A New Iron Curtain Descends on Russia’s Jews
For two decades, the Russian president has cultivated an image of himself as the philosemite-in-chief. Say what you will about Vladimir Putin, he was supposedly the best Russian leader the Jews ever had. There was a reason for this: As long as you had the Jews in your corner, you couldn’t be a fascist. And being anti-fascist was central to the story that the Soviets, and now the Russians, tell about themselves. (Just ask anyone who’s spent Victory Day in Moscow.) It masked Russia’s own, darker, fascistic impulses—which we are now seeing play out in Ukraine.I cannot believe we have to have this conversation about the Holocaust and antisemitism again.
But now the charade is up. Putin has revealed himself to be not so different from his predecessors, and the echo of Russian antisemitism is no longer an echo.
In May, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted that Hitler had “Jewish blood.” In June, television anchor Vladimir Solovyev took to Russia’s Channel 1, which is really a Kremlin media organ, to warn of Russian-speaking “traitors” who “have some relation to the Jewish people.” “You sold out our people long ago, when you decided to serve those who are reviving Nazi ideas in Europe,” Solovyev said.
Just a few weeks later, the Jewish Agency was informed of its closure, and late last month, Russia’s leading Jewish intellectual dissidents—Yevgenia Albats, Dmitry Aleshkovsky, and Dmitry Bykov—were declared to be foreign agents.
All of this—the purge of the intellectuals, the state-sanctioned insinuations of Jewish treachery, and now the closing of the Jewish Agency—are in keeping with the old Soviet model. The only unanswered question is how much Russian Jews will suffer.
It is also a reminder, in case one was needed, of why the Jewish state exists in the first place.
It was easy, until not so long ago, to forget. It’s been decades since Jews had to be airlifted to safety en masse, to say nothing of death camps or pogroms or ghettos. It seemed that we were living in a more enlightened era—one in which one could always book a flight and wake up in Tel Aviv. An era in which Israel is a military and technological powerhouse.
It was also easy to forget that, at its core, Israel was and is not simply a Jewish home but a Jewish haven. That the privilege of Jews in safer, more democratic climes—Jews who claim, like Soviet-Jewish apologists once did, that Israel doesn’t have anything to do with their lives, that the Jewish state doesn’t represent their values—is a privilege Russian Jews would be lucky to enjoy.
Seriously, this conversation again. The Holocaust is not a political tool for you to score political points. Last October, I wrote a piece published in the Reno Gazette-Journal saying that mask and vaccine mandates were not like the Holocaust. In January, I again wrote about antisemitism in The Nevada Independent condemning the lack of support for the Jewish community after the Colleyville hostage crisis.David Singer: Wennesland in La-La Land ignoring Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine
The Nevada Independent’s CEO, Jon Ralston, tweeted this week that the Nevada State Democratic Party hired Shaun Navarro as their new “coalitions coordinator.” Ralston pointed out that Navarro had previously used the term “Nazi” to attack Republicans and gubernatorial nominee Joe Lombardo. Back in March, Navarro accosted Lombardo and asked him where his “Nazi uniform” was while berating him with abusive language.
Prominent Nevada Democrats — U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Gov. Steve Sisolak (Lombardo’s November opponent) and Assemblymember Steve Yeager — issued statements condemning Navarro’s verbal abuse of Lombardo.
Even further evidence of Navarro’s antisemitism problem is his comment on a post by Sisolak on Facebook, where the governor committed to standing against antisemitism. Navarro responded about genocide against Palestinians, making an implication that Jews are committing genocide instead of recognizing that you can advocate for the Palestinians without disparaging the Jewish community. Again, this is antisemitism as stated by the State Department, nearly all Holocaust education organizations, and Holocaust museums and memorials.
The use of Nazism to appropriate the Holocaust is dangerous and degrades the atrocities the Nazis committed. If you want to oppose Lombardo based on his politics, that’s fine. And honestly, I’m sure Lombardo is okay with your opposition.
Unfortunately, the state party has decided to ignore the Jewish community by allowing its staff to attack Jews for defending themselves from antisemitism. Navarro implied that Jews who condemn the language used by Congressmembers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar are racist and misogynistic.
It seems inconceivable that [Tor] Wennesland was then unaware of this Saudi plan. Why didn’t he inform the Security Council of its existence and direct his Deputy Special Coordinator Lynn Hastings to do so one month later?
