Sunday, May 22, 2022

05/22 Links: Did Abraham use a smartphone?; ‘Ideology of Rage’ Comes to Congress; Israel bans European parliamentarian who worked with terror supporters

From Ian:

Did Abraham use a smartphone?
The question, of course, is anachronistic and the answer is no. The first smartphone was released (by IBM) in 1994, less than 30 years ago. Abraham,,Patriarch of the Jewish nation, lived 4000 years earlier. He could not possibly have used a technology invented thousands of years later.

That is why no-one suggests Abraham Avinu (Hebrew for the Patriarch Abraham), used a smartphone. That revisionist history would be too laughably obvious to try to put over on the public.. However, UNESCO does seriously allege that Abraham and Sarah’s tomb, a world heritage site, is “Palestinian”.

That’s elevating anachronism to sacrosanct status – because the term “Palestinian” is every bit as new an invention as the smartphone is. “Palestinian”, describing members of the Arab Umma who live in Eretz Israel, was coined in the twentieth century – 4000 years after the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron was purchased and consecrated by Abraham Avinu.

Of course, UNESCO has its excuses ready. UNESCO says that the Cave of the Patriarchs is “Palestinian” because Hebron is situated in what they intend to be a “Palestinian” state. But this too is incorrect. First, Hebron belongs to the Jewish people, as recognized by the unanimous and irrevocable internationally legal decision at San Remo. Second, the area allocated to the Palestinian Authority in the Oslo accords does not include the Cave of the Patriarchs. Third, the Palestinian Authority is not a state.

Fibbing has turned into a serious international problem. During COVID, wide-spread fibs caused untold millions to refuse crucial vaccines.

When fibs in the “Palestinian” arena first surfaced, the United States justified its status as the world’s superpower by refusing to take the fibs lying down. In 1989, the PLO first tried to elbow its way into the World Health Organization (WHO). But international organizations like WHO are joined only by states, not by social groups, political parties, or terrorist organizations. The PLO was pretending to be a state, and the international community was expected to acquiesce in the fib.


Jonathan Tobin: Who is really responsible for Palestinian suffering?
Resolutions proposed in the US House of Representatives mean nothing. They give members an opportunity to pay lip service to various causes favored by their constituents but don't commit the government to action. They are almost always not worth noticing. But every once in a while, a resolution is put forward that demands attention. This week that is exactly what happened when Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) proposed House Resolution 1123, "Recognizing the Nakba and Palestinian Refugee Rights."

The word nakba means "disaster" or "catastrophe," and that is how Palestinian Arabs and their supporters refer to the events of 1948 and the birth of the State of Israel. The text is a thumbnail guide to Palestinian propaganda about their suffering and the events that led to approximately 750,000 Arabs to flee their homes during Israel's War of Independence. What happened to them is a tragedy deserving of sympathy, but the story told in the resolution provides not even half of the truth about the conflict or why nearly 10 times the number of Arabs who fled the war now claim to be Palestinian refugees.

As an attempt at telling this history, the resolution is a despicable farce that deserves little notice. But it's important because it represents the way the left-wing of the Democratic Party led by the so-called "Squad" – of which Tlaib, who is of Palestinian descent, is a charter member – has fully embraced intersectional ideology. Other "Squad" members are co-sponsors, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Betty McCollum (D-Minn.). This attempt to treat the war on Israel's existence as analogous to the struggle for civil rights in the United States and an integral part of the progressive political agenda represents a sea change in American politics.

So, while the resolution itself is contemptible, it merits a full debate and vote in the House rather than to be tabled and forgotten.

The pro-Israel community has generally ignored the Palestinian narrative about 1948. The story of Israel is one that stands on its own and is widely accepted by the overwhelming majority of Americans. It is the one Jewish state on the planet and represents the 2,000-year-old dream of Jews for a return to their ancient homeland. Israel has not known a single day of peace in the 74 years since its modern-day establishment on May 14, 1948. Few thought it would survive being invaded by five Arab armies immediately after its birth, or the subsequent wars and terrorist campaigns aimed at destroying it. It is the only democracy in the Middle East and one where all people, including its Arab minority, have equal rights under the law. And it has grown from a poor and tiny country into a regional economic and military superpower.

