Shmuley Boteach: British Jewish students attempt to silence my mention of Israel
Yet this week, for the first time in my life - having spoken at Universities across the world - I encountered a form of censorship in the most unlikely of all places: when I spoke to the Jewish Society at King’s College, London.Israel marks exodus of Jews from Arab countries
European Jews developed a survival instinct over centuries of persecution. They lie low, avoid public displays and use quiet diplomacy to defend themselves and Israel. British Jews have pursued this approach with a high degree of success in the last half century. However, on my current visit to England I detect a shift away from associating with Israel in the way I was accustomed to as founder and head of the Oxford L’Chaim Society.
What finally shook much of my confidence in British Jewry was my experience where I was invited to address the Jewish Society at Kings. In the course of the discussion, I focused my remarks on Israeli democracy and the blessing it can be to the innocent Arab citizens of Israel’s autocratic Arab neighbors. Israel is the great hope for the spread of human rights throughout the Middle East.
As I spoke, I could see my hosts growing restless and the discomfiture on their faces surprised me. I was in for a bigger shock, however, when my hosts essentially stopped me in the middle of my remarks. I am always happy to respond to questions, friendly or hostile, but I have rarely been interrupted so abruptly by people who invited me to speak.
When I asked for an explanation, I was told by the president of the organization, a young man wearing a yarmulke, that the Jewish Society has a policy against speaking about Israel. The group, he said was non-political and focused on “Jewish subjects.”
I was dumbfounded. Was Israel not a Jewish subject? It was as if Israel had become the Voldemort of nations, the country that dare not be named.
Israel is marking on Monday its annual Memorial Day of the expulsion of some 850,000 Jews from Arab states and Iran.Fred Maroun: Occupied by choice: why I do not support the Palestinian cause
At Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed that there be an expansion of education on the heritage of Jews from Arab countries and Iran, and that consideration be given to a proposal to establish a Prime Minister’s Prize for academic research into the issue.
Hundreds of thousands of Jews were forced to flee Muslim countries in the years preceding and directly after the 1948 creation of the State of Israel. Known collectively as Mizrahi Jews, the community has gained political power in recent years alongside increased recognition of its members’ refugee status and celebration of their cultures.
The cabinet discussion preceded a UN discussion of the subject scheduled for Tuesday. Minister for Social Equality Gila Gamliel (Likud) was scheduled to fly to New York City to speak at the UN session.
Every day since November 29, 1947, exactly 68 years ago, the Palestinians chose hate, terrorism, and dependence over statehood and independence. They continue to do so today.
By contrast, the Jews accepted the 1947 UN partition plan despite strong reservations, they evacuated Gaza despite the pain it caused to many Israelis, they offered peace agreements that were agonizing for most Israelis to offer, and the Israeli Prime Minister continues to accept the two-state concept despite the decreasing credibility of that concept among Jews. This is because, unlike the Palestinians, the Jews cherish their nation-state, and they are willing to compromise to keep it.
As an Arab who feels a kinship with the Palestinian people, I would like to support the Palestinian cause. As a left-leaning person who feels sympathy towards the weak and disadvantaged, I would like to support the Palestinian cause. But I do not, and no reasonable person should.
If the Palestinian cause consisted of striving for the end of occupation and for the creation of a Palestinian state, I would support it. I would support it just as strongly as I support Israel’s right to exist. But this is not what the Palestinian cause is about. It is about the destruction of the Jewish state, and this is something that I will never support.
Israel devastating the Palestinian environment, Abbas tells climate summit
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday accused Israel of carrying out ecological attacks, and urged world leaders at the United Nations climate conference in Paris to protect the Palestinian environment from Israeli military policies.Report: Israel hit targets in Syria near Lebanon border
“Our resources are being usurped, our trees are being uprooted, our agriculture is being destroyed,” Abbas claimed, before urging world leaders to protect Palestinians from Israel.
The PA leader, however, also called for renewed peace talks with Israel.
“Our hand is still extended in peace to our neighbors,” he said. “In the meantime, we will continue to build our state based on modern and democratic principles.”
