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Sunday, May 06, 2018

05/06 Links: The Left Only Cares About Palestinians When It Can Blame Israel; Abbas is not the problem; The Golden Calf of Leftism

From Ian:
The Left Only Cares About Palestinians When It Can Blame Israel
For the past two weeks, horrifying images of Palestinians being murdered have surfaced on social media. Jets have dropped bombs, sending flames and black smoke into the air, followed by helicopters dropping improvised and unguided barrel bombs. On the ground, in the besieged Palestinian camp, buildings collapsed burying civilians alive underneath them.

Those who have attempted to flee the camp have been arrested. No food or medicine has been allowed into the camp since July 2013. About 200 residents have starved to death or died due to lack of medicine. The airstrikes and shelling have not stopped for two weeks, preventing rescuers from retrieving the rotting corpses.

And yet, despite these horrors, no significant protests took place anywhere in the West or Arab world. The traditional champions of the Palestinian cause — those same people who have protested Israeli attacks on Gaza — have remained silent as the Palestinian Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus in Syria was shelled by Russian and Syrian air forces, while militias loyal to the Assad regime enforced a brutal siege.

The silence surrounding the brutalization of an entire Palestinian population exposes something few have spoken about: that pro-Palestinian sentiment is often just anti-Israel or anti-American sentiment dressed up in disguise. And when it comes to Syria’s starving, dying Palestinian population, the pro-Palestine left is nowhere to be seen.

It’s a glaring double-standard: When Palestinians in Gaza endure Israeli airstrikes and a decade-long blockade, their suffering galvanizes mass protests in Western capitals. When Palestinians in Syria and Syrians are being bombed and starved, the anti-Imperialist Left either goes silent, or even worse, stands on the side of the oppressor.
Daniel Gordis: Netanyahu and Abbas Clarify Israel’s Choices
Iran and Israel share no border, and there is no territorial dispute between the two. Yet nothing about radical Islam’s appetite for Israel’s destruction can be sated, and ultimately, Israelis believe, the same is true of the Palestinians as well. What Abbas’s diatribe did was simply to confirm that Palestinian lust for Israel’s demise has not abated in 70 years; in an ironic way, there is relief in Abbas’s ending the charade.

The Mossad heist, the Iranian drone that followed a few weeks later (perhaps in response to the Mossad operation) and Israel’s bombing raids over Syria may be the first shots across the bow in a much larger conflict to follow. No one knows.

What unites Israelis, interestingly, is their largely shared sense that other than ceasing to exist, there is nothing that Israel can do to end the calls for its destruction and avoid periodic armed conflict. In 1923, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, the father of revisionist Zionism, wrote his famous essay, “The Iron Wall,” arguing that the Arabs would never accept the existence of a Jewish entity in their midst, and that to survive, Zionists would have to put up an iron wall and be willing to fight, perhaps forever.

Increasing numbers of even left-leaning Israelis sense that Jabotinsky, sadly, may have been right. Few Israelis want a war with Iran. If war does come, however, most will see it not as a fresh conflict, but as the latest tragic battle in the now century-long conflict over whether the Jews have a right to a national home in the Middle East.

Abbas is not the problem
The struggle against Zionism is at the root of Palestinian identity and is at once national and religious in nature. It is just that for now, Abbas believes certain means of struggle are less beneficial to the Palestinian cause. The Palestinians are the only victims in this conflict, and they must fortify this status through the perpetuation of their refugee status and the strengthening of the public's consciousness of the Nakba. As victims, one should not demand the Palestinians take responsibility for their actions and their plight.

Palestinian incitement is the effort to instill this narrative into their consciousness; and the campaign to deligitimize Israel in the international arena is the campaign to instill this narrative in global opinion.

It is not enough to replace Abbas. We must replace the Palestinian narrative, which is a much harder goal to accomplish. As the Fatah party's last living founding father, Abbas could have tried to change the narrative, but he has preferred to deepen his commitment to the narrative by connecting it, and rightly so, to the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Hajj Amin al-Husseini.

"The March of Return" in Gaza and the Nakba Day events next week reflect the Palestinian commitment to the long-term goal of putting an end to Zionism. Whoever believes they can promote peace under these conditions by merely presenting some plan and sermonizing to the Palestinians, as some senior U.S. officials continue to do today, is continuing to ignore the problem.
Yisrael Medad: Nazi Insinuations
For Gideon Levy, Zionism was like Nazism, sort of.

