Once again Europe's debt crisis has metastasized, and once again the financial
authorities face systemic contagion unless they take immediate and dramatic
action.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------ DEBT WOES MOUNTING ------------------------------------------------------------------------ EU Holds Crisis Meeting as Concern Grows Over Italy The euro zone is heading into what could be a turbulent summer recess. Finance ministers can't agree on a second aid package for Greece, and now markets are getting nervous about Italy. The EU's sluggish crisis management is partly to blame. http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,773595,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ EURO HIT BY NEW MARKET JITTERS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Merkel Urges Italy to Stick to Austerity Measures German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday responded to mounting investor concern over Italy by urging the country to pass its planned budget cuts to help restore confidence. Merkel said "Germany and all euro partners are steadfastly determined to defend the stability of the euro." http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,773759,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BREAKING THE POWER OF THE 'BIG THREE' ------------------------------------------------------------------------ German Firm Wants to Set Up New Rating Agency European politicians are blaming the escalation of the euro crisis on the major rating agencies, and are determined to break the monopoly of the "Big Three." Supporters of an intiative by a German consulting firm to set up a European rival agency believe that their time has come. http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,773549,00.html#ref=nlint -------------------- SPIEGEL 360: The Euro Crisis http://www.spiegel.de/international/topic/euro_crisis/#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MERKEL'S DROP-IN VISIT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Germany Is Missing Its Chance in Africa In Germany, most people think of wars, poverty and hunger when they think of Africa. Chancellor Angela Merkel's stopover on the continent, where she will travel to three countries in just three days, is unlikely to change that. Other nations have long been investing in Africa, and are reaping the benefits. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,773690,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A NEW ARMS RACE ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Exports Booming for German Weapons Manufacturers A decrease in orders from its own military has led Germany's arms industry to turn the focus of its sales efforts abroad. It has recently enjoyed amazing successes despite seemingly strict export controls. http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,773626,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE WORLD FROM BERLIN ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'Women's Football Doesn't Need Hyperbole' For the first time in a dozen years, the German women's football team won't be playing in the World Cup semi-finals after losing to Japan over the weekend. The result left both the team and fans dazed. But as tournament hosts and two-time defending champions, expectations may have simply been too high, commentators said on Monday. http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,773672,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ EX-STASI INFORMANTS AND NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ UN Social Report Relied on Questionable Sources A damning United Nations report has caused an uproar in Germany by severely criticized social inequalities in the country. But it does not hold up well under closer examination. Several passages were taken word-for-word from lobby groups and one part relies on testimony from a group associated with the former East German secret police. http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,773609,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ COOPERATION TALKS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Germany's RWE Mulls Gazprom as Major Shareholder German energy firm RWE and Gazprom, Russia's largest company, have been talking about possible link-ups in the future that could include Gazprom buying a strategic stake in the company, SPIEGEL has learned. http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,773601,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A DANGER OF BACKSLIDING ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'Politicians Like to Use the EU as a Scapegoat' In a SPIEGEL interview, Werner Hoyer, a senior German Foreign Ministry official, discusses the European Union's current unpopularity, German stereotypes of "lazy" southern Europeans and his concerns about Denmark's reintroduction of border controls. http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,773585,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ QUADRIGA QUAGMIRE ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Politicians Criticize Prize for Putin One of Germany's most prestigious prizes will reportedly be given to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Some leading politicians are questioning whether such a top honor should go to a man who leads a country with serious human rights problems. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,773631,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ AGGRESSIVE ARACHNID ON THE LOOSE ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Deadly Spider Shuts Down German Supermarket A supermarket in Germany was evacuated last Friday after a worker reported seeing one of the world's must deadly and vicious spiders -- a Brazilian Wandering Spider -- jump out of a banana crate. The store is due to reopen Monday after it was sprayed with pesticide -- but the beast has not been found. http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,773656,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SEX ABUSE IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bishops Open Personnel Files to Investigators The credibility of the Catholic Church in Germany has suffered enormously as a result of allegations of sexual abuse. Now the country's bishops have ordered investigations of an unprecedented scale in Europe. SPIEGEL has learned the church will provide external investigators with access to personnel files in all 27 dioceses. http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,773717,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PICTURE THIS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Field Wizardry http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,773680,00.html#ref=nlint
Messages In This Digest (10 Messages)
- 1.
- U.S. Reiterates Demand For Yemeni President To Step Down From: Rick Rozoff
- 2.
- Canadian Warship Leaves For Libyan War Mission From: Rick Rozoff
- 3.
- U.S., Australia Launch Large-Scale War Games From: Rick Rozoff
- 4.
- Washington Suspends Military Aid To Pakistan From: Rick Rozoff
- 5.
- U.S. To Upgrade Israeli Patriot Interceptor Missile System From: Rick Rozoff
- 6.
- Afghan War: NATO 2011 Death Toll Nears 300 From: Rick Rozoff
- 7.
- Rockets Hit Baghdad's Green Zone During U.S. Defense Chief's Visit From: Rick Rozoff
- 8.
