Western Wall: 'That Was Then, This Is Now' (exclusive photography)

"That Was The, This Is Now"
(Photo: Dave Bender, All Rights Reserved)

Cool - More Israeli Stuff to Boycott!

Remember the swallowable, diagnostic "PillCam?" Well, now Tel Aviv University's developing a similar, remotely-guided device that can perform surgery. From the inside of your body. Yes, like in 1969's Fantastic Voyage.






But without a tiny Donald Pleasance swimming through your guts. Ewwwww.

"We have completed building a prototype of a tiny and very sophisticated endoscopic capsule," according to Dr. Gabor Kosa, of TAU's School of Biomedical Engineering, who said the device precludes invasive surgery or a lengthy recovery period after the procedure.
The pill might also be able to be used in delicate brain surgery.

“The idea is that, during brain surgery, the tiny device could be inserted via a cannula (a narrow tube), and released. It would then make its way to the chosen lobe in the brain – something that was previously impossible,” Kosa told the Ma'ariv daily on Sunday.

Run the page through Google Translate for the rest.

B.D.S.* this, bitches: http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/317/633.html?hp=1&cat=402&loc=4

(*Boycott. Divest. Sanction. = a malevolent international movement to demonize and destroy Israel)

Sunset Serenade

Sunset Serenade, a photo by Dave Bender on Flickr.

'Jerusalem Sunset Serenade'
Dave Bender (all rights reserved)

Winter sunset falls over Jerusalem, bracketed by the International Convention Center and the supporting spar of the "Bridge of Chords" for the light rail system.

Jerusalem Police: The Real Story

I took a “ride-along” with Israel Police patrolman Hadi Hassan out on the beat on an average day in Jerusalem, which included a possible terrorist bombing at the central bus station, an attempted suicide in a downtown park, car theft, not to mention maneuvering through all of the above in midday traffic snarls…

Here's The IAEA Report on Iran's Nuke Program

The IAEA's report on Iran's nuke program: http://isis-online.org/uploads/isis-reports/documents/IAEA_Iran_8Nov2011.pdf

In the .pdf doc, hit Cntrl + F, and then enter "G Possible Military Dimensions," for the money quotes.

Awaiting Shalit's Arrival at Israeli Airbase

Standing by at Tel Nof airbase for Shalit's arrival.

The press tent erupted in applause as soon as Shalit was seen on tv. Some reporters are tearing up from the emotional moment.

Immense tension in the air, and among the media and officials here. But there's hot coffee, good sandwiches, and a working Wifi and PA system, so things are good so far... ;-).

An IDF spokesman told me they backed off a premature report that he was already being checked within Israel at an army base. HOWEVER, Bibi, officials and Shalit family are now at Tel Nof:  "I'm glad we've reached this day. You will soon get Gilad back," Netanyahu told Gilad's parents Noam and Aviva.

Bereaved Father of Palestinian Terror Bombing Victim on Shalit Prisoner Swap

Audio: http://soundcloud.com/dave-bender/bereaved-father-of-palestinian

Arnold Roth, the father of 15-year-old Malki, who was killed in a terrorist bombing at a Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem in August, 2001, talks with Dave Bender about the controversial and unprecedented prisoner swap with Hamas. In return for freeing IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who was abducted in the summer of 2006 near Gaza, Israel is releasing Ahlam Tamimi, who was serving 16 life sentences in prison for planning and helping to execute the attack which killed 15 diners and wounded 130. 1,026 other prisoners are also to be freed to return to Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, and abroad, as part of the deal.

 Bereaved Father of Palestinian Terror Bombing Victim on Shalit Prisoner Swap by Dave Bender 

This Just In: Israel Dismantles: World's Problems End

Arabs: Welcome to your new home. Jews: But where do we hang the mezuzas? (Photo: Pria Bender. All Rights Reserved)

Reposting the link to a classic satire (...at least I think it is), since it seems to be even more timely now than when it first came out.

"My cabinet and I had long discussions about world troubles, and we concluded that our critics are right - all the troubles can be traced back to us. So, in order to resolve "We are dismantling the Nation of Israel. I'm leaving for Poland next week."these issues, we felt it would be best to extend our withdrawal beyond Gaza to include the West Bank and Israel proper."

"We are dismantling the Nation of Israel. I'm leaving for Poland next week."

Read the rest: http://betbender.blogspot.com/2006/07/this-just-in-israel-dismantles-worlds_11.html

EXCLUSIVE AUDIO: IDF Tactics Aboard the Mavi Marmara

In the wake of the just-released UN's Palmer report on the Mavi Marmara and rapid deterioration in bilateral relations between Israel and Turkey, you might be interested in hearing an interview I held with an American/Israeli maritime security expert right after the flotilla takeover, in order to get a professional assessment of the Israeli SEAL tactics.

