Sunday, August 14, 2022

08/14 Links: Who speaks for the Arab world about Israel? Biden under pressure to suspend Iran talks after Rushdie attack, weak condemnation

From Ian:

Jonathan Tobin: Who speaks for the Arab world about Israel?
Israeli diplomats at the United Nations often speak of how their Arab colleagues talk one way about the conflict in public and very differently in private. The United Nations can be dismissed as a mere talking shop with no power. But that ignores the genuine damage that U.N. agencies can do to Israel and to aid those boycotting and trying to destroy it.

Even if Arab statements at the world body were merely a cynical show, the fact that they feel it is necessary to behave this way is not insignificant.

Public opinion in Egypt and Jordan is still heavily anti-Semitic and lags far behind their country’s leaders when it comes to the acceptance of Israel. Popular culture in the Arab world is also still hostile to Israel and Jews. There is no sign of a popular groundswell backing an alliance or closer ties. On the contrary, even governments that have made peace are wary of going too far when it comes to abandoning the Palestinian desire for Israel’s destruction. Authoritarian regimes in Egypt, Jordan and in the Gulf don’t depend on popular approval. But they are acutely conscious that by getting too close to Israel, they are giving ammunition to radicals backed by Iran who seek their overthrow.

Saudi Arabia’s modernizing ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmon, has embraced closer under-the-table ties with Israel though that has stopped short of normalization. But even the Saudis fear the possibility of a restive Arab street. That is accentuated by justified worries that a new and even weaker nuclear deal between the West and Iran, which may be concluded soon, will reinforce the impression that the theocrats in Tehran—and not the moderates in Riyadh or Cairo—are the “strong horse” of the region. A new pact will strengthen Iran’s economy and military, and could also help Iran sway opinion in those states that have relations with Israel.

Recognizing the persistence of Arab and Muslim hostility to Israel doesn’t negate the historic importance of the Abraham Accords. Indeed, as Jason Greenblatt, the Trump administration’s Middle East peace envoy, told me in an interview, the question to ask about the Saudis is not what they haven’t done but the distance they have traveled from their former stance of unremitting hostility.

Still, the optimistic notion that all the barriers between Israel and the Arab and Muslim worlds are coming down is, at best, premature. Jew-hatred is still far more popular than acceptance of Israel. As long as that is true—and the governments that made peace are dictatorial and don’t reflect the popular will of their peoples—the progress that has already been made towards true peace cannot be considered irreversible. That is a sobering thought that should inform Israeli strategy as well as those elsewhere who are under the misapprehension that the conflict over its right to exist is over.
Why Was Ilhan Omar’s Antisemitism Erased by the New York Times and Washington Post?
Connection between media coverage and rising antisemitism?
With antisemitism on the rise, the way the media report on it has become crucial in order to prevent more incidents by prominent public figures falling through the cracks.

The media has reported relatively accurately on Marjorie Greene’s hate-filled ramblings in part because her brand of Judeophobia is more traditional, and hence easier to spot. Meanwhile, Ilhan Omar expresses her anti-Jewish animus in a newer, more subtle way – by delegitimizing the world’s only Jewish state.

As a result, media coverage of her controversial remarks has been spotty at best.

Guided by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, journalists would make better-informed decisions in choosing which stories to cover and how to cover them. This is all the more important given that antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories are being spread by individuals across the political spectrum.

These leaders must be held to account for their words and actions.
Biden under pressure to suspend Iran talks after Rushdie attack, weak condemnation
The attack comes more than 30 years after Iran's late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called for his death in response to Rushdie's book, "causing Rushdie to require round-the-clock security at various points in his life.

According to Fox News, Rubio was joined by several other lawmakers and prominent figures on the Right who pressed President Joe Biden to end his effort to restore the 2015 nuclear deal, pointing a finger at Iran for the attempted murder.

"Iran's leaders have been calling for the murder of Salman Rushdie for decades," Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton tweeted. "We know they're trying to assassinate American officials today. Biden needs to immediately end negotiations with this terrorist regime."

"This White House statement on Salman Rushdie is appalling," author Gary Weiss described the White House's reaction to the attack. "No mention is made of Iran putting a price on his head. Or that the fatwa was reaffirmed by the ayatollah in 2005 and in 2019. Is Joe Biden is THAT anxious to move ahead with the lousy JCPOA?"