- NATO's Libyan War: 14,672 Sorties, 5,539 Strike Missions From: Rick Rozoff
- 9.
- Pentagon: New Defense Secretary, Same Failed Policy From: Rick Rozoff
- 10.
- Russia Reiterates Opposition To Application Of Libyan Scenario To Sy From: Rick Rozoff
Debugging is one of the most important skills in programming--probably more important than writing code :) If your code doesn't WORK, it doesn't matter that you wrote it. Here are some articles to help you become a better debugger:
Bug Prevention and Debugging Strategy - A guide to the debugging thought process and making your programs easier to debug
Introduction to GDB - GDB is a debugger that comes with any Linux based (including Mac OS X) system
Introduction to the Visual Studio Debugger - If you don't have Visual Studio, you can get a free version of Visual Studio--check out the options here
How to Fix Segmentation Faults
- Learn to hunt down the dreaded segmentation fault (aka access
violation on Windows). You'll find this useful once you've learned about
pointers
Hunting Memory Leaks with Valgrind - A great Linux-based tool to hunt down memory leaks and other memory problems
Weitere Nachrichten
More: Think Again: Wall Street Wins (and Whines)
From the Cartoonist Group.
Nachrichten
Bildungsvolksbegehren: "Zu großflächig angelegt"Hannes Androsch hat 51.817 Unterschriften für seine Initiative. Politologe Plasser glaubt nicht, dass er viel erreichen wird. » mehr |
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Stierlauf in Pamplona
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Sarkozy stagne à 36% d'opinions positives
SYRIE. Assaut contre les ambassades française et américaine
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Pourquoi Martine Aubry a raison de combattre la rumeur
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En attaquant de front les rumeurs qui courent sur elle et son mari, la candidate à la primaire PS ne s’est pas seulement défendue avec courage, elle a fait œuvre de salubrité publique. Par Laurent Joffrin |
Rumeurs : c’est Google qui le dit
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Quand la saisie automatique de Google se transforme en machine à produire de fausses informations sur les personnalités publiques. |
Peut-on se passer d'hommes politiques en démocratie ?
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Certains pensent qu'ils sont "tous pourris". Mais ces citoyens ont-ils déjà envisagé un monde sans représentants politiques ? Par Custin d'Astrée, cadre financier et blogueur. |
Libye : les ratés d'une guerre française
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Sarkozy rêvait d'une guerre éclair. Mais rien ne s'est passé comme prévu. A la veille du vote du Parlement pour ou contre la poursuite de l'intervention, de hauts responsables ont raconté à Vincent Jauvert la véritable histoire de cette opération. |
Prix de l'essence : la polémique sur les profits pétroliers relancée
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Ll'UFC-Que choisir propose notamment une taxation exceptionnelle citoyenne des "marges amonts" pour financer la recherche afin de diminuer la dépendance pétrolière. |
Affaire DSK/Banon : la jeune femme a été entendue par la police
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L'entretien, qui fait suite au dépôt de plainte de la romancière pour tentative de viol, s'est déroulé "de manière respectueuse". |
Quatre corps découverts dans le lac d'Annecy
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Figure notamment parmi ces dépouilles celle du jeune disparu la semaine dernière. |
Un apéro saucisson pinard organisé à l'Assemblée par des députés UMP
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Cette initiative du collectif de la droite populaire (UMP) n'est pas sans rappeler les apéros organisés par l'extrême-droite. Par Emmanuelle Hirschauer |
Karachi : les familles des victimes veulent entendre Copé et Hortefeux
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Mediapart a révélé la proximité des deux hommes avec Ziad Takkedine, intermédiaire présumé dans des contrats d'armement. |
Afghanistan : un 64ème militaire français tué
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Touché par un tir fratricide, le soldat a succombé à ses blessures. |
Google+, la réussite par le spam ?
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Les développeurs d'applications pourraient délaisser Facebook pour le réseau social de Google, plus "viral". |
PARIS. Un incendie rue de la Boétie fait un blessé léger
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Le "violent feu de bureau" s'est déclaré vers 14h15, à proximité des Champs-Elysées. |
Notes de frais : des "erreurs" qui ont été régularisées selon Baudis
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Le Défenseur des droits a précisé que le redressement de l'Urssaf sur 36.000 euros de notes de frais portait "en fait sur quatre ans et demi". |
Dette : Merkel presse l'Italie d'adopter son budget
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"L'Italie doit envoyer elle-même un signal important" estime la chancelière allemande qui a personnellement téléphoné à Silvio Berlusconi. |
VIDEOS. Les chutes les plus spectaculaires du Tour de France
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Après la série d’incidents qui a marqué cette première semaine de compétition, retour sur les chutes mémorables du Tour. |
Naufrage en Russie: Medvedev ordonne la vérification de tous les transports
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Plus d’une centaine de passagers ont sans doute péri après le naufrage d’un bateau croisière sur la Volga. |
Hollande et Aubry battraient largement Sarkozy au second tour
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En tête des candidats socialistes, François Hollande est aussi désigné comme le candidat préféré des Français. |
Roland Petit, le Vieil Homme et la Mort
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Le chorégraphe laisse une oeuvre marquée par des créations séduisantes, mais aussi par le brillant factice des comédies musicales et le goût du strass et des paillettes. Par Raphaël de Gubernatis. |
Faut-il faire rêver les électeurs ou les rassurer ?