The audio report also includes the voices of the IHH wannabe' martyrs, the IDF warnings, and more. Give it a listen:

Maritime Security Expert on Gaza Flotillas
http://davebrianbender.com/reporting.html

'As-the-Grad-Flies' Distances From Gaza to Israeli Cities

Click to embiggen the the map.

(H-T: Jameel at The Muqata)

Israeli Pols 6 Years Ago: 'There is No Threat of Rockets from the Disengagement'

Just saying. Or better yet, let them say it themselves...

What Israeli Reserve Duty Maneuvers Are Really Like

Author's view from the driver's seat... (Photo: Dave Bender. All Rights Reserved)

I wrote this almost a decade ago, and still think it resonates. Comments (constructive, mind you...) welcome.

"Soaked to the skin despite a two-piece rain slicker, I try to pilot my open, windshield-less jeep through the downpour, stiff winds, and lowering clouds. With helmet and oversized driving goggles, I feel like Snoopy taking on the Red Baron - minus the doghouse.

"A recent call-up notice from my army unit once again invited me to join up with brothers - in - arms for exercises somewhere among the dramatic wadis in the sprawling southern Negev Desert.

"I was asked to drop everything I was doing at the moment, pick up an oily rifle and a heavy tan duffle bag, and spend some quality time practicing for the big one."

Read the rest.

My Kinda' Bloodthirsty Israeli Killing Machine!

At the :25 mark: "No More War. No More Bloodshed" (Quoting late Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin)

"His name is Dror Gomel, he’s 36 years old, has three children, lives in Kibbutz Beit Kama in the Negev, has a degree in special education, and has been drumming since he can remember.

"'I play on anything. Everywhere I go, I immediately start drumming,' says Gomel, and his fellow infantry reservists can testify."

Read the rest here.

Israeli Police Deport Two 'Flightilla' Activists to Greece (exclusive photos)

Two Israeli police officers confer at the arrivals hall of Ben-Gurion International Airport early Friday morning, July 8, 2011. (Photo: Dave Bender, All Rights Reserved)

The Israel Police ratcheted down visible security at Ben-Gurion International Airport a notch overnight Thursday, after Israel gave foreign carriers a blacklist of more than 300 suspected hostile, pro-Palestinian activists headed here on flights.

See the photos and article here:http://www.demotix.com/news/748787/israeli-police-deport-two-flightilla-activists-greece

'Dental Tourism to Israel? Ok, I'll Bite...' (exclusive video)

...in which I report on Tour and Smile, for a CNC Video News feature on sectoral tourism - here, "dental tourism," to Israel:

Come See My Own Lunar Eclipse Shots!

Photos: http://www.davebrianbender.com All Rights Reserved


Photos: http://www.davebrianbender.com All Rights Reserved


Photos: http://www.davebrianbender.com All Rights Reserved


Photos: http://www.davebrianbender.com All Rights Reserved

Israeli FM: Atlanta Student Not Israeli Spy

By Dave Bender

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Tuesday brushed off Egyptian claims that an American-Israeli dual national arrested over the weekend on charges of espionage against Egypt was a spy, or connected to any Israeli intelligence service.

"Grapel has no connection to intelligence apparatus, not in Israel, the U.S., or Mars," Lieberman said in an interview with Army Radio's morning news program, “It's All Talk.”

Speaking with host Razi Barkai, the Foreign Minister said that Ilan Grapel, 27, “had no connection whatsoever with any intelligence service; this is a student who may be a bit odd or irresponsible.”

New York-born Grapel holds Israeli citizenship, and – according to Cairo officials – was visiting Egypt in February during the demonstrations to overthrow the Mubarak government. Grapel's family, however, hotly disputed the contention, saying that he only arrived at the beginning of May.

Read the rest here.

You Say 'Nakba,' I Say 'Naksa;' Let's Call The Whole Thing Off

To all my media colleagues who take issue with my constant critique of our profession, it's because of abysmal coverage of events like "Nakba" and "Naksa" Day. You know, there's good reasons why the public largely thinks we're a bunch of media whores. Here are a few:

Simon Plosker over at Honest Reporting gives a good overview of bad news coverage of the so-called "Naksa Day" events along the frontier between Israel and Syria.

"Once again a flood of headlines present Israel as an aggressor responsible for the deaths of dozens of unarmed civilians. Was this really a peaceful protest or another Syrian-engineered attempt to breach Israel’s border? Where did the media get it right and where did it go wrong?"

Make sure to read the rest:

The following video is a warning issued by an IDF soldier to rioters approaching the Syrian-Israeli border near Majdal Shams, one which I heard broadcast live on the day in question:

Translation to English: "Stop! You are breaching an international border. We warn you not to damage security infrastructure. Whosoever attempts to violate Israel's sovereignty or security infrastructure puts himself in jeopardy. Please return to Syria."

