West Bank earnings up 16 percent over year ago
The parent company for West Bank reported a profit of $3.7 million on Friday, a 16 percent increase over the same period a year ago, as total loans shrunk in the fourth quarter.
Profit for 2011 was $12.9 million, up from $11.1 million in 2010, as the company’s share price grew by 23 percent. It was the top performing Iowa stock last year.
A suicide car bomb detonated Friday at a busy Baghdad intersection as a funeral procession was passing by, killing 32 people and injuring 65, authorities said.
It was the latest violent attack in the Iraqi capital in what seems to be an escalating series of bombings targeting Shiite Muslims. Many Iraqis have voiced fears that their nation could be entering a new phase of sectarian bloodshed.
Four Jewish pilgrims from the United States were arrested before dawn on Friday in Shechem as they sought to pray at Joseph's Tomb.
The four, associated with the Bratslav Hassidic group were confronted at gunpoint by Palestinian Authority police and taken into custody before reaching the grave site. They were handed over to Israeli police and taken to the Ariel police station.
"Americans are allowed to stay in Nablus and their summary arrest is a violation of international law," a friend of the four detainees said.
David Ha'ivri of the Shomron Liaison Office who has been directly involved in efforts to allow access for Jews to Joseph's tomb also decried the arrest. "This arrest show the irony of the false claims that Israel is apartheid. While Arabs have free access to all areas in Israel, Jewish people are denied access to holy places that are in PA areas administrated by the PLO," Ha'Ivri said.
"It is outrageous that this discrimination and harassment is going on while the PA is supported through funding of the American and EU governments. Joseph's tomb must be reopened for full free access for all Jewish people regardless to their citizenship," he added.
Though rare, there have been recorded instances of "man bites dog." Boy bites snake, however, is an entirely different story. This week, Imad Gadir's mother, a resident of the northern town of Shfaram, was astonished to discover her 18-month-old toddler with a dead snake in his mouth.
...I woke up as well and went to Imad's room to give him some milk, and I couldn't believe my eyes: I saw him holding a long snake and biting its head," she recounted...[a] neighbor removed the snake from the toddler's mouth and that is when the plot took a twist: The bites to its head had killed the snake.
"We went to the doctor's office immediately and to the hospital from there to rule out poisoning," the mother said. Despite fears that the snake was a poisonous viper, it turned out to be a coin-marked snake (hemorrhois nummifer), a non-poisonous snake that resembles the viper.
After being examined for poisoning the boy was released. The doctors said he was in excellent health.
The British Mandate warned about the expansion of the national tendencies of the social athletic clubs, Filastin in April 1921 published this excerpt:
Last Saturday was the inauguration of the cornerstone of the Sports Club in Jerusalem. The Palestine Weekly mentioned that Mr. Stores, the Governor of Jerusalem, insisted on the participation of everyone regardless of his religion or beliefs.
Sport was used as a cover for paramilitary activities especially by the Betar organization. Under the title (Jabotinsky’s Program: “Shooting” a Jewish army was initiated under the cover of clubs). Filastin published a translated article from the newspaper Ha-Mishkov that talked about the question of Palestine, It was argued in the article that establishing a military unit was difficult in the circumstances but imperative and sport clubs for youth could serve as a venue for military training.19
During that period, Filastin published a number of articles about Maccabi and Hapoel clubs, including accounts of their trips to Syria and Lebanon which indicated that the goals of these trips were to sustain the relationship between the organizations in these three countries.20
One of these articles under the title “ Insulting the Zionist Flag” described an incident when the Hapoel Club won a football match in Damascus. Its fans were carrying the Zionist flags and singing their national songs. This display provoked the Arab crowd and a fight broke out during which the Arab fans tore the Zionist flag.21 Also, some news was published about skirmishes between Jewish and Arab fans during the matches because of the bias of the referees.22 Most of this news carried a nationalistic undertone and aimed to reveal the rejection toward the Zionist project and its policies towards Palestine.
Starting in the 1920’s, Jewish clubs in Europe and the region began to come to Palestine to compete with Jewish clubs. They flew flags that resembled the Zionist flag, a provocation that local Arabs vigorously protested against to the British authorities. The executive committee of the Muslim and Christian Association sent the High Commissioner for Palestine protested against the flying of the Zionist flag at a football match held in Jerusalem on January 12, 1925, asking whether the ordinance regulating the flying of flags issued by the Government of Palestine in August 1920, had been abrogated.23
...the reason that there's not peace between the Palestinians and Israel is because there is in the leadership of the Palestinian people are Hamas and others who think like Hamas who have as their intent the elimination of Israel.