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OPINION. François Hollande et Martine Aubry ne sont pas du même avis sur ce point. Par Emmanuel Borde, militant socialiste. |
Primaire EELV : Eva Joly remporterait une victoire assez large
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C'est ce qu'indiquent les premières tendances du dépouillement des votes selon un responsable du parti écologiste. |
La discothèque du Haut-Doubs se dit victime d'une tromperie
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Selon le gérant, "l'image négative donnée aux Fins" a joué dans le fait que deux des trois membres des Black Eyed Peas annoncés ne soient pas venus. |
Maroc : les manifestations pour la démocratie continuent
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L'appel du Mouvement du 20 février a été entendu par des milliers de personnes qui ont manifesté pour "plus de démocratie". |
DSK : un sénateur démocrate réclame un procès
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Figure centrale de la communauté noire de Harlem, Bill Perkins demande au procureur Vance de poursuivre son enquête. |
Le retour des cours de morale en primaire, s'il vous plaît
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Une circulaire autorisant les enseignants à réintroduire les cours de morale vient d'être publiée. Par Jérôme Pasanau, étudiant en journalisme. |
Fukushima : la décontamination prendra plusieurs dizaines d'années
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Le premier ministre japonais a présenté un premier programme de décontamination de la centrale nucléaire très attendu. |
Gonorrhée : des scientifiques ont découvert une souche résistante aux antibiotiques
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La découverte est si récente que les chercheurs restent vagues sur l'ampleur de cette souche qui pourrait s'étendre rapidement. |
Guerre des déchets : qui veut la peau de Naples ?
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Tout le monde semble s'être uni pour ruiner la cité : la Camorra qui profite de la situation, la Ligue du Nord qui refuse la solidarité nationale, la classe politique locale qui rivalise d'incurie. Par Marcelle Padovani |
Atlantis s'est arrimée à l'ISS une dernière fois
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La navette doit livrer 3,7 tonnes de vivres, équipements et pièces de rechange pour permettre aux six astronautes de la station de tenir pendant un an. |
De nouveaux modèles de radars embarqués testés
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Un millier de radars supplémentaires seront installés d'ici 2012. |
Le célèbre chanteur argentin Facundo Cabral assassiné
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Des hommes non identifiés ont mitraillé la voiture du chanteur, immense star en Amérique latine. |
Le jeu vidéo de la semaine : Lego - Pirates des caraïbes
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Les célèbres briques danoises appliquent une recette bien rodée à une nouvelle saga. Au risque de lasser ? |
L'application de la semaine : Elections 2012
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Le service affiche un baromètre en "temps réel" des intentions de vote et une liste des candidats à la présidentielle mise à jour régulièrement. Pas indispensable mais bienvenu. |
| VIDEOS | |||||
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 Chute du Tour de France : le coup de gueule de Sandy Casar |
 Bande-annonce de "Lego : Pirates des caraïbes" |
 La bande-annonce de "Lego : Pirates des caraïbes" |
 Les plus belles demandes en mariage |
 Un guitariste aveugle rejoint U2 sur scène |
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| Blogs | |||
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Vive Bourguiba ! Par Jean Daniel |
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Juliette Binoche bouleversante, Patrice Chéreau au sommet Par Odile Quirot |
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FUKUSHIMA (suite 40) Des décennies pour nettoyer la centrale de Fukushima Par Dominique Leglu |
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La ”Youtubisation” de la vie privée Par Jérôme Hourdeaux |
| Voir tous les blogs | |||
Today`s Email Stories:
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| MP3 Radio | Website News Briefs: | |||||||||||
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1. Glenn Beck at Knesset: Biblical Esther and Ruth Guided Me
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
American news personality Glenn Beck told the Knesset Aliyah and Absorption Committee Monday that the Biblical Esther and Ruth have guided him as he stands up for Israel.
“Esther knew she had no choice but to come out and speak,” he said, referring to Queen Esther’s risking her life to save the Persian Jewish community. "I knew I had no choice but to speak the truth. I came here in 2002, looked for the truth, and when I got home, I received my first death threat."
Speaking of Ruth, a non-Jew who followed her Jewish mother-in-law Naomi from Moab to Israel and then converted, Beck said, “Your people are my people and I will go where you will go. Your G-d is my G-d. I invite the People of Israel to stand with your G-d."
”We have to believe in common decency, link arms, and G-d will do the rest.”
Beck spoke at the committee hearing at the invitation of committee chairman Danny Danon (Likud) and Shas Knesset Member Nissim Ze’ev. The panel wanted to hear Beck’s views on fighting the worldwide campaign trying to make Israel seem illegitimate.
“The world has changed. People now have power,” Beck told the committee. He explained that the Internet has allowed people to be more accessible to the truth, which he said has been censored by mainstream media.