Got that. Good, Now, here's a map of the area in question, courtesy of EoZ, who wonders, "So where was UNDOF on Sunday?":

UNDOF is the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force in Syria. This is its mandate:

• Maintain the ceasefire between Israel and Syria;
• Supervise the disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces; and
• Supervise the areas of separation and limitation, as provided in the May 1974 Agreement on Disengagement.

Here is a map showing its area of operations. I have highlighted Majdal Shams, where the riots were yesterday and on May 15th.

(Click on map to embiggen)

The map shows that the Arab rioters passed through miles of UNDOF areas patrolled by the Austrian contingent of UNDOF.

The entire UNDOF forces consist of around 1200 lightly armed peacekeepers.

So what did they do on Sunday to defuse tensions on the border?

Be sure to read the rest, and maybe you can provide an answer to his questions.

'The Big Lebowski' - live event in Jerusalem

The dude abides, and now, in the holyland:

Movie buffs around the world love the anti-hero of Joel and Ethan Coen's 1998 cult hit The Big Lebowski. The misadventures of the middle-aged early-1990s Los Angeles-based deadbeat, portrayed brilliantly by Jeff Bridges, and a supporting cast of companions and adversaries, has been celebrated around the world via a fan community tradition called the "Lebowski Fest," which has been hosted regularly since 2002 in locales from Kentucky to California.

Now Israel is getting its first Lebowski-styled party to celebrate the cult phenomenon, with the event's entertainment including bowling, white Russians, plenty of Credence tunes over the speakers, a costume contest and yes, a screening of the beloved movie. The party is the brainchild of Jerusalem's Eliyahu Sidikman, who says the Holy City's concentration of Lebowski fans makes holding Israel's first Lebowski Fest here a no-brainer. "There's a large Anglo population - and a lot of Israelis who are very up on it and can even quote you from the movie," he tells GoJerusalem.com.
---

"Let me explain something to you. Um, I am not Mr. Lebowski. You're Mr. Lebowski. I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. You know, that or uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing."

Why, Even Norman Rockwell Drew Mohammed (photo)

The satirical image below is a take on iconic American illustrator Norman Rockwell's self-portrait The issues it raises, however are deadly serious.

May 20 is the first anniversary of Everybody Draw Mohammed Day, which was conceived by Seattle illustrator Molly Norris to champion free speech but became yet another symbol of its curtailment. Professor and commentator Karen Lugo has urged Americans to remember Norris as "inspiration in our cause to never accommodate threats of retaliation for exercising our fundamental liberties."

Everybody Draw Mohammed Day serves as a critical case study of the forces that imperil Americans' ability to speak openly about Islam. Indeed, examination of its full context reveals almost all of the elements that contribute to this anti-freedom trend. In order of their appearance:

• Bloodthirsty Islamism. After the April 14, 2010, episode of South Park parodied self-censorship by depicting Islam's prophet dressed in a bear costume, a radical group known as Revolution Muslim responded with thinly veiled threats cautioning the show's creators that they would "probably wind up like Theo van Gogh," the slain Dutch filmmaker.

• Groveling capitulation. Comedy Central, the network that carries South Park, quickly proved the show's point. It censored the follow-up episode by placing black boxes over images of Muhammad and bleeping utterances of his name.

• Islamist obfuscation. Ibrahim Hooper of CAIR played the conspiracy-to-defame-Islam card with respect to Revolution Muslim, opining that "most Muslims suspect they were set up only to make Muslims look bad." (So "phony" are these Islamists that the author of the aforementioned threats later pleaded guilty to attempting to join the jihad in Somalia.)

• Fear and hesitancy. Dismayed by Comedy Central's actions, Norris created a poster, with anthropomorphic household items claiming to be true likenesses of Muhammad, to advertise a fictional event in which everyone would sketch him on May 20 to "water down the pool of targets." When the idea went viral, Norris got spooked and distanced herself from her own art, but countless websites followed through on the concept.

• Government and media fecklessness. Soon after cleric Anwar al-Awlaki placed Norris on an assassination list, Seattle Weekly reported in September that "there is no more Molly" because an FBI warning had prompted her to leave her job and go into hiding — "without the government picking up the tab" for her protection. So much for defending free speech. Equally alarming, most mainstream media organs expressed little outrage over the plight of Norris, preferring instead to drop the issue down the memory hole.

In short, the events surrounding Everybody Draw Mohammed Day are a microcosm of how freedom slowly dies. Only by familiarizing ourselves with this process and comprehending its impact on real human beings can we gather the intellectual and moral resources necessary to keep others — and ultimately Western civilization itself — from sharing this cartoonist's unhappy fate. That is precisely why we must remember Molly Norris, today and every day.

