Fatah official: Our goal has never been peace

Just as I have always suspected:
“Our goal has never been peace,” says a Fatah official in a PA TV panel. “Peace is a means; the goal is Palestine” – meaning the conquest of Israel.

Jewish settlements in Judea Samaria and Jordan Valley

Ben-Gurion’s legacy on Jerusalem under assault

David Ben-Gurion

A response to former prime minister Ehud Olmert from a former Israeli ambassador to the UN. Today, he says, Israel must reestablish that red line.

Right after the War of Independence, prime minister David Ben-Gurion faced inexorably difficult pressures over the future of Jerusalem.

The UN planned to press its case for internationalization. Its grounds were General Assembly Resolution 181, adopted in 1947 and known as the partition plan, which not only advocated the establishment of Jewish and Arab states in former British Mandatory Palestine, but also recommended putting Jerusalem under UN control as a corpus separatum, or separate entity.

True, the resolution was not legally binding; it had been forcibly rejected by the Arab states. Moreover, the UN never established the special regime for Jerusalem that it proposed. In fact, it failed to dispatch any forces to save the Old City when reports streamed in that its ancient synagogues were being systematically destroyed. Nevertheless, even after the war ended, leading diplomatic players in the UN, including the US government, came back and insisted on resurrecting the idea of international control.

Ben-Gurion stood in the Knesset on December 5, 1949 and, in no uncertain terms, rejected the demand for internationalization. He looked back at what had happened during the War of Independence, explaining that the UN “did not lift a finger” when invading Arab armies tried to destroy the holy city. It was only because of the efforts of the newly created IDF that the siege of Jerusalem had been lifted and the rest of its Jewish population saved. Ben-Gurion declared that Israel no longer viewed Resolution 181 as having any further “moral force” with regard to Jerusalem.

“FBI escorts known Hamas operative through top-secret counterterrorism center”

Sheikh Kifah Mustapha (third from left) touring the National Counterterrorism Center
(Photo: FBI)

File the story below under “it’s so unbelievable it can’t be true.” Stunningly, it is.

Let your voice heard. Let government officials and candidates for elected office know you’re outraged about this. Take one or both of the recommended actions below. YOUR VOICE COUNTS!

An alarmed Iran asks for outside help to stop rampaging Stuxnet malworm

It look like the zionist may have made
beeg mess on my computer network.

Oh no, what I do now? I know! I call Europe!

Iran on cyber red alert after failing to vanquish Stuxnet

Tehran this week secretly appealed to a number of computer security experts in West and East Europe with offers of handsome fees for consultations on ways to exorcize the Stuxnet worm spreading havoc through the computer networks and administrative software of its most important industrial complexes and military command centers. DEBKAfile's intelligence and Iranian sources report Iran turned for outside help after local computer experts failed to remove the destructive virus.
None of the foreign experts has so far come forward because Tehran refuses to provide precise information on the sensitive centers and systems under attack and give the visiting specialists the locations where they would need to work. They were not told whether they would be called on to work outside Tehran or given access to affected sites to study how they function and how the malworm managed to disable them. Iran also refuses to give out data on the changes its engineers have made to imported SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems, mostly from Germany.

Israel makes major gains in raising life expectancy

Photo by: Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel

Infant mortality rate also lowered; tops most OECD countries; gap between Jewish and Arab Israelis still considerable.

Over the last 30 years, the life expectancy of Jewish Israelis has increased significantly and is longer on average than in the OECD countries.

Even Israeli Arabs, who had long lagged behind due to cultural, social, educational and other reasons, now live noticeably longer on average than Americans.

Laughter Yoga in the Negev

LAUGHTER YOGA FESTIVAL 2 IN ISRAEL

ABOUT 200 - 300 PEOPLE WILL MEET IN THE NEGEV DESERT
 > AND ENJOY LAUGHTERYOGA AND OTHER FEEL-GOOD-ACTIVITIES LIKE DANCING,
> SINGING, PLAYING, HUGGING, MEDITATION, SWIMMING. WE OFFER ALSO A SPECIAL
> PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN. MANY OF THE ISRAELIAN LAUGHTER YOGA LEADERS WILL BE
> THERE, BUT THE FESTIVAL IS ALSO OPEN FOR EVERYBODY.

