Israeli scientists have identified a substance that can kill cancerous cells without harming healthy ones, paving the way for more effective cancer treatment.

The findings by researchers at Tel Aviv University and Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, were published in the current issue of the international peer-reviewed journal Breast Cancer Research.

“We actually found the Achilles heel of the cancer cell,” said Prof. Malka Cohen-Armon from Tel Aviv University, who headed the research team. “As soon as you can target cancerous cells without killing healthy ones, you can produce medications that would cause a lot less suffering to the patient. We can even give a much more aggressive treatment without worrying about harming healthy tissues.”

Feel free, Norway, to boycott the possible cure for cancer. Perhaps in turn, Israel will find it hard to ship this medicine to Norway, and to all of the other nations that boycott Israel.

Of course not. Because that’s not what Jews do. That’s what the enemies of Jews do. And I count among the enemies of Jews those nations, companies, and groups that take part in boycotting the Jewish state. It’s not anti-Zionism.

The letter claims that Israeli universities and other institutions of higher education “have played a key role in the policy of oppression” that the signatories claim exists in Israel. It goes on to say that “Israel goes against all the ideals of open universities and academic freedom.”

Really? In Saudi Arabia, men and women are unable to take classes together. In Iran and Egypt, students are arrested and imprisoned for speaking their minds about the current governments. In Israel, Arabs and Israelis work side by side in universities all over the country. It isn’t Israel that goes against the ideals of open universities and academic freedom.

But sure, Norwegians, go ahead—boycott Israeli universities. It’s not like they’re coming up with a cure for cancer or anything like that.

Oh. Wait.

The present crisis began on 6 November when the government attack on Bouaké also killed nine French peacekeepers. The French president, Jacques Chirac, ordered the destruction of the Ivorian air force. In Abidjan Gbagbo’s supporters promptly turned on the expatriate French community.

None of this settled anything, but it did clarify the nature of the conflict. This was the first time in 40 years of postcolonial apprenticeship that the lives of French citizens in Africa had been so threatened. Everyone had been happy to watch Africans kill each other, but television images of tearful French evacuees stepping off planes outside Paris were another matter – almost enough to make viewers forget that French forces had killed Ivorian civilians and destroyed a sovereign state’s air force to reassure 15,000 compatriots and to avenge the deaths of nine soldiers.

[...] On 7 November 2004 there were minor skirmishes between Fanci, Ivory Coast’s national armed forces, and French Operation Unicorn soldiers. Although these were of no military significance, it would be unwise to underestimate their symbolic importance. Even before these confrontations, and despite the fact that it was operating under a UN security council mandate, Operation Unicorn was perceived as an occupation force. The disproportionate nature of its response confirmed this, sending a signal not just to Ivory Coast but to other client states in France’s sphere of influence. It is easy for the weight of history to give young soldiers the impression of being stuck in an isolated garrison on the remote tribal fringes of the empire. Although African heads of state – all fervent democrats, of course – sided with France, there was fierce condemnation in French-speaking countries of what had become a bloody colonial adventure.

There were no UN resolutions or worldwide outrage that the French were using disproportionate force on a former colony. There was no call for investigation of the deaths of civilians. There were no charges of war crimes. There was only the expectation that since French citizens were being attacked, France had the right to defend them with all means at her disposal.

Funny, isn’t it, how the French can get away with this, yet Israel cannot defend herself against eight years of missile attacks on her civilian population without raising the anger of the collective world community—including the hypocrites in France?

What time is it? That’s right. Israeli Double Standard Time. But don’t worry, it only occurs on days that end with a “y.”

Update: Found this after I posted. The hypocrisy is even worse.

UN and US back French intervention in Ivory Coast
France has received international backing for its intervention in its former colony, Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) where a civil war has been raging for five months. The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution that “welcomes the deployment of Ecowas (Economic Community of West African States) forces and French troops” and endorses the peace agreement signed by both the government and rebels in the current civil war.

A UN resolution backing France’s action. Wow. Words just fail.

Awesome: Congressional nitwit puts private ethics investigation data on public website. You have to love the internet age, because people being people, there are still just as many idiots as there were before everything was online. Only now when they make mistakes, we get to see what’s really going on behind the scenes in Congress.