In his statement condemning the attack, Biden said "Salman Rushdie – with his insight into humanity, with his unmatched sense for story, with his refusal to be intimidated or silenced – stands for essential, universal ideals," but did not mention Iran or the fatwa against him.

"The silence of @POTUS in response to the attempted murder of Salman Rushdie looks increasingly the result of one thing: A desperation to return to the Iran deal," Foundation for Defense of Democracies CEO Mark Dubowitz tweeted. "American desperation increases regime aggression. It always has."

Fox News said that "a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital that President Biden has been clear he will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon and that the best way to ensure that happens is through diplomacy." Although Iran's current Supreme Leader Ali Khameneihas ostensibly tried to play down the decree from the 1980s, the state-controlled media had jubilant reporting in the wake of the attack, including on the paper that is considered a mouthpiece of the chief ayatollah, calling him an "apostate" over his "blasphemous" writings.


Ruthie Blum: The satanic stabbing of Salman Rushdie and the dangerous Iran deal
As the Rushdie fatwa illustrates, Iranians have a long memory; in this sense, Soleimani’s death is not only fresh in their minds, but will remain so for decades. Indeed, even Tehran’s denial of the targeting of Bolton and Pompeo includes a reference to Soleimani.

“Such baseless claims are made with political motives … [to] escape … responsibility [for] numerous terrorist crimes that the American government has either directly participated in, such as the cowardly assassination of General Martyr Soleimani, or like the terrorist crimes committed by the Zionist regime and terrorist groups like ISIS that have been committed with the support of America,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Wednesday.

The harsh response followed the E.U. announcement on Monday, as the latest round of indirect talks in Vienna between U.S. and Iranian officials came to a close, that it had presented to all parties a “final text” of the new version of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“There is no more space for negotiations. … So, it’s the moment for a decision: yes or no. And we expect all participants to take this decision very quickly,” E.U. Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano told journalists in Brussels on Tuesday.

Iranian officialdom has yet to respond, but has expressed, through its media mouthpieces, displeasure with the document, which doesn’t meet the regime’s ever-increasing conditions for entering into an agreement.

Three key ones are: the demand that the International Atomic Energy Agency butt out of its business at undeclared nuclear sites; unfettered missile- and drone-development; and, of course, the removal of the IRGC from America’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations—on which it was placed in 2019 as part of former U.S. President Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign on the Islamic Republic.

When asked by an AFP reporter on Thursday about the E.U. draft; what effect, if any, the “plot unveiled” against Bolton and Pompeo will have on it; and how soon Washington will make a decision, the State Department principal deputy spokesperson replied: “We and the Europeans have made quite clear that we are prepared to immediately conclude and implement the deal we negotiated in Vienna for a mutual return to the full implementation of the JCPOA. But for that to happen, Iran needs to decide to drop their additional demands that go beyond the JCPOA. Ultimately, the choice is theirs. This administration, along with our allies and partners, are preparing equally for scenarios with and without a mutual return to the full implementation of the JCPOA. The president, [Joe Biden], and Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken will only conclude a deal that we determine is in the national security interest of the United States.”

He continued by reiterating comments by Blinken.

“Our message to Iran is very clear,” he said. “We will not tolerate threats of violence against Americans, and that certainly includes former government officials. This administration has been clear that it will ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon, and we believe the best path to achieving that goal is through diplomacy. And as long as we believe pursuing a JCPOA is in the U.S. national security interest, we’re going to continue to do so.”
Twitter Owes Salman Rushdie an Apology
Twitter must be the epitome of hypocrisy. It bans The New York Post’s reporting of Hunter Biden’s laptop, or columnist Paul Sperry’s recent take on the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago, but allowed this tweet from Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei endorsing Iran’s murderous fatwa against author Salman Rushdie:

Now that Iran sympathizer Hadi Matar has been arrested for stabbing Rushdie up to 15 times at a conference in Buffalo, I wonder if Twitter will call an emergency meeting.

I wonder if the higher ups will ask things like: Are we going too far with our selective censorship? If we’re cracking down on speech we dislike here in the U.S., should we also crack down on Islamist speech that incites violence? Should we establish new guidelines?

