Netanyahu threatened to send the IDF to defend Israel's Cairo embassy in 2011
As many of you might recall, in September 2011, Israel's embassy in Cairo, Egypt was attacked by 'protesters.' At the time, the Israeli government promoted a narrative that claimed that the Obama administration pressured the Egyptian government into acting to free the ambassador and his staff. But at an Independence Day toast with foreign ministry staff on Tuesday, Prime Minister Netanyahu admitted that he threatened to send the IDF in to free the embassy workers (the IAF was sent in to fly them out that weekend).
Oh my... Netanyahu tells Foreign Min workers: During '12 takeover of Cairo embassy threatened to send IDF to rescue https://t.co/89vs9aq1PZ
An Egyptian court in Cairo handed out punishments on Tuesday to people involved in the deadly riots outside the Israeli embassy in that city on September 9-10. Unfortunately, the punishments are unlikely to deter similar events in the future.
An Egyptian military court on Monday handed down six-month suspended jail sentences to 73 people accused of involvement in the attack on the Israeli embassy in September, a military source said.
Two other people were acquitted.
The September 9-10 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Cairo by a crowd angered by Israel's killing of Egyptian policemen on the border forced the evacuation of staff including Ambassador Yitzhak Levanon.
Three people were killed and more than 1,000 wounded, including 300 policemen, in clashes between protesters and security forces outside the embassy.
I wonder what would have happened if the riots had occurred outside Egyptian army headquarters. Forget it. None of the rioters would have stood trial. They would all have been shot.
The Los Angeles Times reports on Friday that Iran's failed plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, and to blow up with Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington (although for some reason they mention Argentina rather than Israel), has convinced the Obama administration to consider sanctioning Iran's Central Bank. For once, it sounds like these sanctions could actually do something.
David Cohen, the Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, told the Senate Banking Committee that officials were "looking very actively" at such a step and might carry it out if other nations could be persuaded to follow suit.
The blacklisting is the first specific step the administration has identified as a possible response to the alleged plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia's envoy to the United States and to attack embassies in the U.S. and Argentina.
Such sanctions would aim to isolate the Bank Markazi, or central bank, from the world economic system by barring any firm that deals with it from doing business with U.S. financial institutions. That would make it far more difficult for Iran to sell crude oil, which funds much of the government's activities.
Some Iranian officials have warned that they would look on such a move as an act of war.
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Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) said the administration's sanctions so far hadn't been enough to dissuade Iran from continuing its nuclear program or sponsoring terrorism. He called on the White House to "move quickly to implement the most effective nonmilitary response: cutting off the central bank of Iran and collapsing the Iranian currency." The move would "economically cripple" Iran, his office said in a statement.
Mark Dubowitz, a specialist on sanctions at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said a so-called designation of the bank would not halt all of Iran's crude oil sales, but it would sharply raise the cost of such transactions and thus "drain the Iranian treasury." He said Iran, the third-largest OPEC oil exporter, is a "one-crop country" that derives 50% to 75% of its government revenue from crude oil.
Congress last year slapped sanctions on Iranian banks involved in the energy sector to bar them from contact with the U.S. financial system. But U.S. officials say these banks have continued to conduct oil business because the central bank has secretly carried out the transactions on their behalf.
In his testimony, Cohen said U.S. officials were also considering another proposal many lawmakers favor: halting all sales of oil products made from Iranian crude to the U.S. market. Americans use gasoline that is refined from Iranian crude by international oil companies, which then distribute it in the United States. Cohen said Treasury economists were studying that proposal to evaluate its effect on oil markets.
Both these steps are long overdue. I find it incredible that Americans are buying gasoline that's being made from Iranian crude oil.
Ten days ago, there was a massive assault on the Israeli embassy in Cairo. Why that happened may have something to do with the response of Egyptian authorities a few days earlier when an Egyptian removed the Israeli flag from the embassy. The Egyptian government treated him like a hero.
A few days before the mob stormed the embassy, the Egyptian authorities honored a young man for climbing more than 20 floors to remove the Israeli flag from the offices of the Israeli embassy.
