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The Yale
Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism YIISA EVENT Wednesday, November 12th from 12:00pm – 2:00pm YIISA Open House ISPS, 77 Prospect Street, Common Room Join YIISA in welcoming new Post-Doctorate and Graduate Researchers to our center’s new location! Light Lunch will be provided – Please RSVP to yiisa.program@yale.edu or 203.432.5239 by Monday, November 10th.
YIISA LECTURE Thursday, November 13th @ 4:15pm “The Demoralisation of Britain: Moral Relativism, the Church of England and the Jews” ISPS, 77 Prospect, Room A-002 Speaker: Melanie Phillips, Journalist and Author
SAVE THE DATE YIISA Director, Dr. Charles Small, will engage in a conversation with Wall Street Journal writer and editor, Bret Stephens. Monday, December 1st @ 8:15pm Buttenwieser Hall, Lexington Avenue and 92nd Street, New York City “Radical Islam and the Nuclear Bomb: Understanding Contemporary Genocidal Anti-Semitism” Location: 92Y, Manhattan -- Please click here for more information.
LECTURES OF INTEREST Wednesday, November 5th @ 12:00pm “Politics of tourism or US Foreign Policy and the Politics of Modernization in the Middle East” ISPS, 77 Prospect Street, Room A001 Lunch will be provided. Speaker: Waleed Hazbun, Johns Hopkins University Sponsor: The Council on Middle East Studies at the MacMillan Center Contact: kira.gallick@yale.edu – Please click here for more information
Wednesday, November 5th @ 12:00pm “Investing in a Euro-Vision: German-American Friendship and the choice for NATO after the Second World War (1945-1955)” 8 Prospect Place, Room 119 Lunch will be provided. Speaker: Felix Berenskoetter, LSE Sponsor: International Relations, Yale University Please click here for more information
REPORT
UN Resolution 1701: A View from Israel (Washington Institute) In a September 29 interview, outgoing Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert defended UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701 -- an agreement that ended the 2006 summer war between Israel and Hizballah -- by asserting that it had quieted Israel's northern border. Although the resolution ended the fighting, it did not end the conflict, and its failure to incorporate specific stipulations and mechanisms to disarm Hizballah makes future violence between the two sides inevitable.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
IRAN
Intel says Iran plans secret nuclear experiments (AP) Iran has recently tested ways of recovering highly enriched uranium from waste reactor fuel in a covert bid to expand its nuclear program, according to an intelligence assessment made available to The Associated Press. The intelligence, provided by a member of the 145-nation International Atomic Energy Agency, also says a report will soon be submitted to the Iranian leadership for a decision on whether to go ahead with the project.
IAEA member: Iran holding secret tests to advance nuclear program (Haaretz) Iran has recently tested ways of recovering highly enriched uranium from waste reactor fuel in a covert bid to expand its nuclear program, according to an intelligence assessment provided by an unnamed member of the United Nation's 145-nation member nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Association. The intelligence also says a report will soon be submitted to the Iranian leadership for a decision on whether to go ahead with the project.
Rate of Nuclear Thefts ‘Disturbingly High,’ Monitoring Chief Says (NY Times) Mohamed ElBaradei, the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in a speech on Monday that the number of reports of nuclear or radioactive material stolen around the world last year was “disturbingly high.” Dr. ElBaradei, in his annual report to the General Assembly, said nearly 250 such thefts were reported in the year ending in June.
Iran leader signals not time for thaw in U.S. ties (Reuters) Iran's supreme leader said on Wednesday Iranian hatred of the United States ran deep, remarks analysts said signaled an end to any debate about closer links between them days before the U.S. presidential election. Discussion about relations has been encouraged by Washington saying it is considering opening a diplomatic outpost in Tehran.
Sources: Sarkozy views Obama stance on Iran as 'utterly immature' (Haaretz) French President Nicolas Sarkozy is very critical of U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama's positions on Iran, according to reports that have reached Israel's government. Sarkozy has made his criticisms only in closed forums in France. But according to a senior Israeli government source, the reports reaching Israel indicate that Sarkozy views the Democratic candidate's stance on Iran as "utterly immature" and comprised of "formulations empty of all content."
France strongly denies Sarkozy criticized Obama stance on Iran (Haaretz) The Obama campaign responded furiously to the reports and the French embassy in Washington issued a statement saying: "The remarks attributed by the newspaper Haaretz to the president of the French Republic concerning Senator Obama's positions on Iran are groundless," said the statement. "To the contrary, the in-depth discussions between the president of the Republic and Senator Obama on Iran during their meeting in Paris in July demonstrated a broad convergence of views on this issue. President Sarkozy and Sen. Obama agree to oppose Iran's development of a military nuclear capability."
Sleepless in Tehran (NY Times) In an op-ed, Thomas Friedman writes, “I’ve always been dubious about Barack Obama’s offer to negotiate with Iran — not because I didn’t believe that it was the right strategy, but because I didn’t believe we had enough leverage to succeed. And negotiating in the Middle East without leverage is like playing baseball without a bat.”
Iran Opens Naval Base Near Routes for Gulf Oil (NY Times) Iran announced Tuesday that it had opened a naval base in the Gulf of Oman to counter any hostile forces, in what was clearly an allusion to American Navy vessels patrolling nearby. The announcement, reported by Iran’s Fars news agency, quoted a naval commander, Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, as saying Iran had created the base because of the presence of “nonregional forces” around the Gulf of Oman, which is the gateway to the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, vital transit routes for the area’s vast oil supplies.