But seen through the funhouse mirror of the nakba rhetoric in Tlaib's resolution, which mimics the rhetoric of the anti-Semitic BDS movement that she and co-sponsor Omar support, Israel is an "apartheid state" whose creation was an injustice. Moreover, the resolution also demands recognition of the Palestinian "right of return" in which the 7 million descendants of the 1948 refugees would have the right to reclaim the homes of those who left and essentially eliminate Israel as a Jewish state.

While Tlaib and the other Progressive Caucus members who co-sponsored the resolution want to frame their gesture as a matter of support for human rights and recognition of the suffering of Palestinians, it is actually nothing of the kind. Its purpose is to place on the record, congressional support for the elimination of Israel.
‘Ideology of Rage’ Comes to Congress
It is the sort of resolution one would expect to be tabled before the UN General Assembly or even Iran’s parliament, the Majlis, but not the US Congress.

Last week, a group of left-wing Democratic legislators led by Rep. Rashida Tlaib and backed by her House colleagues Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Cori Bush (D-MO), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Betty McCollum (D-MN) and Marie Newman (D-IL), presented a resolution on the subject of the nakba — an Arabic word meaning “disaster” or “catastrophe” that Palestinians use as shorthand when talking about the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. In keeping with the language and themes that feature in the UN’s ritual denunciations of Israel, the resolution portrays the Jewish state as an incorrigible colonizer. “[T]he Nakba refers not only to a historical event but to an ongoing process of Israel’s expropriation of Palestinian land and its dispossession of the Palestinian people that continues to this day,” the resolution argues.

We shouldn’t be under any illusions about the core message of this resolution. Without saying so explicitly, the resolution effectively denies Israel’s right to exist by endorsing UN General Assembly Resolution 194 of December 1948, which specifies the right of Palestinians who fled from Israel during the War of Independence in that year to either return to their original homes or receive compensation. Especially as the original 750,000 refugees now number more than 5 million — thanks to the transfer of refugee status to subsequent generations of Palestinians — incorporating such an enormous and largely hostile population within the borders of Israel would almost certainly result in appalling acts of terrorism and violence, as well as the demise of a sovereign Jewish state.

While the resolution doesn’t explicitly demonize Zionism as a form of racism, as the United Nations expressly did in 1975, that is the conclusion its authors would like you to reach. This is no appeal for a historic accord between Zionism and Palestinian nationalism based on compromise and a final partition of the land between sovereign states. Rather, the resolution is an orthodox anti-Zionist screed that denies both the indigeneity of the Jewish population and the legitimacy of its national project. It is, in other words, the “original sin” version of history holding that the Jews stole Palestinian land and then justified the theft by invoking an invented past — the exact same discourse that has bedeviled peace efforts for decades through its insistence that the resolving the Palestinian question requires Israel to cease its independent existence, and the Jews to recognize that they are not a nation but a confession.

Of the many distortions of past and present contained within the resolution, one of the most glaring is its claim that the transfer of refugee status across multiple generations of Palestinians is legally and morally justified.“[P]rotracted refugee situations are the result of the failure to find political solutions to their underlying political crises,” it states. UNRWA, the refugee agency dedicated exclusively to the Palestinians, says much the same: “Under international law and the principle of family unity, the children of refugees and their descendants are also considered refugees until a durable solution is found.”


US Ambassador Nides moves into new residence in Jerusalem
US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides has moved into a new home in Jerusalem and his embassy has filed a request to the Foreign Ministry to recognize the building as the envoy’s official residence, a US official confirmed to The Times of Israel on Sunday.

The building is located on Emek Refaim Street, in Jerusalem’s upscale German Colony neighborhood.

Nides had been mostly staying at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in the capital since arriving in Israel last November.

The old US ambassador’s residence had been a seaside compound in the Tel Aviv suburb of Herzliya, but it was sold by the Trump administration to the late casino mogul Sheldon Adelson in 2020, after the former president moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018.

Israeli Tax Authority documents showed that Adelson paid NIS 230 million ($67 million, according to the conversion rate at the time) for the thousand-square-meter (10,760-square-foot) residence, the largest residential real estate deal in the country’s history.

