Sunday, December 08, 2019

12/08 Links: Jeremy Corbyn is the biggest global threat to Jews, warns Simon Wiesenthal Centre; Biden says cutting Israel aid ‘bizarre,’ accuses PA of fomenting conflict; Why Israel will be blamed for the absence of PA elections

From Ian:
Jeremy Corbyn is the biggest global threat to Jews, warns Simon Wiesenthal Centre - the world's leading Nazi-hunting organisation - as Boris Johnson urges voters to save Britain from a 'nightmare'
Boris Johnson today urges voters not to inflict a Friday the 13th 'nightmare' on Britain by handing Jeremy Corbyn the keys to No 10.

The Prime Minister's late Election plea comes as The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the Labour leader has been named as the worst antisemite on the planet by the world's leading Nazi-hunting organisation.

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre warns that Corbyn would turn Britain into a 'pariah state' if he wins Thursday's Election.

In an astonishing escalation of the row which has ripped Labour apart, the human rights body said: 'No one has done more to mainstream antisemitism into the political and social life of a democracy than the Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour Party.

'Members and staff who have dared to speak out against the hate were purged, but not those who declared 'Heil Hitler' and 'F*** the Jews.'

Rabbi Marvin Hier, the head of the centre, told this newspaper: 'If it wasn't for Winston Churchill and Britain leading the fight against Nazism in the Second World War who knows if the Allies would have won?

'Britain was at the forefront of defeating Hitler and now, on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the person who wants to sit in Winston Churchill's chair at No 10 is fostering antisemitism. If Mr Corbyn wins he will make Britain a pariah on the world stage. It will be a disaster for democracy.'

Leaked files expose extent of anti-Semitism in British Labour Party
The full extent of anti-Semitism in the British Labour Party is exposed in documents leaked days before voters go to the polls to elect a new government.

Allegations against members include Holocaust denial and crude caricatures of “bent nose manipulative liars,” as well as calls for the “extermination of every Jew on the planet.”

The issue has long dogged Jeremy Corbyn, its hard-left leader, who has been accused repeatedly of failing to tackle the issue.

The leaked files from internal investigations show more than 130 cases remain outstanding, even though many were reported more than 18 months ago, according to the Sunday Times.

One member was suspended after claiming that only “thousands” of people had died in the Holocaust, according to the files. She also stereotyped Jewish people by claiming they were “rich, interested in finance and intent on controlling or exploiting others” in social media posts.

Another member was suspended last year after his comments were reported to party headquarters. “I call for the complete annihilation and extermination of every Jew on the planet,” the man is alleged to have written in a post about Israel.




Solidarity and anger expressed at ‘Together Against Antisemitism’ rally
Thousands gathered at Parliament Square in London on Sunday afternoon for the Together Against Antisemitism rally where Jews and non-Jews came together to stand up against Jew-hatred.

The rally, organized by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, took place just days before the UK faces a general election set for Thursday.

However, the organization made it clear that this was an apolitical rally “so that Jews and non-Jews alike can say clearly and with one voice, that we stand together against antisemitism.”

Attendees waved British and Israeli flags, held signs stating “Together Against Antisemitism,” “Remember the lessons of the Past, don’t look away” and “solidarity with British Jews” during the demonstration.

Several also brandishing “Corbyn Supports Terrorists” placards.

Speaking to several attendees at rally, sentiments were expressed that whatever happens in the upcoming election, the Jewish community could face prejudice.

Simon Cobbs of Sussex Friends of Israel told The Jerusalem Post that the threat to the Jewish community will not be over following Thursday’s election.

“If [UK Labour leader Jeremy] Corbyn gets beaten, who will be blamed? The Jews,” he said. “It’s a lose lose situation for us. If Corbyn gets in, we have an antisemitic Labour government and if he doesn’t, the Jews will be blamed of it.”
Poll Predicts UK Conservatives to Win Majority of 38 in Election: Sunday Times
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party is on course to win a parliamentary majority of 38 seats in Thursday’s election, according to a new poll, the Sunday Times‘ political editor reported.