Postcards from the IDF: Yossi Klein Halevi on Israeli citizens’ receipt of a postcard that details how much time they have to get to the nearest bomb shelter in the event of a missile attack. A sobering read.

No. Ya think? Best headline yet on the Iran cheat-and-retreat strategy: “Iran accused of playing games on nuclear deal.” The Telegraph wins the Keen Grasp of the Obvious award for that one.

But—but—this totally blows away the “European colonialism” argument! Genetic proof that Jews were from the land of Israel, and the man behind the science. (Of course, he’s a Jew.)

Hezbollah: That was no missile, that was a door! I really want to see their video footage. They’re claiming that the group of Hezbollah terrorists seen loading a long, metallic object onto a truck were carrying a metal door. Uh-huh. I’m also eagerly awaiting UNIFIL’s explanation as to why their men were watching Hezbollah load a “metal door” onto a pickup truck. What? UN peacekeepers ignoring Hezbollah UN Resolution violations? No! You don’t say!

Khameini in a coma? Or dead? I hope it’s true. But if it is, well, Iran ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Revolution? That won’t be the half of it. It might be great news to Israel, depending on who wins the power struggle. We can always dream that client states Syria and Lebanon get left out in the cold.

Those wily Jews: While the Arabs and Muslims in the region continue their important work in improving the many ways you can carry a suicide bomb, Israelis are developing things like a battery that will last thousands of hours in hearing aids and the like. Oh, and the battery will be cheaper and cleaner than those currently on the market. No wonder Israel has more Nobel prizes than the entire Arab world combined.

No one in the White House, the Israeli government or among Palestinian officials is publicly predicting a breakthrough out of the three-way Mideast meeting that President Barack Obama is hosting here. And yet the session Tuesday is seen as a crucial step for Obama.

Why it’s a crucial step, the AP says:

One reason to have the meeting is the need to get momentum going.

“The U.S. wants to and the U.S. needs to negotiate in public,” said Jon Alterman, a senior fellow in Middle East policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former State Department official in President George W. Bush’s first term. “There’s a perceived need for the U.S. to visibly be involved in making progress on Arab-Israeli issues.”

Ah. Appearances. Well, Obama is great at appearances. But not so great at getting results. In fact, the world has been essentially stiffing him on everything.

But eight months after his inauguration, all that good will so far has translated into limited tangible policy benefits for Mr. Obama. As much as they may prefer to deal with Mr. Obama instead of his predecessor, George W. Bush, foreign leaders have not gone out of their way to give him what he has sought.

European allies still refuse to send significantly more troops to Afghanistan. The Saudis basically ignored Mr. Obama’s request for concessions to Israel, while Israel rebuffed his demand to stop settlement expansion. North Korea defied him by testing a nuclear weapon. Japan elected a party less friendly to the United States. Cuba has done little to liberalize in response to modest relaxation of sanctions. India and China are resisting a climate change deal. And Russia rejected new sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program even as Mr. Obama heads into talks with Tehran.

But hey, the world likes our president again, and that’s the important thing, right? It’s much better to be popular than accomplished.

As for the trilateral meeting, well, nobody’s expecting anything in Israel, either.

Sources in the PM’s entourage said the meeting between Netanyahu, Abbas and Obama would likely be symbolic in nature, adding that they do not foresee any diplomatic achievements during the General Assembly’s session.

But don’t worry. Jimmy Carter, Stephen Walt, and their anti-Israel followers will all be happy to place the blame squarely on Israel’s shoulders. The fact that Hamas said only yesterday that they will not respect any deal made by Abbas during this summit is irrelevant. Hamas rejectionism isn’t a problem, you see. Only Israeli settlement building.

At least Pee-Wee Herman found his bike at the end of his great adventure. Barack Obama will be coming out of this with nothing.