The sale was seen as having been designed to prevent future administrations from rolling back the embassy move.
New Australian PM 'very critical' of Israel
Morrison was very friendly to Israel, with his government recognizing western Jerusalem as Israel's capital, listing Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization and adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of Antisemitism.

Among other pro-Israel figures voted out of office were MP Dave Sharma, former ambassador to Israel, Josh Frydenberg, Australia’s first Jewish treasurer and Eric Abetz, chairman of the Australia-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group.

The Australian Jewish Association stated that “many in the Jewish Community will be upset with the results of the recent election.”

“Some of the people elected are on record as making extreme anti-Israel comments, including the new prime minister,” the AJA stated. “Some of the new members may have crossed the line into antisemitism, and the fact that this doesn't seem to have affected their vote is concerning.”

The AJA said it plans to fight against recognition of a Palestinian state, as well as a possible change in voting patterns at the UN and foreign aid for “problematic UN and Arab Palestinian organizations,” among other potential challenges in the new government.

At the same time, the AJA said it is “committed to working with reasonable voices in the Labor Party in order to protect the interests of our members, the Jewish Community and Israel.”

The AJA also noted with concern the growth in support for the Greens, Australia's only political party to have rejected the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

Arsen Ostrovsky, an Israeli-Australian commentator on Middle East affairs said that the Morrison government set the “gold standard for support of Israel.”

“Israel truly could not have asked for a better friend or ally, who understood the geo-strategic position the Jewish state found itself in and the shared values and history that bind the two nations,” he said.

Ostrovsky expressed concern that the bipartisan support Israel enjoyed in Australia for many years may be in decline.

“The Australian Labor party is not Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party [in the UK], and whilst there is solid support for Israel at the top level, there will likely be considerable pressure to water this down in the rank and file,” Ostrovsky stated. “I expect you will begin to see more abstentions at the UN and pressure on Israel to make further concessions.”

Zionist Federation of Australia ZFA President Jeremy Leibler said that “Labor has always been a great friend of the Australian Jewish community and an integral part of the bipartisan consensus on Israel. Mr. Albanese is committed to the Australia-Israel relationship, and to a negotiated, peaceful and democratic two-state outcome to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. These are priorities shared by the Australian Jewish community, and we look forward to working closely with Mr Albanese and his government.”


Israel bans European parliamentarian who worked with terror supporters
The government banned Spanish communist Member of the European Parliament Manu Pineda, who lived in Gaza and associates with Hamas and PFLP terrorists, from entering Israel this week.

A letter on Thursday from the Israeli delegation to the European Union to a MEPs delegation planning to visit the Palestinian Authority (PA) said, “From information received from the competent authorities in Israel regarding the request for the arrival of Mr. Manu Pineda, the [Foreign] Ministry wishes to update the Delegation of the European Union that Mr. Pineda’s arrival to the State of Israel was not approved.”

The Foreign Ministry did not further elaborate.

However, the law allows the government to block supporters of boycotting Israel from entering the country.

Pineda, a leader of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Palestine, moved to Gaza in 2011, where he worked as a “brigade member” of Unadikum, which aims to “end Gaza being the world’s largest prison.” The organization supports the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and expressed support for senior members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), designated a terrorist group by the EU.

Pineda has also met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and senior PFLP members Khaled Barakat and Ismat Shakhshir.


MEMRI: Controversy In Arab, Muslim World Following Death Of Al-Jazeera Reporter Shireen Abu 'Akleh: As A Christian, Can She Be Called A Martyr And Is It Permissible To Pray For Her Soul?
Immediately following the death of Al-Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu 'Akleh in a firefight between Palestinian gunmen and the Israeli armed forces in Jenin refugee camp on May 11, 2022, a debate arose in the Arab and Muslim world as to whether Muslims may refer to Abu 'Akleh, who was a Christian, as a "martyr," and whether it is permissible for them to say 'may Allah have mercy upon her,' a phrase traditionally uttered in Arabic about the deceased, or to pray for Allah to grant her pardon. The issue was discussed on social media, especially on Twitter, as well as in the Arab press, and was also addressed by Islamic clerics and scholars around the Arab world.