Event Info:

www.hitlahavut.co.il

Event Start Date	30-09-2010
Event End Date	02-10-2010
Duration	3 DAYS
What time event will start & finish?	ABOUT 16:00 O'CLOCK
Country	Israel
State	Negev Desert
City	Negev Desert
Location Address	SHITIM, ASHRAM BAMIDBAR
Contact Person	UTE LIEMANT
Contact email	UTEL30@BEZEQINT.NET
Contact phone	03-9792941

 

Western pro-Palestinian activist who participated in the fighting aboard the Mavi Marmara, claimed in an interview in Haaretz that it was clear that the resistance aboard the ship would not be passive and that if Israelis boarded the ship the confrontation would end in "disaster."

Kenneth O'Keefe, a former Marine and Irish citizen (who renounced his American citizenship), took part in the fighting aboard the Mavi Marmara shoulder to shoulder with the hard core of IHH operatives. The picture was taken in Antalya, apparently before he boarded the ship (From Kenneth O'Keefe's website, June 13, 2010).

1. Kenneth O'Keefe is a former Marine and an American who renounced his citizenship. He is currently an Irish citizen and lives in Britain. He participated in the fighting aboard the Mavi Marmara and has been widely interviewed concerning it. In an interview with the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz, he spoke at length about the events aboard the ship and his active participation in them. He presented the IHH narrative, which is completely contradictory to the Israeli position.

2. Since O'Keefe cannot be suspected of being biased in favor of Israel, and because of his military background, it is particularly significant that he stated that from the beginning IHH operatives had no intention of using passive resistance but rather were planning to exert great force in a confrontation with the IDF and that it would end in "disaster." His statements completely contradict the claims made by IHH and the other flotilla organizers that they intended to use only passive resistance, at the utmost.

3. The following are the relevant passages from the interview (conducted by Noam Sheizaf in Belfast,Haaretz, September 24, 2010):¹

A. Question: Were you present when Bülent [Yildirim] said the flotilla participants would struggle to defend the ship?
Answer: "I knew before we set out that the Turks are not like the other Westerners, that there would be no passive resistance in this case. The Turks are a tough people. They are people you don't mess with too much. In the United States or Britain people are asleep, there is no danger of rebellion. The Turks are different. I knew that if the Israelis boarded that ship, it would be a disaster. Not only from the aspect of the people who would be killed, but that it would also be a disaster for the Israelis."

B. Question: Did you see them sawing the beams in preparation for the attack?
Answer: "I knew we would defend the ship. That was stated publicly a great many times. You have to be an idiot to board that ship and think it will be a ship of passive resistance."

C. Question: So the same things would have happened even if the confrontation had taken place in the territorial waters of Gaza?
Answer: "If they thought we were a group of passive peace activists and that there would be no resistance to boarding the ship, what was the logic in coming in the middle of the night and using grenades? It's an insult to the intelligence to say that. Is Israeli intelligence so useless that they didn't even bother watching international newscasts, in which the leader of IHH said explicitly that we would defend the ships bodily? Did they know so little about the mood on the Turkish street that they thought boarding the ships would be an invitation to tea? Or did they know all that and because of it came at night, with stun, gas and smoke grenades and sought to gain a tactical advantage, in the clear knowledge that there would be a confrontation?" (Note: ITIC emphasis throughout).

---

¹ http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/rough-passage-1.315481


...And just as a reminder—to those who seem to quickly forget—of what was going down aboard the Mavi Marmari, here is some live footage:

Intifada in Jerusalem

Shame on the Sate of Israel! — There was an intifada going on in Jerusalem and the State was silent.

--
דואר מוקד ההסברה, להרשמה: http://www.israel-wat.com
אתר יד קטיף להנצחת גוש קטיף וצפון השומרון: http://www.yadkatif.com
שיהיה במזל - פורטל החתונה הדתי - http://www.bemazal.co.il

Jerusalem Sukkot Parade - September 28, 2010 - See complete album by clicking here

Christians and Jews from around the world gathered together in solidarity and in celebration of the Sukkoth Holiday Parade in Jerusalem.  A big thank you to our Christian friends around the world.  Your support is very highly appreciated. - Michelle Cohen

ISRAEL ORDERS MASSIVE MILITARY FUEL STOCKS FAR IN EXCESS OF THAT REQUIRED FOR NORMAL OPERATIONS

Israeli Air Force

Three weeks ago the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) published a notice, as it is legally required to do, announcing that Israel has ordered massive quantities of various fuels suitable for military use, and in the case of the order for JP-8 jet fuel, suitable only for military use.

The massive order is valued at some $2 billion and, as well as the 284 million gallons (1.075 billion litres) of JP-8 jet fuel, the order also includes 60 million gallons (227 million litres) of unleaded gasoline and 100 million gallons (378 million litres) of diesel fuel.

