The Day In Israel: Wednesday June 30th, 2010
Reuters
In a meeting with Saudi King Abdullah, US President Barack Obama has vowed to boldly go where no man has gone before everyone has tried to go before and failed.
Obama said their meeting at the White House ranged over a number of strategic issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as “the importance of moving forward in a swift and bold way in securing a Palestinian homeland that can live side by side with a secure and prosperous Israeli state.”
Updates (Israel time; most recent at top)
11:00PM: More amateur hour shenanigans from the State of Israel:
Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Binyamin Ben-Eliezer is Israel’s “secret mediator” with Turkey, Channel 2 news reported on Wednesday. Although Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was aware of the meeting, the Foreign Ministry was not notified.
In a statement released by the Foreign Ministry, Lieberman said he sees the incident as “very severe. This is a blow to all of the administrative norms. This is a blow to the trust between the foreign minister and the prime minister.”
Channel 2 reporter Amnon Aharonovitch described a conversation, in which he called Ben-Eliezer and asked him where he is. At first, Ben-Eliezer said “Israel,” but then changed his answer to “Zurich.” When asked how his meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu went, Ben-Eliezer first told Aharonovitch “it never happened,” and then asked “who told you?” Ben-Eliezer then reportedly cursed at the Channel 2 correspondent.
8:30PM: Great news.
The son of a Hamas strongman, who had provided Israel’s security establishment with valuable inside information for almost a decade, will not be deported from the United States, a California court ruled on Wednesday.
Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a Hamas founder who says he spied for Israel, speaking in New York in March 2010.
The U.S. Department of Homeland of Security ruled more than a year ago that Mosab Hassan Yousef should be denied asylum because he has “engaged in terrorist activity” and is a “danger to the security of the United States.”
However, on Wednesday Homeland Security officials indicated they were prepared to grant Yousef asylum, thus retracting their original intention, after claiming to have received new information which shed new light on the case.
The pro-Israel think-tank EMET, who had aided Yusef in his attempts to be granted asylum, said in a statement following Wednesday’s ruling that they were “enormously grateful to all those who played a part in standing with Mosab during this time, and helping the Department of Homeland Security come to understand what a grave error deporting Mosab would have been.”
8:10PM: The poison monkey-midget is at it again.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad signed Wednesday a new amendment to a law in the Islamic Republic that forbids the airing of advertisements for “Zionist companies.” The blacklist of prohibited companies is comprised mainly of international companies, mainly American, owned by Jews or that operate branches in Israel.
Among those on the list are Coca Cola, Nestle, Intel, and IBM.
The boycott is rooted in Iran’s “Palestinian support law,” which acts as a response to assertions that Israel prevented goods from entering the Gaza Strip during its raid on the flotilla.
The amendment obligates a number of government ministries to establish a committee to identify and locate products from “Zionist” companies being sold in Iran. In addition, this committee will be charged with finding the names of leading figures in the blacklisted companies so that they may be boycotted as well.
This move is another link in the chain of efforts made by Iran to isolate Israel in the world in accordance with a decision passed in Iranian parliament on the matter. Iran also plans on bringing forth a resolution to boycott Israel in the UN and in other international forums, including the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Arab League.
The amendment also obligates the Iranian foreign ministry to present annual reports on the progress made in the Israeli boycott.
Beyond wanting to bring harm to Israel, the amendment may also be an indirect response to the new round of sanctions recently imposed on Iran by the West over its nuclear program. The move is intended mainly for internal purposes, in order to increase civilian support of the Palestinians.
I think it’s a great idea. Perhaps Ahmadinejad can also boycott the polio vaccine, radiation, chemotherapy, artificial kidney dialysis machines, defibrillators, pacemakers, and…nuclear energy.
5:54PM: A career IDF soldier is suspected of spying for Hizbullah.
5:38PM: An Israeli court has thrown the book at a guy who threw a shoe at Israel’s chief justice, sentencing him to three years in jail.
