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Tuesday, August 21, 2018

08/21 Links Pt2: Official PA media is a propaganda machine; Democrats Are Fielding Even More Anti-Semitic Candidates For Congress; Annan's failures explain why the U.N. remains a sad farce

From Ian:

PMW: Official PA media is a propaganda machine
Official PA media is a propaganda machine in the "struggle" against the State of Israel, say the heads of official PA media. What this means in practice is that the role of PA media is not to objectively "report," but literally to "create" the story.

Palestinian Media Watch has asserted for years that the official PA media is completely controlled by the leadership. As such, all the official PA media lies and libels, glorification of terror and terrorists, and presentation of a world in which Israel does not exist and has been replaced by "Palestine" - all this must be recognized as PA leadership messages.

Two recent statements on official PA TV about its own role confirm PMW's assertions. PA TV hosted the Programs Division Director of official PA TV, Nizar Al-Ghoul, who explained that PA TV was not merely for entertainment but was a central part of the "struggle". He pointed out that Ahmad Assaf, the head of all official PA media and an Abbas appointee, "would follow everything small and large, direct every assignment, and follow the details. He surprises you when he calls you to ask about a tiny detail in some program."

In a different interview the director general of PA TV Khaled Sukkar explained that PA TV "is not a neutral media outlet; it is a media outlet with a national cause." And therefore, he explained, the role of PA media "is not to report... [it] is to create the news item and so that others convey that news item, because you have the ability to convey the message. In the end it is your narrative."
Democrats Are Fielding Even More Anti-Semitic Candidates For Congress
It Gets Way Crazier

Lastly, there is Leslie Cockburn, the Democratic nominee in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. The Virginia GOP has accused her of being a “virulent anti-Semite,” based on her-coauthorship of “Dangerous Liaison: The Inside Story of the U.S.-Israeli Covert Relationship,” a book that “advocated for the inherently anti-Semitic belief that Israel controls America’s foreign policy.”

The Virginia GOP quoted from The New York Times review of the book: “Its first message is that, win or lose, smart or dumb, right or wrong, suave or boorish, Israelis are a menace. The second is that the Israeli-American connection is somewhere behind just about everything that ails us.”

The press release also cited the Commentary review, which catalogs some of the book’s bizarre claims:

According to this book, Stalin himself may have been goaded into the cold war by Israel’s use of Soviet and Czechoslovak Jews for espionage. In 1967, Israel plainly hoodwinked Nasser into words and deeds that lent cover to Israel’s own premeditated seizure of Arab lands. In 1990-91, Saddam Hussein started the Gulf War not out of any desire for Kuwait and Saudi Arabia but because of his belief in ‘a conspiracy between Israel and the U.S. to attack him’—a belief that this book says is ‘correct.’ And then there is Israel’s culpability for Idi Amin, Mobutu, Noriega, the plight of the Kurds, the suffering of Guatemalans, and much, much more.

The Republicans omitted the Los Angeles Times review, which mentions some of these claims before adding: “Many of the book’s boldest assertions, however, are supported by little more than unfriendly speculation: that secrets obtained by Israel’s spy in Washington, Jonathan Pollard, were passed on to the Soviets; that the late extremist Meir Kahane planted bombs on Israeli government orders; that Israel has ‘seeded’ the Golan Heights with nuclear land mines.”

All four of these candidates may join the Democratic Caucus, perhaps even a majority, in the 116th Congress. DSA celebrity Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is almost certain to be there, has remained silent on the BDS issue, and the media generally seems uninterested in getting an answer. Also, there will almost certainly be returning incumbents who retain political relationships with Farrakhan.

Americans look at British politics and wonder how the Labour Party came under the thrall of someone with the anti-Semitic views of Jeremy Corbyn. One reason is that anti-Semitism seems to be a successful political strategy among a swath of the left.

Another reason is that so many other people looked the other way while it was happening. Now that we’ve seen it happen in the United Kingdom, there will be far less excuse for us to be surprised if and when it happens here.

Why Your 2018 Midterm Vote Is Crucial For America AND Israel
You should also consider which party supports Israel, our number one ally in the middle east. In 2008 this site suggested that a Barack Obama presidency would be the most anti-Israel in history, that prediction was correct. In 2016 we predicted that the Trump Administration would be very pro-Israel, also accurate. Today the forecast is the loss of a Republican majority in Congress will harm Trump’s ability to maintain his pro-Israel policies, he will have too many other priorities, such as fighting for the economy and possibly fighting impeachment.