“The world is being changed by a few guys in the basement writing on the Internet. The truth will set you free. Forget the [mainstream] media,” Beck added.
“Rulers want to control, and that is where there is trouble,” Beck told the committee and guests. “I am truly humbled and disturbed by what people say to me on the street… People sincerely thank me for saying the truth. What is disturbing is that if a guy just gets on television or radio and says that [and gets thanked for telling the truth], Israel and Western life is danger.”
Before delivering his message, Beck thanked Dr. Joseph Prager, Dr. Paul Brody and Odeleya Jacobs, three Zionist figures in the United States, for their support.
He said that the demands of the Palestinian Authority are another excuse for the world to continue a centuries-old campaign of anti-Semitism, which he said is “going through the roof. The United States has an economic problem and the Jews will be blamed.”
The Arab-Israeli conflict is “about the end of West and the destruction of Israel,” according to Beck.
He asked Israelis to join him in Jerusalem on August 24 when he is scheduled to hold a “Restoring Courage” rally, similar to the Restoring Honor rally in Washington last year. The rally next month will be views worldwide on at least 700 remote viewing stations.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
American news personality Glenn Beck told the Knesset Aliyah and Absorption Committee Monday that the Biblical Esther and Ruth have guided him as he stands up for Israel.
“Esther knew she had no choice but to come out and speak,” he said, referring to Queen Esther’s risking her life to save the Persian Jewish community. "I knew I had no choice but to speak the truth. I came here in 2002, looked for the truth, and when I got home, I received my first death threat."
Speaking of Ruth, a non-Jew who followed her Jewish mother-in-law Naomi from Moab to Israel and then converted, Beck said, “Your people are my people and I will go where you will go. Your G-d is my G-d. I invite the People of Israel to stand with your G-d."
”We have to believe in common decency, link arms, and G-d will do the rest.”
Beck spoke at the committee hearing at the invitation of committee chairman Danny Danon (Likud) and Shas Knesset Member Nissim Ze’ev. The panel wanted to hear Beck’s views on fighting the worldwide campaign trying to make Israel seem illegitimate.
“The world has changed. People now have power,” Beck told the committee. He explained that the Internet has allowed people to be more accessible to the truth, which he said has been censored by mainstream media.
“The world is being changed by a few guys in the basement writing on the Internet. The truth will set you free. Forget the [mainstream] media,” Beck added.
“Rulers want to control, and that is where there is trouble,” Beck told the committee and guests. “I am truly humbled and disturbed by what people say to me on the street… People sincerely thank me for saying the truth. What is disturbing is that if a guy just gets on television or radio and says that [and gets thanked for telling the truth], Israel and Western life is danger.”
Before delivering his message, Beck thanked Dr. Joseph Prager, Dr. Paul Brody and Odeleya Jacobs, three Zionist figures in the United States, for their support.
He said that the demands of the Palestinian Authority are another excuse for the world to continue a centuries-old campaign of anti-Semitism, which he said is “going through the roof. The United States has an economic problem and the Jews will be blamed.”
The Arab-Israeli conflict is “about the end of West and the destruction of Israel,” according to Beck.
He asked Israelis to join him in Jerusalem on August 24 when he is scheduled to hold a “Restoring Courage” rally, similar to the Restoring Honor rally in Washington last year. The rally next month will be views worldwide on at least 700 remote viewing stations.
Comment on this story
2. Key Witness Punches Holes in Rachel Corrie ‘Martyrdom’ Suit
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
A key witness testifying in the suit charging Israel with bulldozing to death activist Rachel Corrie in 2003 said in court Sunday it was an accident and that the young woman was either very ideological or simply “stupid.”
Retired Colonel Pinchas Zuaretz, who was a brigade commander in Gaza, told the judge in Haifa that the IDF operated correctly. "She was killed in an accident caused by her own negligence," he said. "Anyone who runs toward the fire either has very deep ideology or is stupid."
Corrie was a member of the anti-Israel International Solidarity Movement and was killed during a demonstration against the demolition of a building used by terrorists to shoot at soldiers. A pro-Hamas flotilla boat was named after her.
Her family and ISM activists sued, based on the claim that the IDF deliberately killed her. Subsequent footage released by the IDF showed that Corrie was in a trench, out of the line of vision of the driver of the bulldozer. Zuaretz added that a pile of rubble hid her from view and that she actually was killed not by the bulldozer but by a concrete pillar that was struck by the machine and which fell on her.
ISM witnesses have said that the driver saw her but continued moving towards her.
Corrie’s parents, Craig and Cindy, are suing out of principle, demanding one dollar plus court costs. They said they did not accept the military investigation that ruled that their daughter’s death was accidental.
Cindy Corrie said that the trial has brought out inconsistencies in the IDF investigation, adding that "the two people inside the bulldozer disagree about where her body was placed after the incident happened.”
The hearings on the case have concluded with Zuaretz’s testimony, but a verdict is not expected until next April.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
A key witness testifying in the suit charging Israel with bulldozing to death activist Rachel Corrie in 2003 said in court Sunday it was an accident and that the young woman was either very ideological or simply “stupid.”
