11/15 Links Pt1: Back to Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations? – Some Basic Truths; EU's Collusion in Palestinian Illegal Land Grab

From Ian:

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Amb. Alan Baker: Back to Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations? – Some Basic Truths

Any genuine and serious peace negotiating plan for Israel and the Palestinians should naturally be seen as a welcome alternative to the present situation of impasse in the peace process. However, the American peace plan should not be overestimated or idealized by exaggerated media hype and political manipulation.

To succeed, there is the necessity to correct many of the existing factors that are presently feeding an atmosphere of hatred, distrust, and suspicion among the political leaderships and general publics of the two sides.

First and foremost, the ongoing Palestinian diplomatic offensive against Israel is incompatible with any claim by the Palestinian leadership that it desires peace with Israel or that it intends to return to any negotiating mode.

Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership repeatedly deny both the historic rights of the Jewish people as well as the very right of Israel to exist. They cannot claim that they are willing to negotiate and live in peace with Israel, while at the same time openly denying the very right of Israel, the other party to any bona fide negotiation, to exist.

They cannot pretend to be open to reestablishing a neighborly relationship with Israel while, at the same time, deliberately discouraging any existing efforts at normalization of relations with Israelis. Their "denormalization" policy is anathema to any idea of developing good neighborliness between the two peoples for their mutual benefit.

The Palestinian-generated international BDS campaign aimed at harming and undermining Israel economically and culturally through boycotts and social propaganda is a further example of the very antithesis of any genuine intention to seek a peaceful mode of co-existence.

If Abbas and the Palestinian leadership genuinely intend to return to a negotiating mode with Israel, they cannot continuously and systematically alienate the Israeli public through incitement to terror and violence, false accusations, and hostile propaganda in violation of their Oslo Accord commitments.

Caroline Glick: Pining for fig leaves

Netanyahu said that he holds the Iranian-supported Hamas regime in Gaza responsible for any attacks against Israel emanating from its territory.

Netanyahu’s statement was notable since just last week Hamas and Fatah began implementing their power sharing arrangement in Gaza. Fatah forces, controlled by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, supposedly took responsibility for border crossings between Gaza and Israel.

By insisting that Hamas is responsible rather than Fatah, despite the agreement, Netanyahu signaled that as far as Israel is concerned, through its power- sharing deal with Fatah Hamas has succeeded in becoming the Palestinian version of Hezbollah. Just as Hezbollah pretends to be a faction in Lebanese politics, when in fact it controls all aspects of the Lebanese state, so Hamas remains in charge of all aspects of governance in Gaza while using the PA as a fig leaf.

This brings us back to Miller, Sokolsky and Malley and their pining for a reset button.

It is hard to view their positions as the basis for forging constructive US policies for the region, transformed by eight years of US appeasement of Iran at the expense of its allies and interests.

Insisting that Mohammed abandon the steps he has taken to expand the prospects of Saudi survival in favor of a policy of pretending that a stable equilibrium can be struck between Iran and Saudi Arabia (and Israel) is not a policy for restoring equilibrium.

Putting Hariri back in office in Beirut so he can continue to serve as a fig leaf for Hezbollah and Iran is not a policy for restoring equilibrium. They are both means for pretending reality away while enabling Iran to wage a continuous war against America’s allies with ever greater power and capacity.

It makes sense that Obama partisans are unhappy with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed. It makes sense that they are unhappy with Netanyahu and with Trump. All four of these leaders are impudently insisting on basing their policies on recognizing the reality Obama spent his two terms ignoring: Iran is not appeasable.

Ruthie Blum: Europe's Collusion in Palestinian Illegal Land Grab

It takes particular gall for European Union representatives to express "humanitarian" outrage at Israel for razing illegal structures in the West Bank -- while the EU is in league with Palestinian criminals who have been brazenly stealing Arab-owned land.

There has been massive "behind-the-scenes" Palestinian construction, the goal of which is "to create irreversible facts on the ground," and completely encircle Jerusalem. Once the buildings – which "do not meet even the most minimum standards required by engineers, architects and housing planners" – are erected, the apartments are sold cheaply ($25,000-$50,000), to guarantee they are purchased and populated quickly.

If there is any debt to pay here, it is not Israel's to Europe, but the other way around. Belgium and the rest of the EU should be embracing its natural ally, the democratic Jewish state, against all forces that support and perpetrate violence, while rejecting peace.

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01/07 Links Pt2: PA Arab: Jordanian army told us to leave in 1948 War, Stones to Play TA in June?

