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Saturday, May 14, 2022

05/14 Links: Caroline Glick: The Muslim Brotherhood's foreign minister; Officers Intervened at Reporter’s Funeral to Prevent ‘Mob’ From Taking Coffin Against Family’s Wishes

From Ian:

Caroline Glick: The Muslim Brotherhood's foreign minister
Given Abbas' mild-mannered persona, Ra'am's statements following Abu Akleh's death were stunning. Ra'am responded to her death by demanding an international inquiry. Ra'am's message is not simply about virtue signaling. It is a proclamation. The party that controls Israel's government considers Israel's governing institutions – the IDF, the police, the Health Ministry, the forensic medical institute – fundamentally illegitimate. Israel, in other words, is fundamentally illegitimate. By demanding an "international investigation," Ra'am is effectively demanding that Israel surrender to the braying blood libel mob.

Ra'am's statement was not an isolated incident. It is part of its much wider use of relations with foreign governments and institutions to advance the Islamic Movement's agenda from within the Israeli governing coalition. Abbas is carrying out an active, independent foreign policy that is hostile to Israel's most fundamental national interest – the preservation of its sovereignty.

At least publicly, the focus of Abbas' diplomatic efforts is Jordan. Since setting up the Bennett-Lapid government, Abbas has met twice with King Abdullah II of Jordan. Last November, Abdullah and Abbas met for four hours at Abdullah's palace. The regime-controlled Jordanian media gave expansive coverage of the meeting. The coverage was particularly stunning since, when Abdullah met with Bennett in the summer, he insisted that no photos be taken and that the meeting be kept secret.

Abbas' ties with Abdullah serve the interests of both men. Jordan's Islamic Waqf employs the personnel in the mosques on the Temple Mount. But over the years, the Waqf's personnel have switched their allegiance from Jordan to the PLO to the Islamic Movement and Hamas.

Whereas King Abdullah's father, the late King Hussein, viewed the Palestinians, who comprise a large majority of Jordan's population as an existential threat to the Hashemite regime, Abdullah has thrown his lot in with the Palestinians to the detriment of the Bedouin minority in Jordan. By embracing the Muslim Brotherhood through Abbas' Islamic Movement, Abdullah seeks to stabilize his grip on power at a time of economic and political instability in Jordan.

For his part, Abbas is using Abdullah, who boasts close ties to the US foreign policy establishment, the EU, and the Israeli left and security establishment as a proxy to advance the Islamic Movement's strategic goals vis-à-vis the Temple Mount and Israel as a whole.

The first unmistakable sign of the fusion of Jordan's positions with those of the Islamic Movement, (and Hamas) came in the midst of the Muslim riots during the month of Ramadan last month. On April 18, Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh enthusiastically supported the rioters. In a speech before the Jordanian parliament, he said, "I salute every Palestinian, and all the employees of the Jordanian Islamic Waqf, who proudly stand like minarets, hurling their stones in a volley of clay at the Zionist sympathizers defiling the Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the Israeli occupation government."

A week later Abbas was back in Jordan for another four-hour meeting with Abdullah. Judging from what followed, it's clear the two men agreed on a joint policy aimed at coercing Israel into abrogating its sovereignty over Judaism's most sacred site.
Seth Frantzman: Abu Akleh's funeral: From a Jenin tragedy to a Jerusalem tragedy
EXPERTS FROM the security establishment who know the conflict will provide explanations about how civilians don’t understand the overall reality. They will say that Israel had to use force and to keep lines of control. They will say that it’s about the broader message of who runs Jerusalem. Indeed, the massive outpouring for the funeral was unlike anything seen in Jerusalem in recent memory. But then again, a country that prides itself on very good intelligence should have known that.

And the reality of “control” is lacking anyway. Last year during the conflict with Hamas, many of Israel’s cities that have mixed Jewish and Arab population descended into chaos. This included attempted lynchings and attacks. I read recently about a similar incident in Acre, involving a Jewish man who went fishing and was attacked. We hear often about stockpiles of illegal firearms in the Negev. In reality, half the country is sitting on a knife-edge of violence.

