Ted Belman. This is a very perceptive essay. Just yesterday I said something similar when I commented on the loss of free speech and said “This legislation says in effect that such groups are not worthy of denigration because all ideas and values are acceptable.”. There is no longer an absolute standard.

by Melanie Phillips

Once again, the impression has been created that secular values are a) the embodiment of civilisation and b) value neutral. Both assumptions are mistaken.

A senior English judge, Sir James Munby, President of the Family Division, has rejoiced in his view that Christianity no longer informs the judgements handed down in the courts, which now must serve a multicultural community of many faiths.
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Tzipi Hotovely, Arutz Sheva?

MK Tzippi Hotovely is a high ranking member of the likud party and the Deputy Minister of Transportation in the government when commenting on the prisoner release,

“I am not ashamed to say that Netanyahu, as prime minister, is the one who bears responsibility, and I want to say more than this: as a prime minister who built an entire public career on combating terror, there is a betrayal of the most basic trust on this issue.”

In a

Knesset Channel 

interview, MK Hotovely noted that some Likud ministers, like Gilad Erdan and Yisrael Katz, have expressed their opposition to the release of the prisoners, who are in fact “‘heavy’ terrorists and murderers who received punishment on the basis of a judicial process. This is an expression of disrespect for Israel’s judicial system and for its system of deterrence,” she said.

In words that were clearly deliberately chosen, Hotovely said that the person responsible for the release was Netanyahu.

The release of terrorists is “the opposite of a peace process,” she said. Saying that the terrorists are being released as part of an attempt to restart the peace process is “an oxymoron,” she added.

Til now Hotevely embraced discretion as the better part of valour.

By Marc Prowisor,  ARUTZ SHEVA

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will not be forgiven for the sin of disgracing the memories of loved ones murdered by subhumans, in his continued release of murderers in the name of a falsely promised peace.

I am not talking about supposed combatants taking the lives of each other, but  about the barbarian terrorists who murdered unarmed innocents, among them children, in horrendous fashion.

Bibi has often attempted and succeeded in playing the tough guy. Yet he, who claims he will fight for Israel’s security, now releases the murderers of our children, our brothers and sisters – and strengthens those that will continue to bear arms against the Jewish people worldwide, causing a nation to bow its head in shame and disbelief in the face of our enemies.
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This is infuriating. Eastern Jerusalem is sovereign Israel territory. We don’t need an excuse for building there as we see fit. Netanyahu can claim all he wants that Jerusalem is the undivided capital of Jerusalem or stipulate that he won’t impose a freeze on construction there but his actions belie his words. He has been cowed by the international community. He has virtually stopped building there and needs an excuse to do so. No doubt Obama has agreed to the 1500 units he so violently opposed in his first term in exchange for Netanyahu agreeing to the prisoner release. There should be no linkage. We should defy the world and build where we want. Bibi has also agreed to only build in areas we expect to keep, thereby imposing a freeze on the rest. Bibi has compromised our sovereignty and rights. Ted Belman

By JPOST.COM COM STAFF

PM announces four building projects in conjunction with Israel’s release of 26 long-serving Palestinian prisoners; says gov’t to okay tenders for 1,500 housing units over Green Line in Ramat Shlomo. Netanyahu speaks at the Knesset during a special Yom Kippur War ceremony on October 15, 2013.

Israel was planning to advance four building projects in east Jerusalem as “compensation” for the overnight release of 26 Palestinian prisoners, Israeli media cited Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu as saying.
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by David P. Goldman, Asia Times, October 28, 2013

http://www.meforum.org/3653/china-middle-east

English-language media completely ignored a noteworthy statement that led Der Spiegel‘s German-language website October 12, a call for China to “take on responsibility as a world power” in the Middle East. Penned by Bernhard Zand, the German news organization’s Beijing correspondent, it is terse and to the point: now that China imports more oil from the Middle East than any other country in the world, it must answer for the region’s security. “America’s interest in the Middle East diminishes day by day” as it heads towards energy self-sufficiency, wrote Zand, adding:

China’s interest in a peaceful Middle East is enormous, by contrast. Beijing is not only the biggest customer of precisely those oil powers who presently are fanning the flames of conflict in Syria; as a VIP customer, Beijing has growing political influence, which it should use openly. The word of the Chinese foreign minister has just as much weight in Tehran and Riyadh as that of his American counterpart.

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THE JEWISH PRESS

The Knesset voted Monday night in favor of a bill sponsored by the Jewish Home party that in effect breaks the grip of Haredi rabbis on marriage permits in the country. It easily passed on second and third readings in the Knesset with the only opposition coming from Haredi Knesset Members.

The “Tzohar Law,” named after the organization of modern orthodox rabbis who have been vying for more influence in the country’s religious establishment, will allow couples to register for marriages anywhere they want. The change is not minor. Certain cities are known to be a nightmare for couples who are often faced with local rabbis’ extreme demands concerning their being Jewish, their lifestyles, and also touching on customs that vary in different communities, such Sephardi and Ashkenazi, and which are not required to be observed by everyone.
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By BARBARA OPALL-ROME, DEFENSE NEWS

RAMAT DAVID AIR BASE, ISRAEL — The Israel Air Force (IAF) is revamping
headquarters staff, planning procedures and air operations to support a
10-fold increase in the number of targets it can detect and destroy, the Air
Force’s chief of air operations said.

In an exclusive interview with Defense News, Brig. Gen. Amikam Norkin said
the institutional revamp — the service’s first since the 1973 Yom Kippur
War — aims to shorten the duration of future wars while reducing demand for
maneuvering ground forces through massive, persistent and punishing use of
precision air power.

