Likud may amend their deal with Tzipi Livni to draw in Bayit Yehudi and Yesh Atid

The Times of Israel says that the unwisely etched out deal with Tzipi Livni's party - giving her the justice ministry and main control of negotiations with the PLO - may be altered to satisfy the other parties:

The Likud-Beytenu faction may look to amend its agreement with the Hatnua Party in a bid to bring Jewish Home and Yesh Atid into the coalition.

Hatnua, headed by Tzipi Livni, became the only party to join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu’s nascent government, doing so on the condition that it receive two ministries and that Livni, a former foreign minister, be given the reins of negotiations with Palestinians.

However, Netanyahu may revoke some of those agreements, Maariv reported Friday, in the hope of wooing the nationalist-religious Jewish Home and the centrist Yesh Atid into the coalition.

Both parties, which have partnered up in coalition talks, have expressed reservations about the deal Netanyahu made with Livni, specifically her place at the head of negotiations with Palestinians, according to the report, which cites unnamed senior Likud sources.

Giving her the justice ministry was a very poor step, ditto the reins of negotiations with a hostile entity, and it should be changed. In the end, if she doesn't want to join, then I could honestly not care less. She was one of the worst modern day politicians ever to tarnish this country, and we could do better without her as part of a government.

Yesh Atid's Shai Piron: Haredis aren't praying for soldiers safety

Rabbi Shai Piron, the number two on the Yesh Atid list, had the following explanation for why they won't enter a government with the Haredi parties:

"We do not hate haredim; we do not boycott haredim and do not oppose any sort of partnership with the haredim," the MK wrote on His Facebook page.

"The haredim have contributed greatly to Israel's uniqueness in many fields, but now there is a debate on Israel's character. I argue only with people I like. The opinion of those that I don't like does not interest me. I like haredim. Very much. And we have a major dispute, not only over equal share of the burden, but mainly over sovereignty and priorities in our country."

Addressing the universal draft issue, which is the main bone of contention between Yair Lapid's party and Likud-Beiteinu during the coalition negotiations, Piron said, "We are in disagreement not only because the haredim do not go to the army, but because they do not even pray for the soldiers' well-being." The rabbi was referring to the prayer for peace in the country, which is recited in religious Zionist synagogues on Shabbat.

"We are in disagreement because we want different priorities in the housing and interior ministries," the Yesh Atid lawmaker continued to say. "We are in disagreement because the relationship between religion and state should be different. We are in disagreement because we want everyone to study the core subjects."

That's an interesting note he's got there. I suppose ghetto mentality can really lead to terrible omissions like that, and the leaderships would do well to start including it in both synagogue prayer and school curriculums.

4 Muslims in Australia found guilty of beating convert

Four Muslim sickos have been charged with assault on a convert:

The Sydney case is believed to be the first in an Australian court relating to such punishment being meted out under the pretext of sharia, or Islamic law.

Christian Martinez, 32, was whipped with an electric cord at his home in Silverwater in Sydney's west between July 16 and 17 in 2011.

His religious mentor, Wasim Fayed, was accused of carrying out the whipping as punishment under sharia, while the other three men held Mr Martinez down on his bed.

Fayed, 44, along with Zakaryah Raad, 21, Tolga Cifki, 21, and Gengiz Coskin, 22, pleaded not guilty to charges of assault occasioning bodily harm in company and stealing.

Raad also faced two charges of intimidation. [...]

In July 2011, Mr Martinez had asked Fayed for help in getting off illicit drugs he was taking.

Fayed had replied, ''I'm going to tie you up, OK, and that's what you need, brother."

Fayed and the other offenders went round to Mr Martinez's home and Fayed lashed him on the back 40 times as the others held him down.

Mr Martinez pleaded with Fayed for him to stop but Fayed replied he was doing it because he loved him and next time he thought about drinking he would remember the pain.

Part way through the lashing Mr Martinez said he wanted to vomit and he was allowed to go to the toilet and throw up before he was held and whipped again.

The offenders then left the premises and Mr Martinez discovered a hard drive used to store CCTV footage in his home had been taken, for which the four men were charged with stealing.

In his judgment, Magistrate Maloney referred to a statement from the imam of the Omar mosque in Auburn, Sheik Omar El Banna, who said the whipping was not sanctioned by the community or any imams or religious leaders.

Oh, here's where the taqqiya comes in. It IS sanctioned, under sharia. And Fayed did not "love" him at all. A pure taqqiya statement is what he made. He and his cronies should all be thrown in the slammer for their crime. We must also hope the convert learns a lesson and leaves both the so-called religion and mentor behind.

And the winner of this year's Miss Israel beauty contest is...

Yityish Aynaw, a black Ethiopian-Israeli who once served in the army, the first lady of black descent to win the local pageant:

Yityish Aynaw, a former Israeli army officer, became the first Ethiopian-Israeli to win the Miss Israel pageant.

A panel of judges awarded the title to Aynaw, a 21-year-old model who came to Israel about a decade ago, at the International Convention Center Haifa on Wednesday.

"It's important that a member of the Ethiopian community wins the competition for the first time," she was quoted by Israeli media as telling the judges in response to a question. "There are many different communities of many different colors in Israel, and it's important to show that to the world." Aynaw came to Israel with her family when she was 12. Acclimating to Israel was difficult at first, Aynaw said, but she picked up the language quickly with the help of a friend.

She has been working as a saleswoman at a clothing store since her army discharge.

During the competition, Aynaw cited the slain American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. as one of her heroes.

"He fought for justice and equality, and that's one of the reasons I'm here: I want to show that my community has many pretty qualities that aren't always represented in the media," she said.

She is most definitely deserving of her victory, and I'm proud of and congratulate her, and thank the judges for choosing her too. Here's an extra report on The Jewish Press from a reporter who lives in the same city as her.

Update: more on YnetNews and Times of Israel.

Some improvements in Beit Shemesh situation

JTA reported that there have been some signs of improvement in Beit Shemesh, but there's still a long way to go:

Next to the Modern Orthodox Orot Banot girls school in Beit Shemesh, fresh mounds of dirt and a huge hole in the ground indicate the spot where a community center is being built.

Orot Banot was at the center of conflict between local haredi Orthodox extremists and Modern Orthodox residents in late 2011, after a group of haredi men spit upon an 8-year-old girl, Naama Margolis, as she walked to school through their neighborhood. The incident marked a high point of internecine conflict in this city of 80,000 near Jerusalem and made headlines around the world.

Today, Beit Shemesh activists are hoping the community center under construction augurs a more harmonious future in which all Beit Shemesh residents coexist peaceably.

“The reputation that Beit Shemesh got bothered everyone,” said Ilan Geal-Dor, executive director of Gesher, a nonprofit group that fosters secular-religious dialogue. “We’re all going to live here, so let’s see what we can do together,” he said. [...]

Orot Banot has operated without incident for a year. Construction on the community center, meant to serve the whole city, continues unabated. A host of programs have been launched to help foster mutual respect and coexistence between the city's various communities.

A roundtable of community leaders, from haredi to secular, now meets every six weeks to try to head off future conflicts and collaborate on issues of shared concern. Several times a month, secular, Modern Orthodox and haredi young men gather to study Torah and celebrate Shabbat together. A mixed group of 16 women has spent a year creating documentary films about Jewish women’s issues. And a larger women’s council spent 2012 encouraging dialogue between Beit Shemesh’s various groups. [...]

Last year, haredi leaders dissuaded their followers from tearing up Israeli flags on Israel’s Independence Day -- previously an annual practice. And the group has collaborated on efforts that benefit all city residents, like pushing for renovations on the city's main road.

There's still a lot to be done. But I will concur that this is good to hear.

3 accessories to Fogel murders sentenced

The monsters who murdered the Fogel family 2 years ago had at least 3 helpers who've also been given time in the slammer:

Salah Awad was convicted of admitting to his home the two murderers on the night the Fogel family members were killed. The two told Salah Awad of their act, and he allowed them to leave the murder weapons in his home and gave them a change of clothing so they could get away. Later, he moved the weapons to another location after getting wind that he was part of the investigation. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Another culprit, Hassan Awad, also arranged for hiding places for the terrorists. He was sentenced to 23 months in prison, and will be required to pay a fine. A third culprit, Yazid Awad, admitted to investigators that he had knowledge of the murders and of the Awad brothers' role in the crime, and offered them “material assistance.” He was sentenced to four years in prison.

Given the sadistic methods used in the murder, even their sentences aren't enough.

Sanity prevails in Britain

As the Oxford Students Union wisely rejects a boycott of Israel:

The Oxford University Students’ Union (OUSU) rejected on Wednesday a motion calling for sanctions against Israel.

The OUSU motion calling for the Oxford student union to boycott Israeli institutions, goods and produce lost by a vote of 69-10, with 15 abstentions.

