beneficiary of a gift of $400 million from its Iranian handlers last month during “Iran-Lebanon Friendship Week.”
The transaction allegedly took place through the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, according to Green Voice, which reported that the cultural event provided the cover for the funds transfer.
Mehrdad Bazrpash, adviser to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was the agent who carried out the transaction. Prior funds transfers to the terrorist group had apparently been sent through Iran's Saderat bank. According to the report, however, international sanctions have now blocked that channel – hence the personal trip by Bazrpash to the embassy in Lebanon.
2. New Israel Fund Group Wants Arabs to Vote Abroad, Too
by Gil Ronen
An Arab advocacy group would like Arab citizens of Israel who live abroad to vote for the Knesset, if a proposed law to allow Israelis to vote abroad passes. The group, Mossawa, which is supported by the New Israel Fund, estimates that about 80,000 Arab families have emigrated from Israel and most of them reside in the US, Canada and Latin America.
The bill is a joint initiative by Avigdor Lieberman's Jewish-nationalist Israel Our Home party and the governing Likud party. Mossawa's idea is probably not what the bill's initiators envisioned when they proposed it.
Mossawa director Jaafer Farah announced the initiative on a radio show on government-run Voice of Israel in the Arabic Language, on which he was a guest. Farah said that following the decision to allow expatriate citizens to vote, his group had decided to create a database of Arab citizens abroad and hold a survey in order to reach out to them.
"The Arab expatriates are our ambassadors abroad and we must reach them and make contact with them – this is very important,” Farah emphasized.
A representative of the Interior Ministry who was also interviewed said that at present, Israelis who reside abroad and wish to vote must go to the Israeli embassy or consulate in order to receive an Israeli ID card or passport, and then must travel to Israel in order to vote.
Show presenter Iman Al-Kassem called on the listeners to learn the law well so as not to encounter legal snags. “Arabs who emigrated must hold on to their citizenship and ID cards in order to make sure they will be able to return to Israel,” she said.
A subcommittee of the Knesset's Law, Constitution and Justice Committee has been established in order to look into allegations that NGOs including those assisted by the New Israel Fund use money from foreign donors in order to damage Israel.
3. Muslim Riots Reach Temple Mount
by Gil Ronen
The riots that began in Hevron last week reached the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on the morning of the Purim holiday (Sunday). Four police officers were lightly hurt, as were at least 15 Arab rioters.
The riots started Monday after the government decided to include the Cave of Patriarchs in Hevron – Judaism's second most holy site – in a list of national heritage sites to receive extra funding, as well as the Tomb of Rachel the Matriarch near Bethlehem.
About 30 Arab Muslim youths threw rocks at visitors to the Temple Mount Sunday. A police force reacted by entering the mosque compound and the Arab attackers fled into the Al Aqsa mosque.
The Temple Mount mosques' public address speakers broadcast calls of incitement in the morning hours, including anti-Jewish phrases, calls for 'jihad' (holy war) and cries of “allahu akbar” - “Allah is great.”
There has also been ongoing violence between police and Arabs in the alleys of the Old City. Muslim youths have attacked police with rocks at the “Antonia Gate” entrance to the Temple Mount. One suspect was arrested near the Ecce Homo arch. A group of some 100 female rioters attempted to march in the Sultan Suleiman area of eastern Jerusalem.
4. Fatah Leaders Praise Mass Murderer
by Maayana Miskin
A Fatah conference held this week in Ramallah included a speech in praise of terrorists. A member of Fatah's central committee, Mahmoud el-Aloul, said Fatah would continue to honor Arabs who died fighting Israel and commemorate their attacks.
El-Aloul, formerly the governor of Shechem, said Fatah would endeavor to pass the “tradition of struggle” to the next generation of PA Arabs.
Among his listeners were representatives from various PA institutions. The PA is currently run by Fatah, and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is a long-time member of the group.
Aloul gave particular honor to female terrorist Dalal Mughrabi. Mughrabi led a squad of eleven terrorists who infiltrated Israel by boat from Lebanon in 1978 and murdered dozens of civilians, including 13 children and American photographer Gail Rubin, in what became known as the Coastal Road Massacre.
