Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

12/10 Links Pt2: UK Jewish Students Protesting Corbyn Targeted With Antisemitic Vitriol by Labour Backers; Natan Sharansky to be awarded prestigious Genesis Prize for 2020

From Ian:

One key point that tends to be overlooked in discussions of anti-Semitism is the role of the politics of identity. In an era when identitarian entrepreneurs enjoy great influence over Western culture, anti-Semitism is frequently written off on the basis that other minority groups suffer worse hatred than Jews do. A few days ago, Gus John, a leading anti-racist campaigner, resigned from a Church of England advisory body in protest against Archbishop Justin’s Welby’s endorsement of the chief rabbi’s criticism of the Labour Party’s anti-Semitism. John wasn’t merely protesting against what he called Welby’s ‘disgraceful endorsement of the chief rabbi’s unjust condemnation of Jeremy Corbyn and the entire Labour Party’ – more broadly he condemned Welby for choosing to speak out on this issue rather than on other manifestations of racism. He said, ‘No one section of the population of this nation has a monopoly on oppression, pain and hurt’, before noting that black and Asian people faced discrimination within the church.

That John’s defence of the Labour Party against what he called the chief rabbi’s ‘scaremongering’ was coupled with a denunciation of the church’s reluctance to make one of its black members Archbishop of Canterbury sums up the spirit of competitive victimhood that drives the politicisation of identity. John’s irritation with Welby expresses a widely held frustration on the left – that the focus on Labour’s anti-Semitism distracts attention from more important cases of racism.

Jews have clearly lost out in the identity stakes. According to the worldview of Anglo-American identity politics, Jews are the personification of white privilege. In an age in which white privilege is treated as a cultural crime, Jews are often portrayed as a unique, hyper-white community who have far more privileges to check than others do. Often, this reaction against ‘Jewish privilege’ meshes with hostility towards Israel, producing a very distinctive 21st-century narrative of anti-Jewish hatred.

Identity politics did not set out to promote anti-Semitism. However, it has helped to create a cultural and political climate in which Jewishness is increasingly perceived as a marker of privilege. And in a world in which hostility to privilege is now culturally endorsed, it seems that hostility towards Jews can be judged by a different standard to animosity towards other groups. What has happened is that anti-Semitism hasn’t so much been normalised as rendered banal.

Yes, we are still confronted with vicious forms of anti-Semitism – but it is the banalisation of anti-Semitism that is the most insidious manifestation of anti-Jewish sentiment today. Anti-Zionism may have given permission to anti-Semites to crawl out of the woodwork, but it is the politicisation of identity that discourages society from taking this racism seriously.

Col. Kemp: Friend of Hate

Never in history has a more dangerous man been a contender for leadership of any Western democracy.

Corbyn has consistently sided with those that wish us harm. When IRA terrorists bombed the Cabinet at Brighton, his response was to invite two convicted volunteers of the murderous organisation to the House of Commons.

And when Russian assassins were sent on a murder mission to Salisbury, Corbyn failed to condemn the Kremlin and called for further proof of state-sponsored involvement.

He calls Hamas and Hezbollah his ‘friends’ and appeared to take part in a ceremony honouring a terrorist involved in the Munich Olympics massacre.

He said the death of Bin Laden was a tragedy and wanted the leader of IS arrested not killed. The same with British jihadists Mohammed Emwazi and Sally-Anne Jones.

His deputies John McDonnell and Diane Abbott demanded the closure of MI5, the security agency that protects us from terrorists.

With Corbyn as PM how could our allies trust us with their most sensitive secrets?

The US and Israel, vital sources of life-saving intelligence, have reluctantly drawn up plans to restrict co-operation in the event of a Corbyn premiership.

The Guardian: 'Anyone but Corbyn': Jewish voters turn away from Labour

In the Three Bakers kosher cafe in Bury South, lunchtime customers agreed they had one thing in common with regard to the election: ABC – Anyone But Corbyn.

“You’ll get the same answer from everyone in here,” said Sara, a customer in her early 30s who has decided to vote Conservative. Indeed, none of those who spoke to the Guardian were planning to back Labour – in a seat it has held for 22 years.

Jewish voters are turning away in droves from the party, once seen as their traditional political home, owing to a combination of “extreme” left policies and poor leadership on antisemitism, which led to the recent unprecedented intervention from the chief rabbi when he effectively urged the community not to vote Labour.

“Jews have deserted the Labour party for two main reasons,” said Jonathan Boyd, executive director of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR). “First, the party has lurched to the left; and second, the party has failed to understand or recognise how antisemitism manifests itself in leftist politics and as a result allowed it to fester and grow.