The motion would have seen the union joining the international boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement in protest of what was described as “Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and its hindrance of attempts to create a Palestinian state.”

Interior Minister Eli Yishai (Shas) welcomed the decision to reject the motion, saying, “We welcome the decision of the Student Union, a decision that had it been accepted would certainly have stained both the institution and the students.”

“I hope that other countries, organizations and institutions understand that waving the flag of progress in one hand and waving the flag of boycotts in the other means waving of two flags that cannot exist side by side,” said Yishai.

They'd also be missing out on some great food products and such if they went along with the horrible boycott movement. I honestly don't see what good it's doing their image either. Now would they just let go of the whole nonsense and get back to studying stuff like algebra instead? It'd do a world of good for them then.

More over here:

The motion called for the OUSU and National Union of Students to join the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign, known as the BDS movement, against the Jewish state.

"We [the OUSU and the NUS] have a moral responsibility to fight injustice,” and demand that Israel “end its occupation of all Arab lands,” read the motion which was proposed by Emily Cousens, a student at Wadham College.

It was originally seconded by Wolfson College student Yulin Zhang, however he pulled out “after reflecting on the issue and not being comfortable with it.”

I don't know if he's a Chinese student, but he did the right thing to avoid making himself part of the decision.

The decision was hailed by the Union of Jewish Students who called on students to constructively engage with Israel, its ideas and people, rather than chose to boycott.

“It’s encouraging to see that this vote reflects a student body who are willing to discuss the complexities that exist within Israel and do not see boycotting it as a viable option or avenue to discuss the conflict,” UJS campaigns director Judith Flacks said.

I agree there.

When Yeshiva registration serves as an excuse for draft dodging

Whether or not the Haredi parties will be in the coalition, based on this Forward article, there's no telling if any serious change will occur overnight. But it does raise an interesting issue about whether the would-be yeshiva students are really dedicated to their studies or whether it's just to avoid responsibility:

Netanyahu’s plan seeks to increase significantly the number of Haredim serving, through a system of financial penalties that will be imposed on yeshivas where few students obey the draft, as well as through some penalties for individual students who avoid conscription. Its aim is for 60% of Haredi men aged 18 to 24 in 2018 to have served or to be serving.

But the plan may leave intact the Haredi insistence that any man who wishes to study in a yeshiva should be free from service. It is widely believed that large numbers of Haredim are enrolled in yeshivas to avoid service but do not actually attend lessons, and they are the target of the proposal.

“I suggest focusing on the Haredim who don’t study but who nevertheless receive government benefits and service exemptions,” said Eugene Kandel, chairman of the National Economic Council of the Prime Minister’s Office, speaking to Israel’s Channel 2 on February 16. “With 20% effort we could bring 70% of Haredi men into meaningful service in the Israel Defense Forces and into the labor market within five years.”

While it certainly is important to cut down on welfare to the Haredis who aren't helping the country, this does tell something very thought-provoking: as I've wondered at times myself, do all Haredis who don't work or serve in the army actually spend time studying? A perfect example of those who don't would have to be those creepy leches who terrorized the schoolgirls in Beit Shemesh over peanuts. Indeed, what were they doing out on the street there spitting at them and threatening violence? Where I was born that's called "playing hooky".

One of the loudest voices of opposition to the plan comes, unexpectedly, from a Haredi lawmaker. Dov Lipman, who emigrated from the United States eight years ago and worked as a yeshiva teacher, before making it to the Knesset from the bottom of the Yesh Atid list. He has become the perfect poster boy for his party’s draft plan. He worries that if the government decides to make an exception for men who claim they are actually studying, it will indicate a capitulation to Haredim. “They say, ‘Whoever is in learning remains in learning,’ which is essentially no change to the status quo,” Lipman said. [...]

Lipman said that Yesh Atid is demanding a draft for all Haredim when they reach the age of 18, with the exception of 400 outstanding students. It wants to create more Haredi-only units and to cater to the religious demands of Haredim to make service culturally acceptable in the community. Lipman says that this can happen, that the Haredi community will reduce its opposition and that there “won’t be massive numbers [of objectors] going to jail.”

Yesh Atid’s one leniency toward the Haredi sector is its five-year lead-time for a draft, or in Lipman’s parlance, the “amnesty.” Currently, the condition for receiving an exemption is that Haredi men are enrolled in yeshiva, and if enrolled, they are legally barred from working. The Yesh Atid plan says that this rule should be canceled for five years, opening employment opportunities to any Haredim who don’t want to study but wish to avoid the draft.

Yesh Atid, like Netanyahu, believes that many Haredim have no interest in studying in yeshiva and are enrolled simply to receive an exemption. An “amnesty,” it hopes, will disprove the Haredi community’s claim that the draft undermines a culture of near-universal yeshiva study.

Well, there are a lot of positive possibilities in this proposal, and if the Haredis were to work more and rely far less on welfare, the army issue wouldn't be so big a deal. Again, the point about any Haredis only enrolling for the sake of draft dodging is a very valid one.

Yedidia Stern, the author of another prominent draft proposal, finds the idea of the amnesty absurd. If it were implemented, he said, Haredim would be exceedingly careful to safeguard their community’s narrative on yeshiva study, and they would ensure that students do not leave and prove Yesh Atid correct. “If the leadership of the Haredi community will understand that the next five years is a test case for Torah study, then the pressure on people to stay in yeshiva will be enormous,” he predicted.

Stern, who is vice president of research at the Israel Democracy Institute, argues that Yesh Atid’s proposal is based on a cultural misunderstanding about what motivates fear of the draft. He said, “The real reason they do not go to the army is the feeling that if a boy of 18 who has spent his life in a ghetto and not seen beyond it won’t come out of the army the same way he went in, they fear he will stop being Haredi, and the fear is that the community’s identity could be over.”

Like that's the worst thing that could happen! If they continue to keep the faith in itself, isn't that what's important? And isn't ghetto dwelling and mentality one of the worst problems to befall this or any century? To be fair, if the Haredi leaders would pressure the members to stay in yeshivas, that might help keep them out of trouble like in the Beit Shemesh case, and they'd do better to stay off the streets and behave themselves. But ghetto mentality is still a very poor example, and something has to be done to penetrate it and get the dwellers to look past the ghetto to a wider world and learn what it's like.

Stern’s solution is to estimate when Haredi men are confident in their identity and to wait until then before drafting them. According to his research, at 22 some 77% of Haredi men are married, suggesting that they are “culturally solid.” Also, he hopes that a draft of men at that age won’t trigger fear of widespread abandonment of a Haredi lifestyle.

But it doesn't help to be part of an insular one that thrives on welfare, and if the Haredi community continues with that mindset, that's why it's just not a sustainable way of living. Stern has to consider this. Only when insularity is abandoned does positivity have a real chance.

Hagel confirmed as defense secretary, though not without serious signs of disapproval

What a shame, but Chuck Hagel was confirmed for defense secretary, though the silver lining is that there was a significant number of dissenters in the Senate, and Hagel had to spend much of his confirmation battle disavowing the very positions that Obama seems to want him for. Even so, a sad thing he was confirmed for the job, and we have to now be wary of any bad things he's bound to do now that he's gotten the position.

It looks like there's a breakthrough in coalition negotiations for Bennett and Lapid

And Shas may also be out of the government:

After several weeks in which it seemed that the gaps between the sides in the coalition negotiations on burden equality could not be bridged, we're now being told, according to Maariv, that a solution is near. Senior Likud negotiators said Tuesday night that they are close to an agreement with the Jewish Home over an outline for equal burden legislation. According to those sources, the Jewish Home team told them they are authorized to negotiate on behalf of Yesh Atid as well.

At this point, sources in both teams are saying they are close to an agreement, at least over the recruitment age for Haredim: 21. This figure is a kind of compromise between age proposed by the Likud-Beitenu: 24, and the Yesh Atid position: 18.

There were huge problems with the age 24 idea, which was, in essence, a Trojan horse pushed in by the Haredi parties through the Likud-Beitenu team. First, in terms of the recruit's usefulness to the IDF, at 24 he is basically unavailable to combat duty. Also, by the time he is 24, the average Haredi man could be the proud father of several children, which entitles him to a significant military stipend. In other words: at 24 he is more trouble than he's worth.

Also, the Jewish Home team was arguing that the same Supreme Court that killed the previous Tal Law on grounds of inequality will no doubt reject the age 24 idea on the same grounds. Even at age 21, the Haredi recruits are only expected to serve two years—which is very likely to be challenged in front of the court by anyone who didn't make it into the government and isn't Haredi. [...]

Finally, whether or not the next coalition will include Shas and Torah Judaism, the 17-seat strong Haredi block, it appears that their two "traditional" portfolios, Interior and Housing, Shas's source of patronage jobs and huge influence over Israeli society, is lost to them, at least for now. It isn't clear yet, however, whether those two rich portfolios will be given to Bennett's party or kept in Likud-Beitenu's embrace.

