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Tuesday, March 01, 2022

03/01 Links Pt2: The disingenuous attempt to link Ukraine with Palestinians; Macron comes out against claims of Israeli apartheid; J Street Proves Again It’s Progressive, Not Pro-Israel

From Ian:

Seth Frantzman: The disingenuous attempt to link Ukraine with Palestinians
The argument that Palestinian Molotov cocktails don’t get the same adoration in Western media is misleading. For many years, Palestinian rock-throwing during the Intifada was given positive coverage. Palestinians slinging rifles and “resisting” Israel in places like Jenin also received positive coverage.

But Palestinian groups went from “resisting” to bombing civilians and celebrating the attacks on them. That is a big difference. Ukraine hasn’t turned into a quagmire for Russia yet, and Ukrainians aren’t blowing up buses in Moscow. Russia has actually suffered terrorism in the past from Chechens and others.

In the case of Ukraine, however, there are no posters of “martyrs” massacring Russian children. There’s nothing romantic about a Palestinian or a Ukrainian throwing a Molotov cocktail onto a civilian’s car. The media are celebrating Ukrainian resistance because it is fighting the Russian military. Major media and the West in general have been sympathetic to Palestinians when they were seen to be primarily fighting Israel’s military.

Another difference is that the Palestinian narrative is backed by groups that say “From the river to the sea,” who argue that Israel should not exist. Ukraine is an independent country being brutally invaded. It does not say it wants Moscow, and it does not have maps of their country that includes all of Russia.

When people argue that Ukraine is getting unfair coverage for “resisting occupation” while Palestinians do not get the same coverage, their claims are misleading. Palestinians receive support and coverage, and Palestinian refugees are still refugees after 70 years. They receive enormous international support. Ukrainians are also getting support. And if, after 70 years, they are still resisting Russia, it will be fair to continue that support.

Many of those who back Palestinians while slamming the coverage of Ukraine are also disingenuous because they don’t back Ukrainian resistance. They claim the situations are the same, but many of them back Russia.

You can see by their social media background how some not only back Russia and the Assad regime, but are anti-Israel and anti-Kurdish. They don’t actually back the “resistance” of every group. They are primarily obsessed with Israel. This obsession is usually driven by antisemitism, and their talking points about Ukraine are merely a distraction.
JPost Editorial: The Palestinians are not like the Ukrainians - editorial
All those trying to paint Israel as imperialist Russia and the Palestinians as the freedom-seeking Ukrainians should keep a couple of truths in mind:
First, the Ukrainians never tried to throw the Russians into the Black Sea, nor does the Ukrainian constitution include a clause stating that Russia has no right to exist.

Second, the Ukrainians did not arm their people with explosive vests and encourage them to ride buses in Moscow and blow themselves up along with as many innocent passengers as possible.

Third, the residents of Kharkiv in northern Ukraine have not been firing rockets for nearly two decades at apartment blocks in Belograd just across the border.

To compare Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine to bring Kyiv under Russian President Vladimir Putin’s heel to Israel’s incursions into Gaza or southern Lebanon to stop Hamas or Hezbollah from randomly shelling civilian populations is to willfully distort reality.

Thankfully, most reasonable people see these lies for what they are.

Sadly, some will only see that the Russians are the far stronger side in this war, that Israel is the far stronger side when it fights Hamas in Gaza, and reflexively just sympathize with the underdog, the weaker side.

Weakness, however, does not automatically bestow virtue. In the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, it happens to be that Ukraine is both the wronged party and the weaker one. But that is not the case with the Palestinians.


Guardian criticises Howard Jacobson's concern about left-wing antisemitism
First, the “minor celebrity”/”Twitter personality” he claims has no right to speak for British Jews he’s likely referring to is the indefatigable writer, researcher and activist, David Collier, who, last year, had forty trees planted in Israel to honour those in Britain who, like Collier himself, have bravely fought antisemitism.

But, the former point in the paragraph we highlighted made by Moshenka is even more revealing.

If he would have said, prior to 2015, that the problem of left-wing antisemitism is overstated, that would be one thing.

But, to make that point after a Labour antisemitism crisis so toxic that most British Jews believed the party leader was personally antisemitic with many viewing Jeremy Corbyn as an existential threat to Jewish life, after the party was found guilty by the EHRC of violating the Equalities Act in its treatment of Jewish members, and after the worst year on record for antisemitic incidents (driven, in large measure, by the pro-Palestinian activist left), is astonishing.

