Sunday, June 08, 2014
Europe is still sleeping
So it's a two-headed monster. On the one hand Islamic funding, on the other hand European funding. The goals are allegedly different, but there is one direction. There are those in Europe who think that turning Israel into a monster we'll exempt them from the rage of jihad. Even EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton once compared between the murder of Jews in Toulouse and what Israel does in Gaza. So terror receives justification.David Singer: "The world has been duped into the use of language that reflects fiction – not fact"
Ashton and others are finding it difficult to understand that Israel is not the global jihad's target. The target is the free world. The jihad representatives say so. Europe refuses to listen. It continues to fund bodies which are part of the red-green coalition of the far left and jihad.
Mehdi Nemmouche is another product among many of the same coalition. The result of incitement and propaganda against Jews, against Israel, against Europe, against the free world. But Europe is still sleeping.
Australia's decision to call a spade a spade will hopefully encourage other countries to follow suit – as well as implementing international action to make some further changes in the duplicitous diplomatic double speak involving the use of misleading and deceptive language which has hindered rather than facilitated any resolution of the conflict.PA to seek wider Arab reprisal against Australia
These changes include:
1. Replacing the term "occupied territories" with the term "disputed territories" to clarify that Jews also have legal rights in these territories in addition to those claimed by the Arabs.
2. Using the 3000 years old term "Judea and Samaria" to replace the term "West Bank" – first coined by Jordan in 1950 to erase any trace of Jews having lived there after having been driven out by the invading Jordanian army in 1948.
3. Substituting "Palestinian Arabs" for "Palestinians" and "Palestinian people" – terms first appearing in the 1964 PLO Charter that excluded former Jewish and other non-Arab residents and their descendants having any rights.
4. Referring to the conflict as the "Jewish-Arab conflict" – which commenced in about 1880 instead of the "Palestinian-Israeli " conflict – which only commenced in 1948.
5. Omitting any reference to the term "State of Palestine" until the provisions of the Montevideo Convention 1934 are complied with.
The world has been duped into the use of language that reflects fiction – not fact. Used often enough it takes on a highly damaging life of its own.
Erasing such language from the international lexicon is long overdue.
The world's nations need to awaken from their fiction-induced slumber.
The Palestinian Authority intends to lobby Arab and Muslim countries to reevaluate relations with Australia after Canberra announced last week that it would stop referring to East Jerusalem as “occupied” territory, a senior PA official wrote in a letter to Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
“Palestine will request that the Arab League and the Islamic Conference [Organization of Islamic Cooperation] review the relations of the Arab and Islamic world with Australia in light of Australia’s unlawful recognition of the illegal settlement regime in occupied Palestine,” Saeb Erekat wrote in the letter, dated June 5.
On Thursday, Australia’s Attorney General George Brandis explained that using the word “occupied” was judgmental and did not contribute to the dialogue about the contested area. (h/t Bob Knot)
Masses not exactly rallying around convicted anti-Israel lawyer Stanley Cohen
We have had two posts regarding the tax violation conviction of anti-Israel leftist activist lawyer Stanley Cohen, who pleaded guilty in April to obstructing the IRS after running his law practice for many years more-or-less off the books:Nightmare on Sunset Blvd: To Be Jewish at UCLA
As noted in the prior post, back on April 17, a Change.org petition seeking to keep Cohen out of jail had garnered under 500 of the 10,000 signatures sought.
More than six weeks later, the Petition has only 1,990 signatures, less than 20% of those sought.
The Stanley Cohen Defense Commitee also is running a fundraising campaign at Rally.org, seeking $50,000 for legal fees to fight jail time. As of now, it’s raised only $1,585
With that, we arrive at the current state of affairs at UCLA. We are making local, national, and international news—something that is usually a cause for celebration. But in this case, it is a cause for self-evaluation and peacemaking between campus communities. The current situation is, quite simply, intolerable. UCLA has turned into a microcosm of world politics, with all sides speaking past each other in an attempt to be heard, confusing and exasperating unaffiliated onlookers.Daphne Anson: In New Zealand, A Squalid Display of Israel-Hatred (video)
For myself and other Jewish and pro-Israel students, the atmosphere is poisonous. We feel attacked, ostracized, and threatened. Our identities are being rejected and our right to express our beliefs endangered. Our academic performance is being harmed unjustly; and our supporters are now targets of hate campaigns, baseless accusations, and unfair political and social retaliation.