They may start by actually reading the fatwa that Khamenei endorsed on Twitter’s platform, calling for the heads of Rushdie and others associated with a book that offended them:

“In the name of Allah… I am informing all brave Muslims of the world that the author of The Satanic Verses, a text written, edited, and published against Islam, the Prophet of Islam, and the Qu’ran, along with all the editors and publishers aware of its contents, are condemned to death. I call on all valiant Muslims wherever they may be in the world to kill them without delay, so that no one will dare insult the sacred beliefs of Muslims henceforth. Whoever is killed in this cause will be a martyr, Allah willing. Meanwhile if someone has access to the author of the book but is incapable of carrying out the execution, he should inform the people so that [Rushdie] is punished for his actions.

“May peace and blessings of Allah be upon you.”

It doesn’t matter if only a small percentage of Muslims are triggered by this call to kill in the name of God. Violence is violence. Whether the incitement comes from an imam or rabbi or priest or white supremacist or anyone else, it is dangerous and unacceptable.


Iranian newspaper: Rushdie attack may be US plot to spread Islamophobia
Media in Iran on Sunday speculated that a US plot may have been behind Friday’s stabbing of novelist Salman Rushdie at a literary event in the United States.

Two days after the writer was attacked on stage in upstate New York, coverage was muted in the Islamic Republic, whose founder, the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or religious decree, calling for Rushdie to be killed decades ago.

Most newspapers did not mention the attack, and two ultra-conservative dailies that did saw a change in tone.

“The Satanic Verses” and “Midnight’s Children” author had lived in hiding for years after Khomeini ordered his killing. Rushdie is in hospital in the United States where he was reported by his agent on Saturday as being able to talk again after undergoing emergency surgery.

Following Friday’s stabbing, some Iranian media reports had hailed the attack.

“The Satanic Verses” enraged some Muslims who said it was blasphemous for its portrayal of Islam and the Prophet Mohammed.

On Sunday, the ultra-conservative daily Javan suggested, “Maybe a young Muslim, who was not even born when Salman Rushdie wrote his satanic book, wanted revenge on him.”


Suspicious UN Behaviour in Israeli Prison
A United Nations official appeared Wednesday to be working on obtaining the release of an Arab terrorist whose arrest purportedly sparked Israel’s clash with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Gaza last weekend.

Following the cessation Sunday evening of Operation Breaking Dawn against the PIJ, the Islamic group crowed that Israel had agreed to the release of Sheikh Bassem el-Sa’adi in exchange for the ceasefire.

Israel’s defence minister, Benny Gantz, has strenuously denied that the government had “paid anything” for the agreement.

El-Sa’adi has been incarcerated in an Israeli prison since his arrest in northern Samaria last Monday. He is the PIJ leader responsible for growing the organisation’s following in Samaria and Judea.

On Wednesday, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process [SIC] Tor Wennesland released a statement warning that the ceasefire was fragile, and sent a delegation of UN officials to visit el-Sa’adi in the Ofer penitentiary.

According to reports, Wennesland had popped into the terrorist’s Jenin home to call on his family at the weekend, while the fighting in Gaza was still underway, and hundreds of PIJ rockets were being launched at Israeli population centres.

Long proven to be anti-Israel in his words and actions, Wennesland provoked Israel’s ire during Breaking Dawn by expressing concern over the killing of one of the PIJ’s senior commanders.
UN official demoted over seemingly 'Pro-Israel' tweet
Sarah Mascroft, head of the United Nations office tasked with providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians, was removed from her post after tweeting out a condemnation of the rocket barrage fired at Israel by terrorists in the Gaza Strip last week.

International affairs analyst Dan Perry calls the incident 'absurd', as the UN balances freedom of speech for its employees alongside upholding UN principles.


‘People Screaming Shema Yisroel’: US Citizens Among Injured in Jerusalem Shooting Attack
Eight people were injured, among them US citizens after a Palestinian gunman open fired on civilians at a bus and a parking lot near Jerusalem’s Old City.

Following an intensive manhunt by Israel’s security forces and several arrests, the suspected terrorist identified as east Jerusalem resident Amir Sidawi turned himself in to the Israeli police.

