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| Friday, Feb 24 '12, Adar 1, 5772 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1. Police Quell Muslim Riot on Temple Mount
by Gavriel Queenann  Dozens of riot police were deployed to quell a Muslim riot on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City on Friday. Israel Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said more than 100 Muslims began throwing rocks at a police location following Friday prayers, prompting the police to enter the compound. According to reports, police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the rioters. Police, however, said they had used only stun grenades against the demonstrators and that "dozens of people" had barricaded themselves inside the Al-Aqsa mosque. "We are negotiating with the Israelis not to storm into the mosque or the Dome of the Rock and to let people out," Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, head of the Jerusalem Waqf, told AFP. He blamed the Israeli government for the rioting and claimed they will "bear the consequences," adding "We demand that no settlers, radicals or soldiers enter the mosque to avoid friction." Much of the tension follows on the heels of an uncomfirmed report published by the Al Aqsa Center earlier this week claiming Israel plans to divide the Temple Mount into separate Jewish and Muslim sections, in the same way that the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hevron is divided. Friday's riot is only the latest in a series of clashes with police, and attacks on Jewish and Christian pilgrims, by Muslims on the Temple Mount this week On Thursday, police arrested seven Arabs who instigated a series of confrontations with Jewish visitors on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City. On Tuesday, Muslims on the Temple Mount hurled stones and shoes at police escorting Jewish and Christian visitors. One police officer sustained minor injuries. Two Muslims were arrested in that incident, police said. And on Sunday, police used tear gas to disperse Muslim rioters who were throwing stones inside the compound, arresting 18 people. The Temple Mount is the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque (705 CE) today. However, long before that, it was the site of the the First Holy Temple, built by King Solomon (stood from ~950 BCE to 587 BCE) and the Second Holy Temple (517 BCE to 70CE) and is indisputably Judaism's most sacred site. The Western Wall, where Jews are allowed to pray, is merely a remnant of an outside compound wall of Herodian days and not part of the Temples. The Muslim Waqf, the religious Muslim authority, has systematically attempted to destroy all archaeological evidence of earlier Jewish presence on the Mount, illegally excavating and destroying priceless and irreplaceable relics. Israeli archaeologists and volunteers sift painstakingly through the debris of the excavations, finding artifacts that are then transferred to Israeli museums. The Muslim Waqf was allowed to manage the site after Israel succeeded liberating the Temple Mount in 1967 at the suggestion of then Defense Minister Moshe Dayan. It maintains a discriminatory policy seeking to bar Jews entry to the site. The Israeli police, afraid of riots, allow Jewish worshippers to be discriminated against to the point of not being allowed to even whisper prayers on the Mount.
Tags: Israel Police ,Temple Mount
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2. Israel's Junta – IDF Overrules Barak in Sansana
by Gavriel Queenann  The IDF Civil Administration on Thursday took the unprecedented step of rejecting a government plan to normalize the status of the Sansana community in the South Hebron Hills. In Israel, as in other democracies, military officials are beholden to policy decisions made by civilian officials and are expected to implement their directives in good faith. The Civil Administration decision that "there is no justification for a new settlement, as [new homes] can be constructed within an existing settlement" comes 12 years after Sansana was established. In 1997 a Nahal outpost was established at Sansana, but the first homes were not built until 1999. In 2000, the first families moved to Sansana, which currently has 60 families. In 2009 Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved a plan to for 440 housing units at the Sansana site, including retroactively approving some that already existed. However, to avoid violating a promise to Washington not to build "new settlements" the plan was presented as "an extension of nearby Eshkolot." Now, three years after Barak approved the plan, officials in the Civil Administration are overruling their boss, who represents Israel's civilian authority. Civil Administration planning committee chairman Shlomo Moskowitz wrote "There is no need to 'expand' Eshkolot," arguing there was "plenty of room" for new housing within the communities existing boundaries. He noted Eshkalot is slated for 347 housing units, of which only 70 have been built. He also argued that Sansana is 7km from Eshkolot and that there was "no justification" not to build in Eshkolot itself. Most shockingly, he wrote that the IDF Civil Administration planning committee is the only body that can approve building plans in Judea and Samaria, and "does not take dictates from the government." Critics of Moskowitz's decision say it effectively turns the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria into a "junta" and violates all democratic mores that inform civil-military relations. Civilian control of the military is a doctrine in military and political science that places ultimate responsibility for a country's strategic decision-making in the hands of the civilian political leadership, rather than professional military officers. Widely seen as a prerequisite for a stable democracy, it flows from the rationale that broad strategic decisions, such as the decision to declare a war, start an invasion, end a conflict, or expand settlement in 'disputed territories' have a major impact on the citizens of the country. As such, civilian control allows the people (through their their political representatives) to determine their own course, rather than leaving it in the hands of an elite group of narrowly focused tactical experts. Observers say Moskowitz's decision will at best complicate – and at worst totally nullify – the stated policy of Israel's sitting elected government to normalize threatened Jewish communities like Sansana.
