On November 14, Human Rights Watch released a report titled “Hopeless, Starving, and Besieged,” which accuses Israel of numerous war crimes in Gaza.
The report is based primarily on interviews with 39 Gaza residents, along with analysis of photographs, satellite imagery, and evacuation orders the IDF published on social media.
Of course the war has caused tremendous suffering for Gaza. While fighting against Hamas in a densely urban setting makes this largely inevitable, Israel should not be immune from scrutiny as to whether it has done enough to respect the rights of Gaza civilians. So investigation and analysis of Israel’s conduct is certainly in order.
However, as we’ve unfortunately become accustomed to from Human Rights Watch, this report is biased against Israel at every turn.
Standard of Perfection
Humanitarian law is extraordinarily demanding in the protections it affords civilians — so much so, that no army has ever succeeded at upholding humanitarian law completely. In fact, most do a terrible job. A reasonable question might be to ask how Israel’s humanitarian score compares with other Western nations in their own recent conflicts. But Human Rights Watch holds Israel to a standard of complete perfection — any time Israel falls the slightest bit short of what they believe humanitarian law requires, no matter how impossible the situation, this report immediately accuses Israel of a war crime.
For example, in declaring most evacuations of civilians illegal, the report says, “failure to ensure the security and the guarantee of protections of displaced persons as they fled and in the places to which they were displaced would still render the displacement unlawful.”
In other words, the IDF told civilians to leave a residential area where it was planning to operate against Hamas missiles and tunnels, where they would be in enormous danger should they remain.
But even though evacuation was clearly a good idea and would make them much, much safer, since Israel couldn’t guarantee that they would be completely safe while traveling and at their destination, Human Rights Watch says the evacuation was a war crime.
But how can anywhere in Gaza be completely safe, with Hamas popping up all over? This demand that Israel ensure complete safety for evacuees is impossible, and that would be the case for any other army as well.
The report even criticizes Israel for this: “The evacuation orders also failed to take into account the needs of people with disabilities, many of whom are unable to leave without assistance.”
Of course it would be best if Gaza residents had plenty of time to leave in an organized fashion, with special consideration for those with disabilities. But rockets were raining down on Israel’s cities, with hostages languishing in captivity and Israeli soldiers in danger of attack by Hamas as they wait. Human Rights Watch makes it sound as if Palestinian civilians are the only ones whose rights need to be considered. They’re not.
For the sake of peace and stability in the Middle East, it is vital that the United States drastically change its relations with Qatar. Qatar has long played a double game, seeking good relations with the United States while maintaining ties — if not support — for its adversaries. That pattern appears to be repeating itself again, with competing reports about whether the leadership of the terrorist group Hamas will continue to be welcome to live in Doha.
It is vital that the United States convince Qatar to play it straight, and cut off political and financial support for Hamas while increasing accountability.
Earlier this month, Biden administration officials claimed that Qatar was evicting Hamas from the country. But, just days later, the Qatari Foreign Ministry strongly denied those reports. Instead, Qatar said it was suspending its role as a mediator in hostage and ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Yet, an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that last week senior Hamas officials left Qatar for Turkey, a NATO ally that also risks running afoul of Washington if it provides safe harbor to terrorists.
Amid this confusion, it is not clear what exactly is taking place: has Qatar actually expelled Hamas’ leadership, but is denying it to save face publicly? Would Doha welcome these officials back if they agree to negotiate? Which Hamas members, if any, still reside in Qatar?
Whatever is happening behind the scenes, the ambiguity of the current situation is representative of Qatar’s broader strategy to play all sides and keep everyone guessing regarding its loyalties and interests. Thus, while it hosts, and helps pay for, the largest US military base in the Middle East at al Udeid, Qatar has also provided a haven and financial support to radical groups, terrorist organizations, and American adversaries such as the Taliban, Hamas, and the Muslim Brotherhood, while maintaining good relations with Iran.
Doha portrays its refusal to choose sides as a strategic asset, not only for itself but for others as well. For example, Qatari officials have claimed that allowing Hamas officials to reside on its territory is a selfless investment in diplomacy. Qatari Defense Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah explained that Hamas officials would remain in Doha “not because we want Hamas to stay in Qatar, but because we want to facilitate the negotiations with the parties through the organization’s office.”
Yet, there is good reason to be skeptical of these claims of Qatari neutrality and magnanimity.
Disclaimer: the views expressed here are solely those of
the author, weekly Judean Rose columnist Varda Meyers Epstein.
When Donald Trump won the election, there was great relief
in Israel, something like a collective sigh. There was also anxiety. It’s a
long time until January, and we don’t know how much longer the hostages can
hang on. But there was, and is, a further cause for anxiety, and that concerns
Trump’s cabinet picks, which here in Israel we can’t help but think: are these
anointed ones good or bad for the Jews and for Israel?
Matt Gaetz
We might as well begin our examination with Matt Gaetz,
Trump’s pick for attorney general, a bad choice by all accounts. Gaetz has what
we call in Hebrew, “panim doresh steerot,” a face that needs slapping. There is
a lot of noise about his sexual peccadilloes, corruption, and illicit drug use.
We remember how Gaetz forced Kevin McCarthy out of his role as House speaker. It’s
not as if Gaetz didn’t have plenty of support for the ousting of McCarthy.
Nonethless, McCarthy insisted that Gaetz had led the charge against him specifically
to wiggle
out of an ethics investigation:
“I’ll give you the truth why I’m not speaker. Because one person, a member of
Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old,
an ethics complaint that started before I ever became speaker. And that’s
illegal and I’m not gonna get in the middle of it.
“Now, did he do it or not? I don’t know. But ethics was
looking at it. There’s other people in jail because of it. And he wanted me to
influence it.”
Indeed there are plenty of reasons to dislike Gaetz, but
from the standpoint of the Jewish people, the main issue should be his horrid
antisemitsm. Gaetz
voted against the Antisemitism Awareness Act, saying that International
Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism would hold
the bible itself as antisemitic because, Gaetz claimed, Christian scripture
dictates that the Jews are responsible for Jesus’s death.
Um no. That would be the Romans. Which makes Gaetz a
horrible person for pinning this death on the Jews. It’s that kind of slander
that leads and has always led, to the letting of Jewish blood. There can be no
benign reason for an educated person to say such things. Matt Gaetz hates Jews.
“This evening, I will vote AGAINST the ridiculous hate
speech bill called the ‘Antisemitism Awareness Act,’” said Gaetz prior to the
vote. “Antisemitism is wrong, but this legislation is written without regard
for the Constitution, common sense, or even the common understanding of the
meaning of words. The Gospel itself would meet the definition of antisemitism
under the terms of this bill!”
Matt Gaetz, in addition to blaming the Jews for what the
Romans did, invited Charles Johnson, a Holocaust denier and white nationalist,
to be his guest at a 2018 State of the Union address. Gaetz claimed he hadn’t
know these things about Johnson, then subsequently defended him, and denied the
accusations. Johnson, said Gaetz, is “not a Holocaust denier. He’s not a white
supremacist.” But Johnson is both.
When crazy Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene compared COVID public
safety measures to the Holocaust, Gaetz defended her. “[Greene] defends Israel
and attacks Democrats. Media falsely slams [Greene] as antisemitic. Some
Republicans take the bait, sadly,” said Gaetz.
