CIJR Home Page

ISRANET DAILY BRIEFING
Volume IX, No. 2,119 • Thursday, July 2, 2009
A Service of CIJR
Canadian Institute for Jewish Research
Prof. Frederick Krantz, Director

Today's "News In Review" Round-Up

WEEKLY QUOTES

"Their bravery in the face of brutality is a testament to their enduring pursuit of justice. The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous. In spite of the government's efforts to keep the world from bearing witness to that violence, we see it and we condemn it."--U.S. President Barack Obama, who earlier had refused to "meddle" in Iranian affairs and saw little difference between "Supreme Leader" Khameini and Presidential candidate Moussavi, finally denouncing the Iranian government's harsh treatment of the Iranian protesters demonstrating against the apparent election fraud in the recent presidential elections. Regarding continuing diplomatic engagement with Iran, Obama said that "[t]here is no doubt that any direct dialogue or diplomacy with Iran is going to be affected by the events of the last several weeks. We don't yet know how any potential dialogue will have been affected until we see what has happened inside of Iran." Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, said that "[i]t's in the United States' national interest to make sure that we have employed all elements at our disposal, including diplomacy, to prevent Iran from achieving that nuclear capacity." (Jerusalem Post, June 26; Ha'aretz, June 29)

"Mr. Obama made a mistake to say those things...our question is why he fell into this trap and said things that previously [former President George W.] Bush used to say... Do you want to speak with this tone? If that is your stance then what is left to talk about... I hope you avoid interfering in Iran's affairs and express your regret in a way that the Iranian nation is informed of it."--Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, insisting that there is no point to continuing talks with Washington unless the U.S. President apologizes.(Ha'aretz, June 25)

"Anyone who takes up arms to fight with the people, they are worthy of execution."--Ayatollah Ahmed Khatami, a ranking cleric, attacking the Iranian opposition in a nationally broadcast sermon at Teheran University yesterday. Khatami-not to be confused with former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami-went on to say that those who disturbed the peace and destroyed public property were "at war with God" and should be "dealt with without mercy." (Globe and Mail, June 27)

"This is not in the interest of the establishment. If you want to calm the atmosphere, why are you carrying out mass arrests? Oppressing people will not help end the protests. If these people have committed crimes, why are their legal rights as citizens not preserved, why don't they have access to a lawyer, why are they not tried in a court, why haven't they been charged?"--Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, in a statement this week, condemning the outcome of Iran's disputed election and calling for the release of people arrested since the June 12 vote. (Reuters, July 1)

"On several occasions, most notably in the detention and murder of Zahara Kazemi, Mr. Mortazavi has clearly demonstrated his disregard for human rights and fundamental freedoms."--Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, commenting on Saaed Mortazavi's latest government appointment in Iran. Mortazavi, known in Iran as the "butcher of the press" has been appointed Iranian state prosecutor and interrogator of arrested protesters. Mortazavi gained notoriety for his prosecutor's role in the illegal 2003 detention, torture, rape and murder of Canadian-Iranian journalist Zahra Kazemi. Canada has already summoned Iran's top diplomat in Ottawa to protest the use of violence against the reformist marchers in Iran. (National Post, June 26)

"It was not popular will, or angry opposition supporters who felt cheated, or even the Internet. No, according to Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in an address to his ambassadors, it went like this: First, the British government secretly ordered British Airways to swap all its scheduled flights to Tehran with larger 747 jets, which it packed with hand-picked 'passengers...with special intelligence and security ambitions,' who flooded into downtown Tehran, received orders from coded messages on the BBC's Persian-language network, and persuaded thousands of otherwise unwilling Iranians to protest.... Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme religious and political leader of Iran's theocracy, denounced Britain last week as 'the most evil' of international forces, eclipsing Israel and the United States to the point that the latter two rarely get mentioned any more."--Globe and Mail reporter Doug Saunders, commenting on many conservative Iranians' tendency to believe that everything that goes wrong in Iran is somehow the fault of a secret British conspiracy. (Globe and Mail, June 27)

"Obama chose the words in his long speech very carefully. The word terror was omitted and replaced by the word violence. Even Hamas and Hezbollah received a little encouragement. But the president of the United States told Israel in no uncertain terms what was expected of it: 'the United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements... It is time for these settlements to stop.'

