“Settlements For Iran” Linkage Acceptable?
February 28, 2013 14:24 by Pesach Benson
Everything you need to know about today’s coverage of Israel and the Mideast. Join the Israel Daily News Stream on Facebook.
Today’s Top Stories
1. If Israel makes peace with the Palestinians, then the US will make war on Iran. Should Israel accept such hypothetical linkage known in shorthand as “settlements for Iran?” No way, says Zalman Shoval.
One of the basic assumptions in the aforementioned proposal is that blocking Iran’s nuclear program is just an Israeli interest, and that U.S. military action against Iran would essentially be a “favor” to Israel. . .
In other words, it needs to be clear that if Washington remains unconvinced that an atomic bomb in the hands of the ayatollahs isn’t a direct threat to the country or its essential interests — even if Israel never builds another house in Jerusalem and gives Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas control over the Western Wall — U.S. bomber aircraft won’t be taking off at dawn.
2. Turkey’s premier, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called Zionism a “crime against humanity.” Press reports credited UN Watch with the scoop and video. Erdogan was addressing a UN forum in Vienna.
“Just like Zionism, anti-Semitism and fascism, it becomes unavoidable that Islamophobia must be regarded as a crime against humanity,” Erdo?an said, slamming politicians who use communication tools to deepen the gap between cultures.
3. Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah appeared on TV to dismiss rumors that he’s being treated for cancer abroad and that his deputy was ambushed by Syrian rebels. But Syrian rebels responded:
Meanwhile, Radio Sawt Beirut International, which is reported to have connections with Hezbollah’s opposition, claimed that Nasrallah’s speech was actually filmed in Iran.
Israel and the Palestinians
• Maan News: After a 210-day hunger strike, Israeli prison officials transferred Samer Issawi to a Rehovot hospital. Maan also reports that two other prisoners suspended their hunger strikes.
• The Oxford Student Union shot down a motion calling for a boycott of Israel. Details at the Times of Israel. Credit George Galloway with an unwitting assist.
• There’s another brewing book battle. The descendents of Palestinians who fled their homes in 1948 are trying to reclaim books now in the possession of Israel’s National Library. According to AFP, the library’s basement holds some 30,000 books labeled as abandoned property.
• In an LA Times op-ed, Jonathan Schanzer argues that Mahmoud Abbas needs to appoint an “heir apparent.” If the aging Abbas passed away today, by law, the presidency would go to the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council — Aziz Dweik of Hamas:
Should Dweik succeed Abbas, it would be the end of any possible peace process.
Of course, the Fatah faction and the Palestine Liberation Organization (the dominant players in the Palestinian Authority) could try to circumvent Palestinian law (it wouldn’t be the first time) and appoint someone more palatable. However, this would likely prompt another conflict between Fatah and Hamas — not unlike the 2007 conflict, when Hamas wrested control of Gaza from Abbas’ forces.
• Riccardo Dugulin slams Palestinian leaders for cynically using the death of Arafat Jaradat to push a political agenda. He writes in YNet:
If the world is used to Hamas and Hezbollah’s martyr-oriented speeches and gruesome parades of women and children armed with assault weapons and suicide vests, international commentators and policy makers need to realize that the PA has been sponsoring a death-glorifying discourse throughout its history.
Not only has the authority in charge of ruling over Judea and Samaria been at the epicenter of some of the worst terrorist campaigns led against the State of Israel, over the last decades it has also promoted a propaganda machine aimed at distorting the realities on the ground and creating a culture of victimization which takes its roots in the death of young people.
• Professor Ken Lasson (Baltimore Sun op-ed) calls on President Obama to free Jonathan Pollard.
- Western negotiators dropped demand that Iran shut down Fordo.
- Muslim Brotherhood gets control of Egypt’s main state-run TV stations.
- US training Syrian rebels.
Ed Hausman
4:15 pm
Feb 28, 2013
“Erdogan said, slamming politicians who use communication tools to deepen the gap between cultures.”
Using communications to deepen the gaps is exactly what he’s doing here. Somebody please hold up a mirror for the man so he can see what he looks like!
