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Sunday, August 21, 2022

08/21 Links: The many lies of Mahmoud Abbas; Who is enforcing the PA’s antisemitic land laws?; Professor Nachman Ash celebrates 26 years of Save a Child's Heart

From Ian:

The many lies of Mahmoud Abbas
The United Nations have entire committees formed to attack Israel – while ignoring the atrocities committed by the many Palestinian terrorist organizations. The antisemitism of the members forming these committees, such as Miloon Kothari and Navi Pillay, are often very publicly exposed, but they remain held ‘in high esteem’ without any sanction or punishment finding their way to them.

In fact, the only time UN officials are punished is when they show some kind of balance and acceptance of reality such as Sarah Muscroft who tweeted “indiscriminate rocket fire of Islamic Jihad provoking Israeli retaliation is condemned.”

She was removed from her office for that ‘offense.’

But this is the world we live in, in which the basic tenets of morality have been flipped so blatantly that up is now down. Left is now right. And terrorists who commit murder are innocent victims.

Mahmoud Abbas may just be one person, but he represents many who share his warped sentiment. It is shameful that knowing all we know about him; world leaders continue to treat him with a certain respect and reverence that is unfathomable to any decent person of conscience and justice.

Just last month, President Joe Biden stood alongside this illegitimate unelected antisemite and dictator, and said, “it’s good to see you again, my friend…. And I’m very proud to be with you today as President of the United States.”

President Biden should not be proud. He should be ashamed.

Just as any world leader or Israeli official should be when they talk of him as a partner or a man of peace, for he is the exact opposite of all those things.

For too long, too many people have put their faith in this evil man, refusing to see what is so blatantly obvious and so abundantly clear. And all those organizations and world leaders who continue to blindly support him and his cause are tainted by the same evil brush strokes he is painting.

The world may not see it, but we do. Mahmoud Abbas is not a partner for peace, but an agent of evil.


‘Operation Breaking Dawn’: How Israel knew Islamic Jihad was planning to attack
Editor, columnist and analyst Alex Traiman reveals how Israel’s intelligence agencies became aware that Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) was preparing major attacks on the Jewish state, prompting the IDF to launch “Operation Breaking Dawn.”

Traiman followed the recent conflict closely, writing several pieces and reporting on the many PIJ rockets that landed short in Gaza and caused civilian casualties.

Listen to this captivating and illuminating webinar featuring one of Israel’s finest thinkers.


Al-Monitor PodCast: Israeli media adviser Keren Hajioff: Gaza operation also a media battlefield for IDF
Ben Caspit speaks this week with Maj. Keren Hajioff, the international spokesperson of Prime Minister Yair Lapid. Haijaoff has been managing relations with foreign media during the recent IDF operation in Gaza. Alongside the exchange of fire on the ground, Israel and Islamic Jihad also fought each other in the media arena. Hajioff explains that winning media battles requires more than the truth. "The difficult part is to make people listen, to make sure that the story goes viral. You have to find a way to get attention for your narrative, in order to amplify the message you want to share," she notes.


Headlines with the Haddads - From the Gaza Strip
This episode Emily Schrader and Yoseph Haddad head to the Gaza border to see the aftermath of Operation Breaking Dawn and discuss the ceasefire between Israel and Gaza


Israel’s top diplomat in Turkey: ‘We’re not going into a perfect marriage’
On Wednesday, Israel and Turkey announced they would be renewing full diplomatic ties after two years of work to patch up their damaged relationship.

Irit Lillian, Israel’s charge d’affaires in Ankara, has played a central role in the process since her appointment in February 2021.

“From the beginning, it was clear that we were building a process in which we agree to disagree,” Lillian told The Times of Israel during a Thursday interview.

“We know that there are a number of points that we currently don’t agree on. We can move forward and solve them later on.”

A major outstanding point of contention is the Hamas office in Istanbul, which Ankara insists only deals with political activities. Israel charges that Hamas uses its hub in Turkey to direct terror attacks and has publicly demanded that the office be shuttered.