"This is what the Israeli left had been so eager to hear. But it is wrong. There is nothing illegitimate about Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria. The right of Jews to settle in the Land of Israel, and not only on one side of the Green Line, is not only based on the Bible and the history of the Jewish people, but has received international recognition in the League of Nations mandate for Palestine and U.S. approval in the Anglo-American Convention of 1924. This international recognition and the subsequent American approval have never been revoked.... The Israeli government must take a clear stand on this issue. It is not a question of building requirements determined by the natural increase in existing settlements in Judea and Samaria. It is the principle that Jews have a right to live in the Land of Israel regardless of where the eventual borders are delineated."--Former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Arens, critiquing U.S. President Barack Obama's recent speech in Cairo. (Ha'aretz, June 8)

"Those who think that Iraqis are incapable of protecting security in their country and that the withdrawal of foreign forces will leave a security vacuum which will be difficult for Iraqi forces to fill are making a grave mistake."--Iraqi President Nouri al-Maliki, in a televised address at the deadline for U.S. troops to vacate Iraqi cities, claiming sovereignty over the security of Iraqi cities. (New York Post, July 1)

"From Basra in the south to Mosul in the north, Iraqis expressed skepticism about the proclamation of 'independence.' 'They will not withdraw to their homes; they will stay here and there so that they can return in emergencies,' said Samir Alwan, 28, the owner of a mini-market in Basra. 'So it is not sovereignty, according to my point of view, and I think that the Iraqi Army is only able to secure the south of the country and unable to secure Baghdad and Mosul.'...

"Gen. Ray Odierno, the top commander of American troops in Iraq, brushed aside the dismissive tone of public remarks by the country's leaders about the Americans, saying that [PM Nourri al-]Maliki personally thanked him Monday night and again Tuesday for the sacrifices the American troops had made. 'I do not get these negative comments from the political leaders that are in the government,' he said at a news conference at the American military headquarters at Camp Victory. 'In my mind, I frankly don't worry about those comments because I understand that we are working this together.'"--Allisa J. Rubin, in a column for the New York Times, reporting on the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraqi cities, this week. (New York Times, July 1)

"The good news is the Bush administration kept its promise to develop and deploy missile defense to protect us against an expanding nuke and missile threat. Otherwise, we'd now be completely vulnerable to North Korean missiles. The bad news is the new team hit the brakes on developing the Pacific missile-defense system further, halted the development of a European system to protect us against the unfolding Iranian threat and cut the missile-defense budget by 15 percent. Maybe North Korean menacing will finally convince the administration and Congress that being able to protect yourself with missile defense is really a good thing. It certainly beats the alternative--'Duck and Cover.'"--Peter Brookes, the former deputy assistant to the U.S. secretary of defence, assessing the Obama Administration's performance in response to North Korea's recent missile launch. (NYP, July 1)

"The Honduras mess is going to heat up, not cool down. Will President Obama keep rooting for the side that rallies to the cry 'Yanqui go home'? Obama threw his lot in with deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, who's seen throughout the region as a stooge of Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez. Indeed, Chavez has already threatened military action to return Zelaya to power.... Hmm. Obama very publicly refrained from intervening in an internal Iranian affair earlier this month. Yet, in the more complex Honduran crisis, he resolutely and rapidly took a side-and not our side."--Benny Avni, in his New York Post column, criticizing the recent contrary positions of Barack Obama regarding Honduras and Iran. The UN has also called for Zelaya's reinstatement. (NYP, July 1)

SHORT TAKES

BRITISH EMBASSY EMPLOYEES ARRESTED IN IRAN--(Cairo)The Iranian government claims that the nine arrested British embassy employees instigated and organized the widespread post-election protests. Iran's conflict with Britain, along with the regime's detentions, arrests, and restrictions, are pushing Iran into increasing international isolation. While using force to crush the protests, Iranian leadership seeks to appease presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Moussavi by having the pro-Ahmadinejad Guardian Council review election results; Moussavi instead calls for an arbitration committee to investigate what he considers a rigged election. (NYT, June 29)

IRANIAN STRIFE COULD BE LINKED TO IRAQI TERROR ATTACKS--(Baghdad) Some of the Iraqi Shiite terror groups that the U.S. claims have Iranian backing are increasing the frequency and ferocity of their attacks in Iraq as Iran continues its crackdown on election protesters. In the ten days leading up to the June 30 deadline for U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, more than 200 Iraqis were killed. In recent weeks there has been a string of bombings, mainly in Shiite-dominated areas. A member of a Shiite terror group said that the Iranian government has pressured them to increase their activities. (WSJ, July 1)

U.S.-ISRAEL LOAN GUARANTEE PROGRAM RENEWED AMID TENSION--(Jerusalem) Despite ongoing tensions between the Obama administration and Israel concerning settlement policy in the West Bank, the Administration re-approved the Israel loan guarantees program. Director-General of Israel's Finance Ministry Yarom Ariav stated that "[r]e-approval of the loan guarantees shows significant faith in Israel's economy by the U.S. government." President Obama has the power to reduce loan guarantees for activities deemed inconsistent with objectives of the loan program. (Ha'aretz, June 30)