(I suggest he now throws the soap at Bubba, instead of handing it to him)*
Shoe thrower may have to get used to this kind of posture (REUTERS/Ouria Tadmor)
* Bubba jokes never get old
4:22PM: As if our diplomats’ performance wasn’t bad enough already..
Israeli diplomats have started wearing jeans and sandals to work and causing a series of diplomatic faux pas in a protest against salary conditions, a Foreign Ministry official said yesterday.
The increasingly public dispute has compounded Israel’s diplomatic woes at a time when it is struggling to contain the backlash from a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid fleet last month that frayed relations with Turkey.
“For several days now, Foreign Ministry employees have come to work in jeans and sandals, without wearing ties, to protest their treatment,” an official said.
“They are following orders from the employees’ committee, which has accused the Treasury of dragging its feet in six months of salary negotiations.”
[warning: story may contain an advertisement depicting someone who has really dressed down]
1:38PM: How the palestinian Ma’an News reported this morning’s Qassam rocket attack on Israel:
A projectile launched from the Gaza Strip nearly hit a building in Southern Israel Wednesday, Israeli press reported.
The rocket landed near a packing-house in the Sdot Negev Regional Council early Wednesday morning, Israeli news site Ynet said, which was confirmed by the Israeli army.
No injuries were reported.
No Palestinian faction has claimed the launch of projectiles.
Notice the use of word “projectile” instead of “rocket” (except in one place, where I expect the editor got sloppy), as well as no mention of the damage to the packing house.
9:15AM: While “peace activists” are supporting Hamas and the palestinians of Gaza, they are still firing rockets into Israel.
This time, “only” a packing plant was destroyed. It is only a matter of time before more people lose their lives (G-d forbid).
6:24AM: A little over a day ago, masked gunmen in Gaza set fire to a UN-run summer camp.
Even though it was clearly motivated by religious fundamentalism, the UN still found a way to blame Israel.
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees condemned the attack, which appeared to be the work of Muslim extremists who view the camps as a symbol of Western corruption because boys and girls mingle freely.
“This is another example of the growing levels of extremism in Gaza and further evidence, if that were needed, of the urgency to change the circumstances on the ground,” UNRWA Gaza director John Ging said.
See also the UNRWA representative in this Al Jazeera report (see from 1:35).
About the Author
An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.Filed Under: General
he vowed and bowed….of course he did!
Please tell me he didn't bow again!
Better than Bushs handholding and a**pounding.
Ah, everyone's favorite split infinitive!
Split infinitives being "wrong" is a lie.
Who said it was? I believe it is because in Latin it is one word. However, lately you appear to be confusing fact and opinion. Reminds me of a guy I am arguing with in Wikipedia (not like you – this guy is a bigot). I have a POV, but HE is unbiased. Nothing as dangerous as someone who claims to be unbiased.
A lot of "grammar nazis" do. I had thought you were trying to state that it is wrong. I was also kind of being a smart aleck (if thats the right word).
What is your name on Wikipedia?
Yes. Guess
Or better yet, look at the bottom of Haredi Judaism Talk to see what I am talking about.
I have one pet peeve, though. I always correct people who use adjectives instead of adverbs. I do not like the loss of the adverb in modern speech, total.
Split infinitives are good for emphasis, if used very rarely. (I will also use a goto occasionally in programming, which practically makes me a heretic.)
Mzk1
I am Metallurgist.
Is that your field? My sister almost went into that. My Dad is a chemist, which I suppose is close. (Surface corrosion, so all metals. He also gave one of the first courses in environmental chemistry.) According to research, science majors are less entreme than others.
No. At the time I made the account, I was interested in Chemistry and thought it a cool name. The castrated American education system has since scared me away* from it. I am majoring in political science. Probably minoring in African Area Studies, and trying to fit Psychology somewhere.
My original account on Wiki was "juvanya", but I lost the password.
*If youd like to hear my "rant" about all that, Id be happy to.
I saw, and I checked the orginal page. You may have seen my 3,000 or so userboxes.
Yep.
So you're at —– University? I used to hang around the library there, back when I lived in the borough directly east.
I think Ive made known where I go to school here, but no matter.