“This was a lone assailant, a resident of the city with a criminal background,” Prime Minister Yair Lapid stated. “Whoever harms Israeli citizens has nowhere to hide.”

During predawn hours on Sunday, the 26-year-old Palestinian gunman targeted a bus and opened fire at worshipers near the Western Wall and King David’s Tomb, injuring eight people, including a pregnant 30-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man who are in critical care, Israeli authorities said.

Sidawi is known to Israeli authorities. In 2015, he was convicted of grievous bodily harm and sentenced to eight years in prison, of which he served five after being suspected of murder.

“A few minutes after I got on the bus, I heard gunfire and saw the window shattered, I bent over quickly and saw blood around my shoulder,” Menahem Palace, an American citizen from New York told Israeli media. “People around me were screaming Shema Yisrael. It was really scary.”

Palace, 22, who arrived in Israel on Friday as part of the Birthright-Taglit program said that because of the adrenaline rush he only realized once he was taken in the ambulance to the hospital that he had a bullet in his shoulder.

“At the hospital, they X-rayed me and took it out, and now everything is fine,” he said.

US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides condemned the shooting attack and confirmed that American citizens were among the victims.

“Deeply saddened to confirm that Americans were injured in this attack,” Nides tweeted. “I’ve spoken with the families and will keep them in my prayers.”

Among the injured victims reported in Israeli media were four members of a family from Williamsburg, Brooklyn belonging to the Satmar Hasidic movement who were visiting Jerusalem. The parents, son and daughter were waiting for a taxi at a bus stop when they were shot. The family’s father is reportedly in serious condition, sedated and on a respirator, while the mother is in moderate condition.
Suspect in Jerusalem shooting turns himself in, ending manhunt
The terrorist who early on Sunday morning wounded eight people in a shooting attack near Jerusalem’s Old City has turned himself in to police, ending an hours-long manhunt, according to the Israel Police. The weapon used in the attack was also handed over, police said in a statement.

The suspect, a resident of eastern Jerusalem, fired on a bus and private vehicle on Maaleh Shalom Street, which runs just outside the Old City, bordering the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan.

The suspect had a criminal record and acted alone, according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.

Magen David Adom paramedics and EMTs treated the wounded on the scene and evacuated them to hospital, two in serious condition, according to MDA.

The suspect took a taxi to a police station in the western part of the city, where he turned himself in, according to Channel 12.
Terror groups applaud Jerusalem attack, urge more ‘heroic operations’
Hamas's angle
Hamas welcomed the “heroic and courageous operation,” saying it was “a natural reaction to the arrogance of the occupation soldiers and settlers and their daily crimes against the Palestinian people and their Islamic and Christian lands and holy sites, as well as their ongoing and their ongoing incursions into al-Aqsa Mosque.”

Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum said in a statement that the attack “affirms the continuation and escalation of the resistance in occupied Jerusalem, and that our Palestinian people are fully aware that the resistance is the only way to protect the land and the holy sites.”

Israeli security measures in Jerusalem will not weaken the Palestinians’ resolve or break their will, Barhoum said, but will “constitute the greatest motivation for the resistance to escalate and develop the tools of resistance” against Israel.

Another Hamas official, Yassin Rabi’a, said the attack proves that Jerusalem belongs to the Palestinians.

“Jerusalem will remain ours, and we will continue to fight until the liberation of our land, notwithstanding the cost and sacrifices,” Rabi’a threatened.

According to the Hamas official, the attack proves that the Palestinians are able to pursue the fight against Israel and inflict harm on it.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad reacts
Islamic Jihad spokesman Tareq Ezzadin said the attack came in the context of the “continuing resistance” against Israel.

“The Jerusalem operation confirms that the occupation has no place on our land, and it will not feel safe as long as the resistance continues,” he said. “The occupation must pay the price for its continuing crimes against our people, from Gaza to Jenin and Nablus.”

Ezzadin hailed the timing of the attack, saying it came shortly after the recent war in the Gaza Strip (Operation Breaking Dawn), and the IDF security crackdown on armed groups and individuals in the northern West Bank.
PMW: Fatah praises shooting of pregnant woman and 7 others: “Praise to the one whose rifle only speaks against his enemy!”
In three posts on its official Facebook page, Fatah – headed by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas – hurried to endorse and praise the terrorist and his shooting attack carried out last night in Jerusalem. But more than that, Fatah also encouraged additional attacks, urging Palestinians to “save your bullets and use them against the occupation (i.e., Israel).”