“To regain the support of Jewish voters, it would have to shift on both fronts: move back towards the political centre and root out the leftwing manifestations of antisemitism that exist – not only in the party itself, but in wider society.”

These factors play out in constituencies such as Bury South, with a Jewish population of 10%, as well as Finchley and Golders Green (21%), Hendon (17%), Hertsmere (14%), and Hackney North and Stoke Newington (11%).

New Statesman declines to endorse Jeremy Corbyn over antisemitism

The leading left-wing political journal, the New Statesman, has, unusually, declined to endorse the leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn over antisemitism.

In an editorial the magazine read: “the essential judgement that must be made is on Mr Corbyn himself. His reluctance to apologise for the antisemitism in Labour and to take a stance on Brexit, the biggest issue facing the country, make him unfit to be prime minister.”

The editorial went on to note that Labour has become only the second party (after the BNP) to be probed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. That full statutory investigation was launched on 28th May following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant.

It also noted the Chief Rabbi’s unprecedented intervention calling out Labour antisemitism, warnings made by the Jewish Chronicle, the Jewish Labour Movement’s decision not to endorse its own Party, and other developments.

"Pro-Israel" J-Street, without evidence, demands the US investigate Israel misuse of aid

You know the expression "where there's smoke, there's fire"?

Not when someone has a gigantic smoke machine. And that is exactly what J-Street builds.

From a J-Street mailing:

Let’s make sure US aid is being used for Israel’s defense, and not the demolition of Palestinian homes
Join us in backing a new effort in Congress to ensure that US military assistance is being used in compliance with current US law, for Israel’s defense and not in connection with the displacement of Palestinians.

....[W]e’re strongly backing a new congressional letter, initiated by Reps. Ro Khanna, Anna Eshoo and Steve Cohen, pushing for greater accountability in ensuring that US aid to Israel is only being used for legitimate defense purposes -- and that equipment purchased with our tax-payer dollars is not being used to displace Palestinians.

Over a dozen members have already joined the Khanna-Eshoo-Cohen letter, expressing concern over the dramatic rise in demolitions this year.

The members ask -- pursuant to the Arms Export Control Act -- for the administration to report back to Congress on whether US-supplied equipment has been used for such demolitions and whether such use constitutes a breach of any existing restrictions.

As I have reported previously, there already is an audit process in place to see where every dollar of US aid is spent in Israel.

Does J-Street have any evidence that Israel is somehow bypassing the existing controls and spending US money on other things? If you read the many reports from the Congressional Research Service about aid to Israel, there doesn't seem to be any. US aid is earmarked for specific, targeted programs from the F-35 fighter to anti-rocket defense systems.

In other words, the US government is clearly not giving Israel bulldozers., nor is it handing Israel any checks it can spend on bulldozers.

If there is zero evidence of misuse of funds, and an existing audit mechanism to ensure that there is no misuse of funds, why ask for an investigation into misuse of funds?

There is no fire, and there is no smoke, except from J-Street's massive smoke machine meant to obscure rather than reveal the truth.

And speaking of transparency - this new congressional letter J-Street refers to is not public. They are asking us to tell out members of Congress to sign a letter we are not privy to see ourselves!

You know who did see the letter? Al Monitor! For some reason, Arab news outlets have more visibility into a Congressional letter than US citizens.

And J-Street - supposedly agitating for more transparency in aid to Israel - is cool with telling people to support a letter sight unseen, except for Arab media.

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Is the EU helping to fund "pay for slay"?

Wafa reports:

The European Union contributed €10 million to support the Palestinian Authority payment of social allowances to vulnerable families in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, said an EU press release issued on Tuesday.

The EU supports the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Social Development Cash Transfer Programme responsible for the provision of basic social protection to the most vulnerable families in the West Bank and Gaza. The social allowances are paid on a quarterly basis to around 105,000 vulnerable families.

For this third payment in 2019, the contribution of the EU (€10 million) will cover the social allowances of 68,743 families of which 78% live in the Gaza Strip.

Acting EU Representative Tomas Niklasson [said], “In Palestine, we are proud of our long partnership with the Ministry of Social Development. We have been working hand in hand for many years to combat poverty and support those in need. This is in line with our shared values putting human rights first and leaving no-one behind,” he added.

Miftah, when looking at the budget of the Ministry of Social Development, noted:

After analyzing the budget of the Ministry of Social Development and its related financial reports, it was seen that there is an initial defect which has been accumulating over the years; namely the mixing of the center of responsibility of the Ministry of Social Development with the center of responsibility of the institution supporting the families of martyrs, and the two centers of responsibility were both classified under “the Ministry of Social Development/Affairs”. This led to inflating the center of responsibility budget of the Ministry of Social Development in a misleading and untruthful manner because there was no separation between its actual expenditures and the expenditures of the institution supporting the families of martyrs.

