Sunday, August 03, 2014
Defund the UNRWA
The UNRWA has become the mask that Hamas wears.Kenneth Meshoe [MP]: The moral obligation to support Israel
It’s a tactical asset for a terrorist group that empowers its human shield strategy. The UNRWA is not only endangering Israeli civilians, but it is also endangering Gazans who are exploited as human shields by members of a terrorist group masquerading as the staff of an international humanitarian organization.
This issue has come up before and the UNRWA’s long record of evasions and denials, admitting the substance of the claims about the Hamas takeover of the UNRWA, while insisting that its Hamas members are neutral and that all the rocket stores and rocket attacks around UNRWA facilities are unrelated to the Hamas members on its staff, are not good enough anymore.
The United States should not be in the business of funding the corruption of young minds. Money should not be taken from American schools to fund the spread of hatred and terrorism.
It’s time to defund the UNRWA.
Therefore, the political organization in South Africa of which I am the president, the African Christian Democratic Party, supports the right of Israel to exist within safe and secure borders, and to enjoy the inalienable right to self-defense. We reject attempts by some nations and international organizations to question Israel's right to defend itself against terrorist attacks, including rockets and missiles that continue to be fired by Hamas into Israel.12000+ Rally In Johannesburg For Israel
The ACDP believes that Israel has a moral obligation to protect all its citizens, particularly the elderly, women and children, from danger and all forms of external threats to their existence. We further believe that Israel's right to self-defense is in accordance with commonly accepted principles of international law.
War is a terrible thing and the ACDP is grieved by the loss of life and terrible anguish families on both sides of the conflict are facing at this time. We regret the fact that some nations have chosen to condemn Israel only, conveniently ignoring the fact that Israel responded with air raids only after enduring a week of constant firing of rockets by Hamas into Israel.
Kenneth Meshoe is a member of the South African parliament representing the African Christian Democratic Party
Today in Huddle Park, Johannesburg, South Africa, more than 12000 Pro-Israel supporters gathered to show their solidarity with Israel.Prof on MSNBC: There is No Anti-Semitism in Middle East
I received some feedback from one of the participants and she said that she is “so proud to have been a part of this incredible Rally for Israel.” Included with the large amount of Jews who attended was also many Africans, Lemba’s, Christians & more.
In the segment, Harris-Perry seemed troubled over the idea that the conflict between Israel and Palestine is "ancient" and "visceral." If only she could grasp that this conflict is "relatively recent," then she would be more "optimistic" about the future.R U SRSLY MSNBC?! Middle East Wasn't Anti-Semitic Until America Sided with Jews
Luckily for Harris-Perry, Professor Leverett was there to guide her with this "well informed" commentary:
"If you look at Jewish communities in other places around the Middle East, there certainly was after the creation of the State of Israel and especially after the '67 war, an immigration of Jews from many of these Arab countries to Israel -- but there still are Jewish communities. For example, there is a thriving Jewish community in Iran. And when I've talked about that people say, 'Oh, that's so terrible. How could you say that? Of course they're suffering.' No, I've actually been there. I've been to the Kosher restaurants, I've been to the Jewish hospital in Iran.
There is not this deep-seated Arab/Jewish, or Muslim/Jewish, animosity. There's not an anti-Semitism in the Middle East the way that there was in Europe, which is based on race, which is based on color, which is based on genes and biology. That doesn't exist in the Middle East. There's no history of that in the Middle East."
Gaza ethnic cleansing of Christians
The ethnic cleansing of Christians in Gaza by Hamas and other Islamists is a story rarely told in Western media.Why everyone’s losing trust in America
It doesn’t fit the dishonest media narrative of Hamas and its supporters being victims.
This report by Israeli channel i24, which we have been using for a live feed during the current war, is from January 2014:
Take note of the video at 5:20, where two Palestinian Christians students recall persecution of Christians at the Islamic University in Gaza. That University, a center of Hamas activity, was bombed by Israel yesterday:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is such “a stubborn head” that he “refuses to understand anything.” So says Secretary of State John Kerry, reports the French weekly Le Canard Enchaine.Elliott Abrams: The Gaza War and the feeble PA
Though satirical, Le Canard is known for excellent ties with French political insiders — especially with the Foreign Office in Paris, where, according to the paper, Kerry mocked the Israeli leader to several foreign ministers while seeking a Gaza cease-fire last week.