Terrorist Amir Sidawi, who later turned himself in to Israeli Police, wounded 8 people including a 35-year-old pregnant woman who was seriously injured. She underwent an emergency C-section delivery, and both she and the baby are in critical condition at the time of writing.

US Ambassador Tom Nides tweeted that he was “deeply saddened to confirm that Americans were injured” in the attack. However, Amb. Nides has not condemned Fatah’s praising of the terror attack that injured the Americans, which would be expected since the US supports and is in close contact with Fatah and PA leader Mahmoud Abbas. Indeed, the US funds Fatah that celebrated the injuring of the Americans via the US’ funding of the PA. The US silence regarding Fatah’s terror support can only encourage Fatah to continue supporting and encouraging terror.

The following are the texts of Fatah’s terror glorifying posts on Facebook:
Posted text: “Praise to the one whose rifle only speaks against his enemy. 🇵🇸✌️
Long live our people’s unity and long live the free hero 🇵🇸”
Posted text: “Praise to the rifle muzzles, our people will fight the occupation with all kinds of resistance. 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸.”
Posted text: “Save your bullets and use them against the occupation, only the occupation!! 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸”
[Official Fatah Facebook page, Aug. 14, 2022]

These posts are in violation of the Israeli anti-terror law and it’s time that the Fatah leaders responsible as well as the Facebook officials based in Israel are investigated by police for terror promotion. Following a complaint by Palestinian Media Watch, the Israeli Police opened a criminal investigation against Facebook Israel for terror incitement but as yet no results have been published. PMW will be sending additional complaints to the police.


IDF official says Gaza exports have shot up, as Israel seeks to incentivize calm
The military’s liaison to the Palestinians on Sunday touted steps Israel has taken to strengthen the economy in the Gaza Strip while also foiling military buildup by terror groups there.

In a briefing to reporters, Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories — widely known by the acronym COGAT — said Israel was employing a “combined policy” toward Gaza.

“The policy consists of a military effort to thwart military buildup, and critically striking at any attempt to harm the security of Israel, alongside a proactive civilian policy aimed at the general public,” Alian said.

In data shared by COGAT, exports from Gaza to the West Bank were expected to shoot up by 27 percent this year, continuing a trend. In 2020, the total number of trucks exporting goods from Gaza to the West Bank was 3,397; in 2021 it was 4,003; and by the end of this year it is expected to reach 5,117, according to estimates.

Exports from Gaza to Israel were also expected to rise by an unprecedented 93.8%, according to COGAT. In 2020, some 1,181 trucks carrying exports entered Israel from Gaza; 2,588 in 2021; and this year the number is expected to reach 5,016.

According to COGAT, crossings between Gaza and Israel increased by 311% percent this year. In 2020, some 122,400 crossing were recorded; in 2021 the number rose to 163,500; and this year the number shot up to 672,000, according to the data.
Why didn't Hamas fight against Israel? Money, probably
Economic incentives provided to the Gaza Strip over the past year were likely a major factor in keeping Hamas out of Operation Breaking Dawn, a senior defense official stated on Sunday.

Compared to last year, exports from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank are expected to grow by over 27%, while exports from the coastal enclave to Israel are set to grow by over 93%, according to data released by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the traffic going through the Erez Crossing between the Strip and Israel is set to grow by 311% to 672,000 crossings in 2022 compared to 163,500 in 2021.

The unemployment rate in Gaza has fallen by 5.5% in the last year to 44.7%, with the number of employed Gazans rising by 14% to 278,000. The average daily wages of Gazans in the Strip sat at NIS 61.7, an NIS 1.2 gain from the last quarter, reaching about NIS 1,200-1,300 per month.

Those Gazans who received work permits to enter Israel have an average salary of about NIS 7,000. While over 200,000 Palestinian workers have been registered for work permits, the defense establishment intends to approve up to 20,000 workers in stages, as a figure beyond that could negatively impact efforts to reach a prisoner swap agreement with Hamas.

