Friday, March 28, 2014
Caroline Glick: Campus brownshirts rising
The members of the student government should be applauded for their moral and intellectual courage. Although no democracy can long survive without a citizenry capable of displaying such strength of convictions and basic decency, these characteristics are becoming all too rare on campuses. Indeed it is the rarity of such devotion to truth that makes the council members’ behavior so heartening.What La Presse Didn’t Tell you About Anti-Israel Activist Max Blumenthal
But it is due to the rarity of such displays of moral courage that a campaign to defeat the rising tide of anti-Semitism on college campuses cannot rely on the moral and intellectual fortitude of students and on their willingness to stand up not only to the campus brownshirts, but to their enablers in the administrations.
The developments at Northeastern and Brooklyn College make clear that the only way to defeat the anti-Semites on campus is to go after the administrations that enable them. Only the threat of civil lawsuits, federal investigations of civil rights violations, and alumni threats to withhold gifts will force university administrations to take action against the anti-Semitic thugs that are instituting a reign of terror at university after university.
The lesson from Brooklyn College and Northeastern is that the pressure should be unrelenting.
In both cases, the steps the administrations took this month were the minimal steps they think they can get away with. They need to be forced to do more.
Max Blumenthal is an American provocateur, radical activist and author of a new book whose extremist views appeal primarily to far left and fringe elements. Along with a tendency for being caught inventing facts, Blumenthal asserts Israel must choose between forced exodus and forced assimilation in a greater Arab society. Yet, despite Blumenthal’s outrageous views, he was introduced to La Presse readers as a mainstream journalist and respected author, in an interview by Nicholas Berubé. His radical pedigree was an important piece of information that was entirely ignored.European Boycotts of West Bank Products Based on Faulty Premises
In his new book, with chilling chapter titles such as ‘Exodus Party,” “The Concentration Camp,” “The Night of Broken Glass, and “How to Kill Goyim (non-Jews) and Influence People”, Blumenthal purposefully and egregiously evokes comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany, an analogy which has been deemed anti-Semitic by the European Union, the London Declaration and the Ottawa Protocols.
In an effort to demonize Israel, Blumenthal refrains from introducing context (such as the threats emanating from Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Iran..). Blumenthal offends even important figures on the left such as author and peace activist David Grossman who, as he recounts in his book, tells Blumenthal to tear up his phone number when told of Blumenthal’s view of dismantling Israel.
If the Israeli presence in the West Bank, and the "settlements" from 1967 on, are the root cause of the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians, then why does Article 14 of the 1964 PLO Charter call for the destruction of all of Israel?
Because Judea and Samaria had no recognized sovereign, apart from the Ottoman Empire, prior to the illegal Jordanian occupation, the current Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria cannot possibly be designated as illegal.
It seems therefore that nothing Israel offers that is less than 100% of its entire land -- in other words if Israel agrees not to exist -- will affect the Palestinian Authority's willingness to make peace.
The stateless people in the Middle East you’ve never heard of
Like the other Arab governments, the Kuwaitis are a harsh, unsentimental bunch. Ironically, the Palestinians know this only too well: in 1991, after a U.S.-led coalition liberated oil-rich Kuwait from Iraqi occupation, the entire Palestinian population there was accused of having collaborated with Saddam Hussein. The fact that some did and that many others did not didn’t matter. Over a six-month period, around 200,000 Palestinians were booted out of the emirate in a campaign of violence and terror. PLO leader Yasser Arafat, in a rare moment of candor, asserted that Kuwait’s ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians was “worse than what has been done by Israel to Palestinians in the occupied territories.”Is ‘Moderate Islam’ an Oxymoron?
The Bedoon have faced a similar but more gradual onslaught, albeit without the extensive media coverage which the Palestinians receive. Human rights organizations aren’t in the habit of paying attention to them: a recent article in the Arab newspaper Al Akhbar cited a Human Rights Watch report on the Bedoon from 2011, adding that such documentation is “rare.” As a result, not only do most of us not know who the Bedoon are, but it’s probably also safe to say that the vast majority of westerners have never even heard of them.
