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1. Report: Israeli Warplanes Soar Through Lebanese Skies
by Chana Ya'ar  Four Israeli war planes were seen flying in the skies of Lebanon on Tuesday, according to that country’s official news agency. Israel Air Force aircraft were reportedly seen flying in the afternoon sometime between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm local time, sources said late in the day. By Wednesday, the reports became an official communique posted by Lebanon's Ministry of Information. The country’s National News Agency (NNA) said in an official statement issued Wednesday, “On Tuesday 12/1/2013 at 4:50 p.m. two (2) Israeli war planes violated Lebanese air-space from above Kafrkila village, executed circular flight over various Lebanese regions; and then left at 8:05 p.m. from above Rmeish village. “And at 8:25 p.m., two (2) other Israeli war planes violated Lebanese air-space from above Kafrkila village, executed circular flight over different Lebanese region; and then left at 9:05 p.m. from above Alma Shaab village.” The statement was posted to the Lebanese Ministry of Information website in English. Lebanese and Iranian media claimed earlier in the week that “at least 12 Israeli war planes” had violated Lebanese air space last Thursday morning, “roaming over different parts of the country.” One of the reports, posted by Iranian Press TV, claimed “an Israeli reconnaissance plane flew over the southern area of Naqoura for more than seven hours.” There has been no comment from the IDF or Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office.
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2. Al Jazeera Hires Lobbying Firm to Bolster Image on Capitol Hill
by Rachel Hirshfeld  Al Jazeera America has hired a lobbying firm to advocate for the broadcasting company on Capitol Hill, according to reports. The media company Al Jazeera America Holdings, which recently bought Al Gore’s cable news station Current TV, has hired the DLA Piper law firm to conduct “informational communications regarding client's cable television channel,” Politico reported. The global law firm, which has 4,200 lawyers located in more than 30 countries throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, has reportedly been educating lawmakers about the company’s plans to be based in New York City and open bureaus across the country. “We’re keeping everyone advised of the upcoming launch of the U.S.-based news channel,” DLA Piper’s John Merrigan, who is one of the individuals leading the account, told Politico. Mark Paoletta, former chief counsel for oversight and investigations for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, will also be among the top lobbyists leading the account, The Hill confirmed. Al Jazeera America Holdings is the U.S. subsidiary of the Qatar-based news network.
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3. 2 Arrested in Ma’ale Rehavam Demolition ‘Solidarity Protest’
by Chana Ya'ar  Two Jewish protesters in Samaria (Shomron) were arrested Wednesday in a solidarity demonstration supporting Jews being expelled from their caravan homes in Ma’ale Rehavam, a Judean community located in the hills of Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem. The demonstration by some 60 activists briefly blocked the entrance to the Palestinian Authority capital of Ramallah, located next to the Jewish town of Beit El in Shomron, north of Jerusalem. The protesters were expressing their solidarity with the residents who were being left homeless by the demolition Wednesday morning after Israeli security forces demolished the six caravan homes. One person at the Ma'ale Rehavam site was arrested for resisting the expulsion effort, while the homes were destroyed. By 1:00 p.m. the site was leveled, sources said. Protesters in Shomron expressed their anger at the expulsion by reportedly smashing windows of vehicles bearing PA license plates, and slashing the tires of the cars, a source said. At least two of the rioters were arrested and taken for question to the Binyamin regional police station. They are being represented by the Honenu legal aid organization. The crowd was dispersed by Israeli security forces.
