Thursday, October 03, 2013
Danny Danon: Israel must be wary of those lining up to give advice
So many today treat “two states for two people,” Israel and Palestine, as a sacrosanct mission carved in stone, its outcome inevitable. I challenge these counselors to look around at how much our region has changed and ask themselves, might not fresh approaches be wiser than ritualistically repeating old slogans?‘Our margin for error is so small’: An exit interview with Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren
The path of least resistance always beckons Israel to take the first step, to hope that surrendering territory might result in actual peace. Yet our experience in withdrawing from Gaza has resulted only in continuous rocket attacks on innocent civilians, and our presumed negotiating partners are divided into the rejectionists of Hamas in Gaza and the feckless chiefs of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, neither group even agreeing on how or when to speak to each other.
At the end of the day, Israel has but one course – to shun the current conventional wisdom and the echo chamber of pundits and instead search for pragmatic, workable solutions to our challenges. It is the only way to ensure both the security of our people and the vibrant democracy of our society.
On Tuesday, Israel’s long-serving ambassador to Washington officially stepped down after a term that witnessed the Arab Spring uprisings and most of President Obama’s first five years in office. During his tenure, Michael Oren presided over periods of unusual strain between top U.S. and Israeli officials, as well as moments of close cooperation in defense and counterterrorism. In between, the telegenic, U.S.-born historian and author was a faithful spokesman for Israeli interests on op-ed pages, Sunday talk shows and even Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.”The Big Hamas Elephant
I sat down with Oren during his final week on the job to talk about the Middle East and U.S.-Israel relations. At one point, he pulled out a copy of his 2007 best-selling history of U.S. adventures in the Middle East, provocatively titled, “Power, Faith and Fantasy.” Here are some excerpts from the interview.
Should it do so, it will be forced to make some bold and difficult decisions. But these decisions are absolutely necessary for the West to accomplish its professed goals. If the Obama administration and other Western leaders do indeed believe that a final status agreement ending all mutual claims is the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, then they have only two policies to choose from: Pressure Hamas to recognize Israel, or remove it from power. Whichever path they choose, clarity and honesty about the realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would be infinitely preferable to the West’s current policy of self-deception.Alan Dershowitz: Netanyahu’s Powerful UN Speech is Being Distorted by the Media
I was in the General Assembly when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his speech about Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Iran’s nuclear program. I heard a very different speech from the one described by The New York Times and other media outlets. Not surprisingly, the Iranians described it as “inflammatory.” More surprisingly, the Times described Netanyahu’s speech as aggressive, combative, sarcastic, and sabotaging diplomacy, while the only expert it quoted called the speech ineffective and pushing the limits of credibility.Bolton: Rouhani is Playing Obama
What I heard in that chamber bore little relationship either to the Iranian or the Times characterizations. What the people listening to Netanyahu heard was a compellingly persuasive speech using Rouhani’s own words to prove convincingly that his friendly smile is a cover for far more malignant intentions. Herein are a few excerpts not quoted in the Times report.
Monday ends the worst month of the Obama presidency. The Syrian diplomatic and political debacle was bad enough, but last week at the United Nations President Obama embarked on a campaign for “progress” with Iran that will prove much more dangerous for American interests. Just as Vladimir Putin had played him for a fool over Syria, Mr. Obama was initially snubbed by Iranian President Hasan Rouhani despite frantic White House efforts to produce a handshake.Israeli Group Supporting Palestinian ‘Right of Return’ is Funded Primarily by Europe
Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor revealed that a Tel Aviv conference held Sept. 29-30 by Zochrot, an Israeli NGO promoting Palestinian narratives including the “Nakba” (“catastrophe,” referring to Israel’s victory in the 1948 war) and the “right of return,” was funded primarily by European organizations.Britain's failing Israel boycott campaign
On its website, Zochrot states its belief that peace will come only after Israel is “decolonized.” Conference funders from Europe included Christian Aid, CCFD, Broederlijk Delen, Oxfam GB, and others. “As an organization engaging in development and peace-building… refugee rights… are of utmost importance to us,” CCFD said in a statement.
According to Chief Programs Officer for NGO Monitor Yitzhak Santis, Zochrot’s one-state vision amounts to “a call for the elimination of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
Ever keen to boycott Israeli goods, even at the expense of the Palestinians they claim to support, Britain’s anti-Israel BDS groups planned a nationwide “day of action” against the popular Sodastream last Saturday (28 September), to mark a year since the flagship “Ecostream” store opened in Brighton stocking the full range of Sodatream products.Washington Post: Forget Iran, Israeli Nukes are the Issue
Demonstrations were scheduled at John Lewis in London’s Oxford Street and stores in Sheffield and elsewhere, besides a march and some speeches at the Brighton store.