If you are a supporter of Israel before you vote, remember how the party has moved away from Israel in its 2012 and 2016 platforms. Remember how the deputy chairman of the party is Keith Ellison, a student of Louis Farrakhan. Remember the twenty-one other Democratic members of Congress in the Congressional Black Caucus who hid their association with Farrakhan. Remember how Democrats such as Kirstin Gillibrand and NY Governor Chris Cuomo demonstrated their support of anti-Semite Linda Sarsour, or how Democrats fawned over Al Sharpton who led two anti-Semitic pogroms in New York City at his 60th birthday gala. It was attended by Democrats like Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Jerold Nadler. Remember how the Democratic Party voted for the Iran Deal, and how Obama trashed Israel with a vote at the UN days before he was to leave office. Remember to ignore the leadership of Jewish Organizations such as the ADL, and the AJC who knew about Obama’s plans to drive a wedge between the U.S. and Israel but remained silent, proving their primary loyalty is to the Democratic Party.

Understand that as the Democratic party moves leftward, they are becoming even more anti-Israel.

And remember that over thirty years ago Secretary of State James Baker said: “F**k the Jews they won’t vote for us anyway.” But because of most American Jews’ blind Democratic Party loyalty no matter what– the Democratic Party attitude today is “F**k the Jews they will vote for us whatever we do!”

And as the party moves leftward and becomes more anti-Israel and anti-faith, Jews who support the Jewish state have to move on from the Democratic party that continues to take them for granted.

Seventy-eight days, time to think about the future, it is essential for America and for Israel.



Annan's failures explain why the U.N. remains a sad farce
"If personal dignity and good intentions are enough to justify a long career, then Kofi Annan deserves all of the plaudits that he's received in the wake of his death at the age of 80.
...
But the first line of The New York Times' lengthy and generally laudatory obituary, in which the paper noted that he 'projected himself and his organization as the world's conscience and moral arbiter despite bloody debacles that stained his record as a peacekeeper,' requires a response. The fact that Annan was far from the worst example of those who populated that moral cesspool makes his death an appropriate moment to evaluate the awful failures over which he presided. More than that, a serious discussion of what happened on his watch explains why the entire idea of global institutions has become discredited, despite the continued support it receives from much of the foreign-policy establishment and those associated with the Obama administration.
...
Annan believed that his crowning achievement-and something that might perhaps justify the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize he shared with the United Nations as a whole-was a 2005 unanimous U.N. vote to accept the concept of 'the responsibility to protect.'...It was particularly ironic for Annan because it was during his time as the head of U.N. peacekeeping operations that genocides were allowed to happen without the world body or even Western governments that purport to care about the issue lifting a finger to help.
...
Annan also was the man who presided over the 'oil for food' scandal-a shocking scam pulled off by his son, Kojo, who traded on his father's prestige in order to profit from crooked deals linked to humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of those who lived in Saddam Hussein's Iraq when it was being sanctioned by the international community for the regime's crimes.
...
The same piece points out that Annan also believed he had reformed the United Nations by replacing the corrupt and blatantly anti-Semitic Commission on Human Rights with a new Human Rights Council. The fact that the council turned out to be every bit as bad (if not worse) as the commission it replaced may not be Annan's fault. But it does speak volumes about the illusions that the foreign-policy establishment continues to hold about international institutions of this sort.

That's the worst thing about the plaudits for Annan. Both the U.N. bureaucracy and most of those who claim to be experts on foreign policy tend to confuse their endlessly expressed good intentions about making the world a better or more peaceful place for actually doing things to effectuate those goals..."
How SodaStream went from bubbles to splash with $3.2 billion PepsiCo deal
Targeting health-conscious and green-leaning consumers with messages whipping US beverage giants like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo Inc. for their use of plastic bottles is what helped Israel’s SodaStream grow from a simple maker of fizzy water into a behemoth worth $3.2 billion, as the acquisition deal with US beverage and food maker PepsiCo Inc. has valued the firm.

On Monday, PepsiCo signed a deal to acquire the home seltzer machine company for $3.2 billion in cash.

Just as Intel Corp. said about Israel’s Mobileye, which it acquired last year, SodaStream will remain an independent unit within PepsiCo, with its headquarters in Israel and maintaining its own brand.

The deal will allow the Israeli firm to have “access to resources we may not have had until today,” the company’s CEO Daniel Birnbaum said in an interview on Monday. But it will also ensure the company keeps its young heart.

