Sunday, July 18, 2021

07/18 Links: 27 Years Since the Attack That Shook Argentina; Biden gives UNRWA $135m. after agency condemns anti-Israel hatred; Im Tirtzu: 'UN sponsoring BDS groups,'

From Ian:

IDF: 27 Years Since the Attack That Shook Argentina
On July 18th, 1994, the Lebanese terrorist group, Hezbollah, carried out an attack at the site of the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) building in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Within hours, Israel sent a rescue team to assist in the search for survivors. This is one of the many attacks committed by Hezbollah abroad and is indicative of its presence and activity in Latin America.

27 years ago, Hezbollah attacked the AMIA building in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The attack was carried out by means of a vehicle armed with explosives that, after detonating, demolished the 6-story building. This terror attack took the life of 85 and left injured more than 300, most of them members of the Jewish community of Buenos Aires.

Hours after the terror attack, the IDF sent an Israeli Air Force aircraft to Argentina, along with a humanitarian aid delegation made up of officers and soldiers from the Search and Rescue Brigade.

Master Sgt. (Res.) Nissim Nassi, a rescue engineer in the IDF Search and Rescue Brigade, shared with us, “We received the call... and immediately packed our bags and left. We quickly understood that the attack was carried out with a ‘car bomb’ that was found under the building."

The members of the IDF delegation worked together with Argentinian firefighters and volunteers in order to find and rescue as many of the victims as possible. “What struck us was the number of people who wanted to help. We started with the challenging task of evacuating people and trying to find survivors," Master Sgt. (Res.) Nissim Nassi remarks.

According to the Argentinian official investigations, the attack on the AMIA building was carried out by Hezbollah, an internationally recognized terror organization. Hezbollah is based in southern Lebanon and is financed by the Iranian regime. The organization’s primary objectives are to destroy the State of Israel and establish an Islamic republic in the region.

Although most of Hezbollah's activities take place in the Middle East, they maintain a strong presence in Latin America. The terror organization was able to carry out the attack on the AMIA due to its network of operatives abroad. Today, Hezbollah continues to promote illegal activities all over the globe.

Hezbollah’s acts of terror have no borders. Just as they attack Israeli civilians, they pose a constant threat to communities around the world—the terrorist attack on AMIA in 1994 is a prime example.








Biden gives UNRWA $135m. after agency condemns anti-Israel hatred
The Biden administration gave $135 million to UNRWA on Saturday after a framework agreement was signed between them last week, which for the first time condemned anti-Israel hatred.

“The signing of the US-UNRWA Framework and additional support demonstrates we once again have an ongoing partner in the United States that understands the need to provide critical assistance to some of the region’s most vulnerable refugees,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on Saturday.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees released news of the US donation and the framework agreement the day after US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israel and Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr finished his visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, which had begun on July 11.

US financial aid to the agency has traditionally been accompanied by a framework for cooperation agreement, the latest version of which was signed on July 14.

The 2018-2019 framework condemned antisemitism for the first time, stating that: “The United States and UNRWA condemn without reserve all manifestations of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief, including antisemitism.”

The 2021-2022 version adapted that sentence to read (additions in italics), “The United States and UNRWA condemn without reserve all manifestations of religious or racial intolerance, incitement to violence, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief, including antisemitism,” adding an additional line that expands the condemnation to include a wide list of issues such as discrimination against Palestinians and Israelis.

The condemnation now includes “antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Catholicism, anti-Arabism, or other forms of discrimination or racism against Palestinians, Israelis or others individuals or communities based on ethnic origins or religious beliefs.”

UNRWA also pledged to ensure that its funds would not be transferred to individuals engaged in terror or used to support terror.


'UN sponsoring BDS groups,' right-wing watchdog asserts
The United Nations has been sponsoring dozens of groups that are promoting boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel, a report released by right-wing watchdog group Im Tirtzu over the weekend has found.

Some of these groups have alleged ties with terrorist organizations such as Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Im Tirtzu claimed.

According to the NGO's report, between 2016 and 2020, the UN funneled some $40 million to 19 Palestinian organizations associated with the BDS movement.

These organizations undermine Israel in international institutions and at least eight of them are been linked to terrorist groups in some form.