From Ian:

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Judea Pearl: How not to fight an anti-Israel boycott

What ASA members should be most concerned about is their professional reputation, having let their organization be hijacked by the rhetoric of the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement and its radical supporters. While the resolution itself may sound benign, ASA members should have taken a hard look at the purpose for which this document will be used in the future.
The leaders of the BDS movement do not hide that purpose: In every conversation with them, they make it crystal clear that their ultimate goal is not to end the occupation, nor is it to achieve a peaceful solution in the Middle East, but rather to defame Israel in the public eye, to choreograph an arena where Israel’s criminality is debated, to intimidate pro-coexistence voices into silence, if not shame, and eventually bring about Israel’s isolation, if not her demise.

PMW: Palestinian refugee: Jordanian army told us to leave in 1948 War


Resorting to Lies, Distortions to Attack Israel

A short film dramatizing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is drawing traffic at Upworthy. In the film, "No Way Through," by the left-wing outfit Ctrl.Alt.Shift, a man hits a woman with his car, calls for an ambulance, then is forced to drive her to the hospital himself through the streets of London. When he arrives, he is turned away by soldiers, who eventually beat him senseless while the young woman suffers on the back seat of his car.
The film closes with the claim: "Around Jerusalem the average ambulance journey time for a Palestinian is now almost 2 hours, compared to 10 minutes in 2001."Here are some facts that the film leaves out. In 2000, Palestinians launched a deadly intifada that included relentless terror attacks on Israeli cities, resulting in over one thousand deaths. The checkpoints were set up to catch would-be terrorists. As the intifada wound down (largely through successful Israeli military efforts), the number of checkpoints was decreased.
Finally, there is the grim fact that Palestinian terror groups have sometimes used ambulances to carry bombs and other weapons, just as they frequently use civilian infrastructure (such as schools) to launch rocket attacks or to hide weapons and fighters. Just last week, an inadvertent explosion at the Palestinian embassy in the Czech Republic revealed the storage of illicit weapons there, in likely violation of the Vienna Convention.

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11/21 Links Pt2: ‘Everyone I hate is Hitler’- Dangerous politicization of antisemitism; Hamas: Trump might be a Jew

From Ian:

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Seth Frantzman:" ‘Everyone I hate is Hitler’- Dangerous politicization of antisemitism

The Left’s voices against antisemitism also have an Israel- centric narrative to them, that seeks to tar pro-Israel groups as not only whitewashing antisemitism but being tied to Trump to discredit them. “Trump lends hope to Israel’s right,” The New York Times claimed. “Trump emboldens Israel’s far right,” wrote Saeb Erakat. America’s “most powerful Jewish organizations” have “kept quiet during the most bigoted presidential campaign in history,” wrote Peter Beinart.
They even perform the trick of pulling an antisemitic rabbit out of a Zionist hat. “Strange but true that many ardent Zionists view Western antisemitism as good,” wrote journalist Dan Murphy on Twitter. “How Bannon and Brietbart can be pro-Israel and antisemitic at the same time,” headlined The Forward. In the article Todd Gitlin at Columbia University claimed that “the coexistence of antisemitism and right-wing Zionism ‘in Trump’s world make sense.’” A new narrative is forming to claim that Zionism is actually a form of antisemitism. This fulfills a kind of fantasy on parts the Left whereby being pro-Israel will now be seen as a component of being antisemitic, which will mean that the reality of radical-left antisemitism will forever be inured from claims it is antisemitic.
“Israeli Right works with antisemites” is that goal many anti-Zionists have always had in mind since the 1920s when they suggested that Zionism was a form of antisemitism because it called into question the place of Diaspora Jewry. The strange intersection of this election has allowed this fringe view to take center stage.
Rarely in history has antisemitism been so politicized, so untethered from real acts of antisemitism. Can we escape the train wreck that is about to happen, where some elements of the Left tar Zionism as antisemitism and the Right stays mired in its over-use of claims of antisemitism? In the recent documentary The Last Laugh, co-writers Ferne Pearlstein and Robert Edwards looked at comedians making fun of the Holocaust. In the film many comedians, such as Sarah Silverman, make fun of the genocide, calling it “alleged Holocaust” in one scene. She’s mocking antisemites, but what happens when antisemites think it’s funny? There is also “Holocaust fatigue,” says Edwards. “When it gets to the point where people roll their eyes and it has no effect anymore, then you have a real problem.” Have we watered it down too much? In the 2013 Pew Survey, “remembering the Holocaust” was the most important aspect of Jewish identity for 73 percent of American Jews. Antisemitism is a major portion of identity. But we’ve also educated generations to see more antisemitism than there is, to mock the Holocaust while at the same time seeing a new Holocaust as just around the corner as media claims we live in the 1930s.
Claiming “antisemitism” is easy, but that’s precisely why it should be done sparingly.
Too much crying wolf over antisemitism has harmed its meaning. It is also leading to shocking levels of people believing they are just years away from being sent to concentration camps. An honest discussion should be had on the Left and Right of American Jewry to stop exaggerating and work to confront real incidents of antisemitism and not waste time inventing bogeymen and fearmongering. (h/t Elder of Lobby)