“A lot of the big corporates realize that if they try to integrate acquisitions, especially entrepreneurial acquisitions, or startups, into the corporation, you basically kill them, you destroy the spirit. The heart,” he said.

“We are not a startup,” he added. But “we have a mentality of a startup.”
A victory for sanity
Up until the late 1980s, Pepsi wouldn't touch Israel. It entered the Israeli market when Pizza Hut opened its first branch in the Jewish state in 1990, offering Pepsi to Israeli customers for the very first time. When the corporation exhausted its competition with Coca-Cola in the U.S. market, it began to compete for the European market, and then Israel.

This history may be unpleasant to hear at a time like this. After all, PepsiCo just announced it would purchase Israeli home soda-machine manufacturer SodaStream for $3.2 billion. But this information is important mainly because it is still relevant.

For years, SodaStream has been the target of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. The firm's answer to the provocations against it was to return fire. SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum's response was to stamp the Israeli flag and a "Made in Israel" logo on every product offered by the company. He traveled the world, even going to the United Nations, to speak out against BDS. That is why Pepsi's acquisition of SodaStream – beyond all the other repercussions – is a victory for sanity.
SodaStream CEO to receive Israel industry award
As part of the celebrations marking 70 years to Israel's founding, the Manufacturers Association of Israel formed a special committee to select ten leading manufacturers to win the industry award as well as a lifetime achievement award.

SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum was one of the winners selected by the committee for having transformed the small company, purchased 10 years ago for $6 million, into a what the committee called a "huge international success now famous around the world."

The news came ahead of PepsiCo's announcement it would acquire Israeli home soda-machine manufacturer SodaStream.

In a statement, the Manufacturers Association of Israel noted that "alongside the business success and innovative marketing, Daniel became famous for being a human and warm manager who maintains direct contact with his employees, who come from different backgrounds, religions and nationalities. Israelis, Jews and new immigrants, many hundreds [of workers] from the Bedouin sector and even employees from the Palestinian Authority all work together, shoulder to shoulder, in coexistence and peace."

In addition to Birnbaum, Ben & Jerry's Israel CEO Avi Zinger, CEO of security barrier manufacturer Trellidor Henry Zimmerman, CEO of micro-irrigation firm Netafim Ran Maidan and the president of strategic partnerships at technological manufacturer Flextronics Ruvi Shaibel, were also awarded the 2018 industry award.
BBC News website’s SodaStream report sidesteps its own previous reporting
Readers were not informed that SodaStream’s operations in Israel will continue as usual for at least 15 years. Neither were they informed that PepsiCo only entered the Israeli market in 1992, having previously conformed to the Arab League boycott.

Interestingly, the BBC’s report also refrained from mentioning that just four years ago, SodaStream was targeted by anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaigners including a political NGO – a campaign which was vigorously amplified on the BBC News website and on other platforms in early 2014.

BBC News recycles second-hand SodaStream slur, fails to explain BDS

BBC displays its campaigning colours in SodaStream story coverage

As was noted here at the time:

“As its coverage of this story shows, the BBC has abandoned its role as a provider of news and information regarding the anti-Israel BDS movement and emphatically tied its colours to the campaigning mast.”
Israel to launch #No2Antisemitism campaign at UNGA
"Presidents, prime ministers, ambassadors and ministers will be asked to participate in an online campaign against anti-Semitism which is being initiated by the Israeli delegation to the United Nations.

The 73rd United Nations General Assembly meeting is scheduled to take place in New York next month, between September 25-28, where the Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon will launch an online campaign against anti-Semitism.

The campaign will include slogans such as: 'united against anti-Semitism,' 'anti-Semitism has no place in our world,' 'we were not born to hate,; and 'make your voice heard against anti-Semitism.'

A kiosk will be erected at the entrance to the UN building and Ambassador Danon will ask world leaders to stop by and be photographed or videoed next to one of the campaign's slogans on display...

The Israeli delegation enlisted the US, Canada and the EU countries to participate in the campaign and issued a general invitation for all UN member states to attend. An invitation was also sent to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and world leaders.

'Israel and the Jews are still a target of anti-Semitism under the guise of anti-Zionism,' said Ambassador Danon. 'We must act with all our resources to combat modern anti-Semitism in order to guarantee the security of the Jewish people in Israel and the Diaspora...'

Alongside the campaign, an event discussing combating anti-Semitism will also take place at the UN with the participation of the secretary general and French President Emmanuel Macron."