Wennesland simply continued to trot out the old shibboleths - part of the UN’s patter since 1994: - “It is crucial that all parties take immediate steps to lower tensions and reverse negative trends that undermine prospects for a peaceful two-State resolution of the conflict, with a contiguous, independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian State.” - “Settlements constitute a flagrant violation of United Nations resolutions and international law. They undermine the prospect of achieving a two-State solution by systematically eroding the possibility of establishing a contiguous, independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian State.”
Why not add:
“I bring to your attention a new two-state solution emanating from Saudi Arabia on 8 June that should be considered by the Security Council to replace the two-state solution unsuccessfully pursued by the Security Council for the last 29 years.” The Saudi plan would be finalised in direct negotiations between Israel and Jordan that would delineate the international border between The Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine and Israel and resolve Israel’s security concerns.
Suffering by both Jews and Arabs meticulously recorded at length by Wennesland in his monthly reports and escalating right now would end – as would the conflict and any further need for UNSCO.
Wennesland is in la-la land and needs to return to the real world.
Daniel Gordis: Sieges in the Land of Israel are nothing new; what's changed is how they end
This time it’s Islamic Jihad, not Hamas.1 Still, though, it could feel like the “same old.” Once again, Israel went to war in Gaza. Once again, someone fired, the other side returned the fire, civilians on both sides lived in terror. Does the pattern ever change? Some of those civilians die, terrorist cells are smashed, the firing stops and soon enough, all is quiet on the southwestern front.Jason Greenblatt's Inside account of the road to the Abraham Accords
Except that it was not really the “same old.” Because this time, Israel fired first. After days of compelling its citizens in Gaza-adjacent communities to stay inside their homes, after days of highway closures, trains not running, life entirely on hold because terrorists were upset that Israel had arrested one of their leaders in Jenin and threatened to rain missiles down on Israel, Israel took the first step.
It was time to end the siege on citizens in the south that was prompted by an arrest in the north.
“Siege,” interestingly, has been very much on the minds of traditional Jews for the past three weeks. And, I would argue, one cannot understand the enormous significance of Israel’s having struck first this week without a sense of Jewish history and what happened thousands of years ago.
For millennia, Jews have taught their history, one generation to the next, largely through their calendar. For the past three weeks, the period between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av, traditional Jews have been in a period of muted mourning that grew more intense with the beginning of the month of Av and which culminated yesterday with the observance of the Ninth of Av.
The “Three Weeks” begin on the date that, as tradition has it, Jerusalem’s walls were first breached after months of siege (in 586 BCE by the Babylonians with the First Temple and in 70 CE by the Romans with the Second), and they culminate with the 9th of Av, when the invaders reached the Temple (each time) and burned it.
Those ancient sieges spelled disaster for the Jewish people. The destruction of the First Temple led almost immediately to a massive exile of the Jews from the Land of Israel. Never again, since that exile, has a plurality of the Jewish people lived in the Land of Israel (though in about five yeas, that will no longer be true). The first exile brought much of biblical Judaism to an end (the identities of the tribes, for example, were forever erased). The second destruction ended biblical Jewish life for eternity.
Questions & Answers on the deal that changed the focus of peace efforts from Israel andPalestinian Arab to Israel and Arab countries. Q: There is increased acceptance of Israel among Arabs in the Abraham Accords countries, and a decrease of patience with the Palestinian Arabs. Are the Palestinians turning to American and European supporters to counter this?Daniel Pipes: Introduction: Spelling Out an Israel Victory
Europe for sure. Some of Europe has always been anti-Israel and continues to use the same talking points that never brought or will bring peace. They ask things of Israel that no other country would ever ask of a friend or ally. Some of those countries are hopeless.
In America, I think it's on us. We don't do a good enough job educating people about the conflict. There's always going to be irrational people, haters, and people with an agenda. We'll never convince them. But so many people actually get affected by those people, and it's on us to educate them about the truth.
Q: You and several of your U.S. colleagues who worked on the Accords are Orthodox Jews. Did that influence your approach?
First of all, it wasn't without criticism. The initial reaction was judgmental, and shame on the mainstream media who made those attacks. I think what it allowed us to do was appreciate and understand the other side better because religion is very important to us and important to the region. We understood each other so quickly in the Arab countries and even among the Palestinians. They showed me such respect for being an observant Jew that it was only a positive and not a negative.
Q: In your book, you distinguish between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, and write that when you first met [PA President Mahmoud] Abbas you were hopeful of achieving a deal. But with what you describe as the PA's continued glorification of terrorists and refusal to compromise, couldn't it be argued that the PA is indistinguishable from Hamas?