Though we don’t know much about Moshenka, the fact that he’s gravely concerned about a work of fiction written 18 years ago, yet the tsunami of Jew hatred in recent years from within his own political community leaves him, as it left Sam Finkler, “stone-cold”, speaks volumes about why Guardian editors deemed him fit to review Jacobson’s book.


France's Macron comes out against claims of Israeli apartheid
French President Emmanuel Macron came out last week against the description of Israel as an apartheid state recently by human rights groups like Amnesty International.

Macron was supposed to deliver a speech at the annual dinner of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) but had cancel to an important meeting. Instead, Prime Minister Jean Castex was asked to deliver his speech instead and he read the president's speech.

“Like you, I am concerned about the United Nations resolution on Jerusalem which continues to deliberately and against all evidence remove Jewish terminology from the Temple Mount. You know my attachment to Jerusalem, where I went several times as President or before becoming one. Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people, I have never stopped saying that. This in no way precludes recognizing and respecting the attachment of other religions to this city, and it is in this spirit that I myself walked through the Old City in 2020 and visited each of the Holy Places."

"Erasing Jerusalem's Jewishness is unacceptable, just as it is unacceptable that in the name of a just fight for freedom, associations misuse historically shameful terms to describe the State of Israel," Castex said in Macron's name.

He added that "where all citizens, whatever their religion, have understood that their only hope is peace together. It is not by affirming such untruths that associations that claim to pursue an objective of peace can claim to fulfill their vocation. How dare we talk about apartheid in a state where Arab citizens are represented in government, in parliament, in leadership positions and in positions of responsibility?"

Castex added in the name of the president: “As I promised you, the definition of antisemitism of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance has been adopted by the Republic.




Revisiting the Possibility of a Regional Military Alliance
Israel has an interest, certainly in the short to medium range, in the establishment of an inter-Arab alliance that sees Israel as a reliable, involved, and influential associate, and perhaps later even a full partner, that will focus on the struggle against Iran’s involvement in Middle East countries and its growing influence in the region. If such an alliance becomes a reality, it will emphasize that the threat from Iran not only concerns its efforts to achieve nuclear weapons, but also its unending and violent struggle, including with the use of proxies, for regional hegemony.

Nevertheless, notwithstanding the Abraham Accords and the growing prominence given to cooperation, including on security matters, between Israel and the Gulf states, the road to the establishment of a joint fighting force that includes Israel is still long and obstacle-ridden. Although the Gulf states could derive many advantages from a military alliance with Israel, including a significant intelligence and military contribution, they could find themselves exposed to even more pressing Iranian threats. Any further rapprochement with Israel could be damaging for them. Moreover, it is hard to see the possibility of any Gulf readiness for such a military alliance without substantial American involvement or leadership, which means joining an American initiative as a coalition led by the United States.

For its part, Israel has no interest in restricting itself through obligations deriving from a military alliance in the classical sense, that is, committing to take part in conflicts that do not concern it. Furthermore, the establishment of a military alliance will affect the intimacy necessary for cooperation of this kind and likely lead to an Iranian response that Israel and the Gulf states wish to avoid.

Therefore, if Israel wishes to promote a regional military alliance – even without its full participation, but with its meaningful and influential cooperation – it must first enlist the United States, act with less prominence, and be careful to lay a stable foundation for any broad union that apart from many civilian components will also include a military element. The first moves in this context should focus on establishing cooperation below the radar, for example by frustrating the smuggling of Iranian weapons or creating an integrated aerial picture for handling common threats, such as the construction and operation of Iranian ground-to-ground missile and drone capabilities, whether by Iran itself or by its proxies.

Alongside these efforts, participation in regional maneuvers should be continued, technological collaborations promoted, and above all efforts made to supplement the military components with civilian components – cooperation on economic, infrastructure, culture, and ecological matters. Since many of these components are already on the agenda of relations between the countries and a means for establishing the infrastructure for regional cooperation, it will be easier for the Gulf leadership to establish a civilian regional alliance that can develop into military cooperation. Playing down the military aspect while stressing civilian cooperation and active American involvement would presumably increase the likelihood of the formation of a military alliance between Israel and Arab countries.