“Hamas’s offices in Istanbul will be shut down,” promised then-Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in November after Israel announced the arrests of a 50-member West Bank-based Hamas cell being directed from Istanbul.

But “it’s still there, [and] it’s a huge obstacle,” Lillian acknowledged.

Nonetheless, Lillian — who has served as Israel’s ambassador to Bulgaria and Australia — indicated that the renewed ties are being constructed in a manner that enables the sides to handle tensions quietly and constructively.


"Arab Israeli MK Calls to Eliminate Israeli Flag, Jewish Statehood, National Anthem and Law of Return"
The head of the Arab Israeli ‘Balad’ party says he wants to see the elimination of the Israeli flag, the national anthem, the Law of Return and Jewish statehood in general.

MK Sami Abu Shehadeh told Israel’s KAN News public broadcasting radio station on Sunday, “We need a serious change in the racist structure that discriminates in favor of Jews, and to build a better democratic model.”

When asked whether he believes Saturday night’s terrorist shooting attack near the Jewish community of Ofra was “legitimate,” Abu Shehadeh squirmed and finally ducked the question, ultimately declining to condemn the attack.

“I think the occupation has a lot of victims and the way to end all this violence is to end the occupation,” Abu Shehadeh said in the interview.

“I think there should be a clear political project that leads to the end of the occupation and the end of Jewish supremacy and the end of racism. This is a democratic project,” he said.

In response, Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman pointed out in a statement via Twitter that “despite his, and his party’s express support for terrorism and the fight against Israel, Supreme Court justices (and among them, Meni ‘I-didn’t-speak-about-a-specific-minister’ Mazuz) authorized him, again and again, to enter the Knesset.

“Contrary to the explicit Basic Law [that prohibits it]. So why would he condemn a shooting [attack] on a bus?” Rothman wrote.

In an interview with Israel’s Reshet Bet, Rothman also noted that Section 7-A of the Knesset’s Basic Law “means that he cannot be a member of Knesset.

“Whoever says he does not support the flag and the Law of Return and calls the Jewish state enterprise ‘racist’ does not want a Jewish State. Such an individual should not be imprisoned for it, but he cannot be a member of the Knesset.”


Packed Israeli bus in Samaria targeted by gunfire from Palestinian village
Suspected Palestinian terrorists fired on a crowded Israeli bus in Judea and Samaria on Saturday night, according to the IDF, shortly after another incident in which three Arab women in possession of a submachine gun and a suicide note were arrested at a checkpoint.

The bus was traveling along the north-south Route 60 highway when it was fired upon from the Palestinian village of Silwad, which is located near the Jewish community of Ofra, the IDF said in a statement.

No casualties were reported and a manhunt was launched to apprehend the perpetrators, the military added.

“On the way down from Ofra I was driving at a speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) and suddenly I heard a tak, tak, tak. I told people to ‘get down,’ I thought it was a stone,” the bus driver, identified only as N., told Channel 12 on Sunday morning.

“Thank God I have a bulletproof bus. The police and soldiers arrived. I was a little scared,” he said.

At least eight bullets hit the bus, according to a statement by the Binyamin Regional Council.

“We have been seeing an escalation and a loss of deterrence for some time,” said Israel Gantz, head of the Council. “A very great miracle happened tonight. We demand immediate and deep actions to eradicate terrorism and restore deterrence on the ground.”
On eve of its start, plan to let Palestinians use Eilat’s Ramon Airport shelved
Shortly before its intended start, a plan to let West Bank Palestinians use Israel’s Ramon Airport, located near the southern resort city of Eilat, as a gateway to fly out of the country has been put off for the time being, the Israel Airports Authority said Sunday.

The IAA said in a statement that it would make an announcement when a new date was set for the plan. It offered no details as to why it was paused.

The policy, which would have allowed Palestinians to fly to Turkey without needing to depart from Amman, was first announced earlier this month, amid heavy crowding at the West Bank’s sole crossing with Jordan. However, it was unclear how practical the initiative would be, with Ramon Airport a nearly three-hour drive from the West Bank at its closest point.