Last week I wrote of how it would not be possible for Israel to mount a ‘unilateral’ strike against Iran because Israel would require complete connivance and support for such a strike from the US. I explained, as I have in the past, how it would be necessary for the US to supply the massive amounts of fuel need for such a strike. If Israel were to strike Iran, Israel would only require the massive amounts of jet fuel and over a billion litres of jet fuel would be more that enough to do the job in practical terms.

Pal. Authority: Death Penalty for Selling Land to Jews

JERUSALEM, Israel - Israel's peace partner reaffirmed on Sunday that Palestinians convicted of selling land to Jews would face the death penalty for "high treason."

PA officials claim the death penalty deters Arabs from selling land to Jews living in Judea and Samaria, which they envision free of Jewish residents in a future Palestinian state.

But one Palestinian affairs expert said while such laws may deter the sale of land, they give credence to the perception of Palestinian terrorism.

Dr. Hillel Frisch of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University said imposing the death penalty for the sale of land is "pretty stringent in the modern conception of human rights."

Gay Palestinian seeks residency in Israel on humanitarian grounds

Majed Koka

Majed Koka has lived with his Israeli partner for last eight years and filed for residency in 2009, but is still waiting for the Interior Ministry's answer.
By Dana Weiler-PolakFor the last eight years, Koka has lived with a partner, an Israeli citizen. In 2002, the two even signed a partnership agreement and registered themselves as married with the municipality - though legally, the state does not recognize gay marriage.In June 2009, Koka finally asked the Interior Ministry to grant him legal residency on humanitarian grounds. Fifteen months later, he has yet to receive a response.

Meanwhile, since he is here illegally, he is subject to frequent arrests; his lawyer is constantly fighting for his release. He has been arrested nine times over the last 12 years, Koka said.

Elsie's War - A story of courage in Nazi Germany

Ernst Leitz II, 

Elsie Kuhn-Leitz

 The Leica is the pioneer 35mm camera. It is a German product — precise, minimalist, and utterly efficient.

Behind its worldwide acceptance as a creative tool was a family-owned, socially oriented firm that, 

during the Nazi era, acted with uncommon grace, generosity and modesty. E. Leitz Inc., designer and manufacturer 

of Germany 's most famous photographic product, saved its Jews.

And Ernst Leitz II, the steely-eyed Protestant patriarch who headed the closely held firm as the Holocaust 

loomed across Europe , acted in such a way as to earn the title, "the photography industry's Schindler."

IDF kills 2 terrorists attempting to fire rockets at Israel

Photo by: Associated Press

Hamas, IDF confirm two killed in explosion in Gaza, in what IDF described as an operation against rocket launchers.

Two Palestinian terrorists were killed in an IDF attack on the Gaza Strip on Monday night according to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit and Hamas-run television.

In a joint Shin Bet (Israel Security Service) and IDF operation, an IDF drone located the two Palestinians preparing to fire rockets into Israel territory from a location in the central Gaza Strip.  There was a secondary explosion after the terrorists were hit by fire, according to a statement released by the IDF.

RELATED:'Not how I planned on bringing a child into the world'
'Hamas planned to steal bodies of Kiryat Arba victims'

The IDF also reiterated that it would not countenance any attempts to harm Israeli civilians or soldiers and that it hold Hamas solely responsible for keeping the quiet in Gaza.

Hamas television reported earlier that two Palestinians were killed in an unidentified explosion in the Gaza Strip on Monday.

Diplomats Try to Save Mideast Talks

Guess who are the construction workers in the "settlements"?

More talk
about "peace talks"
with people
who want
no peace

JERUSALEM — Israel’s decision this weekend to end its freeze on West Bank Jewish settlement construction sent diplomats on three continents scurrying on Monday to keep the Middle East peace talks alive. And while the discussions covered many topics, in the end they came down to one stubborn goal: how to curb settlement construction.

While negotiators huddled in New York and Washington, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the international envoy to the process, shuttled around Jerusalem, PresidentNicolas Sarkozy of France met with thePalestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, in Paris, and extended an invitation to him and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, for a meeting there next month. Both accepted.

2010 UN Speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - Worth Reading Every Word

Very well said, Mr. Netanyahu!

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Nearly 62 years ago, the United Nations recognized the right of the Jews, an ancient people 3,500 years-old, to a state of their own in their ancestral homeland.