Corbyn’s secretary urged voters to avoid candidates who appeared in Jewish media
British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s longtime secretary urged supporters to oppose candidates who appeared in Jewish media, The Sun reported on Monday.

In a pamphlet published by the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign in 2010, Nicolette Petersen recommended that Labor supporters “read the Jewish Chronicle online and look at websites that will show you who not to vote for,” asserting that it was better to divert support away from Labour than to support anyone considering himself a “friend of Israel.”

Petersen has worked for Corbyn since 1994.

“This isn’t about helping Palestinians. It’s about attacking Jews,” commented Jewish Chronicle editor Stephen Pollard. “The recommendation that activists who want to rid Parliament of Zionists use the Jewish Chronicle for a hit-list of targets exposes the truth: that they use the word Zionist as a euphemism for Jew.”
Corbyn Called Israeli Opposition Leader Livni a "War Criminal"
Jeremy Corbyn called Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni a “war criminal”, denouncing plans by the British government to make it harder to arrest her over her role as foreign minister during the 2008-2009 conflict between Israel and Gaza, i24NEWS can reveal.

The Labour leader made the comment in January 2010, after a visit to the Gaza Strip.

In an article for the communist newspaper Morning Star, Corbyn wrote that “any plans by the British government to curtail the opportunity to arrest” Livni and other “war criminals” would be “seen as yet another confirmation of British duplicity in the treatment of Palestinian people”.

Tzipi Livni, now Israel’s opposition leader and co-chair of the Zionist Union, declined to respond to the revelation. The UK Labour Party refused to answer i24NEWS’s questions about whether Corbyn still stood by his claim, and whether a Corbyn-led government would seek Ms. Livni’s arrest if she came to Britain.

Pro-Palestinian activists have sought Livni’s arrest in the past over her role in the 2008-09 Israel-Gaza conflict, during which Livni was Israel’s foreign minister and deputy prime minister. A British court issued an arrest warrant for Livni in December 2009 at the request of pro-Palestinian activists, forcing her to cancel a planned visit. More recently, she was also served a summons by British police over alleged war crimes during that operation.
MORNING STAR REVEALS CORBYN’S “FORGETFULNESS” IS EXTENSIVE
Tory MP Mark Francois has made a formal complaint to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards regarding undeclared trips by Jeremy Corbyn based on his – or more likely some lucky researcher – trawling through back copies of the Morning Star. To forget one or two over the years would be unfortunate. To forget to declare this many is suspicous;
  • 13 March 2014 — Morocco. Mr Corbyn visited Morocco with War on Want.
  • 3 June 2012 – Greece. Mr Corbyn says he visited Alexis Tsipras and attended a rally.
  • 7 December 2011 – Germany. Mr Corbyn attended a Conference organised by Protesters against Petersberg II and the No to NATO Network.
  • 25 August 201 l – Mexico. Mr Corbyn attended a Special Congress of the Democratic Revolutionary Party in Mexico.
  • 28 February 2011 — Tunisia. Mr Corbyn visited Tunis where is first port of call was a ‘joyous rally celebrating the release of prisoners’.
  • 11 February 2011 – Lebanon. Mr Corbyn attended a delegation to commemorate the massacres at Sabra and Shatila.
  • November 2010 — Israel. Mr Corbyn visited the West Bank and Israel with a delegation from Middle East Monitor.
  • 2 May 2007 – Austria. Mr Corbyn attended a conference on the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in Vienna.
  • 10 January 2007 – Israel and Palestine. Mr Corbyn visited Palestine and Jerusalem.
Who knew the Morning Star could be so informative? He’ll no doubt just get a slap on the wrist…

UPDATE: Co-conspirators are contacting Guido with even more undeclared trips made by Mr. Corbyn. Here he blogs about observing elections in Gaza in 2005, but such a trip never appears on his register of interests…
UNITE THREATEN TO SUE JEWISH MEMBER WHO RAISED CONCERNS
Just when you would have thought that the left would be trying to rebuild bridges with the Jewish community, Unite have responded to a member’s legitimate concerns about anti-semitism by threatening to sue the Jewish complainant, David Levene. Unite officially are warning “be advised that legal advice is now being sought in relation to this public accusation levelled at our general secretary”. If Unite’s Andrew Murray really goes down this route they are crazy…
Poll: One in Four British Voters Think Labour Leader Corbyn Is Antisemitic
Around one in four British voters believe Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is personally antisemitic, according to a poll published by The Sun over the weekend.

