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| Tuesday, Nov 6 '12, Cheshvan 21, 5773 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1. Israel Mocks Turkey’s ‘Show Trial’ for '18,000 Years in Jail' by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu  A Turkish court on Tuesday began what Israel calls an in absentia "show trial" of former IDF Chief of Gabi Ashkenazi and three other former senior military officers over the 2010 clash with the terror-linked IHH organization. The prosecutors are demanding multiple life sentences that would amount to 18,000 years in jail for the four officers over the clash that plunged relations between Israel and Turkey into deep crisis. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Istanbul court waving Palestinian Authority flags and chanting "Damn Israel" as the trial opened, AFP reported Israeli commandos boarded the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, the largest ship in a flotilla dispatched by the IHH, ostensibly a relief agency but which has been proven to include terrorists. Their ship presumably was headed to Hamas-controlled Gaza with humanitarian aid in an effort to break the maritime embargo against the smuggling of terrorists and arms into Gaza. After the Mavi Mamara ship was led to the post in Ashdod, it was discovered there was no aid on board. Nine IHH terror activists were killed in the clash after they brutally clubbed IDF Navy commandos who had boarded the ship virtually unarmed. Reinforcements were sent in after the IHH kidnapped, shot and knifed commandos, kidnapping three of them until their rescue. "This is not a trial but a show trial and has nothing to do with law and justice," Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP, saying the defendants had not even been informed about the nature of the charges. "They haven't been given even a symbolic chance to have legal representation," he added. "It's a propaganda showcase. The government of Turkey, if it really wanted to do something about this issue, would engage with Israel." The defendants in the trial are Ashkenazi, former navy chief Eliezer Marom, former military intelligence head Amos Yadlin and former air force intelligence chief Avishai Levy. Israel ruled that those who took part in the raid did nothing wrong, and one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs said they expected the court to issue an arrest warrant for the men. Last year, an Israeli probe ruled that the raid did not violate international law, and a United Nations report said that although the IDF used “excessive force,” the flotilla organizers acted “recklessly” and that the maritime blockade was legal. In May, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon had said he was expecting foreign diplomatic pressure on Turkey to stop the trial, saying it could have "wide-ranging implications for NATO and US forces," which frequently board ships suspected of terror activity. Turkey insists ties will not return to normal unless Israel offers a formal apology, compensates the victims and lifts the blockade on the impoverished Gaza Strip. Comment on this story 2. Did Likud MK Back Jordan Valley Withdrawal? by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu  Did he or didn’t he? The chairman of the Jordan Valley Regional Council told Arutz Sheva that Likud Knesset Member Hanegbi told him last August that Israel will have to surrender the area due to U.S. pressure. Hanegbi, who previously was convicted of perjury, initially told Arutz Sheva he does not even remember talking with the council chairman, David Alhayani. When he was reminded of the conversation at his own Jerusalem area home, Hanegbi admitted it took place only several years ago, but insisted he opposed a withdrawal. He allegedly said, “We will have to withdrawal from the Jordan Valley. There are things that we see from here and are not seen from there. “There is pressure from the United States.” The former Likud MK, who defected to Kadima and has now rejoined Likud, told Arutz Sheva, “I never said we should withdraw from the Jordan Valley, On the contrary, it is the security border of Israel." He related that he told Alhayani that he is strongly against surrendering the area and that the council chairman thanked him for his position. He added, “It is impossible he misunderstood me.” Alhayani expressed surprise at Hanegbi’s denial and added that he hopes Likud members vote with “a clear head for those faithful to Likud [principles]. The Likud has had a history of taking nationalist stands and then executing the opposite. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu last year reversed a long-standing policy and announced he could recognize the Palestinian Authority as an independent state. The most blatant about-face was the expulsion of 9,000 Jews from Gaza and four communities in northern Samaria in 2005 under the so-called “Disengagement Plan.” Ariel Sharon was head of the Likud party previously but abandoned it to form the Kadima party after many Likud MKs opposed the Disengagement. His new party virtually decimated the Likud party following a large-scale exodus of MKs who joined Kadima, including Hanegbi. The Likud’s fortunes have turned around since then, and many former Likud MKs who are still in Kadima now are faced with the possibility of being left out of the next Knesset due to the likelihood that Kadima will barely have enough support in the January elections to return to the Knesset, if at all. Comment on this story  3. Clinton Indirectly Legitimizing Ukrainian Neo-Nazi Party? by Rachel