"In the past year, the IDF, under the guidance of the defense minister, has been promoting an integrated policy towards the Gaza Strip," said COGAT Ghassan Alian on Sunday. "The policy consists of a military effort to thwart military escalation and fatal damage to any attempt to harm the security of the State of Israel, along with a proactive and public-oriented civilian policy. Last week, during Operation Breaking Dawn, strategic targets were attacked and the senior command of the [Palestinian] Islamic Jihad organization was taken out - after it tested Israel's patience."

Alian stressed that after the operation, the civil policies implemented for Gaza were renewed, although limitations were placed on the issue of reconstruction until progress is made on prisoner swap efforts.


Taliban violently disperses women's protest in Kabul
A rare demonstration by a group of 40 women in Kabul this weekend was dispersed by the Taliban, who shot into the air and reportedly beat the protesters.

Journalist Elise Blanchard in Kabul reports on the show of defiance.




'The Student': Exciting Israeli counter-terror thriller addressing BDS
Author Steve Gordon bends the threads of reality in his newest edition to the Gidon Aronson Thrillers, The Student, as former IDF elite forces soldier and hero Gidon must undertake a Herculean task to protect the people and country he loves. Gidon’s daring, complex character and the book’s thrilling, action-filled scenes make for a classic superhero story with shockingly realistic implications. An exciting thriller of a former IDF elite forces soldier

What begins as a United States college hate crime soon turns into a murder mystery, when an Israeli student and her Lebanese roommate discover that there’s something hidden in their computers worth slitting a man’s throat. Recruited to protect the girls, Gidon Aronson, who has just returned to the US from a covert IDF operation in Syria, quite unexpectedly finds himself amid an international terror crisis. With the help of an FBI agent who suspects him of spying for Israel’s Mossad and his police friend, Gidon must uncover what exactly it is that the terrorists are after and stop them before they kill again.

In a struggle against time and an elusive anti-Israel terrorist cell, Gidon puts his remarkable battle skills, martial arts and keen sense of perception to the test, displaying superhuman strength and stamina when shielding the girls from harm’s way. While Gidon’s courage, strength and resolution to save lives are quite heroic, like all superheroes, he harbors a dangerous Achilles heel.
Student union ‘doubles down on anti-Semitism’ with fresh boycott call
The University of Melbourne Student Union has stirred up a fresh legal storm amid claims that it is promoting anti-Semitism as it revived a motion calling for a ban of Israeli institutions.

The original motion, passed in April and withdrawn the next month amid threats of court action, called on the university to divest, boycott and cut ties from “Israeli institutions, researchers and academics who support the Israeli oppression of Palestine”.

The proposed motion has been rewritten and was sent to the student union’s 22 council members on Thursday – with a vote pencilled in for Monday.

On Friday, University of Melbourne student Justin Riazaty, 22, who is represented by Corrs Chambers Westgarth, sent a letter to the student union’s lawyers demanding they do not put the new motion to a vote. He said it was “entirely disrespectful and indeed anti-Semitic” and “inconsistent with the purposes of the union”.

Riazaty, also a member of the student union, said he believed the rewritten boycott motion was “doubling down [on] pure anti-Semitism and hatred”.

In May, Riazaty engaged pro-bono lawyers and sent a letter of demand to the student union, insisting that they rescind and apologise for the original motion.
Don’t Look! Reuters and Deadly Misfired Palestinian Rockets
Why does Reuters ignore video footage that showed an apparent rocket casing sticking out of the ground? Why doesn’t it point out that there was no crater, damage which would indicate an Israeli airstrike? Why does it ignore the fact that the Palestinian Center for Human Rights and Al-Mezan, two Palestinian organizations very hostile to Israel, did not point to Israel as the culprit for these deaths?

AP’s story, which did cover all of these points, concluded: “Close to one-third of the Palestinians who died in the latest outbreak of violence between Israel and Gaza militants may have been killed by errant rockets fired by the Palestinian side, according to an Israeli military assessment that appears consistent with independent reporting by The Associated Press.”

“Hamas briefly issued an order instructing freelance journalists not to report claims that casualties may have been caused by Palestinian rockets. It soon rescinded that order,” Mackenzie again prevaricates.