Emily Schrader: Russian aggression emboldens China to chase Taiwan dream - interview
As the world reels from Russia’s brutal assault on its neighbor Ukraine, concern continues to grow further east that China may follow suit with Taiwan. Similar to Ukraine, Taiwan has been standing boldly for democracy in the face of an authoritarian superpower neighbor. Rest assured that China is watching closely how the world reacts to Putin’s efforts to expand Russia’s territory.

In recent months, China has taken increasingly aggressive action against Taiwan, invading Taiwanese airspace and issuing statements about the need for “reunification” with China. Indeed, China’s Xi Jinping has made taking back autonomous (and of course, democratic) regions like Hong Kong a foreign policy priority, brutally suppressing dissidents and democracy activists in Hong Kong. Xi has also expressed on multiple occasions his desire for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to control Taiwan.

Within hours of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, nine Chinese aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defense zone, causing alarm in the tiny island. This is becoming an increasingly regular occurrence for China, which refuses to acknowledge the independence of Taiwan.

Last week, I sat down with Taiwan’s new ambassador to Israel, Abby Ya-Ping Lee, to discuss what Russia’s war with Ukraine means for the future of the region.

Can you break down recent events in Ukraine from Taiwan’s perspective? What does it mean for China?
It is worrisome to see there are similarities in rhetoric and actions between Russia and China when they talk about Ukraine and Taiwan issues. Russia claims that Ukraine historically belongs to Russia, so it is entitled to restore the land in order to revitalize its national glory.

This is the same as China’s false claim that Taiwan is part of China. Its ultimate political goal is to accomplish the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

We also see Russia and China modernizing their militaries, and at the same time launching massive cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns in Ukraine and Taiwan to sabotage peoples’ trust in their governments.

China has been watching how the West reacts to Russia’s aggression, to learn what it might encounter if it launches attacks against Taiwan. We are concerned to see Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine emboldening China’s expansion of aggressionism. If you look at how China militarizes the South China Sea, you will know its ambition and objective is beyond Taiwan.


House Ethics Chairman Becomes Latest Dem To Jump From Sinking Ship
Rep. Ted Deutch (Fla.), the chairman of the House Ethics Committee, on Monday became the 31st House Democrat not to run for reelection in November.

Deutch, who has served in Congress since 2010, will retire at the end of his term this year, he announced on Twitter. CBS Miami's Jim De Fede reported that Deutch is expected to join the American Jewish Committee, which combats anti-Semitism and advocates for Israel.

Deutch made headlines in September after he slammed fellow Democratic representative Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) for anti-Semitic statements she made as the House debated defense funding for the Jewish state.

"I cannot allow one of my colleagues to stand on the floor of the House of Representatives and label the Jewish democratic state of Israel an apartheid state," Deutch said. "When there is no place on the map for one Jewish state, that's anti-Semitism."

Deutch is one of many Democrats to abandon the House before this year's midterms. Republicans have a 3.7 percent lead on the generic congressional ballot, according to the Real Clear Politics average, and are widely expected to retake control of at least one chamber of Congress.


Israeli Forces Kill Two Palestinian Gunmen in West Bank Clash
Israeli forces killed two Palestinian gunmen on Tuesday in clashes that broke out during a raid in a refugee camp in the West Bank, the Islamic Jihad militant group said.

Witnesses said undercover Israeli forces exchanged fire with Palestinians during a pre-dawn raid in the camp of Jenin. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad said the militants killed in the fighting were members of the group.

Israel’s border police said its undercover forces came under heavy gunfire during an operation in the camp to arrest a suspect wanted for what it described as “terrorist activity.”

After the man was detained, gunmen fired at the Israeli forces and a crowd of around 150 Palestinians threw fire-bombs, stones and an improvised grenade at them, the border police statement said.


High Court says 4 Palestinian families can stay in Sheikh Jarrah homes, for now
The High Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday that four Palestinian families in the flashpoint East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah will not be evicted until the Justice Ministry settles their ownership claims to the property.

According to the left-wing Ir Amim nonprofit, some 300 Palestinians are currently under threat of eviction in Sheikh Jarrah, mostly in private cases filed by right-wing Jewish groups. The case involving these four families could set a precedent for other proceedings making their way through the courts, experts say.

