Lather. Rinse. Repeat. The Palestinians are refusing to so much as enter the room to negotiate with Israel, so of course, the EU is trying to get Israel to offer concessions (read: bribes) to get them back to the table. Because that’s always worked before. Oh. Wait.

Okay, THAT was awesome: The Navy Seals did it again, killing Somail pirates and rescuing an American hostage, as well as a Danish one.

Early on Wednesday, two teams from SEAL Team 6 – the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden – parachuted under the cover of darkness out of an Air Force C-130 transport plane into the Somali city of Cadaado.

From there, they hiked nearly two miles to an encampment, where nine pirates were killed. The SEALs suffered no injuries. Army helicopters then picked up the SEALS and Buchanan and Thisted and flew them safely to the African nation of Djibouti.

Great job, guys!

The media has a new, scary Jewish billionaire to excoriate: A story on Sheldon Adelson gets the Negative Portrayal of the Month award for this AP profile of the billionaire donor behind Newt Gingrich, replete with shades of “Israel first” and ZOG hints, all couched in the pretty phrasing of the mainstream media. I will take this one apart later and show you how the AP manages to make it seem like Jews are behind the Gingrich campaign, and it’s partly the fault of the Citizens United decision. In the tank for Obama? All the way, you say.

Sigh. Cyberwar. Hackers striking Israeli sites again, and a retaliation promised. No good is going to come of this, and there will be a lot of collateral damage.

What UN resolution? Ban Ki-Moon was in Lebanon this weekend, praising its adherence to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 which, among other things, demands that Hezbollah give up its arms. So what did Ban say?

He said that 1701 has brought an “unprecedented” degree of relative calm and stability to southern Lebanon, adding that the situation along the so-called Blue Line separating Israel and Lebanon – despite a number of serious incidents – has been largely stable since 2006.

Riiight. And also:

The U.N. Secretary General says he is “deeply concerned” about the military capacity of the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group and lack of progress in its disarmament.

Ban Ki-moon says the presence of any weapons outside Lebanese state authority is “not acceptable.”

The Hezbollah response? Mockery.

“I affirm today, firmly, decisively and with the greatest conviction the choice of armed resistance,” Nasrallah said. “These weapons, along with the Lebanese people and army, are the only guarantee of Lebanon’s protection.”

Mocking a demand by visiting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that Hezbollah lay down its weapons, Nasrallah said he was happy that Hezbollah’s military prowess was a cause for concern.

“Your concern, Secretary-General, reassures us and pleases us. What matters to us is that you are worried, and that America and Israel are worried with you,” he said in a televised speech marking a Shia holy day.

The pertinent clause in 1701: “resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), that require the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon, so that, pursuant to the Lebanese cabinet decision of July 27, 2006, there will be no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of the Lebanese state.”

It’s good to know that Ban is content with the non-compliance of Lebanon’s armed groups. Also note: If this were Israel, there would be thousands of news stories insisting that Israel is in violation of UN resolutions. Nobody notes that Lebanon is in violation of a binding UN Security Council resolution. Well, except for us.

“Netanyahu needs to freeze the construction of settlements and accept the ’67 outline for a two-state solution before we return to the negotiations table,” he asserted.

In other words, we’ll take Jerusalem first and talk later. Right. That’s gonna happen.

Inappropriate JHolocaust comparison alert: Sure, bringing sexual harassment charges against a man who spit on a woman and called her a slut is just like Nazi Germany’s Nuremberg laws.

Moshe compared the Israeli society’s treatment of the haredim to “persecution similar to the Nuerenberg Laws.” According to him, the very fact that a haredi man who verbally assaulted a female soldier is being accused of sexual harassment – even though many legal experts claimed there were no grounds for arrest – resembles racist legislation.

Sure. Israel is now going to create laws forbidding Haredi to have marry non-Haredia and strip them of their citizenship. Yes, what’s going on now–demanding that the Haredi nutjobs stop treating women disgustingly–is just like what happened in Nazi Germany.

I am beginning to understand the insanity of the Neturei Karta a little more now. Apparently, they’re not the only extremely religious nutjobs.

There was another election at the UN? Did you know that SecGen Ban Ki-Moon starts his second term today? Yeah, me neither. And what is he going to concentrate on?

