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1. Sarkozy calls Obama 'Immature'
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama's stand on
The
President Sarkozy this week told an annual conference of French ambassadors that
Offering incentives to
His reported comments that Sen. Obama's policies on
2. IDF Troops Kill PA Gunman
IDF soldiers shot and killed a 67-year-old Palestinian Authority Arab early Wednesday after he opened fire at their unit during an overnight counterterrorism operation near the PA-controlled city of
According to military sources, soldiers found a hunter's rifle and some ammunition near the body of Mohammed Abahreh although local Arabs claimed he was a farmer. IDF soldiers found more weapons and ammunition after they searched the area.
Several Israeli media reports stated that Abahreh was shot "as he herded cattle in the
Some media sources also claimed the gunman was left for two hours to "bleed to death." The Reuters news agency, which on more than one occasion has been caught fabricating or distorting news facts, wrote that Abahreh was a "shepherd" who was carrying the shotgun "as protection against rustlers." The news agency quoted his son, Taher Abahreh, as saying that his father "never used his gun," adding that the troops had left him to "bleed to death and preventing an ambulance from reaching the area quickly."
Taher Abahreh had originally been quoted by Israeli media as saying that he had arrived approximately an hour after neighbors reported hearing gunfire and found IDF soldiers unsuccessfully trying to administer medical treatment to his father. He added that the elder Abahreh had been guarding his livestock in a small enclosure outside the town at the time of the incident.
Sources in Jenin quoted by Voice of Israel government radio said Warrad Abahreh, Taher's brother, was a commander in the Fatah-linked Al Aksa Martyrs' Brigades terrorist organization who was killed in July 2005 during an IDF counterterrorism operation.
The PA recently has deployed American-trained armed troops in the city in an attempt to prove that the Fatah-led authority is fighting terror. Israeli military officers have repeatedly stated that the Arab troops, who do not operate in the middle of the night in the area, arrest criminals and traffic offenders but not terrorists.
3. Army Radio's Left-Wing Agenda
Last week, popular broadcaster Dudu Alharar accused Army Radio (Galei Tzahal) of left-wing extremism, and this week, writer Chanie Luz - founder of the Tadmit media watchdog organization of the Land of Israel Legal Forum - brings proof.
Alharar, who is also a musician, actor and producer, was fired from his long-time Army Radio show last month; most observers agree that it was because of the right-wing views he presented. Alharar responded by saying, "This is political persecution and a silencing of mouths... It is perfectly obvious that Army Radio is a left-wing station, which will just continue to destroy the country."
More recently, he said that Army Radio is a "greenhouse for the left-wing."
'Wants to Balance All of Israel Media'
In response, Army Radio director Yitzchak Tunik, who fired Alharar, all but admitted the reason for the firing. Noting for the record that the show ran for an entire year under his command, Tunik said, "Alharar sees his mission in life as balancing not only the shows on Army Radio, but all of the broadcasters in Israeli media." 
Luz: "De-humanization creates demonization, and this sums up Barkai's work with regard to the settlers [Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria]."
Luz Takes on Razi Barkai
This week, veteran media analyst Chanie Luz documents how Army Radio's Razi Barkai - one of Israel's most listened-to talk show hosts - slants his program to promote what she calls his anti-settler, left-wing agenda.
In an article for the Omedia Hebrew-language website, Luz writes, "Barkai adjusts the flames of Israeli media, raising the flames (against settlers) at will, and lowering them (against the Arab sector) at will."
"How does a media personality create identification with a subject?" Luz asks. "By bringing a personal story and intensifying its pain and emotion. How is a lack of identification created? By impersonalizing the issue, by generalizing and applying negative group labels, by not allotting air-time, and by blowing up marginal incidents. De-humanization creates demonization, and this sums up Barkai's work with regard to the settlers [Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria]."