I do think they're distinguishable, but they're certainly overlapping. Pay for Slay is an example. The Palestinian leadership pays Palestinians to harm and murder Israelis, and I consider it one of my failings that I wasn't able to convince them to change that.
But Hamas's stated goal is to take over all of Israel and wipe Israel off the face of the earth. They're funded by Iran and are basically Iranian terrorist puppets. Does the PA promote terrorism in some respects? Absolutely. Do they love the fact that Israel is there? Certainly not. But I think there are plenty of positive things about the PA that if they had the courage to negotiate with Israel, in theory you could come out on the other side. You can't do that with Hamas.
Q: Recent polls show a majority of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria rejecting the two-state solution, and Abbas appears to perpetually postpone elections for fear Hamas will win.
The latter is absolutely true. Polls show that if elections were held Hamas would win. I think that when Abbas departs the scene, whether he leaves voluntarily or passes away, there could be a tremendous mess on everybody's hands because of what could happen. There are a lot of people who are amassing weapons there to take over but also potentially to harm Israel.
Israel Victory is simple to explain but has complex implications. What tactics should Israel use? How much violence is required? Do Israeli ethics obstruct victory? Does it brutalize Israeli society? Does it harm Israel's reputation internationally? Can Palestinians be defeated in the face of their worldwide support network? Does Islam provide an undefeatable core? How does one recognize a Palestinian change of heart? How will defeat affect Israel's Muslim citizens?The Conservative Puzzle in Israel
The excellent essays that follow take up several aspects of this inquiry: MK Zvi Hauser argues for disarming Hamas. MK Evgeny Sova offers ideas for strengthening the consciousness of Israeli victory. Maj. Gen. (Res.) Yitzhak Brik argues that the IDF must regain its old spirit. Looking at the home front, Brig. Gen. (Res.) Hilik Sofer finds the Israeli public's resilience greater than usually thought, and Sarah Haetzni-Cohen points to the importance of civil-society organizations. Brig. Gen. (Res.) Amir Avivi explains how victory requires establishing full sovereignty in the Negev, and Tom Nisani does the same for the Temple Mount. Shlomo Ne'eman explores how to withstand international pressure. Yifa Segal refutes the erroneous connection between poverty and violence.
The Israeli strategist Efraim Inbar reassuringly sees Palestinians as nothing but a "strategic nuisance" because they lack economic or military heft, but he overlooks the fact that the global Left's ever-more furious anti-Zionism rests almost exclusively on its perception that Israel abuses the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza. This means that the only way to reduce this dangerous hostility—imagine a Bernie Sanders-style leftist one day in the White House—is by settling the Palestinian issue. From an Israeli point of view, therefore, dealing with the West Bank and Gaza is as urgent as dealing with Iran's nuclear arsenal. And now is the time to address it while the international context is relatively benign.
Israel Victory represents Israel's only possible path to resolution. It has two main virtues. First, unlike Jerusalem's current policy, which merely puts out brush fires, it squarely addresses the Palestinian rejectionism that inspires worldwide anti-Israel emotions. Second, it is solution agnostic, with no implications for what happens after the Palestinians accept Israel—for example, it says nothing about the West Bank's final disposition; this means that all seeking security and welfare for Israel can support it.
Brig. Gen. (Res.) Yossi Kuperwasser correctly pointed out at an Israel Victory Project event at the Begin Center (on July 4, 2018): "When we talk about victory, we begin to win." God apparently endorses Israel Victory when speaking to Israel in Deuteronomy 20:3-4: "Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory." On a lighter note, the American comedian Alan King quipped that every Jewish holiday can be summed up as, "They tried to kill us, we won, let's eat." Note the operative verb here: "won." It's excellent advice for the government of Israel.
Israelis on the right have discovered conservatism’s rich intellectual tradition. Of special interest to them, especially among the religious Zionists at the forefront of the expanding effort to develop a distinctively Israeli conservatism, is American conservatism’s relation to their fledgling movement. The transnational appeal of U.S.-style conservatism should be of special interest to Americans as well.J Street: Norway, EU and the Oslo Accords: Who is the real hypocrite? - opinion
A few weeks ago, Ben Shapiro, the outspoken and acerbic American conservative commentator and Orthodox Jew, addressed an enthusiastic Tel Aviv crowd at a Conservative Political Action Conference. At the event, which CPAC convened as part of its ambition to develop ties with conservatives abroad, Shapiro told the thousands in attendance that Israel could count for reliable support in the U.S. on only the Orthodox among Jews and the Republicans among America’s two dominant political parties. Reporting on the event, Israel Hayom journalist Ariel Kahana cautioned against uncritical acceptance of Shapiro’s counsel. In the United States, he noted, many non-Orthodox Jews, independents, and Democrats also back Israel, and Republicans don’t always control the White House and Congress.