How Israel Surprised the World During Its President's Visit to India

President Barack Obama skipped his scheduled visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra last year because American sharpshooters were not allowed on the premises of the monument. The U.S. security agencies assessed that the American President was unsafe in a Muslim-dominated area.
If Muslim dislike was the reason that kept Obama away from the Taj Mahal, it should have surely stopped Israel's President Reuven Rivlin from even considering a visit to Agra. But Rivlin did visit Agra and was photographed, along with his wife, in front of the Taj Mahal.
Another notable surprise was Rivlin's visit to Teen Murti to pay homage to Indian soldiers who fought for and fell at Haifa. Most Indians would not know the history of the Teen Murti monument; the Israelis do. During World War I, Haifa was captured by the British 15th Imperial Cavalry Brigade comprising regiments of the Hyderabad, Mysore and Jodhpur Lancers.
Over 25 years of diplomatic relations, Israel has given to India unquestioningly. We desperately needed ammunition during the Kargil conflict, Israel shipped the shells to us overnight. We needed air-surveillance platforms, Israel provided them to us. With Russia faltering as India's primary supplier of weaponry, Israel stepped into the gap. A lot more can be added to the list - from agricultural and water technology to high-end satellite technology and sensors on borders to monitor movements.
A gaggle of extremists and Marxists issued a statement condemning Rivlin's visit to India. The statement hilariously demanded that India should join the "Boycott, Divest, Sanction" movement against Israel - a movement which has little to do with Palestinian aspirations and is really about anti-Semitism.

India-Israel Relationship Is on the Upswing

The current visit of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to India highlights how both the nations are emerging from the closet to become natural allies. Long- held balancing acts in India-Israel relations have gone now. With the coming of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the era of India's staid diplomatic establishment was replaced by active engagement of nations, cutting across ideological barriers of the Cold War days. It is now crystal clear that Modi has placed national interest first, while making friends and, cornering enemies. At such a crucial juncture, the arrival of President Rivlin on a six-day visit to India, reflects how pragmatism is guiding bilateral ties, banishing the lull that overshadowed it, for nearly a decade during the UPA rule.
But, thanks to former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, who first established full diplomatic ties with Israel in 1992, today, the country is reaping the benefits of an ally, which is so vital for our key advancements in defence and technology, to name a few. India-Israel partnership had witnessed rejuvenation during former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure. Indeed, Israel's immediate supply of high-powered equipment was one of the major supports our Armed Forces received to make significant gains in the Kargil conflict with Pakistan. Thus, the India-Israel bond is not just a seasonal one; it has deep roots as well. There was a time when the coming closer for both the nations was stalled by India's growing proximity to Israel's enemies in the region. It seems, under Modi, India is ready to reap the rewards of its friendship with the Jewish state in crucial areas like weapons and military equipment, technology, agriculture and also in diamonds and many more.

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HRW reports vs. Freedom House - a more accurate list

Commenter Al has put together a table of how many reports Human Rights Watch has issued for each country, which should be a more accurate measure of how much time they spend on each country than the Google method I had used.

Using his numbers, the worldwide correlation between the amount of effort HRW puts into countries versus the Freedom House score of the same countries is still a very weak 0.21. (One would expect that number to be well above 0.50.)

The most disproportionate attention is paid to the US (210/4), UK (33/2), Indonesia (88/5), Israel (39/3), Serbia, India, Croatia, Chile and Canada.

The countries with severe human rights issues that are all but ignored by HRW are Laos, Brunei, Oman, and Qatar, each with zero HRW reports. Countries with the worst Freedom House scores of 13 or 14 that had the least reports are Equatorial Guinea (2), Turkmenistan (4), Belarus (4), Eritea (5)  and North Korea (6).

For your edification, here's the entire list I put together so you can have fun number-crunching as well (and perhaps coming up with a better formula than I did to rank them; perhaps separate lists for "not free" countries and "free" countries:)