Bad enough to bad-mouth an allied leader to Europeans who’ve been less than supportive of your ally. Worse to do it also in the presence of officials of two nations that are patrons of the terrorists that ally is now fighting. Worst of all to do it where your foolish comments will get leaked to the public.
That Le Canard dropped its scoop Wednesday, after a host of Obama officials had spent days insisting that Kerry supports Israel, is just more salt in the wound
There are some steps worth taking, to be sure. Israel should enhance its anti-tunnel technology programs and seek a remedy as good as Iron Dome is against rockets. It should seek the closest security cooperation it can get with the PA, and act to strengthen the West Bank economy. The United States and other Western nations, and responsible Arab states, should do what we can to strengthen the PA security forces and push hard (since we are the aid donors to the PA) against corruption and for decent governance. But these steps are no "solution." Islamic terrorism is a plague now throughout the region, and Hamas is the localized version of that plague. The struggle against it will be long and hard, with plenty of ugly and difficult scenes on television. It seems clear that Israelis have the stomach for that fight, because their existence is at stake. What they seek from their closest friends and allies is understanding and support, in place of distancing and unfair criticism. The basis for an effective U.S. policy is to think about who is on the other side in this fight, about the Arabs and Israelis on our side against the terrorists, and about the actions that will be needed to win.Time to recalculate
Since the beginning of the Oslo paradigm, security experts, intellectuals and politicians from the right warned of the outcomes. We were warned that if Israel supplied Palestinians with weapons and the U.S. trained the Palestinian Authority forces, those weapons and that training would be aimed at Israeli soldiers and civilians. But the hope for an era of a new Middle East was dazzling and these prophecies were scornfully rejected.The world can go jump in a lake
The same people warned that tracts of lands conceded to the Palestinians would be used as bases of war and terror against Israel. When they spoke of the threat of rockets that could shut down Ben-Gurion International airport, and ultimately all of Israel, American and Israeli security experts scoffed at them and brushed them off, asking the Right to stop disseminating fear. Instead the Israeli Left, together with the U.S State Department, continued to push Israel's leadership to make greater and more painful concessions to appease the Palestinians, believing almost religiously in the spirit of Oslo and the two-state solution.
You should notice that as far as pro-Palestinian activists -- they are also anti-Israel (though they'd never admit it) -- are concerned, the facts are unimportant. Israel does not control the Gaza Strip; Israel left Gaza in 2005; Hamas is recognized by Western governments as a terrorist organization. But for the extreme Left in France in particular and in Europe in general -- this group doesn't represent the majority in Europe -- Israel has become the world's greatest woe.Hamas lost big
Without a doubt, the extreme Left in Europe is a minority, but Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip also number less than 20,000 people. The extreme Left has become Europe's Hamas. A revolting cohort, which theoretically battles the extreme Right as well as Holocaust deniers, are no better. In my opinion, they are "modern Holocaust deniers." Under the guise of human rights activists, they do not recognize Israel's right to defend itself, which is simply a mask for their non-recognition of Israel's right to exist. How audacious do you have to be to actually believe that we are the next imperialists?
Gazans will sooner or later have to grapple with the reality on the ground. Once this happens, they would no longer drink the hate-filled Al Jazeera Kool-Aid, no longer will they buy those fairy tails about a "heroic victory." Only then will they appreciate the full scale of the operation.Hamas lies run deep
From his bunker in Beirut, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is watching how things unfold in Gaza, hoping things do not escalate in the northern front. For the Arab world, Nasrallah included, two things have become painfully clear in light of the recent flare-up: the first -- that the path of Hamas, that of radical Islam, leads to a catastrophic cul-de-sac, both for the supporters of the movement and its disenfranchised subjects.
The second -- that provoking Israel could result in a calamity of unimaginable proportions that can withstand even the nonsense on Al Jazeera and the falsehoods sounded by the leaders of Turkey and Qatar. The operation has shrunk Hamas to its proper dimensions. It has now been reduced to a terrorist organization whose political wing has brought about destruction and ruin for its sympathizers.