He has a new column up defending, but, of course, Mahmoud Abbas.

Here's the lead in:
"Not one Israeli statesman today intends to apologize for the Nakba – not for the ethnic cleansing, nor for the exiling. But Abbas had no choice but to apologize for his Holocaust remark"

Let's count the ways Abbas needed to apologize:

a. The Mufti was a partner in the murder of Jews during the Holocaust with Hitler and a supporter of Nazi ideology (not to mention the killing of Jews in Eretz-Yisrael in the previous years).
b. Abbas' doctorate is a classic Holocaust denial and revisionism tract.
c. As I noted already, he has apologized previously for the same content but keeps on saying the same things.

But did Jews bomb Berlin cafes, Hamburg supermarkets or Bavarian beer halls in an effort to dislodge Germans from their property, land and possessions to "deserve" gas chambers? Did Zionists term Arabs ideologically as untermenschen?

There is no comparison.



Muslim World League Chief Al-Issa Mourns Holocaust as ‘Mark of Shame’ During Visit to Official US Memorial
The Secretary General of the Saudi-backed Muslim World League issued another challenge to the Middle East’s Holocaust deniers this week when he paid an unprecedented visit to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC.

Dr. Muhammad al-Issa spent two hours touring the exhibit on Thursday. An image posted on Twitter by Robert Satloff – the Executive Director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who accompanied al-Issa – showed them studying a panel about the Warsaw Ghetto. April marked the 75th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, one of the most celebrated examples of Jewish armed resistance to the Nazis.

Dr Sara Bloomfield – Director of the USHMM – told The Algemeiner that al-Issa had left a message in the museum’s guestbook in which he observed that the Holocaust “added to human history unforgettable horrifying images and a mark of shame.”

“Those who insist on denying or lessening this crime – after they are aware of its evidence – distort history and misguide others,” the message continued.

“Dr al-Issa’s visit underscores the importance of every individual learning the history of the Holocaust in order to confront hate today and build a better future,” Bloomfield said. She emphasized that as the USHMM intends to introduce Holocaust education to the Middle East and North Africa, “Dr. al Issa‘s affirmation of its importance is a significant step.”

The visit followed al-Issa’s widely-reported statement in January on the occasion of International Holocaust ​Remembrance Day, in which he spoke of the “evil” of Nazism and condemned the “denial of the Holocaust or minimizing of its effect a crime to distort history, and an insult to the dignity of those innocent souls who have perished.”
The Golden Calf of Leftism
Last week, the Nation of Islam called the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) a “racist spy agency.” “Sisters” Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour bullied Starbucks into dropping the ADL from co-leading its diversity training. Students with Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine were arrested at an Israeli Independence Day celebration in New York City for setting an Israeli flag on fire and assaulting another student. And Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut called Muslim reformer Zuhdi Jasser “anti-Muslim.”

No one on the left had anything to say about any of this. Indeed, it was just another week in the descent of the left into tribal, anti-feminist, anti-Semitic illiberalism. Or more simply: #woke.
But it was not another week entirely. At the White House Correspondents Dinner on April 28, comedian Michelle Wolf’s venom-filled monologue was so egregious that a handful of “names” from the left, including two New York Times reporters, tweeted afterward their horror and embarrassment. Wolf had crossed a line, creating a crack in the status-obsessed leftist orthodoxy.

Will it shatter from this? Doubtful. The left still hasn’t processed the fact that President Donald Trump didn’t cause the left to go off the deep end into this intolerant groupthink. Trump is a result of the left having already gone off this cliff. The most glaring example: the disallowance of any criticism of former President Barack Obama, no matter how respectfully it was voiced.

Yes, of course, the right has its own version of this. The right’s thought police won’t allow you to criticize Trump’s vulgar, dehumanizing language. It won’t allow you to say that many Americans who own guns are obsessed with them in a disturbing way. That building a wall on the United States’ southern border is not the most rational idea.
Farrakhan Supporter Linda Sarsour Makes CNN’s Top 25 ‘Influential American Muslims’
Women’s March leader Linda Sarsour, a staunch supporter of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, made CNN’s list of “25 Influential American Muslims.”

