Monday, October 28, 2013
David Singer: Bandar Candour Can Help End Arab-Jewish Conflict
23 years ago in an Open Letter published in the Washington Times on 30 September 1990 – Bandar – then Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador in America – had publicly criticised Jordan’s King Hussein for his failure to create a Palestinian Arab State in the West Bank between 1948-1967.Palestinians make stiff land demands for peace deal
Bandar made the following three very pertinent comments:
1.“Your Majesty, you claimed to defend the Palestinian people`s right to self-determination and a state of their own. And I support you in that. But you were responsible for the Palestinian homeland on the West Bank from 1948 to 1967. Why in all that period did you not give them their rights and statehood?”
The Palestinian Authority demands that any land swap with Israel as part of a peace deal not exceed 1.9 percent of the West Bank, less than half of the land necessary to incorporate the lion’s share of settlers, according to details leaked to Channel 2 by a disgruntled Palestinian official on Sunday.Palestinian Terms Leave Little to Talk About
According to the report, the Palestinians are also insisting that they gain control over water, and control at their sides of the Dead Sea and border crossings; that a Palestinian state be able to sign agreements with other states without Israeli intervention; that Israel release all Palestinian prisoners it holds; and that all Palestinian refugees and their descendants be granted the right to choose to live in Israel or the Palestinian territories as part of a final agreement.
Peace is not just about pressuring parties to come to the table, though it must be conceded that Kerry’s efforts in this regard were impressive. In order for the diplomatic process to succeed there must be a desire to reach some sort of accommodation. But any discussion that involves terms that basically mandate the end of Israel illustrates that the Jewish state’s alleged peace partner is not genuinely interested in ending the conflict.What would the UN do without Israel?
Given the Palestinian Authority’s culture of incitement and fomenting of hatred, this should come as a surprise to no one. And even if we accept the proposition that PA leader Mahmoud Abbas wants peace, the fact that Gaza is ruled by his Hamas rivals makes any agreement unlikely since signing it might give the embattled Islamists a major boost at his expense.
The United Nations often has a hostile approach to Israel, yet regularly turns to the Jewish state to solve issues of international concern.Ending boycott, Israel to attend UN human rights hearing
At a time when boycotts of Israel are on the rise, the UN is increasingly turning to Israel for help. Historically, the UN has been viewed as one of the most difficult political environments for Israel.
However, recent indications suggest the UN is also, on occasion, used as a channel for countries with no official relations with the Jewish state, to seek its help. One such body is the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which has granted 13 Israeli NGOs ‘Special ‘Consultative Status’ and is currently considering granting this status to a further two.
Then-foreign minister Avigdor Liberman ordered the severing of Israeli ties with the council in March 2012 after the international organization said it would probe how Israeli settlements may be infringing on the rights of Palestinians.BBC double standards on paramilitary murals
“We will attend” the Universal Periodic Review held in Geneva, an Israeli official told AFP. Another Israeli diplomat tweeted the news, adding that “it’ll still be an unfair Council (see item 7) but we’ll do our part.”
Not only does the BBC not adopt the language and narrative of paramilitary terrorist organisations when describing murals depicting them in Northern Ireland; it goes to the trouble of informing audiences about the violent reality of the actions of those groups and the perceived effects of such murals on the Northern Ireland peace process. So why does it embrace the double standard of romanticisation of terror in another part of the world?CAMERA: Ari Shavit's Lydda Massacre
Israeli wrongdoing, whether real or imagined, holds a special fascination for certain media outlets, which seem to get a particular thrill from putting Israel under the microscope. Writing about genuine bloodletting in other parts of the world just isn't as much fun as indicting Israelis for supposed massacres, and thereby once again putting Zionism – and therefore the Jews – on trial.Sidney Blumenthal’s Idiot Racist Son Survives Trip Through Israeli Airport
Which brings us to the latest in this genre, "Lydda, 1948" (The New Yorker, October 21, 2013) written by the well-known and talented Israeli journalist Ari Shavit. In Shavit’s very deceptive and even contradictory recounting, Israeli soldiers led by a certain Lt. Col. Moshe Dayan, and armed with: "a giant armored vehicle mounted with a cannon, menacing half-tracks, and machine-gun-equipped jeeps" joined other Israeli forces attacking Lydda (and its neighbor Ramle) during Israel's War of Independence.
