Sunday, July 08, 2018
David Singer: Hamas and PLO Entrench Apartheid in Gaza and West Bank
The British Foreign Office showed appalling judgement when scheduling a visit by Prince William to a refugee camp in the West Bank which should have been closed down long ago. The Prince – obviously moved by what he saw – remarked:
“I saw at Jalazon (refugee camp) the tremendous hardships faced by the refugees, and I can only imagine the difficulties of life lived under these conditions, the ed (sic) resources and the lack of opportunity”
Regrettably Prince William failed to question why:
1. Jalazon had not been dismantled during the past 25 years after it came under Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) control.
2. Jalazon’s inhabitants should still be classified as “refugees” when they are living in part of former Palestine now under PLO occupation.
Prince William’s visit was closely followed by a meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and United Nations (UN) Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process – Nickolay Mladenov.
During their meeting Abbas stressed the UN's important role in providing protection for
the “Palestinian people” and the necessity of continuing to provide services to the “Palestinian refugees” through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Undiscussed between them was why the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza have failed to close down the 27 refugee camps still remaining within their respective fiefdoms.
Caroline Glick: Democrats Reject Israel Because They Reject American Nationalism
The problem is that over the past twenty years or so, the American left has undergone a profound shift in values, from liberal nationalism to radical post-nationalism. This process, facilitated and accelerated during Barack Obama’s presidency, and expressed most emblematically in Democratic support for open borders, has made post-nationalism the sine qua non of the Democrats since Trump’s electoral triumph in 2016.David P. Goldman: The Real Modern Anti-Semitism
Israel’s relations with the American left, then, are a collateral victim of a wider shift in American society. Jewish nationalism, with its inherent affinity to American nationalism, was once the basis of Israel’s relationship with the American people as a whole. But now nationalism is the main cause of the Democrats’ increasingly fraught and antagonistic relationship with the Jewish state, while remaining the foundation of ever increasing levels of Republican affinity and support for Israel.
Perhaps Israel will be able to heed Ross’s advice, at least in terms of the Democrats. Perhaps it will be able to develop a common language with the U.S. based on shared interests. There are certainly a number of steps Israel can take to advance that goal.
But the fact is that the Democrats’ shift in values from nationalist to post-nationalist, rather than any action Israel has taken in its domestic or foreign policy, is what has caused the rupture in Israel’s ties to the American left.
So long as Meretz remains a marginal force in Israeli society on the one hand, and post-nationalist forces continue to rise in the Democratic party on the other, bipartisan support for Israel, like bipartisan support for American nationalism, will remain a thing of the past.
A Brezhnev-era joke asked whether it was a crime to say that the party chairman was an idiot. The answer was yes, because it’s a state secret. For those who miss Soviet-era humor, French President Emmanuel Macron has provided some consolation, by firing the French ambassador to Budapest for observing in a private memorandum that the president of Hungary is not an anti-Semite. Evidently that is a state secret in France.
In a June 18 dispatch, Eric Fournier, the French ambassador to Hungary, reported that the alleged anti-Semitism of Hungarian President Viktor Orban was “a fantasy of the foreign press.” He added that the allegation diverted attention from the “real modern anti-Semitism,” whose source is “Muslims in France and Germany.” The private memorandum was leaked by the left-wing website Mediapart and reported widely in the French press. Hungary’s “management of illegal immigration” might be a model for France, Fournier added.
The French president denounced the memo as “contrary to the French official position,” saying that if it were shown that Fournier’s views had been made in public, he would be removed. The memo was private, but Macron fired him anyway. Fournier’s memo had struck a raw nerve. On April 18, 250 French notables, including former president Nicolas Sarkozy, had denounced the “new anti-Semitism” arising from “Islamic radicalization,” declaring: “We demand that the fight against this democratic failure that is anti-Semitism becomes a national cause before it’s too late. Before France is no longer France.” Nearly a tenth of France’s half-million Jews have emigrated in the past decade in response to Muslim violence against Jews.
