Rigging UN Post Against Israel With Falk's Wife

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                 

One of my pet peeves has been  the UN's appointment of Richard Falk in a Human Rights position who did nothing but bombast Israel at every chance he could.  The reason he is used as ammunition against Israel is that he is a self-hating Jew (in denial) who is dead set to destroy Israel.  .  The man is deviant and he has a wife just like him except she's not Jewish;  she's Turkish, born in a Muslim household in Turkey and raised and educated there,  though now she doesn't practice her religion, she says.   That one fact in itself may be coloring her attitude towards Israel.    As he is finally leaving this last 6 year post spewing falsehoods against Israel, his wife, Hilal Elver, anxious to fill his seat of power,  is being groomed for the same position.

Falk is a person who promoted 9/11 conspiracies of David Ray Griffen who thanked him in his book, "The New Pearl Harbor." "Griffin has published a number of books on the subject of the September 11 attacks, suggesting that there was a conspiracy involving some elements of the United States government." 

Falk accused Israel of genocide. He also accused Israel of apartheid in his latest and final UN report.  He said that criticism of Turkey's President Erdogen was  exaggerated.   Most likely that's because he is married to a Turkish lady who was successful in their government, Hilal Elver.   Falk has targeted America and the West in articles, books and lectures every chance he gets.

His better half, Hilal, is also his shadow and is in agreement with all the above points of her husband.  Hilal Elver, PhD, works at the U of C in Santa Barbara as a research professor.  She has a law degree from Ankara, Turkey.  Unfortunately, Turkey has become more religious with Erdogen lately who is more into Sharia law and more against Israel.   She lectured in Qatar and threw in another attack against Israel that her husband missed  and accused Israel of water apartheid.  I take it that meant she is saying that Israel is not allowing her neighbors to have any water which according to my reports is absolutely false. As a researcher, she must be hiding files that show how much good Israel has done for her neighbors.  Israel is drinking sea water by creating desalination plants.  She is helping her neighbors in any water crisis.  Without Israel her neighbors would soon be drinking sand.  Who else has been highly innovative in creating ways to improve life?  Israel already signed a peace treaty about water with Jordan in 1994 and one with the PA in 1995.

 The duo do have a great technique.  They pronounce a sentence against Israel so authoritatively that gullible and like-minded people just gobble it up without doing any checking.  It was Hitler's method.

Hilal Elver Falk is a co-author and Richard's collaborator.  With her PhD she might even be his instigator.  It's hard to tell who the leader is of this twosome.  She is supposed to be an expert on the right to food.

The position that Richard has held was created by the Cubans and for years was held by Jean Ziegler who was the founder and recipient of the "Moammar Qaddafi Human Rights Prize."  Remember Qaddafi?  "He was internationally condemned as a dictator and autocrat whose authoritarian administration violated the human rights of Libyan citizens and supported international terrorism."  This dictator of Libya started his power in 1969 so had been their ruler for 42 years.  What kind of man can back such a person?   He's what I would pronounce as having a mental condition of meshugana, which is pretty bad.   A Human Right's Prize?  He used that prize to attack America, Israel and the West.  Ziegler " condemned the Jewish state so often that journalists began to describe him, mistakenly, as the council’s investigator on Palestine."  They do manage to select people wholly against Israel, don't they?  Ziegler, a Swiss socialist,  was a spokesman for Cuba.  The problem always has been that such positions have been rigged to be people who will speak out against Israel.  Now, Israel had a lot of socialism going on too, especially starting kibbutzim, but they were highly successful at it.  Cuba?  Well...not as much.  Here, Zeigler's anti-Semitic stand got in the say of his politics, perhaps.  
                                                                         

Richard Falk has been bearing false witness against Israel for his reign of the past 6 years.  "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" is one of the 10 Commandments found in Exodus and is the 9th commandment.  This also prohibits gossip and slander. This was to keep such things as a Richard Falk using slander and lies against the accused  from never happening but to use 3 witnesses who are objective.  Using one person who is not is prohibited in our 3,324 years old law.  It's interesting in that Islam accepts Moses as a Prophet.  What do they think of the 10 commandments?  They say they support those as well.  However, the UN, who has been favoring such Muslim countries very much in attacks against Israel, is ignoring this commandment. If Judaism, Christianity and Islam respect the 10 Commandments, shouldn't the UN start to consider them in their organization?  The UN has become a bastion of lies more than a place of helping countries to solve their problems.  In taking this stand, the UN is harming Israel just as sure as the rockets, missiles and mortars that have been raining down on Israel from Gaza. They are guilty of aiding and abetting Israel's neighbors who are trying to drive her into the sea.
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Richard Falk is known for his extremist politics  and Hilal will probably do him one better.  In this way, Richard Falk would maintain his influence.  It's now up to the United States  and Samantha Power, the US Ambassador, to oppose her appointment on Thursday, May 8th.  This was to have taken place in March but was postponed.
Hilal's latest endeavor has been  "on a book project dealing with secularism and human rights in the Islamic world."   
                               She was appointed.  
Update: http://www.unwatch.org/cms.asp?id=5653277&campaign_id=65378

Resource:  UN Watch:  briefing@unwatch.org
http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/2014/03/04/uns-musical-chairs-richard-falks-wife-is-top-nominee-for-human-rights-council-post/
http://jewishfactsfromportland.blogspot.com/2012/12/richard-falks-role-in-un-against-israel.html
http://jewishfactsfromportland.blogspot.com/2012/07/anti-israel-jew-uns-richard-anderson.html
http://jewishfactsfromportland.blogspot.com/2012/02/anti-semite-honored-at-stanford.html
http://jewishfactsfromportland.blogspot.com/2012/03/qatar-blasts-israel-at-human-rights.html
http://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2014/03/who-will-replace-richard-falk-in-un.html
http://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2013/05/falks-mouth-full-of-maliciousness.html
http://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2013/02/when-self-hating-jew-sides-with-known.html
http://www.global.ucsb.edu/orfaleacenter/fellows/Elver.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/17/opinion/israeli-water-mideast-peace.html?_r=0
http://environment.research.yale.edu/documents/downloads/0-9/103shamir.pdf  water agreements
http://foeme.org/www/?module=projects
http://forward.com/articles/140075/un-official-answers-questions-about-fierce-critici/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muammar_Gaddafi
Tanakh, The Stone Edition, Exodus, verse 20: 13.  

Chanukah on Thanksgiving: A Jubilee Year

Nadene Goldfoot
This is a very special year.  It's been 125 years since Thanksgiving and the first day of Chanukah coincided.  It won't happen again for a very long time.  We American Jews find we are a stew of heritages and food traditions, so our menu this year should be as commingled as our own DNA.  This year we're having turkey with our latkes and pumpkin pie served much later as it contains milk, so we'll have to figure out a non-milk dessert.  Apple pie will do.  Maybe we'll have pumpkin pie during the lunch hour to go along with yogurt the next day.  Since lasts for 8 days, we can always extend the tasty treats of Thanksgiving that long as well!