Abbas said his government had made “great progress” in adopting climate change laws, but complained that “continued Israeli occupation and violation of international laws related to the environment” was a central challenge in their implementation, Reuters reported.
The Israeli Air Force struck a weapons convoy and munitions storage facilities in the Qalamoun region near Syria's border with Lebanon on Saturday night, Lebanon's Almustaqbal television station reported on Sunday.Israel says it’s ‘keeping eye out’ for chemical weapons in Syria
According to the report, the targeted storage facilities housed long-range surface-to-surface missiles that Syria had transferred to Hezbollah. A number of Hezbollah fighters and Syrian military soldiers were reportedly killed in Saturday's strike and members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard were reportedly among the wounded.
The same report said it was the third Israeli strike in the Qalamoun region over the past week.
Israel declined to comment on the report.
Israel’s defense community is “keeping an eye out” for the possibility that Hezbollah has attained chemical weapons in Syria, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said.Iraqi Kurds Smuggling Oil Through Israel to Circumvent Baghdad
Ya’alon was responding to unconfirmed reports that Israel has struck sites in Syria five times in recent weeks, despite the presence of a new Russian missile defense system in the country, during a press conference Monday following a visit with new draftees at the army’s Tel Hashomer enlistment base in Kiryat Ono outside of Tel Aviv.
“We are acting in accordance with needs,” Ya’alon said. “Anyone who infringes on our sovereignty — we act against them. Anyone who attempts to transfer advanced weaponry to terrorist organization, with an emphasis on Hezbollah — we will not allow it.
“We are, of course, keeping an eye out for the possibility that someone has gotten their hands on chemical weapons,” Ya’alon added.
The defense minister insisted that the Russians were aware of what actions in Syria would invite Israeli response and were committed to allowing Israel to take action as necessary.
Kurdistan’s semi-autonomous government in Iraq (KRG) has been smuggling oil through Israel in order to bypass sales being monitored by the central government in Baghdad, Al-Jazeera reported on Thursday.Germany to send 1,200 soldiers to Syria to support fight against Islamic State
KRG Minister of Natural Resources Ashti Hawrami said that the oil was being smuggled out of the country in order to raise the necessary funds to enable the Kurdish militias to continue fighting ISIS.
He said that one of the many methods used by the Kurds to avoid detection by the central government in Baghdad was funneling the oil through Israel. The purchasers of Kurdish oil took tankers to the Israeli port of Ashkelon, where they were loaded into storage facilities and later resold to European buyers, according to Al-Jazeera.
The subterfuge was necessary, said Hawrami, because the central government in Baghdad had been financially discriminating against the KRG for a long time, and when the Kurds did not receive the 17% of the Iraqi national budget to which they are entitled, they started calculating alternative ways of making money, such as selling oil independently.
Germany is planning to send 1,200 soldiers to Syria to support the international fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), in what would be its largest current overseas military deployment, its army chief has said.German Aircraft Manned With Israeli Technology to Help French Fight ISIS in Syria
The planned German military involvement in response to France’s call for more countries to help fight the militants after the Paris attacks would see troops provide service support to ships and reconnaissance planes, but would not include direct combat.
The plan still needs approval from parliament, with the government seeking a mandate before the end of the year, said Volker Wieker, chief of staff of the German army.
He added that troops would be sent to Syria quickly once parliament had approved a mandate for the operation, meaning soldiers could be deployed as soon as the end of this year. It is yet to be decided how long German military involvement will last.
German fighter jets aiding French strikes in Syria are being fitted with Israeli technology, the Israeli news site nrg reported on Sunday.Russia to Escalate Syria Offensive With Ground Troops, Arab Media Claim
According to the report, the Tornado jets will provide intelligence on ISIS to the French using Israeli equipment — such as the RecceLite Pod and the LiteningPod — developed by Israeli defense technology company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., in cooperation with Germany’s Zeiss Optronik GmbH.
Germany and Israel have also cooperated on developing electronic warfare (EW) technology used by the Tornado jets. In 1972, Germany enlisted the aid of the Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary ELTA Systems to co-develop the Tornado’s Self-Protection Jammer, and commercial production of the EW system began in the late 1990’s.