Well, if Shas it out, then I'd say it's for the best. And if Bayit Yehudi and Yesh Atid get some ideal ministries, that'll be interesting to see about too.

Update: here's an extra report from The Jewish Week.

4 religious women in Beit Shemesh sue city over "modesty coercion"

Four women in the city with a Haredi problem are fed up with discrimination and have sued the municipality over their failure to set things right:

Four religious Jewish women from the city of Beit Shemesh have filed suit against the city for failing to prevent an extremist sect"s pressure on women to dress according to its own strict rules of modesty.

The suit centers on several signs put up by sect members declaring that "immodest" women are prohibited to walk in the area. One of the plaintiffs told Yediot Aharonot that when she took down one of the signs, a man affiliated with the sect saw her and began throwing stones at her.

"There"s a threatening atmosphere here due to the repeated violence against women who the attackers think are not dressed appropriately," she said.

The city is being sued for failing to remove the signs. The women are seeking 25,000 shekels in compensation for emotional distress.

The women are doing the right thing to sue. And the police have to step up patrols in those areas to keep those extremists out of the neighborhoods.

Teacher at Satmar school assaulted student

Another terrible story emerges from within the Satmar community:

SPRING VALLEY — The principal of a major religious school with facilities in this village and in Brooklyn has been charged with assaulting a 10-year-old student.

Rabbi Meilech Spitzer, 59, a top administrator with the United Talmudical Academy on Madison Avenue in Spring Valley, is accused of slapping the boy in the face several times and causing his eye and face to swell up, police said. [...]

The investigation became more challenging when the boy’s parents refused to file charges and cooperate with detectives, likely making a prosecution more difficult, Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe said Monday.

Zugibe said his detectives were working with Spring Valley police and would attempt to interview the boy and his family.

“If indeed the victim is unwilling to cooperate, it makes any prosecution questionable,” Zugibe said. “We will make an assessment.”

Zugibe said there’s no evidence the family and the boy have been pressured by community leaders not to cooperate.

Many times, families can be ostracized and their children ejected from schools for going outside the religious community and reporting criminal matters.

There have been accusations that religious families of children sexually abused have been pressured not to cooperate. In some cases, the families have worked with prosecutors

The United Talmudical Academy is a school system run by the Satmar Hasidic Jewish sect in New York City and in suburban communities like Spring Valley, Monsey and Kiryas Joel in Orange County.

The problem is that even now, there's bound to be some families in the Satmar community who'll still balk at turning to the regular authorities about these crimes.

In a criminal complaint obtained by The Journal News, Spitzer is charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, and accused of intending to physically harm the child. [...] Spitzer slapped the boy “numerous times on the left side of his face and left ear,” the complaint said.

The boy’s left eye swelled up as well as the left side of his face and ear, the complaint said.

I hope the poor boy and his family will think to leave the Satmar sect after this horrible incident. It would help them very much to keep their distance from those awful pseudo-followers of Judaism.

Texas launches investigation into teacher who had students dress in burkas

A female teacher too, one who clearly has very little self-respect, encouraged her female students to do this (Hat tip: Jihad Watch):

A Texas lawmaker is launching an investigation after a teacher reportedly invited female students to dress up in Islamic garb and then told her classroom they should call Muslim terrorists – freedom fighters.

State Sen. Dan Patrick, chairman of the senate education committee, told Fox News he is very disturbed by the photograph as well as reports that students were exposed to a story that blamed Egypt’s turmoil on democracy – rather than the Muslim Brotherhood.

“Parents are very sensitive to any issue that seems to be anti-American – that blames democracy for some sort of trouble in the world,” he said.

The lesson on Islam was taught in a world geography class at Lumberton High School. The teacher brought burqas and other Islamic clothing for the female students to wear. They were also assigned to write an essay based on a Washington Post story that blamed Egypt’s troubles on democracy – instead of the Muslim Brotherhood.

“I am outraged,” one of the parents, who asked not to be identified, told Fox News. “I felt my blood pressure go through my head.”

The parent said she was not aware of the lesson until she discovered a photograph of her 14-year-old daughter wearing a burqa on Facebook.

“As parents we should have been made aware this

“I felt like the line had been crossed,” she told Fox News. “Christian kids who want to pray have to do it outside of school hours – yet Islam is being taught to our kids during school hours.”

Sen. Patrick said he understands why the parents are upset.

“Could you imagine if someone asked a Muslim student to dress up as a priest,” the senator asked. “The parents of a Muslim student might be rather upset about that.”

The young girl’s father wondered why the teacher was giving children lessons about Islam in a geography class.

“She went from learning about Mexico to learning about Russia to learning about Islam,” he said. “Islam is not a country. Islam is not a continent.”

Quite right. It is only a religion, period. Religion and race are two entirely different things.

And the teacher clearly has very little self-confidence or self-respect for her gender if she's going to encourage her female students to dress in such vile garb. Interesting how she didn't bring any such garments for the boys.

The parents said they confronted their daughter and told her to explain exactly what she had been taught.

“They were asked about their perception of Islam,” she said. “Most of the class said they thought about terrorism. And her response was, ‘we’re going to change the way we perceive Islam.’”

The teacher reportedly told the students that she did not necessarily agree with the lessons –but she was required to teach the material.

The Lumberton Independent School District released a statement to Fox News defending the class.

“The lesson that was offered focused on exposing students to world cultures, religions, customs and belief systems,” the statement read. “The lesson is not teaching a specific religion, and the students volunteered to wear the clothing.”

The school district said Judaism and Christianity were also part of the lesson. However, the parents said Christianity was not discussed in the classroom.

“The Christian perspective was not taught,” she said. “They went in-depth into Islam and I’m not comfortable with it.”

And I'm skeptical they had any lesson on Judaism either. Nor am I letting the teacher off the hook for what she did to the female students, even if the staff mandated the lesson, and her failure to inform parents about this makes her an accessory to the offense.

The parents said they immediately contacted the principal of the high school who defended the program and said it was required under CSCOPE – a controversial electronic curriculum system that provides online lesson plans for teachers.

“The principal told me it was world geography and they have to learn this stuff,” she said.

However, the school district said the lesson taught at the high school was not part of written CSCOPE lesson.

“This is the normal answer from every school using CSCOPE,” said Janice VanCleave, a vocal critic of the program and the founder of Texas CSCOPE Review. “They are definitely promoting the Islamic religion.”

VanCleave said the trouble is that teachers are not giving students the full story.

“They are not telling students how these young women are treated in this religion,” she told Fox News. “In the Islamic countries women are not treated well at all.”

Right again. And burkas are just one form of oppression and worse.

CSCOPE offered no comparable lessons on Christianity or Judaism, VanCleave told Fox News.

“I do think CSCOPE promotes the Islamic religion,” she said. “I don’t think it’s right to be proselytizing the Islamic religion in our schools.”

And that's just what the disgraceful "educators" were doing. The principal should be ashamed of himself for defending this atrocity, and he'd do well to apologize. I hope they cooperate with the senator's investigation.

Iran can't stand that "Zionist Warner Bros" won an Oscar

More precisely, a movie produced by the company that was originally founded by Jews in the early 20th century, though they can hardly be called that today. The Wash. Post (via Jihad Watch) says:

Ben Affleck’s “Argo,” which recounts the successful rescue mission of several American diplomats during the 1979 hostage crisis in Tehran, won best picture Sunday night, and Iranian media was quick to react on Monday. [...]

The elation that followed Iran’s first Oscar victory for the film “A Separation,” which won best foreign film last year, however, has been pushed aside by what many here see as a politically motivated choice for this year’s best picture winner.

That perception was re-enforced by the surprise presenter of the award, Michelle Obama. Fars News, Iran’s main hardline outlet, wasted no time in questioning her role, writing, “In a rare occasion in Oscar history, the First Lady announced the winner for Best Picture for the anti-Iran Film ‘Argo,’ which is produced by the Zionist company Warner Bros.”

Others criticized the way Affleck referred to Islamic Republic in his acceptance speech when he said, “I want to thank our friends in Iran who live under terrible circumstances.” Mehr News ran this headline: “After distorting history, Ben Affleck continues to show a bleak picture of Iran: Iranians live in terrible circumstances.”

But they do. Especially women. I'm guessing that movies produced by Warner Bros. aren't allowed in Iran, and this one, we can be sure, won't be. Amazing that a company part of a conglomerate that I don't have a high opinion on because of how Time and CNN are hostile to Israel had the courage to produce a story like this, though the possibility the story won't give any clear critique of the Religion of Peace is still very likely. That said, good this movie won an Oscar. If I were any of the original founders, I'd be proud.

Satmar's modesty squad targets women's clothing store in Williamsburg

The New York Daily News tells that the hoodlums of Satmar are trying to hassle the owners of a women's clothing store that opened in their neighborhood:

A gang of overbearing religious scolds is targeting Jewish store owners who open shops in Williamsburg’s Satmar Hasidic enclave, ordering them to comply with a shadowy but strict set of standards or face sinful consequences.