That wouldnt surprise me really except for not knowing where you lived. Its a nice little town that I didnt really visit much last year. I was such a lazy lump and also didnt have much in the way of friends. Its really hard to leave your room when you know youll be alone. But I expect that to change this year now that Im more accustomed to the place.
Do you know a Prof. Rendsburg by any chance? He lives there, teaches "here", and is involved with Ancient Israel history. I took his course on Jewish/Israel history up to 1400.
Make that Prof. Rendsburg.
Of all people, you're the one who is a grammar queen?
King.
Although I would understand why that's the first word that would come to your mind….
Actually, my real interest is in the Modern Hebrew language, with, as I know the sources better than the actual language (65% Hebrew, 25% Aramaic, 10% English, with some Arabic thrown in – in my estimation), I find it a source of constant fascination. And, unlike many of my secular colleages, I believe that in Hebrew, the rules really do count.
If there is a Hebrew Academy, then there are rules. If not, then its more freeform. Unless you follow Biblical Hebrew…
There is. It's funny, because it's name isn't very Hebrew. It does a nice jonb of coming up with new words.
But that isn't my point. Hebrew has a very regular grammar, worked out backwards from the Bible. Just because certain rules are ignored, doesn't mean they don't exist. Nor do I believe that Israel "runs" Hebrew.
its
One could also argue that language, by definition, cant have "prescribed" rules.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prescriptive_linguis…
Hebrew definitely changes over time, but there are certain basics, and I believe they are correct, even if at the moment people ignore them. This is of course my opinion. Also, I do not believe that Medinat Yisrael has the final say over these things, and I believe that there is more than one type of Hebrew.
On the other hand, unlike many of my fellow Chareidim, I do not differentiate between Ivrit and L'shon HaKodesh (the Holy Tounge). I think that the variances in modern Hebrew are not all that different from those in the past, and do not make it into a different language.
Comment lost. Hebrew certainly changes, but I believe that the basics are still there, even if most people ingnore some of them at this point. You can't destroy 4,000-year-old language in a century or two, On the other hand, unlike some, I do beilieve that Modern Hebrew is not so far from the original as to be a different language.
Would someone speaking only Ancient Hebrew be able to get around today?
Well, there is one big difference. But I am not jsut speaking of Biblical Hebrew, but Mishnaic, et. al. The basic grammatical rules apply to any form, so I don't think they go away even if people neglect them.
I am able to improve my Hebrew because I recognize the sources of the words, so it is easier to understand thins that I've never heard, or at least to remember them. The hard part is knowing WHICH word and verb-form to use.
That video actually makes me feel for the people of Gaza. They must be freed from Hamas! Gaza could be one of the richest pieces of land in the world, but it isnt.
oh look…the ihh has completed their investigation into what happened on the flotilla
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/45521038/Mavi-Marmara…
it is a brilliant piece of fiction
and were it not for eyewitness testimony, all the video evidence, the coroners report (which is also laughable, as it is insisting that one of the shots came from a hunting rifle) i might even believe it
Ma'an News quoted YNet which a) called it a rocket and b) detailed the extent of the damage. http://www.israellycool.com/2010/06/30/the-day-in…
Oops, here is the YNet link. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3912852…
HA HA–see that's where we get the bigotry that's inherent in iranian politics. They'll "boycott" things that are convenient to boycott, but if it means they have to give up their big bombs because a jew happened to make it, they'll merely say they need it in order to "equalize" the playing field. Those islamacists have an answer for everything.
That's a great point. If there is ANY industry developed by Jews, it's nuclear energy.
It looks like the Iranian regime is hellbent on pissing off its own people with these restricted imports. Next thing you know, they will ban Google, YouTube and Facebook. By the way, why flatter Ahmedinejad with that gorilla face? The gorilla is cute.
BREAKING NEWS: Iran sanctions itself!
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/… — Tourism on the rise to Malta instead of Turkey
Another reason why the UN needs to be disbanded and something else to replace it. Perferably to deal with the ever growing danger of internatinal terrorism and STOP countries that are dictators and rogue regimes.