ELTA specializes in the production of radar and EW products with multiple applications, including reconnaissance, target acquisition, self-protection and self-defense.
News reports in the Arab world claim Russia is planning to escalate its military involvement in Syria by sending in ground troops and increasing airstrikes, according to translations provided by the Middle East Research Institute (MEMRI).Report: Russia Dropping Cluster Bombs over Civilian Areas in Syria
Syrian and pro-Syrian Lebanese media have published reports over the past two weeks claiming that Russia is launching a new stage of its offensive in Syria, with December witnessing unprecedented escalation in which a ground operation will be launched. “December will be hot on the ground in Syria,” Lebanese daily Al Akhbar reported.
In a talk with the Russia’s Ministry of Defense on November 20, President Vladimir Putin said that the current offensive in Syria is “not enough to clear Syria of armed and terrorist groups and defend Russia from a possible terrorist attack,” adding his hope that the next stages of the offensive will lead to better results.
According to MEMRI, Russia’s decision to increase its involvement in Syria is likely motivated by the upcoming UN supervised meeting on January 1, 2016, in which Syrian regime and opposition representatives are set to negotiate. Russia and its allies Syria and Iran are hoping that the next stage of the offensive will earn them “bargaining chips” ahead of the meeting.
Russian bombers are dropping cluster munitions over Raqqa, Syria, the city known as the de facto capital of the Islamic State terror group, sources inside Syria confirmed to Breitbart News. Sources say Moscow is also indiscriminately targeting civilians neighborhoods populated by Sunni Muslims, killing innocent women and children in the process.PreOccupiedTerritory: Syrian Civilian Deaths Surprise Russia: Thought None Were Left (satire)
Russia remains loyal to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which has also indiscriminately targeted non-Alawite civilians throughout the country and is estimated to have killed far more Syrians than the Islamic State terror group. Forces loyal to Assad have slaughtered over 85 percent of the 250,000-plus Syrians killed during the war, according to estimates.
A source with Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, a citizen journalism network that was created to document the atrocities of the Islamic State, told Breitbart News that Russia is targeting almost the entirety of Raqqa with cluster bombs, munitions that carry explosives which on impact, disperse hundreds of deadly metal fragments. When these submunitions deploy, they spread out over hundreds of yards of territory, creating a situation where individuals far away from the target site are subject to being killed or seriously injured. A single cluster bomb may hold hundreds of submunitions.
The citizen journalist network posted photos of the Russian strikes on its social media pages.
A spokesman for the Russian Air Force (VVS) expressed surprise today when informed that VVS strikes had killed dozens of Syrian civilians, as he had been under the impression that Basher Assad had gotten rid of all the civilians already.Iraqis find 3 more mass graves in formerly IS-held Sinjar
Colonel Vassiliy Sadjestyin reacted with disbelief when asked about reports that Russian airstrikes in Syria yesterday killed several families, saying that no such deaths were possible after Assad had spent more than four years killing or driving away all the Syrian noncombatants. Of a prewar population of about 20 million, more than 300,000 Syrians have been killed and millions more displaced and rendered refugees. Colonel Sadjestyin admonished the reporter to recheck her sources, since, as he insisted, it was highly unlikely that many total civilians were even in Syria.
“I find that report hard to believe,” said the colonel. “For one thing, Assad has used chemical weapons, barrel bombs, Scud missiles, artillery, strafing, large-scale executions, torture, and who knows what other methods to rid the country of civilians. He’s been at it for four and a half years. Granted, he’s also had help from the folks in ISIS in that respect, but the point is, how can there be any civilians left by now for our airstrikes to kill?”
Kurdish officials said Sunday three more mass graves have been found in the northern town of Sinjar, where Kurdish forces backed by heavy US-led airstrikes drove out Islamic State militants earlier this month.ISIS rigs Yazidi mass grave with bombs
The discovery brings the total number of burial sites in the area to five and the total number of bodies uncovered to between 200 and 300, according to local officials.