I stand here today as the Prime Minister of Israel, the Jewish state, and I speak to you on behalf of my country and my people. The United Nations was founded after the carnage of World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust. It was charged with preventing the recurrence of such horrendous events. Nothing has undermined that central mission more than the systematic assault on the truth. Yesterday the President of Iran stood at this very podium, spewing his latest 

anti-Semitic rants. Just a few days earlier, he again claimed that the Holocaust is a lie.

Headline News from Israel Today Magazine

- Christians bolster Jews as settlement freeze ends - Jewish man arrested for praying on Temple Mount

- Palestinians shoot pregnant Jewish woman - Arabs riot in Jerusalem - US to Palestinians: Hold your tongues if you want a state - Christians bolster Jews as settlement freeze ends

Rocket attacks from Gaza during the month of September

September 27

At about 11:45 pm, three Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants were killed by an Israeli drone strike as they were preparing to fire rockets into Israel. The incident took place at a militant observation outpost in Bureij in the central Gaza Strip.

September 24

At about 6 am on the second day of the Jewush Sukkot holiday, a Qassam rocket was shot from the northern Gaza Strip towards Israel. The rocket exploded within the Gaza Strip, causing no reported injuries or damage. The Color Red alarm sounded in one of the communities in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council.

Ramat Aviv Mall ranked 35th most expensive property in world

Ramat Aviv Mall

Fifth Avenue commercial real estate, between 49th and 59th Streets, ranks first at a cost of $1,560 per square meter per month. Rents in the Ramat Aviv Mall were less than 10% of Fifth Avenue: $140 per square meter per month.

The most expensive stores in the world − to rent, that is − are on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, but not far behind is a location closer to home: Ramat Aviv Mall. Global real estate consultant Cushman & Wakefield’s annual edition of the world’s most expensive shopping destinations puts the Ramat Aviv Mall in north Tel Aviv in 35th place worldwide.

Fifth Avenue commercial real estate, between 49th and 59th Streets, costs $1,560 per square meter per month.

Second was Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay, followed by Tokyo’s Ginza, New Bond Street in London and the Champs Elysees in Paris.

Rents in the Ramat Aviv Mall were less than 10% of Fifth Avenue: $140 per square meter per month. Shopping districts in Taipai and Warsaw came in just before and after Tel Aviv, respectively.

Tel Aviv actually fell in the rankings from 2009, when it came in 29. Beirut was the only Middle Eastern city more expensive than Tel Aviv this past year.
The Ramat Aviv Mall is owned by the Ofer Holding’s Melisron.

“The Ramat Aviv Mall very much surprised Cushman and Wakefield,” said Yoram Blumenthal of Inter Israel, which represents Cushman and Wakefield in Israel. “They did not believe Israel was so expensive. It is not just [the Ramat Aviv Mall]. All the malls in Israel are relatively expensive compared to the world,” said Blumenthal.

The report reported prime rents either rising or remaining steady from June 2009 to June 2010. The findings paint a brighter outlook than those of 2009, which revealed the biggest global fall in rents in the report’s 25 year history. But rents increased in general only in Latin America and Asia and rents fell in 20 of the 59 countries surveyed.

The Cushman and Wakefield survey tracks rents in the world’s top 269 shopping locations across 59 countries. The ranking table is drawn up by taking the most expensive location in each of the countries monitored.

FINALLY — A great alternative to body scanners at airports

The Israelis are developing an airport security device that eliminates the privacy concerns that come with full-body scanners at the airports. 

It’s a booth you can step into that will not X-ray you, but will detonate any explosive device you may have on you. They see this as a win-win for everyone, with no racial profiling.  It also would eliminate the costs of a long and expensive trial.  Justice would be swift.  Case closed!

You're in the airport terminal and you hear a muffled explosion.  Shortly thereafter, an announcement comes over the PA system . . . "Attention standby passengers — we now have a seat available on flight number XXXX.  Shalom!"

Moratorium ends, but major building not expected

Guess who are the construction workers
of the buildings in the "settlements"?

More talk about

"Peace talks" 

with people

who want

no peace

Netanyahu calls on Abbas to "continue sincere, good talks with goal of reaching historic peace agreement between two peoples"; Abbas will not announce he is quitting talks.

Israel’s 10-month moratorium on new construction in the West Bank settlements expired at midnight Sunday, but Israel and the Palestinian Authority have agreed to devote another week to finding a compromise that will keep the recently relaunched direct talks from breaking down over the issue.

During this period, PA President Mahmoud Abbas will not announce that he is quitting the talks, and, because of Succot, there is not expected to be any sudden, major construction boom in the settlements – even though theoretically work could start immediately on some 2,000 housing units for which all the permits have already been granted.