Our attorney general-to-be had been known to hire staff
members who hang with white nationalists, and say white nationalist things. He called
the ADL “racist” when that body called for Tucker Carlson to be fired from Fox News
on account of Carlson pushing the Great Replacement theory. Matt Gaetz said
that Carlson is “CORRECT about Replacement Theory.”
The Great Replacement
theory, as described by the ADL, “claims there is an intentional effort, led by
Jews, to promote mass non-white immigration, inter-racial marriage, and other efforts
that would lead to the ‘extinction of whites.’”
RFK Jr.
Moving along, we come to RFK Jr., Trump’s pick for secretary
of the Department of Health and Human Services. RFK Jr. is another one for
conspiracy theories. While dining with journalists, Bobby Kennedy Jr. aired a
nutty conspiracy theory positing that COVID was designed to spare Ashkenazi
Jews and Chinese people.
“COVID-19. There is an argument that it is ethnically
targeted. COVID-19 attacks certain races disproportionately. COVID-19 is
targeted to attack Caucasians and black people. The people who are most immune are
Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.
“We don’t know whether it was deliberately targeted or not
but there are papers out there that show the racial or ethnic differential and
impact,” said Kennedy, who also claimed that vaccine mandates made people less
free than Anne Frank under Nazi rule.
VIDEO:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claims coronavirus was an "ethnically targeted" bioweapon designed to be more deadly for caucasians and blacks — and spare Jews and Chinese https://t.co/xfAdovs0sYpic.twitter.com/og4xHdKs7x
After the footage was leaked, Kennedy went into damage
control mode, claiming that he never EVER suggested the virus was designed to
spare Jews.
“I have never, ever suggested that the COVID-19 virus was
targeted to spare Jews,” wrote Kennedy. “I accurately pointed out — during an
off-the-record conversation — that the US and other governments are developing
ethnically targeted bioweapons and that a 2021 study of the COVID-19 virus
shows that COVID-19 appears to disproportionately affect certain races since
the furin cleave docking site is most compatible with Blacks and Caucasians and
least compatible with ethnic Chinese, Finns and Ashkenazi Jews.”
RFK Jr.’s friendship with Nation of Islam leader Louis
Farrakhan was cemented through just such views as these. Bobby Jr. in fact, called
Farrakhan a “truly great partner” for helping him spread the idea that vaccines
cause autism. Andrew Wakefield, now disgraced, concocted this “theory” in 1998
and was subsequently exposed as a fraud. When COVID hit, Farrakhan urged his
congregants to "follow Robert Kennedy," claiming that scientists
developed the coronavirus vaccine in order to "depopulate the Earth."
If RFK Jr. and Farrakhan agree on these nutty conspiracy
theories, what other views might they share in common?
Of course, RFK Jr. was wise to quickly disavow his affinity
for Farrakhan the antisemite at the outset of his presidential campaign. When
asked about the relationship between during his campaign, Kennedy said he is an
“opponent” of Farrakhan and "never endorsed anything that Louis Farrakhan
has said," which of course, is a lie.
Should Jews look the other way on RFK Jr.? Perhaps. Bobby Jr., speaking to Reuters,
expressed support for Israel’s fight against Hamas in Gaza, and for the return
of the hostages. Asked if he was in favor of a temporary Gaza ceasefire,
Kennedy said, "I don't even know what that means right now,"
commenting that every previous ceasefire was “used by Hamas to rearm, to
rebuild and then launch another surprise attack. So what would be different
this time?
"Any other nation that was adjacent to a neighboring
nation that was bombing it with rockets, sending commandos over to murder its
citizens, pledging itself to murder every person in that nation and annihilate
it, would go and level it with aerial bombardment," said Kennedy.
"But Israel is a moral nation. So it didn't do that.
Instead, it built an iron dome to protect itself so it would not have to go
into Gaza," he added.
Nutty conspiracy theories notwithstanding, so far Bobby Jr.
sounds okay on Israel. Perhaps he inherited his views from his father? Bobby
Sr. spent time in Pre-State Israel, reporting for the Boston
Post and was kindly disposed toward the Jews, and supported their
efforts at statehood. Unfortunately, he was murdered because of this support.
Tulsi Gabbard
We come next to Tulsi Gabbard, who is to be national
intelligence secretary. It’s hard to dislike Gabbard. She’s a serious person,
and is unafraid to change her mind when changing her mind is called for. But
she backed the Iran deal, and that’s a huge problem. Gabbard also voted against
a House resolution to condemn the U.N. Security Council resolution regarding
Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria, saying, "While I remain
concerned about aspects of the U.N. resolution, I share the Obama
administration's reservation about the harmful impact Israeli settlement
activity has on the prospects for peace."
Seriously?? Jews building homes has a harmful impact on
“prospects for peace?” That’s just reprehensibly antisemitic, and I don’t care
how popular it has become to repeat the canard that Jewish families building
homes, threaten peace. It’s a disgusting and stupid thing to say no matter how
many people say it and no matter how often it is said. It’s just, pardon my
French, total crap.
I hope that Gabbard will now be able to take a step back and
examine the issue from a more commonsense position with good people to take her
through it. Maybe now, as part of the Trump cabinet, she’ll educate herself on
Israel. In her past, however, she has taken some problematic positions.
Gabbard
defended Ilhan Omar, for example, when Omar tweeted that US support for
Israel is “all about the Benjamins.” Speaking to CNN, Gabbard said, "There
are people who have expressed their offense at these statements. I think that
what Congresswoman Omar was trying to get at was a deeper issue related to our
foreign policy, and I think there's an important discussion that we have to be
able to have openly, even though we may end up disagreeing at the end of it,
but we've got to have that openness to have the conversation."
Gabbard also voted for House Resolution 246, which expressed
House opposition to the BDS movement and affirmed support for a two-state
solution. When asked to explain her vote, Gabbard said she supported "a
two-state solution that provides for the rights of both Israel and Palestine to
exist, and for their people to live in peace, with security, in their homes. I
don't believe the BDS movement is the only or best way to accomplish that.
However, I will continue to defend those who choose to exercise their right to
free speech without threat of legal action."
The two-state solution is a naïve and unworkable concept,
and always was. Neither of the parties want it. So why do pols continue to push
the two-state solution down the throats of people who do not want it, and do
not see it as the solution it is touted to be? Why does Tulsi Gabbard, who is
clearly a clear-thinking person, think the two-state solution makes any sense
at all?
There can only be two reasons for supporting the two-state
solution: 1) Anti-Jewish prejudice, that is to say, a desire to take land away
from the Jews and give it to the people who want to kill them, and 2) Ignorance
on the part of people who have never actually studied the matter. “Two-state
solution” is just something people say. Endlessly. Meaninglessly. One would
hope that Tulsi would know better.
But we have all watched Tulsi Gabbard evolve in her
politics. We watched her leave the Democratic Party, become an Independent, and
finally, become a staunch, pro-Trump Republican. Perhaps Tulsi’s views will
evolve on Israel and antisemitism.
There is reason to be optimistic about Gabbard. Tulsi
Gabbard criticized Biden and Harris for not joining a solidarity March for
Israel as the Jewish State fights the war forced on it by Hamas. She is clear
in that she supports a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. When Gabbard was still
a Democrat, in 2015, unlike 58 other Dems, she did not boycott Netanyahu’s
address to Congress, stating that “It’s unfortunate that an issue as important
as preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons has been muddled by partisan
politics. This is an extremely serious issue, at a critical juncture, that
should not be used as a political football.”
Gabbard also said that it was important to “rise above the
political fray, as America continues to stand with Israel as her strongest
ally.”