A Datapraxis poll, using the multilevel regression and post-stratification (MRP) model, predicted that the Conservatives would win 344 seats, with the opposition Labour Party taking 221, the Times‘s Tim Shipman said on Twitter.

“Their last MRP, two weeks ago gave a majority of 48,” he said, adding the poll was based on 500,000 YouGov interviews using the Datapraxis model.










Trump: Israel has never had a better friend in the White House
US President Donald Trump said Saturday that Israel has never had a better friend in the White House than him because, unlike his predecessors, “I kept my promises.”

Trump energized a large audience at the Israeli American Council National Summit in Florida by recounting his record on issues of importance to Jews, including an extensive riff on his promise to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and relocate the US Embassy there from Tel Aviv.

“It’s truly my honor to be here this evening, to celebrate our progress, to deepen the incredible partnership between the United States and Israel, and it suffered greatly in the last administration. I don’t think they liked Israel too much, I’m sorry,” he said.

“After eight long years in which our alliance was undermined and neglected, I’m happy to report that the United States-Israeli relationship is stronger now than ever before."

Trump said his predecessors had promised to move the embassy but only paid lip service to the issue.

“They never had any intention of doing it, in my opinion,” Trump said. “But unlike other presidents, I kept my promises.”


Trump to IAC Crowd: American-Jews Who Vote Democrat ‘Don’t Love Israel Enough’
President Donald J. Trump on Saturday night told a raucous and adoring audience at the annual conference of the Israeli-American Council (IAC) in Hollywood, Florida: “The Jewish state has never had a better friend in the White House than your president, Donald J. Trump.”

After being introduced by philanthropists Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, Trump lashed out at the majority of Jewish American voters who would not vote for him, despite his unprecedented support for the State of Israel.

“So many of you voted for people in the last administration,” he said, “Some day you’ll have to explain that to me because I don’t think they liked Israel too much.”

The Israeli-American Council is an American nonprofit organization that represents and serves more than 250,000 Israeli-Americans across the US. Its mission is to preserve and strengthen the Israeli and Jewish identities of future generations, strengthen the American Jewish community, and strengthen the relationship between citizens of the United States and the State of Israel. The IAC is considered the fastest-growing Jewish organization in the world.


Biden says cutting Israel aid ‘bizarre,’ accuses PA of fomenting conflict
Joe Biden said Saturday that it is “bizarre” for Bernie Sanders to propose withholding US military aid from Israel if the government there doesn’t moderate its treatment of Palestinians.

The remarks highlight a nuanced but significant distinction between the Democratic presidential contenders. Biden and Sanders support a “two-state solution” for Israel and the Palestinians, and both men have criticized political leaders on each side of the long-standing conflict.

But Biden’s take, offered during a question-and-answer session with Iowa voters, hewed a more traditional US establishment line by reaffirming a financial commitment to Israel regardless of its actions toward Palestinians.

The former vice president cast Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “counterproductive” and “extreme right” leader. But he also accused Palestinian leaders of “fomenting” the conflict and “baiting everyone who is Jewish,” while suggesting that some on the US political left give the Palestinian Authority “a pass” when criticizing Israeli leadership.

“In terms of Bernie and others who talk about dealing with Zionism, I strongly support Israel as an independent Jewish state,” Biden said in rural northeastern Iowa.

He added, “The idea that I’d withdraw military aid, as others have suggested, from Israel, is bizarre. I would not do that. It’s like saying to France, ‘Because you don’t agree with us, we’re going to kick you out of NATO.”
US envoy vows Israel will no longer be 'punching bag' at UN
In her first press conference since she assumed her role as US Ambassador to the United Nations in September, Kelly Craft said she will strongly oppose Israel being used as “a punching bag” in the Security Council.