Thanksgiving is really  the celebration of Succah by Christian Pilgrims, though they may not have realized it.  Jews have had Thanksgiving offerings for over 4,000 years.  Sacrifice brought by an individual as a token of thanks to G-d  was observed in ancient days.  They were brought after traveling the seas or the desert, after recovery from illness, and after release from prison.  Pilgrims had a terrible time of existing for their first few years upon landing at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts-just wild land in those days.  When they finally, after several years, had a successful harvest, they invited their neighbors, the "Indians"-people that Columbus  thought were people of India, to a feast that lasted for 3 days.  Actually, the Indians had helped them to feed themselves by showing them how to plant a new veggie, corn.  Indians always planted the seeds with some fish they had caught, which was a great fertilizer.  No wonder the corn grew so well.  This was some party!  The Indians brought deer they had hunted to add to the menu and they had a wonderful time thanking G-d for the abundance of food they had provided for themselves.

Pilgrims, who were Englishmen who had moved to Holland because they disagreed with England's form of religion, had been very brave to decide to sail to this new land from Holland on the ship, the Mayflower.  It was Pastor John Robinson who told them to go ahead and forge the way.  In England, you had to follow the state's religion or else.  These were free-thinkers.  How lucky they were to travel to a new continent.  It was like being space ship travelers.  Where would they land?  They thought they were going to a warm place, like the south of North America, but their ship got off coarse, and here they were, in a much colder place.  No wonder so many died the first year.  They were not prepared.  Their harvest was plentiful in the following years!

Sukkot is also a harvest festival.  Sukkot lasts for 7 days with the 8th day being a special one called Shemini Atzeret.  This is the celebration remembering how the 600,000 with Moses, having been liberated from slavery in Egypt by him, had to live in little booths-like structures, similar to tents-while they traveled for 40 years to their Promised Land, Canaan-land of Moses's ancestors. We celebrate it by building our own booths to live in and decorating it with our harvest foods, for it's also a harvest festival.  We must have had to wait for the time when we were actually in Canaan, and like the Pilgrims, finally got to plant and harvest our own food and had a similar Thanksgiving meal.  That's because for the 40 years they traveled to get there, they had to exist on Manna.   One of the Dead Sea Scrolls containing a number of prayers were found to open with the words, "I thank Thee, O Lord."  We remember and give thanks at every meal we have.  A prayer is said before and after a meal.

These Pilgrims were very religious people, coming to this new land for this very reason, having freedom for themselves of religion, and were familiar with Hebrew and the "Old Testament".  They knew all about Sukkot.

Chanukah, our holiday that usually coincides with Christmas, is also a holiday of freedom.  Judea had been occupied by the Syrian Greeks and they  had tried to stop Judaism by forcing people to believe in their multi-gods of their religion.  They took over and occupied our Temple.   The Greeks wanted us to stop following our Torah because of its G-dliness.  They were pragmatic materialists in their Greek culture and this left no room for our special relationship with G-d. They had figured rightly that our strength as a people came from Torah, not from our muscles.  

 This 8 day holiday (we really know how to celebrate with many days, don't we?) is commemorating the victory of Judah the Maccabee over Antiochus Epiphanes.  The Maccabees were able to re-dedicate the Temple and the altar by cleaning it out, removing any idols put there by the enemy and relighting the eternal light with a cruse of the needed oil they found stashed in the Temple.  .  They had to send a runner to get some more. This oil continued to burn for 8 days until the runner came back, and is considered a miracle because there was really only enough for about one night.

Perhaps after sitting there for a long stretch it had become very concentrated.   It was a great and much needed miracle.  If the Maccabees hadn't been successful, Judaism could have been stamped out and we all would be bowing to Greek gods today.  Chances are that there wouldn't be any Christianity as you know it or any Islam, either.  That's because history is like a set of dominoes whereas when one falls it pushes the next down and so on.  One historic fact is built upon another fact that preceded it.  This is where we get into time machines and going back in time but not changing anything.  If you do, you might find out you were never born in the first place.

Turkey is traditional for Thanksgiving.  It almost became America's national bird, but the eagle won out instead.  However, the Indians, who we now refer to as Native Americans, delighted us at that first meal by bringing in many turkeys to cook for the dinner besides all their deer to eat.  I wonder if they were ever faced with so many veggies to eat?  We know they had corn.

We eat potato latkas because it is a potato dish that is fried in oil, and oil is the central theme in our Chanukah story.  Anything fried in oil is used such as donuts (suf-gan-iote.)  These are delicious donuts with jelly in the center.  Yum!  Latkes are a grated potato and onion with egg and a little matzo meal to hold it together and fried like a pancake.  Served golden brown with either apple sauce or-for a milk meal-with sour cream and red jam, they are scrumptious!  Great party food!

5 large potatoes, peeled, 1 large onion, 4 eggs, 1/3 C matzo meal, 1 t salt,  Mix and fry in 1/4 C oil.  
A modern dish:  Ground flaxseed and water combined to make an eggless binding agent in vegan Cauliflower-chive Latkes.  from Jennie Cook.
Zucchini pancakes-used instead of potatoes.  

So bring on the hoe-doo (turkey) and the latkas for November 28th, with Chanukah beginning at sundown on the 27th and Thanksgiving on the 28th and Shabbat on the 29th.  We're in for a lot of feasting this year!  Oh yes, don't forget to light your Chanukah candle on your menorah.  We are to realize through all this fun that the world in which we live is not an end in itself, but exists to serve a higher spiritual purpose.  Our candles are illuminating the darkness.  We have to rid the world of ignorance, negativity, hatred and greed.  We are to light the lights of knowledge, generosity, hope and love.  

Resource:  Oregonian newspaper 11/13/13, page L-foodday+Living, when Thanksgiving, Hanukkkah collide by David Firestone and Susan Brenna NY Times
Your Chanukah Guide from Chabad
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

Turkey Keeps Punishing Israel: 10 Spies Outed

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                         

Israel had 10 spies operating in Iran.  Every country has spies in other countries.  However, who would suspect that Turkey, still holding a mean grudge against Israel over the 2010 Mavi Marmara ship incident, would know who these spies were and would expose them to the world?  That's just what Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan did.  He approved the exposing.  Ankara's decision to expose these Mossad informants was decided early last year when Turkish-Israeli relations deteriorated.  After all that confrontation cost Israel dearly already.  To be able to come to a peaceful agreement over an incident where Turkey was the defiant person in the situation and brought on the results to themselves and where Israel was merely protecting their own lives  still looms in Turkey's vengeful mind.

Now, this is an important loss of intelligence for Israel that could have benefited surly people like Erdogan and his country as well.  It was his cruel effort to cut the Israelis to the core.  Mossad was running their Iranian spy network through Turkey and Turkey's  intelligence was able to monitor covert Israeli-Iranian  meetings.  We all know why this was important, even to the whole world.  It's about the Iranian development of nuclear power that can be used as an A bomb to destroy Israel.  It's a big deal that can affect the whole Middle East and the United States.  Is Turkey trying to curry favors with Iran by doing this?  If so, they are already condescending power to Iran in this act.

Israel's Netanyahu initially refused to apologize to Erdogan, who disregarded warnings and didn't consider Israel's position at all while pretending to be a friend back in 2010.  Turkey suffered deaths because of the stand they took, and have not forgiven Israel, as we can see.  Israel and Turkey had had a good relationship lasting the past 50 years, so Mossad probably didn't see this act coming.  It goes to show that we can't trust anyone. It's a nasty betrayal.

More of their betrayal is "Ankara – a NATO ally – chose a U.S.-sanctioned Chinese company to build a missile defense system in Turkey, triggering concerns in Washington."  They're covering all their bases, aren't they?  