Hypocrites of the world, unite! So, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for the end of Israel, called the Holocaust a “myth,” and uttered myriad statements against Israel and Jews, and the world has basically stood back and tut-tutted in ones and twos, maybe in threes. Suddenly, the whole world is down on Mad Mahmoud? The EU issues a condemnation? Russia too? So, where were they last year when he was issuing the most anti-Semitic speech in the history of the United Nations—at the United Nations? I find this sudden anti-Iran bandwagon extremely suspicious. If they think this is the quid pro quo for settlement freeze, I’m thinking Bibi is laughing his ass off.

Peaceful, peace-seeking Palestinians burn down Israelis’ fields: Yeah, they want to live in peaceful coexistence. Just ask The One. Countdown to lefty NGOs saying that this is payback for Israelis cutting down olive trees in 3, 2….

ACORN? That’s a little nut, isn’t it? Obama is on record denying he knows much about ACORN. Huh. Funny, considering he defended them as a lawyer, steered funds to their coffers, and traded donor lists with them. But he has no idea how much federal money they get. Uh-huh. Sure. Right.

World’s tiniest violin orchestra: We’re supposed to feel sorry for someone who is defaulting on a $24 million loan? Excuse me? I don’t give a damn if Annie Liebovitz loses the copyrights to her photos. Anyone too stupid to figure out how to pay bills after reaching adulthood—that doesn’t have the excuse of mental incompetence—deserves whatever happens to them. And that goes double for millionaires.

Oh, look. Another Uzi Mahnaimi piece about Israel to ignore: The Times never gives up on letting this proven liar lie some more. Double bylines notwithstanding, we’re onto you. Now, am I saying that I think the Mossad didn’t have anything to do with hijacking the Russian ship? Nope. Just that anything you read in this piece is suspect, because all of Mahnaimi’s articles are.

Van goes under the bus: Obama’s 9/11 Truther green jobs czar has resigned, issuing a statement late on a Saturday night of a holiday weekend. No, Obama isn’t trying to skip the news cycle on that at all. Why do you ask?

International pressure rises, but not on Iran: Funny, isn’t it, how the world can’t seem to find a way to pressure Iran into stopping work on its nuclear weapons program, but everyone is jumping on the STOP ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS!1!!1 bandwagon? France. Germany. And, of course, The One. Because it’s far more important to stop Israelis from moving into the eastern side of Jerusalem—the city that Jews built—than it is to stop Iran from getting the bomb.

He was for the settlements before he was against them: Netanyahu is going to approve building additions to the suburbs of Jerusalem (which is another name for “West Bank settlements”) before freezing settlement building. Countdown to outraged Palestinian reaction in one.

The fabled Arab love for their Palestinian brethren: Get out. The UAE is expelling all Palestinians from within their borders, regardless of whether they’ve lived their all of their lives. The Palestinian population of the UAE is about 140,000. And oh yeah—no reason was given. But hey, that Muslim umma? It’s really working for them, isn’t it?

Jalal said that he and other villagers recall that a Swedish photographer was in the village during the funeral and that he managed to take a number of pictures of the body before the funeral. “That was the only time we saw this photographer,” he recounted.

Ibrahim Ghanem, a relative of Bilal, said that the family never told the Swedish photographer that Israel had stolen organs from the dead man’s body.

So the story is made up from whole cloth. The family admits it. And yet, in true Israel Derangement Syndrome fashion, they’re quite willing to believe the story.

Jalal and other members of the family said that “rumors” about Israel killing Palestinians to steal their organs have been circulating for a long time.

“I can’t tell you if these rumors are true or not,” the brother said. “But in light of the investigative report in the Swedish newspaper, we are demanding an international commission of inquiry into the case.”

Meantime, someone in Sweden invoked their “racial agitation” law and reported the Aftonbladet. Not that they care. Their CYA excuse? They didn’t say “Jews.” They said “Israelis.” And note the quote: Reporting rumors is now “solidarity,” not reporting.

“I think it is a shame that whenever solidarity is shown for the Palestinians and criticism is directed again Israel, someone cries anti-Semitism.”

“One has to have the right to ask questions,” Linderborg replied when asked if she or the newspaper regretted publishing the article.

Nils Funcke, one of Sweden’s leading experts on legislation pertaining to freedom of speech, said he expected the Chancellor of Justice to reject the case.