This finding came as reports emerged that in 2012, Corbyn, then a parliamentary backbencher, attended a conference in Qatar at which Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal was also a guest — marking the latest in a number of recent revelations exposing apparent ties between Corbyn and Palestinian terror groups.

It was also reported on Monday, by i24 News, that Corbyn met with senior Hamas officials during a 2010 visit to the West Bank and failed to declare who funded the trip.

In the poll published by The Sun, nearly half of British voters expressed a belief that Labour had a serious antisemitism problem.

Furthermore, 37 percent of voters said the antisemitism issue made Corbyn unfit to be prime minister.

Terrorists Tired of Jeremy Corbyn Constantly Wanting to Hang Out (satire)

With every day bringing new revelations of UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn honoring violent jihadists, terrorists from a range of Islamist groups admitted that they are tired of hanging out with the British opposition leader.

“At first it wasn’t so bad. He’d snap a picture, we’d talk about killing Jews, and then he’d be on his way,” one leader of a Gaza-based Islamist group told The Mideast Beast. “But he just kept wanting to hang out more and more. One night I had to put my phone on silent because he kept calling me. I don’t think he has many friends.”

The leader of a Lebanese jihadist organization recounted a similar experience, adding that Corbyn was obsessed with talking about Israel and the Jews.

“Every time we tried to change the subject to soccer, or the weather, or music, he just immediately goes back to raving about how awful the Jews are and how he’s going to free Palestine. Doesn’t the guy have any other hobbies?” the Lebanese terrorist asked. “We tried telling him once, ‘You know, Jeremy, you’re a nice chap, but we already have our friend group.’ And he chimes in, ‘And I am thankful to be a part of it!’”

Corbyn’s persistence has been too much for some terrorists to handle. Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has been forced to spend the past 17 years off-grid hiding in the Hindu Kush after mistakenly telling Corbyn it would be great to grab lunch sometime.
Anti-Semite gets ANOTHER award from “diversity is our strength” Liberals
Iqra Khalid is back in the news, this time after the author of anti-Islamophobia motion M-103, was caught giving a certificate of appreciation to an alleged anti-Semite, Amin El-Maoued, PR chief of Palestine House.

Palestine House, which describes itself as “an educational, social and cultural centre of the Palestinian-Canadian Community,” lost its federal funding in 2012 when the Harper Conservatives determined the organization exhibited a “pattern of support for extremism.”

Oops!

It’s odd because a review of El-Maoued’s record shows he doesn’t buy into the Trudeaupian mantra of “diversity is our strength,” what with comparing Israel to Hitler and all.

Khalid campaigns tirelessly against hatred, especially towards Muslims. Her M-103 assault on free speech specifically points to Islamophobia as opposed to any other phobia or ism.

Fortunately, El-Maoued’s award did not go unnoticed.

Once the media got hold of this story, Iqra had some ’splainin’ to do. First she took refuge in the cone of silence, then she did some spin-doctoring, and then she overplayed her hand.


A Rey of light: Lana Del Rey does the right thing and refuses to buckle to BDS pressure
The boycott, divestment and sanction bullies who want to turn Israel into a pariah state thought they could intimidate musician Lana Del Rey and get her to call off a Tel Aviv concert planned for next month.

The rabid pressure campaign, after all, worked on Lorde and Gilberto Gil, both of whom canceled shows set for June.

On Sunday, Del Rey said too bad — making clear that "performing in Tel Aviv is not a political statement or a commitment to the politics there just as singing here in California doesn't mean my views are in alignment (with) my current government's opinions or sometimes inhuman actions."

She could have been less apologetic and said something like: I've played Turkey and Lebanon and Russia, with nary a peep from activists. I reject an essentially anti-Semitic movement meant to undermine the Jewish state.
Pro-Israel Groups Urge President of NYU to Act on Discriminatory Statement
With the academic year about to begin, Israel advocacy groups, including the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law (LDB), StandWithUs (SWU), and Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF), wrote a letter on Monday to New York University President Andrew Hamilton, asking his administration to address a discriminatory joint statement issued in April by 53 NYU student groups, including Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, which declared that the student organizations would boycott two pro-Israel student groups on campus: Realize Israel and TorchPAC.

The latest letter is a follow-up to three previous letters sent to Hamilton by the organizations. This specific letter acknowledges that although NYU has condemned the BDS movement, the university has yet to adequately denounce the discriminatory statement and address how the vitriol has affected the NYU community, according to a joint statement by the three organizations.