SPANISH COURT DROPS 2002 GAZA "WAR CRIME" INVESTIGATION--(Jerusalem) Spain's National Court dropped an investigation into the 2002 Israeli Air Force bombing of Hamas terrorist Saleh Shehadeh's apartment building. Judge Fernando Andreu launched the investigation claiming the bombing, which killed Shehadeh and 14 others, could constitute a crime against humanity. Last month Spanish lawmakers passed a resolution, which if translated into a law, would restrict Spain to the investigation of cases in which the victim is Spanish or the accused is in Spain. (Ha'arez, June 30)

BRANDEIS INVITES TERRORIST BILL AYERS TO SPEAK ON CAMPUS--(New York) Brandeis University, named after a great American Zionist and founded by Jews, has repeatedly provided a sanctuary for extreme anti-Israel radicals. In 2005 the university received a $500,000 grant to develop a relationship with Al Quds University in Jerusalem, which denies any Jewish historical connection with Israel. In 2006 Brandeis gave Tony Kushner-the playwright who called Israel a "disgrace" and its American Jewish supporters "repulsive"-an honorary doctorate. Now, Brandeis has scheduled unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers to speak in the Shapiro center. In response to protest, Brandeis spokesman Dennis Nealon announced "this is about freedom of educational opportunity." (Boston Globe, Apr. 23, Outpost, June 2009)

JIHADISTS TOLD EATING U.S. TROOPS IS OK--(Washington) According to the SITE Intelligence Group, which translates jihadist Internet sites, Muslim terrorists have been told that it is justifiable to eat the flesh of U.S. soldiers. Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, a prominent jihadist theologian, claims that a Muslim, when faced with hunger, is allowed to kill an enemy and "cannibalize him." In a bid to instill fear into U.S. soldiers, al-Maqdisi says that Americans should be told that Muslim fighters "smack their lips to eat the flesh of...the eaters of hamburgers and Pepsi." (National Post, June 27)

ALLEGATIONS OF JEWISH MASS-GRAVE ROBBING IN ROMANIA--(Bucharest) An American Jew living in the city of Iasi, Romania has reported that local medical students have been using the remains of Holocaust victims for research. While the report has triggered a slew of investigations by Jewish organizations, the allegations have so far been unconfirmed. A pair of Jewish university students, posing as Romanian medical students, had attempted to determine the origin of the bones they bought illicitly, but no information was forthcoming from cemetery caretakers. (Jer. Post, July 2)

CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST ERA ASSETS OPENS IN PRAGUE--(Prague) The conference brought together delegates from 49 countries and its goal, according to U.S. Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues Christine Kennedy, was the "expansion in social welfare benefits to survivors and...[laying] the framework for further real property compensation." During the Holocaust, the Nazis seized billions of dollars of Jewish property and possessions across Europe but only 20 per cent of real estate has been returned, and bureaucratic red tape has made restitution increasingly difficult. While the Czech Republic is taking steps to fulfill restitution claims, other countries such as Poland and Lithuania make it very difficult to file claims. U.S. Congressman Robert Wexler thinks the U.S. should use "diplomatic opportunities" to pressure the countries into moving forward on restitution issues." (Washington Post, Forward.com, June 26)

AL JAZEERA ENGLISH COMING TO CANADA--(Toronto) Federal regulators are expected to clear Al-Jazeera's English television network-the international version of the Arabic language network funded by the Emir of Qatar-for Canada this summer. Al Jazeera representatives sat down with Canadian officials who were concerned about the network's history of on-air antisemitic comments. The network has agreed to create a committee that will meet every six months to ensure that there are no major issues; representatives of Jewish groups such as the CJC have been invited to join the committee in an attempt to ease their concerns. Rogers Communications Inc is prepared to carry the channel. (Globe and Mail, June 29)

BAHRAIN APPOINTS FEMALE, JEWISH AMBASSADOR TO CANADA--(Ottawa) Governor-General Michelle Jean received Ambassador Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo, a human rights activist and former member of Bahrain's unelected legislature, at Rideau Hall. Nonoo was a controversial choice as some Bahrainis argue that a Jew could not sincerely defend the kingdom's refusal to recognize Israel. Although Bahrain has no formal relations with the Jewish state, it has cancelled boycotts of companies dealing with Israel and encourages Jewish expatriates who fled antisemitic riots to return. (National Post, July 2)