Residents said the Va’ad Hatznius — known as the modesty patrol — struck again Thursday, blanketing lightposts and car windshields with flyers calling for the boycott of a new women’s clothing shop at 100 Lee Ave. and trumpeting an afternoon protest.

The store’s offense? Having big windows, through which the sight of women holding up dresses and picking through clothes are too easily observed from the street.

“It is not right,” said Moshe Spira, the manager of Grill on Lee, a sandwich shop down the block from the dress shop, explaining that the “man and his wife, trying to make a living for them and their family” opened just days ago.

“When we opened the store, they put up flyers,” Spira added. “They made a protest saying, ‘Don’t eat here.’ We were the first fast-food restaurant in the neighborhood. They were saying men and women can['t] sit together and are on the line together. We just ignored them and they moved on.”

(Note: I corrected a typo in the sentence: I think they meant to say that "men and women CAN'T sit together" but somehow forgot the apostrophe.)

The manager of the dress shop declined to comment about being the modesty patrol’s newest magnet for wrath. Community affairs cops checked out the store Thursday, scouting for protestors who never showed up.

That could suggest the spooks are losing some influence, but regardless, it's good that the police checked things out. These fiends should be charged with intimidation of the store owners, but depending which ones were targeted, we can't be certain they'll turn to the cops about all this.

Haredis may not be in the coalition

The Likud's hinted that if, in the end, they can't form a government without Bayit Yehudi and Yesh Atid, they will be willing to leave the Haredis out:

If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fails in forming a government and finds himself with no choice but to give in to demands of Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett, would prefer Yesh Atid and Habayit Hayehudi as members of his coalition over the religious parties, a senior source from Likud-Beiteinu said over the weekend.

While Netanyahu may have said at the start of negotiations that he has no intention of excluding the haredim from the coalition, if political complications continue – and regardless of whether the haredim sign a coalition agreement – they might find themselves left out.

"If Netanyahu feels he is backed into a corner and may lose the chance to form a government, he won't think twice about leaving the haredim out of the coalition," the source said. [...]

Sources in Likud-Beiteinu criticized the decision of the prime minister to favor the haredim from the start.

They claim that Netanyahu "originally wanted to leave Bennett out due to personal considerations, plus, he was sure Lapid was in his pocket – so he quickly devoted himself to the haredim.

"The public wanted a certain government in these elections, and Netanyahu wants to force it to accept a government from the past."

They say politics make strange bedfellows, and it sure is strange why he'd want to continue with Shas, which was disrespectful of him for many years, and even now. After 2-3 betrayals, I think he'd do well to let them go, which would teach them a lesson about leading such a socialist platform. Likewise, United Torah Judaism also needs to learn a lesson due to their opposition to army service. He'd be doing everyone a favor by making clear already that the despicable behavior of the Haredi parties cannot go unchallenged, and it could help his party's chances too, since they're not looking so good at the moment.

Chuck Hagel advocates sending US troops to Israel to enforce a "palestinian" state

This article (via Jihad Watch and Atlas Shrugs) tells how in 2009, the awful Hagel called for sending US military to impose the Obama administration's beliefs upon Israel. Big Peace has more, including how:

Hagel would not be the first Obama administration official to advocate the deployment of U.S. troops to the area. In 2002, Obama adviser Samantha Power called for the U.S. to provide “a “meaningful military presence” in the “new state of Palestine” to carry out the “imposition of a solution on unwilling parties.” Like Hagel, she suggested that doing so meant “alienating a domestic constituency of tremendous political and financial import"--an apparent reference to American Jews, making use of Jewish stereotypes seen as offensive in some contexts.

If Hagel becomes the nominee for the defense secretary, it'll be a disaster.

Muslims in Oxford raped 12-year-old whom they considered property

The UK Guardian won't get into clear details about the religious mindset that led to this shocking crime, but they do acknowledge the names of the perpetrators:

A young woman has told the Old Bailey that when she was 12 years old she was branded with the initial of a man so other men who raped her would know she "belonged" to him.

The jury was earlier told that the woman, now 19, had been sold to the man as an 11-year-old. She told the court that until she was 15 he repeatedly and brutally raped her, organising for other men to have sex with her.

The woman, known as girl D for legal reasons, said on several occasions Mohammed Karrar and his brother Bassam Karrar forced her to have sex with one of them while performing a sex act on the other.

The woman is the fourth witness to give evidence at the Old Bailey in the trial of nine men accused of offences including rape, trafficking and child prostitution against children as young as 11 in Oxford.

If you have the stomach for this, read more, but be forewarned that it's as repulsive as you can expect.

51 percent of public wants government with Bayit Yehudi and Yesh Atid, and without Haredis

According to this latest polling:

A full 51 percent of the public want a coalition government composed of Likud-Beitenu (31 MKs), Yesh Atid (19), Habayit Hayehudi (12), Tzipi Livni's The Movement (6) and Kadima (2), according to a new Ma'agar Hamochot survey presented on Monday on a Channel 10 program.

According to the survey, only 35% of the public support letting the Haredi parties join the new government in place of Yair Lapid's party.

A full 76% do not want new elections and prefer the new government be established based on the current Knesset's makeup.

I only wish to note that the agreement made between the Likud and Livni's Movement party is not something I'm happy about, and even some of the pollees probably aren't either, because of how getting the justice ministry could provide her with the chance to corrupt everything. Giving her main responsibility over "peace talks" could also spell trouble, and that's why Bayit Yehudi, Yesh Atid and even Kadima in its reduced state under Shaul Mofaz would rather the whole agreement be changed. And that's another reason why the 3 have agreed to enter the government together. Some more commentary over here.

Other than that, I'm quite fine with the opinion that the Haredi parties have to be reined in with their ghetto mentality that's hurting the country. Speaking of which, United Torah Judaism has announced they oppose any change to the status for Yeshiva students:

The senior leadership of the United Torah Judaism party made clear to the Likud negotiating team on Thursday that it completely opposes any change to the status of haredi yeshiva students and their ability to remain in full-time study. [...]

The Ashkenazi haredi party remains opposed to any new legislation on the issue that does not preserve the right of haredi males to study full time in yeshiva and thereby receive an exemption from military service.

Well if that's how it's going to be, then they've provided one more reason why they don't deserve welfare at taxpayers' expense. They do not deserve to be in the coalition. A message must be sent to them why we've had it with their fleecing.

9-year-old British child commits suicide after harrassment by "Asian" bullies

And the tragic part is - there's every chance these were Muslims, possibly of Pakistani background, something a lot of the British press has cowardly covered up. One of the few to give hints to the backgrounds of the perpetrators who drove the poor boy to suicide is The UK Sun (via Jihad Watch):

Aaron Dugmore — thought to be one of Britain’s youngest suicides after bullying — was found in his bedroom after months of jibes at school, they claim.

His family say that Aaron was threatened with a plastic KNIFE by one Asian pupil — who warned him: “Next time it will be a real one.”

But despite complaints to the school, where 75 per cent of pupils come from ethnic backgrounds, they claim nothing was done to stop the bullying.

Heartbroken mum Kelly-Marie Dugmore is convinced the taunts led to her son killing himself two weeks ago. She sobbed: “We are not racist people. Aaron got on with all the children at his last school, and for him to have been bullied because of the colour of his skin makes me feel sick to my stomach.”

Me too. If only they'd been able to send him to a private school, he might've been able to avoid much of this horror, but I suspect the socialist structure that's lurking in the UK doesn't make it easy to do that.

Paul said: “He became argumentative with his brothers and sisters, which wasn’t like him at all. Eventually he told us that he was being bullied by a group of Asian children at school and had to hide from them in the playground at lunchtime. He said one kid even said to him, ‘My dad says all the white people should be dead’.”

Racism comes from all ends of the ethnic sphere. But in the PC-poisoned world of England, depending on which groups, only minorities are allowed to get away with it.

A bad week for being Jewish on UK university campuses

Commentary's spoken on how Britain's campuses are surely the worst places to be right now with the pro-PLO and anti-Israel sentiment being espoused there. That includes the horrible scene at Essex.

England's universities are some of the worst places to be now. In any case, something tells me they wouldn't be worth studying subjects like finance and science at either; if the education for younger crowds in the UK is bad, why should we expect the colleges to be any different?

Sharansky angry over arrests of Women of the Wall members

The Jewish Agency chairman may be waiting until a coalition is formed before making recommendations about the prayer regulations at the Western Wall, but there's one thing for now he had every right to be mad about:

Sharansky was furious last week when he learned that, despite efforts to reach a modus vivendi, police had arrested 10 women praying at the wall for wearing prayer shawls.