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3. IAF Hits Hamas as Terrorists Attack with Rockets
by Maayana Miskin  Air Force planes took out two terror targets in northern Gaza early on Friday morning. The nighttime mission took place in response to increasingly frequent rocket attacks on civilian communities in southern Israel. Pilots reported direct strikes on both targets. Gaza sources have not reported casualties in either explosion. The strikes came after Gaza terrorists fired multiple rockets at towns in the western Negev. The rockets sent locals running for shelter, but failed to cause injury. Earlier on Thursday night the IDF was able to foil an attempted attack by hitting a terror cell as it prepared to launch a rocket at southern Israel. Two terrorists were reportedly wounded in the strike. IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz warned last week that it is only “a matter of time” before the IDF will need to re-enter Gaza to deal with rising terror levels. For the past three years the IDF has limited itself to pinpoint responses to attacks, however, Hamas continues to slowly escalate attacks in an apparent attempt to drag Israel into a confrontation that will win it media sympathy.
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4. Jordan Asks Israel to Free Arch-Terrorist Barghouti
by Elad Benari  The Jordanian government has asked Israel to release Marwan Barghouti, a Fatah terrorist who is serving five life terms in an Israeli prison for his involvement in deadly terror attacks against Israelis. According to a report in the Jordanian Petra news agency, the kingdom’s Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications, Rakan Majali, on Thursday urged Israel to release Barghouti and all other prisoners. Majali, who is also the government spokesman, asked the Israeli authorities to remove all obstacles hindering the movement of Palestinian people and goods. Petra noted that the minister made the remarks during a meeting with Barghouti's wife, Fadwa Barghouthi, during which he reiterated Jordan's keenness to support “the steadfastness of Palestinian people and their right to establish their independent state.” The minister added that Jordan considers the release of Barghouti and other Palestinian Authority Arab prisoners a good gesture by Israel towards the peace process. Barghouti recently said the Israeli-Arab conflict will only come to an end when Israel withdraws to the pre-1967 lines. He also applauded the Arab Spring revolutions saying they would “benefit the Palestinian people and their just cause.” He was later sent into isolation as punishment for granting the interviews to Israeli and foreign journalists, in which he made these comments, when he appeared in a Jerusalem court. Recent reports said that the Obama administration is trying to convince Israel to release Barghouti, since it views him as its preferred candidate for Fatah to field against Hamas in Palestinian Authority elections.
