Syria: Frustration & Outright Disgust

 

Whether or not the US or the int’l community ultimately punish Syria, it is evident that the thousands of dead Syrian bodies mean little to the UN, the EU, the BDS people and the like.

By ALAN BAKER

 

 

 

It is questionable whether or not the US and other countries, and the international community will ultimately punish Syria for the indiscriminate and criminal use of chemical weapons against its own civilian population.

Syrian President Bashar Assad on Instagram

Syrian President Bashar Assad on Instagram – Photo: Instagram

Whatever they decide to do, one striking fact nevertheless stands out. Over a thousand innocent civilians were cruelly murdered in Syria, in one fell swoop over a week ago.

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Egyptian helicopter-gunship kills & wounds dozens of Islamic militants in Sinai strike

The Egyptian official said the 2 Air Force  gunships fired 13 rockets after surprising 2 different Islamic militant gatherings near the Gaza border.

An Egyptian security official says helicopters have rocketed militant hideouts in the northern Sinai Peninsula, killing and wounding dozens. 

Egyptian Army soldiers patrol in Sinai.

Egyptian Army soldiers patrol in an armored vehicle backed by a helicopter gunship during a sweep through villages in in Sheikh Zuweyid, northern Sinai, Egypt in May. – Photo: AP

The official said the two helicopter gunships fired 13 rockets after surprising militant gatherings on Tuesday in two locations, al-Muqataa and Touma, south of the town of Sheikh Zuweyid near the border with Gaza. Continue Reading »

Iranian General Suggests that Israel is Close to Striking It

Lebanese daily newspaper reports senior Iranian military officer visited underground bunker of Hezbollah leader and briefed him on Teheran’s assessment.

By Gil Ronen

 

Iran believes that Israel is close to stiking its nuclear facilities, according to a report in Lebanese newspaper Al Jumhuriya, cited by Maariv/NRG. According to the report, a senior Iranian official recently visited Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in his hideout in the Dahiya section section of Beirut to discuss this assessment.

A senior military source confirmed to the Lebanese newspaper that the meeting had, indeed, taken place, but said that it had not been held inside the Dahiya – a neighborhood controlled by Hezbollah – but outside it. Continue Reading »

Unlike EU leaders, Beijing businesses seeking products labeled ‘Made in Israel’ !!

Visiting Chinese trade executives praise Israel’s “world-class products” and want to see them being sold in China.

 

 

 

The ubiquitous “Made in China” stamp that for years could be found on cheap manufactured goods in Israel and around the world is gradually giving way to a new economic reality.

JOHNSON LIU, deputy director-general of the China Foreign Trade Center, addresses Israelis in TA

JOHNSON LIU, deputy director-general of the China Foreign Trade Center, addresses Israelis in TA – Photo: Shlomi Mizrachi

On Monday, representatives from Canton Fair, China’s largest trade exhibition, met in Tel Aviv’s David Intercontinental Hotel and urged Israeli businesses to join the event in mid-October. But for the first time, they were not courting just importers to distribute Chinese goods to Israel; instead, they laid out the case for Israeli businesses to sell to China.

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Quebec to ban Jewish men wearing kippa in public

 

 

According to the new Charter of Quebec Values, skullcaps (kippa or yarmulke), religious jewelery,  & religious garments will be prohibited throughout public sector.

Canadian Jewish community outraged, where many compare initiative to Putin’s homophobic legislation.

By Tali Farkash

If you are a Jewish doctor in the Canadian health care system in Quebec, you may soon be forbidden to wear a skullcap. As part of the Charter of Quebec Values that is being developed these days in the Canadian province, employees of the public service will not be allowed to put on or wear religious symbols or garments.

Ban to apply to hospitals, government offices, schools and even toddler daycare centers (archives) - Photo: AP

Ban to apply to hospitals, government offices, schools and even toddler daycare centers (archives) – Photo: AP

These include wearing a Star of David or a cross, or putting on a yarmulke, burqa or Sihk turban – or any external religious garment or adornment, Canadian media reported. Continue Reading »

Former presidential candidate Ron Paul to keynote largest ‘anti-Semitic’ conference

The Fatima Center, a Catholic organizations is described by human rights groups as being possibly ‘the single largest group of hard-core anti-Semites in America’, will have Ron Paul as keynote speaker.

 

 

Former Texas Congressman and perennial GOP presidential contender Ron Paul is scheduled to keynote a conference in Canada next weekend of a “radical traditionalist” Catholic organization that’s described by human rights organizations as a major center of anti-Semitism.

Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas speaks at University of California, April 5, 2012.

In this April 5, 2012 file photo, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas speaks at the University of California at Berkeley, Calif. – Photo: AP

Other scheduled conference speakers include John McManus, president of the John Birch Society, the hoary staple of the far right, and Italian politician Roberto Fiore, founder of the neo-fascist Forza Nuova and a close ally of the British National Front. Continue Reading »

Rare Interview Reveals Yemenite Jewry Being Driven to Extinction

Rabbi Yahya Youssef Salem, the leader of Yemen’s embattled Jewish community reveals in a rare televised interview, the precarious plight of his dwindling flock.

By Ari Soffer

 

 

The leader of Yemen’s embattled and dwindling Jewish community has spoken of his community’s harrowing struggle to survive, in a rare interview with Yemen Today TV.

Yemenite Jews in Sana’a (Illustration) – Reuters

Rabbi Yahya Youssef Salem’s interview, translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), provides a rare glimpse into the tragic existence of the few remaining Jews in the Middle East’s poorest country; trapped between Muslim extremists and unsympathetic government officials, and forced to completely submit their fate to state authorities just to survive. Continue Reading »

South African BDS leaders justify chants: ‘Shoot the Jew’

 

South Africans supportive of Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) chant ‘Shoot the Jew’ in protest of Johannesburg concert of Israeli musician.