Interview with Robert Baer (Real Clear World) RealClearWorld recently had the privilege of interviewing acclaimed author and former CIA case officer Robert Baer. His memoirs, See No Evil, were adapted into the hit 2005 film Syriana. In his latest book, The Devil We Know: Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower, Baer makes the case for a reappraisal of America’s approach to an increasingly ambitious and imperialistic Iran.
MIDDLE EAST
Syria hardens stance after deadly US raid (Washington Post) Syria threatened Wednesday to cut off security cooperation along the Iraqi border if there are more American raids on Syrian territory, and the U.S. Embassy announced it would close Thursday because of a mass rally called to protest a deadly weekend commando attack.
Archaeologists report finding oldest Hebrew text (Reuters) Archaeologists in Israel said on Thursday they had unearthed the oldest Hebrew text ever found, while excavating a fortress city overlooking a valley where the Bible says David slew Goliath. The dig's uncovering of the past near the ancient battlefield in the Valley of Elah, now home to wineries and a satellite station, could have implications for the emotional debate over the future of Jerusalem, some 20 km (12 miles) away.
Hamas Cleric Muhsen Abu 'Ita: "The Annihilation of the Jews in Palestine is One of The Most Splendid Blessings for Palestine" (MEMRI) Muhsen Abu 'Ita: "Naturally, the Koran chapters conveyed to Muhammad in Mecca only rarely deal with the Jews - like in 'those who incur Allah's wrath,' which appears in the Al-Fatiha chapter. Hence, it is strange to find an entire chapter bearing the name of the Jews, or Bani Israil. It is even more peculiar that this chapter does not talk about the Jews of the Qaynuqa, Nazir, or Qurayza tribes.”
NORTH AMERICA
Endorsement of Obama by Judaic Studies Scholars (Zionism and Israel) As Americans we support Barack Obama for president because we believe that he is the best person to lead our country through these difficult times. Senator Obama’s firm grasp of the issues, his ability to work with diverse groups of people, and his humane and progressive social vision will bring a welcome change from the governing style and policies of the last eight years.
EUROPE
BNP seeks to reactivate far-right alliance in European Parliament (The Jewish Community) The seeds of a reactivated extreme right-wing alliance in Europe were being sown this week by British National Party leader Nick Griffin, who made visits to Hungary and the Czech Republic. Mr Griffin was invited to the two East European countries by representatives of extremist parties who had made trips to Britain earlier in the year.
Sikh MP joins British parliamentary group against antisemitism and hate crime (Jerusalem Post) A former cabinet minister and Sikh MP has been drafted into the All-Party Parliamentary Group against Antisemitism. Parmjit Dhanda, formerly community cohesion minister, agreed this week to join the parliamentary group to continue his hard work in combating antisemitism.
MP backing for 'Holocaust denier' (BBC) Australian citizen Dr Gerald Toben was remanded in custody after his arrest by British police at Heathrow Airport. German authorities allege Dr Toben published material online "of an anti-Semitic and/or revisionist nature". But home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said holocaust denial is not a crime in the UK and he should not be extradited.
Germany presents Israel Holocaust-era directory (AP) The German government on Thursday handed Israel's national Holocaust memorial the personal details of 600,000 Jewish residents of Nazi Germany, the most comprehensive record to date of German-Jewish life during the Nazi era. German Culture Minister Bernd Neumann presented the directory during a ceremony at the Yad Vashem memorial, saying that it allowed for the first time to show the Jewish residents of Germany from 1933-1945.
Economist regrets antisemitism comment (UPI) German economist Hans-Werner Sinn apologized to the Jewish community Monday for linking current attacks on company executives to World War II-era anti-Semitism. The leading economist said in a letter to the Central Council of Jews in Germany that he was wrong to compare today's backlash against corporate leaders to anti-Jewish persecution that occurred following the Wall Street crash of 1929, Deutsche Welle reported.
WEEKLY QUOTES (Canadian Institute for Jewish Research) “As long as there is something called Israel in this region, the resistance must continue ... and I am totally committed to the resistance…. I am ready to take part in any resistance mission…. [The Israelis] don't realize what we have in store for them… Israel is going to suffer great losses and they will lose for sure.… The idea that Israel is an invincible, secure state has become a myth.” Samir Kuntar, Lebanese terrorist and convicted child-killer released by Israel in June with four other Arab terrorists in exchange for the remains of two murdered Israeli soldiers, insisting in an interview with Agence France-Press, that even if Israel were to withdraw from the contested Shabaa Farms territory captured in the Six-Day War, Hezbollah would continue with its struggle to eliminate the Jewish state. “The resistance will end only when the Zionist entity disappears,” Kuntar added. (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 23) IAEA PUSHES FOR UN PROBE INTO SYRIA(Damascus) The results of tests on soil and air samples collected in June by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warrant a UN investigation, said the atomic watchdog agency on Tuesday. The U.S. says the facility, bombed by Israel in 2007, was the site of a nearly-complete nuclear reactor designed to produce plutonium for a nuclear weapon in Syria. Syria continues to deny any covert nuclear program, and its nuclear chief, Ibrahim Othman, said he would wait for final environmental results before granting permission to repeated IAEA requests for follow-up visits. (Ha’aretz, Oct. 28)
Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism | ISPS | yiisa.program@yale.edu
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