Tags: Jordan ,Marwan Barghouti ,prisoners
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5. Yesha Council 'Thanks' Leftist Peace Now
by Elad Benari  Danny Dayan, the head of the Yesha Council, sent flowers and a thank you card to the radical leftist Peace Now organization on Thursday. The sarcastic gesture came in response to the Civil Administration’s approval of 500 housing units for the Samaria community of Shilo. The Judea and Samaria administration committee also retroactively legalized at least 200 more homes on humanitarian grounds in the nearby community of Shvut Rachel. Dayan thanked Peace Now for the approvals because, ironically enough, they came about as a result of an appeal the organization filed with the Supreme Court and which brought about the process of legalization of the communities. “Thank you kindly for your help with the approval of the building plans for Shilo and Shvut Rachel,” read the card that was sent to Peace Now. “It was your appeals to the Supreme Court which finally prompted the government to do so. We will favorably consider naming a street in the new neighborhoods after Peace Now.” The card was brought to the offices of Peace Now in Jerusalem by Shirel Bleicher, a resident of Shilo, who also attached a special bouquet. On Wednesday, even before the decision was made, Peace Now leader Yariv Oppenheimer had already begun to attack it. "What began as an outpost of 30 units receives a jumpstart and becomes a huge settlement of thousands of new settlers,” he complained in a radio interview. “That is not the path to two states; that is the path to a bi-national state.” The United States criticized Israel over the decision, saying that Israel’s “settlement activity” was not “constructive” for Middle East. State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters he was not familiar with the latest approvals but reiterated that the United States opposes such moves. “We don’t believe it’s in any way constructive to getting both sides back to the negotiating table,” Toner said. “We want to see clearly a comprehensive settlement that delineates borders and resolves many of these issues.”
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6. Expert Warns of Waqf's Dangerous Plans for Temple Mount
by Elad Benari  Archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar warned on Thursday about the plans of the Muslim religious authority, the Waqf, for the Temple Mount. Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Mazar said that for the past 12 years, the Waqf has constantly built on the Temple Mount in an attempt to implement its final plan: the establishment of a huge mosque on the Mount. “There is no order there and no one to uphold the law,” she said. “No one can enforce the law there. Not the Israel Antiquities Authority, not the Nature and Parks Authority and not the city of Jerusalem. The police are there but they are precluded from enforcing.” The Temple Mount was left in the hands of the Waqf following Jerusalem’s reunification in 1967, a decision of then-Defense Minister Moshe Dayan. The Waqf has taken advantage of this and removed every sign of ancient Jewish presence at the most Jewish holy site. At the entrance, a Waqf sign says, “The Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard and everything in it is Islamic property”. Police, in an attempt to appease the Waqf, discriminate against Jews. They limit the number of Jewish worshippers allowed on the Temple Mount at one time in order to prevent conflict with Muslim worshippers. They often close the Mount to Jews in response to Muslim riots – despite evidence that Muslim riots have been planned in advance for the specific purpose of forcing Jews out. Mazar, a member of a group of Israelis who work to prevent the destruction of antiquities on the Temple Mount, said that the State Comptroller wrote a report which exposed serious findings about Israeli authorities’ inability to enforce the law on the Temple Mount, but noted that the report has remained confidential to this day. “The Comptroller produced a thorough report and questioned all the right people. He came to important conclusions which so far have not been published. Our group has demanded and continues to demand that the contents of the report be published.” She warned that the excavations of antiquities being performed on the Temple Mount by the Waqf may lead to disaster. “It has been going on for 12 years. They’re digging there as if it’s a construction site. There is a danger that the ground will collapse under thousands of Muslims. It endangers the safety of the people. There must be engineering control over this huge monument. Every stone on the Temple Mount may contain some of the most important antiquities in the world.” Mazar added, “I do not accept the argument that this could lead to a world war. The Temple Mount is at the center of Jerusalem. We’re not harming the Muslim rituals. We only want to enforce the law and order so that a disaster can be prevented. The Waqf cannot be trusted. If something collapses there the Western Wall may also be damaged, because the Temple Mount is on a round hill and its edges will be in danger.” Mazar said the Waqf’s final plan is to unite all the mosques on the Temple Mount and create one big mosque. She added that it has been working for years to put the plan into practice and warned that if this happens, Jews will not be able to go to the Temple Mount. “We know that the Waqf’s goal is to unite all one the mosques, and unfortunately today it is far from being just an illusion,” she said. “We will definitely weep over this plan in the future.”