When the EU gives money to the Ministry of Social Development they are directly increasing the budget of the organization that pays families of terrorists.

I do not have any evidence that the EU is directly paying any terrorist families, but their contribution to this ministry frees money up for the PA to pay them.

(h/t Irene)

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12/10 Links Pt1: David Singer: Trump, Netanyahu and Gantz Can End in 2020 What Began in 1920; EU think tank advocating for West Bank boycotts funded by occupied territories worldwide

From Ian:

David Singer: Trump, Netanyahu and Gantz Can End in 2020 What Began in 1920

Designating the territory for reconstitution of the Jewish National Home in Palestine – begun with the San Remo Convention and Treaty of Sevres in April and August 1920 respectively – could finally be completed 100 years later in 2020.

Achieving this long-overdue outcome will require Israel to forma Government of National Unity by 11 December 2019 – headed initially by Benjamin Netanyahu as Prime Minister for a minimum term of six months – enabling the new Parliament to ratify those areas of Judea and Samaria to which Israeli sovereignty will be extended as delineated by the Government.

This Unity Government should ideally hold at least 80 of the 120 seats in the Knesset so that there is an overwhelming majority of Israel’s elected politicians supporting any determinative decisions made by the Knesset in relation to Judea and Samaria.

Israel has been presented with this amazing opportunity following President Trump’s Secretary for State – Mike Pompeo – issuing this declaration on 19 November 2019:
“After carefully studying all sides of the legal debate, this administration agrees with President Reagan. The establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law.”

Pompeo’s statement followed US Ambassador to Israel – David Friedman – stating on 8 June 2019:
“Under certain circumstances I think Israel has the right to retain some, but unlikely all, of the West Bank.”

Friedman had then cautioned:
“We really don’t have a view until we understand how much, on what terms, why does it make sense, why is it good for Israel, why is it good for the region, why does it not create more problems than it solves.These are all things that we’d want to understand, and I don’t want to prejudge.”

Sa'ar vows to ensure Jewish continuity from Jerusalem to Dead Sea

Likud leadership candidate Gideon Sa'ar symbolically began his campaign on Tuesday by touring sites in the Jordan Valley that are seen as a symbol of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's broken promises

Netanyahu promised ahead of the September election to annex the Jordan Valley. Ahead of past elections, he has visited the E-1 site between Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adumim and promised to build there. He vowed in an October 2018 cabinet building to remove the Bedouin outpost Khan al-Ahmar.

Sa'ar pointed out on the tour that Netanyahu has not kept any of those promises. He also reacted to hints from Netanyahu in a speech on Sunday that Sa'ar would not be as loyal to Judea and Samaria.

"I support the views that the prime minister expressed here during past election campaigns," Sa'ar said mockingly at E-1. "It is possible to carry out these views better."

Sa'ar said there was a window of opportunity to take action while Israel enjoys an administration in Washington that gives Israel a relatively free hand, because there is no guarantee that the next American administration will be better. He said the time had come to take steps to ensure contiguity from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea in the Jordan Valley.

"The struggle for E-1 is a struggle for the heart of Israel," Sa'ar said. "Netanyahu out of all people, who build the Har Homa neighborhood [in Jerusalem] despite international pressure, should be building here. The rule for Har Homa should be the rule for E-1 and the Givat Hamatos [hilltop in Jerusalem]."

Third Elections Appear Inevitable in Israel, as Coalition Efforts Remain Stuck in Logjam

Israeli politics remained stuck in a logjam on Monday, with Yisrael Beiteinu head Avigdor Lieberman appearing to rebuff a call to join a right-wing coalition headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Blue and White party number two Yair Lapid saying he would forgo a rotating arrangement with party chairman Benny Gantz.

Following a second round of elections in September after a vote in April failed to produce a clear winner, both Netanyahu and Gantz have failed to form a workable governing coalition. If one was not established by Wednesday, a third round of elections would be triggered automatically.

On Monday, a tentative date for those potential elections was announced — March 2.

Netanyahu called earlier Monday for Lieberman to renege on his pledge to only support a unity government and instead join a narrow right-wing coalition.

The Israeli news site Walla reported that Lieberman seemed to reject any such possibility, telling a group of officials from Netanyahu’s Likud party on Monday evening that “a narrow government will be sorrow for the State of Israel,” a play on the Hebrew word “tzara,” which means both “narrow” and “sorrow.”

“Israel faces a dual challenge — security and economic — and cannot function within the reduced framework of a narrow government, which would be a great sorrow for Israel,” Lieberman added.