And whether it's in schoolbooks that teach how to kill Jews, or whether it's in the political discourse that is spoken either from Fatah or from Hamas, there is a belief that the Jewish people do not have a right to have a Jewish state.
There are some people who say should we have a two state solution, and the Israelis would be happy to have a two state solution. It's the Palestinians who don't want a two state solution, they want to eliminate the state of Israel.
And I believe America must say the best way to have peace in the Middle East is not for us to vacillate and appease, but it is to say we stand with our friend Israel.
We are committed to a Jewish state in israel. We will not have an inch of difference between ourselves and our ally Israel.
This president went before the United Nations and castigated Israel for building settlements. He said nothing about thousands of rockets being rained in on Israel from the Gaza Strip.
This president threw (applause) … I think he threw Israel under the bus with regards to defining the 67 borders as the starting point of negotiations.
I think he disrespected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bibi Netanyahu.
I think he has time and time again shown distance from Israel and that has created in my view a greater sense of aggression on the part of the Palestinians.
technically an invention of the late 1970s, prior to that they were Arabs...[they] must also acknowledge Israel's existence if they want to prosper...If I do become president, I will sign an executive order directing the State Department to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to send the signal we're with Israel...
There were 11 rockets fired into Israel in November. Now, imagine in Duvall County (in Florida) that 11 rockets hit from your neighbor. How many of you would be for a peace process and how many of you would say, you know, that looks like an act of war?" Gingrich asked the audience...They can achieve [peace] any morning they are prepared to say, 'Israel has a right to exist, we give up the right to return, and we recognize that we're going to live side-by-side, now let's work together to create mutual prosperity,'
Newt Gingrich is defending himself after a questioner at the GOP presidential debate criticized him for calling Palestinians an invented people.
A questioner of Palestinian descent asked Gingrich how he could say Palestinians are “invented.”
Gingrich answered by reiterating his stance, saying that Palestinians were, in fact, invented in the 1970s. He says before that they were simply identified as Arabs.
"We are committed to a Jewish state in Israel," Romney says. "This president said nothing about the rockets rained on Israel from the Gaza Strip" and says Obama "time and time again has shown distance from Israel."
Gingrich now is defending his previous comment that the Palestinians are an "invented" people. He says they are "technically an invention" and "prior to that they were Arabs."
"Israel has a right to exist," he says, adding that Obama is undermining the peace process. He calls for the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, not Tel Aviv.
yisraelmedad wrote:
12:22 PM
The Arabs of the former territories of the Palestine Mandate are an example, the prime example, of the Inventivity Model of Nationalism (see: http://myrightword.blogspot.com/2011/12/model-for-... The League of Nations in 1922, and all major diplomatic discussions, decisions and conferences in the previous decade, recognized Arab rights to freedom from the Ottoman Empire everywhere in the Middle East - except the land which was defined as where the Jewish people had an historical connection, Eretz-Yisrael, and which was, as they decided, to become the reconstituted Jewish national home. And since currently the Palestinian Authority heads insist on disallowing Jews even to reside in the state they wish to create, it is obvious that their "nationalism" is not only invented but its prime purpose is to eradicate all physical, cultural, spiritual, etc. aspects of Jewish nationalism. They do that through ideology ("Zionism is post-colonuialism"); boycotts) they do that by destorying archaeological remains (Temple Mount); they do that by appealing to UNESCO to recognize "Muslim religious/historical sites" in place of Jewish ones (Hebron's Patriarchs Cave; Rachel's Tomb)
yisraelmedad wrote:
12:29 PM
...and "Palestinianism", since the 1920 riots in Jerusalem, refuses to negotiate but rather engages consistently in terror directly primarily at civilians in order to simply kill Jews. There is no concept of "territorial compromise", nor "coexistence" in their vocabulary, neither in Hamas and, with all the incitement broadcast, instructed and distributed in print, over the air and over the web, by the Palestinian Authority, not in Fatah for all this seeks to further deepen all that hostility and animosity, and so raise yet another generation trained to hate, not seek peace.
A Palestinian researcher at Birzeit University uncovered a scandal and crime against humanity in which Palestinian families in the West Bank force their daughters to undergo “uterine surgery” (hysterectomy). The girls are mostly said to have mental disabilities, the hospitals are administrated by the Palestinian National Authority (“PNA”). The surgeries are performed after these families are talked by doctors and religious authorities into fearing that their daughters can be raped, become pregnant or be unable to care about themselves during the period due to their (supposed) mental disability.
A Palestinian psychologist revealed that there currently are 50 cases of girls in the West Bank which are still on the waiting list for these operations for their daughters...
