Sunday, June 08, 2014
Elder of ZiyonHow many lies it is possible to get in a single short story? The Palestinians and their friends in Norway have long ago lost any shame in lying about Israel. And the competition is fierce between "friends of Palestine" in Norway about who can find more imaginative liars.
Norwegian People's Aid is one of the organizations that have positioned itself at the forefront in the fight for demonization of Israel. On April 28th 2014 the Chairman of Norwegian People's Aid, Finn Erik Thorsen, held a lecture in Molde. According to one of the spectators at the lecture, Thorsen, who regards himself as a "Palestine expert," told horror stories about "Zionists and the Jewish state that is controlled by the Russian mafia."
One of the most colorful stories was about red roof tiles. He showed a picture of a [settlement] house with red roof tiles and asked a rhetorical question: "Do you know why Palestinians are not allowed to use red roof tiles on their houses in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), and only the (Jewish) settlements use such roof tiles?" And the answer was: "It will be easier for the Israeli bombers to identify Palestinian houses when they bomb them, while they avoid hitting the Jewish houses."
The natural reaction for those who do not know the situation in Judea and Samaria must be one of shock and anger: Poor Palestinians, this sounds pretty awful, does it not? But the correct question should be: how many lies can you find in this tiny anecdote? Here's a list:
1 Most Palestinians in Judea and Samaria live in areas A and B under control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The PA has full responsibility for zoning and import of building materials, including the type of roof tiles that can be used. There are no Palestinian regulations that prohibit the use of red roof tiles.
2 Israel has no laws or regulations that prohibit the use of red roof tiles in Area C which is under Israeli control. This means that both Arabs and Jews who build in this area can use red roof tiles in their houses, if they want to.
3 Red roof tiles on houses in a neighboring village can not possibly help a pilot of a bomber to hit its target. It would have been more logical if the target was colored red.
4 Israeli aircraft does not bomb houses in Judea and Samaria.
5 The Israeli air force is regarded as one of the best in the world. Israeli aircraft use precision weapons that can hit its target with great accuracy both day and night, and is completely independent of the color of the house or on the roof tiles.
6 The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) do not attack civilian buildings. Houses used by terrorists are not protected by the Geneva Convention and can be considered military targets.
7 Red roof tiles are traditionally used in many countries of the world including Israel and Norway . I can not find any evidence to suggest that in some countries the red roof tiles help selection of military targets, or to distinguish military from civilian buildings.
8 The main reason that most Palestinian houses do not have red roof tiles is that they do not tile their roofs at all. The traditional Arab architecture in the area includes a solarium that can be used for different purposes.
9 A number of houses built in recent years in Arab settlements in Israel, Judea and Samaria, have red tiles.
Apparently, it is even easier to lie about Israel in Norwegian than it is in English. I don't think even Mondoweiss or Electronic Intifada are idiotic enough to make this claim - but the head of this Norwegian NGO can spout such stupidity with impunity.
10 Many houses in Jewish towns and villages have a rooftop terrace, or use tiles with a different color than red.
By the way, here's an 11th reason:
The first neighborhood outside of the Old City of Jersualem, called Mishkenot Sha’ananim (“Tranquil Dwellings”), was built in 1860 by the wealthy Jewish philanthropist Moses Montefiore. Influenced by Mediterranean architecture, Montefiore designed the settlement of terraced row houses with red roof tiles. Since then, this style of construction - terraced house with red-tiled roof - has became a prototype for Jewish residences all over Israel.
(h/t Spiker's Corner)