Nice words and a real show of support for Israel.
Mike Huckabee and Pete Hegseth
Now we come to Mike Huckabee and Pete
Hegseth. I know what you’re going to say. Why are they included in this list of
potentially problematic Trump candidate members? Both are staunch friends of
Israel. They don’t fall prey to propaganda, don’t use terms like “Palestinian”
or “West Bank.” They don’t have a problem with Jewish sovereignty, or Jews
building homes in their indigenous territory.
Take for example Mike Huckabee, who is slated to become the
next ambassador to Israel. Asked
whether he would stop using the terms “Judea and Samaria” to describe what
most of the world now calls the “West Bank,” Huckabee said, “I can’t be what
I’m not. I can’t say something I don’t believe. As you well know, I’ve never
been willing to use the term ‘West Bank’. There is no such thing. I speak of
Judea and Samaria. I tell people there is no ‘occupation.’ It is a land that is
‘occupied’ by the people who have had a rightful deed to the place for 3,500
years, since the time of Abraham.
“A lot of the terms that maybe the media would use, even the
people who are against Israel would use, are not terms that I employ, because I
want to use terms that live from time immemorial, and those are the terms like
‘Promised Land’ and ‘Judea and Samaria’. These are biblical terms, and those
are important to me, and so I will continue to follow that nomenclature unless
I’m instructed otherwise, but I don’t think that’ll happen.”
Huckabee has also said plainly that there is “no
such thing as a ‘Palestinian.’” Being that there was never an Arab state
called “Palestine,” that makes perfect sense. As Huckabee rightly stated during
his 2008 failed presidential campaign, the assertion of the existence of a
“Palestinian” identity, is only “a political tool to try and force land away
from Israel.”
So far, there is not one thing here with which this writer
disagrees.
Of the moronic idea known as the “two-state solution,”
Huckabee commented in a 2015 interview on Israeli TV, that it is “irrational
and unworkable,” and also said that “there’s plenty of land” outside of Israel
in the “rest of the world” for a Palestinian state.
All true.
Pete Hegseth, picked for secretary of defense, says all the
right things when it comes to Israel. At a 2018 Israel National News
conference Hegseth spoke of the right of the Jewish people to claim their
indigenous territory for themselves, and themselves alone.
"I, and others, had a chance to go see the Western
Wall, the Temple Mount, the Western Wall Tunnels, and so much of the Old
City," said Hegseth. "When you stand there, you cannot help but
behold the miracle before you."
"It got me thinking about another miracle I hope all of
you don't see as too far away. 1917 was a miracle, 1948 was a miracle, 1967 was
a miracle, 2017, the declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was a
miracle, and there's
no reason why the miracle of the reestablishment of the Temple on the Temple
Mount is not possible. I don't know how it would happen, you don't know how
it would happen, but I know that it could happen, that's all I know," he
said.
"A step in that process is the recognition that facts
and activities on the ground truly matter. That's why going to visit Judea and
Samaria, understanding that the very sovereignty over Israeli soil, cities,
locations, is a critical next step to showing the world that this is the land
for Jews, and the land of Israel," concluded Hegseth.
So why are Mike Huckabee and Pete Hegseth included in an
article on Trump cabinet picks who might not be good for the Jews/Israel? Both
men are respectful of Jewish beliefs and rights. That respect springs out of
their Christian
faith, which is fine. What would not be fine is if either the two men or
Israeli officials began to speak about “shared values” or “Judeo-Christian
values,” as if that were a thing.
Judaism stands alone. We Jews have our own faith, our own
laws, and a religious narrative we do not share with Christians or those of
other faiths. We should not want Christians telling us they are like us, and we
should not want Israeli leaders to do so, either. That should be and must be a
red line that is respected on both sides.
We can see the good in these two men without searching for
nonexistent religious common ground. It is hoped that Huckabee and Hegseth
understand these sensitivities and will remain as respectful to the Jewish
people as ever. On the other hand, will official Israel be able to control
itself—to refrain from slobbering over these men? It’s a problem.
It is so rare for Israel to have staunch friends, people who
understand us, and believe in our right to our rights. Their sincere friendship
makes us Jews feel like we actually belong to the family of man—at last there
is someone who sees us.
Within this warm circle of cozy coexistence lies a temptation—the temptation to assert that we are alike. But we are not, and it is wrong to say otherwise. Hegseth, despite the allegations against him in the media, seems like a nice person. Huckabee, too. And that’s where the similarities start and end.
Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon!
Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.
The current edition of Biblical Archaeological Review includes a seven page ad for Archaeological Paths, which offers exclusive tours of Egyptian sites.
All of their ads prominently feature Zahi Hawass, "The World’s Most Famous Archaeologist," who used to be the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities in Egypt.
He also told an Arab newspaper that "the concept of killing women, children, and elderly people ... seems to run in the blood of the Jews of Palestine" and that "the only thing that the Jews have learned from history is methods of tyranny and torment—so much so that they have become artists in this field."
In 2010, he said "the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Mosque of Bilal Ibn Rabah [The Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb] have no connection whatsoever with Jewish history, "
When Egypt was restoring synagogues, Hawass supported the effort - but only as tourist sites. He said he would not allow any Jew to pray in the restored Maimonides synagogue in Cairo.
He is clearly an antisemite. And yet nobody seems to have a problem with this self-promoting hater.
The Royal Egypt Tour provides unparalleled access to the wonders of ancient Egypt and offers special entries to sites that are off-limits to the general public.
...The Royal Tour offers private entrances to the entire Giza pyramid complex and the Luxor Temple outside of opening hours. Only with us will you stand between the paws of the Great Sphinx and gain exclusive access to the places closed to the public! Thanks to special permission granted by the Minister of Antiquities, you will see the Tombs of the Pyramid Builders in Giza, an active excavation site. With Archaeological Paths you will experience Egypt like no one else!
Dr. Zahi Hawass: "No one can tour Egypt like this. Except for you – when you come and join me. You will visit many unique sites that very few people can see. You will be treated like royalty, this is why we call it the Royal Tour."
So Zawass can bring tourists to places that are not open to the public, because of special permission given to him by the Minister of Antiquities - which he himself used to be.
He is given special treatment and is allowed to enrich himself because of his connections in the Egyptian government, and the corruption is mutual.
Is it a favor? Does the ministry take a cut from the tours? Either way, for the nation of Egypt to give preferential treatment to a former minister that enriches him is clear corruption.
This sort of corruption is normal for Egypt. Before Israel took over Rafah, Egypt granted an exclusive license to a tour operator with connections to the ruling party in order to charge exorbitant rates for Gazans to escape Gaza. He made millions of dollars.
Instead of publishing ads for his tour, Biblical Archaeology Review should be investigating exactly what this Jew-hater is doing on his tours, how he has access that no one else has, and find out how deep this corruption goes.
Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon!
Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.
There was a kerfuffle in Gaza in response to a statement by a major religious figure criticizing Hamas for its attack on October 7 2023:
Professor Dr. Salman al-Dayah, a former dean of the Faculty of Sharia and Law at the Islamic University of Gaza, issued a fatwa against Hamas for their October 7 attacks, the BBC reported on Friday.
Fatwa is an Islamic religious decree made by a recognized Islamic jurist, Faqih, as a response to a question asked by a judge or government.
The document accused Hamas of “violating Islamic principles governing jihad.”