Netanyahu, Obama at the White House: talking the 'talk'

Tel Aviv: 'Tower of Power' (photo)

'Tower of Power' Tel Aviv. (Photo: Dave Bender, All Rights reserved)

Breaking: 'Jew-On-Jew' Violence Rampant at Israel's 63rd Independence Day Events (photos series)

Tomorrow's NYT Headline: ' Uncontrolled Jewish Mobs go Wilding in the Streets of Jerusalem'


Oh, the humanity!


Even the elderly are not immune to the Zionist Hammers of Justice.


And yeah, well, payback's a bitch, ain't it?


Two young toughs out looking for a rumble.


Beating some Zionist sense into each other.


Snow far - snow good...


A late winter's frost. (I know - I totally slay with the funny, don't I?)

Happy Yom Ha'atzmaut!

63 Utterly Boring, Stupid, Absurd and Ugly Things About Israel

Ok, I lied: Benji Lovitt rips both humor and aliya a new one for Israel's 63 Independence Day:

Soon after making aliya 5 years ago, American immigrant Benji Lovitt began compiling slightly warped, but endearing aspects of what he loves about his adopted country. Here is his fourth annual list.

7 I love that you can talk to a complete stranger for five minutes, ask if his sister is single, and not get punched in the face.

8 I love how you can talk on a first date about how many kids you want to send to the army.

9 I love that during the summer, you could hike 40 kilometers underground and somehow still end up at an ice cream truck.

10 I love that I contacted Pelephone via Twitter, and within 24 hours, they had arranged for Ori, the customer service guy, to come to my house to pitch me their deal. (By the way, if you’re ever entering a hotel for a Twitter event and security asks you what you’re there for, just lie. Nothing sounds dorkier than “Tweet-up.”)

Do read the rest.

Original nature photos from Israel: 'Dawn of the Dead (Sea)'

Dawn of the Dead (Sea), a photo by Dave Bender on Flickr.

The sun peeks over the hills of Jordan, as seen from atop a rescue raft across the Dead Sea in Israel. Click the link to see the rest of the original nature series (and other) photos on my Flickr page.

Comments and critique are welcome.

Life On Mars (Israel nature photography)

Life On Mars, a photo by Dave Bender on Flickr.

Hotels along the edge of the the Dead Sea on the Israel - Jordanian border - the lowest point on Earth.

The water, sky and stark mountain backdrop prompted me to try for an alien, otherworldly mood on P'shop post-editing. All Rights Reserved.

'Flying Through A Dream' (original Israel nature photography)

Remnants of a salt-encrusted art installation along the edge of the the Dead Sea on the Israeli-Jordanian border, the lowest point on Earth. The water, sky and stark mountain backdrop prompted me to try for an alien, otherworldly mood in P'shop post-editing. Click the image or link for more photos.

Flying Through A Dream, a photo by Dave Bender on Flickr. All Rights Reserved.

The underwater salt reminded me of a cirrus-like cloudy sky, and the art installation object itself looked like a raft or a bed in a dream, rising off utterly still waters. So, flipping the photo helped give it a dreamlike unreality.

Click the image or link for more photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davebender/5641066504/

Jerusalem: Old City (Photo)

Jerusalem Alleyway: Old City
(Dave Bender: All Rights Reserved)

Hamas Now Using Dead 'Human Shields'

An Israeli Air Force drone filmed Hamas rocket crews firing missiles at Israeli territory from a graveyard somewhere in Gaza over the weekend.


Israeli Air Force pilots may actually appreciate this helpful gesture, which, a) simplifies heat-signature targeting (since the terrorists and rocket launcher are the only things there that are above ambient temperature - temporarily), and, b) greatly expedites the burial procedure of said rocketeers.

A tad militant of me, I know. Deal.

Exodus: The Social Network Version (video)

Aish.com brings the funny with a spoof on The Biblical Exodus from Egypt by the Children of Israel:

''A View With A Room' Along The Ancient 'Spice Trail' (photo)

'A View With A Room' (Dave Bender, All Rights Reserved)

I shot this recently at the ancient Avdat archaeology site, south of Beersheba, Israel where archaeologists believe thousands of Nabateans operated and lived in a thriving community that served as a winery for nearby vinyards, and a "caravanseri" waystation for traders along the ancient "Spice Trail," route from Saudi Arabia and Yemen to ports along the Mediterranean coastline, among them Gaza. I tweaked the image with a Photoshop action called "Pop Ice." (Google it)

'More Koreans Than Israelis Own a Talmud'

A fascinating, almost unbelievable story.

