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Bishop Williamson fined
for Holocaust denial
REGENSBURG, Germany (WJC)—A German court has fined the ultra-conservative bishop Richard Williamson after finding him guilty of denying the Holocaust. In an interview with Swedish television in late 2008, which was recorded in Germany Williamson had claimed that fewer than 300,000 Jews died in the Nazi death camps. The broadcasting of the interview in January 2009 led to a major embarrassment for the Vatican, who announced only a few days later that it was lifting the excommunication of the four bishops of the Society of St. Pius X, which rejects the key reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
The court in the Bavarian city of Regensburg sent a notice to Williamson’s lawyer to inform him that it was fining the British bishop for incitement. The court has given Williamson the option to pay the fine or take the case further, which would mean a full trial. The exact fine will depend on Williamson’s income, but could be a maximum of €12,000 (US$ 18,000). Holocaust denial is punishable under German law.
Meanwhile, Vatican officials have begun a series of talks with SPPX leaders to discuss healing the deep theological divide. The SSPX, founded by the arch-conservative Catholic Bishop Marcel Lefebvre, split from Rome in 1989. Pope John Paul II excommunicated Williamson and three other leaders in 1989 after Lefebvre had ordained them as bishops of his separatist church in 1989. The talks between the Vatican and the SSPX are expected to last months, if not years.
Gathering of Holocaust Survivors cautions Vaticans on talks with Society of St. Pius X
NEW YORK (Press Release)—With the opening of Vatican talks to reintegrate the Society of St. Pius X, the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants have issued the following statement:
"As the foremost group representing Holocaust survivors from all the killing sites in Europe, we call on Pope Benedict XVI to exhibit great caution in the Vatican discussions with SSPX--so as not to touch on the dignity of the Jewish people or to trivialize the memory of the victims of the Shoah.
The crisis in Jewish-Catholic relations sparked by the Vatican's earlier overtures to the Holocaust denier Richard Williamson must not be repeated. But the problematic nature of SSPX goes beyond Bishop Williamson and centers on the tenuous state of Catholic-Jewish relations before Vatican II.
Pre-Vatican II Catholic teachings were not the cause of Nazi crimes, but that earlier "doctrine of contempt" served to foster a climate which engendered those abominable crimes. Vatican II, which overturned that poisonous atmosphere against the Jewish people, must therefore not be abandoned in the current Vatican talks.
For Jews, and we believe, the vast majority of Catholics, there can be no compromise on this."
French court fines anti-Semitic stand-up comic Dieudonné
PARIS (WJC)—A court in Paris has fined the French stand-up comedian Dieudonné M'bala M'bala € 20,000 (US$ 30,000) over an anti-Semitic stunt during a show in which he invited a notorious Holocaust denier onto stage. Dieudonné, 43, was ordered to pay € 10,000 for his "public anti-Semitic insults" and a further € 10,000 in damages and legal fees to organizations that sued him. He was prosecuted after he invited Robert Faurisson, a convicted Holocaust denier, onto stage during a comedy show to receive a satirical award from an actor dressed as a Jewish deportee. The comedian admitted at the hearing that the show had been a "comedy bomb attack" but defended his right to free expression. Anti-racism and Jewish organizations welcomed the verdict.
Dieudonné, a former anti-racism campaigner whose father originated from Cameroon, often courts controversy and earlier this year tried to enter politics by standing for the European parliament as head of an "anti-Zionist" party. In September 2007, Dieudonné was fined after he accused Jews of exploiting "memorial pornography" and attacked a "Zionist lobby which cultivates the idea of their unique suffering ... and has declared war on the black world." Two months later, he was back in court and was fined € 5,000 for having compared Jews to "slave-traders." Dieudonné remains under investigation over a video circulating on the Internet in which he appears to attack a "Yid Zionist lobby" led by "racist liars".
Holocaust survivors more prone to cancer than the rest of population
HAIFA, Israel (WJC)A medical study in Israel has found that Holocaust survivors have a higher risk of developing cancer than the rest of the population, possibly as a result of hardships endured. The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggests that stress or other factors such as extreme deprivation may play a role in triggering cancer. Researchers led by Lital Keinan-Boker at the University of Haifa in Israel compared cancer rates for two groups of European-born Israeli Jews: 258,048 who left Europe after the war and 57,496 who emigrated before or during the conflict.