Professor Jonathan Rosenhead: Next target is Habima at the Globe in May
LSE Professor Jonathan Rosenhead, Chair of the British Committee for the Universities of Palestine (BRICUP), who helped to disrupt the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 1st September 2011, has said that the performance by the National Theatre of Israel (or Habima) of The Merchant of Venice at the Globe Theatre on 28th and 29th May will be the next target for anti-Israel activists.
He said that they had purchased 45 tickets (see from 4 mins. 7 secs. in following clip) for the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s disrupted concert and he boasted about the BBC taking the concert off air.
He was speaking on Friday at King’s College London about the academic and cultural boycott of Israel...
In the Wild West...there’s a new sheriff in town...After a year of talks aimed at a settlement with five big banks —...Some observers suggested the appointment was intended to blunt Schneiderman’s opposition to the multistate settlement...From the beginning of the settlement talks, the five big banks have been holding out...The proposed settlement was also dealt a major blow...
Corrections: January 27
FRONT PAGE
An article on Tuesday about the film “The Third Jihad,” which was financed by the Clarion Fund and shown to officers as part of New York Police Department training, misstated a position of officials with the Israel-based organization Aish HaTorah, which shares officials with the Clarion Fund. Aish HaTorah officials have opposed a full return of the West Bank to Palestinians; it is not the case that the group “opposes any territorial concessions on the West Bank.”
International media complicit in legitimization of Israeli settlements
Palestine, (Pal Telegraph) - Unbelievable, but true: over 70 journalists from international mainstream media took part in a tour through Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank last Thursday 19th...Participants included journalists from well known media outlets such as the British Guardian, the Reuters news agency, as well as reporters from France, Poland, China, Germany, South America, the United States, Radio London and several TV stations from Russia. The visitors were toured around communities, industry, agriculture and wineries in Samaria. Some of the stops in the itinerary were the Lipski factor, Mount Gerizim, the community of Itamar, and the Givot Olam farm.
...What calls immediate attention is the very fact that a (large) delegation of international media professionals went on a tour around Israeli settlements, all deemed illegal under international law. In other words, a host of media people, from the same countries that condemn illegal settlements in occupied Palestine, partook in something that essentially breaks international law.
"The Temple Mount today is the most volatile acreage on earth," says Dr. Randall Price a renowned expert on the temple. Islamic dominance of The Temple Mount has long been a source of contention, war, and countless uprisings and deaths.
...[after 1967] Israel, in an effort to keep the peace allowed Islamic authorities to retain control of what's known as The Dome of the Rock, a mosque built directly over the spot Christians and Jews believe was the location of the Holy of Holies. Beginning in 1996, Islamic authorities began removing 20,000 tons of archaeologically rich debris from the southern and eastern portions of the Temple Mount. This debris had been systematically dumped in the valley but is now being salvaged by Jewish authorities....
Dr. Price is the author of the Rose Guide to the Temple.
(from the book)
A Distinguished Research professor and Executive Director of the Center of Judaic Studies at Liberty University, he says "The political reality is that Islamic authorities forbid any access to the site for archaeological investigation or confirmation." Beyond the historical value, however, Price says the propaganda that accompanied the Palestinian Intifada ("uprising") in 1987, included an Islamic denial that a Jewish temple ever existed (easily dismissed based on historical evidence).
In Rose Guide to the Temple, Price says, "It's [the Temple] purpose was to make possible God's dwelling with His people. It was made to be an earthly copy of the heavenly sanctuary."
Coney Island Bialys and Bagels...has been rescued by two Pakistani Muslims — and they're keeping it kosher.
Coney Island Bialys and Bagels makes everything by hand, the old-fashioned way. Zafaryab Ali, who worked in the bakery for 11 years before leaving to drive a cab, now runs the shop, along with his partner Peerzada Shah...The store was founded by Morris Rosenzweig, who came from Bialystock, Poland, at the turn of the 20th century, where bialys originated.
Shah, Ali and Ross say that not much has changed. They are using the same ingredients, from the same suppliers.
"I gave them all the phone numbers," says Ross. "If you need this. this is who you are going to get it from, and they stayed with all that."
...As for keeping the bakery kosher, Ali says, "Kosher and halal is very, very close, like brother and sister, maybe twins."
Ali and Shah say the only thing remaining is official kosher supervision and certification. They are looking for a rabbi to bless and supervise.
Israel drops six spots in world press freedom rankings
Report cites indictment of Haaretz's Uri Blau and the four-and-half-year prison term handed down to Anat Kam for passing him secret military documents as reasons for decision.
10:34 pm – Gunshots were reported heard at J Street Apartments. The caller heard one shot coming from the complex. Nothing else was seen or heard.
is known for its liberal politics
Jeremy Ben-Ami of J Street clarifies ‘Israel-Firster’ comment
Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street, released a statement where he sought to clarify his comments in a Washington Post article reporting on accusations that staffers from the Center for American Progress used anti-Semitic and anti-Israel language to attack pro-Israel activists.
