ALAN DERSHOWITZ: US + Arab States’ attack on terrorists in Syria parallels Israel’s on Hamas in Gaza

 

When the IDF attacked Hamas military targets, including targets that had multiple uses, it was publicly condemned by the same Arab states that are participating in the U.S.-Arab attacks on duel purpose targets in Syria.

The air attack by American and Arab forces against ISIS and other terrorist targets parallels Israel’s air attacks against Hamas terrorist targets in Gaza.  According to retired General Wesley Clark, the United States air attacks are designed to degrade and destroy the infrastructure of the terrorist groups, including the electric grid, the sources of their finance and other mixed military-civilian targets.

Rubble from US air strike in Syria's Idlib province - Photo REUTERS

Rubble from US air strike in Syria’s Idlib province – Photo: REUTERS

When Israel attacked Hamas military targets, including some that had mixed uses, it was condemned by the same Arab nations that participated in the joint United States-Arab attack in Syria.  Continue Reading »

Fatah returns to Gaza as Palestinian unity gov’t takes ‘immediate control’

Hamas & Fatah reach agreement settling recent disputes: Hamas gov’t employees in Gaza will again be paid, & the management of the border crossings will be handed over to Palestinian Authority.

By AFP, Reuters

 

Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah reached an agreement on Thursday by which the unity government run by President Mahmoud Abbas would take “immediate control” of the Gaza Strip, negotiators in Egypt-mediated reconciliation talks told reporters.

Negotiations in Cairo over implementation of unity government (Photo: EPA)

Negotiations in Cairo over implementation of unity government – Photo: EPA

“Fatah and Hamas have reached a comprehensive agreement for the return of the unity government to the Gaza Strip,” Jibril Rajoub, a member of the Fatah delegation in Cairo, told AFP. Continue Reading »

Jerusalem circumvents Arabs bid criticizing Israel’s ‘atomic arsenal’ at UN nuclear assembly

3-month long Israeli world-wide diplomatic campaign thwarts Arab League proposal demanding Israel join global anti-nuclear weapons pact.

 

Member states of the International Atomic Energy Agency rejected a resolution initiated by Arab League nations criticizing Israel’s alleged nuclear abilities.

Dimona nuclear power plant

The nuclear power plant in Dimona – Photo: Archive

The resolution, which is non-binding, condemns Israel, calls on it to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and make its nuclear facilities subject to international supervision. Fifty-eight countries voted against the text and 45 states for. The representatives of many nations chose not to attend the vote.

A senior official in the Foreign Ministry noted that Arab League nations decided this year to make a special effort in order to pass the resolution, which was rejected last year as well.

Continue Reading »

Watch: Abbas’s Bodyguards Brawl with UN Security

Personal security staff protecting PA Chairman scuffle with United Nations Security Personnel after being prevented from following Abbas into front entrance of the General Assembly chamber.

By Ben Ariel, Canada

 

Security staff protecting Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas got into a scuffle with UN staff on Wednesday.

Palestinian bodyguards fight with UN Security – Screenshot

The brief altercation occurred after Abbas was allowed to enter the UN General Assembly chamber through the front door, while his security staff – as per UN protocol – were not. After some pushing and shoving, Abbas’s security staff were directed to another entrance.

The incident was caught on video by the Reuters news agency. Continue Reading »

‘Israel May Have to Strike Iran at Any Time’

 

Israel’s Air Force commander said that looming military strike on Iran’s nuclear facility necessitates increased defense budget.

By Israel Today Staff

 

In battling the political echelon for defense budget increases on Sunday, the commander of the Israel Air Force, Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel, reminded everyone that the same planes used to attack Gaza over the summer could be called upon at any moment to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

“There’s no one in this room who’d be prepared to ride in a car as old as our planes,” Eshel said in remarks carried by Israel’s Channel 2 News.

Continue Reading »

130,000 Israelis travel northwards for Rosh Hashanah holiday

Hundreds of extra police were called to cover key traffic areas while some 38,000 vehicles jam Israel’s motorways north with even more expected into the evening.

By Ynet

 

 

Israel’s roads and highways withstood heavy traffic Wednesday afternoon, as families travelled great distances to meet their relatives for celebrations to welcome the Jewish year 5775.

Headed north for the holiday. (Photo: Ido Erez)

Headed north for the holiday. – Photo: Ido Erez

According to authorities, some 130,000 travelers took to the open road from central Israel to the north in 38,000 vehicles, headed for Rosh Hashanah celebrations of honey and apples.

Police said that on most holidays, some 50,000 vehicles head for the north between 7pm to midnight. Continue Reading »

Egyptian FM exposes Erdogan’s UNGA speech as ‘full of lies & fabrications’

 

After the Turkish president accused Egypt’s President al-Sissi of taking power in a coup d’État in his UN speech, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry responded with a condemning statement. 

 

Egypt on Thursday slammed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s comments at the UN General Assembly, in which he said that President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi came to power in a coup.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the 69th session of the UNGA.

In this September 24, 2014, photo, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan speaks during the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters. – Photo: AP

Speaking to representatives of 193 countries at the annual high-level UN meeting on Wednesday, Erdoğan said, “If we are going to defend people who come to power through coups, then I ask the question why we exist as the United Nations.”

Continue Reading »

88 Senators Direct Kerry to Place Gaza Under PA Control

88 U.S.Senators urge the White House to enact measure that take Gaza away from the Hamas terrorists and hand it over to the Palestinian Authority.

By Ben Ariel, Canada

 

88 senators are urging the Obama administration to act to take Gaza away from its Hamas terrorist rulers and hand it over to the Palestinian Authority (PA), The Daily Beast reports.