Both groups have higher incidence rates for cancer than other Jewish and non-Jewish ethnic groups in Israel. The researchers found that Jews who spent World War II in Europe were at least 17 percent more likely to develop cancer than those who left before or during the war. The scientists said that the results of their study were significant because most Jews who survived the war in Europe were also victims of the Holocaust. "These observations may have direct impact on the health of World War Two Jewish survivors and thus the care required from their caregivers in Israel and elsewhere," Keinan-Boker said.
Israel banks begin transferring assets to Holocaust fund
TEL AVIV (WJC)—Israeli banks have begun returning funds to the Holocaust Victims Assets Restitution Company, which in turn will begin transferring to thousands of Holocaust survivors or their descendants the money held by banks Hapoalim and Discount, and part of the assets held by Bank Leumi. In the first stage, a total of NIS 25 million (US$ 6.8 million) will be transferred, but in the coming months, the company said was expecting to return over NIS 400 million (US$ 108 million).
U.S. State Department again designates Al-Qa'ida in Islamic Mahgreb as terrorist group
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)—On October 16, 2009, Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg maintained the designation of Al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended. The review of AQIM’s designation was conducted in accordance with Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 USC 1189), which requires that an FTO review occur if after a five-year period there has been no review of the designation. This review was done in consultation with the Department of Justice, Department of Treasury and other relevant U.S. agencies.
In the five years since its last review in 2004, AQIM, formerly known as the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, has conducted numerous suicide bombings and other lethal attacks that have killed or wounded hundreds in Northern Africa. AQIM has claimed responsibility for hundreds of attacks in Algeria. The most lethal attack to date occurred on December 11, 2007, when two nearly simultaneous suicide operations attacked both a United Nations (UN) program headquarters and the Algerian Constitutional Council, killing 42 people, including 17 UN employees, and wounding 158 others.
AQIM has broadened its area of operations outside of Algeria with increasing attacks in northern Mali, Niger, and Mauritania. As recently as last August, AQIM attacked the French Embassy in Nouakchott, Mauritania, wounding three. AQIM claimed responsibility for the June 2009 murder of an American NGO worker in Nouakchott, and the May 2009 murder of a British hostage in northern Mali. In December 2008, AQIM seized two Canadian diplomats working for the UN in Niger. AQIM has also attacked soldiers from Mali and Mauritania, killing and wounding dozens.
“Terrorist designations play an important role in disrupting funding channels for al Qaida and other terrorist groups, including the al Qaida affiliates in different parts of the world.” said Coordinator for Counterterrorism Ambassador Daniel Benjamin. “They also send a message to other governments and financial institutions around the world of our determination to keep the pressure on these groups. They form an important element in creating joint efforts to limit the reach and capabilities of such terrorist organizations.”
Maintaining the designation of terrorist groups is critical in our fight against terrorism as these designations are an effective means of curtailing support for terrorist activities and pressuring groups to get out of the terrorism business. The consequences of designation as a FTO include a criminal prohibition against the provision of material support or resources to the FTO and the freezing of all property and interests in property of the organization that are in the United States, or come within the United States, or the control of U.S. persons.
Justice Dept. arrests two in alleged plot against Danish newspaper
CHICAGO (Press Release)– Two Chicago men have been arrested on federal charges for their alleged roles in conspiracies to provide material support and/or to commit terrorist acts against overseas targets, including facilities and employees of a Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2005, federal law enforcement officials announced today. There was no imminent danger in the Chicago area, officials said, adding that the charges are unrelated to recent terror plot arrests in Boston, New York, Colorado, Texas and central Illinois.
The defendants charged in separate criminal complaints unsealed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago are David Coleman Headley, 49, and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 48, also known as Tahawar Rana, announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The complaints remained under seal temporarily after the defendants’ arrests, with court approval, so as not to compromise further investigative activity.
Headley, a U.S. citizen who changed his name from Daood Gilani in 2006 and resides primarily in Chicago, was arrested on Oct. 3, 2009, by the Chicago FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force at O’Hare International Airport before boarding a flight to Philadelphia, intending to travel on to Pakistan. He was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts involving murder and maiming outside the United States and one count of conspiracy to provide material support to that overseas terrorism conspiracy.