While experts say proper excavation and identification of the bodies could take months, Sinjar residents are expressing frustration with the process so far, complaining that their requests from the Kurdish Regional Government for expert help have gone unanswered.
The graves found over the weekend are believed to contain 80 to 100 bodies, Qasim Simo, the head of security in Sinjar, said on Sunday. Two were uncovered to the east of the town and one was found within the western edges of Sinjar town itself.
A bomb-rigged mass grave believed to hold the remains of more than 120 people murdered by the Islamic State (ISIS) group has been found in north Iraq, an official said Saturday.Was notorious Iranian general Soleimani badly hurt in Syria?
It is the sixth mass grave discovered in or near the town of Sinjar since it was recaptured from ISIS jihadists earlier this month, Mahma Khalil, the official responsible for the area, told AFP.
ISIS overran Sinjar in August 2014 and carried out a brutal campaign of massacres, enslavement and rape targeting members of the Yazidi minority, who made up most of its inhabitants.
The United Nations has described the attack on the Yazidis, whose faith ISIS considers heretical, as a possible genocide.
The grave site, which is estimated to contain the remains of 123 people, based on accounts from people who witnessed the executions, was surrounded by a large number of bombs, Khalil said.
As the highly visible commander of Iran's most elite special forces unit, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani is the face of his nation's military, but the notorious leader's current condition is a mystery.Iran Reiterates Ultimatum: Stop Looking Into Military Dimensions of Nuclear Program or Deal Is Off
It is not disputed that Soleimani, who commands the elite Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard, was injured by shrapnel earlier this month while leading his men in Aleppo, Syria, where Iran and Russia are fighting on behalf of President Bashar Assad. The official line from Tehran is that he is recovering from "minor injuries," but critics of the regime in Tehran say the man whose battlefield exploits have made him the face of the Iranian military could be fighting for his life.
“[Soleimani] suffered severe shrapnel wounds, including in the head, while at Aleppo’s southern front two weeks ago,” read a report issued Sunday by the Iranian opposition MEK. “Due to the severity of his wounds, Soleimani was immediately airlifted by an IRGC helicopter to Damascus and, after receiving preliminary treatment, was transferred to Tehran. He is hospitalized at IRGC Baqiyatallah Hospital... So far, he has undergone at least two surgeries. Soleimani… is not allowed any visitors… The IRGC counterintelligence section has imposed a total blackout to prevent any leaks on the news of Soleimani’s wounding. The hospital personnel are under strict orders to refrain from answering any questions in this regard.”
Iranian media reported on Sunday that Tehran is reiterating its ultimatum about canceling the nuclear deal if there is a probe into the Possible Military Dimensions (PMD) of its nuclear program.Iranian Supreme Leader Appeals ‘to the Youth in Western Countries’
According to the pro-regime Tasnim News Agency, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif — who served as chief negotiator during talks with the P5+1 leading up to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — said in a joint press conference with his Greek counterpart that Iran would not implement the JCPOA before the PMD investigation ended.
Zarif, who said these were instructions from Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, also called the investigation misguided, claiming his country’s nuclear program is entirely peaceful.
Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, echoed Zarif’s remarks, saying that the PMD case had to be closed before the JCPOA would take effect. “They [the West] have to decide between the implementation of the JCPOA or leaving the PMD case open,” Shamkhani said in response to IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano’s comments that the IAEA’s report on Iran’s PMD would not be “black and white.”
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in an appeal Sunday ”to the youth in western countries,” accused the United States of arming and nurturing terror groups such as al Qaeda and lashed out at Israel for sponsoring “the worst kind of terrorism” against the Palestinians, according to an English translation of the Iranian leader’s open letter.Terror Sponsor Iran Praises Its Own 'Anti-Terror' Ops
On the heels of a massive attack by Islamic State affiliates in Paris, Khamenei lashed out at western governments, primarily the United States, for sponsoring terrorists across the globe and oppressing Muslims with their values.
Khamenei also encouraged young people living in western countries to oppose Israel, which he claimed is worse than any terrorist group operating in the world today.