Islamist and Salafi elements claimed that Islam forbids referring to an infidel as a martyr and praying for his soul, and that any non-Muslim is considered an infidel. The immense appreciation for Abu 'Akleh's work as a journalist and her contribution to the Palestinian cause does not change this, they said, nor does the fact that she was a victim of murder and injustice. They stressed that that there is no room for political considerations when it comes to the laws of the Islamic shari'a.

This Islamist discourse sparked furious reactions from Muslim Arab journalists, who called it reprehensible and at odds with the spirit of Islam, and stated that it is not up to human beings to decide who is or isn't worthy of Allah's mercy.

Muslim clerics and religious scholars also felt compelled to address this issue, which concerns the attitude towards non-Muslims in the Muslim world and is fraught with complex political implications. Sheikh 'Ali Al-Qaradhari, secretary-general of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), which is funded by Qatar and based in Doha, issued a fatwa stating that a non-Muslim who died fighting for the homeland, or for the sake of a just cause, can be called a martyr and that it is allowed to wish Allah's mercy upon his soul. However, Al-Qaradhari stressed that such an individual is not "a martyr for the sake of Allah," and is not necessarily admitted into Paradise.

Criticism evoked by this fatwa prompted Al-Qaradhari to publish some clarifications about it and finally to propose holding a religious symposium to settle the question. Several clerics from Egypt, Morocco and Gaza likewise ruled that it is permissible to beseech Allah to have mercy upon Abu 'Akleh's soul.

The Arab press published numerous articles that harshly condemned the Islamists who had forbidden calling Abu 'Akleh a martyr and praying for her soul. These articles stated that the very existence of such discourse reflects "a diseased mentality" and "a serious flaw in the understanding of the religion," and that those who spread it are " hostage to benighted views that fill the mind with hostility, hate and aggression."


‘Jewish, Talmudic rubbish’: Hamas vows to use ‘all capabilities’ against Flag March
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh warned Israel in a Sunday speech against allowing right-wing Israelis to conduct the annual Jerusalem Day “Flag March” in Jerusalem’s Old City next week, a year after Hamas fired rockets at Jerusalem when the event was last held.

“I want to clearly warn the enemy against committing these crimes and these steps. The Palestinian people, led by the resistance — especially those in the West Bank and Jerusalem — will not permit this Jewish, Talmudic rubbish to go unanswered,” said Haniyeh, speaking by video in front of a crowd in Gaza.

“Our decision is clear and unhesitating… We will resist with all our capabilities and we will not permit the violation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque or thuggery in the streets of Jerusalem,” said Haniyeh.

Last week, Public Security Minister Omer Barlev announced that the march would be held the same way as in previous years. According to the Barlev-approved plan, marchers will walk along Jaffa Street to Damascus Gate, where access will be blocked for Palestinians. They will continue into the Old City through Hagai Street in the Muslim Quarter and finish at the Western Wall.

The plan still requires cabinet authorization. But Barlev’s announcement immediately sparked controversy in the coalition, with left-wing lawmakers attacking the decision, saying it risked sparking an escalation with Palestinian terror groups.

Jerusalem Day, which marks Israel’s conquest of the Old City and East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Six Day War, is celebrated by national-religious Jews, most prominently by youths who march through the capital while dancing with Israeli flags. Palestinians have long viewed the march as a provocation.
PMW: PA libel: Israeli PM said “Murder and abuse Palestinian people”
Here is a classic example of how a PA libel is created. Starting with a real event or statement, the PA twists and distorts it, turning it into a gross lie.

Following several terror attacks, murders of Israelis, and violent riots during Ramadan, as well as continued Palestinian attempts to harm Israeli citizens, Israeli PM Naftali Bennett instructed the Israeli army and Israeli police to go after the Palestinian “terrorists wherever they are.” Bennett specifically emphasized the target as “terrorists”:
“The instructions are clear – to target terrorists wherever they are, with all kinds of weapons… We are giving the Israeli army and Israeli police full backing to target every terrorist – in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and everywhere else in the country. Whoever raises a hand against an Israeli civilian or Israeli soldier – their blood is on their own head.”