“CNN spent a year interviewing more than 100 American Muslims, asking who they think are the most influential Muslims in their fields,” states a CNN article introducing the list. “We sought nominees for whom religion is part of their public identity, but other than that, we let American Muslims do most of the talking.”

Sarsour made the list despite her support for Farrakhan, a notorious racist and anti-Semite. Sarsour has a history of supporting radical figures like Farrakhan and Palestinian Rasmea Odeh. Sarsour once accused CNN anchor Jake Tapper of “joining the ranks of the alt right.”

CNN’s profile didn’t mention Sarsour’s Farrakhan support. “Often outspoken, Sarsour has faced criticism for aligning with questionable characters and sharply denouncing Zionism,” the article said. “But many Muslims say she is the kind of uncompromising, unapologetic leader their community needs right now.”

CNN described the controversial Women’s March leader as “Linda Sarsour: The fighter.”

Democratic Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, deputy chair of the DNC, also made the list. Ellison is a former Nation of Islam member who misled the public for years about his relationship with Farrakhan, although the congressman has since tried to distance himself from the hate group leader.
IsraellyCool: Tamika Mallory in Israel Inadvertently Contradicts Linda Sarsour
She has so far not tweeted anything else from the trip – bar one tweet complaining about two of her delegation being denied entry into Israel. Oh, and this:


This is the tweet she retweeted with her comment


Ladies and gentlemen, Member of Knesset Ayman Odeh:
Ayman Odeh (Arabic: أيمن عودة‎, Hebrew: איימן עודה‬; born 1 January 1975) is an Israeli Arab lawyer and politician. He is a member of the Knesset and head of the Joint List, a political alliance of four Arab-dominated parties—Hadash, Balad, the United Arab List, and Ta’al.
—
Odeh is married to Nardine Aseli, a physician, and has three children.

Thank you Tamika for reminding everyone just how ridiculous are the accusations that Israel is an apartheid state. You might want to talk to Linda about it.
The Iran Deal Is Strategically and Morally Absurd
It was surely Barack Obama’s profound aversion to the use of American military power that so enfeebled his nuclear diplomacy and made his atomic accord with Iran the worst arms-control agreement since the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. I do not know whether a more forceful president and secretary of state—say a Democratic version of Ronald Reagan and George Schultz—could have gotten a “good deal” with Tehran; it just boggles the mind to believe that a better deal wasn’t possible. A stronger president and secretary of state certainly would have been willing to walk away. Neither captured by Iranian demands nor the mirage of “moderate” mullahs and engagement, more astute, less fearful men would have been more patient, and more willing to let sanctions bite deeper into the economy and political culture of the Islamic Republic.

Obama was, to borrow from The New York Times’s Roger Cohen, America’s first “post-Western” president, a man deeply uncomfortable with American hegemony and the essential marriage of diplomacy and force. By 2013, when Hassan Rouhani won Iran’s presidential election, Obama made it increasingly clear that he was unwilling to fight over the clerical regime’s nuclear-weapons ambitions. He was also unwilling to do anything to brake the Islamic Republic’s rising Shiite imperialism, which in Syria led to the massive slaughter and flight of Syrian Sunnis who’d rebelled against Bashar al-Assad’s tyranny. And what happened in 2012-2013 in Syria and Iraq—with the absence of America—triggered the rise of the Islamic State and has now set the stage for a regional conflict that we haven’t seen since Saddam Hussein was running amok.

With Iran, Obama certainly appeared to have a cause, something beyond just avoiding a fight. The Islamic Republic for Obama, and Secretary of State John Kerry, too, appeared to be a left-wing “realist” dream, offering a progressive version of Richard Nixon’s opening to Communist China. The many debilitating weaknesses of the JCPOA—for one thing, the strategic and moral absurdity of paying, via sanctions relief, for Iranian imperialism in the Middle East so we can have a short surcease to the mullahs’ quest for the bomb—stem directly from Obama’s paralyzing fear of war, as well as his aspiration for a Middle Eastern détente.