Human Rights Watch @HRW follows a tweeter who says "Zionists aren't human"

A couple of days ago this tweet received a lot of attention, with over 5000 Likes:

It is an obvious lie. I even offered him a $10,000 bet that he couldn't provide proof of this incident, and he blocked me in response.

When someone more sympathetic asked him details on this fictional incident, here was Samer's answer:

Samer, whose profile says he lives in Chicago, has over 35,000 followers, many of whom believe his lies without question - because they subscribe to his philosophy that Zionists are not human.

Human Rights Watch has some 4 million followers and it followed about 20,000 people back - half of one percent. Samer is one of them.

Here is my list of who HRW follows that also block me, a veritable Who's Who of Israel haters and leftists who cannot stand the truth.

I've mentioned before that Human Rights Watch doesn't treat Zionist Jews as if they are human. Here we see that they seem to be fans of people who say that explicitly.

(To be fair, HRW also follows some prominent Zionists, but those all tend to be official spokespeople or organizations, not random anonymous people like Samer.)

(h/t e_michael)

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The part of the speech at the IAC that President Trump's critics have been mostly concentrating on as "proof" of his supposed antisemitism was this one:

A lot of you are in the real estate business because I know you very well. You’re brutal killers. (Laughter.) Not nice people at all. But you have to vote for me; you have no choice. You’re not going to vote for Pocahontas, I can tell you that. (Laughter and applause.) You’re not going to vote for the wealth tax. “Yeah, let’s take 100 percent of your wealth away.” No, no. Even if you don’t like me; some of you don’t. Some of you I don’t like at all, actually. (Laughter.) And you’re going to be my biggest supporters because you’ll be out of business in about 15 minutes, if they get it.

The critics in the West have been concentrating on this section:

The antisemitic stereotypes that J-Street and others are concentrating on is that, in their interpretation of what he said, that Jews are rich and will vote for Trump to keep their wealth.

Arabic sites are concentrating on a different phrase:

Trump called Jews "brutal killers" in his speech - but Western critics didn't go crazy over that.

But isn't calling people brutal killers much worse than calling them rich?

To English speaking audiences, even the most virulent Trump hater understands that Trump was joking when he said to Jews they were "brutal killers." Arabic speakers didn't see the humor in that, perhaps because there are so many real brutal killers in the Middle East.

Western Trump critics, however, are far more attuned to confirmation bias that Trump is a right wing antisemite who says Jews have too much power. So they skipped the "murderers" part and went right to the "rich" part.

What both the Arabs and leftist Jews simply cannot understand is that most of Trump's speech was a comedy routine. The entire anecdote on the Jerusalem embassy moving - with all its many asides like this one - was an extended bit, one that he has actually honed from previous speeches.

Once again, Trump's critics simply don't get him. Unlike most Americans, they can' distinguish between when he is making a joke and when he is serious. They are making the exact samemistake the Arab media is making in reporting on his speech.

And that's why Trump won in 2016. Because his fans understand that he loves to bait his critics - and his critics fall for it every single time. Even when he tells them that he is doing it, as he did later in his speech:

At some point, whether it’s 5 years from now, 9 years from now, 13 years from now — I’m doing this to drive the media crazy. (Applause.) Because a lot of them say, “You know he’s not leaving, don’t you?” One of these characters — these people are so stupid. One of them said — one of them said, “You know he’s going to win, don’t you? And you know, at the end of his second term, you know he’s not leaving. He’s not leaving. You know that.” And I thought he’s a comedian. I thought he was kidding. He’s for real. So now we have to start thinking about that, because it’s not a bad idea. (Applause.)

No, but these people are going crazy. When they all scream, “Four more years, four more years,” I always say, “Make it 12 years and you’ll drive them crazy.” Twelve more years. But if I don’t get the build- —

AUDIENCE: Twelve more years!

The very people who are supposedly being insulted to their faces get the joke and start to chant "twelve more years," just to drive Trump's critics crazy.

Later in the speech Trump soberly addressed antisemitism. That section isn't quoted by his left wing critics, because they aren't listening for it. It wasn't art of the comedy routine.

Throughout history, anti-Semitism has produced untold pain, suffering evil, and destruction. We must not ignore the vile poison or those who spread its venomous creed.

My administration is committed to aggressively challenging and confronting anti-Semitic bigotry in every resource, and using every single weapon at our disposal.

Roughly 80 times, this past decade, the United Nations Human Rights Council has denounced Israel while ignoring many of the worst human rights abuses anywhere in the world. To call out this egregious hypocrisy, I withdrew the United States from the U.N. Human Rights Council. (Applause.)

...My administration strongly opposes this despicable [antisemitic] rhetoric. And as long as you’re — and I am standing before you, as long as I’m your President, it makes no difference. It’s not happening. Okay? It stops at my desk. (Applause.)