Luz provides three recent examples: Barkai's coverage of last month's terrorist attacks in Yitzhar and the Jews' reactions; the destruction of the Federmans' home in Kiryat Arba this week; and anti-Israel marches by Arabs in Jaffa and the Galilee earlier this year.
In the first case, Luz notes that Barkai's show dedicated no more than a half-minute to the voice of Elisheva Federman, who experienced the brunt of what some have called a pogrom in her home by Israeli security forces. Neither was the condemnation by the local mayor - an elected official - of the farm's destruction heard on Barkai's show.
On the other hand, the voice of the Kiryat Arba man who cursed the soldiers who perpetrated the act was broadcast repeatedly, with emphasis provided by Barkai. The show host spoke derisively of "the settlers" - a population of close to 300,000 people - several times.
Terror Attack - No; Jewish Reaction - Yes
Luz also cites Barkai's coverage of the events in Yitzhar. A few weeks earlier, early on Sabbath morning, a Palestinian Authority terrorist entered the Jewish town of Yitzhar in Samaria, attempted to stab and hurl a Jewish boy to his death, and burnt down a house. Local Jews responded by descending on the nearby Arab town where the terrorist had escaped, and they threw rocks and shot in the air.
The next morning, Barkai interviewed no one from Yitzhar or from the boy's family, but he did ask Yesha Council Danny Dayan some questions. When Dayan tried to speak about the terrorist attack, Barkai said, "There is no need to discuss that, it has already been reported." Dayan talked about it anyway, but Barkai finally interrupted and said again that it need not be elaborated upon.
This was after Barkai devoted nearly three minutes of air-time to a friendly chat on the issue with Gen. (res.) Shlomo Gazit, who once revealed his feelings about religious-nationalists when he said that skullcaps on IDF soldiers remind him of swastikas.
A week later in Yitzhar, the same terrorist attempted once again to infiltrate the town; this time, soldiers shot and killed him. Barkai did not even mention the item. "He certainly did not bring in any army experts to explain how it happened that an attempted murderer was allowed to run free for a week until he succeeded in reaching the scene of his crime for a second try," Luz laments.
"Barkai can claim that this is part of his agenda against threats and violence," Luz writes. "But what happens when it's Arabs who are threatening Jews? Oh, that's different."
Six months ago, Israeli-Arabs marched in the Galilee, waving PLO flags and chanting, "We want a terrorist attack." They also marched in Jaffa, with Peace Now members, calling out the Arab slogan, "In spirit and blood we will redeem you, Jaffa!"
"Following those incidents," Luz notes, "Barkai acted to put down the flames of incitement. He did not broadcast the calls of incitement again and again, and did not incite listeners against the Arab public, but rather worked to lower the flames. In an interview with two members of an Israeli-Arab co-existence organization, the 'isolated' and 'separatist' nature of the incitement was emphasized, and everyone spoke of peace and appeasement. When he wants, he incites, and when he wants, he appeases; this is not journalism, but rather the promotion of an agenda."
Army Radio is a Left-Wing Occupied Station
"It is time to tell the truth," Luz concludes. "Army Radio is an occupied [conquered] radio station. Strongly left-wing personalities, headed by Razi Barkai, have taken over key positions there, and they are leading a campaign of smearing and de-legitimizing the Jewish settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria... If Army Radio wants to be considered a free and democratic radio station, it must institute immediate balance and employ talk show hosts with clear right-wing stances to offset Barkai and his colleagues."
4. More Arab Traffic Victims
The Or Yarok (Green Light) Traffic Safety Association has released statistics showing that Arabs have nearly twice as many traffic fatalities and injuries as do Jews, proportionately.
Though the Arab sector comprises 20% of the total populace, the percentage of Arab traffic fatalities is approximately 36% - and the seriously wounded are some 40%.
Since the beginning of 2008, 13 children under the age of 4 have been killed in car accidents - among them 11 Arabs.
In towns with between 2,000 and 20,000 people, the difference between Arabs and Jews is very notable: Some 591,000 Jews live in these towns, with one traffic fatality, while 577,000 Arabs live in similar towns, with 15 deaths - including seven child pedestrians.