For decades, courts have held that Nahalat Shimon, the Jewish organization seeking to evict the four families, was the rightful owner of the land. The Palestinians claimed the Jordanians had been in the process of issuing them deeds to the property before Israel conquered East Jerusalem in 1967.

In an unprecedented move, the High Court ruled that the Palestinians could not be evicted unless the Justice Ministry examined the Palestinians’ claim to the homes. The Justice Ministry is responsible for sorting out land registration and issuing titles to property but has effectively frozen the process in much of East Jerusalem, citing political and logistical difficulties.

In the meantime, the Palestinian families will deposit a symbolic amount of rent — NIS 2,400 ($740) per year — in a bank account belonging to both sides’ lawyers. If the Justice Ministry rules against them, the funds will be transferred to Nahalat Shimon.

Sami Irsheid, an attorney for the Palestinians, hailed the ruling as “preserving the presence of the Palestinians in their homes.”
PMW: Why does the PA/PLO reject the designation of Hamas as a terror organization?
Australia recently announced that it will designate Hamas, in its entirety, as a terror organization. Until now, Australia had only designated the “Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades”, the so-called “military wing” of Hamas, as a terror organization. The Australian move followed a similar decision, made in November 2021, by the United Kingdom, to also widen the scope of the terror designation of Hamas from only covering the Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades to cover the entire organization. The United States and the European Union already designate Hamas, in its entirety, as a terror organization.

While there is widening global understanding that it is impossible to distinguish between the military and non-military wings of terror organizations and that Hamas, through and through, is a terror organization, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) are insistent on supporting Hamas and rejecting its terror designation.

Responding to the Australian decision, Hussein Al-Sheikh, said:
“The [PLO] Executive Committee emphasized its absolute rejection of the attempts by a number of states to describe the Palestinian struggle and some of the [Palestinian] factions and organizations as terrorists.”

[Official PA TV News, Feb. 18, 2022]

Hussein Al-Sheikh has been the Head of the PA General Authority of Civil Affairs since 2007. He is a member the Fatah Central Committee since 2016 and was recently appointed to the PLO Executive Committee. Some commentators have even suggested that Al-Sheikh is positioning himself to replace the aging Mahmoud Abbas as PA Chairman.

When the United Kingdom decided to widen its designation of Hamas as a terror organization, PA officials responded in a similar manner.

Instead of recognizing that the broader definition of Hamas as a terror organization was part of the global fight against terror, the PA Minister of Justice, Muhammad Shalaldeh, turned reality on its head and argued that the UK is “carrying out a step considered a crime against international law”:
“Instead of Britain defining the Palestinian resistance organizations as terror organizations, it should bear responsibility because it carries the legal responsibility for the disaster that befell the Palestinian people, first in the Balfour Declaration, and it gave this legal approval in the British Mandate. Now, instead of recognizing the State of Palestine and providing help to the Palestinian people in achieving self-determination and establishing a state for the Palestinian people, Britain is carrying out this step that is considered a crime against international law.”

[Official PA TV, Topic of the Day, Nov. 21, 2021]
Israel fears Western appeasement of Russia emboldens Iran
The United States, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and Germany—known as the P5+1—appear to be closing in on a deal with Iran over its ongoing nuclear-weapons program. At the same time, Israeli officials view Western reactions to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine with extreme unease because allowing him to invade without consequence has not only emboldened Moscow but likely encouraged other nefarious actors as well.

Namely, Iran.

Michael Doran, a senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at Hudson Institute, believes that an agreement with Iran “puts Israel in a pickle.”

“It turns the U.S., in effect, into a kind of guardian of the Iranian nuclear-weapons program,” he said. “If Israel launches large-scale attacks against the program, it risks getting into a major war that the U.S. opposes. If it opts for sabotage, tensions with Washington will rise. The coalition, which hangs on by a thread, would be endangered.”

Israelis view the U.S. administration and many European governments as pursuing a policy of appeasement against aggressors. Subscribe to The JNS Daily Syndicate by email and never miss our top stories

Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JNS that it’s “difficult to call this policy anything other than appeasement; they’re offering to pay the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism billions of dollars on the hope that regime won’t move forward with nuclear weapons. The deal imposes no true restrictions on Iran; Iran gives up nothing and still preserves its option to develop nuclear weapons at any time of its choosing.”

The Biden administration promised a “longer, stronger” deal, but the one taking shape in Vienna, according to news accounts, seems shorter and weaker.


