 |
|
The Yale
Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism YIISA SEMINAR THURSDAY, APRIL 3 @ 4:15 PM Linsly Chittenden Hall, Room 101 (63 High Street) Dreyfus, Vichy, de Gaulle, Chirac: Reflections on the French-Jewish Malaise Speaker: Professor Patrick Weil Centre d’histoire sociale du siècle, Universite de Paris 1
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT YIISA Director Charles Small to lecture in the UK Among Charles Small's lectures, he will be speaking at the British Parliament. His talk is entitled; "The Iranian Challenge to International Law and Universal Values". 5.30pm, 1st April 2008 - Committee Room 15, House of Commons. Please RSVP to yiisa.program@yale.edu if you wish to be placed in the guest list.
EVENTS OF INTEREST MONDAY, MARCH 31 @ 7:00 PM Sylvia Slifka Chapel, Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale (80 Wall Street) Outsiders in 2008 – How Israelis and the rest of the world influence American elections Speaker: Shmuel Rosner, Haaretz’s Chief U.S. Correspondent Moderator: Jennifer Medina, Education Reporter, New York Times
REPORTS
Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism (US State Dept) The U.S. Department of State provided this report to Congress, focusing on the following three areas: Forms of Anti-Semitism- , including anti-Semitic incidents, discourse, and trend; vehicles for Anti-Semitism- , including national governments, the United Nations system, and societal group; and Methods for Combating Anti-Semitism- , including actions by governments, international bodies, private groups, and individuals.
Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism, 2008 (Council on Foreign Relations) While the report describes many measures that foreign governments have adopted to combat anti-Semitism, it does not endorse any such measures that prohibit conduct that would be protected under the U.S. Constitution.
Referral of Iranian President Ahmadinejad on the Charge of Incitement to Commit Genocide (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of the Islamic Republic of Iran has made the destruction of Israel his avowed policy. Ahamadinejad’s declaration in 2005 that “Israel should be wiped off the map” was met by widespread international outcry. Yet, this declaration was not an isolated incident, but the firstofmanyduringthepastyear. Indeed,itisfair to consider the elimination of Israel as Iran’s foremost foreign policy objective, to be facilitated by arming Hizbullah and Hamas, advancing Iran’s rogue nuclear weapons program, and expanding its arsenal of long-range nuclear-capable missiles that can reach anywhere in Israel and Europe.
Iranian Influence in the Levant, Iraq, and Afghanistan (American Enterprise Institute) Much as Americans might desire to avoid war with Iran, continued Iranian intervention in Iraq, Afghanistan, and throughout the Middle East might ultimately make that option less repulsive than the alternatives. But it is often-ignored that stability will not result any more from an American surrender to Iran than from an Iranian surrender to America. Sadly, there is very little prospect of success in this or any other endeavor unless the policy debate moves beyond the compartmentalization and hysteria that have characterized the discussion thus far.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
IRAN
Cotler: 'Try Ahmadinejad for genocide calls' (Jerusalem Post) Former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler on Monday called on the world community to act against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before he carries out his threats of genocide against Israel. Ahmadinejad's actions proved he was guilty of incitement to genocide, Cotler said, and should be stopped before he had the chance to carry out his plans.
Iran a Nuclear Threat, Bush Insists (Washington Post) President Bush said Thursday that Iran has declared that it wants to be a nuclear power with a weapon to "destroy people," including others in the Middle East, contradicting the judgments of a recent U.S. intelligence estimate.
US Vice President Cheney: Iran may have restarted nuclear weaponization program (International Herald Tribune) Retaining his tough stance against Iran, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney said Wednesday that Tehran may have restarted the nuclear weaponization program that a U.S. intelligence report said was halted in 2003. Speaking in Oman, a U.S.-allied Arab monarchy and neighbor of Iran's, Cheney told ABC News, "The important thing to keep in mind is the objective that we share with many of our friends in the region, and that is that a nuclear-armed Iran would be very destabilizing for the entire area."