The suggestion that going to war with the clerical regime is too high a price to pay to stop the mullahs from acquiring nuclear weapons (which is what’s implied by defending the limited, temporary utility of the JCPOA) is downright odd. Obama was, in theory, willing to do just that in the nuclear negotiations. In theory, when he uttered the mantra that “all options are on the table,” Obama was—to borrow from La Rochefoucauld—giving the homage that hypocrisy pays to virtue. The nuclear deal wasn’t just “far from ideal”: It is the hinge of America’s downsizing in the region, the guarantor of a decent interval before nuclear proliferation comes to the Middle East.
Netanyahu: Conflict with Iran better now than later
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that while Israel is not interested in a military escalation with Iran, if there has to be a fight he would prefer it be now rather than later.

The comments came amid escalating tensions between Jerusalem and Tehran as the Islamic Republic has sought to expand its foothold in neighboring Syria, raising fears it could use bases for attacking Israel.

“We are determined to block the Iranian entrenchment, even at the cost of confrontation,” Netanyahu said at the start of his government’s weekly cabinet meeting. “We don’t want an escalation, but we are prepared for every scenario. We don’t want confrontation, but if there needs to be one, it is better now than later.”

His comments came a week after a strike on an Iranian base in Syria, attributed to Israel, which reportedly destroyed hundreds of surface-to-surface missiles and killed over 30 people, including many Iranian military officials. Iran denied that any of its soldiers were killed in the attacks and that any of its bases in Syria were targeted.
Iranian President Rouhani Assails ‘Vicious Zionist Regime’ in Key Speech Defending Nuclear Deal
The Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, on Sunday denounced “Zionist propaganda” and the “vicious Zionist regime” in an angry speech warning the US that it would “soon regret” any decision by President Donald Trump later this month to terminate the sanctions waivers on Iran enabled by the July 2015 nuclear deal.

With speculation rising that Trump will exit the nuclear deal as a May 12 recertification deadline approaches – a move that would leave Iran’s oil exports and foreign assets vulnerable to toughened US economic sanctions once again – Rouhani told a rally in the north-eastern city of Sabvezar that the Tehran regime has made “plans to resist any decision by Trump on the nuclear accord.”

Rouhani underlined that “orders have been issued to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.” Without elaborating on details, he added: “A few days ago, I spoke with senior officials of the organization about the programs ahead.”

“If the US exits the JCPOA, it will soon regret it,” Rouhani declared.
MEMRI: Following Exposure Of Iran's Military Nuclear Program: The Leadership Of Iran's Religious Regime Lies About Essential Islamic Matters, Manipulates Religion To Justify Its Grip On Power, Regional Expansion
Ever since suspicions arose in 2002 that Iran has a military nuclear program – when the Mujahideen Khalq organization exposed that Iran was secretly enriching uranium without the consent or knowledge of the IAEA –

the Iranian regime leaders, from both the ideological camp and the pragmatic one, have been vehemently denying these suspicions, declaring that Iran does not have, never had and never will have a military nuclear program. They stressed that this is because nuclear weapons are banned by Islam, emphasizing that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has even issued a religious ruling (fatwa) prohibiting the development, manufacture, possession and use of such weapons.[1]

U.S. president Barack Obama and his foreign secretary John Kerry bought this religious Iranian claim regarding Khamenei's fatwa, and presented it as an internal Iranian religious infrastructure that justified their diplomatic measure of making the agreement with Iran. Western researchers of Iran and of Shi'ite Islam likewise accepted the lie and legitimized the Obama administration's diplomatic move.

MEMRI was the only research institute that claimed, in a series of documents, that this fatwa had never been issued and that all the Iranian leaders' statements to this effect were a lie.
IDF Blog: Hamas continues to endanger Gaza
Yesterday, Friday, May 4, 2018, the riots escalated as Palestinian rioters vandalized and set ablaze the pipes that carry fuel and gas, as well as several of the crossings where humanitarian aid from the State of Israel and the international community passes into the Gaza Strip in order to improve the wellbeing of Gaza residents. The rioters burned offices, buildings, and gas tanks, and damaged fences and gate.

Dozens of trucks carrying merchandise and equipment have entered the Gaza Strip every week for years, as well as fuel that has been transferred to the Gaza Strip for its residents’ use. Hamas thereby acts against the interests of Gaza residents and worsens their situation for its own purposes.

During the Hamas terror organization activities, rioters can be seen faking of injuries and the exploitation of women and children is rampant. This is intended to disguise Hamas's terror activities, including the hurling of explosive devices, grenades, attempted infiltrations into Israeli territory, and the burning of Israeli land.