According to the United States Agency for International Development, two of these groups – the Union of Agricultural Work Committees and the Union of Health Work Committees – are branches of the PFLP, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia and the European Union.

Im Tirtzu's report said that UN funding for these pro-BDS groups is channeled mainly by three of the international body's agencies: the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Development Program, and the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund.

The report further notes that the UN is not entirely transparent in its reporting saying that "UN reporting often omits the 'implementing partners' that receive the funding to carry out the programs. This creates a situation in which millions of dollars in funding are unaccounted for."


Senior UAE official on Abraham Accords: Peace is irreversible
Ellie Cohanim interviews HE Dr. Rashid Ali Al Nuaimi, one of the brokers of the "Abraham Accords" warm peace deals between his country, the UAE, and Israel. Together, they hold a groundbreaking conversation on Arab countries' relations with Israel, the corrupted Palestinian leadership, Iranian role in Gaza, the West's failed integration efforts, and combating radical Islamist extremism. About Global Perspectives Join Ellie as she embarks on the most important conversations in the Jewish world interviewing heads of state, thought leaders, and activists in frank and open discussion. Ellie will peel back the layers and get to the heart of issues such as the Iranian threat, anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism, Christian and Muslim support for Israel and the Abraham Accords. Ellie Cohanim, the former U.S. Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism at the U.S. Department of State, is a world-renowned and sought-after speaker and figurehead in the Jewish world.


Exclusive: IDF sees sharp increase in Muslim draft
Even in the wake of Operation Guardian of the Walls and the violent rioting in mixed cities and other towns, the IDF presented encouraging statistics that show a sharp rise in the number of Muslims drafting to the IDF. Some 606 Muslim Arabs drafted to the IDF in 2020, compared to 489 in 2019 and 436 in 2018. More than half of those who have drafted went to combat roles.

The number of those drafted to the Bedouin reconnaissance unit has almost doubled in two years, from 84 in 2018 to 171 in 2020. In 2017, only 45 people were drafted to the unit. In light of the increase, the IDF now opens two platoons for basic training for each draft.

During the recent operation, some 20 Muslim soldiers asked to be released from the IDF due to intense pressure put upon them. After conversations with IDF commanders,18 of them chose to continue their service and the rest were released.

The IDF said that, despite Operation Guardian of the Walls and violent riots in many cities, the trend of increased numbers of Muslims being drafted into the IDF will likely continue.

The military summarized draft data from June 2019 to June 2020, so the next drafts will give it information on whether this trend will indeed continue. For the time being, at least according to initial data that the IDF has, no change in the trend has been recognized. The IDF, however, will only be able to identify clear trends towards the middle of next year.
Amid tensions at Temple Mount, some 1,000 Jews visit holy site for Tisha B’Av
Over one thousand Jews visited the Temple Mount on Sunday morning to mark the fast day of Tisha B’Av, which mourns the destruction of the two Jewish Temples that stood there, hours after Palestinian worshipers clashed with police at the holy site.

In the wake of the clashes, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held an assessment of the security situation with Internal Security Minister Omer Barlev and police chief Kobi Shabtai, with the premier’s office saying in a statement that he had “instructed that the orderly and safe ascent of Jews to the Temple Mount should continue, while order is maintained at the site.”

The statement said the prime minister would receive regular updates and would hold additional situation assessments throughout the day.

The Temple Mount is the holiest place in Judaism, as the site of the two biblical temples. It is also the site of the third-holiest shrine in Islam, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and has long been a flashpoint between Israelis and Palestinians.

Dozens of Muslim worshipers barricaded themselves on the Temple Mount in the early hours of Sunday, ahead of the arrival of the Jewish visitors. Some of them briefly chanted: “With spirit, with blood, we’ll redeem Al-Aqsa.”

Israeli police entered the site and used sponge-tipped bullets and “crowd dispersal methods” to clear the area. Israel Police said that some Palestinians threw stones.
Temple Mount: PM continues Jewish visits after Muslim-police clashes
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett ordered the police to continue allowing Jews to ascend the Temple Mount on Sunday, the fast day of Tisha Be'av, even as Muslims clashed with police at the holy site.