Rana, a native of Pakistan and citizen of Canada who also primarily resides in Chicago, was arrested on Oct. 18, 2009, at his home by federal agents. Rana is the owner of several businesses, including First World Immigration Services, which has offices on Devon Avenue in Chicago, as well as in New York and Toronto. He was charged with one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorism conspiracy that involved Headley and at least three other specific individuals in Pakistan.
Both men have been held in federal custody since each was arrested. If convicted, Headley faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for conspiracy to murder or maim persons abroad, while Headley and Rana each face a maximum of 15 years in prison for conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism.
On Oct. 18, JTTF agents executed search warrants in connection with the investigation at four locations: Headley’s and Rana’s residences on the north side of Chicago, Rana’s immigration business in Chicago, and a farm he owns in Kinsman, Ill., approximately 80 miles southwest of Chicago, which is used to provide halal meat for Muslim customers, as well as a grocery store in Chicago.
According to both complaints, since at least late 2008 until Oct. 3, 2009, as part of the conspiracy to murder and maim persons abroad, Headley allegedly identified and conducted surveillance of potential targets of a terrorist attack in Denmark on two separate trips to Denmark in January and July 2009, and reported and attempted to report on his efforts to other conspirators in Pakistan. As part of the conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism, Rana allegedly helped arrange Headley’s travels overseas and conceal their true nature and purpose to surveil potential terror targets overseas, and discussed potential targets for attack with Headley.
Headley allegedly reported and attempted to report on his overseas surveillance to other conspirators, according to the affidavits, including:
*
Ilyas Kashmiri, identified as the operational chief of the Azad Kashmir section of Harakat-ul Jihad Islami (HUJI), a Pakistani-based terrorist organization with links to al Qaeda. Kashmiri, who is presently believed to be in Waziristan in the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) region in northwestern Pakistan, issued a statement this month that he was alive and working with al Qaeda;
* “Individual A” (who is identified as Individual A in the Headley affidavit and as Individual B in the Rana affidavit), who is associated with Kashmiri, as well as with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), another Pakistani-based terrorist organization;
* an individual identified as “Lashkar-e-Taiba Member A” (LeT Member A), who has substantial influence and responsibility within the organization and whose identity is known to the government.
“The public should be reassured that there was no imminent danger in the Chicago area. However, law enforcement has the duty to be vigilant to guard against not just those who would carry out attacks here on our soil but those who plot on our soil to help carry out violent attacks overseas. I wish to express my deep appreciation to the FBI agents and other members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force for their extremely hard work on this matter,” said Mr. Fitzgerald.
“The criminal complaints unsealed today have exposed a serious plot against overseas targets by two Chicago-based men working with Pakistani-based terrorist organizations.
Information developed during this investigation was shared with our foreign partners as we worked together to mitigate these threats. This case is a reminder that the threat posed by international terrorist organizations is global in nature and requires constant vigilance at home and abroad,” said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.
“This investigation demonstrates the well-established relationships that we have with our law
enforcement partners, both foreign and domestic. We work closely with state, local and federal law enforcement agencies in the United States, as well as with our overseas partners, to identify and disrupt threats here and abroad,” said Mr. Grant.
According to the affidavits in both cases, Headley at times has claimed to be a consultant with or representative of Rana’s business, First World Immigration Services, but appears to perform little if any actual work for the business. In addition, Headley’s apartment in Chicago is leased to an individual who is deceased.
Despite his apparent lack of financial resources and substantial employment, Headley has traveled extensively since the second half of 2008, including multiple trips to Pakistan and various countries in Europe. Postings to an internet group for graduates of a military school in the Pakistani town of Hasan Abdal (a group that refers to itself as “abdalians”), reflect that both Rana and Headley have participated in the group and referred to their attendance at that school.
Beginning in late 2008, Headley corresponded extensively with Individual A and LeT Member A regarding what they referred to in coded communications as the “Mickey Mouse Project,” “mmp,” and “the northern project,” according to the affidavit. The Mickey Mouse Project allegedly involved planning for one or more attacks at facilities and employees of Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, a Danish newspaper that in 2005 published cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, to which many Muslims took great offense. In October 2008, Headley allegedly posted a message to the “abdalians” internet discussion group stating that “I feel disposed towards violence for the offending parties,” referring to the Danish cartoonists and others who he identified “as making fun of Islam.”