The Hamas terror organization repeatedly tries to hamper the IDF's defensive actions while presenting a false representation in front of the international public opinion. Hamas's actions not only endanger Israeli civilians, but also the people of Gaza.

The IDF will continue to fulfill its task to protect and defend the State of Israel, its sovereignty and citizens, as long as it is required.




In first, Israel bombs Hamas post in response to Gazan ‘attack kites’
Israeli military aircraft struck a Hamas site in the northern Gaza Strip used as a launching pad for incendiary kites Saturday night, the military said Sunday.

For the past several weeks, Gazans have been regularly flying kites outfitted with containers of burning fuel, often including charcoal and bags of sugar to ensure a long, slow burn.

The attack was in response to “terrorists launching burning incendiaries in an attempt to a cause fire in Israeli territory,” an army spokesperson said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties in Palestinian media.

The army said the Hamas site was located next to the fence separating Israel from the Gaza Strip, which has been the scene of several weeks of violent confrontations over the past weeks.

This was the first known case of the army striking a Hamas site in response to the kite firebombs, dozens of which have been launched in recent weeks.


In new videos, IDF accuses Gazans of faking injury, taking small kids to riots
The Israeli army on Saturday night published video clips from demonstrations by Gazans at the border which it said showed protesters faking injury in order to manipulate world opinion, and using young children at the forefront of border riots.

In one clip released by the IDF, Gazan youths are shown rushing a seemingly injured youth toward safety on a stretcher through clouds of smoke and dust. Toward the end of the clip, however, the youth appears to fall off or get off the stretcher, and then gets to his feet, now seeming quite unharmed.

“Throughout Hamas’s activity, fake injuries and the exploitation of women and children are rampant,” the IDF said in a tweet.

“This was all intended to disguise terror activity, including hurling explosives & grenades, attempted infiltrations, & burning Israeli land.”

In a second clip, very young children are seen at the protests, rolling tires, and standing close to older Palestinian youths; the IDF alleges that Gazans are deliberately placing young kids near to rioters, as human shields.

Border riots continued at the weekend for a sixth week.

During riots on Friday evening, dozens of Palestinians broke into the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Israel and the Hamas-run Strip, setting fire to the gas pipeline that supplies fuel to the Strip, the army said.

The Gazans, who did not break through to the Israeli side of the border, vandalized their own supply infrastructure, Israeli military officials said.

In another incident elsewhere along the border, around 15 people broke through the border to the Israeli side of the security fence. The Gazans celebrated, and one wearing a Guy Fawkes mask and brandishing a butcher’s knife jumped up and down while crying “Allahu Akbar.”

After a short time the protesters were spotted by Israeli troops, and ran back into Gaza.


Hamas claims 6 gunmen were killed by exploding Israeli spy system, vows revenge
The military wing of Hamas on Sunday said an explosion that killed six of its men was caused by an Israeli espionage device that self-destructed after being discovered.

The large explosion that rocked the central Gaza Strip Saturday night had initially been blamed in Palestinian media reports on a so-called “work accident.”

The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas terror group, said the explosion had been triggered when a “technological espionage system” planted by Israel was opened.

The terrorist group said it held Israel directly responsible for the incident and that the country would “pay dearly” for its actions.

It also vowed revenge against Israel for the large blast, promising to “settle the score” with the “occupying enemy.”

JPost Editorial: No free lunch: Israeli-Palestinian talks
What is President Donald Trump planning for Israel? According to a report in The Jerusalem Post and Maariv on Friday, the president’s peace plan will ask Israel to withdraw from four Arab neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, likely so they can become the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Israel learned of the future demand during Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman’s visit to Washington last week.

The transfer of control over the neighborhoods – Jebl Mukaber, Isawiya, Shuafat and Abu Dis – was presented to Liberman as just one part of the larger peace plan the administration has been working on over the last year. Israel, the officials indicated, would be expected to accept the plan once it is presented despite the painful concessions.

While some US officials have denied the report, it would seem to fit into fears that some on the Right have raised in recent months. According to these Israelis, the pending move of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14 is part of a larger plan by the administration to get Israel to reciprocate with concessions of its own. As the saying goes: “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.”