Dayah added, “If the pillars, causes, or conditions of jihad are not met, it must be avoided in order to avoid destroying peoples' lives. This is something that is easy to guess for our country’s politicians, so the attack must have been avoided.”
In response, a group of international Islamic scholars issued a letter to counter al-Dayah's fatwa and support Hamas' decision to murder 1,200 Jews.
It is quite lengthy, and respectful of Dayah's position and reputation. Here are some highlights of their arguments for murdering Jewish civilians and putting Gaza civilians at risk.
First of all, it is divisive to oppose Hamas terrorism:
The most dangerous thing about the matter is that the article may be understood as an absolute rejection of jihad in the Gazan reality, and a mistake in its path originally, and an underestimation of its great achievements throughout its long blessed journey, despite the sacrifices that are necessary on this path, and the matter is not related to the last flood war only, and from here it is necessary to respond and warn against this grave mistake that represents a great danger to the blessed journey of jihad, and comes at its origins and foundations, and weakens the resolve of the mujahideen, and divides their ranks...
Second, it argues that jihad is a holy obligation but most Muslims never get a chance to do it personally.
The great freedom of Islamic work in calling to Islam, preparing for jihad, and other things, which was never available, and is rarely available anywhere in the world.
Moreover, the jihad is necessary to destroy Israel and build a new Caliphate.
This is more important, that this jihad removed the state of weakness, feebleness and submission before the enemy, and kept the flame of this great duty in the heart of the nation, especially in Jerusalem and its environs, alive and burning; as a prelude to its renaissance, its people and its promised second caliphate - God willing - and this is the basic mission of the people of Palestine until they rescue with their nation the captive Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is the responsibility of the entire nation,...These great achievements and others are more evident than the sun at noon.
The war may be necessary to perform the ultimate genocide of Jews, as Allah promised.
He did not notice the intermingling of the Sunnahs in it, and that perhaps what is happening is the ultimate corruption and great arrogance that will lead the Children of Israel to their faces being ruined, and the rescue of Al-Aqsa from them, and their disappearance as Allah the Most High promised, so it will be a link in the chain of jihad and ribat on the path to victory.
Tens of thousands of dead Muslims is a small price to pay for the chance to eradicate Jews:
What is required in the affliction of calamity is patience, regardless of the form of the affliction or its cause; In any case, if people are patient, this trial will be good and a mercy for them, regardless of its cause.
The attack on October 7 is a legitimate act and a fulfillment of the duty of jihad, and there is no doubt about that, and its people will be rewarded with the reward of the great jihad, God willing
The letter does admit that, perhaps, the timing of the attack was wrong, and that perhaps Hamas could be criticized for locating its military targets among the people. But those are individual errors and do not detract from the greater issue of the importance of Jihad.
Then comes more antisemitism, not sullied by the pretense of being merely "anti-Zionist."
Whoever knows the truth of the Jews, their beliefs, their arrogance, their crimes and their great corruption on earth, and their religious war with us under the shadow of their extreme right-wing government, knows the truth of what we have mentioned, and the truth of the Almighty’s saying: "And never will the Jews or the Christians be pleased with you until you follow them... And they will not cease fighting you until they turn you back from your religion if they are able" [Al-Baqarah: 217].
The attacks on October 7 were defensive, not offensive, and therefore obligatory:
The October attack in itself is a defensive jihad, not a jihad of demand, because the reality is that the Jews are besieging Gaza, and occupying its air, sea, and envelope before it, so it is occupied in reality, so expelling them from it is obligatory and is a defensive jihad. And even though we allow disagreement in the ruling on the timing of the attack in terms of right and wrong, because it is a matter of consideration, due to the many evils that result from it and the many interests that are also brought about, then disagreement in the legitimacy of the original act is not permissible, because it is a defensive jihad that is obligatory in principle.
And of course there is honor to consider:
The true believer sees the humiliation of surrendering to the infidels, and the breaking of the banner of faith as a breaking that is difficult to recover from, and it is a painful and long affliction that he cannot truly bear, and everything less than that is easier for him as long as he has breath...
They deny Hamas uses human shields, saying that the fatwa is based on Israeli propaganda:
- There is also something unjust in his words when he provides evidence for the Mujahideen in exaggerating the mistakes, not making excuses in light of the difficult reality in which they work, and not seeing the great good deeds and huge sacrifices. Rather, it repeats and reinforces the words of the enemies without examining them, unfortunately; such as his saying: “The Mujahideen take the people of the sector as a shield to protect themselves from the attacks of their enemy without caring about the size of the disaster resulting from that.”
This is a great injustice to the Mujahideen who are doing everything they can to spare civilians any loss. They are their brothers, fathers, sons and clan, and they feel pain for their pain, so how can this be thought of them?
The signatories:
Sadiq Al-Ghariani - Grand Mufti of Libya
Muhammad al-Hasan bin al-Dido al-Shinqiti - Head of the Center for the Training of Scholars (Mauritania)
Dr. Hammam Saeed - President of the Global Coalition to Support Jerusalem and Palestine (Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood)
Hamed Al-Ali (Kuwait)
Dr. Abdul-Hay Youssef - President of the Academy of the Supporters of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace (Sudan)
Dr. Muhammad Yusri Ibrahim - Vice President of the Muslim Scholars Association (Egypt)
Dr. Nawaf Takrouri - Chairman of the Palestinian Scholars Association (Jordan)
Dr. Wasfi Ashour Abu Zaid - Professor of Maqasid and Usul al-Fiqh (Turkey, I think)
Dr. Al Hassan Al Kattani - President of the League of Scholars of the Maghreb (Morocco)
Dr. Ahmed Hawwa - Secretary General of the Syrian Scholars Association
Dr. Sheikh Attia Al-Adlan - Professor of Islamic Jurisprudence and Politics (Egypt)
Dr. Ahmed Al-Jawhari - Director of the Institute at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif
Dr. Muhammad Hammam Melhem - Head of the Miraj Center for Research and Studies (Turkey)
Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon!
Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.
Last night in Brooklyn, an event was held to market real estate in Israel.
The location was kept secret except for registered attendees, but Israel haters apparently found out where it was and held a protest outside a yeshiva in Midwood.
The event did not advertise any real estate in the "occupied territories." But the Pal-Awda group protesting it considers all of Israel to be "occupied."
The antisemites who believe that Jews have no right to live in their homeland not only protested outside the alleged venue, but also marched through the heavily Jewish neighborhood shouting their genocidal slogans.
For years, pro-Israel activists have warned that when Palestinians and their allies say "occupation" they really mean all of Israel. But the media never considered that, and always claimed that the protests were merely against "occupation" in the West Bank and Gaza.
Now no one (except perhaps J-Street and Peace Now) can argue that we weren't right. it was never about "occupation" as is obvious from anyone who looked at anti-Israel propaganda before 1967.
Then, over the past year, the media pivoted and claimed that the protests were not against "occupation" but against the "Gaza war" or that they were "pro-Palestinian."
But neither of those explain the protests outside real estate events like this one or the one last June in Los Angeles that turned violent.
So is it "pro-Palestinian" to march through a Jewish neighborhood?
There is nothing "pro-Palestinian" about people who support Hamas, who cheer terror, who target synagogues and Jewish schools, who attack Jews in America. The only people upset at Jews moving to Israel are antisemites. These are just Jew-haters, nothing else.
The irony is that their attacks on Jewish institutions and neighborhoods will drive more Jews to move to Israel - exactly what they don't want to see.