Biden Admin Relies on Russia To Finalize Iran Nuclear Deal as Putin Invades Ukraine
Even as Moscow invades Ukraine, the Biden administration is relying on Russia to solidify a revamped nuclear agreement with Iran, a deal that senior Republican foreign policy leaders say will be approved in the coming days without any input from Congress.

As Russian forces press further into Ukraine, threatening to spark a world war, the Biden administration is rushing to finalize a Russia-brokered nuclear deal with Iran, Rep. Michael McCaul (R., Texas), the lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Washington Free Beacon.

"Russia's further invasion of Ukraine is reprehensible, but we can't lose sight of the next national security crisis as it forms before our eyes: The Biden administration is reportedly rushing to finalize a deal with Iran, brokered by Russia, that it does not want Congress to review, in violation of U.S. law," McCaul said.

Throughout the conflict, the Biden administration has kept diplomatic channels with Moscow open in the hopes it can push Iran into accepting a deal that will provide the world's leading sponsor of terrorism with billions of dollars in cash windfalls.

McCaul and other Republican foreign policy leaders who spoke to the Free Beacon about the situation warned that this reliance on Moscow is undermining American and European efforts to isolate Russian president Vladimir Putin for his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. These lawmakers say the conflict threatens to distract attention from negotiations surrounding a new nuclear deal, providing the Biden administration with an opportunity to skirt congressional review of any deal.

"Congressional review of any Iran nuclear deal was enacted with broad bipartisan support to ensure legislative oversight of any dealings regarding the nuclear program of the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism," McCaul said. "If the administration circumvents Congress, that is a blinking red light for the American people that this is a bad deal."
Accused Iranian Spy Claims He Needs Trial Delayed Due to Ukraine Conflict
An accused Iranian spy who is on trial in the United States is asking the court to delay his case for three months so that he can travel to Ukraine to fight against Russian forces, a request that experts tracking the case call a ‘laughable' attempt to escape the justice system.

Kaveh Afrasiabi, an Iranian citizen and U.S. permanent resident, was charged last year with acting as an unregistered foreign agent for the Iranian regime. The trial, which was scheduled to move ahead in January, was postponed twice last year at Afrasiabi's request, sparking Republican concerns that the Biden administration is allowing delays to appease Iran while it negotiates a new nuclear deal.

Now, Afrasiabi wants another delay so that he can travel to Ukraine and "support its war of independence against Russian aggression," according to an email sent Monday afternoon to the judge handling the case that was obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

"I write this letter to request to be granted a temporary leave to join the international legion formed by Ukraine to support its war of independence against Russian aggression. As a political scientist and life-long peace activist who is aghast by the appalling condition of an entire nation, I find it my moral duty to heed Ukraine's call for help and thus implore the Court to grant a three months leave of absence whereby I can fulfill my own humanitarian calling by going to Ukraine and helping their cause," Afrasiabi wrote.

He also promises the court that if he is allowed to travel outside of the United States he will not flee to Iran and effectively prevent the United States from continuing the case against him.


BDS and the Apartheid Libel Are on the March
A key development in BDS activity in February was a report by Amnesty International entitled “Israel’s Apartheid Against the Palestinians.” The BDS movement and its various supporters, immediately lauded the report. BDS advocates also complained about what they deemed as inadequate coverage by mainstream media — despite the fact that the report’s lies and distortions received prominent coverage.

Observers immediately noted that the report, based almost entirely on its own and other NGO “analyses” (sometimes quoting nearly verbatim) was filled with egregious errors of fact and overt fabrications, and was undermined by Amnesty leaders’ farcical ignorance and obsession regarding Israel. By advocating for a Palestinian “right of return,” the report also effectively argued for the destruction of Israel. Palestinian terrorism and rejection of negotiations were completely omitted.

The Amnesty report was widely condemned by US and European governments, Jewish and Israeli organizations, and by both an Islamist Israeli Arab politician and the head of Amnesty’s Israel branch. But it follows similar reports by Human Rights Watch and B’Tselem, and anticipates additional reports from the Commission of Inquiry that was recently created by the United Nations Rights Committee.