John Kerry

John Kerry – Reuters

In a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry obtained by the website, the 88 senators write, “We must support efforts to enable the Palestinian Authority to exercise real power in Gaza. Hamas has demonstrated conclusively both that it has no interest in peace with Israel and that it has no concern for the well-being of Gaza residents.” Continue Reading »

Obama tells UNGA: Status quo in West Bank & Gaza is unsustainable

Barack Obama reveals, ‘Violence engulfing Middle East made too many Israelis ready to abandon hard work of peace.’ 

By i24news

Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, US President Barack Obama stated that the status quo in Gaza Strip and the West Bank is not sustainable.

US President Barack Obama speaks during the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly at the United Nations in New York on September 24, 2014 ( Jewel Samad (AFP) )

“US President Barack Obama speaks during the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly at the United Nations in New York on September 24, 2014 – Photo: Jewel Samad/AFP

Further touching on the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the leader charged that the “violence engulfing the Middle East made too many Israelis ready to abandon the hard work of peace.” Continue Reading »

Islamic Representatives at UN Say Israel Has No Moral Right to Self-Defense Against Hamas

Muslim representatives at UN Human Rights Council protested Israel’s actions in Gaza this summer, saying it can not be called self-defense.

By Israel Today Staff

 

Representatives of Muslim states participating in a session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva this week called into question Israel’s right to militarily defend itself against Palestinian terrorism.

IDF 155m”m self-propelled Howitzer artillery piece. – courtesy

The representative from Pakistan insisted that it was “morally abhorrent” and “legally incorrect” to label Israel’s actions in Gaza this summer as self-defense. The United Arab Emirates agreed, and asserted that as an occupying power, Israel had no right to use military force in self-defense.

Continue Reading »

From France to Israel: 8 French friends now serve in the same IDF combat unit

 

Dan Maimon, who made aliyah with 7 of his friends from France, is now serving in the same IDF combat unit with them, says, “It did not fit for us to live in France… We know that we made the right decision & are contributing to Israel’s security.”

By Danny Brenner

 

Eight friends in France decided to make aliyah two years ago on Rosh Hashana. Last November, they fulfilled a childhood dream and enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces. The group of friends has since remained together, and serve in the same company in the Kfir Infantry Brigade’s Nahal Haredi battalion.

Continue Reading »

Exclusive New Year J’Post interview with Israel’s PM Netanyahu

Surprisingly cheerful, Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sits down with the Jerusalem Post & extols policy-making based on looking at the region as it truly is, without being overly optimistic.

 

 

Power invigorates.

That must be the reason Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu appeared extremely chipper Sunday afternoon, during a 30-minute pre-Rosh Hashana interview with The Jerusalem Post.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu – Photo: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM

Just a month after Operation Protective Edge, in the midst of a percolating political crisis both within his party and in his coalition, as Iran, Islamic State and Hezbollah are either near or at the gates, one would think there would be signs of strain and fatigue on the prime minister’s face, extreme agitation in his demeanor. Continue Reading »

Israel Police Lock Temple Mount Rioters Inside Al-Aqsa Mosque on Rosh Hashanah Eve

 

Police & Border Guards forces push back rioters into Al-Aqsa mosque after being pelted with large rocks and fired at with firecrackers, finally restoring order.

By Noam (Dabul) Dvir

 

 

Riots broke out on the Temple Mount shortly after the complex was opened for visitors on Wednesday morning, the eve of Rosh Hashanah.

Police officer hit by firecracker – Photo: Police

Dozens of masked youth, who set up blockades at the entrance to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, started throwing firecrackers, rocks and stones at police forces stationed at the Mugrabi Gate.

YASAM and Border Police troops entered the Al-Aqsa compound and pushed the rioters back into the mosque, as rioters continued pelting them with large rocks. Continue Reading »

Protesters demand Metropolitan Opera cancel pro-terrorism ‘The Death of Klinghoffer’

Demonstrators claim that the production is hostile to Israel, sympathetic to terrorists, and feeds anti-Semitism.

By Raffi Wineburg

 

JTA – As with many exclusive events, the Metropolitan Opera House’s Opening Night Gala on Monday had a few uninvited guests.

Protesters demonstrate outside the Metropolitan Opera.

Protesters demonstrate outside the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, September 22, 2014.- Photo: AFP

But these weren’t your typical party crashers.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the Met chanting “Shame on the Met!” and “Say no to the show!” in protest of the Metropolitan Opera Company’s decision to produce the controversial opera “The Death of Klinghoffer.”

Related:

The John Adams opera, which debuted in 1991 and is set to premiere at the Met on October 20, depicts the 1985 hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro by Palestinian terrorists and the murder of Leon Klinghoffer, a 69-year-old Jewish-American passenger in a wheelchair.

Continue Reading »

Jibril Rajoub: Abbas is going to ‘Drop a Bomb’ on Israel at the UN General Assembly

Abbas is in New York stirring up students against a ‘drunk’ Israel, ahead of his UN General Assembly address to get the world behind hi new ‘Palestinian strategy.’

By Ari Yashar

 

A senior member of Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction said that Abbas will “drop a bomb” against Israel at the UN General Assembly on Friday.

The senior official, Jibril Rajoub, said in an interview on Palestinian Arab media that the move would be an integration of the international community into “the strategy of the Palestinian people.”

It is worth noting that Rajoub in mid-August said the PA had made a “political decision” to support Arab terrorists “slaughtering” Jews living in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem – an announcement that has been accompanied by a steep rise in terror attacks in the region. Continue Reading »