Country	HRW Reports		Freedom House score
Laos	0		13
Brunei Darussalam	0		11
Oman	0		11
Qatar	0		11
Fiji	0		10
Maldives	0		7
Solomon Islands	0		7
Tonga	0		6
Antigua and Barbuda	0		5
Montenegro	0		5
Mongolia	0		4
Samoa	0		4
Trinidad and Tobago	0		4
Vanuatu	0		4
Grenada	0		3
Monaco	0		3
Taiwan	0		3
Andorra	0		2
Bahamas	0		2
Barbados	0		2
Cyprus	0		2
Finland	0		2
Iceland	0		2
Kiribati	0		2
Liechtenstein	0		2
Lithuania	0		2
Malta	0		2
Marshall Islands	0		2
Nauru	0		2
New Zealand	0		2
Norway	0		2
Palau	0		2
Portugal	0		2
Saint Kitts and Nevis	0		2
Saint Lucia	0		2
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	0		2
San Marino	0		2
Slovenia	0		2
Tuvalu	0		2
Uruguay	0		2
Swaziland	1		12
Congo (Brazzaville)	1		11
Gambia	1		10
Madagascar	1		10
Equatorial Guinea	2		14
Moldova	1		7
Djibouti	2		11
Gabon	2		11
Paraguay	1		6
Seychelles	1		6
Armenia	2		10
Niger	2		9
Guyana	1		5
Burkina Faso	2		8
Guinea-Bissau	2		8
Turkmenistan	4		14
Belarus	4		13
Central African Republic	3		10
Comoros	2		7
Suriname	1		4
Cameroon	4		12
Singapore	3		9
Eritrea	5		14
Mauritania	4		11
Lesotho	2		6
Nicaragua	3		8
North Korea	6		14
Bahrain	5		11
Bhutan	4		9
Malawi	3		7
Papua New Guinea	3		7
Belize	1		3
Italy	1		3
Latvia	1		3
Panama	1		3
Togo	5		9
Mozambique	4		7
Kazakhstan	7		11
Kyrgyzstan	7		11
United Arab Emirates	7		11
Honduras	5		8
Botswana	3		5
Mali	3		5
Libya	10		14
Bolivia	4		6
Ecuador	4		6
Azerbaijan	10		11
Tanzania and Zanzibar	5		6
Jamaica	4		5
Benin	3		4
Namibia	3		4
Cape Verde	1		2
Costa Rica	1		2
Denmark	1		2
Switzerland	1		2
Tunisia	12		12
Guinea	10		10
Venezuela	9		9
Cuba	12		11
Yemen	12		11
Cote d'Ivoire	15		13
Syria	15		13
Kuwait	10		9
Tajikistan	13		11
Somalia	17		14
Algeria	14		11
Macedonia	7		6
Jordan	15		11
Zambia	10		7
Vietnam	19		12
Saudi Arabia	21		13
Ukraine	7		5
Albania	9		6
Malaysia	13		8
Morocco/Western Sahara	15		9
Chad	23		13
Burma	25		14
Angola	20		11
Cambodia	20		11
Senegal	10		6
Argentina	6		4
Japan	4		3
Austria	2		2
Estonia	2		2
Ireland	2		2
Sweden	2		2
Haiti	18		9
Thailand	18		9
Iran	25		12
Bangladesh	14		7
Dominican Republic	7		4
Ethiopia	26		12
Guatemala	19		9
East Timor	15		7
Uzbekistan	33		14
Zimbabwe	28		12
Lebanon	18		8
Nepal	18		8
Philippines	13		6
Georgia	19		8
Rwanda	28		11
Sierra Leone	14		6
Burundi	27		10
Sri Lanka	24		9
South Korea	6		3
Netherlands	3		2
Slovak Republic	3		2
Peru	13		5
Bulgaria	10		4
Pakistan	28		9
Ghana	7		3
Liberia	22		7
Romania	11		4
El Salvador	15		5
Uganda	31		9
Democratic Republic of Congo	43		12
Belgium	4		2
Hungary	4		2
Poland	4		2
Sudan	58		14
Egypt	46		11
Brazil	14		4
Kenya	29		7
China and Tibet	59		13
Colombia	30		7
Czech Republic & Former Czechoslovakia	5		2
Afghanistan	56		12
Nigeria	38		8
Greece	11		3
Bosnia and Herzegovina	36		7
Germany	6		2
Russia	61		11
Iraq	64		11
Mexico	28		5
Australia	7		2
France	7		2
Turkey	44		6
Spain	9		2
South Africa	29		4
Canada	10		2
Chile	10		2
Croatia	21		3
India	53		5
Serbia	50		4
Israel	39		3
Indonesia	88		5
United Kingdom	33		2
United States	210		4

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01/13 Links Pt2: Pres. Rivlin: Sheldon's contributions to Israel and the Jewish people cannot be overstated; The Durban Conference: A Hateful Anti-Israel Legacy

From Ian:

Sheldon Adelson has a special place in the golden book of Zionism and the Jewish people

Montefiore, Rothschild, and Adelson's names are written in the golden book of the rise of Zionism in the new era. And I had a privilege of knowing Adelson. And so did you: Each and every one of the readers of Israel Hayom, which he founded 13 years ago with his life partner, Dr. Miriam Adelson, the paper's publisher.