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A United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an “immediate and unconditional” ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages held by Hamas could come up for a vote as early as Tuesday, though the possibility of a U.S. veto looms large.
The resolution, drafted by the E10, or 10 elected members of the Security Council, is another effort by the body to bring about an end to the war or at least improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The UNSC has passed four resolutions on the matter thus far, with little to no effect, and has failed to pass resolutions a number of times.
I received what appears to be a draft of this UN resolution. I do not know if it is the latest one, but its metadata strongly indicates that it was indeed written by UN and UN Security Council employees.
It pays lip service to Israeli demands but in reality demands nothing from Hamas and ensures that Israel does not get its military goals.
The operative section says:
1.Recalls the Security Council’s primary responsibility to uphold international peace and security and demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire to be respected by all parties; and further reiterates its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages;
If Hamas does not release the hostages, Israel would still be obligated to cease fire.
2.Reiterates its demand that the parties comply with their obligations under international law in relation to persons they detain;
Meaning, Israel is violating international law.
3.Demands immediate access by the civilian population in the Gaza Strip to basic services and humanitarian assistance indispensable to its survival, while rejecting any effort to starve Palestinians, and further demands the facilitation of full, rapid, safe and unhindered entry of humanitarian assistance at scale to and throughout the Gaza Strip and its delivery to all Palestinian civilians who need it, including to civilians in besieged north Gaza, who are in urgent need of immediate humanitarian relief, under the coordination of the United Nations;
This is a slander claiming Israel is using starvation as a method of war.
4.Calls on all parties to fully comply with international law, including international humanitarian law, notably with regard to the protection of civilians, especially women and children, and persons hors de combat as well as with regard to the protection of civilian objects;
Again, this is an insult to Israel which is adhering to international law.
5.Demands that the parties fully, unconditionally, and without delay implement all the provisions of Security Council resolution 2735 (2024), leading to, inter alia, the release of hostages, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners, the return of the remains of hostages who have been killed, the return of Palestinian civilians to their homes and neighbourhoods in all areas of Gaza, including in the north, and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza;
Hamas started the war in part to gain release of prisoners. The UN wants to reward them for the attack. Moreover, it says that Israel has no right to ever enter Gaza to go after those who murder Israeli civilians.
6.Underscores that UNRWA remains the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza, calls on all parties to enable the Agency to carry out its mandate as adopted by the General Assembly, in all areas of operation, with full respect for the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, and to respect international humanitarian law, including the protection of UN and humanitarian facilities, and welcomes the Secretary-General’s and UNRWA’s commitment to fully implement the recommendations of the Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to Ensure Adherence by UNRWA to the Humanitarian Principle of Neutrality;
The Independent Review mentioned was not a whitewash; it noted significant deficiencies in UNRWA and gave some decent recommendations. But it didn't note the basic illegitimacy of UNRWA: an agency meant to help refugees when there are few refugees from 1948 still alive; the only UN agency with its own parallel school system and medical system and free housing on the world's dime, an agency that is dedicated to Palestinian refugees when all the rest of the world refugees use the different, more honest UNHCR and the two agencies have different rules and procedures; an agency whose purpose is to prolong sand worsen the "refugee" problem is was meant to solve.
UNRWA's policy is that it will continue to exist as long as Israel exists and does not allow millions of hostile Palestinians to become citizens. Which is why UNRWA should be dismantled, not supported.
The resolution does not address the main issue: an Iranian-supported terror organization that controlled and abused two million Palestinians and terrorized the entire state of Israel. it does not call for Hamas to be dismantled or disarmed. It only demands that the situation be turned back to October 6 - except that Israel would also have to release terrorists where they can mount another October 7.
The entire resolution is an insult and should be treated with contempt.
Yet reports say that the Biden administration is taking it seriously and working with the drafters to make it slightly less offensive. Which brings up the question of whether the lame duck administration is indeed trying to force Israel into a corner, the way its predecessor did in the waning days of the Obama administration.
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Critics of Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza, especially those in the media, really need to settle on a complaint. Too often they are effectively arguing with each other, though unintentionally. To read the daily newspapers is to see Israel accused of mutually exclusive sins.
Take the fights over humanitarian aid and postwar governance in Gaza. Today’s New York Times carries a story on the fact that an aid convoy of 109 trucks was hijacked and looted over the weekend. Only 11 of the trucks made it to their destination.
Who’s to blame? Well, we know the one group that isn’t looting convoys is the IDF. Miraculously, the IDF is also the one at fault, according to the press. “Aid agencies have said for months that woefully inadequate food supplies have led to looting, hoarding and profiteering, exacerbating the shortages,” the Times explains. That is, when food is let into Gaza, it gets stolen, usually by Hamas. This means if there are starving Gazans it is most likely Hamas that is starving them.
What’s the fix here? You guessed it—more cowbell. The aid agencies insist “that the only solution is a significant increase in deliveries.”
Just to review: Israel let in a convoy of over 100 aid trucks. Nearly 100 of them were looted. Had the convoy been 150 trucks, they would… not have been looted? It begins to sound like a riddle: How many trucks must an aid convoy be before Hamas chooses not to loot it?
And when it’s not Hamas looting the supplies, it’s still Israel’s fault. “Gaza is basically lawless,” a UN coordinator tells the Washington Post. “There is no security anywhere. Israel is ‘the occupying power,’ he said, so ‘this is on them. They need to make sure that the area is protected and secured.’”
The Post, in fact, makes a provocative accusation: that Israel is looking the other way as local gangs are becoming bolder in areas controlled by the IDF. Says the Post: “The thieves, who have run cigarette-smuggling operations throughout this year but are now also stealing food and other supplies, are tied to local crime families, residents say. The gangs are described by observers as rivals of Hamas and, in some cases, they have been targeted by remnants of Hamas’s security forces in other parts of the enclave.”
The problem, according to the Post and the UN, is that Israel is trying to crush Hamas. Local families are trying to take the reins from Hamas, and Israel stands accused of letting them steal cigarettes.
But it’s not clear the New York Times sees it that way. “The Israeli campaign in Gaza toppled much of the Hamas government, and there is no civilian administration to take its place,” states the Gray Lady. So Israeli security measures regarding humanitarian aid are too strict and too lax at the same time. Trucks are getting looted because Israel won’t reduce security enough to let more trucks in, and there’s no replacement for Hamas but also Israel needs to crack down on Hamas’s would-be replacements.
We set up the London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism (LCSCA) because we were afraid. Antisemitism had been progressively spreading into academic disciplines in the social and human sciences, and it was becoming more and more acceptable and normal. This was an antisemitism that angrily denied being antisemitic, which was carried by people who thought they opposed racism and who were convinced they were the good guys.
We were afraid because anyone who challenged this antisemitism was more and more likely to be denounced by their academic colleagues as a charlatan who misused their academic talent and perverted their disciplines in an effort to delegitimise criticism of Israel.
Hamas was founded to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state. It hoped to destroy the peace process by murdering Israelis in buses and in restaurants in the name of Palestine. Hamas hoped to make Israelis believe that all Palestinians hated them and it hoped this would turn Israeli public opinion away from peace. More recently Hamas has encouraged Palestinians to murder Israelis randomly, using knives or cars, in the hope that Israelis would come to fear any Arab who they encountered. The founding document of Hamas made it clear that it regarded peace with Israel as a violation of the principles of Islam and it repeated Nazi-style antisemitism as though it was embraced by the single, authentic reading of Islam.