Hirshfeld  The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has criticized the Ukrainian Opposition Party of Yulia Tymoshenko for having signed a parliamentary alliance that gave legitimacy to a far-right extremist party well known for its anti-Semitic views. ADL National Director, Abraham Foxman issued a statement in which he expressed "alarm" at the strong electoral support for the neo-Nazi Svoboda (Freedom) party of Ukraine at last Sunday's parliamentary elections. "Anti-Semitic rhetoric has been a mainstay of Svoboda's leaders and campaign slogans," Foxman said. The party made surprise gains in Sunday’s national elections, obtaining 12% of the votes and securing 41 seats in the Ukrainian parliament, enabling it to enter parliament for the first time. U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has also come under fire from Jewish groups for having penned an op-ed published in The New York Times last week for praising Tymoahenko, leader of the opposition Batkivshchina (Fatherland) party. Clinton previously wrote a letter on behalf of Tymoshenko, who was convicted in October of last year for allegedly signing a disadvantageous deal for supplies of Russian natural gas to Ukraine when she was in office in 2010. In the letter Clinton wrote that Tymoshenko should be “immediately and unconditionally released, as well as other former members of your government,” thus indirectly assisting in the legitimization of a party on the fringes of Ukraine politics that has never won a seat in parliament before. Foxman singled out Tymoshenko for her cynical political alliance with a neo-fascist party, saying, "It is of particular concern that the opposition party of Yulia Tymoshenko has signed a cooperation agreement with Svoboda, giving great credibility to this fringe extremist political party." The ADL said in a statement yesterday that Oleh Tyahnybok, Tymoshenko's new ally as head of Svoboda, "just yesterday confirmed his long-standing claim that Ukraine is ruled by a "Muscovite-Jewish mafia" and that "Ukraine should finally be given to Ukrainians" and should exclude hundreds of thousands of Jewish Ukrainians. Tyahnybok "has called Jews 'occupiers' of Ukraine and has lauded the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a nationalist militia in WWII, for killing Jews," the ADl said in a statement. In addition, the ADL stated that, "Svoboda has organized demonstrations against Jewish pilgrimages to Hassidi Jewish holy sites in Ukraine, and its officials have tried to prevent Holocaust education films from being shown in Ukraine schools." The New York Times reported on October 29th that the Svoboda party's "influence is likely to be even bigger than its share of the vote because of a cooperation agreement that it signed with Mrs. Tymoshenko's Fatherland party." Israeli foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, also denounced the agreement, alluding to the deaths of millions of Jews on Ukrainian soil during the Holocaust. "Anti-Semitic insults by Svoboda have caused outrage on a number of occasions both in Ukraine and in Israel," Lieberman said. "The expression of such views reminds of the darkest pages in the history of the last century that has led humanity to the tragedy of the Second World War." More on this topic
Comment on this story 4. Impending Nor'easter May Threaten 'Sandy' Recovery by Rachel Hirshfeld  As residents of the East Coast of the United States are still attempting to recover from the damage left by the tumultuous Superstorm Sandy, worrying reports have emerged that a nor’easter is taking shape and will likely threaten the same regions pummeled by the notorious “Frankenstorm.” Rain will start to move in early Wednesday and will gradually become heavier, according to meteorologists. As the day goes on, the weather will get worse, with temperatures hovering in the 40s, which is particularly troubling news for the approximately 1.2 million people who are still without power. The primary concern from the nor'easter—defined by the National Weather Service as a strong low-pressure system with powerful northeasterly winds blowing in from the ocean ahead of the storm—is the impact it could have on the ravaged Jersey Shore, as coastal flooding and beach erosion are possible. "When it rains, it pours. When it storms, you get more storms I guess," said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Under normal conditions, the nor'easter wouldn't be problematic, he said, but because many areas are still picking up the pieces from last week, it could cause fresh havoc. "It's going to impact many areas that were devastated by Sandy," said Bruce Terry, the lead forecaster for the National Weather Service. "It will not be good." Some communities were considering again evacuating neighborhoods that were hit by Sandy and where residents had only recently been allowed to return. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg decided against a new round of evacuations. "When Sandy was coming in, all the signs said that we were going to have a very dangerous, damaging storm, and I ordered a mandatory evacuation of low-lying areas, something that a lot of people don't like to hear," he said. "In this case, we don't think that it merits that. It is a different kind of storm; the wind is coming from a different direction." U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano urged residents to take the storm seriously. "Everything people did to get people ready for Sandy, we need to do for the nor'easter," she said. "We have people who want to stay in their homes," Napoletano added. "We know that." The timing of Hurricane Sandy compounded with news of a nor’easter has also presented voting problems, as the United States braces to elect a new president. "I cannot think right now about voting (in Tuesday's presidential election)" said one resident, according to CNN. "I don't even know where to go if I wanted to vote." To help with such concerns, Cuomo signed an order Monday allowing affidavit voting, which means that voters registered in a federally declared disaster county will be permitted vote at any poll site in the state by signing an affidavit. "We want everyone to vote. Just because you're displaced doesn't mean you should be disenfranchised," the governor said. Voters in some New York counties may get an extra day to cast ballots if disruptions caused by Sandy prevent enough citizens from voting, a state official said Sunday. New Jersey announced that residents displaced by Sandy can vote in Tuesday's elections via e-mail or fax, the first time citizens of the state have been allowed to vote electronically. More on this topic Comment on this story 5. PA Outraged: Rami Levy Meets Amr Moussa in Shechem by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu  Palestinian Authority leaders are outraged over a meeting between Jewish supermarket chain owner Rami Levy, who operates stores in Judea and Samaria, and former Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa in Shechem. Levy was joined by other Israeli business leaders at the meeting at the home of PA millionaire businessman Munib al-Masri, according to the Bethlehem-based Ma'an news agency. Also attending were Turkish and Egyptian leaders and Robert Serry, the UN special coordinator for the moribund “peace process.” The meeting was intended to "form an international coalition ... to break the deadlock in the peace process,” according to a statement. "This is not negotiations, nor economic cooperation, normalization, or bilateral talks ... but an international meeting under the banner of a global body, the World Economic Forum," the organizers said. Fatah official Mahmoud Ishtayeh charged that the presence of Levy in effect recognizes a Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria due to at least three stores he operates in the area, in addition to dozens elsewhere in Israel. He said that meeting with Levy contradicts the PA policy to boycott all products and goods from Jews in Judea and Samaria, according to Ma'an. The news site also quoted Bassam al-Salhi, the secretary general of the leftist Palestinian People's Party, as saying that the visit by the Israeli delegation undermined the boycott effort. Rami Levy’s supermarkets in Beitar Illit, Gush Etzion and in the Binyamin region of Samaria (Shomron) are unique because both Jews and Arabs work and also patronize the stores. Last August, Levy upset the Palestinian Authority when he spoke with Al-Masri about the 2002 Saudi Peace initiative, which has been adopted by the Palestinian Authority. The PA businessman said he met with Levy rather than with Israeli leftists because the “peace camp” has little influence on the public. Two weeks ago, several anarchists and Arabs rioted at the Rami Levy market in Binyamin. Comment on this story 6. Netanyahu: I Will Attack Iran Alone if Necessary by Elad Benari  Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu promised on Monday that by the time his next term as Prime Minister is over, Iran will not have a nuclear weapons program. Speaking to Channel 2, Netanyahu said that if it is necessary, he will lead an independent Israeli attack against Iran, even without the support of the United States. “When former Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion declared the establishment of the State of Israel, was it with the consent of the Americans? When former Prime Minister Menachem Begin bombed the Iraqi nuclear reactor, was that with the consent of the Americans?” asked Netanyahu. “If there someone here who, as Prime Minister of Israel, cannot act on things that are fundamental to the State, to its future and to its security and depends only on approval of others, he does not deserve to lead,” said Netanyahu. “When we didn’t have a state, when we didn’t have an army, and when someone threatened to destroy us and then actually annihilated us, we went and pleaded with others,” he said. “Today we don’t plead, we prepare.” The interview with Netanyahu was a follow-up to an investigative report on Sunday which said that he and Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the military and intelligence service to prepare for a military strike on Iran in 2010. According to the report, the two met stiff opposition from then-IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi and then-Head of Mossad Meir Dagan. Responding to accusations by Dagan that he and Barak were trying to 'steal' a war, Netanyahu clarified that “the responsibility ultimately lies with the Prime Minister.” Barak also responded to the report and said that contrary to the claims by Ashkenazi and Dagan, the order that was given to them did not mean that they should go to war. At the same time he clarified that, “The assumption that says that if the Chief of Staff does not recommend doing something means that you cannot decide to do it – is baseless. The Chief of Staff builds the operational capacity, he should tell us professionally if he thinks it can be done or not, and he can also even make a recommendation, but ultimately it can be carried out even against his recommendation.” Netanyahu's predecessor, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, also