Retired Colonel Pinchas Zuaretz, who was a brigade commander in Gaza, told the judge in Haifa that the IDF operated correctly. "She was killed in an accident caused by her own negligence," he said. "Anyone who runs toward the fire either has very deep ideology or is stupid."
Corrie was a member of the anti-Israel International Solidarity Movement and was killed during a demonstration against the demolition of a building used by terrorists to shoot at soldiers. A pro-Hamas flotilla boat was named after her.
Her family and ISM activists sued, based on the claim that the IDF deliberately killed her. Subsequent footage released by the IDF showed that Corrie was in a trench, out of the line of vision of the driver of the bulldozer. Zuaretz added that a pile of rubble hid her from view and that she actually was killed not by the bulldozer but by a concrete pillar that was struck by the machine and which fell on her.
ISM witnesses have said that the driver saw her but continued moving towards her.
Corrie’s parents, Craig and Cindy, are suing out of principle, demanding one dollar plus court costs. They said they did not accept the military investigation that ruled that their daughter’s death was accidental.
Cindy Corrie said that the trial has brought out inconsistencies in the IDF investigation, adding that "the two people inside the bulldozer disagree about where her body was placed after the incident happened.”
The hearings on the case have concluded with Zuaretz’s testimony, but a verdict is not expected until next April.
Comment on this story
3. Quartet Tries Resurrection of the Dead
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The Quartet (the United Nations, United States, Russia and European Union) is meeting in Washington on Monday to look for a way to resurrect the long-dead “peace process,” which already has been buried by Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Expectations are low to nil, and the most that the Quartet is expected to do is make an inconsequential demand that Israel stop Jews from living in Judea, Samaria and large parts of Jerusalem claimed by the Palestinian Authority, while calling on PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas to halt his campaign for PA recognition by the United Nations. The Quartet may also copy President Barack Obama's policy of establishing the PA as a state based on old borders.
Two years have passed since Israel and the PA have sat down for any substantial talks. Israel has surrendered on so many issues, including virtually erasing major PA commitments in the Oslo Accords, that there is nothing else it can compromise without losing its identity as a Jewish state.
Abbas, encouraged by previous Israeli concessions, has gone the traditional Arab route of demanding everything on the assumption he will not be left empty-handed.
Abbas has made it clear that the term “negotiations” with Israel means a pre-ordained acceptance of his conditions to establish the Palestinian Authority as an independent country. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has equally made it clear that there is nothing to talk about so long as Abbas refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
Abbas, going for broke, has chosen to depend on his international support and ask the United Nations to recognize the PA based on the Armistice Lines borders that disappeared in the Six-Day War in 1967. The international community has not accepted Israel’s post-1967 borders.
The chasm between Israel and the PA is so large that most mainstream media have declared the “peace process” to be dead, and they have blamed both Netanyahu and Abbas.
Even TIME magazine, which generally is relentless in its criticism of Israel, reported this week, “The outcome of Monday's [Quartet] meeting is likely to be another relatively bland statement backing a return to negotiations, on terms smudgy enough for their drafters to imagine they can be sold to both sides.
“But neither the U.S. nor the Europeans appear ready to reckon with what is blindingly obvious: The reason there are no negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian leadership, today, is that the two sides' bottom lines are simply too far apart to produce any agreement…
“Any Palestinian belief that the U.S. might pressure Israel into offering more has, on Obama's watch, been shown to be nothing more than wishful thinking.
“The specter of a U.N. vote is, in fact, a symptom of a train wreck that's already happened.”
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The Quartet (the United Nations, United States, Russia and European Union) is meeting in Washington on Monday to look for a way to resurrect the long-dead “peace process,” which already has been buried by Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Expectations are low to nil, and the most that the Quartet is expected to do is make an inconsequential demand that Israel stop Jews from living in Judea, Samaria and large parts of Jerusalem claimed by the Palestinian Authority, while calling on PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas to halt his campaign for PA recognition by the United Nations. The Quartet may also copy President Barack Obama's policy of establishing the PA as a state based on old borders.
Two years have passed since Israel and the PA have sat down for any substantial talks. Israel has surrendered on so many issues, including virtually erasing major PA commitments in the Oslo Accords, that there is nothing else it can compromise without losing its identity as a Jewish state.
Abbas, encouraged by previous Israeli concessions, has gone the traditional Arab route of demanding everything on the assumption he will not be left empty-handed.
Abbas has made it clear that the term “negotiations” with Israel means a pre-ordained acceptance of his conditions to establish the Palestinian Authority as an independent country. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has equally made it clear that there is nothing to talk about so long as Abbas refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
Abbas, going for broke, has chosen to depend on his international support and ask the United Nations to recognize the PA based on the Armistice Lines borders that disappeared in the Six-Day War in 1967. The international community has not accepted Israel’s post-1967 borders.
The chasm between Israel and the PA is so large that most mainstream media have declared the “peace process” to be dead, and they have blamed both Netanyahu and Abbas.