Happily for Hamas, the peace process did collapse, in January 2001. In August 2001, at the World Conference against Racism, in Durban, there was a formidable campaign to reset thinking about Israel from a maker of peace to an entity that was incurably evil. It sought to take us back to the 1970s UN and Soviet era. A week after Durban was the 9/11 attack on the USA, which revitalised antisemitic Islamist politics for the 21st century.
On 7 October 2023, Hamas showed its hand. It broke into Israel and murdered everybody it could find; it perpetrated a campaign of sexual violence; and it kidnapped 250 people. It turned out that by that time, there were enough people around the world who were ready to embrace elements of the Hamas view of the world.
People in our universities glorified the day of Jew-killing as ‘resistance’; they claimed that Israel’s inherently genocidal nature was the real aggression and that the day of Jew-killing was just a small, understandable response; they blamed the victims; and they denied that there was violence against Israeli civilians.
Strangely, all four of these responses to 7 October could co-exist within an individual.
The Ukrainians are a people on their historical land. Israelis understand this concept, but fewer and fewer in the West seem to. The goal of the hostile foreign powers that invaded Ukraine and Israel was to negate the legitimacy of the land so they could wipe out the people.
The West’s original sin against Ukrainian legitimacy goes back 30 years now. In 1994, the U.S., UK, Ukraine, and Russia signed the Budapest Memorandum. In return for security guarantees, Ukraine agreed to relinquish its nuclear arsenal, which it inherited from the Soviet Union upon the USSR’s dissolution.
In addition to agreeing not to attack Ukraine, all the signatory countries vowed to “respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine.” (Emphasis added.) They also promised (again, emphasis is mine) “to refrain from economic coercion designed to subordinate to their own interest the exercise by Ukraine of the rights inherent in its sovereignty and thus to secure advantages of any kind.”
The U.S. and UK have failed to uphold their obligations in humiliating fashion. Not only has Ukraine been losing territory to Russian aggression for a decade, that aggression was spurred in 2014 by the discussion of increasing economic ties between Ukraine and Europe. All of which means that back in 2014, we made Ukraine give up one of the world’s largest nuclear arsenals in return for promises we have been breaking every day for 10 years. Coincidentally, the U.S. ambassador to Hungary at the time, and therefore the man standing next to President Bill Clinton at the press conference announcing the Budapest Memorandum, was Donald Blinken—the father of current Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
In 2014, Russia occupied and annexed the Crimean Peninsula. In the current war, Russian troops still occupy nearly a fifth of Ukraine. Unless the future Ukraine-Russia settlement contains any pleasant surprises, there’s no reason to believe Ukraine’s territorial integrity will remain intact. Which is to say, Ukraine has been forced to reduce its sovereign territory each time Russia wanted to take a bite. Ukraine is very nearly becoming independent in name only.
Meanwhile, in Israel, Lebanon-based Iranian militias keep killing Israelis in the north and perpetuating the forced displacement of civilians there. The Hamas invasion of last year triggered the displacement of Israelis near Gaza Strip. Israel has been building underground hospitals to go with its shelters—a slightly different use of underground construction than that of Hamas in Gaza.
Israel’s total landmass is a rounding error in the Middle East. Yet the ceasefire proposals from the U.S. and Europe have for months envisioned a “peace” in which Israelis cannot be confident that they can safely live in their homes again. Hamas and Hezbollah chose to live underground, so Israeli civilians should be forced to do the same? Nonsense. Yet, that is very clearly the implication behind any “permanent” ceasefire deal that leaves Hamas in power in Gaza or Hezbollah right on Israel’s northern border.
For the comfortable West, for those wrapped in the security blanket of NATO, our allies’ limited territory is negotiable. But NATO was founded on the principle that sovereignty and independence mean something. American and European leaders ought to act like it.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog issued a video message on Tuesday in support of Ukraine on the 1000th day of its war, saying that Jerusalem identifies with its cause and what it has endured at the hands of Russia.
“We also pause to reflect on the enormous human suffering that this war has brought. As a country that knows the pain and loss of war, we in Israel wish to say to our friends in Ukraine, you are not alone,” Herzog said in the English-language clip.
“We feel your pain. We feel your suffering, and we continue to grieve with you in your enormous losses. So many have lost their lives, their livelihoods, their homes, their loved ones, their basic sense of security for them and their children. And this is deeply, deeply painful,” he said.
Herzog said Israel was grateful to be among the countries that have provided resources and humanitarian, medical and psychological support to Ukraine, reflecting the “goodwill and empathy of the Israeli people.”
Israel supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine, he added, expressing his hope that “diplomacy and goodwill” would bring about an end to the suffering and a resolution for peace in Ukraine.
For months the Biden-Harris administration has sought to restrain Israeli military operations by blocking or delaying the delivery of weapons - far more weapons than has been reported. It is widely known that the White House has blocked the delivery of 2,000-pound MK-84 bombs to Israel, despite Congress's approving their transfer. But Israeli officials have told us that the Defense Department is slowing the delivery of thousands of 1,000-pound MK-83 bombs, 500-pound MK-82 bombs, and the Joint Direct Attack Munition kits that convert those bombs into precision-guided munitions.
The State Department has also stalled thousands of Hellfire missiles, tank and mortar shells, and more than 100 armored bulldozers. Israel has requested expedited purchase of Apache helicopters, which the Defense Department has yet to approve.
Although President Biden has helped Israel defend itself - deploying U.S. military assets which have helped shoot down Iranian projectiles - he has held back from helping Israel win. Israel seeks to dismantle Hamas, degrade Hizbullah, and defang Tehran's nuclear program. Delaying weapons to Israel has dragged out the war, worsening humanitarian conditions and undercutting U.S. interests.
In its inevitable confrontation with Hizbullah, the Israeli air force planned to hit 3,000 targets a day. Instead, partly owing to insufficient U.S. weapons deliveries, Israel is conducting 1,000 strikes a week. Fewer airstrikes forced Israel to conduct more ground operations than planned to destroy Hizbullah's infrastructure. In Gaza, targets that might have been hit by artillery or from the air now require ground troops to clear. The result is more casualties.
Israel also needs to be fully armed to take the fight to Iran - to retaliate if the regime strikes again, or to attack its increasingly dangerous nuclear program. If Israel crushes the Iranian axis, it would be a boon for U.S. interests. Iran and its proxies kill America's troops, plot to assassinate its politicians and civilians, and meddle in its elections. Tehran's nuclear program remains one of America's greatest strategic threats. The administration should provide Israel with the weapons it needs to defeat the Iranian axis that threatens the Free World.
Israel wants to be an American ally, not an American client. A client relies on a patron for military protection and financial largess. An ally is self-reliant and pursues common interests with another country.
While President Biden provided support, every step of the way he has micromanaged Israel. He pushed for a weakened invasion of Gaza. He withheld weapons to try to stop Israel from fighting in Rafah, where Hamas's leader was hiding. He enforced delivery of humanitarian aid that Hamas stole. He urged Israel not to respond seriously to Hizbullah's rocket fire. All of this prolonged the war and put Israeli soldiers at greater risk.
If Israel were a weak state that needed the U.S. to fight its battles, that approach might make sense - but it isn't. When a strong U.S. ally is discouraged from strengthening its position, both the ally and America are undermined.
Israel targeted Houthi infrastructure that America shied away from hitting. Israel wiped out Hizbullah's missiles and leadership. Israel crippled Hamas and killed Yahya Sinwar. Israel destroyed Iran's air defenses and weapons facilities. These actions advanced the interests of the U.S. and Israel. This is the benefit of having an ally instead of a client.