Currently, Palestinians wishing to fly abroad need to travel over land to Jordan and board a flight from there, or to secure a hard-to-come-by entry permit into Israel to fly from Ben Gurion Airport.

In its original announcement in early August, the IAA said Turkish companies Pegasus Airlines and AtlasGlobal planned to launch twice-a-week flights for Palestinians out of Ramon airport to Antalya and Istanbul later in the month and in early September. The first flights were reportedly scheduled for August 22.

The announcement was thin on details, including how Palestinians would be able to reach Ramon and whether special permits would be required.

The announcement also did not include any other options for Palestinians other than Turkey, which is a popular tourist destination.
Palestinians working in Israel strike over demand for bank accounts
Tens of thousands of Palestinians employed in Israel staged a one-day strike on Sunday in protest at a decision to pay their salaries into bank accounts rather than in cash.

"We reject having our salaries transferred to Palestinian Authority banks because we are afraid of the future and there is a crisis of trust,
Bassim Al-Waheidi, a 55-year-old construction worker

The new payment method was agreed between Palestinian and Israeli authorities looking for a more efficient and secure way to pay salaries, but workers fear that hidden fees and new taxes will cut into their wages.

About 200,000 Palestinians cross each day into Israel or Jewish settlements for work, earning on average more than twice as much as those employed by Palestinian state bodies and businesses.

Most of the workers do not have bank accounts and putting their salaries on the books would create a new revenue source for the financially-strapped Palestinian Authority (PA), while bringing a windfall in service fees for Palestinian banks.

Under the arrangement, salaries will be paid weekly with bank fees set at $1 per transfer, according to a number of workers who spoke to Reuters.

Palestinian Labor Minister Nasri Abu Jeish said the new arrangement was meant to protect workers' rights and that there was no plan to impose new taxes.

No immediate comment was available from The Unit for Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Israel’s military liaison to the Palestinians.

The PA, which has limited autonomy in the West Bank, is responsible for roughly 150,000 public sector jobs in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Its budget was $330 million for 2021 and it relies heavily on foreign donors.
PMW: Who is enforcing the PA’s antisemitic land laws?
Every year the US gives the Palestinian Authority tens of millions of dollars to support the PA Security Forces. This form of US aid is not affected by any of the provisions of US law that limit aid to the PA, either as a result of its terror rewarding “Pay-for-Slay” policy or as a result of its promotion of an investigation against Israel in the International Criminal Court.

The EU not only supports the PA Security Forces but has also ploughed tens of millions of euros into the PA court system.

But do the US and the EU know what is happening with their aid, or what the PA Security Forces – trained by the US or at least funded by the US – are actually doing? Does the EU know what is happening in the PA courts?

Well, one thing they are busy with is arresting and punishing Palestinians who sell land to Jews – “the enemy.”

According to a 2014 amendment to Palestinian Authority law passed by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Government Decision with Legislative Effect (No. 20)) the maximum sentence for selling land to Jews is life imprisonment with hard labor.

PA TV newsreader: "[PA] Chairman Mahmoud Abbas published a decision on an amendment to the Jordanian penal law and on its previous amendments in the northern districts (i.e., the West Bank). In the new amendment, he instituted life imprisonment with forced labor for the clandestine transfer, leasing or selling of lands to a hostile country or its citizens. The previous penalty for the clandestine transfer of land was temporary forced labor.

[Official PA TV, Oct. 21, 2014]

A recent post on a Facebook page of Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party declared that members of the PA General Intelligence are enforcing this racist law and conducted a “quality operation,” arresting a Palestinian suspected of breaching the prohibition of selling land to Jews. The severity the PA attaches to the crime was further emphasized by the nature of the arrest, which included an “armed confrontation”:


Canada to take action over anti-racist consultant's antisemitic tweets - report
Reactions from Canada's diversity minister, Jewish orgs.
Hussen was outraged at this discovery and called the tweets "disturbing."