The letter states, “Unless you condemn the statement and clarify to students that they are expected to maintain a tolerant, inclusive campus environment during the coming year, we fear that the bigoted, hateful environment initiated at NYU in 2017-2018 will continue to fester and grow, and put your university at risk of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” which prohibits discrimination based on color, race or national origin in any program or activity that receives federal assistance.

“Unless the NYU administration takes a stand against the discriminatory, hateful environment created by anti-Israel activists in the NYU student government last year, we are deeply concerned for pro-Israel NYU students in the year ahead and for further, unchecked violations of NYU policy,” said SWU CEO Roz Rothstein.
What happened when a young Jewish woman ran for congress?
Erin Schrode is an environmentalist, social entrepreneur, former Congressional candidate, and the current COO of #ChefsForPuertoRico. During her Congressional run as a 25 year old in 2016, she was subjected to vicious anti-Semitic harassment from the far left and alt-right. Now she is speaking out and inspiring people to stand up to hate.


Court denies petition to identify lawyers helping Israel fight BDS
The Jerusalem District Court on Monday denied a ‎petition by pro-Palestinian activists' demanding to ‎reveal the names of the attorneys who work with ‎Israeli ministries to counter the boycott, ‎divestment and sanctions movement activities ‎worldwide. ‎

Since 2015, Israel – through the Strategic Affairs Ministry – has ‎been waging a low-profile campaign in Europe against ‎organizations promoting the boycott of the Jewish ‎state.

Among other things, the ministry ‎employs private law ‎firms and attorneys in countries where the BDS ‎movement is active, with aim of using their legal ‎expertise in local law for both defensive and ‎offensive public diplomacy moves. ‎

Local lawyers are contracted overseas in a process ‎that is coordinated between the Foreign, Justice and ‎Strategic Affairs ministries. According to the ‎petitioners, as this process has not been made ‎public, "it poses a slippery slope of covert, anti-democratic activity that may spiral out of control."‎
Jewish Students Split Over Discrimination
Pro-Palestinian students shouted down Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat when he visited San Francisco State University a couple years ago. Since then, five Jewish students and two others have sued the school for viewpoint discrimination. U.S. District Judge William Orrick spiked their first lawsuit. The plaintiffs are back with a second one, but Orrick doesn’t think they’ve made it clear that SFSU has discriminated on the basis of religion, according to The Daily Caller News Foundation.

The plaintiffs’ attorney says “we were arguing that the defendants should be held liable for viewpoint discrimination under the First and Fourteenth Amendments, for ratifying unconstitutional behavior and for supervising unconstitutional behavior, and that knowledge (not specific intent) is the only requirement [for viewpoint discrimination].”

Berman’s party says that Jewish students at SFSU are compared to Nazis and baby murderers and mention that the school’s pro-Israel Hillel group was banned from a social justice fair that centered on the oppression of minorities.

But some other Jewish students are defending the school. Attorney Dan Siegel is representing progressive group Open Hillel and he says the plaintiffs “are trying to hold SFSU responsible for actions by other students on the campus with whom they disagree.” “A lot of Jews in the US are critical of the state of Israel.”

If Jewish students feel discriminated against because of hostility towards Israel, there might not be much they can do. Title IX of the Civil Rights Act does not protect political discrimination. But if it’s due to the students’ religion, and if SFSU administrators are involved in that bias, then these students could definitely have a case.




Swastika and antisemitic slogans found on original Chabad center in Russia
Unidentified vandals scrawled antisemitic slogans on the fence of a Jewish cultural center in the Russian village of Lyubavichi, the cradle of the Chabad hasidic movement.

The inscriptions, reading “Jews out of Russia, our land” and featuring the Baltic variant of the swastika, were spray-painted on the wall of the Hatzer Raboteinu Nesieinu Belubavitch last week but reported in Russian-language media Tuesday, the news site Cursor reported.

Police are looking for suspects, according to Gavriel Gordon, a Chabad rabbi tasked with preserving the movement’s heritage sites in what used to be its center over a century ago.

Situated near Smolensk and the border with Belarus, Lyubavichi became a major Jewish hub following the settling there in 1813 of Rabbi Dovber Schneuri, a leader of the Chabad movement of Orthodox Jews. Chabad is the acronym of the Hebrew-language words for wisdom, intelligence and knowledge.