Using coded language, Rana, Headley, Individual A and LeT Member A allegedly have referred to this plot, as well as discussions of other targets, as “investments,” “projects,” “business,” and “action,” and have described their hopes for success both in terms of receiving religious awards, as well as getting “rich,” “richer,” and making “profit.” Between August 2008 and Dec. 7, 2008, Headley sent multiple email messages from internet addresses located in Karachi and Lahore in Pakistan, the charges allege. On Dec. 7, 2008, just before traveling from Pakistan to the United States that same day, Headley allegedly used one of multiple email accounts to store a detailed list of items for himself, which he titled “Mickey Mouse.” Included on the list (contained in the affidavits) were the following items: Route Design (train, bus, air); Cross (Cover Authenticator); Trade? Immigration?; Ad? (Lost Luggage) (Business) (Entry?); Kings Square (French Embassy);
Counter surveillance (magic eye); Security (armed)?
In January 2009, Headley traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark, and Rana allegedly arranged portions of his travel. During the trip, Headley allegedly visited two different offices of the Jyllands-Posten — in Copenhagen and Arhus, Denmark. The Copenhagen office is located in Kings Square near the French Embassy. Headley falsely told Jyllands-Posten employees that he was visiting on behalf of First World Immigration Services, which he said was considering opening offices in Denmark and might be interested in advertising the business in the newspaper.
While in Denmark, Headley instructed Rana to be alert for an email from a Jyllands-Posten sales representative, and to ask First World’s Toronto and New York offices to “remember me,” in case a newspaper representative called. According to the complaints, Rana corresponded from Chicago with a representative of the Jyllands-Posten by email in which he pretended to be Headley.
After visiting Denmark, Headley traveled to Pakistan to meet with Individual A. During this visit, Headley traveled with Individual A to Pakistan’s FATA region and met with Kashmiri. Before returning to Chicago in June 2009, Headley sent his will to Rana and Rana responded by sending a coded message establishing a new email account, the complaint alleges.
In July and August 2009, Headley exchanged a series of emails with LeT Member A, including an exchange in which Headley asked if the Denmark project was on hold, and whether a visit to India that LeT Member A had asked him to undertake was for the purpose of surveilling targets for a new terrorist attack. These emails reflect that LeT Member A was placing a higher priority on using Headley to assist in planning a new attack in India than on completing the planned attack in Denmark. After this time, Headley and Individual A allegedly continued focusing on the plan with Kashmiri to attack the newspaper, rather than working with LeT, the complaint alleges.
In late July 2009, Headley traveled again to Copenhagen and to other locations in Europe, and Rana again arranged portions of his travel. When Headley returned to the United States, he falsely told border inspectors that he was traveling on business as a representative of First World Immigration, although his luggage contained no papers or other documents relating to First World.
After returning to Chicago in August 2009, Headley allegedly used coded language to repeatedly inquire if Individual A had been in touch with Kashmiri regarding planning for the attack, and expressing concern that Individual A’s communications with Kashmiri had been cut off. In early September 2009, Headley and Rana took a lengthy car ride during which they discussed the activities of the other individuals, including past terrorist acts, and Headley discussed with Rana five actions involving targets that expressly included “Denmark.” In conversations with Rana and Individual A in August and September 2009, Headley indicated that if the “doctor” (alleged to be a reference to Kashmiri) and his people were unable to assist, then Headley would perform the planned operation himself.
In September 2009, after initial press reports indicated that Kashmiri had been killed in a drone attack in Pakistan, Headley and Individual A allegedly had a series of coded conversations in which they discussed the reports of Kashmiri’s death and what it meant for the projects they were planning. Individual A sought to reassure and encourage Headley, telling him, among other things, that “[t]his is business sir; these types of things happen.” On Sept. 20, 2009, Headley allegedly told a family member words to the effect that he had spoken to Rana and they agreed that “business must go on.”
In a Sept. 21, 2009, telephone conversation, Individual A indicated to Headley that Kashmiri was alive and “doing well.” In a subsequent conversation on Sept. 30, 2009, Individual A again assured Headley that Kashmiri, whom he referred to as “Pir Sahib,” was “absolutely all right” and had not gotten “married,” which was code for being killed. Headley asked Individual A if it was possible to now have a meeting with Kashmiri and Individual A responded that Kashmiri “just today, was asking about you” (Headley).