Ambassador Fournier was entirely correct: Polling data provide massive evidence of Muslim anti-Semitism in France. Fifty-six percent of believing and practicing Muslims in France believe that there is “a Zionist conspiracy on a global scale,” according to a 2014 Fondapol study. French soldiers guard synagogues and Jewish schools. French Jews are advised by their community leaders not to show themselves on the street with visible signs of Jewish identity, such as a kippah.
By contrast, Hungary’s 100,000 Jews—a larger presence relative to the country’s population of 8 million—walk unmolested to synagogue in traditional Jewish costume and hold street fairs with minimal security presence. During a visit to Budapest in May, I walked from my hotel to synagogue on Friday night and Saturday wearing a kippah, crossing the city four times. No one looked at me twice. I wouldn’t attempt that in France or Germany.
Report: US peace plan to focus on Gaza first, circumvent PA
Arab officials confirmed to Israel Hayom over the weekend that the regional peace plan being devised by the United States will focus on resolving the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip prior to dealing with the other cardinal issues involved in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Outrage after PA snubs EU
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has billed the plan as the "deal of the century," is determined to push it through with the help of the moderate Arab state – Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates – even if it means going over Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' head, the officials said.
Abbas declared that he would not engage with the U.S. on peace talks after Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December and subsequently relocated the American Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The Palestinian leader maintains that these moves clearly demonstrate Trump's pro-Israel bias and therefore the U.S. cannot act as an impartial peace broker between Israel and the Palestinians.
The officials noted that the American plan to solve the crisis in Gaza was also the reason why, despite the growing tensions on the Israel-Gaza border, both Israel and Hamas are trying to avoid escalation.
The European Union is angry at Palestinian leader Rami Hamdallah, after he refused to meet with a delegation of senior EU officials during its visit to the Palestinian Authority this week, Kan reported.Saeb Erekat: Aid cuts show Australia's true attitude to the Palestinian cause
EU officials said following the incident that the EU was dissatisfied with Hamdallah's performance and the contempt he displayed towards the delegation.
The delegation is headed by Christian Danielsson, responsible for the Middle East in the European Commision and for funds transferred to the Palestinian Authority, as well as the European Union's foreign affairs managing director Fernando Gentilini, who served as EU envoy for the peace process.
Hamdallah's refusal to meet with the delegation comes after the demand by the two officials that Hamdallah give explanations about the use of EU funds, amid suspicions that the PA is using EU funds to make payments to terrorists and their families.
MK Elazar Stern (Elazar Stern) views the European move as a continuation of the Australian government's decision to stop aid payments to the Palestinian Authority due to the PA's refusal to detail the uses made of the payments and the suspicion that the payments are funding terrorists’ salaries.
While some people were dismayed by the latest decision by the Australian government to cease its financial contributions to the Palestinian government, we weren’t. It was not a complete surprise following Australia’s alignment with the current US administration during the latest United Nations vote, whereby Australia and the US voted against the Palestinian right of self-determination, an international commission of inquiry following the killings of over 100 civilians, and a call for international protection of the Palestinian people. We believe it is time for the Australian government to be sincere about their goals in Israel/Palestine and clearly state what their actions are doing: endorsing Israeli attempts at burying the Palestinian cause.Former Australian PM Tony Abbott lobbies to move embassy to Jerusalem
Indeed, the recent decision by the Australian government to stop its annual financial contribution to the Palestinian government is nothing but an appeasement to extremists. The claim that the funds are used for “activities that Australia would never support” are baseless. Even Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop, confirmed that the previous funds have been used as intended. In fact, Australia would contribute to a fund among other donors such as France, Finland, Kuwait, Norway, and the United Kingdom.
The implication of Bishop’s decision that funds used to provide Palestinians with health and education services are being diverted in a way that contradicts “Australian values” is quite a shame. She was referring to the welfare system of payments to the families of victims of the Israeli occupation, in their vast majority civilians with no political affiliation, that are relatives of people that have been either killed or imprisoned by the Israeli occupation. This has been the case of more than 800,000 Palestinians since 1967 having to confront Israeli military courts, which present a record of 99,74% of conviction rate, including thousands of minors such as Ahed Tamimi or prisoners jailed without any charges. This is not a “pay-for-slain” mechanism, rather it is a social responsibility that we will continue to honour and to which Australian money has been never used.
Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott wants to move the Australian Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.US News & World Report names Israel 8th most powerful country
“It makes sense,” he said.
Abbott, who is currently in Israel to participate in the multilateral dialogue between Australian, Israeli, British and American political figures, NGOs and academics who have been brought together by Australian businessman and philanthropist Albert Dadon, told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that he had actually proposed the moving the embassy at a previous dialogue in Jerusalem in December 2016, before US President Donald Trump had actually ordered the move of the US Embassy.
The question then begged to be asked: Why didn’t Abbott move the embassy during his own term as prime minister?
“It wasn’t on my radar,” he admitted. He only began think about it when Trump pledged during his campaign that unlike his predecessors he would follow through with the Jerusalem Embassy Act.
Abbott brought up the subject again in May last year when he came to Israel to receive an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University, and he was very outspoken about it in Australia this year in tandem with Trump’s promise becoming a reality.
Abbott sees it as much an act of solidarity with the US as he does with Israel.
Israel is the eighth most powerful country in the world, according to U.S. News & World Report magazine's 2018 best country rankings, placing ahead of most European countries, Australia and Canada.After 55 years, Israeli Navy returns to French coast for joint exercise
The power index measures a country's ability to project its influence on the global stage by factoring its diplomatic, economic and military might.
According to the index, the United States remains the most powerful country in the world, while other countries' rankings were reshuffled amid global insecurity.
"The U.S. is the dominant economic and military force in the world, and its cultural imprint encompasses the planet," the magazine concludes.
Israel ranked eighth, after Russia, China, Germany, Great Britain, France and Japan in descending order. Saudi Arabia and the United Emirates rounded out the top 10 respectively.
"For its relatively small size, the country has played a large role in global affairs," the magazine said. "The country has a strong economy, landmarks of significance to several religions and strained relationships with many of its Arab neighbors."
The Israeli Navy completed an extended exercise with the French military off the southern French coast Saturday, its first time conducting such a drill in over 50 years, the army said.Slain Likud South Africa head remembered as ‘true Zionist’
Two Israeli warships, the INS Kidon and INS Eilat, took part in the exercise off the coast of Toulon in southern France.
The drill, which began in late June, included a large variety of scenarios, the army said, including “cooperation with helicopters, firing cannons, training with fighter jets to simulate missiles fired at the troops’ ships, a mass casualty event, the rescue of casualties and more.”
It was the Israeli Navy’s first exercise in French waters since 1963, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
The head of the Israeli Navy, Maj. Gen. Eli Sharvit, met with the head of the French fleet, Admiral Christophe Prazuck, during the exercise.
“In the current age, in which there are many revolutions and changes, the view of the Israeli Navy needs to be global,” Sharvit said during the meeting.
The chairman of the Likud South Africa group was remembered as a “true Zionist” and “dedicated member of the Jewish community,” days after he was gunned down at his workplace in South Africa by unidentified assailants.South Africa says it won’t reinstate Israel envoy for now
Sergio Kowensky, 67, was killed last Tuesday in a southern suburb of Johannesburg at his air-conditioning firm, in what the police force of the crime-ridden city is treating as a workplace dispute but some in the Jewish community speculate may have been linked to his Jewish and Israel activism.
The death of Kowensky, an outspoken advocate for Israel, came as a shock for the Jewish community of South Africa’s largest town, which numbers some 50,000 members.
“His death is a terrible tragedy,” Avrom Krengel, chairman of the South African Zionist Federation of which Kowensky was a member representing the Likud party, told The Times of Israel Sunday. “There is no other way to put it.”
Kowensky was “always very involved in the federation and the community, deeply dedicated to Israel and really engaged with the country and with the politics there,” Krengel said.
South Africa is keeping its ambassador away from Israel until further notice, the country’s foreign minister announced.Minister ascends the Temple Mount after three-year ban lifted
“I’m very glad that I recalled the ambassador, because we could have not been in the situation that we are at now. It’s been a violation that has been going on for a long time, and we can’t be looking away,” International Relations Minister Lindiwe Sisulu told local media last week.
“We are holding back on our ambassador until we are certain that we are making headway. For us this is an unacceptable situation, completely unacceptable.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment.