The movement, perhaps best known for its outreach to non-hasidic Jews, also refers to itself as Chabad-Lubavitch in reference to how the town’s name is pronounced in Yiddish.
Jewish activist: Facebook banned me for posting antisemitic graffiti
Eduard Dolinsky, a prominent Ukrainian Jewish activist, was banned from posting on Facebook Monday night a post about antisemitic graffiti in Odessa. Dolinsky, the director of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee, said he was blocked by the social media giant for posting a photo. “I had posted the photo which says in Ukrainian ‘kill the yid’ about a month ago,” he says. “I use my Facebook account for distributing information about antisemitic incidents, hate speech and hate crimes in Ukraine.” Now Dolinsky’s account has disabled him from posting for thirty days, which means media, law enforcement and the local community who rely on his social media posts will receive no updates.

Dolinsky tweeted Monday that his account had been blocked and sent The Jerusalem Post a screenshot of the image he posted, which shows a badly drawn swastika and Ukrainian writing. “You recently posted something that violates Facebook policies, so you’re temporarily blocked from using this feature,” Facebook informs him when he logs in. “The block will be active for 29 days and 17 hours,” it says. “To keep from getting blocked again, please make sure you’ve read and understand Facebook’s Community Standards.”

Dolinsky says that he has been targeted in the past by nationalists and antisemites who oppose his work. Facebook has banned him temporarily in the past also, but never for thirty days. “The last time I was blocked, the media also reported this; I felt some relief. It was as if they stopped banning me. But now I don’t know and this has again happened. They are banning the one who is trying to fight antisemitism. They are banning me for the very thing I do.” Based on Dolinsky’s work the police have opened criminal files against perpetrators of antisemitic crimes in Odessa and other places. He says that some locals are trying to silence him because he is critical of the way Ukraine has commemorated historical nationalist figures, “which is actually denying the Holocaust and trying to whitewash the actions of nationalists during the Second World War.” Dolinsky has been widely quoted and his work, including posts on Facebook, referenced by media in the past. “These incidents and crimes are happening and the police should react. The society also. But their goal is to cut me off.”

In an irony, the activist opposing antisemitism is being targeted by antisemites who label the antisemtic examples he reveals as hate speech. “They are specifically complaining to Facebook about the content, and they are complaining that I am violating the rules of Facebook and spreading hate speech. So Facebook as I understand don’t look at this; they are banning me and blocking me and deleting these posts.” He says he has tried to appeal the ban but has not succeeded “I use my Facebook exclusively for this, so this is my working tool as director of Ukrainian Jewish Committee.”
Facebook Bans Jewish-Australian Military Veteran Avi Yemini for ‘Hate Speech’
Avi Yemini, a Jewish-Australian IDF veteran, conservative political blogger and political candidate, has been banned from Facebook allegedly for publishing “hate speech.”

A popular Jewish-Australian IDF veteran, political blogger, and Australian state government candidate recently found his Facebook page banned, just 48 hours before the blacklisting of Infowars host Alex Jones. Yemini’s Facebook page boasted a follower count of approximately 175,000 but was suspended for “hate speech” according to a notification Yemini received from Facebook. Yemeni has been on the receiving end of death threats on Facebook himself based on his reporting.

Yemini appealed Facebook’s decision but was told that the page would not be taken off the blacklist. Some have accused Yemini of being banned from the platform for posting the phone number of an ABC News reporter, which they believed was doxing, but Yemini claims that the number he posted is publicly available on ABC News’ website.

Breitbart News spoke with Yemini who provided the following comment on the blacklisting of his page:

Banning my page is another example of Facebook’s political bias and is an attack on free speech. They are purging conservative pages. In this case, they are meddling in the Australian political system and therefore breaching a number of local laws.

I plan on suing them if they do not reinstate it immediately. By banning me, they are preventing me from reaching out to Australian Liberty Alliance voters, which is a form of voter suppression.

I believe I was banned because I am exposing the Islamization of Australia and how it is negatively impacting the country. Many other conservatives around the world have also been banned for speaking out about Islam.

They claim it was for ‘hate speech’ but when pressed couldn’t give me a specific post that breached any of ther terms and conditions.
Trump's ICE Deports NAZI War Criminal Who Stayed Under Obama
The Trump administration announced early on Tuesday morning that it had arrested 95-year-old Jakiw Palij — the last known Nazi collaborator living in the United States — at his home in Queens, New York, and deported him to Germany.

"President Trump commends his Administration’s comprehensive actions, especially ICE’s actions, in removing this war criminal from United States soil," the Office of the Press Secretary said in a statement. "Despite a court ordering his deportation in 2004, past administrations were unsuccessful in removing Palij."