Even TIME magazine, which generally is relentless in its criticism of Israel, reported this week, “The outcome of Monday's [Quartet] meeting is likely to be another relatively bland statement backing a return to negotiations, on terms smudgy enough for their drafters to imagine they can be sold to both sides.
“But neither the U.S. nor the Europeans appear ready to reckon with what is blindingly obvious: The reason there are no negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian leadership, today, is that the two sides' bottom lines are simply too far apart to produce any agreement…
“Any Palestinian belief that the U.S. might pressure Israel into offering more has, on Obama's watch, been shown to be nothing more than wishful thinking.
“The specter of a U.N. vote is, in fact, a symptom of a train wreck that's already happened.”
Comment on this story
4. Ma’ariv: In Defense of the Settlers
by Gil Ronen
Kalman Libeskind, well-known columnist in the Maariv website, devoted his latest column to scathing criticism of the left-wing press and its attitude toward the settlers of Judea and Samaria.
Part of the column is addressed to TV anchorman Yair Lapid, presenter of the high-rating weekly news broadcast on Friday and a possible future political candidate.
This is an excerpt:
“On Channel 2, Yair Lapid said that the guys living at Kiryat Arba no longer care what the newspapers write about them. Unfortunately, he is right. They gave up on us a long time ago.
"Their beef is not with our views. It is about the facts. They know that inside the journalistic world of lies we inhabit, truth has no chance.
"For instance, Yair Lapid, did you know that not a day goes by without a vehicle being hit by a rock thrown by an Arab terrorist? Did you know that a week does not go by without casualties? Try to remember when you last head about that in the press.
Let’s admit the truth: they do not interest us. For us, the new bus line between Bograshov and Arlozorov streets [in Tel Aviv] is much more exciting than a pregnant, bleeding settler whose car fell into a ditch after its windshield was smashed. The first matter was in the headlines. The second did not receive one inch.
"Here is another example. We have heard the settlers complaining a thousand times about the team headed by Shai Nitzan [in the Prosecution.] They are not complaining for naught. They have data that was taken from official state reports. These data show that the 'special regulations' that were drawn up by former Attorney General Michael Ben-Yair (currently a member of the board of B’Tselem), promoted by Talia Sasson (now a member of the Meretz party) and currently under Nitzan’s responsibility, discriminate illegally against the residents of Judea and Samaria. They turn them into second class citizens, not just in comparison to Jews who live within the Green Line but also in comparison to Arabs.
"The regulations determine that enforcement procedures against a resident of Ariel will be much harsher than those implemented against her sister in Raanana.
"This is an institutionalized policy of bias that courts have criticized on numerous occasions.
"With all honesty, how many times have you seen anyone in the press – that fights for the rights of African infiltrators – writing about this subject? Is there any explanation but political journalism?"
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by Gil Ronen
Kalman Libeskind, well-known columnist in the Maariv website, devoted his latest column to scathing criticism of the left-wing press and its attitude toward the settlers of Judea and Samaria.
Part of the column is addressed to TV anchorman Yair Lapid, presenter of the high-rating weekly news broadcast on Friday and a possible future political candidate.
This is an excerpt:
“On Channel 2, Yair Lapid said that the guys living at Kiryat Arba no longer care what the newspapers write about them. Unfortunately, he is right. They gave up on us a long time ago.
"Their beef is not with our views. It is about the facts. They know that inside the journalistic world of lies we inhabit, truth has no chance.
"For instance, Yair Lapid, did you know that not a day goes by without a vehicle being hit by a rock thrown by an Arab terrorist? Did you know that a week does not go by without casualties? Try to remember when you last head about that in the press.
Let’s admit the truth: they do not interest us. For us, the new bus line between Bograshov and Arlozorov streets [in Tel Aviv] is much more exciting than a pregnant, bleeding settler whose car fell into a ditch after its windshield was smashed. The first matter was in the headlines. The second did not receive one inch.
"Here is another example. We have heard the settlers complaining a thousand times about the team headed by Shai Nitzan [in the Prosecution.] They are not complaining for naught. They have data that was taken from official state reports. These data show that the 'special regulations' that were drawn up by former Attorney General Michael Ben-Yair (currently a member of the board of B’Tselem), promoted by Talia Sasson (now a member of the Meretz party) and currently under Nitzan’s responsibility, discriminate illegally against the residents of Judea and Samaria. They turn them into second class citizens, not just in comparison to Jews who live within the Green Line but also in comparison to Arabs.
"The regulations determine that enforcement procedures against a resident of Ariel will be much harsher than those implemented against her sister in Raanana.
"This is an institutionalized policy of bias that courts have criticized on numerous occasions.
"With all honesty, how many times have you seen anyone in the press – that fights for the rights of African infiltrators – writing about this subject? Is there any explanation but political journalism?"
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5. Netanyahu: Israel-Balkans Ties Flourish
by Maayana Miskin
While some western European countries do not understand why Israel has failed to make peace with the Palestinian Authority, those living in the Balkans “get it,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said last week, speaking at the beginning of a visit to Romania and Bulgaria.