Iran’s Military Moves Up (NY Post) The European Union dismissed last Friday's Iranian parliamentary election as a farce, while the United States described it as a travesty. Yet, whatever it might have seemed in Western eyes, the vote provided a crucial insight into the balance of power in the Tehran establishment.
Iran Reformists Question Conservative Gains (NY Times) Conservative politicians close to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared to tighten their grip on power in Iran as the government on Monday announced final results of the first round of parliamentary elections. Conservatives controlled about three-quarters of the more than 200 races decided so far in the 290-seat Parliament, said the Interior Ministry, which runs the elections, the semiofficial FARS news agency reported.
(Time) Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, is emerging as a quiet rival to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Described as a moderate conservative, Qalibaf is likely to be a contender for the presidency in next year's national elections, though he refuses to talk directly about his plans. He does however maintain that he and Ahmadinejad have "tastes" that "are very different" — and that they are clearly not friends. Study: Iran Indoctrinating Children in Islamic Supremacism (NY Sun) A new Freedom House study of Iranian textbooks finds that the Islamic Republic is teaching its children to embrace Islamic supremacism, preparing them to enter a political system that discriminates against women and non-Muslims.
Father of Iran’s drive for nuclear warhead named (Times) A senior officer in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has emerged as the father of a nuclear programme that western intelligence services believe is aimed at producing a warhead capable of devastating any city in the Middle East. Ostensibly a lecturer in physics at Tehran’s Imam Hussein University, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh-Mahabadi is seen as the Iranian equivalent of A Q Khan, the scientist who led Pakistan’s nuclear weapons race with India.
U.S. banks warned on Iran's 'deceptive practices' (USA Today) The Bush administration issued a fresh warning Thursday to U.S. banks that Iran is using "an array of deceptive practices" to hide its alleged involvement in nuclear proliferation and terrorist activities. The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network alleged that Iran is resorting to such alleged practices to evade detection and skirt financial sanctions.
MIDDLE EAST
Report: Iranian, Syrian missiles to pound Israel in next war (YNet) A secret report recently distributed among government ministries and local municipalities details various wartime scenarios. The report deals with very harsh possibilities, including some that are downright horrifying, formulated as part of the lessons drawn in the wake of the Second Lebanon War.
Hezbollah Leader: Israel Can Be 'Eliminated' (NY Sun) Echoing Iran's threat to wipe Israel off the map, the leader of Hezbollah said yesterday that his organization's targeting of civilian centers has made it possible for the Jewish state to be "eliminated." Threats against Israel from Iranian-backed organizations — Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza — should not be taken "lightly," Israeli and American officials said.
Zawahri urges anti-Israel attacks over Gaza-Web (Reuters) Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri called for attacks on Israeli and Western targets to avenge Israel's raids on the Gaza Strip, in an audio tape posted on the Internet on Monday.
How al Qaeda Will Perish (Wall Street Journal) On March 6, Al-Sahab, the media arm of al Qaeda, released a 46-minute video statement titled "They Lied: Now Is the Time to Fight." The speaker is Mustafa Ahmed Muhammad Uthman Abu-al-Yazid, 52, an Egyptian who runs al Qaeda's operations in Afghanistan, and the speech is in most respects the usual mix of earthly grievances, heavenly promises and militant exhortations. It's also an urgent call for recruits.
Poll Shows Most Palestinians Favor Violence Over Talks (NY Times) A new poll shows that an overwhelming majority of Palestinians support the attack this month on a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem that killed eight young men, most of them teenagers, an indication of the alarming level of Israeli-Palestinian tension in recent weeks.
The Region: Palestinian politics: Onward and downward (Jerusalem Post) Barry Rubin writes about the Washington Post article praising Salam Fayad, as a smart and honest leade, “an apolitical economist (with a doctorate from the University of Texas) who is prime minister of the Palestinian Authority." But Rubin writes, “The tip-off is the word "apolitical," which in this case means: completely lacking any political base or armed support and thus totally ineffectual. Those who really control Fatah, shape Palestinian public opinion and carry guns are not impressed by Fayad's diploma.”