Despite a hostile reception from governments, BDS supporters are already referencing the Amnesty report, including those promoting a BDS resolution at Concordia University. In Britain, the Labour Party’s former shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, spoke in opposition to a government plan to prohibit local councils from adopting BDS measures, saying that he was “against investments going into Israel, as I do believe according to the Amnesty Report, the Human Rights report and many Jewish institutions as well, that actually it is an apartheid state the way they treat the Palestinians.”

There were also a number of significant BDS-related developments in academia. Among the most noteworthy were campus protests aimed at Israelis. At the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, BDS supporters protested outside a classroom where retired IDF Major General Amos Yadlin was speaking. Calling Yadlin a “war criminal,” the protestors accused the university of “lack of regard for Palestinian narratives.” The same BDS group also protested the presence of Sabra brand hummus on campus. Additional protests again the brand were held at Northwestern University.
J Street Proves Again It’s Progressive, Not Pro-Israel
Justice Democrats, the far-left group behind Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) poured money into the campaign of his primary challenger, Jessica Cisneros. She’s received endorsements from far left politicians including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and AOC. The Sunshine Group – which gained infamy for its DC Chapter boycotting the presence of Zionist groups advocating for voting rights – also backs her.

Other far left-wing groups actively hostile to Israel also back Cisneros. The list includes Move On and The Working Families Party, which pushed politicians to boycott the pro-Israel AIPAC conference. Daily Kos, a left wing media outlet which equated the Palestinian political-terrorist group HAMAS which calls for killing Israelis and the destruction of Israel, and Israel’s Likud as “Two despicable organizations,” also supports Cisneros.

Joining the list of alt-left wing groups – many anti-Israel – in endorsing Cisneros is J Street PAC. J Street is spending $100,000 in digital ads to help Cisneros defeat Cuellar in the Democratic primary on March 1, 2022. To put that sum in context, J Street spent $272,000 nationally in getting Joe Biden elected president in 2020.

Consider that Cisneros hasn’t said a single word about Israel. Her “Issues” list doesn’t mention Israel or the Middle East.

Yet J Street, which markets itself as primarily concerned with Israel is putting a huge amount of money behind someone who has no opinions on Israel, and against a moderate Democratic politician who staunchly supports the Jewish State.

J Street is a progressive PAC first and foremost, which thinks nothing of standing alongside left wing groups that despise Israel. In backing Cisneros in Texas, it is proving again that the organization has nothing to do with being pro-Israel.


Haaretz Headline Misquotes Ex-Top Shin Bet Officer on Arrests
In addition, the Hebrew edition’s headline accurately quotes Rubovitch, stating: “we arrested countless people.” (Translations by CAMERA.)

Second, the article poorly translates a quote by former IDF chief of staff Moshe Yaalon, stating in English:
Moshe Ya’alon, who was the IDF chief of staff at the height of the second intifada, spoke of the need to “burn the Palestinians’ consciousness” – to exact a sufficiently high price to make the Palestinians realize that there was no point in continuing to perpetrate acts of terrorism.

Ya’alon did not speak of the need “to burn the Palestinians’ consciousness.” In his 2002 interview with Haaretz’s Ari Shavit, Ya’alon said:
If this is not burned [seared] into the Palestinian and Arab consciousness, there will be no end to the demands upon us.

Thus, a more accurate translation would be “to burn into the Palestinians’ consciousness.” Indeed, the Hebrew version of Amos Harel’s article last month more accurately reported:
Moshe Yaalon, the chief of staff during the peak of the Intifada, spoke during that period of the need for the “searing of consciousness,” extracting a heavy enough price to bring the Palestinians to the recognition that additional acts of terror don’t pay.

This particular Ya’alon quote has been frequently misreported in the international press, prompting corrections at The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Time, Los Angeles Times and more, particular care should be exercised in precisely report the quote. For more instances in which Haaretz‘s English edition introduced misinformation which did not appear in the parallel Hebrew coverage, please see “Haaretz, Lost in Translation.”
Reuters Footage Mistakes West Bank for Gaza Strip
A Feb. 23 Reuters video (also on YouTube) about Gaza Strip residents learning Hebrew in preparation for work in Israel erroneously displays footage of the West Bank instead of the Gaza Strip. Starting at 1:45 into the broadcast, the following scenery appears:

The narrator states at that point: “Some 2.3 million Gazans live in the [inaudible] coastal strip largely unable to leave to seek work abroad and squeezed in by 15 years of restrictions imposed by Israel. Gaza also borders Egypt, which imposes its own restrictions.”