Such a demand will present Israel with two problems.
David Singer: PLO Dumps Trump Easing Way for Jordan-Israel Negotiations
Any PLO refusal to agree to the deal will receive the Trump treatment meted out to Trump-defiers – reduced funding and diplomatic downgrading. Jordan – working in close alignment with Trump – will reap substantial dividends.

Pompeo referred to the five-year Memorandum of Understanding signed by the United States and Jordan in February committing the US to provide over $6.3 billion in bilateral foreign assistance to Jordan over the next five years – a powerful incentive for Jordan to help Trump bring his proposals to fruition.

Pompeo – significantly – provided two additional substantial sweeteners:
“We’ll continue to work with Jordan to help the Kingdom defend its borders, always.”

Pompeo was signaling that any PLO attempt to overthrow 95 years of unbroken Hashemite rule in Jordan – unsuccessfully attempted by the PLO in September 1970 – would be rebuffed by American military force.
Protecting the Hashemite regime and Jordan’s borders – coupled with massive injections of American financial aid – could see Jordan replacing the PLO as Israel’s Arab partner in implementing Trump’s peace proposals.
Trump – the master deal-maker – may have just pulled another rabbit out of his magic hat.

Israel almost shot down Russian jet in Syria, says former defense minister
The Israel Air Force almost shot down a Russian jet heading toward Israeli airspace, former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon said in an interview with a Russian news outlet Saturday.

“At the very beginning of the Russian presence [in Syria], there was a case where one Russian pilot almost crossed our border over the Golan Heights. If it was a Syrian plane we would have shot it down,” Ya’alon told RIA Novosti news agency.

According to Ya’alon, Israel identified the plane as it was approaching, and while it had identified it as Russian, the IAF was prepared to take it down if it did not change course. Ya’alon said contact was made with the Russian-operated Khmeimim Air Base in Syria alerting it to the danger the plane was in and following the warnings, the jet changed direction.

“The issue was resolved immediately,” he said.

The incident occurred shortly after Moscow intervened in the Syrian conflict in September 2015. Shortly thereafter, Israel and Russia implemented a deconfliction mechanism in order to avoid accidental clashes in Syrian airspace where both air forces are active.
Defense Ministry: Terrorists will get NIS 10 million each from PA
The Defense Ministry released figures Sunday alleging that some terrorists who killed Israelis will be paid more than NIS 10 million ($2.78 million) each throughout their lifetimes by the Palestinian Authority.

Ahead of a Knesset vote on a measure to cut some payments to the PA until it stops paying stipends to terrorists and their families, the ministry gave estimates of the total payments made to several jailed murderers.

In each case the ministry said the terrorist would receive NIS 1,400 ($390) per month for their first three years in prison. But the ministry did not say how much it estimated each terrorist would be paid after the first three years, or how it arrived at its estimates of what each terrorist or his family would receive by the age of 80.

The PA provides the monthly payments, usually via an intermediary organization, to the families of those convicted of carrying out terror attacks on Israelis or those killed perpetrating such attacks. Israeli officials have repeatedly demanded that the payments be stopped, saying they incentivize terror.
PMW: Even in crossword puzzles the PA presents a world without Israel
Has the Palestinian Authority returned to its use of crossword puzzles to indoctrinate Palestinians to see a world in which Israel does not exist? The following was a crossword puzzle clue and solution in the official PA daily last week:

Clue: "A mountain in Palestine that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea"
Solution: "The Galilee"
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 27, 2018]

The Galilee is a region in northern Israel and includes coastal mountains which overlook the sea. Presenting the Galilee as if it is "in Palestine," as the PA did in this crossword puzzle, is consistent with the PA policy of presenting a world in which "Palestine" replaces Israel.

Palestinian Media Watch has documented the PA's use of crossword puzzles in the past to deny Israel's existence and right to exist:
Dutch cop requests removal of Holocaust memorial sign, cites Israeli actions
A bookshop owner in the Dutch capital said that a police officer asked him to remove a sign commemorating Holocaust victims, citing Israel’s actions.

Gert-Jan Jimmink told the De Telegraaf daily in a video published online Friday that the request was over a sign that read “Open Jewish Homes, Houses of Resistance.” The sign is part of a grassroots initiative from 2011 in the Netherlands in which residents of homes that used to belong to Holocaust victims open them to the public on the week of May 4, the Netherlands’ day of Remembrance of the Dead for Dutch war casualties.