More than a year in the making and slated for phased implementation in the
coming months, the changes are driven by IAF Commander Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel
and his Expanding Attack Capacity (EAC) program.
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By Caroline Glick, JPOST

For Justice Minister Tzipi Livi, all politics are personal.

She can be trusted, because she is good. Her opponents must be rejected, because they are evil.

In her speech at The Jerusalem Post’s Diplomatic Conference in Herzliya last Thursday, Livni insisted that the only “legitimate” basis for opposing a Palestinian state is ideological. Livni stridently rejected the notion that one can oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state – in the two-state solution framework – for security reasons.

As she sees it, everyone cares equally about security. And since she cares about security just as much as her political opponents do, the question of whose policy will better protect the country is illegitimate.
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DEBKAfile Exclusive Report October 28, 2013,

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu lamented Monday, Oct. 28 that the release Tuesday night of 26 jailed Palestinians serving life sentences for murdering Israelis, the cause of widespread popular ire, was “one of the hardest decisions” he has ever made. But he faces much harder decisions from the list of tough demands, DEBKAfile’s sources report were presented Israel by the Palestinians in ongoing US-sponsored negotiations, The prime minister has not made them known to the Israeli public. The new Palestinian terms are so harsh as to surely defy even US Secretary of State John Kerry’s skills in bridging differences.

The prime minister also kept mum about his offer to the Palestinians of financial compensation for land remaining under Israeli control – the first time any Israeli leader has put a price tag on disputed territory.
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By Arlene Kushner, FPM

The Jewish people’s considerable rights to the land of Israel are founded upon several bases:

Jews have been on the land for close to 4,000 years, most notably within eastern Jerusalem (where the Old City and the Temple Mount are located), and Judea and Samaria – all places where ancient Israelite heritage is marked.  Jews, in fact, are the indigenous people of Israel, present not only historically, but with continuity over the centuries.

In modern times there are legal precedents for establishing the Jewish claim to Israel: This is with reference to the San Remo Conference, the Mandate for a Jewish Homeland in Palestine, confirmed in international law, and more. Read more…

By Miri Belsky, YNET

The recent Pew survey of American Jews caused a fluster in the organized Jewish community.

The survey raises a number of questions about the efficacy of Jewish institutions, leaving professionals and donors alike in a position of uncertainty regarding their investments in the Jewish future. But while traditional American Jewish organizations regroup and rethink, a growing movement in the community remains largely overlooked.

In major metro areas across the United States such as Los Angeles, New York, Miami and Boston, Israeli-American organizations are popping up and growing in popularity. Programs for families, young adults and children alike, centered on Israeli culture and Jewish identity have swelling appeal.
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By Ted Belman

Make no mistake about it, Christianity is withering away in Europe. For over one thousand years, Christianity persecuted the Jews of Europe and aimed to replace Judaism with Christianity or supercede it.

My, how things have changed.

Giulio Meotti writes about how Islam is superseding Christianity in in secular Europe.

– but in recent times the number of Catholics in the area has shrunk to such an extent that those attending Mass at St. Peter’s were simply no longer able to maintain a priest and the church buildings”.

Islam is replacing Christianity as first religion everywhere in Europe.
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By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON, REUTERS

Fighting enters 7th day in Tripoli leaving 16 dead, 80 injured; Syrian rebels claim they killed 15 Hezbollah fighters near Damascus. Flags of Hezbollah, Assad’s Syria

At least 16 people were killed and 80 were wounded on Sunday as fighting continued, for the seventh day, between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.

The Lebanese army reinforced its presence in the city, setting up checkpoints. The streets were empty and shops remained closed, the Beirut-based Daily Star reported.
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Ch 2 reports both sides far apart in negotiations:

“We ascribe importance to the unity of Jerusalem and, of course, to the cancellation of the right of return,” Netanyahu said.

– Palestinians were only interested in a territorial exchange of not more than 1.9%.

– the Palestinians have asked that Israel recognize Palestine as a state under occupation already now and provide a secure link to the Gaza Strip.

Israel would need to withdraw from the West Bank over three years and a peace deal would be signed only six months after such cessation, according to Channel 2.
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Contact: media1@unwatch.orgTel: +41 22 734 1472

GENEVA, October 27, 2013 – UN Watch today issued the following statement on Israel’s decision to return to the UN Human Rights Council — a 47-nation body that in two weeks will welcome back China, Cuba, Russia and Saudi Arabia as members — in time for a scheduled review of the Jewish state’s record this Tuesday.

ISRAEL-ONLY AGENDA

“Now is the time for the council to show good faith on its part — starting with the removal of its notorious agenda item on Israel, the only provision of its kind focusing on a specific country at every meeting,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, a Geneva-based human rights group that monitors the UN by the yardstick of its charter. Read more…

Why doesn’t everyone feel “a little Jewish”?
by JANICE FIAMENGO, PJ MEDIA

Daniel Silva’s latest spy thriller about Mossad agent Gabriel Allon, The English Girl, involves a character named Christopher Keller, an assassin who had once tried to kill Allon but has now agreed to help him with a kidnapping case. Keller is by birth a Brit who faked his own death to begin a new life as a hired gun on the island of Corsica. While he and Allon wait for a target to appear, he tells the Israeli agent that he has “always felt a little Jewish […] in a spiritual sense.” By the novel’s end, he is considering becoming Israeli to work for Israel’s Secret Service, reminding Gabriel that he still feels “a little Jewish.” Read more…