Not Just a Gimmick (Jerusalem Post) The Palestinian leadership - not the one in Gaza, but the Palestinian Authority - seems to be backing an initiative by a PA minister, reported earlier this week in The Jerusalem Post, to respond to Israel's 60th anniversary by encouraging Palestinians to enact their "right of return" by showing up on Israel's doorstep. On May 14 this year, Palestinians would attempt to "return," suitcases in hand, in order to relocate to places like Jaffa and Haifa, inside Israel.
Saudi king calls for interfaith talks (Times) King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, which is the home of Islam's most holy shrines and adheres to a hardline Wahhabi version of Sunni Islam, has for the first time announced plans to launch a dialogue between Islam, Christianity and Judaism.
An unlikely refuge (Guardian) "Even though we're Muslim, the Islamic world has done nothing to protect us", said Yassin, a refugee whose tortured flight from Darfur finally brought him to Israel three years ago. He was one of the first Darfurians to make it into Israel across the border from Egypt, and has dedicated his life to helping hundreds of his fellow countrymen who have made the same perilous journey.
Bin Laden: Pope Helps Anti-Islam Crusade (AP) Osama bin Laden accused Pope Benedict XVI of helping in a "new Crusade" against Islam and warned of a "severe" reaction to European publications of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that insulted many Muslims.
Extremists target charities (The Star) Long-haired gunmen burst into the white stone building and killed four charity workers helping earthquake victims, then wrecked the office with grenades and set it on fire. Police came, but did not intervene. In a tactic reminiscent of neighbouring Afghanistan, Islamic militants are attacking aid groups in Pakistan's volatile northwest, and local authorities appear incapable – or unwilling – to stop them.
US: Muslim states, UN fuel anti-Semitism (Jerusalem Post) There has been an upsurge in anti-Semitism over the past decade, much of it a new form whose "distinguishing feature" is criticism of Israel, according to a State Department report released over the weekend. The 94-page report on 2007 criticizes many Muslim and Arab countries for encouraging anti-Semitism, and an entire chapter is devoted to anti-Semitism at the United Nations.
Durban: Not again (Haaretz) Abraham Foxman writes, “As the United Nations begins to gear up for another world conference in 2009 to review the outcomes from its discredited 2001 World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, governments and NGOs have a responsibility to say "not again." Not again to virulent anti-Semitism, not again to vile demonizing and delegitimizing of Israel, not again to incitement to violence against Jews, not again to the inversion of principles of human rights.”
Bangladesh on Trial (Wall Street Journal) Bangladesh's military caretaker government says it is serious about restoring democracy and the rule of law to the country. But Dhaka's escalating harassment of one of its most prominent journalists suggests otherwise. Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, editor of a weekly newspaper in Dhaka, was charged in January 2004 with sedition, a charge that has since been broadened to include treason, blasphemy and espionage. His real "crime" was to advocate for peaceful relations between Muslims and Jews in the Mideast and to call attention to the radical Islamist threat within Bangladesh.
NORTH AMERICA
Rights Council hears from Jewish refugee (Canadian Jewish News) A United Nations body with a history of passing anti-Israel resolutions heard about a different side of the Arab-Israeli conflict last week when a Jewish refugee described her family’s eviction from the home they had occupied in Libya for hundreds of years.
Antisemitism: Up, Down or Both? (Forward) Over the past month, two separate, major antisemitism studies have been released. One from the State Department described an “upsurge” of hostility and discrimination toward Jewish people across the world. That came a few days after the Anti-Defamation League reported that the number of antisemitic incidents in the United States had declined for the third consecutive year.
U.S. Based Revolution Muslim Website Spreading Messages of Hate (Fox News) On any given day, log on to RevolutionMuslim.com and a host of startling images appear including the Statue of Liberty, with an ax blade cutting through her side and videos mocking the Daniel Pearl’s murder and U.S. soldiers being attacked in Iraq. What is surprising is that Yousef al-Khattab, the Web site creator, runs this site from his home in Queens, New York City. And, because al-Khattab enjoys the First Amendment right to freedom of speech, all the authorities can do is watch.