According to the affidavit, Headley stated in conversations last month that he intended to travel to Pakistan in early October to meet with Individual A and Kashmiri, and he was arrested on Oct. 3 as he prepared to board a flight from Chicago toPhiladelphia, intending to travel on to Pakistan. During a search of Headley’s luggage, a memory stick was recovered that contained approximately 10 short videos of Copenhagen, including video focused on the Jyllands-Posten building in King’s Square taken both during the day and night, as well as a nearby Danish military barracks and the exterior and interior of Copenhagen’s central train station, consistent with the checklist he stored which mentioned “route design.” In addition, Headley had an airline reservation, allegedly made by Rana, to fly from Atlanta to Copenhagen on Oct. 29, 2009.
The investigation is continuing and is being conducted by the Chicago FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, with particular assistance from the Chicago Police Department, the Illinois State Police and the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Collins and Vicki Peters from the Northern District of Illinois, with assistance from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
The public is reminded that a criminal complaint contains mere allegations that are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Jewish Agency holds orientation center for new cadre of leaders
JERUSALEM (Press Release)—The Jewish Agency for Israel has recruited a group of 25 emerging Jewish leaders from around the world, who are participating this week in the Board of Governors meetings in Jerusalem, with the aim of forming a strong and effective cadre of leaders who will help shape future direction of the organization.
The participants, ages 30-50, come from Holland, Switzerland, China, South Africa, Israel and within North America -- from San Francisco, Toronto, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Stamford, Atlanta and Washington DC. All have held key leadership roles in their communities, and have strong record of Israel engagement or social activism within Israel.
“The goal of the Global Leaders Forum is to develop and train a core group of emerging leaders who will give our lay leadership fresh perspective,” said Carole Solomon, past JAFI Board of Governors Chair and current Chair of JAFI’s North American Council, who is co-chairing Forum.
Forum participants met with leading Israeli business and philanthropic leaders, went on site visits, greeted a plane of olim arriving from Ethiopia and met with Jewish Agency senior staff and board members. The group also met with Jewish Agency Chairman of the Executive Natan Sharansky and Chairman of the Board Richie Pearlstone for an in-depth discussion about JAFI’s strategic planning for the future.
“If we want the Jewish Agency to be in the hearts and minds of Jews in twenty years from now, we have to start passing the torch,” said Iris Feinberg JAFI Emerging leaders Chair, who has led the effort to bring together the Forum. “As the leading global forum for the Jewish people, we need to reach out for new ideas as the challenges facing the Jewish People change – and focusing on next generation leadership is the most important part of that outreach for new ideas.”
University of Haifa inaugurates Hatter Student building
HAIFA (Press Release)—An 80th birthday celebration is always a memorable occasion, especially if it is marked with the inauguration of an architecturally remarkable student building. Sir Maurice Hatter, Honorary Life President of Charlton Athletic Football Club and a longstanding friend and supporter of the University of Haifa celebrated his 80th birthday on Wednesay as he unveiled the plaque on the new Hatter Student Building at the University of Haifa.
Sir Maurice's closest family and friends, British Friends of Haifa University, and University administration, faculty and students were in attendance at the festive ceremony. They were given a tour of the new building, designed by Chyutin Architects, that will house all student activities and services under one roof.
"Sir Maurice's affection for the University of Haifa and for the students is known. His longstanding relationship with the University of Haifa has always been hands-on and sincere and we look forward to continuing our strong friendship," said President of the University, Prof. Aaron Ben-Ze'ev.
Sir Maurice responded with a warm address and expressed his confidence that the Hatter Student Building will be where "cultural barriers will be overcome and where mutual respect and understanding will be cultivated." He added that "In the classrooms, lecture theatres and laboratories the students will study law, archaeology or mathematics, but it is in the coffee bars, the debating rooms and the sports halls of this building that they will learn to be human beings."
The impressive Hatter Student Building nestles on the north-eastern slopes of Mount Carmel, boasting a breathtaking view of the Haifa Bay and surrounded by natural forest, with an approximate size of 5,000 sq. meters. Besides open terraces, cafeterias, and computer rooms, it will feature a nightclub, pub, auditorium, and synagogue. The interchange of ideas and views encountered at the Student Building afford all of the University of Haifa's students with a greater understanding of the varied fabric of Israeli society, thus breaking down barriers and creating friendships.