As they turn to American ideas and experience to refine their views, members of the Israeli conservative movement would do well to recognize not only the intricacies of U.S. politics but also the complexities of American conservatism.
These complexities spring from the blending of the several traditions that formed the United States. The numerous Protestant sects to which most Americans belonged in the Founding era tended to agree that toleration and separation of church and state reflect God’s will. The educated class in 18th-century America embraced the classical Roman ideal of a public-spirited citizenry that maintains freedom through the exercise of civic virtue. And most Americans at the time of the country’s founding took as axiomatic the view – elaborated by 17th-century British thinker John Locke and affirmed in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence – that human beings are by nature free and equal and that the principal purpose of government is to secure unalienable rights shared equally by all.
This founding inheritance reverberates throughout American history. It was instrumental in enabling the U.S. to overcome the evil of slavery; vindicate the fundamental rights of women and other classes of citizens who have been wrongly denied the equal protection of the laws; and build a prosperous, democratic superpower composed of citizens from every region of the world.
In a feature in last weekend’s supplement to the Hebrew-language daily newspaper Haaretz, “The Right Has an Opportunity to Formulate a Clear Agenda. It Should Take Advantage of It,” my friend Gadi Taub argued that Israeli conservatives must appreciate better not only the complexities of conservatism in America but also the complexities of the conservative challenge in Israel. He is suited to make the case.
Readers were instructed on hypocrisy and insolence in Alan Baker’s column on August 1, “Undermining the Oslo Accords: Norway and the EU’s hypocrisy and double standards.” Baker accuses Norway and the countries of the European Union of facilitating international funding for supporting and encouraging Palestinian terror, violating international counter-terror instruments and undermining provisions of the Oslo Accords that call for the prevention of terror.Palestinians: It Pays Better to Be America's Adversary, Not Its Friend
All due to the announcement that these countries are planning to renew funding to six Palestinian civil society organizations, which Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz declared to be terrorist organizations, due to the so-called evidence provided to them about the connection of these organizations with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
All European Union countries and Norway are firmly opposed to terrorism. Hence, if these countries were convinced that the Palestinian civil service organizations support terrorism, there is no doubt they would, based on their policies and laws, end their funding. However, they expect claims against organizations they fund to be supported by evidence and proof. This is especially so when it comes to such a dramatic decision that severely damages a series of human rights organizations that have been operating for decades and are known to everyone who works in the territories, as those who are trying to create basic conditions for the existence of democracy in Palestinian society.
Baker, have you seen the evidence? Has anyone in the Israeli public seen them? Has any evidence been presented for the claim that these organizations finance terrorism? The professionals in the countries that fund these organizations, as well as the professionals in the United States, our great and loyal friend, to whom the information was presented, announced that the evidence was absolutely unconvincing.
The European Anti-Fraud Office conducted a thorough investigation for nine months and reached a conclusion that the claims against Al-Haq were baseless. On what then are your claims based, Baker? As an international lawyer, you should know that the burden of proof is on Israel, which did not meet this obligation.
The statement in support of China is yet another example of the Palestinians' betting on the wrong horse. Always on the side of the despotic regimes and countries, Palestinians appear to have learned nothing from their mistakes.PMW: Blood money: The PA has already paid $1,421,940 to the terrorists who blew up the Sbarro pizza shop murdering 15 and injuring 130
While Israel consistently stands by its US partners, Palestinians continue to ridicule and condemn the US, undermine its interests by aligning themselves with anti-US parties, and financing the families of Palestinians who murder Israeli and US citizens.
Palestinians expect US financial aid, but oppose the US on every foreign policy front. The Biden administration does not seem to have a problem funding the Iranian regime, the Chinese Communist Party, the illegitimate Venezuelan government or the Palestinian leadership while Palestinians are spitting in the face of the US and openly supporting all those who hate the US and the Americans. It sometimes seems as if the harder America's adversaries spit, the harder the Americans rush to fund them.
Palestinians, who have sided against America with Nazi Germany, the Russians, Saddam Hussein, North Korea, Syria's Assad, Iran, Hezbollah, and now China, are again exposing their anti-US sentiments. They will happily pad their bank accounts with American money, while continuing to act against the US and its policies in different parts of the world.