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4. Video: German Politician Caught 'High-Fiving' Iranian Ambassador
by Rachel Hirshfeld  The female leader of the German Green Party and Iran's ambassador to Berlin sparked outrage after they were caught on video "high-fiving" each other at a security conference in Munich. Chairman of the German Green Party, Claudia Roth, slapped the hand of Iranian ambassador Ali Reza Sheik Attar, in a “high-five” motion, as she was apparently excited to be meeting the Iranian official. While Roth is an ardent critic of Iran, namely over its treatment of women, and Attar is a believer in Islamic religious law, which dictates that the he should not shake hands with a woman, such codes did not prevent the two from “slapping palms” and “passing grins” as they were being seated during the security conference, The Telegraph reported. The video footage has received widespread coverage in the German press, and left both parties red-faced, as spokesmen sought to explain the unusual encounter. "The ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran never shakes hands with a woman, and he has never shaken Claudia Roth's hand either," a spokesman for the Iranian embassy told the German Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. The ambassador had only attempted a polite greeting or wave, which the Green politician misinterpreted and responded with a "quick touch of the ambassador's hand", the spokesman said. "He was completely surprised by this unexpected gesture." A spokesman for Roth attributed the high-five to the Green leader having known the ambassador for a number of years, but stressed she remained committed to "Iranian opposition movement", according to The Telegraph. However, attempts to downplay the incident have failed to temper criticism in the German press, as the Bild newspaper called Roth the "loser of the day" while a columnist for the high-brow Die Welt suggested the politician be cast into the "hall of shame" over the incident. The story also made waves in Germany because Iran’s leaders routinely deny the Holocaust, which has been outlawed in the country that led to Adolph Hitler’s rise to power. According to Tablet Magazine’s Adam Chandler, “Claudia Roth’s Green Party arose from the German student movement of the 1960s, recalcitrant in thumbing their noses at the previous generation who had pro-Nazi tendencies. They championed human rights and cast themselves as the enlightened and progressive leaders of Germany’s bright future.” “So why is the head of the Green Party so cozy with someone whose country’s fascism represents the complete opposite of the Green Party pillars?,” Chandler asks.
Tags: Iran ,religious law
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5. ADL: Belgian Nazi Parade Makes Mockery of Holocaust
by Rachel Hirshfeld  The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has expressed outrage that a group of participants in the UNESCO-affiliated Aalst festival dressed as Nazi SS officers and paraded through the streets of Aalst, Belgium on a rail car reminiscent of those used to deport Jews to concentration camps during the Holocaust. Photos in the Belgian media showed the men dressed in full Nazi regalia with a Hassidic Jewish boy character on a rail car, decorated with posters depicting pails labeled, “Zyklon,” the chemical used in the Nazi gas chambers. On February 11, ADL wrote to Irina Bokova, Director General of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization bringing the display to her attention. “We know you agree that UNESCO should never allow itself to be associated with such expressions,” the League wrote. “We ask that you publicly disassociate UNESCO from this repugnant incident, and declare that any similar act in the future would put the Aalst Carnaval’s status on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage at risk.” “We are outraged and appalled that the Aalst Carnaval included such a horrific display trivializing and mocking the Holocaust,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director and a Holocaust survivor. “Public acts of this kind have no place in any society and it is that much more incomprehensible that this could happen in an event affiliated with the United Nations. We are glad that UNESCO spoke out.” After receiving the letter, Bokova said that the public acts were a “violation of the spirit of the Aalst festival, characterized by freedom and satire, which cannot justify the recourse to anti-Semitic stereotypes,” and referred to the trivialization of the Holocaust to fuel hatred “in the very heart of the continent where this tragedy occurred.” Under the German occupation, the Germany military police carried out deportations of nearly 25,000 Jews from Belgium to the Auschwitz extermination camp, where most were murdered, according to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Fewer than 2,000 of the deportees survived.
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6. Hackers Broadcast Zombie Apocalypse Alert on US Television
by Rachel Hirshfeld  Hackers caused a bizarre alert in the state of Montana by broadcasting a warning about zombies attacking the living, local television channels reported, according to AFP. The apocalyptic warning interrupted programming via the Emergency Alert System, normally used for real catastrophes such as extreme weather, or even a direct message from the president in the case of a national crisis. The message was preceded by a buzzing noise typical of such broadcasts, before a voice intoned: "Civilian authorities in your area have reported that the bodies of the dead are rising from their graves, and attacking the living.” "Follow the messages on screen, that will be updated as information becomes available. Do not attempt to apprehend these bodies, as they are considered extremely dangerous," it added. "This warning applies to all areas receiving this broadcast. This station will now cease transmission, so please use your battery powered radio" to hear updates. The warning broke into regular programming Monday evening on at least four local television stations, according to Cynthia Thompson, station manager at ABC10-CW5. "It has been determined that a 'back door' attack allowed the hacker to access the security of the EAS equipment," she said in an online statement, adding that WNMU-TV 13 at Northern Michigan University was also hacked. "ABC 10-CW 5 will continue to work with federal and state agencies, including law enforcement and security experts, on the investigation of this incident." Heath Heggem, news director at KRTV/KXLH, told AFP that, "KRTV along with several other stations across the country was subject to a cyber attack that intruded into our EAS system. We're still investigating what happened." A spokesman for the Great Falls Police Department said a number of people had called, but there was no cause for alarm. "We had four calls checking to see if it was true. And then I thought, 'Wait. What if?'" Sorensen told the Great Falls Tribune, adding, reassuringly that, "There have been no sightings of dead bodies rising from the ground."
