Chloe Valdary: Dear J Street: Time to End the Hypocrisy
So J Street will not tolerate “harassment” from a student who disagrees with its viewpoints but it will indulge a soft tyrant who has oppressed his people, embezzled billions of dollars, and dictated that selling land to a Jew is punishable by death.Source for Newsweek’s ‘Dreyfus Affair’ Article Accusing Israel of Spying on U.S. Also Supported Anti-Israel ASA Boycott
For J Street, engaging in civil discourse over relevant issues is apparently reflective of “consistently and consciously cross[ing] that line” that must never be crossed, yet investing billions of dollars into a propaganda campaign that broadcasts to Arab children descriptions of Jews as apes and pigs elicits no such outrage.
According to its website, J Street has no problem engaging with Hamas since “one makes peace with one’s enemies not one’s friends.” Thus, J Street is willing to engage in dialogue with a genocidal Islamist internationally recognized terrorist organization that calls for the annihilation of all Jewry, hangs homosexuals in the public square, and perpetrates human rights abuses against women. But God forbid people should ever speak to a 21-year-old junior at Brandeis University who commits the egregious crime against humanity by blogging about politics.
The absurdity would be comedic if it wasn’t so morally reprehensible.
Paul Pillar, a retired CIA intelligence officer and the main named source in this week’s Newsweek article, ‘Israel Won’t Stop Spying on the U.S.,’ which was rejected by Israeli officials, is also an outspoken supporter of the American Studies Association boycott of Israeli universities, according to an article he wrote for The National Interest.Stop the War Coalition supports the war (against Israel’s legitimacy)
“As a matter of intent, justice, legality, and morality, the recent decision by the American Studies Association to boycott Israeli academic institutions is a righteous action,” Pillar wrote in December.
The ASA boycott was condemned by over two hundred university presidents and many human rights organizations around the world.
In his article supporting the ASA boycott, Pillar said, ”The government of Israel, while paying lip service to the idea of a Palestinian state, occupies indefinitely, and continues to colonize, land that Israel conquered in a war it initiated 46 years ago and is home to Palestinian Arabs, and in so doing is depriving Palestinians not only of self-determination but of most of their political and civil rights as well as keeping them in economic subjugation.”
The ‘Stop the war coalition’ ran a blog a couple of days ago entitled:
Time to go to war with Israel as the only path to peace in the Middle East
I have left this headline in bold because I figure if people misinterpret what the actual article says from this ridiculous headline then so be it – it is their fault for putting such a stupid headline up in the first place.
You see, by going ‘to war with Israel’ what they actually meant was (and again I quote) ‘a legitimacy war’ with Israel. Crystal clear? No not exactly.
It takes quite a dedicated reader though to get to the last few paragraphs of this article where it finally explains what it means by ‘war’ and then ‘legitimacy war’. Most people will come away from this article thinking one of two things:
1) Stop the war now backs a one off war against Israel
2) Stop the war now wants a ‘peaceful war’ against Israel’s legitimacy (right to exist).
U.S. and Canada blast today’s UN appointment of Richard Falk’s wife, citing ‘biased and inflammatory views’
“The United States again expresses its concern,” said the U.S. in a statement today, citing Elver’s “lack of relevant experience” and questioning “her readiness for this assignment.”UN: ‘Conflict of interest, can’t spell? You’re hired!’
In addition, the U.S. pointed to Elver’s “biased and inflammatory views” regarding the United States and Israel, which it said “run counter to the dispassionate professionalism central to the work of a Special Rapporteur.”
The U.S. said the appointment “could reflect negatively on the Council’s other special procedures mandates, most of which produce crucial work that highlights, promotes, and protects human rights around the world.”
Elver’s application is riddled with self-disqualifying answers, non-sequiturs and spelling and grammar mistakes (except for one long section evidently written by someone else).New Israel Fund Lashes Out at 'Nationalist Settlers'
Asked if she complies with the UN’s conflict-of-interest requirements, she responded: “NO.” Yet she got the job anyway! Amazing.