Ambassador Sisa Ngombane was recalled to Pretoria on May 14 “until further notice,” in protest of the deaths of at least 55 Palestinians in violent clashes with Israeli troops on the Gaza border. Hamas later said that most of the dead were its members.
“The South African government condemns in the strongest terms possible the latest act of violent aggression carried out by Israeli armed forces along the Gaza border‚ which has led to the deaths of over 40 civilians‚” a statement from the country’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation read at the time.
Member of Knesset and Minister of Agriculture Uri Ariel ascended the Temple Mount on Sunday morning.Palestinian Authority strongly condemns Jews visiting Temple Mount
Uri Ariel's visit to the Temple Mount came after the three-year ban on Members of Knesset visiting the holy site was revoked by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ariel is a member of the the Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home) party, and in a Sunday morning interview with Kan radio, Ariel mentioned that he did not agree with party leader Naftali Bennett's stance on Members of Knesset not visiting the controversial holy site.
The new policy, revised by Netanyahu, allows members of Knesset to visit the Temple Mount once ever three months and reverses previous legislation which forbade MK's from visitations for security reasons.
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein distributed to Knesset members new instructions on Thursday for going up on the Temple Mount. Edelstein’s instructions followed a decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to let MKs visit the controversial holy site once every three months after not permitting them to go there for the past two years.
In addition, Member of Knesset Sharren Haskel from the Likud party ascended the Temple Mount. The last time she visited the Temple Mount was three weeks before she was sworn into the Knesset.
The Palestinian Authority on Sunday strongly condemned visits by Jews to the Temple Mount and accused the Israeli government of targeting Islamic religious sites in Jerusalem.Israel is on fire
The PA also held the US administration and the Israeli government responsible for what it described as "assaults" on Islamic and Christian holy sites, and called on Arabs and Muslims to take action to stop Jews from "storming" the Temple Mount.
The strongly-worded statement comes after member of Knesset and Minister of Agriculture Uri Ariel ascended the Temple Mount earlier in the day.
His visit to the Temple Mount came after the three-year ban on Members of Knesset visiting the holy site was revoked by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
There were fields and fields of black. I was with a large group of 300 photographers on a trip to southern Israel to document the destruction caused by flaming kites and balloons.Once, this was paradise
It seems the world doesn’t know, but for more than three months, fighting fire has been the daily routine of the people in southern Israel where, instead of working the land, they have to watch it burn. Kites and balloons carrying flaming materials are sent from the Gaza strip every day into the nearby Israeli communities, setting fire to everything — entire agricultural fields, nature reserves.
The plants that every winter and spring fill the area with life have been turned into ashes. The dead bodies of animals that weren’t fast enough to escape the flames or the smoke are strewn across the naked, ashy fields and amid the stumps of forests that once used to be green and full of life. This is the reality of daily life across much of southern Israel.
Since March, Hamas in Gaza has been instigating arson terrorism against Israel, sowing destruction in what were once thriving & flourishing lands.
Israelis Escort Palestinian Patients from the Gaza Strip to Hosptials in Israel
Nearly every day, Israeli volunteers from 'The Road to Recovery' arrive at the Erez Crossing in order to transport Palestinian patients from the Gaza Strip to hospitals in Israel where they receive medical treatment.
The Erez Crossing is the main crossing for the exit of Gazans to the world. Hundreds of people enter and leave the Gaza Strip every day, even during difficult times, when terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip launch rockets at Israel. Despite the difficulties, the disturbances, the terrorist acts and the security situation, the central reason for the Erez Crossing remaining open is humanitarian. Israel allows Gazans in need of medical treatment to travel to hospitals in Israel, Palestinian hospitals in Judea and Samaria and even abroad.
Take for example last week Tuesday, (22.5.2018) Hedva, a mother of three and grandmother of five, arrived at the Erez crossing in the morning and waited to receive four Gazans - two patients with their two escorts. Hedva is one of hundreds of volunteers who are part of the ‘The Road to Recovery’ organization, which helps transport Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria to hospitals in Israel for proper medical treatment, medical examinations and hospitalization.
