Syrian rebellion tips Middle East power balance toward the Sunnis

The region’s Sunni-led countries are appearing more confident at the prospect that the Sunni-led rebellion could bring down Syria’s al-Assad’s regime. On the other hand, Hezbollah & Iran have had their reputations & Shiite influence damaged by their support for Assad’s brutality.

By The Associated Press & Israel Hayom Staff

 

Not long ago, Arabs everywhere listened when the leader of Hezbollah spoke. Sheik Hassan Nasrallah’s prominence, bolstered by his Lebanese terrorist organization’s battles against Israel, was a sign of the rising regional influence of Shiite Muslims and overwhelmingly Shiite Iran. Now, his speeches don’t necessarily make front pages even in Lebanon.

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Police & Inspectors raid pig farm suspected of animal abuse

In a Western Galilee farm, 2,000 pigs were found living in abusive conditions. The owners could face up to three years in prison.

 

A multi-ministerial force of inspectors raided one of Israel’s largest pig farms on Monday night, where officials have said 2,000 pigs were living in abusive conditions.

Abused pigs in galilee raid 370

Abused pigs in galilee raid 370
Photo: Rinat Koris-Rahamim

The raid, which occurred at the Araf piggery in the Western Galilee local council of Mi’ilya, occurred under the joint action of the Environmental Protection Ministry, the Agriculture Ministry, the Tax Authority, Israel Police, the Israel Electric Corporation and the Interior Ministry. Continue Reading »

Israel suggests mutual compensation for Jewish refugees

Summit on Jewish refugees from Arab countries being covered in Arab media, saying Israeli deputy foreign minister’s initiative is an attempt to demand compensation as ploy to neutralize Palestinian refugees demands.

 

By Elior Levy

 

The Arab media was up in arms this week over a plan spearheaded by Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon to hold a summit on the issue of Jewish refugees from Arab countries at the UN in September.

Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon Photo: Shahar Azran

Dep. Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon
Photo: Shahar Azran

The summit’s main purpose is to push forward the matter of property rights of Jewish refugees who were forced to flee Arab countries after the establishment of the state of Israel and to turn the Jewish refugee issue into a bargaining chip which would make it clear that if the Palestinians voice demands for refugee compensation – demands would also be made from the Israeli side. Continue Reading »

March in Sweden Wearing Kippot on Heads

Hundreds of Jews & non-Jewish supporters wearing kippot marched in Malmo, Sweden  protesting against the recent rise in anti-Semitism.

By Rachel Hirshfeld

 

Hundreds of Orthodox Jews wearing kippot, as well as non-Jewish supporters, marched in the southern Swedish city of Malmo on Friday, protesting against the recent rise in anti-Semitism and calling for religious tolerance for all minorities.

A number of anti-Semitic incidents have been reported by the Jewish community of Malmo, Sweden’s third largest city, in recent years, including verbal abuse directed against an Orthodox rabbi.

Willy Silberstein of the Swedish Committee Against Anti-Semitism, which organized the march, called the turnout “impressive.”  Continue Reading »

Ya’alon: Jerusalem, Judea & Samaria attacks against Arabs are terrorism

Jerusalem Mayor Barkat condemns violence and calls for co-existence. Vice premier attributes 2 incidents to a moral & educational failure. Ya’alon calls on elected officials to ensure “heinous” acts are not repeated.

By JPOST.COM STAFF

 

Vice Premier Moshe Ya’alon Sunday described two violent attacks against Arabs over the weekend in Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem as “hate crimes” and “terrorist acts.” He called the attacks “totally unacceptable and outrageous” and ascribed their incidence to a moral and educational failure that goes against Jewish ethics and values.

Ya’alon wrote on his Twitter account that Israel cannot afford such phenomena and that it is the duty of elected officials to use all the tools at their disposal to fight an all-out war to ensure these “heinous acts” are not repeated.

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Lebanon reports: Hezbollah page, Removed by Facebook

Facebook blocks Shiite terrorists group’s page along with affiliated Al-Manar TV page, for ‘inciting violence’. In response, Hezbollah relaunches TV station’s smartphone app

Ynetnews

 

Facebook has removed pages created by Hezbollah and its television station, Al-Manar, over incitement to violence, the Daily Star reported Sunday.

The social networking giant thus followed recommendations by the US State Department. The latter included Hezbollah on its list of terror organization in 2004; adding it TV station to the list in 2006.

Zuckerberg. -Photo: AFP

Mark Zuckerberg. – Photo: AFP

“Under our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities we do not allow content that ‘incites violence,'” Frederic Wolens, a Facebook spokesperson, said. Continue Reading »

U.S. and Israel conduct joint naval exercises in Med

A 4-day exercise included use of live fire, & U.S. participants included guided-missile destroyers that would be used to help Israel defend against Iranian missiles.

 

The U.S. and Israeli navies conducted a joint search-and-rescue exercise in the Mediterranean Sea last week. The four-day exercise, known as Reliant Mermaid, included the use of live fire, and the U.S. participants included Aegis guided-missile destroyers of the type that would in theory be used to help defend Israel against Iranian missiles. But the exercise didn’t include any missile interceptions – though such interceptions are supposed to be part of a bigger joint exercise in another two months. Continue Reading »

Canada Church Regrets Previously Asking Arabs to Recognize Israel as Jewish State

The United Church of Canada (UCC) decided to boycott Israeli products exported from communities in Judea & Samaria.