Many Arab countries have learned the lesson of Palestinian betrayal: that is why they long ago stopped funding the Palestinians. The Arab leaders refuse to throw their money at those who praise their enemies.
The US has actually been teaching those who wish to create a Palestinian state that being best buddies with America's worst enemies is where the biggest profits lie.
Today, August 9, 2022, is 21 years since the attack on the Sbarro pizza restaurant in Jerusalem. 15 people were murdered, including 5 members of one family, and 130 people were injured.
As a reward for carrying out the attack, the Palestinian Authority pays a total of US$8,937 (27,800 shekels) each month to the 5 imprisoned terrorists and the families of the 3 dead terrorists who were involved in the attack. The current total paid to the terrorists is $1,421,940. The monthly payment to each terrorist will continue to rise the longer the terrorists are in prison.
Every month, the PA pays terrorist Abdallah Barghouti 7,300 shekels ($2,347).
Every month, the PA pays terroristJamal Abu Al-Hija 8,300 shekels ($2,668). Having now completed 20 years in prison, this month Abu Al-Hija’s will rise to 8,300 shekels from 7,300 shekels.
Every month, the PA pays terrorist Bilal Barghouti8,000 shekels ($2,572). Having completed 20 years in prison, in April 2022, the PA raised the monthly salary it pays Barghouti to 8,300 shekels from 7,300 shekels.
Every month the PA pays the family of the terrorist suicide bomber, Izz Al-Din Al-Masri1,400 shekels ($450) per month.
Every month the PA pays the family of the dead terrorist Qeis Adwan 1,400 shekels ($450) per month.
Every month the PA pays the family of the dead terrorist Ayman Halawah 1,400 shekels ($450) per month.
Every month the PA pays a certain amount to the terrorists Muhammad Daghlas and Ahlam Tamimi. While they were arrested and convicted for their part in the attack, these two terrorists were released in 2011, as part of the deal to secure the freedom of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held captive by Hamas. While the PA Law of Prisoners and Released Prisoners, No. 19 of 2004 and regulations promulgated pursuant to the law, guarantee these terrorists a monthly salary, Palestinian Media Watch does not have information regarding the current amounts of these payments.
We remember:
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) August 9, 2022
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???Zvika Golombek, 26
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???Frieda Mendelsohn, 62
???Michal Raziel, 16
???Malka Roth, 15
???Mordechai Schijveschuurder, 43
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Terrorist Ahlam Tamimi led the suicide bomber to Sbarro when the restaurant was crowded with people eating lunch.
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) August 9, 2022
She was captured, convicted, and sentenced to jail by Israel, but freed in the 2011 prisoner exchange deal that saw Gilad Shalit freed from captivity. pic.twitter.com/HadeOFet7Y
Anti-Israel Exec Departs Ratings Giant Amid Scrutiny
A senior executive at the ratings giant Sustainalytics—who spent years working at an anti-Israel advocacy group—announced last week that she is stepping down amid scrutiny of the company's reliance on sources that critics say lead to bias and discrimination against Israeli companies.German University Votes to Keep Name of Its 15th Century Antisemitic Founder
Heather Lang, a onetime official at the anti-Israel activist organization B'Tselem, announced last week her departure as a senior vice president at Sustainalytics, a subsidiary of the corporate-ratings giant Morningstar, after 18 years at the company.
"Tomorrow is my last day at Sustainalytics after an incredible 18-year journey!" wrote Lang in a social media post last week. "It's been an absolute privilege to work with such wonderful colleagues and friends."
The news comes as Sustainalytics—one of the major ratings agencies that score companies based on their environmental, social, and governance practices—has faced allegations that its scoring system is biased against Israel and that it downgrades companies that help the Jewish state's national security operations. Prior to joining Sustainalytics, Lang worked at B'Tselem, a self-described human rights group that asserts that "Israel's regime of apartheid and occupation is inextricably bound up in human rights violations," according to its website. NGO Monitor, a watchdog group that monitors Middle East organizations, describes B'Tselem as "part of a network of NGOs that promote artificial and manufactured definitions of apartheid to extend the ongoing campaigns that seek to delegitimize and demonize Israel."
Morningstar enlisted law firm White & Case to conduct an internal investigation into potential anti-Israel bias at Sustainalytics. This came after the Illinois Investment Policy Board, a state commission, launched a probe into whether the company was in violation of Illinois laws against anti-Israel boycotts.