Resource: Breaking Israel News
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/patrick-goodenough/claim-turkey-exposed-iranians-spying-israel
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/10/17/now-we-know-why-netanyahu-wouldnt-apologize-for-the-gaza-flotilla-raid/

Turkey Continues Belligerence with Israel

Nadene Goldfoot
Turkey was angry that Israel stopped their ship, the Mavi Marmara when it was attempting to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza.  Turks attacked boarding Israelis and  were killed in the act.  Then Turkey turned around and demanded an apology from Israel, which Netanyahu finally gave with the personal nudging from Obama.  Yet Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is keeping the relationship in deep freeze.  He insists that that Turkey will not re-establish diplomatic relations until Israel lifts its blockade on Gaza.  He's asking Israel to disregard a big part of their security which would be suicide.  As Netanyahu said before, "The truth is that if Israel were to put down its arms there would be no more Israel.  If the Arabs were to put down their arms there would be no more war."   There is no hope for peace as long as the Arabs can get arms, thus-the need for the blockade.

  Netanyahu did say he would  loosen some restrictions and said they will continue to do so if there continues to be quiet from Gaza.  Turks also expect  to receive $millions in compensation for the deaths of their pirate seamen.

However, already several rockets have hit Israel since the cease fire that only lasted for a few months.  This is the reason why Israeli ships had to check out incoming ships;  for weaponry.  Weapons brought in this way would be used against Israel.  Israel isn't trying to stop Palestinians from getting candy bars; just weapons.  There have been no shortages of anything that Gazans have needed.  Big semi-trucks roll in there every day with supplies.  That's one good reason that Israel was most suspicious of people supporting the Arab cause-which would be the end of Israel-to bring in weapons for their use.  It's the only thing they could possibly be short of.  By raining rockets, missiles and mortars upon southern Israel since 2001, the Palestinians have broken the trust Israelis could have had in them as a peaceful neighbor.

To show his anger,  Erdogan will not agree to a meeting of NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue group which includes Israel and 6 Arab countries, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania, Algeria and Jordan.  Egypt is also backing out.  I'm  not surprised as this is a Muslim Brotherhood regime.

Turkey had already shown more support for Muslim causes and was caustic with Israel before this event, thus the blockade blocking.  Last May NATO had a summit conference in Chicago and Turkey rejected Israel's participation.  When Israel asked for a permanent office at NATO, Turkey said "NO."

Erdogan is going to visit the USA on May 16th.  Then he has said that after that he will go to Gaza.  He has already postponed his April  trip to Gaza at the request of Obama.  The USA is trying to broker a relationship between Israel and Turkey but so far this has not turned out well at all.

Israel was legally in the right by inspecting ships.  This has already been declared in the UN.  No other ship had any problems.  It was the defiance that came out of Turkey which caused those Turks on board to attack the Israeli naval inspectors.  There was much more to be discussed than for Netanyahu to give an apology which was not accepted.

 This all started with a Muslim Brotherhood development that affected Egypt, Turkey, Iran and others.  Observance in one's religion should not be leading to such hatred for others of different faiths.  What good is a religion if it  teaches hatred?  

Al-Qaida Cell in Istanbul Arrested: US Consolate, Church, Synagogue Saved

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                   

Ankara, Turkey

Al-Qaeda was planning to blow up the US Consulate, a church and a synagogue in Istanbul, Turkey but were thwarted by the security forces.  11 were arrested in a raid.  On April 2nd they had received explosives and had building plans stashed in several cities.  This is the former Osama bin Laden's terrorist group.  They believe in  "global Jihad and a strict interpretation of sharia law.

Taken were 5 rifles, 5 guns USB flash disks, CDS and a remote controlled explosive mechanism.  They were loaded for bear.

A previous attack was planned for and carried out on February 1st on the US embassy in Ankara by another terrorist group, the DHKP-C (a radical Marxist and anti-US armed group, The Revolutionary People's Liberation Front).  This was a suicide bombing which killed the Turkish security guard and injured another  The bomber was "Ecevit Shanli, a member of DHKP-C."  This is "considered a high-security post, and there are Turkish police present at all times."  Only the door received damage.   Germany and France's embassies are in the same area.

Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, is one of the largest cities in the world with a population of 13.9 million.  That's double Israel's population.  It was the capital of the Ottoman Empire and previous empires as well.  It lies between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea over 2,063 square miles of land that extends into Asia's continent. Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the 2nd largest city.  It's population is 4,338,620. It lies 280 miles SE of Istanbul.  

Resource: http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/turkeys_reislamization/
http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/world/story/turkey-police-foils-al-qaeda-plot-against-us-embassy-report-20130412
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57567067/u.s-embassy-in-ankara-turkey-hit-by-suicide-blast-1-dead-u.s-officials-say/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda

Attitude Toward Jews in the Turkish World

Nadene Goldfoot
Turkey's Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan had been trying to curry favors with the Muslim Brotherhood by bashing Israel, but he has found that this has not gone over with the Western world. It's not a winning idea in Turkey, either.    It was Turkey who first recognized Israel as a state on April 15, 1948, so to have Turkey turn against Israel has been a sad outcome of the Arab Spring.   The flotilla disaster caused a break in a long-standing friendship between the two countries.  This was where the Turkish sponsored ship Marmara sided with the Palestinians and tried to break Israel's blockade of Gaza.

There have been Turkish citizens that are rebelling against the radical element of Islam and that are speaking up for Jews.  Sinem Tezyapar, a TV producer and host  in Turkey is a brave young lady who understands the Koran and its supplemental literature and has a beautiful understanding of it.  " She is an Executive Producer at a Turkish TV station.  She is also a political and religious commentator, columnist and peace activist.

Sinem is in a complete 180 degree opposition to people like Sheik Yusuf al- Qaradawi of Egypt, now Qatar.  He is a theologian who only speaks of terror for Jews.  Sinem's article, "New Muslim vision For Temple Mount" tells about allowing Jews and Christians at the site in Jerusalem since there are other mosques where this is allowed.

Adnan Oktar is also speaking out against such fatwas saying that Muslims are obligated to kill Jews, which Qaradawi insists upon in his speeches over Al Jazeera TV. Adnan is a nightly talk show host, which Sinem is also.  He's also making it clear that there is no source in the Koran that calls for murder of the Jews as well as no justification for it.

It's as if someone has opened a window and let in fresh air to read about these two people who know their religion and can do without any radicalism that others seem to find.  I'm glad Sinem isn't alone in her views. I wish both these people well.  May they live till 120 years.   There's hope for the world after all.  Now if only Iran will come around in their attitude before it's too late, things will really look up.  North Korea is ready (?) and has threatened  USA bases with a nuclear tipped missile and their cohorts, Iran are right behind them in readiness to attack Israel and the USA, as well.