Megaminister (NY Times) An interview with the Rev. John Hage, who founded Christians United for Israel , an influential lobbying group that has won accolades from many Jewish leaders. In the interview, Hage says “I’m trying to do something beneficial for the state of Israel and the Jewish people. It’s the right thing to do. If you take the Jewish contribution away from Christianity, there would be no Christianity.”
Hillel invite to Irvine chancellor spurs debate (Jerusalem Post) At the opening session of its second summit on the university and the Jewish community, Hillel will provide a high-visibility opportunity for the chancellor of the University of California, Irvine to address leaders of the Jewish community. The invitation to the school's chancellor, Michael Drake, to the summit in Washington this week has prompted howls of protests from certain Jewish quarters and crystallized a deep disagreement within the pro-Israel community over how best to respond to anti-Israel sentiment on university campuses.
Drake stays mum on UC Irvine anti-Semitism (Jewish Telegraphic Agency) The University of California, Irvine's chancellor again refused to speak out against acts of anti-Semitism on his campus. Michael Drake, confronted over his position at the opening plenary of Hillel’s summit Monday in Washington, issued a blanket condemnation of hate speech, including anti-Semitism, saying it had no place in society.
EUROPE
The BBC’s Arabic Service (Spectator.co.uk) Trevor Asserson is a British lawyer (who now lives in Israel) who for years has campaigned against the BBC’s bias against Israel. He has now produced an even more serious charge against the BBC — that during the 2006 Lebanon war, the BBC’s Arabic service provided a platform for the campaign by Hezbollah and Iran to delegitimise and demonise both the USA and Israel in the eyes of the Arabic speaking world.
Saddam Hussein’s son Uday plotted to send hit squad into UK (Times) Saddam Hussein's son Uday hatched a plot to assassinate the leader of the Iraqi opposition in London in April 2000, according to a new Pentagon study based on documents seized during the Iraq war. The abortive conspiracy called for an elite recruit in the Fedayeen Saddam paramilitary group to kill Ahmed Chalabi, head of the Iraqi National Congress, who was based in London.
German Jews accuse pope of stoking anti-Semitism (European Jewish Press) German Jews accused the pope Thursday of allowing anti-Semitic sentiment to fester in the Catholic Church by refusing to abolish the disputed "Prayer for the Jews" in the Latin mass for Good Friday.
French senior civil servant fired for anti-Israel pamphlet (European Jewish Press) A French senior civil servant was fired after publishing an anti-Israeli pamphlet on internet, the Interior Ministry announced Sunday. According to French television, Bruno Guigue, deputy prefect of the southwestern French town of Saintes, wrote in an online column this month that Israel was the only regime that allows "snipers shoot down little girls outside their school gates.»
WEKLY QUOTES (Source Canadian Institute for Jewish Research, Montreal) “The successes we are seeing in Iraq are undeniable…. The surge has done more than turn the situation in Iraq around, it has opened the door to a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror…. There's still hard work to be done in Iraq. The gains we've made are fragile and reversible… If we were to allow our enemies to prevail in Iraq, the violence that is now declining would accelerate and Iraq would descend into chaos.” U.S. President George W. Bush, speaking at the Pentagon, marking the five-year anniversary of the U.S. military campaign in Iraq. The Iraq war, he said, remains a "noble" cause and America is now on the cusp of a sweeping victory over Islamic extremists. But Bush also used the occasion to warn his potential successors that precious security gains will be lost if American troops are withdrawn too soon. (National Post, Mar. 20) SHORT TAKESPOLL: 84 PERCENT OF PALESTINIANS BACK YESHIVA ATTACK (Jerusalem) The vast majority of Palestinian Authority residents support the terror attack on Jerusalem’s Mercaz Harav Yeshiva that killed eight students on March 6, according to a new poll cited in the New York Times on Wednesday. According to the survey, which was conducted among 1,270 Palestinians in the West Bank, 84 percent of those polled stood behind the shooting attack. In addition, 64 percent supported firing Kassam rockets at Negev towns. Pollster Khalil Shikaki said the high level support for an act of violence registered in the poll is about equal to that at the height of the second intifada. (Jer. Post, NYT, Mar. 19)
Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism | ISPS | yiisa.program@yale.edu
|