I first met him in 2008. A month ago, at his home in Las Vegas, we had what turned out to be our last discussion. In both instances he was sharp, wise, precise, but mostly concerned about our future. Even when his health started to betray him, it was important to him to stay updated and know what was happening in Israel and to the Jewish people who were so dear to his heart. Our first conversation focused on the country, and so did the last. Everything else was everything else – add-ons that served the goal.

People liked to affiliate my dear boss with various and sundry politicians, but his real, deep, emotional connection was to Zionism. He admired every Jew who contributed to the holy mission. I was always amazed at how modest the man was. He could wonder at a kid who arrived in Israel as part of the Taglit-Birthright program and wanted to tell him a story; be moved by a conversation with a Holocaust survivor at Yad Vashem, one of the institutions to which he donated. A rabbi, a farmer, a doctor, or a bus driver – he would treat them all exactly the same way, listen to them the same way, pay attention to the little details. And it always amazed me, every time. Simplicity and honesty, qualities that are given to the truly great.

A huge donor who was an expert at giving in secret
Let's not make any mistakes, he also knew how to be tough. His philanthropic activity, some of which I saw from up close, was no less important to him than his business activity. Sometimes I felt as if the genius businessman in him was destined to serve the great donor he was. At various opportunities, when he was in various moods, I looked at him and saw he was focused only on excellence and helping others. Only recently, his private plane flew Jonathan Pollard to Israel. A few other such flights were never reported. Because aside from the billions he gave away, he was also an expert at donating in secret.

December, 2015, Las Vegas, at one of the drug rehabilitation centers managed by Dr. Miriam Adelson. It was the eve of a holiday. The Adelsons were wearing their best clothes and arrived for a meal with the center's patients, about 100 men and women, all of whom were in recovery from drug addiction. These were poor people who needed help. Mr. Adelson sat at the head of the table, talking to them, shaking their hands, taking pictures with each of them, taking an interest, joking, hugging.

I was there, and that same evening, some very high-ranking politicians came to see him. The US had just gone into an election year. One of Mr. Adelson's staff members went up to him and reminded him that a few of his grandchildren were waiting outside, and he told her, smiling, "You don't see that I'm with my friends right now?" That might be the strongest memory I have of him, and it includes so much of the man, as he truly was.

President Reuven Rivlin: Sheldon's contributions to Israel and the Jewish people cannot be overstated

Aside from his global businesses, in the last few decades Sheldon used his abilities to influence public life. It would be hard to count the many and varied philanthropic initiatives to which Sheldon contributed his wealth, most of which deepen the ties between the Jewish people to their land and legacy.

Sheldon fostered links between Diaspora Jewry and the state of Israel by giving to Yad Vashem, Taglit-Birthright, Garin Tzabar - Israeli Lone Soldier IDF Program, and medical and academic projects. The Innovation Center at Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya and the Adelson School of Medicine at Ariel University, where we met last Hanukkah, were an investment in Israeli research, medicine, and development. The importance of founding such an institution at this time cannot be overstated. Generations of doctors and other medical workers will thank him for the initiatives, and we will all benefit from the fruits of the investment and the belief that beat in Adelson when he was determined to launch an excellent new faculty of medicine that opened its doors to all Israelis and everyone who wants to learn.

In places where there were no men, Sheldon "strove to be a man," to invest his wealth and time, to be there, to help and offer support.

More than anything, Sheldon believed in the strategic alliance between Israel and the US, and saw deepening the ties between the two countries as the surest investment in the future of the Jewish people and the state of Israel.

I extend my condolences to Miriam, the love of his life, and his partner on the path of contributing to building up the nation and the land, as well as to the entire family.

May his memory be a blessing.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: An enormous patriot, a huge donor, and a man of keen intelligence

It is difficult to describe what Sheldon did for the Jewish people and for Israel. Sheldon was one of the biggest donors in the history of the Jewish people. He gave to Zionism, to the settlements, and to the state of Israel. He made enormous financial contributions to many institutions – to medical and scientific research, to higher education, to Ariel University, to Taglit-Birthright, and to his immense projects in every field. With his wife, Miri, he gave generously to many enterprises that save lives and brought Israel renown throughout the world. Sheldon was a huge Jewish patriot. He worked to strengthen Israel, bolster its standing in the United States, and strengthen ties between the Jewish people in Israel and the Diaspora.

Sheldon grew up poor, in a Boston suburb, and become one of the biggest entrepreneurs and philanthropists in the world. He did so through his keen intelligence, his honest thinking, his powerful personality, and his courage. Sheldon could face down anything and did what he believed. And what he believed in, more than anything else, was the promise of the Jewish people and their state.