Asked to indicate what measures she would take to comply with the conflict-of-interest rules (such as relinquishing positions), she responded with a non-sequitur: “NO.” Yet she got the job anyway.
The application says that good communication skills are required in one of the UN’s six official languages. She listed English “proficiency,” yet her application is riddled with dozens of spelling and grammatical mistakes.
Not only is Elver’s spoken and written English weak at best, but she had such contempt for the United Nations, its Human Rights Council, and the position to which she applied, that she did not even bother to spell-check her application.
Chairman of the New Israel Fund Daniel Sokatch struck back at the growing protests against its participation on Friday, calling to counter "Israeli extremists," whom he accuses of controlling the Israeli government.UCLA Muslim Paper Previously Refered to Bin Laden as 'Freedom Fighter'
"There is a visceral connection between those protesting the UJA and the ultra-nationalist settlers who hold so much influence in the current Israeli government," Sokatch fumed in a post on the NIF website.
"Both seek to narrow the scope of acceptable discourse. Both are emboldened by the collapse of the peace process. Both want to rip Israel away from its heritage as a liberal democracy."
The incident occurred in 1999 and was written about at the time by Daniel Pipes of the Middle East Forum:UC Davis divestment measure fails
Such sentiments come as less than a total surprise, for Al-Talib has linked to an Al-Qaeda website,www.qoqaz.net, and is published by the branch of the Muslim Student Association at the University of California at Los Angeles. (Writing in the Middle East Quarterly, Jonathan Dowd-Gailey called the MSA a voice "espousing Wahhabism, anti-Americanism, and anti-Semitism, agitating aggressively against U.S. Middle East policy, and expressing solidarity with militant Islamist ideologies.")
The vote at 2 a.m. on Thursday ended in a tie, with five student senators voting in favor, five opposed and two abstaining. The student government vice president, Maxwell Kappes, declined to break the tie, abstaining instead.New Yorker Blog Drips with Hatred of Israel
The proposed resolution had called on the University of California to divest itself of holdings in companies “that aid in the Israeli occupation of Palestine and illegal settlements in Palestinian territories.”
This piece and its vicious tone should surprise no one, coming from Bernard Avishai whose most well known book is “The Tragedy of Zionism: How Its Revolutionary Past Haunts Israeli Democracy.” If you look it up on Amazon, you will see that “people who bought this book also bought” books by known Israel detractors Ilan Pappé, Max Blumenthal, and Rashid Khalidi.Senior Israeli official slams Indyk’s ‘hypocrisy’
Throughout the piece, Avishai laments what he sees as an internal threat to Israel from the rise of the political right. He has been making basically the same argument for the past forty years. This fact, taken with the blog's falsehoods, lack of context, blatant omissions and stunningly hate-filled tone, makes clear beyond any doubt that it is time for The New Yorker to find someone else to write about Israel.
The senior Israeli official fired back on Friday, saying, “Indyk comes and blames others without speaking about his own responsibility for the current impasse.”Indyk’s Amoral Kiss-and-Tell Story
“[It is] difficult to point to any significant contribution that [Indyk] had made to the process,” he added, noting that the top US negotiator “demanded to be present at all of the meetings, despite the fact that the process was meant to be primarily bilateral.”
Indyk’s presence at some of the meetings had harmed progress, the official hinted without elaborating: “In certain meetings, his absence would, indeed, have been advantageous.”
Still the peace process has become totemic for many, and like Kerry, Indyk is among the most pious devotees to this obsession. And so, in the course of his speech, Indyk insisted that talks could be resumed, that there is still hope for an agreement between the two sides. As ever, it is always five minutes to midnight. For the last two decades the Indyks have been telling us, one more settlement expansion, one more suburban neighborhood on the outskirts of Jerusalem, and peace will be lost forever and Israel inevitably consigned to the history books. Who knows what any of this is based on? Such claims seem as fabricated as Indyk’s suggestion that since negotiations collapsed both sides have shown restraint. But since when did restraint include the Palestinians moving to bring Hamas into the government and pushing ahead with their applications to join international bodies in direct breach of the Oslo accords?The Time is Ripe for Israel’s Accession to NATO
The gap between reality and the picture Indyk and Kerry paint has become so wide that one wonders how it doesn’t simply swallow them both.