However, she said she also wants to foster a dialogue on Israel and the Palestinians “because we do care about the Palestinian refugees, we care about the people there.”

In what would most likely be a well-received statement among Israeli officials, Craft warned Iran that the Trump administration will keep up its maximum pressure campaign and use “other tools” if Tehran continues its “malicious behavior.”

Speaking to reporters on Friday, she responded to recent demonstrations over rising gas prices where hundreds of protesters have reportedly been killed. The protests showed the widespread economic discontent gripping Iran since May 2018, when Trump imposed crushing sanctions after unilaterally withdrawing the United States from the nuclear agreement that Tehran struck with world powers in 2015. That decision has seen Iran begin to violate certain parameters of the deal.

“What I care about is the government is mistreating and abusing the people,” Craft said. “We have not seen any change in this behavior,” especially in the Middle East.
U.S. Envoy Slams Berlin Over Conference Hosting Hamas
U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell criticized the city of Berlin on Friday for allowing a pro-Hamas conference. “We have raised our concerns over this. Hamas is a terrorist organization and should not be welcomed in Berlin,” the U.S. envoy said on Twitter.

The event, hosted on Saturday by the Palestinian Return Center (PRC) and the Palestinian Community of Germany (PGD), featured speakers linked to the Gaza-based Islamist group Hamas, a U.S.- and EU-designated terrorist organization. Both Palestinian organizations are being monitored by the German domestic intelligence agency for extremist activities, German newspaper Berliner Zeitung confirmed.

Ahead of the event, Israel’s Ambassador to Germany Jeremy Issacharoff also urged the city of Berlin to cancel the event promoting the terrorist outfit Hamas. “It will not be a meeting to build bridges of peace between Israel and the Palestinians, but a meeting to preserve intransigence and hostility,” Israeli envoy told German newspaper Bild on Friday. “I urge the authorities to prevent this event from happening.”

The city of Berlin, governed by a left-wing alliance, refused to ban the event, claiming Hamas activities were not banned in Germany, Bild newspaper reported.

Prof. Phyllis Chesler: Why is the NYT allying with Islamists against women?
And who is Noah Feldman? What does choosing him as an expert in the impeachment hearings tell us about the current Democratic Party?

Feldman and the Times are totally out of touch with the reality of Muslim girls and women who are routinely beaten and sometimes honor killed because they refuse to wear hijab. To Feldman, the politically correct narrative is one which is pro-Islam and anti-Judaism.

Feldman once wrote a long and bitter article in the Sunday New York Times in which he excoriated his own Orthodox Jewish brethren for (accidentally, as it turns out), not including a photo of himself together with his non-Jewish, non-Orthodox, non-convert wife at a class reunion. He presents Judaism as primitive, xenophobic, hateful. To the best of my knowledge, Jews do not honor kill the girls and women who become dissidents nor do they murder apostates. Only Islam does that.

I have yet to read an article in the Times calling for the right of Christians or Jews to build churches and synagogues in Muslim countries; they focus more on the right of Muslims to build mosques in Europe and in North and South America. They do not demand that Jews not be beaten or cursed for wearing visible Jewish headcoverings or religious insignia.

Such views have propagandized entire generations of Westerners—and to our detriment. The way propaganda works its magic is through persistence, subtlety, photographic images, and Big Lies couched in acceptable and popular ways. Every week, sometimes every day, the Times has a piece which glorifies and normalizes Muslim customs, but not Christian or Jewish customs.

So, why is the New York Times making so powerful an alliance with Islamists against women?
25 MPs from around the world say nations must protest anti-Jew boycotts
Twenty-five members of parliament from around the world signed a declaration on Sunday stating that “never again will nations stand silent in the face of boycotts against the Jewish people.”

The signing ceremony took place during a tour of Judea and Samaria that included a visit to the Barkan Industrial Park. The MPs met with family members of Kim Levengrond-Yehezkel and Ziv Hajbi, who were killed in a terrorist shooting at the park in October 2018.