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Herbert Kaine
4:22 pm
Feb 28, 2013
It is time for the world to recognize the Armenian genocide and the suppression of Kurdistan
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Frank Adam
5:00 pm
Feb 28, 2013
Islamophobia is a dicey coinage. It means fear of Moslems/Islam – justified to some degree – and not hatred of Islam as Antisemitism means to hate Jews without the excuse of fear of Jews.
While Moslem Salafis and Jihadis throw bombs shouting Allah Akhbar intolerantly of other people’s religious and linguistic differences, there is a justified fear of Islam and Moslems.
What is unjustified is to hate Moslems for the sake of hating them as a displacement psychology for one’s own problems; or as Lord Samuel said, “Antisemitism is hating Jews more than necessary.”
For differentiation we need: “Anti-Islamism” to distinguish unfounded hate from (Islamo)phobia from experience.
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jimmy
6:45 pm
Feb 28, 2013
To use Frank Adams logic, the world is Judophobic.
Africans kill African civilians and the world yawns.
Arabs kill Arab civilians and the world tsks.
Israel kills Arab terrorists and the world calls Israel Nazis.
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Ed Hausman
10:11 pm
Feb 28, 2013
Israel defends against Arab terrorists even without killing and the world calls Israel Nazis.
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Frank Adam
10:52 pm
Feb 28, 2013
The World is Antisemitic because it has no cause to fear Jews – nor Israel. Antisemitiism meanns [in Greek] “against Jews” – without mentioning why.
Islamphobia means [in Greek] “fear of Islam” which is only a partly justified term when Moslem extremists do wield imperialist violence of assorted varieties.
For the back street prejudice about immigrants and other innocent Moslems trying to make an honest living, the word Islamophobia is inappropriate and something like my suggested
Anti-Islamism woulld calm the tensions – somewhat.
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Nivrams
4:10 am
Mar 01, 2013
” If Israel makes peace with the Palestinians, then the US will make war on Iran.” is a canard floated to make an argument. Honest Reporting should try to live up to its name and verify its sources. Or the sources of its sources.
America will not go to war to reward Israel making peace. Our stupidity has limits.
In any case, there is not much chance of of peace breaking out with the Palestinians as long as the Arabs have the numbers and the will to expend the lives of their own children. They are working for a victory, albeit a Pyrrhic one.
These points were made in Zalman Shoval’s column… which apparently required a canard to write.
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Frank Adam
1:11 pm
Mar 01, 2013
It was an Arab Israeli sociologist who wrote that the tragedy is the Israeli Jewish majority still has its minority mentality [of fearful caution] and the Arab Israeli minority still has its majority mentality [of mouth and no trousers] – my own editorial [ ].
The error of all outsiders is the notion peace can come of forcing Israeli concessions. The Arab parties have to accept Israeli independence and self determination and close the conflict and its claims. The US will become energy independent next year for the first time since 1970. So the US can suspend all subsidies/aid to UNWRA and the PA till the PA talks and only restore aid to a new treaty Palestine after all ratify the peace.
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kate b
8:06 pm
Mar 01, 2013
Why does no-one cry at the RE-establishment of Lebanon and Syria and have a problem with RE-established Israel? All League of Nations Mandatories are from the 1920s (Israel has not come out of WWII). All Mandatories have Arab political hegemony and choice of capital or in Israel’s case a Jewish politcal hegemony with its capital – the ONLY Mandate not honoured.
WWII slogans read “Jews back to Palestine” why?
Palwins (Palestinian Wine 1882) Muslims don’t drink wine
Pal Post
Pal Symphony Orchestra
Anglo-Pal Bank ALL JEWISH.
Pal are Arabs from ARABIA or their 56 Islamic states – Palestinian Jews from Judea and rest of Israel the ONLY Jewish state. http://www.mythsandfacts.org/conflict.asp
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kate b
8:10 pm
Mar 01, 2013
If you are interested google History GCSE P.L.O see what they’re teaching our kids.
Look up top 5 searches, especially teacher’s notes and model answers – whom is the occupier?
Make a big noise, write, complain.
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Saxeviverbwer
6:20 am
Apr 10, 2013
This definitely answered my dilemma, thank you!
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