Sheldon truly loved America – America, which gave him every opportunity he could dream of. He wanted everyone in the world to have those opportunities and that freedom.

I have to say that I've met many wonderful people in my life. But this giant, a personality like Sheldon, comes along once in a generation. We will forever remember Sheldon and his enormous contribution to the Jewish people and the state of Israel. His influence will remain with us for generations to come.

May his memory be a blessing.

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Israelis give a lot more remittances to other countries (including Iran) than you think

From Investopedia:

Remittances are funds transferred from migrants to their home country. They are the private savings of workers and families that are spent in the home country for food, clothing and other expenditures, and which drive the home economy. For many developing nations, remittances from citizens working abroad provide an import source of much-needed funds.

The World Bank keeps track of these figures  but some are only estimates. They provide a financial picture of how Israel funds, and is funded, by citizens of other countries in ways that are rarely seen. 

Not surprisingly, Israelis send far more to other countries than they receive. In 2017, Israelis sent nearly $3 billion to other countries and received almost $1 billion.

The list of countries that Israelis send remittances to includes many Arab and Muslim countries. By far the biggest recipient is Morocco, with almost $400 million in remittances from Israel. But other countries on the list are even more surprising.

Egypt received $119 million - even though there are only a handful of Jews left in Egypt. Other surprises are Yemen with $68 million, Tunisia with $66 million and Algeria with $54 million. The standard concept of remittances doesn't explain these numbers at all, and perhaps they hint to an underground black market economy between Israel and Arab nations. Further evidence for this is the $166 million sent from the Palestinian territories to Israel, this might be to get around taxes or PA restrictions on businesses.

Most surprising is the $43 million sent from Israel to Iran. Not because there aren't a lot of Israelis from Iran who want to help their relatives, but how these funds are transferred in a way that the World Bank can see them but Israeli and Iranian banking regulations seem not to. 

Oddly, no money was recorded between Iran and the Palestinian territories. But in 2017 some $340 million was somehow transferred from the US to Iran! 

Altogether, this shows that Israel is far more economically integrated into the Middle East than most people realize. 

Remittances from Israel to other countries, 2017

Country	$
France	$545,000,000
Morocco	$399,000,000
Ukraine	$207,000,000
United States	$168,000,000
Romania	$151,000,000
Egypt	$119,000,000
Belgium	$118,000,000
Poland	$104,000,000
Hungary	$103,000,000
India	$98,000,000
Germany	$97,000,000
Russia	$89,000,000
Ethiopia	$86,000,000
Yemen	$68,000,000
Tunisia	$66,000,000
Algeria	$54,000,000
Iran	$43,000,000
Iraq	$32,000,000
Argentina	$28,000,000
Austria	$28,000,000
Bulgaria	$27,000,000
Georgia	$25,000,000
Moldova	$23,000,000
United Kingdom	$19,000,000
Belarus	$18,000,000
Italy	$16,000,000
Spain	$16,000,000
Switzerland	$15,000,000
Brazil	$14,000,000
Australia	$13,000,000
Latvia	$13,000,000
South Africa	$13,000,000
Azerbaijan	$12,000,000
Denmark	$10,000,000
Kyrgyzstan	$10,000,000
Lithuania	$9,000,000
Turkey	$9,000,000
Canada	$8,000,000
Tajikistan	$8,000,000
Netherlands	$7,000,000
Colombia	$6,000,000
Mexico	$6,000,000
Sweden	$6,000,000
Peru	$5,000,000
China	$4,000,000
Syria	$4,000,000
Uruguay	$2,000,000
Kazakhstan	$1,000,000

Remittances to Israel from other countries, 2017:

Country
United States	$408,000,000
Palestinian territories	$166,000,000
Germany	$74,000,000
Canada	$71,000,000
United Kingdom	$55,000,000
Australia	$31,000,000
France	$25,000,000
Netherlands	$14,000,000
Italy	$12,000,000
Turkey	$11,000,000
Switzerland	$10,000,000
Russia	$9,000,000
South Africa	$9,000,000
Belgium	$8,000,000
Austria	$7,000,000
Spain	$7,000,000
Sweden	$7,000,000
Argentina	$5,000,000
Brazil	$5,000,000
Denmark	$5,000,000
Hungary	$5,000,000
Czech Republic	$4,000,000
Jordan	$4,000,000
Mexico	$4,000,000
Panama	$3,000,000
Chile	$2,000,000
China	$2,000,000
Ecuador	$2,000,000
Finland	$2,000,000
Norway	$2,000,000
Peru	$2,000,000
Philippines	$2,000,000
Romania	$2,000,000