Given the hilly terrain, the footage that Reuters used is surely the West Bank, not the Gaza Strip. Moreover, the Gaza-Israel border is demarcated largely by an iron fence (at left) which does not resemble the concrete wall shown in the Reuters broadcast.

CAMERA last week alerted Reuters editors to the mistaken footage, but as of this writing, the video has yet to be corrected. The failure to address the issue is puzzling given that Reuters has a dedicated unit within its editorial department responsible for fact-checking visual material and social media claims. If Reuters fails to correct errors in its own visual material when outside observers flag them, how can the news agency be considered credible when it comes to debunking social media misinformation?
Boston Red Sox Cut Ties With Minor Leaguer Over Antisemitic, Racist Tweets
The Boston Red Sox released former third-round draft pick Brett Netzer after he posted on Twitter a series of racist, homophobic, transphobic, and antisemitic tweets, several of which targeted the team’s Jewish chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom.

“Chaim bloom is a bad actor. dude went to hebrew school and studied the torah growing up but sold his soul to the sodom and race groups. good thing he is good at whatever he does in baseball,” Netzer, 25, wrote in one of many tweets attacking Bloom, according to CBS News. He wrote in another message, “is chaim bloom even jewish?? highly doubtful.” He also said, “bloom is a hypocrite and an embarrassment to any torah-following jew.”

Netzer additionally posted tweets attacking black and transgender people. When a Twitter user asked if Netzer’s account was hacked, the athlete responded, “not hacked.”

He tweeted in a reply to another Twitter user, “I am a racist. I do sometimes make assumptions based on a person’s race/ethnicity/culture. Glad that is out of the way.” His Twitter account has since been deleted.

Netzer was selected by the Red Sox in the third round of the 2017 draft out of UNC Charlotte. He last played in 2019 — the 2020 minor league season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic and he spent the entire 2021 season on the restricted list for unknown reasons, CBS News reported.
Durham police crack down on hate-crime after 12 reports of antisemitism
POLICE in Durham say they are doing all they can to crack down on antisemitism in the region, as a County Durham woman has hit out at the "vile" and "disgusting" verbal and online abuse she has received.

Almost a dozen antisemitic incidents were reported in Durham last year, according to charity figures, but the police force have sent a strong message to those that are guilty of these kinds of crimes – “Hate crime in any form is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated”.

The findings come as one County Durham woman has hit out at the “vile” and “disgusting” verbal and online abuse she has received.

In Durham, 11 antisemitic incidents towards Jewish people, organisations or property were reported to the Community Security Trust in 2021.

This was down from 12 the year before, but more than the two recorded in 2019.

Last year, all incidents recorded were reports of abusive behaviour.
University of South Florida Suspends Fraternity Over Antisemitic Hazing
The University of South Florida (USF) has indefinitely suspended a fraternity following complaints about antisemitic initiation rituals and an online post mocking the Holocaust, a campus newspaper reported Sunday.

USF commenced an investigation of Pi Kappa Phi’s conduct after a Jewish pledge revealed that a member drew a swastika on his body at an initiation event. A student’s post “endorsing Hitler and the death of more than 6 million Jews” also surfaced on an online platform for discussing Greek life, according to a description of the incident by USF Hillel.

“Mockery of the Holocaust, the use of hate symbols and the trivialization of genocide is unacceptable,” the campus Jewish group said Tuesday. “This behavior not only harms the Jewish community on campus but also undermines the foundational values of the University.”

According to The Oracle, USF charged Pi Kappa Phi with violating school rules on hazing and underage drinking. The school previously called the alleged actions of the fraternity members “reprehensible.”

Director of Student Conduct and Ethical Development Melissa Graham will meet with Pi Kappa Phi on Tuesday to discuss the charges and render a final decision on the length of its suspension.

“Guests were given sharpies and told to engage with the associate members and then write on their shirts,” Graham said in an email obtained by The Oracle. “Associate members had inappropriate objects (penises and a swastika) drawn on their shirts and/or body parts. Alcohol was present at the event and consumed by associate members.”
Girlfriend of Antisemitic ‘GDL’ Founder Fired From Yoga Studio for Participating in ‘Business of Hate’
The girlfriend of the California-based founder of a neo-Nazi group waging a propaganda campaign blaming the COVID-19 pandemic on a Jewish conspiracy has been fired from her job as a yoga instructor.