And as well he should be. All the police there did was lead to more distrust and resentment that could have been avoided. As I've said before, I don't have a high opinion of the Reform sect because of their political standings, but praying there in their own customs in itself is hardly the worst thing that could happen. The police should apologize, and something is going to have to be done to rein them in and get them to stop showing such obnoxious reception of the WotW group.

Philly's burka crimes becoming a serious problem

Daniel Pipes has written more about the burka crimes being committed in Philadelphia, where it's become a very troubling problem:

As the Middle East Forum's David J. Rusin points out in his detailed survey of Philadelphia burqa crimes, Muslim garb holds two great advantages over other forms of disguise: First, many full-body covered women walk the streets without criminal intent, thereby inadvertently providing cover for thieves; the more full-body coverings around, the more likely that these will facilitate criminal activity. Second, the very strangeness and aloofness of these garments affords their wearers, including criminals, an extraordinary degree of protection. As in other cases (three purchases of alcohol in Toronto state liquor stores by a 14-year-old boy in a burqa; Muslim women not checked at Canadian airports), clerks so fear being accused of racism or "Islamophobia" that they skip state-mandated procedures, such as requiring niqabis to show their faces and establish their identities.

To their credit, some banks no longer allow head coverings. For example, a PNC Bank office in Philadelphia boasts a front-door sign stating: "The safety of our employees and customers is our foremost concern. We request that you remove any hats, caps, sunglasses or hoods while inside this financial institution." Such policies should reduce burqa bank robberies.

But as banks become harder targets, Islamic garb presents a more general danger to soft targets. For example, in the Philadelphia area, assailants donned Islamic garb to rob a real estate office in 2008 and commit murder at a barber shop in 2012.

Not fatal but equally horrific, was the Jan. 14-15 abduction and rape of a 5-year-old child in Philadelphia. A niqabi signed Nailla Robinson out from the Bryant Elementary School pretending to be her mother taking her to breakfast. Investigators believe the two walked a few blocks to where a man awaited them. Nailla then disappeared for nearly a day and was only found the next morning shivering half-naked in a park by a passerby. Last week, the police arrested Christina Regusters, 19, an daycare center employee with prior contact with Nailla. The fourteen charges against her include kidnapping, rape, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, and criminal conspiracy.

See, that's just some of the most horrific abominations that burkas can lead to, as criminals - even non-Muslim felons - can exploit them for violent crimes with guns and rape. That's why the authorities are going to have to stop cowering and start getting tough with laws that ban such backwards, osteoporosis-inducing garb, just like in some parts of Europe.

The Jewish Home party is right: Shas does not represent the Torah

About 2 weeks ago, Jewish Home's reps said:

Habayit Hayehudi leveled harsh criticism at Shas Monday, saying that the orthodox party's "self-professed monopoly on religion is the reason for the secular public's disdain of the Torah." [...]

"Anyone looking for the reasons why Israeli society is so divided needs look no further than Shas," a party source told Ynet.

"It's high time Shas understands that they don’t have a monopoly on the Torah. We're just as committed to the Halacha as they are and we can protect the religious sector just as well.

"If they can claim a monopoly on anything, it is on alienating the secular public and making it turn away from the Torah. From the haredi draft to daylight savings time – Shas never missed a chance to shy away from demonstrating progressive Judaism."

Another Habayit Hayehudi source said that "The local rabbinates have been bulldozed by the haredi establishment and have turned into a stipend machine."

And it's not just Shas that's been embarrassing the name of the Torah, but a lot of other Haredi movements as well, including the Satmar. Here's more:

"Shas thinks our memory is short," the source said. "So short, that they will cry 'a rift within the nation,' and we will forget what has been going on here all of these years, and was happening only two weeks ago. Suddenly they remember that the Bayit Yehudi are 'Jews like them' when all along the elections they called Bayit Yehudi 'goyim' (gentiles)."

"Who are their goyim? Yoni Shetbon, a graduate of Har Hamor Yeshiva who received a Chief of Staff's Citation for evacuating Maj. Roi Klein under fire? And Roi Klein himself, who jumped on the hand grenade in the Second Lebanon War is a 'goy'? Maybe the new Knesset Member Shuli Mualem, whose husband was killed in the helicopter catastrophe, is a gentile?

"How cynical can this get? Where are the remainders of the shame? And who are the ones talking about a rift in the nation? The one who, during the Oslo process, ignored the demonstrations, our cries, of the religious Zionist public, and is now again at the head of Shas (a reference to Aryeh Deri who allowed the Oslo Accords to pass– ed.)?"

The sources noted that before the elections, Bayit Yehudi turned to Shas and asked them to coordinate moves regarding the coalition, and Shas did not even want to meet with them. "They were not worried about a rift in the nation then. They were certain that they would be in the coalition. When we warned against a coalition of the Left with Shas, they were silent… When they attacked the rabbis of the Bayit Yehudi, when they attacked their MKs, Shas did nothing…. It seems that 'a rift in the nation' means a rift between Shas and a seat in the government."

The source added that by saying that Bayit Yehudi cannot take care of the religious world without Shas by its side, Shas was making a grave mistake. "It is time that they understand that they do not have a monopoly on the Torah... We will take care of the Torah world no less than those who claim to represent it but cause it harm. If Shas has a monopoly, it is on making the secular public grow sick of the Torah. From the matter of enlistment to the military to daylight savings time – wherever they could have displayed a positive face of Judaism, they missed the boat. In the matter of appointing Zionist rabbis, too, they treated us like lepers. An entire generation of Zionist rabbis has been cut down under the hareidi steamroller."

They were right to call out Shas - and others of their ilk - for what they're really doing: alienating the public from religion and the Torah by making the whole Haredi public look like a bunch of socialist leeches with nothing more than hatred and contempt for anyone who isn't Haredi, and even for specific ones who are. And all this was done under the clever cover of social services, most of which no doubt taught students to despise their own country and act like supremacists. People have to be careful not to allow such a pretentious political movement take advantage of them.

Update: here's more news on the latest developments in coalition talks, and how even Shaul Mofaz has joined with Jewish Home and Yesh Atid to only join the coalition together.

MK Zoabi opposes army service for Arabs

Even Israeli Arabs should share the public burden, but if there's someone who opposes army service for that sector of society, it's the traitorous MK Hanan Zoabi, who's said:

Israel should “prepare the prisons” if a law requiring Arab Israelis to enlist in the army is passed, MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad) told Arutz Sheva on Monday.

What has become known as “equal burden” in IDF and national service has become a hot issue in the coalition negotiations currently underway. While most of the attention has been on army enlistment of hareidi-religious yeshiva students, there have also been calls to include Arab Israelis in this as well. These calls have come from Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party but also from United Torah Judaism and Yisrael Beytenu, which advocates that everyone be drafted at the age of 18.

According to MK Zoabi, however, Arab youth would rather go to jail or perform some form of civil service than enlist in the IDF. She also said that the entire Arab sector will resort to civil disobedience in the event that such legislation is passed.

[...] Zoabi claimed that the Arab public “does not want to be part of an occupying army. The issue of the military is not just a matter of burden but also of belonging. This is internal Jewish solidarity. You cannot tell me to come in and feel as though I belong in this army.”

Oh, so now she's trying to go for that propaganda angle. Which is disgraceful, of course. And I guess the only kind of workforce job she wants is the Knesset, so she can try to corrupt the country's political systems.

To make things worse, there's a certain movement within Jewish society she sides with too, and one of the few of its kind:

Zoabi identified with the anti-Zionist Neturei Karta Jews, saying, “They are anti-Zionist and I am anti-Zionist. I identify with them.”

They're even worse than the Satmar sect they spun off from. A Haredi movement that's organized participation in gatherings and events that delegitimize Israel, even going so far as to assist Muslim groups and visit Iran's Ahmedinejad. And that's why they're one of the few of their kind whom Zoabi's willing to side with.

Haredi parties are desperate

The Forward wrote about how the Haredi political parties up in arm over the wish from the wider public that they share the burdens of public service:

On a cool winter evening in 2012, a senior delegation of ultra-Orthodox rabbis and politicians — members of Israel’s Ashkenazi religious party, United Torah Judaism, and the Sephardic religious party, Shas — convened in Bnei Brak, a predominantly Haredi city near Tel Aviv. The host was a 98-year-old rabbi, Aharon Shtainman, spiritual leader of the Ashkenazi Haredi stream. The objective was to form an Ashkenazi-Sephardic bloc to prevent the conscription of yeshiva students into the Israel Defense Forces following the expiration of the Tal Law, which currently exempts them from these obligations.

Exiting the meeting, some of the delegates announced that they were willing to go as far as to sacrifice their lives to ensure that Haredi students may continue to study the Torah instead of joining the military.

This extreme rhetoric might sound like an expression of strength and confidence. But it’s not. These ultra-Orthodox parties are, rather, at a point of desperation, concerned about the future of their political power within Israel. Pressure, rather than theology, is the element that has united these vastly different parties in recent months — the result of last January’s general elections for the Knesset, growing public pressure to integrate Haredi men into the military and the labor force, and trends within the Haredi world itself.

