Zio-Watch News Round-up

Dr. Patrick Slattery’s News Roundup, November 4, 2014

ZIO-WATCH-LOGO


From the Jewish Telegrapic Agency

Study analyzing ethnicity of Russia’s wealthiest ripped for singling out Jews

(JTA) — A member of Russia’s Human Rights Council slammed a news website that said that nearly a quarter of Russia’s top billionaires are Jews.

Nikolai Svanidze of the council, a Kremlin-affiliated body with no executive powers, made the condemnation last week against Lenta.ru, which analyzed according to faith and ethnicity the Forbes list for 2014 of people the magazine identified as Russia’s wealthiest.

The Lenta.ru study claimed that 48 of the 200 richest Russians were Jews who own a total capital of $122.3 billion. Ukrainians also owned an outsized share of Russia’s private capital, the publication claimed.
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From the Independent

Auf wiedersehen, Britain: ‘Merkel ready to cast UK adrift’ over quotas on migrant workers

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has warned David Cameron she would be prepared to see Britain leave the EU rather than give in to his demands for new quotas on migrant workers coming to the UK.

Ms Merkel is understood to have told the Prime Minister he is approaching a “point of no return” where his demands for changes in Britain’s relationship with the EU are not acceptable to Germany.

Her comments come ahead of a key speech, currently being worked on in Downing Street, in which Mr Cameron will spell out his plans for EU Labour market reform as part of his proposed renegotiation of Britain’s membership.

Last month Downing Street sources suggested that the Prime Minister was looking at a system to control EU migration by capping the national insurance numbers issued to foreign workers.

But the out-going President of the European Commission suggested that such a proposal would be incompatible with the principle of freedom of movement which was an “essential” part of the union. This is a sentiment shared by Ms Merkel.

Der Spiegel cited sources in Berlin saying that if Mr Cameron insisted on limiting the number of immigrants from other EU states, “there will be no going back”. It quoted the sources as saying: “Should Cameron persist [in this plan], Chancellor Angela Merkel would abandon her efforts to keep Britain in the EU. With that a point of no return would be reached. That would be it then.”

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From the Independent

How did Islamists receive American weapons? See the evidence from guided missile that exploded near Syrian front line

Robert Fisk

Robert Fisk is a multiple award-winning journalist on the Middle East, based in Beirut.

Syria’s special forces troops are strung out across a pinnacle of hills here just north east of Lattakia on one of the country’s most dangerous front lines, under daily missile attack from reinforced rebel forces now supported by Isis.

The officers, all of whom are paratroopers, speak of new tactics and upgraded weapons used against them since Isis seized the Iraqi city of Mosul – and some of the radio traffic they listen to from their enemy is in the Chechen or Georgian languages.

Intelligence reports speak of a unification of various rebel factions calling themselves the “Legion of the Coast”, a clear sign that the Isis-inspired rebels – including Isis supporters themselves – intend to strike westwards towards the Mediterranean, scarcely eight miles away.

It’s fair bet that a big battle is shaping up in these pine-covered mountains.

The soldiers themselves talk of the thermal heat-seeking missiles fired at them with detailed knowledge, and agree that the mixture of Islamist groups above and to the east of them are carrying out daily probing attacks to test their defences.

Intriguingly, their surveillance patrols are returning at dawn to report the sound of unidentified night-time aircraft flying into Syrian airspace from Turkey and then east, deep into Syria.

This began around 20 days ago. They do not know if the machines – drones or aircraft – are American and they have heard no airstrikes day or night. But their officers talk of the new TOW anti-armour weapons that have appeared in rebel hands.

One officer showed me an Islamist website videotape of rebels firing a heat-seeking rocket at his own encampment just to the north of here at Qastel Ma’af. The missile can be seen exploding but in fact disintegrated against concrete revetments around a tank.

But when a corporal dragged a sack load of missile parts into a room in this Syrian hill-top fortress, it contained some fascinating evidence of the rebel armoury. Most missiles fragment into thousands of pieces on detonation but just over a month ago – on 26 September – a guided missile exploded deep beneath sand and earth and the fragments clearly show the name of its American arms manufacturer, circuit boards and the coding of the weapon.

Part of the missile identifies the “Eagle-Piche IND (Indiana) INC.” company as the manufacturer and says, in English, that it is “helium charged”, adding – rather ironically as it turns out — the words: “CAUTION — CONTAINS 6400 PSIG He (high explosive), FEDERAL LAW FORBIDS TRANSPORATION IF REFILLED — PENALTY UP TO $25,000 AND FIVE YEARS IMPRISONMENT (49 USC 1809). The Syrians do not know how this weapon – which appears to have been manufactured as long ago as 1989 – made its way from the US to the hands of their country’s Islamist rebels – but it would not be difficult for the Americans to find out. Its full computer coding reads: DOT-E7694 NRC6400/11109/M1033 79294 ASSY 39317 MFR 54080.

A battery tube from another missile fired on the fourth of last month carries an inscription indented in the metal: “132964 Battery thermal MFG DATE 12/90 LOT No (indecipherable numeral then 912 S/N 005959.”