The MPs are in town for three days to take part in the Israel Allies Foundation’s annual conference. Among attendees are the foreign minister of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza; the population minister of Estonia, Riina Solman; and the president-elect of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei.

Foundation president Josh Reinstein said this year’s conference is focused on responding to the recent European Union court’s decision that EU countries must identify on their labels products made in West Bank settlements. Many of these parliament members serve as chairmen of the Israel allies caucuses in their parliaments and are charged with advancing pro-Israel legislation and combating anti-Zionist or antisemitic bills.
Guatemalan president to Israeli president: Your enemies are my enemies
It is extremely rare in any bilateral relationship to experience two presidential visits from the same country in less than two years.
But Guatemala has a very special relationship with Israel, which goes back to before the establishment of the state.

Outgoing Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales came to Israel in May 2018 for the opening of the Guatemalan Embassy, which had moved to Jerusalem. Now, new president-elect Alejandro Giammattei, who is due to take office on January 14, is in Israel to attend the world conference of parliamentarians taking place in Jerusalem.

Although he had made three previous bids for the presidency, Giammattei has never held a political post.

Giammattei met on Sunday with President Reuven Rivlin and told him that Israel is not just a friend, but an ally. “Israel has proven that it is on our side in times of need,” he said. “And that’s why Israel is our last stop in our tour of friendly allied nations.”
FBI Detains 10 Saudis After Attack, Searching For More After Attacker Had Party To Watch Mass Shooting Videos
FBI officials have detained nearly a dozen Saudi nationals and are searching for several others after a member of the Saudi military opened fire on the Naval Air Station (NAS) in Pensacola, Florida, on Friday killing three and wounding several others.

Sources told The Associated Press that three students attended the dinner party, and that one of those students recorded a video of the attacker committing the attack as it happened.

“Two other Saudi students watched from a car,” the AP reported. “Ten Saudi students were being held on the base Saturday while several others were unaccounted for, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity after being briefed by federal authorities.”

President Donald Trump responded to the attack, writing: “King Salman of Saudi Arabia just called to express his sincere condolences and give his sympathies to the families and friends of the warriors who were killed and wounded in the attack that took place in Pensacola, Florida. The King said that the Saudi people are greatly angered by the barbaric actions of the shooter, and that this person in no way shape or form represents the feelings of the Saudi people who love the American people.”
Palestinian convert to Judaism freed after detainment, beatings in PA jail
A Palestinian man who converted to Judaism, jailed by the Palestinian Authority and reportedly beaten and pressured to recant over a two-month period, was finally released last week.

Following his release on Thursday, David Ben Avraham, formerly Sameh Zeitoun, is staying in the Jerusalem home of an Israeli, Haim Parag, who helped him through the conversion process.

Ben Avraham converted through the Bnei Brak Rabbinical Court of Rabbi Nissim Karelitz, who died in October. Ben Avraham was arrested in early October by armed men while visiting his son in the West Bank.

“They handcuffed me and took me to jail,” he told the Ynet news site on Friday. “I took a lot of beatings there.”

Ben Avraham was held in a Hebron facility, where “the guards told everyone I had converted and I was Jewish. Prisoners would gang up on me, choke me and beat me badly.”

He said he was later held in solitary confinement. Palestinian officials initially claimed the reason was a violent altercation with his brother, but when his bail was met and a Palestinian court ordered his release, the Hebron governor prevented it.
IDF strikes Hamas sites in Gaza after rocket fire on Israel
Israeli aircraft bombed several terror target sites in Gaza early Sunday, hours after three rockets were fired from the Palestinian enclave toward southern Israel.

The military said in a statement the airstrikes targeted several Hamas posts and a naval base. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

On Saturday evening, the IDF said the Iron Dome defense system intercepted the projectiles fired from the Gaza Strip.