The election sent a clear message to Benjamin Netanyahu, insisting that he form a coalition to address the middle class demand for social and economic justice and equality. It’s a task that would become easier without Haredi parties occupying key positions in the coalition and working to secure Haredi financial interests.

With 19 Knesset seats claimed by Yair Lapid’s centrist party, that part of the Israeli population who want the social and economic burdens more equally shared now have a significant counterbalance to the two Haredi parties who won a combined 18 seats. There is a chance that the Haredim will find themselves out of the next coalition.

And if they do, I honestly couldn't care less, with the way they're acting. They don't have a genuine respect for the Torah if they're going to oppose defense of the country, nor if they're going to be so disrespectful to women's status. There are Torah/Bible studies available in army-based classes just as much as in the common yeshiva, so I don't think they have a leg to stand on; they just don't want to share the burden. The time has come to send them a clear message that they're going to have to turn over a new leaf and start integrating better into wider Israeli society. The insular way they're dealing with things simply will not do.

Islam is increasingly imposed upon Egypt

Asia News (via Jihad Watch) reports how Egypt is constantly becoming more and more sharia-compliant, and there's a lot of foreign sources who are also approving of it:

Cairo (AsiaNews) - From the continuing attacks against Christians, to the proposed ban on alcohol and belly dancing, Egypt is increasingly being transformed into an Islamic state. The signs of this change are not only within the Constitution, based on sharia, but the imposition of customs until now the preserve of a minority of society. In recent days, a decision of an Administrative Court of Cairo has made headlines. The court is allowing police officers to wear beards the "Islamic way" after a thirty years ban. In February, dozens of police officers were suspended for violating the law. They protested for days in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior arousing the sympathy of several Salafi imams and police officers who lobbied on the Court to remove the ban. Dating back to the regime of Hosni Mubarak, the law was introduced to prevent the entry in the police force of elements of radical Islamism who would not be impartial in administering the law. Anyone who sported an Islamic beard was suspended.

According to the moderate newspaper Al Ahram, the Court's verdict marks an important page in the Egyptian society and confirms the silent Islamization of institutions and has sparked new protests by Christians and the secular opposition, which for months has been denouncing this trend.

However this ruling is not the only sign of this trend taking hold. Radical Islamists begin to emerge even in the army after decades of keeping a low profile. In recent days, the Baladna Bel Masry talk showed a video of a military tank painted with the words: "Not God but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." The video was shown across the country and today Ahmed Mohammed Ali, spokesman of the Higher Council of the Armed Forces announced legal action against those responsible. "One vehicle - however, he stressed - does not mean that the phenomenon concerns the entire army."

Attempts to Islamize Egyptian society also affect education. In recent days Mogheth Kamal, an expert on education, denounced a Muslim Brotherhood plan to impose lessons of Islam and the Koran in schools, even private ones. The Islamist movement reportedly has the support of many institutions, including foreign ones.

And very sadly enough, it also include the Obama administration, which has done nothing to oppose this transformation.

Interestingly enough, notice the part about the scrawl on the tank saying "not God but Allah"? Could that be a clue that God and Allah are not considered the same under Islam?

NY Jewish delis are closing

If you've ever enjoyed visiting a Jewish delicatessen, and eating some great corn beef sandwiches, it won't be great to know that a lot of them are closing down, mainly in New York:

Increasing apathy, particularly from younger patrons, has driven traditional Jewish delicatessens from their mid-century pinnacle. The decline seems to be accelerating partly because of health concerns over the schmaltz-spread fare and partly because bagels are now available in every supermarket.

Add sides of restaurant-industry slump and rising lease rates, and even local landmarks aren't immune.

In the last three months, three long-standing emporiums of corned beef and matzo around the country have closed.

Faced with aging clientele and a difficult economy, Ashkenaz Delicatessen in Chicago went dark in November and was replaced by a seafood joint called Da Lobsta. In Manhattan, high rent and the recession led to the closure of 75-year-old Stage Deli.

"People don't open up new delis anymore because it's very, very difficult to do," said Marian Levine, owner of Stage's longtime rival, Carnegie Deli in Manhattan.

In the first half of the 20th century, several thousand Jewish delis were operating in New York. But as Jewish immigration to the East Coast ebbed after World War II and younger generations splintered into the suburbs, the number has shrunk to a few dozen.

Demographic shifts in Los Angeles in the last few decades — along with the arrival of brands such as Langer's in MacArthur Park, Canter's on Fairfax and the Brent's chain — sparked hope of a Jewish deli revival in the Southland.

Lately, however, the region has suffered the same troubles bedeviling delis in the east.

Jerry's Famous Deli closed its Costa Mesa branch this spring and laid off dozens of employees. After years spent dishing up pickle-flanked masses of pastrami to the likes of Bruce Willis and Mel Brooks, Junior's closed following a rental spat with its landlord.

"There's nothing that can bring back the centrality of the deli in either Jewish life or American life," said Ted Merwin, an expert on Jewish culture and a professor at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. "There's no way they're going to survive in the numbers they once did."

There you go - it's the bad economy situation that's led in part to the decline of these once great choices for resturants, to say nothing of the birthrate declines. As a result, there's not as many of these places where it could be great to go for a corn beef sandwich anymore. Sad.

Chad's army takes down the Islamofascists in Mali

The Chadians have joined the fight against the jihadists trespassing in the mountains of Mali:

N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - Chadian troops attacked an Islamist base in northern Mali on Saturday in heavy fighting which France called part of the final campaign to drive al Qaeda from its mountain hideouts.

Thirteen Chadian soldiers and 65 al Qaeda-linked rebels were killed on Friday in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains near the Algerian border, where French special forces are also hunting Islamist bases, Chadian military sources said.

A senior Chadian military source said on Saturday his country's heaviest losses during the international offensive in Mali centred around a rebel base that appeared to be of "significant importance" as the militants were not fleeing.

The violence underscores the risk French and African forces become entangled in guerrilla war as they help Mali's weak army.

French troops were also fighting in the Adrar area, French President Francois Hollande told a news conference, in what he called a "last phase" of the campaign begun when Paris sent troops to Mali last month to stop a southward push by Islamist rebels who seized control of the north last April.

"These battles will continue," Hollande said on Saturday. "It is the last phase because it is most likely that AQIM's (al-Qaeda's north African arm)forces are hiding there."

Troops from neighboring African nations - including 2,000 Chadians - have deployed to Mali and are meant to take over leadership of the operation when France begins to withdraw forces from its former West African colony next month.

Whoever takes responsibility of guarding these African countries against Islamofascism must do the job right, and that includes weeding them out from everywhere.

Lars Hedegaard recounts experiences

The Danish free speech advocate who was targeted and narrowly escaped assassination by a jihadist disguised as a delivery man has written about his experiences in the Wall Street Journal (via The American Thinker). And he also notes the peculiar obsession the left has of disowning some of their past traits and smearing the right as the embracers:

When I was a young Marxist during the 1960s and '70s, these opinions used to be described as characteristic of the political left. Nowadays the defenders of such positions are routinely labeled as right-wing or as belonging to the "extreme right." Meanwhile, what used to be the left is cozying up to holy men who want adulterous women to be stoned, homosexuals to be hanged, apostates from Islam to be killed, and 1,200-year-old laws emanating from somewhere in the Arabian desert to replace our free constitutions.

Yes, isn't that odd how they've long "reversed" perception of the roles? But truly, the left is still as it ever was, while the right, while neither perfect nor a saint, is branded the sole scapegoat.

It's good to see that the WSJ has given him a place to speak to the American public. Now, is there any chance he'll appear on FOX as well?

Update: Mark Steyn's also got an op-ed worth reading.

Hezbollah agent in Cyprus gathered info on Israeli flights

A potential disaster of a terrorist attack in Cyprus was thwarted, and the investigation led to the capture of a Hezbollah agent who'd collected data on Israeli flights to the island:

Hossam Taleb Yaacoub, one of the suspects in a thwarted terrorist attack against Israelis in Cyprus in July, said on Friday that he was sent to record the time of arrival of flights from Israel, Army Radio reported.

According to the report, Yaacoub testified in court on Thursday that he was told by his superiors to document the landing times of flights from Israel.

The New York Times reported the Cyprus bomb-plot suspect was payed "$600 per month since 2010" by Hezbollah.

The Times quoted a written testimony read before the court where Yaacoub described acting as a courier for the group in Turkey, France and the Netherlands.

Providing a rare insight into the operations of the Lebanese militant group, Yaacoub said that if his handler wished to contact him, he would send a message "about the weather," The Times reported.

“I work for my party,” Yaacoub said. “Whenever they asked me to do something, I delivered,” The Times quoted his testimony as stating.