A new reality has emerged. Israel will now focus on its pilots, less on tank crews. The enemy, not Israel, will have to suffer most. The tunnel-destruction operation will have to continue. But for this mission to succeed, the Israel Defense Forces must have tunnel vision; it must be allowed to do its job without any distractions -- lest we discover that Hamas had managed to rebuild the underground infrastructure faster than expected because some parts had remained in tact. To use military lingo, the IDF has received the following order when it comes to tunnels: "Fire at will."Gaza war: The terrifying truth
Israel cannot afford to ignore the tunnels; it must provide air cover for this.
It must also drop flyers, on a daily basis, to appeal to Gazans. Israel must get the message across that they have been ill-served by a victimizing Hamas. As Operation Protective Edge continues, Israel must talk directly to Gazans, over the heads of Al Jazeera executives.
Not enough urgency: It's an inconvenient fact, but the reality is that right now, there doesn't seem to be enough urgency, let alone an imperative for Israel or Hamas to back down. Gaza's public doesn't have much say in the matter when it comes to the Hamas military wing's strategy, and the Israeli public, according to opinion polls, seems enthusiastic about keeping up the pressure. Israel's calculations seem to be to neutralize the tunnel threat and pummel Gaza with air and artillery until Hamas agrees to a cease-fire on Israel's terms.Looking Beyond Operation Protective Edge
Hamas wants to survive with its military and political leadership intact, and it hopes that massive Palestinian casualties will galvanize the international community to press Israel to stop and that more IDF deaths will cause Israel to sour on the operation.
So where is this headed? In both previous confrontations, we might have confidently predicted some diplomatic endgame. Not now. For the moment, the focus has shifted from a brief foray into diplomacy back to escalating conflict. The prospects of some kind of an expanded Israeli operation into Gaza are highly likely, with all the casualties that could entail.
What separates this round of the Israel-Hamas battle from the others is that there's no predictable path away from much more bloodshed. And that -- given the tragic loss of life -- is the terrifying truth.
What is the overall correct strategy for Israel? To begin, Israel's strategic and intelligence communities will need to identify new and promising ways of deterring non-rational (Jihadist) adversaries. Simultaneously, especially as Palestinian statehood is currently being validated by steadily-calculated increments of recognition in the U.N. General Assembly, these planners will need to avoid the potentially lethal fallacy of accepting a Palestinian state because it has ostensibly agreed to "demilitarization."Intimidation on the Streets of Manchester
While Prime Minister Netanyahu has prominently inserted this condition of negotiating Palestinian statehood as tangible evidence of Israeli foresight and prudence, it can never have its intended effect. Jurisprudentially, the reason is clear and incontestable. Every state maintains an "inherent" and irreducible right of self-defense. This "peremptory" or (in formal law) jus cogens prerogative cannot be challenged or taken away, even if the new state itself should explicitly agree to firm limitations on this right.
By ignoring core roots of Palestinian terrorism, peace programs will only detour the Jewish State with their contrived "Two-State Solution." Should Prime Minister Netanyahu yield to assorted pressures, and, following Operation Protective Edge, still agree to follow this determinably fatal cartography, he will have overlooked or at least underestimated the doctrinal origins of Israel's most recalcitrant enemies. Should he choose, instead, to reject the Road Map's twisting highways to nowhere, the Prime Minister will then have understood that Israel's current struggles with Palestinian terrorism are not about land, "settlements," or "self-determination."
They are about "God."
For three weeks Kedem has been subjected to a daily eight-hour-long siege. But Kedem’s products have nothing to do with Gaza or even with the “settlements” in the so-called "West Bank". It is just a shop selling soap and exfoliating cream.World Opinion Does Not Matter
When the protests first started, the shop was forced to shut for four days. But a large contingent of Israel supporters has come to the rescue. Day after day, Manchester’s Jewish community have turned out to support the shop and to oppose the pro-Palestinian protesters.
The pro-Palestinian contingent is mixed. There are Islamic fundamentalists (including one man who claims to be Hamas’ leader in Britain), anarchists, hardcore leftists, self-styled peace activists, Pakistani gangsters, Jews for Justice for Palestinians and even Druids. Many of these people are already known to Greater Manchester Police, who have seen the same faces at anti-fracking demonstrations.
The protesters love to chant anti-Israel slogans. “One, two, three, four, occupation no more” is a particular favourite. “Palestine will be free, from the river to sea” is another. Pro-Israel supporters are regularly subjected to accusations of murder, baby killing, genocide, ethnic cleansing. One of my Jewish friends was told he was “not a Jew but a Nazi.”