Palestinian hurls explosive at West Bank intersection
A Palestinian man threw a pipe bomb at an intersection in the northern West Bank Sunday, causing neither injury to nearby Israeli troops nor damage to their post, the army said.Palestinians See New U.S.-Made Police Jeeps as ‘Hypocrisy’
IDF troops have launched a search for the culprit, focusing on the nearby Palestinian city of Nablus, the military said.
Soldiers were checking those entering and exiting the city, as well as sweeping the surrounding area.
The incident took place at the Jit Junction, west of Nablus.
The vehicles were delivered to the Palestinian Authority as part of the U.S. security-related aid packageHaniyeh's niece seriously wounded in Gaza border protests
Angry Palestinians have accused their own government of “hypocrisy” over of a new batch of American-made jeeps recently delivered to the Palestinian Authority’s Police Department in Ramallah.
The jeeps came from the United States Consulate in Jerusalem despite the diplomatic boycott that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas imposed on American officials. The PA has been protesting the American move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital since last December—a move many Palestinians regard as “unfair” toward their cause.
The Media Line took to the streets of Ramallah to ask Palestinians how they feel about the brand-new American-made jeeps, part of the U.S. aid package to the PA.
One Palestinian, who spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed his disappointment with the Palestinian leadership. “We don’t trust them anymore. Their stated positions are different from their real ones,” he said.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's niece was seriously wounded on Friday during "March of Return" protests on the Gaza border.Palestinian killed as Gaza border riots enter 4th month
The niece, 38-year-old Zahadia Khaled Haniyeh, suffered a gunshot wound to her stomach while she was taking part in the protests on the border fence.
Her uncle came to visit her at the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Saturday morning. He also visited other Palestinians wounded in the protests.
"The Palestinian people will continue with the marches despite the many wounded, until the land is purified of the filth of the occupation," Ismail Haniyeh said.
During the weekend, Fatah and Hamas representatives were in Egypt for talks in an effort to restart the reconciliation process between the two warring factions, after it had reached a dead end in recent months.
Thousands of Palestinians demonstrated near the Israel-Gaza Strip border on Friday, as part of Hamas' border riot campaign, now in its fourth month.In Vienna, Iran Fails to Get Guarantees on Continued Access to Oil, Financial Markets
The military said hundreds of rioters torched tires and hurled rocks and firebombs at the troops.
Several Palestinians approached the security fence near the abandoned Karni crossing in northern Gaza and tried hurling explosives over the border. The device landed on the Gazan side and several Palestinians were wounded.
No injuries were reported among the Israeli troops involved in the incident.
The Gaza Health Ministry said a 22-year-old protester was killed and 400 others were wounded in Friday's riots. It accused the IDF of shelling protesters east of Gaza City.
According to the ministry, Friday's fatality brings the number of Palestinians killed since the border demonstrations began on March 30, to 136.
The military denied the allegations, saying troops used standard crowd control measures, as well as gunfire, as they confronted 3,000 Palestinians at five points along the security fence.
Iran failed to get concrete guarantees from the remaining members of the Iranian nuclear deal on access to oil and financial markets as the United States is set to resume harsh sanctions on the Islamic Republic in the coming months.KLM suspends service to Tehran, delivers further blow to Iranian economy
“The participants stressed their determination to effectively develop and implement practical solutions,” said European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini, who convened the meeting on Friday in Vienna, Bloomberg reported.
After a two-hour meeting, which included ministers from the European Union, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia and China and even Iran, a 11-point list of commitments was released that laid out Iranian access to energy markets, shipping insurance and foreign investment. However, the list did not give any specific measures on how to provide those guarantees.
“All the members, even the three allies, have committed and have the political will to take action and resist the United States,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Javed Zarif told a Vienna news conference broadcast by the Fars news agency.
Both sides are attempting to keep the Iranian nuclear deal alive after US President Donald Trump pulled out of the agreement in May and re-imposed sanctions. Iran is hoping to continue to benefit from deal by having access to international financial markets and oil exports. However, the Trump administration has said that any plans to continue to do business with Iran will run afoul of US sanctions.