Since the Oct. 7 attack, about 800 Israeli soldiers have been killed in a war to secure our country. Israelis don't expect American soldiers to risk their lives for Israel's sovereignty.
The Jerusalem District Court ruled on Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority must compensate the victims of the 2001 Sbarro suicide attack in Jerusalem.
According to the report, the ruling is based on a 2022 Supreme Court ruling, which stipulates that the Palestinian Authority is a party to the crimes caused by terrorists since it financially supports both security prisoners and their families.
The compensations to the Sbarro attack victims are set to amount to millions of shekels, and the ruling comes after two lawsuits the victims and their families filed over the last two decades.
Paving way for other compensations
According to N12, the ruling may pave the way for other victims of terror attacks, including victims of the October 7 massacre, to request compensation of up to NIS 10 million for each person who was murdered.
On August 9, 2001, a suicide bomber killed 15 civilians, including four children, and wounded 130 others at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem.
Palestinian terrorist Ahlam Ahmad al-Tamimi led the suicide bomber to the Sbarro restaurant during lunchtime when the restaurant was at peak capacity.
Tamimi was arrested and imprisoned for her role in the bombing and was sentenced to 16 life sentences. However, she was freed in 2011 during the prisoner swap to free captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.
The Jerusalem District Court ruled on Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority must compensate the victims of the 2001 Sbarro suicide attack in Jerusalem.
According to the report, the ruling is based on a 2022 Supreme Court ruling, which stipulates that the Palestinian Authority is a party to the crimes caused by terrorists since it financially supports both security prisoners and their families.
The compensations to the Sbarro attack victims are set to amount to millions of shekels, and the ruling comes after two lawsuits the victims and their families filed over the last two decades.
According to N12, the ruling may pave the way for other victims of terror attacks, including victims of the October 7 massacre, to request compensation of up to NIS 10 million for each person who was murdered.
On August 9, 2001, a suicide bomber killed 15 civilians, including four children, and wounded 130 others at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem.
The terror attack was done by Hamas, no the PLO. It is significant that the court finds the PA responsible to compensate victims - all because of its policy of "pay for slay."
This means that Israel may withhold any tax revenues earmarked for the PA and pay the hundreds of terror victims instead.
PA leader Mahmoud Abbas has said that the payments to prisoners and the families of "martyr" terrorists are sacred and will never be reduced. But this now means that they will have no money at all.
The Biden administration would pressure Israel to continue to pay the PA. The Trump administration is not likely to do that.
Which means that things could play out a number of ways:
- Europe would make up the shortfall in funds.
- Europe might pressure Israel to pay anyway by threatening boycotts.
- The PA will make a deal with Iran which would involve it turning into an Iranian proxy like Hamas in exchange for funding.
- The PA abandons pay for slay and makes a deal with Israel to regain its revenues.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
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By the way, there is a pizza shop called "Sbaroo" in the Arab section of Jerusalem. Sbarro should sue it is spelled the same way in Arabic.
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At the Jerusalem Post, Michael Freund an utterly inoffensive op-ed that pointed out the obvious: that the borders of ancient Israel are not congruent with today's borders of the State of Israel.
As the IDF battles to clear southern Lebanon of Hezbollah terrorists, it is worth highlighting an intriguing historical fact, one that many seem to have forgotten.
Having grown up with an international boundary between the Jewish state and our neighbors to the north, we take it for granted that this is how it has always been and should be.
But the truth is that the current border between Israel and Lebanon is little more than a century old and is entirely artificial, a relic of a time when European colonialists whimsically drew lines on maps over a bottle of brandy in smoke-filled rooms.
Historically speaking, southern Lebanon is in fact northern Israel, and the roots of the Jewish people in the area run deep. Whether or not this can or should be translated now into a political reality is a far more complex question, but there is simply no denying our connection to the land.
He is in no way advocating annexing southern Lebanon, just as no one is seriously contemplating annexing parts of Jordan that also lie within the boundaries of ancient Israel - nor is anyone talking about giving up the Negev which was not part of the old borders, as this nineteenth century map shows.
Michael Freund, an American-born Israeli political figure of German descent, believes that southern Lebanon is historically part of "Israel" and that the Jewish people have deep-rooted connections to the area.
A recent opinion piece in The Jerusalem Post, titled "Southern Lebanon is Actually Northern Israel," exemplifies yet another attempt to legitimize expansionist ambitions through what can only be described as Zionist propaganda.
The article undermines Lebanon's sovereignty while distorting Judaism by weaponizing it to rationalize territorial conquest.
Because everything Freund says is true and no one can seriously doubt it (although the exact borders of ancient Israel are always matters of dispute and they changed over time.)
There are two real questions one might want to ask.
One is is why the map above of what are clearly the 12 Tribes of Israel calls the area "Palestine?" The answer is, of course, that the term "Palestine" was historically used as a synonym for the Holy Land or the Land of Israel. It never referred to a land of Palestinian Arabs.
The second question is what, exactly, is "historic Palestine" that the Palestinians claim to have heritage over? All of those maps are indeed based on when "European colonialists whimsically drew lines on maps over a bottle of brandy in smoke-filled rooms." They consider the colonial boundaries of the 20th century to be their age-old lands - which is ridiculous.
Yet while they love pointing to these maps and claiming that it proves that "Palestine" is a historic country, they never use those same maps to claim their own stake in parts of Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
No, for some reason the only lands they ever claimed as their historic homeland always coincides with the land that Jews control, and no more. And this includes before 1967 when they made no claims on the West Bank.
Funny how the more you look at their claims of having been part of a historical Palestine for thousands of years, the less tenable their claims turn out to be.
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Today, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning Amana the Settlement Movement of Gush Emunim Central Cooperative Association Ltd (Amana), a settlement development organization that is involved with U.S.-sanctioned individuals and outposts that perpetrate violence in the West Bank, and its subsidiary Binyanei Bar Amana Ltd. This action, taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14115, is part of an ongoing multilateral approach by the United States and its partners to hold accountable those who are threatening the peace, security, and stability of the West Bank. Amana has also been sanctioned by the United Kingdom and Canada.
...
Amana is a key part of the Israeli extremist settlement movement and maintains ties to various persons previously sanctioned by the U.S. government and its partners for perpetrating violence in the West Bank. For example, Amana provided a loan to Israeli settler Isaschar Manne, and served as a partner in the formation of Meitarim Farm. The U.S. Department of State sanctioned Isaschar Manne and Meitarim Farm on July 11, 2024 pursuant to E.O. 14115. The settlers and farms that Amana supports play a key role in developing settlements in the West Bank, from which in turn settlers commit violence. More broadly, Amana strategically uses farming outposts, which it supports through financing, loans, and building infrastructure, to expand settlements and seize land.
Did the EU play a role in these murders and others? Directly, no, but the State Department is not sanctioning Amana for direct support for violence, but for indirect support. There is no doubt some terrorists whose crimes don't rise to the level of media interest have come from areas that the EU helped build.
To put it mildly, that is a slippery slope. The last sentence quoted above, that "Amana strategically uses farming outposts, which it supports through financing, loans, and building infrastructure, to expand settlements and seize land" applies just as much to the EU.
That sentence shows that the intent of the sanctions goes way beyond Amana giving a loan to a person who is under sanctions. It is meant to stop all Israeli actions in Area C, even those that are legal under Israeli law.