Israel Air Force General Shkedi
named as El Al's new president
TEL AVIV (Press Release)—The Board of Directors of EL AL Israel Airlines has announced the appointment of Brigadier General Elyezer Shkedi as the airline’s new president & CEO. Shkedi will replace Haim Romano, who has resigned after holding that position for the past five years.
"I see the leadership of EL AL as a compelling challenge and I love challenges,” says Brigadier General Elyezer Shkedi. “I believe that EL AL is a strategic asset to the State of Israel and has meaningful significance for all Israelis and for people around the globe."
Shkedi, who is a fighter pilot, will prepare to take over as president in January of 2010. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Mathematics and Computer Science from Ben Gurion University in Israel and a Masters of Arts (MA) in Systems Management from the Naval Post Graduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California. Shkedi most recently served as Commander-in-Chief of the Israeli Air Force for four years and joined the Israel Defense Forces in 1975.
Amikam Cohen, Chairman of the EL AL Board of Directors, along with the board members are grateful to Haim Romano for all his successful efforts at advancing EL AL to a world class airline during the last five years.
Syria accuses Israel of seeking to destroy Al-Aqsa Mosque
DAMASCUS (WJC)—Syria’s Foreign Ministry has accused Israel of a “scheme to Judaize Jerusalem and destroy the Al-Aksa Mosque”. An official was quoted by the official state news agency as praising the "steadfast defenders" of the site, which is holy to both Muslims and Jews. The statement by Damascus came a day after Arab rioters attacked Israeli police officers with stones, firebombs and oil on Temple Mount. Officers stormed the mount carrying glass shields for protection, but did not enter the mosques.
The violence followed repeated calls by Muslim leaders appealing to Arabs to come protect Jerusalem and the Temple Mount from "Jewish conquest." On Sunday, Jordan's minister for media affairs and communication, Nabil Sharif, warned Israel that "provocative behavior" by Israeli troops and "Jewish extremists" could "derail all opportunities of peace and stability in the region."
U.N. General Assembly takes up Goldstone Report Nov. 4
UNITED NATIONS (WJC)—The controversial Goldstone Report is to be discussed at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) next week. The debate, reportedly set for 4 November, was requested by representatives of Arab member nations. If the UNGA endorses the report, it could be forwarded to the International Criminal Court at The Hague, to be used as evidence in a trial against the State of Israel and its political and military leaders.
The report charges that Israel committed war crimes during its Operation Cast Lead last winter, and "possibly crimes against humanity." It also said that Hamas "may have" committed war crimes while firing thousands of rockets and mortars at Israeli civilians for years.
Israel has criticized the report as unbalanced and said that the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, which commissioned the report, had an inbuilt biased against the Jewish state. Western diplomats in New York expressed concern that an assembly session on the report would inevitably turn into what one ambassador described as "yet another Israel-bashing session."
Israel rejects claims it withholds water from the Palestinians
JERUSALEM (WJC)—Israel has rejected accusations by the human rights organization Amnesty International (AI) that the Palestinians do not have access to an adequate supply of drinking water. The Israel-Palestinian water policy was based on an interim agreement between the two parties, the Israeli Foreign Ministry pointed out. "Israel has fulfilled all its obligations under the water agreement regarding the supply of additional quantities of water to the Palestinians, and has even extensively surpassed the obligatory quantity," a statement said. "The Palestinians, on the other hand, have significantly violated their commitments under the water agreement, specifically regarding important issues such as illegal drilling and handling of sewage."
An AI report accuses Israel of denying the Palestinians the right to access adequate water by maintaining total control over the shared water resources and pursuing discriminatory policies. The report claims that Palestinian daily water consumption was about 70 liters a day, compared to 300 liters per day for Israelis – a figure Israel disputes. The report also says that 180,000 to 200,000 Palestinians living in rural communities had no access to running water, and that the Israeli Army often prevented them from collecting rainwater.