A spokesman for MK Michael Ben-Ari of the National Union slammed the government for failing to act in the face of Fatah's praise for terrorism. “The government needs to figure out why it insists on conducting negotiations with a gang of terrorists. In any normal country, the government would declare war on Fatah over statements like these.
"Only Israel allows itself to capitulate to its enemies.”
5. Fatal Quake in Chile: Tsunami Waves in Japan
by Maayana Miskin
A magnitude-8.8 earthquake hit Chile on Saturday, killing at least 300 people. The death toll continues to rise as more bodies are found and as reports come in from outlying areas. The Foreign Ministry reported that twenty Israeli travellers have not yet contacted their families. There is no word yet on the Jewish community in Chile.
The quake sparked fears of a tsunami around the Pacific. Scientists warned that large waves could reach as far as the eastern coast of Asia and northwestern Canada. By Sunday morning, waves had hit New Zealand, Japan and the Philippines, and tens of thousands of people were evacuated in advance.
The island state of Hawaii is expected to be hit by its largest waves since 1964.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has called on citizens not to panic and to stay off the roads in the immediate future. The Santiago airport has been shut down.
Israel was among the nations to offer help following the disaster. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Saturday evening that Israel would offer whatever assistance is necessary. The Chilean government has said that it does not need help so far.
6. Paramedics Save Two Babies
by Maayana Miskin
Paramedics working with Magen David Adom (MDA) managed to save the lives of both a baby and a toddler late last week. The incident took place within a three-hour span on Thursday afternoon.
The first rescue took place in Telmon, where paramedic Pini Greenburg and his crew were called to a clinic and found a daycare worker holding an unconscious two-year-old boy. The child had choked on a piece of bread and had stopped breathing; his pulse was very slow.
The crew began resuscitation attempts immediately. Medics struggled for half an hour to save the child's life. “In a situation like that, as a father to young children, I'm always surprised by the emotional response... I felt like the child's life was slipping away, I fought for his life and said a prayer in my heart. I knew we had to do everything we could, everything,” Greenberg recalled.
A second crew took the toddler to Shaarei Tzedek hospital in Jerusalem. On the way, the child began to breath without assistance. As he was rushed into the emergency room, he regained consciousness fully and began to cry.
Just hours later, paramedics were called to a Jerusalem neighborhood where a two-month-old baby had choked while eating. A team led by Yair Schussheim arrived and found the baby was not breathing and had no pulse.
Medics began resuscitating the baby and managed to restore the child's heartbeat. The baby was taken to Hadassah Har Hatzofim hospital. Two hours later, doctors informed the MDA crew that the baby had begun to breath independently, and that the medics' quick response had saved his life.
Following the incidents, MDA repeated an announcement advising parents to take one of the organization's courses in CPR. The course is four hours long and includes the proper response to a situation in which a child has choked, allowing parents to take action immediately in case of emergency.
7. Goldstein's Grave Sealed Off for Purim
IDF soldiers and policemen entered the city of Kiryat Arba, near Hevron, on Saturday and sealed off the grave of Baruch Goldstein. The grave was apparently closed in order to prevent memorial ceremonies at the site.
Goldstein, an American-born resident of Kiryat Arba, entered the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hevron on Purim of 1994 and began shooting at Muslims. According to the Palestinian Authority, 29 people were killed and more than a hundred were wounded. Goldstein was captured by PA Arabs and killed immediately.
PA officials say Goldstein murdered innocent worshipers. However, many believe Goldstein acted to thwart an imminent Muslim pogrom, and some have marked the anniversary of the incident at his grave in previous years.
Residents of Kiryat Arba expressed anger Saturday night at the decision to seal off the grave before the Sabbath had ended. By doing so, police desecrated the Sabbath unnecessarily, and created a public disturbance, they charged.
Arab residents of Hevron, adjacent to Kiryat Arba, continued to riot on Friday and attacked Israeli soldiers. Arab residents of the area began frequent riots last week, allegedly in response to Israel's decision to include the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hevron on a list of national heritage sites.
The traditional "Adloyada" Purim parade is to take place in Hevron this morning as planned, with police preventing Arabs from approaching the vicinity of the festivity.