In two Arab towns - Yarcha and Jadida-Machar - a full 7% of the drivers were involved in traffic accidents.
Among the reasons cited for the disparity between the Arab and Jewish sectors: Dangerous driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, non-use of seatbelts, speeding, unsafe vehicles, unsafe pedestrian behavior, and low-level infrastructures.
Or Yarok is holding a day-long seminar today, Tuesday, dedicated to traffic saftey in the Arab sector. It is taking place at the Golden Crown Hotel in Nazareth, with the participation of Culture Minister Raleb Majadele, Nazareth Mayor Ramez Jerasi, and Or Yarok Chairman Avi Naor.
The Or Yarok association was founded in 1997 to "wage an uncompromising struggle against traffic accidents and emphasize the importance of community involvement in the struggle." The declared goal of the association is to decrease the number of casualties in traffic accidents and to affect a change in Israel's driving culture.
5. Stocks Go Lower and Lower
Stock market prices in Tel Aviv sank on Tuesday to lows that have not been seen for up to three years, and some indices reach all-time bottoms. However, a dramatic rise in
The crash in the market, which has seen prices fall through the basement floor, has cost Israelis billions of dollars, and not just on paper. The public withdrew nearly one billion dollars from large equity and bond funds, according to Globes. More than $2 billion has been withdrawn since the beginning of the year.
Mutual fund assets in September were down by nearly $2 billion, while the value of shares on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) plummeted by billions more the past several months.
The unprecedented downhill snowball follows the financial crisis that began in the
However, prices continued to sink, leaving the bargain basement buyers underground while those on the sidelines waited for a twice and thrice-in-a lifetime opportunity.
Before Wednesday morning's upward trend in Tel Aviv, the indices for real estate and technology stocks had hit all-time lows.
On the plus side, the shekel-dollar rate continued to drop and now is trading around the 3.74 level after reaching 3.90 last week.
The cheaper dollar and the continuing drop in crude oil prices may allow next month's price at the pump to fall by nearly 15 percent. However, the expected cut in the government-regulated price ceiling of benzene gasoline still does not reflect a sharper reduction in the cost of crude oil.
6. Obsession Producer Interviewed
Wayne Kopping, the producer of "Obsession," explains why he made the film about radical Muslim ideology and then distributed it as an insert to American newspapers. A follow-up film, "The Third Jihad," will expose the infiltration of jihadists into Western culture.
[video:123555]
Can't see player? Click here for interview with Producer of Obsession
7. Hamas Cements War Tunnels
The de facto Hamas government in
The government allowed cement to cross into Gaza after Hamas reduced the number of rocket attacks on
Hamas's underground city copies the system used by Hizbullah in the Second Lebanon War against
Many of the tunnels are filled with explosives that can be detonated by remote control devices and cause the collapse of roads over which IDF convoys might use.
Hundreds of Katyusha and Kassam rocket launchers also have been placed underground, safe from aerial attack, the Hebrew newspaper Ma'ariv reported.
Arab and Western media published dozens of articles earlier this year, blaming the Israeli "siege" on
8. Soldiers Were Tricked
How did it happen that yeshiva students in the Givati Brigade took part in the military operation to destroy the Federman-Tor farm and homes three nights ago? Very simple: Senior security commanders lied to them and told them they were participating in a mission to help catch a terrorist.
Ro'i Sharon, reporter for the Maariv daily newspaper, revealed that it was feared that the young soldiers would refuse to take part in the mission if they knew it was not military but rather one of destroying Jewish homes.
"This creates mistrust between echelons in the military framework, and is liable to cost human life. In the next security incident, the residents won't believe the security forces, and the soldiers won't believe their commanders."
A member of Hevron's emergency alert team, which generally works closely with the army, was quoted as saying: "This creates mistrust between echelons in the military framework, and is liable to cost human life. In the next security incident, the residents won't believe the security forces, and the soldiers won't believe their commanders."