BDS Leader says it’s ok to yell,
”Shoot the Jew”.

Jewish leader says, “Real agenda is not to stand up for the Palestinian cause but to incite hatred,”

 

 

 
South African supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel chanted “shoot the Jew” during a protest against a performance of Israeli jazz musician at Wits University last Wednesday.
Anti-Israel protestors in South Africa

Anti-Israel protestors in South Africa – Photo: REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

A leader of the South African Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel justified calls to “shoot the Jew” during a protest last Wednesday against a concert by an Israeli musician.

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Hundreds of Majdal Shams Druze rally support for Assad

 

 

Pro-Assad supporters among village’s Druze community insist the Syrian president couldn’t have been responsible for such attacks, and so they’re protesting against any int’l intervention, saying ‘Assad managed to maintain calm on Syria-Israel border for 40 years’

By Maor Buchnik

Several hundreds attended a pro-Assad in the Druze village of Majdal Shams Monday, carrying banners in favor of the Syrian president and condemning the prospect of a US attack on Syria.

Majdal Shams demonstration – Photo: Aviyahu Shapira

Zahad, local resident and a café owner, noted that protesters were interested in keeping Assad in the government and noted that he was also “against foreign intervention in the country, and not just because of Majdal Shams – it would be dangerous for Israel as well.” Continue Reading »

Jewish group says Vatican assisting in overturning Poland kosher slaughter ban

World Jewish Congress reports Pope is to host meeting to address Poland’s current ban on ritual animal slaughter.

 

 

The World Jewish Congress has said the Vatican is getting involved in a divisive issue in Poland over its ban on the ritual slaughter of animals, which has incensed Jews.

Pope Francis poses with a delegation of members of the World Jewish Congress.

Pope Francis poses with a delegation of members of the World Jewish Congress, including its President Ronald S.Lauder, fourth from right next to the pontiff, at the Vatican, Monday, Sept. 2, 2013. – Photo: AP

 

The group said Monday that Pope Francis instructed the Vatican office in charge of relations with Jews to host a meeting next week to discuss the ban, which Jews consider a violation of their religious freedom. Continue Reading »

US & Russia position warships for Syrian confrontation

 

U.S. moves USS Nimitz aircraft carrier into Red Sea to help support possible assault.

Russian reconnaissance ship getting into position in the eastern Mediterranean.

Israel sends home its reserves for the meantime as it dials back its missile defenses.

By Shlomo Cesana, Lilach Shoval, Mati Tuchfeld and Reuters

 

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and other ships in its strike group are heading west toward the Red Sea to help support a limited U.S. strike on Syria, if needed, defense officials said on Sunday.

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Polish Jews petition kosher slaughter ban in Constitutional Court

Slaughter without stunning first, was made illegal in Poland as of January 1st. About 80 Polish firms, mainly selling kosher & halal products, will participate in an independent lawsuit against the state.

By JTA

 

 

Representatives of Poland’s Jewish communities have petitioned the Polish constitutional court to reverse a ban on kosher and halal slaughter methods.

File:Warszawa t konstytucyjny.jpg

Constitutional Tribunal of the Republic of Poland – Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

A statement released Friday by the Union of Jewish Religious Communities said the petition concerned “a collision of two laws,” a reference to two laws passed in 1997, one permitting ritual slaughter and the other prohibiting it.

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Gov’t to explore upgrading Israel’s Civil Laws in Area C

 

PM Netanyahu seeks incorporating Israel’s Personal Laws in the Area C sections of the West Bank as it is applicable in the rest of Israel.

 

 

The government is looking into upgrading through military orders all personal laws for Israelis living in Area C, starting with the workplace, to ensure that they match those legislated by the Knesset for citizens in the rest of the country.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu asked the Justice Ministry to start the task, at the end of a discussion on the labor law for working mothers in Judea and Samaria, held Sunday at the government’s weekly meeting, an official said.

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Abbas reveals Israel-PA deal made to restart peace process

 

PA president says he agreed to avoid lobbying to int’l institutions after Israel OK’ed prisoner release.

By Roi Kais

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed Monday the circumstances of the deal that was made with Israel in order to renew the peace talks between the two sides.

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas - Photo Mark Israel Sellem

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas – Photo: Mark Israel Sellem

Speaking to Fatah members in Ramallah, Abbas said that even before negotiations started, the US demanded that the Palestinians avoid lobbying in international intitutions.

Abbas also addressed the subject of Syria and said that he opposes any military strike from the US. “We will not have an Arab state bombed and we condemn the use of chemical weapons on either side. Continue Reading »

Netanyahu: Violate Our Rosh Hashana Peace, You’ll Pay Dearly

Israel’s PM Netanyahu urged Israelis to relax during the upcoming 3 day holiday, warning all of Israel’s neighbors not to violate the general calmness.

By David Lev

 

With the Rosh Hashana holiday coming up in just a few days, Israelis will be attending synagogue services, visiting family, and generally taking it easy during a rare three day break from work. And Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said the the country would take steps to ensure that the holiday is a calm one.

PM Netanyahu Warns Syria - Photo courtesy: PMO

PM Netanyahu Warns Syria – Photo courtesy: PMO

With the decision by U.S. President Barack H. Obama to ask Congress to approve military action against Syria, the prospect of immediate American action seems to be postponed until at least next week. Continue Reading »