Royal Dutch Airlines announced on Saturday that it will suspend its direct flights to Tehran, delivering another blow to Iran’s struggling economy.Woman running for Congress in Minnesota rejects anti-Semitism accusations
The Dutch airline KLM said in a statement: “As a result of the negative results and financial outlook for the Tehran operation, the last flight will take off from Amsterdam on September 22, 2018 and land at Schiphol on September 23.”
The timing of the airline’s announcement coincided with a major diplomatic spat between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Netherlands.
Tehran summoned the Dutch ambassador and the Islamic Republic protested the deportation of two Iranian diplomats in the Netherlands, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by IRNA – Iran’s state-controlled media outlet – on Saturday. The Dutch government declined to cite the reasons for the expulsion of the Iranian diplomats.
A Somali-American Muslim woman running to succeed Democratic Congressman Keith Ellison in Minnesota has pushed back against accusations of anti-Semitism over comments she made against Israel.IsraellyCool: Students for Justice in Palestine Admit They Want The Destruction of Israel
In a 2012 tweet, Minnesota State Representative Ilhan Omar accused Israel of “evil doings” as the Israeli military carried out an aerial campaign meant to halt rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip by Hamas and other terror groups.
“Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel,” she wrote at the time.
Amid heightened scrutiny over the tweet as she runs for the congressional seat in Minnesota’s 5th district, Omar told ABC News on Sunday she is not anti-Semitic and accused critics of “bigotry.”
Minnesota State Representative Ilhan Omar (R) in the music video for Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You.” (Screen capture: YouTube)
“These accusations are without merit. They are rooted in bigotry toward a belief about what Muslims are stereotyped to believe,” she said, without apologizing for or retracting her claims from the 2012 tweet.
Omar has also hit back at critics on social media, including one Twitter user who referred to her as a “proud Jew hater” after she made a cameo in the music video of pop group Maroon 5’s song “Girls Like You.”
“Drawing attention to the apartheid Israeli regime is far from hating Jews. You are a hateful sad man, I pray to Allah you get the help you need and find happiness,” she wrote in response.
Last year, I discovered proof that Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) truly believe that Israel has no right to exist, but have to pretend otherwise in order to get university funds and reject claims of antisemitism.Yisrael Medad: IfNotNow's Historical Roots - A Note
Now it seems they can’t bother pretending anymore. From a piece of theirs in the California Aggie, the official campus newspaper for UC Davis, in response to another piece by Aggies for Israel accusing SJP of spreading hate.
Lastly, it is an ideological fantasy to really believe that progress is possible so long as the state of Israel exists. Underlying this naive fantasy is the belief that a state that engages in racist laws, systematic killings and home demolitions can also function as a beacon of peace. The goal of Palestinian resistance is not to establish “love” with those who are responsible for the suffering of the Palestinian people; it is to completely dismantle those forces at play.
Please join me in contacting UC Davis Chancellor Gary May in letting him know about this. It is completely unacceptable for a university club, which I assume is receiving funding, to promote the destruction of a country.
From "Central European Ethnonationalism and Zionist Binationalism" by Yfaat Weiss published in Jewish Social Studies, New Series, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Autumn, 2004), pp. 93-117:
IsraellyCool: Roger Waters’ New Disgusting Ploy to Deflect from Antisemitism Accusations Against Him
Antisemite Roger Waters spends a lot of time trying to convince people he is not an antisemite: whenever he gets the chance, he denies he is one, and has even made “Resist Antisemitism” a part of his shows.Germany Has Zero Tolerance for BDS
But now I see he has come up with a new ploy to deflect from the antisemitism accusations against him.
But for as avant-garde as some of the staging was, there was no illusion about what message Waters wanted to walk away with. The first act ended with school kids from Portobello in London. They started out dressed in orange like prisoners but wore execution-style masks over their head. By the end of the song, they broke free and revealed T-shirts that said, “Resist.” The entirety of the 20-minute intermission was visuals parsing what people should resist. These topics include Mark Zuckerberg (“He is slowly trying to eliminate any website that doesn’t conform to his consumerist world view”), anti-Semitism and “Israeli anti-Semitism” (“Yes, Israel discriminates against Palestinians on the basis of religion and ethnicity”), Nikki Haley (“All she needs is a Darth Vader helmet and she’d be the perfect representative for the evil empire”), neo-fascism, alliances with tyrants, the military industrial complex and profit from war and so on.