I said in my State of the Union Address last year, “With one voice, we must confront this hatred anywhere and everywhere that it occurs.”

This episode shows why Trump will probably win in 2020. Because Trump knows the weaknesses of his critics. He knows that most Americans understand him better than the paid pundits at CNN and the Washington Post who, instead of actually listening to him, are spending their time looking for "gotchas."

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From Hurriyet Daily News:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Dec. 9 slammed French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks and once again rejected the term “Islamic terrorism.”

Speaking at the opening of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ministers of Social Affairs Summit in Istanbul, Erdoğan criticized Macron for using “Islamic terrorism” at the NATO Summit held in London.

“Here at the last NATO Summit, the president of France is talking about Islamic terrorism. How many times have I told him, Islam literally derives from word of ‘salam’ and its meaning [in Arabic] is peace. How do you combine peace and terror with the expression of Islamic terror? There’s no such a thing,” Erdoğan said.

He said something similar a few days ago.

A Muslim cannot be a terrorist and Islam does not produce terrorists, the Turkish president said on Dec. 5, once again rejecting the term “Islamic terrorism.”

His logic is blinding.

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12/09 Links Pt2: Influential Corbyn-supporting Facebook page run by Hamas; Melanie Phillips: "The Left is Racist"; Don't let Sanders get away with redefining 'pro-Israel'

From Ian:

Influential Corbyn-supporting Facebook page run by Hamas

Hamas officials in both Gaza and London are working in support of Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party, ahead of the UK general election on Thursday.

According to Tazpit Press Service (TPS), the "We Support Jeremy Corbyn" Facebook page, one of the largest and most influential Corbyn support networks globally with some 72,000 members, is managed from the Gaza strip.

For over two years the page was managed by Walid Abu Rouk, a resident of Khan Yunis in the Gaza strip, after Labour Party members added him as a page manager in June 2017, declaring him "our man in Gaza." Abu Rouk confirmed to TPS that he served as the page's manager until recently.
However, Rouk also has clear ties to the heart of Hamas' propaganda efforts. A source in the strip who wished to remain anonymous told TPS “Abu Rouk serves Hamas’ information campaign and is guided by it.”

The official said that Rouk is a key link in Hamas' English language propaganda service thanks to his excellent command of the English language, and is operating under guidance from Hamas officials.

David Collier: BUSTED – Hamas linked propaganda unit interfering in UK election

Hamas and pro-Hamas outlets are conducting an online campaign to help Jeremy Corbyn win the election. A Hamas propaganda outfit deploys armies of trolls to attack Jewish campaigners fighting antisemitism, they support Corbyn online, help to create pro-Corbyn trends and vote for him in online polls.

Take the account, KhamakarPress. They have a website, with contains a link to join a WhatsApp group. When you join the WhatsApp group, other numbers in the group become visible. Several carry the 972 59 country and area code – including the group admin. 972 is Israel. 059 is the code explicitly reserved for Jawwal, a Palestinian mobile network.

The admin of the group is Wafa Aludaini, a propagandist from Gaza. Aludaini’s FB page is connected with 100s of key anti-Israel activists in Europe and the US.

The website’s European HQ seems to be in Holland and it is linked to an Islamic Organisation there. The Dutch Islamic website even defended a Salafi school that was closed due to links to terrorism. The KhamakarPress Facebook page is run by Henny A.J. Kreeft. He is a Dutch convert to Islam and has penned antisemitic articles about the ‘Jewish empire.’ He co-founded a political ‘Muslim Party‘ in 2007.

When you follow Khamakar Press, you soon realise that they are connected to massive anti-Israel initiatives. Take the ‘Palestine Ambassador’ website. It is a website set up to train anti-Israel activists. Another connection is the 16th October Facebook group – an anti-Israel propaganda outlet. All run by those who run Khamakar Press. The 16th October group claims it is unit of ‘Aithoraya Institute for media and communication.’

Whatever it is, ‘AlThoraya’ is official. Remember, 16th October is run by the same Aludaini that is the admin of the WhatsApp group.

Israel Advocacy Movement: Jeremy Corbyn is not a racist

Some bloke attempts to prove Jeremy Corbyn isn't racist.

Don't let Sanders get away with redefining 'pro-Israel'

Sanders refuses to cut ties with people like Sarsour or Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who have engaged in anti-Semitic incitement as bad as that of Sarsour. He also refuses to repudiate many others in the ranks of his supporters, campaign surrogates and officials who agree with them about Israel, all of which is incompatible with the idea that he is someone who supports Israel or the struggle against anti-Semitism in any meaningful sense of those terms.