According to a report in Egypt's Al Masry Al Youm newspaper, Sharqiya Governor Azazy Ali Azazy, honored the man who climbed the building that houses the embassy and tore down the Israeli flag.
Ahmed al-Shahat, 23, affectionately nicknamed "Flagman," was awarded a flat and a job for his "courageous" deed.
"I wish I were in his place to enjoy that honor," the governor said, referring to the young man.
The Egyptian Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has since sought to distance itself from the decision to honor al-Shahat by claiming that the governor had acted on his own initiative.
By honoring al-Shahat, who is being hailed as a hero in his country, the Egyptian authorities paved the way for the mob attack on the embassy, which, by miracle, did not end in the lynching of the Israelis inside the embassy offices.
The Egyptian authorities are being hypocritical when they say that they plan to prosecute those responsible for the assault on the embassy.
By rewarding the young man with a flat and a job, the government in Cairo sent a message that not only does it condone the attack, but actually regards it as a heroic act that deserves a precious award.
There is no doubt that the thousands of young Egyptian protesters who attacked the embassy were also expecting to be praised and honored by their government, especially if one takes into account the severe housing shortage and high rate of unemployment in Egypt.
The protesters who stormed the embassy were not only inspired by the "heroic" act of al-Shahat, however -- they were also influenced by the continued incitement against Israel in the Egyptian media.
Of course, the Netanyahu government and other Israelis, undoubtedly at the Obama administration's behest, are trying to turn President Obama into a hero for getting the Egyptian government to confront the rioters (Hat Tip: Debbie R). But the truth is that if the Egyptian government would not even provide the Israeli embassy with that small amount of protection until pressured to do so by Obama, the peace treaty is gone, and Israel should withdraw its ambassador and prepare for war on its southern front. Unfortunately, the day when those things happen does not seem far off.
Egyptian 'demonstrators' were paid to storm Israeli embassy
A report in the Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram on Sunday claims that Egyptian 'demonstrators' were paid to storm the Israeli embassy in Cairo ten days ago.
A source explained to Al Ahram that participants were assembled the day before the attack and taken by "luxury tourist buses" to eat a "lavish dinner." They were told they need to take revenge against Israel "for our children who were killed on the border."
According to the report, envelopes were handed out to each participant with money ranging from five to eleven thousand pounds, and all agreed to gather the next day at 5 p.m. "in various locations such as the zoo and the field of Cairo University, [and] to go to the embassy and create chaos."
Hundreds of Egyptians stormed the building housing Israel's mission in Cairo on September 9, throwing embassy documents and its national flag from windows.
Of course, there's one small detail missing from this otherwise believable story: Who paid for it? The implication is that the Egyptian government did. Hmmm.
What if they held a 'million man march' and only a few hundred came
Shavua tov, a good week to everyone.
The 'million man march' outside the Israeli embassy in Amman on Thursday night turned out to be a big flop.
An al-Jazeera reported on the scene reported that the number of demonstrators was much lower than the organizers expects, even though the crowd increased after a group of Islamic protesters joined the rally following the evening prayer at a nearby mosque.
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For the past week, a Facebook page has been calling Jordanians to attend a "million-man march" towards the Israeli embassy in Amman. Jordan's seven opposition groups announced that they will join the protest, and so did the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood branch.
I went to a wedding tonight, and someone came up to me and told me he'd read on the blog that I'd be there.
I got on a bus this morning and someone came up to me and told me that he'd spent Shabbat in my house because his mother read my old humor and Matzav lists and now he reads my blog.
I met someone else this morning who told me that he and his family spent Shabbos in my house when they made aliya. Unfortunately, they're back living here now, but he reads my blog.
This doesn't happen in Israel, where most of the people who would come up to me and say that are fellow bloggers. Occasionally, yes. But not as often as here.
Oh and at the wedding tonight, the groom's sister, who interned at the JPost a couple of summers ago (where she told me she was instructed to read my blog and one other - I won't tell you all which one so as not to insult the rest of my friends) asked me how the blog was going....
But the jet lag caught up during the wedding and I have to drive someplace else tomorrow (later today) so just one post for the next couple of hours.