It is all just barely kept in check by security forces. The reality is always kept just beneath the surface. A feigned sense of “everything is fine” percolates into discourse. The Abraham Accords, a sense of security and "no need to address the 'conflict'” is the reality. And anyway, Israel has a relatively new government that is always in tenuous control, waiting for a coalition crisis.

ON THE sidelines is the opposition that ran the country for a decade. That opposition, symbolized by Benjamin Netanyahu, preferred the status quo. The motto was strength and not weakness – the “strong survive” and the weak will not.

But that motto means the “strong” have to always be fighting to keep the status quo and also let pesky things like masses of illegal weapons in the Negev go by the wayside. Because not all problems can be dealt with at the same time.

In that line of reasoning, half of the neighborhoods in east Jerusalem are seen as basically lawless in some ways, with clashes with some police units a norm. But don’t worry, the argument goes, this doesn’t enter central Jerusalem.

Indeed, the old border between Israel and what was then Jordan – Route 1 today – is still a kind of dividing line. So when the funeral for Abu Akleh seemed to upset the status quo, the system went into action.
Israeli Forces Clash with Armed Palestinian Militants in Jenin
Like previous encounters in Jenin, Israeli forces came under heavy fire by militants. Video shared on social media showed troops attacking a home where Duba’i was located. Duba’i was eventually captured after several hours of fighting, though a YAMAM counter-terrorism officer, Noam Raz, was shot and killed by militants during the operation.

The IDF and other Israeli security forces generally operate under the cover of darkness, especially in areas where there is a heavy presence of militants, such as Jenin. Both daytime raids on Wednesday and Friday were in part to send a message to militant groups that Israeli forces are willing to operate against them during the day despite the added danger in doing so.

The resurgence of militant activity in the West Bank is likely a response to the increase in Israeli counter-terrorism operations in the West Bank going to back to early 2021. A number of these operations have resulted in the deaths of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades members. [See FDD’s Long War Journal: West Bank Militants Reorganize, Establish Joint Operations Room.]

It is likely Israeli forces will be launching another operation in Jenin in the coming days to arrest individuals responsible for the killing of Noam Raz on Friday.


Israel Police: Officers Intervened at Reporter’s Funeral to Prevent ‘Mob’ From Taking Coffin Against Family’s Wishes
Israeli police said Friday that they charged a group of Palestinians carrying the coffin of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh to prevent them from taking the coffin on an “unplanned procession by foot,” against the wishes of the slain journalist’s family.

“On Friday, about 300 rioters arrived at Saint Joseph hospital in Jerusalem and prevented the family members from loading the coffin onto the hearse to travel to the cemetery — as had been planned and coordinated with the family in advance,” an Israel Police statement said.

“Instead, the mob threatened the driver of the hearse and then proceeded to carry the coffin on an unplanned procession to the cemetery by foot,” it continued. “This went against the wishes of the Abu Akleh family and the security coordinations that had been planned to safeguard the large number of mourners.”

The group refused instructions from Israel Police as well as the Abu Akleh family and an EU diplomat, the statement continued.

“Israeli Police intervened to disperse the mob and prevent them from taking the coffin, so that the funeral could proceed as planned in accordance with the wishes of the family,” it added. “During the riot that was instigated by the mob, glass bottles and other objects were thrown, resulting in the injury of both mourners and police officers.”

Several minutes after police intervened, Abu Akleh’s coffin was placed in a vehicle that headed toward the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Virgin in Jerusalem’s Walled Old City, where the funeral ceremony proceeded peacefully.
Israel Launches Probe Into Police Actions During Reporter’s Funeral
Israeli police on Saturday announced a probe into the actions of border policemen during the funeral of an Al Jazeera reporter, following an international outcry over videos showing Israeli security forces pummeling the Palestinian pallbearers with batons.

In a statement, police said that they had planned for a “calm and dignified” funeral for Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed on Wednesday in controversial circumstances, but “hundreds of rioters tried to sabotage the ceremony and harm the police.”

“The Israel Police will be looking into the events that ensued during the funeral,” the statement read. “The Israel Police supports its police officers, but as a professional organization that seeks to learn and improve, it will also draw lessons from the incident.”

Abu Akleh’s death sent shockwaves around the world and has generated fierce debates over who fired the fatal shot.