For too long, many American Jews have been caught up in battles between conservative and liberal Zionists in which American partisan political battles were mixed up with those going on in Israel between right- and left-wing factions. The real issue facing American Jews heading into the 2020 campaign isn't about settlements or a two-state solution that Congress and most Jews still want, but about which Palestinians have little or no interest. Instead, it's whether the vast majority of American Jews who identify as liberals and Democrats are willing to draw a line in the sand and utterly reject people like Sarsour, Omar, and Tlaib.

The answer coming from Sanders and all too many others is that the common ground they share with such people on Trump and other issues is more important than any residual affection for Israel or even sensitivities about anti-Semitism. If so, then they are not merely redefining "pro-Israel" in such a way as to render it meaningless, but also fatally undermining the struggle against anti-Semitism.

To understand the consequences of such a stand, you need only to look at Britain, where radical anti-Semites seized control of the Labour Party. Here on the opposite side of the pond, we can only tremble for the future of a Jewish community in which Sanders's comfort level with anti-Semites becomes normative behavior for American Jews.

Bernie Sanders leans into anti-Semitism

Last weekend, Sarsour was surrogating Sanders’s campaign as a speaker at the American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) conference. Her remarks sound more like a surrogacy for David Duke or Hamas. Israel, she said, is ‘built on the idea that Jews are supreme to everyone else’ — a libel as equally likely to appear from the mouths of Islamists as the thumbs of white nationalists. It’s impossible, Sarsour said, to oppose ‘white supremacy in America and the idea of being in a state based on race and class’ without also opposing the existence of a Jewish state.

Naturally, this specious and defamatory linkage was affirmed by Rashida Tlaib. Naturally, when footage of Sarsour’s diatribe appeared online, she did her best to wriggle out of it with a statement about ‘context’ — but not one about AMP’s official conference program, which called Zionism a ‘disease’ intending to ‘destroy the purity of al-Quds [Jerusalem]’.

Sanders’s alliance with Sarsour isn’t just Magic Grandpa being sentimental about the kids who remind him of his radical youth. Like Jeremy Corbyn’s passion for Islamists, it’s a calculated attempt to catch votes, transform the party membership and upend the centrist party managers. These tactics worked for Corbyn. But when Magic Grandpa shakes the tree, it’s not just money that falls out.

Corbyn’s idea of socialism with British characteristics has disgraced the Labour party and, by mainstreaming racists in the name of ‘social justice’ and ‘anti-Zionism’, become a global embarrassment to Britain. Labour is now a surrogate for its worst elements. Bernie Sanders is following the same tactics, and his socialism with American characteristics is already producing not dissimilar results: the mainstreaming of ancient hatred, with Bernie as Sarsour’s surrogate. Thanks, Grandpa.

Director Quentin Tarantino’s recent decision to play an active role in Israeli life (or at least the creation of more of it) got me thinking back to his 2009 actioner Inglorious Basterds (a film which, like his most recent Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, took a few small liberties with the historic timeline).

I’ve been a fan of Tarantino since he first came on the scene with Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, not because he was the last decade’s reigning film hipster, but because we shared a film vocabulary (I spent much of the '80s and '90s ferreting around video stores in ethnic neighborhoods for Hong Kong action flix, Filipino Batman musicals, and other treasures while he was screening the same films in the video stores he haunted).

Tarantino's gift for dialog is usually the first thing reviewers remark on, but I've always appreciated his patience as a film maker. In an age when Hollywood pictures ban any scene lasting for more than twenty seconds, Tarantino's can stretch out 15-20 minutes and consist of nothing more than characters interacting with one another in complex ways (admittedly, with many such scenes ending in some spectacular bout of violence). This aspect of Tarantino's skill became apparent in Kill Bill, a four-hour bloodbath/extravaganza which contains fewer individual scenes than ten minutes of a Michael Bay picture. That patience is even more on display in Basterds (something I confirmed during a recent screening with the kids).

For anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, Basterds abandons the time-travel tricks Tarantino played in films like Pulp Fiction for parallel linear narratives. In one, a group of Jewish operatives under the leadership of Shabbos-goy Brad Pitt are working behind enemy lines during World War II to terrorize the Nazis. In another, Shosanna Dreyfus, a Jewish girl who escaped the massacre of her family at the hands of Nazi Jew Hunter Hans Landa (played brilliantly by Christoph Waltz) is living in Paris and runs a cinema where the upcoming premiere of Josef Goebbels’s latest propo film will be attended by the top Nazi brass (including Hitler himself). This sets the stage for separate Dirty Dozen-style mass-assassination plots by both Shosanna and the Basterds.

Another Tarantino strength is his willingness to kill off characters mid-picture, including characters you're convinced are central to the plot. This unpredictability left audiences (or at least me) wondering whether the joint schemes to kill off the Nazi leadership would succeed, clash or cancel each other out.