After last weekend's debacle in Cairo, the Israeli government has decided to shut down its embassy in Amman for the weekend, where a 'million man march' against Israel is planned.
Israel evacuated its embassy in Jordan Wednesday evening, hours before a Facebook organized march under the banner (in Arabic) of "No Zionist embassy on Jordanian territory."
Unlike in Egypt, where diplomats lived with their families, in Amman the Israeli delegation serves without their families, and comes home for weekends.
The decision came just days after the 13-hour rampage at the Israeli embassy in Cairo, during which six security guards locked themselves behind a steel door while mobs ransacked the embassy.
Here's some video.
Let's go to the videotape.
About five years ago, I was at a Shabbat table with an Israeli diplomat who had just been transferred to Africa (where she had to fly to Europe at least once a month to buy Kosher food) from Jordan. She said Jordan was considered a plum assignment because you went home every weekend. Between last year's attack on the Israelis going home and Wednesday's story, it may not be such a plum assignment anymore.
Documents taken during raid on Israeli embassy in Cairo 'worthless'
Egyptian media is categorizing documents stolen during a raid on the Israeli embassy in Cairo as 'worthless.'
According to Egyptian daily al-Masri al-Youm, some of the papers included visa applications, electricity queries sent to the local power company, weapon license applications, and access forms to "sensitive areas."
A senior Egyptian security source said Sunday that Israel's claim regarding classified documents was "a conspiracy meant to escalate the situation."
The source said that the room which the mob was able to breach in the embassy's first floor was left unsecured, and the documents that were found there were "worthless."
"This was a trap for those who broke into the room, so Israel could drag Egypt into a diplomatic crisis by claiming that the embassy was compromised," the source maintained.
I certainly hope they did not get anything important.
In the meantime, our entire diplomatic mission in Egypt consists of one diplomat and two guards.
Since the weekend, Deputy Ambassador Yisrael Tikochinsky has been ordered to remain in Egypt, and with the evacuation of the Israeli ambassador, embassy staff and security personnel – including those stationed in the Alexandria Consulate – Tikochinsky now constitutes Israel's entire diplomatic mission to Egypt.
Tikochinsky now solely handles the implementation of Israel's foreign policy vis-à-vis Egypt and relays all communiqués between Jerusalem and Cairo.
The deputy ambassador's family was evacuated over the weekend, along with the families of other Israeli diplomats stationed in Egypt.
With the embassy building temporarily out of commission, Tikochinsky is currently working from his home, which is located in a relatively safe neighborhood in the Egyptian capitol. Two Israeli guards are with him.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is quite anxious to send the embassy staff back to Egypt. Given how hospitable the Egyptians have been, one has to wonder why. Are there still Israelis who are foolish enough to visit there?
The New York Times reports that the mob that attacked the Israeli embassy on Friday night weren't Islamists, they were just 'soccer fans.'
But there is another interpretation, and it is the predominant one abroad — Muslims, Arabs and indeed many around the globe believe Israel is unjustly occupying Palestinian territories, and they are furious at Israel for it. And although some Israelis pointed fingers at Islamicization as the cause of the violence, Egyptians noted Saturday that Islamist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, distanced themselves from Friday’s protests and did not attend, while legions of secular-minded soccer fans were at the forefront of the embassy attacks.
But what the Times has left out is that the rioters attacked many other embassies on Friday night (which might better explain that tweet from the Bahraini Foreign Minister that I noted in an earlier post), and that once again, the attacks had more to do with frustration of the revolutionaries over the slow pace of change in Egypt and less to do with Israel's dispute with the 'Palestinians.' The Times also gives the impression that if only Israel ended its 'occupation' of 'Palestinian territory' all would be well. The problem with that is that in the Arab Muslim mindset, the 'occupation' isn't just Judea and Samaria but Israel's very existence.
'Protesters' demolished a wall around the Israeli embassy in Cairo on Friday. The wall was put up around the embassy after a 'protester' scaled the wall three weeks ago, and took down the Israeli flag from the building. About 30 protesters then broke into the building and into the embassy itself, tossing documents out the window.
