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The Scroll

Daybreak: New Terror Front, Eilat Attacked

Plus Iran doesn’t want talking in Turkey, and more in the news

By Marc Tracy|April 5, 2012 9:15 AM|3comments
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Building Israel's fence on the southern border with Sinai.(Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images)

• In a highlight of how the Sinai has become a terrorist launching pad, a Grad rocket was fired at the southern resort town of Eilat. [Haaretz]

• Iran doesn’t want next week’s talks in Turkey. It would prefer to make no progress in Iraq or China. [NYT]

• Meanwhile, Turkey’s government summoned the Iranian ambassador, ostensibly over the foreign minister’s remark criticizing the Friends of Syria conference, but also over this. [Yahoo! The Envoy]

• There is evidence that Iran has attempted to foment anti-American feeling and perhaps violence in Afghanistan, throwing into question where else Iran can (or can’t) use its elite forces to cause trouble for U.S. interests. [NYT]

• Prime Minister Netanyahu on the economy: “if you deduct the Arabs and ultra-Orthodox from inequality indexes, we’re in great shape.” Ha? [Haaretz]

• At a public event at Harvard, Peter Beinart criticized Taglit-Birthright for not showing American Jews the Palestinian perspective (or the Palestinians, for that matter), prompting a heated back-and-forth with his interlocutor, Boston’s Federation president. [JTA]
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  • eli

    Taglit-Birthright is designed to connect Jews with Judaism and the Jews of Israel.

    Beinart’s agenda seems to be to connect Jews with the Palestinian agenda – that seems very clear; he should create his own foundation and raise his funds to do that.

  • Hershel (Heshy) Ginsburg

    “if you deduct the Arabs and ultra-Orthodox from inequality indexes, we’re in great shape”

    Allow me to explain: In most Israeli families outside the Hareidim & Arabs both spouses work, at least part time.

    Among the Hareidim & Arabs for pseudo-religious (Hareidi men) or cultural (Arab women) reasons there is a far greater tendency for only one spouse to work, and among the Hareidim, if even that. Of necessity that sort of non-work ethic will produce more poverty.

    There are efforts now to change this non-work ethic and these are slowly beginning to bear fruit, especially in the Hareidi world. An open secret though among those who deal with Hareidi employment is discrimination by the secular elite. Hareidim who apply for jobs, especially white collar professional types, are far more likely to be turned down than a non-Hareidi with the same credentials.

    A similar problem exists for Arab men although to a lesser degree. It’s not P.C. to discriminate against Arabs but it’s okay to discriminate against Hareidim.

    hg

    J’lem / Efrata

  • Hershel (Heshy) Ginsburg

    Beinart & Birthright

    Gazillions of “progressive” groups (especially from mainline Protestant churches & also university groups) from North America & Europe visit the P.A. every year on tours organized by P.A. tour & travel agencies & led by very carefully vetted tour guides. They don’t exactly explain the Israeli perspective. They **MIGHT** schedule a short, 1-2 hour visit (out of 10 days to 2 weeks or more of touring) to a “settlement” to have a Q&A session with a few residents (I have participated in many of these, and it’s quite an experience) but they are told in advance that of course the “settlers” are liars and not to believe them. If they do meet with other Israelis, especially Israeli NGOs, invariably they are from the far left & beyond.

    When the Pals start including a REAL Israeli perspective (as opposed to Beinart-style distortions) in their tours, in equal proportion to the Pal perspective, then I’ll worry about the Birthright itinerary.

    hg
    J’elm / Efrata

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Daybreak: New Terror Front, Eilat Attacked

Plus Iran doesn’t want talking in Turkey, and more in the news

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