Tags: Waqf ,Temple Mount ,Eilat Mazar
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7. Peres on Iran: When We Say 'All Options,' We Mean It
by Gil Ronen  President Shimon Peres addressed the Iranian threat Thursday in a speech before the annual Jerusalem meeting of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. "The state of Israel is a sovereign one and it has the right and the ability to defend itself from every threat," he said. "When we say all options are on the table, we mean it!" "A nuclear Iran is a strategic threat not only on Israel but on the entire world. Iran is a center of moral corruption and world terror," he added. Peres may have been trying to carry out "spin control" following a report in Haaretz, according to which he intends to tell President Barack Obama that he opposes an Israeli raid on Iran. "Recently, we have seen an escalation of the sanctions against Iran under the leadership of President Obama and we witnessed his ability to lead a coalition with partnership from Europe and other countries against Iran," Peres said. "I appreciate this and I know full well that those partners share our outlook [and favor] stepping up sanctions while at the same time keeping all options open." The President added that he had spoken with the leaders of Russia, France and Germany and got the feeling that "they are well aware of the great danger in the combination of the ayatollahs' leadership and their possession of a nuclear bomb."
Tags: Iran Strike ,Shimon Peres
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8. Senators Back Netanyahu in Pentagon Row
by Gavriel Queenann  US Senator John McCain backed Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu this week in a growing divergence of views with Washington on how to confront Iran's nuclear program. On Tuesday, Netanyahu charged that US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey was "unwilling to aid Israel" in ensuring Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons. Netanyahu added that Dempsey's assertion a pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities would be "destabilizing” for peace talks and “not prudent” for America’s efforts "served the Iranians." Dempsey added that a US-led attack would not resolve the matter and said that an immediate strike “wouldn’t achieve their long-term objectives.” Siding with Netanyahu, McCain told reporters in Jerusalem “There should be no daylight between America and Israel in our assessment of the [Iranian] threat.” “Unfortunately there clearly is some,” added the Senator. McCain's remarks came only hours after the he met with Netanyahu, who just previously charged Dempsey with "serving the Iranians." McCain added differences between Washington and Jerusalem over Iran has caused “significant tension,” adding, “there is very little doubt that Iran has so far been undeterred to get nuclear weapons.” Senator Lindsey Graham, travelling in the region with McCain, told reporters “obviously it’s not helpful if there is a well-publicized tension between the US and Israel. We would like to see the United States and Israel agree on course of action that will lead us toward a goal we both share.” "People are giving Israel a lot of advice here lately from America,” Graham said. “I just want to tell our Israeli friends that my advice to you is never lose control of your destiny." "Never allow a situation to develop that would destroy the Jewish state," he added. The International Atomic Energy Association published a 13-page report in November 2011 charging Iran with seeking nuclear technology of a military nation and systemically obstructing international inspectors. The report, citing intelligence reports from ten different member states, buttressed charges from Israel, the United States, its Western allies, and Gulf Arab nations that Iran is secretly pursuing nuclear weapons. US President Barack Obama has publicly backed sanctions and diplomacy while shying away from a military strike, leading Israeli officials to charge he is "hesitant" to take decisive action. Israeli officials, however, have said that when they say "all options are on the table" they mean it and that should Iran approach the "immunity zone" they will not hesitate to act."
Tags: John McCain ,Lindsey Graham ,United States ,Martin Dempsey ,Pentagon ,Iran ,Iran nuclear,Binyamin Netanyahu
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Everyday of Freedom is an Act of Faith for my writings ============> http://robertoscaruffi.blogspot.com for something on religions ===> http://scaruffi1.blogspot.com
Friday, 24 February 2012