Let's go to the videotape. This is from al-Jazeera Arabic.
Mustafa al-Sayyid, 28, said he was one of the 20 protestors who infiltrated the embassy building. He showed the press a clip he took with his cellular phone, in which protestors are seen raiding the embassy and going through documents.
According to Sayyid, he and his friends managed to beat up an Israeli worker before Egyptian soldiers intervened. He said the soldiers removed the protestors from the building but failed to arrest them.
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Six security guards and workers, stranded in the building throughout the attack, were rescued early Saturday by an Egyptian commando force and returned to Israel.
Israel's ambassador was flown back to Israel with 80 staff members aboard an Air Force jet early on Saturday. The guards who were trapped inside the embassy returned later. The Egyptians claim that they have caught the 'protesters' and will bring them to trial. But the Egyptians apparently did nothing for hours on Friday, allowing the 'protest' to continue. YNet reports that three protesters will killed and more than 1,000 injured.
The attacks have been condemned by Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States (Is the US leading from behind again? That's the order in which the JPost put the condemnations). But most surprising is this tweet from Bahrain's Foreign Minister.
I guess they figured out it could happen to them too.
So have we demanded an apology from the Egyptians yet? I definitely think we should.
Israel has returned its ambassador to Egypt, Yitzchak Levanon, to his post in Cairo. Levanon had been on a personal vacation. But Israel is taking precautions.
Earlier this week, a private contractor began to build a security wall around the embassy that is intended to prevent protesters from reaching the embassy.
The contractor, Khaled Mahmud, claimed the security fence is expected to be a 100 meters (328 feet) long and 3 meters (9 feet) tall. According to the website, there are currently 30 construction workers on site.
US spied on Israeli embassy in Washington; Ex-pat Jewish Israeli gave classified info on Israel to Jewish anti-Semitic blogger
In an earlier post, I mentioned that the Drudge Report had reported about US spying on the Israeli embassy in Washington. I reported that Israel has long suspected that the US spies on its Washington embassy, a fact that was confirmed by the New York Times on Tuesday morning.
While treated as highly classified by the F.B.I., the fact that the United States spies on Israel is taken for granted by experts on intelligence. “We started spying on Israel even before the state of Israel was formally founded in 1948, and Israel has always spied on us,” said Mr. Aid, the author. “Israeli intercepts have always been one of the most sensitive categories,” designated with the code word Gamma to indicate their protected status, he said.
But that's not all that the Times confirmed. The Times has confirmed that Shamai Leibowitz, a contract translator for the CIA, took transcripts of wiretaps of the Israeli embassy and turned them over to Jewish anti-Semitic blogger Richard Silverstein. Leibowitz's conviction for turning over classified information was widely reported at the time, but the name of the recipient had not been disclosed until now (and the recipient had been misidentified at the time). Leibowitz is the grandson of Rabbi Yeshayahu Leibowitz, a prominent Torah scholar who became an extreme Leftist and referred to the IDF as 'Judeo-Nazis.'
Shamai Leibowitz himself was originally an Israeli lawyer who defended ISM 'activists' from deportation. Eventually Leibowitz emigrated to the United States, but he remains a dual citizen.
While the main headline in the Israeli media on Tuesday morning is the fact that the US spied on Israel, most of the Times' story is an interview with Silverstein, who has to be one of the most arrogant SOB's I have ever read in print.
Mr. Silverstein’s account could not be fully corroborated, but it fits the publicly known facts about the case. Spokesmen for the F.B.I., the Justice Department and the Israeli Embassy declined to comment on either eavesdropping on the embassy or Mr. Leibowitz’s crime. He admitted disclosing “classified information concerning the communication intelligence activities of the United States,” standard language for the interception of phone calls, e-mails and other messages by the F.B.I. and the National Security Agency, which generally focuses on international communications.