Khamenei’s appeal comes as Iran continues to commit acts of terrorism across the globe and is waging a multi-pronged war to expand its regional influence in countries such as Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon.
Iran’s government recently came out in praise of its latest so-called anti-terrorism measures, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the official news agency of Iran reported.NGO Monitor: NGOs and the Economic War
On Saturday, members of Iranian Government’s Expediency Council lauded “the significant measures of the Intelligence ministry to thwart plots of terrorist groups,” the website documented.
The Expediency Council, chaired by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, serves as an advisory body to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and as such is one of the most powerful governing bodies in the country.
According to the report, members of the council commended the measures of the Iranian armed forces, police, and security forces in dealing with outlawed terrorist groups following a report given by the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani.
The European Union’s adoption of “product labeling” guidelines for Israeli settlements followed a long campaign involving numerous actors, including powerful nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Many of these groups are also involved in the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement against Israel and play a leading role in the frequent allegations of “war crimes” and “violations of international law” used to single out and demonize the Jewish state.Israel suspends EU contact over peace process
The strategy of punishing Israel to force policy changes has been pressed for many years by NGOs like Oxfam International, Amnesty International, the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and numerous others operating under the twin banners of humanitarian aid and human rights. Echoing the declaration adopted at the NGO Forum of the 2001 Durban conference against racism, these influential groups work closely with Palestinians and the Islamic block in the UN in an attempt to replicate the boycott strategy used against South African apartheid.
In their view, the product labeling is just the beginning. In October 2012, 22 major NGOs in this network presented the European Union with a document tendentiously titled “Trading Away Peace: How Europe Helps Sustain Illegal Israeli Settlements.” Although called “nongovernmental,” most of these groups receive European government funds.
The report, like most NGO publications, largely erases the history of Palestinian rejectionism with its decades of war and terror against Israelis, and presents the Palestinians as helpless victims. On this basis, their recommendations begin with “correct consumer labeling of all settlement products,” followed by a call to “ban imports of settlement products” and later, actions to “prevent financial transactions to settlements and related activities” – in other words, a boycott of Israeli banks and other core institutions.
Israel on Sunday stepped up its battle with the EU over its decision to label products from the settlements, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspending diplomatic contacts regarding the Middle East peace process pending completion of a “reassessment” by the Foreign Ministry of the EU's role in that process.EU insists it will play role in peace process, even as Israel suspends cooperation
According to a Foreign Ministry statement, Israel will continue to have diplomatic contacts with individual EU countries – such as Germany, Britain and France – but not with EU institutions. Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with French President François Hollande and new Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło in Paris on Monday.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman did not provide details of any other practical consequences stemming from the decision, such as whether this would mean that Netanyahu would not meet with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on issues pertaining to the Palestinians. The decision comes at a time when there is very little movement in the diplomatic process with the Palestinian Authority.
A day after Israel announced that it was suspending the EU's involvement in the Mideast peace process pending a”reassessment” of ties following the EU's decision to label products from the settlements, a spokesperson for the EU said at a press conference in Brussels the EU would continue its work on the matter in the Quartet, with its Arab partners, and with both parties.The battle over EU settlement labeling has just begun
The spokesperson said that the EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Paris, on the margins of COP21 climate change summit.
However, a spokesman for the prime minister said that the “meeting” amounted to Mogherini approaching Netanyahu in the hallway and shaking his hand. Netanyahu issued the directive to suspend the cooperation with the EU as the Foreign Ministry conducts a reassessment of how much to involve the EU in the diplomatic process.
According to the EU spokesperson, the EU-Israel relationship was good, broad and deep and that this would continue. The spokesperson said that the labeling policy was not new legislation but rather referred to the implementation of existing legislation - implementation that had been ongoing in some member states for some time, well before the notice was adopted.
The Times of Israel inquired in several embassies of EU member states, all of which — except Hungary and Germany — indicated they plan to implement the guidelines with no ifs, ands or buts.'Demolish EU-funded illegal Arab settlements'
“We are going to implement them because we don’t have a choice. The understanding that each country has the freedom to make an independent decision is false,” a senior diplomat from a European country said. EU states have been obligated to label settlement goods since 2012, but most waited for instructions from the Commission, the diplomat added. “Some countries did it right away. Others waited for guidance from the EU to do it in a harmonized way.”