Note that Reuters’ Mackenzie again frames casualties caused by Palestinian rockets as mere claims. In fact, as first reported by the Associated Press, Hamas instructed Palestinians working with foreign journalists “not to report on Gazans killed by misfired Palestinian rockets or the military capabilities of Palestinian armed groups, and were told to blame Israel for the recent escalation.” AP’s report did not qualify those casualties, or Hamas’ orders about coverage of them, as mere claims.

In consistently depicting Islamic Jihad’s failed rockets as nothing more than disputed Israeli allegations, Mackenzie honors the spirit of Hamas’ chilling instructions clamping down on open coverage. “Don’t report!” says Hamas. “Turn the camera upwards,” the Al Mayadeen implores! And Reuters obliges.
Reuters Softens Its Reporting on Hamas
In communication with CAMERA, Reuters justified its report last week about Hamas’ alleged softening on its commitment by pointing to “Hamas’ 2017 statement when former Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said Hamas recognized the 1967 borders of Palestine even if it did not recognize the state of Israel.” Given that the 2017 policy statement in questions “rejects any alternative to the full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the river the sea,” how can Reuters possibly cite this document as the basis for claiming that Hamas has softened its commitment on the destruction of Israel?

Indeed, Reuters rightly reported in 2017 that the policy document was a Hamas attempt to soften its “language towards Israel,” which is very different from Reuters’ 2022 claim that Hamas has softened its commitment to Israel’s destruction and is now open for compromises. (Hamas’ pragmatic need to govern its people, and therefore develop understandings with Israel via third parties like Egypt, should not be confused with any acceptance of territorial comprises with the Jewish state.)

Deutsche Welle has previously corrected after similarly misreporting the 2017 policy document. The German media outlet’s amended text accurately reports:
Hamas had said in a 2017 paper that it could foresee a national discussion about a Palestinian state based on the borders that were in place before the Six-Day War in 1967. But the very same paper also said there was no alternative to a fully sovereign state spanning the entirety of Palestinian territory, with Jerusalem as the capital. The latter would practically rule out coexistence with Israel.

In short, contrary to Reuters’ reporting, Hamas shares Islamic Jihad’s total commitment to the destruction of Israel and complete rejection of compromise. Reuters’ false claim that Hamas has softened its commitment to these essential principles reflects a softening of the news agency’s commitment to its own Trust Principles.
Radio-Canada Fails To Identify Dead Palestinians As Terrorists
HonestReporting Canada has filed a complaint with CBC Radio-Canada, requesting that corrective action be taken in regards to an AFP article published today, Wednesday, August 8, 2022. Stay tuned to this page for updates.

CBC Radio-Canada has published an article entitled “Cisjordanie : quatre Palestiniens tués par les forces israéliennes” (West Bank: Four Palestinians killed by Israeli forces), which headline fails to note that included in these fatalities, were 3 Palestinian “militants” who engaged in hostilities against arresting Israeli forces, with one of whom, Israel alleges, was involved in recent terror attacks against innocent Israelis.

In sharp contrast, Radio-Canada’s sister network, CBC News English, features the headline “Israeli forces kill 3 militants in West Bank raid, with Palestinians vowing retaliation.” explicitly acknowledging those who died were Palestinian militants.

It’s imperative that Radio-Canada fix its headline to acknowledge that the dead included “militants” otherwise this may lead its readers to the incorrect conclusion that innocent Palestinian civilians were killed.

The same issue exists in the lead paragraph of the published article:
CBC's Biased Anti-Israel Reporting Of 'Gaza Solidarity Protests' In Ottawa
HonestReporting Canada has lodged a complaint with CBC News after our public broadcaster produced biased anti-Israel reporting about a recent “Gaza solidarity protest” that was held in our nation’s capital, wherein the CBC’s reporting sanitized Islamic Jihad terrorism, whitewashed the anti-Israel rally, and spread disinformation about the three days of hostilities between IDF forces and Iran’s terror proxy.

On August 11, CBC Ottawa Reporter Uday Rana filed several anti-Israel reports for CBC TV, radio, online, and via social media.

In his CBC News.ca report, Mr. Rana stated that: “The death toll after three days of fighting has risen to 47 after a man later died from his wounds, the Health Ministry in Gaza said Thursday. Several militants were among those killed, including two senior Islamic Jihad commanders, one of whom Israel said it targeted in order to foil an imminent attack.”