No Palestinian group claimed responsibility for the rocket fire.

Israel maintains that Hamas, as the group ruling Gaza, is responsible for any rocket fire from the Strip.

On Friday, thousands of Palestinians demonstrated along the Gaza-Israel border.


Bennett warns IDF will act at the right time against terror groups in Gaza
Israel’s Defense Minister Naftali Bennett warned terror groups in the Gaza Strip that the IDF will act at the right time in the blockaded coastal enclave during a visit to southern Israel after a night of rocket fire.

We need to move from a defensive approach to an attacking approach. Whatever we'll do - we'll do it at the right time - in the right way and with great power. No one will drag us to it. A good ruse is served cold, not when the blood is boiling and the other side waits of it.” he said during a visit to the college town of Sderot on Sunday night.

Bennett visited the city and met with the heads of local authorities as well as residents of Sderot.

“Our enemies have become accustomed to firing towards the State of Israel. We need to change that,” he said. “All our enemies, from Iran through Hezbollah to ISIS in Sinai, want to break us. But don't get confused, because we win. The people of Israel will win.”
Hamas, PIJ say ceasefire contingent on Israel’s actions
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have assured Egyptian intelligence officials that they remain committed to the ceasefire understandings reached with Israel earlier this year under the auspices of Egypt, Qatar and the UN.

Egypt, for its part, has promised a series of measures to ease travel and trade restrictions imposed on the Gaza Strip, a Hamas official said on Sunday.

The pledge was made during talks in Cairo between Hamas and PIJ leaders and Egyptian intelligence officials in the past week, the official said.

Hamas and PIJ reportedly told the Egyptians their continued commitment to the ceasefire understandings is contingent on Israel’s actions on the ground, particularly halting the use of live ammunition against Palestinians demonstrating near the Gaza-Israel border, said a statement issued by the Hamas leadership.

Egyptian sources said the Cairo discussions achieved “significant progress” toward reaching a long-term ceasefire. The sources said Egypt was expected to invite leaders of several Palestinian factions to Cairo soon to gain their approval of the proposed ceasefire with Israel.

The Hamas delegation was headed by Ismail Haniyeh, who arrived in Turkey on Sunday morning. The PIJ delegation invited to Cairo was headed by the group’s secretary general, Ziyad al-Nakhalah.
Several said killed in airstrikes on Iranian-controlled weapons depots in Syria
Unidentified aircraft bombed three Iranian-controlled weapons depots on Saturday night, killing several members of Tehran-supported militias, Syrian media reported.

Some news outlets in the country said that four fighters were killed in the strike, while others said five. The Syrian government did not immediately release an official tally.

According to the Syrian Step News agency, the airstrikes occurred around 10 p.m. on Saturday, targeting three munitions storehouses in the Boulkamal region of Syria, near the Iraqi border, an area that has reportedly been hit by many Israeli raids in the past year.

The outlet cited “well-placed sources” as saying that the four people killed were guards at the storehouses who were members of militias backed by Iran.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said that at least five militiamen were killed in the strike.
PMW: PMW op-ed: Why Israel will be blamed for the absence of PA elections
The spin is simple. First, persuade the international community that true Palestinian elections can only take place if all the so-called “Palestinian factions” are allowed to participate. Then add the demand that the international community force the Israeli government to “comply with the agreed arrangements for Palestinian general elections in east Jerusalem.”

The term “Palestinian factions” is a euphemism for Hamas and others designated by Israel and the international community as terrorist groups. Needless to say, there is no Israeli-Palestinian agreement that requires Israel to allow the PA to hold elections in Jerusalem with the participation of terrorist groups.

In other words, according to Abbas and the PLO, for the Palestinian elections to be held, Israel must allow designated terrorist groups into Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, to campaign and run in the Palestinian elections.