In terms of deterrence under NATO’s “all for one, one for all” doctrine, the value added of Israeli NATO membership cannot be overestimated regarding the Iranian nuclear file. Such a move would increase Kerry’s negotiating power with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. The threat of a NATO military response to Iranian foot-dragging, deception, or cheating in any way on the interim deal or a final deal would change the dynamics of the negotiating process and provide a push for the Iranians to sign a deal more satisfactory to Israel and the West.Islamist Rebel Flags Spotted Along Syria-Israel Border
The time is now ripe for Israel to push Turkey on this issue. Turkey’s local elections are now over and Erdogan’s Justice & Development party (AKP) consolidated power in most localities, and thus Erdogan’s path to the office of president in August is virtually guaranteed. He is now freer to move away from his conservative base in making foreign-policy decisions. Also making the time right for this move is Turkey’s newfound isolation. Its drastic moves toward authoritarianism, its violation of basic freedoms domestically, its divergent interests with NATO regarding Syrian military intervention, its tacit support of jihadist groups operating within Syria, its sanction-busting oil for gold deals with Iran, its outreach to China and other repressive regimes around the world, combined with its misplaced confidence in the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist movements, have made it a veritable outcast in the region.
Israeli soldiers patrolling the Golan Heights can now see Islamist flags flying on the Syrian side of the border, The Tower has learned. Islamist groups have taken up positions to the south of Quneitra, the largest Syrian town close to Israel, particularly in the area of Kudneh.Terrorists, murderers may soon face life sentence without option of parole
Security experts told The Tower that the Islamists will eventually attack Israel – it is a question of if rather than when. There is a difference of opinion, however, as to why they have not launched serious attacks until now. Some say it is simply that the opportunity has not yet arisen. Others maintain these groups, although radical, have a strategic consideration in not striking Israel for the time being.
Releasing terrorists in a future round of talks with the Palestinians may be more difficult if the Ministerial Committee for Legislation approves a bill allowing courts will to sentence murderers to life in prison without parole, which will be put to a vote on Sunday.Egypt: Ansar Beit al Magdis will fight 'crusaders, Zionists'
The proposal allows the courts to use the heavy sentence, which blocks the president's ability to pardon criminals, in special cases like terrorist attacks, murder with nationalist motivations, or murder of children.
Al-Qaeda-inspired militant group in the Sinai, Ansar Beit al Magdis, has posted an audio message on Islamic websites saying that ''democracy equals apostasy'' and that it will fight ''crusaders and Zionists''. The jihadist group, which has carried out a number of attacks against Egyptian security forces, explained its doctrine in the statement, saying that ''democracy leads Muslims to follow a world order dominated by Zionists and crusaders that promote their perception of the world, where only their blood is valued and not that of Muslims''.Iran Scrambles to Respond to Claims It Supplied Chlorine Bombs to Assad
''The fortunes and resources of Muslims are in the hands of apostate rulers due to this democracy soiled by Muslim blood which prevents the prophet's principles from being carried out'', the statement also said.
The movement concluded stressing that democracy must be eliminated because ''it does not allow to save Muslims and theorizes the equality of Jews, Copts and Muslims and must therefore be condemned''.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday angrily denounced reports printed by Western outlets alleging that the Islamic republic had supplied Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime with chlorine-filled chemical weapons (CWs):Tunisia ministers escape censure over Israeli tourists
Observers have become increasingly vocal in condemning what analysts describe as a coordinated campaign by Syrian to target rebel-heavy areas with the weapons. The campaign had – per The New York Times – “overshadowed” reports that progress was being made in eliminating other parts of Assad’s nonconventional arsenal.