In South Korea there are close to 49 million residents, and they all learnGemara in school (www.ynet.co.il). “We tried to understand why the Jews are such geniuses and we concluded that (it is because) they study Talmud,” explained South Korea’s ambassador to Israel.

Korean Talmud (Photo courtesy of the Embassy of South Korea to Israel)

In a week of renewed terror including a bomb in Jerusalem (with 1 dead, 39 wounded, some still in critical condition) and the returning shelling to the south of Israel (with rockets now reaching the outskirts of Be’er Sheva and Ashdod), as well as a joyous announcement about the Elitzur Ramle basketball team taking the women’s EuroCup final, what’s the big deal about learning Talmud in South Korea?

“We were curious how come the Jews are so successful academically and have a much higher percentage of Nobel Prize winners in all fields… what is their secret?… one of your secrets is studying Talmud,” continued ambassador Young-Sam-Ma. There might be now more (translated) Talmud volumes in South Korean homes than in Israel! In his appearance on Israeli TV he spoke about shared values between the Jewish people and the Koreans such as the place of the family, respect for elders, education and culture. He was impressed with the fact that even in a small kibbutz there is a cultural center with on-going cultural activities.

Read the rest.

American - Israeli Blooz-Rocker Rocks Israeli Army Radio

Lazer Lloyd, a veteran blues-rock guitarist and American immigrant to Israel was recently featured in a live segment aired in Israel Army Radio, "Galatz" (Army Waves).

He and the midday live music show host, Yoav Kutner (himself a veteran local radio host and music maven), are chatting in Hebrew about Lloyd's background, musical influences and the fact that he's a devout Jew, succeeding in what secular Israelis often view that their own "cultural turf."

A bit ragged and out of tune, but what. ever. In any case, good stuff. (Thanks Sandy)

Here's Lloyd from a show at a local venue:


Added bonus: the commercial for a local bank's online services is fun, too...

Israel First to Set Up Field Hospital in Japan

Israeli Defense Forces performing Haiti II? Well, let's hope that whatever they can do will succeed in providing a measure of aid and relief to the Japanese people, enduring such horrible, cataclysmic disasters.

“I don’t know how or why it is that our field hospital is the first,” the ambassador said. “Maybe we moved faster. Maybe it’s because of our experience.”

Read the rest.

Interest Free Loan Funds: A Tale Of Two Families, Two Countries

Collection boxes in a Jerusalem neighborhood for canned good the be distributed to the needy. (Dave Bender: All Rights Reserved)

"While, on the face of it, Atlanta, Ga. and Jerusalem, Israel may not seem to have much in common, one thing both cities unfortunately do share is the growing burden of a tough economy since the onset of the international monetary free-fall in 2007.

"In both countries, hundreds of thousands of people have lost jobs and businesses, with many falling through the cracks in a daily struggle to pay for food, rent, bills, and then the interest on credit cards and bank overdrafts.

“'I had a company, and I grew and grew and grew, but eventually the economy slapped me in the face,'" one Jewish Atlanta-area businesswoman, who requested anonymity, told AJN.

"After seeing her firm lose client after client as the hospitality industry her business served laid off thousands of employees, she finally had no choice but to close down more than a year ago."

Read the rest.

Israeli Newspaper Halts Online Presence for Abducted Soldier

Screenshot of Ma'ariv Hebrew-language daily: "We're halting operations for the sake of Gilad Shalit."

Hamas terrorists abducted Israeli Defense Forces Cpl. Gilad Shalit from an army lookout along the Israeli side of the border with Gaza Israel five years ago, and have not allowed any visits by the International Red Cross or any other humanitarian organization, in contravention of The Geneva Accords on treatment of military prisoners.

From The Jerusalem Post:

At 11:00 AM on Tuesday morning, people throughout the country stopped, observing five minutes of silence in honor of Gilad Schalit.

Rather than the customary one minute of silence, Ofer Ben Tal, one of the organizers for the campaign to free Gilad Schalit, asked the public to stop for five full minutes, one minute for the nearly five years Schalit has been held in captivity by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

RELATED:
MKs at prison: Big disparity in Schalit, Hamas conditions
PM: I hope Schalit will be released while I'm in office

"Traffic jams were observed throughout Tel Aviv, as cars stopped in the streets in Schalit's honor.

"'For the past five years, the entire nation has been united in its hearts in the hope that Gilad Schalit will be here with us, healthy and whole,' President Shimon Peres said at Tuesday's Negev Conference in Eilat."

More, including video, is here.

Jerusalem: Night Flight (Photo)

'Jerusalem: Night Flight'
(Dave Bender, All Rights Reserved)

Pillar and supporting cables of Jerusalem's Calatrava-designed "Bridge of Chords," that supports a bridge for the city's light rail trams, glow orange against a darkening sunset by dramatic lighting from below.