As with his other pictures, Tarantino uses this work to show off his film knowledge, with multiple references to pre-war German and French cinema. The potential pretentiousness of the film-maker's indulgence is blunted, however, by the fact that Basterds has much more to do with 1940's American WWII shlock actioners than with the work of Leni Riefenstahl. My personal favorite film in this category - whose name I've forgotten - features a group of Chicago gangsters sent behind enemy lines where they manage to use Tommy guns and getaway cars to kidnap Hitler, tricking the SS into shooting their own Fuehrer by shaving off Hitler's moustache ("But I AM the fuehrer!" "Shut up you swine! " Pow!)

Sorry, where were we? Oh yes, onto politics!

When the film first came out, there was controversy over a picture that features Jews taking glee in their brutal behavior towards their victims. But since those victims are all uniformed Nazis (not German civilians), this complaint only made sense if you were willing to make a moral distinction between plain old Army Nazis and Gestapo Nazis (a la Hogan's Heroes). Besides, as the aforementioned Dirty Dozen showed us years ago, decadent Nazis and their entourages at play (at a dinner party or film opening) are fair game.

At least one critic was suspicious over the amount of German financial backing for the film, highlighting that both Shosanna and the Basterds play into a "vengeful Jew" mythos permeating German society. I won't pretend to understand German culture enough to say whether this trope is as widespread as that critic thought, but I will point out that the first Jewish image in the film (consisting of a family of Jews hiding under the floorboards of a French house in justifiable fear for their lives) has been played out endlessly for film audiences over the last six decades, something that doesn't seem to have blunted European appetite for anti-Jewish fear and paranoia. If once every two generations a film features a Jew emptying a machine gun clip into Adolph Hitler's face, I can't say I see the harm in that.

Especially since we're talking about an exploitation film, the type of movie which invites you to welcome the opening credits with a cry of “Pander to me!” arms thrown out. After all, African American audiences got to spend a decade enjoying Black Belt Jones and other Blaxploitation heroes delivering roundhouse kicks to the head of bigoted Southern sheriffs. Is it too much to ask for Jews to be gifted a similar jolt at the movies once in the 75 years since the Holocaust?

I'll admit that many audiences, Jew and Gentile, didn’t quite know what to make of depictions of Jewish strength, power and heroism, especially when such strength involves use of a gun or a knife. Which is one more thing I appreciate Quentin Tarantino for challenging us with, even if he did so merely with the intention of delivering up some explosive kicks.

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AFP reports:

A 33-year-old Jordanian was sentenced to eight years behind the bars over an alleged plot to attack the Israeli embassy in Amman last year.

The state security court ruled that Khaled Abu Raya "threatened to carry out terrorist acts."

According to the charge sheet, as reported by the AFP, the Abu Raya planned "to open fire on the embassy and its employees in a bid to kill a large number of Israelis".

Here's what AFP left out of the story:

He only planned the attack after Muslim clerics issued a fatwa giving him permission.

As far as I can tell, those clerics are not being arrested.

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12/09 Links Pt1: Fatah: “We won’t relinquish a grain of soil… from the [Mediterranean] Sea to the [Jordan] River”; Sovereignty over Jordan Valley Is Crucial to Israel's Survival

From Ian:

JPost Editorial: Keep up the pressure

It is shameful for those countries to be working to enrich a corrupt, violent, terrorist-supporting Iranian government at any time, but it’s an even greater disgrace to do so at a time when it is gunning down regime opponents on the street.

As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during his trip to Lisbon to discuss defense against Iran with US: “That is wrong. They should be ashamed of themselves. While people are risking their lives and dying on the streets of Tehran, they are giving sustenance and support to this radical regime.”

Iran’s murderous ways are not limited to protesters on the streets in Iran, but extend from Iran to Syria to Lebanon and Gaza, and even beyond the Middle East, to Argentina, for example, where Iran was behind the bombing of the AMIA Jewish center.

The correct response to the tyrants of Tehran is not to reward them for sowing death and destruction. The world should be working to encourage the courageous protesters and discourage the regime from continuing to put its money toward deadly causes that do not help their people.

First and foremost, sanctions should be respected and not circumvented.

While Iran continues to develop nuclear-capable ballistic missiles and precision-guided munitions and targets people around the world, the pressure must be increased, not relieved.

A Non-Aggression Pact Between Israel and Arab States Is a Good Place to Start

Yet the Gulf states do not accept the Palestinian claims; their fear of Iran is overriding. They believe Trump’s hands are tied by his desire to run in the next presidential elections. Some of them believe that if he wins the elections, he will change his stance regarding protecting them from Iran.