[Israeli daily Maariv, May 17, 2022]

However, to demonize Israel and PM Bennett, and to incite Palestinians to even more violence and terror by creating a sense of danger, which then “justifies” Palestinian terror as “self-defense,” the PA distorted Bennett’s statement. It claimed he instructed Israeli soldiers and police officers “to murder and abuse Palestinian people at their free will” and “use excessive force against the Palestinians wherever they are”:
“The Palestinian Presidency today warned against… Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's statements calling on his occupation army to murder and abuse Palestinian people at their free will.”

[WAFA, English edition, official PA news agency, May 17, 2022]

Headline: “Bennett instructs the occupation army to use excessive force against the Palestinians wherever they are!”
“Israeli occupation Prime Minister Naftali Bennett instructs to use excessive force against the Palestinians wherever they are and with all kinds of weapons.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 18, 2022]

“The [PA] Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates today criticized statements by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in which he called on his army and police to use excessive force against the Palestinians wherever they are, saying such statements are incitement to violence against the Palestinian people.”

[WAFA, English edition, official PA news agency, May 18, 2022]
PA TV commemorates arch-terrorist Abu Jihad by showing his promise of destruction in Israel

PA TV quiz promotes terrorist who led murder of 37, including 12 children

Is Hamas trying to establish a new Fatah armed wing?
In a surprise move, the armed wing of Fatah in the Gaza Strip, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, announced on Friday that it has elected a new commander-in-chief, drawing sharp criticism from the group’s members in the West Bank.

Fatah activists claimed that the announcement was part of an attempt by Hamas to control the brigades and drive a wedge between its members in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Other activists said that they did not rule out the possibility that deposed Fatah operative Mohammed Dahlan, who is based in the United Arab Emirates and is considered an archrival of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, was behind the move.

Dahlan, a former PA security commander, is known to have many supporters in the Gaza Strip, where he was born and raised. He moved to the Gulf state in 2011 after a quarrel with Abbas.

Fatah, the largest faction of the PLO, is headed by Abbas. After Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, it allowed some Fatah-affiliated armed groups, including the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (AMB), to continue operating there. Hamas has also allowed Dahlan loyalists to operate freely in the Gaza Strip.

In the West Bank, the group has hundreds of members, especially in the areas of Jenin and Nablus. Although they are affiliated with Fatah, these members have often challenged the faction’s political leadership in the West Bank and refused to hand over their weapons to the PA security forces.
Lebanon Gives Tehran a Double Whammy
[A]s official results came in, [Iran's Supreme Guide Ali] Khamenei and [Major General Esmail Qaani, chief of the Quds Force who is supposed to rule the "Resistance Front" countries as a satrap]... realized that the Lebanese electorate, or at least the 49% who went to the polls, had denied Tehran the "crushing victory" it had hoped for.

That meant a double whammy in two of the four Arab capitals that Ayatollah Ali Yunesi boasts are now under Tehran's control; the others being Sanaa and Damascus.

What is certain is that a majority of politically active Lebanese seek a new departure for the country.

Numerous direct and indirect messages from Shiites inside Lebanon indicate a growing weariness with a scheme that sees the country, in the words of Tehran's Kayhan daily, as nothing but a "shield for Islamic Republic" of Iran. Large chunks of the Shiite community have seen the prosperity they had secured since the 1980s melt away as a result of the economic crisis that has plunged 70% of the Lebanese into poverty.

Granting Lebanon urgent relief from its current pains would send a positive message that even a slight distancing of Hezbollah from full control could bear fruits for the average Lebanese. That, in turn, would strengthen the message that Lebanon could do better without a politico-military Trojan Horse in its midst.

There is no doubt that Hezbollah is an illness and the key cause of Lebanon's sorry state today.... The latest election could signal the start of that process which is bound to be accelerated by positive developments in Iraq and, eventually, in Iran itself.
IRGC officer who planned attacks on Jews, Israelis worldwide killed in Tehran
A member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' Quds Force involved in planning attacks on Jews and Israelis worldwide, Colonel Hassan Sayad Khodayari, was assassinated in Tehran on Sunday afternoon, the IRGC announced.

Khodayari operated in Syria, according to the IRGC statement. Photos reportedly from the scene showed Khodayari dead in a vehicle after he was shot.