Israeli Firm to Give Bionic Vision to the Blind

Nano-Retina, founded in 2009, aims to make a science-fiction staple, bionic vision, a la Geordi La Forge in Star Trek, a reality within the next few years.

But they want to go further by building a simpler, smaller, lighter and less invasive device.

Read more.

They Cry 'Apartheid,' While Israel Fast-tracks Arabs Into High-tech

"Bridge of Size" at Tel Aviv's Azrieli office towers. (Dave Bender, All Rights Reserved)

Israel's prowess as the “startup nation” is in no small part due to a relatively small, but well-trained, workforce of engineers and technicians.

However, good intentions and a development plan will get a small company only so far if it does not have sufficient personnel to design and produce the product. Israeli technology employers need substantially more people online and on the cleanroom floor.

Turns out that the call for more, and better-trained high tech personnel dovetails well with an oft-stated, long-term goal of Israeli President Shimon Peres: to better integrate Israel's Arab sector (which makes up over 20 percent of the population) into Israeli society and the Israeli job market.

Read the rest.

Libyan Rebels 'Rock the Casbah' to an Israeli Beat

From The Jerusalem Post:

"Zenga Zenga," a YouTube clip, has gone viral amongst Libyan rebels in the past few days. What many of those opposing Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi don't realize is that the video, a mash-up of Gaddafi's speech and the hip-hop song "Hey Baby," is from Israel.

"The clip shows Gaddafi's speech on a balcony in Tripoli, and uses autotune to turn his words into a song. In the chorus, the Libyan dictator "sings" that he will clean Libya "inch by inch, house by house, room by room, alley by alley." It also features bikin-clad women shaking their hips in time to the music."

Name That Flower, Win Valuable Prizes!

Not too shabby for a cellphoned, P'shopped and chopped foto, eh?

Egypt: Tahrir Sq., democracy, Twitter, Facebook, and Slaughter the Jews

Wait, what? But I thought Tahrir Sq. was all about democracy, Twitter and Facebook, bread and jobs...

...and why is this obscene child abuse lauded throughout the Arab world?

IBM's Watson Computer Explains The Israel-Arab Dispute

(HatTip: EoZ)

Mt. Hermon (photo)

Click on the image for a larger version.

Finally: An Anthem For Israel & Palestine - together (musical video)

It swings, it's got a hook, and by golly, it might just have peace breaking out all over.

Egyptian Revolution Blues (Musical Video)

"Political satire - written while riots were still raging in Cairo, 2011." Sandy Cash

Squeeze Play

Squeeze Play
Originally uploaded by Dave Bender

High school football, now in the Holy Land... (did I mention that my son's the coach of the winning team?)

Walk Like an Egyptian

"Note to Egyptians from present-day Israelites: Don't damage the pyramids, we won't rebuild them for you this time - there are new subcontractors."

UFO Over Temple Mount / Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem? (update)

Ok. Now I'm less stumped according to these guys, who say they've got it figured out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDWfTDn7sI4&feature=related
Comments?

---
Ok, I'm stumped; anybody got any ideas (or explanations) about these three videos, all shot apparently at the same time from different angles, that purportedly show a glowing white orb over the Temple Mount/Dome of the Rock?

"Two witnesses who happened to be at the Armon Hanatziv panoramic lookout over Mount Zion and the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel at 1am [Jan. 28] managed to film what might be one of the most interesting UFO clips ever captured.

"The men notice the large ball shaped UFO suspended in the night sky and begin to film. At a little after one minute into the clip the UFO descends almost to ground level directly over the Temple Mount. The craft hovers there for a short while and then flickers and shoots upwards at an incredible speed, to the shock of the witnesses."

Source: Eli Gael
www.youtube.com/eligael
Jerusalem

Here are two more versions - all shot from different angles at the same time.

What. Is. This?

(H-T: Elder of Ziyon)

Elegy For Columbia (A Meditation)

(A meditation on the eighth anniversary of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster)

By Dave Bender

“Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings...”

"I took it all for granted, that those giant, incredibly complex machines and their crews would always reach their goal, always safely return.

"Until February 1, 2003, when urgent news reports ripped aside the serenity, candles and prayer that marked the close of another peaceful Sabbath in Jerusalem. STS -107, Space Shuttle Columbia was lost, the radio blared, its crew killed upon reentry."

Read more.

Slow Learners to Set Sail on 'Freedom Flotilla II' to Gaza (audio)

(You can listen to a radio feature of this report here)

The title of this article refers to pro-Palestinian groups that organized last May’s six-ship bid to breach Israel’s anti-armament maritime blockade of Gaza. The so-called humanitarian mission ended with nine passengers dead and dozens of other injured. Seven Israeli naval commandos were shot, stabbed, and beaten by peaceful terror-enablers on board the lead craft, the Mavi Marmara.