By Rachel Hirshfeld

 

 

The United Church of Canada (UCC) has voted to boycott products exported by Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria.

The vote was one of thirteen resolutions, which single out “Israeli settlements” as the primary obstacle to peace in the region, that the UCC adopted on Friday at its 41st general council meeting in Ottawa.

The UCC also called on Israel to suspend “settlement” expansion, and express regret for previously asking the “Palestinians” to acknowledge Israel as a Jewish state. Continue Reading »

American IDF veterans return to serve on campus

3 American-born IDF veterans have returned to the US after their IDF service. On campus each has been involved in Israel advocacy efforts.

By LAUREN SCHMIDT, ICB REPORTER

 

Many campus Israel groups have brought Israeli soldiers to speak at their schools in recent years because they value the insights and perspectives IDF veterans bring to the campus Israel dialogue. But some people who have had life-changing experiences serving in the Israel Defense Forces later earn their college degree in the United States. These students offer a unique view on Israel, based on their experience, and their advocacy on campus conveys that.
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4 More Egyptian soldiers get wounded in Sinai attack

In latest series of violent attacks this month in the Sinai, Militants fire rocket-propelled grenade at security convoy between Rafah & el-Arish

Egyptian security officials say militants fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a security convoy in the Sinai Peninsula, wounding three military officers and a policeman.

North Sinai, August 12, 2012

People watch as smoke rises from the burning remains of a building and vehicle in north Sinai – Photo by Reuters

The officials say the attack Saturday morning took place along a major road linking northern Sinai’s main city of el-Arish to the Egypt-Gaza border town of Rafah. The troops were returning from a raid on homes of suspected militants and had arrested two people. Continue Reading »

Ban Ki-Moon slams Iran leaders’ anti-Israel remarks

UN chief condemns Iran’s supreme leader & president for ‘inflammatory’ verbal attacks, says he is ‘dismayed by the remarks threatening Israel’s existence’

By Reuters

 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon sharply criticized Iran‘s supreme leader and president on Friday, describing their latest verbal attacks on Israel as “offensive and inflammatory.”

באן קי מון Photo: Alex Kolomoisky

UNS-G Ban Ki-Moon
Photo: Alex Kolomoisky

Many thousands of Iranians shouted “Death to America, death to Israel” during state-organized protests on Friday and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told them there was no place for the Jewish state in a future Middle East.

“The Secretary-General is dismayed by the remarks threatening Israel’s existence attributed over the last two days to the Supreme Leader and the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the UN press office said. Continue Reading »

Meet the Christian Zionists

Evangelical Christians by the millions are working day & night to protect Israel. They stage conventions, they exert political pressure on their representatives in Washington & they raise awareness in the world on issues like the Iranian threat or on Palestinian incitement, and they do this not only in the name of justice, but because it is an integral part of their faith in Jesus.

By Dror Eydar

 

While conversing at a convention center in Washington with Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, the chief rabbi of Efrat, I asked him whether he considered what we were witnessing at that convention center as a religious or historic revolution, after 2,000 years of Christianity.
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Netanyahu disavows erroneous quotes attributed to him

The PM refutes saying “situation in Jordan worse than Syria” & “fall of Tantawi in Egypt worse than fall of Mubarak.”

 

For the second time in a week Israel found itself on Thursday denying potentially dangerous and erroneous statements attributed to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in the Arab world.

PM Netanyahu speaks to Jewish immigrants at BGU - Photo: REUTERS

PM Netanyahu speaks to Jewish immigrants at BGU – Photo: REUTERS

Samih al-Mayata, a Jordanian government spokesman, was quoted in the Jordanian media earlier this week as being asked at a briefing about a statement he was told Netanyahu made that “the situation in Jordan is worse even than the situation in Syria.”

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Ahmadinejad: Must remove the ‘Black stain’ of Zionism from society

Reports claim millions attend Palestinian support rallies; In his speech to mark al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day, Iran’s president says Zionist regime ‘insult to humanity’ & that ‘western powers cannot tolerate criticism’ against Israel.

By Dudi Cohen

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday denounced Israel and said that “The very existence of the Zionist regime is an insult to humanity.”

In the speech which was broadcast live on Iranian TV in honor of al-Quds Day Ahmadinejad added that “The western powers cannot tolerate criticism of the Zionist regime. They feel compelled to defend it.”

He also warned: “It is dangerous if even10% of the territory is given to the Zionists.” Continue Reading »

Diplomatic Sources say Securing Syria’s chemical weapons could take 60,000 troops

Washington & European Allies discuss possibility if Assad regime loses control of WMDs; American official: U.S. still has no plans to put troops on the ground in Syria.

By Reuters

 

The United States and its allies are discussing a worst-case scenario that could require tens of thousands of ground troops to go into Syria to secure chemical and biological weapons sites following the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government, according to U.S. and diplomatic officials.

Syria - AP - 15.8.2012

Syrian children playing near a destroyed military tank next to the rubble of a damaged building in town of Azaz on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria – Photo by AP

These secret discussions assume that all of Assad’s security forces disintegrate, leaving chemical and biological weapons sites in Syria vulnerable to pillaging. Continue Reading »