These codes should make it easy for the Americans to identify the purchaser – or receiver – of the weapon, if they choose to do so.

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From PressTV

Israel approves construction of 500 new settler units

This file photo shows a general view of Israel’s Ramat Shlomo illegal settlement in East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
Mon Nov 3, 2014 6:17PM

An Israeli activist group says the Tel Aviv regime has approved the construction of 500 new illegal settler units in East al-Quds (Jerusalem), despite mounting international criticism of its expansionist policies.

Peace Now said the Israeli Interior Ministry gave the go-ahead on Monday for the new housing units to be built in Ramat Shlomo settlement.

“The…decision on the 500 homes in the Ramat Shlomo settlement comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement last week that he would accelerate construction in east Jerusalem (al-Quds),” Peace Now spokeswoman, Hagit Ofran, said, adding, “The decision to move forward in Ramat Shlomo is irresponsible.”

On October 27, Israel approved plans for the construction of 1,060 new settler units in East al-Quds.
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From the Jewish Telegrapic Agency

Loyola U. Chicago sanctions Hillel, Students for Justice in Palestine

(JTA) — Loyola University Chicago has determined that the campus chapters of both Hillel and Students for Justice in Palestine violated university rules.

A board of Loyola administrators ruled Friday that both organizations had broken the rules in a campusincident on Sept. 9, an announcement issued by the university said.

In the incident, members of Students for Justice in Palestine attempted to block and protest a table set up by Hillel to promote Taglit-Birthright Israel trips. Consequently, the Loyola Chicago SJP chapter was temporarily suspended. It has been reinstated.
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From PressTV

US not responsible for Iraq gains against ISIL: Abadi

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi
Tue Nov 4, 2014 12:41AM

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says the recent military gains against the ISIL Takfiri militants have been achieved by Iraqi forces and not through US airstrikes. 

Al-Abadi made the comments on Monday while visiting the holy city of Karbala, where millions of Shia Muslims gathered to mourn the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (PBUH), the third Shia Imam.

The Iraqi premier said the recent gains were made thanks to the effective coordination between security and intelligence forces, the air force, and volunteer fighters.

“The number of volunteers in the armed forces has reached more than a million fighters. We can only integrate a small number of them within the army brigades,” he said, adding, “Many Iraqis are still willing to join the number of volunteer fighters, especially among youth.”

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From PressTV

Turks see Israel as most hated regime: Poll

A group of pro-government civil servants shout slogans as they take part in a protest against Israel

A group of pro-government civil servants shout slogans as they take part in a protest against Israel’s military operations in Gaza near the US embassy in Ankara, on July 25, 2014.
Mon Nov 3, 2014 6:12PM

A new opinion survey in Turkey has revealed that Turkish people consider Israel as the most hated regime in the world.

The poll conducted by Pew Research Center shows that 86 percent of Turks have an unfavorable opinion about Israel and only two percent of them view the regime positively.

Relations between Turkey and Israel began to deteriorate after the Israeli military attacked the Gaza-bound relief aid convoy Freedom Flotilla in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea in May 2010, killing nine Turkish citizens onboard the Turkish-flagged M.V. Mavi Marmara and injuring at least 50 other activist that were part of the team on the six-ship convoy.

In September 2011, Turkey suspended all its military ties with Israel and expelled Israel’s envoy from Ankara over Tel Aviv’s refusal to apologize for the deadly attack against Mavi Marmara.
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From PressTV

Israel closure of Gaza crossings violates truce: Hamas

The file photo shows Palestinians walking past trucks at the Kerem Shalom crossing.

The file photo shows Palestinians walking past trucks at the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Mon Nov 3, 2014 9:44AM

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has slammed the Israeli regime for closing Gaza’s border crossings, saying such a move violates the terms of an Egyptian-brokered truce deal between the two sides.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Moussa Abu Marzooq, a senior Hamas official, said the recent closure of Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings is irresponsible and “totally rejected.”

“Imposing these measures…is a clear violation of what has been agreed upon” under the ceasefire deal that put an end to Tel Aviv’s 50-day war on the blockaded Gaza Strip in August, Abu Marzooq said, stressing the move breaches international law.

On Sunday, the Israeli military shut down the two Tel Aviv-controlled border crossings after the alleged firing of a rocket from the blockaded Gaza Strip towards the occupied Palestinian territories.
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From Haaretz

White House may view inaugural Israeli-American convention as anti-Obama victory party

If Democrats are crushed on Tuesday, it would be inhuman to expect Mitt Romney to refrain from some gloating and Schadenfreude at groundbreaking meeting of expat Israelis

The first ever Israeli-American Conference is slated to convene on Friday in Washington under the headline “The Israeli-American Community: A Strategic Asset for the Future.” The conference, organized by the Israeli American Council (IAC) will be attended by senior Israeli representatives, including the ambassadors to the U.S. and UN as well as Minister Gilad Erdan and Labor Party leader Yitzhak Herzog.

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