Assailants on a motorcycle shot and killed the Quds Force member in front of his home on Mojahedin Eslam Street in the Iranian capital, according to Iranian reports. Iranian authorities are searching for the assailants.

The IRGC called the assassination a "criminal terrorist act of the counter-revolution and elements related to global arrogance (a term often used to refer to the US and Israel)."

Shortly after the assassination, in a seemingly unrelated incident, the IRGC claimed that it had arrested a "network of thugs" associated with the Mossad without providing further details.
Iran media slams Al-Jazeera for reports of Iran nuke deal progress
Over the weekend, Al-Jazeera, which is based in Qatar, reported that the Iranian leadership was ready for some kind of compromise on the “Iranian nuclear file.” However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry then accused Al-Jazeera of mistranslating the remarks as part of some kind of propaganda. This matters because it shows how complex the Iran deal discussions continue to be and concerns in Iran that Iran’s position is being perceived as softening.

Tasnim News reported on Sunday that Qatari media has spread stories about how officials in Doha said that “the Iranian leadership told us they were ready for a compromise.” But Iranian media, close to the state, has said that “a simple look shows that this translation is completely flawed and mischievous and has been done for political purposes.” This is the gotcha moment for Tasnim News. It says Al-Jazeera has been playing politics. “Al-Jazeera did not quote the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in its news, but used the word “leadership,” which in diplomatic practice is interpreted as “authorities,” so its translation of the Supreme Leader of Iran is completely wrong.”

In fact Tasnim has dug into this story and discovered that Al-Jazeera used the wrong pronouns in its report. “The pronoun ‘they’ in the sentence also indicates that it does not mean an individual, but a group of officials.” This means that there is much discussion about the wording of the Qatari-based media and whether it is indeed trying to push false stories, even disinformation, about Iran.

Tasnim News looked beyond the fact that the Supreme Leader cannot be referred to as “they” since he is just one person. The media also looked at the deeper meaning of the word “compromise.” What Tasnim news has come up with is this: “some mischievous translations have deliberately used the word compromise to convey a specific message, while compromise in Persian is quite different from what compromise is described in English.”


BBC News website continues to promote narratives on Abu Akleh death
When Abba Eban died in 2002, the BBC News website reported that:
“He was also one of Israel’s most quotable politicians, among his most famous remarks the criticism of the Palestinians that they “never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity”.”

The statement misquoted by the BBC referred to chances to put an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict and since Eban made it in late 1973, some Arab nations have indeed grasped opportunities to change their relations with Israel for the better.

As for the Palestinians, the record shows that while conflict resolution (even among their own factions) is not on their list of priorities, they are in fact very good at grasping opportunities of a different kind.

The exploitation of events such as religious holidays, anniversaries, the relocation of an embassy, an unfortunately timed chapter in a decades-long legal case or a global pandemic for the purpose of delegitimisation of Israel and/or incitement to violence on the ground should hardly come as a surprise to any veteran Middle East observer.

So when the Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed in Jenin on May 11th in circumstances that are still unclear, it was entirely predictable that such an event, like others before it, would be exploited by interested parties.

As we have documented (see ‘related articles’ below), BBC journalists adopted and amplified the narratives created by Palestinian factions, the totalitarian state Qatar and its media arm Al Jazeera in exceedingly generous cross-platform coverage of that story. Unevidenced accounts and interpretations of the event itself, along with allegations that Israel deliberately targets journalists, were unquestioningly promoted worldwide by a media organisation (and individual employees) supposedly committed to rigorous standards of accuracy and impartiality.
With just one 'no' vote, House passes resolution condemning antisemitism
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan resolution to condemn antisemitism on Wednesday. In a vote of 420-1, the House passed H. Res. 1125, which denounces the rising hostility towards Jews in recent years and a surge in physical violent incidents.

The effort was led by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) along with Reps. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Lee Zeldin (R-NY).

In a news release, the resolution's supporters said that the nationwide rise in antisemitic incidents is a result of increased antisemitic "propaganda" on social media and the spread of misinformation and lies, including accusations that Jews are responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic; that Jews control the media, government policies and the financial system; and that Jews have dual loyalties and other negative stereotypes.