Now, slow learners who survived the first encounter say they plan to send more, and larger such convoys towards the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave on the upcoming first anniversary of the event.

The Hamas-affiliated Turkish IHH and the Free Gaza movement said they would send another two sea convoys in April and May, Israeli media reported on Monday.

Flotilla supporters say Israel’s blockade causes privation and starvation, is inhumane and violates international law.

However, Hamas often responds to Israel’s allowing in humanitarian aid via several monitored crossing points by issuing counter-offers promising Israel's annihilation:

...and then bombing said crossing points, cutting off the aid along with their noses.

So, after the Islamist group’s violent coup wresting power from the Palestinian Authority in 2007, and deadly shrapnel showers visited on Israeli cities by close to 10,000 Kassam rockets for more than seven years, Israel cordoned off the Strip until further notice, meaning either Hamas’ leadership learns to dance the hora, or, failing that, that their jig is up.

For those who may not remember, that six ship flotilla ferried – along with guns, knives, chains, clubs, slingshots and other humanitarian weapons – some 40 martyrdom-seeking Turkish Islamists aboard the Mavi Marmara.

Israeli intelligence officials have proven direct links between the IHH, Hamas, and al-Qaida, and video and audio clips by those aboard the last slow boat to hell showed many preparing for martyrdom when the Israelis showed up.

In the pre-dawn hours of May 31, nine of them got their wish when Israel Navy SEAL teams fast-roped from helicopters down to the decks intending to seize the craft and turn it towards Ashkelon Port.

There, Israeli officials made clear that the paltry aid aboard the other five craft, which included expired medicines, non-functioning wheelchairs, and third-hand clothes, would be transshipped to nearby Gaza by truck, after being inspected. The goods eventually reached Gaza, where even Hamas turned them down.

Poor intel by Israel’s intelligence services, however, meant that the Shayetet 13 commandos, who were packing little more than paintball guns and sidearms in expectation of peaceful protesters, rappelled down the ropes...

and straight into the waiting arms of a howling mob itching to display their humanity.

Coping with the ensuing melee and the international diplomatic, political, legal, and public-relations fallout from the raid-gone-arwy has proven to be one of Israel’s most daunting challenges in recent years, with the next chapter developing just as soon as the next ship of fools decides to anchors aweigh.

“Freedom Flotilla II,” as the organizers dubbed the tubs, is set to shovel like-minded acolytes from almost a dozen countries, including the U.S. and Canada, once again into the breech. One of the leaders is Dror Feiler, a 60-year-old Sabra artist and musician who emigrated to Sweden in 1973.

Feiler is a vehement critic of the Jewish State and the entire Zionist idea.

But when not “spitting in the well he drank from,” Feiler – apparently a musician and artist – still finds time to answers to the muses: In 2004, he erected a protest art exhibit at the National Antiquities Museum in Stockholm, cleverly entitled, “My Heart Swims With Blood.” The display featured “a boat floating in a pool of red liquid with a photo of the Palestinian suicide bomber Hanadi Jaradat attached to the mast as if ‘forming the sail of a little toy boat on a pool of blood.’”

(Charming, no?)

Hanadi, if you may recall, murdered 21 diners and wounded 51 others at a jointly Jewish-Arab owned restaurant in Haifa that year when – after first having a sumptuous meal herself (she reportedly didn’t pay) – detonated a bomb vest she was wearing.

“Art for art’s sake,” Hanadi for Allah’s sake and all that, but, let’s go back to the flotilla.

The Turkel Commission report, released on Sunday, said Israel acted properly in its anti-weapons blockade policy against the terrorist-led enclave and in its counter-terror operation to gain control of the flotilla.

“The naval blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip – in view of the security circumstances and Israel’s efforts to comply with its humanitarian obligations – was legal pursuant to the rules of international law,”

former Israeli Supreme court justice Jacob Turkel, who headed the five-member panel, said of the unanimous conclusions. The blue-ribbon panel, which included two esteemed international observers, said the naval commandos acted in self-defense in using deadly force to take over the ship.

In an interview held shortly after the raid took place, I spoke with an Israeli-American maritime security and counter-terrorism expert, who shared his take on the tactics and events on and below-decks aboard the Mavi Marmara. His thoughtful conclusions in June, 2010, presaged those reached by the commission seven months later.

Ariel Siegelman, 30, heads The Draco Group, an international security firm experienced in guarding freighters and passenger ships making their way through the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden, the south China Sea, and elsewhere.

Siegelman grew up in Atlanta, Ga., and, when not staving off Somali pirates, lives in Jerusalem with his wife and baby.