Bennett met with Public Security Minister Omer Bar Lev and Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai after police entered the area to stop rocks being thrown from al-Aqsa Mosque.

"The prime minister instructed to allow organized and safe ascendance of Jews to the Mount, while keeping order at the site," the Prime Minister's Office said.

No incidents were reported during the Jewish visits, which lasted until Sunday afternoon.

Bennett thanked the police for handling the matter responsibly and protecting Jews’ freedom of worship.

The prime minister also emphasized that “full freedom of worship on the Temple Mount will be maintained for Muslims, as well, who are marking the Day of Arafa and Eid al-Adha this week.

Nearly 1,700 Jews visited the Temple Mount during the permitted hours, after the violent demonstrators were cleared from the area.

Among them was rebel Yamina MK Amichai Chikli, who sang Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem. Another Yamina MK, Yom Tov Kalfon, visited the holy site as well.

Images circulating on social media showed a small group of Israeli Jews praying at the site, which is against the rules set by the Jordanian Islamic Trust, known as the Wakf, and generally enforced by Israeli police.


Jordan, Egypt, Turkey all condemn Jewish visits to Temple Mount on Tisha B’Av
Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey denounced Israel on Sunday after some 1,600 Jews visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City to mark the fast of Tisha B’Av, following overnight clashes at the holy site between Palestinians and police.

“The Israeli actions against the mosque are unacceptable and condemnable. They represent a violation of the historical and legal status quo, international law, and Israel’s obligations as an occupying power in East Jerusalem,” Jordanian foreign Ministry spokesperson Daifullah Fayez said in a statement.

The spokesman said a letter of protest on the matter was sent to Israel.

Early on Sunday morning, Israeli police clashed with Palestinian worshippers on the Temple Mount. According to Palestinian reports, Israeli police fired tear gas and stun grenades, while police said some Palestinians threw stones.

The clashes came just a few hours ahead of the pilgrimage of over 1,600 Jews to the Temple Mount to mark the fast day of Tisha B’Av, which mourns the destruction of the two Jewish Temples that once stood there.

Under the 1994 peace treaty with Jordan, Israel recognized Amman as the custodian of the Temple Mount and other Muslim holy sites in the Old City. Israel captured those sites from Jordan during the 1967 Six Day War.
Erdan: We’ll defend our right to Jerusalem against Hamas lies
Israel will continue to defend its rights to Jerusalem against the falsehoods spread by the terror group Hamas, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations and the United States Gilad Erdan (Likud) told a visiting delegation of foreign envoys that he brought to the Old City on Friday.

“As a former minister of public security, I know firsthand that contrary to the lies Hamas tries to spread to justify its terror, Israel goes to great efforts to ensure that people of all faiths are able to practice their religion in peace," he said.

“We will continue to defend our right to the Holy City, and to defend the freedom of all who want to worship here,” Erdan said.

He spoke as he stood on the rooftop of the Aish Hatorah World Center with its commanding view of the Western Wall and the Temple Mount, known as al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) in Arabic.

Just two months ago, Hamas launched rockets at Israel in response to unrest in Jerusalem, including reports that Muslims had been denied the right to worship at the Aqsa Mosque compound on the Temple Mount.


Gantz denies New Yorker report: 'I would have known'
Defense Minister Benny Gantz denied a report in The New Yorker on Saturday night, telling Channel 12: “I don’t know of this story and I assume this is not what happened,” adding that he would have known of such a move.

According to the report, former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed former US president Donald Trump to carry out a military strike on Iran after he lost the 2020 presidential election to President Joe Biden.

With Trump desperate to stay in power, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Mark Milley worked to prevent the president from ordering the strike, warning him that “if you do this, you’re gonna have a f***ing war.”

Noting that Washington certainly has its own considerations when striking Iran, Gantz stressed that “we should not push America to fight for us. Iran is a regional and global problem.”

Israel considers Iran’s nuclear program go be its number one security concern. In a speech last Wednesday during the graduation ceremony for Israel’s National Defense College, Gantz called for Israel to step up preparations should Iran get close to obtaining a nuclear weapon.

“Against the greatest threat – Iran arming itself with a nuclear weapon – we have no choice but to expand our force build-up, to continue to rely on our human capital and to adapt our capabilities and our plans,” the defense minister said.