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Mr. Silverstein, 59, writes a blog called Tikun Olam, named after a Hebrew phrase that he said means “repairing the world.” The blog gives a liberal perspective on Israel and Israeli-American relations [I won't link Silverstein because I don't want to give him any more traffic, but 'liberal perspective' is an understatement. CiJ]. He said he had decided to speak out to make clear that Mr. Leibowitz, though charged under the Espionage Act, was acting out of noble motives [This what prompted me to call Silverstein an arrogant SOB. Who the heck does he think he is? CiJ]. The Espionage Act has been used by the Justice Department in nearly all prosecutions of government employees for disclosing classified information to the news media, including the record-setting five such cases under President Obama.
Mr. Silverstein said he got to know Mr. Leibowitz, a lawyer with a history of political activism, after noticing that he, too, had a liberal-minded blog, called Pursuing Justice. The men shared a concern about repercussions from a possible Israeli airstrike on nuclear facilities in Iran. From his F.B.I. work from January to August of 2009, Mr. Leibowitz also believed that Israeli diplomats’ efforts to influence Congress and shape American public opinion were excessive and improper, Mr. Silverstein said. [And yet, Silverstein admits later in the interview that nothing Israel did goes beyond ordinary lobbying. But even if it did, who were Leibowitz and Silverstein to be the arbiters of that? Where do they come off replacing the Israeli government's judgment with their judgment - from Silver Spring and Seattle - as to what Israel's security requires? CiJ]
“I see him as an American patriot and a whistle-blower, and I’d like his actions to be seen in that context,” Mr. Silverstein said. “What really concerned Shamai at the time was the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran, which he thought would be damaging to both Israel and the United States.” [Again, who are they to decide that? Who placed them in charge? CiJ]
Mr. Silverstein took the blog posts he had written based on Mr. Leibowitz’s material off his site after the criminal investigation two years ago. [And the Times couldn't find them in the Way Back Machine? We'll have to work on that... CiJ] But he was able to retrieve three posts from April 2009 from his computer and provided them to The New York Times.
The blog posts make no reference to eavesdropping, but describe information from “a confidential source,” wording Mr. Silverstein said was his attempt to disguise the material’s origin.
One post reports that the Israeli Embassy provided “regular written briefings” on Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza to President Obama in the weeks between his election and inauguration [Well, no kidding. It's no secret here that Cast Lead was ended at Obama's 'request' before his inauguration. CiJ]. Another describes calls involving Israeli officials in Jerusalem, Chicago and Washington to discuss the views of members of Congress on Israel. A third describes a call between an unnamed Jewish activist in Minnesota and the Israeli Embassy about an embassy official’s meeting with Representative Keith Ellison, Democrat of Minnesota, who was planning an official trip to Gaza.
Mr. Silverstein said he remembered that embassy officials talked about drafting opinion articles to be published under the names of American supporters. He said the transcripts also included a three-way conversation between a congressman from Texas, an American supporter of the congressman and an embassy official; Mr. Silverstein said he could not recall any of the names.
At his sentencing, Mr. Leibowitz described what he had done as “a one-time mistake that happened to me when I worked at the F.B.I. and saw things which I considered were violation of the law, and I should not have told a reporter about it.” [One-time mistake? Given all those blog posts, it sounds like a many times mistake. CiJ]
That was a reference to Israeli diplomats’ attempts to influence Congress, Mr. Silverstein said, though nothing Mr. Leibowitz described to him appeared to be beyond the bounds of ordinary lobbying.
And by the way, someone in the US Attorney's office in Seattle ought to be looking into prosecuting Silverstein for destroying evidence.
He said he had burned the secret documents in his Seattle backyard after Mr. Leibowitz came under investigation in mid-2009, but he recalled that there were about 200 pages of verbatim records of telephone calls and what seemed to be embassy conversations. He said that in one transcript, Israeli officials discussed their worry that their exchanges might be monitored.
Sounds like destruction of evidence to me.
For those of you who read my quips in the middle of the Times article, it should be clear that I believe that Leibowitz and Silverstein are arrogant people who have - like so many Leftists do - taken upon themselves to decide that they know better than anyone, including elected governments, what is in the best interests of a country and a people. They are vile, disgusting individuals (and yes, I know it's the Jewish month of Elul, but that does not prohibit pointing out evildoers in the hopes of preventing others from falling under their influence).