With the political conundrum that has seized Israel for the last year, there would appear to be zero reason to believe that either of the two potential candidates who eventually will become Israel’s prime minister, will suddenly decide to abandon all of his principles and allow Palestinian terrorist groups to campaign and run in Jerusalem.

When Israel refuses this ultimatum, Abbas will declare that the elections must be pushed off, while squarely laying the blame for the delay on Israel.

In this manner, the Palestinian elections will be avoided. Abbas and Fatah will continue to control the areas of Judea and Samaria currently under their control, and Hamas will continue to control Gaza. Israel will, of course, be blamed.




Watch yet another incident of men targeting Jewish man at synagogue and throwing his hat to the ground
In the latest of a spate of similar incidents, a group of men entered the Satmar Synagogue premises in Stamford Hill and threw a religious Jew’s hat to the ground.

The incident took place at 20:30 on 5th December at the Clapton Common synagogue of the Satmar community and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

Anyone with further information should contact Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: ref 4635138/19.

On 8th December, regardless of religion, race or politics, Jews and non-Jews alike will gather in Parliament Square to declare that they stand together against antisemitism in the face of Jew-hatred in politics and mounting anti-Jewish hate crime.


Israeli students find pesticide-free way to kill mosquitos
Mosquitos aren’t only pesky insects that suck your blood and make you scratch. They are airborne carriers of serious diseases from malaria to Zika.

Because mosquitos congregate around water, and spraying water sources with pesticides is not possible, eradication is difficult.

Student biologists from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have found a genetically engineered solution – have the males transfer to the females a specific type of bacteria that poisons mosquito larvae.

This novel solution was found as part of the recent iGEM Competition, an international team competition to promote synthetic biology. BGU’s team, dubbed FlyGEM, found that previous BGU research had discovered bacteria in the mosquito’s gut called BTI. When activated, BTI produces a poison that only kills mosquito larvae.

FlyGEM tweaked the male mosquito’s gut microbiome to express BTI and then sent it off to find and mate with females. The females transfer the bacteria on the eggs, and when the larvae are born, most of them die. The remaining larvae eat the dead ones, and then die themselves. (h/t Zvi)
With Jewish and Arab musicians, Nazareth conservatory puts on first festival
Nazareth is known for its churches, Galilean cuisine and its Christmas history, but it’s also the home of Polyphony, the first classical music conservatory in Israel’s Arab community.

Next week, the conservatory is hosting the first Liturgical Music Festival in Nazareth, a three-day, pre-Christmas event on December 12-14 in the churches and auditoriums of the city. It offers fans an opportunity to see this classical music program, and its efforts to bridge the gaps between Jews and Arabs, in person.

The festival, Nazareth’s first, will feature visiting troupes, including Germany’s Hannover Collegium Vocale Choir, the Tel Aviv Collegium Singers, the Israeli Brass Quintet, the Latin-American Folk Ensemble and leading local soloists. The central orchestra is Polyphony’s Galilee Orchestra, a 35-member chamber group composed of Jewish and Arab musicians.

The main concert, on Friday night, will have 85 people onstage to perform Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor, said Nabil Abboud Ashkar, the award-winning founder of the festival as well as of the Polyphony Foundation.

For Abboud Ashkar, the festival is one of the long-awaited pieces in his dream of classical music education.

“I’ve always felt that what was missing was the city of Nazareth in advancing our agenda,” said Abboud Ashkar. “To me, that meant creating a musical happening or festival or concerts that would be attractive to all people, from around the country.” (h/t Zvi)
German-Jewish beauty queen campaigns to raise awareness of antisemitism in Europe
Tamar Morali, the first ever Jewish contestant in the Miss Germany Cooperation (MGC) contest, will be spearheading a campaign titled "SHALOM" to bring awareness to racist or antisemitic incidents and rhetoric plaguing certain areas of Germany as well as Europe throughout recent years. The campaign is due to kick-off on Dec. 10, to line up in time for Human Rights Day.