On Saturday night, Gantz reiterated that in meetings with American political and military officials, he stressed that Israel will keep its independence regarding its security vis-a-vis Iran.
Iran Insists Prisoner Swap Deal Was Agreed With US, Says Ready to Proceed ‘Today’
Iran insisted on Sunday that a prisoner swap deal has been agreed with the United States, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said, a day after Washington denied such an agreement had been reached.

“‘Outrageous’ = the US denying simple fact that there IS an agreed deal on the matter of the detainees. Even on how to announce it,” Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a tweet.

“Humanitarian swap was agreed with US & UK in Vienna-separate from JCPOA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action)- on release of 10 prisoners on all sides. Iran is ready to proceed TODAY.”

The United States on Saturday accused Tehran of an “outrageous” effort to deflect blame for the impasse in the nuclear talks and denied that any deal had been reached on a prisoner swap.

Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, tweeted that the United States and Britain must stop linking a humanitarian exchange with the nuclear talks.

The talks are aimed at reviving a 2015 deal between Iran and six major powers that curbed Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for a lifting of sanctions on Iran. Washington abandoned the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran.
U.S. Rejects Iran’s ‘Cruel’ Suggestion of Deal on U.S. Detainees
Araghchi took to Twitter on Saturday to demand the U.S. and the U.K. “stop linking a humanitarian exchange” with the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. He held out hope of a prisoner release if the U.S. and the U.K. “fulfill their part of the deal.”

That’s “just another cruel effort to raise the hopes of their families,” Price said in a statement.

“Araghchi speaks of us taking an agreement hostage when it is his government that has been unjustly detaining four innocent Americans for years,” the State Department spokesman said.

He said there’s no deal on the detainees and called on Iran to release them immediately.

In another tweet, Araghchi said the nuclear talks in Vienna are on hold during Iran’s transition of power.

Reviving the nuclear deal would set the stage for lifting sanctions on Iran in exchange for the Iranians scaling back its nuclear activities. The talks in Vienna adjourned in June after hard-line cleric Ebrahim Raisi won Iran’s presidential election.

“The release of our unjustly detained citizens is a top priority for us, and we remain interested in seeing to that as soon as possible,” Price said.


Notable Jews petition against education bill in California
Members of the Jewish Caucus in California have supported a controversial bill requiring ethnic studies for high school graduation, despite the fact it will enable the original Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) into California classrooms.

Roughly 70 rabbis, more than 1,000 California residents, and 75 religious and civil rights organizations petitioned against the AB 101 bill, which they believe to be highly antisemitic.

The petitioners pointed out that rising anti-Zionist-motivated antisemitism raise the stakes even further, as well as California school districts committing to adopting the original draft that many deem to be antisemitic.

They also noted that the two largest teachers unions in the state and several departments in the university that are responsible for training teachers, have endorsed BDS in the past, which is a cause of concern.

We were “deeply disappointed that not only did every Legislative Jewish Caucus Assembly member vote in favor of AB 101, but Caucus Chair Jesse Gabriel even made a speech on the Assembly floor that spoke about the bill in glowing terms and belittled concerns about antisemitism that were shared by a non-Jewish Assembly member,” wrote the petitioners.

“Anyone who understands the threats that are currently facing the Jewish community can understand why AB 101, as well-intentioned as it may be, will unleash a torrent of anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist sentiment, hostility and aggression into classrooms throughout the state if it becomes law. The vast majority of California Jews understand this. As the CA Senate stands poised to vote on AB 101, please stand up and oppose this bill. There is still time to do the right thing,” urged the petitioners.


Israeli director Nadav Lapid’s ‘Ahed’s Knee’ wins jury prize at Cannes
Israeli director Nadav Lapid’s “Haberech,” or “Ahed’s Knee,” an impassioned drama about creative freedom in modern Isreal, won the jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday.

The ceremony announcing the winners was marred by jury president Spike Lee mistakenly revealing the winner of the Palme d’Or, the top award, at the beginning of the evening.