Western Media Confused After Discovering Israel Not Involved in Most Middle East Conflicts (satire)
Due to escalating tensions in Middle Eastern countries, arriving Western journalists were shocked to discover that the Middle East has a ton of conflicts, and very few are even remotely related to Israel.3 French Muslim men sentenced for anti-Semitic rape, robbery
“I always write about the ‘Middle Eastern’ conflict being Israelis vs. Palestinians, but it turns out, the Middle East is a huge, complex, messed up region,” a BBC journalist exclaimed. “Who knew?”
Despite heavy media attention on Israel, a deeper analysis has uncovered that the Middle East/Northern Africa geographic areas are, to use a technical term, ‘ridiculously fucked up’. Between ISIS still in Syria, a Syrian civil war that just won’t fucking quit, a Yemeni civil war, a coalition fighting in Yemen, a failed Libyan government, two ousted Egyptian leaders only to be left with a quasi-dictator, a FUBAR-Iraq, and Iran funding proxy terror organizations while marching toward nuclear arms, the Elders of Zion apparently had their hands quite full over the past several years.
“Let’s take what’s going on in Yemen for example,” a New York Times reporter said. “It gets super complicated when you have a predominantly Muslim country that’s fractured along sectarian lines, with Saudi Arabia and Iran, two other Muslim countries, arming the two opposite sides…… yada, yada, yada, my brain is starting to hurt. It’s a lot simpler to just reinforce the Jews vs. Muslims narrative, so historically, that’s what we’ve tried to do.”
Three men who committed an anti-Semitic rape and robbery in a Paris suburb were sentenced in a French court.10 arrested in Germany after man is punched in alleged anti-Semitic attack
Two of the men, Abdou Salam Koita, 26, and Ladje Haidara, 23, who committed the rape, were in court in Val-de-Marne, southeast of Paris, on Friday when the sentences were announced. They were sentenced to 8 years and 13 years respectively.
A third man, Houssame Hatri, 22, who was found guilty of making the anti-Semitic slurs, remains on the lam. He was sentenced to 16 years.
Two accomplices also were sentenced to five and six years in prison.
The court recognized the anti-Semitic nature of the 2014 attack on the young couple in an apartment in the Paris suburb of Creteil.
The attackers chose their victims because they were sure they had money since they are Jewish. The couple, aged 19 at the time, were staying at the apartment of the man’s parents, where they were attacked.
Haidara raped the woman while another guarded her boyfriend inside the apartment. The third went out to withdraw the couple’s money from a cash machine with their stolen credit cards and ATM cards while the other two stayed behind. They also stole jewelry from the apartment.
“Jews, you have money at home, you do not put it in the bank,” one of the assailants said during the attack.
German police arrested 10 people Sunday over an alleged anti-Semitic attack in a Berlin park.Oregon Hillel Vandalized
The group, aged between 15 and 25, including three women, were detained following the assault in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Police did not give the names or nationalities of the suspects or the victim, but German daily Welt reported that all involved are Syrians.
Police said the victim had approached the group in a park to borrow a lighter, but his cigarette was snatched away.
The 25-year-old was wearing a chain with a Star of David, which police said was ripped from the victim’s neck by one of the men, while spewing “anti-Semitic insults.”
The attacker allegedly repeatedly punched the victim in the face, before fleeing.
The victim was treated in a hospital after suffering cuts to the head.
We apologize for the graphic content, but today we were shocked and saddened to return to our building in Eugene to find one of our welcome signs in our parking lot covered with hate filled graffiti. We greatly appreciate the immediate support of President Schill, the Dean of Students Office and the Office of Equity and Inclusion. All have voiced their concern and support for our community and offered their resources. We have removed the sign and will work to clean it off – there is no other damage or graffiti to any other parts of the building. We have also communicated with Chabad & Akiva on Campus to make sure that they are aware and have offered to help keep an eye on all of our properties throughout the summer.Spanish soccer giants Atlético Madrid to open academy in Beersheba
Below is a statement from Kevin Marbury, University of Oregon Vice President – Division of Student Life – we are very grateful for the quick response and support that the the university has shown to our Hillel and Jewish community on campus. Despite hate we celebrate light by lighting the Shabbat candles with our community around the world -
"Jewish student community members,
We have been made aware of anti-Sematic graffiti that recently appeared outside the The Oregon Hillel Foundation. Anti-Semitism and other forms of hate have no place at the University of Oregon. We condemn this as an unacceptable violation our university values. The UO Police Department has taken the initial report and is working with Eugene PD to further investigate. To the extent we are able, we will share additional information as it becomes available.