"Our position is clear — antisemitism and any form of hate have no place in Canada. That is why I have asked Canadian Heritage to look closely at the situation involving disturbing comments made by the individual in question. We will address this with the organization accordingly, as this clearly goes against our government's values," Hussen said, according to the National Post.

Condemnation also came from the Canadian organization the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA).

"Canadian Heritage must review its oversight policies to ensure Canadian tax-payer dollars are provided to groups committed to cherished Canadian values and to combating racism, hate, and discrimination," CIJA president and CEO Shimon Koffler Fogel said.

"The case of anti-racism funding to CMAC is not alone. Canadian Heritage also provides funding to the Muslim Association of Canada, which featured speakers at their annual conference who had proselytized misogynistic, anti-LGBTQ+, antisemitic, and often violent believes – ideologies we believe most Muslim Canadians reject."

Marouf's past antisemitic controversies
This is not the first time Marouf has found himself embroiled in controversy over allegations of antisemitism and anti-Israel activity.

Back in 2002, Marouf was banned from Concordia University for attacking security and spraying anti-Israel graffiti on the campus walls, local media reported at the time.

In June 2020, Marouf also said "If you want to understand the psychosis that is Zionism, examining Netanyahu or AIPAC will get you nowhere. You need to read about Holocaust Porn in Israel, to understand how an oppressed people not only emulate their oppressor, but also fetishize their oppressors and oppressing others."


BBC website tells part of the story on Abbas’ latest Holocaust remarks
However readers are not told of the links between those so-called “militants” and Abbas’ Fatah party or of Abbas’ own alleged connection to that terror attack. Neither are they informed that, like other terror attacks, the Munich Olympics massacre is regularly lauded and glorified by Fatah and the Palestinian Authority, including naming a school and a university gate after one of its planners.

The BBC’s report does not make any mention of Abbas’ earlier remarks during the same press conference concerning “an apartheid regime”, which did get pushback at the time from the German chancellor.

The report has not been updated to include information about the announcement that the German police are investigating Abbas’ remarks relating to the Holocaust. Neither does it inform BBC audiences of the support Abbas’ offensive remarks received from his domestic audience and from members of his own party and other Palestinian officials, as well as factions in Gaza including Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The BBC’s report tells readers nothing at all about Abbas’ own record on the topic of the Holocaust or the Palestinian Authority’s regular use of Nazi analogies.

The BBC knows full well that this is not the first time that the Palestinian Authority president has employed such offensive rhetoric. In May 2018 the BBC News website reported on widely condemned “Holocaust remarks” made by Abbas and a similar ‘apology’:

Nevertheless, in this report the BBC once again made no effort to provide its audience with the full context to Abbas’ latest outburst and thereby provide information which would enhance their understanding of the Palestinian leader it frequently portrays as a ‘moderate’ proponent of the two-state solution.
Values-Driven Apple News Gives Platform To Terror-Supporting Abdel Bari Atwan
While this hatred is par for the course in the context of Atwan’s vast Arabic output, it sets a new low for his English-language content. Not only does he deem “fifty Holocausts” an adequate term to describe Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, he also instructs that “usage of the term is not a Jewish copyright.” According to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism, adopted by dozens of Western countries, “[d]rawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” constitutes antisemitism.

Notably, Atwan himself has drawn this comparison. In September 2012, he labeled the Sabra and Shatila massacre “a Palestinian holocaust,” part of a long series of “holocausts [sic]” inflicted upon Palestinians and Arabs, “not by gas ovens but by Israeli F-16 missiles, which are manufactured in the U.S.”

Furthermore, Atwan pans Abbas for allegedly devoting his Palestinian security services to “save countless Jewish lives,” thereby contributing to the “the biggest scandal in the history of national liberation movements.”