Using her newly found role as a beauty queen, Morali gathered some of the most influential German personalities to band together, using social media and an audience of more than 30 million followers spread across multiple celebrity accounts, to bring awareness to an issue that hits so close to home for the Jewish beauty queen.

"In recent years and months, there have been several racist and antisemitic incidents in Germany and Europe, which impacted all of us," Morali said. "These incidents should neither be accepted nor tolerated – by anyone! This is why we feel obliged to emphasize SHALOM, to raise awareness for a brighter and [more] peaceful future."

Morali explained in an email to The Jerusalem Post that she has thought long and hard about how to combat antisemitism in Europe and how to best bring attention to the topic, "especially after what happened in Halle." She decided the best option for success is to use the audience she earned from participating in the MGC and put that reach to good use, essentially becoming the face of the campaign.
Hitler artifacts bought by Swiss-Lebanese businessman to be given to Yad Vashem
Hitler artifacts that a Swiss-Lebanese businessman purchased from a controversial German auction house in November will be donated to the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem, the head of the institution said on Sunday.

Abdalla Chatila, who has amassed his wealth from diamonds and real estate in Geneva, purchased 10 items associated with the Nazi fuhrer on November 20 from the Munich-based Hermann Historica auction house. He later announced that he acquired them to keep them away from neo-Nazis.

“We are not going to display it as a collection,” Avner Shalev, the chairman of Yad Vashem, told reporters alongside Chatila at the Keren Hayesod association’s headquarters in Jerusalem, while noting that the museum may use one or more of the artifacts in “the right context of telling the story of the perpetrators.”

Chatila, who was slated to tour Yad Vashem on Sunday and intends to visit the Auschwitz concentration camp in January, said that he considered the prospect of the artifacts landing in “the wrong hands” a “potential lethal injustice.”

“I felt I had no choice but to actually try to help the cause,” Chatila, who moved from Lebanon to Europe with his family at the age of 2, remarked, adding that “Hitler is the personification of evil. Evil for everyone. Not evil for the Jews. Not evil for the Christians. Evil for humanity.”
Lebanese man who gave Nazi items to Israel: 'Antisemitism out in the open'
Antisemitic and xenophobic hatred in Europe has reached new heights, a Geneva-based Lebanese businessman said on Sunday following his purchase of Nazi memorabilia, which he bought to stop the items being used by neo-Nazis.

Abdallah Chatila bought €600,000 worth of Nazi-era items, including a top hat once owned by Adolf Hitler, and a silver-plated copy of Mein Kampf that once belonged to Nazi Hermann Goering, to stop them falling into the hands of neo-Nazis and Nazi sympathizers who would use them to glorify Hitler and his genocidal regime.

Chatila earmarked the items for the United Israel Appeal, and the organization will transfer them to Yad Vashem once Chatila takes possession of them, which could take several months.

“It was important for me to do this so these objects did not end up in the wrong hands,” Chatila said on Sunday in Jerusalem at a news conference organized by United Israel Appeal, which arranged his trip to Israel. “A lot of people asked me why I bought these items. For me it was not a matter of money but a symbol, and symbols have no value. If every one of us would do the right thing then the right would win.

Tolerance needs to lead us all, it’s not about different religions, tolerance needs to guide us with neighbors, friends and family. It comes before peace. That is the message that I hope will come from here.”


Shalva band makes American debut at Israeli-American Council event
Israel's beloved Shalva band, made up of a range of young adults with varying disabilities, hit the stage at the annual Israeli-American Council (IAC) event on Saturday night.

They were called onto the stage by US President Donald Trump, who introduced them as a "very special performance."

The band performed their unique rendition of "God Bless America." Trump stood onstage during the entire production.

The moment the song was over, one member of the band ran to Trump for a hug, who accepted and immediately went on to greet the rest of the members, one of which could be seen saying, "I love you so much."

Shalva band originally began as a music therapy group started by Shalva, the Israel Association for the Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities.

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