“True” Islam, so the narrative goes, is intrinsically free of anything “bad.” It’s the nut-jobs who hijack it for their own agenda that are to blame.Munther Isaac Tells Antisemitic Joke at CATC Peacemaking Conference, Gets Laugh
More specifically, we are told that there exists a “moderate” Islam and an “extremist” Islam -- the former good and true, embraced by a Muslim majority, the latter a perverse sacrilege practiced by an exploitative minority.
But what do these dual adjectives -- “moderate” and “extremist”-- ultimately mean in the context of Islam? Are they both equal and viable alternatives insofar as to how Islam is understood? Are they both theologically legitimate?
Isaac, a Palestinian Christian and CATC conference organizer who is about to receive his Ph.D. from the Oxford Center for Mission Studies, spoke on the night of Thursday, March 13, 2014, the second to last day of the conference. The scripture he was using in his talk was the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37), which tells the story of a man being robbed and left for dead by the side of the road.BBC’s Abualouf promotes Hamas “fishermen” PR line
According to the parable, two religious men a priest and a Levite (Jews) walk passed him ignoring his plight. Finally, a man (known as the Good Samaritan), stops and helps him. Isaac then says the following:
By the way, the two religious people, why did they not stop? This question was asked to a Sunday school boy and the boy answered, “Well because he had no money left.”The implication is that if the man suffering by the side of the road, the priest and the Levite, both Jews, would have stopped to help the man if he had ... money. A slight smirk can be seen on Isaac’s face before the camera cuts to the audience to show many (but not all) of them laughing.
In other words, Israeli counter-smuggling measures along the Gaza Strip coast are within the terms of an agreement signed with the internationally recognised representative of the Palestinian people – the Palestinian Authority.Guardian Deletes Letter Accusing IDF of Attacking a Palestinian Wedding Party
Rather than being mere “fishing boats” as reported by Hamas and the BBC’s Gaza correspondent, the vessels involved in this incident appear to have been engaged in smuggling – likely as an alternative to smuggling via the cross-border tunnels in Rafah which have been rendered inoperative by the Egyptian army in recent months.
We were recently alerted to the following entry in a March 25th edition of the Guardian’s Corrections and Clarifications:Peter Beaumont continues Guardian tradition of callously ignoring Israeli terror victims
Here’s the full text of the original letter – co-written by Gwen Backwell, an anti-Israel activist and former head of Liverpool Friends of Palestine - which was removed from the Guardian’s site, per a cached page we located:
Thought we’re of course glad the Guardian deleted the letter, it would seem that even ‘letters to the editor’ are normally vetted by professional editors to prevent the publication of exactly the kind of wild, completely unsubstantiated defamation the paper saw fit to print last month.
As CAMERA reported, Barghouti is also widely considered to have been one of the main leaders in the Palestinian campaign of violence during the 2nd Intifada and helped found and lead the Fatah-based militias (the Tanzim and the Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades) which carried out numerous deadly suicide attacks.Name meaning ‘Kills Jews’ raises ire
Barghouti also reportedly was complicit in a suicide bombing at a crowd of shoppers on King George Street in Jerusalem on March 21, 2002 which claimed the lives of three and injured 86 others. Yonatan Bauer, then age 7, was severely wounded in the attack when a screw from the suicide vest passed through his brain.
Obfuscating terror; falsely imputing peaceful intentions; and prioritizing the suffering of a terrorist’s family over that of the Israeli victims?
It looks like Harriet Sherwood can be confident her replacement at the Guardian’s Jerusalem desk will be following in the proud tradition of pro-Palestinian “journalism” which represents the unique ideological niche of the London broadsheet.
There is a town in Spain called Castrillo Matajudios, and in Colombia “Matajudios” is a common surname.'German recluse Gurlitt to return Nazi-looted art'
The problem is, in Spanish one meaning of the name is “Kills Jews.” Which has led a Colombian emigre cashier in Argentina to attract the ire of a Jewish organization there.
