JERUSALEM NEWS
NEWS AND INFORMATION
Events, happenings, and Opinions Concerning
Israel, Israelites, Judah, and Everyone Else
Jerusalem News-841
Jerusalem News-841
17 Shevat 5769, 11 February 2009
Contents:
1.
IDF
Chief of Staff Offers Thanks at Western Wall
2. 1/3 of Europeans: Jews caused meltdown. Britain Least anti-Semitic
3.Suspicion: Some Australian Fires were Set by
Moslem
Jihadis
4. Maps of Australia and Fire Outbreak Areas
5. Israeli Election Results: An Initial Appraisal
1.
IDF
Chief of Staff Offers Thanks at Western Wall
by Hillel Fendel
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/129853
(IsraelNN.com) IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi paid a visit to the
Western Wall on Sunday night to offer prayers of thanksgiving for the miracles
and successes in the recent Cast Lead operation in Gaza.
Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, entrusted with rabbinical supervision of the holy sites
on behalf of the government, hosted Lt.-Gen. Ashkenazi and took part in the
prayers. Afterwards, a festive thanksgiving meal was held in the Hashmonaim
Hall, to the left (north) of the uncovered section of the Western Wall.
Additional prayers and songs of thanksgiving and praise were recited there.
Lt.-Gen. Ashkenazi also prayed for the speedy return of captive soldier Gilad
Shalit, who has been held in Gaza for 2.5 years.
It was noted that many prayers had been recited at the Western Wall by parents,
soldiers, and Jews all over during the war, and that the time had now come to
express thanks for the successes the offensive had reaped.
Ashkenazi stated that he was there as a representative of all of the soldiers of
the IDF, "who fought so well and reached such blessed achievements." Rabbi
Rabinowitz agreed and said he was also a representative of the entire Jewish
Nation, "which thanks G-d for His miracles during the war." The rabbi noted the
many expressions of faith expressed by the soldiers during the war.
Rabbi Rabinowitz recounted a moving experience from when he met the soldiers of
the Haruv Regiment upon their return from Gaza. "They came first to the Western
Wall to offer their thanks, even before they returned home," he said. "Their
commanders were there as well, proudly waving the banner of faith and Jewish
tradition as they thanked G-d for His miracles."
2. 1/3 of Europeans: Jews caused
meltdown. Britain Least anti-Semitic
Feb. 10, 2009
Associated Press , THE JERUSALEM POST
The Anti-Defamation League said Tuesday that a survey it commissioned
found nearly a third of Europeans polled blame Jews for the global
economic meltdown and that a greater number think Jews have too much power
in the business world.
The organization, which says its aim is "to stop the defamation of Jewish
people and secure justice and fair treatment to all," says the
seven-nation survey confirms that anti-Semitism remains strong.
The poll included interviews with 3,500 people - 500 each in Austria,
Britain, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain.
It says that in Spain, 74 percent of those asked say they feel it is
"probably true" that Jews hold too much sway over the global financial
markets. That is the highest percentage in the survey.
Nearly two-thirds of Spanish respondents said Jews were more loyal to
Israel than they were to their home countries.
"This poll confirms that anti-Semitism remains alive and well in the minds
of many Europeans," said Abraham H. Foxman, the ADL's national director in
America. "Clearly, age old anti-Semitic stereotypes die hard."
Foxman said the study's findings were "particularly worrisome" in light of
the anger spawned by the global economic meltdown, and following a number
of violent acts against Jews or Jewish property after Israel's military
action in the Gaza Strip.
Around Europe, several attacks have been reported against Jews and
synagogues in France, Sweden and Britain since the Israeli offensive began
in late December. Some Gaza protests in Europe have included the use of
Nazi imagery, including signs and slogans comparing Israeli soldiers to
German troops, the Gaza Strip to the Auschwitz death camp and the Jewish
Star of David to the Nazi swastika.
Britain consistently registered the lowest levels of anti-Jewish
sentiment, and numbers there have fallen from a similar survey conducted
in 2007. Austria also registered a slight drop in the level of
anti-Semitism, while in other countries anti-Semitic sentiment either
remained the same or deepened, the survey indicated.
Poland's chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, who saw the survey before it was
published, said he has not seen any rise in anti-Semitism in Poland since
the global financial crisis has unfolded. He said an unacceptable level of
anti-Jewish sentiment still exists in Poland, but that it is no worse than
in other European countries.
The survey showed Polish responses registered a slight rise in all but one
area. On the question whether it was "probably true" Jews have too much
power in international financial markets, the level was unchanged from
2007.
The survey, conducted by First International Resources Dec. 1, 2008
through Jan. 13, 2009, included interviews with 3,500 people - 500 each in
Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain. The margin of error for
each country was plus or minus 4 percent.
In total, about 40 percent of those questioned said Jews have too much
power in the business world, including more than half of Hungarian,
Spanish and Polish respondents. And 44 percent said they believe it is
"probably true" that Jews still talk too much about the Holocaust.