No one can claim any longer that the conflict in this region is about so-called “occupied territories”, or Israel’s supposed right-wing government.Lessons to learn before the next war
Hamas – the elected government of the Palestinian Arab people – tried to shoot down civilian aircraft at Ben-Gurion Airport.
They are shooting missiles at the entire State of Israel – every single city.
This is – and has always been about – the existence of the Jewish State.
Despite it, the whole world pressures Israel.
Israel’s survival and military dominance in the region is not inevitable. We, as a people, must grasp that humbling and harsh fact if Israel is to survive.Is America supporting Hamas?
1. Hezbollah is Watching
The next war may be against the Iranian proxy Hezbollah from the north. With over 100,000 more advanced missiles than Hamas’ arsenal, today’s Hamas onslaught may look like a popgun in comparison to the lethal power of Hezbollah. Its tunnel networks are probably more complex than the ones in Gaza. Earlier this year I interviewed a physician leading a NGO in South Lebanon who told me that missiles were embedded in people’s homes in every village he visited in Hezbollah-controlled Southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is closely watching to see if the international community forces Israel to stop its military actions before its mission is accomplished. Hezbollah will strategize accordingly.
The US administration is making a big mistake. By talking to Qatar and Turkey but not to the other major players, John Kerry is making himself out to be a supporter of the status quo in Gaza, something not even the Palestinian Authority wants.The Gaza war and the new Holocaust revisionism
It is patently clear to everyone except him that Hamas must have its fangs drawn -- it must be disarmed and the Gaza Strip must become a demilitarised zone -- if peace is to have any chance at all.
This Holocaust revisionism and concomitant genocidal incitement is not limited to Europe, with every part of the Jewish Diaspora affected. Incredulously, we see how the language of the Holocaust is even being used to deny Jews their right to own and mourn the Holocaust, while simultaneously creating an environment in which another Holocaust can be rationalized.The Vanishing Two-State Solution
As we ponder this, we should not forget that the Hamas charter calls for the destruction of Jews – and it is telling that this is something the anti-Israel protesters remain deafeningly silent about.
It is time for governments to recognize anti-Semitism for what it is, and act against it – before the wheels of history start turning more quickly.
With Hamas out of the picture, Israel is in a much better position to talk about peace and Palestinian statehood. Moreover, there will be an understandable desire among the battered Gazan population for a new authority to fill the vacuum left by Hamas, and that outcome can’t be secured without Israel’s consent.Opinion: There’s No Home for Israel in the Democratic Party
I don’t believe that much diplomatic progress will be made while President Barack Obama remains in the White House. Trust between the Israeli and American governments has declined sharply, to the point where questions are being raised about Secretary of State John Kerry’s personal commitment to the alliance with Israel. All I’ll say for now is that there is reason to doubt Kerry’s commitment—he hasn’t taken Israeli concerns over Iran sanctions at all seriously, he has warned apocalyptically that Israel faces boycotts and isolation, and he was amiably cooking up a cease-fire proposal with the Turkish foreign minister just days after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that Israel was worse than Hitler.
Three to five years from now, the twin absences of the Hamas military threat and Obama’s bungling diplomacy may propel genuinely meaningful negotiations. In large part that will depend on who is in the White House. For now, though, Israel’s first priority is its national security. That is how it should be.
Hamas is responsible for the murder of more than 1,000 Israeli civilians in terrorist attacks since 1996. Its founding charter calls not only for the destruction of the State of Israel, but the murder of all Jews.Peter Beinart Predicts the Triumph of Peter Beinartism
Each missile that Hamas is now launching against Israel constitutes a crime against humanity because it is directed at civilian targets.
Forced to respond to such attacks, Israel is doing so, but only after warning Gazans to evacuate their homes before bombardment. In such a case, if someone is killed, international law considers it a mistake rather than an intentional killing.
Back to the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. In 2014, you will find Israel’s staunchest and most consistent defenders in the Republican Party.
Meanwhile, the ranks of Democrats include a good number of the State of Israel’s harshest, most vocal critics.
As such, Israel has no home in today’s Democratic Party.