It all started when Adrian Marguiles, a customer at the Expoalimentos supermarket in Argentina’s San Isidro district, discovered, upon reviewing his receipt, that his cashier went by the name Ivan Matajudios.
Germany has faced criticism from around the world for failing to publish immediately the full list of artworks, for keeping silent for nearly two years about the trove and for potentially having had no legal right to seize the pieces.Internet tycoon under fire for Hitler-signed ‘Mein Kampf’
Gurlitt wants to "return all (artworks) that have been stolen or robbed from Jewish ownership to each of their owners or descendants," lawyer Christoph Edel was quoted as saying on Wednesday by Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.
Authorities made Edel the provisional legal custodian for Gurlitt, who is in his 80s, after doctors ruled he was too sick to look after his own business interests.
A German-born Internet tycoon who is fighting extradition from New Zealand to the United States for racketeering is under fire for admitting he owns a rare signed copy of Hitler’s Mein Kampf.Denmark marks 200th anniversary of royal proclamation granting Jews equal rights
Kim Dotcom, whose actual name is Kim Schmitz, is the founder of MegaUpload, a file-transfer website that US authorities shut down in 2012.
He has just launched the Internet Party to contest New Zealand’s election in September, but denies being a Nazi sympathizer, saying the book was an investment because it will increase in value.
Last year, Denmark and Israel commemorated the 70th anniversary of the rescue of Denmark’s Jews in October 1943, when Danes helped 7,000 Jews in their Nazi-occupied country escape to Sweden and thereby avoid deportation to concentration camps.US' Overseas Private Investment Corporation approves $250 M loan for Ashalim CSP plant in Israel
This seminal event – which resulted in 99 percent of Danish Jews surviving World War II – was commemorated in a series of events both in Denmark, with the participation of Denmark’s queen and the prime minister, and in Israel, which Danish Crown Prince Frederik visited in October.
In addition, at the end of this month, Denmark and its Jewish community will mark the 200th anniversary of the Royal Proclamation of March 29, 1814, under which Jews became regular citizens of the Danish state. The main event will take place on Sunday, March 30, in the Copenhagen Synagogue, with the participation of the country’s deputy prime minister and the head of the Jewish community.
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a U.S. Government’s development finance institution, has approved a $250 million loan for the Ashalim 2 Concentrated Solar Power plant being built in Israel.Blue-and-White Water Revolution On Its Way to Several U.S. States
The OPIC's Board of Directors gave green light to the loan last week to fund the project developed by Negev Energy, a consortium comprising Spain's Abengoa and Israel's Shikun & Binui Renewable Energy.
The Times of Israel reports that in addition to helping California address its water shortage – Israel Desalination Enterprises is building the largest desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere in San Diego – Israeli technology is helping a number of other states and localities meet their water requirementsPing Identity snaps up mobile security start-up Accells
Akron, Ohio is working with a number of Israeli companies to keep its water supply safe. One of these companies is Mekorot, Israel’s national water carrier, which is helping monitor the quality of the city’s water. Massachusetts recently held a competition for the most innovative water technology. The competition was won by an Israeli company TACount, that monitors water for contamination. TACount was chosen “as the company that best demonstrates a solid business plan, a strong management team, compelling technology, financing, and customer traction.” Illinois, last year, entered into an agreement with Ben Gurion University to improve the state’s “deteriorating” water supply.
Israeli mobile security start-up Accells Technologies was acquired this week by US cloud security firm Ping Identity – itself on Forbes’ 2013 list of Most Promising Companies. Terms of the deal were not announced. Described by Ping as “a pioneer in context-based mobile authentication,” Accells will continue developing in its office in Petah Tikvah, continuing to develop its mobile authentication system.Chief Scientist: Israeli nanotech set to make commercial leap
“Authentication in a mobile world is an incredibly complex problem that Ping Identity is taking on with full force,” said Andre Durand, CEO of Ping Identity. “Acquiring Accells speeds our efforts by adding to our industry pedigree an elegant user experience; secure, context-driven multi-factor authentication; and an expert team to expand our mobile capabilities quickly.”