The resolution did not mention anti-Israel bias or the targeting of Jews for their pro-Israel beliefs and advocacy.

The resolution also calls for a plan of action to combat antisemitism through robustly refuting Holocaust denial, calling on social media platforms to address online antisemitism, and taking steps to improve the physical security of Jewish institutions and organizations.

"I am so proud that my colleagues united to condemn the rise in antisemitism by sending a powerful message that the U.S. House of Representatives will call out this ancient hatred," said Wasserman Schultz in a statement. "It is fitting we share this message in May, as we celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month, by highlighting the vast achievements Jewish Americans have made to build our more perfect union.

"Critically, this resolution also commits Congress to take concrete steps to combat antisemitism and do more to ensure the safety, security, and dignity of American Jews," she continued. "antisemitism, sadly, is not a relic of the past, but a clear and present danger today. Passage of today's resolution is a critical step."


Israeli hit ‘Girl from Oslo’ ranks #4 on Netflix
The hit Israeli TV series “The Girl from Oslo” has become the fourth most-watched series internationally on Netflix soon after its April 11 debut, ranking in the top 10 in 36 countries, including the United States, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

The 10-part thriller follows what happens after a Norwegian diplomat’s daughter is abducted by ISIS, along with her two Israeli friends, while traveling in Egypt’s Sinai Desert.

There are some familiar faces in the Israeli cast, including Amos Taman (“Srugim” and “The Wedding Plan”) and Shadi Mar’i (“Fauda”). The series was filmed in more than 100 locations in Israel.

Although Netflix has scored lots of hits from Israeli TV formats, this series is the first collaboration among Netflix, Norwegian media company TV2 and Israeli cable TV company Hot.

It was Hot that produced the Israeli version, Azharat Masa (“Travel advisory”), which aired to great acclaim last year.
The Lemonheads fall into the arms of Tel Aviv - review
Going to see the Lemonheads in concert is an act of faith.

Based on his track record, bandleader Evan Dando is an erratic artist – capable of brilliance, but also just as likely to call in an unfocused and uninspired performance.

Has-been is too harsh a word to describe the enigmatic songwriter, guitarist and singer who for a brief few years in the 1990s was the It poster boy of grungy power pop. But the years of personal struggles with drugs and descent to cult status significantly lowered the bar ahead of Dando’s first appearance in Israel on Saturday night.

It’s unlikely that many of the 700 or so people who showed up at the Barby Club in Tel Aviv to see him and the latest incarnation of The Lemonheads perform their landmark 1992 album It’s A Shame About Ray in its entirety thought they were going to witness a show for the ages. But, that’s what they got.

Dando emerged after a spunky and fun opening set by local rocker Ishay Berger, acoustic guitar in hand, and immediately launched into a 20-minute medley of countryish, quirky Lemonheads staples like “Outdoor Type” and “Being Around” that the adoring audience knew all the words to, along with a few well-placed covers like Richard Thompson’s “Dimming of the Day.” Dando’s voice, always one of his most attractive qualities along with his knack of writing insanely catchy songs, was rich and strong.
Israeli pop singer sings with IDF band for unity of the Jewish people worldwide
Top Israeli pop singer Agam Buhbut, joined by singers from the IDF’s different musical groups, recorded a new song promoting connections between Israeli and Diaspora Jews in honor of “Israel Unity Day”. “My brother's keeper” was written by international political strategist Moshe Klughaft and composed by Chen Harari.

“It refers to the necessary connection between Jews around the world nowadays,” a press release explained. One of the verses talks about connecting all 15 million Jews together: "Fifteen million pieces complete a puzzle," The clip, which was released during the weekend, will be distributed to Jewish communities around the world. Buhbut is one of the top Israeli pop singers for teens and young adults. As a child, she won a talent reality tv show for children and has been performing ever since. She is now a soldier in one of the IDF army bands.

Unity Day has been celebrated since 2015, about a year after the murder of three boys who were on the way to their yeshiva high school: Eyal Ifrach, Gil-ad Shaer and Naftali Fraenkel. As part of the events, a ceremony is held at the President's residence where the Jerusalem Prize for Israel Unity will be awarded.