Officials from the Al Jazeera network accused Israel of deliberately killing the much-admired veteran journalist, while Israeli authorities claimed there was a distinct possibility she was hit by indiscriminate gunfire from Palestinian terrorists.
US, EU blast police violence at Abu Akleh’s funeral
The international community over the weekend sharply condemned Israeli police violence against the mourners at slain Palestinian-American reporter Shireen Abu Akleh’s Friday funeral in Jerusalem, which almost caused pallbearers to drop her coffin.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the images of police with their batons out, broadcast globally in real time and widely circulated after the funeral, “deeply troubling.” Outgoing White House Press Secretary Jan Psaki added that they were “disturbing.”

France said it was “shocked” and Germany said it was “distraught.” Even Lithuania said it was “troubled.”

Police said they were protecting the procession against rioters. Some of those on the ground claimed that the violence occurred around police attempts to confiscate Palestinian flags, including those surrounding the coffin and the black hearse.

But the scene that grabbed everyone’s attention occurred at the start of the procession when pallbearers exited St. Joseph’s Hospital in east Jerusalem with Abu Akleh’s coffin wanting to parade it on foot to the Mount Zion cemetery, despite family plans for it to travel in a hearse.

In an apparent bid to ensure that the coffin was placed in a hearse, police officers burst through the courtyard gates and charged at the crowd, some beating pallbearers with batons and kicking them.
PA doubles down, won't investigate Abu Akleh killing with Israel
The Palestinian Authority over the weekend reiterated its refusal to hold a joint investigation with Israel into the killing of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh.

The PA’s refusal to cooperate with Israel in the investigation came amid reports that the US had exerted pressure on the Palestinians in this regard.

A PA official said that the Palestinians were prepared to “fully cooperate” with the US and other parties on the case. Abu Akleh, 51, was a US citizen and held an Israeli ID card in her capacity as a resident of Jerusalem.

On Thursday, senior PLO official Hussein al-Sheikh, who is considered No. 2 in the PA leadership, said that the Palestinians won’t hand over to Israel the bullet that was removed from the head of Abu Akleh, who was fatally shot early Wednesday while covering an IDF operation in Jenin.

On Saturday, al-Sheikh, who serves as PA Civil Affairs Minister, said that the Palestinians “welcome the participation of all international bodies in the investigation.”
UN Security Council unanimously demands probe of Al Jazeera journalist’s death
The United Nations Security Council on Friday unanimously condemned the killing of Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh killed amid clashes between Palestinian gunmen and Israeli troops while covering a military raid in the West Bank, diplomats said.

The statement — a rare case of Security Council unity on an issue related to Israel — also called for “an immediate, thorough, transparent, and impartial investigation into her killing.”

According to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity, the negotiations on the text were particularly arduous.

China successfully pushed the United States to remove paragraphs denouncing abuses committed against the media around the world, defending their freedom and urging their protection while covering military operations, according to diplomatic sources and different versions of the declaration obtained by AFP during the discussions.

The final text merely says that “journalists should be protected as civilians” and does not mention violence during the Friday funeral for Abu Akleh.


Biden assures Abdullah US recognizes Jordan as custodian of holy places
US President Joe Biden met on Friday with King Abdullah II of Jordan “and reaffirmed the close and enduring nature of the friendship between the United States and Jordan,” the White House said.

According to a readout of the conversation, Jordan is a critical ally and force for stability in the Middle East, “and the President confirmed unwavering US support for Jordan and His Majesty’s leadership.”

“The leaders consulted on recent events in the region and discussed urgent mechanisms to stem violence, calm rhetoric and reduce tensions in Israel and the West Bank,” the White House said.

The statement goes on to say that Biden affirmed his “strong support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and cited the need to preserve the historic status quo at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount.”

“The president also recognized the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s crucial role as the custodian of Muslim holy places in Jerusalem,” the White House said.
Biden Meets With Jordan’s King Abdullah Amid Renewed Demand for Palestinian Terrorist’s Extradition
Earlier in the week, however, a Republican Congressman announced that he would introduce legislation to limit US assistance to Jordan until the Kingdom of Jordan recognizes the validity of the 1995 extradition treaty between the two countries. Jordan is presently harboring Hamas terrorist Ahlam al-Tamimi, five years after the US Department of Justice issued a warrant for her arrest. Al-Tamimi was behind the Aug. 9, 2001 suicide bombing of the Sbarro pizza restaurant in Jerusalem which claimed the lives of 15 people, among them two US citizens — 15-year-old Malki Roth and 31-year-old Judith Shoshana Greenbaum.