The officer asked Jimmink: “Would you mind taking that off, because Israel launched an attack,” he said. Jimmink did not say when the officer, who he did not name, requested this. He ignored the request, he said. “I will not bow to this,” he added.

Jimmink, who has commemorated Holocaust victims also by having memorial cobblestones installed outside their former homes, also said that he recently saw an anti-Semitic assault outside his shop. A man of about 40 wearing a kippah was waiting for a tram, when an older man spat on him and hit him, Jimmink said. The attacker had left by the time Jimmink rushed to intervene he said.

“But it happened right in front of my eyes,” he said.
California GOP kicks anti-Semitic candidate out of convention
The California Republican party kicked an anti-Semitic Senate candidate out of its party convention.

Patrick Little, who is running against incumbent Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, was removed from the Republican convention in San Diego Saturday, according to State GOP spokesman Matt Fleming.

A recent poll put Little at 18%, second behind Sen. Feinstein, who is polling at 39%.

Little has gained notoriety for his white supremacist and anti-Semitic rhetoric. In a campaign video posted to Youtube, Little stated that he had "dedicated my life to exposing these Jews that control our country."

In a post last month on his blog, Little wrote: “We all want what has been taboo until now to say aloud, we want to be around other whites, safe from non-whites. But unless we start voicing that sentiment regularly at the ballot box, all of the places we have retreated to will be eventually overrun by non-whites.”

Little has praised Adolf Hitler and posted anti-Semitic conspiracy theories alleging Jewish involvement in the 9/11 attacks. His campaign has been endorsed by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.
Foreigner takes Tel Aviv - without its only original member
They were juke box heroes, they showed us what love is and they were hot blooded. But the band that took the stage at the Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, was more of a tribute act than a Foreigner 40th anniversary tour. That's because the last remaining original member of the band, Mick Jones, didn't show up for the show in Israel.

According to the local production company, Jones "did not feel well ahead of his scheduled Thursday flight, and after medical checks it was decided that he is not fit to fly." Hadran Productions said attempts were made to have the 73-year-old Jones join the group later, but his medical condition would not permit.

"The show was held in Menora Mivtachim Arena to the complete satisfaction of the audience," a spokesman said.

Indeed, the rest of the group - lead singer Kelly Hansen, who has been touring with them since 2005, bassist Jeff Pilson, who arrived in 2004, guitarist and saxophonist Tommy Gimbel, who joined the group in 1992, and several even more recent additions - rocked their way through the Foreigner hit book on Saturday night.

From "Cold as Ice" to "Waiting For a Girl Like You," "Urgent," "I Want to Know What Love Is" and "Feels Like the First Time," the crowd hung on to every beat - and sang along to every word. The group was energetic and upbeat, and filled the stage with music and movement. Hansen sold the vibe with a long, extended riff on "Juke Box Hero" and several minutes of cheesy, love-laden build up to "I Want to Know What Love Is."
Flo Rida heading to Israel in July
For the first time in his career, rapper and singer Flo Rida will be performing in Israel this summer.

Tramar Lacel Dillard, better known by his stage name Flo Rida, will take the stage at the Rishon Lezion Live Park on July 5 for one show only. The Grammy-nominated performer and record-breaker will be hosting one heck of a dance party at his Israeli show amid a summer of huge international concerts.

Flo Rida has enjoyed multiple No. 1 hit songs, including "Low," "Right Round" and "Whistle." The artist has also collaborated with singers Kesha, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull and many more. "Low" was the most downloaded single of the decade that began in 2000 according to Recording Industry Association of America.

Tickets for the show range from NIS 249 to NIS 429. The tickets are available for sale at flo-rida.co.il and at *9609.
Prince Charles Will Be Guest of Honor at UK Concert Celebrating Israeli Arts and Culture
Prince Charles is scheduled to be the guest of honor at a concert in the UK celebrating 70 years of Israel’s artistic and cultural achievements, The Jewish Chronicle reported on Thursday.

The show, called “Platinum — Celebrating Israel at 70,” will feature live music, dance and art. A number of renowned and upcoming international and domestic artists are expected to take the stage and perform. The event will take place at the Royal Albert Hall on May 24 and tickets for the concert went on sale last month.