"It is sad that for the purpose of destroying two Jewish homes, they cause such harm to the delicate security relations here," the man said.
Border Guard officials confirmed that the soldiers had been tricked. "The sensitivity of the incident required us to maintain high secrecy," a Border Guard source told Maariv.
The incident in question was the bulldozing of two Jewish homes in Kiryat Arba in the middle of the night, in which the occupants of the two buildings were given five and zero minutes, respectively, to get dressed and pack some belongings.
The forces arrived in three rings: Special black-uniformed Yassam policemen in the inner ring, doing the actual destruction, including breaking windows, hitting the occupants (at least one woman and some children), throwing and trampling books and clothing, and bulldozing the buildings; policemen to protect them and ensure that Jewish neighbors not come close; and soldiers at street intersections to prevent Jews from entering the area.
The soldiers were some 40 yeshiva hesder soldiers whose job it was to man the entrances to the area. They told residents who wished to enter the area to fight the destruction that a terrorist had been sighted in the area. In some cases, they had to fight with Jews who tried to enter despite the warnings.
Thanks to the soldiers' work, the Federman and Tor homes were practically empty of Jews, and their destruction proceeded without interruption.
One soldier told reporter Sharon afterwards, "I still cannot believe that I had a part in this eviction. I am a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces, not a policeman, and there is no reason that they should take me on missions that have nothing to do with protecting Jews. I almost cried when I found out."
Though the Border Guard confirmed the deception, the IDF claimed that a terrorist had in fact been sighted near the Machpelah Cave, some three kilometers away. Hevron's Jews said they received no word of any such incident.
Brief Description of the Violent Eviction and Razing
The destruction, as described by Hevron spokesman David Wilder, happened like this:
"The troops broke the home's windows and climbed in through them. They quickly made their way to the children's bedrooms where they shook awake the kids, dragged them from their beds, beating some of them, and forcefully expelling them from their home, still in pajamas. Some of the kids went via the door; others via the window... Once everyone was out, the bulldozer started plowing down the houses and other structures on the property. It didn't take too much time, as the families were not allowed to remove any of their belongings. Down came the houses, on top of everything that was inside."
Noam Federman, owner of one of the two homes flattened by the police forces, told IsraelNationalNews on Wednesday morning, "The rebuilding is continuing. The army arrived with a small force last night and tried to close off the area with concrete blocks, but they did not succeed... Right now there are dozens of people continuing to work on clearing the spot and rebuilding - if only to have some shelter for the chickens, horses and other animals of our farm. Interesting, I didn't hear anyone from the Animal Rights Society protesting or offering to help..."
"We, too, are fortunate that only 'bricks and stones' were damaged - and with G-d's help we will rebuild them!"
"We are now collecting money for several projects: To rebuild something in which a family can live, to replace the equipment that was wantonly destroyed, and to help us live day-to-day; even the money that we had in our home has not been found as of yet..."
Federman has successfully sued the police on several occasions for their harrassment of him. He said that in this case, there was a legal order for the home's destruction, "but not with all the property in it, and not to purposefully destroy our computer, refrigerator, washing machine, cameras, and the like. I plan to sue the police for that, when the time comes."
"But all in all, we are fortunate that none of us were hurt; we are all healthy and whole. I feel like King David, who was told that he could not construct the Holy Temple - but the reason was not, as many people think, because he had killed in war, but because he had been so successful in war that G-d said that a Holy Temple built by him would be invincible, and that if G-d had to punish Israel, He would have to harm the Jews themselves. Instead, the Holy Temple was built by someone else, and when it came time for punishment, the Temple itself was destroyed, while the Jewish People themselves were left relatively safe. We, too, are fortunate that only 'bricks and stones' were damaged - and with G-d's help we will rebuild them!"
See photos of the destruction here and a video here.
View an interview with 12-year-old Oved Federman and with his mother Elisheva, both in Hebrew, at
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