Lang's presence at Sustainalytics raises questions about the neutrality of its executives, a week after the Missouri attorney general launched an investigation into allegations of anti-Israel bias at the ratings giant.
Lang did not indicate that her departure is related to the investigation or allegations of bias. But Israel advocates said the company should be cautious about anti-Israel activism among its leadership.
A distinguished university in Germany has voted to continue being named after its founder, who was a 15th century antisemite, despite calls for the institution to be renamed, The Jewish Chronicle reported.Calls Renewed for Expulsion of Jeremy Corbyn From UK Labour Party Amid Backlash Over Interview With Pro-Hezbollah Broadcaster
The senate of the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen voted 16-15 to keep its name, with two abstentions.
Count Eberhard I of Württemberg — also known as Eberhard Im Bart and “Eberhard the Bearded” — was a vocal 15th century antisemite who added a clause to his will ordering the expulsion of the state’s Jewish population, according to Germany’s The Times. He founded the university in 1477, and students have campaigned for years to rename the school.
The university hired a six-member team of expert historians to investigate Eberhard’s antisemitism and concluded in its report that he was “hostile to Jews and thus in no way differs from the vast majority of his contemporaries and peers.”
Hanna Veiler, vice president of the Jewish Student Union of Germany, called the university’s decision “utterly disappointing.” She told The Jewish Chronicle, “We realize that you cannot just change a difficult past, but it had the opportunity to draw the right conclusions. Here the university has just failed.”
There were renewed calls on Monday for the expulsion by the British Labour Party of its former leader Jeremy Corbyn following an interview last week with a Lebanese broadcaster in which he argued that foreign leaders had conspired to undermine his leadership.Yisrael Medad: Arab Rights and Jewish Rights: Jaffa 1936
Corbyn, a far-left parliamentarian who led Labour between 2015-20, spoke with Al Mayadeen TV, a Lebanese channel that is closely aligned with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization. Asked about the successive antisemitism scandals that dominated his time at the party’s helm, he insisted that “the way I was dealt with in the Labour Party, and the allegations made against me were shameful.”
He went on to insinuate the his leadership had been targeted by a powerful international conspiracy. “I faced clear threats from some military figures when I was elected,” Corbyn said. “First, there were statements against me from Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump, and a group of other personalities, and it showed me how strong the forces opposed to me were.”
Corbyn resigned as leader following Labour’s heavy defeat in the 2019 election, which saw the ruling Conservatives gain 80 seats in Britain’s House of Commons. In 2020, the new leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, suspended Corbyn from Labour’s parliamentary faction after the latter claimed that the scale of the antisemitism problem during his leadership term had been “dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party.”
Corbyn is now facing calls for his expulsion from Labour as a result of the Al Mayadeen interview.
In June 1936, a significant section of Jaffa was demolished due to the need for British security forces to combat growing Arab terror.U.S. judge weighs Ben & Jerry's claims against owner over Israeli business
But there was a side concern: what to do with now homeless Arabs?
Here is an academic article on the matter.
And here is a parliamentary question from December:
DEMOLITIONS, JAFFA (RE-HOUSING).
HC Deb 16 December 1936 vol 318
22. Colonel WEDGWOOD asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has authorised the expenditure of £15,000 which has been assigned from Palestine revenues to build a village for the Jaffa Arabs evicted from that town; and whether anything similar is being done for the Jaffa Jews who were forced to leave Jaffa and live elsewhere?
Mr. ORMSBY-GORE The Palestine Government has been authorised to expend £15,000 on the erection of houses, for which a suitable rent will be charged, to accommodate 100 Arab families rendered homeless by the special demolitions in Jaffa undertaken by Government in the circumstances explained in my reply to a question in the House on 24th June by the hon. Member for West Fife (Mr. Gallaeher). I understand that in consultation with the appropriate Jewish bodies the Palestine Government has agreed to contribute about £5,000 towards the cost of maintenance and rehabilitation of Jewish refugees in Tel-Aviv from Jaffa and elsewhere.
Colonel WEDGWOOD Seeing that the Jewish refugees from Jaffa outnumber the Arab refugees by about 20 to one, will the right hon. Gentleman make representations to the Palestine Government that the rebuilding which they are doing for Arab refugees should be paralleled by rebuilding for the Jewish refugees?
A U.S. judge on Monday appeared skeptical that Ben & Jerry's deserved an immediate injunction against its parent Unilever Plc to restrict the marketing of its ice cream in the West Bank, which Ben & Jerry's said was against its values.