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10/14 Links Pt2: How to Combat Anti-Israeli Hate on College Campuses; Gal Gadot's rude 'wokening'; Peter Beinart Rakes in Six Figures from Anti-Israel Group; Joe Biden is not a friend of Israel

From Ian:

Josh Hammer: How to Combat Anti-Israeli Hate on College Campuses

The much-ballyhooed UN Security Council Resolution (“UNSCR”) 242, passed in the aftermath of the Six-Day War, does not in any way alter the conclusion that Israel is the best claimant to Judea and Samaria. That resolution affirmed “[w]ithdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict”; but as the careful reader will note, the operative language is “territories,” not “the territories,” therefore unambiguously permitting at least some Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria. Additionally, UNSCR 242 also requires Arab UN member states to “[t]erminat[e] . . . all claims . . . of belligerency and . . . acknowledg[e] . . . the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence” of Israel—obligations they clearly have not fulfilled. Given uti possidetis juris—not to mention the wholly defensive nature of Israel’s involvement in the Six-Day War—it would be extraordinarily peculiar to think of Israel as an “[o]ccupying [p]ower” under Article 49. Even assuming, arguendo, that “occupation” did commence in 1967, furthermore, it would not have survived the signing of the Oslo Accords and the peace treaty with Jordan, in 1993 and 1994—after all, Article 49 has no legal application outside of international armed conflicts. But this lattermost thought experiment notwithstanding, Israel was not an illegal “occupier” in 1948, it was not an illegal “occupier” in 1967, it was not an illegal “occupier” after the Arabs’ third failed attempt to exterminate Israel in the Yom Kippur War of 1973, and it is not an illegal “occupier” today.

This remarkably straightforward analysis and application of international law notwithstanding, supporters of the Jewish state on the American university campus today are routinely assailed as apologists for “apartheid,” illegal “occupation,” and/or European-style ethnic colonialism. Many, perhaps most, of these verbal assaults comfortably fit the requisite criteria for the U.S. State Department’s definition of anti-Semitism. But due to the ubiquity of these incidents, however tragic that ubiquity may be, it is imperative that Zionists squarely address how to best handle them. Based on personal experiences and the vicarious experience of close friends and loved ones from the front lines of the on-campus “Israel wars,” here is some advice to Zionist students under siege on the American university campus today.

First, know your facts and your basic history. Understand, and be able to explain, what exactly the Jewish state of Israel is and how it first came into being. Understand, and be able to explain, the relevant history—the dates and events that matter, and why they matter. Understand, and be able to explain, a rudimentary conception of the international law principle of uti possidetis juris and how it applies to the state of Israel’s rightful legal claim to Judea and Samaria—dating back to Article XXII of the Covenant of the League of Nations. Be respectful of the other side’s narrative, but be confident in the moral and legal superiority of your claim.

Second, be the better person. We Zionist veterans of the on-campus “Israel wars” all know what a determined SJP/JVP foe looks like: threatening, slanderous, bellicose, hysterical. It is imperative that supporters and friends of Israel neither mimic their grotesque tactics nor stoop to their sordid level. Instead, recall: We have the better of the legal argument, we have the better of the historical argument, and we have the better of the moral argument. All we must do is maintain our composure, speak the historical truth, and make the unabashed moral case for Israel’s right to the land of Eretz Yisrael—forcefully but respectfully, unapologetically but reassuringly.

Third, be strong and be proud. You are standing up for the noblest and most just causes of all: the health, safety, prosperity, and security of the Jewish people and the Jewish people’s right to self-determination and territorial sovereignty in their ancestral, biblical homeland. If you are a proud Jew or a proud friend of the Jews, then there is simply no more righteous cause. The modern state of Israel, which was born from the ashes of one of human history’s darkest chapters, has survived against impossible odds and developed the region’s most advanced military—a fighting force, that is, which self-imposes the most stringent ethical norms in all of modern warfare and has executed countless daring raids to rescue Jewish hostages abroad and bring them home to safety. Israel has become the whole world’s envy in technology venture capital. It is an intrinsically moral state, a beacon of light amidst a turbulent sea, and an indispensable military and intelligence ally for the United States. Perhaps most importantly, it is the Jews’ Promised Land. Israel is, in a nutshell, one of the most remarkable human success stories in two to three millennia—and inherently worthy of a robust defense in the lion’s den of today’s neo-Jacobin American university campuses.

On the one hand, it is profoundly sad to see Israel, once such a unifying issue for our normally fractious politics become the intensely debated subject that it is today. On the other hand, it is cause for optimism that, despite all the intensity and vitriol that this issue lamentably engenders, there is such a simple, persuasive, and compelling legal argument to support the modern state of Israel’s rightful territorial claim to Eretz Yisrael—including the most relevant portion, for purposes of this essay, Judea and Samaria. It is my hope that beleaguered students today encountering the BDS movement’s headwinds will be able to utilize this essay to stand up defiantly for Israel’s dignity—and defy those who would smear it as an illicit “occupier.”