Also noteworthy are Atwan’s historical distortions and lies that the editorial. Contrary to Atwan’s claim, the Mossad did not take part in the failed rescue operation, as Germany prevented the Mossad’s participation. In addition, the Palestinian terrorists murdered two Olympians before the German operation even began. Furthermore, the terrorists were not “all liquidated”; three out of eight were captured alive and freed within weeks in exchange for a hijacked Lufthansa airplane. Finally, the 20 (not 90) Egyptian soldiers in Latrun did not surrender but were burned to death after their firefight with Israeli soldiers accidentally set the field on fire.

Atwan’s fabrications match Apple’s promise for world-class journalism like his statements calling for Jewish blood match Cook’s stated commitment to not be indifferent to the bloodshed of fellow man.

It is shameful enough that Apple News syndicates the editorials of a antisemite like Abdel Bari Atwan even when he slyly tones down some of his rhetoric when switching into English. But to uncritically amplify the same hateful propaganda against Jews and Israelis in English as well should be tolerated even less so.
Cyprus decides to buy Israel's Iron Dome rocket defense system - report
Israel’s Iron Dome rocket defense system is set to be purchased for the Cypriot National Guard after its Defense Ministry’s approval, the Cyprus edition of the Kathimerini daily has reported.

According to the report on Friday, the agreement has been signed by both Israeli and Cypriot officials. The Israeli Defense Ministry did not respond to an inquiry about the reported deal.

The National Guard is reportedly eager to add the Iron Dome system to its arsenal, as its range would fully cover the areas needed by Cyprus. In particular, Kathimerini notes, the system is considered ideal for both air defense and countering the threat of Turkish drones. The report described Iron Dome as the best system of its type available, as seen in its effectiveness recently against rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.

The head of the Cyprus National Guard, Lt.-Gen. Demokritos Zervakis, toured Israel as a guest of IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi in early March. During the visit, Zervakis toured the Lebanese border and visited an Iron Dome battery.
Israeli gymnast Artem Dolgopyat wins gold in European championships
Israeli gymnast Artem Dolgopyat, who won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics last summer, struck gold again on Sunday at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championship in Munich.

Dolgopyat was the seventh of eight finalists in the tournament. His score of 14.966 overtook that of Hungarian Christopher Masaruch who scored 14.600. The eighth finalist, British Jake German, failed to overtake Dolgopyat with a score of 14.433.

Dolgopyat won the medal despite having an injured foot.

This was Dolgopyat’s seventh medal for floor exercises and his third gold. He won his last gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed to 2021.

“I’m very very tired now but happy,” he told an interviewer when he received his medal. “I did what I could. I have a problem with the foot.

Politicians took to social media to congratulate Dolgopyat, including opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu who wrote on Facebook, “He brought great honor to us all.”
Professor Nachman Ash celebrates 26 years of Save a Child's Heart
Professor Nachman Ash, Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health, visited Save a Child's Heart (SACH) on Thursday - world humanitarian day. The event was marked by a celebration of the more than 6,000 children from 64 countries that have been saved by SACH since its founding 26 years ago.

Ash was welcomed to the festivities by the children and volunteers of SACH. He also met the medical professionals who were training to do work for SACH in Zambia, Ethiopia, the Palestinian Authority and Gaza.

The visit also marked 21 years since SACH's founder, Dr. Ami Cohen, passed away. Per the SACH website, the organization was founded by Dr. Cohen's motto: "If we can, we should." Since 1995 SACH has been bringing children all over the world in need of cardiac treatment to Israel for free medical care.

Ash said, "Today I met an organization with a profound impact and I salute all of you, especially the medical team from Wolfson Medical Center and its management, who have been leading these activities for more than 25 years. Save a Child's Heart is first and foremost an organization of people, and it is symbolic that my visit today takes place near a commemoration for Dr. Ami Cohen z"l, meeting many people from all around the world who act upon his vision.

"The Ministry of Health thanks Save a Child's Heart for its many deeds for the children of Israel and the world, and for establishing the Children's Hospital, one of the most advanced in the Middle East, at the Wolfson Medical Center.”




Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism  today at Amazon!

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