Some people travel through deserts. Others skydive from space. Max Blumenthal, Sidney Blumenthal’s idiot son, gets his thrills trying to make it through an Israeli airport.Victim of Sydney Attack: That's Why We Need Israel
Max Blumenthal, political hack Sidney Blumenthal’s son, makes things up and makes himself into the center of the story. He’s like Julian Assange, except even lamer. Blumenthal’s claims to fame include being the son of a Clinton aide and making a viral video featuring drunken Israelis badmouthing Obama.
Ben Haim is the JNF representative in Australia. "Unfortunately, what happened to us of Sabbath eve proves beyond a doubt how fatefully important the existence of the Jewish state is for any Jew, no matter where he is," he said Sunday, according to Maariv.JPost Editorial: Anti-Semitism in Australia
"We hope that this incident is not repeated and that the warm community in Australia in general, and in Sydney in particular, will know how to combat such phenomena and will know that the state of Israel is also there to protect them."
Although some websites jumped to the conclusion, based on inconclusive security camera footage that captured part of the attack, that the assailants – two 16-yearolds and a 23-year-old – were Muslims, an Australian source said that only the adult’s name was released, and it sounded “southern European.”Hate Unleashed
The attack surprised leaders of Australian Jewry. “Who would have believed something like that could happen in Australia,” JNF executive director Ygal Shapir said. Peter Wertheim, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said the attack “appeared to be the most serious incident of spontaneous anti-Semitic violence in Australia in living memory.”
This is evidence of growing anti-Semitism in Sydney, which is not limited to brutal physical assaults allegedly committed by morons. A crude loathing of Jews and Israel is also obvious in protests against the Max Brenner chain of chocolate shops, which is Jewish-owned.Sydney Chabad Rabbi: Attack Shocked Everyone VIDEO
Protesters claim that they are motivated only by the chain’s support for the Israeli army, but a vile streak of pure Jew-hate emerges in their online comments. This reached a shocking level earlier this year when the Max Brenner chain announced plans for a store on the University of New South Wales campus.
Rabbi Eli Feldman from Chabad of Sydney, Australia, told Arutz Sheva Monday that "both Jewish community and larger Australian community were shocked" by the anti-Semitic attack in Bondi on Shabbat.A round-up of coverage and reactions: Attack on Jewish group in Bondi
The rabbi said that the act was carried out by "thugs" but that "there was a clear anti-Semitic element there."
Local firefighters head to Israel to observe how they deal with tragedies
The firefighters are made up of five different agencies across the greater Tucson area. They met at a midtown cafe on Sunday to thank their sponsors. The $40,000 trip was fully funded by donations. The firefighters will learn how Israeli first responders deal with some of the biggest disasters and bring their knowledge back to Tucson.Paula Abdul to get Kotel bat mitzvah
After a delay of of almost four decades, American singer and reality show star Paula Abdul, 51, will finally realize her dream of celebrating her bat mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.Lou Reed’s Stand for Israel and against Anti-Semitism
Abdul, who became famous in the 1990s as a singer and more recently for her role on “American Idol” and “The X Factor,” is to arrive in Israel Monday as a guest of the Tourism Ministry and celebrate the milestone during this, her first visit to the country, according to a ministry statement.
Reed, who died yesterday of liver failure at the age of 71, was born Lewis Allan Reed to a Jewish family in Brooklyn. He said that while “he had no god apart from rock ‘n’ roll” his Jewish roots and standing up for Israel meant a lot to him. He was a frequent visitor to the country, last performing in Tel Aviv in 2008, and his aunt and many cousins live in Haifa and other Israeli towns.Danish crown prince’s visit commemorates rescue of Jews
Reed even had an Israeli spider named after him to thank him for his support for the country.
His connection to Israel and his distaste for anti-Semitism can be heard in his lyrics from the song “Good Evening Mr. Waldheim” on his 1989 solo album New York: (h/t Yoel)
It’s been over 900 years between visits of Scandinavian royals to Jerusalem.The Next Stage in IDF Air Defense
On October 30, Danish crown prince Frederik, 45, will make an ultra-short visit to Israel to attend a gala concert at the Jerusalem Theater on the 70th anniversary of the Danish people’s rescue of Denmark’s 7,000 Jews to Sweden in October 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark.
The rescue operation – the only light in the darkness of Nazi-occupied Europe – was almost completely successful, as about 90 percent of Danish Jewry was saved, and only a few hundred deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp.
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