At first glance, Siegelman doesn’t strike you as someone who’s used to facing off against pirates and gunmen, until the soft-spoken, observant Jew shares hair-raising experiences as a professional Israeli security chief guarding passenger vessels and freighters plying treacherous waters far from his hearth and home.

You can listen to the radio feature I produced of that conversation here.

In addition to the interview itself, the report includes clips of statements from a passenger on the Mavi Marmara hoping for martyrdom (on his third try, no less; “inshallah,” as he hopefully puts it), audio of the Israeli Navy warning off one of the flotilla craft, and responses including, “shut up – go back to Auschwitz!” and, “We’re helping Arabs going against the U.S. — don’t forget 9/11, guys.”

Going by off-the-record remarks by senior Israeli officials I’ve spoken with, and testimony by senior Army officers before the Turkel Commission, when and if the next such group shows up off Gaza’s shoreline, Israel will not only not have forgotten either of those responses – having learned painful lessons from the last flotilla – it will be readying a fitting response of its own.

(A previous version of this article appears here:
http://bigjournalism.com/dbender/2011/01/26/slow-learners-to-set-sail-on-freedom-flotilla-2-to-gaza-2/)

Probe Clears Israel in Flotilla Raid (Exclusive audio report)

In an exclusive interview and report from June, 2010, an American-Israeli maritime security expert told Dave Bender what an international probe proved seven months later: the naval commandos acted correctly and in self-defense aboard the Mavi Marmara, in a battle between Israel and its sworn enemies.

Listen in here: http://www.davebrianbender.com

"The naval blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip – in view of the security circumstances and Israel's efforts to comply with its humanitarian obligations – was legal pursuant to the rules of international law. The actions carried out by Israel on May 31, 2010, to enforce the naval blockade had the regrettable consequences of the loss of human life and physical injuries. Nonetheless, and despite the limited number of uses of force for which we could not reach a conclusion, the actions taken were found to be legal pursuant to the rules of international law."

Excerpt from the Turkel Committee report (see below video)



The Turkel Commitee Report (.pdf format):http://www.turkel-committee.gov.il/files/wordocs/8808report-eng.pdf

The Foreign Observers report (.pdf format):
http://www.turkel-committee.gov.il/files/wordocs/4229observers-eng.pdf

Stuxnet: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

(Image: Trendmicro)

According to sources who spoke with the New York Times, the Stuxnet worm was tested at Israel's nuclear research facility in Dimona:

"Experts who analyzed the computer worm describe it as far more complex and ingenious than anything they had imagined."

...which about tallies with cyberterrorism experts I spoke with at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), at the Herzliya-based Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), for a feature I wrote in Nov. 2010, where I noted:

"Many scientists and online security analysts who have pored over Stuxnet's code, including industry leader Symantec, are convinced that the attack "a never-before-seen ability to take over and run complex industrial processes from afar" was the first shot in a new age of cyber-hacking and warfare."

Read more.

'The Israeli Way of War' via Michael Totten

Michael Totten is such an impressive reporter and writer, and he gets to lots of places in the Middle East and writes so well and convincingly about events in the region without rhetoric or (any obvious) political slant.

Personally, I envy his talent, gumption, and, well geez', how the hell does he write so fast, and get all the quotes bang on, anyway?

In this post, he writes about the possible buildup towards a coming Israeli clash with Hizbullah in Lebanon, and about what the Israeli Defense Forces is doing to prepare:

"I’ve never been to a Hezbollah training camp, although I did ask Hezbollah officials if I could see one before they blacklisted me for “writing against the party.” They refused. Still, I’m certain they don’t have dummies representing civilians who aren’t to be touched.

"The Israelis do, though. They place mannequins on the grounds dressed in the clothes of civilians and peacekeepers as well as enemy soldiers and terrorists.

“'The other side includes both hostiles and civilians,' Lapson said, 'and the hostiles will often embed themselves among the civilians. We go over a large number of what-if scenarios. We imbue an ethical and moral backbone in all our soldiers from the very beginning, and we have humanitarian officers with our infantry troops. We take extra precautions, even when it puts our own troops in danger.'

You could argue, I suppose, that the Israelis pulled a con job on me, that they planted these civilian-clothed mannequins as part of some Soviet-style propaganda campaign, but there’s no evidence that’s what happened. Totalitarian regimes sometimes use Potemkin stage pieces and actors to fool foreign journalists. Anthony Daniels (aka Theodore Dalrymple) had just such an experience when he visited North Korea. Israel, though, is the sort of place that only behaves this way in the feverish minds of conspiracy theorists."

Read the rest, and do tip his jar so he can keep up the most excellent work, in a very tough, and sometimes terrifying region:

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