"To protect the promise of freedom for Holocaust survivors and their families, President Trump prioritized the removal of Pali," the statement continued. "Through extensive negotiations, President Trump and his team secured Palij’s deportation to Germany and advanced the United States’ collaborative efforts with a key European ally."

ABC News reported that "Trump told U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell to make Palij's deportation his number one priority when he got to Berlin."
White House Speechwriter Ousted After Talk to White Nationalists
News broke today that the White House has fired Darren Beattie, a speechwriter known for his support of hard-line immigration restrictionism. Beattie’s departure comes after CNN reporter Andrew Kaczynski revealed that he had delivered a speech in 2016 to the H.L. Mencken Club at an event that also included well-known white nationalist speakers.

Astute Tablet readers may recognize the name “H.L. Mencken Club.” The organization, named for the famous Baltimore scribe, was founded and helmed by one Paul Gottfried, whose influence on the alt-right as a mentor to white nationalist Richard Spencer has been documented in these pages. The very name “alternative right,” later shortened to alt-right, comes from the headline Spencer used when he published a speech Gottfried had delivered to the club.

Beattie has admitted giving a speech to the group on “The Intelligentsia and the Right” and defends his role in the event. “I said nothing objectionable and stand by my remarks completely,” he told CNN.
One in six Canadians hold anti-Semitic views; majority wants to keep memory of Shoah alive: poll
Nearly one in six Canadians express views that could be considered anti-Semitic, though a majority believe the memory of the Holocaust should be kept alive, a new poll suggests.

Commissioned by the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) and conducted by Nanos Research, the random poll of 1,000 Canadians revealed that 78 per cent of those surveyed believe it’s important to perpetuate the memory of the Holocaust. The poll’s authors said this figure represents a “comfortable majority” of Canadians.

At the same time, 12 per cent of respondents said Jews “talk too much” about the Holocaust.

The study also revealed that almost one in six Canadians hold views that “could be anti-Semitic.” Fifteen per cent of respondents said Jews have too much influence in business, international financial markets and global media; 18 per cent believe Jews have too much power in global affairs; and 13 per cent said they have too much influence on the Canadian government.

Questions gauging attitudes on Jewish influence in finance, media and government – traditionally fertile ground for anti-Semites – yielded “unsure” responses ranging from 35 to 39 per cent.

The “good news” is that nearly half of all Canadians do not express anti-Semitic attitudes, while a majority want to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive, said the FSWC.

However, the survey found “what has long been suspected” by FSWC – that approximately 15 per cent, or five-million Canadians, express views “that could be construed as anti-Semitic,” the organization said in a statement.
Gett revenue totals $1b, seeks profitability in 2019, investor says
Israel-based ride-sharing app Gett generated some $1 billion in revenues from its services, half of them from its activities in New York and London, Stockholm-listed investor Vostok New Ventures Ltd. said in a filing.

In its financial report for the second quarter and the first six months of the year, Vostock, which holds a stake in Gett, said that Gett performs 100 million rides per year globally, and is aiming to become profitable in every market in the first quarter of 2019.

Founded in 2010, Gett has raised some $700 million to date, according to Start-Up Nation Central which tracks Israel’s tech industry. In its funding round in June, the firm raised $80 million from investors including Volkswagen and Vostok New Ventures. The round valued Gett at $1.4 billion, the filing said.

Gett US, operating under the Juno brand, showed “tremendous growth in the past year,” the filing said. To date, more than 50 percent of New York City taxi drivers have signed up with Juno — some 45,000 out of 80,000 drivers. Gett US (Juno) expects to be operationally profitable next year, the filing said.
First-Responders to Benefit from Two Jointly-Developed American-Israeli Technologies
Two homeland security technologies will be developed jointly by American and Israeli companies to increase the safety and efficiency of first-responders (law enforcement, firefighters and emergency medical services) after getting funding from the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation.

ELTA Systems (Ashdod, Israel), a group and subsidiary of Israel Aircraft Industries, and TLC Solutions (St. Augustine, Florida) will develop an advanced drone-mounted search-and-rescue system for locating victims under ruins and in disaster areas by accurate location of their cellular phones.

HiRiseTech (Petah Tikva, Israel) and Allstate Sprinkler (Bronx, New York) will develop a first-responder emergency radio repeater system for existing high-rise buildings.

These projects were selected by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate and the Israeli Ministry of Public Security. In addition to the BIRD grants, the two projects will access private sector funding, boosting their total value to approximately $4.5 million.



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