gave an interview to Channel 2 and attacked Netanyahu over his threat to attack Iran without the support of the Americans. "What is this talk about us being the ones to decide alone about our fate and not take anyone else into account?” said Olmert. “Someone please explain to me exactly with what planes we’ll attack if we decide to attack alone contrary to the opinion of others? Will it be aircraft we created here? With which bombs we will bomb? With bombs we made? And if we find that we are missing something, who will we ask for it? Those in the face of whom we spit today? The one that we have done everything to ensure that he will not be president of the United States?” Netanyahu's responded to Olmert's remarks and said, “What I’m hearing now is that we have to actually say, 'In this matter that threatens our future, we are giving the keys to the Americans. You decide whether to eliminate the threat that threatens our very existence.’ That’s not my approach. My approach says that if others can do it, all the better, but if there is no alternative and we are with our backs to the wall, we will do what we need to do to protect ourselves.” More on this topic
Comment on this story 7. IDF Jeep Hit by Syrian Gunfire on Golan Heights by Chana Ya'ar  An Israeli military jeep was hit Monday by Syrian gunfire on the Golan Heights, AFP reported. IDF soldiers were patrolling this evening near the northern border when they came under gunfire from the Syrian side of the border. The IDF Spokesperson told Arutz Sheva there were no casualties and that the incident is under investigation. According to the IDF, the gunfire also most likely came as the result of the internal civil war in Syria, and was not due to deliberate aggression against Israel on the part of Damascus. "Apparently they were stray bullets, and there were no injuries" to those aboard the vehicle, a military spokesman told AFP. Israel informed the United Nations force in the region. IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz warned Sunday that Syria's civil war might soon become "an Israeli matter” if military spillover continues. IDF Division 36 soldiers who are stationed on the Golan Heights reported to Gantz they can hear shouts and gunfire from across the border. "The division is ready for any moment in which those shots might change direction and be turned on us,” said IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai, who was escorting Gantz at the time. Last Saturday three Syrian tanks entered the demilitarized zone between Syrian and Israeli territory on the Golan Heights. The tanks, which belong to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces, entered the village of Bir Ajam, a short distance away from an IDF position while allegedly maneuvering as part of the fighting between Assad and rebel forces. Israel lodged a formal complaint with the U.N. for the second time this year. Syria remains formally at war with Israel, which captured part of the Golan Heights in the 1967 Six Day War, and annexed it in 1981 in a move the international community does not recognize. Since a 1974 disengagement agreement between the two countries, a 1,200-member unarmed U.N. force has patrolled a demilitarized buffer zone on the Heights. In July, Israel complained to the U.N. after Syrian soldiers entered the zone in violation of the agreement. More on this topic
Comment on this story 8. Jewish Family Attacked in Marseille, France by Chana Ya'ar  The father of a Jewish family was badly beaten and the family home was completely trashed on Sunday by local youths in Marseille, France. Residents in their Jewish neighborhood are stunned following the incident. Marseilles is home to some 80,000 Jews – 10 percent of the general population but a small fraction compared to the 250,000 Muslims with whom they also live. It has been relatively quiet France's second-largest city this year, compared to other areas in the country where violent anti-Semitism has been on the rise. Last month the SPCJ (Service de Protection de la Communaute Juive) security agency for French Jewry reported a 45 percent rise in anti-Semitic attacks since 2011, mostly by Muslims. This incident began when two youths parked their car in a Jewish family's private garage. When the family saw the unfamiliar vehicle they called police, and the car was towed. Upon finding their vehicle gone and learning it had been towed, the youths became angry. They returned with a gang of friends to exact their revenge upon the hapless family. The gang broke into the home, severely beat up the father of the family and destroyed the rest of the house. According to local sources, one of the youths reportedly attempted to murder the father. Neighbors heard the family's screams coming from the home and called police, who arrested the attackers. Upon leaving the scene, the attackers promised to “finish the job,” according to local media reports. In May of this year, a 17-year-old Jewish youth wearing a kipa was also attacked by four male gang members who shouted “It's Shabbat for you, long live [Al Qaeda-linked French Algerian Muslim terrorist] Mohamed Merah! F*** the Jews.... Palestine will win!” One of the gang members jumped on to his victim, punching him in the arm and kicking him in the leg. The victim punched him back. The attacker also punched the victim's brother-in-law, who tried to block the attack, according to Tel Aviv University's Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry. More on this topic
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