What about Germany? Jerusalem expects Berlin — considered Israel’s best friend on the continent — to defy the guidelines or at least ignore them for as long as possible. During last week’s cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the German government “came out against product labeling.” He was likely referring to a press release by the Bundestag faction of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU party denouncing labeling, and to vague statements attributed by a German newspaper to the country’s food and agriculture minister, Christian Schmidt.
However, there are no definitive statements from government officials that indicate that Berlin opposes labeling of settlement goods. Germany is, for obvious reasons, not enthusiastically embracing a demarche that many Israelis consider anti-Semitic. Several German officials contacted for this article were extremely careful in discussing the matter, pointing to its “political sensitivity” and arguing that they simply do not want Israel’s enemies to “exploit” the matter. But at the end of the day, they indicated, Germany, too, will adhere to EU legislation and start labeling.
The Regavim movement for Jewish land rights called on Netanyahu to go a step further, and enforce building laws by demolishing the illegal Arab buildings in Judea and Samaria that are funded directly by the EU.Activist group linked to Jeremy Corbyn has accounts closed amid fears it may be funding terrorism
Regavim noted how in recent years it has documented massive illegal Arab construction funded by the EU in Area C of Judea and Samaria, a group of regions defined in the 1994 Oslo Accords as being under full Israeli control.
According to official documents, since 2009 the EU has built hundreds of residential structures mostly in the environs of Ma'ale Adumim to the east of Jerusalem.
The EU has been funding illegal projects to the tune of hundreds of millions of euros as part of its support to the Palestinian Authority (PA), despite the fact that such construction is illegal both according to Israeli and international law, and breaches international agreements such as the Oslo Accords - which the EU is itself a signatory to.
PSC has announced that it is now launching legal action against the Co-operative Bank on grounds of discrimination.Why hasn’t UNEDITED video of UT-Austin Israel Studies disruption been released?
ITN solicitors, acting on behalf of PSC, state the bank failed "to provide any reasons for the closure of PSC’s account, which has been compounded by [their] failure to provide appropriate disclosure".
They claimed that the decision to close its accounts was based on PSC's belief in "Palestinian rights" and "the nationality or religion of the Palestinian people"and was therefore contrary to the Equality Act.
Sarah Colborne, PSC’s Director accused Co-op of "turning its back on its ethical principles" by closing down their accounts.
Tom Wilson, a resident associate fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, a think tank, said: "The Co-op has highlighted the due diligence that it must show regarding the accounts of groups operating in 'high risk locations', of which Gaza and the West Bank would certainly be included.
"Among the concerns a bank would have in these kinds of cases will likely be fears about funding reaching illegal, extremist or terrorist activities.
"The PSC claim that this is an act of discrimination seems particularly unconvincing given the support we’ve seen the Co-op give for the Palestinian campaign in the past."
Does the actual footage discredit the PSC version?Clinton Appoints Ex-Congressman Who Blamed Defeat on Jews to ‘Leadership Team’
On November 18, 2015, I emailed the lawyer for the students asking if the unedited video would be released. There was no response.
As of this date, as far as I can tell, the unedited video has not been released. Why not? What are they hiding?
Having filed a “civil rights” complaint and claiming Prof. Pedahzur deserves to be fired, certainly the students should be anxious to show that the edited video did not misrepresent events.
So why hasn’t the unedited video been released?
Hilliard, who lost to then-Democrat Artur Davis in 2002, was considered one of Israel’s most vocal opponents in Congress. Davis, a staunch supporter of Israel who became a Republican in 2012, had the backing of groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Anti-Defamation League in the election.Spanish king honors Sephardic Jews expelled five centuries ago'
Shortly after Hilliard’s defeat, the former congressman gave an interview to the Black Commentator in which he said “Jewish interests” bought the election for Davis.