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7. Bennett: We Have a Rare Opportunity to Bring Change
by Elad Benari  Bayit Yehudi Chairman MK Naftali Bennett denied on Tuesday that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had offered him the position of Education Minister in the new government, as Israeli media outlets had reported. Bennett, who answered questions during the annual gathering of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said, “We’re not yet talking about jobs or positions. The coalition structure is unclear as of now, and the first question is who’s in the government and the next question is who does what. “Certainly, it’s a very vital job but there’s no progress yet,” he added. Bennett said there was a “considerable common denominator” between his party and Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid on things such as the economy and getting hareidim involved in Israeli life. “That’s what ultimately will determine my actions,” he indicated. “It’s not about politics, it’s about the direction we go in. I can’t say we agree on everything, there are some things over which we disagree, but I think it’s good news that we have so much common ground.” Israel has a very rare opportunity, said Bennett, to bring about an equal share in the burden of army service while not hurting the world of Torah study. “The Torah world is vital for Israel. Torah is the reason that we are here. We can’t give that up,” he said. “It’s time to stop hating,” Bennett stated. “Stop hating Arabs, hareidim, the non-religious, settlers. The new generation is fed-up with the hatred. The parties that tried to use hate have failed. Unity worked. We are a generation that grew up with cafés being blown up, so we are a more clear-sighted generation. While we don’t necessarily see a partner for peace, we certainly don’t want more war. No one more than me hates war. But wishing a conflict away doesn’t make it go away. When we make profound mistakes again and again it’s time to take a new approach.” Earlier, Bennett gave a speech to the participants at the annual gathering.
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8. Lapid: I’ll Push Civil Marriage, Reform Judaism
by Maayana Miskin  Yair Lapid, head of the Yesh Atid party, spoke Tuesday at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, held at the Inbal Hotel in Jerusalem. Lapid declared that his political agenda includes making the Reform and Conservative movements – both popular in the United States – equal to orthodox Judaism in terms of state support. “I want to do everything in my power to ensure the equality between all movements of Judaism in the state of Israel, Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform,” he declared. “In conversions, in budgets, in the eyes of the law. No one can claim ownership over the Jewish God.” “Small, old, petty politics cannot determine something that is eternal as is the Jewish identity, this is just wrong,” he added. Conservative and Reform Judaism differ from traditional Judaism on principles of belief such as the divine origin of the Torah and of the Oral Law. They also differ significantly regarding conversion to Judaism, and Reform and Conservative conversions are generally not recognized as valid by orthodox rabbis, who say converts must agree to full observance of Jewish law (halacha). Lapid also said that he plans to promote civil marriage in Israel. Currently Israel recognizes marriages performed under the auspices of a recognized religion within Israel, and any marriage registered abroad whether religious or not. The “complete dominance of orthodox rabbis” over marriage “is an insult,” Lapid argued. He also spoke of his determination to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority for the creation of an Arab state in Judea and Samaria, a point that he has previously stated is a key condition to his partnership in any coalition. Failure to separate from the Arab population of Judea and Samaria (Shomron) would mean that Israel ceases to be a Jewish state, he argued. However, Lapid rejected one of the Palestinian Authority’s key demands, saying that Israel should not give up sovereignty over any part of Jerusalem.
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Everyday of Freedom is an Act of Faith for my writings ============> http://robertoscaruffi.blogspot.com for something on religions ===> http://scaruffi1.blogspot.com
Wednesday 20 February 2013