“The article can hardly be construed as racial agitation. There is no ethnic group targeted; the article focuses on the Israeli army, and Israel is not made up solely of Jews,” Funcke told The Local.

Nothing will come of this. And in spite of Sweden’s Jews insisting that if only Israel hadn’t made such a fuss, this would have passed without notice in much of the world, I’m with Yaacov on this one: The reporter is an antisemite, the paper is antisemitic, and this issue is a modern retelling of the blood libel. Even worse, it’s been proven false, and the paper is publishing more articles with the same lies. But it’s anti-Zionism, not antisemitism. Really.

Aftonbladet editor Jan Helin said: “It’s deeply unpleasant and sad to see such a strong propaganda machine using centuries-old anti-Semitic images in an apparent attempt to get an obviously topical issue off the table.

[...] Helin called it an opinion piece raising questions of Israel in the context of a suspected link to Israel in that US case. He denied any suggestion of anti-Semitism from his paper.

Oh, so now it’s an opinion piece. Good tactic. The author has stated that he doesn’t know if the charges are true, but he decided to go with them anyway. And neither he nor his editor think that charges of anti-Semitism are in order. Why, they wonder, are Israelis so touchy? This is just a criticism of the IDF. Right?

Take a look at this image of Der Stürmer. This is the classic blood libel against the Jews, that we drink the blood of Christians and use it in our rituals. (Larger image in my previous post.)

Photo of anti-Semitic Nazi rag with blood libel image

Now, why on earth would we accuse a Swedish newspaper of using anti-Semitic blood libel tropes in its story about the IDF kidnapping Palestinians and stealing their organs?

The Swedish Foreign Ministry is doubling down on the freedom of speech aspect while ignoring the “lying about the IDF” aspect. Witness:

Sweden’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday said a response by the Swedish Embassy in Israel to a report by the Aftonbladet news saying IDF soldiers killed Palestinians in order to harvest their organs does not represent the government’s stance.

The embassy had stated that the report was “appalling”. But the Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman said, “The embassy in Tel Aviv responded in accordance to Israeli public opinion, however the Swedish government is committed to freedom of the press.”

[...] Another Swedish government spokesperson, Anders Jorle said, “The Foreign Ministry would not have acted in the same way” as the ambassador.

Interesting response. Especially when you consider the Swedish Foreign Ministry’s response to another controversy, this one regarding cartoons about Mohammed.

On February 5, Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Laila Freivalds stated the following in an interview:[24] We support the freedom of speech, that I think is very clear. But at the same time it is important to say that with this freedom comes a certain responsibility, and it could be objectionable to act in a way that insults people.

There was also the Swedish government’s response to a political party in Sweden holding a Mohammed cartoon contest in response to the Mohammed cartoon controversy. One of the cartoons displayed on the website portrayed Mohammed as a dog.

A Swedish foreign ministry spokeswoman told Sweden’s English-language The Local that the diplomat had apologized for any hurt feelings the publication may have caused.

Freivalds shut down the website and later lied about it, which ultimately caused her resignation. But note the difference in tone about the freedom to offend—it’s different when offending Muslims, apparently.

Let us compare and contrast. On the Mohammed-as-dog cartoon:

Swedish Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Björkander told The Local it had been a “misunderstanding” on the part of the Pakistanis to conclude that the government fully shared the views of the Muslim community.

Björkander added, however: “The Chargé d’Affaires said he was sorry if the publication had hurt Muslim feelings.”

On the publication of a false story that the IDF kidnaps Palestinians and steals their organs:

But the Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman said, “The embassy in Tel Aviv responded in accordance to Israeli public opinion, however the Swedish government is committed to freedom of the press.”

She added that Israel had not issued an official complaint on the report.

Another Swedish government spokesperson, Anders Jorle said, “The Foreign Ministry would not have acted in the same way” as the ambassador.

Barry Rubin wrote a tongue-in-cheek essay that has a solution to all of Israel’s problems: Jews should act like Muslims, and riot and protest violently every offense, real or imagined. The sad thing is: He’s probably right about the results. Just look at the difference between Sweden’s response to this issue. If Sweden were as scared of Jews as they are of Muslims….