Resource: http://www.templeinstitute.org/archive/13-03-13.htm
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Controls/SendFriend.ashx?print=1&type=0&item=151792
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/obama-pays-respects-israel-holocaust-victims-yitzhak-rabin-article-1.1295889
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recep_Tayyip_Erdo%C4%9Fan
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4360226,00.html
http://archive.adl.org/NR/exeres/788C5421-70E3-4E4D-BFF4-9BE14E4A2E58,DB7611A2-02CD-43AF-8147-649E26813571,frameless.htm on Qaradawi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_flotilla_raid
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Author.aspx/1080
http://attorneysdefendingisrael.blogspot.com/2013/03/sinem-tezyapar-muslim-working-for-peace.html
http://jewishfactsfromportland.blogspot.com/2013/04/kerry-pushing-turkey-and-israel-towards.html

Kerry Pushing Turkey and Israel Towards Peace

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                     

Yesterday Secretary of State John Kerry told Turkey's leaders that it was vital for peace that they and Israel get their diplomatic relationship "back on track."  Kerry thinks that Turkey could be "an important contributor" to peace, but Yuval Steinitz, Israel's minister of international relations, thinks this is a "poor idea."

"On Feb. 28 Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan, speaking at an international conference in Vienna said that Zionism was a “crime against humanity” like fascism, which triggered reaction in Israel and among the Israeli lobby in the U.S. and Europe. The same day U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said during a joint press conference with his Turkish host,  Ahmet Davutoglu,   that the U.S. and Turkey do not share the same views on Israel.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogans of Turkey did visit Israel in 2005 and was a peace negotiator.  Events leading up to the present have not been good for these two countries.  The 2001 formed Turkish government, AKP (Justice and Development Party)  has moved towards the Muslim Brotherhood ideals more than originally, meaning that they have become more aggressive towards Israel.  In fact, many countries of the Middle East have become more Muslim and less secular.    Turkey  remains  pro-West, siding with Saudi Arabia, USA and Qatar on the Syrian problem by siding with the rebels against the Syrian government.  Religiously, compared to the rest of the Muslim world, they are called moderates.

In 1949 Turkey was the first country to recognize Israel.  Our relationship fell during the 2008-2009 Gaza War.  By May 31, 2010 a Turkish group  decided to be a part of a flotilla  of 663 people from 37 nations of pro-Palestinian activists sponsored by the "Free Gaza Movement" to bring supplies to Gaza. Six ships made up the flotilla. Five of the ships allowed boarding and were just passive resisters.  Israel had already put out word that they would board all ships to check and make sure that weapons and ammunition was not being brought to Gaza. The ships were told to go to the port of Ashdod for inspection, but this was ignored by the Marmara.   The Mavi Marmara with Turkish activists on board had the goal to break the Israel-Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip.  Israel had to board from a helicopter as it was such a large ship but just used speedboats for smaller ones.    Israel had 13 naval commandos board the Marmara and met with violent resistance from 40 activists armed with iron bars and knives.  10 of the Israelis were wounded, one seriously, while 9 activists were killed.  Eight of them were Turkish nationals and one was a Turkish- American.  Others were wounded.

"The Israeli military later said the soldiers were not expecting trouble and had paintball guns as their primary weapons while handguns were only for an emergency. Two activists grabbed the handguns away from soldiers and shot two of them, the military said at the time. Both activists were then shot and killed."

"A United Nations report, after analysis of both Turkey and Israeli national investigations, concluded that the Israeli blockade was legal, but that Israel army used excessive force in this incident by firing stun and smoke grenades from the Israeli army's speed boats and helicopters before boarding into flotilla and conducted live fire rounds from the helicopters before or after boarding, though the flotilla was still in international waters.   The report also mentioned "serious questions about the conduct, true nature and objectives of the flotilla organizers, particularly IHH.-Turkey's Marmara."

Erdogan took the side of the pro-Palestinian activists on the Marmara and called this "state terrorism" and would lead to irreparable consequences in bilateral relations.  By September 2, 2011, Turkey's diplomatic ties with Israel were downgraded and they suspended military co-operation after the UN report was released.  Israel's comment was that "Israel hopes to find a way to overcome the dispute and will continue to work towards this goal.  Turkey demanded an Israeli apology and compensation over this.  Israel refused to give one.  Turkey was the partner in this flotilla as the organizers were the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief. (İHH)  It is known that much of their money goes to Palestinian terrorists.  One avenue of that is the Union of Good.

Along came Kerry right after becoming Secretary of State and the Obama March visit in Israel.  Israel apologized.  An apology from Turkey has not been heard or suggested.

Israeli and Palestinian officials were hostile Sunday to the idea of a Turkish role in peace talks.  US and Turkish officials had differences of opinion about how to proceed.  Turkey is demanding that Israel lift its embargo on Gaza.  Erdogan plans to visit Gaza soon.  Turkey is suing the Israeli military on top of everything.

When all Israelis moved out of Gaza in 2005 for peace between Israel and Hamas Palestinians, southern Israel was shelled by thousands of mortars, rockets and missiles.  This actually affected over a million of Israel's population.  A cease fire came about at the end of 2012, but has since been broken just recently.  Israel is not occupying Gaza, but has the right to keep out weaponry as it is used on its citizens.  Hamas has a charter that says their goal is to destroy Israel.

Besides the apology, "Israel has promised to compensate the bereaved or hurt and agreed to ease a six-year blockade on Gaza.   Erdogan said these gestures met his conditions for normalizing relations with its erstwhile ally. However,  Turkey holds onto lawsuits against the soldiers.  They are filed against 4 of Israel's most senior retired commanders and if they go through would get life sentences.  Israel wants these dropped.  "Israel has called this a politically motivated "show trial."  One of the wounded on the Marmara, Cogas, commented " "Unless these soldiers are punished and the blockade is lifted, we won't accept compensation."

In my opinion, if the Marmara hadn't sided with Palestinian terrorists who shell Israeli civilians  constantly and broke the law with their flotilla, they wouldn't have had any dead or wounded.  When you play with fire, you get hurt.  This has not been the way to react to Israel's pain and suffering if they were allies.  It was not Israel's goal to kill or harm anyone, but when they were physically attacked, they had to react to defend their own lives.  Now all these demands are for one purpose only; to show that they have power in the Middle East and can bend Israel to their will.  Everyone is vying to be the most powerful; Egypt, Syria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey.  This would be a coup for Turkey, a country with 73,722,988, who are 99% Sunni Muslims to hold over Israel's 7.4 million of which  6 million are Jews.

Resource: http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/organizations/justice-and-development-party-turkey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel%E2%80%93Turkey_relations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Mavi_Marmara
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_flotilla_raid
http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/israel-apologizes-to-turkey-over-2010-flotilla-deaths-1.1207061
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/turkish-gaza-flotilla-victims-to-go-to-court-despite-israeli-apology-1.514357
http://tribune.com.pk/story/196723/turkey-back-in-the-muslim-world/
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/israeli-apology-the-background-story.aspx?pageID=449&nID=43493&NewsCatID=409
Oregonian newspaper 4/8/13, page A4, Kerry travels to woo Turkey, Israel by Roy Gutman and hannah Allam, McClatchy Newspapers 

Hamas Latest Secret Elections and Their Backers

Nadene Goldfoot
The players are the same as the past 4 years; Obama, Netanyahu and Mashaal.  Nothing has changed.  Khaled Meshal, age 56, has been the leader of Hamas since 1996.  He had vowed in December that he would continue violence against Israel.  So right now we're just in a lull.