Yet, we cannot give up hope that the situation can be changed, or that it can teach us something important. It can be an isolating experience wading through all of the social and mass media reports about the terrors at UCLA right now. But ultimately, they remind us of the need for competent, strong, and open-minded voices that can temper hate and bring us back to a place of tolerant coexistence.
"Free Free Palestine" scream this motley crew of Kiwi Israel-haters, holding Israel-demonising signs relating to "children" and other paraphernalia, in Auckland, New Zealand, on the so-called "International Day of Action for Palestine" yesterday.Guardian culture critic characterizes Six Day War as the ‘Israeli invasion of the West Bank’
What they mean by "Free Palestine" is more than hinted at by the map the so-called "Students for Justice in Palestine" are displaying, and by the sign the old guy holds, with its clear reference to 1948, not 1967.
Yes, this noisome and noisy lot clearly betray their vision for the Middle East: they want the State of Israel totally eradicated.
Nicholas Blincoe is an author, critic, screenwriter and former advisor to Nick Clegg who now devotes much of his time to various forms of anti-Israel activism. Indeed, Blincoe is an enthusiastic supporter of BDS, and has written a book sympathetic to the terrorist-abetting International Solidarity Movement.BBC online description of Six Day War: not accurate, not impartial, barely informative
He also has a troubled relationship with the truth, having once opined that the mission of Israeli archeology is “to erase the traces of non-Jewish civilizations” and, as we revealed in a recent post, falsely claimed in a Guardian op-ed that Binyamin Netanyahu argued (in his book A Place Among the Nations) that Israel shouldn’t have to abide by international legal norms.
Blincoe has even praised the writings of a neo-Nazi style racist named Gilad Atzmon.
So, we obviously weren’t expecting much – by way of adherence to journalistic and professional norms – when we came across his recent Guardian review of a new film by “Palestinian” film-maker Annemarie Jacir (Annemarie Jacir: an auteur in exile, June 5).
That explanation of course neglects to clarify to readers that rather than the regions described in the text being “ruled” (as the BBC so benignly puts it) by Jordan, they were in fact occupied, with Jordan’s subsequent annexation of those areas not recognized by the international community. It also fails to clarify that the same area had been designated as part of the homeland for the Jewish people at the San Remo conference in 1920 – along with the Gaza Strip which was similarly occupied by Egypt from 1948 to 1956 and from 1957 to 1967 – and that both areas were conquered by those invading foreign armies during the War of Independence.The Economist Sugarcoats Hamas Terror
The BBC’s cursory description of the period immediately before the outbreak of the Six Day War fails to describe the organized build-up of Egyptian, Syrian, Jordanian, Saudi Arabian and Iraqi troops on Israel’s borders from May 25th 1967 or the May 30th defence pact between Egypt and Jordan. No mention is made of the fact that by that time, some 500,000 troops, 5,000 tanks and 1,000 warplanes surrounded Israel or of the threatening rhetoric of numerous Arab leaders.
The formation of a new Palestinian unity government has brought with it a sudden need to sweep the issue of Hamas under the proverbial carpet on the part of some media (and foreign governments). The Economist is a case in point.NY Times: US must be cautious of new Palestinian leadership
That Hamas’ methods have changed over the years is irrelevant when considering that the terror organization is responsible for murdering hundreds of Israelis. The blockade of Gaza exists precisely to prevent Hamas terrorists from acquiring the resources necessary to maintain a terror infrastructure.
Ceasefire agreements have come to an end due to Hamas terror activities and rocket attacks. Indeed, Hamas has been responsible for the firing of thousands of rockets at Israeli cities and the only reason that the Israeli death toll is mercifully low is because Israel has taken measures to protect its civilian population, for example, the building of protected areas and the deployment of Iron Dome anti-missile batteries.
Hamas is still the same Hamas. Isn’t it time media such as The Economist deal with that reality instead of sugarcoating terrorism?
The United States has to be careful to distinguish between its support for the new [Palestinian] government and an endorsement of Hamas and its violent, hateful behavior,” the New York Times wrote in an editorial Friday. It voiced caution, and suggested some rare empathy for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government in their opposition to the Palestinian unity deal and their surprise at Washington’s announcement that it would work with the new Hamas-backed leadership.Peres skewers Palestinian unity ahead of peace prayer
“To have some hope of doing that, the United States and Europe must continue to insist that [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas stick to his promises and not allow Hamas to get the upper hand,” the editorial went on, echoing a statement made last week by Secretary of State John Kerry in which he defended the US position and said the Obama administration would monitor the new leadership and ensure it “doesn’t cross the line.”