Ruthie Blum: Gal Gadot's rude 'wokening'

Suddenly, the international sensation with a sexy Hebrew lilt was blasted for having served in the Israel Defense Forces and – gasp – being proud of it. This was a huge no-no for the BDS crowd, who began to accuse her of war crimes.

Luckily for Gadot, her box-office success was of greater interest to her Hollywood studio than her country of origin or the fact that her military duty involved teaching calisthenics to combat troops. If anything – as she herself has said in interviews – her fitness prepared her for the role with which she has become synonymous.

Even if she had been a commando, however, she would have been at a loss in the face of American "woke" culture, in which the pen has become stiff competition for the sword. What she ought to have learned by now, after so much time among progressive bullies in the United States, is that the animosity she's currently experiencing cannot be countered through appeasement.

Indeed, she can argue that Cleopatra was a descendant of Macedonian Greek general Ptolemy; she can shout "Joe Biden for president" from the rooftop of her LA mansion; and she can work to reassure her social-media followers that her main mission is to promote female empowerment – you know, in the vein of US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose Sept. 18 passing spurred her to thank the late judge on Instagram "for everything [she] brought to this world," and to punctuate the tribute with a broken-heart emoji.

None of the above would or does suffice for the radicals bent on discrediting her, not only as a fair-skinned Israeli, but as someone who hasn't gone far enough to the left. Short of renouncing her roots and refusing the cinematic role of her dreams, there's nothing she can do to satiate their cancel-culture hunger.

But she might want to consider expressing a bit of gratitude to the slew of conservatives engaging in ideological warfare on her behalf. That would make her a genuine superhero.

Israeli Actress Gal Gadot Shares Morning Prayer Routine With Vanity Fair, Teaches Hebrew Slang

Israeli actress Gal Gadot talked about her upbringing in Israel and the Hebrew prayer she recites every morning in a cover story interview with Vanity Fair for its November issue.

The “Wonder Woman 1984” star, who grew up in the central Israeli city of Rosh Ha’ayin, told the magazine from her home in Tel Aviv that she started her days with the Jewish prayer “Modeh Ani.”

“I say thank you every morning,” she explained. “In the Jewish culture there’s a prayer that you’re supposed to say every time you wake up in the morning to thank God for, you know, keeping you alive and dadadada. You say ‘modeh ani,’ which means ‘I give thanks.’ So every morning I wake up and step out of bed and I say, ‘Thank you for everything, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.’”

The actress, 35, then closed her eyes, as if she was saying the prayer again, adding, “Nothing is to be taken for granted.”

Gadot grew up in a home with two working parents. Her father, Michael, was an engineer, and her mother, Irit, was a gym teacher who taught sports to Gadot and her younger sister, Dana, Vanity Fair reported.

Following high school, Gadot spent two years completing her mandatory service in the Israel Defense Forces, where she was a fitness and combat readiness instructor, before she went to college.

“I came from a home where being an actress wasn’t even an option,” the former Miss Israel said. “I always loved the arts and I was a dancer and I loved the movies, but being an actress was never a discussion. My parents were like, You need to graduate university and get a degree.”

Gal Gadot to Play Muhammad in Upcoming Biopic (satire)

In a decision that has angered both Muslims and western liberals, Israeli actress Gal Gadot has been cast to play the Islamic prophet Muhammad in an upcoming film about the founder of Islam’s life.

The ‘Wonder Woman’ star and Israel native will don a fake beard to play the lead role in ‘From Medina to Mecca: One Man’s Journey to Change the World, Establish the Caliphate, and Find Himself.’ She will speak Hebrew instead of Muhammad’s native Arabic, but director Patty Jenkins said that “most viewers won’t know the difference.”

“Muhammad was Middle Eastern and Gal is Middle Eastern, so it just made sense,” said Jenkins. “Besides, she knows a little Arabic, like ‘Show me your ID’ and ‘Stop or I will shoot.’”

Gadot’s casting drew criticism from Muslims, who objected to Muhammad being portrayed on film; leftists, who accused Gadot of cultural appropriation; and the alt-right, who opposed both a film being made about a Muslim and an Israeli Jew playing a leading role. James Zogby, the president of the Arab American Institute, called Gadot’s casting a “genocide.”

Gadot was originally cast to play Cleopatra in an upcoming biopic of the Egyptian queen but was forced to drop out after people on Twitter pointed out that she is not in fact Egyptian and did not die in 30 BC. Instead, Rob Schneider will replace Gadot as the film’s lead.

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