Syria had agreed to join the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and destroy its CW stockpile as part of a deal hammered out last September to avert what seemed to be impending U.S. strikes, after the regime had widely been accused of crossing a red line set by the Obama administration against the use of such weapons. The CWC does not ban possession of chlorine, which has industrial uses beyond the battlefield, but weaponizing the substance let alone deploying it is prohibited.
Censure motions against two Tunisian ministers accused of promoting “normalization” with Israel were withdrawn late Friday, just before deputies in the Islamist-dominated parliament were to vote on them.French Auction House Pulls Mein Kampf Sale After Protests
The motions were filed last month against Tourism Minister Amel Karboul and Deputy Interior Minister for Security Ridha Sfar, with documents purporting to show that the latter gave written authorization for Israeli tourists to enter Tunisia earlier this year.
Karboul was also accused of receiving an Israeli delegation.
The National Bureau for Vigilance against Anti-Semitism (BNVCA) had opposed the sale and had criticized the auctioneers for presenting Hitler's autobiography/manifesto, "as if it was just another work or art written by a poet or a member of the French Academy."Abu Dhabi Book Fair Praised After Pulling Anti-Semitic Titles
The copy had been predicted to fetch between 3,000 and 4,000 euros ($4,200-$5,600) as part of a scheduled May 16 sale of a library of crime-related works owned by Philippe Zoummeroff, a retired industrialist.
On Thursday, JTA reported that U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf had said, “We welcome reports the organizers of the book fair removed both anti-Semitic and jihadi texts from display, and that these hateful materials represented only a minuscule percentage of the literature on display.”Imagining if Anne Frank had lived to tell her story
JTA reported: “Harf said she did not know what led to the removal of the texts from the fair, which ran from April 30 to May 5, but her comments came after Algemeiner, an online Jewish news website, reported that the books were available at a fair where the United States was listed as a ‘cultural partner.’”
An unnamed state department official also told JTA: “We are concerned that the continued dissemination of the ‘Protocols’ is fueling anti-Semitism around the world.”
At a Paris café after the war, a young publisher is quickly falling in love with an adorable Jewish author he just met as she discusses her still-unpublished book.Jewish WWII Veterans Mark Victory Day in Israel
It is an intensely private account based on a personal diary that recounts her amazing survival of the Holocaust in hiding with her parents and sister in Amsterdam, in a small annex on Prinsengracht 263.
Her name is Anne Frank.
This scene is the bold introduction of the play “Anne,” which premiered at the Dutch capital’s new Theater Amsterdam on Thursday.
Produced with a multimillion dollar budget in an 1,100-seat theater built for this show, “Anne” is the first play ever written based on the full archive of the Frank family.
Hundreds of Jewish World War II veterans of the Allied armies, the majority from the Former Soviet Union, attended the official Yad Vashem ceremony marking the 69th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany yesterday, Thursday, May 8.Leno plans to roast Bibi, Bloomberg
The ceremony took place at Yad Vashem’s Monument to the Jewish Soldiers and Partisans. Also present were wounded soldiers from the war against the Nazis, underground fighters, Jewish partisans, volunteers from the Yishuv who fought in the British forces and veterans of the Jewish Brigade, as well as diplomatic representatives and military officials from the Allied countries.
Approximately 1.5 million Jews fought against Nazi Germany in the regular Allied armies including the U.S., British, and Polish armed forces. An estimated 500,000 Jews served in the Red Army during World War II and 200,000 were killed in combat or as prisoners of war.
Jay Leno sees a small silver lining in the recent collapse of US-backed Mideast peace talks: It should make his job just a little easier when he performs in front of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later this month.
“I guess any American that’s not John Kerry is more than welcome there right now,” Leno said.
While said he sees both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he said he considers himself to be “very pro-Jewish, very pro-Israeli.” Leno himself is not Jewish.
“At some point in your life, you have to sort of take sides. I tend to side with the Jewish point of view on many things, especially issues like this one. I realize how important Israel is,” he said. (h/t Jewess)