The Foreign Ministry statement concluded: “While Israel has significantly reduced its use of fresh natural water since 1967, consistently closing the gap between Israeli and Palestinian consumption, it remains unclear how Amnesty's claims of "discriminatory policies" towards Palestinians can sustain the trial of reality. The authors of the report chose to ignore Israeli data, papers and reports, although they contain verifiable facts presented with total transparency. This questionable approach, which consists in systematically disregarding Israeli material while relying exclusively on Palestinian allegations, raises doubts as to the real intentions of the report's authors and of the organization itself.”
Israel protests Lebanese rockets
UNITED NATIONS (WJC)--United Nations peacekeepers and Lebanese troops have found and dismantled four rockets near the southern border of the country, a day after a rocket hit northern Israel. The attack on Tuesday drew a rapid response from Israeli artillery in a brief flare-up across the tense border that caused no casualties. A Lebanese official was quoted by AP as saying that the Katyusha rockets were discovered in a building under construction in the Houla area from where Tuesday's missile was launched. He says three of the four rockets found were ready to be fired.
The IDF said on Wednesday that the militant group Islamic Jihad was responsible for the attack. In response to the rocket launching, Israeli UN ambassador Gabriela Shalev filed a complaint with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, stating that in the past months there has been an increase in hostile activity on the Lebanese border and expressing hope that the Security Council's periodic report would reflect these recent violations. Shalev wrote that the Lebanese government should be held responsible for the rocket launch, also reminding Ban that Israel had for the past three years alerted the UN as to the rehabilitation of Hezbollah's military capabilities.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora condemned both the rocket launching and Israel's retaliatory attack. The Israeli reaction had been “an act of aggression and a violation of international law," he was quoted as saying.
Americans more sympathetic to Israelis than Palestinians, according to ADL poll
NEW YORK (Press Release)—According to a new nationwide survey of American attitudes released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Monday:
67% see Israel as a strong, loyal U.S. ally.
By a 3-1 ratio, the American people express more sympathy with Israel than with the Palestinians.
64% of Americans believe that Israel is serious about reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
53% believe leaders of the Arab world will continue to refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist, even if Israel stops all further construction in settlements.
56% believe a Palestinian state must not be established until the Palestinians end the violence and accept Israel's legitimacy.
In addition, 83% believe that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, and 54% support U.S. military action to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons, up from 47% in 2007.
See the full survey: 2009 Survey of American Attitudes on Israel, the Palestinians and Prospects for Peace in the Middle East.
Iran says it can have a nuclear program because Israel has nuclear weapons
TEHRAN (WJC)—
Iran will continue its nuclear program as long as Israel continues to have nuclear weapons, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said. He made the remarks during a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "When an illegal regime possesses nuclear weapons, the other countries' rights for peaceful nuclear energy cannot be denied," the Iranian news agency ISNR quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
"The Zionist regime is a threat to all nations and it wants the region to be free of strong countries," Ahmadinejad reportedly told Erdogan. "Today we see that applying force in Gaza was not enough for them, so they are attacking holy Jerusalem."
Ahmadinejad called on the countries to stand together to overcome regional "threats." The meeting came as United Nations nuclear inspectors visited the site of a previously unknown underground nuclear enrichment plant, and two weeks after Turkey canceled a NATO military exercise due to Israeli participation.
Iran and Turkey reportedly agreed to increase the level of their annual bilateral trade to US$ 30 billion. "Following a proposal from Iran, the level of trade between Iran and Turkey will increase to $30 billion within the coming 4 to 5 years," the news agency IRNA quoted Iran’s Vice-President Rahimi as saying. "The level of trade ties between Iran and Turkey stands at about $11 billion, which is not satisfactory," he added.
Meanwhile, US National Security Adviser James Jones told the Jewish lobby group J Street that the United States were prepared to respond if Iran does not abide by its commitments. "Iran now needs to follow through on its commitments," Jones said, adding: "Nothing is off the table...We will see if engagement is able to produce the concrete results we need, and we'll be prepared if it does not.” His comments came after Iranian state television said Tehran wanted "very important changes" to an IAEA-brokered nuclear fuel deal and would offer its formal response by Thursday.
Republican Jewish Coalition says Hagel wrong pick for Obama's intelligence panel
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)—Washington, D.C. (October 28, 2009) -- The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) today responded to reports (1) that former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel (NE) will be named co-chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said:
Chuck Hagel's troubling record on critical foreign policy issues makes this appointment a matter for serious concern. There has been bipartisan criticism of his positions on Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and his record on Iran has been very worrisome as well.