Greg Steube, the Florida congressional representative sponsoring the legislation, said in a statement that King Abdullah had consistently “rejected requests from US officials at the highest levels to hand over the terrorist who faces charges in Washington.” He said that al-Tamimi had been turned into “an icon among Jordanians and Palestinian Arabs.”

Steube accused Jordan of “failing to comply with a 1995 treaty which requires them to extradite individuals like Ahlam al-Tamimi who faces trial for terrorism under US law.” He said his legislation would “ensure our foreign assistance to Jordan is abruptly halted until Jordan is in compliance with our extradition treaty.”

The proposed legislation received a warm endorsement from Arnold and Frimet Roth, the parents of Malki Roth. “Seeing the woman behind the savagery of the Sbarro bombing finally stand trial in the US ought to get the wholehearted backing of everyone who cherishes justice,” Frimet Roth said.
Hamas warns against Jews visiting Temple Mount on Nakba Day: ‘Will lead to a clash’
The Gaza-ruling Hamas terror organization on Saturday warned Israel of a “clash” as it urged Palestinians to flock in mass to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City for Nakba Day on Sunday.

May 15 marks the 74th anniversary of what the Arab world calls the “Nakba” or “catastrophe” surrounding the establishment of Israel, referring to the displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the Israel’s War of Independence in 1948-1949.

This year, Nakba Day coincides with Pesach Sheni, or Second Passover, during which Jews who were unable to participate in the religious festival observe it a month later.

Appearing to respond to calls on social media by Temple Mount activists for Jews to visit the holy site on Sunday, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem warned of a “clash” for which he said the “Zionist occupier” would be responsible.

“The extremist statements calling on [Jews] to storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque tomorrow on Nakba Day and the approval of the ‘occupation forces’ to do so are a dangerous escalation that constitutes a provocation toward our people and our feelings that will lead to a clash that the ‘Zionist occupier’ will be held responsible for,” the spokesman warned in a statement.

“We call on the masses of our people in Jerusalem, the West Bank and occupied Israel to come to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and foil the occupation’s evil plans,” he added.


UAE’s Newly Elected Ruler Sees Iran, Islamists as Threat to Gulf Safe Haven
United Arab Emirates strongman Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who was formally elected president on Saturday, led a realignment of the Middle East that created a new anti-Iran axis with Israel and fought a rising tide of political Islam in the region.

Working behind the scenes for years as de facto leader, Sheikh Mohammed, 61, transformed the UAE military into a high-tech force, which coupled with its oil wealth and business hub status, extended Emirati influence internationally.

Mohammed began wielding power in a period when his half-brother President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, who died on Friday, suffered bouts of illness, including a stroke in 2014.

MbZ, as he is known, was driven by a “certain fatalistic line of thinking” that Gulf Arab rulers could no longer rely on their main supporter the United States, according to former US envoy to the UAE Barbara Leaf, especially after Washington abandoned Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak during the 2011 Arab Spring.

From his power base in the capital Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed issued a “calm and cold” warning to then-President Barack Obama not to back uprisings that could spread and endanger Gulf dynastic rule, according to Obama’s memoir, which described MbZ as the “savviest” Gulf leader.

A US State Department official serving in the Biden administration, which has had fraught ties with the UAE in recent months, described him as a strategist who brings historical perspective to discussions.
Report: 5 killed, 7 wounded in alleged Israeli strike in Syria
Syrian state media reported Friday that five people were killed and seven others were wounded in what it alleged was an Israeli strike in the country's northwest.

The SANA news agency said the country's air defenses intercepted missile fire at the town of Masyaf in the Hama countryside.

Syria often boasts about successfully engaging Israeli strikes, in what experts on Syria and the region say is hollow vaunts

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Syria war monitor affiliated with the opposition to President Bashar Assad's regime, said Israeli aircraft fired at least eight missiles that struck weapons depots and sites belonging to Iranian militias in the Masyaf area, which led to several fires.