U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter said at a court hearing in Manhattan, that he was unsure Ben & Jerry's had shown it faced "imminent harm" following Unilever's June 29 sale of the ice cream maker's Israeli business to local licensee Avi Zinger.
The unusual dispute shows the challenges Unilever faces as it encourages its brands, which number more than 400, to have social missions that the company says help drive sales.
Ben & Jerry's independent directors sued Unilever on July 5, nearly a year after the maker of Half Baked and Cherry Garcia faced a backlash by deciding to end sales in "Palestinian territories" because it was "inconsistent" with its values.
Although the lawsuit also sought to stop the sale altogether, Monday's hearing focused on whether Ben & Jerry's deserved a temporary injunction barring Zinger from selling new or rebranded products, using its English language trademarks.
Ben & Jerry's lawyer Shahmeer Halepota said in court that Zinger could produce new products with the "exact opposite stance," causing consumer confusion.
"Instead of Peace Pops, you could make 'Tank Pops,'" Halepota said, and shoppers would see both walking down a grocery store aisle.
י The judge did not immediately rule, but told a Ben & Jerry's lawyer: "I don't hear anything saying that there is anything imminent. It doesn't seem ... anything's going to happen in the next couple of weeks."
He did not say when he would rule.
We have known this about Amnesty for a long time in Israel. Shameful organization. https://t.co/ywTTAPpTdz
— Emily Schrader - ????? ?????? (@emilykschrader) August 9, 2022
Over 75 Jewish leaders demand ADL apologize for condemning NY progressive group 'JFREJ'
Leaders of mostly left-wing Jewish groups and progressive New York Jewish politicians demanded an apology from the head of the Anti-Defamation League, saying he had maligned the progressive group Jews for Racial & Economic Justice.
In a letter circulated by JFREJ, the signatories condemned “smear campaigns that seemed designed to isolate and divide progressive Jews from the rest of the Jewish community.”
The letter is signed by City Comptroller Brad Lander, City Council member Lincoln Restler, former Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami and rabbis and representatives from over 60 synagogues, Jewish groups and non-Jewish progressive groups.
The letter is addressed to Jonathan Greenblatt, the ADL’s CEO, who last week appeared to endorse a Twitter thread from Brian Robinson, a long-shot Congressional candidate in New York, describing JFREJ as a “pro-dystopian organization” that only “pretends to be liberal and pro-Jewish.”
The letter from JFREJ describes the tweets and Greenblatt’s thumbs-up as part of a “dangerous history of isolating progressive Jews from the rest of the community by attempting to strip them of their Jewishness.”
The letter asks that Greenblatt and the ADL “condemn Robinson’s attacks on JFREJ and publicly apologize for affirming them.” The signatories also requested a meeting with the ADL.
Commenting on Greenblatt’s original endorsement of the Twitter thread, an ADL spokesperson told the New York Jewish Week that the CEO’s only intention was to suggest “how out of touch they [JFREJ] are with the majority of the Jewish community.”
Note that @JFREJNYC is a signatory organization on this highly effective bridge burning exercise.https://t.co/hEBjpedwNw
— Jonathan Greenberg (@JGreenbergSez) August 9, 2022
PreOccupiedTerritory: Unity A Core Value As Long As Everyone Unifies Behind *You* (satire)
Israel’s fractured politics calls for a party and candidate who can bridge the rifts that have condemned numerous consecutive governments to short-lived, unstable coalitions rife with conflict, provided the bridging takes place with your favored party or figure at the helm, a new study has determined.
Political scientists and authorities on government and society confirmed what you have long assumed, namely that unity takes precedence over other values only when other parties or people must compromise on their values to achieve that unity, while you get to give your legislative and policy agenda priority and others must unite behind you because unity. If, however, unity requires you to set your agenda aside, then to hell with unity.
The phenomenon comes into sharp focus in the approach to another round of parliamentary elections this November, following just over a year of “unity” under one of the country’s least-popular and least-accomplished prime ministers in history Naftali Bennett. Several parties with stark differences in values and policy goals set aside those differences for the sake of sidelining erstwhile incumbent Binyamin Netanyahu, and numbers among its accomplishments the inclusion, for the first time, of an Arab party in the governing coalition. In terms of legislative achievements, the coalition produced a less-impressive record as its constituent parties pulled and pushed in disparate directions that ultimately tore the government apart.