After a year of secrecy and internal elections, which is definitely not the way of the Democratic process, the Islamic militant terrorist group, Hamas, re-elected longtime leader Khaled Mashaal. This was confirmed by 2 Hamas officials recently, but not through an announcement from Hamas officially.  They're just so secretive about this.    A vote had continued on late Monday night.  The voting was spread over several countries including Egypt.  Mashaal had moved from Damascus to Qatar, now their primary funder.  Qatar is also the same country backing Arabic studies at Lincoln High School in Portland, which is only one of several throughout the United States where they are promoting Arabic.  There are many outposts of American universities such as Carnegie Mellon in Qatar as well.  Hillary Clinton has visited there.

Also continuing in the works is Ismail Haniyeh, around age 50,  as Mashaal's deputy, also known as the Prime Minister.  He has been a leading contender.  "Haniyeh has always favored violence over diplomacy, and said the Hamas' wins in the municipal elections in 2005 were proof that the majority of Palestinians support terrorism against Israel.  He  has expressed his wish to form a national unity government with former ruling party  Fatah of Judea-Samaria in order to more effectively run the new government.  Being in this position now, he changed his words to speak of "resistance."  His resistance has been in the form of mortars, missiles and rockets, evidently.

Turkey, who Netanyahu was finally forced to give the apology to following Obama's visit  for his navy's following orders of searching all incoming ships for weapons headed for Gaza, gave $300 million dollars to Hamas.  They also have been supporters of terrorism against Israel.  Obviously that's why they made the big bru-hah over their ship, the Mari Marmara on May 31, 2010 when they resisted the search by Israeli sailors. They made a big deal so that they could point their finger and criticize  Israel when it should have been the other way around.  Their goal of embarrassing Israel caused them to lose some lives on that ship in the act of the Israelis saving theirs.   There were 6 ships at the same time that Israel had to check out, and they didn't resist.  No problems came about with them.

Resource: http://defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/hamas-leadership-selection-an-initial-assessment/
Oregonian newspaper 4/2/13, page A6, Hamas leader Mashaal wins re-election
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_flotilla_raid
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Haniyeh.html

Turkey's Erdogan Speaks Against Israel in UN

Nadene Goldfoot
A former passing friend, Turkey, is following the Muslim Brotherhood doctrine of hate for Israel.  The Turkish Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan,  just spoke at the UN saying that Zionism is a crime against humanity.  Up to the time Turkey had a boat try to land in Gaza as part of an invading fleet and Israel had to board it with shooting ensuing, any  friendship existing then has ended.  The former ruler of Israel's land had been the Ottoman Empire, which was Turkey.  They're still carrying over sour grapes from 1917, perhaps, when they lost WWI.

How things have changed!  In 1975, Kofi Annon presided over the Zionism is racism resolution that said this was an expression of anti-Semitism, and he had hailed its repeal.  So here we have the UN chief Ban Ki-moon, present on the stage, staying silent.  He did not speak out and condemn the speech.  The most disgusting thing about it is that this was said at the UN Summit for Tolerance.

Erdogan used the podium to incite hatred, and he used Ahmadinejad's style of declaration to spew his affirmation of being a good Muslim following the party line.  It  certainly is showing that Turkey will not become a friend of Israel again.

UN Watch urged Archbishop Desmond Tutu (not favorable towards Israel that I have seen), Rabbi Arthur Schneier and Professor John Esposito to denounce these remarks which contradict the very purpose of this forum which is dedicated to mutual tolerance.  Erdogan just made a mockery of it.

Erdogen is also speaking out against Islamophobia.  It's all right for him to denounce Zionism and fascism, but he thinks that people who are wary of Muslims today are committing a crime against humanity.  He's against politicians who have communication tools, probably meaning a good handle on the English language, TV, radio and cell phones to spread the news about  events in the world.  He doesn't get it at all, evidently, that he is committing the biggest crime of all, and the rest of the UN members are in such a  rapturous  state that they are not fighting against it.

A report showed that Jews and Armenians are exposed to more hate speech than others in Turkey's newspapers.  The researches found 39 instances of hate speech against Jews in Turkish newspapers during that period, which accounted for 25 percent of the total of hateful articles found.

What is the goal of Islam?  I was just presented with this bit of information.  "1.7 billion Muslims. By 2030 which will be increased into 2.2 billion, in-sha-Allah. Then the global population is set to reach over 8 billion and 26.4% of that population will be Muslim. At the very least, they are planning on a population explosion. of Muslims."  There doesn't seem to be any room for the world's 0.02% Jewish population, and certainly they plan on taking over Israel's little bit of land.

Update:  12:07 pm  US Secretary of State Kerry to Condemn Erdogan's Anti-Semitic Slur in Turkey Meeting Tomorrow

Resource: UN Watch
http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/01/27/2-2-billion-worlds-muslim-population-doubles/#ixzz2MCtwBd62"
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-pm-erdogan-islamophobia-anti-semitism-same.aspx?pageID=238&nID=42019&NewsCatID=338
http://www.jewishjournal.com/world/article/erdogan_at_un_forum_zionism_is_crime_against_humanity_video

Syria's Explosive Border Draws USA Military to Assist Jordan

Nadene Goldfoot
The USA sent military troops to the Jordan-Syria border just in case, Leon Panetta just announced a few hours ago.  He was speaking at a NATO conference in Brussels.  He said that the US has been working with Jordan in watching for chemical and biological weapons sites in Syria and help out with dealing with Syrian refugees that are coming over the border.  The USA has provided medical kits, water tnks and other humanitarian aid to help Jordanians help out Syrian refugees that came into Jordan.

Syria had threatened to hit Tel Aviv if there was any intervention, especially involving NATO.  For the past 5 days Turkey's border towns have been hit by Syrian mortars.  Was this the result of nudging by Romney who accused Obama of been too passive?  The policy so far has been providing only non-lethal aid to rebels who want to topple Assad.  Israel and Panetta have been concerned about Assad's stash of chemical weapons.  The word is that Syria has been seen moving some chemical weapons recently.

Syria's population before the uprising against Abbas was 22,505,000.  200,000 Syrian refugees have come into Jordan and the country has meager resources.  About 25 have already rioted in Zaatari earlier this month and destroyed tents and medicine with the result that many families were left without shelter and the nights are now cold.  Whatever where they rioting about to do such a nasty thing, I'm wondering.  Do they have to be policed as well?  With that many people together in tents, I guess Jordan does need help.

Some Jordanians have hooked up with those across their border to join about 2,000 foreigners fighting with the Syrian rebels.  So far they've wounded a Jordanian border guard.

Turkey reinforced its border with artillery guns and have more fighter jets.  NATO said it stood ready to defend Turkey if necessary.

Israel has maintained peace with Syria for the past 40 years but it has been a simmering peace.  The news that "Syran-Kurdish activist Abdelbasset Sida is to head the main opposition group in exile, the Syrian National Council, now presents Jerusalem with an opportunity to express tacit support for a possible successor to Mr. Assad."

Resource:http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/panetta-us-sends-forces-to-jordan-in-case-of-syrian-escalation/2012/
 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303734204577465990770998890.html

Syria: The Enemy You Know Versus The Unknown:

Nadene Goldfoot
What happens in Syria is most important to Israel as it is a neighbor. On October 4, 2011, Syria's Assad threatened to attack Israel if NATO intervened with their rebels. He said he would fire at Israel from the Golan Heights and would hit Tel Aviv. To do this he would only need 6 hours to transfer rockets and missiles into the Golan, he boasted.