Spanish soccer giants Atlético Madrid and Israeli champions Hapoel Beersheba announced Sunday the opening of a youth academy in southern Israel.Rapper Flo Rida Says After ‘Epic’ Israel Concert: ‘I Can’t Wait to Return’
The establishment of the Beersheba academy, which seeks to boost the quality of the Israeli team's youth system, was announced by Alona Barkat, Beersheba's president, Idan Ofer, Israeli businessman and shareholder of Atlético, accompanied by Emilio Gutiérrez, director of Atlético’s academy.
“Atlético Madrid is one of the best teams in the world. For many years, they’ve been raising academy players in a great way,” said Barkat. “I’m positive this alliance with [Atlético’s] academy will help us keep growing.”
Beersheba have enjoyed both domestic and European success in recent years, winning the Israeli Premier League for the past three seasons.
“[I’m proud] to have taken a part In putting the two clubs in contact with each other,” said Ofer. “This will be a successful project.”
Atlético CEO Miguel Ángel Gil spoke of the importance of the academy as a center of tolerance through sport.
American rapper Flo Rida called his concert in Israel’s Rishon Lezion Live Park on Thursday night “epic,” and told his Instagram followers he was looking forward to being back in the Jewish state in the near future.North American sports figures enjoy exploring Israel
“I fed off the people’s energy throughout the night,” the Grammy-nominated performer said about his concert. “Can’t wait to return…Until then stay prayed up and count your blessings.”
He also said Israeli singer Shiri Maimon, who joined him on stage during the show, was “a gift to me and the people.”
Ahead of his concert, the “Low” singer toured Israel and visited Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, among other locations. He shared photos from all the stops on Instagram and said, “How can you not be different after experiencing the #HolyLand.”
It was Ira Stahlberger’s first time in Israel, but even before heading back to Chicago on July 1 he had already booked a family trip to Israel for his daughter’s bat mitzvah in December.Archaeologists uncover gate to biblical city of Zer
The senior vice president of talent marketing for sports and entertainment agency WME-IMG had met Israeli Olympic and Paralympic gold medalists, learned Israeli self-defense martial art Krav Maga and spoken with the owner of Bnei Sakhnin, the first Arab soccer team to win the Israeli National Cup.
He’d hiked up Masada, strolled down Tel Aviv’s Rothschild Boulevard, floated on the Dead Sea and sampled local cuisine ranging from Georgian to Armenian to barbecue.
“My expectations were extremely high and I wasn’t disappointed,” Stahlberger told ISRAEL21c on the final day of the eight-day Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation REALITY Sports tour for global change-makers.
Archaeologists have uncovered the entrance gate to the biblical city of Zer during excavations carried out in the Golan Heights over the past two weeks, the Golan Regional Council said Sunday.
In recent days, and after a year of recess, a group of 20 archaeologists from all over the world, together with director of the Bethsaida Project, Dr. Rami Arav, and under the auspices of the Hebrew Union College, Jerusalem, conducted new excavations in two different areas of Bethsaida. The ancient fishing village is mentioned several times in the New Testament as a city where Jesus lived and where he miraculously fed a multitude of people with five loaves and two fish.
Archaeologists sifting for artifacts at biblical city of Zer (Hanan Shapir) Archaeologists sifting for artifacts at biblical city of Zer (Hanan Shapir)
Archaeologists said the size, wealth and impressive fortifications indicate that Zer was a major city.
“There are not many gates in this country from this period. Bethsaida was the name of the city during the Second Temple period, but during the First Temple period it was the city of Zer,” Arav said, pointing to Joshua 19:35, which says: “The fortified towns were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth.”
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