What should the State of Israel do about this? It should do two things. First, it should point out to the Obama administration that while Leibowitz is going free in a few months (his plea bargain was kept and he is only serving 20 months in jail, far less than he deserves), Jonathan Pollard continues to languish in an American jail with a life sentence. The injustice screams to Heaven.
Second, contrary to popular perception, the State of Israel can ban both Americans and Jews from entering its borders. Leibowitz and Silverstein should never set foot in this country again.
Breaking: US eavesdropped on Israeli embassy in Washington
It's just a tease for now, but the Drudge Report says that the United States eavesdropped on the Israeli embassy in Washington (Hat Tip: BH in Iowa via comments).
Note the "big leak" at the top of the middle column. And Pollard still languishes in jail....
I know some of you think that 40% of Europeans having mental illnesses is a bigger story.
And you may think that more when you realize that Israel's former ambassador to the US made the same accusation nine months ago.
But who knows if this is the same story?
Nothing about it on Israel Radio's 3:00 am news cast.
This may be developing but I am going to get a couple of hours of sleep - sorry.
Of course, there are posts queued for the next several hours....
More than a week after it was taken down during a demonstration over the deaths of the Egyptian soldiers at the Israel-Egypt border, the Israeli embassy in Cairo is once again flying the Israeli flag.
Nonetheless, the Egyptian flag which was placed there instead of the Israeli flag last week, remains in place.
According to a Monday report in Egypt's al-Youm al-Saba daily newspaper, Egyptian citizens who noticed that the Israeli flag was "once again being waved on Egyptian land" were less than thrilled by the sight. According to the report the eyewitnesses said: "This time we need the Green Lantern or Spiderman to get the flag down."
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren hosted an iftar dinner at his official residence in Washington on Thursday night.
Around 60 guests took part in the event, including dozens of representatives of the US Muslim community, government officials, congress members and diplomats.
The residence's dining room was temporarily converted into a prayer room – rugs were placed on the floor facing towards Mecca.
Presiding over the kitchens was a chef from one of the many Arab embassies in Washington who made sure the celebratory meal was made in accordance with 'Halal' – Islamic laws.
But was it Kosher? Yes - one does not preclude the other. When I fly any airline except El Al out of London, I get meals from Hermolis which have seals of approval as both Kosher and Halal.
And by the way, when is the Egyptian embassy hosting a seder?
A Jordanian man has been arrested for plotting numerous attacks against Israelis and Israeli interests on behalf of Hamas in and around Amman, Jordan. There's just one small problem: He was arrested by Israel in Samaria.
Otman plotted to kidnap an Israeli civilian in Amman, kidnap an Israeli diplomat, fire at the Israeli embassy in Amman and fire missiles from Jordan into Israel [You mean like they did in Egypt last week? CiJ].
Otman is also charged with multiple counts of contact with a foreign agent, membership in prohibited groups, providing services to prohibited groups, carrying out prohibited military training, conspiracy and weapons offenses, according to the indictment.
State prosecutors are also requesting that Otman be held in custody for the duration of the proceedings.
Otman, a Jordanian citizen of Palestinian descent, was arrested in the West Bank last month.
And the Jordanian reaction? If there's been one, I can't find it.
Egypt says it never really thought of withdrawing its ambassador to Israel
Tell me this doesn't make you feel all warm and fuzzy. Egypt now says that its Saturday morning threat to withdraw its ambassador to Israel - which threat prompted an apology from Israel for 'accidentally killing' three Egyptian police officers while pursuing terrorists - was never really meant to be carried out.
Egypt’s foreign minister, Mohammed Amr, said Monday that the plan to recall the nation’s ambassador to Israel “was never on the table,” confirming the government’s decision to disavow a threat that generated widespread popular support at home but brought the government under intense diplomatic pressure to back off.
The call to withdraw the ambassador, initially announced on state television and posted briefly on the cabinet’s Web site, was issued Saturday after three Egyptian security officers were inadvertently killed by Israeli forces chasing down militants who staged a cross-border attack and then fled into Egypt. The killings set off the most serious diplomatic crisis between Egypt and Israel since the historic Camp David peace accords three decades ago, prompting diplomats from other nations to scramble to persuade both sides to cool tensions.