Yoga instructor Kelly Johnson was fired from her posts with Yoga Hell in Petaluma and Funky Door Yoga in Berkeley because of her alleged support for the violently antisemitic views of her boyfriend, Jon Minadeo Jr.

A neo-Nazi with a penchant for dressing up in outlandish costumes decorated with swastikas, Minadeo founded the so-called “Goyim Defense League” (GDL), which has carried out a coast-to-coast campaign distributing flyers in several cities claiming “Every Single Aspect of the COVID Agenda is Jewish.”

In an email to clients, Jeff Renfro — a Jewish businessman who owns the yoga studios where Johnson worked — announced that she had been terminated. “We are a firm believer in diversity and inclusion,” the email said, adding that “Kelly seems to share in Jon’s beliefs” and “had assisted him in his business of hate.”

Renfro told the Bay Area Jewish news outlet J. Weekly that he had noticed a change in Johnson late last year. He alleged that she had made “bigoted” comments about Black Lives Matter protests and complained about having to sit next to “smelly Jews” on a plane journey. Looking more closely into Minadeo’s antics, Renfro said he was shocked by the “GDL” material he found online.

“I can’t find the words to tell you how bad it is,” Renfro said. “As a Jew, it’s as if he’s calling me a dirty k*ke, an evil k*ke. And that I should be killed.”
Israeli study: Stem cells may help multiple sclerosis brain ‘repair itself’
A new Israeli stem cell therapy, intended to make the brain of multiple sclerosis sufferers “repair itself,” has shown promise in a small clinical trial, with several patients experiencing hopeful biological changes and reduced disability.

NeuroGenesis, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, tested its personalized NG-01 therapy on patients, administering it in two different ways. An intravenous injection had some effect, but doctors observed particularly positive changes among patients who received an injection into the spinal cord fluid.

Of the 15 patients who received spinal injections, nine subsequently experienced a drop in levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a protein that is heightened among MS patients as disability progresses. In a control group that received placebo injections, only one of the 15 patients experienced such a drop.

Of the nine patients who received the therapy as a spinal injection and had reduced NfL levels, all but one went on to have improved disability scores, even 12 months later when the research finished. The study has been peer-reviewed and published in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine.

As NfL is considered an indicator of MS progression, it is known as a biomarker of the disease. Tal Gilat, CEO of NeuroGenesis, told The Times of Israel that the fact that the biomarker dropped after the therapy was administered is important.

“We believe that our treatment holds the promise of dramatically improving the lives of progressive MS patients, and will hopefully lead to a cure for this devastating disease,” he said. “The study has shown that for the first time a cell therapy achieved a very significant reduction in a well-known neurodegenerative biomarker in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis.”
NY play explores unease of modern French Jews in face of rising antisemitism
Playwright Joshua Harmon (“Bad Jews,” “Admissions,” “Skintight,” “Significant Other”) is a provocateur by nature. His paradoxical questions about his own identity often surface in his work: What is a good Jew or a bad Jew? What is the responsibility of a white student toward affirmative action? What does it mean to be gay and single among married women besties?

In his latest play, “Prayer for the French Republic,” Harmon wonders: As a Jew, when is it time to leave? Set primarily in France in 2016-17, with passages that flash back to 1944, the play follows a Jewish family asking the same question their Jewish Parisian forebears contemplated 70 years earlier.

Directed by Tony Award winner and two-time nominee David Cromer (“The Band’s Visit,” “The Sound Inside”), the off-Broadway play began performances at Manhattan Theatre Club on January 11 and has extended its run to March 13, due to intense demand.

Featuring five generations of the French Jewish Benhamou family, “Prayer for the French Republic” articulates the very particular fear so many Jews carry. As they grapple with their identity (Are we French? Are we Jewish? Both?) in the midst of rising antisemitism, the audience must confront these same questions about belonging, assimilating, continuing tradition and feeling safe.

Harmon began working on the idea seven years ago, and hand-delivered an early draft of the play to Cromer two-and-a-half years ago in an attempt to woo him to direct. Even in its earliest state, Cromer says, the play was compelling and thrilling.

The New York Jewish Week spoke with Cromer about developing the play, the parallels between French Jewish identity and American Jewish identity, and how his own Jewish background impacts his view of directing the buzzed-about work. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.






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