In a way, the Beinart of 2010 undercuts the Beinart of 2014. In 2010 Beinart thought that opinion would turn against Israel because Israel’s enemies were more appealing than before. Gone were the days when “Israel’s foes could be trusted to make it look good by comparison.” Israel’s leading critic was now Turkey, “a democracy and a member of NATO.” The face of Palestine was Salam Fayad, a “proponent of nonviolence, a source of anti-corruption and a devotee of the Texas Longhorns.” Today, Turkey looks a little different, and Hamas is the face of Palestine, but Beinart’s argument hasn’t changed. He still thinks that the young people he describes as more liberal, peace-loving, and secular than their elders will in the long run cease to support Israel in its conflict with Hamas.Under Gaza's Shadow, Islamic State Advances
Beinart neglects one of Gallup’s findings: the “more closely Americans are following the news about the Middle East situation, the more likely they are to think Israel’s actions are justified.” And as Pew notes, young Americans are as a group not following the conflict very closely; 23 percent of younger respondents say they are doing so. Far from being on an inevitable path to rejecting Israel until Israel adopts policies Beinart likes, the opinion of young people is not fixed and, in ordinary times is sympathetic toward Israel. This group can certainly be persuaded that Israel has a right to defend itself against the likes of Hamas.
As for Beinart, he need not worry about persuading anybody because he believes, as his headline writer aptly put it, that “the age of Obama” has changed everything. Now who’s out of step?
As far as IS links to Gaza: An identifiable Gaza contingent named the Sheikh Abu al-Nur al-Maqdisi Brigade is active with IS forces in northern Syria, and photographic evidence has emerged of this group's activities. This group is named after a well-known Salafi sheikh from southern Gaza, killed in an abortive revolt against the Hamas authorities in 2009.Who’s Afraid of Naomi Wolf? An open response to her allegation that Israel is guilty of genocide in Gaza.
IS also has an identifiable franchise within Gaza and northern Sinai itself, according to a prominent researcher of the IS phenomenon, UK-based Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi; the name of the group in question is Ansar al-Dawla al-Islamiya fi Bayt al-Maqdis.
At the moment, these are relatively minor phenomena. Yet Tamimi suggests that the presence of the Gazan contingent in northern Syria indicates that genuine contacts with IS exist, and these are not merely enthusiasts seeking to borrow the symbolism of jihadi success that IS represents.
In an even more tragicomic misstep, the people you are marching with could not have more transparent intent to annihilate Israel. Their protractors and allies genitally mutilate women and make gruesome examples of homosexuals as well as all other ‘infidels’. In the past these were minorities whose liberties you have defended. I shudder to think of how the world would look if the underdog you have in this fight was armed with Israel’s military capability. Then those with the real genocidal intention would be in control. Level with me, Naomi, what am I not getting?How Stupid Can You Get? Rethinking Israel Is the Way To Find Out.
Anger, sadness, grief – you are free to express all or any of these with regards to Operation Protective Edge. Women and children have been killed while sleeping. Who would not be outraged and devastated by that? All I urge is that you choose your words cautiously, check all your facts and sources, and try to educate and inform rather than incite and inflame.
Or more worryingly, have you become blindly addicted to your own mythology – that of the champion, speaker for the dead, a modern day Thor wielding her Mjolnir, crushing cosy notions to dust? If this is the case, turn your trusty hammer inward, for the monolith that may be in most desperate need of demolition is your own distorted ego.