Ambulances were seen rushing to the area, it added.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the attack, which the Observatory said was the 12th Israeli strike on Syrian soil since the beginning of the year.

The IDF rarely comments on reports on its operations in Arab media.


The EU and the Biden Administration Give in to Iran's Mullahs
The European Union is basically admitting that it views the nuclear deal with Iran's ruling clerics from the perspective of economic opportunity. That should not be the objective of the nuclear talks. Instead, European leaders ought to be seeking a strong deal that will prevent the Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons, especially -- as they should have learned from Russia by now -- because those nukes may soon be aimed at their countries.

By revealing its desperation to buy oil, the EU is empowering Iran's ruling clerics to gain the upper hand in the nuclear talks and obtain even more concessions to revive the nuclear deal. Desperation, to the Iranian regime, means weakness.

To appease Iran's mullahs, the EU and the Biden administration are also turning a blind eye to China's violating the sanctions on Iran... Reportedly, the Iranian regime is exporting more than 1.5 million bpd. The ruling mullahs of Iran are exporting approximately 80% of the oil they used to export before the sanctions. Iran's revenues heavily rely on oil exports; the sale of oil accounts for more than 50% of the regime's export revenues.

The EU, moreover, has yet to join the US in imposing sanctions on the Iranian regime. In fact, European countries are still trading with Tehran in spite of the US sanctions. Tehran Times reported: "The value of trade between Iran and the European Union reached €4.863 billion in 2021, registering a nine-percent growth compared to the previous year...."

It seems clear that the nuclear deal was never about stopping the predatory regime of Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. For the EU, the nuclear deal is about trade, making money and buying oil from the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism; for the Biden administration, it is about a "diplomatic win". In return, the ruling mullahs will have a legal path to blackmail the world, using nuclear weapons and missiles, into sending Iran's regime billions for their terror and militia groups to torment everyone.
1 reported killed in Iran unrest over government price hikes on basic goods
One person was killed during a protest in southwestern Iran against a government decision to raise the costs of basic goods, an MP told Iranian media Saturday.

The authorities had announced Monday a series of measures to tackle mounting economic challenges, such as changing a subsidy system and raising the prices of staple goods including cooking oil and dairy products.

Hundreds took to the streets in a number of Iranian cities to protest the government’s decision, including in Tehran province, state news agency IRNA reported.

Iran has been reeling under the effect of sanctions reimposed by the US in 2018 — exacerbated by rising prices worldwide since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

“A resident of Andimeshk was killed during the recent rallies in Dezful in Khuzestan province,” local MP Ahmed Avai told the Iran Labour News Agency (ILNA).

The victim was not identified, nor were the circumstances of the death disclosed.

IRNA had reported Friday that more than 20 people were arrested during the demonstrations in Dezful and Yasuj further east, but made no mention of any casualties.
Jewish Students Censure ‘Misguided’ BDS Vote at University of California Riverside
A recent University of California, Riverside (UCR) student government resolution pressing for a financial and academic boycott of Israel has left Jewish students on campus “deeply disappointed,” UCR Hillel told The Algemeiner on Thursday.

The resolution, SR-S22-004 UC Divestment from Apartheid, accused Israel of practicing “apartheid” and resolved to “recognize the human rights violations committed by the Israeli State and its military against Palestinians.”

“The Associated Students of UC Riverside (ASUCR) calls upon the UC Riverside … to divest from all corporations mentioned above that contribute to the continued violation of Palestinian human rights, and all future companies that support Israel,” said the motion, which also included a list of businesses such as 3M, Ford, Raytheon and Sabra Hummus’ parent company, Strauss Group.

It also demanded that all University of California campuses “remove ‘Israel’ as a location for any and all study abroad programs.”

A report in the student outlet The Highlander described the legislation as “a work in progress worked with students, faculty and administration,” and said it passed the ASUCR Senate on May 4 by a vote of 11-0, with 1 abstention.

On Friday, the UCR Hillel Student Board told The Algemeiner that it “remains committed to our core mission of enriching the lives of Jewish students and will continue to stand against antisemitic efforts to demonize Israel.”