“Ahed’s knee” shared the jury prize, considered third place, with “Memoria” by Thailand’s former Palme winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

Lapid, 46, considered a rising star of Israeli cinema, said that the film was loosely based around his own experiences, with what he called growing political pressure in Israel on artists to avoid controversial topics and a willingness of some to comply.

Speaking ahead of the win, Lapid told AFP his biggest concern was how such moves forced artists to censor themselves, relating how he received a call from an Israeli official, inviting him to present a film in a remote desert village, but also asking him to sign a form promising to stick to certain approved subjects.


Western Media Confused After Discovering Israel Not Involved in Most Middle East Conflicts (satire)
Due to always-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, while some actually have nothing to do with the Jewish State at all.

“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 Rapinoe’ish term, ‘fucked up’. Between ISIS still hanging on to a hilltop in Syria, a Syrian civil war that just won’t 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, the Taliban retaking Afghanistan, 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.”
International Lawmakers Lay Out Roadmap to Tackle Anti-Semitism Online
Members of the Inter-Parliamentary Task Force to Combat Online Anti-Semitism released an interim report on Wednesday highlighting ideas to battle anti-Jewish hate online.

Members of the task force include lawmakers from the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia and Israel. At least one more country is expected to join the group in the coming weeks.

Speaking as part of an online press conference to introduce the report, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.) said that anti-Semites took advantage of current events, including the global coronavirus pandemic, and the war between Hamas and Israel in May—to attack Jews for just being Jews. That was especially “prevalent on the wild west of the Internet,” she said.

“It is up to all of us to stand arm and arm” to fight hate online, she added.

Canadian Minister of Parliament Anthony Housefather told those at the press event, “I have never in my lifetime seen the levels of anti-Semitism as I have in recent weeks.” He noted that families have told him they were afraid to let their children play in a public park if they are wearing a kipah or put a mezuzah on their door.

“I used to think that hate online was just another form of hate,” he continued. “I’ve learned through this task force it’s not just a form of hate, but a form of disinformation—a unique type of disinformation we need to combat.”

Housefather added that while 80 percent of anti-Semitic hate originates online, it doesn’t end there.

“We have seen and understood the imperative to transcend boundaries to combat online anti-Semitism in the face of a global challenge, whereby the digital platforms function globally while our legislatures function nationally,” said former Knesset member Michal Cotler-Wunsh. “Anti-Semitism serves as a predictive example for online disinformation with real-world manifestations that threaten the foundations of democracy.”
Woman horrifies beachgoers with Hitler and swastika tattoos
Bad taste and tattoos last forever.

A woman horrified beachgoers at the Black Sea resort of Odessa, Ukraine, last week when she stripped off to reveal an Adolf Hitler tattoo on her hand and a large swastika inked on her right butt cheek.

”Like everyone else, my jaw dropped when I saw the girl’s choice of inks,” an onlooker told the Star.

The woman soon left the strand after other beachgoers made it clear the tattoos were unacceptable and expressed their disapproval. But the tats aren’t just in bad taste — they are illegal.

According to the Star, “the propaganda of Nazism and Nazi symbols is prohibited and regarded as a criminal offense that carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison in Ukraine.”
New film portrays Jewish revolt against Romans in vivid, gripping detail
In the annals of Jewish history, the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE was a world-altering moment, changing the trajectory of the Jewish people. Now, it’s a movie.

“Legend of Destruction” is filmmaker Gidi Dar’s latest creation. Made entirely of still drawings, the movie was written by Dar and actor Shuli Rand, and drawn by Michael Faust and David Polonsky of “Waltz with Bashir” fame. Actors Moni Moshonov, Yael Abecassis, Igal Naor and Amos Tamam also provide voices in the film.

The 90-minute film tells the story of the Jewish revolt against Rome in 70 CE, from the perspective of Ben Batiach, a good-hearted scholar who turns zealot, leading to the Roman siege on the city and the destruction of the Second Temple.

For a movie made from still art, it is a gripping watch, one that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Dar’s film unfolds from the days prior to the Israelites’ first, nascent protests against the Jewish elite who were playing a political game, balancing their protection of the Temple with their knowledge and fear of the Roman power.

Using drawings that lend a feel of vivid photography, Dar brings the tension and emotions of the crisis to life, demonstrating how critical the period was for the very nature of the Jewish nation.











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