At the same time, secret and public visits continue between Israeli and Arab representatives. Netanyahu visited Oman in October 2018 and Katz visited the UAE in June 2019.

According to unconfirmed reports in some Arab media outlets, Netanyahu has also met secretly with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.

Similarly, some Gulf states have hosted Israeli sports teams, and even played Israel’s national anthem “Hatikva” when the Israeli teams won.

Israel’s attempt to advance a non-aggression agreement with four Arab countries is significant. This message should filter through to the Arab world and to the Palestinians who seek to block the normalization of relations with Israel.

Israel’s policy of breaking the linkage established by the Palestinians between normalizing relations with Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is correct. The Palestinian problem no longer leads the Arab countries’ list of priorities. The Iranian danger has overtaken it, and in any case, the Palestinian arena is divided between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with the Palestinian leadership unable to reach a national agreement that would allow serious negotiations with Israel, the results of which would be binding upon all Palestinians.

The moderate Arab countries are following Israel’s offensive policy against Iranian entrenchment in Syria and the military attacks ascribed to Israel against Iranian targets. There is no doubt that this affects their relationship with Israel, which is proving itself to be a critical regional force that does not fear to confront Iran. It is worthwhile for them to ally with Israel even in secret and to coordinate efforts to halt Iranian influence.

PMW: Fatah: “We won’t relinquish a grain of soil… from the [Mediterranean] Sea to the [Jordan] River”

Two Fatah officials have recently repeated the PA and Fatah’s uncompromising stance that “Palestine” includes all of the State of Israel in addition to the PA areas and Gaza, and that Jews/Israelis are nothing but temporary “invaders.” This position of course leaves no room for a two-state solution which the PA and Fatah claim – to foreign audiences – they support.

The media spokesperson and “popular resistance coordinator” of Fatah’s Qalqilya branch, Murad Shtewi, stressed that Palestinians view the entire area from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea as “Palestine,” and that they won’t give up an inch of it. He also called on Palestinians to carry out “a popular revolution” against Israel:
“Shtewi emphasized that the Palestinian people will not relinquish a grain of soil from the land of historical Palestine from the [Mediterranean] Sea to the [Jordan] River, despite the American administration’s attempts to allow the occupation state to expand the settlement and legitimize it, and he demanded that our people carry out a popular revolution against the occupation everywhere.” [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Nov. 30, 2019]

At the same event a group of Palestinian scouts held “signs emphasizing the right of our people in Palestine and the return to it from its [Mediterranean] Sea to its [Jordan] River.” Palestinian Media Watch has documented that the PA and Fatah espouse the “liberation” of “Palestine” from “the river to the sea,” and teach even children that “Palestine will return” and that this is the end goal.

The head of Fatah’s Jenin branch similarly expressed the view that all of Israel will become “Palestine” as he stated that the Israelis “will leave” as the previous “invaders” have done. He implied that Palestinians will use violence to make this happen, stating that “we are at the beginning of an ongoing confrontation, and are not making do with a rally or procession.”

Fatah official: “We are at the beginning of an ongoing confrontation,” Israel will leave as other “invaders” havehttps://t.co/GlfvRpCvO8 pic.twitter.com/NAh67zV6A5
— Pal Media Watch (@palwatch) December 9, 2019

As we've reported, a US NGO called Ships plans to open up a hospital in Gaza near the Erez crossing, and the Palestinian Authority has been bitterly opposed to it, ludicrously claiming that the hospital is really a joint US/Israel military base.

The hospital will use equipment and staff from a similar field hospital in Syria that is no longer needed.

The PA's main problem seems to be the name of the hospital, the American Hospital. The honor/shame culture cannot deal with that. (It is also upset that Israel has cooperated with Hamas on building this hospital.)

It seems that the PA and Fatah realized that their opposing a hospital in Gaza looks bad, so Palestinian prime minister Mohamed Shtayyeh said that the PA will work to open a different hospital in Gaza funded by Turkey.

Turkey announced this hospital to much fanfare in 2018, which was to be jointly run between Turkey and the PA, but it never opened due to financial and staff shortages. For some reason this was not considered a scandal.

Now, Shtayyeh is saying that he is negotiating with Turkey on finally opening this hospital. "We are in the final stages of agreeing with our Turkish friends to cover the operating expenses of this hospital," Shtayyeh said today.

It is hard to explain how petty and uncaring the Palestinian Authority is for its own people and how willing it is to use Palestinian lives for political purposes. This Turkish hospital has been empty and unused for an entire year, but only now that the PA wants to not look like idiots for opposing another Hamas-approved hospital does it make any moves to open the Turkish hospital.

Both the Turkish and American hospitals were approved by Israel, proving yet again that the Jewish state cares more about Palestinian lives than the Palestinian Authority does.

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