“We are confident that this misguided vote does not represent the students, faculty, or administration of UC Riverside,” the Hillel board said. “We are deeply disappointed that ASUCR passed this problematic and simplistic resolution and that they did so while deliberately excluding Jewish student leaders from discussion.”


Nearly 1,000 antisemitic incidents in Austria in 2021, Jewish community group says
Antisemitic incidents reached a record high in Austria last year, according to a report published Friday.

The statistics, compiled by the Jewish Community of Vienna, recorded 965 incidents in 2021 — the highest number since the organization began documenting them 20 years ago. That figure is an increase of 65% over the previous year, when there were 585 recorded incidents.

“The challenge of the rise of antisemitic incidents is a global phenomenon and we are working closely with all strands of society to combat the rise in antisemitic incidents,” said Oskar Deutsch, president of the Jewish Community of Vienna.

Among the incidents reported in 2021 in the Alpine nation of 8.9 million, the majority — around 60% — were accounts of “abusive behavior,” including in-person and online comments and messages. The next largest category, which made up 27% of total incidents, were mass mailings and literature containing antisemitic messages and stereotypes.

About 1% of the total incidents involved assaults or attempted assaults, 2.5% involved threats, and 10% involved damage and desecration.

By far the largest proportion of incidents — 461, or 48% of the total incidents — could be attributed to people supporting right-wing, far-right and neo-Nazi movements. Approximately 15% came from left-wing individuals, and 11% came from Muslims. A quarter of the incidents could not be attributed to a particular demographic.
TikTok Spotlights Jewish Content Creators for Jewish Heritage Month
In honor of Jewish Heritage Month, the video streaming social media platform TikTok in May is highlighting a number of its Jewish users who teach the public “with storytelling and advocacy that shines a light on Jewish heritage.”

“We’re celebrating the history and resilience of the Jewish community and its widespread impact on US culture,” TikTok said in a statement. “As we celebrate #JewishTikTok throughout the month of May and beyond, we’re honoring our creators for their work uplifting and championing the Jewish community on TikTok, whether it’s through singing traditional Jewish melodies or posting educational content that drives awareness around Jewish heritage.”

On their list of “#JewishTikTok creators to watch” is Israeli-American artist Dahlia Raz, who is based in Boston and often works in New York and Tel Aviv. Her works include a menorah for Hanukkah made of toy frogs and laser-cut Judaica. Another account singled out by the platform is Dr. Inna Kanevsky, a California community college professor who shares psychology knowledge with followers. Kanevsky came to the US in the early 1990s as a Jewish refugee from post-Soviet Ukraine, and also uses her content to discuss experiences with antisemitism and her faith.

Throughout the month, TikTok is urging users to employ the hashtags “JewishTikTok” and “JewishFood,” and launched a “#JAHM Music Playlist” to promote to Jewish artists on its Sounds Page, which also includes live playlists featuring Jewish singer-songwriter Ben Platt.

To commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day this year, the social media giant partnered with the World Jewish Congress and UNESCO to provide TikTok users with educational material to learn more about the Holocaust, Jewish community and antisemitism. TikTok took on a similar initiative last year in the United Kingdom to mark the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
Handwritten manuscript of Herzl’s utopian ‘Altneuland’ on display for first time
The original handwritten German manuscript of Theodor Herzl’s novel, “Altneuland” (Old New Land) went on public display this week for the first time at the Herzl Center in Jerusalem, as part of a new exhibition celebrating 120 years since it was published.

The utopian novel, published in 1902, outlined the founder of modern Zionism’s vision for a Jewish state.

According to the center’s website, the new exhibition features a tour of Herzl’s study, now featuring the manuscript, and an additional exhibition that ties Herzl’s vision of a Jewish State to the modern State of Israel.

“It’s like touching the handwriting of one of the writers of the Old Testament, maybe even Moses,” Herzl Center chair Uri Zaki told Channel 13 news, explaining the value of the manuscript.

“If I’m forced to, I can give you an evaluation — each page is insured at the moment for $1 million, and ‘Altneuland’ has 396 pages,” he said.

Susan Burns, curator at the Central Zionist Archives, which lent the manuscript to the museum, explained that Herzl foresaw a future society with light rail as a mode of transport and electronic newspapers read by an enlightened public.

“Part of what he wrote is prophecy,” she said.




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