“They have lived under tyranny, so they are more skeptical, they are much more respectful of a democracy arrayed against totalitarian forces,” he explained. He later added, “They understand what it means to be framed.”
Netanyahu expressed enthusiasm over Israel's policy, under Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, of reaching out to areas that were largely ignored by previous administrations. “We are finding new partnerships, new alliances in places where we once invested little time, energy and resources,” he told Reuters.
Among the explanations given for warmer relations between Israel and Balkan countries is mutual problems with Turkey. Balkan countries were among the first to support Israel following the Turkish flotilla to Gaza in 2010, and Israel's ties with Greece have warmed as its ties with Turkey deteriorate, although leaders of both countries say there is no connection.
While Balkan leaders have expressed support for a negotiated peace between Israel and the PA, Bulgaria recently refused to commit to voting against an expected unilateral declaration of statehood by the PA. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said, “Our categorical stance is that all sides should go back to the negotiating table... This will also be our position at the UN,” but when asked if his country would vote against unilateral declarations, said, “You will see when the vote comes.”
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by Maayana Miskin
While some western European countries do not understand why Israel has failed to make peace with the Palestinian Authority, those living in the Balkans “get it,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said last week, speaking at the beginning of a visit to Romania and Bulgaria.
“They have lived under tyranny, so they are more skeptical, they are much more respectful of a democracy arrayed against totalitarian forces,” he explained. He later added, “They understand what it means to be framed.”
Netanyahu expressed enthusiasm over Israel's policy, under Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, of reaching out to areas that were largely ignored by previous administrations. “We are finding new partnerships, new alliances in places where we once invested little time, energy and resources,” he told Reuters.
Among the explanations given for warmer relations between Israel and Balkan countries is mutual problems with Turkey. Balkan countries were among the first to support Israel following the Turkish flotilla to Gaza in 2010, and Israel's ties with Greece have warmed as its ties with Turkey deteriorate, although leaders of both countries say there is no connection.
While Balkan leaders have expressed support for a negotiated peace between Israel and the PA, Bulgaria recently refused to commit to voting against an expected unilateral declaration of statehood by the PA. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said, “Our categorical stance is that all sides should go back to the negotiating table... This will also be our position at the UN,” but when asked if his country would vote against unilateral declarations, said, “You will see when the vote comes.”
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6. Kadima Flip-Flops as Knesset Gears Up for Boycott Law Battle
by Maayana Miskin
Members of Knesset are gearing up for a battle over a law that would ban boycotts on Israel – including boycotts of companies and organizations in Judea and Samaria. Those who violate the law, if it passes, could face civil sanctions.
The law would apply only to those who campaign in an attempt to encourage others to boycott, not to private boycotts. It would also apply only to organizations targeted for their geographic location, and not to boycotts targeting stores for any other reason.
MK Zeev Elkin spoke to Arutz Sheva about his plans to see the bill pass a final reading. Elkin is working to get broad-based coalition support. The importance of the bill makes it important that it pass with a strong majority, he explained.
The political left sees the bill as important as well, he added, and so is working hard to get it voted down. "I hope the MKs will understand that this is a battle between Zionism and the new Left, and will bring a respectable majority," he said.
If the bill does not pass, Israel will lose its right to overseas support, he warned, saying, "If we do not pass this bill, we will lose our moral right to ask other countries to join us in fighting boycotters."
Elkin criticized the Kadima party for its change of heart on the bill. While at one point there were Kadima MKs who supported an earlier, more stringent version of the bill, now the party officially opposes the more lenient version up for vote, he said.
Elkin argued that Opposition head Tzipi Livni had asked MKs in her party to vote against the bill following media pressure. Even more centrist MKs in Kadima such as Yochanan Plesner now oppose it, he said, adding, “Kadima is moving further and further left, and Plesner represents what is happening in the party.”
He dismissed arguments that the bill would restrict freedom of speech as “self-righteous claims with no basis in truth.” Freedom of speech has natural limits, he said, “I am also in favor of freedom of expression, but here there is damage done to another party. One cannot hit in the name of freedom of expression.”
Elkin previously helped to initiate a bill to prevent the transfer of funds to the Palestinian Authority over an official PA boycott of Israeli goods.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
Members of Knesset are gearing up for a battle over a law that would ban boycotts on Israel – including boycotts of companies and organizations in Judea and Samaria. Those who violate the law, if it passes, could face civil sanctions.
The law would apply only to those who campaign in an attempt to encourage others to boycott, not to private boycotts. It would also apply only to organizations targeted for their geographic location, and not to boycotts targeting stores for any other reason.
MK Zeev Elkin spoke to Arutz Sheva about his plans to see the bill pass a final reading. Elkin is working to get broad-based coalition support. The importance of the bill makes it important that it pass with a strong majority, he explained.
The political left sees the bill as important as well, he added, and so is working hard to get it voted down. "I hope the MKs will understand that this is a battle between Zionism and the new Left, and will bring a respectable majority," he said.
If the bill does not pass, Israel will lose its right to overseas support, he warned, saying, "If we do not pass this bill, we will lose our moral right to ask other countries to join us in fighting boycotters."