A review of Hagel's record over the years on these issues reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of the region and of the nature of the threats to U.S. interests in the region.
For example, Hagel does not seem to understand that the U.S., and Israel, are fighting a war against terrorists whose agenda is an existential threat to our free and democratic system. Hagel wrote in a 2002 op-ed in the Washington Post that the President Bush erred in refusing to meet with Yassir Arafat and that Arafat and his support for terrorism against Israel were not the real issue. He wrote: "...we cannot hold the Middle East peace process hostage by making Yasser Arafat the issue.... Palestinian reformers cannot promote a democratic agenda for change while both the Israeli military occupation and settlement activity continue. (2)
When Hagel was reported to be considering a bid for President in 2008, the National Jewish Democratic Council noted that Hagel "has a lot of questions to answer about his commitment to Israel." (3)
Hagel's record also includes some disturbing indications that he sees those who support a strong and safe Israel as having dual loyalties. In an interview quoted in Aaron David Miller's book on the peace process called The Much Too Promised Land, Hagel said: "The political reality is that... the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here."
Hagel then described a meeting he had in New York with a group of supporters of Israel, one of whom suggested Hagel wasn't supportive enough of Israel. Hagel said he responded: "Let me clear something up here if there's any doubt in your mind. I'm a United States Senator. I'm not an Israeli senator. I'm a United States Senator. I support Israel. But my first interest is, I take an oath of office to the constitution of the United States. Not to a president, not to a party, not to Israel." (4)
Hagel's record on Iran shows that he has a similar blind spot regarding the threat from that country. In October 2008, he prevented action on a Senate bill - sponsored by then-Sen. Barack Obama - proposing economic sanctions against Iran. Hagel has argued that, "Whether we like it or not, there will be no peace or stability in the Middle East without Iran's participation," but he has opposed the kind of U.S. pressure on Iran that might prevent a nuclear Iran from being the greatest threat to regional peace and stability. (5)
Chuck Hagel has a distorted view of Israel, of Iran, and of the threats to U.S. interests in the Middle East. Placing him in a sensitive role in the intelligence community, where he will advise the President on the effectiveness of intelligence community assessments of global issues, is very troubling.
American universities increasingly intolerant of Jews, Israel—IJCR
SAN FRANCISCO-The Institute for Jewish & Community
Research (IJCR) announced Wednesday the release of The UnCivil University: Intolerance on College Campuses, Revised
Edition
The Revised Edition revisits rising levels of campus
anti-Semitism and the corrosion of university norms detailed in the first edition.
Released in 2005, The UnCivil University exposed how American Universities had become politicized institutions; where ideological bias trumps good scholarship, protest drowns out reasoned debate, and stakeholders fail to live up to their responsibilities. Within this environment, the twin ideologies of anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism have flourished as a prime example of the systemic ills afflicting the university.
The Revised Edition shows that universities have largely failed
to reform. Anti-Israel propagandists continue to target college
campuses, and intimidation of Jewish students and faculty go
unaddressed. "Jewish and other students are embattled and the universitysystem remains incapable of responding," explains co-author Aryeh Weinberg.
"There is no quick fix to the problem and we have to be
careful not to let our concern fall victim to short attention spans."
The findings of the Revised Edition underscore the need for
university stakeholders, including the federal government, to fulfilltheir roles in helping the university reassert its core values.
Based on these findings, IJCR has launched an initiative to address campus anti-Semitism. Initiative Director Kenneth L. Marcus said "The federal government is failing in its duty
to protect college students from anti-Semitic harassment. We are calling for Congress and the President to act." Marcus served as Staff Director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights from 2004 to 2008.
NJDC lauds President Obama for signing hate crimes bill
WASHINGTON, DC (Press Release)- Marc R. Stanley, Chairman of the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC), issued the following statement:
NJDC commends President Barack Obama for signing The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law.
At a time when extremist violence can be seen all too frequently, this
new law will expand the scope of the federal hate crimes law to
include sexual orientation, disability, and gender identity.
The American Jewish community has been a leading voice in advocatingfor expanded hate crimes legislation for years, as these crimes victimize a much larger community, while fostering intolerance and bigotry. The time for this powerful law enforcement and data collection tool has long since arrived, and we thank the President for helping our nation achieve this important milestone.
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