We demand that you reinstate @Ahmad4ISRL immediately. Zionists/Non-Jewish Zionists deserve the same protection on your platform as antisemites/antizionists. Days ago an acct threatened @Ahmad4ISRL should have his throat cut. That account remains yet his is suspended. pic.twitter.com/uy9HRpOMs7
Attacker of British Rabbi sentenced to 43 months in jail
A 19-year-old British man has been sentenced to 43 months in a youth offenders’ institution for his role in the assault of British Rabbi Rafi Goodwin in May 2021, Jewish News UK reported.Australia’s New South Wales advances measure criminalizing swastikas
Souraka Djabouri was sentenced on Friday after admitting to striking the rabbi on the head with a brick. The attack happened amid Israel’s 2021 conflict in Gaza – a time of increased antisemitism in the UK and much of the West.
Djabouri and an accomplice originally verbally assaulted Goodwin before vandalizing and striking his car as he drove off. When he got out of the car to assess the damage, Djibouti struck him over the head with a brick and stole his cellphone.
“Hate crime is a priority for Essex Police and it simply will not be tolerated. Our drive to secure justice, in this case, shows that," Police Constable Thomas Tod of the Loughton Criminal Investigation Department (CID) told Jewish News. "We work shoulder to shoulder with our Essex partners to take a tough stance against hatred, and we work closely with the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] to make sure that, where we identify hate crime offenders, they are brought to justice.”
“We know this has been an exceptionally hard time for Rabbi Rafi and we hope that today will bring some measure of closure for him,” United Synagogue chief executive Steven Wilson said in a statement. “We are very grateful to everyone who has helped him and his wonderful family over this period.”
Australia’s most populous state took a major step toward banning Nazi symbols on Tuesday when the New South Wales Parliament’s lower house passed a bill that would criminalize their display.
The bill must pass the upper chamber to become law.
Victoria, Australia’s second-most populous state, in June became the first in Australia to pass a law banning the public display of Nazi swastikas.
Queensland and Tasmania states have foreshadowed similar laws, which would mean half Australia’s eight states and territories and most of the Australian population were banned from displaying Nazi symbols.
New South Wales Attorney General Mark Speakman told Parliament on Tuesday the Nazi swastika harmed and distressed community members, including those of the Jewish faith. In 2020, New South Wales Police received 31 reports of the display of Nazi flags, including one from a home near a Sydney synagogue.
“Hateful and vilifying conduct is completely unacceptable in our community,” Speakman said.
Using or displaying Nazi flags or Nazi memorabilia bearing swastikas would be banned under the law.
Mark Finchem (AZ State Rep) @markfinchem
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) August 9, 2022
Wendy Rogers (AZ State Senator) @WendyRogersAZ
Kandiss Taylor (former GA Gov. candidate) @KandissTaylor
Bigots like Jackson MUST be kept out of office - how YOU can help here: https://t.co/wKe0nzUPZY
‘Grease’ Actress and Singer Olivia Newton-John, of Jewish-German Descent, Dies at 73
Newton-John was born in Cambridge, England, in 1948 but was raised in Melbourne, Australia, where she later opened the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre.Olivia Newton-John
The four-time Grammy winner told i24News in 2019 that her mother, Irene Born, “was very proud of her Jewish tradition and talked about it a lot.”
Newton-John’s maternal grandfather was Jewish German Nobel Prize-winning physicist Max Born, one of the founders of quantum mechanics and a friend of Albert Einstein. In her 2019 memoir, Newton-John wrote: “In 1933, my Jewish grandfather fled from Germany with his wife, Hedwig, to escape Hitler’s regime. He was not only a brilliant mind but also a humanitarian who helped Jews escape Germany. I’m extremely proud of my peace-loving grandfather.”
Her maternal great-grandfather was German-Jewish jurist Victor Ehrenberg and her father was a British intelligence officer who took the Nazi Party’s Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess into custody during World War II.
Newton-John is survived by her husband; daughter Chloe Lattanzi; sister Sarah Newton-John; brother Toby Newton-John; and nieces and nephews. Her sister, Rona Newton-John, died in 2013 at age 70 from brain cancer.
Newton-John’s family has been offered a state funeral for her in Australia, and they plan to accept it, People reported.
We are saddened to learn about the death of legendary Australian singer and "Grease" actress Olivia Newton-John, who passed away on Monday at the age of 73. Olivia held her family's Jewish identity close to her heart throughout her life, noting that "My mother was very proud of her Jewish heritage, and talked about it a lot." May Olivia's memory and her legacy forever be a blessing.
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