Yaacoub was also given the code name "Wael," The Times reported, quoting the bomb-plot suspect as saying that "in general, the party is based on secrecy between members. We don’t know the real names of our fellow members."

The bomb-plot suspect said that as a member of Hezbollah, he had the right to refuse to participate in terrorist operations, The Times reported. "If I was asked to participate in attacks, I had the right to refuse," he said.

There might be a bit of taqqiya involved in that last statement there: what if he thinks he doesn't "because it is Allah's will" that he does take part in the attacks?

It's very fortunate that the attack was prevented. And if these agents can be exposed, that would help prevent future disasters too.

Korea: north threatens south with destruction

It looks like the successors of Kim Jong-Il are poised to bring pointless war back to the region:

PYONGYANG — North Korea dropped another bomb, so to speak, and upset the West in a diplomatic meeting held for the United Nations Conference on Disarmament. This public statement came within a week after North Korea conducted a nuclear test and had the West up in arms in protest.

North Korea’s diplomat Jon Yong Ryong said during the discussion, “As the saying goes, a new-born puppy knows no fear of a tiger. South Korea’s erratic behavior would only herald its final destruction,” North Korean diplomat Jon Yong Ryong told the meeting.

This could become a disaster if North Korea really does end up manning tanks and warplanes. It's a sad sign of how a world once thriving on capitalism and civil rights may now be sinking back into a supremacist quagmire.

58 percent rise in anti-semitic attacks in France last year

In 2012, France saw a most horrific rise in anti-Jewish assaults by Muslims after what that filthy jihadist named Merah did.

Who knows what kind of horrors this year will see?

3 British jihadists convicted for plotting mass murder

In the UK, a terrorist cell was thwarted and now convicted for their plans that would consist of suicide bombing (H/T: Jihad Watch):

Three would-be suicide bombers who plotted to carry out an attack to rival the 7 July and 9/11 atrocities have been found guilty of terrorism charges.

Irfan Naseer, 31, Irfan Khalid, 27, and Ashik Ali, 27, from Birmingham, were found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court of being "central figures" in the plan.

Jurors were told they planned to set off up to eight bombs in rucksacks, using timers to detonate the charges.

Police described the men as "committed, passionate extremists".

The trio were arrested in 2011 amid fears an attack was imminent.

Detectives believe it is the most significant terror plot to be uncovered since the 2006 conspiracy to blow up transatlantic airliners using bombs disguised as soft drinks.

Khalid even boasted that the attack was "another 9/11" and "revenge for everything".

Absolutely repulsive. It's very lucky they were caught before they could cause any horror. But so long as dhimmitude and appeasement still reign in the British mindset, the danger will still be around.

UK could embrace sharia divorce proceedings

And why? Seems that according to this article in The Australian, it's because of a landmark ruling in a Jewish divorce proceeding. But there's a difference between how a Judaism-based court and an Islamic one operate: the Jewish rabbinical courts usually operate in compliance with state laws, and are much fairer to women, whereas Islamic sharia courts don't and aren't.

Aside from that, the sharia courts have already been operating in Britain for years now, and nothing was done to curb them. So, if the UK is going to approve of sharia-based divorces, it'll only be another act of appeasement for Muslims that changes nothing not already in place.

I think the most angering thing here is that anti-semites could end up using this kind of news to blame the Jews, claiming that a religion they might actually be fine with is getting what it wants all because of us. But it's really because the UK lawmakers who tolerate sharia are trying to resort to moral equivalence to cover for their appeasement tactics.

Efforts made to get Haredi schools to include standardized education elements added

A judge for the supreme court in Israel has demanded the education ministry take steps to get the Haredi yeshivas to start including lessons other than simply Torah studies in their curriculum, or else the yeshivas could face sanctions:

Supreme Court President Asher Grunis on Wednesday gave the Education Ministry 100 days to come up with a solution the would enable ultra-Orthodox students to take national standardized tests, and warned that if it failed to do so, schools whose pupils didn’t take the tests could face sanctions.

The decision comes amid an escalated recent debate regarding state funding for schools that don’t teach English, math and other “core” subjects.

The exams in question are taken by Israeli students in the 5th and 8th grades, gauging their knowledge of English, mathematics and science as well as their native language (Hebrew or Arabic), and indexing results over time. Students in the 2nd grade are tested only on their mother tongue.

All of the tests are based on the core subjects that every school is meant to teach its pupils — subjects largely ignored by ultra-Orthodox educational institutions, even those funded by the state.

[...] The court “sent an unequivocal message to the Education Ministry,” telling it to stop turning a blind eye to the situation in ultra-Orthodox education, Rabbi Gilad Kariv of the movement told Yedioth Ahronoth. “This message must be translated into significant action by the government.”

Precisely. The Shas party is objecting on the grounds that it'd "cancel" Torah studies, which is nonsense, of course. They can have specific classes and times for Torah and Bible studies and other times for math, language and science studies. But in all their insular headsets, they simply cannot bring themselves to accept why it's important to get their students to take lessons like those as well. So, that's why serious steps must be taken to make it clear to them why this charade cannot go on.

UK rabbi arrested for sexual assaults

Some more information on the abuse scandal that's cropped up in the Haredi community in Britain:

The Police arrested Rabbi Chaim Halpern in the north London neighborhood of Golders Green Wednesday morning after months in which he has been accused of sexual abusing a large number of women, according to some versions a high as 30, who came to him for family guidance. Halpern, the scion of one of the more influential Haredi families in the country, the rabbi of a community in Golders Green and formerly a Dayan (rabbinical judge) of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, which is the main ultra-Orthodox establishment in Britain, has been pressured into resigning from his religious positions and a special ad-hoc rabbinical court has been convened to hear the allegations against him.

The three other men arrested are believed to be well-known figures in the local community who are suspected of helping Halpern to "pervert justice" by pressuring some of the women not to complain. According to Haredi sources, another well-known figure to be questioned by police is Rabbi Ephraim Padwa, the head of the Union and the man regarded by many as unofficial "Haredi chief rabbi" of Britain.

Accusations against Halpern have been circulating in London's insular Haredi world for at least six months now and a ruling by senior rabbis that he is unfit to fulfill religious posts was issued already in December. Despite the rabbis' edict, a small number of followers continued to back Halpern who while resigning from his official positions, continued to hold services in the small synagogue at his home. The special beit din (rabbinical court) was due to reconvene in two weeks but there has been a great deal criticism within the community that the court was basically trying to whitewash the allegations and many of Halpern's original accusers failed to appear before the beit din.

Some of the assistance the police received was from within the Haredi community itself, which thankfully shows that some people there don't buy into the notion of "mosrim". A little extra info from this article:

Police confirmed that four men were in custody in a north London police station in relation to an investigation of sexual assault. The three other men, aged 62, 64 and 25 – one of who is reportedly Halpern’s brother – were arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice in relation to the rabbi’s arrest. Under police powers, the men can be held for questioning for up to 48 hours without being charged.

They may have been a "vaad tzniut", though this news doesn't elaborate on those possibilities.

I think the most angering thing about this case is how these insular fiends won't consider how they're making themselves look as bad as the Muslim community, which can cover up cases like these and thanks to the dhimmitude prevalent in Britain, can often get away with similar crimes. They're going to have to start reevaluating how they run their lives, because this can and will have a bad impact that could harm even non-Haredi communities.

Update: this article tells how the internet has proven helpful in combatting these cases:

In the case of British Haredim, however, the police investigation, while perhaps rather tardy, was inevitable. There was simply too much online activity surrounding it. Blogs in Britain, Israel and the U.S. had covered it furiously at every turn. The bloggers themselves are Haredi, and well-connected to sources in Golders Green. They have information from eager informants on both sides.

And it's not just the insider blogs that have come calling. The mainstream news organizations are covering it as well. Last month, Britain's Channel 4 screened a television program on "Britain's Hidden Child Abuse" which documented the ways in which the Haredi community tries to prevent allegations of child abuse from getting out. The program included undercover footage of Rabbi Ephraim Padwa, leader of the Haredi community in London's Stamford Hill, counseling the victim of an alleged sexual attack not to go to the police.

The Haredi community in Britain, as well as in Israel and the United States, is becoming more transparent by the day, despite the rabbis' efforts to contain it. Anyone who believed that a special beit din could have cleared up the issue before the police came calling was obviously deluding himself.

Well said.

38 percent of Americans oppose Hagel nomination

According to a new survey:

A new poll has shown that 38 percent of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Chuck Hagel as President Barack Obama's nominee for secretary of defense.

The poll, conducted by Rasmussen Reports during the month of February, showed that, in contrast, only 28 percent of Americans held a favorable view of Hagel, while over one-third of Americans, 35 percent, believed that they lack sufficient knowledge to render an opinion.

"This poll, even allowing for the fact that one-third of respondents admit that they have insufficient knowledge on which to form an opinion, shows clearly enough that a large proportion of Americans are concerned about Chuck Hagel's qualifications, competence and policy positions,” said National President of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) Morton Klein.