Elkin criticized the Kadima party for its change of heart on the bill. While at one point there were Kadima MKs who supported an earlier, more stringent version of the bill, now the party officially opposes the more lenient version up for vote, he said.
Elkin argued that Opposition head Tzipi Livni had asked MKs in her party to vote against the bill following media pressure. Even more centrist MKs in Kadima such as Yochanan Plesner now oppose it, he said, adding, “Kadima is moving further and further left, and Plesner represents what is happening in the party.”
He dismissed arguments that the bill would restrict freedom of speech as “self-righteous claims with no basis in truth.” Freedom of speech has natural limits, he said, “I am also in favor of freedom of expression, but here there is damage done to another party. One cannot hit in the name of freedom of expression.”
Elkin previously helped to initiate a bill to prevent the transfer of funds to the Palestinian Authority over an official PA boycott of Israeli goods.
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7. Bill: Groups will Be Able to Sue for Libel
by Gil Ronen
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation has approved a bill proposed by National Union Chairman MK Yaakov Katz (Ketzaleh), that would make it possible to convict people of libeling groups of people, and not just individuals.
The committee’s approval makes it much more likely that the law will receive a majority in the Knesset plenum.
The need for the law became apparent after reservist soldiers who served in Jenin during Operation Defensive Shield filed a libel lawsuit against Muhammad Bakri, whose film “Jenin, Jenin” portrayed the IDF’s operation in Jenin as a massacre of innocents. Bakri admitted to falsifying facts in the film and to receiving funding from the Palestinian Authority.
The court determined that while the film does constitute libel, the Israeli law does not make it possible for a group to sue for libel – only for an individual.
Justice Minister Yaakov Ne’eman opposed the bill, saying that the Ministry’s professional staff wants to wait for the High Court’s decision in the case’s appeal before proposing legislation.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation has approved a bill proposed by National Union Chairman MK Yaakov Katz (Ketzaleh), that would make it possible to convict people of libeling groups of people, and not just individuals.
The committee’s approval makes it much more likely that the law will receive a majority in the Knesset plenum.
The need for the law became apparent after reservist soldiers who served in Jenin during Operation Defensive Shield filed a libel lawsuit against Muhammad Bakri, whose film “Jenin, Jenin” portrayed the IDF’s operation in Jenin as a massacre of innocents. Bakri admitted to falsifying facts in the film and to receiving funding from the Palestinian Authority.
The court determined that while the film does constitute libel, the Israeli law does not make it possible for a group to sue for libel – only for an individual.
Justice Minister Yaakov Ne’eman opposed the bill, saying that the Ministry’s professional staff wants to wait for the High Court’s decision in the case’s appeal before proposing legislation.
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8. Iran: Israel Planning to Kill Nasrallah
by Maayana Miskin
An Iranian radio station has accused Israel of planning to kill Hizbullah terrorist chief Hassan Nasrallah. The report, broadcast on the Hebrew-language station “Kol David,” claimed to be based on a report in the Lebanese paper Al-Deir.
The Mossad has a plan to kill Nasrallah, Kol David claimed. “[The report] was approved in 2006 but has been shelved due to American and European pressure to maintain the ceasefire with Lebanon,” according to the report.
However, the station said, “European diplomats' reports based on sources in Tel Aviv determined that the Israeli occupation officials are still determined to murder the head of Hizbullah.”
“The Mossad is trying to prevent any evidence or sign of Israeli involvement in the murder,” the report went on to claim.
Iran is a major financial and political supporter of Hizbullah in Lebanon. Iranian and Hizbullah troops have joined forces to help fight protesters in Syria, and there is concern that both may be planning to use incitement against Israel to ease pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Previously it appeared that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was attempting to goad Israel into war with the increasingly politically powerful Hizbullah terrorist group in order to deflect attention from his own lack of popularity.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
An Iranian radio station has accused Israel of planning to kill Hizbullah terrorist chief Hassan Nasrallah. The report, broadcast on the Hebrew-language station “Kol David,” claimed to be based on a report in the Lebanese paper Al-Deir.
The Mossad has a plan to kill Nasrallah, Kol David claimed. “[The report] was approved in 2006 but has been shelved due to American and European pressure to maintain the ceasefire with Lebanon,” according to the report.
However, the station said, “European diplomats' reports based on sources in Tel Aviv determined that the Israeli occupation officials are still determined to murder the head of Hizbullah.”
“The Mossad is trying to prevent any evidence or sign of Israeli involvement in the murder,” the report went on to claim.
Iran is a major financial and political supporter of Hizbullah in Lebanon. Iranian and Hizbullah troops have joined forces to help fight protesters in Syria, and there is concern that both may be planning to use incitement against Israel to ease pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Previously it appeared that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was attempting to goad Israel into war with the increasingly politically powerful Hizbullah terrorist group in order to deflect attention from his own lack of popularity.
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The Whining of the Bulls
Wall Street bankers should stop complaining about their hurt feelings and instead marvel at their good fortune, writes Eric Alterman.More: Think Again: Wall Street Wins (and Whines)
From the Cartoonist Group.