It’s tempting to chuckle at the idea of the Times censoring itself when it comes to Israel—Sullivan, apparently, is not familiar with the literary oeuvre of the Grey Lady’s crusader Robert Mackey—but more serious issues are at stake. To claim that the debate over Israel shifts because journalists on the ground are finally free to report what they’re seeing is to wantonly ignore the mounting evidence of Hamas harassing and threatening the lives of Western journalists attempting to question its rank propaganda. In recent days alone, we’ve heard the account of Gabriele Barbati, an Italian journalist who, once leaving Gaza, tweeted: “Out of #Gaza far from #Hamas retaliation: misfired rocket killed children yday in Shati. Witness: militants rushed and cleared debris.” We’ve also heard from Radjaa Abou Dagga, a former correspondent for France’s Liberation whose attempts at practicing honest journalism got him summoned by Hamas thugs, accused of collaborating with Israel, and told to stop working as a reporter and leave the strip at once. If Sullivan was true to his vision, if he believed in unfettered reporting, he’d promote these gutsy correspondents and their accounts. But actually, Sullivan has never reported an actual story in his long career, let alone set foot in a war zone. He’s a click-machine with an animus.Why Europe Has Trouble Fighting Anti-Semitism
European leaders have begun to understand the gravity of the crisis. The German, French, and Italian foreign ministers have issued a joint declaration condemning anti-Semitic rhetoric and attacks. Leading German tabloid Bild ran the headline “Never Again Jew Hatred!” last week, featuring denunciations from leading public figures. And the French government took the extraordinary step of attempting to ban several pro-Palestine rallies for fear of further eruptions of violence.Profs Blame Pro-Israel Bias for Stereotyping Muslims
But across Europe’s vestigial Jewish communities, there is a sense that non-Jews just don’t get it. After all, none of this is new. Indeed, the heightened security around synagogues and Jewish schools is so commonplace that Jews have become accustomed to it. In France, public displays of anti-Semitism—and acts of violence—were on the rise long before this latest Gaza war. So, why is anti-Semitism overlooked by many Europeans until it explodes into view at moments like these? There are three key reasons.
Ghareeb and Shaheen’s presentation, “Portraying Arabs: 30 Years Later,” commemorated their respective 1984 publications, Split Vision: The Portrayal of Arabs in the American Media and The TV Arab. Drawing upon personal experiences, Ghareeb decried a “lack of balance” in Middle East news coverage in Israel’s favor, although groups such as CAMERA and Honest Reporting routinely demonstrate the reverse. According to Ghareeb, this allegedly biased media stereotyping “dehumanizes a people” and “allows for the use of force” against Arabs.New Report Shows Britain Not Immune To Anti-Semitism
As evidence for this dubious claim, Ghareeb relied upon equally dubious sources such as Senator William Fulbright, who announced on television in 1973 that “Israel controls the United States Senate” and later became a registered lobbyist for Saudi Arabia. Ghareeb also praised the reporting of Peter Jennings as an isolated example of balanced Middle East coverage and labeled Orientalism author Edward Said an “important figure” for writing, Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World. He then cited Muhammad Hassanein Heikal, longtime editor of Egypt’s semiofficial Al Ahram newspaper and government minister under Egyptian dictator Gamal Abdel Nasser, two individuals who inspired little confidence.
In the first six months of 2014, there was a 36 percent increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents recorded in the United Kingdom, a new report released by Britain’s Community Security Trust (CST) revealed Thursday.Sam Harris: ‘Why Don’t I Criticize Israel?’
Between January and June of this year, 304 incidents of anti-Semitism were noted by the CST, as compared to 223 in the same period in 2013, 312 in 2012, and 294 in 2011. While there are positive trends beneath the headline figure–violent anti-Semitic incidents have fallen for the past two years and are at their lowest level since 2001–other types of incidents have risen in number, leading to an increase in the overall figure. Damage to Jewish property went up 35 percent–one widely-reported example of anti-Semitism was the desecration of gravestones at Blackley Jewish Cemetery in Manchester, some broken in two, some daubed with Nazi and anti-Jewish graffiti, which took place at the end of June.
What do groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda and even Hamas want? They want to impose their religious views on the rest of humanity. They want stifle every freedom that decent, educated, secular people care about. This is not a trivial difference. And yet judging from the level of condemnation that Israel now receives, you would think the difference ran the other way.Video: Manila Motorcade Drives to Support Israel
This kind of confusion puts all of us in danger. This is the great story of our time. For the rest of our lives, and the lives of our children, we are going to be confronted by people who don’t want to live peacefully in a secular, pluralistic world, because they are desperate to get to Paradise, and they are willing to destroy the very possibility of human happiness along the way. The truth is, we are all living in Israel. It’s just that some of us haven’t realized it yet.
A lively motorcade drove through Manila, Philippines last week, in a vibrant show of support for Israel and Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.New Yorkers support Israel through unique ‘Art Vigil’
Tens of vehicles drove through the Manila city streets, donned with Israeli flags, posters, and even models of the instruments in the Holy Temples in Jerusalem (e.g. a golden menorah).
Participants waved Israeli flags and blew the shofar to show their solidarity.