"This is not only because of his disastrous views against sanctions and possible military action against Iran; his call for negotiations with terror groups Hamas and Hizballah, his views that the U.S. is the world's bully; his statement that Israel has committed war crimes and a 'sickening slaughter' against Arabs, is 'risking becoming an apartheid state', that Israel has control over the State Department, and the 'Jewish Lobby' causes Congress to do stupid things, but also because his performance at his confirmation hearings clearly showed someone who was incoherent, contradictory and mistaken on major issues of policy,” said Klein.

We have to hope this'll help stop his nomination, but we probably shouldn't hold our breath about it.

Islam gains footholds in Syria

CNN reports that Islamic cells like Jabhat al-Nusra have gained ground in Syria:

"Jabhat al-Nusra continues to make gains," Jouejati said. "They continue to increase in popularity, particularly as they begin to implement social services."

In the last year, the Nusra Front has grown from a shadowy group claiming responsibility for deadly car bombs to what Syrians describe as a highly disciplined fighting force that continues to attract recruits from the more secular Free Syrian Army rebels.

Nusra Front fighters are said to be leading the ongoing siege of the Khweiris military airbase in Aleppo province. They are also credited with helping lead the capture of the Taftanaz helicopter airbase in Idlib province last month.

The high-profile Islamist victories on the battlefield have been accompanied by another trend. Gradually, black Islamist banners have replaced the distinctive green, black, white and red flags of the Syrian rebels at weekly anti-government protests.

"After two years of killings and butchering and the entire world standing by and watching us, now we depend on God only. So we started raising the banner of Shahada, the black banner of war," explained a Syrian activist who has spent much of the last two years organizing anti-government protests in Idlib province.

The Shahada refers to the Islamic creed "There is no god but God, Mohammed is the messenger of God." It is one of the most important pillars of Islam. It is also invoked for martyrdom on the battlefield.

The rapid rise of hard-line Sunni Muslim groups like the Nusra Front -- some of which have seen their ranks swelled by foreign jihadi fighters -- is a trend that makes Jouejati and other more secular revolutionaries deeply uncomfortable.

It is also making Washington uneasy. In December, the U.S. government blacklisted the Nusra Front, labeling it a terrorist organization.

"We blacklisted the Nusra Front because of its intimate links with al Qaeda in Iraq ... which is responsible for the killing of thousands of Iraqis and hundreds of Americans," said Robert Ford, the U.S. ambassador to Syria, in an interview with CNN last month. "We know what al Qaeda in Iraq did and is still doing, and we don't want it to start doing that in Syria."

But some Syrian opposition leaders blame Western inaction for the recent growth of the Islamist groups.

"The U.S. and the European Union didn't help us, and that created an increase in Islamic radicalism here," said Marwan Gayed in an interview in Aleppo last month. Gayed was a judge who defected from the Syrian government and helped launch the United Courts Council, an opposition-run court that is trying to institute law and order in rebel-controlled parts of Aleppo.

Alas, he's right, the foreign governments turned their backs on Syria and didn't show any serious opposition to the Islamist gangs that are now rising in Syria. Now, look what's happened - sharia has been imposed in many parts of the country, including oppression of women's rights to drive.

Update: and in related news, there was a big explosion in Damascus near the Baath HQ that killed dozens of people. We can only guess who caused that.

British employee of school cafeteria fired for accidentally serving non-halal meat

Another case of ludicrous cultural sensitivity for the sake of ensuring that everybody - no matter their religion or cultural background - is served food prepared under the most unreliable concept of supervision (via Jihad Watch):

A dinner lady has been sacked for accidentally serving non-halal meat to Muslim students at a multi-faith school.

The incident outraged parents at the 'halal-only' Moseley School in Birmingham, and they have forced the headmaster to apologise for 'insulting' their faith.

The member of staff has been dismissed after the 'unintentional error' on December 12 last year recently came to light.

All 1,400 students at Moseley school are served halal meat, regardless of their religion.

It has not been specified what type of meat was served, but the person responsible for serving the food was dismissed following a disciplinary hearing last Monday.

And the people running the school are not even allowed to learn from their mistakes, the biggest one being that they would dhimmify the premises in the first place. At this point, I'm wondering why they should even be keeping cafeterias in the school if this is what it's all going to come down to? When I studied in school here in Israel in my youth, they didn't have any cafeterias in the schools I went to. Students should all learn to pull their own weight by bringing their own food. But if you look at the mess Michael Bloomberg caused in New York, you realize that this is basically where people like him drew their ideas from, and we can't expect the UK to change its socialist system any time soon, one that requires students to eat what they think is best for them.

George Galloway won't speak with an Israeli

The terrible UK politician considers Israeli debaters unworthy of challenging, and left a conference rather than talk to him (via Jihad Watch):

George Galloway sensationally stormed out of a debate in Christ Church tonight after discovering his opponent was an Israeli.

He was meant to be debating the motion ‘Israel should withdraw immediately from the West Bank’ with Brasenose finalist Eylon Aslan-Levy.

But when his opponent used ‘we’ in reference to Israel, the Respect MP demanded to know whether the undergrad was a citizen of the country.

After the PPEist replied in the affirmative, Galloway, claiming to have been misled by organisers, grabbed his coat and left.

Mr Aslan-Levy told the Tab

“I am appalled that someone would storm out of a debate with me for no other reason than my heritage.

“To refuse to talk to someone just because of their nationality is pure racism, and totally unacceptable for a member of parliament”

Galloway has previously refused to debate with anyone connected to the country.

After this abrupt departure, Aslan-Levy recalled his previous confrontation with Galloway. Six years ago as a pupil at north London’s University College School, he claimed to have confronted him over his supposed ‘no-platform’ stance towards debating Israelis.

But the then MP for Bethnal Green denied taking such a position, allegedly branding the student an “L-I-A-R liar”.

Tonight’s events would seem to prove otherwise.

A second year Christ Church student in the audience told the Tab:

“It was a shocking moment. Galloway’s meant to be a Respect MP, but tonight he respected no-one. He turned up late, and left after his opening speech. Maybe he had run out of things to say”.

Or maybe he knew his opponent had every chance of winning, and couldn't bear losing. The man is a total disgrace.

French family kidnapped by Boko Haram in Cameroon

A terrible thing has happened to a family of vacationers to Cameroon:

A French family of seven, including four children, has been abducted by the Nigeria-based radical Islamist “Boko Haram” terrorist organization. The kidnappers moved the family yesterday from the far north of Cameroon, where they were abducted, to neighboring Nigeria, where Boko Haram is based.

An Islamist group which strongly opposes man-made laws and modern science, the organization was founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2001 and seeks to establish Shari'a (Islamic law) in the country. The group is also known for attacking Christians and bombing churches, and has been responsible for at least 450 killings.

Among those kidnapped were the two parents, an uncle and four children ages five, eight, 10 and 12. They were abducted Tuesday by six gunmen on three motor bikes while traveling near the Waza nature reserve. Their vehicle was later discovered in a river near the Cameroon border with Nigeria.

The father in the family is an employee in French gas company GDF Suez.

Police in both countries are involved in the investigation.

Pray for the safety of the victims.

Update: French forces have arrived in the area to search for the hostages.

Byzantine wine press found in Jaffa

Live Science reports that an ancient wine press that's at least 1,500 years old from the Byzantine era has been uncovered in the Tel-Aviv/Jaffa area.

Update: more at Haaretz.

Egyptian court allows Muslim policemen to grow beards

And in doing so, increases the sharia influence now dominating the country:

CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian court ruled on Wednesday that policemen may grow beards, ending a decades-old convention barring them from making what is often seen here as a display of Islamic piety.

Dozens of police officers were suspended from work in February for breaking the de facto ban on beards introduced under deposed President Hosni Mubarak. They had protested outside the Interior Ministry, calling on Islamist President Mohamed Mursi - who is bearded himself - to secure their reinstatement.

Cairo's High Administrative Court rejected a request by the Interior Ministry to let it suspend officers who defied the unwritten rule. "The court ruled ... that police officers have the right to grow beards," judge Maher Abu el-Enin said.

And why? Because sharia says they can. Now they'll look like a bunch of creepy fanatics who could grow their beards to make themselves look even scarier.

This being an al-Reuters article, the presentation is predictably superficial, and sugarcoats proceedings by saying:

Mubarak used the police to crush Islamist groups he saw as enemies of the state. During his rule, sporting any kind of beard precluded Egyptians from holding senior government posts.

This is ambiguous, because Mubarak was an Islamist himself.

Men across Egyptian society wear beards, including many leftists, but the pressure for ending the police ban came from religious officers who wish to emulate the Prophet Mohammad.

Oh, I don't doubt that. Soon enough, they'll be going to jihad for the sake of their "prophet" too.