Bat Galim Shaar, one of the founders of Israel Unity Day and the mother of the late Gil-Ad Shaar, said: “After Holocaust Remembrance Day and Independence Day the Israel Unity Day is in my eyes, a day that brings everyone together and unites everyone under one united message: our inner strength as a people and as a country. No matter what happens in the past or what we face in the future - happily and sadly - it all begins in our unity."
A new podcast chronicles the little-known stories of boxers from the Holocaust era
In the early 1930s, Victor Perez was on top of the world.

The Tunisian Jewish boxer, who fought under the ring name “Young Perez,” became the World Flyweight Champion in 1931 and 1932 after moving from Tunis to Paris. He became a bonafide celebrity, dating famous French actress Mireille Balin (who would later go on to date Nazis).

But like millions of others, Perez’s story took a dark turn as the Nazi campaign progressed. In September 1943, Perez was detained and transported to the Monowitz subcamp of Auschwitz, the same labor camp where authors Primo Levi and Eli Wiesel were held.

While at Monowitz, Perez was forced to box other inmates to entertain the SS officers. The winner would receive extra food; the loser would be killed. Perez was ultimately murdered during a 1945 death march.

That story is just the first episode of “Holocaust Histories,” a new podcast by Jonathan Bonder, a 36-year-old Ontario native and sound designer whose credits include Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 2015 film “Pound of Flesh” among other movies, shorts and commercials.

Bonder envisions each season of “Holocaust Histories,” which is serialized and debuted last week, will focus on a different theme. Season one focuses on professional boxers from across the globe whose careers were cut short by the Holocaust.

There are hundreds of films about the Holocaust, not to mention countless books and television series. But in terms of Holocaust history podcasts, Bonder found the available content underwhelming.
In the Negev, a new breed of vintners are making the desert bloom
It doesn’t rain much in the Negev desert, with less than 300 millimeters (around 10 inches) of precipitation falling in an average year. Yet that lack of water creates a fruity, relatively un-vinegary grape, light on the tannins and easy to drink.

Who knew?

The ancient Nabateans did. As far as we know, the early Arab nomads were the first to grow grapes on farming terraces alongside the dry riverbeds, making wine from their harvests.

Now it is the same dry, sandy texture of the Negev soil, riverbed locations, and limited precipitation that have helped create what may be the most terroir-driven wine region in Israel.

“Because it’s very, very dry in the Negev, it creates grapes that are very different from anywhere else,” said wine guide and sommelier Guy Haran. “It’s not only different from Israel, it’s different from anywhere else in the world. That creates uniqueness.”

Israelis have been making wine for decades, but their products cannot compete with those made in France, Italy, or California on quality, nor can they match the value of South American, South African and Australian wines.

“The only place we can really compete is if we create our own style, something no one else can offer, something unique,” said Haran, who founded Vinspiration, an Israeli wine tourism company.

The Negev’s vineyards are now banding together to seek a Negev appellation, which would grant official recognition of the Negev as a distinct wine-producing region of Israel. August 2020 brought a declaration of the Judea appellation, Israel’s first official wine region.
Smallest known medieval Hebrew manuscript auctioned off in Jerusalem
A 15th-century manuscript from Italy – the smallest known one of its kind in Hebrew – is going to be auctioned off in Jerusalem this Tuesday.

The manuscript was constructed from a single piece of parchment which was cut into roundels at 5.5 centimeters in diameter alone.

"We know of only two other similar Hebrew manuscripts, and we can say neither comes close to the size and magnificence of this manuscript," said Kedem Auction House founder and co-CEO Meron Eren. "It is the most unique we've ever seen."

Within the pages are a machzor – a Jewish festival prayer book for the Jewish holidays. However, as it is particularly tiny, the manuscript contains an abridged version with selected sections rather than the full text.

It contains a complete Passover Hagaddah from Italian tradition, as well as piyuttim (liturgical poems). It has 98 pages altogether.

It is covered in artwork, too; its pages are decorated with gentle foliage in green, pink and burgundy, alongside an illustration of an angel blowing a shofar.

The Haggadah section contains illustrations of the Four Brothers from the famed Passover tale of the same name, as well as the many special foods of the holiday.




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