It was announced in March that Prince William was set to visit Israel in the summer, marking the first time a member of the royal family will make an official state visit to the country since its founding in 1948.

Prince Charles made a personal visit to Jerusalem in October 2016 to attend the funeral of former Israeli President Shimon Peres. During the same trip he visited the grave of his paternal grandmother Princess Alice of Battenburg, who is buried in the Church of Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.
Israeli singer a favorite to win Eurovision pop song event
As final preparations are underway for the 63rd annual Eurovision Song Contest, Israeli vocalist Netta Barzilai is a favorite to win. Her song "Toy" has already racked up more than 18.5 million views on Eurovision's YouTube channel.

"Toy," a pseudo-feminist anthem written by Stav Beger and Donor Medalie, features Netta singing "Wonder woman [a possible reference to the runaway smash hit film 'Wonder Woman,' featuring her compatriot Gal Gadot in the starring role], don't you ever forget, you're divine and he's about to regret … I'm not your toy!"

The 24-year-old native of Hod Hasharon in central Israel, is the first woman to represent Israel at the international pop song contest since 2014.

The pop music competition kicks off this weekend in Portugal and ends with the final in Lisbon on May 12.
BDS aims for 'zero points' for Israel in Eurovision
Shortly before the Eurovision song contest kicks off in Lisbon, BDS activists have come out with a campaign against the Israeli competitor in the contest, Netta Barzilai, calling for “Zero points to the song of Israeli apartheid.”

In a detailed address to other countries competing in the annual competition, the activists accuse Barzilai of being complicit in Israeli efforts to “rebrand” itself.

They write that “Barzilai served in the Israeli navy in 2014. She sang ‘My Sailor is My Angel’ to navy members, who took part later that year in the ‘Protective Edge’ massacre in Gaza.”

“The gunboat crews whom Netta Barzilai sent off with her songs played a part in the Gaza carnage,” the activists assert.
Cyclists pedal into desert as Giro d’Italia races into final Israel stage
The Giro d’Italia bike race is set to enter its final stage in Israel Sunday with a 226-kilometer sprint through the desert from the city of Beersheba down to the port city of Eilat.

The Sunday race, which kicks off at 12:30, follows a Friday time trial in Jerusalem and a dash down the coastal plain on Saturday that marked the first time a major European bike contest was held outside of the Continent.

Residents of the southern region of the country are expected to come out to cheer the cyclists on Sunday, though the number of spectators may be impacted by the start of the working week. Tens of thousands lined streets in Jerusalem and a string of cities on the coastline for the first two stages of the race.

Commuters and residents are braced for traffic jams and disruption with Zalman Shazar Street closed in Beersheba, and sections of Route 40 and Route 90, both main highways traversing the desert region, closed throughout the day. In the Red Sea city of Eilat, Durban and Kamen streets will be closed for the concluding race through the holiday resort city.

A police spokesman said Sunday that 4,000 officers are involved in the operation to secure the three-day event, with teams of officers working alongside special patrol units and border police.
Millions watch Giro D'Italia speed by stunning Israeli scenery
Millions of viewers around the world are believed to have watched as 175 cyclists competed on Sunday in the third stage of the 101st Giro d'Italia road cycling race from Beersheba to Eilat.

Israel kicked off the race in Jerusalem on Friday, less than a week after concluding the 2018 European Judo Championship in Tel Aviv, where Israeli judokas won one gold and three bronze medals.

These two athletic competitions are further proof Israel is able to host the biggest sporting events in the world, with no less excellence than the major athletic powerhouses worldwide, industry insiders said.

The three-week-long Giro, the Tour de France and Spain's Vuelta comprise the world's three major cycling tournaments and the Italian race's "Big Start" in Israel marked the first time a cycling classic has included stages outside Europe.

Dozens of broadcasters around the world will bring Sunday's race through the Negev desert to hundreds of millions of viewers, possibly reaching a billion people. The Eurosport television network alone estimated its viewership at 4.8 million viewers, who likely would not have been exposed to such a positive image of Israel otherwise, giving the country a public diplomacy boost as it marks its 70th birthday.

Some towns and villages in France and Italy owe all of their tourism to media coverage during the Giro and the Tour. Israeli tourism industry insiders hope Israel will enjoy the same benefits, saying this exposure may already be felt by the local industry this year.
Remembering Gino Bartali


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