As he embarks on a new five-year term starting New Year’s Day, Ban said one of his top priorities is to help Arab countries sustain their moves toward democracy. He also said he intended to do more for young people and women, and address frustrations over the growing gap between the rich and poor expressed by the Occupy movement.

What democracy? It’s going to be one man, one vote, one time in Egypt, soon enough. Libya? Islamists. Tunisia? Well, maybe there, but what is the UN going to do to promote democracy over Islamism? Nothing, because it is filled with Islamists and politically correct bureaucrats who will cry “Islamophobia!” at the drop of a hat.

Finally, a feel-good story: Utah passers-by rescued two drowning children and saved their lives. And one of them used a handgun to do it. (He shot out the rear passenger window to get in and reach the children.) Here’s the original story with all the details.

The awesome feminism of Islamic law: Iran is going to execute a woman for adultery. Only they’re not going to stone this one, they’re going to hang her. Don’t you infidels get how merciful they are? I just love hearing people tell me that Sharia law isn’t nearly as bad as we make it out to be. You know, the one that says that a woman’s opinion in court is worth half that of a man, and the one that allows men to have multiple wives but not women to have multiple husbands–awesome equality. Just breathtaking. Ask any Saudi woman.

Turkey massacres Kurdish civilians: Turkey bombed a group of civilians in northern Iraq, killing 35 of them, most of the teenagers smuggling fuel into Turkey. And not very many people care. Bet you didn’t even know they did it. Imagine the outrage if Israel had hit 35 civilians while bombing a Hamas terror target. Let’s review: Turkey violated the border of a sovereign nation to stop a terrorist group from killing its own civilians. Sound familiar? Of course it does. Will there be a world outcry? Don’t make me laugh. Double standard much? Always.

The UN: We honor dictators, too! The United Nations lowered its flags out of “respect” for Kim Jong-il’s death. I don’t know how they manage it, but they managed to lower my respect for them even more. Not that I have any left. Its sort of a “divide by infinity” thing now.

Good: Israel cancelled a defense deal with Turkey, recognizing that Turkey is now a hostile state and that helping them militarily is a foolish thing to do. Can’t wait to hear from Leon Panetta about building bridges with Turkey again. ‘Cause it’s not like their defense minister didn’t brag about bringing Israel to its knees, or anything like that. Oh. Wait.

A blueprint for terror: Hamas, PIJ, and other terrorist groups are all set to join the PLO in the name of “unity.” In reality, they’re going to join the PLO and continue their war on Israel, but now Mahmoud Abbas will be able to say he has no control over Hamas, just like Arafat did all those years ago. It’s a fiction, of course. Abbas met with the unrepentant Palestinian terrorist who lured a teenager to his death, and who says she’d like to kill more Israelis. Today. Not long in the past. He met her Tuesday. Of course, the Netanyahu government is slamming the deal as proof that Abbas is moving away from peace. We have yet to hear a peep out of the EU or the Obama administration. They’re going to blame Israel for refusing to deal with Abbas. Just watch. When even the AP recognizes that this is a problem due to Hamas’ insistence on, you know, eliminating Israel, well–this is not a good thing.

The deal to admit Hamas into the Fatah-dominated Palestine Liberation Organization could have deep repercussions. Hamas has opposed the peace talks and rejects Israel’s right to exist. A strong Hamas voice in the group would further complicate the already troubled Mideast diplomatic process.

[...] Hamas overran Gaza in 2007, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is also the head of Fatah, has ruled only the West Bank since then. The division has been an obstacle in peacemaking efforts with Israel, since Abbas does not speak for all the Palestinians.

A full reconciliation could solve that — or it could put Hamas in charge.

Awesome.

Oh, the heartbreak: Khaled Mashaal, the head of Hamas, is refusing to meet with Bashar al-Assad (known in these pages as The Dorktator). Yeah, stick a fork in him. He’s done.

Iranian sanctions: Duh, they’re working! Hezbullah is having trouble making ends meet. Iran is having trouble exporting oil. And things are still going kaboom. Could this be the beginning of the Persian spring?

Of course they did: Somehow, the UN Security Council always finds its voice when Israel is doing awful things like, oh, offering tenders for suburbs of Jerusalem that are going to stay in Israel in any agreement with the Palestinians. But they don’t seem to notice when rockets fall on Sderot. Go figure.