The State Department sanctioning of Jewish organizations has little to do with protecting Palestinians. Settler leaders have consistently spoken out against violence by a small number of hotheads. These sanctions are political, not humanitarian, and meant to force US wishes on Israel.
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Iran's Deputy President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif issued an English language video that is filled with so many risible lies that it almost seems like a parody.
Here's the video and transcript:
Salaam/ Shalom
Peace to those – of any faith, language, or ethnicity – who cherish freedom, and justice. Greetings to the followers of all religions, and all children of Abraham, regardless of their creed, ethnicity, or language. Shalom to my fellow Iranians of Jewish faith and all followers of Prophet Moses across the globe.
I begin in the name of our one Compassionate and Merciful God, to remind us, all, of the urgency of preventing the spread of war, bloodshed, plunder, and oppression.
Ask the people of Yemen how much Iran tries to prevent the spread of war, bloodshed, plunder and oppression.
I speak to you, Jewish people across the world, as a citizen of an ancient nation with a rich history of tolerance and humanity. For over two thousand years, my nation has been a symbol of peaceful coexistence among various religions, cultures, languages, dialects, races and ethnicities. Supporting the oppressed, the displaced, and those seeking refuge from genocide, has always been a trait of my nation in its long and proud history:
• Liberating the Jews suffering under the Babylonians over 2,600 years ago
• Receiving Jews displaced by the Nazis and fascists during World War II
• Opening its arms to millions of Afghans fleeing foreign occupation
• Assisting Palestinians, Lebanese, and Syrians displaced by aggression and apartheid.
Iran since the 1979 revolution has nothing in common with historic Persia. It is in most ways the antithesis of Persian traditions. Iran pre-1979 was mostly a tolerant and peaceful place for its citizens, although it was hardly a liberal democracy.
A few years ago, I had the honor of contributing to a unique achievement of multilateral diplomacy to end the manufactured crisis over Iran’s peaceful nuclear program. Yet, Netanyahu – who himself had contributed to the manufacturing of this crisis – made it his “historic mission” to obstruct and kill the nuclear deal: an agreement that would have ensured that the “wolf” this habitual liar was always “crying” about, would never come to town.
That agreement could have been the foundation of a new era of peace, tranquility, regional cooperation, and freedom from threats, conflicts, and escalating tensions.
However, before too long, Netanyahu and his Zionist and extremist cohorts succeeded in their satanic effort to rob the region and the world of this historic opportunity, standing on the wrong side of history.
Before Trump withdrew from the JCPOA, Iran was developing advanced centrifuges, violated the agreement on stockpiling heavy water, engaged in secret nuclear weapons development, banned the IAEA from inspecting military nuclear facilities, worked on building ballistic missiles to be a delivery system for nuclear bombs. Even after the withdrawal, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, and China pledged to continue to adhere to the agreement while Iran blatantly violated all its major provisions.
Standing on the wrong side of history again, Netanyahu and his regime, along with Israel’s Western enablers, have unleashed the machinery of death and destruction in the region, causing carnage and crimes against humanity in a genocidal campaign that has murdered over 50,000 civilians, including over 10,000 children.
But resistance to occupation will not die by killing children or even its leaders.
50,000 civilians and not one Hamas member. That's impressive!
Dear friends, sisters, and brothers,
Aggressive Zionism is nothing but an expansionist secular movement, deceitfully using Judaism to advance its colonial and racist agenda.
It's always nice when anti-Zionists define Zionism.
It abuses the memories and blood of Jewish victims of the Holocaust who perished during World War II, while Zionism itself is nothing but racism, chauvinism, militarism, terrorism, expansionism, apartheid, and hatred against other nations and religions.
Funny that the Baha'i religion is persecuted in peaceful and tolerant Iran while its beautiful headqarters is in the hateful, apartheid Zionist state.
Iran has been behind attacks on Jewish religious centers and prominent Jews in the UK, Germany, France, Canada, Argentina and the US, for starters.
It deceitfully claims to be the representative and protector of Jewish people worldwide, while in practice, it is the greatest threat to the dignity and security of the Jewish people.
Of course, the weapons Iran gives to Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Iraqi Shiites and the Houthis don't threaten Jews at all.• Sacrifices Jews and Gentiles at the altar of Zionism;
• Uses the name of the Lord in vain to justify genocide;
I'm stumped on this one. I've never heard a Zionist pronounce the Tetragrammaton.
You are not just horrified by the Zionist crimes committed against others; you too are victims of Zionist assault on your faith and identity. Continue to stand – as you have done in the streets of Western capitals – with all the innocent victims of Zionism in Palestine, and elsewhere. Continue to support those at the forefront of this resistance who defend human dignity. Save the Divine Abrahamic Jewish faith from Zionist forgeries, marred by aggression, apartheid, and genocide.
Literally everything he accuses Israel of doing is happening in Iran and in Iranian-controlled areas of the "Axis of resistance." And none of them are happening in Israel.
Notice that Zarif doesn't mention the other progressive things about Iran, like executing gays.
If Zarif wants "shalom," Iran should stop arming terrorist organizations, stop illicit nuclear development, keep its international obligations and promises, and stop inciting antisemitism.
Any Western Jew who actually believes this claptrap is an ignoramus. Unfortunately, there are no shortage of Jewishly illiterate morons.
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Michael Oren: The Altneu Antisemitism: Part I
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[image: Michael Oren: The Altneu Antisemitism: Part I] Michael Oren: The
Altneu Antisemitism: Part I IsraelSeen.com
Michael Oren: The Altneu Antisemitism: ...
Good News Bad News
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[image: Dry Bones cartoon, Gaza, Hezbollah, Hamas, Missiles, Rockets,
Drones, Lebanon, Iran, Israel, War, Oct7,]
A new relationship?
* * * Cheer us up. You...
Socio-Feudalism’s War on the Individual
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The transformation of the medieval world into the modern world came about
with the idea that man could and should transform his lot in life. The
liberal...
▶ What Is the Crisis at CBS News?
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View this post on Instagram A post shared by HonestReporting
(@honestreporting) From employing a Gaza producer with terror ties to
forcing journalists ...
An open letter to the police and CPS
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To the police and CPS. With reference to complaints made by Gabriel
Kanter-Webber about Rupert Nathan. I understand that the matter has now
been referred...
7 Biggest Dungeons In Elder Scrolls Games
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Please verify your email address. Labyrinthian in Skyrim is a maze of
Nordic ruins with fiends to battle and treasures to find. Sundercliff Watch
in Oblivi...
Gaza: A Brief Modern History Outline
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Pre-1917 - Gaza part of the Ottoman Empire
1917 - Gaza conquered by British Army and subsequently becomes part of
Mandate Palestine
1948 - Gaza conquere...
One Choice: Fight to Win
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Yesterday Israel preempted a potentially disastrous attack by Hezbollah on
the center of the country. Thirty minutes before launch time, our aircraft
destr...
Yom Hashoah 5784 – 2024
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Israel’s Yom Hashoah began at sundown this evening with the annual ceremony
at Yad Vashem with torches lit in memory of the 6 million Jewish victims of
the...
Closing Jews Down Under Website
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With a heavyish heart I am closing down the website after ten years.
It is and it isn’t an easy decision after 10 years of constant work. The
past...
‘Test & Trace’ is a mirage
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Lockdown II thoughts: Day 1 Opposition politicians have been banging on
about the need for a ‘working’ Test & Trace system even more loudly than
the govern...
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