At one point in the footage, the motorcade appears to be questioned by police; the motorcade is nonetheless allowed to continue.
Israel has particularly close ties with the Philippines. In 2013, there were at least 30,000 Philippine citizens living and working in Israel, and possibly tens of thousands more; several thousand have received Israeli citizenship.
Though Greenwich Village was once home to artists and writers, these days, it is largely populated by bankers and lawyers and wealthy New York University students. Recently sparks of creativity were in the air again when ordinary passersby were invited to make drawings to brighten up Israeli bomb shelters.Pro-Palestinian Tries to Light Counter-Protestor’s Israeli Flag on Fire at Massive DC March
The drawings were made as part of an art vigil organized by the art activist group, Artists 4 Israel. The July 24 vigil aimed to bring together art and prayer, a priest and a rabbi were on hand to lead a prayer for peace following the art making.
On Saturday, a massive pro-Palestine and anti-Israel protest took place in Washington D.C. in front of the White House. The crowd, which numbered around 10,000 according to a DC police officer, shouted chants of “free, free Palestine,” “end the genocide,” and had a number of speakers appear, including left-wing professor Cornell West.Israel Supporters Evacuated From Front of White House Under Police Protection
A group of pro-Israel protestors showed up -- and were encircled by police with barricades. The crowd shouted at the group and blew blowhorns in their direction. The pro-Israeli group had to be escorted out of the crowd in police vans.
One pro-Israel protestor showed up on the other side of the crowd, alone, with an Israel flag in one hand and an an American flag in the other.
The pro-Palestine protestors grew belligerent -- shouting slogans at him, giving him the middle finger. One tried to light his Israeli flag on fire.
Pro-Palestinian protesters shout “stop the genocide” at a small pro-Israel counter protest outside the White House.Chile: Protesters Call to Cut Ties with Israel
The police set up a barrier around the pro-Israel protesters in front of the White House.
But that was not enough.
Merica then posted a photo with a caption saying the pro-Israel group was being put in police vans and were being escorted away for their safety.
Thousands marched in Chile's capital Saturday against Israel's operation in Gaza, urging President Michelle Bachelet to break off diplomatic relations with the Jewish state, reported AFP.Support for 'Third Intifada' Headlines Protest
"Break it off, Break it off, Break off ties with Israel!" chanted demonstrators who marched to the presidential palace, many waving banners or decked out in the traditional Arab keffiyeh scarf.
There are about 300,000 Arabs in Chile -- a country of 17 million -- including a large Palestinian Arab community.
On July 30, the "Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid" (CAIA) held a demonstration in Dundas Square in downtown Toronto, which attended by hundreds of local residents who were carrying placards denouncing Israel and support the Palestinian people, according to Shalom Toronto.The Celebrities Who Get it Wrong – and Right – About Israel
One of the speakers at the demonstration was Issam Al - Yamani, director of "Palestinian house" representing the Palestinian community in Canada and Coordinating Committee member of CAIA.
Yamani was previously a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and in 2006 issued an expulsion order from Canada that has still not been enforced.
Yamani, in his speech, called for a third intifada, including outside of Palestine - whose purpose is to release the entire area of "historical Palestine."
It’s easy to dismiss celebrities who decide to weigh in on current events as uninformed and irrelevant, but unfortunately their opinions carry significant weight among their untold numbers of fans – not because those opinions are necessarily insightful or even correct, but because celebrities are cool, and fans don’t want to be uncool by having a different opinion.Ryan Bellerose: Why I Decided To Start Wearing A Kippah
And what about the celebs who do support Israel? Rosanne Barr, of all people, tweeted some stone cold truth about Hamas to her 250,000 followers: “They say they won’t stp fighting Israel til evry Jew there is dead. They say it everyday, repeatedly. If ur ignoring/excusing that-yr sick.” Bravo, Rosanne.
Last week I organised a pro-Israel rally. I did it because watching a video of my friends being attacked and then seeing them demonized in the media afterwards, made me realize how fragile some of our freedoms in Canada really are. I am not a talker although I can talk. I am more of a doer, and when I see something I don’t like, I work to change it.Florida Atlantic University Rejects BDS Motion
I grew up in Northern Alberta, where racism is pretty ingrained. In fact, my own grandfather on my mother’s side was more than a little bit racist against Natives (which was funny because all of his daughters married Native men and had Native kids.) One time he accused me of stealing the radio knobs off his 1977 T-Bird with the phrase “ I know Indian kids steal.” At the time, I laughed and so did my cousins, but it’s only recently I recall with some animosity that it made no sense for me to steal his stupid radio knobs. I didn’t even have a car! I have seen and dealt with overt and hidden racism for much of my adult life as well. Maybe that's why this week I finally had enough.