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The final word on the matter came from Mr. Amr on Monday.
“It was never on the table,” he said as he left a news conference devoted to Libya. “Look at the official statements.”
Indeed, the official statements make no mention of the recall threat.
Anyone else feel that the Israeli government was manipulated to make sure that it did what Egypt wanted it to do? It seems to me that Israel's government is afraid of its own shadow right now.
Egyptians outside Israeli embassy in Cairo: The gas chambers are ready
Here's video from a clip on al-Jazeera in Qatar of a demonstration in front of the Israeli embassy in Cairo on Monday. The clip has not been completely translated, but the swastika has a sign on it in Arabic that is translated that says, "the gas chambers are ready."
Let's go to the videotape (Hat Tip: Atlas Shrugs).
Video: Protesters in Egypt remove flag from Israeli embassy
Israel Radio reports on Sunday morning that the United States has warned Egypt that its economic assistance will be in jeopardy if it does not return its ambassador to Israel. Egypt withdrew its ambassador early on Saturday in response to the alleged killing of five members of the Egyptian security forces in the aftermath of Thursday's terror attack along the Egyptian border.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak has apologized for the incident. The Egyptians say that's 'not enough.'
The Egyptian cabinet on Saturday characterized as insufficient Defense Minister Ehud Barak's statement of regret for the deaths of Egyptian security officers who were apparently shot by IDF troops as they returned fire at the terrorists who carried out Thursday's attacks near Eilat.
The Israeli decision to work with Egypt to investigate the killings is "positive in appearance but does not fit with the weight of the incident and the state of Egyptians' outrage from the Israeli actions," Egypt's state news agency MENA quoted a cabinet statement as saying.
"Egypt confirms it is keen on the peace with Israel, Tel Aviv also will have to share its responsibilities in protecting that peace," MENA said.
The statement said the government had asked for a deadline for the joint investigation into the incident to conclude its work, adding that crisis meetings would continue until the results are released.
Barak’s statement of regret was aimed at reducing tension between Jerusalem and Cairo, which peaked early Saturday morning with reports that Egypt was recalling its ambassador from Tel Aviv due to the killing of the security officers. Defense officials said they hoped the expression of regret would succeed in annulling Cairo’s earlier decision.
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According to an initial IDF probe, the security officers were apparently killed when IDF soldiers opened fire in the direction of terrorists who had first shot at them from within Egypt. The terrorists had crossed into Israel and carried out their attacks directly adjacent to an Egyptian military outpost.
On Saturday morning, Egypt announced it was withdrawing its ambassador from Israel, citing the shooting of the security personnel as a breach of its 1979 peace treaty.
Israel said it hoped that after Barak’s comments, the Egyptian envoy, who had not yet left, would remain in Tel Aviv.
There was a wild demonstration - which looks like a lot more than the 1,000 people Israel Radio said it was - outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo on Saturday night. The demonstrators were calling for the Israeli ambassador to be expelled. The Egyptian government has promised that it will continue to protect the embassy and its staff, but as you will see in this video, someone managed to get upstairs and remove the Israeli flag from the embassy. Israel Radio reports that it was replaced by an Egyptian one, but you won't see that in this video.
Let's go to the videotape.
There was mention on the radio of Israel allowing more Egyptian troops into Sinai than are allowed under the treaty. It's not clear to me whether that refers to the troops currently there (discussed in several earlier posts) or whether we are allowing even more troops in - which is what the Egyptians apparently want.
Does anyone else smell another Turkey situation coming with the apology here? The US also backed Israel against Turkey at the beginning.... What could go wrong?
As Israelis bury their dead, Jew haters protest in London
An hour before the Sabbath, the Jew haters gathered outside the Israeli embassy in London to make their feelings known while Israeli Jews buried their dead.
Let's go to the videotape.
These people were also there (who makes the Sabbath for them or don't they bother anymore).
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