 Syria tangled with their other neighbor, Turkey when they downed a Turkish plane in June of which Turkey is still investigating. Turkey has given shelter to thousands of Syrian refugees that poured across their border.   Syria has now  started firing mortars into Turkey.  Neither state have close peaceful relations with Israel lately.

 The rebellion in Syria is made up of about 120 small groups, each with their own commander wanting power.  The Free Syrian Army insurgency against President Bashar Assad is most confusing.  The rebels are not coordinating their military planning.

Yakzen Shishakly went Syria in February to meet with officers through a Syria-American organization called the Syrian Support Group.  His grandfather had been the  Syrian president in the 1950's, so he has clout. His older brother is Adib Shishakly who said that "growing your beard is the easiest way to get money."  Adib is one of the founders of the political opposition, the  Syrian National Council, who have about 71 members of the 120 groups united.  Their base for meeting is in Istanbul,Turkey.   "The SNC National Charter lists human rights, judicial independence, freedom of the press, democracy and political pluralism as its guiding principles.

The brothers' grandfather was Adib Shishakly (1909-1964), military leader and president of Syria in 1953-54.  He fought with the "Army of Deliverance", a volunteer Arab army in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War against Israel. With his leadership, revenge was more important  than peace with the USA, Britain  and Israel.   His father was born in Turkey and had married a Syrian, so the boys were born in Syria.  He was assassinated in 1964 by a Syrian Druze in  a revenge killing.

A Salafist group, "Soukor al-Sham" is headed by "Abu Issa."  To get money, he visited the Turkish border city of Antakya last week to meet with Saudi businessmen to might donate.  Another Jihadist group trying to get power is the "Majiis al-Shura"  with Mohammed al-Absi as the former leader.  He was killed after raising the black flag of al-Qaida on the Syrian border.  The flag is now gone, but the jihadists and moderates are just beginning to fight each other.  Jabhat al-Nursra, another extremist group, openly boasts of their connection to al-Qaidda.  Yakzan Shishakly tried to warn a US official.  He said, "These people are among us.  If you don't help now, there will be more and more."

Which brings us to our Presidential elections.  This morning's Oregonian's article is that Romney is calling for the arming of Syrian rebels.  He feels that the US must join other nations in doing just this and ousting the president Bashar Assad.  He would organize the rebels who share American values, and work with our allies to make sure they get the arms they need to defeat Assad's tanks, helicopters and fighter jets.  It looks like he could get the help he needs from the work of Yakzan Shishakly.

So far, 32,079 people are the casualties of the Syrian conflict as of Sunday.  Syria is now attacking Turkey as of last Wednesday when a shell hit the house in Akcakale, a border town, killing 2 women and 3 children.  It couldn't have been a wild hit as they have continued every day since then.  The Turks are said to not want a war.  There are no important national interests at stake to warrant a war.  Syria must be sending a message to Ankara so they are not to risk foreign military intervention, which is what the rebels need and Romney is considering.  It will affect Turkey.  Then again, The Turks would be happy to see the present vice president of Syria, Farouk al-Sharaa, become an interim leader.   7,884 members of the Syrian military forces and 1,215 army defectors are fighting with the rebels.

I don't see it as an easy call. I notice that Syria's illiteracy level in the Middle East is at 19%.  They have their fair share of readers compared to other states.   I'm all for keeping the Salafists out of the power role.  They are extreme religious men who are more violent than the Muslim Brotherhood.  Egypt, whose illiteracy level is 28%,   is no longer a known entity in a peaceful position that it was with Sadat and Mubarak. What can happen to Syria?  Is it going to go from bad to worse?

Resource: http://middleeast.about.com/od/israel/p/me071125.htm
http://blog.oregonlive.com/opinion_impact/print.html?entry=/2012/10/syria_a_revolt_extr...In Syria, a revolt's extremist threat by David Ignatius
Oregonian newspaper 10/9/2012, page A3: Romney calls for arming of Syrian rebels by Kasie Hunt, Steve Peoples, AP,
Oregonian 10/9/2012 page A6 Syria's attacks appear intended to goad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_National_Council
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adib_Shishakli
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/turkish-attack-on-syria-may-play-into-assad-s-hands.premium-1.468251
http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/syria-threatens-to-attack-israel-if-nato-intervenes-in-internal-conflict/

Obama Vague on Iran's Limits

Nadene Goldfoot
There are two problems in dealing with Iran.  Israel would like to bring a halt to Iran's development of nuclear items such as bombs and such that would be destined to be dropped on Israel.  The United States just wants to slow down Iran's nuclear development.  Their aim is just to buy time.

The Oregonian's article this morning from New York Times  tells of Netanyahu feeling that Obama is too vague about Iran's limits in how far they can go.  He doesn't see a clear red line and Iran doesn't see a strong determination to stop its nuclear project.  This is because they haven't stopped their production activities at all.

Israel has been talking about attacking Iran's nuclear production on their own but doesn't want to.  They would like the USA to join them.  The USA is trying to forestall an Israeli attack while making the Iranians take the situation more seriously.

One thing the USA is doing  is installing a new radar system in Qatar.  Israel and Turkey already have this.  They want to "form a broad arc of anti-missile coverage." Qatar is not necessarily a friend of Israel, but may suffer the consequences of Iran's mission as well along with Saudi Arabia.  They are of a slightly different Muslim theology than Iran.  Iranians are Shi'a following the Jafari code (fiqh)  and Saudi Arabia and Qatar are Sunni who follow the Hanbali code.    The religious leader of Qatar is Qaradawi, who is very anti-Jewish. They have this one hatred in common with Iran.  Qaradawi is also the religious influence in Egypt, which doesn't help matters.  

Back in 2007 Israel hit Syria's nuclear reactor and it took weeks to become clear that it was Israeli jets that did the job, or at least most think it was Israel.  There was no retaliation and was a success.  Whoever hit it did it early enough to cause complete damage.  Now Iran's facility has gone underground and is so secret that it would be impossible for Israel to strike and destroy it.  It's gone on too long.  There may be one window of opportunity coming up, but would take more than just Israel to stop it.

We know that Iran at this point is not taking the USA and 25 other nations seriously in their sanctions against Iran.  Yet the USA thinks of a military strike that could trigger an Iranian reaction and unleash a new conflict in the Middle East.  So we get back to Israel's idea of a stern red line set by the international community letting Iran know just how far they can go.  Israel will not be the only ones hurt in Iran's unleashing nuclear powers but the whole world will also suffer from it.  Iran is not a sane dependable nation at this point in time. Their leaders are meshugenas.  That's why they must not get nuclear capabilities.a

Update: 9:27am General Martin Dempsey, US Chairman of Joint chief of Staff, told the British last week that the the USA doesn't want to be "complicit" in an Israeli attack on Iran.  He also warned against a go-it-alone military action.  This announcement changed this position of the USA in that the situation had to be reassessed now.

Will Iran take any sanctions seriously now that they know that an attack  is not a possibility?

Resource:  Oregonian 9/4/12 page A3 At issue, Tehran's nuclear program:  US takes steps against Iran, aims to head off Israeli attack
http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-chastised-israel-seeks-way-forward-u-over-152725950.html

New Islamic Based Harmony Schools of the Cosmos Foundation in USA

Nadene Goldfoot
It looks like Qatar is in competition for establishing education in the USA with Turkey.  Turkey has been involved with San Antonio, Texas since 2009, which is one of 25 states that a Charter School program, Harmony Schools have established themselves.  They have 33 schools in Texas alone. 

Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish "moderate" preacher, has been building schools through the Cosmos Foundation, in which he established his Gulen Movement.  This is a Turkish religious movement started by Turkish professors and businessmen.  They are the largest charter school business in Texas and are educating 16,000 children.  This is not helping out the employment situation.  They bring in their own teachers and staff from Turkey. 

Gulen, referred to as the Billy Graham of Islam,  is part of the Sufism Islam.  His father was an Iman and he became an Iman in 1957. 

The Gulen movement is reported to be more moderate, and is faith based but not one faith only.  Forbes magazine identified the chief characteristic of the Gülen movement as not seeking to subvert modern secular states but rather encouraging practicing Muslims to use to the fullest of the opportunities those countries offer.

The Sufists are not the leading Islamists.  Sunni Islam doesn't even agree with Shi'a Islam, but those two are the leading groups in all the Muslim countries.  Are they establishing a beachead in the USA now?  Harmony schools have a very high record of performance by their students, but also have an attrition of many students as well, making those that make it through being the ones recorded for their excellence.  I wonder what the public schools are doing with this type of competition? 

Resource: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/07/education/07charter.html?pagewanted=all
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BClen_movement
http://www.khouse.org/articles/2011/971
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-08-17-turkishfinal17_CV_N.htm

What Qatar's Qaradawi of Muslim Brotherhood Told Syria and Other Countries

Nadene Goldfoot
A problem exists in the Muslim world in Syria, which is supported by Iran, a Shi'a country.   It's like reading about the Catholic-Protestant War in Ireland.     President Bashar al-Assad, the leader, is not about to let go of his realm in this Arab Spring.  In holding onto his country, over 3,000  of his people, mostly Sunnis,  were killed in their rebellion.  Even the Arab League is apalled by this and have not been able to stop him.  They entered the country wearing orange jackets and have the Arab League logo on their cars.  They have been ineffectual in stopping deaths.  Assad said he has been fighting against the Muslim Brotherhood, which is Sunni,  since 1950 and said this a war between Islamism and Pan Arabism.  He has warned the West against any intervention, which the UN and China have considered. 

Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradawi, Muslim Brotherhood's top religious leader living in Qatar, told Syria's Assad that he and his politicians were heretical.  He told Assad's soldiers that they are obligated to defect to the Free Syria Army.  "If you want the welfare of your people and intend to go to paradise after death,  join the Free Syria Army," he preached.  He even had said that that it was permissible for the UN led intervention to take place.  The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood said it was impressed with Turkey's governance and does not want to follow in Iran's footsteps. 

If that was not enough advise, the Libyan government sent an Islamist militia leader to help the Free Syria Army with advise.  Libya's Islamic fighting group has sent fighters to Syria. 

Hamas in Gaza belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is fighting Assad.  What is this group to do when they have been supported by Assad and Iran?  Their political bureau is even based in Damascus, Syria.  They have worked on suppressing anti-Asad protests in Gaza but that didn't make Iran happy enough, who demand that pro-Assad rallies be staged in its place.  So Hamas has been moving out of Damascus and is going into Egypt, Gaza, Sudan, Jordan and Qatar in breaking up their relationship with Assad of Syria.

At one point, Syria and Iran were buddies along with Turkey, who had joined the duo.  Iran even produced a documentary showing the rise of the Muslim brotherhood as the fulfillment of their prophecy.  Now they see Hamas trying to leave Syria, which angers Iran.  Therefore, Iran has threatened to end all their support for Hamas if it does, forcing Khaled Mashaal, chief of the Damascus office to stay with a reduced staff.  He finally endorsed Assad in December because he had supported the Palestinian resistance and the Palestinian people in every way.  That doesn't mean that he doesn't support democracy and "the rights of the peoples,' though, he clarified. 

Hamas joins Israel in fearing Iran's nuclear ambitions.  One senior Hamas official privately hopes that Israel stops Iran from getting nuclear weapons.  They're even thinking of not retaliating if Iran is attacked by Israel.  A sad note is that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group is still Iran's side-kick. 

In September, Ahmadinejad said that the Assad regime should end its crackdown, knowing that a military solution is never right.  He told him to make some reforms to end the crisis.  Then Iran reached out to the national Coordination Committee, who are dead set against foreign intervention and they rejected Iran's help.  Iran was trying to get Assad to deal with the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood.  By October Iran tried to get the Muslim Brotherhood to support Assad, but was turned down. 

Bahrain is a different story.  Sheikh Qaradawi endorsed the Bahraini Royal Family.  This is because the uprising there it is the Shiite population demanding change.  Qaradawi said this is not a people's revolution here, only a sectarian one.  He said that Iran and Hezbollah were causing the rebellion. 

In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists, an even more extreme group,  are the ruling party. The Salafists are outraged that the Brotherhood supported a Coptic Christian candidate over a Salafist.  The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood argued with the Turkish PM Erdogan when he visited Cairo when he became too pushy.  A leader of the Brotherhood, Essam el-Erian, said "We do not think he or Turkey should be leading the area or drawing up its future.  Qaradawi complimented Erdogan's party as an "excellent" model that "won over secularism calmly." 

Qaradawi calls on Muslims to fight on the side of Iran if it is attacked, even though he and the Muslim Brotherhood are   Sunni and Iran is 98% Shi'a.    The reality is that the different groups of Islamist forces may compete to the point of killing each other in many causes, like Qaradawi calling Shiites  "heretics," but will always be willing to join together against the infidel.  No matter who is top dog, we know that heretics are Jews and Americans. 

Resource: FrontPage, Cracks in the Islamist Bloc by Ryan Mauro
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15508630
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/syrian-protesters-welcome-arab-league-monitors-warn-of-danger-from-assad-forces/2012/01/17/gIQAO3ty5P_story.html
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/neighbors-muslim-brotherhood-discovers-the-u-s-1.407723

Israel's Delusional Anti-Semitic Neighbors: A Jewish Turkey?

Nadene Goldfoot
Syria swears that Turkey today is ruled by Jews!  Anyone that the Muslims don't agree with must be Jewish in their minds, evidently.  This is wild.It was said by the state-run "Tishreen" newspaper on Tuesday in their op-ed article. Turkey, 7th largest majority Muslim country with 73,722,988 Sunni/Shi'a,  with the most powerful military power besides Iran and Pakistan.  They have 514,850 active troops while Iran has 545,000 and Pakistan has 612,000.  .  The United States of America has as of 2010-1,430,895. 

Today the Oregonian newspaper ran an editorial by David Ignatius, "US-Turkey partnership plays key role in region," telling about the new friendship between Obama and Erdogan, Turkey's Prime Minister.  Even though Obama saw the Turks undermining our US policy and attack Israel in 2010 by trying to run a blockade with armed men on board, they have been able to make an alliance. 

Turkey used to be fairly friendly with Israel until the blockade incident, which brought out the fact that Islam has been playing a bigger part in their politics lately.  Erdogan has demanded that Israel apologize for trying to protect their own men when they boarded their ship and wound up killing a few of them in defense when attacked.  He knows they had to search for weapons as that's how terrorists can get them to use against Israel, but made a big show of it by demanding such outragousness that Netanyahu would not go along with.  Now Israel is more uneasy than ever with this White House, quotes Ignatius. 