“The only thing I know for sure, that I saw in black and white, is $1,098,000 that [Davis] reported,” said Hilliard in the July 16, 2002 interview. “You can’t take money from corporations, so that came from Jews and Republicans. There’s no question where that money came from.”
Hilliard said his opponent also received millions of dollars in free media coverage.
“Remember, the Jewish media. They started putting word out, they wanted everybody to know, because … obviously they felt that the money they had, that they put in, that they were going to beat me,” he said.
According to Hilliard, billions of dollars were being taken from poor communities and sent to Israel. He said Davis “made a pact with the Israelis” and “was used.”
Spain's King Felipe VI on Monday honored Sephardic Jews who were banished more than five centuries ago during the Inquisition, after a law allowing dual citizenship for their descendants came into force.'Talmudic Grape’ Resurrected to Make New Line of Wine
The legislation aims to correct what the Spanish government calls the "historic mistake" of the country's monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand who in 1492 ordered Jews to convert to Catholicism or leave within the space of just weeks, under pain of death.
"Dear Sephardim, thank you for your loyalty," the king told representatives of Sephardic Jews from different countries, at the royal palace.
"Thank you for having kept like a precious treasure your language and your customs that are ours too. Thank you too for making love prevail over rancor and for teaching your children to love this country.
"How we have missed you."
There are an estimated 3.5 million Jews with Spanish ancestry around the world - known as Sephardic Jews.
An Israeli winemaker is turning a nearly extinct variety of grape into wine that was last consumed in the era of the bible, ISRAEL21c reported.IsraellyCool: George Lopez: “I’m A Huge Supporter Of Israel”
Using 3D and DNA analysis, Marawi grapes were found to be the same species of those discussed in the Talmud. For the first time ever, an Israeli team has turned the nearly extinct grape into a wine which was introduced at a tasting in Italy by the Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) and Israel’s Ministry of Tourism.
“Maybe we can identify what wine Jesus drank at the Last Supper,” said Elyashiv Drori, an agricultural and oenological researcher and owner of a boutique winery who spearheaded the breakthrough.
Four years ago, Drori and his team at Ariel University set out to explore the fate of the native wine grapes mentioned in the Talmud.
Last year I posted how comedian George Lopez visited Israel, and his kinds words about Israel and Israelis.Sean Penn speaks out about humanitarian work on visit to Israel
George recently attended Fiesta Shalom, an event that celebrates the relationship between Israel and the diverse communities of Los Angeles and the region. Here’s what George had to say when interviewed at the event.
Often the denizens of Hollywood are mocked for the various humanitarian pet projects they take on, with many accusing said celebrities of being disingenuous.With Israeli tech, paralyzed IDF vet walks down the aisle
But when it comes to humanitarian relief work, actor Sean Penn is nothing but sincere.
That candid passion was on full display when he earnestly spoke on behalf of his NGO, J/P Haitian Relief Organization, about its relief efforts in Haiti at a conference coordinated in conjunction with IsraAID and the Pratt Foundation.
“Our mission was to spend a few weeks in Haiti as a 24/7 delivery service for drugs for the hospitals that needed them,” Penn told the audience in Tel Aviv on Monday, explaining his initial plans when he arrived in the country torn apart by carnage and destruction in the aftermath of its 2010 earthquake.
The NGO’s mission quickly transcended that singular purpose and became a significant organization providing long-term relief to the victims.
With the help of Israeli technology, a disabled IDF veteran paralyzed in a car accident 12 years ago was able to walk down the aisle.
Dudu Shevy, 32, was loaned a Rewalk Robotics exoskeleton system for his wedding day, Channel 2 reported.
After seeing the technology on TV, Shevy turned to the Israeli developer to ask to loan the equipment (the system costs some NIS 250,000 to buy). The ReWalk developer, Amit Goffer, who is paralyzed himself, agreed.
After three months of secretive training, sponsored by the Defense Ministry, Shevy shocked his family by walking down the aisle to his bride after over a decade of being wheelchair-bound.
“Just walking. It was different, just seeing everyone at eye-level and not chair-level. It was totally different,” Shevy told the TV station. “It was really wonderful.”