3. Suspicion: Some Australian Fires were
Set by Moslem
Jihadis
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/129882
by Gil Ronen
(IsraelNN.com) As more than 31 major fires continued to rage in the Australian
state of Victoria and the death toll approached 200, there was speculation on
Tuesday that some of the blazes may have been set by Islamists waging a "holy
war", or jihad.
No official has come out and voiced this suspicion, and most of the fires were
attributed to lightning strikes during one of Victoria's hottest days on record.
However, investigators have determined that some of the fires were deliberately
set by arsonists, prompting Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to say that
whoever was responsible for lighting the fires had committed "mass murder".
But bloggers have pointed to a report from September 2008 which warned that
Australia had been singled out as a target for a "forest jihad" by a group
urging Muslims to deliberately light bushfires as a weapon of terror.
According to the report in The Age five months ago, "U.S. intelligence channels
earlier this year identified a website calling on Muslims in Australia, the
U.S., Europe and Russia to 'start forest fires,' claiming 'scholars have
justified chopping down and burning the infidels' forests when they do the same
to our lands.'"
The website, reportedly run by a group called the Al-Ikhlas Islamic Network,
"argues in Arabic that lighting fires is an effective form of terrorism
justified in Islamic law under the 'eye for an eye' doctrine."
'This Terror Will Haunt Them'
The posting instructs jihadis to remember "forest jihad" in summer months. The
article in The Age reported, "It says fires cause economic damage and pollution,
tie up security agencies and can take months to extinguish so that 'this terror
will haunt them for an extended period of time.'"
"Imagine if, after all the losses caused by such an event, a jihadist
organisation were to claim responsibility for the forest fires," the website
allegedly says. "You can hardly begin to imagine the level of fear that would
take hold of people in the United States, in Europe, in Russia and in
Australia."
The September report in The Age added that "Australian intelligence agencies are
treating the possibility that bushfires could be used as a weapon of terrorism
as a serious concern" and that "Attorney-General Robert McClelland said the
Federal Government remained 'vigilant against such threats,' warning that anyone
caught lighting a fire as a weapon of terror would feel the wrath of anti-terror
laws."
The internet posting claimed the idea of forest fires had been attributed to
imprisoned Al Qaeda leader Abu Musab Al-Suri. It said Al-Suri had urged
terrorists to use sulphuric acid and petrol to start forest fires.
181 Deaths
The fires which began February 8 have so far resulted in at least 181 deaths,
and 100 people have been admitted to hospitals across Victoria with burns. At
least 20 are in critical condition.
The fires occurred during an exceptional heat wave, on a day when several
localities across Victoria experienced their highest temperatures since records
began in 1859. The numerous fires are largely the result of lightning strikes ?
but some are suspected to be the result of arson.
These suspicions led police to declare more than half of the state a crime
scene.
Forensic teams of investigators are now moving into burned out houses and farms,
looking for evidence of how the infernos were started, and who could have lit
them.
Prime Minister Rudd suspended parliament and toured the affected region. "What
can you say? What can you say?" asked a shaken Rudd. "There are no words to
describe it other than mass murder," he said.
Closing in on a Suspect
But police say they are closing in on an arsonist thought responsible for the
Churchill-Jeeralang fire in Gippsland and other fires at nearby Boolarra, which
killed at least 22 people. Specialist teams used in the aftermath of the Bali
bombings have been recruited for the locating and identifying victims of the
fires.
Police believe a man who lit fires around Boolarra last month, destroying 29
houses, is the same person responsible for the Churchill blaze. They intend to
release an image of a man sought for questioning over the fires.
"We'll soon be in a position to provide face images of people we believe
responsible," Morwell Detective Sergeant Brett Kahan said.
4. Maps of Australia and Fire Outbreak
Areas
5. Israeli Election Results: An Initial
Appraisal
Israeli election defeat for left, confused political picture
http://zionism-israel.com/israel_news/2009/02/israeli-election-defeat-for-left.html
Extracts:
Neither right nor center can claim a clear mandate, but the left certainly lost.
Both parties claim victory and race to form rival coalitions
Feb. 10, 2009
gil hoffman and jpost.com staff , THE JERUSALEM POST
Both Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's Kadima party and Binyamin Netanyahu's
opposition Likud styled themselves the winners of Tuesday's elections, after it
became apparent that Kadima had won the most seats in the new Knesset, but the
Likud-led right-wing would constitute the larger bloc.
With 99.7 percent of the votes counted by 7:00 a.m., Kadima was narrowly leading
Likud with a predicted 28 mandates, while the latter had garnered a predicted 27
seats. Israel Beiteinu was expected to earn 15 mandates, Labor 13, Shas 11,
United Arab List five, United Torah Judaism four, National Union four, Hadash
four, Meretz three, Bayit Hayehudi three, and Balad two.
The final results, including votes from soldiers and emissaries abroad, will
only be published on February 18.
Overall voter turnout, which observers had feared would be low, was 65.2%, over
two percentage points higher than in the 2006 national elections.
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