Erdogan was once the closest ally of President Bashar Assad of Syria., but is now a foe-thus a Jew.  Erdogan has  agreed to deploy a forward-based radar system that is part of a NATO missile defense plan aimed at Iran.  Iran and Turkey share their border. 

One thing I see is that Erdogan and Obama are together in planning joint efforts against terrorist groups like the Kurdish PKK.  The Kurds, mostly Sunni Muslims who live in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria have been through so much suffering and really deserve their own state more than the Palestinians do in my mind.  I see that they have also been attacking Christian groups, though, which isn't okay.  Oh, how all the religions are getting into the act. 

Resource: Oregonian newspaper page C6 Editorials,  Obama and Erdogan-US-Turkey partnership plays key role in region.
Daily Alert http://www.dailyalert.org/
http://israelkurdistannetwork.blogspot.com/
http://www.kurdistanica.com/?q=node/95
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/31/opinion/a-war-crime-or-an-act-of-war.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/kurds1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Muslim-majority_countries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces

Flotilla and More Problems

The Saoirse, an Irish ship, has had its  engine damaged while in port in Turkey waiting to join the flotilla.  Of course Israel has been blamed.  This is the second ship to face problems. 

Jordanians and other international people have joined together to buy a ship for $800,000 to join the flotilla. 

In the meantime Greece is experiencing strikes at their ports. 

Resource:  http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?ID=227243&R=R1
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/145302

Let's Talk Turkey About Palestine and Israel

Nadene Goldfoot
Turkey, which was the  Ottoman Empire, was on the German side in WWI and  lost. The Great War lasted from 1914 to November 1918.   French and British mandates were set up to care for the Ottoman Empire property that they had held from 1517 to 1917 without developing Palestine.

The French took over what we know as Lebanon and Syria.  The British got Palestine and Iraq.  In 1926 the borders were redone and Lebanon was separated from Syria. 

Britain was not given any sovereignty in Palestine.  She was there to fulfill the Mandate and answerable to the League of Nations.  Britain put in Emir Faisal, a sheik deposed by the French in Syria as ruler of Iraq.  In 1922 they created the emirate of Transjordan which took in all of Palestine east of the Jordan River so that Emir Abdullah, a family man defeated in tribal warfare in the Arabian peninsula would have a kingdon to rule. 

In 1917 the Balfour Declaration had been created by the British after the war.  Chaim Weizmann had been a chemistry professor and had saved Britain with his invention, the ABE process which made acetone through bacterial fermentation .  This was used to win the war. He was rewarded with  land for a Jewish Homeland. 

In 1939 the White Paper was issued by Britain which restricted the immigration of Jews to Palestine.  This came at a time when Jews were being restricted and harmed in Germany and they wished to get out of there.  My own uncle was one of the last to make it out of Germany in 1939 and came to the USA.  He failed in getting out his parents and 16 year old sister and they died in the holocaust.  There were restrictions on Jewish immigration at that time into the USA.  They had to have sponsors taking all responsibility which my great uncle did. 

In 1947 there were about one million Arabs in western Palestine.  Of this, those  living in the land which became Israel was 561,000.  Not all left when Israel was created.  At the end of the warfare in 1949, there were 140,000 Arabs in Israel.  Those who left amounted to about 420,000.  At the end of May 1948 Faris el Khoury, the Syrian Representative on the UN Security Council said there were 250,000.  Emil Ghoury, an authoritan, said on September 6, 1948, that 200,000 Arabs had fled.  Then Count Bernadotte, the UN Special Representative in Palestine reported on September 16, 1948 that the number was 360,000, including 50,000 in Israel territory (UN document A1648).  After July 1948 there was a fourth group who left of about 50,000 Arabs from Galilee and from the Negev.  They left on their own free will or from the direction of their leaders, not from the Jews. 

On November 29, 1947, the United Nations recommended the partition of Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish state.  The Jews were given a smaller piece than earlier promised.  They got a little more than half of western Palestine which was about 15,000 square kilometers or 6,000 square miles including the semi-arid Negev desert.

The Arabs got 7/8th of Palestine on both sides of the Jordan River which had been promised to the Jews for the Jewish National Home.  The Arabs refused it.  Why?  They wanted it all, they said.

Existing Arab states at that time were Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Transjordan.  Their leaders wanted to prevent the birth of Israel.  Their land was 230 times larger than what was originally promised as Israel and they had a population 60 times more than its Jewish inhabitants who numbered about  half a million plus.  Their secretary of this confederation of invader states was Azzam Pasha who called to memory the massacres by the Mongols and the Crusaders.  They thought it would be a piece of cake.   After all, the ratio of Arabs to Jews was 7 to 1. 

Thirty years earlier on February 1919 there was only one recognized Arab leader, Emir Faisal, who signed a formal agreement with Dr. Chaim Weizmann, head of the Zionist Organization providing for cooperation between the projected Arab state and Jewish state of Palestine.  Faisal said the Zionist proposals were moderate and proper. 

In 1947 when the Arabs refused to set up their Arab state, the British then refused to carry out the recommendations of the UN to implement the partition plan,  and they worked to prevent Israel's birth.  This turned out to be the start of problems for all.  Perhaps the Arabs knew this was how to throw the monkey wrench into the decision.  Britain had gone along with the Arab decision, most likely because of their need for oil.  Their personal need was to placate the Arabs and they had nothing to gain with Jews:  so much for having saved their own nation. 

Some Jews had always lived in their homeland even though most were dispersed or killed in 70 AD when Rome attacked Judea.  When the British were overseers, they had their hands full.  Attacks of Arabs on Jews were going in in 1921 to 1929.  They were regular pogroms.  1936 saw a big attack led by Haj Amin el Husseini, mufi and president of the Muslem Supreme Council.  Men of the Cairo school were able to carry out a campaign against Zionism using propaganda saying they were bringing Bolshevism, maybe because past Jewish immigrants were from Russia.  Lawrence of Arabia's claim that Arabs had been "let down" by the British was told as "historic truth."  The Balfour Declaration allowing land for the Jewish nation was  twisted in their minds to be a meaningless paper.  The "rights of the Palestine Arabs" was created now and given a fictitious history which they use today for their propaganda to each other.

The League of Nations had become less effective and did nothing to change the attitude of the Arabs towards Jews. Sounds familiar today, doesn't it.  The UN really has done nothing to change the attitude of the Arabs towards Jews.  Iran boasts of their goal of destroying Israel.  What seems like an impossible position, one has to remember that Jews have lasted for the past 2,000 years, something many other people have not been able to do even though Hitler tried his best to kill them all.  It's been forseen that they would take back their land in the bible.  The Ingathering of Jews has already taken place.  What is to be seen now is a final acceptance of their position as an island amid an Arab sea.  Then the world just may experience a time of peace. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Paper_of_1939
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace%20Process/Guide%20to%20the%20Peace%20Process/The%20Balfour%20Declaration
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaim_Weizmann
Book: Battleground, fact and fantasy in Palestine by Samuel Katz
Book: Myths and Facts, a concise record of the Arab-Israeli conflict by Dr. Mitchell G. Bard and Joel Himelfarb