I have started to understand that certain kinds of hate are “acceptable” while others are taboo. On a Facebook group dedicated to “peaceful rallies” I had some moronic young woman tell me “ The Jews are the bad guys, they control the banks and the media and the Arabs don’t even have tanks or planes.” I thought at first I was watching a bad YouTube video. These are the things I see on Facebook, statements so abjectly stupid that I am often at a loss to respond. I am always shocked that nobody else says “ That’s just stupid, stop spreading idiocy.”
Another victory against the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement was forged Friday at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), after a divestment resolution against Israel was tabled indefinitely by the student government.Politics scuttles Israeli robot team as Iran boycotts
After both sides presented, the head of the student government stated that this is not the time, place or forum to have this dialogue.
The resolution was introduced by FAU's branch of Students for Justice in Palestine, the same group responsible for distributing incitement-laced fliers against Jewish students across college campuses nationwide. Nine members of the student government were present. The resolution cannot be brought back unless 3/4 of it has been changed.
Israel’s team in the international RoboCup competition has dropped out instead of taking a technical victory in the contest’s quarter-finals, after the Iranian team refused to play them at a crucial stage of the event, another chapter in the sad saga of politics ruining activities, even for kids.Assyrian Christians protest in Sydney city against ‘silent genocide’ taking place in Iraq and Syria
Team leader Dr. Eli Kolberg said the eight 11th and 12th graders were confident they could beat Iran as well as countries in the later stages of the contest. But “they were so insulted by the Iranian rejection that they decided to drop out of the event as well, rather than take the technical victory they had coming to them because Iran refused to play.”
MORE than 6000 Assyrians marched through the city today in protest against the treatment of fellow Christians in Iraq and Syria.Turkish Women Mock VP Who Wants Them to Stop Laughing
Thousands packed into Belmore Park from about 10am, where several community leaders made speeches calling on the Australian and other international governments to step in to help those being persecuted overseas.
The protest rally comes as reports emerged of ISIS militants marking Christian homes in Iraq and Syria with a letter 'N', meaning Christian in Arabic. Protest leaders told the crowd Christians were being given three options: to convert to Islam, pay a religious tax or be executed.
ABC News reports that after Turkey’s Vice Prime Minster Bülent Arinç asserted Monday that one reason his country is suffering a moral decline is women laughing in public, he was mocked by Turkish women posting laughing selfies on social media.The Death of Klinghoffer - An Inappropriate "Opera"
According to Hurriyet Daily News, Arinç said, “A man should be moral but women should be moral as well, they should know what is decent and what is not decent. She should not laugh loudly in front of all the world and should preserve her decency at all times.” Arinc added that a woman refraining from publicly laughing "will protect her chasteness.”
Turkish women posted the selfies on Twitter accompanied by the hashtag #direnkahkaha, translated as “resist laughter.”
Biggest-ever Israeli IPO paves way for driverless cars
The news from Gaza has not tempered investor enthusiasm for Israeli tech. In its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, driver safety tech firm MobilEye raised nearly a billion dollars in its initial public offering on Friday. Priced at $25 at the opening bell, clamoring investors drove share prices up to as much as $39.40 at one point. Shares closed Friday at $37, 48% higher than their initial asking price.
It was the largest Israeli IPO in the US ever, eclipsing that of Partner Communications’ $525 million IPO in 1999. According to analysts, the $890 million raised by MobilEye gives the company a valuation of over $7.5 billion.
The money will give MobilEye the opportunity to develop the next generation of its system — turning drivers into passengers, using “driverless technology.” MobilEye uses a monocular camera that magnifies images, together with sophisticated software that calibrates how much time a drive needs to brake in order to avoid colliding with the vehicle ahead. If the driver gets too close, an alarm goes off, and in some vehicles, the software is connected to the braking system — so that if the driver fails to brake in time, the system does it for him.
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