“Several,” is an understatement. Islamic Jihad and other Gaza terror groups have acknowledged that 15 of the dead were their members.

As well, the CBC reporter quoted Sarah Abdul-Karim, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement of Ottawa saying: “I think the core message of our protest is amplifying the Palestinians’ right to resist.”

Importantly, resistance is a euphemism used to justify Palestinian terrorism.

Untold by the CBC’s reporter and as noted by CIJA, the organization Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), has praised Palestinian terrorists, including Ibrahim Al-Nabulsi, who was responsible for a string of terrorist attacks, including a shooting attack on Joseph’s Tomb that injured two worshippers and an IDF commander. PYM also claimed that an Islamic Jihad commander who was killed by Israel, Taysir Mahmoud al-Jabari, is a “martyr”. Meanwhile, a co-sponsor of this rally is Samidoun, an organization which the Israeli government alleges is a front for the Palestinian terror group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
"Israel Suspends High School Trips to Nazi Camps in Poland"
Israel said it will suspend annual high school trips to the Nazi death camps in Poland, planned for September through November, due to an ongoing dispute with Warsaw over security arrangements and content of the program.

According to Israel’s foreign and education ministries, a government delegation will travel to the Polish capital to meet with officials there for talks on future trips.

The two ministries said in a joint announcement Sunday that a delegation has already been to Warsaw to discuss the issue, but with no success.

“A delegation from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education, and the General Security Service (Shin Bet) went to Warsaw and held negotiations for two consecutive days regarding the main issues that are on the agenda, primarily the contents of the trip and the security of the delegations,” according to the statement.

“The discussions on these issues continued intensively even after the delegation returned to Israel. Unfortunately, despite the many and intensive efforts of the ministries to reach agreements with representatives of the Polish government, this was not successful,” the statement said.

Spokespersons for the foreign and education ministries said their two ministries are prepared to renew talks aimed at finding a solution to the impasse, “provided there is an understanding of the Israeli needs in the discussed issues.”
Germany ‘regrets’ boycott of Munich OIympics anniversary by victims’ families
Germany expressed regret on Friday that families of Israeli athletes killed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich plan to boycott a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the massacre.

“Of course, we very much regret the decision by the relatives to cancel their attendance at the event,” said German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, according to AP. “The government hopes that a way will be found so the relatives can decide to attend the memorial event on Sept. 5 after all.”

The families announced on Aug. 11 that they wouldn’t be attending the memorial ceremony, citing a disagreement with the German government regarding the amount of compensation they should receive. The relatives called the amount Germany has offered “an insult,” according to the report.

Germany paid out compensation to victims’ families in 1972 and 2012 amounting to about €5 million, and German media have reported that while the government is prepared to double that amount, the relatives are seeking “considerably more,” according to AP.

While the amount of compensation involved during the current negotiations has not been released, Israel’s Channel 13 reported it is €200,000 per family.

Ilana Romano, mother of weightlifter Yosef Romano, who was murdered in the attack, told Channel 13 that the German offer was “degrading, unacceptable and rejected outright.”

“They need to understand in Germany that they have to pay according to international standards,” she said.
'Humiliating, unacceptable': Israel to boycott Munich massacre memorial
Families of the Munich massacre victims, as well as Israeli President Isaac Herzog, will boycott the planned memorial marking 50 years since the attack on the Israeli Olympic delegation.

Ankie Spitzer, widow of slain Olympic coach Andre Spitzer, explains why negotiations with the German government for compensation have failed over the past 5 decades.


The Ben Shapiro Show Sunday Special Ep. 130 Benjamin Netanyahu
Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s life has been spent serving the state of Israel, from the Israel Defense Force to serving 5 terms as prime minister, and he’s shown no signs he’s done yet.

During his first term in the 90’s, the prime minister was foundational in tearing out most of the socialist government in Israel. His ongoing strategies resulted in fundamentally remaking the country, particularly in regards to economic freedom and military strength.

In our episode, PM Netanyahu recounts his lengthy career and explains what it looks like to continue keeping peace while on the edge of disaster at all times. Plus, he tells us about how he managed his relationship with the United States and what he has on the agenda if he is reelected.




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