Maybe the supporters of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and their companions in boycott were all busy that day, or maybe the steam is running out of any enthusiasm for boycott campaigns that have zero effect on Israel’s economy! Whatever the reason, Saturday turned out to be a day of supreme inaction everywhere.
Having made a false moral equivalence between Iranian and Israeli nuclear weapons, Pincus then goes on to do the same between Syrian chemical weapons and alleged Israeli chemical capabilities.The LA Times' Ongoing Assault on Israel
To back up his arguments, Pincus relies on quotes from Russian President Putin and Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif. Since when are these two international actors such paragons of virtue?
Referring to disarmament, Pincus asks: “Will Israel take that first diplomatic step?” Is he really so naive as to serious think that Israel proposing its own disarmament will do anything other than encourage radical forces in the Middle East to revisit their dreams of the destruction of Israel?
The editorial pages of the Los Angeles Times continues its ongoing assault on the legitimacy of the state of Israel with an Op-Ed yesterday by radical academic Neve Gordon arguing for the replacement of the Jewish state of Israel with a bi-national state ("Rethinking the two-state solution"). The Times has long held that Israel's right to exist is a topic for debate. Earlier pieces arguing for the one-state solution and the dismantlement of the Jewish state include those by Jonathan Kuttab, Saree Makdisi (here and here), Tony Judt, and Ben Ehrenreich.Thousands Gather in Jerusalem, Tell Government to Build
Thousands of people gathered on Wednesday evening at the Binyanei HaUma in Jerusalem for the “One State for One Nation” convention. Arutz Sheva was there.Jews Down Under: Knocking out antisemitism on Facebook
The participants, which included the heads of the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria as well as prominent MKs, called on the Israeli government to ignore the pressure and threats from the world and to continue to build new communities in Judea and Samaria.
Elimihate is not your average grassroots movement.Tunisian Activists Blast Government 'Harassment' of Jews
In addition to reporting online antisemitic hate speech, we seek to question who should be held accountable for the vilifying content in an era of digital convergence.
Elimihate started as a university assignment for Sydney University but the cause swiftly turned into something much larger than we had previously anticipated.
Established in 2013, Elimihate’s key focus lies in exploring the difficulties of holding social media platforms responsible for hate speech.
A Tunisian rights group on Wednesday accused the police of harassing the tiny Jewish community on the southern island of Djerba, whilst turning a blind eye to anti-Semitism, saying Jews there had come under a string of attacks.Why is the World Silent as Christians Are Persecuted?
"Tunisian Jews feel in danger, they are really afraid," Yamina Thabet, the president of the Tunisian Association Supporting Minorities, told a news conference after visiting Djerba.
Yes, it is to the credit of democratic nations that they judge themselves by how they respect minorities. When we fall short, we know we must improve.'Innocence of Muslims' Filmmaker Planning New Film About Islamic Terrorism
But, as former French President Nicolas Sarkozy said after meeting a delegation of Arab ambassadors who complained about the treatment of Muslims in France, France must do better, but France also expects “reciprocity.”
In other words, it is the height of hypocrisy for Arab leaders to criticize Western countries for perceived injustices, while perpetrating those very injustices – and more – in their own lands. If a mosque can be built in Paris, surely a church should not be banned in Riyadh.
Mark Basseley Youssef, whose Innocence of Muslims video initially was blamed for riots and the death of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, is searching for partners to make a new movie and a TV show about the roots of Islamic terrorism. In a wide-ranging interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Yousseff says that the entertainment industry is too timid to honestly explore the issue.Israeli start-up presents an online ulpan
One method of learning Hebrew that has had some limited success has been the ulpan, the total immersion language-learning system popular in Israel. But the technique is far from ideal; a recent government study showed that as many as 60 percent of immigrants who go through the system can’t read, write, or speak Hebrew very well when they finish.Israel's PointGrab wins innovation prize
Perhaps what’s needed is something even more engrossing — like the online immersion users of Lingua.ly get when they surf the web. Using quizzes, voice-overs, practice exercises, games, and constant reinforcement, Lingua.ly — according to its developers — is a better and more effective way to learn languages.
Israeli company PointGrab has won the 2013 European Technology Innovation Award handed out by the by Frost & Sullivan business consulting firm for its achievements in "gesture recognition for consumer electronics."
The startup develops gesture control solutions which enhance the functional capability of consumer electronic devices such as laptops, tablets, smartphones and televisions, including Samsung’s Smart TVs, Acer and Fujitsu PCs.