Nanotechnology, in Israel and around the world, could be called a “verge” technology — as in, “it’s on the verge of breaking out into many industries, and revolutionizing them,” according to Israel’s Chief Scientist, Avi Hasson. Speaking exclusively to The Times of Israel on the sidelines of the NanoIsrael 2014 conference in Tel Aviv, Hasson said that after almost a decade of painstaking research, “we in Israel are ready for the next level – the widespread commercialization of nanotechnology.India-Israel Agriculture Cooperation: The quiet revolution
Away from the glare of media attention, away from the limelight of jet-set diplomacy – a revolution is taking place. It offers no allure, no spectacular footage, but a revolution nevertheless.Hen Mazzig: The power of Hope
Today Israeli innovation and technology is changing the way farmers in rural and interior India cultivate and harvest.
To strengthen this co-operation, a high-level Israeli business delegation made up of top agriculture companies is visiting India this week (March, 24-27). The “Food Security and Agriculture Delegation” is attending series of business events to promote India-Israel Agricultural Cooperation in the cities of Delhi, Mumbai and Chandigarh and explore business opportunities in India.
Hen Mazzig, StandWithUs Northwest's Israeli representative, is an energetic, engaging, tremendous representative of Israel's next generation. Hen is a former lieutenant in a unit called COGAT, and worked as an intermediary between the the IDF and the Palestinian Authority (the PA) the UN, and the many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that work in the West Bank. Hen's unit was responsible for overseeing the construction of medical facilities, schools, environmental projects, roads, and water-related infrastructure in the Palestinians, and part of the Palestinian Authority for security coordination with the Palestinian Security Forces.Israel Aerospace Industries Order Book at $10 Billion
Hen describes the chain of events that led him to join the IDF's COGAT Unit- the humanitarian branch of the IDF that helps the Palestinians by building infrastructure. He talks about the hope and the vision of Israelis and Palestinians, working together for a better future.
Israel’s primary aerospace and aviation manufacturer, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd., on Thursday said its order book stood at $10 billion, a record, with $3 billion expected to be completed in 2014, and 85% of the new business from exports, according to Israel’s Globes business daily.Full Itinerary for Pope Francis Trip to Israel Released
Contrary to reports, the ongoing Foreign Ministry strike may end in the coming weeks, and, even if it were to continue, the work stoppage would not impact the Papal visit, sources said. Other measures have been taken by various arms of the Israeli government and relevant non-profits to enable the trip to proceed, the sources said. They added that to meet the Pope’s expectations for the trip, a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres, a personal friend, was a must-have, meaning that the trip would have to move forward before Peres retires this year.A settlement doctor reaches out to his Palestinian neighbor
Based on the details of the trip revealed on Thursday, Pope Francis will fly from Rome to Jordan, take a helicopter to Bethlehem then on to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. At each stop, he will be meeting with political and religious leaders. From start to finish, the Pope will be away from the Vatican for about 62 hours.
“Everyone in Wadi Nis knows me,” he said, navigating his way through the village’s bumpy alleyways. “There’s almost not a family here I haven’t treated; many children whose lives I’ve saved. From day one I saw it as an important value to help the Palestinians in the towns around us.”Israel Daily Picture: "Austrian" or "Australian," What's the Difference? Plenty If You Were a Soldier Fighting in Palestine in WWI
Through the Efrat Emergency Medical Center, an evening clinic, Glick provides Palestinians from the area with two types of service: emergency care, and consultations from volunteer specialists he invites. These specialists are either residents of Efrat — a community of 8,000 boasting around 250 doctors — or Jerusalem hospital physicians who come in several times a month for a few hours of pro bono work. (h/t Predictor92)
World War I was not only waged in Europe, but across the Middle East as well. The armies of Turkey, Germany and Austria fought the British Empire's armies from Britain, Australia, New Zealand and India. The Austrian soldiers in the picture above marched into Jerusalem in 1916.
The Australians arrived in Palestine with General Allenby's troops in 1917, and were famous for their daring cavalry charge that captured Be'er Sheva before German and Turkish troops could blow up the wells of the oasis.
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