In The Washington Post article, Ben-Ami was quoted saying that he had "no problem" with the term "Israel-Firster" and emphasized that it is "a legitimate question"...
In his new statement, Ben-Ami said that "the use of the term 'Israel Firster' is a bad choice of words. The conspiracy theory that American Jews have dual loyalty is just that, a conspiracy theory and must be refuted in the strongest possible way."
Yehuda Bauer, Professor of Holocaust Studies, Hebrew University, Jerusalem
I am no legal expert, but I know that the Supreme, or High, Court is the body that defends democracy in Israel. That democracy is threatened by laws passed at the present government's initiatives in the Knesset, aimed at placing the legislature over and against an independent system of justice. The occupation is at the core of the government's policies. The government is attempting to create an Israeli-controlled, in effect bi-national, presence between the Mediterranean and the Jordan, contrary to the interests of the Jewish people. The High Court occasionally tries to limit that damage, but its rulings are often disregarded. Nevertheless, the Court is one of the bastions of justice and human rights, without distinction. The High Court is concerned with security issues that are brought before it, but its rulings justifiably cast a doubt on whether Israel's security is served by the occupation of the West Bank.
Jan. 25, 2012 at 2:59 p.m. Recommend 14
...we will advocate for those values that have served our own country so well. We will stand against violence and intimidation. We will stand for the rights and dignity of all human beings – men and women; Christians, Muslims, and Jews. We will support policies that lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is no match for liberty.
And we will safeguard America’s own security against those who threaten our citizens, our friends, and our interests.
Our ironclad commitment -- and I mean ironclad -- to Israel’s security has meant the closest military cooperation between our two countries in history.
...both Israeli and U.S. leaders ignore the real root of the conflict. The heart of the conflict is the denial of a non-Muslim entity's existence – namely, Israel – on land that, in the eyes of many Muslims, is "holy land" that belongs to them, and not any issue with Israel’s size or borders.
On Jan. 9, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Muhammad Ahmad Hussein, a close associate of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, stressed that all Israeli territory was Muslim "holy land," had been since 637 C.E., and would be forever...On March 27, 2010, Abbas declared: "Jerusalem and all its surrounding areas are holy lands promised by Allah. We must do everything we can to save them from the Jewish threat."
This principle of "holy land" is permanent, and is stronger than any leader or passing policy, and it applies to any land that was ever under Islamic control. It is an inseparable part of the legacy of Muhammad and Islamic law...Their loyalty to the "holy land" obligates Muslims to "holy war" and the restoration of sovereignty in the Philippines, Thailand, parts of China, Kashmir, Chechnya, Israel, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Spain, Portugal and elsewhere.
...Recognition of foreign sovereignty over Muslim "holy land" amounts to humiliation, betrayal and servitude for Arabs and Muslims...
Continuing the policy of negotiating "land for peace" plays into the hands of our enemies and dooms us to repeat past mistakes. It ignores the roots of Arab hostility, raises Arab expectations and exacerbates violence and terrorism in the region.
I set forth below the statement of understanding which I am convinced is necessary to achieve the prompt opening of negotiations on a comprehensive peace...The agreed objective is a comprehensive peace providing for the security of all the states in the region and for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people...negotiations will be based on United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, in all their parts...
...negotiations will be based on all the provisions and principles of United Nations Security Council Resolution 242. Final status talks will start before the transitional period begins. The transitional period will begin three months after the conclusion of the transitional agreement and will last for three years. The United States will participate in both negotiations and will promote their rapid conclusion. In particular, the United States will submit a draft agreement for the parties' consideration at the outset of the negotiations on transitional arrangements.
Two weeks before the opening of negotiations, an international conference will be held...All participants in the conference must accept United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, and renounce violence and terrorism...
Palestinian representation will be within the Jordanian-Palestinian delegation. The Palestinian issue will be addressed in the negotiations between the Jordanian-Palestinian and Israeli delegations.
Sincerely yours,
GEORGE P. SHULTZ
...the President...believes as well, however, that Resolution 242 does permit changes in the boundaries which existed prior to June 1967, but only where such changes are agreed between the parties.
...Secretary of State George Shultz was even more explicit about what this meant during a September 16, 1988 address: “Israel will never negotiate from or return to the 1967 borders.”
...As part of a final peace settlement, Israel must have secure and recognized borders, which should emerge from negotiations between the parties in accordance populations centers, it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations wiith a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949, and all previous efforts to negotiate a two-state solution have reached the same conclusion. It is realistic to expect that any fin agreement will only be achieved on the basis of mutually agreed changes that reflect these realities.
Posts