So where’s the Syrian Goldstone Commission? Funny, but the outrage against Syria’s murdering 5,000 civilians seems to be far less worldwide than, say, the outrage of the IDF stopping the Gaza Flotilla last year. What time is it? That’s right, it’s Israeli Double Standard Time. But don’t worry. It only occurs on days that end with a “y.” (By the way, bet the “outraged Israeli settlers invade IDF base” story gets far more airplay than this one.)

Saudi ERA Watch: They beheaded a woman for “practicing sorcery.” In the 21st century, the oil ticks are showing how unmodern they truly are.

Sure, the Palestinians want peace: They want it so badly that Palestinians shut down a proposed peace conference between Israelis and Palestinians. Why?

The protesters accused the Palestinian participants of “encouraging the culture of peace” between Israelis and Palestinians. They said they were opposed to the conference because it was a form of “normalization” with Israel.

They don’t want peace. They want all of Israel.

The Arab Spring: Sucks to be Israel version. Hamas has established rocket workshops in the Sinai, figuring that Israel won’t risk relations with Egypt to bomb them. I’m betting that Hamas is wrong about that, because the IDF gets really good intel from those drones.

Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas is not serious about reconciling with political rival Hamas despite public statements to the contrary, a senior Hamas official said in an interview published Wednesday.

The official, Mahmoud Zahar, said Abbas “is not interested in achieving” a deal with Hamas, allegedly because the U.S. and Israel oppose it.

“Reconciliation will not be achieved at all,” Zahar told the London-based daily Asharq al-Awsat.

Of course the UN won’t blame the terrorists: Yeah. Like we haven’t heard this a thousand times before. Terrorists attack, Israel defends, the UN Secretary-General calls on “both sides” to “exercise restraint.” This, in spite of the fact that the rocket attacks are a clear violation of UNSCR 1701. The binding kind.

The Isfahan blast was sabotage: The Times of London says the explosion was intentional, and it hit the nuke plant. If that’s true, then good. VERY good. This is my favorite quote:

Major-General Giora Eiland, Israel’s former director of national security, told Israel’s army radio that the Isfahan blast was no accident. “There aren’t many coincidences, and when there are so many events there is probably some sort of guiding hand, though perhaps it’s the hand of God,” he said.

Perhaps.

The Iranian attack on the British embassy has brought out a UN Security Council (non-binding) resolution condemning the attack.

Unanimously.

Meaning Russia and China, too.

Yep. Some embassies are more equal than others.

They’re probably going to be imprisoned when they get home: Israelis in Thailand saved two drowning Iranians, who were thankful until they were told their rescuers were Israelis. Then they ran. Poor guys. I’m sure the Iranian spy agencies read the foreign press. Jail and/or torture for their misfortune to have their lives saved by those evil, racist Zionists. Oh, one of their rescuers was an Iranian Jew. God really does work in mysterious ways. If the Iranians hadn’t forced so many Jews to flee, there would not have been one around to rescue the two men.

Calling Inspector Clouseau: Seriously? A UNIFIL investigation of the rockets that were fired from Lebanon into Israel yesterday? So, what are we going to hear, that they have no idea who did it, and anyway, they can’t investigate because every time they come to a Hizballah rocket site they get chased away by “protestors”?

… a spokesman for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon was quoted by Beirut’s radio as saying that “UNIFIL rejects reports suggesting any violation of UN Resolution 1701 and is working to restore normalcy.”

Yep. UNIFIL is on the case, even though there are thousands of violations of 1701 right under their noses. Katyusha rockets? Meh. Must have been some kids playing with fireworks.

Yeah, I’ve been saying that for years: Israeli leaders need to understand how incredibly wrong they are to ignore the PR front in so many nations. A group of Israeli teens encountered some raving anti-Israel Muslims in the U.K., but they also encountered extreme ignorance. The latter can be countered by a simple PR campaign.

But Yishai said: “We couldn’t believe it when we were asked if we rode to school on camels, and if there were roads in Israel. There was a collective gasp when we showed one class a picture of Tel Aviv.”

For someone who understands America so well, you’d think that Bibi Netanyahu would also understand that Israel needs a PR push every bit as hefty as the one the Palestinians started in the 1970s. Look where that got them. It wasn’t just terrorism that made them the left’s cause celebre. They have smooth, available, English-speaking propagandists for every major occasion. Israel is always a step behind on the accessibility and information train, and they tend to promote spokespeople with heavy accents. Not very smart.