While Abbas and PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah have insisted that the new government is made up of technocrats not affiliated with Hamas, the New York Times acknowledged that “Netanyahu has scoffed at that distinction — and some skepticism is warranted.”
Hours before holding a joint prayer session for peace with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, President Shimon Peres lambasted a recently reached Palestinian unity agreement Sunday, saying it was doomed to fail.Hamas gaining more control in West Bank, PM says
Peres and Palestinian Authority President Abbas are slated to hold a special prayer for peace with Pope Francis at the Vatican late Sunday afternoon, an initiative pushed by the Vatican during Francis’s visit to the Holy Land two weeks ago.
Remarking on the Palestinian unity government, jointly backed by the Islamist Hamas and Abbas’s more moderate Fatah group, Peres called it a “contradiction that won’t last.”
“One is in favor of terror and one is against terror. That won’t work,” he told reporters upon arriving in Rome Sunday morning. “You can’t have water and fire in the same glass.”
Instead of the PA taking control of Gaza, “we see more and more signs that the exact opposite will happen. That is to say, that Hamas will gain more control over Palestinian Authority areas in Judea and Samaria,” the prime minister said, using the biblical terms for the southern and northern West Bank.Hamas, Islamic Jihad Vow to Continue Terror - No Matter What
At the end of last week, the Hamas leadership “again declared its intention to destroy the state of Israel,” and those who thought that the unity Palestinian government would moderate the Islamic movement are “mistaken,” Netanyahu said ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting.
Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad reiterated their commitment to terror over the weekend, stating that a "unity" pact with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the new government's public pledge to renounce terror does not change their views.Ministers approve bill quashing prisoner releases
Hamas leader and former political figure Ismail Haniyeh stated in a public address Saturday - in honor of the opening session of terror training "summer camps" in Gaza - that "Hamas's strategy has not changed and will not change."
"Wherever [Hamas] presides, we will remain preachers and teachers and build the Palestinian nation to liberate all the land of Palestine," Haniyeh said, referring to the entire land of Israel. "We emphasize now that we will not retreat from out plan to liberate our lands and ensure the right of return and the release of [terrorist] prisoners."
The cabinet on Sunday rejected an appeal against a bill that would bar the release of Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences without parole, effectively removing the option to use prisoners as a bargaining chip with the Palestinians.JPost Editorial Salah’s effrontery
The bill was the subject of intense debate during the cabinet meeting, the NRG news site reported.
The bill, which still must get an okay from the Knesset, had been approved two weeks ago, resulting in an appeal by Yesh Atid MK Yaakov Peri.
The measure would only apply to those sentenced in the future and not those currently serving time in jail.
According a statement at a recent cabinet session, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu favors outlawing the Islamic Movement’s northern branch. Netanyahu said that he had set up an interministerial team to prepare the legal groundwork for the move but discovered that Justice Minister Tzipi Livni was impeding his initiative.Watch: Pro-Palestine Charity Head Refuses to Condemn Stoning of Adulterers
Three sources who attended that meeting reported that Netanyahu reacted with visible fury.
The prime minister’s outrage is underscored by this Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) information: Mahmoud Toama, a member of Hamas’s General Shura Council, was arrested at the Allenby Bridge to Jordan. During Toama’s interrogation he pointed unequivocally to the Islamic Movement in Israel – particularly the northern branch headed by former Umm el-Fahm mayor Raed Salah – as a Hamas front.
The founder of an Islamic private school who also heads 'pro-Palestine' group Interpal, has refused to condemn the stoning to death of adulterers during an interview on the BBC’s Newsnight programme.What should be taught in Muslim schools? - Newsnight
Asked repeatedly by presenter Jeremy Paxman over Sharia punishments, such as stoning adulterers and cutting off the hands of thieves, Hewitt refused to be drawn on the issue.
When asked by Paxman whether he would condone stoning for adulterers in a Sharia state, he responded that it would depend on circumstances.
Egypt: No reopening of Rafah crossing until PA unity government takes over from Hamas
Egypt would be amenable to opening the Rafah crossing between Sinai and Hamas-controlled Gaza on condition that the terminal is administered by the newly created Palestinian unity government, an Egyptian official told the Ma’an news agency on Saturday.Lebanese Druze head urges Hezbollah to fight Israel, not rebels
The official said that the Egyptian government would insist that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas reopen the presidential headquarters in the Gaza Strip.
The harsh criticism by Walid Jumblatt, who leads Lebanon’s minority Druze sect, reflects his increasing pessimism about the bloody conflict next door, now in its fourth year.Lebanese Researcher 'Imad Rizq: The Jews Buy Wars in Which to Embroil Other Nations
Although he leads a minority sect, Jumblatt is a pillar and a mainstay in Lebanese politics and is often referred to as the country’s “kingmaker” because of his small bloc’s track record of tipping the balance during key votes in parliament.
“Hezbollah intervened in Syria and did not care about the Lebanese (public) opinion,” Jumblatt told The Associated Press during a recent interview at his home in Beirut. “This is a historical and moral mistake toward the Syrian people.”
Survey: 40 Percent of Iranians Would Give Up Nuclear Weapons Ability in Return for Removal of Sanctions
A public opinion poll of Iranians showed that 40 percent of those living in the Islamic Republic would give up the ability to produce nuclear weapons in exchange for the full removal of Western sanctions, The New York Times reported on Friday.Europe: Muslims Should Leave Killing Of Jews To Us (satire)
However, only 9 percent surveyed said they would be willing to give up the civilian part of the country’s nuclear program for the removal of the sanctions.
Additionally, nearly 40 percent of the Iranians surveyed in the poll, which was conducted by an Israeli group, agreed that Iran should recognize Israel if the Jewish state were to reach a peace accord with the Palestinians and withdraw from disputed territories.
The aftermath of the fatal shootings in a Belgian Jewish Museum two weeks ago by a Muslim with French citizenship has the Continent’s far right in an uproar, as the anti-immigrant, antisemitic groups in question believe the task of massacring Jews is best handled by them.Australian Jews accuse auctioneers of profiting from Holocaust
“We must reassert our historic supremacy in this important field,” said Bestu Killemal, a leader of the Hungarian party Jobbik. “Europe has unfortunately fallen under the sway of namby-pamby liberals in its thinking of late. Our aim has to be the restoration of this civilization’s consistency in persecuting, taxing, bullying, expelling, and simply killing the Jew.” No other civilization has come close, he added, and it is pathetic that Europe has allowed upstart nations run by “towel-heads” to even think they could supplant Europe as the premier slaughterhouse for Jews.
Auctioneers have been condemned by Jewish leaders after selling off a haul of Nazi memorabilia in Adelaide this week.Israel's Elbit Systems to supply drones to Swiss Army
On Thursday, about 20 items from World War I and II went under the hammer and were sold to military enthusiasts willing to fork out between $300 and $700 for a slice of Third Reich history.
The auction came just days before Sunday's commemoration of the 70th anniversary of D-Day that contributed to Allied forces winning World War II.
But Jewish Community Council of South Australia president Norman Schueler said auction house Mason Gray Strange should have known better than to remind survivors of the Holocaust and their families of the horrific time.
Israeli defense electronics company Elbit Systems was selected to supply a new drone program to the Swiss Armed Forces, the firm announced Sunday morning.Digging for TV gold in Israel
The current drone program in Switzerland - the ADS 95 Ranger reconnaissance drone system, operating since 2001 - is slated to be replaced by 2020, under the new defense agreement.
Local casting agent Sharon Soleimani describes the cultural importance of the American TV series ‘The Dig’ filming in Jerusalem.Businesses and Companies Adopt IDF Battalions
The Dig, an American television series, has begun filming in Jerusalem. This marks the very first time an American TV series will film entirely in Israel. One of the casting agents, Sharon Soleimani from CU, describes the filming process and why this is a historical moment not only for filming in Jerusalem, but for the city itself.
"The idea behind Adopt-A-Battalion is to get the community to work closely with the Army," the Brig. Gen. stated. "There is a unique relationship between the soldiers and the companies which take care of them, which support them."
Companies and individuals signed up for the program make a three-year commitment to the unit, often attending joint activities and social events with the soldiers.In the past seven years, the organization has increased its sponsorship from 70 donors to over 140 donors across Israel and around the world.
Donors include Tnuva, Teva, the Friends of the IDF (FIDF), Ernst and Young and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), to name a few.
